#and a book from my mom about video game writing that I saw one of my mutuals on here talk about

[spice-ghouls]

WOOOOO

[astronicht]

The thing is, I love people so much. My weird rude neighbours! People I’ll never meet. Very many dead people I’ll never meet, actually, but I read a manuscript they wrote once and saw where they made mistakes or gave up on putting in diacritics or got overexcited. Kids who doodle sailboats places. Baby crying on the subway. Local tiny old lady who uses a stroller as a walker and orders beer at the cafe. Whoever sang this Cantopop I’m listening to. Guy who lives in the flat directly across the narrow street from mine who also opens his windows in thunderstorms. My brother who I rarely talk to. My high school ex boyfriend who really fucked me up bad and I fucked him up bad and now I’m a lesbian and we talk again and he has always been one of my favourite people. My mom. Probably your mom. People who play sports I’ve never heard of. The preteens with the probably Trumper moms who wake up at 3:45am to practice figure skating before school; their moms used to bring me Starbucks. Every baby I’ve ever held. My conservative cousins. My baby queer cousins. The couple who used to take me in during the summer so I could au pair for them, who I haven’t reconnected with because 15 years ago the mother who treated me like her own kid told me about how lesbians frighten her. The lesbian I hooked up with before I left California who lay on my chest in the dry heat and told me quiet things about what she’d wanted, when she was a teenager. People who write books. People who say where they were when they read fanfiction in the comments. People who write sea chanties but like just for YouTube recordings with friends. My kind Oakland coworker with the strong weed. People who play video games while someone else watches. The nuns by my old university who kept roses. The Chinese wait staff at the place by my own university who gave me sunflower seeds and baiju. The people who shoot off their guns on New Years in Oakland and also the rural Midwest. People who let me into their houses on short notice and sit me down and make me a drink. People with onion peel on their kitchen floor. Whoever owned those horses. I love you, I love you.

[newtthetranswriter]

Kuroo's right for once

Word count: 2841

Summary: When an appointment comes up and you miss the chance to potentially meet your soulmate, your best friend makes it his mission to try and find them for you. He is successful but you refuse to believe him, but boy are you shocked when said potential soulmate comes to your school for a training camp and your friend was right.

Paring: Koshi Sugawara x Nonbinary reader

Warnings: Talk of doctors and hrt, Kuroo being cocky

A/n: Hey everyone, I decided to write a lovely little piece about everyone's favorite Volleyball mom. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, I really am a sucker for a good soulmate au. Once again, the reader is nonbinary, but I tried to make it so you could imagine either a transmasculine individual or transfeminine individual, but it kinda leans more masculine. Any ways enjoy and special shout out to @keigotakamiz who asked to be tagged. I hope you enjoy, remember to hydrate or diedrate, and have a good day. REQUEST ARE OPEN

    Being the manager of the Nekoma High Boy’s Volleyball team was great. I was surrounded by fun rambunctious guys who treated me like one of the guys. It’s rare for there to be any problems with the guys, because they all know that if they fuck with me Kuroo will likely beat their asses and Kenma will definitely hack their phones and/or computers to teach them a lesson. You see, I grew up with Kuroo and Kenma, we treated each other like siblings and they have been my number one supporters since I came out a few years ago. They always defended me when bigots tried to make fun of me or threaten me, though no one really took Kenma seriously till he gave some bully’s entire family a virus with just a simple text message. 

    They got even more protective when Kuroo and I turned 15 and our soulmarks started showing up. Soulmarks are strange, they reflect the passion and interest of your soulmate, and once you meet for the first time, or you both have your marks, your soulmate’s name appears somewhere in the mark. My mark contained a volleyball and some books, there were also a couple of food items that I assume are my soulmates favorite foods. Kuroo’s mark for the first few months was just some game consoles and not much else, until a volleyball also appeared on his mark. We had no clue who our soulmates were, but I had an assumption on who Kuroo’s was.

    A year later when Kenam got his mark, my assumption was proven correct. When Kenma got his mark his name appeared on Kuroo’s arm with his mark, while wrapped around Kenmas wrist was Kuroo’s name. I was glad my best friends realized they were made for eachother, but it just made me more desperate to find my nerdy volleyball playing other half. To be honest I mainly became the volleyball team’s manager to find my soulmate. I figured if this was one of their interests I could find them easier if I work with a team.

   Unfortunately after nearly three years of being the team's manager I have yet to meet my soulmate. I’ve met every player in the Fukurodani Academy Group, and while everyone is nice and fun to talk with, none of them are my soulmate. It felt like I was fighting a losing battle. That was until I found out that coach Nekomata agreed to hold a practice match with a school from Miyagi Prefecture. This would be my chance to meet other teams and potentially run into my soulmate.

    Two days before we were set to leave for Miyagi, I was hanging out with Kuroo and Kenma. We were just relaxing as over the next week the boys would be playing an endless number of practice matches, and I was daydreaming about finally meeting my other half. I was lost in thought while Kenma was going on about a character in his new video game, my phone started buzzing. Looking down at it, I saw that it was my doctor's office. I quickly shushed the boy’s before picking up the phone.

    “Hello” I was greeted by the person on the other end. “This is Kyoka from Dr. Ieiri’s office, I’m calling to speak to Y/n Y/l/n.” They asked.

    “This is Y/n, how can I help you?” I was confused as to why my doctor’s office would call me, my next appointment isn’t for another month.

    There was a small pause and the sound of typing before they responded. “I’m glad to have reached you. I’m calling because you were on a cancellation list for your next appointment, and it seems that someone has canceled and we are able to get you in sooner.” They typed some more presumably looking for the date and time. “Would you be able to come in this wednesday at 12pm?” 

   I paused for a second, I really had to think about it. Kuroo gave me a look that said what’s up. I quickly muted my end of the call after asking the person on the other end to give me a moment. “There’s an opening on Wednesday to see my doctor. I could go and get my questions answered about going on Hrt, but then I couldn’t go to Miyagi with the team.” I explained. There was a look of understanding that crossed both Kenma and Kuroo’s face. They both knew the internal debate I was having. “I know this is a great opportunity because I’ve been thinking about going on hrt for years. But this could be my only chance to meet my soulmate. I could always say I can't make it and wait for my appointment next month.” I said about to unmute the phone.

   “Wait Y/n/n, you should really take this earlier appointment. You are right, this might be your only chance to go to Miyagi for a while, but you will meet your soulmate one day. If it makes you feel better Kenma and I can keep an eye out for someone who fits your mark and has a mark that fits you, while we’re there. It may feel like you have to pick between the two, but think of it as if the appointment goes well you can be one step closer to your best self when you do meet them.” Kuroo said, making valid points. While I would love to finally meet my soulmate, it will happen when the time is right. In the meantime I can keep working to become the me I want to be. 

    I gave a quick thank you before unmuting the phone. “Sorry I had to check my schedule, I can make that appointment time.” I finally answered. I received a ‘great see you on Wednesday at noon’ and then hung up the phone. I smiled at Kuroo, “again thank you for the encouragement. I’m sure I will have another chance to meet my soulmate soon. And you guys really don’t have to spend your time looking for my soulmate, you should enjoy your time making new friends, and playing volleyball.” I told the two.

    “Whatever you say, but if I happen to find them I’m telling you right away.” Kuroo said. He then turned to the boy who had zoned out of the conversation. “Hey Kenma, you’ll help me look for Y/n’s soulmate right?” He asked his boyfriend. He just received an eye roll before the dual haired boy went back to his game. “He’ll totally help.” He said with a laugh. We then spent the next few hours chatting and then it was time for me to head home. I wished the boys goodnight before going home feeling excited that I could be one step closer to my dreamself by the end of the week.

    By the time Wednesday rolled around I was beyond anxious, I had gotten up early to bid the volleyball team goodbye before they left for Miyagi. Getting another round of Kuroo saying he was going to ‘subtly’ look for my soulmate, before they finally boarded the bus and left for the week. Once they were gone, I went back home to have breakfast and get ready for the day.

    After my appointment I couldn’t be happier, my doctor approved me going on hrt and sent out the prescription. It would take a few days before it was filled but I was so happy, I’m one step closer the best me I can be. I had messaged the team group chat telling everyone the good news, receiving a bunch of congratulations and memes of support from the team. I also noticed Kuroo saying he was happy for me but he hadn’t found my soulmate for me yet. That got the rest of the team going, most of them joining in saying they’d help. The others mostly Kenma and Yaku telling them that they’re dumb and not to try and mess with fate.

    I texted with the boys in between their practice matches, getting multiple updates on the mission to find my other half, as well as multiple requests for me to just get a train ticket and come to Miyagi to save Yaku from the tribe of idiots, his words not mine. I sadly had to decline as I didn’t have the money for the ticket and had to be here in Tokyo when my prescription was ready. Eventually I bid the team good night and went to bed. 

