#The risks are too high with those XD

[thecatspirits]

You know when you think you have good ideas and then people give you even better ones and you now have the urge to rework everything else you've done. Couldn't be me right now.

Dang it Spotty why are you such a genius.

[yourheart-inmyhands]

I've been watching to much one piece-

Had a idea of yan! Furina and neuvillette

With a Fishman reader that is like there personal assistant/bodyguard

-🌮annon

mmmmm, i know they're bad but some of those fishmen were stupidly hot, then again the fishmen aren't even the worst on m list of one peice men i'd smash so XD

Warning: This post contains yandere-themes, including mentions of intimidation, mentions of race discrimination, and other potential topics. Please read at your own risk!

Yandere!Furina is definitely one of the weaker archons, and while she isn’t entirely incapable of defending herself, it’s clear she tends to shy away from actual fighting and violence. So having a beloved that’s more like a bodyguard would be perfect for her. She’s more confident in her day to day life, not that she needs it, and feels more comfortable going about the city than she would’ve before meeting you. This doesn’t mean she doesn’t still treat you like her beloved though.

Walking diligently beside Furina, who skipped and hummed and swung your joined hands back and forth, your eyes cast over the crowd. Things had been a lot calmer since you started joining her on her expeditions to the city. No longer did people crowd her with pleas and prayers, but instead parted gently for her, eyes and trembling hands cast in your direction. Fishfolk weren’t rare per say, but they were known to keep to the waters, never mingling with humans due to their dislike for them. So, after many years of the species' limited interaction, for one to suddenly appear alongside their beloved archon, it shook them to the core. They didn’t understand how such a sweet girl like Furina could love a brute like you, but not a soul dare question it for fear that your intimidating aura carried some weight to it.

Yandere!Neuvillette would find it interesting and humorous. He certainly doesn’t need a guard, having turned down many prior to you, but he will not put a stop to your behavior either. Instead he gently reminds you that you needn’t be so harsh with the townsfolk and that they meant no harm. Though he does appreciate your shared care for the melusine.

Walking down a busy street, simply searching for some food, Neuvillette takes note of your vigilant attitude. He’d reminded you plenty that it was unnecessary but you never seemed to listen. Your protective instincts kicking into high gear whenever a woman would come up, asking about his day or occasionally for an autograph. While Neuvillette had found the women to be in poor taste, he was never too bothered by them, unless he was in a rush. Now though, no one was bold enough to do more than glance in his direction and murmur, their attention focused more on your than anything. You needn’t scowl or even carry a weapon to draw their attention and strike fear. No, simply your species alone was enough to startle the young women away, leaving you and your darling Neuvillette all the time you wish together.

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2 Ep3 Musings - Daniel & the Talamasca (SPOILERS)

I can see what the reviewers meant when they complained about the Talamasca & Daniel.

We start off with Daniel nervous AF, tryna keep tabs on all the mindscrewy shenanigans (at the sushi restaurant on his lunchbreak or whatever).

Today's... etcetc Cell phones, google -- Daniel, your handwriting effing sucks. San Francisco. Polynesian Mary's Playboy magazines as a doorstop? doorstep? |CLAUDIA| Mary's cab. Coke...etcetc. Alice. They'll come for me and Kate next--you bet your arse they will! XD THIS TIME I WON'T SAVE YOUR LIFE

He draws an arrow from Save Your Life up to Playboy--I assume cuz those are two incidents with Armand that took place in SanFran?

I really like the Omakase bit--

About how many risks Daniel's subjecting himself to under the whims of these vampires--but also about Daniel's hubris/arrogance breaking the rules of engagement by thinking he has any say over what they do and what he gets out of it, by stepping onto their turf. If you can't take the heat, GTFO their kitchen.

I'm only just now noticing the foreshadowed titles of Dan's books. 🤦 Burning & Blood--AMC swears they're hilarious.

OK, Raglan's been stalking Daniel's career just like Louis did. So my early suspicion about Daniel breaking the NDA was right.

Which is SO EFFING STUPID OF HIM. They're gonna find out! Loumand's literally drawing out this giant tragedy about what happens when vampires--Armand, specifically--are LIED to, and you're gonna pull this mess on them!? You're not even being SUBTLE!

AGREEMENT.pdf--Daniel, you in danger girl.

Raglan, stop tryna gas Dan up b4 they put him off commission permanently. He's no body-snatching psychic CROOK like you.

Get this nosey bish offa my dang screen.

Oof, right in the Devil's Minion feels. U_U

O__O WOAH!? OK, so aside from Dan (played by EB, a white Jew, along with JK) throwing shade at Caucasian European Israelis (which we been knew), he's implying that Armand & Louis might be persons of interest in the UAE by the Israeli gov't & assassins, esp. cuz of their ties to powerful people. But it's funny cuz that's the exact same thing Lou asked about him.

So Dan's telling the sushi patrons there's Israeli spies/assassins crawling around Dubai--STOP, b4 you get that place John Wick'd! XD

Not MI6. 😭 I said JOHN WICK, not JAMES BOND. XD

Raglan's gone full rogue then--if he was still working for the Talamasca he'd have darn near unlimited funds--they got that dirty TEMPLAR money. 💰💰💰

Yeah, and they don't actually call the Talamasca by name in the ep itself--only in the Insider interviews the producers give.

Daniel, why TF are you talking SO EFFING LOUD, when Raglan's whispering, tryna act like he's on the phone NOT talking to you in case y'all ARE being bugged. 🤦 SUBTLETY, my guy. What kinda investigative journalist are you?

I'm starting to suspect they're not gonna do the rockstar!Lestat, and instead this stupid Great Conversion's gonna be what wakes up Akasha/Amel, when their blood/consciousness gets stretched way too thin with all these new vamps being made.

To attempt an interview...? I believe that. We already know Marius & Lestat stalked Talamasca members for decades upon decades. Ain't no way NO vampire ever tried getting close to humans & talk about their lives to someone out of loneliness or something. Esp. the ones not attached to the European covens & all their stupid Great Laws.

Rest in Preternaturalism, Raymond Gallant.

BLENDERS! XD But this is THE most Anne Ricean answer imaginable, cuz everyone lost their ish when she had her vamps flying around with GPS-trackable cellphones in their pockets as they KILLED people. Rookie mistake. 😂

Armand was on a cellphone in S01E07, and he is LITERALLY married to his iPad, so PLEASE, sir. 🙄

There's Santiago's COMPLICIT speech coming back. Ain't no moral high-ground here!

And I figured Armand/AMC was gonna pin it on AMC!Lestat, and his jaded version the Savage Garden.

Armand says technology distracts humans from vampire crimes, but what's distracting vampires from psychic/Talamasca crimes, huh?

