#but with the animated episode. it is so structured and planned out. they put it in there on purpose. and kept it in on purpose. And For Why

[sedgwickpdf]

there’s gay reasons ellie there’s always gay reasons

THE REASONS. ARE GAY. IT'S THERE FOR GAY REASONS

[coqxettee]

Spring Night Routine

🍃🫧*ੈ✩‧₊˚🌙

My current Spring night routine, that hopefully inspires you guys and gives you some structure and ideas on how you can plan out your seasonal night routine this Spring ༓ ☾.｡*ﾟ+

6PM - I try to finish all *work* and projects for the day, I try not to go on my phone so much as the evening goes on ♡

6:30PM - I either have an evening shower and take off my makeup/do my skincare early so I can spend the rest of the evening doing wind-down activities and getting ready for the night. I put my pyjamas on and light a candle in my room so that it smells fresh and lovely when I go back in later ♡

7:00PM - I’ll have a late dinner and usually watch an episode of something comforting whilst I eat. Sometimes this can also be a movie, any Spring seasonal movie of an evening makes me so happy and reminds me it’s this time of year. This is also when I’ll either have a sweet treat or snack or something I’ve either bought from the bakery or baked myself in the day. I know it’s not good to eat late, especially sugar but I try to leave a good gap between the time I eat and the time I go to sleep ♡

8:00/8:30PM - I will go back into my bedroom and put some classical music on or lullaby instrumentals as I find they make me feel the most relaxed and sleepy. Then I give my room a once over tidy so it’s clean when I wake up in the morning. I pick out an outfit for the next day and either lay it out or hang it up ♡

9:00PM - I’ll brush my hair out one last time for the day and tie it back to sleep in. Then I’ll write my to-do list for the next day (usually at my desk with the candle until I blow it out) I also journal for around 15 minutes, just about how my day was ♡

9:30PM/10:00PM - I will either spend some time with my parents before I go into my own room, get into bed and watch an episode of something comforting (usually Anime) read until I feel sleepy, then I go to sleep ♡

I hope you liked this Spring Night routine, I’ll upload my current Morning routine soon. Sending love and whimsical wishes to you all ☽

All my love…

Kellen ✨🌙

˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆. .｡

[4supermarkets]

DREAMZZZ SEASON 3 OFFICIAL TRAILER OVERANALYSIS

THE ONE PIECE DREAM SEASON 3 TRAILER OVER ANALYSIS IS REAL!!!

im doing this on my laptop AND this will include information from the leaked season 3 ep descriptions to try and connect the dots. ANALYSIS UNDER THE CUT!

if you want to watch the trailer before the overanalysis:

right of the bat, the dream world looks way more diffrent! maybe its because wildbrain is animating the season now and resulting in higher quality, or maybe (based on the 2nd image) its a result of the dream realms being put in diffrent places and thus having different wildlife, structures ect.

wildoria still has the king clawdious statues from season 2.

the result of the dream realms merging can be seen here where there are cupcake monsters in the grim realm instead of grimspawn. Maybe the candy realm merged with the grim realm resulting in evil candy creatures lurking? ( petition to see nk statue covered in candy)

mateo sweeping with a z-mop!

MORE BEAU CONTENT!!! he seems WAY more diffrent and more hippie/at peace. Hopefully he gets properly redeemed in this season. Glad to see they didnt forget about the fact beau and zoey still have to work on their dad and daughter relatonship.

oh. this ones hard. Zoey says "heartbreak" when this scene plays and logan has a dreamsmasher bear plushie( I NEED IT), so maybe astrid and logan had a falling out? and the plushie was a gift? ( CURSE YOU TOMMY!!!)

cooper making a robot buddy! Zoey says" yearning for peers with a similarly high iq" over this so maybe cooper is looking for smarter freinds/allies. (dream slide!!!)

we get to see the happy app hq ( which is HUGE and looks way to advanced for brooklyn) and jose working for it now! idk why he would choose to work here, maybe now he needs 2 jobs?

and based on the episode desc leaks, this will cause problems for the dream chasers later in the future.

dreamsmashers face glitches a bit here due to acceleration.

izzie seems to be a HUGE fan of dreamsmasher, wonder how long that admiration gets crushed!

mateo being clearly jealous of dreamsmasher doing all the work as stated by zoey. (MY GOAT)

SO MUCH TO DISECT!

first, we izzie being a massive dreamsmasher stan( dream-stan?) as he announces his campaign for dream keeper.

we also see the night bureau arena looking diffrent, with the sun and candle logo we saw on mateos dream consultant uniform and more dream creatures in the stands such as gummy bears.

we get to see a look at the game tower being placed atop of the dream forge...oh no.

as oz states:" The towers are sucking out all the creativity, like a parasite!" This could be connected to the cyber villains and possibly dreamsmashers master plan.

teo and logan!

i also just noticed this, but there are grimspawn and people ( most likeley the night bureau) holding flashlights. as if in a search

mateo also says" we gotta get there before he does!" most likely refering to dreamsmasher.

logan jumping infront of a knitting vehicle/car in a canyon like area. This is most likeley the 'diffrent version of the dunes of duraluma' stated in the longer episode synopsis

^the sky looks diffrent from the duraluma we saw in season 2 which was a night sky.

dreamsmasher flying in what is most likely the cyber realm/ a place corrupted by the cyber corruption

oz and alberts new outfits! We also get to see the effects of the cyber corruption from the dream towers, which completley drains the realm of creativity and color.

coopers new hellicopter! it shoots out paint!

we get to see the 'meanie screenies' from the whack race 2025 longer ep synopsis which have a clark kent type of good disquise. the heart isnt fooling anyone bro

a game tower surrounded by cyberlings, meanie screenies, AND DREAMSMASHER!

albert running into a car and it EXPLODING! it also looks pixelated.

we are able to see more of the new canyon realm up close, which has cactuses. We also see the truck lo lo jumped on earlier which has a sewing type design and a driver. its being chased by zoey and izzie with bunchurro.

loop dee loops!! wooooo!!!

and the final shot we get of z-car and mateo holding on for dear life.

what we can get from this trailer+leaks and shorts:

After the dream realms changed places, it caused changes with dream creatures and enviorments with dream realms. With dreamsmasher in the game, hes smashing all problems for the night bureau, meaning mateo and the gang has nothing to do.

Astrid and logan have a falling out, beau and zoey are bonding more, cooper is building more robotics, izzie is fangirling over dreamsmasher and mateo and izzies dad now works at happy app hq. Dreamsmasher is also running for dream keeper which can cause problems for oz, albert and even night hunter.

Mateo is spying on dreamsmasher to find dirt on him, which results in him neglecting z-blob.

The cyber villains main goal is to digitize and drain the dream world of creativity, with dream smasher somehow involved. Dreamsmasher could just be a pawn in a bigger beings master plan.

ok my laptop is dying and my fingers are burining but thanks so much for reading!!

[greatwyrmgold]

are you gonna watch the Gnosia anime when it comes out?

Yes.

I feel like I shouldn't make a post that's just me saying "yes," so, um...I wonder how they're going to structure the anime.

For those who don't play Gnosia and have to infer its mechanics from the dozen-ish posts I've posted, it's basically a virtual game of Mafia/Werewolf with an overarching time-loop narrative.

In theory, you're trying to learn as much as you can about the other crew members by encountering them in a variety of situations created by the loops. In practice, you're really here because a virtual social deduction game sounds fun, and the snippets of lore and characterization are basically just icing on the cake.

But an anime where the main character does the same dance of trying to figure out who's Gnosia and who's a Bug and who's human without looking to suspicious, every single episode, with the story and character stuff layered on top? Would probably be boring and repetitive.

So the Gnosia anime needs to focus on the characters and overarching plot, find a way to put them at the center. But it still needs to preserve the time-loop social-deduction angle, both because that's core to the game's identity and because the plot doesn't really work without it. Removing the time loop element would mean not just removing the heart of the gameplay loop, but also destroying the whole conceit of the investigation and making its canon resolution impossible. I don't think I need to explain why that's not a real option.

And beyond the big-picture stuff, I'm also curious about the nuts and bolts. For instance, how many loops will they do per episode?

If we assume a typical one-cour season length, that's one episode for the tutorial loops and assorted introductions, then cram the entire story into eleven or twelve loops. By contrast, people trying to beat Gnosia in as few loops as possible usually take around a hundred, and the lowest I could find was seventy. Granted, it's unlikely that all of those loops had plot-critical events, and some of those events can be cut, but there are 82 notes to collect and it's hard to combine many of them, so I struggle to imagine how you'd cram all of that plus the endings into just a dozen loops.

If there are 2-3 loops per episode (after the first), then that's more reasonable; something like 35-50 loops total. But also, that would leave each loop with something like 7-12 minutes of screentime, and that's just absurdly fast, especially if you're trying to cram multiple events into each loop.

There are a few ways to resolve this problem, and none of them seem likely.

One would be completely reworking the plot, which invalidates some of my key assumptions, but I think I've explained why that seems unlikely.

Another option would be to trim down the cast; for all they add to the game, characters like Shigemichi and Comet and Chipie can be cut from the story without fundamentally changing it. But the anime key visuals imply the whole cast is going to be there, at least in the background, so we can rule that out.

Or they could simply make a bigger anime, with more or longer episodes. But they didn't do that for Medalist, which AFAICT is a much more popular IP.

One way they could sneak in a "bigger anime" plan would be to resolve part of the plot in season 1 and angle for another season or two to finish up the plot. The problem with that is that Gnosia's story lacks any mid-level structure.

There's structure to individual loops and events, and there's an overarching narrative and goal, but there's not much that needs to be analyzed in any specific order. Big spoiler-worthy reveals aren't uncovered through multiple loops of trial and error; they're discovered through being at the right place in the right timeline.

Moreover, while some of those reveals are more significant than others, it's hard to say that there's any Big Secrets worth building a mystery-box around. Maaaybe Manan? But that's not a status-quo-shaking Everything Is Different Now secret. It's more of an "Oh, that's why they're like this" secret.

Whatever they settle on will probably be interesting. Unless it's stupid.

[natlacentral]

Avatar Netflix Season 2 Will 'Condense' Original Storyline (Exclusive)

Season 2 of Avatar: The Last Airbender will follow in the footsteps of the first season's storytelling "condensing." 

Each season of the animated Avatar series had twenty episodes, most of which followed their own adventures. When it came to the live-action show, the first season only had eight hour-long installments.

This led to many elements of the original storyline getting condensed, such as the combination and relocation of a handful of plot threads to the team’s stay in Omashu—meeting the Mechanist, Jet, Bumi, and venturing into the Secret Tunnel.

As one might imagine, these types of changes did not always land well with audiences.

Season 2 Will Condense Original Avatar Storyline

Speaking with The Direct at Paleyfest 2024, Avatar: The Last Airbender Seasons 2 and 3 executive producer Jabbar Raisani confirmed that they will need to condense some of the original story as the Netflix show moves forward.

Raisani pointed out how their handling of Seasons 2 and 3  which will conclude the live-action series - will be "a lot like Season 1," which also means "some condensing" has "to take place:"

"I think it's a lot like season 1. There's a lot of content in the animated series. And we will be looking at all that content. But we don't have the number of episodes that we have in the animated series. So, certainly, there will be some condensing that has to take place."

While speaking to The Direct about the possibility of more original moments in Season 2 for his character, Uncle Iroh actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee shared that he "[does not] know how they’re going to remix the stories" going forward:

"I wish I could; I have no idea what they have planned for us... I know we're getting an opportunity to finish telling the story. Obviously, the animated series is going to be the template for us. But other than that, I don't know how they're going to remix the stories. Nobody tells me nothing. So I'm just gonna show up. And yeah, hopefully, we get a better, clearer sense of where we're going with that in the future. But right now, I have no idea what's going to happen."

While the original animated series has been finished for nearly two decades, the story of those characters will continue in a new animated film called Aang: The Last Airbender.

Currently, not many details are known about the project, but fans do know it will follow team Avatar as they are older following the events Avatar.

