#idk if this is coherent but im still having feelings about this chapter

[secretmellowblog]

My favorite bit of dialogue from Les Mis 1.1.10 is from the exchange where the Bishop and the revolutionary are discussing the death of one of the Royal children during the revolution:

“I will weep with you over the children of kings, provided that you will weep with me over the children of the people.”

“I weep for all,” said the Bishop.

“Equally!” exclaimed conventionary G——; “and if the balance must incline, let it be on the side of the people. They have been suffering longer.”

I don't know, I think it's a perfect encapsulation of why the bishop's "All lives matter, we should feel sorry for Everyone equally" philosophy was incomplete. The bishop's privileged aristocratic background means he doesn't necessarily understand how to take this systemic inequality into account when choosing who to grieve and who to forget. The death of a king's child is a horrible tragedy beyond words and proof that the rebels are heartless monsters.....but the deaths of thousands of non-royal children under the reign of tyrannical kings, as a direct result of those kings' policies, are quietly forgotten by him. Until the Conventionary pointed it out, the Bishop couldn't see that "weeping for all" isn't enough when some lives are treated as if they're inherently far more expendable. It also makes me think of the fact that there are, for example, so many pieces of media about the suffering of Poor Girlboss Marie Antoinette to the point where its almost its own subgenre. And there's that entire subgenre like A Tale of Two Cities/The Scarlet Pimpernel that's about how Hard it was to be an aristocrat around dirty deranged French Revolution peasants. And period/fantasy media as a whole loves to focus on the struggles of royalty and the upper class. Like yeah, everyone can experience pain/trauma regardless of their social class- and yeah theoretically we should weep for everyone's pain equally. But as the Conventionary points out.... it's interesting how the pain of one small group of privileged people is treated with far much more importance, and is focused on so much more often, while the pain of a much larger group of people is utterly forgotten. "Weeping for all" often only means, weeping for the powerful and important people who were considered worthy of being remembered. And in that vein I think it's relevant that multiple main characters in Les Mis end up being buried in nameless or unmarked graves.

[lilunaire]

I'm dying for any ghostflower TWBOS content you have

Can u give us any teaser 🥺 pretty please?

(If it's not too inconvenient off)

TEASER 8 - CH.9 TIL WE BURN OUR SKINS

Hi anon, sorry for answering so late !!

Dont worry, I got your back now 😎 And since I'm so late against, here's two teaser for chapter 9 !

(side note : im so happy to have an ask you can't imagine-)

(teasers below the line)

Teaser 1

Four depressed teenage girls in their pajamas on a bed and a huge tub of ice cream.

They're watching a movie on Webflix, a movie that Margo chose ("It's not so bad," she told them.) And that was perfect, because at the moment, it was an average movie that they needed to watch. With this, they could continue talking while paying a little attention to what was going on.

It's hot in Mumbattan. The three guests each brought a fan, but it wasn't enough. Gwen didn't know she would need a seventy-centimeter-high pot of ice cream in her life until Margo told her it existed on her Earth.

Drowning your sorrows in ice cream, that's the ideal solution!

And by sticking your hands on it, you could be sure of being cooled off.

Gwen also had to admit that she'd seen… better than that. It was a film aimed at young adults (and to be completely honest, female young adults), very cliché and sometimes lame. Fortunately, the two main actors came to save the shaky scenario.

“Margo, I thought you said it was a good movie… Peni whined.

— Actually, I said “not so bad”.

— That’s not the word I would have used to describe it…”

“So, about your parents? Gayatri asked. How's it going?

— Still through divorce, but there's progress! If lawyers are right, just another month and it will finally be behind!"

With the divorce, Margo was already planning a lot of things: for starters, she will finally be able to invite her friends to her dimension without having to hide all the details of their visit. But also organize parties: Margo had parties in her soul.

Her mother was often away for work, and she intended to take advantage of it.

“Cool, I’ll come to squat more then, replied Gwen.

— Only if you bring cakes, it’s not open bar here.

— Deal."

Teaser 2 / CW : Implied nudity

Satisfied with her work, she comes to join him in the bathtub. He, in the meantime, had managed (with great difficulty) to sit down in the water. She comes to settle in too, pressing her back against the wall, which is still a little cold despite the scalding water.

When she opens her arms, Miles understands the message and comes to stick to her, letting her surround his body with her arms. He doesn't need to be asked to put his head back where it was earlier, that is to say against her neck, and once again inhales the comforting smell of peaches.

She lets her hands absently caress his chest and back, rubbing the bath suds onto his skin. He hums in pleasure and contentment, pressing himself deeper into her.

He knows he shouldn't. He had spent the last few hours trying to convince himself that he absolutely had to end this twisted relationship with her before it was too late.

But the feeling of her body against his acted like morphine, and he was addicted to it. He wants this moment to never end. He hears Gwen in the distance asking him if he wants her to wash his hair: that was probably a bad idea given the time. He would probably fall asleep with wet hair, and his mother would go crazy if she saw him do that, especially at this time of year.

But the “yes,” leaves his mouth before he can even form that coherent thought. She makes him to stand up so she can access his shampoos, and grabs the shower head, making sure to lower the water temperature to rinse his hair.

He closes his eyes, and he feels like he's falling asleep almost immediately. But he stays awake just so he doesn't miss what happens next.

IMPORTANT NOTE : hey people who actually speak english unlike me, would you mind helping me ? In Teaser number 1, i said "Four depressed teenage girls". So idk if it's okay in english, but since it doesn't work in french it makes me confused. I don't mean to say that they have depression, just that they're all in a bad mood (but i can't really write that you know ?). But everytime I try to translate it on internet, they all give me "depress". So if anyone can help me on this 🙏

[ae-neon]

Bestie are you doing fine? Cause im quite confused as to why you’d put yourself through another sjm serie again 😭you have all my respect cause im not strong enough to be like you 🫡 but i love being a ccity and acotar hater through your blog

😭😭😭

I do it for all the haters fr (whether you like my posts just for the anti sjm satisfaction or because you realise you were sold right wing propaganda in a romantasy)

I actually felt bad since I did promise several people I'd read it then I kept dropping it in the first 3 chapters

Usually I'd post about all the issues - like I noticed some pacing and scene placement stuff that could easily be fixed - as well as some petty snarky stuff about how childish the writing can be

(most of that is going into a moots DM since idk if people wanna see me complain about small things like that)

But I think this book in particular because (while it's still secondary world fantasy) it does have a "modern" setting - the problematic elements not only feel more relevant but are also harder for sjm to hide behind vague cultural, magical and historical veils.

And honestly the amount of messages I get saying they didn't really catch a lot of the problems in ccity until they saw some of my posts at least balances out the experience

So why? A little bit of masochistic tendencies, because I promised someone I would and because I don't think sjm deserves to get away with the heinous shit she slips into her books and unfortunately I have to actually consume the content to criticise it

I don't even know if I wrote this in a coherent way, my brain is a little scrambled rn

[topaztimes]

hello! I have finished re-reading Scrimshaw from the beginning. here are my thoughts! some of it is probably not very coherent. sorry about that. im not gonna edit it or anything this all just came from my brain as i was reading. also all of the questions are rhetorical. DO NOT feel like you have to answer them. this is just a stream of consciousness. im sure all will be revealed in later chapters anyway!!

Chapter 1

"You don’t work like that anymore." - voice of the dragon? Will absorbed his dragon due to trauma, if I'm understanding correctly. So the dragon still has a separate consciousness and set of memories? Or Will's soul has been replaced with the dragon's? Dragons' eyes can adjust to darkness! That's cool.

"your creations" - the moon created dragons. All of them? Or just some?

Winston had a collar at some point. Who put the collar on him? If the scales are chipped and scratched then the collar was most likely made of metal. Chains maybe? How did he come into Will's possession?

The dragonets are dragons who absorbed their humans. Can they remember their human selves? Do they still have their human intelligence? It would seem not.

The dragon is Hannibal, right? The stag antlers would seem to suggest as much. But he can't talk in dragon form and seemingly can't remember being a dragon when he is back in human form.

"He felt a flicking sensation by his ear, yelped, and clapped his hand to it." - this feels important. Can't put my finger on what it is yet. I'm guessing that wasn't Winston or Hannidragon? Abigail's dragon maybe? Since it is small. Idk man. More data needed.

Will talking to himself - seemingly two consciousnesses? Is this his human soul and dragon soul talking or just talking to himself? Could be either I suppose.

Chapter 4

How small actually IS Ellie? Are we talking chihuahua size or actual anemone size or what?

OMG I JUST REALISED WILL WANTED TO SEE AN INSECT DRAGON AND ABIGAILS IS A BUTTERFLY THATS SO CUTE

"He quietly mourned the pages of his notebook that he’d have to make edits to." - Will has never encountered anyone without a dragon before, huh. But. He doesnt have a dragon. Right? So why would he assume that No One Else has the same thing. Unless. ???? Will didnt HAVE a dragon and absorbed it, he IS a dragon. Wait wait wait he is a dragon for a Thing??? Like the moon??? And is in human form???? What's Will's Thing??? Is it fish. Its fish isnt it. /hj

Ok but if Will IS a dragon, like Luna, then why does he not know that people not having dragons is a thing. Because Luna knew, right? And she said it like it was a thing that happens reasonably frequently. Unless im misremembering.

Chapter 6

"He saw a man smile in his rearview mirror a couple of times, and impressed himself with how ready he was to accept that the image was himself." - more evidence that Will is a Thing Dragon. I'm on this train now choo choo motherfucker im onto you

“He’s a dragon too,” - hmmmmmmmm. And Will immediately says "What happened to him?" SO HE DOES KNOW. THAT PEOPLE CAN ABSORB DRAGONS. SO WHAT WAS HE GONNA CHANGE IN THE NOTEBOOK. IM SO CONFUSED. AM I MISSING SOMETHING im being stupid arent i. Probably

Chapter 10

Dragon in the woods. Does this dragon belong to someone or is this a Thing dragon? Mischa's dragon?

She's yelling at the ground. Is the ground sentient? Is there an Earth Dragon? Probably.

Shimmerscales says trans rights

So. Mischa had a male dragon. That Hannibal absorbed? And he was a girl at the time so now he's trans. Ok. So the dragon soul replaces the human soul when you absorb it? Or they combine? God what are the fucking mechanics of this im so. I can get it i think i just need to process lmao

So humans also count as Things. A dragon forms for every human born. So, is there a dragon for every single tree, or for the concept of trees as a whole? That's uh. That's a lot of dragons. Do you know how many beetles there are? If there's a dragon for every single beetle. Im overthinking again arent i

The knowledge that you have Read and Comprehended Scrimshaw is actually insane to me. You are absolutely wonderful. I hope to return the favour someday but I need to survive GCSEs first *sobbing emojis

Uh uh!!!! I'll answer the questions that I don't think I'll get around to answering naturally any time soon!! I'm giggling and kicking my feet so much rn you actually have no idea omg

-Winston's collar was there for the same reason dog Winston's was -- he was forgotten about and broke away. Technically this WILL be explained soon but I also think you deserve to know now seeing as you DID draw him (I treasure that drawing so much...) -The flicking is the moon! I didn't explain that very well lmfao -- it happens after he badmouths her but I did NOT elaborate enough. However, the fact that she CAN flick him without being physically present is important... greeheehee -Ellie's like... slightly smaller than a chihuahua. I did a little diagram a while back that I'll put in a reblog when I have my phone lmfao -Abigail being an insect was completely unintentional 💀I wish I was smart enough to think of that intentionally LMFAOO (I KNEW there was a reason why I picked it. I didn't even realise) -Part of Will's notebook is actually the next chapter (is that a spoiler?) so all you have to know for him will be revealed kuahahahah. You are NOT stupid for not knowing because I didn't really elaborate, like. At all. So there's genuinely no way you could have knew LMAO (thank goodness for second, third, fifteenth drafts) -Luna was being silly when she explained how Hannibal's absorption worked so he's going to be figuring out the actual story himself. Basically, take everything she said with a pinch of salt -- like Hannibal is actually -(Also yes. Defo an Earth-dragon. I mean... there's a moon-dragon! But idk if she was thinking of that or if she just wanted to yell at something lolll) -THERE IS A DRAGON FOR EVERY SINGLE BEETLE!!! The finer point is: -Every species is a Thing -Every individual in that species is a Thing So, there's a tree-dragon... and there's also a dragon for every tree. Thing is, dragons change in size based on the Thing's thoughts, so since rocks and things like that don't think at all, their dragons are really small. They do hold little dragon teaparties together though. Also, OTHER people's thoughts can increase the size of a dragon, too! Hence why the moon was a stupid rock, but eons of worship turned her into a big, powerful, shapeshifting dragon.