    It had been four days since the boys left, today was the day that they were going against Nekoma’s old rival school Karasuno High. I sent the chat a good luck message before going about my day. It was Sunday so I finished up some homework, and then did a few chores around the house. Around 1 o’clock I got a message from Kuroo. I checked my phone and couldn’t help but roll my eyes.

    From RoosterHead: I found him.

    To RoosterHead: Sure you did. What makes you so sure that this poor guy you’re probably harassing is my soulmate.

    From RoosterHead: First, what's with the sass. Second, I'm not harassing him. Third, his mark is the epitome of you.

    To RoosterHead: What if my mark isn’t the epitome of him, have you even asked if he’s met his soulmate yet. 

    From RoosterHead: Yes I have, He has yet to meet his soulmate, who loves drawing, video games and is very passionate about their gender identity.

    From RoosterHead: And before you say ‘that could be anyone in the LGBTQ’ one of the drawings on his arm is of Victor from Yuri on Ice.

    To RoosterHead: That proves nothing, lots of trans and queer people love Yuri on Ice.

    From RoosterHead: Fine don’t believe me. But I’m getting his number cause he’s actually a pretty chill dude, understands that school is important and does not slack off like someone I know.

    I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see me, leaving him on read. I went back to working on cleaning up my art desk. Throughout the day I received texts from nearly the whole team telling me that this third year from Karasuno was definitely my soulmate. It got to the point that I just muted my notifications so I didn’t have to deal with their pestering. Eventually it got late enough that I finally went to bed, not completely ready to deal with Kuroo and his bullshit when the team gets back to Tokyo.

    It’s been two months since the trip to Miyagi that Kuroo swears he found my soulmate on and it’s the only thing he wants to talk about half the time. Even Kenma has started telling him to shut up about it. Kenma has even threatened to stop talking to him at all if he didn’t stop trying to convince me that some setter in a different prefecture was my soulmate. The only way to know for sure is for me to actually meet him face to face and the chances of that happening were slim to none. Or at least that’s what I thought until the other day at practice.

    “Hey Y/nnnn, I got great news.” I heard the sing-song voice of my best friend.

    I rolled my eyes, he was probably gonna either tell me he gives up trying to convince me or by some miracle I’ll be meeting this guy who is supposedly my soulmate. “I swear to Victor Nikiforov, if you pester me about this soulmate thing I will shove a volleyball so far up your ass it’ll look like you’re pregnant.” I said with a completely straight face, earning a chuckle from Yaku as he walked by.

    Kuroo gave a gasp of shock. “First it’s rude to assume things because it makes an ass out of you and me. Secondly I was just going to tell you that Karasuno is going to be coming to the training camp this weekend. I wasn’t going to bring up the soulmate thing, but now that you mention it. This will be a great opportunity for me to prove that I did in fact find your soulmate, and I will be expecting a full thank you and apology for doubting me, including chocolate.” He responded with a cocky smile.

     “For the last time Kuroo, I doubt this guy is my soulmate. But if it will shut you up I’ll keep an open mind, if you happen to be right you get a thank you that’s it.” I said getting up to help clean the gym as the team captain was now too busy praising himself for his so called ‘successful job of convincing me’.

     It was finally Saturday and the Karasuno team would be arriving shortly, and as much as I didn’t want Kuroo to be right, I couldn’t help but be nervous. There was a strong possibility that someone on the team was my soulmate. I waited with the rest of the team outside of the school as the bus pulled up in front of us. The first pair to climb off the bus was a bald kid and a shorter guy with two toned hair, their first response was to yell about the sky tree while looking at a completely normal steel tower. This had Kuroo doubled over cackling at their stupidity.

     Shortly after them more boys started to file off the bus. The one that caught my eye was a boy with gray hair wearing a white t-shirt with a bag over his shoulder. He was talking with a taller guy with a beard and long hair who I assumed was the ace I had briefly heard about after their trip to Miyagi. I noticed his soulmark as he got closer to us, it had the image of an open sketchbook showing a detailed drawing of Victor from Yuri on Ice, just like Kuroo had said. It also had color pencils laid out in a pattern that resembled the Transgender and Non-binary pride flags. I was starting to see why Kuroo thought this guy may be my soulmate. There was only one thing left to do.

     As the pair approached us Kuroo recovered from his laughing fit. He stood up straight and started to introduce me to boys. “Y/n this is Asahi Azumane, the ace of Karasuno. And this is Koshi Sugawara, Third year setter, and your soulmate.” He said so nonchalantly that I nearly punched him in his smug face. I watched as Sugawara blushed slightly. I assume Kuroo has been texting him with the same notion that he knew who his soulmate was. “Asahi why don’t we leave these two, and get you guys settled in.” He said, sending a sly smile my way before dragging the stuttering ace away from me and his friend.

     “I’m sorry about him, ever since he met you guys he’s been insistent that he met my soulmate. Anyway it’s nice to meet you, I’m Y/n Y/l/n.” I said introducing myself.

     He smiled at me before raising his hand to shake mine. “It’s lovely to meet you, Y/l/n. As Kuroo said, I'm Koshi Sugawara, but you can call me Suga.” I returned the hand shake. 

     Everything seemed normal until I felt a small tingling sensation in my wrist. I looked at it and watched as his name appeared across one of the books on my arm. It seemed Sugawara was experiencing the same thing, as he watched his arm in amazement. After the shock wore off, we made eye contact. “Well shit, I guess I have to apologize to Kuroo for once in my life.” I said in a sarcastic tone. Suga responded with a laugh before we started talking about our respective marks. 

     We had been chatting about the meaning of the pride flags that were subtly placed throughout Suga’s mark when the door to the school opened again. “Hey Love birds, as happy as I am to have been right, we kinda have practice matches to get to and Karasuno need’s their setter.” Kuroo said, poking his head through the door. I quickly flipped him off, earning a chuckle and Kuroo slipping back into the building.

     “Sorry about him Suga, but he’s right we should get back inside, we can talk more at lunch.” I said as we made our way back inside.

     He just nodded, before speaking. “It’s fine. And we can definitely talk at lunch as long as the guys actually leave me alone, they’re all going to be so excited that I finally found you. Only a couple of the guys have found their soulmates, so they get really excited when one of us does.” He explained. As we were about to split up so he could get changed into something more suited for playing sports he said something that caught me off guard. “Oh and call me Koshi.” And with that he disappeared into the locker room.

[temporalbystander]

I know it goes beyond saying at this point (and yes I mean beyond and not without) but Union Cross and Dark Road did something so amazing that I don't think I've ever seen pulled off successfully in other games. Making an OC canon.

Now I bring this up because I just got done rewatching some old reaction videos if a let's player who is my gold standard of commentary, voice over and ad libs. Nicob. Just gotten to the part where the darkness reveals itself and my mind flashed forward a bit.

Before I go on did anyone else forget that the Master of Masters used the leaders, specifically Ventus, as sacrificial lambs? The darkness says it picked Ven because that's what it saw in the Book of Prophecies. We later find out that the MoM was well aware someone was watching over his shoulder and write what would eventually screw the darkness over. Part of which involved controlling Ventus.

Anyway my initial point. In most games where you have an OC trying to fit into established canon you get two responses "OMG I'm with all my favourite characters doing amazing stuff!" Or, the one that I'm saddened people experience, "why am I this random no name faceless person? Let me be the hero!" (Not sure if that says something about people with "main character syndrome" or if it's just the difference between liking the characters or the story/violence.)

The kingdom hearts mobile game though? Sidestepped this perfectly. At first it was so far in the past it didn't really matter how canon we were, besides there were a bunch of other characters that we'd never met before that were just rife with new potential theories. But eventually it ends and, having just come off KH3 where Xehanort puts his heart into everyone? The clips off the upcoming dark Road lead everyone to the same conclusion. "Our created character is Xehanort? Wow we screwed up, should never have chosen reincarnation.

Fast forward a couple of months and we are going through Dark Road, rolling our eyes whenever Xehanort brings up memories or lessons from union cross. Like "we get it, we know what you're thinking about, we're having the same thought. This is just like what happened in Union Cross, we did play the same game after all."

And then what happens? We get to the end of the game having been told how empathic Xehanort is the entire time and... Nomura pulls the damn rug out from under us. "Oh don't be silly, you didn't become Xehanort that would be ridiculous. Instead you're just the one raising him on destiny islands and may be important in missing link."

Just like that everyone accepted it. "Oh thank God we aren't Xehanort." "Another KH game it looks so good for mobile!" And none of these reactions, or at least none that I saw, were the incredibly valid "wait. We raised Xehanort? Wow we REALLY screwed something up."

[ignisgalaxia]

15 Questions

I saw @coffee-in-that-nebula and @elephant-in-the-pride-parade do this, so I thought why not?

1. Are you named after anyone?

Yes. I was named after Elena from the Mask of Zorro (which quickly became one of my favorite movies after watching it), and my middle name, Victoria, is the feminine version of my dad's name, who I'm basically a carbon copy of.

