#how funny to think: in each version of our future

[inkskinned]

it mattered because when my brother asked me what if this is the happiest you'll ever be? the best you'll ever get? the thing i felt was fear, not peace. everybody thought you were so perfect for me. even i thought you were "helping me grow". i had to challenge every internal clock. make myself more thoughtful, more kind, more beautiful.

i told my therapist it was good because i like the changes i made and there's something so strong about saying i did that. the problem is that i can like the difference all i want, but i changed for you. something akin to getting your name tattooed, all my progress is stamped with fuck you.

it was the happiest i'd ever been and also the best i'd ever gotten. i would still get in the car and think what the fuck just happened.

[thesnackthatsmilesbacck]

“On… a scale of… on… one to ten,” he said, blinking slowly, words dripping out of his mouth like honey sliding down the side of a jar, “how bad of a… idea would it be if we got married?”

I blinked once.

Twice.

There was a full beat of silence where the words just sat in the air between us, suspended like dust motes in sunlight. Then I laughed. Not because it was funny—okay, it was funny—but also because if I didn’t laugh, I might have started crying instead.

Katsuki Bakugou, my husband—technically, yes, already my husband—was flat on his back in a hospital bed, post-surgery, doped up on something strong enough to pacify a dragon. He’d wrecked his arm in the war. Not in some noble, cinematic, slow-motion kind of way. More like: there was a scream, an explosion, and then his arm was no longer behaving like an arm. Just… meat. Bruised and bloodied and dangling like it wasn’t sure it wanted to be part of him anymore.

They fixed it—mostly. New tech, new hope, new promises. They opened him up and did something that was either medical or miraculous or both. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know which.

But the anesthesia? That was the real show.

“A horrible idea,” I said solemnly, placing a hand over my heart like I was pledging allegiance to the worst version of our future. “Absolutely catastrophic. God-tier mistake.”

He looked at me like I’d ripped the moon out of the sky and stomped on it with my shoe.

“But… I like you,” he said, pouting in that half-conscious, half-pathetic way that would’ve been embarrassing if he were even remotely sober. His lips were dry. Eyes a little glassy. Pupils like blown-out balloons.

And I felt it then—that sickening swell in my chest. Like love, maybe. Or panic. Or maybe they’re the same thing, just with different names depending on the lighting.

“I like you too,” I whispered, because anything louder might shatter the weird, trembling stillness of this moment.

There was a machine beeping softly behind us, counting his heartbeats one by one. Each tone felt like a footstep closer to something I couldn’t see. Something we hadn’t talked about yet. The thing that comes after the war. After survival. After the part where everyone expects you to be okay because you're not bleeding anymore.

Bakugou blinked slowly again. “You married me,” he said, frowning like he was trying to do the math on something that didn’t add up anymore. As if he was trying to remember things in his loopy head. “Wait… did you?”

“I did,” I said. “You insisted. You said you wanted to sign the papers before surgery so if you died, I’d get your pension.”

He nodded seriously. “Smart.”

I swallowed a laugh and looked down at our hands—mine curled around his like a prayer I hadn’t decided how to say yet. His skin was warm. Clammy. Real.

Sometimes I wonder if loving someone like him is a kind of delusion. Like believing in ghosts, or in your own goodness. Something you do because not doing it feels worse. Because the alternative is emptier.

“I think,” he murmured, eyes fluttering, “we should get married again. Better wedding. With cake.”

“You’re high,” I said.

“But romantic.”

“You cried because they made you wear the hospital gown.”

“Still valid.”

I leaned in, brushing hair off his forehead, trying not to fall into the part of me that always wanted to memorize him—his scars, his softness, the sharp edges no one else seemed to survive. I wanted to say something permanent. Something that didn’t feel like a half-stitched seam.

Instead, I said, “If you forget any of this when you wake up, I’m telling everyone you proposed to me under anesthesia while drooling.”

His eyes closed, lips twitching. “Still counts…”

And for a moment, everything was still. Just the beeping. The warmth of his fingers. The dull ache of almost losing him folded up into the hospital sheets like a secret I hadn’t told anyone yet.

Maybe love is a horrible idea.

But maybe it’s the only one that makes any sense.

[chiliconsharls]

So, I caved in and I did it in detail! A few days ago I posted a meme of the Charlos lore iceberg but then I had some people asking about some bits and I thought, oh, might as well make the whole masterpost. LOW AND BEHOLD, it is here; an extensive compilation of the rich Charlos lore

Below the cut because boy is this bitch long

DISCLAIMER: before we begin I must note a few things. First, this isn't a whole detailed timeline of Charles&Carlos' relationship and every single bit of their moments bc I would've genuinely gone insane, so, like with the iceberg meme, this is merely key details of their relationship that make ME particularly unwell. This is also almost 2K words long. Lastly, not all points are linked as some of them are rather quite simple to find with an easy Google search

They have the same name in different languages. (In fact, Carlos has explained that his ‘chilli’ nickname comes from the fact that a lot of his friends went from calling him ‘charlie’ to calling him ‘chilli’). Their name is of Germanic origin and it means “free man”. Charles is the French/English version of it, Carlos is the Spanish one.

Beginnings & Pre-Ferrari era (2017-2020)

“I knew you before you knew me” – Charles said he had heard about Carlos when he was coming up in racing while Carlos was competing in KF3 (2008-2009)

They were already hanging out by 2017, when Charles was still only a Ferrari academy driver – as told by a reddit user who works in the Yas Marina circuit and shared the story with a tiny Renault helmet signed by Carlos

“I said this guy’s not beating me, no fucking way” – Carlos in Drive to Survive S01E02 after his battle with Charles in the Azerbaijan GP. (Sidenote: The first episode of DTS dedicated to Charles –S01E08– also showcases a battle with Carlos briefly)

Marina Bay Sands pool story – in several instances now, they both have shared the story of their first meeting/first ‘real’ conversation back in 2018, during the race week of the Singapore GP. They both said they saw each other at the pool of Marina Bay Sands hotel (it’s still unclear whether they were inside the pool or just by), and they had dinner where they talked for a while.

Carlos’ said that that first conversation made him think Charles was a good guy but also that when he first talked to him, he seemed innocent

2018 Autosport Awards interview  – Charles is giving an interview about how his exciting new season is coming and Carlos pops in and tugs him by the ear, making as if to give him a little smooch

“Carlos! My future teammate!”

Ferrari era (paper & cotton years – 2021-2022)

Youngest Ferrari duo

Lord Perceval nickname is born – despite claims that Charles disliked the nickname Carlos gave him (as requested by Charles himself that Carlos ‘from now on, call me Lord Perceval”), Charles went on to have it as his personal tag on his cap –made for driver use only. He’s also used ‘Perceval’ as his aviator call sign when he did some training with the French Air Force.

Jenga challenge video

Fiorano music challenge – this is their core happy memory, as they have said a few times themselves

“I started to listen to some jazz in the mornings” “Jazz?”

Chess – chess is one core activity they do. They would play a lot, even online. Charles would even stop talking to Carlos when he lost sometimes, and Carlos has stated that he only plays it with Charles.

Charles’ said Carlos plays better at night, and he plays better in the morning to evening. “The flights together are probably the ones I enjoy the most (...) we will put our phones away and play chess. That’s where we have the most interesting and deep conversations and I have really, really good memories of that”

“You haven’t showered together?” “We’re not that close yet” // “I find you spontaneously funny” “Carlos doesn’t do anything but he makes me laugh” – Sky Sports game interview in 2021

Charles going to watch Carlos on the podium in Monaco – Carlos talked later in 2024 about how much it meant for him to see Charles there

“Mate! You are looking at me!”

Red porn couch debriefs videos – not much to say, tbh, Ferrari sat them in a sus red couch to shoot the debrief post-race videos. Some of them are quite something

“Come on, Charles, don’t do this!” – Carlos’ radio in Saudi Arabia ‘21

Jean Alesi calling them ‘la bella coppia’ (“the beautiful couple”) // also, Jean Alesi doing photoshop manips when Charlos fought in 2024

Carlos: “good looking couple” “we make a good couple” “most beautiful pair”

Carlos showing off his strength to Charles in that Ferrari party thing

Everything that was written in the GQ article (by Tom Lamont) as well as the photoshoot

Calling each other beautiful

Charles sharing a sandwich with Carlos

Them calling each other ‘sweetie’, ‘honey’, ‘baby’, ‘love’ // ‘like this or more, darling?’ // ‘thank you, my love’  

Bahrain 1-2

Carlos checking in on Charles before his post-race interview in Monza 22’ despite being told he had to go some other place

Ferrari era (leather & forced divorce – 2023-2024)

Football watching together (despite the fact that Charles’ said he doesn’t really follow football) // “Yes, Carlos will be really happy” – Charles after someone asked him if he watched El Clasico and Real Madrid had won that time

Paddle playing too

“Can I choose the position he needs to be in? Take off your clothes, Carlos!”

The gingerbread cookies video

“He loves me” – the whole shell challenges in Zandvoort actually

Talked about racing Le Mans

Charles being jealous of Lando

“Together or nothing. We come as a package”

Charles hiding in Carlos’ closet to surprise him for his birthday

Monza 23’ battle

The Curious Case of Charlos and Pierre Gasly’s PR accusations – During a fan forum in the Singapore GP ’23 weekend, Carlos joked that he would’ve picked Charles to be stuck with in a deserted island, saying: “You see, I would’ve picked Charles, Esteban, I like my teammate” (because Esteban had been asked the same question just before and upon being told he wasn’t allowed to pick his own teammate, Esteban jokingly went: “I wasn’t going to pick Pierre anyway”).

Pierre and Esteban Ocon had a rocky relationship as teammates in Alpine, on top of having an already complicated past together since they’ve known each other since they were kids. Nearing the end of 2023 season, after Pierre (and Esteban) had been criticized for their poor relationship, Pierre talked about friendships in the paddock in an interview and he name-dropped Carlos and Charles, claiming that people “shouldn’t think that they’re all friends”. Despite Pierre having also named Mercedes and Red Bull pairs, people seemed to only latch onto Charlos

It’s important to note that Pierre Gasly is the driver Charles is famously closest to in the whole grid (as they’ve been friends since childhood) but also, he was teammates with Carlos in Toro Rosso for two races in 2017, and is fairly one of the drivers that are close-ish to Carlos as well. In fact, Pierre sometimes hangs with both of them, too.

Puma couch picture we never got the context of

Fred: “are you still single?” Carlos: *looks at Charles* “anyway, changing subject…” – DTS S06E08 // (Sidenote: theres some joking that Charles’ current girlfriend, Alexandra Saint Mleux, and Carlos’ current girlfriend, Rebecca Donaldson, seem to have a slight resemblance to Carlos and Charles, respectively (and the girls also seem to get along quite well))

New York event

Charles timing Carlos’ laps

“I want to give this to you, so you remember me for the rest of your life. For our post teammate era” // “You’re going to leave it there” “No, I won’t" – Carlos gifting him a chili plushie.

“Tell Charles to come close to me and we celebrate this one together” – Australia 24’

China Sprint 24’ incident: “He’s fighting me harder than the rest” // “A kiss on the mouth, everything okay”

Spanish reporter calling them roommates

Insane sim racing videos (almost all of them have some degree of craziness but specially Saudi Arabia, Austria, Dutch, Monza, COTA, Brazil)

Both of them thinking about their morning wood live on camera… then Carlos knowing Charles’ a sleepy guy

Miami merch promo video being cut just right as Carlos seems to go for Charles’ face

“We go from hating each other to loving each other real quick” – actually, that whole motorsport interview for Miami was awesome

Spain 24' inchident - Charles: “He was trying to do something extraordinary because it’s his home race and important moment in his career” // Carlos: “It’s too many times he complains about something”

“Charles and I have one or two ding-dongs a year”

“We look at each other and we smiled like we’re used to” // “We look at each other in the eyes and we understand immediately”

Gladiator II premiere

“Complicate me. Complicate my life, like you always do”

Charles letting Carlos drive his Ferrari in Monaco and show Carlos Sr

“I wanna smash you”

Carlos grabbing Charles’ balls in Mexico 24’

“You should try the chilli crab … I am the chilli crab”

“Try in Spanish” – Charles post Vegas 24’

“Carlos is not my girlfriend, I’m not gonna miss him like crazy”

“I would listen to you for hours”

Abu Dhabi 24’ radio: “it hurts a lot… I really wish we could’ve won it also for the last season with Carlos”

Charles goodbye to Carlos: “Now, I can call him a friend outside of racing” // Charles calling him 'chilli' in IG post (Carlos' said his personal friends call him chilli)

“I wouldn’t be the driver I am today if he hadn’t been my teammate”

“I was happy with Charles. I would’ve continued with Leclerc for life”

“Amazing four years fighting for Ferrari” — Carlos on IG

Fred: “I have never in all my time of racing seen two teammates so intensely preoccupied with what the other one is doing”

Charles being in Fiorano for Carlos’ last farewell with his father driving a Formula 1

Timeless traditions/Uncategorized info

Starting almost all videos with: “Helloooo” “hola”

“Are you ready?” “I’m always ready, Carlos”

Zero concept of personal space

Charles often looks smaller than Carlos despite actually being taller

Hand size difference

Yapper & Yapper

Carlos’ love language is physical violence

Carlos –a self-proclaimed butt guy— often taps Charles’ butt

They had 9 podiums and three 1-2s

They had 90 races together and never crashed

They’re each other’s longest teammates as of date

[blackkatmagic]

Always funny to me when Mandalorians go "The Darksaber is Our Special Mandalorian relic" to a jedi cause like:

- it's a lightsaber, a jedi lightsaber

- Tarre internationally had it left in the temple and they stole it

- the mental gymnastics needed to ignore that Tarre was also a jedi

Come on guys. Also Jaster you're the history nerd you should know enough to have Some shame.

