#-one of the group. emotional support lizard.

[thehappiestgolucky]

Actual sin I don't get the option to hug all the other companions (especially out of romance) that is denying Agama's whole way of showing their love and affection-

[rwtimejuncture]

Rained World Rascals - About the Slugcats

So, I figured since I've seen one or two AU's do this by now, I should toss my hat in the ring and show off what I've got. I've got a little bit of time to kill before I sleep, so I'm gonna write about my beloved little alternate-universe slugcats here.

ALL INFO UNDER THE CUT

(All slugcats use they/any)

SURVIVOR

Age upon arrival: 19 moons

Known as "Viv" only to their closest friends, Survivor is a painfully average slugcat, even average to ENOT. And NOBODY is average to ENOT. Assertive and opinionated, even when they don't intend to be, Survivor is nothing short of a very natural slugcat. Even in their own biological family, they're the most average one. Despite their brutal honesty, Survivor still strives to protect those who are close to them, especially their younger sibling Monk, and their auncle/guardian, a 67 moon-old Gourmand.

Living in a grand tree in Outer Expanse, Survivor grew up with a grand and expansive family. After a tragic incident deep in the expanse led to young Survivor and Monk being orphaned, old Gourmand took them in as their own. Despite having everything they needed, Survivor still felt it a major responsibility to be there for their younger sibling, even when the going got rough for everyone. In a twist of fate involving an attempt to conquer their fear of heights, Survivor plummeted into a pipe which led to an unknown area beyond the retaining wall, after which they ran into Hunter.

MONK

Age upon arrival: 13 moons

As the youngest of the bunch, Monk is a youthful and spritely spirit who savors the world around them. Against all odds, Monk always finds a way to appreciate the world around them, be it a Squidcada or a Red Lizard. They're so intensely appreciative of the world around them that it's not uncommon for them to have made a new wildlife friend when they're out and about. Despite them being a friendly and social person normally, however, they tend to bottle up their emotions to an unhealthy degree, becoming cold and even volatile when provoked about emotionally difficult subjects. They take it upon themselves to never show emotions and be strong, just like their older sibling was when they were younger. They show a great resolve and work as hard as they can every day to contribute to their group.

Monk had to cope with the loss of their parents at a much younger age than Survivor, which led to them walking in their stride of not showing much emotion in difficult moments. Monk's version of this was pushing away those who cared about them and seeking quiet, lonely places to not be seen crying. Regardless, they still grew up moderately happy with love and support from Gourmand. The real damage came when they thought they had lost their sibling to the massive gaping hole that was the pipe. Late at night, after overhearing a conversation between the colony elders including Gourmand about potentially surviving a fall into the pipe, Monk raced out on their own and jumped in after their sibling. They sustained a black eye, but they survived and ran into a strange, younger version of Gourmand in the Outskirts.

HUNTER

Age upon arrival: 27 moons

Hunter is a lively, spritely person, always looking to have fun and enjoy life. They're also a greatly skilled and acclaimed fighter, always discovering new and creative ways to deal with opponents. Out of the whole gang, they are the most childish, petty, and hot-headed. They're prone to angry outbursts, but they're rarely ever actually fueled by anger--more so by passion than anything. Their humor is rarely mean-spirited, though it can reach a paramount of genuinely dubious intent. It's never malicious though, and is certainly a facade for a deeper, darker existential dread that they refuse to put upon anyone else, lest they try to help...

Hunter seldom talks about their past, but they do volunteer the fact that they were one of the few in the group raised, partially or wholly, by an Iterator. Given NSH's temperament, however, "raised" is a generous term. "Crashed with" is more appropriate. While NSH did indeed raise Hunter, they treated them less like one of their own progeny and more like a roommate. But in the end, NSH was still there for them, even in their darkest moments. But still, nothing could save them from what was yet to come. When time was finally reaching its end, Hunter decided to use what little power they had to commit a noble act. At least, that's how it was supposed to go...

GOURMAND

Age upon arrival: 34 moons

Gourmand is a champion of relaxation. Tied tighter to the material plane than any other member of the group, Gourmand takes great pleasure in finding new ways to enjoy their existence. Whether it be a new food or a new sunbeam to lie in, they always find ways to indulge in the new whilst also appreciating the old, and they take even greater pleasure in sharing these experiences with anyone willing to engage in them. They rarely ever raise their voice or get angry, only getting sad or disappointed. They are still honor-bound to defending those they care about, and have the ability to do so. They are not as skilled of a fighter as the other two leaders of the pack, but they still earn their mainstay as a strong and unyielding defender of the group.

Gourmand's past is possibly the most normal one out of everyone in the pack. When they were younger, they were an explorer, searching out places beyond their own expanse to widen their worldview. They found themselves mostly alone for their whole life, helping guide the occasional slugpup to a safe and bountiful location for them to sustain themselves. But just when they were headed home, thinking they had seen everything there is to see in this world, one strange step in Outskirts had them waking up in Shaded Citadel. Continuing mostly unfazed back in the direction they were headed, they eventually ran into another slugpup--a small, yellow one. But unexpectedly, this one seemed to know their name.

ARTIFICER

Age upon arrival: 38 moons

On the other far end of the age spectrum, Artificer is a much more jaded, violence-oriented, earthbound spirit. They're abrasive, rash, quick to annoyance and anger, and truly assert their dominance as a leader of the pack. To say a soft center lies at their heart would be a cruel lie--their soft center is guarded by numerous layers of rock-hard trauma and moons of horrors. Despite all of this, it's still not wrong to say there is one. It's just that... well, it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. And much like a camel passing through the eye of a needle, you need to play your cards right. Someone succeeded, after all. Their outward attitude may be cold and quiet at best, but their desire to keep what is sacred to them safe is unmatched. They will go to great lengths to protect those they consider to be important to them, using their strange combustion-controlling powers to assure that no foe lays a finger on whatever they hold dear.

Artificer is highly cagey about their past. It's all so traumatic to them that they'd rather not remember a second of their life from moon ages 20 to 31. But the evidence they left behind is still there--a new despotic ruler of the scavengers on top of the superstructure without a drop of royal blood in them, a building missing from the metropolis, the strangely large shelter hidden in Outskirts with evidence of numerous slugcats having lived there once, the occasional mutter of their "apprentices" that they always seem to emphasize in such a way that indicates they caught themselves from saying something else, their "ex"... it all fits together, like pieces of a puzzle piece. But lest their redemption in a moral sense be of any concern to you, they'd do everything they could to keep you from finding out.

RIVULET

Age upon arrival: 25 moons

Rivulet is a strange character, simply put. They're dormant for most of the day, sleeping for longer periods of time than anyone else. But when they're awake, their agility and speed are second to absolutely none. Their speed is comically fast, and they can stay underwater for longer than anyone else. They're also highly intelligent, knowing how to work with Ancient-level technology and how to fix Iterators, a talent that landed them the role of pack nurse. Despite living life in the fast lane, they still appreciate the moments when they get to relax and be immature for once. Monk is a good friend to them and enjoys getting to play games and small sports with them. Their inner child truly gets to shine through, and to them it's a much needed break from the constant maturity life demands from them.

Rivulet comes from far, far away, descended from lands still yet to be discovered to most lifeforms on Five Pebbles' side of the world. Their upbringing was natural, with their bodily modifications appearing over hundreds of thousands of moons of evolution. When they came across the Retaining Wall, the rains were harsh and frequent, which led to their slumberful sleeping schedule. With their experience, aiding the surrounding Iterators was no difficult task, with their abnormally high capacity for speed and their gathered intelligence from their experiences across the world. The hardest part was what happened afterward, as they travelled into Outskirts and took one wrong step...

SPEARMASTER

Age upon arrival: 29 moons

Spearmaster, the self-proclaimed master of spears, is... a genetic nightmare, to say the least. Without a mouth, their speech is muffled and they often have to resort to slugsign to make their voice truly heard. Fortunately, Artificer knows pre-collapse era slugsign the best, and can account for this difficulty. While the objectively disgusting ability to excrete bone-like spears out of their tail is an interesting hallmark of their character, they make up for this weird factor of themselves by being an all around pleasant person to be around. They're a good listener, and they make sure that everyone gets what they need. They offer support when anyone needs it, and they make sure that not a soul goes unhealed, alongside their compatriot Rivulet. They're also insanely physically strong despite their gangly stature, using the incredible autonomy over their body to enter hysterical strength mode at will. These valuable qualities enable them to be the third leader of the pack.

A dutiful soldier, Spearmaster was the seventh in a line of genetically-weaponized slugcats who functioned as expert messengers. In a time where communication was severely limited due to a certain Iterator's desperation, Spearmaster helped deliver a message to the culprit, earning a now barely-visible scar on their chest, thanks to their abnormally quick healing ability. Even though the mission didn't go as planned, they still chose to see it through to the end, determined to be the messenger they were always meant to be. However, as they completed their mission and were on their way home, they found themself in a place they didn't quite recognize. It was certainly somewhere they had been before, but everything looked... different. After a run in with a strange, angry maroon slugcat, they looked off in the direction of their former mission goal only to see that there was one less Iterator than usual.