2. When was the last time you cried?

A few days ago after my mom told me I take everything too seriously and am supposed to be going to therapy to change myself otherwise I'm wasting her time and money 🙃

3. Do you have kids?

I'm 23 and have never kissed anyone, what do you think?

4. What sports do you/have you played?

I don't, nor have I ever. I'm an artist, not an athlete.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

😏

6. What is the first thing you notice about people?

Whether they're too close to me or not.

7. What's your eye color?

Dark brown.

8. Do you prefer scary or happy endings for movies?

I hate horror movies with a vengeance. Let characters be happy dammit.

9. Any talents?

Drawing, writing, singing, playing violin and now piano. Also mimicking (it's the only reason I'm even remotely funny).

10. Where were you born?

San Antonio, Texas (lord please take me back home).

11. What are your hobbies?

Watching YouTube, playing video games (I have a 3DS, Switch, and a Wii), drawing and writing whenever I get the motivation.

12. Do you have any pets?

If you didn't already know, this my family's Maltipoo, Ollie, who turns 10 today!

13. How tall are you?

5"4

14. Favorite school subject?

It always depended on the teacher. I do have a soft spot for science though, especially astronomy.

15. Dream occupation?

Ever since fifth grade, I knew I wanted to be an author. Writing best-selling fantasy and sci-fi books is still my dream, but it's admittedly a bit unrealistic, especially nowadays with how unpredictable the future of the publishing industry is. It's also not a reliable occupation because of that issue. Ultimately, I want to write stories and characters that people will love and remember long after I'm gone.

Not gonna tag anyone cause I don’t expect anyone to answer, so whoever feels like playing can go right ahead.

[mariacallous]

The first video Rachel Griffin-Accurso uploaded to YouTube is so bare-bones, it looks like she’s being held hostage and forced to croon children’s tunes.

It was an experiment, through and through. “I ordered a green screen from Amazon and Googled ‘how to use a green screen with iMovie,���” Griffin-Accurso says of recording that first clip. She was a preschool teacher, not a content creator; she used a camera she found in her house, recording herself by setting the camera on a pile of books so it’d be at the right height. The results are … fine. She stands in front of a chintzy-looking cartoon sea floor in a red shirt and thick headband, singing a ditty a cappella. (“One little blue fish, swimming in the water …”) The two-minute video ends with her waving to the camera, then cuts to a generic graphic asking people to like and subscribe.

It feels slanderous to write about this clip’s shortcomings now, because Rachel Griffin-Accurso is (probably by my estimation, and definitely by my 1-year-old son’s estimation) the finest entertainer for young children working today.

Since uploading that first video in February 2019, she’s gone from a New York–based educator dabbling in digital content to Ms. Rachel, toddler-whisperer extraordinaire, with millions of devoted followers. Her YouTube show, originally called Songs for Littles but recently renamed Ms. Rachel, is an interactive, thoughtful addition to the children’s canon; it now has a cast of merry singing adults, live instrumentals, and puppets, too. It has a modern-day, DIY Sesame Street vibe, with an emphasis on language development that has converted speech therapists into ardent boosters. Linger long enough outside a daycare, and you’ll spot a mom wearing a “Running on Ms. Rachel and Iced Coffee” T-shirt.

Griffin-Accurso’s rise wouldn’t have happened in a different children’s media landscape. She started recording videos because she’d gone looking for language-development-focused programming for her young son, who had a speech delay, and didn’t find what she wanted. “He’s such a visual learner,” she says. “I just thought it would really help him.”

She didn’t know anyone in the television industry, or even how one would go about pitching a series. “I felt like I had a strong show,” she says. “But I didn’t have connections.”

She didn’t even really have a staff or a fleshed-out project, instead learning as she went. Her husband, Aron Accurso, turned into a castmate; a composer and musical director with Broadway experience, he also oversees the show’s music, helps with editing, and moonlights as a puppeteer. Singer-songwriter Jules Hoffman, now another cast mainstay, got the gig initially by answering an online ad in 2019. “I literally opened up Craigslist, I typed in ‘children’s music,’ I saw Rachel’s ad—no pictures, one sentence,” they remember. “Then we met up and hit it off.” While traditional children’s television development can be a years-long process from idea to execution, Ms. Rachel grew into itself publicly, one uploaded video at a time.

Accurso-Griffith is now making inroads in more traditional children’s media. But the way her story started is representative of a sea change happening in the world of kid’s entertainment: YouTube is the nucleus.

The YouTube Era of children’s programming represents a marked shift in what and how young kids watch video. For decades, children’s television was appointment viewing on a handful of broadcast networks. The UK and Canada had kids' programming on BBC and CBC, respectively. In the US, Saturday morning cartoons were king, while PBS set a gold standard for educational fare with long-running hits like Sesame Street. In the 1980s, the rise of cable led to the creation of several kid-specific channels, most famously Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel. 

The rise of streamers and “peak TV” led to a corresponding flood of children’s content, which is a major draw for audiences. How major? Over a third of the shows most in-demand on Disney+ are children’s programming, according to Parrot Analytics. Some of these Disney hits are in-house titles like DuckTales; others are licensed, like the truly delightful Australian cartoon Bluey.

Children’s programming also thrives on less kid-focused streamers. More than 18 percent of Amazon Prime Video’s demand is for kid’s television—in part thanks to the streamer’s catalog of children’s content that originated on YouTube—and more than 17 percent of demand on Paramount+ is for kid’s television, likely because of its library of Nickelodeon shows. Parrot Analytics measures demand for children’s programming at just above 15 percent for both Max and Netflix, a testament to how those streamers have also developed their kid’s entertainment sections. (Max now owns the rights to Sesame Street, for example.)

While the streamers have been jostling for dominance, though, YouTube has surpassed them all. “Time spent with YouTube is even higher than it is with streaming content,” says Nancy Jennings, a professor at the University of Cincinnati and director of the school’s Children’s Education and Entertainment Research Lab. “YouTube has really taken over the space.”

YouTube’s rise is tied to a number of factors. First, there’s how accessible it is. (Free!) Then there’s the sheer volume of video available. “Nothing can really touch it,” says Katie Bailey, editor of the children’s entertainment trade publication Kidscreen. (Trailing far behind in second place, in her estimation? “Netflix.”) It also offers unrivaled variety. Does your kid want to watch hundreds of hours of videos of garbage trucks? What about hundreds of hours of other children opening toys, or playing video games, or reciting Shakespeare, or participating in elaborate pranks, or touching slime? Hand them a tablet or smartphone. And when whatever your child has chosen has finished playing, YouTube’s algorithm has something else ready in the queue.

The audience sizes for kids content on YouTube are staggering. Songs for Littles as a channel has more than 2.7 billion views. Its subscriber count sits just above 4.7 million. The channel for the BBC's popular Hey Duggee has some 2.5 billion views and more than 1.7 million subscribers. But those look Lilliputian compared to the behemoth that is Cocomelon, YouTube’s most popular children’s program within the United States, and its second-most popular channel overall. Cocomelon has more than 162 billion views and 161 million subscribers.

Cocomelon’s success story is far weirder than Ms. Rachel. The brand started as a YouTube channel launched way back in 2006, specializing in alphabet videos for toddlers; it was created by former filmmaker Jay Jeon as a hobby. (He has two kids.) As it gained an audience, the channel expanded into nursery rhyme animations, went through a few name changes, and eventually rebranded as Cocomelon in 2018. By the time it was sold to a British media startup called Moonbug in 2020, it was an unprecedented juggernaut.

Moonbug’s existence is a case study on the centrality of YouTube to the kid’s entertainment world. The company has grown by acquiring already-popular YouTube channels and making them obscenely popular multi-platform brands. (In addition to Cocomelon, it also owns Blippi and Little Baby Bum.) A year after it landed Cocomelon, Moonbug itself was sold for a reported $3 billion to a Los Angeles–based entertainment startup called Candle Media, which was founded by a former Disney and TikTok executive and is backed by the private equity firm Blackstone.

After Moonbug got on the scene, Cocomelon and its other hits went from being YouTube sensations to simply ubiquitous. Starting in 2020, Cocomelon jumped over to Netflix, where it has remained one of the most-watched children’s titles globally ever since. And that was just the beginning. “Our content is on 180 platforms around the world,” Moonbug’s managing director Andy Yeatman says. In addition to all the major US streamers, Cocomelon and other Moonbug shows appear on international broadcasters like the BBC, Germany’s SuperRTL, Brazil’s Globo, as well as Chinese streaming platforms owned by ByteDance and iQIYI.

When Moonbug started attempting to strike deals with more traditional media companies, they struggled to convey exactly how big the properties they owned already were. “In the first couple years, it was definitely a hurdle to get them to take us seriously,” Yeatman says. “It was, Oh, it’s just YouTube content. But we don’t get that anymore.”

