#have i ever mentioned how excited for that particular episode i am as well

[5hrignold]

glep being like thousands of years old has me wondering if that’s a critter thing like they either can be immortal or live to an absurd amount of time like that or it’s just a glep thing like it would be the case for him regardless of species

[adarkroomandawallflower]

I remember in one episode Data mentions he created a subroutine to teach others how to dance after Beverley taught him how to do it. Do you think he'd ever try it on his partner and how it'd play out?

Ooooooh I think Data was dying to test out the subroutine with someone (and it's a crime that we didn't get to see him do so)! He seemed super excited about it when he mentioned it to Wesley in the episode you're referring to, so I think he would love to try it out with somebody, regardless of whether they were his partner or not. However, since you asked about his partner specifically, I will honor that query.

Below the cut are some headcanons of how I think Data teaching his partner to dance would pan out. I'm so sorry for the delay in getting this posted, but thanks so much for the ask, & I hope you enjoy!

If Data's partner mentioned wanting to learn how to dance, he would immediately bring up his subroutine and ask them if they'd be interested in testing it out with him

Personally, I could never tell him "no" about anything he wants to try or do, & I'm sure his partner would be the same way. So, they'd say yes, and he'd be so eager and pleased

Bonus points if his partner asked him themselves (that would make him extra happy, since they asked of their own accord rather than him offering it to them)

I think the actual lesson(s) would go pretty similarly to how Beverly's lessons were: he'd have a holodeck program of a dance room (or whatever venue his partner desired or deemed most appropriate), & have his partner dance with him

But first, he'd probably give a very detailed lesson about dancing. He'd go through all kinds of aspects of dancing in his lessons: its history, the different genres/types, the appropriate music...you name it, he goes over it!

If his partner wanted to learn a particular form or genre of dance, then he'd go off about that specific one in extra detail

Once he's finished sharing all of his background knowledge with them, he'd then start the actual dancing

Unlike his lesson with Beverly, he knows that he needs to go through each step one at a time, rather than show his partner the final moves all at once, and allow them sufficient time to practice the moves they learned

If his partner is a fast learner and picks up the moves fairly quickly, he's so proud!

"Hm! You appear to be quite adept at dancing. I believe you would be considered a natural."

However, if his partner has two left feet, they need not worry; he's very patient, and would be honest but encouraging!

"It appears you are not replicating the moves accurately. Additionally, you appear to be demonstrating difficulty with some of the steps. Is there anything I can do to reduce your difficulties?"

If they start getting frustrated, he makes sure to pause for a moment and calm them down

"It's no use, Data; I just can't get it right..."

"Do not despair; I am positive that you will be able to learn how to dance. You simply require more lessons and time, and that is nothing upsetting nor abnormal because all humans require additional lessons and time for nearly every new endeavor they pursue."

"You're right...can we try that last move again?"

"Certainly."

Regardless of how good of a dancer or how well his partner is responding to his lesson, I think Data would still recommend they complete more lessons and practice with him more

The extra lessons would continue in the same way as the first: his partner would meet up with him on the holodeck, and he'd teach them the next set of moves and steps

The extra practice would be a little different, though

Depending on the type of dance his partner is learning, he'd recommend for them to either participate in dance-related events happening on the Enterprise (i.e. a dance recital with other dancers) or to attend gatherings that would allow for that specific dance to be performed (i.e. a wedding ceremony)

For the former instance, he might encourage them to join a dancing group on the ship that performed the specific genre of dance they're learning

This would likely involve an audition, which Data would also help them prepare for

When they get accepted into the group, both them and Data are ecstatic!

"I did it, Data! I got in!!"

"Although I was well aware that your skills were satisfactory enough to warrant your acceptance into the group, and I reminded you of this fact 27 times before your audition, I believe a 'congratulations' is still in order. Congratulations on your admittance into the dance group."

"And a 'thank you' is in order for you. Thank you so much; I couldn't have done it without you!"

"There was still the possibility of you gaining acceptance into this group without my assistance...however, that possibility was significantly smaller."

"Although I was well aware that receiving dancing lessons from you would increase the possibility of me getting into this group, and I just reminded you of this fact, I believe a kiss of gratitude is still in order." *cue his partner pressing a soft kiss to his cheek*

*Cue Data raising his eyebrows and his lips curving just slightly upwards into that adorable little smile* "Hm!"

Data would attend all of his partner's dance recitals and performances, always sitting in the seat that he calculated provided the best view of his partner

His partner's dance groupmates would love to tease them about this, and they even replicate a little gold "Reserved for Lt. Commander Data" placard that they put on his regularly chosen chair

Data adores it (as does his partner, but they would never admit that to their dance groupmates)

Data would always have a bouquet of flowers with him (picked fresh from the Arboretum, with Keiko's permission) that he'd give to his partner, when he sought them backstage after the performance was finished

His partner would always take one flower out of the bouquet, place it behind his ear, give his nose a little kiss, and thank him for coming (and for the flowers)

If the type of dance his partner wanted to learn wasn't one that had a dance group or club onboard, but would ultimately be utilized for a big, important event (i.e. slow dancing at a best friend's wedding), then he'd try to attend smaller events with them that would provide sufficient practice

These smaller events would include things like dancing together in a restaurant while the two of them were on Shore Leave, dancing together while chaperoning a school dance, and/or dancing together at a small party

Whichever events they choose, Data always makes a point to comment on their improvement after each event

"Your balance and posture were much improved tonight. If you continue to improve at the rate at which you are currently, I believe you will be ready to dance at your best friend's wedding."

"You really think so?"

"I do."

"Aww, well thank you, Data."

"You are welcome."

Once the big event arrives, his partner would get super nervous, but Data would reassure them that they're ready and will do well!

At the end of the event, when people come up to Data and his partner to comment on how well and "adorable" their dancing was, both Data and his partner would exchanged pleased smiles

And if they ask where or how the two of them learned to dance so well, he would go off on an infodump about how he learned to dance and then taught his partner (much to the chagrin of whoever asked him)

The person or people who asked Data how him and his partner learned to dance so well may regret vocalizing that question, but his partner would just smile, and give him the biggest heart-eyes as they intently listened and watched him explain the entire process in grave detail

[clairedaring]

[Series Review] Trillion Game (2023) - an exhilaring fun ride from start to finish

I watched like four Japanese series in 2023 so I'm not sure I'm qualified to rank anything but for me personally, Trillion Game is the BEST Japanese series of 2023. The story and solutions felt cheesy at times but pacing, acting/cast, music, rewatch value. 10/10. I am so happy I decided on a whim to watch this after being in a slump of not being able to truly enjoy any series after I finished another drama which I considered my favorite series of 2023.

STORY

We follow Haru (Meguro Ren), an extremely charming communicator and Gaku (Sano Hayato), a brilliant IT engineer as they encounter obstacles on their start-up journey together. It is VERY fast paced drama with each episode following a certain formula that you'll figure out by the second episode. For the majority of the series, each episode starts with present Gaku, CEO of Trillion Game, reminiscing his and Haru's past adventures in the early days of their start-up business. While each episodes may seem formulaic, the stories are never boring and I found myself binging everything from start to finish, not being able to stop for a second. We've seen the unhinged genius x sane down-to-earth duo a bazillion times before but I think what makes this particular story so charming is the characterization of Haru who is self-proclaimed "the most selfish man in the world" but all his actions are completely contradictory, always self-less and putting everyone's needs above his. I love Haru so much. I don't know what they laced in the series but I am down bad for Tennoji Haru and I get why Princess Kiri wants Haru so bad as well, like same here sis.

ACTING/CAST

Meguro Ren and Imada Mio are just the most enigmatic actors, truly powerhouses. From edits on Youtube on Tiktok, you'd think these two have a lot of screen time together but they DON'T. Regardless, even when acting separately, they are bringing everything to the table and when they get scenes together, the chemistry is CHEMISTRYING. The sizzling tension between Haru and Princess Kiri are just top-notch. Sano Hayato and Fukumoto Riko are also just the most adorable nerds as Gaku and Rinrin. I love our four main leads so damn much. There's this one scene from Episode 2 where the first thing Haru does after receiving their initial 30 million yen investment is to bath in money and I remember thinking this is so nonsensical but at the same time found myself with the stupidest grin on my face watching Haru pushing Gaku out of his comfort zone to do all these insane things with him. I LOVE THEM. Meguro Ren is truly an enigmatic powerhouse in this one. I have only seen Meme in like three other dramas but Haru is definitely my top favorite Meguro Ren role ever.

MUSIC

The score is so energetic and fun. I love the main theme song of the series which is Dangerholic by Snow Man. The song is SAUR good I haven't skipped single outtro of any episode just to listen to this song. I watched a lot of series this year but Dangerholic is probably taking the crown as my favorite OST of 2023 in this very last minute race. As previously mentioned , Trillon Game has very exciting and energizing score and I'd argue that many business/office scenes are hard-carried by the score and excellent editing.

REWATCH VALUE

This series get a 100000000 for rewatch value because I just finished it and I'm already considering for another rewatch just because of how much fun I had watching it. But also because each episodes are so self-contained, Trillion Game will be fairly easy to rewatch any random episode in this series because you don't really need to the past episode to enjoy one, a recap at the beginning of each episode will do just fine. The tension between Haru and Princess Kiri is so insane even though there's no explicit romance going on. I think I need to rewatch it just for THEM.

PRODUCTION

This was definitely a low budget drama but TBS definitely made do with what they got. I understand if Princess Kiri's wardrobe alone was where most budget was allocated to. Like deserved! Trillion Game's strength lies more in the acting and story department so I wouldn't say this was a high value production but I will say I love all the rooftop scenes between Haru and Gaku. Those rooftop conversation scenes between them are just beautiful and heart-warming.

OVERALL

I love Haru with my entire heart. WATCH TRILLION GAME FOR HARU PLEASE.

[mischas]

i'm 35 and the oc has been my entire life as a teenager/young adult and i love this show so much. i was wondering when you became a fan and what does your life look like now? do you still rewatch it a lot? what are your least favorite plotlines in s1-s4? i love hearing your thoughts. take care :)

Hi! You're very sweet, thank you! So just as a heads up my answers here are going to veer into the negative because I'm in a super negative space with the show as of late and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I apologize in advance for the soapbox. (and I mean really really negative)

For starters, I never watch the final season. I barely even watch s3, and haven't seen a complete s3 episode in a while. Certain scenes, though, yes and on a loop. Though not lately. But the final season doesn't exist to me because I find it repulsive and a stain on the entire show before it, even the horrendous third season. I often wish I could be like Adam Brody and separate the show into 's1 vs the other bullshit'. Believe me, I'm trying. Though I'd say splitting the show in half is best since you get to end on the shooting. S1 is on another level entirely and it wasn't until CHD that I understood why (for the most part). And that's a really terrible realization the more I think about it.

