#The Elephant And The Ant Kid's Story

[storyteller-21]

जंगल के दिल में एक दयालु हाथी, एक प्यारे हाथी की कहानी है। उसके विशाल आकार और ताकत के बावजूद, हाथी का दिल सोने जैसा है और जंगल के सभी जानवर उसे प्यार करते हैं। एक दिन, वह एक छोटी लेकिन होशियार चींटी से दोस्ती करता है, जो हाथी के संरक्षण और देखभाल से आकर्षित है। हमारे साथ जंगल की रोमांचक यात्रा पर चलें और हाथीराम और चींटी के बीच विशेष बंधन की खोज करें। क्या उनकी दोस्ती जंगल की चुनौतियों पर विजय पाएगी? देखें और जानें!

[jw-horror-stories]

Oh, boy, let me think of some good stories. I was fortunate enough that my family never tried to pressure baptism on me (My grandfather did, but only once). I never got baptized because of this.

I also lucked out in that I don't have any creepy old man stories, or anything else of that nature.

I DO have trauma from they way they use the world 'homosexual'.

Once, when my sister was like, 5? She made a board game all by herself, using paper. It was called 'Run Away from the Demons and Go to Jesus.' There were some awesome stick figure demons. Jeezy Boy, however, did not make it into the picture.

My parents had a good sense of humor about it, though.

I vividly remember reading a Watchtower article discussing a man who had a 'homosexual lifestyle' before coming into 'the truth'. He prayed to God and it went away tho!!! Prommy!!!!

(I feel so bad for him and I hope he realizes he doesn't have to do that.)

If I get anymore crazy stories, I'll let you know (I'm a minor and am stilled being brought every Sunday).

As soon as I sent that last ask I remembered a story! I had to listen to a talk given by a brother who clearly did NOT research evolution outside of the JW publications. He said (all in his talk about EVOLUTION): - There is NO evidence for evolution. None. Not even a bit. Not a single piece. Nada. - The sun will never run out of (quote) "fuel". (I don't remember how this tied in at all. Chances are it didn't.) - If bees died there would NO POLLINATORS. AT ALL. No more bees; no more anything!!!! (He literally said that without bees no flowers would ever be pollinated. Man has not seen a butterfly. Tragic.) - AI stands for AUTOMATED INFORMATION. (He did mean actual AI, he used this talking point as a 'gotchya' because humans cannot come close to creating a brain. Therefore: God.) - Evolution is being taught EXACTLY THE SAME as it was 60 years ago. (Tell me you've never looked into it without telling me you've never look into it.) The only difference is when HE was a kid it was a THEORY but now it's taught as a FACT. (No???) - Things NEVER crash in space because GOD is guiding them! (???? Man said this DURING a meteor shower btw) - Ants are NOT STRONG. (What. What are you talking about.) In the same line as the previous note he DID say elephants are strong. This is evidence of god's POWER. (I nearly had to leave the room. Elephants are evidence of god's power but ANTS are not???) This was all in one 45 minute talk. He bounced from point to point so much that it was too hard to follow and he just said straight-up untrue things half the time. If it wasn't so infuriating, it would have been funny.

Hoo boi, lots to unpack here, so let me just get everything done in one ultimate post.

The first part about the homosexuality, all I can say is that more likely than not the article you mentioned was most likely fictitious, or at least greatly embellished (probably involved a slightly girly man, or a slightly boyish woman, all that GNC shit they don't like).

And now, that 45 minute indoctrination session talk you heard.

There is NO evidence for evolution - yeah we were always at war with Eurasia. Okay, not quite that level of Orwell, but it's still bad. And also laughably stupid.

The sun will never run out of (quote) "fuel". - all part of a large over-arching narrative of "god has god powers so sun is forever and so is humans"

If bees died there would NO POLLINATORS - nevermind the butterflies for a moment, if such a cataclysmic mass extinction of bees did happen, flowers that do not need pollination would overtake the gene pool, and oh look, evolution. Those that survive the new conditions would take over. Funny that.

AI stands for AUTOMATED INFORMATION - I keep reading AI as "Accuracy International". Hey, if he can put in irrelevant nonsense then so can I. Only difference is I'm not pulling any bullshit here. Look them up, pretty cool, but autistic infodumping will have to wait.

Evolution is being taught EXACTLY THE SAME as it was 60 years ago - You can tell roughly how old this speaker was. Hey gramps, your information is pretty outdated, have you finally switched over to Windows 98 yet?

Things NEVER crash in space because GOD is guiding them! - Oh okay, so his knowledge of magnetic fields would imply that he's yet to discover the automobile. Or that it costs more than $5 a day for a good living wage. Does he even know about the Printing Press?

Ants are NOT STRONG - ok boomer

ngl it was actually kinda fun to respond to those talking points, just because of how utterly absurd it all is. I find that laughing at it rather than trying to understand the reasoning is ultimately better for one's mental health.

-Mod Degurechaff, needs more shit to respond to

[coleopterabyte]

INSECTOID INSPECTION #2 | Flik

Flik is the protagonist of A Bug's Life, a movie created by Pixar in 1998. As A Bug's Life is more beloved for its story than it's character designs, I'm going to assume nobody's going to pull out a pitchfork when I say that I just don't generally like this guy.

Let's delve into why, though. 1 | -

Accuracy:

Well... he has bent antennae. And three segments, including an abdomen. And general plating to show he has something resembling an exoskeleton.... but let's acknowledge the elephant in the room. His disgusting, moist, doll-like human eyes, his cow-like dental dams, his legs that sprout from his abdomen... The fact that he's a "male worker ant", while also being a potential suitor to the princess....

You can tell he's supposed to be an ant, at least. The design is not trying particularly hard to be accurate, but some things (like the legs coming out of the abdomen) are just enough to possibly trick people who are really ignorant about how bugs work, and I feel the need to dock harder on things that could misinform people. 1.5/5

Aesthetic:

It's high quality for the capabilities of 3D animation back in '98, but I think this movie should have been a 2D cartoon. Making Toy Story was an excellent move for pixar at the time because that's what this style is best suited for-- making things look like toys. This guy isn't a bug, he's a plastic sculpture. You could call this a part of the limitations until you look at Hopper, who is a very well designed character in comparison.

They could've done so much better with this- just give him some texture, fix up his face, and move his legs back onto his thorax and he'd be fine, but no, for some reason this was considered most marketable. 0.5/5

Amusement:

Okay, so... I was generally okay with his character as a kid, but the older I get, the more annoyed I am with how much of a chronic failguy he is. I like inventors, I like guys who are a bit clumsy (hell, C3PO was my favorite character when I was young), but the plot hinges on him fucking up nearly every step of the way. It gets tiring, and I hate humor based on secondhand embarrassment.

In this case, I'd probably like him more if he weren't a horribly inaccurate bug, but I'd still prefer him as a side character as opposed to a protagonist. 2.5/5

Attunement:

A Bug's Life has a very cartoonish take on what bugs get up to when humans aren't watching -- which is fair, considering it's a film for children. There are no humans in the film, and the only references we get to humans existing come in the form of "the big city" being composed of human trash-- I find the concept to be fun and clever. The anatomical and societal differences between species perplex me, however. For instance, some bugs have six limbs, while others have four. Why are rhino beetles less intelligent and less anthro than other species? This isn't a matter of insects vs arachnids, there's just no consistency besides "the designers felt like it".

It's a little interesting, but it doesn't compel me because there clearly wasn't a lot of careful thought put into it. Overall, this highlights my primary problem with the film: A Bug's Life simply is not a story about bugs. That doesn't undermine its message, which I don't begrudge, I just get a bit annoyed when people consider it The bug film of all time. 2.5/5

Maybe that's not a hot take, but I've had a number of people be surprised when I say I'm not super into it.

Actuality: 1.75/5

[fishthegenderwitch]

A little child in the store was singing the ABCs song today, and it was great. W was "bubbadoo", L-M-N-O was "Ow-ah Maow".

It got me thinking a Wonder I had never before Wondered: do other languages have an Alphabet Song for teaching the childrens?

And they do!!

Latin-based language songs

Spanish

The first Spanish song that was suggested is Sopa de Letras (“Soup of Letters”) by Gaby Rivero. This song teaches all the letters by imagining a soup with a bunch of food mixed in, with each letter of the alphabet represented by the food (A for arroz, B for bombon, C for col and so on). It’s not as straightforward as the English alphabet song, but it has a fun, very ‘80s music video.

Another song, mentioned by a Babbel video producer from Cuba, is La Marcha de las Vocales (“The March of the Vowels”) by Cri-Crí. This song only teaches vowels, so it’s not quite as useful. It does have the added benefit of describing the shape of each letter, however, which is useful for small children learning to write.

Portuguese

Similar to the second Spanish song, the song that our video producer who grew up in Portugal learned only teaches the vowels. The song is AEIOU from Big Show SIC, a Portuguese children’s variety show from 1995 hosted by singer Ana Malhoa. If you thought the first Spanish song was wild, this one is truly over the top. The video has people in animal costumes running around, children in the stands and a legion of scantily clad dancers. It’s a lot to take in, but you’d probably remember your vowels after watching it.

Polish

Another song that isn’t exactly an alphabet song is Abecadło Z Pieca Spadło (“The Alphabet Dropped from the Stove”) by Julian Tuwim. Based on a nursery rhyme, the song features a lot of the letters, along with a story about how they were damaged when they fell from the stove (the H broke in half, the A dislocated its legs, etc.). It doesn’t teach children the alphabet in a straightforward way, but it’s still a fun song to familiarize kids with the letters and what they look like.

Swedish

The first comprehensive alphabet song we found that sounds nothing like the English alphabet song comes from Swedish. It’s just called the Alfabetslåten (“Alphabet Song”), and it’s from an old children’s show called Fem myror är fler än fyra elefanter (“Five Ants are More than Four Elephants”) Two elephants sing the letters to the alphabet, including the four vowels that Swedish have that English doesn’t. Most importantly, it’s pretty catchy.

German

The vast majority of alphabet songs tend to use the tune of the English alphabet song and change them to their needs. This German song is just one example, and it’s called Das ABC-Lied (“The ABC Song”).

The Non-Latin Language songs on here are

Russian

The Cyrillic alphabet is not too different from the Latin alphabet, but it is a major stumbling block for Russian-learners who are just starting out. There are a few possible versions of the song out there, but we chose one from a reliable source: Улица Сезам (you might know it better as Sesame Street). It’s pretty similar to the English alphabet song, but with a different beat and an unfamiliar Muppet.

Chinese

The Chinese languages use over 50,000 characters, which presents a whole new problem. It’s impossible to make a comprehensive song because that would take way too long to sing. The solution is using the 千字文, or the Thousand Character Classic, which is a poem over 2,500 years old that is exactly 1,000 characters long, each used once and collected in rhyming stanzas (so it can, in theory, be sung). While it’s only a fraction of the full written system, the poem provides a useful introduction to written Chinese. The video below shows an excerpt of the poem being painted by calligrapher Cai Xingyi.

Japanese

Japanese only has 46 characters, so there is a song that can capture all of them. Japanese doesn’t have an alphabet, however; they use a mixture of two syllabaries and Chinese kanji (thousands of characters that were taken from Chinese into Japanese). The main 46-syllable hiragana is the best place to start, however, and the song is simple to learn.

Hebrew

Hebrew went from being widely spoken to nearly extinct, and then back to widely spoken again. The language was kept alive for religious reasons, and most people outside Israel likely encounter it during the bar/bat mitzvah process. Having a helpful alphabet song to teach legions of children and pre-teens how to read the language, then, is useful. Fortunately, Jewish singer Debbie Friedman created The Alef-Bet specifically for Hebrew school students.

I must go listen to the Swedish one now.

Please add more if you have them!

[doubleddenden]

Regional specific pokemon (types and order not yet decided, can change on a whim)

huge list under cut. Just a list, no names either, just mainly ideas for me to reference later

Main Dex: Gulrimi? Sorigul? I'm thinking Sorigul as the Tauraro rename. Anyway, the region is the Gulf Coast of the USA, ranging from MS, Louisiana, a small portion of Texas, Alabama, and Florida. The dex is meant to be representative of the culture of my area while taking into account personal favorites AND other animals commonly found here. A LOT are found in my own yard, actually. The main outliers are the starters, which are to be a bit weird as they are both aliens from outer space and aliens from the region itself. The map itself would be based on the gulf coast tastes but upside down and with various exagerations, reimaginings, or redesigns, and you'd be able to go to a gym of each and every type- only requiring 2 mandatory gyms to beat (your first being Normal and your last being mixed). Story is a mixture of a gym challenge, stopping the evil team, aliens, temples, and other mysteries. You and your best friend are ordinary kids about to graduate from school, and you both promised each other years ago that one of you would become the champion to put your home town on the map. What should have been a fun adventure through several sub regions turns into a series of conspiracies as you work to uncover a plot from an evil team seeking to retake the region after failing to establish their regime years ago and after their "champion" lost, aliens invading, the re-emergence of long lost temples and ruins, portals opening to strange places, and drama, drama, drama. From farm kid to the hope of the world, can you save the home and friends you love dearly?

Names and types not decided yet, but the ideas are here.