Now, streamers vie for said YouTube content. Moonbug has struck deals to create exclusive spin-off programs based on its preexisting shows for several major platforms. An offshoot of its property My Magic Pet Morphle will debut on Disney+ next year.

Meanwhile, both streamers and traditional broadcast and cable channels are now creating their own content specifically for YouTube. “They’ve moved to embrace the platform,” YouTube’s head of family partnerships Lauren Glaubach says. Disney, for example, has put whole episodes of its new animated show Star Wars Young Jedi on the platform, a move Glaubach sees as expanding its audience. “You look at these full-length episodes on YouTube and there are over 34 million views in total.”

Part of the great appeal of YouTube is that anyone can upload a video to the platform. It’s also the great problem of YouTube: Moderating the world’s largest repository of user-generated video is impossible to do flawlessly. And while Disney is finding additional audiences from using YouTube, it was also at the center of one of the platform’s biggest scandals: Elsagate.

In 2015, YouTube launched an app especially for children, YouTube Kids. It was meant to curate high-quality, child-appropriate videos. And it did, mostly. But bad actors sought to piggyback on the demand for actual kid’s programming with low-quality, hastily-made videos that often included disturbing storylines and imagery. Some of these videos took beloved cartoon characters and created knock-off content with decidedly freaky, unsettling plotlines. (Sample title: “PAW Patrol Babies Pretend to Die Suicide by Annabelle Hypnotized.”) The character Elsa from Disney’s megahit Frozen was a frequently-bootlegged character, so people following the scandal ended up nicknaming it after her.

YouTube conducted a massive purge of the offending videos and channels after the Elsagate controversy; in the years since, its moderation efforts appear to have paid off. (I recently spent several hours trying to find inappropriate content on YouTube Kids; I found some mildly puerile fart videos, but nothing truly disturbing.) Josh Cohen, the founder of creator-economy news website TubeFilter, has followed YouTube’s approach to kids content since the beginning, and believes the platform was “whipped into shape” by the backlash. “It’s a testament to YouTube responding to criticisms,” he says.

Still, to this day, not every parent feels comfortable plopping their kid down with a tablet and YouTube, and that’s one of the ways some of the original children’s television purveyors continue to thrive. PBS, for example, may have far more competition than it did when Sesame Street launched, but it’s managed to carve out a successful lane for itself, in part by adapting early to the digital-video space and preserving its quality-first reputation.

PBS launched its own digital video player back in 2007. “YouTube already existed at that point and we had been watching it carefully, but we just didn’t feel like it was a safe place for us right out of the gate. But because a lot of kids were on it, we were like, OK, we’ll launch our own player,” Sara DeWitt, the senior vice president and general manager of PBS Kids, says.

PBS did embrace YouTube eventually, though. When YouTube Kids launched, DeWitt says PBS worked to be one of the app’s “anchor tenants,” in part because it wanted to be on the platforms where its target audience already spent time.

For that reason, the public broadcaster has also been on the forefront of another shift. For well over a decade now, PBS Kids has considered gaming as an essential component of its programming. “We made the decision in the early 2000s that our shows were going to be multi-platform. Meaning, it would be shows and games. When you pitched to PBS kids, you really tried to come with a world, because we weren’t launching any shows without a gaming element as well,” DeWitt says.

This melding together of children’s television and children’s gaming is only accelerating. David Kleeman, a senior vice president at the game development studio Dubit, has studied children’s entertainment for decades (he’s the former president of the American Center for Children and Media) and he’s tracking how these two worlds are colliding.

Kleeman has already seen children enthusiastically watching video content within gaming platforms, and believes this type of screen time will be increasingly commonplace in the future.

In 2022, the anime-adventure series Bakugan Battle Planet launched a blended experience where kids playing on Roblox could stream episodes of the series within the gaming platform. Kleeman tested what it was like to watch within Roblox; he navigated his avatar over to a screen, where other people had done the same, creating a virtual screening room. “There were all kinds of other avatars, bouncing and running around,” he says. “It felt like I wasn’t watching TV alone.”

Other industry experts suspect gaming will have an even more prominent role in children’s entertainment in the future. Libby Hunt, the research manager at Boston Children’s Hospital’s Digital Wellness Lab, sees the trend toward more immersive, interactive digital entertainment as already underway. “The popularity of online environments like Minecraft or Roblox really encapsulates this shift,” she says. Hunt predicts even more “blending” of gaming and television in the future for young kids. (This is a trend that is even further along with older kids, who frequent apps like Twitch to watch gaming streams.)

In addition to television shows cropping up within gaming platforms, gaming content is already widespread on television and streaming video, and there’s no sign of that abating. Recently, Amazon’s Freevee platform announced a deal to create channels devoted to Minecraft and Roblox gameplay and tutorials, a category of video already prevalent on YouTube.

The category of “children’s television” has existed for nearly as long as television has, but it is an increasingly leaky category. As spending time on online platforms like YouTube and Roblox supplants sitting in front of an old-fashioned television set, the very idea of “kids tv” becomes as antiquated as Saturday morning cartoons.

Still, some things stay constant. “What really fascinates me is that for all the contextual changes of how we watch, how we play, how we do all those things—child development doesn’t change,” Kleeman says. Kids will always pay attention to a captivating show—whether or not it’s on television is besides the point.

[lightbarebunnies]

Hello! I saw that you have opened up requests and are willing to do match-ups! Could I possibly have one, please?

I'm 5'9'' and a little on the heavier side (she/her) with shoulder length, curly red hair and gray/blue eyes.

As for my hobbies, I love to draw and paint (charcoal is one of my favorite mediums) and I absolutely love creating fantasy world maps (I'm currently working on one for my Capstone creative writing final). I love writing and am in the process of writing my first book (what the map is for). I love gardening and I have a very large veggie and herb selection (My apple and peach trees are supposed to fruit next year and I'm super excited!). Foraging is something that I love. I love playing rhythm games, TTRP's ( I often play as a rogue), and video games. My favorite food would be Soba, my favorite drink would be Vanilla milk tea. Music wise, some of my favorite bands include Icon for Hire, Ghost Town, Good with Grenades, Skillet, and Breaking Benjamin.

Personality wise, I'm incredibly shy at first but when you get to know me, I can be more outgoing, I'll just need to recharge the social battery afterwards. I want to be helpful but there are times that I'm not really sure how. In high school, I was the mom friend. Anything you needed, it was most likely in the backpack. Snacks, water, lotion, a spoon (I carried a set of silverware all the time cause you never know), pain meds, hygiene products. A swiss army bag, is what my teachers called it. I have very high anxiety and can get overwhelmed very easily if I'm not careful.

My love language (giving) would be acts of service and quality time. Receiving would be physical touch and quality time.

I'm sorry if this is a lot, I wasn't sure what to put here so I just did a bit of everything! Take your time and remember to take care of yourself!

Oohh, this was a fun! It's my first time writing one of these - I might've gotten a little carried away though. If you aren't interested in my thought/decision making process, skip to the bottom!

Alright. So, I (as an autistic person) have a special interest in typology. While I'm not an expert by any means, it's just a really enjoyable way for me to analyse things - will be using some of the terms in my explanation. You don't need to know anything about enneagrams really, they're just an easy way for me to use talking points :3

Alright, initially, I decided to just think of anyone I think would have something in common with you. The list of your potential matches were

Natsume (Major Gamer, a fan of fantasy and thus creative writing, a pretty talented gardener)

Madara (Same favorite food! He is also in Kaori, which is a tea appreciation circle.)

Rei (LOVES gardens, but not so much gardening itself. Would definitely keep you company while you worked, provided there's shade. Perhaps he's introduced to you through his tea-loving brother?)

Eichi (He too is a writer, an enjoyer of gardens, and tea!)

Niki (I can imagine a nice dynamic between the two of you, he'd go crazy for your fresh produce, but you'd likely need to keep him from eating all of it.)

Ritsu (Tea fan, and a member of CRAFTMONSTER. I think he'd really benefit from your prepared-ness, as well!)

Midori (Gardener!)

Yuzuru (He is an artist!)

With that in mind, I did a little bit of just general thinking. At that point your top choices were Rei and Madara, but I wanted to delve a bit deeper.

Once I did that, I looked through each character's enneagrams to get a general idea what their basic fear and desires are. Yuzuru - 1 (Fears imbalance and being corrupted, desires balance and integrity.) Rei - 2 (Fears being unloved or unlovable, desires to be appreciated.) Eichi - 3 (Fears being considered worthless, desired to be needed) Natsume - 5 (Fears incapability or being unable to help oneself, desires understanding of the world around them) Midori - 6 (Fears being alone or lacking support, desires guidance) Madara - 7 (Fears being trapped, desires a feeling of contentedness) Niki, Ritsu - 9 (Fears loss and social rifts, desires peace of ones social circle)

I'm not the best at typing people currently, but from what you described I can see you having type 2 or 6 influences, likely as 6w5 or a 3w2.