Everybody in the fic gives you kisses as thanks

[hopeds]

rambling about ships/dynamics i yearn for while i sit in the car

peko/tenko:

saw a post in the tags saying how predespair tenko probably idolized peko and now i've just been thinking about them — especially in the sense of having adjacent enough interests but tenko encouraging girls to outwardly express their emotions while peko does the exact opposite. i think tenko would absolutely adore peko's fondness for cute animals and i think she would do wonders to help peko regain a sense of autonomy :')

gundam/mikan:

thinks about their drs interaction where he calls her the lamb and lets her hold the devas so she can be less anxious with animals...

idk if my thoughts are coherent at all about them but i just think they can be . so cute.

nagito/mikan:

but specifically ♠️ like they are in the trial for chapter 3

idk how much i ship it apart from that sort of dynamic because they're both such unstable individuals that i can't see much between them really being that healthy nor enjoyable tbh?

but them bitching each other out ohohhohoho

tenko/mikan:

i will talk about characters other than tenko and mikan i promise. but ohhh my god i think mikan would make tenko's protective instincts go HAYWIRE

and again with the expressing emotions thing like i briefly elucidated upon for peko and tenko but i think mikan has a lot of shame about her emotions and also isn't sure entirely how to express them normally (like when she randomly screams/yells or when she says really. weird shit out loud unprovoked) and i think tenko could do. so much for that

hiyoko/fuyuhiko:

another one of my dearly beloved ♠️ moments

idk how many thoughts i have about them offhandedly but i like them and i like them antagonizing each other

hiyoko/sonia:

this one is more platonic in my mind ( ... sighs.. ♦️) but i think they'd get along so well because of their mutual interest in horror/crime/occult etc

like yeah hiyoko canonically dislikes her but as much as hiyoko torments kazuichi i think she expected a pervy gross guy like him to give her all the attention (as per her track record with her fans unfortunately) so someone else getting that attention kinda. sets her off

BUT when she realizes that sonia didnt even really want kazuichi's crush on her to be a thing i can absolutely see her softening for sonia

especially because sonia was kind to hiyoko and shows a great deal of respect for traditional japanese culture, something very close to hiyoko's heart

hiyoko/kazuichi:

on that note...:)

not a ton of thoughts about them to prattle about right now to be honest but i have a soft spot for them and a soft spot for hiyoko antagonizing him

any combination of peko/maki/mukuro:

they're all similar personality - wise but i just think. idk. a lot of themes of dehumanization overlapping that makes me want to see them kiss

hajime+izuru/mikan:

sry combining them into one but. god the thoughts i have about hajime and mikan are unreal and i like them

even with hajime's self loathing for his lack of talent i still think he's stable enough all things considered to support mikan in a way she needs?

ugh when she mentions wanting to harm him so she'd need to take care of him and he just says she doesn't need to do that. emotional

chiaki/mikan:

i just feel like. i don't know i just feel like they can be so cute

gentle/soft spoken/kind person just the kinda person that mikan needs... and i think she could show her so many video games and it can something that is so sweet

mukuro/sayaka:

hmgmghmh ladies...

socially awkward x social butterfly like what if i cried.

also their drs interaction is SO cute and i just. weeps

mukuro/kyouko:

self sacrificial x unable to depend on others... oh they're foils your honor

i've mentioned this in ims before but omg drif/other adjacent scenario where kyouko notices something Off about disguised!mukuro and then they just. they're gay your honor

tenko/touko:

oh i just feel like tenko can get through to her. i just know she can. even if it takes ten million years

peko/fuyuhiko:

dare i say something controversial?

hm. well. ♠️

in the sense of like. fuyuhiko not wanting to be reliant on the kuzuryuu clan and peko being the embodiment of it because she's his Tool/object as per the clan. and i can just see it getting warped somewhere down the line and i'm so fascinated by that

also like. normal romantic stuff but that can also go without saying i feel

tenko/angie:

okay so. jealousy over himiko aside. i'm so intrigued by the idea of like. tenko confronting angie about hiding her emotions behind her religion in a sense — but i can also see it going in a ♠️ sort of way tbh

kaede/miu:

ohhhh how i love them so. not a lot of cohesive thoughts but i LOVE them so much

other:

nothing cohesive again but god am i a sucker for possessiveness/predator+prey dynamics teehee

also this isn't comprehensive! tbh i'll ship pretty much anything and i love writing ships, very rarely do i care about chemistry so you can just ask me

anyways if you're interested in writing any of these perhaps PLEASE hit my line or lmk in any capacity because i'm dying to tbh

[lucifermeo]

Personal wishlist for future anime adaptations of BSD (assuming S4 can come out this year?? @/Bones hello my guy??)

(very light out-of-context spoilers for 55 minutes + stormbringer)

Season 4:

2-3 eps for The Untold Origins of the Detective Agency (only Fukuzawa/Ranpo part)

10 eps to cover from where S3 left off until the ADA reunites in Anne's room*

*manga chapters 54-79 which seems a lot but the manga chapters've been getting shorter & not longer, plus their poster did show the sky casino. also it'd be such a nice, hopeful note to end the season on (before everything went to hell :v)

Season 4.5**:

4-5 eps to cover 55 Minutes light novel

7-8 eps to cover Stormbringer light novel

idk call it Bungou Stray Dogs: Nobody likes Europeans Singularities or something***

**i think there's enough to kinda plan a S5 right now but at the same time we (and Bones?) don't know when and how exactly the DoA arc will end. it does look like it's reaching climax (maybe a two-front final battle aka airport+prison?) and iirc Asagiri said he's done with the draft to wrap this arc up, but if it can end fast enough Bones might just want to wait and cram its conclusion into S5 because tbh letting one arc, nevermind one that takes place in ~10 days canon time, drags for 3 seasons isn't really great for viewer retention

**(+) speaking of viewer retention, i think wan! is cute and all, but if they're waiting out the manga they could do so much more with actual content that enriches the worldbuilding aka, 55 minutes & stormbringer. tbh i could see 55 minutes as a single movie, but stormbringer is wayyy too long to shove into 100 minutes of film with any coherency and doesn't lend well to being split in a two-parter either, so why not do both in single season? we can get atsushi (the, y'know, main character), akutagawa, dazai & ada adventure AND chuuya, dazai & port mafia adventure, which will definitely sell well while not having to sacrifice the narrative trying to shove either into a "main" season, so win-win-win?? (@/Bones)

***i know 55 minutes and stormbringer are like two separate timelines/stories, but they both touch a lot on European skill/singularity weapons and singularities in general, so it might not be that hard trying to link them together. they could start with 55 minutes, then at the end when they're reflecting on the events have atsushi ask dazai about gab/verne and dazai would be 'sike, arent i too familiar with that shit', or have ango (give the man some sleep) type up a report and retelling both events together or sth. not to mention we already have mentions of singularity weapon in the main manga so it'd be a nice idea to introduce all the foundations before S5. plus, verlaine mentioned h.g. wells by name in stormbringer so that'd be a nice tie-in

Season 5:

(hopefully) concludes the DoA arc

dunno what other light novels Asagiri plans on writing, but if Bones hopes to cram the DoA conclusion here maybe it's better to not have any LN content at all and picks straight up from S4

misc thoughts: i dont think DoA will be the last arc of BSD, there's still a lot not touched on about the European side of things (Clock Tower hello?) and world war might or might not pick back up so im sure asagiri still has some wild ideas to write. fukuchi dies for sure which will probably signal the end of DoA arc, but just because dude's a trainwreck doesn't mean he didn't have some good points about govt-sanctioned horrors, so that might lead us into the next arc. fyodor's dying is 50/50? somehow hes both been here too long and i still feel we havent done enough with his character yet. anw im more than ready for DoA arc to end, please asagiri have mercy 🥺

[atherix]

Dear Midnight readers,

We are gathered hear today to mourn the loss of Atherix after she was brutally murdered by both gnawing and shaking at the hands of Stitch.

Atherix was a lovely writer in their time, produce for us two quality chapters in a matter of hours and she will be missed.

The burial service will be on thee plot B at Fuck You Cemetery at Midnight Tonight.

I AM GOING TO SHAKE YOU SO MUCH. YOU ARE LIKE A SNOW GLOBE AND I AM AN OVERENTHUASTIC CHILD IM. I DON'T HAVE COHERENT THOUGHTS BC I READ THE FIRST CHAPTER WHILE INCOHERENT AND THE SECOND CHAPTER RIGHT AS I WOKE UP THIS MORNING. HOW FUCKING DARE YOU, FIRST OF ALL???????

GOD the glyph disappearing. The faCT THAT I KNOW WHY YOU FUCKING BROUGHT IT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM TORMENTED WITH KNOWLEDGE.

The comb, the memory sharing, the vulnerability as Scar puts it I am in LOVE

ALSO THEY SAID THE TITLE. I don't care that midnight is super common in the story it makes me happy anyway.

And Grian not getting the whole shadows are light but not thing is so funny. oh my god.

'the magic the gods hold' SHAKES YOU. SHAKING YOU. SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE.

OH AND THEN THE DREAM AT THE END THERE??? EXCUSE ME!!! I mean. I knew it would come back up. But the fact that its there is making me INSANE

and then the fucking. the ALLEY. 'Its been a few years' HOW MANY IS A FEW, GRIAN. I NEED TO KNOW, GRIAN. ARE YOU FUCKING SURE SIR???????? Listen. Listen. I didn't even think that maybe grian was in stasis or some shit til everyone else was like 'is grian actually like centuries old and doesnt know' BECAUSE NOW. I AM THINKING ABOUT IT. I AM CONNECTING DOTS. I AM FUCKING GNAWING ON SHIT. THE FACT THAT HE SPEAKS ANCIENT. THE FACT THAT SCAR'S TOME HAS ADDED LINES THAT WERENT IN HIS BOOK. THE STATE OF THE ALLEY. The crack was narrows but now theres a giant hole in the ceiling. Other creatures have taken up residency in the alley. Grian's constant 'hes a little confused but hes got the spirit' vibes about everything. MY GEARS ARE FUCKING SPINNING.

God the fact that Grian just goes in. That grian keeps gettingb pulled out of his own head by his mates. The fact that Mumbo pulls Scar and tubbo down because its definitely not safe for them to just stay outside the mountain oh my god but then. Then.