Grass

Grass steel

Grass steel- probably rhinoceros beetle

Fire

Fire

Fire fairy- either a flaming bat or a leopard frog with a cheetah's body plan

Water

Water

Water dragon- either a blue sea dragon and sea bunny combo or some sort of crab. Unsure yet

Wasp baby

Wasp nest

Red wasp

Dirt dobber wasp

Yellow jacket wasp

Bird

Bird

Bird

Chihuahua (3 variants)

Raccoon

Raccoon 2

Psychic cat ringtail

Psychic cat 2

Psychic cat 3

Cotton mouth

Cotton mouth 2

Cotton mouth 3

Possum (plus schooling form)

Box turtle

Box turtle

Box turtle

Pup

Ice pup

Electric pup

Fighting pup

Shrimp

Crayfish

Lobster

Dragon baby

Steel dragon

Fighting dragon

Ghost dragon

Lab puppy

Water lab

Goldie puppy

Fire golden retriever

Crane bird

Teacup pig

Pink Pig

Fairy flying domesticated pig

Mud pig

Wild boar

Deer

Deer 2

Deer 3

Catfish

Tiger shark

Brahma bull 1

Bull 2

Mule

Chick in an egg

Chicken fire flying

Chicken fighting flying

Chicken dark flying

Beagle

Fire ant 1

Fire ant 2

Spider lily 1

Spider lily 2

Fire rock fossil 1

Fossil 2

Triceratops fossil 1

2

Sky whale fossil

Fire dragon 1

Fire dragon 2

Fire dragon 3

Wood waifu 1

2

3

Rv tortoise

Garden snake

Field mouse

Field rat

Chipmunk

Bulldog 1 mascot

2

Eagle 1 mecha mascot

2

Black bear 1 mascot

Black bear 2

Tiger 1 mecha mascot

2

Elephant 1 mecha mascot

2

Wolf mecha 1 mascot

2

Gator 1 mascot

Gator 2

Dolphin 1 mascot

Orca 2

Bobcat 1

Cougar 2a mascot

Panther 2b mascot

Blue gaucus 1 or crab guy 1

2

3

Moth

Moth 2

Fire fly

Fire fly 2

Frog

Bull frog 2

Cow ant 1

Cow ant 2

Horse fly 1

Horse fly 2

Wolf spider 1

Wolf spider 2

Wolf spider 3

Bees and swarming form

Worm

Worm 2

Alaskam bull worm 3

Porcupine 1

Porc2

Duckling 1

Duck 2 a flying water

Duck 2 b dark water

Rattle snake

Hamster

Atv 3 wheel

Atv 4 wheel bull

Sax monster

Drum monster

Fox fighter 1 evolves via armor section

Mail carrier bug

Forest Dino 1

2

3 with mushrooms

Mosquito 1

2

3

Drill 1

2

3

Pika clone

Rabbit

Jackelope 2

Flying jackelope 3

Armadillo 1

2

Rocket bird

Electric steel cyber guy

2

3

Alien monster pseudo legendary 1

2

3

Ghost dark pseudo legendary 1

2

3

Rougarou of the bayou

Big foot

River mermaid

Drakameha

Calistaris

Titanigon

Dragon mom

Regional Variants, convergents, and cross Gen evos

Rookidee

Corvisquire

Corvilich rock flying

Growlithe water

Arcanine water ice

Phanby fire ground

Donphan

Monster truck elephant

Hoothoot ice flying

Noctowl ice psychic

Mudbray

Mudsdale grass dark

Ponyta fairy flying

Rapidash

Regional eevee

Ghost

Poison

Steel

Dragon

Bug

Normal

Pichu

Pikachu

Raichu dark

Fossil lapras convergent 1

2

Ground steel chikorita

Bayleef

Meganium

Electric psychic cyndaquil

Quilava

Typhlosion

Fighting ice totodile

Croconaw

Feraligatr

Fire ground bulbasaur

Ivysaur

Venusaur

Water poison charmander

Charmeleon

Charizard (Geyzard)

Grass squirtle 1

Wartortle

Fairy blastoise

Rock treeko

Grovyle

Rock ice sceptile stego

Poison torchic

Combusken

Poison flying blaziken

Ghost mudkip

Marshtomp

Swampert

Dragon snivy

Dragon flying Servine

Serperior

Ice ghost tepig

Pignite

Emboar

Fighting oshawott

Fighting steel Dewott

Samurott

Rowlet

Dartrix

Decidueye

Shared Heracross and Pinsir pre evo

Heracross

Pinsir (armor evo shared)

Dratini

Dragonair

Dragon/Fairy Dragonite

Yanma bug flying

Yanmega bug steel

Meowth rock

Persian rock cougar

Evo rock

Scyther bug dragon

Incyzor bug rock

Lazor bug electric

Magikarp ghost

Gyarados ghost/rock

Cyclizar pre evo

Cyclizar

Cyclizar MODERN motorcycle evo, Dragon/Steel, black harley

Varoom

Revavroom

Tractor Revavroom evo

Whimpod fire/bug

Golisopod fire/bug

dark fighting Mankey

primeape

regional fighting ralts

kirlia

regional female exclusive fighting steel evo

Tauros, Miltank, and Bouffalant preevo

Tauros

Miltank

Bouffalant

Ghost Steel Riolu

Lucario

Fire Electric Zorua

Zoroark

Sunkern

Sunflora

Sunflora evolution Grass/Fire

Salandit ice/electric

Male Salandit exclusive evo

Fairy Flying Zubat

Golbat

Globat cross regional evo

Returning non special Pokemon- as in non armor evolving, non regional variant, and non cross gen evolving of any kind in the main story.

Deerling

Sawsbuck

Spoink

Grumpig

Swinub

Piloswine

Mamoswine

Pidgey

Pidgeotto

Pidgeot

Orthworm

LeChonk

Oinkologne

Aron

Lairon

Aggron

Shroomish

Breloom

Paras

Parasect

Foongus

Amoongus

Morelull

Shiinotic

Blipbug

Dottler

Orbeetle

Ledyba

Ledian

Poliwag

Poliwhirl

Poliwrath

Politoed

Tympole

Palpitoad

Seismitoad

Croagunk

Toxicroak

Tadbulb

Bellibolt

Mareep

Flaafy

Ampharos

Wooloo

Dubwool

Cottonee

Whimsicott

Vullaby

Mandibuzz

Rufflet

Braviary

Ekans

Arbok

Seviper

Wurmple

Silcoon

Beautifly

Cascoon

Dustox

Caterpie

Metapod

Butterfree

Weedle

Kakuna

Beedril

Trubbish

Garbodor

Grimer

Muk

Koffing

Weezing

Feebas

Milotic

Wooper

Quagsire

Chewtle

Drednaw

Lotad

Lombre

Ludicolo

Mantyke

Mantine

Finizen

Palafin

Ghastly

Haunter

Gengar

Shellos

Gastrodon

Goomy

Sliggo (hisuian)

Goodra (hisuian, it just works somehow)

Phantump

Trevenent

Pumpkaboo

Gourgeist

Lilipup

Herdier

Stoutland

Houndour

Houndoom

Eelektrike

Manectric

Rockruff

Lycanroc

Glameow

Purrugly

Skitty

Delcatty

Murkrow

Honchkrow

Misdreavus

Mismagius

Flabebe

Floette

Florges

Cleffa

Clefairy

Clefable

Igglybuff

Jigglypuff

Wigglytuff

Bunneary

Lopunny

Bunnelby

Diggersby

Drillbur

Excadrill

Barboach

Whiscash

Basculine

Basculegion

Staryu

Starmie

Bidoof

Bibarel

Rattata

Ratticate

Sentret

Furret

Applin

Flapple

Appletun

Dipplin

Hydrapple

Stantler

Wyrdeer

Woobat

Swoobat

Farfetch'd

Armor evos- This region's gimmick. Pokemon can be given a fragment of armor to soft "evolve" into a new form that any of the line can access, and it can be undone to go back to the older form. While Armor Evolved, no EXP is gained until disengaged, and the states are basically redistributed from the BST of either its current evolved form or the next in line. While Armor Evolved, the Pokemon can learn moves based on the new types gained via TM or what it would have learned via that level (can be relearned). When disengaged, the moves are forgotten. Based on Armor Digivolving in case it's not obvious. Example: Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu can all evolve into the same Armor Evolutions. If Pichu, it has Pikachu's BST, if Pikachu, Raichu's. Raichu's remains the same. With the exception of the COSMIC armors, which is a story locked armor, all the armors have the same BST as their strongest forms. It's not quite Mega or regular evolving so much as it is a new form.

Grass/bug Hercules beetle

Steel/bug rhino armor knight

Grass/COSMIC golden armor

Fire/Poison bipedal cheetah frog with a horn

Fairy/poison frog mage

Fire/COSMIC golden armor

Water/ice

Dragon/ice

Water/COSMIC

Rolycoly fire rock train snake

Shared Heracross and Pinsir armor evolution, bug/steel

Corvimage grass/flying

Pikachu armor 1: Denkichu Electric/Steel

Armor 2: flying jetpack robo guy, electric flying

Armor 3: gorochu, electric/dragon

Kirin horse, Fairy Fire

Kelpy horse Grass Water

Fighting centaur

Armored dragonair evo, dragon

Ice fighting fox

Fire fighting fox

Mewtwo armor 1 psychic/dark

Mewtwo 2 psychic/steel- Both only found after finding a hidden Rocket base in the middle of nowhere.

Dlc: Parts 1 and 2 can be completed in any order, but you should do all of part 1 in one sitting and 2 in another, and both can be completed before the main story, although it is reccomended you do both after. 3 can only be unlocked after beating the main story and both prior DLC's, and the final part after all the above. During each part, it is reccomended that you start with a new team- in part 3, it is mandatory. You should pick a starter and catch a team as if you're exploring a new region, although they will be sort of a "diet" region equivalent like Kitakami or Blueberry Academy.

Pt 1: Japanese abroad: a region loosely based on a reimagined areas maybe already represented in the games, such as Shibuya, Tokyo, Kyoto, and various shrines, forests, rivers, and even a beach. Can be reached as soon as you earn your 8th badge. Meant to be a summer abroad type program where you're being shown artificial armors and investigating traces of alien presences. You're given tickets to come with your rival and his girlfriend after they received one too many. Starters are 2 stage callbacks to the supposed concepts of the Kanto starters- similar in a way to how Unova did Golem/Gigalith, Sawk and Throh/Hitmonchan/lee, etc. Each area will have its own sizeable dex of new and old Pokemon. Below will simply be the newer ones.

Tree frog 1

2

Fire lizard 1

2

Sea turtle 1

2

Robo dog 1

2

3

Ancient Shiba line 1

2

3

Kaiju pseudo legendary dino 1

2

3

Kaiju moth pseudo legendary 1

2

3

Rotom drone

Cleffa ghost psychic

Clefairy ghost psychic

Clefable ghost psychic

Ghastly Fairy electric

Haunter Fairy electric

Gengar Fairy electric

Solar eclipse wolf legendary

Lunar eclipse orochi legendary

Chishio (evolution mythical)

Armor for og Meganium line- Grass/rock stego

Typhlosion- wolf-like fire/fairy

Flying mecha gator serpent for feraligatr line water/steel

Tyranitar armor evo

Hydreigon armor evo

Volcarona armor evo

DLC 2: Bahamas based area off the north east coast of the region. Meant to be a summer getaway for you to relax and unwind, but things get trippy when ships and people go missing in the night, and the stories and sightings of some sort of monster deeper in the sea attracts attention. Aliens, perhaps. The area is also just a taste and not representative of the full potential of a fully fledged Bahamas based region. Starters are based on common animals one could find on a Beach or ocean based region, and indicative of its soon to be full regional status. more will be added eventually, dex will be a mix of land animals with the abundant sea life or otherwise.

Grass beach pig

2

3

flashy fire bird

2

3

water slug

2

3

normal iguana

Flamigo

Flamigo evo

lion fish convergent shinx

lion fish evo luxio

lion fish evo luxray poison/dark

chatot

chatot evo

literal parrot fish psychic/grass

2

3

Rock Krabby

Rock Kingler

Lilzuli lapras pre evo

Regional Lapras water/Psychic

Elgyem

Beeheeyem

HR Giger ALIENS inspired evo Psychic/Dark

regional carvanha water/dragon

regional sharpedo

cross convergent species garchomp/SHARchomp water/dragon

ghost ship sea dragon dlc legendary

convergent luxray line armor evo

convergent garchomp/sharpedo line armor evo

DLC 3: Legends: Yesterday Interference The bad guy you once fought and beat at this point decides that if he can't conquer the region in THIS era, he'll simply do it in the past with the help of his ancestor. You follow him to Sorigul roughly 200 years in the past with the help of a strange Celebi, in the midst of the war that almost tore the region apart long ago. Starters are Chespin, Fuecoco, and Sobble, based on how the southern US had a large hand from France and Spain in being colonized as well as Britain. All three receive new evolutions after their base forms.

