#god i wish i could draw people these ones would make very nice little comics to fill in all the little extra things that don't fit in

[bluepeachstudios]

GitS Asks

(These are from before Chapter 30 came out)

They're unprepared but they make up for it in their tenacity and flexibility!

You. Are you spying on me? Squints

OUGH </3

Yeah, Don will make friends with anyone! He's often torn up over them leaving, as well. Ghost just lost too much. He's scared to get close to people because they might leave, or he might leave, but the kids kind of kidnapped him, so.

Spirit thinks that Leo's unfocused but he definitely doesn't mind it. He does think a lot about "is this how I would have been had I not been the leader?" He loves Leo, though. He loves that he gets to be silly goofy and a kid.

Spirit thinks Raph makes a good leader when he's not panicking over his little brothers. He's got a bit of learning to do, and some helicopter brothering going on, but Spirit gets it. This Raph isn't as angry. He can't afford to be as angry and reckless as Spirit's Raphael.

Probably Splinter, considering he's more skilled as a ninja but also incredibly used to Rise logic fhgkdjfhg

Oh yeah Mike would have a GRAND old time with the villains. He'd love the banter, love the theming. God he'd be delighted. All the villains are confused because he always gets so excited to see them.

Yup! One way or another, Don gets mutated.

The TV shows, movies, books, songs, entertainment media. There might be equivalents in this dimension, but not all of them exist. He wishes he could read Justice Force stuff because that's what his Mikey was most into, but it doesn't exist in the Rise Dimension. There are songs he can't quite remember the lyrics to but the melodies are stuck in his head. Some stuff just. Doesn't exist here.

Bringing back the Michelangelo saying "So THAT'S where you've been you WHORE" joke for this one

Arguably yes. In another dimension, Splinter lost his son the same way Rise Splinter lost his mother. It makes him worry that he's going to lose his sons again, so he withdraws further, which only worsens his depression. When Ghost withdraws, the kids go and drag him out, because they know that they can. They probably tried, when they were younger, to spend time with Splinter even when he felt bad, but he snapped at them sometimes. They would leave, and he'd feel even worse about himself.

Ghost being around means he doesn't have to worry about them as much. Ghost can do that for him. Ghost is a better father than him. Like Ghost said, he's a terrible father. So why bother trying?

I feel like I've definitely answered this before or it's in the fic, but he likes to bake with Mikey and do drawing stuff with him. Ghost only does blueprints, so his drawings are all very technical, but Mikey likes to do this thing where he takes Ghost's technical drawings and paints them all wild and colorful and it's a very nice juxtaposition.

With Leo, Ghost geeks out with him. They read Jupiter Jim comics together, they watch Lou Jitsu and Jupiter Jim movies, Leo will infodump about theories and headcanons and basically fanfic ideas he has, and Ghost will happily listen. His big brother used to listen to is infodumps, so this feels like repaying him, somehow.

Raph and Ghost usually train, or Ghost shows Raph how to build things. Raph's a big guy, he's a bit clumsy, he's never felt like he could build or make anything before, not like Mikey or Donnie, who are creative as all get out. But Ghost shows him he just needs the right medium. Metal is good for Raph because he can bend it easily, and he starts enjoying welding. He helps Ghost with a lot of the bigger repairs around the lair. Otherwise, they'll sit and read next to each other. They get cozy.

Yeah. That's why during "Same As It Never Was" short story, when Ghost intercepted Freshly Mutated Lou, they both kinda just. Broke down to each other and then. Y'know. Raised the kids together. Co-parenting. Generally much better off than Ghost continuing to isolate himself.

-------------------------

Anonymous asked: I really do love how you make a point to emphasize that mutated Ghost is a scared animal more than a monster. 03 didn’t really give the time or depth to explore Ghost’s psyche as much. (Not that it’s a bad thing! It’s my favorite arc for a reason and part of it is just the nature of a visual and auditory medium rather than a written one, plus the nature of weekly episodes and the audience being a bunch of kids who are freaking out over their favorite character, it simply makes sense why they didn’t dwell on that and instead focused on his brothers’ reactions to it instead.) As a complete animal nerd to the point where animals and animal behavior is basically a special interest of mine though, it REALLY scratches an itch when writers actually take how animals actually think and behave into account rather than just defaulting to stereotypical monster behavior. An injured animal IS the most dangerous thing you can encounter in the wild for a reason. They’re scared. They’re in pain. They’re worried you want to kill them and therefore think they have nothing left to lose and will fight with everything they have to get you away from them. On top of it all, Ghost has just enough of his mind left to seek stuff out but not know /why/ he does the things he does. He follows scents that are familiar. He didn’t chase the boys or lunge until they got too close. He still tries to hide. Leo’s right when he says Ghost still doesn’t want to hurt them, it’s just that for once animal panic and self preservation instincts are making him forget everything else. He doesn’t understand that they’re trying to help him. A scared animal doesn’t want to fight, it just wants to be safe. -- (Keep Scrolling Anon)

This is a very good analysis on what I wanted Ghost to feel like. He's in a massive amount of pain. He's scared. He wants it to stop, but there are things reaching for him. He doesn't know that he's hurting the people he cares about, he just knows that he's being hurt.

@hrshlandturtles Yup! Fridays seem to be a good day to do stuff. A lot of other fics update on Saturday or Sunday and Friday is a good time for people who were busy with school or work to read the chapter after getting back for the weekend.

-------- The following ask happened after Chapter 30 released!

:') I'm very sorry for everyone's pain. I tried to warn people.

[junosbagel]

Ethan Landry headcanons!

some general ethan headcanons, probably pre ghostface stuff, no spoilers!

i love my nerdy dork

warnings: none! all fluff

-he is oblivious but he really wishes he was not

-ethan is a gamer we all know it

-saw someone say he plays dark souls and i know damn well he does

-i could imagine ethan playing skyrim, resident evil, zelda, the last of us, the walking dead, detroit become human, final fantasy, pokémon etc.

-he has definitely played all the zelda games

-i can't imagine him playing competitive shooting games though

-for multiplayer games, he would always play with chad or get chad to play other games

-LOVES going to the arcade

-is a god at dance dance revolution

-his ddr partner is tara and they go all out!!!!

-sometimes a small crowd would gather to watch them

-nerd

-insanely in love with marvel, dc, and star wars (including the comics)

-other comics (or shows based from comics) i think he'd be into are invincible and the walking dead

-obviously collects comics

-collect other merchandise from those franchises and series

-collects figurines and funko pops

-since jack said he has adhd (like me) i want to add that to ethan!!

-absolutely loves it when he gets to talk/rant about his hyperfixations

-has a lot of "well actually ☝️" moments that their friend group, especially mindy, find very annoying

-he goes to the gym with chad, usually in the morning

-he was really close with quinn but when they started college, they kind of drifted but every now and then they would hang out

-chad and quinn always try to get ethan to try and talk to new people in hopes of getting into a relationship

-chad's his wingman, always hyping him up

-at times, girls (and boys) go up to ethan but he screws up a lot and makes a bad impression on them

-ethan does not like going to frat parties much, but figures he go to some anyway for the sake of "living up to the expectation" of his fellow peers and age group

-other times he'll go if chad and the gang are going

-and when he does attend frat parties, he doesn't drink or is at least sober because he knows he'll be the one driving his friends home

-a small hobby of his is drawing

-likes drawing art of characters from shows and series he likes

-as oblivious as he may be, if any of the girls need to talk to someone, they would go to ethan

-not for advice or anything, but just for someone to listen

-he isn't the best with words but through acts of kindness and reassurance, he tries to be there for his friends

-ethan also tries to be understanding when his friends are venting or going through something

-prefers math over english classes, he is good in his english classes but he finds math more interesting and easier

-loves building and collecting legos

-mostly collects star wars lego sets

-sometimes him and chad will build legos together as they talk or watch tv

-can actually cook, he's decent at it

-after a rough interaction with a girl that he tried to talk to, ethan felt self conscious about the way he dressed

-went to mindy and anika for help

-honestly he dresses pretty decently but occasionally he will wear a really nice outfit he liked when mindy and anika took him shopping

-when he's feeling down and needs someone to talk to, he usually goes to chad, quinn, or sam

-he has a hard time being vulnerable in front of people, even his friends

-but he's glad that his friends always assure him that they're there for him like he is for them

-is unintentionally funny

-on halloween he ALWAYS goes all out

-growing up he used to always match with quinn or richie

-but as they got older, both quinn and richie stopped dressing up with ethan :(

-really wants to go trick or treating but thought it was weird if he wasn't with a little sibling or relative to be with

-he stopped trick or treating after high school, thinking that people who gave out candy would think it's odd for someone his age to trick or treating

-i could see him collecting mixtapes, dvds, and vhs tapes

-into film and cinema in general

-either he tries to comment on stuff when watching movies or analyzes it all in his head (could make a whole essay about it if he wanted to)

-uses letterboxd

-ethan and mindy like talking about film and usually like to defend their opinions about it

-can binge watch a lot of movies or shows without getting burnt out

-although quinn and ethan are siblings, i can see mindy and ethan fighting like siblings do

that's all the headcanons i have for now! i am most likely going to make another one at some point. hope you all enjoyed this :)

[ladyyatexel]

@bmouse tagged me in the little "Get To Know You" meme, so here are my very long winded answers!

Last Song: 'Huhhahhei' - Käärijä Yet more music I can't just fucking Buy here, they want me to stream everything, fuck that shit. I listen to it on YouTube hahaha. I'm happy to follow Käärijä's nonsense regardless. He's so fucking silly and this song is doing the same 'dark and silly' combo that his Cha Cha Cha onward songs have had.

I like Käärijä so much, but not in the aggressively sexual way that everyone else still excited about him after Eurovision seems to. I feel like I really love him in like a 'fellow struggling artist' way and in a character design way? Something about him just makes me smile and kind of pokes me in the heart and yells, "Tag! You're it!" I'm proud of him, and he makes me smile and laugh and I love what he makes. I hope for such good things for him, and that he takes care of himself!

Currently Watching: Old Robert Stack episodes of Unsolved Mysteries. This happens to me periodically. It was a favorite show to watch with my mom when I was a kid/teen, and so it has a weird combo of spooky and warmly nostalgic.

It is nice to see so many more updates than I used to, and interesting to see how my tastes have changed. As a kid, I hoped every single one would be ghosts or aliens, and as an adult, I groan and skip these kinds of stories. I am surprised by how Christian the show was. I didn't notice it when I was younger because I was comfortably indifferent about Christianity, I guess. Would tell people I believed in God if asked because it seemed as default to me. It was a few years until I realized how much of it didn't line up with me or itself. Now, firmly an atheist, the show's assumption of Christianity clangs badly for me

Current Obsession: A strange patchwork of things! Juuzou and Hanbee from Tokyo Ghoul, definitely. I'm so into everything about them, they just wove their way into everything, I am fascinated, enchanted, and, as my phone desperately wants to type instead, vaccinated. I can't help but notice how much I love pairs that involve one person demonstrating extreme devotion to the other one, where the other is strange, unique, viewed as weird by others. These are frequently kind of asexually shaped, too, so I can't help but think this dynamic is a certain strong personal connection or longing.

Also, drawing and the potential of doing video! Streaming traditional art or making an art video channel is so interesting to me. Markers, G Pen nibs, capturing something I can't explain in words.

I also recently watched an 80 part documentary about Chris-chan. I have a tendency to become interested in something in a very neutral way? As in, I just want to know all this information so that I know it, but not necessarily because I love the topic. I have a real interest in the adjacent topic of people who make very sincere comics or related things. It reminds me so much of when I was making tons of them as a kid. I have historically been interested a lot in the work of people who are just trying to do their little thing, and often used to look at Encyclopedia Dramatica like 15 years ago. I didn't like the language they used, the things they did to people, any of it, but the people they were targeting fascinated me in some familiar way. I don't know what it is. I have never wished them any more trouble, and often just sincerely looked at the work they made and Thought about it, but I don't know What the thinking was. Trying to learn to not be Target like them? Interested as someone who also could get absorbed in their own things super deeply? I don't know.

Regardless, what happened to Chris-chan is sad. She has been a completely horrible person, especially lately, like, I'm not defending any of this shit, but wow, it didn't have to be this bad. People did so much damage. This never should have been like this.

So yeah, a weird combo of things! But this is some real "get to know you" junk, isn't it?

I know @sturionic likes to talk also. I think I'll put @propheticfire and @raemanzu in there too. I'd also like to know what @anthropwashere and @kiranerys are up to!

[catboyclarity]

berk..... and uuuuh? pmmm for the ask game

ITS BERK TIME BABYYYY

Fav male character:

Guts and Griffith about equally but Guts means more to me emotionally bc well. He’s just like me fr (abuse victim).

Fav female character:

I would lay down my life for Casca I think.

Least fav:

I wish Wyald from the manga. Was not.

Prettiest character:

I want to put Griffith in my mouth where he will dissolve like a meltaway mint.

Funniest character:

Corkus!! I know lots of folks don’t like him but he’s funny when he’s comic relief while also being a complex and tragic character. I like him.

Also Puck is a funny little guy and I love when he’s a little blob thing next to a super detailed drawing of Guts.

Favorite season (arc):

I will need to finish reading the whole manga before I can answer this. However. The golden age arc has Casca.

Favorite episode:

Episode 24 of the ‘97 anime. The moment where Griffith sees Guts and makes the decision to sacrifice is like…maybe my favorite moment in the series? I could write an essay on it.

Also Wounds from the manga means a lot 2 me.

Favorite romantic ship:

Casguts in the “they invented love and it’s one of the best developed relationships I’ve seen I just want these two traumatized people to find comfort and strength in each other let them be happy please god” and griffguts in the “this is so horrific and toxic and complex and there’s so much present classical homoerotic subtext here I need to dissect it in a lab and write a 20 page paper with citations about it” way.

