#this was a fun trip down memory lane haha

[redrumrose]

OC question for you! What inspired you to create your main guys? Did they have any previous incarnations before they became the characters you have today?

Aw heck yeah! The main crew is inspired by a bunch of different things and kind of fell into place gradually. Mainly, I've always been super interested in "The Atomic Age" and I love mad scientist characters ^^ Alot of them are inspired by things happening in the era as well! (the rise of a new science, hippies, glamour, cowboys, dangerous kids toys, etc. xDD)

Dmitri definitely had a few versions of himself at first xD Originally his story actually took place in the 80s (cause I was really inspired by Stranger Things and Alexei's character xDD). He was also a lot crueler and worked by himself (Sunny wasn't his assistant yet). In his original design he also wore a gas mask with his suit (I wanted it to be that you never saw his face until the very end of the story).

BUT all that changed for many different reasons. One was I had another mad scientist whose story took place in the 80s (Anton and Aubrey), and I didn't want 2 stories to take place in the same era, so I changed Dima's to the 60s (I was more interested in that time period anyway haha). Also at the time I first designed Dmitri, a few months later a popular cartoon pilot came out, and by complete coincidence, a character in there looked similar to him (gas mask with suit and everything). I had to redesign him, I was so pissed too haha xDD But with his design change, I also wanted his story and character to be more fun as well (and less serious), which I think suits him alot better. So thankfully it was all change for the better! ^o^

Sunny also changed a bit from his first version. When I first created him (years and years ago pffft) he was just an artsy beatnik.

He was still very kind and sweet, he also still had his strange hippie parents, but he wasn't a scientist. I'd found an old sketchbook full of old little one off comics I made of him and remembered I still loved his design, so I revamped him a bit and made him an entomologist.

Then somewhere along the line, I wanted Dmitri to have an assistant and figured why not him, and the rest is history haha.

Lastly Chayne was another character that had a big glow up xD

I don't think I've mentioned it before, but Chayne and Sunny were originally created together.

His name was Jaime at first and he was also a beatnik type character xDD But he was always Sunny's friend, a 'bad kid' pffft, a wise ass, and he always had a missing eye xD (I think I was inspired by the emo hairstyle, covering one eye, and thought it would be funny to have a twist to that with a character xDD) As I was developing Dmitri and Sunny's story I wanted ONE more mad scientist and figured bringing Sunny's best friend back. When changing him, I knew I wanted his science to compliment Sunny's a bit, and what better thing to go with bugs then plants. I didn't want a 'Seymour' or even 'Poison Ivy' type plant character though, so I went with a theme in plants we rarely ever see, cacti and desert plants. And with that came his western theme x3 I changed his name too to try and reference "Sonny and Cher" (so Sunny and Chayne) xD Jaime is his middle name now xDD

Oh my gosh I wrote an essay haha (sorry for that ^^;) I could go on all day about character creation and development.

[startanewdream]

So sorry you have covid! Sending healing thoughts! 2....a bit of perspective flip for James' first Quidditch game from TSRTS?

Thanks! We managed three free years, but now hubby started working in a school, so it was so bound to happen :( I'm fine for the moment!

As you asked, here's Lily's pov from Moment of Glory back when she had no feelings for James (as if)!

*****

Her heart pounds loudly, quicker than the cheers of the crowd. Any minute now the Gryffindor team will be announced — James Potter's name will be announced — and there will be no going back. There are no substitutions in Quidditch once the match starts, and what if Lily has just made the worst mistake—

No, no, she tells herself again. Everything worked perfectly so far. Fabian and Gideon had assured her that Potter was the best flyer they had ever seen; it had taken just one thrown-away line ("only the most daring would pick a catkin from the Whomping Willow") to let McLaggan out of the game; Robins, bless him, had just jumped at the idea; and Potter—he was the wild card, the one person that could have sunk this whole idea—but James had a sparkle in his eyes, a touch of daring, and Lily had known he wouldn't back down from a challenge. But what if he got cold feet, what if being in the spotlight would freeze him—

"Potter!" cries Peter loudly, eyes widened, and Lily forces herself to focus on the field. The Gryffindor team is flying around the pit to present themselves; her gaze moves past Sirius' in the third position to look for Potter, at the far edge of the line. He seems okay so far, flying steady to be above the team; his head follows the Golden Snitch as it is released, until he loses sight of it.

Lily wonders how he's holding up there, with the wind cutting his face—she can almost picture the way his hazel eyes are narrowed in concentration, and yet he might be smiling. If Potter was brave enough to go after a werewolf, a Quidditch match was probably nothing to him—

And then the match begins and the first movement, even before the chasers even begin struggling for the quaffle, is a bludger snapping directly up, to the lonely red seeker. He never played Quidditch, Lily remembers suddenly, he said he always flies alone, he wouldn't have practised with bludgers.

Fear grips her heart and it's dismissed as easily as the sideways maneuver that he does; the bludger passes by him with a few inches of distance, but still, it doesn't hit him.

She lets out a relieved breath — it will work. The match is fast, with the usual quick passes of the quaffle and bludger hits; Gryffindor and Slytherin are fairly matched this year, and she should be grabbing the rail, crying as everyone else, but for once, Lily loses focus of Sirius in the middle of the field. Her eyes keep darting up, to where Potter is playing his own Quidditch match — a lonely one, but one that is... beautiful.

She is entranced, that's the word. She has seen other matches before, has seen more than a dozen styles of flying, but the way James Potter flies is like a dance. She understands now why the Prewetts seemed so supportive of her idea; Potter dodges the bludgers effortlessly, sometimes at the last second, sometimes swirling as if he weren't fifty feet above the ground. Sometimes he darts between the middle of the field, dodging players as if they weren't there.

He was born to fly.

It's been only fifteen minutes — though Lily feels like she has been staying there watching for a decade, and it was a good decade — when he darts down; seconds later, he recovers, a glint of gold in his hand, and spotting the warmest smile she has ever seen on his face.

Her heart speeds up. We did it, James.

The team is wrapping him up in a well-deserved hug; she cannot even see his messy hair when Lily jumps towards the stairs. "I'll meet you later!" She yells to Remus and Peter; they understand that as she meant it, and they don't follow her to the locker room.

Her pulse is still fast; Lily blames the race down the stairs, but even as she leans against a column of the room, as she forces herself to breathe evenly and smile calmly, she cannot control it. Sirius beams at her, Fabian winks at her, even Mandy doesn't seem annoyed by her now, but Lily looks past them all until she finds James entering the locker room, still holding the Golden Snitch and—

Her heart stops for a full second.

She hadn't seen him closely with the uniform; it fits him, shapes on his body in ways that she hadn't noticed before. His hair is messier than usual after the wind outside, and it gives him a rebellious air—less like the prince charming she accused him of being and more like an antihero you cannot help but cheer for. His hazel eyes shine more than the glint of the Snitch that he releases in the room to a round of applause, and rather than getting sheepish for it, Potter just smirks; a smile that shows confidence, that says he welcomes that admiration and he knows he earned it.

She's attracted to James Potter.

Her heart resumes its speed with a vengeance. Potter is going to shine, Lily realises. He is charming, even more than Sirius—but this sounds weird now because she is not comparing him to Sirius. There's a sudden urge inside her, a craving, that she never felt for her best friend.

And when James Potter's eyes meet hers, his eyes darkening to a deep shade of honey, Lily almost can taste the kiss she knows they'll share before the day is over.