I wonder how long he was geeking out to Myles about A'den after that encounter

While I very much do believe that the Jedi have the only real claim to the Darksaber, given that Tarre left it to them (and also, if you want to take a more recent view of things, Mace technically defeated Jango who defeated Tor and therefor the rightful Mand'alor is Mace Windu, but that's a whole separate rant), I think it's technically understandable, given Mandalorian culture, for them to believe that the Darksaber is theirs.

It's something that's going to come up in more detail in future chapters, but like. The Darksaber is fairly meaningful to them as a people, and Tarre clearly was as well, so it's not weird for them, especially coming from a culture that's built on a foundation of conquest and absorption of other peoples, to just...assume that their claim over the Darksaber usurps the Jedi's.

Also, re: the "Jaster should know better" part, I feel like fandom as a whole greatly underestimates his ruthlessness, and sort of...stamps their own version of "honorable" over him, if that makes sense? Like, the honor code that Jaster based his reforms on was from the Crusades. It's not exactly the Geneva convention, even if it is a step up from the complete lawlessness the Mandalorians had before him. It was also mainly to keep Mandalorians from fighting each other when hired by opposite sides in a conflict, and much less about what a non-Mandalorian would have considered honorable.

This isn't meant as criticism, to be clear! It's just me being salty in general about how fandom makes Jaster so much less interesting because they want him to be some sort of paragon of virtue, when he's basically a mercenary king and a literal cold-blooded murderer who uses child soldiers when he thinks it would benefit him. The dude is fascinating, but he's not automatically going to respect the Jedi's claim to a meaningful historical artifact just because. He's a product of his culture, just as much as Feemor is a product of his.

[kathaynesart]

Replica Holiday Special Winners!

Happy Holidays everyone! It's that time of year and you know what that means! Time to announce the winners for the DTIYS Replica Holiday Special Cover!

I received so many wonderful submissions. Far more than I had anticipated! They were all so unique and creative and it was an absolute joy to look at each and every one of them! I really underestimated however how difficult it would be to choose with them all being so unique from each other. In the end, I decided to gauge the top picks on how well their cover captured the "essence" of what this Special is going to be like! Without further ado, here are the winners.

HONORABLE MENTION - @matchstique

Buddy! I love this piece so dang much! It has so much character and perfectly displays the wacky hijinks we can expect as well as the huge amount of stress our poor boys are under during these trying, pregnancy times. The movement and colors work so well and make me excited for what comes next! Seldom do I see pregnant females shown as the badasses they are, but you have gone and turned Cassandra into an absolute icon with this piece! Bless you!

3RD PLACE - @thegunnsara

Sara, the shear amount of craft you put into your art is STAGGERING. Every scuff on Raph's shell and wisp of smoke screams of a quality I can only hope to attain someday. I literally want to be you when I grow up! That said, the concept of this piece is also fantastic. One of the things I'm must excited about for this Special is getting to see Raph and Casey as they were and witnessing the strong bond they share. I love them dearly and this cover captures their strength and tenacity so perfectly. Gods among men.

2ND PLACE - @cupcakeslushie

Slushie, this cover is so damn fun and dynamic that I can't stop looking at it! Your attention to detail and composition are masterful and the fact that you could fit such a bombastic battle into such a limited space speaks to how crazy talented you are! You also do a wonderful job of retaining both the intensity of the apocalypse but also that playful edge that Rise always manages to retain! It's definitely the cover that would catch my eye on a shelf and make me want to turn the page to see what happens next!