Fav family relationship:

Band of the Hawk. The whole thing.

Fav friendship:

Judeau’s friendship with Casca and with Guts idk I like it. I like Judeau very much.

Least favorite ship:

I do not know what ppl in this fandom are shipping and I do not care.

PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA

this show made me gay when I was 14. There are a lot of valid critiques of it but it’s not for you it was for me when I was 14 and trying to figure out if liked girls.

Fav male character:

Lol there are no important men. Kyubey gets called “he” in most translations but kyubey is not a boy. Begone.

Fav female character:

Sayaka i love her more than anything. She is the first fictional character I ever related to which should have let me know I needed mega therapy and also to transition but that took me a while. She is so tragic and her arc devastates me every time.

Least fav character:

I’m going to throw Kyubey off a bridge.

Prettiest character:

I’ve been answering this in the sexual lust sense but I just mean it in the aesthetic sense bc all of the characters. Are. 14. Homura has a very nice design.

Funniest character:

There’s not a lot of comedy!! Kyoko I guess?

Fav season:

It is 12 episodes.

Fav episode:

Episode 9. It makes me cry like a little baby every single time I watch the series.

Fav romantic ship:

Kyosaya is the fucking blueprint for me man. In the owl house answer I did with this ask game I mentioned the kinds of ships that were important to me when I was a baby gay? I meant Kyosaya basically. It has everything. Rivals with attempted friendship. Red/blue. Opposites. Tragedy. It is. The blueprint.

Fav family relationship:

I know the spirit of this is found family but Madoka and her mom really get me man!!!

Fav friendship:

Madoka and Sayaka. They clearly care about each other a lot and it is SO SAD.

Least fav ship:

See my berk answer.

[beaversatemygrandma]

It’s fun writing a character who has some major insomnia. First of all, relatable. Second: it’s fucking hilarious that each scene is like a d20 roll to see how much sleep he got the night before and it’s almost always a 1 or on the rare chance, a 20. There’s no in between. He’s either tired as shit and grumpy, or the most energetic character in the scene bc he has such a reliance on caffeine and it only works if he got a 20 that morning.

[cyborg-franky]

Can I have something fluffy with gn reader x Law please? <3

I WENT ABIT MAD ON THIS. Law is like my best boy. I even have Law tats haha. so writing him after so long I was very nervous. I hope you like.

Law x GN reader SFW Fluff/Angst Words: 1,558 Not proof read oops

You had always wanted to go to sea, being a pirate wasn’t exactly what you had been thinking when it came to visions of the wide-open sea, beautiful sunsets and amazing adventures. But adventures you got regardless of the unforeseen career option. Your only real complaint apart from the dangers of the job was the fact that you felt lonely, being a Straw Hat pirate was great, you loved your crew but there was no one you felt a deep connection with, not the type you’d always longed for, someone to hold your hand, share a bed with.

That was until you’d met the surgeon of death, you didn’t think someone as harsh as him would have been your type. The way he always seemed pissed off and irritated at even being around your crew, the fact he just needed your captains help and had formed a hasty alliance that every moment of every day you thought he deeply regretted the choice, that much was always clear on his face.

You were shocked he didn’t have wrinkles with how much his brows were permanently furrowed, even when the man ate at dinner with you all, the way his stern expression never left his face. Whenever you’d glance at him you always thought he would be so much more handsome if he smiled.

Just like everyone that you’d come across during this new life of yours, Law was no exception, scars of a tragic past remained on his soul. You couldn’t blame him for that and at least he wasn’t ever nasty or ill willed towards anyone. He seemed to even get along with some of the crew. The less intense members.

Thinking back to the first night you really made progress with the heart pirate you recalled how it changed the way you thought about him. It had been late into the evening, everyone settling down to their own devices.

You knocked on Chopper’s office door, opening it before you got an answer, often the small medic had issues rushing from his chair and to the door to open it so you always just stepped in. “Chopper can you look at this for me?” you asked closing the door.

“The Doctor went to bed an hour ago.”

You gripped the doorknob, that deep voice certainly didn’t belong to the sweet fluffy reindeer, you took a breath, why didn’t you just wait for a response like a nice normal and polite person? You had never been in a room alone with Law until now. Taking a breath and telling yourself that your hand wasn’t going to get any better by just going to bed.

“Oh, sorry” cradling your sore hand close to your chest your eyes darted around everywhere you could to avoid looking at him.

He was sat at the doctor’s desk, a medical textbook open, a pot of coffee at his side. His normal irritated expression however wasn’t present, his brows relaxed, his whole posture in fact looked lazy, his long legs stretched under the table, he looked comfortable in the chair, like he was on his own ship.

“I can look at it.”

“Huh?”

He turned to face you, cocking his head to the side to give you his full attention, his gaze rested on your chest, or rather the aching hand you clutched there, feeling your own beating heart as he nodded for you to come forward.

“Are you sure?” You looked at the comfy stool next to his desk, inching towards it.

Your hesitation made him laugh, actually laugh, it was such a nice sound you decided, deep but smooth, you’d never heard him make any show of amusement, he hadn’t even cracked a smile in all the time you had known him. But here he was, the very person who had the reputation of being a twisted individual, a current warlord for gods sake, the surgeon of DEATH in fact, smirking at you as you nervously sat down where he’d gestured.

“I am still a doctor you know” another chuckle as he straightened up in his seat.

“I know I don’t look like one, but my father was a doctor, I learned a great deal from him, it’s not just my devil fruit that affords me my gifts” Law explained and crossed his arms over his chest waiting for you to go on.

“Sorry, I know you shouldn’t believer every rumor that floats out at sea, if I believed everything the papers or drunks in bars said I’d think my captain was the devil but I’ve seen that man with chopsticks up his nose, I’ve seen him sleeping like a baby, he’s no devil” You knew your nerves had turned into rambling, feeling your palms sweat at being so close with the other captain but his soft chuckle, under his breath, trying to be discreet. But you’d heard it, such a nice sound you mused feeling a little more at ease around him now.

“So?”

“Well, my hand hurts, ever since I climbed down from the crows nest about three hours ago, I think I got it tangled in the ropes as I slipped a little” You explained. Law nodded his head before he held his tattooed hands out.

You held your hand out for him, he gently took it in both of his, long nimble fingers moved over your digits, feeling different parts, he was surprisingly gentle, his hands warm and welcoming. You couldn’t help but stare as he expertly examined your aching hand. You felt your gaze drift from his hands, up his arms and towards his face. His expression was like nothing you’d ever seen on the warlord. Soft. The way his tired eyes looked over your hand, he seemed happy to help, in his true element.

If not for whatever plagued him in his past, would he have been happy just being a village doctor? He seemed at peace right now. You allowed yourself to smile, your heart beating faster for an entirely different reason then when you’d set foot into the doctor’s office.

His grey eyes met yours when he pressed a certain painful part of your hand and you yelped. He clicked his tongue pressed a little harder, flexing your hand in his grasp. You bit your lip and focused on where your hands met.

“Sprain”

“H-huh?”

“You sprained your hand” He pulled his hands away and you hated how your heart dropped at the loss of contact.

“Oh..”

Law pushed his chair out and stood up, walking around the doctor’s office and looking for things, opening a few draws. You did your best to stifle any laughter from watching the very tall man try navigating his way around storage designed for a very small reindeer. It was comical.

“Avoid using it wherever you can for starters” he explained pulling out a small box and returning to the desk. “Ice will help it; you should have come to me sooner about it but” yeah, he was a doctor alright you mused as he took your hand once more. “Ice for twenty minutes every two to three hours will help with the swelling, I’m going to bandage it up right now, a compression will help support your hand while it heals, I suggest elevating it as much as possible.”

You nodded along while watching him work on your hand, he did so much damage to people, you’d seen some of the things he was capable of, he was terrifyingly powerful. But the way he held your hand still, being firm but gentle was a side you didn’t think someone who’d swapped out people’s body parts and rearranged souls for what seemed like fun could ever be capable of.

“Come to me tomorrow morning and I can re-do it if needs be” you wished he’d hold your hand longer, but he moved to get something else, a little cup which held two pills.

“For the pain”

“Thank you” You watched him pour you a glass of water and handed it you, aiming for your good hand. You gulped the medication he’d given you and drinking the water to chase it down you let out a sigh.

Law simply nodded in response to your gratitude, saying nothing more as he got comfortable in his seat once more, taking a swig of his black coffee, no wounder the man never slept, you stood from your seat and excused yourself with a small ‘goodnight’ closing the door.

Walking along the deck, just the sound of waves lapping against the ship to keep you company. You turned the corner and pressed yourself against the wall, your newly bandaged hand laid over your heart as you stared out to sea, watching the moon shimmer across the dark surface of water. You felt your lip tremble.

The feeling you’d wanted all your life, the tight feeling in your chest, the fluttering of butterflies, all-encompassing feeling and desire to be by someone’s side. You were in love. You were in love with Trafalgar Law of all people, and you knew this wouldn’t end well for you.

You bit your lip, slowly sinking to your knees on the wooden deck of the ship. You could feel tears prick your eyes. This was going to hurt, worse then never knowing what it was like to long for someone.

[stillgirlfrommars]

you’ve got news

So, I already talked about this with @missmorwen​ and I know I don’t have the time to draw and make an actual comic out of it, BUT I cannot stop thinking about this SamSteve-post-engdame-fix-it story (with a dash of BuckyNat, ‘cause that’s just who I am) which is kinda crack and very rom-com (a bit you’ve got mail) inspired and doesn't make much sense, because... PLOT HOLES but * sigh * I kinda wanna share at least the idea so - bear with me:

So, instead of Nat dying, Steve sacrifices his Captain America powers on Vormir and comes back as Skinny!Steve and starts running a political blog called you’ve-got-news in secret, uncovering all kinds of shady business/corruption and becoming the bane of existence of every politician and greedy CEO - but it takes a while for his friends to figure out it's him who’s running that increasingly popular blog (which the new Captain America is actually a big fan of ;)). And the way that happens is as follows:

So, Steve almost died at the end of Endgame. The idiot (affectionate) of course still wanted to fight Thanos, but even with Thor’s Hammer, he took some serious, serious injuries which led to a tough talk with Sam, Nat and Bucky

Like I imagine, that while Steve would not have any regrets whatsoever about giving up his powers, he would still need some time to come to terms with the fact that he won’t be able to participate in the action like he used to. Even though, he actually wants and knows... it’s time to ... start something new, it’s still a process. So, there he is, trying to figure out who he is without the mantle of Captain America, re-defining the way he can and will fight against bullies in the future (cause there is no way he’s gonna stop that).

And to the surprise of everyone, Steve actually doesn’t press for participating in Avenger-style-fights anymore (he still does some of the practical mission planning and shit like that) but most importantly, he starts taking up new hobbies, like cooking or old hobbies like drawing - and he seems happier than he has in a long time, and yeah maybe it’s a bit too good to be true, if Sam starts thinking about it. But, hey, Steve finally seems to be happy so -

Meanwhile, Sam still becomes the new Captain America, and Steve is there while he is adjusting, finding himself in that role. He is there when Sam needs to talk things through, and yeah, it would still be a process like in tfatws series, but ... a little bit less alone, I guess. 

So, the new Captain America fights alongside Nat and Bucky - and it’s good, they work surprisingly well together, but also: those two are stuck right in the middle of a weird assassin!flirting situation (I’m imagening a lot of veeery intense staring at the other while cleaning their weapons or beating someone up, innuendos en masse, dark humour etc.). And frankly, it’s getting on Sam's nerves because they seem to be so oblivious about the whole damn thing. Neither of them is actually admitting to anything, no, they are too busy teasing him about the ‘crush’ he has developed on that mysterious dude who is running the famous political-youve-got-news-blog that gained momentum a while ago and is currently keeping all the corrupt politicians and CEOs on their toes.

So, yeah, Sam might have been caught a couple of times reading or reciting from that blog because - it has actually turned into a pretty efficient way of mobilising people to demonstrate for change and it did give him some tip-offs in regards to who the bad guy really was and yeah. But it’s not a crush... Sam just really likes reading the blog posts, okay. That dude seems pretty cool and they share the same moral code, so... whatever.

What Nat and Bucky and Steve don't know (and he’ll never tell them), is that Sam is actually kiiiiinda already frequently talking with the guy who runs the blog. Anonymously on both ends, of course (because for good reasons both of them are pretty careful about giving away information concerning their identities). And in a way that whole anonymity-thing makes it a lot easier to talk about stuff he finds harder to admit to the people who he knows directly. So, you could say, blog-guy has kinda become Sam's internet friend, but not his crush, no.

Honestly, the crush he is more concerned about (that he also isn't planning on telling anyone about any time soon, cause Bucky would just tease him and Nat would start scheming) is, well, it’s Steve. Because, damn, he likes their get-togethers a lot, the meals Steve's cooking are honestly to die for. They watch baseball together, they do museum-trips... And the way they can talk about (almost) everything... He just feels understood and... yeah, loved (maybe not in the way that he wishes for, but still) and it’s nice to see Steve so happy and okay, maybe it’s getting a bit out of control because Sam took Steve with him to visit Sarah and his nephews and Sarah kinda saw right through his act of ‘hey, this is my best friend’ and ‘what do you mean, I don’t have feelings- okay. Yeah maybe I do’ and told him in no uncertain terms to fucking do something about it and get his shit together.