[ruija]

A trip down memory lane - TMNT 2003

So. The 20th anniversary of 2003 Ninja turtles was a little while ago, but I didn’t have time to draw anything for it 👉👈💦 BUT, I wanted to do SOMETHING for it, even a bit late. 

For context, TMNT 2003 was my introducion to the franchise. Back when it started airing, I was 9yo and was immediately hooked. I think it’s the series/fandom that has stuck with me the strongest across the years. Even if I’d have long periods, even couple year brakes from it, I always dip back at some point. Usually it’d happen by me suddenly having a dream about the turtles, and then going like “Oh, is it that time again? Guess I’ll go check some fanworks, then.” ANYWAY, I thought it’d be fun to dig up some old art and do some redrawing hehheh. Hopefully yall find these somewhat entertaining, I’ve been equal parts cackling and cringing lmao!

Here we have THE FIRST EVER Leonardo I’ve ever drawn! (Made when I was 9) I’m honestly very charmed and kinda impressed by it. Like, he looks really funky and dynamic! That pose and the way the bandanna tails are flying adds really nice movement and energy to the drawing! It was really fun to use it as a base, because the elements of it were already working well!

Also there’s Splinter I drew around that same time. He also has a lot of funny personality haha! (Sorry Splints for being too lazy to redraw you)

(More art and reminiscing under read more!)

BY THE WAY. I’m FUCKING DEVASTATED that I was not able to find a third drawing I remember from this period. It featured Splinter being drunk while Leo looks on horrified. Why? I don’t know. Little Ruija thought it was really funny I guess. Anyway, here’s an imitation piece for demonstration:

Truly shocking. Bad Parent Splinter AU? (I have a suspicion the original is MIA, because I got too embarrassed by it at some point. But I will not lose hope, maybe it’ll turn up someday🙏)

I think the next time I drew fanart of ninja nurtles was when I was 11-12yo and joined Devianart. The account I used to have doesn’t exist anymore, so I wasn’t able to recover files from that time. My only hope is to come across some originals in my old art folders  💦 💦 I have really fond memories from that time. Was quite active in the Sonic and TMNT fandom.

This was drawn when I was 13, I think. I’m sensing... a bit of a fictional crush there. And- Wait a minute. Is that...? ENHANCE

DONNIE?!

Biblically accurate recreation.

Karai from same time period. It’s probably a lesser known fact, that in several iterations, she’s usually among my fave characters.

Grumpy Raph my beloved! This is from when I was 14. Those thighs are tragically skinny! This obviously had to be rectified.

Somewhere in the 14-15yo range. I think I had already picked up a special fondness for Leo+Mikey dynamic <3

And then... I got kind of a whiplash when this piece jumped out from my folders:

What a weird experience. I guess this particular visual spoke to me even 13 years ago.

Well, here’s another one to the pile.

Last piece has a bit of a timeskip! It’s from 2013 ( I was 18yo) and the original post is actually on this blog!

I’ve actually been wanting to redraw this piece anyway, but with my HC of Donnie being really tall, haha. (I keep squinting at Leo and how he turned out very femme in this... Oh well, he/she’s just rocking some transswag)

--

PHEW! This was fun! Made me feel extremely fond, thinking about how excited my younger selves would be to see these redrawings haha.

Earlier I said I didn’t have any works archived from my old DA account, but surprisingly I had a couple screenshots like this:

Back then (2005-2007 in this case) personal websites were common, including ones dedicated to fandom-content. A Japanese tmnt fan going by Sakan-san also had one called FREAKfreak. (She was also on DA) Her art was gorgeous and I thought she was like the best and coolest tmnt artist ever. 

Her webpage had this PAINTchat on it and both Japanese and Western fans would gather there to draw together. Sakan-san would often post the collabs in her gallery afterwards. There were a couple times I was able to join a session with them too, which I was over the moon about! (In the screenshot the bottom right segment was mine lol). It was really cool, that they included a novice artist with extremely broken english amongst them.

Seeing these screenshorts made me remember how much I admired Sakan-san and wanted to draw like her. And then realizing, that now I can✨

--

Another memorable interaction from that time is when I was chatting with some older fans. By the time I got on DA, my country had only dubbed and aired the first two seasons of the 2003 series. I kept seeing fanart of Leo with his shellscar and got curious. I asked the others where he gets it.

They told me he put dynamite on it.

And then said it’s better if I go watch the episodes myself. Fortunately I was able to find and watch rest of the series after that, haha.

--

Maybe that’s enough reminiscing for now! Thanks for the company and all the lovely memories TMNT 2003 <3

I hope you all can also keep creating and having fun within this fandom, for years to come!  💙❤️💜🧡💚

[kyuuxmizu]

I went to watch both events for the Gintama Ato no Matsuri!!

The afternoon event via live-viewing in the cinemas

The evening event inside the actual venue, Ryogoku Kokugikan~

IT WAS HONESTLY THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!

(2023 is also my 15th year as a Gintama fan so what better way to celebrate than attend the matsuri!!!!)

Hihi we used the penlights inside the live-viewing theater too.. hey most of the ppl in our row were using it too okayyy😂😂 It was so much fun!!!

ofc nothing beats the experience of watching it LIVE inside Ryogoku~🥹🥹

3Z Anime announced!!!! Everyone was like majiiiii????

They kindly asked us not to post any spoilers on social media until the evening event ends, so I kept mum about it XD

Upon arriving at the Ryogoku, my friends and I took pics of our matching Sonjuku ita-bags!! 🥹🥹 (Mine is the Takasugi one hehehe)

So many ppl!!

Then I went to pickup my preordered goods, which I'll post later!! XD

Outside Ryogoku~

Inside Ryogoku~

With my sibling wearing our matsuri shirts and sukajan~

We won the tickets during the Advance reservation lottery so we got pretty good seats~ マス席 in the first floor and facing the front! My friends were seated on a different row T^T

On to the event~ (A lot of screaming and crying XD)

I already knew most of what was gonna happen since I watched the afternoon event so I thought my hype would be dampened??? But the emotions just kept flowing!!!!!!!!!! 😭😭😭 (Tho ngl I wished they unveiled the 3z anime in the night event instead... I was expecting another bomb to drop actually hahahah xD)

The atmosphere inside Ryogoku... everyone's so passionate!!! You could feel the love not only from the fans but also from the seiyuu and bands as well!!! Aaaa I love Gintama and it's fandommm 🥹🥹💞💞

Never watched One Piece but the hype inside the venue and Kitadani's energy was so high it made me sing along too, idk how I managed to do it cuz I barely know the song😂😂 they went all out with this even parodying the OP of One Piece and the seiyuu mimicking the strawhat pose😂

Then the 生アフレコ went a trip down the memory lane🥹🥹 Makes me wanna rewatch everything all over again 😭

I started getting emotional when ChicoHani started singing ヒカリ証明論 (Kiheitai tapos Bansai death scene talaga..mashaket po mga mamshie...😭)

And サクラ舞う暁に..it's my fave ChicoHani song okayyy Chico shouting Matsuri ja Matsuri jaaa🌸🌸🌸 So fun to sing along with the crowd!!! Almost everyone switched their lights to pink!! one brain cell~ XD

Their surprise was the Samurai Heart cover!!! 😭😭😭

ChicoHani's gntmと出会わせてくれた song, Pride Kakumei!!! When the Honeyworks guitarist shouted "saikou da saikou" waaaa the hype!!!!! Crowd went crazy!!

