Something That Had Always Been Really Frustrating For Me When I Was Still In Math Classes In School Was

something that had always been really frustrating for me when i was still in math classes in school was trying to watch the teacher actually work the problem out on the board and still not understanding wtf was happening. for some context, i heavily suspect that i have some form of dyscalculia because math and numbers literally do not compute properly in my brain. it'd be too long to explain the full extent of my possible dyscalculia here but math literally does the mental equivalent of maxing out the CPU power and memory of a computer to the point where it freezes and lags to my brain.

math class was always stressful for me because no matter what i did and how much progress i made, there was always a lack of understanding i had when it came to trying to work any math problem out long term and remembering anything. it felt like there was always something i was missing, so when the time came for the teacher to explain and go through a math problem step-by-step on the whiteboard, i made sure i paid as much attention to it as humanly possible as child-to-teenager me could muster and even then i still did not understand how the fuck they solved it, all because of one thing: the teacher pulling a random number completely out of their ass that happened to be the key to solving the problem.

like. i don't think i can illustrate how frustrating and isolating this was to experience with words alone. here i was, paying as much attention as i physically could, trying my damned hardest to memorise each individual step and calculation in order to understand how to get from point A to point B. everything made perfect sense up until the teacher suddenly stops for a second and writes a seemingly completely unrelated number there with no context as to why it's there in the first place, and then, in that singular moment, everything immediately comes crumbling down and i'm left completely confused. and somehow, everyone else around me perfectly understands it except me. like. imagine sitting there, giving the teacher all the attention you possibly could, literally watching and studying their hand movements just to understand every single step, only to be even more confused than your classmates, who you're pretty sure were half-asleep during the explanation, who also say they understand how the teacher came to that conclusion. what. the actual fuck.

when i try to explain how infinitely confusing and irritating this was for me, i'm reminded of a quote from that video Patricia Taxxon made about DHMIS: "The rug is pulled again ... There was never any hope of following the thread, understanding is impossible.". even when i was literally trying my best to possibly follow anything that was happening, the rug still gets pulled out from under my feet and i'm sent all the way back to square one of not understanding a single thing and being confused again. all because the teacher didn't explicitly explain how they got that random number that was apparently singlehandedly necessary for solving the equation and where they got it from, apart from that place being from literally fucking nowhere.

it's really no wonder that i eventually stopped giving a shit about paying attention in math class, because even when i was, it was still daunting and incomprehensible as always. why bother trying anymore when trying still gets you nowhere? trying to ask the teacher where they got that number from was an impossible to understand task as well, as their either snapped back with a "well you should have been paying attention" (even though i WAS but whatever) or they do explain that they added the first two numbers from the equation together or something, but now i'm wondering why they didn't just explain that in the first place like they did with everything else instead of seemingly just assuming everyone would know to do that.

by the way, if i had to give an estimate, my math ability is probably still at like. a 5th grader's level at best. so uh. yeah it's not good. still, it is kinda funny to me though, not only because i do find a bit of humour in the situation, but also because some people are often so quick to judge someone's intelligence purely based on their mathematical abilities alone. like. the idea of someone calling me dumb for still needing to do addition with my fingers despite the fact that my reading and language levels are considered above average is really funny to me lmaooo

hey guess what

(ignore the fact that the original post incorrectly states that jj2 takes place before aoz; i didn't know that when i wrote it lollll)

ok i wanna say something real quick. i feel like the way Barry Steakfries is written in his more newer appearances is lacking a lot of the edge he used to have in the older games. like, i'm not saying his newer appearances are bad or anything. not at all! i love every bit of new stuff we get of him! i just feel like him being a hero doesn't really fit him and he's not really as mean as he used to be. i personally love the idea of him being less of an action hero who wants to save the day out of the good of his heart and more out of stroking his own ego because that's an interesting flaw he could have. i feel like in JJ2 he's too good-natured and kinda washed down a bit, you know? chronologically, JJ2 feels a little too early for Barry to be acting as a hero, but it'd be a perfect time for him to be kind of a jerk. i of course don't want him to be like yelling slurs at scientists or anything, but i feel like it'd be better progression to have him be more heroic around the time AOZ takes place and more of an ass around JJ and MD. at this point, Barry's still just some guy with a jetpack. he doesn't really have that "action hero" status like he does in AOZ. Red Photon even points this out in the Robo-Barry short. i think it'd be fine to have him be some Australian guy who's a real jerk sometimes! and i want this to go beyond just simple teasing, i want him to insult people. i want him to really chew them out and give them a piece of his mind, y'know, as a treat. i want him to actively endorse crimes and theft more. i want him to be kind of a bully to the scientists. or maybe have a bit more balance between his nicer side and his asshole side. i feel like he treats everyone a little too nice now and i'd like some more meanness.

and like,, i know Halfbrick's games are more casual and appropriate for all ages, but i'd love to see a Barry who still swears occasionally. even if it's censored. like, in the original AOZ, he's a gruff and tough Australian guy with a shotgun and a lit cigarette, he's definitely the type of guy to say fuck and shit and ass. i found that edge he had to be pretty entertaining and made him feel more like an adult than he does now. i mean, the third word he's ever said was literally "shit", and it was when he was insulting Professor Brains in the original AOZ. he's a 30 year old man with beard scruff and a jetpack, he should be allowed to say shitballs every now and then, lol.

drawing my Craig fan design for REAL!!!!! + stupid little doodles

earlier i made a post talking about how i was planning on making my own canon where Crarry could still feasibly exist (as well as having other story beats and whatnot) and i mentioned how i refined my Craig design a little bit from the last time i drew him. i finally got around to actually drawing a proper full-body sketch of him and what he's supposed to look like!!! i think i drew his eyes a little more far apart than i intended but. whatever.