ISTG these are the laziest vamps I've ever seen; they care so much about their privacy & security, but aren't reading Dan's mind at all? I hope one of them just casually name-drops Raglan or catches Daniel in the act or something.

Raglan said Daniel's laptop was "comically vulnerable," and uploads a bunch of data files on it from the Bibliotheca Talamasca bestiary/archives--WHY? To help show Daniel he's helpful & trustworthy?

RJ: Omakase? Louis: The conversation was easy and flirtatious.... Armand: And combative. Louis: And combative, yes. Daniel: Arguing as foreplay. RJ: Peruse at your leisure.

I hate this effing show. 🙇🙇🙇

[bygiornogiovanna]

Them reacting to finding out you faked an orgasm (18+)

Your boyfriend had a stressing week, so you two decided to have some...fun. It went well, except he was kind-of rushed, and you didn't exactly reach your high. To not upset him or make him feel bad, you faked it. How will he react when he finds out?

Featuring: Stardust Crusaders (except Joseph)

18+ content, read at your own risk!

Jotaro and Kakyoin are a little aged up, 18 here. Afab reader, no pronouns mentioned.

A/N: THANK YOU ALL DOR 116 FOLLOWERS, I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!! <33

@needy-self-ship-jjba

Muhammad Avdol

Your little secret slipped out when you two were talking. He asked you if you felt good last night and you accidentally let your face show a little bit of discomfort;

Avdol would be disappointed when he finds out that you, in fact, didn't feel good. Not at you, but at himself. How couldn't he pay more attention to your needs?

He felt awful, even after you reassured him it was fine since it was the only time it happend anyways;

It seemed like, everything you told him fell on deaf ears. Avdol's mood got visibly worse, and you felt your heart clench. Why did he feel that bad? It was normal to be a little selfish sometimes;

"I'm really sorry, I'll make it up to you , Y/N."

Jean Pierre Polnareff

The cat was out of the bag the moment you two were arguing. He was having one of his temper tantrums after you were a little too close for (his) comfort to a guy and, out of anger, you told him that maybe he could make you orgasm;

You immediately regretted ever letting those words out of your mouth at the pure hurt that passed his features. He also seemed shocked by what you said, and only a small 'When' left his mouth;

"Look, Pol, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that..." you said, biting your lip anxiously. "That doesn't answer my question. When did it happen? Why didn't you tell me? At least the next day..."

Your turn to feel awful.

"I'll try to be better next time, just warn me, mon cherri."

Kujo Jotaro

He didn't have to find out because he noticed that you didn't reach your high. Your eyes didn't roll back the way they usually did, you weren't panting as much...It wasn't the same;

So, after he was done, Jotaro threw himself next to you, letting your sweaty body hug his. He was stroking your hair, trying to regulate his breathing;

"Can I know what I did wrong?" he asked calmly and you raised a brow. He seemed chill, but you could feel a hint of sadness in his voice. "What do you mean?"

"Why did you have to fake it? You could've just told me" he continues and you sigh, realizing what he meant. "I don't really know, probably the mood wasn't right." you raise your shoulders sleeply;

"Maybe we should make it right then, shouldn't we?"

Kakyoin Noriaki

He would overhear you talking to yourself, well, more-like debating with yourself if you should tell him or not, and to say he felt bad was an understatement;

He was wondering what he did wrong and he figured it would be the fact that he got almost straight to the point, not giving too much attention to the rest of your body due to his stress;

Noriaki would pretend he didn't know and plan a surprise for you. One that he sure hoped you would like;

Roses lead your way to the room you two shared and, when you entered confused, you were surprised (and amused) to see your boyfriend waiting with a rose in his mouth.

"Let me make it up to you. For not pleasing you last time."

A/N: the rose is just for the meme xd hope you all enjoyed this!

[quitealotofsodapop]

The idea that Nez Ha's primary reason for tracking Wukong down in s3 in Slow Boiled was because Wukong was pregnant for like... 1300 years is amazing. Wrlang does find out the details about the pregnancy later... after Yubei is born and they all are collectively carted off to Lao Tzu's lab for both Yubei's first check up and a very, very overdue one for Wukong since the never even let anyone except for Guanyin even check the baby before and, well, stone monkey pregnancies are high risk, Yubei's especially so since she was so overdue and Wukong had been through so much stress throughout pretty much her entire development with only the short 500 years he had been isolated or a few short years with the Pilgrims after the Journey as a potential exception.

sequel to.

Potientially world-ending fire being reforged can wait a minute, Nezha needs to know if Wukong put himself and his baby in such danger all those years ago!

Wukong: "So... are you still mad at me for the Map-?" Nezha, nearly on-fire with anger/worry: "Of course I am! But the fact that you handled the Samadhi Fire while with child and didn't seek out help afterwards worries me far more than your reasoning for reforging it!" Rest of the Gang: "Aww." Nezha: *angry little kid face* >:(

And Nezha gets tied up with the gang's shenanigans for the rest of S3, especially since Wukong is possessed by LBD, and Red Son and Mei need guidance on their fire abilities.

I'm loving the idea of Erlang, who's had a clue that Wukong has been pregnant for so many years, only to find out cus Wukong and Yuebei went to Lao Tzu for a post-natal check-up. He's just chilling in Heaven, doing military drills, senses Wukong is in the Realm and sees-

Erlang: "Baby!" Celestial Soldiers: "Huh!?" "Where!?"

Erlang quickly zooms over to finally give Wukong that congratulations card XD

Baby Yuebei gets startled by the sudden appearance of a tall man with a dog and gets so scared that *ZAP!*.

Erlang: *hair smoking from Yuebei's lazer eyes hitting him square in the face. Completely speechless* Wukong, quietly panicking: "Oh... oh you know how I was as a newborn. I shot lazers at your uncle too." Macaque, delighted smile: "Good aim on her though." *pets Yuebei's head* Yuebei: *rubs eyes tiredly*

The Heavenly General ain't even mad. The little lady is super dang cute, and according to her parents; ate the bone demon that was causing trouble on earth a while ago. Someone like that would be valuable to have as an ally to Heaven.

MK and Macaque are also still super protective of Wukong right now - so Erlang quickly gets hissed/glared out the room by the Monkey King's family.

Erlang wonders if he should tell the rest of Wukong's old allies about the little one's arrival?

[zarvasace]

Hello! This is the first time I have ever interacted with you and if it’s ok I would like to ask a question about your space au:) I’m just curious as to how some of the game mechanics would work in your fics. Stuff like mipha’s grace or the wind waker, basically the abilities that the links have

Hello!! Nice to meet you! Of course it's okay to ask questions, I love talking about stories. XD

And this is an excellent question. It isn't something I've considered TOO heavily before, especially for the examples you provided, but it's really fascinating to think about! Nothing is "canon" until I write it in a story but here are some thoughts...