Then I considered what you would bring to a relationship, your love languages both giving and receiving, and how they fit into everything. You're a carer. You care, you think of every possibility and prepare for anything. You then provide that to those you love so that they also have anything they may need. In my opinion - Rei, and Madara are the two that need to just have someone to be their person, the ones who sticks around even after they break down and stop being 'useful' or 'appealing'. One of the key differences between those two is that Madara is more extroverted and Rei is more introverted.

With all of that in mind… I'd match you with Rei!

You and Rei would have a Morticia and Gomez Addams type of romance. He adores you, you're absolutely enamored with him, and no one would ever question your relationship.

Rei usually brings an umbrella with him as he watches you tend to your garden, chatting with you about practically anything - if it's with you, it's bound to be entertaining. He's deeply interested in your creative writing, and likely would pick up TTRPGS to play them alongside you. He's a bit of a social chameleon, able to match your energy regardless of what level.

You offer him a place to belong, a home he can always return to. His clinginess can come and go, especially if he's in need of your attention, which comes from his lonely childhood. I think after some time he'd be far more comfortable and trusting of your bond... but he's still the type to always want to have a hand on you when you're in public. Resting it on the small of your back, holding your hand, his arm around your shoulder - it doesn't matter, he just wants to feel you there.

He tends to your needs, doing his best to ease your anxieties and reassuring you that things will be okay, and that he isn't going anywhere. When times are tough, and you feel totally overwhelmed, Rei would pull you close (likely to cuddle on a couch more often than his coffin) and just hold you. He wants you to feel him, his hand combing through your curls, to be reminded that in this moment you're here, with him, in the present. He'll ask you to share what it is that's on your mind, listening attentively as you lay in his arms. While not completely fearless himself, Rei is more than happy to battle your demons.

[eternalwritess]

Hey, could I have a Hazbin Hotel matchup?

I'm a bisexual aroace (If you've heard of "demiromantic"; that's how I experience romantic attraction). I use he/it/they pronouns.

I'm an INFP, though I have gotten ISTP sometimes. I usually keep to myself around strangers, and my first words to people that I'm not introduced by friends are usually just work-related with a bit of small talk (even in fandom spaces, surprisingly). Once I get comfortable around people, I tend to let my childish nature and antics shine through, and once I consider you a friend, it's hard to ever fully shake me off. My friends sometimes call me an "old grandpa", with the way I know a lot of random psychology and biology facts, and the way I fumble with new technology, slang, and texting acronyms. My love of non-fiction and my adherence to grammar rules certainly doesn't help. Simultaneously, they (lovingly) call a 12-year-old boy, with the way I don't hesitate to pull out a "your mom" or "that's what she said" to the conversation and with the way that I almost exclusively watch animated movies and shows over live action ones. I carry with me 15 packets of soy sauce in fish-shaped sachets in my (several) pockets. Why? Because I think it's funny, and the confusion I bring to those around me with my soy collection gives me a sense of joy. (I do other things of a similar calibre, but I wanted to name an example) Despite all of this, I tend to gravitate towards the "Mom Friend" archetype. I carry with me a lot of people pleasing tendencies (I get a lot of anxiety around not upsetting others), and that translates to making sure that the people around me are happy. I also tend to fill a "Therapist Friend" role because of this fact, my psychology facts, and how intuitive I can be at times. I tend to isolate myself, whether by physically or mentally leaving the room, when I feel upset, and I don't really like talking about negative experiences I have unless those experiences have been resolved.

On a brighter note, I consider myself quite the creative person. I draw a lot, though I usually only draw other characters instead of my own OCs. I have a discord server that I use to jot down either: a) my opinion of a certain media b) images/reactions I find funny/relatable c) infodumps about AUs or crossovers that I've made I don't really write, so I consider "c)" to be the next best thing. I also love music. I listen to mostly indie music, with a couple of generic queer bands thrown in there and a couple of musicals' and video games' OSTs. I play the violin and the trombone, so I may be biased in saying that I love jazz (really doesn't help the "old man" allegations, but who cares). In terms of non-creative hobbies, I love reading. Although I find myself drawn to the odd science non-fiction book, my heart lies in fantasy and mystery novels (this does include webtoons, manga, and webnovels, though I don't read those as much). On the same vein, I love video games (where else would I get those OSTs?). I tend to like story-rich games that are either turn-based (think Undertale) or no combat (think Slime Rancher), though if the mechanics aren't too overwhelming, metroidvanias are nice (think Hollow Knight). The last main hobby is food. If I didn't give you "mad scientist" vibes, let me tell you, I "Victor Frankenstein" my way through every meal, when time permits. I mostly mix and match what I'd think taste good together based on what I was craving at the time. I'd also say that, apart from Quality Time, I show affection best through giving foods that I've made. It works in reverse, too, where I get pleasantly happy when people I know well offer food to me. There was this one time I was bickering with some friends and one of them held a packet of chips to my face, and I tell you, the way I immediately shut up the second I saw it... I was almost embarrassed by how well that worked...

I'm really sensitive to a lot of textures, and the biggest ones are stickers (and anything sticky in that way) and wet things (think water fountains splashing water unexpectedly, fruit juices spraying on my face when I cut them too harshly, even stepping on wet floorboards without socks can set it off). Clothing/carpet with short hairs send literal shivers down my spine, but only when I touch them with my fingers/feet. I don't like kissing (at all.), so I normally stick with nuzzling. Hugs and spooning (both with people I'm comfortable around) are okay, however.

I don't really have any pet peeves, other than just blatant disrespect of basic boundaries as well as these boundaries in particular.

Apologies if this is quite long, I can go on a tangent a lot. Double apologies if English isn't your first language. I hope you have a good day (or night, depending on when you read this).

𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕕 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙…

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓮!

The way you met was most likely she found you after an extermination not wanting to find help for your wounds and instead took care of you since you might've been new to hell

You were quiet at first and she was fine with that slowly talking to you and trying to get you to open up about yourself

She would ask you questions here and there not minding if you answered or not

"So uh... first time in Hell huh? It's not as bad as it looks... I promise" :)

She would also make jokes until you got to open up

She doesn't mind it all at if you follow her around to talk to her. In fact she loves it and will most likely do the same since she has some clingy tendencies

She would also love to hear you spout random facts about psychology. Actually it partially is one of the reasons why she started the hotel.

She also fumbles with new slang so you'd have some fun there :)

When she first noticed the whole soy sauce packets thing she found it extremely confusing and then funny. (she has that type of humor)

So every now and then she'll ask you for a soy sauce packet when she's bored

"Can I have a packet please?"

With Charlie she's not very hard to please so I think that you won't get anxiety over that. In fact if you do anything for her she'll become overjoyed and do something for you

When you tend to isolate yourself (especially physically) she tries to help you and talk to you more to see what's going on

If you have any unresolved issues she'll try and ask you about them and see if you want to talk about them at all or see if she can help with anything

Although she totally understands if you say no as she has her own (*cough* daddy issues *cough*)

"Do you want to talk about it?..."

She loves watching you create things and seeing the things that you've created

She'll listen to music with you all the time dancing around the room and singing at the top of her lungs (whether you join her or not is completely optional)

She'll also go up to you and ask if you want to go to concerts with her or if you want to have a silly little karaoke night with her

You both also probably have started a book club where you read books together and discuss them. She's really interested in romance btw :)

"They just have to get together!!"

She also loves fantasy and will try mysteries from time to time but she's quite bad at them so she tends to avoid them

She'll also try to play video games with you from time to time but she's really bad at those and doesn't understand any of the controls so she just watches you instead probably giving commentary and praising you as you go on

When you mix and match food she'll try it with you as long as it doesn't look too out of her area

"That tasted amazing!!!"

Adding onto that she'll also get you food all of the time trying to find out your favorite one

She's gotten you tons of chips, sandwich, cookies, olives, anything you can think of

She also tends to bake for you every now and then just as a surprise

As for sensations she totally gets it and would probably have a few pet peeves with those too. So you'd probably both have a very specific covers and mattresses

She'll also always respect your boundaries and sometimes even try to go out of her way to respect them

She's perfectly fine with just nuzzling or cuddle every now and then <3

Overall you're both a very sweet and caring couple

[quickdeaths]

【ME & 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗜'𝗗 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗞𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥】

- ALIAS / NAME: Bryn, Ya Girl, Hey You

- BIRTHDAY: March 20

- ZODIAC SIGN: Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh pisces/aries cusp but I will be honest I don't know much about astrology - I consider it harmless fun but it is harmless fun that I do not participate in, feel free to drag my ass because that's EXACTLY what a pisces/aries/pisces-aries would say

- HEIGHT: 5'11

- HOBBIES: Reading, writing, video games, dungeons and dragons/other TTRPGs, hanging out with the fam and/or the squad, watching tv sometimes when I can get the adhd to be quiet and focus on something. I like studying, too, to a point, and I would like to get back to like Working On A Skill in some way. Maybe polishing up my Japanese back to where it was when I lived abroad?