1ST PLACE - @abbeyofcyn

Cyn, the moment I saw this cover, I gasped! It's funny because this is both a piece I could have totally seen myself doing had I done the cover, yet crafted in a unique way I could have never come up with on my own! On top of that, this slick composition scratches my little designer brain juuust right. The use of the hands motif is such a great element because to me, it encapsulates the conflicting themes of family/parenthood with the drama of what it means to be human. On top of that, having each character as one of the digits both connected to and encircling Casey is such a wonderful touch that really drives the symbolism home. Somehow, you managed to peer into the future and perfectly capture how the finale of this special is going to feel. Thank you so much Cyn for such a wonderful piece!

~~~~~~~~~

Now that I think about it, looking back on these winners as a set, all four them actually do an amazing job as individual covers for each of the four "acts" that will make up this special. That was not at all my intention, but it kind of worked out perfectly for that. Gets me all emotional!

I also definitely want to put a spotlight on the other amazing submissions, many of which made it SO close to the top slots! I was going to post these pieces individually but I was worried people wouldn't then go to their blogs to view the covers, so instead have a compilation and links to the full versions! Please check out everyones amazing covers and give them some love. They all worked really hard and it means so much to me. Thank you everyone!

@dreamundraws - LINK @honeylief - LINK @gemini-forest - LINK @memorydarkness - LINK @skullythefriendlyskullface - LINK @v-albion - LINK @its-wabby-stuff - LINK @yris-latteyi - LINK @reagi-df - LINK @chaoscontrol50 - LINK / LINK @murasakibonnet - LINK @hitwiththetmnt - LINK @xandriagreat - LINK @karonkar - LINK @sunydays - LINK (sorry my dear, yours did not appear on my hashtag reference at first! D: But still love it!) @quailaz - LINK @delicatechildwitch - LINK

Thank you again all of you! You all did such an amazing job!

[mono-blogs-art]

Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko - The Lesbian Office RomCom You Needed

Blatant flirting, hilarious misunderstandings, and lesbian shenanigans aplenty - this show is funny, over-dramatic, and most of all gay as hell. Here's my review! Spoiler-free version first, and a more detailed spoiler-y version under the cut. I hope you enjoy!

A quick summary: Overall: 9/10, you should absolutely watch this! Genre: RomCom, with some serious elements and a heartfelt exploration of sexuality Watch if you are looking for... : A silly and fun time, a happy ending, misunderstandings, and character development. Highly recommended to watch this with your partner(s) or your sapphic friends! Watch out for... : Although the tone of the show is mostly comedic, it contains discussion & depiction of homophobia at the workplace and past trauma relating to that Where to watch: Official TL on GagaOOLala, or Fansubs by @furritsubs (highly recommended!)

"Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko" (Ayaka-chan wa Hiroko-senpai ni Koishiteru) is a Jdrama adaption of a manga by the same title. The series premiered this year July 2024 and has wrapped up a short while ago, with a total runtime of 8 episodes of 24 minutes each.

The title of the show already says all; the plot is simple: Junior staff member Ayaka is head-over-heels for Hiroko, her senior at the company she works at. And she has decided to go on the offensive.

There are many obstacles in Ayaka's way: first of all, Hiroko is 13 years older than her (they are 23 and 36), and her superior at the workplace. Hiroko is beloved by both her superiors as well as her staff, so Ayaka's love for her is just one of many. And no matter how blatantly she ups her advances (and girl, she is BOLD), Hiroko is 100% convinced that all the flirting is just misplaced, straight-woman obliviousness.

The irony of it all is that Ayaka is absolutely barking up the right tree, because Hiroko is a lesbian, but has been firmly in the closet at work - something that she has no plans on changing. Her professional life and her personal must stay completely separate, at all cost. The only place she can truly be herself is the lesbian bar she's been a regular at for years.

^ Me when I'm a lesbian disaster doing insane mental gymnastics

However, "giving up" is not in Ayaka's vocabulary. As her seduction attempts keep escalating and being misunderstood, Hiroko's hard exterior begins to crumble bit by bit. Can Hiroko finally overcome her rigid ways, and let herself fall for someone?

Although the show is first and foremost a comedy, both Ayaka and Hiroko as characters are handled really well. They have their own problems, insecurities, reservations about the other, and both have a simple but great arc over the course of the series. Ayaka is discovering her sexuality, something she had never even considered before falling for Hiroko. What does being in love with a woman mean for her future? And Hiroko, who is already very confident in her sexuality, is confronted by her past trauma, and the fact that she's still not ready to come out despite the changing times. And while being undercover has saved her career in the past, it has also made her feel alone and isolated. She likes Ayaka back, but can't allow her true colors to show.

Something that I find very hard to achieve with comedy shows is the switch between funny and serious, and I think that Ayahiro manages this very well. Both of our main characters feel grounded enough in reality that when they get emotional, it feels relatable and sincere. For a silly show like this, striking a balance like that is crucial, and save for a few pacing issues in the later half of the show (that I honestly didn't mind at all), I think the show totally nails it. Ayahiro is not a realistic show, but it contains elements of reality that made me connect to it, despite all the insane shenanigans that go on. And because of that the show made me laugh and cry as much as it did, often in the same episode. It works, and Kudos to the writers (and actors!) for that.

Speaking of actors, one thing I must mention is that the show is very well made. The actors (especially Mori Kanna as Hiroko is the standout for me, she has a natural charisma and gay swagger) do a fantastic job, the leads' chemistry is great. The production overall has some real money behind it, with lots of changing sets that all look great and have been crafted with care. Ayaka's outfits are absolute KILLER, she is giving insane femme energy. The show also looks very pretty, the color graders turn that saturation up to 100 and it fits Ayaka's rose-tinted world well.

That's it for the spoiler-less part, I'll now get into specific characters and plot points with full spoilers up to the end of the series under the cut. If you don't want to get spoiled, I hope the review until now made you want to watch the show for yourself! I hope you enjoy!

First of all I need to disclaim that I have not read the original manga that she show is based on, so I can't compare the series to its original and how the plot is written there. I do intend to read it (I hope it gets localized to German so I can support the official release, but I might check out the English Official TL anyway before that) but for now, I will only judge the series as is.

Ayaka: Our protagonist is a femme fatale, in... another meaning of the word, I guess. She is a disaster, bad at pretty much everything she does except not giving up. Once she has set her mind to something, she will get it done. That leads her to often be inconsiderate and unable to see what others around her are feeling, which goes mostly for her best friend Risa, but also for Hiroko, whose feelings she also fails to consider even when pursuing her. Ayaka has to learn the hard way that her naivete is hurting others, and herself. She hasn't really thought her advances through, simply acting on instinct. But as the series goes on, she takes her feelings and her newly discovered sexuality seriously, and grows comfortable with calling herself a lesbian. She is also unashamedly horny, like, Oh My God, this girl is trying to get laid so bad. This is hilarious and refreshing to see, and although her seduction attempts are often played as comedic, it doesn't feel like she is being ridiculed for her sexuality by the show. Ayaka often crosses boundaries (physical and emotional) with Hiroko, both out of naivite and in deliberate attempts to seduce her. To me this was never truly infuriating, even though sometimes she really did go too far, but for me it always kept in tone with the comedy of the show. Even when Ayaka finally comes out in front of the entire office, she makes it clear that she doesn't want Hiroko to do the same if she's not ready.

Hiroko: Our deuteragonist is probably my favourite character in the show, and I think she's very relatable and well done. As an older lesbian, she's got plenty of experience, having even earned the title of "The Ace" in her lesbian friend circle for being a talented womanizer. But a traumatic experience of losing her last partner due to being found out at the workplace has changed her. She's afraid to get attached, she's unable to let people get close to her true self. So when Ayaka is fighting tooth and nail to get to her, Hiroko is caught in conflict between her feelings of attraction and her past trauma. She does everything in her power to dismiss Ayaka's advances to protect herself, and later when she learns that Ayaka is in fact not straight (duh), she still turns her down to protect Ayaka's (and her own) career. Hiroko is a bit of a conservative - something she's also called out for in her lesbian friend circle - she believes that coming out at work is impossible and irresponsible. And you know, I get it. Not only does she have personal bad experiences with exactly that, it's also not unreasonable to think it would be a bad idea to hook up with your junior of 13 years. Like, I get it girl. Hiroko is clearly attracted to Ayaka, not just physically but also emotionally, because Ayaka is everything Hiroko wants to be but can't. And that leads to Hiroko constantly underestimating Ayaka, even treating her like a child. She thinks Ayaka is not really thinking the gravity of her actions through, and she gets called out for that and has to overcome it. In the end, Hiroko ends up being a character that needs time, and needs to unlearn a whole bunch of shitty behaviour, something the show clearly also shows is being worked on and that Ayaka also respects (more on that later).

Risa: Easily the character I struggled with the most, Ayaka's best friend Risa is complicated. She's very observant but also shy, and secretly harbors a crush on Ayaka. Quietly struggling with her sexuality, she only decides to come out when she realises that Ayaka's feelings for Hiroko are serious. Oh, it's messy! She confesses to Ayaka, who in turn has to struggle with her feelings for someone else, but also not wanting to lose her closest confidant. And to her credit, Risa takes the rejection quite gracefully and continues to support Ayaka in her pursuit of Hiroko. However, Risa also outs Hiroko against her will to Ayaka, which... is just a shitty thing to do, even though she just wanted to help her friend. Good motive, still murder. After the conflict between Ayaka and Risa is resolved, Risa just kind of... is around, quietly worrying in her corner and kind of (in my opinion) overstepping her boundaries with Hiroko. I don't dislike Risa, but I thought her character was not done super well in parts, and although I understand the complicated situation she herself is in, the show doesn't really let her grow as much as the other characters. Anyway, good for her for bagging the hottest chick at the lesbian bar, though. Good for her!

The "break-up": The story's conflict comes to a peak when Hiroko finally realises there is only one way to shut this all down. She needs to fulfill Ayaka's desire, and then turn her down, once and for all. But Hiroko at this point still thinks Ayaka is immature and hasn't really thought her actions through. Ayaka sheepishly asks for a kiss, so Hiroko kisses her. "Now you've achieved everything you wanted." We're done, you can give up on me and this childish crush you have on me. And most importantly, I can let you go, too. Not realising that Ayaka wants much more. She wants a real relationship, she wants the kiss, sex, real emotions, she wants to see Hiroko's true self too. She wants a partnership.

The Finale: With the encouragement of her peers, Ayaka finds the courage to express her feelings to Hiroko one last time. And she finds just the right words to finally get through to her. Hiroko realises how much of an ass she's been all this time, how she ended up hurting the girl she loves and herself by denying herself happiness. This whole scene was so well done (Kudos to Kato Shiho as Ayaka, this is probably her best scene in the entire show), brother I cried so hard. And finally Hiroko can say what she should have a long time ago: "I'm sorry."

One year later: In the show's worst case of bad pacing, we immediately cut from their tearful reunion to "one year later", lol. I don't mind the sudden jump too much, but maybe a bit of a slower fade-out would have softened the blow, because I think a few people probably found this very jarring xD not too bad for me. I was actually positively surprised that we actually get to see the aftermath, see how their relationship has developed a year into it.

I've seen a few people complain about this "no-sex scene" (lol) and I just want to add my two cents. I actually really like how this scene played out, for two reasons. Reason 1 is that it's just very much in-character for Hiroko. We've seen her struggle back-and-forth with the intimacy Ayaka wanted from her for the past 7.5 episodes, and her own internalised homophobia and constant fear of "crossing the line". She's a traumatized person, and it makes total sense to me that even one year into the relationship, she's still struggling with sexual intimacy. Sure, a whole year is a long time not having sex with your partner (even though you both clearly wanted to from day 1) but like... it makes sense for Hiroko. She's still working through the past 10+ years of repression. I do understand how this scene can be interpreted as "the show is afraid to show them being horny and sexy together, they're cowards for making Hiroko so obsessed with Ayaka's "purity" etc" and like, yes, that is a totally valid interpretation, but IMO also a quite bad faith one.

"I'm happy to know you feel that way. Which is why, could you please wait a little more, just until I sort my feelings out?" "What?" "I want to cherish you, Ayaka." "Right." "I'm sorry for everything, Ayaka." "For everything?" "In the end, it seems like I still haven't came out yet. I understand that I'm making you endure something when you don't have to. But… I do want to be with you, and I want to keep my job. I'm really sorry for making you put up with my selfishness."

^ Like, that is the conversation that follows. It's not just about sex for Hiroko, that kind of intimacy holds a deeper meaning to her and she's just not ready for it yet, and trying to sincerely tell her partner that. And when Ayaka reaffirms her willingness to be patient in this scene and is respectful of Hiroko's choice, Hiroko realizes that she's being a stupid coward, and finally makes a decision...

... to come out in front of the whole office, who's been gossiping about their relationship the whole year anyway.

And that is the end of the show!

So really, Hiroko did manage to overcome her fears in the end, and it took her a whole year into a healthy relationship to do so. And I think that is honestly much more realistic than some people would like to believe. Is the smooch in front of the whole office silly and cheesy and over-dramatic? Of course, but that's the entire show so far. And if you think that kiss-and-dip is dumb then I can't help you, I think you just don't like fun.

Oh yeah, and my reason 2 why I thought that no-sex scene was done well is because it's just funny. Ayaka has been DTF since minute 1 of the show, and her still being unable to get it this far into it is just funny. I would have loved a little nod to them finally getting down at the very, very end, but eh, I can live with it like this. They've conquered the emotional hurdles, I'm certain they will cross that other bridge when they get there on their own time.

