#because a shortened version will probably still be great

[my-burnt-city]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Luke Murphy | Attic Projects (@attic_projects)

Volcano is an extremely great piece of theatre. If you're in New York, I strongly encourage you to do what you need to in order to get tickets. If you're in the UK, please join me in wishing REALLY HARD in order that we might be able to manifest a run on our silly little island

And if you're anywhere in the world, the Dublin Dance Festival is blessing us with an on-demand stream! So drop €12 in their direction and treat yourself to 3+ hours inside Luke Murphy's brilliant - and unexpectedly weird - mind, regardless of whether or not you plan/hope to see it in person!

[ts-witchy-archive]

Things I'm Doing to Make my 2024 Witchcraft Practice More Accessible and Consistent

In 2023 I was not very consistent with my practice at all. Between TAFE, university applications, ADHD, my (at one point) 3 jobs and just general life stuff, I haven't had a lot of energy to be consistent and just enjoy my practice. My goal for the coming year is to make my practice as accessible and as fun as possible. I want to practice a lot, I want to do a lot of research and spell work in 2024. So this is a list of a few things I'll be doing to make sure I meet those goals!

Enchanting my skin care with glamours and intentions for clear skin. That way I don't have to remember to say my intentions everyday and it will still have some effect if I forget

Cleaning my altars because I'm way more likely to do stuff if I have a clean space. (obvious I know but i haven't cleaned it for like 6-7 months)

Getting rid of my "only do it if needed rule". Fuck it. I like doing spells. Just because I'm not homeless doesn't mean that I shouldn't do a prosperity spell. It also limits my experiences with spell work

More magical playlists. I have like 20 ideas for what to make I just haven't done it yet lol. I love music more than anything so intention playlists are great options if I want a very quick 'spell'

Make a list of things to post here. I tend to come up with Ideas i've never thought when making tumblr content! Personally, brain storming and content creation counts as part of my practice

Enchanting my water bottle! If I'm hydrating I may as well make it fun (it'll also probably make me more likely to drink water)

Make a list of accessible offerings! I really struggle to give offering because if I don't go the whole 9 yards I feel like a bit of a failure (which is so hypocritical of me given all the things I talk on here). I think have a list will help me get past that first barrier of not knowing what to offer.

Make a shortened version of the offering ritual I do. I am more low energy than not during the school year so this will be very valuable for me

This is the full list as of this moment but this list is for me more than it is for sharing knowledge purposes so I'm okay with not having it 100% finished. If I think of anything else I'll add it and if anyone else has any tips they are very welcomed. Happy new years :)

[nattikay]

wooooo they have proper refsheets

massive lore dump under the cut

Might as well start with Neynari. Probably the most striking thing about her visually is that she has a condition called leucism, which causes an underproduction of pigment. In Neynari's case, her leucism is a random mutation that resulted in the malfunction of her pigment-producing cells, rather than a genetic trait inherited from her family. Needless to say the clan was quite surprised when she was born hrh

Speaking of which, Neynari was born in the Aranahe clan to a couple by the names of Seylana and Vontxu. She was an only child and has an especially close relationship with her mother. Her father, Vontxu, was very quiet and reserved; he rarely spoke and was difficult to get to know. Seylana found his soft demeanor charming, but while Neynari loves her father and knows he loves her too, his personality made it harder for her to bond with him, so she was never quite as close to him as she was to her mother.

Her pale skin makes her a poor hunter--prey can see her coming from a mile away--but she more than makes up for her lack of hunting ability with excellent craftsmanship. Growing up in the Aranahe clan she is of course well versed in weaving and dyeing, but her true passion is beading. She absolutely loves making beads of all varieties and incorporating them into her weaving projects. Vontxu is actually the one who first taught her how to make them, and it was one of the few activities she felt she and her father could bond over. She used to sit for hours in the weaver's den with him, not speaking, just carving beads to their hearts' content.

One day a group of Aranahe artisans, Neynari among them, set off on a trading route to visit the Anurai clan. Neynari knew the Anurai clan also had a reputation as skilled artisans and was keen to compare their crafts. It was on this trip that she met Se'txelu...

(rewinds tape recorder) alright let's talk about Se'txelu now hrh. I mentioned how Neynari has a condition called leucism. Well, Se'txelu has the opposite: melanism (or I guess for a Na'vi it would be called cyanism). So while Neynari's body underproduces pigment, Se'txelu's overproduces it. Unlike Neynari whose condition was a random mutation, Se'txelu's is one that I headcanon as a rare but established recessive trait among his clan, the Anurai (actually google tells me that irl melanism is dominant but shhhhhh this is imaginary alien version I can do what I want with it lol). This Pandoran version of the condition, in my headcanon, requires just the right combo of genes to show up in the phenotype, so while several of the Anurai are carriers of the gene(s), it's very rare to have more than two or three indivduals who actually display it living in the clan at the same time, and sometimes there are none at all. At the time of this "story" there are only two: Se'txelu himself, and the current tsahìk, Awlun (who happens to be his great-aunt.) Before them, the most recent person to have it was Se'txelu's great-grandfather. 

The Anurai don't use human terms like melanism or cyanism of course; they refer to this condition as txonleng (shortened from txonä ta'leng, meaning "skin of night"), and because the dark color resembles the hide of the mighty palulukan which the Anurai canonically revere, it is generally believed that individuals born with txonleng are blessed by Eywa and destined to be legendary hunters, especially nocturnal hunters...which there may be a sliver of truth to, since they are naturally better at blending into the shadows.

In Se'txelu's case, though....well, he is good at camouflage, but alas, he's also kinda clumsy, which kinda cancels out any stealth bonus granted by his condition 😅 Despite his clumsiness, he is still a decent hunter at least, albeit a long ways off from "legendary" status (uh oh, potential source of angst for this usually happy-go-lucky dork).

When the Aranahe artisans visited his clan to trade, Neynari immediately caught Se'txelu's attention. He'd never seen anyone who looked like her before, and on top of that, she was quite beautiful. He was infatuated immediately. Lucky for him, she took notice of him too (they both kinda stand out in a crowd lol). Now, while Se'txelu had never seen anyone with leucism like Neynari, he had met two other people with his own condition, txonleng—his great-grandfather (although his memories of him are hazy since he was quite young when he died (of old age)), and Awlun (who of course is still alive and kicking)—so though his condition was rare he had never really felt alone because of it. Neynari, on the other hand, had never seen another Na'vi who wasn't standard blue, so meeting someone else who stood out like that was shocking and intriguing. 

The Aranahe trading party stayed with the Anurai for about a week. Se'txelu tried to work up the nerve to actually talk to Neynari. One day, she noticed him up in a tree and waved at him. Remember when I said Se'txelu was clumsy? Well, he tried to wave back...but in doing so let go of the branch he was gripping and fell out of the tree. Onto his face. And lost a tooth in the process. 

Neynari felt awful because she felt like the accident was her fault, and she came to check on Se'txelu once his bloody mouth had been cleaned up. But despite the initial awkward guilt, with that incident the ice, much like Se'txelu's face, was broken lol. They ended up talking for a long time after that, and clicked pretty hard. Neynari even gave him the joking nickname Sre'tìkelu ("tooth-lack") in reference to the now permanent gap in his smile. They continued to bond over the next few days, and when it came time for the Aranahe party to return home, Neynari found herself not wanting to join them...

Neynari's closest friend back home had always been her mother, Seylana. But tragically, Seylana had passed away of sickness about two years prior to Neynari's trip to the Anurai. With the loss of her mother back home, but the promise of a potential future with Se'txelu here, Neynari was wondering if she should stay and ask to join the Anurai clan...but would that be fair to her ancestors, and to the clan who had raised and loved her?

The night before the Aranahe were meant to leave, Neynari asked Se'txelu to take her to the nearest spirit tree. She connected to Eywa and spoke with Seylana's spirit, pouring her heart out to the memory of her mother and explaining her dilemma. Seylana comforted her daughter and encouraged her to stay with the Anurai. She wanted her daughter to have a bright and happy future and if she found that in another clan, so be it. 

Now with her mother's blessing, Neynari spoke with Awlun, the Anurai tsahìk, as well as with the leader of the Aranahe trading party, and explained the whole situation. She was allowed to join the Anurai, and she and Se'txelu began courting officially, and became mates not long after.

But wait! All these words and we haven't even mentioned Rolukx yet! Rolukx is Se'txelu's older brother, by roughly five or six years. When the boys were young, their father, Tanu, was involved in a hunting accident and almost died. He survived and is fine now, save a few scars, but there was a period of time where his condition was critical and his survival unclear. Se'txelu doesn't really remember this incident because he was too young, but Rolukx does, and it really affected him. Up until that point, he, like many young children, thought of his dad as invincible...this brush with death shattered that innocent belief for poor Rolukx; he became a lot more nervous and paranoid about safety and, well, mortality. One way he dealt with this trauma was becoming very protective of his little brother, even after they became adults (and to be fair, his worries over Se'txelu's safety aren't entirely unfounded because, again, clumsy dork lol). 