I'm almost 30 and I started watching when I was about 16 in high school. My life now is... not very exciting, lol. I work too much. Sometimes I don't work enough. I struggle with mental health (as evidenced by how seriously I take this stuff). I got into this show maybe a year or two after it had been off the air and Tumblr (and FanForum) was a super fun place to be at that time (2009/2010ish). The remaining Marissa fandom in particular was just cozy and sweet. We saw ourselves in her, had head canons, made fan art, discussed what she'd be up to, etc. I obviously wasn't part of the OG Marissa/Mischa fandom so I was pretty unaware of the shit they dealt with. On Tumblr we just celebrated her and it meant a lot to me.

For years, I, like many, thought Mischa chose to leave on her own. I could semi-stomach 325 as an arc, while still refusing to watch the next season in rewatches. This is the 2010s when JS was yelling "Tragedy was in her DNA" etc. But ever since MB started talking more about her experiences in 2021, and the podcast talking around her and Marissa forever, not to mention their shitty responses to her claims of bullying by men in power, I have been on a downward trajectory with it. The book is giving us maybe 10% of what really happened on that set. Mischa has been carrying the secret of her first relationship on her shoulders for 20 years, one that went on for months when she was 17 years old, and they all well fucking know that. I am in genuine disbelief at how they treated her then and how they treat her now. This isn't a fictional character. This is a real fucking person they keep screwing over!

But that does bring me to my next point which is that this show was unbelievably influenced by irl dynamics and I think that is disgusting. It's not just stealing Death Cab away from Adam (though I have my own thoughts on all that). There's a reason Ryan never pines for Marissa in the same way she pines for him in s2. Why he pretends she doesn't exist when he isn't dating her (from s2 on). There's an extremely charged energy to the way he verbally abuses her in 209. Like... this happened to MB at just 18. And look at how they modeled Volchok after Cisco and how they made MB pretend to do coke on camera when they knew full well she had a sober coach on set. Like, I know enough to put me off the show forever, but I am unfortunately endlessly fascinated by it. I'm sorry that I can't take the show at face value anymore, because it did and does still mean a great deal to me. But they thought they were in the clear 20 years later to only partially air their dirty laundry without much pushback and MB had the guts to say "well hold on" and be a thousand times more graceful doing so than I ever would. And we still don't know even a fraction of everything else that went down to this very real teenage girl they used and abused. Not to mention how JS/SS abruptly fired her and didn't even have the balls to tell her to her face. Her father told Josh's ass to stay away from the 325 set and he DID. Christ alive, this man should never work again.

I don't feel great about going all guns blazing here but I'm very tired and I get very little joy from the show right now. And I'm sorry that this is definitely not the response you were probably hoping for. To be clear, I want to enjoy the show. It means more to me than any other, probably. It's why I've been on this website since I was a teenager. But many aspects of it have been ruined for me and idk if there's a way back. How they purport themselves to be a family show still to this day when they treated the girl that they pursued for the job (at 16!) like shit is egregious. I will never be over it.

Sigh

To answer your actual questions, my least favorite plotlines (from s1-s3) are:

Johnny

Jimmy leaving in 207

Dean Hess

DJ

Julie/Luke

Lindsay/Caleb/Ryan

Charlotte

Hospital/Newport Group

Seth/pot (on paper this sounds wonderful but in execution it is as lifeless as the second half of the entire show)

Oliver (for good measure, officially when they jump the shark; he drives me crazy but TH does such a good job playing him that I'm ok with it until all of its aftermath is unfairly put on Marissa)

[13leaguestories]

OH SHIT wait WAIT *rearranges birthday speech notes* goddamn it I didn't know exactly when your birthday was so I didn't know when to send this, omg sorry I was freaking out over this and still missed it but here it goes anyway 😂

happy birthday Tierra!! I've been reading everything you put out since Dragon Racer days, and though Superstition is my favourite, it's probably just my personal preference for more serious and sober writings, and bc we have a lot of stuff from that one specific IF out already so I feel like I can sink my teeth into it, but that doesn't mean I haven't read literally every other IF of yours and even your patreon stuff when I occasionally can support you, and they all stick with me for different reasons!

anyway, I'm just here to wish you an amazing day/week/month, and hoping you feel better soon, bc in your monthly forecasts you told us you've been having a tough time with your writing lately... well, you should know many of us genuinely care bc you're an actual talented and proficient writer, not to mention a fun and kind person - I love reading through the actually interesting and insightful asks you get sometimes, and I die with the unhinged funny ones and how you understand where some of us are coming from in our unhingedness that ain't a word OH and I admire the patience you have with some people asking the same stuff you've already answered thousands of times before bc I could NEVER 😂 and even when you burn some rude people too for being way too comfortable with their asks 🤣 love that

like, I'm just thankful for your hard work, you have no idea how happy your writing makes many of us - as one of the most beautiful forms of art, for me, the main objective of writing is to take the reader somewhere else entirely, like, just grab them and pull them away from real life, bc sometimes life can suck, and even if it doesn't, the feeling of living other lives, being someone else, somewhere else, it's just amazing and unique to experience... and you do all of that amazingly well?

let's take Superstition as an example but this applies to all of your works: how many times have I laughed, or cried or gone feral while reading it? genuinely excited? it doesn't feel like I'm reading through a story on some fictional land far away from our own (even when sometimes it is), or about a character far removed from here, it feels like me, like I am literally there instead? when my character has to fight, or help, or argue, push, or hug, or love, or hate any of the others, or when they cry, or get hurt, or reunite, or get head over heels... that's me, not Roe, (or the Apprentice, or Phoenix, etc) right there, going through it? so it feels kinda personal? like, sometimes it's even hard to come back to my own reality, but not because it's boring/sucks, but because I was just enjoying being there in that book/IF, in that particular storyline, and having so much fun I feel like I could actually live there for some time and enjoy every second of that adventure I was participating in... it's refreshing, and it feels like wandering through fantasy, and that's extremely amazing, and very hard to accomplish I would think, because not every IF or even traditional writing captures that? so yeah, just wanted to say thank you, I guess? 😂 don't ever forget your writing literally brightens many of our days - like how whenever a new episode of Superstition comes out it's always like a holiday for me 😂

so hey take your time and don't stress over it bc art takes time, and it always has to run its course, sometimes it feels like it has a mind of its own - I know that bc I write too and it can be overwhelming... so take care of your mind so it can do its thing, and also don't forget that all of us have stayed here for this long and enjoy your writing because it truly is a special little part of our days, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!😂🥳🎉

Thank you so much! And it's understandable I only said the month lol. But thank you so much and thank you for taking the time to write and send this in. Ugh, cheeks, be calm. This was so sweet of you and so motivating as well. Ugh, nope, I can't. I refuse to get emotional while eating a bagel. Damn you!

But again, thank you so much, I don't think thank you really encapsulates how grateful I am.

[rays-of-fire-and-ice]

BLEACH: The Thousand Year Blood War Ep 4 Reactions and Thoughts

Overall reaction:

And so the pain begins and the hype continues! We have fantastic fighting sequences and heartbreaking moments abound. I was hyped one minute, and then crying the next. It's episodes like this that show why this arc needed an anime, and what great additions an anime adaption can bring. More down below!

Highlights:

Rose's moment: a small moment, but I really liked it. His somber moment of worrying for Kira, saying hwo he's a muse to him, and how he's basically pissed off enough that he's basically going to cut down any and all Quincy who 'don't understand art' (*cough* really it's for Izuru's sake *cough*)...I don't know, I really liked it! XD

The Captain and Lieutenant vs Quincy confrontations: each one has it's strengths and were all basically 10/10. From the smooth animation when Sui-Feng was dodging attacks, to Bambietta's seiyu being perfect for her, to the amazing music for every fight, these were a delight (albeit with some heartbreak) to watch. I love that the anime team did what we hoped they would do: extend the fight scenes and show some teamwork between the captain-lieutenant duos. However, there are elements in particular that deserve their own mention:

As Nodt's entrance: by God they actually did it; they made As Nodt's ability more scary (and just in time for Halloween too!). I am absolutely not saying he and his ability weren't scary in the manga, but the anime has the advantage of including not only incredible visuals, but also voices, music, and sounds. When I saw all the floating Shinigami and heard that one guy scream after being impaled, I knew the anime had given As Nodt a fantastic entrance. And this guy doesn't utter a whole word for the entire episode...and he still makes an impact!

Byakuya and Renji vs As Nodt: SO. MUCH. GOOD. STUFF. HERE! Right off the bat, Renji's entrance was awesome (just as good as in the manga), and then you have Byakuya, who can never ever make a bad entrance. Senbonzakura cutting into As Nodt's hand was a clean bit of animation, there was a palpable moment of impact when As Nodt bled. I have never been a fan of Mask de Masculine, and this episode may have not changed my mind, but it did make me happy when Byakuya sent him through the ground, a nice little comedic but before the pain begins. Then there was the fantastic addition of Renji and Byakuya's team work (more on this below) as well as Senbonzakura's bankai look the absolute best it ever has on screen (Expect for when it was first shown, perhaps). Byakua's reaction to losing his bankai makes me very excited (and scared) for the continuation of his battle against As Nodt next week. Renji and Byakuya teamwork: THIS was a fantastic addition and shows the benefits of an anime adaption. I give you what is so far one of the best filler/additional scenes in the anime. When was the last time Renji and Byakuya worked together to try and take down an opponent? Have we even ever seen them do teamwork?! It's only a short moment, and we already know what the outcome of the fight will be, but it's small moments like this add the sadness but also show the character dynamics - for instance, Toshiro and Rangiku get a teamwork moment later against Bazz-B, and in a previous arc we got Sui Feng and Omaeda doing their own version. We may not have gotten Byakuya's monologue (more on this below), but I am glad we got a moment like this.

Toshiro vs Cang Du: You know why I'm bringing this one up!! Aside from one of my fave characters appearing again (MY BOOOY!), this was the most emotional moment of the whole damn episode. I was tearing up the moment I saw Toshiro's bankai get stolen (as dazzling as it looked, it was also so gosh darn heartbreaking!). And then, came one of the moment I cried: when cried out for Hyourinmaru and fell to his knees in defeat. The heartbreak! THE HEARTBREAK! ;_; They did an amazing job with that whole scene, from the animation to the music to Romi Park's voice acting, absolutely 10/10!

Ichigo vs Quilge: again, they made this fight so much better. We have some beautiful bits of animation here, including Quilge's flying and Ichigo's attacks. I love how dynamic some of the shots are, in terms of character posing and colouring, it feels like something Kubo himself would draw in a panel.

The Gaganta: it looks goregous! I loved the colouring of it and how brightly coloured Ichigo was in contrast to against it.

I feel like the pacing slowed a little in this one, packing in less chapters than the previous episodes. There was definitely more 'filler', but it was the kind I think many of us expected and wanted. The music was, as always, top-tier in every scene; the song playing in the background when all the captain lost their bankai hit me hard!

Also I totally forgot how badly Chad and Orihime got injured by Quilge, it came as such a shock to me. Again, for the most part, they are not kidding around when it comes to the violence and gore. This includes showing all the casualties, who were slightly more absent in the manga.

