dk-wren

[dk-wren]

The first poster was released for the 2025 restaging of Musical Spy x Family, featuring the full main cast.

Individual character portraits were also released, offering a first look of newly announced cast members in costume.

Here's where I found the above images, as well as where you can see the new character portraits for returning cast members: https://www.tohostage.com/spy-family/#cast

All that's missing now is Anya, which I'm assuming will have the casting announced closer to the musical's run like last time.

[dk-wren]

Does this need to be a post, no.

But, I just want to say, for the first time in almost 5 months, I am able to return to writing my Buddy Daddies mermaid au, and it feels so good.

🌸🌴🌈🌱🌺 Nature is healing 🌸🌴🌈🌱🌺

Hoping to update with the next chapter in a week or two, but unfortunately I resume classes on Monday. So, I can't make any firm promises.

In other news, I was also able to write another fic, which I am hoping to post in time for the 2nd anniversary of BD's finale. Just needs some editing!

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Edit - 4/26:

So that was a lie...took me more like a month.

But, if anyone is interested, the next update is now available: The Cold Waves of the Tide Bring Me to Your Warmth - Chapter 8

[dk-wren]

Maybe this is my brain overthinking things or trying to make connections that aren't really there, but I was thinking about this moment and the name Kojiro says, "Adachi."

Now, my first impression was that they are talking about ADAM, or Ainosuke. But as my brain processes and gushes over the OVA, I had a second thought (which is where the overthinking likely comes in). What if Kojiro is actually talking about Tadashi?

The reasoning behind my first impression was Ainosuke and Adachi start with the same "A" sound, and the flashbacks from Season 1 show that Kojiro and Kaoru skated with and were friends? acquaintances? with Ainosuke. Once Kaoru and Kojiro began skating and became more skilled, I don't think it's a stretch for them to try and find this person to learn from them or hang out with them.

As for my second thought, which may be a bit of a stretch, but the names "Tadashi" and "Adachi" sound more similar overall than Ainosuke and Adachi. Only the beginning T sound and the "chi" instead of a "shi" differ. Plus, if the duo overheard the name or through word of mouth, it's possible some of the letters/sounds got lost.

The other description to this skater who Kojiro thinks is named "Adachi" is that they are "crazy good." While ADAM is definitely regarded and described as such during Season 1, with his performances during S and the flashbacks supporting this description too, it is Tadashi who more or less taught Ainosuke everything he knows.

In Snake's beef with Miya, the crowd's chatter literally causes Miya to say that the crowd's talking about Snake as if he were ADAM. Even though Joe and Cherry's portion of OVA takes place in the past, there is precedence within the world of SK8 that Tadashi and ADAM's skating style is incredibly similar (again because of their mentor/mentee like relationship in skating).

And there is where it gets a little speculative for me, but what if the skater Kojiro is referring to here, is Tadashi, but who they end up meeting, and befriending, is Ainosuke.

I'm gonna be honest, I don't know the full extent of Tadashi's life at Shindo manor or how long he's worked as part of their family. But, if he is truly just a "servant's child," not a lot of attention would likely be paid if he was leaving the manor to go skate. Away from the manor, Tadashi and his skill could have built a reputation in the local skate scene. Still not wanting to get caught, Tadashi may have worn another cap or hoodie or something to conceal his identity.

However, between this moment in the OVA and when Kaoru and Kojiro finally meet ADAM for the first time, Tadashi moves from just a servant's child to becoming a servant or worker himself. And because of this, he no longer has as much freedom to leave the manor, as well as dealing with a larger burden to not be "caught" skating as an employee of the Shindo family. So, Tadashi is somewhat forced to leave the local skating scene.

As this happens though, Ainosuke begins sneaking out and skating with a concealed identity. With such a similar skating style, people may not question if it's the same skater. Or, in not knowing Tadashi's true identity, no one bothers asking who exactly this new skater is. Ainosuke's skills causes him to maintain Tadashi's status or rise in prominence, overshadowing Tadashi's legacy. Until eventually, two new, talented (and not boring at all) skaters emerge and finally meet with Ainosuke. And, after watching him skate, because his style is so similar to Tadashi, Kojiro and Kaoru don't spare a second thought that ADAM may not be the person who they originally heard about, accepting Ainosuke as the "crazy good" skater people talked about.

[dk-wren]

Yelling Into the Void About Coco 2

So apparently this is now in the works at Pixar...and I have a mixed feelings.

Don't get me wrong, I love Coco. It's easily one of my favorite Pixar films (it's honestly a tie between Coco and The Incredibles for what my favorite Pixar film is). I love seeing Coco's growing presence in the parks and now cruise ships. And as excited as I get about new stories that tie into or expand upon the world of Coco, I just can't imagine a full-blown sequel that works well.