As for whether its story will have any influence on future episodes of Netflix’s The Last Airbender, Raisani admitted it will not, at least "not at this point:"

"No, not at this point. We are really looking at the animated series at what came before and less of sort of what they're currently doing on the new movies."

As for whether or not he would be interested in potentially adapting Legend of Korra for live-action, he firmly responded:

"Certainly, I'd be interested in anything that is in this universe."

[ Avatar 2025 Movie: Last Airbender Release, Cast & Everything We Know About Adult Aang Film ]

Remixing Season 2 Episodes Was Inevitable

When it comes to adapting the source material, condensing is unavoidable. Avatar: The Last Airbender fans shouldn't be surprised the same will be happening for Seasons 2 and 3.

Simply put, 20-minute bite-size adventures do not work well for the more extended episode structures of the Netflix show. If the original episode is a self-contained, isolated story, odds are it may not make the cut—or be weaved in with other plot threads.

Hopefully, at the very least, fan-favorite episodes such as the desert spirit library and how Appa got stolen can see the light of day in live action.

One thing that will make it notably more difficult to stick to the original episodes, though, is how behind on Aang’s bending lessons he is. Book 2 is all about him learning earthbending from Toph—however, in the live-action Last Airbender series, he hasn't even started lessons for waterbending.

The show is ahead of the game when it comes to Azula’s storyline, however, as she doesn’t originally appear until Season 2. That alone could save some episodes from the chopping block.

[yuseirra]

A full commentary on what Oshi no Ko intends to show/the direction where it's heading/Major character motives.

This was an analysis I wrote on August 13th, back when chapter 157 was released (and the most recent chapter will be 159; wow the work has been on such a long hiatus:

I read it over again today, and I think I did a pretty good job piecing things together. Some of the things I predicted immediately came to light in the chapter that followed. I'd like to share it, before the new chapter gets released today :)

There is a lot of analysis? Commentary of how I feel about Ai. She's definitely become my fav and I hope everything she wished for will come true in the end, she IS indeed the brightest star in the sky after all!

The following has been translated in bulk with the help of chatgpt.. It's my savior these days.. It's SO convenient wow, I've been putting it to good use!!

The title and subtitle are quite grand, but I feel that if I start writing, a lot will come out, so I wrote down the title and wanted to give it a go. Everything from here on is a very personal impression.

The manga is almost coming to an end, right? Since it’s being called the final chapter. The latest chapter is either 157 or 158, right? It's 157... I’ve checked up to the point where Aqua and Ruby are spending peaceful days together. Isn’t this episode like the calm before the storm? As I watched it, I thought, "Ah, this peace is bound to be broken." Even though nothing happened, the atmosphere is so quiet that it feels more ominous than peaceful.

At this point, I thought it might be good to think about what exactly this manga wants to convey and what the central narrative is. It seemed like a fitting time.

I first learned about this manga last year when the first season of the anime aired. The impression I got was that the creators had planned the ending from the start, as it seemed to have a clear trajectory. This manga might be more suitable for readers who prefer to follow it in volumes rather than chapter by chapter. When viewed individually, some parts might make you wonder, "What is this?" but when you see them in volumes, there seems to be a flow. So, when I was reading the manga in volumes, I thought, "Oh, the structure of this manga is well-organized and solid." That was around the time when about 10 volumes had been released, and I confidently bought all the volumes to keep as a collection.

Then, when I looked at the portions being serialized afterward, I started to get a little confused and thought, "Hmm, what are they planning to do with this?" But after watching the movie arc, I thought, "Oh, this is pretty good," and I realized that I wasn’t wrong in my initial judgment, so I returned to the manga, lol.

This manga’s structure seems quite complex. Each character has their own goals, and while Aqua seems to be the main hero who strongly drives the narrative, the focus isn’t solely on Aqua; it feels somewhat dispersed. In the end, if we consider what this story wants to convey, it feels like a composition that might be somewhat confusing.

In my opinion, the overarching framework is about various stories that unfold within the entertainment industry. It’s about the impact this industry can have on various people, both the light and the darkness (not delving too deeply, just enough to get a taste and see it from an entertainment perspective, plus throwing out questions about very serious topics). But then, is it saying that the entertainment industry is full of darkness and that we should escape from it? Not really.

As I described in the first post I wrote about this manga, it seems like the main theme is the depiction of various character types trying to survive in the entertainment industry.

Being a celebrity is a job that requires one to present oneself to far more people than an average person would, and even if we assume an entirely ideal situation where only goodwill comes your way, you can’t help but constantly be conscious of the image you need to show to those watching you. It seems like a very strong persona is necessary to endure that.

The loneliness that comes from being in the crowd, the internal dilemma of wanting to be understood and truthful as a complete individual, even though you can't fully expose yourself to the public, and yet, because of the appeal of the spotlight and wanting to show something, you step forward, deciding to live there and survive there.

Whether the work perfectly expresses those aspects might differ depending on the person, but at least it seems to have made us think about those points.

So, what are the motives driving each character?

Aqua wants to avenge the person that's hurt Ai, the one precious to him, in some way.

Ruby wants to surpass Ai as an idol, following in her footsteps.

Kana wants to be Aqua’s favorite.

Akane seems to assist Aqua, and in her case, she felt like she provided many shortcuts throughout the entire story. She played a role in significantly shortening the story’s length... Honestly, it might have been better if Aqua had done the things Akane achieved himself, lol. But from the author's perspective, she’s a reliable helper who aids in condensing the narrative. She also served as a good helper to Ruby as well. What I personally feel.a bit disappointed about the character Akane is that while she supports others a lot, that seems to be her entire narrative. She succeeded as an actress, and her personal goal or story seems to have ended around the dating program arc or the tokyo blade Arc, so apart from helping the twins, it's disappointing that her individual direction and desires are less visible. However, as long as she’s not entangled with the main characters, Akane is thriving and living a smooth life. She only becomes endangered when she gets involved with them; so, to give her more story, she may need to get more entangled.

Among the other main characters, Ai is a fresh character in that she wants to properly give love to others (although she also had the desire to be loved, it was more about “giving” than “receiving,” which I found refreshing).

As for Ai's boyfriend, it seems like he has something he wants to do, but it hasn’t been clearly revealed yet, so it’s in the realm of speculation. Setting that aside, what he wants to do now is something for Ai(in his point of view).

Nino has been highlighted a bit more, and while this character seems important, it’s still not clear what their exact goal is. The clear desire that has emerged is that they can't forgive even their daughter if she surpasses Ai.

Aqua, the character who drove the plot the most (with many things revolving around him), had the motive of “avenging Ai's death,” so that was a significant focal point. Much of the story’s development seemed to revolve around that.

However, I didn’t think Aqua would go for revenge in a violent form, because it would be something that would make the character unhappy and wouldn’t fit his personality. I didn’t think this “revenge” would be the typical, satisfying sort of retribution where justice is served.

Moreover, the “revenge” Aqua seeks ultimately requires Ai’s boyfriend (the twins’ biological father) to genuinely love Ai for it to work. If he didn’t love her, it wouldn’t be effective.

When looking at the hints about the relationship between Ai and her boyfriend, I often thought they must have had a good relationship at one point. I kept wondering if this person really bears full responsibility for Ai’s death. The idea of someone they once had a good relationship with turning into a stalker who kills them... even in a manga, it’s something I really don’t want to think about. I really hate it. But if the manga were to handle such a storyline, then it is what it is, regardless of my preferences. What the boyfriend character went through in his past is quite horrible and complicated, and my intuition, based on the bits and pieces I’ve seen, is that at least when they were together, Ai and he were two young people who relied on and supported each other. And that turned out to be correct. I liked how the character was portrayed in the movie arc, and there wasn’t any chance of it being depicted very differently. The idea of pushing this character, a psychopathic serial killer, off a cliff or punishing him harshly just didn’t seem to align with the established setup. Even though you might think he twisted into that kind of person because of some bad experiences, it didn’t seem like that was the direction this manga was taking. I wouldn’t have liked it if the character had been designed to be twisted that way because of bad experiences. It feels more consistent to see the character behave as they did in the past, which makes me believe it’s a well-written character. I had the sense that the story wouldn’t take the approach of having one character be absolutely evil and then punishing that character to neatly resolve everything. That doesn’t seem like a good story to me either. I don’t think the issues tied to the themes this manga deals with can be resolved in that way. The more I think about it, the more I feel like the content related to Kamiki is actually quite solid. I don’t want that character to be a bad guy. And it seems like he’s not?

The psychological depictions of the characters in this manga are very complex and well done. Because of this, I’m still not sure what to make of Nino. I think it’s fine to consider Ryosuke as an absolute evil since there’s nothing redeeming about him. Kamiki is out if he intended to scare Ai. But I feel like it was Nino who tried to scare her... When I consider the circumstances, it’s not impossible for Kamiki to have done it, but it feels too out of sync with his behavior. It’s very confusing.

I’m not sure how they’ll wrap up this “revenge,” but I think they might bring it to a social level regarding the responsibility for what happened to Ai? That’s why Aqua chose the medium of a “movie,” something that is “shown to the public”? Ai gave love to everyone, but it wasn’t properly received, right? So, there’s a desire to convey that correctly. And seeking understanding and respect for Ai as a personal individual? In that sense, I feel like Aqua’s revenge isn’t over yet. It feels incomplete as it stands. I think it’s not finished yet. Ah, regarding Kamiki, I think he’s been properly “avenged,” as he would be truly tormented by watching the video Ai left behind. However, I'm still unsure if this character truly deserves to be on the receiving end of such revenge... I plan to criticize properly once more of his actions are revealed. Every time I think about it, based on the reactions, it seems like he genuinely loved Ai, which is really evident. It makes me wonder if the author wrote it this way for a reason. Examining these details is truly fascinating about this manga.

So, I started thinking about what the core theme that ties this entire story together might be, and what the author really wants to convey through this story. I think we need to start with Ai's story. I believe Ai is extremely important to this narrative.

When I look at how this work portrays Ai, my impression is that she was written as a character with incredibly realistic psychological depth. She wasn't just a sensational character who was simply a very pretty girl who suddenly gets murdered to create shock value. In my view, Ai is one of the top three most well-written characters in this manga. She's a key person in this story, and I believe this character is the central figure that completely penetrates the entire narrative, even though she exits the story quite early, her influence is very strong.

I wish I could express my feelings properly... Ai feels like someone who could really exist... I talk about this a lot, right? To write a character like this, I think the author must have a lot of affection for her. Although I wouldn't dare say that I fully understand other people's feelings or possess a lot of information, I do think that Ai is a character who very well expresses the psychology of a young child with a difficult family background—a runaway teenager. But even with that experience, she didn't get trapped in it, and instead, as an individual, she made various choices and lived earnestly... and that's why I like her. Because that's how real people live. Strong, extraordinary, and yet ordinary—ordinary in a way that makes you realize how truly precious and extraordinary the ordinary can be.

But the story starts with Ai dying in such a horrific way, right? This makes me think about what the story is ultimately trying to say. However, this doesn't mean that Ai's life was a failure. Ai really lived her life to the fullest. In the end, she was probably happy, which makes her story even more heartbreaking... She was such a good person. If we're talking about her nature, Ai was definitely a "good person."

What I took away from this... is that it gave me an opportunity to once again reflect on the fact that even those who are considered shining stars are still just people. Personally, it also made me more interested in the subject of child abuse. I find myself drawn to related news articles... The early Akane episode, for instance, made me reflect once again on the issue of online harassment. No matter how this manga ends, I feel like it has had quite a positive impact on me, so I'm grateful for that. Perhaps what one takes away from this work depends entirely on how they interpret it... There are certainly some valuable psychological insights in this work. I'm definitely envious of the talent of the creators.

If you look at it broadly, I think the core message of this manga is something along these lines. Aqua's revenge and Ruby's dream will somehow be realized in their own ways, and I also think Kana's goal will be achieved in some manner (but then wouldn't that mean Kana can't end up with Aqua?;; It feels like this manga is trying to say that the feelings one has for a favorite person and the love one has for a romantic partner are different things. Judging by Hikaru's words, it seems like the story is saying that love without illusions about the other person is actually the more genuine kind of love... But more than that, I think the point to focus on when watching this work is something along these lines, based on how the story is unfolding. Even celebrities are just people... Ultimately, that's it.