Otsu-chan so cute I didn't expect the fox at all (Gintama always subverts expectations so true even for events like these x3)

Toshi always up for anything riding the Thousand Sunny Sadaharu-Eli ship hahahah And Sakaguchi-san!!! 🥹🥹

Then 生アフレコ again~!! XDDD

Surprise was KUROKO's special appearance (with Suzuken as Murasakibara and Nakai-san as Imayoshi!! Chiba-san's side comment: なんかイチャイチャする 😂😂😂😂)

SuzuKen funny he said he could hear Kensho Ono from the Kuroko mascot hahahah

plus GINCHAAAN (for the evening event)

It was so adorable how Sakaguchi-san took a pic of Gin-san and Sugita on stage... He really loves Gintama, ne (The whole cast loves Gintama!! that alone makes it so special)

Sugita's side comment: he wants Oguri Shun to join too hahahaha

DOES so cool!! Everyone switched their lights to red when DOES started their set list~

It's also no secret that Wataru-san loves Gintama sm, he mentions it in his SNS accts frequently🥹🥹 ワタルさんかっこ良かった...有難う! Crowd shouting Wataruuuu Bravo!!! XD

The SPYAIR covers gosh 😭😭😭 I almost cried listening to the Wadachi cover 😭😭😭 (I did cry when I rewatched it through Abema haha 😭😭😭)

From the band's message in the end, it was apparent that SPYAIR really wanted to attend but alas they have no vocalist yet 😭😭😭

The highlight of the event for me was Yama-chan's surprise appearance 🥹🥹 LITERAL CHILLSSSSS I mean... THE KOICHI YAMADERA...

Apparently, Yama-chan never attended events like these and Ato Matsuri was the first one. That alone just made me.....🥹🥹🥹😭😭

is Gintama that special he agreed to make an appearance 🥹🥹😭😭

Or did Higuchi-san (producer) really splurge their budget on him ahahahah

We were joking that they must have spent most of the special guest budget on Yama-chan that's prolly why no other guests appeared 😂

And gosh that man has range.... I also learned that Yama-chan voiced Donald Duck from Kingdom Hearts..!!! That's why his animal and nature dubs (from the special Matsuri manga) are on point 😂😂😂😂

He can sing too (He sang JPN version of Prince Ali and Circle of Life) and had a duet with Hirano Aya (Nobume VA) for the Yakuza game 😭

Koyasu-san was a no-show as usual (I had high hopes since he attended the Isekai Oji-san seiyuu event at Anime Japan last year) He had a voice message tho, saying his ponpon was in pain (basically he had a stomachache) 😂😂

And then there's Sugita's closing message 😭😭😭

That even though gntm has ended 4 years ago, he hasn't forgotten about Gintama

That he'll be Sakata Gintoki until he dies..no, even if he dies 😭😭😭GURL I GOT SO EMOTIONAL!!!

Then he says "Chinko"!! how very Gintoki!!!😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

And finally the Ginpachi-sensei anime which will be part of a series of projects for Gintama's 20th anniversary (which will last until 2026!!!) I am so excited 😭😭😭😭

AAAAAAA MY HEART AND WALLET ARE READY

As Suzuken said 終わらないね銀魂ァァ

Thank you so much Ryogoku~ See you again in the next Gintama Matsuri!!!

[atopearth]

White Album 2 Part 7 - Coda (Setsuna True End)

Time for Coda!! I'm excited to see Kazusa in the story again! As for Setsuna, she really is quite childish tbh lol, I mean it's great that she wants to stick to the promise of meeting once a week but if Haruki has a business trip, what can you do lol. I guess because she's childish, she's also easy to cheer up, but at the same time not really since she's going all the way to Europe. Even though I do think Setsuna's dad is too strict most of the time, considering how airheaded Setsuna can be, I don't blame him. But I do admire Setsuna's relentless pursuit of Haruki I guess, especially to the point that she's willing to go France just to not break their one week promise to always see each other. I honestly wanted to cry a bit seeing and hearing Kazusa. It's probably been about half a year or more since I played the Introductory Chapter so it's been a long time for me too haha, not as long as Haruki and them though. Honestly, both Setsuna's and Kazusa's sprites having big breasts is kinda weird, I feel like the proportions make them look weird, I feel like they don't look natural and as pretty as they used to lol. Anyway, I can see why Haruki can't leave Kazusa alone even if a part of it is because he wants to be with her. She nearly got frostbite! So dangerous and careless of her! I can't say I didn't enjoy Kazusa and Haruki awkwardly chatting together, but I couldn't help but think about how he's going to lie to Setsuna again. Which I'm glad he eventually confessed to because they've decided to be together and continuing to lie to her will just become worse and worse on his conscience and to Setsuna when she finds out, especially if she ever talks to Kazusa.

Honestly, I can't even blame Haruki going back to Kazusa's house and walking down memory lane because that's something I've definitely done before. As for Kazusa, of course she would go haha. It's sad to see them fight, but I'm not sure how I really want their relationship to be right now so I'm not really mad😅 Even though I really didn't like Tomo before, now that she's not annoying more, it's great that she can be a friend Setsuna can confide in about everything even if Setsuna can be frustrating lol. I don't think anyone could have rejected Kazusa hearing how vulnerable she was on the phone. I wanted to tear up just listening to how exhausted and sad she was from just having to live and deal with everything with her concert, the media and Haruki. Kazusa sleeping so peacefully at Haruki's place was really cute but I agree with her mother, Touma Youko. Haruki needs to clearly reject Kazusa for her sake because she'll never do it and she'll keep hoping. Haruki needs to do it because he has Setsuna, and he's obviously wavering too, so rejecting Kazusa will be for his own sake too. But I guess it's easy to say haha, it's difficult to completely end things with someone you really like even if you know it's pointless to continue. Back in the day, when I had someone I really liked but knew it was going nowhere, I also wanted to just stop all contact with them to give myself my sanity back, but I couldn't do it, every day I would go online and look for them and hope to see them online and talk with them. It made me happy but also unbearably sad. And to this day, whenever I think about it, it makes me happy but also extremely hurt.

Anyway, even though I feel bad for Setsuna, I can't deny how much fun I'm having watching Kazusa and Haruki bantering about the silliest things, it's just so nice to watch them. LMAO when he protected Kazusa on the train so she wouldn't have to see that terrible article or whatever it was about her and then she's like there's something poking her butt, and he's like it's my camera!😂😂😂 Kazusa with glasses is so pretty! Honestly, I was really enjoying Haruki and Kazusa interactions, so when Tomo came around to try and tell Haruki to attend Setsuna's concert, alike Kazusa, it felt like I was brought back to reality. Sadly, Haruki and Setsuna are both so stubborn to their detriments. Is Haruki really planning to never talk to Setsuna again until she goes to him? Like he probably feels guilty about Kazusa too but seriously? Can't you fight for this relationship that you cherish? And Setsuna...how long does she want to drag this on, were the last two years that that they shared together meaningless enough that it can't beat her insecurity over him meeting Kazusa once? Honestly, the only people who truly lose are those who keep running away without a fight and she will always lose if she can't take that step forward. I thought she would have had at least a bit more confidence in their relationship but I guess her inferiority towards Kazusa will always win. Haruki bringing Kazusa to see Shibata, her housekeeper back in the day was so sweet.