Chespin

new evo 1

Grass/rock Pangolin 2

Fuecoco

new evo 1

Fire/fairy butterfly gator 2

Sobble

new evo 1

fixed giant cool water lizard guy 2

Munchlax

Snorlax ice

Dodolo

regional Doduo

Regional Dodrio

Woobat

Swoobat

Swoobat psychic/dark evo

Durant

Durant evolution swarm

Heatmor

Heatmor flaming spikes evo

Clauncher

Klawitzer

Klawitzer cannon armada evo

Regional Remoraid

Regional Octillery, both based on old weapons

Phantump

Trevenent

Haunted forest with eyes glaring evolution

Murkrow

Honchkrow

Convergent Gmax Corviknight style evolution to Honchkrow, summons a horde of crows around it

Teddiursa regional

Ursaring

Headless horse duo a

Headless horse duo b

Pumpkin headed Calyrex convergent legendary (can merge with one of the two)

Pascagoula River Monster

Piasa bird

Alien convergent Xerneas, the nightmare and darkness of nature

Alien convergent Yveltal, the mercy of death for the deathless

Alien convergent Zygarde, sends drones across the land to take it over

Forbidden alien dragon, created on the spot with DNA from the above

Tribal Celebi

Paradox Celebi Past

Paradox Celebi Future

Armor form Chespin line, becomes gigantic echidna with cannon spikes

Armor form Fuecoco line, becomes gallopping armored gator

Armor form Sobble line, becomes armored sea serpent

Armored COSMIC Alien Dragon

Final Story: Only unlocked after completing everything else.

World Turtle Mythical the size of the moon crashing down

[ojeshagarwal]

The Elephant And The Ant Story For Kids With Moral In English

In the vast expanse of the animal kingdom, where every creature has its tale, there lies a story so enchanting and full of wisdom that it has been passed down through generations. “The Elephant And The Ant Story” is more than just a narrative; it’s a beacon of moral lessons, showcasing the virtues of kindness, teamwork, and understanding. Ideal for young minds, this tale illuminates the essence…

[the-mortifying-ordeal-of]

"I just, I just wanna feel good"

she begs, smoking and doping and fucking and numbing.

Babes, you know what feels good. You've been writing about it and fighting for it for years. Don't try harder, try softer. Get into your body, find your tapas, sweat and breathe. Touch your face, hold a palm to your heart, allow the tears. Believe in yourself, trust the process, drink water and eat plants and fill your freezer with whole meals. Go to bed early and wake up early. Move and listen: you have two ears, one mouth. Read your literature and live into your program. Try, forgive, let go, love, try again. You are beautiful and fierce and true. I love you and I'm listening, remember? Keep forgetting, because you're only human, but keep remembering and saying hello to your old friends. Hold space, feel it all, move through it, rest. Say thank you. Mean it. Laugh and be honest and know you belong, know they all belong here with you, too. You're not lost, not too far from home. I have intuition and wisdom and everything I need. I can say no and have it mean nothing about other people, nothing about my worth, and still say no. I can be perfect and broken, repaired with gold, whole in awe, divine love and messy simplicity. I can't be everything but thank god; I do trust the process. I know I belong here. You eat the elephant one bite at a time.

(I'm so scared. I'm so small. I feel wrong, overwhelmed, mortified, so so scared. I feel so cold and alone and tired. I feel violent, messy, contemptible. I'm sorry all the time, not enough, too much, dishonest and disoriented and wrong wrong wrong.)

Who cares what my stories are? They're just thoughts, just stories, just beliefs that I feed. Wouldn't I rather believe a beautiful story? Wouldn't I rather be wrong and happy, naïve and loving, imperfect but present? What if I am meeting expectations, or what if the expectations have nothing to do with me? What do I owe other people? What do I owe myself?

My dad thought himself into his grave, couldn't think his way into recovery. His notebooks were so much like my blogs, cosmic wrestling with sin and grace, mind and spirit. It killed him. He couldn't ego his way out of ego. His fatal blood is in me, her brutal superficiality keeps me bound. This isn't how it happens, something whispers to me from off-stage. This isn't my story. I'm fighting to love better, love bigger, and take me with me. I can be whole, I can be hope, I can do this. I'm doing it, I've been doing it, I'm so proud of you. It's been so hard but so beautiful.

Last night I was washed in a sense memory of being in our original studio, those community center partitions, the sounds of little kid karate during savasana, pushing myself and crying from frustration and laughing when I would have previously screamed, trying when I would have previously quit, finding myself. I loved the chair wall, loved the clock wall, loved the small talk as we packed up and the debriefs driving home. I loved being seen and believed in, building our community, always rolling on my side to extend a pointed foot to nudge you. I can't roll on my side anymore, still feel your absence, but it had been so long since I looked to the past with love. I loved those rooms. They saved me. I'm saved, ever-balancing, and I can carry all that with me. That was a true thing, a real thing.

My throat feels so tight. I feel like I've slipped from grace, lost my way. I know better and I'm not doing better. It doesn't feel better. It feels vastly more complicated. This too this too this too I remind myself, but it doesn't feel real. I feel like I'm languishing, muddling through, truckin' along but not fully alive. I'm an ant gnawing at saran wrap. I know what I'm supposed to be doing but I've lost my drive, lost my serenity, ever out of touch with my self-love, loving-kindness, compassion. I'm so scared at work. I'm so scared of sex. I want to stay home and get fucked up and read escapism romance. I cannot stop smoking. I feel stuck. That gallon and a half of cabbage hasn't fixed me. I don't have as much money as I'd like. I don't feel capable. I'm cold and scared and I feel like a burden, because I'm meant to be the healed healer, the recovery advocate, the mental health champion and evidence-based-practice poster child. I schedule my salads and can quote so many interventions, and yet I am without ritual, without tether, the center cannot hold. I'm so easily distracted, fatigued, overwhelmed, despairing. Ever-annoyed with my own shit, a common refrain. My thoughts a bad neighborhood, my own company toxic. I know how to fix this, and I don't, haven't yet.

You've lost the thread, babe. Do the next right thing. Urge surf. Use your resources. Be honest, tell the whole truth, be a beginner, breathe, soften, trust, love, move, laugh, rest, try. You can do this. You've done it so many times before and come so far. You haven't lost that progress. Inner peace, motherfucker. You can always wake up, always remember, always start again. You're not bad at this, not bad at all.

(What would it be like if I told her no all the time? Genuinely said no, had her hear my no? Would I want it? What would be left? Try it more, please. Say no. You won't be too small, you won't be too boring. Please say no all the time. Prune and burn and purify, love; you'll still be here when it's all gone. You can say no and breathe in the space you create. Try it please? For me? You have no idea what beauty and capacity the future holds for you, but I think it starts with saying no to what isn't working. You don't have to know what works, first. Just say no when you feel no, know no. You're okay, I promise. I'm here for you. You're so good and you can say no as much as you need to. You're resilient and loyal and honest and capable, AND you can say no. You aren't a quitter, aren't a princess. Those are old stories. Breathe into your no and feel how safe and good we are.)

We'll figure out work. There is so much need in the world, I have so many resources, and I have so many gifts, so many ways I feel flow above the line. Money will be okay. I have enough, and know how to survive and thrive. There is enough for everyone. We can figure this out. I'm not alone.

Action items: meditate? drink water. take benadryl to get back on a sleep schedule. listen to podcasts or audiobooks and do sudoku before bed? deal with the rest tomorrow. <3

[tamilbooks]

moral stories for kids in tamil

Certainly! Here's a moral story for kids in English with a Tamil cultural touch:

Title: The Wise Elephant and the Clever Ant

Once upon a time, in a dense forest in Tamil Nadu, there lived a wise old elephant named Kavi. Kavi was known for his intelligence and kind heart. He was respected by all the animals in the forest.

One hot summer day, a clever ant named Arasi approached Kavi with a request. "Dear Kavi, our anthill is in danger because of the dry weather. The water sources are drying up, and we are struggling to find food. Can you help us, wise one?"

Kavi, with his compassionate eyes, nodded. "Do not worry, Arasi. I will find a solution to your problem."

Kavi thought for a while and then came up with a brilliant idea. He called all the animals in the forest for a meeting and explained the situation. "We must work together to overcome this challenge," he said.

Kavi suggested that the animals dig a channel from the nearby river to the anthill, ensuring a steady supply of water. The animals were inspired by Kavi's wisdom and agreed to help. Elephants used their strong trunks to dig, monkeys climbed trees to cut branches, and birds carried leaves to cover the channel.

As the work progressed, the unity among the animals grew stronger. They laughed and shared stories while working together. Even the wise old owl, Athulya, was impressed by the collaboration.

Finally, the channel was ready, and water started flowing towards the anthill. Arasi and her fellow ants were overjoyed. They thanked Kavi and the other animals for their selfless help.

The lesson of the story is clear – teamwork and unity can overcome even the most challenging situations. The animals in the Tamil Nadu forest learned that by working together, they could achieve great things and ensure the well-being of their community.

And so, the wise old elephant, Kavi, continued to be a guiding light in the forest, teaching everyone the importance of compassion, teamwork, and unity.

moral stories for kids in tamil

[onlinesikhstore]

Learn HINDI Reading Kids Fairy tale Moral Educational Stories Mini fun Book GAT

Learn HINDI Reading Kids Fairy tale Moral Educational Stories Mini Fun Learning Books

Book Ref: GAT 

Various Titles to Choose:

Kaua Ki Samgh - A Witty Crow

Singh Aur Billa - The Lion and Cat

Nani Jalpari - The Little Mermaid 

Snow White Aur Saat Baunay - Snow White and Seven Dwarfs 

Sher Aur Khargosh - The Lion and Rabbit

Chuay Ki Shaadi -  The Mouse's Wedding 

Kashua, Cheel Aur Kaua - Tortoise, Hawk and Crow

Kisaan Aur Naag Devta - The Farmer and The Snake God 

Cindrella -  Cindrella

Phoolo Ki Rajkumari Thumbelina - Thumbelina - The Princess of Flowers 

Chinti Aur Hathi - The Ant and Elephant 

Chatur Bandar Aur Moorakh Magarmash -  Clever Monkey and The Foolish Crocodile 

Akbar Birbal Ki Nayab Khaniya -  Amazing Stories of Akbar and Birbal

Sonay Ke Kangan Wala Bagh - The Tiger with a Golden Bangle

Total number of pages 16 - Premium quality paper with high standard printing.

This book is particularly designed for learning reading Hindi sentences + there are morals in each story. Kids can influence their friends and classmates by telling Hindi stories from this book. This book is meant to enhance the story telling skills of kids.

Overall it is a good Hindi book for kids to learn reading Hindi.

We have many other Hindi and Punjabi books (Hindi/Punjabi Alphabets, Hindi/Punjabi Mini Stories, Hindi/Punjabi word Sounds, Hindi or Punjabi Pronunciation, Grand mother's Punjabi or Hindi Stories, Hindi Panchtantra Stories with Morals etc.) listed in our eBay shop to learn Hindi or Punjabi and will personally recommend you all

Please buy with confidence.

P.S. Colour of item may slightly vary due to camera flash and light conditions.

Publication Name: Mini Story Books

Subject Area: Kids Mini Stories

Series: No

Format: Paperback Mini Book

Type: Hindi Learning Books

Features: Mini

Author: Jasvinder

Subject: Hindi Learning

Publication Year: 2020

Language: Hindi

Publisher: Mahamaya

Level: Beginner,Intermediate

https://mynembol.com/product/_ujJ6GB5Yw

[brandonwayneb]