Finally, I must admit it doesn't look like we'll be getting Byakuya's monologue. For me, this fight is where his cut monolgoeu about Chojiro could be organically integrated. However, after making his entrance and saying these were the being responsible for Chojiro's death, and then no flashback happened, I got worried. I hope they surprise us and have it appear next episode, because that honestly feels like the last chance they have to organically include it as a bit of fleshing out for his relationship with Renji. Who knows, maybe they could find a way to include it after the fight, and I really do hope it's not just been cut.

Well, I'll see you next for even more pain, including the continuation of Byakuya vs As Nodt (Fear, Hear, Fear is coming and I am NOT ready for Byakuya's greatest fear to be animated in all it's terrifying glory nor am I ready to see his near-death), the defeat of the captains and lieutenants get defeated, and Ichigo desperately try to get to the Soul Society while trapped and only able to hear everyone's pleas.

Manga readers know where this ultimately goes, doesn't stop the adaption of these next several chapters having some of BLEACH's darkest and saddest moments.

[paranoidpoltergeist]

Transformers: Cyberverse Review (2/2)

So I finally watched cyberverse and figured I'd kill two birds with one stone and do my review while I was at it instead of having to rewatch it later. This ended up being so much longer than I expected and I tried to look back over it to the best of my ability but I wrote these directly after finishing each season so at some very odd hours of the day if anything is worded weirdly sorry about that. Please keep in mind this is my opinion and you might not agree:) Season 3:

Lemme start this off by saying I was so excited to see G1-Esque Laserbeak again but the absolute BUTCHERING of my boy drifts character. I was so sad dude, let him have his redemption arc:( plus Hot Rod, Cheetor, and Shockwave dying?! Not even right. I also lied because episode 5 of this season is the most confusing thing I’ve ever seen. I am so completely lost. How is Hot Rod back? What is even happening? Is that squid thing a Quintessons? Two of which were partially answered. Next episode we find out what happened with Hot Rod and you’ll notice one great detail here that was missing from season 2 THEY EXPLAIN WHAT WAS GOING ON.

 So far the pacing feels a lot better even if the random time skip is a bit odd, BUT WIRL IS HERE AND HE’S GREAT. STUNTICONS well Stunticon, Dead End is great, I love his design even though I had no idea it was him at first. I don’t know if Hot Rod's voice actor had a cold or something while they were recording this but he was just constantly whispering and it made it so hard to take him seriously bc he’d be yelling somebodies name and it just sounded so flat. I didn’t think I’d like Perceptor at first but I ended up liking him a lot, Soundwave as always was great. I figure I’ll have a soft spot for this version for a long time, now if they’d just let him have all his cassettes back.

 As of episode 12, Skywarp has been name-dropped once, and while I think I know which one she is she hasn’t been introduced yet and I’m on my hands and knees absolutely begging rn PLEASE let us have Skywarp. SPOILER ALERT SHE NEVER SAYS ANYTHING. I am devastated, Skywarp has got to be one of my favorite characters so every time I hear his name mentioned anywhere near a show or movie I get straight giddy bc we see Skywarp less than TC which honestly is a feat so you can imagine how sad I was when after being name-dropped AS THE COMMANDER she doesn’t get a single voice line. Finally, get TC and Warp and have them ripped away. L. In other news, have I mentioned that Starscream’s upgrades are the goofiest yet? Because they are. Judge Starscream has got to be the single worst thing to come out of any piece of transformers media like ever.

 When I tell you I gasped when Megatron admitted he mistreated Starscream, never in a million years did I see that coming. I mean part of it is that Screamer got power-hungry, that his ambitions were too large, that he went a little crazy along the way, but part of it was that he was hurt. Does that excuse him deciding his entire world needed to be destroyed? No definitely not. I feel a character study coming along, but this isn’t the time or place so instead, I’LL TELL YOU HOW HYPED I WAS TO SEE ASTROTRAIN AND THE INSECTICONS. Hey, I’ll let you guess which faction is my favorite lol. The rest of this season is straight goofy and it’s mostly filler. Wild Wild Wheel, in particular, is one I want to touch on. It’s surprising how often the media does this but, as hurt as I know I’d be if I was left behind by my team I feel like you’d also have to realize well it’s war and casualties are in abundance. Someone goes missing and you usually have to assume they’re dead.  The last episode was a bit weird but it was alright. In the end, this season wasn't bad at all but I do wish they'd cut it off at episode 18 and said the rest was season 4 or something. 7/10

Season 4:

This season was weird and I loved it and hated it. The first episode was great but the second one dude I’m so sad. I wish Astrotrain had more screen time I feel like he could have been a super cool character but alas he’s the 207th Decepticon gone. They killed the entirety of high command I was clinging to Soundwave and they VAPORIZED HIM. The way he went out was so sick but man you could have let us have at least one. 

 Now to the actual review part. I loved the Dinobots it was a different take on their story and I liked it. Letting them be an actual combiner was cool but Soundblaster destroying literal planets over a beatbox competition is the funniest thing I’ve ever witnessed in my life. The story flowed pretty well honestly, though I almost immediately knew what they were doing when Tarn showed up. The look my mom gave when I screamed “IS THAT TARN?!” was great but I did NOT expect the Megatron bashing they had him do lol. It’s a little hard to compare this season with the others because it's so different but I liked it, it was enjoyable. 6.5/10

  

How my system works:

When I do these reviews I base them on a couple of things 1.) What made it different 2.) How enjoyable is it 3.) How’s the plot, pacing, character designs, etc? So while I might really like a character there’s still a chance I’ll dock points because they didn’t just create a new character altogether instead of just stealing a name.

What makes it different?

Most of the changes they made were good. I loved 90% of the design changes, I even really liked the way they used the plot and what we already know from the original story. As confusing as our initial time skip is, it's not hard to fill in the blanks with any other continuities time on earth. So we skip the stuff we already know and instead get new stuff, which kept me interested! However, this part could have been really hard to understand for new viewers. Their approach to the Quintessons was a tad weird but it worked so I’m not complaining. 7.5/10

How enjoyable is it?

It was pretty good. I liked it and despite them killing off half the characters I liked I never felt like throwing my phone down and not watching anymore. It kept me interested and for the most part, it wasn't way too easy to guess exactly what was gonna happen. The number of characters they’d name-drop just to never use physically hurt me and sometimes I’d get frustrated with how they used certain characters or how they set something up or their weird time skips but so I’d pause it, get up to grab some water or something and get right back to it. Which for me is pretty good. 6.5/10

How’s the plot?  

Despite the plotholes, the plot was good. They made it different but close enough I’d still be able to tell it's Transformers if they took away the name. Sometimes the way they won *cough* cybertroniansunitething *cough* was odd but all in all, it's fine. I thought the parade loop was creative and interesting to watch. The apocalypse part was honestly my favorite but I wish Hot Rod's frustration led to something. You win some you lose some ig. 6.5/10

How was the pacing?

The pacing was ok in most episodes. (I’m looking at you Sea of Tranquility) They managed to bring back the absolute mess I feared season 2 would be so I’m giving them points for that. Again the time skips can be weird but close to every episode BUT SEA OF TRANQUILITY THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE did a pretty good job closing up those gaps for us. 6/10

How were the character designs? 

I’ve already partially touched on this but it usually needs its own section so without further ado. Two-thirds of Starscream’s upgrades are the worst, most terrible horrifying things and I hate them with a burning passion. His original design however I liked and his voice actor did a great job. I liked almost everyone's designs until the Allspark got involved EXCEPT FOR JETFIRE whose design was just ok. I’m just kinda sad he wasn’t our gentle giant. That and he was really annoying, sorry anybody who liked him. 8/10 

 Overall: I think I have more conflicting feelings over this show than I do Micheal Bay's first TMNT movie, except its none of the low expectations or nostalgia and all mild confusion. This show is… weird, it was interesting and enjoyable despite Hasbro's never-ending fear of new characters. They took an old premise and made it new even if I can never forgive them for Judge Starscream, they kept the character designs reminiscent of G1 but still kept them fresh and I really liked it. I wish they used the Titans and Insecticons more or expanded on the multiverse part and it could have been interesting to see some of the other combiners. They might have had plans to use some of that before the show got canceled but we’ll never know. 

Overall score: 6/10

[lordkingsmith]

Hi buddy its been a while! How are you, how are things going and been working on anything in particular recently?

It has been a while! Apologies, may is always a Bad Month for me lol. But things are going fairly well! Been very busy, but it’s been good :)

I have been actually! Power Rangers fan series. Working on the scripts for the first few episodes. Working my way through the first episode, and giggling with everything I’m setting up for the rest of the series here. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Everything Big is going to be mentioned in the first two episodes.

Makes me super excited, one of them is that a guy hears about his future boyfriend, and the first thing he ever hears about him is he’s a thief. Future boyfriend isn’t thieving right now but pov character for this episode doesn’t know that yet.

The more I write the more I am getting excited about the series and what I’ve got in store. Thanks for asking 🥰🥰

[clonewarsarchives]

FINAL CUT! (#108, APR 2009)

A skilled editor with an impressive and highly diverse list of credits to his name, including CSI: Miami and Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Jason Tucker found himself working on the project of a lifetime when he was hired to piece together The Clone Wars. Words: Jonathan Wilkins

Star Wars Insider: How did you first come to hear about Star Wars: The Clone Wars project, and were you a fan?

Jason Tucker: Yes, I’m definitely a Star Wars fan, so I was very excited at the prospect of working on a Star Wars TV show.

I had a contact on a previous project I worked on called Looney Toons: Back in Action and he was helping producer Catherine Winder gather a crew for The Clone Wars, so he gave her my name. Catherine and Dave Filoni interviewed me one morning in L.A., it went very well, and here I am!

Do you think you need to be a Star Wars fan to work on the show?

It definitely helps to know certain aspects about Star Wars. As an editor, it’s very important to know its pacing and how the distinctive rhythm of Star Wars works.

Editing has been a very important part of telling a Star Wars story on screen. Is that something you have tried to recapture?

I would say that’s always on my mind in each show. On certain shows I like to capture the rhythm more of what you see in The Empire Strikes Back. Other shows I go for more of a Return of the Jedi style, and, of course, I emulate the style of the original Star Wars. It’s pretty much standard continuity editing and that to me is what we’re going for.

Dave Filoni mentioned he’d learned a lot working with George Lucas during the making of the show.

It’s been a real learning experience for me as well. I would say for both Dave and me, the first three to five episodes that we worked on were a learning curve. The editing style of George Lucas definitely comes through now. We’re off and running after having had that education.

Given George Lucas’ background as an editor, was it daunting taking on the title on the show?

I felt the weight of it potentially being daunting, but as we got into it, it was actually a very pleasurable experience to learn and to really get into the editing philosophy of what makes Star Wars. George was very amiable. He was very excited at the prospect of participating in the show and passing on his knowledge. I think he’s a natural teacher.

Were you ever advised to make things “faster and more intense”?

Yes, George said that a couple of times! I’ve learned from George how fast or slow a particular shot is relative to what’s around it and I think that’s a very important thing to know.