SAINT

Age upon arrival: 22 moons, but... it's complicated.

One of the most enigmatic slugcats of all, Saint is an omen of cycles and moons yet to come. Their speech is often very verbose and elongated, asserting themselves as a rather intelligent slugcat, maybe more so than even Rivulet. They seldom show emotion, and are barely ever seen opening their eyes, only doing so when using one or more of their wide array of powers. The only special powers they have consistent access to are flight, ascension, and teleportation. The powers which remain outside of their control, though, are plentiful, and include but are not limited to powers such as telekinesis, time control, gravity control, and karma manipulation. The names of the regions they use are strange and don't make sense to any of the other slugcats, expressing great shock that "Silent Construct" doesn't seem to exist as they know it.

Saint's past is one shrouded in mystery, but it's no greater mystery to anyone but Saint themself. They can't recall ever being a pup, nor anything about their life since the loop began. They do, however, recognize every other slugcat from images recorded by an old blue robot's overseers. They especially liked the white one and the dark one covered with blue and orange spots. However, after being trapped in the loop for so long that they not only went completely insane, but then became sane again after becoming bored of being insane, they were hoping, praying, wishing that something, anything would be different on one of their loops. It was not a great prospect, but it was the only thing they had left in their life anymore. They were a broken, mentally-scarred, omniscient anomaly who was unable to die. The least they could've hoped for was a change. And to their credit, after billions of loops, leaving them mentally millions of moons older than any other living thing, a fateful trip through Suburban Drifts would leave them waking up in the warm, wet lands of Sky Islands. Out of all the slugcats who "arrived," Saint was the only one to react to the world around them with tears of joy. Something was finally different. Something was new around them. Something was unfamiliar. And just like that, they had a reason to live again.

ENOT I. SOFANTHIEL

Age upon arrival: 21 moons

In a pack full of anomalies, ENOT is weirder than the others by miles. Covered with brightly-colored spots and donning a pair of thick eyelashes, ENOT is a peculiar-appearing slugcat. But the strangeness doesn't end there. ENOT suffers from hallucinations due to a chemical in their blood acting as a hallucinogen, which presumably was given to them as a defense mechanism against predators. But when they're not being attacked, they're forced to wade through landscapes of nacho cheese and rainbow pipes, while having to take refuge in a shelter full of demons and monsters, the most terrifying of which being a pup-shaped and pup-sized black mass with a red face. Fortunately, this little nightmare's older sibling Survivor is far more attractive. ENOT has a tendency to be consistently flirtatious with their colleagues, vainly hoping to form romantic connections. They don't seem to be aware they're doing it, however, and are even more effective as a romantic being when they're simply being genuine. It is very odd that they seem to be unaware that they're flirting, though. Very weird. What's even weirder is that the period they come from on the timeline is completely unplaceable, whether that be due to their unreliable testimonies on account of their hallucinations, or something else...

????

Nothing makes sense.

NIGHT

Who is "Night?" Why, nothing more than a slugpup's cautionary tale. Right? Surely, the story of a rogue, zombified slugcat who sits outside of the cycle and steals any slugcats' arms for the karma symbols stuck on them in a vain attempt to re-enter the cycle is nothing more than a tall tale written to scare young slugpups into sticking with the pack and going to sleep on time, right? Yeah. That's all it is. Nothing more than a tall tale. Nothing more than a spooky campfire story. Nothing more, nothing less.

Of course, that doesn't stop anyone from being afraid. Some even say that in the dark of the night or the rain-filled clouds, they can spot something moving. Nothing like a lizard, or a lost scavenger. Nothing like anything they've ever seen before. A pair of eyes, maybe a glint of teeth or two. Nothing confirmed, but it's troubling to say the least. Still, nothing but a rumor, right?

...hey, anyone else see that?

[creature-wizard]

What do I do if my friend is a New Age conspiracy theorist who believes in reptilians, uses ChatGPT to write spells, and claims to be Cherokee? I tried directing them to this blog already, and they thanked me for giving them stuff to talk about with their friends in the alien club. I'm not sure what to make of that.

Unfortunately, getting people out of conspiracy theories is often very hard, because conspiracy theories appeal to people on a very deep emotional level. Like it's not necessarily that they want an ancient cult of blood-drinking lizard aliens to exist, but when you're constantly beset by socio-economic problems and seeing so many horrible things happening in the world, it's the kind of thing that can feel true. And moreover, it gives people a sense of hope by telling them that the bad guys can be easily defeated.

There are things you can try, but there are no guaranteed solutions. Conspiracy theorists are, after all, taught to distrust anything that runs contrary to the conspiracy theory - "oh well that's just what the conspiracy wants you to believe!" (Same exact brainworm as when fundamentalist Christians think everything that runs contrary to their teachings is just what Satan wants them to believe.)

Here are some links:

The ironclad logic of conspiracy theories and how to break it

How to talk to conspiracy theorists—and still be kind

The most effective ways to support a loved one who believes in QAnon

'Facts aren't feelings': How to handle QAnon supporters in your mom groups

Conspiracy Theories: What Can I Do to Stop Them?

Something I've used on a few people that got them thinking a bit differently is pointing out similarities between what they currently believe, and the stuff people they know were fucked up went around saying. Like for example,

"That sounds a lot like the stuff Nazis were saying about the Jews to justify the Holocaust."

"That sounds a lot like the stuff Christian Evangelicals are saying about gay people to justify homophobia."

"That sounds a lot like the stuff far right Christians were saying during the Satanic Panic, which targeted basically anybody who wasn't a conservative enough Christian."

"That sounds a lot like the stuff witch hunters were saying about the women they targeted during the witch hunts."

Of course, each person is different and there's no method that's definitely going to work on everyone, and some people are more attached to believing in conspiracy theories than others. You gotta consider your friend's personal motivation and investment here and take that into account when talking to them.

Good luck, anon!

[chaotic-minds-think-alike]

Ok ok I’m posting it I’m posting the gay r obotsr me me when red & blue characters moment also this video is the entire song so like yk for idk 4 minutes worth of this crap

Also I made this like 2 months ago and I think I was having an insanity moment so that’s why it’s very lazily made like yk when you have insane ideas but nothing but animating it gets your point across??? Yeah

(song is Air Catcher by Twenty One Pilots)

Also explaining the story below:

After Eight wakes up from his void trauma induced coma, he catches up with his local group. They all welcome him overwhelmingly but one stands out from the other two, Early Warning. He had great interest in the ordeals Eight faced. A bit too much that it led to some serious fuck ups later on.

They begin to chat a lot more one on one and loved to share their newest innovations with each other. Eight greatly valued any support he could get to fix himself and vice versa with Warning, being that he’s actively sinking into a sinkhole unfortunately. They grew very close. So close that Eight eventually confessed to feeling… more. Eight asked Warning to help him, to help reverse the damage his ancients had caused him. He was incredibly serious asking this because the last time he put great trust in someone, he nearly died. Warning accepts the offer and this is actually the first time he visits his can.

Well… Warning was still very invested in the void related issues Eight faced because he was on the cusp of abandoning The Great Problem. When he went into his conflux to repair the majorly damaged components, he snooped around and read some neurons. Because Eight sustained heavy damage to his conflux, the sudden reading of these damaged neurons caused him to seize up for a moment and he was PISSED. Eight, at the time, was still heavily into his lizard research and thus released his specimens into his structure regardless if they were to cause damage to himself. Think like an immune response. The lizards would find Warning on his way out trying to escape and maul him to death, destroying this travel puppet.

(Not pictured but after the decommission of this travel puppet, Warning wakes back up in his own structure and just… lies there. He felt horrible.)

And so, Eight enters another period of isolation. He would block any private communications from everyone. He cut off all contacts with Warning but remained part of the local group broadcasts. He would talk very little, if at all. Many cycles would pass and many overseers were lost to Eight’s unrelenting anger. Despite his toxic emotions, he kept the eyes of the overseers. There was something he couldn’t let go of, something he didn’t want to let go of. Something about Warning reminded him of the golden era, when the ancients were still around, when he could still exchange banter with his engineers. There was something more to it that he refused to acknowledge.

Time dragged on and on and he grew to be more and more guilty. He sustained this anger from a certain someone, an unfortunate fingerprint left behind, but despite that he was incredibly emotional about it all. He couldn’t bring himself to prolong the pain much longer. Eventually one of his overseers would visit Warning’s can; he’d apologize almost face to face. He knew what he did, he knew the consequences, he knew as well that Warning’s travel puppets aren’t nearly as durable. He missed their chats and the time they spent together because without it, it’d remind him of that crushing pain he felt knowing his engineers would soon be gone. He hates being alone.