My commonwealth beloved tropes

anyone free to healthy pathology

My bunny 🐰 beat 🥁

My bat 🦇 eletric ⚡️ heart ❤️

My snake 🐍 coiled cords 🪢

My cat 🐈‍⬛ called cool 😎

My royal 🤴🏽 scale ⚖️ exports 🚢

My divine 💖 nature ✨ tree 🌲

My ant 🐜 pleasant 😌 protest 🪧

My bee 🐝 busy ⏰ body 🧍🏼‍♂️

My belief 💭 by relief ☺️

My flamingo 🦩 flow 🌊

My holy 👼🏽 bestow ✨

My bird 🦚 brilliant 👐🏽 I heard 👂🏽

My bird 🦚 feather 🪶 I fly 🕊️

My blue jay 🐦 to say stay free ⛅️

My praying-mantis 🪲 prayers 🙏🏽

My insect 🐞 smallest I see 👁️

My spider 🕷️ I www. WEB/spy syphite

My porcupine 🦔 quills to class-cup questions ☝🏽

My elephant 🐘 my memory 🧠 element ⚛️

My alien gray 👽 survive x-ray 🩻

My angel 😇 at best heights ⬆️ & angles 📐

My going🚶‍♂️ forever ♾️ green 💚 speakup 📣

My windy 🌬️ storm ⛈️ stories 📖 of

My victory 🥇 rebegin 🔂 reign 👑

My salute 🫡

My salutations 👋🏼

My solutions ✊🏽

My soul 👁️‍🗨️

My questions 🤨 my quests 🌍

My mighty 💪🏽 moon 🌙

My good night 🌚 💤 knight 🛡️

My sun 🌞 sacred 🛐

My rex 🦖 rapture rockets 🚀

My ghost 👻 boo book 📕

My dinosaur 🦕 to not die too sore 💀

My skunk 🦨 to base bunk 📡

My frog 🐸 to transmog ⚧️

My owl🦉to see ‘who & how’ 👀

My mouse 🐭 mystery 🧐

My cricket 🦗 cherp church ⛪️

My lion 🦁 lords

My camel 🐫 cam era 🧬

My camp 🏕️ campaign 📈

My genie 🧞‍♂️ genetic 🧬 magnetic 🧲

My bull 🐂 noble 🤴🏽 taurus ♉️

My kangaroo 🦘 can-go-around-you-&-over-kangaroo-court-contorts 🫰🏼

My doG 🐕 my OG 💯 on God original gangsta 💅🏿 mans best friend 🫂

My dragon 🐉 justice loud & proud drag 👗

My squirrel 🐿️ faster to quarrelsome

My squid 🦑 squirt 💦

My octopus 🐙 puss 😸

My tiger 🐯 growl grr 😼

My May 📅 flower 🌸 (born May 6th) 6️⃣

Brandon Wayne Burdett

Lives Life with minimal regret 🤗

Living Life quality survival war vets ⛑️

decided I loved 💕 you ever since we met 🫱🏽‍🫲🏾

BEST WORLD 🌍 BEST NEWS 🗞️ EFFORTS 💥 PSY 🧠 PSA 🗣️ WORLD EARL 🤴🏽 EARS 👂🏽

WORLD ORDEALS

WORLD ORGANIZATIONS

WORLD OR GAIN AGAIN WOLRD ATTENTION

AT 10/10 RIN TIN TIN WOLF 🐺 PACK

WORLD DEALS; WORLD ORDERS & ORDEALS

DEENS DENS & LEINS, FINANCES IN FAX 📠 MACHINE ⚙️ “ZERO TALKS” ZERO OX 🐂

RAMBULL RAM 🐏 LAMB 🐑 BOW 🏹 SAVE LEGAL WOMAN “ROE” 👩🏼 MEN 👨🏼 ON DEATH ROW & HOMELESS KIDS 👦🏼 ON SKIDROW CRACK SYSTEM WARS; WORSHIP THY TRUTH SPEAKER 🔊 BOOM 🤯 BOX 📦 FORT KNOCKS ✊🏽 ✊🏾 ✊🏿 BUST 🚌 POW 💥 FED DO DOOR 🚪 ER ERL ALL

FEDERAL FINANCE FIGHTS FOR PEOPLES RIGHTS ELETRIC ⚡️ KEY 🔑 KITES 🪁

GOD BLESS THE UNDEAD 🇮🇱 ISRAELITES

STAR 🌟 MASTER GOD BLESS ALL LIVES

SAINTS SAY BY TAN PEOPLE UNDER THY GOLDEN SUN ☀️ OUR PEOPLE ARE NOT FORSAKEN; SAY “YES I CAN!” REBEGIN! REBEGUN!

BY THESE ACTS CANNOT BE UNDONE!

HOT TOPIC BY FOREVER ON FOR EVERYONE!

LIFE LAWS! REVOLUTION! EVOLUTION!

[stormkobra-5]

Batons and Unicorns

Steven Grant x GN!Mute!Reader

Part 2 || Part 3

Summary: You, a new and shy addition to Avengers Tower, are a mutant with the ability to shift into animals at will: you're Skinchanger. Thing is? You're mute, and much prefer the company of your fellow animals to humans, even the Earth's mightiest heroes, which kind of alienates you. Until you meet Steven Grant, the other new addition to Avengers Tower.

Fluff, cute, silly, a purely ridiculous fanfic involving our boy Steven

A/N: Yeah so I enjoy the fanfics where Avengers Tower still exists and nobody died horrible deaths and endured unnecessary suffering due to a giant purple alien with a thing for jewelry and everyone is hApPy like they deserve. (I do not know if there's actually a Skinchanger in the Marvel universe and I am way too lazy to Google it) .

Notes: My knowledge of DID comes solely from Moon Knight, so if there are any inaccuracies please let me know!

Warnings: Rated 14+. This story involves strong language. Reader is mute due to being extremely shy. Hawkeye is an ass because I really, really do not like Jeremy Renner at all (which means he has no sad MCU backstory to make him more of a jackass in this story), and also? I needed an antagonist.

_____________________________________________________________

So, apparently you're an Avenger now.

You should be celebrating.

Seriously, like go grab a fucking cake and some candles or whatnot and party because wow, somehow you made it into the elites of the elites.

Which just doesn't happen to average people, right?

Yeah, except you aren't average.

Not in the bad way, not at all, I mean you're a freaking badass. The way you casually shifted into an elephant to scare the shit outta those guys holding up the train station? Fucking badass.

Only, you didn't know these dudes were apparently rogue criminal agents ready to set off a chemical weapon. You didn't know that Iron Man would bust through a window to grab the bomb that you'd accidentally knocked into a grate, which you then collected with your trunk. And you really didn't expect to accidentally save Ant-Man's life. How were you supposed to know you were stepping between him and a speeding bullet that was only a superfluous injury to your badass elephant self?

'Course, the Avengers didn't know you were a person. They thought you were an escaped elephant from the Central Park Zoo or something. Nah, you're just a wanderer setting out from (your hometown) on a journey of self-discovery. Right place, right time.

You were also broke as hell and lost as fuck, but nobody's keeping track, right?

Ah, whatever. Somehow you bagged the greatest job in the universe.

Iron Man himself (against the judgment of like, everybody, but whatever, he's Tony Stark so he can do whatever the fuck he wants) recruited you when you turned back to your normal human self. "Wanna be a hero, kid?"

Sure, you'd nodded. You're mute, which was easily explained when you started communicating in sign language and kind Captain Rogers translated for you.

Although, honestly? You hate people. Who doesn't nowadays? Even the heroes you really didn't wanna be around. But, you took the job. Pays well, gets you college, and gives you a pretty damn good reputation while you're at it.

Not to mention.

Not to mention.

You are now, personally, in the midst of heroes. Gods, even. On your first day moved in with nothing but your little bag of luggage you meet Thor himself. And Loki. Did I mention Loki. Although with the whole New Asgard thing in Norway, they're not really at Avengers Tower much thank whatever, because it's kind of nerve-wracking, being in the presence of gods? Not to mention Loki. You were there for the Loki-pocalypse taking over Tumblr when he reformed. You witnessed all the hype and fanfics and millions of people across the globe drooling over this man.

You may have been one of them.

Just saying. That might be why it was kinda hard to look him in the eye. Not that you read hardcore smut or anything (or did you...? I don't know you. That's none of my business.), but still. The guy is like ten feet tall and dark and handsome with his features sharp enough to cut through fucking diamond.

Geez, you're glad he's off to New Asgard.

So, you move in. Mr. Stark (as you've been told to call him, by him) takes you to a mandatory introduction to the whole of the Avengers crew.

Boy.

There a lot of them.

There's like three Peters, five Steves, and each guy or gal has a specific superpower. And backstory. And twenty pages of why you should not under any circumstances fuck with any of them of previous missions and accomplishments that make you feel like your elephant-heroic-ness is falling far short of the Avengers title.

Then you move in.

Mr. Stark gives you a spacious apartment on the living floor, in the midst of everybody else's apartments that few of them actually use. Thankfully you are set far back. You get a crappy nice view of the congested cluster fuck of cars and smog-covered city of New York through a big-ass window, a gigantic bed, a generous bathroom, and the man even buys you clothes. Congrats! You've officially been adopted by Tony Stark! Way to go!

Your mentor? Thank god it's a robot. You're given a set of martial arts lessons and must copy them, occasionally fighting some drones. You do this in the evening, after school to get your... whatever degree.

Thankfully, you see very little of the heroes. They're off doing hero stuff or whatever. You see them at the compound dinner (although there is a kitchenette in your personal apartment like everybody else's so you can have your own private dinner if you want), sometimes, never all of them at once. The only ones that actually live there are Scott Lang, Natasha Romanoff, Thor and Loki part-time, Bruce Banner, and Peter Parker part-time. The Guardians of the Galaxy use it as a recharge station when they come to Earth.

And Mr. Stark, duh.

When you do see them, they try to make polite one-sided conversation with you because only a few of them know sign language, like Mr. Rogers and Parker. But you don't talking to people because they're like??? just no??? don't talk??? to you??? Like you wanna go about your own business.

Peacefully.

Privately.

And then you come home from school one day to find the apartment next to yours fucking open, like???

Open??? Like??? Somebody's moving in???

Whom the fuck, you might think, like a very proper-speaking person.

Whom the fuck indeed.

Milling around in front is Nick motherfucking Fury, who you only met once upon your arrival. Next to him is Mr. Stark himself, using a dolly to wheel in a pile of boxes full of books.

Books.

BOOKS.

Man do you love books. Like your whole apartment is full of books from floor-to-ceiling of your own and from your local library. BOOKS GALORE.

"Well, Stevie--" Mr. Stark tries to say, but he's interrupted.

"Ste-ven. With a V." Says a very British voice in response, soft and quiet, though also impatient. Exasperated. Like he's said this a billion times.

"Sorry," Mr. Stark replies nonchalantly, "Steven. Marc. Jake. Welcome to Avengers Tower."

You kind of linger behind Fury and Stark, who haven't noticed you yet, peering into the room. There's a large fish tank with a single beautiful goldfish, and shelves and shelves of what will probably hold books, because all the boxes in the room have books. Old books. New books. Big, small, medium, tiny, books everywhere.

This Steven/Marc/Jake guy might be a good neighbor to have. Like maybe you might befriend him to get access to this little personal library of his? Maybe???

The poor guy, though, looks extremely tired. He has dark bags under his dark eyes and his inky black hair is unkempt. Poor guy looks like he hasn't slept this millennium. Dudebro, you ok?

"Am I a prisoner?" Steven questions.

"No," Fury replies sincerely, "You're a guest. Marc joined the Avengers Initiative for you and Jake both, and so now you're based here. You're free to leave, after you've completed your training."

Steven seems surprised. "B-but I'm already the Avatar of Khonshu..."

Khonshu? As in the crazy moon god from Egyptian mythology?

That's right my dude. Dudette. Person. Whatever. You do your research. You're a fucking nerd and you have nothing to be ashamed of.

Or you're not.

Either way. You know who Khonshu is.

Realization hits you. This must be fucking Moon Knight.

You'd heard of the guy since you moved into the tower. The vigilante who protects those who walk at night or some cool shit like that. He wears white so the bad guys see him coming. He's fucking brutal. And part of all that Egyptian stuff. He's apparently crazy or something.

Yet the stories you've heard of the guy who beats people to shit using moon-shaped boomerangs and sheer brute force and Egyptian curses or whatnot does not match the sweet guy standing before you.

Fury acknowledges Moon Knight's question with a noncommittal shrug. "It's protocol. Even Thor and Loki were trained for Earth-based threats. Just following procedure."

Steven only nods. In defeat. You feel bad for him.

Of course, now Mr. Stark sees you.

"Oh! Y/N! Hey!"

Mr. Stark's always been nice to you.

That doesn't mean you like human interaction.

You freeze like a deer in headlights as all attention turns onto you.

Respectfully, fuck you, Mr. Stark.

Mr. Stark reaches over and grabs your shoulder, nudging you forward. You hold your books to your chest in sheer terror.

"Guys," Mr. Stark says to Steven, although there's only one dude in the room, "Say hi to your neighbor. This is Y/N. Y/N, meet..." He turns to Steven for confirmation. "Steven, right?"

Steven nods, shy, looking up at you from under his brow with a faint, tense smile. He gives a little wave. "Hello." He looks just as terrified as you are.

You give a stiff nod. Mr. Stark goes on to introduce the... other people in the room. Of which you see none. But Mr. Stark gestures to a frightened Steven. "He's also Marc Spector and Jake Lockley. He has something called Dissociative Identity Disorder. Means he's not just Steven Grant all the time. Figured you should know, so you don't treat him like he's crazy when somebody else is fronting."

Huh. Sounds like Mr. Stark has done his research, too. Steven seems to be gauging your reaction, but you're only nodding in understanding. The planet has been invaded by fucking aliens.

Numerous times.

You can handle a dude who is simply just not one dude. Mr. Stark may be snarky, but he's always trying to make sure everyone feels welcome and at home, which is why he then turns to Steven to tell him about you. "And bro-- bros, sorry-- if they don't talk, they're not ignoring you. They're mute. They can speak in American Sign Language, though. They're also really, really shy so they take awhile to warm up to new people. Still hasn't really warmed up to us yet, so."

Steven's eyes keep flicking to you as Mr. Stark is talking, and then Mr. Stark pats your back in acknowledgement, turning to the doorway to confirm that Fury is already gone. "So, I'll leave you to get unpacked. I've got stuff to do. Compound dinner is at 6:00 pm sharp, but you're free to have dinner in your own apartment if you want. Hence your own kitchen."

"Thanks," Steven mutters, but you only nod as Mr. Stark leaves.

The two of you stand there awkwardly for a second before Steven comes forward to shake your hand, which you do stiffly. "Nice to meet you, Y/N."

Nice to meet you too, you reply in ASL (which is awkward with your books), but Steven doesn't know it. He furrows his brow, looking honestly ashamed. "I-I'm sorry, I don't know sign language..."

You nod. Seems like that and charades are the extent of how you two can communicate. Is that gonna stop you from helping out the fellow introvert who is also a badass god-avatar and also Marc Spector and Jake Lockley? Nah.