I can't even blame Haruki when it comes to Kazusa because I definitely can't push her away haha. I'm weak against her too. I'm so glad Kazusa told Haruki about how she was the one who took his first kiss, first everything and then Setsuna stole him away, because Kazusa deserves her chance to tell him everything considering Setsuna made it impossible for her back in the day and caused her to suffer so much. Yeah, there's no right or wrong when it comes to loving someone but they were friends and every time I think about that time, I remember how much I hated Setsuna for doing it even if I could understand why. Even though I'm doing Setsuna's True End, I honestly can't actually feel like that's the path I want to take. I'll still read it of course, but I don't think I could ever pick her as Haruki even if it hurts her. It breaks my heart to see Kazusa like this because she could never move on.

I guess my biggest problem with Setsuna and Haruki's relationship is that they don't communicate properly and they still don't. They continue to hide their feelings, their thoughts until the very last second when they're going to explode and then they're just like yay everything is solved now. The only things they go through together are taking breaks from each other, but they never actually solve their problems together. I'm not surprised Setsuna already knew Haruki was meeting Kazusa. I guess what I don't like about this meeting is that Haruki came here not really because he wanted to see Setsuna but because he wanted to run away from Kazusa and those feelings. He wants to see Setsuna but only because he wants seeing her to reaffirm his own feelings and force himself to not think about Kazusa rather than really care about Setsuna herself. It was obvious that Haruki not attending the concert wouldn't bode well, but just like him and the others, I underestimated how much it would affect Kazusa. She really truly finally broke. Honestly, it was so hard to listen to Haruki say he loves Setsuna the most because it was painful to watch Kazusa so thoroughly expose her emotions and pain, but at the same time have to listen to Haruki say that. Personally though, I really don't feel Setsuna to be the one he loves the most. Kazusa can get quite frustrating and difficult to deal with haha, but I can understand why she's like that. I can't believe Youko has leukaemia... She can't abandon Kazusa like this... I don't want her to die... I wanted her and Kazusa's relationship to continue forever. Kazusa's life is just full of suffering isn't it? Not only does she think Haruki's pitying her, but now she's found out about her mother's condition. Seeing her break down and cry made me want to cry too.

Haruki walking all around the place thinking about the women who gave him support throughout his life and wishing Mari could come back and give him advice and guidance was just saddening. I wouldn't know what to do in his situation if I loved Setsuna the most but couldn't bear to reject Kazusa. How much must we tear Kazusa down? I didn't expect for Setsuna and Kazusa to meet yet but I guess it's inevitable. How fitting for the three of them to work together again with a two week deadline. Honestly though, Kazusa's VA always gets to me. She breaks my heart every time because you can hear how much she's suffering and at her wits end. I guess one thing we can learn from Setsuna is how she never gives up even if it torments her, which can be a bad thing too lol. I was actually thinking that it would be so nice if they could include a song with the three of them in the album so I'm really happy that Kazusa overhauled the whole thing to do what she wanted haha. It really feels like the school festival again. I do feel bad for Haruki though, he's probably the one that's the most out of practice haha! It might be corny but I love the idea of the CD jacket being pure white - a white album to represent the song that connected them all, it's so fitting. The funny thing is that it means Setsuna wasted all her time designing when the perfect one was the simplest one haha. I've always loved how much the three of them love each other, so seeing Setsuna and Kazusa tell each other that they love Haruki as much as they do the other makes my heart really warm.

I had no doubt that Kazusa's concert would be a success, but I was still sad that Haruki and Setsuna couldn't be there to witness it. One thing I'm very happy about is Kazusa deciding to stay in Japan for her mother. Kazusa wanting to succeed in her mother's dream of being number one in the world is so sweet. I can totally see why her mother cried, it really was the sweetest thing Kazusa has ever said hahaha. Honestly, after everything that happened, I found it difficult for me to think Haruki could really love Setsuna more than Kazusa. Every time he said Setsuna was the most important from now on blah blah, it felt empty to me because I don't think I could ever think so. As for Setsuna, I guess it's great that she's consistent but honestly her desire for the three of them to always be together whilst being jealous of Haruki loving Kazusa tires me. I won't say she's fake because it is a genuine desire of hers but I guess that naivety and blind wish for everything to be like that whilst wanting to monopolise Haruki as her lover will always rub me the wrong way. I also don't like how she always feels like she needs to not show Haruki her ugly side and only wants him to remember the perfect part of her when what he loves about her and how he got to know her was through the imperfect parts that she showed and revealed to him in the beginning. Anyway, overall, even though I think Coda is nice, I don't think Coda is for Setsuna, the whole story seems to be meant for Haruki and Kazusa and I don't think you can convince me otherwise. So unfortunately, Setsuna's True End is quite lacking and if I had to choose, I think her ending in CC without going to France was the perfect end for me.

[mrs-luigi-vargas]

Lately during work I've been playing Backyardigans episodes in the background and its been really fun — I've gotten through most of season one so far — but also I've had to restrain myself multiple times from making a spreadsheet about it, lmao. It would be pretty cool, though! I have quite a few ideas for what data to collect…

Regardless, its been a nice trip down memory lane! This show was one of the first things i remember really being "obsessed" with; it might have been late elementary school/early middle school, maybe? I used to scour the library for DVDs all the time, determined to watch all 80 episodes of it even though I'd been pretty sure I was too old for the show, haha

[chicgeekgirl89]

Hello! It's nice ask week and here I am! Because of your ask to me, I ended up showing you my glasses upon the sweet face of my teddy bear. I want to know if you have any inanimate fuzzy companions in your home, either from childhood or something you got in your adulthood? A teddy mascots?

Oh hi!! I was very fond of stuffed animals and blankies as a child. I had sooooooo many! My dad referred to them as the “plush toy minefield” because I would throw them all on the floor when I went to bed at night haha!

I have whittled the collection down to an essential group.

Brenda- the now nearly faceless cat which was given to me by my 1st grade teacher when she retired (her first name was Brenda).

Snuggy- the white bear given to me by my dad the day I was born. He is the most essential and the one I would save in a fire.

Poppy- the brown bear from my grandparents. He is named after my grandfather who we call Poppy.

Sandy- the little cat. I saw her at the airport when visiting those same grandparents and had to have her. Naturally they got her for me ☺️.

Henry- the monkey. He is the newest of the group given to me by a friend in college. I was in choir and when we went on tour we had secret buddies who would gift you things. Henry was from her and I’m sure I had to do something stupid like wear my shirt backward all day or only speak in rhymes to receive him lol.

Big Bunny (not pictured)- I won a coloring contest when I was 6 and Big Bunny was the prize. At the time she was nearly as big as I was. She lives at my parent’s house and I sleep with her when I visit.

This was a fun little trip down memory lane! Thanks for asking!

[authortobenamedlater]

I’m enjoying the crap out of the new Quantum Leap.

I was a big Quantum Leap fan in my high school years. I even hung out on the Quantum Leap Information Kiosk message board for awhile (don’t remember my screen name, but anyone who was on there and sees this feel free to say hi) though I was a couple of decades younger than everyone else there. I got to be around for the hoopla when Scott Bakula got cast as Captain Archer. That was fun.

The new series is different. And I LIKE that it’s different.

I like that we’re getting an inside look at Project Quantum Leap, which we rarely saw on the original show. We saw the staff at the project in three episodes that I remember. Most of what we knew about PQL was through Al telling Sam. The original show was almost exclusively Sam leaping and Al popping in to help. I always wanted to see more of the project, but we never did. Now we do and I love it.