And finally, things might just turn out okay. Warning, although not pictured, accepts his apology. He’d tell him it was his mistake, that he’s older and he should’ve known better. Things might actually become better.

—-

Respecting Eight’s wishes, they are very reserved about their relationship. Eight feels that he’s being too vulnerable to let anyone else know how he feels, although occasionally Warning will publicly jab at him to get a response.

[ask-overwatch-heroes]

Happy Holidays! I have gifts for everyone! Their own Pokémon friends!

Mauga: A little Mudkip with a red bow! A mixture between an Axolotl and mud fish, kinda.

Zarya: A cute Snubbull with a pink bow! Pink and cute!

Tracer: A baby Doduo with orange and blue bows! Speedy two headed bird!

Winston: Baby Slakoth with a jar of his favorite snack, peanut butter! A sleepy, slow guy but he means well.

Sigma: Three Miniors, each with a different colored core! Living meteors and Zero gravity buddies!

Illari: Helioptile with a golden yellow bow! A lizard that turns solar energy into electrical energy!

Ana: A baby Rowlet with a bright blue boy! An owl that has sharp eyes and a love for horticulture!

Soldier 76: A Lilipup with a blue and red checkered bow tie! This good Boi has a strong sense of smell and is loyal to a fault!

Tobjorn: A Sentret with a blond bow! It’s referred to as the Sentry Pokémon, because it keeps watch from a top it’s strong tail.

Reinhardt: A group of courageous Falinks! These six brave Pokémon fight as one powerful unit!

Zenyatta: A Dunsparce with a teal ribbon and its favorite toy, a colorful beach ball. Honestly, Dunsparce’s face reminds of you a little bit, chill, mysterious and adorable.

Hanzo: A Deino with a royal blue ribbon! He’s a biter but with a little bit of tender loving care and a lot of elbow grease, he’ll still bite you. But they’ll be love bites.

Genji: A pair of Applin with a white and green bow (Gift the other to Angela, because in Galar it’s considered a love confession.) alongside a sweet, sour and syrup apple (because the type of apple it burrows into determines what it evolves into). Good luck~!

Mercy: A Comfey, with a white bow. These beautiful fairies are kind healers who love to collect beautiful flowers!

Junkrat: (Wearing bomb protection armor) This is Voltorb. They explode when angered… or when they get excited… or scared- it explodes because it want to, so be careful! (Runs away.)

Roadhog: A Tepig with a grey bow. This adorable porker is warm, friendly and full of energy, a perfect emotion support buddy!

(Part 2 is coming soon)

Mauga: YES! Now, this is a present! They will fit in perfectly with my family of Axolotles!

Zarya: Yes! A tough friend! I wonder how much you can lift. Gah! It doesn't matter! You'll be strong in no time!

Tracer: Heck yeah! I've always wondered. If I spin your heads fast enough, would you fly like a helicopter?

Winston: My mantra: What's better than eating peanut butter alone? Eating it with friends!

Sigma: Fascinating! I look forward to exploring the mystery and beauty of evolution that would create something like you.

Illari: A creature after my own heart. We will do well together, young one.

Ana: Well, as long as they can carry my watering can to the places I can't reach anymore, they'll do good here!

Soldier 76: Hey there, little guy! I may not be as spry as i used to be, but you'll still get plenty of walks... and treats.

Torjörn: Perfect! You can be my eyes as I build my turrets on the field!

Reinhardt: A powerful unit! We will fight valiantly together!

Zenyatta: Ah, a very peaceful and friendly soul. I believe we will be close companions.

Hanzo: I do not have time for anything that requires 'elbow grease!' Then again, I have heard stories of the majestic and powerful form this one can become. I shall accept them and name them Mittsu!

Genji: I thank you. However, I am not sure how much this will work on Angela, given... prior events.

Perhaps this will be a sign of good will, to show I am not the man I once was.

Mercy: Why, thank you! I'll be glad to have someone else around here who actually respects the importance of staying healthy!

Junkrat: You... you can explode..? Like, just... blow ya'self up..? I think I'm in love!

Roadhog: *gently holds them close to his face* I would kill god for you!

[lords-of-mayhem]

For once something not horny from me. What kinds of pets do you think the LOC guys would have - if they’d have any. This is 100% inspired by my cat being very cute right now 🐈‍⬛

Oooh fun! Okay, let's see.

Metalion - Rats

I feel very strongly about this one. I've had this thought before, but he'd absolutely have pet rats. He carries them around in his pockets and adores them so much.

Occultus - Any animal

Occultus is 100% the type to adopt every animal that needs a home and he loves them all equally. I can see him having a really obscure pet like ferrets or sugar gliders. I also feel like he has a cat. His cat is older than dirt.

Fenriz - Hermit crabs (plus big dog)

I don't know why this one makes so much sense to me, but it does. He has a dog that's absolutely massive and seems so scary, but is genuinely such a sweetheart. Rottweilers immediately come to mind, but it could be any type of dog breed. I see it being very protective over the group.

Faust - None

I don't really see him owning any pets. He likes animals, he just doesn't have the motivation/interest in having one.

Euronymous - Birds (all kinds)

This one is obviously based off the fact Euronymous did have a bird. I think he'd love all kinds of birds.

Manheim - Snake then lizard

Manheim would have a snake because they seem like a cool pet, but he very quickly realizes he cannot handle feeding it live mice/rats. So, he switches over to a lizard, a nice small one that doesn't eat big live things.

Blackthorn - Rabbit or chihuahua

Blackthorn would have an animal that's just as finnicky as he is. He either has a rabbit or a chihuahua that shakes 24/7. Bonus points if he got either as an emotional support pet, but quickly realized he needed an emotional support pet for his emotional support pet. If he has a rabbit, he 100% makes it salads often. He goes out of his way to get the perfect blend of pellets, hay, fruits, and veggies. Varg is confused(tm) by the amount of effort he puts into this task, but it seems to make him happy.

Varg - None

He's indifferent to animals for the most part, he just doesn't have a real interest in them. If this is by the time he's living with Blackthorn, he just settles for having his pets in the house.

Atilla - Snake (scary version)

Atilla owns a snake that is absolutely massive and/or scary. His pet snake also has a habit of escaping from its enclosure which freaks out everyone. The snake also is big enough that it eats larger prey like birds or rabbits. (Manheim does NOT enjoy this fact and WILL pretend it doesn't exist as much as he can.)

Pelle -Snakes, spiders, bugs, butterflies/moths, salamanders, etc.

Pelle doesn't have traditional pets, but he will bring in whatever he catches while out on his forest adventures. He's had many jars that he keeps caterpillars in until they turn into butterflies/moths. It's not uncommon to find jars full of all kinds of creepy crawlies in his room.

He's surprisingly sweet/gentle with these. He's the type to build an entire enclosure, bringing in twigs and leaves for his new friend.

Necrobutcher - Cat or dog (family pet)

Necrobutcher does technically have a pet, but it's not his own. His family would have a cat or dog for him while he's growing up, but that's been the extent of his pet experience.

Hellhammer - Chinchillas

Hellhammer has a pair of chinchillas and they're the biggest assholes alive. They're soft and cuddly, and will bite if anyone except Hellhammer touches them. They love being cuddled by him and literally not another soul in the world.

[ash-the-porcupine]

I need a story of Buster adopting Ash, please. :)

Hope you like it! I really enjoyed this one.

 Ash's parents were never the 'supportive' type. She had been tossed out the door as early as possible when she refused to pursue the career path of her parents and become a lawyer or a doctor. No, she wanted to be a rockstar. She never quite understood why they were so biased against that. 

When she was sixteen, she went off and got an apartment with Lance. Lance, however, was very toxic. Ash was forced to repeat after him, wearing the same types of things he did, acting as he did, following his commands. He was manipulative and quite a bad person. Ash, understandably, didn't want to be alone and didn't truly grasp the sheer toxicity of the situation.

That is, until the Singing Competition. Where everything happened, began, started, and changed. All because of a derpy old lizard's glass eye and an optimistic koala's never-say-die attitude. 

At first, Ash would admit that Buster had annoyed her. All of her sarcasm seemed to go right over his head, and he was never negative, he never failed to say something to lift the moon. While it was irritating to the porcupine at first - especially since her boyfriend wanted her to keep an emotionless demeanor - she grew love it. And beyond his tendencies, she loved his hilarious antics. 

Over time, through the course of the 'Competition' and the rebuilding of a makeshift theater for the end show, she began to think of Buster as a friend - despite the rough moments where she found out he lied about the prize money. After the competition, Buster stayed at her place while Nana had the theater rebuilt. She began to think of him as a VERY close friend, and more than that... a father figure. 

He acted like a chaotic nerdy dad, that was for sure. Sure, he was... naïve and went a bit over-the-top and was often in over his head. He had a tendency to bite of more than he chew, but it never bothered her. Sometimes she worried about him, but that was it. 

