welcome to the playground

rie | she/her | gachiakuta doodle dump | crippling social anxiety

[detrietus]

OBSESSED with the way you draw jabber 🤤🤤🤤🤤

you draw him so snatched, his hair tied up is freaking everything to me all of it so goon material

your doing the lords work 🛐🛐🛐🛐

AJSHDJAKSK OH MY GOD thank you so much??? he’s just so pretty in canon it drives me crazy

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Obsesseddd with ur role reversal au i love Raider zanka's design so much and cleaner jabber is so silly

aaaaaaaaaaa thank you so much omg!! 🙏

it really does make me happy to know that people enjoy this au, it’s so fun not only from an artist’s perspective but also from a writer’s standpoint (tho i’m not a writer unless you count school essays, haha) i really like thinking about their motivations and relationships with other characters (there are a few asks in my inbox about this but it takes me a while to get in the flow of writing and make my thoughts coherent)

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If you don't mind me asking about your janka reversal Au. In this au, since jabber is like 'the good guy' right. Mentored by Enjin. In a certain situations where maybe Rudo/Riyo/or anyone he close with in the cleaners were to seriously hurt by Zanka. What is Jabber reaction? Like even if Jabber were to have some sort of 'feeling' to Zanka.

Ooh I love this question! Jabber hides it a lot better in this AU, but he’s still very emotionally stunted in that he doesn’t quite… care about others in the same way a normal person does. While putting this AU together, I really wanted to explore how Zanka and Jabber would fare on the opposite side while still making it as consistent with their canon personalities as possible! So cleaner!Jabber harbors sentiments that are similar to canon!Jabber’s—he thinks that those who are weak (according to his standards) aren’t worth his attention and tends to treat them with condescension if he doesn’t outright ignore them. The people who he thinks are worth interacting with receive the brunt of his affections.

In canon, Jabber seems to be very motivated by pleasure (not that kind of pleasure). When he fights, not only does he get the adrenaline rush, but his dopamine levels go up. Dopamine is a hormone that is released in response to something rewarding, causing pleasure, excitement, and motivation. In Jabber’s case, it’s fighting people who are stronger than him, and also getting rewarded by Zodyl. It’s normally released in short bursts before returning to baseline. So if an individual experiences prolonged exposure to high dopamine levels, the brain naturally compensates by reducing the sensitivity of dopamine receptors. Thus, the person craves higher and higher levels of dopamine and continuously engages in pleasure-seeking activities. Except Jabber became too strong, and he couldn’t reliably get the same pleasure from fighting those weaker than himself, so he forcibly suppressed his strength and his Vital Instrument, just so he could struggle a little—so he can “fight and fight and fight, and never win.”

So anyway! My theory is that Jabber enjoys battle and by proxy the pain that comes with it because when he's at baseline, he’s in a state of anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure, which is linked to dopamine deficiency)—because he finds the simple act of existing to be understimulating, and the thrill of battle is the only thing that gives him pleasure. When he’s not fighting, he’s very subdued and relaxed, if not a little apathetic. He stabs Gris without even blinking. He pulls up late to an important mission because he’s “bad with directions” which I think isn’t necessarily true—he seemed to navigate Penta just fine! I think he just didn’t care enough to follow them properly at that time.

When Jabber is faced with the possibility of fighting a strong opponent, it’s like he comes to life. Even just the anticipation of battle causes a physical reaction—he salivates, he trembles, jumps around, bites his lip, etc. Pain is universally a noxious stimulus—you’d think that he’d grow to hate battles because they lead to pain, but it’s actually the opposite! I don’t think he likes pain by itself, but rather, he loves fighting so much that he’s grown to associate pain with the dopamine and adrenaline rush that battle gives him—therefore, pain and pleasure have become almost inextricably linked in his mind. That’s also why I think he likes poisoning himself, because it’s like a battle that occurs within his own body. The fact that he likes spicy foods suggests that even the very act of eating has to elicit some kind of pain response in order for him to enjoy it.

