#and I figured i could use the additional motivation to actually finish this

[lurkingshan]

Things That Have My Attention In 4 Minutes Episode 6

Original timeline FINALLY let’s gooooooooo

Going back to the start to see Great’s utter lack of remorse for killing that woman, his spoiled brat reaction to his dad handling his mess, and his decision to help his terrible friend get away with a murder was a great reminder that he is in fact a terrible person.

Congrats to… a bunch of us? for piecing together the original timeline correctly based on what we had. In the original sequence of events, Tyme was deep in his revenge plan, got dumped by his girlfriend for neglect, and then intentionally seduced Great so he could record their sex and use it for leverage against Great’s dad. Which didn’t really work. He’s not good at plans, y’all!

By the way, Tyme? Clearly not a virgin. I never liked that read anyway so I’m glad it’s dead. His awkwardness during his first time with Great in the redo timeline is more about his feelings being engaged, it seems.

Great being unphased about the video and just wanting more of that good dick makes perfect sense for his character. He doesn’t care about anything or even have real curiosity about what Tyme was after with that stunt.

And as we finish up the timeline we learn the source of Great’s regret. It’s not any actual self-motivated remorse or understanding of his moral failings, of course. Instead it’s Tyme calling him a coward to his face and rejecting him. His attempt to suddenly claim a moral high ground with his parents after his own string of murders was hilarious and I don’t think he gets the irony.

But someone does! Tonkla coming in clutch as the cause of Great’s cardiac episode was EXCELLENT. And it makes perfect sense because in this timeline, Great is one of Dome’s murderers along with Title. I think safe to assume we’ve been seeing everything else Tonkla was up to in this time in the cold opens, though the exact timing and sequencing of them is up in the air.

The only piece that’s still not tracking for me is Tyme’s side of the romance. The events of this episode explain why Great’s choices in the redo seem to center on getting Tyme to trust him, but they don’t explain Tyme’s reactions to him. This is hardly a love story for the ages. He and Great were emphatically not in love in this original timeline, so I don’t see why Tyme would trust him if he was also reliving this timeline. And if Tyme is not reliving things, that rushed romance arc in the redo timeline doesn’t really work. He has no reason to trust or fall for Great that easily. We also still haven’t seen how Tyme gets shot, so I am inclined to believe there is an additional timeline at play that fills in the remaining gaps and better motivates Tyme’s end of the romance.

Noting here that in the original timeline, the lady Great hit, Dome, and Nan all die, but his mom does not. So by saving that woman, Great inadvertently caused his mother’s death. Something to ponder as we head into the final eps and figure out whether these changes stick.

I’m still hoping that this story is going to take us to a nuanced and complex place and not lead to a pure happy romance ending for Great because honestly he does not deserve it.

It’s nice to finally have a week where we actually got a bunch of questions answered and didn’t generate too many new ones!

[zeetbl33p]

Vera: Witch of Identity and Introspection

Finally got around to making a witch OC! I had gotten an OC designed by Lati Oni (https://bsky.app/profile/lati-oni.bsky.social) which I named Vera (Veh Ruh, short for Veronica), and she kinda became a bit of a self insert (though has her own self indulgent lore as well). During my second Umineko read-through, when I saw some others had repurposed old OCs for Umineko OCs, I finally figured out what to do for a witch OC! Actually got Lati to design an outfit for Vera to fit in with the fashion of the other witches, and probably went overboard writing a little bit kbdbkfbkd.

Between writing this excerpt and posting, I actually finished that read-through and my partner has finished their first read-through and are starting with the Higurashi vods! So I also wanted to add an additional thank you for creating an accessible entry point for the When They Cry series (again, I don't think I ever would've engaged with the series due to the reputation the Deen anime gave it and my proverbial weak stomach), and with performances of such quality to boot! I also met some cool people and made some more friends here so an additional thank you for fostering such a lovely community! But that's enough rambling, onto the OC Lore™©®!

...is what I would say if I hadn't written 6 paragraphs lyclhckchjh. Condensed version: Vera, Witch of Identity and Introspection, was once furniture. She found herself trapped in a logic error by a transphobic witch, and only by looking deep into the pieces and reinterpreting them was she able to escape. She helped Kaida solve her logic error, Indigo acknowledged her core through the gameboard, and now Vera and Kaida travel the sea of fragments together, being very gay all the while.

Full lore under the cut

(CW: transphobia)

Formerly one piece of a pair of furniture, Vera ascended to the status of witch. Using various spells, she can shift her own appearance at will, but tends to settle on an average height woman with fox features. Her first summoner originally hadn't intended to summon her, and had ignored her for a long time, but found her to be a source of comfort after she became exhausted from the other part of the pair, one that she has since discarded due to the damage it was doing to her and others close to her.

As furniture, Vera specialized in creating and recreating identities. If a gameboard called for a disguise, she was one of the best at it. However she would try to only lend her skills to witches that wrote their tales charitably towards those who needed disguises. The one time she didn't, she found herself just as trapped as the gameboard's culprit was. 

There was a string of logic there, but one she would never acknowledge for it was a cruel one to anyone like her. The witch who summoned her abandoned that game shortly after Vera found herself deep in its inner workings and refused to help further, too deep to be able to leave. Forced to sit with this tale, she looked deeper into the pieces, probably deeper than that witch ever had, and found something she recognized. Whether these were pieces the witch had crafted or borrowed from another board, they clearly hadn't been loved enough to be fully understood. It is from there that she took this gameboard and began to tweak a few things. The culprit remained the same, but the motive, how other pieces treated her, and her actions differed. The other pieces, she had found, had other aspects that were never explored; relationships, personas, and identies that had never been considered by the witch. One of these was a piece by the name of Kaida, a relic of a game written before Vera was involved. 

It took some time, but it was through this reconstruction that she found more of herself. She found an opponent, that same witch that abandoned the game, and challenged her to solve it. The witch was taken aback by the gall of this 'furniture', thinking 'he' could take her game and make it 'his' own? Despite it originally being her gameboard, the witch failed to solve Vera's rework. She didn't truly engage with the heart of board, scoffed at these reinterpretations, leaving her clueless to what truly happened and why. Vera, disappointed but unsurprised at this outcome, went to find more opponents. She searched and many opponents didn't engage fully with her board, always failing. That is, until she came across Indigo. Due to her circumstances, she too could easily see to the heart of the game and the core of these pieces. 

Delighted that someone had been able to solve her board, she created another, and another, and another, exploring the different possibilities for these pieces identities. One by one, her newfound opponent solved each one, with her acknowledging Vera's core each time. She became excited that someone could acknowledge her as she acknowledged the possibilities for these pieces, so she set out to find more who could understand.

Now she has been acknowledged by several witches, she continues to travel the sea of fragments with the promoted piece Kaida, the Witch of Heart, looking for other witches to acknowledge not only her pieces, but herself. Surely the owner of a certain catbox would understand.

[nephblrus]

without spoiling anything what does mr big splatoon think of side order

i cannot possibly give my proper thoughts WITHOUT spoiling anything so this is your warning

spoilers for splatoon 3 side order dlc

gonna be kinda going through multiple aspects and analyzing them, this is just my opinion don’t punt me into the sun please

starting off, im overall not a fan of rougelike games. so that has definitely biased my opinion. i didn’t like all the repetition and i got frustrated at it a lot, its just not for everyone! i found it became a lot easier once i figured out which colour chips and hacks helped me the most (drone boosts were big).

it took me a bit to actually finish my first run because the palettes i kept getting were weapons i’m awful at (brella, splatting, charger, BRO CMON) but i cleared my first run with the brush surprisingly. i understand how rougelikes work but it still felt kinda short and underwhelming.

the gameplay itself wasn’t terrible, the levels were interesting and i liked how you could choose the difficulty and rewards and such. colour chips and the drone were a really neat addition and i had fun getting used to it.

the lore was meh. kinda disappointed. i’m glad we got to see more of ahato/acht, just wish they got a bit more spotlight and development aside from the diary entries (they got lots, i’m just a diehard fan lmao).

the storyline in general was… a little lame to me? it felt like it didn’t really build off of much and it doesn’t give much room to expand from it (at least personally). felt a little predictable imo.

REWARDS! not bad! inkopolis square was expected, and it’s not my preferred area so it won’t be my default but i think it’s really neat and i’m excited to see it again for splatfests. really liked how we got the exact gear from the dlc as well, and the replica weapons (no tri slosh </3)

the final boss was COOL. very fun to play and much easier than i thought! (why was F28 harder than the final boss lmfao) the cut scenes were awesome, esp before the final phase. music went hard.

also. where is agent 4. cmon. cmon bro.

overall, meh. didn’t hate it, didn’t love it.

the main letdown i had was how the game actually played out vs. the concept art and how it was teased. it seemed like it was going to go in a much different direction, which is fine, just a little bit of a bummer. thought it would be a little darker like OE. side order was really hyped up and for me it just, wasn’t all that!

for me there was a lot of comparison to OE, i kinda expected/hoped for it to have the same hype. with that comparison it felt a little boring and short, ESPECIALLY in terms of rewards. it’s pretty hard to top unlocking PLAYABLE OCTOLINGS. OE had a LOT of brand spankin new stuff, levels characters plots all of it was so fresh and exciting, because before we only had basically 2 copies of the same story mode.

another thing i was talking about with sem was how in OE, since you didn’t need to beat every level right away to beat it, there was lots of new to go back and finish, AND most had multiple weapon options to 100%. SO has something similar, but again, feels repetitive to me. don’t have any motivation to do another run.

my ranking for story campaigns go:

Octo Expansion, Splatoon 3, Splatoon 1, Side Order, Splatoon 2.

[boinin]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks @redrocketpanda for tagging! ❤️

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

Just three! All from this year.

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

64,235

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Just Blue Lock presently.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 

Skewed given I published two just last week, but at time of writing it was:

Cassis Orange (132)

The Witch With Sunlight in His Hair (19) and

Between us and the trees (16)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I do my best to!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

None of them... yet. 😈 But chapter 7 of Cassis Orange has the angstiest cliffhanger I've ever written.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

My latest, Between us and the trees!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Never; everyone's been very positive and lovely.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes, but nothing I've published. Yet...

I like porn with plot/porn with feelings, so there's usually a lot of set-up. For me, there has to be a reason the characters are getting together. It's payoff for something.

I'm fairly vanilla in terms of the actual smut, but my writing tends to focus on the sensations the POV character is experiencing, as well as their desire for their partner. All five senses get utilised!

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Nope! But never say never...

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. What's the longest you've ever spent working on one fic? And the shortest?

I started working out a plot for Cassis Orange on 18 March this year. So it's been eightish months at time of posting. Reasonable for a longfic that'll end up around 80,000 words long.

For The Witch With Sunlight in his Hair, I'd been sitting and thinking about the idea for a couple of months. The actual writing took maybe two or three writing sessions, the editing just one, beyond the pre-posting review. Overall, I think it was finished within a fortnight?

This is unfortunately as quick as it gets for me 🥲

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not outside incorporating suggestions from beta reading. It sounds fun, but co-writing involves a lot of trust and understanding between the writing partners. I'm wary about the pitfalls personally. That said, I co-wrote original fiction once or twice during college in a low stakes setting, it was good fun!

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

I'm actually not a massive shipper outside bllk! Hard to believe, I know. Anyway, it's Kunigiri.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

*checks list* this is depressing. I have a lot of WIPs.

There's an angst fic I started, which is set after the ending of the third rounds of NEL matches. The hook is Chigiri gets injured by Shidou, leading to a reconciliation with Kunigami, but the anger he experiences creates additional motivation for him to go kick Shidou's ass.

My drive for this one was tied to figuring out Kunigami's deal. I'm unlikely to return to this one, given how the manga is progressing.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Horrible thing to ask a writer! We're too stuck in our heads to be objective. But here goes.

I think my best strengths are writing dialogue and characterisation. For Cassis Orange, I've heard frequently from readers that my versions of early thirties Kunigami/Chigiri feel authentic to their canon personalities.

Description is another thing I handle OK, thanks to my own need to be able to visualise the characters and setting from my writing. I also have a decent knack for foreshadowing.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

For me, it's writing action. A lot of my work involves characters' inner monologues, or conversations between them which drive the plot. Basically, not a lot happens. It's something I'd like to improve on.

I'm also a maximalist author. If an idea could be executed in 1,000 words by another author, expect 3,000 words from me. Drabbles are anathema. Not necessarily a problem, but this tendency does make it difficulty for me to actually finish my WIPs/ideas when the initial novelty wears out.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

It can be a nice detail—but the need to translate foreign dialogue for the reader can be clunky. It breaks immersion more often than not.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Blue Lock!

I also dabbled in writing for Persona 5 prior to getting into football Squid Game this year, but never got further than making notes/outlines.

What's the thing I'm most likely to write fic for next? I'm really vibing with Undead Unluck this season, and there's barely fics for it on Ao3. If I continue to enjoy the world and the characters, and get hit with inspiration, I might write something for it. But for now, Blue Lock is keeping me busy.

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Cassis Orange is my first and favourite child 🥹 I can't wait to wrap up this story over the next couple of months—it's been a journey, as someone new to fanfiction writing, and as a Kunigiri stan.

I have a few fic writer buddies here, so I'll leave this open to anyone who reads this/follows me: if you'd like to have a go at this, please do! You can put me down as the tagger.