I like seeing that Al and Sam did still meet and become friends after Sam saved Al and Beth’s marriage, although I’m curious if their origin story is the same. I’d love to see Sam’s wife show up at some point, and of course to see Scott Bakula himself make an appearance. Though it’s still sad Al and Sam will never be together on screen again.

The show isn’t objectively awesome, honestly it looks pretty cheap at times (the effects and set in the first episode were BAD), but it makes up for its dips by keeping me guessing. I want to know why Ben jumped into the accelerator when he wasn’t even supposed to be the leaper. Will the Pentagon ever catch up to PQL? What is Janice Calavicci’s axe to grind? What is the deal with this Leaper X???? I want the answers, and I’ll keep watching until I get them even if the show itself is just “pretty good.”

Finally, I’m looking forward to reliving some of my own formative years, even though Ben isn’t restricted to his own lifetime like Sam was. My parents would always make comments like “Oh, I remember [insert major event here]” “Ah, 8-track tapes.” “70s fashion! Glad that’s over with.” It will be fun for me to see relics of my youth and say “Aha! The Backstreet Boys!” “MP3 players, those were the days.” “Haha, I remember my Walkman.” I think I’ll enjoy those occasional trips down memory lane.

[gretavanfleetposts]

I do feel like everyone has been tagged at this point so I'll just say, anyone who wants to do it, should do it! And a huge thank you to @lvnterninthenight for tagging me and being so supportive of my work 🖤

I think it might be fun to look back on what we’ve all achieved this year, let you give yourselves a well deserved pat on the back and also share what you love. When you’re done maybe tag someone else so they can share too!

1. How do you feel 2022 has gone in terms of writing?

I think 2022 has gone really well in terms of writing! At the end of the summer I was ready to be done but then I got my second wind and I feel like it's been going well.

2. What piece are you proudest of this year? It can be a shot/blurb/headcannon, a whole series or even a specific chapter.

Valence! Specifically chapter four and chapter seven (currently being written) but I feel like I'm even more excited for the last few chapters of the series.

3. Is there anything you posted that you wish had reached more people? (No such thing as a flop here!) Shout it out, it might catch a new pair of eyes!

Valence again! Haha I think just in general it's been really new for me and very different from my usual stuff but I'm really proud of it and I do really like it 🤷‍♀️

4. Can you give us a hint of anything coming before the end of the year? Maybe even a little taster?

Probably won't come before the end of the year but a little Danny/Sammy/Reader action that is more like my usual filth.

5. Are you setting any writing goals for next year, or just going with the flow? If you are, what are they?

None at all because that never goes well so we'll just see where the wind takes me.

6. Do you have any one shots or finished pieces you’re tempted to expand on or revisit next year?

Indecent Proposal is always looming in the back of my mind but I also like exploring new ideas so we'll see.

7. Is there anything new you’re tempted to try out? A new style/trope/AU/another person in the fandom?

I'm really enjoying writing Valence specifically because it's so far removed from reality that I feel like I have a lot more freedom. I'd love to do something like that again, if an idea strikes.

8. Now to hype some other writers! What’s a piece you read back in the first half of the year that you can shout out?

What I keep going back to is A Friendly Favor by @gretavandutchy specifically chapter three. I honestly can't even put into words how reading that chapter for the first time made me feel and nothing has quite made me feel the same since, it was masterfully written.

9. And how about something you’ve read more recently?

I admittedly haven't been reading much lately BUT touch by @daisyful-gvfl absolutely blew me away. Anything by @gretasmokerising and @hyperfixated-gvf and @earthlysorrows too although I have some serious catching up to do on all of their masterlists. Nice to always know that I'll love whatever they write though.

10. A fun one to finish...If you could insert yourself into any fic in the fandom, which would it be and what do you think would happen?

A Trip Down Memory Lane by @tlexx 1000%. I wouldn't even change the story, I just want to be the reader. It was the first fic (or first two fics?) I fell in love with here and they'll always hold a special place in my heart.

[tairona-is-taken]

Thanks so much for the tag, @pursuitseternal! I, too, had to dig into the archives for this, haha (although sadly, I have written zero Tolkien fics, so these are all from other projects/fandoms).

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway ❤️

1. The last house on the island had not sunk yet after all, though the waters of the bay stretched in all directions from its stone foundation to the distant horizon, glittering like crinkled tin foil in the afternoon sunlight. (Original fantasy novel)

Next up, all my Star Wars fics on AO3:

2. The comm came through just as Vader entered the moon’s atmosphere, a red blinking light indicating that it was of the highest priority. (The Boy Who Lived)

3. As soon as her last debriefing with NR Intelligence was over, Mara hurried to her temporary quarters in the Imperial Palace, threw her bag on the carved four-poster bed and started packing. (Killing You Softly)

4. Beru would always remember the first time she saw Darth Vader. (Worthy of Love)

5. Luke hasn’t thought of Old Ben in ages, but one morning he wakes up and just knows he has to go see him. (I'm Here to Rescue You)

6. “Son, how much longer are you going to waste your time on these pointless language lessons?” (Beyond Measure)

7. It started innocently enough, with Solo and Skywalker trading stories about stupid things they’d done while drunk. (What Happens on Hoth)

And now we've got to start digging into my DCU Livejournal fanfic from 15 years ago O_o ...

8. "All right, boys, come and get it," Lois grumbled as she set a cardboard tray holding four cups of coffee down on her desk. (A Lead)

9. On hands and knees in the ruined Fortress, with fingers beginning to blacken from frostbite, Clark claws at the snow, scrabbling to pick up the green Father Crystal from where it lies. (The Memento)

10. 6:00 PM. It was already 6:00 PM, Bruce realized with a start, and he had only finished reviewing the first unit of his fluid mechanics class. (In Arms of Undertow)

Anyway, what a fun trip down memory lane! And I was amazed that I managed to pull together this list without including any of my oldest fics (from Howl's Moving Castle fandom). I've written more than I thought over the course of my extremely sporadic fandom career!

As usual, I'm late to the game and nearly everyone's already been tagged, but here are a couple no pressure tags for folks I think haven't joined in yet :) -- @hikarielizabethbloom, @haladriel, @greenskyoverbluemountains

And anyone else who hasn't been tagged and wants to play, feel free to jump in!

[lastonthebrakes]

I’m watching old press conferences as a way to catch up on what has happened in MotoGP. Since you are a long suffering Yamaha fan, I wonder what your thoughts were when Jorge Lorenzo signed with Ducati. Jarvis mentions in the press conference that Lorenzo and Yamaha and the M1 is a winning machine and from a high level understanding of what happened (having not watched the races and know that anyone that challenged Marc for the title was Dovi) it seemed like a misstep to go away from Yamaha. Just want to know some opinions!! I always hear about opinions on his stint with Yamaha and not really much with Ducati or even Honda

hii! i'm gonna put my answer under the cut in case i go off on too much of a rant haha

i think a huge factor in this whole thing was the 2015 season (idk what your level of knowledge on it is but it was, to put it lightly, a flaming hot Mess lmao). the relationship between between vale and jorge certainly wasn't great before (hell, they had a wall in between their sides of the garage), and the 2015 season certainly didn't make it any better. not to go off on too much of a tangent, but yamaha were always going to slightly favour rossi (if my memory serves me, there was a thing about them canceling lorenzo's 2015 title celebration lol), and ultimately lorenzo had had enough of it. i've just went through some old interviews (it was a long time ago okay lmao i needed some refreshing of my memory) and lorenzo went with the old and trusty "time for a new challenge" tagline to explain the switch and tbf the ducati was a decent bike, just hard to take the reins of right off the bat unless your name is casey stoner.