So circling back to Jabber’s capacity for caring about other people! He appears to lack empathy—actually, he tends to do the opposite of empathizing, which is projection. If apathy is a lack of interest/emotion and empathy is the ability to understand how others feel, projection is displacing one’s own feelings onto others—assuming that others feel the same as yourself. It’s a psychological defense mechanism deployed to avoid experiencing negative emotions to their fullest.

During his battle against Zanka, Jabber gets carried away and projects his own feelings onto him—he assumes that Zanka is also hiding, assumes that Zanka is also repressed, because to Jabber, repression is a great existential burden, and he’s desperate to find someone who is undergoing the same struggle, someone who can understand what he’s going through (ironically, someone who can empathize with him). When he sees Zanka laughing from his poison and looking like he’s having the time of his life, Jabber wants to feel the same happiness—his expectations brought him so much excitement, but now he’s suddenly back to feeling nothing. And these instances might seem like empathy, but they’re not, because he’s not really trying to see himself from Zanka’s perspective—he doesn’t know Zanka like that. But regardless, I think that Jabber thinks he’s genuinely “helping” Zanka by urging him to unleash the brutality hidden inside him. It’s his own way of caring—he thinks Zanka’s in existential pain and wants to relieve him of it.

I actually find it so interesting that when the anime showed him lying down next to Zanka, it almost looks like he’s forcing himself to laugh and my reaction was like “HOLY SHIT” because ever since my overthinking ass first read that part in the manga, I’ve wondered how much of Jabber’s laughter is genuine, or if he was trying to convince himself like: “Zanka’s laughing because he’s having fun, so if I laugh, I’ll also have fun and forget about all the nothing I feel right now. HAHAHAHAHA—omg Zanka we’re having so much fun right? RIGHT???”

(The Jabber characterization plus Zanka’s backstory plus the amazing art plus the devastating ending is why that fight is my favorite in Gachiakuta. Hands down. Also I actually haven’t watched the full fight yet because I’m patiently waiting for the dub—I just got spoiled on Twitter.)

Wait, where was I?

So getting back on topic, cleaner!Jabber does care about other people—his version of caring is just different and he himself certainly doesn’t recognize it as such. Enjin, Riyo, and the rest of the cleaners have managed to (unintentionally) condition him so that being around people who care about him makes him feel good—it’s a very different kind of pleasure than what he associates with fights, but it feels good regardless, and because of that stable support system, because he’s used to having access to a steady supply of oxytocin (AKA the warm, fuzzy, social bonding hormone), his need for dopamine (battle and pain) isn’t quite as extreme as it is in canon, and his capacity to feel empathy for others is increased.

If Zanka were to seriously hurt Rudo (who Jabber hasn’t known for very long) in an active battle, Jabber’s first reaction would probably be, “Not cool! I’m gonna be in so much trouble!” And because Enjin and Arkha had drilled into him that the safety of others should be his first priority, he’s gonna pick him up and try to run away to assess his vital signs and make sure he doesn’t die.

However, if Zanka were to seriously hurt Riyo, who Jabber has known for longer and personally likes (I elaborated on Jabber’s relationship with Riyo here), Jabber would be like “Man, what the fuck!” Then he’ll carry her away to perform first aid. The difference is that in Rudo’s case, Jabber is operating on the understanding that other people don't respond to pain in the same way that he does, and their suffering is actually not a good thing from their point of view (yay, empathy!); but in Riyo’s case, Jabber will be more upset because seeing her suffer causes him distress—and if she dies, he’ll miss her terribly.

(I like the thought of Jabber actually wanting to stay with people who genuinely care about him instead of going off the deep end in the blind pursuit of strength.)

No matter how it happens and who it happens to, Jabber’s going to end up feeling slighted. He’s going to stand watch over their infirmary bed pouting and grumbling “It should’ve been me.” (But not in an angsty way. More like he’s seething that Zanka hurt someone and it wasn’t him, and he’s going to make him regret it.)

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what do you think would be riyo and jabber's relationship in your au !!!

