#if anyone reads this please do not be mean about matt on my blog

[mrbossfr]

im in the point of my hyperfixation where looking at matt virginia makes me actually scream and cry, i love him so much and i wish i could put into words how much i enjoy him i wish i knew how to explain how much i adore him, i get so so so so sad when i see people be scared of him or dislike him because like, aw man!! he’s not even scary. i love matt💔💔💔💔

[toph3r-marshmell00w]

‼️ READ BEFORE FOLLOWING ‼️

Hewo!! ☆

I'm topher! I also go by toph, tophie or marshmellow :33 I'm a British, scemo, furry artist! Also a self proclaimed, nerd and geek! I will post my art, reblog, moodboards, random opinions, maybe even use this blog as a little journal! Another thing, I am the biggest tophfucius shipper, I will defend them with my life 🙏

My pronouns are he/thon/they/ze/xe + any neos ^^ do NOT use she/her or it/it's on me. It makes me incredibly uncomfortable.

I am genderfluid + xenos! I am pansexual as well as aegosexual!! :3 I am ambiamorous ^w^

I am in many fandoms, for example we haveeee my fav rn, clone high!! Then we have others like fbacc, fnaf, yfm, eddsworld, sandersides, furry, vocaloid, total drama(minor), MLP, South Park, SML, Invader Zim, FRED figglehorn, welcome home(minor), super Mario, smiling friends, hunter x hunter, rick and Morty(minor), tally hall, horrible histories, football (+ 442oons, I'm also a Bayern Munich supporter!!:33), and probably more I can't remember!! XD But I'll mostly be posting about clone high!! ^^

If you'd like to play games with me, I'm up 4 it but i don't play roblox (srry roblox players) , I used to but I'm more interested in minecraft ^w^ I play both java and bedrock! :DD

My music taste mostly consists of scene music of course as well as emo! Sometimes I like to listen to hyperpop, rock, metal, fangame/fandom music, music boxes(mostly the fnaf music boxes), game soundtrack, vocaloid, music from the old internet and sometimes weird al!! :DD I also have a soft spot for shakira (aka my wife/hj <33)

WHOOP WHOOP!! I'm also a juggalo! :33 my fav song from ICP is confederate flag! ^_^

I have quite a few favorite youtubers! These include, FRED (ofc) , memeulous, Danny Gonzalez, drew gooden, Kurtis Conner, tomska, markiplier, jacksepticeye, saberspark, Flamingo, one topic, TUV, messyourself, imallexx, willNE, James marriott and MUCH more!

I am very very VERY interested in history, I love it so much! Everything from the stone age to the 2010s! I love it!! I do hours of research, make powerpoints, factfiles, read about it etc!

I am also quite interested in things like world cups (precisely the 2014 world Cup), Maned wolves and lop bunnies, graphic novels and space! I love doing research about them and picking up random facts + key info about them! If anyone would like to hear me ramble about em please dm I AM BEGGINGGGG <33 I'll also listen to you ramble aswell :33

In total, I have 6 collections: badges/pins, posters, plushies, figures, stickers and cans! ^^

Other random stuffffzz!!

I'm a multi shipper and I ship like anything except proships :3 Though for clone high, I don't really like joanabe, Joanfk, candidworth, jfgogh (I don't get this ship I'm sorry) and harrucius (I mean it's cute but it's just not 4 me ^_^) My fav ships are tophfucius, tophabe(pls don't bully me 😭), joanrriet, Vanceaser, jfabe, butlertron x scudworth (I dunno the ship name 😔), kahlopatra, tommatt, paultryck, poly Martians, scutters (Scott malkinson x butters, one of my fav rarepairs <33), tophdi, jfucius, harold x leshawna, harold x Ezekiel, Ezekiel x Justin, Noah x Cody and like so much more ships that I can't even remember TwT

I'm a copinglink! My copinglinks are topher bus(CH), benatar (YFM) and tom(EW)!! Copinglinks are a coping mechanism to deal with stress, trauma, or other issues by identifying as someone / something knowingly, willingly, and actively! :3

Kinlist!! :

Top kins: Topher bus, Gandhi(CLONEHIGH!!) , pip pirrup, benatar, puff puff, tom (EW), Confucius(CLONEHIGH!!), pinkie pie and Heidi Turner!!

kins: Matt, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, axel chains, joan of arc(CLONE HIGH SEASON 1), van Gogh(CLONEHIGH!!), JFK(again CLONE HIGH!!), stan marsh, Cody and harold(TD) and Kyle(fbacc)!!

Forgot to mention but Im a shifter :3 (current DR is clone high :D)

OHHH ANDDDDD my birthday is 27th Feb! ^^ so erm that's cool :DD

Here's some of my art!

BOUNDARIES AND DNI LIST‼️

DNI LIST!

・basic DNI criteria (homophobes, transphobes racists, ped0s etc)

・PROSHIPPERS AND COMSHIPPERS.

・People who ship irl people.. That's just weird.

・people who bully/send death threats over ships..

・Anti-xenogenders.

・n@z1s

・ableists

・People I know irl.

・AI artists

・anti-furrys

BOUNDARIES!

・ Idm how old you are, you can interact but if you are above the age of 21 please don't dm me or become close. I have bad experience with people 20+ but idm if they interact or reblog or whatever just as long as they don't try to get close.

・I AM A MINOR‼️ please be aware of that when talking to me.

・If you need someone to talk to/vent to I'm here! ^^ but please ask before venting. Also remember that I am not a therapist and I won't be able to respond to all your vents. Another thing, don't just use me to vent. I'm not your own personal therapist that will help you with your problems :/ if venting is all you want to do with me then you are blocked.

・ do NOT use fem terms on me. Only masc or gender neutral :3

・I have a fear of ladybugs/ladybirds. Please do not bring them up or send photos of them or anything like that, it makes me incredibly uncomfortable, unsafe, anxious and very scared.

・As an artist, I do not like people reposting my art on other apps. I don't care if credit is given i am still incredibly uncomfortable. If you'd like to use my art for a profile picture or anything as such (like that'll ever happen) please ask :)

・DO NOT STEAL OR TRACE MY ART.

Thank you so much 4 reading!! I hope i can make some friends or mutuals! :DD

I hope everyone has a wonderful day/night!! Remember to stay hydrated and take care of yourself <33 love y'all!!/p :33

[eddsworld-the-masquerade]

a comeback, perhaps?

Yes, really. I’m not joking and I have three points:  1. I’m one inconsistent bitch with a brainrot;  2. I need my delusions and escapism cuz man do four blood-sucking dudes sound more in-reality than whatever the fuck is going on in the actual real world around me rn;  3. I forgot what was the third point. It’s all the more absurd given just in the summer of this year I was certain I wouldn’t come back to it any time soon. What can I say...life do be like that. A fun little story of its own, but I’ll leave it out of this post. For now, let me share with you what I’ve been planning, what’s staying and what’s changing and how I’ll be approaching this AU/blog this time around. 

So, to start off...

The 🅱️ has to go: 

While still set in Vampire the Masquerade (World of Darkness) universe, the renewed version of this crossover AU won’t have anything to do with Bloodlines video game. Don’t get me wrong, I love Bloodlines still very much, it’s the game with most of my replays and what got me into VtM in the first place. But also, it is restricting, trying to align everything with its small setting/scope and, let’s be honest, doesn’t make much of a sense. Eddsworld’s British, the hell are they all doing in America? XP 

The tag is now eddsworld vtm au, without the letter b. 

What else gets thrown out? 

Plot: Pretty much all of it. I came up with the biggest plot points and am currently rewriting the entire script. At its core it’s still “four dudes tolerate each other’s shenanigans to survive and later learn they kinda don’t feel like chopping each other’s heads off (friendship goals)” but the rest...out the window it goes. 

Setting: As I said earlier, it’s weird. So with the help of Fall of London V5 book and some other sources of info on London in VtM, I moved the cast back to where they belong. 

Characters and character writing: This one might surprise you, but I really, REALLY don’t like the way I did them back then. I can’t revisit old comics/the demo without cringing so hard my face breaks XD Fishmalk Edd gives me most pain if I’m being honest...

While I’m keeping the basest, the basiesest core (Edd being chaotic bastard Malkavian, Tom being mean and cynical Nosf, Matt being old-fashioned but also a rebel at heart Torrie, and Tord being far less infected with rabies compared to other modern Brujah) I’m changing lots of their characterization, backstories and relationships with each other as well. So don’t expect something you expected from their older versions.

The same goes for every other character, and I’m getting rid of some that don’t serve much purpose anymore.  

What’s in store? 

New script is in the process. And while it is slowly processing, I will be updating most pages on this blog: specifically “About” and “Characters”, with new relevant information and art. I have archived everything these pages contained, and I’ll put the link to the Google Drive folder up in the “About” page for anyone who wishes to look at the old stuff. I won’t be deleting any of the older posts on the blog though.

Update schedule?

Can’t promise one. Life’s hectic now as hectic can possibly get. I will update once there is an update, but please try to be considerate and don’t ask me “when”. I will most likely go on hiatuses from time to time but I will try to warn in advance if it’s going to take long. Overall, this passion project is just that, a passion project. Not my job. Not something that gives me anything but mental satisfaction. Not even a tip jar. I’m working alone, with occasional help from friends who are kind enough to proof read and brainstorm with me (Nina, Jazz, Engi, Hawa, long live you beautiful human beings). So all I’m asking is some compassion and understanding from all of you u_u If you can do it for me I’m sure it’ll take me longer to lose interest this time XD  Ask box stays closed for now, I’ll reopen it once I’ll update all the pages. 

That’s it for the moment! Stay tuned, if you’d like! 

[divineerdrick]

One Piece Live Blog: Get Cruising!

Oh boy! Here we go!

The Netflix One Piece adaptation convinced me to take another stab at the genuine article. My previous attempt had stalled out on Kuro's arc. But with Matt Owens, Steven Maeda, and the gang highlighting what I'd enjoyed my first try, I'm back for more.

Since Netflix One Piece is filled with spoilers for the manga and anime, this first part is going to be #not so live blog. I'm basically going to cover all of East Blue in this one massive blog, having paused after Luffy got his first wanted poster. From here, I'll be trying to go one episode and chapter at a time, using episode previews to let me know if I should watch an episode before reading a chapter. For example, I know that the next episode of the anime is Buggy's journey after getting Gum Gum Bazooka'd off the island. But that episode was covered in Oda's famous chapter pages in the manga.

I might look to see if anyone has a good watching/reading order out there. If anyone knows of one, please let me know!

I should also note that I'm not going to be policing spoilers very hard here. I'm going to try to watch each episode and read each chapter as fresh as I can, but let's face facts. One Piece is an integral part of modern anime's DNA, and it's honestly all over the parts of the internet I call home. I'm going to have some preliminary impressions going in for a lot of the characters and arcs that people have raved about throughout the literal decades. Again, if I find an intrepid assistant who feels like intercepting asks and the like, I might accept their help. But I just think it's pretty hard to do this one as a truly blind read/watch.

Without further ado, here are my #not so live blog thoughts on what I've gotten through so far! I'll also go over my thoughts on the differences between manga/anime and Netflix, and occasionally manga and anime . . .

First Thoughts

Right off the bat, I feel like I need to mention that I still struggled through East Blue. It was definitely an easier read than watch, and I found myself enjoying the manga a bit more than the anime. There felt like there was a bit too much generic Shonen bullshit in this first part of the story. Now granted, as one of the OG Shonen works, this is more that other Shonen anime have made some of this boring and generic, but it's honestly still kinda dumb, boring bullshit here.

But that all changed when I got to Arlong Park. That arc felt incredibly tight and well paced, with each character being well utilized. The jokes all landed, the fights were all awesome, and the villain was enjoyable. This is definitely where One Piece started to sing for me, and showed the promise of why this work has had so much staying power.

Please keep that in mind when I get to my coverage of the various arcs.

Characters

Monkey D. Luffy

Our primary protagonist and the Captain of the Straw Hats took me a little warming up to in the manga and anime. Part of this is that Netflix Luffy is a couple notches higher in terms of good nature and IQ, and a couple notches lower on the pirate scale and silliness. In short, Netflix Luffy is a little closer to generic Protag-kun than his animated counterpart. He's really not a pirate, not even a "different kind of pirate." He's an adventurer using the term pirate as his title.