Hyrule's abilities have been discussed a bit—they're not too unusual for his people and planet, though it is unusual to have multiple like he does.

Twilight's have been mentioned. He has used darkness to travel, essentially turning into a shadowy wolf to do it, which is a product of his half-Twili heritage.

Four is an android, and thus anything out of the ordinary that he does can be explained that way.

Sky is mostly Hylian, which is unusual, but he is also from many generations ago. He doesn't have many traits or internal abilities that people wouldn't be familiar with. Wars is the same, though his Hylian genes are sort of more "distilled" and thus a bit more uncanny. Neither of them have odd magical abilities that come as a result of anything other than items or friends (so they think.)

Legend is Sheikah, which in this AU have malleable appearances, and he's trained to take that to the limit, which explains his transformations. Other magic he does, i.e. the LBW painting thing, the LttP medallions, and whatever else, are mostly explained through clever use of technology, sometimes combined with his natural talents.

Wind is half-Zora and partially aquatic. I haven't quite decided how his wind waker abilities translate in this AU, but I think the chances of it being technology are pretty high. The "Great Sea" is a grouping of small planets (or asteroids? I don't remember off the top of my head) so I think it would make sense for his Wind Waker baton to either somehow control the weather on a few of them, or perhaps atmosphere between them, or even just his ship itself. Or maybe it is a kind of magic he was granted! That would be cool too! They're all fun options.

As for Wild and Time's abilities and magic... Well, Deities sure are mysterious, aren't they? ;)

Okay just kidding. Those elemental/combat abilities absolutely have to do with their heritage of Deity. Remember how Deities change to look like the people they grow up around? Their inherent abilities do something similar. Wild trained early on in a lot of high-risk, him-against-a-lot combat, so his blessings manifested as what the champion abilities are in BotW. He associates them with the champions because they resemble real abilities the champions had (coincidence?) Time didn't have examples quite as strong, and he didn't grow up as militant, so his blessings manifest with more blunt power on the elemental side. They're still refining and shifting, but they'll always be rather devastating.

...👀

And Sun's Deity blessings manifest very much out of a desire to keep herself and the people she loves safe. She is quite powerful, and can actually handle some time manipulation. How else do you think Skyloft station escaped the Calamity so cleanly? (Her Deity heritage remains a secret.)

[midnight-in-town]

Orphanage of livestock

Alrighty, buckle up guys, time for another very cringy theory. :D Big thanks to my friend @dorkshadows for all our discussions about the current arc; this arc is really making us wrack our brain for ideas. xD

To start, here's a reminder as to where we stand vis à vis bizarre dolls:

UT first used to edit those corpses' cinematic records with fake memories he made during the Campania arc, but it quickly changed during the Weston arc to "longing for the future"...

...which are "incomplete fragments that the dead crave about the future they were to have had". Since UT didn't explain anything new ever since, it's likely that the records are still being edited with this method in the current arc.

Then, with the blue sect arc, we were introduced to the use of blood transfusions as "fuel" for the bizarre dolls' longevity...

...and our!Ciel's side set out to crash these collect operations in order to weaken the Undertaker and real!Ciel's side.

Mey Rin's investigation confirmed the existence of one blood collect site...

and so did Bard's:

However, in Finny and Snake's investigation, while the orphanage did sort the children into 4 groups too, the elder siblings pointed out that...

...not only have they never any blood drawn from them, but the orphanage is rather forcing them to attend classes, in order to develop their "aptitude" based on the tests they took when they arrived. Most importantly, when Ginny fledged, the chief of staff said...

...that "the aptitude honed there will make contributions to the world" (as a child with Corgi aptitudes, Ginny's classes were about physical activities "like gymnastics or horse riding").

Investigating Ginny having fledged, that's when Finny, Snake and the elder siblings discovered yet another lab (very similar to the one in Sphere music hall) with evidence of blood collection, but also of organ collection.

So, since this arc with Finny and Snake heavily parallels the circus arc, I was wondering if the purpose of dissecting these poor kids was similar to what Kelvin and the doc did with the kids they abducted:

In other words, whoever is behind this operation (UT is involved, but he might not be the only Shinigami deserter behind this) are maybe killing the kids to collect blood but also many different organs, so that they can probably upgrade their latest bizarre dolls (both in body and record).

Under read more for additional explanations/speculations:

1) the orphanage collects the children's organs to physically upgrade BDs ?

Most likely by grafting new organs or body parts (taken from the orphanage kids who fledged) on bizarre dolls who need them.

For example, considering the Polaris = Joker theory: back in the circus arc, Joker said:

and then Seb cut his second hand. Yet, when Polaris attacked Agni (who was quite strong), Agni noticed that...

...his opponent was very quick and strong. So if Polaris is indeed Joker, then it's likely BD!Joker has new strong arms.

Additionally, crack thought, but we witnessed both Doll and real!Ciel suddenly collapsing, which we automatically linked to needing more blood to keep on functioning, but if they really got new organs from those kids, then maybe...

...the issue we witnessed isn't anemia, but some sort of graft versus host disease? Or both lmao. (I'm totally reaching here)

2) the orphanage also collects the children's organs to gain more sponsors ?

Additionally to the Bizarre Dolls, these organs could be used to gain more sponsors, similarly to Bravat who used to provide blood transfusions to parliamentarians who suffered from kidney failure:

Only rich folks would have enough money to buy organs if they needed it, so they'd make good sponsors for this super expensive BD project.

Of course, the risk of graft v. host disease would be very high as well but, since Othello said "they learnt more than they ought to have" upon visiting the Sphere music hall's lab (ch125), maybe they figured out about how to make a successful graft, on top of blood types ? (Or, most likely, the ones running this clown show just don't care about their sponsors dying once they've gotten the money ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ exactly like Bravat who killed the parliamentarians)

3) the orphanage collects the children's organs for experimentation

This would explain why Finny finds a lot of similarities between this orphanage and the German lab by which he was experimented on for enhanced strength.

Additionally, this would explain Snake's weird comment on "orphanages being terrible places", if he too was also experimented on as a child (which is how and why he understands snakes) :

Lastly, back to the Polaris = Joker idea, Agni mentioned that Polaris had "unimaginable strength". As we know, Agni was one of the strongest characters, so for him to qualify his opponent as "unimaginably strong", it is likely that Polaris has some kind of enhanced strength.

So do they research about enhancing human (or bizarre doll) strength or longevity? Or is it research on cinematic records? Your guess is as good as mine but, as already proved with the circus arc, no one will miss these orphans...

