#my abridged version of this post is getting some attention and I like this post better

[justmystyles]

Like Riding a Bike

read my other work here!

pairing: Harry Styles x plus size reader

*i say it's a plus size reader, but it is not something that i focus on explicitly in my fics, because your size should not define you. it will only come up if it comes into the story organically.*

word count: 677

summary: despite being on break, Harry manages to find his way back onstage.

a/n: i've been away for a bit, i hope you guys didn't forget about me! i've got a couple of half finished one shots i'm hoping to complete and post in the coming weeks, including some of the asks that you beautiful people have sent me! i really miss writing, but motivation has been hard to come by.

tags: @abby8694 @allthelovehes @ameerakane20 @ash-craze @bethanysnow @blue-ballad @blueraspberryreader @brightlightsinlife @creativelyeva @cute-as-ducks420 @deannaard @fanficismydrug @gem1712 @golden-hoax @gothmingguk @groovychaosavenue @hillzrry @iceebabies @indierockgirrl @jerseygirlinca @jng4kook @jooniesbabie @kaverichauhan @laurxn-robinson @lexiecamposv @likeapplejuicenpeach @lilfreakjez @mrs-anna-styles211994 @n0vaj3an @potterheadandsherlocked @rach2699 @ravenclawdirectioner @stylesfeverr @superchrystaldrug @tenaciousperfectionunknown @tiaamberxx @thechaoticjoy @theekyliepage @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @youknowwhaaat

You and Harry walked down the street hand in hand. The streetlights illuminated the late night city streets, as the sounds of laughter and conversation filled the summer air. The two of you had just finished dinner, and decided to take a stroll around the city. 

As you approached the outdoor beer garden, you heard a familiar melody from the band that was performing. You look up at Harry, and he gives you a sly smirk in return, as he hears his own lyrics flowing through the air. 

“Wanna go grab a pint?” He asks. 

You giggle as he leads you toward the gate. “I think somebody just needs attention.” 

He looks at you incredulously. “Who me?!”

You slapped him playfully on the arm as the two of you entered the beer garden. You both stand in the back at first, but as the song goes on you can see Harry’s face, you know he wants to make his presence known. He had been on a break for a few months, and while he was loving the peace and quiet, Harry was a performer first and foremost. He loved being the center of attention. 

You tug on his arm, getting his attention. “Go on, I’ll hang back here,” you say encouragingly.

“Yeah?” He asks, you nod encouragingly, and giggle as he makes his way to the front.

While everyone else is sitting, holding conversations with their parties, Harry stands directly in front of the stage, waiting to be noticed. The singer does a quick double take, and Harry nods in confirmation. He is immediately ushered on stage, just as they get to the bridge. The crowd is so locked in their own conversations that they don’t notice what is happening, until he opens his mouth.

“Go home, get ahead, light speed internet…”

You watch from the back as eyes go wide, heads start to turn, and phones start being pointed at the stage as he does the abridged versions of his typical stage moves, adjusting to the significantly smaller stage size. He has performed on some of the biggest stages in the world, but in a setting like this there’s something particularly special to him. Maybe because in all those stadiums and arenas, people are there for him. But here, it’s just people having a night out that couldn’t care less that he’s onstage. Getting their attention, and winning them over gives him a special kind of rush. 

The song ended and the crowd went crazy, cheering and shouting. Harry bowed before turning to confer with the band, you knew exactly what was happening. Your theory was confirmed when the band started playing, and Harry stepped up to the microphone and began singing Adore You. 

Your eyes were locked on him, watching him do what he loves, what he was born to do. Your heart melting just a little each time he’d shoot you a glance or a wink. It was a bittersweet moment, while you’ve both enjoyed his break, but this was just a reminder that he had greater things waiting for him. 

Once the song finished, Harry thanked the audience, hugged the band and stepped offstage, where he was stopped every few steps for a hug or a photo. He greeted everyone kindly, smiling and chatting with them. Eventually he made his way back to you, you could see the sparkle in his eyes, the one he always  had when he got off stage.

“Ready to go?” He asks.

You arch a brow at him. “Are you? Or do you want to do another encore?” 

Harry chuckles and grabs your hand, tugging you toward the exit. “Jealous?”

“Nope, part of the territory of being a superstar’s girlfriend. I know I have to share you with the world.” 

You get back onto the street, and he pulls you into him, wrapping his arm around your waist as you continue to walk down the street. “Not always, my love.” He kisses the top of your head. “Let’s get home so you can have me all to yourself.” 

[prokopetz]

hey! I'm getting back into Tumblr and I only remember your Tumbls and one other so I'm interested to hear who you would suggest following for fun content. Nerdy, funny, any one you like seeing on your dashboard!

Sure thing. I actually don’t follow that many blogs on Tumblr – there’s usually fewer than a hundred active entries on my “Following” list at any given time – and a lot of them are people who wouldn’t appreciate the extra attention, but I have a few I can plug.

Tabletop RPG creators

There are surprisingly few RPG creators on Tumblr, at least openly – though I'm sure there are many more who prefer to keep their Tumblr identities separate from their work! Those whom I follow include:

@jennamoran – Dr. Moran likely needs little introduction for most who follow this blog; creator of Nobilis, Glitch, and Chuubo’s Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine.

@jdragsky – Founder of Possum Creek Games, and creator of Sleepaway, Wanderhome, and the forthcoming Yazeba’s Bed and Breakfast.

@nekoewen – Creator of a truly vast number of smaller games, most notably the West End Games Ghostbusters retroclone Spooktacular, and also 100% to blame for my obsession with d66 tables.

@open-sketchbook – Author of many of my favourite games, including Double or Nothing, Unbelievable Macho Bullshit, and their current magnum opus, Flying Circus.

@orbitaldropkick – Putting them under tabletop RPGs may be burying the lede, as they’re also the author of Kill Six Billion Demons, but we know what we’re here for. Lead designer of Lancer.

Artists

These are mostly (but not exclusively) folks I’ve worked with in the past on my own tabletop RPG projects; many currently accept commissions if you’ve got a project of your own the works:

@artbyprophet – Contributing artist for Costume Fairy Adventures.

@artkaninchenbau – Contributor to Cerebos: The Crystal City and cover artist for Gaming with Godot.

@catbatart – A frequent contributor to various tabletop RPGs, including a forthcoming project under my own banner that I’m not ready to discuss just yet.

@dizzimitzi – Contributing artist for Costume Fairy Adventures.

@fungii – Contributing artist for Costume Fairy Adventures.

@mimimariet – Contributing artist for Costume Fairy Adventures.

@mooncalfe-art – If you’re into older tabletop RPGs, you may know her as one of the original artists for Exalted; otherwise, her graphic novels like Shadoweyes and Wet Moon are probably more familiar.

@pencilbrony – Cover artist and graphic designer for the forthcoming Space Gerbils [working title].

@theshitpostcalligrapher – Their main thing on Tumblr is (as the name suggests) calligraphic renderings of trending shitposts, though their full repertoire is much broader. Cover artist for To Serve.

@tredlocity – Creator of the webcomic Val and Isaac and occasional tabletop RPG artist, though I haven’t worked with them personally.

Video Games

Some video game creator blogs, some blogs about video games:

@hollowtones – A streamer who’s participated in several popular projects, including Half-Life VR but the AI Is Self-Aware, though on Tumblr she’s probably better known for a certain post about frogs.

@orteil42 – Creator of Cookie Clicker. If you’re familiar with that game’s sense of humour, you know what to expect here.

@ponett – Creator of the forthcoming Super Lesbian Animal RPG.

@snapscube – A voice actor best known for “abridged” versions of popular video game cutscenes. You know the “Dr. Eggman pissing on the moon” meme? That’s from their podcast.

@suppermariobroth – Oddball and often deeply obscure trivia about Super Mario games, as well as related franchises.

Other

@seatsafetyswitch – Frequently surrealist microfiction, with a strange preoccupation with shitty old cars.

[altmusicposting]

Arcane: Intersection of Vibes and Meaning

In 2021, Netflix released an absolute bombshell of an animated show that fleshed out the backstories of some of the Champions (playable characters) of League of Legends from Riot games. As someone who's never played the game, I still enjoyed the show immensely. First of all, the art style is beautiful, and each character is well-crafted in appearance and mannerisms. With a 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, a record sweep of 9 Annies (awards for animated shows), and being the only gaming series to win an Emmy, Arcane shattered expectations. The thing that I loved about it though, was how much there was to it. On the surface, the two main plotlines follow sisters Powder & Vi and inventors/scientists Jayce & Viktor. There is an overall comparison between Piltover, the ridiculously wealthy City of Progress, and its undercity, which has taken on its own name, Zaun. Beyond the obvious though, there is a strong sense of political commentary on wealth, policing, war, economics, and morality. There's so many moral gray areas, and the attention to detail is fantastic. But, this is a post about music.

Needless to say, I was very inspired by the show. In addition to the deeper connotations of the show, the aesthetics and general "vibes" of the show, it's cities, and characters were very strong. I decided to make a playlist that incorporated that duality. One that got you pumped but also got you thinking, as is my style I'm learning. For this assignment, I have linked an abridged version of that playlist (which is about 30 or so songs at this point) that I think gets the bulk of the jist across. I will say, the soundtrack used in the actual show is pretty solid in and of itself, and I recommend you listen to it as well. I did include two of the "official" songs in this mix, but most are just other songs that speak to both the surface and deeper levels of the show. I will say now though, I do focus more on the overall vibes, and the aesthetic of Zaun than of Piltover.

First up is Enemy, by Imagine Dragons ft. JID. This song was used as the title song for the show and honestly covers the feelings of the main characters, Jinx in particular, pretty well. The version used in the intro is the one linked above, and the official music video is linked below (spoiler alert for the video, if you don't know the show). There is also a version done without JID, where his rap is replaced by a bridge, but I personally prefer the version with him. Many of the characters in the show either are forced into, or willingly make decisions that turn them into the enemy in the eyes of someone else, even if they started on the same side. It is upbeat and high energy, but lonely and heartbreaking when you think about it too long, which is honestly fitting.

The second song on the list is Blood//Water by grandson. I don't really remember how I first found this song. It was most likely from one of the mixes Spotify makes for you based on what you listen to. I've listened to a few more of grandson's song since, and I like them all so far. In an interview with Audacity, grandson said "I think as we're confronted with more and more alarming headlines, and more and more of a sense of urgency, I think we all get more tribal." That idea comes through clearly in Arcane, the lines are so clearly drawn, too many mistakes have been made, too many people betrayed, promises broken, and damage done. There are people who still walk those lines and blur them though, which is interesting. The title, of course, also calls to mind the old saying "blood is thicker than water" and the arguments that go with it. Additionally, this song also keeps a high energy, headbangy musicality behind the seriousness of the lyrics (you'll notice a trend here).

Third is Go To War by Nothing More. The lyrics deal with war, obviously, but also trust and love, futility, and why people fight. Yes, this is another upbeat, heavy rock song with hard-hitting lyrics. I promise they're not all like this, but I like that kind of music a lot, and it fits. This fits with the show for reasons previously stated, which I will not repeat for the sake of keeping this moving.

Next is Enough by Ra ft. Dustin Bates of Starset. I found this song because Starset is a favorite band of mine, and I'm pretty sure I listened to their whole discography when I was on my last kick. This one is less energetic, and sounds more tired, like its carrying the weight of its lyrics. There is still passion and energy behind it though, especially during the chorus, because it is an outcry. There is a wondering of when and what will be enough that is mirrored somewhat in the show. However, I think this is moreso supposed to be a sentiment we have as a viewer, something we are brought to by seeing the individual and large-scale struggles in Arcane.

Following that is Mad Hatter by Melanie Martinez. And honestly, it just gave me such intense Jinx vibes I couldn't not include it. Jinx, one of the main characters, goes through a number of traumatic incidents, and suffers a lot of mental and emotional damage from it. She is what would be colloquially referred to as a "crazy" or "insane" character akin possibly to Harley Quinn. With Jinx though it exists in this weird back and forth state where she seems to question or reject her new persona sometimes and fully embrace it in others. This song seems to have that dilemma as well, with the lyrics switching between, "I'm not alarmed/so what if I'm crazy?/All the best people are," and "Doctor, doctor, please listen." There is also the line "poppin' poppin' balloons with guns," which is so very Jinx. The whole song has this very dark, creepy undertone hidden behind a sweet/fun melody, which is also, very Jinx.

Sixth is Daddy Issues by The Neighborhood. Honestly, this is mostly just in there because so many of the characters have trauma and/or problems, especially with regards to their parental/father figures. The refrain of "go ahead and cry little girl...I know that you got daddy issues," is also particularly fitting with Jinx and Vi.

The seventh song is Insane by Black Gryph0n and Baasik. This is actually a fan-made song about the character Alastor from Hazbin Hotel arriving in Hell. I chose to include it though, because I think the way the friendly/jazzy tune contrasts with the rather violent lyrics fits with the energy of the show, especially Jinx. Also, again, the reference to possible insanity. I am also realizing as I write this that a lot of the songs are vibes based on Jinx, which, as she's central to the show is probably fair.

The eighth song is Brittle by Icon for Higher. Oh look, another Jinx song. We are back to high energy rock/alternative songs, this time with lyrics about mental health. There are several moments in the show when Jinx is fighting against being perceived as weak, physically and mentally/emotionally. The lines "Maybe I have a tendency to snap on people telling me/"You fit inside this box we built, we know you better than yourself"/they're lying, they're lying, they're lying," especially evoke Jinx for me. There is also a distinct electronic, staticky element to the music itself that fits with both the steampunk vibe of both halves of the city and the glitchy, dissociative moments Jinx has.

Ninth is W.D.Y.W.F.M by The Neighborhood. The strange acronym stands for What Do You Want From Me, and I can see quite a few of the characters asking that, namely Jinx, Vi, and Jayce, as they are the most displaced in the show, trying to find out what the people in their lives want them to do/be. There is also a questioning of "maybe this is all that I can be," which fits with the themes of identity and station/class, and following lines question who's at fault for what has happened between the subjects in the song. This is another slower (relatively), pleading song. Emotions are at the forefront for this one.