The thing is, he’s got it bad. But Sam is also torn, because this is the best fucking friendship he's ever had and he does not want to jeopardise that. So, in the end he ends up talking about this with his Internet friend... about how he kinda has this huge crush on his best friend, and his Internet friend is like, ‘TELL ME ABOUT IT, big fucking same here UGH. And I feel like I’m being SO obvious about it all. It’s honestly embarrassing. My other best friend keeps teasing me ‘bout it and tells me to just go for it, but that guy still hasn’t managed to ask out the girl he’s interested in, so, what does he know, right?’. And Sam laughs - at least he’s not alone.

So the days go by (Sam’s pining only increases, Steve took him to a wine tasting the other night and he almost... in his drunk state... almost... but he didn’t) until one day, while blog-guy and Sam are chatting, all of the sudden the blog-guy is like, ‘Shit, I think someone's breaking into my apartment’ and then like, ‘Okay, yes they are’ - and Sam's like, ‘call 911′, and blog-guy writes back ‘mmh think I can handle them’ (and Sam’s like ‘WTF... I know way too many people with zero regards for their own well-being, myself included’)

But then blog-guy is not answering anymore, so Sam frantically calls up Nat who rushes to his flat and Sam says: ‘You need to find out where that IP adress is located ASAP - the dude with that famous blog is in danger.’

And Nat does that multitasking thing where she’s working on the problem while ribbing Sam about the fact that, apparently, Captain America's Internet bestie is that famous blog dude, and- 'Are you sure it’s not a crush?'

But after another minute, Nat sighs and is like, ‘I can't find the location, this thing is encrypted af, it’s impossible.’ Suddenly, she notices something about the setup of the encryption and-, ‘Hang on a second, it was me who set this up for someone back in 2011.′ And as she slips on her jacket, she says to Sam, ‘Come on. I know where we have to go!’

So they make their way to what turns out is Steve's (!!!!) apartment and find him in the middle of a fight against over half a dozen heavily armed people, and yeah - he’s actually doing pretty okay for himself ‘cause he outsmarted a couple of them, but also- they kind of outnumber him, so Nat and Sam get to work.

And Sam doesn't even have time to fully register what that means re:blog-guy until they have successfully defeated the bad guys. After that's done, Steve is like, ‘Thanks guys, but how the hell did you know I was in trouble? Nat... you didn’t bug my apartment, did you??’

And Nat tstsk and then she just laughs because this is priceless and OF CoURSE it is Steve who is behind that blog... (she's a bit mad at herself for not figuring it out sooner, and a bit sad that Steve didn't feel like he could tell her, and that he assumes she has is flat bugged but, also,... kinda impressed.) But then she looks at him with a warm smile on her face, shaking her head, saying, ‘No, I didn’t, Steve.’ Her gaze wanders back and forth between Steve and Sam and she humms- 'That actually makes so much sense oh my god.' So, she leaves them ‘to talk’ ;) and for Sam to explain everything’ - and then it’s just the two of them.

And Sam does explain everything and is like, 'So you're that Blog dude, erm...' He's scratching the back of his neck, cheeks flushed, 'Turns out, we've been talking for months over that blog of yours. I'm (insert-Sam’s-username-here).'- and Steve's eyes go wide and you can literally see him processing that information right then and there and he's sputtering out a light laugh, and he's like 'Hang on a second... I... umm, okay, I gotta ask. So, that best friend you've got a crush on...' Well, it’s now or never -'Is you, yeah..', Sam admits and starts, 'and....' They both laugh again and Steve nods and just says- 'yeah, it’s you, too.'

And then they kiss and yaaay, happy ending!!!

And then the epilogue would be about them having a nice dinner with Bucky and Nat a couple of months later, and the whole time, Sam and Steve are being very much in loveTM. The three guys are standing in the kitchen, while Natasha is in the bathroom and Bucky's making a funny quib about how sickeningly cute Sam and Steve are together - and Sam, well, Sam just raises his eyebrows and is like, 'You know what, you're not allowed to say anything bout that, you and Romanoff have been acting waaaaay worse over the last year. At least we got our shit together in the end, what's your excuse, you are obviously absolutely in love with her!', and of course Nat chooses that exact moment to enter the room, hand on Bucky's waist, dropping a kiss on his cheek and is like, 'What do you mean, we've been dating for 6 months?' And Steve laughs and Sam groans bc .... he loves his friends, he does, but clearly, CLEARLY they ALL have to work on their communication skills!

The End.

[artbychromo]

Fan Artist Interview!

oh my gosh @anchoviesinthenightsky ;w;!!!!! I’m amazed you made this, what a sweet thing to do, ahaha. It took me a hot minute to actually answer these, since this time of year is a little wild... 😅

Feelin’ kind of shy, so I’m just going to tag @umbreonix​... Could be fun to look back on?

How many pieces of art do you make in a month? in a year? :’) It depends... If I’m excited about a fandom, I’ll usually play around with a new idea each week. But if I’m between fandoms/too busy IRL, that usually drops to just one piece per month. So... ~4 pieces in a good month, and 20 pieces per year? (also, do animations count as just 1 piece? because the 2 animatics I’ve done took a CHUNK of time to finish, ahahaha)

How many of those do you upload? If I finish a piece, I usually upload it lmaO. So like, 90% of things? For fun, here are some luberto WIPs that I’m not sure I’ll get around to finishing any time soon... 

How many fandoms have you created art for and what are they? Oh god, I don’t think I could count... My most recent/involved fandoms were: Luca, Breath of the Wild, Dorohedoro, My Hero Academia, The Adventure Zone, Haikyuu!!... I’ve also done one-off pieces for like, Castlevania, Six of Crows, She-Ra, and whatever else. A looooot of personal D&D art. And then we get into like, long-ago days of doodling Bleach and Naruto on my homework 😂

What are your top 5 fanart pieces based on likes/engagement? Awww... 1. this piece I did for the TAZ finale  2. a very silly Haikyuu comic 3. this!! comic about sassy Revali that the voice actor himself commented on!!! 4. a sweet piece with Jesper and Wylan from Six of Crows 5. ooo my “phantasmal and respendent” TAZ piece

What piece of fanart do you wish had gotten more attention? why? Considering I usually draw for rarepairs and OCs, I’m pretty content with how much attention my stuff has gotten. 😅 Buuuuut I guess since it’s that time of year, it would be nice to see my Over the Garden Wall piece get a little love:

And I think my first Luca fanart has a kind of charm that’s overlooked ;v;

What piece of fanart have you spent the most time on? LMAO my kallende D&D animatic took ~6 months to finish!! And this rilas epilogue piece took about a month, on-and-off.

What's your favorite kind of comment to get? Any comments!!!! Are wonderful!!! But oh geez questions in my replies/inbox that start a conversation are AMAZING. And I do melt over big rambly blocks of tags... Or any comments that highlight a specific part of the drawing, like an expression or gesture or outfit, haha. 

What’s the angstiest piece of art you’ve made? Mmm none of my stuff gets too angsty... I did this disappointed Revali when I was tired and sad, and ooo this rilas piece was done after Silas died in our D&D meet (but then we were all okay haha)

What's the fluffiest piece of art you've made? uhhHHHH all I draw is fluff!!!!! One of these ones, maybe?

Do you create crossover pieces? If so, what’s the craziest one you’ve created? uhhhh I think in my freshman year of college I drew an FMA x A Very Potter Musical crossover. And I draw AUs sometimes!! Like that rilas sea monster AU!

Have you ever received hate on a piece of art? Only like... twice? In my history of this blog? Guess it says something that I remember that though, boooo

Do you create smut? If so what kind? um! yes, but just doodles, and for my eyes only, haha. I don’t think any of it’s very good >>””

Have you ever had art stolen? I think I’ve had stuff stolen and put into youtube compilations? not sure otherwise

Have you ever had a fic written based off your art? Yes ;;;;;w;;;;;!!!!!!! Thank you Eli!!!!! ;;;;;w;;;;!!!! And I think there have been little things, like bits from my art making it into people’s fics... :3c

What’s your all time favorite ship? It’s cheating maybe since they’re OCs, but rilas will always be special :>

What’s a WIP that you want to finish, but don’t think you ever will? I don’t know about WIP, but there are a few pieces I’ve posted that I want to re-do pretty badly because I’m just not satisfied with them. But then, I always prioritize new pieces over that sort of exercise when I have creative energy...

What are your strengths as an artist? I think, when I put effort into it, my posing/compositions can be pretty effective at being either dynamic or tender. I like to think my background in graphic design gave me an eye for like... presenting things in an interesting way. And expressions, I get very picky with them, ahaha. 

What are your weaknesses as an artist? Everything!!! Everything. My style is super inconsistent, which can be nice as far as flexibility, but really it means my stuff never turns out quite how I imagine because I just don’t have that much control. Clothing and folds frustrate me endlessly. And even though I get some nice comments on it, I think I need to work on my understanding of color & light a lot; I usually have to “fix” my muddy colors with lots of adjustment layers and overlays. Lately I’ve noticed a pattern, where I imagine a big, beautiful, dramatic piece in my mind, and it doesn’t turn out nearly like I expect in the end;; 

What are your favorite tools to make art with? tbh my most fluid stuff comes from just good ol’ pencils and a sketchbook, but I’ve been using a wacom tablet and photoshop for a while. My friend let me use their iPad & procreate last month and it was?? So cool, I’d love to try that out more.

What colors do you like to use the most? Why? I see a lot of warm oranges and yellows in my recent stuff, haha. I think it just fits well with the literal emotional warmth I’m trying to capture. 6.6

What are your feelings on creating comics? They’re intimidating, but rewarding! The few times I’ve managed to finish a comic, even a simple one, it’s been so fun!!!! And they seem to always get more engagement... but my ideas & energy usually lean more toward, you know, single-frame-art.

What was the first fandom you created art for? uhhhHHH the earliest "fandom” I remember drawing is homestar runner LMAO I think the first fanart I posted online was for... Hetalia, maybe? 

What’s your favorite piece of art you’ve ever made? oh....... there’s no way I could choose. I’ll just throw this bokuOi haikyuu art here because it’s definitely a contender:

[wesavegotham]

So don’t hate me but I’m kinda liking damian’s animated versions better than his comic one I really like his comic one but after all the shit happening where he has been nerfed nonstop getting beat by Thomas Wayne Batman, the teen titans red hood (although Jason attacked from behind like a bitch) and now flatline beating him. Not to mention Bruce not being a father and Damian now Being blamed for everything when they all have no room to talk. God I was satisfied when his old team died in future.

This is going to be a really long post, my apologies in advance.

I absolutely get where you’re coming from. I personally still like comic Damian more because I feel like there is more nuance and layers to him compared to the animated universe Damian, but that is simply the fault of the limited time they could spent on him in the movies.

Movie!Damian certainly wins more fights than comic!Damian and was never regressed in any way that is comparable to the shitshow that was Teen Titans (2016).

You’re adressing a problem I have with comic!Damian too right now, a problem that I’ve already talked about with some people here on tumblr in private. Which is that for all the talk about what Damian can do the comics have rarely shown all those skills Damian should have being used in the actual story in recent years and that is frustrating. I find Damian’s arrogance interesting as long as I feel like he can at least back it up in some way, but in recent time he comes off as just an idiot because he has done almost nothing but fail and lose and the writers still have him act like he’s the greatest. But it doesn’t feel like he can back up his confidence anymore. At all.

If I had to name a skill that differentiates Damian from the other Robins right now then I could only list his skill to hide from Batman and that is a skill he only has for plot convenience. We don’t see him do anything to cover his tracks, we are only told that he somehow did it. And I’m pretty sure that the second this skill stops being convenient for the story it will vanish once again. It will probably end like it did with Jon, where Damian somehow hid so well that Jon said they would never find him in Teen Titans, when they wanted an excuse for Jon to not get involved with his friend’s fall into darkness, but now that DC wanted them to interact again all of that is forgotten and Jon has no problems finding Damian.

Damian is not the most social Robin, nor the most intelligent one and considering how he seemed to lose against everything and everyone in recent years I can’t say with a straight face that he’s the best at fighting or the most skilled. And that IS a problem. Damian will never be known for his social skills or his detective skills, those niches are already taken by Dick and Tim, but in theory he should be a great fighter or a highly skilled person. Damian has sacrificed his entire life for training, both in the league of assassins and during his time with the batfamily. But if Damian sucks at fighting (as in: he loses a lot more than he wins) and his skills play no significant role in advancing the plot, then what is the point of his character? Great, he’s good at drawing and likes manga now, but how will that help with a fighting tournament? Or with solving the mystery behind the league of lazarus? A protagonist is usually supposed to be able to change the situation he is in, that is why he’s the protagonist and not someone else. So what makes Damian so unique that only  he can solve the situation he finds himself in during Robin and not someone like Conner Hawke? Or what makes him unique in the batfamily? I hope Robin adresses that soon. 

Of course now one could say “He still has an unique position as Bruce’s biological child”, but that also was completely irrelevant in recent years. For all the moments since the start of Rebirth that had batfam-fans complaining that Damian was favored by DC because of his status as the only biological child of Bruce, there were actually very few interactions between the two. Stuff like Bruce talking about Damian or saying that he loves him was primarily found in scenes in which Damian was not present. Or it came way too late, like in Teen Titans (and Bruce refusing to hit Damian in the face because he is his child sets such a low bar, I refuse to acknowledge that as a sign of love)

If you look at how Bruce actually treats Damian or describes him then there is little love there. He ignored his 13th birthday, did nothing when Damian left him after the events of Justice League: No Justice, it had no impact on the Batman books at all, Bruce only called Damian for missions like two times, once in City of Bane (which was just so shitty, as I already explained in a previous post) and a second time in Detective Comics #1017 (He sent Damian to find a missing kid in a snow storm, while he dealt with something else), refused to comfort him at Alfred’s wake and when Bruce reflects on what happened in Teen Titans he blames most of it on Damian’s personality, both in Detective Comics #1030 and in Robin #1, and both times there is nobody questioning Bruce’s asessment. He really doesn’t have anything nice to say about Damian and apparently we are not supposed to disagree with him. So in summary: Damian seems to have no skills that make him indispensable for the batfamily, Bruce seems to have a very low opinion of Damian’s character and now that they have decided to give us Bruce searching for Damian the only reason for that seems to be that Bruce suddenly feels responsible for his child, even though that should have already been the case when Damian seperated from him in 2018 or at least directly after the second Teen Titans annual.