I understand that some people might find this annoying at certain points. You might think, "I've never done anything like that. I've never contributed to those problems, and I've never treated celebrities poorly. Doesn't the saying 'those who wear the crown must bear its weight' apply here? If they wanted to be a celebrity, shouldn't they be prepared to handle some negative reactions?"—these are thoughts that might cross your mind.

I've also never been a fan of any celebrity myself... lol. I don't think I've ever done anything particularly wrong regarding the scandals or various issues that happen to celebrities.

But still, no one deserves to go through something like that... no matter who they are. Celebrities, because of the nature of their profession, often enter the industry at a very young age.

If I had to step in front of the public at that age, would I be able to handle it so well...? Just as everyone in their own life has their own burdens to bear, celebrities too have their own challenges, and it made me realize how difficult it must be to deal with public scrutiny...

In Ai's case, she had children at a young age, and there must be a lot of things people could say about that. When I first discovered this manga, I encountered that scene in a clip, where she says she will give birth without making it public, and it made me think a lot. But even in that scene, I didn't feel like Ai was a thoughtless character. If someone is going through such an experience, they must be the one who thinks the most about it. When I heard her say that the twins would make for a jolly and happy family because she didn't have one, I immediately thought that this character must have gone through something and found it difficult to judge her actions right away. Am I overthinking? lol. It felt like there was a lot going on in her mind beyond what she was saying. It’s easy to say, "I wouldn’t do that," but everyone has different experiences, different lives, and different personalities. Of course, there are things that are undeniably wrong, things that shouldn’t happen.

From what I felt, Ai has a layer of underlying psychology beneath the surface. She always has a smiling face, and I often draw her that way in fan art, but there’s likely a lot hidden beneath. I feel a bit sorry when drawing or creating fan works about her because I can’t touch on that depth—I can't depict it well because there's not much revealed. She might have been smiling and acting beautifully even in front of her own children. This nature might be a good expression of the traits of the entertainment industry. That’s probably why they call her a true idol. But there must be times when she wants to be honest, too, right? She might feel lonely and isolated. These are the kinds of thoughts I have when thinking about her character.

I’m writing all of this without much organization... Another thing, I sometimes feel that the story has metafictional or divine elements that could potentially tie the work together.

For instance, the introduction of the Tsukuyomi character, the starry eyes, the statement at the beginning that this story is fiction, the crow leading Ruby, the starry visuals scattered throughout.

I think using the "star" motif was a smart choice, because stars are literally "stars" in the sense of celebrities, and they might actually be stars or influenced by stars in some way. We also make wishes on stars, right? I can imagine that these elements might have been integrated into the story to bring a fantasy-like aspect to it. The lyrics of the songs strongly convey this atmosphere as well. So, I think these elements might be what ties the whole work together. The lyrics constantly talk about the stage, and the overarching stage for the story might be related to stars or gods. The more I examine it, the more things seem to appear.

But this isn’t something that’s very obvious. The foreshadowing is mostly in the dialogue, and there hasn’t been much that’s directly visible... If this is something important, I wish they would make it a bit more obvious. There’s a comment about how Ruby’s success feels as if she’s being helped by the gods, and there's also talk about Aqua’s soul being fractured and breaking. I think it’s worth paying attention to these elements, but I haven’t seen many people discussing this aspect. Of course, I don’t really read other people’s interpretations! When I get into a work, I dive deep and try not to let anything come between me and the story, so I tend not to read other people’s opinions while I’m fully immersed. And it’s a field that’s really hard to predict. It’s so far-fetched. But if they've been dropping hints like this, I feel like something should come out of it by now. It’s built up too much to just be a MacGuffin.

I like stories that feel like fairy tales, so I wouldn’t mind if the story takes that turn, depending on how it’s done... I don’t know if it will happen, but if it doesn’t, why are the lyrics like that? I’d like to see something that explains this before the story ends.

The starry eyes are important. There’s a kind of will in those "stars." There’s a "god" in this manga too. But will it be explained before the story ends...?

If they want to address it, I’m sure they’ll do it well! And if they don’t... Well, it’s all up to the creators.

Am I understanding this story correctly? Suddenly, I started to wonder, so I wrote down whatever came to mind.

If you can accurately grasp the individual characters' goals and the core theme that the work aims to convey, then following the story shouldn't be too difficult. It's always helpful to have a good understanding of those aspects, no matter what story you're watching. As for the motivations and objectives of the characters mentioned above, I believe they will all be achieved in one way or another (except for Nino's, since Ruby will surpass Ai... Now that I think about it, since their goals are opposites, there will likely be a clash between them).

LOL, but when it comes to plot development... Even though I've managed to predict the characters' psychology, I haven't been very successful in predicting the events themselves.

So, we'll just have to wait and see!

[1moreoffkeyanthem]

Greetings and salutations and welcome to the FIRST EPISODE of what I’m calling

Bedtime Stories With PCE

Let me explain.

So I, like many other people, make up little stories in my head in my downtime, particularly when trying to fall asleep, and for the past year or so those stories have been South Park related, and wound up driving me to make an ao3 and actually write those stories down and curse the cyberspace with them, but the thing is, not all of my mental stories make it to even my notes, because I didn’t have the intention of writing them down. Either because they’re way too self indulgent and most people would be bored with lack of plot, or they’re just a continuation of an old Whumpshot that I think abt before bed, and I feel like if I were to put these bedtime stories out there it would be SUPER annoying, ESPECIALLY because

A lot of my little bedtime mental stories are OrangeJuiceVerse. Which is off putting enough as is, because I feel like while the series is all essentially stand alone stories that take place in the same universe, people look at a series with over 19 works and get overwhelmed because to be fair, that’s a lot even if most are oneshots. So I wanted to start a tumblr exclusive series, for the handful of people who would welcome the stuff I don’t feel confident enough to put on ao3, my little continuations to things that didn’t warrant a chapter 2 structurally, that kind of thing.

So, here’s the first episode! the most self indulgent couple thousand words of Stan taking care of an injured Kyle that I have ever done, following the events of Bicycle Lane , if ya read it lmk what you think, y’all know the drill, here

•covered•

Kyle woke up again without Stan beside him, and to to the noise of his phone ringing on the nightstand. Against his better judgement, he answered, already disgruntled at seeing the caller ID.

“Can I help you?” He grumbled.

Cartman’s grin was audible. “So you’re alive.”

Yep, this asshole would never learn to start a call like a normal person. “Why would you think I wasn’t alive, fatass?”

“Uh, because you look at least half dead in the picture your dildo sent?”

Kyle pulled the phone away from his face to open the ‘SP Survivors’ group, and groaned. Stan had sent a photo of Kyle, asleep with one arm draped over his eyes and the other holding Moose to his chest like a kid with a stuffed animal, and the caption was “Speak No Evil Take No Shit Broflovski won’t let a car take him out 🤘🏻”, which was definitely Stan’s attempt at calming himself by joking about the events of the day. Just without nearly enough context, naturally.

“I can’t believe he sent you guys that,” Kyle groaned.

“So you actually did get hit by a car?” Cartman’s tone took on that thinly veiled concern of his. “You hurt, bitch?”

Kyle rolled his eyes and glanced at the open bedroom door, pretty annoyed that he was starting to feel the ache in his body again now that he was fully awake, not to mention that he had woken up alone, but his boyfriend and cat were probably just downstairs. “I’m alright, jackass. Just banged up, but not bad.”

“Good, because if you died, the hippie would totally kill himself, and I plan weddings, not funerals.”

“That’s NOT fucking FUNNY, Cartman!!!”

He heard footsteps on the stairs after raising his voice. Thank God.

Cartman snickered. “Sorry, sorry, I think it is, though. Did you get a look at the license plate so you could sue the driver?”

“No, dude, it was fast as shit and they barely hit me anyway.”

“Traffic cams, idiot. You show the courts the picture of your battered little body, go to the er and milk it for all it’s worth, get a doctor to testify-“ of course Cartman was already scheming.

“I’m hanging up on you.”

“Not if I hang up on you first.” Then he added, “I’m glad you’re okay.” And dropped the call. Asshole always had to get the last word in.

Kyle laughed weakly and covered his eyes again, pulling his hand away only when he felt a tiny weight jump onto the bed. “Hi, little man.”

“Don’t know what world you’re in that’s got you calling me “little”, dude,” Stan joked, joining them.

Stan knew full well Kyle was talking to the cat. And he felt a thousand times better when Stan leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. “Hi, baby, you okay? When did you wake up from your nap?”

“Mm. Hi. A few minutes ago when Cartman called.”

Moose butted his little head against Kyle’s hand, looking to get pets. Stan smiled apologetically. “Yeah, sorry, dude, I figured the guys would call me for details since you were, like, asleep in the picture.”

“You know how Cartman is.” Kyle waited for Stan to get settled and then shifted himself so that his head was on his partner’s shoulder. “Did you have a panic attack while I was out? That why you went around telling the group that I faced off against a car?”

“Not a panic attack,” Stan assured him. “I just-I went to get our shit out of the truck and I was gonna start fixing your bike, and then I got to thinking about it again, what could have happened, you on the side of the road like that, you know.”

So definitely close to a freak out then. “Poor Stan.” Kyle placed a hand over Stan’s chest, feeling his heartbeat. “I’m okay, sweetheart. It’s okay.”

“You’re gonna stay that way,” Stan declared, his voice sounding like he did when he got really into a cause, like last year when he recruited Kyle’s ever eager to protest something mother for an anti-seaworld campaign. “Because I’m gonna nurse you back to health and never let anything happen to you again.”

Dramatic, cheesey, adorable, overprotective loser. Kyle snorted. “Nurse me back to health? What, am I a maiden who caught some mysterious illness and now must languish on the sitting room couch while my suitors bring me flowers? Is this a Jane Austen novel? What’s next, we have a dramatic kiss in the rain?”

The attempt to lighten the mood worked. Stan laughed and tenderly pressed his lips to his cheek.

“Sarcastic little fuck,” Stan chuckled. “Moose, I’m only giving your father a pass to be an asshole because he’s in pain and he’s cute.”

Moose had fallen asleep between them.

“Staniel, I have literally had worse, and so have you.”

“Doesn’t mean I’m not gonna baby you.”

He’d let Stan baby him, just a little, but only because he’d nearly had a full breakdown seeing Kyle hurt in the snow. Kyle would still pretend to argue against the coddling. “You better not-“

He was cut off by Stan’s phone vibrating with a FaceTime request from Kenny. Stan held it up with a grin.

“At least Ken has some sense.” He answered, and Kenny’s voice flooded forth.

“Stan the man! Show me the firefox!”

Kyle rolled his eyes at the nickname before Stan held his arms out farther to get them both in frame. “Hey, Ken.”

Marj popped into the screen too. “Kyle Broflovski! You’re tellin’ me you got hit by a car?! You better explain, mister.”

“I didn’t get hit by a car, it was more like a tap,” he insisted. “Driver didn’t even notice, it was so fast.”

Kenny gave a low whistle. “Still, though. Shit’s wild. You hurt bad?”

Stan handed him the phone so he could run his fingers through Kyle’s hair. Kyle showed his friends the bruise across his arm from trying to break the fall, which had developed into a blotchy purple over the past few hours.

“Gnarly, right? But it’s just some bruises and a twisted ankle. I’ll live. You guys tell Stan he doesn’t need to baby me.”

Marj laughed incredulously; Kenny grinned and shook his head. “That’ll be a sunny day in hell.”

“Huh?” Stan paused playing with Kyle’s hair. “Dude, the saying is cold day in hell.”

“Yes, but a lot of hell is actually cold, other than the lakes of fire and shit,” Kenny explained with that mischievous smile of his, like this should be common knowledge. “There’s no sun down there, though.”