However, in terms of emotional songs, number ten probably has W.D.Y.W.F.M. beat. Ten is It's Alright by Mother Mother. It's a song of reassurance, and understanding that sometimes people make mistakes, big and small. Pretty much all of the main characters need this. Like I said earlier, there is so much trauma, almost everyone needs a hug.

The last song in this abridged playlist is Misfit Toys by Pusha T and Mako. This is the other song from the soundtrack I've included. It is used to properly introduce one of my favorite characters (who I've not talked about yet) Ekko, The Boy Savior. He is working outside of the main adversaries, Piltover and Zaun, to create a more equal and safe community in the undercity. He is from and very much directly affected by the injustices imposed on the citizens of the undercity by Piltover and the heirarchy in Zaun. This song really encapsulates his third-party, justice at all costs angle, and is honestly just a bop.

As a collection, this (and the full playlist) will have you nodding, headbanging, in your feelings, and wanting to tear down the establishment. At least, that's how it makes me feel most of the time. If you find none of those options favorable, it makes a great playlist for working out or just feeling like a badass walking down the street. I hope this made you think about how music often blends making statements with creating a mood.

[mariacallous]

Since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, the Russian authorities have prosecuted people for speaking out publicly against the war, attending anti-war protests, and even posting anti-war content on social media. The suspects aren’t limited to adults, either: numerous children and teenagers have faced legal consequences for criticizing the invasion. One of the highest-profile cases is the prosecution of Varya Zholiker, a Moscow fifth grader whom anti-extremism officers interrogated after she skipped one of her school’s state-imposed “patriotism” classes and posted a pro-Ukrainian image as her avatar online. But Varya’s story is far from unique. In a new investigation, journalists from the independent outlet Verstka found that children have faced threats of violence from police, public shaming, and steep fines for denouncing the war. In English, Meduza is publishing an abridged version of their report.

‘I felt like a witch in the Middle Ages’

In May 2022, 17-year-old Zari’s (name changed) school held a ceremony to mark the end of the academic year. Zari was supposed to read a poem at the event.

Before she was up, however, the school’s director took the floor. The woman told the students she had some good news: the Russian army had just captured the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol. Listening to the speech, Zari grew angry.

When it was her turn to read the poem, Zari walked up to the microphone and cried, “No to war! Freedom for Ukraine! Putin is the devil!”

Someone took a video of Zari’s outburst, and on the morning of May 22, the video spread across social media. The reactions were mixed. Many commenters insulted Zari and called her derogatory names, but some praised her bravery.

The response at Zari’s school, however, was far from ambivalent: nobody at all supported her. From the moment she made the statement, she said, “Everyone [at the ceremony] started screaming at me; everybody was really angry. They called me a fascist, a traitor, and a disgrace to my country.”

Before long, police officers showed up, confiscated Zari’s phone, and took her to the police station.

“This was all accompanied by verbal insults,” she said. “I felt like a witch in the Middle Ages, or a serial killer. They kept me at the police station for about five hours or so; it’s hard to remember. They didn’t beat me. They told me that I’m stupid and that I don’t understand anything. And they insulted Ukrainians too.”

Later that day, a video appeared online that showed Zari and her mother apologizing. Standing in front of her school, Zari says that she was “anxious about exams” and regrets her actions, which were just an attempt to “get attention.” Her mother, looking despondent, calls Zari’s actions “emotional and thoughtless” and expresses regret for having failed to raise her properly.

According to Zari, this video was filmed by “people from the [city] administration.” She was given a script and told to read it on camera.

When asked how she feels about her actions at the ceremony, Zari says, “I’m not going to answer that. I’m on the police registry.” The authorities told Zari that if she’s involved in another incident, they’ll open a criminal case and “ruin the lives” of her entire family.

‘You think we won’t beat the shit out of you just because you’re a minor?’

According to the independent media project OVD-Info, at least seven people under 18 were hit with felony charges for making anti-war statements in 2022.

In addition to peaceful protests and statements, some teenagers have engaged in direct action to oppose Russia’s war effort. On January 30, 2023, for example, OVD-Info reported that the Federal Security Service (FSB) had arrested three eighth graders outside Moscow for damaging railroad tracks (according to media reports, they set fire to a signaling control box). The FSB alleged that the students were acting “on instructions from unknown actors from the messenger Telegram,” and it called on Russians to “remain vigilant and not follow the lead of persons being used by Ukrainian intelligence services to commit sabotage attacks on transportation infrastructure targets.”

It’s currently unclear what charges the teenagers will face. The FSB has said that their actions could qualify as either a “terrorist act” or a “diversion,” which are both offenses that could land the young perpetrators in prison.

While criminal charges against minors are relatively rare in Russia, arrests, threats, harassment, and misdemeanor charges are all becoming increasingly common. Judging by media reports and open-source data, minors have been arrested for taking part in rallies in solidarity with Ukraine and have been fined for “crimes” like putting up posters, writing anti-war posts on Telegram, drawing anti-war graffiti, and wearing anti-war patches in at least a dozen Russian cities. In Crimea, a student was reported to the FSB for drawing a Ukrainian flag in her notebook.

Andrey, a 16-year-old from Russia’s Vladimir region, is one of the teenagers who has been charged with a misdemeanor. He told Verstka that he’s long had a reputation for being a “Navalny fanboy,” both among his fellow students and among school staff.

When the full-scale war broke out, Andrey stopped attending protests; he was afraid both of getting arrested and of his parents’ reaction. But when Vladimir Putin announced mobilization in September 2022, he couldn’t resist.

“On September 21, my friend and I were so worked up,” he told Verstka. “We agreed that we had to do something. We got on the bus and went as far as Vladimir, where protests are usually held. We were disappointed to see how few people there were. No crowd at all. But a lot of cops. They were coming up to random people — even to people who were just walking by or standing at the bus stop. I personally didn’t see anybody chanting or holding up any signs. But they were still arresting people.”

Andrey decided to record a video of the scene using his phone. Immediately, officers came up to him and his friend and pulled them by their arms into a police van.

On the way to the precinct, the officers made Andrey and his friend give up their phones, threatening to “nail them for disobeying police” if they didn’t. Then, at the station, they demanded that Andrey unlock his phone, but he refused. One officer, he recalled, told him, “The way you behave will determine the consequences, so unblock it.” When that didn’t work, they started threatening him directly: “You think we won’t beat the shit out of you just because you’re a minor?”

Eventually, Andrey’s parents came to pick him up.

“They don’t super agree with my position. But they didn’t show much emotion; they just looked at me angrily,” he said. “[…] My dad said something like, ‘Great job, what a great gift you’ve given your mother.’ Because her birthday was coming up.”

A few days later, the police stopped Andrey on his way out of his home. “They came up to me and said, ‘Call your parents and then we’re leaving,’” he said.

It turned out that even though Andrey had refused to unlock his phone for the officers, they had seen some messages on his screen, and they’d used the messages to find Andrey’s public Telegram channel. There, he had shared a post about a protest against mobilization that was organized by local activists and the Vesna (or Spring) movement. “And that’s what they used as the basis for the charges against me: Section 2, Article 20 of the Russian Administrative Code, participation in unauthorized protests,” he told Verstka.

Andrey’s case was referred to a Commission for Juvenile Affairs, which decided to fine him 20,000 rubles ($270).

As part of the case proceedings, the commission read Andrey’s school file aloud. The notes in the file said that he was disciplined and studied well, but also that he “takes active civic positions, supports Alexey Navalny, and accuses the authorities of corruption.” One of the commission members was a local administration official whom Andrey had never met before. “He asked whether I considered him corrupt,” Andrey recounted. “And he also talked about Nazism in Ukraine.”

Now, Andrey is required to report to the police station once a week. There, officers remind him that he “shouldn’t go to protests or write any bad posts on social media.”

Andrey decided not to dispute the penalty, fearing it would only make things worse. The blogger YoungMasha and her followers donated money to help him pay the fine.

‘There were Z’s everywhere in our town, and it pissed me off’

Other teenagers targeted by authorities for opposing the war have decided to seek legal support.

Vera (whose name has been changed at her request), a 17-year-old from a small town in the Chelyabinsk region, was stopped by an FSB officer in October when she tried to put up an anti-war poster after school. When the officer learned that she wasn’t yet 18, he ordered her to call her parents.

“I called my mom, but I was so scared that I just gave the phone to him,” she said. “He told my mom that she needed to come here, because they couldn’t do anything to me without my parents.”

It soon became clear from Vera’s conversation with the man that he somehow knew that she had skipped her school’s “patriotism” classes in the past. He told her to stop reading “stupid nonsense” on the Internet and advised her to start following “patriotic” Telegram channels.

When Vera’s mom arrived at the scene, the men took them both to the police station, where they were then held for approximately eight hours. Vera was ultimately charged with “discrediting the Russian army,” and her mother was charged with failing to fulfill her parental duties.

While Vera still didn’t consider herself guilty of a crime, the charges scared her. She told some friends about what had happened, and one of them recommended she contact Andrey Lepyokhin, a lawyer who works with the human rights group Agora.

Lepyokhin agreed to defend Vera, and he attended the first Commission for Juvenile Affairs meeting. But her case hearing that was supposed to follow was postponed — and was subsequently postponed twice more. When it finally occurred, Lepyokhin was unable to attend.

“The hearing took place on December 27, and I went alone,” Vera said. “They just read out the decision, and then the chairman of the commission took out some Nazi posters that he had printed out himself and read them out. He said that calling for peace is a known political strategy.” She was fined 30,000 rubles (about $400).

Lawyer Andrey Lepyokhin told Verstka that he prepared an appeal against the commission’s decision, but that the court refused to accept it, claiming that the decision had already entered into legal force. Now, Lepyokhin plans to appeal the court’s decision to reject his first appeal attempt.

“This girl was prosecuted for expressing her opinion. For writing the word [war]. It’s nonsense in and of itself. How can you prosecute somebody for discrediting [the army] for that word?” he said in a later interview.

According to Lepyokhin, life is difficult for Vera in her hometown: a lot of people have now turned against her, and the local authorities view her decision to hire a lawyer as an act of insolence. Nonetheless, she doesn’t regret her decision.

“Our town is covered in all kinds of Z’s [pro-war symbols], and it pissed me off,” she told Verstka. “I wanted to make an alternative perspective visible, to show that not all Russians support the war.”

Vera’s arrest has been a topic of heated debate on local social media. Some commenters have suggested that Vera might bring a bomb to school, and that she wasn’t acting of her own volition but was paid by some third party. But others have left words of support. One person wrote, “This is a case of the youth being wiser than the old people.”

[aeroknot]

“he admits that part of this stems from not having grown up with a father himself, making it difficult for him to know how to interact properly with his own children, mostly with his son”

……..

naruto may have missed out on a relationship with minato and may not know the intricacies of raising a child but he damn well knows how to be a father and ‘interact properly’ with his kids, guys

i promise he does

this is garbage

he had iruka, in many respects kakashi, and sort-of-reliably jiraiya as father figures who loved him and were there for him, not even merely available, but proactively developing their relationships with him even if he was ever a cantankerous ass about it as a defense mechanism, as rowdy teens do, or on the flipside being insufferably overenthusiastic and perhaps a bit clingy. in any case they were consistently present, reliably engaged, and they balanced their high expectations of him with their proud encouragements. so on the flipside (and even from viewing their own mistakes as well), he learned what not to do, and that was especially summarized as to not. be. absent. abandonment, loss, orphanhood–all of these are the ramifications reverberating through a family that put duty above bonds and left their child on his own. loneliness, neglect, rejection, not being prioritized, not being chosen, NOT BEING ACKNOWLEDGED– those are pinnacle!! to!! his!! suffering!! to gaara’s suffering. to sasuke’s suffering. if you mean to tell me naruto struggles to balance his work commitments and his family commitments, i’d say ok, sure, we all do, and a certain amount of that as at least a small bit of contention is reasonable, but also: he would absolutely refuse to so entirely neglect his family, particularly his children!! sure, he’d most likely die for konoha if it was threatened and it came down to it – heroism is after all in his blood – but he’s the fucking unpredictable ninja who follows his convictions no matter who it angers or how many feathers it ruffles, least of all in bureaucratic circles. when the hell he ever gonna do what was expected of every other kage?? and especially when it involves how and when he gets to devote time to his family– his family, something he never had!! i know he wants to be hokage! i know he has to grow up and mature at least a little! but being so unavailable that his son says he despises him?? it’s just so counterintuitive to so much of what we know about him i can’t stand it. he’d find a way. he’d find a way and be better than this.

it just angers me so much that they thought in order to make boruto obstreperous and rebellious they had to assassinate naruto’s character to the point of insinuating and then outright admitting that he is neglectful and unavailable (and what’s worse is they then have him justify it!?!?! i don’t recognize this fool). there are about 100 different ways to keep naruto who he is while also explaining an insolent son, and many of the reasons that suffice boil down to “because he’s a bratty teenager” !!!!!!

i just??? can’t???

basically will the real naruto please stand up. ugh or just point me to where can i exchange boruto’s dad for naruto, please

[pinksnow]

a heem heem. abridged version of the timeline take two. sobs

literally seething over tumblr not saving an entire god damn post ok here we go again. im so mad. im not gonna be as detailed in this one bc i just spent all my spoons on the first post. cries

- gen 1 addisons created with birth of the internet

- mid gens also created (spamton is this!)

- spamton has a friend group with one first gen pink addison and 2 mid gen addisons, blue and yellow

- spamton is still shit as his job dont worry that hasnt changed

- gen1 and mid gen addisons are susceptible to getting wormed. what do i mean by this. well in this au computer worms are corrupted addisons

- their code is jank so it happens

- og blue and yellow get wormed

- spamton is very upset!

- spamton befriends our current addisons because our blue looked like his blue. ogpink tells spamton this is not the way to go about it dude

- after a year or so though he recognizes blue for blue and not an ogblue replacement

- im shipping them also because i can do whatever i want. blue was canonly closest to spamton so <3

- not much interesting happens afterwards. spamton ask ogpink for dating advice i guess. whatever

- yadda yadda phone call lol

- spamton is now becoming increasingly distant towards everyone!

