#I'm waiting for them to show up in the anime to compile some posts about them

[dunmeshistash]

Are there any daydream hour drawings of Lycion?

A few! I'll send some here but I downloaded my version of the daydream hours from this link

There's more but these are my favorites!

[plague-karm]

Right time to analyse this shit because god dammit I have been silently making theories about this show the second I saw the premise I’m about to become the most annoying person on the planet on god so LETS GOOOOOOO-

First things first the animation looks fucking phenomenal (let Kevin Temmer cook, that man can do no wrong). Also Caine the guy ever, he is the silly and I love him wholeheartedly, he’s just a fucked up little guy who’s living his best life fr.

And also NEW CHARACTER HELLO.

They do be circling though.

THE SILLIES ARE HERE LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOO 🎉🎉🎉

Smiling Gangle spotted ten seconds before disaster, no thoughts head empty indeed.

ALSO I WASN’T EXPECTING STUFF OUTSIDE THE CIRCUS BUT IT’S A WELCOME SURPRISE WHOA

They have come to steal your credit card information.

The thoughts I had of Ragatha being the lone brain cell keeping everything together were completely correct I CALLED IT- (it has been said by Gooseworx that she has been there the second longest so she’s probably gotten used to the zaniness by now…maybe)

A door that leads to a void?

Maybe it has something to do with this room in the teaser trailer? Possibly.

Tumblr sexyman spotted.

''If there was a way to leave I'm sure we'd have all left by now''

They're ✨suffering✨

This caught me off guard when I first saw it lmao (holy FUCK I love Zooble's design, they're everything to me).

''Welcome to your new home...AND your new body...''

So they're aware that they were human before they entered the circus? That's interesting considering what happens in a few seconds (I'll get to that soon). It's also worth mentioning that Gooseworx has stated that their clothes ARE a part of their bodies.

Case in point...

At the end of the character introduction compilation Gooseworx posted to their YouTube channel Pomni is heard saying something along the lines of

''How do I...take this...headset off?!''

I saw a few people theorizing about her talking about a VR headset and that was how she entered the circus to begin with (I had the same thoughts until very recently). However, considering how much of the visuals and character designs are based on old media (also a teaser image was set up as the menu screen for a retro game), I'm beginning to think that this isn't the case.

So it's incredibly likely that Pomni is actually talking about her jester headpiece since she can't take it off.

This scene is probably the first time Pomni sees her new body, pinwheel eyes and all.

''I'm fine with whatever, as long as I get to see funny things happen to people''

I love him he's so unbothered.

I'm sad that we didn't get to hear any dialogue from them but I can't wait to see them in the pilot! Kinger is love, Kinger is life.

''After a while you start to realise that you really can't leave, and constantly chasing an unattainable goal will start driving you a little crazy''

She's a little fucked up actually wow who saw that coming.

It sounds like Ragatha tried to leave a few times and just resigned to her fate after a while, her description DID say that she was the ''sweetest little optimist in the digital circus'', so maybe she's told the others that escaping is impossible and that they should make the best of their situation instead? (Also the framed picture of the right looks like some kind of void, a lot of void imagery here).

Also, Gooseworx released this image a short while ago and it has the same background that Ragatha had while she was talking so she's DEFINITELY talking to Pomni here.

''OH GOD! WHY CAN'T I REMEMBER MY NAME?!''

EXCUSE ME? Okay time for some more speculation. I knew that their names definitely weren't their real ones but I wasn't expecting them to forget them!

Now, since the premise is said to be centred around Pomni and the others getting messed with by AI and their traumas, maybe instead of forgetting what their names were, they actually REPRESSED their memories from when they were human due to the trauma they went through? (Which would include their names)

I don't buy that they've COMPLETELY forgotten who they were (Zooble is aware that the body they're in isn't the one they used to have so I'm guessing everyone else knows that too.)

I'm guessing that their human lives absolutely SUCKED and they've now repressed their trauma to the point where they can barely remember who they were in the human world, this is just speculation.

''Thank goodness this is all a dream, right Pomni?''

What a sassy little guy (it's so weird hearing Michael Kovach sound so reserved, he's normally feral as hell playing these kinds of characters). The little mannequin symbol on the door is probably there for when new people stumble into the circus.

She's definitely seen some shit, I wonder what it could be though?

OH MY GOD THERE'S MORE OF THEM 😭

Wow this background looks...oddly normal. The only thing I can think of this being is Pomni witnessing a flashback of her human life before she showed up in the circus.

''You completely lose sight of who you are and why you're even alive and when you reach your breaking point something REALLY terrible can happen''

OH? Okay speculation time again. This is the closest hint we've gotten to what exactly one of the gang's traumas could be. Ragatha may have forced herself to stay positive in really shitty situations during her human life which likely lead to a lot of negative thoughts which eventually lead to her doing...something, I'm not sure what though, maybe it lead to her losing an eye? (Maybe her new body represents that?) I'm not sure. Maybe this is why she's been in the circus for as long as she has, instead of dealing with her feelings and existentialism, she instead continues to try to be someone who's more adjusted than they actually are.

Again, this is all just speculation, maybe it's just an Infinity Train type of thing where they can't leave until they learn to accept what they went through and how to work through it healthily idk.

WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? Well, I'll tell you what I think it is.

I think it's this weird tar like tentacle thing from the teaser trailer, I don't see what else it could be.

And I'm 90% sure that whatever it is, it's connected to this room, and I think that THIS is gonna be where we'll be seeing what the gangs traumas are (Ragatha looked TERRIFIED when she was grabbed so if this was the case I wouldn't be surprised). I'd also like to speculate that this could possibly be another AI. There's Caine, Bubble, and whatever the hell those little shape creatures are, so it's very likely that other AI does exist, we just haven't seen them yet.

But who knows? I'm probably looking too much into it.

Woah new background, he is angy.

I would go into another theory I have about how their designs may hint at what trauma they have but I've spent over an hour writing, compiling trailer screenshots, and speculating every individual frame while suffering with chest pains I wanna go to bed

Holy shit that took WAY longer than I thought it would. I cannot WAIT to watch the pilot, this show has become one of my most anticipated projects of the year over the last few months and I can't wait to see what it has in store.

TL;DR: The trailer looks fire 10/10 can't wait for the inevitable Pomni plushes.

[shinesurge]

I'm sitting around waiting for our car to get serviced so I'm gonna take a minute to write a post I've been chewing on for a little bit lol

I think! A lot of creators talk about 'word of mouth' being the best advertising and it's TRUE they are right but I'm not sure the actual like, function of that is getting across because people still get confused about it when I bring it up, and I keep seeing people frustrated that their efforts aren't working (notably in spaces like the obscure webcomic tournament). Recommending stuff to your friends or writing stuff in to promotional spaces DEFINITELY helps don't stop doing that, but what people ACTUALLY mean by this is getting Visibly Excited about things in spaces where it can break containment.

Fandom content is what gets people into things!! Like, think about everything that "takes off" online; it's not because people post the plot synopsis over and over, or go "please read this it's good," the stuff that actually gets people engaging is seeing some cool fan work or clipped out content and going what the FUCK is that. The Barbie movie probably would have done fine on its own, but the insane phenomenon it's become certainly wouldn't have happened if regular internet users hadn't memed it to hell and back; this stuff works.

I didn't give a SHIT about Persona 5, or The Magnus Archives, or The Adventure Zone or any number of things I got dragged into until I saw fandom content for them. Persona 5 sounds like boring as fuck anime shit on paper, I do NOT care about podcasts, but people kept drawing the COOLEST stuff for them or posting insane fan theories until I HAD to know what was going on. That's what we're talking about with word of mouth! Sincere engagement with the thing is better than any advertising could ever be.

It doesn't have to be creative art or writing either! Make Character Appreciation Posts using the source material! Make an essay-length analysis of the story's themes! Set up a weekly post about how much you love a character or a count of how many days it's been since someone showed up, do Incorrect Quotes or paste tumblr text posts over characters, idk man there's entire blogs dedicated to posting every One Piece panel that has certain characters in it, there are no rules

What I'm saying is if you're wanting to help out smaller creators, please get involved, and PLEASE do it outside insulated places like discord servers. A thriving community that only exists inside a closed server still looks like a ghost town from the outside. "please read this it's got lesbians" helps get something on the radar, making a compilation post of the lesbians and posting it with a link to The Thing gets people's attention.

anyway that's all thanks @ Fans Of All Kinds for caring enough to want to help out independent people to the point i felt like it was worth making a post like this; to be clear, nobody is owed any of this stuff and you're certainly not obligated to put in all this effort to enjoy a thing! but i know a LOT of people are enthusiastic about indie media and want to help out, and sometimes a little extra guidance from the creator perspective helps them figure out how to do that effectively. love you have a good day

[greensagephase]

Hi- I've really, and I mean really enjoyed Nonviolent Communication so far (no srsly, it's the one fanfic I've been following with absolute interest) and I wanna be nice and provide an animation bc I said so :D

I would love if you gave me some preferences for GIFs (not animatics, my autism is going to implode /j) from the scenes you loved most :] P.S. I love your style of writing, and I will patiently wait for part 15, bc good food is cooked with love and care

AHHH YOU’RE THE ARTIST THAT CREATED THE “MI AMOR... ME DUELE LA BARRIGA” GIF - STOP !!! THAT WAS SO CUTE !!!! Thank you for creating those gifs!!! I swear to you I've found myself saying that to myself multiple times since I came across your post!!🤣

And omg, thank you for reading Nonviolent Communication!!! I'm so happy that you've enjoyed it so far!! 🥺 And the fact you want to make an animation??? YOU'RE TOO SWEET, THANK YOU!!! ❤️

Omg, where do I begin? I love so many of the scenes I’m written so far, but let me compile some of my top favorite!

I’ll go with the most recent scene from part 14 where both reader and Miguel say “Always” to each other while sitting side by side on the floor, eating pan dulce and cafe de olla.

The first time they slept on the living room floor after Miguel had a nightmare holding hands which I’m totally normal about (no, I’m not !!!!) in part 13.