Why DO the Watchers want the Tome hidden in a city full of Observants is my fucking question that I still haven't cracked. This is like one of those geodes full of water - thunderegg? I think they're called??? But I have theories okay. If the watchers are supposedly all seeing but the Palace had them wandering around AND they were walking around in a physical enough form for Grian to kill THREE of them right. Right. And theres the whole - the watchers Grian remembers werent following the stuff inside the tome right. WHAT IF. WHAT THE FUCK IF. [I feel like im talking to like. a twitch chat bc I know you arent gonna say shit about it] BUT OKAY THESE WATCHERS ARE LIKE. DEVIANT. THEYVE STRAYED. AND THEYVE MADE A BREAK OFF WITH THE ALLEY. AND THEY MAKE PEOPLE HIDE THEIR TOMES TO HIDE THEM FROM THE EYES OF THE OTHER WATCHERS, WHO SEE THAT THE ONES WHOVE TAKEN FORM ARENT FOLLOWING THE RULES. IDK. LISTEN. I READ THIS HALF DELIRIOUSLY.

Why do I recognize the Magical Menagerie. And WHY does Grian take his Tome if he already has Scars unless theirs some like godling part of his brain thats just like, dragon hoarding all the tomes. What is going on. What the fuck.

I dont fucking know if I believe that grian's only been gone for five years at this point. Relatively recent abandonment my ass, Scar. Tubbo and Mumbo have already called it, I'm believing your anons, Grian is OLD. WHERE ARE THE REMAINS. 5 YEARS IS NOT LONG ENOUGH FOR BODIES TO DECAY COMPLETELY AWATY. ABSOLUTELY NOT. THIS PLACE IS OLD AS BALLS.

And the way Grian just FLIES off when he hears Tilly's bark and the fact that I fucking TRUSTED YOU!!!! THE PALACE LOOKED LIVED IN AND THEN YOU TORMENT ME WITH THEIR DEAD LOVED ONES?? YOU MAKE MUMBO WATCH AS ONE OF HIS MATES AND HIS COVEN CHILD HIT THE APPARITIONS OF HIS DEAD WIFE AND DAUGHTER????? EXCUSE ME HOW FUCKING DARE YOU????????

the watchers eat pets im calling it now. This is a completely baseless accusation. they eat the pets.

'They prey on your emotions and then consume everything you are' HEY UH. HEY THERE TUBBO. TUB TUB. HEY BESTIE. ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY YOUR PARENTS ARE ACTIVELY BEING CONSUMED??????

AND THEN THE FALLING. AND THE FACT THAT THEY ARE ALL SO FUCKED UP. I AM SHAKING YOU. YOU ARE A CHEW TOY TO ME RN.

Oh man, looks like I need to get fitted for the casket real fast hjkfgdhskg-

OKAY BUT THAT ENTIRE INTRO TO THIS MADE ME CACKLE LIKE A HYENA COME ON-

... Am I at least a pretty snowglobe- KHFSJKFHSJKFKSJ OKAY BUT I CACKLED MYSELF TO SLEEP LAST NIGHT JUST IMAGINING YOU WAKING UP AND LOOKING AT YOUR PHONE AND SEEING MY "YOU'RE GONNA KILL ME" AND THE UPDATE NOTIF AND IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT <3

HEHEHEHE :) KNOWLEDGE YOU CAN NEVER SHARE WITH ANOTHER READER HEHEHEHE. Idk if it'll be catharsis when it comes up again but HFKSHFKJSK :)

He's trying to be better for them <3 Trying to be more open and honest and let them in more <3 And the memory sharing- it means so much more this time because last time he shared his memories with them they were asking questions, but this time he volunteered the info himself- invited them to see it, and I am so khfdshgkjdfshgkjfd I am so NORMAL about them <3

I LOVE A GOOD TITLE DROP <3 And hey. Midnight is very significant in the Midnight series :) Cough cough a midnight sun.... the Midnight Alley........ a midnight Eclipse.................. :)

Grian over here like "LIGHT IS LIGHT AND SHADOW IS SHADOW" lmaaoooo I love him, magic is a conundrum to him.

🙂 Hehe~

LOOK. LOOK IT WAS A PERFECT CHANCE. HOW COULD I RESIST :)

Hey. Hey Stitch. Looks like there are some surprises I haven't mentioned to you yet LMAO <3 I will neither confirm nor deny anything, and I shall explain nothing <3 I will say this, though.... for someone running away, Grian sure hasn't met anyone looking for him, has he. :)

Grian is just. So. Stubborn. If he didn't have Mumbo and Scar to reel him in this would have gone So Bad hjfdkjk but also the fact that he LETS them help him I am just so hjkfdskkfds

You are speaking to a chat, yes, because I can answer literally NONE of those :'D And these are questions I will not answer in private either <3 I need to leave SOME mysteries for you <3

You know, if the last page of the Tome is different, I wonder what else might be. Just. Just saying. :) As for why you recognize Magical Menagerie, it was mentioned in Midnight Melody, so <3

*cough*alsostalactiteswhereglassusedtobe*cough* Sorry sorry got something stuck in my throat, but :) It's an interesting idea isn't it, my dear Stitch and readers~

Haha the Palace IS lived in :) :) TRUST ME. IT'S OKAY TO TRUST ME HAHA <3 Okay but also Scar having that split moment of like "oh shit what do I do I know it's not his dead wife but it LOOKS like her" and just hjfdhsjkghdskj BUT I FUCKING DARE <3

HFSJUKHFKJS LMAO baseless accusation but you know what, they don't deserve the benefit of the doubt.

:) Hehehe

WHERE WILL THEY LAND I WONDER? HEY STITCH. STITCH DO YOU REMEMBER. I MENTIONED IT BEFORE. :) But. But hehehe <3

[vexahlla]

hehe ✨️ 🎁 💛

✨️ Out of the comments you’ve received on your fics, what are two or three of your favorites?

someone bookmarked one of my fics with "anything you write is my favorite" which im unable to ever be normal about. i also really like all the comments on royal red & ocean blue chapter 5 bc it's such a fun chapter, someone thanked the inventors of snow, kendo, and thermal underwear, another person quoted 'you should be addicted to shutting the fuck up' which made me feel like i nailed the dynamic. and ofc the dream syncing comment section is full of gems and thank YOU specifically for calling it sexy i didn't know how it would land lol

i savor every comment. genuinely

🎁 Have a piece of a WIP you want to share?

uhhh so listen... idk about rymin but you can have some zukka. this is from the incomplete and very long rrob ch10 "the king of karaoke" a very (purposefully) awkward coming out scene:

Zuko scans the room and quirks a brow. "So this is your Ba Sing Se crowd?" There's a waver in his voice that belies his casual tone. Sokka follows his eye line to see what has him thrown off balance.

Zuko's looking at two girls making out at the foot of the stage, but drops his gaze when he realizes Sokka's followed in his direction.

Sokka's body stills, but he points a sharp glare at Zuko. "Yes," he says, voice dripping with challenge. "Is that an issue, your highness?" He doesn't care that it's factually inaccurate, he just wants Zuko to hear how much of an ass he's being.

Zuko blinks at him, then stumbles through a fervent, tipsy head shake. "No," he says as his cheeks color from more than just the alcohol. "I thought it might be for you, for some reason." He spins his pointer finger as if trying to rewinding time. "I don't know why, though. In retrospect," he adds with a nervous chuckle as he looks anywhere but at Sokka. He had been looking at Sokka the entire night, like he'd been Zuko's refuge in all this chaos, and the absence of his gaze is jarring. "Anyway..."

Zuko is interesting to be around. He's easy to read, most of the time, but where the emotions stem from is still a complicated puzzle Sokka has yet to piece together. He's got a competitive streak, at least where Sokka is concerned, as evidenced by them always trying to one-up each  other at banter or dumb games. And there's this feeling Sokka gets around him that he can’t place, electric yet gentle. It draws him in; it’s something to solve.

Sometimes, though. Sometimes he's just confusing.

"What?" Sokka asks. He wonders if they can ever have a clear conversation when liquor is involved.

“Sokka,” Zuko starts. Stops. He ruffles his hair, hides his head in his arms folded on the table, emerges again. He doesn’t quite meet Sokka’s eye. “I’m gay.”

“Oh,” Sokka says. His too-loud heartbeat is drowning out any coherent thoughts.

Zuko still isn’t looking at him.

“That’s awesome,” Sokka says. “I mean, that’s cool.” He wants to dunk his burning face in cold water. “Good for you.”

As he says it, Zuko is stumbling over his own words. “So I wasn’t, you know — I didn’t mean it like that.”

“No, I get that now,” Sokka says. He recovers from his shock and remembers himself. “Thanks for telling me. I mean, for trusting me enough to tell me that. Yeah.” Okay, so not completely recovered, but still.

Zuko releases a long-held breath. When at last he returns Sokka’s gaze, the harsh red laser lights of the club are filtered to a soft pink in his amber irises. There’s a moment of acknowledgment before he blinks back down to where his fingers are tearing apart a napkin and he’s guarded again.

“I almost told you before,” he says. “At the festival.”

Sokka thinks back to that moment. He winces, remembering how much he had assumed — not only about Zuko, but about Mai, too. Sure, he’s accepting in theory. But in practice? Maybe he has a lot more to work out than he thinks.

“Shit,” Sokka says. “I’m so dumb.” This time he’s the one avoiding eye contact. “You were trying to tell me and I didn’t get it—”

“I backed out.”

“And I was just going on about girls. Not even thinking—”

“I thought you would hate me again.”

Sokka’s mouth and heart sputter to a stop.

“Not that I had any reason to think you’d have a problem with it,” Zuko says, waving it off and fumbling through his words before Sokka can respond. “Obviously you wouldn’t.” It doesn’t sound as confident as Zuko likely thinks he does. “It’s just… We had finally started talking. I thought it might be different enough to throw things off balance again.”

Zuko’s attention is devoted entirely to the bits of napkin in his grip. 

Sokka pushes past the dull pulse in his ears. “Hey. Zuko.”

Zuko glances back up.

Sokka’s reach is slow as he gauges Zuko’s reaction. With no sign of resistance, he places his hands on Zuko’s shoulders. Zuko relaxes at the touch, so Sokka treads further and pulls him into an uncertain hug. Almost immediately, nervousness shifts into warmth, until he's more comfortable in Zuko's arms than he'd been outside them. Sokka isn’t sure how long it lasts. He isn’t sure he cares.

“I like learning more about you,” he says as they draw apart.

Zuko’s light smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

💛 What is the most impactful lesson you’ve learned about writing?

i used to treat writing so preciously and i was pretentious about it, if i wasn't shakespeare then what was the point. i still have perfectionism issues, but at least i get stuck on WIPs i have actual words down on instead of consuming every writing tip video on youtube and fantasizing. i used to not write fanfic bc i wanted the first thing i ever wrote to be "the novel of my heart" or whatever the fuck. and if i DID write a fic i wanted it to be a big multichap cornerstone of the fandom, which is the mindset i started rrob in LMAO. i would wonder why i was so much better at drawing than writing when writing was what i really CARED about. im not afraid to doodle only for myself, im not afraid to abandon drawings, im not afraid to put pencil on paper and START. every time i apply that lesson to writing it helps, but it's still hard for me to keep in practice.