[iasmelaion]

as I get ever closer to finishing the campal fic which is taking me too long because frequent breaks for Having Emotions about campal, i find i need some motivation to spur myself on via my tried and true carrot and stick method of fic writing, but the problem is none of my other wips are the specific carrot i want right now. so instead i've been thinking of the fic idea/vibe I've been rotating in my head for literal weeks now, which consists of the following:

at first, I simply wanted to write something dumb about Bucky's dumb hair, because I am as always feeling the equivalent of cute aggression about sebstan's stupid beautiful hair, and all the photos from Cannes did NOT help. for this idea, i had: one (1) joke about bucky being his own inadvertent hair care product ad campaign (something something 'because you're worth it,' i was gonna figure out the punchline later), and one (1) barebones scene where steve says "actually, i used you as a model for a pomade ad i was hired to illustrate, so you've kind of already been a hair model" and i thought "hmm what if this scene was not funny but was instead fraught with sexual and emotional tension"

anyway, this didn't pan out, because i kept rotating it in my head and shaking it all "is this anything??? is this anything? like, is there a character arc here, some development--" and the answer was just more lustenvyrage re sebstan's hair. so this idea was set aside.

next i remembered that i've always been interested in writing SOMETHING about the way Steve and Bucky fight with each other with frankly preternatural seamlessness in CACW. I've referenced this in a couple fics, but I kind of want to write a fic that's ABOUT it, y'know?? like, the way their bodies are legible to each other even after so many changes. the way they know each other's bodies so well, the way their bodies talk to each other, in contrast to the ways they themselves don't actually manage to talk about the important shit. obvsly in a fic, this would go fighting together > fucking.

i am also thinking about this vis-a-vis "stop writing characters who talk like they're trying to get a good grade in therapy". like. maybe i don't want them to TALK. maybe i want them to be insane weirdos about it. maybe they should sublimate all their emotions into fucking and weird OTT devoted gestures.

however, i am not actually interested in writing post-cacw pre-infinity war fic. so i did a lot of rotating in my head re canon setting, AU-ness, etc.

my other desire here is to, for the love of god, write something that isn't CUTE. listen, I know my fic writing lane. I appreciate all comments. I in fact have a great deal of fun writing things that are sweet and cute and hopefully also poignant and funny. but sometimes a girl gets real tired of having most things she writes classified as cute.

here is the additional thought i had today re this hypothetical fic: haunted house. not a literal haunted house, but a metaphorical one. (but also an actual house that is not actually haunted) (the metaphor is the house = the relationship, ofc) the house is being haunted by grief, the house is being haunted by regret, the house is being haunted by guilt.

so now i am here trying to fit all these disparate parts together into something coherent. like, if i write this, what is the resolution. what is the arc. i may not want to write something cute but i am still committed to reasonably happy endings. so the house is unhaunted? the house is still haunted but they live with the ghosts? they move to a new house???? (not sure how this works with the metaphor?? wait. maybe. hmm.) could this fic please god be under 10k????

anyway now i can't let it go until i solve it and i have written this whole thing in an attempt to figure it out/exorcise the idea. annoying.

this, fyi, is how my fic planning process goes when I can't/don't start with either: a) a punchline, b) a wouldn't-it-be-funny-if, or c) an actual trope or prompt. so great. so efficient and useful and fun ;___;

[8bitsupervillain]

Higurashi When They Cry Hou Ch. 5 Meakashi pt. Final

Because I have the brainrot I read the "why hello there" in the Ewan McGregor Obi-Wan Kenobi voice. I know I've used the phrase to be silly before, but you know what the real tragedy here is? Since this is an alternate ending written years after the fact I doubt we'll ever learn who it is Keiichi saw that day.

Although I guess you could view this as the universe righting itself and making sure that Keiichi dies in July 1983 like he was supposed to. Of course then you have to ignore Mion surviving, but details. Also this isn't Final Destination so...

At risk of sounding controversial I like this bad ending better than the actual ending for the chapter. I know that it probably doesn't exactly fit in with the rest of the series, but I like the new mystery of who killed Keiichi. It's kind of abrupt how it ends, but to be fair I didn't expect them to craft out a whole elaborate equally as dense ending for what's supposed to just be a bad ending. When the police raided the torture basement I figured that was about where the ending was going to stop if I'm honest. Maybe one or two additional screens about how Shion killed Keiichi and Mion, and then herself. I enjoyed the additional forty odd minutes of a new just as good ending.

Finishing the chapter you unlock a couple of post-game TIPS as well as the Staff Room.

Man, you and me both Kumagai. This TIP I feel was added to drive home the point about Shion and Mion just in case you didn't quite get the point. Which I admit maybe I didn't, or maybe I was just arguing against the twist because I didn't care for it.

This however was just a bonus little TIP I think. An introduction to a character who wasn't really in the chapter at all. There's really nothing to give me this feeling but I get a similar feeling looking at Akane Sonozaki here that I got looking at Kasumi Sumadera from Umineko. A character that I think might bear more significance to the overall plot than they actually do. Although now that I think about it Kasumi might be a sneaky little reference to the characterizations of Shion and Mion from Higurashi. Admittedly though this is just me reaching. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious what Oryou did to have to remove her own fingernails.

Lastly there's the Staff room.

Despite my complaints and what I fear may have come across as extreme negativity towards the chapter as a whole I quite liked Meakashi. The positives outweighed what are some hyper specific complaints I have about the narrative. Plus despite Satoko existing in this chapter to literally just be a punching bag I appreciated the new information we got to learn about all of the characters. Sure some of it might just be rehashing information we already knew (Satoko enduring extreme abuse/murder in an effort to try to bring back her brother, Rena seeming to know more about the spiritual/supernatural nature of the curse of Oyashiro). But I thought learning about the various intricate issues Shion has was worth it even as I found myself becoming less and less sympathetic towards her and her motives as the chapter went. Also despite not actually learning much new information about the curse killings I thought it was interesting to learn about how devoted the villagers are to the religion. In addition to how after Shion had killed or kidnapped the heads of the three families the curse killings seemed to have stopped entirely.

I know that the second half of the series is referred to as the Answers Arcs, but I think Meakashi did a decent enough job in seeding some more mysteries than it answered. Things like the motive behind Rika trying and failing to assassinate Shion. The fact that Oryou was also trying seemingly in vain to figure out who was behind the curse killings. Is the curse of Oyashiro real, and if so is it the phantom footsteps that followed and led to the demise of multiple prominent characters. What did set off the volcanic gas incident from Tatarigoroshi, was it truly divine in nature? A freak geological incident or something else? What actually happened to Satoshi? Multiple characters think he's dead but there really isn't any definitive proof one way or the other. Were the events of chapter four really just extra background exposition, or does it actually have larger relevance to the plot? Are the Sonozakis actually an evil iron-fisted criminal syndicate? That sort of thing.

At any rate, I'm very interested in the next chapter. I get more excited when I'm moving on to new stuff I know absolutely nothing about. Also if the question arcs are anything to go by this second chapter (chapter six) will probably be the best of the bunch.

[mecharose]

steps i used to make this potion and chug it near-daily:

don't beat yourself up about not writing as much as you want/think you should

figure out the real reason, what's underlying your lack of motivation, and address that

set achievable goals, but always have a goal going

talk to writing friends about what you're working on

commission yourself with WIP art for free bonus motivation

elaboration under the cut bc long post lol

don't beat yourself up about it

literally this is the most important thing. this is a hobby and you are not failing at anything if you find it hard to motivate yourself to do it sometimes. we are all human and busy and stressed. that being said:

figure out what's actually stopping you from writing

usually "no motivation" has a very real reason behind it, and every possible reason has its own different solution.

wanting to write but not being able to could mean you're putting too much pressure on yourself to be perfect, or feeling out of practice. both of these have the same solution imo: get a "writing sketchbook" aka, a throwaway project that is something you can easily finish. e.g. short story, throwaway chapter of something, AU for your current project, etc. (I came up with the idea to try that bc i'm also an artist and sketching helps me loosen up before big pieces)

an additional solution for the latter is to break the rule of "no editing the first draft" in a very specific way: when I sit down to write a new chapter, i'll re-read the stuff that came before it and do line edits (wording, sentence structure) as I go. this gets me back to the groove of writing a wip without having to create new parts of it wholesale.

another one I run into often is just like. if I don't read a book for a while, I stop thinking in "writing mode" aka constructing scenes as written pieces of work rather than like. pictures i'm imagining in my head. so if you're having a hard time with the writing itself, I'd suggest reading a book that has a similar tone or vibe, or writing style you want your WIP to have!

set achievable goals

basically the "take it easy but take it" mentality. set a goal so you have something to work toward, but make it lower than what you think you can reasonably accomplish so you can still feel accomplished.

if you do this, anything you achieve *beyond* that goal will feel extra special and rewarding -- much better than setting a "reach goal" and then even big accomplishments toward it won't feel like "enough."

for me, this takes the form that I always have a 5,000 word goal each month. high enough that it gives me the kick in the pants to write whenever I have the time, low enough that it doesn't stress me out!

get a second opinion

if the problem is that you feel like your WIP is boring, it's the old wisdom that chances are high it's probably not, and you're too used to it.

sometimes the only real fix to that is rambling to someone about it ngl

the second opinion can also be you, needing a break from whatever your current project is, so you can come back to it later with fresh eyes.

also, having a person you can give your word count updates to, and talk about whatever you just wrote that you're excited about, keeps you both accountable *and* motivated via the outside hype. win-win :3

do WIP art

you're also an artist so I'm suggesting this one lol. I always get re-hyped to write when I draw my characters, like seeing them makes me Understand them more and want to tell their story. so maybe that would work for you too? :3

I hope this helped!! :D

hey uh does anyone have a recipe for Potion That Makes You Write

has anyone actually gone from not being able to write that often to a more consistent output and if so how did you do that

[kjack89]

For the prompts for 300 fics, some kind of angst and reconciliation fic? I know that’s vague but I’m in the mood for some angst with a happy (or not!) ending, and you’re my go to for that :)

Angst with an optional happy ending? Nonny, you know me too well.

This is part 1 of what will be either multi-chaptered or just longer once I get it on AO3, so at the moment we’re just dealing with some light angst, and who doesn’t love that on a Saturday night. Hopefully the second part will be posted in a few days.

E/R, modern AU. Former relationship.

Enjolras pulled his hood even tighter over his blond curls and glanced over his shoulder before reaching up to feel for the key hidden on top of the door jamb. He was surprised, and more than a little concerned, when his fingers touched nothing but very dusty wood, and he chanced another glance over his shoulder before rapping lightly on the door.

The door opened no more than an inch. “Password,” a gruff voice barked, and Enjolras sighed.

He really should’ve known.

“Grantaire, if you don’t let me in, I will break down the door and use one of the splintered pieces of wood to kill you,” he said, as patiently and politely as he could, just in case someone was listening.

Grantaire opened the door enough to admit him, closing it after him and locking the doorknob lock and deadbolt before sliding the chain into place. “Firstly, I’d like to see you try,” he said with a grin that Enjolras did not return. “Secondly, for future reference, the password we were looking for was ‘my full glass’, with a security question of ‘what do I believe in?’.”

Enjolras tugged off his hoodie and balled it up before tossing it onto the couch, one of the few pieces of furniture in the tiny, cramped apartment. “Would you also have accepted ‘nothing’?” he asked waspishly.

“No, but I would’ve accepted ‘absolutely fucking nothing’,” Grantaire said cheerfully. “Adjectives matter.” His smile faded when he caught sight of the shiner beginning to darken around Enjolras’s left eye. “What happened?”

“Same thing that always happens,” Enjolras said.

Grantaire’s eyes narrowed. “Meaning you have other, less visible injuries that you’re not going to do anything about until it’s too late to keep them from getting worse?” he asked dryly

Enjolras rolled his eyes and dug his phone out of his pocket to send a quick text. “What are you even doing here?” he asked, purposefully ignoring Grantaire’s question.

He didn’t see the look Grantaire gave him, but he could hear it plainly enough in his voice. “It’s a safe house,” he said. “I think that’s somewhat self-explanatory.”

“No, I mean—” Enjolras did glance up then, to examine Grantaire for an impatient second before telling him, “I didn’t even see you at the protest.”

Grantaire shrugged. “I’m pretty sure we can charitably refer to that as a riot,” he said.

Enjolras rolled his eyes and looked back down at his phone, which he powered off before disassembling it to remove the SIM card. “Whatever nomenclature you want to give it aside—”

“Speaking of nomenclatures,” Grantaire interrupted, “can we talk about how we’re referring to this as a safe ‘house’?” He flopped down on the couch. “This is a safe studio apartment. And I’m being generous with the term ‘studio’.”

“It’s illegal,” Enjolras informed him without looking up from his phone.

“Well no shit, this place is just plain criminal.”

Enjolras tucked his SIM card in his wallet before setting his phone down on the coffeetable. “No, I mean it was illegally built. It won’t show up on any building schematics or floorplans.”

Grantaire blinked. “Meaning…?”

“Meaning as long as you and I are in here, we don’t exist.”

Understanding flitted across Grantaire’s face. “I can see how that would have its advantages,” he murmured before glancing up at Enjolras. “Speaking of, how long do you think you and I will be staying in this lovely 250 square foot box?”

Enjolras shrugged, going to pour himself a glass of water from the tap in the corner of the apartment designated as the kitchen. “Hard to say,” he said, carrying the water over to the coffeetable and hesitating for only a moment before dropping his cellphone into it. He looked at Grantaire. “I assume you took care of any of your electronics with a GPS signal?”

“Yeah, but unlike you, seeing as how I don’t have the disposable income to just buy a new iPhone after every riot, I just left mine at home.”

“I don’t buy a new phone after every riot,” Enjolras muttered, feeling his ears burning red, and he sat down on the futon with a huff. “Only ones that ended badly and with potential criminal charges.”