He was there to comfort and support her, to help push her forward when she needed it, to let her hear the truth of what she needed to hear, to always make sure she was doing okay. In fact, when Lance presented problems to Ash, Buster had let her stay at the theater and even stood up to Lance's stalker-cheater boyfriend after he broke up with Becky and tried to get back with Ash. Ash never would have thought Buster had it in him to show such a firm anger and aggression towards someone. He wasn't the type to hold grudges, but one thing was for sure, he hated Lance's guts. 

He was a complete father figure. She loved him for it. Buster loved her right back as a daughter, if only in the emotional sense. In fact, Ash could recall a specific conversation between Buster and a visitor that she found rather laughable. The visitor had asked him how many kids he had, and his response was: "Emotionally, legally, or biologically?" 

It took everything within Ash not to laugh out loud. It was no secret that Buster thought of the group as his family. When she heard about the koala's past, she realized that he had needed a family. She was glad to be a part of giving it to him. 

So now, here she was, sitting beside the koala Buster Moon as he held adoption papers. A surge of excitement welled within her as he signed his name. The person behind the desk looked between the happy two. “Now, I’m going to need some kind of agreement from you, miss Ash.” She hummed. “A yes, a nod, anything.”

Ash beamed. “Yes, yes, a million times yes!” she said excitedly.

“In that case, congratulations! You are officially the adopted daughter of Mr. Moon.” The gazelle desk-person grinned at them.

Ash threw her arms around him, bouncing a bit. He hugged back tightly. “What do you say we go celebrate?” he suggested, looking as happy as she was. Well, almost. No one could feel quite as happy as she did right now.

[myherochedaia]

Fuyumi's Class

Names from left to right are:

Sally- Salamander- Bubbly and outgoing.- Abandoned at birth, in a group home with lots of older kids right now

Hiro- Lizard- Hero worships his uncle, Spinner. He’s passionate about one thing. Shy at first but once he opens up he’s just an excited kid like anyone else.- Has a mom, Dad is Spinner’s older brother but he died a year ago.

Kage- Spider (mostly just his head like Tokoyami)- Shy but kind, loves spider man.- Bullied and neglected, parents can barely stand to look at him.

Natsu- Space Heater- Nervous energy, very ADD, blurts things out without thinking them through.- Parents are frazzled and exhausted, he burned their house down on accident so the teachers worried he’ll burn the school down.

Tobio- Dove- Often nonverbal. Haruhi is his emotional support person. still flinches when women raise their voices.- Wings clipped. Removed from his abusive mom, now Dad has sole custody.

Kuro- Electric Shock- Angry, just, such an angry kid. Immature. Defensive. cares about his friends in a grumpy way. Ex. I hate gold fish crackers! If you don't want them I'll through them away!- Electrocuted mother by accident when his quirk came in. Father works a lot, loves but avoids him

Alex- Freeze Time- Defensive but mischievous. Thinks that he’ll always be defined by who his father is. Lies a lot.- Son of a villain, his mom loves him lots.

Anya- Camouflage- Thinks that Hagakure is the coolest person ever. Loud to try to compensate, never in her seat.- Neglected. She has five siblings and is lost in the shuffle, usually literally.

Asami- Mind Control- Too cool, detached as a defense mechanism.- Neglected, teacher’s are creeped out by her and she knows it.

Haruhi- Mind Reading- Tries to please everyone all the time so they don’t hurt her. Also is genuinely kind, she just doesn't think so.- Removed from an abusive home, lives with grandparents, no formal charges were ever filed. Teachers think she’s creepy and she knows it.

Patti- Quirkless- Cries easily, sweet but insecure. Catastrophizes. Sensative.- Abandoned upon diagnosis.

[browzerhistory]

rambling/info about ssh's local group (since refs aren't coming anytime soon but i want to talk about them)

Safe Ship, Harbored

- the only one w an actual ref shjfhdjsk

- she/they

- second youngest

- as i said on her ref sheet, her purpose was to figure out how to apply a solution to nonsentient/'lower' life forms (people wanted their pets to escape the cycle too, for example)

- hasn't talked to another iterator in hundreds of thousands of cycles

- doubts herself a lot

- doesn't like being alone with her thoughts

- little/no ability to modify organisms

- due to an internal breakdown, cannot safely detach from her can

Reincarnation Ascension

- he/they/it

- the other song title name that stuck

- exhaustively incapacitated

- middle child

- supposedly found + applied the solution before he could broadcast a triple affirmative

- when he was alive, he was stuck-up, prickly, and a bit of an asshole

-sent the harbinger, a modified scug(?) on a journey to deliver a pearl with the solution to each of the other members in the local group before he died

- can located on an island in the center of the ocean, connected to shore by underground tunnels

Scale of a Tamed Beast

-it/they

- local group senior

- furthest north

- doesn't have any modified scugs, but a small family does live in its can for warmth. it adores them but will never admit it

- awkward and bad at social interaction, but tries its best for the sake of keeping everyone together

Chime of Eight Bells

- he/she/they

- youngest in the group

- optimistic and adventurous

- explores + occasionally repairs their own can

- relatively fine, all things considered

- ra's closest neighbor. they didn't get along.

- loves vultures and has a bunch of modified vultures for can maintenance/general company

- likes puzzles and difficult math problems

Rainstorm Over Sea

- second oldest

- it/he/she

- one of the first models to be able to detach from its can but doesn't do it

- loved his city and citizens very much and was devastated when the global ascension happened

- sees no point in finding the solution (or living at all) now that she's alone

- has one (1) scug running around its can making sure he doesn't kill herself through negligence

- they say an iterator drinks a river but this one cries a river on the reg

- 2nd closest to ra but the first to be visited by the harbinger bc his tunnel was in a better state than coeb's

as for the modified organisms/friends of the group...

Eight Spoked Wheel, Necklace of Pearls

- unmodified scavenger

- it/they

- ssh's closest friend

- does favors for ssh by collecting pearls/valuable historical artifacts from her city

- not an elite/chieftain scav, but very respected among its colony due to its closeness with ssh, who they view as a sort of god

- very curious and kind

The Harbinger

- world's most fucked up cat

- it/its

- similar to spearmaster, has no mouth and must use a modified tail to feed. however, instead of growing needles, its tail hides a single sharp point. it peels back protective/disguising layers of skin whenever it needs to feed

- has a star-shaped patch of fur on its chest, underneath which the pearl it delivers is stored. the flesh here is thinner and weaker but heals much faster to allow for the pearl to be replaced inside and carried somewhere else

- normal scugs, scavs, and lizards all distrust and fear it. pole plants and monster kelp don't recognize it as prey

- much bigger than the average scug

The Helping Hand

- ros's one-scug repair crew

- it/its

- in exchange for shelter and food, it makes sure ros isn't in imminent danger from overheating/slag buildup/etc

- not getting paid enough for this nonsense

- ros talks to it a lot. it is very patient and listens

- also sort of an emotional support animal

- one missing ear/blind eye from a run-in with a red lizard

[umbylievable]

The worst part about these reboots is that a show about the adult powerpuff girls could be GOOD and meaningful for kids. They just have to stop trying to make it gritty and keep the bubblegum aesthetics and lighthearted tone.

They could even be disillusioned still.

They could be fun college girls in a new city trying to live a normal life and regretting how much of their childhood was spent performing physical and emotional labor for the people who should have been protecting them. And they don't wish they hadn't fought--they would do it again. They just wish they hadn't even had the option, because it would have been simpler. They should have cute episodes where they go on dates with people who try to protect them from simple threats bc they don't KNOW and they think it's so cute. Buttercup's big butch girlfriend sticks her arm out at a crosswalk as a bike zips by like "be careful, you're not indestructible" and internally buttercup "fnfkoejebfj" because she IS but the sentiment is so sweet she thinks about it all week.

And there's an episode about body image where Blossom, despite being so smart and so talented, still finds herself wanting to look and be more like insta models, not for the attention of boys but for instagram likes and approval because she's discovered she misses being looked up to the way she was as a powerpuff girl.

They could have an episode about Bubbles still being uniquely sweet, sensitive, weird bubbles and finding her niche amongst the drag scenes, glowstick raves, and j fashion groups at school and she THRIVES in this new environment where her sisters have a harder time adjusting and she has all the juice and seems to know everyone on campus and bounces around with her sorority sisters without a care in the world.