However, given Coco's popularity and Disney's recent trends, I felt it was inevitable that one day a sequel would be announced. And now that day has arrived, or at least, an announcement for it being in the works, with a tentative 2029 release date.

Acknowledging this, I now pitch to you the premise my mind came up with about how a potential Coco sequel could go that maybe works (?):

Here's the TL; DR.

Time skip of about 10 years- Gives each character a chance to grow and allows the audience to see how life has been treating them (Miguel slowly growing into his own as a musician, Hector repairing his relationship with Imelda and his family, Ernesto getting to fester in his desire for revenge, now with a chance to act on it)

The protagonists are Miguel and his younger sister.

The two get sent back to the Land of the Dead and must work together (and their family) to return to the Land of the Living.

Ernesto de la Cruz is back as the villain.

Full-ish Pitch:

The sequel takes place after a time skip (around 10 or so years), again, over the course of Dia de los Muertos. Miguel returns home to Santa Cecilia after being away for a few years. In my head, he is not a famous musician yet, but is perhaps in training. Like, Miguel's returning from college where he's studying music. Because of the time skip, Miguel's sister is now a teen. Given the events of Coco, Miguel continues to tell his sister about the importance of the ofrenda and honoring their family. Perhaps she is on her own journey (that deviates from their family's wishes), or perhaps she is just characterized as a moody teenager, but whatever the reason, Miguel's sister is not about to listen to her older brother go on and on about the importance of family, or his warning to not steal from the dead. One thing leads to another, Miguel's sister "steals" something from the ofrenda, with Miguel attempting to stop her, and as a result, they both get transported back to the Land of the Dead. She panics, Miguel reassures her that everything will be okay, and they make their way to Hector, Mama Imelda, Coco, and their whole family. However, there's more to their return to the Land of the Living than receiving a family blessing like in the first film (don't know what that would be yet) since the movie would then be finished in 20 minutes. So, our group sets off (likely Hector and Imelda because including the whole family may bog down the pace/story) to ensure Miguel and his sister return to the Land of the Living. Lessons are learned, feelings are confronted, quality family time is spent, and oh yeah, Ernesto's back as the villain. With the unmasking of Ernesto as a fraud at the end of Coco, I think it would make sense to see what he's up to now and how his fall from grace definitely probably fueled a desire for revenge. I just imagine Ernesto now as a very unhinged character, whose sole purpose is to now get back at Miguel and Hector. And what better way to do that when both of them are now wondering through the Land of the Dead. So, that's my case for why Ernesto de la Cruz should be the villain of Coco 2. And that's about all I have for my pitch.

Again, my biggest concern with a sequel to Coco (and where I had the most trouble coming up with something) is if Miguel ends up in the Land of the Dead again, how do you create different stakes or raise them so the plot of Coco 2 does not seem like a rehash of Coco. You can only do so much with character gets sent to the Land of the Dead, character reunites with their deceased relatives, character must receive a blessing from their family to return, and character must do so before dawn or they will permanently disappear/be forgotten.

I feel like this was my biggest gripe with Moana 2, or that it followed the same beats as Moana. And I acknowledge given certain stories and archetypes, and in working with established characters, it's sometimes hard to avoid.

While not out of the realm of possibilities, I don't see a sequel to Coco that somehow doesn't take us back to the Land of the Dead. That being said, it could be interesting to see how a story plays out with Hector, Imelda, and the rest of the family seeking help from Miguel while he stays in the Land of the Living. What I mean by this is because Miguel has crossed over into the Land of the Dead, perhaps he retains a connection or way to communicate with those family members. So, as they go on some quest to uncover the truth about something, find a missing family heirloom, or what have you, Miguel must do certain things only possible in the Land of the Living while his family must do other things only possible in the Land of the Dead. By working together, in their own worlds, this is how they fulfill their quest or goal.

With Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina returning to direct, I remain cautiously optimistic that they will be able to find a story that honors the original story while expanding upon it in a meaningful way. At the least, even if Coco 2 does not reach the levels of the original film, I'm hoping it'll at least be a fun watch.

Thanks for reading my ramblings!

-Dakota Wren

[dk-wren]

I don't know what's been going on, but today has been a relatively good day for updates on my favorites animes. Why? Well, I'm glad you asked:

SK8 OVA was released

Trigun Stargaze confirmed for a 2026 release

I know that's only two things, but given how little news or updates either of these shows have received in the past, to get both on the same day is making me go insane.