- FAVORITE COLOR: I say purple, which is kind of true, but actually a like, darker blue purple, like an indigo.

- FAVORITE BOOK: I'm annoyingly that girl you went to school with who loved all the books that they made you read. If there is a classic novel from like, 1800-1960 that they made you read in school, I like it, probably. I would also say, when I was in high school, which probably was (along with college) the time that I read most for pleasure, as well, I was really emotionally affected by Ned Vizzini's It's Kind of a Funny Story, Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World, and Tim O'Brien's Going After Cacciato and considered them faves.

Probably what I would say now though is Imogen Binnie's Nevada. I read it on a flight down to a weekend work retreat, read it on the flight, in the cab, and skipped dinner/informal meeting to read it all in one sitting. It's not an easy book to read, nor a "fun" one in a lot of ways, but I read it over 5 years ago and I think it about it constantly. It feels very raw and honest, and like 10 years after publication, I feel its influence on so much queer literary fiction.

There's also some books of poetry that I hold in high regard. I have Paul Muldoon's Poems: 1968-1998 and Seamus Heaney's Opened Ground, Selected Poems 1966-1996. I also have a story about being in college and writing a capstone essay for a notoriously difficult class where we were supposed to write about a book of poems of our choice. My laptop had broken, so I was confined to one of the shitty computers in the computer lab, and I had been working on the essay about a book of poems I found in our school library for maybe three weeks before the due date, and by happenstance, I ended up reading The Captain Asks for a Show Of Hands by Nick Flynn. I immediately had the thought of "I need to write about this," deleted my entire existing essay, and crunched for basically the entire remaining week to write a new one about Flynn's book instead.

- LAST SONG: I'm not sure what song specifically, but I was listening to the entire album Bon Iver by Bon Iver while writing RP replies earlier. I'm very much a full album girlie most of the time. Before that we've got "POPPY (Japanese Version)" by STAYC, "Champions of Red Wine" by The New Pornographers, "Biohazard" by Momma, and "Star" by LOONA (they're still together I swear here is how LOONA can still win-)

- LAST FILM / SHOW: I started watching the She Loves To Cook, She Loves To Eat live action drama last night. Probably gonna start watching Shogun with my mom soon when I go to have dinner and visit with her? As for movie... I saw Origin with my mom in theaters last month. I thought it was a very creative choice to adapt a nonfiction book into a narrative about the author writing the book, while still managing to incorporate a lot of the themes and content of the book into the film.

- RECENT READS: A lot of manga tbh... I read the She Loves To Cook, She Loves To Eat manga recently, as well as reread My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness after twitter drama thrust it back into my consciousness. I've been meaning to read Dungeon Meshi so probably soon? In terms of non-comic books, I read this nonfiction book called The Digital Closet: How The Internet Became Straight by Alexander Monea recently that was very engaging! In short, it's a dissection of the way that the American government's attempts to regulate and censor the internet (for a variety of reasons) have had the knock-on effect of things like age-gating even non-sexual queer content on youtube, or social media algorithms burying queer posts. I'm slowly working through Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett, which is about a woman trying to hold things together and run her family's taxidermy shop after her father's sudden death. It's weird, but good. It's probably also time for my annual(ish...) reread of Stephen King's On Writing, too.

- STORY BEHIND URL: It's a Maki quote! Her and Shuichi are talking about Tenko's death, and Shuichi says something about Maki's insight coming from experience, and she responds, "Of course. Quick deaths are my specialty."

- FUN FACT ABOUT ME: I used to be an elementary school English teacher in Japan, probably everyone knows this by now, but it is my funnest fact. I used to be a decently good soccer player and I was a pretty high-ranked doubles tennis player in my middle school district district for a little while (my partner carried me but still!) I honestly spend WAY too much time doing D&D prep - I spent basically the entirety of summer 2021 rewriting the entirety of the Curse of Strahd published D&D adventure to fit my preferences, and that of my players, complete with new characters/maps/statblocks/items/plot points/etc. Before the campaign had even started, I had absolutely dumped probably 100+ hours into it.

TAGGED BY: @more-than-a-princess the bestie thank youuu

TAGGING: @lunaetis @hopeds @honoosenshi @amoriscustos @wouldhope and you!

[fumblingmusings]

I know its not gonna be a happy ending but sometimes any flavour of asakiku is everything to me 😭 would it be okay if we got some headcannons about evie and Kiku in a future we're they never separated and worked well for each other?

Who says they'll be apart forever hmmmmmmmmmmm?

But lol yes! Hummmm. Fem!England and Japan romance headcanons-modern day edition. Let's go!

He still gifts her pearls - brooches, bracelets, earrings, rings, and necklaces - the whole shebang. In 2020, she received a pearl tiara for when he came over with his Emperor and Empress for the State Visit. Japan has a tradition of gifting their princesses a necklace and tiara when they come of age. They're usually just diamonds with some pearls, which can make them seem plain (can't believe I'm saying that) in comparison to the European traditions of coloured gems (that's a lie, Belgium and Spain are in the same boat). It's a whole thing regarding rank married in versus blood princesses, etc., but typically, the lower rank and married in girls get more naturalistic and less structured designs. I'd like to imagine that she got one like the former Princess Noriko's - such a wonderful shout out to the classic Japanese artwork that everyone in the West knows:

Apologies for the dinky/blurry photo. It's hard to get a hi res shot of this thing.

On the other end of things, and this will pop up in the fic, but she gives him her literature. 1st editions and rare books to add to his library. Kiku has such an interest in writing and literature and poetry, and takes very good care of them.

Initially, she gives him her Victorian novels, but Kiku, off his own initiative, goes further back, having a go at Chaucer and such. He is very good at translating works to and forth between English and Japanese and often gifts books back to her.

I mentioned it in a previous post, but Kiku particularly attaches to the poem Pearl, and England also shows him like the works of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe, who were two writers and friends in the 14th century. Julian's is considered the oldest piece definitively written by a woman in English, and Margery's is the oldest autobiography in English, let alone one by a woman.

She likes to go on hikes with him, they can walk and walk and walk for miles. She has taken him to the Peak and Lake Districts more times than they can count, not to mention Dartmoor, Exmoor, the South Downs, and the Yorkshire Dales. They both love their gardens, both going to great pains to look after them. They spend a great deal of their time together outside.

And when they get home, like the old married couple they are, she tidies up around the house, he cooks dinner, then they settle down for the night. She knits or crochets whilst watching something like Only Connect or University Challenge, Kiku is absently listening in the background as he plays a video game, and get more questions right then Evie. He is congratulated with a knitted jumper by the end of the night.

They don't have sex that often. Really. Both are kind of lazy partners and are old fogies, they'd rather go to bed and sleep than anything. Eva in particular is clingy, and is prone to biting. It was a fight to get her to remember to not do it above the collar line.

As they both learn post WWII how and when to get involved with governments and politicians and armies and such, they are slowly given more and more freedoms to just be, with no strings attached. It's then, when she's able to let go of a heavy and poisonous burden, and he's free from such a destructive ideology, that they're able to meet in the middle once again, not as England and Japan, but as two very old immortals.

Alfred is able to plug the gap, rather than be dividing force this time. He's not happy about his mom being in a relationship with his best mate (the day he saw those teeth marks it was somehow a larger betrayal than anything Eva or Kiku had done prior), but it's purely in a dude that's my mom territory, rather than a political gripe.

[thegeminisage]

ASK MEME

i got tagged by @runawaymarbles, tyvm i lov doing these

What book are you currently reading?

no books atm but i'm actually getting through the entire tag of a rarepair from ff13...only 41 fics :(

What’s your favorite movie you saw in theatres this year?

did i go to a theater this year...? surely at least once. OH YEAH i went to see sonic 2. since that's the only movie i saw in theaters this year that'll be my favorite one

What do you usually wear?

comfy-at-home clothes: tank top, shorts, no-show socks, hair fork, & bandana. out & about clothes: bandana & hair fork if i'm working or my hair needs washing, otherwise i keep it loose. a lot of black pants/shorts and bright glittery monochrome or tye-dye tank tops w/ black or rainbow choker, rainbow earrings, pride bracelet, smiley face ring, rainbow ring, ace ring, and sometimes my triforce necklace. if it's cold i will also wear rainbow arm warmers/socks and fingerless gloves with the pink peace symbols on them. if i'm REALLY dressing up i will wear rainbow tights under a long shirt or short dress. wow sorry this is the longest answer so far i just really love bright fashion!!! i can't believe god nerfed me by making plus sized clothes fucking suck so bad

How tall are you?

