#dread Pirate I mean come on this is so cool

[rainbowcaleb]

as a POTC girlie™️ I’m reliving 2003 right now

[nyarlathotep-thecrawlingchaos]

I did the thing guys

I did another CHAPTER GUYS

I DID IT

Gods I love being able to write on an actual computer again. My glorified typewriter. So happy.

So here we are, chapter two!!!!

My poor socially awkward lil swordsman bb I lub hims

Strawhat Stowaway

Chapter 2

Ch. 1 link

Little bit of hurt/comfort, slow burn, silly, fluffy, will be trigger warnings in later chapters but not this one

Wordcount: 3.2k Taglist thingy that I just had to edit in because I forgot I'm so sorry: @dimplewonie @hearts4zoro @kawennote09

After an alcohol drenched Halloween party at your friends' dorm, you wake up to find yourself in a strange place. This might not be quite as alarming...if not for the fact that it's an entirely different world, enshrouded with pirates and strange magic.

♬♫ Desperate Guy - The Fratellis ♫♬

Hear me now, hear me now, there’s nothing very much I wouldn’t do to catch your eye

And you can’t see me now, see me now, there’s just so many things I’m haunted by

He heard Nami offering to loan you a change of clothes as he crossed the deck, but that was drowned out by your words from minutes earlier, still echoing around Zoro’s head; your cheeky smirk while your eyes passed over him, blatantly checking him out.

I’d settle for a date.

Zoro had been on his own for a few years before meeting Luffy. He’d had a handful of one night stands, but this was new. You had appeared out of nowhere, less than an hour ago, and now you were flirting with him—and all he had managed to do in response was stare at you and stammer like an idiot.

You had to be joking.

You were probably joking. You seemed like the type, already had been joking around a little about the gravity of your situation, taking it in stride instead of shutting down in fear and defeat. That was pretty cool in itself. You definitely had resolve.

And you seemed pretty smart. And pretty hot—

“God dammit,” he grumbled under his breath, rolled his eyes at himself as he entered the small cabin with the hammock stretched across from one wall to the other. He pulled his t-shirt off a little more aggressively than he intended and tossed it at the hammock, digging through his belongings for a new one. He had to get a hold of himself; you had made one little comment and he was acting like an idiot.

“…seem to be taking this pretty well.”

“I mean, I can’t really do anything about it if I don’t even know how I got here.” He glanced sharply toward the doorway when he heard your and Nami’s voices drawing nearer, crossing the deck as he pulled out a black shirt and red haramaki. “And I’ve never been on a ship before, so that’s pretty cool once you get past the existential dread.” You glanced through the doorframe as you were passing by with Nami, meeting his eyes for a moment, and he was pretty sure you smirked again and glanced across his shirtless torso before disappearing past the view of the doorframe. “And I’m not complaining about the views, either.”

Yeah, you had definitely smirked again.

The swordsman could do little more for a long moment than stand there staring at the doorframe, frozen in place, gritting his teeth and twitching slightly. It was like you were intentionally trying to get him flustered—and he had to growl a few swears under his breath as he shook out his shirt and pulled it over his head, because damn it if it wasn’t working.

“Hey, Zoro!”

Zoro jolted in alarm halfway through straightening his haramaki, jerking his head to look over his shoulder at Luffy.

Hanging upside down in the doorframe, presumably by his feet from the deck above, given he was holding his straw hat in place with both hands.”Hey, how come you’re red?”

“I’m not red,” he said through his teeth, adjusting his waistband.

“Uh…yeah you are,” said Luffy slowly, tilting his head.

Zoro rolled his eyes. “The hell do you want?”

“Oh, yeah—what’s the deal with the stowaway?” Easily distracted as ever, Luffy launched into a tirade of excitable questions. “Where’d she come from? Did you talk her into joining the crew yet?”

“Yeah,” Zoro scoffed, fixing his swords in place at his hip. “Crew therapist.”

“Whoa, seriously? That’s great!”

Zoro stared at the self-proclaimed captain for a long moment, raising an eyebrow at him. “That…that was joke.”

“Aww….” Luffy frowned, swinging back and forth in the doorframe like some strange clock pendulum. His frown turned thoughtful after a few seconds. “What’s a therapist do, anyway?”

“Give advice for money, apparently.”

“Sounds weird.” He finally dropped down, flipping over to land on his feet in the doorway and straightening his hat before tucking his hands behind his neck. “Could be useful, though. Good for morale.” He gave a resolute nod with that brief assessment, hitting his fist into his opposite palm. “We’re recruiting her.”

Zoro just gave a sigh and shook his head in borderline disbelief—though only borderline, because this was Luffy, and he had already come to expect this level of childlike impulsiveness out of him. He turned to the side to move past Luffy in the doorframe. “Good luck with that.”

Though there really wasn’t much else you could do right now—no one had any idea how you had ended up on the ship, and there was at the present no way for you to get back to where you came from. You were, in a word, stuck.

“Oh, come on, you have to help, too.” Zoro rolled his eyes as Luffy clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re my first mate! And besides, you’ve talked to her more than anyone else.” Luffy nodded as they reached the deck railing, hopping up to sit there. “That’s your first official assignment as my first mate—recruiting a crew therapist.”

“Yeah. Sure thing, ‘Captain.’”

There was really no point in telling Luffy that they weren’t a crew—it fell on deaf ears. Zoro really didn’t have any major issue following him at this point; Luffy had more than proven himself an able fighter against both Buggy and Kuro; had, even if half of it was purely luck, managed to procure them a ship, and protect said ship against a Marine vice admiral. Even if his methods weren’t exactly conventional…they had worked. No one could deny that.

But it was a little more of a stretch to recruit you, when it was pretty clear that you didn’t even want to be there.

And yet you seemed pretty cozy with both Nami and Usopp when you emerged back onto the deck with them, the three of you looking at some rectangular device in your hand. The gaudy costume tricorne hat you had been wearing when you showed up was now on top of Usopp’s head, and you had changed into a black patterned tank top and dark shorts, and at this point Zoro was just doing his damnedest not to even look at you.

“…makes calls, plays music, takes pictures,” you were saying, as the other two stared over your shoulders at the device in clear bafflement. “You really don’t have anything like this here?”

“Den den mushi, but all they do is make calls,” said Nami. “But this thing is—” She shook her head, laughing. “This is weird.”

“Hey, can I—?” said Usopp, holding his hand out, and you shrugged and handed it off to him. He laughed and pushed himself between Luffy and Zoro at the railing. “You guys gotta see this, it’s a cell phone. Hang on, hang on—”

Zoro looked over at the device, his brow furrowing as Usopp tapped at it—and then all three of their faces appeared on the front of it.

“What the f—?”

“Whoa…” Luffy waved his hand in front of it, and the picture on the device mimicked him perfectly. “That’s so cool!”

“Yeah, and you touch this, and…” Usopp tapped a circle toward the bottom of the device. “And it makes it into a picture—”

It—how—?!” Luffy grabbed it from Usopp, gawking at the picture of the three of them. He looked between it and Usopp and Zoro, eyes wide as saucers. "It—it just—? So cool—”

“Yeah, and it saves it, look…”

Usopp touched the device, pulling his index finger across it, and the picture changed to one of him, you, and Nami, with Usopp openly gawking and Nami staring at you in alarm while you seemed to be giggling at their shock. Zoro tilted his head a little as Usopp went on scrolling through pictures, tuning out his explanation that it operated via some weird otherworldly magic called a “battery.” The majority of the pictures seemed to be of you, or of you with other people, maybe family and friends. There were quite a few of you with a younger girl that resembled you a great deal, and just as Zoro had opened his mouth to ask about it, he abruptly found himself unable to form any words at all at the sight of the next picture.

And barely managed to catch the device when Usopp dropped it in equal shock—and barely caught Luffy by the back of his shirt when he nearly fell backwards over the railing.

There was no denying at all that Zoro was more than a little red in the face now—why the hell were there pictures of you naked in the thing?

You and Nami exchanged a glance as Zoro stared off to the side and held the phone out at you, mumbling some incoherent apology that was somewhere between sorry and didn’t know. You made a weird sort of strangled squeak in your throat when you glanced at the screen, and Nami gave a snort of laughter as you shoved it back in your pocket.

Luffy recovered a great deal more quickly, turning and flopping over the railing. “Can we go eat now? I’m starving.”

“What else is new,” Nami commented.

Down on the docks below, Luffy set immediately to his plans to recruit you onto the crew, explaining how they definitely needed a crew therapist for the sake of keeping up morale on long journeys, and you seemed more amused than anything at his antics. “What we really need is a musician, a pirate ship has to have a few good musicians. Can you play music?”

“Well, I played the flute in band when I was in high school,” you said, frowning a little.

“Perfect! Have you got one?”

“Ah…didn’t think to pack one before I got isekai’d into this shit-show, sorry.”

He tilted his head like a curious puppy. “Ise-what?”

“N…never mind,” you said, shaking your head. “Not important.”

Still, he was undeterred, practically buzzing with questions—what was high school, how did this “band” thing work, sports games, what sports? Soccer? As you explained the basics of the sport, also explaining that you weren’t sure because you didn’t exactly play it yourself and Usopp chimed in that he was kind of an expert at it, Zoro lingered behind the three of you, still trying to get the mental image of you sans clothes out of his head, to absolutely no avail—the picture seemed to have imbedded itself into the back of his eyelids.

“You look like a tomato.” He glared over at Nami at her snickering as she pointed between his face and his hair. “Red and green—”

“Shut the hell up,” he growled through his teeth

“She said you turned red when she asked you out, too.” He rolled his eyes when Nami elbowed him in the arm. “So the big bad swordsman doesn’t know how to talk to girls, huh?”

“Shut. Up.”

It normally wasn’t an issue for him, but for some reason it was quickly turning into one with you. How forward you were being about flirting when you had only laid eyes on each other for the first time barely an hour ago, how you had that little smirk any time you did—and that picture definitely hadn’t helped at all. Nami wasn’t exactly wrong, then. You definitely were having an effect on him that he wasn’t used to, but being taunted about it wasn’t going to do him any good.

Nor was nearly walking headlong into you the second that he entered the restaurant, his hand shooting out in reflex and grabbing your waist—and letting go just as quickly.

“Uh—sorry.”

But you were far too busy staring straight ahead as Luffy and Usopp spoke to the host, a little pale in the face, to even seem to notice or hear him. He gritted his teeth a little when he heard Nami give a small snort of laughter behind him, and that did seem to snap you out of your trance, as you looked at her sharply. You leaned to the side a little toward the other girl, eyes still glued to the fishman host, as you whispered, “Wh—what exactly is that?”

“That…” Nami glanced between you and the host, lifting an eyebrow. “You’ve never seen a fishman?”

“I don’t think we have those where I’m from,” you muttered through your teeth, and Nami had to cover a laugh with a put-on cough at your borderline panic. “They—they just—what, half fish half man?”

“Kind of,” she said. She approached the host herself when Luffy and Usopp tanked at their attempt to get a table at the evidently overbooked restaurant, and slipped him a small stack of berry notes, changing the man’s tune quickly. “They’re really not much different from humans,” she said quietly as all of you followed him down the stairs and into the dining area. “They can breathe underwater, though.”

“Can they?” you said, a little weakly.

The host led the group to a large, rounded booth, and Luffy hopped into it first, shifting over to the opposite end. Usopp took the next seat, followed by Nami and you. Zoro glanced between either end of the booth, decided he was probably better off not sitting that close to you, and made to sit down at the end of the booth by Luffy.

And promptly realized that this was going to be impossible with his swords at his right hip, as he got the sheathes briefly stuck between the booth and a few pillars situated next to it. He jerked them back out quickly.

“I’d be happy to check your swords for you, sir,” the host said pleasantly.

He glanced at the man—and briefly at you as he heard you giggle, your hand curled over your mouth to muffle it.

No choice, then. Great.

