#I really must emphasize the art is awesome

[ladyelainehilfur]

Ooooh thoughts on Nice to Meet You's ending?

bruv....real life image of me entering the comment section of the last episode:

I know a lot of people feel very strongly about Nice To Meet You's ending. And well, I also have ✨opinions✨

For one, I'm not the kind of person to assume that just because a male character is on the cover, that he's going to be endgame. I had no real expectation that Daze was fated to end the series dating Mew.

Frankly, I barely found Daze engaging as a character. His most memorable moment to me was that scene where he helped Mew walk through the murder of crows to the phone booth. Butterflies ✅ invested in him as a character ❌

He's sweet enough, but overall, I thought he was kind of boring. Don't @ me but I'm pretty sure a lot of people only liked him because he was hot.

Does that mean I was Mew x Wyn shipper? Nah. That entire first season, I was extremely convinced Wyn was aroace. I should've known it was too good to be true. An equally attractive best friend to the male lead with NO interest in the female lead? We could've had it all.

I adore Wyn as a character. He's cute, fun, funny, good-looking, and supportive. His mullet is sick. His outfits are slay. He's basically perfect...but not for Mew, imo. Him falling for Mew was startling.

However, Mew is very lovable in the typical clumsy anime girl way. I just thought the story would become about her journey to self-actualization and idk...following her dreams or something. Not knocking on the romance, but season one was just so strong and handled her character so well. I was impressed that she rose above expectations and handled the theatre crush situation on her own, more or less.

But season two...girlie what even happened. It became all about her having to decide between Wyn and Daze. That would've been fine if it wasn't so heavily focused on her crushing and blushing and looking down at her shoes shyly. I didn't think Mew was weak or annoying, but the writing did her a major disservice in the second season.

One thing I'll say is that I really liked that neither Daze or Wyn were competitive or possessive of Mew. I despise love triangles, usually because they treat the female lead like an object to win, or they resort to bullying and pulling each other down to end up with the girl. It's like "guys, GUYS, why are we fighting over (1) girl when there are so many fish in the ocean".

But Nice To Meet You hopped right over that trope and had Wyn and Daze mutually agree to let Mew choose. They literally let each other have moments with Mew at their own expense. It was really sweet. I liked it.

But the ending still flopped 🙊 what do you MEAN a 3 year time skip????????? I feel like I'm the only one who was genuinely flabbergasted by Mew's painting of Daze. Was it supposed to mean something?? And if so, why did we never get an explicit answer?? Mew crying tells me nothing.

As I said, I ship neither Daze nor Wyn with Mew. I wasn't disappointed that she chose Wyn, but I was confused about why. I had so many questions.

Why did Daze give up on her? Why did Mew need to take a trip for that long? Where did she go? Why did she she cry while painting Daze? Was she letting go of her feeling for him? Did Daze never find someone else? Did Mickey just keep his unrequited crush on Daze for 3 more years? Why was Wyn willing to wait that long for an answer? What's Mew's brother up to? Did Simon follow him? Was Mew so hesitant to start a new relationship because her last one was abusive? What even happened to her ex? Why doesn't she talk about him more? Is Daze's dream to run a coffee shop? What's Wyn's career? Are they all still in college?

A three year time skip is just way too long.

More importantly, I do not like Wyn with black hair!!

I wasn't a ride-or-die Nice To Meet You fan, but I still had all these questions. I can't imagine how its biggest fans felt about the ending. Well, no, I can. That comment section on the last episode is brutal. I'm sure the creator had a reason for rushing the series to a close, but I feel the fans are equally justified in being very frustrated by the unanswered questions and Mew suddenly ending up with Wyn when I think most were lead to believe the painting meant Daze was endgame.

6/10 ending, what a bummer ending for a series with such good art and characters.

[battry-acid]

Ur autistic Colossus post is so good! I like it a lot. I'm a bigger fan of his sister so I don't usually analyze him on his own so it makes me appreciate him a lot more! I'd love to hear your thoughts on his relationship with Kitty

ty!!!!! and i also love illyana, she's so awesome and her relationship with her big brother makes me so happy. i love how different and yet so similar they are and how they always care about each other so much no matter what. <333

kitty and piotr....oh boy. this is probably gonna be way longer than it needs to be, it will probably take multiple posts. i just have a lot of thoughts. i also anticipate pissing a good few people off so i apologize in advance for that.

<< warnings: inappropriate depiction of a minor (visuals), inappropriate age gap in a relationship, non-consent, mentions of pedophilia and child marriage, alcohol (visuals) >>

it's too big of an age gap. that's it. it's not that i think the two of them don't have some kind of chemistry as characters, it's simply the fact that kitty and piotr met when piotr was 18 and kitty was 13. 13 years old. when they break up, kitty is 14 and piotr is nearly 20. and their ages are constantly commented on. it makes my stomach twist to think of either of them in that kind of inappropriate relationship, and it makes me feel even worse to know how much the other x-men encourage their relationship in the comics. really, really makes me sick.

issue #129. kitty is introduced as 13 years old. two pages later, the writers draw attention to kitty noticing piotr first when she meets the x-men.

issue #131. piotr carries kitty to safety. after bopping one last baddie, piotr notices kitty staring at him.

this is all innocent stuff at first. i'm not bothered by this, as it's a one-sided crush kitty has on an older soon-to-be teammate. teen girls can have their cute little crushes! it's no biggie. it isn't reciprocated by piotr, and that's all that matters to me.

then the shit hits the fan when "days of future past" starts up in issue #141.

they're married in the future. married. they had children together.

once again, there is nothing inherently wrong with this. they're two consenting adults in the future, an age gap isn't that big of a deal. but this is the writers' way of solidifying that they want piotr and kitty to be a couple. that is the plan.

where my problem with the writers' portrayal of these characters starts is when kitty's future self takes over her present body, and everything immediately becomes weird.

smells like a woman. what the fuck does "smells like a woman" mean???

now that the writers have established that kitty and piotr will assumedly become a couple, they can start pushing for it even when the events of this story arc end.

issue #143 is when my skin really starts to crawl. i have seen multiple people draw fanart specifically of these few panels, and as cute as the art may be, the fact that kitty is 13 years old and piotr is 18 years old at the time will never leave my mind.

kitty starts coming on to piotr and it is immediately joked about and encouraged by the other x-men. kurt and logan will be especially bad about this from now on.

even kitty's parents have no issue with this relationship. y'know, the incredibly protective parents that didn't want her to join the x-men at all at first due to how dangerous it is.

issue #149. "boyfriend." cool. thanks, logan.

i must emphasize again that my problem is not with the characters themselves, i love all of the x-men, it is the writers and the marvel heads that approved of this character arc. the characters don't question the inappropriate nature of this relationship because the writers don't question it. the characters encourage it because they're given the morals the writers have.

in my heart, logan, kurt, and every other x-man would never approve of this kind of relationship. in my heart, kitty would never pursue it. and in my heart, piotr would never reciprocate it.

but he does, because the writers want him to. and in issue #151, we see them kiss for the first time in the present:

i also want to point out that the writers aren't the only ones at fault with this. in this same issue, look at how the artists choose to illustrate kitty:

this is way too sexualized of a depiction of a minor. they choose to emphasize her ass and skinny waist and give her the facial proportions of an adult woman. this is not the first nor the last time they will sexualize kitty while she is still an underage character.

it sows discord how different the characters look/how they're depicted visually vs. how they're written to act. piotr as a teenager was still drawn to be a fully grown mature adult despite his very young demeanour. kitty is constantly in bikinis and her face is drawn as if she's much older than thirteen. she's immature and impulsive and has traits that are expected of a kid/teenager, she is treated like a kid and even called "kid" by characters like logan, but she isn't always drawn as one. and i don't want to hear about "oh well some teenagers physically mature faster than others" because if this is the only way you depict people of this age group, there is a problem. comic artists of this time are kind of famous for having no clue how to draw kids (though honestly comic artists of today still have that issue). it is incredibly important to me as an artist and a writer that these depictions are as accurate and appropriate as they can be.

continuing on to issue #153. god, i hate this one. if not for the depiction of kitty and piotr, then the racial caricatures for sure.

kitty begins taking on a motherly role for illyana (who is still a toddler at this point) as piotr watches over her. kitty tells her a bedtime story, and in the story, piotr's role in it is as "her true love".

oh and also? hate the portrayal of kurt in this issue. yeah, he's got mad game, he gets so many bitches, can we not have one of the people he pursues be 13 years old??? please??? and, again, the characters don't take issue with this because the writers don't.

issue #159. she simultaneously talks about being 14 years old and being in a relationship with piotr. the writers want to emphasize how young and inexperienced she is while simultaneously pairing her up with an adult character.

then the brood arc happens. if you don't know about the brood arc, it's like an alien ripoff. i love the drama of it, seeing how characters grapple with their imminent death, but i am not one that enjoys the analogy of something alien growing inside of one's body. not my cup of tea at all.

anyway, onto issue #165. i want to share these pages in full.

this entire sequence feels more like an older sibling or parent comforting an upset child then two consenting individuals pursuing a relationship. the dynamic is completely off. this is not romantic, this is exclusively platonic/familial to me. they're going to die, and piotr is not swooning over her till his dying breath, he is comforting her like he would his little sister.

they have a conversation about the importance of age in their relationship. kitty looks noticeably younger in these panels, drawn more like the child that she is.

i wish i knew what piotr was thinking in all of this. i miss his thought bubbles going into detail about how conflicted he feels all of the time. all we get, in this entire arc of a relationship with kitty, are his physical actions and what he chooses to verbalize. like i said, piotr is very autistic-coded to me, and he very often keeps his thoughts and opinions to himself. as the audience, we don't even get that usual inner monologue of his this time around. i truly do not know what he is thinking.

is the thought of imminent death really making him question their relationship now? or has he been questioning it from the start? why did he kiss her if he's starting to feel as though he shouldn't be in a relationship with her? why is he the only one that has an issue with their age gap? there are so many questions i will never have answers to. i only get to speculate about how he feels and what the intentions of the writers were in this scene.

the brood is defeated, the parasites destroyed, and the x-men have their lives back.

then professor xavier jumpscares everyone in issue #167 leading into #168 by declaring that kitty MUST join the new mutants and leave the x-men for good because she's too young. the iconic "professor xavier is a JERK!" opening page comes from this.

and the issue is majorly disappointing! by the end, she's back on the x-men team. xavier immediately retracts his statement because kitty does a good job in one training session and that's apparently enough. seeing her in action was enough to decide, yes, she's enough of an adult to be an x-man.

this is also around the time piotr starts referring to kitty as "katya", a pet name. is it because he's becoming more comfortable in his relationship or because she has now officially been promoted to Adult Status so hes allowed to be romantic with her now?

oh also illyana is a teenager at this point and that's why the new mutants have started their comic run in tandem with uncanny x-men. kitty appears in both comics from now on and is friends with both teams, especially besties with illyana.

i will be skipping over much of the caliban and kitty story arc that happens around this time that is supposed to emphasize just how much kitty is willing to sacrifice for piotr. caliban and kitty's relationship is more explicitly supposed to be depicted as gross and inappropriate since caliban is much more obviously an older adult, and all of the characters hate caliban for being in love with kitty. it felt hypocritical to me as a child and it still feels hypocritical now that piotr gets a pass for being with kitty but caliban does not. why? is it because he's conventionally attractive and still a teenager despite clearly being a huge buff adult man that is treated as an adult and an equal among the x-men? neither piotr nor caliban should be with kitty, it doesn't matter how much older caliban is supposed to be. both have significant age gaps with kitty so both should be inappropriate.

issue #174. "i won't take 'no' for an answer." he doesn't want to go with her, but he does anyway, because he knows she won't take no for an answer.

she surprises him with a kiss. he's upset, but he forgives her. that little surprise kiss leads to something more. piotr recognizes that kitty looks scared, but she doesn't care, so piotr goes along with it, because he knows she won't take no for an answer.

holy fuck thank you ororo for coming in at the perfect time end this immediately.

the echoes of what happened to him with nereel in the savage land still haunt me. i do not like that there is a theme of piotr not consenting to implicitly sexual acts in his relationships. << maybe i will talk about that entire aspect of piotr's character arc another time. maybe i won't. it makes me feel so, so much worse than everything that happens with kitty. >>

back to the topic of the new mutants, though. doug ramsey is introduced and becomes fast friends with kitty, which makes piotr, who already felt conflicted about his relationship with kitty, feel even more conflicted.

this conversation between piotr and logan in issue #180 sums up this character conflict the best:

i do not think that piotr genuinely feels jealousy towards doug and kitty's relationship. i simply think kitty's interactions with doug have brought even more attention to how much piotr and kitty lack in commonality, how much better doug would be as a match for kitty than himself. he's closer to her own age, with similar interests, same level of intelligence, more properly on the same playing field as mutants still mastering their abilities... doug is a peer to kitty, and piotr is not.

it's complicated. but it's also not complicated at all. i too think doug is a better match for kitty than piotr for all of these reasons. i don't blame piotr at all for feeling this way.

there's also this entire theme of changes happening in kitty's life and her having to accept them, like the whole subplot of her and storm who were previously incredibly close striking friction due to kitty not liking storm's new attitude or appearance.

there's been hints towards piotr and kitty breaking up for a while just as there's been buildup to this conversation between kitty and storm about those themes.

CONTINUED HERE. PLEASE READ THE SECOND PART TO GET THE FULL CONTEXT

[cabbagedreamss]

aw snap

cabbagejournalss - this is another class assignment, we had to make a three panel narrative based on planet earth clips. my professor explained how bbc edits the footage to anthropomorphize animals and bump up the action and gave us a variety of scenes to choose from. i picked this clip below about crabs fighting for their lives to enjoy delicious algae so i could draw sea creatures.

i really liked the eel sketch i made when i was brainstorming this project. very cartoony, somewhat muppety, i really like how the mouth is shaped and the texture of the scales. i tried to get the crab in the same style but i don’t think i pulled it off.

now we must discuss the colors. i still kind of like it but this made me realize i'm probably better off working in grayscale. i have a better sense of the values and creating a sense of distance, and i am not a quitter but i need to reduce the number hours i spend hunched and agonizing over these assignments. i find myself dreading adding color when i work even if it’s not for class. it's not good for my body or mind or work ethic.

in crit, there was some confusion about why the landmasses change color in the last panel and whether it was the same space depicted in the previous panel. i made this change to emphasize the shock of the final moment. but the relationship between panels 2 and 3 is further muddled by the crab’s position and the tail in the distance, but suddenly the eel is there in panel 3 and the crab would have had to stay in the center to get eaten and wait i thought the eel was far away how did it get there so fast? i can’t deny these are good questions. let’s just go with “eel really big”

recently i read the fantastic comic bitter root for a graphic novel class and GOD!!! THE ART!!! moment i laid eyes on the first page i knew that look was exactly what i had been trying to achieve in this project- the brushy lineart and shadows, the vibrant color palette and textures, all of that is exactly what i want to be able to capture in my own art. bitter root is awesome please read it.