“So...every riot.”

“I certainly hope you find yourself amusing enough to get through the next few days,” Enjolras said sourly. “Because we’re going to be here awhile.”

Grantaire groaned and tipped his head back to rest it against the back of the couch. “What did you do this time?” he asked, sounding resigned. “Molotov cocktail? Improvised incendiary device?” He turned his head to give Enjolras a wink. “Of course, that’s more Courfeyrac’s style than yours…”

“None of the above,” Enjolras told him, suddenly wishing he still had his phone to give him something to do with his hands. “I, uh, may have – shoved a cop.”

Grantaire’s eyes narrowed. “Shoved?” he repeated. “What does shoved mean in this context?” He didn’t wait for Enjolras’s answer. “And keep in mind that I’m not a cop or a prosecutor before you decide to obfuscate or lie.”

Enjolras shrugged again. “Maybe not, but you could also be tried as an accessory if I explain further.”

“As if I wouldn’t immediately execute my fifth amendment right against self-incrimination.”

Enjolras half-smiled. “Cute,” he said. “But you weren’t there.”

Grantaire arched an eyebrow at him. “And it’s on them to prove that,” he said coolly.

“So you’d risk a perjury rap for me?” Enjolras asked skeptically.

Something darkened in Grantaire’s expression. “I’ve risked worse for you,” he muttered, and Enjolras looked away, feeling his face color and hating himself just a little for it.

He bit back his initial response of defensiveness, of turning the tables back on Grantaire and asking him just what, exactly, he had risked over the course of what one could charitably call a relationship and more accurately call a friends with benefits arrangement – but then again, when had they ever been friends? – but something in Grantaire’s expression stopped him.

Or maybe it was just because he was stuck with his ex for the foreseeable future, and even he knew this was a bridge not worth burning right that moment.

“A cop decided to beat up a Black girl,” he said. “She couldn’t have been more than 14, and he didn’t even bother with his baton. She was on the ground and he wouldn’t stop, so I…” He trailed off and shrugged. “I stepped in.”

Grantaire let out a low whistle. “So you’re looking at aggravated battery,” he mused, looking up at the ceiling. “That’s, what, a class X felony? So you’re looking at 6 to 30, unless you can plead it down.”

Enjolras made a face. “Battery’s a stretch,” he said dismissively. “I’ll probably get slapped with aggravated assault.”

“Because the state’s attorney’s office is going to take one look at your record and decide to be generous.”

Enjolras barked a laugh and shook his head. “How do you know all this anyway?”

Grantaire shrugged. “I watch a lot of Law & Order reruns.” He gave Enjolras a critical look. “But potential criminal charges aside, are we just supposed to wait here with no link to the outside world until things blow over or something?”

It was Enjolras’s turn to shrug. “Or something.”

Grantaire sighed. “Great,” he said mournfully. “Well, thankfully, I was planning on quitting my job anyway, or I’d definitely be fired after this next round of no-call, no-shows.” He shoved himself up off the couch and slumped over to the small refrigerator humming ominously in the kitchen, and he opened the tiny freezer portion, pulling out a miniature ice cube tray. “That’s just pathetic,” he said, shaking his head.

Enjolras frowned. “Please don’t tell me you’re already making yourself a drink.”

“Hilarious,” Grantaire said. “But I already checked, and the only booze someone thought to stock this joint with is a couple bottles of bourbon, and I take my bourbon neat.” He cracked the ice cube tray into a ragged dishcloth, which he bundled up before carrying it over to Enjolras, holding it out for him. “This is for you, to try to keep that eye from getting worse,” he said, a little gruffly.

“Thanks,” Enjolras said, hesitating for only a moment before taking the dishcloth-wrapped ice and holding up to his eye, wincing at the cold. 

Grantaire looked at him carefully. “I’m guessing from the way you’re sitting, you’ve also got hit in the ribs – bruised or broken?”

“I’m sure they’re just bruised,” Enjolras assured him, but judging by the look on Grantaire’s face, he didn’t believe him.

Instead, he returned to the kitchen and refilled the ice tray, placing it back in the freezer. “So what are we gonna do now?” he asked off-handedly.

Enjolras shrugged. “Honestly? I have no idea. I’ve never exactly been someone good at relaxing.”

Grantaire snorted. “No shit, Sherlock.”

Enjolras arched an eyebrow, watching with his one good eye as Grantaire flopped down on the couch again. “You know, there was once a time when you would’ve given anything for it to be just you and me, alone, with no outside world for a few days.”

He had intended for it to be a funny, lighthearted memory, but he knew immediately by the way Grantaire sucked in a breath that it had landed as anything but that. They clearly weren’t to the point of joking about what they’d once had yet – if they’d ever get to that point. “Yeah, well,” Grantaire said, carefully avoiding Enjolras’s eyes, “that was a long time ago.”

Enjolras felt himself flush, but before he could offer some kind of apology, or explanation, Grantaire cleared his throat. “I think I’m just going to take a nap,” he said, still avoiding looking at Enjolras. “Riots really take it out of me.”

“Oh, right,” Enjolras said, hurrying to stand. “You can have the futon—”

“Nope, I got dibs on the couch.”

Enjolras frowned. “Take the futon,” he said. “I’m not going to make you sleep on the couch.”

“And I’m not going to make the person with potentially busted ribs sleep on the couch,” Grantaire shot back. “Besides, I checked out the futon before you arrived, and trust me, you’re not doing me any favors by switching.”

He said it with a sort of forced levity that told Enjolras not to push it further, so he didn’t. “If you say so,” he muttered instead, standing up and making his way over to the small pile of books stacked along one wall, hoping he could find something to keep his attention. 

By the time he returned to the futon with a novel that looked like it might do the trick – or at least make him angry enough that he’d have written a very thorough letter to the book’s publisher by the time he got out of there – Grantaire had rolled over onto his side, his back to Enjolras, ostensibly asleep.

But even though it had been a while since they had slept in the same bed, let alone the same room, Enjolras still knew Grantaire well enough to know when he was faking being asleep. And as he cracked open the book he had grabbed, he knew that Grantaire’s too-even breathing definitely indicated that he was not actually sleeping.

Which meant he preferred pretending to sleep to Enjolras’s company.

If that was any indication of how their time stuck together in the safe house was going to go, Enjolras couldn’t help but feel that they would both be very lucky if they made it out of there alive.

>>Read part 2 here>>

[galahadenough]

I finally put together a review of Loki (TV Series). I've always been a huge Marvel fan, a huge MCU fan, but this show was horrific to me. Especially since I saw the show through to the end, I wanted to write a review for the main reviewing websites. I want this side to be heard. All it took was an immense amount of rage to get me to write reviews!

I’m planning on posting it on imdb, Rotten Tomatoes, and google reviews. So far I’ve gotten errors and issues with RT and google, and I’m hoping it doesn’t get lost on imdb. Any other places to leave reviews?

It took me a while to write this. I had to calm down a lot to make it coherent. Then I had to figure out how to condense it. I felt like a review should be my main points, but it took a lot of editing to get it down this much. (Then I had to make an edited version because google has much smaller word limits).

Thanks a lot @iamnmbr3. Your blog was the first one I found on the topic and it was a huge help. The show felt off from the first episode, but I couldn’t figure out why. Your analysis on the show really helped me to verbalize what I was feeling.

Review (except shorter on google):

As a huge MCU fan, I found the show to be intolerable. The plot was slow with way too much filler for the length of the show, and much of the filler felt purposeless. They could have deleted entire scenes or plot points without changing much if any of the story. The creators deliberately made the aesthetic average and mundane, which didn’t pair well with the underwhelming plot. The show relied heavily on slapstick humor, almost all of which was directed at the title character in a manner that encouraged laughter at his pain and stupidity. It would have been better suited for a cartoon, but it would be a cruel cartoon.

The TVA was presented as the better of two evils despite it being a totalitarian organization utilizing genocide and torture, both physical and mental. It felt very reminiscent of the book 1984 with the Thought Police, but the TVA was never truly represented as evil. Not one character opposed them as a hero or from a moral standpoint. All opposition came from a personal or self-serving motive. I’m not wanting every character to be brilliantly moralistic. That would be boring. But you don’t set up an organization like the TVA and say that they are providing a good and needed service, which was the idea the series was based on and ended on.

Mobius has a personality that is very easy to like, but he is very much complicit with the TVA. He happily 'does his job' of genocide and torture. He is Loki's captor, but we are informed he is his friend. When he isn't actively using physical or mental manipulation and torture, he is deriding and mocking him. There was nothing to indicate that they were friends outside of being told that is true. Mobius was never used as a villain by the show despite him fitting the mold well, but he also never has a redemption arc that would have made him a good hero. His reason for working against the TVA is because they lied to him, not because there is any moral reason. His change in alliances happened without much buildup, no gradual discovery throughout the series.

Sylvie felt like a caricature of a character, with very little to her personality other than grit. I was very bored with her. She was a tough, strong, and perfect character that lacked any other depth or nuance. She was called “terrifying” for being female, which felt horrifyingly sexist. She was yet another source of derision and mocking towards Loki.

Loki, the character, was very poorly written. He has always had a great deal of emotional depth that makes him interesting. He was acted with a range from extreme subtlety to riveting explosions of emotion in previous movies. His past is filled with good and bad choices, made with good and bad intentions. He was the villain who tried to be a hero and the hero who tried to be a villain. They took all that away and made him a side character in his own show who had little to no effect on the plot.

For abilities, he lacked his usual physical fighting prowess. He did very little magic, seeming awed when others used magic. His personality and mannerisms changed drastically. His gestures and expressions in this show were over the top and felt clownish, especially for a character that is known for his subtlety. He felt hyperactive and painfully eager to please everyone. His character is known for his manipulations, but his method of 'manipulation' here is to inform others that he is 'ten steps ahead' of them and is going to trick them. I don’t think that’s a good method of manipulation? Plus, the only effect he had on the plot was to slow down the other characters through his bumbling failures.

In addition, Loki was almost always the target of cruelty. This entire show felt like it was made to mock this character. They used every opportunity to tell us, and Loki, how terrible Loki is. How he is irredeemable and incapable of change. That he is a narcissist, which is inaccurate, and that any Loki is inherently untrustworthy. From birth, I suppose. Physical attacks, such as the slow-motion punch and the time loop where he was repeatedly kicked in the crotch, made me cringe. This show encouraged the enjoyment of cruelty.

As a last point, the show used the idea of representation to draw in viewers while avoiding having actual representation. The show was lauded as being good for bisexual and genderfluid representation. From what I’ve heard, the genderfluid representation was a mark on Loki’s paperwork, which you would need to pause at just the right moment to see. Plus, that makes the “terror” at a female Loki make even less sense. The bisexual representation was shown through a single word, and the character was only shown to be so when they made an entire show to mock and belittle him. That is not good representation.

I was very excited for this show, as well as for the next phase of the MCU. This has left me very disappointed and disheartened. I may not be entirely finished with the MCU, but this is the first part of the series that has killed my excitement for future releases. I get a sinking feeling when I hear about future projects now. I have enjoyed debating creative choices before, but this is not simply creative choices. It is too much cruelty, combined with poor writing and a lack of continuity.

[darkershining]

Just watched episode 41, where Yui’s family throw a Christmas party, Cinnamon takes Rosemary and Takumi to a place where Rosemary’s Delicious Stone can be repaired, and Fennel visits Oishina Town.

The episode begins with the king and queen of the CooKingdom discussing all the weird things that have been happening lately, and trying to contact Fennel to ask him about his thoughts on the matter. However, Fennel is no where to be found, and some of the Gowasu bots are seen hovering about.

Secretor reports to Godatz about how they only need one more Recipeppi to activate the Recipe-Bon, and ask him if he has a particular preference for which Recipeppi they target for the last one. Godatz says he’ll think about it for a bit, and tells her there’s one more thing he wants in addition to the Recipeppi.

Yui and her parents are preparing for their Christmas party. With the remaining dishes needing some time to finish, Yui’s mother suggest that Yui and her father go for a walk together. Yui and her father go ice skating, when they spot Fennel, who went to Oishina Town to try and figure out where Ginger built the Hoka Hoka Hearts Accumulator. Yui and her dad invite him to join them for the Christmas party, and Fennel asks Yui’s dad if he happens to remember anything else about the time Ginger visited twenty years ago.

Meanwhile, Cinnamon brings Rosemary and Takumi to a cave which possesses strong natural energy that he used to charge up his own Delicious Stone in the human world. Inspecting Rosemary’s Delicious Stone, he realizes that someone may have sabotaged it, explaining how it broke so easily. They wonder about the possibility of a traitor within the CooKingdom. They eventually reach the spot where Cinnamon is able to fix Rosemary’s Delicious Stone.

Yui, her friends and their families have fun at the Christmas party, enjoying the various dishes. Todoroki eventually leaves to go pick up Kokone’s mother, who is coming home to spend New Years with her family. After confirming Ginger didn’t leave any messages, Fennel decides to head out too. As he’s leaving, he comments that he’s decided on the final dish.

Yui chases after him to give him some rice balls, but the rice balls vanish, with Secretor having just captured the rice ball Recipeppi. The Cures quickly track her down, and since Rosemary isn’t back yet, realize they’ll just have to fight her without the Delicious Field. Secretor creates a Gossori Ubauzo from a popcorn machine, with Fennel observing the fight between it and the Cures. Cure Precious recalls Rosemary’s fighting advice as she tries to get closer to the Ubauzo, but Secretor stops her.