When Miguel finally tells reader she’s his best friend on the rooftop (so normal about this and Miguel’s progress 😭) also in part 13.

When Miguel wiped reader’s tears away with his scarf on New Year’s Eve because she was thinking about the previous years when she was alone after her Peter’s death and before joining the Spider Society from the Blanca Navidad one-shot.

When they babysat Mayday and she made both reader and Miguel’s action figures kiss right in front of them and they were both embarrassed and shy about it in part 11.

I have to mention the Día de los Muertos chapter (part 6)! That entire chapter always makes me so happy to think about because it’s the first time Miguel opens up to reader by showing her his ofrenda for his deceased loved ones and then sharing pan dulce and Mexican candy with her!

When reader gently cleans Miguel’s face while he’s recovering from his encounter with the Green Goblin and also when she feeds him the cafeteria food and he hates the steamed carrot (thinking about it still makes me laugh), honestly chapter 9 is just filled with a lot of scenes I love because we have reader looking after Miguel and him actually accepting it because he feels comfortable with her and no one else 🥹

The scene in part 12 when Miguel gives reader a pinky hug/squeeze without some kind of excuse to play it off. It's the first time he offers the gesture directly because he wants reader to know he's working on physical touch and that he's honored she wants to hug him.

This list wouldn’t be complete without giving the first chapter a mention, it’s what started it all! The scene in which Miguel checks reader’s forehead for a sign of fever and realizes it’s not that, but rather her period and then makes socks with rice to help with her cramps while she’s passed out asleep! 🥺

Honestly, there are more but these are just a few! I wish I could mention a scene from part 15 but that would be a spoiler 😭

Thank you SO MUCH for the love and support for NC!! I'm so honored you wish to do an animation for my fic, seriously, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! ❤️I hope you're doing wonderful and that you have a lovely weekend!! 🥰💞 P.S. I appreciate your kind words and patience so, so much!!! Part 15 should be posted this weekend, if everything goes well! :)

[goldensmilingbird]

Cool cartoons I'm excited about

So while I was on my search, I went through some animation magazines and trailer compilations and stuff and found a bunch of interesting projects that I just want to infodump about.

The first one is the one I'm most excited about, Voro.

Synopsis: "Lily is a talented young novice who dreams of becoming a master thief. Unfortunately, because she is young and puny (and a girl), the guildmaster assigns her only most trivial missions. However, during one of these quests, Lily finds herself at the centre of a battle between several ancient cults, worshipping entities who have been long forgotten… In order to prevent the world from sinking into chaos, the teenager will have to find a series of occult artefacts during quests that will make her question her own ethics. She will have to make crucial choices of allegiance – even going against her old mentor Seamus!"

It's a show aimed at young adults, based on a finnish comic of the same name (though in translation it's called Lily the Thief) and it's gonna have 16 episodes of 26 minutes. Btw, the comic looks like this

The director says they're making the show for slightly more mature audience than the comic and so they wanted to make the style more cinematic and realistic and also age up the characters a bit. Also they're planning to make a videogame, so that's fun.

I found out that the author of the comic, Janne Kukkonen, is on tumblr (he is @/kukez) though he doesn't post often. Idk what he is up to rn but he previously said that, while writing Voro, he accidentally spiraled into making a whole other story ("Raivotar" which means Fury) that's more gritty in comparison to Voro being pretty lighthearted, so I'm interested in what comes out of that too. Also I'm trying to buy a used copy of Lily the Thief rn because it looks cute and I want to know more about this girl already.

The second one is Shepherdess Warriors.

Synopsis: "The sto­ry takes place in a small medieval vil­lage, nest­ed at the heart of a green val­ley by the sea. Only women, chil­dren and elder­ly peo­ple live in this village, as all men were recruit­ed to join the Great War in a dis­tant land. They left ten years ago and nev­er came back. Nobody knows what hap­pened to them. To protect and defend the village, women had to step up and decided to cre­ate the Order called “The Shep­herdess War­riors”. Mol­ly, our lead char­ac­ter, is a young girl, who nev­er knew her father. At 10-years-old, she is now old enough to start her train­ing as a shep­herdess war­rior, an apprenticeship she's been waiting to start for a long time…"

Also based on a comic, but this time French one. Sadly, looks like it wasn't translated into my language. But the animation looks amazing and the concept's fun. It's gonna have 13 half-hour episodes. Also Molly strongly reminded me of Kelsey from Craig of the Creek (who is 9 and daydreams about being a fantasy hero) and I love that for her.

Third one is The Monsters Valley.

Synopsis: "Ellis is a common teenager who, apparently in an accidental way, touches a magic orb and acquires a power that allows him to control fire. At that moment, he starts being chased by strange creatures who want to take advantage of his power. Ellis, overwhelmed by the situation, asks Blanchet, his childhood friend, for help. Together they will enter into this dreadful and wicked world to try to find a way for Ellis to get rid of his power without knowing that fate has another plan for both of them".

This is gonna be an original Spanish series, not based on anything, aimed at teens and young adults. The creator is already planning five seasons (13 episodes of 25 minutes) and wants to expand to other stuff, like videogames, films or novels. (Damn, that's ambitious) He also says the show "proposes a journey of the hero from an adult point of view, with gray characters, battles, magic and blood".

Beyond the teaser and this interview, I found a link to a now privated video called "The Monsters Valley developing footage" from 8 years ago, twitter and facebook accounts made for the show that were only active in 2019, a link to a site that my browser says is fake and probably dangerous and a studio website that's just a logo and a contact link. So I just kept hitting dead ends with this thing. Then I suddenly found show's creator twitch? Good luck to this guy, honestly, he seems passionate.

There are more interesting projects, like The Tern, for example, but for now these are the top three I wanted to highlight.

[dullahandyke]

Also I'm gonna try making one liveblog post again ‼ heres case 2 part 2

Was prompted to go into nikolina's cabin but I paused for a sec and sighed and panned to the right and there sholmes was hanging off of a desk bug like. It took several moments for me to gather the strength to engage with him

Sidenote I hate the new names for the Russian characters... pavlova? For real? What were their og names I'm gonna Google it

Ok borchevic isnt that much better but it's not fuckin pavlova!! So

Also I love the susato sprite where shes turned to look at something in the background with u... all the sprites of characters turning towards things of interest r so nice it rlly makes the space feel real. Adds on to the killer cinematography in here

Also also I need to get more like sholmes. This is a bad thing but at least he is not masking (I also dont do a lot of masking but I could do less of it)

DHHWJWJAK HIS FALLING ANIMATIOM IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY HIS BOXING ANIMATION.... he is so comical and animated I love it. Need that to be me

Hes so real for that tho. Singing is so fun if u keep me from singing I'll kill u dead

Also I love his little cap flip animation. A bit stupid but that's fine

(I already have plans to add a sholmes sticker to my laptop once I finish this game)

Everyone has headaches 🤨 I personally blame a gas leak. Those r always happening on old shit arent they

Nikolina has dresses n shit in her wardrobe she didnt before... what did she unpack or something ? Maybe the cat did it. So helpful

Also the bookshelf being in the cabin is so cool the way it's set into the wall like that... dream house feature. Fuck a pool I want a book hole

I like the solution to the locked room being the ship tilting that's nice and fun

'Isnt there anyone who can help me out of this mess' ryuu calls. Deep breath. Pan left. Sholmes is hanging off the coat rack

Love sholmes w the tiara... u just know iris has So much fun doing dress up w him and he is equally as delighted

IRELEVANT SNAKE???

Btw the logic and reason spectacular continues to fuck

Asougi on the floor during the spectacular.... :(

Also poor nikolina she seems so scared

Love how susato knows Facts and Knowledge... RIP girlie you would have loved pub quizzes

Ryunosuke naruhodou objectum ally... 'well if the teapot is her friend that's fine, we're all different' ryuu I trust u w my life

LOVE IT WHEN RYUU DOES THE SPECTACULARS hes getting in the facking groove!!!!!

Also love how smooth all the sprites r... the mocap so awesome

We need to get ryuu and susato some kittens.... they would love Cute Kitten Video Compilation

Sidenote I love asougi's shin things. Cunt-tastic

I have to say this is rhe first aa game that I'm not watching a playthru of or cheesing with a walkthru and I'm having fun yippee!!!

I do wonder how long the case is gonna be tho

The percussion in all this music is so awesome

Wait hold on a sec. If ryuu was being framed then that means there was someone else who knew ryuu was stowing away

Sidenote but I've been wondering, what did ryuu tell his family about him going to London? Becauss it seems like literally only he and asougi knew if they weren't even letting susato in on it. Did he tell them he was going somewhere totally different? Did he just disappear? Is he now on the missing persons list? I mean I Guess he could be an orphan but theres that whole ryutarou thing and I'd imagine he would need at least one additional family member to pull that off

We need to get susato access to wikipedia I think she would love it

We also need to get sholmes access to a fidget cube

Ryuu? We can get him access to a nice hearty meal. He deserves it

Ryuu getting distracted by strogenov's beefy arms... 🤐🏳️‍🌈

Nikolina... she looks like a small sad kitten

Wahhhhhh asougiiiiii... so niceys to nikolina...

Whenverr they show asougi I get so sad.. . RIP gayboy I loved u

The final deduction of the wardrobe.... :(

:(

The music is fucking w me too...

I know she killed asougi but cant we let nikolina go.... everyone is being so hard on her she is 15

OH NOOOO SUSATO SAD.... :(((

SUSATO SMIIIIILE YAY :)

SUSATO SHOWING HER THROWS TO SHOLMES... :) friends

Case over.... AAAAAAA!!!! now I am hungry but bubbles is atop me so ig I'll just answer texts... if shes still not up by the time I'm done then we'll see about starting case 3 but doubtful

[beltransadie]

A Chat Under the Haitang Tree

Happy New Year! I've been practicing on my samsung tab for the whole past week and I wanted to show the culmination of what I've made with this new years art. This is based off of chapter 58 from 2HA where ranwan spent the entire night chatting under the haitang tree for the new years. I'm still not as good on this tab compared to how I am with the Huion, but I think this is pretty satisfactory. The approach is more painterlike in comparison. I do not have the patience for lineart (I've tried) on this, so it's mostly draw loose then clear it up.