OG Luffy is definitely a pirate. He's a little mean, a little underhanded, and, most importantly, he won't let anything get between him and his goals. There are plenty of times when he just flat out slaps someone down because he thinks they're stupid or they're in his way. The only reason he becomes Zeff's choreboy is that the old pirate kicks the crap out of him. While Netflix Luffy opines that everyone has a story about Nami, except for Nami herself, OG Luffy just doesn't care. Nami is his navigator, and the thought of leaving Conomi Island without her never crosses his mind.

And honestly, while he took a bit to grow on me, this makes OG Luffy such a more fun and interesting character to follow. Yeah, as even Oda jokes, he's thick as brick. But even this has its charm. He sits at a nice middle ground between Goku and Jack Sparrow. He's just mean enough, and just crazy enough that you can't predict what he's going to do, while still being likeable enough to be a hero you want to follow for a thousand plus chapters.

Roronoa Zoro

The first of the Strong Trio, as I've heard them called, Zoro (or Zolo in the version I'm reading) is probably the character who varies the most from his Netflix adaptation to his OG self. OG Zoro isn't as thick or silly as Luffy is, but he's still a lot of fun. He's nowhere near as tightly strung or straight laced as Netflix Zoro is. He also jumps on Luffy's side a lot faster, accepting his role as Luffy's swordsman in exchange for his swords and sticking to his oath from that point forward. When Mihawk destroys him at Baratie, he's genuinely distraught that he not only lost, but he failed Luffy.

He also gets more time to shine during Arlong Park too, with his own opponent to face down and defeat. Granted, I understand why Owens and Maeda probably did this. At that point in the show, we know Zoro is a badass, especially with Mackenyu's amazing displays of swordsmanship, and Sanji needed to be established as the second member of the Strong Trio. Plus I'm betting Hachi would have been trying on their budget.

But again, this version of Zoro is just more fun to follow. We've seen the straight faced, snarky action hero done to death. I like the fact that the OG is much more laid back and willing to have some fun.

Nami

Tied with Usopp for how faithfully she was adapted, Nami is so far the most serious and intelligent member of the Straw Hats. She's a fan favorite for a reason. Besides sporting a cute design to appeal to the core Shonen audience, Nami is honestly one of the most capable characters in the story. And she's shown repeatedly to be pretty badass when she needs to be. All three versions of her are likeably and laudible.

That doesn't mean there aren't differences though. Netflix Nami feels a bit more victimized. And, I mean, fair! She refuses to get close to the Straw Hats because she believes she's doomed to hurt those around her. It feels more like an internalized failing, rather than the result of the overwhelming external force that is Arlong. OG Nami is a loner because she believes she has to do everything herself. It's not that people around her get hurt because of her, it's because if she involves anyone then Arlong might remove them from the picture. She plays a villain to Cocoyashi village not to distance herself, but because she doesn't want anyone else to get hurt saving her.

Either way, the emotional aspect of her arc throughout East Blue is one of the things that made Arlong Park so compelling. Now that she's free, I can't wait to see how her character develops. If her exit from Cocoyashi is any indication, it will be a lot of fun!

Usopp

Usopp is also pretty faithfully adapted in Netflix, with one small exception. Both versions of the character have dreams of being a hero, the same hero they portray themselves as in the stories they tell. However, for now at least, OG Usopp is a little close than Netflix Usopp. While Usopps cowardly antics seem a lot more over the top in manga/anime action, his acts of bravery are also more numerous.

Usopp won't stand by and let someone else get hurt. He may not be able to jump into the fray when things get started, but the moment an innocent person is in danger he doesn't hesitate. Part of this might be the changes made to the arcs for Netflix's adaptation. In the Netflix version, only Kaya is any real danger from Kuro and his Black Cat Pirates. So when Usopp refuses to leave Kaya's side, it comes off more as him refusing to abandon a friend then sticking up for someone that can't defend themselves. But in the original version, Usopp is defending the whole island from the Black Cats, an island that thinks he's a liar and a menace. He's also the one who jumps to Zoro's rescue when Mihawk strikes him down. And at Cocoyashi he repeatedly intercedes when fishmen are menacing the village.

Even his fight against Chew is because he knows he needs to even the odds or the three lieutenants will easily overpower Zoro and Sanji. While Netfix Usopp flees the moment Chew sets his eyes on him, then manages to setup a knockout punch, OG Usopp lures Chew away and then renews his attack the moment Chew tries to give up on the chase.

In short, Oda does an amazing job at showing that Usopp genuinely does have the ability to become a hero. I know he's still mostly comic relief and is part of what is occasionally called the Cowardly Trio, but I do hope we get to see Usopp get some development towards his dream.

Sanji

The last member of the Straw Hat's I've met so far, I have the least to say about Sanji. His dream and ambitions are perfect as the ship's cook, but they aren't particularly compelling for me yet. His fighting style is a lot of fun to watch though. And, as opposed to Zoro, it's so far more fun in animation and sequential art than live action. His swooning over Nami isn't really entertaining for me, though it's also not annoying. It's again, a little more entertaining in the manga/anime where the cool confidence that would probably serve him well in courting her is completely upended by drooling idiocy.

I will use this space to note another difference for the character, though this time it's in their back story and not their character traits. And it's strangely one where Netflix went with the manga, while the anime changed it. I just find it interesting that in both the manga and Netflix, Zeff sacrifices his leg on the rock to stave off his hunger so that he can give all the food to Sanji. But in the anime, they had him sacrifice his leg ahead of time to save Sanji, thus meaning he already had the leg as potential food source before making the decision. I'm curious why they made that change.

Johnny and Yosaku

While not part of the crew, I still felt I should give the two fanboys a mention. They provide something that Netflix missed out on, and maybe even spoiled a little in where they chose to cut and change things for the adaptation. They help setup some of the power scale for the adventure. Put simply, Johnny and Yosaku help give us a notion of what a normal, human adventurer is capable of compared to the pirates of the East Blue.

While the East Blue is the small pond of One Piece's world, that doesn't mean that Buggy, Kuro, and Krieg aren't real and genuine threats. Johnny and Yosaku traveled with Zoro as bounty hunters, and they presumably fought pirates and other outlaws. But they're completely outclassed when Krieg shows up. And when they go to Arlong park, they're dispatched so easily Arlong doesn't even bother to have them killed.

This helps establish that it's not just that Luffy is starting his adventure in a level appropriate zone, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and even Nami are genuinely in their own class by East Blue standards. They are destined for greatness by right of their ambitions and everything they've learned and done to get to this point. They're not Lvl 1 Heroes killing slimes to get their first copper sword, they're already at or near vanilla level cap and just need the unifying force that is Luffy to get them moving.

I don't know if the two fanboys will play any further part in the adventure, save for maybe montages of characters past like with the wanted poster. For now they're staying in East Blue, where they've done what I think the story needed them to do.

Arcs

Alvida and Axe-Hand Morgan

One Piece starts out strong. Alvida makes for an entertaining first goon for Luffy to show off on (though am I spying a reinvigorated "most beautiful pirate" on these chapter pages?) Koby makes a nice lore character to get us started off, and Morgan makes a credible threat to defeat as our first baddy.

Obviously the first thing to point out here in differences is that Netflix, with fewer episodes to work with, assembles our first three Straw Hats here. In the original story, this is just where Luffy meets Zoro. I already discussed the changes there. Though I think this is another one where Netflix went back to the manga for one change? In the anime they have Zoro being punished for a month, but I seem to remember the manga had it as like a week or something.

Either way, the first adventure is a lot of fun and sets up some side plots for later. Where I am in the manga, I've just started getting chapter pages for Morgan and Garp. Netflix, of course, made a whole B plot for Koby, Helmeppo, and Garp as they pursue the bread crumbs Luffy is leaving behind.

Buggy the Clown

This was also a really enjoyable arc. I'm not going to discuss the difference here, as there are just too many. Buggy is given a full side character role for all of East Blue in Netflix, where in the manga we just get the chapter pages. The one difference I do want to highlight is that in the manga and anime, it's Nami that thinks to tie down all of Buggy's parts and not Luffy. Though Luffy definitely shows some of that underhanded nature in this fight as he tickles and nut shots his vulnerable opponent whenever he tries to go after Nami with the Chop Chop ability.

Buggy is just so much fun! I don't know how much he actually shows up in the story, though it's obvious even without the Netflix teaser that he's itching for a rematch. His power is so cool and creative, and though he's so far not very competent with it, Netflix showed the potential it has. I hope I get to see a lot more of him.

This arc also nicely sets up Nami and her story for East Blue, though you only realize it in retrospect. Again, I remember just always having a lot of fun with this one.

Captain Kuro and the Black Cat Pirates

This was my original stumbling block and man did I feel it the second time around too. They try to make Kuro out to be this clever and menacing pirate, but I just never buy it. Part of the problem is he just doesn't do anything!

This is one of those arcs where I was getting tired of the Shonen bullshit. The arc starts with the introduction of Usopp as a comic relief character. Since I hadn't had a chance to see the bravery he'll show later yet, and Netflix didn't deliver on it, that's all I get for him as things start. Then we get a rather cliché murder plot. The butler did it! Kuro is revealed, and his plan is . . .

Well, the hypnosis part is creative I guess? It's more fun and interesting than just, "I'll trick the family accountant to signing everything over to me!" Jango fails to be anything but more comic relief though, and that's with Usopp already looking to fill the role.

Then we get to the fight. Usopp starts to show his bravery, but it's buried under all the attempts at comedically stalling things out. Oh no! They're at the wrong beach! Oh no! Zoro's caught in the grease trap! Oh no! Luffy got lost! Oh no! Zoro got his swords stolen! Oh no! Luffy got put to sleep by Jango!

And all the while, Kuro just stands there. Nami doesn't really do much here either, even though I honestly think she could probably take Kuro on her own. Then Kuro just announces he's going to kill everyone and the pirates stop doing anything too. And when Luffy and Kuro finally do fight, it feels drawn out. Like it really just feel like Luffy could have just walloped him if he'd been taking things a bit more seriously or been a bit more creative with his powers.

I will say, Usopp's bravery does start to shine through here. He keeps getting knocked down but refuses to give up. Usopp honestly is the best thing about this arc and it does set his character up well.

Baratie

And finally we come to it: the wall.

Baratie almost ended my second attempt at this. It starts out so strong too! Sanji's introduction is awesome, Zeff is really cool, and the idea of a bunch of "fighting cooks" that can beat pirates is really fun. Then you get the introduction of Mihawk. This is one of the points where I wish I'd stuck with my first attempt at One Piece. To be fair, Netflix's introduction of Mihawk is fantastic. But this was even better in many ways. I feel I would have enjoyed this more anime/manga first, then been impressed by the adaptation. It comes out of almost nowhere with just the barest hints of what's about to happen before Mihawk splashes down in the East Blue like a giant in a puddle. Netflix felt the need to tie Mihawk into the ongoing story. As other commentators have pointed out, this undermines the sense of scale and danger that is The Grand Line.

OG Mihawk isn't on any kind of mission. He's just bored!

But Krieg and his pirates. Oh man . . .

The point of Krieg is that he is the proof that the East Blue is the leveling zone. Here is a man with a ton of resources and know how. He has a massive armada, state of the art weapons, and a vicious and dedicated crew. The chefs of Baratie might have fought off pirates before, but they're no match for Krieg's crew.

But Mihawk, one man with one sword, destroyed it all.

Yet Mihawk gets bored again and doesn't finish the job. So now Luffy has to prove that he does have what it takes by beating them by himself (with some help from Sanji of course.)

It's a pretty functional device as plot devices go. The implementation just sucked.

Krieg is not interesting. "I win because I have the strongest weapon," is such an old trope and one that, especially in anime and manga, almost always means you're a loser. Gin isn't interesting. He's got just enough character that I would actually like to see if Oda does something more with him. But in this arc he starts out feeling like a weak lackey. Then, surprise! he's second in command! Then he's just a weak lackey again. Then, he's a lackey, but he's strong enough to walk away.

And the less said about Pearl the better.

But the biggest problem is, again, no one does anything! For most of the arc, Sanji is the only one that does any fighting. Other than launching their "secret weapon", the fighting chefs don't fight. And Luffy and Krieg just spend the entire arc staring each other down. It starts even before Mihawk shows up, and doesn't stop until Gin beats Sanji. Luffy makes a couple of extremely half hearted attempts to run . . . run . . . over to fight Krieg. But because, and I can't stress this enough, he only ever tries to run over to fight Krieg, Krieg easily repels him with his guns.

Once the fight actually starts, it's clear that Luffy can just pound Krieg into the dust. He just doesn't. And so the fight drags on longer than it feels it should, as Zeff opines about how Luffy will win because he has the will to do so. Even though, we literally just saw Zoro, who has almost, if not as indomitable a spirit, get owned by someone that's just plain better than he is, it's all actually about will and heart.