Episodes about things kids need like finding out you're neurodivergent, about dad's new girlfriend who's perfectly nice but you just don't like her, about inclusivity and exams and study habits and trying to be independent for the first time and being a horrible driver and misunderstanding text convos and making new friends and keeping secrets and trying new foods and correcting childhood mistakes all while still being the Powerpuff Girls and still punching monsters whenever dad calls because at the end of a long day of pretentious professors and lectures, punching a fire breathing lizards feels really satisfying

And the Rowdy Ruff Boys are once again around but they're just their troublemaking dropout friends who they grew close to just by nature of having someone to relate to and you see them in cameos or as the supportive friend on the other end of a phone conversation like "Boomer I think I want to change my major but I don't want to lose time. Dad would be disappointed if I graduated late..." "blossom you saved the city from a bunch of aliens last week, there's no way spending another year on getting a stupid piece of paper is gonna disappoint him. I say if you wanna change, you do it, because you gotta start living at least some part of your life for yourself instead of other people o--BUTCH IF YOU UNPAUSE THAT GAME I WILL BREAK EVERY BONE IN YOUR BODY--or else you'll be a very sad old woman some day with lots of regrets. I would know, I have many regrets. One of them is having my brothers as roommate. Hey can you cash app me some money?" "Haha, sure. How much? $20 for pizza again?" "Uhhhhh $300?" "BOOMER" "SO I SPENT MY PART OF THE RENT MONEY ON LIGHT UP SNEAKERS, SUE ME!" "I'm not sending you $300" "well FINE I'm gonna send you a picture of my shoes though they're so cool you gotta see em"

But they're not, they're gonna make some horrible grimdark grey-paletted show that barely relates to the original material and buttercup says "cock" or something

[okaymannotnow]

I enjoy your company :)

*hands you my self indulgent non death game au teens hcs*

Ryoko

-17 she/they/it

-Bisexual & agender

-Bunny plush to match Joe's dog and Sara's Cat

-THEATER KID (both backstage and performing)

-Has called Sara crying on tech night multiple times

- Low-key Into both Sara and Joe

- Geeks over musicals and plays with Anzu

- Has a promise ring with Sara

- main hobby besides acting is clothing design & sewing. She likes to make her own clothes and want to be in the fashion industry when she's older

- When Sara isn't around she carries the braincell of the friendgroup. This does not mean she knows how to use it

- Has cried genuine tears over Ranmaru & Joe's fashion multiple times

- Has a little sister that's ten years younger than her and adores her, she really tries to be a good role model for her

- Can be very selfish and hates it when things don't go the ways she wants/she plans

- LOUD, energy bounces between her and Joe

- Can read others emotions very well except hers

- Saving up to buy her own car and wants to glamorize it

- like fuzzy pink dice, pink paint, fuzzy steering wheel, etc

-Go to karaoke song is Just a girl by no Doubt

-good at make up but prefers to give makeovers to her friends but down to get her face painted by Anzu any day

Anzu

-16 but turning 17 soon

-All pronouns & Queer

-Works at a clown to support her family

- 6 siblings in total with three younger and three older which makes her a middle child

-Even though she joined bc of unconventional circumstances really loves preforming and wants it to be her career

-Her love language is face painting, Had a signature face paint for every one of her friends

- Shin once worked at the popcorn stand at the circus she works for, Accidentally made him take her shift as clown once she was late. Shin had a strong grudge bc of this

- Ryoko made embroidery on her hood!

- Air headed but means well truly

- Fucking loves Ricky montgomery

- Clown core unironically

- has been banned from multiple Librarys and parks and museums

Kugie Kizuchi

- She/Her Demigirl Lesbian

- First off, very sporty and on her schools Team (technically softball but like,,,)

- as much as she loves Baseball Wants a career in Journalism

- Before softball she was into Kendo and that's how set Sara in a Kendo competition before

- Has had multiple homoerotic Rivalry

- Thinks about consequences before she acts & then will ignore them

- love language is painting her friends nails

- Will do anything for Kanna No matter the consequences

- Bully's shin lovingly & acts like a big sister to him despite being younger

- The groups big sister. Does she encourage Joe& Anzus mischief? No but she will watch and laugh and make sure they won't get hurt

- Used to havs long hair but once Kanna was forced to cut her hair after she got gum stuck in it & had to cut it to make her feel better. Eventually both of them preferred shorter hair

- Loveeees old 90's toys has an entire collection of old carebear dolls.

Ranmaru Kageyama

-17, pansexual, he/they

- Introvert that tries to be extroverted

- Awkward teen™ if that makes sense

- Has so much pride in his hair and it's fluff

- Loves doodling but unnaturally good at sculpting

- main victim to Kugies nail obsession mainly goes with darker colors but Kanna picked out pastel blue for him once and was surprisingly into it

- GOD LIKE AT DANCING. was forced into several dance classes in his youth, Sara and him danced together & Impressed Sara and no he will never let it down

- Weird music taste. His Favorite singer is mitski but his fave genre is R&B

- Really good with kids for some reason? Maybe cause he has experience with Hinako and sometimes helping out Anzu at kids birthday parties

- most used app is Pinterest no I will not explain

- loves reading, An entire wall in his room is a shelf. It's full of comic books, manga, Novels etc

- Has a Lizard named Mimi, treats her like a queen but She hates his guts and likes Hinako better even though Hinako thinks she's kinda gross (she says owning multiple frogs)

- Really good at making hot cocoa since Hinako was adopted

- Attic room I just feel it

- speaking of rooms his room has an infuser that has peppermint essential oil so He just always smells like peppermint

- Also His room is like so dark. Curtains always shut his head light is never on and just has fairy lights/LED. Instead of turning his light on to read he has a book light that Anzu got him for Christmas

- don't let him near the kitchen. Tried using water to put out an oil fire you can guess how that went

Ranmaru specific ransara hcs Cuz <333

-my boy is fucking WHIPPED, just so in love

-Hopeless romantic

-She held his hand randomly and he just became obsessed with holding her hand even if it makes him flustered every time

-Anzu and Kugie are his wingmen kinda

-its more Anzu trying to help but keeps on putting them into awkward situations and Kugie just sighing or laughing at him.

- Mai trys to help him out and give him tips and ideas since she's dating Sara's older brother Kai but also loves teasing him

- Naomichi is debatably worse. Mai only really teases him discreetly, Naomichi doesn't tease often but when he does he teases them both openly

- Once Naomichi said Sara should give him a kiss to make him work harder and Sara replied she "would think about it" as a joke

- Turned red, and then was teased even further

- Acts cool to try but is just constantly screaming inside

- Goes to every single one of Sara's kendo matches

- They have matching necklaces! Y'know the ones with the cats that make a heart? Yeah that one

- He is the little spoon I will not argue against you about this bc I am right

[calciumcryptid]

Shiketsu Courses:

There are four courses a student can take at Shiketsu. This includes: Heroics, Support Heroics, Management & Business, and General Education.

Shiketsu Classes:

General Education: History, Literature, Math, Science, Study Hall

Heroics: Heroics 101, Medicine & First Aid, Search & Rescue, Mission Etiquette, Infiltration, History, Literature, Math, Science

Management & Business: Global Business, Finance & Accounting, Marketing, History, Literature, Math, Science

Support Heroics: Engineering, Programming, Graphing, Support Lab, History, Literature

Shiketsu Class Sizes:

In Shiketsu each course year is limited to thirty students per year, meaning there are ninety students per course. In total, this is three-hundred sixty students enrolled in Shiketsu.

Note: Shiketsu is a part of a remedial program throughout Japan which allows teenagers who are in juvenile detention centers to come learn. They take up three spaces in each class, which amounts to thirty-six students being remedial.

Shiketsu Extracurriculars:

Shiketsu offers extracurriculars to their students to help broaden horizons, offer different forms of quirk evolution, help bond with other students, and provide a simple way to have fun.

Extracurriculars are banned from giving outside work so the students can have a space besides their dorms to just relax. Though they are allowed off campus if they fill out the required paperwork and receive permission from guardians.

Shiketsu Dorms:

The Shiketsu dorms house four students per floor. The dorms consist of a central area where a small kitchen is located along with a living space with two communal bathrooms. There are four doors that separate into four different rooms which students are allowed to decorate under certain guidelines.

All dorms are provided with a wardrobe, a bed, and a desk. Additional furniture may be purchased a head of time or brought to the dorms with the proper paperwork filled out.

In order to encourage inter-class bonding, each of the four roommates will be from a different course. The roommates will be the same year as each other to discourage seniority superiority. Roommates will be the same gender as other roommates to help protect against harassment.

Shiketsu Dorms Visual:

Shiketsu Dorm Guidelines:

Safety: Escape plans are on the back of the main door. Removal of these plans will result in a hefty fine, as they are necessary to ensure the safety of the students.

Curfew: The dorms have a strict curfew of ten o'clock. While students do not have to go to sleep, they must be in their dorms by then. Exceptions include after school activities.

Pets: Pets are not permitted in the dorms unless they are a tank animal such as a lizard or hamster. Exceptions include emotional support and guide animals, but this must be included in the student files to avoid being roomed with those who have allergies.

Decorations: All decorations must be easily removable, and students may not put holes in the walls to hang them up. Damages to the infrastructure will result in a hefty fine.