- blue is upset! the others are upset at spamton for making blue upset!

- when he moves to the mansion they virtually never contact eachother again

- they TRY to set up a couple dates but spamton cant get out due to always having a meeting here, and photoshoot there, deals please sign here. its neverending!

- blue is very depressed because his boyfriend has fucking ghosted him and he sees his face everywhere

- all of them are very frustrated and upset

- in 2004 ogpink gets wormed and is now iloveyou. spamton just not having a good time man

- spamton tries putting out a position for personal assistant and does his damnest to keep it from public view and hopes blue takes it up, hes doing this in hopes blue applies so they can finally be together again lol

- blue is moping in his room 24/7 he doesnt see shit he barely eats lol

- speaking of the others have their own way to cope with this

- yellow goes around breaking his billboards and other things around the city in attempts to get his attention

- orange

- pink and his relentless anger is like. im going to beat people up. this is surely the best way to deal with my frustration. he takes the freezering and beats up werewires n virovirokuns etc in alleyways. do you see where this is going

- anyways spamton is told they picked out the best candidate for the assistant job and its NOT blue its this green bitch named Novarg

- spamton absolutely hates nova for like a month straight bc its suppose to be blue with him not this sickly looking twink

- wahtver. idk. stuff happens. they probably explore eachothers bodies. lol. anyways

- once gaster cuts our man off he has a breakdown, and before i detail this breakdown, you need to listen to me ok, ok. the second worst virus in the world is SOBIG right, do yuou see where im going with this. spamton is wormed but gaster was doing some fucky shit to keep him from imploding or smth. those puppet features are the result of the worm yes im doing that. the lines on his jaw and jointed hands. youd think people would notice that only a worm would be able to spread as fast as spamton did with himself right. no bc with spamton hes unknowingly making it so people dont realize this. they look at his jointed hands and dont process that anythings wrong with it. anyways once its all cut off he breaks down bc hes losing everything which just sets the rest of the worm code OFF and hes glitching and freaking out and novas like. well ok im still going to try and calm him down. well he gets infected, and because spamtons code is so unbelievably fucked up it just glitches itself and makes nova a completely new and different worm. which is mydoom. the current worst worm. lol. see what i did isnt that funny. biggest virus derived from the code of what was at the time the biggest. anyways

- you know damn well a swatchling saw this and was like oh shit

- by this point nova has already ran off bc hes literally gone fucking insane we;re talking about the worst virus in the world here

- they get spamtons ass though! in this au hes thrown into the acid bc hes wormed and thats dangerous and bad and they need him DEAD

- i mean he lives obviously but now hes fun sized

- word gets out spamton is dead. they dont say he was wormed thatd cause mass panic with another worm already out

- its assume nova killed spamton (they dont, KNOW, its nova but im not saying mydoom every time, ok)

- well see now our addisons are VERYYY upset

- they hated spamton but they didnt want him DEAD. now blues doing even WORSE.

- yellows trashing more shit, orange is pretending the mannequin actually is spamton theyre in very deep denial

- and pink

- well

- pink is very fucking pissed! he goes out of his way to find nova.

- this is where he first uses snowgrave

- he never wanted to use it. he told himself hed never use it. but right now in a blind rage all he can think is i want this twink OBLITERATED

- half the fight is pink getting smacked around bc he needs to build up 200tp lol!

- once he has it though, oh boy! babys first snowgrave blackout! (whiteout?)

- nova only barely escapes with his life bc hes wormed. my man got fucked up

- pink snaps out of it after the fight is over thankfully but now hes set his fate in stone lol. get fucked

- actually doesnt get really bad until years later. THIS is when it starts turning into full days spent in whiteout

- sending the city into a fucking artificial winter

- its not supposed to SNOW here

- whole city blocks and streets getting wiped out

- the extreme snow from snowgrave has leaked into other attacks theres just snow everywhere

- you can only barely make out pinks outline, those who managed to sneak away seen this outline and were like

- its not a worm, they dont use magic, let alone ice magic. its not an addison, they cant attack on their own if not wormed

- obviously its a lightner, a human

- well now that rumor is spread everywhere, like even pink himself believes it

- esuiythgyuiqw3hjebfsdjkm skip to spamton in dumpster hours to our current time we skipped ahead cool cool

- whiteout pink looking for him bc they KNOW he has the thornring which would cut tp cost in half which would be Very Nice!

- spamton fights for his life and also only barely makes it out alive bc worm

- blue also happens to be out looking for pink and finds spamton

- many a crisis incoming: your ex is alive, hes small, hes half frozen to death, he speaks in glitched adverts, and he tells you that pink tried to kill him

- now thats just too much to take in today folks!

- (gestures) they take him home they have a reunion he screams when pink walks thru the door whatver

- they dont fully believe spamton until blues out one day during a particularly bad bout and sees its pink and is like. oh shit. oh my god

- deer in headlights <3

- blue is going to fucking die if he doesnt do something and this extreme stress and life of death situation causes his little funny darkner soul to be like oh ok. ok we;re doing this

- yeah addisons can make popups and little cursors but now blue is holding a whole ass cursor harpoon

- he does not know what the fuck is going on he doesnt even know how to use this he just throws them around randomly to distract pink and make a run for it

- well spamton was right

- they do NOT tell pink they dont want to imagine how hed react to what hes done

- blue has this nice little routine now of going out 5 minutes after pink does and following him and beating him up with harpoons to keep their focus on him and not the others around

- eventually word is gonna get out that blue is fighting off the lightner and walking out of it alive. this is not good

pink: i heard this about you

blue: different blue i dont know what youre talking about goodbye

- man i dont know i dont want to write more out you get the drill im doing a timeskip

- cool so idk smthhappens spamton snaps and gets that sweet sweet neo bod and nowthe addisons r fighting this mf over his broken city on suspended railways

- well the worms are all hiding down here since its abandoned, and they like. oh holy shit? spamton?

- neo spamton is basically the full potential of what he couldve been if allowed to go fully wormed when he did

- i know this is silly let me live

- iloveyou jumps onto blues cart like hey need some help

- if you see dangerous malware thats suppose to be dead you will not react well

- idk smth happens they all fall down into the broken city so that i can have a better setup for this part LOL

- while orange yellow and pink are fighting spamton trying to get him to snap out of it blue is ready to tear iloveyou to shreds

- while fighting iloveyou infects blue in a short blind rage

- uh oh lol

- instead of acting like a normal infected addison he. well his emotions are so overwhelming it just cancels out that code

- so now you got a very angry blue addison who is slightly powered up with a heart harpoon and hearts floating around him

- see first post on blog

- MAN i dont know i want to go get something to eat im wrapping this up right now

- its fine they all end up fine out of it the worms help pink control his magic and help spamton and he can go neo willingly

- they are all wacky roommates now

- the worms instinctive drive to infect code basically shut off after living together in an abandoned city for years with no one else

- they go out with the others sometimes in a large baggy hoodie

- eventually brave enough to go alone

- idk some new gen addison kid pulls down iloveyous hood bc they saw a heart and iloveyou is about to freak out but theyre all like omg dude thats so cool is that like a new accessory

- so anyways ogpink goes out normally now and those who do recognize them are stared at by everyone like dude this is just our local heart guy

- spamton that bastard has to fucking explain himself and mend THREE relationships but its fine

here you go, ogblue nova and blue and their fun sized spamton you know exactly what this is imitating goodbye i leave the rest to your imagination

[ratcandy]

CoGR Abridged/Summarized

Hello hello! My name is Clam, otherwise known as Squeakyclam on Ao3, and this is a heavily summarized/shortened version of my HK fic Camouflage of Great Renown. For anyone somehow finding this that doesn't know what it's about, CoGR focuses on Zote and his story through the game and what preceded it. He recounts his entire life up until the end of what's known in canon, and this includes a whole lot of angst, growth, realizations, and Trauma Revelations.

Oh, and he's a nosk. Zote is a nosk. Yep.

I've had a few requests for a summary, as the work is super long and reading through 130k+ words of Zote dialogue may not be for everyone, hehehe so I've compiled all the important plot points and wrote them out here in order of his story, rather than the plotline CoGR goes through specifically (in which big events in his history are revealed later on).

If I had to recommend reading the fic for anything, it'd be the... impact, I suppose? 'Cause reading the summarized events here will NOT be anything like reading it in CoGR. Seeing as the fic is all in Zote's pov and he actually has to force himself to admit all of this aloud. But I digress!!

Here's a summary of Zote's life according to CoGR.

THIS IS A VERY, VERY LONG POST DESPITE BEING A SUMMARY. I'm sorry, CoGR just has a lot happening! T/W for mentions of death.

A lot more heavy stuff happens in CoGR, but in this summary I do my best to step around those subjects. If you think more T/Ws should be added, let me know, and I'll put them here

Nosks were a species that inhabited Deepnest, specifically living in a den towards the nest's depths. It split off into lots of tunnels and caverns that each nosk lived in. "Society" there was very hostile and unwelcoming, as nosks valued brute strength over just about anything else. Caring for another nosk - be it kin or otherwise - was considered weak. "Burdens" to the den, such as nosks that were badly wounded, would/could not hunt, or were simply getting too old would be killed off. Death in and of itself was very common and hardly anyone would bat an eye at it.

Think the Mantis Tribe but largely feral and without a shred of decency of morals.

Runt donning mask of citizen was born into the nosk den alongside his brother, who would become hunter donning hide of tiktik.

(Before anyone asks, these are just the naming conventions that nosks have. No one but the nosk superiors - the leaders of the den - are granted actual names.)

A third egg was among them, but the brother broke it open and ate the younger sibling not long after hatching.

The two were born under a superior (their mother) and her chosen mate (their father). They were expected to grow up strong and eventually overtake their mother and become superiors. Or, one of them would, maybe.

The runt (Zote) was immediately scorned by the mother, as he was extremely frail and useless, and she just about killed him off right after he hatched - but his father stepped in, and the runt was left alive.

Zote grew up to be a weak nosk who could barely defend himself in a den full of beasts that would gladly kill him if doing so wouldn't be a direct offense to a superior. His brother was cruel to him, his father berated him constantly, and his mother was hardly in the picture at all. Only ever watching him distastefully from afar.

His father did, however, train him, if only sparingly. The least he could do to keep Zote alive. (Doing so would be a death wish were any other nosks to find out about it...)

However, an elder in the den - hunter donning mask of weaver - gained Zote's attention as she told him fantastical stories from outside the den. This elder had spent a good portion of her life among the Weavers, initially being sent to learn about them (to make them easier to hunt) but growing interested in their culture and choosing to stay. Until she did something to get her chased out.

At any rate, she told the stories from the Weavers to Zote, alongside news of what was happening outside of Deepnest. This caused the runt to become obsessed with the idea of being a knight, as the stories just sounded!! So amazing and heroic and awesome and!!! :D Yea!! He wanted to be just like that!

To the point where he even carved a sword out of the shellwood... with the den elder's help. He named it Life-Ender eventually.

At some point, however, his father found out about all this. His father figured that the only way to eliminate this problem - as wishing to be something heroic that saved lives or whatever was SO unnosk-like (and would get him killed) - was to kill the den elder.

Before she died, the elder told Zote to run away from the den, and not to return no matter what. The idiot did not run, and because of this, he witnessed the Den Elder's death at the hands of his father and some other nosks.

Man! this does, however, cause Zote to be more... "open" about his ideas. By this I mean he begins carrying Life-Ender around instead of hiding it in his nest. what do you mean it's a comfort item what! no he's just rebelliously showing off how much he wants to be a knight. totally. 100% /s

well, anyway, not long after this, the idiot's father dies at the claws of his mother. Zote unfortunately witnesses this as well. When he tries to run, his mother catches him, nearly killing him as well. Luckily(?), this attempt is thwarted by Zote's brother, who was very distraught over their father's death. The brother swears to kill the mother before storming off. Zote runs into hiding (still in the nosk den), and begins devising his plan so to get the hell out of there.

Of the few times that Zote leaves his nest after his father's death, 90% of them ended with him getting pummeled by his brother. The latter was livid, blaming the father's death on Zote and frequently bursting into fits of emotional rage. Rage is great for nosks, other emotions not so much.

On one occasion in particular, the brother goes too far, nearly killing Zote. In the scuffle, Life-Ender is shattered, and that sends Zote into a blind anger (mixed with survival instinct as he's About to Die). Zote then kills his brother.

A crowd had gathered around them during the fight. In that crowd was Zote's mother, who looked to him approvingly after he'd killed off his brother. This terrified Zote, so he gathered the pieces of Life-Ender and fled the den forever.

Stopping at the hot spring in Deepnest, he made a disguise for himself based on the vessels that nosks would often capture. He made a new name for himself, took on an entirely new identity, and decided to abandon the idea that he was ever a nosk. He would just go to the City, be knighted by the King (who he'd heard of from the stories the Den Elder would tell him), and live out his life as a knight. Just like he always wanted. Not as a nosk. because he's not that.

The events that follow now are just very short summaries of things that happen throughout cogr.

- He breaks a statue in the Queen's station on accident after a bug finds him there. as a nosk. oops

- He obliterates the entire uoma population /j and burns himself in the process

- He repairs Life-Ender originally using mushrooms in the Fungal Wastes. Fungal adhesion is real I checked I swear

- He makes it to the City of Tears! and while there, he

Gets caught by Hegemol who mistakes him as a vessel

Drowns in the City's gutters

Purchases a cloth to wrap around Life-Ender

Hears the Pale King talk one (1) time and immediately decides he hates him

- While leaving the City, he finds a grub. That grub never really gets named, but as he frequented calling the little thing "Fiend," and the grub eventually began responding to that title, he just considers it a name for them now.

- Zote travels with the grub throughout the Crossroads until he drops them off with the Grubfather, being rewarded for reuniting them but overall feelings pretty :( about it.