[kazachi69]

You're a really cool individual Kaz. Your kindness and sweetness towards everyone in the chat is truly admirable. I may have mentioned this before, but I want to reiterate that your art is simply incredible. Despite your self-criticism, your skills are truly top-notch. Your ability to draw hands and bodies so effortlessly is particularly impressive to me, as I often struggle with those aspects myself. Kaz, I implore you to be kinder to yourself and recognize the amazing talent you possess. I must also emphasize that you are an amazing person kaz. The way you communicate and welcome everyone in the chat is incredibly kind-hearted and admirable. Your genuine care and concern for others is always apparent, and it's one of the many reasons why you are such an awesome person. Your charm is undeniable, and you have a remarkable ability to connect with people effortlessly. Additionally, your intelligence is truly impressive. Despite all of these amazing qualities, you still tend to be overly critical of yourself. I urge you to be kinder to yourself and recognize the incredible person that you are. But until that day comes, I will make sure to remind you of these undeniable facts.

I have a couple of these to get done so I hope you like this one

Aww, ty swirly

[yami-kada]

Mission 2

Recently I read a fanfic on AO3 called Interlude - Class 1-A by @itslivybear and was inspired a bit to write a fic based on that! Well really I got inspiration for a single line (you'll know it when you see it) and then had to write a whole thing to be able to share that one line, but oh well. This is my first time writing a chatfic or even any BNHA content at all, so I hope it doesn't suck! Thanks to @shadesofflame for being an awesome beta!

(Quick FYI in this AU M*neta and Bakugou are replaced with Shinsou and Monoma, sorry for any confusion. Also a name guide can be found at the bottom.)

RockSolid: Um, so.

RockSolid: Remember the missions during the Sports Festival?

PurpleGrape: Oh hell yeah.

PurpleGrape: Still cherish the look on that bastard's face.

Spoderman: jehxgjc Kiri I got it on video!!!

JazzHands: You've had video of the capture of the bounty this whole time and never showed us???

LSD: I thought we were friends Sero!

Spoderman: omg no not that I totally would have shared earlier if i did

Spoderman: im talking about That.

RockSolid: no Sero don't tell them!

RockSolid: it's embarrassing!

PikaCHU: Tell us, tell us!

NYOOM: Kaminari-kun! If Kirishima-kun wishes to keep his privacy, then it is our duty as his classmates to respect that!

Spoderman: ok but consider: he already gave them a major hint and they are about to POUNCE

BreadIsPain: As a witness as well, I must say that Kirishima was si attirant que j'ai failli m'évanouir~*

RockSolid: thanks, I think?

MOMo: To paraphrase Aoyama, he is essentially saying you were very manly, Kirishima!

RockSolid: aw thanks bro!! Don't believe you but thanks!

Spoderman: you take that lack of confidence back I have evidence right here that says you are super fucking manly!

LSD: ok please now we have to know so that we can show Kiri how great he is!!!

MOMo: I must admit that the commentary seen thus far has me rather curious as well.

RockSolid: You guys…

RockSolid: alright then, I'll tell you!

Spoderman: sweet ill pull it up!

RockSolid: bro don't you dare! my story, I get to tell it!

Spoderman: oh yeah of course bro!!

Spoderman: but if after you wanna show it then i am READY.

JazzHands: This is very sweet and all but I am very thirsty for this TEA.

RockSolid: on it!

Kirby: Kiri you've been typing for so long that I'm getting Izuku vibes here.

GreenGrape: Hey!

RockSolid: sorry! this is harder than I thought!

Spoderman: want me to start it off?

RockSolid: you know what, sure.

Spoderman: aight so,

Spoderman: Council, what qualifies as capturing the bounty?

GreenGrape: Guys no the bounty is over please no more bounty-hunting Kacchan.

MOMo: Your objection is noted and overruled, Izuku.

MOMo: For your question, Sero, I do not believe we ever set specific limitations on what qualified, but I was under the impression that it was limited to the Sports Festival. Why do you ask?

Spoderman: just double checking

Spoderman: because my bro here just totally shot both missions out of the park!!!

LSD: gaSP!!!

JazzHands: bOTH?!

RockSolid: no not both!! we have no confirmation for either, technically!

Kirby: Technically? What do you mean by that?

RockSolid: ahhhh ok so Sero and I were eating lunch in the courtyard because it was nice out, right?!

RockSolid: and we were chillin, being bros, birds were singing, all was good.

RockSolid: and then we heard a small explosion before the bounty walked in at the other end of the courtyard and started kicking at the wall.

PikaCHU: omg so angy.

RockSolid: and like fine, we can tune him out, just try to act like he's not there, you know?

RockSolid: But then he started yelling at random people in the courtyard, just acting pissed as hell.

PikaCHU: oMG so ANGY.

RockSolid: and that's just not manly at all, you know? going off on people like that just because you're in a bad mood.

GreenGrape: Yeah… that's Kacchan for you.

RockSolid: so he's making his way around the courtyard now, like everyone needs their daily dose of asshole for him to be happy, and the closer he got the more annoyed I got.

Spoderman: here it comes!

RockSolid: and eventually I get up, because I have had just about enough, and walk right up to him.

RockSolid: he doesn't see me coming, because he was too busy yelling at some girl, and I get right up behind him.

RockSolid: and then I just called out to get his attention, and spun him to face me while making sure I end up between him and the girl.

RockSolid: and well I told him off a little bit and got him to back off then left in a hurry.

RockSolid: and that's it!

Spoderman: oh no you don't

BreadIsPain: Oui! Monsieur Kirishima, you must tell the climax with just as much zest as the build-up!

Spoderman: what he said! no skipping out on the best part!

RockSolid: but!!!

Jacked: No buts, mister. We're all way too invested now for you to back down.

RockSolid: :(

RockSolid: fine! you win!

RockSolid: so uh when I got his attention, I also got my hand onto his shoulder, and used his surprise to knock his feet a bit off balance and pulled him back, but then I ended up with him in my arms and could tell he was about to start yelling so I just…

RockSolid: you know…

RockSolid: flirted?

LSD: oh my GoD this is great!!!

PikaCHU: Hell yeah Kiri! Go get yourself a manz!

RockSolid: I'm not getting a man! He's probably going to kill me the next time he sees me!

Spoderman: i dunno, it took him a good long while to reboot after what you said there

Spoderman: you might have a shot

PurpleGrape: Well if you're not going to get a man out of this, mind telling us what you said so I can bait him next time he tries to be an ass?

RockSolid: uhhh…

RockSolid: I'm nervous.

BreadIsPain: If you will allow me, I shall finish your tale off dazzlingly!

RockSolid: Thanks Aoyama.

BreadIsPain: Bien entendu!

BreadIsPain: While holding him in his arms tightly in a dip, faces inches apart, Monsieur Kirishima leaned impossibly closer to emphasize his point.

RockSolid: oh god I regret everything.

LSD: Hush, it's getting good!

BreadIsPain: With a growl to his voice and his eyes burning above a smirk, he said "You know, you're damn cute when you're angry, but you'd be downright sexy if you shut the fuck up." Then he straightened up to fling the lost soul to the side, and saunter off like the devil was guarding his back, leaving the bounty terribly confused in his wake.

PurpleGrape: Whoa.

PikaCHU: Holy shit?!

RockSolid: what is that description?!?!?!

JazzHands: Kiri that was PERFECT oh my god?!

LSD: It's ART is what it is!

Spoderman: don't forget how red the guy was! Kiri was cool as a cucumber but the other guy couldn't stop blushing after seeing his face!!!

MOMo pinned a message

RockSolid: Yaomomo!!!

MOMo: My apologies, Kirishima, but I felt it only right to ensure easy access to your most manly moment.

LSD: Yeah Kiri! Then one day we can all look back on this and celebrate how everything started!!

RockSolid: How what started???

LSD: E v e r y t h i n g

RockSolid: @Spoderman bro hide me I’m scared.

Spoderman: hey guys, wanna see a GREAT video?

Spoderman: the stars are our main man, Kiri, and the bounty!

PikaCHU: hell yeah!!!

Jacked: Lay it on me.

PurpleGrape: Sure.

JazzHands: Do you really have to ask????

RockSolid: but I already told you what happened!

RockSolid: why do you want to see me being so embarrassing?

PikaCHU: bro we all appreciate you so much of course we want to see you being manly!

LSD: Just from what you all said there is no way you don’t look great in that vid, Kiri!

PikaCHU: gotta give support where support is due!!

PurpleGrape: They’ll all bully Sero into showing them one way or another anyways, might as well give in now.

RockSolid: but...

BreadIsPain: Nous devons vous montrer à quel point vous brillez et dissiper ces pensées douteuses!**

MOMo: I could not have said it better myself, Aoyama!

RockSolid: I don’t even know what he said though?!?!?!?!?!?!

Spoderman: Kiri.

Spoderman: Bro.

Jacked: Well shoot he’s using proper grammar and everything.

Spoderman: Rude.

Spoderman: Anyways Bro.

RockSolid: yeah?

Spoderman: You are epic. This video shows you being epic. And putting an asshole in their place.

Spoderman: You have nothing to be ashamed of, and every reason to be proud. So please let me show the video so that everyone can appreciate you like you deserve bro.

RockSolid: bro…

Spoderman: Bro.

RockSolid: bro -

Spoderman: Bro?

RockSolid: bro!

Spoderman: aight everyone down to the common room its up on the big screen

Spoderman: i have popcorn too

Jacked: Not even gonna question that.

LSD: Finally!!!

JazzHands: Yuss!!!

BreadIsPain: Je vais regarder avec enthousiasme!***

MOMo: As will all of us I’m sure, Aoyama!

RockSolid: Thanks guys!

RockSolid: Now get down here and watch me maybe get a man!

Translations:

*so attractive that I almost swooned.

**We must show you how much you shine, and dispel those self-doubting thoughts!

***I shall excitedly watch!

Guide to names:

GreenGrape - Izuku

PurpleGrape - Hitoshi

CopyCat - Monoma Neito

MOMo - Yaoyorozu Momo

datBoi - Asui Tsuyu

JazzHands - Hagakure Toru

NYOOM - Iida Tenya

SnowWhite - Kouda Kouji

LifeIsPain - Tokoyami Fumikage

BreadIsPain - Aoyama Yuga

Kirby - Uraraka Ochaco

LSD - Ashido Mina

PikaCHU - Kaminari Denki

RockSolid - Kirishima Eijiro

RipHarambe - Ojiro Mashirao

IcyHot - Todoroki Shoto

MuffinMan - Sato Rikido

Octodad - Shouji Mezou

Jacked - Jirou Kyoka

Spoderman - Sero Hanta

[if-only-angels-could-prevail]

theatre book recs? making a holiday wishlist and would love some. i know you’ve recommended strouse’s memoir and that’s on there (general book recs also welcome! i admire your taste)

oh this is a very big question! it really depends on what you’re looking for, but I’ll name a few that I like a lot in no particular order:

Finishing The Hat and Look I Made A Hat by Stephen Sondheim: These are my absolute favorite. They’re Sondheim’s collected lyrics, with “Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes.” I think it’s absolutely essential for anyone interested in writing lyrics for the theatre (not saying “everyone must follow Sondheim’s thoughts to a T” because that would be boring, but I think it’s a great foundation for anyone with interest in the field), and for everyone else it’s still damn interesting and entertaining.

Art Isn’t Easy (Gordon) is a fun collection of essays about Sondheim’s work, How Sondheim Found His Sound is a VERY in-depth look at his musical choices and influences (cannot emphasize just how in-depth it is, to the point that I--a composer who loves Sondheim--can only read so much at a time), and then there’s Sondheim and Co (Zadan) and Sondheim (Gottfried), which I own upon recommendation, although I ashamedly haven’t explored them much. Anyway, that’s enough Sondheim for now.

I Got The Show Right Here by Cy Feuer is a really fun, juicy, interesting memoir from the producer’s side of things. (Although I prefer the Strouse memoir).

Julie Andrew’s memoir Home Work has some wonderful stuff too, although that’s more movie world than theatre. (And it has a prequel, which I didn’t read.)

The Great White Way: Race and the American Musical absolutely RULES. One of my biggest recommendations. I think “theatre kid” culture has a big problem when it comes to race, and this book is an eye-opener.

Broadway Babies Say Goodnight by Mark Steyn is catty, absolutely infuriating, and hella entertaining. It’s not the highest recommendation on this list, but it sure is enjoyable.

Sarah Ruhl’s 100 Essays I Don’t Have Time To Write is WONDERFUL. A lot of it is just general reflection and thoughts (non-theatre related), but a lot of it IS theatre-related, and all of it is amazing.

If you like Angels In America: Approaching the Millenium by Geis and Kruger and The World Only Spins Forward are both awesome in their own way. The former is a collection of academic essays, and the latter is a more informal collection of interviews of people associated with the show.

Patti LuPone’s memoir is another juicy one. The prose leaves something to be desired (even compared to fellow non-authors Strouse, Feuer, and Julie Andrews), but it’s a fast read with a lot of delightful stories and anecdotes. 

Oh! The story of Oklahoma! by Max Wilk is fantastic, if you’re into Oklahoma!. 

Similarly, Harold Prince and the American Musical is a great one, if you’re interested in delving further into Prince’s work (and given his resume, I can’t imagine any theatre fan wouldn’t be.)

My roommate recommends Theatre of the Unimpressed, by Jordan Tannahill. 

I’m sure I’m only scratching the surface. I guess of these, my top picks are Finishing The Hat/Look I Made A Hat, I Got The Show Right Here, The Great White Way, 100 Essays I Don’t Have Time To Write, the Angels In America books, the Oklahoma! book, and Harold Prince and the American Musical. 

anyone else have thoughts? @itsdlevy? @aliveandfullofjoy? others? 