The Journey to This Illustration

What else have I done while practicing? Honestly, most of them are ranwan art. Animatic making had made me proficient in drawing Chu Wanning and Mo Ran gahahaha and they're both fun to draw anyway.

At first, I wasn't used to drawing on a samsung tablet, so most of what I've done are doodles. I also spent majority of my time traveling (like since I got home which was an 8 hour bus ride, I had to go travel again for Christmas and back again, and then the day after I had to accompany my mom for another outing).

Day 1 (12/22)

Here, I slept for 4 or so hours, and find myself having to leave at 5AM. I managed to catch a bus ride home (where, unfortunately, one of my friends weren't able to ride because they waited at the wrong stop), and overall the ride was pretty chill. I spent most of my time chatting with my cousin, sleeping, and drawing. Here's some of what I did during the time. Most of it are Chu Wanning because I feel really comfortable drawing him.

Day 2 (12/23)

I didn't have any place I have to travel to yet, so I went out of the house to draw at a cafe. I still didn't feel comfortable coloring so there's none yet >_<

Day 3 (12/24)

Most of Day 3 was spent outside too coz I had to travel again to visit my grandparents. It was also when I started Yuwu (it has been chill so far, and I'm leisurely enjoying it). I didn't draw anything on the tablet.

Day 4 (12/25)

Back to the drawing grind here. I figured it was about time I try out coloring and I did two! While I had to commute again early morning, the whole of my afternoon was spent chilling at home. The notable stuff I did on the tab is this cute animation of Wanning finding a tiny Mo Ran in his gift, and two colored pieces.

The one on the top right I think was a failed attempt. The colors didn't turn out as well as I wanted, and concluded that it was probably because of the background (which was pure white). I changed it to gray and colored like I usually did, and I think it turned out really well.

Day 5 (12/26)

I had to go out and travel again. Most of the stuff I did during this day were doodles.

Day 6, 7, and 8 (12/27-29)

Gonna compile coz I think most of what I did were at cafes and it all blurs together.

Here's where I actually start getting into coloring. The first thing I colored was the bottom left one. I really like how curly the lineart of Mo Ran's hair is, and the individual groups of hair on Wanning's ponytail flow together. Next is the middle left one, which was just me thinking about how ranwan had 8+ years together idk lol. I drew Mo Ran as a midget there, I didn't know he was actually almost the same height as Wanning by book 1 (179 vs 181) so that was uhh lol.

The sketches for the top left and the right image I did the same day, but the coloring for the right image I did last. Top left uses some rejected designs I had back when I was reading 2HA. I thought it'd be a fun creative exercise if I derive myself of official character designs, and create designs based on how I imagined them while reading the book. (That's something worth making a post about.) Specifically, the designs are post-story. That was also when I started rendering a bit.

It was at the right sketch when I thought I could try a rendering a bit more. Like clean up the lines a bit. Still the same process.

(This wasn't done on the Samsung tablet, but here's the height comparison). Mengmeng and 1.0 are a bit out of proportion i know lol.

Day 9 and 10

All of it leads up to the new years drawing at the top. It was tricky trying to render the two characters, because I had to tilt my pen a certain way so the lines made won't be too broad. I spent day 9 doing the sketch and the rough color, spending time on the background too and Day 10 on rendering the characters and polishing the background.

The app I use (Infinite painter) has a built-in playback function which is pretty neat because I always forget to record my drawing process. I ended up changing the background a couple times because I misread the actual scene lol. But yeah here's the process.

Overall, drawing on this tablet is more painterly compared to how I color on PC gahaha. So many brushes to choose from, and almost no keyboard input >_< it's a bit tedious coz I like having my brushes binded on keyboard, and here I have to move my hand around on screen and sometimes I end up pressing the shortcut for the undo button. But yeah, I think I can make more colored art outside now. Learning to get used on this is fun.

Happy new year, guys!!

[mahounomanga]

Majokko Lily

I am fascinated by magical girl terminology and the evolution thereof. After all, the words and phrases we use to describe the facets of this genre had to come from somewhere. Sometimes these origins are unambiguous. For example, the now-defunct Magical Girl Project blog made a series of posts in 2015 examining the history of magical girl transformations, and an early step in that process was coining a bunch of terms for the different types of transformation.

Other times, magical girl word origins aren't so clear cut. Some of these terms have been in use for decades and I can only hazard a guess at how long they've been around based on when they start showing up in completed productions. The term magical girl itself is a pretty direct translation of the Japanese mahou shoujo (literally magic girl), and the first anime to use mahou shoujo in its' title was Mahou Shoujo Lalabel, which began airing in 1980.

Then there's what magical girls were called before that, which doesn't seem to be as solidified. Asahi Sonorama put out a compilation record featuring the protagonists of Toei's first eight magical girl anime, and this record referred to them as mahoutsukai heroines. Mahoutsukai literally means magic user, so it's interesting that Limit and Honey were included in this despite using advanced science and technology. Even as far back as the 70s, magic was not a prerequisite for being a magical girl.

At any rate, a far more common name for this type of character was majokko. Majo is Japanese for witch, while ko has a number of meanings, one of which is girl, and it can be used as a diminutive suffix. As such, majokko can be translated as witch girl or little witch. Like with mahoutsukai heroine above, it's interesting that few of these characters were technically witches, though I suppose that's a matter of semantics. Again, I haven't found an in-depth explanation of where this term came from, so all I have to go on is productions that use it. 1974's Majokko Megu-chan was the first anime to put the word majokko in the title, and for a while I though it may have coined the term. But it turns out, there is a manga that dubbed its' protagonist a majokko about six years prior.

Majokko Lily is a 1968 manga by Kiyoshi Takenaka. An ordinary girl named Deko-chan is given a peculiar-looking doll for her birthday, but it turns out Lily is no doll. She's a witch from the underworld who has come to our world to make mischief. She sets herself up to pose as Deko's younger sister and when the two touch noses, Deko is able to use magic as well.

This set-up has some similarities to later magical girl works, especially Majokko Tickle (which, for context, was created ten years later); however, Lily's character design and power set strike me as quite unique. The above page explains Lily's various magical abilities, and while I don't know nearly enough Japanese to translate it in its' entirety, there are some powers listed on it that I haven't seen in any other magical girl series before or since.

Majokko Lily was published in Shogaku Sannensei, and unfortunately it has been quite difficult to track down exactly when that publication was. As near as I can tell, the debut chapter was printed in the April 1968 issue, given that it was the oldest issue to show Lily on the cover. While I don't have an exact chapter count, a single tankobon volume was released by Mushi Productions as the 6th volume of their Best Comic series on March 25, 1972.

But wait there's more! This manga would receive a direct sequel titled Oshikake Majokko Lily (Oshikake I think in this context would mean uninvited visitor but please correct me if I'm wrong) which ran in Shogaku Sannensei until the March 1972 issue. How the sequel differs from the original, I'm not sure. The tankobon release by Mushi Productions only covered the original series, meaning this sequel has never been printed outside of its' original magazine run. As well, even that one volume has never been reprinted, which has kept awareness of the manga quite low, even in comparison to other titles I've covered here.

Majokko Lily was created by Kiyoshi Takenaka, not to be confused with Kiyoko Takenaka, the latter of whom did the third manga of Bewitched. It is interesting that both created a small handful of obscure shoujo manga around the same time, and I have seen some speculation that they may have been either related or one person using a pseudonym, but as far as I know there's never been any confirmation of this. Personally, my money is on weird coincidence.

Although I can't say this with 100% certainty, Majokko Lily appears to be the first series to use the word majokko in its' title. I doubt Takenaka invented the word, but from there it would show up in the titles of a number of other magical girl stories. This includes early magical girl anime such as Majokko Megu-chan, Majokko Tickle, and Majokko Club, as well as some more recent anime like Majokko Shimai no Yoyo to Nene, not to mention manga that should be showing up on this blog as we get into the 80s and 90s, including Majokko Carnival, Majokko Tenshi, and Majokko Vivian.

Not all of these protagonists are witches in the technical sense, but referring to them as majokko highlights their commonalities to a potential audience. It associates these different works with one another, emphasizing that they're a part of the same genre, and allowing that genre to develop a core viewer base. Even now, the same thing is done with different terms, and it's incredible to look back at how far we've come.