- He then goes to the. So you know the houses that are underneath the Gruzz Mother's lil arena? Yea that place. he goes there and "guards" it, becoming that place's self-proclaimed knight.

- then he starts being paranoid about the grub and returns to the grubfather only to see all the grubs have been stolen. he presumes Fiend is dead from this point on (and dodges around ever using the word).

- Then he goes back to the lil town place only to see everyone's infected :(

- We then spend TEN CHAPTERS!! in Greenpath. In which he

eats a plant and dies

Stands in No Eyes's tomb.

Visits the Lake of Unn (and nothing bad happens)

Sees a nosk at the entrance to Fog Canyon and proceeds to have a panic attack

Kills everything

Gets caught by the Vengefly king

Gets saved!

has a breakdown

Yells at Ghost and then Leaves

- Canon starts!

- He stops in Dirtmouth, listens to Elderbug talk, gets told the Myth of the Great old Nosks who are now all Extinct. The news that nosks are now extinct freaks Zote out a little, but he absolutely refuses to return to Deepnest. He doesn't need to make sure. It's fine.

- In an effort to convince himself not to go to Deepnest, he goes to the City again, thinking it can't possibly be all that ba-- oh no everyone's dead!

- he inadvertently steals a map marker from Ghost and decides to use that as a pin for his cloak

- Zote returns to Deepnest. He's very upset with himself for this, but he just has to know if all the nosks are actually extinct now.

The answer is yes

but before that he gets caught by dirtcarvers and put in a web and has to be saved. this makes him angry

Upon seeing all the dead nosks once he gets to the den, and noticing that the last nosk was mimicking Ghost (evidenced by the mask left behind) before it died, he decides that he's gotta Kill Everything again

- more specifically we're going to the Colosseum now.

- Zote's fear of water evaporates as he goes through the secret passage in the King's Station to get to Kingdom's Edge. He only found it because he saw Ghost go that way

- While at the Kingdom's Edge, he gets caught by the Fools, who he stupidly challenges and then immediately gets caught by.

- sits in dumb baby jail for a while. mean to tiso

- Then the colosseum battle happens! He does not win he then gets dropped down into kingdom's edge with little regard toward whether he's dead or alive

- He grabs a Fool's helmet before leaving, going back to Dirtmouth, and intending to bury that thing

- this goes wrong as he bumps into Bretta. He then sits and talks with her for God Only Knows how Long, spacing out while doing so, and not even noticing when she eventually gets up and leaves him.

- He buries the helmet, shuts himself away in his house, and gets stuck repeating his precepts to himself. At the end of CoGR it is revealed that he hasn't been talking to anyone, and is instead talking to himself endlessly as no one is left to listen to him

and that's it! that's cogr. yeah

[whentheynameyoujoy]

So the ATLA Movie Is... Good, Actually?

Just kidding, of course it’s not, it’s so bad it sucked the paint off my walls. But after ten years of people pointing out its glaring flaws, why would anyone bother talking about this garbage heap if not to go the other direction? So here’s a very brief and very superficial list of things the movie does get kinda... not atrociously wrong.

And they won’t be fake hipster pokes, like “It’s fun to laugh at”, “The Rifftrax for this is OK”, or “Kudos to the actress for managing to say we believe in our beliefs as much as they believe in theirs with a straight face”.

(though now that I mentioned it, it is fun to laugh at, the Rifftrax for this is OK, and massive props indeed.)

Rasta Iroh

Yes, I know it’s not exactly the aesthetic of the real Iroh or that it makes no cultural sense for him to sport this do when no one else in the racebended Indian “OMFG what were you thinking Shyamalan” Nation does but goddamn, long-haired dudes are my one mortal weakness and I will ogle the hell out of him.

Jesus is that a man bun I see that’s it mum I’ve been deaded

Yue’s hair

No.

Now we’re talking. Yue’s hair turned white when the Moon spirit gave her life, so it makes sense for it to go black again when she sacrifices herself to revive the koi fish. It’s a neat detail I find myself expecting whenever I rewatch the scene in the show. Yes, I realize it’d be a pointless hassle to animate since she, unlike in the movie, immediately goes on to become the Moon herself but still. I like.

The Blue Spirit’s mop

Zuko, hun, what’s with the dance-off?

First of all, I want to imagine that Zuko the Theatre Nerd was about to leave his ship with just the mask like in the show but then stuck his head into the cleaning cupboard and went, “Yeah, more coverage might be good, even though it do seem mighty fried to shit”.

Which makes me giggle. I like to giggle.

And secondly, the hair’s movement is what makes the static mess of the Blue Spirit’s solo fight scene appear at least bit more dynamic because God knows the cinematography isn’t doing it.

Any particular reason why it’s at the edge of the action, shot all boring-like?

Now, I get why circular shots would be reserved for Aang while he’s in the practice area and then used once the two join forces. What I don’t get is why Aang’s part of the action scene has a defined visual style while Zuko’s delegated to a few stationary wide shots from afar as though he’s a tertiary goon, meaning that when the time comes to combine the respective pieces of cinema language and visually convey collaboration, there’s not really much to combine.

But as long as Zuko is stuck in this static mess, it’s that awesome disaster on his head flopping about that draws the eye, helping me understand that something even is going on over there.

It also prevents me from paying much attention to how the extras are mostly just staying put and a lot of the hits don’t land, so that’s good.

The music slaps

James Newton Howard is too good for this.

Pls ignore that the word “gods” is used in the ATLA universe

I can’t be the only one who constantly uses this piece to daydream about writing specific fanfic scenes instead of, you know, actually sitting down and writing them. It’s just so good at communicating a sense of sorrow while speaking of rebirth that I find myself getting misty-eyed whenever I listen to it. Unfailingly, the soundtrack as a whole manages to break through the mile-thick crust of horrible acting, confusing writing, and uninspired cinematography and make me feel things. And considering how everything on screen is working against it, that’s no small feat.

Imagine what a powerful experience it would be if the score was used in service of an actual movie.

Dev Patel

No wonder since he’s the only one in the film occupying that crucial intersection between “is a good actor” and “was given something to work with”. It also doesn’t hurt that he breaks with the trend of actors starring in martial arts flicks despite never having done any martial art.

And all EIP-jokes about “stiff and humorless” aside, he’s a pretty decent Zuko considering how abridged this version of the character is. A while ago, I remember hearing a reviewer say that with his comedic chops, Patel should have been cast as Sokka. And on one hand, yes, god, absolutely, I need to see that asap. But on the other? He captures all layers of Book 1!Zuko, the desperate obsession, rage, and self-loathing, and at the same time gives you a peek at the soft momma’s boy dork that’s buried underneath. For Christ sakes, he exudes intensity and ambivalence even when acting against an emotionless hunk of wood that’s giving him nothing in return.

Oh, and I guess there’s a tree in the frame.

Ba dum tss

What can I say, the guy’s good.

Showing vs telling

OK, so this movie is all tell and no show, except for one single moment. And it’s the exact moment where the original goes in the other direction in terms of how information is conveyed.

See, I never liked this. The revelation is preceded by Iroh giving advice to Zuko who scolds him for nagging. Iroh then apologizes, moves in to say the line above, and is interrupted by Zuko who seems rather uncomfortable with Iroh laying his feelings out like this. And once they’re out, Zuko verbally confirms that he knew already and Iroh didn’t need to bother.

All this extraneous information and pussyfooting ends up weakening what should be a profound scene that reveals to us, the viewers, how deep the relationship between these two in fact runs.

Compare to the movie where Dadroh acts like a parent by fussing and worrying, with Sonion needing a single look to tell him and us that he understands what it’s all really about.

It’s genuinely efficient and just good.

No Cataang

Fine, a bit mean-girl bitchy from me since I only start minding the ship in Book 3. And probably unintentional on the part of the creators since there are moments where I think they’re trying to set the romance up? There’s a, well, an attempt to recreate the famous introductory shot of fateful meaningful destiny of meaningness, there’s some slight note of saving each other’s bacon going on, I’m pretty sure they’re the only ones in the film who smile, and oh, right, Katara’s shoved into her post-canon useless role where she doesn’t ever do anything, and is all about Aang right from the get go.

Yes, I will blame the “executive producers” because a) I’m incredibly petty, and b) it’s perfectly in line with their vision of the character so why the hell not.

Hilariously, none of it reads on screen because the actors are just... yeah. These poor kids are struggling so much with delivering their own lines and portraying their own characters they don’t seem to have any strength left to create something between them. To be fair, the bare-bones shot-reverse shot style of their scenes doesn’t exactly lend itself to the idea they occupy the same universe, let alone are friends or each other’s crushes.

And I enjoy this immensely because it allows me to forget the depressing horror show Katara’s life turns into post ATLA.

Yes Zutara

I need to delve into this because it’s fucking hilarious. So in a movie which fails to establish the original’s central romance so spectacularly that if Aang got lost in a crowd I don’t believe Katara would notice, SomEOnE thought it’d be a good idea to add an utterly unnecessary non-canon moment where Zuko for some reason feels the need to pause his character-defining hunt for the Avatar which otherwise has him ignore everything and snap at everyone, and explain his central conflict to an unconscious peasant he doesn’t know, complete with gently pushing the hair from the pretty girl’s the soulmate’s the Water Tribe Ambassador’s the Fire Lady’s the love of his life’s her face away, AFTER his uncle nagged him twice to find a girl and settle down.

I just wanted to make sure we’re all on the same page and this is what we really saw.

Celibate Avatars

I have no idea why the decision was made, if TPTB thought expecting viewers to understand the story through the lens of Buddhism would be too much, or if the “executive producers” already worked their retconny magic. What I do know, however, is that there’s a big shift in worldbuilding and Aang’s struggle with his role as the Avatar stops being a personal conflict defined by a) his grief for Air Nomads, b) his notion of being robbed of the loved ones in his life, and c) the selfish attachment to Katara he confuses with true love. Instead, what he has a difficulty to accept is apparently a general notion of who Avatars are supposed to be, i.e. a fantasy version of Catholic monks, no family and worldly relations, period.

I guess either someone understood the original’s portrayal of de/attachment as “hermit no freaky”, or thought the audience would so why not go there outright.

Now, do I like this on its own? No, God no, it makes the world infinitely poorer and changes the story from an exploration of ideas which aren’t all that ingrained in the West, to a cliché tropester about a Catholic priest going Protestant so that he could be with a girl.

At least I assume that’s where they were going to take this eventually.

I mean, I think the direction was “look conflicted, this isn’t the final stage of your journey”?

But consider this—the show went there, it built on the concepts of Eastern philosophy and touched upon the ideas of spiritual awakening, only to swerve in the end and strongly imply they’re bullshit and Aang should have never wasted his time with them.

So honestly, I much prefer scanty worldbuilding to an insulting retcon by a damn rock.

Multiracial Air Nomads

Probably the most substantial “no hint of irony” point on this list and a genuinely good addition to the universe’s worldbuilding.

See, the notion of the elemental nations being perfectly separate and never mingling before Sozin has always been sketchy but it’s especially ridiculous in the case of airbenders. It never made sense to me for all airbenders to be Air Nomads and for all Air Nomads to be monks and for all monks to be chilling at the temples all the time to facilitate a quick everyone-dies genocide should an imperialistic warlord ever decide to commit one.

Because committing everyone to a single way of life at a handful of places kinda goes against the central philosophy behind airbending. Like the freedom and nomadism part.

Instead, there should be more variety to the airbending culture, with some staying at the temples as monks, hermits, and teachers while others live as nomads, travelling the world and creating more airbenders, with the resulting children in turn being influenced by the non-airbending cultures they grew up in.

And thus, not only should airbenders not be modeled after a single culture to create a one-size-fits-all lifestyle, but they should have the most diverse and dynamic culture out of the four nations.

And it’d be precisely this diversity which would pave way for an eventual reveal that some of them survived, that their complete extermination is impossible.

Because they’re everywhere.

You know.

Like air.

[anonsally]

San Francisco Playhouse Twelfth Night adaptation

This evening we streamed a pre-recorded performance of an adaptation of Twelfth Night (video tickets start at $15). It was a musical, and the filming wasn’t at the quality of a NTLive filmed performance, but it was still very entertaining. The adaptation was created by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Shaina Taub. Some spoilers for this production below.

Some of the original dialogue was there, but the whole thing was rather abridged, sort of like a Cliffs Notes version of the play, but with musical numbers. The costumes were modern, and some modern language was thrown into some of the dialogue (e.g., when she realises Olivia is in love with her, Cesario!Viola says “ohh shit!”) and all of the songs. 

But the songs! I wasn’t fully on board at first, but Viola’s song about finding some inner strength in performing masculinity, and enjoying being treated as a man but also wanting to be seen for herself... it really felt like it delved into what the play is about, but with a more modern perspective on gender. Later, when Cesario and Sir Andrew are being goaded into fighting each other, the song was clearly addressing toxic masculinity (lyrics included “what kind of man are you?”). The production really engaged with the gender issues the play explores, without it all being played for cheap laughs. (Nothing wrong with cheap laughs! This is my favorite Shakespeare play... but I also like the explorations of gender.)

Viola sang a few times about how Sebastian would know what to do, he was always the cool one, etc. So I liked how Sebastian is so confused by Olivia’s attention and how he feels like he can really be himself with her, that he then sings that Viola would know what to do. Sebastian also, when he realises that Olivia thought she was marrying Cesario, returns his wedding ring to her, and she calls him back and makes clear that she loves him for himself.