Though he spends a lot of his time keeping an eye on his brother, Rolukx is actually a musician and instrument maker by trade, and he's very good at it. The knife he carries is not (usually) used for hunting or cooking, but rather for whittling bone (and other materials, but Anurai clan so mostly bone lol) into intricate flutes and whistles. He plays them beautifully as well, but unfortunately suffers from stage fright and dislikes playing in front of others. The only person he'll consistently play for is his mother Lunaya, who was always very encouraging of his talents (he's a bit of a mama's boy).

Rolukx was a little wary of Neynari at first, as he felt like Se'txelu was rushing into this relationship with some random girl from another clan way too fast. But Se'txelu seemed happy, and when Neynari showed genuine interest in Rolukx's whittling skills, offering to teach him some Aranahe beading and weaving tips in exchange for some whittling and music ones, he warmed up to her and they wound up being pretty good friends, so Rolukx approves of his brother's relationship. 

Lunaya, the boys' mother, happens to also love beaded accessories and hit it off with Neynari right away. Neynari appreciates having her around because she reminds her of her own mother, even if Lunaya is much more extroverted and eccentric than Seylana was. 

(deep breath) sooooooooooo.....I think that covers most of it. those are my dumb dumbs, enjoy

[iamderp07]

Meet Eddie Dear's Family! These are my new Welcome Home Original Characters (WH OCs) that I created based on Eddie Dear, one of my favorite WH characters! It took me a while to finish them, but I'm happy to have them out of my head!

Some Dear Siblings HeadCanon/Fanon Facts down below 🤣👇

1. Their parents are Elizabeth and Eddison Dear. Beth is from Texas, and Edd is from Louisiana.

2. Emmett is the oldest among the three Dear siblings, and Eddie is the youngest. Ellie is the middle child and the one and only daughter of Beth and Edd (All of them are equally loved, don't worry 😆🤣👍).

3. Emmett is 8 years older than Eddie, while Ellie is 4 years older than Eddie.

4. Eddison and Emmett work at the family-owned hardware shop, with Emmett often handling deliveries using his truck. Beth works at the family post office, where she used to work alongside Eddie. Meanwhile, Ellie owns a diner that was passed down from her grandparents.

5. The Dear siblings all have mitten like hands! Though Ellie has more feminine ones. Perfect for hugging their friends, neighbors, partners, and of course each other!

6. Eddie frequently stays connected with his family through phone calls and mail. ☎️📬

And I like to think that they've added a personal touch to their letters by using custom designed letters, each serving as a unique signature from every family member.

7. Emmett inherited his name from their great-grandfather on their mother's side, while Ellie and Eddie's names were derived from their parents' names - a shortened and endearing version:

Elizabeth - Ellie

Eddison - Eddie

8. Ellie and Eddie talk a lot about their day via phone call-A LOT. During late-night conversations, they end up talking for hours. Eddie often shares a lot with her about Frank, and she loves listening to her brother gush about him.

9. Emmett and Eddie also talk via phone, where Emmett tends to let Eddie take the lead in the conversation. There are times when Emmett ends up dozing off but still holds onto the phone.

10. During calls and when together, Emmett assists Eddie in managing his forgetfulness, much like their father. Emmett provides advice and solutions, especially when he notices Eddie in need of help or feeling troubled. Ellie also contributes in a similar supportive manner.

11. Eddie and Ellie are often mistaken for twins based on their looks and close sibling bond. Ellie actually gets flattered whenever someone mentions this because it makes her feel younger.

12. Among the three siblings, Ellie and Eddie have shared a close bond since childhood (probably because of the short age gap and since Emmett works a lot with their Pa). Despite Emmett being the more reserved and stoic one, all three of them have a good sibling relationship.

13. Emmett is usually fine with receiving hugs but occasionally gives one.

14. Emmett's instrument of choice is the guitar, while Ellie likes to play the harmonica. Eddison bought Ellie her own harmonica for her 12th birthday, and she has always carried it around with her since then.

15. Ellie and Emmett had their Mailman/Mailwoman phase.

16. Ellie is lesbian while Emmett just assumes he is cisgender. He wrong, he is actually bisexual ufhsjgkxxjgz

17. Ellie is like the second mom of the family.

18. At some points during the year, Eddie heads back to his hometown to visit his family.

19. Ellie has a terrible fear of heights.

20. One of the reasons why Eddie has a fear of bugs is probably because of Ellie.

21. Emmett would bring Eddie alongside him during his deliveries when Eddie is around and available.

22. When Ellie and Emmett first arrived in the Welcome Home Neighborhood, Wally somehow mistook them as Eddie's parents. This made Eddie laugh.

23. Emmett is actually good friends with Howdy and Barnaby. Howdy and Emmett would talk about business, while he and Barnaby tell each other jokes.

24. Ellie actually has good balance and poise. But gets all clumsy when she's flustered.

25. Ellie has a crush on one of Julie Joyful's siblings. Specifically, she has a crush on Franny Joyful.

[nordickies]

what's your headcanon human names for all 5 of them? :0

I think the Nordics have used various names throughout history! But they're probably all just variations of the same "base name," which has just changed with culture and current trends to keep up with the times.

Denmark: Magnus / Magni, Mange, Magne Magnus ("great") is a latinised version of the Old Norse name Magni ("mighty"). Various Scandinavian kings have been named Magnus, so the name has long been associated with the region. Mange is a Swedish nickname for Magnus, and Magne could be Denmark's alternative alias if he needs one Sweden: Björn / Bernwald Björn ("bear") is an Old Norse name still popular in Sweden. Perhaps in the Middle Ages, he may have used the name Bernwald ("bear" + "ruler") to fit in better with the German-speaking estates of society and have more of an international reach. Because his name means "bear," he can be teasingly referred to as Nalle, Bamse, or Baddi, all meaning "teddy bear" Norway: Sigurd / Sigurðr, Siward, Sjur Sigurd is a younger form of the Old Norse name Sigurðr ("victory"+ "guardian"), perhaps most notably associated with the Germanic legend of the dragon slayer. Siward is the English equivalent of the name. Sjur is the shortened form of the name Sigurd, so it may be his alternative alias Finland: Timo / Väinö, Väinämö Timo is a Finnish version of the name Timotheos ("honoring God") and perhaps a name he had to pick for himself after the introduction of Christianity. I like the idea of Väinö ("calmly flowing river") being his former first name and present middle name since it has the same origin as his canon surname Iceland: Eiríkur / Eiríkr, Erik Eiríkur is an Icelandic name, the younger form of the Old Norse name Eiríkr ("forever rich/powerful"). When in contact with outsiders, his name probably got simplified as Erik

Their surnames are not set in stone, and I rarely find myself needing them anyway. I don't think the Nordics would feel quite as attached to their surnames, as surnames in Nordic countries have traditionally been patronyms (and these guys don't have families in the traditional sense). Perhaps back in the olden days, the "surnames" they introduced themselves with were based on what was the most fitting and useful in a given situation - making up family associations, basing it off of their profession, or picking a surname based on where they lived (southern farm, northern bay, etc). But nowadays, they probably have preferred surnames they use for symbolic reasons; like Iceland going by "Ingólfsson" (based on Ingólfur Arnarson, the assumed first permanent settler of Iceland) or Denmark preferring the name "Andersen" to be associated with the most famous Danish author

Plus, I feel like their country names are actually more like honorary titles, and they don't really use them between each other (unless it's a nickname, like Sve, etc.). It's very much their culture. Nordic people tend to call their bosses, teachers, doctors, etc., by their first names, too. It's probably based on the cultural belief that this makes people more equal and cancels social hierarchy (Jante Law effect), so I have a hard time seeing the Nordic using honorary titles between friends and family

[familyvideostevie]

hi! would you write rooster giving his shy girl cuddles when she's on her period and feeling lonely? thank you <333

anon how did you know this is me rn? so, for you (but also me): you get your period for the first time since you've started seeing rooster and he is just like, the best ever | fluff, fem!reader, 1.4k

The dull ache in your abdomen wakes you earlier than you'd like for a Saturday. You blindly reach for your phone and check the time and then the date -- ugh. Yeah, it's about time for your period.

Mercifully you have not bled on your sheets so you sort yourself out and change from comfy pjs to comfy clothes and resign yourself to a lonely day on the couch. The first few days are always the hardest on you -- you feel sluggish and bloated and tend not to do anything if you can help it.