[rainsongdean]

i present to you...

everlark valentine's day headcanons 💌

(...that nobody asked for but i'm feeling the love today so take them anyway)

sooo i know the districts, especially 12, don't seem to celebrate the same holidays/traditions we do but i love the idea of the covey picking up the concept of valentine's day from somewhere during their travels and adapting it into their own little tradition and passing it down to katniss's dad and eventually to her

she has fond memories of her father making a big deal out of february 14th, using it as an excuse to spoil his favorite girls and shower them with love even when they were short on money

her parents always included her and prim in their valentine's day celebrations, collecting little chocolates for katniss and maybe a new stuffed animal for prim, but her favorite part of the day was the quality time they spent together and just getting to see how in love her parents truly were

it takes a few years post-war for katniss to bring up valentine's day to peeta because she's not sure she wants to carry on her father's tradition without him (her family stopped celebrating after he died), but peeta is ecstatic when she tells him

i mean this boy already takes every opportunity he can to make katniss feel loved and special so a whole day dedicated to doing just that? oh yeah, sign him up

katniss is taken aback by how much effort peeta puts into their first valentine's day together (though she really shouldn't because it's peeta, after all, what was she expecting?)

she wakes up to find paper hearts strung across every inch of their house and all of her favorite pastries freshly baked for breakfast, a warm bubble bath is waiting for her (and him, who are we kidding) when she gets back from hunting, and after a homecooked meal he takes her slow dancing in their living room, doused in candlelight, while their favorite songs play in the background

one year peeta surprises her with a painting of her old house in the seam with the meadow in the background and katniss absolutely loses it because what did she do to deserve this sweet boy

it's no secret that expressing her love through words has never been katniss's strong suit, so she, too, embraces valentine's day as a way to show peeta just how much he means to her

she gives him full-body massages to relieve some of the tension that he's built up from a lifetime of working in a bakery (and, you know, a war), she splurges on his favorite bottle of wine and tries to make one of those fancy cheese board thingys he's always going on about, and she lets him *paint her like one of his french girls*, as they say, after a passionate night in front of the open fire

she also wants to do something special for peeta - something he can treasure forever, like the painting of her old home that he gave to her - so she enlists delly to help compile another memory book: one full of as many of peeta's happy childhood memories that they can think of, so that he'll never forget them

after she gives it to him he's a softie mess for the rest of the day because what did he do to deserve this sweet girl

once the toast!babies come along they're always sure to include them in their valentine's day celebrations since katniss insists the holiday is about much more than just romantic love

peeta takes the day off from the bakery to whip up his family's favorite treats with his little girl by his side, and katniss brings her little guy into town with her to help pick out meaningful gifts for everyone

plus once they're old enough, peeta gets the kiddos to help him prepare breakfast in bed for their mama, letting their daughter crack the eggs and mix the pancake batter while their son picks flowers and fresh strawberries in the backyard

of course everlark love involving their babies in the valentine's day fun but they also want to keep up the more ~romantic~ traditions of the holiday as well, so they usually send the kids over to uncle haymitch's house by mid-afternoon for a sleepover

toast!boy may or may not have been conceived on one particularly cold and snowy valentine's day and haymitch will never let them live it down

as their tradition continues to grow, the rest of d12 starts to pick up on it too and before they know it valentine's day is a district-wide celebration, and even annie and her little man (and aunt jo, of course) make the trip up from d4 some years to share in the love

katniss never forgets the roots of the holiday and takes time to remember her dad and prim each valentine's day, thinking of how happy they would be that katniss found a way to bring the entire district together and celebrate love after all they've been through

in conclusion happy valentine's day to them💞💐💘

[rainydawgradioblog]

a covidsation with august

Max Moore is a Vashon Island based artist, who just released stunningly ethereal album called Trust under the moniker August. Check it out-- ya won’t regret it! Thank you so much to Max for taking time to answer these questions and providing wonderful insight on this crisis and how we can all support each other!

Lola Gil: Tell me about your project. How long have you been making music (as August, or otherwise)? Which artists are you most inspired by? How would you describe your sound?

Max Moore: i started making music under the name august only this year ! for a long time i have been searching for a project and creative space that felt both personal and truthful, it just happened to all come together with the release of my ep, trust, in february ! i have released music under many other names over the years as i experimented and dipped my toes into different sounds and styles, my first releases on the internet were from when i was like, 12 !!! as far as musical heroes, the list is long but at the top would be arthur russell, bjork, brian wilson, arca, nick drake, sophie, elliott smith, autechre, harry nilsson, burial ... i really could go on forever. i think a lot of people try to hide their true influences but i feel there is something sexy about putting it all out there and referencing them as would an author, filmmaker, painter etc. my "sound" these days seems to be quite amorphous, it really is shifting from minute to minute. i would like to think it would sound like some amalgamation of the artists i listed earlier but it's hard for me to tell. 

LG: How long was the process of making and producing your most recent album, Trust? How do you feel now that it’s out? Are you planning on releasing any new music soon?

MM: the process was looooong, like really long. i didn't release any music "seriously" for 3 or 4 years ! trust came out of a sudden, brief moment of clarity and surrender, as cheesy as that sounds. i was able to overcome a lot of the blockages i face in my creative process and just assemble this thing, and it just fell together ! i had all of these bits and pieces and sketches and ideas that never fully developed into anything, so i decided to compile them into one continuous piece of music. i was really into this idea of sonic miniatures or vignettes, short and sweet but with a depth that's only barely touched upon before moving on to the next. it was so incredibly therapeutic and wonderful to put it out into the world, so much support from friends and peers all around me. for now i'm still incubating but am hoping to see new music taking form this year :)

LG: As an artist, how have you been affected by COVID-19? You mentioned you had a handful of shows cancelled-- what has your experience been/what are your thoughts towards live streaming?

MM: like many artists in the community, i had a good handful of shows, contracted work, etc. canceled as a result of the virus. i am lucky enough to be in a position currently where i did not have to take a significant financial hit due to this (i work a day job at a record store & cafe) but i know many artists who now are struggling to make rent and stay safe through this pandemic. i think live streaming is a beautiful and special way for artists to connect with fans, especially in a time like this ! but there are so many aspects to a real, alive, performance that just can't exist in that digital space. for example, making friends and connections, selling merch, interacting face to face with fans, etc. though there is something beautiful about people from around the world being able to tune in to a livestream and make song requests, leave a nice comment, confess their love lol

LG: Apart from August, have you been involved in any other creative projects recently?

MM: recently i have been moving into more sound design work ! i was recording and mixing sounds for a play that was to run in june i believe, which just today was postponed until next year. that was my first *official* sound design job, i was really looking forward to it :(

LG: How have you been personally affected by COVID? What has your quarantine experience been like so far? 

MM: aside from being out of work, and not being able to connect with friends, i feel very privileged as i am with my family, in my home. i have had a lot of time to do things that normally i am barely able to squeeze into my day like journaling, going for walks, extensive music writing sessions, playing video games. i think a lot of us are facing serious anxiety and depression right now, so i am really prioritizing my mental health, and making sure my friends and family are well. also, this new animal crossing game really could not have come at a better time, i don't know where i would be right now without it to be honest. 

LG: What music have you been listening to recently? What has been your go-to quarantine album/song?

MM: in any times of crisis, confusion, sadness, happiness, really in any time at all i always turn to the same album: arthur russell's 'world of echo'. to me it is the perfect record, i aspire to make music that makes me feel the way that album does. it is a great listen if you need some time to reflect, or need something reflected back at you ! another favorite right now is bo en, he's done some incredible video game soundtracks (i'm playing through one right now called 'pikuniku', soooo sweet) and just has the most brilliant ideas. ooo and alice coltrane !!! special music only right now.

LG: Were there any spring shows that you were particularly looking forward to that got cancelled?

MM: i have been waiting to see arca in seattle since i was a sophomore in high school, and she announced a tour only a few weeks before all of this went down ! hopefully there will be a rescheduled date that i will be able to attend ... fingers crossed

LG: How do you think the Seattle/greater Seattle area music scene is going to shift post-COVID?

MM: i think coming out of this time we will see an enormous influx of events as we all recognize how special and necessary these sorts of things are. i know i will be so grateful to be able to run around and dance and meet up with friends, all of that good stuff. i am hoping that we will not forget these times though and can sustain that excitement, we really will need it moving forward. there will be many more bumps in the road and we need to be prepared (as a community) to address them together !!!

LG: In this era of social distancing, how do you think artists can support each other during these weird and difficult times? How do you think social media is facilitating and/or inhibiting connection within Seattle’s creative community?

MM: luckily thanks to the internet there are SO many ways to support our artist friends, if anybody is unsure of how to do so please reach out to me or any other artist, they will be so happy you asked ! whenever i can i try to purchase merch, support on websites like bandcamp where money goes (for the most part) directly to artists, and promote + support bipoc, trans, & queer artists. it never hurts to reach out, connection is so important to sustain any way possible right now. i think social media can be dangerous as far as connection goes, but right now i am seeing a lot of openness and offering of resources as we all wake up every day into the reality that there is this crazy virus taking over !!!!!! the internet and technology are completely shifting the direction of art and community, in some good ways and in some bad ways. we need to remember that social media is a tool and a resource firstly, and also that the people who designed these apps we use purposefully made them addicting, mostly through analyzing our own data and habits ! my hope is that as our brains gradually begin to adjust to these new devices and systems, we can let go of some of the isolation and anxiety that they bring up in us.

-Lola Gil

[procrastinating-story-writer]

Bonds that Bind Us

Summary: Odin ordered for Loki to return to Midgard as punishment to atone for what he did in New York and S.H.I.E.LD agreed.

She was not expecting an assignment such as this to fall on her lap but she had nothing better to do. How bad could it be being Loki's warden?

Pairing: Loki x OFC Omidah Penwinkle

Warnings: multiple chapter story, violence, experimentation, language, angst, just to name a few.

A/N: Hello everyone! First off thank you for reading. Now, this story can be found on my AO3 account Onyx_Lenora_Traise and I wanted to post this on Tumblr. Enjoy!

Omidah looked up from the book she was reading when she heard someone call her name. Ever since she agreed (was forced) to live in the Avengers tower, all quiet time and privacy went out the window. She saw her godfather Coulson enter the room, a grim look on his face

(A/N: he's very much alive in this story. Always been one of my favorite characters from Avengers)

"what's wrong? You look real distressed," Coulson sighed and sat next to her, he was not happy with the news he had to tell her but it was Fury's orders

"Fury has assigned you to a mission but I don't think you're going to like it; I sure as hell don't."

Omidah raised an eyebrow, curiosity evident in her eyes, she knew all too well that when her godfather wasn't happy with a mission she had (which was rare), it was dangerous and life threatening and those were the best kind for her.

She giggled, "finally something to do! Please tell me it's really dangerous with lots of fighting,"

Coulson rolled his eyes at her excitement over the matter, she really was a strange young lady.

"Do you remember Thor's brother the infamous Loki?"

"yeah I remember him, how could I not? I nearly whooped his ass when he tried to escape from the helicarrier and I would have succeeded too if I didn't have you to worry about. I still owe him a beating for nearly killing you."

She knew that if Coulson had faced Loki alone that day and gotten the injuries he had without immediate medical assistance, he would have died

"Thor is bringing Loki back here on earth as a punishment from Odin to atone for his actions and he'll be confined to the tower with you as his warden."

Omidah stayed quiet processing the information related to her. She started to laugh. Coulson shot her a confused look.