What do you think makes a good editor?

Whenever you’re editing you have to pay attention to details. You have to be the audience, because it’s really the last chance to change parts of the story. You have to pay attention to that inner voice as you scan the image and watch the initial rough cut, and you need to be able to pay attention to those certain little voices that hit you which say, “I don’t understand this, or I don’t understand that.” Acting on those voices is what makes a great editor. Sometimes you’re thinking, “Oh, well, that’s going to work!” That’s something that George wouldn’t let go, he would listen to that little voice and try to figure out what that means and why it doesn’t work, and that’s exactly what I aim to do every time I set out to edit the show.

Are there any other editing influences on the show?

Akira Kurosawa, for sure. The editing style of the show is basically the same style you’d get on a live-action show. All the same influences that are in the Star Wars movies are in the show as well. I would say that World War II movies are influences and Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan is definitely in there. What we’re doing is making these little features and miniature trilogies. The editing style obviously has to be slightly faster because we only have 22 minutes to tell the story, so we compress the rhythm and the pacing.

What’s the difference between editing live-action and animation?

Editing is about cutting and joining images together, and with live-action you’re handed a certain amount of what they call dailies and usually it’s anywhere from a 4:1 to a 10:1 ratio per shot. As an editor, the art and the craft is putting all the stuff together for your initial cut before you show it to the director. In live action you get a certain amount of time in order to do this, and the art is in choosing the takes and putting them in exactly the right spot, or whatever you deem is right. As far as animation editing goes, we’re pretty much creating everything inside the room. We have storyboards and layout, but basically we’re dealing with images that come in that are similar to dailies. My role is also like the role of a cameraman because I can choose to push in on a shot or pull out of it, speed it up or slow it down, blow it up or make it a close-up or a wide-angle shot. Those decisions that serve the story, the continuity, or the emotion of the scene can be replicated for another pass; you could never do that in live action. So I would say that the art, or the craft, of editing has expanded a bit in the animation realm.

Once you’ve got all the footage, how long does it take to edit an episode?

I think at one point I was juggling six episodes at once. On average I was working on about three. I would say it could take close to a month to six weeks to finish editing each episode. Six weeks in terms of just the story.

Do you work closely with each director?

Yes. I work with the episodic directors for a while. Then I’ll work with Dave for about a week, and then we’ll show it to George.

You must be pretty confident you’ve got it right at that point?

It’s basically your first cut that you’re showing. At the beginning, we were trying to secure the look of the show. Now each show has its own mind, with each one very different than the next.

Were there any episodes that were particularly challenging to work on?

Each one has its own challenges. I would say there hasn’t been one in particular that was more challenging than another.

Is there a big difference between how you go about editing an action-based scene compared to a character-based scene?

The point of editing is to make the transitions as invisible as possible. Accomplishing that becomes a little more problematic during an action sequence because you have to really look at the pacing. That’s where the craft is very similar to live action, because you’re dealing with similar issues in terms of telling the story. In a character scene you’re tied to dialogue. Dialogue-driven character pieces can be difficult as well because you’re constantly asking yourself, “Should you go in for this shot or should you stay back? Should you stay back in your wider shots or should you move the camera?” These are questions that I work with the directors to answer. At this stage in the editing room, we’re the audience, so we try to ask ourselves these questions. I consider myself an interpretive artist. I work with the director because I’m trying to fulfill their vision and get an idea of what they want. If a shot doesn’t work for you, just ask for something else: but with live-action you’d have to get all your crew together, and it would take an entire day to remount the shot.

Do you have a favorite episode?

I would say the Lair of Grievous is a great episode. I would say all the Ryloth episodes at the close of the season are some of my favorites. Trespass and Rookies are also great. I can’t really say there’s an episode that I don’t like!

[enhyupn]

enhypen as characters inspired by animes ᯤ 

tagging @youreverydayzebra @ncityy04 @rheyom

ot7!enhypen x gn!reader, fluff, warnings: mentions of (jokingly) dying, swear words, reader’s in a maid outfit in jay’s one but no mentions of a certain gender, word count: 3.3k

a/n most of these aren’t the same as the animes mentioned but instead just inspired or loosely inspired by the plot! also some of these aren’t the same in word count and i apologise for that ]:

∷ heeseung — orange

heeseung as the new kid at school and he’s so pretty that everyone just. Stops in place and just stares at him as he introduces himself

funnily enough you already saw this coming, realising this was the same heeseung the letter you received that morning told you about

what was funnier was the fact that letter was coming from the future you

you didn’t believe it Then because like... it kinda sounds too stupid to be true

but then BOOM there heeseung is

your teacher makes him sit beside you and you’re just trying to wrap your head around how crazy all of this is

your letter even told you that he was going to sit beside you, why was all of this coming true????

you didn’t read on because you were in a rush to get to school but maybe if that letter warned you about how pretty he was, you wouldn’t of been that flustered when he started talking to you

“hey i’m heeseung!” “ummm yeah, i’m y/n... yeah”

when school ends you RACE home to get to that letter again

rest of heeseung + of the members under the cut!

your future self was gonna have a lot of explaining to do...

turns out the future you Let this same heeseung walk out of your life so now you have to fix this

“dear past me, i can’t believe i was this stupid to let him leave my life like this— how stupid am i??”

now you make it your mission to keep your barely started relationship not go rocky

and oh boy would that be a challenge for the years to come

not because heeseung’s a terrible bf, future you just gave terrible tips

everyday after that you and heeseung (like the letter said) turned into great friends

great friends as in friends that people think that are dating

soon that friendship became a relationship... and a very strong one to be honest

your letters were weirdly very accurate

a firework festival... how he confessed to you... all of it was in those letters

honestly you should scold them for letting heeseung get away!!

you secretly wanna tease them that YOU have heeseung by your side and they don’t but... you can’t really do that

you tell heeseung about the letters one day and he just. Stares at you in astonishment

because he also received letters on the same day you got them from future him too

turns out future you and heeseung both regret their decision

poor them but at least present you gets to kiss heeseung whenever you want 😇

not to spoil anything but heeseung didn’t end up walking out of your life <3 instead you two are now sickly in love

∷ jay — maid-sama

you work at a maid café mainly because you needed the money and honestly... it wasn’t even that bad of a job

i mean compared to your school president life — trying to keep teenage boys out of trouble — happily serving polite and friendly (most of the time) customers was definitely a steal

one boy in particular gave you a bit more trouble than the rest of them however

he wasn’t bad or anything, just... a serial heart breaker

jay park was always on your radar due to the fact so many people would go up to you asking you to tell him to be nicer with his rejections

he wasn’t complied to be nicer but 😍 what can you do

safe to say that you didn’t think you had the best relationship with him

you couldn’t understand him even more when you saw him prettily sitting at the tables at your work

may i add, with you in your very own maid outfit as well as a twitching eye

“y/n! looking great” “thanks m-ma-mas—” “your customer service is terrible”

and the fact he came every day after that day made you feel Terrified

and also a little excited to go to work but you’d never admit that!!!

having him stare at you while you cheerily wrote with ketchup on omelettes was... definitely not how you thought your relationship would be like

he would also make small talk too

and visit you after your shift!!! walking you home

now... his daily visits turned into genuine great conversations on the way home

you realised he wasn’t as bad as you made him out to be

he just had strong beliefs that he should only accept a confession if it’s from someone he loves

you didn’t know how... but now You Have Feelings For him.

and seeing him when smile at you every time you serve him at that little maid café... ARGGGG it drove you absolutely mad

the way he oozed out confidence... was sweet and quite literally the prettiest person you’ve ever seen... how could you not

and what other way to confess to him than at the very place your relationship blossomed at!

you wrote “i like you” with ketchup on fried rice for him... yeah

thankfully he was over the moon and Had to hold back kissing you in front of the customers

now you two were dating <3 with the help of a maid café

and that really only left you with one more question

“why did you start visiting this maid café in the first place?”

∷ jake — kimi no todoke

being the quiet student is never. a good thing

especially when you’re ostracised by your class because you never participate

you actually want to but you can’t build any confidence to do so

you never caught the attention of anyone

well... besides a certain popular boy by the name of jake sim

oh boy was this gonna be a culture shock to the girls that have a crush on him

he noticed you on the first day of school when you asked him for directions to your classroom

he won’t ever forget it, the way you had a huge excited smile on his face as the cherry blossoms fell softly around you

he quotes, it looked like you came straight out of heaven because it looked like you had wings on you

he didn’t know how to get your attention though.

every time he tried to do so you wouldn’t even look at him and would just look down at your desk

it hurt him to see you so isolated

that’s when he had the bright idea to ask you if you wanted to walk with him home

bad idea (kinda), because you did accept but you didn’t know what to do the whole time because you’ve never walked home with someone before

it was bad enough that jake was absolutely Stunning. like blindingly attractive

you didn’t know what to say at all

well until you came across a small puppy making it’s way up to the two of you

they were so cute that you just squealed out of excitement

jake was so surprised to hear Something from you that he just instantly put on this huge genuine grin

“there’s no tag on them!” your upsetting tone sent jake into haywire

he literally watched you pet that dog with literal heart eyes he wasn’t even being sutble

he takes a picture of you and he Stupidly leaves the ringer on so you hear him and everything

he was so embarrassed about it

“did you just take a picture of me?” “y-yeah” “oh... is that what people do?”

you literally had no idea how to interact with people so you thought what he did was Normal

somehow this caused jake’s crush on you to develop Quick

especially when you grabbed his hand to pull you closer to the dog

his heart was beating so fast he didn’t know what to do

he is self proclaimed the biggest dog lover but for some reason... he wasn’t even looking at the dog, not even trying to play with it

he was just staring at you with his doting eyes as you smiled and giggled while playing with the dog

he wasn’t gonna confess yet though because he still has to develop your relationship

in true shoujo romance anime fashion, he was gonna confess twelve episodes (probably a year) later <3

∷ sunghoon — ao haru ride

no i definitely did not put sunghoon for ao haru ride because i have a huge crush on kou and sunghoon... /s

you and sunghoon were in the same elementary class because... fate

you had the biggest crush on him and even your mom knew him because he was a well known figure skater

but who didn’t have a crush on him was the real question

being the young confident elementary student you were, you always talked to him

forever talking to him to the point where you two were Actually really good friends

you thought you were on cloud9

but. turns out figure skating takes a lot more training than you had thought so

you literally cried Buckets and Buckets when you found out he had to train in like russia for an unsure amount of time

there was no way on contacting him too since you had no phone, no nothing

so he left. and you didn’t know what to do with yourself

ok flash forward noises

now you’re in high school! still... gripping onto that crush you have on sunghoon

but you think it’s fine since you are Functioning without him i guess

well until you bump into someone with a very familiar voice...