But lately, your life has taken on a kind of shine you're still getting used to. The biggest thing is the guy you've been seeing: Bradley. It's been just shy of a month and you see him every few days. You've met his aviator friends and he's stayed over at your place once, you at his a few times. He's funny and kind and so handsome and you hope that it changes from "seeing each other" to something more official soon.

That's what stops you from texting him. Maybe if he was officially your boyfriend you'd ask him to pick up some stuff and come over, but you feel shy about doing it for some reason. So you wrap yourself in the sweatshirt he left at your place and settle on the couch to watch something that'll probably make you cry.

Then your phone chirps.

rooster: are you busy today? do you want to walk the boardwalk? i'll buy ice cream : )

Something in your chest starts to ache. You'd mentioned wanting to take advantage of the weather and try the new ice cream shop that opened up by the water.

you: not feeling great today : ( rain check?

Your screen changes a second later, Bradley's contact photo taking over as he calls you. It's a selfie he took on your phone when you were in the bathroom. Oh, you think. Why is he calling you?

"Hi," you say. It sounds a little pathetic.

"Hey," he replies. You imagine him at his place, maybe fresh from his morning run, brows drawn based on the concern in his voice. "Are you okay?"

He's calling because you said you were sick? You don't really know what to do with that. "Yeah, just woke up feeling off. I'm sorry about not going to the boardwalk today."

He hums down the line. "Don't apologize, silly," he says. "Do you need anything? I can get anything you want from the store and bring it over. Do you have lemons? My mom swore by lemon tea when she wasn't feeling great --"

Bradley goes on about the things he could get you at the pharmacy and you feel like laughing and crying at the same time. He's known you for less than a month and he's calling to see if you're alright. God, you think. I could love him someday.

Maybe that's why you just blurt it out, embarrassment tingling in your cheeks. "Bradley," you say, and he stops talking. "I'm not like, sick sick. I just...have my period and feel blah."

Something rustles like he's shifting the phone from one ear to the other. "Oh, sweetheart," he says. He's never called you that before. Your name, yes, and shortened versions of it, yes, but a pet name? Not really. You love it. "I can still buy you stuff for that. You might have to send me pictures of the brands you use, though, because there are so damn many in the aisle."

You will not cry. That would be very cliche of you, and frankly, this is what every girl deserves. But damn if your heart doesn't feel like it's bursting.

"You don't need to buy me anything," you say, softly. You will your shyness away. "But uh, if you don't mind sitting on the couch with a kind of grumpy girl watching nature documentaries all day, you could come over?"

"I absolutely do not mind doing that," he says and you feel like you can hear his smile. "I'll be over in an hour?"

It feels big, somehow, him coming over because you're on your period and feel like shit. Thus far you've spent time together doing things -- going to the Hard Deck or out to eat and, a few times so far, learning each other in bed. You haven't really had a lazy day.

So when he knocks, you slide in your socks to the door maybe a little too fast for the ache you feel all over. You forget that you're in ratty shorts and his sweatshirt until you open the door and he looks you up and down.

"Hi," he says. "Cute." You tug on the sleeves and scrunch up your nose, moving aside to let him in. It's then that you notice he's carrying a bag from the pharmacy.

"Bradley, I said you didn't have to buy anything." He toes off his shoes and shoots you an incredulous look.

"Well, don't get too excited," he says. "I didn't know what flavor of stuff you like so I went kind of basic. I can go get more if you hate all of it."

He sets the bag on your counter and starts to unpack it. You watch him as he does -- damp hair like he showered before he came, workout shorts and a t-shirt that looks oh-so-soft. The scars on his face stand out with his recent tan and you find one you haven't noticed before on his neck. It's fun, the newness of what you have. You're still learning him.

The counter is now full of various ice creams and sweet snacks, as well as some pain medication and...a lemon. "What is your favorite flavor, anyway?" he says, packing the cartons into your freezer.

You tell him and he taps his temple like he's storing it. "I'll remember next time."

Next time.

"Bradley," you mutter. He hears you, turning his head and shutting the freezer. "Thank you for coming over and bringing this stuff."

His eyes go soft and smiles your favorite Bradley smile so far -- it's soft, tender, pleased. "Of course," he says, reaching for you. You take a step and meet him halfway. One big hand tangles with yours and the other cups your jaw, thumb moving slowly over the skin of your cheek. "Thanks for letting me," he adds. He knows that you get shy, that you're still getting to know the private parts of each other.

He kisses you softly and you sigh into his mouth until a wave of cramps hits and you wince. Bradley pulls away with concern on his face until he puts it together. "Sorry," you say. He hushes you.

"Let me make you some of that lemon tea and then we can sit on the couch? I seem to remember you mentioning nature documentaries?" He taps your chin with a knuckle when you nod.

"I like the sound of that," you say.

You try to stay upright as you wait, you really do. But the cramps are coming in waves and you're tired, so you end up horizontal on the couch by the time Bradley brings over the mug.

"Oh," he says, frowning. "Do you want some meds?"

You shake your head. You already took some before he arrived. He puts the mug on your table and cracks his knuckles. The movement gives you an idea.

"Bradley," you say. "I have an idea." He sits on the edge of the couch and puts his hand on your knee.

"Anything."

"Your hands..." you swallow. The shyness creeps up your throat but you persevere. "If you put them here --" you pat your abdomen -- "they'd be like a heating pad."

"Say no more," he says. "Scoot." Bradley actually does all the arranging, settling himself between you and the back of the couch. Your legs tangle and he hooks his chin over your shoulder. "Here?" he asks, putting his hand over the waistband of your shorts.

"Yeah, almost." You can already feel the heat radiating from him and you move his palm so it's on your bare skin under your top, a few fingers sneaking under the waistband of your shorts. It should be sexy, honestly, and while it is intimate, more than anything it's comfortable. "Perfect," you sigh. It really is. He really is.

Bradley relaxes behind you and presses a kiss to your shoulder. "Good," he says. "Now let's watch some badass shit about monkeys or something."

thank you for reading <3 reblog, send feedback, masterlist here!

[room-surprise]

Dungeon Meshi Anime Review, Season 2, Episode 14 review

This is technically the second cour of Dungeon Meshi, with a new opening and ending so we've made it to season 2, baby!

Happy Kabru day! I think Trigger did a great job with this so I don't have a lot to talk about.

Spoilers below!

The new OP is really nicely animated and very sweet, but I don't really like it. I think the song isn't as good as the first OP and the visuals just don't really excite or interest me the way the first OP did. It's cute though! I think it would have made a great ending...

The ending is wonderful like before, with more beautiful illustrations. Are these also by Kui? Will we get Kui illustrations for every ending? That would be so fantastic! I like this song better than the new OP song...

What the hell are Fleki and Lycion laughing at in the ending. Just pointing and laughing at a water fountain...

There my darling lad Kabru goes, killing again! Good for him.

Animated very nicely, conveys just how fast and lethal Kabru is against human opponents. I hope that anime onlies are now worrying about Laios and his party! That's what they should be worrying about!

Love that they managed to capture Kui's insanely wonderful fight choreography, Kabru switching targets last second after doing a fake-out, and then stealing one person's sword to use it to kill two other people... He's so slick, and Trigger captured it so well.

Sadly no improvements (extra clarity) was added to any of the talking scenes in this ep that start to explain Kabru and his party's motivations. I didn't expect them to change anything though, so it's still as good as it was in the manga, which is still pretty damn good... But would have been nice to have someone tighten up the dialog and make it flow more like human conversation.

Characters sitting around and talking about stuff that isn't monster biology or cooking is probably Kui's greatest weak points as an author, and I don't blame her at all, but it's the one blind spot she could use a liiiiiiittle extra help with. At least in the first half of the manga. Towards the end she gets way better at it. Practice does that to you!

EDIT: Trigger made Holm eat meat!!! He's a religious vegetarian!!!! Oops.

SO.... english dub issues.

The cast is still generally great and the dub script is generally superior to the Japanese subtitles, though it seems like the Japanese subs might be getting better? Or this episode was unusually bad in English so the Japanese subs seemed better.

Kabru's voice in English...

The thing about Kabru's character is that he changes how he talks and acts depending on who he's talking to. The Japanese version does this relatively well.

It's mostly about the pitch of Kabru's voice and how sweet his tone is. He's trying to make himself sound non-threatening, polite, and friendly. And then when he's not doing that, he sounds more stern and mature, talking in a deeper pitch without being so self-effacing.

The English version... is struggling a bit with this.

In the other episodes it sounded alright, but in this episode Kabru's voice actor, for whatever reason, seemed to be mumbling/slurring his words, not enunciating, and cutting off and shortening his words, shoulda, woulda, kinda, and talking in a more "relaxed" and informal manner

This isn't inherently a problem, but since nobody else in the anime so far talks like this, what does this style of speaking signify? Why is Kabru talking like this for this entire episode?