Well, maybe not just saw. As I said, this drags on a bit. We're quite a few episodes/chapters away from that before Luffy and Krieg actually start fighting.

Now I will say, I know there's more to this. Luffy is still very young and inexperienced. We start the adventure with him leaving his island, having not been show doing any actual fighting. We're literally seeing all of Luffy's actual combat experience in this anime and manga. He's constantly inventing new moves as he learns his abilities, and he also needs to learn how to use those moves at the right time. So this fight is supposed to be part of Luffy's learning process.

But it's just not fun and not funny and not interesting. He used the Gum Gum Rocket in the first arc, yet he keeps trying to, again, run over to fight Krieg. He's shown he can deflect projectiles, yet he just let's Krieg's poison shell hit Baratie. He punches right through Krieg's steel defenses, then takes his time breaking Krieg's spear.

It's just not a good fight!

But we can leave all that behind us now. Because once Krieg is defeated and Sanji says his suitably over the top farewells to Baratie, we can finally get to . . .

Arlong Park

Like I said, this basically saved One Piece for me and brought me back to the promise of the first two arcs. It also proved that this story can deliver on more than just Shonen action and slapstick comedy. Take everything I said about Baratie, change it to the opposite, and you have Arlong Park.

A lot of people have already talked about the difference between adaptations here, so I'm not going to mention it much. This is already getting long here. I do wish Nami had actually gotten to take some part in the action, but she still gets a heroic moment as she faces down the monster that murdered her mother and has controlled her entire life.

Also the way she reacts as Luffy destroys her prison hits hard.

But yeah, everything about this arc is fantastic. The pacing is great! The characters, and their designs, are all fantastic. The jokes all land. The way they divided up each fight is nearly perfect. And there is real, and intense, emotional pay off.

Even the Shonen trope of taking Luffy out of the fight to come back later is done well. Luffy being dumb and trying to do the cool new move he thought of getting him stuck is hilarious. And Arlong's reaction to it is a peak villain moment. It does make me wonder a bit about the way Devil Fruit powers work, because I thought that the ocean takes you power away. But Nojiko is able to stretch Luffy's head above water. Still, it might be that the Devil Fruit permanently made Luffy out of rubber, and it makes for a creative solution with some genuine suspense.

Even our comic relief villain, Hachi, is both funny and menacing. I really liked the fishmen designs in general, though I'm not as much a fan of Chew's design. Kuroobi is probably my favorite of the fishmen, possibly even more than Arlong. He's got a great design, his fighting style is awesome and a great test for Sanji, and he's shown to be more cool and level headed than his boss.

But Arlong is still a great villain. His planning and cunning and evil are demonstrated throughout the arc. And when the fight actually gets going, it's clear that he's a proper match for Luffy. Not only is Arlong strong, but his moves are just the right level of over the top. I'm particularly fond of the Shark Darts. I am a little sad he pulled out that massive sword to not really get to use it much, though. They also do a great job using him to demonstrate Luffy's strength by showing the force Arlong's nose can take before Luffy breaks it.

Final Thoughts

So yeah, I'm on a cruise now. From this point on it's going to be one episode/chapter one post. I'm going to try to do three to four episodes a week. At that pace, it's possible I might get caught up by years end. Either way, I'm hoping to have a lot of fun!

[silveronc]

( SILVERONC ) : independent &. private &. selective roleplay blog for violet sorrengail from the empyrean series. novel canon based with headcanon influences. triggering &. mature themes present. faithfully transcribed from navarrian into the modern language by ghost. all events are true &. names have been preserved to honor the courage of those fallen. may their souls be commended to malek.

important links. carrd | ask memes | pinterest

disclaimer. this blog is not spoiler free.

temp info under the cut.

one. this blog will contain content not suitable for minors. anyone under the age of eighteen will be blocked on sight. i do not consent to the recreation, redistribution, or reposting of my writing. do not claim or translate my work on this or any other platform. it is not for public use.

two. if you’re not familiar or don’t know me, i’m GHOST: a queer 29 year old non binary asshole who uses they/them pronouns. i’m extremely adhd, autistic, and just super duper depressed. my activity is considered sparse / low at all times. speed is not a priority, nor am i a fast partner. the speed in which i reply to things is in no way a reflection of the thread, muse, partner, etc. but of my own limitations. i am extremely duplicate friendly. i won't follow others first out of respect for other writers unless i know they're okay with duplicates as well.

three. i respect all dynamics of ships and connections, even if i don’t personally wish to explore or write them. i love everything from toxic relationships to soulmates, the types of relationships that stick in your gut, and show the good and bad of a character. i love midgames and endgames and one night stands. life is messy and difficult and i am interested in exploring all of it. smut threads, headcanons, etc. will only be done with writers at least 25 years old. i just love shipping. i almost always have the idea of shipping two muses when plotting or interacting. i will not however force anything ever- and all boundaries are respected always. shipping is fun, i get invested and it keeps my muse up for the plots or dynamics. i am unapologetic about this & as always: chemistry matters most of all.

four. behaviors such as homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, ableism, or bigotry are not welcomed. characters who are meant to portray real people, whether based on fiction or not, are not welcomed. i will not interact with certain faceclaims like amber heard, johnny depp, colton haynes, evan peters, elizabeth olsen, emma roberts, holland roden, kj apa, marie avgeropoulos, matt davis, nate buzolic, ian somerhalder, or lulu antariksa. i will not interact with characters from 13 reasons why, anything sarah j. maas, a handmaid's tale, star wars, reign, hamilton, glee, or yellowjackets.

five. must be 18 years of age or older to follow, though i have a strong preference of 21+. this is due to themes and content found on this blog. i am highly selective, meaning that i can be picky about who i follow. i do not follow everyone back. if we are not mutuals, please do not like or interact with my posts. i'm slow to reply but also to check followers and blogs. it will likely take at least a few days before i follow back, if i decide to. i take the time to read writing, rules, character information, along with the types of interactions. if a blog lacks a rules page, mun information (name/alias & age), basic about page, and clean tagging system i will not follow or interact. for original characters i would like to see an about page otherwise i likely won't interact.

six. this blog contains content unsuitable for minors such as death, violence, murder, canon typical content, war themes, chronic illness, physical disabilities, parental neglect and abuse, torture, blood, gore, scars, mental illness, self-harm, age gap relationships, toxic relationships, post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression disorders, and other potentially triggering topics. if these themes upset you in any way, please consider if you really wish to follow me. all triggers are tagged to the best of my ability. i use trigger / format when doing so. nsfw content may appear & i will tag it as usfw / for those that wish to block the tag.

seven. beta editor only and xkit rewritten to cut posts. i use minor formatting at best, some bolds and italics with double or triple spacing. due to my terrible eyesight, i prefer to use the large-sized font.

eight. i am a plot-focused writer. i prefer to build dynamics and relationships together before we start writing. i have a strong preference for dark, angsty, or feelsy plots. i don’t mind a little fluff sprinkled in when it makes sense, but pure fluff will make me lose interest in a dynamic or thread very quickly.

[sweetestpopcorn]

If you believe that Daemon considered affairs a normal thing and didn't feel guilty, do you think he also cheated on Laena in canon with Rhaenyra? Most bloggers defend him with "They were faithful pair", only emorional cheating arguments.

🤦🏽‍♀️

Look I don’t know where you got the “SP believes that Daemon considered affairs a normal thing” but unless you can show me where I have said that, please come to me for my opinions, not to asks on other people’s blogs who are talking about me. Much what has been said elsewhere is a complete distortion of my takes and what I have said.

Edit because some people don't understand how the words you use make it that there are different meanings: There is a difference between "considered affairs a normal thing" and "considered himself having an affair because he was a man - and affairs for men in Westeros were nothing anyone would frown at if they were not too over the top (enter Aegon IV) - and he wasn't getting all he wanted at home". The first is a show-only idea introduced by Matt to Renada I see people stating all the time - that everyone had lovers even women - which has no validity in the books. While some women had affairs they were very much hidden and their reputations were tarnished if they were caught. The value almost everyone placed on virginity in asoiaf cannot be overstated. Read one book and you will get what I am talking about. The second idea, however, is supported by the asoiaf books. That for men in Westeros an affair was neither a big problem nor something that would mean they didn't love their lady wives -> e.g., Corlys and Rhaenys and how the narrator presents them in Fire and Blood. For women it was a completely different story -> e.g., Laenor had affairs and no one cares, Rhaenyra's affair was considered high treason and if found out she would have severe consequences - and indeed with him we do not see Rhaenyra being unfaithful and I cannot for the life of me see a proud man very much of his time who liked virgins like Daemon think it very cool that his wife was getting with someone else.

Moreover, about Daemon's affairs in Fire and Blood while married to Rhaenyra, we only have any evidence/mention of them during the Dance. Before, the two had an exceptionally boring marriage. But it's stated as fact that Daemon did betray her with Mysaria and I don't see much debate about this by the narrator of Fire and Blood. If people want to believe he went to Mysaria's room every night as the court records attested to for milk and cookies I am not stopping them but I don't see any merit/strength to that argument. What is more, with Nettles, I raise both possibilities the book itself raises: that they were lovers, and that they were not lovers, and I have discussed the merit of each possibility.

I am not going to whitewash Daemon into a YA hero. He was a grey character. He used women. If some of you think all of this were "rumours" and lies go ahead but that is not my point of view and I am dealing with what is written in the books when I analyse characters.

PS: Even in our world people have trouble understanding emotional cheating and there isn't a consensus on this. Do we really think that in an alternative universe mirroring Medieval Europe this was even something people considered cheating?

PPS: As I have said, if there is no mention it's either because it didn't happen or he was extremely discrete.

[leviathanverse]

Hey, sorry to burst your bubble, but Cal definitely supports trans hate and genocide based on her likes and follows (ex. Matt Walsh on Twitter).

https://www.tumblr.com/wolvesbaneandbuttercups/738098606888927232/a-small-example-of-the-transphobic-likes-from

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Walsh_(political_commentator) <- Who Matt Walsh is if you didn’t already know.

Please educate yourself.

Look. I dont have time for arguments. But if you read my reblog, then you'll see that I mentioned that I am neutral. I am not supporting anyone. I am just stating my belief and how backlashing isn't right.

And I don't know who Matt Walsch is, or who ever that is. I don't care about him. And I also said I don't follow people on Twitter except YouTubers and artists. And family. I don't like what they post unless it is something that catches my attention. Telling me to get educated is like telling me to redo something I hate.

I am sorry to hear how you are offended, but telling me to educate myself won't change my mind. Go read my reblog again, then you will see that I am neutral. I'll change my wordings later. And yes, I do believe there are only two genders just like there are in the animal world. If you want proof, then go to my Twitter account. It is April_Gianttale. You can view my likes.

You don't know whether I am an adult or not. Meaning that the possibility that you are talking to a minor is 50/50.

My other commentary is that I don't give a damn about why I should care who this Walsch guy or whatever his name is.

My blog is still a safe space for people like you, but please know that I am just a human being. My friends who are in the LGBTQ+ don't care about what I believe and who I am. Isn't that enough proof?

And, again, I don't care if people are transphobic or part of LGBTQ+. I am respecting people and treating them how they should be treated.

If this does not satisfy you, then I can always delete my reblogs.

Other than that. Have a good day or night.

[cptharknss]

{ 𝐂𝐏𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐒𝐒 } — a selective rp account for captain jack harkness of bbc's doctor who, written by jae (he/they). 18+. oc and crossover friendly. anti-moffat, anti-barrowman & somewhat canon-skeptical. fc is matt bomer. est. 2023.

𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏… immortality, adventure, roguish smirks, intergalactic sluttery, getting into trouble, lone wolf, found family, outliving everyone you care about, smiles & jokes to hide the pain.

#. memes. — #. headcanons.

#. SIDEBLOG TO @thetnth — all follows come from there.

