#(but i'm sure it would be neat and cool!!) and we could support each others dreams and shit and we could meet irl and kiss

[ruensroad]

I've been musing a lot on an SVSSS x Inuyasha AU. The obvious angle following the plot formula would lead us to BingQiu (SY), which is very sweet and cute. Half demon meets man from the future, it all fits very very nicely. It even fits with Binghe's past with Shen Jiu, who we all know wouldn't hesitate to pin that beast onto a tree with an arrow at any opportunity, let alone for some priceless artifact.

I'm sure I'm not the first person to see this connection. It really does slot together so so well ;3; However, my JiuYuan lovin' heart wants to be contrary because, really, could you just imagine?

Everything about the plot is pointed to one relationship conclusion. The half demon protagonist meets a person from the future who reminds him of the one who betrayed him, and slowly he heals and finds love. So imagine that, what if, instead of following the plot as he is supposed to, Shen Yuan instead falls head over heels for the nebulous, antagonistic and very unhappily resurrected Shen Jiu?

I don't like sacrificing characters in order to claim a pairing, and indeed I know Binghe could have his pick of other characters to woo. I just love the idea of being contrarian to where a plot would usually go, flipping it on its head, and getting a whole different kind of story out of it.

Shen Yuan, who knows this story, who understands the role each character is meant to play. He is there to support the Protagonist, to be the Love Interest, to be a sidekick and friend. Shen Jiu, once brought back to serve as a recurring spectre to hinder the Hero's path, is meant to deal damage and Drama to Luo Binghe. Shen Yuan shouldn't even really be on his radar, except as a way to further hurt the beast he hates so much.

Love Triangle drama that Shen Yuan decides he'll destroy because if they just stopped being Idiots, a good third of the damn book could be avoided. This involves seeking out the vengeful Shen Jiu and dealing with him on a reasonable level.

Of course, in trying to avoid Drama, he instead gets a fixation. And why not? There's a lot to unpack with this antagonist, and the curiosity could go both ways. After all, Shen Yuan makes no secret that he is from a different world.

I just feel Shen Yuan would shine in such an AU. He gets to travel around and see all different kinds of cool creatures (!!), meet awesome demon hunters (LQG!!!), and other demons both good and bad. And Shen Jiu wouldn't just suffer in his role, forever lost to his hate and rage. Here's someone making a connection, making an effort for him, finding worth in surviving this hell he did not ask for.

Shen Jiu being that anti-hero that doesn't help the Protagonist, but will come and help that silly sidekick of his, arriving stylishly when there's trouble, when Binghe is distracted, and realizing he can be around Shen Yuan all while annoying the absolute shit out of the Hero. Let them be sassy and snarky and not always perfect allies, but still somewhat there despite their roles in the plot.

IDK, I just think it would be neat.

[girlscience]

played swtor one time with a stranger who invited me to a group (after accidentally stealing their dataport they had to destroy and giving them the next one): this is my meet-cute

[burningthetree]

for the writing ask!

politely requesting numbers: 2, 4, 13, 21, 30, 31, 45, (i'm always looking for stuff to read) 66

i know this is so many lol i'd love to hear them all btu pick and choose ones you'd like to answer!

love you 4ever <3

Hi love! Ask and ye shall receive <3 under the cut because I ramble, I love you <3

2. A notable time a narrative / character has looked me dead in the eyes and said “fuck your plan, here’s what we’re actually doing”

Either one of my long fics to be honest. When I started writing fmn, it was supposed to be a 10k one-shot and turned into a 150k monster. When I started writing s&w, it was supposed to be 50k, and we’re at 124k and I’m halfway through now. In fmn, I blame Bokuto. In s&w, I blame Kuroo and Iwaoi, because they introduced these ridiculous side-plots that were never meant to be there. And in s&w, I also blame Atsumu, because turns out that he’s more fun to write than I originally thought. They all raised their middle fingers at me and are so mean actually

4. the plot bunny I’ve been carrying for the longest? Bonus: Do you ever wonder why you haven’t written it yet and experience deep existential regret?

Mmm I think that would be my high fantasy idea? I’ve had it since I was 13-ish but I don’t think I’ll ever end up writing it. I do think about why I keep ignoring it, but I think it’s just because it’s an intimidating genre, though it makes me sad that this holds me back from trying. (I did start drafting a fictional language and its grammar, but got stuck while working on my thesis.) The deep existential regret is there for sure :)

13. A writing experience that has pleasantly surprised me

I’ve been doing some original writing lately, and I have a submission for a student magazine that got accepted. I had to work together with an editor and send my draft back and forth to work on it and I was dreading it—it’s so jarring to send your writing to someone and them editing it. But it was the loveliest experience I could have ever asked for, and I am so glad I was brave and send in an idea that they ended up accepting. That being said, I also have my most recent writing experience where I’m actually working towards a deadline to have it published (and available for judgement from a jury and also available for purchase?). It’s been really scary IMO but, after writing my first three chapters, my best friend read them and gave me feedback, while my other friends encouraged me to do it. And it’s just so lovely to finally manage to be open about me being passionate about writing and having my friends be so lovely and supportive :)

21. A writer to co-write a book with and what we’d write about

Honestly my favourite author is R.F.Kuang and in my dreams, we are working on a novel together. I don’t know what we’d write about, but I think we would have a similar passion across genres as well as an affinity for linguistics, and I think we’d make a neat team. I’d also learn so much from here so that would be pretty cool overall. In terms of fanfiction writers, I’d write something with you Cat :) it’d be a Romeo and Juliet x Haikyuu crossover

30. Most inspirational quote I’ve ever read / heard that is still important to me

From R. F. Kuang’s Babel: “That’s just what translation is, I think. That’s all speaking is. Listening to the other and trying to see past your own biases to glimpse what they’re trying to say. Showing yourself to the world, and hoping someone else understands.” It’s just. Yummy.

As a teenager, this one meant a lot to me, and it still comes to mind for each time someone asks me for a quote: “Broken is not the same as unfixable.” From Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles.

45. Name of three of my favourite fanfic writers

Since you’re asking for writing recommendations, I guess I won’t name you -_- in Haikyuu, it’s CheCheCheer, daydreamer1227, eldureira. THIS IS DIFFICULT. I’m trying not to name the ones that show up in like every rec list lol

66. When I have felt the most confident in my writing

I think that is each time my friends read something I write and then they tell me their honest opinion, which is usually positive. And like, I trust my friends to be completely honest with me and tell me if something is garbage. So that is always a big confidence boost. Also, a long, long time ago when I was 10 years old, we had creative writing workshops in school, and my teacher complimented my writing and told me that I was good at it. Getting approval from him and a couple of other teachers as well as encouragement really meant a lot, and I don’t think I would have continued writing as much if I didn’t have this memory to fall back on :)

[takohebi]

If I may ask. Can we please have more 16+ stuff with Jamil (while i'd prefer JamiYuu or AzuJami, the ship used is up to you)? I'm thirsting for him and there's too little content about him 😭

Hello Anon, unfortunately yeah, Jamil is not as popular as other characters I think. I was missing my ot3 recently so your ask helped me write a small jamiyuu ficlet. (Please be nice, it hasn't been beta'd or edited because I've been pretty busy with work this month)

Jamiyuu (gn!Yuu) , mildly spicy I guess (they're making out, so)

"Shh, you don't want anyone to find us, do you?" Jamil whispered against Yuu's ear, his silken voice teasing but laced with want. He had the prefect pinned against the far side of the row of lockers in the NRC Basketball Club's currently empty locker room. They were out of sight for now but the invisible space was narrow and they could quite easily be discovered by other students (or worse, Vargas).

Yuu whimpered, their mouth going slightly slack as Jamil kissed their ear and then their neck. They had come only to see their boyfriend at basketball practice. But one thing led to another and very soon the two found themselves entangled with each other in rather compromising ways.

What started as a simple kiss was now desperate clawing, needy whines and low, sighing moans. Yuu's hands slipped under Jamil's loose jersey and ran over his toned back. His body was slick with sweat but that only served to exacerbate Yuu's desire. Everything about him drove them crazy- his voice, eyes, scent… and Jamil knew this. And often took advantage of it. Like now.

One of Jamil's arms supported his weight against the locker while the other coiled around Yuu's waist. Jamil nipped lightly at Yuu's neck, eliciting a sharp gasp from them. Smirking, he kissed their exposed collarbones and teased his lips lower as his leg parted Yuu's, and pressed his thigh against them.

"Ja-Jamil, I can't…"

"can't what?" Jamil unbuttoned their shirt a little, rather nonchalantly, exposing their skin to him.

"Please…" Yuu bucked their hips against Jamil's leg.

In lieu of a response, Jamil kissed Yuu in the middle of their chest. Yuu's breathing grew heavier, louder. As if on cue, voices sounded very close to the room, probably coming from students just outside. Yuu looked at Jamil in panic but he kept his cool. Not letting go of Yuu, Jamil kissed them deeply, muffling their sounds.

The students voices grew closer as a couple of them began to open a locker door and casually chat, unaware of the scandalous scene taking place just a few feet from them.

Jamil, hand ghosted over Yuu's chest, as he placed feather-light touches over their clothes, clearly intending to rile them up even more, despite the danger lurking (literally) around the corner.

Yuus body visibly relaxed when the voices finally grew faint.

Jamil pulled back a little to observe his lover's face.

Their eyes were glazed and they were panting very hard, chest heaving. Their hands were now fisting his jersey. Their hair and clothes were a big mess. A slight pang of guilt pierced through the surge of pride he felt as he regarded them. Perhaps he could escort them to somewhere… safer.

Kalim's club activities would take another hour to finish and that's plenty of time for him to enjoy Yuu's company.

"Let's go to your room?" Jamil asked, his voice low and slightly sympathetic. He found Yuu's reactions to him rather flattering but he didn't want to overwhelm them at this time. That could happen later, depending on Yuu's reply.

"Y-yes. Let's do that." They nodded weakly.

Jamil smiled and helped Yuu fix their appearance, all the while stealing little kisses from them. They swatted at him, a mock frown on their face as they continued scrambling to make sure they looked neat.

The pair headed out, sighing in relief when the whole area outside the room appeared to be deserted. Hand-in-hand, they shared a look of anticipation and genuine affection, a warm feeling flooding both their bodies as they make their way to the Mirror Room. They couldn't wait to taste each other again.

[froggywentaprincin]

Honestly I'm really excited to see how these merry men ocs pan out :3

Robin Hood is such a distinct and upbeat classic fairy tale, and there are so many characters that are just brimming with untapped potential

I think watching what you've been doing, and all the polls set up, and your unrelenting enthusiasm for these characters have moved me!

Sparrow, the true nutcase that he is, deserves to have a loyal, scurvy group by his side. People who show each other endless compassion and unconditional love. A kind of kinship found in a world where it is so easy to be disingenuous, performative, and shallow.

Or at least that's what first comes to mind for me maybe we could have completely different ideas and that's cool!!!!! Hahah!!!!!!

I just think, seeing their little group of scraggly vigilantes in this light... It makes them outliers in their earnestness, their collective strength and passion, supposedly even before Raven's not-pledge on legacy day

Idk!!!!!! Mayhaps this show needs a band of characters that really are just a bunch of idiots who love eachother. And I wanna see what happens when we put them in situations

Mayhaps I'll draw them when these polls are done and put my own neat details and head canons if I felt like it :]

I truly appreciate the sentiment, really! I don’t know how to answer this in a way that shows how much I love your support.