Fanfic Writer Ask Game

[ssreeder]

heads up this one is a Chonky bOi:

ohmygod you UPDATED, you’re so lovely and so is your writing even though it makes me want to Scream (out of happiness and/or rage, it’s a mixed bag)

you do indeed make the The Most delicious cocktail, how could you ever doubt that??? also I got my own leekie tag :’) someone pls explain to me why that makes me emotional lmfao

noooo why do you always DO this sreedieeee “sokka was worried about jet finding out about who zuko really was” YOU BETTER FUCKING BE AFRAID ITS TOO DAMN LATE

“back to his rightful position as sifu hotpants” see this is the lightheartedness we need to see more of bc YOU KEEP TORTURING THE BOYS WITH NO RESPITE

also I may have forgotten that this plot point existed at all so it was a pleasant surprise

fuck you we’re back with another episode of Angst With Zuko, the most canon compliant aspect in this entire fic

lmao leave it to sokka to feel guilty about almost dying (like I Get it but also it’s the kind of situation where you have to laugh at the ridiculousness or else you’ll cry, and there’s already too much to cry about in this fic bestie)

YAY TINGLY LOVE FEELINGS our boys deserve good things <3

sreedie. I swear to fuckery if zuko is going to run away… I don’t have an adequate threat at the moment but I’m gonna be So Pissed my dude

lmfao not sokka’s ongoing shitty spirit luck-

but also >:(( about the letters LIKE THAT WAS SUCH A SMART PLOT POINT BY YOU AND I LOVE THAT YOURE A GENIUS but seriously Fuck this plot point

okay ik that “the big fire bender” is just a way to describe shen’s stature, but it makes me think of zuko being “the little fite bender” and idk the mental image of the big and little fire benders reminds me of a picture book my mum used to read to me where there was Big Mouse and Little Mouse and Little Mouse wouldn’t stfu and go to sleep bc Big Mouse was snoring too loud but the when Big Mouse put a peg on his nose to stop snoring then Little Mouse STILL couldn’t sleep bc he missed the reminder that Big Mouse was there to protect him from the scary things hiding in the dark and idk it’s cute (I’m pretty sure the book is called night noises??)

FUCK YEAH HAIR CUTTING LORE IM ABSOLUTELY THRIVING RN YOU DONT EVEN UNDERSTAND IM SUCH A SLUT FOR CULTURAL DIFFERENCES BEING EXPLAINED (also the way that zuko simply did not inform sokka of any of these implications I cannot with this boy)

smh hakoda pls accept that your son is gay, shen literally just told you they’re metaphorically fucking in public

nooOooOoOo sad bato hours :(((

also not to go off on a tangent, but I’m going to do exactly that actually. anyways. just the whole “kya would know what to do” shtick got me thinking, it’s interesting for characters to make assumptions about how things would be easier/different if another character is around but that wouldn’t necessarily actually be the case and it’s just them projecting onto their loved one the feeling of safety and dependency onto them so it can act as a source of comfort of sorts?? idk if that’s a coherent thought but it’s out in the world now

hakodaaaaaaaa jet hAS ALREADY FUCKING DONE SOMETHING STUPID I hate this I hate it I hate it I hate it why do I love your story so much I hate this

hakoda… there is No fucking way you’re gonna leave zuko behind… right. RIGHT?????? sreeder I swear on my fucking life if your separate our boys-

YO SURELY BATO WILL TALK HAKODA OUT OF BEING A BLOODY MORON SURELY SREEDER TELL ME IM RIGHT

god I love bato. also shen and zuko banter >>>

oh morrak, obviously they’re going to do something reckless this is jet we’re talking about

aaaaand that’s a WRAP

I am so torn between hating you for this ending and pumped for the next chapter bc shit is once again going to go down, and really, what else are we all here for??

anyways, in response to your proposal, I just wanna say that it feels like we’re divorced, but it was an amicable divorce and so we still celebrate holidays together so our children don’t have to choose which parent to spend time with BUT I use the divorce against you for comedic effect, such as you PULLING THE ANGST SHIT WITH ZUKKA and then I get to shake my head and say “this is why I divorced you”

love you to bits and pieces!!

leekie :)

Ohhhhhhhhh leekie I like my asks like I like my milkshakes ,,, THICK <3

Sifu hot pants takes his position extremely serious I don’t know what you mean by lighthearted?? ;)

If Zuko does run away it will be with elegance and grace and likely in the middle of the night so no one will know :D

Do you think if Zuko found out he was the ‘little fire bender’ he would kick Shen’s ass just to prove a point?

Your tangents are my world, but yeah remembering a person for their best qualities is important but it’s also important for him to at least….. TRY to do what kya would do!

If kya were here she would smack Hakoda upside the head because YOU ARENT EVEN TRYING DUDEEEE. Hakoda is lucky kya isn’t there to witness the mess he is making.

oommmgggg I love being divorced to you it’s the best decision we ever made. Mwa mwa mwa mwahhhhh. You’re the best leekie and you’ll probably hate me more after next chapter but that’s okkkkk!

[thelivingdeceased]

c.f writing update #1 - ghost I

i hit 10k words on this project so im gonna share some things about the first chapter because this chapter has been written for months and i NEED to talk about it (intro to that WIP if you missed it).

(this may or may not be coherent. we’ll see)

Chapter I: Ghost I

Ghost I was originally the second chapter of this book and was called phone calls but i then decided (with the help of a friend) that the og first chapter (which was called broken ribs) was boring and scrapped it :D i like this chapter as the first one a bit more because i truly think it’s written better and feels a lot less closed in. broken ribs was claustrophobic and very melodramatic and it weighed on my brain. so when i got the confirmation that the feeling wasn’t just me i happily scrapped it for what is now Ghost I

This chapter is about 4k words so it is LONG !! the other chapters are not nearly this long i swear but there was a lot to be added in this chapter.

The chapter name comes from the metaphorical ghost aspect of the book. This chapter is the first of many ghost named chapters (there’s already a ghost II and III planned) and even though they’re called “ghost” no actual ghosts appear :D (also my personal favorite ghost chapter is ghost III atm)

before i get on to excerpts (my favourite part :D) here’s the little summary thing (idk what it’s called i just write one before every chapter)

Nadia and her friend Edith could care less about the idea of cryptids. They’re ghost hunters, not cryptozoologists. But when they come face to face with one and are told a whole town is full of them, they think it might be time to talk to their boss, Basira.

okay so !! here’s the opening paragraph to the chapter because it’s pretty snazzy (it really isn’t)

' No ghost hunting team truly cares about a cryptid.’

The ache in my head gets worse in the car. So does the pain in my ribs. The image of the cryptid is still burning in my mind. Edith’s hands still shake even though she’s gripping the wheel like her life depends on it. We don’t know what to say, so we say nothing. Though the presence of the creature looms over us.

i really don’t know how to feel about this first paragraph. if i get a better idea, i’ll change it. but until i start editing it’s gonna stay like this.

my friend says that nadia is very katniss everdeen without the constant survival mode element and i think that sums her up pretty well so here’s a paragraph that my friend called katniss core

The world grows darker as we drive and the silence soon becomes comfortable. My head is aching and I just want to shut my eyes and pray that sleep takes me. It won’t. I’ve barely slept for a week. My hand grabs on to the water bottle again. I don’t splash my face with water, though I am slightly longing to feel the cool water drip down my too warm face. I just hold it, as if holding it will make my headache go away.

nadia and edith interaction time !!

As if she is reading my mind, Edith asks, “Is your head okay? I didn’t have time to check if you broke skin or something.”

“It hurts but I’ll be fine. I don’t think it’s serious.”

“I hope so. We’re not big on hospital trips.”

nadia’s an orphan (because she’s funky) and she gets very jealous of kids with parents so here’s a moment where that happens

A mother is walking with her child across the street. They’re talking about the event they just went to. The child is full of life and joy and the mother is smiling kindly. Her face is tired but she still manages to look enthralled in what the child is saying. Her responses are more than half-assed mhm’s and yeahs, and instead finds actual answers.

It was fun wasn’t it?

Maybe we can go to another thing with Mikayla.

Something similar to jealousy fills my chest. I wish I would’ve had that as a child, instead of an orphanage director who could care less about the child he’s looking after. I long for an actual parental relationship. I hope that child has the greatest life, free of all the hardships I’ve ever witnessed.

first andre introduction !!!

Edith unlocks the door and we walk into a fully lit home. Andre’s on the phone whispering something and he stops when he sees us. The phone slams on the hook. He leans on the wall as if nothing has happened. I’ve noticed he does this often. Does something and then pretends he wasn’t doing it. Maybe he’s a drug dealer.

sorta long passage of the sillies in silence and andre being sketchy (he’s not actually a drug dealer lolz nadia’s just spent too much time around wild orphanage kids)

We walk into the kitchen, the simple floral wallpaper meeting my eyes. It soothes my head and is pleasing to the eye. It’s one of those things I never notice until something in my day has changed. Like a headache. Like the witnessing of pseudoscience creatures. Like the making of lunch at eight o’clock.

Edith begins to make sandwiches. I sit at the small table. There’s a marker in front of me. I grab it and begin doodling on my skin. A ghost, an eye, a smiley face, my name. The ink bleeds on my skin with every stroke. There’s a rumour that the ink from this marker will give me skin poisoning. I’m not sure how much I believe it. If it did give people skin poisoning, wouldn’t they put a warning? Maybe not. The world doesn’t like to put warnings sometimes, even if people will die.

Edith takes the marker from my hand when she’s done with the sandwiches, placing it gently on the table, and sits down across from me. We begin to eat our sandwiches in silence. Andre’s talking on the phone again, probably thinking we can’t hear him. There’s an urgency in his voice as he whispers the words, “I need something with freedom.”

Edith’s done with her sandwich long before I am. She seems impatient, as if something must happen now or something will go wrong. She’s bouncing her leg under the table and going back and forth between putting her head in her hands and leaning her chin on her hand. I realise she’s waiting for Basira. The clock strikes 8:30.

basira introduction !! (she is the coolest grimm crew member)

She walks in behind Edith. Her locs are pulled up and her top hat is in her hand. Her face is glistening with sweat and she lacks a coat. She sits next to me, tossing the hat in front of her.

silly conversation in the middle of basira being like “cryptid filled town is NOT important. i want to sleep im tired >:(“ (also basira knows what bleeding internally is she’s just very tipsy and tired rn)

“You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s not important. Unless one of you got hurt I don’t see why we’ve got to discuss this now.”

“I hit my head.” I say, looking for the marker again. “If that counts.”

“Are you bleeding?”

“I don’t know. Probably not.”

“You don’t know?”

“I could be bleeding internally.” I can’t find the marker.

“That’s where blood is supposed to be.”

Edith cuts in. “It wasn’t a ghost, Basira. It was a cryptid.”

nadia realises the kitchen lights are dim and she’s very bothered by it and edith is like “girly are you okay” cause they aren’t dim

“The lights are dim.” I say.

“Are they? They seem bright enough to me.”

“No, they’re definitely dimming. Do you have any extra light bulbs? Maybe I could change them.”

“They don’t need to be changed.”

“It’s practically pitch black in here at this point. I can go buy some more if you need me to.”

“Jesus, Nadia, are you sure you’re alright? I think you hit your head harder than you think.”

plot twist !! the lights are actually dim and nadia has her “i could fr do this right now” moment

I know I’m not seeing things when I walk out into the hallway and the lights are just fine. It’s only the kitchen that’s dim, which tells me that it is the light bulbs. I look toward the door. It’s unlocked. My coat is on its hook. There’s a convenience store down the street and they don’t close till midnight. There’s money in my coat pocket.

nadia does NOT buy lightbulbs she actually buys cigarettes cause its the early 70s and there’s no adult supervision and now her and edith are hanging in her room listening to black sabbath and talking about backstories !!