Even the kinda nice things Bruce says about Damian in Robin #1 can be called into question if you think about them. He says he has no doubt that Damian can take care of himself...and then we see Damian getting his heart ripped out at the end of the very same issue. Of course we know that Damian’s story doesn’t end there, so I won’t judge this too harshly yet, but to me this didn’t come off as Damian being able to take care of himself.

And I get letting Damian lose at the start of the tournament to establish Flatline as a threat and to make it clear that this tournament is not a game. I also get that Damian’s fight against King Snake was supposed to make sure that we still think of Damian as competent even though he loses later on. But at least for me, winning against King Snake was not cool or badass enough to make up for the fact that Damian was easily killed, in front of everyone, by a literal nobody like Flatline. King Snake is an old, blind guy, that didn’t show up in any DC comic I read since I started in 2018 and that was apparently beaten by Tim in his solo comic when he was 14 back in the 90s. Sorry, but that just isn’t impressive enough for me, especially since I’ve seen Damian lose so much in recent years. It doesn’t establish Flatline as a badass, it just makes me think that Damian is not that great of a fighter and shouldn’t be in this tournament.

I have some more thoughts on the tournament that make me wish that the arc will start being less about winning the tournament itself and more about something like taking down the league of lazarus soon (mainly the fact that a fight about being the best fighter is useless if the big guns are not taking part, the fact that you can only win by killing your oponent, which should be a problem for Damian and how nothing we know about the rewards for winning, becoming part of the league of lazarus und apparently immortality, is desirable for Damian), but this answer is already too long.

I’m going to be honest an admit that I did not like the ending of Robin #1 at all and that I hope that Williamson will show Damian being competent really soon because I’m not here for another pointless arc about Damian learning humility. I want to see Damian win for once, you know, like other protagonist usually do at the end of an arc and if Damian can’t even win or tell us what’s going on with him from his point of view in a book about him then I’m probably going to feel very disappointed by this book.

[16ruedelaverrerie]

how do you draw Nines?? is it like this? 1. draw soft boi ( Connor) 2. erase those puppy eyes and give him cold dead orbs and eyebrows that could shank someone. am I close???

YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, ANON. That having been said, just to state the obvious, ALL RK900S ARE PRECIOUS AND WORTHY: “Dead-Orbed Eyebrow Shanker” Nines, “Erotic Asphyxiation Guru” Nines, “Emotions Are for Children and Italians” Nines, “Soft and Wet” Nines, “Babey’s First Day at Pre-K” Nines, “Gay and Unhinged About It” Nines, THEY MUST ALL BE CHERISHED

Sometimes I give Connor and Nines different bone structures, or maybe I just think about giving them different bone structures and don’t actually do it??? Do I even know how to bone structure in art? Debatable. This blog is not a place for representational accuracy so a lot goes fast and loose around these parts. It’s all good SO AS LONG AS NINES IS CHERISHED

If it’s the Apollo addressed in that one Cassandra comic, TRULY, WHAT THE FUCK, APOLLO, RIGHT???

It’s nice when that comic makes the rounds without it turning into a reblog fight about how Cassandra ~deserved it for breaking a promise to Apollo~ and how ~the original myth explains why she was in the wrong~. I think I’ve written enough about my opinions on those stances to have purged myself of the need to write any more, but still, very pleasant not to have to think about it!

Oh gosh definitely not a professional in re: art! Not only because I struggle a lot with basics and technique, but I don’t have the work ethic, either! But that’s okay! I have fun here regardless, and I’m very happy to hear that you enjoyed looking through the blog! Thank you thank you v v v

WHAT’S UP KNUCKLEFUCK my god I have not been accused of being Ana Marie Cox in 10+ years, THIS... IS A FLASHBACK EPISODE. Are you Ana Marie Cox?!

RBR was such a meaningful time for me! I suppose my politics have changed since -- or rather, I’ve learned a lot about how my politics were not being served adequately by elected officials -- but what I remember most fondly about RBR is our vernacular, the in-jokes, and the moments when we were the most determined to make RPF resemble real people as little as possible. Our sloe-eyed ex may be in the rearview, but RBR, I think of you all the time.

Aaaaa thank you so much, I’m glad they were a good time! :’) IT APPEARS THAT I’VE PEAKED VERY EARLY, BUT I WILL CONTINUE TO PLAGUE THIS FANDOM UNTIL I AM DRUMMED OUT OF TOWN

YOU SHOULD BE SORRY ABOUT THIS!!! YOU COME INTO MY HOME, DUAL-WIELDING MONSTROUS DISCORD-BASED ALTERNATE UNIVERSES OF BOTTOMLESS HORROR, SMASHING THEM TOGETHER TO FORM ONE GIGANTIC MONSTROUS DISCORD-BASED ALTERNATE UNIVERSE OF BOTTOMLESS HORROR!!!!!! I most definitely did not even consent to Teletubby Vacuum Nines, that is not even a monstrosity that I signed up for

I really wish that there were a better way to share these “you had to be there” trains of thought with people, because I’m sure that literally everyone has accidentally come up with horrible things that make them laugh for years to come, and yet so much of their charm is impossible to capture in subsequent explanations. Like how would you go about explaining JELLO NINES? “Well it’s that jelly is very... versatile... and we talked about Gavin deciding that if he can make anything out of aspic, he can make a boyfriend out of aspic too... and it’s just very funny to think that a Nines made out of jelly, a QUIVERING TRANSLUCENT DUNGEON BOSS, is for some reason MUCH BETTER LOVED BY GAVIN THAN THE ACTUAL NINES”

I cannot draw this, Sun. I cannot draw this because I cannot explain it. I cannot draw it... but I will love it to my dying day

!!! THIS IS AN HONOR thank you very much! I am grateful for this follow, given with absolutely nothing received in return! I suppose I can say for myself that I don’t update frequently enough to clutter up your dash overmuch, which is a small but truthful thing. I also just generally like shooting shit about fandom-at-large and tropes in the abstract, so I know that we have things in common beyond the vagaries of what particular fandoms we are involved with!

I wonder what my Thoughts on Yaoi are at the moment, I should gaze inwardly and poll myself on this very important matter.

[machablossom]

I really want to rant about the ending. That was one wild episode 12 and I can't say I loved it, but I didn't hate it either.

Being honest, I think I'm mostly dissapointed things didn't go the way I wanted. I usually expect from a series to let me down in some aspects, but this time I felt like there was no rush of emotions like it happened during the past episodes.

I don't actually mind about the supposed queerbaiting, though I would have wanted Renga and Matcha Blossom to become canon. Alas, a girl could dream.

However, there were many things I believe could have been better, others which were just fine, and others which could have been different altogether from the very start of the series. Overall I feel like the main plot (Langa and Reki facing up against Adam) and the main theme of the anime (skating is a fun thing to do and it's better enjoyed surrounded with friends and people you love) were developed just right. However, the way they got to the results were not the best, in my opinion.

I would like to give my opinion on each character development, so this may take a while. Also, I'd like to point out what I would have wanted to happen, if things were up to me.

First and foremost, Adam is the character I had more trouble with. I didn't love the last beef against Langa much. I've had trouble with the entire Eve thing and the fact that he's a 30-something chasing after a 17 yr old boy, be it romantically or just skate-wise.

I know Adam's sexual preferences are never stated through the whole series but we can imply he does feel a certain attraction towards Langa beyond the skating scene and it is very uncomfortable, not to say wrong.

I loved the idea that he let go of the idea of chasing his 'Eve', to celebrate a wedding for a funeral. I am all for theathrics and drama, and his "final boss" outfit was nuts. The skateboard was awesome too! But the mere implications of him, turning into some sort of Grim Reaper whilst racing against Langa one last time are very bone-chilling, at least to me it was, again, very unconfortable.

I'd have loved for Adam to lose to Reki, OR, Tadashi and Langa to race so that the final encounter could have been Adam vs. Tadashi. That way, I think he'd have gotten to reflect on his actions and actually grow as a character rather than just be cured by the power of fun and friendship.

In the perfect scenario, he'd escape with Tadashi, he'd ditch his job and tell his aunts to go f*ck themselves, close 'S' for good and get some therapy somewhere where he could be happy skating with his beloved assistant.

On the other hand, I was hoping he'd get arrested. I hoped Kiriko got to put him behind bars and ruin his carreer both as a politician and as a skater, so that S would close. Maybe in some sort of epilogue we'd seen him come out of jail and make up with the gang, skating with them again as friends. Maybe Langa would go see him in prison to help. Idk, I feel like he needs retribution and punishment, but he was also a character who needed help.

The last part with Tadashi and the dog thing was weird and I didn't love it, but I think it works for their relationship. I won't complain, some other people here on tumblr have put it into words way better than I would have.

What I feel was the worst, worst thing they could do was have him crash their celebration party, falling ridiculously from a helicopter with a bouquet for Langa. No. No, just no. The creeps again. Ugh.

Then, I have to say the second in line who bothered me the most were Miya and Shadow.

It's silly: I really screamed in rage and pain about Shadow not getting together with the manager. I wanted all the other ships to be canon, but I knew it's Japan we're talking about and I know we'd get teased about it in the best case scenario, but the straight ship? The one they could totally go for? NO! Also, I think Shadow got played dirty, shoving him into the background after he was attacked in ep. 10. We didn't get to see any justice done to him against the dude that beat the crap out of him, if, perhaps, Shadow could beat him again at 'S', this time fair and square.

Miya, oh my poor catboy. Played so dirty as well. I liked the last time we see him when he meets with his friend again in school and they seem to reconect. But I wish we would have gotten to see them skate together again. This is very wishful thinking, but I wished we could have seen Miya a little bit older, when the others could have taken him a lot more seriously. I wanted him to do much more than just be a background character, because he deserved it.

Next is Joe and Cherry. Oh boy. Hold onto your horses, I have a LOT to say about my favourite duo.

Listen here, I wanted them to be canon. I hoped for the discreet rings on their fingers shot, or a sudden drop of any of them that they had been secretly married for the past two years or something like that. I wanted flashbacks to their trip to Paris. I wanted more of their teenage years. I wanted a date night at Sie La Luce. Man, I would have died for a kiss. But, alas, it's Japan we're talking about and I know I'm viewing the series from a western point of view.

But that's not what bothered me. What really bothered me was that all the tension that had been growing since ep. 7 between the two of them and then between them and Adam seemed to be just a stepping stone for Langa to win the tournament. We saw Cherry get slapped with a skateboard just for us, the expectators, to dislike Adam a lot more.

I would have loved for them to have the chance to reconect with Adam, be it by punching him or by accepting a heartfelt apology. Specially Cherry. Kaoru deserved MUCH better than what he got, and Joe deserved better than what we've got to see from him. The last scene we saw of them, idk, I thought it was funny and I loved how Cherry showed so little professionalism by drawing on his bf in public. LOL.

But I also didn't like it. I think they ended up being comic relief when they were two of the most wonderfully developed partners in the whole series, even if we've just got some crumbs of their relationship. Also, Joe's deep and caring personality, the whole pinning on Kaoru situation, feels like it matters so little when we see him back at the starting point, just being a shameless flirt. The advantage I see from all of it is that we've got a lot left to the imagination with them.

(Man, i would have loved to see Joe punch Adam in the face with a skateboard at the celebration party after his arrival on the helicopter).

And finally, Reki and Langa. Being honest? I actually loved them. I didn't mind there wasn't a explicit moment of romance or a confesion. That was never the point. The symbolism of their 'friendship', of their bond, is more than enough for me.

I think Langa was slightly too overpowered. As I said before, I think the beef was a little too over the top, but, mah, I've seen a lot of sports anime, its not that over the top. I'd have loved to see him snowboarding at some point, perhaps then we'd have seen Langa as a very talented athlethe and not just some random teenager with crazy skills he just pulled out of his pretty canadian butt. Then again, the little scene with his father's memory was really nice. Closure over mourning, that's a wonderful thing to do.

Reki, my boy, on the other hand, I loved him. Cheering for his bf and believing in him and waiting for him at the end of the line, *chef's kiss*. The part where Langa falls over him and they hug on the ground, perfect, hilarious. The insinuation that they are both happy when they are together, yes, yes, good. The last scene with Reki and his family, I love it! I have nothing wrong to say about Reki. I love him and I'd give an arm for him.

...

Overall, it was a good series. It could have been done better. The ending could have been better. I would love a sequel anyway, if only they could focus on the plotlines they left inconclusive and, for god's sake, they kick the creepyness down a notch. For what I conclude, the entire series was meant as fanservice and they didn't imagine it would grow so big. Anyway, I will keep writing Matcha Blossom, I really loved them and I hope this is not the last we ever see of them all.