What's next, a season 2 announcement for Buddy Daddies? 🤞 Please, please, please

Edit: Studio Orange has officially confirmed Trigun Stargaze will premiere in 2026!!!

[dk-wren]

I know I've been pretty MIA here on Tumblr in terms of posting/writing, but I am still lurking around and viewing posts.

Which brings me to today, where I saw a post talking about a project I worked on in my personal life, away from Dakota Wren. And it kinda blew my mind.

Like, this project and the type of work I did on it is what has been consuming literally all my time. So seeing someone else talk about it, outside of my irl circle, and on Tumblr, was a weird but nice surprise.

Anyways, I'm almost finished with said project and hopefully that'll mean I can have some downtime and get back to writing (especially a multi-chap fic I have not updated since November, sigh).

[dk-wren]

My Trigun Stampede Episode Reactions in a Nutshell

Episode 1 + 2 = haha this is pretty funny

Episode 3 = what did I just get myself into?

Episode 4 + 5 = this is…fine? Haha yeah, everything’s fine

Episode 6 + 7 = oh shit (Wolfwood edition)

Episode 8 + 9 = oh shit (Vash edition)

Episode 10 + 11 = fuck…

Episode 12 = incoherent screaming

[dk-wren]

Buddy Daddies mention, let’s go!!!

Genuinely a little shocked to see Buddy Daddies appear on Tumblr’s Year in Review under Top Anime & Manga. It’s quite a bit lower than last year and no KazuRei on the top ship list, but hey, still exciting!

Glad to see the community is still making its presence known. And like, thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who’s still creating art, writing fics, or just sharing their thoughts. I always get so excited seeing new posts (that aren’t spambots) under the Buddy Daddies tag!

[dk-wren]

Did I do good, Studio Orange?

Please accept this as my offering for some Trigun Stargaze information before the end of the year.

Three things to add on:

My Wrapped is not completely accurate given I refuse to pay for Premium and everything is on shuffle (i.e. by chance). That being said, "MILLIONS KNIVES - Vocal Ver." is probably on 3 of my playlists and I do play the actual album from time to time.

It should not annoy me as much as it does that I am at 159 streams, and somehow couldn't squeeze in one more listen to bring it to an even 160.

If it seems like I listened to 加藤 達也 a lot, don't worry, my total "Minutes Listened" was 48,735. I've seen quite the range for "Minutes Listened" so this may seem like a lot or laughable considering where others fall/have seen.

[dk-wren]

Musical Spy x Family Returns to the Stage in 2025

I don't know how I missed this, but it was announced earlier this week that the Spy x Family musical, which premiered in spring 2023, will be restaged in fall 2025.

With this announcement, it was also revealed that several cast members will return with the show. This includes:

Win Morisaki as Loid Forger Fuka Yuzuki as Yor Forger Tsubasa Takizawa as Yuri Briar Nonoka Yamaguchi as Fiona Frost Soma Suzuki as Henry Henderson Manato Asaka as Sylvia Sherwood

Newly confirmed cast members include

Genki Hirataka as Lord Forger Sora Kazuki as Yor Forger Sion Yoshitaka as Yuri Briar Shogo Suzuki as Franky Franklin

In addition, a new casting search will take place to find the four actresses who will portray Anya.

This production will hold its preview in Kawagoe in Sept. 2025 before traveling to Tokyo in October, Osaka and Fukuoka in November, and finally, Yamagata, Shizuoka, and Aichi in December. And as far as I can tell, this seems to be a restaging of the original musical rather than a continuation of it (adapting the next chapters/arcs). Either way, very excited to see this musical return.

[dk-wren]

Saw Lily's newest BD art and had a cuteness overload. I couldn't resist writing something, but only had about an hour to throw it together. Anyways, I needed a break between all my coursework to finally work on a (quick) fic again. I hope you enjoy!

New Friend - inspired by Lily_20210401's art and this post from @/grelleswife.

“Oi, Miri, look over there,” Kazuki whispers into Miri’s ear, bending down to her height as she holds onto Papa Rei’s hand.

“Where, Papa?”

“A little further up the path,” Kazuki points ahead. Unable to hear what Kazuki said, but curious, Rei focuses his attention in the general direction his husband’s pointing at.

Whining a little bit, Miri whispers back, “Papa Kazu, I don’t see anything. Show me again!”

Chuckling, Kazuki stands back up and tells Miri, “Hold on, I think if we’re quiet enough and slow enough we won’t scare them off.”

Finding what Kazuki was trying to bring to Miri’s attention, Rei plays along, adding, “We’ll have to use our tippy toes to not to be caught by anything lurking in this park. You think you can do that, Miri?”