Kyle was thoroughly confused, but his leg hurt and he needed to use the bathroom, so he didn’t ask for clarification. Plus even if he didn’t want to end the call, he’d learned that Kenny’s explanations for some of the stuff he said only confused you more.

He sighed. “I’ll take your word for it, man. Thanks for checking on me, guys.”

“Hey, we gotta keep an eye on each other, even if we went our separate ways,” Kenny said. “Can I draw a comic of you fist fighting Lightning McQueen?”

“He already started it,” Marj added.

Naturally. “Yeah, yeah, go for it. Love you guys.” He passed the phone back to his boyfriend.

“We’ll keep everyone updated,” Stan promised, like this was a life or death situation and not something that would have him laid up for two days, tops. “Bye, guys.”

“Peace.”

“Bye! Hope ya feel better!”

Kyle rolled his eyes again when Stan hung up. “Dude, should I be expecting a call from my mom next?”

Stan chuckled. “Nah, I figured you’d obliterate me if I told her.”

“And you were correct.” Because that would result in not only a three hour call, but also Sheila driving up so she could smother him. Kyle sat up slowly, irritated to discover that his back was stiff now too. “Bathroom quest,” he mumbled, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He didn’t push away Stan’s arm around his waist either.

“Easy, easy.” Stan helped him up, warm and gentle as ever. “Can you put any weight on it?”

When he did, it didn’t feel great, admittedly. The bruises on the outside of his calf from the car grazing him ached with the weight at standing, his ankle was pretty sore, and his knee felt stiff. But it was for sure more annoying than, like, agonizing or something, so he gave Stan’s arm a comforting squeeze.

“It’s not that bad.” But he figured he’d let his partner take care of him if he wanted, because Stan had been really fucking scared this afternoon, and Kyle knew he needed this. “You can help me, dude, just don’t try to hold me up while I piss or something.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Stan said with a smile, helping him walk carefully across the hall. “You got it?”

“Yes, honey, I got it.” Kyle sighed when he shut the bathroom door. Ignoring the sting of the abrasions on his palms when he braced his hands on the counter, he studied his reflection.

If he was completely honest, reality was finally starting to set in. He hadn’t fully accepted until Cartman mentioning funerals that, well, he could have died. Kyle could keep it together for Stan’s sake, but it was starting to get to him too. If that car had been going any faster, if they’d been a few inches closer, if he hadn’t been wearing his helmet, if he’d been knocked into oncoming traffic rather than into the ditch…

Kyle quickly peed and limped back over to the sink to wash his hands. There was cat hair stuck to the bandaid on his right hand, which helped a little to see. He was okay now. He was at home with his sweet blue eyed boys, both of whom would be ridiculously affectionate, but right now, seeing the (well tended) scratch at his hairline in the mirror, the gravity of everything kept tugging at him.

Can’t panic right now, Kyle told himself. He was a damn middle school counselor, had been for a couple months, and he had grown up with what he now knew was generalized anxiety (thank you, psychology degree). He knew the signs of a ‘what if’ spiral and when it was more helpful to “play the movie” or focus on the present.

Chronologically organizing where he’d been versus where he was now was an exercise his therapist during outpatient in high school had taught him, to contextualize progress and the order of events, keep out of the spiral of hypotheticals. Okay.

He’d ridden to the library down the road when Stan went to the gym, because his boyfriend was trying to get back into a routine of self care since coming out of a depressive slump and working out reminded him that he was alive. Kyle’s library mission was to find more book recommendations for his students that were a little more recent than his personal favorites, and he’d started the ride home with a decent list of YA novels and a few authors to research for the next time a kid was sent to his office not feeling engaged. He had been particularly excited to revisit the Inheritance series and order some paperbacks for his desk library that students who just needed some quiet time could choose from when there was a *vrzroom!* and he was flying off his bike, immediately pissed.

Not scared, not upset. Pissed.

Which was the whole reason Kyle didn’t drive unless he really needed to; because he got awful road rage when other drivers were fucking stupid. So, yeah, his first reaction was to be mad upon landing in dirty snow and seeing that his bike was definitely not in good enough shape to ride home and neither was he. His second reaction was to call Stan, and then call him again when the first time went to voicemail, because Stan would always rescue him if he needed it.

Another thing that had him mad was that while only a few cars had passed during this time, someone should have stopped. It’s that whole “oh no, someone else’ll help” hive mind mentality. Kyle was that person who stopped if he saw someone in trouble. So was his boyfriend.

God, Stan had been so visibly close to a full breakdown there in the beginning. Kyle got it now.

With one more mental reminder to stay in the here and now, Kyle pulled open the door and let Stan pick him up.

“Baby, you look like you just saw a ghost,” Stan said gently. Yeah. He was safe. Stan had him.

“Mm okay.” He wasn’t sure if he was reassuring himself or Stan. Probably both. “I think I just need some water.”

“Here.” Stan set him back on the bed and grabbed the massive “Ass Pro Shops” tumbler (another Kenny custom job) from the nightstand. Ice cubes clinked inside, which made Kyle’s heart ache with fondness; Stan had refilled his water while he was sleeping.

Moose settled himself back on Kyle’s chest after Kyle set the cup down. Stan sat on the mattress, carefully pulling Kyle’s legs into his lap. He was wearing one Breaking Bad sock and the other had Godzilla on it, and Kyle felt the back of his eyes burn again, because he was just so fucking cute, with that worried expression and the stupid mismatched socks and the Fall Out Boy shirt that was tight in the shoulders but he’d been too awkward to tell the Hot Topic employee she’d grabbed the wrong size when he bought it. And Kyle actually did almost cry at his partner’s broken murmured, “I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, dude, hey. No, why are you sorry?”

“I- I missed your call, you could’ve-“

“Stan, I’m okay.” He was okay. “We’re not doing this again, sweetheart, I’ll be good as new soon; yeah I’m a little beat up, but gimme a few days and I’ll be back to normal.”

Once again, he was saying that just as much for his own sake. And he definitely wouldn’t tell Stan about Cartman’s comment regarding Stan killing himself if Kyle died. Absofuckinglutely not. But really, he WAS alright. Stan took a deep breath and smiled that dimpled smile down at him. That was a ‘fake it till you make it’ smile, for sure, but they’d make it.

“I’m gonna check on this, okay?” Stan said, the worry still present behind his eyes as he slipped his finger under the tucked in edge of the bandage halfway up Kyle’s shin. “Been a couple hours. You should probably take something too.”

Kyle nodded. If the color of the bruise on his arm was any indication, his leg was definitely gonna be gross. “Just don’t get freaked out if it looks crazy, dude. You know my pale ass skin shows bruises really hardcore.”

“I know, I just wanna make sure there’s not a hematoma going on or something.”

Between Kyle’s year of premed before switching to psych and Stan’s degree in veterinary science, they had a pretty solid understanding of injuries. Yeah, both of them would deny the extent of how bad off they were, but they had enough knowledge to know when the other was hurt bad enough to get some professional help.

They weren’t going to need professional help, Kyle determined, watching his partner unwrap his leg. It hurt a little more without the compression, but the mottled bruising on the side wasn’t raised, just dark.

Still, though, Stan looked upset, gently holding the slight puffiness at Kyle’s achilles and trailing a hand up the contusions to support his calf. “Dude, your poor leg,” Stan whined, “That looks really painful, Ky.”

“Looks worse than it feels,” Kyle reminded him. “I’m just white as shit and can’t even run into the kitchen counter without getting a bruise.”

Stan cracked an actual smile again, definitely remembering the time Kyle had whacked his hip on the counter and later that night hadn’t noticed until Stan interrupted Super Best Spicy Time to go “JESUS! DID I JUST DO THAT?!”. Always worried too much, that one. Not that Kyle wasn’t the same way, but still.

Stan carefully felt around his kneecap. “Is this aggravated too? You twist it at all?”

“It’s okay.”

“Alright, baby, just tell me if you need me to find your brace.”

Kyle nearly laughed, because even if Stan had trouble keeping track of most things sometimes, he knew exactly where all the medical supplies were. He wouldn’t have to “find” anything; the first aid kit was under the sink, knee brace in the top of the closet, diabetes supplies in the third drawer in the bathroom, melatonin, vitamins, cold meds, and ibuprofen in the bathroom medicine cabinet. Speaking of, the bottle of painkillers was currently on the nightstand; one of those instances of Stan thinking ahead. Kyle reached over and shook out a few while Stan gently started wrapping his ankle, swallowing the pills dry.

Stan looked up with disgust. “Dude! Are you a fucking snake?! Your water is literally right there, don’t do that in front of us!”

“Sssssss.” Kyle laughed when Stan didn’t find him hissing funny and Moose gave him the side eye. “Why do you get so grossed out when I do that?”

“Because it’s weird!” Stan stopped his ‘medic duties’ to throw his hands in the air in exasperation. “Most people can’t swallow like that. I can’t.”

In all actuality, Kyle mostly took meds dry to get a rise out of his boyfriend, who was godawful at taking any kind of medicine and complained about the taste of any liquid cough syrup but had to literally swallow pills in food, like he was a puppy.

“So we’re talking about “swallowing” now, are we?” Kyle was definitely a fan of anything he could use to segue them into a lighter mood, even a sex joke. Kenny would be proud.

Stan shook his head, but grinned, going back to his self appointed task. “Why is it that you always get flirtier when you’re hurt?”

“Because your goddamn knight in shining armor complex is hot,” Kyle answered, wincing a little at the bruises being touched but completely endeared at Stan cradling his lower leg with careful hands and lightly kissing the top of the bandage when he was finished wrapping him up.

“Thought you hated the white knight routine,” Stan teased.

Kyle pulled him down to kiss him. “I like it when it’s warranted,” he murmured against Stan’s mouth. “You’re cute.”

“You’re still gonna complain about it.”

“Mm, you know me so well.”

Then Moose *mrowed* in protest from between them at not getting attention too, and Kyle laughed. “We’ve annoyed the creature.”

Stan picked the little brown cat up and kissed his tiny face. “What, young nastyman? You bored? Wanna watch Animal Planet?”

More like Stan wanted to watch Animal Planet. Kyle rolled his eyes and sat up, reaching for his adopted son. “Did you get fed, beasticle? Want a treat?”

“Oh he got his favorite,” Stan assured him. “And extra treats because someone’s upset that his father got banged up by a stupid driver.”

Moose let himself be cradled against Kyle’s chest, purring like a lawn mower. “Baby boy,” Kyle cooed, rocking the cat a little. They’d only gotten Moose a few months ago, when Stan was volunteering at the animal shelter before working up the courage to actually apply at the vet clinic, and their fur child had quickly become a staple in their lives. And Moose was a really chill cat, just the sweetest thing. “You and your dad don’t need to worry about me.”

“We’re gonna,” Stan pointed out. “So, the critter’s been fed, but we haven’t. Whatcha feeling?”

Ugh. Yeah. Food was a thing. Kyle tended to get nauseous when he was stressed, but he knew damn well the nausea also came from not eating. Still, though, nothing sounded particularly appealing. “Whatever you want, dude. I don’t have much of an opinion tonight.”

Stan clearly didn’t like that answer. “Baby…”

“Just make what you feel like and summon me when it’s ready.”

“You should stay lying down,” he insisted.

“You know I don’t like eating in bed.” That was part of the hang up too. Dinner involved getting up, and moving would remind him that he wasn’t at 100%, which would stress him out more, because he had work the day after tomorrow and needed to be all good for stopping hallway fights, and crumbs were gross to sleep on which would make it even harder to drift off than it usually was.

“And I don’t like you not eating.” Stan could be just as stubborn as himself sometimes. “I’m gonna doordash something that isn’t messy, and we’re eating in bed, and I’ll wash the sheets.” Standing up with a determined expression, Stan caught Kyle’s hand and brought it to his lips. “Give me a moment, melda târ, I have an idea.”

He hurried down the stairs, and Kyle felt himself scowling, definitely not wanting to acknowledge that if he was this pissy this fast, even with Stan being adorable, his sugar was dropping, and like hell was he gonna check. Which also meant his partner was right, and he did need to check. It had been a good five or so hours since lunch.