Cure Precious questions why Secretor looks so miserable if she is close to getting what she wants, stating that there’s no way taking away things that others love could ever make her happy. Cure Precious manages to push Secretor away, and use the energy ropes Secretor tied her arms with to trip the Ubauzo, giving the Cures the chance to purify it. However, upon freeing the Recipeppi, Fennel suddenly grabs it. The Cures are confused, and suddenly Fennel attacks the Cures.

He’s about to finish them off, when Cinnamon, Rosemary and Black Pepper arrive. Secretor addresses Fennel as the leader of the Bundoru Gang, with Fennel then revealing that he is,in fact, Godatz.

Another good episode! Wow. I guess if somebody from the CooKingdom was going to turn out to be evil, I guess Fennel did make the most sense since he’s really the only major character we know of who it could be, but I still didn’t think it would actually be him. From the flashbacks, and the mention that Cinnamon was originally supposed to inherit the Delicious Stones that were given to Rosemary and Fennel, did Fennel frame Cinnamon for the Recipe-Bon theft out of jealousy? I’m not sure what his motives are, but I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

I’ll be looking forward to the next episode!

[verycharismaticdragon]

on the addition of shixiongdi relation in SHL

A lot has been said on SHL’s addition of shixiong/shidi relationship between the main couple, probably because of it being one of the most obvious and plot-influential changes the adaptation made. The opinions on it range from overwhelmingly positive to upset and disappointed; so as a preface, I want to say that this small analysis is not me trying to tell you how to feel, but rather just organizing my own thoughts and feelings on the subject. Maybe some of my musings will resonate with you, maybe not – just treat this as an opinion piece. Disagreeing with meta is just as valuable a mode of digesting it as agreeing with it, after all!

So, here’s how my experience with the addition went: despite finishing the novel way before I got anywhere close to the reveal in the show, when I initially learned about the addition (from spoilers), I wasn’t at all upset about it – I understood, or thought I understood, where it was coming from. However, after finishing the show, I found myself discontented with it.

To figure out what exactly changed my mind, I’m going to organize my thoughts the following way: start with the positives, then continue into things I'm neutral on, and then see what is left for the negative category.

(continuing under cut)

The Good

So the thing I appreciate about the addition of shixiongdi relation, and the reason I was initially completely okay with the change, is of course the way it created plausible deniability that helped the show pass c/nsorship. It allowed SHL to portray an extremely intimate and tactile relationship – while not actually adding anything that would be a detriment to romantic reading. @/hunxi-guilai already wrote about it better than I ever could (second half of the post is about SHL specifically), so I’m not going into further detail. Just going to say that in this sense, the idea is quite brilliant.

Intermission

Before I go into the next section, I want to address a certain take going around the fandom: that SHL’s addition of shixiongdi relationship makes Wen Kexing’s decision to follow Zishu in the beginning more logical than it is in the novel, since in the show it is based on him recognizing their school's qinggong. Thing is, every iteration of this take I’ve seen operates on a wrong premise: taking novel Wen Kexing on his word that he is following Zishu because of his ~beautiful shoulderblades~. I have a post that goes into more detail, but in short: he isn't. He realized that Zhou Zishu is an expert martial artist, because Zhou Zishu had listened in on him and Gu Xiang across a busy street, and became suspicious. He thus followed Zishu to figure out his identity and whether he is participating in the hunt for Lapis Armor – in other words, whether or not Zhou Zishu is a threat to his revenge plan.

So both Wen Kexings have completely reasonable motives for following Zhou Zishu, while the flirting is initially just a cover. The only thing shixiongdi relation does in the show is provide a c/nsorship-passing explanation for Wen Kexing’s insistence that Zhou Zishu has to be good-looking: he is already almost sure that ‘Zhou Xu’ is his long-lost sect brother ‘Zhou Zishu’, and so knows more or less what he should look like under the mask. Again, works to help the show with plausible deniability, which is great! But on the whole, it isn't more logical than the novel's version – just different.

The Neutral

Human mind resists change, so sometimes we think something is bad just because it diverges from what we're used to. With this section, I want to make sure I'm not condemning perfectly sensible decisions just because they contradict the novel's setup.

To properly explain my thoughts on the matter, I need to step back from shixiongdi plotline for a moment and outline the bigger picture.

Aside from specific plot points and arcs, SHL made several changes to the source material on a structural level. I already wrote about the different ways in which the two approach the past, as well as the secondary plotline from the novel becoming the main plot of the show; there are also thematic differences (very shortly: the show does not engage with, and sometimes actively contradicts, several of the themes set up in the novel; it instead creates its own thematic framework, which also isn’t backwards compatible) and the shift in approach to genre (TYK subverts wuxia conventions while SHL pays homage to them). All of those changes work to create two very different stories; which one is “better” truly just comes down to personal preference.

I, for one, prefer the novel's choices; but there's a reason this section is titled 'neutral'. You see, after putting a finger on those structural changes, I realized they weren’t a deal-breaker for my enjoyment; while they were a bit confusing when watching, I have a rough guess on why they were made, and also probably wouldn’t be put out by them alone. In other words, I’m not into them, but I’m not against them either.

So, back to shixiongdi plotline: while it wouldn’t really fit with the novel’s structure, it very much does fit with the show’s.

Main characters having a past connection would make no sense in the novel, with its focus on freeing yourself from your past (by blood if you have to), but it becomes a centerpiece in the show, which focuses on rebuilding the past better. The show creates many connections that didn’t exist in the novel (to give some examples, in TYK, neither Wen Kexing’s parents nor Zhou Zishu’s shifu are part of Rong Xuan’s friend circle, Scorpion isn’t Zhao Jing’s adopted son, and Liu Qianqiao is not one of the Ghosts), which I think is due to both the new set of themes and the genre shift – and, again, WenZhou being sect brothers fits right in with that tangle of past debts and gratitudes and para-familial relations.

And, yes, this is very different from the novel – the line that describes the main family there is “sworn ties between the great houses were no more than lies and treachery, and yet, strangers who met by chance could survive by leaning on each other”, and Zhou Zishu, Wen Kexing, and Zhang Chengling are all indeed complete strangers to each other who were brought together by mere coincidence, – but the addition is internally consistent with the story the show was intent on telling.

In that way, shixiongdi thing is but a part of a bigger package; and since I’ve already determined the whole doesn’t bother me that much, logically the small part of it shouldn’t either.

But there’s still a certain element of shixiongdi dynamic in the show that I simply can’t make peace with – one that doesn't follow from those global changes. So we come to—

The Upsetting.

What sets this element apart from the fairly massive overhaul outlined in previous section is that, while both end up contradicting things set up by the novel, for this one I couldn’t find a single plausible reason – not one that’d hold up to a moment’s examination. Changes in adaptation are par the course – the shift between media types alone ensures the adaptation can’t be 1:1 – but if they aren’t made thoughtfully and with regard to source material, then is it still an adaptation? May as well change up all the names and make it an original… To be clear, I’m not saying SHL is that far away from its source material; this is just to explain why baseless changes grate in a way reasonable ones don’t.

The thing about setting up a shixiong-shidi relationship is that it inherently creates an order of seniority. One is an elder, the other is a junior, and that, in the setting-implied Confucian society, comes with specific – different – obligations on both sides. On this base level, it seems impossible to reconcile with the novel’s dynamic, which emphasizes WenZhou seeing each other as equals; but taking into account the genre in which the show operates... Fictional martial sibling pairs have been throwing wrenches into the supposed dynamic for ages, to the point that however you spin a shixiongdi story, someone’s probably done it before.

In other words, there’s no hard and fast rule saying that a shixiongdi pair has to consist of a responsible and caring senior and a troublemaker junior in need of guidance. So SHL’s decision to portray WenZhou as such isn’t necessitated by the addition of shixiongdi dynamic; sticking closer to the novel’s characterization and dynamic would make them only slightly less typical as a shixiongdi pair, but it wouldn’t even feel like a subversion or anything. And I don’t really see this portrayal as important to the show’s thematic framework either – not in any way that couldn’t be achieved just as fine without it. In fact, the only reason I can see for it is to facilitate the, well, whole mess that was the last four episodes.

But before I get into that, let me address something else: I do understand that it’s possible the senior-junior aspect of the dynamic seemed fairly minor to some, maybe most, viewers. The reason it feels glaringly obvious to me is because it goes against something directly established in the novel.

You see, while novel WenZhou are not sect-siblings, at a certain point there is a comparison made between Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu’s shidi Jiuxiao. Except it is immediately shot down by Zhou Zishu: how could they be compared? Jiuxiao “was just a kid”, while Wen Kexing “knows what he needs to do”.

Novel Zhou Zishu sees Wen Kexing as his equal – an adult who can make his own decisions. After the final battle, Zhou Zishu even asks Wen Kexing whether he wants to be saved before treating his injuries – no matter how it’d hurt Zhou Zishu himself, to lose someone who made him want to live again, he is just that willing to respect Wen Kexing’s choice.

This respect towards one’s decisions, however, does not extend to his shidi: in Qi Ye, Zhou Zishu sends Liang Jiuxiao out of the soon-to-be besieged capital against his will. To him, Jiuxiao is a child he’s responsible for, and as an elder, he makes the decision for him – on assumption that he knows better.

In that way, SHL Zishu’s treatment of Wen Kexing is actually closer to how novel Zishu treats Jiuxiao: for example, SHL!Zishu’s decision to drug Wen Kexing to sleep while he goes off to die fighting Prince Jin's forces – despite knowing Wen Kexing would rather go with him, even if that meant death – prioritizes someone’s safety over their wishes in the exact same way sending Jiuxiao out of the capital did. And with the way the two relationships are contrasted in the novel, it really drives home that the show's dynamic is that of a senior and a junior rather than two equals.

But you may ask: doesn’t this mean that the shift in Zishu’s characterization is simply due to him ‘acting like a shixiong’ towards Wen Kexing? Isn’t this exactly the kind of reason that would justify the change? And, look, if Zhou Zishu’s behavior was the only thing that changed, I’d... probably still be a little miffed that he treats his romantic partner in a way that his novel counterpart categorizes as treating someone like a kid, but – I’d consider the choice understandable, if not one I’d personally make.

Except that still leaves changes in Wen Kexing’s portrayal, the impulsivity and lack of understanding of consequences and sometimes outright dumbness that have nothing to do with his novel counterpart. The only purpose those seem to serve is creating a dynamic of Zhou Zishu constantly having to ‘manage’ Wen Kexing and take responsibility for his actions – and don’t get me started on ‘guiding him back to the righteous path’, as I’ve said before, moral discrepancy between the two was also invented by SHL for no good reason, – casting Wen Kexing in a role of troublemaker junior.

Again, it is not as if such dynamic is inherent and immutable for shixiongdi relationship, and it runs counter to the way the relationship is established in the novel. The only reason I can see for forcing a senior-junior dynamic in this way is to set up the characterization groundwork for all the misunderstandings in the final episodes.

Wen Kexing hiding things from Zishu in a way that badly backfires, then later missing all signs of his distress, and finally sacrificing himself as a way to take responsibility for his actions but without bearing uncomfortable consequences such as having to own up for his mistakes – all of this could only work off the previously established ‘reckless, careless problem child’ portrayal.

On the other side, Zhou Zishu not assuming even for a moment that Wen Kexing knows what he’s doing during the standoff in episode 32, then hiding his shortened lifespan, then drugging Wen Kexing and going off to die on his own also would not make sense if Zhou Zishu considered Wen Kexing his equal and trusted him to make his own choices.

So, pushing the senior-junior angle helps to make the finale's characterization consistent with the rest of the show. But should it be counted as a good reason? Even among show-only fans, many were discontented with the last few episodes, to say nothing of us novel fans.

There are rumors going around that the whole mess in the finale was to create a c/nsorship-mandated bad ending; I don't know how true those might be. Wasn't there a less convoluted way to bad end the show though, one that didn't require turning the novel’s dynamic into something it explicitly wasn’t?

I mean, the simplest TYK-based BE I can think of would be to just cut to the credits before Zhou Zishu wakes up from his post-nail removal three-month coma. That’s it! If you wanna twist the knife, have Wen Kexing sit by the bed, desperately calling him and receiving no response; show that day after day is passing; you can even work in Wen Kexing’s hair turning white, implying he has greyed from worry and grief... Roll the credits without resolving it, and you get a perfectly gut-punching sad BE. Which also seamlessly transitions into the novel’s actual HE, and you can trust the novel-readers to let everyone else know that. And this is just me throwing out the first idea that came up; surely people who work within the system and know it better could find even more ways to pass the requirement without sacrificing characterization?

Considering everything outlined above, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that forcing a senior-junior angle for SHL’s shixiongdi dynamic was completely unnecessary. And with the way it overwrote the dynamic the novel set up, of equals who respect each other’s choices… yeah, it’s no wonder something bothered me. It wasn't the addition of the shixiongdi relation itself; it was just this one aspect of characterization that was taken too far.

––––––

- TYK/SHL comparisons masterpost -

[book-o-scams]

'Sorry Wrong Ed' Alternate Ending Storyboard Sequence

Check out Al Kang's Ed, Edd n Eddy portfolio!

Al Kang worked on the show during seasons 3-4 and had roles on the storyboard and prop teams apparently. (IMDb says he was credited as Al Choi at the time, but it also says he worked on season 1 episodes, which doesn't line up with the timeline he mentioned.. anyway.)

I discovered his portfolio a few months ago after seeing fandom discussion of the alternate 'Sorry Wrong Ed' ending. I was pleasantly surprised to find a few other treats as well! But yes, I even sorta liked what I learned about 'Sorry Wrong Ed' in the process... (I threw in a little analysis comparing the two endings at the bottom)

I noticed Al seemed to mix up the order on these, so I thought I'd try my best to figure out the right order. This was the most confusing one for me to try and figure out the order of since almost all 8 pages were out of order. I think I finally figured out what's going on in the original ending.