...making this "the best recycling scheme" one can think of. T_T

4) the orphanage assigning orphans to classes based on aptitude tests is used to upgrade BD's records or lack of soul:

The kids are sorted into 4 groups based on the aptitude test they took. Literally quoting the manga:

Mastiff kids learn reading, writing and skills needed to be senior servants managing large manors

Corgi kids specialize in physical activities

Collie kids learn all the skills to make a living as a domestic servant and martial arts

Pomeranian kids (kids who scored the highest on the tests) study latin, maths and games

These orphans are told they are saved and then to envision their future based on their aptitude and what they're forced to learn in their respective classes. This is probably done so that they will develop very specific "longing for the future" which, again, are "incomplete fragments that the dead crave about the future they were to have had".

So, once they fledged and are killed, their "longing for the future" are probably extracted and used one way or another. Since the records are already edited, the goal behind this might be to create some sort of a soul substitute, as hinted by Jane in the Heathfield investigation arc:

and it sure would explain why the chief of staff said the aptitudes can contribute to the world:

That's why something like a change in the afternoon tea menu of the pomeranian kids (from lemon drizzle cake to lemon tart) would actually matter, because taste is probably one of the parameters that can influence the "shape of a soul" or something.

There are 4 groups in the orphanage; in the previous investigations that mostly meant 4 blood types, but this time it might mostly mean 4 star lords:

Mastiff kids for used for Polaris, who defines himself as a butler (he's not real!Ciel's butler tho++) (Joker?)

obviously Pomeranian kids are used for Sirius (real!Ciel)

For Canopus and Vega, it's a bit trickier, but I propose Corgi kids for Vega/Layla, despite her probably being high born, because she worked as a nurse helping veterans with rehabilitation, which looked like this :

This leaves Collie kids for Canopus...

even if Canopus' true identity is really the least obvious one right now. FYI, some Japanese speaking fans have discussed that Canopus is the maid Jane and she indeed worked as a maid and knew how to fight, so it fits (I personally have another theory in mind for Jane, but Canopus!Jane definitely has some basis). If not Jane (or Doll, like some fans keep saying), Canopus can still appear during Seb & Ciel's investigation, so we'll just keep these details about Collie kids in mind.

I'm sure the truth behind Snake & Finny's investigation, as well as the next one with Ciel and Seb, will provide us with more hints about how the bizarre dolls and, more specifically, the star lords are becoming more and more perfect. So far this post is what I can guess with what we were given.

TL;DR in many possible ways, the ones behind this arc (besides UT, I mean) are preying on these poor kids and making use of every parts of them (blood, organs and maybe even their longing for the future).

That's why giving them mistletoe when they reach fledging day is so ironic...

...because they really suck every "nutrient" possible from these kids until they die.

Not gonna lie, it doesn't look good at all for Theo. He's headed straight for real!Ciel... ://

Kudos if you read all that, I hope it was as clear as possible! As always, thoughts in comments or reblogs are welcome! :D

[quinloki]

Ohhhhhhhhhh

Quin for the AU could you please consider

Marco + Japanese mythical creatures (or just mythical creatures idk where he could fall in)

Or what about pirates AU

… jk I think im funny but im not

<3333

XD i still love ya'

Mythical Creature AU:

-:- Marco's the Phoenix, because why not? I see no reason to mess with perfection. This AU people know about the mythical beasts - some are revered, some are feared - some have people who tend to their shrines, and some have people who are sacrificed to their shrines.

-:- The beasts themselves are immortal, or close enough to it no one knows the last time one passed away. There has, however, always been Mythical Beasts - one may fall in battle, or die of old age, but there is a replacement within the year.

-:- Only one seems to have existed since the beginning, and if he dies, there's no record of it.

-:- but over the centuries, the people have moved on, become strong enough to protect themselves without needing to rely on the beasts. Some of them have grown cruel and angry because of it, some have disappeared into the mists, and some have become quiet guardians of the people who don't remember them, because that's what they choose.

You end up in the old forgotten temple running from those that mean you harm. You're scratched up and bloody, exhausted and freezing, and can barely risk the idea of a fire even with the sun setting on the high mountain.

It's unlikely they followed you this high. You'll have to come down at some point for food and water, so it's better for them to just wait as the base of the mountains - so you tell yourself as you manage to stoke a fire in a ornate fireplace, thick with dust and ash.

The fire burst into life with minimal effort, and you're too tired to even question your luck. Warmth sinks into your bones, but you fall back in surprise when the warm orange fire shifts and turns teal and gold.

The fire swirls out from the hearth and swirls around like it's more breeze and magic than fire and flame. You don't notice the scratches healing on your skin, and you barely realize the energy returning to you as the flames burn away dust and ash and somehow uncover lush carpeting and bright treasures and decorations.

The shrine had been falling apart when you ran into it, you knew that for fact, but now there was lush gold and teal carpeting, gold dusted bricks at the hearth, thick tapestries with histories woven into them, and the sweet scent of incense.

Looking around in awe you turn enough that you come face to face with two large round eyes, and a beak.

Teal and gold feathers... flickered?

You realize the bird is bent low to be at eye level with you. Screaming in surprised you wheel backward and fall on your ass. The thick carpeting cushions the blow, as the large feathery - er fiery? - bird sits down and tilts its head.

And that's how you ended up being the attendant to the Phoenix, after generations of your people had forgotten about him.

Send me a character and an AU and I'll give you a treat.

[followthebluebell]

Bluebell!! As you know, I’m working with that tuxedo baby boy! I actually have a couple questions I’m hoping maybe you could answer…

Once he gets neutered, I’m concerned about his recovery and what I should do. Initially I was thinking about setting up a kennel with a bed + litter pan at least for a couple of nights while he heals, but when I asked the vet about his recovery, they said it really depends on the cat and that I may have to just let him back out if he really hates being inside. They mentioned I should try to get him a little used to being inside before the procedure, but he’s definitely full of worms and fleas, and we already have two cats and a dog here. I want to socialize them all eventually but I don’t want to risk the other animals getting worms right now. I’m hoping he can get dewormed while he’s at the vet. Would you happen to have any ideas that could work?

Second question- while he loves getting pets and even loves to be on my lap, sometimes he still swipes at my hands even if I’m not doing anything. He does NOT try to bite me. Could he just be over stimulated? Learning how to act around a human? What can I do to deter that without upsetting him? Or is it just something that might go away over time? (Also I’d like to follow this up with I thoroughly wash my hands after every interaction and I change my clothes if he sits on my lap).

anyways… if you’re able to help, i’d really appreciate it 🥺 i just want to get everything right.

I'm following the adventures of the very dignified boy and hoping he settles in quickly, ngl!