Malvolio’s story was also done really well. At first we didn’t see much of him other than to recognise that he was very buttoned-up in what was clearly a bit of a party town, until he broke up the party of Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, Feste, and Maria with the ensemble. Then when he found the letter, he had an amazing musical number fantasising about becoming Count Malvolio by marrying Olivia--which essentially established him as the archetypal villain in the musical. Later, when he was locked up in what definitely evoked a porta-potty, he sang about how he’d been bullied as a kid but his mom had always told him he was special and that someday people would recognise that. That’s when I guessed where his story might go. In the final scene where the couples are all together (including Sir Toby and Maria on stage rather than just mentioned) and Antonio has been quietly freed because Orsino is so happy to be with Viola, Malvolio is brought in. He learns that the letter was not from Olivia, swears he’ll get his revenge, and storms out, as expected both from his role in the musical and from the actual text of the play. But as the rest of the cast starts singing a finale more or less about “let’s all be kind and really see each other” (I don’t remember the exact words), he reappears and is sort of won over by the song... and by Antonio, who has of course just lost his beloved Sebastian to Olivia. I thought this was a really satisfying way to tie up both of their stories to make it a pure comedy to modern audiences, since I’m always a bit dissatisfied by Antonio being sort of forgotten at the end and often downright disturbed by the cruelty of the other characters toward Malvolio. 

The only cast member I recognised was Cathleen Riddley (I’ve seen her in several plays, including Hamlet roulette) as Maria. [Actually, we saw her in September in an outdoor performance of The Winter’s Tale, in which she was a phenomenal Paulina, and I remember thinking at the time that it was a really excellent role for her; but I don’t seem to have posted about it.] She was great. She is so versatile! But all of the acting was great, many of the songs were terrific, the cast was diverse, and I bet it would’ve been even more fun to see in person. If you are in the Bay Area, fully vaccinated, and brave/foolish, it’s playing for another few weeks, but anyone can buy a “ticket” to stream it safely from home anywhere. It’s less than 2 hours long (with no intermission, but you can pause whenever you like!).

[fermented-writers-block]

Submitted by @sepublic:

So a while back, my pal @fermented-writers-block aired a theory. To sum up the abridged version, they suggested that if the Boiling Isles was allegorical to an Underworld, and the Human World to… Well, itself, then what of a third realm above? What if there was a parallel to an angelic realm, one populated by the show’s equivalent to a race of angels/Valkyries? They speculated that Emperor Belos himself may have been one of them, cast out… And he desires the portal and access to the Human World, in order to access this hypothetical Angel Realm!

In our discussions, we came across the idea that the Human World functions like neutral territory. It is the realm between realms, the buffer/barrier between the Angel Realm and the Demon Realm. It is where the two come together, and where influences from both have leaked in, to inspire real-world myths; A callback to Eda’s line in the first episode! The Portal, as speculated by my pal, potentially is rooted in the Human World, giving it equal access to the Angel and Demon Realms respectively- As a result of the Human World being between both of them respectively!

If the three realms were bus seats, the Angel Realm might be the Window Seat, while the Demon Realm is the set right next to the aisle where people walk up and down across the bus… And the Human World is sandwiched right between! This of course means that in order for either the Demon or Angel Realm to access one another, it would be through the Human World… With only the Human World maintaining access to BOTH realms, instead of just the one!

Ergo… Given the theory that Belos intends to reconnect to this Angel Realm, it makes sense that he wants to access the Human World! To him, it’s merely a stepping stone, not his destination… The ladder he needs to reach the top, it’s his stopping point before he can progress on to the end! He has no interest in the Human World, as he claims, beyond utilizing it as a passageway to something far grander and more interesting.

But now… onto a certain idea behind Belos.

To put it simply; Fermented Writer’s Block and I think that Belos could potentially be a Satanic/Lucifer allegory. A Fallen Angel, in a sense. From a Doylist perspective, this would settle Disney’s concerns over depicting Heavenly characters as negative, as the only truly negative Angel in this sense would be a literal Satanic allegory. It’d be like Doom, in a sense!

I’ve discussed… a LOT in the past, the idea of Luz and Belos being counterparts. Even if we don’t have much within canon, there IS the association with Light, as well as the ability to communicate with the Titan to some degree. Luz’s name literally means Light… And Lucifer means Light Bringer! It’s in the name, Luz-ifer! If Belos is a twisted counterpart to Luz’s guiding light, then perhaps he’s a more literal take on the Satanic allegory…

Specifically, the idea of an Angel who was cast out of their world and fell, plummeting into a realm beneath that of the Human World! We’re already making allusions with Lilith’s name, after all. And I’d LOVE to see The Owl House tackle some more classic, eldritch takes on the Angels of old and their original interpretations, such as the Seraphs!

After all, people have noted the similarities between Belos and the idea of Christian Imperialism. If Belos were a literal ‘angel’, or the show’s equivalent, this would be a fitting twist! Fermented Writer’s Block also observed that on one page of the Unauthorized History of the Boiling Isles, Belos is depicted with almost mechanical wings, in addition to the book being somewhat burnt. What if this could imply burnt wings on Belos’ part? Especially given Belos’ mechanical, industrial motifs and deteriorated nature...

If Belos WERE a Fallen Angel, then perhaps his Wings motif amidst the Emperor’s Coven imagery is intentional. Not only does it hearken back to his true origins and identity… But it could also allude to him having burnt wings, which in itself is symbolic of a Fallen Angel, as someone who was outcast and can no longer fly! The dude IS associated with Fire, to a degree… His throne room is lit by blazing braziers. Amity and Boscha are associated with his Coven System, in a sense… Amity is indoctrinated into its values and wants to join the Emperor’s Coven, while Boscha’s ideas of hierarchy and elitism reflect Belos’ values rather well. Both characters are associated with Fire… Which, helps to serve as a unifying motif among them- Especially with Lilith, who has blue fire and was leader of the Emperor’s Coven!

It’s a contrast to Luz and her Ice, and what she stands for… Her Light is reflective, while the Light of characters like Belos is harsh, dangerous, and off-putting. If Luz were more comparable to a night star, shining amidst the darkness and providing guidance- Then Belos is like the Sun, harsh, bright, demanding attention from all… But also too powerful to be personal with, something to be regarded from a distance, and never closely looked at. This would fit into Belos’ enigmatic nature, and the idea of him heralding Day, while Luz is Night… After all, Owls are nocturnal! And if Belos is a coming dawn, then that could tie into Angelic motifs… Amidst Luz’s Night bringing an end to his Light! It’s a take on that age-old term, about the Sun never setting on the British Empire… And THAT empire is emblematic of colonialism and imperialism as a whole!

It could also allude to the myth of Icarus- A mortal who flew too close to the sun! Of course in this scenario, Belos was in fact an Angel… But there’s still the recurring theme of wanting more, of one’s circumstances not being enough, of being guided by arrogance- It’s shared between Lucifer and Icarus both, to varying degrees. Perhaps Belos tried to lead a revolt in the Angel Realm, or got too arrogant… Either way, he was cast out- He flew too close to the Sun he wished to embody, and so his wings were burnt. Clipped of the thing most emblematic of his identity, no longer able to fly and ascend… Belos fell to the Earth, and then even deeper.

It’d tie into Belos having earthen motifs, as someone who can no longer fly. Him having angelic aesthetics, underscored by demonic motifs and growls, fits into the idea of Lucifer having been a beautiful angel, only to become the literal Devil and leader of Hell and all of its horrific demons! Belos already has a decayed, deteriorated condition to him that implies he’s not in the best health. Perhaps his burnt wings are the cause of this- Or at least another symptom of whatever injuries he suffered in the past? Not only that, but returning to the Icarus motifs… If we want to get meta, we can ascertain that Dana Terrace has read Fullmetal Alchemist. She knows of Hiromu Arakawa’s artstyle, citing it as something Luz would emulate back home- And there’s that other post comparing Father and Belos!

If Belos is like Father, then there’s once again that idea of using a portal to access a heavenly ‘realm’, through the Sun, in order to access a ‘God’ figure, or beings around that level. Not only that, but Fullmetal Alchemist, from its very beginning, made a very pointed reference to the myth of Icarus, likening its main protagonist Edward Elric to him! If Father is in some ways a foil to Ed, just as Belos could be to Luz… Then it makes sense for Dana to have been inspired by Icarus by virtue of his tale being important to the themes of Fullmetal Alchemist! And if Belos IS a Satanic allegory… Well, Lucifer’s name literally means Morning Star. As Belos’ antithesis, Luz brings the sunset to his Day of Unity. They’re both outcasts to the Demon Realm, but from different worlds respectively.

Now, there’s a question- Who are the Angels? What do they look like? And where does the Owl Deity factor into all of this? Well, this gets me onto my NEXT part;

I think the Owl Deity could be the closest thing to ‘God’ in this universe, AKA an all-powerful deity who reigns above all! A while back, a background artist for the show released some art he did, depicting Luz and King resting beneath a spire. If one looks closely at the top, they can see a depiction of Belos himself! And right above it is candles, surrounding an Owl… An Owl above all. Perhaps we’re looking too deeply into this. But it brings to mind a pun, about the God of All Things… Also being the God of ‘Owl’ Things!

If the candles are lit, then this suggests fire’s association with the heavens, which fits into biblical depictions of Angels! Not only that, but Belos is right beneath the Owl… And right beneath him is a fleshy stump, indicative of his own motifs… And it’s connected to what appears to be a giant eye right beneath him! Eyes are a big motif in the Boiling Isles –and amongst biblical angels- so perhaps the fleshy stump, akin to Belos’ constructs, is symbolic? That he’s bridging the gap between the demonic world below, and the heavenly world above?

Regardless, the next portion of this theory suggests that the Owl Deity is a supreme being. Perhaps a neutral mediator between both the Angel and Demon Realms, with the Human World as neutral ground. Perhaps a weapon, utilized by the Angels? Or a powerful deity they managed to sway… More on that later. Regardless, it DOES make one consider the Clawthornes’ connection to the Owl Deity, specifically Eda’s. Her house DOES have the only known depictions of this enigmatic being, after all.

And THAT house was likely fashioned, at least partly, from a tower! Towers are known for their reach towards the skies… Could a Clawthorne Ancestor have been connected to the Owl Deity as a worshipper? A follower? Maybe they were ALSO an Angel, like Belos, albeit not fallen… Or at least, much more well-intentioned! It could bring a dark twist to Lilith’s line about Eda being with her ‘real’ family… Unbeknownst to her, Belos, being a fallen Angel, is arguably ‘family’ in the sense that the hypothetical Clawthorne Ancestor was ALSO an Angel! After all, it might better explain how Eda has access to the Portal. Not to mention that golden, blazing Owl Wraith she summons during her final battle with Lilith… Birds ARE a Clawthorne Motif, after all! And Angels have bird wings.

If Belos IS similar to Father from Fullmetal Alchemist, then it makes sense that there’s a ‘God’ he plans to usurp as a Lucifer allegory. The Owl Deity could be this god, or at least associated with the Heavens that Belos seeks to conquer and return to. That of course gets us into the symbolism behind the angelic motifs of the Emperor’s Coven. Now, when Belos first arrived in the Demon Realm, he would have been acting VERY contrary to the Boiling Isles’ values about magic at the time, and he clearly had to utilize plenty of force and genocide to make people comply. In other words, this is a dude who cares not about conforming to others, but making others conform to him…

So it doesn’t make as much sense for Belos to change his aesthetics to an Angelic one, to appease the Boiling Isles residents if he’s clearly averse to everything else they do! Especially if Angels, or what lingering memory of them there is, is seen as negative by the Boiling Isles… The point being, this alludes to Belos being genuine about his Angelic motifs, and not adopting them to appear more palatable to others; Because all of his behavior suggests otherwise, that he forces others to adapt to him, rather than the other way around!

Not only that, but if the Emperor’s Coven is Belos’ attempt at reinstating his ideal form of heavenly rule/environment on the Boiling Isles… And if the Owl Deity is a god to be conquered, then how fitting is it that his subordinate wears an Owl Mask? Perhaps it’s meant to arrogantly symbolic… That the Owl figure that Belos once looked up to, now serves him! Of course it’s only in symbols; But the idea is there, that the image and motif of Owls has been appropriated, not as a holy being above Belos, but instead as an image belonging to a subservient minion.

Now, this all leads into another question- What about the Titan? What does the Titan have to do with this? And for that matter, what of the giant Titan remains, scattered across the Boiling Seas- We know others exist, but OUR Titan is the only known intact corpse! Well…

In Understanding Willow, Hooty briefly mentions his backstory. It’s hard to discern, but he mentions how it all began with a hunt, and how there were blood-red skies before Eda and King’s dialogue cuts him off and drowns out the noise. There IS the idea of Hooty being a lobotomized and weakened reincarnation of the Owl Deity, or at least a spawn of it… Or having SOME association with it, moreso than most characters! We don’t know what killed the Titans, or why OUR Titan’s corpse is intact. There could be Doylist answers to this, maybe it’s meant to be a mystery that’s never explored, but left to a sublime imagination…

But if not, then this is where I get into a crazy idea here;

Angels are depicted as adversarial with Demons. The Titans would’ve been the first Demons, of the Demon Realm. We know one of them had Magic... And if Belos is any indication as a fallen angel, there may be a heavenly aversion to magic. Hooty recalls it all beginning with a hunt…

What if the Angels hunted down the Titans? It’d explain their sudden extinction… As for why our Boiling Isles (BI) Titan is still intact, well. Perhaps it was a lone survivor! Perhaps its Magical ability permitted it to last longer than others, before it too succumbed to death after the genocide. For all we know, its Magical ability was what drove the Angels to commit genocide upon the Titans, for fear of an uprising! Either they failed to target the Titan actually responsible for finding magic, or they kept them from spreading their craft to others by killing off anyone else who would be willing to learn.

If Hooty has a connection to the Owl Deity… Well, remember when he mentioned being haunted by his actions forever, in Adventures in the Elements? What if the Owl Deity led this ‘hunt’ against the Titans… Either as a creation of the Angels, or as a neutral mediator who was swayed to their ideas of magic being dangerous! Either way, there seems to be a recurring theme of regret and remorse… Perhaps when all was said and done, the Owl Deity rejected its actions, and banished itself to the Boiling Isles? Maybe the Clawthorne Ancestor was connected to/IS the Owl Deity… As for how the Owl Deity died, maybe it simply willed itself out of existence in shame. Maybe it succumbed to injuries from the water. Either way, the Titan didn’t erase all traces of it, which could imply some forgiveness on its part… That, or the Titan was too dead to act in outright vengeance, who knows?