“I got this,” he said shortly, heading over to the opposite end of the booth. He sat down heavily, adjusting his katana, and made a point of not looking toward you again. The host left you with menus and a promise that your waiter would be with you all shortly, while Luffy leaned toward Usopp and wondered aloud what kind of food they had here.

Zoro, flipped open his menu and set immediately to seeing what kind of drinks they had—because dear god did he need one.

He kept mostly quiet during the brief wait, listening to the others and you discuss the menu. Discuss the restaurant. Discuss the crew—as Nami pointed out once more that they weren’t actually a crew, and Luffy brushed it off as he always did. You seemed more and more interested, and you honestly got along with everyone like you had been there for far more than just the last hour or so, joking around and laughing with Nami, calling Usopp out on one of his bullshit stories without any hesitation at all.

Maybe Luffy wasn’t too far off the mark in trying to recruit you.

The idle chat at the table was interrupted by a commotion at another end of the dining room by a couple of diners arguing with each other, a pirate and a marine lieutenant, with the situation being abruptly diffused by a waiter quickly knocking out both offending parties.

And, of course, Luffy already had the spark of recruitment in his eyes as the waiter approached the table and set down a plate of rolls, speaking in a curt tone.

“Hi. Welcome to our shitty restaurant, where the only thing worse than the ambience is the food.” Luffy made a grab for the plate without any hesitation at all. “My name is Sanji, what can I get for you?”

“One of everything, please,” Luffy said through a mouthful of bread,”

“Any drinks?” he said, glancing around the table. “One of our signature cocktails to help choke down your meal?”

“Giving us the hard sell, huh?” said Nami, leaning back and stretching her arm across the backrest.

Zoro glanced over when he heard you chuckle a little—and back at the waiter as his eyes flitted between you and Nami, his tone and expression shifting immediately as a smile curved at his lips.

“Apologies, ladies. Didn’t see you there. Would either of you care for an apéritif to start? We have several rare Micqueot vintages in stock.” Luffy and Usopp both looked between you and Nami, and Zoro just crossed his arms, waiting for the idiot to finish. “Or perhaps you’d like a glass of Umeshu? You know…something sweet for someone sweet.”

And the audacious bastard winked.

Nami raised her eyebrows. “Something wrong with your eye?”

“Just blinded by your beauty.”

“I don’t know about my friend here, but I’m not really into sweet things, sweetie.” The waiter’s attention immediately turned back to you, and Zoro glanced over at you as you spoke up—as you leaned forward on the table, curling a hand under your chin, fluttering your eyelashes. “Whiskey for me. Lowball, on the rocks,”

So flirting was your thing, then.

Zoro cleared his throat loudly before the guy could fire back. “Waiter, can I get a beer? And something for my friends.”

“Two beers,” said Usopp. “I usually have three, but—”

“And a milk,” interupted Luffy, raising his hand.

“Water,” said Nami shortly.

“Three beers, one water, one milk, and…” He turned his attention straight back to you again—you, still leaning forward with your elbow on the table, your chin resting against your knuckles, your lips curved into a small smirk. “One whiskey, on the rocks? Any particular preference, madam?”

“Whatever vintage you recommend,” you replied coyly—and then you winked.

And his smirk only widened at that as he turned to leave. “Right away, madam.”

Zoro glanced over at you slowly, his eyes shifting between you and the departing waiter, lifting an eyebrow. You rolled your eyes over to him, still smirking. “Yes?” you said, waiting for him to respond.

“Nothing.” He rolled his eyes—it still seemed very much like you were doing this on purpose, toying with him just to get a reaction.

And if you were....

He rolled his eyes back over to you, “Madam,” he said sarcastically. “Forgive my rude behavior, madam. Would madam prefer her whiskey in a crystal glass, or would a golden bowl be more madam’s style?”

There was a fair bit of chuckling around the table. Nami nudged your shoulder, and you leaned to the side, your smirk widening into a grin as she whispered something behind her hand into your ear. You straightened back out, your eyes glinting with mischief as you met his gaze and laid your hand lightly on his bicep.

“Aww, you’re not jealous, are you?” And you only leaned in closer, laying your temple at his shoulder and fluttering your eyelashes again, and he immediately regretted opening his mouth as he felt his face heating up. “Should I tell our handsome waiter that you wanted to be flirted with too?”

“Wh—what—”

And the chuckling around the table turned into hearty laughter, as you pulled away and leaned toward Nami instead, leaning into each other as the pair of you more or less cackled at your quip.

He was taking all of this way too seriously—and the sight of you laughing like that, despite how desperate your situation was, made him smile a little. Made him laugh a little himself, tilting his head back against the backrest of his seat at the booth, and speak up amid the laughter, almost affectionately.

“I hate you guys.”

[son1c]

I just wanna say, Gale gives so much Puss in Boots vibes. Like a really powerful renegade who recklessly wreaks havoc on evil (sorry I just wanted to use a bunch of Rs)

When the universe is restored (and the Chaos Emeralds brought back) what happens to him? How does he cope with losing (most?) of his powers? Does he join Sails as a regular pirate, and how does he end up feeling about Bermuda?

Also I love the shatterverse you came up with (Is it called Deepfreeze Domain, or is ther another name that encompasses all of it?), and Callisto especially! I'm assuming Callisto meets Prime!Sonic and Syzygy, Star and Aster meet Shadow? Just because I feel like Callisto would notice at least a little bit that Shadow looks like him, and he probably meets at least one of those guys. Although now that i think about it, Shadow might not immediately meet Syzygy, or maybe even meet him when Sonic shows up...

All of your shatterverse versions of Sonic and Shadow are So Cool!!! I really like how you changed some of the universe dynamics to fit them, especially with the extra worldbuilding for shadow's existence!

gale losing the emeralds causes him to fall ill. they'd been living inside his heart for his whole life, so their sudden absence sends his body into a shock of sorts... everything is different now. he's still got the wings, since they're a physical part of his body/mutation, but they're so much heavier than they once were. he has to relearn how to walk and how to fly. it's a big change for him. good thing he's stubborn!

he definitely spends more time around other people after the finale. kind of out of necessity. ofc, gale didn't WANT other people to see him in such a weakened state--but when the emeralds were returned to their rightful dimension, he was around other people. and he couldn't exactly flee afterwards, so...

gale isn't exactly HAPPY about being feverish and bedbound on the angel's voyage, since he's got a pretty nasty grudge against dread for his behavior, but he doesn't have a choice. at least sails is there to act as a peacemaker. and maybe during that time, gale would come to forgive him. after all, dread's changed. and changed for the better!

as for bermuda... that's a tougher egg to crack, for sure. originally, their relationship was "bitter enemies who want to kill each other". now though? might be more like intense rivals. gale might still threaten him though. and vice versa. what can i say? some things never change.

i do like to imagine a situation where after gale's recovered, bermuda finds him perched on some rocks somewhere and ofc gale is like immediately on the defensive but bermuda's like i'm not here for a fight. and bermuda offers him that same respirator he once gave to sonic because gale's been falling into the water more lately and "nothing is allowed to kill you but me"

gale snatches the respirator with a toothy grin and quips back "...can't have that, can we?" heh.

as for ur other questions, yeah i kinda just refer to my original shatterspace as deepfreeze domain collectively. i mean, they have the trophy, so they make the rules! lol. callisto and syzygy do interact with prime shadow and sonic. callisto even teams up with sonic for a wisp race at one point!

[hongcherry]

to fall again || k.hj

Seeing Hongjoong thrive in his passion for creating music sparks a revelation within you. You're slowly losing your fervor for dancing, which shatters your heart more than you’d like to admit. Can Hongjoong help you regain your passion, or must he watch you say goodbye to your first love?

🩰 Pairing: musician!Hongjoong x dancer!Reader

🩰 Rating/Genres/AUs: PG15; Fluff, angst hurt/comfort; Non-idol au, established relationship

🩰 Warnings: Feelings of being unhappy in life, indication of not feeling good enough/lack of self-confidence, kissing

🩰 Word Count: 1.7k

🩰 Project: This is for @pirateeznet’s First Anniversary Project! My prompt for this was, "Fever (losing your passion and frantically trying to regain it)." Thank you for having me on board! 😉

🩰 Author's Note: This one hits close to home 🥺

ateez masterlist | main masterlist

The TV illuminates the dark room, various colors bouncing off the walls.

The volume is low since Hongjoong is sitting at his desk in the corner of the room. He has his headset on, but you still don’t want to be too loud.

A younger version of yourself dances across the stage on the screen. You’re dressed in a pirate costume along with your peers. It was a silly dance, but you were only six at the time. You thought you looked cool and were having fun moving your body. You didn’t care about much else.

“Yes!” Hongjoong exclaims suddenly.

Your eyes tear from the TV to look at him. He turns to you with a big smile on his face. It suits him well.

“I’ve finally figured out this section of the track,” he exclaims like a child who just got his first award.

“Oh? That’s great, Joongie,” you smile.

He takes off his headset and gestures for you to come over.

You clamber off the couch and make way to his makeshift studio. Your shared apartment is a decent size, but having one bedroom means your dining room has turned into his studio space. Not that you entirely care. You don’t need to eat there; there are other places.

“Here,” he says softly and guides the headset over your head. You adjust it slightly as he carefully lowers you to sit on his lap. You nod when you’re ready.

Music begins to play in your ears. You’ve heard this track before since he’s been working on it for a while. Despite this, you listen attentively—more so when it comes to the part he’s been struggling with.

Hongjoong massages the top of your thighs as he watches the track being played. He can faintly hear it from the headset you wear, and it makes him a little anxious to hear your opinion.

Once it ends, you carefully take off the headset and set it down.

“I think you have a winner,” you say and glance behind you.

Hongjoong beams, eyes wide with hope.

“You think so?”

You nod. “It sounds amazing. I can’t wait for others to hear it too.”

“Finally,” he sighs dramatically and hugs your waist tightly. “This damn track was starting to haunt me in my dreams.”

You giggle at his reaction and lean back into his touch.

Silence fills the room as you cuddle. Happiness for Hongjoong slowly fades and becomes replaced with your own sorrow.

Seeing Hongjoong so zealous for his dream awakened your repressed thoughts. Watching your old dance videos made your heart feel heavy. It was always nice to rewatch your past self, but now it just feels bittersweet. Almost… painful.

You feel like you’ve been dancing ever since you learned how to walk. Your parents are dancers, so naturally, you picked up the hobby. Only the hobby didn’t stay a hobby.

You got small gigs at local theaters; however, that career didn’t last long. You never made it to Broadway. Although it was never your goal to do so, there was a time when you were hopeful your talent would take you somewhere.

Now, you work as a part-time dance instructor and a full-time accountant. You’re not entirely unhappy. You enjoy sharing your passion with others as well as assisting with finances.

Though lately, your mood has been sour. You feel uneasy, a smidge guilty, and dreadful whenever you are inside the dance studio. You almost feel as if you don’t belong anymore. You can tell your students are worried for you, but you brush it off as being tired.

For a while, you believed that too.

You’re just tired. Some rest will bring back that happiness and thrill you felt when teaching.

Only it hasn’t.

“Are you ready to tell me what’s wrong?” Hongjoong asks calmly.

You sigh and pull yourself away from him to stand.

Hongjoong caught on to your gloomy mood in the early stages. You gave him the same excuses you gave to your students, but after a while, he knew it was more than just being tired. There was something deeper you were feeling.

There was some time when you didn’t even know what got you so upset. But tonight, after watching hours of your old dance footage, you discovered the reason.

You were falling out of love with dance.

You didn’t feel that passion you used to feel. Witnessing Hongjoong’s excitement for making music, made you realize you don’t share that same excitement when you dance anymore.

“I—” you begin to say. Saying it out loud would make it all too real. You didn’t want to believe you didn’t love dance anymore. You didn’t want to believe you no longer found happiness in it.

Sure, people change their interests all the time. Hell, Hongjoong could decide producing music isn’t his cup of tea anymore and switch to playing tennis.

But if you admit how you feel, it’ll feel like you’ve lost a part of yourself. Dancing used to be comforting. Now, it just reminds you of what you used to have.