Conclusion: "Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko" is a great and incredibly funny lesbian show that touched me emotionally much more than I thought it would. It made me cry several times, the production and acting quality positively surprised me, and honestly deserves my Nr 2 spot of favourite Lesbian JDrama after Tsukutabe (which is a 10/10 show) for now. I really hope this type of show gets imitators, adapting relatively short stories into mini-series with great quality. I appreciate the more adult tone of this series, its shameless comedy while still being able to hit serious beats with real emotion. From what I've seen of the BTS, the actors and staff also handled the subject matter with respect and care and had a lot of fun making the show. I don't think a season 2 is needed, but I do hope that the series can inspire more similar works. I love Ayaka and Hiroko, and I'm so happy they got their happy ending, and by God, I hope they have the best sex ever in their beautiful lesbian future. God bless.

That's it from me, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this show as much as I did! Hopefully see you soon!

[kyri45]

✨ShadowPeach Bio Parents Bio AU Q&A! 08/10✨

Welcome to the Q&A! A space where I can answer related or similar question about the Shadowpeach Bio Parents AU! If you submitted your ask anonimously, then you’ll have to check the whole post if it’s answered here, if it’s not, worry not! Your asks might have been used for a future comic or just in the queue~

Anonimo ha chiesto: I feel like in cannon baby MK was the kind of kid to eat glue, mainly because he hatched from a rock and doesn't know what anything is.

isn’t it like how all babies are? I think I also used to eat glue

@purpleprinceblood ha chiesto: In the spicynoodles bit where you explain how Red Son was charmed by Mk's beautiful personality and kind nature (/silly), you said Mk is Demi sexual Do you have other sexuality headcanons for the cast, or is it just "they're gay for each other"?

Pan for Mei, Bi for Redson, both Wukong and Macaque are in a way pan, in the sense that they don’t really care about gender, but are only gay for each other.

@kehideni ha chiesto: Whatever happened with never drawing a background ever again? :D On a more serious note: may we know the exact relation of DBK and Chiyou(did i spell that right?)? I'm just the nosy type :3

Chiyou has 72 brothers, one of them is an ancestor of DBK

@marcusalexander ha chiesto: I have a question is spider queen in your comic, and if so, is she like a part of the team or enemy or anuite? I'm just curious since she isn't that evil. By the way, I love your comic shadowpeach parents

The AU is set after S5, so I guess she’s enemy

Anonimo ha chiesto: Macaque HAS to be doing a little happy dance in the bio parents AU that murder isn’t considered distinct from self-defense Imagine being like… a legitimate threat to the world around you, and getting put down to defend it, and then being hailed as “the less bad one” because you were killed But this also means that MK probably views himself as a murdered for killing the LBD/Azure Lion too cause again “killing in self defense/defense of others= murder

most likely MK feels super duper guilty for what he did, and will continue to be until he get some extra comfort.

@goldenthecat ha chiesto: I'm wondering, since you watch lmk do you watch other Lego shows too? Like Ninjago or friends

does having saw the ninjago movie and a 4 hours video essay recap about the first 14 season count?

@haruwashere29 ha chiesto: Did wukong put his head over macaque’s chest to hear his heartbeat? 😭😭😭

OH OK NOW WE ARE ON WITH THE ANGST. YES 100%

Anonimo ha chiesto: You said Wukong is warm , change my mind that macaque has absolutely put his cold feet straight on wukongs back while he was sleeping not just cause he was cold but because he thought it was funny

hehe he has cold feet poor boy.

@og-glitch-punk ha chiesto: I'm haunting you at thisnpoint im so sorry but your lmk comic gives ideas and thoughts bro lmao /gen SO HERES ANITHER THOUGHT... If you technically think about it, MK is basically an clone (not but words are EHHH) of Sun wukong because they came from the sane rock. But what about our spooky Macaque? We have no knowledge of how he came to be but we all may assume it's the same way with MK and Wukong. but.. BUT. If Macaque had his own stone somewhere in the shadows then what if there's an basically MK but Macaque verison? Even if not, that would be wild to think about lol

like a slightly more emo version of MK? Something like the OK KO situation?

Anonimo ha chiesto: Hello I just wanted to say I'M IN LOVE WITH YOUR COMIC it's sooooo good I'm obsessed and the recent part... I have no word only emotion Even though I use Tumblr for a while I still getting use to it so.. do you know any other Shadowpeach comics? I couldn't find any 😅

mmmm @kristea9ay is doing a shadowpeach parent story that’s really cute!

Anonimo ha chiesto: I NEED to see wukong and macaque having a cute moment and accidentally touch each others tails yk? 🥺🥺🥺 (and mk quitting is a stab to the chest, i dont think there is anything worse in store... Right?... RIGHT?!)

at this point they ain’t touching the tails “accidentally” anymore these bitches are too gay I can’t anymore-

@amyrosewithoutshadow ha chiesto: I think the next one that will need Sandy is Wukong, lol I always thought about one thing, how Wukong deal with traumas and crises? We only saw him dealing with it during his sleep, but what about a daylight crises? Love your art 💞

he has a “I can do it with a broken heart”-by-taylor-Swift-masking situation.

@alizardonfire ha chiesto: I understand why MK doesn't want to be their successor mostly because I think he needs time to think about all of it. There's a lot to unpack! I love how wukongs more shocked about it. And I think macaque kinda saw it coming?

i think Mac forseen that MK would have changed his view on Wukong for sure. But he didn’t know in which way.

@siennabanana ha chiesto: HDBDJDBDHSHDV NEW HEADCANON UNLOCKED: sometimes he misses his human form but he doesn’t tell wukong and macaque bc he feels like that would be an insult to them and plus he still thinks his monkey form is cool but eughhh dysphoriaa

awwww he might be sometimes! Good thing they are starting to hang out outside FFM as well!

@blazerratbluefire-blog ha chiesto: If Wukong ever manages to be able to control his kaiju form, I could easily see Macaque's kaiju form using him as a bed, and along comes MK wanting in on the action. Then, he proceeds to lay on top of Macaque, squishing him with his kaiju and making a wholesome monkey family bonding session. With Wukonh laughing that Macaque is being squished. Just a funny thought I had.

oh my I think he would be waaayyy to big for the other two ahah

Anonimo ha chiesto: For your LMK shadowpeach AU will Ironfan be making up for all of MK's birthdays she missed? (Dropping off a mountain of presents at FFM?) (My partner joked she would give Redson in a box, not in a bow or anything just in an open box like a cat.)

she would probably make a courtnapping room for her son to gift him, and Red Son would die from embarrassment right there.

Anonimo ha chiesto: Dose macaque sometimes cook for MK and wukong since wukong tends to eat his fur/hair and macaque fonts approve of it

I think yes, he would cook probably really basics but nutrient-full meals, the few times they don’t eat noodle from pigsy shop

Anonimo ha chiesto: TCan we get Red Son and MK Angst because Red Son technology tried to kill MK a lot of times?

just bc of the AU main plot I don’t think so, also bc at this point traffic light trio are all friends with each other.

Anonimo ha chiesto: Speaking of birthdays, I assume Pigsy and Tang celebrate when MK showed up in their life or a random day when MK first asked about his birthday. Would Wukong and Macaque ask Nuwa the day he was put in the rock/broken out of it (I assume he came out and was immediately brought to Pigsy the same day but idk) or is that sort of a sore subject still, with the whole harbinger thing?

I think the best thing would be to celebrate it the day they found it!

@yuk1yun ha chiesto: Giuro che è un mese che provo a rendere il mio cosplay di mk simile alla tua au (perché anche se è semplice è stupendo), ma non so come fare le orecchie... Sono di nuovo qui per dirti quanto adoro la rua au btw :)

ADUYDJYTDY SE HAI BISOGNO DI RIFERIMENTI FAMMI SAPERE! E MANDAMI IL RISULTATO QUANDO HAI FINITO!!!!

Anonimo ha chiesto: I'm just waiting until Mk realizes the other things Wukong and Macaque did, yk like what Sun did to Redson, what Mac did to some of the monkeys all that

I think with time MK will slowly learn everything, but for example I guess now Red Son and Wukong are at truce

Anonimo ha chiesto: I'm just obsessed with your shadowpeach comics!!✨✨ But heey~ how about bai he!? l think it will be super amazing if add her in the future to this little cute monkeys family

awww baby!! I hope she went back to her family honestly! But I also hope sometimes she visits MK!

@yainmy ha chiesto: Oh gods I when I found this bio parents au I got HOOKED. I love it so much and the shenanigans and the angst are just *chef's kiss*. I have some curious questions if you don't mind me asking, but if a similar situation happens in the future like when mk got baby-fied, but instead his forms get split up (human and monkey demon) would he have that child crisis of fear "if im not this certain way they wont want me as theirs anymore", considering he is still learning about the whole monkey business? Also in a shenanigans sort of question, I don't remember how stone monkeys are made in their world but it would be hilarious if mk asked wukong and macaque that since they both are male and they technically "had" him then does that mean they can give him a sibling if they wanted? Sorry if it's to long of an ask 😅

i think MK would mostly feel a sense of loss for the fact that in a way, things should have been like this, like when he “hatched” Wukong probably would have found him if it wasn’t for the fact someone or something brought it to Pigsy shop. He would have grown up with someone who could tell him how to be a stone Monkey and teach him his power. Surely, I think Wukong wouldn’t have been as good as a parent as Pigsy, and MK doesn’t regret a bit how things actually ended up happening, but it’s a bit of a case of “sometimes I imagine how my life would have been if it went this way”

Anonimo ha chiesto: I know it's a bit out of the scope of your comic, but I'm wondering if Mei's design is just stylistic additions as if they were always there due to her dragon heritage, or if you have any ideas of scenes that took place as she grew more dragon features?

she started to grow more and more into them after she was accepted by her family sword and started to use her dragon form more and more.

Anonimo ha chiesto: Do you ever think Macaque and Wukong argue over who the little monkeys on the mountain like more? Like Im 100% sure Macaque wouldn't really care but the idea of not being the favorite bothers Wukong

the monkeys go crazy for soft fur Mamacaque. Wukong will always be pissed at this.

@snsp6 ha chiesto: do u like the hc that Mac has naturally snow-white fur? cs when u showed him wo glamours I realized that u don’t rlly color anything so I wanted to ask if it was still black or some type of mix between the two

akjdkajsbkaj I love for that shit YES. Yeah I don’t really colour my comics but yeah he cover it with glamour

Anonimo ha chiesto: I don't think MK ever really acknowledged that Wukong is a person, still a glorified deity. As mentioned MK hasn't really read the actual book and really didn't know his flawed side. MK has seen the worst parts of Macaque and still accepted him.

and now he knows about Wukong worst oarts and still accept him :D

@alistairliddell ha chiesto: What is FFM?

Flower Fruit Mountain

[thatshadowcomic]

Here's the realest take on SonAmy you'll read:

Spoilers, Im not against it, despite being sonadow shipper:

The reason most people (or maybe just me) don't like Sonic X Amy is because it's not often done in a believable way or it's the "boy shifts their morals/goals/personality after finding the girl" which of course ends with one of them having no character at all, until it's convenient for the plot.

All fandoms tend to hate love interests because they often halt the plot and story for the sake a overdone cliches rather than working with their blooming interest, because they can't admit they need a second writer/team to help.

I could see Sonic not really knowing what to do if Amy shows interest in him, oblivious but cute-- If they can make it feel genuine that's great! But damn, I really pray we don't get this:

"oh no, he likes her, now it's just you and me knuckles. Let's either fight the badguy by ourselves and lose or we should try to stop their affections. Or, 3rd choice, sonic is too busy with any to help us and we don't talk about it because we don't want to get in the way and so we get angry and he doesn't seem to notice.

Either way it will cause a rift in our friendship until Amy somehow fixes it by being cool, and then we will like her after that and all be friends."

In defense of the Movie and my guesses:

Sonic has never been very romantic and that's what Amy seems to crave the most so it always feels like one of them has to change dramatically to fit the cute couple narrative in the fandom... BUT the movie sonic isnt the same as the game/sonic x sonic. No one is.

I think Sonic and Shadow would be able to grow from each other more, related deeper, but they could easily make them like brothers and I'd be okay with that. I'm not against Sonic X Amy.

Given how they introduced her, I could see Sonic being impress by how seemingly badass she is to him, and that starts it. Sonic definitely seems like he'd be the type to be in denial that he likes her.

My guesses:

He might honestly go on an adventure in time without anyone, ending with shadow needing to save the day with Sonic's friends. That would be awesome tbh. If Amy comes back with them, they might even have a mini series with some father son moments about dates or something.

I hope at some point we get a Chaos or Iblis trigger type situation, maybe in the post credit. Given they're doing sonic CD/time stuff, I'ts easy for them to bring in silver (or maybe rouge and GUN steal the emeralds in order to "keep them safe" only for it to fall apart. Hell, maybe Rockwell teams up with Stone or just turns GUN into another version of Robotnik land. Without sonic to protect everyone, we see what happens in the future.

I think it would be funny as hell if they made everyone mad and she fell for shadow instead hahahahah

[stereor4t]

lesbian movies I've seen so far (review based on my tastes)

I'm going to give my opinion of the lesbian movies I've seen so far and I'm going to give them a score from 1 to 5 stars :3 it may contain some spoilers

Bound(1996)

For the year this movie was made, I was actually surprised by the END of it(fuck the obsession with killing the protagonist). I didn’t really have much faith in it by how it stars, but man, I was so surprised, I loved it, be gay do crime. ★★★★☆

Gia(1998)

God, this movie is my new roman empire, I didn’t know about Gia’s story, but the ending of the movie DESTROYED ME. the scene where shes talking with Linda and she says: now we have all the time in the world, I was so moved by it, I loved it. It’s currently one of my favorite movies.★★★★★

Lost and delirious(2001)

ugh shakespearean shit, this movie touches more than one of us when it comes to the experience of liking girls. I liked it but I felt like there was a lot of wasted potential that could’ve made it great, tbh i just wanted Paulie to be happy; the fact the Piper Perabo is in it helps the score too. ★★★☆☆

D.E.B.S.(2004)

ITS THE BEST FUCKING MOVIE IN THE WORLD, GOD. I actually hated this movie before watching it ‘cause I thought it was some dumb comedy, but god, when I gave it a chance it BLEW ME AWAY. If you want to see some lesbian spies enemies to lovers shit watch debs.  ★★★★★

My summer of love(2004)

Personally, I HATED this movie kjj, I didn’t really get ANYTHING at all, like it felt like everything was just too rushed??? like when did they even fall in love lol? Gets points just for Emily Blunt. ★★☆☆☆

Imagine me & you(2005)

Piper Perabo again and Lena Heady THE WOMAN. This movie is ART, my fav movie, it’s beautiful, comfort movie af. The true don’t let your husband keep you from meeting your future wife. ★★★★★

Loving Annabelle(2006)

This movie was made for all of us who once liked a teacher or profesor. I liked it quite a lot, but I feel like seize it’s true potential. Personally, I choose to think that the alternative ending it’s the true one lol. ★★★☆☆

Bloomington(2010)