RULES

general / standard roleplay ettiquette applies — be nice, no god-modding, try to match my length & I'll try to match yours, etc, etc. I won't tolerate any form of sexism, racism, homophobia or transphobia here. I will not rp r*pe, non-con or dub-con. this blog is anti-moffat and anti-barrowman.

interactions / this blog is 18+, minors dni. this blog is oc, crossover & duplicate friendly. I am all for exploring different relationships and crossover verses. ideally I would like to plot a bit before jumping into these, though, as it makes it a lot easier for me to see the interactions between our characters. on a similar note, if our characters haven't met yet (in canon, or in our threads), please don't assume jack knows who your muse is — pre-established relationships are okay if we've discussed them.

formatting / I format my posts with small text, with additional italics, bold text, and strikethroughs for emphasis and to show character thought process. I also use detailed icons and page breaks to frame & split up my replies. you don't need to match my stylisation, and I will happily write with you if you do more or less than me when it comes to formatted posts. if any of my own formatting is difficult for you to read, let me know and I will adjust for our threads.

shipping / this blog is multi-ship, and I honestly encourage it. jack is an intergalactic manwhore (affectionate), and will try to get with anything with a pulse if he finds them attractive. he is omni-sexual and polyamourous, so multiple relationships can exist in the same universe for him, and may be referenced in threads. this doesn't mean that jack is opposed to more meaningful connections, though. they just might start off as more of a fling.

triggers / there may be some triggering content on this blog (including, but not limited to, mentions of alcohol, death and injury, threats of violence). these will be tagged as cw. trigger. because of the themes of this blog, there may be. nsfw content may appear from time-to-time and will be tagged as such, anything graphic will be placed under a 'read more'. I will not rp graphic smut with anyone under the age of 21.

[matthewlockhart]

RULES (READ BEFORE YOU INTERACT)

First of all, minors DNI.

TRIGGERS

There are a few things I refuse to write about: bestiality, paedophilia, urophilia, scatophilia, animal abuse.

Outside of those very specific things, I do not have any triggers. Be warned that this blog will contain the following (tagged) triggers: abuse, narcissistic abuse, stalking, violence, domestic abuse, blood, murder, rape, sexual assault, sexual coercion, age gaps, abuse of power, blackmail, kidnapping, drug use, drug abuse, mutilation.

Lastly, I try to tag everything that could potentially be triggering to others but if something slips through the cracks, do not be afraid to let me know. Comfort of the writer goes above everything, I take this very seriously.

NSFW AND SHIPPING

I write smut but it is not a requirement. However, due to the nature of this character, sexual themes will most likely be present in most threads. Mun is over 25 years old and will not smut with minors.

If you want to ship our muses, be warned: Matt does not love. However, he is charismatic enough to make believe that he does. I will ship this character if there is chemistry and they are above 18. I mean it, I will not ship with you if your character isn’t at least 18 years old. This blog is multiship and doesn’t force ships on anyone. If my muse develops an obsession towards yours, you are in no way obligated to write your muse in a way that reciprocates those. I am perfectly fine with unrequited romance threads.

WRITING STYLE

Formatting is not required, I use small text and gifs most of the time but you are not obligated to do the same. Thread length doesn’t matter to me, from short to para/novella threads, all is fine with me! If I do not respond in a timely manner, please don’t assume you’ve done something wrong. Feel free to remind me of my reply.

I like to come up with plots beforehand so I have something to go on. This one is not really a rule because I’m flexible when it comes to this and I’ll answer or write random starters too.

[ragnars-tooth]

Yeehaw here’s a pinned post i’ve been meaning to make for literal months!

I’m Matt [gender under construction]

21, aroace, from England (soz <3)

I’m disabled and at uni atm so sometimes i take a bit to see stuff and reply, I’m not ignoring you! Update: my dad’s also got cancer so uh. that’ll do it for sure.

This is a sideblog - my main is over at @gayandvibin so that’s where replies and likes are coming from

Ao3 is h0pscotch (no posts yet, but by god am i working on it)

This blog is for the last dragon chronicles - a book series that ended over 10 years ago and i continue to be so normal about that i almost singlehandedly revived the tag in 2022. Sometimes i post wips or the odd uni piece, but it’s mostly me drawing and chatting about dragon books. I love side characters that barely get screen time and you do not remember or care about. That is a threat and a promise. 

(Also I read the UK versions if that matters to literally anyone. I love to pretend that everyone is okay and also that i understood the plot)

Please feel free to send asks (anon is on), I am always down to ramble about these characters. I’m also pretty much always up for tldc drawing requests (and even if i’m busy, there’s no harm in asking - i’ll get to them at a later date).

Tags: I don’t really categorise my reblogs, but [character name] will take you to anything original i’ve ever posted about them, ragnar art is for everything i draw, and ragnar rambles is for all my text posts.

Triggers are tagged tw [trigger] or cw [trigger], and if you need anything tagged/think i’ve missed something please shoot me an ask or a dm!

I block blank blogs on sight, so do something to prove you’re a human if you want to keep seeing my silly dragon posts! And in general don’t be an asshat, racists die, transphobes kill yourselves, pedos get run over by a lorry etc. 

[cattoy4ever]

Part Two: Who Was Matthew Warren?

Chewing at my fingertips, I was seconds away from giving up on my Facebook investigation. What kind of multi-millionaire rich guy doesn’t have ANY close friends or family? At the very least, business executives he’s met in the past? I checked all of his social media, nothing. So I tried seeing if he had anything on the public record. After going through multiple pages of google, I finally stumbled onto The Autobiography of Matthew Warren: Future billionaire!, it was really just a pathetic blog with no likes and 2 random followers. 

I scrolled all the way to the bottom and read every. Single. Entry.

Basic descriptions of his childhood, where he grew up, his family, and weekend plans. That was until 2 months ago, where he stopped mentioning his family completely. He posted less and less leading up to his death date. And when he did, it was very vague and generic posts. His last post was 4 days ago, 2 days prior to his death. 

“The Truman Show is the best movie to watch on a cold rainy day! It was a movie I discovered recently but apparently it’s not well liked by my friends and family! Anyways, if you’re reading this I recommend you give it a watch and come back to me. Thank you! Good night, America.” 

Another bust post, no clues. But he did mention his mother is a school teacher, meaning I can find the school’s database and hopefully get in touch with her. I could find out more information about Warren and if she knew anything about his death. 

I did just that and rang up her number. 

“Hello, who is this?” 

“Hello ma'am, are you Shelly Warren?”

“This is she.” 

“Okay, my name is Nancy Whitlock and I’m calling in concern for your son Matthew.” 

“I don’t have a son.” 

“... you aren’t related to Matthew Warren?” 

Click

“H-hello? Bitch.” I hissed and threw my phone. She was my only chance at contacting his family, I couldn’t find anyone else’s phone numbers. I sank into the Motel bed. Just then, my phone rang and I scrambled to pick it up.

“Hey Nance”

Micheal. 

“What do you want, Mike?” I snapped back. 

“I’m really sorry for our argument back there. I didn’t mean to offend you, I just got worried. And I want you to know that’ll always be there for you no matter what you’re going through-”

My screen lit up with another call from an unknown number. I itched, it could be related to the case. 

“So please just let me know if somethings bothering you or if there’s anything I can do to help you”

“Yeah yeah mike” I hushed, “love you too bye” 

“Wait but I-”

I switched calls and let out a sharp exhale. 

“Hello?”

A timid soft woman’s voice responded, “are you the girl who tried to call my mom?” 

“Yes. Yes! I’m her and you are?”

“I’m Matt’s younger sister, Bailey. Um, I wanted to talk to you about my brother. Can I see you tomorrow morning at 9 AM? I live at 3028 WestBurrow Dr?” 

“Wow oh wow that would be wonderful” I chuckled breathly, silently thanking god I picked up. 

Her house was just as depressing as her voice. A sad baby blue, molded chipped white fence, and viens sprawled up the sides. My gut was telling me to run away, she could be a serial killer and I’m just walking right into her house. 

But when she greeted me, all thoughts of her being a killer dissolved from my mind. Large tender eyes stained with dark circles, messy uncombed hair, and a very ragged robe stood before me. I suddenly felt less guilty about wearing the same work clothes from yesterday. 

“Please, please come in. I’ll make you some tea.” 

Her house was cluttered with useless junk. She was in the kitchen talking to me as I took a personal tour around her home. An entire wall littered with cut out newspaper clippings regarding her brother's death. All saying the same thing, natural causes. 

“Would you like jasmine or chamomile?”

Tracing a photograph of Warren with my finger, “Jasmine is fine.” 

“Heh, my mom thinks I’m a total nut. I was over at her house when she got the call and had to beg on my knees for her to hand over your number” 

Sitting down now, she kept her face close to the mug like she was freezing despite it being a warm day.

“I mean what perfectly healthy 30 year old’s heart just stops going? And a closed casket? It was a heart attack for god’s sake. Why would that be necessary?” 

Pulling out a notepad I began my series of questions, “Tell me, what was Mr Warren like?” 

She chuckled and smiled to herself, “Oh Matt was the best older brother anyone could ask for. He had large dreams of becoming a billionaire and spending it on his family. Total family man. He loved movies and writing, despite having this always-work grind mindset.” 

“Family man, you say?” Bailey nodded, still smiling, “But he isn’t following any of his family members? Not even you?”. Bailey’s smile morphed into a soft frown. 

“Yes it is true, he blocked all of us months ago.” 

“Why? What changed?” 

Bailey’s chest puffed up and sighed deeply, “A couple months ago he kinda lost his mind. He would stay awake all night for days near the front door with a baseball bat, changed locks 5 times, anytime we went out to a restaurant he would insist on sitting somewhere that faced his back to the wall so he could observe the entire diner. That was barely even the surface of his anxieties. I mean he’s always been a paranoid person but this is a different level.” 

Mike’s words replayed in my mind and I did my best not to seethe. 

“But what made him block all of you?” I repeated. 

“Well, we confronted him about his paranoia and he said that he was being followed. That he knew too much information but refused to elaborate for ‘our own safety’. We all got in an argument and he said some things that permanently severed his relationship with mom. He then said that if he ends up dead, he’ll be on our conscious and left. Guess he wasn’t wrong about that.” 

The silence was so thick it could be cut with a knife.

“What do you think happened to him?” My voice cut through the silence like a bullet causing Bailey to jump slightly. 

“I dunno, I think he was murdered. By someone… some people. I mean he told us himself, what else is there to think?” 

“Your family?”

“My dad says his paranoia made his heart give out and my mom is in complete denial of the whole thing. Even mentioning his name is enough to cause a meltdown. I’m the only one fucking doing anything, but it all leads to nothing. Sure he was murdered, but that’s where it ends. Checked with the phone company and all it was was business calls.” 

My tea's gone cold. 

[ventura-starlight]

angelicstrwbrry's 2k21 year in review >♡<

on March 14th I officially signed away my soul and caved to become an anime blog. the day prior I wrote [for the first time in a while 😭] and basically broke up with my harry potter phase that had conquered my entire personality on this blog for 2 years. and since that day I have been a Haikyuu blog!

When I joined the Fandom I was welcomed by some amazing writers, making me feel more welcome to be an aspiring writer. and although sometimes the writing was cheesy as hell 😐 and the themes were....questionable 😋😋 [basically when I didn't have my sibling helping me]. you have all supported me so much!

about the time I switched blogs I had just reached the 200 follower milestone. and that took me about 2 years to achieve. now at the time of writing this I have 495 amazing supporters. truthfully you all have meant the world to me and I can't explain how much it means to have you all. the past few years have been shit for me but having a support system this amazing hasn't gone unnoticed [seriously- my therapist knows about yall 😭😭] thank you all <3 I love you and I can't wait to see how we grow together <3

STATS BABYYYYY

angelicstrwbrry's survey <3

[please fill out the survey!! it will be amazing to hear from you all and find out what I can do better going forward in this blog :)^^]

Followers: 495

How many writings? 54 [I think lol]

PERSONAL TOP 10: [in no order]

SONGS:

•Put On a Smile // Silk Sonic [literally heaven sent ☹]

•Lo Que Siento //Cuco [thanks damaris for sharing♡]

•Forever // Mumford and Sons [HIPPIE ALERT ⚠️📢]

•So Long // Fleece [let me give this a kiss rn. please]

•Rom-Com Gone Wrong // Matt Maltese [AHHHH 🤍]

•Cry Your Heart Out // Adele [HER NEW ALBUM>>>]

•134340 // BTS [honestly yeah. it's just. so. perfect.]

•Bambi // Clairo [ouchie. but it's relatable so whatever]

•Connect The Dots // Greer [I LOVE THEM AJHHHH]

•Uuuu // Steve Lacy [Steve <3 pls marry me <3 pls <3]

ARTISTS:

•Silk Sonic [gave me everything I needed and more]

•Tyler The Creator [main bae <3 but I love him sm ☹]

•Taylor Swift [I became a hardcore swiftie this year💕]

•Hozier [top artist and!! my favorite tree man :)]

•Mitski [I'm mentally ill. is anyone really surprised? 🙄]

•Faye Webster [I love <3 if you see my insta? yeah <3]

•Matt Maltese [NEW FAV DISCOVERY!!! LOVEEE]

•Ginger Root [pls check him out cause omg amazing]

•Adele [7 year old me is gagging because omfg <3 🛐]

Phoebe Bridgers [once again. mentally ill + therapy]

FICS:

•songs they post you with [simp content but it's cool!]