[cerastes]

So Gravel is the ultimate badass normal?

She’s one of them. No one gets to hog that title by their lonesome in Rhodes Island.

To elaborate, let me start from the other end of the equation: Rhodes Island has a lot of bona fide freaks of nature on its payroll. To name a few:

Lappland - A fighting genius and monster of instinct who mastered how to use Arts by herself without any training and who can allegedly counter any technique after having seen it once (this is, in fact, how her Silence works, she’s not magically sealing her enemies, she’s constantly countering them in just a way that prevents them from using their skills).

Angelina - A girl whose combat experience amounts to 32 minutes in Street Fighter 2 and whose previous profession was Messenger. She just so happens to have insanely crazy potential and power over gravity, all of which immediately makes her a 6* even though, again, the only thing she’s fought before is bed hair. 

Specter - An enigmatic veteran who, despite currently being ravaged from within by some of the worst Oripathy science has ever seen, still is classified with “Outstanding” ranks in both Physical Strength and Physiological Endurance, and who can become virtually unstoppable on command for brief periods of time in the battlefield, shrugging off deathblows that would topple even the mightiest Operators.

Saria - One of the leading experts and innovators in microbiology in Terra, in addition to being a devastatingly powerful fistfighter and healer. This is all secondary, however, to her dominion over calcification, which perhaps doesn’t sound like much if you’re not familiar with what you can do with calcification: You can just about instantly shut down -- kill -- any living organism, for starters, as well as promote enhanced bodily functions -- heal -- in others. Power over calcification is a very scientific and concrete way of having power over life and death.

And these are just a few of the freaks of nature that we know came about naturally. If we get into mutations and experimentation (which, to be fair, Lappland also counts as, but only on the Arts end of things, her insane adaptability and instinct in combat is all hers, and Angelina might count as well, but it’s still a unique enough power that it can be attributed to her), then you also have the likes of Manticore and Ifrit to account for.

So, with this in mind, I want to emphasize exactly how impressive it is to just get by with discipline and regular training taken to the extreme in Rhodes Island. No superpower lottery, no mutation, just good ol’ elbow grease and a daily routine of squats, push-ups, and watching a lot of combat records:

Gravel - As mentioned before, all she’s got is a chest plate, two short swords, and no doubt a ton of calluses from all those deflections and parries she must perform to keep enemies at bay until she’s given the order to pull back. No Arts or special unique abilities, just abs of titanium and the ability to teleport behind you and smooch you.

Schwarz - Her superpower is “being REALLY good with a crossbow”, and goodness gracious, it works. She even lampshades this with some of her quotes: “Rhodes Island is teeming with monsters. I can only hope to learn to battle like them”. She says this one when being shown a combat record, which makes it all the more amusing because it’s probably a video of the aforementioned freaks of nature, maybe it’s Angelina throwing a whole truck at someone, or even worse, throwing Specter like a serrated cannonball at someone full force, or even even worse, Lappland eating a Kit Kat wrong like the maniac she is.

Hellagur - While he is Infected, he doesn’t use Arts and instead gets by through the most reliable thing we of two opposable thumbs have ever given birth to: Big Freaking Steel. When you have a nodachi almost as long as you are tall (and Hellagur is 193 cm tall) and you have more years of combat experience than most people in your profession have been alive for, then yeah, turns out, you don’t need fancy mutations or magic powers to absolutely body hordes of suckers like this is Dynasty Warriors.

Skyfire - You might be wondering, “hold up, doesn’t she straight up call meteors? Isn’t she a notorious Arts user?” and you are correct, except, she’s completely clean of Oripathy. Her mastery over Arts comes not from mutation like it does for the vast majority of powerful Arts users, it comes from diligent studying. Skyfire is a scholar, she has dedicated her life to the research of the science of Arts, and while her natural talent is one thing and we can’t undermine it, it’s her single-minded dedication to mastering it and uncovering all of its secrets that allowed her to drop meteors on people. What I’m trying to say is that, unlike in our world, Academia in Terra rocks.

Magallan - Now, I’m... Not sure where to put Sweet Mags. She could go here or in freaks of nature, but for now, I’m putting her here. Magallan’s superpower is “being a sweet little optimistic scientist who happens to be able to control flying missile launchers”. Her ‘powers’ are a direct result of her research, the Soaring Dragon drones. Now, drone users are not anything out of this world, Reunion has a trillion of them. Unlike Reunion drone users, however, Magallan takes to the battlefield herself and fights alongside her drones instead of controlling them from out of the map. She’s able to use her Arts lightbulb (which is a freaking awesome concept, by the way) while also controlling up to three drones that have their own Arts-dependent armaments. This means she’s not only controlling her own Arts focusing and output, she’s doing it for three others at the same time. Whether it be the mining laser of her S2 or the missile barrage of her S3, these require careful, skilled Arts control. Keep in mind that Magallan is not Infected, either, so no mutation Arts power-up. I like to attribute Mags being able to do this to her own diligence and skill, but honestly, you could just as easily classify her as a freak of nature because that’s some living supercomputer stuff she’s pulling off.

These are not the only “normals” in Rhodes Island but they are certainly my favorite ones. In a mobile clown tent full of freaks, these absolute bulldozers are just really good at what they do.

[samtheflamingomain]

more like the hypocratic oath

Fuck the Hippocratic Oath.

I've always loved to memorize things from a young age. I'm 26, and I still see the same doctor that saw my mother 10 years before my birth. So I've spent a LOT of time in her waiting room, unchanged for decades. She has a weird obsession with lighthouses. Also, a framed text of the Hippocratic Oath on the wall.

Being the only thing to read in the room, over the years, I kind of accidentally memorized it. It's shorter than most people think.

It's never really been useful. Whenever it would come up in conversation I'd sometimes say "did you know that 'First do no harm' isn't actually in the Oath?" but most people didn't believe me. I didn't really care. It never came up, and it was never really important.

But this week alone I've read 6 references to the Oath in the news, had 3 conversations about it, and had to nope out of countless Reddit threads, all along these same lines:

"Why can't we lower the priority of anti-vaxxers who need to be in the ICU?" The Hippocratic Oath, of course! First, do no harm. Second, triage according to whoever needs the most care the most urgently. Third, forget the first two because neither of those things, not even in sentiment, are in the Oath.

There's a LOT of people who seem to have been indoctrinated into following a dogma they don't even know the contents of. They hear "Hippocratic Oath" and instantly think "First, do no harm" and then stop there. Because we think we know the gist. "Don't wield your power of being a doctor to become an evil monster." You should be right, but you're not.

If we're going to argue medical ethics, let's see what this amazing oath is really all about.

It starts out pretty normal. Swearing to Apollo. "[A]nd Asclepius, by Hygieia, by Panacea, and by all the gods and goddesses". Normal stuff. Oh, your doctor doesn't believe in Apollo? Breaking the Oath.

But then we get to the good stuff. Y'know what's so important that the Hippocratic Oath decided to address it directly and by name? Abortion. As in, "I will not give to a woman a pessary to cause abortion". Forget what a pessary is, it's an ancient medical device. So, the entire profession of performing abortions? Breaking the Oath.

But hey, abortion's a touchy subject. What about something as neutral as kidney stones? Well, "I will not use the knife, not even, verily, on sufferers from [kidney]stone[s]". Weird how if I were to walk into an ER with a kidney stone the size of a kidney bean they'd cut it out. With a knife. Verily. Breaking the Oath.

It's not all bad or oddly specific. The last bit basically says "If I walk into your house, I won't abuse you, even if you're a slave." How kind! And lastly, patient confidentiality. The end.

...Except, the Oath was rewritten in 1964. It cut out the abortion and kidney stone bits and comes in the form of modern English. Since it's not too long and wordy like the original, here's the full text of the "modern" Hippocratic Oath: (I'm cutting the first and last lines that just say 'here's the oath' and 'that was the oath', emphasis is mine to talk about after.)

"I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.

"I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.

"I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.

"I will not be ashamed to say "I know not", nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery.

"I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.

"I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.

"I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.

"I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm."

Let's work backwards. The last line I emphasized because I think it comes closest to being a good argument for why anti-vaxxers should be allowed to clog up our ICUs. Doctors have "special obligations" (which isn't specific enough for me) to all humans, even the "infirm". At a glance it seems like this says "Doctors have to help people who are well as well as those who are ill" but "sound of mind" really jumped out at me. To me, it is not of sound mind to be anti-vaccine. If "infirm" is the opposite of "sound of mind", then anti-vaxxers are entitled, like all humans, to whatever "special obligations" the doctors have. Like I said, I don't find that phrase specific enough for me to accept this as an argument, but it does come close. If we define "special obligations" as "the obligation to provide medical care", then yes, put all anti-vax Covid patients in the ICU. But "special obligations" could just as well mean "the obligation to put the needs of the many over the needs of the few", which is supported by the statement's previous allusion to being a member of society, in which case, kick those fuckers out on the street.

The second point I highlighted just because this was written by and for America, and somehow they remain the only developed nation where one's "economic stability" is absolutely never taken into consideration.

Finally, my big closer. Life and death. "If I manage to save a life, great, cool. But also sometimes I'm allowed to kill people. No, I will not elaborate".

But it has another meaning: "As a doctor, sometimes I will necessarily have to kill people." This is simply one of those times. I'm serious. If not now, when?

I highlighted the very first line because I think it sets the tone for the entire Oath, and because I believe that actively choosing to treat anti-vaxxers instead of people with "lesser" problems, that choosing to allocate ICUs to people who spit on your science is violating the directive to follow the "hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk". I can't imagine a 1940s TB nurse being teleported to present day, informed about Covid, taking a look at our hospitals and saying "well done".

It's a good thing it doesn't actually say "do no harm", because the Oath itself has violated that directive. As Ontario's ICUs continue to rise, doctors continue to harm society because they think triage is part of the Oath. It's not. Stop pretending it's anything more than a contract you sign when you work at fuckin McDonalds and you promise not to make dumb Tik Toks at work. Every job has its moral standards. Doctors have one of the most ethically and morally difficult jobs on the planet, yet we treat medical ethics as a settled matter.

The original was written in 275AD. It was rewritten 60 years ago. Maybe let's not wait another millennium to fix this glaring problem that isn't going to go away. In the meantime, let's try and work from actual facts and not what we think we know. A tall order these days unfortunately.

Stay Greater, Flamingos.

[captaincoffeegirl515]

I just saw the live-action Mulan movie, and in short, it sucked.

It’s not worth the money! Not worth the 37 dollars you’ll need to pay so that you can merely rent the movie. Don’t worry, I pirated it. I didn’t give Disney any money, and I’m writing this so you won’t have to as well.

To think, my mom was so excited about this film especially since we are Chinese and the animated Mulan film was one of her favourite Disney films. But throughout the film, we were disappointed again and again.

First of all, the directing, camera work, pacing, and editing was terrible. The pacing of the movie was all over the place. The fight scenes especially, were so erratic and badly put together. Either they’d have the scene move at a normal pace but would cut and change to a new angle or perspective multiple times until you can barely tell if there were any hits or what they were doing. Or they would do slow-mo and do a zoom-in on Mulan’s blank, stiff face.

They had Donnie Yen, a famous martial artist and actor, doing some incredible swordsmanship and martial arts in front of the soldiers but then they ruined it by constantly cutting away from him to some random blank-faced soldier. What wasted potential!

Did I mention the blank faces. Everyone looked so stiff during the movie, barely any proper acting done. This was especially obvious with the Witch, whose face barely seems to move. The most emotional I saw her was when she had teary eyes, but still, the rest of her face stayed smooth.

My biggest problem lay with the fact that they took the sexism of the animated Mulan movie and managed to crank it up to a thousand. The whole concept of chi/qi was wrong. For starters, real chi lies in everyone, and it does not give you superpowers or suddenly makes you a good fighter. But in the movie, apparently only men can use chi and gain superpowers, and that if a woman somehow had chi then she’s a witch and must be outcast or killed. And it made it seem like the only reason Mulan could keep up with the men or be better than them was because she had these superpowers. I honestly have no words to express my anger and disappointment at this.

I understand they removed Mushu in the live action since it was offensive to Chinese mythology. But replacing it with a phoenix based on Greek mythology?? That made no sense. And not only that, the CGI was terrible. Not only did it look obviously fake, my siblings and I all felt like the phoenix was made of paper. One of them joked that it was a kite. The coloring also reminded me of the bird in Wings of Time that I saw in Sentosa Singapore.

Btw, Chinese don’t have any concept of witches or witch hunts. Lord knows why Disney tried to put more Western concepts when they wanted to make an Asian movie.

Moving on to the characters and their chemistry. In short, there was none. Little to none actually. I don’t understand why Honghui was supposed to be her love interest. No chemistry and barely any meaningful interactions. They met with him insulting her and continuing to insult her throughout most of their scenes. The “love interest” also spent a lot of his time staring at Mulan like one of those creepy perverts that you try your best to ignore. Is this really the kind of lesson you want to teach kids?

And Ling? Yao? Chien-po? What happened to them? Their names were barely mentioned and their characterizations were so one-dimensional. There were not enough scenes building them up as proper characters, which made them easily forgettable. Because of this, we also had trouble telling all of the soldiers apart, and this includes Honghui and Cricket. Cricket was initially mistaken as Chien-po. There was even less time emphasizing their friendship with Mulan. I also didn’t understand why the need to add Cricket in the movie as another soldier. Disney still didn’t give him any proper growth or arc beyond that one shining moment with the arrow. I also didn’t understand why he suddenly decided to play dead at the end of the corridor fight. Another “dramatic moment” that fell flat.

Where do I begin with the Witch? Shan Yu was an incredible bad guy already. Why did they try to make his falcon human and have her as a witch? For the most part, it seemed like she was just there to drive down the movie’s point that women should be subjugated. She had the power to kill Bori Khan easily, but… chose not to because she thought he would help make her not an outcast?? And even when she changed sides, instead of idk killing Bori Khan when he tried to shoot Mulan, she just… flew… in front of… the arrow… and died. Wow.