You hold up a finger. Hang on. You rush into your apartment and set your books and backpack down before returning to find Steven in exactly the same place and pose as you had left him. You tap the top of a box, your chest, and gesture to the room. Steven looks around and follows your signals, puzzling it out.

Then the poor guy seems confused. "I'm sorry, do you want to help me unpack?" It sounds like nobody has offered to help him with anything in his life.

Know how you feel, my dude.

You nod, eagerly. Steven is clearly flustered. "Oh, no no no, you don't have to do that. I wouldn't want to trouble you."

You can't tell if he doesn't want your help because he doesn't like you, is a bad introvert like you (you don't know where your sudden bravery is coming from), or seriously thinks that you don't want to. You tilt your head a bit, thinking. Then you come forward and take his hand, which he reluctantly allows you to do. You spell out on the back of his hand, I want to help. That OK?

Steven seems to think for a second. Or maybe he's listening to Marc and Jake say something. Then he smiles, and it's the warmest smile you've ever seen. "Yeah. That's ok. You wanna start with that stack over there?"

And that, reader, is the start of something wonderful.

Although it's slow.

For the next couple of days you help Steven unpack. In the middle of day two, after lunch, you come back to find not Steven, but Marc, the American ex-marine mercenary who really fucking intimidates you. He's not mean, he's just... like you feel like you should call him sir and stand at attention because this dude is badass and not shy and is more quiet than even Steven, but in a brooding kind of way.

You don't meet Jake yet, but the next day Steven is back, and he's sweeter than ever. The way Steven and Marc talk about each other is like brothers-- with Marc being the older brother, of course.

Steven is extremely slow in warming up to you over the next few weeks, like you are to him. Like sometimes he'll start excitedly rambling about the Ennead and you'll listen with interest before he'll abruptly stop himself, thinking he's been talking too much. You urge him to go on.

Because it's really fricking interesting.

Also, he's so nice and sweet that you can't help but warm up to him a little quicker than you would to others. Those memes, where two introverts meet and they just click? Yeah, it's kind of like that. Your arms get tired from how much you're talking through ASL (which he's learning fairly quickly) and your face hurts from smiling. You never knew unpacking and making a friend could be so much fun.

Although the two of you are still a little... conservative. You don't talk about yourselves much. You wonder if he'll think your power is stupid, instead of bending time or being super, so even though you sometimes think it would be easier to put books on top shelves if you were a small giraffe, you don't shift. Steven doesn't seem to keen to summon his suit around you, either, asking the subject to be changed when you bring it up.

Three days after his arrival, Steven starts his training. Since he's obviously not in college, his takes place earlier in the day, but when you come over he's quiet, reserved, and looks like somebody just dragged him through the dirt. Which is odd, because for Mr. Knight/Moon Knight, he should kick ass.

It's on a Saturday when you figure out why.

So you know how everybody's been nice to you? Yeah.

Not Barton.

He's a fucking asshole.

Not just to you, to everybody but Natasha, who's kind of like his sister. But he tries to beat up his opponents in the training rings brutally. Including you. You've gone bison on his ass before just to get him to back off.

Although today, nobody sees you from your position perched calmly on a railing in sparrow-form, because sometimes you just need to hide and chill, y'know? What better place than the obvious?

But when Steven-- because it's clearly Steven, Marc walks differently-- comes in with his bag for training, looking like he's scared to death of what's lurking about, you immediately perk up, waiting.

Steven pulls a little mirror out of his pocket, huffing. "No, Marc. I'm not gonna let you take over. You'll bloody kill him. Besides, it's Saturday. Right? It is Saturday? ...I thought so. He's not gonna come here on a Saturday, is he? I can do it."

Steven shrugs and puts the mirror back in his pocket.

You've seen the mirror conversations before. Of course, you can't see Marc or Jake, but Steven can. The first time it happened he was scared he'd freaked you out, but you'd only shrugged and told him to say hi to Marc for you.

You watch, intrigued, as Steven goes to the robot and starts to input the code to access his lessons. The far door opens and he freezes, turning around to find Barton entering. He starts to gather up his things and make to bolt out of there. The fuck? You scared of Barton?

"Bollocks."

"Grant," Barton greets loudly, spreading his arms in a challenge. He has a disgustingly smug grin on his face, and you can take a guess that he's probably been successful in bullying Steven, who wouldn't hurt a fly even if it were a ten-foot-long one threatening his life. "Where you goin', buddy? Don't you wanna practice?"

"I, erm," Steven is backing toward the door. "I've decided to do it later, actually." Dude. Let Marc front and cream this guy. Very few people take Barton's shit, but one of them is Peter Parker, who you've occasionally defended by turning into a falcon and dive-bombing Barton until he leaves him alone.

Well. If he's not gonna let Marc front.

You swoop down, behind Steven, as Barton grabs him by the collar of his shirt and starts to drag him toward the fighting ring. Then, before you can do anything--

Steven just fucking-- suddenly he's in a tux. Like, a bright, white, glowing-eyes tux. Blink, puff, Steven is fucking brighter than a goddamn lightbulb. He yanks Barton off of him, twists his arm, and kicks him so hard he goes flying across the room.

You watch with big bird heart eyes because.

Wow.

You've never seen either of his suits. He's fucking amazing. "You want to get planted again? Back off, Barton." Steven threatens as Barton struggles to his feet. For a second, you're scared he's gonna go for his bow, but then Steven whips out a couple of batons from his goddamn sleeves and takes up a fighting stance that you're more than certain Marc taught him. "Go ahead! Try it! I dare you!"

You think Barton just might, and Steven doesn't deserve to stand alone. You flutter up to Steven with a couple of chirps and land right on his shoulder. Steven flinches, confused by the presence of a random bird, but Barton knows exactly what's happening. He glares, knowing what forms you can take: you could be Godzilla if you really wanted, but for only like a minute, tops.

Not that you'd actually seriously hurt him.

But when you were a bison you may have jabbed him in the ass with your horn.

Maybe.

With a huff of frustration, Barton mumbles something unintelligible and storms away, clutching where Steven kicked him. Slowly, Steven flips his batons and they disappear. You take flight, hovering and fluttering around his face with a series of excited chirps. Steven watches you with his glowing white eyes in total shock for a second before holding up his hand for you to land on, which you do. If birds could blush and have heart eyes, you would be doing both as you stare up at him in awe.

You can see Steven smile under the mask. "Hello, little birdie. Where'd you come from? Are you lost?"

Then you do something a bird would never do. You write, hello badass on his gloved palm with a bird-ish smile of squished-up cheeks and sparkling eyes.

Steven chuckles in disbelief. "Y/N?! That's your power?! You can turn into birds?!"

You take flight, and he keeps his hand under you with a smile in case you fall. When you land, you're a human again, and you're beaming. So is he. "Don't know why we never showed each other our powers before. We could team up! You could be..." He thinks, and you let him. You haven't seen him this excited yet, and it's endearing. He's like a kid. "Ah! Starbird! Mr. Knight and Starbird!"

I can turn into any animal, You sign, laughing, From any time or realm. I'm Skinchanger.

Steven smiles even wider under his mask. "But we can still team up! I'll switch my training to the evenings so we can do it together. I'm sure Marc and Jake won't mind."

The fact that he wants to train with you has you grinning from ear-to-ear. But then he seems to realize something. "...Can you... Can you turn into mythical creatures? Like dragons?"

Why of fucking course, you reply, because what good would turning into animals be if you couldn't be the most badass one to ever exist? But you don't do that, because last time you did you almost set fire to a whole forest. Instead, you shift into something more magical and pleasant.

A white unicorn, because you can do whatever the fuck you want and no one can stop you.

Steven busts out laughing. You've never heard it, and you lean closer with a whinny of question. Is he laughing at you? No, not Steven. He's too sweet. "Why did you pose like that?!"

Then you're laughing, in a very horse-y way, because you did pose. You just hadn't thought it would be that funny. Steven pats your cheek, grinning. "You're beautiful, birdie."

Butterflies swirl in your belly, because Steven just gave you a nickname.

And called you beautiful.

"Give me a ride back to my flat?"

You strike the pose again, making him laugh. Of course you'll give him a ride. Once he's up on you're back, you purposefully trot by the main living area even though it's out of the way. Yes, Mr. Knight is riding a unicorn. And everybody sees it. Banner even takes off his glasses to wipe them off, a little more than confused.

When you get back to his apartment, Steven is in his regular clothes and you're human. You both plop onto his couch in fits of laughter, harder than you've laughed in years, making jokes about the reactions of the other heroes as they watched you go by.

Slowly, you come to a realization.

You, my friend, might be falling for the sweetest guy on Earth.

You can't help yourself.

You do something unexpected.

Unprecedented.

"Steven," You say, and he freezes. He goes still like somebody just slapped him hard. He sits there for a second, and you realize he might be trying to figure out if that was one of his alters. "Steven," You say again. Your voice is hoarse, and it hurts. But it's the first word you've said in a very long time.

Steven looks at you in disbelief, jaw slack and eyes wide. "Y/N... Did you just--"

"Steven!" You repeat, beaming.

Slowly, Steven grins. You might see tears in his eyes because a mute person cares about him enough to start speaking for him. "Y-you just said my name," He breathes, gripping your shoulders tight.

"Steven!" You confirm, and throw your arms around his neck to engulf him in a tight bear hug, laughing.

Steven doesn't think he's ever smiled harder in his life.

Yes, reader, this is the start of something wonderful indeed.

____

Thanks for reading! We all need a random silly, fluffy fic once in awhile, right?

[gunterfan1992]

Season One of “Adventure Time”: Short Episode Reviews

At the start of 2021, I had this idea to write up a book wherein I reviewed every episode of Adventure Time, condensing my thoughts down into a few paragraphs. It seemed easy enough at the time —I could knock a season out in a week, no prob, I thought — but it turns out it was quite the challenge. Part of this was the difficulty of boiling everything down into a few coherent paragraphs that didn’t just repeat the ideas that “This episode is wacky. This episode is bad.” (I was also dealing with untreated ADHD, so that probably didn’t help.) Even though it was a hurdle, I still got through seasons 1-4, and I thought I’d post my reviews here. Maybe one day I’ll do something with ‘em, but for now, enjoy!

Season 1, Episode 1. “Slumber Party Panic” (692-009)

Airdate: April 5, 2010

Production Information: Elizabeth Ito and Adam Muto (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Synopsis: Princess Bubblegum accidentally resurrects a violent mob of candy zombies, which leads to Finn doing the unthinkable: He breaks a royal promise to Bubblegum.

Commentary: It is always a delight to remind people that Adventure Time—a show that would go on to win a slew of prestigious awards and be lauded by critics as one of the smartest kids show that has ever been made—begins with Princess Bubblegum “add[ing] three more drops of explosive diarrhea” to a scientific mixture with which she hopes to bring the dead back to life. This elision of a macabre topic like the resurrection of the dead with a poop joke is in many ways emblematic of the sort of humor upon which Adventure Time was built, and while “Slumber Party Panic” might not be the season’s best episode, it does a solid job introducing the odd, madcap energy that would allow the show to flourish in its youth.

The plot to “Slumber Party Panic”—storyboarded by future series director Elizabeth Ito as well as eventual showrunner Adam Muto—was hammered out well before the show’s mythology was set in stone, and so some of the more hyperbolic plot points from this episode (e.g., the dramatic revelation that candy citizens explode when scared, or the fact that the Gumball Guardians are also the nigh-omnipotent Guardians of the Royal Promise, who can stop and reverse time itself) had to be ignored in later seasons. Nevertheless, the main characters’ personalities are all firmly established, allowing them to play off one another in a way that does not feel forced or misguided; Jeremy Shada and John DiMaggio, in particular, have excellent chemistry, breathing whimsical life into Finn and Jake right off the bat. All things considered, “Slumber Party Panic” is a fun entry and a solid preview of the silliness that was to come. (3.5 stars)

Season 1, Episode 2. “Trouble in Lumpy Space” (692-015)

Airdate: April 5, 2010

Production Information: Elizabeth Ito and Adam Muto (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: “Trouble in Lumpy Space” is a Ito-Muto production that introduces us to Lumpy Space Princess, the loquacious and dramatic drama queen who was destined to become one of the show’s breakout stars. A sentient blob of “irradiated stardust,” Lumpy Space Princess is an alien valley girl parody voiced by none other than series creator Pendleton Ward himself, and this episode does a commendable job illustrating the character’s immaturity and her ridiculously inflated sense of self-importance. This makes for good entertainment in and of it itself, but what really bumps this episode up a peg is the vocal delivery of the cast. Adventure Time always excelled when it came to its voice acting, but in this episode it is obvious that in this episode Jeremy Shada, John DiMaggio, and Pendleton Ward had extra fun playing around with their ridiculous “lumpy space” accents.