Hongjoong stands from the chair to come near you. He angles your chin so you’re looking at him.

“I’m here for you,” he reassures sweetly. “Whenever you need me. I’m here.”

You offer a sad smile and nod. You know he is.

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, I just don’t want to put it out into the world,” you explain.

He hums in understanding.

Slowly, your gaze shifts to the TV again. It’s a little difficult to see in this position, but you can still faintly hear the music being played. You recall the performance being at another competition, but this time dress like cowboys and cowgirls.

Hongjoong follows your gaze and exhales as he suddenly knows the problem.

You have this longing expression on your face that tells Hongjoong how much you miss it.

You miss being the one on stage rather than the one behind the curtains. You love teaching, but you also love performing.

Hongjoong steps away from you to pause the video.

You watch him confused. He moves to his desk again, fiddles with the keyboard, and then music plays. It’s not the same one as before, it’s slower. It’s one you haven’t heard.

“May I have this dance?” Hongjoong asks while he steps back in front of you, a hand outstretched.

“W-what?” you question, eyes glancing at his hand and then at his face.

He smiles. “Dance with me.”

“I’m not really in the mood, Joong,” you sigh.

Despite your rejection, Hongjoong’s grin doesn’t falter.

He reaches to grab your hand anyway, pulling you close and resting his other hand on your lower back.

“Then just let me hold you.”

You’re reluctant at first, but end up yielding to his request. The hand not in his hold raises to rest on his shoulder. You rest your head on his body and listen to his heartbeat.

You both stand still for some time, simply taking in the other's company as the music plays.

Eventually, Hongjoong begins shifting his weight. He’s swaying you to and fro, guiding you ever so gently to the looping track.

You don’t even realize what he’s doing until he starts adding some footwork.

One step back, you follow. One step to the left, you follow. Until he’s leading you around the room in small circles. You recall teaching him these steps one rainy afternoon. Plans for a picnic date soon detoured to ballroom lessons in the living room. After a couple of stepped-on toes, he eventually got it.

Hongjoong is a better dancer than he believes. Although you want to take ownership of that, you know he’s just a natural. Naturally born to be an artist in some way. Whether it’s through producing, singing, dancing, or fashion, he has that creative talent so many crave.

Hongjoong raises your joint hands and carefully uses his hand on your lower back to guide you into a spin. You smile at the action, following his lead and twirling under his arm.

In one swift motion after your twirl, Hongjoong wraps an arm around your back and tilts you back.

You laugh at him dipping you.

Hongjoong grins at the sound, leaning down and pressing a tender kiss on your lips.

You place a hand on the back of his neck as you return the kiss. He gradually raises you until you’re standing properly. His lips are still on yours, tongue slipping into your mouth. The kiss isn’t frantic; it’s passionate and sensual—reminding you why you fell for him in the first place.

Hongjoong pulls away and stares at you with love in his eyes. You expect him to say something thoughtful, but instead, he asks, “Can you dip me now?”

You smack his chest playfully while you laugh. Though despite the reaction you reply, “Fine.”

You raise your arm and watch as Hongjoong spins before you lean him back. You have to use more strength than him to hold him. After a few seconds, you pull him up with a grunt.

Hongjoong laughs and once stable, grabs your face in both his hands and kisses you again. You both have a goofy smile on your lips as you do. It was a silly thing to do, but at that moment, you feel happier.

For the next few weeks, Hongjoong signs you both up for various dance lessons. And when you aren’t at a lesson, he prepares another artistic activity. Be it painting or reforming clothes, he has something planned. He doesn’t tell you why, but you know he’s trying to ignite that creative passion in you. He wants you to be able to be the dancer rather than the teacher—be the artist you loved being. Although the art activities are not dance-related, they can still inspire you in some way.

Even if your passion for dance hasn’t fully come back, you believe you can find it again with Hongjoong’s help. That, or you can let it go with gentler arms.

But with each dance lesson, you’re feeling that happiness you used to feel. You’re falling in love with the artistry all over again, and along the way, you’re falling for Hongjoong even more.

A/N: "A dancer dies twice—once when they stop dancing, and this first death is the more painful." - Martha Graham

For my “shy/silent” readers, I’ve created a feedback form where you can share your thoughts on my fics in a more anonymous and private way. ^-^

©️hongcherry // DO NOT REPOST OR MODIFY Please consider reblogging if you liked this work to show your support. Feedback/commentary is always welcomed.

[ferhog]

Getting into Metroid This Past Month:

I first learned about Metroid (as well as most Nintendo franchises that weren't Pokemon and Mario) through my friend's copy of Smash Bros Brawl at around the age of 9. Samus being a hot lady underneath the cool set of power armor left enough of an impression for me to try and draw her from memory, but I otherwise had no interest in actually playing her games for most of the following decade and a half. In that time I learned a bit of her lore from Smash Trophys, Game Theory videos, and watching the first few minutes of Other M cutscenes to hear the lady from Smash Bros talk, but it wasn't until shortly after the release of Metroid Dread when I watched some late game cutscenes from the game and GameXplain's Metroid movie pitch video that I became interested enough in the story of the games and Samus as a character that I decided to downlo- I mean obtain copies of Zero Mission and Fusion for my Visua- I mean Gameboy Advance, which I held off on starting until I worked through my gaming backlog more, and it was earlier this summer that I decided the time had come.

The Metroid Manga: Before starting Zero Mission as my first game I read the manga so I'd get a good sense of Samus' backstory before starting. Now I knew what to roughly expect thanks to the Gamexplain movie pitch adapting much of the story, but overall I enjoyed it more than I was expecting. I probably don't need to tell you that Ridley was the absolute highlight. His pure evil is matched only by Louie from Pikmin in terms of Nintendo villains and it got me very invested in his rivalry with Samus throughout the games. Aside from that, my favourite part of the manga was Samus' characterization and her relationship with her bird dads. I have a real soft spot for all adoption related tropes so I really like the idea that Samus was taken in by what was once the most important race in the galaxy and inherited their legacy of keeping the peace, which she basically turned into a job via bounty hunting. However a lot of what the manga does is better in concept than in execution, as the art is hard to follow a lot of the time and much of the story is sped through quite quickly, no thanks to how much time is spent with the extensive cast of side characters. When Samus started her zero mission I held off on finishing the story until I played the game, and while I'm glad that they went with adapting the game at the end because we got to see a climactic fight against Ridley it is super bizarre that they didn't commit to the idea and just stopped when Samus reached Mother Brain. The manga is absolutely worth reading but best thought of as a companion to Zero Mission, probably best read afterwards.

Metroid Zero Mission: My experience with Metroidvanias was basically just Hollow Knight, the first Dark Souls, and Bloodborne, and while I was excited to experience the same sense of adventure I also feared getting lost as per this franchise's reputation. However I surprisingly managed to make my way though the whole game with only one thing I had to look up, which embarrassingly was the same mistake David Jaffe infamously made in Dread, as I failed to realize I could shoot a ceiling open even with enemies there to hint that I could. I think the game has the perfect balance between freedom and guidance as someone's first Metroid game through the chozo statues that mark your next destination without telling you how exactly to get there. Combine that with it being a remake of the first game and I think it was just the perfect game for me and anyone else to start with. My biggest issue gameplay-wise was just the fights against Mother Brain and the two black Space Pirates were very frustrating, the latter because the combat just didn't feel designed for a fight that reflex based, at least not for a newcomer. After finishing the game I felt compelled to earn the Zero Suit Samus ending, which I accomplished by constantly scouting out the optimal routes and resetting so I could get through them as fast as possible.

AM2R: I wanted to play these games in story order so I knew I had to play some version of Metroid 2 next. After trying out the original Metroid that you unlock after beating Zero Mission I figured the pre-NES games weren't going to be fun for me so I wanted to play either AM2R or Samus Returns, and I went with the former as it would be easier to find and would be closer to the game I just finished. The game is a very impressive feat for a fan-made project, though I think it was the one I had the least fun with overall. A few hours into the game I listened to the Some Call Me Johnny review which mentioned it being very hard, and that made sense considering it was a fan project by big Metroid fans for big Metroid fans, but it did result in a few of the bosses being quite frustrating with how much skill they demanded, particularly with the space jump which I struggled to understand the timing of. I didn't feel like instantly replaying it as I did with Zero Mission but I really loved how they adapted the ending.

Super Metroid: "This SNES game probably won't hold up that well right?" Thought the guy whose first console was the PS2.

Super Metroid is one of the greatest games of all time.

Metroid Fusion: I was real intrigued going into this game given what I'd heard about its linearity and extra story focus compared to the prior games but it was still a shock going straight from 2 playthroughs of Super Metroid to this. It didn't even really feel like Metroid, especially with how you were essentially playing through levels via Adam sending you through specific locations with specific tasks. Eventually I got used to it and fully accepted it as a Metroid game as I was increasingly required to be more explorative, though I think of all Metroid games I've played it has the most needlessly abstract methods for mandatory progression. The example which I eventually gave up on and looked up was the yellow Space Pirate X which which could only be damaged with a shot to the back apparently? There was seemingly no visual hints for that and the doors didn't even open if you absorbed the X before they formed the Space Pirates. While I figured out the other examples on my own I just felt I had to blow up way more seemingly random walls than normal. The bosses were generally very fun except for everything about Yakuza. A super long lead up to a boss that kept killing me super easily before I figured out how to avoid its grab attack, followed by a struggle to regain health for the ensuing SA-X encounter with how little health you get from enemies that could fly in out of nowhere and do more damage to you than you were regaining. Speaking of the SA-X, it wasn't in the game as much as I was expecting, but each encounter was quite memorable, especially when I was hiding behind power bomb blocks and it dropped a power bomb. Overall I didn't like most of this game's choices, but I like it when franchises try new things so I wouldn't say anything should have been changed except for how much health you get from enemies. This was the 2nd game I didn't feel like instantly replaying.

Metroid Prime: As of writing this I am currently a few hours into the first Metroid Prime, specifically having just gotten the boost ball. The Metroid formula was very well translated into 3D and the visuals have aged amazingly. I may be playing a remaster but most remasters still don't look this modern. But curiously this has been the Metroid game I've spent the most time away from during a playthrough, going several days without picking it up again. It's not that I dislike playing it, I just don't feel as much of a strong desire to keep coming back to it. Maybe I just feel the need to catch up on other stuff after playing so much Metroid. I do think I'll get around to playing the rest soon enough.

One of my biggest impressions overall is that Metroid is actually quite underrated despite how iconic it is. Samus seems mostly remembered as a Smash Bros character and her iconic twist as one of gaming's first female protagonists, but it doesn't seem like that many people actually play the games. It's also funny that while Samus is famous as a sex symbol in the Smash Bros and general gaming fandoms, it seems that the actual Metroid fandom prefers their Samus cooler than sexy. Anyway I'm looking forward to eventually picking up Dread, the game which first hooked my interest into this franchise, and the other 2 Prime games. Maybe I'll even pick up Other M if I see it around.

[evapillar]

I read the entire Cosmere so you don’t have to!

Curious about Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere books but not sure where to start? Read one series and looking for more? Want to know what’s skippable? Here’s a handy subjective guide!

Good starting points

Warbreaker

This is a fun, self-contained fantasy novel with some classic Sanderson twists! Zero prior knowledge required. This is one of the only Cosmere novels that tells a complete story, and it’s a normal length. No caveats.

The Final Empire/Mistborn Era 1

This was my starting point! It’s a fun read but was his second published novel and it kind of shows. I LOVED the first Mistborn book (and the rest of the trilogy), but when I was halfway through I did describe it as “a pile of intricate world-building with a heist stapled on top.” I turned out to be very wrong but if that sounds like something you wouldn’t have patience for, then start someplace else. (Also the audiobook reader is normally great but a poor match for the characters.)