I feel like these probably would have gone much better if I had done the Merry Men community OC’s one at a time. My issue is that making sure all this data is sorted properly for each of them is what’s stressing me out, but it’s too late to change that now.

I’ll get through to more than just the appearance of these guys if it kills me! It might just be painstakingly slow, whoops. 🥲

[everyone-with-a-para]

Alright! The last poison: the Jellyfish bitch herself, Actress/Fictional!Lusamine.

When I say this would be an info dump, it will be an info dump.

Tldr: Lusabitch becomes besties with SpongeBob, cools tf down, diverge more, gets angsted by the paracosm's lore, all because of this one comic I found in kym.

The bitch has been through a lot. She's been around since day one of Screen Universe and even some time before that. She's one of the late comers to the previous paracosm and got carried over to Screen Universe during the transition.

Funny enough, I despise the bitch's canon self and still do. But her daydream counterpart diverge almost beyond recognition that I can't see her the same way anymore. You could say she became a fully grown para along side with SpongeBob and a few others.

Speaking of SpongeBob, my man is the one who started her development and divergence as a para! If it wasn't for him, idk what I could have done to her instead. Bro thought it was a good idea to befriend one of the most fucked up characters in the Pokémon franchise, ran with it, and actually ended up being iconic doing it. Not Lillie, not even Archie (even though he really should have). Nope, it's the Bitch™ he formed a bond with.

Imagine, your imaginary/daydream childhood best friend befriending a character you hate, and you ended up watching where it's heading until it's too late. By until it's too late, I mean ended up supporting their dynamic while being conflicted about it because of who the two people are involved in the said friendship. It's very much like that.

Although, I'm not really sure who even initiated the befriending. For all we know, it could have been mutual.

So how did that happen? It all started with encountering this joke comic on Know Your Meme of Lusamine recreating a SpongeBob episode where he attempted living with the jellyfish. I ran into it on Facebook when I was younger and the full title didn't load. It just stopped at the part that implied the Bitch being in a SpongeBob episode doing something, but it didn't say what. So my younger self was like "w h a t" and daydreamed of the two interacting more than usual. This is prior to Screen Universe. Back then, when she joined, she was just like her canon self, and Spunch was kinda diverging while being mostly in character. So they'd fight (mainly in the trophy room and Ultra Space, but it can be anywhere else) and be after each others' necks. She even froze him one time and he only escaped because plot armour.

When I finally read the full title and comic, that's where shit hit the fan and started the bond in motion. They didn't become besties over night, it had a rocky start because of how I see both characters at the time (love one, but hate the other). Their interactions and scenarios evolved over time. With shit like soulmate AUs, fights, and the copyright jokes to name a few. The memes involving Lus being portrayed as SpongeBob (either with a scene or as SpongeBob himself) definitely spiked the development of their relationship. I think they started to mellow down with eachother towards the end of the previous paracosm, and the transition between both daydream eras.

What really cemented their fate as a pair was drawing this fan art of the two riding on eachother's jellyfish forms back in 2019. A handful of people on the Pokémon Amino liked it and even commented on it. This was when Screen Universe was still pretty new and these two are still actually warming up to each other after like one to two years of fighting and bickering. They just eventually agreed Jellyfishes are neat and they should bond over their enthusiasm for them. There was another fan art I made with the two before that, but that didn't gain much attraction iirc.

Over the course of the paracosm's development, their bond grew and grew until we're where we are now. There had been some rough edges here and there like when they were starting out in Screen Universe's fresh beginnings, Lus was still pretty malicious even for SpongeBob's detriment. And there was an phase back in 2021-early 2022 where Sponge didn't treat her too well (saw her as a weapon for ends to meet), but eventually cut that shit out. But there's some fluff too, like when they had tea together, gush about jellyfishes, and spar.

I think I will have to cut the ask in two because this is getting long 💀

I think my many issues trying to post this is because of how long it is so I'm gonna try posting asks 2 and 3 in the replies instead of pasting it into the main body of the post

Reading this and shovelling popcorn into my mouth like it's the newest cult classic movie I'm so invested

SpongeBob Lusamine enemies to besties core <3 when the paras are emotionally dependent on each other >>>>>

Taking all the villain Fictionals and giving them soft blankets and hot chocolate and therapy btw

Fma:b mentioned!!!!! (Rip my fma:b paracosm my paraself was so OP in that when I was 14)

Mickey needs to take a fucking nap, sort his ego out, and rethink his life choices please and thank you

[givehimthemedicine]

X marks the spot

I'm positive this is just an issue of the writers not thinking too hard about Hawkins geography and not meaning for us to either, but here I go being unmedicated as usual:

the locations where Henry kills his four victims matter. in order for the X to mark the spot on the library, its 4 starting points have to have been placed just so.

Henry meant to kill Max at the cemetery, not at his house - might the gates have intersected somewhere other than the library if she had died there? maybe not; the lines of the X aren't strictly straight.

that made me realize that the X converging on the show makes it look like the 4 gates were at vaguely equidistant locations in each direction. but they can't be.

Max's, Fred's, and Chrissy's gates are all very close together. Fred died on the road right off the trailer park, and the trailer park is shown to be quite close to the Creel house when the upside down gang sees it on their bike ride to the trailer. If you cut down some trees, I think all three of these gates would be in sight of each other.

I'm not sure where the other two locations are relative to those three; the library is at the center of downtown, and Lover's Lake is a comparatively remote location. however they're laid out, I don't see any way these four locations could form a neat X that intersects at the library. (except that it looks cool and shut up.)

Why is the X not right on the library?

we assume that the library is the spot X marks because that's where Will was found in the upside down, and that seems awfully important. and I'm sure it is about the library. but the spot X marks isn't exactly where Will was - he was well inside the building. the actual intersection spot is on the grass outside the library.

I can't think of anything we ever saw happen on that exact spot. The closest is Hopper and Joyce in the upside down - they don't walk exactly on top of it, but it's just to the left of the walkway up to the library.

can I tell you what else is reallyreallyreally close to the X?

Melvald's is on the corner right across from the library. to the immediate left of it is the Radio Shack where Bob used to work, and the building to the immediate left of that is the one that gets eaten by the incoming gate.

It's only a matter of feet more accurate to call the library the spot the X marks than it is to say it's Radio Shack or Melvald's.

anyway, could the X not necessarily be about Will? I can't think of any clues to support this idea, but could something have happened to Henry there?

[beneathashadytree]

CHOCOLATE MILKSHAKE - TSUKISHIMA KEI X READER

Warnings : Just a few curse words, this is set after the timeskip, lots of teasing (c'mon guys, this is Tsukki), reader is gender-neutral!

Genre : tooth-rotting fluff!!! fr!!!

Word count : 1.4K words

Synopsis : Tsukishima Kei wasn't a difficult boyfriend, but he certainly wasn't a fan of Valentine's day---that doesn't mean he'd ever tell his lover no, though.

Requests : Are open! Check the rules over here.

Want to support me financially? Here’s my CashApp!

Masterlist

"So," I leaned against the doorframe, a (hopefully charming) grin on my face as I looked down at my boyfriend, "Valentine's day, huh?"

"Don't even think about it," he grunted, not even looking up from his laptop, where he'd been typing away furiously for the past three hours at the very least.

I whined, uncrossing my arms and looking rather pitiful, "Aww, c'mon Kei, why not?"

The blonde sighed from his seat, momentarily taking off his glasses to rub at his tired eyes, "Because, it's a stupid holiday. I mean, what is there to celebrate?" his tired tone almost made me chuckle, had I not wanted to pout some more to convince him of my point.

Flopping on the bed beside his desk, I rested my head on my hand and looked up at him, batting my eyelashes hopefully, "The fact that we love each other?"

He snorted, "Nice try," he punched a few keys before deciding to call it a day and shut down his laptop, proceeding to then reach over and ruffle my hair, earning several angry protests from me, "It's not like I'm an ass to you on other days of the year."

At that, I quirked my eyebrow, causing him to roll his eyes as he got up.

"Not always," he corrected himself, beginning to make his way outside of the bedroom but pausing at the door, "I'm gonna make myself a cup of coffee, want me to make you anything to drink?"

Without looking in a mirror, I was sure that my gaze had softened. It's true that Tsukishima Kei never was exactly what one would call straightforward about his feelings, nor was he the most vocal when it came to being vulnerable, but that never took away from the fact that he had to be one of the most caring people I've ever known.

His love came in subtleties and miniscule gestures that could slip by unnoticed; if one wasn't attuned to his love language, that is. And the way he looked after his loved ones was apparent in his frequent but offhand offers to help or dote, often presented in the form of nonchalance so as not to show just how deeply he sometimes worried. That was just who he was, and I found every bit of my cool-headed boyfriend endearing.

An idea suddenly popped in my head, "Hey, why don't we grab something to drink together?" he narrowed his eyes at me skeptically, and I went on, making my way to stand beside him, "I know you don't want to go on any silly dates in frilly cafés on Valentine's day, but this could be more your style, and we get to spend the day together, so it's a plus!"

He retorted, "We literally live with each other, go to the same university, and even work at the same museum," with a smirk, he flicked my forehead, "If anything, I'm kind of sick of you."

"Well, boo-hoo, that must suck for you," I said with a deadpan expression, before perking up once again, "No, but for real, I'd genuinely appreciate it. I love going out with you, and even if you don't think it's a proper holiday, I think it's pretty neat. What do you say?"

When the crease between his eyebrows smoothed out and his eyes grew softer, I knew I'd already won him over. Contrary to popular belief, Kei wasn't exactly impossible to deter. Yes, he had a rather stubborn disposition, but that didn't mean that a little gentle persuasion wouldn't work on him.

He nodded, and I couldn't help the ecstatic grin that formed on my face, and I quickly pecked his lips, reveling in the way his cheeks burned red and his hand crept up to rub at the back of his neck in embarrassment, mumbling a quiet, "Dummy," that held no malice behind it (in fact, though he'd never admit it, he actually sounded rather happy saying it).

***

"Oooh, look at that one, it looks so sweet," my jaw dropped in awe as I read the ingredients of the milkshake I had my eyes on, all of which were sickeningly sugary.

Kei scrunched his nose in half-disgust, half-annoyance, "That looks like you'll throw your guts up if you have more than two sips of it."

"Oh, ye of bland tastes!" I dramatically sighed as I stood in line to order, while Kei had an exasperated expression on his face.

With a roll of his eyes, he pointed at the menu overhead, "That's almost 600 hundred yen worth of cavities."

"Yeah, but it's a Valentine's day special!" I protested, "We have to buy it, you grumpy ass."

"Fine, fine," he raised his palms up to the sky, "Just don't come asking for tummy rubs when your stomachache is a bitch."

I pinched his side at that, enjoying how he squirmed as I glared at him playfully, "Like you'd ever turn away cuddle time."

"I wouldn't, but I might retire from being your personal heater," he said, his expression completely serious, before a large hand pressed against my back, "It's our turn to order, c'mon."

Feeling a little flustered as the barista had just watched us bicker like an old married couple (despite us having not even graduated university), I greeted her with a small smile and waited while she took our order.

As she began to pile up the cup with sugary goodness, Kei took the opportunity to tease me for 'embarrassing myself in public like the idiot I am.'

I nearly punched him in the stomach (wouldn't be the first time I do; his wretched height meant that I couldn't pull him into a headlock), had the woman not asked me for my straw preference.