5’1 :/

What’s your Star Sign? Do you share a birthday with a celebrity or a historical event?

i think i'm actually a cancer LMFAO. and stuck with this username...idk about any celebrities but my birthday IS on the summer solstice which is absolutely bitchin' in my professional opinion. i could not possibly have asked for a better date although i do wish it didn't have to fall on father's day sometimes

Do you go by your name or a nick-name?

i go by liz which is not my legal first name. technically my legal middle name isn't liz either it's like elizabeth obviously but my first name is cringefail and nobody can spell it OR say it so i just don't tell most people what it is lol. i started going by liz when i was in 8th grade and sometimes my mom STILL messes it up...

Did you grow up to become what you wanted to be when you were a child?

no BUT as a kid i really really really really REALLY wanted pink hair. as an adult no one can stop me. kid me would be so jealous of adult me's look in EVERY way

What’s something you’re good at vs. something you’re bad at?

good at: dreaming. you know how in the 40s-60s most people dreamed in black and white because that was how tv looked? apparently if you play enough video games you'll get so good at controlling a simulated environment you can simply wake up on command. i never completely mastered lucid dreaming but it's a neat trick anyway. bad at: sleeping. exhibit a: i am answering this meme at 2:30 in the fucking morning, and i have not had 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep since december 10. that's like 28 days!

Dogs or cats?

CATS!!!!!!! i like dogs too tho

What’s something you would like to create stuff for?

i would love to draw some zelda art. i just need a new tablet sadly none of the old ones work with my pc

If you draw/write, or create in any way, what’s your favourite picture/favourite line/favourite etc. from something you created this year?

UGH i can't post it, it's in the undisclosed project

What’s something you’re currently obsessed with?

so a very long time ago when we were teenagers my brother showed me minecraft. i played half an hour of it and then gave the controller back and told him i couldn't keep going because i would quite literally never put it down if i did. unfortunately i did NOT show that same level of foresight and self-restraint when downloading the demo of SLIME RANCHER. in my defense i was utterly unprepared for its sheer potency. i played exactly four minutes of the demo before i caved and bought it - $5 was a steal - without realizing how absolutely lethal it is to combine adhd with a farming sim especially during seasonal depression months. this thing has been churning out dopamine so fast my stupid little rat brain can't keep up. i'm frying every last pleasure receptor i ever had as thoroughly as i possibly can. i am begging one of you to physically come to my house and uninstall it from my pc.

What’s something you were excited about that turned out to be disappointing this year?

andor 🙏 sorry to all andor enjoyers but it fucking sucked (except for the prison break)

What’s a hidden talent of yours?

i'm freakishly good at packing things. items into boxes, boxes into vehicles, organizing drawers and closets, etc. at my house we call it "tetrising" since i guess that's a pro gamer move that translates to the real world..................

Are you religious?

no i am disqualified for being gay <3

What’s something you wish to have at this moment?

a completed copy of this photo album i'm supposed to be making. i got behind bc i was playing slime rancher :(

ok im tagging @slaygentford @maulthots @brownbicon @machidielontheway @paty-ofarrell @ozymandiasdirge @moogleterra @marcelgerard @elsa12tmnt @smellslikebot @youngbenkenobi and anyone else who wants to do it, do it & say i tagged you!!

[onlythebravest]

15 questions

no one tagged me, but I thought it looked fun and @disgruntledkittenface said I can pretend she tagged me so here we go!

Are you named after anyone? No, my parents picked my name because it was in the title of a book they saw a lot when my mom was pregnant 😂 my middle name is from my mom though

When was the last time you cried? Today? or yesterday? I cry all the time nowadays

Do you have kids? No

Do you use sarcasm a lot? is sarcasm and sassy the same thing? because people online say I’m sassy a lot, not as much in real life though

What’s the first thing you notice about people? shoes/socks probably. I don’t like eye contact so I usually avoid looking at the head completely 😂

What’s your eye color? Blue

Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings only, I’m too much of a coward for scary movies

Any special talents? I’m extremely good at tripping on air, but not sure if it counts as a talent

Where were you born? Sweden

What are your hobbies? Reading, writing, puzzles and video games. I used to love photography as well, but don’t anymore. Hopefully that’ll come back when I’m doing better again

Do you have any pets? Yes, a dog named Aladdin.

What sports do you play/have you played? I tried a lot of things when I was a kid, so many things. but what I didn’t quit after a few weeks were riding, basketball and jujutsu. I did love swimming too, and still do

How tall are you? 179.5cm and before you ask, yes that 0.5 cm is extremely important. I think it’s 5’11?

Favorite subject at school? Math

Dream job? not sure, probably something with research of new meds or animal related things

I did a little look around and I think you haven’t done this, but if you have, just ignore it. @lunarheslwt, @larrysballetslippers, @stylesthebrave, @hellolovers13 and @nooradeservedbetter

[heavenlyhoundoom]

Knd x AWISC au part 14.(warning: gruesome description of cutting off antlers.)

(The twelve of them gather around and enjoy the root vegetable stew.)

Hank: Thank you three for helping Carter prepare dinner.

Linda: All Benedict and I did was harvest some vegetables.

Benedict: Yeah, Carter and Monty are the ones who actually prepared dinner.

Hank: Nonsense, any amount of help is good. Besides, you help everyone else around the house.

Benedict: It's nothing.

Linda: We didn't really do much.

Annabelle: Well we think you two did a lot, so don't give yourselves so much critic.

Linda: Alright.

Benedict: Okay, Mrs.McSqueak.

(Everyone finishes their stew and puts their dishes in the kitchen sink. Carter, Monty, Linda, and Benedict go upstairs to Carter's room at the end of the hallway.)

Carter: So what do you guys want to do before we fall asleep? I have movies, books, video games, and board games.

Linda: I don't know...

(Linda noticed a framed photo on Carter's nightstand.)

Linda: What's that a picture of?

Carter: Oh, that's a picture of the four of us during your eleventh birthday.

(The four looked at the picture and started reminiscing about that day.)

(June thirteenth, six years ago)

Iris(Linda's mom): Are you ready for your birthday party at Carter's place, Jacob.

Jacob: I sure am, I can't wait to see Carter, Monty, and Benedict..(Jacob turns away and starts blushing)

Rowen(Linda's dad): You okay, son?

Jacob: I'm fine, I just got lost in my thoughts.

(They arrive at Carter's house where he, Monty, and Benedict were waiting for him.)

Carter, Monty, and Benedict: (excited) Jacob!!!

Jacob: (excited) Guys!!!

(The four hug as Annabelle, Hank, and Mariana walk up to Iris and Rowen.)

Annabelle and Mariana:(excited) Iris, how's our bestie?

Iris: I'm doing great.

(The three of them hug.)

Hank: Rowen. How's my brother from another mother?

Rowen: I'm doing just fine.

(They high-fived and patted eachother on the back.)

Hank: How's the birthday boy?

Jacob: I'm doing great!

Hank: That so good to hear, now are you ready to have a fantastic birthday!?

Jacob: I was born ready!

(They played limbo, pin the tail on the dolphin, musical chairs and truth or dare. When it was time for cake and presents, Hank got Jacob a camo bandana, Annabelle got Jacob a blue t-shirt that said "Boys will be Boys", Carter got Jacob a model monster truck, Monty got him a slingshot, Benedict got Jacob a blue journal to write down his thoughts, his mom got him a remote controlled helicopter, and his dad got him a blue skateboard and matching helmet.)

Jacob: Thanks, guys.

Annabelle: Alright, it's time for cake.

(Everyone gets excited as Annabelle brings out a big chocolate cake with eleven white birthday candles on it, they sing the birthday song and Jacob blows out his candles.)

Rowen: Want me to take a picture of you and your friends?

Jacob: Sure thing, dad.

(Rowen takes a picture of the four boys smiling and having a good time, it then cuts back to the present.)

Carter: And to think Linda used to be into sterotypical boy stuff back then.

Linda: Well I actually only pretended to like that kind of stuff because I didn't know that I wanted to be a girl back then, I just thought I was weird.

Benedict: I kinda had a feeling that you didn't like being a boy, that's why a got you that journal, so you could write down your thoughts and emotions instead of bottling them up, but I guess that wasn't enough because you ended up cutting off your antlers two years later.

Linda: Actually Ben, it was writing in that journal that helped me realize that I wanted to be a girl instead of a boy.

Benedict: Well I'm glad I helped you discover who you really are.

(July second, four years ago.)

Carter: Oh my gosh!

Monty: I think I'm gonna be sick!

Benedict: What's going on gu- Oh sweet Jesus!

(It shows Jacob's head bleeding severely from where his antlers were with his antlers in one hand and a hack saw in the other.)

Benedict:(panicking) Jacob, are you okay!?

Jacob: I'm better than okay, I'm free.

Monty: Why did you cut of your antlers?

Jacob: I didn't like it...

Carter: You didn't like what?

Jacob: I didn't like being a boy, I was always curious about stereotypical girly things and I think it's because I always wanted to be a girl deep down.

Carter: Do you need us to take you to the hospital?

Jacob: No, I just need some ointment to keep my head from getting infected and bandages to stop the bleeding.