The Emperor’s Soul

Please please please read this novella. Even if you have no interest in Brandon Sanderson or fantasy in general. This is maybe the most brilliant single book in the cosmere. It fully deserved the Hugo Award it won. The magic system is simple yet original. It is a beautiful meditation on the concept of identity, how we are shaped by our pasts, and what it means to be human. 80% of the story takes place in one room. The Emperor's Soul and the epilogue of Rhythm of War are the only things in the cosmere that made me cry.

The Way of Kings

This is the first book of the Stormlight Archive so I put it in this section but uhhhhhh only start here if you have a high tolerance for lengthy hard fantasy epics. I adore Stormlight but holy smokes does Way of Kings start off slow! The first six chapters contain three time jumps and six different perspective characters. I might not have gotten through it if I hadn’t gotten sick right after checking it out of the library.

I read something and liked it, now what?

The Stormlight Archive

This series of door stoppers has, for my money, the best characters and best world building in the cosmere! Also some really cool depictions of mental health struggles. Currently four books + two interstitial novellas, with the fifth and final book coming out this December. The Stormlight Archive is a great choice for people who don’t like deciding what to read next. If you started with Warbreaker this is the natural place to go because a bunch of Warbreaker characters make cameos in the later books. (Also the audiobooks are FANTASTIC!!!)

Tress of the Emerald Sea

An extremely fun, stand-alone romp! I almost put this on the starter list but it’s not representative, kind of spoilery, and also I truly don’t know what it would be like to read it without knowing who Wit is. This is Wit telling a story written for the prompt “what if Buttercup ran off to save Westley from the Dread Pirate Roberts” and it’s as fun as that sounds! (One of my all-time favorite audiobook experiences)

Mistborn Era 1

In case you didn’t start there! It’s great! (See above)

GIVE ME THE LORE!!

Mistborn: Secret History

There is an ongoing fandom argument about when to read this. I personally think you can read it any time after Mistborn Era 1, preferably before The Lost Metal. I stopped reading Era 2 while I tracked down a copy because I was so so confused after The Bands of Mourning.

Everything else in Arcanum Unbounded

Arcanum Unbounded is a collection of short stories from across the Cosmere, with prefaces that contain info about each planetary system. Several of the other stories I’ve mentioned are in here, but there’s a whole lot else. A big ol’ tasty pile of lore!

Mistborn Era 2

Okay, confession: I didn’t really like these much. The characters just didn’t connect for me, and one in particular, who happens to be the author’s favorite, I utterly despise. That being said, you’ve got cool fights, magical industrialization, characters from era 1 being worshipped as gods centuries later, and SO much lore. I know other people liked these but not my cup of tea. Obviously must be read after Mistborn Era 1.

The Sunlit Man

I…think this is a sequel to a book that doesn’t exist yet?? It was really cool in its own right and also brought together a ton of lore. Do not read before Stormlight!

Things you can skip

White Sands vols 1-3

This is a comic book adapted from one of Sanderson’s early unpublished novels. The art is dreadful and the writing isn’t much better. Almost no connections to the larger cosmere.

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter

This is the weakest of the Kickstarter books IMO. It just has some major structural problems, the biggest of which is that Wit is narrating for no discernible reason. He spends the whole book disrupting the narrative to complain that he’s been turned into a hatstand.

Elantris

Sanderson’s first published novel and it shows. I have really complicated feelings about Elantris. I think if I had read it as a teenager it would have merged with my soul and become a pillar of my personality, but it doesn’t suit the person I am now. There is a lot of cool stuff in this book! It’s a really impressive first novel! And the naive, Strong Female Protagonist feminism would be forgivable if not for a more specific issue. I was teetering on the edge of disordered eating when I picked up Elantris, and unfortunately this book has a major theme equating eating more than the bare minimum necessary for survival with immorality and subhuman behavior. If you struggle with food or body image do not touch this book with a ten foot pole!!! If you don’t, go ahead, it’s otherwise a perfectly fine book.

[whatdoessunshinetastelike]

the first five nights at freddy's game was one of the first things i remember seeing when i was younger that gave me a feeling similar to those that "liminal space" photos give off

this shot of pirate cove in particular was one of them

the star pattern felt like something i would have seen somewhere as a baby or something

also cold take ik but the animatronic designs from the first game were some of the absolute best in the series

they manage to look like they could be animatronics from an actual children's establishment during the 80s or 90s like they look friendly on stage (this is one of my favorite fnaf images of all time)

but with different lighting and just the right angle they are creepy as shit (i know this image has been memed to death but it is still freaky on its own i mean the later games can barely ever come close to this)

and these two sides of them manage to coexist. their creepiness FEELS like it could have been unintentional. they're not too cutesy to not ever be scary at all but also not overdone to the point where they just look goofy and unconvincing (looking at you, FNaF Plus)

they remind me of the Cyberamic style of animatronics from chuck e cheese where they look cartoony and cute to some but unsettling to others (as a cec/rock afire fan myself i can understand both sides)

also another cold take that i really agree with: another part of why the first game was so cool is because of how subtle the lore was

i'm not trying to be all "WAAAAAAHH BOOO THE OLD DAYS WERE BETTER THE FNAF STORY SUX" because i don't hate the story (at least in the older games) and i don't at all disagree with the choice to flesh out the story more. it was a necessary part of continuing the title at that point and turning it into a series (also, people probably wouldn't still be talking about it today)

but part of what made fnaf 1 so intriguing is that you knew nothing. you didn't KNOW who these characters were. you didn't KNOW the history of the company, or anything about those involved in creating it. you didn't KNOW if the place was really haunted or if you were just hallucinating. hell, you didn't even know much about phone guy, YOUR ONLY COMPANION, other than that he Worked In That Office Before You at some point (who knows how old those messages really were?)

the only real hints of a backstory you get are things phone guy mentions OR the chance to catch a rare glimpse of the newspaper clippings in the east hall corner

even going into freddy's knowing nothing, you can tell it's pretty run down. there is garbage all around the office and hallways, cobwebs under your desk and in the doorways, weird grime covering the walls, and clumps of wires hanging from the ceiling. multiple of these aspects can be seen in that one above image.

all of that combined with the ambient noises (the ghostly wind-like sounds, weird random knocking, distant carousel music to name a few) work to give you a sense of dread. the whole building felt haunted, not just the robots. even if you haven't read about the tragedies or heard from phone guy, you might still get the sense that something terrible happened here.

but there is one thing you do know: Fazbear Entertainment is a shady, deplorable organization. five children lost their lives to a sick individual, and they stay open. company's gotta survive, after all. assuming foxy (or any of the others) did the Bite of '87 (we are looking at a fnaf 1-only universe here) they just keep it in the building and don't bother to even remove the contraption that took out someone's brain.

and of course if you, the employee who has to look after this dumpster fire of a pizzeria, get hurt or killed on the job, to quote phone guy: "A missing person report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon as property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced"

i think that quote speaks for itself

(i despise how they made the sketchiness and apathy of the company over-the-top in an effort to be funny in the later games i much prefer it being a little more subdued like this but i am getting back into boomer complaint territory so blagh)

this post is getting MUCH longer than i expected it to so here is a small list of Little Things i love about fnaf 1 that add to its overall feel that doesn't really carry over to the other games

the groaning noises sometimes made by bonnie and chica when they reach your office. what is that exactly? is it their voice boxes or whatever else inside them breaking apart? or is it the ghosts? what if those kids are still fucking alive?

the "IT'S ME" phrase that appears relatively often during gameplay. what does that mean? who is trying to talk to us? is it the ghost of someone we know, like phone guy? or one of the kids? did we know one of the kids?

the whole power outage sequence. still chilling

the foxy attack sequence. you're just playing normally when suddenly this animatronic you've never even seen before runs down the hall and pops into your office to kill you. even though the scare really only works once it's still well-done

the fact that we know nothing about our protagonist. it works in this game because it raises several questions that could be asked. who is mike schmidt? why does he keep coming back to freddy's, even though he knows it's deadly? does he want answers? or is he just that desperate for money? is he familiar with freddy's? did he know someone involved? was he the killer?

ditto but for the killer himself. back then, we didn't read about him in the paper and think of the mad scientist furry who co-founded the restaurant and built robots that killed his kids. we read about him and wondered who he was. are we him? or was it phone guy, our only friend? was the person they arrested really him, or is he still out there? and most of all, why did he do what he did?

what the hell was golden freddy? hallucination? ghost? nobody knew

the fact that foxy's eyes are always glowing while the others don't. this has no significance i just think its neat (this is true for all his future appearances too i think)

idk how to conclude this so here are some more pics that i find creepy. happy 10th anniversary fnaf heres to another 10 years of fantasy and fun

(can you tell i find chica the scariest)

[mama-qwerty]

Okay, I reworked this piece, adding and expanding on some bits, doing some tweaking. I'm still not 100% thrilled with the ending, but it is what it is.