Miri shakes her head and raises herself slightly onto her tippy toes, looking between Rei and Kazuki for her next mission directions. Kazuki raises a finger to his lip and quietly starts to move forward, with Rei and Miri following close behind.

As they slowly walk down the park’s pathway, Miri cranes her neck to look ahead at what Kazuki was trying to bring to her attention. Soon enough, she lets out a little gasp that can be heard throughout the empty park. In an excited whisper, Miri announces, “Papa Kazu! Papa Rei! Bunny!”

A smile breaks across Rei’s face while Kazuki leans in once more. “Looks like somebunny wanted to greet you on our morning walk.”

With a giant grin breaking across her face, Miri inches closer to the bunny. The bunny has a brown coat and grayish ears, standing up in attention, likely to detect if the three humans approaching are a threat or not. The smaller size of the bunny suggests it may still be a baby, causing Miri, Kazuki, and Rei to be extra careful as they approach.

Kazuki and Rei walk closer to the bunny than Miri, knowing how to keep their footsteps quiet, light, and most importantly, non-threatening. Not wanting to scare away the bunny, Miri peaks around Rei’s leg for an even closer look.

As the bunny begins to move its head back and forth, looking at the crowd gathered before them, Miri gives a little wave as the bunny’s gaze seems to land on her.

“Oh, Miri, I think it recognizes another of its kind,” Kazuki teases, looking between the bunny and his daughter, who’s wearing a purple, fluffy poncho.

Rei uses one hand to bring Miri’s hood up so the bunny ears attached to the hood of her poncho became visible to the real bunny. “There you go. Now there’s no doubt you two will become friends.”

After a few minutes of the trio looking at the bunny, with only the sounds of nature and the occasional passing car breaking their silence, Miri asks, “Can we keep her?”

With a fake exasperation, Kazuki reminds Miri, “You want a pet bunny? Miri, we have two cats at home. Besides, I don’t know how well they’d get along with a bunny, considering they like to scratch all our furniture and think everything is a toy.”

Miri pouts a little while looking back down at the bunny, who is slowly making its way to the edge of the path. Lowering himself, Rei tries to make Miri understand in a different way why they cannot take home this bunny. “Miri, we can’t take this bunny because it might have a family waiting for her back in their den. We wouldn’t want to take this bunny away from her family to be with ours, right?”

“No…” Miri replies.

“Maybe in the future, we can have a pet bunny at home. But for now, let’s leave her to be and hope we cross paths again soon,” Rei suggests as the bunny disappears into the bushes.

Watching the bunny go, Miri nods her head. Rei gives Miri a quick kiss on the cheek to comfort her before rising back up and taking her hand again. Doing the same thing, Kazuki walks over to take Miri’s other hand as they resume their morning walk through the park. 

As they exit the park and turn towards home, there’s a new spring in Miri’s step. Kazuki and Rei notice this, but don’t question her in case it will cause her to feel down again. However, a few steps later, they get an answer as Miri announces, “Until we can get a pet bunny, I can pretend to be one. So you’ll have to feed me and brush my hair and give me a warm place to sleep.”

Unable to contain his laughter, Kazuki insists, “Miri, we do all those things for you…as our daughter. You don’t need to pretend to be a bunny for us to do that. But, if it means you’ll eat your carrots and veggies-”

“No! No veggies,” Miri interrupts.

Rei’s quiet chuckles join in now as Miri lets go of her papas’ hands and runs ahead a little bit to practice hopping like a bunny all the way back to their home.

[dk-wren]

Happy 10th Anniversary Star Wars Rebels

It's still Oct. 3rd where I'm at and I didn't want to miss the chance to send a happy 10th to arguably my favorite show ever.

Star Wars Rebels not only brought me into the Star Wars fandom, it brought me into the world of fandom as a whole. As sappy or potentially overdramatic as it might sound, I do not think I would be the person I am today if it were not for my love of Star Wars Rebels.

I mean, for one thing, part of my username is "Wren," which is directly in reference to Sabine Wren. Her love of art and its use as a form of rebellion has always stood out to me.

I wish I had the time to talk about my love for this show, the characters, the story, everything, but I unfortunately do not (maybe sometime in the future). All I will say is that Rebels gave me a new found family to love. For the most part, they were not attached to the main trilogy or characters from it (besides the occasional cameo). Star Wars Rebels felt like a nice and fitting way to ease myself into the Star Wars universe. It was a nice and cozy corner I could occupy without getting overwhelmed by the existing lore. And while my love for that fandom has waxed and waned over time, my love for Star Wars Rebels will always remain.