•how they love you [☹☹ my babies :c]

•simply mine [I LOVE SAKUSA SO MUCH AND PLS]

•almost like being in love [more simps but EEEEEE]

•when we were young [only this sequel >>>>>>>>]

from other blogs....

•mi mariposita by @lalaangeldust [absolutely amazing writer and so sweet! her writings are outstanding and deserve your love ☹☹ the blog theme is immaculate and she has so much talent! MHA ppl, pls go visit!!!!!]

•husband!keiji by @sunkeiji [to all my fellow akaashi lovers out there, you should know sayu by now and omg does she do amazing work! I love everything <3]

•dad!kuroo anything by @kuroosweakness [one of my old favorite type of blogs. she is amazing and so well thought out? seriously works are like poetry to me <3]

•the indeed series by @host-club-hq [I gave been loving this series since day 1 and omgg! this is a kyoya fic series and I love their portrayl of the characters so much! it's not generic and is so well written and ACK]

•haikyuu boys and the one bed trope by @simpforanyanimeguywithdarkhair [I went back and read this a million times since it was posted. so amazing and just the buildup isn't too much. an amazing read for trying to fall asleep at night :))]

PLAYLISTS: check out my spotify ;))

[phoenixyfriend]

A Smattering of Ideas for a Neji Time-Travel Fic

[EDIT: okay so viewing the post on dash or sidebar blog completely ruins the bullet nesting for some reason. Please open it in a new tab.]

Okay so I actually wrote the first chapter or two of this like... almost a decade ago probably, but the concept was:

Neji, upon dying, gets sent back, and he's perfectly healthy again, pretty much exactly as he was just before getting mokuton-stabbed... except the seal damage wasn't reversed, so he's blind.

I think he ended up like riiiiiight before the Hyuuga Incident, so about of age with Kakashi & co.

But yeah like imagine telling Hiashi about it.

We have a new Jounin! It's a blind Hyuuga.

His seal is gone! He's technically your nephew.

He needs to be retrained for blindness! He needs to be protected for the information he carries.

He's a time-traveler!

Have fun.

The Hyuuga clan has like a million things going on but future Neji is just finding his younger self and Hinata to cuddle them.

He can't see shit but he Needs To Hug Baby Hinata

She's so small? She needs to be protected?

"Sir, you're blind now." "If Lee can be a ninja without chakra, I can be a ninja without eyes." "Sir. Sir that's--that's not the same thing, you can't--SIR." "I'll ask Hatake for advice." "He's still got half of his--SIR!"

Neji is a genius, if there's anyone who can pivot their entire fighting style from "I can see everything" to "I don't need to see anything" it's someone like him. Especially with the "I need to protect all these smols and be strong enough to force people to take my advice seriously if necessary" motivation

BUT But But for the first few days, it's just like. Sir. I understand you want to protect this small child, but you walked into three walls in the past hour. Please st--sir.

Fun option is "Neji spills all the beans... to Hiashi, not the Hokage."

Hiashi: Okay so like. Give me a few days to come up with a cover story for your existence. Neji: That's fair. Hiashi: Do. Do you want me to send in Hizashi or...? Neji: I'll tell him the truth if you do. Hiashi: That's, uh... that's fine. Neji: Then yes. Please. Hiashi, thoroughly unnerved for a variety of reasons: Right. I'll go do that.

Relevant: "Stop trying to convince me to put the Caged Bird Seal on a man who is already blind."

Since that's the ostensible reasoning of the seal, and like. You can't make that argument about keeping the eyes safe when the eyes don't... work.

Courtesy of @firebirdeternal​, along with a bunch of other stuff but especially this:

ooooh feels moment: Neji starts his retraining to become Strong Enough without his eyesight, guess who sees him working his ass off to overcome a disadvantage and thinks "Oh, there's a person I should Be Friends With!"

Part of me just went "Gai gets injured on a mission and, while waiting out his medical leave, gets assigned to Neji as a guide/sparring partner"

Or, well, not assigned. He's just doing one-armed pushups in the training yard with a cast on half his limbs after breaking out of the hospital and zeros in on Neji like "Ah yes, medically inadvisable training, a Bonding Activity!"

Neji goes from "I can see everything" to "I can't see shit but if you're within arms reach you're fucked"

A lot of it comes down to Neji building up non-Byakugan sensing abilities, I think?

It won't help him read, but it'll sure help him avoid getting punched.

I think that's really the crux of his New Style, however he works it out, instead of having this Massive Range of perfect perception he just trains his other senses until he still has that perfect perception effectively, just in like a two foot radius around his person

and then he goes full Rock Lee and trains speed and reaction time until that two feet is enough

I want Daredevil-style bitchiness at some point, in the "Okay, I'm sure the contract is lovely, but do you have it in braille, perhaps?" sense

And Toph-style stuff

Genma, in the Jounin lounge: "Hey guys I think I've got a design finished for the new tattoo I'm gonna get, what do ya'll think?" 'holds up scroll' Kakashi: "Why would you get a tattoo of an ugly couch?" Genma: "It's not an ugly couch it's the Hokage Monument!" Neji: "It looks perfect to me" Genma: "Thank you! I worked really hard on-..... why do you feel the need to do these things."

Also I want Neji to have the same approach as Matt to a cane. He can make do without it, but it sure does make his life easier when he's off-duty.

Like, yes if he focuses his entire, highly trained person, on perceiving his surroundings, he can sense his way around. But that is very tiring

Like that is a lot of work to be doing, when you are just trying to get to the coffee shop for a bagel

Neji learns Sage Mode solely because he wants to be able to tree-hop again

Neji visits Kakashi like "I can't ask the Inuzuka for this because their dogs are clan-specific, but do you know where I can find a guide dog that can double as a ninken in the field?"

Neji asking Gai to help him pick out a feminine yukata because if ANYONE is going to not judge...

Listen I'm just really invested in what Naruto SD told us about how often Neji cross-dresses

Someone asked me which summons Neji learns Sage Mode from, and 

I mean, Hashirama supposedly just. Learned it? Without summons?

So maybe Neji does that and just learns from Jiraiya or something

Though it's not... particularly safe.

Birdie had the best response

learning it Without a Summon is very much in the vein of Neji's past attitudes towards Special Secret Techniques, given that he learned the Kaiten with no help even though it was a Secret Technique of the Hyuuga.

"I know it's possible to do, so the hard part is already over, the rest is just figuring it out and doing it"

Neji: I'm here, I'm queer, I'm blind as fuck.

Neji hanging out with Gai and Kakashi is, admittedly, not that different from hanging out with Lee and TenTen

Kakashi is a bit more likely to join in on the shenanigans than Tenten was, but he's still just as available for "We're judging you" sessions

Neji, sipping tea as Gai yells: this is my comfort zone.

Neji with a white cane: This is my whacking stick. Hiashi: Don't you mean walking stick? Neji: No.

Because... what ninja wouldn't ensure that any normal part of their daily life was fit for battle.

Like if Karin can hide lockpicks in a photo and a knife in her glasses, Neji can ensure his white cane is suitable for battle.

(Going off the earlier Daredevil comparisons, I’d say this is similar to Matt turning his cane into billy clubs sometimes.)

Neji, assuming the role of Chief Babysitter for SmolNeji and Hinata, senses Lee and Tenten at the park. Nudges SmolNeji: "Go, be friends with them"

SmolNeji, watching Lee faceplant into the dirt while trying to jump off the swing while Tenten chases two boys around with a weird frog she found: ".... why"

Neji: "Just trust me"

Also consider older Neji giving baby Hinata shoulder rides

Baby Hinata is delighted by this whole affair.

More time with big brother, and a new even bigger brother? Best times.

Bigger brother needs help reading sometimes and Hinata is so excited to help. Hiashi even approves because helping older Neji read things like menus and the like is helping Hinata learn how to read, so it benefits everyone.

Consider also: Neji encouraging the smols to play with bby Naruto, a Hyuuga elder (or possibly Hiashi, but I want him to be a confused accomplice) complains exactly once and Neji exudes such a powerful "Do not test me" energy that he just kind of. Drops it.

Neji's attitude towards baby Naruto is somewhere between "They're good dogs Brent" and "I died for him once already, do you think I'd hesitate to kill?" and it depends entirely on how seriously he thinks you're talking shit about him

Neji plays with the smols, including smol Naruto, by just being the Perfect Straight Man. Just taking every nonsense thing Naruto says Completely Seriously and using deadpan reactions to chaos to make them giggle. This drifts into Feels for Naruto when he's the first adult who takes his "I'm gonna be the Hokage" completely seriously

"Of course, chibi-Hokage-sama"

Hiashi: "What.... are you.... doing?" Neji: "Ah, Hiashi-sama. Please exercise caution, the floor has mysteriously transformed into molten rock. I suspect enemy action, but have no further intelligence at this time" SmolNeji, Hinata, and Naruto: 'wild giggling as they dangle from rafters/stand balanced precariously on chairs'

Hiashi takes one step into the room and all the kids start screaming so loud he steps back out in shock

Neji out in Konoha just Causing Shit with plausible deniability

Listen. Neji is PETTY.

Someone describes Naruto as "the annoying blonde child with the whiskers, you know, the skin brat" and Neji says "I'm a sensor and have encountered no demonic chakra"

"okay just avoid the blonde kid with the whiskers"

"I don't know how to tell you this..." 

"Sir, I know you're new in town, but that kid isn't really good news--" "A child can't be news unless they're recently born." "No, I mean, didn't anyone tell you to avoid the blonde kid with the whiskers?" "Naruto's blonde?"

Possibly "Hinata's blonde?"

He just, aggressively misunderstands that any insinuation about Naruto is about the Hyuuga heir instead

Birdie said they like the idea that he uses the aggressive deliberate misunderstanding to force people to either be embarrassed by how they're acting by having to spell it out or give up in quieter shame

Sometimes Neji gets tired of being obtuse and just lets Gai do it for him

Gai babysits on occasion, SmolNeji is aghast, Hinata mostly just confused, Naruto is delighted

Naruto is just Stars In Eyes about Gai

Kakashi: this is not the excuse I expected to have for visiting Naruto but I'm taking it

[theonetheycallhannah]

The Treatment of Captain Syverson-Chapter 20: Second Assist

Characters: Captain Logan “Sy” Syverson, Shane Benton (OFC), various other original supporting/secondary characters

Summary: Shane reunites with friends and family, hashes out some feelings, and gets real with Sy. Can their relationship survive her trauma? And the threat that still looms above them?

Romance and Smut Abound HERE!

Word Count: 4500

Warnings: Mention of rape, alcoholic beverages, violent imagery…feels out the butt.

Author’s Note: You guys are so splendid and beautiful! I can’t thank you enough for your support and encouragement to finish this piece. First, welcome to new readers! I know poor Henry’s injury and subsequent physiotherapy has driven some of you here, and while I’m sorry for him, I’m glad I can consider myself something of a pioneer in this particular genre and provide you some help for your newfound thirst. To my OG readers, it is to you I owe this entire work, parts written and incomplete, and I hope an eventual book deal. I mean to mention you in my acknowledgements, should this ever reach a willing publisher. You’ve inspired me so supremely that I cannot quantify it, even with the words I hold so dear.

Since my last chapter was posted, we’ve said a relieved goodbye to 2020 and a tentative hello to 2021. To be honest, this year has started out worse than last year. Lots of bad weather in my area this winter, my sister is currently on her way to a new life in another state, and my grandmother, the last grandparent I had, passed away in February. Those last two things have been especially difficult to shake off and recover from, both coming to fruition pretty suddenly. Amongst all that, I’ve been pretty distracted by my other fandoms, especially Marvel, and I’ve been reading a killer book series that I’m utterly in love with. (The Throne of Glass novels by Sarah J. Maas. 10/10 recommend.) But I knew I needed to get back into Shane and Sy’s story, especially given the new and rekindled interest in the subject matter. In all honesty, I’ve had most of it written for months. It’s just been a matter of finishing it off to set up the rest of the story.