Again for us that like fantasizing about our teachers. I like this movie but again, I feel like they didn’t really make the most of it jskdja annoying af bitching about the same but yeah, it bothered me. Anyway, i liked the movie, and I didn’t like the ending at all,I felt bad for the poor teacher :c. ★★★☆☆

A perfect ending(2012)

I know a lot of people hate this movie and think it’s shit, but I personally love it lol. Idk I remember that when I watched it it got me super emotional and i liked it a lot, dont care what anyone says to me it’s a good movie. ★★★☆☆

The girl king(2015)

★☆☆☆☆

Didn’t like it at all, boring af, i didn’t really get it, idk, i was expecting more. ★☆☆☆☆

First girl i loved(2016)

Im fond of this movie, it was one of the first ones I saw, the ending just made a me a bit frustrated, but I liked it, Brianna Hildebrand with a wig funny as hell. ★★★☆☆

Disobedience(2017)

Rachel Weisz and McAdams DAMN. Great movie, I liked it in all aspects. Although the ending wasn’t what I expected I still liked it. ★★★★★

Tell it to the bees(2018)

Mmm I think this movie is kinda meh, like it’s okay but I feel like it lacks something for me to like it, tho I didn’t get the ending, like I don’t understand the decisions each one took. ★★☆☆☆

Ammonite(2020)

Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan!!!! I liked it but I didn’t love it, I never got to understand if Mary hated or loved Charlotte. The ending got me frustrated!!! ★★★☆☆

Crush(2022)

The kind of movie you gotta watch after Gia, I liked it I thought it was silly, like very much teenage romcom sort of shit, like the Kissing Booth but for lesbians. ★★★☆☆

You can live forever(2022)

I think this is a great movie, interesting story, I wasn’t expecting the whole ending sequence, what Marike says to Jamie destroyed me, in my head theyre the young version of the Disobedience ones. ★★★★★

Booksmart(2019)

GREAT MOVIE, very entertaining and funny, I liked it quite a lot, it’s perfect to watch it with friends. Gigi is just like me fr best character ever. ★★★★★

[hanafubukki]

Hana, scenario just popped in my head.

Just to clarify, put this before Yuu and Lilia got together.

Okay so, Lilia Tsum is getting all of Yuu’s attention, absolutely loving how he’s being called adorable, a precious bean, being hugged and kissed because he’s such an adorable Tsum, cradled and loved by this giant version of their beloved, how more can this stuffed toy ask?

Well, in reality Tsum Lilia is doing it to also annoy normal Lilia, because he thought these two were a thing, what is a little game of jealousy? Tsum Lilia gets to spend quality time with this version of his own lover, he’s sure Lilia is going to snap at him and he’s going to turn this into a hide and seek game; wrong.

Lilia, who wants to confess but fumbles it everytime and doesn’t want to come up as intense to Yuu, he’s on the sideline just watching all of this with a look of (°ㅂ°╬).

Yuu, unaware or just not feeling confident enough to confess to this dilf so they get to hug and kiss this version of their crush because it’s adorable, anyone would understand that cuteness aggression, this is one way to get those loving feeling off their chest.

And they just look at Lilia like “You doing alright? You’ve been awfully quiet” because they think they did something wrong, maybe he got bored of their conversation? Is he late for something? They aren’t, maybe they could offer to go to Sam’s and buy snacks to just, you know, be with him a bit longer.

And Lilia is just “No, nothing, just thinking of a, future training regime for the boys” he’s trying to reach for the Tsum and go prank people because the feeling and laughter at someone’s misfortune is WAY better than this burning jealousy, maybe he could get back to his Tsum with a prank or two.

And it clicks to Tsum Lilia, how coward can this version of himself be? Not on his watch!

So he disappears from Yuu’s arms and makes them trip, Lilia catching them by the waist, Tsum Lilia taking this advantage to tackle Lilia and making both fall on each other.

With both on the ground, maybe in a stupid position who knows, Tsum Lilia jumping on his counterparts head like “fucking do it dude! I know you love them, just confess!”

Okay, that is all I can think of, you go off, how would you end this? With Lilia squeezing the Tsum like a squeaky toy?

Hello Anonie 🌸🌷💕

I find this sweet and funny because not only are we loving and cuddling such a charming little one but it implies the tsum has more charm and bravery than his counterpart 😂😂

Tsum Lilia got together with you but Lilia?? lol he’s behind the game 🤣

And hehehe my~ oh my~ how the tables have turned that your own tsum wants to mess with you~

The way our Lilia is sidelined and just fuming!!! Oh do I love it. Those kisses and cuddles should be his! HIS!

And then you get Tsum Lilia insulting himself and playing wingman. And just, whoops, they tripped! Catch them! And oops! They both fell!

Ooohhh how wonderful would it have been to have them fall and kiss, but of course, Lilia’s reflexes have to kick in now of all times 🥲

Can you imagine being a third party? And watching this cute bean just jumping on Lilia’s head while he’s on top of someone??

I hope Malleus, Sebek, and Silver are watching this and being amused 🤣😆

I think that Tsum Lilia would be ruthless to get Lilia to confess. If he doesn’t do it now? Oh he’s going to make Lilia jealous ten fold and then start wing manning until Lilia has no choice but to confess.

This would be a fun story to tell in the future while Lilia now has an excuse to get his tsum counterpart and squeeze him like a chew toy.

Until you free him from his grip and lovingly hug the tsum, after all it’s why you two are together 💞

Lilia is punting it to the sky when he gets the chance 😂😂jkjkjk

[ambeauty]

thoughts about Sydney and Carmy’s Love Story as told through the music in The Bear

If you know anything about the bear you know that the music is extremely important to the storytelling. There have been many metas about specific songs and versions of songs and the artists and genre influence the story. For this one, I’d like to illustrate how I think the music replaces the dialogue and tells Sydney and Carmy’s love story more overtly. Chris curates the music and editing choices himself so I know that every song choice is intentional as well as where they are placed. I believe that when the dialogue drops out and the lyrics come in and are transcribed into the subtitles, it is done to illustrate what the characters are feeling in these moments even when they can’t explain those feelings themselves. These are just a few examples but I believe there are many many more.

Season 1

Impossible Germany by Wilco- plays infamously behind Sydney and Carmy in Sheridan as she discusses her catering business failing. Their first moment of vulnerability. Sydney also asks Carmy for help. Something she doesn’t really like to do. The lyrics on the subtitles are “That’s what love is.”

Season 2

Pasta- You are Not Alone by Mavis Staple - the through line of the entire season. This song plays as Sydney has dinner with her father to celebrate her mother’s birthday and Carmy is reintroduced to Claire. This moment initiates what is the central rift between these two characters will be. Who are theoretically loners, but able to find kinship with each other. However a new character threatens that dynamic and possibility. The lyrics of You Are Not Alone describe them perfectly.

Forks - Love Story by Taylor Swift- “Marry me Juliet you never have to be alone. I talked to your dad go pick out a white dress.”

This lyric plays at the end credits of forks. The beginning of forks shows Carmy and Sydney working on the renovations of the bear. Separately but together, yet still alone. I also think that lyric represents the future partnership agreement which is a business marriage of the two. Once they are official partners, they’ll never have to be alone. Also "I talk to your dad" is funny because we know how Emmanuel feels about Carmy and how they have yet to meet. What will that meeting mean for Sydney and Carmy?

Most episodes in S2 after the end of Sundae, where Sydney loses trust in Carmy after her ditches her, shows her doing research and design alone. She never goes back to his home.

Even though Carmy is with Claire there’s a sense of loneliness for him in her world, because he doesn’t quite fit. This might be a reach, but I just tried to analyze his body language in Pop, which to me felt stiff and uneasy. He knows he’s supposed to be somewhere else but he’s trying to cure his loneliness with Claire as she is the first person that truly forces him to confront his failures at forming romantic relationships.

Season 3

No Machine by Adrianne Lenker - the lyrics "don’t know what I’d do without you" illustrate a scene where Carmy is thinking of a conversation with Claire, the scene cuts and everything is blurry around him but Sydney's voice is clear, the scene cuts again and its Richie in the dining room listening but thinking about his family. Another lyric/subtitle "don't know where I'd go without you" and it cuts again to Sydney at home contemplating her relationship with Carmy from the beginning. All 3 of our main characters are contemplating what they mean to each other and what their life is like with them in it. I think this song describes the throughline of the season as well. They are all contemplate the importance of these bonds they have created and what they actually mean.

I'm quite sure there are many other examples of this occurring but I don't have the capacity to do the amount of research this requires. However, if you notice this pattern of the music enhancing the emotional depth of the characters and the story and want to share please do so.

Hopefully this makes sense and not more senseless sydcarmy babble!

[mochinomnoms]

*slams open door*

Mochi! Mochi! I have an idea.

So a troupe I see on pixiv fanart is a character swapping with their future selves. I saw one where Azul wakes up in bed with his future wife Yuu and she's teased him because she can tell it's past Azul and he doesn't recognize her. She gives him a hint how to recognize her by some birthmarks she has on her chest.

I've seen a couple artists do it with Floyd as well, and a fanfic with past and future Yuu swapping with each other and poor younger Malleus is overwhelmed because OMG this beautiful woman is flirting with me and she's my future wife? There's something hilarious about the younger guys just not knowing how to handle the future version of Yuu.

So now I'm thinking how funny it would be for Past!PTMYuu swapping places with future!PTMYuu. Like P!Yuu wakes up in an unknown house in somebody's bed and confused as fuck and gets even more confused because suddenly these little kids are running in, telling Mommy it's time to get up and Yuu's like, who's mommy? Then who should walk in but Jade telling the kids to let Mommy rest and then he notices that the Yuu in their bedroom is not his wife(Yuu's still wearing her NRC uniform and shouldn't fit it anymore after getting older and having kids) and ohh he's going to have fun with this. He'll start in with the thoughts "ohh my beautiful pearl was absolutely adorable back at NRC, look at how tiny and cute you were, I know you can hear me pearl..." And fuck he knows about her telepathy. Poor Yuu overloads with the fact that Jade actually married her, they have kids, and is still so damn in love with her as he was at NRC.

Meanwhile F!Yuu is back at Past NRC and is calming down Yuu's friends. No, your Yuu is fine. If I'm right she's with my husband and kids right now and he'll take care of her. Some of the cast are obviously curious about Yuu's husband and F!Yuu is all "nah... sorry I can't say, don't wanna mess with the future." and of course the one who wants to know the most is Jade. F!Yuu is laughing to themselves because man, they remember how down horrendously Jade was in school and he doesn't know at this time that Yuu can read his thoughts. I'd like to think Yuu learned to better control the telepathy so she just tunes into his thoughts every now and then and it's just his thoughts bouncing around like "Oh seven my pearl is absolutely gorgeous in the future. Please tell me I'm your husband. I have to be! What would our kids look like. How many would we have? Do they look like my pearl or me? I hope one looks like my pearl they'd be the cutest baby!"

Eventually somebody figures out how to send the Yuu's back to their right time. Hugs for everybody but P!Jade gets a quick peck on the cheek before F!Yuu hops into whatever portal is sending her back and the last thought she hears from P!Jade is him screaming in his mind how much he loves her.

P!Yuu gets back and now has to deal with Jade's even more thoughts about the future and apparently a few others people thinking that man, Yuu's gonna be such a milf in the future.

Somebody please help Yuu, poor thing can only take so much.

Ah I love silly time travel stories (I ignore paradoxes) and this is one of my favorite tropes! It's what one of the fics from the poll is based on, but with all of the overblot cast instead!

I'm so excited to write it, I have many ideas for everyone, especially Leona and Idia's chapters!!

For Jade though, I think it would be so funny. He's positively enamored seeing milf/dilf Yuu. He's internalizing everything, of course, so no one except Yuu and Floyd and Azul can really tell he's being affected.

He's staring a little longer than he really should, but he's surprised that future Yuu doesn't seem to mind. In fact, they're much calmer than usual. Usually they'd be excitable with their friends and quite shy and quiet with him. But future Yuu looks at him with such fondness that Jade lets himself dream that they look at him like that because they're future spouses.

(In the back of his mind, there is a mix of hope and dread. That's a wedding band on their hand. They're taken, but was it by him?)

Imagine everyone's surprise and shock when, right before leaving, future Yuu walks up to Jade (even in the future, they haven't grown much) to tip toe and press a sweet little kiss to the cheek as they cup his face with the absolute most tenderness.

Jade's frozen, the others are murmuring to each other, and future Yuu disappears and in their place is their original Yuu. Red-faced, covered in a large brown coat that most definitely does not belong to them, and staring Jade down.

Covering their red-face and all. Poor Jade is now giddy and a bit concerned (he hopes that scream was due to flusteredness and not fear, though he does love how entertaining they always are), while Yuu is screaming into their couch as they try to process several things, including the knowledge that they weren't at all displeased knowing that they married Jade.

[lalune9x]

SCTIR Translation - Chapter 402: Sunset (6)

"I promise you," Sung Hyunje said, looking up at me. "I will never take Han Yoohyun away from Han Yoojin, in any way."

Chapter translation under the cut.

---

I roughly wiped my tear-streaked face with my sleeve. Seeing my other self across from me, I couldn’t help but think how ridiculous I looked. Damn, it was actually funny. Maybe it was because I had just been punched, but I felt a strange warmth inside, like something that had been hard and frozen for so long was finally starting to thaw. The version of me held by Yoohyun glared at me.

"What are you crying for? You think you’ve done something great?" my pre-regression self said.

…This bastard, seriously.

"What about you, huh?" I asked.

"Damn it, I’m crying because I’m pissed off!"

"Hey! You think I’m perfectly fine? I can’t exactly show you by splitting myself open!"

"Why don’t you try! Split yourself open!"

"If you get too pissed off, I’ll do it for you!"

"H-Hyung…"

"You said you wanted me to leave this place, right? Fine, let’s go! I’ll leave after I kill you, you damn bastard–no, you damn me!"

"Who do you think I am, a punching bag with no hands or feet? Hey! I’ve got more experience than you, you know? How far have you even made it in dungeons?"

"What accumulates in your body is also experience! You’ve squandered it all and you’re talking about experience?!"

"Don’t you know about gear? You can cover up weaknesses with equipment!"

"You dirty, underhanded bastard!"

Yoohyun looked between me, standing a bit farther away, and my other self, whom he was holding onto, as if he didn’t know what to do. I felt a bit sorry for my brother, but if he hadn’t come, we would have ended up pulling each other’s hair out. Look at that short temper of mine. Isn’t it natural to comfort someone when they cry after losing a precious younger sibling? Though of course, if I were in my other self’s shoes, I would have cursed myself out, too.