So this alternate ending starts at an unknown point with Eddy flat on the ground, presumably injured, picking himself back up. At this point in the final cut of the episode, Eddy has just been squashed by a tree, but this seems more like a different injury, and he's not even retaining his injuries from the truck scene... The scenes with Jonny and Plank from the final cut of the episode seem to not exist at all here, Jonny and Plank don't appear in this sequence.

Anyway, Eddy picks himself up in the middle of an on-going scene, sees Jimmy drop a coin in a jar for Ed, who has inexplicably turned the cursed phone into a scam on his own. Edd is glaring at the off-screen kids, who have somehow learned about this phone and are excited to kill Eddy with it.

Eddy: "Jimmy! No!"

Jimmy answers the phone: "Hello?"

Ed: "HA HA HA"

Edd: "You people don't seriously believe--"

Then we sync up with gags that did happen in the ending of Sorry Wrong Ed, with context that makes its tone a little more sadistic than random. Jimmy's paid phonecall drops the sandbox on Eddy.

This page has the most skeletal dialogue...

Kev: "Yes." (I think he's meant to be fist pumping because Eddy got hurt, more of a "Yes!")

Jimmy: "BAD LUCK EDDY PHONE." (this dialogue must have been a placeholder)

Edd: "HA HA" (sarcastic ha-ha or did Al mean to write "Ed" for this?)

Jimmy seems to offer the phone to Edd.

We sync up again with Edd's denial from the final cut of this episode, except now it actually makes sense that he's so one-track-minded, because there are people actively arguing with him and keeping him disengaged from the victim.

Edd: "There must be a cargo plane overfilled with playground supplies..."

Sarah interrupts him.

RING RING

Sarah: "Oh, that's for me."

Eddy at this point holds Ed responsible, as he should, and starts running to stop Ed or Sarah. Ed offers no explanation for his betrayal.

Eddy: "Ed! What are you doing!?"

Sarah: "Hello?"

Sarah's paid phonecall summons the hippos, the most random moment in the final cut of the episode. Note how both of these slapstick gags were storyboarded on the same generic background, seems like the lane or an empty lot, but clearly a different location than Eddy's front yard from the aired ending.

And that's all we have to go off of!

I'll put my updated opinions below the cut, but suffice it to say, I like the episode a little better now! Knowing what the ending was going to be and trying to figure out the choices that led to the ending we got, I feel more appreciative that it didn't end up a lost episode or something and less annoyed that it was 11 minutes of one joke.

I know I have a reputation for not finding slapstick funny and disliking this episode, but violence was never my only issue. Lots of episodes have lackluster slapstick that I just let wash over me. My point that never gets as much focus is that this episode never felt FINISHED to begin with. It's just a slapstick vacuum with no ending and no point, and it used to be frustrating to me not knowing for sure if my hunch was right or not that it felt like the episode just wasn't working and they had to cobble it together from the scenes that almost worked.

I am surprised to say I like the episode more now that I know that is pretty close to the truth. Judging from this peek into the episode's development, this episode seems to have reached Danny Antonucci's and/or Wootie's (the episode's lead board artist) limit for being mean-spirited with the characters without a reason. I'll still probably avoid rewatching it, but knowing the episode has no ending specifically because it's been trimmed to bare bones is somehow reassuring.

The most obvious flaw to this original ending is the lack of motivation for Ed's or the kids' actions. The kids presumably still weren't in the rest of the episode, so there's really no reason for them to be here other than reiterating the same idea from 'Your Ed Here' and 'The Good Ole Ed' that the neighborhood kids are always looking for a reason to gang up on Eddy, something that isn't really true of those characters in earlier seasons.

I think I can imagine how, on paper (in the writers' outline), this episode sounded funnier. Trying to imagine this ending as part of the whole episode, I think the script's idea of the final joke is that Ed is not satisfied with ending the tests at the point where they tried to return the phone to Rolf. I think Ed converts the curse-testing process to a scam at that point, building off of how Ed already wasn't processing Eddy's safety in anything so far, and is probably more focused on proving to Edd that curses are real (as Ed was previously in league with Evil Tim). The addition of Ed running his own tests and the kids arguing Eddy's point against Edd's while Eddy's busy, does sound more like a complete manic cartoon boiling point than the way the finished episode just petered out with Edd as the sole antagonist. But unfortunately, in visual execution, suddenly piling in so many aggressive characters and so much random violence at once, would only really result in it petering out at a higher volume.

Meanwhile Edd's characterization is made much more structurally sound in the original ending. He's annoyed FOR Eddy's sake, and the only reason he's not actively helping Eddy is because like 3 other characters were supposed to be arguing with him while this was happening. It seems extremely apparent to me that the cuts made to this ending were for the sake of mitigating Ed's reputation in the fandom, as well as the kids', and I think it's really unfortunate that Edd's characterization was the cost for salvaging everyone else's. I'm glad I already considered his behavior in 'Sorry Wrong Ed' non-canon, because now it feels like the reason the aired ending is so out-of-character is just because Edd is basically arguing with the ghost of the original scene. I formally forgive 'Sorry Wrong Ed'. Production turnarounds are tough and AKA did their best to not turn this into another forgotten 'Special Ed' episode that simply wasn't working.

I think ditching the original ending was ultimately the right call. It was not an exemplary episode, but I can admit it's less out of place to have a pure "vacuum of violence" story than it would've been to essentially give the kids a supernatural revenge plot like this. That would've been really weird to have to accept-- Eddy definitely wouldn't want to be friends with anyone at the end of the movie if THIS was their past. Changing it to an unaware Jonny and a questionably aware Plank being responsible, indeed, was a vibe that landed much more like standard EEnE fare. It was weird enough that the kids all saw Santa in JJJ, can you imagine if they all knew curses were real AND participated in attacking a neighbor with one??

If there was a silver lining for me the first time I saw this episode, it was that none of the kids were directly involved in Eddy's suffering. It made the questionable reality of the cursed device slightly more acceptable that only the Eds and Rolf know about the curse. If this ending had happened, I would've reacted the same, but I would've rejected its continuity even more than I do now, because it would just feel like they animated one of the DC Comics (where the kids can blow the Eds up with fireworks at the end or the Eds can randomly be crushed under an avalanche of anvils)-- the art could end up gorgeous but the characterizations don't exactly land as real human beings, the balance this show strives for typically.

And I think that's all I wanted to say! In the end, I found myself liking 'Sorry Wrong Ed' slightly more than I used to, all thanks to this glimpse into how the animation production system morphs the outcome of a cartoon. Thanks so much to Al Kang, for sharing your art and this insight into the industry! I don't know whether he did both the gesture drawings and the revised art, but judging from his other boards I think the cleaned up art is his, and I liked seeing the poses that almost were!

[let-the-dream-begin]

In My Daughter’s Eyes Chapter 30: Family

Chapter 29

Read on AO3

November 27th

Jamie felt a flutter of excitement as he rang the doorbell to the Abernathy home. It was the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and neither doctor had had the day off on Thursday. Claire had mentioned they’d done exactly this last year. Claire had casually asked if Jamie wanted to make a pie or pick one up, and he’d stared at her, bewildered. 

“Ehm...fer what?”

Claire eyed him as if he’d asked what color the sky was. “For Thanksgiving?”

“Oh! I...thought ye spent it wi’ Joe’s family...”

She blinked at him like he had two heads. “Yes. And you’re coming.”

And that was that. 

This was a big step for them as a couple, as a potential family, and Jamie knew it. He knew better than to make a big deal out of it to Claire, but that simple assumption that of course he’d be celebrating with Claire’s adopted family had made him fit to burst with joy. The next day, Jamie had texted her:

speaking of holidays and families, how do you feel about spending christmas with mine?

She’d replied hours later, likely during her first break of the day:

I’d absolutely love to. 

So they were there now. They were officially bringing each other “home for the holidays.” Well, Jamie’s family was coming here to avoid putting Faith through air travel, but still. If somebody had asked Jamie last Thanksgiving or last Christmas if he’d ever imagined this, with her, with them, he’d have told them they were crazy. 

That morning, they’d gone to see Moana. The local movie theater did half-priced tickets before noon, and the movie had come out the day before Thanksgiving. Jamie had told Claire that he and his family always went to the cinema on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day; since the closest one to Lallybroch was an hour away, it was a special occasion. Claire had immediately lit up, declaring that they had to go on Thanksgiving. Rather, their makeshift Thanksgiving. Claire had never actually brought Faith to the movies before, but the place was empty aside from one other family, so it was perfect. She was in heaven. She was absolutely enthralled by the hugeness of the screen, the colors, the music. They’d sat near the front in the wider aisle where the railing was, meant for handicapped viewers, so Faith could run around or lean on the railing, dangling Horsie over the edge with her mouth agape. Claire had bought the album on iTunes on the way home, anticipating that Faith would want to play the music all day, and she’d been right. Jamie already knew almost every word to “How Far I’ll Go.” He wondered if it would hold up against “Let it Go” for Faith, but only time would tell.

A gust of November wind brought Jamie back to the moment, and the front door opened to reveal Joe, white teeth flashing against his dark skin in a radiant grin. 

“Ah, there he is!” Joe enthusiastically clapped Jamie on the shoulder with one hand, and shook Jamie’s hand with the other. “It is so good to have you here, Jamie.”

“Hello to you too,” Claire said wryly.

“Come on, I see you all the time,” Joe said. At that moment, Faith slipped right out of Claire’s grip and bounded inside, humming loudly and flapping her hands wildly. 

Claire rolled her eyes at both Faith’s escape and Joe. Jamie watched with amusement as Gail appeared at the end of the hallway and exclaimed in surprise as Faith barreled into her. 

“Sweet Jesus!”

Joe ushered Jamie, Claire, and Angus, leash held by Claire, into the house. 

“Well it’s nice to see you, crazy bean!” Gail said, laughing, and Faith disappeared into the living room. “Dee-Dee! They’re here, and Faith is looking for you!”

Jamie handed off the pie (that he’d made from scratch, of course) to Gail, and insisted on helping her finish with the hors d'oeuvres and the drinks. Faith darted about, in and out of the rooms, until the pitter-patter of little feet coming down the stairs had her running back into the hallway. By the time all the adults were settled with finger foods and drinks, Delia and Faith were already in the corner of the room, engaged with dolls and a little house. Even Faith’s Horsie was involved in the game, of course. 

“They did this last year too,” Claire said as they sat down on the couch. “We got here and Dee-Dee had a whole spread. It was adorable.”

“She does it every time she knows she’s coming over,” Gail said. 

“Aye, I remember her at Faith’s party; she’s a sweet one,” Jamie said fondly. 

“Thanks,” Gail said.

“And that one got so big!” Claire exclaimed, looking at Lenny, sat in his own corner with a tablet. “Last Thanksgiving he still looked like a baby.”

“Four years old, you believe that?” Joe said, shaking his head. 

“Oh, I believe it,” Claire said, eyeing Faith. “They grow too fast.”

“Oh my gosh, Claire, I never even asked.” Gail said, putting down her drink. “Faith started school!”

“Yeah, she did.”

“You were scared shitless,” Gail dropped her voice to a low whisper. 

Claire chuckled. “Yes, I certainly was.”

Jamie put his hand lightly on Claire’s knee, and she took it, seemingly without thinking about it. They laced their fingers together with practiced ease, and Jamie squeezed. 

“You mentioned at work the first day went okay,” Joe said. “How’s she been since then?”

“Really good, actually,” Claire said. Jamie could feel the warmth of glowing pride radiating from her. “She stopped having any bathroom problems, finally, and she hasn’t had to call home or either of us at work in a while. Which is good, because it’s hard when I’m at the hospital or if Jamie’s with a client...but I think we’re finally past that.”

“That’s great,” Gail said. 

“I can tell she still doesn’t really love it. It’s a bit of a fight to get her on the bus after a weekend or a break. Monday should be really fun,” she rolled her eyes, “but she’s doing it. She’s getting her stickers when she earns them and prizes and after school treats.”

“Claire is doing all the right things,” Jamie cut in. “It’s hard to motivate her sometimes, but as long as she’s on the bus in the morning, then we’ve done all we can do.”

“Right,” Gail said. 

“Remember after Labor Day when she would not get on, no matter what I did?”

“Aye, I do. I had to leave the stables to try to get her on myself.”

“I couldn’t believe the driver waited that long.” Claire covered her face and shook her head at the memory. “If that never happens again, it’ll be too soon.”

The adults shared a quiet laugh. 

“I see she’s got a communication device now?” Joe said, gesturing to the tablet resting next to Faith. “The school provides that?”

“Yeah,” Claire said. “She’s been getting more and more comfortable with it lately. She still signs for her basic needs, and Mummy, but she loves being able to say ‘Angus,’ and all your names, and Gillian’s name, and Jamie’s. I don’t want her to lose the signing, but this is a great additional tool.”

“Yeah, of course,” Gail said. “I saw that video on Facebook that you posted, when she first figured out the ‘Mummy’ button.”

“Oh, yeah,” Claire smiled fondly at the memory, and so did Jamie. When it had first clicked for Faith that there was a word on her device for every sign, she could not get enough of saying “Mummy,” calling out to her beloved mother in a brand new way. “She did the same thing to Jamie the next time we saw him.”

“Over and over,” Jamie confirmed. “It was sweet.”

“Until the third hour,” Claire said, and Jamie could tell she was only half-kidding. He didn’t blame her at all. 