I really hope you all enjoy Chapter 20, Second Assist, and would love your feedback and notes. You are all so important to this story, and your notes, reblogs, and comments are cherished. Thank you so much for reading! Love from Hannah!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, Henry is not mine, le sigh, and all mention of him, his characters, any characters from his films, or his precious doggy, Kal, are strictly for transformative and recreational use. I neither ask for, nor accept payment for the work I post on Tumblr or AO3. Unbeta’d because this is for fun and escapism. This is an original work by me, Hannah. Please reblog if you wish to share. Please do not repost either in whole or part, as the work of anyone but myself. Thanks so much for reading!

Tags:

@onlyhenrys @cavillryarchive​ @summersong69​ @titty-teetee​ @bloodyinspiredfuck​ @agniavateira@oddsnendsfanfics​ @omgkatinka​ @thisismysecretthirstblog @speakerforthedead0​ @tumblnewby  @suavechops​ @radkesgirl83​ @wheretheriversrunintothesea​ @heartfelt-pen​ @auds24  @geekycanuck @lunarstarknight​ @wilma-g  @coldmuffinbanditshoe @feralrunaway​  @sugarpenchant​ @bichibibi @mzchievous-blog @shesakillerkween @madbadidc7ed @foodieforthoughts @toomanyfandomsshreya @oqueequesentes-borboletas @kebabgirl67 @indigosaurus (some of you new readers didn’t ask, but I took the liberty. If you want me to remove you, I totally will without hard feelings.)

If you want to be notified when I post a new chapter or work, I’ll be happy to add you to my tag list! Stricken blogs are getting personal messages from me when a new chapter is uploaded because Tumblr’s faulty tagging system will not stand in the way of me delivering what the people want!(?) lol! (Although…their lackadaisical notification system might…sorry for that. I have no control. lol!)

X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@

Shane woke in her warm bed, late morning sun streaming in through her sheer curtains, the heavier drapes parted to let in the light. She wished she'd remembered to close them before now. She really was not ready to be awake.

She was sore. Achy. Her sleep had been fitful and full of shadowy nightmares and muffled screams. Beyond that, she didn't try to remember images or events. She knew the general premise of the dreams. It would take a lot of time, effort, or a miracle to make her forget those traumas she'd been through in the last week. Not even forget. She knew she never would. But move on from them. Accept them. And heal from them…even that seemed a mighty obstacle. One she was not sure she could surmount.

Through the open bedroom door, she could hear Lynyrd Skynyrd and the clanging and sizzling of pans, and she could smell bacon and freshly brewed coffee. Sy had left the room, but had not, it seemed, gone far. She gingerly sat up, stood from the bed, and donned her robe as she walked out into the hall and down the corridor to the kitchen.

The sight before her warmed her heart. There was Sy. In only his boxers, daringly frying the notoriously dangerous breakfast meat. Upon her entry to the kitchen, she could also smell pancakes, and she thought syrup, as well. He seemed to be warming a bottle of the maple unction in a pot of hot water. He turned as she stepped on a squeaky floorboard, and grinned widely at her.

"Mornin' sunshine." And she was struck by the irony of someone with such a radiant smile calling her sunshine. Especially when she didn't feel much like beaming. But she couldn't help return the expression, even through her pain.

"Mornin' bear. Did you go to the store?" She knew she couldn't have any bacon in her fridge, and she doubted her eggs and milk were still good at this point. But she also couldn't think that he would leave her for any reason.

"Nah, some of the guys brought over some provisions. Matt worked on your car all night, too, and filled up the tank. It's as good as new. He and Nate brought ‘er over as well as the groceries. I just had ‘em get stuff I knew your family wouldn't be bringing later. They've had tons of food given to them this week, and they're ready to share. You should have seen your mom loading me down with sandwiches and chips and whatnot when I visited them."

"I still can't believe you met them. I really wanted to introduce you personally." Shane's face fell. She would never be able to get that back. She wanted to cry. Sy had poured her a cup of coffee and sat it in front of her with her favorite creamer.

"Darlin' I’m so sorry. I had to talk to them."

"I know." she sniffed. "I'm not mad. Not at you. Just…"she didn't want to say Elliott's name. "I'm disappointed that the experience was stolen from me." That so many things had been stolen from her. By that monster. There was no other way to describe him. Sy growled. As if he could read her mind. He really just knew her well enough and shared her thoughts.

"Well, don't worry, we'll have a nice dinner with them one of these days, and we can pretend. Sound good?"

"Yeah, and I can feign nervousness." she laughed.

"And I'll pretend too. That I'm scared to meet your dad." he chuckled. "What if he threatens me with his shotgun?"

"I'll pull the ol' 'Daddy, no, I loooooove him!' line, as I throw myself between you!"

"That oughta work." he laughed and kissed her on the forehead as he stepped toward the stove and flipped a pancake.

As they sat eating their late breakfast, Shane's mind wandered. Nothing had changed on the surface, but everything was different now. This cozily mundane breakfast with her boyfriend felt like an out of body experience. As delicious as it was, as wonderful and comforting as it should feel, her guard was up. Even through her amiable façade. She was not the person she was two weeks ago. She was not the same woman who said goodbye to Sy at the base. Maybe that was the real transformation. Maybe that was why nothing felt normal. It wasn't the world, but her own self coming back into it.

"Shane?" Sy asked, gently, but it felt like he was speaking through a megaphone directly into her ear. She was so startled, she nearly dropped the half full mug of coffee that was paused midway to her lips. A bit sloshed out onto the table and splashed her shirt.

"Shit!" she chided herself. It wasn't a big deal, but she felt stupid jumping at the sound of her own name.

Sy reached for the closest towel, hanging from the oven handle, grabbed it and started for her clothes with it. She stopped him. But she couldn't think about why the intimate act made her uncomfortable.

"No, don't, it's fine. These clothes have seen better days, anyway." She pulled the towel from him and began to mop up the small puddles of coffee around her plate.

Sy seemed to note the stains already present on the shirt, as if trying to divine their history. She was something of a messy eater, so the battle wounds of many a barbecue, spaghetti dinner, and hurried breakfast peppered the now off-white SATB club tee she'd gotten her second or third year in college choir. She thought back to a huge room with high ceilings. White, cinder block walls, flecked tile floors, a beautiful, glossy, black baby grand in front of a long whiteboard with black lines to resemble sheet music. She thought about the mnemonic device she'd learned to help her remember what notes appeared on each line, and in the spaces between them. She pondered the deeper meanings and implications of these devices. EGBDF…every good boy does fine. She thought about the "good boys" in her life. She knew many. Her dad, her brother Ethan, Sy, obviously, her many male coworkers and friends…and honestly they did far better than "fine." They were wonderful. But she was letting the "bad boys" she'd encountered dictate her mood. Permeate her psyche. Tear her down. She didn't want to be like this. Then FACE came to mind, and above their purpose of indicating the notes between the lines on the staff, they called her to action. To face these newly minted demons with all the strength she knew she possessed, and she too would "do fine." But as with almost all actions, this was easier said than done.

She felt a warm presence on her left hand which had paused it's torture of the now coffee-infused kitchen towel. Sy's hand was squeezing hers gently.

"Shane." he uttered, barely above a whisper this time. She looked at him through tears that she had not realized had formed. He continued.

"Shane, what can I do, darlin'? I'll do anything."

"Babe, you're doing everything you can, and more. This…this is all going to have to come from me. I…don't know when I'll be myself again…" she paused, tears streaming now. "I'm…I'm different."

"You're not though." he reached for her face, but she pulled away.

"I am, damn it! Sy, I was…" Words had power. And the one she was thinking of had more power than she thought was warranted. She knew that uttering it would take away it's power…and yet mustering the courage and strength to actually do so…seemed impossible. She took a deep breath, and disassociated herself from the statement, even though it was about her own past.

"I was raped." She refused to cry. She felt it all again. She had never said the words. She had never thought it necessary. Everyone understood. Sy, his friends, and she was sure her own loved ones had made the connection. But she knew she needed to say it now to drive home the points she was about to make.

Sy, looked at the table, nodding, not needing to be told in so many words something he already had surmised from the clear evidence. He remained silent. She went on.

"I love you, Sy. I have since the day we met, on one level or another, and I believe that I always will. But I…right now I can't be a proper girlfriend to you. I can't…be with you, touch you, be touched by you, in the way we used to be. In the way you deserve…and I don't know when…or even if…I ever will. Not that I don't want to. That's ALL I want in the world. To go back. To be the woman who fell in love with this…incredible man. To make love with you, but…I can't."

Sy's eyes were full of tears, their predecessors already descending his round cheeks and disappearing into his thick, dark beard.

"Sy, I don't want to lead you on and keep you tied to a relationship with no life in it. You deserve someone who's whole. Someone who can be a fully invested partner for you, and not this broken, damaged--"

"You stop that, Shane. I won't hear no more of this kinda talk. Y'hear? You're my girl. My woman. My person. No matter what. You gotta know I'd never leave ya just cuz you aren't ready for sex again. You don't think that I would, do ya?"

"Well, you went to Virginia…you took that job…knowing the distance it would put between us. Literally and figuratively."

"Biggest mistake of my life." Shane raised her eyebrows in surprise as Sy elaborated. "I couldn't focus on my classes without wishing you were there. Wishing I could team up with you for discussions and hand to hand combat training…that thought got me a little too excited, if you catch my drift." He smirked, pulling a sheepish smile from Shane. "Then in that forest. I dreamt about you every night. I thought of you constantly. I could barely breath sometimes, I missed ya so damned much. I was an idiot. I was insane to think that I needed anything other than you. Any MORE. There IS no more. You're it. You're the MOST! The most important thing in my life."

The declaration hung like vapors in the air, more felt than seen. Tangible yet ethereal.

"And when I found out that you were missing…I was…well, I think I looked like death…and not warmed over. You can ask the program director I met with after I got the news. She could tell I was just sick over it. And as I thought about it on the way home, pieced things together, started thinking about who'd taken you, I got murderous. Shane, I have been in dozens of battles, skirmishes, firefights, you name it. War. But…the sheer bloodlust I felt thinking about what you could be going through…I've never experienced anything like it. Everything was red. Everything. For days. Until I saw you, alive. And then it went red again when I saw the fear and damage on your face." she could tell he was doing his best not to talk about the farmhouse and that basement, but she still flashed back to the moments before and after his appearance there. The moments when she simultaneously prayed to live and hoped to die.