Riyo and Jabber are quite similar in that 1) they both had killcounts before Enjin took them under his wing, 2) they’re both pretty chill outside of fights, 3) they both use sharp instruments, and 4) they both enjoy fighting strong people. They share a kinship as Enjin’s wards even though they don’t know what the other has gone through in the past (and they know better than to ask).

So while Enjin keeps Jabber in line as the responsible(ish) adult of Team Akuta, Riyo, as his junior, plays along with his shenanigans. She lets him know when he needs to lock in or when he’s being an ass (he does listen to her… half of the time). She’s especially good at smoothing out tensions between him and the supporters, so they get partnered up a lot.

The Ripper and Mankira are the destructive duo, so Jabber really likes Riyo. She’s become one of his favorite sparring partners because they both get really fired up and end up wrecking the place. He thinks she’s cool for having a gun (and lame for refusing to shoot him with it), and he goes to her when he needs help with his hair (she tends to play around with it during car rides anyway).

To Riyo, Jabber’s like a very annoying older brother—he steals food off her plate (5: they both like spicy food), uses the top of her head as an armrest/headrest, and hides roaches in his pockets to scare her with. He figured out early on that Riyo used to be an assassin and knows that she carries a gun, so he makes comments like “man, this’d be so much easier if we had a gun” *nudge nudge wink wink*).

[detrietus]

ROLE REVERSAL AU: REUNION

(gachitober day 20: raider/cleaner swap)

they’re both freaks, your honor

[detrietus]

jabber i love you but i will do everything in my power to never have to draw mankira

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(Incoming some spoilers) I feel like Jabber goes from person to person, from one obsession to the next. He’s the kind of guy who moves on once he finds someone stronger; someone who can give him a better beating than the last. Because of this, I personally think he’ll probably put his obsession with Zanka on the back burner and become completely fixated on Fu instead, desperately wanting to fight him again, while Fu wants no part of it and is still terrified of Jabber 💀

Ooh, i can absolutely see this happening, especially given how disappointed he was over the outcome of his fight against Zanka!

(and Zanka will be the one who ends up chasing after Jabber for a rematch)

[detrietus]

First time asking anything on tumblr lol

But question, saw your newest, and How loyal is zanka to zodyl in your au? Like what would you describe their relationship? Also, is zanka gonna murk my boy Fu???

Zodyl found Zanka at a vulnerable point in his life and gave him some much-needed validation and guidance, so Zanka’s ride-or-die for him. He joined the raiders because of his respect for Zodyl and the freedom that being an outlaw grants him, not because he’s particularly attached to the cause (similar to canon, where Zanka joins the Cleaners because he wants to get stronger).

But compared to Zanka’s relationship with Enjin in canon, him and Zodyl are more professional than brotherly. He calls him boss. When he succeeds in a mission, Zodyl gives him positive reinforcement, which Zanka accepts with a straight face, but deep inside he’s glowing like “omg the boss thinks i did a good job!!” because he’s lowkey addicted to praise and he’ll be in a good mood for the rest of the day.

As a raider, Zanka is a jack-of-all-trades thanks to his Hellguard training—he can do reconnaissance, retrieval, combat, etc, and he never refuses a mission (though he’ll grumble to himself during a particularly boring stakeout or a tricky heist). Zodyl values his work ethic, so he’s actually a teeny-tiny bit lenient with him regarding timeframes because he knows Zanka likes to train and seek out strong opponents and trash beasts to fight. So out of all the raiders, Zanka is the one who spends the least time at the base (which is a good thing, because whenever he sees Zodyl eat something disgusting, his prissy rich boy instincts activate and he starts dry-heaving).

As for your last question… I think it’s more likely that *MANGA SPOILERS* Hii’s gonna break one of Zanka’s limbs and he’ll have to take a break from the story like Jabber is currently doing.

[detrietus]

gachitober days 7-9 but make the whole thing role reversal au because it’s all i want to draw rn

also i love drawing zodyl???