Before I could ask for two of the paper ones, knowing that my boyfriend would never downright admit that he wanted to share the drink with me, he had already reached over and plucked a glass straw from the pile.

After we had split the bill and received the gigantic cup topped off with a heap of sweets and whipped cream, I couldn't help but coo at the straw he'd chosen to buy. It was simple enough; a dark blue glass straw, but what I found really endearing was the purple glass heart in the middle of the straw, before it split into two glass straw ends.

"So you can be loving sometimes after all," I teased him as we sat down by the window, watching as his the blush bloomed on his face, trying his best to scowl as he refused to meet my eyes.

"Shut up," he grumbled, lowering his voice as he spoke the next part, "You already know I love you."

"That I do," and I couldn't help that satisfaction that seeped through my words, "You know, I personally find this straw cute."

"You're embarrassing. I'm just cutting down on our waste and trying to get a reusable straw," he huffed, lowering his head to take a sip, and wincing as the strong saccharine taste hit his buds.

Humming, I decided to tease him a little more, "Still don't think it's as sweet as you are."

At that, he spluttered, coughing and trying to hide his shy smile behind his hand, calming down soon after to gesture that I drink.

Happy with the reaction I'd received, I took a taste myself, and the action caused both our heads to bump against each other, and I let out a small giggle.

The close proximity meant I was able to see every single detail on his handsome face; from the ash-blonde curls falling in front of his glasses, to the golden specks in his honey eyes every time the light from the window hit him just right. I found myself unable to look away, even as I sipped mindlessly at the chocolate milkshake at hand.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," he poked my side, that ridiculously hot smirk of his painting his damp lips once again.

Pulling my phone out from my purse in my lap, I mused, "I think I will."

The smirk melted into that gentle smile of his I absolutely adored, and as my camera snapped the shot, I was struck with the realisation that I wanted to spend every single 14th of February with the same man I was enamored with.

And knowing him, he'd pretend to be grouchy and grumpy every single time, but he'd melt into a jumbled mess of fond stares and sweet grins at the end of the day. That's just how it was when Tsukishima Kei loved.

Taglist: @mrsgiovanna @the-foreigner

[trackermons]

ik i already posted these earlier but i dont think anyone saw so no i didnt. steals my memes back for the Dump Post

ghost game episode 10 thoughts under the cut

TESLAJELLYMON LETS FUCKING GOOOOOO HOLY SHIT THAT WAS WORTH THE WAIT I LOVE HER.... could not be more thrilled about it tbh. there was a few minutes there were i was actually starting to think it wouldnt happen and i think i physically deflated when gammamon evolved first bUT YET... god she's so good and i'm so glad we're getting a few episodes focused primarily on the supporting duo and their partners while they evolve. like we all knew it was coming but getting to watch it is exciting especially after waiting what feels like way too long;;

did feel kinda bad towards the end of the evolution buildup when she was just getting utterly curbstomped by kinkakumon. cringed in the "ouch" way when she had her tentacle stepped on trying to reach for kiyoshiro, that one hurt me viscerally :( like at that point she deserved to evolve and go a little apeshit as a treat. go girl give us violence

i was almost expecting jellymon's line to be based more around magic/casting/"special attack" compared to the other two digis tbh, so finally getting my hands on the digimon information for teslajellymon and seeing the words STEEL CAGE DEATH MATCH in there was a surprise but in a fucking hilarious way. like girl what!!!! good for her though!!!! kick some ass throw hands

ive already talked about how i feel theyre handling partner bonding in this and about kiyoshiro and jellymon enough maybe for one day, but i really do like how they're getting along now. jellymon hasn't stopped being a little shit and kiyoshiro hasn't stopped being... like that, but they actually care for each other and clearly understand each other now way better than before. it's great and exactly the kind of direction i was hoping they'd go, building respect and being more like partners without sacrificing their fun dynamic that made me like them in the first place :)

other things since i do have to talk about something other than those guys dhdvfjd... idk i didnt find that ginkakumon and kinkakumon stood out too much to me particularly but that's okay, they're just kinda monster of the week material anyway. i'm way more interested in a few other things i noticed this episode- for one thing, gammamon unlocking the digital lock on kotaro's room. we've already seen him do it once in episode 2 to get into the museum basement pursuing mummymon, and now it's happened again it's gotta end up being significant somehow. REALLY want to know what gammamon's deal is in general but nothing's new there, just thought it was notable enough to pay attention to

the OTHER thing is that i think this episode counts as definite confirmation that the digital-space created by the digivices differs dramatically depending on who uses it. i wasn't sure if i was just imagining things at first- hiro's is more grassy while ruli's has more dense foliage, and it couldve just been coincidental/i was reading too much into it since both had some kind of plant life and it was hard to tell. but now we've seen kiyoshiro's digivice creates a more bare/cybernetic kind of space (comparing the look of his dorm in the digital space in this episode, to episode 5 when hiro activated it) it's clearer than ever that there's a Lot of difference in how the fields look actually. and that's cool as hell! I really hope it gets explored why that happens tbh, it'd be super neat to get digivice lore. but it's looking like we'll need hiro's dad for that and i dont think he's showing up anytime soon :(

...thinking about it, back in episode 6, right before the sirenmon fight angoramon stopped hiro using his digivice to activate it and got ruli to instead. which implies he knew what would happen - the denser plant life providing cover and places to hide from an aerial opponent - but up to that point, ruli hadn't ever activated her field before. how did he know that would happen. does he know something we don't about the digivices. i think this rabbit maybe knows too much, or at the very least about something he isn't sharing with the class.. angoramon please

at least i really HOPE that's an indicator of something going on with him and not just a plothole that will never be addressed and will bother me until the end of time, because at this point i literally crave angoramon character depth and nuance and i WILL grasp at straws to get it. what are you hiding big guy

next episode hopes..... i hope ruli and angoramon get into a fight. i want them to bicker. i want them to Go Through Something. and i want them to reconcile with a better understanding of each other (and an evolution ofc but that's basically confirmed by now). theyve been so goddamn agreeable this whole time, at least angoramon has been, and it's about time some tensions stirred up between them tbh. i want their amicable relationship to be tested. if i Dont get top tier loredrops/character development that will make me kick myself for not predicting it i will be reasonably upset. if you read my earlier post you will already know i really want ruli and angoramon's relationship to be explored at last and explored well in a way that makes sense and that is literally the Only Thing i desperately hope for this time around... give us DEVELOPMENT

kiyoshiro and jellymon's evolution was satisfying because theyve been butting heads and bickering this whole time, and have finally almost... realised just how attached they are to each other and come together as a more cohesive partnership, and they're great together. it Worked. please please please give us something equally satisfying for ruli and a reason to care about their bond too because they deserve the same nuance afforded to the others- and imo having them finally get fed up with each other is the first step towards getting closer in their case. just PLEASE handle it well or ill cry. literally cannot wait to see it go down either way

[hyakki59]

Eren Jaegar x Reader - Being Together for each other - One Shot

(The reason why I sometimes chose an other age as a background of my fictions, is because I like to imagine different eras when my imagination goes wild, lol. I don’t know if you find my following kind of background or my story interesting, but for anyone who will read it, I hope you enjoy. : )) )

•The background of the story takes place some decades after the Industry Revolution. The cities have already been developed, being full of machines and factories.  

•That's not only this kind of world that exists though. You and Eren had grown up on a village. Actually, you could say that you two had grown together. Going on the same school, playing together on yards, exploring the woods like you were on mini adventures, etc, you know, stuff children usually do.  

•As you two were almost finishing the school Eren had a little bit of a change on his character, like every human being. He was serious all the time and his smiles were more like sadden smiles. It's not that all this was something abnormal. As a human grows, they understand more and observe even more. So, many realizations are not always welcomed happily.  

•Eren though had, let's say, a little bit of a flaw. He was giving up easily. He was preferring doing nothing when an obstacle was appearing in his life.  

•You and Eren as old teens had spend hours discussing together about life and your problems, while sitting alone on short stone walls, in the nature or while walking.

•Eren had problems with his family. They had many arguments. Those were a big reason why Eren was most of the time gloomy.

•You believed that one day Eren would recover from all of this and that all he needed was time. But this kind of changing wasn't coming. Years passed and Eren sunk into depression. It wasn't visible at first, because it came slowly.  

•You and Eren were no more students, but adults who needed to survive. You decided  to study to nearby city's University, even though it was something unusual for women back then (but we don't care lol). You were going to city by bus, and sometimes you were also living there. That's why you weren't in contact with Eren everyday and you hadn't noticed that he had "fallen" in a hole that he couldn't escape emotionally.  

•At the same period that you were studying, Eren wasn't putting even the smallest aim in his everyday life. He wasn't even starting a job, even to sell products from his family's farm.  

•After you finished your studies you got an office job (or whatever else you want) at the city.  

•One day you visited your hometown. As you walked the familiar roads of your village you ran into Eren. He was dragging a cart full of woods. His hair had grown a little, which he had pulled backwards, so they could not fall in front of his face. He was sweating because of his work and his clothes were having dirt on them.  

•Your appearance surprised him, not only because he wasn't expecting you to be on the village, but also because of your different look. You were wearing a pencil skirt, a buttom-up shirt and heels. You were also resting a shoulder bag around your right shoulder, also holding it's straps with your right arm. You were looking so elegant and beautiful, causing Eren to blush a little.

•You both stood still looking at each other,  Eren being at a loss with a slightly open mouth. He opened-closed his mouth slightly and finally spoke.

"Y/N?"

"Hey Eren"

You greeted him shyly, because you noticed his blushed and shocked state. Your eyes looked up at him, and you gave a small smile.  

"You have changed"

Eren added with admiration

"Really?"

You asked as you added a small awkward laugh

"Y-Yeah"

He answered while rubbing the back of his neck.  

"I'm sorry that I don't greet you properly. I'm full of dirt..."

•Eren added whipping slowly and awkwardly his hands on his clothes. He lowered his gaze down blushing more, because of his messy appearance, while you were there neat, with clean new clothes and your hair obviously made from a hair salon.

"Oh come on now, I grew up on a village, I know how it is, don't be sorry."

You told him while walking towards him.  

"I'm going to visit my parents. I would like to greet yours as well, would you like to accompany me?"

You asked him while standing next to him.  

"Y-Yeah, of course"

Eren answered and you walked ahead first as he turned his cart around to follow you. As you were ahead his eyes fell on your butt, who was moving right and left, wrapped with your tight skirt.

'That's city life'

He thought to himself, having slightly pink cheeks.

•That day you stayed for dinner at Eren's house. When you were about to leave you noticed that it was raining a lot outside, so Eren suggested you to wait at his home until the rain stops.  

•You two headed to his room, it wasn't like the first time you went there. You two had grown up like you were siblings or relatives, that's how close you were.  

•When you entered his room you headed to his bed and sat there. You leaned down and took off your heels with your hand leaving a pain sigh.

"Ah.. these heels are killing me. I suffer when I wear them for hours..."

You said while you lifted your legs on Eren's bed, benting them and resting them on your side.  

Not only Eren could see your bare feet through your tights, but your painted nails on your toes as well. If that would be possible, Eren would 'nosebleed' at that moment. But he tried to be expressionless, walking on his room like nothing was happening. He took a chair and sat across of you, resting his left elbow at the back of the chair and he also crossed his legs.

"Why you sat so far away?"

You asked him with full of question in your voice, smiling also at him in a way that was showing that you found his state weird.  

"Why you didn't sat there?"