What was Bori Khan’s revenge supposed to be anyways? For the most part, it looked like he was trying to slow-cook the Emperor. Like what was up with the random forges and the 2 inch pool of lava?? Were forges back then even hot enough to make lava and have it stay red hot the whole time even when it was in that pool?? Also, swords do NOT melt that fast.

Also, the part where Bori Khan was talking to the captured Emperor was so unintentionally funny. Like at the end of every sentence he would just suddenly make sparks with his weapon at the Emperor’s face. If it was a one-time thing, it would have been fine. But he just… kept… doing it. And with every strike I just started laughing more and more.

The Emperor was… something. Of course he was probably one of the men who has chi powers judging by his sleeve attacks. Honestly, that part felt so random, my siblings and I were all laughing and going “what??”. His voice was so clearly dubbed in, and badly done. He also seemed to have been given the clunkiest dialogue in the movie. I also miss the scene in the animated movie where Shan Yu tells the Emperor to bow down to him and the Emperor replies, “No matter how strong the wind blows, the mountain cannot bow down to it.” because that line was awesome.

The sister’s character was also completely unnecessary. According to Disney, she’s to showcase Mulan’s devotion to her family and give her more motivation to do what she does. But?? She took her father's place in the war to protect him?? Wasn’t the whole point of her story is her pretending to be a man to protect her father from certain death?? Is that not already a huge motivational factor and shows her devotion to her family??

Does anyone else also find it weird that when Mulan was in the army, everyone referred to her by her full name? Like everyone had their first names and were called that, but for Mulan it was always Hua Jun? Btw for those not aware, with Chinese names, the surname is at the beginning. Hua is Mulan’s surname. So shouldn’t they be calling her simply as Jun??

Moving on, I have to bring attention to several of the changes in the movie. It’s like they cut out all the scenes that gave the movie an emotional impact and replaced it with bland scenes that didn’t add to the story at all. Her decision to take her father’s place in the war and steal his armor was replaced with some weird thing about her getting lost and the phoenix having to bail her out.

The incredible moment when Mulan gets the arrow from the top of the post was replaced by bringing two buckets to the top of the mountain. Anyone who is strong and determined enough would have been able to do that. With the arrow, she needed to think and strategize, using the weights to help carry her up. With the buckets, she just used her chi superpowers.

The drama and shock as the happily-singing soldiers come upon the destroyed village becomes a drawn-out traveling scene that has the General asking Mulan to marry his daughter, and then cuts to the army at the village.

The scene where it looked like Shang was going to kill Mulan but then he spares her because she saved his life is gone completely since they decided to split Shang into two characters instead. Even Mulan’s line where she says, “You believe Ping, why not Mulan?” was given to Honghui instead, robbing Mulan of her moment.

Honestly, there was no need for the Witch and her fight scene with Mulan, but apparently in the movie, chi is weakened by dishonesty. It’s weird that the Witch is even telling her that since they’re supposedly enemies, and telling her about the dishonesty will make Mulan stronger.

Another thing is Disney’s weirdly intense focus on arranged marriages and matchmaking, with multiple characters mentioning whether or not they are matched or asking others if they are. Even at the end, the sister goes “oh I am matched”. I didn’t see the point of having that in the movie.

I almost forgot about the trebuchet/catapult! The Rourans are supposed to be a Nomadic people. Where are they finding the time and energy to drag that gigantic thing around? I also have to mention that the Rourans had some incredibly good aim when firing at the soldiers but missed by a long shot when they fired at where Mulan was hiding. That was… dumb, to say the least.

How did Mulan even get there anyways? And how did she carry all those helmets with only two hands? I’m even giving her some leeway because there are people who can control a horse with just their legs. The actress for Mulan also has clearly never fired an arrow before and was not given training for it. The way she loaded the arrows and how her fingers sprung open like that screamed CGI arrows

And now I’m remembering the random horse gymnastics the Rourans used to turn around on their horse so that they could fire arrows while riding. It looked cool, yes, but I don’t think that was the most efficient way to turn around.

Back to the fight scene, Mulan managed to go from chasing the Rourans into the mountains and fighting the Witch, to back to where her army was, then somehow teleported to a different mountain behind where the Rourans were. She also somehow outran an avalanche?? She also killed her own men in that avalanche. Not the best plan in my opinion.

Ultimately, Mulan’s growth and arc to become a soldier and hero of China was undermined by the fact that she was already perfect due to her chi powers. There was no need for her to grow and train because her chi made her strong, her chi made her skillful. And because of this, she lost her relatability. I hate to say this, but she became a Marysue.

I don’t know where to put this but Mulan’s makeup and outfit for the matchmaker scene was the ugliest thing I have ever seen. Green eyebrows?? Really?? What happened to her face? What happened to her dress? Everyone’s costumes also felt unrealistically colorful for a poor farming village.

Lastly, I’m sure many of you know that Disney worked with, credited, and gave thanks to the Xinjiang authorities. Those authorities are responsible for imprisoning up to TWO MILLION Uighur Muslims in concentration camps, forcing them to learn and be patriotic about China’s communist doctrine and propoganda, not allowing them to practice their faith, and subjecting them to horrific conditions, torture, sexual abuse, forced sterilization, brainwashing, and other abuses.

To end this overly wordy review, I don’t understand why Disney would willingly get so much wrong. They tried very hard to make changes and appeal to the Chinese audience but refused to have Chinese creators to help with the screenplay, directing, costume and makeup, etc. Now all they’ve done is alienate said audience.

[evilmuffinlord]

Better Together-Chapter 8- Party Rockers

On to chapter eight, in which a party is attended, friendships are forged, and one kidnapping is foiled.

Thank you to everyone who has been so patient with this fic. I’m sorry it’s taken so long to get this chapter completed. Hopefully the next one won’t be quite as delayed.

Read it on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19985089/chapters/64346437

Or on FF.Net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13359634/8/Better-Together

Cover art by: https://mari-lair.tumblr.com/

Teaser below cut

“So, who’s ready to party?” Mina asked the crowd that had assembled in front of the school gate.

To her utter delight, the entire class had gathered there once school had let out. Sure, some looked bored, others hesitant, and Bakugou had needed to be physically dragged there by Midoriya, but they had all come in the end.

She’d honestly been expecting at least a few of them to skip out, given what they’d gone through that day. If she hadn’t been the one who had organized the whole thing, she would have been sorely tempted to. She’d put her all into the battle with Midoriya and Mineta earlier, and there was a very vocal part of her that just wanted to go home, soak her feet, and watch trashy T.V. for the rest of the evening.

But here they all were, ready to come out and have a good time with her. Her heart swelled with gratitude, and she promised herself that she would turn it up to eleven and be the best host of the best party that any of them had ever attended.

“I am!” Kirishima called, slipping into his role as ultimate wingman with ease.

“I must admit, I am rather excited as well,” Yaoyorozu said demurely. “I have never had the opportunity to visit a public karaoke parlor, especially not with friends.”

“Do you have strict parents?” Kaminari asked. “Or are there just no good karaoke places where you live?”

“Oh no, the movie theater we have at the house comes with a karaoke function. But neither of my parents particularly like karaoke, and asking one of the maids to join me felt rather disingenuous, since they would be obliged to participate no matter what their feelings on the subject.”

Mina took a moment to be absolutely blown away by the fact that Yaoyorozu’s family apparently had a private movie theater. It was obvious that the girl was rich, both from the way she acted and from the way she dressed, but that was another level of wealth entirely. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever met someone that well off before.

What she was sure of, however, was that she was definitely going to set up a girls’ night at Yaoyorozu’s place sometime. Now that would truly be an evening to be remembered.

“Well then, we’ll be sure to make your first time extra special,” Mina said, ignoring Mineta’s snort of laughter over the comment.

“My thanks,” Yaoyorozu replied.

“No problem!” Mina said, flashing her a bright smile. Then she clapped her hands together to draw everyone’s attention. “C’mon everyone! Follow me if you wanna have the best time ever!”

---

“You really know how to pick em Raccoon Eyes,” Katsuki said as they arrived at their destination.

Izuku would never say anything, but he had to admit the karaoke spot Ashido had chosen was a little… underwhelming. 

The building was a graffiti-covered concrete square tucked into a back alley, with only a small sign above the door to let them know that they had found “The Karaoke Cave.” The few visible windows were covered with thick paper to prevent any light from leaking in, and the door itself had seen better days.

Izuku was actually rather surprised to see so much graffiti, given the fact that they were still relatively close to UA. Most delinquents wouldn’t be willing to openly act out so close to the campus. He silently hoped that they wouldn’t run into the delinquents responsible. He had no desire to meet people that bold and rebellious.

“How about you try finding a place that will take a party of 20 students on short notice, and that we can still afford?”  Ashido said, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at Katsuki.

He grumbled a little, but didn’t say anything further. Ashido apparently took this as a victory, since she let a grin spread across her face and turned to face the group.

“Look, I know it doesn’t look like much, but that just means we have to make it fun for each other. So put on a smile, and get ready to sing your hearts out, because I’m making sure every one of you gets up on stage at least once!”

Izuku swallowed hard. He had been counting on blending into the background so he wouldn’t have to sing anything. It might still be possible for him to do that, but considering that Ashido was already looking at him and grinning evilly, he highly doubted it.

“You guys better be prepared to be awed!” Kaminari said, adopting a ridiculous pose that involved him crossing his arms in front of himself and extending his fingers into peace signs. “I’m an expert rapper!”

Jirou suddenly broke into a coughing fit that sounded suspiciously like suppressed laughter, leaning on Yaoyorozu for support. The reaction took a lot of the wind out of Kaminari’s sails, but did little to deter Ashido.

“That’s the spirit! C’mon guys!”

She led them into the lobby where a bored woman was in the middle of painting her nails at the front desk. 

“We have a reservation under—” Ashdio said, only to be cut off.

“Through the door over there, the third room on the right. You have it for three hours,” the receptionist said, not looking up from her nails.

Ashido deflated a little at the receptionist’s attitude. “Awww, you’re not even gonna let me say it?”

The receptionist shook her head, and finally turned her gaze towards them. “Nope. We get people putting down joke names every day, and I’m tired of it. If I hear one more person registering as the Donner party, I’m going to scratch their eyes out.” To emphasize her point, she flexed her hand and her meticulously painted nails suddenly lengthened and became razor sharp claws.

“Okaaaay,” Ashido replied, backing away slowly, “we’re just gonna go sing now.”

“Have fun or whatever. Don’t make a mess,” the receptionist replied, returning to her cuticles.

“Did you really put us down as the Donner party?” Uraraka asked, once they were a safe distance away from the terrifying worker.

“Nuh uh,” Ashido said, shaking her head, “I put us down as ‘Mina and the Chipmunks.’ I have no idea why she started talking about reindeer.”

“I believe she was referring to a different Donner,” Yaoyorozu said with a chuckle.

“Well that’s just confusing,” Ashido replied, pouting slightly.

Before their conversation could continue any further, they reached the room that they had rented.

To Izuku’s surprise, it was much more inviting than the exterior of the building would have implied. The room was large enough to house their entire class with only minimal squishing, and plenty of couches and chairs for everyone to have a seat when they weren’t singing. These were arranged around a large table that was covered in various menus and song lists. A pair of tablets were resting on it as well, with charging cords trailing off behind one of the couches and presenting a tripping hazard if they weren’t careful. Finally, a large T.V. took up most of the right wall, displaying the words ‘Karaoke Cave’ bouncing around on the screen while it waited for someone to use it.

“Whoa, this place is way nicer than I thought it would be,” Kirishima said as he stepped into the room.

“Yeah, I was kind of expecting a dump from the outside. Nice pick, Mina!” Hagakure said, dropping onto one of the couches. 

Ashido, for her part, looked relieved that everyone had come around on the venue. A massive grin was plastered across her face, and she was bouncing slightly as she looked around the room.

Izuku was glad to see her so happy. A part of him had been worried that she would take her loss during their mock battle earlier that afternoon hard, and maybe even hold it against him. Instead, she seemed to be just as upbeat as ever. 

“Yo, what’s with this song selection?” Kaminari called, brandishing one of the tablets over his head, “I haven’t heard of any of these.”

Jirou picked up the second tablet, then snorted when she saw what was on it.

“I bet you only listen to the top forty then. This stuff is old school. Like, I think my parents have a few of these on vinyl.”

“Perhaps they only feature songs that are in the public domain?” Yaoyorozu ventured.

“Maybe. Hope you guys like classics,” Jirou replied.

“Eh, I’ll make do. Now, let’s get this party started!” Kaminari said, picking up the tablet once more.

“Hold on a moment!” Iida said, loudly enough to grab everyone’s attention. It took a few moments for everyone to quiet down, which Iida took as a chance to move to the front of the room where they could all see him easily. 

“Given that Ashido was the one who organized this event, I think it is only proper that she is allowed to sing the first song. Assuming she wants to, of course.”

“I agree,” Yaoyorozu said, standing up as well, “If there is anyone who deserves to go first, it is the hostess.”

A chorus of agreement followed the statements, as well as some applause for the one who had brought them all there.

“Awww, thanks guys!” Ashido said, flushing a little bit at the applause. 

“Thank us by singing an awesome song!” Kirishima called.

“Now that I can do!”

Read the rest on AO3 or FF.net! Links available on my tumblr page if they get broken here again.

[our-time-is-now]

May, 24 2019 (1): At least you got the signatures

(previous play)

You can find more information about the authors, translators, content warning and additional information about the plays in the pinned post on our blog.