Now to work on the next chapter of one of my wips.

~~~~

The dread child slipped through the streets of Thunder Bay Harbor, the bustling port town of North Island. He didn’t bother to watch where he was going—people tended to get out of his way on their own. That was one of the few advantages of being an echidna, a dread child. No one wanted to interact with him, so they didn’t bother him as he went about his business.

His business today, as it was every day, was to not starve.

He rounded the corner to the market district, where shops posted stands outside their businesses to hawk their wares to the travelers who’d docked in port. New ships meant new customers—new chances for sales, for bartering, for deals to be made.

Tables and stalls lined either side of the cobblestone street, displaying everything from leather bags, to maps, to rolls of cloth in different colors and textures. Some of the fabric was shiny and smooth, imported from lands with names he’d never heard of. Those usually carried a high price tag, and only sold to people who looked like they didn’t actually need them. People who smelled of flowers and soap, their clothes clean and pristine. They also usually carried a heavy coinpurse, but nicking any from them would bring more trouble than it was worth. So he steered clear.

What did people need more sets of clothes for, anyway? Just more to haul around, honestly. He pushed the sleeves of his shirt up, freeing his hands from their excessive length. It was too big for him, he’d swiped it from a clothesline a few towns back to replace his last that had grown too small, but it served its purpose for the most part. Kept him warm on cool nights, and gave him something to wipe his nose with.

Besides, the longer the sleeve, the more easily he could hide anything he snatched from distracted vendors.

He slid close to the various food stands lined up and down the street, his large violet eyes alert and watching for the owners. They hated him. Well, everyone hated him, but the store owners would overcome their aversion to interacting with him in favor of giving him a swat when they saw him anywhere near their wares. Sometimes with a broom, but sometimes with something heavier, or sharper.

It was a hard, cruel world, especially for a dread child of ten. There was no sympathy for this child on his own. No pity for an empty belly. He’d learned that long ago.

There was no kindness in the world. He’d been on his own since he was a puggle, and any memories of life before that, of family, had long since faded. He didn’t remember where he’d come from, and ultimately, it didn’t matter. The past didn’t matter. Only now. Only survival.

A few ships had come to dock over the past few days, and the marketplace was busy and bustling with people. That was good. He could move about easier if there was a crowd keeping the stand owner’s attention.

That wasn’t to say he didn’t have to keep watch against any of the newcomers, too. When he was younger, five or so, he’d nearly been snatched up by a pirate captain with a very bad reputation. He’d heard rumors about that man. Harper. He was cruel, spiteful, and cared only for himself and his status. His treasure hoard. Young boys hauled aboard his ship either died, or turned into as equally horrible people as the captain himself was. Most of his crew had been gathered as teenagers, and their nasty tendencies encouraged to a deadly degree.

It was a hard, cruel world. The dread child knew that.

But that didn’t mean he wanted to endure worse.

He refocused his attention on the task at hand.

Keep reading on ao3

[caffeine-clouds]

sorry to be negative but just looking back on things now I realize... I didn't really enjoy Sonic Prime season 2 that much.

like - don't get me wrong - Sonic Prime Shadow is the best Shadow we've had in ages. I'm not complaining about Shadow - I think s2e1 is literally the best episode in the series because of his and Sonic's dynamic.

But my issues with the season stem from, and maybe I shouldn't be complaining because Sonic is for kids - but jeeze for me there were just too many action scenes - and they were so long and drawn out, and in between all that the Eggmans got far too much screen time. Generational humour stopped being funny in- scratch that, it was never funny. All of them come off as annoying, I don't enjoy any of them - and I consider myself fucking easy to please lmao

The fight scenes are animated wonderfully don't get me wrong - but Sonic Prime seems to struggle, at least in this season, balancing developing character alongside the action. Did Sonic learn anything new about or develop his bonds with the Bozcage residents? No... not even Thorn Rose really. The pirates, aside from Dread, don't have anything unique about them to write home about.

The best parts of the season, for me, were Shadow (and by extension his dynamic with Sonic), Rusty Rose/Black Rose's friendship, Nine being... Nine (cuz he's cool and also has a great dynamic with Sonic), and Chaos Sonic. Why? Because they're one of the few interpersonal elements of the show that focus on characters and their relationships. We get Shadow being the pragmatic straight man to Sonic's recklessness. We see Rusty Rose change to the good side and form a connection with her counterpart. We explore something interesting when Sonic is forced to fight an even more obnoxious version of himself - and how Sonic hated seeing himself in Chaos Sonic, and then Nine's motivations are just plain good - and Sonic seeing him as real, while Shadow doesn't is just interesting philosophy.

But unfortunately- those were very small parts of a season that was mostly fight fight fight then eggmans bicker

Once again I feel like fans are doing the heavy lifting when finding the substance in these characters. I'll see posts that deconstruct the various versions of Knuckles and what that says about the Prime version - and like - yeah that's so cool! But I also think... you put way much more thought than the writers did. I genuinely think they said "Knuckles but jewel obsessed pirate" and called it a day. The show never tries to tie these versions back to exploring the original versions of these characters - Sonic isn't having any sort of introspection on his friends and what their strengths are and what they mean to him.

Also, again sorry for bringing this back to Dread but he was far less interesting in season 2. Tricking his crew was cool (since Prime Knuckles could never pull a move like that - which... again, would be nice for the show/Sonic to acknowledge in some way) but basically all his dialogue beyond that point becomes "me beauty" and just... eugh.

Anyways I hope season 3 just takes a breather to explore the characters more lol - because if anything happened to these counterparts - I wouldn't feel a damn thing unless it's Nine

[legendarymentalityphilosopher]

Reps

Remember the scene in The Princess Bride when Westley is explaining how he is the Dread Pirate Roberts? Westley says: 

“…he told me a secret. ‘I’m not the Dread Pirate Roberts’, he said. ‘My name is Ryan. I inherited this ship from the previous Dread Pirate Roberts. Just as you will inherit it from me. The man I inherited it from was not the real Dread Pirate Roberts either…The real Dread Pirate Roberts has been retired 15 years and living like a king in Patagonia’. Then he explained that the name was the important thing for inspiring the necessary fear”

Ed promised Izzy he could be the new Blackbeard and things did not go as planned...

gif @mikimeiko

Do You Work For Blackbeard?

In Episode 4 “Discomfort in a Married State” we see Edward talk with Izzy about the idea of retiring and stolen identities. He hints that the crew would need a new captain and Izzy looks like he is about to burst into sunshine & confetti at the idea of being in charge.

Since that promise was planted in that tiny man’s head, Izzy has been eagerly awaiting Stede’s death because it would mean Izzy would get to rise to power. And that is very important to him. 

This comes to a head in Episode 6 “The Art of Fuckery” when Ed is confronted and encouraged to end Stede’s life. Someone else (I can’t find the post, sorry! If you know it, please send a link) wrote beautifully about how Blackbeard telling Stede “This is what it’s like to be Blackbeard” was as much for Izzy as it was for Stede. Leadership is a heavy burden/responsibility. Izzy had not grasped that lesson. He thinks it's all intimidation and power and looking cool.

gif @cononeills

Izzy’s leadership approach is the exact opposite of Stede’s “people-positive” management style. Izzy thinks respect comes about from fear and coercion. That is why he is obsessed with the reputation of Blackbeard as a badass. People surrender at the sight of the flag. Izzy doesn’t care for the creative aspect of the job like Ed does. Izzy likes people cowering at his feet like any man with a proper Napoleon Complex.

No one will tremble in fear of Blackbeard if word gets out that not only did Blackbeard sign himself over to fighting for the king, but he did it for Bonnet. That would be “a fate worse than death” if the name Blackbeard doesn’t send a shiver up any spines. And Izzy CAN’T have that — not when he is about to get everything he has ever wanted.

Maybe It’s Not A Death

Izzy doesn’t like people referring to Blackbeard as Ed. He doesn’t want Edward Teach tied to the reputation of Blackbeard anymore if Izzy is going to inherit it. At this point, Iz has had a taste of being captain (even though he had a mutiny almost immediately — which was probably a motivating factor in the marooning of the crew later.)

But that was under his own name. Like Westley learned, no one trembles in fear at an unknown pirate captain. Especially Dizzy Izzy.

When Lucius is trying to comfort Ed (Ep 10) saying, “Maybe it's not a death. Maybe life just begins again.” you can see the wheels begin to turn for Ed. The catalyst later comes when Izzy confronts Ed with the illustration of Blackbeard.  

gif @figmentof

Izzy’s threat “I serve Blackbeard….Edward better watch his fucking step” is not without weight. Izzy did the dirty work; Ed knows what the man is capable of. Even worse, Izzy knows what Ed is and is NOT capable of. (Murder)

So Ed is trapped, worse now than ever. Sort of mirroring Stede’s story, they both have to fix the promises they broke before they can truly start anew. But Ed can’t fake his death; he has to keep Blackbeard alive.  

To truly escape, Ed has to restore the Blackbeard reputation for Izzy to successfully (and happily) take it on. Ed is Kraken down (harharhar) on his image for Izzy. If you want the scary Blackbeard, I will give it to you — but you’re the one that’s gotta keep it up, mate.

And to keep it up and be able to pass it on to Izzy, Ed had to get rid of:

Lucius — the only literate crew member who could keep records and could draw his true face. And who also saw Ed in a moment of weakness.

"Stede's playthings" -- because we just can’t have the crew referring to Izzy as the Spewer if they are going to pull off this con. They also will help spread the word of Blackbeard being scarier than ever.

Evidence of Stede -- The English are after Ed and know he was captured on the Revenge. He needs to rework the ship to start his fleet. All Stede’s things need to go. This is the Queen Anne’s Revenge now. Or whatever. It’s got Blackbeard’s Flag flying.

Not All Beards Are Beards, If You Catch My Drift

The reputation of Blackbeard proceeds him. He has an easily identifiable description: long black (or gray) beard. Also when Pete was describing him earlier, Blackbeard used smoke to surround his head.

My first thought — wow psychological warfare. But not only does it give him an extra air of badassery, the lit little fires and smoke around his face also help to conceal what he truly looks like. His identity is kind of concealed. 

As we see with Jim’s disguises, beards aren’t that hard to use to hide things. It changes a person’s face big time. It’s an easy thing to put on and take off….

And word spreads quick. 

gif @captain-flint

His Name Is Blackbeard

I really wonder if in season 2 or (god willing) season 3 Izzy will become the concept of Blackbeard. And in his weird incompetence maybe his is the head tied to the front of Maynard's ship while Stede and Ed sail away with new identities.

Now that would be some Revenge...

gif @bob-belcher

TLDR: Ed still wants to retire. Izzy might carry on Blackbeard's legacy. It’s totes possible.

[sungmee]

so how about that trope of ‘who did this to you?’ followed by wreaking vengeance, but make it steddyhands and also a 2nd person outsider POV ficlet 

So you’re this guy, right? You live in this port popular among pirates, and you’re not a pirate yourself, but you know all about them, you deal with them all the time, whatever. So of course you know of Blackbeard, everyone knows of Blackbeard. He’s like, the ultimate pirate out there. 

And you’re this guy who isn’t all that impressive or particularly special, and maybe that annoys you sometimes. Maybe you want to be a little more infamous, a little more intimidating; a little more like Blackbeard. 

Then one day, Blackbeard rocks up into port, a while after his last visit, and there’s a whole lot of rumors about him now (Some ‘Gentleman Pirate’? Calling for Act of Grace??), but presently, he is, for all intents and purposes, the same as he ever was, with a slightly shorter beard. Just as cool, just as impressive, and people clear the way when he walks by, crew in tow. 

So you’re this guy and you watch him pass and you feel a little jealous. A little bitter. A little mean. So when you see Blackbeard later, in his cups and by himself, you think, perhaps this is an opportunity. And you take it.