“God fucking…” in the 70s, which was far from the worst he’d seen from himself, but not great. No wonder he’d suddenly plummeted into a mood. Moose made a little squeak.

“Yeah, your dad’s right. I gotta eat.”

Stan triumphantly announced his presence back in the room with a “let’s fuckin’ gooooo”, precariously balancing a pint of ice cream, two spoons, a glass of cheap wine and a can of miller lite. “Bed picnic ice cream date while we decide!”

The enthusiasm was so sweet. Stan was trying really hard to cheer him up and make sure he didn’t let getting hurt be an eating disorder trigger. That was something Stan never stopped worrying about. For real, the calorie count on the ice cream container was crossed out, even though that whole ordeal had been like six years ago. Stan Marsh, the most adorable man on the planet, who had brought the only thing in the house that wouldn’t leave crumbs in the bed, and the only thing that sounded good. Fuck, he loved him.

Kyle managed a smile and accepted the ice cream. “Dude, yes. I didn’t even know what I needed.”

Stan sat down beside him and propped them both against the headboard, one arm around Kyle, who was starting on the ice cream (Stan had grabbed the vanilla instead of the chocolate chip, probably in case Moose started begging for some), and the other going for the remote to start finding something to watch.

“You always have an opinion, babe. If you don’t, that probably means something’s up,” Stan said simply. “Figured with that and if you haven’t eaten in a while, you were starting to drop, right? You check?”

“I’m… on the lower side,” Kyle admitted, and fuck, that ice cream tasted like a video game health potion. “Why ice cream?”

Stan selected the first episode of The Last Of Us, and sporting that dimpled grin of his, grabbed a spoonful. “You crave sweet things when you’re upset or hurt, and ice cream never fails to kickstart your appetite. I know you better than I know myself, dude.”

And that went the other way around, too. Kyle sighed and let his head drift to Stan’s shoulder, watching as his boyfriend scrolled through the list of food options.

“You feel like a sandwich?”

“I mean, I feel like a Stan, but-“ Stan cut off with a laugh when Kyle nudged him. “Yeah, yeah baby, you want grilled cheeses from that diner on the square?”

“Mhm. Just put in the order notes for them to leave the condiments out of the boxes so they don’t get covered in fry grease.”

Stan kissed him lightly on the forehead before taking a sip of his beer, grinning around the lip of the can.

“Why are you making that face, Stanathan?”

“Just… there you are.” Stan finished placing the order and wrapped both arms around him. Moose sniffed at the abandoned ice cream container while his humans held each other. “You’re here. You’re okay. And you’re feeling good enough to make requests on the packaging on a food order.”

“I mean, it’s kind of off putting when your ketchup cups are all slimy because they were in the same container with the fries that just got pulled out of the oil, plus the grease smell is gonna linger in the bedroom after anyway, so might as well minimize the stain risk, and- *mnh*!”

The kiss that Stan stopped him with tasted like vanilla, and that distinct taste that was all his own. His Stan; his hero when he needed help, the one who Kyle swore could read his mind sometimes. The man who was so gentle when he was injured but so strong if someone he cared about was threatened. Stan, who was a massive dork at the same time he was the coolest person Kyle knew. “Luck” didn’t begin to cover it.

But Stan had him covered.

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "Wolves And A Door"/"A World Between Worlds"

Things get Force Weird as we approach the final stretch.

Live reaction version.

Right so I'm probably going to be cannibalizing some of my "Ezra Bridger as a thematic Chosen One in Star Wars Rebels and the messianic imagery of “A World Between Worlds”" essay because even though I still want to make that its own separate post someday, there's going to be things about these two episodes that I have to bring up and observations that will crossover with that essay when and if that finally gets finished.

I'm going to try to be very sparing with the caps too, because I've got two whole episodes to cover and ghksajhfkjahkjh there's way too much pretty to show off, I honestly don't know how I'm gonna do it guys.

I love that after the somber musical fog they put us through last episode they start us off with bouncy plinky pizzicato strings and Loth-cat cuteness. They were like, "Hey, we know things have been heavy lately and they're gonna be again, but in the meantime have kitties sitting on top of doggos and feel for a moment reassured that there is still goodness in the world."

Zeb's skepticism re. the wolves is a little silly given that they've already shown that they're intelligent sentient creatures.

Ezra's already showing signs of the serenity and dignity he takes on as de facto leader of the Lothal rebels. Hera actually kind of cedes that role to him, and Ryder has certainly already taken several steps back out of cynicism.

So it falls to Ezra to lead them, to plan out their attack strategies, to be their head.

He's matured so much I'm so proud of him.

The wolves are deeply connected to the Force, and to Lothal. Ezra is too. In a way, he's of their kind. And after accepting his task from them last episode they consider him officially part of the pack it seems, because they readily come to his call.

Ezra's unique ability to connect, once again an invaluable asset.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: The tufts of grass that wobble as the wolves walk through them.

Ezra's favor with the wolves extends to the others, so they are all able to climb on board and hitch a Force-assisted ride back to the northern hemisphere where the Temple is.

Love this sequence. The pounding drums. The sound design. The slow phasing of the wolves into the ground and disappearing soundlessly into it, with just a whisper of wind in their wake.

I can't get over how the Loth-wolf visions keep going back to Kanan's "You want a ride?". Filoni has mentioned that Ezra's tuned into the "echoes" that are particularly relevant to him while inside the WBW and I guess the same must apply to the hyperspace wolves tunnels. It's fascinating, we've always taken hyperspace for granted but since it's part of the galaxy, it has to be part of the Force as well, so it makes perfect sense in a way that ancient Force guardians like the Loth-wolves, or creatures just intimately connected with the Force like the purrgil, can make their own hyperspace tunnels naturally, in order to pass through time and space.

"It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together."

Something I really love about the whole concept of the World Between Worlds is the idea that we're getting a rare glimpse at the inner structure of the Force itself, the tendons and strings connecting it together.

Anyway, sob with me about how the echoes end with Ezra's "There's just you and me." from "Siege of Lothal". It was just them, two flickering twin moons against the blackest night, holding back the darkness until sunrise.

And now it's just Ezra alone.

What I wouldn't give to know what they're talking about.

Frick his whole bearing is different. He's quieter, more somber. We blinked and he grew up, aged five years in a night.

We reach the Temple and it's as bad as we've feared, the Empire has set up all around it and the area bristles with lights and equipment. They've burrowed down to the foundations of the Temple, trying to pull up its secrets by the root, and they've wholecloth removed the familiar doors from it, leaving a gaping surface level hole.

The Temple itself has sealed itself tight, barring entry to the interlopers, and I LOVE the thematic fairy tale underpinnings of this.

There's a line in The Magician's Nephew, one of the Chronicles of Narnia and another strong influence on the show's writing and concepts, that goes like: "Come in by the gold gates or not at all, Take of my fruit for others or forbear, For those who steal or those who climb my wall, Shall find their heart’s desire and find despair."

This is another overarching myth archetype: Only The Worthy May Pass.

If your heart is true, and you ask permission, show the Threshold Guardian respect, walk humbly and seek the boon for others, it will be granted to you freely. But if you're selfish, if you lie and cheat and steal and trick your way in, brute force what you want and are arrogant, demanding the prize, you will receive your just reward. And you won't like it.

Think of the last Indiana Jones movie. Indiana Jones is the one that takes all the risk, makes the leap of faith to save his father, and is granted permission to use the Grail's healing powers. The Nazi-aligned academic rival who barged in with tanks and guns and wants to live forever using the Grail's powers, however?

Indiana Jones vibes are aaaaaaaallll over these whole two episodes by the way. The whole general feel of an archaeological adventure with an unexpected encounter with the divine, it's great.

I still think it's immensely clever that they used the recording of Thrawn to distract the Scout Troopers. Still hilariously convenient that one of them is female.

Even the music gets Indiana Jones-esque when Ezra and Sabine make it down into the hollow.

Hi Hydan!

I love him. He's such a good oneshot villain. Cordial and affably polite and yet my skin crawls whenever he threatens either Sabine or Ezra. He's another Thrawn archetype/parallel, he studies the mysteries of the Force in the hopes of understanding them, not for himself, but to grow the power of his Emperor. He plunders the wealth of the Lothal Temple not out of respect for it, but to dissect it for knowledge and power.

An absolutely seamless Mind Trick from Ezra here. So proud of him.

The matching "Oh crap!" expressions on their faces when they realize that's Emperor Freaking Palpatine on the other end of the line.

The Mortis arc is actually one of the few TCW arcs I watched in full. Sue me I love me some Force Weirdness. So it was quite a delight to see the Mortis gods returning as artistic archetypal representations of the aspects of the Force. The Light, the Dark, the Unifying/Cosmic Balance. (Even the Living Force is represented in the mural by the Loth-wolves.) Since we're exploring the very inner scaffolding of the Force itself these episodes, it made perfect sense to me to bring them back, and tie them into how the Lothal Temple operates.

Unsurprisingly the Emperor's leitmotif makes an appearance here. Palpatine already has extraordinary clairvoyent powers but they've become confused after Kanan's sacrifice. Kanan has altered the fate of Lothal somehow, and even Palpatine can't figure out why.

(Pssst, it's because the Force is actually working against you buddy, it's trying to restore proper balance.)

This moment was very mean and hurted in all the right ways.

"They'll be fine." "I used to always believe that." This hits right in the parental bone, ouch.

Harps and female vocals once again signifying the arcane mysteries of the Force.

And this is gorgeous.

Ezra and Sabine begin to puzzle out the meaning behind the mural, Ezra only able to identify the Loth-wolves and the green convor that liked to follow Ahsoka around. (We've still not been given an explanation for that one yet. The prevailing theory is that it's what left of the Daughter, acting as a spirit guide/guardian for Ahsoka.)

The golden pathways correspond to the paths and doorways inside the World Between Worlds and when they're aligned on the mural, the wolves awaken to form the portal that grants access. Only one who can channel the Light Side is able to unlock the mechanism to align the pathways, via connecting to the Daughter part of the mural.

This is one of the reasons why Palpatine needed to cheat to get inside. The other reason is that, per word of Filoni, the World Between Worlds is actually a bit choosy about who it lets inside.

Again, Only The Worthy May Pass. Ezra is connected to the Force and to Lothal, a native son of the planet, a Jedi, and he has the wolves' favor, so he is granted access.

Like Maul back on Malachor, Palpatine cannot open the door on his own.

Sabine does a pretty good job bluffing the Troopers that come to investigate her presence by the mural, buying Ezra enough time to connect to the Daughter and open the portal.

Ezra remembering Kanan's last words to him, the reminder to listen.

Rebels animation is gorgeous, I will hear no slander.

And this technique they developed to animate 2D images on top of a 3D CGI environmental surface was probably the same technology they used for mini Maui in Moana. Put to absolutely beautiful use, there's zero weird blending or edging at all, it just looks fully integrated and a natural part of the image.

Now, obviously the mural wolves need a clear space in order to form the portal but I also think they were drawing Ezra far enough away from the Stormtroopers that they wouldn't get to him in time. So that they couldn't stop him.

I'm actually reminded of a scene in Avatar: The Last Airbender (which Filoni also worked on), where Aang manages to slip in last minute through the giant door into the inner shrine that could only be opened by several Fire Sages working in tandem, and the way Roku--the previous Avatar before Aang, and a Firebender himself--seals the door behind Aang, so that even the Sages can't open the door anymore.

Ezra has a meeting with the Divine, and the Empire is not invited.

The score going full blast Indiana Jones mysticism, love it.

Like Thrawn, Hydan clocks Sabine as someone who doesn't belong there immediately, recognizing her from the incident before. The dig site is put on full alert and Troopers close in on Ezra, who's paralyzed for a moment, nervous to enter the portal.

Sabine yells for him to go.

And with determination and purpose, he does.

And the portal seals behind him.

Sabine's worry and fear. <3 Even though she told him to go, watching him literally disappear into a wall has to be frightening.