"Did you also throw your conscience back to the Stone Age when you returned to the past? Even an Australopithecus, who doesn’t even know how to cover themselves, would have more decency than you!"

"You think I’m enjoying this?!"

It’s not like I was asking for much. But I kept losing my brother. If there really was a god, I wanted to ask them: do you enjoy tearing me and my little brother apart? Huh? Both of us just want to be together, so why are you doing this? Do you get some twisted pleasure from forcing us apart? Or do you just hate us that much?

It wasn’t just a year or two—we were separated for eight years, and then, after all that, things ended up how they did. And then some damn kidnapper showed up and took my little brother away, and we’re still stuck in this mess. Is it so wrong that I want to prepare for the future? Don’t you think I know this isn’t the best way?

"I’m struggling too, damn it!"

"Hyung…" Yoohyun’s face crumpled like he was going to cry. Ah, no, that’s not right.

"No, Yoohyun, I’m only talking to that bastard. I just want to live peacefully with my little brother by my side for the rest of my life. Is that too much to ask?"

"Then just do it!"

"Easier said than done!"

"I want that too, hyung, but. Um, hyung."

"Yoohyun-ah, let go of him for a bit. We’ll talk it out, just talk."

"Yeah, I won’t use a knife, so just let go of him and step outside for a minute."

Yoohyun hugged my pre-regression self even tighter. And look at that jerk, sniffling and acting all obedient in Yoohyun’s arms after yelling at me earlier. Anyone would think he’s an innocent victim. There were still clear marks from the knife and spear on the floor, you know?

"Stop hiding behind our little brother and come out here!"

"I’m not hiding behind him, I’m in front of him!"

"Like that’s something to brag about!"

"…Han Yoojin-gun?" Sung Hyunje spoke.

"I won’t use any gear, since you say it’s underhanded! I’ll just match our stats and prove to you whether my experience is worth anything or not—hey, let me go!"

Sung Hyunje was pulling me back and dragging me away.

"Good grief, what a life I have!"

"Your life is my life!" I retorted.

"Your lip is bleeding," Sung Hyunje remarked.

"Damn it, if you regressed, you should live better! What the hell are you doing, Han Yoojin!"

"I’m your future, you bastard!"

"Hyung, should we go prepare dinner? Hmm? Let’s not fight."

Both I and the other me instantly fell silent. We had to feed our little brother, after all. The other kids and Director Song would also be here soon.

"Come on, hyung. The kitchen here is really nice." Yoohyun coaxed the other me as he led the way out of the lounge. Look at that, following our little brother so obediently, that damnable bastard. Or should I say, that already-damned bastard.

"Your lip is going to swell. And you can’t even use a potion," Sung Hyunje said.

"It’s not like I’m going to be showing off my face, so it’s fine."

When you think about it, that bastard’s going to become me, but I’m the only one getting hit. It’s not fair. I should have hit him too. I wanted to chase after him even now, but Sung Hyunje didn’t let me go. Instead, he carried me over to the hotel’s front desk while I struggled.

"There should be first aid supplies."

"I told you, I’m fine, really."

Sung Hyunje set me down on the desk and found a first aid kit. With a click, the box opened, and he pulled out some antiseptic.

"First, I should say I’m sorry for what happened."

"For what? For my little brother dying? How considerate of you. The Sung Hyunje in the ruins didn’t care whether Yoohyun lived or died."

"I was cold-hearted, then."

"Oh, I’m sure the current Sung Hyunje-ssi doesn’t feel that differently on the inside." 

The only difference was that he was slightly more considerate of my feelings now. The antiseptic touched my lip, and it stung.

"It’s because I know Han Yoojin-gun would get angry, if I’m being honest."

"What if I said I want to hear your honest thoughts? About me, my situation, all of it."

Without a word, Sung Hyunje continued treating my wound.

"Yoohyun died because of me. That’s why I regressed. Even though I reconciled with him, I could never really bring my dead little brother back."

"Han Yoojin-gun."

"If you’re going to say it wasn’t my fault, just don’t say anything. I know there was nothing I could do. It wasn’t my fault, because the situation was just too difficult, too harsh for me to handle. I was just… ordinary. But even so, he was my little brother."

Even if it wasn’t strictly my fault, even if I was just caught up in it all.

"Setting aside the ranks, whether S-Rank or F-Rank, or the Transcendents and the apocalypse and all that—he was just my little brother. And I couldn’t protect him, I couldn’t care for him, I couldn’t keep him safe."

I deserved to be cursed. A bitter laugh escaped me.

"That guy asked why I was still alive, but he’d do the same. Even knowing all this, he wouldn’t let go either, that bastard. I should have punched him too."

"There was a time when I considered getting rid of Han Yoohyun and Park Yerim.”

Sung Hyunje spoke quietly as he packed up the first aid kit.

I’d said I wanted to hear his honest thoughts, but he was being a bit too honest. 

"It would have made it easier to take Han Yoojin for myself, and I was curious about what kind of Han Yoojin would emerge—whether you’d completely break down or manage to stand firm. And whichever it was, I thought I could still reel you in."

"If you were anyone else, I would’ve stabbed you in the neck by now."

"Then am I an exception?"

"You won’t do that kind of thing now, anyway." Even as I said it, my heart skipped a beat. 

Sung Hyunje gave a slight smile. "To be truthful, I’m still not entirely pleased with how tightly you’re bound with Han Yoohyun. Especially now that you’ve added a dead version to that."

“If I lose Yoohyun again, I really will die. I’ve already lost so much that I’m barely hanging on. You didn’t see how that guy’s eyes went wild when he pulled his knife on me earlier. He doesn’t even think of me as himself anymore. That’s exactly how I feel. I really can’t have my little brother taken from me."

Sung Hyunje handed me some wet wipes that he’d procured from somewhere. I pulled one out and wiped away my tear stains.

"I promise you," Sung Hyunje said, looking up at me. "I will never take Han Yoohyun away from Han Yoojin, in any way."

"…Can I really trust you, Sung Hyunje-ssi?"

"Despite appearances, I do keep my promises, so you can trust me on this." Sung Hyunje hopped up to sit on the desk beside me and crossed his legs. The tip of his shoe bobbed playfully. "But I can’t promise I won’t take Hyung-nim away from the Young Master."

"What? What if Yoohyun comes after you? Will you not fight back? You better not, in case my brother gets hurt."

"I’d quickly hide behind Han Yoojin-gun."

I imagined that for a moment and burst out laughing. No matter how much he crouched, he wouldn’t be able to hide completely.

"After it’s all over. When everything is truly settled… playing around like that would be fun," I said.

"After it’s all over, huh."

"I just want to live peacefully. I mean the kind of days where the biggest incident is Peep-Peep raiding the kitchen or Yoohyun and Yerim getting into a fight. Days where it feels like time passes too quickly, but it’s not something to fear."

And, also…

"With my brother by my side."

Both of them.

"If anything, it’s a modest wish," Sung Hyunje said.

"But it’s difficult to achieve. What about you, Sung Hyunje-ssi?" I turned to look at him. "If everything ends well, I mean. If you’re no longer at risk of being dragged away again, and are truly free. Is there something you wish for?"

Sung Hyunje tilted his head thoughtfully. 

"Well…"

Surprisingly, he didn’t have an immediate answer. He wore a rare expression of uncertainty.

"This is difficult," he said.

"Difficult?"

"There aren’t many things I could wish for that are actually hard to achieve."

…You’re really something else. Then again, once the issue with the Crescent Moon is resolved, what could Sung Hyunje possibly fail to achieve? He’s already living life exactly the way he wants.

"How about making Director Song genuinely happy to receive a free SS-Rank piece of equipment?"

"You’re challenging me to do the impossible, hm? But it could be fun—"

"Cancel that! Cancel! I’m sorry, Director Song!"

Damn this mouth of mine, causing trouble again.

"Wouldn't it be nice for you to just live peacefully, too, Sung Hyunje-ssi? You’ve been through so much that you probably unconsciously find it boring. But if you think of this world as your last, where you’ll settle at the end of your wandering, even ordinary days might start to feel special."

Simply due to knowing this place is the last.

"Living ordinarily, day by day… ah."

Come to think of it, there are some things Sung Hyunje never got to experience, unlike most people. Making friends and dating. Sure, he had me and Director Song as friends, but what about romance? Even if he’s freed from the Crescent Moon, all his accumulated experiences would remain, so unless it’s with a Transcendent, I guess it probably wouldn’t work.

"Do you like older people by any chance?" I asked.

"…Older people?"

"I mean, as a romantic partner."

"If I had to choose, I’d prefer someone around my age," Sung Hyunje replied.

"In their thirties or forties?"

I feel like we need to add at least a thousand years to that. Sure, Sung Hyunje has his own baggage, but um…

"Is someone significantly older not appealing to you?" I asked.

"I don’t have plans to date, but if I had to answer, I’d say someone older is better than someone too young. Young people usually don’t make great conversation partners. If we can’t communicate well, the relationship wouldn’t be enjoyable."

So as long as they can hold a good conversation, older is fine. Somehow, I didn’t think the Crescent Moon would fit that bill. Not that I’d ever met her. But anyway, it was a surprisingly wholesome view on relationships.

"What about appearance? A human-like form is better, right? What about tentacles? As long as they don’t show them, it should be fine, right?"

Tentacles seem to be trendy. Myungwoo, don’t let the Newbie get to you. I’m worried about you.

"How human does their form have to be? Are animal ears, horns, or wings acceptable? I guess you’d prefer two arms and two legs? You don’t seem like the type to discriminate based on skin color. Blue or red—ouch!"

Sung Hyunje, who had been watching me closely, suddenly grabbed my ear and twisted it. Since he didn’t do it hard enough to cause injury, Grace didn’t activate.

"I’m not interested in blue or red."

Hmm, maybe I went too far. 

Rubbing my twisted ear, I almost stumbled as I jumped off the desk, but Sung Hyunje quickly caught me. I’d left my umbrella behind, but I declined his offer to carry me and just let him support me as we walked over to the restaurant. I could see Yoohyun and myself in the open kitchen.

"Where’s the seaweed?" I asked.

"There." 

The other me pointed to a bowl filled with water. It was soaking nicely.

"Sung Hyunje-ssi, would you go cover the entrance with some fabric?"

"There’s still time, so I’ll stay here. I’ll have to separate you if you start roughing each other up again," Sung Hyunje replied.

"We’re not going to fight."

We’re not kids. After washing my hands, I picked up a kitchen knife to slice the meat, and Yoohyun glanced at me nervously. Even Sung Hyunje, sitting at a table outside the kitchen, seemed to be keeping an eye on me. I’m not going to stab anyone.

"Yoohyun, you can go sit down."

"No, hyung. It’s hard for you to move around. I’ll at least help out. The kitchen’s big enough."

He’s such a good kid. I cut the meat into appropriate sizes and drained the blood. In the meantime, the other me was washing rice.

"Since the electricity’s working, does the rice cooker work too? How many people does this serve?"

"It’s a restaurant, so probably a lot. There are some mixed grains here—should we add them?"

"You already know the answer."

Our thought process was the same, after all. Where’s the sesame oil?

"Why did you buy snacks? That’s why you’re like that," my other self said.

"I bought them for the kids!"

"I heard you’ve been scrounging snacks everywhere you go."

Y-Yoohyun, you told him…? My little brother avoided my gaze.

"And that you’ve been hanging out with Hunter Park Yerim, Hunter Kang Soyoung, and even the Breaker Guild Leader, going around eating sweets. Living the good life, huh, Han Yoojin?"

"That’s not—it wasn’t even my idea! And Noah was there too. Honestly, it’s better than al— uh…"

I couldn’t say it was better than drinking alcohol, not with Yoohyun watching me. Damn it! That bastard abused his body to the limit too! Sensing my frustration, the other me smirked mockingly.

"You unlucky bastard!"

"My luck is your luck."

"That’s true."

We both had rotten luck. We laughed at the same time.

"Life has been rough."

"But things were good before the dungeons appeared."

"It was tough, but yeah, it was good."

We both turned to Yoohyun at the same time. He reflexively smiled back at us.

"I guess one punch wouldn’t have been enough," my other self said.

"So you pulled out a knife instead and attacked like you were trying to kill me."

"If you couldn’t dodge something like that even after regressing, you deserve to die. It’s a recognition of experience."

"Why are you acting like you expected me to dodge it? If I were in your shoes, I’d have stabbed to kill."

"Are you asking me to stab you now?"

"Can’t you see how worried Yoohyun is? Let’s just fight with our bare hands. And hey, add more rice. There’s not enough for everyone."

"I’m used to living alone."

Yeah, you were. As he went to get more rice, my other self deliberately stepped on my foot, so I kicked him in the shin in return. My other self groaned and grabbed a kitchen knife.

"Hyung! No weapons!"

Sung Hyunje also got up from his seat. My other self put down the knife and picked up the lobster from the sink, throwing it at me. Because of his higher rank, it flew at me with alarming speed, but Yoohyun grabbed it in mid-air and placed it back on the counter.

"Don’t throw food! You bastard!" I shouted.

"It’s because you buy food this expensive that you’re so full of yourself!"

"It was free!"

"So, you’ve never eaten lobster before?"

"That’s not the point. Just wash more rice."

Being the same person, we worked well together. Too well, in fact, since we ended up grabbing each other by the collar a few more times, though no actual stabbing occurred. I knew I shouldn’t be doing this in front of my little brother, but honestly, it felt good. Yoohyun seemed to notice that I was getting along with myself better than expected and eventually relaxed.

The rice finished cooking, the seaweed soup was simmering, and as sunset drew near, we sensed someone in the hotel lobby.

[zzthekaiju]

THE GREAT MONSTER HUNTER RANKING! Part 5

For this part, we're going to be getting our feet more than a little wet. We're looking at the monsters best suited for the water! And it turns out there are more than a few of them across separate categories. We'll start with the very first monsters with a more aquatic affinity.

The Piscine Wyverns:

"Everything seems a little flat to you, doesn't it?"

The Cephadrome (and its smaller version, the Cephalos) are a neat way to introduce our water-dwellers. Though it's more accurate to say that this one would rather be in the deserts. Yes, our swimmers don't have to be in the water exclusively. You can swim through sand in this world, too! It's a starter monster, so it's not that powerful, but I like how, of all things, they looked to the prehistoric amphibian known as Diplocaulus for inspiration. You can tell by that funny head shape it has. Just a super-charming look for a monster that sadly keeps getting tossed to the side. 7/10.

"Get hip or die!"

The face of the Piscine Wyverns is the Plesioth. And I must say, it's one of neater-looking ones! With a body full of iridescent scales and a head like a shark, it's just so striking! Plus, it can swim with a good amount of grace. However, most people remember the Plesioth for its infamously broken hit box due to its unusual size, especially regarding its hip check move. In fact, the franchise seems perfectly aware that this monster came out a bit on the glitched side of things, and has embraced that to some extent. But honestly, I think if people talk more about how broken your monster is, that should be more of a cause for alarm. Questionable gameplay issues aside, I like where they went with this monster design-wise. 8/10.

"Yip yip yip!"

The Delex are rather small Piscine Wyverns, but they've got their charm. They're big fish with the faces of gharials that swim through the sand. Heck, they kind of remind me of Ichthyosaurs as they were designed when paleontology first became a thing. Gotta love some good retrosaur action! 6/10.