Is it because Kabru's from the West? Do all the people in the West talk that way? Will the elves talk like that?

Since they didn't match Zon and Leed's way of speaking to each other I doubt they'll follow through with this...

If it's meant to make Kabru sound "tough", why does Kabru do it the entire episode and not just with the corpse retrievers? Why does he keep talking that way while talking to his friends?

Even if sounding "tough" is what he's trying to accomplish, Kabru wasn't really being tough in those scenes, he was being tricky and conniving... And then with his friends he was being curious and solving a mystery.

It's not the worst performance I've ever heard, but it's a change/addition with no basis in the original version, so as with Leed and Zon, I'm left wondering "why are you doing this? What are you trying to tell us about the characters?"

I'll have to go back and listen to Kabru's earlier appearances to see if he sounds the same in those, but I really don't remember him talking this way before...

Kabruuuuuu

[sarcasticsweetlara]

The thing about those who say Jaehaera being the mother of Aegon III's kids makes more sense because of the Blackfyre Rebellion is definitely not true.

Daenaera being the mother of Aegon's children does make sense in the fact Rhaenyra had been allied with them throughout the whole war (Corlys had technically been a double agent infiltrated with the greens for the benefit of Rhaenyra and her sons).

Remember Rhaenyra included the sigil of House Velaryon in her banners for a reason, it was the House of her first husband who had given his surname to her first three sons, the maternal House of her stepdaughters who would one day be wed to her sons, the House of Laena her best friend and the one who originally matched their children together.

Also, the supporters of the Greens got the legitimate king they wanted in Aegon III Targaryen after they themselves killed Aegon The Usurper and had been completely defeated in the war, and crowned Aegon III as Rhaenyra’s heir; marrying him to Jaehaera was a move to make the Realm think they would have peace with a wedding, as they could have sent Jaehaera to be a Septa or to be married to an ally of the Blacks who would take her to his keep and have her occupied.

Daenaera's father was named Daeron Velaryon, and while it contributed to the explanation of why Daenaera and Aegon's son was named Daeron, there was also the fact there were many imposters around claiming to be Daeron the Daring, and I guess we can imagine House Peake was supporting them after their failed attempts to get their blood in the Iron Throne and wanted to be rewarded by those imposters.

King Aegon III naming his son Daeron meant reclaiming the name (and before you start saying something else that does not make sense, let me remind you that the name Daeron was originally a Velaryon name and its original possessor in the book is Daenaera's own father who died fighting for Aegon III) just like his parents did with him, linking him also to his great-uncle the son of Baelon and Alyssa Targaryen, great-great-uncle the son of Jaehaerys I and Alysanne Targaryen, and last but maybe the most important one his great-great-great-uncle Aegon the Uncrowned the son of Aenys I Targaryen and Alyssa Velaryon, thus his firstborn son would be the only and real Prince Daeron and true heir to the Iron Throne, and it was King Aegon III's son who became King Daeron I Targaryen.

Daena’s name is technically a shortened version of the name Daenaera, and as the first daughter Daena spent a lot of time with both her parents, admiring them and trying to emulate them so part of her bravery must have come from Daenaera.

House Velaryon had a great role in the Conquest of Dorne of Daeron I, not House Hightower. Daenaera's cousin Alyn Velaryon, who had fought with the Velaryon fleet was Daeron I's master of ships and who helped him conquer Dorne via sea and the planks of the orphans of the green blood, not through the Reach Marches that would be close to the Hightowers.

Baelor I was an example of Targaryen madness mixed with religious fanaticism because he as a second son would spend more time alone with septons as Daeron would have to learn how to govern and probably clinged to religion trying to feel superior to the rest of the realm, and trust me that the Hightowers would not have liked the fact Baelor took the power base of the Faith from Oldtown to King's Landing, cutting the string of House Hightower being the advocates of the Faith, the only thing that made them remain by the Targaryens' side is Garmund Hightower's marriage to Rhaena, the sister of Aegon III Targaryen.

Rhaena (daughter of Aegon III and Daenaera) probably became a septa in the efforts to influence the faith to obey House Targaryen by talking about the Targaryen Exceptionalism and gaining support for her uncle Viserys II Targaryen and how House Targaryen was still strong, Rhaena was probably the one who looked the most like her mother Queen Daenaera and could have maintained a good relationship with House Velaryon and kept honoring her memory thus being able to reconcile with them after Alyn and Elaena's scandal and ensuring that future generations of Targaryens and Velaryons would be in good terms.

Elaena was probably named also in an attempt to further his claim with his Valyrian ancestry, wanting to give his last child another symbol of belonging to the rightful branch of Targaryen kings by ultimately naming her Elaena, Aegon would evoke the memory of Elaena Targaryen the Lady of Dragonstone as well, the daughter of Daenys the Dreamer and Gaemon the Glorious, in the hope Elaena would have a good future and would contribute to House Targaryen's greatness. Elaena probably got close to Alyn through his position as Master of ships, and what protected her from being the talk of the servants when she fell pregnant was the fact her mother Queen Daenaera had been loved and respected, and her memory kept them from badmouthing her daughter and deeming it not that grave since Aegon IV (the son of Viserys II and Larra Rogare) was leading a far more scandalous life, whereas Jaehaera had technically been raised by her grandmother Alicent Hightower, a woman who had been extremely zealous of the Faith of the Seven and who would not have helped them at all.

Elaena was also so intelligent she became the unofficial Master of Coin during the reign of her cousin King Daeron II Targaryen, and guess from whom she learned all of that, her mother Queen Daenaera.

And if we talk about the Blackfyre Rebellion, most of Daemon's allies were marcher lords who disliked the Dornish, but even then Daeron II had allies in the Reach, and one of those of the Targaryen Loyalists were the Hightowers, yes it's true House Hightower played in both fields but in the end they did not want to risk the ire of House Targaryen again.

It's funny because it was House Peake the one that completely supported the Blackfyres after their attempt of making Myrielle Peake Aegon III's second queen failed when Aegon chose Daenaera, and they were angry at Viserys II for refusing to set aside his Lysene wife, Larra Rogare who was from Lys, a colony of Old Valyria, so they could try to wed him to Myrielle if their attempt of killing Aegon III, Daenaera and Larra had worked.

Daenaera being queen does make sense in that she brought the Velaryons back to the Royal Family (the mother of the Conquerors was Valaena Velaryon, Jaehaerys I and Alysanne’s mother was Alyssa Velaryon whose father and grandfather had been mariners who helped in securing the ports and fought in the Conquest) after Rhaenyra’s first three sons died without having the time to sire children who would have had Velaryon blood due to Baela and Rhaena; Corlys would have been okay with the idea as Daenaera was his great-great-niece and was the ward of his granddaughters Baela and Rhaena.

Daenaera is remembered as a queen who brought happiness and hope to the realm, she herself had her traumas as she lost both her parents at a young age and had been nearly murdered by a man who wanted to technically stage a coup against her House of marriage, and lost her friend Gaemon Palehair as well as seeing her husband endure an illness during his last days that she probably contracted and ended up killing her too.

[almightygremlinblob]

Sibling-ism

In an alternate universe, maybe Jin and Sukuna did meet and, as it turns out…Sukuna may have a soft spot for his late twin. ⚠️Content Warnings⚠️: Unbeta'd and unedited lmao. None really, just pure fluff and sibling shenanigans between Jin and Sukuna, who has a bit of an existential crisis, and Kenjaku being mad protective of his malewife. And (because I said so for reasons unknown), Sukuna is seperate from Yuuji and is in his true form, even tho this is modern times. OOC Sukuna cuz in canon he'd probably just kill Jin again lmao A follow up blurb to this KenJin ficlet.

For the first time, Sukuna stands in a daze.

At first, he came to the open park sensing the energy of a strong cursed spirit, hoping for a good fight. Instead what he got was the thing attacking someone familiar. After a rather uneventful and one sided beatdown, he finally got a look at who it was he was sensing.

Lo and behold, right before him, waving and smiling like a maniac who wasn't staring at death, was his twin. The twin which he ate in the womb. The twin who is supposed to be dead.

Just there.

"Hiii~! I knew you'd come around if I was with a strong cursed spirit." Jin is greated by literally every nonliving thing behind and around him being cut apart. He frowns. "Hey, come on now! Is that any way to greet your brother?"

"What-I killed-but-how are you-!?"

Jin shrugs. "I dunno."

"What do you mean you 'don't know'!? How are you alive!?" Sukuna all but snarls, and Jin just shrugs again. He sighs and shakes his head, contemplating. "And what was that!? Why weren't you fighting back!?"

"I wanted you to get me!"

"You put yourself in danger just to get to me?! How are you are so…" Sukuna takes a deep breath, trying and failing to contain his anger. "…Stupid!?"