You asked him again while looking and pat pat-ing the spot of the bed next to you

"Nah, I'm cool"  

He answered by closing his eyes and doing a circle with his hand/fingers with his left arm, in which he is supporting his self.

"No, you are not"

You told him moving your head slightly right and left, with an awkward side smile and added:

"You are acting weird"

"Am I?"

He asked trying to sound natural.

"Yeah"

You answered immediately. But Eren just shrugged and lifted his eyebrows as an answer to show that he wasn't seeing anything wrong. He changed the subject anyway.

"Will you stay many days here at the village?"

"No, I'm leaving tomorrow."

You answered to Eren.  

"So soon? Why?"

"I have to go back to work. I just came by to see my family and my closest people."

"Oh, so am I one of your closest people?"

Eren asked you by lifting instantly his eyebrows to tease you, also smirking at the same time.

"Of course, you idiot"

You answered seriously. Eren liked your answer and just stood still looking at you like he was observing your face, or you could say your expression. He then observed all of you, reminding to himself that you look beautiful and more woman than ever. It was like he was having a different Y/N in front of him. Eren was admiring you not only for your change but because you were an independent person who was living alone and working on the city. At the same time he was jealous by this kind of lifestyle and he was feeling like he had been left behind. (The living alone part I know that it may not be realistic for women back then, but anyway I wanted it like that)

•Some months have passed since that day. It was now a cold night of the winter and you were returning home from work.  

•As you were walking on the pavement, your eye fell on a man that was sitting down on a narrow pass between two buildings. He was sitting with his legs bented because of the cold and his gaze was down. He was wearing a white buttom-up shirt, black pants and a beige coat, all those clothes in a not good condition.

•For some reason that silhouette was seeming familiar to you, even though he looked like a stranger. His long hair were failing on his face, so it was difficult to see him clearly. But you approached him slowly.

"Eren?"

You asked that man without being sure it was really Eren. Only his eyes met you, without moving. The expression of his eyes was calm and his lips were slightly open, but he wasn't saying anything. How this man with the messy long hair, the grown beard and the sloppy clothes, who was sitting on the city's street like a homeless man, could be Eren? Yet, you couldn't ever forget his dark green eyes and you were sure that man was Eren.

"Eren is that you?"

You continue to ask that man but didn't get any answer back. Specifically, he looked away like he wanted to stop your questions.  

"Eren I know it's you, why you don't talk to me?"

You asked him worryingly and scared for his state. You approached him even more and bented your knees so you could come closer to his height.  

"Eren.. what's happening?"

You asked him quietly. That man, clearly that it was Eren, seemed annoyed by your questions, more like annoyed because of his state and that you found him like that. He rolled his eyes and turned his head to the right so he could avoid your gaze and he tapped his feet three/four times on the ground, as proof that he didn't like this situation.

"Go to your home Y/N"

He finally said with a low voice.

"Eren! I knew it was you! What are you doing here? Are you alright?"

You asked him obviously worried and grabbed his shoulder as you were talking to him. Eren shook his shoulder so you could let him go, his face still turned away from you.

"Y/N. I said. Go home."

Eren told you in a more demanding way. By the way his voice was sounding, you could understand that he was hurt emotionally.

"No.. Eren.. I don't understand. I can't leave you like that. Tell me, what are you doing here? What happened to you?"

It seemed like he wasn't about to answer.

"It's okay Eren, you don't have to tell me now. But, please, come with me. Let's go to my home."

No answer again.

"You are worrying me sick, you know- Oh my God, what happened to your face? Are you hurt? Did you got hurt anywhere else?"

You bombarded Eren with questions. Your brain couldn't accept what it was seeing and you were let's say shocked.  

Eren seemed to have some red spots and wounds near his left eye, which was not visible at first because his long hair were covering them. He couldn't avoid you anymore, you had discovered him at this terrible state and you weren't about to leave.

Once more he was looking away and his lips trembled. His eyes were a little bit red and misty.

"I decided to visit the city.."

He started saying but paused. You were waiting patiently for him to continue.

"I found a hotel to stay for while.."

Eren's gaze was down to the ground having the image of his previous days in his mind that he is describing to you.

"During my stay here...some strangers robbed me.."

He paused again like he was thinking before answering.

"...and hurt me in order to do to that."

You moved your head to your side with a sad expression, feeling sorry about Eren.

"I didn't have money anymore to stay at the hotel.. and we reach at my current state that you see me."  

Eren admitted at the end, not liking that he was saying all this to you.

"Why you didn't return home?"

You asked him quietly.

"How could I? How could I present myself to my parents like that? There was no way for me to do that."

Eren said determinedly, looking this time at your eyes.

"Why you didn't try to find me then?"

You asked him connecting your eyebrows worryingly.

"That's even worse. And see me like that? Not that you didn't anyway..."

He answered you, lowering his gaze to his knees.

"Eren.. don't say that. I'm here for you any time you need me. You have this bad habit and never ask for help from the others. Anyone needs help from time to time."

You told him reassuringly with care.

"How come you decided to come here in the first place?"

You asked him to learn more.

"I wanted to find a job."

He answered you

"But that didn't went well"

He added, something breaking inside of him.

"I can't do anything right. Nothing is right. Life is never with my side. Everything gets shittier and shittier, and in the end I'm a fucking loser."  

"No Eren, you are not a loser"

You tried to said but Eren interrupted you.  

"Yes, I am Y/N! I'm fucking disappointed with myself! I can't even understand me!"

Eren broke out having an indignant expression. You then approached him even more, shoving yourself between his knees and hugging him warmly around his neck. Eren returned the hug, shoving his face on your shoulder. His hand grabbed tightly your coat and he let out a small wimp, tears leaving quietly his eyes.  

You put your your right hand behind Eren's head, leaned back a little and touched your lips on his forehead, staying still for a while.

A drunk man that was walking not steadily down the pavement, passed by you two and laughed at himself.

"Lucky bastard"

He said loud enough looking at Eren, because in the eyes of his he was seeing a homeless man having a fine woman between his legs hugging and kissing him. And like that the drunk man lost in the dark of the night.

After your kiss on Eren's forehead you leant back resting your right palm on Eren's left cheek. Eren had a look in his eyes like he had found warmth.

"Eren, you will come now home with me and I don't accept any objection. You hear me?"

You shook a little Eren's face with your right hand as you said 'you hear me' to him. That's what Eren would like to do but he was too embarrassed to follow you. He just stood still having like a guilty look, looking you at your eyes. You could understood what the answer was by his eyes so that's why you said:

"Now get up"

You told him as you stood up first and grabbed him by his one upper limb to give him motivation to stood up.You tried to pull him but Eren let out a pain cry because his left leg was hurt. You did a worried expression looking at him in his face like you were asking him 'what's going on?'.

"It's nothing"

Eren said with pain in his voice and managed to stood still by grabbing your hand. You saw that he was limping so you grabbed his right arm and crossed it around your shoulders to help him stand. Eren looked at you with connecting eyebrows and added

"I'm a total loser"

"No, you are not! Shut up and move your butt!!"

You scolded him and like that you two took the road towards your apartment.

~°~°~°~

•One month had passed since the previous event. Eren is living now at your apartment for a while till he stands on his feet and find a steadily job.  

•He even got rid of his beard and decided to have a nice haircut so he would look more elegant. The day he did that change he asked you as he returned home.

"How do I look? Am I better now?"

He was all happy and lively, having a big smile. As he did the questions he posed turning left and right grabbing his suit's jacket.

"You always you look good. But, yeah, you look very nice now."

You answered naturally with a smile and kept tidying some things in the living room that you did before. Eren wanted you though to notice him more and said

"What do you say, would the ladies like me now?"

You did a side smile and turned only your head towards Eren.

"So you came only for the city ladies and not actually for working huh?"

You answered him teasingly.

"Well, I'm just wondering if it's too dangerous for me to go around with that new look of mine"

Eren continued the teasing looking himself in the living room's mirror and getting his fingers through his hair like he was admiring himself.

"Ladies' killer don't forget you have an appointment for your new job in a half an hour. You will miss the bus if you don't hurry."

You told him like a mum. Eren wished you would pay more attention on his appearance.  

"I know, that's why I got dressed so nice today."

He said, straightening up the collar of his button-up shirt, still looking at the mirror.

"It would be a pity though to wear my suit just for a short time. Why don't we go out after my interview and tell you how I got the job?"

He said smirking and sure of himself.

"Oh, you are asking me out mr. Jaegar?"

Eren tried to act cool and said

"I'm just asking an old friend of mine to accompany me after my today's success."

He answered still looking in the mirror observing himself, like if he was indifferent. You laughed with Eren's mood because you found his acting cute.

"Then how can I deny your suggestion? I will be ready by the time you return home."

You told him with a smirk. Eren suddenly felt the happiest man on the planet.  

•Eren indeed got the job and even though he was working he was still living in your apartment. To be more specific, he was sleeping separately from you, in the guest's room.

• It was supposed though to be like you two have agreed at first, for Eren to live with you until he could stand on his own. But none of you were saying anything about it anymore. You two actually were enjoying each other's company and wouldn't like to be separated.  

•One night you returned really tired from your work that the first thing you wanted to do when you would return home was to sleep.  

"Hey Y/N"

Eren greeted you from the couch in which he was sitting, smiling as you got home. You let out a 'hey' with a low voice as you were getting off your heels.

"How was work today?"

He asked you and you answered him by just turning your head towards him, showing him your exhausted state.

"Okay, I get it"

He added.

"How about I prepare you a nice warm bath to help you relax?"

He offered to you as he stood up approaching you.

"No, it's okay Eren. I'm so tired even for this. I will just go to sleep right away. Thanks for the thought."

You answered him as you headed towards your room to change your clothes. Then you visited to bathroom to find your brush. As you were combing your hair Eren appeared and rested himself at the doorframe, crossing his arms. He looked you up and down at you with a smile. You were wearing just a nightgown.

"You are beautiful"

He commented and you stopped your motions looking at him.

"Where did this came from?"

You asked him, observing him, having lips that wanted to smile.

"Nowhere. I'm just telling what I’m seeing."

"Well, thanks"

You answered him awkwardly, not expecting the compliment. Your heart started to beat faster not knowing what to do or say. You two stayed silence.

"W-Well, now, w-will you excuse me?"

You said to Eren still awkwardly by grabbing bathroom's door, meaning that you wanted to close the door and go to the toilet. Eren answered with a double nod and lifted his right lower limb to the air like he was saying 'yeah, of course' and turned away. He also rubbed the back of his neck while walking away, feeling nervous.

•As you returned to your room, you shoved yourself under the blankets and your eyes closed right away. Eren appeared by your door which was slightly open, hoping you haven't slept yet.

"Oh, Y/N, I forgot you to tell you. There's some dinner left. I cooked tonight. Your favourite fooood. Pasta."

He said playfully but as he opened the door more he saw that you have fallen asleep completely. You were laying on your back your face turned to the side. Eren approached you, climbing at the bed's side where was some space. You moved a little in your sleep because your sleeping state felt some interruption. Eren stopped moving, looking at you. He saw that your hands were out of the blanket. He grabbed the blanket's edge and he covered you properly. He then took some hair away that was infront of your face and thought 'Now it's my turn to take care of you'.