"Oh my Ra! Do you have any idea how deliciously ironic this is?"

Coulson shivered when his goddaughter cackled (you know that comical laugh in animes when a twisted plan was in place?)

"So when will he be arriving? Where will he be sleeping? I need to prepare....oh my there is so much I need to look after."

Coulson shook his head in disbelief, she was taking this news well, too well for his liking

"Calm down Omidah sheesh, you're behaving like its your long lost friend that's coming for a visit. Why are you so excited anyways?"

She rolled her eyes "It's not everyday you get to meet a Norse god and now I'm gonna know two of them, plus I can finally have questions answered on magic and literature."

"Why can't you just ask Thor about all of that stuff"

"No offense to Thor but he doesn't really know the in-depth knowledge I seek and from what he's told me about his brother, well apart from what I've researched, Loki is like a walking, living fricking Norse encyclopedia. I'm kinda hoping also that he can give me an insight on some of my abilities, still rusty in some aspects.

Coulson give Omidah a have-you-lost-your-marbles-kind of look, she just smiled

"Relax I know what I'm doing, besides he's going to be here for a long time and eventually he will have to talk to someone, so I volunteer as tribute."

"I have to remember to get your brain checked for loose screws"

Omidah faked a gasp and threw a cushion at Coulson making him laugh

"but all jokes aside, I know what I'm getting myself into. The others won't agree with my methods of doing things but I never fail a mission. If Odin is sending Loki here to atone for what he did, he's not going to do so by being distant and locking himself in his assigned room which I have a good feeling he'll do,"

"So what's your game plan then," Coulson asked

"quite simple actually, I'm going to be his friend" she flashed Coulson a smile *any second now 3,2,1.....*

"YOU'RE GOING TO WHAT!?"

.

.

.

.

Sitting in the lounge, Omidah poured over the numerous files sent to her by Fury. The files contained information on the objective of her mission and information on Loki which she didn't need but due to protocol Fury sent them to her anyways.

Getting up and heading to the kitchen, she grabbed a glazed donut and a cup of coffee and headed back to the sofa. She needed to finish compiling her report of how she'll go about executing her mission; leave it up to the Director to give her extra homework. When she reentered the sitting area Tony was reading one of her files.

"If that was meant to kill someone you would be dead right now. Tony why do you have to be so nosy?"

Tony looked up from the file and grinned "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you didn't love me my dear."

"You're like the cousin I never had Tony, of course I love you. It's your need to poke your nose in everyone's business is what errs me," she said matter of factly.

Tony glanced back at the file he just read, an eyebrow arched upwards

"So eye-patch finally decided to give you a mission after 6 months and he felt it was a good idea to have you babysit a temperamental Norse god?"

"I'm not complaining, its better than nothing and besides I'm looking forward to this mission and before you ask why, it cause I think it will be a great challenge for me."

Tony studied her for a few seconds "knowing you and I know you quite well, it's more than one reason. Just be careful okay kiddo?"

Omidah walked over and gave him a quick hug "I'll be fine Tony, what I'm worried about is how you and everyone else feels about having Loki in the tower"

Rolling his eyes Tony flicked Omidah's nose "the hell Tony, what was that for?"

"Just felt like it and we'll be fine just as long as Reindeer games behaves."

She and Tony both knew it was easier said than done.

It took one week for Omidah to have everything prepared for Loki's arrival. Looking down at her watch, it showed half past one. She was informed that Thor would be bringing Loki by two.

Dressed in a simple olive turtleneck sweater and black jeans accompanied by ankle high boots, she stood on the balcony standing a distance away from the helipad.

Shifting her eyes back to her watch which now showed half past two. Omidah groaned in annoyance *Thor is late.....which is not really like him.....what's taking them so long?*

"Well this is very unprofessional, unless Odin changed his mind and decided to keep Loki imprisoned on Asgard." She frown at the idea "Oh goddess I hope that isn't the case,"

Pulling out her work phone she was about to speed dial Fury when a bright light descended from the sky and landed on the helipad. As quickly as it came, it vanished and left standing was Thor and beside him the infamous Loki as Coulson likes to call him.

She breathed a sigh of relief glad they didn't cancel at last minute but pulled a straight face and decided to mess with Thor a little bit for making her wait.

"Thor you are late by thirty minutes and twenty-five seconds, I was beginning to wonder if plans were cancelled."

Thor flashed her a quick grin "Lady Omidah I apologize for the delay but there was a slight mishap before our departure," he grumbled the last part while gliding his eyes in Loki's direction.

Omidah had to refrain herself from snickering. Leave it up to the God of Mischief to cause a mishap

"I see. Well mishaps do happen" she said with a shrug "but you're still late, so to make it up to me, you are not allowed pop tarts for the next week."

Omidah watched as Thor became slightly pale and looked like he was about to pass out. She started to laugh because he just looked like a lost puppy

"Thor I'm joking, I would never deny you pop tarts, you'll simply go into a coma without them but you still have to make up for being late okay?"

Thor breathed in relief and smiled "I'm thrilled that my pop of tarts will not be taken away from me and once again I'm sorry for the delay,"

Nodding she began to walk over to the brothers, a perplexed look crossed her features when she noticed the muzzle around Loki's mouth. The darn thing looked very uncomfortable and she thought it was very unnecessary. It angered her slightly. Wasn't Loki a prince of Asgard? Why was he being treated like an animal?

"Thor I would very much appreciate it if you removed that infernal contraption off your brother and please for the love of the river Nile take off these chains, he looks very uncomfortable. He's not a prisoner in Asgard but a guest in the Tower," She said with a slight irritation in her voice.

She felt eyes on her, so shifting her gaze from Thor she found Loki staring at her in confusion.

"Well if he didn't try to escape the moment he felt the dungeons, he wouldn't be in chains"

"Regardless he's here now so take 'em off, we still need to get him settled plus I need to report to Fury in the next half hour. You and I both know he gets like a cranky old lady when he's kept waiting"

Thor faced Loki preparing to remove the 'infernal contraption' as Omidah called it. Once it was off, the chains were next. Loki gently rubbed his wrists and looked back at the female across from him.

She sent him a gentle smile which only confused him further. He searched her eyes and found no hostility in them, just curiosity and slight excitement.

"Much better, thank you Thor. Well let me be the first to welcome you back to Stark Towers Mr. Laufeyson. My name is Omidah Pennwinkle and I'll be looking over you as you stay here." She grinned at her intro speech and the look of sheer confusion and disgust in Loki's eyes. He really didn't want to be there.

"Come gentlemen, there is much to do and I have...." glancing at her watch she turned and slowly started to walk back inside "fifteen minutes to do so before my boss starts screaming like a banshee in my eyes for reporting late."

The two brothers looked at her retreating form, glanced at each other and followed her through the waiting door. Loki groaned internally, he really didn't want to be there.

[viperbranium]

HIIII I am currently following my hero academia but I like pain so was considering starting one piece. Is it good? I'm scared that it's already so long and not sure if the ani is as good as manga or vice versa, although I won't be able to follow manga. Should I? XDDD

Hey nonnie! Sorry for the wait, I couldn’t catch a damn break til now. Okay, so, for the record, I haven’t watched/read my hero academia, so I can’t really draw any comparisons between One Piece and that, and if by “I like pain” you meant you want all the angst, then OP might not really be the greatest option (like, there’s some VERY angsty moments, but overall the show is pretty fun?). If, on the other hand, you meant that as in I KNOW THIS SHOW IS SUPER FUCKING LONG BUT I DON’T CARE BRING IT ON, then, yes, perfect choice! :D

Now, buckle up, cause your questions don’t have an easy answer (except the “is it good?” one, because yes. YES. Yes, it is PRETTY FUCKING GOOD. It is everything), and this is my favorite thing to talk about, so this is going to be rambly and long but also hopefully useful for anyone wondering whether to watch this show or not.

WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH/READ ONE PIECE:

I know, I know. A rubber pirate. A talking reindeer. Merpeople. Ridiculousness. Overall, it wouldn’t seem like this show is really anything but funny and silly, but oH BOY IS IT.

Look, yes. It’s fun. It’s LOTS OF FUN. The show never quite stops having a certain lightheartedness to it, but don’t let that fool you. There’s angst. There’s drama. There’s adventure. There’s friendship.

And there’s also a pretty important message of inclusivity and tolerance throughout the show.

This, initially, seems like just a running theme, but as it turned out, it’s actually the main fucking plot point of the entire show. One Piece is an ode to friendship and freedom and adventure, but it’s also a huge critique against racism and bigotry.

It starts, seemingly, as a kids’ show, and then suddenly it’s all about the one-percenters abusing those beneath them, about a corrupt World Government, about segregation and colonialism and slavery, about blatant erasure of actual history by those in power.

And every single episode it takes to get you there is worth it.

The issue with its length:

First of all, yes. Yes, it’s LONG. It’s pretty fucking long. No two ways about it. But it is absolutely worth it, and I don’t mean this as in “by episode 700 they’ll be tugging at your heartstrings and you’ll be thankful you stuck with it for this long” (although that’s also true), but more like: once you get past the introduction, you’ll be HOOKED, and then you’ll pretty much not give a single fuck that you barely just started it and have fucktons of episodes left to watch.

Getting past the intro is the key thing. It’s not that you have to “get past it” because it’s bad or anything, more like, just like with any other show, you have to give them a chance to set the basis for the plot and introduce you to the cast and all. If you started watching and decided to give it, idk, 5 episodes, you’d probably just quit it thinking it’s too childish and “funny” and not very interesting.

And it is, at first, but it’s like when you go back and read Harry Potter. Compared to the rest of the books, book 1, and possibly book 2 as well, have a much lighter tone and simpler plot. This is partially because those books are working on the foundations for what will later on be the actual PLOT, and after those are over, the rest of the books are less auto-conclusive and a lot more intricate and with more plotlines connecting all the books together and creating a bigger and richer whole story (the other part is the story growing a bit alongside its fanbase, which is honestly a wonderful thing).