Aesthetically, this episode is quite the sensory experience. Lumpy Space itself is a hauntingly beautiful alien dimension of dark magenta skies and purple, pillowy clouds; it is a right shame that the show very rarely made use of this unique environment, considering how pleasant it is to look at. The episode’s soundtrack is also deserving of recognition, with much of the background music—especially the vapid pop tune that plays while Finn, Jake, and Lumpy Space Princess hitch a ride in Melissa’s car—recalling the elastic hyperpop that electro-wizzes from PC Music produce. The tunes add an extra dimension to the whole experience, helping to sell the idea that Lumpy Space is a silly but alien otherworld. (3 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 3. “Prisoners of Love” (692-005)

Airdate: April 12, 2010

Production Information: Adam Muto and Pendleton Ward (storyboard artists); Craig Lewis and Adam Muto (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Ice King! Beginning the series as a cartoonishly incompetent antagonist, Ice King would grow into one of the show’s most well-developed characters. While “Prisoners of Love,” being the character’s debut episode, sees the Ice King still in his one-dimensional “wicked wizard” stage, there are hints even at this early juncture—like the character’s dramatic insistence to pluck out a yogurt chip from his trail mix, or his spasmodic attempts to play the drums—that the Ice King is more than just a textbook baddie. Is he evil? Judging by his actions, it often looks that way, but there is also a deep sadness to him that makes even his worst behavior somewhat pitiful.

But as pathetic as he may be, Ice King’s lecherous habit of kidnapping princesses is completely unacceptable (Princesses, Adventure Time would like to remind us, should never be married against their will), and by episode’s end, Ice King receives his just desserts—a feminist-fueled kick to the face, courtesy of Finn the Human. The moral of the story is clear: Poor old Ice King might just be lonely, but that does not excuse him for acting like a frost-bitten incel. (‰3.5 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 4. “Tree Trunks” (692-016)

Airdate: April 12, 2010

Production Information: Sean Jimenez and Bert Youn (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: “Tree Trunks” introduces the audience to the eponymous character, voiced by Polly Lou Livingston, an eccentric octogenarian with a pronounced southern drawl whom Pendleton Ward knew growing up in Texas. Despite Tree Trunks appearing as a sweet old pachyderm, much of her dialog is riddled with double entendres and subtle sex jokes that go over the heads of children, and as such, she is something of a divisive character in the Adventure Time fandom: While some viewers find her hilarious, others find her decidedly off-putting. In this episode, however, storyboard artists Sean Jimenez and Bert Youn strike a decent balance between the character’s funny and creepy sides (case in point: The scene wherein Tree Trunks, in the gawdiest of makeup, tries to seduce an evil monster with her “womanly charms and elephant prowess”). The major exception to this overall balance is the episode’s decidedly morbid conclusion, which features Tree Trunks exploding after tasting the crystal apple. This was perhaps the show’s first non sequitur ending, and almost certainly left an indelible imprint on the minds of viewers young and old alike. (3 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 5. “The Enchiridion!” (692-001)

Airdate: April 19, 2010

Production Information: Patrick McHale, Adam Muto, and Pendleton Ward (storyboard artists and story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: According to the annals of cartoon history, the initial storyboard for “The Enchiridion” was whipped up by Ward and his crew members to prove to Cartoon Network that Adventure Time could be developed into a full-fledged series. This was almost certainly a stressful task, which necessitated that Ward et al. dissect the pilot, determine what elements worked, and then infuse those elements into a new storyboard. As a result of this “open art transplant,” there are quite a few analogs between the pilot and “The Enchiridion!”—e.g., the wacky dancing, the dream sequences, the ridiculous language—but this episode does a solid job of emulating the style of the pilot without wholesale duplicating it.

In terms of plot, “The Enchiridion!” is a fairly predictable adventure story, but it is one with enough clever variations that prevent the whole affair from dragging or being too boring; standout scenes include Finn and Jake having to deal with granny-zapping gnomes, and the D&D-inspired reverie in which Finn is tempted to slay an “unaligned” ant. The episode is further buoyed by several fun guest stars (including Mark Hamill, Fred Tatasciore, and even Black Flag’s Henry Rollins) that sprinkle a little additional energy on top of the whole thing. Given the exuberant fun of the episode and the way it easily introduces us to supporting characters like Princess Bubblegum, it is intriguing why the producers did not choose “The Enchiridion!” as the series premiere. That question aside, “The Enchiridion!” is one of the season’s stronger episode and an excellent place to start if you want a crash course in what made early Adventure Time so unique. (4 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 6. “The Jiggler” (692-011)

Airdate: April 19, 2010

Production Information: Luther McLaurin and Armen Mirzaian (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: “The Jiggler” opens on a fun, hyperactive note, with Finn singing “Baby,” a catchy song coated in layer upon layer of sweet, crisp autotune. But soon after Finn and Jake discover and “adopt” the titular creature, the affair quickly devolves into a cartoonish snuff film of two dullards accidentally torturing a wild animal; the whole thing is made worse by the high volume of bodily fluids excreted by the Jiggler. Thankfully, Finn and Jake are able to return the Jiggler to its mother before it keels over, but this victory is undermined given that the whole situation was Finn and Jake’s fault to begin with. Perhaps it is best to view all of this as a cautionary tale: No matter how cute a wild animal may look, you probably should not take it home and make it dance for you. (2 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 7. “Ricardio the Heart Guy” (692-007)

Airdate: April 26, 2010

Production Information: Sean Jimenez and Bert Youn (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon, Adam Muto, and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: “Ricardio the Heart Guy” introduces the titular villain, the brainy-but-sleazy heart of the Ice King voiced to perfection by the sonorous George Takei. Given how arrogant the character acts even before his true intentions are revealed, it is not much of a shock that Ricardio is a rotten egg, and this lack of mystery drags the whole episode down to some degree. Nevertheless, Takei’s histronic performance injects into the episode a funny sort of melodrama, with is further reinforced by Casey James Basichis’s sparklingly dark score, which mixes in elements of opera alongside the usual chiptune blips and bloops to emphasize Ricardio’s pretentiousness. (3 stars‰)

  Season 1, Episode 8. “Business Time” (692-014)

Airdate: April 26, 2010

Production Information: Luther McLaurin and Armen Mirzaian (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: On the surface, “Business Time” is but a silly parody of corporate culture that sees Finn and Jake become the veritable CEOs of an adventuring firm. It is a silly little set up, and the show has good fun poking fun at business-speak and the deleterious effects of rampant corporatization. At the same time, by relegating Finn and Jake to the sidelines near the middle of the episode, “Business Time” does itself a disservice by focusing not on the wacky shenanigans of the business men, but rather on the mundanity of Finn and Jake’s “managerial life.” It all comes together in the end, when Finn and Jake are forced to jump into the fray and destroy the Business Men’s vacuum robot, but the noticeable lag there in the middle of everything throws the pacing of the episode off.

But while “Business Time” might not be the strongest first-season entry, it has gained respect in the fandom for being the first episode to underline that the Land of Ooo exists in the far future after some sort of nuclear holocaust. In an interview with USA Today, Ward explained that this was a natural development that he had never planned: “[When] we did [the] episode about businessmen rising up from an iceberg at the bottom of a lake … that made the world post-apocalyptic, and we just ran with it” (X). Considering how major the post-apocalyptic trappings would become to the show’s mythology, it is a bit startling to learn that it was added in on a whim. Regardless, it was an inspired choice that added a tinge of sadness to the story of Finn and Jake. They were not just frolicking in some fantasy world; they were frolicking in the ruins of our world, long after nuclear war had devasted the planet. Is it bleak? Absolutely! But this bleakness contrasts nicely with Adventure Time’s colorful surface, resulting in a deeply rich ambivalence. Not many shows—let alone children’s shows!—have managed to fuse such extremes into a workable whole. (3.5 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 9. “My Two Favorite People” (692-004)

Airdate: May 3, 2010

Production Information: Kent Osborne and Pendleton Ward (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: Almost all the first-season episodes that we have considered so far have placed a heavy emphasis on comedy. The point of these episodes is to make you laugh, and anything beyond that is gravy. “My Two Favorite People,” in contrast, may be the first that is grounded on a solidly emotional foundation, and while the episode is very funny, it is primarily interested in telling the poignant story of two brothers and a gal they both like. If anyone has ever found themselves caught up in a love triangle—whether real or, as in the case of this episode, imagined—Jake’s actions, although immature, will likely feel relatable. It is a cheesy cliché, but the story’s strength is that it all feels so real (which I recognize is a funny thing to say about a cartoon dog and his unicorn-rainbow beau).

“My Two Favorite People” is the first episode that really features Lady Rainicorn as a mover of the plot rather than just a fun side character, and it is a wonderful showcase for her. While a handful of later installments—namely season four’s “Lady & Peebles” and season eighth’s “Lady Raincorn of the Crystal Dimension”—would try to highlight Lady, “My Two Favorite People” is arguably the character’s funniest episodes, thanks in large part to her use of a universal translator, which allows the other characters to understand her. To some, a device such as this may seem like a cop-out, but storyboard artists Kent Osborne and Pendleton Ward cleverly preempt this criticism by making the device’s only useable setting one that gives Lady the voice of a great-great grandfather. Lady’s “old-man voice” is an episode highlight, and it makes many of the character’s lines (e.g., “Come on my darling! Wrap your legs around me!”) both hilarious and unsettling. (4 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 10. “Memories of Boom Boom Mountain” (692-010)

Airdate: May 3, 2010

Production Information: Sean Jimenez and Bert Youn (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: During the production of season one Ward exerted considerable effort trying to shepherd the show’s crew in a coherent direction, all the while responding to critiques levelled by dozens of Cartoon Network executives. Many of these critiques were contradictory, and in the process of creating something that he was proud of while also appeasing everyone around him, Ward very nearly went bananas. The experience provided the bedrock for “Memories of Boom Boom Mountain,” and to anyone who has been given the arduous task of pleasing a whole slew of prickly critics, the episode will be immediately relatable.

In terms of the show’s budding mythology, “Memories of Boom Boom Mountain” is notable because it firmly establishes that Finn was adopted as a baby by Jake’s canine parents, Joshua and Margaret. This plot point was likely guided less by worldbuilding and more by humor (perhaps playing on the whole “raised by wolves” idiom). Nevertheless, this decision would have major ramifications for the show’s overarching narrative. Finn’s nature as the only human in Ooo was no longer a silly afterthought—it was now a mystery. Just who is Finn the Human, and where did he come from? These questions would linger for seasons, finally culminating in season eight’s touching miniseries Islands. (4 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 11. “Wizard” (692-020)

Airdate: May 10, 2010

Production Information: Pete Browngardt, Adam Muto, and Bert Youn (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: “Wizard”—co-storyboarded by Pete Browngardt, an artist who storyboarded on Chowder and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack before creating the divisive Uncle Grandpa for Cartoon Network—is an absolute bonkers installment that throws logic out the window by giving Finn and Jake magical powers. It is a plot setup almost guaranteed to be fun, and you can tell that the writers likely a good time coming up with increasingly asinine magical powers (e.g., “endless mayonnaise”).

But underneath all the distraught dust motes and captivating new hairstyles, “Wizard” also has a degree of depth, reading like a biting commentary on higher education-industrial complex in the United States. It does not seem coincidental that the strategies employ by Bufo’s scam wizard school are strikingly similar to those used by predatory colleges, which offer students a worthless degree alongside thousands of dollars of debt. The parallels are made stronger when it is revealed that all those whom Bufo has tricked are reluctant to upset the oppressive status quo, because they believe “newfangled thinking will get [everyone] killed”; this eerily mirrors those who downplay the student loan crisis, arguing that “that’s just the system works.” Finn will have none of this, however, and by episode’s end, he—channeling his myriad wizard powers and the vigor of “youth culture”—proves that if a system is broke, it has got to go. Maybe we could learn a thing or two from that. (4 stars‰)

  Season 1, Episode 12. “Evicted!” (692-003)

Airdate: May 17, 2010

Production Information: Sean Jimenez and Bert Youn (storyboard artists); Adam Muto (story writer); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: “Evicted!” is considered a classic by most Adventure Time fans for one simple reason: It introduces the audience to Marceline the Vampire Queen. This iconic undead rocker chick managed to steal the spotlight whenever she appeared in an episode, and eventually she became one of the show’s more well-regarded characters. Given all this, there is some irony to the fact that in her debut, Marceline is the antagonist who steals our heroic duo’s beloved Tree Fort. Marceline is therefore similar to other season one baddies in that she tests Finn and Jake’s patience before engaging them in direct combat. But Marceline is set apart from other foes in how Finn and Jake defeat her—namely, that they do not. In fact, she pounds them into the ground almost effortlessly! Besting Finn and Jake is no easy task, meaning that while “Evicted!” might showcase Marceline’s nastier side, it nevertheless does an excellent job emphasizing how much of a badass she is; this goes a long way in explaining the character’s huge popularity.