"It's like a hot sauna in here!"

The last Frontier immigrant (for now, at least) is the Lavasioth, which can best be summed up as a big coelacanth on legs. And it can swim through the lava. That's really neat! Coelacanths don't get nearly the amount of love they deserve in paleo-circles, which is weird considering how they got their reputation from being literal living fossils. Now, there's a big beast shaped like one that swims through lava and FIRES lava as well! Just an awesome monster, all around. 7.5/10.

"Everyone feels filthy, and so should you."

...Jyuratodus is a waste of everyone's time and effort. It's LITERALLY the Lavasioth except it traded lava for mud and dirt. They're so alike, I dare call this a variant that didn't want to be called a variant. Or, simply put, a reskin. Plus, it's not fun to fight. It's only saved from a lower ranking because it DOES allow people to fight a giant coelacanth monster outside of volcanic areas, but they could have at least TRIED to not make it near-identical. Alas...3/10.

"Frozen fish sticks!"

AH! You see that, Jyuratodus?! THAT'S how you make a new Piscine Wyvern without copying someone's homework! Anyway, while Beotodus isn't winning any power-scaling competitions anytime soon, it wins points for standing out. It's got some surprisingly vibrant color patterns for a creature that lives in the tundra, and that huge honking horn on its head brings to mind the design philosophy for certain Japanese Kaiju. I like it! 7.5/10.

And that's that for the Piscines! Yeah, not a whole lot, but I encourage Capcom to experiment in the future. However, there's a category that's somehow even smaller, though it's steadily gaining traction with each new game. And that's good, because there's a lot of potential to be found in the reptiles' biological opposites.

The Amphibians:

"Hop Pop's gone mad!"

Tetsucabra is our first ever Amphibian, and you know what, it being just a giant frog is fair. But it's not totally "just a giant frog". It's got a club-like tail, and those monstrous tusks can be used to shovel the earth into boulders all the better to crush you with. And it fights like a sumo occasionally. But what really catapults this guy a rank up is how in Rise, though it's not fought, there's a character that rides atop a baby about the size of a large dog, and it's so adorable! Imagine raising such a cute thing into the beast you see before you! Hope that pair appears again. 6/10.

"Jaws 9: Ribbit."

Zamtrios (and its smaller brood of Zamites) could not have possibly been conceived under normal circumstances. SOMEONE was thinking on an ascended mind when the phrase "giant frog that is a shark that uses ice powers for armor" crossed their mind. Even without the armor, Zam here is intimidating. It's a big blue frog with the face of a great white. You really think you'd want to cross that? Well, then it goes from threatening to dangerously hilarious when it unveils its secret weapon...the ability to suck in air and immediately cater to inflation fans everywhere. Sure, you're going to giggle at least once seeing this thing bounce around, but then it squashes you and you're one cart less. But should it not be feeling so silly, the Zamtrios will use its deadly ice breath to cover itself in a ridiculously awesome coat of frozen armor (pictured above). What's there not to love about this amazingly creative land shark? 8.5/10.

"A frog-platypus? TERRY THE FROG-PLATYPUS?!"

One of the first new monsters unveiled for Rise was the Tetranodon, and for me, this was one of the more striking newcomers! It's a frog that fights like a sumo, has the shell of a turtle, and has the head of an armored platypus! Can you get more creative than that?! Well turns out, you can. It's primary inspiration is not just some out-there animals, but the mythological Kappa. This Yokai looks almost the same, right down to them both having a bowl-like top on their heads. But thankfully this monster doesn't lurk in bodies of water to remove a fictional organ from childrens'...um, lower ends...it just waits in the water to eat pretty much whatever it can get its gob around. And it's pretty fun to fight, too! Let's give this big beast some love, 'kay? 8.5/10.

And now, we are at the meat of our fifth chapter. The monsters that dominate the water almost more than they do the land. Most of them have the same body type, but why fix what isn't broken, eh?

The Leviathans:

"It Came from Beneath the Sink"

The Royal Ludroth has a bit of a neat concept, but it's just not my thing in execution. it's a big lizard built for the water, with a harem of smaller females at its beck and call, and there's also a huge sponge-like growth on its neck that gives it the ability to use water powers. It's weird, yes, but I don't know. Once again, this mostly boils down to a "yellow and gold aren't my color" gripe. Fine for what it is, but not necessarily a monster I look forward to hunting. 5/10.

"Good feeling's gone."

On the flipside, there's a Leviathan quite unlike any in its class. The Gobul is a neat take on a giant terrestrial deep-sea angler fish. It's got the classic lure, as well as big whiskers it can use as pretend plants as it waits below the sand for an easy meal. Also, it's got retractable spikes. But unless those spikes are out, it's as flat as a pancake. I'm not exactly clear as to why they haven't brought this intriguing monster back, but it might be because a lot of its fight back then depended on underwater combat, and it lacks the more amphibious qualities its relatives have. Sorry Gobul, you may be neat, but until Capcom figures out how to make you more viable on land, you might want to stick to waiting in the sand. 6.5/10.

"A shockingly serpentine swim."

Just as the Rathalos dominates the air and land, the Lagiacrus rules the sea. This huge Leviathan has been touted as the toughest and coolest swimmer around. And to be honest, I can see where they're coming from. Its design incorporates elements of crocodiles, cobras, and the sea serpents of old, as well as an appealing color scheme. But Lagi's greatest asset is the spikes on its back being able to help it conduct electricity. And while I have to wonder how this thing doesn't end up killing everything for a wide radius in the water with that power (its a literal living electrical device being dropped into the water, do the math), it's cool in practice. It's a pity then that, for some reason, Capcom is really hesitant when it comes to bringing it into the recent games. All of these new Leviathans and not once does their OG get invited. It's tough to be Lagiacrus. 8/10.

"Snap, snap, that's a wrap!"

Agnaktor is like the Lagiacrus, except it's right at home in volcanic biomes. Design-wise, while I don't like it nearly as much as I thought I would, it's still cool with its Spinosaurid-like head and big fins. It's kind of like if Titanosaurus from the Godzilla franchise was a Leviathan, albeit it replaced that shrill roar with some neat snap-snapping sounds it makes with its jaws. Unfortunately, despite its young, the Uroktors, getting to be in Rise, it instead got replaced by a subspecies of Almudron NOBODY ASKED FOR! It must suck for Agnaktor to have a niche clearly built for it be taken by some unwanted upstart. But here we are. I want to see it come back if only so I can form a better opinion on it. For now, 6.5/10.

"No! I'm the biggest loser on the beach! They buried me in the sand and forgot about me."

Just from the name, you can tell that no one was taking the Nibelsnarf seriously during production. And I can't do so, either. It's unique, don't get me wrong. Its armored hide conceals a rather vibrant color scheme, and I like how its eyes are directly on top of its head like a flat fish. But fighting this thing is SUCH A CHORE. At the point where most hunters are at, almost every weapon bounces off of its armor, and it absolutely refuses to let you hit it most of the time before ducking into the sand to bite at you with that big mouth. Sure, you can bait it into eating bombs, but you don't get to carry that many, and you're sometimes expected to try and fish it out of the sand instead of hunting it like a normal fight entails.

Nibelsnarf is a bad joke with a far too gimmicky fight for my comfort due to the jank of previous games. 4.5/10.

"Shall we dance?"

I may not always like when mammals get used as a design basis, but I believe they really cooked with the Mizitsune, otherwise known as the bubble fox. Yes, this monster fights prominently with bubbles. And even more surprisingly, while these bubbles are made to slow you down most of the time, some can actually give you special bonuses. And that's not even getting into how graceful this thing moves as it tries to hit you. Be warned, the Mizitsune may look beautiful with its flower-like fins and pretty colors, but it can hit hard with its burly tail and wipe you out with a beam of pressurized water. Also, its theme music is as bouncy and cool as its fight is. But more importantly, BUBBLES! 8/10.

"...I'm so lonely."

YES, I AM AWARE THAT THIS MONSTER IS IN A SEPARATE CLASS. The Snake Wyverns, more specifically. But...c'mon, that category hasn't been updated in forever, and most Leviathans have the exact same body type. And with that, I declare Najarala a honorary Leviathan. I will say, I dig the obvious inspirations this thing gets from the legendary Aztec God, Quetzalcoatl. It too is a huge serpent that almost looks like it has wings with those huge scales on its back. And speaking of scales, it can fire them from its neat paddle-like tail. Those scales hit with enough force to rattle so loudly they stun prey. And then the scales blow up on the Najarala's volition. Sounds an awful lot like a more advanced version of what the Bazelgeuse would implement. Still, I admire this monster no matter what category it goes into. Maybe someday we'll see more Snake Wyverns. But as it stands, it's sort of obvious that they're Leviathans that got lost. 7/10.

"You're getting sleepy...very sleepy."

You might think I'd be put off by the uncannily humanish face of the Somnacanth, but you'd be wrong. It's SUPPOSED to be spooky, and the rest of the body looks great! Those long claws and the flowing purple fins make for a striking design. Also, the human-like face makes sense when you consider that this monster is based on the Ningyo, a Japanese mermaid that isn't exactly easy on the eyes either. As the name of this Leviathan would imply, the Somnacanth's main strategy is to utilize a special gas that dulls the senses and make prey sleep. But should any hunter know to avoid that (I for one don't ever remember falling for it), it will switch to a tactic that I find exceptionally charming. Not only is this beast a fish-reptile, it's also got the habits of sea otters. More specifically, it'll whip out a clam from the water, and start beating on it while doing the backstrokes until it either blows up or causes some other special effect (including unintentionally healing its foe). They must have had a lot of fun making this monster! 8.5/10.

"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is MUD."

It took them a bit, but it was only a matter of time before we got a Leviathan that looks almost exactly like a traditional eastern dragon. We just couldn't ever predict how. Thus, the Almudron makes the scene. And I do like how it embraces those draconic features, ON TOP OF having a tail based on that of a lobster. That's cool! But then there's its deceptive intellect. Almudron, as you might have guessed from its name, fights mostly with mud. But not just by chucking it. It can make whole structures of mud with the intent of boxing you in and perhaps even crushing you with its signature move of making a massive mud ball with its tail. And if there's no natural mud around, it can secrete a yellow acid that makes dirt into mud. That's why people say it's based off the Dorotabo, a Yokai made of mud. But in terms of appearance and even its intro cutscene, it has the energy of a grumpy old man telling you to get off its turf. Love it! 8.5/10.

And that's that again! Next, we look at some dino-might in the form of the Brute Wyverns!

Index:

Herbivores

Neopterons, Carapaceans, Temnocerans

Bird Wyverns

Flying Wyverns

Piscine Wyverns, Amphibians, Leviathans

Brute Wyverns

Fanged Beasts, Fanged Wyverns

Elder Dragons

[jokeroutsubs]

[📝ENG TRANSLATION] 🎈Bojan Birthday special 🍰 Bojan Cvjetićanin: A Successful Procastinator

Original article written by Robert Rebolj for Slovenske novice, published 22.08.2020. Photos by Žan Pevec and Tomaž Rupnik.

English translation by @kurooscoffee, review by IG 10_anja, proofread by @flowerlotus8.

🎧 Audio version available here.

Full article below the cut! 👇

A Successful Procrastinator.

2020 was supposed to be the year for the young Ljubljana's Bežigrad band, which has announced their breakthrough into stardom through dedication and songs like 'Gola' and 'Vem, da greš'.

Ph: Personal archive.

Bojan is currently one of the most popular musicians, loved by both girls and boys alike.

"Last year, we made a plan that was supposed to withstand anything, even a bullet. On the 1st of April, we would have released the album, presented it at two events in Ljubljana's Cvetličarna, and then we would have a summer full of concerts. Unfortunately, everything fell through. If we can't support the album with concerts, it doesn't make sense to release it for now," the 21-year-old singer and songwriter, whose future is expected to be dazzling, described the unexpected turn of events.

Ph: Tomaž Rupnik. The five Joker Out members from Ljubljana have been making waves with great music for some time now.

How are you coping with the disruption of these events that are important to you?

Bojan: At first, we found the whole situation funny; we thought everything would normalise within two months. Back then, I was quite inactive and uncreative, and with each passing month, my mood became even more gloomy. Realisation that this could drag on for a long time has a significant impact on your psyche. And while there’s a widespread belief among the people that this is now a period of new creativity, I’ve created very little myself. I was grieving more than anything else!

We’re hearing a lot of criticism about the immature behavior of young people—partying, ignoring experts' warnings. But there are also those who are very responsible. Which of those are you?

My perspective is that young people here are actually quite responsible. I think they are aware of the warnings and don’t socialise recklessly. Recently, I went out for the first time in five months. In front of Kino Šiška, around 50 people had gathered. It was very calm. People socialised within their groups and kept their distance.

Ph: Žan Pevec. "My parents taught me that no amount of money can replace a clear conscience and fair earnings," he says.

I’d say we don’t have a problem with ultra-parties here. What seems more problematic to me is that the restrictions on cultural events are extremely strict and, without any legal basis, prevent a huge number of people from working and making a living. Meanwhile, at Brezje¹, a few thousand people gathered without any sanctions; most of them belong to the critical age group, and on top of that, they didn’t follow safety measures. It seems to me that a lot of blame is being shifted onto young people, but in reality, those who were the most active in breaking the rules during the pandemic were about 15 years older than us.

¹Brezje is a settlement in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia, best known for its basilica which is the largest pilgrimage church in Slovenia.

What are the strongest values you’ve taken from home?

My parents taught me to always be honest, no matter what I do, because no amount of money can replace a clear conscience and fair earnings. In our family, we’re also very compassionate and respectful toward all people. Both of them supported me greatly in my creative endeavors and gave me everything I wanted, as long as I was fair to them and fulfilled my responsibilities.

And you did fulfill them? You weren't a rebel?

And I did, yes. I wasn’t a rebel—maybe I had a few moments in secondary school, but that’s probably pretty normal.

Were you a nerd?

A terrible procrastinator (laughs). Every year, at the start of the school year, I promised myself it would be different this time. Before school began, I’d buy new notebooks, pens, a pencil case, and all the supplies, tidy up my desk, make and hang up schedules. It would last maybe three days, and then I was even worst than the previous year—a disaster! (laughs) Only now at university—I'm studying sociology—am I a little more diligent, but I’m still quite a procrastinator.