Regardless, the story goes- A Titan discovers Magic, is deemed a threat by the Angels. The Angels lead a mass extermination of its kind, with the Titan the sole survivor. The Owl Deity helps lead the hunt, but comes to regret its war crimes, and dies amidst the BI Titan’s corpse, laying the foundations for the Owl House. As I said, the BI Titan also eventually dies, alone and traumatized, as the Angels head back home.

Owl Deity culls rest of titans, is about to finish the Titan when it realizes the horror of what it did

Either the Titan took it out in a pyrrhic victory, or - more likely - the Owl Deity, being an entity focused on balance and neutrality, allowed itself to be killed/seriously wounded as way to “rebalance” things as much as it can for its nigh complete genocide

We know that Belos claims to enforce the will of the Titan. Well, if he’s a fallen angel… What if he’s persuading the Titan to help it get revenge? What if as a fallen angel, he arrived on the Boiling Isles and approached the Titan’s spirit, proclaiming himself as trustworthy, in an Enemy of my Enemy situation? Belos would point to him and the Titan as being wounded and rejected by the angels to some extent. Belos would have insider knowledge on his kind. If the Angels swayed the Owl Deity, what if Belos swayed the Titan to his side by offering it the chance to strike back at the Heavens for its crimes, and avenge its fallen brethren?

When Belos claims to enforce the Titan’s will, he’s not completely wrong- It DOES feel justifiable anger, though clearly Belos is capitalizing and manipulating this anger, and then passing off the Titan’s actions as solely its own, and not at all a product of Belos’ own manipulations in any shape or form. You know how I likened Belos to Father… And my past theories about Belos resurrecting the Titan, on the Day of Unity?

Hooty mentions it all began with a hunt, with blood-red skies. What if the skies are blood-red once more, on the Day of Unity? As the realms converge or whatnot… What if Belos’ weapon to defeat his Angelic brethren is none other than the resurrected Titan, wielding full access to the powers of Magic, and with vengeance in its heart? What if Belos resurrects the Titan on the Day of Unity, possibly with its body underneath HIS control as a parasite… We could have a scene mirroring that iconic moment from Fullmetal Alchemist, where a continent-sized Father rises from the ground and reaches out to the Heavens, accessing them with the Portal! Just replace Father’s gigantic form with the Titan’s resurrected, magic-fueled body!

Now, this does lead into the idea of settling the Angels as antagonists, once Belos is done and over with. Perhaps a resurrected Owl Deity will be instrumental, with the help of Luz and the others? If she’s the Night to Belos’ Day, then perhaps she needs to set the sun on Belos’ reign, on his Day of Unity! It all begins and ends with blood-red skies, after all. Perhaps with the help of a resurrected Owl Deity, Luz can appease the Titan, or at least sway it to not turn to vengeance and jeopardize the Boiling Isles inhabitants in the process. She has experience with calming down vengeful entities in the past, as seen with Inner Willow… And Luz CAN communicate with the Titan!

Especially if the Angels have grown to also regret their actions, as a parallel to characters like Lilith! Or at least, the Angels can be held in line and prevented from further massacres, with the resurrected Owl Deity. If the Owl Deity is regretful of its actions, then perhaps we could get a scene calling back to Understanding Willow… Where Belos, at the last second, sways the Owl Deity to his logic, and suggests vengeance and annihilation of the Angels! The Owl Deity, frighteningly, agrees for a moment, reminding the Angels that its genocide of them is merely finishing what THEY started, after all…!

But then Luz steps in. Alongside the others, such as Amity and Willow, Lilith and King, Eda, and so forth… She persuades the Owl Deity to have forgiveness in its heart, especially if the Angels show remorse and a desire to fix mistakes! It’d hearken back to the theme of having justified anger, but otherwise channeling it productively into fixing mistakes, rather than simply harming the one responsible for them! It’s about a productive way of tackling issues, rather than focused on punishment; Again, a theme as far back as the first scene, when Luz is punished with the Summer Camp, VS actually having her emotional issues properly addressed, and being given the chance to fix the damage.

Our protagonists could all call back to similar incidents, with Lilith citing how Eda sparing her gave her the chance to fix the damage, or at least remedy it… Instead of JUST dying as retribution! How Willow chose to still retain her feelings, but also spared Amity so the girl could change and improve as a person, instead of just killing her off and calling it a day. It’s about not only recognizing damage, but working to properly fix and recover from it- Recovery is the key word! Fixing the damage together, as Luz said- Productively fixing what was caused, instead of beating oneself over it, the way Amity and Lilith initially did!

This could lead to the Owl Deity, especially if it has Hooty’s memories, being swayed back to a good stance. It’d contrast Belos and his inability to grow, heal, and recover from his emotional and physical wounds! Either way, perhaps the Owl Deity could make peace with the Angels, or at least ensure they genuinely change their attitudes and behaviors. Belos is stopped, and the Titan can finally be laid to rest, its spirit perhaps still communicating with whoever is willing and eager to learn Magic, the same way it did!

Now, this does leave the question- Who was Belos during the Titan Genocide, if he was an Angel? Was he even alive back then? This gets me into the speculation that Fermented Writers Block made, of Private New Guy being an allegory to Belos… If Hooty was haunted by his actions that night, well. Perhaps Belos was just another young recruit, another generic Angel in the hunt- But he was inspired by the Owl Deity, maybe even saw it as someone to emulate? And that’s part of why he’s so power-hungry and bloodthirsty, because of his ‘idol’…

Yet ironically, Belos is merely projecting his idea and desire for what he wants the Owl Deity to be, VS what it actually is- A repentant, remorseful entity with a lot of guilt! Tying into the idea of characters projecting ideas/expectations onto others that just don’t exist, confusing fantasy with reality… Maybe like Private New Guy, Belos tried to seize power in the Angel Realm, and it’s why he was banished? And hey, going into even MORE mindless speculation- What if Owl Mask was MORE than symbolic of the Owl Deity, but outright the same kind of being? Perhaps they’re Belos’ attempt at recreating the Owl Deity albeit young and/or imperfect, an additional asset to conquer the Angel Realm, in addition to a resurrected Titan. Who knows?

Mind you… ALL OF THIS is one hell of a stretch. It’s an incredibly unlikely theory, that hinges on a LOT of factors… But it’s fun food for thought, is it not? And hey, if you never pick up a shovel, one will never find gold even if it IS there! It’s an extension of the Angel Realm theory, while tying together a bunch of other details here or there, and hearkening to past themes, morals, and lessons. I’m sure that even if this isn’t what Dana and the others have planned, what we WILL get will certainly be just as enjoyable- But until then, it can’t hurt too much to guess a bit, and maybe have some outlandish fun or there, right?

[taizi]

Have you done 4, 49, or 52 yet? If you did sorry. Oh... And will you post these on ao3?

PROMPTS LIST

49. “I have a concern.” “Just one?” “No, but I didn’t think you’d let me speak my piece if I told you how many I actually have.”

all of these prompt fills will make their way to my oneshot collection eventually :)

x

Shibata just happens to be there. 

Nishimura wanted snacks, and volunteered Natsume to go to the convenience store with him, and Shibata invited himself along. He’s only here for the weekend, after all, and Nishimura gets to have Natsume’s attention all the rest of the time. 

Natsume sighed, because he knew they’d bicker all the way to the store and back, but he still held the door and waved them through, arguments and all.

Now they’re walking back to Natsume’s house, the plastic bags between them bulging with sandwiches, and pancakes, and rice balls for poor, boring Tanuma. Natsume isn’t carrying a bag because he’s carrying that lazy sensei of his instead. 

Their breaths cloud in the crisp January air. The pink and orange of sunset has faded from the far corner of the sky, leaving it a deep, vivid blue. 

And it’s there, as they step off the sidewalk and head through the grass, cutting a familiar path through a familiar field of weeds and wheat, that Natsume seems to stumble upon courage.

“Hey, Satchan,” he says, “can I tell you something?”

It’s so casual, almost off-handed. Shibata almost misses it entirely. He’s trying to make sure his new shoes don’t get too muddy, distracted and looking at his feet while they trudge along. 

Nyanko-sensei’s eyes are very green in the fading light, glinting with animal brightness. Nishimura tips his head, silly and flighty at all other times, but super attentive when a friend calls his name. Particularly so when it’s Natsume.

Shibata can’t even make fun of the cutesy nickname, because Nishimura is impossible to embarrass. And Shibata has slipped up and used it before, too. 

“You can tell me anything,” Nishimura says plainly. If anything, he’s confused that Natsume thinks he needs to ask. 

And it’s this moment. Here, in the sprawling, rambling countryside. Here, in the blue hour, when the sun has gone down but the sky is still rich with color. Here, where home is just down the road and their friends are waiting.

Natsume says, “I can see spirits. I’ve always been able to see them.”

Shibata nearly trips, and it takes some real expert maneuvering to save his bag of convenience store food from an unfortunate meeting with the dirt. Nishimura stops walking abruptly enough that it’s almost a trip, too. His eyes are round and full. 

“I’ve never told anyone before,” Natsume goes on, sounding amazed by his own daring. “Well-- not really. Not since I was in grade school. No one believed me back then.” 

He’s always so pacific and detached, even when he’s in pain or afraid, that the edge of nervousness creeping into his tone now almost seems out of place.

For his part, Shibata is gaping. He can’t believe this. He wasn’t prepared. His eyes dart from Natsume’s anxious expression to Nishimura’s stunned one, and he starts shoring himself up. If he has to intervene, he will. He’s seen more proof than any reasonable person needs, and he’ll shove Nishimura’s face in it like a disobedient dog if that’s what it takes to make him understand. 

But it’s only a moment-- only seconds really-- before Nishimura’s face clears. He shuffles his bags to his left hand so his right one is free, and he touches Natsume’s arm the way Shibata has seen him do a thousand times. 

“That makes sense,” he says, nonsensically. “More sense than my esper theory, anyway.”

Natsume’s expression would put the sun to absolute shame. His smile is slow at first, but inexorable, like a stream of water picking its way around the bend that meets the river. He must be the brightest thing for miles. 

“You thought I was an esper?” he teases, laughter in his voice. “You watch too much TV.”

Nishimura throws up his hands, the contents of his shopping bag rattling ominously. “I saw you float in homeroom once! Like, a foot off the ground! ESP is way more plausible than you’re making it out to be, thank you very much.”

Shibata stares at them, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting for this scene to shift. It can’t be that easy. It can’t be that painless. Nishimura must be lying to save face, or hiding what is most certainly a freak-out of epic proportions, because belief like this is impossible.  

Except now Natsume is introducing Nyanko-sensei properly, and Nishimura is talking to the cat-- surprise and wonder melting into acceptance as easily and naturally as a spring thaw. 

“You knew exactly what you were doing every time you stole my food!” Nishimura complains, tugging on one of Nyanko-sensei’s soft ears. “Natsume, your cat owes me money.”

Natsume laughs. He laughs, head tipping back, healthy color rising in his wind-chapped cheeks. In this moment, he’s so far removed from that tiny, overshadowed boy that Shibata used to bully on the playground that he might as well be another person entirely. 

Could it have been like this back then? Shibata wonders suddenly. The thought is intrusive and unwelcome. 

If he had been a kinder child, if he had suspended his disbelief for long enough to get to know the strange little boy no one wanted to sit next to in class, would Natsume belong to him the way he belongs to Nishimura and Kitamoto, Taki and Tanuma, Shigeru and Touko?

"Shibata,” Natsume says, in the tone of someone who’s said it more than once. “Hey, are you okay?”

Shibata blinks, arresting his attention. Natsume is watching him with a puzzled frown. Nishimura is waving his arms around and inching forward, as if he’s playing a strange, abridged version of Marco-Polo.

“Fine,” he blurts. “What’s your idiot friend doing?”

“He’s yours, too,” Natsume says peacefully. “And he’s looking for Nyanko-sensei.” 

“What, he poofed?” Shibata looks around the empty field, too. “How did I miss that?” 

“Who’s the idiot now, Sumi?” Nishimura calls over his shoulder. 

The annoying nickname slides right off Shibata like water off an oilskin coat this time. He’s still trying to catch up to this conversation. He almost feels winded, like he’s huffing and puffing across the finish line of a marathon that no one had the decency to warn him about. 

“I can’t believe you just blurted it out like that,” he says, barely mustering the strength to talk above a whisper. “You took ten years ojf my life, easy. I was hyping myself up for a big fallout or something.”

"I can’t believe it, either,” Natsume admits, smiling. “But it wasn’t even that scary, really. Definitely not as scary as I always thought it would be. Maybe because you were here.”

Shibata very quickly looks down at his hands to readjust his shopping bags and not because his eyes are stinging in a telling way.

Nishimura gives a sudden squawk of surprise, hands spread out against the empty air, eyes huge and moon-like. Then his face splits in a grin, and laughter comes bubbling out of him as easily as it always has, and he smooths one hand to the side as if he’s petting something. As if he’s petting Natsume’s ugly cat where it’s fallen asleep in his lap.

His trust is a wild, reckless thing. It’s almost infuriating to watch. 

Could it have been like this back then? If I was a better person?

“You said he can fly, right?” Nishimura demands. “I wanna fly! Tell him to take us the rest of the way home! He owes me at least a dozen rides, considering all the food I’ve given him.”

He’s already searching for handholds, trying to find a way up. Natsume stoops to gather the forgotten bags of snacks and loops the handles around his wrist before making his way over. To Shibata’s intense dismay, rather than tell Nishimura that it’s a stupid idea and he’s stupid for thinking of it, Natsume helps him climb up instead. 

“I have a concern,” Shibata says dryly. 

Natsume huffs. It’s not really a laugh, but it’s not not a laugh, either. “Just one?” 

“No, but I didn’t think you’d let me speak my piece if I told you how many I actually have.”

“You can walk if you want to,” Nishimura calls down. “No one’s making you come along.”

It’s very surreal to see him sitting on nothing, well above Shibata’s head. It’s still very annoying to watch him take to this strange new world with enthusiasm and aplomb, as if he was simply born to exist in this moment and be Natsume’s friend. 