AND NOW FOR THE EXTRA FORCE WEIRD PART. :D

The World Between Worlds is a place where time and space have no meaning, because all time is present at once. Past, present, and future is all happening simultaneously inside the starvoid, which pulses with the whispers of those who have come before, and those who are yet to come. It's a liminal space, a space of transition, an "in-between" that is neither here nor there. @seleneisrising has an excellent series of posts comparing it to the Wood Between The Worlds, again from The Magician's Nephew, a seemingly endless wood with countless pools that represent different worlds one can enter and exit, if one has the proper travel implements (green and gold rings, in this case).

It is not time travel. Filoni and other writers make it very clear that you cannot, SHOULD NOT, actually use it for that purpose, because if you take something out of its proper time and space, things could go very very badly, and you could create a paradox that destroys time.

Ezra doesn't know this when he winds up pulling Ahsoka out of Malachor, but Ahsoka suspects--since she's been in this kind of Force Weird situation before--so that why she's immediately all, "Okay you have to put me exactly back where you found me." and declines to come with Ezra out his portal.

And that's also why Ezra can't save Kanan.

More on that later.

Our first series of echoes is about the Force, in general, and specific quotes apply to Ezra in particular, for the character journey he's going to complete inside this liminal space.

"Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose." "What you need you already have. Unfortunately, you seem to be letting it all go." "I won't let him lose his way. Not like I did."

The World Between Worlds is already warning him of the temptation that Palpatine will offer, first with Kanan, and then with his parents. Palpatine will dangle the idea of undoing his loss, reversing and cheating death, the same thing he offered Anakin, if he would only just lend Palpatine a little of his power, just a small favor, just open this door for me good lad, don't you want this?

It's a trap. A trick. A lie. There is no reversing death.

You cannot go back down into Hades.

The Force theme permeates this space, floating above our heads with the stars in the vast empty void. Obi-Wan pipes in, via voiceover, to explain what we're seeing, in essence, the very scaffolding and inner workings of the Force.

Meanwhile outside, the troopers are not gentle with Sabine. Hydan tries to make nice and she sasses him to hell and back, refusing to cooperate.

Sabine trying not to let her worry for Ezra show, when Hydan threatens that the Emperor will find him inside the World Between Worlds. <3

Vocal cameos from across the Star Wars canon as Ezra crosses the World Between Worlds. I know someone has identified all of them but I don't have the list at hand. Most of them aren't relevant to Ezra in any case.

Morai appears though, to help guide Ezra to the Malachor portal. I know it was suggested that Kanan helped orchestrate Ahsoka's rescue from beyond the grave, as some kind of "unfinished business" Kanan had yet to do before he fully pass on. Some people were confused why Kanan would want to do that, he was never particularly close to Ahsoka nor was he particularly as devastated by her apparent death. Not like Ezra.

I can accept that logic from the writers though, if it's Kanan trying to help Ezra finally assuage his guilt over Malachor, give him a chance to make things better. And give Ezra a Force Sensitive ally to help find him after everything is said and done.

Kanan knew he was going to die. Knew he couldn't be there for Ezra. So he arranged a way for there to be someone to look for and after Ezra after he was gone. He knew they would need Ahsoka's help.

My thoughts, anyway.

Ezra's quiet horror when the portal activates and shows him the tail end of the Malachor confrontation. :(

It is hilarious to think about how this must look to Vader and Ahsoka. On Vader's end he's swinging down and all of a sudden a hand comes out of a shimmering patch of air and just yoinks Ahsoka away into thin air and then the floor collapses under him and he just had to go back to Palpatine and explain all of that or else pretend that didn't happen, lol.

And then Ahsoka had to wake up in a weird place after fighting Vader and unpacking all of that My Master Is Evil trauma and then see an older Ezra in Stormtrooper armor, learn that Kanan was dead, help Ezra not break the universe, fight an apparition of the Emperor, and then run back to Malachor so she wouldn't break the universe either. Girl needs a damn nap after all that ha ha.

Sabine continuing to be super uncooperative with Hydan. He eventually loses patience and lets the Death Troopers smack her a bit. She's not badly hurt but the point comes across; she needs to play nice or else.

Ahsoka looks SO confused lol.

Vader echoes sound in the background, these ones attuned to Ahsoka, responding to the revelations she has just had about Vader's true identity. As well as an echo from the Daughter, when Ahsoka notices Morai.

(This resonates with what Filoni says about the World Between Worlds in a recent interview, that it attunes to whoever is currently inside, or the person inside only truly hears echoes that are relevant to them, the rest may as well be static and noise, incomprehensible.)

Ahsoka's the one who suggests Kanan's spirit is lingering, trying to guide and teach Ezra one last time from beyond the grave, through the manifestation of the Dume wolf, and yeah, it tracks. I kind of like the notion that Kanan clung to himself just long enough to make sure Ezra was okay before he let himself move on and dissipate into the ether.

Ezra latches onto the idea that Kanan meant for him to save Ahsoka, and then tracks that thought straight into "I can prevent Kanan's death too."

But it's not the same.

Ahsoka knows she has to go back through her portal and return to the time she left, sooner rather than later in order to prevent any kind of paradoxical damage to the timeline. But she can't leave the grieving Ezra in limbo and so she rushes after him to hold back his hand.

Once again, "You want a ride?" echoes, the moment Kanan first offered his hand and help to Ezra, which must be so intimately imprinted on him that it's what he always first hears.

"You can learn what it truly means to be a Jedi." And he's about to, Kanan, believe me.

Ezra's theme plays here. It doesn't complete, never making it to the second stanza. Ezra's not thinking straight. His words echo Anakin's, "I can stop people from dying!" He's too wrapped up in his grief. He's trying once again to reach for power that isn't his to grasp, in order to stop loss from happening to him.

He is attached.

Attachment in the Star Wars universe has a very specific connotation. It has never meant love, or relationships, friendships, other people, cherished places or things. It is all about one's own mindset when relating to those things. Jedi are supposed to love everyone, selflessly. But they are supposed to understand that nothing lasts forever. Things die, people move in and out of your life, the change happens and you can't stop it "Any more than you can stop the twin suns from setting." Shmi says. Children grow up and leave home. Being a Jedi, being balanced in the Force, means you accept the transitory nature of things and let go of your fear of loss.

Because fear leads to the Dark Side. Being afraid of loss, of being without the things important to you, makes you angry at what might try to take those things. Which makes you jealous, clingy. Greedy. Makes you grasp tighter. Makes you desperate. Makes you seek for the power to keep those things with you. And there the Dark Side is, calling to you, offering you that power. Promising to help you keep those things you want.

But it's a trap. The Dark Side will consume you. It will not help you save what you fear to lose, it will instead demand their sacrifice. The desire for power will overtake everything else, every other noble intention or motivation you had. What you intended to save you will no longer care about. The Dark Side will be all there is.

So you must let go of the things you fear to lose. Let go of that fear, and it will have no power over you. Accept the loss, and do not grasp for the power to break reality, to cheat the natural order, just to spare yourself the pain of not having that thing or person in your life.

Because you cannot go back down into Hades.

You cannot turn back time. You cannot undo death.

"You can't save your master," Ahsoka tells him, so so gently because she knows how hard this is. "And I can't save mine," she accepts.

And so Ezra looks at the portal, everything in him screaming in grief. And Ezra, who has abandonment issues and so much of his own worth and validation wrapped up in Kanan--"Kanan believes I can."--who thinks of Kanan as more a father than a teacher, who is still at heart a lost little boy who misses his parents... does one of the hardest and bravest things ever required of him.

He drops his hand, and turns his eyes, and lets go.

He faces the grief and loss head on, and accepts it. Doesn't let it master him.

And thwarts Palpatine one moment more.

Because the image of Kanan was not actually him. The Dark Side will never actually keep its promises. Or it will fulfill them in a way that makes it not matter. It all consuming, always hungry, never satisfied, and it will suck you dry.

The portal Ezra was tempted by leads straight to Palpatine. Who reveals himself like a cackling demon, shrouded and surrounded by blue flames.

Yikes.

Outside, Hera and Zeb are preparing to spring Sabine free of Hydan's "company", though not before she learns the way to seal the portal again.

The lovely dichotomy of "Sabine will know."/"He's on his way." is great BTW, they have so much faith and trust in each other.

Sabine's cheeky little, "Sorry about the mess." :)

I am fairly certain, though I can't find the post from Celebration that talked about it in overview, that Dave et all recycled several ideas from the planned Season 7 arcs for TCW into Rebels. This fight I'm sure was one of them, I remember something about fighting Palpatine in the basement of the Jedi Temple, where the nexus is.

Full male chorus for this moment, love it.

Palpatine won't give up so easily. He still needs to piggyback off Ezra's permission, because the Temple accepted Ezra and rejected him. If he cannot trick Ezra into being his anchor, he will simply attempt to latch onto him from the other side by force, through Sith sorcery.

YEAH NO THAT'S TERRIFYING.

Also fanficcers once again have let me down, I need way more Bad End AUs to this scene than just the one I wrote.

"When you get back, come and find me!" An obligation yet to be fulfilled. Hopefully the Ahsoka show will finish this out. *fingers crossed*

Ahsoka runs back off into the shot where her back was to the camera from "Twilight of the Apprentice" and Ezra escapes, to Palpatine's severe annoyance I'm sure. I would not want to be in the room when that happened, lemme just tell ya lol.

OH HEY HERE'S MY FAVORITE NO CONTEXT SIGNATURE SCENE. :D

There's so many things about this scene that I love. Sabine grabbing Ezra's arm to help him up. Zeb practically holding Ezra to him as they run, giving him cover from the blaster fire. Chopper's Big Damn Heroes moment as he drives a freaking drill (one he was eyeing earlier) into the crowd of Stormtroopers.

DEAN KINER'S EXCELLENT "THE TEMPLE COLLAPSES" MUSIC CUE WHICH IS OF COURSE MY FAVORITE OF THE WHOLE SOUNDTRACK.

Ezra looking immediately to Sabine to tell him which one to activate, because he trusts she's figured it out. Zeb helping lift him high enough to reach.

Ezra connecting to the Son, the score piping in with piano to signify the Force usage. Maybe Ezra is having to call upon the Dark Side, maybe he is just making a connection, but either way it's harder than it was with the Daughter. Takes more effort. He collapses immediately into Zeb's arms right after.

But look at Ezra’s expression:

The way his lips and eyes pinch, how his face tightens.  The minute tremble in his lip. It’s not anger or fear or passion he’s channeling here.

It’s grief.

Ezra falls unconscious into a Pietà pose (more on that in the messianic imagery post) and looks incredibly small here in Zeb's arms. This is such a soft moment and it's so sweet, I love it.

The mural turns crimson red and the Temple begins to seal and collapse. Removing itself from the physical plane of existence entirely, to deny Palpatine access.

Our heroes flee, Hydan perishes, the most gorgeous animation of the show splashes across the screen as the wolves return to their place, the Daughter and Son descend, and the Father claps his hands and sinks the Temple.

Ezra is barely conscious the whole time, a lot having been taken out of him. It's similar to how he collapsed in "Gathering Forces" and "Vision of Hope" and "Holocrons of Fate", too much Force energy exhausts him. As he fades out, Kanan's voice calls out from the white light.

"The Force will be with you, always."

By implication, "I'll be with you Ezra. I'm alive inside of you now."

And then all that's left is to say one last goodbye to Kanan, across the glasslike surface of the plain where the Temple once stood, into the rising light of dawn and the fading footsteps of the white Loth-wolf.

Kanan's theme plays us out over the credits.

These two episodes contextualize, and re-contextualize SO much about the overall story. Finally we know what Ezra was meant to do, what made him so special that the Force chose him, not as the Chosen One, but as a Chosen One, with a specific destiny and purpose that he needed to fulfill.

A child of Lothal, tested and found worthy by the wolves, who was already blessed by the Jedi Temple before. Favored by the Force to enter into its innermost sanctum to protect it from those who would desecrate it, twist it to their own purposes.

Ezra's narrative importance to the overall Star Wars saga becomes immensely clear. His character development is complete, and he now has the strength to stand against Palpatine's temptations, and the bravery to make the ultimate sacrifice for his planet and people. One whose results he won't even be able to see.