he's my skrunkly. he's my baby. he's got perpetually bored resting face and a phd in Pocketbeasts lore. he's got messy hair and a few stray whiskers as he tends to forget his own personal hygiene, what with being a hardworking scientist who usually doesn't show his face and all. i redesigned his eye to have more of a prominent scratch on it that warps and distorts his pupil, as i felt like that'd be the most fitting for his facial scar and the type of injury he has!

and for fun i'm gonna do a general timeline of the evolution of how i've drawn this design over time, because it's actually changed quite a bit since i first drew him back in 2022!! (click for better quality)

god it is. so weird looking back at that first design. it's so..... why is he so square shaped............. lol

now, in terms of differentiating this Craig from Canon Craig, i've thought of giving him some slight personality enhancements that i've always thought would fit him. i haven't seriously thought about it yet (i am tired) but here's some basic little traits i want to make more apparent in his character:

Logical Knowledgeable Creative Naive Perfectionist Fearful and Cowardly Not a very high self-esteem; Afraid to take charge Easily exhausted Not physically strong; Makes up for it with his quick-thinking skills Easily irritated when presented with inaccurate/false information Easily embarrassed; Tends to erase memories when this happens Reliable Honest Earnest Nerdy; LOVES to infodump about any given special interest he has Focused, sometimes to a fault Detail-oriented Introverted

this will likely be expanded on and developed more, but these general personality traits are quite fitting for how i headcanon Craig to be as a person!

i love how whenever i get attached to a character or even just really like them, i always bestow my best headcanon onto them in high regard: the autism headcanon. gonna try to keep this short so i don't infodump for 12 hours but the major autism traits i like to imagine Craig displaying are issues with social skills (unaware of many cues, accidentally says things in an inappropriate way/unintended tone, takes things literally, misconstrues sarcasm as genuine statements), a speech affect (monotone affect), low empathy (doesn't feel what other people feel and has trouble reacting to and feels uncomfortable with certain emotions), has special interests (robotics and engineering, Pocketbeasts, cats, and he loves infodumping about them!!), stimming (rubbing the back of his head when uncomfortable, fidgeting with and studying a particularly intriguing object or tool very closely, doing little puzzles that make little clicky noises that are very pleasant to listen to), experiences sensory issues (joint pain, eye strain, sensitivity to loud and sudden noises, despises certain tastes and textures, often experiences shutdowns), has a strong need for a solidified routine (sudden routine changes can cause distress for him, as he needs more time to process his surroundings and has a strong need for structure in his daily life), a few motor control issues (he's quite clumsy and has issues with spatial awareness, causing him to bump into stuff. this has unfortunately resulted in him bumping his thigh on the edge of a table way too many times.) and a few other things i've probably forgotten about. a lot of these are inspired by a few of my own traits as an autistic guy myself. the dude's like a combo of Data, Barclay and Geordi mixed into one dorky nerd (apologies for any non-trekkie followers who don't know who those characters are :skull:)

Craig seems like the type of person who, once you get him started, will infodump to you about his special interests for HOURS and he still wouldn't even be done yet. just like me fr. also tiny little Craig getting his face smooshed

get squoshed idiot

this is an older sketch i did when i was still finalising Craig's design along with doodling other stuff on the page. this was a little expression test of Craig blowing his face up with chemicals because 1. i thought it'd be funny. and it was. and 2. i've never really drawn him with big wacky expressions before, and i LOVE drawing big wacky expressions lol. it will be a rare sight to see Craig making a face like that but it'll still be funny nonetheless lol

no comment. only moob. i feel the same way about barry tbh HAHAHAAH what who said that

i fucking LOVE the Yababaina music video so much, it's absolutely insane and fun to watch, although it does put my eyes out of focus when i look at it for too long. heavy eyestrain and seizure warning for anyone who wants to check the video out, it's extremely fast-paced and has a lot of bright saturated colours. here are my three boys drawn doing that little handholding thing Miku, Teto and Zundamon do in the video. also first drawing of Prince Runingunin!!! he's so silly <3

that's everything i have today. i'm excited to draw this version of Craig more and make more art of him and Barry together!! just sucks i have to sorta swerve around canon with a convoluted solution but whatever. i like diverging from canon and making stuff up into my own thing anyway lol. blond nerd craig my beloved

god damnit..... they did the worst possible thing....... it's so joever..........

(hi steakout from the future. before this post starts you gotta know this post was made at 1 in the morning. i was very tired. this was my live reaction to this video being uploaded. please enjoy my frenzied screaming and horrific misspellings.)

IM!N!!! iM IM SCREAKING?M???? BHUH HHBUH??????

I'M GOg TO VIOMENTLY EXPLODE!?!??!??? CROAG!N?N?????? helP?????

i'm actually so surprised that in the many years of Siivagunner existing, they haven't made a single Jetpack Joyride rip yet. like. there are so many stupid jokes and mashups you could make with it. they've made plenty of rips of mobile games like Angry Birds and Subway Surfers, so it's kinda shocking that there aren't any Jetpack Joyride rips considering it's one of the most recognisable mobile games ever.

The true canon reveal:)

I'm gonna try to draw p runny in the style of the new series because he looks like he'd be so cute 😭✋

Idc - Craig is p runny and ain't no dumb corp making stupid decisions gonna change that

Why the hell wouldn't it be? My theory literally tied everything together how he could be. So stupid. I wanna see what would have happened with the old shorts that were supposed to come out :// plus if they did this theyd have more people interested on who he is and go play aoz but apparently they don't want the revenue.

Smh my head