The surrounding area is further cut apart.

"Hey, don't take it out on the park! This is a nice park! I thought it'd be perfect for our reunion…"

Sukuna runs a hand over his face. "How on earth…did you elude me all these years?"

"Aaaww, you missed me!" The glare sent Jin's way would have brought any sorcerer to their knees, begging for forgiveness. Not Sukuna's twin though.

"So…Sukuna Ryomen, huh?" Jin sits down on whatever's left of the bench beside the both of them and pats on the side. Sukuna simply crosses his arms and refuses to sit. "Guess you were never really named, were you?"

"You think anyone cared enough to name a four armed freak?"

"Hey, c'mon…I care!"

"So you would name me?" Sukuna can't help the smirk that threatens to tug at his lips.

"Sure, why not? You look like uh…a Ryo!"

"That's just a shortened version of my title, Jin."

"Okay, maybe I can't think of anything right now!" Jin leans on the fourth of a bench. "My point still stands…I think?"

"Don't make me sound so pathetic."

"Hey!" Jin puts his arms up in mock defense. "You're the one who called yourself a freak."

"What do you want?" Sukuna asks, unable to stop the smirk that forms.

"Eh, just to catch up. Is there anything else other than that?"

"Tch. Typical." Sukuna shakes his head lightly.

Jin fidgets with the hem of his sweater. "I-I heard you met Yuuji already. How are you getting along with me son? I-I hope you guys-"

"The brat pisses me off!"

"He's 15, Sukuna."

"That…I-I get it! But he does! I treat him with an ounce of respect, heal his hand and revive the brat, and he continually disrespects me! No one gets that respect from me without earning it, Jin. No one! He gets it for free, many times, and he just spits at my face at every turn! He has your eyes, your hair, your face-"

"Hey, what did I do!?"

"You're stupid, that's what. Literally looking for death a second time." The bigger twin sits down on the floor, next to the broken bench that Jin was sitting on. There's a small silence, before Jin speaks up.

"Nothing to say? Nooo…'I'm sorry Jin. I take it back, Jin. Don't worry Jin, I didn't mean it!' or…?"

"See? Stupid." Sukuna lets out a long, drawn out sigh. "I don't know what I'm doing, Jin. I've been sealed for a thousand years. Fighting, eating…that's all I've ever needed to make me happy. Now that I can do that again, I…"

"There's just something wrong!" Sukuna yells, and more inanimate objects and the area around them gets further cut apart. "And I can't even tell what it is! Is it the brat? Is it the generation I'm reborn in?! I hate this! I wish I could just…go back to sleep, or something. This is the most terrible I've ever felt…"

"You know…I know what'll make you happy!"

Sukuna's eyes land on him, narrowing. "Don't you dare say I need a friend. I've had enough talk of that."

"No, no, silly! You've got me for that."

"Wow. Wonderful…"

"Oooone second…" Jin scours the area, and spots a particularly large piece of broken glass. Then, he cuts the upper part of his wrist using the shard and extends his bleeding wrist in front of Sukuna's face, beaming. "Here!"

The four armed twin takes Jin's hand wordlessly, and begins sucking on the cut - grumbling and clearly still upset.

"Don't worry, big brother's got you!"

"You were never even born, stupid." Sukuna lets out a long and defeated groan. "You always did taste the best."

"Out of everyone?! The-the…what? Thousands you've eaten? Really?" Jin cringes.

"Yes."

"You're joking! Surely I don't taste that good!" When he tries to yank his hand away , Sukuna doesn't let him and instead starts to bite at it gently like a dog with a bone - face completely devoid of emotion. Jin sighs. "Mass murdering cannibal but you can't even find good people to eat? That's like…that's like not knowing the right meat to pick at the grocery store and picking all the expired shit. Sheesh! My hunch was right, you really are a mess without me…"

Sukuna makes sure to bite a little harder and Jin yelps.

"Ow! Okay, okay! Sorry…" Jin gives up trying to get his hand back, and instead runs a hand over the top of the other's head. "Guess I really should've been there with you back then, huh? Helped at least a little bit…I'm sorry, Sukuna."

"Can you stop being stupid and sentimental?" Sukuna glares at him, but makes no move to stop his brother from petting his head, still chewing on his hand. "It's not like I regret what I did."

"Yeah, I know. Me neither." Jin sighs. "Just wish I could've done more, sometimes."

"Jin…you gave your life for me." One of his four arms comes up to make a knocking motion on Jin's head. "See? Stupid!"

"Come on man! At least think of a better insults at this point."

"Jiiin!" The both of them are snapped out of their weird moment by the sound of another voice, and the rustling of leaves. Soon, Kenjaku stumbles out - looking completely out of breath and panicked. "J-Jin! Jin, you-there you…"

"Oh, of courrrsee it's you…" Sukuna lets out an exhasperated groan as he watches the gears quickly turning for the sorcerer inhabiting the cult leader's body.

"Wha-what?! What is this!?" Kenjaku's voice breaks just above four octaves. "Jin, you're letting him eat you AGAIN!?"

"No, no! Honey, please don't be upset!"

"You-let go of his hand!" Kenjaku yanks Jin's hand out of Sukuna's mouth, and pulls his husband away from his twin - getting in between them both. "You're not going to take him back, are you?"

"It hardly matters if I do." Sukuna sighs. "He's a small enough fragment that he won't even contribute to me."

"Hey!"

"Good. I wouldn't let you."

"As if you could do anything." Sukuna scoffs. "Never thought I'd see the day you'd care about one of your many flings."

"He is my husband, and the father of my child!" Kenjaku wraps his arms around Jin protectively. "Besides, he treats me so well…"

Sukuna can practically hear Kenjaku's eyes turn into hearts, and it makes him want to vomit.

"Don't Kenjaku. I do not want to hear about it."

"Um-anyways! So, I was thinking maybe we could invite him to dinner one time?" Jin looks at Kenjaku with the biggest puppy eyes he can muster, but the sorcerer isn't having any of it.

"What?! And have him intrude on our space?"

"Oh, believe me. I don't want to intrude on anything with you two."

"Kenny, come on…he's my-"

"No."

"Please?"

"NNNO."

Jin lets out a frustrated groan. "Fine, whatever. He'll eat outside then. Sheesh…"

Jin walks up to his brother, taking out a piece of paper with his address scribbled on it and placing it in one of the other's much larger hands - barely managing to hold it with both of his own. Behind Jin, Kenjaku glares daggers at Sukuna - who is completely unfazed by the silent death threat. "Listen, you're always welcome…err, outside the house. I guess? Whatever, if you head over, I can cook you something nice! Okay? Just…"

"I get it, I get it." Sukuna sighs, and takes the piece of paper with Jin's address in it. "If I feel like it…"

Jin beams at him and Sukuna can't bring himself to look at him. "Great! You're always welcome there, brother."

"Great. Wholesome reunion! Wow! Let's go now Jiiinnn!!!" Kenjaku practically drags the twin away, leaving Sukuna to his thoughts.

--- Later That Week ---

"This is…delicious." Sukuna laughs, shaking his head slightly as Jin elbows him lightly. As per his wife's request, Jin, Sukuna and Uraume all had to resort to eating in the wooded area just outside of the house. Meanwhile, a small distance away, Kenjaku was watching them all.

"Seeee? Told you it'd be good! I made it just for you guys!"

"How did you even procure the meat without being arrested?" Uraume asks.

"Oh, I know a guy who works at a prison! He uhh...got this for me."

"Were you the one that killed him?"

"Oh no! Of course not." Jin shakes his head frantically, cringing at the thought. "I could never do that. I had somebody else do it!"

"As if that isn't the same thing." The white haired monk snorts.

For the society that closely monitored the King of Curses, this turn of events was alarming. It seemed as if, in the following months after this encounter, the death count from the King of Curses lowered. A miracle indeed.

OR, Jin saves the day and Sukuna's now happy by his twin's side and Gojo's still alive and everyone gets a happy ending AAAAAAAAA- Anyways! I just wanted to write Sukuna and Jin sibling banter and for the both of them to be unhinged - just in opposite ways. And Kenny being so downbad he becomes OOC too, lmao.

[anyablackwood]

OC Origins Tag

Thanks for the tag, @mysticstarlightduck! This is really cool! I'd love to do another. I'll be covering some of my MCs from various stories because I'm TOTALLY normal about this <333

Rule: "talk about the origins of the names and personalities (and maybe even the design?) of a couple of your OCs!"

Itazaki Katsuko (Katsuko no Monogatari):

This name came with a level of investment that was disproportionate and frankly unnecessary for a short story that I initially wrote for a class, lmao.