“What was the orphanage like?” Edith asks suddenly. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

Do I mind her asking? In the short week I’ve been away from the orphanage I’ve tried not to think about the orphanage and its horrific people. Now I’m being confronted with it by someone other than myself and it’s bothersome. Then again, Edith probably has a story similar to end up at a job like this before turning eighteen so there’s no reason not to talk about it a bit.

“Loud. There’s a lot of children running around all the time and they’re always shouting.”

“I guessed that would probably be the case. Do you have any fond memories?”

I used to, but they’re all plagued with a strange feeling of impending doom now. “No, not really.” Silence passes over us for a moment before I adjust myself and say, “What about you? What was your life like before Grimm’s Ghost Hunting?”

convo continued but now it’s about edith

“Pretty boring. Quiet, even. I attended school up until I dropped out and then my mum kicked me out which led me to end up here.”

“You dropped out?” That goes against every single thing I’ve ever known about her.

“Yeah,” she shrugs. “It just wasn’t for me, I guess.”

The phone starts to ring after she says that. It echoes through the room and is particularly loud for me, as I’m sitting right by the bedside table. Edith drops the photos at the sound and looks at me, eyes wide.

nadia’s scary ex girlfriend calls her and nadia’s like “eek how do you know where i am” and i hate lynette williams sm

“Hello?”

“Hello Nadia.”

I freeze. The cause of the impending doom feeling is on the other end and her voice is just as fear inducing as it was when I last heard it. Lynette Williams, a pretty French girl with a world of evil on her side. She haunted me more than the ghosts for a year and now she’s haunting the phone.

“How did you get this number?” I ask, voice shakier than I would like.

“Magic.” she laughs. I hate the sound of her laugh. “How are you? Is the real world treating you well?”

“Fuck off, Lynette. Don’t call again.” I slam the phone on the hook. My breathing is heavy and my headache is back again. I can’t stand her.

“Who was that?” Edith’s voice scares me.

“No one. It’s no one.”

final part of the chapter !!!

She looks unsure. I don’t blame her. I’d be unsure if I were her. That phone couldn’t have sounded good one-sided. Lynette’s voice rings in my head. She doesn’t care how I’m doing. She just wants to scare me. It’s working. It’s working very well. I’ll never admit that out loud but I can think about it. I can think about it till my brain rots from the fear of one girl. I don’t want to think about it anymore.

I sigh, rubbing my hands over my face, and turn to Edith.

“Can I have a cigarette?”

and that’s Ghost I for you all !! this post was just an excuse to rant and share things about my silly story and i’m sorry it’s a little long. also this has not been edited so it’s not the greatest but it’s not bad either :DD i’ll probably make an update for the second chapter soon !! i hope you enjoyed reading about my silly book and have a good day !!

[ender-thorn]

62

you know what, maybe this will be a regular thing if i can actually have coherent thoughts after a guided evolution update. are they coherent now? idk but they definitely are thoughts.

first off, hannah? we love when people check to make sure you're comfortable with stuff before they check over you. also, the thought that he told the team that he's spider-man? that was the main shocker to come from the beginning of this chapter. i also found it odd on her opinion on him at first. im not very good at the whole character analysis thing but, at first at least, she cared more about what this could mean for medicine than tommy's safety. she's reading all the files, and shrugging off ponk's comments about how they think something more's going on.

of course george is in the room, but she's also firm in her belief thats its not her business so she doesn't pry. at this point, shes probably only seen him briefly so she doesnt have any information on him - beside the stuff in the files - so you can't really blame her either. but she also doesn't question a lot for others privacy as she doesn't pry into why ponk took some convincing to get on board.

she also clearly thinks highly of dream. as readers, we know that dream is a sadistic bastard who we would gladly curb stomp if given the chance, but characters perspectives of him are different. We saw earlier with his interactions with phil and kristen that he's "kind" and a pretty chill and considerate boss for the most part and hannah notes that "dream's a nice guy and really shows it in the way he interacts with theseus". and again, hannah turns a blind eye to dream being a bit forceful with tommys wrist because it's not her business.

as the experiments go on, shes getting more and more concerned with how dream treats tommy but continues to push it down because who is she to doubt her boss when hes been nothing but kind to her? dream scolding tommy before the tests even begin, lying to him about the time of day, telling tommy off for shivering, telling hannah off for being careful to him and checking up on him, she chocks all this up to things being different in bio engineering compared to pharmacy.

reading povs where that character is in a form of ignorance is always so annoying yet interesting because we always know more than them. we see all these signs that she only half gets before brushing them off when we know things are VERY wrong right now. we know that tommy isn't "sick", we know that dream is automata and a prick, we know that tommy is in very real, and very serious danger while all the characters around him don't. not even tommy himself knows.

AND THEN OH BOY THE FUCKING SPIDER

i, do not like spiders. as much as i consume spider-man content (and a lot at that), spiders are and will always be, one of my least favourite things in the world. i can appreciate them, some of them are even.. cute? but the thought of one crawling on me? fuck no.

so let me tell you, when a giant spider starts crawling up this kids leg, his hand and then up to his neck? while he's blindfolded?

jesus. fucking. christ

i just want to know what everyone else thought about this. this kid is screaming in pain when it bites him. he indents the arms of the chair.

i just- god

and even around this, tommy actually vaugely remembers when he was first bit, he remembers being underground. plus him "paranoia" when dream comforts him, is most definitely the sense trying to warn him. the sense is also probably the one reminds him that dream is hurting him, the one that tells him to go home, and the thing that feels satisfied once the room goes silent. who knew that even with his memory lost, tommy still doesn't fully trust the sense when it comes to people he trusts.

ponk clearly knows somethings up too, not just because of his comment to hannah. he watches tommy with a sad look in his eye, he also doesnt seem to fully trust dream either.

i just need everyone to communicate. so many characters are so close to putting all the pieces coming together: the family knows tommy's spider-man and that automata has him (and suspect hes alive), karl knows tommy's alive and that dream has him, ponk knows that dream isn't treating his "brother" right and that theseus is spider-man, quackity doesn't trust dream and (rightfully) thinks he's up to something, puffy knows that dream is her son and is a sociopath (and tubbo knows that guided evolution is connected to dreams company), jack and sneeg are investigating spider-mans identity as well as trying to dig into guided evolution, ranboo and the other sm fans are surely gonna notice spider-man being missing (especially if sapnap or quackity or anyone else start committing crimes and he doesnt show up), schlatt will surely use all of this again spider-man.

and yet after all of this, wilbur is yet to know that his brother is missing, or that he's been spider-man for the past 6 months or so

screaming- crying even, let my boys be happy @fathermooshroom

[todomitoukei]

what did you think of the ending? i personally hated it because eren’s entire character changed and it makes no sense for me.

plus [spoilers below]

eren telling armin he’s in love with mikasa was so random? he never once hinted that he liked her at all. in fact he was always annoyed by her. im convinced that the author was forced to make eren have feelings for her.

also, im not into time loops/time travel because i feel like it ruins everything the characters went through and it makes a story full flaws. and eren was the reason his mom died????? like??????

aot had SO MUCH potential but idk what happened that made it turn out like that.

Okay so I don't have any coherent thoughts yet cause I just finished reading it an hour ago so I need a few business days to let everythink sink in, maybe reread a few chapters too and sort my thoughts until I can give actual nuanced thoughts on this.

A big reason for this is also that, admittedly, I've spent the last 9 years mostly worrying about Levi's fate so that was still my main focus all the way up to the end lol.

On that same note, as I've spammed @haleigh-sloth I couldn't get over the head thing at the end so everything else was kinda less on my mind as I got distracted cry-laughing everytime it appeared again lmao. 10/10 my humor.

Anyway, to actually give you somewhat of a response now: I actually really like the ending and overall disagree with what you're saying. I think aot has been consistent, both for the characters and the story. The time loop/travel part has been repeatedly foreshadowed since the first chapter, so I don't mind it. I think as long as something is written well, it's good regardless of whether I like the prompt or not.

Something I really like about the ending, when you reread it or even just think about it everything kinda just falls into place and starts to make more sense so it not only makes me want to reread again but also feels like a reward of sorts.

I don't think Eren's character changed? I mean character development is good and that is something that happened but again, it's all consistent and I think his character is written really well and believable and the ending makes sense for him and his past actions.

As for the love part... yeah I'm not a big fan of that, myself, but that's more a personal thing lol. But to be honest, that's not something I care about a lot, mainly because it doesn't really make a difference in the story and you could always argue that maybe this is the classic case of only appreciating something after it's gone. Either way, I don't think he was annoyed by her. If he didn't like her, they wouldn't have been friends so I think you misread their relationship and his character.

I'm sorry you didn't like it but I absolutely loved it and can't wait to reread it and think more about it once my emotions have settled lol. But either way, to me, the story and characters were super well-written and it's a good mixture of a good and bitter-sweet ending, which feels true to the story.

[toruvi]

Hey ley, so it took me 12 hours to actually have the coherency to write this bc I cant stop thinking about this chapter bc it hits so close to home.

“Because I’m not fucking my friends! This is different! Being with you feels different than that and it scares the shit out of me!”

God, i felt this. The fear of knowing you’re starting to feel for someone when you know it was doomed from the start. I feel for levi on this bc I, too, am having this dilemma (minus the fucking sksksk)

“Don’t–don’t. It’s not–I’m… Fuck. I’m sorry. Tell me what you want, tell me. Tell me what you need, what I can give–”

This. This is the part where my tear glands gave up on me. To have a levi like that who asks what you need when you’re on a mental breakdown. To actually have levi tell you that you can depend on him 🥹. It’s really hard when you keep things to yourself, but boy, reading that felt like he was really here for a fleeting moment. How exactly do we bring our grumpy levi ackerman in this lifetime 🥹

“You’re okay. You’re safe here, alright?”

I felt so safe reading this. Before having this old man as my comfort character, life has been shitty and dark as fuck. “But I am here. I know I wasn’t before, but I am now.” This line is really calling to me 😭. Idk, but i felt like he really was apologizing for not being there during those dark times, but he reassures now that he’s here and that I’m safe *wails harder* what the hell are you doing to me, Levi Ackerman 😭.

“It’s that you’re doing just fine. Don’t worry so much about that kind of shit.  You’re doing the best that you can with what you have. And… You’ve got me to support you.”

AS SOMEONE WHO STRUGGLES AT UNIVERSITY AND IS ON THE POINT OF MALFUNCTIONING, THESE ARE THE EXACT WORDS THAT I WANNA HEAR FROM SOMEONE 😭. I try really hard to do the best that I can, but sometimes i really feel like it’s not enough and that leads to unsatisfied results. Reading that actually made me cry harder, but my bottled up emotions were released and I actually felt better 😭❤️. If levi said im doing my best, then I am doing my best. If he said he’s there to support me, I’ll have that at the back of mind and believe that he’s there.

When he did that “5 things you see” when reader was having anxiety, goddamn it, I felt like he really was really here with me. I’ve had episode of really bad anxiety and I usually deal with them alone, but now, I know i can always come back to this goddesses-written chapter and just imagine levi asking me those while rubbing my hand and telling me that it’s alright and he’s there. It was so beautiful, ley, and I am still crying as I am writing this bc the level of comfort this chapter gave me skyrocketed to the celestial bodies above. This week has been extremely tiring and this is what I needed to hear (read) and you really blessed me with that 😭🥹🥹🥹💛. From the bottom of my heart, with every fiber of my being, thank you. Thank you so much for writing such a beautiful, heart swelling, mind blowing, tear jerking, chapter. I hope your day is as amazing as you *gives you a kiss* 💛

‎(٭°̧̧̧ω°̧̧̧٭) *cries for the nth time*

Also, i just want that to kiss with levi now.