Just like Kanan did. Kanan's last lesson--To love unselfishly and give of yourself, even if means losing what you hold dear, simply because it is right and you are needed--will be Ezra's final act as well. And it took being asked to let go and accept Kanan's death for him to understand.

These episodes are beautiful in theme and message. The World Between Worlds is a fascinating perfect addition to Star Wars lore. The character work is fantastic and I can even pardon the clear favoritism in managing to bring Ahsoka back. I love these episodes so so much, they're my absolute favorites of the whole show.

We're almost done my loves, let's watch Ezra's character development pay off next time. :)

[twistedtummies2]

Year of the Bat - Number 18

Welcome to Year of the Bat! In honor of Kevin Conroy, Arleen Sorkin, and Richard Moll, I’m counting down my Top 31 Favorite Episodes of “Batman: The Animated Series” throughout this January. TODAY’S EPISODE QUOTE: “Some thought I had gone mad. Others thought I always had been, until they put me where I belonged.” Number 18 is…Dreams in Darkness.

This is the first episode on the list to feature one of Batman’s most revered enemies, the Scarecrow, as the main antagonist. The character had a lot of really fun appearances the show, but in my opinion, this was probably his grandest story of the whole bunch, in terms of sheer scope and scale. The story begins with Batman investigating a break-in at a spa resort, where he finds a high-tech crook tampering with the drinking water supply. In the scuffle, a device the crook was carrying bursts open, and a mysterious gas floods the room. Batman escapes, but as time goes on, he begins to experience horrifying hallucinations, as his greatest fears and paranoias all start to come to life right before his eyes. It doesn’t take long for Batman to realize Scarecrow is behind all this, and he soon realizes time is of the essence, as Scarecrow plans to poison the water supply for the entire city with a special new brand of his patented Fear Toxin. In some ways, this episode is similar to the Scarecrow’s first appearance, “Nothing to Fear.” In that one, he sprays Batman with the Fear Toxin early in the story, and for much of the rest of the episode, the Dark Knight must confront and deal with his greatest fears coming to life. “Dreams in Darkness,” however, goes way further with the idea of Batman battling his worst fears, taking the same basic idea and upping the stakes in a big way. Not only do the visions grow more intense the longer Batman goes untreated – the antidote for this specific blend of the Toxin will render him unconscious for two whole days, and he can’t waste any time – but after one particularly shocking vision causes Bruce to crash the Batmobile, he’s actually locked up in Arkham Asylum. He must now find a way to escape the Asylum and stop Scarecrow’s mad scheme, all while still under the effects of Crane’s newest formula. I love the way this episode builds, and the way it’s structured. The story actually begins with Batman already locked up in the Asylum, and for much of the story, he acts as a Narrator, telling us all about what’s really going on and why. It kind of feels like something out of an old-fashioned radio drama, or – fittingly enough – the way a comic is written, with thought balloons and text boxes indicating the character’s thoughts and motives. I also love the emphasis on the “ticking clock” element in the story, as Batman has to do so much with so little time on his hands. It helps to keep things in suspense, especially as the nightmares Scarecrow’s new toxin creates become more and more wild, imaginative, and downright freaky as the story goes on. The idea of Scarecrow poisoning the whole city, rather than just a select group of people, per the norm, was also a gripping concept; I kind of wonder if “Batman Begins” took a few hints from this story in particular, since the Scarecrow in that film and this episode do bear some similarities, in terms of how they affect Batman and their evil schemes. My only major gripe with this episode is Batman remaining unmasked while in the Asylum. I understand why they did it, of course; for one thing, it’s just a visually captivating concept. For another, it would have been…awkward if Bruce’s identity was revealed to so many people at once, especially in such an unceremonious fashion, and in a place where most of his worst enemies are all incarcerated. They do try to explain away the reason the doctors let him wear the cowl, but…ehhhh, I don’t personally buy it. I guess they had to figure out SOMETHING, though…and hey, if the doctors at Arkham were…you know…WAY better at what they do, Bruce would probably have a MUCH easier night life. :P Despite this nitpick, “Dreams in Darkness” is still a great (and magnificently animated) episode of the series, and easily one of Scarecrow’s personal best as a villain. I highly recommend it.

Tomorrow we move on to Number 17! Hint: “Man or woman, a sick mind is capable of anything.”

[yakkyrwhackr]

My Thoughts on Sonic Prime Season 3 (Spoilers Ahead!) I'm going to structure this in a sandwich style of reviewing, because there's a lot of good, a bit of bad, and a decent chunk of lame shit. Let's hop in, shall we? The Best: Grim Big Let's start this review off with the thing I adored about this season the most: GRIM BIG, BABY!!! Grim Big is the funniest shit ever and I loved every moment he was on screen The Lame: The Grim Bots (Minus Grim Big) The Grim Bots are cool in concept, but they just don't really do anything and have no notable personalities. They're just there as fodder. Alpha Grim Sonic does get a TINY bit of personalization in episode 5, but that is ENTIRELY carried by Shadow challenging him to "prove his worth" and the mild scowl AGS gives in response. Also the Grim Birdies are the most annoying fucking things in existence and I hate their sound effect. Alpha Grim Sonic could NEVER be Chaos Sonic.

The Great: Fight Scenes One of the best aspects of this season was the fight scenes (minus the ones within the Kracken and Mothership) by far. All of them are such a treat to my eyes and I loved every second of it. The Lame: Inconsistencies The writing seems to pingpong in tone a lot. One minute everything is hopeless, and then sonic has a plan. That plan falls apart due to infighting, rinse and repeat. Nine also feels a little inconsistent, as sometimes he's angsty, sometimes he's cocky, and sometimes he's manic. It's pretty jarring. Dread is also inconsistent. He said in either episode 2 or 3 that he had no incentive to fight, and then in episode 4 onwards, he's fighting with enthusiasm. He really only gets an actual incentive in episode fucking 6, which he abandons IN THE SAME EPISODE.

The Good: Nine While Nine was a bit inconsistent at times, he was still pretty good in this season. I can tell the VA and animators really tried. I just wish he was given a better and less inconsistent script. He gets really good in the final 3 or so episodes.

The Bad: The Retro Scene Just like in other seasons of Prime, the retro scene was pretty bad. But I feel that this season, it felt especially cheap and unnecessary. It looked like a fucking flash animation. Not even dialogue this time. It was pointless too because the entire first season had Sonic reminding Nine of him and Tails' friendship.

The Extra-Enjoyable: Jack, Squad Commander Red, and Renegade Knucks All three of these were great. Some were greater than others (Renegade Knucks was definitely the best by far and was the one of the only characters I can definitively say I cared about. Like, Renegade absolutely STOLE the show.) I enjoyed watching them on screen. Again, some more than others (I love you, Renegade Knucks), but all were enjoyable nonetheless. The Thing I'm Undecided About: Sappiness Sonic is a sappy guy. I am more than aware of that. However, I feel a few scenes put too much sappiness for the scene, or used sappiness when it could be used elsewhere. For the sake of being fair, the sappiness in the final episode WAS a good use of it. Overall not my biggest problem with the season. (I ran out of bads so the sandwich style ends here)

The STUNNING: Animation The animation in this season was PHENOMENAL. Multiple times this season, my brain was just in constant awe with how good it looked. Everyone was super expressive and bouncy. Definitely amazing. The Peak: Shadow Shadow was GREAT this season. I loved his interactions almost as much as I loved Renegade Knucks. Definitely the best Shadow has been written in a WHILE. It was a breath of fresh air in an otherwise flanderized character. We got a bit of Shadow in season 2, but this is where I think he really shines. I certainly will not forget the ultimate lifeform beefing with a 9 year old. Peak, honestly The Very Nice: Rusty I feel Rusty had more time to shine this season. She had more lines, her animation was more expressive, and even her voice actress seemed to read her lines with a bit more emotion. I especially liked her monologue against Alpha Grim Amy. Show's still not canon though :)

[bvannn]

Weekly Update March 1, 2024

I’m not doing the best this week but I’m also not doing the worst. I’ve not been sleeping well and I think it’s culminating today so slightly early update post just in case I fall asleep early tonight. I’ve had on and off moodiness and flareups but not a whole lot of surgery sickness, hoping next week will be the same. I think this week was a lot of semester stress, which makes it hard to take care of myself. I just ate three applesauces and next week is spring break, so I should have a bit of breathing room for more art stuff. Just in time for my art block to maybe be giving way. All I gotta do is get caught up on sleep, which I’ll try to start tonight.

So I’ve been trying to put more brain power into actual Oc story writing stuff this week. I have the little comic I’m working on in the background and that’s going a bit slower than I’d like but I’m still making progress and reviewing over it there’s fewer older pages needing redo than I’d thought. I’m also now officially through the second act of the episode/chapter/ w/e, so the third should move smoothly. Scenes are flowing nicer than I thought they would, generally going pretty good.

I also finally think my animation art block is giving way. Clip studio is good for flowier animation so I’d like to combine it with flash for any actual big animation projects I try to pick up but on it’s own it’s fine for smaller ones. I might do some more sketch style test animations for unfamiliar movements, and eventually I’ll need to do a test for one with lineart and color layers. The interface is not user friendly at all but I did figure out how to do it the way I had wanted. Not planning on doing any shaded animations though, shading will have to be done with after effects somehow. I’ll round up ideas for test animations tonight because I’m very headfoggy today so I doubt I’ll be able to throw music together.

I’ll definitely do a quick little gif for the bigger song I finished, I’ll try to get going on the next one, but for the time being I might finish up some half baked covers. I’ve fiddled with vocaloid more now, have two half finished vocal parts I’m using to test out how the English and Japanese banks work with English songs. Japanese bank is working better than I thought, but it’s annoying having to play with the dynamic and exciter settings for certain consonants, and the limited vowel selection also sucks, but it’s not like the English banks have basically the same issues too. I just need to play with settings a bit more, finish writing out the vocal parts (should basically be copy paste at this point, I’m already through one chorus of each), and throw together instrumentals to go with them, but I picked songs with simple instrumentals anyway, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get a skeletal structure ready, then I can fill it in with piano or violin because I can’t go two songs without either I’m addicted.

Music comic and animation are the main things I did this week but I am slowly getting my updated commission sheet together. I’ll probably start timing myself on smaller songs so I can try to add music options properly. Animation comms would be nice too but that’ll definitely be a ways off.

I did make unexpected progress writing an epithet TTRPG campaign, it’s like mostly structured, but maps minis and some encounters still need to get written. I might sit down to do that over break. I’m more certain now that I’ll need to take people online as players but I’ll wait until I’m closer to run before I make a google form for that

I’m going to try to either spend tonight with friends or go to bed early or both. I’m a bit worried about my body because flareups have been getting bad but tomorrow I don’t have to move my legs at all beyond doing laundry so I should be fine. If plans for both fall through I’ll either watch a movie or cartoon (I don’t do very often but if I indulge in media I can improve my writing skills) or draw or both. Tomorrow is walled off for homework though I don’t think I’ll be able to do much else.

[mikeperrucci]

A Little Help Reaching the Finish Line

When I started making Chuck's Devils, I thought I could complete each episode in a month, and be done with the entire comic after four years. Well, it ended up taking an extra two. What happened?

There are simple reasons, such as writer's block. Condensing a long story into tiny word balloons that still makes sense wasn't always easy. Also, some episodes required more background scenery, extra characters, and complex poses that were tricky to figure out.

Then there are the mental blocks. I've always had trouble focusing on one task for an extended period of time. My website reflects this with many different things I've done over the years: smilies, domino toppling, graphic design, games, animation, comics, and more.

If I stuck with one of those and got really good at it, I'd probably have a thriving career right now. But I don't, which haunts me while I'm toiling away at my real day job. I can't afford the testing to find out if I'm technically experiencing depression, but it damn sure feels like it.

With no treatment, these funks can put me in a bad state for a while. The worst was the time I started packing up my stuff so my family could clean out my apartment quickly after I was gone. But after three days, and with too much junk left to box up, and got exhausted and gave up.