Which was your favourite subject, and which caused you the most trouble?

The worst was definitely maths, but that’s entirely my fault because, from elementary school to the end of high school, I probably did a total of ten homework assignments. Awful! Of course, you can’t learn maths that way. During periods when I focused on it, I didn’t have any problems. I also really liked my maths teacher! My favourite subjects were sociology and history, and over time, I became happy that we learned Latin as well. I won’t single out physical education—we always played football there, which was fantastic.

So football is your favourite sport?

I’m a fan of extreme sports, especially the acrobatic version of wakeboarding (the most adrenaline-filled version of surfing, editor’s note). I also love fast cars. I used to train judo but had to quit because of severe migraines, and then I started playing football. So yes, it’s probably my favourite sport now.

Do you follow Cristiano Ronaldo's discipline as a counterbalance to the temptations of rock 'n' roll?

In that respect, I’m more like Diego Maradona! (laughs)

Let me guess—when it comes to music, you’re less of a procrastinator?

Not at all! (laughs) I’m not musically educated, which I also deeply regret. As a child, I never showed any interest in music, so, naturally, my parents didn’t enroll me in music school. It was only later that I started taking private guitar lessons, and at the age of 12, I learned everything I know to this day.

"On stage, I stop caring about everything. I feel invincible, like no one can touch me."

Unfortunately, when it comes to learning instruments, I’m the same kind of procrastinator I was in high school. As for writing music and lyrics, I only create when I feel a strange inspiration that I have to write it down. It’s very hard for me to just sit down and start writing. I deeply regret this. If we look at the history, The Beatles’ John Lennon and Paul McCartney reportedly had regular creative meetings, and not one of them ended without a song being written. This means they wrote thousands of songs in their lives, whereas literally everything I write eventually gets released.

From today’s perspective, what would you teach your own children?

I’d like to have kids as young as possible...

Really?!

Really. I’ve even picked out the names already! (laughs)

Please, share them with us!

(Laughs) Oh no, I can’t reveal them yet—someone might steal them! I’ll tell you, but you can’t write them down! (laughs) Anyway, continuing on, I’d definitely teach them everything my parents taught me. I believe those are very good values and solid foundations on which a person can then grow in the right direction. I also think education and the ability to think abstractly are very important. My parents strongly encouraged this in both me and my sister. And although it might seem like I resisted them a bit in the educational part, I’m endlessly grateful to them today for all their encouragement.

What do you value most about your parents?

With my father, definitely his humility. With my mother, it’s how well she listens and how compassionate she is.

You seem very confident, but are you truly confident deep down as well?

I am, I’ve never had any problems with this, and when I work, I know what I’m doing. I also feel like I’m good at sensing and reading people, and I know how to respond to them. I’m open to those who are open to me, but others don’t interest me. I guess it all stems from respect.

How are you with girls?

Also very respectful. It’s true that I’m quite flirtatious, so I like confident girls who might even outflirt me in this regard. I really like that. I’ve only had one somewhat serious girlfriend, but I always try not to be rough, rude, or impolite, although I’m sure there were times when I was. But my main guiding principle is to be a good person. I don’t support violence; it should be stopped at all costs.

At first glance, confidence and modesty don’t seem to go hand in hand…

But that’s exactly it. My father is incredible in this regard, I admire him greatly. He’s an extremely intelligent and successful man, a doctor, a surgeon. He’s achieved so much in life and has provided my sister and I with almost everything. Then I feel embarrassed when I catch myself getting excited about material things and wanting everything, even though I haven’t achieved anything in life yet and can’t afford those things.

"I want to have kids as young as possible. I even have their names picked out!"

My father, who could afford a lot and truly deserves it, doesn’t have that need or desire. Such things mean nothing to him. He always brings me back to reality, as I feel bad about myself at these realisations, like a completely spoiled brat.

Successful people are usually very hardworking, and with work comes absence. And no material thing can replace the absence of parents. How was it for you?

My father worked from early morning, when I also went to school, and he’d come home late in the afternoon, just as I was returning from sports activities after school. My mother, also a doctor—a pediatrician—had a well-organised work schedule. So, we were able to spend our free time together. My father always made time to attend my matches, and later, neither he nor my mother missed any significant concerts. My parents always made plenty of time for my sister and I. I have absolutely no complaints in this regard.

I know firsthand that you’re very popular among both girls and the gay community. Are you aware of this?

I knew about the girls, but I didn’t know I was confirmed to be popular in the gay community. However, I’ve recently met quite a few gay people, and they told me that I am. I admit that I really like this. I’m a big supporter of people being free to be who they are. And if everyone can connect with my lyrics, which are usually written as love songs for women, I feel like I’ve achieved a lot. In general, the gay people I’ve met have been incredibly kind and cool. And they’re amazing partygoers, so I definitely enjoy their company!

On stage, you have such a nonchalant presence…

In life, I’m not nonchalant, but on stage, I always switch to a different version of myself. I stop caring about everything, I feel invincible, and nobody can touch me. In this aspect, I strongly identify with Liam Gallagher’s persona from the band Oasis.

In this sense of immortality, many musicians have lost their compass later in life, along with their voices, and even their hearing. What about you, are you being careful?

I’m very concerned about my voice. At least three or four days before a concert, I avoid partying and staying up late because I’m terrified of losing my voice on stage. As for hearing, I hope I won’t have any issues since we always use noise-canceling earplugs during rehearsals, and at concerts, I wear special headphones to control the volume of the sound reaching me. While some old rockers might call us soft, I don’t care—I definitely don’t want to be deaf and voiceless at 60. Right now, my band and I are ready to do whatever it takes to make it big and turn this into our full-time job. You know, after all, we have to work a bit too! (laughs)

By co-hosting this year’s EMA Fresh alongside Maja Pinterič on national television, you also tried your hand at hosting. If you could evaluate yourself: are you satisfied, do you think you have a talent for hosting?

My first real hosting gig was in ninth grade at a school anniversary event. Objectively speaking, I did very well, and that’s when my mum openly said for the first time that I was truly born for the stage. Before that, she didn’t take me seriously when I mentioned wanting to work in show business.

"My view is that young people here are actually quite responsible."

Later, I hosted almost all events in secondary school, got some bigger opportunities later, attended a drama club, and so on. Honestly, I think there’s a host in me too, but it’s clear that I still have a lot of work to do if I want to become really good. Regarding EMA Fresh, I think I did my job well. If I had prepared better, I could have done very well. Unfortunately, the procrastinator in me won again.

[skyesblue]

Samoa Joe: Bittersweet

Request for @wrestlingpookes

Samoa Joe X Black fem reader! 🥹

This is my first time writing abt him pretty cool🙏🏻

Summary: Moya and Samoa Joe are together and she gets a ticket to see him for one of his biggest nights in his career; winning the trios champions with SHIBATA(it autocorrects like this) and Hook. After they successfully get the titles she congratulates him backstage

✮⋆˙ ☠︎︎ ★☠︎ ✮⋆˙ ✮⋆˙ ☠︎︎ ★☠︎ ✮⋆˙ ✮⋆˙ ☠︎︎ ★☠︎

Masterlists | Aew Masterlist | Samoa Joe Masterlist

-ˋˏ [Word Count] ˎˊ : 1.4k I will probably update this in the future but this is all I got in my brain

-ˋˏ [Genre] ˎˊ : fluff

-ˋˏ [TW] ˎˊ : fluff, any mistakes I might have, was not proofread before posting

-ˋˏ [Taglist] ˎˊ : @taysmelo @trinityfatuera

[comment to be added to my taglist]

✮⋆˙ ☠︎︎ ★☠︎ ✮⋆˙ ✮⋆˙ ☠︎︎ ★☠︎ ✮⋆˙ ✮⋆˙ ☠︎︎ ★☠︎

I waited outside the arena with Julia(me) before fans showed up, Tony Khan was walking to the doors and let us in because we date wrestlers; and who wants to be over crowded by fans? Since it's hot out I am wearing a crop top version of my boyfriend Samoa Joe's merch and shorts to match, Julia is wearing the same but instead of Samoa Joe she is wearing a custom crop top shirt of Shibata she got from a fan. She grabbed us a water as we both met up with our boyfriends before the show;

"Hey you" I said going to my boyfriend hugging him

"I didn't think you would come" he hugged back

"Of course I would" I smile

"Hey" him and Julia greeted each other

Julia looked at me "Moya I am going to go see Shibata then I will meet you back here before we have to go sit down"

I nod

She walks off to go see Shibata while I sit and watch Joe warm up;

"You nervous?" I ask

"Yeah even though I won a title before the nerves are still there"

Shibata came out of nowhere with Julia making his translator talk, "don't benervous Wheeler Yuta can't even fight anyway, he sucks"

Joe and I look at Shibata trying not to laugh, I look over at Julia;

"How do you put up with the translator at home?" I asked her

"I can't I laugh every time" she chuckles

I look out to the stage to see a few fans come in so I look at Julia;

"Julia we better go sit now, people are starting to come in"

She looks over at Shibata "I'm going to go sit down, I love you and good luck"

Shibata nodded and handed her his phone and hugged before her and I sat down, Julia looks behind us which makes me look at her;

"What?" I asked confused

"People are staring like they never seen women before"

"Or it's just the usual; them not believing I'm with Joe"

Julia rolled her eyes as she said "let me not"

I chuckled, "We don't need you insulting people again"

"Well sometimes the deserve it" she laughs

Her and I sat down, tonight was going to be a busy night;

Athena vs. Mercedes Mone

Hangman vs. the Wild Card

Will Ospreay vs. Konosuke Takeshita

The Hurt Syndicate vs. Gates of Agony with MJF coming out after

A backstage segment with the Patriarchy

The Opps vs. the Death Riders for the trios champions

The first match; Athena vs. Mercedes. Honestly this match was 'rigged' in Julia's words because she doesn't want Mercedes to win another title. Julia is so real for that, Mercedes already has enough belts as it is; fight me about it. I might be pretty biased because Julia said it but I agree with it, it is bull shit she gets these many titles. When Athena lost Julia booed kinda loud but it was pretty funny because of how loud she did it, dating wrestlers you get to make friends with that's also why Julia booed so loud also.

The second match Hangman came out to the ring then we waited for the wild card to come out. When they showed Josh Alexander on the titrontron I looked over at Julia;

"Holy shit!" Julia yelled

Not going to lie I had the same reaction, out of all people I didn't expect him and by Julia's reaction she didn't expect him either. Knowing Aew I thought the wild card was going to be someone disappointing or stupid just like last year. I swear the wild cards are almost always so stupid it ruins the excitement for the Owen tortument, that’s why I ever rarely look forward to it each year. After the match Don was whispering to Josh Alexander and Kyle Fletcher came down to the ring and they jumped Hangman, now that I also didn’t expect.

Now it's the third match; Will Ospreay vs. Konosuke Takeshita. Knowing that Kyle Fletcher advanced a week or two ago you knew Will was going to advance so they could probably fight again, not going to lie I would like to see it again. But nothing will beat their cage match it was too good, even though Julia would agree I think Julia was more upset because her friend Konosuke lost.

“Konosuke should’ve won”

“Why?”

“I wanted to see this get thrown back into Don’s face and see him cry”

I laugh

“I love seeing Don in pain” she says as I laugh

After the Hurt Syndicate beat the Gates of Agony, MJF came out so Iooked over at Julia laughing when she rolled her eyes;

"Can he ever stay 5 feet away from me?"

“Apparently not” I joked with her

MJF blew a kiss at her because he knows she hates his guts which made her stick her middle finger up at him, after that he'll definitely be dealing with Shibata down the road. When he got in the ring he ran his mouth like he usually did because when doesn’t he talk shit? He brought women down to the ring to convince the Hurt Syndicate to let him join but it didn’t work, Shelton got distracted by the women when MJF was talking to him and it made the crowd laugh so we laughed too. Mjf gave up his gold watch which was pretty shocking but knowing him I already know he has a trick up his sleeve, like it’s MJF cmon now you know you can’t trust him.

The Patriarchy segment started, Christian went on and on rambling like he always does. Nick has a upcoming title match? Interesting. I look over at Julia again;

"He's getting a title match? Hm, ok"

"Interesting right?"

"More odd, but yes I agree"

“Komander is pretty good but I do want Nick to win so he can break away from Christian”

“Me too”

“Don’t let him hear you, he might come out here and yell at you to let him be your father figure” we both shared a laugh

“No he’s going to get you for saying it first” we laughed harder

Because at this point his gimmick is just basically wanting to be everyone’s father which is pretty funny. To be fair I want to see Nick away from Christian, he doesn't even need Christian he is already great on his own.

Now it's the last match the Opps vs. Death Riders, Julia and I held onto each other's arms because we were nervous but let go long enough to take pictures of our boyfriends. This match was the last one so there was going to be no time limit; there will be a winner rather it goes on for an extra 30 minutes or even an hour. The match went over the time limit by like 20 minutes but we got new trios champions, I looked at Julia who had tears in her eyes just like did and while a few superstars came out to celebrate with them spraying champagne in the ring Julia and I got escorted backstage.

We both waited as they came backstage, she didn't even wait for Shibata to fully come backstage before she lunged at him for a hug, I chuckle at her as Samoa Joe came backstage. He came up to me hugging me even though it's like hes sweating gallons but that's not what is important right now;

"Wow, congratulations Joe I am so proud of you! You deserve this and I knew you could do it" I smile through the tears

"Thank you baby" he leaned down to kiss me as he let go of the hug

We waled over to Julia and Shibata;

She held his face in tears as he smiled at her "Wow, I am so proud of you. You did it" she smiled bigger

He took his phone from her tying in his translator, he made it say "Thank you , I love you and we beat their ass"

We all laughed at the translator but he put his phone in her pocket to get serious, I couldn't make out what he said because he said it in Japanese. She stood back wiping her face "I just can't stop crying, I'm so proud of you." He stepped closer to her wiping her tears as Joe and I smiled at them, knowing Julia she has been with him for a while now so it's always bittersweet to see them have cute moments.

I left with Joe after he did a backstage video with Shibata and Hook, Joe and I went back to the hotel to celebrate alone and to just be alone together in general. We sat down on the bed as he ordered us room service;

“I know I keep saying this but you really don’t know how proud I am of you”

“Thank you it really means a lot”