Friday, 6:05 pm:

David: *went back to Laura’s and his apartment sometime in the afternoon with Matteo and has been chilling with him on the bed playing some computer game* *is totally concentrated when Laura suddenly comes into the room without knocking* *looks at her indignantly because she usually never does that and is just about to complain when he sees and hears her talking on the phone: “Yes, Mama… no, otherwise everything is okay with us… no, he didn’t forget. He’s right next to me and waits for his turn on the phone… okay… yes… say hello to Papa… see you”!* *sees Laura hold out her phone to him with an apologizing look and immediately grimaces and shakes his head* *hears Laura whisper: “Today’s the 24th, it’s her birthday”!!!* *sighs and grimaces even more* *knows that if he doesn’t talk to her now, she will hold it against him in every future conversation* *briefly looks at Matteo, who is looking at him questioningly, and briefly shrugs – is going to explain all of that later – takes a deep breath and then takes Laura’s phone, who immediately disappears from his room* Hello Mama… Happy Birthday!... *listens to her for some time while she thanks him and tells him which of the relatives visited and who she celebrated with and what a shame it was that he and Laura weren’t able to come* Hmmm… yes, maybe again next year… No, I’m not really done… I still have to study in case I have to go to the oral exams… went quite well… yes… no… no… no, I think I’ll stay in Berlin… *sighs and tries to not sound annoyed* … still filmmaking… or art… *only adds the latter to annoy his mother* … yes, there are a few good ones… it’s Berlin, after all… *looks over at Matteo and slightly rolls his eyes* … quite good, actually… yes, like always every three to four weeks… no, I’m still waiting for the answer from the insurance… yes, I’m sure… *sighs* … yes, I thought it through… I know, that’s the point… *tries to change the topic* … and how is Papa? *listens to her for some time and hums every now and then* *at some point clears his throat* Listen, Mama, I have to go… I have a visitor… you don’t know him… Matteo… from school… *hesitates, but eventually says* We’re together… yes, together together… no, he knows… yes, imagine, he’s okay with it… *can feel again how much it hurts him that apparently it always surprises his mother that someone could like him even though they know that he’s trans* … I don’t know yet… yes, I’ll ask him… we’ll see… okay, see you… *ends the call, closes his eyes for a moment, groans, lets himself fall on the bed backwards and takes a deep breath* *always finds it really exhausting to talk to his mother* *looks at Matteo, who looks at him questioningly, and shrugs* Sorry… *grabs some chocolate from the nightstand and breaks some off* *needs either that or some beer right now* *holds the chocolate out to Matteo questioningly*

Matteo: *just like David, is surprised when Laura comes into the room without knocking* *realizes quickly that it must be their mother on the phone and tries to not make any noises* *listens to him and realizes that it must be about his injections* *would love to hug him but doesn’t want to interrupt or distract or make a sound* *grimaces slightly when David has to emphasize again that he has thought it through* *realizes that he doesn’t even know what David’s parents think about the whole thing* *bites on his bottom lip when David says his name and immediately shakes his head in case David looks at him* *doesn’t expect David to immediately tell his parents about it* *suddenly feels some anger rising when David says that he’s okay with it* *briefly has the urge to grab the phone and give his mother a piece of his mind* *sees David hang up the phone and fall back on the bed* *leans on his elbow, head on his hand, and looks at David* *would really like to say exactly the right thing, something nice, encouraging* *can only think of a stupid joke and simply tells it* I thought you killed your parents? *smiles a little and pushes some hair from his forehead with his free hand* *keeps his fingers in his hair and hopes that David knows that he’s there for him in case he wants to rant*

David: *looks at Matteo when he basically lies down beside him* *has to grin broadly at his next words* In my mind at least 50 times… *closes his eyes for a moment when he feels Matteo’s hand in his hair and realizes that he slowly relaxes again* *is used to such conversations but usually it takes longer to come down again* *opens his eyes again and looks up at Matteo* *then notices that Matte doesn’t know anything at all about his parents and explains* Don’t know… my mother somehow still questions all of that. I believe she’s been thinking for 10 years that it’s only a phase. And my father… he doesn’t really say anything. Really nothing. And if he does say something then I feel like he ignores the fact that I’m trans. He’s not really okay with it, at all… *shrugs* *is actually really glad that he doesn’t have to put up with it on a daily basis since he came to Berlin*

Matteo: *laughs slightly* Who hasn’t? *can practically see David relax a little and is somehow proud that he has that effect on him* *tilts his head a little when David starts to talk and listens to him attentively* *grimaces* Ugh, only a phase… sounds exhausting… *shakes his head* *carefully asks* Did you move in with Laura because of that? Well, I mean… a father who doesn’t talk to you, a mother who doesn't understand you… or… *shrugs*

David: *nods when Matteo says that it sounds exhausting and laughs drily* Oh yes… *hears his question and thinks* *would probably have to explain much more for Matteo to understand how it was really like with his parents, but first starts with answering his question* One of the reasons… it didn’t go that well in general. In school, everyone witnessed the transition and… well, they didn’t really know how to deal with that to say it nicely… and my mother always acted a little bit as if it was my fault and that I should show understanding that not everyone can accept it and always suggested that I should adapt a little bit more and stuff like that… the only one where I felt like she really understood me was my therapist. She has really strengthened me. But the situation at school didn’t get any better and then the sleep problems came along and… I had a couple of light panic attacks. And Laura had already been living in Berlin for a few years and suggested to my mother that I could move in with her. My mother was totally against me changing schools so shortly before Abi and we were arguing about it for a long time and at some point it was especially bad at school again and… well, you know my flight instinct… I simply got on a train to Berlin and showed up at Laura’s. *had been looking at the ceiling while he talked to be able to concentrate better, but now looks back at Matteo and smiles* *is glad that all of that is over now and that he mostly doesn’t have to deal with most of these things here in Berlin* *simply continues while looking at Matteo and grinning slightly* … and then… both Laura and I told my mother that I won’t come back… and then… I went to the new school here… and there I met this guy… and fell in love with him quite hard… and since then I’m really well distracted and only on birthdays do I get forced by my sister to talk to my parents…

Matteo: *listens to him* *frowns more and more while he talks* *feels the urge to protect David from al these stupid opinions and views flame up inside him* *is incredibly thankful right now that Laura exists and that she welcomed David with such open arms* *hasn’t taken his fingers out of David’s hair all this time and “squeezed” him a little more during some parts* *sees David look at him and hopes to have stopped his frowning and grimacing in time* *has to grin automatically when David is obviously talking about him and gets a little embarrassed* *under different circumstances would joke and ask who that guy is and that he would finish him off, or how insulting it is that he’s “only” a distraction, but somehow he doesn’t feel like it right now* *simply smiles and leans down a bit to give him a quick kiss* *quietly says* I love being your distraction. *smiles carefully* And I think it’s great that Laura helped you so much… and hey, you’re 18 now, now they can’t do anything anymore, anyways…

David: *smiles up at Matteo when he kisses him and declares that he loves being his distraction* Fits perfectly! *gets a little more serious and nods* Yes, Laura is awesome! I’m really grateful to her… *reaches for Matteo’s hand in his hair and entwines their fingers* *sighs quietly* Yes, but it still doesn’t stop my mother from arguing… *grins slightly* What do you think how long I had to argue for my mother to finally agree that I could get puberty blockers prescribed?! Or testo… *laughs quietly* … or the constant discussions why I cut off my hair!? *in hindsight and with the distance he has to his parents now, actually finds these discussions amusing, but back then it was a different matter* *sighs quietly* But at least now I don’t need their signature anymore… *plays a little with Matteo’s fingers while he talks*

Matteo: *keeps hold of his hand and keeps looking at him* *nods slightly and grimaces* *thinks it’s shitty that David’s parents didn’t think of the wellbeing of their child and only considered their own problems with that topic* *therefore asks* Didn’t they do research? *sighs quietly and shrugs one shoulder apologetically* And you haven’t seen them since you moved out? They don’t come here?

David: *thinks for a while about Matteo’s question and shrugs* I don’t even know… they did realize that I wasn’t totally the typical girl… and I went to therapy relatively early. When I finally knew what was going on with me and I told them, they didn’t really know what to do with it. They weren’t mad or anything, but they didn’t really take it seriously, either. And back then, there was a conversation with my therapist every 3 months where my mother had to come along. And she really talked to her about the topic together with me and gave her flyers and addresses. I do think that she did research, but I think that she was still hoping that it was all only a phase… *turns to his side to better look at Matteo and smiles slightly* *even though it’s a difficult topic, he likes telling Matteo about it* The doctors also gave her a lot of information… she did have to come along to the consultations and for the consent forms for puberty blockers and testo. *presses his lips together for a moment and continues* … but sometimes I think she only gave in so that the discussions would stop and because she was scared that otherwise I would pull back even further… *stops for a moment and then continues* And my father… I think he doesn’t want anything to do with it… he suppresses it somehow. He also avoids calling me by name or to use “he” when he talks about me. *shrugs again* No clue if he ever read anything on that topic. *turns back on his back, looks at the ceiling and shakes his head at Matteo’s question* They haven’t been here, yet… but I think it’s better like this. Laura and I went back once with a friend of hers, who owns a van, to get some of my stuff… Then, my mother was somehow… I don’t know… overprotective or something like that… but it somehow felt wrong. Laura says that she often asks when we’ll visit… she also just asked on the phone… *grins slightly* … she even said that I should bring you… but to be honest, I’m glad that I don’t have to argue anymore and that I’m left alone. And she isn’t serious about it, anyway! *looks back at Matteo to see if he has any more questions*

Matteo: *listens to him attentively* *in the meantime plays a little with his fingers* *nods and grimaces at the appropriate spots* Like I said, at least she signed… *is surprised that his mother said he could come along* Well, if you have to go there, I’ll come with you… as a distraction… I’ll wear run-down clothes for the occasion and only give short answers… then they can get upset about me… *grins slightly*

David: *smiles when Matteo says that he’ll come, but shakes his head* Believe me, you don’t want to do that to yourself… *then laughs at his next words* The way she is at the moment, she probably wouldn’t even get annoyed if you came naked… at least not in my presence… No idea what Laura then gets to hear because of that… *pushes his arm between Matteo’s propped-up arm and his head to pull him closer and to put his head on his shoulder and kiss him on his forehead once he has Matteo lying in the position he wants him in* *murmurs* But it would still be nice if you came along one day… at least we can complain about her together afterwards… *smiles at the thought of not having to face this alone anymore*

Matteo: *laughs slightly when he says the thing about being naked* I would distract them from you… *lets himself get moved by David and presses his nose against his neck* Of course I’ll come if you want to… and afterwards we’ll go get some ice cream and vent together… *looks up at him and presses a kiss on his chin* *then there’s a knock on the door and Laura comes in* *doesn’t move, Laura sees them on top of each other constantly, anyway* *sees her look at David worriedly and eventually say: “Wanted to get my phone back… and? How was it”?*

David: *smiles* Sounds good… *looks at Laura when she comes in but doesn’t move and only wraps his arms around Matteo more, so that it won’t even cross his mind to move* *points his head at the nightstand where he put Laura’s phone and then says with a shrug* Like always… school, university, if I’m sure I want the surgery… *huffs quietly* Oh, and she was surprised that I’m with Matteo even though he knows that I’m trans… and now I’m supposed to bring him along, one day… *sees Laura lift her eyebrows: “Seriously”!?* *nods and shrugs* *sees Laura address Matteo: “Think about it, if you want to do that to yourself… it’s not without reason that we fled to Berlin…”*

Matteo: *laughs and shrugs* Sure I’ll do that to myself… I’ll prepare a lot of bad jokes… and mention in every other sentence that I have no use for girls... it will be fine… *sees Laura laugh a little and look at him thankful: “Sounds like a plan… oh, by the way, are you guys going to stay? Do we want to cook something later”?* *nods* Yeah sure… I’ll be there in a minute to help you, ok? *sees Laura nod and grin and then leave* *looks at David when the door closes behind Laura* Everything all right?

David: *grins at Matteo’s answer to Laura and nods to the cooking* Oh, yes, I’d love that! Conversations with Mama are always so exhausting that I’m starved afterwards… *smiles when Matteo says that he’ll come help and adds* And I’ll come to watch you… *laughs quietly and looks after Laura before looking back at Matteo* *smiles when he sees his look and nods* Everything’s all right! *slightly smiles to himself when he thinks about the conversations from yesterday and today and says* Well, we wonderfully checked off the parent-topic within two days… and now we can turn our attention back to nicer things… *tries to pull Matteo on top of him and searches for his mouth to kiss him*

Matteo: *smiles when David says that everything’s all right* Okay, then… *also grins* Yes, you’re right… well done… *rolls slightly on top of him when he pulls and kisses him back* *pushes his leg between David’s and makes out with him for quite some time until he can hear Laura call from the kitchen* *lets go only reluctantly but does it anyways* I’m afraid we have to go help…

David: *enjoys the closeness to Matteo and even forgets for some time that they wanted to cook but then also hears Laura call* *at first tires to ignore it and grumbles quietly when Matteo lets go* *sighs* Okay… *waits for Matteo to climb off him and then gets up* *goes to the kitchen with him to help Laura*

(next play)

[mazojo]

Spring 2020 Anime Opinions

As I did last season I wanted to keep track of the anime I am watching this season soooo,,,,, Here are the ones I got to watch, unfortunately a lot of the ones I was planning to see got postponed due to COVID-19 bUt here are the ones I got to at least watch some episodes of (which, isn't very fair tbh because the order would change if the situation were different buT just some recsss). They are from the one I least enjoy to the most (although honestly ive been digging almost all of the anime I watch this season, we won here foLkz)

Yesterday wo Utatte

To be honest, I wasn't expecting to absolutely love Yesterday wo Utatte when I went into it because I wasn't very interested by the description but rather the art style. Its a cute anime about romance and falling in and out of love, the style is a bit different but I didn't loooove it per se. I thought it was okay and if you like quick romances with some emotional kind of story i’d give it a go.

Fugou Keiji: Balance:Unlimited

Okay okay I think its a bit unfair placing Balance Unlimited here considering only 2 episodes were released so I didn't have much to base this off but I still include it because those 2 eps sLaPPed and I hope people go watch it when it comes back in July. This would definitely be higher if I’d watch more eps but give it a go, cool characters, awesome music, fantastic visuals, we win.

Tower of God

I caught up to it last week as I was reading the webtoon to be sort of up to date to this season and I would definitely recommend ittt. I know some people complained about the adaptation but I personally think they are doing a bomb job, Khun is the love of my life, the art style is super unique and lively to the characters, the plot is interesting, did I mention khUN aGuerO??? ASDFG.... I must be honest and say the first episode wasn't the best in my opinion but it only gets better from there so i’d definitely recommend it if you like puzzle sort of adventure-like anime. Plus you get to see Khun so whats there not to love? asdfg ill stop

Destruction Flag Otome

Alright I know this one isn't exactly everyones cup of tea, but me, being the absolute comedy t r a s h that falls in love with this types of tropes absolutely loVed it. I read the manga but theres also a novel and some of the eps include things that weren't in the manga and I am guessing where from the novel and it gives me absolute LiFE. If you like trashy romances where all the characters are absolutely iconic and otome trash like moi, definitely recommend it.