“watch where you’re going” talk about passive Aggressive 🤨

and when you look up because obviously you were gonna start yelling at him

well. You just froze in shock when you were faced with sunghoon’s raised eyebrow smirking at you

and what was the logical thing to do apparently?

cry. right in front of him.

he just froze as he watched you sob while everyone stared at him

he was trying to explain himself while at the same time Dragging you Away because he couldn’t let you just cry in the middle of the hallway

now you two were at the top of some stairway as you sniffled recovering from your endless crying

“why were you crying? “how could i not when you’re here?”

turns out that sunghoon Knew you were at the same school as him but wanted you to figure it out yourself

it took you almost six months. to figure out sunghoon was in your grade.

but what next? do you rekindle your friendship or...

“i’ve changed” okay maybe that answered your question

and before he could even explain himself he just... Got up and left????? for no reason

and that’s when tsundere sunghoon started to come into play.

you constantly tried talking to him but it would end up with the two of you bickering

you walked home the same way too

weirdly enough He was very nice to you sometimes

letting you place your head on his shoulder, lovingly smiling at you, being very Oddly romantic

he was giving you mixed signals.

and there came that old elementary school crush... gearing back up for a second round

“what are we?” now you decided being bold was the right thing to do

he just stared at you and shrugged.

now here comes the water works

you started crying uncontrollably Again but this time sunghoon looked really guilty and comforted you

he even hugged you. (Wow... Development)

he then explained to you that he Likes you (omg) but he’s scared that he might have to pack up and leave you again and he doesn’t want you to get too attached

and you’re like “we have each other’s numbers this time though?”

sunghoon’s just like Ohhhh

that’s how you started dating

and rekindled that elementary crush (successfully)

∷ sunoo — toilet-bound hanako-kun

being the bold and adventurous person you are. You decided to call onto your school’s very own ghost

because you had the biggest crush on this upperclassman you needed the support of a Spirit to help you

“ummmm hey... school spirit, i’m kinda in love with someone and i heard—” “hi” and then you fall onto the ground because something scares you

turns out the spirit’s name is sunoo and you just summoned him

it also turns out this spirit was kinda cute 😟

he had offered you something like a book — telling you if you follow all the rules — you’ll end up dating your crush

turns out it was just a middle school romance book you could of bought at dollar tree.

you were rightfully mad at him Since all you did was end up embarrassing yourself

somehow during your argument, your eyes caught a glimpse of something in his pocket

you took it. because you deserved it

and ATE IT when sunoo told you that it grants you any wish when consumed

you didn’t even need to listen to any of the disclaimers because it was already in your stomach

one things turns into another and now you’re a spiritually bound fish to sunoo.

turns out what you ate was mermaid scales and he needed to eat one too so you could turn human (he told you he can’t explain it because it’s a long story!)

you two are now bonded together (4lyfe 🥺🤞) and you aren’t that happy due to the fact he was always teasing you and playing around with you!!!!

you were now his human assistant.

you helped him with cleaning the toilets and he helped you by saving you from the supernatural

very well balanced relationship

you grew very fond of sunoo as time went on

even though you almost died a few times... he was always there to save you from whatever the spiritual world had to offer

i won’t spoil anything but... school spirit sunoo seemed to have a soft spot for you too 😇

you showed him your passion for art and everything like that

you tried to dodge questions about the... y’know... why he was a spirit

knowing that it would probably hurt him

plus he didn’t have all those things coming after him for nothing

falling in love with a ghost wasn’t what... you were expecting when you first joined your school

but i guess you had no choice since he was spiritually bound to you!

∷ jungwon — whisper of the heart

you loved the library dearly, you loved reading and writing— just books in general

your favourite place was a really big cosy library a few minutes away from your house

you had always borrowed more than three books every visit

and every time you would look at who borrowed the book, the same exact name would show up each book you borrowed

“yang jungwon... he seems to have good taste in books”

you would dreamily sigh thinking about what this jungwon looked like

later on in the week you were writing a story at the park— y’know, normal things

your friend called you out of the blue for some reason rushing for you to help them

out of panic you forgot your book on the bench and didn’t realise when you had finally finished helping out your friend

to your surprise there was already someone sitting on the bench

and Reading Your Very Own Story

you literally just run up to him and snatch it from his hands because you’re embarrassed!!!

what didn’t help was the fact that the first thing he did was Laugh in your face about it .

he called your story stupid!!! and critiqued it!!!!

you just bicker with him and complain to your friend about it later that night

the next day you thought that... maybe if you went to the library again you might spot this yang jungwon

so you make it your mission to get to the library

funnily enough your plan had failed in an instant when your eyes caught a cat that you just became curious about

you followed it because it just wouldn’t stop getting away from you

it also looked like it was taking you somewhere but 😦

after a tiring ten minutes of following this cat from hell and back. It brought you to this old antique shop

you instantly fell in love with the store and everything in it

you were so distracted by everything that you hadn’t realised someone was behind you

you could feel your eyes widen when you realised it was the same boy from the park

holding that same cat you were following too????

“why are you here?” his eyes literally started Squinting at you

he then proceeded to tell you about how his vocal lessons were nearby and more importantly that the cat was His

he asks you if you want to go visit where he does his lessons and Obviously being as curious as you were, you accepted

when he brought you there you could see his eyes instantly sparkle from just being there cute... kinda

he even started to sing for you and that’s when you thought that he wasn’t that bad

some of his teachers started to join in too and before you knew it, the sun was already gone and you’ve spent the whole time with some boy that you were supposed to hate

“jungwon, who’s your friend” your body Froze in shock when you heard that name

jungwon thought you were stupid for not knowing your name and now you realise you’ve been crushing on him this whole time

(i refuse to continue on more with this because it’ll be too long unless some of you want a oneshot of this 😍)

∷ ni-ki — haikyuu

being forced by your teacher to sign up to be some volleyball team’s manager was Not that fun to experience

but there you were, managing a volleyball practice of that very own team

thankfully, it was safe to say you had a good relationship with all of them

and an even Better relationship with a certain volleyball player

nishimura riki and you were practically glued to the hip

you were so incredibly thankful that he was the first one to speak to you when you first started becoming their manager

the rest of them were tall and scary but riki was just tall and friendly

he was so energetic and just So bright that you couldn’t help but look forward to seeing him every day you had practice

he would even teach you how to play volleyball

like he’d be like “isn’t this move so cool? let me teach you it!”

at this point you could be a professional volleyball player with the help of riki

you were overjoyed watching them win their final match to compete in the spring interhigh

you were also incredibly happy to know that riki scored the winning point

he couldn’t stop telling you about it and you just kept excitedly praising him and not to play favourites but you weren’t this excited when heeseung scored the previous winning point

even though you and your team were excited, you could feel how nervous they were when they entered the huge gymnasium

they were surrounded by all the best high school volleyball teams in the country

the very first team they went up against gave them a very Tough time

you remember sweating so hard when the scores were almost the same, the other team leading in that set

you decided that. Maybe you could help

“riki! you can do it” your shouting somehow caused riki to instantly become energised

everything was a blur up until your team had Won the match

and all because you gave riki some encouragement

he literally ran to you the second they had won and almost knocked you down

you didn’t wanna tell him that he was sweaty so you just let him carry on hugging you tightly

the rest of the team was like “why didn’t you cheer us on like you did with riki?”

and when you tried to explain your face just started heating up like crazy

so you ignored the subject.

riki just took it as he was your favourite

but what you didn’t want to tell them was the fact that you had a crush on him

as if it wasn’t obvious enough 😟

[skellebonez]

Hmmm how about MK and Monkie King with number 1 and number 45

I wanted to write a follow up to a certain fill that got some wonderful art recently too! But then the finale happened and now I made it depressing, sorry. Spoilers for... everything as this is set 3 days after the final episode. This also plays around with the “Sun Wukong is still super immortal and powerful but...” and other theories. (second prompt line is only used as inspiration in fill)

Do not give me that look./ You may technically be an adult, but you’re still my child.

The moment MK's curse was lifted and he was re-aged from 4 years old to adult Wukong acted like nothing had happened at all. No understanding conversations about how his powers could hurt him, no cooking together, no video games, and no accidental couch naps. It was as if the entire day had been undone to the sands of time.

But MK remembered and when the literal next day Wukong announced he was going on vacation... let's just say he was not happy in the slightest. He had tried to voice his objections, citing the Spider Queen as a prime example for why they should be worried, but the immortal monkey just flashed him dual thumbs up with a “Monkey King Out!” and flashed off somewhere MK couldn’t follow.

And now he was back and while MK had been more than happy to get going at first, to push everything that happened deep down inside him and ignore it for as long as possible (why was he doing that, he needed to stop doing that, look where that got them he was a mistake a bad choice as a successor and now he’s barely a successor at all) there was only so long he could go before it became clear there was more wrong than what Sun Wukong was telling him.

There was more wrong with Sun Wukong himself that he refused to admit.

He tried to hide it as well as he could. Despite the heat outside and the fur covering his body he still wore full body clothing. Hiding away the gashes and healing scars that riddled his form now. There was a nick in his eyebrow that had never gone away, and when MK watched closely he could see his mentor sometimes place his hand too far to the left when grabbing something. He walked with a slight limp, though that had improved over the last few days.

And he was quiet. Yes, when someone was addressing him he was “yeah totally, we got this fam, onward westward!”, but when MK caught him alone... especially outside on the deck of the drone, watching the horizon, he was more quiet and still than the Monkie Kid had ever seen him before.

Or maybe he was always like this and now Wukong was too hurt or distracted enough or just didn’t care anymore that MK was finally seeing him.

It was hard to tell with how distant he had been the last three days. Distant in the same way the day after the curse was lifted, but quieter.

“We need to talk,” He said from behind his mentor, watching as Wukong’s tail jumped only a little. Maybe that was just surprise at the words themselves. “Alone. Please.”

He expected Wukong to brush him off, to say “aw bud, can’t it wait? look at the sunset!” despite the sun having set so far they barely had any light left or something else. But instead he straightened up (MK heard the slight crack of his back again, much softer than when he had first heard it after their crash landing, and he wondered how much his back had healed from whatever injury it had) and turned to his student with an odd expression. Somewhat soft and fond and somewhat worried and resigned. Like this was more than just 3 days coming (and it was).

“Let’s... get something to eat first, alright?”

MK didn’t mention that they had eaten just over an hour ago.

~

They sat in the kitchen of the drone, alone under the dimmed lights with cups of tea and sliced fruit between them (mostly for Wukong). Neither had said anything as they prepared the small snack, and neither said anything as they sat down and took sips of their tea.

MK had made it slightly too strong.

“What did you want to ask first?” Wukong started off, picking up a peach slice and biting into it carefully. Slowly. This was something else that was noticed. Before when eating the Monkey King would just shove whatever he was eating in his mouth and MK wasn't certain he tasted it. But now it was like he was trying to make every meal last as long as possible. “There’s... a lot. I can tell.”

“We spent an entire day together and then you left without telling me anything,” MK said firmly, gripping the tea cup in his hands. He squeezed harder, just to see what would happen. It should have shattered... it didn’t. “Why didn’t you just... say something?”