Never one to be outdone, Shibata ignores his own uncertainty to drawl, “And miss the chance to watch you make a fool out of yourself in new and unprecedented ways? Never.”

Nishimura crows with laughter, too delighted to take offense. Natsume sighs just like he did before they left, when he resigned himself to their noisy, obtrusive company. He holds out his hand the same way he held open the door. 

He’s always standing on that threshold. He’s always holding out his hand. 

Shibata has already missed so many chances to reach out and take it. He’s not going to miss any more. 

[three--rings]

Story time! 

I was just reminded of this out of nowhere by that Secret Garden/quarantine post.

So when I was very small, back in the dark ages of the 1980s, I went to a preschool run by my mom’s best friend.  She’d started the school because there wasn’t a good local preschool in our neighborhood (and the public schools didn’t offer pre-K of course, even though they really should, developmentally speaking, okay I’ll shut off my developmental psych brain.)

So I was part of the first graduating class of this school, which was in an old wooden house.  Just a couple dozen students and a handful of teachers.  The vibe of the school was sorta PBS-hippy, with diverse teachers and unconventional curriculum.  (I actually first learned some French in preschool, because we had a cajun teacher.) (All these years later she runs a chain of very successful preschools all across our city.)

Anyway, so one day someone, and it might have been my mom’s friend herself or might have been one of the teachers, started reading The Secret Garden to the class.  I was ENTHRALLED.  It was like the best fairy tale I’d ever heard, but BETTER.  (My favorite story prior to this was Cinderella.  I was obsessed with Cinderella.)

But because The Secret Garden is a pretty long book (and I think this may have been an abridged for children version, not sure) and kids have a limited attention span, the story was cut off for the day.

And I was DISTRAUGHT.  I was SO INTO this story about the little girl in the scary gothic house and the mean little sick boy and the utterly magical secret garden.  I think I probably threw a tantrum or just a crying fit or something.  I went home seriously disturbed at not getting to hear the end of this story.

And then, a few hours later, my mom’s friend came to our house.  She presented me with a gift: a cassette tape.  I was too young to read The Secret Garden for myself.  So she had sat down and recorded herself reading the whole book for me. 

And I just remember sitting on the hideous bright green carpeting that I had in my room, playing this tape over and over, listening to the story.  I had to play it on a tape player that looked like this, by the way. 

On the built-in tinny speaker.  And make sure not to press the red record button or I would erase the tape.  Which I did over time and there were little pauses in the story.   The only other sound device I had at the time was a record player that only played 45′s. 

So anyway, that’s the story about how The Secret Garden became my favorite book when I was 4, how I got my first audiobook, and probably why I remain obsessed with the Victorian era to this day.  And a time when an adult went way out of their way just because I showed interest in something. 

[tamiettitami]

for this month's recommendations, i decided to go with the theme KISSES GALORE in honour of valentine's day. all of the below works have been posted in the month of february 2021 and hand selected by me <3

Sowing Discord by @chronologicalimplosion

A group of hyper-religious, homophobic protesters on campus ruins David's post-lunch good mood and he sends a half-joking message to the LGBTQ+ Discord server about staging a counterprotest. Constant lurker Patrick comes running.

Rated T for TEEN & UP AUDIENCES; 4,089 words; M/M; TAGGED for Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Original Characters, Alternative Universe, Alternative Universe - College/University, Homophobia, First Kiss, Epistolary, kind of

"This work features the inclusion of messages sent in Discord channels, a social media app I've never seen interrogated into a fanfiction piece before. The perfect balance of humour as well as tenderness makes this the ideal read to round out the month of love."

falling into place like dominos by @davidbrewer

Alexis spins the bottle and Stevie doesn’t know if she wants it to stop in front of her, or if she’s hoping it points literally anywhere else. She thinks she’ll figure it out when it stops moving, but… even with the neck of the bottle unmistakably pointing at her foot, she still can’t identify what the feeling is. Is that happiness or dread settling in the pit of her stomach? Since when do those completely different things feel exactly the same? If she’s being honest, though, it feels like a combination of things. It’s that feeling you get right before you do something you know you might regret later… like throwing back a jello shot (which she wishes she had done), calling an ex at 3am, or maybe jumping out of a plane.

David and Patrick hold a second housewarming party, this time at their newly-renovated cottage. For old times' sake, they decide to play spin the bottle. Meanwhile, Stevie has been wrestling with her feelings for Alexis since she left for New York... and it never occurred to her that those feelings could flow both ways.

Rated M for MATURE AUDIENCES; 4,897 words; F/F; TAGGED for Stevie Budd & Alexis Rose, Stevie Budd/Alexis Rose, Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Post-Canon, Lesbian Stevie Budd, First (Real) Kiss, Alcohol, Spin the Bottle, Queer Themes, Sexuality Crisis, (Although it's more of a frustrated confusing than a crisis tbh)

"The author's ability to voice every character (but specifically Alexis) will never fail to astound me; their inner voice for Stevie is the most notable in this work, however. Even the friendship/sibling dynamics between David and Alexis and as well as Stevie and Patrick are absolute perfection. One of the best 'Housewarming' codas I've ever endulged in and I can confidently says so."

Until I Lose My Breath by @the-kellephant

How could she have missed the fact that she was in love with Twyla?

Rated T for TEEN & UP AUDIENCES; 814 words; F/F; TAGGED for Stevie Budd/Twyla Sands, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, Femslash February, Bisexual Stevie Budd, Lesbian Twyla Sands

"A lovely introspective piece about sapphic feelings and how they can often be blindsided by denial if not provided with the proper care or attention."

You can Stand Under my Umbrella by @agoodpersonrose

David thought the day couldn't possibly get any worse. But then it started to rain.

43. You both reach for the last umbrella in the store on a rainy day.

Rated T for TEEN & UP AUDIENCES; 2,721 words; M/M; TAGGED for Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Alternative Universe - Canon Divergence, Tumblr Prompt, Meet-Cute, First Kiss, First Meetings, Awkward Flirting, Kissing in the Rain, Umbrellas, Fluff and Humour, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Prompt Fill, One Shot

"I have nothing to say besides this is hands down the most cute way this prompt could've been filled and I applaud Becca for her ability to write such tender moments in a way underlined with laughs."

Ten Tender Kisses by @cheesecurdsgravyandfries

Ten drabbles featuring ten tender kisses.

Rated G for GENERAL AUDIENCES; 1,110 words; M/M; TAGGED for Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Fluff, tender kisses, Canon Compliant

"Reading this was pure joy. The happiness I felt from the first drabble continued to grow the longer I scrolled which is truly a beautiful feeling. Their banter is so perfectly in character and the dynamic the author has created between David and Patrick is a skill I envy."

I Didn't Know it was a Crush, David by squigmistress

David and Patrick arrive home after The Premiere and David wants to talk more about some of the wild stuff Patrick said when he was high on pain meds. What he doesn't expect is Patrick's big, gay feelings. But damn, does he love him for it. OR Patrick needs emotional safety to process some feelings and, of course, David is more than happy to hold him through it.

Rated T for TEEN & UP AUDIENCES; 1,548 words; M/M; TAGGED for Patrick Brewer/David Rose, david rose - Relationship, Queer Themes, Coming Out, Episode: s06e05 The Premiere, Coda, Feelings, Feelings Realisation, Gay, Canon Gay Character, Family Issues, Intimacy, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Anger

"Now, I've always been a sucker for introspective works, but this took it to a brand new level. It's such a fine needle to thread; however, the author does an astounding job at cataloguing the growth/development of Patrick's emotions."

Be your remedy by @jessx2231

Patrick closes his eyes and brings to mind all the times David has put on music while Patrick is engrossed in a book or his phone or even the occasional weekend work task. Eventually, David will slink into his space, just enough to rest his head in Patrick’s lap. He doesn’t always do so with the intent to fall asleep, but it’s usually not long before Patrick’s fingers involuntarily find their way into David’s hair — much like they are now — and David’s breath will even out for a while.

He can definitely make an abridged version of that happen.

Or, David can't sleep and Patrick helps.

Rated G for GENERAL AUDIENCES; Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings; 2,048 words; M/M; TAGGED for Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Fluff, Established Relationship, Canon Compliant, Post-Canon, Married Life, very mild descriptions of depressive symptoms, but really just some very soft sleepy boys

"A warm hug is the best way I can describe this. Also, I already knew I need a Patrick Brewer in my life, but this solidified that."

the paths that your eyes wander down by @anniemurphys apart of falling in love at a coffee shop by them, @thankstwy, and @landofsonlali

Written for the prompt: "Twyla and Alexis reunite in NYC."

Alexis finds Twyla at a tiny corner table.

Rated G for GENERAL AUDIENCES; 568 words; F/F; TAGGED for Alexis Rose/Twyla Sands, Post-Canon

"The absolute perfect romantic comedy moment paired with some of the most in-character Alexis dialogue I've seen in awhile, not to mention how beautifully the mutual pining is broken."

a sense of expectation hanging in the air by Anonymous (i'll add the author once reveals are out for the Season 7 collection !)

Stevie starts to realize she has feelings for Ruth. How long though, will it take for her to tell Ruth that?

Rated M for MATURE AUDIENCES; 6,548 words; F/F; TAGGED for Stevie Budd/Ruth Clancy, Stevie Budd & Alexis Rose & Twyla Sands, Stevie Budd & David Rose, Stevie Budd & Patrick Brewer, Alexis Rose/Twyla Sands, Post-Canon, Getting Together, Sharing a Bed, Cuddling & Snuggling, Making Out, Fluff, Texting, Female Friendship, Episode: s07e08 RMG, Workplace Relationship

"The support from Stevie's friends—Alexis, Twyla, David, and Patrick—is so incredibly lovely. Despite the secret crushes, Stevie and Ruth refuse to let anything get in the way of them getting together and it's such a wonderful thing to see them immediately all-in the relationship."

got a fistful of four leaf clovers by iphigenias

Two weeks before Christmas Alexis calls David.

“So I think I like someone,” she says.

Rated T for TEEN & UP AUDIENCES; 1,754 words; F/F; TAGGED for Post-Canon, Getting Together, Femslash February, home is a place AND a person!

"Alexis's slow burn of building feelings for Twyla melts my heart. That being said, the realistic depiction of the difficulties that come with change provides a certain depth to this story it needs."

[duhragonball]

Bulma

Give me a character and I will answer:

Why I like them: Somewhere around 1998, Kurt Busiek took over as the writer for the Iron Man comic.   This was back when Iron Man wasn’t particularly popular and the last two attempts to reboot the guy had failed.   I read an interview in Wizard Magazine where Kurt promoted his upcoming run, and he explained the character this way: Tony Stark is a superhero, an inventor, a ladies’ man, and a billionaire.    You could have a blast writing a comic book about any one of those four things, but he’s all four.    I may have gotten those four items wrong, partly because it’s been 22 years, and partly because it was more famous when Robert Downey Junior echoed that pitch in 2012.    Take away the armor, and what is he?   A billionaire genius philanthropist.   

My point is that this is the appeal to Bulma as well.    When we first meet her, she’s an adventurer, but then we find out she invented the device that lets her locate the Dragon Balls.  And her mission is a romantic quest, so she’s like the heroine in a romance story.    Then we meet her parents, and it turns out she’s a wealthy heiress.    Well, I’m assuming Dr. Brief doesn’t plan on leaving his fortune to all of his pets, but you get the idea.  

There’s a lot of versatility to the character.   Some arcs barely make use of her, but others take full advantage.    You can plop her in almost any scenario and it works.    You want to write her at a fancy charity dinner?   She’d fit right in.   You want her teaching shop class in your high school AU?   No problem at all.   You want her to seduce a bad guy?     You want her to shoot a bad guy?    You want her to be the bad guy?   It all works.  

The main thing people dislike about Bulma is the way she treated Yamcha when they were together, and she’s kind of a jerk a lot of the time.    Fair point, but I think this adds to the character.   If she were sweet as could be and a rich, attractive polymath, she’d be downright insufferable.    Also, her attitude plays off of the compassion she shows through the series.   I can’t explain her behavior around Yamcha, but she did offer free room and board to the entire population of Namek, so I feel like that needs to be taken into consideration.

Why I don’t: In the first... hundred or so episodes of DBZ, Bulma doesn’t get a lot of chances to shine, despite all the screentime they gave her.   Early into my DBZ-watching experience, I found her to be something like a shriller version of TMNT’s April O’Neil, a sidekick whose job was to look cute and get into danger so the good guys could save her.   She really doesn’t get back into her groove until she returns to Earth, and once I saw those episodes, and her time in the original Dragon Ball, the character began to make a lot more sense.   Really, the Bulma in DBZ #1 through 108 was probably intended to demonstrate how out-of-hand the situation was.   She fixed the scouter and then it exploded.   She fixed Nappa’s spaceship and it exploded.   She fixed Kami’s spaceship and then Namek exploded.    She just couldn’t keep up with the crisis. 

Favorite episode (scene if movie):

Not exactly any one episode, but one of my favorite bits in the Red Ribbon Army Sagas is that the RRA has their own Dragon Radar, but it’s not portable, or anywhere near as precise as the one Bulma invented.    It’s Goku’s biggest advantage during that conflict, and when it breaks, there’s literally no one else who can fix it.    Those magic babies from Arale could make a new one, but I’m pretty sure they only did that by copying the design or something.   And the RRA assumes that Goku must have an entire team of scientists providing him with logistical support, and that Master Roshi must be their leader, since he’s so old.  

Also, near the end of the arc, Bulma needs to call Yamcha on the phone, but Roshi doesn’t have one, and then Turtle suggests that Bulma should just build one from scratch, since she had just finished building a robot drone a few episodes earlier.    And she’s like “Oh, yeah, I forgot I knew how to do that.”

Favorite season/movie: The Androids/Cell arc is a big deal because it has two Bulmas, and her son is in it too.   