"You don't owe me anything, Shane. I just want you in my life, and I don't care what your presence looks like. Romantic, platonic, or somewhere in between. I'm here for you. And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Shane felt the urge to wrap her arms around her boyfriend, but could not seem to move more than one arm to place her other hand on top of his. She hoped the gratitude and love behind the small, but heartfelt gesture landed. It was all she had in that moment, no matter how abundant her affection.

~~~~~~~~~~

Shane's family's arrival was a complete blur to her. It was joyous, tearful, and the happiest she'd been in a long time. The moment she opened the front door for them, she was surrounded, engulfed with hugs from her parents and siblings. They stood in their affectionate huddle for several moments before Peg waved Sy over with marked insistence. He'd been standing by, observing happily, but not wanting to intrude on the familial reunion.

When they finally dispersed, John asked the two younger men to help him bring in groceries. The women headed into Shane's bedroom for a more private setting in which to talk. Shane filled her mother and sister in the best she could given the rawness of the wounds left on her mind by the events.

She leaned against the headboard cuddling with Gabby while her mom rubbed her feet. She had insisted on doing this thing that had always comforted her children, and made them feel much better when they were younger.

"Well, I'm very proud of you, pumpkin." The girls both looked at their mother, who rather uncharacteristically hadn't spoken in some time. Shane was nonplussed. Peg elaborated.

"You survived something that many women don't. You're talking about it now, which even more women don't. You may think you're broken, but you're just a tree damaged by a storm, but standing stronger than ever." Trust her mom to lay such wisdom on her. When she felt like giving up. When she just wanted pity. When she could only see defeat. Her mother had always found a way to encourage and buoy her and show her the victory.

"Mom's right." Gabby affirmed, and it was Peg's turn to be nonplussed, as the two women, though similar in so many ways, never seemed to see eye to eye. "It's true. Shane I've seen a lot of women come into the clinic in shoes very much like yours. And trust me…some of them…they don't make it to this point. You've got a long way to go before you're fully recovered, don't get me wrong, but you'll get there. You have us. And you have Sy."

"And then there's Sy." She diverted. "How am I supposed to plan any sort of future with him when…" She looked at her mom, and hesitated. Peg rolled her eyes.

"Shane, I know what the two of you get up to when you're alone. You don't have to be shy with me."

"Still…" she took a breath and spoke. "When I can't bring myself to…sleep with him?"

"Look at him, you're kidding, right?" Gabby chided, insensitively, but recanted at the pained expression on Shane's face. "Sorry, sis. Trying to lighten the mood a touch. Too soon. But seriously, I don't think this reluctance you feel will be permanent."

"And even if it is," Peg took over, "that man is out-of-his-mind in love with you, Shaney." She kissed Shane's toe before putting a sock on her foot. "He almost seems to worship you. Now, you know how I feel about using that term outside of religious context, but that is exactly the kind of love I want for you. Devout, and unconditional."

"But, mom, I can't--"

"Did you hear me? I said 'unconditional,' sweetie." Peg interrupted. "No matter what. No matter the obstacle. No matter the distance. No matter the circumstances. Love unwavering. That's what Sy has for you. I've seen it in him. Trust the momma."

The insistence her mother placed on trust had always ruffled Shane's feathers. Gabby's too, who she could feel stiffen slightly beside her. But Shane, for once, really wanted to trust her mother, hoping against hope that she was right. And that she, herself  wouldn't screw up the best relationship she had ever been in or was likely to ever be in again.

The girls had begun talking about some of the coworkers who'd brought food in the past week, and Peg couldn't resist remarking on the character of her favorites and judging the ones she didn't care for…oddly enough, getting more or less, the correct measure of them, as Shane saw it.

After what must have been an hour from the time they'd arrived, they heard a knock on the slightly ajar bedroom door. John poked his head in.

"Ladies, we've put a casserole in the oven, and completed various manly projects around the house--"

"Oh, daddy, what projects?" She cringed. She hated that the men had felt the need to "fix" things.

"Babe, your guest bathroom had not one, but two leaky faucets, your kitchen table seemed to be more of a teeter-totter, and half the light bulbs in the living room were out. Among other tiny things. You're welcome." he smirked his crooked smirk so similar to her own, and she returned it as if he was looking in a mirror.

"Thanks, dad."

"Anyway, lunch is almost ready. So, when you've finished your confab, let's eat."

Dinner passed amiably, Shane found a reserve within herself to allow some quasi-normal behavior, as long as you didn’t look too closely. She was talking animatedly with her siblings, making their parents and Sy laugh riotously. Shane noticed some odd looks passing between Sy and her father, but chalked it up to paranoia. She wished at least Gabby and Ethan could stay, but Heather would be over soon, and she deserved her own dedicated time. Shane wanted to give that to her.

She said her farewells to her family with promises to visit them the next day, and at least one more time before her siblings went back home, if she could work it out.

Sy was so wonderful the whole time. Standing by her, a hand resting lightly on her shoulder as they waved goodbye to the departing vehicle. He made her feel so safe. They went into the kitchen and cleaned up from lunch. Well, Sy cleaned. Shane was texting Heather about when she'd be over.

"Heather says she'll be here in about a half hour. She's picking up wine and pizza." Shane told Sy without looking up from her phone. She could see out of the corner of her eye, though, that he had just closed the dishwasher and was selecting a cycle.

"Sounds great. Do you want me to get out of here? Give you guys some time, one on one?" He asked as he dried his hands, wet from preparing dishes for the machine.

She thought about it, and shuddered. She played a scene in her head that startled her. In her mind's eye, she saw Sy leave and then moments later heard a knock on the door. Presuming it was Heather, she opened the door with abandon, only to see Elliott standing there under a flickering porch light, smirking maliciously at her and ready to overpower and abduct her again. She shook the thought from her head, but remained uneasy as she answered his question.

"Uh, no. Thanks. I'm sure she'll want to talk to both of us. She likes you." Shane grinned softly at Sy in an attempt to mask her trepidation over the thought of him leaving her alone for any period of time. She thought it had worked.

"Okay, well, whatever you think, sunshine. I don't wanna get in the way." He was wiping down the countertops. She felt so impossibly full of love for him, she was starting to wonder how she hadn't yet burst with it. She couldn't bear the thought of holding him back from a fulfilling relationship. He deserved everything she couldn't give him right now. And she knew she should make him leave her. Cut him loose. But she was, as she'd been since she'd met him, a weak woman. She couldn't stand the thought of being without him. Of him no longer being hers. And somehow worse, of not being his, herself. She would always need him for so many reasons, not least of which being her love for him. Maybe one day, she'd recover from this trauma, and be able to be who he deserved. To give him what he needed.

"You're never in the way, bear." She walked up behind him, wrapped her arms around his middle and squeezed him as tight as she could. He placed a loving hand over hers, sighing and smiling, though she had no visual proof of the latter. It was just a feeling.

Heather's greeting was no less exuberant than that of Shane's family, but it was more joyful and less emotional, even though she was immensely relieved to see her best friend after so long. They talked as if no time had passed, and Shane mustered up the dregs of her former self to have one more interaction for the day. Thank God it was Heather and not someone who would require more. She wouldn't have it to give.

"I am so glad you're okay, Shane! Things around the clinic have been bleak as fuck. Susan is loosing her mind, Anita is beside herself with concern, and the rest of us just plain ol' miss the hell out of you. And not just because of all of the overtime everyone has been pulling to get your patients seen."

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize…wow, I'm awful. I didn't even think---"

"That you'd be missed? Think again, sister. The place would fall apart if you ever really left. But don't feel guilty. It's the least everyone can do, and they've all said it themselves. We all love you, and know that you'd do the same for any of us if you could at all. Hopefully you won't have to, though!"

Shane nodded, eyes wide in agreement. She wouldn't wish the last week of her life on her worst enemy. On the worst person in the world. Except maybe the people responsible. Tit for tat.

"Well, I'm sorry my absence has caused extra work for all of you." Shane looked into the deep glass of Chardonnay Sy had poured her from the bottle Heather had brought. She felt about as small as the air bubble making it's way up the sloping curve of the stemless vessel. She felt a guilt that she knew was fully void of logic. It made no sense for her to feel guilt for being kidnapped. But she had always had this notion, this nagging voice in her head that told her that her misfortunes were a direct result of her decisions. That she'd inadvertently stepped on the butterfly that resulted in the monsoon she was currently experiencing, and whatever cataclysmic events she would face next.

"Why in God's name are you apologizing for this, Shay?" Heather's tone was kind, but still mildly scolding.

"If I'd never been with Elliott, none of this would have--"

"Bitch, are you a fortune teller?"

"No, but--"

"Soothsayer?"

"No."

"Time traveler?"

"I wish!" Shane chuckled. But she really did wish.

"Have you any real and proven success at consistently predicting the future?"

"I don't, but--"

"No. No buts. No howevers. You had no idea what becoming involved with Elliott could have done. Were there signs, sure. But you can't look on the past as a rubric to judge the quality of your decisions. You know that. You can only learn from your mistakes. And you have."

"Heather's right, sunshine. You really have learned. You look for Elliott's behaviors in mine and shut me down quick if you see 'em. You're not going to let yourself go down that road again. And I'm proud of you for it."

Shane silently worried her wine glass. It was hard to argue with such truth. But it was hard to agree when her own feelings were in such stark opposition. So she did neither.

"Well, I've preached my sermon for the day." she laughed. "I've taken up enough of your time. Oh, your phone. It's in my purse. I think it's fully charged, but I turned it off."

Shane thanked her friend, then Heather hugged them both and took her leave.

"Y'okay, bug?" Sy asked her after what she surmised was several minutes of silence. Minutes she didn't notice as they passed.

"Mmm…" she trailed off.

"Can I do something for ya?" And she really thought about the question. He could probably do a lot of things for her. He could make love to her until she felt whole again, even if it hurt her at first. Not an ideal option. He could probably get them both some new identities and enough money to spirit her away to somewhere her past wouldn't follow. If she became someone new, literally, would she have to bring that old baggage, those old scars, with her? Again, suboptimal. But he could definitely take the source of all grief and turmoil in her life far into the Missouri back country, somewhere not even the hunters would venture, some fallow field or forgotten cistern, and end him. Snuff out his spark of life like a candle caught in a tornado. Spill a fatal amount of his monstrous blood onto the unforgiving earth and send him to the Hell to which he was undoubtedly destined. But did she want that? Did she want another soul as a scar on that of the man she so deeply cherished? He'd say it was worth it. He'd say he'd take a thousand more for her. A million. That was Sy.

"Nothing comes to mind." She lied. And he knew it was a lie, but didn't push it. She was so grateful that he respected her, not for the lie itself, but for the reason she wasn't giving him the whole truth just now.

His phone went off and he picked it up as he stood from his seat at the table. She could only hear that it was Matt, the guy she thought she understood had the car place, before she heard tension in Sy's voice. Even from the next room, she could tell something was wrong, though he was talking too quietly for her to make out words.

She heard him suddenly shout a stream of profanities that he rarely said at all around her, at least, let alone together. There was a bang, and the walls of her kitchen quaked like the tectonic plates beneath them were shifting.

Sy walked back in, his face was red, as were his knuckles. He was shaking an injury out of his hand.

"What's wrong?" she asked, deep concern at his appearance and demeanor, suddenly ominous.

"I need to fix your wall in there." he grumbled, evading, without success. She'd be doing therapy on his hand, next.

"What's really wrong?" she repeated, sternly.

"That was Matt. Elliott's…escaped, somehow. He's in the wind."

Shane's heart became so heavy, she could almost feel it smashing through the kitchen floor and burying itself deep in the cement floor of her basement.

"Oh, God! No! What if he goes to the police!?"

"Fuck that, I'm more concerned about him coming after you!"

The two stared, faces full of equal measures of concern for the other.

Up Next: Chapter 21-Patient Education

[dukeofonions]

Sensing a pattern thanks to the critical fans' asks... I'm a professional producer who's attempted on numerous occasions (unsuccessfully) to secure Thomas for a part in a Broadway-bound musical. TL;DR: How he and his team -- not just friends, but "pros" -- "run their railroad" confuses the hell out of us, and is probably the biggest obstacle to his getting anywhere besides YouTube. Frankly, we now wonder if this is by design and not just typical lack of experience winning the race, as it were...

(Sorry it took so long to respond work has been killing me the past few days.)

Longer Version (1/?): We've been working on this musical for just over a decade, and after we discovered Thomas's long-form content and the singles he's released, we thought he was a good fit for it. Without going into detail, the show's always been kind of a long shot, for many reasons, but we (still) think it'd be a great showcase for his brand of talent. So we decided to approach him and to gauge his interest, since he'd discussed Broadway dreams before. And there, our troubles began...

(2/?) So, five years ago, we approached Thomas through his then-management, Reboot the People, a company that managed a *lot* of content creators back then. (Their remains still exist on Twitter @RTPfamily.) They may have been a little out of their depth when they heard our pitch, and wisely looped in his agent at the time, Ty Flynn at UTA, from whom we heard... nothing. Okay, maybe it wasn't his thing; we had other projects to pursue and we moved on but... we still kept an eye on his content.

(4/?) When we returned to the project a couple years later, Thomas was still a favorite for the part for which we had him in mind, and building a much bigger audience than before, so we decided to reach out again. The business fawsterdog email address, as I'm sure fans have discovered by now, is useless. No one there ever got back to us. More than that, when we tried to learn who was managing him now (at times pleading on Twitter and during streams for info), we kept hitting dead ends.

(5/?) We finally managed to obtain a lead when we watched the "NO ADDED SUGAR for a MONTH!" video, and someone described as Thomas's manager actually appeared on camera, Matt Hogen, the president of Direct Artist Management. Further Googling revealed Matt had apparently been his manager as far back as 2013, way earlier than we'd been directed to Reboot The People for business inquiries. To say this runaround was confusing as hell, *even for show business*, is the understatement to end them all!!!