[awhmilkywey]

burgers and fries | t. carrick |

pairing & genre: tobias carrick x f!mc (ava dahl) — fluffy as hell

warnings: one curse word | english is not my first language

word count: 2.4k

request | prompt | neither | challenge

tags: @usuallyamazinglyaverage ; @perriewinklenerdie ; @cyb3r-kat ; @moonsoltice ; @romewritingshop ; @tsrookie ; @hedwigsbixch

a/n: a special thank you to @usuallyamazinglyaverage @perriewinklenerdie and @cyb3r-kat for allowing me the use of their characters (anna dawson, claire herondale and bianca hemgrove, respectivel) and a bonus to perrie for being generally awesome and helping me out with this fic. You can thank her for the Romeo line!

Ava has a history of flouting protocol to assist her patients.

The machine whirred to life, shooting a steady stream of murky liquid into the small paper cup. Ava skimmed her medical chart while she waited. Her patient was a young adult who came in with severe chest pain and discoloured skin around her calves. The primary doctor wrote down that earlier scans ruled out heartburn as well as pericarditis. She reached for her coffee and took a cautious sip. The blemishes could point towards a blood clot—deep vein thrombosis, perhaps? It could quickly develop into a pulmonary embolism if left untreated.

The nurses' station was relatively quiet when she approached.

“Could you order a lung scan and a chest X-ray for my patient, please?”

Marlene took the chart with a professional nod. Her exhaustion matched her own.

Ava murmured a quiet thank you and tossed her cup in the bin. The results wouldn't be back for a couple hours. If her hunch was correct then she would most likely need to page the surgical department. For now, however, her rounds were finished and she could take a breather.

Her face twisted into a frown as she remembered her bag was still in the conference room. Her confrontation with Harper ensured she had been too uncomfortable to remain there. Ava decided to take the stairs one at a time. Saying she was dreading their next meeting was an understatement. They would need to have a serious conversation with Bloom. Ethan breaching protocol was on him alone. A conversation with Harper was in order as well; earlier she had been caught by surprise but she wouldn't let that kind of treatment stand. Barging in, wrongfully accusing her without any evidence whatsoever, yelling and refusing to believe her even when the culprit was standing right there—Ava wondered when the cool renowned surgeon became an unruly child.

The revelation that Harper still saw her as a reckless intern made her incredibly angry. Her one mistake happened over two years ago and she came forward to shoulder the blame. Ava had grown since then, both as a doctor and as a person. Her near-death experience also served to put things into perspective, to say the least. She would always have the best interest of her patients at heart but she would never again jeopardize her career so foolishly.

That thought brought her back to Ethan. Frankly she didn't recognise him any more. He came back from the Amazon a different man—one she wasn't sure she liked all that much. Their tentative relationship hadn't stood a chance. Him being her attending was difficult enough, then she was facing the possibility of being suspended, and just as she thought they could make it work after all, Naveen promoted her and Ethan was her superior once more. He maintained a painfully professional demeanour around her from there on out. Ava wasn't doing too great during that time.

And when her intern year came to an end, he disappeared. He wasn't answering her calls nor her texts and her trips to his apartment were fruitless. She found out he was out of the country through WHO's Instagram account. She stopped bothering afterwards.

Ava shook her head, red curls bouncing over her shoulders. Dwelling on the past wasn't helpful. Especially when the Ethan from her memories didn't correlate with the Ethan she was currently working with. Her most recent conversations with him left a sour taste in her mouth.

The conference room wasn't as empty as she expected.

“Heading out?” Tobias sent her a warm smile.

“I've some free time to kill.”

He nodded in understanding. “Holding up okay?”

Ava hesitated. It occurred to her that he was the only person she was truly comfortable with on the team. The only one who'd never underestimated her or made her feel lesser.Tobias was the person who either supported her suggestions or countered them with his own logical arguments and used both as teaching opportunities.

“I've been through worse,” she replied, shrugging non-committally.

He scowled. “What Harper did was uncalled for.”

Ava offered him a wry smile. “I have a history, don't you see?”

“Oh you mean the history of being civil to Bloom even though you want to punch his face in?” he asked innocently.

A laugh bubbled up in her chest and he soon followed with his own deep chuckle.

“There's this place downtown.” He sobered up but was still grinning. “One of my favourites, if you want to check it out.”

“What's in it for me?” Ava raised a playful eyebrow.

His eyes darkened, tongue briefly flickering out. “Good music, good books. We could get dinner after.”

Ava swallowed. “Sounds fantastic.”

Tobias' intense look softened. “It's a date,” he said cheekily.

She laughed again and swatted at his arm. “Lead the way, Romeo, before I change my mind.”

Bantering with him was easier than it should've been. Knowing how laid-back he could be when comfortable made her notice more about how he carried himself around the rest of the team. It gave her a small thrill to be able to witness that side of him.

Tobias drove her to a time-worn shop tucked away between a colourful diner and a boarded-up building. An old sign hung over the entrance reading The Starlight Den. The outer walls were covered in messy chalky drawings and splashes of peeling paint, broken crayons and plastic buckets sitting to one side. He laid a hand on her lower back, gently guiding her through the battered wooden door.

“I used to come here all the time as a kid,” he commented, glancing fondly around the shop.

Neutral colours predominated with the occasional vibrant hue flashing here and there. Bookshelves lined the left side, brimming with works from classics to comic books. Customers could settle down on various armchairs and sofas, reading under the light of several dimmed lamps. Ava slid her eyes from the makeshift coffee bar to the vintage posters on the opposite wall. A soft tune drifted from the gramophone in the corner. Neat stacks of vinyl records were arranged in polished boxes in the centre. A counter held several players for general use nearby.

“This is a dream come true,” Ava marvelled, running her fingertips across the book spines.

Tobias hummed, reaching to pluck a comic from the shelf. He presented it to her with a flourish. Spider-Man was holding a man clad in green on the cover.

“First introduction to Spidey. Also the first comic I ever read,” he disclosed, absently thumbing through the pages.

“I didn't know you read comics.”

Tobias cocked his head. “Haven't read them in a long while but they were a big part of my childhood.”

Ava cast a look about. “I can see why you'd like to come here.”

Two teenagers were hanging around a record player, giggling quietly to each other, while a sharply dressed man made small talk with the handsome man behind the register. The overall atmosphere was quite cosy. It felt a bit like home. When she returned her wandering gaze to Tobias, he offered her a knowing smile.

“I have an idea,” he announced with a quick clap of his hands. “We each pick a book and a record for the other. I have a player back at my apartment.”

Ava crossed her arms. “Is this a ploy to get me into your bed, Carrick?”

He raised his palms up in mock surrender. “Absolutely not. Just a ploy to get a pretty woman eating take-out on my couch.”

“From that diner next door?”

“Rosa makes the best burgers and milkshakes in Boston.” He gave a solemn nod, cracking up in the following beat.

Ava contemplated him. “It's a date.”

He lit up with a boyish smile.

She didn't know much about his likes and dislikes given that all their interactions revolved around their work. Browsing the bookcases, she opted to get him a copy of The Little Prince. She remembered her papa reading it to her when she was sick or when grief was heavier than most days. She picked up A Day at the Raceson her way to the counter.

“Don't peek,” Tobias warned after their purchases were done. “I'm going to get our food and then we can head back.”

“I want nuggets.” Ava blushed when her stomach growled.

He patted her head. “As you wish, m'lady.”

Ava watched him walk away, unable to remember the last time she was this happy. Tobias was so carefree. He didn't allow their work to burden him, always trying to finding the silver lining in each case, and refused to let it interfere with his life outside the hospital. It was a breath of fresh air, compared to her previous relationship with Ethan. Tobias was light where Ethan was dark.

The ride back to his flat was mostly quiet. He tapped on the wheel along with the song playing on the radio—she vaguely recognised it as being a new Ariana Grande single. She, on the other hand, was more occupied with staring out the window and trying to control her nerves. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, making her almost want to throw up. Tobias was undeniably attractive, charming and witty. And they were going to be alone at his place.

Ava choked on air.

He was quick to lay a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, hey, I got you.” At her lack of response, he slid his hand further and began to rub her back, eyes briefly leaving the road to look her over.

“I'm good,” she gasped.

His touch continued to burn her skin until the car was parked in his garage.

Tobias' flat was messier than she expected but not in the dirty sense of the word. It was a sort of organised chaos that breathed life into the walls. The coffee table peeked from beneath a mountain of medical journals, two blankets were thrown haphazardly on the couch with a pillow half-fallen on the carpet, like he had dozed off while reading. The telly was still on as well and she paused to watch Jessica Aniston and Matt LeBlanc acting on the screen.

He steered her towards the kitchen.

“I forgot to clean, sorry.” He seemed unusually sheepish.

“Mine's not much better, believe me,” she reassured him, squeezing his arm. She took the food bags from him and set them on the table. “Kitchen or living room?”

“Living room!” he called out from the pantry, coming out with a package of napkins and a container of assorted candy.

He had stored away the blankets and the pillow by the time she brought the food to the coffee table, journals stashed away in the corner bookcase. Ava noticed that he also changed into a looser tee, his biceps highlighted underneath the artificial lighting. He grabbed their purchases from the shop and turned to her with a bright smile.

“I realised we don't actually know each other that well,” he said, grabbing the book from the bag, “and I would like to remedy that.”

Ava accepted the gift, lips quirking up at the sight of the blue cover. “I've never read The Great Gatsby,” she informed.

His smile widened. “Let me know what you think when you're done, yeah?”

“I got you this one.” God she was nervous. “I, uh—I didn't know what you liked so I figured I'd give you one of my favourites. After my mum died... my dad used to read it to me as a kid.”

Tobias met her gaze and she was surprised to see him so serious. “I—Thank you, Ava. It means a lot that you would share that with me.”

She needed to look away. Was he getting closer?

Her stomach growled again.

“Eat,” he murmured, slowly leaning back. “I'll put the records on.”

He returned to the couch as the beginnings of Dancing Queenfilled the room. Ava beamed.

“How did you know?”

He popped a fry in his mouth. “I may have cheated on this one. Claire told me you were a fan.”

The mention of her friend warmed her heart. “I didn't know you and C were buddies.”

Tobias rubbed the back of his neck. “We're not, not really. I, um, went to ask her how you were after what happened. Anna and Hemgrove were gone already, so...”

His concern sent the butterflies into a frenzy. Ava focused on her burger so he wouldn't see the deep red staining her cheeks.

It was only two episodes into Friends that she noticed the missing fries in her plate. An indignant yelp was muffled by the food in her mouth. Tobias blindly reached for another one but she slapped his hand away, earning her a surprised squawk from the man. Ava made a move for his plate and was stopped when he put his arm between them, lifting the other up so she wouldn't touch his food.

“Oi! That's not fair!” she protested, not realising she was half-sitting on his lap as she tried to get her fries back.

“All's fair when you're hungry, sweetheart,” he retorted, laughing at her worthless attempts.

The loud sound of porcelain breaking was unmistakable. In an effort to get closer, she had pressed against his chest, their bodies practically glued together, and the twist of his wrist weakened his grip on the plate. Ava sunk into him in defeat and promptly peeped as her groin made contact with his.

“Shit, sorry Av—nghh...” He cut off with a strangled moan.

Ava hurried to relieve the pressure of her thigh on his crotch, feeling mortified.

“I'm sorry—” “Wait—” they spoke at the same time, both floundering.

“Just—wait.” Tobias held onto her hips, heaving out a frustrated sigh.

She would never admit to anyone that no, she very much did not want to move.

Except maybe to the girls, who would most definitely grill her tomorrow.