Itazaki was part of the alternative name of Hangaku Gozen, one of the onna-musha (female warriors) in Heian Japan. She's not as popular as the legendary Tomoe Gozen, probably because she was on the opposing side of the war; but not only is Tomoe kinda too stereotypical for me, but she didn't technically have a last/secondary name, from what I gathered? I mean Itazaki wasn't Hangaku Gozen's last name, but it was part of her title and sounded like a better last name for Katsuko than Jo.

But a more important reason is that she's one of the few onna-musha with a fairly clearly documented and relatively HAPPY ending for a warrior on the losing side of a war (she was a member of the Taira clan, who lost the power struggle against Minamoto clan in the Genpei War). Which is quite an achievement considering not even Tomoe Gozen got a clear ending, let alone a good one (there are various accounts about how she lived her life after the war, NONE of which are happy, unfortunately).

While I knew it didn't really matter, I'm kind of incapable of naming characters without deep diving into the meaning of the names and the history of it. So I went with Itazaki for Katsuko's surname.

As for her first name, Katsuko, this one's more simple. "Katsu" literally means "victory/to win" in Japanese. "Ko" means "child". Putting them together essentially means "winner", "victorious child", etc. Which, while kinda on the nose, I also chose because it's a fairly gender neutral name (if you drop the "ko", anyway. "ko" is almost always used for girl names) and is seen as kind of a tomboyish (?) name. I would've gone with "Katsu", but that's my great-grandmother's name. She was the inspiration for the name, but I didn't want to actually give Katsuko the EXACT same name because of emotional distancing reasons, lol (my great grandmother was very much alive until recently, and I'd feel weird to do that when I knew her personally).

Appearance-wise, Katsuko is a fairly standard looking Japanese woman. Her hair's decently long, as was the standard, and she mostly wears armor, since she's not only a guard, but there's also combat scenes. She uses a naginata, since that was the standard weapon for onna-musha and onna-bugeisha (female guards).

Megumi Wilson (Asteria Heights):

I intentionally chose the name Megumi because it was Japanese, but could also be shortened into a Western-sounding name (Meg). This is because, in my personal experience, most Japanese-American/half-Japanese families would give their kids names that are either foreign but simple enough to say in Japanese, or have alternative or similar versions in both languages (assuming these are families that still have connections to Japan/Japanese culture; many Japanese families chose to entirely assimilate, especially if they're not first-gen immigrants).

While I would've loved to do the latter (which I'd say is more common), there aren't really that many of those, and with how picky I am, none of them felt like they fit (plus I have multiple half-Japanese characters who already took other names). Also, to be honest, many of them were a little TOO similar to mine and my siblings' names, lol. And I obviously didn't want that.

I could've given her a Japanese name that couldn't be Westernized, but me and my sisters always had beef with how people would butcher our names growing up (even though mine isn't even just Japanese!!! My legal name is also Western!!!) and I didn't want to do that to my girl Meg, even if she isn't real, lmao.

Luna, Iris, Claire (Traveling Bards):

Okay, these are fairly boring in name, but that was intentional! I won't say why SPECIFICALLY these names, but I was looking for simple names in general because I wanted names that were easier to pronounce for Japanese people because I'm a bit willfully ✨delusional✨ and I want to at least get a translation of the story one day, if not an animated adaption (yes!! I know!! Unrealistic!! Let me DREAM!!!!)

Their personalities, as I've mentioned in a previous post, are based off of some people I love very much in my life. They're not 1 to 1 the same, but their cores are. This story actually initially started off as a what-if scenario when we were watching an Isekai (reincarnation) anime together and kept getting frustrated at some dumb characters and situations, and then got into talking about what we'd do in a situation like that. And then I was like "this shit slaps ngl" and after some revisions to their persons, here we are!!!

This was so fun! <333 I'll end it here because I can honestly go one for DAYS about them. I'd have covered some more but this is too long already, so please feel free to tag me in this again!!!

Leaving it as an OPEN TAG for whoever wants it. Might come and retroactively add people later.

Gently Tagging: @amaiguri, @paintedbutton, @pandoras-comment-box, and anyone else who wants in!!!

[handweavers]

kiran this is my uhh fourth? year of promising to sew myself a livable summer wardrobe pls pray with me that it’ll be my first year of Actually doing it <3 and also, as always... what are your fave summer patterns?

omg you can do it i believe in you!! i always find that the most difficult part is getting started, once you get into the groove of it and sewing things it becomes addictive to just keep popping out garments, it always happens to me i'll go months without touching my sewing machine and then i'll sit down to sew a pair of pants or a shirt and a few days later i've sewn 5 whole new garments and i don't even know how i got there lmfao.

my summer patterns are probably different than most because i can't wear shorts or short sleeved clothing outside in the heat or my skin explodes, but i have a set of patterns that i make in lightweight linen or cotton and even though they're long pants and long sleeves they're soooo comfortable even on the hottest days. i also run hot year round so i wear these in winter too just with extra layers lol

- the fremantle pants and the cornell shirt from elbe textiles. i think i've made the fremantle pants 6 times now and while i change a few things about the construction process to suit my preference (i prefer a different method for attaching the waistband) they're literally my favourite pants ever. cornell shirt is also fantastic, i like view 1 which has a button placket that goes halfway down the shirt but not fully. i like to sew it using lightweight cotton esp fabric i've gotten from india and that combo makes it function like a short modern kurti/traditional desi shirt pattern for me and i love it

- all well cardigan coat by all well workshop. the hacking guide for this is awesome, i've made several different versions of this coat in midweight linens and cottons and they are the perfect method of protecting my arms from the sun if i want to wear a short sleeved shirt that day as well as for layering, and i always make them long with huge pockets so they're so functional and comfy

- harper tunic by elizabeth suzann studio. another shirt i've made several times to the extent that i use this pattern as a base whenever i want to make a new shirt. i made the hem straight instead of asymmetrical and i removed the pocket, and shortened the length of the tunic and it makes an awesome basic woven tee pattern for me. i can whip out a hacked shirt in this pattern in like 4 hours, highly recommend

- cap sleeve shirt from the assembly line. this is a new-to-me pattern that i'm currently using for the first time to make a shirt, and its great. similar basic silhouette as the harper tunic but it has a button placket and standing straight collar so i like having that built into the pattern.

- morocco pants from the fabrics store. awesome simple pants that are very comfy, but they work extremely well when cut into shorts. i can't wear shorts outside during the day but i still like to wear them at home/inside in the summer esp for sleeping, and i always use my hacked version of this pattern for that. so simple, so perfect.

[ninthprime]

mildly arbitrary rating of every gundam i have watched so far

in order of me starting them

witch from mercury: 7.5/10. we’re never gonna get confirmation of people’s various theories that this show was originally planned for 50 episodes and i’ve also heard that the showrunner’s series tend to be kind of just Like This, but gwitch has a lot of missed potential mostly focused on 1. its seemingly incomplete worldbuilding and 2. the fact that the arcs of much of its secondary cast (guel, nika, shaddiq) appear to jump over a few steps or just are missing something. on the other hand, the arcs of its primary cast (particularly suletta) are great, suletta herself is a top-tier protagonist, the tertiary cast is one of the best i’ve seen in gundam (i love earth house), and sulemio is probably objectively the best gundam romance even if i’m pretty sure it’s not my personal favorite.

gundam 0079: 9.5/10. the GOAT. you know how it is. every single person who got into gundam via gwitch like i did but still hasn’t gone back to watch 0079 is doing themself a total disservice. you watch this show and both everything about mecha and everything about modern anime in general suddenly clicks completely in your brain. everyone who has been obsessed with char aznable and amuro ray for the last 40+ years has been completely right. i think its only big flaws are some of its treatment of women (though later shows like ZZ have way more glaring issues there) and its shortened length, but frankly if you hadn’t told me it got cut short seven episodes early i would not have noticed, because its finale may be one of my all time favorite television finales ever. just go watch it. i’m sitting you down right now

zeta gundam: 8.5/10. a really ideal sequel in a lot of ways that are remarkable considering the gap of time between it and 0079. focuses on new characters who reflect on the last show while still being their own things, and brings back the cast of the last show in ways that feel like they make sense while still being unexpected and making you look at things in a new light. deeply iconic and atmospheric in ways that are a little overwhelming at times; it is a dour show. has way more glaring flaws for me than a lot of the fandom brings up though, mostly in its pacing and its villains. this show has an entire middle section i barely remember and do we need both the four and rosamia storylines? and frankly i do not care about the titans that much (other than sarah).