Milan.......omg.......I am at a loss for words by your message ;;;

Regarding you having a similar dilemma AHH I hope it all progesses well for u bb <3 Paychecks Levi had SOME experience in therapy and as much as he hates admitting that it might've helped him he does use a lot of the things he learned in that for things like this. He KNOWS how it feels to bottle things up, to be too scared to talk to them.

And a lot of the caretaking tendencies he shows are very sadly derived to how he wants someone to treat him when he's going through it :(

The thing you said about an apology OMG yes!! It's exactly that!!! He's beating himself up about not being there ;;;

I'M SO GLAD THIS RESONATED WITH YOU college has been the bane of my existence for too long and honestly I heard something similar to that recently and it was exactly what I needed. This chapter is lowkey very personal for me and to see so many people feel understood by some parts..it means so so much. More than I can ever express. And it makes me want to give everyone the biggest possible hug and kiss ya'll on the top of the head :((((

Thank YOU SO MUCH for sending me this. Seriously. Thank you for opening up about this and dhjkgfsdhg ilu okay I hope that this can continue to bring you comfort in anyway at all. Whenever I doubt writing about these stories I reread comments like yours and they are just so touching n motivating and AHGFGH JKSF I am overwhelmed with emotion by the responses I've gotten with this chapter. <33333 ANYWAYSSS pls take care bb ;; THANK YOU AGAIN <3

[chikkou]

ok i had to sleep on it after playing deltarune cause i was absolutely shooketh and needed time to gather my thoughts but now? I Am Ready. Prepare Yourselves

(spoilers below the cut)

ok im just gonna do this bulletpoint style cause its still too soon for me to coherently write any deltarune thinkpieces LMAO but heres my thoughts:

fucking LOVED the music in this chapter. ngl i had no clue how toby was gonna top deltarune chapter 1 but he fucking DID?? cyber fields may actually be one of my top 5 favorite songs now between undertale AND deltarune chapter 1. it is just genuinely phenomenal. i also really love the song in the queens castle and B I G S H O T

speaking of big shot, idk abt yall but the only parts of the game where i felt genuinely disconcerted were whenever spamton was on screen. hes very similar to jevil but while jevils motif is KIND of based in something human, spamton feels distinctly inhuman by comparison... like proper uncanny valley. its really really creepy fkjlsdfs (in a good way tho LMAO)

the queen is 100% my favorite villain as of yet. her character reminds me a LOT of roxy from homestuck and i wouldnt be surprised if there was a bit of homestuck influence there (cause like... her typing quirk is literally kanayas typing quirk sdkfjsdfs). i was fucking DYING every time Kris Get The Banana popped up. shes also a pretty good parody of the villain redemption arc too given how quickly she flips upon finding out that the world would be destroyed if they opened more dark fountains LMAO

i was at the edge of my seat throughout the entire ending sequence, just waiting to see what the fuck was gonna happen - it was paced super well and was really really suspenseful. its clear to me now that kris is the one who keeps opening up the dark fountains as a form of some kind of escapism, and may be the knight themselves, but WHAT theyre escaping from is what really interests me. whatever it is, i believe it definitely has something to do with their family situation

asgore being a former police officer who was forced to resign is REALLY fascinating, but also somewhat concerning to me. i dont think toby would try to get too Real World Subtext with it, but i am sincerely hoping this doesnt end up being a thinly veiled allegory for some version of police brutality, especially given that asgore in undertale was just killing every human that fell into the underground because it was “his duty”

in chapter 1 i was thinking that the bunker at the south of town could maybe be the original entrance to the underground, but the conversation you stumble upon down there strongly suggests its something else, and whatever it is, i think it caused kris some pretty severe trauma since monster kid mocks them for being a “scaredy cat” after they saw what was inside. this actually supports my personal theory that the game is not a direct sequel, but rather some kind of timeline-adjacent alternate universe in which monsters were never pushed into the underground

like in undertale, kris being the only human is still notable here - theres a book the player can read upstairs called something like “how to care for a human,” which the flavor text notes that toriel has apparently checked out dozens of times over the years. so when toriel calls the police after finding her cars tires slashed, i wonder if she was able to be so calm about it because it had happened before.

on a somewhat lighter note, the exchange between sans, toriel, and asgore in the grocery store was SO. FUCKING. AWKWARD. THAT ILL TIMED JOKE BY ASGORE AND THEN HIS ENSUING AWKWARD CONVERSATION WITH SANS AFTER TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO “WIN HER BACK”.... MY GOD THE SECONDHAND EMBARRASSMENT I FELT

and my last thing (for now) is that i am extremely curious about kris’s ability to rip their soul out, seemingly at will, and to put it back in when they want. i havent yet figured out what the correlation is - what we know is that both times weve seen them do this, they have drawn a knife (to steal slices of pie LMAO), and, presumably, slashed the tires of their mothers car. their reasons for doing the latter are still pretty unclear to me, but perhaps theres some sort of ritual-type steps a person has to take in order to open up a dark fountain, and cutting things up is a part of it? i truly have no idea but this is my best guess atm

these are all the thoughts i have rn but man... tl;dr deltarune chapter 2 FUCKS and im genuinely so fucking excited for the next chapter, whenever it comes out... really hoping toby pulls a homestuck epilogue and drops it like a week after saying it “might be a while” fgkjdfd

[scorpioxsith]

Don’t you agree?

I was totally on my bullshit after watching Chapter 13 last night, I smoked a joint and, god damn I was feeling inspired, I wrote something, whatever my imagination was doing at 1AM.

It’s just a little something. I tidied up the grammar to coherency but i kinda like it being organic as it was, to reflect reader being not-sober (just like me baha). 🤪

Also influencing this, I’m in the UK and we’ve been in lockdown for the past month and it ain't about to end for me anytime soon, so i am pining for a night out (idk just some fun god damn) and some mando attention. 

I felt like sharing it because it’s kinda fun and lighthearted and if it helps someone else escape right now then cool. This is some #realthirstyhotgirlshit, reader is flirty and a lil confident but also a lil shy because heck I can be confident (lies) but put me in front of Mando and you bet I would be total jello. (also i dont think mando is necessarily OOC in this BUT if he is idc i just want him to be my daddy lmfao) 

Im living for season 2, someone give Filoni an award NOW!! 

warnings: references to alcohol/drug use. its not smut but its flirty. if i carry it on it'll go “further” but I’m scared of commitment so

Drabble below the cut.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You hanged off of Greef Karga in a friendly embrace and giggled in the spice lounge. You were howling about a story he had just told you and the two of you were almost crying with laughter. You’d just come back from a very successful mission, and when he'd asked if you wanted to celebrate the win with him, you shrugged your shoulders at him with a playful smirk “alright then.”

two hours later and you were both inebriated. it was bleeding into the mid evening, the night at its peak. energy buzzed in the spice lounge with the music and fluttering ebb and flow of conversations, carrying an infectious energy into the air. 

your body felt relaxed, your mind loose. 

it was a little foolish, given you are in so doing letting your guard down, but you hoped if you were unlucky enough to be accosted in this state, with Greef by your side you felt a safe bet you could still take most people. 

Although you didn’t particularly have much in common with him, he had a playful demeanour that made for a fun drinking partner. 

Karga tapered his hysterics off into a deep chuckle, “ah, you know-” 

“Karga.” 

A blur of silver came into yours and Greef’s vision until it materialised before your eyes into a Mandalorian. A hot Mandalorian. You had no idea you had a thing for that but it was the first thought that sprung to your mind. You quickly looked to Greef, playing off your fluttering lashes and hoping the Mandalorian hadn’t noticed your astonishment. Or…maybe if he had, maybe it wouldn’t be totally the end of the world. Who knows. 

Greef Karga also took a moment to summon a response, frozen for the barest of moments, but you saw it. He was taken aback by the Mandalorian's presence. Then, he flew into a huge bravada of an introduction. 

Maker, you were both so high. 

“Mando!” Greef bellows, “well I never. I never thought I’d see you in this particular establishment!” 

The Mandalorian cocked his head impatiently. “I’m only here because I was told this is where I’d find you.” 

His voice went straight through you. Fuck. 

Greef turned to you. “Allow me to introduce my associate…” 

you smiled awkwardly at this, oh god - why were you feeling shy? I mean…well actually...you do know why, don’t you? 

“Good to meet you,” you said carefully - you didn’t want to spook him, so no heavy flirting yet but your tone was warm and a little sultry. 

The Mandalorian’s helmet turned to you and you weren’t sure if you imagined it but you were sure you felt some sort of tension almost immediately bloom as he continued to hold your gaze. Your skin prickled in a path down your body as if his very gaze was passing over your curves and leaving a blazing fire in its wake. 

Your voice lazy, a little sexy, as were your sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks. “I'm Y/n.”

“Mando,” he responds huskily. You think that will be it, but then- “I haven’t seen you around here before.” 

His voice is run through a modulator in his helmet, making it hard to pin down his tone. You couldn’t tell what his angle was but something inside of you hoped he was feeling the same magnetism as you right now.

You realised he was waiting for an answer, and you hope you mask the subtle cheeky glint in your eye before you respond. 

“I am new to this parsec, yes. I have been in the Guild for a couple months now but I’m often out on mission.”

“Is that right?” There’s a smoothness to his voice that makes you blush slightly, you hope its not obvious. To Greef, that is. It'll definitely be obvious to Mando’s heat vision, but you could live with that embarrassment. He continued, “I assume as you are here, your previous mission was successful.”

You nodded up at him, thinking wow he’s so tall and big and yes and he’s looking down at you too, until a hand clapped on your back and Greef came into the picture again. 

“Indeed!��� Greef commended as if it was the best thing in the world. “An impressive one hundred per cent success rate! She’s almost as talented as you, Mando, I like this one!” 

Karga gives you a joking side wink and you can’t help but laugh - he forces it out of you when your eyes meet as if something is so hilarious but you’re not even sure what it is, mainly just the fact that he’s chatting absolute shit and you can’t take it seriously. Mando gazes at you as he waits for you both to finish your ridiculous and illogical giggling fit.

It takes longer than a minute for you both to get control of yourselves, your laughter filling the air of the spice lounge. Mando's hands went to his hips and he cocked into a stance that had you wanting to drop to your knees. That stopped your giggling. 

Karga wipes another tear from his eye, you’re not sure if he’s doing it for dramatic effect and it almost sends you off the edge again. 

“Forgive me, I’m feeling loose. Speaking of, I’m going to go get myself another Gin ’n’ Juice,” Karga announced playfully. “Mando? Drink, Y/n?” he asks you. 

“Just a water, please,” you said sweetly. You needed it. 

“Karga, I came here to talk,” Mando quipped impatiently. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Karga rolled his eyes, “and if I’m gonna listen to you, I need a drink. Why don’t you take a seat and I’ll be right back.” 

With that he whirled away, leaving you with the Mandalorian. 

You weren’t sure whether to start conversation or wait for him to ask you something, but then there was the predicament of what to say. The armour was sexy as hell, but it did make him difficult to read. 

The Mandalorian was watching Greef retreat to the bar, before seeming to roll his shoulders and relax slightly, consciously, then looked down at you. 

Then, he adjusted his weapon away from his body so he could take one large stride over to the now unoccupied space by you. He sat close, but still too far away. However, he relaxed into the seat a little more, the bulk of him spreading out further and inching closer to you. It was like some kind of erotic display and you couldn’t help but gaze at him in a way that betrayed your desires. 