They remained in that exact position for a couple silent moments. Neither sure what to say nor how to act upon the revelation that they were entirely too comfortable physically for two people who were supposed to be just work acquaintances.

Up close, his eyes looked more green than brown. Ava told herself that she had bigger things to worry about.

But it was a pretty colour.

“I really want to kiss you right now,” he quietly confessed. “I have to know, though. Is—is there anything between you and Ethan?”

She let out a shaky breath, touching her forehead to his. “Not since last year.”

He gave a short nod, raising a hand to cup her face. “Could there be anything between us?”

“Why don't you kiss me and find out?” she whispered against his lips.

She felt his smile before he did.

[moons-and-stars-and-shit]

Good morning, afternoon or night to you! May I request a matchup please?

My name is Ximena, I am an upperclassman in highschool. Pronouns are she/her. I am Mexican-American, fluent in Spanish and English. I am the oldest of my siblings. My zodiac is a Pisces. am 5,2 with an inverted triangle body shape. I'm pale, with natural rosy cheeks. People say I have doe eyes, dark brown. Hair color is the same color and it goes down a few centimeters off the shoulders, but I usually wear it in a ponytail. I am toned, not like a fitness influencer lol.

I am an INFJ. Socializing makes me pretty nervous, but I'll do it if I have to work on a school project or my friends are uncomfortable speaking. I am the "mom" friend of the group, always reminding them to do their work and to take care of themselves. People say I'm sweet and kind for helping them. I do my best to be open-minded and provide realistic advice. My humor is word play, puns and sarcasm. I am a perfectionist, I try my best in everything. I am pretty insecure of myself, very worried about the future and what others think of me. I get irritated if things don't go as planned.

I am dancer, I love every aspect of it. My favorite style would be ballet and my dream would be going professional. I like to read, my favorite genres being fantasy or adventure. In general, I like being active so I enjoy playing sports, mostly tennis though. I like hiking with my dog and nature in general. I treasure deep conversations with my loved ones. I dislike people who are ignorant (any kind of oppression towards minorities), or who complain about work yet they procrastinate. I would rather not publicly speak and despise anything unhygienic. I hate feeling useless or having no motivation.

I hope I didn't overwhelm you with this request. I really enjoy your writing, it's the first blog that caught my eye! Also your layout is lovely and soothing. I hope you are having a great day/night and are doing well 🥰

@magicaldancer5678

A/N- Another matchup that took 500 years to come out 🥲. I’m sorry this took so long! Enjoy ❤️

Asahi Azumane

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐘𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐭

oooookkkaaayyyy

So you and Asahi shared some classes together

and you and him got partnered for a project

This kinda made you two HAVE to spend time together and get to know each other

every day you would go over to his house to work on the project

and then you would just hang out with him as friends for a bit before you went home

And when the time came to present your project

Asahi was very impressed with how you could take the lead in the presentation

he just knew that you could be a little shy at times

so he was NOT expecting you to just go up there and present so confidently

but he was a little relieved cuz he do be a shy boi 444

and even after you, two didn't have to work with each other anymore

you both found yourselves hanging out with each other

you and Asahi ended up building a very strong friendship in the time you two spent together

And after some time Asahi started to realize that he had feelings for you

Luckily for him, there was a perfect opportunity to confess to you...

Your upcoming ballet concert

He always showed up to all of your performances

as all good supportive friend should

But he was going to make this one VERY special

He went all out

After your performance (which you rocked by the way)

He gave you a GIANT bouquet of flowers along with a cute little plushy

And he asked you if you would be interested in going on a date with him

oml he just about fainted when you said yes

Ya'll have been a happy couple ever since then

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮

He loves low you look out for him

Now Asahi is very good at taking care of himself

But we all have our days

And when he has his little off days your always there to take care of him

Whether that be reminding him to drink water or to eat food

Or it be making him take "mental health days"

And since you do all this for him

He makes sure to do his best to take care of you as well :)

He also loves the advice you are able to give him

He doesn't really like to bother anyone with his problems

So it took him a while to start asking you for help with anything

But now whenever he finds himself in a sticky situation

He comes to you for advice

And you always seem to have the perfect solution for him

So he's very grateful for that

And just a quick cheesy one real quick

He loves your eyes

He thinks you can truly see all of your emotions through them

And the way they sparkle in the sun just makes him go 444

𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐓𝐨 𝐃𝐨 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫

He loves to read with you

Idk I just got a feeling that he's a really big reader

So just cuddling with you and reading you a book

Bam heaven on earth right there

Omg he LOVES LOVES LOVES to go on hikes with you

Or just walks

He also really likes nature so hiking is super fun for him

Especially if it's with you 444

Finally

You have been trying to teach him Spanish lately

So he really likes spending time with you while learning a new language

And he thinks it's cool that you guys have almost a secret language

Cause not a lot of people at Karasano can speak Spanish

𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐜

If your wondering you guys got an A on that project

He loves your dog 444

He'll always ask if your dog can come on hikes or walks with you two

Once he learns a little Spanish his new pet name for you is Mi Amor

He's tried playing tennis with you

But he just could not hit the damn ball

He blames it on the ball being too small

He supports your dream about becoming a professional dancer 100%

The entire team always says you too suit each other

𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲

When Capricorn and Pisces join together in a love match, on the surface, it may appear to be opposites attracting.

Capricorn is down-to-earth and regimented, with a very strong work ethic

while Pisces tends to be more emotional and dreamy, and takes on the needs of those around them.

This couple is honest, and can be devoted to one another.

They admire one another

Capricorn appreciates Pisces’s kind nature, and Pisces is drawn in by Capricorn’s quick wit and tenacity.

This relationship may develop slowly, the two not necessarily recognizing its progression.

But it will get stronger over time.

The Capricorn-Pisces duo can really put their heads together and can be fulfilled by their partner.

Difficulties can arise if Capricorn is too dominating for Pisces’s sensitive side.

Pisces needs to understand that this is Capricorn’s style and not a personal attack.

Pisces might not take too well to Capricorn’s stubbornness, but can deal with it through patience and understanding.

Pisces enjoys indulging Capricorn through their desire for domestic bliss, which combines well with Capricorn’s need for a neat, tidy home and material goods.

It’s their unique blend of temperaments.

Both partners enjoy sharing their lives with someone else, and both like to help the other achieve their goals.

Their difference in temperaments makes theirs a highly compatible relationship.

𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐀𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜

Aphrodite 💖

[owlsbride]

Icha Icha and Prejudice: The Book Club

Chapter IV: That Inner Voice

Eleven o'clock in the morning and Sakura was already upset. It was her first official vacation day, and it didn't start it as she had hoped. She had planned to sleep late, wake up in the most glorious and easy possible way with the felling of a long needy rested body. After all, she had to realise that Shizune and the Hokage were right, she needed to rest for a while, she was reaching the limits of her strength, and like this, she wasn't going to last long. So even if she was still a bit mad about the resolution, she finally came to terms with it, and it was ok.

What she has not been able to imagine was that after her furious outburst in the Hokage Tower, yesterday night, she would find herself immersed in a crazy game that Kakashi planned in less than a minute just to annoy her, disturb her, and of course, tease her. Dammed, he was smart. God, she hated that man.

'Yeah, tell yourself that till you believe it.'

Suddenly, she repeated Kakashi's recent message in her mind with a highly pitchy tone. It was not her sensei's voice, though.

'Hello there, Sakura.'

So she was back. After years of silence, her bitchy inner Sakura's voice came back to torment her mind and life. She turned on the bed, sinking her head in the pillow ready to grumble, and silent a scream of fury trying to escape from her frustrating throat. Perfect timing for the remarkable comeback. Perfect timing.

After her teen years, Sakura, under the Godaime tutelage, decided that inner Sakura was no longer necessary. She was pretty capable of analysing all the facts in front of her as well as her feelings, thoughts and attitudes, she no longer needed her alter ego to push her to act in this or that way, nor to show her the right path when she was lost. Generally, the correct direction of the inner Sakura was always the wrong one, but that she had only been able to see it after her failed attempt of relationship with Sasuke or any other man in the village.

The inner Sakura was impulsive, arrogant, prejudiced, and without a doubt much more daring than Sakura herself, and that did not suit her.

So, one morning, and just like that, the work, stress and the effort to make her inner voice disappeared went straight to the trash been, cause she was loudly back.

'Don't tell me that you didn't miss me.' the voice in her head said almost sad.

"No, I didn't. Not even a tiny bit." Great, now Sakura was talking to herself out loud.

'You are harsh with both of us, Sakura'

"No, I'm not. I worked hard for you to shut up, so, please..." Sakura pleaded.

'And yet, here I am.'

"What do you want?"

'The question is, what Do You want' annoying or not, inner Sakura's question was accurate and sharp. What was what she wanted?

"Arghh... fine! If you are here to stay, I hope, at least, for you to be useful."

'I'm all yours. Now get up, girl, we have things to do.'

Sakura finally accepted that the voice was back and resolved to went through everything with her in her mind. She didn't have much of an option, cause apparently, inner Sakura was not going to disappear any time soon. It was better to have a good relationship with her mind at this moment. Three weeks off was too much to think on her own. Maybe she had called her back. Perhaps it was a coping mechanism to go through her own personal hell with Icha Icha. Inner Sakura could be much more helpful with her sharp, bold thoughts. She was a natural teaser and a skilful trickster at times. She was the not so innocent part of her mind that incited thoughts that Sakura preferred to suppress. The inner Sakura's silence was what had allowed her not to have sex in all this time, putting all her libido in her work, making her see each man who passed by the hospital as an object of study and not as a possible good laid. Except maybe for Kakashi.

Hatake Kakashi, the Rokudaime, her Lord Sixth, her eternal sensei. The very same, that when he got sick or came back injured from a mission, he just wanted to be cared for by her. The one used to listen to her ramblings every day about new ideas, supporting all her projects. The one that one way or another was always by her side. Kakashi, the man with silver hair who aroused the entire village's curiosity and sighs even though no one, not even her, knew what was under the mask. The same man who could be severe enough to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders, but who also read Icha Icha in public and even dared to flirt with her without shame or openness.

'You're so into him.' Inner Sakura spoke again suppressing a laugh.

"Oh please, It's not like that." Sakura dismissed her.

'How long are you going to live in denial, Sakura?'

"What do you mean?"

'Can't you see it for your own?'

"No..."

'Thank god I'm here then.'

Sakura stopped the conversation with her inner self because she really needed a cup o coffee first. She had spent the first hours of her morning texting with Kakashi and talking to herself, and it was already exhausting. How was she supposed to survive both of them? Passing by her living room to the kitchen, Sakura directed her view to the orange book on the table. Sooner or later, she would have to start reading. But first thing first: Breakfast.

After almost half an hour, Sakura finally was ready to face her destiny and her thoughts.

'Are you ready?' Inner Sakura was jumping all over her mind like a child in a kermesse.

"I guess..." Sakura answered nervously sitting in her couch, crouching her legs and taking the book in her hands.

'Imagine the things he had done with that book' Her mind was torturous libidinous.

"Let's just don't think about it, ok?"

'Oh, come on, don't act as if you were a virgin Sakura... Just imagine, the shower, the couch, the bed...'

"Please, don't be grossed" Sakura answered blushing deeply. Something burning was forming inside of her, and she was sure it wasn't just her chakra.

'You slut, you have already thought about that. You are so hot with him.' Inner Sakura was celebrating.

"Shut up."