But Marceline alone cannot an episode make. Luckily, “Evicted!” is further bolstered by several excellent design choices, including a bevy of fun background critters whipped up by character designer Tom Herpich, a slew of colorful background designs courtesy of Ghostshrimp and Santino Lascano, and a killer soundtrack. Regarding the latter, the stand-out tune is inarguably “House Hunting Song,” a comically overblown ballad detailing Finn and Jake’s arduous quest to find a new place to live. The song, sung mostly by Ward with a few lines delivered by Olson, is an emotion-laden earworm guaranteed to wiggle its way into your brain. (I mean, how can you not love a song that blames the murderous tendencies of vampires on simply being “burnt out on dealing with mortals”?) It very much is the blood-red cherry on top of everything, which helps to make “Evicted!” one of the season’s strongest episodes. (5 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 13. “City of Thieves” (692-012)

Airdate: May 24, 2010

Production Information: Sean Jimenez and Bert Youn (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: “City of Thieves” is a workable if somewhat forgettable mid-season entry. The episode’s main strength is its titular setting, a bizarro municipality where theft is the law of the land. Unfortunately, the city is nothing more than a silly plot device, and the episode itself never really rises above “fine.” (2.5 stars‰)

  Season 1, Episode 14. “The Witch’s Garden” (692-022)

Airdate: June 7, 2010

Production Information: Adam Muto, Kent Osborne, and Niki Yang (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: If you think the idea of Jake sassing Ooo’s cattiest witch is funny in and of itself, wait until you see this episode’s visuals. From Jake’s grotesque but silly “manbaby body” to the abject horror of Gary the Mermaid Queen, “The Witch’s Garden” is replete with several memorable character designs that make it a satisfying entry. (3 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 15. “What Is Life?” (692-017)

Airdate: June 14, 2010

Production Information: Luther McLaurin and Armen Mirzaian (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: Giving Finn and Ice King a son is not a move that I thought Adventure Time would ever make, let alone in the first season, but here we are. The bouncing baby boy in question is actually a clunky robot named NEPTR, voiced to sadsack perfection by comedian and musician Andy Milonakis. If you had told me prior to this episode that Milonakis could give a sentient microwave a sense of pathos, I would have never believed you, but in “What Is Life?” he does a commendable job conveying NEPTR’s pitiful nature. As for the episode itself, “What Is Life?” is a solid entry that introduces viewers to several recurring characters (one of whom being Gunter the penguin) while offering us a peek into the Ice King’s sad, lonely mind. (3 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 16. “Ocean of Fear” (692-025)

Airdate: June 21, 2010

Production Information: J. G. Quintel and Cole Sanchez (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: “Oceans of Fear”—storyboarded by Cole Sanchez and J. G. Quintel, the latter of whom would go on to create Regular Show for Cartoon Network—is in an interesting installment that establishes Finn’s fear of the ocean, reminding the viewer that even great heroes will be forced to deal with irrational phobias at some point in their life. The character designs in this episode are quite amusing (with the standout being Finn’s grotesque “fear of the Ocean” face), and Mark Hamill, as always, does a wonderful job, using his trademark “Joker voice” to give the Fear Feaster a delightful air of villainy. But as with “Business Time,” many of these elements are upstaged by the episodes’ post-apocalyptic trappings. In fact, when I watched the episode for the first time, I paused it in several places, asking to myself, “Is that a wrecked battleship? Is that a bombed-out tank? Why are there ruins of a city underwater?” It is an understatement to say that this episode is positively littered with rusted debris and centuries-old detritus that testifies to Ooo’s traumatic history. For eagle-eyed fans hoping to piece together Adventure Time’s mysterious mythology, this episode is an absolute hoot. (‰3.5 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 17. “When Wedding Bells Thaw” (692-013)

Airdate: June 28, 2010

Production Information: Kent Osborne and Niki Yang (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: One of the first episodes to team Ice King up with Finn and Jake, “When Wedding Bells Thaw” is a goofy lampooning of bachelor parties and the institution of marriage in general. Although the episode ends on a fairly predictive note (spoiler alert: Ice King tricked his fiancée into marriage), seeing Ice King get along with our heroes is charming, and in many ways it presages the Ice King’s future character growth. The episode’s strongest part is the short dialogue-free montage near the middle depicting Finn, Jake, and Ice King getting into all sorts of “manlorette party” shenanigans; this sequence is made all the stronger by Tim Kiefer’s chiptune score, which enlivens the party with a burst of synthesizers and electro-drums. (3 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 18. “Dungeon” (692-013)

Airdate: June 28, 2010

Production Information: Elizabeth Ito and Adam Muto (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: If there is one episode that feels like the entirety of Adventure Time’s first season distilled down into 11 minutes, then it would be “Dungeon.” An episode replete with outrageous monsters and wacky action, “Dungeon” is a high-energy installment that pays homage to the sprawling world of table-top gaming; indeed, it is not hard to imagine storyboard artists Elizabeth Ito and Adam Muto reaching for a D20 or a well-worn copy of the Monster Manual whenever it came time to block out a new scene. Stand-out moments from this episode include Finn’s encounter with the Demon Cat (famous for having “approximate knowledge of many things”), his visitation by a “guardian angel,” and the deus ex machina ending that see Princess Bubblegum swoop in to save the day. (“Get on my swan!”) And amidst all the silliness, “Dungeon” even manages to sneak in a sweet little message tucked snuggly in between all the wacky monsters about the importance of recognizing your weaknesses. (‰4.5 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 19. “The Duke” (692-023)

Airdate: July 12, 2010

Production Information: Elizabeth Ito and Adam Muto (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: For most of season one, the audience is presented a version of Princess Bubblegum that is bright, effervescent, and totally nonthreatening; the monarch, it seems, is as aggressive as a marshmallow. But in “The Duke,” this all changes, and we finally get to see the princess’s darker, authoritarian side. Unhinged Princess Bubblegum is quite a sight to behold (as is the sight of green-and-bald Bubblegum), but it adds another layer of to the saccharine sovereign, setting her up for substantial character development a few seasons down the road. (3 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 20. “Freak City” (692-008)

Airdate: July 26, 2010

Production Information: Tom Herpich and Pendleton Ward (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: “Freak City” introduces the audience to Magic Man, a deranged and flamboyant Martian wizard known for meaninglessly harassing the citizens of Ooo. Although the character’s backstory would be fleshed out in later seasons and eventually come to play a major part in the mythology of the series, this episode was storyboarded well before these developments were dreamed up, meaning that here, Magic Man functions as a simple (albeit funny) villain-of-the-week whose nihilistic tendencies clash wonderfully with Finn’s optimistic worldview. Finn is so used to dividing the world up into “good guys” and “evil guys,” but his run-in with Magic Man is proof that morality is far more confusing than he would like to believe. The main problem is that Magic Man is not really evil: He is clinically insane—a violent psychopath—who does not care about his actions impacting others. No climactic fight or eleventh-hour pep talk is enough to fix him.

On top of this rather weighty consideration of morality and mental instability, “Freak City” contains another, more straightforward message about the power of teamwork and how people should work as one to overcome common problems. Storyboard artists Pendleton Ward and Tom Herpich have quite a bit of fun taking the idiom literally by forcing Finn and the other denizens of Freak City pile on top of one another to function as a single, grotesque being that is capable of fighting Magic Man. While “Freak City” loses some points for espousing rhetoric that folks who are depressed can simply will themselves out of their funk, it makes up for these deficits elsewhere with its character designs—ranging from the inside-out bird to the two-headed monster that Finn groin-strikes—which are all bizarre in the best, most creative way possible. (3.5 stars‰)

  Season 1, Episode 21. “Donny” (692-018)

Airdate: August 9, 2010

Production Information: Adam Muto, Kent Osborne, and Niki Yang (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: A rather forgettable protagonist and only a smattering of memorable lines make “Donny” the season’s weakest link. The episode does get points for introducing us to “whywolves” (“Creatures possessed by the spirit of inquiry—and bloodlust!”), but they are not enough to completely save it from mediocrity. (2 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 22. “Henchman” (692-021)

Airdate: August 23, 2010

Production Information: Luther McLaurin and Cole Sanchez (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: While “Evicted!” depicted Marceline as an apathetic asshole, “Henchman” starts to soften the vampire queen by showing that her evil exterior is an elaborate facade, and that deep down she is really just a prank-loving trickster—or, as Finn puts it, “a radical dame who likes to play games.” This might seem nothing more than a subtle tweak, but it does wonders for Marceline’s characterization; by episode’s end, as Finn and his vampiric “master” chat quite cheerfully in a field of strawberries, it is clear that the writers are setting up Marceline to become a legitimate pal to Finn and Jake, rather than just an avatar of chaos who drops in every once in awhile to shake things up. This was a wise decision, as it provided Marceline with the chance to grow into a hero in her own right with whom the audience can happily cheer along.

Since “Henchman” is predicated on Marceline pranking Finn, storyboard artists Luther McLaurin and Cole Sanchez have a great deal of fun mocking up outrageous scenarios that seem evil at first glance, but are revealed to be quite benign. Perhaps the funniest of these situations is Marceline raising an army of undead skeletons only to throw them a concert, and the vampire queen’s demand that Finn kill a little dimple-plant, which looks like a cutie before it turns into an Audrey II-esque abomination from John Carpenter’s darkest nightmares. (4 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 23. “Rainy Day Daydream” (692-002)

Airdate: September 6, 2010

Production Information: Pendleton Ward (storyboard artist); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: “Rainy Day Daydream” is a beautiful representation of creativity in its purest form. Channeling his love of multilevel video games and Dungeons and Dragons, solo storyboard artist and series creator Pendleton Ward uses the pretext of Jake’s imagination affecting reality as an opportunity to bounce from one ridiculous plot point to another to great effect. The whole thing feels like an exercise in jovial spontaneity, and while “writing the story as you go” can sometime result in disjointed or sloppy final products, here Ward makes it work, using the approach to illustrate the almost limitless potential of imagination. Another strength of the episode is the way it throws dozens of ridiculous obstacles at Finn and Jake without the aid of equally ridiculous visuals; in fact, almost every hindrance in the episode is invisible to both Finn and the audience, and we only learn what is going on thanks to Jake’s narration. The fact that this approach works and is not boring is a testament to Ward’s skills as a storyteller and dialogue writer. (‰4.5 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 24. “What Have You Done?” (692-027)

Airdate: September 13, 2010

Production Information: Elizabeth Ito and Adam Muto (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: In addition to providing us with another glimpse of Bubblegum’s dark side, “What Have You Done?” also serves as an interesting meditation on morality and preemptive punishment. As earlier episodes have confirmed, the Ice King is a creepy little deviant, but is it right for Finn and Jake to imprison him without a cause? This is a real legal question, and the show handles it in a surprisingly sophisticated way, concluding more or less that the writ of habeas corpus must be preserved. Of course, this is all undermined to some degree when we learn that the Ice King actually is to blame, but thanks to some quick thinking on the part of Finn, our heroes are able to save the day without having to turn to the carceral powers of the state. (And people say Adventure Time is not sophisticated...) (3 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 25. “His Hero” (692-026)

Airdate: September 20, 2010

Production Information: Adam Muto, Kent Osborne, and Niki Yang (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: Who is the greatest hero ever? If you answered, “Finn!” it is obvious that you have yet to see “His Hero,” for the correct answer is Billy, of course! Lou Ferrigno guest stars in this episode as the aforementioned defender of Ooo, enlivening the character with his distinctive voice. As for the episode itself, storyboard artists Kent Osborne and Niki Yang—with an assist from the ever-dependable Adam Muto—produce some of their best work this season, filling each scene with witty dialogue and zany shenanigans. Arguably, the episode’s pièce de resistance is the short montage of Billy’s past achievements, which plays alongside a song, sung by Muto, extolling the hero’s greatness; energetic and wacky, the song in many ways typifies the “chaotic heroism” that defined the show’s first season.

Like many other first-season episodes, “His Hero” ends with a counterintuitive “anti-moral,” stressing that while a commitment to non-violence might seem subversive on the surface, it is actually an ineffective way to make the world a better place; instead, the episode argues that direct physical action—i.e., beating the snot out of monsters and bad guys—is necessary if heroes want to save people from oppression. This may all come across as contrarian silliness, but I would argue that it is profoundly radical, rejecting “common sense” ideals about peace that really only help those in positions of power. (Side note, if the kids who grew up watching Adventure Time turn into a bunch of revolutionaries, I think we will know the cause.) (4 stars)

  Season 1, Episode 26. “Gut Grinder” (692-024)

Airdate: September 27, 2010

Production Information: Ako Castuera and Bert Youn (storyboard artists); Tim McKeon and Merriwether Williams (story writers); Larry Leichliter (director), Patrick McHale (creative director), Nick Jennings (art director)

Commentary: Much like “Ricardio the Heart Guy,” this episode suffers due to a lack of a solid mystery; from the start, it seems obvious that Jake is not the one responsible for the robberies. Furthermore, the reveal that Sharon is the one behind the robberies comes with almost no dramatical weight, since we have no idea who she is. The whole thing is forgettable, which is a shame given that this is the season finale. (2 stars)

(Huge shout out to @sometipsygnostalgic​ for reading over these a few months ago and offering feedback. Also, I want to thank @j4gm​ for posting his “Slumber Party Panic” review, which made me remember these write-ups!)

[fosterwhat]

Animals

Greta, interrupting bedtime stories: I A SHEEP!

Me: Neat (continues to read two more bedtime stories and sing three songs)

Me: Goodnight, I love you more than the moon.

Greta: And I love you, Mommy sheep.

—

Don’t kill that ant! You’ll break my heart! - Felix to Greta who was simply looking at an ant (or possibly plotting murder, who knows)

—

Greta (crouching down perilously close to a bee): Aww look Mommy, a bee! It’s so cute. And fuzzy!! Can I pet it?

—

Felix: Mommy, what kind of animal is this....it has tusks but no trunk, so it’s not an elephant. It’s long.

Me: A boar?

Kid: I don’t think so. It’s this... [shows me a picture]

Me: That’s a Pokémon.