His helmet tilted at you and he chuckled knowingly. “Careful, kitten.”

  Your eyes widened in surprise and a sudden warmness whooshed through your whole body. It was dizzying and immediately a hot aching began to pulse in your core. His voice danced through your tingling senses and you were enraptured. 

You wanted to touch him, desperately, even just get a little closer. Encouraged by his boldness, you summoned the courage to teasingly reach out and slowly trace your fingers over his thigh. You hear a staticky breath come out of the modulator. 

One of his large hands snapped down to rest over yours, except he didn't snatch your hand away. He held it in place, his hand heavy and hot over yours, pressing down on his firm thigh. Your breath hitched as movement in your peripheral barely caught his other hand coming up, too late and you were taken by a shudder when you felt his gloved fingers trail gently down the sensitive curve of your exposed neck. Your head tilted in compliance, lashes fluttering, barely in control of the longing gaze of desire you were levelling back into the visor of the helmet.

"You should be careful, cyar'ika," he murmured, "Some would take advantage of this right now." 

You barely held back a whine, but you knew he was right. Shit, his righteousness only made you want him more. 

He pulled back swiftly, though it was a gentle touch when his hand gripped and lifted yours off his thigh, placing it back onto your own lap. His fingers ghosted over your forearm as they retreated.

Moments later, Karga returned with more drinks you knew one single man could carry, and you gaped at him. 

"Karga, I said water!" you pouted.   

"I got that, too," he replied, pushing a glass filled with clear liquid towards you, condensation beading down the side. 

You drank half of it immediately. You eyed the pink drink he'd also brought you back, unsure if it was wise. You weren't really one for drinking and smoking at the same time, it was risky business that. 

Greef lowered himself into the seat across from Mando. "Get on with it then, before I change my mind," he said to Mando, urging him to get the business talk over with, because he knew for sure that must be the reason for this highly unexpected appearance. 

  You didn't miss the way the Mandalorian looked at Karga in a silent challenge, daring him to cheek him again. Karga laughed it off, bumping one of Mando's pauldrons and slid one of the drinks across the table to the Mandalorian.

Mando's shoulders rose and fell in a sigh of defeat, like he just couldn't be bothered with the hassle.

"I think the puck you gave me was intended for someone else." With that, Mando slammed the puck onto the table, startling you slightly and some of the fuller drinks jumped out of their glasses onto the table. 

The puck's holo beamed up a second later, a picture of a wealthy, androgynous looking human male. 

He continued, "You know I can't be going anywhere near the Inner Rim." 

Karga peered at the puck. "Ah yes..." he glanced at Mando, then you, before chaotically spinning the puck across the table towards you. 

"Dank ferrick!!" you cursed, barely catching the puck under your palm as you slammed your hand down to the table quickly. 

  Karga burst out laughing, "coincidentally it was meant for her ladyship here. Very chivalrous to bring it to its rightful owner, Mando." 

  The Mandalorian's head spun to pin you with an unreadable gaze. After a tense moment, he said, "Who said I was returning it?" 

  You blinked at him, palm suddenly burning where the puck was sitting innocently beneath it. 

  Karga chuckled again. "Apologies for the assumption, old friend. How can I resolve the matter?" 

  Mando's gaze returned to Karga, briefly releasing you. "You promised me payment for this. The only solution I can see is a partnership for this bounty."

The Mandalorian turned back to you. "Don't you agree?" 

[snkpolls]

SnK Episode 61 Poll Results (for Manga Readers)

The poll closed with 359 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results for the Manga Readers’ poll. If you wish to see the results for the Anime Only Watchers’ poll, click here. 

---

RATE THE EPISODE 347 Responses

While this episode wasn’t as big of a hit as episode 60, overall most viewers still enjoyed the content and are looking forward to more next week!

amazing amazing! I'm so delighted with this season so far!

Im so beyond pumped i love everything

Dissapointing but acceptable.

I’m like angry I loved it so much.

I just wish we didn't have to wait a week

It was amazing. We all gotta apologize to MAPPA for ever doubting them.

It's a huge stepdown from episode 1. At times the animation was straight up painful to watch. My expectations were low and yet I'm still disappointed :/

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WAS YOUR FAVORITE SCENE/MOMENT? 349 Responses

Reiner-centric scenes were the highest on people’s radar, with 24.9% of respondents enjoying his reunion with the warrior cadets, and not far behind, 22.9% enjoyed Reiner bringing up the 104th at the dinner table. In third, with only 13.5%, was Pieck and Porco’s formal introduction to the audience. 

Hearing Zeke greet his grandparents with such happiness warmed my heart. I do believe that he loves them. 

They just had to add one last image of Ymir's broken face before she died, huh? :(

WE FORGOT TO ASK LAST WEEK D: WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SCENES/MOMENTS FROM EPISODE 60 WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 348 Responses

Last week we forgot to include what your favorite scenes were. The scene from episode 60 that got the most favor was Reiner’s, “I’m sick and tired… of walls” with 33.6% of the vote. 16.7% most enjoyed Zeke’s titan transforming scream. 14.9% were hyped about Reiner and Porco wrecking Fort Slava.

MAPPA WENT ALL OUT WITH THE CINEMATOGRAPHY IN THIS EPISODE. WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE CINEMATIC PANS AND ROTOSCOPE ANIMATION? 349 Responses

Overall, a total of 74.5% respondents have positive feelings about MAPPA’s use of rotoscope animation and camera panning. Some felt like it was akin to watching a movie, while others are just happy to have the dynamic movement. A smaller amount of respondents didn’t have feelings one way or another, and a minority (about 10.3%) really are not a fan of this type of animation style for the series.

It felt odd sometimes as they used it for long scenes (like Udo talking or Gabi telling the story to her family) but overall it was pretty great and I prefer it to WIT's stale animation during season 3

I liked the more dynamic movement during dialogue, but my roommate found it super awkward and off-model. So a fifty-fifty split in a sample size of two lol

It could have been animated better, but I like the extra dimension it gives to scenes

Enjoyed it a lot! However, there were a few scenes that felt a bit off, like some frames were missing. Specifically, when Udo was doing all those gestures while talking with the rest of the Warrior Candidates.

It felt dynamic to the point of looking unnatural - some gestures and expressions just moved wrong

i'm split, in some scenes it was great (like reiner waking up), but in the dialogue scenes the constant movement seemed kinda unnatural and distracting

It was amazing but at the same time I'd didn't look fluid enough, especially at Udo's mouvements which made the character look kind of...video game-ish in constant moving. 

I thought it looked great the rotoscoping,the movements all looked amazing

The animation during Urdu’s scene is so cool!  I was caught of guard at first though lol. It’s so realistic!

NOW THAT WE’VE GOTTEN TO HEAR A LITTLE MORE OF THE NEW OST TRACKS, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SOUNDTRACK SO FAR THIS SEASON? 344 Responses

So far, reception to the newer music is overall positive. 31.1% are really enjoying the music and think the songs are being used immaculately, and 40.4% really feel that the song choice compliments the scenes they’ve been used in. 13.1% think the songs are good, but miss having that sole Sawano feel to them. 10.8% just feel the music is “ok” and 2.6% aren’t a fan of the new OST tracks so far. 

I mean it sounds good, but we haven't gotten to important moments that require a memorable track, so we'll see!

First episode slapped because it really complemented the scene but it's more... generic. I didn't like how it was used in this episode, there wasn't enough of it and again, generic. I miss Sawano's unreal scores.

the animation absolutely blew me away, and i love the intense music that played during Reiners monologue 

The music is fine.

I've heard both new and old songs from the previous seasons. Still too soon to make an opinion as we need to hear more.

I am deaf, I can't hear no damn soundtracks 

That music guys when they came back to Liberio and reuniting with they parents, made me tear up but also because the scouts never had the chance to go back home with victory in the arms of their family, I wish I could have seen EMA like this.. It kinda felt unfair X) but I was happy for them nevertheless.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE CLOSEUP OF ZEKE’S MOUTH? 346 Responses

Our first of probably too many crack questions in this poll, 32.7% thought the closeup of Zeke lighting his cigarette was cool looking. 21.4% are concerned about Zeke’s lung health. 19.1% are probably annoyed with us and simply don’t care (lol). 13.3% wouldn’t mind smooching Zeke, and 11% were just plain grossed out.

Does smoke even affect a titan shifter? Surely his lungs just heal themselves

ASMR for the eyes, right there. Aww yiss

It was awesome! Zeke is shown as relaxed person with a big drop of mystery. 

Smoking Bad but he is gonna die in a year anyway

Suuuuuuucc

It might've just been an artistic choice to include it in there, but i gotta say I'm oddly fascinated and idk why

I don’t remember it lol

I didn't even notice.

Zeke looks hotter than he has ever looked

WHAT’S YOUR OPINION ABOUT ELDIAN ASSES? 341 Responses

Most of the responses seemed to feel rather positively about Eldian asses, with almost 40% seeking out Zeke’s ass wiping technique. About 17% simply stated their appreciation for them, while almost 13% are just thirsty. In contrast, a little over 17% seemed confused to the question’s inclusion and about 10% were confused outright. 

MAPPA WHERE IS PIECK'S ASS

More into Eldian thighs, really

I bet Levi’s is nice

If only Eren had one

zeke has the energy of a straight man who doesn't wash his ass

Only Shadis' ass

GIVE IT TO ME 😏😏

They are like normal, human asses. Do not turn them into some magical, special snowflakes, just because they belong to Eldians. 

Seek help

Enough

DO YOU WANT REINER TO GIVE YOU A HEAD PAT? 343 Responses

A definitive majority, almost 59 percent, openly expressed enthusiasm for the prospect of a head pat from Reiner. However, a near 30% fraction of responders didn’t seem too happy about this recent chain of less than serious questions. We’re sorry about that. 😅. The rest either didn’t seem interested in said prospect or noted they wouldn’t care either way.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE DECISION FROM MAPPA TO CONDENSE REINER’S FLASHBACK INTO (PRESUMABLY) A SINGLE EPISODE? 346 Responses

It would appear that the majority of those who took our poll express cautious optimism at the prospect of seeing all (or the vast majority) of Reiner’s backstory being adapted into a single episode, with a near 47% supporting the move, thinking it could make the narrative “more coherent”. Almost 20% argue it would work better pacing wise. On the flipside, just over 17% state that they would rather have a more accurate adaptation to the manga. 11.6% simply say they have no opinion. There were also more than a few write-ins.

I do wish everything could be animated to full detail, but pacing and structure will benefit here

They've done a good job so far, so I'll reserve judgement until I actually watch it.

It will be difficult as they're chapters with loads of dialogue, but they can pull it off if unnecessary stuff gets cut out or changed in some type of way (like watching Marcel's death for the sixth time, them breaking through the wall or even Jean and Eren fighting) 

If they get the pacing right, then the rearrangement will be for the better.

Reiner flashbacks + Reiner suicide attempt + Falco meeting "Kruger" (more than 2,5 chapters) in a single episode? HELL NO! WTF MAPPA!  

Worried and cautiously optimistic.