Chapter I: The sunset. The light was slowly extinguishing on the cornfields making the shadows that were projected throughout the space even more orange. The summer rain's soft scent had left a persistent sweet aroma mixed with the lavenders that were only a few meters from where she was standing. The heat and humidity created a soft layer of sweat on her body, mixing her own body scent with that of her surroundings. She knew that she must have run away as soon as she saw him arriving at the village. Instead, she only could make it to the cornfield, a familiar place for both of them.

So cliche, Sakura thought with a grin on her face. She was sure that Kakashi was having it way harder than her. Though she had to recognise that even if Jiraiya didn't have Jane Austen's prose, it wasn't that bad. So far, it was an easy, perfectly innocent reading.

'Really Sakura? is that what you are thinking? A neat prose?' Inner Sakura jumped in her mind again a bit upset because up to now Sakura wasn't able to find nothing too thrilling in the first pages. Sakura didn't pay her any attention and kept reading, she was starting to relax about this whole thing of Kakashi's little obsession. It wasn't that bad.

He followed her without hesitation. He knew he would find her staring at the horizon, waiting for the night breeze to cool her feverish skin. She had always liked to feel the summer wind run across her ivory skin, bristling the hair on her arms, making her shiver. Her tousled hair floating freely, like her thoughts. He knew he would find her there, and right there, he would claim her just for himself.

Sakura sighed, the things were already starting to heat up but in a really smooth and slow path. The Sannin knew how to build tension and, what she heard Ino said once, a good slow-burn romance scenario. Inner Sakura was in silence, and she was immensely enjoying the reading. Actually, she was starting to think that she could spend the entire day at home reading. After all, it wasn't that hard.

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

Sakura looked for her cellphone. Inner Sakura was already starting to complain about the interruption, but she suddenly stopped.

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

18:30 H.Kakashi: Yo!

18:30 H.Kakashi: What are you doing, Sakura?

Sakura didn't know if to answer and play difficult, Inner Sakura was highly excited about those short, silly messages. Of course, Sakura answered, she had to follow the inner lead.

18:32: Hello, Sensei

18:32: Reading, you?

Sakura didn't come back to the book. She just fixed her stare in the device in her hand.

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

18:35: H.Kakashi: And?

Kakashi wasn't going to answer her, she was sure. She would have to give him something first. She knew her sensei like the palm of her hand.

18:36: It's ok so far

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

18:36 H.Kakashi: What?

18:36 H.Kakashi: Just ok?

18:37 H.Kakashi: Do you even know how to read, Sakura?

Sakura burst to laugh out loud in her home alone. He was such a spoiled child.

18:40: Yes Hokage Sama, it's ok, I haven't read much yet.

18:40: What about you? Working? Reading?

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

18:41 H.Kakashi: Actually, both.

18:41: And?

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

18:42 H.Kakashi: Work, awful, reading, quite interesting.

18:42 H.Kakashi: Tell me, Sakura, is it possible?

Sakura asked herself what was he talking about, Inner Sakura, invited to re questioned him.

18:45: What?

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

18:46 H.Kakashi: To have five daughters and take care of all of them, in a simple civilian life, plus a wife and listen to them all the time talking without a stop

Sakura laughed again.

18:47: So... You are feeling bad for the poor Mr Benett, right?

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

18:47 H.Kakashi: Who wouldn't...

18:48 H. Kakashi: Listen Sakura...

And for a moment he didn't say anything more.

18:55: What now?

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

18:55 H.Kakashi: Would you like to have dinner? Unless you already have plans. We don't need to talk about the books, in fact, we don't have to talk at all

Sakura stood frozen. What was wrong with him. Even if it was just a simple text, she could read need in his words.

'Don't you dare to say no' Inner Sakura adverted, forming a fist with her imaginary hand.

19:00: Rough day?

Bzzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

19:00 H. Kakashi: You can't imagine.

Sakura smiled.

19:01: Then you'll have to tell me.

[gronjon44]

Ok so thoughts on MK-2021

I was gonna make a longer more spoilery review but I'm gonna cut it short cause there's one big thing I wanna talk about (so let's bullet point

Kano is and always will be one of my favorite characters in the MK Franchise (with Reptile, Barakka, Noob Saibot, and Scorpion) His character felt like it should and while I originally would've wanted to see Karl Urban as Kano I do really like Josh Lawsons performance.

Lui Kang and Kung Lao were really fun to watch, Lui especially (I'm not fully familiar with Kung Lao so I won't talk about him too much other then the fact I think he's neat)

I'll kinda consider this a ⚠️⚠️SPOILER⚠️⚠️ so if you wanna skip this whole bullet point snd the next one after; The villains were all awesome in this film (Reptile was awesome to see quick as it may have been, Mileena was fucking AWESOME, Reiko and Nitarra were... there? (I don't know either of them so they were just kinda canon fodder to me), Kabal was cooler then I thought he'd be (though I wanted more)

Gorro was awesome to see but he felt... underused? I'll go more into detail at the end.

Jax was alright but I never knew much about him then and I still don't

Sonya Blade was fine until the end and she just kinda felt... crammed in? Like yeah yeah know she has more in the games and she had a presence in the original 95 film, and she was an integral part of the story all the way through till the end but then she *spolier *spoiler *spoiler* with *insert name here* and she just felt like a thematic paper weight at the end.

Scorpion and Sub Zero were FANTASTIC and i have no complaints with either (at least not directly)

Raiden was there and he was played by Tadanobu Asano (of Thor) and was a MUCH NEED improvement over Christopher Lambert

And then Cole Young...⚠️SPOLIER BTW⚠️

...

...

...

(I'm doing this in a smaller font to get everything I wanna say) I wanna like his character more I do, and i have nothing against Lewis Tan he's a phenomenal actor, but Cole Young is a weird character for this film.

Hes both underutalized and at the same time completely unnecessary to the plot.

Lewis Tan is the decendant of Hanzo Hasashi (Scorpion) after all of Hanzos family was murdered by Sub Zero, say for one orphaned daughter; throughout the film he's hyped to have this big connection to Scorpion (through glimpses of a Kunai surrounded by far to even Cole seeing Hanzo in visions) and later on we see that each champion has a special power, and Coles "power" is supposedly passed down to him by his familial ties to Scorpion.

Now, from that description I'm sure you'd think Cole would gain the Hellish abilities Scorpions known for, or even his retractable Kunai, but NO, instead he gets these wrapping all across his body that act as a sort of shield to protect him and absorb incoming damage (its basically the Black Panther suit)

He also has a set of Tonfas (one of which is bladed) that appear when he needs them

Now I should point out that early on in the film it's shown to the audience that Cole is a struggling boxer trying to support his family, and if you look you can see these wrapping across his body are reminiscent of the boxing wrappings he put on his ha ds prior to a fight. But here's the thing... WHAT DOES HIM BEING A BOXER HAVE TO DO WITH HIS TIES TO HANZO?

You can argue it shows us he's always had a connection to tournament fighting, and yeah that's valid, but it doesn't change the fact that he and Scorpion don't really share a connection.

He unlocks his armor while fighting Gorro who was sent to hunt both him and his family (which frankly is such a waste of Gorro on it's own but I'll get to that in a minute)

When we see Cole get hit in his armor it glows a Hellish red, similar to the fires of Scorpions Hell based powers, but that's as far as it goes and it shows that the armor has absolutely nothing to do with their connection

If you wanted these two to share a bond in their powers, why not have Cole dress in clothes inspired by Scorpion, and then have his powers be hell based or have him control a mystical Kunai, and maybe have the soul of Hanzo watch over him

And this ties into both of the fights that Cole takes part in (Gorro and Sub Zero)

His fight with Gorro is cool, but Gorro isn't the same menace as he was in 95; he's a goon for Shang Tsung and that's it (they refer to him as a prince but even then he's mostly just a lackey, similar to Sub Zero and Scorpion were in the 95 film) And ⚠️SPOLIER⚠️ Gorro gets fucking wrecked.

And even then there is no stakes between them, other then his family might die; these two don't know each other, they have no beef, hell to Cole I bet Gorro is just a big monster.

And this is where the missed opportunity was with Sub Zero; Sub Zero HAS history with Cole there IS a beef between them (even if Cole isn't fully aware of it) but there final fight is just kinda... meh.

Sub Zero and Cole have a full fight (Sub-Z using his ice powers and Cole with his armor and Tonfas) and throughout the fight it looks like Cole might lose; that is until he cuts himself on a Kunai Raiden gave him (it was the original Kunai that belonged to Hanzo when he died) and his blood beint spilled on that blade actually SUMMONS Hanzo FROM the depths of Hell to help win the fight.

They win, Sub Zero dies, Hanzo is laid to rest blah blah blah.

Now, all of that sounds like a REALLY AWESOME IDEA in writing.

The problem is that it goes LITTERALLY NOWHERE WHEN THEY USED IT

Up until this point there is no physical evidence that shows Cole is Hanzos decendant, hell you could argue that Lui Kang is his decendant and it'd make more sense.

Cole's entire arc has been nullified by the simple fact that there is no physical evidence to show the two are related, and this whole blood feud with Sub Zero is kinda useless.

Now I'd like to propose an alternative plot point to fix this if you'll bare with me

Again, another ⚠️⚠️⚠️MASSIVE SPOLIER⚠️⚠️⚠️

...

...

...

Shang Tsung kills Kung Lao in front of Lui Kang, basically setting off that entire arc like the 95 film. Now, here's the alternative I'd like to suggest.

Shang Tsung isn't the one to kill Kung Lao, Gorro is.

Gorro is ordered by Shang Tsung to kill Kung Lao after he ⚠️SPOLIER⚠️ kills Natarra.

And instead of killing off Gorro have him leave with Shang Tsung and the two return to Outworld and Lui Kang is left with a dead Kung Lao.

And to Parralell this, instead of Gorro fighting Cole, have a prelude fight between Cole and Sub Zero, one where Sub Zero actually DOES KILL Coles family (they didn't even die in the film so there)

Sub Zero can battle Cole, Cole can discover his powers, and Sub Zero (in a panic) can just fuckint destroy his whole house with his family inside by summoning a giant ice glacier inside the house.

This in turn adds more weight to the final fight between Sub Zero, Cole and Scorpion; Cole lost his family to Sub Zero, just like Hanzo did before him. And when Cole summons Scorpion in the climax it holds more weight because TWO GENERATIONS OF THE SHIRAI RYU CLAN avenging the deaths of their families in that instant.

And as for Lui Kang make him the main fighter of the ACTUAL TOURNAMENT (they don't even do the tournament in this film they just kinda talk about it) and have Lui battle Gorro for the Title of MK Champion.

Well... that was a long post. I think I'll end it here by saying that while i do have beefs with the film I still want to make it clear I don't hate jt, in fact I genuinely enjoy it.

I just... have some criticisms.

[sometimesrosy]

I really love reading all of your literary and analysis of character growth and arcs, and I'm wondering if you could make a post about Umbrella Academy season 2? I would love to hear your thoughts on the character arcs you found most compelling and why.

I had to think about this so sorry it’s taken me so long to get through.

I think I found Vanya’s story arc so compelling. She was so traumatized and broke last season and this season she got to start over and live WITHOUT that terrible childhood trauma. And what happened? She was happy. She was loved. She had hope. She believed she was essentially a good person. Oh and her girlfriend was SO MUCH BETTER than that creepy last boyfriend. AND SHE USED HER POWERS TO HEAL AND TO SAVE. Her father thought she could only ever destroy... but  mainly that’s because he was trying to dominate her. 