It’s all a bit of a blur, adrenaline and anxiety, as you lunge from the shadows and swing, but you feel your fist make impact with flesh and internally cheer. You scrabble for your knife and lash out, strike something, and there’s a scuffle as you get knocked back, but then Blackbeard is gone and you’re on the floor.

Ok. So you’ve hurt Blackbeard, the Blackbeard, and yeah he hit you back hard enough to send you reeling, but you’re alive and he’s gone and you even managed to draw blood! That’s pretty impressive, right? You pick yourself up and scramble back to your room to revel in your victory. You got one over Blackbeard!

You sit in the dark and stare stupidly at the wall and grin at nothing for all of five minutes before you remember that Blackbeard could very well come back for you, or indeed, send someone else. It’s no secret that his first mate Izzy Hands is a vicious attack dog kind of man, that someone like you wouldn’t want to mess with on a good day, let alone one where you’ve attacked his captain. 

But Izzy is scary in an almost predictable kind of way, skilled and tough and still not to be taken lightly, but you kind of know what to expect with him. So, it’s fine, this is fine, if Izzy Hands comes after you, you’ll be fine. You’ve got weapons, you can defend yourself. 

And then there’s a knock on the door. A fucking knock. Who the fuck would knock on your door? So you get up, wary and tense and clutching a knife at your side, and you open the door.

And some fucking weirdly pretty dude in a pastel waistcoat and frilly shirt is standing on the other side. The fuck. 

“Hello!” He says cheerfully. “Are you the one who attacked Edward?”

You blink.

“Edward?”

“Blackbeard.” Waistcoat clarifies. 

You narrow your eyes.

"Depends who's asking."

"The Gentleman Pirate, at your service."

"Gentleman?" You sneer, thinking this is a joke, "Whatever, yeah I did get Blackbeard, what's it to you?"

"Ah." Says the weird guy, and suddenly his eyes narrow and go cold, the polite cheer vanishes, he's looming in the doorway, and you suddenly feel very very nervous.

"Edward is very dear to me, you see. Dear to both of us."

Dread shoots up your spine. You gulp.

"...both?"

"Say your prayers, dog," comes a raspy voice from behind you as a knife is suddenly at your neck.

"The fuck-?!"

Waistcoat steps inside and closes the door, casting the whole room in shadow. There’s steel at your throat and steel in his eyes. He smiles thinly at you. 

"As a gentleman, I thought it good manners to knock first. My partner here, however, is not so inclined to such niceties. Unfortunately for you."

Oh, you think, as the blade digs deeper and Waistcoat circles you like a shark, this is it, then. You fucked around, and now you’re about to find out.

[nights-nonsensical-ramblings]

Sonic prime episode 23(s3e7) watch thoughts

oh wow is this the end? it feels so weird for this to be coming to an end

oh man the grims all thats left

oh its hitting him isnt it?

So how many times have the the sonic cast been stuck in a small pocket of reality?

aww Mangy going to gnarly for comfort

but when the prism's stable, what will happen to the worlds?

"he bliped into this reality." interesting

oh the glitching is so cool

so th e shatterspace is still intact

oh man hes like one of the ghosts

glad to see a knuckels supporting him. being a compassionate boy

yeah of course the eggmen would

yeap of course theyre fighting

no hahah egg a verse? they just keep taking shots at the big tech billionares dont they

yeah! ren finally gets to witness the eggmen all beat up

new yoke guys get to beat em up!

bring back green hil? so does that mean the world can exist together?

wait where are the pirates and jungle guys

oh never mind just furhter out

the worlds are reforming!

so. they're all indepentat worlds now?

he is held.

hmmm. maybe our thing about the shard sending dread nuts has more merit than we thought

oh man hes REALLY fading

come on come on

i really dont know how this is gonna be resolved in this little amount of time stilll feels like theres lots of wuestions

well. Knuckles is a contender. dont forget hes a guardian

So much for "reveling where in the timeline this is" Feels completel indepentandt to me

YEah, I'm pretty sure Qwertys thing of the shatterverse already existing is true

excuse me? he took the prism? did he just take it out of sight or this there more meaning

Okay, what does that ending mean? cuz that was a blast from the paradox prism. For a moment i thought is was the big eggman ship but i guess we're not gonna know

Is that the end. really? it both feels like an end and like more could be here.

[cawareyoudoin]

Season 2 of The Owl House, my live reaction!

It took me like twice as long to watch it, because I had to stop and write down my thoughts, but man it was fun, especially when it came to theories.

I can't get readmore to work in drafts, if it doesn't I am so sorry :(

:readmore:

Episode 1

Eda I love you so much you have no idea. She cares for Luz so much and just casually shows it. She's the best.

Lilith, you fucked up, you gotta deal with it.

Cute pirate head thingy Luz! Also, I knew that theoretically fire magic can not only initiate, but also create fire, but powering a furnace? That's impressive. And very economical.

Eda in a PIRATE COSTUME oh man I am being fed WELL

"So unfortunately for you, my life is pretty great because I'm friends with Luz the human" hell yeah, cut that self-sacrificial crap in the bud!

The golden bird boy is weirdly endearing. Kinda. He's... fun at least? Maybe. Undecided.

OMG THE NEW OUTRO IS SO PRETTY!!!

Episode 2

Hmm. Oh yeah, forgot Amity's parents are assholes. That kinda explains the twins being like that sometimes. Also, the genetics + memories suggest that Amity has her father's hair, but she dyes it to be more like her mother's, which already says a lot. Or maybe it's just witch genetics.

Hahah, figures Lilith would love being back in school. Also, interesting way of seeing how Eda would usually mix her magic.

"No-one ever said power comes with responsibility..." Hahah, King has not watched Spider-Man.

Gus just had a growth spurt? Witch puberty? Ok. I won't question it if the show won't.

Aww, Hooty finally has a friend who likes his company!

Willow has two dads, how nice.

Oh, so Amity's mother is like... The murderous kind of crazy. Right.

Eda knows when to ask for help! And in the end, chaos and order work together to find out something new. Neat.

Wait, so the four elements are... Ice, fire, light and plant? That's an... Odd choice.

Episode 3

Ooh backstory?

So the elements aren't necessarily only the thing they have represented so far. Makes sense.

Ah, the entire house is literally living and meaty about it. Love it.

King, are you gonna take them to the dread pyramid floating in the sky or something?

Oh, yeah, kinda. Alien zombie mummy morphing creature, neat!

OH NO HE WAS EVEN TINIER AND CUTER

Aww :( he's so sad! But wait wait wait. Those ruins and murals were actually ancient, right? The weird creature only got aggressive once Eda got there, otherwise little King would be toast... And he did get the army idea even earlier... And he was just in that castle out of nowhere? Nah, there has to be more to this, I'm calling it.

Called it!

EGG!!!

"I'm not that old, it's possible" wait, he's actually not much older than freaking 8 years old?!!? All this time I thought he was just... A childish adult? A dog cat creature animal adult? I mean he still could be but wow. He actually is baby.

Took a break here, but wow. This show is catering to my younger self like no other. It's bringing me back to Gravity Falls - would it be blasphemy to say I like it more? - and it's healing my inner child by making a better magic world than H*rry P*tter ever was. It is also catering to my older self with... Well, mostly Eda, I'll be honest. She is THE character of all time so far. Wow.

Episode 4

WOAH THAT'S TERRIFYING AND COOL!

Eda's backstory mirrors Luz question mark?

Oh, that's a side effect of the curse, ok. I thought Eda was just detachable like that. Cool.

Whoops. Eda was mommy's favourite. That explains a lot about Lilith.

Ohhh no. Oh no she's a healing crystals mommy. She's so getting scammed. "Keep it away from the eyes of nonbelievers"? Oh yeah.

King wants to meet his dad so bad, which makes me fear that it will not at all be what he thinks it will be.

Oh wait, maybe it will be. Lilith and King are spiraling.

Hooty's actually worried about them, and is the voice of reason for once? Woah!

Whoops. Lilith owl. And she's... Even bigger...

WHOOPS. Sister owls.

They're cool-looking, damn.

If only it were that easy to convince parents like that...

Lilith-beast is attacking Eda-beast... It's the jealousy and mommy issues, right?

Yeah...

Stash hair goals!

Good for Lilith. Probably. I hope.

Whoops. A doppelganger. Well, at least Luz's mom isn't worried... Heh...

Episode 5

I like the new intro so much that I watch it every time.

Heheh, Luz wants to see Amity. Nice.

Amity looks so nice with her hair down!

"After he accidentally texted a poem to their mom" oh? Nonbinary people real?

Wait that was. That was the light glyph. Gus just did fire magic because he believed he would.

That's a cool dragon thing.

Matt character development? Neat.

Hell yeah, terrify the mean girl with statues crying blood.

Yay, graveyard management!

Oh ok, Amity is dying her hair. Glad that's cleared up.

Oooh! New haircut, nice!

A little kiss on the cheek? "Sneaking into people's hearts"? Bold move indeed!

Episode 6

Hmm, ok... The Emperor wants to get to the human realm... Is he that human from the journal? He'd have to be old as balls, but hey, magic is a thing right?

Oh he's cursed. And eating palismans.

"Uncle"? Hmm, then not human, most likely. Nevermind.

Eda in a suit jacket ohh yeah.

OH OK THE PRINCIPAL'S HEAD DEMON THING IS EXPLAINED OK

Whoops. The golden guy's back. And he's... Whistling the theme song?

Lol, he's just a grumpy teen. Draco Malfoy looking ass.

Doesn't have powers without the staff huh... Maybe their family really does have some human in it. Maybe the journal guy is their great however-many-great grandpa. "Many of my ancestors didn't have magic"? Oh yeah. I'm convinced.

Hunter. Neat. I worry for him.

Eda, you lovely, lovely thief. And of course she would have Luz carve out her own palisman. She's all for doing things the most traditional, "wild" way.

I worry for the little red bird, but good for Hunter, I suppose!

Another few days' break here

Episode 7: Eda's Requiem

Uh oh, worrying title (also: started paying attention to titles here)

Ah, poor Eda... She thinks everyone's leaving her :(

Whoopsie

Oh, I've seen this bespectacled character. In fanarts and such.

Look at Eda, being a hero and all

Look at this new person being a hero and all?

AGENT OF CHAOS YES I LOVE IT

Raine Whispers. Ok. Cool name.

"They're not very good at it" oh hell yeah nonbinary people real!

Oh, that's the girl from the first episode! That escaped the Conformatorium! I think.

Hmm, they crushing, are they? Oh boy I fear betrayal...

"You're not our mom!" Hahahahah

"Bye mama Eda!" Hahahahhahahaha

Hmm... Decaying magic? Destructive magic?

Aww, King baby...

Gus helping his dad with the news, nice that side characters reoccur even when they're not needed per se

Hmm, wouldn't it be a better idea for just Luz to fly the race? King is not heavy, but still...

Awww, Edaaaa!

Ah, ok, abomination witches can do more than just abominations...

Eber has a perpetual >:3 face

Using the curse as a weapon? Sounds... Interesting, certainly.

Awe, Eda's gonna have to steal another pair of shoes...

Hahah, and Raine's smile is literally :} cute!

Uh, Eda, I don't like this self-destructive episode please stop...

Ah shit. Ah fuck. Raine, no!

I knew taking King along for the ride was a bad idea.

Awwwww!!!!! King!!!!!

Oh fuck. Oh no. Fate worse than death-ing Raine? We just met them!!!

Episode 8: knock, knock, knocking on Hooty's Door

Aww, Hooty found a way to write letters! Wonderful.

King is a baby!

Wait, I just realized. "hootsifer" not as in Lucifer, but as in Calsifer! I'm a dummy.

Let me drive my mouse into your heart???

OH OK THAT WAS MILDLY TERRIFYING HOOTY DON'T DO THAT

Yeah, don't do that either...

Ohh boy. Well, the bipeds having bile sacs thing explains why some people going to school don't look like elves.

Oh? Hello? Huh? King? Magic? Shouting magic???

Yeah Eda, confront your demon(s)!

Ahh, yeah, her and Raine were exes.

Yeah Eda, comfort your demon(s)!

HELLOOOO???? HELLOOOOOOOO???? HARPY LADY??????

"This is a hot look." AGREE AGREE BIG AGREE

Oh man, Hooty, don't do that...

The worst part is that the cheesy romance stuff was actually working.

Well, Hooty did help everyone, in a way. Yay!

Whoops. King's dad question mark? Well, at least he respects his new name!

Episode 9: Eclipse Lake

Oh, ok. We just get his face. Lucius Malfoy lookin ass.

He's been in the human realm, huh... My suspicions grow...

It worries me that Lilith is in the intro as part of the 3 associated with Belos...

Hahahah, now Eda wants to be a harpy lady on command! Cute.

Well that's a very direct DBZ reference (I've never watched it but come on everyone knows it)

Aww, Amity is doing so well!

Hunter is gonna cause a schism in the empire. Well, he already is causing one kinda.

Also aww, Amity has a white kitty! Fits her.

Hunter makes friends way too easily for his own good.

"A bad but sad boy" ooh, that's gotta sting. Accurate though.

Kikimora is fucking insane. Why does Belos keep these people!!?? The guard lady is much more reasonable.

Ok, my "first human=Belos" theory isn't off the table yet.

Hunter is too honest for his own good too. And nobody listens to him. But hey, he used his ability to bond with Amity well, for his own gain. He's pretty clever.