Substances: Substances such as drugs and alcohol are not permitted on Shiketsu grounds. If a student is caught in possession of these substances, they will be facing expulsion. Exceptions are prescribed medication, but you must have proof that the substances are prescribed. You can add the proof to your student file so the professors can do a quick scan of your Student ID.

Shiketsu Internships:

Shiketsu prides ourselves in our connections, which allows us to provide opportunities to our students that others may not have. Our internship program is one example where students may work under an approved member who specializes in their respective courses. Students are not permitted to stay with the designated mentor, simply leaving campus to participate.

Shiketsu Work Studies:

Similarly to internships, students will learn from an approved member who specializes in their respective course. They do not stay with the designated mentor, simply leaving campus to go work. However, work studies vary on length with the most being a month.

Shiketsu Support Groups:

A large number of support groups are available for students from all backgrounds, religions, ethnicities, disabilities, sexualities, and gender identities. We invite you to look on our webpage for more details on those groups.

Shiketsu Parents:

We understand that there is a lot of concern and worry that surrounds hero schools, so if you have any questions you would like to add please contact us on the school phone number.

[juniaships]

Lacerta the Redeemer

Lacerta: latin for "lizard" named for a real constellation - befitting her status as a royal of Mewni and her monster heritage

Nicknames: Lacey, Princess Lace, Lizzie, The Serpent of Mewni, The Dragon Queen, Girl-Toffee (derogatory), My Beloved (by Toffee), the hybrid, Miss Helpfulness

Reasons for title: Her actions helped pave the way for the acceptance of monsters across all dimensions. She also redeemed the Royal Family in the eyes of the public, having restored Meteora into the bloodline and changed the school into a gender/neutral academy for aspiring wizards.

Strengths: Diligent, thoughtful, nonjudgemental to others, peaceful, great listener, and actually bothers to interact with peasants

Flaws: Obedient to a fault, never questions the rules, often hides her true emotions, burnout, thinks and speaks lowly of herself, could lash out in extreme anger if pushed, somewhat of a pessimist

Interests/Quirks: Studies herbal medicine, knows Pie Folk dances, watches soap operas on Earth, weaving, filing her teeth, drinking milk out the carton, peeved by loud chewing and unnecessary dramatics. She also can be peeved by certain smells and foods, so she can be a picky eater.

Physical: Brown skin and dark brown hair, plus sized, tends to wear yellow and green, round metal frame glasses. Her royal gowns between a golden dress or a deep emerald one. Her hair is curly and done in a simple updo. Satchel to carry potions

Monster: Grows a few inches taller, teeth elongated and sharp; skin turns green & scaly and "feathery"

Mewberty Form: Strangely her monster and her "mewberty" form is one and the same; exception is in her monster form she still has two arms while in Mewberty form she sprouts extra pairs and lunar moth wings

Foil: To Meteora if she had a stable home life and a good support group. Lacerta had to hide her more undesirable traits but she learned to be comfortable with them during her time on Earth, and with the monsters. She shares the same drive for perfection as Meteora but learns to loosen up and she definitely doesn't hold innocent girls hostage!

Cheekmarks: Poison Ivy; Meteora's marks are clovers which is a symbol of good luck (how ironic). Poison Ivy is a symbol of misfortune & danger, but Lacerta herself is warm, protective and VERY lucky to have turned out adjusted. It also nods to Lacerta's knowledge of plants

Other:

- Lacerta can get annoyed by Star's antics and tries to reign her in. However she discovers more of Star's potential and the two eventually grow close

- Lacerta was skeptical of Marco mainly because he was a regular human and didn't want to risk putting him in danger. However she gets impressed by his skills and comes to value him as a brother figure

- Lacerta hates Ponyhead like me

- She did not receive the wand because she had no personal interest in becoming queen; that and it would upset the MHC to have a monster hybrid on the throne. If she did it would look like a large pen (after all a pen is mightier than a sword)

- there is a forbidden romance between her and toffee which escalates after he find out about her being part monster and trying to seduce her to join his side

- She begs Star to spare toffee bc she didn't want to kill him even aft e everything he done

- Lacerta has him put under house arrest and he has to spend the rest of his life to make amends for souring monster/mewman relations

- Lacerta tries to get along with the MHC keyword tries to bc as calm as she is she can get really REALLY tired of all the shade thrown at her

- She's a lot closer to her adopted mother Moon

- One of Lacerta's powers is communicating with the dead - her grandmother Comet's ghost serves as an unofficial advisor

- Lacerta is the only one who actually pitied Ludo, first for being so desperate and then after learning his full backstory decided to give him a second chance

- She fucking loves mud baths - for beauty reasons

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

The Voyage So Far: Water Seven

east blue (1 | 2) || alabasta (1 | 2) || skypiea || water 7 || enies lobby || thriller bark || paramount war (1 | 2) || fishman island || punk hazard || dressrosa (1 | 2) || whole cake island || wano (1 | 2)

i’ve mentioned several times before that the davy back fight is one of my least favorite arcs, mostly because i found it very dragging and tedious when i was reading it, but there are a couple things i really like in it, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, most of them have to do with zoro. i really like his moment here with chopper, and it also showcases his ability to act as more of an authority figure to the crew, which is something that makes a substantial return after enies lobby with the matter of usopp’s return. 

zoro and sanji’s match in the davy back fight is far and away my favorite part of the entire arc. it’s just really fun.

like i said, this arc isn’t a favorite of mine, but i do definitely understand why it’s important to the saga and greater story in a couple different ways. one of them is that it’s just an easy, lighthearted detour that both gives the audience a chance to breathe and the strawhats a chance to showcase just how much they love each other and work well together- which turns into a fucking sledgehammer to the skull in the next arc when that unity is directly threatened. and the other reason this arc is important...

...is because of aokiji.

aokiji’s introductory scene is a brutal showcase of absolute power, and a very clear reminder that the strawhats are still very much little fish in a very, very big pond. all of the strawhats are impacted by this to some degree- it’s how badly they get curb-stomped here that leads luffy to come up with his gears as a way of closing the huge power gap he’s just learned about.

most important, though, are robin and usopp. for robin, this is a stark reminder of the fact that the government will never stop hunting her down; for usopp, who’s less obvious, it’s the seeds of the full-blown inferiority crisis that will later explode with the news about merry. both of their arcs throughout water 7 and enies lobby, essentially the twin emotional backbones of the saga, start right here.

i really like that the other strawhats all fell asleep waiting for robin and luffy to wake up. it calls back to them doing the same when nami was sick before drum, and also it’s just so fucking sweet. 

water seven is my favorite island, full stop. if i was going to live anywhere in one piece’s world, i’d want to live on water seven. it’s just so creatively designed and visually great, with the canals and the tiered city and the massive fountain in the middle. the supporting cast are still one of my favorites, and the culture feels very real and authentic. i just love water seven a lot.

i just said it but it bears repeating- the water seven supporting cast is really good. iceburg, the galley-la shipwrights, franky and his family, kokoro and chimney are all really memorable, and most of them are really likable, too- and cp9, with all their eccentricities, fit in perfectly. water seven’s cast is very interconnected, as well, and their relationships all feel very believable.

all of which, of course, only makes the later treachery hurt all the more.

the atmosphere of water seven is really, really well done. the bad starts slow, with the news that merry is unfixable, and then continues into an accelerating downwards spiral of hopelessness: usopp and luffy’s fight and usopp leaving the crew, robin’s seeming betrayal, the assassination attempt on iceburg, the city and galley-la turning on them as a result, and the agua laguna- it just gets worse and worse and worse.

and then, after they’ve been stomped down about as far as they can go and come out alive anyways, they pick themselves back up again and go to save their friend, because that’s what the strawhat pirates do.

i just really like getting to see these four going feral on the franky family, it’s one of my favorite scenes in this whole arc. in general, i tend to love the moments where luffy specifically gets properly angry, and we get a lot of them in this arc. 

even though the fight between luffy and usopp is genuinely very tense and  fast-paced and would probably be exciting if it were any other two characters fighting, it never really feels anything other than melancholy. i think that’s a testament to just how good oda is at setting the mood of the scene. it’s made very clear, especially through the reactions of the other characters- merry ‘crying’ is fucking heartbreaking- that this is nothing less than a tragedy. 