And this is what I mean when I talk about versatility.    That Super Dragon Ball Heroes series has two Gokus and two Vegetas, and I have no idea why, because they’re exactly the same, except one pair does SSJ4 and the other does Super Saiyan Blue.   Bulma’s got more layers, so in a story like this, you can have 30-something Bulma care for an infant son and tackle logistical problems while she figures out her relationship with Vegeta, while the 50-something Bulma in the future can be this strong-yet-gentle post-apocalyptic survivalist, who hopes for a better tomorrow as she longs for her fallen friends.  

Favorite line: I’m gonna stray from the canon for a minute, because I’m having trouble coming up with something, but in DBZ Abridged, when she’s arguing with Vegeta during his training session, they just start shouting “Fuck you!” at each other.    Then she stops and says: “My room.    Ten minutes.” 

And holy shit, the delivery on that line was incredible. I knew they’d try to do something to set up their relationship, but there’s no footage to do that with, so they did it all with one line and some killer VA work.

Favorite outfit: This is a big, big wardrobe to choose from, but I’m partial to the one she wore in the Imperfect Cell Saga.

I can’t really explain the appeal, but I like this hairstyle and the clothing looks like authentic stuff you could actually buy at a store, which just makes it feel more real, even though it’s not any more detailed than her other outfits.    I’m not sure that makes any sense.    The trucker hat looks cute on her, let’s leave it there.

OTP: You know, there’s a lot of chemistry between Bulma and Yajirobe, and even though it’s kind of a rarepair, I can’t help but-- Okay, it’s her and Vegeta.   I’ll stop messing around.   

Brotp: Definitely her and Goku.  I’m imagining the set up to the DBS Broly movie going like this.

“Hey, I’m gonna invite Goku along on our trip.    That way you can fight him when you get bored.”

“Why do you keep asking him to tag along I can’t stand him.” 

“Yeah, but I like him and I paid for the resort, so I guess you gotta deal with it.” 

“...”  

Then he shows up and she sends him on some ridiculous mission to search the ocean floor for sunken treasure or something.   

Head Canon: Future Bulma does tech support in Toki Toki/Conton City, because Xenoverse is canon and the Goku Black Saga can just bugger right off because it never happened.   

She shows up from time to time to check on all the Capsule Corp tech in the city, and she drops by just to say hi to her boy, and also she has coffee with my Mary Sue OC, because Future Bulma appreciates how tough and cool my writing is.

Unpopular opinion: The Vegebul ship probably gets way too much attention.  Not that it’s a bad ship or that it doesn’t deserve the attention, but it feels like a buffet where all anyone gets is ranch dressing.    They just ignore the rest of the spread and fill an entire bowl with ranch and head back to the table to drink it.   Then they come right back and line up for another helping.  

I’m not knocking it.   I have a Vegebul calendar in my kitchen.   But it reminds me of how the “comics fandom” in the late 90′s was really just an X-Men fandom that acknowledged that other comic books hypothetically existed.

They’re gonna come after me now, aren’t they?

A wish: A lifetime supply of strawberries does sound kind of nice...

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen: I hope we’re done with Bulma’s Resurrection F outfit for good.   The cowboy boots, no, we’re done with that. 

5 words to best describe them: Five would never be enough.

My nickname for them: Don’t have one.   Vegeta calls her “woman”, but I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t go over well if I started doing that.

[hybridequalist]

Thinking Out Loud (Part 3)

So I forgot to cross-post this here. Whoops. Sorry for the long break. Part 4 will be out tomorrow.

Taglist: @nesli26, @manga-crazy, @venomemes, @galleyleelol, @makingtimemine, @jackie-sugarskull, @nightshade7117, @skysthelimit291, @randomshizzles101, @inumorph, @snow-massacre, @phantom-fangirl-stuff, @pixellated-sparks, @vsalamandor2, @otaku-mai, @snarky-badger

---

You knew you were in trouble when you saw Lauren's smug face the next morning. If she didn't make the best breakfasts in the world, you'd have turned around and walked right out.

You managed to avoid looking at her directly long enough to sit at the table and pour yourself some juice, but Lauren picked up your glass and held it out if reach, still grinning.

“Hey there, who was that hunk you rode in with last night?” she signed with one hand.

“Shut up!” you signed back, feeling your face flush. “It's not like that!”

You swiped at your captive juice but Lauren was much taller than you and she smiled down at you.

“Spill,” she challenged, her fingers translating her sass with a flourish.

“It was not a date, we barely know each other and he was just dropping me off. Now juice!”

“Details girl. Details.”

“I didn't have dinner! Let me eat!”

That broke her teasing mood. Lauren finally relinquished the cup and ran to get the hot breakfast off the stove. You felt a slight twinge of guilt as she began to fill your plate more than usual, taking a noticeably smaller portion for herself.

To anyone else, Lauren’s behavior may have just seemed motherly but you knew better. Your psychic eavesdropping had caught more than one memory of Lauren as a disadvantaged teen, hungry and turned away from entry-level work because of her deafness. You knew all about her determination that no one renting from her would lose as much opportunity as she did worrying about when they were going to eat next. No one else could know that, however: your landlady was a well-dressed, modern woman who got her hair dyed some new radical color every other month. Without your power, you wouldn’t know the reason why she invited you to breakfast, that she planned to ensure you had at least one decent meal every single day.

But you feigned your usual innocence as you dug into the delicious food, trying to ignore Lauren’s racing mind as she conjured reasons for why you hadn’t eaten last night and did her best to combat them, holding off judgement until you were able to tell her the full story.

When you finished eating, you gave her the abridged version: that you had met Eddie at work and run into him again at the grocery store yesterday. Glossing over the details of the store being attacked, you chose to omit Venom entirely and instead told Lauren that in the panic you'd been knocked over and hit your head, that Eddie had looked out for you and been kind enough to bring you home when you woke up.

Lauren was a touch suspicious, sensing your editing but uncertain what you were holding back. Still, she shrugged and you recognized the return of her teasing mood and held back a premature weary sigh.

“You know, that Eddie guy sure is nice to look at,” she signed with a grin. “And he's a biker boy. You always did have...interesting taste.”

You flushed violently, hiding your face to block her words.

“Stop!” you signed, going redder as Lauren laughed at you. You heard her making mock kissy noises when your phone suddenly began to ring. You both jumped at the sound and panic instantly set into your chest. Lauren noticed you freeze and came over to your chair, fishing the device out from your pocket. Her eyes widened and you saw her smile.

The image in her brain showed Eddie's caller ID. The ID you'd tiredly assigned him before sending your own name over text.

Hot Mess Eddie

The ringing cut off and a text chimed out almost immediately in its place. Same contact.

You stiffly held your hand out for your phone and Lauren passed it over with a smirk before grabbing your empty plate as an excuse to give you some space.

Hey, sorry to call. I forgot.

Forgot? Forgot the one thing everybody seemed to mark as your defining trait.

Another text.

Reporter instinct. BTW, did you take my helmet last night?

Hemet? Oh, the one you'd been wearing. If your memory was correct…

It's on my coffee table, you replied. Do you need it?

Nah, but you’re gonna need it if you want me to pick you up later. You gonna be up for lunch?

Your pulse quickened and you almost dropped your phone in shock. Was he...asking you out?

I don’t have a shift tonight, so I can stay up. But why do you want to go out to lunch? I’m not exactly a conversationalist.

It took almost a minute before you saw the little ellipse that meant he was writing out a reply.

V wants me to tell you that he’s got a surprise. I still think it’s a bit early, but he’s giving me a headache for arguing. It’s pretty cool tho, gotta admit.

Surprise? What? Why?

You heard Lauren snicker and saw a flash of your own face in her thoughts. Apparently your face was red enough that she could see you blushing from the kitchen and you instinctively turned away, willing the blood to leave your cheeks.

Do you have a place in mind? You typed slowly.

----

You did you best to suppress jitters as you stood at the curb, motorcycle helmet tucked under your arm. You’d requested Lauren stay inside, but you knew she was watching from her window--both to satisfy her curiosity and ensure your safety.

You heard their thoughts before you saw them. Much like actual voices, it started quiet as they entered “hearing” distance but became steadily louder along with the revving of the motorcycle’s engine.

Suddenly, you felt self-conscious. You were dressed nicely, but the priority of your outfit was comfort, not fashion. Your hair was also fine, but you began to wonder if maybe you should have done something special with it. This was supposed to be a lunch meetup, but you didn't know what type of venue it would be. Your heart rate picked up and you felt your anxiety starting to raise its vicious head.

You pushed back, trying to force deep breaths, to keep your thoughts under control. Yet the tunnel vision started to set in despite your best efforts. Fragmented thoughts began to whirl like multiple tornadoes and a rising sense of panic began to choke you, cutting off all air. Tears stung your eyes behind closed lids when suddenly you felt two strong hands rest on your shoulders and heard your name, though it was muffled under your roaring pulse.

“Hey! I think you’re having a panic attack! Are you breathing? Can you try breathing?”

The realization that someone was in front of you pulled you out of the whirlpool slightly. It may not have brought the world back from crumbling, but suddenly you felt like there was an anchor keeping you from entirely plummeting into the black hole.Your hands reached out against your will and you found yourself clinging to this person’s chest, hands twisted into what felt like leather.There was no air in your lungs--not that you could feel--and your throat was stubbornly unresponsive to every sound you tried to make. So you reached out with your last resort.

You couldn’t keep the mental communion open for long--your focus was too scattered, your emotions too sweeping--but for a brief moment, you sent a burst of your emotions into the person crouched in front of you. All of your panic, your desire to be comforted, you desperate need to re-learn breathing, you sent it out in an unspoken plea for help.

For a moment, nothing happened. Your anxiety spiked in immediate response; You asked for too much; You would be cast away to fall into the abyss; You were going to die here.

Then you felt the fabric under your fingers ripple, like a living being woven of some strange material, flexing like a cat leaning into human touch. You felt your hands sink into it, giving you a better grip just as you felt thick arms wrap around you, pulling you into the stranger’s solid chest.

A voice rumbled through that chest. You couldn’t understand what they said, but found yourself zeroed in on the sound of their breathing, the feel of their pulse. Their arms tensed and relaxed in time with each breath and you found yourself trying to mimic the movement with limited effectiveness. The vibrations of your anchor’s voice rippled through your body, accompanied by some kind of lower pitch you couldn’t identify. It made you shiver and that motion made you realize that you were quaking so hard that there was no way you could have supported yourself.

Eventually, the panic began to subside into exhaustion; your violent shudders calmed into small fits of shaking and then entirely faded away. Your mind rose from the pit of despair and the sounds of the world and the thoughts of others returned.

The first thing you became aware of was who held you--that double-toned mental voice was entirely unmistakeable.

“Yeah, I’ve got you,” Eddie was saying.

“WE HAVE GOT YOU,” Venom corrected and you felt the jacket ripple--or rather, the symbiote disguised as a jacket.

“You just need to keep breathing. As long as you breathe, you can make it.”

You heard footsteps coming from behind you on the pavement and you twisted to see Lauren running from the front door of the complex. She reached you and Eddie and dropped to one knee, looking you over worriedly.

“You good?” she signed. You shakily nodded and tried to pull yourself to your feet. Your knees buckled before you really got anywhere and ended up halfway dangling, clinging to Eddie like a baby koala. He chuckled.

“You think it’s okay if I carry you inside?”

Could he even lift you?

“EDDIE, WE ARE STILL HEALING. DON’T MOVE TOO FAST.”

"I know our limits, Vee. But we gotta make sure she's safe."

You jumped when you felt new hands on your arm, but it was only Lauren trying to get your attention. She repeated Eddie's question in sign and you shakily gave an affirmative.

Eddie's arms were sturdy--no sign of the injury his other half had mentioned--as he carried your tired self back into the apartments. Lauren led him to her apartment and showed him to her bedroom, indicating she wanted me put in her bed. You protested in sign, but she conveniently didn't see your words.

It wasn't until you were laid on the bed that you realized how much your little attack had worn you out. The second your weight left Eddie's arms, your eyes slid shut and you yawned deeply.

"Go ahead and nap," Eddie encouraged. "I'll be out here...if your landlady is okay with it."

You tiredly gave a thumbs up and heard Venom's thoughts call out to you.

"WE WILL KEEP YOU SAFE FROM ANYTHING. EVEN YOUR OWN BRAIN. SO DON'T HESITATE TO CALL OUT FOR US--IN ANY WAY YOU CAN."

You couldn't help but smile as you slipped off into sleep.

[warriorsredux]

Regarding the stories, i did like a lot of them! but they often felt like they took too much time in the actual chapters. i think a good compromise for telling them could be a shorter, abridged version in the chapters themselves, and a seperate post with the full story for those interested (like me! i loved the redux mythology, it was an interesting take on what kind of fantasy cats would come up with, and how it relates to how clan life works)

More i liked, as i reread recently, actually. I kinda wanted to see fire interact a little more with some others of his clan members. i liked the more casual interactions with fire and the queens and i wouldve loved to see those evolve as he grew more accepted in the community, specifically so the “youre not my real family” line fire yells at bluestar and speckletail really has more weight to it, as it felt like he was just this guy they kinda liked to see around camp

and a last one, to not sound too nitpicky. I like the concept of the redux. the realistic take combined with that bit of fantasy makes for a good read. your work inspired a lot of things for my own original warriors characters. the way you wrote clan life feels like how a structured community of cats could work. (youre free to go where you please within the borders, but you have to contribute to our survival) feels more in line with warriors than the feeling of it being a 9-5 job the books have

So all of this is super valid, and I very much appreciate this feedback (and the kind words), but I want to touch specifically on that second part, because that has bugged me incessantly for years now! Even when I was writing, I was annoyed with how little attention I gave the rest of the Clan. The vast majority of interactions were Fireheart, Raventhroat and Greystripe. Which, to be fair, they were fun to write, but I needed to show more of everyone! Why I didn’t just add scenes in is beyond me. 

I do really like that suggestion you gave about shortening the stories, which I think I can combine with making them relevant to the events going on in the actual plot, if I do add them in. The mythological figures and some cultural things will have to be touched on for the relevance of the later arcs (lord willin’ they get written), so I’m glad you said that.