“... I thought I was protecting you,” Wukong admitted honestly, taking another bite of peach. “And the city, the others...  That if I acted distant you wouldn’t wonder where I went a-”

“Wouldn’t wonder wh- no!” MK interrupted, gritting his teeth. “No, Monkey K- Wukong.” The change in how MK addressed him made Wukong jolt, looking at him with wide eyes. He had never called him by his name before now. “We spent an entire day together. You took care of me, helped me when my powers went haywire, helped me make food! You never treated me like that before! You treated me like... Like I was...”

“My kid,” Wukong finished for him, now looking down into his tea cup. “MK... You’re an adult, I know that, but somewhere down the line I started to think of you as... I didn’t know till then I guess, and that terrified me. The idea of you getting hurt that day was the only thing that compared to admitting I got attached to you as more than just my student.”

Had this revelation come sooner MK might have been more surprised. More disbelieving. But after that day and everything that happened once the curse was gone...

“... you have a funny way of showing it,” MK snapped without thinking, eyes widening and jolting upright when he realized what he had said. “I-”

“Don’t,” Wukong said with a shake of his head, sipping his tea with a sigh. “You deserve to be angry with me. I talked to, uh... Pigsy? Sandy too. Tang.... Mei. Your boss in particular laid into me pretty hard after the excitement died down... Don’t know how I went 1000 years without knowing what a ‘lie by omission’ was.”

“... you abandoned me.”

“Yes... I didn’t mean it that way, but that doesn’t change that I did.”

“You didn’t trust me.”

“NO.” Wukong said firmly, voice raised for the first time in days. MK glowered at him. “No, that is one thing I will not back down on. Yes, I lied to you and left you behind and that was a mistake I will need to make up for over a long time, but it wasn’t because I didn’t trust you. I trusted you to take care of yourself, to teach yourself the lessons I left behind, and take care of the city. And you did! You did so much better than I even hoped for, and I hoped so badly that you would do as well as you did! I didn’t leave you there because I didn’t trust you, I left you there because I did... and because I thought I had to do everything myself...” He sighed, running a hand down his face. “I’ve been alone so long... I forgot I could do things with help on my end, I guess...”

“If... If Lady Bone Demon hadn’t finished what she was doing...?”

“Had the Lady Bone Demon not been working faster than I thought she was I would have come back with nothing less than even more trust in you as my successor.”

“... am I even still your successor without...?” MK trailed off, trying to keep his voice level. The tea cup still held strong.

“Yes,” Wukong assured, reaching out to put a hand on MK’s shoulder. MK noticed how he almost missed and corrected his hand. “The staff and my powers alone didn’t make you my successor. I picked you before those, remember? You’re still the Monkie Kid, MK. Nothing is going to change that for me.”

The young man went quiet for a moment, taking a shaky breath. He wanted to ask why he was chosen, what made him so special... but there would be time for that in the future. For now he had gotten at least some of his questions answered. But there was something much more pressing to touch on.

“,,, you’ve been lying to all of us,” he accused suddenly, reaching up and grabbing the wrist of Wukong’s hand on his shoulder before he could pull back. He looked his mentor in the face, watching as Wukong’s eyes widened in realization and horror. “Do not give me that look. Stop... please, stop lying. I’m not stupid, I can see you’re still hurt bad. You’re supposed to be invincible but you came back hurt and... and almost nothing can hurt you!”

Wukong didn’t meet MK’s gaze, looking down at their snack as he breathed heavily and shakily. He knew he was caught, that much was obvious.

“Please... talk to me, for once. I know I do the same thing, I lied to everyone else by not telling them about LBD or the calabash or Macaque coming back-” Wukong tensed at that, an odd sound escaping his throat. “-and look where it got us. We both need to talk. To everyone else. To each other.”

Wukong’s arm was shaking where MK held it, but he didn’t try to pull it back. Not until MK let it go. He sat back down, looking at the table like it held all the secrets of the universe before bringing his hand up to cover his eye. The one with the nicked eyebrow.

“Bud...” Wukong started, biting his lip. There was something wrong in his tone. “I... you were going to find out eventually. I can’t keep this up forever, not like Macaque can.” MK tensed at the mention of the other immortal monkey, watching as Wukong did not move his hand. “This takes a lot of focus. And... with my invincibility partly gone-”

“What?” MK asked, so soft he thought Wukong hadn’t heard him.

“... You didn’t get my powers from the staff, MK,” Wukong said. “And they don’t just duplicate. That’s not how they work. From day one I have been... siphoning my powers to you. Bit by bit. As you got better at controlling them I would give you more until I felt I didn’t need them myself anymore. When I locked away your invincibility I just undid what I had given you and slowed down the transfer... you’d been half invincible for weeks.”

“No...” MK started, slowly realizing what Wukong was implying. “No, no you’re lying again! This is a terrible, horrible prank!” Despite wanting to be quiet before MK found himself yelling. “Say you’re still lying!”

“No,” Wukong shook his head, looking down at the scar on his arm that was now visible as his sleeve had slipped down. “Most of this will probably heal eventually, except maybe one thing, and I’m still immortal! There’s no undoing that no matter what I do. I’m not dying any time soon. But my transformations? Cloning? My cloud...” He trailed off at that, breaking in a shaky breath. “You didn’t even get to use that... Lady Bone Demon took all of it when she took it from you. I still have some powers, some of my transformations and hair stuff and some invincibility... but I’m not the same overpowered Monkey King you met when you freed DBK...”

And as he trailed off, Wukong lowered his hand. Something flickered, something familiar. Too familiar. Reminiscent of Macaque’s shadows but brighter. And after there was something else reminiscent. In reverse.

MK had only seen it for a split second, when all of Macaque’s glamor magic had dropped. The milky white right eye and the scar over it that was left behind from his battle with Wukong 500 years ago.

And now Wukong looked at him with a similarly white left eye, a similar scar that wasn’t just a nicked eyebrow running down his face.

It makes sense in retrospect, much more. MK supposed that when you lose an eye you lose depth perception and it takes a while to get used to judging where things are.

“... what happened before you came in to save me?” MK asked quietly, watching as more of the glamor fell with a curse from Wukong. There was another nick on his cheek that was still healing, a piece of one of his ears had been ripped off too. No doubt there were more injuries under his clothes that Wukong hadn’t let anyone see.

“She has Macaque under her control,” Wukong said plainly, groaning as he held his head. “Damn, that... letting that down...” He groaned again and before MK could realize what was happening Wukong’s eyes rolled back into his head and he slipped from his chair to the floor.

“WUKONG!” MK shot up, rushing over to his side and yelling over his shoulder in the hopes someone would hear. “Pigsy! D-DADSY! Help, SOMETHING’S WRONG!”

When Pigsy rushed in with the others in tow Wukong hadn't regained consciousness.

[svucarisiaddict]

Hello, I wrote you a note earlier about the Autumn series to let you know how much I loved it. Ive actually gone back re-reading my fav parts.

Was the story is set season 16 onwards? Well that's what I imagined when I was reading this and with a few mentions like when Sonny first started at Manhattan and a mentioned of Amaro, I automatically defaulted to thay era. And it truly felt that it was 'early Sonny' to me. Where he was a bit brash at times, sometimes a bit blunt and straight to the point. 

I felt like Sonny was a complete a#$hole to her at times saying things like 'We’re not just friends and you fucking know it', 'I don’t appreciate the person I’m with screwing someone else'. That first one when he says no just friends absolutely killed me. As well as the chapter where she turning up to the precinct to tell him about their pregnancy.... For someone that adores, Sonny, even I was getting upset at him. This was something i thought i would dislike, but no. Unlike some other fics out there, that it felt to me that he was a human male with faults and all. I was on her side always. She won me over with her sass when they first met. 

Oh and whilst I'm rambling away here my Brain for unknown reasons always names my reader Sophie whenever I read a Sonny × reader fic. Oh and my name isn't Sophie lol. I know its ridiculous - Sonny and Sophie. Similar sounding names. 

I could go on and on. Especially about the angst of their relationship and their eventual happy ever after..... 

I have a million questions but can I ask some basic ones if thats okay. I am thinking you have been asked these before and I'm sorry if they are lame questions these are the first ones that came to mind after I finished...

- Do you find Sonny easy to write for? I totally felt and believed what you wrote about him, I could see him really saying in an ep.

- Which scene/particular part/line was your favorite to write and what inspired it?

- Which part of Autumn Series was hardest to write?

- The Reader and Sonny eventually get their happy ending. But did you consider or think about an alternative that maybe he wouldn't win back the girl after everything? 

More then anything, I really just wanted to let you know and appreciate your writing. Without sounding silly, this fic many others are just what I needed right now.

It makes my heart happy to hear someone enjoying my writing! I was excited to answer these questions. 

The beginning of the Autumn series was set in Season 16. Definitely early Sonny- he still had a lot of growing up to do. I’ve loved seeing his character evolve.

I do my best to write the characters as real people. Sonny is obviously a kind, loving, and empathetic character but just like every other person he has bad days. I also think Sonny was still trying to find his way at SVU, his relationship with the reader, struggling to know what he wants in his professional life- he has a lot going on.

Let’s face it. Even the kindest person can be an asshole at times. LOL 

Sophie is cute for a character. That’s one of the nice things about not having OC’s. Don’t get me wrong, I love OC’s too. I’ve read some fics with amazing OC’s! But it’s nice to be able to fit whatever name, and/or characteristics the reader envisions.

Thank you for your love and support! I appreciate it!

Do you find Sonny easy to write for? 

I found Sonny very easy to write for. I’ve seen enough episodes to feel like I really know him. Sonny is just a normal person with his own quirks. 

- Which scene/particular part/line was your favorite to write and what inspired it?

So, I had to go back and actually re-read the series to answer this question. My favorite scene was Sonny delivering Autumn. There wasn’t any inspiration. The idea just popped into my head. 

- Which part of Autumn Series was hardest to write?

The will they won’t they get back together. I broke my own heart over and over.

- The Reader and Sonny eventually get their happy ending. But did you consider or think about an alternative that maybe he wouldn't win back the girl after everything? 

It was for sure something I considered. I guess that’s why they were back and forth. Plus, it would have made the series shorter!

[cyndavilachase]

I’m Looking Forward Now 💖Thank you and good bye

So, it’s been a little over a week since Steven Universe Future ended… 

I’ve been hesitant to write this, honestly, but I’m tired of holding myself back from properly expressing myself in fear of appearing overly invested in the media I consume, even in private. Writing helps me organize my thoughts and feelings, and I feel like these thoughts in particular may resonate with many, so I want to share them. I want to talk about what Steven Universe has done for me personally, both as an artist, and as a person.

I’ve been around since the day the first episode of the original series aired. I actually remember when Steven Universe was just a logo on Wikipedia’s “List of Upcoming Cartoon Network Shows” list, back when I was a freshman in high school. It piqued my interest, but when commercials finally dropped for it, I thought it was going to be bad because of the way marketing handled introducing Steven as a likeable character. There was still something about it that made me want to give it a chance though, so I went online and watched the pilot before the first episode's release. I was hooked immediately. I knew I was going to love it, and I did. I fell so absolutely in love with Steven as a character, and the world that he and the gems lived in. I became obsessed. I was always so excited for new episodes to come out. Little did I know what else it would do for me as I went through my adolescence alongside it.