Fruits Basket Season 2

Okay the first and second place are veeeery closely tied because ,,,,,,,,,,,,, they. Honestly I cant emphasize how much everyone should give furuba a go, even if you aren't into romance and what not, its much more than that and the amount of emotions each episode is able to transmit baffles me every single time and just.......... I really love everyone here okAy 🤧 Fruits basket is doing the story a lotttt of justice ;w;

Love is War Season 2

This may come as a surprise because I post waaaay more about fruits basket than love is war but honestly, the crown to this season goes to love is war in my opinion. Every single episode is so well constructed and done, the way they depict romance and comedy is absolutely flawless and when I think each episode cant get any better they prove me wrong and slaPs harder with another iconic one and eye-......... After watching this season I am definitely reading the manga

[nerdarchy-blog]

The follow up to 2017’s Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, on Nov. 17, 2020 fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons upcoming Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything must indeed possess powerful magic to contain so much stuff in 192 pages — the exact page count of its predecessor according to Jeremy Crawford, principal rules designer of the game. The product of 18 months work the book includes material for Dungeons Masters and players of 5E D&D alike. I had an opportunity to join the press briefing with Crawford and Greg Tito, communications and press relations director for D&D and let me tell you, sitting on this was really exciting. Reading and hearing what players speculated on and wanting to say, “You’re all right! It’s all in the book. All the character options and new stuff you’re guessing about are inside!” So let’s get into Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.

On the cover for Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything Tasha holds an ornate grimoire covered with symbols from the planes of existence in stunning art by Magali Villeneuve.

A delightful conversation about 5E D&D

No sense burying the lead — all the options and fresh new modular content you thought might be in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything is there. Subclasses for all the classes are in there. Alternate class features from the most popular Unearthed Arcana in the entirety of 5E D&D are in there. The artificer class is in there — including some tweaks, new infusions and the Armorer subclass that was loved by people, according to Crawford. The Aberrant Mind sorcerer, UA’s most highly rated content ever, is in there and so are many from the past year. Spell Versatility and new Beast Master Companions are in there and I know there’s untold numbers of players stoked to hear this. There’s new artwork for the Artillerist Artificer Specialist that was shared during the briefing too.

A human artificer balances his Eldritch Cannon on his shoulder as seen in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. [Art by Brian Valeza]

Like XGtE the book explores the titular character’s wonderfully complex point of view in comments on the content throughout, with nods to Tasha’s history in her comments and captions. One clue about Tasha’s mysterious origin reveals itself on the cover. The tattoo on her cheek is a chicken leg, which Crawford explained is an “echo of the chicken-legged hut that Baba Yaga lives in.”

A bunch of subclasses and class features only chicken scratches the surface of the scope of material. Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything is organized into four chapters. While perusing the material in the book readers learn more about Tasha and the lore surrounding her. Tasha’s life has involved the fantastic since the very beginning of her origins in the fey realms. As she became a brilliant and powerful wizard her adventures took her to other planes and dimensions so she is unfazed by beings of any sort, least of all her frenemy Mordenkainen.

Character options

Spells and magic items

Group patrons

Tools for Dungeon Masters

Customizing your origin is an important part of the development of the book and something the design team seems particularly proud of, for good reason. Players love the idea of more personalized character origin stories. I use This Is Your Life stuff from XGtE all the time and TCoE builds on that tremendously. Like, seriously a lot. The design goal was tools for players to create truly unique characters with amazingly magical origins and backstories.

This includes modifying traits during character creation to better reflect the story players want to tell and offers a lineage template with fill-in-the-blanks tools to totally personalize characters. The Lineage System introduces a new way to approach creating and playing characters and adventures in 5E D&D, a responsibility the design team takes very seriously as stewards of the game. During the press briefing Crawford and Tito explained how TCoE is one of multiple books demonstrating a shift in how D&D handles things like race.

Other changes include the removal of negative racial modifiers for certain races from Volo’s Guide to Monsters via errata. Crawford explained how their original intention for races like kobold and orc was as Monstrous Adventurers, separate from standard character options. This is why those options are included in their own section in VGtM along with options considered more powerful than standard in some cases, like yuan-ti and to a lesser extent goblins. Because this context is lost through the way so many players engage with 5E D&D through online tools and resources like D&D Beyond, it became a pain point for players and TCoE will include updated versions. Hooray for kobold and orc enthusiasts!

The Lineage System offers tools to create characters not bound by a species archetype. I love the way Crawford explained how this modular piece of content interacts with existing 5E D&D material. The core game, what is presented in the Player’s Handbook and other sources, illustrates an archetypal adventuring character like an elf. Choosing this option for your character represents playing Elfie McElferson in other words — the exact kind of elf that comes to mind when you think of D&D elves. The Lineage System gives players and DMs tools to disentangle characters’ personal traits with cultural traits. And worry not! The path to customization is very smooth according to Crawford, who emphasized it is not complicated at all.

Along with the new class options and alternate features players can customize how each class feels. This includes something that worms its way into the mind of every edition of D&D sooner or later.

Psionics! The Aberrant Mind is just one of the psionic themed subclasses from UA. Along with a few others, these psionic subclasses use a modifed version of the playtest mechanics, which Crawford described as “evolved.” I’m pretty middle of the road when it comes to psionics, neither thrilled to use them or abhorred by their inclusion in the game but I’ve got to say I really dug that Psionic Talent die so I hope that’s what he meant.

During the press briefing they did not get too deep into new spells and magic items in TCoE but there are some tidbits to share. For starters Tasha adds new spells of her own design to D&D canon. Tasha’s caustic brew and Tasha’s otherworldly guise are two mentioned and I’m excited to see more. Spells named for the wizards who created them evokes a sense of mystery and wonder in all D&D players and after all her incredible excursions and magical experimentation I’m certain Tasha’s influence on 5E D&D will be immense.

Spellcasters can boost their power with new spell focus magic items too, which sounds awesome. There’s got to be a magical cauldron, right? One of the magic items Crawford talked about sounds totally awesome — the Tarokka Deck. Not like, any old prophetic card deck though. This is THE Tarokka Deck, an artifact capable of trapping spirits. Can I tell you I lost track of what they said for a moment because I was daydreaming about a Ghostbusters inspired 5E D&D campaign.

Sidekicks (remember them?) get expanded in TCoE too. Resources to create your own customized sidekicks sounds like a lot of fun new toys to play with. When asked what the most surprising thing about the book is, Crawford revealed there’s a sidekick class. You can play as a Warrior, Expert or Spellcaster, which offers a slimmed down experience for perhaps new players or those looking for less complexity. This sounds awesome to me. I’ve used the Sidekicks content from UA several times and it is terrific, so more of that and more ways to use it can’t go wrong.

More than that though Crawford was surprised by “how much liberty players have to customize.” The Lineage System, tons of new class options and alternate features, spells, feats (wow I didn’t even mention those!) all combine to create more levers and dials players and DMs can use to tailor our game experiences and tell the kinds of stories we want with exactly the kinds of characters we imagine.

“Our work on the game is a delightful conversation with the community that never ends,” as Crawford put it. With tremendous amounts of fun, cool sounding new content like they’re brewing up in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, I don’t doubt it.

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A tiefling sorcerer levitates several feet off the ground. [Art by Kieran Yanner]

A lineup of four homunculus servants. [Art by Irina Nordsol]

The young wizard Tasha studies her spellbook in front of Baba Yaga’s hut. Looming nearby is Baba Yaga herself, watching her adopted daughter intently. [Art by Brian Valeza]

This is a massive tome holding secrets of ultimate evil. The exterior of the book reflects the evil within. The covers are made of dark demon scales, which are trimmed in rune-carved metal shaped to look like demonic claws. [Art by David Sladek]

Two wood elf lads swim in a glittering pond, which is fed by a waterfall that pours out of a face carved in a bluff. [Art by Robin Olausson]

A youthful merfolk king lounges on his throne underwater. [Art by Andrew Mar]

Using a psychic spell, a wizard battles a troglodyte underground. [Art by Andrew Mar]

Sidekicks will be expanded in the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. [Image courtesy Wizards of the Coast]

An alternate cover art version is only available through local game stores. [Art by Wylie Beckert]

A heavy, ominous storm brews at sea as clouds gather. But these are not normal storm clouds. These have formed into a churning mass of enormous skulls in the sky. [Art by Titus Lunter]

Oh! Are you still here? One last thing I’ll mention is the section on Magical Environments includes Eldritch Storms, magical fruits and magical roads, a Mirror Realm and a Mimic Colony. Stay nerdy.

Congrats! That new #DnD stuff you thought would be in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything is in there. #staynerdy The follow up to 2017's Xanathar's Guide to Everything, on Nov. 17, 2020 fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons upcoming…

[clairen45]

The Bridge Trope in Star Wars and what it may mean for IX

Besides being iconic markers in our daily lives, bridges are an awesome symbol:

transition and a boundary between sky and earth, life and death, real and imaginary, mortal and immortal,  good and evil, civilization and the wilderness,rich and poor, old and new

marking both a connection and a separation through time and space, between people, between places

Which is why, they are so easily used in stories as a decisive step in a hero’s journey, the Rubicon moment, the ultimate test, when through wit, trick, or strength, a bridgekeeper must be defeated. Let’s say it is a hero’s journey and fairy tale classic.

Add to that the fact that bridges are quite the war movie cliché, they are obvious landmarks to destroy, and vital targets to control. Destroying a bridge often means isolating and weakening the enemy, depriving it from communication and food, water, or medical supplies.

So, of course, we get to meet the bridge trope again and again in Star Wars. And, more often than not, the bridges we get are bridges of Death. From the Phantom Menace’s Duel of the Fates

To Han’s death in The Force Awakens.

It is actually fitting to say that both scenes constitute an interesting framing for the Skywalker saga. Duel of the Fates is a very apt name for the beginning of the saga. Remember that Anakin’s name is etymologically “Ananke”, that is to say Fate, Destiny. Anakin’s fate is in the balance there, and the end result of who gets to become his Master and teaching him about the Force is key. Had Qui Gon lived, possibly, there would not have been any Vader. As for, Han’s death in TFA, the constant play of words between sun and son, and the not so subtle imagery of light and darkness, is supposedly all about Kylo’s fate. If Qui Gon’s death is possibly the first step towards the fate that will turn sweet lovable Anakin munchkin into big bad Vader, Han’s death is the counterpart of this scene, thus the first step towards big bad Kylo turning eventually into lovable Ben Solo. And just as it took three movies to realize the Fate of Anakin, it will take three movies to realize the Fate of Ben Solo. But I digress. Or not.

Because both stories, which interact like mirror images of each other, are perfectly hinged around two other crucial bridge scenes. One in ESB. And one in ROTJ. You know what I’m talking about, right?

And these two are also counterparts. ESB’s bridge scene is Luke’s symbolic death scene: learning the truth about his father, and losing his hand, he would rather choose death and commit suicide. ROTJ’s bridge scene is Vader’s death and Anakin’s redemption, with Luke accepting the truth, Vader losing a hand, and choosing to save his son’s life. Even the placement of the actors emphasize this idea of mirror image. So Luke gets his Troll Bridge twice: he fails the test the first one, falling to the chasm and falling apart, and succeeds the second time around. Doing what? Throwing away his saber. Choosing love. Refusing to kill.

But I would also like to stress out that, from a certain point of view, Luke is not the only one who gets tested there on the Troll Bridge. Anakin, just like his son, also fails the first test and passes the second. In ESB, he has little to no love to offer and tempt Luke to his side: he offers the vague promises of the power of the dark side and ruling the galaxy together (which didn’t work with Padmé either). In effect, he is selfish, abusive, scarring his son physically and psychologically, and does not seem too distressed when Luke lets go and falls “presumably” to his death. In ROTJ, he chooses the losing side, standing against the Emperor to save his son’s life, which he knows, will eventually cost him his life. Thus, he is showing empathy and remorse, and saves Luke through a selfless act of love.

Yep, that is what the OT is about.

And, arguably, these two scenes constitute the very axis around which the other two trilogies are built. Hence my first “digression”.

It is also very interesting to note that in the four cases exemplified so far, the “bridges” in question are seemingly “reactor cores”, excuse my tech ignorance. These scenes are never about bridges out in the open, over a river, connecting two shores. They are always played out over a chasm, surrounded with energy fields, in dark environments with a possible fall into a bottomless abyss... Two possible interpretations:

because they are battle of the brains, moral battle of good versus evil within oneself. Inner battles. Think grey cells, cerebellum connections, as a map for these duels.

because they are battle of the heart. Issues of love. “core”

Honestly, I think they both go together!

Symbolically, they are your typical “choose the right path” bridges, the life and death, good vs evil bridges.

The many bridges of Luke

If you actually consider the OT, Luke’s journey is very much rhythmed by a series of bridges. Which might seem ironic for a boy coming from a desert planet with no water, and thus, no use or concept for bridges (besides rocky arch formation such as we see during the pod race in PM). But consider the last name GL decided to give him: SKYWALKER. That was not the orginial name he had chosen, right, since in first drafts Luke was called “Starkiller”. Consider then what a huge difference it makes when you move from a very martial moniker “Star/killer”, which is all about destroying life and light (and Luke actually comes from “light” etymologically speaking) to choose something that means: the one that walks the skies. Not flies. WALKS. And if you walk the skies, chances are you are walking on a bridge of some kind (like mythological rainbow bridges). Crossing a bridge is very much akin to walking the sky: you are suspended between heaven and earth. So even the name GL chose for his star family is all about “walking” on bridges.

The “bridge” moment in ANH is rather brief, but quite interesting. It is actually the “NO BRIDGE” moment, the one when Luke and the Princess find themselves locked out with no crossing, and stormtroopers shooting at them. This moment:

What does it reveal about Luke? His ingenuity, since he uses his farmboy utility belt to cross the bridge, but then also his instincts, the fact that he can rely on his roots (what he learned as a farmboy), his audacity, his ability to take a leap of faith (something that will play out later in his relationship with his father). But it also sets him apart as a different kind of hero. The NOT MY LUKE people should really pay attention to these details. Sure, he plays the hero, saves the damsel and everything, but in this scene they work together, she also gets to protect them, he trusts her with defending them, she is the one giving him a kiss for luck. This is very positive masculinity. Heroic, but not pushy. Manly, but respectful of women. Physical but also using his brain. Luke is such a dear.