Cats usually recover from neuters pretty quick. It's a very, VERY small procedure (sorry to all toms reading this; your balls are not that impressive). There's usually not even a check back to get stitches taken out or anything. I do recommend crate rest, just to be sure he doesn't pull anything. It also helps to monitor how much he's eating, drinking, and eliminating.

so, the type of dewormers used are really going to depend on what kind of worms he's got. Since you've mentioned fleas, he's got tapeworms at the very least, which isn't as bad as it sounds. They're the easiest to get rid of, with just a single dose. Drontal is the typical form used, since it covers a larger spectrum of parasites than just pure praziquantel.

It's worth knowing that dewormers aren't JUST available in oral forms either. There are some that are transdermal, which is super handy when you're working with a cat who's not 100% used to human contact and might not be easy to pill.

The problem is, it's also SUPER easy to get contract them again, because their eggs are carried in the fleas. Cat grooms off an infected flea, eats it, and gets tapeworms all over again. So getting rid of tapeworms includes getting rid of the fleas, and the right flea medication depends on where you live.

I happen to live smack-dab in the middle of flea country. Fleas in my area have presented with a REALLY high resistance against most flea medications. The ones that still work in my area are selamectin (revolution, and revolution+; also a handy one since it takes out a lot of internal parasitic worms), spinosad (less effective in recent years, but includes comfortis), and spinetorem (cheristin; this is what I use on my personal cats, and it's also the active ingredient in Advantage XD). I've heard good things about bravecto and credelio, but haven't used those personally. Absolutely ask your vet what's working in your area right now.

I HIGHLY recommend getting a flea control that kills adults, larvae, and eggs. Right now, the best thing is to keep him on quarantine for a week or two, just in case he's got something nastier than parasites.

As far as his behavior, I'm guessing he's still learning how humans work. It's possible he's giving some sort of signal that's just too subtle for humans to catch. Just keep doing what you're doing and he'll figure out how to communicate with you. If he continues to swipe, you can work on finding a sort of comfortable compromise where, instead of sitting on you, he sits next to you in a little bed.

Good luck with the little guy!

[goldenteaset]

I'm having so much fun with Virche Evermore! It's exactly the level of Gothic Romance I wanted, and often more romantic than I believed it would be. Scien is currently my favorite, but perhaps that's to be expected from someone who continually got "Pragma" (or "Ludus") on Cupid Parasite's love quiz. XD

On that same token, though (just unlocked Yves' route): am I doing sci-fi "wrong" if I'm considering the science as a vehicle for emotion and character rather than something "plausible"? Because I keep seeing people complaining about that and I'm so confused.

Analysis and spoilers for Lucas and Scien's (pre-Salvation) endings under the cut!

For example, I started with Lucas' route first. I went into it expecting this quiet, grief-filled story of a man struggling to choose between dying as himself VS continuing the vital community role he loves (teacher) at the risk of losing that passion for teaching. As the route progressed, the conflict became more, shall we say, "man vs man", but to me it didn't seem to lose much in that switch? If anything, it became clear that sometimes in this story love "comes too late", but it's worth feeling and sharing all the same. The themes of cults and Weird Science (tm) are there to enhance those emotions and that sense of loss--they're almost metaphorical that way.

Where that does fall apart for Lucas' route specifically is how he as a character feels very focused on the spiritual, not science and medicine. "What is the nature of the soul? What makes us human?" I think the antagonist chosen for him falls flat because of this: Cappuchine acts in accordance with those spiritual conflicts for 99% of the route until he's suddenly The Most Science Person. His way of "loving/preserving" is genuinely fascinating if viewed as a foil for Scien, but as a foil for Lucas specifically? They don't quite mesh. (Love the evil lair and outfit switch though, very classic and classy!)

To wander back to my point: I think Scien's route (pre-Salvation Ending) gave me more Feelings because the spiritual and science themes are better woven into his and Ceres' relationship. Both of them have these suffocating, abstract mantles placed on them by others, and through each other they learn to embrace and reject those mantles simultaneously. "To err is human", and yet "what a piece of work is man". Scien never stops thinking of Ceres as a human being, even when things spiral. Ceres has her sky-high expectations of Scien dashed to pieces by his hand, and as a consequence can point out his flaws with impunity. Their love is exhilarating, born of madness and hope. They're nothing less than devotee and God, offering and receiving tribute and acceptance at their lowest points...but they're also nothing more than a man and woman who respect and love each other.

When Scien says to Ceres "If the world will not forgive you, I will," it feels like the first time that mantle of Godhood has worth. And so it's not surprising when right after this comes his huge moment of self-discovery: "to forgive is divine", but "to err is human", after all. His downfall in his Despair Ending comes from hubris--but also, fittingly, from Lucas, the one character (so far) who adores Ceres like a devotee but can't accept her flawed humanity.

The science of Reliver technology and Death's Curse are like spotlights shining down on them--whereas for Lucas and Ceres, those same concepts get in their way as much as they help illuminate their love. And yet I can't find it in myself to discard the writing in the latter's case. I'd rather a story be as flawed as the humans that made it. That way, the emotional high points can be that much more exhilarating when they hit as hard for readers as they must have the writers when they realized, likely mid-sentence, it's working.

[bakawitch]

i love ghosts i love crime (stories), telll us more! :D

Well, lucky for you, this wip actually contains two separate crime stories! And just in time for Halloween too! XD

Sometimes, when I'm writing random scene ideas, I get a sudden idea surge for a completely separate fic, so I quickly jot those down in the same document before I could forget them. Not the most ideal organising, but it sort of works 🙃

So! Story number 1:

tw: death, cause y'know. ghosts.

Here For The Boos

This one is more ghost than crime, but the other part of this wip is more crime than ghosts. This fic is primarily puzzleshipping (that's a first for me lol) and there's also some tendershipping and eclipse on the side.

Yugi inherits an old rural house in Kyoto from his grandfather after he tragically passed away inside it. Due to having some financial difficulties and running out of options, he has to move into the house, leaving his old life behind. It doesn't take him long to realise that there is something wrong with the house; the light bulbs keep flickering no matter how many times he changes them, doors slide open by themselves, the house always smells like it's burning, he can always see something lingering behind him just out of the corner of his eye, but disappearing as soon as he turns around to get a better look. And there's also banging and screaming coming out of the basement at night, which probably should have been a dead giveaway.

Not having the option of moving out, Yugi decides to investigate. He sets up cameras, capturing a few odd things, scatters around a few religious symbols, discovering that they all rust away or get destroyed under a single night and he also locates a mysterious black spot behind a closet where the smell of smoke is the strongest.