[spacecorpscans]

Yoshino Chiaki no Baai  Vol. 2 Ch.3 Translation

Creators: Miyako Fujisaki, Nakamura Shungiku | Translation: Taz

                                                     Chapter 3                                                   

I wonder what he’s been up to these days. It was close to sundown, so Hatori was probably working. Yoshino was enjoying his dinner with Yuu, but no matter what he did to distract himself, all he could think about was Hatori. I want to eat Hatori’s hamburgers. “This was more delicious than I thought it’d be.” “Ye- yeah. You’re right.” He came here to relax, so it was silly to trouble himself thinking about unnecessary things. In the middle of his thoughts he was interrupted when a cake was brought into the room “This is a Japanese hotel, but they bring cake for dessert?” Although it was small, it was also whole. Yoshino wondered what was going on as he looked down at the cake; there was a nameplate that read “Happy Birthday”. “I hear that today is your birthday, and this hotel offers small gifts for such an occasion.” said the hostess, and she set down fruit champagne as well. Oh yeah, today is my birthday. Yoshino completely forgot, but it seemed like Yanase didn’t. “I had this prepared in secret; I bet you’re surprised.” Before coming to appreciate how Yanase had prepared all of this for him, Yoshino remembered his last conversation with Hatori. ‘So you do know what day that is, the day you’re going to go?’ Hatori said. He was probably referring to Yoshino’s birthday; Since he brought it up, he must have prepared something as well. This is my first birthday since we started dating. Come to think of it, Hatori had given him something for his birthday every year; If Yoshino was looking for out-of-print comics, Hatori would find a way to buy them for him. If he ran out of drawing supplies, Hatori bought more for him. Although these presents weren’t romantic, each of them always had a lot of thought put into them. He never thought too much about it then and always went along with it when Hatori would say he only happened to find those things, but now Yoshino knew there was more to it than that. Even when he asked Hatori to bring him materials that he knew weren’t easy to come by, Hatori brought them for him anyway. Ultimately there were times when Yoshino treated Hatori out for fast food back in high school, but ever since debuting in manga he was always busy chasing deadlines, and Hatori’s birthday wasn’t something he kept track of. What’s there to like about someone as inconsiderate as me? He reasoned. His actions were inconsiderate and even somewhat rude; If he apologized to Hatori he would only be doing so to save his own conscience. He bit his lip at that thought. “You’re bored if Hatori isn’t around, huh?” “Eh?” Yanase’s sudden question startled him. “You’re thinking ‘I wish he was here’, aren’t you, Chiaki?” “What are you talking about?! Of course not! I’m actually glad that he’s not here; if he were, he would just lecture me again. I swear that guy is always on my back-- it’s so annoying!” His relationship with Hatori was still a secret to Yanase, so he quickly covered it up. Hearing this, Yanase gave Yoshino an uncertain smile. “Well, that’s his job, I guess.” “Ye- yeah, that’s why I don’t want to see him on my day off,” he laughed. Yanase probably wasn’t thinking too deeply about it because he didn’t ask Yoshino any further. I’m nervous. Sometimes he was worried that Yanase could see right through him; He was often very nervous, especially when he was hiding something. Yanase stared at Yoshino, but his expression changed rather suddenly. “How about we go to the hot springs after you’re done eating? I hear you can get a good shoulder massage here.” “Oh, okay.” “I don’t like sweets, so you can have the whole cake. I’ll take the champagne instead; You can’t handle wine anyway, right?” Yanase reached for the cold bottle and started chugging it down. *** “Now that’s how a bath should be!” When they returned to their room, Yoshino gulped down his fruit milk. “You sure like that drink. That’s your second one.” “What’s wrong with that? I couldn’t decide if I wanted coffee milk or something else.” “You’re like a kid,” said Yanase, drinking a can of beer. “Shut up. Weren’t the hot springs great, though? Let’s go again tomorrow morning.” “If you wake up early.” The baths here were outdoors and the mist was very beautiful; The temperature of the water was perfect, too, and it helped to relax his tense muscles. If only I had a massage today. He sighed to himself. He reminded himself to check in with his personal chiropractor after this trip, and Yanase jumped back in after his next beer. “Oh yeah. You said you’d let me draw you nude, so let’s do it now.” “What are you saying, you idiot? Besides, I never said that!” “Don’t be so stubborn.” “You’re drunk, aren’t you?” It was rare for him not to know whether Yanase was serious or not. “I wouldn’t say I am.” “Well, you don’t even have your drawing supplies.” Yanase smugly searched through his bag and pulled out his art materials. “I brought them with me. I make sure to take this when I travel.” “What?!” “I draw scenery and stuff. I use it like a camera. Anyway, get undressed.” So Yanase was serious. “I’m not getting naked!” “I’m not telling you to take off your underwear. You know, it would be nice if you did things for me every once in a while,” Yanase said. It was hard for Yoshino to refuse that. After hesitating, he made a proposal. “Fine, but only my upper body.” “Okay, that’s fine.” He reluctantly pulled his arms from the sleeves of his yukata. When they were at the hot springs together he hadn’t been embarrassed, but now he felt self-conscious. “Sit over there then.” “Ok-kay.” Yoshino sat cross-legged on the chair in the middle of the veranda, giving his friend a questioning look. “I don’t exactly look very fun to draw, but you still draw me so much. Isn’t it boring? You could make an art portfolio out of me at this point.” “It’s not boring. I love you, Chiaki.” “Huh?!” Yoshino looked at him in shock, but Yanase was not perturbed and continued drawing,  his expression unchanged. “I love your bone structure.” Yoshino’s heartbeat slowed down a little. Oh I see. He just likes me to be his model. “Oh, yeah, yeah. Of course, my bones. Hahaha…” Heart still trembling, he hid his nervousness by laughing it off. “Yeah, your bones as well.” Yanase looked up from his sketchbook. “So wait, are you actually saying that you love me?” he asked jokingly, but Yanase only stared at him silently. Wha- what’s with this atmosphere?! Having a bad feeling about this, Yoshino slowly put his yukata back on.“I’m- I’m thirsty. I’m gonna go buy something to drink. Do you want something too, Yuu?” “You just drank milk. Stay still for a bit,” Yanase said as he moved towards Yoshino. That very moment, Yoshino felt a chill. He sensed something strange and tried to get up, but Yanase grabbed the chair armrests and faced him so he couldn’t move. “Wha- what?!” “You asked me if I liked anyone. Do you still want to know? I’ll tell you if you do,” Yanase asked, egging on Yoshino’s raging anxiety. I have to play it cool no matter what he says! Intuitively he knew that it was better not to know, but it would be strange to say that now when he had been so curious about it before. Surely Yanase’s suggestive behavior was all an act and he was only teasing Yoshino. I’m gonna ask casually, just casually, he told himself, but when he was about to open his mouth his cellphone rang. I’m- I’m saved! Thank god! “The phone! I need to see who it is,” Yoshino blurted, shoving Yanase out of the way. When he answered, it was Hatori on the other end. “It’s me. Is now a good time?” It’s Tori of all people! God hates me… “Yeah, it’s fine. Oh wait, my signal isn’t very good. Hold on, I’m gonna go somewhere to fix it.” After making up this excuse, Yoshino covered the mouthpiece and told Yanase he would step out onto the courtyard veranda for a bit. He wanted to be away from the awkward atmosphere in that room; He put on a pair of wooden clogs and clip-clopped across the stone steps. Only when he arrived at the gazebo did he press his phone back to his ear.

“Hey, Yoshino? Are you really okay?” “Ye- yeah. I’m okay. Um, is something up?” he asked nervously. “I wouldn’t call you for nothing. I looked over the storyboard corrections; I don’t think there are any problems with it for the most part, just one or two lines that I want you to fix. I sent you a fax of the corrections I made.” “Got it. Oh, is the extra illustration alright?” “Yeah, it’s good.” They were only talking about work, but he was still relieved that they could interact like usual. Now Hatori grew silent; He was still on the line with Yoshino, but it was quiet on his side. “Tori?” “I’m sorry.” Hatori interrupted his worry. “About?” Hatori seemed uneasy, probably thinking that Yoshino was still mad at him. “Sorry I behaved so childishly the other day.” “No- no, it’s okay.” Yoshino was going to add that he wasn’t angry but held his tongue. He certainly had been angry, but that was only because he didn’t understand Hatori’s feelings. Even now he wouldn’t say that he understood, but he did realize that he’d been in the wrong. I made Tori apologize before me again...Why is he so nice to me? “Are you still angry?” “No, that’s not it.” There were many things he wanted to ask but he couldn’t put them into words; Since Yoshino was faltering, Hatori misinterpreted this as him being offended again and ended the conversation. “This is all I have to say. I’m sorry I disturbed you.” “Ah, um-” “Happy birthday, Yoshino.” Hatori finished with that before hanging up. “Wai-! Hey! Tori?!” He tried to stop him, but the connection was already cut. Maybe the reason he called me was to tell me that? Thinking about it, hre realized that the storyboard conversation could have waited until the next day. Besides, Hatori faxed the corrections to Yoshino’s house anyway so there was no need to call him about it. He made the phone call seem like it was about work and yet added that birthday wish in the end. Yoshino fretted; now he really wanted to see Hatori. Unable to stand it any longer, he returned to the room and began changing clothes. Seeing this, Yanase shot him a questioning look. “Yoshino? Did something happen?” “Sorry, um, something came up. I have to go to my parent’s house,” Yoshino quickly packed his things. Even he knew that what he was doing was selfish, but he couldn’t hold down the urge. “Right now? Can’t you go in the morning?” “No, I have to go now. Sorry I’m being so selfish. I’ll make it up to you!” With that, Yoshino dashed out of the hotel, leaving Yanase alone. *** He took a taxi from the train station and somehow made it back home before the day was done. Yoshino’s feet moved quickly on their own accord and before he knew it he was running. When he reached Hatori’s place, he pressed the intercom button with force. Hatori’s voice was suspicious over the speaker. “Yes? Who is this?” “Ah, um, it’s me.” “Yoshino?!” Noticing Hatori’s surprise, Yoshino then heard a harsh rattling sound. It seemed that Hatori dropped the intercom receiver. After more bustling from inside, the front door opened and Hatori appeared in sweats and a t-shirt, probably already prepared for bed. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at the hot springs?” “Yeah, but I came back.” “Did something happen?!” If he told him about the incident with Yanase, he felt like things would get complicated, so he decided to keep quiet about it. “No- no, that’s not it. I just wanted to see your face.” “…Huh?” “Ah! I mean, I wanted to get started on work! I mistook your place for my place!” He blurted. Unable to hide his flushed cheeks, Yoshino turned on his heel and readied to leave, but Hatori grabbed his hand and stopped him. “Say that again.” “Whi- which part?” There was no way he could say that again. As Yoshino pretended to play innocent, Hatori revised his question. “Did you really want to see me?” “Oh, did I say that?!” “I understand. It’s already late, so stay over tonight. Work can wait until tomorrow, right?” Hatori gently insisted, and Yoshino obediently followed him inside. “Okay.” He felt nervous and the atmosphere felt tense, even though Hatori’s place was somewhere he could always call his second home. He watched Hatori’s back as he slowly took off his coat. This is really awkward. Perhaps to break this atmosphere, Hatori called out to him like his usual. “You were at the hot springs, right? Did you eat?” “Ye- yeah. I ate and took a bath.” “Just a beer then? I think I have some snacks somewhere.” Hatori peered into the fridge, muttering to himself. Yoshino finally gathered up his courage. “Um!” “Yeah?” Hatori turned, holding two cans of beer and snacks. Yoshino flinched when Hatori looked his way. “I forgot that today is my birthday.” Hatori’s eyes widened at this and he let out a small smile. “Idiot, that’s why you came back?” “Do- don’t call me an idiot! I know this is my fault, I’m sorry if you were planning something for us.” “You don’t need to apologize. You being here is enough.” “…!” Yoshino’s heart skipped a beat with Hatori looking at him so lovingly. Okay, why is my heart pounding now for someone I’ve known for over twenty years?! Hatori placed the snacks and beer on the kitchen counter and took out a cardboard box. Yoshino let his curiosity get the better of him. “What’s that?” “A present. I didn’t know what to get you, but I thought something practical would be best. I’m glad I can give this to you today.” Hatori held the box out in front of him. Yoshino didn’t think Hatori would prepare him a present, so he was touched. He took the gift excitedly and found that it was very heavy. “Thank you. It’s a bit heavy…” Naturally, his curiosity grew with the weight of it. I wonder what Tori is giving me? Yoshino sat down on the sofa to peel it all open and look inside. He raised a questioning eyebrow at the contents within. “…What’s this?” “It’s manuscript paper. With all these supplies you won’t ever run out; Now you can draw as much as you want.” “Hey! You thought I’d be happy with this? You’re supposed to give a more romantic present on my birthday!” Although he was happy to receive something practical, it was kind of cold for a present. Forgetting his manners, Yoshino complained about it and Hatori asked him another question. “What then?” “I- I don’t know, but definitely not this.” He hadn’t been thinking of what would be considered romantic when he’d blurted that out. The girls in my manga usually get some sort of accessory on their birthdays, but I’m not a girl. As Yoshino racked his brain, Hatori took Yoshino’s hand and brought it to his mouth. “To- Tori?” Hatori kissed his palm. “Then I’ll give you myself.” “Wha- what you are saying? You’re embarrassing yourself by saying something like that!” Yoshino flustered as his face turned red. I seriously can’t believe this. How can he say that with a straight face? “If you don’t want me, that’s fine too.” “Wh- who said anything about not wanting you?” He attempted to hide his embarrassment and grabbed Hatori’s hand before he could pull it away. Uwa, I just did something really embarrassing, didn’t I? He didn’t let go of Hatori’s hand; he couldn’t look him in the eyes. “Yoshino,” Hatori hit him lightly on the forehead. From this distance he felt Hatori’s breath and his heartbeat increased. Hatori gently grabbed at his hand and all Yoshino could feel was how sweaty his own hand was from being so nervous. Hatori lifted Yoshino’s chin with his other hand, and the moment their eyes met Hatori kissed him on the lips. “Mm…” Hatori lightly bit Yoshino’s lower lip and earned a soft gasp in response. Hatori took the opportunity to slip his tongue between his lips; He wasn’t being rough in the least and Yoshino began to relax. As they stood in this unnatural position he wondered if he should wrap his hands around Hatori’s back, but Hatori broke the kiss apart too soon. “I can’t resist today.” “Is- is that something to complain about?” “Well, no? Are you saying you also want to do it?” “Yea- yeah, so shut up already!” “Ow.” Yoshino hit Hatori on the head and flushed when Hatori laughed to himself.