me personally, as a die-hard vale fan, i wasn't too sad to see lorenzo go, but it really was an end of an era, and ultimately he was never able to replicate the success that he had at yamaha. much like rossi, he really struggled on the ducati at first, which wasn't a surprise tbh and then he started winning immediately after he got fired lmao, again not uncommon for ducati, if i remember correctly dovi also won the race right after he announced he wouldn't be continuing with them. have i mentioned people management isn't ducati's strongest suit? yeah

so was it a mistake for him to leave yamaha? possibly, but at the end of the day, barring 2017, marquez was so insanely dominant that i don't think lorenzo would've been able to contend either way

okay this was A Lot lmao and i hope i managed to get my point across haha, but i wanna thank you so much for this ask cause it was very fun to kinda go on a little trip down motogp memory lane while we wait for our beloved bikes to return <3

[nobito203]

Hello,

How are you today?? It's your birthday, isn't it?? Hope you're having a great day filled with best wishes from everybody. I want to write something, and since I'm pretty good with words, so why not this occasion and why not about you?? Shall we??

We met summer 2019, crazy huh?? It's been 3 years since that day. It also was the last time we met physically. So many things have changed since. We're all busy. Still, it's nice to check in sometimes, to know we are still in existence 🤪🤪. Thanks the social media platforms for that. It's been a while since the last time we checked in. As you may have known or not, I'm pretty nostalgic, so I decided to take a trip down memory lane.

Let's see, it's silly to not mention I had crush on your 3 years ago when talking about our relationship. It's dumb to look forward to the future without knowing what happened in the past, right?? That was wild. I never felt about someone the way I felt about you. All of my closest friends knew about it. Your mysterious charm captivated my curiously young self. As far as I know, you’re very reserved, independent, and emotionally intelligent. People normally take personality for granted. In some cases, it takes a great deal of time for people to realize each personality tells a peerless story. You were more open as we continued talking, which I personally still think you don’t do that often to someone you just met. You said you have problem with trust, generally; thus, it takes time for you to open up with someone. Indeed, "good things take time". I found that very attractive. Trust needs to be earned. Reading wise, you showed me "The Suicide Shop" - still the best dark humor novel I've ever read. That book had taught me keep embracing to what I value, and things will get into places although what I value might not fall into what the majority values. You said you like jazz music and listen to a lot of Niki. Such a classic vibe. Those small things were what made you special.

Telling you my feeling took a toll on our relationship. Things got awkward afterwards but I think it was very normal and understandable. I believe it was supposed to be like that. Time went by, I broke the awkwardness between us because I didn't want us get into a predicament, which I was very proud of myself handling that. I'm glad we reconciled and continued chatting once in a while. Hope you feel the same? Honestly, I don't regret it. That was one the best summers in my life. I will always remember it. Life is too short to hold back the feeling we have for someone we're attracted to. Plus, we were young, so why not go wild while we can. I still find it very fun and memorable whenever I think about that time.

3 years later, we don't talk as much as we're used to be 3 years ago. But what can I say?? Out of sight, out of mind works in pretty much every circumstance. Still, I'm happy we are still keep in touch. Always hope to have more chances to talk to you, but it doesn't seem ideal at the moment. Gotta be practical haha 😂😂. Does it get easier to trust someone yet?? We have different lives (of course) and there are different things are craving our attention. I strongly believe things in life happen for a reason. Let it be.

Today is your birthday, I wish you health and wealth (including tăng lương), be surrounded by people you love and love you. Life in NYC must be really fun I reckon, tho it could be stressful sometimes. I hope life will bestow upon you everything you deserve. I want this writing can be a nice touch for your birthday. I'm very grateful we met and became friends. I appreciate you spent some times to chat, I appreciate you used to be someone special to me. Tho we don't talk much anymore, I hope these words serve as a reminder that you are a very special person to yourself, not only today, but everyday. Stay special and slay it. Feeling special is a way of living. I can't wait to see what you gonna achieve next.

Feliz cumpleaños 🎂🎂

May 2022

A friend of yours:

- No Name

P/S: Are you still "bay là là" everyday??

[artemislian2003]

(After picking up Wally from the airport, the gang takes him to Mount Justice for their annual Christmas Eve party)

(Kaldur, Dick, and Conner then help Wally put his bags in his room at Mount Justice)

Kaldur: So Wally. How does it feel to be back?

Wally: Honestly. Really strange. But it is nice.

Dick: Yeah well, it felt weird having you gone for so long.

Wally: So you guys really missed me, hmm?

Dick: Just a little.

Wally: Hahaha! Sure! I’m not that easily forgotten.

Conner: You can say that again.

(M’gann knocks on the door)

M’gann: Time to start the party! Are you boys ready?

Wally: Totally!!

Dick: Let’s go!

(Wally, Kaldur, Dick, and Conner all make their way to the kitchen where they find Zatanna and Artemis helping M’gann set the table)

Wally: Holy Smokes! Look at all this yummy food!

Artemis: I see you haven’t changed

Wally: Artemis! Hey!

Artemis: Hi Wally. It’s great to see you!

Wally: Same here!

M’gann: Ok! Everyone grab a chair!

(As everyone begins sitting down, Wally and Dick decide to sit together with Artemis next to Dick)

Dick: Wally?

Wally: Yeah dude?

Dick: Do you think you could maybe switch seats with me?

Wally: Why?

Dick: Well, you know how much I love M’gann’s mashed potatoes. And, well, I want to be as close as I can to them.

Wally: Seriously Dude?

Dick: Please?

Wally: “Sigh” Fine!

(Immediately Wally finds himself next Artemis)

Artemis: Oh! Hi again.

Wally: Heh. Hi. Dick wanted to be close to the mashed potatoes, so he made me switch seats with him.

Artemis: Oh. Interesting.

Wally: Yeah.

(As everyone is talking and eating, Wally finds himself just listening to their conversations for a change)

Kaldur: I love the snow as well, Richard.

M’gann: Me too! I always enjoy making snow aliens! What about you Conner?

Conner: The snow’s ok, I guess. I prefer swimming.

Artemis: Haha! I can’t believe I just heard you say that!

Zatanna: Snow is great, but I agree with Conner. Swimmer is so much better. I can’t wait for the warmer weather to come back! We should all plan a trip to the beach when it warms up!

Artemis: That sounds fun! I’m not much of a swimmer, but a good book on a warm, sunny day is always great.

Dick: Uuuuh! A book?! No, no. A good volleyball tournament is my style!

(As Wally continues to listen to all his friends share their different opinions and laugh, he begins to miss life as a kid)

M’gann: Hahaha! Oh Conner! Hey? Wally? Are you ok? You seem down.

Wally: Huh? Oh! No. I’m fine. Just listening to the conversation.

Dick: Listening? Man! Harvard must be a good school if it can get you to actually start listening!

Wally: Haha! Very funny!

Kaldur: This meal was wonderful girls! Thank you!

M’gann: Of course! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

Wally: Yeah! It was great! Just like old times!