[detrietus]

Hmmm I have a question what is your opinion on Janka lol I'm still tryna understand the ship😭 because I can't tell if Zanka wants Jabber or hates him at this point... I think Jabber just likes toying with Zanka lol

Ahshdhsjsj oh my god I’ve been shipping Janka since like June 2024 (before I even made this account) so my answer might be biased, haha. I don’t know if you’ve read the manga, but the upcoming arc in the anime (the Trash Storm Arc) is where most of the shipping fuel comes from.

So manga spoilers below! This is gonna get long.

First, they parallel each other! Both value strength for the sake of strength, in their own ways: Zanka wants to prove himself stronger than geniuses through hard work; Jabber admires nothing more than “pure strength,” and wants to fight and never win. Their designs also have a lot of similar elements: the vest, long flared sleeves, cloth around the waist (though zanka’s is in the front and jabber’s is in the back), two belts (the anime stole one of jabber’s belts 😔), and the silhouette of their pants (even their pants cuffs are the same!)

Next, they also complement each other:

- Zanka likes to win, Jabber does not. (They both want Jabber to lose. Common interest!)

- Zanka likes beating up geniuses (Jabber called him a sadist). Jabber is a genius who likes getting beaten up (masochist… or sadomasochist?).

- Zanka has a massive inferiority complex (he thinks he’s an average person even though he’s crazy strong and skilled). Jabber has a massive superiority complex (he thinks the weak are worthless).

- Zanka is (most of the time) serious and responsible. Jabber is… Jabber.

They’ve got chemistry and they’re a wee bit toxic (no pun intended). But my interpretation of it is that Zanka’s feelings for Jabber aren’t exactly hate.

Zanka’s frustrated by the entire concept of “geniuses”—people who are innately powerful and talented and just better than everyone else. He’s insecure in the fact that he’s not and never will be a genius, and has to work a hundred times as hard to get half as good.

Jabber is a manifestation of that concept. His very existence is a jab (pun intended) to Zanka’s ego. His Vital Instrument is overpowered. He intentionally holds back against opponents. He’s unapologetically unrestrained—he doesn’t care about laws or rules or other people’s opinions because strength is the only thing he cares about, and he’s strong enough to back it up.

Zanka’s also obsessed with strength, but he doesn’t have the same freedom that Jabber does.

So I don’t think Zanka hates Jabber—he wants to fight him, beat him, and flaunt his victory in his face (which Jabber would love, ngl). Zanka’s hatred is directed towards himself for not being strong enough.

As for Jabber toying with Zanka, I think it goes a little deeper than that!

EVEN MORE SPOILERS BELOW

Jabber tends to go easy on strong people by default, but in their second fight, Zanka proved to be the exception. In fact, not only did Jabber think of him as strong, but he thought that he and Zanka were the same: two people who’ve had to repress their strength in a world too weak to handle it. So he brings out Mankira’s true form, thinking he’s found someone beyond strong—someone he doesn’t have to go easy on.

An equal who can handle him at full power. A kindred spirit.

(He even calls him by his name for the first time, instead of Mr. Bad Attitude)

Which was why Jabber is so disappointed when Zanka loses. He even says something along the lines of: “I thought if I fought you, I’d get a better fight,” implying that (this is my delulu brain talking) he might have asked Cthoni to send him to Zanka specifically—that Zanka made such an impression on him the first time that he actively sought him out for round two. He had such high expectations, but Zanka wasn’t able to meet them.

(Zanka desperately wants to meet them.)

The fact that Jabber—who is very smart, perceptive, and according to Zodyl, is an excellent judge of character and brings out people’s “inner self”—misjudged him so hard shows how strong Zanka is (and also, how insane his poker face is, tbh). Zanka gave his all, but Jabber still thought he was holding back.

Personally, I think that lapse in judgment also comes from a place of loneliness. The zenith of strength is an isolating place to be. Jabber was so desperate to find someone just like him that he was practically begging Zanka to let loose, to stop hiding, and “be himself.” That he can be free when he’s with Jabber.

(Repression… hiding… bringing out one’s “inner self”… freedom in being together… gay allegory much? 🤔 🌈 )

[detrietus]

in your au, is jabber just as psychotic as he is in the canon verse, or is he a bit more mentally stable but still a weirdo?