As the show progressed, it was evident that what I wanted out of a western animated childrens’ cartoon was finally coming into fruition: this show was becoming serialized. There was continuity, there was plot, there was character development-- it was getting deep. It was pushing the groundwork that Adventure Time laid out even further (thank you, Adventure Time).  

I will give credit where credit is due: earlier western childrens’ cartoons I grew up with like Hey Arnold, and Rugrats, among others, also touched on heavy topics, but Steven Universe was able to take similar ideas (and even more complex ones, concerning mental health and relationships) and expand on them outside of contained episodes and/or short arcs. These themes, which were a part of the show’s overarching story, spanned across its entirety. Continuity was rampant. 

What did this mean? It meant kids cartoons didn’t have to be silly and fun all the time and characters weren’t just actors playing a part in 11-minute skits. Steven and the gems would remember things that happened to them, and it affected them and how they would function and play a part in their story. This was a huge deal to me as a teenager. I always wanted the cartoons I grew up with featuring kid characters to feel more. In my own work, I often felt discouraged when combining a fun, cutesy western art style with themes as dark or layered as anime would cover. I always thought it had to be one or the other because an audience wouldn’t take a combination of the two seriously enough, based on discussions I had with classmates, friends, and online analysis I read at the time. Steven Universe proved to me otherwise. This show was opening the door for future cartoons exploring in-depth, adult concepts. I felt so seen as a kid, and was inspired to stick with what I love doing.

I was actually very worried about the show’s survival. It was in fact immensely underrated and the fandom was miniscule. Then in 2014, JailBreak dropped, and it’s popularity exploded. Part of it was because of the complex plot and the themes it was covering like I mentioned, but also because of its representation. 

I remember when fandom theorized that Garnet was a fusion due to grand, tragic reasons. Turns out, she’s simply a metaphor for a very loving w|w relationship. This was huge. I cannot stress how important it is that we continue to normalize healthy canon queer relationships in childens’ media, and Steven Universe finally was the first to do that proper. Introducing these themes offers the chance for a kid to sit there and ask themselves, “Why is this demonized by so many people?” I asked myself exactly that. Ruby and Sapphire were my cartoon LGBT rep. They were the first LGBT couple I ever ecstatically drew fanart of. I was dealing with a lot of internalized homophobia at the time, and they showed me that I was allowed to love women and feel normal about it. The process of overcoming this was a long one, but they played a part in my very first steps into becoming comfortable with my sexuality. I could go on and on about it’s representation in general-- how it breaks the mold when it comes to showcasing a diverse set of characters in design, in casting, and in breaking gender roles. It’s focus on love and empathy. Steven himself is a big boy, but he's the protagonist, and the show never once makes fun of his weight, or any other bigger characters for that matter. It wasn’t hard to see why the fandom had grown so large.

Fandom was always a joy for me. It was a hobby I picked up when I was in middle school, like many of us here did. I would always cater my experience to fun, and fun only. I only started getting more deeply involved in SU’s fandom when I had just turned into an adult. During the summer of 2016, between my first and second year of college, I drew for the show almost every day non-stop when the Summer of Steven event was going on and posted them online. This was a form of practice for me in order to become not just more comfortable with experimenting with my art, but also to meet new artists, make new friends, and learn to interact with strangers without fear. I dealt with a ton of anxiety when I was in high school. When I was a senior applying to art school for animation, I decided I was going to overcome that anxiety. I made plans to take baby steps to improve myself over the course of my 4 years of college. Joining the fandom, while unforeseen, was definitely a part of that process. I started feeling more confident in sharing my ideas, even if they were fan-made. I fell in love with storyboarding after that summer, when I took my first storyboarding class, and genuinely felt like I was actually getting somewhere with all of this. I remember finally coming to a point in my classes where I could pitch and not feel hopelessly insecure about it. I was opening up more to my friends and peers. 

But this process, unfortunately, came to a screeching halt. 

My life completely, utterly crumbled under me in the Fall of 2017 due to a series of blows in my personal life that happened in the span of just a couple weeks. My mental health and sense of identity were completely destroyed. All of that confidence I had worked for-- completely ruined. I was alone. I nearly died. My stay at college was extended to 4 and half years, instead of the 4 I had intended. I lost my love for animation-- making it, and watching it. I could no longer watch Steven Universe with the same love I had for it beforehand. It’s a terrible thing, trying to give your attention to something you don’t love anymore, and wanting so desperately to love again. I dropped so many things I loved in my life, including the fandom.

Healing was a long and complicated road. I continued to watch the show all the way up until Change Your Mind aired in the beginning of 2019, and while I still felt empty, that was definitely a turning point for me with it’s encapsulation of self-love. I was hoping James Baxter would get to work on Steven Universe since he guest-animated on Adventure Time, and it was incredible seeing that wish actually come true. The movie came out and while I enjoyed it and thought highly of it, I was still having issues letting myself genuinely love things again, old and new. It was especially difficult because cartoons were my solace as a kid, when things got rough at home. I remember feeling sad because the show ended, and not getting the chance to love it again like I used to while it was still going.

By the time Steven Universe Future was announced, I was finally coming around. I was genuinely starting to feel excitement for art and animation again. I wasn’t expecting there to be a whole new epilogue series, but happily ever after, there we were! Prickly Pear aired, and the implications it left in terms of where the story was going did it. I was finally ready to let myself take the dive back into fandom in January of this year. My art blew up, something I wasn’t expecting considering my 2-year hiatus. Following this, I was invited into a discord server containing some of the biggest writers, artists, editors, and analysts in the fandom. I had no idea there were so many talented people in the fandom, some already with degrees, some getting their degrees-- creating stuff for it on the side just for fun. The amount of passion and productivity level here is insane, and so is the amount of discussion that has come out of it.

I didn’t realize it at first, but it was actually helping me gain back the courage to share ideas. I lost my confidence in pitching while I was taking the time to heal, and graduating meant there would no longer be a classroom setting I could practice in. This group helped immensely. 

I have made so many friends through this wonderful series, and I have so many fond memories talking to like-minded creatives, getting feedback and a myriad of sources for inspiration, as well as all of the memes and jokes and weekly theorizations that came about as we all waited on the edges of our seats for episodes to air. I needed this so badly, I needed to get back in touch with my roots, when I would go absolutely hog-wild over a cartoon I loved with people who loved it as much I did. Future has been a blessing for me in this way. I graduated feeling like I was back at square-one, but now I feel like I’m on my way again.

It’s 2020 and while I’m doing great right now, I am honestly still recovering from the total exhaustion that followed after graduating a few months ago, and finally leaving the campus where my life fell apart behind. Needless to say, watching Future was like looking into a mirror. Watching one of my favorite characters of all time-- one that grew up with me-- go through so many of the same things I went through not too long ago was absolutely insane to watch unfold. It’s such an important thing too, to show a character go through the process of breaking down over trauma and all the nasty things that come with it, and to have them go on the road to healing. Steven got that therapy. He wasn’t blamed. The gems were called out. The finale was everything I could have ever hoped for. The catharsis I experienced watching it was out of this world.

As I continue my own healing journey, I will always look up to the storyboard artists, revisionists, and designers that I have been following over these past 7 years, as well as the new ones introduced in Future. It's been such a joy watching these artists release their promo art for episodes, talk about their experiences working on the show, and post the work they've done for it alongside episodes airing.

Thank you Rebecca Sugar, the Crewniverse, and the fans, for making this such a truly wonderful and unique experience. Thank you for reminding me that I am, and always will be, an artist, a cartoonist, and a fan. Thank you, my followers, for the overwhelmingly positive response to my artwork. I have had so much fun interacting and discussing the show with you all again over these past few months. Steven Universe and it’s fandom will always have a special place in my heart, and it will always be a classic that I will return to for comfort and inspiration for decades to come. I am sad that the cartoon renaissance is over, but so many doors have been opened thanks to this show. I am so, so excited to see what this show will inspire in the future, and I hope one day I get the opportunity to be a part of that. 

Goodbye Steven, thank you for everything. I wish you healing, and I wish Rebecca and the team a well-deserved rest. ♥️

-Cynthia D.

[atomicnebula13]

Just passing by to say that I started reading your fics and I love them. One thing I especially liked is how you include song lyrics at the beginning, I think that sets the mood somewhat (I personally love to share a song with my stuff to give a little help in building an atmosphere). Also that you mentioned that you can't write horny stuff without putting some feelings into it lol, I share the sentiment, no matter how hard I try to do something outright erotic it will always end up being an emotional bombshell at some point. Other than that, I really like the terms you use, I found some of my favorite English words in your writing and I really got excited about all the others I learned hahah, thanks for that!

But what I really want to say is that as I am prone to enjoy more tender stuff, I found myself weeping over your sweeter works. They really got to me. I finished the ones I read with a heart a little broken and mended at the same time, and to be able to generate that in another person is wonderful. It reminded me of when things started to get ugly in the comic a few chapters back as other things got sour in my personal life and after I finished reading the episode I just had to sit and cry for a while. There is something sacredly healing about acknowledging our pain in the art we consume. It's curious how a small bunch of fictional youngsters can steal our hearts to such an extent. I guess it is because something of ours is reflected in their experiences or personal characteristics, or because as characters they are excellently builded, or simply because having followed their history for 8 years (8, I think?) means that at this point we love them as if they were real. (Damn, 8 years is a lot of time!) I don't know, I just wanted to thank you for reminding me of these feelings. I'm going to continue reading your works that I haven't read yet, and I'm sure I'm going to like them as much as the ones I've read.

(Sorry if I wrote too much, but I feel it was worth)

Excuse me while I blush furiously over this message. My number one motivator for writing is music. I almost always get inspired to write a fic based on the song I reference and one of the things that immediately drew me to your art (besides how stunning it is, seriously, you have your own hashtag that I use exclusively when I reblog your works) was that you included songs and lyrics as well. I think that's absolutely beautiful, I love that art just manages to breed more art. It's never ending, beautiful and organic form of creation and I can't help but be enchanted by it over and over. Haha, yes I've never quite mastered writing smut without putting feelings into the interaction. I find it especially hard when I'm writing for TianShan because there are just so many instances where something deeper is going on than what we see on the surface level. I'm so happy that you are finding your favorite English words in my works! I love particularly flowery language, especially if it's evocative. I feel genuinely emotional reading this. Tender works always have me feeling a little heart broken as well so for that to translate through the writing is such a compliment. I always hope that my writing will resonate and be well received by the reader but in the end I'm selfish, I'm usually writing for myself because it's a catharsis. As you say, it's sacred to acknowledge our pain through the art we consume. That's something I've always found particular powerful as a writer - reading takes time and people's time is precious so for someone to stop to read my writing feels like such an honor. They are investing their valuable time in me and it's really something I hold very dear. I don't ever want to take it for granted. I agree, I don't know how this fictional group has so many of us in an absolute stranglehold but they do. I'm so thankful for it though because it brings so many of us together in a really meaningful way. It is shocking how long the manhua has been going for (I remember reading when it was JUST Jian Yi and Xixi). Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings with me. This message really warmed my heart and lifted my spirits, my friend. You really are my favorite artist so to hear that my writing is something you enjoyed makes me a little emotional. I'm not sure I'm worthy. And should you ever have any requests I would gladly write something for you, you have only to ask. (Also, don't apologize, you can never write too much). 💕

[razorblade180]

RWBY vol8 ep11 review

Hello! I’m a little late but taxes are scary and I’m a little sleepy still. Let’s get started!!!!