At least it looks like they're going to stick to just one episode for the RBA flashback. It was mostly just filler anyway, so there was never any need to stretch it out and waste precious time getting back to the Paradis side of the story

I doubt that that's exactly how it is, but if so, then I don't think that that's a wise idea

It’s gonna be rushed as hell

Reiner flashback is very long and there is tons of dialogue, so I dont know how its going fit in only one episode, but if they can make it work then its fine for me

WHICH CHARACTER DESIGN DID YOU LIKE BEST IN COMPARISON TO THE MANGA? 346 Responses

This question gave us a somewhat evenly split pie chart, but Porco nonetheless managed to gain the bigger piece with just over 55%. Surely due to that bomber jacket and haircut. Nearly 45% picked Pieck (gottem) instead. Must have been the somewhat inconsistent nose. 

WHO’S SEIYUU DID YOU LIKE BEST? 335 Responses

On the flip side, 68.4% seemed to prefer Pieck’s soft voice. Porco with his (how the hell does Porco sound like… how can you describe his voice) managed to win the hearts of 31.6% of responses.

Pieck voice wtf? I imagined Pieck with a more Hanji-ish voice, not this sweet and high pitched.

DID MAPPA DO PIECK’S NOSE JUSTICE? 345 Responses

The debacle over Pieck’s POWERFUL nose gave us quite a colorful pie chart. Almost 39% of responses noted that Mappa was on point with Pieck’s nose for most of the episode. Afterwards, 26.7% stated that they thought that Mappa got it right only in some points of the episode. On the flip side, another 26.7% thought that Mappa was generally quite on point throughout the entire episode. A small minority (7.8%) thought that Mappa simply did a poor job. 

The animation is good, and while I don't want to complain, I have a small problem with the drawings themselves. I feel like they lack precision (like Pieck's nose, idk if that's clear).

I'm grateful for Pieck's nose. I always respected Isayama for drawing imperfect characters, because this way he has made them to look more realistic. Even though Pieck has so-called imperfect nose, she is still absolutely gorgeous. Her imperfections are part of what makes her beautiful and unique.

PORCO’S HAIR - WERE YOU TEAM RED HAIR OR BLOND HAIR? AND ARE YOU HAPPY WITH HIS ANIME COLOR SCHEME? 345 Responses

A far less controversial debacle concerned Porco’s hair scheme. The folks supporting a Blond color scheme were universally content with his hair color (all 57.4% of team Blond). On the flip side, an almost universal approval was also present from team Redhead (13.6% of those supported his blond hair color). 27.5% of the responses seemed to care not about this issue at all, however.

NOW THAT WE KNOW PORCO BETTER IN THE MANGA, DO YOU THINK HE WOULD HAVE *ACTUALLY* DONE A BETTER JOB THAN REINER IF HE HAD INHERITED THE ARMOR AND WENT TO PARADIS? 348 Responses

Porco inheriting the Armored Titan is a rather interesting what-if scenario. Perhaps of the most interesting as a whole, so it’s no surprise to see a rather divided opinion of those who took our poll. A little over 36% believe that Porco doing a better job than Reiner on Paradis is a definite possibility. Just over 24% believe it’s not likely Porco would have done better than Reiner. On the flip side, 21.6% think that is is likely Porco *would* have a more successful conduct on the island. 9.2% believe that Porco’s success is a given and in opposition to that, 8.9% think that Porco’s success would have been basically impossible.

HOW ABOUT IF PIECK HAD GONE TO PARADIS WITH THE WARRIORS? 346 Responses

Much less division here, however. 70.5% of responders believe that Pieck’s possible trip to Paradis (in the initial attack) would have not have resulted in a given “mission success” for the Warriors, although she would have been a rather useful ally. Nearly a quarter, on the other hand, think that Pieck’s inclusion would have ended the story right then and there. The rather small minority of the other responders think that Pieck would not have been useful had she participated in the mission.

GABI HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CONTROVERSIAL CHARACTER. HAS MAPPA BRINGING HER TO LIFE CHANGED YOUR FEELINGS TOWARD HER? 342 Responses

64.6% of respondents overall have positive feelings toward Gabi as of right now, with 39.5% having already been enjoying her character throughout the manga. 25.1% now view her more positively with her being brought to life. 20.2% don’t really care about Gabi either way, and 11.7% feel very negatively toward Gabi, without the anime swaying their opinions. 

Gabi still sucks

Sakura ayane as gabi is probably the best thing to happen to me all year

WITH SUCH A DIALOGUE-HEAVY ARC, CUTS WERE INEVITABLE. WHICH CUTS WERE YOU DISAPPOINTED IN, AND WHICH CUTS CAN YOU LIVE WITH?

Overwhelmingly, the scenes that were most missed by manga readers were “Pieck walking on all fours/scaring Porco”, “Zeke mentioning the Ackerman Clan”, “Reiner’s smirk when his family talks about ‘Island Devils’”, and “The imagery of Eren and Armin wrecking ships”. Smaller character details, such as Reiner mentioning how he acted like Marcel on Paradis, Gabi wishing to understand Reiner’s feelings, Falco pointing out how Reiner almost had the Armor taken from him, were also very missed by manga readers, although just less so. 

General Calvi talking about Zeke’s loyalty, Gabi getting praise from her parents when they reunite, and Magath trashing the Marleyan navy, were moments that many respondents didn’t feel strongly about one way or another, or felt that these were details that weren’t really needed anyway. 

Cutting the scene where Falcon talks about why Reiner kept the AT was really bad.  Also the table scene could have been better. Some imagery when Reiner was describing the 104th and his smirk.

The cuts the anime has done made the spectators less informed about some story background stuff. This is in order to direct attention to the marley's eldians planning how to overcome the world's disparagement towards the power of the titans. 

I'm sad they cut the gate guards. They humanize the marleyans a bit. Hope they add their scenes next episode and do them justice.

I hope we will get the Gabi/Reiner talk about understanding each other through PATHS when she eats him next episode

Gimme crawling best giiiirl

MAPPA cut Pieck's ass so this episode wouldn't be so ass centered with Zeke's ass wiping technique. This is my theory lol

Great episode but U was so looking forward to the Reiner scene talking about Paradis “devils”. In the mange it was a powerful scene really adding to the duality of Reiner and the pain he has, and the animation did not do it justice. Plus some parts of his speech were probably hard to understand for a non mange reader without the flashback. (Like which one is referring to Jean for example).  I really wish it had been better delivered

IS THERE ANY CHANCE WE’LL SEE SOME OF THESE CUTS ANIMATED IN A LATER EPISODE? 342 Responses

them into different scenes. Overall, the majority answered a big, fat, “maybe.” 15.8% are confident that what’s done has been done, and 12.6% are more optimistic that MAPPA will find a way.

Overall I was a bit disappointed. I feel like the amount of material cut from every conversation included really added up overall and gave it a very rushed feel to me. I really hope they add it all in later.

ON THE FLIP-SIDE, WHICH ADDITIONS/CHANGES DID YOU LIKE/DISLIKE?

The changes and additions that MAPPA made were overall viewed very favorably, with the scene of Porco and Pieck interacting with the warrior cadets being the most liked addition. This is followed closely by the overall character movement during dialogue scenes, the small detail about Pieck’s father being unwell, and Gabi shouting “Watashi!” on the train.

I loved the additional details made it very emotional

IT WAS A GREAT TIME TO BE GALLIPIECK TRASH

Sneakier Eren's a nice addition too

Porco my boiii I'm so happy he's here 💖💖💖💖 if mappa is adding some extra scenes then gimme more of gallirei 👀

WHICH SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? 338 Responses

Unsurprisingly, 42% of respondents are hyped about Kenny’s brief return and Annie’s unlikely encounter with him in the Underground. 22.2% are eager to get that sweet Reiner angst as he is rejected by his Marleyan father. 17.8% are looking forward to Reiner’s training days.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

great! it was inevitable they would cut stuff but it hasn't changed any major plot point or thing i would want to see desperately 

It was just really great to see the scenes animated, it adds another level of depth and understanding to the story I believe. 

Loved anime-onlies missing Eren completely. Some even thought it was him but then noticed the leg and thought against it

I think it was very well done. Just need a little getting used to with MAPPA on the reins now. I think MAPPA added some scenes to show how those Eldians over there are still just human after all and they have their own problems to deal with. 8/10 episode.

I feel like they took a lot of emotion way from reiner. made him seemed stoic and determined to go to the island even though in the make he looked scared about having to return. 

I thought the rotoscoping was really well done! I’m happy with the pacing, the fact that the episode felt like it went by fast is good considering it was dialogue based.

Incredible. The direction, the cinematic quality, we are feasting. MAPPA is elevating the story beyond anything I could have imagined! I'm beyond hyped for the rest!! But where is asshole Marley guards/Hobo!Eren's appearance as a favorite moment?!

Incredible, it adapts the source material very well while adding some touches that make it unique in it's own way. As a manga reader, I'm really glad that they're doing this because it feels like a completly different experience from reading it and makes me excited on what changes or directing choices they're going to make during the course of the season, great job so far MAPPA!

Such an amazing episode. Made 20mins feel like 5. MAPPA is doing fantastic. The characters have never felt more alive and the animation style is something I never knew I wanted until now. 

I can't believe they didn't cast Mads Mikkelsen to voice Mads Mikkelsen

The episode was good but the dinner scene didn't do justice to the manga. It didn't have the same feeling to it. I saw a lot of anime onlys thinking Reiner was just trying to talk shit about the 104th. I feel like the flashbacks during that part in the manga gave it a nostalgic feeling that helped convey what he truly felt about his time on the island. His facial expressions were not quite there either. Specially sad because it was the moment I was expecting the most this episode and because it's a big part of Reiner's character, maybe next episode can kind of fix this.

I haven't seen the anime only poll results, but given personal conversations with them I imagine quite a few could care less about the Warriors and are looking forward to the 104th showing up to stir shit up. Boy are those folks in for a treat :)

I knew I'd feel more attached to all of them once they got animated. I didn't expect getting real thirsty for Lainah.

I was so happy with how much detail MAPPA put into the background scenery. Also, I think that an underrated moment during this episode was the Marlian douchebag triggering the Eldian soldier’s PTSD. You could really feel their terror, and THEY KEPT THE HOBO EREN PART IM SO HAPPY!

Its consistently very pretty and well animated which is great of course, but I worry the team won’t be able to maintain this quality for some of the meatier scenes in the later episodes. The fast pace of the episode (compared to the manga) as well as the many cuts make it a bit harder for scenes to stick, I wish there was a bit more breathing room at times. This also makes the fancy animation and frequent rotoscoping cuts feel less impactful for me—with every scene being cut down to its core ingredients, and every scene having at least one cut with more motion and energy than we’re used to, I can’t help but feel it all kind of mashes together without sticking out as much, leaving less of an impact. (I feel really really weird actually complaining about good camerawork/animation, what the hell lol) Also hobo <3

Plenty of questions about ass but no questions about the full ED? Or how we thought the episode did at hiding Eren in plain sight?

rip Reiner's chocolate abs :'(

The episode wasn't as interesting as the first one. I was yawning from time to time. Yet, I think that Mappa did a great job, because it's hard to animate full of  dialogues chapters. I was disappointed of the fact that flashbacks from Paradis have been cut. I hoped to see Sasha, Connie, Ymir and Marco while Reiner was speaking about them. Without the flashbacks we just got the dry speech and this way hard to say what Reiner is really thinking about people he met on Paradis. We - as manga readers - already are aware of his feelings, but anime onlies may not know and see Reiner as cold hearted person. I'm not complaining over animations or the OST tracks because no studio is perfect and some small mistakes here and there won't destroy my fun. I just sit and enjoy the episode. 

Very good, with the exception of the dinner scene, in which the director missed the mark completely with the tone.

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 328 Responses

Thank you again for participating! We’ll see you again next week!