(As the girls finish cleaning the dinner table, Wally decides to tour the Mountain. As he looks around, he begins reminiscing all the good times he had with the group)

(After Artemis finishes helping M’gann with the dishes, she decides to go change into her pajamas. While walking to her room, Artemis notices Wally looking at an old picture of the team)

Artemis: Hey? Are you alright?

Wally: Oh?! Artemis? I didn’t know you were there.

Artemis: Sorry. Did I scare you?

Wally: Scare me? Haha! No! Of course not!

Artemis: Wally?

Wally: I was just walking down memory lane.

Artemis: Those were some good times.

Wally: Makes you want to go back. Doesn’t it?

Artemis: Sometimes. Wally? You were so quiet during dinner. Are you sure you’re ok?

Wally: No Artemis. I’m not ok. Coming back to Mount Justice and seeing all of you guys, well, it makes me sad. I miss being here. I feel like I made so many mistakes. And now, I can’t go back.

Artemis: What mistakes Wally?

Wally: Like going to Harvard, leaving the Young Justice League, and…leaving you.

Artemis: Wally. I…

Wally: Artemis. I’m so sorry. I said so many horrible things to you! I hurt you. I never want to do that again. Please, Artemis. Please forgive me.

Artemis: Wally, everything you said, you were right about. I was so afraid that if you left, you would find someone else or we would grow apart. And because of that, I ended up destroying our relationship. I was selfish. I’m so sorry.

Wally: Artemis.

(Slowly Wally and Artemis come closer to each other and begin kissing. With emotions strong, tears start to fall from both their faces)

[alt-bluesman]

Animal Crossing memories, part 1

New Horizons was my first Animal Crossing game. I recently picked it back up after about 3 years of barely touching my Switch and got into it again. The floodgates of memories and nostalgia opened far and wide. Just like in 2020, the game came at the right moment for me (and many others), but for different reasons this time!

... then my enjoyment was abruptly cut short by the Joy-Con drift, lmao. I used the console for less than 700 hours in total (so not even a full month), diligently keeping it clean and shielding from any damage. All in vain! My left analog stick started showing signs of the dreaded drifting within half a year of first use and soon after it got so bad that it rendered any game pretty much unplayable.

So I did the thing. I sent my Joy-Cons all the way to Czechia for free repair (there is no official Nintendo distributor/representative in Poland). I'm glad this is still an option because it is honestly the only right thing to do after the whole Joy-Con blunder. I hope they don't replace the hardware with the same trash parts they used the first time!

While I'm waiting for the controllers to come back, I may as well go on a little trip down the memory lane, just for the heck of it. I went through my gallery and found out I have almost 300 screenshots, holy smokes. I'm usually not this eager to save screenshots or clips, but I'm so glad I did it! Now let's jump right into it and pay a short visit to the island of Pan!

I went into the game knowing almost nothing about it. But everybody was talkin' about it, playin' it & lovin' it, so I wanted in! The first moments were enchanting, I was completely unfamiliar with the rules and mechanics, so having to figure it all out on my own was very exciting. That's how I like to approach my games - the less I know, the better. It's funny to look back at all the newbie mistakes you made. Huh? Well then... it's certainly funny to me!

(I used to think that writing board posts affected the game and your villagers could somehow understand what you wrote!)

Katt & Mac were my starters. Not the worst, definitely not the best. Then all the bird villagers began moving in and I was fuming. With few exceptions (and penguins! I love penguins), I find AC birds to be rather boring and unappealing in appearance. And Pan was full of them. Pompom the duck promptly became the main recipient of my rage. Now cue the examples:

She really didn't have it easy on Pan, haha. Looking back on it though, it was all part of the fun! Some of my my most memorable moments were born this way! Made the game sorta challenging too because I wanted to move her out so bad. I also had no regards for island theme or aesthetics at that time, meaning when there was a bird house, there was fire, trash and barbed wire. And poop.

Later I bought a bunch of fakemiibos and kicked Pompom out with Rowan. I remember being frustrated out of my mind at all the birds, but then moving out villagers with cards became way too easy. I still regret buying so many of them, I think I will attempt to sell them except the absolute favourites. Focus on villager hunting as it makes them a lot more precious!

Oh I'm sure you won't, you poor thing. You know what's crazy? I don't hate Pompom at all anymore, I kinda developed some fondness for her after all the absolute mayhem I put her through. I wouldn't mind her coming back to my island. May we meet again in the future, Pompom... you moron!!

I have almost no recollection of visiting Harv's Photopia, but apparently I did that a lot! Least favourite villagers versus villagers I liked. And Katt that fell somewhere in the middle. She got stuck with cleaning after us, but at least didn't have to put up with ominous death threats while wearing dumb clothes.

Visiting and inviting friends was so much fun. Touring their islands, seeing their progress, drawing on boards, exchanging items or DIY recipes and sending letters are some of the best memories I have! The loading screens were abysmal & the lack of mini-games was rather disappointing, but I still got a lot of enjoyment out of the multiplayer despite its limits.

One of my favourite things to do is arranging the villagers' yards based on their style, personality and hobbies. Those are old and outdated examples, though my decorating skills are still very modest compared to all the pro players - it's absolutely amazing what some people can pull off in this game. But even then, it's another fun thing to do. What else do ya need!

(Getting that first lily of the valley was a big moment for me, came unexpectedly & took ages)

Kangaroos are my most beloved species in AC. Sylvia was my fave for a long time, but I believe that spot belongs to Kitt now! I got Kitt from another player and based on what they told me, she was well loved on their island. All the gifted clothes she came with are so darn cute - especially the red bow she likes to parade in. I know she's just a fictional animal, but man, I just love my Kitt. I wish other kangaroos such as Marcy, Koharu and Valise were still in the game.

(Naturally, nothing could have stopped me from ruining Kitt. Nintendo has since censored "feck" and it's no longer allowed. FECK)

"Fatass" didn't get that kind of treatment yet! It raised to the rank of the most popular catchphrase on Pan. Along with, regretfully, "ketchup".

(It's a moment of triumph whenever my deranged ideas get sprinkled on whatever they say & the results turn out like this)

I love New Horizons to bits, but I have to agree with one of the main criticisms it received - the dialogue is overly polite and repetitive, therefore it feels rather lackluster. I didn't get to experience rude remarks nor Mr. Resetti's angry outbursts from the previous games. I feel like I'm missin' out! I wouldn't necessarily want to be constantly berated by fictional animals, but I wish this game made me experience a wider range of emotions. So sometimes I build those awful Snowboys just to get a small taste of what true AC veterans still fondly remember.

Credit where credit is due: I thoroughly enjoy the dialogue between villagers. It can be interesting, funny, witty and spicy, sometimes a bit mean too! I live for that stuff & always bolt towards them whenever I see them talking - it's one of the very best highlights of New Horizons for me that often appears to be overlooked by many other players.

_______________

End of part 1! I will share my final thoughts, favourite screenshots and future plans in another post because I reached the image limit in this one, lmao. See you soon!

[ratking-lyrr]

Something inspired me to doodle a covertly villainous Toad. He's supposed to be a sort of trap layer, but halfway through I realized I just made a Mario Maker creator, haha. Still a fun little thing to do and a trip down memory lane. A friend and I used to make up OCs when we were kiddos. Good times.

[braveandsnipe]

braveandsnipe's 2022 tokusatsu retrospective

in which i take a trip down memory lane and talk about all the toku i watched this year!

Kamen Rider

This year I completed 5 Kamen Rider series: Drive, Ghost, Ex-Aid, Zi-O, and Zero-One!