Leaving the basement for last, Yugi ventures in at night when he knows the noises would be loudest. After waiting in silence for awhile he gets jumped by a black shadow which seems really keen on clawing him to bits, but just before Yugi's arms would give out he gets pulled out from under the shadow and of the basement by a mysterious force.

After this experience, Yugi does some research about the house and comes across Mura (Yami Malik), a self-proclaimed medium, by chance who offers to help Yugi hold a séance. Yugi invites two of the friends he's made in Kyoto, Malik and Ryou, and the four of them hold a seance in the room with the burn mark.

Throughout the event they discover that the house is inhabited by two spirits, an investigator and a thief. Due to some strange interference in the house Mura can't invite either of the spirits to possess him, but they do manage to communicate with the investigator through knocks. They manage to find out that it was the investigator that saved Yugi from the basement and that both him and the thief died in the house fire that was started by the thief as far as he knows, but he doesn’t remember his death very clearly.

Yugi does more historical research and he finds two names that seem to have stopped making appearances in records at the same time. Rurikawa Yami the son of the local lord who was a high ranking officer and a local bandit that went by the name of Touzokou. Yugi takes the risk and tries to contact Yami by himself with more information about his past in hopes of figuring out what truly happened in the house all those decades ago.

This is where the story is now (albeit in bits and missing chapters).

Onto story number 2:

Cat And Mouse

tw again: murder, death

So this one is a messed up little clashshipping crime au fic where the killer and the detective are both equally aware of who the other is and they meet up and stuff, they just don't say that they know what the others intentions are.

Malak Ishtar (Yami Malik) is a morally dubious homicide detective who works in Domino, but it's been awhile since he's taken an interest in a case. That was until a serial killer made his entrance into the crime scene. One so brutal and sadistic that it immediately made Malak want to catch them himself. The press dubbed them the Puzzle Killer, after the puzzling states his crime scenes has been discovered, almost appearing like the aftermath of a twisted game session.

While tailing one of the suspects, Malak bumps into an intriguing man who surprisingly holds many of the same ideologies as he does. After introducing themselves Malak finds out that the stranger is Dr Yami Muto, a rather esteemed psychiatrist in the business. They have a long chat, but after they part ways so Malak can keep following his mark, he finds the suspect brutally slain in a public bathroom. More puzzled than ever, Malak starts to put together all the odd things Yami said and grows suspicious of him.

Without any proof, he decides to pursue Yami as a suspect in his own time under the guise of friendly get-togethers, which slowly evolve into something more.

And this one, I actually have a quick excerpt for:

He looks back at Yami only briefly, noticing the strikingly calm demeanour that was radiating of him. "What's your doctor profession? Surgery? Pediatrics?", inquiries continued on for the other, deciding to take a seat on the subway seat. "You either must have a lot of patience or you must be enjoying yourself."

It's a half witted joke on Malak's part, something to ease the conversation rather than the intensifying atmisohere.

"Psychiatry, actually. But I can't say you're wrong about the last part." He smiles back at Malak, laughing a little, never actually clarifying which statement the other man was right about.

"If you think about it, this is a bit like an impromptu social experiment." The doctor explains, motioning around the wagon with an open hand with a certain eagerness in his movements. "All these people from different demographics trapped in a small enclosed space for an undetermined amount of time with possibly limited resources isn't something you'd get to observe every day."

[rainypaperangel]

Okay you all really liked both my Monster High costume re-design(?) and my Ever After High costume proposal, soeh... I'll just keep going! I refuse the connection of Winx and Netflix' Winx Saga, so I made some costume proposals for a show that would actually be just loosely faithful to the cartoon show. Enjoy!

(This is based on the 1st and 2nd season)

Bloom

I always saw Bloom as a down-to-earth (there's a joke in there somewhere, but I can't find it...) girl representing just the average teen discovering her magical abilities! I think the blue would clash on screen, so I decided to amp up the yellow accents.

I think this makes for a casual, modern Y2K-inspired outfit with trumpet-style denim pants (is that what they're called? honestly, I don't know anything about fashion), a yellow knit crop-top, yellow platform sandals, heart earrings and a heart pin, and a dark blue hair band.

Stella

I'll be honest, I never liked Stella's design all that much as a kid... I feel better about it now, but I still wanted to put her in a yellow sundress instead of her two-part outfit. I added a green cardigan to keep her original color scheme, and I thought those heels with sunflowers on were just to die for!

I would love to see her with a lot of sun and moon-imagery, and I think they'd be really subtle accessories in a live-action show - a chain belt, a necklace, earrings, and perhaps a bracelet. They may look like much, but since the dress and cardigan are plain, I think it'd end up looking quite lovely!

Flora

With Flora, my OG favourite, I went for a more bohemian style with a loose, knit crop-top and a ruffled, flowery pink skirt. I liked the idea of a more earthy color palette, having even the pinks muted.

I gave her flat shoes, which are more practical for gardening, and a scrunchie she could have around her wrist. I know her gardening is magical, but I just love the idea of her growing things organically too, and for that, long hair is better tied back a bit <3

Tecna

This one was soooo difficult to make, because there was a risk of making her look like a young Polish boy who just discovered Adidas... I think a light purple pixi cut would look so good paired with an angular, purple crop top and checkered (striped?) green shorts. I think the triangle earrings would work so well with this!

Her shoes are bigger, and I'd imagine they'd have some tech in them, just like the green watch - they're magical, of course! But also electronic? The glasses are just for inspiration on what she might be able to conjure with her magic, that's for CGI to work out tho xD

Musa

I honestly don't know if I could've made a more direct result... I don't think an IRL Musa would look good with those high pigtails, so I went for space-buns instead. The denim jeans are still baggy (why did I never notice you can see her underwear??), but I chose some that were stone-washed to give them some flair.

The top is more Chinese-inspired to make a connection to her heritage - I searched for almost an hour to find something I liked, and uh... the internet's nasty... I added a lot of musical elements, like a hairpin and a charm bracelet, since I don't really think it's obvious from her design alone that her magical connection is to music. Also, cat headphones. Because why not?

Layla/Aisha

I'll be completely honest, I've never liked Layla's (and yes, I'll refer to her as Layla, that's the name I heard when I grew up with the show) outfit - on itself, it's fine, but I was so confused by her magic when she first appeared. It was waaay later that I learned she has a connection to water (I know it's not directly water-magic).

I looked at her other outfits, and I don't really think any of them did her justice. She's such a cool concept, but I don't think the creators fully knew what to do with her from the start... Anyway, that's just speculation, that's not what you're here for!

I kept her original outfit with a pink crop top, but changed the cargo skirt for shorts (that's just more practical). Of course, we keep the leg warmers; they're iconic! I also added pearl earrings, because... ocean.