So essentially, the beginning of One Piece is like books 1 and 2 in the Harry Potter saga. And because it’s such a long show (as I type this, we’re on episode 839), that means a few tenths of episodes. If you’ve watched some of those as a younger kid on TV, then chances are you’ll get past them a lot more easily, because they are fun and nostalgia plays an important part, but if you haven’t, I do get why it can be a bit discouraging (but again, IT’S SO WORTH IT. PINKY PROMISE).

A quick non-spoilery rundown of that first intro part would be:

Episodes 1 to 62: the first crew members meeting each other. These are a few short arcs, all following the same pattern: Captain Luffy gets to an island, finds someone he wants in his crew, they defeat some minor bad guy, person ends up joining Luffy, and they move onto the next island. Even then, they are quite funny, and you inadvertently start hearing stuff mentioned that’s actually SUPER RELEVANT in the context of the grand scheme of things. Also, a bunch of those are filler episodes that you can outright skip, so it’s not THAT MANY EPISODES, and I’d argue that around episode ~30 or so, the whole thing gets a bit more intense too. [MORE ON FILLER EPISODES IN A MINUTE]

On episode 62 they officially get started on their trip for good, and the whole show starts being a bit less childish (not to say the tone changes entirely, it pretty much remains a funny yet exciting story throughout the whole thing, mostly due to the main character’s personality, but still, you can SEE that there’s STUFF GOING ON IN THIS WORLD). From here to episode 92 we’re setting the basis for a pretty big arc:

—> Turning the intensity up a few notches!

Episode 92 to 130: The Alabasta Arc – politics! Intrigue! A big fucking and fascinating villain! This arc is AMAZING.(then we have a bunch of filler episodes, again, totally skippable, and then…)

Episode 144 to 195: The Skypiea Arc – another great one, even touching on some pretty fucking important themes like colonialism and land-theft.

—> Turning the intensity up some more notches!!!

And from post-Skypiea onwards, the show is pretty much AAAAAAAAAASLGHSFLKHHLFGKJLK! nonstop.

(btw, if you ARE interested in watching, just let me know and I’ll compile a quick list like this one for you, letting you know which episodes you can skip and what the best way to watch it would be ^^)

Reading the manga vs Watching the anime:

The One Piece anime pretty much 100% follows the manga, so you can go with whatever option works best for you.

Fights and all are generally a lot more fun to watch than to read, plus one episode covers more than one manga chapter, so my advice usually is: watch the anime til you’re all caught up, and then switch to the manga so you can read everything that hasn’t happened in the anime yet and you won’t get spoiled, and then you can read the manga weekly when it comes out (and continue watching the anime as well, or not).

Because the anime follows the manga to a T, there needs to be filler arcs, since there’s some weeks when the manga takes a break, and also like I said, one episode covers a bit more than one chapter. Without filler arcs, the anime would catch up to the manga pretty quick and then they’d have to start making up stuff, or dividing the show into seasons, and either of those options would be sucky.

So, while it’s a necessity, it’s NOWHERE near as bad as the amount of filler there was in shows like Bleach or Naruto, and some of those arcs are even quite good? (The post-Skypiea filler arc f.e., G-8, is hilarious and super entertaining!). Personally I’d watch everything at least once, for the jokes and the interactions between crew members if nothing else, but you won’t be missing a single thing if you outright skip all of those.

(there’s also an odd episode every now and then that’s not exactly part of any filler arc, but quite literally an AU where the characters all live in a village instead of being pirates. You get one episode like this every once in a while – I think there’s been like, 5 in total? Maybe? –, as well as a few other weird things like a crossover with Dragon Ball or idek. Those I’d just skip entirely – they’re not remotely as fun as “one piece au” makes it sound lmao –, but luckily they aren’t a lot. Just one here and there).

Sooooo I hope all this answers your questions, nonnie, and that it helps you decide whether to give the show a shot or not. 

TL;DR: yes, it’s long, but it’s fucking worth it, and you can either read it or watch it because the anime follows the manga 100% accurately.

[taesthetes]

Hi cat, what advice do you have to keep a writer's inspiration/motivation up and going? Your masterlist has me in awe of how many fics you've written (they're all written very well btw 👌🏽) I've barely written anything all this year, I've finally started something, and it's really messy but I'm excited and yet kinda scared because I've never written something this long 😅😭 Thank youuuuuuu *hugs and kisses* 💓💓

Hello there, sweetpea! 🌸 First of all, thank you for reading my fics!! The thought of people actually wanting to read my writing still seems surreal to me even now haha 😅 And secondly and more importantly, congratulations on starting your first writing piece of the year! 🎉🎉 I’m so proud of you! that’s a huge accomplishment in itself already because the first step (in this case: starting to write) is always the hardest to take, in my opinion.

Pertaining to having constant writing inspiration and motivation, I’ll divide my advice up for the two separate topics. Personally, I constantly have ideas roaming my mind, but I simply lack motivation to write them all. But here are some things I learned about inspiration and motivation.

My advice for inspiration:

Use your personal experiences. I frequently formulate storylines about the things that have happened to me, and in my point in life right now, I’m in college where I have gotten a bunch of crazy experiences. That’s why my recent fics are mostly college au. Sobriquet was written almost identically to my own experience, whereas Caprice stemmed from me seeing a guy in my chem class regularly playing pokemon go instead of paying attention to class and grew in my mind into a fic idea. You can embellish and fluff up your life experience if you don’t think it’s interesting enough, thus whipping it up into great fic inspiration.

Use your dreams. Not everyone remembers their dreams when they wake up, but I remember a lot of the ones I have, and I use them as inspiration for writing. The majority of the dreams I wrote about in The Universe of Us are ones I actually had and then altered them slightly to fit into the storyline. I also have a lot of bizarre dreams that can actually turn into some very interesting fics lmao

Embrace the fangirl life and use it in your stories. Do you like Disney stories? Harry Potter? Anime? Find inspiration within other fandoms you enjoy. Write a hogwarts au, write a hunger games au, write a fic based on The Little Mermaid, etc.

Listen to music. Music is a huge source of inspiration, and you can think up fic ideas based on lyrics for example. Taylor Swift songs always help me when I’m trying to write a angsty scene, like a break up.

Check out prompt blogs. There are many blogs (ex: @/dailyau or this post that compiled a lot of au’s) out there that have writing prompts, which is super handy, if you lack inspiration. You can read through some of the prompts and see if any of them catch your attention.

Read. A lot. Writers get inspired by other writers. A wonderful way to fuel your imagination and inspiration and make them widen their horizons is by learning from other writers.

Be observant. Observe your surroundings, and you might just spot some inspiration. See the two baristas at your local coffee shop always bickering? Or perhaps, notice the boy who made a very creative promposal? Pass by someone and overhear them say something very interesting? You can turn those observations into fic ideas.

Be open to requests or suggestions. Your readers may have interesting ideas, and if you lack inspiration, you can open requests. You are by no means obligated to write them all, but they can spark up some inspiration. You can hold a drabble game, such as having them send in a song to write a song-inspired fic or picking a one-liner prompt. There are a lot of prompt lists out there that you can use for drabble games (ex: here, here, and here)

Daydream. Honestly, just relax somewhere with no distractions that makes you feel calm and stress-free. And let your mind wander. I get inspired as I daydream during car rides or whenever I’m simply sprawled out on my bed, doing nothing except making up ridiculous scenarios in my head.

My advice for motivation:

Be excited about writing. You certainly aren’t going to get any motivation if you’re not excited at all about writing. And, you said you’re excited and a little scared about your writing? That’s great! You should definitely feel excited about what you’re writing. You’re eager and happy to write then. And feeling a little nervous and scared is also good because that adrenaline rush and the feeling of butterflies in your stomach also adds a bit to the excitement, right?

You have to love the idea you’re writing. If you don’t like the prompt you’re writing, you aren’t going to feel very satisfied with your writing. You might even start to dread writing it and lose motivation. So, make sure that you actually genuinely enjoy the idea you’re writing.

Set the mood for writing. Is there a certain time you write best? Is there a certain place that you enjoy writing in? Do you write better when you listen to music? You will feel more motivated to write if the setting is ideal for you.

Write your short fics all in one sitting. This is just something that works for me personally. I have a super short attention span, which leads me to losing motivation quickly. This is why the majority of my fics are 1k to 4k oneshots because I write the entire fic at once. If I get an idea for a short fic, I write it immediately whether it be on my phone or my laptop because I know I won’t be motivated to write it in the future.

When you think of an idea for a long fic or series, wait a day before you write it. This is another thing that personally works well for me, but might not work for others. With long fic or series ideas, I want to know that I will finish it. I know I won’t be writing it all in one sitting since it’s going to be a long af fic, but I don’t want to write like 10k and then suddenly be like “I’m throwing this out. I don’t like this idea anymore.” I’m a very lazy person, and I don’t want to trash 10k of writing that I had spent hours on. So when I want to make a series or simply a long fic, I think of the idea and mull over it for a bit for a day or even weeks. And then, the next day or week, I ask myself, “Am I still interested in this idea?” If it’s a yes, then I begin to write it.

Make an outline of your fic before writing it. I only use this for long fic ideas that I have, but it works with any fic idea. Having an outline is sort of like seeing a schedule or a to-do list, which is quite motivating because of the sense of accomplishment and pride in yourself that comes when you check off something on the list (or checking off a scene you just completed writing from your outline). And studies show that people are more motivated to do something if they have it written down somewhere and see it daily.

Share and talk about your fic ideas with a friend. I never realized this until now, but having a friend hype up your ideas really boosts up your motivation to write them out. I tell all my fic ideas to fae and she’s always super supportive of them. I sometimes ask if I should do this or that, and she gives suggestions (oh, look at that, more inspiration courtesy of friends!!). I also give her various excerpts of the fic I’m working on, and she yells at me about them, so it’s like constant motivation throughout the writing period. So thanks, pablo, even though you show your support by screeching at me in all caps @zephyoongist​

It’s okay to take a break from writing. If you are feeling unmotivated for a certain idea, don’t force yourself to write. Take a break. Go write a different scenario or make a snack or hang out with friends. When you come back, you will feel refreshed and ready to write. You can reread your writing with fresh eyes and may have new ideas or inspiration on how to continue the fic.