Leaning towards the second one! He’s a bit more mentally stable because he’s got a better support system (for example, he doesn’t go around torturing and killing people). The freakiness is still there, just very repressed due to social conditioning—that’s why he begs to go on as many missions as he can, hoping to find other givers who can beat him up.

But once he gets into a real fight against a strong person and can go all out, the insanity rises to the surface.

[detrietus]

god the enjin & cleaner!jabber dynamic is so good your brain is SO big for this

AHSHDJAJDJA THANK YOU!! enjin is stressed tf out but i really liked the idea of someone being used to and extremely fed up with jabber’s antics while genuinely caring about his safety and well-being

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Heheh,, hi,,, so you might’ve seen my tags on some of your art, your gachiakuta art,, well it was so good I started the anime right after I reblogged them and I loved it so much that by episode 2 I knew I had to draw something for it so I thought I’d share:<

OBSESSED btw, thank you for introducing me🙏🙏🙏

AAAAAAAAAAAAA OMG THIS LOOKS SO GOOD??? i’m so glad you decided to pick up the anime! it’s so amazing!!!

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hi i just got here, first of all i love your role swap au, i think it's very nice <3

are you aware that your username kinda sounds like the french word "détritus" which means "trash" ? i think you were destined for the gachiakuta fandom my guy

ahhhh thank you!

yes, i purposely chose this name because it just so happens that i go by rie and wanted a name related to garbage since this is an account where i can dump my gachiakuta art! “detritus” was kind of the perfect word

only thing is, the english pronunciation sounds like “de-try-tis” instead of “de-tree-tu” so the pun really only works visually and in french

[detrietus]

What’s rudo and jabber’s relationship in your roleswap au?

Aaaaaaa I love this question!

In terms of their dynamic, they’re the constantly bickering half of Team Akuta, in the sense that Jabber is a natural ragebaiter (sometimes he’s not even being intentional) and Rudo gets easily flustered/irritated when teased. Rudo is also the rare person who can get under Jabber’s skin because he still calls him turdface or shitbiscuit most of the time and Jabber is mildly amused but does not appreciate the attitude.

In terms of what they think of each other, Jabber is more interested in Rudo’s potential than he is in Rudo as a person, and Rudo thinks Jabber’s a weirdo jackass but will grudgingly admit he’s a very capable weirdo jackass from whom he can learn a lot.

When they met at HQ, Jabber was initially dismissive of Rudo until he found out that he was a Sphereite who survived the border + what his Vital Instrument can do. In this AU, having never met Zodyl, Jabber doesn’t know about the Watchman Series, but just knowing what Rudo’s gloves are capable of already cemented Rudo in his mind as someone worth paying attention to. He’s lowkey a condescending asshole to anyone he deems a weakling, which is why the supporters don’t like working with him (in his defense, he tries to be civil but comes across as patronizing). Rudo hates that mentality—Jabber doesn’t particularly care, as empathy is not his strong suit.

Jabber’s pretty invested in Rudo’s progress, but he’s waaaayyyy too much of a loose cannon to be Rudo’s primary trainer in the way canon!Zanka is (plus, he’s not interested in “babysitting rookies”), so Team Akuta kind of shares Rudo’s mentorship between the three of them! Jabber’s style of mentoring goes as follows: he shows up to training sessions hoping for a good fight, makes a couple of comments that are actually insightful and helpful (to Rudo’s shock), then ends up zoning out and wandering away when nothing else interesting happens.

[detrietus]

Your art is so so good, it makes me want to pick up drawing again :,)) Especially Gachiakuta—your designs for the role reversal AU are simply divine <33

aaaaaaaaaa thank you so much??? as someone who’s struggled to pick up a pencil countless times, i’m really moved to hear that you want to draw again 🥹 please keep making art 🙏

[detrietus]

I'm your fan, thank you for existing. I love your style. (awkwardly blinks, hides behind a box) (((o(♡´▽`♡)o)))

ajshddhajdhsj omg thank you so much!! 🙏