And on that farm, there was no domination, there was growth and comfort and love. She cared for a boy who was nonverbal-- they all did- and they didn’t force him to be someone he wasn’t. They didn’t think he was dangerous. So like she got to care for a child who was something like herself (in a different manner) and she got to NURTURE him, and see him loved. She did NOT replicate the domination and abuse that was heaped on her, she learned from it, even though she didn’t remember, and did it right. 

It was...like taking a breath of fresh air. The whole last season she was relentlessly hated and abused, even by her family who, perpetuating their father’s (the WORST father in the universe) abuse and casting her as the inferior, the victim, the scapegoat. UGH. I hated that they were all like, ‘Oh well, Vanya is the cause of the end of the world so she’s the enemy we have to destroy her.’

Actually, you know? The characters who defended Vanya last season actually got better story arcs this season. I didn’t like Allison last year, she felt very meangirl. But she ended up being on Vanya’s side and supporting her even though Vanya almost killed her. And this season, Allison got to live a meaningful life with a man she loved who loved her back, without any ulterior motives or fame involved. She was an anonymous powerless woman who found her power in the civil right’s movement. That’s kind of super cool. 

But I also find the best arc to actually be the RELATIONSHIP of Hargreeves kids to Vanya. They went from hating each other and thinking Vanya was the enemy, trying to stop her and kill her, to loving each other, being a team, and thinking Vanya needed to be saved and protected. 

They weren’t trying to kill her or stop her, even though she was the bomb again and that’s what they did last time. This time they were trying to set her free and protect her and save her from the feds who were torturing her and unleashing her anger.

Ben even gave up his “life” to save her. That’s a storyline I’m not sure I’ve grappled with. But it will be interesting to see him in the next season as a cool and evil and alive Ben, rather than a geeky and kind and ghost Ben. 

But in the end, it went from ATTACC VANYA to PROTECC VANYA.

And I just think that’s neat.

[aj-anime-blog]

To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts - Review!

First review here we go!!

So, after being completely and utterly obsessed with Jujutsu Kaisen and AOT season 4, I decided to check out MAPPA studios and watch a bunch of stuff from their roster. My so-called "MAPPA binge" included this strange and unknown piece: Katsute Kami Datta Kemono-tachi e, or in English, To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts. An adaption of a manga originally released in Bessatsu Shounen (you might recognize this as the magazine that released Attack on Titan!), it looked pretty promising. I do have to admit that I didn't read a page of this anime's manga, though the art style on it looks gorgeous!!

The concept behind the show: A war has torn two halves of a nation apart, split into the North and the South. The Northerners, who were previously greatly outnumbered in battle, created a half-human, half-beast species known as "Incarnates" because of their God-like abilities. But the Incarnates begin having some issues when their beast forms take over their bodies, turning them into monsters. When the war ends, our protagonist, Hugh Hank, an Incarnate and previous captain of the Incarnate squad, swears to kill all of his mutating Incarnate buddies before they can destroy the world.

This review will not contain spoilers until the labeled "Spoiler" section at the bottom.

In general, what do I think?: 4/10, this show kinda sucked. Ouch! I hate being that blunt! Especially on my first review here! But To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts (let's call it TTASB from here on out!) had glaring flaws that, while it did hold up as a show, made it uninteresting and hard to love. Not only were the characters mediocre and boring, but the show seemed to contradict itself and its own opinion of the Incarnates all the time! Are they bloodthirsty monsters that need to be killed? Are they misunderstood humans who should be given peace? I don't know! Our main characters don't seem to either! Other than the "war bad" motif that gets shoved down your throat from episode one, the show felt stagnant in what it was trying to make the audience feel.

I hate being so cynical about it, though, because it does still earn those 4 points! Even though a lot of it falls flat, as a whole, it's still an ok show! Hank and Schaal have good concepts and their dilemmas are interesting in certain parts when the writers manage to nail pits and pieces of their development! The fight scenes were cool and I think that the concept for the world was neat! And the show does have a pretty cool title. Let's be honest, To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts sounds super metal.

So what about those characters?: 5/10! Hugh Hank and Schaal are our two main protags for the show, and they both have pretty interesting concepts! Hank is an Incarnate, he used to be the leader of the other Incarnates, and he made a vow with them that when they lost their minds, he would kill them himself. Schaal is the daughter of one of these Incarnates that fought under Hank. Interesting, right?! How could these two opposing characters get along with one another?

TTASB tries to give the two of them a sort of grumpy-old-mentor-teaches-a-cheery-youngster relationship (which, admittedly, is one of my favorite tropes) and manages to forget everything good about having this kind of relationship. To start, it feels like Schaal has next to no reason to be tolerating Hank, and vice versa. She follows him around because *insert some excuse about understanding the Incarnates?* and Hank lets her because *insert I really don't know*. It really feels like Schaal doesn't need to be there, and she's just a plot device to move along Hank's character development.

Then, the two of them never really interact in ways that really moved me. It never felt like they made a deeper connection that meant something to the plot. They interacted, sure. They spoke about their issues, yeah. But it never felt like Hank needed Schaal, or that Schaal was emotionally tied to Hank, until the show spoonfed it to you that they were.

In the end, neither of their developments felt compelling or interesting. There were a few scenes that maybe, if you squinted, hinted towards them growing as people, but for a 12 episode anime, it was very menial. It also felt like said scenes were fairly forced, with their development not really leading them to the point that they ended up at. Again, TTASB has a bit of an issue with contradicting itself.

The villain was so meh. He has a motive, yeah. It's pretty lame. He's not compelling at all. Nothing about him is interesting or kept me hooked on him. The show probably could've existed without him, to be entirely honest. I don't really have much else to say about him! I just did not really care about him at all.

The best characters in the show are hands-down the supporting cast of Incarnates. Each one has fairly interesting motivations, and even though they're only given an episode or so to tell their stories, they feel the most genuine. My biggest qualm with them is that the show doesn't build their connection to Hugh Hank at all, so when he gets emotional over them, you're kind of like "uhhh u know this guy??". More about this down in our spoilers section, as I'll go over a scene where this is prominent.

So characters were meh, but what about the story itself?: 4/10, just as meh. Again, very interesting! Lots of potential! But it fell flat where it mattered. To be clear, just before we dig deeper: the 12 episodes of TTASB isn't the entire story. It's clearly intended to be continued, though, as of writing this, I haven't been able to dig up any news about a potential season 2.

I don't really mind if animes aren't completely original, as long as they're fun, but TTASB didn't really do that. A lot of the episodes felt boring and reused like it was a watered-down copy-paste of other material. Some episodes were repetitive and seemed to be trying to hammer in the same themes, only to be later contradicted by other episodes. TTASB will spend a few episodes showing you how misunderstood and sweet the Incarnates are and then have an episode where an Incarnate murders a bunch of people. I would love it if it was, in any way, shape, or form, sarcastic, but it is not. TTASB just thinks it can get away with the blatant disregarding of its own morals. It only ends up feeling disconnecting and frustrating.

It follows an almost monster-of-the-week style format for introducing the Incarnates, which does them a bit of a disservice, in my opinion. I really would have liked it if there was a bit more overlap between the Incarnates and their stories! We know that they're all very close (or, at least, the show tells us that they are without really showing us) so seeing them interact with one another outside of their respective episode would've been fun!

The story tries to be darker and grimier than it actually is. I didn't end up caring much for the nation itself and much of the politics that the show tried to utilize felt boring and, again, watered-down. It felt like the show wanted to make it a political drama about war and human rights and only ended up shying away from what makes those genres impactful. Again, this isn't to say that TTASB's story is bad, it's just not as good as it could've been.

But it's MAPPA, so the art has to be good, right?: Yeah! Art was cool! Nothing golden, like MAPPA's newer stuff, but a solid 7/10! The fight scenes were nice, and even though a lot of them felt redundant to watch, they were still smooth! I have some qualms about a few of the Incarnates' beast forms (especially Hank's) looking like they belong back in 2001, but they still looked cool nonetheless.

I don't really have much to say on this front! Nothing really blew me away, but I never looked at the screen and winced away.

Ok and finally, pacing!: 4/10. 12 episode animes always have tricky pacing to them. I like to think about the show being pretty much only 5 hours long, which isn't that much time to cram in as much story and plot as they might want to. Overall, TTASB actually had pretty decent pacing, with a long enough build-up that led to a final showdown. If you ask me, I do think there was a pacing problem in the second half, as it felt far too stretched out, but that could've just been my perception of it.

My biggest issue with pacing loops back to the characters again. They're never really given time to explore or build up relationships. Especially not Hank and his prior team of Incarnates. I think that there should've been more screen time dedicated to their time in the army, to better explain the emotional distress that he's going through as he's forced to hunt them down. Instead, TTASB relies on a throwaway line or scene to deliver this emotional blow, and it nearly always falls flat.

Music!!!!: 6/10, The soundtrack in this anime really wasn't memorable and I don't remember much from it. Whoops!

I did like the opening a bit! It was done by Mafumafu, who I think has done a Pokemon intro song? Either way, it was energetic and fit the theme of the show well! The ending is also a bop, now that I'm thinking about it! It manages to be nostalgic and sad without being too slow! So good music on both fronts!!

OK, now we're in spoiler territory! Be warned!

I don't have too much to say regarding spoilers. Nothing in the show really feels important enough that I have to mention it under a spoiler tag. A few small notes, I suppose.

The show treats Hank like the more important character but then throws him away in his "death" to focus on Schaal, which was a very frustrating episode. Schaal felt so bland and useless in it, even when she faced her father again. Bringing him back to life felt like a sad excuse to force her into character development. I did like it when she found the courage to shoot him, but I also thought that it wasn't really as emotional as the show wanted it to be.

Hank's connection with Schaal, particularly in the second half, feels completely unnatural and forced. When she gets kidnapped, he has some sort of mental breakdown over her and it, if anything, felt creepy. It was undeserved and was forced down your throat rather than built.

Beatrice was the best character in the show and I think that if they stuck to ideas like hers (misunderstood creatures who just want to go back to their old lives), the story would have been much better. Instead, you switch to characters like the Gargoyle Incarnate, who just goes on a murder spree, and it ruins a lot of the development that Beatrice brought to the table.

& our deep deep look at one part: Forgive me if I get this screwed up a bit, it's been a weekish since I finished the show and my brain dumped out all details of it already.

Hugh Hank goes to the mountains and fights the Garmr Incarnate, Rex (Roy? I'm a bit confused on his name), in an epic show-down. Obviously, at the end of it, Hank wins, killing Rex. Now, if you're like me, you sat there for most of the fight going "who tf is Rex and why is this battle important?" and only at the very END, when he's dying, do you see a clip that you might remember from the very beginning of the anime, with Rex talking about Schaal. You go "oohhh I know who he is!" but you wished that you remembered this ten minutes ago when the fight started because it would've been so much more impactful. The show didn't remind you of this scene. It didn't tell you that Rex was this same person that you already met. It expected you to remember, and I didn't. This scene sums up a lot of the character problems with the show, where even if something does have emotional weight, the show doesn't act on it.

Now we're done!: Sorry if this was harsh, but that's my full review on To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts! I'd love to hear if you agree with me or think that I'm totally wrong! If you've read the manga, tell me if it's better or worth a read! And thanks for reading!

(The crossed-out "Hugh"s are all of the times that I got Hank's name wrong! I'm not super great with character names, but I always take it as a bad sign when I screw up the name. )