“Tori…?” Just when Yoshino was about to ask what was wrong, Hatori muttered, “You smell different.” “Hm? That’s because I used the hotel’s shampoo.” “Did you take a bath with him?” “Eh? Well, it’s a public bath so- wha-!” Hatori clasped the back of Yoshino’s neck and pushed him down on the sofa. “What are you doing?” “From now one, don’t ever let anyone see you naked.” Hatori looked scary staring him down like this; he clearly wasn’t joking. “That would mean I can never go to the hot springs!” “Who cares about that? I was going to be gentle with you today, but now I won’t.” “Huh?!” “This will be your punishment,” Hatori said, holding both of Yoshino’s hands together above his head. “Wh- what do you mean when you say punishment?!” Yoshino glared. He had no idea what Hatori was thinking, but the grasp his lover had on him was becoming painful. “Telling you would take the fun out of it, right?” “There’s nothing fun about it! Mm- nnh-!” Hatori couldn’t control the way he was kissing Yoshino; He was ruthless with Yoshino’s lips and became quick to slip his tongue between them. Being intertwined like this sent a sweet chill throughout Yoshino’s body. “Hh…nn- mmh-!” Hatori’s hands traced Yoshino’s body down from his waist to his crotch, rubbing lewdly between his thighs. Yoshino was beginning to feel cramped beneath his clothing, but with them kissing like this it was close to impossible to get any words out. Hatori seemed to notice his struggle and slipped his hand into Yoshino’s boxers, stroking him with vigor. “Nn, ngh- mm…!” Yoshino’s hips rutted upwards into Hatori’s ruthless hand. He felt wet from his own precum, and thinking of Hatori’s hand slick with it enticed Yoshino even more. “Haa, ah- ahh…” Pulling away from their kiss, Hatori’s hand continued at it’s same, fluid pace. He knew from experience how fast Yoshino liked to be rubbed and picked up speed. With his mouth free, Yoshino couldn’t hold back his desperate moans; He tried to put up with it, but his body was already numb with ecstasy. Yoshino threw his neck back and Hatori sucked at the skin there, stimulating him impossibly further. “Aah- ah! Hh- no more!” Just when he was about to come, Hatori stopped the urge with a harsh squeeze. “No- why-?!” “I told you this was punishment, right? I’ll let you come when you behave.” “Huh?! Don’t screw with- Hha-!” Hatori lubricated a hand and rolled Yoshino’s shirt up to spread the gel over his abdomen. Yoshino swallowed at the feeling before Hatori pulled his underwear all the way off. He spread both of Yoshino’s bare legs open and smeared lubricant between them. “Ngh-!” “I don’t want anyone to see you, but I can tolerate you going to the hot springs. Just don’t let Yanase see you naked. Promise that you won’t go out with him anymore if it’s just the two of you alone.” “Haa- Why?” “Cause I’m jealous, okay? You draw romance, you should know this.” “I should know this? Ah-!” He was going to glare, but Hatori rubbed a finger inside of him, causing Yoshino to arch his back. His lip quivered at the foreign sensation, but Hatori paid him no mind and pushed further inside. Why do I have to go through this? He tried to remove Hatori’s hands, but he had no power in his fingers. “Let go- Ah, ngh-!” Hatori’s finger curled, pressing on Yoshino’s soft insides and pulling in and out, all while stroking Yoshino from the front and holding back his climax each time. “It’s simple; Just promise me.” “No, please-!” “Hate it all you want, we can stay like this forever,” Hatori said, moving faster as his grip on Yoshino tightened. “Ah, no- It hurts, stop!” Yoshino felt like he was losing his mind when Hatori added a second finger. “Then swear right now.” “I swear…! I promise, so-” He nodded, unable to think properly; The tears in his eyes reached their limit, one slipping down as he begged. “Really?” “Really, so ple-please- I want to come!” “Okay. I’ll let you come as much as you want.” Finally when Hatori released him, Yoshino’s legs were pushed up to his chest and he felt Hatori’s own erection press against him. He barely had time to register how fast it was happening before Hatori pushed inside. “Ngh-!” Yoshino came as soon as Hatori sheathed himself fully inside, and his mind went blank as he saw lights behind his eyelids; Hatori mercilessly pounded against Yoshino’s hips, trembling sweetly with the effects of his climax. Yoshino could feel Hatori deep inside of him, convulsing with Hatori’s movements; he knew himself how tight he was but couldn’t control it. Pain engraved into him, but his pleasure exceeded it and he sighed lovingly with each thrust. Even though he just came, Yoshino felt himself getting aroused again. Hatori continued fucking him through it, purposely avoiding his prostate. It was hard for Yoshino to express how he felt about this so he tried to move his hips himself. “Ngh, ugh- ah! Hah-!” “What’s gotten into you? You’re so forward today, moving all on your own.” “Ah! Ca- cause…you’re…” “‘I’m’ what? I’ll do anything if you tell me how you want it.” “…!” There was no way he could say that; He was feeling extremely scatterbrained, but he still had some reason left in him. It’s not like it wasn’t embarrassing to move on his own, but it was much better than having to say it out loud. “There’s no need to be embarrassed by now, right? Your body is much more honest than you are.” Chucking, Hatori let his hips go wild. He bore right into Yoshino’s prostate and Yoshino tightened around him again. “Haa! Ah- I’m gonna come again!” Each of his words were punctuated with Hatori’s thrusts. “It’s fine, I told you I’ll let you come as much as you want.” “Ngh-! Tori, you too…” “Yeah, I’m almost at my limit.” Hatori greatly increased his speed as soon as he said that. Yoshino tightly grabbed Hatori by the neck, feeling as though he was going to be thrown off due to the vigorous movements. He panted heavily and Hatori planted a kiss on his lips. Hatori pushed impossible deeper and Yoshino clenched tightly around him, urging him to come. At the feeling of Hatori spilling hotly into him, his own body flinched with his second orgasm.

“...Chiaki,” Hatori held him and kissed him soothingly, Yoshino slowly closing his eyes. *** “Ow, ow, ow…” Yoshino hardly exercised so his entire body was worn out; for quite some time now, Hatori had been giving him a massage. “Geez, you could’ve been more gentle, you know.” “What are you talking about? I tried to stop but you were the one who kept saying you wanted more.” “Who said something like that?! Ow, ow!” Hatori was putting the right pressure into Yoshino’s muscles and it felt extremely good, even despite the pain from being so stiff. Hatori only did this every once in a while, but the next day he always felt like he’d been born again. As Hatori massaged Yoshino’s shoulder blades, he reminded Yoshino about the promise he made earlier. “You didn’t forget, right?” “You’re so stubborn. I always keep my word!” “And yet you always miss deadlines.” “That’s different!” It wasn’t like he completed his manuscripts late on purpose. I probably shouldn’t be alone with Yuu for a while. He was uneasy remembering the incident at the hot springs; Yanase had probably been a little drunk, but it was still scary. What was that all about? I think I kind of understand why Tori is so weird around him. “…Tori.” “Hm?” “Let’s go on a trip together next time.” “…” At Yoshino’s statement, Hatori stopped for a moment. Yoshino wasn’t expecting this reaction and pouted. “What? You don’t want to?” “No, that’s not it. I’m just a little surprised. You want to go with me?” “Yeah, I want to go with you.” “Maybe so. I hope we can go someday.” “Not just ‘I hope’! We’ll definitely go! It’s a promise, okay?” “Alright, alright, it’s a promise. Now are you tired? It’s fine if you need to go to sleep.” “I’m alright…” Yoshino couldn’t keep his eyes open even as he slurred this. “Good night.” Hatori’s words were his last memory for the night.

[wickedscribbles]

Omg, omg, OH MY GOD - I am just now catching up to Chapters 16 and 17 and your writing never fails to impress me. Major kudos, once again! Like for real, I can't believe that I am reading this for free and this isn't a published book??? I am just about ready to start a book club around this damn series👀 This what quite the whirlwind of emotions, to say the least. Once again, why the hell am I balling my eyes out over a plant? AND THAT PART WITH QUI-GON??? And the smut - oh boy, the smut 🥵Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. When it comes to Ziva and Obi-Wan, I just love how you capture everything - not just the fluffy stuff, but also the anxiety, the insecurity, the doubt and everything in between. It's a reminder that they are not perfect (who am I kidding, they certainly are to me) and always happy-go-lucky but that's what makes them just so loveable. Gah, the way they sit down with Anakin and Ahsoka to tell them the whole thing - how I wish I was a little fly on the wall to hear all of it. Seriously cannot get enough of them!

I am so excited to see what's next - I can't help but imagine Anakin going full defense lawyer and telling the Jedi Council "... but your honour, I love them🥺" because same

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for sharing your work with the rest of us, you deserve all the praise and so much more xx P.S. - THE SECRET MISSION WAS EVERYTHING I WANTED AND BEYOND. That's all, this is the end of this long ass message.

AAAAHHH! Anon I really look forward to your asks, it’s nice to see you again! 🥺❤❤❤

That is so nice of you to say 😭😭 And you know what? I’ve been meaning to launch this Discord server for a while IF people want to discuss Come What May and other things but could never find the right time. But this seems like the perfect opening! (Guess I should also post about it maybe) Book club...damn. I’m flattered as hell over here. Got me blushingggg. 

I feel like the part with Qui-Gon is the biggest mic-drop plot twist I have ever written and maybe ever will write!! I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed his character, despite Phantom Menace being my least favorite prequel movie. There’s just...tons and tons of information in Legends about this guy. Seems a shame that we only saw him in one movie (and some comics?) canonically.

And I’m glad my smut continues to deliver for you! I still have...so many ideas... 🙈 you’d think with the same characters and the same plotline I’d run out but I -- no. Nope. Even after the main series comes to a close, I want to do little oneshots for them. 

Ziva and Obi have been SUCH an adventure in character building. It’s very satisfying to add on and add on, taking not only pieces of myself to mold their character, but pieces of other loved ones, to make them their own unique thing. 😊 I’m so proud of them. 

Oh man I REALLY wanted to do that whole conversation -- but it would have made the chapter about 10,000 words long! I may go back and explore it from Anakin’s perspective eventually. I adore writing Anakin. I think he’d be flabbergasted and smug and shocked. And maybe picking up on all the things Obi-Wan WASN’T telling Ahsoka, if you know what I mean. 😂

Oh, Anakin is drawing from some deep inner strength to defend some of his favorite Jedi, for sure! That’s one of the things I love about his character (and of course we know it was ultimately his downfall in canon 😭). He LOVES so passionately. If Obi, Ziva, and Ahsoka hadn’t stopped him, he would have gotten up in someone’s face and been like, “UM HOW DARE YOU? THREATEN MY MASTER? THE BEST JEDI EVER? AND HIS GIRLFRIEND?” 

Thank YOOOOOOOOU 💖💖💖💖

I’m glad you enjoyed that too! 😄😄 I loved that prompt. I just KNEW that Obi and Ziva would love that big, comfy hotel bed as soon as I looked up reference images. And that they would need to thoroughly....use it. 

You are the sweetest!! 

[geeky-politics-46]

The Asgardian Candidate

Loki/The West Wing FanFiction Crossover

Chapter 6 - “A Stranger To The Rescue”

The White House was still in a state of shell shock.

They had suffered two massive blows to their re-election campaign back to back at the hands of Mr. Loki Laufeyson.

The pounding they got in the 2nd debate was one thing. They had one more debate left. They could recover from that, even if it was bad.

What had essentially crippled the campaign nearly beyond salvage was something that had been completely unthinkable, until now. A sitting vice president announcing he was leaving the ticket he was currently on, for the administration he was currently serving in, to run as his challenger’s VP.

The tickets were now Laufeyson/Hoynes & Bartlet/?

After the announcement the president’s poll numbers plummeted, & campaign donors had started to bail. Everyone understood why. They had to find a candidate to run as Bartlet’s vice president. It couldn’t be just a replacement for Hoynes, they had to be better than Hoynes.

If they were going to make any sort of rebound in the polls they had to find the human personification of America itself. A patriot. Someone who could have been born on the 4th of July & made from apple pie.

It was Leo who had stepped forward with the only suggestion. He said he knew a guy who might fit that bill. That he knew him from when he served in the military, well he didn’t know him exactly, but he knew of him. After a few calls, & maybe even a bit of pleading on Leo’s part, the man had agreed to meet the president & discuss joining the ticket.

He too was a novice in politics, like Loki, but if he was half as good as he seemed on paper it wouldn’t matter.

Jed was studying the man’s records & FBI file when Leo opened the door to announce that their potential VP had arrived.

Leo’s assistant led him in & then stood behind the man utterly transfixed. “Thank you Margaret.” Leo said holding the door open for her to exit, but to no avail. “Thank you Margaret… Margaret! Thank you.” Having finally gotten her attention, Margaret quickly turned & left somewhat embarrassed at her own behavior.

Both Jed & Leo could understand why she had been so hypnotized. The man standing before them appeared perfect.

He was tall & broad shouldered, with well defined muscles. A firm yet subtlety squared off jaw, vivid blue eyes, & dirty blonde hair perfectly combed into place. He looked like Disney prince did a stint as a G.I. Joe, & then come to life.