Happy 10th Star Wars Rebels!

💜 Dakota Wren

Look at how they all grew! 😭

[dk-wren]

MIRI SLEEPING WITH HER PAPAS AAAHHHH

I MISS THEM SM

[dk-wren]

My piece for the vashwood reverse bang!! I had to learn how to draw fireworks for this lol.

@dk-wren wrote a wonderful fic to go along with this, so check that out too!

[dk-wren]

I couldn't be more excited to share my first Vashwood fic, inspired by @pastaart's amazing piece!

I had so much fun writing this and getting to pull inspiration from my experiences of attending Obon while growing up. A lot of fun firsts and milestones with this piece, including participating in my first reverse bang, so I hope you enjoy reading it!

Special thanks to Fable from the event server for beta reading my fic, as well as all the mods for such a fun, smooth process!

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Trigun Stampede (Anime 2023) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Vash the Stampede/Nicholas D. Wolfwood Characters: Vash the Stampede (Trigun), Nicholas D. Wolfwood, Livio the Double Fang (Trigun) Additional Tags: Obon, Summer Festivals, Fluff, Developing Relationship, Dancing, First Kiss, Matching Outfits (sorta), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, They're so in love with each other Summary:

Vash and Nicholas agree “going steady” is the best way to describe their relationship. They’re considerate of each other’s boundaries and try not to pry into the other’s past. They go on weekend outings when they have time, and do date nights at home when they’re busy.

So, Nicholas’ suggestion of attending Obon together excites Vash since he’ll be able to experience a part of Nick’s childhood. And wanting to provide the best experience for his boyfriend, Nicholas will make sure they do it all: games, food, dancing, and more.

[dk-wren]

I don't know why I did this, but here's an oversimplified chart mapping some of the anime I've watched and how I found them. And basically, a lot of the anime I've ended up watching can somehow be traced back to Buddy Daddies (which is about on par for this blog).

Several anime are missing from this chart, but I didn't feel a strong need to include them since I typically enjoyed the show, but wouldn't consider myself a fan.

Apologies for the image's poor quality. I don't know what happened when I downloaded it. I'll try to describe the chart below under a "Keep Reading" tab (and maybe add a little more commentary). Anyways, if you have questions, recommendations, or wanna comment on any of my choices, feel free to!

💜 Dakota Wren

Top right corner: Spy x Family marks the first anime my friend got me into and what launched this new interest? obsession?

Spy x Family connects to Buddy Daddies, which I found through Tumblr since people kept making comparisons between the two.

Buddy Daddies leads into a whole lotta other shows.

Biggest one is probably Trigun Stampede (and Trigun 98, which I watched after finishing Stampede). They're connected because they share VAs/Seiyuus (in both sub and dub) and have the same dynamic of golden retriever boyfriend and grumpy black cat.

A different friend first recommended Banana Fish to me, but this blonde hair/black hair dynamic that appeared in Buddy Daddies and Trigun also lead me to Banana Fish.

In terms of same Seiyuus, that is the main reason I ended up watching Yuri on Ice! and Horimiya.

I connected Buddy Daddies to SK8 the Infinity because of Tumblr recommendations, but this one's honestly a little fuzzy. I definitely learned about SK8 through Tumblr, but it could be more because of Yuri on Ice! and both shows being kinda really fruity sports animes. Matchablossom might've also been thrown in some fandom ship posts with Vashwood that I came across.

Horimiya was my entry point into the more slice of life, romance anime genre. It definitely was nice to not have to worry about big, life-altering stakes constantly looming over the protagonists, so that could be why I've been watching more anime that fall under this category.

Here you have My New Boss is Goofy, Mr. Villain's Day Off, and Cherry Magic. In a way, you could connect SK8 the Infinity to Cherry Magic because of shared VAs/Seiyuus, but I technically watched Cherry Magic before knowing who the voice actors for sub/dub were (that just became a bonus on rewatches).

And finally, yes, Buddy Daddies led me to Oshi No Ko, simply because Ayase performed the opening for Buddy Daddies, which led me to find Idol by YOASOBI. From there the plot just really grabbed my attention and after a lot recommending from my friend, I finally watched it.

In this section of I heard about it and gave it a chance after a friend strongly recommended it is Chainsaw Man, Oshi No Ko, and most recently, Apothecary Diaries.

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Thanks for reading all of that! Hope you enjoyed!

[dk-wren]

The difference between Shigeki Suwa and Kazuki and Miri’s birthday gifts to Rei, Episode 8

The other wants blood, the others’ only wish is love and affection. Happy birthday Rei!