i just reread chrissa's books (the last time i read them was in 2009 as a child, lmao). they were good! lots of good lessons for children reading the books (reaching out to adults for support, acknowledging your mistakes, forgiving and starting over with people, etc). i can also see why i liked them - everything works out in the end and that's the message i would've wanted as a kid when i was preparing to start middle school
as an adult, i think the bullying is realistic and while i enjoy most of the books, the resolution to each instantce of bullying annoys me since it's more idyllic than realistic. however, i also acknowledge that my idea of realistic bullying involves the school doing nothing and the bullying not ending. that's just. not the story you want to give a kid so i get it
hi eps!!!! i am five hours late to the suggestion thing lmao (if you are no longer taking these, absolutely no worries! please feel free to ignore this :) )
how about sponge and plo koon? maybe clone wars era? they both have big parent energy imo lmao
Envious Admiration
Summary: Sponge wishes they had been assigned to the 104th.
[In which I continue to make Sponge's life a cruel tragedy. Especially by presenting them with something they want but can never have. After all, they're too devoted a caretaker to leave the 501st.]
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There's something inherently familial about being one of a few assigned caretakers for a battalion full of rowdy, accident prone men.
It's not intrinsically parental (they're all too close to age for that), but there is a sort of older sibling connection at play. Even when you care for vode older than you.
It's no secret that Sponge feels responsible over the men of the 501st. Has always felt responsible over anyone that they had ever had to treat. Be they a tubie they'd been made to hold to both learn how to handle infants (defenseless lap children in the middle warzones was a thought that made their skin crawl and their stomach flip with anxiety) and to provide much needed skin to skin contact, unfortunate cadets going through the roughest patches of their accelerated puberty (and they still remembered how bad Tup and Dogma had smelled, and how ugly their acne riddled faces had looked, and the memory was both nostalgic and painful with one of them gone), or even some idiot ARCs doing what they shouldn't at the wrong place and wrong time (Echo had been just as much of a nuisance as Fives, but he'd at least been a pleasant conversationalist, and how much Sponge missed him sometimes... Especially seeing how erratic his twin could when he felt at a loss for what to do).
Everyone that they'd ever had to care for were their responsibility. One in millions of connections they would hold dear to them, no matter how much they could annoy them at times. How much they stressed and brought them to near tears.
That said, nothing can quite compare for what it's like to be graced with being cared for by a Jedi of general Plo Koon's caliber.
Sponge is not a fan of general Skywalker.
Has never really been fond of the too brash hot-headed Jedi, who's solution to most problems involved waving a laser sword around.
Is especially not happy when it comes to how he had taught his Padawan-learner. How he had poisoned her mind with behaviors the medic considered highly appalling. And, as much as it hurt to admit, Sponge was glad she'd been able to escape his influence.
Sponge is not a fan of general Skywalker.
But they are a fan of general Koon.
Especially considering the man's proclamations of caring for the clone troopers he presided over actually feel genuine. Genuine and respectful. Unlike certain poster boys with blond captains at their beck and call...
"You mustn't push yourself so hard." The Kel Dor sounds concerned, as he helps them walk across the droid and corpse littered battlefield. Their leg was broken, and there was a gash on their side that was bleeding profusely. But they'd kept going. Kept mending. Kept treating. Until the Jedi had come to their aid. Fearing for their safety when no one else had. "A healer can only heal so much before they too must be tended to..."
"I couldn't sit back and wait, sir." They bow their head respectfully. Their tone softer in reverence they can barely conceal. Envy of the Wolfpack's medics fills their very core. "Not when so many needed me."
"You are a nurturing sort, I see..." And there is fondness in that deep modulated voice. They don't doubt there is fondness in his google-covered eyes as well. "I suspect your shifts must be lively with flighty sorts."
"Too many to count sir." And they can't help grin from ear to ear. The blood loss making them sloppily familiar with the general dragging them away from potential death. "No clone is fond of a doctor's visit, you see..."
They wonder if Jelly would have lived, had they both been assigned to the 104th. Maybe Plo Koon would have cared enough to search for their squadron if they had been. Maybe he would have been able to save Sponge's ori'vod.
hey!! how about 4 for the artist wrapped ask game?
4. How many different styles/ mediums did you try this year?
Oh my goodness so many. I was super limited by subject which made me try a different style almost every day just to stay sane. A for medium, I used gouache, ink, soft clay, animation, digital painting apps... you name it!
🌪 TORNADO: What is the biggest change you've ever made to them? how have they changed from their original version?
Hmmmm two things. Aran used to be alone. No family, no friends, no one. They were a silent ghost who came and went, helping those in need. Most of the time with nobody knowing.
Now I have a whole circle of family and friends around them. They have an origin and story. Before they were just one big question mark with no answers.
Second, Aran was tall in my initial daydreaming. Now they're short.
hey eps! saw your post about associating dogma with a frog or owl and how you'd elaborate more if asked. i'd love to hear more about frogma, your thoughts behind it, and all that jazz if you're down to share!
Hey Zip! You're actually the second person to ask (after @corriegardenia) and I have been itching to answer but had to wait until my aunts left.
Owls and frogs are associated with a lot of mythological symbolism that I find fitting for Dogma as a character, in terms of writing him post-Umbara.
In fact, if you research these two animals specifically you'll find that some of the aspects they symbolize are either very similar or the same between them (barring some aspects that are unique to each animal).
Wealth, a form of wisdom and good luck are the common links between these two animals.
It really depends on which cultures and religions speak of these animals really, because different perspectives affect their significance to the myths and folklore.
But that does add to my thoughts on the matter.
For example: While many different countries agree that owls are wise creatures, owls are seen as harbingers of death by both African and Native American cultures.
Meanwhile frogs also bare the title of symbols of fertility, according to both Ancient Egypt as well as the Greeks and Romans.
Cultural perspective does matter!
That said, despite the owl being an animal that fits Dogma's aesthetic and canon characterization better (Especially thanks to the status as a harbinger of death), I feel like frogs are a kinder thing to associate him with due to the rebirth aspect of their symbolism.
If anyone deserves a chance to go through some more personal growth after having that same chance stolen from them canonically during the Umbara Arc, it's definitely Dogma who shows the capacity to change his stance on things.
Frogs also being associated with the awakening of one's creativity is very good for Dogma who's usually prefers to conform to what he learned on Kamino!
In conclusion:
Frogma is the best thing that I could ever do to Dogma from a certain point of view :)