Yeah, I struggled with Layla, but I think she could be a JEWEL given a re-design - also in the plot. Keep her personality and backstory, tweak the powers, and the wardrobe changes would come naturally <3

[cookiedoughmeagain]

Haven rewatch, episode ten - The Hand You’re Dealt

This is a great episode, even if the end is kinda depressing. But there’s not one but two separate Troubles, with interesting characters behind them and a tricky investigation to figure out what’s going on. PLUS, it’s a great Duke episode; I love his conversation with Vanessa (“Everything’s illegal somewhere”) and the way he tries to help her; AND all of his snark with Nathan is fabulous.

Also love Duke’s, “nobody was cool in high school, not even me,” comment - even if I don’t believe him ;)

Some details about the plot bother me though, little things that don’t quite line up, like the phone conversation the Principal has before she gets in her car, or Vanessa sulking around in the police station; I get that these things are designed to build the mystery or whatever, but I’m not quite sure they work.

And then there’s Nathan - last episode he was willing to shoot someone who looked like Audrey, simply on the basis that he could feel her (or rather couldn’t) - ie he risked his friend’s life on the theory that his being able to feel is specific to Audrey and that therefore the person standing in front of him was not her. This week he’s poking himself with forks and leaning on fence posts to check that same theory; it seems slightly the wrong way around. I know some of the earlier episodes were originally planned in a different order, I wonder if that’s the case here too. (I guess it would have to have changed fairly early in the process though, for Eleanor and Julia’s plotlines to make sense.)

Audrey and Julia are really cute with their cocktails.

Given what we later learn about the Colorado Kid and the day he died, I really don’t understand how Eleanor can have been at his autopsy.

I like Duke and Vanessa, it’s a shame she wasn’t in a few more episodes - plus Haven could definitely use all the counsellors it can get!

I love that moment when they throw the barbeque in the pool and it looks like nothing’s going to happen - bit awkward if you’ve ruined someone else’s burgers for nothing XD

Why is Vanessa able to remember some of what happened on the day the Colorado Kid died? It would be interesting if Duke got some of those memories back too.

I love how Nathan follows Audrey’s lead when she decides to wind Matt up, even if he does look kind of horrified when Matt blows himself up.

Love that the irrelevance of fate is one of the few things Duke and Nathan are prepared to agree about.

Also such a shame Julia didn’t stick around; having her as ME and an ally for Audrey and Nathan could have been really cool. Potential love interest maybe for Duke, or at least someone else like him who is a local but has also spent a lot of time away (and is back in town only reluctantly). The four of them working together on the Troubles, could have been a really nice dynamic for a while.

My final thought though - Vanessa’s 1980s vision of how the Colorado Kid was going to die isn’t born out by what actually happens when we eventually see it on screen in season five; so … maybe fate can be changed afterall?

[cjbolan]

The movie’s OK, but here are all the reasons I prefer the book. Mainly because of the title character...

Book!Aquamarine had a unique look different from most mermaids. I loved the descriptions of her turquoise skin, silvery hair, webbed hands, and blue fingernails. Sounds more like something from a horror story, yet instead it’s in this sweet children’s fantasy. Lagoona from Monster High is perhaps the closest thing in appearance to Book!Aquamarine.

Book!Aquamarine has a much bigger character arc. She’s introduced as this mean rude selfish spoiled brat -- even the book calls her spoiled (”she was the  youngest of seven sisters, and had always been spoiled. She’d been  indulged and cared for and allowed to act up in ways no self-respecting  mermaid ever would.“). By the end she’s a nicer and more considerate person, even resucing someone from drowning near the end. Also love how his book points out that being good-looking doesn’t mean you’re a good person (”her watery beauty didn’t mean the mermaid knew her  manners.”)  Always a valuable lesson for kids. Looking back, her bribing Hailey and Claire with wishes felt like the movie’s easy way out of giving Aquamarine any real character flaws.

Book!Aquamarine is a more multifaceted character. Even at her bitchiest she has some redeeming qualities. I like that she’s tenacious and passionate enough to risk death to get what she wants. Also there’s no sea king father or mean girl to keep her from Raymond. Instead, Aquamarine’s biggest obstacle is herself. Only her own stubbornness and bad attitude are stopping her from getting what she wants.

Book!Aquamarine is more resourceful. Rather than rely on magical items (the starfish earrings, shellphones, wishes, etc.) , or her tail turning into legs, she has to build good relations with the people around her to get their help. No magical shortcuts like in the movie. In fact the magic seashells don’t appear until the ending. I imagine as a reward for all the characters’ hard work to reach their goals.

Book!Aquamarine is unapologetically herself. With the exception of Raymond, she never hides her mermaid identity from anyone. And rather than Aquamarine have to learn about the human world, Hailey and Claire had to read about the ocean and Aquamarine’s world in order to help her. 

Book!Aquamarine has much more at stake. I mentioned earlier how there’s no sea king father or mean girl to keep her from Raymond. In the book she has much bigger problems to worry about. Where if she doesn’t get Raymond, she risks sickness from the pool chlorine and certain death from being away from the ocean for more than a week. 

Off topic but Claire has a better arc too. She overcomes her fear of water much more gradually, unlike the movie where all it took was a leap in the ocean with Hailey. Also I like how the book never explains why she’s afraid of water. Because hydrophobia (fear of water) is much more common than people think. Especially in my country. By not giving a reason for it, Alice Hoffman helps normalize hydrophobia, making those with it feel less ashamed and more able to overcome it.

I realize how hypocritical it is of me to love Aquamarine for being a bitch, while hating Mary P. Windsnap for the same reason. But Aquamarine is in a standalone story. I have no prior expectations of her, so I can believe she’s supposed to be bitchy and unlikeable. Also Aquamarine is only 16 years old. We were all bitchy at 16 at some point XD. Unlike Mary P. who is implied to be much older, and should know better.

Enjoy!

[Image description. The Becky movie version of Aquamarine with legs, listing all the ways she’s different from her book counterpart, next to the Stacy book version of Aquamarine, wheelchair bound and with a mermaid tail, listing all the ways she differs from her movie counterpart. End description.]

[kyberz]

Okay finally got these done, took way longer than I expected to be honest.

But here’s the first one!!

(All drawings based off always_be_your_teacher fics on ao3) check her work out :3

☆彡 “ 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 “ ミ★

First, I wanna talk about this fanfic in general. I actually haven’t came across Terry/John fics of their older selfs so it was so cute to read this !! I love how John only realises that Terry has feelings for him as he himself has for Terry.

Plus, this entire scene was just adorable! It was so cute how Terry started singing I was kicking my feet reading this.