Kamen Rider Zi-O (Dec. 2021 -> Jan. 2022)

Started the year with an ending haha. Out of the 5 series I watched, this was the one that took me the longest to complete. At the time, I had only watched Wizard, Den-O and Build, so I didn't understand every reference in the show. I honestly wonder if that makes a difference. On one hand, I couldn't be mad at the show if they botched a "tribute" cause I didn't know any better, but on the other, maybe I would've enjoyed it more/been more motivated to watch if I knew more of the returning characters. Overall, I enjoyed the series. I thought it was very fun, even if it didn't necessarily stick to it's own mechanics (which in of itself is a huge flaw, but that's discussion for another day) and it's slow decent into a Decade AU™. I love Woz, and the main 4 group is one of my favorites. The 0.5 episodes we're also gold, I loved the self-reference humor. As for things I wish it did differently, definitely making Tsukuyomi a rider earlier. And I didn't particularly enjoy the final episodes (although that could've been because I stayed up until 4AM and had work at 8AM).

Kamen Rider Drive (Jan. 2022)

Inspired by the 2018 hit Kamen Rider Zi-O I decided to watch Drive not to long after. It wasn't really a season on my radar, but I was intrigued by Chase. Initially, I did enjoy it, even though the first 12-ish episodes did drag at times. But after Gou comes and especially the 001 arc, it got way better. Looking back on it now, while I still like it, I don't like it as much as I did when I first watched it. It's solid, but I wouldn't say any character stuck out to me or with me once I finished. Similar to Zi-O, I wish they made Kiriko a rider. I'd argue, she potentially could've made a more interesting main than Shinnosuke, given her relationship to the villains (creator). Maybe could've gotten an interesting family dynamic out of it.

Kamen Rider Ghost (Jan. 2022 -> Feb. 2022)

A more polarizing entry (on twitter anyways). I wasn't really going in with any expectations good or bad. The first 11 episodes were hard for me to get through, but after that, the show does get a flow going and became easier to watch. Similar to Drive, none of the characters particularly stood out (except Alain) for me, but I liked the supporting cast of Ghost better than Drive. I wish they did a bit more with Makoto because (at least concerning the show, no extras) he just feels like he's there. Sure, he has a connection to the other two riders, but he himself never does much besides look out for Kanon or the others. (Maybe he did more than I remember, but I haven't rewatched. I do think his V-Cinema delve more into his character, so maybe I'll get around to watching it). I liked Alain's arc the most, him and Ms. Fumi were iconic and episode 30/31 made me so sad (I cried at work). And Takeru was a fine protagonist. The only thing I didn't really like was how they killed him off 3 times (4 counting Heisei Gen.)

Kamen Rider Ex-Aid (Feb. 2022)

I did not go into this series expecting the impact it would have on me. The main reason I watched it was to finish out the second half of Phase 2 (Drive -> Zi-O) before Zero-One. Honestly, while this is the series out of this list I rewatched the most episodes of, I don't particularly love it. Coming off of Ghost, the beginning of Ex-Aid was really refreshing, and I liked the conflict and connections between the 4 riders. It started falling off for me once Parad became a rider and the introduction of Masamune. I really don't know why I dislike Parad, every time he's was on screen I just got annoyed. And then I didn't like what happened during the finale. But with the bad was good, ie: my namesake. I really don't know why I loved Hiiro and Taiga as much as I did at the time. In a sense, I think I related to certain parts of their respective personalities (which is probably not good...), but otherwise it wasn't like their characters storyline took off until the mid-30's of a 45 episode show. In retrospect, while it it a bit rushed given the timeframe of the show, their story was still really compelling to me. I haven't talked much about V-Cinemas and extra content (mainly cause they're mostly harmless but not much to talk about), but allegedly Ex-Aid only got 45 episodes so they could get the V-Cin. trilogy, and boy do I hate that because the Brave and Snipe V-Cinema was bad. Surprisingly, it didn't hit until my spontaneous rewatch where I realized how dirty it did the characters. In short, Ex-Aid: High-Highs but Low-Lows

Kamen Rider Zero-One (Apr. 2022)

The final series I watched before never finishing a series until this month. Similar to Ex-Aid, I think Zero-One has some really good highs (some of my favorite characters and moments from the franchise), and really bad lows. The writing of Zero-One (in terms of implications) isn't the best, and even arcs were pretty hit or miss. Like a lot of people talk about how the job wars arc was drawn out, and initially I disagreed because I didn't find it that terrible, but thinking back to it, I remember making a post that was like "the most interesting thing about the past 10 episodes was that Fuwa had a chip in his head" so I guess there wasn't plot development. I liked how a lot of the early episode felt like a tour of the town Aruto lives in and we get to meet people (workers) in the community, almost like a carrer fair. Looking at the episodes in a vacuum, I think they're quite nice. I really liked Metsuboujinrai, probably my favorite villain group. At first I thought Horobi saying Jin was his child was going to be a throw away line or like resolved relatively quickly, but it wasn't. The reveal that Horobi was a father-type humagear, and in the final episodes where he slowly was coming to terms about caring for Jin are some of my favorite moments. In episode 42 (?) when Jin sacrificed himself, even though I knew what was coming (the whole "your the only father I ever had" line), I still cried so much during the scene. It was very well done. Ikazuchi and Naki were good support characters, I'm glad each of them have some funny/iconic/good scenes. I wish they had done more with Yua outside of Gai. I feel like Gai gets more to do than her despite her being the tertiary introduced in episode 3. The whole chip in Fuwa's head thing was also weird (I don't have the words to explain it right now). I liked that Fuwa liked Aruto's jokes because their similar to the ones his dad made. I think Aruto is an interesting character to be the main, it's kind of weird he was just thrown into the company, and a bunch of other things I'm going to leave for another day. I don't think Gai needed a redemption arc, but I teared up when he got Thouser back. (Wow I had a lot to say)

2. Super Sentai

I didn't watch that much Sentai this year, and only completed 2: Seijuu Sentai Gingaman and Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger

Seijuu Sentai Gingaman (~May 2022)

I kind of forgot I watched this lol. Overall, it was better/more fun than I was expecting it to be.

Bakuyuu Sentai Abaranger (Nov. 2022 -> Dec. 2022)

I started this one day because no one (my teachers) decided not to show up to school. I ended up enjoying it a lot. I like the team dynamics, and it was solid at balancing silliness and seriousness. I think having the motws be made from forms of art (painting and music) was cool and made for some cool designs/abilities.

3. Ultraman

This year I finished the trifecta and watched 2 Ultraman Series: X and Orb.

Ultraman X (Aug. 2022)

I watched this for totally legit reasons…/ It was alright, but it kind of just felt like the same thing (formula) for 20 episodes. I did like the 24 hours at Xio episode and the Ginga S crossover. I also think this series had some good effects and the fact that their car turns into a jet is so funny to me.

Ultraman Orb (Sept. 2022)

I liked this series better than X. It was more interesting and I feel like there was more intrigue and a story line. The unfolding of the connection between Gai and Naomi was great and overall I liked the one episode plots

4. Power Rangers

Since I've watched most Power Rangers, I only finished the latest series this year. I sometimes forget power rangers is a tokusatsu lol.

Dino Fury (Feb 2021 -> Sept. 2022)

I said a lot about what I thought about the show on my other blog. Generally, I think it has good idea, but the execution of them is hit or miss.

(wow this kind of fell off at the end)