(6/6) At that point, after all that confusion, we just gave up!! If we have to chase someone's representation to the ends of the earth, only to find out there was one person we should have been talking to the whole time, it's probably more convoluted behind the scenes, and we don't need that extra stress in our lives. Watching the recent storms unfold, and wondering how true to life the "Putting Others First" video is, we can only assume he likes the *idea* of career more than really having one...

(I lied, 7/7) Bottom line: he presents a picture of unreliability and a lack of professionalism both to his fans and to industry people, and -- assuming there's *any* autobiographical truth to Sanders Sides content -- it may be because he's deliberately not taking this seriously. If losing out on big opportunities is the price he pays for keeping his mental health and well being in check, that's fine. But it's not how you succeed in this business... in any business, really. I wish him the best...

Wow, that is a lot.

Well for starters (and I hope you don't take this the wrong way) I am the tiniest bit skeptical about this story being true. I mean I can definitely see it happening giving Thomas and the team's track record, but there are just a few things that make me hesitate.

For one thing I'm surprised that a professional producer found their way onto my blog (which I try to keep out of the open) and took the time to read through some asks then send an ask of their own. Not that it's impossible of course, because here you are. But you know anyone can claim to be anyone so I hope you don't mind my skepticism here.

And admittedly I'm not entirely sure how the producing world works along with agents, especially when it comes to getting someone cast for your show. I can't see Thomas turning an opportunity down like that unless he just wasn't interested or never knew about it.

Which, honestly, if you did try getting into contact with his agent and he was told about it and wasn't interested then ya know, the least they could do was tell you so you could start looking for someone else.

I did also find the Twitter account for Reboot The People and yeah, it's long since abandoned and I'm wondering how you even got directed there in the first place when he had a manager already (if I'm understanding the time line right)

I do kinda question the whole asking for answers in streams bit (since Thomas rarely if ever does public live streams and I don't think he did much back then the only streams he does consistently now are for patreons) and he never leaves them up anyway so it's not like I could go back and look through the chats (not that I would because I ain't got time for that) but again, it's not impossible for that to have happened. Just a tiny detail my brain got hooked on.

Even if I'm still somewhat doubtful about your story (again please don't take it the wrong way I just like to be sure before I 100% believe something) I do agree about Thomas and the team's lack of professionalism, just look at the Story Time Madlibs situation, and they continue to make decisions (especially within the patreon) that just continue to baffle me.

I mean at the end of the day no one knows what's going on behind the scenes. And as it stands Thomas has found enough success with YouTube where he's stable enough to make it his full time job and can go months or even a year without posting a video.

But he even brings this point up in one of his Sanders Sides videos that YouTube isn't a stable job, and you never know when everything can suddenly flip and before ya know it the job ain't as stable anymore, and at that point you've gotta have some kinda back up plan for if things go south.

Because eventually (and I've already seen it happening) people will just get bored without new content or just grow out of it and they'll move on. Even if they've got nothing against the creator, that's just what happens. Some will stick around but even then no one's bound to last forever. Especially when there's always new stuff to be found.

But hey, he's good where he's at for now so I guess one might as well enjoy it while they can. I would like to see him succeed in actually securing a bigger role (whether in a film, Broadway, or even a TV show) because I think he'd do really well and he has been contacted by Disney before to be in one of their shows so who knows?

[thejudgingtrash]

Can you explain to me how Rachel was annoying in the series?

Well, I’ll try to keep myself short for this one (lol no, this took an hour to write). Also, let’s not forget that they’re all kids, but I’m basing this off from when I read the series as a fourteen year old because my opinions haven’t changed much (for better or for worse).

I’m not the biggest fan of Rachel. I have to admit that portrayals of her by Simi, Kit, Logan, Apollo and all the others helped to shape her into something cooler than what she had been in my foggy memories but I actually went back to take a look in the books (well, TTC + BOTL so far) to refreshen my mind about events that have happened.

Also, you should browse through @blackjacktheboss's blog as she’s a) hilarious and b) says whatever I say in like a single sentence lol. But your ask is about me and my opinions so here we go:

What I didn’t like about Rachel was that she’s rude and bold (DON’T GET ME WRONG, I love that in female characters!!!), but she doesn’t have Annabeth’s excuse of survival of the fittest (literally running off as a traumatized seven year old) and introducing us into the world of the Riordanverse.

Percy was on his way, had shit to deal with and Rachel pretty much interrupted him from the get-go and thought getting her answers was more important than letting Percy just rush forward. Yes, this is Rachel’s entrance into the series and the net Riordan threw into the sea, to make us little fish adapt to her. But it still didn’t sit right with me, probably because I would never interact that way.

I get why she did that, but it’s the way how she did it that’s just making me go ???

Even if I was seeing weird things, I wouldn’t set out to distract/interrupt someone who is incredibly busy to get my way. Rachel’s dick move seems like a Karen boomer type of thing to pull off, but guess that’s up to you.

If I were her, I’d either film/try to photograph the monsters via phone (if that’s possible) or internet stalk enough to find the other person (note: despite Riordan’s stupid rule of not being able to use phones, demigods still can use computers/the internet, I guess). Percy was national news like a year or two ago in the timeline, so it shouldn’t be that difficult to find more stuff out about him, even in like 2008 or so. Let him have a spot on Perez Hilton's shitty gossip blog, for the OGs reading this.

Annabeth was used as a tool of exposition to introduce us to CHB, the demigod life and how things roll around there. She barged into Percy’s mission as a nuisance first but a necessity second in TLT.

However, in comparison to Rachel, Annabeth was transformed into a fully-fledged protagonist within a span of a chapter or two. Rachel needed another separate book after her first appearance, so we don’t just know Annabeth better, we know that she’s an important constant throughout the story as of Rachel seems… almost random? Is she truly necessary as a character?

This doesn’t come from a shipper perspective, this is coming from a character design perspective and adds to the feeling that the way she has been introduced to me as a reader just seems off.

Yes, BOTL makes sense with her as a reborn Ariadne, but technically Sally could’ve done the job as she’s a clear-sighted mortal as well lol. Then again, Sally is an adult, went to college, had a job, was unfortunately probably working it up with Paul, did the cha cha slide with him and had overall better shit to do.

Then Rachel as the oracle, which is just super weird in general. Wasn’t Apollo himself responsible for issuing prophecies in the OG myths? Or did he both, have the oracle of Delphi as his spokesperson and issue important stuff to Team Olympus? Am I mixing things up? I’m getting sidetracked, my bad.

Either way, this oracle gig might be the only time I’d say Rachel might be important in the future (badum tzz), but Riordan fumbled the bag in the follow ups series so there’s that. Did she even appear in HOO? Can’t remember and also don’t care.

Rachel is used as one out of three choices in regard to his love life that Percy can make. Calypso literally got introduced into BOTL and was admittedly Percy’s biggest what if… But the general gist doesn’t sit right with me. We have three possible routes with Percy and the others:

Rachel: somewhat normality in the mortal realm

Annabeth: the danger and thrill of the demigod life

Calypso: ambrosia and nectar. a hint of immortality

(On one hand, literally why but on the other hand, mad props for Percy who has literally three romantic leads in the same book.) I’d cancel one of them at least out and since Annabeth isn’t going anywhere, I’m taking Rachel. Sally could literally been Percy’s anchor to a normal mortal life as she had intended until it didn’t work out anymore when he became twelve and his monster alerting scent grew stronger.

Calypso and Annabeth would’ve been the perfect opposites where each of them had a strong case. The demigod life within the realms or mortal or the demigod life ascending to Olympus/immortality. Sounds cooler and is way simpler. Three people is way too much, this truly feels like a shonen anime harem thing and it’s defo not my cup of tea (and while some Annabeth sideships aren’t my thing (Lukabeth go cry in the corner, no one likes you, WTF, Connabeth you fugly), it’s super unfair that Annabeth solely has Percy (fuck off Luke) to rely on in regards of romantic endeavors).

Rachel almost feels redundant? The option to walk away from all of that… which isn’t really true as Rachel really tries to push and insert herself into the story the very first time we meet her? But that’s just me, I’m certain that others are saying they’d kill off Annabeth or kick Calypso (I mean yeah) into the curb.

Big ALSO:

Why does Percy need another white and uber-rich love interest?

I semi-joked on Dez’ post (@sawasawako) with this response about Annabeth needing to keep up with powerful Rachel, but the core still stands.

We already have an affluent Annabeth (granted, we don’t know exactly how the Chase’s riches are divided, whereas it’s clear that Rachel can just make anyone drop dead by saying who she is. Annabeth needed that weird lotus casino credit card to make that happen, so Miss Harvard Legacy doesn’t wield that Dare schmoney. Also don’t think Annabeth can just up papa’s money and go…? Idk).

Why do we need another person needing to upstage this?

Like Rachel has to triumph in regards to standard and prestige as if it were a badly written Jane Austen AU. For what reason…? Why not make Percy friends and acquaintances with someone who comes from a normal household for once, not super rich brats (Piper, Annabeth, Rachel, technically the Graces with their TV starlet mother amongst others).

Moreover…

Important question: why should Percy actually be impressed/attracted to that? He’s dirt poor and has been sent to (boarding) schools filled with stupid rich people since he’s been twelve, probably even younger than that. As if that’s the very first thing Percy would look out for or be wowed or something. He’s used to rich douchebags. I think he’s more surprised that someone used their money for his benefit for once and not to crash daddy’s new Mercedes again.

Like seriously… Rachel did that weird art project thing in BOTL with her covered in gold and posing like it’s a super normal thing to do? Even for rich snobbish kids standards? That sounds weird to me. I don’t know, maybe Riordan’s been streaming the new Gossip Girl reboot on HBO Max on repeat and thought this girl is on fiyah (performed by Alicia Keys).

Rachel trying to separate herself from her money just comes off as super hypocritical when she’s using the very same funds to finance her lifestyle. I get it, trying to make amends and make a difference with the damage you have done but... your father still doesn't give a shit about the environment or YOU, sweetie. Kick him in the balls for once! Then you can go out about your art projects.

The concept of Percy having friends in the mortal realm is cool, but why does Rachel almost have to compete with Annabeth with her wealth and art stuff?

No seriously, the comparisons are constantly there, out and about. Roaming freely on the finest grass, needing to be feed delicious locally sourced carrots and stuff.

Annabeth is Athena’s kid. Athena is the goddess of wisdom, weaving, justice, warfare yada yada and arts and crafts. So definitely something which would affect Rachel, right (someone write that Athena messing with Rachel because she can AU and tag me please!)?

Annabeth wants to become an architect which translates to fancy building designer who is driving engineers like Leonardo Eugenio Valdez Cortes insane irl because the maths and physics don't work like that in the working field trust me I'm an engineer, which could/should be considered an art form.

They even shared some common ground while talking about architecture and design in BOTL!

Furthermore, they both share broken homes with absent parents (granted that all demigods go through that). Wealthy families at that as well. Shitty fathers that don’t care about their daughters well-being. Rachel however, is super powerful and influential in an unseen level in the mortal world. She isn’t like Matt Sloan (?) who truly messes up by destroying shit to get his father's attention, but she’s still in that circle and can easily demonstrate that. Making deals with her father and what not. We rarely see Annabeth doing that. Did y’all forget the fucking helicopter Rachel brought along in TLO?

Pan saying Rachel is just as important as her father has multiple meanings to me…

(Sidenote: I do think it’s hilarious that Annabeth is jealous/annoyed of Rachel that her remarks were she’s cute right and Percy went??? Or when Tyson said Rachel’s pretty? Or that time when Annabeth actually defended Luke and his weird behavior (because Kronos was slowly taking over, don’t forget that kids!), because f that rich artist nepotism kid that Rachel seems to be, right?)

Another note: Percy thinks Rachel is annoying in BOTL for a while and it took a while for him to admit that and he spent way more time being annoyed/jealous (for once, Lordy) at Luke for him to even notice lol.

I guess it’s really hard for me to exactly pinpoint what’s bothering me. I believe Rachel's persona just doesn’t seem to hit right, because it feels like a knock-off Annabeth who just simply isn’t a demigod, yet has two cool powers, but in even richer who still needs to be part of the story for exactly what reason?

The jumping around from the richest in the series to the poorest in the series is kinda bothering me as if the middle class doesn’t exist, like I’ve stated earlier. Why didn’t Riordan mix it up with Rachel, giving her more nuance the minute they met, not towards the end? Have her be Percy’s platonic friend from the get go. No weird oh wait she is kinda cute in the middle bullshit.

This kinda drifted more into a Perachel vs Percabeth essay, which really wasn’t my intention. Don’t worry kids, I’m criticizing Annabeth (and her stans) enough already.

And I do think that others in the fandom have softened my views on Rachel as a person like I’ve stated in the beginning. So friendship!Perachel is popping! But I do think that there are some valid points that I’ve made.

Also not gonna lie, Rachel issuing the new prophecy in TLO kinda dampened the end of PJO series but that’s more Riordan’s fault than hers.

TLDR: I’m just not a huge fan of this overbearing, uber-rich, excessively flaunting being that Rachel sometimes displays. She’s flawed, she’s broken at times, has a semi-interesting background story (although it has been done over and over again throughout the series and should be changed up for once) which is great, but it is still annoying.

We don’t need an anti-Annabeth who feels like a weird caricature of the real Annabeth.

Also if this seems super incoherent, repetitive, or whatever, I'm sorry, massive headaches + mental health going down the goo lagoon does this to ya, I hope I made somewhat sense!