Kid: But what kind of animal is this Pokémon...

[tundrainafrica]

Title: Sugar Rush

Summary:  

Marley brings the celebration of Halloween to Paradis. Hange and Levi go trick or treating with their child for the first time and start to realize how much the world has changed since the war.

A Halloween piece for the Levihan spookfest, one year late. (I hope you’re still accepting them.)

Written for @levihanweek. to cap off Levihan Angstober. Happy Halloween everyone!

Link to cross-postings: AO3

Notes: For people who read "Rough day," this domestic fluff piece is set in the same universe. I just wanted to contribute a Halloween piece for the Levihan Spookfest. I am one year late though.

"Happy Halloween!" Hange chimed as she entered the kitchen and plopped her already dolled up kid down on the table next to her. 

"So what are the tacky decorations and costumes for?" 

Hange was wearing a full body suit of the colossal titan while Luke, their five year old child was wearing a mini armored titan costume. A part of Levi wondered how people of Paradis had so easily forgotten the attack of Shiganshina that titan costumes existed and were actually being sold. He had seen a few people in titan suits on the way to the market just that morning. 

"These are all to scare away the spirits!" Hange explained.

"Of dead people?"

"Of dead people."

"It would be nice to be visited by some ghosts. Wouldn't you want to see Erwin or maybe even Moblit again?" Levi had seen enough death in his life that the holiday which Marley introduced to them which was supposed to them did not seem as scary as the people were painting it out to be. The idea of the dead people visiting felt almost desirable for that hardened soldier one who'd seen too many people die.

"But daddy, ghosts are scary! They can kill you!" Luke said as he walked towards Levi.

What are they teaching this kid in school? "What if those ghosts were daddy's old friends? Do you think they’ll kill you?" Levi bent down to face his son only to see the boy looking utterly confused.

Levi only had to look back at how they raised him to understand why. Despite his parents background, the boy was raised with what they have considered too peaceful an upbringing. The closest thing to a blood bath he had seen was when Hange so enthusiastically pulled out his baby tooth just a few months ago. Levi was not sure though if the kid had been scared of the blood or the strong reaction of his mother. 

"Levi, get dressed. It'll be our first trick or treat."

"I'm ready already." Levi walked to the balcony room where he had let his old survey corps cloak hang out to dry after thoroughly washing it. 

"You're wearing that?" Hange asked, raising one eyebrow in disappointment. "Isn't that a bit too lazy?"

"Let me try out this new festival of yours and if it's any fun maybe I'll try harder next time." 

Levi and Hange both lived towards the center of Paradis since Hange was closely working with the government to help the island catch up to its peers. They had agreed to use the holiday as an excuse to see parts of the new Paradis they had not seen in a while, having rented a space in the outskirts for a few days. Hange had seen her fair share since she was back and forth from the ports and the center due to work. Levi on the other hand barely visited the outer cities, having spent his time keeping the household running and raising Luke while Hange worked full-time.  

They made the thirty minute walk to the outskirts where Hange concluded was the start to the most time efficient route with the highest possible yield of candy, that looped all the way back to their rented bungalow.

It turned out the strategy of the former commander had been almost foolproof. One kilometer in and Luke's bag was almost half full.

"Hey man, your survey corps costume looks pretty good!" 

Levi looked to the voice behind him to see a teenage boy in a titan costume. 

"Did you make it yourself?" The teenage boy continued. 

Levi looked to Hange as if to ask "Who made our costume?" In fact, Levi had just wanted to walk on, ignoring the teenage boy. It had been less than a decade since the end of the war. With the quick advancement of technology, it felt like more of a century ago to Levi. That instance only reminded him what people saw as a soldier uniform's long ago has been reduced to a costume prop.

"I did actually. What do you think?" Hange asked 

It was a blatant lie.Technically though she did design the new uniform when the war against Marley started. Levi thought to himself. 

"Well you got the colors of the wings of freedom wrong. The blue wing is on the right side not the left." 

                                               Sugar Rush

"Hey Hange, you should monitor how they make the survey corps costume. This is slightly pissing me off," Levi muttered as they started to get to the denser parts of town. 

"Well, with a port to run and research to do, I don't really have time to monitor holiday costume designs."

Although there were many people in titan costumes, there were also a fair number of people donning the survey corps cloak, a few in garrison uniform, and fewer in the military police. Although the survey corps had a rocky start, towards the end of the war against Marley, they were painted to be the main hero, their stories told in bars, restaurants, wherever people would listen. It was only natural that clothing manufacturers got on wind with the popularity. 

But they got it all wrong. Levi thought. He turned to Hange to see that she was just slightly amused at it. 

As they walked on, they passed by a park where a group of kids in survey corps cloaks were playing. 

"I'm Levi! Humanity's strongest soldier!" One kid said as he climbed on top of a rock.

Levi heard Hange chuckling behind her as he stopped to watch the play between the five kids unfold. 

"No I wanna be Levi!" The smaller kid protested as he tried to pull the larger kid down from the rock.

"You can't be Levi! Levi is big and strong! Mommy and Daddy said so!"

Levi did not know who mommy and daddy were but he found himself interested enough to approach the group of kids. At first, they looked almost terrified to see an adult stranger approach. Levi made an effort to smile though which worked enough at least for them to stay put. 

"Levi can be as tall or short as you want him to be." Levi patted the small kid's head then looked at all the kids. "Kids, make sure to take turns." 

"It's okay! I'm Captain Erwin!"

"I'm Captain Hange!"

"I'm Captain Mike!" 

It's Mee-keh not Maik. "That's good. Don't play too rough." Levi found himself struggling to keep the friendly smile. He walked away from them, quickening his pace with every step, trying to stop the urge to play cop and point out the inaccuracies in their casual game of soldier. 

Erwin and Mike probably would not have minded those inaccuracies but something inside Levi protested the omission on his end. 

"You're not going to correct them?" Hange said as he walked back at her. 

"Erwin and Mike probably wouldn't have cared. Do you mind?"

"No. Not really. But humanity's strongest being big and tall..." Hange widened her eye in emphasis as she gave him a onceover from head to toe. 

“Humanity's strongest might even like that.”

"Daddy did you meet captain Levi? Was he really big and tall?" Luke pulled on Levi's cloak as he asked. 

"He can be as big and tall as you want him to be Luke."

                                           Sugar Rush

"Tell me more about Captain Levi! Was he big? Tall? Was it weird that you were also Levi?"

Hange and Levi had allowed their son to eat a few candies that night. Levi was sure he had at least rationed it well to keep the child happy but prevent a sugar rush. 

Maybe it was when he went to take off his cloak, wash it and leave it out to dry did Hange sneak him a few more candies in. As he looked inside the bag to see everything had been opened and half eaten, he was sure that that could have been the only explanation. 

As Levi snuck a glance at Hange, he could tell she was regretting it. I told you a while ago a handful is enough. 

“Where did you learn so much about this captain Levi figure?” Levi asked, humoring the young boy.

“The teacher tells stories about him. He was part of the Ackerman clan and he could destroy one hundred titans in one swoop.” Luke excitedly yet awkwardly swung his imaginary sword in the air and Levi could not help but note that he would have never swung his blades in that manner. “You and mommy were both soldiers right? Did you get to meet him?”

“A few times.” 

“I told my friends in school that my parents were retired soldiers and they said that the soldiers were playing and eating inside the capital while the survey corps actually went outside and fought the enemy. I think you and mommy were different. Mommy would have done research right? While you were fighting the bad people in the walls right?”

“Maybe I was.” Levi turned to Hange for help. The latter was too busy rummaging through her kid’s bag for candy. Luke did not seem to notice or probably did not care, his eyes were fixed on his father and Levi wondered how long the kid had been keeping it in.

“How was Captain Levi?”

“He was a friendly guy.” Levi answered. He heard Hange snort next to him.   

“Did he ever save you from titans?”

“A few times.” 

 “Then you must know what happened to him? Even our teacher doesn’t know!”

                                                Sugar Rush

It was almost midnight. Only thirty minutes ago did Luke’s sugar rush die down. Soon after though, the young boy had fallen asleep and like on most other nights, Levi and Hange were left alone together. They were going through the pile of uneaten candy of their son, having decided that they had to eat what was left since they had no place to store it without risking an ant infestation.

“Why didn’t you tell him?” Hange asked as she went back to the table. She had checked up on their son just a second ago, making sure she was asleep before she brought up the elephant in the room. 

“Didn’t you hear the kid? If we told him where Captain Levi was, he was gonna tell all his friends. We can’t really trust a five year old kid to keep secrets just yet.”

“And you don’t want people to know where Captain Levi is,” Hange said matter of factly.

“I went for this type of life because I wanted peace.” Levi popped a half eaten chocolate in his mouth. 

“Which explains why you wanted our kid to take up my name instead.” 

“Ackerman never stuck. I’ve always been just Levi.” 

Luke Zoe was the more conservative naming choice. Levi Ackerman had become a household name while the full name of the commander had been known only among those who did the research but her stories were not as blown up as that of the captain. 

Oddly enough, their child had not picked up on both their first names being the same ones as those of the survey corps soldiers. Levi had attributed it to the fact that the boy spent most of his days with him while Hange was at work. The retired soldier had dedicated his time to other things like cleaning, housework, child rearing and tea mixing, having put his bloodier past behind him. The kid saw them as parents, not as the heroes he was hearing about in school. 

I wanna meet a survey corps soldier! They sound so cool! You must know one! Bring me to one. I wanna thank them for their service! Ask them how they flew through the air. I wanna see how big and burly they are.

Or possibly, Luke already had expectations on what they looked like and Levi and Hange just did not fit the profile.  

"Maybe we should buy him a mini survey corps cloak too. It feels weird that the survey corps played such a big part of our lives and we’re not even giving him that,” Hange suggested. 

“And support shitty research. No way.” Levi rolled his eyes as he imagined the erroneous design of the wings of freedom insignia. 

“As someone who has worked on research her whole life, I can sympathize.” Hange gave Levi a consoling smile. The cloak was last used more than fifteen years ago and the more recent designs had probably already overshadowed the one used back when the survey corps was still seen as inferior to the garrison and military police. “Hey, can you eat this gooey colorful one? It sticks to my teeth.” 

“How much more do we have to eat?” Levi emptied the bag on the table. Luke had eaten half of every single candy in the bag

“Maybe your trick or treat route was just a little too strategic Hange.”  

They did not sleep that night.    

[semper-legens]

75. The Predator, by K A Applegate

Owned: Yes Page count: 150 My summary: Marco wants out. He didn’t ask to be an Animorph, tasked with saving the world, and running the risk every day of leaving his dad behind. It’s time for one last mission, an attempt to get their new Andalite friend Ax home again. But what truths will Marco discover along the way? My rating: 5/5 My commentary:

Gorilla time, come on, grab your friends...it’s Marco’s book, and another one that I absolutely adored. Marco is such a strong character and this book gives you a really interesting peek into his head - his thoughts, his struggles, his way of viewing the world. Out of these first five books, I’d say this one was probably the strongest in terms of introducing its narrator and giving an overview of their story and arc. Also, and I cannot state this enough, I freaking love Marco.

So let’s talk about him! Marco is the class clown of the Animorphs - he’s actually the one that came up with the name in the first place. He’s always cracking jokes, he’s silly, he gives his friends dumb nicknames. Also, his mum died a few years ago and he, a teenager, is the sole carer for his depressed father, as well as trying to fight to save the world. This is the dichotomy of Marco, the wisecracking jokester and the terrified kid. And there’s worse to come - at the end of this book, it’s revealed that his mother is actually alive, but a Controller. And not only a Controller, her Yeerk is Visser One. In a lot of ways, Marco is the kid who’s dealing with the most on a relatable, human level. Sure, all the kids are dealing with a lot, but Marco’s loss of his mother and his father’s depression is something that could happen to any kid.

His narration is also really interesting for how much it reveals of Marco’s character - how his snark is really just hiding his fear and reluctance to be an Animorph. There’s no quote more telling in this regard than this one, which hit me like a ton of bricks - ‘I tease Tobias sometimes. What happened to him scares me.’ That’s Marco, in a nutshell. He jokes, he makes fun, he’s irreverent, but underneath it all he’s a terrified kid fighting a war he should never have been a part of, and this book gets all of that across excellently.

In a lot of ways, Marco’s story is primarily about grief. He’s mourning his old life, with his mum, when his dad was more stable, when he didn’t have to essentially look after himself. A time when he didn’t have to be a soldier, when his biggest concern was homework. He’s had to grow up far too fast, and it’s genuinely heartbreaking to see a kid this young resigned to that.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I talked about this book and didn’t even mention the elephant in the room - or rather, the ant in the tunnel. Yep, this is the one with the kids morphing ants and then immediately having their will controlled by the ant colony, resulting in massive trauma for everyone as they frantically try and break free of the ant’s mindset. You know, for kids! It’s a legitimately horrifying sequence, and one thing I appreciate about it is that it won’t be forgotten in later books; this is a big moment that has a lasting impact on the kids. It’s also terrifying. That can’t be overstated, I don’t think.

Ok, that’s it for Animorphs for a bit - I’m going to read five Animorphs, two not, cycling ‘til I get through all of them. So join me tomorrow for something completely different!