Just write. Let out all your emotions and everything you want to say or convey. Don’t be afraid that it won’t make sense. It’s okay for your fic to be messy during the writing process. You can always go back, cross things out, move sentences around, revise it, and fix it up until you think it’s perfect.

I hope these tips are helpful to you! It’s like 3 am for me now, so I should go to bed, but this is also my prime time for writing, so I’m a little conflicted lmao but anyway, once again, CONGRATULATIONS ON STARTING YOUR FIRST WRITING MASTERPIECE!!! ☺️❣️Best wishes for your writing journey, and I know your story will turn out amazing! And I hope you send me a link to your writing if you do publish it because I’d love to read it 💞💞 And, here are lots of hugs and kisses being sent your way from me to you as well 💌

[conner-grace]

The Detective and his Little Assistant (part 6)

(Part Index)

Chapter 4: Compiling the Evidence

Tuesday, June 14th

*Akechi's P.O.V*

I slapped the snooze button on my alarm, growling as pain shot through my hand. I lifted it up to my face as I cracked my eyes open, there was a noticeable purple tone to part of my hand.

"Great..." I groaned, happy I normally wore gloves so Kaito-kun wouldn't worry. I actually had bruised my hand when I slammed it against the table last night. "Damn, I really did lose my cool last night, guess this morning will be running instead of cycling." I murmured, 'I only lost my cool because he's a good asset and consultant on cases I'm having trouble with...and friend, that gave me a second chance after he realized I was using him...and didn't even threaten to go to the media, or even ask the big question I knew he wanted to...' "And that's the cue to get out of my head, and bed for that matter." I mutter before doing exactly that to head out for a morning run before heading to school.

*Akira's P.O.V*

The alarm on my phone went off, I groaned shutting it off. I rubbed my eyes of sleep, before sitting up with a start, remembering that student council president found out about the Phantom Thieves.

"Do we have to meet up with her after school?" I groaned, both dreading and curious as to who her target was.

"Don't forget, boss wanted you to talk to that kid who was with the stupid detective yesterday." Morgana sighs, next to me on my bed.

"Oh, yeah..." I sigh, really hoping this isn't something I'll have to deal with until I'm done dealing with whatever Makoto-senpai wants.

"Well, let's get ready and head out." Morgana smirks, hoping off my bed, me following in suit and getting ready.

***

I was looking around the platform for that kid 'Sasaki-kun...was it?' I thought, before spotting him. He was leaning against a wall, on his phone, in a spot with a less dense amount of people. I starting heading over.

"His name's Sasaki Kaito, and he's the same year as you, if I'm remembering correctly." Morgana reminds.

"Thanks." I murmur, reaching the shorter boy. "Um, Sasaki-kun?" I ask, the boy quickly looked up, before pocketing his phone.

"Kurusu-kun." He greets with a bow of his head, though keeping his eyes to the ground, standing straighter against the wall. "You s-spoke with Akechi-senpai yes-yesterday, is there something you n-need?" He asks, stuttering slightly.

'Jeez, just how shy is this boy?' I thought, sighing. "Well um, you came up in a bit of small talk between Sojiro-san and I, and he wanted me to let you know there's still chai for you at Leblanc." I relay to him, though not missing how his head snapped up enough for me to see his storm cloud eye as soon as I mentioned Boss.

He smiles slightly. "Thanks, and t-tell Soji-san I'll b-be there as u-usual." He smiles, making me blink in shock.

"Soji-san...?" Morgana asks.

"Can I pet him?" Sasaki-kun asks energetically, reminding me Morgana sounded like a cat to normal people, as the boy was now looking around my arm to Morgana, who'd poked his head out of the bag.

"Umm, sure." I said, a little shocked ‘does he have.

Sasaki-kun put his hand up to Morgana's face to let Morgana sniff him like a normal cat would, and thankfully Morgana did, after which he started petting Morgana gently. "Are you taking him to the vet by Shujin?" He asks, smiling as he pets Morgana, who seemed to actually be enjoying it by the lack of teeth and claws.

"Uh, yeah." I lie, wondering how he knew my school, then wondering when he'd gotten a good enough look at my uniform to tell.

"Why? There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him, though he does have some really pretty eyes." He asked, looking at Morgana as much as he could without moving or taking him out of the bag.

"He's, uh, got an upset stomach." I lied again, happy Sasaki-kun moved his hand to scratch Mona's neck, making him purr before he could counter that lie.

"Oh, poor thing, did he throw up?" He asks worriedly, using both hands to scratch mona's neck and under his collar, making Mona purr louder, and seem almost like putty in the kid's hands.

"Yeah.." I continue, not knowing why I didn't just tell him I was taking Mona to school with me at this point.

"Haha, of course there's an animal involved for you to be so friendly so quickly." A voice chuckled from the side, Sasaki-kun seeming to jump a little as all of our heads snap over, to see none other than Akechi Goro, Ace Detective

*Kaito's P.O.V*

"Haha, of course there's an animal involved for you to be so friendly so quickly." A voice chuckled from the side, making me jump slightly as we all looked, though just seeing Akechi-senpai.

"Heh heh, you caught me red-handed. But, just look at him, he's so cute, and his eyes are so pretty." I smile, as I pull my hands away from the cat's face, causing him to shake his head and look to me with his unique blue eyes. Akechi-senpai blinked in shock at them, 'heh, the cat and Akechi senpai are a little alike, they both have unique, beautiful eyes, and they're both quite adorable at times' I quickly looked down, feeling my cheeks burn slightly at my thoughts.

"Anyway, why are you taking him with you to school you?" Akechi-senpai asks Kusuru-kun

"He's taking him to the vet near Shujin, apparently the poor thing threw up this morning." I answer for him, though pretty I was sure it was a lie. Considering I knew  Soji-san, and even though he had a soft spot for small and furry animals, if one threw up in his beloved cafe, he wouldn't let it back in the house for at least three days. Even if it had done so in the attic, where Kusuru-kun was probably staying, since I'd never heard his name before yesterday, and I'd known Soji-san for almost 6 years now, well all that plus his unsureness of his voice in his answers. Though, since he didn't go to Aoyama, or like he'd be a suspect in Akechi-senpai's current cases, I just left it alone and covered for him.

"Oh, well, I hope he feels better soon." Akechi smiles, and his smile was actually slightly more honest than that stupid TV smile I constantly saw, only slightly though...

"Me too, though we should probably head to the spots to catch our trains, it was nice talking to you both." Kusuru-kun smiles before heading off. I nod as he leaves and Akechi-senpai and I head off too.

*Akira's P.O.V*

"You should probably watch out for him, he's probably sharper than he looks if he and that stupid detective are friends. And he'll probably show up at the cafe if Sojiro-san knows him well enough to ask you to talk to him." Morgana warns as we head off to my train.

"I know, I know." I sigh, thinking 'this really couldn't wait till after Makoto-senpai's thing'. "Anyway, we'll have to focus on him later, until the bit with the student council president is dealt with at least."

"Hopefully he'll wait that long to pop up." Morgana sighs as if reading my mind, before hiding in my bag as I stepped on the train.

*Akechi's P.O.V*

Kaito-kun and I get on our train as he gives me a seat while he stands, as was usual if there only one seat. I'd quickly learned not to fight him on this.

"So, Kaito-kun, I noticed you were blushing slightly after you pointed out the cat's eyes to me, was the feline really that cute?" I smirk, chuckling as he gasps slightly and looks away, even the tops of ears tinting pink this time 'he's so cute when he-wait, why am I thinking this?!' I quickly shake my head, looking to my lap, only to feel my chin gently being lifted up, only to be met with Kaito-kun's face a couple inches from mine, his hand being what lifted my chin.

His storm cloud eye narrowed. "How much sleep did you get last night?" He asks fatly, though annoyance lacing his features.

'Damn, I forgot he can always tell when I don't get enough sleep faster than I can tell on him' "Umm, would you believe 7 hours?" I chuckle a little nervously, I hadn't had the time to even try hiding the sleep deprivation under my eyes with make-up this morning.

His hand dropped back to his side with a sigh before he snorted, pretty much in my face considering he hadn't moved his. "I'd believe half that." He groans annoyedly.

"Fine, four and a half, maybe five." I sigh, giving in.

"It'll be another 45 minutes before we reach our stop, try to rest and I'll tell you when we get there." He sighs, finally pulling back and reaching in his bag, pulling out a pair of dark sunglasses and handing them to me.

[brimbrimbrimbrim]

Hello! I just want to say I absolutely love your writing and your work and I am so glad I found your blog! I wanted to see if I could request like a mini fic if at all possible because you are honestly one of the few people who manage to capture Wrenche's personality perfectly? I'm having a lot of issues with depression today and it's particularly bad and I was wondering what a goofy adorable Wrench might do to try and cheer someone up?

Anon, I’m sorry to hear you’re having a rough patch. I’m glad I can provide something nice for you to read in the hopes it makes you feel a bit better. Thank you for your wonderful compliments! I have a larger Wrench fic in the works, but hopefully, this will work for now.

I have also posted this on AO3 for an easier read. LINK

Something was up. You only know that because the garage has been quiet for the past hour. At first, you hadn’t realized what that tickle in the back of your head had been, but you realize now that it’s the lack of power tools and robotic sounding ‘fucks’ coming from Wrench’s ‘special’ corner that troubles you. When that particular black cloud decided to hang over your head - which happened at random, lasting however long it wanted - you rarely paid much attention to the outside world. The fact that Wrench’s garage is dead silent, and that you noticed it at all, could only mean he’d stepped out when you weren’t looking or… more realistically, that a bomb was about to go off.