zz gundam: 8.5/10. zz defender crop is here. please ignore everyone who tells you that you can skip zz. zeta’s other half in ways that aren’t just “it started two weeks after zeta in real life”- it also fixes zeta’s pacing, provides a welcome counterpoint to its dire tone, and its villains are literally just improved versions of zeta’s (glemy is better scirocco! haman is a top tier gundam villain in general!). i think the middle section of this show- the entire time they are on earth- is my favorite section of UC gundam, or at least tied with 0079’s ramba ral and finale arcs. i do think the dip in quality people say it has in the last arc is true. also probably has the largest Woman Problem in any gundam i’ve seen so far (i have a threshold for bad women writing so high it is practically antifeminist but unfortunately emary breaks that threshold, what the hell is up with everything about emary) even though i love some of those women very much. secretly has the boldest and most thematically interesting gundam finale so far. ple forever

char’s counterattack: 8/10. as i’ve said before: a gorgeous film about two men being so divorced that thousands of people die. genuinely iconic and also very bold but i often find myself torn as to whether i want tomino to be more explicit about what he’s saying here. we could have saved ourselves years of “was char right??” debates but then again, it’s the spirit of cca to claim that only you have the right take about cca. beyond the time is a good song

gundam unicorn: 7.5/10. politics here are often confusing and messy, and i think it suffers from its core characters (banagher and mineva) and their relationship not getting the time they need. on the other hand, i’m interested in what it says about the worldbuilding of UC (even if i think it didn’t execute it that well) and its secondary cast is great; i did nearly cry about marida and zinnerman so that sure works. full frontal does not bug me nearly as much as he bothers most people although i think he has the same “needs more time to cook” issue banagher and mineva have. i even kind of like what they do with riddhe and i usually dislike that archetype. in other words: i would have been nuts for the forty episode (and properly paced) version of this show. marida forever

gundam hathaway: 7/10?? hard to tell here without having the next two movies. was a bit hard to get invested in the conflict near the end as we met many characters who are not developed yet. but the relationship between the core trio here is intriguing and i like hathaway as a protagonist a lot.

the rest of my “gundams i am most interested in list” is victory -> turn a -> 00 -> iron blooded orphans so that’s the next four shows. after…who can say

[changingplumbob]

New name incoming

I'd recommend reading at least part 9 if not part 10 of the latest York chapter before reading on because spoilers.

I'm not going to go in depth to her choice in the story but I found a name I think is perfect for my evil bean and want to talk about it. I'll be mentioning the person she'll be named after and in talking about her there will be a mention of sexual assault. Not descriptive or anything, just giving a heads up.

So how does one pick a name worthy of female Kelly? By googling femme fatale characters obviously. I mean she is evil so she's absolutely going to entrap someone with her looks eventually. Funny enough I was already looking these up trying to get a name for her praying mantis. None of the names really gave the vibe I wanted though so had to do some deeper thinking.

I love the movie The Awakening, it's great! I love thrillers in general, give me a movie with some jump scares and minimal gore and I will be delighted. There is a scene where the main character talks about a painting on the wall entitled Judith slaying Holofernes. I'd stick a picture in but... blood. Anyway Judith snuck into the enemy camp and seduced the general. When he was passed out drunk she did the logical thing. She cut off his head which saved her city from his tyranny. Talk about a thing I could see Kelly doing.

Unfortunately I don't like the name Judith for her. I thought I could maybe shorten it to Judy but it still didn't fit her. So I decided to look into who painted the picture and friends that is when inspiration struck! It was painted by a female Italian so talk about perfect, if you haven't noticed by now the Yorks are Italian. The painter was Artemisia Gentileschi. I loved the name, then I googled some info about the painter and I fell in love with the name even more.

Artemisia is apparently one of the best artists of the 17th century. Of course I'd never heard of her before because she was a woman *grumbles at society*. She was apparently painting professionally at 15! Of course another thing that pops up if you google her is that she was sexually assaulted. In the struggle she did do some damage to his "manhood" through, go girl! Eventually her father pressed charges against the jerk for... degrading the honour of his family *sighs*. Artemisia had to undergo the stupid ye olde "virgin test" and had to testify while undergoing minor torture because apparently that was how you proved your accusations were truthful??? Anyway after all that nonsense was done she went on to become extremely successful, even selling works internationally.

My data has mainly been gathered from the wikipedia article on her and a piece in the New Yorker which was really long so admittedly I did not read all of it. I didn't have to because I already liked the name. I also watched this youtube video which told me how to pronounce her name properly.

So in the next part of the York chapter Kelly will become

Artemisia, shortened to Emi or Emisia (I've been calling her Emi in my head, I just like long names)

Thought I would explain here rather than in story. Like of course Kelly would like to take the name of a woman who painted several versions of a dude getting beheaded by a woman. Common sense.

Eventually her family may call her shortened versions, they want to try stick to her new name properly at the moment. Problem is Misia and Sia are also Italian words that are not names... so it'll probably be Emi or Emisia eventually, feel free to call her the short version, that's what I've been doing. For now though, she will delight in making others feel bad when they can't say her name properly.

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "Kindred"

Do you think Filoni has hit peak wolves yet? Lol.

Live reaction version.

Soft Kanera moment is Soft.

And brings up some interesting questions that don't really get fully answered. What was the inextricable pull that kept drawing them back to Lothal again and again, even before they met Ezra? Was it the Lothal Temple, and by extension the gateway within? Was it some kind of connection Kanan had to Lothal? Was it his planet of origin too? He was able to manifest through the Force as one of the wolves after his death after all.

It's not something that's fully played out, this plot thread, I think perhaps owing to the writers having to shorten the last season down to 16 episodes, more akin to Season One, so it's ultimately left an ambiguous mystery.

Pryce having the realization that she's not actually Thrawn's Favorite lol.

Ruhk is accompanied by appropriately menacing drums and woodwinds. Fun fact: Warwick Davis apparently bullied Filoni into giving him this role lol.

You don't even know it's him the voice is so good.

Ruhk's movements are also excellent. He hunches, only straightening when he needs to smell, easily goes down on all fours to lope across the plain like an animal. His run cycle is like some kind of perverse feline or gorilla. There's a bestial quality to him. Unlike his Legends incarnation, which depicts him as more hulking and burly, this version is deceptively small but stocky, solid and almost wirey-looking. It's a great creature design.

The Noghri assassin is also immediately, extremely competent, identifying Zeb in the area by scent at once, probably detecting it lingering on Ezra's scout trooper armor and launching immediately into a surprise attack. He has Ezra flipped onto the ground in a leglock within seconds.

He then charges Jai, forcing Ezra to reveal himself as a Jedi with a hefty Push.

I'm sorry I'm cackling at Zeb sneaking around literally behind Pryce's back. This is why Thrawn replaced you, lady.

<333

The chase scene is brief and kind of basic but does the job. And OH BOY now we're at another Weirdass Kanera Walkback Conversation, with Kanan suddenly pushing for reassurance about what kind of future Hera wants after all the fighting and whether he's a part of it and what her feelings actually are towards him.

Right, so the way I reconcile this one is that Kanan is starting to sense the stirring, growing life inside Hera and is trying to roundabout confront her to think about what this means for them. And at this point she knows, but she doesn't know he knows, and is still trying to hold him at arm's distance while she mentally processes the discovery and how to tell him.

Because what do you mean, "Do I [know how you feel]?" this was clearly already a settled issue! WHY ARE YOU ASKING THAT QUESTION LIKE YOU DON'T ALREADY KNOW? YOU GUYS ARE SPACEMARRIED AARRRRHGKJHGJ.

So yeah, moving on.

There's a great moment where Ryder almost shoots Zeb that makes me lol and then after we've installed our hyperdrive the Empire makes a hasty exit from the area necessary, again, owing to Ruhk's incredible competence.

Hera, perhaps feeling the need to reassure Kanan of her affections and devotion since he's acting so rattled, finally plants an onscreen one on him.

This is clearly not the first time they have kissed. Possibly the first time they've done it this publicly, as Sabine immediately nudges at the others to look, but this is practiced and comfortable, seasoned, if you will.

:))))

Like I said the previous rewatch, I don't understand being secretive to normies then but being okay guiding them all out of danger now. I dunno, maybe it took Ezra befriending the one for the others to decide, "Oh okay, they have Jedi, they're cool. Let's help them."

"How have you people stayed alive so long?!" The literal will of the Force, Ryder, lol.

"We're going to finish them my way." Which is, per Pryce tradition, bombing the living shit out of things.

~ANYTHING TLJ DID, REBELS DID BETTEEEEEEERRRR~

The chiming from before continues throughout this sequence, so now we have something in the score to musically denote the wolves.

Kanan, come on, you should know by now this is his "thing".

Yeah so this is one of the sequences where the wolves just kinda DO things and the show doesn't really explain why because ~mysterious~. Why did they want Kanan? Were they checking to make sure there was a Master/Padawan pair? Do they recognize him as one of their own kind since they keep repeating "Dume"? How do they know Kanan's former name? What do the cave paintings mean?

*shakes writers*

ANSWER ME DAMMIT!