I’ll probably have to rewatch this again but as it stands right now, potentially my favorite episode of RWBY and this episode saved this volume for me in a couple of ways.

First of all I just want to talk about how last episode left me thinking Oscar’s blast killed all the grimm. I’m so glad it didn’t; that broke so much tension if it did and kinda made me upset. Weird thing to be happy about, but I am happy regardless.

I love how much of a mess things are for the Ace Ops in particular. They all know this is a mess but it’s damned if you do and damned if you don’t. I actually found it a tiny bit insane for Marrow to think he could walk away from this. He’s seen Ironwood shoot people for less. He’s lucky Winter has a big heart and hit him before he got shot; which I’m positive she did intentionally. I also love how every side is not sure if Ironwood is bluffing or not.

[Ruby is me at the tax office and Blake is the nice lady putting my papers in order.] Seriously though, I’m glad this happened. I’m glad RT committed to Ruby being fed up and it wasn’t over after the Blake speech. I’m glad Yang ran after and it only her. This is the stuff I wanted! Having optimistic and heroic characters doesn’t mean they can’t feel bad or can’t be in the wrong.

Listen, I don’t like dumping on other ships typically. It’s rude and all ships are different. However; it’s pretty crazy how strong Renora is built compared to bmblb in my opinion as person who likes both. Ren and Nora aren’t technically even dating but this relationship is allowed to have them to disagree, agree, comfort each other physically, verbally, and say they love each other; as well as respect each other’s space. Not to mention how great this was for Nora! Their feelings are out in the open and even though she wants time to come into her own like Ren has been doing, they are now closer than they’ve ever been. It makes me really happy and at the same time wonder why we can’t get this for Bumblebee? They have the same if not more moments than Renora but they’re mainly flirty or “conflicts” that either vanish, feel glazed over, or end as soon as they began. (I should stop complaining about the farm seen and basically V6. Not today though)

Do I even have to say it!?

I’ve maintained the mentally all this volume these two needed to talk about the way things were being lead and just needed one really good moment of emotional vulnerability from both of them. I’m happy Ruby tossed Yang’s remark back at her to show it really bothered her. Yang and Ruby recognizing that both of their plans were messy and discussing their mother together for the first time in this show was really nice. They always linked Summer coversation to Ruby without Yang being prevalent until recently. It also felt like Yang wasn’t torn up over Summer and more focused on Raven until recent episodes. They really needed this talk and I’m happy for sibling moments. I probably won’t get a Qrow and Raven moment but I’ll dream.

This was cool, like really cool. In case you all haven’t noticed, I like this episode a lot because they address things I wanted addressed and it’s done well. The topic of Penny just asking Ruby to kill her instead of someone else using her for the maiden powers was a topic I at least wanted said. I don’t want it to necessarily to happen, but it would’ve been crazy if that avenue wasn’t mentioned. Also I never realized Emerald’s weapons are like Ren’s, but like 50 times cooler.

Second thing that I can get behind is Penny’s soul fighting back the virus. I needed more than “that’s just a part of you” because that’s not how programming and hacking works. It just can’t be repressed. Knowing what is repressing it and that someone else had to help her keep it contained longer makes it feel less hammy in my opinion. Also everyone know realize maybe Oz not telling the truth from the start and being cautious out of fear/uncertainty is easily the most relatable ever. Beef is squashed; teamwork is happening again.

I’m actually very excited to see what she does. I want to know what Cinder looks like when she’s getting her shit together. I don’t think the world is ready for Cinder to actually start being better at her job. Even Watts seemed psyched.

All in all, strong episode. One thing I glazed over was Robyn telling Qrow to shut up and think, because he has honestly become the most insufferable character to me. They’ll probably bump into Marrow and Winter. Robyn gains a few points in my book because even she thinks going right up to James to kill him is insane. It might be the most insane thing.

[canonicallysoulmates]

J2′s Virtual Con Panel (March 7th, 2021)

Alright, let’s talk j2! As all of you probably know by now Jared and Jensen had a virtual con panel today (March 7th, 2021); it was the first j2 con panel of the year, and we started on a good note. I will be providing some time stamps, and as always I will be providing a link to the whole panel at the end of this post so y’all can watch it for yourself, I highly recommend doing so, it was a really good panel. 

Okay, let’s jump right into it!

- The panel started late, and the reason I am mentioning that is because I have to comment on how stressful that wait was with the grey screen saying ‘standby!’. I much rather preferred the countdown, it was less stressful 😅 

- Anyways, the panel starts off with some cute banter between the boys, they spend around 6mins just talking to each other, joking about Jensen’s hair, telling stories about each other. Honestly, answering questions was unnecessary because I would have happily seen a full hour of that, of just them talking. 

- Jensen said he missed Jared 🥺

- So...Jared addressed Jensen’s birthday and okay let’s talk about this. After Jensen says he missed Jared and that it’s been so long since they’ve seen each other, Jared fumbles on his way to comment about how he was gonna post for Jensen’s birthday. You can practically see his brain buffer cause I s2g that man was this close to saying he was with Jensen before his brain kicked in, and then he switched lanes to mention taking a trip with G for their anniversary. 

Of course I have an opinion about this, I don’t know if I’ll be able to express it coherently, but I shall try; it is so incredibly convenient he’d mention what has been a big talking point in fandom for the past couple of days. This is such a stupid thing to lie about, and it’s a lie that falls apart in seconds cause if you think about it shit don’t make sense. 

We know that Jared and G were on a trip, but we also know they were in Colorado. Thanks to D’s hairstylist, we know Jensen’s also in Colorado. 

So, I’m expected to believe that these two men who are incredibly close, who in this same panel mention how much they’ve missed each other, that Jared who says he didn’t post on his boy’s birthday (and yes he called Jensen his boy again 🥰) because he got all emotional thinking about how this was gonna be the first birthday in years he wasn’t gonna be by Jensen’s side and be able to give him a hug- I am expected to believe that Jared was in the same state and didn’t even make a pitstop by where Jensen’s at?! That they’d be in the same state and not even meet up?!  Not only that, Jared and G’s anniversary was on the 27th which fell on a Saturday, based on reports we know they took that trip from the 28th to the 1st, if this was an anniversary trip why not make it a weekend thing from Friday to Sunday? Why do it from Sunday to Monday which was a workday? And I’m also expected to believe that they went on an “anniversary trip” and little mrs. social media preferred to post an old ass pic and not post anything at all from said trip, even posting a pic as if she were in Austin on the 1st.  Bitch please, I love you but go to someone else with that tale cause I ain’t buying. 

- Continuing with the panel, the boys start answering questions and I’mma just tell y’all right now a lot of the questions in this panel are kinda shit. This is the first panel of the year, both these men have big projects going on and yet the first question is about parenting. Their answer is pretty much the same thing they always answer, that they can’t do it alone, that most of it is their wives, Jared says he helps with the kids in the morning and then goes to the guest house and leaves Gen to it, if you’ve heard once you’ve heard it a million times. 

- Next question is about dreams, and Jensen makes a joke about mushroom induced dreams that Jared finds so hilarious he has to duck out of frame. I don’t know if y’all have ever seen The Late Show with Stephen Colbert but Stephen’s wife is usually there when he’s filming and that woman laughs at even his stupidest jokes, if you see them interact they are that couple that is so obviously in love years into their marriage, they make each other laugh, and the reason why I am bringing this up in a j2 post is because that is the vibe that moment had! Actually, that’s the vibe a lot of this panel had; that mushroom joke was not that funny yet Jared reacted as if Jensen was the funniest man in the world.  And the j2 doesn’t stop there because when it’s Jared’s time to answer the question the boys say they’re in each other’s dreams. x 

- Jared said he sits in the Impala in his garage 🥺 Jensen said his Impala is safe and covered in a secure location in Austin, which I’m going to interpret as he left it with Jared.

- A fan asked if we would see director!Jensen make an appearance on Walker and Jared revealed he was supposed to! Jensen was slated to direct episode 5 of Walker but due to commitments to The Boys he sadly wasn’t able to but both boys say that it will happen and it’s something they’re looking forward to. So are we boys, so are we ❤

- When talking about how Jensen was supposed to direct episode 5 of Walker, Jensen commented that Jared was looking forward to having someone who knew him so well and could help him creatively on the set. Now, I will for no particular reason remind y’all that G works on the show. 

I love Jensen ☕ 

-  Moving on! Jensen talked about his production company. He said it is currently developing 5 different projects including one that they will be delivering to the network this week and that they have a project he’s excited about with an spn alumn. He said working on these projects and his company is what he’s been spending his time on in Colorado.

- Jensen put on a beanie and y’all are not ready for what happened. Not only did he look cute af, not only did Jared like how Jensen looked and compliment him but he called Jensen babe 😍 Now listen you don’t have to take my word for it, listen to the audio a couple times, form your own opinion about what you hear but I have listened to multiple versions of that clip with headphones multiples times at different volumes...and imo Jared calls Jensen babe, you can try to take that from me over my dead body. x  

- They were talking about a fight outtake they did on the finale in slow motion, and did an example and when I tell y’all those two somehow managed to do an in perfectly in sync slowmo fight virtually! 

- They showed their matching tattoos! 

- Jensen sends Jared shirtless selfies and gives him beard updates. I swear I am not making this up. 

- And in the line of things I swear I am not making up is that Jared grabbed the pic Jensen send him, and edited it to make it seem as if Jensen was singing the clean version of WAP, that is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen 😂

- Jensen said him and Jared like to watch the early season gag reels 🤗

- At one point Jensen tried to tell one of Jared’s jokes and not even three words in this man was already in tears laughing so hard, he says it’s something that makes him laugh every time he thinks about it, he could barely get through the joke and to be fair it is hilarious; the joke goes: Did you hear there was an explosion at a cheese factory in France? The brie was everywhere. That cracked me tf up and it left them in tears 😂

- Jensen called Jared a freaking ox 😂

- Jensen says that if the roles were reversed and Sam had died, Dean would have wasted away at the back of a pool hall 😭

- The panel ends with j2 saying I love you to each other 😭❤

It was a really good panel, I had missed these men so so so so much, they have brightened my spirits and I’ve been in a good mood since I watched it, they just make me so happy 🥰. If you haven’t seen it yet I highly recommend doing so, the boys were looking cute, it was funny, they kept making each other laugh and there was even heart eyes! Jared kept getting the cutest little smile when Jensen was speaking, it was adorable! 

J2 Virtual Panel