:(

i think it’s kind of interesting we aren’t shown franky’s face until about halfway into water seven. prior to this, we’re given pretty much only reasons to hate him, with his theft of the strawhats’ money and the franky family beating usopp to shit. but just after this point is when we start getting our first humanizing and sympathetic moments for him, starting when he gets worried and a little frantic when he hears about the attempt on iceburg’s life.

i just really, really like the way some of these water seven action sequences are depicted. they feel very tense and desperate, which matches the general mood of this part of the arc perfectly.

this panel of usopp working on merry always reminds me of the shots of the klabautermann doing the same during skypiea. i’m not sure if it’s even intentional, honestly, but it’s an extra little bit of heartbreak either way.

one piece has a lot of amazing spreads, but this might be one of my favorites for sheer impact. cp9, watching as the city they’ve lived and worked in for years burns down in a fire they set, satisfied by a job well done. it’s almost all in black and white with very little grey, which creates some fantastic contrast, and their pitch-black silhouettes against the nighttime inferno are just striking. 

this entire scene between usopp and franky, as usopp works on the merry and franky gives him advice and tries to make him see its hopeless and they kind of awkwardly, accidentally bond, is probably my favorite in the whole of water seven. it was also the scene that singlehandedly made me love franky as a character.

they have a really good, really enjoyable dynamic, and at the same time the conflict between them is real and understandable, and brought about because they’re both trying to do the right thing.

tom’s workers are one of my favorite little groups of characters in the whole of one piece’s story, and they deserve more appreciation. they’re family!! a little family of broken pieces who worked together to build something really, really amazing. and they still care about each other in the present, even though they got shattered apart so badly and none of them ever really recovered. 

this is a tremendously under-appreciated chopper moment. not only did he carry two full-grown men out of a fire, he even managed to get zoro’s sword and iceburg’s hamster. extremely cool of him.

this is also the exact moment the strawhats’ collective luck begins to turn: chopper saves the day, and nami learns that robin did what she did to protect them, and sanji gets aboard the sea train, and from there it’s a no-brakes train from their very lowest low straight to the triumph at enies lobby.

i love all the shenanigans sanji gets up to with the sea train, i think the whole sequence is absolutely one of his shining moments. it’s always a delight to see sanji get up to Sneaky Bastard Bullshit, and the whole thing is just so fun, which is a dearly needed breath of fresh air after how relentless this arc has been until this point.

robin’s little smile when thinking of luffy and when she joined the strawhats... :( i’ve noticed it’s a recurring trend for strawhats who try to leave the crew to flash back to when they joined as they do. usopp has it earlier this same arc just before leaving, and sanji does it in whole cake island in the sanji vs. luffy chapter. 

i really like how much everyone comes together at the end of water seven leading into enies lobby. after how fractured and fraught things have been throughout the arc, both within and without the strawhat crew, it’s great to see them not only all united again for a common goal, but with a huge group of allies at their backs. 

these three are SUCH a hilarious team, and i would love to see them work together again like this sometime. they’re literally just clowning on the marines all the way up the train, it’s fantastic. 

factually i understand sanji’s aversion to fighting with his hands and his fighting style is very unique and cool and also meaningful to him because he learned from zeff, and also if i remember right it’s implied he learned how to swordfight from the vinsmokes which makes it very reasonable he would want absolutely nothing to do with that skillset 

but speaking purely in terms of stupid idiot lizard brain i think sanji should fight with knives more

this is another of my absolute favorite spreads, and i think what makes it for me is the casual confidence- luffy tells zoro to cut the train, and zoro does, both of them with no doubts at all about zoro’s ability to do so. it really goes to show how far they’ve come from back in east blue when zoro couldn’t even cut luffy out of a metal cage.

there’s something very impactful about the fact that of all the strawhats, robin gets this speech from usopp. usopp, who’s had the worst falling-out with luffy in the series to date, is the one who tells robin: you haven’t left the crew yet, you can’t leave the crew yet, luffy is coming to get you. believe in him. 

franky’s “existing is not a crime” line is one of the most memorable and iconic lines from this entire saga, and for good reason. it sums up one of the main themes of not just this arc but also the series as a whole- the very same idea will come up again for ace during marineford, and in law’s backstory as well. it’s never a crime to just exist, and people should not never be persecuted for their blood or heritage. one piece doesn’t fuck around with its theming, it really doesn’t. 

to be continued next time, with enies lobby!

[jxeyhudson]

behold the hope county zoo au

decided to say fuck it and type this idea out. all my ramblings are below the cut

-Sam and Jess are big cat keepers. At first glance it seems like they hate each other, but they’re actually best friends. They both take their jobs really seriously and have a deep respect for the cats and are careful around them, but they also have close bonds with them and have a lot of trust that the cats won’t hurt them. Peaches is Jess’ favorite while Sam is besties with the tigers.

-Jacob and Eli work with the mammals in the North America section. Jacob’s focus is on the predators (Grizzly and polar bears, wolves, badgers, foxes, etc.) while Eli is on the others (moose, reindeer/elk, beavers, bats, river otters, bison, etc.). Cheeseburger is obviously the star of the North America section.

-Grace and Mary May are also mammal keepers but they work in the African section (so elephants, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, antelopes, etc.). They don’t have specialties in the way Eli and Jacob do; they split the work evenly based on what needs to be done.

-Nick and Kim are bird keepers together (everything from parrots and toucans to flamingoes and ostriches to hawks and eagles). They met at work and just immediately hit it off, and they’ve been together ever since.

-John and Joseph are both reptile keepers. John works in the actual reptile house with the snakes and smaller lizards. He loves the snakes and is really passionate about showing people they don’t deserve the bad reputation they’ve got. Joseph works with the bigger reptiles around the zoo (crocodiles, alligators, tortoises, and komodo dragons). The two of them are pretty flexible and help each other out pretty often, though. It’s not unusual to find John with the crocs or Joseph with the snakes.

-Hurk and Adelaide are primate keepers (chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, lemurs, etc.). I don’t think I need to elaborate on this one it just fits the vibe, you know?

-Sharky and Joey are the educators/tour guides. They’re like the super funny unexpected bestie combo of chaotic himbo and badass bisexual. Classes that take field trips to the zoo usually get divided up in half and split between the two of them and there is ALWAYS some kind of competition that Sharky and Joey start between their groups. 

-Earl is the head zookeeper. He trusts his keepers a lot and mostly just tries to provide support where they need it and do damage control when necessary.

-Virgil is the zoo’s owner, but he’s like an involved and hands on owner to the point he’s also just kind of become the curator. He likes knowing his employees and keeping up with how the animals are doing.

-Dutch is the zoo’s carpenter. He designs, builds, and maintains the habitats including all of the climbing structures, shelters, and large enrichment toys in them.

-Faith is the zoo’s botanist. She oversees all of the foliage in the habitats to make sure they’re safe and beneficial to the animals. She also maintains the butterfly garden and the greenhouse where they grow certain foods right there for the animals. Xander is supposed to be her intern but he’s always running off to see Adelaide.

-Staci is also an intern. He got handed off to Jacob basically and Jacob has begrudgingly come to like him. One time Staci stood too close to the fence of the wolf enclosure and had the back pocket of his pants ripped off when one of them tried to bite him on the ass. Jacob laughed so loud that people could hear him halfway across the zoo.

-Jerome is the head vet (I know Dr. Lindsey and Dr. Perkins are right there but consider: I don’t give a shit about them). Wheaty and Tracey are vet techs.

-Tammy is in charge of PR and marketing. And she’s a mega bitch about it, too. The no fun police, if you will.

-Other animals/sections are taken care of by minor/side characters like Merle, Zip, Wade and Dave, etc.

Bonus: -Sam has a massive crush on Joey and does not at all realize it is mutual. She’s constantly trying to show off for Joey. Joey has a lot of fun teasing her and flirting with her to watch her get all flustered. Sharky and Jess are secretly trying to team up to get them together. Less secretly are the children on tours for their field trip who see them flirt and yell shit like “Do you like like her?” all the time. That’s when it’s Joey’s turn to get flustered. -Boomer is the emotional support/companion dog for the cheetah. (For anyone who is unaware, cheetahs are prone to anxiety, so zoos often pair them up with a dog to provide support for them). -The three Inside Eden’s Gate friends (Alex, Hannah, & Sara) are general interns who help the keepers on a rotation basis. They have their favorite rotation slots, though. Hannah’s is with Jess and Sam with the big cats, Sara’s is the avians with the Ryes, and Alex’s is the Africa section with Mary May and Grace because he loves the gentle giants. -The Hope County Zoo is non-profit and very focused on conservation, education, and rehabilitation. The animals they have are all rescues that cannot be released back into the wild, rescues that will eventually be released back into the wild, or part of important breeding programs for vulnerable and endangered species.

theres a good chance i write this and/or start making a shit ton of content for it not even gonna lie to yall

[mashup-writing]

If only you were here; Hwang Yeji (ITZY)

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Summary: Yeji was the leader, she couldn't afford to be seen being anything less than perfect for the role. No crying, being sad, or feeling any kind of negativity. But she's only human, and being human means letting your emotions run through you.

Requested? ☒

"Miles away from seeing you."

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She was exhausted. Today's schedule was nothing but hectic, from interviews to filming for music videos. All Yeji had wanted to do was be with her girlfriend, to have her take away the stress, to run her fingers through her hair, to hold her like doing so was the only thing keeping her together. But with Y/N visiting her hometown? The best she could do was a facetime.