He snapped to attention & saluted as the president rose from his seat. “It’s an honor Mr. President, sir.”

“At ease solider.” Jed responded chuckling, slightly startled by his salute. “Err… actually it’s captain isn’t it?”

The man relaxed & dropped his salute as he responded, “Yes sir, Captain Steve Rogers. If I may speak freely sir, having already been told why I’m meeting with you today. As an officer of the U.S. military I have sworn, as you have, to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign & domestic. Frankly sir, after watching him & hearing his views on how he plans to run this country if elected, I do believe Loki to be a threat to the US & the constitution if he were to be elected as president. I don’t like bullies, no matter where they’re from. Therefore it is with honor & duty that I accept the offer to serve as your running mate.”

Jed & Leo both exhaled deeply for the first time in several days, feeling the muscles in their necks immediately relax.

Jed smiled eyeing the man curiously. Could he feel it too? He had assumed most people younger than Leo & himself couldn’t feel the air of the great dictator that Loki gave off. How could they? They had never seen it in person before, or heard the tails of war while watching the flashes of pained memory in their parent’s eyes. Sure there were movies & museums, but real first hand memories of the last World War & those who could share them were all but completely gone now. This man seemed almost out of his time. As if he escaped from an era long gone, but remained untouched himself by the hands time. A memento of what America could be at it’s best.

Captain Rogers did have a couple caveats of his own to offer in negotiation with President Bartlet. He wanted to serve with honor, & he wanted to make sure he was able to execute the office in the best way he could if they won. “I do have a couple requests to make of you sir, if I am to serve as your vice president. The first is that I want us to be completely honest with each other, & if we disagree we hash it out in private together. The second is that I want to be the last person in the room on major decisions. If I’m going to serve as your right hand then I want to really participate.”

Bartlet was slightly taken aback at the younger man’s forwardness & candor. It was a far cry from John Hoynes, who had at times roiled against Jed’s decisions. Even going so far as to on occasion leak a disagreement to the press when he was really in a snit with him. Leo had always attributed John’s ill behavior to Jed coming from behind in the primaries to steal the nomination away from him. However in just a few sentences Steve Rogers proved he had more heart & backbone than John Hoynes had managed in nearly 5 years.

It Jed’s mind it wasn’t even a question. He knew he could trust this man. He felt it in his bones. He still dutifully glanced toward Leo awaiting his silent approval. Leo simply gave a single nod. They agreed to Captain Roger’s requests without hesitation.

President Bartlet then gratefully held out his hand towards the captain, “Well I guess I shouldn’t get too used to calling you Captain Rogers then. By the time I remember I’ll have to start calling you Vice President Elect Rogers instead.”

The two men shook hands & sealed their political fates to each other. If they won then they won together, if they lost then they lost together.

Captain Rogers smiled brightly & gave a slight nod as he clutched the President’s hand “Thank you, sir. You can just call me Steve. I’m with you until the end of the line.”

Leo smirked & jokingly added “See, it wasn’t all that hard finding someone.” For the first time in a long time, lately Leo had found himself tempted to retreat to alcohol. He hadn’t told Jed, but this campaign had him more rattled the longer it went on & Captain Roger’s words seemed to confirm that Leo wasn’t the only one who sensed something very wrong in Loki. To comfort his thoughts he had found himself wanting to escape the campaign problems in the bottom of an empty bottle. After all old habits die hard, & it had been a habit during the first campaign. Now he stood, his hands in his pockets, holding one of his AA chips. Thanking god (or whoever really controlled everything) for Captain Rogers. Without even knowing it, Cap had already protected one person from an enemy. Even if it was just an internal one.

The ticket was now officially sealed. It was set as Bartlet/Rogers.

—————

Perhaps he had underestimated the Midgardian this entire time. Perhaps Bartlet really was a foe worth his time & effort. It made him almost respect the man a little.

He held the front page of The New York Times in his left hand, right hand resting under his chin, studying the headline & image before him. Brow furrowed, causing his gleaming horned crown to shift slightly higher into his raven hairline.

How quaint.

There standing with him arm around the president was Captain Steve Rogers. Both men smiling & waving to the crowd where they announced their new ticket. The papers had already started calling him “Captain America”. Fawning over him as if he was some sort comic book superhero. Some of them had even gone so far as to draw him into one themselves, complete with a stars & stripes jumpsuit & matching shield.

Loki pictured a battle between “Captain America” in full costume & himself in full Asgardian armor. Fine tailored suit morphing into black & green leather with ornate gold plating, & his gold horned crown transforming into his full elaborate helmet. While comical on one hand, Loki was quite a showman. Perhaps in the event of a recount he could conjure up that outfit for the captain & solve the election that way instead. Leaving Bartlet & Hoynes to fight it out amongst themselves.

To Loki’s ears he even spoke like some sort of cartoon as well. All sugar & sweet, yes sir & yes ma’am. He questioned whether this Captain Rogers was even capable of telling a lie. Although the American’s had already had one president who used that schtick before. It was still something the crowd seemed to be eating up. Loki almost wished he’d thought of it himself, but what fun would that be for him really? The god of mischief & lies having to play nice. His nose crinkled & upper lip snarled as his thoughts soured at the very suggestion.

For every devious act or trick Loki had implemented, the Bartlet campaign seemed to be trying to one up him in a the wholesome department. Perhaps it was time to simply match wit for wit. Maybe Loki’s silver tounge had finally met it’s match. His lips pressed into a tight line, ever so slightly pulling his bottom lip in with his teeth as he thought.

The third debate was open topic, questions could come from any area. He figured that would allow him to fair better than the first debate, no need to try to memorize budget statistics or job numbers. He could just as easily pluck a number from someone else’s head. He was sure the intrusion into their mind would go unnoticed if he only did it when he absolutely needed to.

The president though would also surely fair better on the topic of defense this time around. His team would be going through Loki’s responses from the last debate as he sat there. This debate they would be on much more even footing.

He would not hold anything back this time, now that he knew Bartlet could clearly play the game just as well as he could. He would actually have to prepare & study for this debate. As much as he loved reading the idea of spending hours reading about Midgardian matters made him wince.

Loki quickly stood up from the desk. He had to act on his plan quickly before his distaste for spending time with mortals had a chance to outweigh the importance of the debate. He really wanted to win the presidency, otherwise he would never stoop this low.

He walked briskly to the door of his office, yanking the door open so hard it hit the wall with a deep thud. All of Loki’s campaign staffers froze at the sound & a thick silence fell over the entire room. Eyes wide on many of their faces. Loki had them terrified of him.

He resisted the urge to giggle with delight at the terrored faces he had evoked. Instead he calmly & quietly took 2 steps forward into the large open office space. He scanned their faces & inhaled deeply. His mind searching for who could best fulfill his need.

He found 3 faces. A male & 2 females. All rather mousey & plain. Their desks each piled high with binders & newspapers. Computer monitors cluttered with open windows. Yes, these 3 should work nicely.

“You, you, & you.” Loki pointed to each of the 3 as he began his verbal command, voice deep & thick with passioned energy. “In my office. Bring everything you have on Bartlet’s policy positions, & whatever we’ve said mine are. You have 5 minutes! Don’t test my patience.”

Loki immediately turned & strode back into his office,leaving any questions about his order hanging in their air. Eyes quickly darting from person to person around the room in both confusion & curiosity. They only snapped back to the present & returned to their work as they heard the door to Loki’s office slam shut behind him. Time seemed to suddenly unfreeze as staffers began talking again & phones started ringing.

Back in his office Loki positioned himself behind his desk. He had made it this far. He could practically see himself behind the resolute desk in the oval office. It was no golden throne of Asgard, but god he wanted it. His birthright was to rule, & he fully intended to.

[incoherentbabblings]

What are your favourite comics anyway?

Oh! Oh! Oh! Okay. Full disclaimer. We’re going for what comics I re-read over and over again. Are these comics...good? Eh. Are they bad? No, I don’t think so. Some were meh to wow! when first released that time has either been kinder or harsher to, but I don’t think I have a series or a run or a title which is I like which is like... hot guilty garbage. Though, of course, feel free to disagree. There are some authors on here which people will not want to touch with a barge pole, and I totally understand and encourage not touching them if you don’t want to.

Having said that, here are my favourite popcorn comics (largely Titans and Batfam because I am... basic): 

The Flash (2016) issues 39-45 + Annual #1

Having said that, Flash time first. People think Williamson is a real hit or miss writer and I do agree, but I think this whole arc is one big hit. It’s frantic in its energy, I love Gorilla Grodd as a villain, I love the modern Flashfam trying to help, I love how Wally coming in to help totally turns the tide and the mood. I love how everyone looks at Wally like… this guys is powerful, more powerful than any other speedster… but also noting there’s something very fragile about him. I didn’t include Flash War in this because I’m still waiting for the payoff for that angst regarding Wally, but this arc… mwah. Wallace Rudolph West being vindicated as the greatest Flash (whilst allowing Barry to be flawed and to lead his family)? Yes please. Also I love Carmine’s art. I gather it’s hit and miss for some folk but I love the line work. Also Carlos D’Anda’s issue (come baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack draw Dick and Roy again your work has gotten so much cuter this past decade) is a beauty too. Big ol’ eyes.

 (Under the cut ‘cause this is LONG)

Batman Dark Victory

One of two Loeb stories for me. And yeah sure Long Halloween is objectively better but…jelly bean

Also, angry traumatised Dick smacking a dying man with a stick. What a legend.

Gates of Gotham

Cass! Damian! Dick!Bats! Tim! A mystery villain! World building for Gotham! Stuff exploding! Batfam banter! Trevor McCarthy art! This bizarre panel of Jim Gordon holding Tim’s hand like he’s checking the time?

It’s one of the last ‘pure’ Batman stories before the reboot – Bat Inc aside – so it’s how I like to read the Batfam’s relationship by the end of that universe. Everyone’s a lot more content, proud Dad Bruce, happy and settled Dick and Damian, Cassandra returning home, Tim chopping off the emo hair… it’s all good.

Grayson (particularly #5)

I know why people can’t stand it. The circumstances leading up to it are bog awful. Opinions on Tom King’s writing has only grown more spliced with time. The (sex) jokes are too on the nose and hit too close to home for many. The cheesecake art is too stilted for some. But! Issue #5 is my favourite single issue story. Ever. You never have thought boxes in this series, because everyone is lying, but you aren’t told when. You never know how genuine Dick is being at any given moment, until it is just him and the baby. I love how single-minded it allows him to be. I love how he flat out lies and manipulates to protect that little girl, whilst also caring for Helena. About how seriously he takes his job of protecting Bruce and his family (and that’s why he’s even doing the stupid spy thing in the first place). And maaaaybe it’s unrealistic that Dick could outlast Midnighter crossing the desert, but screw it. Bruce can be better than metahumans all the time. Let Dick get an issue to be so to. Saving a little girl who is probably going to grow up to be akin to Superwoman. Just because he’s given himself that responsibility. He’s going to double cross twenty groups at the same time and come out clean as a whistle. And he’ll cross a desert with a newborn to do it.

Light of my fricking life.

Infinite Crisis

I…I like that things go boom. John’s is very good for that. Also, the Nightwing and Batman moments howowheheheheheheeeeeeee. Almost wish Bruce had shot Alexander. I wonder what would have happened?

(Brief side note: Graphic Audio’s adaptation of this is great fun. I dropped a bowl of cereal at the part of Superboy Prime versus the Titans. Cassie’s scream when Pantha’s head got punched off was a bit…intense. The No Man’s Land one is very good too if you have cash to burn - the voice actors are the same in both and Nightwing’s voice actor has this lisp and I don’t know man... I love it. He’s now the voice in my head for Dick).

Titans/JLA and The Titans (1999) issues 1-25

The Titans are now known I think for not being a very proactive hero group. Books struggle with balancing team dynamics versus plot, and this one is no exception. I know people don’t want to touch Devin Grayson’s stuff with a barge pole. My justification for this is flimsy I accept that, however, the JLA/Titans comic was the very first comic I read when I was like six or seven. I was rummaging through my brother’s room as a nosy kid does and this was at the top of his pile. Thank god for the little info boxes as each Titan was captured/referenced. I fell in love with Kory, I fell in love with Dick, I fell in love with Donna (oh Donna…) and then I tumbled down a hole and pretended I hadn’t until about six years ago. So that’s nice. So yes, this one is one hundred percent nostalgia based. 

But honestly, Linkara did a retrospective on this event comic and series years ago, and his reasons for loving it are the same as mine really, so go watch those if you have like five hours to kill. When Devin leaves the comic remains strong for just a moment then... absolutely plummets off a cliff. So I really wouldn’t bother with the second half of the series but hey. You do you.

Teen Titans/Outsiders: The Insiders

More Geoff John’s explosions. My first comic that got bought for me. My brother walked in to the shop and said: “I need a comic for my sister where Starfire gets a good showing” and the men went… ah yes.

Eleven-year old me was like EXPLOSIONSSSSS but also was intrigued by Kory and Dick’s bedtime convos (perhaps…I was a bit under the age bracket for this book - Kory gets a good showing huh?) but uh. Anyway. Also this is when I was thoroughly enamoured with Roy. This crossover is typical Winnick and John’s angsty angst with overly poetic narration and tropey tropes which, combined with what came before and what was to come for the Outsiders, can make both series such a slog to get through, but in isolation, I think it’s a real fun crossover which gave everyone a bit of time to shine and some real fan-ficcy moments (very self-indulgent, and I love that in a comic).