In ESB, the big bridge moment is the one I already referred to. The moment of truth. Having these two characters on a bridge is very clever of course. It’s all about meeting in the middle. A bridge is by essence a balancing act. Can they meet halfway or will they cut all connections? Can opposites reconcile? Will they connect/reconnect? What better way to talk about human emotion and love than put them on a bridge, the very metaphor for communication, leap of faith, and the possible danger of reaching out to the other with your feelings?

But ROTJ goes even further with the bridge metaphor. Going with this when Luke reveals the truth to Leia...

To carry on with Leia and Han, where Han shows more of his emotions ans proves how supportive and selfless he can be when he is just there to comfort her in the end, putting away his jealousy and self-doubts:

Followed with this, for Luke and Vader’s first meeting since ESB when Luke calls him “father” for the first time and tries to bring him back:

To conclude with the bridge sequence already mentioned when Vader chooses to be Anakin all over again.

WOW.

And where does it all take Luke? To a water planet with NO bridges. Seriously. When VII opens, Luke has chosen to sever, metaphorically speaking, all the links to others. As if he had chosen to destroy every bridge that could connect him to Leia and the rest of the world. And when we see him going about the island, there are no bridges. He jumps from one cliff to the other. Interesting thing is on The Art of The Last Jedi you get to see some of the art concepts that they had for Ahch-To that included a lot of variation on bridges:

But eventually they went for the very design that removed any bridge from the place that Luke has chosen to spend the remaining days of his life until his death. Which is, I must say, a very good choice. He disconnected himself from the Force, he disconnected from people he loved not telling them where he hid, it made absolutely no sense to put him on a place that was covered with bridges. The bridges were meant to be burned.

That is... until one very last moment. Which is the perfect segway into my next chapter... Until the end. When he projects himself for one final face-off with his nephew. And that is a big bridge metaphor about reaching out across the stars. And we know that when Luke is on a bridge with someone he loves, this doesn’t mean harm or spite or revenge. Or even fighting. Bridges in SW are not so much about fancy duels as they are about love. Yep, even in PM. There is the love that Obi-Wan (yes, even a Jedi) feels for his master, and the need to extend and take care of a little boy that is all alone in this galaxy. A leap of faith. Love. Which means...

The ST is about crossing that bridge

Yes, there are bridges in the ST. And how Kylo and Rey are going to be able to cross over and meet each other. Let me explain. This happens at the end of VII:

Visually, it tells us that there seems to be no possible bridge between the two characters. Yet, the whole point is that they keep on looking towards each other. The bridge,aka the connection, is their eyes (mirrors of the soul yadiyada). And sure enough, comes VIII, and the bridge is there. WTF, will you say? What bridge are you raving about. Well... that one...

The Force bond.

And how do I presume calling this a bridge? Because...

It was I who bridged your minds

Interesting choice of words. But there it is. Put it as plainly and simply as you possibly can. The Force bond is a bridge, a spiritual bridge between Kylo and Rey. That’s quite something, right?

Which means that, there may be some physical crossing of some kind in IX. Now, I don’t want to be presumptuous and declare for sure, but it would seem like a logical concept. And on Vic Mahoney’s moodboard...on the left, some of the pictures seem very bridgelike...

And that’s also where I want to bring in that clever little TV kid show called Star Wars Rebels.

Take it to the Bridge

So Star Wars Rebels came before the release of TFA, in 2014, merely two years after Disney bought LF and therefore all the rights to Star Wars. Let’s look at what they did there and let’s wonder why. I don’t think that it was a random move on their part. They could, after all, have imagined something that took place right before TFA, or come up with the many adventures of Luke and the gang, or even spend more time on the Clone Wars, or go way back in the Old Republic. But no 14 years after ROTS, 5 years before ANH, is the time they chose. And came up with a totally new gang we had never heard of. Except that... well... the new gang got to meet A LOT of familiar faces. From all over the place: Hondo, Rex, Ahsoka, Vader, Leia, Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, Obi-Wan, Darth Maul, Yoda, Lando, C3P0 and R2, Palpatine, just to name a few... The point is that they get to meet people from the PT AND people from the OT. Thus (you know where this is going) bridging story lines. And, surprise surprise, what special name did they choose for their hero? Ezra Bridger. Gosh, that’s not even subtle, there. And by the way, what does Ezra mean? Helper. So Ezra helps bridging... aka, Star Wars Rebels helps bridging, connecting, if you will storylines. Towards a logical conclusion. And what is this conclusion, pray? The ST of course. And who stands on the bridge? Kylo and Rey.

Even better, what particular storyline did they preciously choose to keep to conclude this new Star Wars story:

the return of the Mortis Arc, balance

the World between worlds, and its very specific bridges that cross through time and space, and the possibility to alter the past/future, plus bringing back loved ones

looking for knowledge (last time I checked it was not so much about knowledge in the PT and OT). But Ezra’s story is all about knowledge.

love and sacrifice, saving the people you love (Ahsoka, Kanan, Ezra), and, come on, Hera and Kanan’s baby (by the way, Kanan is very reminiscent of Canaan, the Promised Land, so keep the prophetic aspect in mind)

Again, how will it play out in IX? I have some ideas but I really can’t tell whether it will show up or not. There have been rumors about an artifact (very SW Rebels) that would require both Kylo and Rey’s powers. So knowledge. So possibly with notions of Mortis implied in there (balance). Love, sacrifice, we have discussed a lot. Remain the bridges. I can totally envision an important scene taking place on a bridge, with Kylo and Rey embracing, or running to each other, or holding hands while everything else around them crumbles. I can also imagine a bridge playing out with an intimate scene as we got in ROTJ in the Ewok village, something akin to the terrace where Anakin and Padmé first kiss on Naboo and finally get married. Again, the film has already been shot. So too late for that already and there’s a fat chance that it won’t even happen. But since we got a bridge of death in VII with Han’s death, we need a bridge of light.

Which might just turn out to be the symbolic bridge of Rey and Kylo coming together and finally uniting the light and the dark sides...

Leaving Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water behind as a great Reylo vibe. Seriously. Reylo vibe, guys!!!!

When you're weary, feeling small When tears are in your eyes, I'll dry them all I'm on your side, oh, when times get rough And friends just can't be found Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down

When you're down and out When you're on the street When evening falls so hard I will comfort you I'll take your part, oh, when darkness comes And pain is all around Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down

[kingdomofkitten]

The Wedding: Part 7: The Build-Up

*it is finally the big day, as everyone is getting the wedding ready to go. With the two parties, they’re getting themselves dressed up*

Retsuko: *setting up her veil* ….I don’t know, it doesn’t look quite right. Looks a little crooked.

Tsunoda: Oh, NOW you’re worried about how good things look.

Retsuko: Hey, it’s different when it’s on you!

Rie: Honey, relax. You look great!

Hiroko: Yeah! Chill a bit, my bro will love ya no matter what!

Retsuko: ….well, yeah. That part I know for certain.

Harumi: So you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

Retsuko: Yeah….heh.

Riko: What’s up?

Retsuko: I don’t know. Just...something about Haida, and Ryuu...kinda makes me think about Ikari a little bit.

Hiroko: ...huh?

Retsuko: Er, nothing! I-I’ll chat with Haida about it later.

Harumi: Oh. Um, alright.

Retsuko: Yeah….um, what time is it?

Tsunoda: *checks phone* It is-*GASP!* We need to get a move on! We don’t have much time!

Retsuko: UH, a-alright!

Rie: Just put a little lipstick on, you look fine otherwise!

Retsuko: Uh, right! *gets lipstick on her mouth* ...I wonder if Haida’s stressing out as much.

*MEANWHILE!*

Haida: *setting up his tie* ...so, how do I look?

Ryuu: Oof, you SURE this guy’s gonna be my brother-in-law, dad? *snickers*

Haida: H-hey!

Ryota: Ah, all in good fun!

Ookami: Being real, you look about as good as a groom could probably look.

Hisoka: You look great, son…*sniff*

Haida: Aw, dad, c’mon, not now!

Hisoka: S-sorry! Just...oh, my son’s about to get married, I feel like I need to shed a few tears!

Ryota: Don’t feel too bad, I’m probably going to be crying a ton giving my baby girl away...er, happy tears, rest assured.

Haida: Heh, thanks.

Ryota: ...er, listen, Haida. I know, I probably shouldn’t be one to talk about this, given...well, some of the stuff I’ve done, but...treat her well, okay? Treat her the way a good man treats his wife.

Haida: O-of course, sir! I will try to make sure I treat your daughter with the utmost respect and dignity!

Ryota: *chuckles* I don’t think she’ll care so much for that, I think she just wants to be loved!

Haida: Well, I will love her until the end of time.

Ryota: Wonderful.

Ryuu: ...I, uh, I wish you two all the best...brother.

Haida: Hehe, dude, you’re still uncomfortable? I thought you warmed up!

Ryuu: It’s all still a little much for me, I’m just trying to take it all in.

Haida: Ah. Well, maybe some time soon, you and I can hang out again, do some more brother-in-law bonding, huh?

Ryuu: ...alright. :)

Haida: Awesome!

Fenneko: *opens the door* Is the dum-dum ready to go, or do we need to wait another five hours?

Haida: Er, just about, Fenneko!

Fenneko: Alrighty. If you guys wanna go out to the lobby, I’ll make sure Haida didn’t forget anything. Spoilers, he probably did.

Ryota: Very well.

Hisoka: *pats Haida on the back* See you out there, sport!

Haida: Thanks, dad! *they leave, with he and Fenneko the only ones there* So, did I miss anything?

Fenneko: Let’s see...ah. *fixes his collar* There. Now you look something vaguely resembling presentable.

Haida: Hahahaha. *Fenneko goes over to check on herself in the mirror* ...say, can I ask you something?

Fenneko: I dunno, CAN you?

Haida: No, being serious here...why ARE you so hellbent on me and Retsuko being a thing? Like, you tried to help in the hospital, you were quick to help me figure out Retsuko wasn’t going out with someone, you even helped us try to calm down Ryuu. You just overall seemed to want us to be together. Even willing to pay for the wedding! Seemed kinda...weird, I dunno.

Fenneko: …….you….you really want to know?

Haida: ...what, is there something to it?

Fenneko: Erm...kinda…….look, what I’m about to tell you? It does NOT leave this room. Under any circumstances. Got it?

Haida: S-sure! No problem!

Fenneko: Okay. So…..when you and I first met…….I MIGHT had gotten a bit of a crush on ya?

Haida: ...what?

Fenneko: I should also emphasize HAD. It’s dead now. But yeah, for a brief time, you were actually the one thing that warmed up my cold, black heart.

Haida: ...h….how long did this happen?

Fenneko: Erm, not too terribly long. I think over time, I quickly started just seeing you as a good buddy, more than anything. Pretty sure the first time I saw Tsunoda as a hot piece of ass was the final nail on the coffin.

Haida: I...huh….so, how does that correlate to-

Fenneko: I’m getting there, you impatient Ingrid. :3

Haida: Right, sorry.

Fenneko: I kinda just happened to notice you crushing hard on Retsuko, and sort of figuring out stuff between you two, and...well, realized you two would actually be pretty badass together. So, I wanted to see you two happy together more than anything. Like, that’s kinda my high...in fact, it actually kinda reminded me of something you told me.

Haida: Yeah?

Fenneko: When you and Retsuko actually started getting real serious in the relationship, I remember you being just so awestruck by how much you genuinely loved her. Like, whenever we got the time, and the alcohol in our systems, you would just list off every single wonderful thing about her you could think of. And I remember this one day, this one fucking day, you said this thing that, at the time, I didn’t really get, but it soon sunk in. You said you were so in love with her, that even if you two were to break up, you wouldn’t even feel too bad, because you now cared more about her being happy, than her being with you.

Haida: ….you know, I...I do remember that.

Fenneko: Yeah. I guess I sorta realized that was kinda my motto for you two. Like, if somehow I wound up with you, that would be kinda cool, I guess. Hell, truthfully, I wouldn’t mind hookin’ up with Retsy. But if it had you two being happy and in love with each other, then quite frankly, I would be much more satisfied. To see those faces staring lovingly at each other, with your own little bundle of joy in your arms...that would bring me so much more joy than any 4chan member could ever do.

Haida: ...wow...well, uh...I must confess that after knowing you for as long as I have, I unfortunately don’t really have any romantic feelings for you.

Fenneko: “Unfortunately”? Dude, that’s a godsend. I don’t wanna waste all this money, just so you can flip-flop on Retsuko.

Haida: But...I do appreciate all the help you’ve given. Is there any way to repay you?

Fenneko: Just listen to Retsuko’s dad, and treat the girl right. That’s all.

Haida: Will do...so, uh, is there anyone that IS warming your heart at the moment?

Fenneko: Tsunoda, duh. ;3

Haida: Heh, I never thought you would ever say that!

Fenneko: Me neither. But yeah, she...I dunno, she’s still a bitch, and gets on my nerves, but...I don’t think I’ve ever felt so close to someone as her. Even when it was you, I don’t think it ever got this bad.

Haida: You’re starting to see how I felt with Retsuko! *chuckles* ...well, if you need any real help expressing yourself to her...I’ll try to help out whenever I can. To pay you back. :)

Fenneko: ...you...you mean it?

Haida: Yeah! What are friends for, right?

Fenneko: ….*hugs him* thanks, dude.

Haida: *hugs her back* No problem.

Fenneko: *breaks the hug, and starts making her way to the door* C’mon, let’s get you hitched already. You get to the aisle, I’ll check up on the bride.

Haida: Okay...ah, man, today’s going to be awesome. All these years, leading to my special day, with the girl of my dreams. ^_^ I just hope she says I do...but I guess even if she doesn’t, that’s okay, right? I mean, as long as she’s happy...then again, there’s Ikari, that would complicate things. How would he feel? Well, I guess he’s a baby, he probably wouldn’t care. Actually, if the wedding is off, would that break us up, or just keep us in the boyfriend-girlfriend stage? Or would we stay in the fiancée stage? Oh, whatever it is, I hope we don’t have to go through tha-

Fenneko: Dude, if you don’t get going, I will marry the damn bride myself.

Haida: Gah! Sorry! *follows her* ….wait, I thought you wanted Tsunoda?