Strangely, I think the struggles the Devils were going through also had an effect on me. I knew things would eventually work out for Candace, Lily, and Yu-Ri, but I shared in their suffering a little bit.

With all of that working against me, it seemed like I'd never finish my comic. I felt like a marathon runner: sweaty, tired, and in pain after ten miles... then realizing I had another sixteen left to go.

But I came up with an idea. What if I made a one page comic instead of 432? A comic with simple artwork that I could finish in a day, not weeks. And the characters would be adorable and fun, without any drama...

And so, the Mini-Devils were born. The non-canon spin-off allowed me to put the characters in silly situations that I couldn't do with their tall twin sisters, like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow or playing football in their own unique fashion.

Another unexpected benefit was expanding on Candace's relationship with Tyler. The main comic was structured around Yu-Ri and Lily's evolving love story, and the other couple didn't get as much attention. Even though they're not the originals, I like to think they'd both behave in a similar way.

I didn't plan on adding Rose because her personality was the exact opposite of what the Mini-Devils were all about. But reworking her as a harmless prankster who gets her comeuppance at the end added a mild antagonist that fits into the mini-verse pretty well.

Drawing these chibi cuties cuddling and kissing each other helped raise my spirits, and actually completing something, even if it was just a short story, motivated me to work on the larger tale. I don't think I would have finished Chuck's Devils without the Mini-Devils lightening my mood.

If you're overwhelmed by a large project, a fun diversion may alleviate some pressure for you, too. Also, breaking it up into smaller segments could be beneficial as well. Taking my comic one episode, one page, or even one panel at a time helped me.

Going back to my marathon analogy, as long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other, you'll reach the finish line. It may take a lot longer than the professionals, but you can do it.

And while I'm on the subject of the Mini-Devils, it occurred to me that I haven't explained how they met. We know how the tall trio became best friends, but not their small siblings. To correct this, I came up with an origin story that will begin soon. I hope you'll enjoy it. :)

[glitch-pep]

This is fan content unaffiliated with partycoffins work. Welcome Home belongs to partycoffin!

Alright, the paralels between these two are as obvious as it can get, so what's up with them?

[The answer to that is under the cut! Everything here is written as if it was written by the people running the website.]

Since the creators of Welcome Home couldn't find any use in Molly Moon and Sunny Sunrise separately, they've decided to combine the two, and give them their own little spin-off show, titled "The Plan!"

Well, at least, that seemed to be the plan, (Pun intended.) since we have managed to find a decent number of scripts for it. And, interestingly enough, the number of scripts doesn't line up with the number that was planned originally.

There seem to be far more than what was needed.

We haven't restored the entirety of them yet, because some scripts are damaged more than others or are just missing entirerly. Like the first episode, for example. While we found the other episodes with ease, episode one is nowhere to be found, except for a brief description of it's contents as a note:

"The origin story of how Molly and Sunny met, and an insight of what their lifes were like before that happened."

We have managed to compile enough information about the show as to where we can talk about it.

Supposedly, the show was about the unused concept characters Molly Moon and Sunny Sunrise, who were put together as a comedic antagonistic duo, due to their opposite personalities and designs, which oddly enough fit together perfectly without it being planned that way. They would've been redesigned to fit the finalized versions of the Welcome Home cast later on but the development of the show was cut short before it was ever fully finalized.

The show was supposed to be animated instead of it being done with puppets.

Episodes lengths were: 5 minute shorts, 11 minutes for regular episodes and 22 minutes for  specials.

The plot would follow the antagonistic leader Sunny and her sidekick Molly, as they try to ruin Sally Starlets life every episode... with plans that don't really cause that much damage anyways.

Episode structures were always the same, with the same kind of scenes and dialogue but with differences added to keep it interesting. (Note: Like Phineas and Ferb.) Every plan would fail in some manner at the end of every episode.

Besides being leader and sidekick, Sunny and Molly were also best friends, despite their many differences.

Sunny is there to motivate Molly to get out of her shell, and Molly is there as a voice of reason, to remind Sunny when something isn't a good idea. These two would compliment each other well, which would make for a fun watch.

Although the show would mainly focus on the comedic aspect, sometimes it would also include a lesson, which falls more in line with the original Welcome Home.

The direct reason for the erasure of the show is currently unknown, and even though we do have some theories about it, we'll wait until we gain more information about the overall production of it until we try to piece it together any further.

[skye-huntress]

Atelier Ryza Anime Reaction

Episode 4: Sunken Mine

I remember this so called test in the game. I suppose it was a big deal but the only thing I could focus on was the ore Empel is asking Ryza to find. Koberinite is a material used for synthesising the second tier of metal ingots, which can than be used to synthesise the second tier of weapons. Although, I don’t know if we’ll actually be seeing characters switching up their weapons, especially since the third and fourth tiers are just the first and second in different colours.

I can understand Tao’s exasperation, but Empel isn’t teaching him to read just so he can hole himself up in his library all day. It’s a practical skill useful for exploring and investigating ruins, which is wasted on Tao if he can’t even manage to get around or protect himself.

Yes, prepare. That thing you completely failed to do last time.

You can tell Ryza plays favourites with Klaudia when she wants her to stay home where it is safe but thinks nothing of dragging along the reluctant bookworm on her adventures.

And there’s Bos again with his arrogant, condescending attitude. And Lumbar who is really just a wimpy little henchman who is only confident enough to run his mouth when standing next to Bos.

“This sword will carve a path to my future!” Really? That sword? It looks like it is past due to be scrapped. If he tries to fight a golem with that, it’ll probably break.

Of course she was planning on making bombs!

That bomb is kind of sus. I think she screwed up somewhere. Also, you’re going in a cave! In this case, bigger is not better!

I’m seeing a line on Lent’s sword that’s probably going to be a break line.

Surely it isn’t hard to figure out why it is called the Sunken Mine. It’s a cave with precious ores that is also close to the shore.

Yes, Ryza, you need to be the most careful. You’re carrying explosives in a cave of unknown structural integrity with low visibility. If you trip, you might end up killing everyone in the explosion and/or the resulting cave in.

Hitting a golem is at least easier than a puni. They’re bigger and not nearly as nimble. Still, they’re pretty resistant to physical attacks so hitting them would put a lot of stress on Lent’s sword.

Finally, they call Tao out for the lack of effort he’s been putting in to improve himself. So far, he’s contributed nothing on any of their excursions, leaving Ryza and Lent to do all of the work. Out of the three of them, his weapon is actually probably the most suited for busting golems.

Now they’ve hit the sunken part of the Sunken Mine.

I see what they’re doing with that flashback. For those not in the know, I wonder what they’re thinking when they see it.

What is that?! I see, so this is what they think a larger golem would look like. In the game, they just reused the same model of smaller monsters for the larger versions. This kind of design and size is what you’d expect of one of the bosses though.

Idiot, you’re in a confined space, with limited air. The smoke doesn’t have anywhere to go, so not only is it harder to breath, you’ve lost visibility. And the sound would just be bouncing off the walls.

It seems Ryza overdid it when she made her bomb. She doesn’t have the experience yet to judge how powerful she makes things.

See, Tao, there are actually practical uses for the knowledge you were given, so you’re not completely useless. Plus, now he is curious about what he can find outside of his library.

Ryza, we see what you’re trying to do, and it’s not working. Tao and Lent have acknowledge where they were wrong, the least you can do is own up to your own blunder.

Empel is no one’s fool.

It’s funny how part of the problem is that Ryza is better at alchemy than she realises.

Empel is right, it was neither the time or place for her to test out a new item she made, especially when she herself acknowledge it was larger than she intended. Ryza needs to be more responsible with what she creates and how she uses them.

[inksandpensblog]

Oh that'll make organization so much easier XD

At the same time, though, it feels strange to group AvA4 into a season with the three before it. That's like saying the opening of your revival series was actually the finale of the previous series this whole time.

AvA3 was the original planned end of the series, and I'm not making that up; Alan said in his 10th Anniversary video that he ended AvA3 on the computer explosion and the bluescreen because he "wanted to make sure that no sequel could come out of that." He only made AvA4 because he wasn't getting anywhere with his attempts to find work in animation after college but he knew he could still do something with stickfigures and I know I had a point I was making but that episode just got a whole lot more meta suddenly--

Anyway, maybe I shouldn't put so much stock in what's basically a draw-my-life, but that 10th Anniversary video really did shape how I understand the structuring of this series as a whole, and grouping AvA4 with the original series comes off as an odd choice.

I might just need time to get used to it, though. And now that I think about it...given how AvA6 seems hellbent on reexamining those first three story-lite episodes through a more story-driven lens, it's not out of the question that AvA4 might be repurposed in a similar fashion. The framing has already proven itself malleable.

Either that or he's grouping AvA4 with the other three because Orange's head-shape wasn't finalized until the next episode XD

Oh interesting!

Name changes to the "Animator vs Animation" videos, kinda going in the same way as the "Animation vs Minecraft" episodes

Alao hints at AvA 6, being 7 parts long? 👀

[screenshot from Alan Becker's Community Tab, May 15th 2024]

[columboscreens]

Been loving the Twitter account and realized I'd love the Tumblr too.

Anyway, I've always wondered something... my mom and I began to realize that maybe one of the reasons classic Columbo's formula made such a splash and continues to be unique is that he's basically presented as the story's "villain".

Not in a "he was the real killer" kind of way, I mean structure-wise for most episodes the killer is the main character with the majority of screen time. It occurred to us that all the best episodes really seem to present the murderer as the protagonist, with us seeing them plan and carry out their scheme, even sometimes be privy to their inner thoughts. Then after they've done their killing, this... monster starts stalking them. It seemed to us the best episodes were the ones where WE are put in the killer's shoes the most, and maybe the character and show formula has endured so well because its thrill feels so similar to watching your favorite movie monster pursue dumb teenagers in a haunted house.

We noticed it kinda felt like it had that same weirdly sadistic glee. Like sure the movie might be "about" the campers or family or whatever, but the monster creeping around "getting" everyone is who you really came to see.

I wondered if anyone else had felt this fun "relentless antagonist" vibe from Columbo? Maybe the formula continues to feel unique even today because it isn't set up quite like a detective show. It's a rich arrogant murderer show, we just can't wait for our favorite monster to show up and chase them (with insidious, relentless politeness).

thank you!

not to needlessly intellectualize my own favorite show (i say, maintaining this blog), but there's a real sophistication to columbo, a literary quality that i think appeals to people. though the production appears facile at first, those choices in formula and perspective you mention are indeed very deliberate and part of what made columbo so fresh and special both when it aired and today. it was a very novel approach to the mystery format to have us start off with the murderer and maybe even root for them sometimes against columbo. as i always say, the show evokes dostoyevsky and doyle, not bruckheimer; it's born from old-fashioned drawing room murder mysteries, not CSI.

the mysteries are usually sharp--between columbo and murder she wrote alone, levinson and link were two of the most prolific mysterysmiths of the 20th century. but ultimately, for both the viewer and for columbo, it's all about the chase, the game, the banter. it's about a mangy little guy tussling with someone with more dollars than he has hairs on his body, and winning to boot. the legwork is important, but it does ultimately come second.

steven moffat got torn to shreds for calling columbo a sadist, but he was absolutely right and needn't have apologized. if you get up in arms about that, do you really understand columbo?

the man is a benevolent sadist. that's why he appears borderline villainous. he is a sadist with a level head and good moral compass, but still a sadist. he goes well out of his way to fuck over people who deserve to get fucked over, and he clearly enjoys every minute of it. it's how he's able to remain so relentless without getting burned out. is that so wrong?

just look at the smirk on this man's face. you cannot deny that.

like a fine wine, his power grows with time...

peter falk himself often likened being chased by columbo to "getting nibbled to death by a duck". nobody can stand there and tell me ducks aren't the cutest and also pettiest most sadistic little bastards in the animal kingdom...

sir!!!! SIR!!!!! i don't mean to bother you, i've just got this one little thing on my mind, i thought maybe you could help me...