Teen Titans: Year One

I love Amy Wolfram and I love Karl Kerschel. It’s a good intro to those five characters with cute stories. Does exactly what it says on the tin. Batman is demonstrably a major prick in this, even after de-brainwashing, so it’s obviously going with the ‘Dick is only half as functioning as he is thanks to Roy, Wally, Garth and Donna’, which I can get behind 100% depending on what story they are trying to tell, but it’s just… it’s still sad to read. I just think the art is brilliant at giving each of the five very clear characteristics just from their body language, and you know immediately what each character dynamic is like with another.

Batman Hush

The other Loeb story. Again, it has what I like in a Batman story. A mystery, the family, appearances of villains, flashbacks and brooding, fighting, Jim Lee’s Nightwing being hunky… Ahem. It’s a fun read I think. Also, I really like Loeb’s Bruce? I don’t think people talk about it much. But he’s really chatty in his own head. And he’s witty and dry and funny. I like that! Also, Babs is such a backbone of this story. I adore that. She’s treated well here, I think.

Black Mirror

I flipping love this arc. I love it. I love the two contrasting but deeply disturbing in different manner art styles, I love the mystery, I love Babs role in the story, I love Tim’s little appearances and the banter with Dick, I love the weird villains and the terrifying ones, and how you think one is one of the two only to be revealed to be the other or both. I love Dick’s investigation and how he goes about it differently to Bruce. I love Dick’s relationship with Jim, I love the flipping reference to the vultures and owls seemingly following Dick (a whole reboot before Snyder got to tell that story), I love the monologue about how James thinks Dick is weird and weak for his compassion and love, when really that’s his greatest strength, I love Jim wanting so hard to believe James is trying against Babs’s cynicism, but also does try to get an unbiased opinion of someone who is proven good at reading people (Dick) and does what he needs to when his son is actively harming people, I love that ambiguous ending and the questionable science, I even love the Joker’s one (1) scene with Dick. I love this line,

I love Snyder at his best. When he’s good…mwah. Great.

…And yeah. That’s my story.

[red-i-mean-blue]

A:TLA romantic ships part 1

yes, no one asked for my opinions, yes I will give them anyway, yes because I have decided making a bunch of meaningless decisions and arguing for them will improve my mental state, yes I watched the show all in one very sleep deprived go and i’m not interested in rewatching it so yes I have absolutely no sources, yes this is a really long grammatical nightmare because I don’ t know how to be succinct and i use way more words than necessary at any opportunity because if my point doesn’ t come across exactly like i intend it will greatly upset me, no I have not yet watched Korra or read the comics because i’m tired now let’s do this.

includes Kataang, Zutara, Jetkara, Jinko, Maiko, Sukka, Taang, Tokka, Toko Ty Lokka, Tyzula, Yukka bc these were on the Avatar wiki ship list, part two will go into gay ships more

from 0 I despise people who ship this immediately to 10 I will read absolutely anything with this, I love it and could draw it for hours on how much I think the relationship would be good and how happy it makes me

Kataang (looks like a comic book sound effect so plus points)

very clearly built up over the series

cute kid crushes also ngl did not know katara was 14 and not older 12 or 13 so didn’t care about age when watching

now I know she’s 14 and he’s 12 it’s a little weird but still

haters say katara was just the avatar’s trophy girl, as if aang didnt kiss the ground she walked on and wouldnt stop telling anyone how amazing she is. Katara was the first face he saw from the new world and they immediately became friends. she was so excited to meet another bender, he clearly is trying to impress her and it is working, he listens to her about bending and offers to take her to the other side of the world to master water, TELL ME at this moment she is not ride or die and she doesn’t even know he’s the avatar, he lets her feel like a kid again, which is a feeling she’s forgotten after years of being a mother to sokka and the children. he literally sweeps her off her feet to save her from the fire nations ship i-. rewatched boy in the iceberg and hoo boy had canon not messed it up, this ship could have been legendary

hard to imagine older them working out what with the whole last airbender, preserve air nomad culture, let’s travel the world bc nomadic lifestyle, what’s marriage i’m a monk without biological family values vs last southern waterbender, preserve southern water tribe culture, I believe in the power of family and am ridiculously dedicated to my tribe,  let me go home to my father and tribe shtick, but I don’t care for after the show finishes much except for following the gang fix the world so I don’t really care about the marriage issue

canon was good until that Mess in season 3, WHY did he kiss her after that speech, wish they talked that out properly, wish he learned letting go of her to open the 7th chakra was the only right decision, wish the ending was a little more vague in ships and just left things open but yk whatever

that finale kiss was sweet, they hugged foremost as friends, no blushing, and then got the fuzzies, that moment standing alone? a+ but without any talking about what happened on ember island, a little unsatisfying

overall, fine ship, not my favourite nor do I actively ship it, but I see a kataang moment, i’m like, sweet so I give it a 6

Zutara (apparently fans are zutarians which looks like an alien race, plus points)

latter half of the show had quite a lot of Zutara potential, but idk about Zutara actual

katara was so ready to drop his ass, no way at the start

there is only one dynamic between them in which I can see Zutara working and that is as in the Stalking Zuko by emletish series where katara is so distrusting over zuko she takes to stalking him to make sure he isn’t doing anything to hurt Aang or about to betray them (her) again but he is just such a sweet dork who keeps trying to apologise to her even while she’s apologising to him for being a bitch that she can’t help but start to trust him, i’m a third into the third book in the series not stalking firelord zuko and I am thriving and tbh this is the only situation where I accept zutara, read the series I love it

age gap is weird, I know it’s the same difference between kataang but they made a point of zuko being older in the show also he’s so much taller and I don’t like 16 year old boys with 14 year old girlfriends in real life and so would katara because jet

katara has a bad experience with bad boy sword weilders (jet) but I guess you could see it as the start of her type idk

they are both the moms of the Gaang. sokka is the fun dad.

there is a parallel between their families, with the leader of their people dad, mom who left the picture when they were young, an older brother who is not a prodigy at/can’ t bend their respective element so they become proficient at swords instead, prodigy at bending younger sister with a violent streak. this is why I see zutara as potentially a really close friendship, almost siblings, but not a romance because to me katara is a little too like azula for comfort...

tbh I think a lot of folk shipped it because ooh fire boy and water girl (not the game) that’ s perfect, and bam army of zutarians

overall, kind of weird but ok and good grounds for humour so I give it a 4

Jetkara (bad ship name, why would you like this, minus points)

Jet is bad. yes Katara really liked him, yes he was definitely her first kiss and she would definitely consider him her first boyfriend but they would not define it because it’s easier to manipulate someone when it’s unclear what your relationship is and Jet is bad, with his weird fricking eyebrows and not even real swords those hook swords

Not wasting my time, 2

Jinko (cool name, reminds me of Hong Jinkyung, plus points) 

short but so sweet. not the first thing people remember from watching the tales of ba sing se (brb going to rewatch and cry) but really cute, so here’s a running commentary

his first thought was she knew they were fire nation rather than a pretty girl sat in a teashop giving him looks because she had a crush omg

that honest surprise when his uncle suggested she liked her and then she walked up and asked him on a date, adorable

anyone who looked at that god-awful hairstyle and still thought he looked cute has it bad also aww that hair ruffle and the little grab onto his arm

he’s pushing his food around and she’s trying out ice breaker questions and recieving one word responses he has no idea what he’s doing

“she is not my GIRLFRIEND” he’s not over Mai, clearly but he still is trying his best to be a good date even if he’s terrible at making conversation

anyone who sat through that date and the bad lying and the stilted conversation and still thought he was cute has it bad 

he is So Bad At Lying he just told the truth very vaguely and then bam travelling circus

jin so knows the two are fire nation, the whole date she just politely ignores the clear lies and doesn’t react to the obvious firebending, what an icon we love jin

honestly I was really expecting the show to reveal that jin knew he was a firebender if not from the start then from the lights but eh I guess she can keep a secret, good for her

HE KISSED HER BACK BEFORE REALISING A RELATIONSHIP COULD NEVER GO WELL AND HE MAY HAVE ANGSTILY STORMED OFF BUT HE ADMITTED IT WAS A NICE TIME TO HIS UNCLE

that being said I can’t see anything more happening but this date but omg imagine fire lord zuko coming back to visit and they become friends I-

overwhelming support for pre-date jin flirting to an oblivious zuko and the date Jinko, 8

Maiko (name would be a good name for a cat idk why)

childhood sweethearts before the banishment i think

she crushed because he saved her hair from getting burnt by tackling her into a fountain? adorable

I love mai she’s so funny but I think not the best match for zuko? he has a lot of trauma to get over and she doesn’t seem like the let all your feelings out and let’s talk about it until you feel better kind of person.  it was deeply ingrained in her to keep all of her feelings and emotions strongly hidden because she got what she wanted from her politician parents so long as she was quiet, well-mannered, and perfectly behaved according to avatar wiki so I get why she’s that way, until I was 11 I was that way too all the time, I understand freezing your face so you don’t look afraid or upset or angry and risk annoying adults, but I don’t think that that would fit zuko with his social ineptness

they literally broke up twice but are just assumed back together? she just surprised him and said they were back together and I think he forgot she existed

the deadpan firelady and the fire lord would be hilarious together tho she got the ruthlessness he lacks

post coronation I can see it happening, 6 but under Kataang

Sukka (terrible name lmao)

the cutest, sokka very excitedly says “Suki!! :DDD” every time he sees her

she didn’t give him the time of day until HE changed, incredible

just the best canon ship, the two nonbenders in the Gaang but very clearly shown to be important key members.

suki is sneaky and badass, rivalling zuko for position on the team as the sneaky badass one (they tie and bond over being sneaky and badass)

sokka is a great dad, he is the dad of the Gaang and he clearly loves suki and suki loves him back

sokka ships are ELITE, 9

Taang (a delicious orange drink mix that reminds me of home, nostalgia)

foreshadowing from the swamp where someone aang loved in the future really made me think taang was endgame yk

opposite elements ideology that I guess is what zutarians like also leaves everyone in the gang dating a Gaang member if zutara happens

actually the same age but not much else going for it

best friends, 4 but under Zutara

Tokka (great name of a small pet fight me)

sokka ships are elite, childhood crush turned adult strong friendship

I really like seeing the rough, tough, greatest earthbender in  the world have a crush, adorable

sokka is a great friend and his and toph’s canon relationship is so sweet, I wouldn’t change it

toph was fully going to give sokka a kiss on the cheek for saving her life i’m melting

age difference is too weird for a romance he’s like 16 or 17 by the end I think and she’s 12

best friends, 10 as a relationship in the show, 2, but in their 20s after the show... 4 but under Taang

Toko (very forgettable name but both characters have 4 letters so I guess it’s hard to come up with something memorable but every time I read it as Toph because same shape ish so minus points for being annoying)

even weirder age gap than Tokka 

not many moments that could be considered romantic? 

toph first accepted zuko despite him burning her feet, how she sees, which was big and they resolved problems between them quickly

toph clinging to his arm and asking for a life changing field trip caused him to blush, but I see that as him being like oh someone wants to spend time with me?? she’s hugging me??? what is this 

convenient ship for kataangers because the Gaang could be paired off as Kataang, Sukka, Toko

her crush on sokka seemed to go away or calm down when he showed up and she punched him and teased him a lot, her way of bonding

similar strict teaching styles and bonding over secret identities as Blue Spirit and Blind Bandit and parental issues and being the children of important families who made them run away to enjoy not having anything to do with politics and being nobility with impaired vision who have never stepped into a kitchen in their lives and being used to servants and then being on the run

I really see them as siblings with her helping him relax from his duties as fire lord because you already know this boy’s sense of honour is going to make him work tirelessly to fix the world and him helping her relax from the whole i’m not a fragile, weak little blind girl, i’m the greatest earthbender in the world shtick and reminding her she can be both a blind 12 year old girl and the most powerful earthbender in the world, she can accept help without being weak or lesser than anyone, people want to help because they care not that they pity you

best friends 10, relationship in show 1, after show 3

Ty Lokka (I don’t like this name looks like a place but can think of nothing better)

yeah I guess ty lee’s obvious flirting is grounds for a ship but in every interaction he’s involved with someone else and doesn’t seem to like her as a person

do they even interact while on the same side?

friendly aquaintances at best, don’ t understand, 2 but above Jetkara

Tyzula (don’t like this name, like a mineral water?)

canon I don’t care it is canonically a possessive relationship

azula’s only genuine apology goes to ty lee after hurting her feelings

Azula clearly loves ty lee, her betrayal sends her mad

after a lot of therapy for azula and apologies, maybe a healthy relationship could form after the show, 8 above Jinko

Yukka (looks like a childish insult, surely someone could have thought of a better name)

Sokka’s love for Yue stays with him for the rest of his life, she was the first person to die in front of him and he sees the moon as her facing the earth

love this forbidden lovers content, sokka ships stay elite

Sokka and Yue spend as much time together as possible with secret midnight dates flirting (“you wanna do an...activity together?”)  Sokka’s reaction to Yue’s engagement shows that he wants to have a serious relationship with her, and also he thinks Hahn is a bad person for Yue, which he is. 

Yue dying devastated him and he never falls out of love with Yue. her last words “[she] will always be with him” are true. swamp visions show Yue as one of the most important people in his life like a season or so after he last saw her. he wouldn’t kiss suki in front of the moon, and cries when Yue appears on stage, ignoring Suki. he talks about the moon as if it is directly Princess Yue in that cactus juice scene.

she died in his arms oh my god don’t look i crying, he feels personally responsible and guilty

yue was great even though she was the indigenous or black girl with light hair and eyes character and I wish she could have helped aang in the spirit world 

despite her arranged engagement she clearly really likes sokka even though she knows nothing can happen, 9

Kataang, Zutara, Jetkara, Jinko, Maiko, Sukka, Taang, Tokka, Toko, Ty Lokka, Tyzula, Yukka