Jamie was about to ask about how Delia was doing in school, how pre-k was for Lenny, when Joe spoke again. 

“How are you guys?” He raised both of his eyebrows coyly. “I mean, it seems like it’s...going really well. Yeah?”

Jamie watched a blush creep up Claire’s neck and touch her cheeks with color. She flashed her eyes at Jamie, who felt warmth spreading from head to toe. 

“We’re great,” Jamie answered, looking into Claire’s eyes and raising her fingers to his lips. “Really great.”

——

December 17th

As Claire approached the door to Jamie’s apartment, shopping bag and leash in one hand, Faith’s hand in the other, she heard a loud shriek from the other side of the door. Faith let go of Claire’s hand to clamp her hands over her ears, and Claire’s stomach dropped.

Off to a great start.

Claire was nervous beyond all reason to meet Jamie’s family. They’d gotten off the plane from Scotland two days ago, wanting to give themselves plenty of time before the holidays, and wanting to meet Claire and Faith at least once before then. Jamie decided on a little pizza party at his place.

Claire begged and pleaded with Faith to calm down, but she would not move until presented with her headphones. Claire sighed in defeat and put them on her. She knew deep down that Jamie’s family would bear no judgement on her in the slightest, but she really hadn’t wanted their first impression of her and her daughter to be flustered mother of an irritable daughter.

The door opened while Claire was still kneeling on the ground, and she looked up in a panic, relief washing over her to see that it was only Jamie.

“Sorry about that,” he said sheepishly. “Wee Jamie is a bit of an imp.”

Claire stood up, laughing nervously. “Oh, hi, sorry.” She tried taking Faith’s hand again, but Faith recoiled, reaching up to Jamie instead. Claire rolled her eyes upward, and Jamie grinned.

“Aye, alright, let’s get ye in out of the cold.” He obliged Faith, lifting her up and settling her on his hip, leading the way into the apartment. Faith rubbed her cheek against Jamie’s, delighting in the stubble, and Claire peered around Jamie to see the face that she’d come to be so familiar with but had never actually seen in person. Jenny was sitting on the couch feeding star-shaped puffs to a toddler, and the just as familiar Ian was holding a little boy over his shoulder.

“Everyone,” Jamie announced. “This is Claire. And this is Faith.”

Jenny launched herself off the couch and handed the baby off to Ian, who expertly handled holding both children at once.

“It’s great to finally meet ye, Claire,” Jenny said, throwing her arms around her in a bone crushing hug.

Claire started in surprise at first, but then returned the embrace. Her embrace was warm, soft and solid all at once, much like Jamie. She was wearing an oversized cream sweater, similar to Claire’s own white cable-knit turtleneck. “Hi, I’m so glad to finally meet you, too.”

“I’m Jenny, as ye probably guessed,” she went on, pulling away from the embrace, but keeping a hand on one of Claire’s shoulders. “That’s my husband, Ian.”

“Hallo,” Ian gestured with his chin in greeting. “This heathen is Wee Jamie,” he turned around to show Claire his face, given that his feet were previously facing her, “and this is Maggie.” He turned back around.

“Great to meet you, all three of you,” Claire said, laughing.

Just then, Claire noticed the man that had appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, smiling down at her. Everything about him was warmth, strength, and comfort.

“Claire,” he said, his voice deep and laced with the deepest affection.

“Hi,” Claire said sheepishly, her smile hurting her cheeks. “It’s an honor to meet you, Mister Fraser. Jamie speaks so highly of you.”

“Och, I’ll no’ have ye calling me that. Ye’ll call me Brian, Da, whatever ye’re comfortable with.” He stepped in toward her and pulled her in for a hug that was somehow tighter than Jenny’s. “Ye’re family, lass.”

Claire squeezed him back, this man she had just met, and tears pinpricked her eyes.

My family.

Brian pulled away and gripped her shoulders, looking into her face. “Christ, my heart’s full to see ye.”

“Let her breathe, Da,” Jenny chided. “Here, let me take this. And give yer coats to Ian.” Jenny took the paper bag of crisps and cookies in Claire’s hand like this was her own home and disappeared with it into the kitchen.

Ian put little Jamie down and pointed a threatening finger at him, and the boy grinned impishly as his father took Claire’s coat, then Faith’s, from Jamie.

“Hi!” he burst to Claire. “Are ye my Auntie now?”

“Oh, I…”

“Jamie…”

“Oi, why d’ye no’ play wi’ the Wii, lad,” Jamie cut in. The boy bounced with excitement, planting his bottom on the coffee table right in front of the tellie. “Quietly, now,” Jamie warned, setting up a game for him with Faith in his arms all the while. She refused to be put down.

“That’s her, then? Wee Faith?” Brian watched as Jamie shifted her to his other hip after finishing setting up Jamie’s game.

“Yes, that’s my girl,” Claire answered, pride warming her chest.

“Beautiful,” Brian breathed, beaming at her as Jamie approached his father. “Yer spitting image.”

“Thank you,” Claire said. She stroked Faith’s cheek, who was still rubbing her face and arms against Jamie’s stubbled jaw.

Brian hummed in amusement. “Willie used to do that to me,” he said. “It’s comforting to them.”

“Yes, I suppose it is.” Claire’s eyes flicked nervously to Jamie, but he seemed alright. Perhaps they spoke fondly of Jamie’s brother often. She’d have to get used to that.

Jenny flitted back in from the kitchen and chided her brother for letting her son play with brain-rotting video games, but Jamie just rolled his eyes and sat down, Angus settling at his feet at attention for Faith.

“I didn’t even know you had a Wii,” Claire said, sitting down beside him.

“Aye, well,” he winked, “how else would I kick yer arse in Mario Kart?”

Claire snorted quietly and fought the urge to swat at his arm in front of his family. Ian sat down next to Jamie with Maggie, Brian sat on the leather recliner in the corner, and Jenny sat on the edge of the coffee table facing the couch.

“So! This is the wee lass I’ve heard so much about?” Jenny beamed at Faith.

“Aye, she canna hear ye just now wi’ these on; wee Jamie gave her a fright.”

“Och, I’m so sorry,” Jenny said. “I did try to explain to him — ”

“No, it’s okay. He's so young.”

“Aye, and a menace to society already.” Jenny rolled her eyes, and Claire chuckled. “I’m just grateful he didna make a run fer the dog. He retained that from our talk at least.”

She was obviously referring to the fact that when Angus was working, he could not be pet. Claire did catch a few longing glances at the animal from the little boy, but he was being very good.

After a few minutes, with Angus’s help, Jamie managed to coax Faith into taking the headphones off.

“There you go, good girl,” Claire praised. “She’d never take them off without Jamie here. He’s absolutely wonderful with her.”

“Aye, and she’s quite taken wi’ him as well,” Jenny said smiling at the way Faith was nuzzled into his neck.

“We’ve a…special bond,” Jamie said, his eyes twinkling. “Aye, princess?” He bounced her on his knee, and she giggled.

“Look, lass, this is Jenny,” Jamie said. “Can ye say hi?”

She buried her face further.

“She’s very shy,” Claire explained. “Strangers are a little tricky. But I promise the more she’s with you, the better it gets. Even Jamie was a scary stranger at some point. Right, lovie?”

Jenny and Ian laughed softly.

“I really appreciate you all coming here,” Claire said. “It can’t be easy traveling with little ones.”

“Och, ’twas nae bother,” Ian said. “Glad to do it.”

“We hardly ever get to see Jamie’s place anyway,” Jenny added. “We’ve only been to the Island…what, once or twice before?” Ian nodded in confirmation. “It’s nice to see the life he’s made here. And the stables are just great.”

“Aye, we’re very proud of the work Jamie does,” Brian cut in, the pride oozing out of his every feature.

“You should be. He’s…he’s got a special touch with those kids,” Claire said, unable to stop the heart eyes she knew she was giving Jamie. “He changes lives. I know he changed Faith’s, and mine for that matter. Even before, well…this.” She blushed, realizing she was rambling. Jamie reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze, likely sensing her embarrassment.

“Aye, well it’s good ye ken how lucky ye are,” Jenny said. “Ye’ll no’ find a better man than my brother.”

“Christ, Janet…” It was Jamie’s turn to turn scarlet.

“I’m being nice, Jamie! I could go on instead about how difficult ye are to live with…”

“Claire doesna need a speech about treating me right,” he said. “She’s doing just fine.”

“That wasna what I meant.”

But given the look that Ian shot her, that was indeed what she’d meant. Though a little uncomfortable, Claire did not blame her. Jamie was her little brother after all, and Claire knew by now how deeply he felt things, how sensitive he was. Somebody cruel could tear him to pieces.

“It’s okay,” Claire cut in. “I know what you meant.” She squeezed Jamie’s hand.

“Aye, good. Well, it’s no’ as if it doesna go both ways. When Jamie sent me yer Facebook profile, I gave him an earful about how damned lucky he was,” Jenny said, and Claire bit her lip to stifle a grin.

“Janet…”

“What! Ye’re embarrassed? I couldna very well meet her. No shame in sending me something to get to know her by!”

If Jamie could have melted into the couch, Claire was sure he would have.

“Jamie went on and on about ye last Christmas, ye and the lass both,” Jenny explained. Claire’s heart fluttered to think that his family knew about her all the way back then, when she was still so far in denial she couldn’t see past her own nose. “So I was bloody curious what was so special about ye. Didna take long to see it, I’ll say that.” She smiled fondly at Claire, her eyes twinkling.

“Well…thank you. I think.”

“What Jenny is trying to say,” Ian cut in. “Is that we’re glad ye’re here, and we’re grateful to ye fer the joy ye bring our brother. Both of ye.”

“Aye, cheers to that.” Brian lifted his whisky from where he sat and took a sip.

“You know,” Claire said. “I heard all about this little one after the holidays last year.” She looked around Jamie and Faith at Maggie. “Jamie showed me pictures of her. She’s just adorable. I mean, both of your children are beautiful, of course.”

“D’ye want to hold her?” Ian offered.

Claire’s heart fluttered. “Could I?”

“Aye, of course.”

They both scooted forward for the exchange.

“Have to pish anyway.”

Jamie clapped Ian on the shoulder as he got up to leave, and Claire sighed loudly as the small weight settled in her lap.

“Well, hello!” she cooed, smiling enormously at Maggie’s sweet face. “Aren’t you the cutest little thing.” She bounced the baby in her lap, and she smiled lazily at her before breaking into the sweetest little giggles. Claire laughed in response, her head light and dizzy from the euphoria of holding a baby.

“Oh…I haven’t held one this small since Faith,” she sighed. “She’s just so sweet. Such a perfectly behaved baby.”

“Aye, she’s night and day wi’ that one.” Jenny nodded behind her to Jamie, engrossed in the game on the tellie.

Maggie gave another squealing giggle, and Faith abruptly sat up for the first time since burrowing into Jamie’s side.

“Ye look bonny wi’ a bairn, Sassenach.”

Claire looked up from Maggie to see Jamie boring smoldering diamonds into her, and she felt herself turn to a puddle. She’d be lying if she said she’d never thought about having another baby, and she’d also be lying if she said the thought of having one with Jamie hadn’t immediately crossed her mind the second she laid eyes on Maggie’s darling face.

They maintained eye contact for a long moment, and then Faith reached forward and grabbed the baby’s face, and Claire gasped, pulling Maggie into her.

“Gentle, Faith,” Jamie said quickly, as gently as he could muster. “The baby is very wee, and very sensitive. Ye must be gentle.”

“Gentle like with Pippi,” Claire added.

Faith bit her lip and sat up again, and then she gently stroked her fingers down the line of Maggie’s nose. Claire and Jamie both burst out laughing, and Faith hummed loudly, jiggling her hands and bouncing in Jamie’s lap.

“Pippi’s her horse?” Jenny said, chuckling herself.

“Aye!” Jamie said through his laughter, and then Jenny and Brian were also laughing out loud.

“What’d I miss?” Ian returned from the bathroom and sat back down on the couch.

“Faith started petting Maggie like her horse because we told her to be gentle,” Jamie explained, laughter finally subsiding. “Good girl, Faith,” he said.

“Come here, baby,” Claire summoned her closer. Faith clambered onto Jamie’s other leg. “You don’t have to pet her nose. Look.” Claire stroked Maggie’s head, then rubbed her back, all while bouncing her. “See? Gentle.”

Faith hummed loudly again, bouncing and jiggling.

“Calm down, lass,” Jamie crooned. “Ye canna play wi’ the bairn if ye canna be calm.”

Faith managed to stop one of her hands from flapping as she gingerly patted Maggie’s little head. Maggie turned to look at her, and Faith squealed.

“Yes, good job,” Claire said.

“Oh, how sweet,” Jenny said. “Ye’re a sweet girl, Faith.”

Faith did not turn at the sound of her name, but Claire beamed at Jenny. “She loves babies,” Claire said. “One of the moms brought her baby to the stables one day, and I had to hold Faith back from throwing herself in the stroller.”

Jenny chuckled. “She’ll make a braw big sister, then.”

“Janet,” Jamie warned, but Jenny just put her hands up in surrender, and Claire’s cheeks flushed red.

Faith gave another loud hum, and then she scrambled off of Jamie’s lap. She pattered over to the bag Claire had left by the door that contained both of her tablets and some emergency snacks that Claire had packed. She reached in for the school-provided tablet and walked back to the couch, standing in front of Claire and Maggie. She clicked around for a bit, and then she pressed the word she wanted to say.

“Play.”

Claire broke into a stupid, beaming grin. “You want to play with Maggie?”