She loved her job, her members, and their MIDZYs. She really does. But sometimes the high life takes more from you than it gives. Lately her girls have been facing prejudiced hate from a bunch of ruthless people online. Lia was being branded as "Lazy" and it made the leader's blood boil, among all five of them Lia was the one who spends the most time in the practice room, especially when she has trouble with some of the choreography. She remembers a memory of theirs that included Lia almost passing out of exhaustion in the practice room, Yeji herself wasn't enough to pull the pale and sluggish girl out of there. If Yuna's maturity and hidden stern-ness hadn't reared their heads then she has no doubt that Lia would've ended up in a hospital bed.

Chaeryeong is under fire for "Being Ugly" and all Yeji could do was scoff at the stupidity of the false accusation. Despite Yeji being Y/N's girlfriend, Chaeryeong was the latter's bias. This information had her shocked, Chaeryeong smug, and worst of all: It gave Ryujin a field day. Which resulted in getting the other three members in on teasing her. "Anyone who catches Y/N's eye is fucking beautiful" she mutters to herself. Not to toot her own horn but Y/N has an eye not only for gorgeous looking people, most times those she ends up liking are great people with great personalities. Your ex, Ahn Hyejin of Mamamoo is a damn great example of that.

Another one of her members under fire is Yuna, the baby of their new little family. Knets had a field day when it was found out that the Maknae wasn't originally planned to become a part of ITZY. Jumping on the chance to poke at the youngest's insecurity, thry took to saying that she wasn't good enough to be with them, much less have debuted at all. That's bullshit, and she won't leave room for argument. Yuna is the glue that holds them together, the friend that they can't imagine not having even when they've been a group for less than a year. She stands up to Yeji without being disrespectful when the leader is being too strict or controlling. She pulls Lia out of her workaholic state whenever it starts to become detrimental instead of beneficial. She is the one carrying Ryujin's ass whenever the latter thinks her dad jokes are funny. She's the one to calm Chaeryeong down backstage whenever the latter is feeling nervous, anxious or on the verge of a breakdown.

Ryujin's a reliable friend through and through, but if the fate of the world was decided by the rapper's ability to tell a funny joke? Yeji bets that they all would've died ages ago, she's better at joking around with actions than she is with words. Which leads to some people labeling some of Ryujin's actions as "Bullying". Yeji admits to herself that, yes. To the untrained eye it does seem as if Ryujin's the type, she has the face of a villain when she wants to look intimidating after all. But the rapper is also the softest person she has ever known in her life, testified by the one time they had a pillow fight in the dorm. In the heat of the moment, Ryujin's slipper got thrown and it knocked a Lizard dead off their wall. The pillow fight abruptly ended with four members trying to make her feel less guilty over the critter's untimely death.

Lia interjected that had the moment been captured on camera, some MIDZYs would be making a meme of how they'd like to be that "Lucky" lizard. Ryujin cried harder, because the lizard was not at all "Lucky" in her opinion.

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Yeji was so lost in her own thoughts and so fatigued that she didn't even realize that she had finished changing from her performance outfit to the clothes she wore before clocking in for work. It was only when she had closed the door to her dorm room did she realize how tired she actually was. She was thankful she had been given her own room instead of bunking with someone else again, she's not too sure she could make it up in a bunk bed if she was still roommates with someone.

She crashes onto the bed and pulls out her phone. Most days she would get some shut eye and just facetime her girlfriend in the morning, but at the moment she thinks she'll end up in a mental ward if she goes another second without hearing her Y/N speak. So despite the fact that she can't feel her legs anymore and that her eyelids are growing heavier by the second, she calls.

Ring

Ring

Ring

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Ring

Ring

Ring

You're pulled from the coziest and most comfortable sleep you've fallen into for the night by a constant ringing. You rub your eyes and turn towards your nightstand where your phone is located. "Who in their right fucking mind would be calling at this hour?" You grab your phone and the caller photo snaps you out of your mood before you even see the caller's name.

You hurriedly turn on your lamp on the nightstand and then proceeded to hit answer. "YEJ- whoa, not that I'm unhappy to see you but you look like you should be asleep instead. You look tired as hell Yej. Did you eat yet? How about water? Please stay away from dehydration and be sure to drink regularly." Yeji smiles at you, with her eyes drooping every now and then. "Yeah, I should be asleep but I just missed you so much I couldn't sleep without seeing you first."

You sit up and lean against the head board instead of laying down, your worry increasing tenfold. "What's wrong?" Yeji knows how to prioritize her health first and she never calls you half asleep because she had always claimed that you deserved nothing less than her full attention. She never calls you half asleep unless she's alarmingly close to losing her composure. Her eyes widen as soon as the question leaves your mouth, and a sniffle makes its way through the line. She burried her face in her arm and struggles with wanting to tell you and wanting to fake being strong with you.

You sense the dilemma within your girl and you refuse to let her carry this alone. "Hey, I'd never force you to spill. But I am always gonna be here to listen to your troubles. I already know how strong you are, you've got nothing more to prove. Let it out and I'll be here to support you." Yeji's resolve crumbles and she cries as she tells you everything that's been weighing her down today. She cries because of the unfairness of it all, she cries about how she can't protect her girls, she cries about how she wants nothing more than to wrap them up in a hug and not let go until they're all better but the girls just like their leader want to seem strong and untouchable for each other.

Yeji cries about how she wishes she was with you instead of working, she cries about how guilty she feels for sometimes wishing that they never had to go through the unfairness that the idol life had to offer, she cries about how she feels like she's disappointing the MIDZYs for feeling as she feels. She cries because it's just the start of their journey and she's already so tired. She cries because it's the only way she knows how to get rid of the stress, even if it's just a temporary solution.

What hurts you the most is that she doesn't look at you as she says this. You're a MIDZY after being Yeji's girlfriend and it you don't miss the way she chokes up even more when she said she feels like she's disappointing the fandom. You let your girlfriend let it all out before taking a moment to pull yourself together, and then you speak.

"I can't and I won't tell you that I understand how you feel as an Idol because I'm not one. But as a MIDZY, I can and I will tell you that you were born to be the leader of ITZY, no one else could step up to that role as well as you do even if they tried. Tell the girls I told you to let the haters run their mouths, because we MIDZYs know that each and every one of you brings something special to the table. ITZY isn't ITZY if it doesn't have Hwang Yeji, Choi Jisu, Shin Ryujin, Lee Chaeryeong and Shin Yuna as the members. You girls are a fucking unit and you are all strong enough to knock those bitches speechless."

You stare at Yeji the whole time and notice that although her body has stopped shaking, her tears are still making their way down her cheeks. You take in every detail of her face and wish with everything within you that you were there with her to wipe her tears and hold her close. In your opinion, words aren't enough but you suppose due to the distance between you two that you've gotta work with what you have at the moment. Right now all you have are feelings and words.

"Now as your girlfriend." Yeji's head adjusts enough that you could see half of her face, but the other half still remains buried in her arm. "I'm telling you that you can never disappoint me." She chuckles in humor before turning her gaze away from her phone. "You don't know that, I'm not perfect-"

"I never said you were."

Silence sits between the two of you. Not once in your whole relationship had you intentionally interrupted Yeji when she was speaking, you strongly believed that everyone deserved a chance to speak their piece. But that had exceptions. Such as now. "I never said you were perfect, because you're not. You're human and you have your flaws but believe me when I say that you could never disappoint me, despite the fact that humans weren't designed to be perfect you still work on yourself everyday trying to polish all the rough edges, trying to better yourself not for anyone or anything but yourself because you really want to be better than you were in the past. How could I be disappointed in someone as noble as that?"

You notice that she's now actively fighting to keep her eyes open and you smile. "You okay for now?" She nods and you continue. "Then go to sleep, God knows you both need and deserve a good night's rest. I'll call you back tomorrow when you wake up, so you can tell me about everything else your sleep addled brain forgot to tell me tonight."

Yeji uncovers the other half of her face and eyes stare at her screen that shows your face, now more than ever she wishes she was there with you, to thank you and hold you for everything you've said and for the way you've calmed her down. She promises herself that once you meet back up in person, she'll make it up to you. But for now words will have to do.

"Thank you Y/N. I love you."

Your smile grows wider and Yeji swears she's ready to make a fool out of herself just to ensure that that smile never fades away from your face. You take your a moment to memorize the candid details of Yeji's face before replying. "I love you too Yeji. Good night." Both of you wave goodbye and as heavy of an action it was, you take the initiative to end the call because you know that if you left it up to your girlfriend she would never hit that End Call button.

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Yeji places her phone on the nightstand by her bed.

Y/N lies back down properly on the bed.

The two stare straight ahead of them, eyes unfocused.

They take a deep breath before closing their eyes, ignoring the need that courses through their hearts.

"I'll be with her soon enough."

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A/N: I think this is the longest fic I've written on this app? Why the hell is there too little ITZY content on this app? it feels like drought istg 😭😭