Well, Eda made a deal with the beast... Hmm.

Hunter, I feel like your pathetic-ness can be very beneficial to you right now...

Amity don't. Don't give him. The key. Fuck.

Ok, good.

The little red bird coming in clutch! And hey, Hunter, you've got magic now, cool eh? I love when antagonists get character growth too.

Ah shit. He knows how to manwife mansplain manipulate.

This is very bad. Hunter is the patheticest little meow meow there is though. That's something. Ah wait. No. Key is broken. But he's connecting with his palisman! Good for him, bad for his rep.

Also, phew, the deal was just to eat some voles.

I'm sorry for comparing him to Draco Malfoy so much, but like... He has a similar narrative role, but is SO MUCH BETTER DONE. Draco Malfoy wishes he had what Hunter has.

A few day's break again

Episode 10: Yesterday's Lie

Oooh, do we find out more about the doppelganger?

Oh no, throwing away Luz's stuff?!

Aww, they seem to not be overtly malicious, just... Took the opportunity maybe?

Aww, everyone's helping Luz!

Ah. Mirrorverse only.

Hmm. Dad's face invisible. I sense issues.

Hahah, they're blinking sideways.

Aww, I've come to really like Luz. She's kind but not naive, smart but not all-knowing, optimistic but not toxically so.

Traps and cameras... Uh oh

Wait, one of those statue guys looks like the journal human! Am I crazy?

Marylin? Eda, Really? XD

Simple solution: eat the rats!

Aaaah, Vee as in V, as in a roman Number Five. Clever yet sad.

Ah, the emperor's people. Of course.

Basilisks in the folklore I know turned people into stone. But draining magic seems like a pretty reasonable equivalent.

"I met a basilisk" oh yeah, I forgot about that episode! Wow! That was last season. The continuity and consistent worldbuilding in this show astounds me.

Awww. I'm all for Luz having a doppleganger sister.

Ah shucks. The museum guy. Of course.

Oh, the museum is "under new management". Uh oh.

Hmm. Is he playing dumb or just plain dumb?

Oh no, he wants to be verified. Worst motivation.

Oh boy. She's gonna tell her mom everything.

Two brothers? OH OK SO ONE LEFT THE JOURNAL AND THE OTHER STAYED AND HAD KIDS AND THAT'S BELOS AND HUNTER boom bang bing I solved it.

YES MAMA NOCEDA IS THE BEST YESSSS

Hahah, a sandal to the face. Strongest weapon.

OH BOY THEY JUST LEFT HIM IN THAT CAGE TO DIE HUH

Oh no. Oh no no no. Luz is gonna have to confront that promise huh.

Episode 11: Follies at the Coven Day Parade

Hooty has to... Dry his skin sometimes?????

"He's just evil and shy. It happens" tumblrinas talking about their poor little meow meows

"Sweet potato" sounds like a very typical term of endearment to me.

Amity just 😳

Oh no. I just realized. Coven day. RAINE!!!

Kikimora of all people was not the person I thought Luz might relate to. And yet.

You know, I'm getting a feeling that this show doesn't really have villains. Just people. People in villainous roles, yes, but who always have their reasons, and really see themselves as heroes of their own story. Like. Pretty much everyone has shown different sides to them. I love it.

Oh no Edaaaaa....

Ok yeah Luz I'm with you on this one actually. Get them to talk.

Oh no no no... Raine is probably mind controlled or something... Aaaah....

Aww, Amity and Willow finally being friends again!!!! Good!

Ohh. Ok, not mind controlled, only memory wiped/altered. That might be worse in some ways?

Hahah, Kikimora is a little creacher

Dueling? Ok yeah I'm into that

"Head Witch, are you hurt? -No. Not badly" AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!

Kikimora cares about one thing the most. Her job. Of course. And apparently, she has to. Oof.

Amity and Luz work together so well in battle!

Raine is just being continuously drugged to have their memory wiped, I'm guessing...

"But because of your support I can finally take off this mask" what are you, a Minecraft youtuber???

Hahahah, Gus and Willow agree: meh

Episode 12: Elsewhere and Elsewhen

Flaaashback?

No flashback.

"Buy Amity new glove" aww

Ahh, Lilith, haven't seen you in a while!

Huh. Ok, whip lady.

Oh! Yes flashback!

And a trip with auntie Lilith.

"These are the oldest barnacles I've ever had on my head!" Ah, I love this nerd.

Eda, you gotta talk to your dad, come on.

Hm. Luz saved the journal from burning, thus it survived. So time loops are closed here, I suppose.

Philip is sus

Ohhh yeah.

OH OK WAIT IS PHILIP THE EMPEROR AFTER ALL AND THAT'S WHY HE KNEW THEY WOULD MEET SOON? CALLED IT CALLED IT CALLED IT!

Awww! History nerd aunt Lilith is having the time of her life. Love to see it.

Clawthorne dad is cool.

"I just have to live long enough to see this through" oh yeah he's the Emperor alright. Basically confirmed. Even his voice changed.

But there were two brothers...? What happened to the other one?

Episode 13: Any Sport in a Storm

Ah, Hunter. Arts and crafts are not your thing.

Oh buddy... Leading isn't your strong suit either...

The intro has been weird the last few episodes, what's going on?

Oh, Willow episode? Willow and Hunter episode?

Had to look up what hermosa means. Aww.

"Sure, I've never actually spoken to witches my age" oh god Hunter you so need friends my guy.

Oh no... This is like poor Jehova's Witness kids being sent on a mission...

He's getting attacked by a gryphon. Is his father uncle gonna hear about this?

Gus Porter and Willow Park. I don't think we've gotten last names before.

"Even if you're considered half-a-witch like me" OOF Willow was called half-witch, this had to HIT

I love Hunter so much. I want him to get better, and be in a better place, but I know it will be a while, and I know it will probably get worse first.

Poor Amity was the only one buying the books...

Awww, no, actually, Hunter is doing quite fine. And Darius turns out to be a pretty okay dude?

They kept the team name!

Episode 14: Reaching Out

Ooh, ominous title...

Jean Luc is still... Hanging out...

That voice change spell was impressive Amity!

THE TWINS ARE WEARING MAGICAL MAKEUP

"My student/child" ahhhhh!!! Eda!

Luz, kiddo, why won't you just turn the reminder off?!

Oh. Luz's dad is. Dead. Ah. That explains a lot. Man. This was. A good scene. Really good.

Ed got a mentor of sorts! Or at least an Eda to aspire to. Bad Girl Coven got members!

Amity's dad came back to earth for once. Or... Whatever this planet is. Is this a planet? There's stars in the sky...

"Dishes washed :3 -V" aww! Luz has a basilisk sis!

Oh, the outro changed!

Episode 15: Them's the Breaks Kid

All I can think of with this title is the Snapcube Shadow fandub

Luz is approaching the glyph combos in such a scientific way! Experiments!

Ooooh! Backstory!!!

Oh, all the adults as kiddos! I can guess some of them are parents of the current cast.

Ahhh, ok, Bump not being principal yet when Eda was in school explains why he said that she was "never given a chance to" study all courses of magic.

Little Raine makes me wanna cry in a good way

The plant lady is insane.

Oh, ugh, her being fond of Raine since they were a kid... Bad vibes

Raine is okay! Oh man I was so worried...

Episode 16: Hollow Mind

Oh boy, what a cold open!!!

Oooh, okay, so the abomination guy and beast guy are in it too! That's why Darius was so... Okay to Hunter.

Whoops.

Hmm, inner child Belos? Interesting.

He named the birdie Flapjack! Do those even exist there? (Later I remembered the bird told him the name, silly me)

Raine, buddy, you should REALLY work together with Eda.

Oof, Hunter's gonna have to confront some stuff here...

Oh, Collector's design is coo-ool!

"Making those things just to destroy them" OH IS HE FUCKING CLONING HIMSELF?!?!!?

Ohhh, palismen... But if they're still there, then perhaps...

Yup. Okay, the cat's out of the bag. Belos is P-whatever his name was. The journal guy.

Philip Wittebane.

Maybe he's not cloning himself, maybe he's cloning his brother?

Raine did work with Eda in a way, good!

Can't blame Hunter for having a panic attack. Yikes...

Man, I've been bingewatching, but I just... Gotta keep going! Gotta know what's next!

Episode 17: Edge of the World

Hahah, okay, I immediately know it's a dream sequence.

The letter finally resurfaces, hah. Nice way for the show to make space for other stuff, and postpone this King Family plot.

Oh. Nice. Worldbuilding.

Titan Trappers, huh...

"How did it go? Weh!" Oh ok, so King's dad was the last Titan. Weh.

But wait no, there's a poster next to him, "the grand huntsman cannot... Until the lost son is found by..." So???

Oh, ok, that... Confuses matters.

Oh. Oh no. They're wearing. The skulls. Of Titans. Oh no.

Well, this whole situation is very tragic and very, very awkward.

Oh god, guys, you really gonna kill a fucking kid?!

"Um... Hi." said to the Titan... KING YOU ARE BREAKING MY HEART

Episode 18: Labirynth Runners

Aww, Gus, buddy...

Wait, this is before his uh... "witch puberty", right?

Ah, backstory, got it.

Amity's trying, but still not a perfect friend. I like it.

Oh boy, Flapjack, are you feeding your runaway friend trash from the cafeteria? Is Hunter living in the school walls?

Hahahah, still trying to be sinister and scary. Not the only way to live, dude.

Ugh... Even the kids?

The Illusionist coven leader is... Something.

Sometimes a government raid on a school can be a chance for a bonding experience!

Amity's gotta learn to trust in Willow's abilities, Willow to be more assertive, and Hunter's gotta learn... Well, a lot of things, but basic socializing is a good start. Trusting people. Gus has his eye thingy, don't know what's exactly up with that yet. Cool though.

"Just put him... -out of his misery? Got it. -to sleep dude, to sleep!" Yeesh, somebody's eager... Also, with the context of what Hunter is, creepy!

Gus has to learn that he's not dumb. And to not listen to the voices in his head.

Good for you Severine! Good for you.

Agh, gotta take a break and walk the dogs, but oh I am watching the last 3 episodes today.

I've been thinking about the "Making those things just to destroy them" line to Belos. Because it's true. The "kid" Belos was leading Luz and Hunter exactly to the memories that would almost certainly shake Hunter's belief and make him betray Belos. Damn.

Also, the name "grimwalker" suggests some sort of necromancy to me...

Episode 19: Titan Where Art Thou

Good fucking question!

Oh no, the hunters really did connect King to the Collector somewhat...?

Hmm. Might be a chaotic neutral force. Might be possible to negotiate with them.

Sisters on the run! The Owl House empty! Oh no :(

Jeez, Eda, you have no plan so your plan is to check everyone's bucket lists? Morbid, yet considerate.

Lilith, stop treating King like a king, you're making his feelings of isolation worse! Also he's got a lil hat for his tail aww...

"Why is everything going our way now?" Uhh guys I hate to tell you this but that's like a very clear sign of a trap...

Ok, roadtrip with... Steve?

Hm. Them fixing the cart is a weird parallel to the episode where ye olden times were shown.

Eda just wants her kids safe I cannot...

Oh boy. Wasn't a trap, they were just busy fighting each other and got caught.

"Isn't this how you acted with the Emperor? I'm sensing uh, a little bit of a pattern with you" say it like it is King!

"I can recommend a good therapist" SAY IT LIKE IT IS STEVE!

Oh no, darkest hour...

NEVERMIND, THEY HAVE ALLIES, EVERYBODY'S HERE!

"Everything's come full circle baby!" Of course it did. Cat hoodie, CATS. Also, Raine, that is a wonderful team name.

"We've got all the time in the world" well, two days, but the sentiment is touching.

Episode 20: Clouds on the Horizon

The Collector is a funky little shadow thing. I like them.

"We can make another grimwalker" as an image of a hand bursting from the ground appears... Yeah, it's definitely some sort of necromancy.

NO MAGIC IN TITLE SCREEN I AM ALARMED

Amity's mother is trouble...

Oh. I'm not sure if using the curse is a good idea... It seemed rather... Adverse in effect.

Oh no. Wait. Are they gonna keep everyone alive but also take away their natural magic?!?

Aww, an egg palisman! An ultimate wildcard!

"Titan help us... -I'll do my best..." Awwww, King! Don't put such expectations on yourself!

The twins tried to burn the factory down? Hell yeah, arson.

I do love Luz's little ponytail.

Who animated that kiss? James Baxter? Well, probably not James Baxter, but. You know what I mean.

Oh boy... Can you not... Remove coven sigils? Ever? Oh boy...

Hahah, first thing Eda thought to do when looking like Raine is remove her head. Haven't seen that in a while.

The Collector is... More and more interesting.

Kikimora having beef with a teenager is still one of the funniest things.

Alador and King talking it out was not what I expected. I love how this show puts every interesting character combination together in some way at least once. I love it.

Kikimora, you have a mouth big enough to be useful.

Oh no, she got Hunter. Oh shit.

"Buisness partner" oh ok so they were married literally for tax cuts and such.

Ohhh! Illusion! That explains "Hunter" blowing a raspberry at Kikimora. It seemed... Quite out of character.

Episode 21: Kings Tide

I can't even write, I'm so stressed out.

"Don't. Tell me not to worry" AUGH

The Collector is a bratty kid.

I just realized Belos' nose is crooked because Lilith broke it. Heh.

Oh no. They caught them. THIS is the darkest hour.

HA! HA, SHE GOT HIM! SHE GOT HIM GOOD! HE FUCKING FELL FOR IT!!!

Only the coven-less teens can save the day...

King's little skull is broken nouuu!!

Gus activating Belos' worst memories, and someone who looks a lot like Hunter being the first one... And then a hand bursting from the ground. Yikes.

Hmm. Letting the Collector out might be a bad choice in the long run, but the world is ending, so... Gotta adress that first, huh?