Faith jumped up and down, letting out a squeal that gave way to a hum. “Play.”

“You’re so smart, good girl, sweetheart,” Claire praised. She looked to Jenny, who motioned for Claire to follow her. Claire set Maggie down on the floor as Jenny set out some toys she had brought.

“Play.”

“Yes, darling, we hear you, one moment please.”

Before long, Jenny had shown Faith all of Maggie’s toys, and Maggie was chewing on one while Faith became engrossed with the little baby piano toy. Jenny sat beside Maggie and Claire beside Faith, each making sure that Faith remained gentle and calm. They conversed over the children and across the room to the men. Claire learned how Jenny and Ian had gotten together, learned about the antics of all three of them growing up together, and at one point, she had tears leaking out of her eyes from laughing so hard at a story Brian told about the lads and the pigsty. 

Faith would occasionally take Maggie’s hand and make her press buttons on various toys, some more gentle than others, but Maggie did not seem to mind. Little Jamie only got too loud on his video game one time, and one stern word from his mother was enough to assure it did not happen again.

The pizza delivery arrived, and there was a flurry of motion to get everyone into the kitchen. Parents all made sure that little ones’ hands were clean, and plates and cups were set out. Claire watched in awe as Jamie pulled a pizza plate out of his cabinet.

“Where on Earth did this come from?”

“I bought one,” Jamie said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “If the lass is gonnae eat pizza in my home she’ll have a pizza plate.”

Claire didn’t have the heart to tell him that Faith was not picky about what she ate off of if she wasn’t home, so she let Jamie hand the plate to Faith, both of their faces glowing with joy. Jamie turned around to grab the juice from the fridge and Claire went to help him, and by the time they both turned around, Brian was cutting Faith’s pizza on the plate, and Claire stopped in her tracks to stare.

“Ye’re family, lass.”

Jamie noticed, and he looked back and forth between his father and Claire, his eyes twinkling. He hugged her around the shoulders with one arm and kissed her temple.

“They’re as crazy about her as I am.”

Jamie crossed the rest of the way to the table, and Claire wiped her eyes quickly before following.

“I like her pizza plate,” wee Jamie announced, crossing his arms.

“Well, it’s Faith’s pizza plate,” Ian said firmly. “Ye’ll eat off yer own plate, and ye’ll like it.”

“Why do I no’ get one?”

“Because ye dinna have all the worries and troubles in yer heid that Faith has. The pizza plate helps her feel better. Now eat.”

The table was crowded, not meant for nearly as many people as were there, folding chairs squished between the wooden ones, but they made it work. Maggie was passed between laps so that her parents could eat, and everyone took turns handing her tiny pieces of saucy, non-cheesy, soft pizza to chew on. The conversation passed easily as they talked more about Jamie’s childhood; they even asked about Claire’s. She had plenty to tell about her adventures with her uncle, stories that she loved sharing with anybody who would listen.

Once the pizza was gone, Faith disappeared into the living room and returned with one of the DVDs that Claire had packed. Jamie helped her get it set up, and then little Jamie and Faith were sitting on the couch, watching Lilo and Stitch, and Ian was putting Maggie to sleep in the stroller that they were leaving in Jamie’s room.

The adults stayed at the kitchen table with drinks, and Claire held Jamie’s hand under the table, his other hand stroking her knee and thigh absently. Conversation with this family was easy and familiar, as if she’d known them her whole life. She did not feel like an outsider as she’d predicted she might. The feeling of belonging enveloped her like a warm hug. Then she’d remember Jenny helping Faith play with Maggie, Brian cutting her pizza, Ian explaining to little Jamie why Faith was different, and she would well up with tears.

Family gatherings in England made Claire sick with anxiety and made Faith utterly miserable, which just made everything worse. The Christmas before Frank left, when Faith was three, Claire had cried herself to sleep with his parents’ sneers burned into her subconscious. But this…

This was acceptance, understanding, welcoming, joy, warmth, comfort.

This was family.

[onceuponalegendbg]

Amphibia Series Final Thoughts

I’ve been trying to figure out what I really want to say about Amphibia as a whole now that I’ve had a few days to really let it sit with me.

Overall, this series was an adventure. You could tell Matt and the crew really enjoyed every second of making this show (outside of the mouse’s bull) and they put all their love into it. The animation was always top notch and the humor in this show was right up my alley.

So many one liners will forever live rent free in my head.

The way this show tackled toxic friendships and finding your self worth and trying to learn to be more compassionate and sympathetic to others. That sometimes giving people the chance to change can be worth it in the end. Not always but sometimes. And of course, the hardest thing being that change is inevitable, but not always bad.

The characters were a joy from start to finish. Yes, even Sasha. They were all three dimensional and all their motives were understandable even if you didn’t agree with them. Watching them grow and learn was a treat. I loved all my kids so much.

However… no piece of art is without flaws.

I sometimes feel that the pacing, specifically in seasons 1 and 3 was a little weird. There’s a lot of episodes that, while Matt and crew obviously brought elements back, could have maybe been used for a different purpose.

Like more Sasha and Marcy episodes. Sasha, especially in season 2, could have maybe used a couple more episodes in the first half, while Marcy could have used more time in season 3A. Also, just… maybe more flashbacks to them as kids? Actually seeing Marcy and Sasha’s parents? I’m still so miffed about that.

I understand that the lack of Marcy actually sort of played into Sasha and Anne tending to ignore Marcy and her interests but that’s a fine line you have to walk when doing justice for your characters.

I just wish we’d had more time with the other two members of the Calamity Trio. I know Matt made the the argument that this was Anne’s story but then that begs the question why have the friends here at all?

And also, we needed more time with Darcy. Or even just more time with Sasha and Anne being aware of Darcy. A lot of possible scenarios here that we could have toyed with.

And when I think of my biggest pacing problem, the first episode that actually comes to mind is Mother of Olms. Oh my god do I have such a bone to pick with this episode! I cannot stand how much meandering and time wasting happens in that episode, just to get a prophecy revealed that most of the audience already knew about with the small addition of Anne being able to probably restore the powers to Sasha and Marcy. And the B Plot with Hop Pop! Really felt like we were treading old ground with that one. Frick.

There’s a couple episodes like that, where I’m not sure what the point was for including them or why they made specific decisions for them. Season 3A actually feels like the biggest victim of this.

But I suppose in the grand scheme of things these are really just nitpicks. Like I said, I loved this show, something I hadn’t expected when I first stumbled onto reactions to Amphibia.

I just want to give one final thanks to Matt and the crew, and the voice actors that made us fall in love with this world and it’s characters.

So long, Amphibia. And good luck to the crew for whatever they decide to do next.

Now I just got to sort out my top ten list.

[frobin]

Hi! Ok, I know it isn't very related to Frobin (except if you decide to mention them in the answer), but I am curious about your opionion on this thing. If the end of One Piece have someone of the Straw Hat crew that can die, who can be? OBVIOUSLY I hope nobody, that this thing doesn't happen, but never say never. There're people who say Luffy to recreate Roger's connection. Someone else Usop (but I miss the reason). Or Jinbe, who has also some problems and enemies from previous experiences?

Hey there anon!

No worries about asking questions. This is a FRobin blog but it's also a One Piece blog so it's fine to ask all kind of questions about One Piece. Even though I wouldn't consider myself much of an *expert* so everything I write is very much influenced by my own impressions.

But you're asking for my opinion anyway so that disclaimer is not necessary in this case. XD

---

Okay, first of all: I'm no fan of death flags. I never see them and when I read about them I feel like people pull them out of nowhere.

So I don't think any of the Strawhats will die before or even while the big end fight. Also it's not like they will reach their goal and then just drop dead (don't forget the dream are very different too but more about that later). Like what kind of life would that be?

Also we can't forget that Oda still believes he is writing this story for 14 year old boys. So, even though death is and will be a theme I don't think he will kill off the main crew.

That would not be very clever story wise and is not how to tell a story about adventure and fulfilling dreams for young boys.

Right now it's very "fashionable" to let characters die for shock value. But the more it's done the more annoying it becomes and less of a shock and Oda won't stoop so low to use this kind of element. Why do I think that?

So far we had three deaths in OP and they all shocked us a lot. But they were also used as motivator for other characters. Whitebeards death was a motivator for a whole new Generation of pirates, as well as his crew to try to save Ace and his little brother. Ace's death was a launch of character development for Luffy, Sabo, Garp and even Sengoku and probably more. Pedros death was a motivator for Carrot and other Minks. (Even the fake death of Pell was a huge motivator for Vivi. Interestingly compared to other deaths his sacrifice did not stop the war, which would have been an adequate impact. So him coming back alive actually makes sense.)

But look how few and far between they are. Of course there was more death but the important ones are kept as those.

Why am I talking about that? Who would benefit from a Strawhats death?

Literally no one. They are all already motivated to go until the end for each other. It's more likely that a death would cause Luffy to just give up, him becoming catatonic again.

Who would Luffy fight for if he even loses one of his crew mates? Or maybe two?

If I were a Marine I would try to make Luffy think that his friends are dead and then catch him but that is beside the point.

But for One Piece, a Strawhat death it would not move the story further. There is no additional motivator needed and that would be the only reason to kill one of the crew.

Killing a Strawhat makes no sense in my opinion.

A death would only make sense after they reached their goal.

So it is possible that we see the Strawhats die but long after the story came to an end, them reaching Laugh Tale (if that is the end). And yes, I think all of them will die of natural causes and/or sickness. Most of them at an old age. I think Luffy, Zoro or Usopp being the firsts because of the trauma their bodies had endured would make most sense.

I hope that answered your question anon... and anyone who does not want to read even more about my nonsense can stop here.

But let me break down why I think that all Strawhats have plot armor against death flags, behind the read-more.

-> It is very important that I think the huge clash with the Blackbeard Pirates, which will be the end fight, will happen right before Laugh Tale. And Laugh Tale is the end-goal and the end of the main story. (I MIGHT BE WRONG!!!)<-

Everyones own story can only end after they reached their goal so let's look why I think that these dreams give the Strawhats Plot Armor.

Luffy: Become the king of the pirates. That means he has to reach Laugh Tale. I often hear that Luffy will die early because of the parallel to Roger. That does not mean he won't reach his 40s or 50s. Even after reaching Laugh Tale Roger lived a bit longer and even had time to "make a child" so, killing off Luffy in the end fight makes no sense. So maybe dying after the fight, on Laugh Tale? That could happen and would be the earliest death of any Strawhat imo.

Zoro: Become the strongest sword fighter. That means he still has to kill Mihawk. I don't think Mihawk will go and look for Zoro. So, Zoro has to survive and then return to Mihawk and have his duel. No sense in killing off Zoro. I am 100% sure that he will survive until then.

Nami: Drawing a world map. For that Nami has to travel the world many times more. After they reached Laugh Tale, Nami has only finished part of her dream. She has to visit all of the Blues, travel the Grand Line and the New world multiple times. Drawing a Map of the world will take a lifetime. Her dream will take the longest to be fulfilled.

Usopp: Become the great warrior of the sea. Now here we have a dream that is not really tangible. Usopp will be a great warrior as soon as he realises that he is one. In my opinion he already managed to become a great warrior. Time and time again he has shown how amazing he is but this is all about his own self image and so hard to grasp. This actually makes Usopp the most likely to have a death flag BUT we can't forget that he still has to return home and tell his stories to Kaya and the Usopp pirates. It's part of a promise that is only secondary but for me it's enough to think Usopp too is safe until he did that.

Sanji: To find the All Blue. Sanji thinks that the All Blue is something physical. We can't know that and if it is physical we can consider that it's maybe a part of the New World near the Red Line where all seas somehow come together. So again, until Sanji found that place he hasn't fulfilled his dream. And since I think that would be BEHIND Laugh Tale, again I think Sanji is safe. Alternatively the All Blue is just a metaphor for something completely different but I can't hink about what.

Chopper: To cure all illness. Here too, this is something that takes time. Chopper is still only at the beginning of his career of being a doctor. Finding a magical cure for every illness that exists is not something that just happens. Logically he would need to talk with many other medical experts and together they might be able to find it. When and how and if that happens is impossible to say but again that would be something that would fit best in the time after reaching Laugh Tale.

Robin: To find the truth of the void century. Right now we figure that she will find that at the end of their travel, on Laugh Tale. Maybe it will happen earlier in case the Strawhats storm the World Government. Either way she will learn the truth. But that will not be the end to her. After learning the truth it's up to Robin to bring it to the world, to write it down, to teach, to make people understand that they can't erase history and that they have to learn from it. Again, that is something that takes time and so, truly fulfilling her dream.

Franky: To travel the world in the ship of his dreams. Again that is a vague dream. But it would mean to at least return to Water Seven, so that Sunny has traveled the world once. But even then it's only been a small part of the world and traveling the world would mean to visit at least every of the seas. So far, Sunny had been in two to four, depending on how much you take the movies into account. But to fulfill Franky's dream he needs to survive a bit longer and so does Sunny.

Brook: To meet Laboon again. This is simple. But for that Brook has to reach the end of the New World and then get over the Red Line again. What he will do after that is hard to tell. But again, the Red Line is behind Laugh Tale and so I'm sure Brook too, has to survive... even though he is already dead YOHOHO!

Jinbe: Equality between merfolk and humans. Again this is something that is no easy feat and will probably take more than one generation. Also it is not only up to him and more to Shirahoshi and the World Government. This dream is about teamwork too, but who could be a better ambassador for the merfolk than him? Losing Jinbe would be a huge backfire for the cause. Jinbe too is safe in my opinion. If you have reached the end of the post, let me tell you again my headcanon about FRobin: After the main adventure Franky and Robin return to Water Seven where Franky helps to turn W7 into a boat and after that is done, they travel to the island where Ohara used to be and there they rebuild the island. More people return and it again becomes a hub for scholars and history.