I don’t want to go into too much detail for spoiler reasons but my honest opinion is that this is by far my top 5 fav Terry/John fics :))

Songs that reminded me of this:

And

༄

Secondly

☁︎︎ “ 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 “ ☁︎︎

(Part 1 of A helping hand)

Cobra boyfriends, cobra boyfriends, cobra boyfriends!!

I love love loved these so much omg it has to be my favourite series to them <33 !!

The way John was willing to risk himself for Terry and how he just gave him his blanket🙁 ARGHH I love them so much like genuinely this was so so fun to read!!

Song that this reminded me of:

༄

Thirdly, and lastly (for now)

🜸 “ 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 “ 🜸

(Part 1)

I hate sid sm 😕.. Anywayyy… I loved this so so much!! Especially this scene. I just found it amusing how they all got high together! Lol but it was so cute how John gave off those father figure vibes for Johnny. And Terry is just like the fun uncle type xd.

Songs that this reminded me of:

And

This is all for now but I will probably make more fanart for the fanfics because I just adore them all so much, they’re all so creative and fun to read istg 🫶🏻

☆

[mdhwrites]

This is me sending you an ask about Commander Anne! 🦎

...This is literally the first time I've gone "Hey, ask me about X because this has too many topics" and they actually did it. XD Okay, so Commander Anne is FUCKING AMAZING. There's a lot of reasons but a lot of it comes down to part of what I think people need to realize about the show. Above anyone else, there are two main characters of the show and S3 is all about their change and their fates. The first is Anne and S3A was entirely about how she had changed since the start of the series.

The second one isn't Sasha. It's Amphibia itself.

Don't get me wrong, Sasha gets a LOT of good in this episode and I will be talking about it but she still isn't elevated to main character status in this half season. She's still a supporting character just like Marcy is primarily a side character (Loggle gets more screentime than the lovable nerd after all). I also don't say this to diminish either of the other girls as characters, simply to admit that their narrative importance isn't as high as the setting itself.

And why shouldn't the setting be important to an ISEKAI? The term literally means other world and Amphibia is ALL about culture clash from big city girl to rural farmers, to frogs and humans and even the various Amphibians themselves. Thus the world is important and Commander Anne shows that Amphibia is FUUUUUUUUUUUCKED.

But how it does it is INCREDIBLY clever because it also shifts who we should expect to be leading things over to Sasha and why she is the Commander. As such, the big highlight of the episode for me is actually the montage of the trip. See... Anne is treating Amphibia the same way she used to.

Amphibia says that won't work anymore. It dumps sludge on her, attacks her with robots that want her dead, etc. like that until we get to the plant where a goofy, silly plan that might have worked in previous seasons is met with a dose of harsh reality as it puts everyone at risk. The got through with gumption and willpower before after all but that doesn't work anymore.

And this is because of a fundamental shift in HOW Amphibia is dangerous now. Amphibia has always been dangerous but it was an impassioned danger. Frogs were merely food and so the monsters took what they needed and then left. The hibernation episode is a PERFECT example of that and of how the Amphibians dealt with it. It might suck but it wouldn't ever mean the end of the entire town. The end of the world.

Andrias on the other hand wishes to warp and break the world so as to fuel his conquest. His desire requires the elimination of any threat and its led by a man who at this point actively hates any and all who oppose him and meets them with sadistic glee. As such, you can no longer just take a casual stroll through the woods. You can no longer drink from the rivers. You can no longer find peace with a world at war.

And FINALLY this brings me around to both Sasha and the Amphibians themselves. They have lived in this state for MONTHS and you can feel it as they clash with the Plantars, who they themselves also adapted to their new environment. Modern luxuries allowed one to become soft. War made the others have to get stronger and smarter. They are more serious because they have to be and there's a certain expectation they hold of those around them because of it. They still vote Anne as commander because they remember the warm days but they don't need a friend who will share their heart.

They need strength tempered with compassion. They need Sasha Waybright. They don't need Cheer Team Sasha though. They need the Protector of Amphibia and for that, we needed to see the end of Sasha's character arc here and it's a damn good one that I should do a full blog on at some point. My big point here is that our one look at her as a child is her playing protector and trying to help Anne and Marcy. Her at St. James is someone who uses the personal belief that she's protecting her friends and making their lives better to make them utterly server her goals and her interests.

There is no pretense now though... Or not quite but that's a discussion for the ending when I get to it (I'm at All In now). She genuinely looks out for people and wants to make them the absolute best they can be, something we'll be seeing from her for the rest of the season in one way or another. She is a true protector which earns her spot as the strength gem because she understands that Strength without selflessness isn't strength at all. It's just cruelty and manipulation.

All of this also does something really smart from a meta standpoint that you can even feel in Sprivy. Namely: This half season IS different from the rest of Amphibia. There's only one episode, full episode, that feels truly like an old episode from S1 or 2 in the entire half season because there is a tone change. It's necessary for the fact that Amphibia is at war and the show doesn't want to treat that as just a joke. It's honestly really clever and impressive in the breadth of what a change in status quote this is.

And done in ELEVEN MINUTES. I... Just... I don't want to compare S3 of Amphibia and S3 of TOH too much because the shortening did cause a shift in priorities and goals but like... If For the Future spent a quarter of its time being this well crafted and compelling about the change of the Isles, it might not be seen as an almost complete waste of time by most people! And these two DO have the same goal for at least part of it which is to introduce the newly changed world and how it has been warped and ravaged and have to be dealt with in a new way which makes the comparison genuinely warranted. Both needed to show this new world and Amphibia did while also having rich character development and not wasting almost a second, unless it's doing jokes that still play into the changes for the characters, while TOH spends 30 seconds of its re-introduction of the Isles to give us eye candy as the animation goes "Gosh, isn't Amity pretty?"

Hell, all of this gushing actually didn't even cover the main conflict of the episode except tangentially but it's a GREAT capstone to Sasha's arc. She wants to give up power because even if she trusted herself with others, she can't trust having it over Anne. Anne is willing to give enough understanding and care though to put herself in a vulnerable situation with Sasha for the good of everyone else. It's a great concept executed very well.

It also admittedly hits close to home, especially post "The Beginning of the End" due to complicated things between me and my twin brother but that's again: For a blog about Sasha's entire character arc and its added complexities that keep Sasha compelling.

But yeah, Commander Anne absolutely deserves to be beloved by the fandom and should honestly be dissected by more people for how incredibly good it is at introducing the new Amphibia to us properly.

======+++++======

Small bonus: Thank you to Nexstage for also asking. I really do appreciate when people take my baits for extra blogs because it's genuinely easier for me to make a blog as a response to an ask rather than making it myself. It has to do with brain problems wanting some guarantee there might be interest in the topic which is a whole thing. Yaaaaa-

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!