Oh. He just. Splooted Belos. Ok. Well, King, buddy, better think of rules for playing the Owl House. Fast.

OH OK HE JUST MOVED THE MOON OK

Never trust a jester I suppose.

Ugh, that sploot seemed important. I'm sure that won't come back later.

Wow. Well, this kinda sucks. Gosh.

Also, I realized, Eda removing her head last episode was to remind us she could do that...

OH SO SEASON 3 IS 3 SPECIAL EPISODES?! AAAAAARGH!!!! I'M NOT READY TO SAY GOODBYE TO THIS WORLD!!

Ok, thinking about Belos... He had a brother, right? At least I think so. And maybe they got sent to the Demon Realm together, and something happened to him? Perhaps something that made Belos hate wild magic/witches?

Gosh, you guys had years to analyze and speculate, I only have days, okay?! But my speculations have been pretty accurate so far, so. Shrug.

Raine destroying Eda's arm so that she lives, but also so that she can practice wild magic... Because they wanted to keep her safe and also promised Luz... Augh... But also I know in my heart of hearts that Eda is going to have the coolest collection of hooks. Once everyone lives and everything is ok. Right???????

About the Collector: I liked his shadow design much better, but oh well. What does he even collect? Also, note to self: a chaotic neutral with enough power might be functionally indistinguishable from a chaotic evil.

Ok, I've been thinking about what Belos said - that it "hurts every time" the grimwalkers decide to betray him, and also that he "doesn't want more people corrupted by this land". So I'm thinking: the "original" Hunter, whoever he was (brother?) and Philip disagreed on the whole witch hunting thing, and... Something happened, whether it was his intention or not. I've also been thinking about grimwalkers, and the lines "you were the most similar of them all", and "many of my ancestors didn't have magic" - if there is variation in looks and in powers, then I'm thinking that it might not be a case of straight-up necromancy or test tubes, but somehow... Transforming existing witches? Might be easier than creating one from scratch... Idk, I'm just spitballing here.

I'm probably gonna make a separate post about this, but wow this show is. Very good. Especially with developing every single even slightly important character, and giving them an interesting dynamic with the rest of the group. I was thinking about the kids that got sent to the Human Realm, and whether there was anyone there who hasn't interacted with each other... And the only thing I can really think of is Gus and Amity? But otherwise, they all have an interesting dynamic/relationship. I even see some possible interactions with Hunter and Vee, if they have time for it. Just... Man. This show is good. Also, it subverted my expectations so many times. I was like "in any other show, this would not have happened", but it did!!!

I love this show. I'm gonna watch Good Omens 2, but after that passes, I will watch the 3-part finale, and let myself actually join the fandom. Better late than never, eh?

Added later: Ok, now that the GO2 phase has died down, I think I'm gonna watch s3 soon.

[prowerprojects]

And I still hold true if there is a sacrifice, it'll likely just be a fakeout at best. (I know there's probably a few candidates in people's minds, but I can't see this story warranting any actual deaths. Not with this adaption.)

Both terms can fall over each other; but I do see your point.

Oh sure, no dramatic theater tiers of performance. But I definitely sense some tears coming on his part, maybe an existential crisis and thrown objects too. (They both have at least one serious conversation left, Sonic better make it count.)

If there's a character who'd have a strong response to his counterparts that could potentially tilt the 3rd Act, it's going to be Nine. It's just whether it's negative or throws him seriously for a loop. (Plus Mangey and Sails seem kinda lost when they saw him too; too struck to even say anything.)

I saw another conclusion that Sails could be Tails' sense of adventure too? But I think loyalty is a bigger trait of Tails. (Maybe not "F Sonic", but maybe that he came back for Nine? As he did the pirate crew? Projection aside, can we really say Sonic didn't genuinely care for Nine?) I think a "Thank you" is more likely than outright forgiveness should the two make up. There's a fairly big chance they won't see each other after this whole thing is over, so a compromise could possibly be scraped up should push come to shove. But yeah, there needs to a mutual, equal resolution. Nine shouldn't be forced to forgive Sonic, but Sonic needs some self-reflection before he dare confronts the fox.

They seem to focus on one big counterpart per universe. Nine, Dread, and Thorn{though Rusty is arguable}, probably cause they're the most unlike the original. (On the surface anyway.) Also, wouldn't Nine and Sails be a least bit curious about the other's mechanical appendages?

Hmm, yeah, that makes sense, I guess we'll see.

Oh, I didn't even think of Mangey and Sails's reaction... I was mostly thinking forward, what they would think when they find out Nine had stolen the shards and everything.

Actually I was thinking about the sense of adventure thing too. Sort of. I was thinking of it in terms of "What if each world represents not a part that the character has, but something that they lack?" Like for Tails it would be: Red– companionship& community; Green– the tech lol; Blue– adventure. But I didn't really go anywhere with this idea.

Yeah, Sonic does care for Nine, but I think I'm not explaining what I mean very well. I don't want Sails to be like "Well at least Sonic isn't a traitorous rat like Dread, at least he actually cares about you" either, because I feel like it's a little guilttrippy? Like "Yeah, Sonic hurt you, but at least he cares about you! It could have been worse! You should forgive him and not be a brat about it". Because no matter how much Sonic cares he still did damage and Nine has a right to be upset about it. (And I think Nine will make up for his portion of the conflict by helping to restore the world in the end after all)

Hmmm, I wonder if it's really true or if we just guessed it this way and run with it?

Oh yeah, Sails wanted to check out Sonic's regulators, and Nine made them! It would be a pretty cool way to break the ice. (And I still have no idea why Sails needs a third hand, it's so random!)

[owashicomix]

Edens Garden Discussion

I watched Project Eden’s Garden sooo here are my thoughts on the characters.

Damon- Kinda reminds me of Byakuya, design and personality-wise. It’s refreshing to have a protag that isn’t a total pushover. I think he’ll be a survivor.

Eva- With a talent like Ultimate Liar. I think it’s amusing how drastically different of a character she is to someone like Kokichi. Whose whole gimmick was lying. I also like her design, I think she’ll die right before the end. Ch.5 killer.

Wolfgang- One of my three faves so far. I like how he’s usually a normal guy but once he steps into the trial room, he’s a total savage. I think he’ll be an interesting rival for Damon. Rivals are known for dying right before the end. Sooo maybe Ch.5 victim?

Grace- Gonna be real. Didn’t really like her that much. All she did was act angry and insult ppl. And not in a funny way either. I think she’ll eventually snap and kill somebody. Probably sooner rather than later. So I think she’s gonna be the Chapter 1 killer.

Toshiko- I don’t think there’s ever been an actual kid in the killing games before. Characters like Hiyoko and Ryoma were just really short. By default I think she has to be a survivor. I can’t see her killing anyone and I don’t think anyone in the cast is fucked up enough to kill a kid.

Eloise- She seems alright I guess. Don’t have much to say on her. I think she’ll be a victim. Ch.2 victim.

Desmond- Yooo I peep the dreads. Is he black? He has an English sounding name so I just assumed so. I think it’s amusing how his personality is chill and laid-back but his talent involves him handling guns. Might be a killer? Maybe like a Ch.2 killer.

Jean- Pirate Guy. Quick fun fact when I was planning a fanganronpa myself last year, I had an Ultimate Pirate Guy on the list. But I ended up scrapping it. Jean seems cool. I know it’s obvious for the buff guy to die in Ch.4 but I think it would suit him. Ch.4 killer. 

Ulysses- Seems kinda plain. Maybe it’s because I get Korekiyo vibes from him. But I think he’s gonna snap in Ch.3 and be a killer. Prediction: Ch.3 killer

Kai- Made it to the 2nd of my 3 faves. I think he’ll be a good comedic relief character. Within 20 seconds of meeting him this loser just starts crying lol. Lowkey I think he might be the mastermind. Like imagine he just hosted a whole killing game for social media clout. That’d be funny. 

Diana- Token nice girl. I think she’ll die early. Ch.1 victim.

Jett- The 3rd of my 3 faves. A funny goofy guy. Admittedly it took me a moment to remember what drag racing is. I thought he was just cosplaying as a power ranger.  Seemed oddly insightful with his extreme haunt knowledge. I hope I’m wrong but I think he’s gonna die for Mark’s development. Maybe like a Ch.3 victim.

Mark- Meh. I feel like the shy guy with bad self esteem issues has been done enough in danganronpa. With Jett dying in Ch.3, Mark will come out of his shell and probably be a survivor. 

Cassidy- Meh. I thought she was a bit extra. However I do think it’s nice that she donates to charity. And her hatred of rich people could lead to an interesting rivalry with Wenona. Ch.3 victim methinks.

Wenona- 3 Mehs in a row. As of right now she’s just the mean rich girl but she might get some development later on. So keep in mind my opinions may change. I don’t see her as a victim or a killer soooo survivor.

Ingrid- Ending off this discussion with a meh. I guess it’s cool to see another buff girl but her personality was lacking. Prediction: Ch.4 victim 

Excited to see what comes next.

[shina-moon-art]

Sorry if this is weird or anything but I was reading this one piece fic and the author credited you for drawing Ann seriously that drawing of hers is so cool. I have to ask what do you think of Ann? I really like her and Kuzan, like Ann has so much chaotic energy and Kuzan seems so done with it! If you don't mind when drawing her did you have any headcanons or any trivia stuff you came up with during designing her?

Don’t worry! It’s not weird. Ohhh boy coming up with Ann’s design was quite fun but I tried not to add too many personal headcannons to her design since she’s not my character (god I wish, I love what I came up with so much she’s literally so cool) but I was dead set on her resembling ace (well she’s the older sibling so he resembles her) and it’s something I kept in mind the whole time! Her bangs and freckles are especially reminiscent of ace and I’d like to think that when she sees his first bounty she’s happy about how similar they are (I’m a huge sucker for ace so I think about their dynamic and possible interactions a lot). Ann’s color scheme is based on neopolitan ice cream and had a lot of fun matching pinks and browns to her overall appearance. I won’t lie I didn’t read much of the story before drawing her, just enough to get the gist of things I knew I wanted her to have a coat like Garp and the admirals but pretty much everything about her outfit isn’t up to the marine uniform code (I mean hell even garp wears a suit) and the coat doesn’t have the Justice (kanji?) on the back that all the others do. This initially was just a design choice but I think it fits pretty well with Ann’s personal freedom, despite having to work for the very people that killed her family she’s still a pirate and it reflects in the way she dresses herself! The elbow pad and the leg pouch are pretty much just to match with ace more but I find that they also work well to both balance as well as unbalance the design (working well to break up the solid colors of her design as well as show how unbalanced Ann herself is torn between the right way to live(the marines) and the past she left behind(being a pirate, the oro Jackson her nakama , her brother) but anyway that’s enough about her design.

While I must admit I’m not really a Kuzan fan he is starting to grow on me and the dynamic is not one I often partake in so it took a little gettin used to but after a while I thought about it a little more and decided it was actually pretty sweet. I mean like they both try so hard to keep up the appearance that they aren’t enamored with each other but it’s so obvious to everyone except the two of them. I love moments where Ann teaches Kuzan things about the world that only someone who has tasted true freedom can know (or someone that hasn’t spent their life in the marines but anyway) and I dread the day Kuzan finds out since I’m not quite confidant about my interpretation of him yet (especially since it’s interpreting someone else’s interpretation) I imagine it being marineford, not really sure of the specifics but I don’t think Ann would be the type to choose the marines over her baby brother even if she only got to see him for a little bit before he was whisked away to dawn island. Of course I’m not sure how the actual story is going to go but I just have a lot of thoughts about Ann and Ace that I really can’t think about too much yet since we’ve literally had one interaction between them but I still think it’s telling just how willing she is to do anything to protect him (even if it means never seeing him again, even if it means joining the marines)

Sorry this was so long I just have a lot of thoughts about them, hope I answered your questions and feel free to ask more if you’d like!

@justscrolling765 I’m gonna tag you in things related to your stories, I’m sure you’re interested in your reader’s questions and thoughts :)