[sailorfailures]

I fell in love with these postcards from the Girl’s Night Out popup cafe the moment I saw them! I knew I had to get my hands on them, and the lovely @blaze-rocket was able to help that happen.

I cannot get over how perfect these postcards are. To me, this is what Sailor Moon is; a testament to the little moments from the series that made us fall in love with the characters, especially how their personal preferences were reflected in their fashion choices. In a world of merch where it’s easy to just slap a random crescent moon on something pink and say “look, it’s Usagi,” the designer responsible for these graphics went the extra mile to take imagery from the show itself that needles its way deep into our nostalgia-cortexes.

How many references do you recognise? Quiz yourself against this comprehensive (image-heavy) list! 👇

The inners’ postcards all reference the eye-catching sign for Game Center Crown, the iconic arcade where Motoki Furuhata worked and the gang would all congregate to play games and share information.

Starting in R they switched to hanging out at Fruits Parlor Crown, a cafe attached to the arcade staffed by Motoki’s sister Unazuki, which the Inners’ postcards all also reference. They would often get brightly-coloured drinks there, but the drinks pictured on these postcards seem to specifically line up with the real drinks available at the Girls Night Out popup cafe.

Sailors Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto’s postcards all reference “Café Étrangère,” which was the name of the cafe they were seen dining at in the Sailor Moon S movie. Even the logo is replicated faithfully from a scene only a few seconds long.

All the girls’ clothes are hanging on coat hangers shaped like Luna/Artemis/Diana.

Ami / Sailor Mercury’s references:

Ami’s casual outfit is an unusual choice since she only wore it a handful of times over the entire series, and half the times she wore it, it was given a different colour scheme with a green jacket instead of the yellow version pictured here.

Her “mini data computer” is her most iconic tool/weapon/accessory, revealed in episode 009, directly after her introduction.

The pink package is how Usagi and the other girls wrapped up her transformation stick and communicator watch as Ami’s going-away present in episode 062.

The ice cream may be a reference to the same episode, as she shared a cone with Chibi-Usa before she left, and returned to the store to protect her friends from the Droid Nihpasu.

The flash cards are a method Ami commonly used to help her study, and are particularly similar to the ones shown in the SuperS short “Ami’s First Love”.

Rei / Sailor Mars’s References:

Rei wore her casual outfit fairly frequently, starting and most notably in the beginning of the Sailor Moon R movie.

The small red o-mamori charm is from Hikawa Shrine, seen frequently but introduced in episode 010.

The paper ofuda ward was used frequently by Rei to fight evil, even before she could transform, but most notably in the attack sequence for “Akuryou, Taisan” (“Foul Spirit, Begone”).

To my knowledge the purple bag isn’t a specific reference, but Rei did throw a similar purse at a Cardian as a makeshift weapon in episode 048 before she got her Guardian memories back.

The gift-wrapped shopping boxes are the exact same ones as carried by Rei in the Sailor Moon Sailor Stars opening sequence before she trips and falls, right down to the patterns on the paper...

... which in itself may be a reference/callback to Rei’s tendency to make Yuuichirou carry her shopping (maybe so she doesn’t trip).

The phoenix-shaped pendant is a reference to episode 183; it’s made of glazed ceramic, crafted by Rei’s cousin Kengo Ibuki, given to her as a child after she convinced him not to smash it even though he his pottery a “failure”.

Makoto / Sailor Jupiter’s References:

Makoto didn’t start wearing her casual outfit until around S, but she wore it frequently after that, especially as she became more confident wearing “feminine” clothing. They even remembered her iconic gold wrist watch worn over her sleeve!

Her uniquely decorated bento bag debuted in episode 026, her introductory episode, along with the rounded green cutlery. The pouch has been featured a few more times since and its design is a mainstay in almost every Sailor Moon canon.

The teal hairtie and the rose-shaped earrings are two of Makoto’s iconic accessories, some of the only non-magical fashion accessories in the entire series to stay the same whether the character is transformed or not (the other being Minako’s infamous red bow). Her earrings also served a dual purpose as makeshift projectile weapons in episode 025.

The blue book is 月夜の天馬 (Tsukiyo no Tenma, “The Moonlit Pegasus”), a novel which was written by Tomoko Takase and introduced in epsode 134. Makoto knew Tomoko from her old middle school, before she transferred, and was the first one to read her first draft after retrieving it from bullies. She encouraged Tomoko to try and get it published. Makoto meets with her again and helps her overcome her writer’s block to finish her sequel, 天馬幻想 (Tenma Gensou, “Pegasus Fantasy”).

Minako / Sailor Venus’s References:

This is one of Minako’s most-worn casual outfits, especially if you consider the additional outfits based off it. Despite its prevalence, she didn’t start wearing it until the beginning of S.

Minako’s red hair ribbon is her most iconic accessory, but did you know why she started wearing it? The Codename: Sailor V prequel manga explains that she started wearing the ribbon instead of her usual red hairtie on the suggestion of her “first crush” Higashi. But when he turns out to be an enemy in disguise, she decides she looks good with a ribbon anyway, and keeps wearing it for her own benefit.

The red mask is a reference to Minako’s role as Sailor V before joining the team as Sailor Venus. Sailor V was known as a mysterious vigilante superhero and a fictional video game character as early as episode 001, but in episode 033 Minako revealed herself to the rest of the Sailor Team, dramatically removing her mask one final time.

Minako was known to be a skilled volleyball player, especially in the manga, and it was especially relevant in episode 100 where she had to delicately return the serve of an energy sphere containing the Pure Heart of her old volleyball crush, Asai.

The sign with Minako’s name can be seen hanging off the front of her bedroom door in episode 192.

[Manga scan courtesy of Miss Dream.]

Usagi / Sailor Moon’s References:

Usagi wore this outfit in the Sailor Moon R movie, making it a memorable choice. Although the movie aired roughly midway through R, Usagi didn’t start to wear this outfit casually again until the S season.

Usagi is shown eating a lot of food, especially sweets, but she seems to have a particular fondness for crepes, snacking on them in several different episodes.

In episode 143 we can see that Usagi is very technologically trendy - for the times. She’s carrying that blue-and-pink pager which she and Mamoru use to contact each other by way of goroawase, that is, deciphering messages based on the different pronunciations of numbers, a precursor to modern texting. Mamoru pages her the numbers 84 51, which could be read as hachi yon go ichi; reading only the first syllables, and substituting go for the related sound ko, Usagi would interpret the message as hayo koi, which sounds a bit like “come quick” - she’s late for their date. Oops!

By the way, pagers were often called “pocket bells” (pokeberu) in Japan, and became so rapidly popular they even found their way into the lyrics of Rashiku Ikimasho, the ending song for the SuperS season; 「泣きたい時には ポケベルならしてよんで、戦士の休息」 [Nakitai toki ni wa POKEBELL narashite yonde, senshi no kyuusoku] “If you feel like crying, send a page thru the Pocket Bell, take a break from [being a] Guardian”

Chibi-Usa / Sailor Chibi Moon’s References:

Chibi-Usa doesn’t technically have a school uniform, but her casual clothes are often styled after sailor suits as a reflection of both her idolisation of the figure of “Sailor Moon” and of her desire to be seen as older and more mature than she appears. She changes “uniforms” every season, and this pinafore outfit is the version she wears in SuperS. She wore the other outfit in the SuperS premiere episode.

The handgun is from episode 060, Chibi-Usa’s introduction to the series and arguably one of the most iconic absurdist scenes in all of Sailor Moon. The gun itself is actually a toy, probably a transformation of the Luna-P sphere, which Chibi-Usa uses to try and threaten Usagi into giving her the Legendary Silver Crystal. When she “shoots” Usagi, the bullet is revealed to be nothing but a suction-cup flower, also pictured. (By the way, if you were wondering, Chibi-Usa’s fake gun is based on a real Colt M1911A1.) She transforms the Luna-P into a toy gun to shoot Sailor Moon again in the Sailor Moon R movie, this time as a way to motivate Usagi to fight.

The Luna-P sphere was a mysterious gadget Chibi-Usa kept with her for the duration of R and parts of S. It’s unknown where it came from, but it could be assumed to have been created from advanced 30th century technology. It was a combination toy and tool which could transform itself into a variety of objects, formulas, and even weapons, though none were shown to be particularly powerful. It could also be used to communicate with Sailor Pluto at the Time-Space Door. When Chibi-Usa was manipulated into becoming Wicked Lady in episode 085, the Luna-P sphere also transformed into an “evil” and much more dangerous version.

The Space-Time Key was a special tool given to her by Sailor Pluto that allowed her to travel between the past and the future, though it was difficult for her to wield effectively.

The sunhat was given to Chibi-Usa by Ikuko, so she treasured it greatly. In episode 112 it got blown away and was retrieved by Hotaru Tomoe, which allowed her to meet Chibi-Usa and marked the beginning of their close friendship.

The blue-and-red package was a gift containing two manga books (”Drop Drop” vol. 1 & 2 by Ukon Katakuri) which Chibi-Usa intended to give to her new friend Hotaru in episode 113.

In episode 127, Chibi-Usa returned home to the future, and the girls all made her some going-away gifts. Ami made her a floppy disk (lol) to help her study, Rei made her a casette tape (double lol) of her music, Makoto packed her a lunch, and Minako made her a photo album of their time together. Usagi hand-sewed Chibi-Usa the rabbit-shaped backpack using a real outfit she used to love when she was a child.

Michiru / Sailor Neptune’s References:

This is a somewhat unusual choice for Michiru’s casual outfit, as she only wore it for two episodes, and that’s only because they made up a two-part story. But perhaps because the episodes were so pivotal - with Haruka and Michiru almost learning Usagi’s true identity - the outfit itself became more memorable.

Not only do they include Michiru’s violin, but they included the lemon she bounced off the instrument as she played to show off her skills in episode 093.

The teacup, teaspoon and saucer are the same set Michiru was seen drinking from at Fruits Parlor Crown in episode 094.

Michiru and Haruka both reference episode 095, where they had to enter a “true love” contest as part of their investigation. The contestants were asked to find their partner’s hand in an anonymous lineup, and Haruka was able to identify Michiru’s hand immediately.

Michiru used Haruka as a model for an illustration in her green sketchbook in episode 106.

Michiru’s Talisman is the Deep Aqua Mirror, revealed in episode 110 and used in her attack Submarine Reflection. She could also use it to receive prophetic visions. Visually, it was based on real-life art nouveau hand mirrors, and symbolically represented the mirror from the Three Sacred Treasures.

Haruka / Sailor Uranus’s References:

Conversely, Haruka wore this outfit a lot. Maybe more than she should’ve.

The teacup and saucer is the same set Haruka was seen drinking from at Fruits Parlor Crown in episode 094.

Haruka’s postcard also references the lovers contest in episode 095 (see above).

The purple scarf is from episode 096; Haruka was wearing it as a necktie when she almost ran into Makoto on her motorcycle. Haruka used the scarf to bandage Makoto’s road rash, which she returned later, though now smitten.

Not only is Haruka’s motorcycle included, they also referenced (one of) her car(s), the 1968 Toyota 2000GT.

Haruka’s Talisman is the Space Sword, revealed in episode 110 and used in her attack Space Sword Blaster. Symbolically it represented the sword from the Three Sacred Treasures.

Setsuna / Sailor Pluto’s References:

Setsuna didn’t have a school uniform, since she wasn’t a student, so she got to double-up on her casual outfits. Her mauve outfit is her most recognisable, wearing it so often it may as well have been her uniform. In fact, she was rarely seen wearing anything else until Sailor Stars, where she started experimenting with other outfits, including the Time Lord-esque suit on the right.

The potted plant is a Tellun, the energy-draining plant created by Tellu in episode 121. Setsuna was investigating it when it attempted to attack her, but she was protected by her Talisman, the Garnet Orb (also pictured, representing the jewel in the Three Sacred Treasures). She then went on to destroy the remaining Tellun plants and defeat Tellu with the help of Sailor Moon, Sailor Chibi Moon, and Tuxedo Mask.

The teacup and saucer are the same set Setsuna is seen drinking from at Cafe Etranger in the Sailor Moon S movie.

In episode 182, the girls are discussing the mysterious arrival of Chibi Chibi while eating ice cream on a hot summer’s day. Setsuna appears out of nowhere to confirm their suspicions... carrying that popsicle of her own.

Hotaru / Sailor Saturn’s References:

Hotaru tended to wear the same thing, mostly all-black, but she did occasionally adventure into rich colours like this bottle green two-piece outfit and iconic raspberry beret.

The sunhat belonged to Chibi-Usa; it symbolises the beginning of their friendship, when Hotaru caught it after it blew away in episode 112.

Chibi-Usa gave Hotaru the rabbit backpack in episode 116, using it to pass a note inviting her on a picnic.

Hotaru collects lamps, and the two referenced here are seen in her bedroom, which she keeps dimly lit to manage her pain.

The window might seem random, but it was random in the series, too - it’s one of the curtained window which looks out from Hotaru’s bedroom, and when a Daimon experiment goes terribly wrong in episode 118 and transforms her house into a Bamboozled-like inter-dimensional maze, one window overlooks a vast ocean while the other overlooks a strange jungle.

Hotaru’s weapon as Sailor Saturn is the Silence Glaive. It’s said that she possesses enough power to destroy the world with a single drop of her scythe.

That’s it! You made it! How many references did YOU know? 🌙