Kanan and Sabine inexplicably switching places so that Ezra can hold Sabine's hand again. XD

As frustrating as the mystery of the Loth-wolves can be sometimes, this sequence is hella cool. Blue light igniting the depths of the tunnel, Ezra's eyes reflecting it like the hyperspace eyes he got with the purrgil...

Soft white footsteps on inky liquid blackness. The muted sound, as if from far away.

The only truly trippy part that throws me is the little grassland shot in the middle of it all, with the white Loth-cat.

But whatever the wolves did, it worked. Our heroes have now been literally teleported out of danger. The Force Theme rings out to confirm the wonder of it all.

There's even some kind of actual structures here, an abandoned mountain village maybe?

It's also really pretty. Per standard for this show lol.

"Babe, you are holding back on me."

The chimes again, I'm pretty sure that's a specific instrument but for the life of me the name of it is escaping me, but it's denoting the wolves again, as they move back into the cavern. I do recognize the harp glissando there, though.

*sits on hands, sighs, bites lip about how I hate mystery boxes, especially ones that don't open*

Kanan dropping the first hints that the wolves are the guardians of Lothal, Force entities specifically assigned to protect the planet because of the gateway to the WBW, whose energies they can also tap into and use, which is now under threat by Palpatine personally.

...Yeah you know what, we'll go with that.

And of course after hearing Kanan express faith that Hera made it out we confirm that ourselves.

Good job love.

So. This episode gets weird. The kind of anime mind-trippy weird that used to be way too dense for me to parse through. (Still have a hard time of it, in fact, I dunno what it is Japanese directors just kind Do They Thing and don't bother explaining much, they just vibe.) But on the rewatch it does seem clearer that--aside from the elements in the wider plot they were going to explore about Kanan that Freddie Prince Junior hinted at in interviews that probably got severely cut out with the episode trim--most of the weirdness is actually misdirection in order to set up the wolves as Special Force Entities who need Very Specific Jedi Help to save the World Between Worlds.

The wolves don't come out and say this yet, probably very cautious and testing Kanan and Ezra out to see if they're worthy, but the implications are already there.

Oh, and I guess this episode made Kanera shippers happy too, or something. Happy for y'all, enjoy it while it lasts.

Next time, our last little bit of fun before shit hits the fan.

[misogynisticmediatournament]

I think the warrior cats and warriors in your submission list are the same thing,btw do you have reccomendations of like. anything that writes woman well

Ah, you might be right; I think I skimmed that entry's propaganda, and it was very specific to whatever series it was about without dropping the full series name, and I was like "Maybe this is Warrior Cats? I feel lazy, I'm not going to look heavily into it."

So, as a reminder: use the full but common name for the series! For example, Miraculous Ladybug (this seems to be the most common title despite being a shortened version), Warrior Cats, BBC Sherlock, etc. And check that you don't have a space after the title's entry, as that counts as a different entry than the title without the space when using the UNIQUE function in Google sheets (which is how I count the unique entries).

As for recommendations, this is hard because I watch a lot of trash, especially recently, but:

- You can never go wrong with Revolutionary Girl Utena. Note: this show (and start with the show, not the movie) has a lot of potentially triggering stuff, so check out those warnings before you start if you have any triggers at all. It uses the triggering stuff very well and to tell its story and explore its themes, not just for, like, titillation though. Indeed, it is, I would argue, necessary for the story and themes the show seeks to explore. It is legally free on Youtube in...I want to say 480p, and in better resolution on Crunchyroll and Funimation (yes, Funimation's site is still up; I find it superior to Crunchyroll's since it actually includes closed captions for dubs, although it doesn't include newer anime from after the two companies merged). Also, you want to watch the sub for this. I'm normally not one to say "the dub is bad" and stuff and be a purist about it—in fact I normally go to bat for dubs—but, uh... yeah, the dub is bad this time. Crispin Freeman and Dan Green are delightful in it though, I'll give it that.

- Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood uses its female characters well. Maybe it could be better, I've seen some people in these tournaments have beef with it, but it's a pretty perfectly told story, like solid A+, with a lot of really great female characters who I find very satisfying so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. This is on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and I believe Amazon Prime?

- Don't let the title fool you: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a fantastic show with great female characters who are complex and human, have compelling arcs, and are vital to the story. The relationship between Rebecca and Paula is central to the show and SO good, especially as the show goes on. The title is because it explores the trope of the crazy ex-girlfriend in a very humanizing way, and the title/opening song even mentions how the title is a sexist term, but it's a lot more nuanced than that. Also, it's a musical with very good original songs every episode. But check trigger warnings for this show too though. The show is streaming on Netflix last I checked.

- Uhh... maybe the first two seasons of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic? It's a kid's show, but it's good. I haven't seen it in years and years though, so I don't know if I can still fully vouch for it. I believe it is streaming on Netflix?

- Revue Starlight? I haven't thought about it heavily, but I had no beef watching it. This is streaming on HiDive.

- I've heard good things about Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, but I can't vouch for it personally. It's streaming on Crunchyroll.

UPDATE: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury is also legally on youtube!

Honestly, I know more imperfect shows that I'm satisfied with, like I give it a B+ to A- at least, but that I haven't thought heavily about than stuff where I'm like, "Oh, yeah, definitely, definitely, nothing I'd pick out there as a problem." For example, Baccano! is probably imperfect (as well as not streaming legally anywhere), but I don't remember being, like, struck by a bunch of problems there. So, I'm not the best for recs that I can give a 100% guarantee for.

[beatricebat]

I wrote a bunch of headcanons about Attack on Titan characters as modern wrestlers. This is the last full one.

Currently making his way to the ring is…

Reiner Braun

Background

Ex-college football player. Missed the draft due to an off-season injury. Got offered a WWE tryout a year later.

The Golden Boy

Oh, Reiner. Poor Reiner. You know how I said Eren got given all the ring time and mentorship he wanted to develop? Reiner…did not.

Reiner already had a lot of things that you can’t teach when he joined - the size, the looks, the athleticism, and the charisma. He’s even pretty good at cutting promos - I’m gonna HC him as having been captain of the debate team in high school and college too, because canon Reiner is a lot smarter than people give him credit for.

ANYWAY, the point is: Reiner came in as almost the complete package, but no one ever helped him develop that last 10% to make him a real star.

I also think Reiner was hired a couple of years before Eren and Jean. I briefly alluded to some Zeke drama before, and I feel like Reiner was probably Zeke’s on-screen bodyguard while the off-screen drama was happening. Even though it had nothing to do with him, it’s coloured his reputation in the eyes of his management, so they’re always reluctant to push him.

Reiner still gets a lot of big storylines, and he’s the go-to first challenger for the title whenever a new champion arises.

Reiner secretly dreams of leaving WWE and doing a tour of Japan and going on to the indies. He always gets pressured into re-signing another WWE contract by his mother, who is also his manager (fuck you, Karina).

Reiner also has a huge love of joshi wrestling. Most people who know this assume Reiner is just into Japanese women, but it’s not that at all. Someone once explained how much joshi influenced the rest of wrestling, and showed him a Manami Toyota match, and Reiner was hooked.

(Also I think that ‘someone’ was Sasha Banks. I feel a bit weird about that because I haven’t really had my AU AOT wrestlers interact with any real wrestlers apart from this - like there’s references and influences, but I haven’t actually pulled anyone real fully into it. That said, Sasha/Mercedes is a big weeb in real life who does love AOT too, so I hope she wouldn’t mind me making her best friends with Reiner in my little headcanons. Anyway - Reiner and Sasha bonded over joshi, they were great pals, and Reiner misses her terribly now she’s left WWE.)

Reiner wrestles as Oggy Prince. It’s a terrible name, based on people trying to come up with something around ‘golden boy’ and royalty because of his real name and his looks. People have gotten used to it now though. They started with ‘Augustus’ which was obviously awful, then it was ‘Auggie’ as a shortened version, then ‘Oggy’ as the easy-to-spell one.

Reiner is now insanely over in Australia, because they can do the Oggy Oggy Oggy/oi-oi-oi chant for him. It’s spread a little bit to the US too, but has really caught on big in the UK. It always cheers Reiner up to hear it, especially if he’s overseas and missing home.

Reiner wears long trunks which are yellow and red and kinda looked like the Armoured.

Reiner’s signature moves are German suplexes, because obviously the guy who looks like Brock Lesnar has to adopt Lesnar’s move set too.

Reiner’s finishing move is a gorilla press powerslam. As a trainee, Reiner got given a vague King Kong theme because Ymir kept calling him a gorilla, and that also fit his name. The gorilla press powerslam is the only thing that survived that. It’s called the Crown Jewel. (In my AU, the sports washing Saudi PPV isn’t called something else, it just doesn’t exist.)