Fenneko: Do I look like I care? :3 *closes the door* Besides, I don’t mind trying to do that, given I have the power to wed you two.

Haida: ….huh?

Fenneko: Oh, didn’t I tell you? I got ordained just for this occasion! *starts walking ahead of Haida*

Haida: *standing in the hallway* …….you got WHAT?!

Now, I hear the lot of you. “Jacob, you just posted Part 6! How the hell did you post Part 7 so fast?! You should be taking longer than System of a Down takes to release a new album, you lazy piece of shit! I bet you had your thumbs up your bumhole throughout the entire time you were supposed to be writing, considering what a slob you are!”

Firstly, uh, wow, a bit rude.

Secondly....IIIII kinda finished this one up way early? Yeah, I was trying to do a thing where I had some parts done beforehand, so I have a clearer idea of where I want the story to go....ended up not going with it fully, but it did allow me to finish this! So, now, I have one (well, technically two, there IS an epilogue) more chapter left! And it’s a BIG one! With paragraphs! Narration! And even a big bit of art that I plan to show at the end!

And I wanna get this done before either May 31, or June 14, when Season 2 comes out!

Somebody please kill me, for the love of God! :D

[shinneth]

Gem Ascension Tropes (General: A - B)

Full, Superior Alternative on Google Docs.

So, I’ve been on the fence as to whether or not to publicly share this. In the end, it’s really nothing more than a project of self-indulgence. However, it is 100k+ words of self-indulgence and it does involve a story at least a decent number of my followers have read and liked. I also talk about a lot about Stevidot and all the characters in general for this project. Considering I haven’t written anything since the end of August (and real life interference is finally affecting my ability to reliably produce anything of substance since then), I figured it was only fair to offer something. I do still have the itch to write; I just really don’t feel comfortable doing it if I myself am not in a good state mentally or emotionally.

Why did I make this? Well, I’ve mentioned in the past that my other super-huge, much-more-popular story Travels of the Trifecta! eventually gained enough notoriety to not only make it to the Fanfic Rec list on TV Tropes, but a few readers were even gracious enough to make an actual trope page for the story itself. However, despite great temptations, I never once contributed to the page myself, for fear I’d never get the story done because of how addictive and time-consuming that site is. 

I was naively hoping Gem Ascension (or at least Bottled Up, which is easily my most popular story outside the main GA series) might get the same honors. But back then, I was also new to the fanbase and didn’t realize just how badly Stevidot as a ship was wrongfully considered an immoral ship... and still is. So that’ll probably never happen for real. 

That said, so long as I completed my initial 3-act series for GA, I considered it fair game to play around with tropes that I could associate with it. And I finished that sucker in record time. So, since the early months of Summer, I’ve slowly compiled a list of tropes for my GA continuity - so far for general coverage and character-specifics only. 

They’re similar to my GA Reference Tour posts in that aspect. Like I said, though, the entire document is over 100k in length, so no way is that all going up at once. The general listing is big enough to make me think it won’t fit in one post, either (especially as I continue to waste space rambling here). As the length alone proves, I was right to avoid doing this for Trifecta.

I wouldn’t consider it a complete (or even entirely accurate) listing; the character sections are very lop-sided in terms of content, but that’s a little justified, at least. Anyway, I did make some new art for certain character sections in future posts, so I figured this would at least be a neat way to share them. I’ve linked said tropes and everything. It’s really only worth a read if you’re that interested in getting some more in-depth details to the GAverse that I haven’t really covered here properly yet. But it does technically count as Stevidot content, so there’s the grab.

Beyond the spoiler cut, there are no marked spoilers. I’m not savvy enough to go THAT far with the style... plus, the main series has been complete since early March and it’s now October. Just... if you recently found the story, haven’t finished it, but actually intend to do so, look on at your own risk, I guess. 

Well, let’s see how much I can actually fit in here. And whether or not it’ll format properly. 

Edit: Turns out, only up to the K Tropes. Loooooovely~. Looks like I’m gonna play it safe and cut this after the Bs.

Edit II: As a bonus, I see the links being retained when I edit this post, but they won’t appear on the post itself. Just. Awesome. I may just put this up on Google Docs as an alternative if anyone cares that much about having the hyperlink access. That link is up. I’ll need to neuter these things something fierce so the hyperlinks will appear again.

GEM ASCENSION CONTINUITY TROPES

 GENERAL

 A Day in the Limelight: Act II as a whole functions somewhat like this; Hero Protagonist Peridot, save for the short final scene at the end of the act, is completely absent. She is frequently talked about and is featured in prerecorded Video Wills, but the 8 chapters Act II is comprised of are dedicated to the 8 remaining members of the main cast. Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst, Connie, and Steven – characters who had much less time to feature in Act I due to being captured during the first half – all have chapters entirely dedicated to them. Greg, despite being part of GA from the start, also had limited time to feature in Act I past Chapter 3 due to being a Non-Action Guy. His chapter is one of the longest; Greg is also involved in a subplot with Bismuth and Lapis, and as of Chapter 7, he receives a Rank Up and officially becomes a legit member of the Crystal Gems.

A Fate Worse than Death: Pallification. Not only worse than a gem’s shattering, but even corruption. It’s similar to corruption in that a gem is technically still alive, but their consciousnesses are greatly compromised. While a corrupted gem is more akin to a mutated rabid animal until a cure is found, a pallified gem’s body – while usually maintaining the integrity of its physical form – has been rendered soulless. Once White Diamond supplants their conscious minds with her own, she boots them out to parts unknown (she doesn’t even care enough for her own subjects to figure out what exactly she’s doing to their conscious minds) with no way for them to find their way back to their original body. It’s not even made clear whether or not a gem’s consciousness is killed off outright the moment White infects them. So, a pallified gem is basically condemned to eternal purgatory. Naturally, even after the events of GA, there are still millions of gems afflicted with this condition with no known cure to ail them. With White Diamond herself shattered at this point, these victims are little more than vegetables at best.

A Friend in Need: It must be stressed that the objective from the start of Gem Ascension was not to overthrow the Diamond Authority (and certainly not to destroy Homeworld itself): it was to rescue friends who were in trouble. Steven, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Connie were all imprisoned on Homeworld with no means to truly escape, so Steven resorted to sending an SOS to the Crystal Gems on standby on Earth. After taking charge of this mission, Peridot greatly emphasized their objective being a quick in-and-out after rescuing their friends as quietly as possible. Then the mission escalated with much higher stakes, but the objective remained the same. Act I concluded with all of the Crystal Gems safely escaping Homeworld and returning to Earth… save for Peridot. The follow-up mission, consequently, had the same objective: rescue Peridot, then escape. It was later amended to rescue all of Homeworld’s native gems once it was discovered that Homeworld itself was going to fall apart very soon. The revolution that came about with Homeworld’s destruction and the fall of the Diamonds were merely byproducts of the rescue mission. Only Pearl seemed to anticipate this kind of result, but none of the Crystal Gems were prepared to be responsible for keeping Era 3 going on Earth in Homeworld’s absence (as well as the Diamonds’). 

Acceptable Targets: In-Universe, the lower you are in the caste system on Homeworld, the more you’re expected to take abuse of any kind from any gem of a higher class. This is Who I Am goes further into depth on this topic; it’s revealed Peridots have no rights when it comes to being mistreated by gems above their class. Even worse, it’s illegal for a Peridot to antagonize a gem of a higher caste for any reason – yet it’s perfectly legal for elite gems, such as quartzes, to do whatever they wish to a Peridot so long as it doesn’t permanently damage them or compromise whatever mission they’re assigned together on. Yes, even if a low-caste gem is raped (like Peridot almost was), it’s legal and the victimized gem is fully expected to suck it up and deal with it.

Adaptation Expansion: Not only does the GA series serve as an alternative to Change Your Mind, but it frequently brings up events from past canon episodes. This isn’t done for nostalgia’s sake, but rather to expand on said scenes and observe them with a different lens. Through this, scenes in the show readers have seen multiple times can yield some new discoveries with the additional details and questions posed within the GA narrative.

Adaptational Alternate Ending: Takes place shortly after Escapism in the show. The first few minutes of Change Your Mind are canon to the fic (mainly Blue Diamond’s Heel-Face Turn), but it’s completely off the rails from there on out. So, it’s basically an alternative ending to Season 5.

After-Action Healing Drama: In Chapter 5 of Act I, after Peridot got caught in a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown with 9FC and sustained severe injuries in the previous chapter, the recently-rescued Steven uses Lion to take himself and Peridot somewhere private so he can heal her many injuries.

All For Nothing: The battle with White Diamond in Chapter 6 of Act III is this, as that wasn’t the real White Diamond to begin with. The Crystal Gems just wasted a load of time and energy on a proxy, and it’s the realization of this trope that causes said battle to abruptly turn in White’s favor, ending in a Curb-Stomp Battle with the Crystal Gems on the losing end.

Due to this aspect of the battle, it means Rainbow Quartz 2.0’s scheme to siphon off some of White Diamond’s essence (to later use for a cure for corruption and pallification when they return to Earth, knowing White’s never going to help willfully) was also a waste, and what Pearl and Steven gained was just the essence of a bunch of dead gems. Pearl has a bit of a minor Heroic BSoD in Chapter 7 over this, but Garnet pulls her out of it and encourages her to not give up on the endeavor.

All Up to You: The premise of Gem Ascension: Peridot, Lapis, Bismuth, and Greg step up to rescue their A-Team friends against all odds. 

Alternate Continuity: This story takes place shortly after Escapism. Beyond the first few minutes of Change Your Mind, it becomes canon divergent from there.

Anachronic Order: After Gem Ascension’s completion, a set of stories was released throughout the month of May that all took place in Gem Asension’s continuity (save for one, technically, which took place a while before GA starts and has no connections to said continuity outside of being referenced in a few of the other stories) for Stevidot Month. Justified, somewhat, as they were only released out of order due to representing at least one of three prompts assigned for the five weeks of Stevidot Month, and Word of God planned much of this on the fly. A couple of stories were pre-prepared (Plans Change and This is Who I Am’s first chapter), but didn’t fit any prompts other than the ones assigned to the final two weeks. Since May’s conclusion, all stories (in their AO3 incarnations) have been put in a collection and are arranged in chronological order.

Bottled Up is the only story that averts this, as it chronologically occurs before all the others listed here and was also the first one released in May. However, since it does take place a good amount of time before GA’s starting point, it can easily be read as a standalone. The same cannot be said for the stories following it.

My Time is Now, which properly introduces Sphalerite (who only got an unnamed, featureless cameo in Act III and spoke the very last lines of the story), takes place no more than half an hour after Act III’s conclusion, but it was also the last story released in May. 

Second-to-last was Plans Change, which took place only a few hours after the aforementioned story. 

This is Who I Am chronologically falls roughly half a week after that, but its first chapter was released in the middle of the month.

Peri-dise: The Capitalist Anarchy takes place about 1-2 months after GA Act III, making it currently second-to-last in GA’s overall continuity, but was the third story released overall during May’s second week.

It’s a Birthday, Yes It Is takes place in late August, making it the furthest-removed from GA’s timeline by 3-4 months (until the release of Our Tomorrow – a direct sequel to this story taking place exactly one year later, but won’t be listed here as it was made long after Stevidot Month ended). It was the second story released for Stevidot Month. 

Anyone Can Die: The moment White Pearl and Blue Diamond die (relatively close to the same time) by Chapter 6 of Act I makes it apparent no punches will be pulled in this story; especially after it’s made clear how much of a Complete Monster White Diamond is in this continuity. Yellow Diamond falls two chapters later, and at least for a short while it’s presumed Peridot met a similar fate. There’s also the concept of pallification, which renders several hundred gems functionally dead in Act I alone. The majority of the gems left on the planet end up pallified by the time the Crystal Gems return to Homeworld in Act III. By the climax of said act, White Diamond self-destructs. On a smaller scale, almost every original character introduced in GA either dies or is already dead upon introduction. 5XF is the only one so far who averts this.

Astral Projection: An aspect of Steven’s developing powers in Act III. During Chapter 4, an all-pink astral projection of Steven travels into Peridot’s subconscious to find out what White Diamond did to fragment her mind. A bit later in Chapter 8, astral projections of Steven and Peridot are seen superimposed over the corporeal forms of Pink Diamond 2.0 and Chartreuse Diamond to signify both coming to terms with their Alter Egos becoming part of them and becoming whole.

Autodoc: The restoration machines that are abundant and scattered across Homeworld, which the Crystal Gems use to speed up the recovery process for Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl at the end of Chapter 6 of Act I.

Badasses in Distress: All of the imperiled Crystal Gems at the start of the story qualify. After Act I, Peridot takes their place.\

The Big Damn Kiss: Steven gives Peridot a pretty significant one in Act I’s final chapter right in the middle of a large and busy battlefield before they split ways to help their friends. Punctuated with a deliberate Shout-Out to Gem Drill.

Big Damn Reunion: Chapters 6 and 7 of Act I is this, as is Chapter 5 of Act III for the follow-up rescue mission.

Birthday Episode: It’s a Birthday, Yes It Is serves as one for Peridot. It also loosely applies to Steven, as his birthday is less than two weeks before hers and is frequently referenced (the pair’s chronological ages are 14 and 15 respectively by this point). Our Tomorrow is a direct sequel to the aforementioned story taking place exactly a year later, making Peridot 15 and Steven 16.

Bittersweet Ending: GA’s conclusion in a nutshell. The Diamond Authority is no longer a threat to anyone, but Homeworld is destroyed, meaning the Crystal Gems have to directly deal with the fallout of this particular revolution while ensuring Earth’s safety. Now they have thousands, if not millions of gems to help adapt to life on Earth and teach the concept of independence and free thought. Homeworld’s colony planets are doomed to civil disorder and collapse unless the heroes directly help, but that also presents a risk if they don’t play their cards right. Peridot and Steven’s lives are irrevocably shaken in their own right, and they’re the ones who’ll have to be the most involved in helping the Homeworld refugees. And there’s still the matter of curing not only the corrupted gems, but now the pallids as well. While GA ended the best way it possibly could, given the circumstances, there’s still a lot of work ahead for the Crystal Gems… and a lot of it will be unpleasant/awkward at best and outright life-threatening at worst. 

Blank White Void: The nature of the Pocket Dimensions featured in Act III, save for the one Steven is initially imprisoned in at the end of Chapter 3.