From behind your shoulder, you peer across the bright, dusty expanse of the hangar, spotting Josh’s green hooded-back, researching HaDoCk’s latest batch of emails in his own quiet way. You blink with a slow measure of bleakness, exhaling darkly against the blanket you had draped over your head for the past twenty-four hours. Saftey; you think morosely. The scratchy weight of the fabric doesn’t really help, but you feel a little less like falling into the floor with it blocking out the world around you.

Same principle as hiding under the blankets to escape the monster when you were a kid. The monster was gonna eat you if it wanted, and even as a kid you knew that, but you still hid under the covers anyway. Looking out across the messy garage, you realize why you were more able to keep your chin up in this corner than if you’d been camped out on the hood of the old caddy - the place was pure chaos. Like a grenade went off in here, you think, frowning.

It was Wrench’s garage after all. Maybe a grenade had gone off at some point.

Fuck it… you think, twisting back towards your computer screen with a loud, metal screech. You don’t startle, just wheeze at the animated sight before you - spikes, leather and mischief. There, sitting cross-legged on the desk is Wrench; emotes of double carets staring at you and one of those party crackers in his hands.

Please… no….

“Congratulations!” He exclaims, pushing on the plunger, showering you in confetti and cheap paper streamers. For a second, emotion flickers in your chest, but it’s definitely not the type meant to be in response to party favors. In a deep, mocking announcer voice, he continues, “What has she won Jimmy?! What’s that? Is it - it’s a neeeewwww… no, it’s not new, but it is handsome if not a little rough around the edges.”

Wrench gives you a tilde-caret wink as the last of the party fodder drifts down around you. Your heart flutters just enough to tell you you’re not completely dead inside, but your lips just don’t care to twitch, let alone smile. Poised there, on your desk, Wrench leans forward as if waiting for the laughter you must surely be about to rip.

With a heavy breath, you blink and part your lips, demanding, “What?”

Even to you, the question sounds dead. Not even your prescribed medication, meant for moments like this, have helped any. If Wrench wants some attention, then he’s better off finding it anywhere but here. You’ll only disappoint him and that, you’ve come to realize, is not something you want to do. Wrench won’t help, just like the pills haven’t helped and if anything, his little attempt at cheering you up just annoys you.

In all honesty, these past few days of feeling empty nearly allows you some perverse enjoyment in being frustrated by him. It’s something at least, though it sucks about as much as that raw, hungry sensation in your core.

Wrench clears his throat, double carets flattening out into underscores before he - inelegantly - reaches forward to sweep the confetti and crap off your blanket-covered shoulders. You side-eye his hand, watching the bones and veins flutter underneath his incognito dude tattoo.

“Well, I’ve done all I can. Time to take you out to pasture,” he tells you, voice chipper but hesitant as he flicks a bit of paper off the top of your head. Double x’s pop up and with a short huff of laughter, he kicks a foot up on the edge of the desk, throwing an arm over his knee before finishing with, “I bought a dozen donuts as a backup plan, you know… in case I had to raise this situation to a DEFCON two.”

As if to clarify he adds, “I’m not going to put you down… just FYI.”

Most of that passes through one ear and out the other. A voice in the back of your head whispers that whatever Wrench is doing is meant to make you feel better, but it’s not worth it. You sigh, billow out your blanket of shiny crap, rearrange it over your forehead and huddle back into code-compiling mode.

Left without a response Wrench twitches, shifting on the desk; legs collapsing over the edge. His ankles swing back and forth. He hums off-key, eventually whistling something that sounds like ‘It’s a Small World’  until you send a pointed glare his way.

Instead of leaving you alone to wallow in misery, his mask blinks double carets, “I know what you need!”

In a short second - so fast the computer screen shakes - he’s off the desk and darting away like a fucking felon, but he’s gone and that deflated part of you that was trying to be social sighs in relief, settling back into a dark pit; making itself scarce once again. Some part of you appreciates the effort, but a greater part of you doesn’t care at all about Wrench trying to ‘cheer’ you up.

He comes back five minutes later with a cardboard box in his hands. You watch with half-lidded eyes as he crawls up over the desk, knocking over a speaker.

“Oo, sorry,” Wrench mumbles, sounding… a little cute, but mostly you exhale, realizing he doesn’t sound like much of anything. He leaves black scuff marks as he skids up, standing on the desk with only a slight wobble. Your fingers pause, hovering over the shift key as he steps over the screen, legs spread with one foot on either side of the keyboard. Gently, Wrench lowers the cardboard box over the monitor with double zero’s and x’s flipping back and forth over his mask.

You blink slowly, watching him crouch behind the monitor, knees on either side of the cardboard box that happily reads, ‘SuNshiNE & PiZZa.’

“My treat, but if we don’t get pineapple on half, I’ll leave your ass at the Pier.”

It takes a lot of effort, but you manage a weak, “…not hungry.”

If you were capable of feeling any worse, you’d feel shitty for the dejected way Wrench plucks his custom made monitor cover off the screen, shuffles his way off your desk and accidentally kicks over the speaker for a second time, before hopping out of sight.

Two more times he shows up - once with a dirty apron on, holding a car jack like a dog while spouting off hammed up lines from ‘Silence of the Lambs.’ The second attempt at cheering you up ends with fire. You’re not sure how he manages to set the cement floor on fire, but it’s only sorta, not really amusing to watch him out the corner of your eye as he stomps out flames with ‘Come Sail Away’ on full blast behind him.

After the smell of burning rubber fades away and the garage is silent once again, you decide it’s safe to say Wrench has finally given up.

For ten solid minutes, you’re left alone… or maybe the time on the computer is off, and it’s been four hours. It feels like it’s been forever when the reassuring keys under your fingers rip away - someone is dragging you by the back of your chair. The computer screen grows smaller and smaller and stagnant air ripples the edges of your safety blanket. Without reason, a blush rushes into your cheeks as Wrench’s mask slips close against the back of your neck. You can hear his static-laced breath beyond the thick blanket as he drags you and your chair across the garage.

Fingers white on the armrest and knees tucked up; you hold on with muted surprise as Wrench spins you around. Your world swirls like a bad drunken night for a few seconds before he halts your chair; your body jerking at the sudden stop.

Laid out in front of you is his table saw, cleared of all the metal dust and plastic chips. For a moment it almost looks like he’s scrubbed it down, but you blink at the telltale smudge of oil and feel your eyebrows pinch.

“Voila! Welcome to Casa de Wrench,” the forced French accent doesn’t work when filtered through his mask. He sounds like if HAL and Mario had a baby… wait Mario was Italian… ugh, you can feel your brain literally sigh as a tattooed hand, sporting rubber black bracelets, starts waving across the ‘spread.’

“We’ve got these round things with sugar. These - these are… also round, but! - these are fitted with the choicest of dulce and sprinkles. Just imagine the poor unicorn that had to cry those things out for you.”

It’s nice - it really is but-

“I also got you a black coffee with two sugars and a shot of battery acid,” he rants off, so quick and… awkward that it actually throws you for a loop. With a curious expression, you peer up at him past the drape of the simple checker-print blanket and find him looking down at you with running ellipsis.

Say something; you’re more apt mind whispers.

With a frown, you look back at the mess of donuts - most of them crushed as if Wrench had accidentally sat on the box at some point - and the extra large paper cup of coffee.

There’s a little plastic seal sitting off to the side… you note that it’s been placed further away as if Wrench hadn’t wanted to make the little extra addition as obvious as the donuts and coffee.

Coffee and donuts were easy to pass off as a friend looking out for another friend, but a little trinket like that? With a careful hand, you reach out, crossing the spectacle of sugar and caffeine to pluck up the plastic seal. It’s cheap - one of the gimmicky things those t-shirt vendors by the waterfronts sell to tourists, but… it tickles your chest; makes you feel just a little bit lighter, and while you can just barely hear Wrench mumble excuses for the gift, your lips twitch upwards.

Beside you, Wrench goes quiet.

For the first time today, you slip the weight of your blanket off your head and smile. The gesture doesn’t even feel forced - it doesn’t hurt to make, and the soft sound of Wrench’s exhale only makes the faint smile curl further. There’s still a pit in your stomach - a heaviness weighing you down, but it doesn’t feel as dark. Even the world seems a little less gray and pallid.

When you turn towards him, he’s leaning back with two thumbs up, swaying them to and fro in a silent question. Better or worse?

“…better,” you whisper, eyes crinkling with a little wave of contentment.

Your weak response literally causes Wrench to jump for joy, arms in the air, releasing a loud ‘whoop’ of noise.

“Fucking awesome!” he shouts, turning at the waist just to throw a finger at Josh across the garage, who’s staring blankly at the two of you, “Fucking told you I had the magic touch.”

“I,” Wrench inhales dramatically, “am The Whisperer.”

“Usually that term is meant to follow a noun, also acting as an adjective-” Josh interjects.

Beside you, Wrench’s mask drops into underscores, followed by inward arrows of frustration, “Oh my god, shut’the’fuck’up. It’s an overall term.”

To demonstrate said ‘overall’ term, Wrench caresses the air into a circle, spiked shoulders hunched forward. It’s serious and yet not - much like Wrench’s personality is. He’s always full of piss and vinegar - rainbows and dynamite. It’s infectious.

An amused sound trickles into your ears as Wrench mimes his ‘overall term’ while Josh grimaces. It isn’t until Wrench is looking at you with question marks and Josh is staring wide-eyed that you realized you’d laughed. Giggles bubble up under your oversized hoodie, and they only rise into fits of laughter as Wrench’s fist pumps the air, whispering about how majestic he is.

By the time your throat is raw - breathless with laughter - it feels like all that black tar settled in your gut is gone. You shift in your chair, smiling, feeling ten times lighter with the little toy seal gripped in your hands. Colors come back - the world brimming with crisp edges and glitter. The tuned down thrashcore in the corner filters into your ears and as if on cue, your stomach grumbles.

When was the last time you’d eaten? Yesterday morning, maybe.

Only slightly oblivious to Wrench watching you eat - hiding the heart emotes under his hoodie - you take a sip of perfect, hot coffee and ready your tongue for a round hollow disk of deliciousness.

Wrench, you decide, is a fucking national treasure.