Benedict: On it!

(Benedict rushes to get the bandages and ointment because he desperately wants to keep Jacob safe.)

Benedict: I have what you need.

(Benedict tends to his wounds.)

Carter: Have you figured out a new name yet?

Linda: Yeah, from now on, call me Linda.

(It cuts back to the present.)

Linda: I'm sorry I did that, there were much safer ways to deal with my gender dysphoria and what I did freaked you guys out.

Carter: It's alright, you didn't know how to handle your dysphoria and that's okay.

Benedict: I'm just glad that you're okay now.

Monty: We'll always be there for you, boy, girl, or other.

Linda: Thanks guys..

The end of part 14

[beautifulcinephile]

Timothée Chalamet Questions - Updated

I saw this tag game here and decided to update this. When did you become a Timothée Chalamet fan?

September 17th, 2020. It's been two years that this man changed my life and now I can't imagine my life without being a fan of his. I have never been in love with an actor like him.

What was the first movie of his that you watched?

A Rainy Day In New York. I know it's a bad movie (in my opinion) and I barely remember the story at this point. The only thing I remember is the "Everything Happens to Me" scene.

Favorite movies of his?

Dune, The King, The French Dispatch, Little Women and Miss Stevens, Call Me By Your Name (I love the movie, despite, you know who.)

What are your least favorite movies of his?

Hot Summer Nights, Don't Look Up and I didn't like Entergalactic that much ("What? You didn't like Entergalactic??"). To be honest about Entergalactic, it's good? Yeah, just not my favorite movie of his. I also don't like A Rainy Day In New York.

Favorite red carpet event in general?

Cannes 2021 was my first ever red carpet I've watched, so this one will always have a special place in my heart. Venice 2021 and 2022 were awesome, I remember them fondly, LFF was amazing and the Bones & All red carpet in Milan was exciting as heck.

I also have to mention Oscars 2022 and the 2021 Met Gala.

Have you watched his whole filmography so far?

No. I have to watch Bones and All ASAP.

Have you ever dreamed of him? If you remember the dream, tell about it below:

Many times, and dreaming about Timothée is the best thing ever. Here are some of my most cherished dreams:

1. Timothée was wearing a white shirt on a Zoom video call, playing “Quand tu M'aimes” by Charles Aznavour on his guitar.

2. Timothée and I were recreating the music video for “Shape of My Heart” by Backstreet Boys. The music video was exactly at the 2:37 mark of the song, and in this part, I stroked his hair while the camera panned down on his bare feet. We were dressed like the couple in the music video: I wore a gray shirt and blue jeans, with some black sneakers, while Timmy was entirely clad in black, barefoot.

3. Feeling extremely homesick, Timothée caught a bus and started writing a text message to his mom, telling her how much he missed her. Then, he looked out the window and tears streamed down his cheeks.

4. A channel was broadcasting an incomplete cut of Bones and All. The intro scene had nothing to do with the book (The movie wasn't out when I had this dream, so the only things I knew about were from the book), since it involved a man fighting against a woman with an explanation about how that man became the first person with the cannibal curse. The reason why he has become the first cannibal was because he lost the fight and went on a transformation that rendered his hair white and his eyes pink (My subconscious mixed Bones and All with Dune). The rest of the scenes were more faithful to the book. Maren as a kid, Lee and Maren going to sleep, Lee’s crying scene, it was nonsensical, yet awesome.

5. I met Timmy on a "secret mission" in which I had to interview him. I was wearing a black suit, and I couldn't go to the movie theater he was attending because I had no tickets. Then, Jennifer Aniston of all people helped me get them, then I entered the movie theater and I asked: "Have you seen a man with brown hair and green eyes?", to which people answered: "He's in the bathroom." Timmy came into the room, with his Oscars 2022 outfit and his LFF hair. I took a selfie with him, but when I took another one to show to my friends, I woke up.

What movie of his are you most excited to see?

Bones and All, which I'll be finally able to watch because I've found a link to it, followed by Wonka and Dune: Part Two.

Favorite outfits/pictures?

These:

Tagging: @softhecreator @soymilkmocha @visionsofsweettea @the-poets-might-disagree and whoever wants to do this.

[kumeko]

A/N: For the Kingdom Hearts Halloween Zine! Twitches was my favourite Halloween movie as a child.

…

…

…

…

There were many, many exciting things Sora thought of when he considered October. The obvious—Halloween, pumpkins, candy, and spooky movies. The less obvious—the crunchy leaves, the bright colours, the warmth of his snuggly sweater. The most important—his birthday. All of these were just off the top of his head. If Sora needed to, he could come up with a hundred-page manifesto of why October was amazing. Except that sounded a lot like homework and he’d rather enjoy October than write about it.

Still, no matter how long that list was, the one thing that would never be on it was being cooped up inside the library studying. They weren’t even near a window, so Sora couldn’t even see the colourful trees. The only thing on the table in front of him were books and a mountain of lined paper. Grumpy, Sora rested his chin on his hands and stared across the table at his best friend, Riku. “Come on,” he whined, sticking out his bottom lip to make his pout even sadder. “Let’s do something fun.”

The stick-in-the-mud that he was, Riku completely ignored him, instead flipping through his notes like Sora hadn’t said a word. Of course he’d do that. The guy didn’t know the meaning of fun. Even his hair was white, devoid of any colour.

Sora was adaptable. If one best friend couldn’t answer the call, the other would. Turning to his right, Sora gave his biggest puppy eyes to Kairi. He should have done this from the start—she was his usual partner-in-crime, after all. “You’re bored too, right, Kairi?”

And while every other time she slacked off with him immediately, this time she sadly shook her head. “Sorry, Sora.” She groaned, burying her head in her hands. “I’m seriously going to fail calculus. And Mom said if I get anything less than a 60 in the midterms, she was going to take back my car.”

“And that’s why you’re studying now, so you don’t fail,” Riku finally responded, looking up. He gave her a sympathetic nod. “I’ll help.”

“Thanks.” She smiled at him gratefully. “I can’t believe I’m so bad at this. I was great at math in high school. How is this,” she gestured at the textbook in front of her, “so much harder?”

“It’s university.” Sora shrugged, idly picking up his notes and flipping through them. They were mostly doodles and thus utterly useless. He’d have to steal Riku’s later. “Isn’t it supposed to be harder?”

“And aren’t you supposed to study more?” Riku retorted, his tone disdainful. He plucked one of Sora’s notes before he could react, rolling his eyes as he saw the stick figures. “Seriously, Sora, you’re going to fail if you don’t study.”

“I study enough,” Sora argued, crossing his arms. They’d had this same argument since high school. He was certain they’d have this same argument when he was 80, though he wasn’t sure what for. Sora would be ‘too lazy’ and Riku would be ‘perfect’ and one of these days, Sora would actually win the argument. Maybe that would also happen when he was 80. “We’ve been studying all day, we can take a little break.”

“The test is in two days.” Riku looked at him incredulously. Reaching forward, he tapped on the book in front of Sora. “You haven’t made it past the first chapter.”

“It’s a hard chapter!” Sora defended himself, yanking the book out of reach. “And I haven’t been sleeping well, so you know, it’s hard to focus.”

“You haven’t?” Concerned, Kairi leaned closer and inspected his face. Whistling softly, she frowned and squeezed his shoulder. “You have raccoon eyes! What’s wrong?”

“He’s been playing video games again,” Riku snarked immediately, but despite his tone, he was also watching Sora.

“It wasn’t that!” Sora growled. “I had this really weird dream…” He bit his lip, trying to put together the scattered images he’d seen in his sleep. “There was this tall, white castle filled with these white, uh, noodly monsters. And this boy—he kinda looked like me, you know, but also not really. Like, his hair was blonde, and he was sitting on this throne fast asleep.”

“A dream,” Riku stated slowly, giving him a long look. “You’re crying over a nightmare.”

“I’m not crying and it wasn’t just a dream,” Sora mumbled lamely, feeling foolish even as he said that. In the light of day, the dream felt far away. “It was like I was actually there.”

“Vivid dreams are kinda scary,” Kairi agreed, taking his hand gently. She pressed the pads of her fingers against his skin, massaging his palm. “I thought I took the test already and when I woke up, it took me a while to figure out where I was.”

“Want me to hold your hand tonight, Sora?” Riku smirked, condescension dripping in his tone. “Or do you need a nightlight?”

“I’m not a kid!” Sora grumbled, wanting nothing more than to sink into his chair. Maybe it had been only a dream, after all. Sure, it had felt real at the time—the sound of his steps in the white castle, the way the monsters invaded the castle. There had been two other boys there with him, two boys that looked identical, but he could never see their eyes. One was always asleep and the other—every time Sora turned to look at him, he woke up.

But it had only been a dream. He should never have told Riku; he had never let go of anything in his life. Sora would hear about this until they were 80 too.

Maybe he should think about getting a new best friend.

Sensing his glumness, Kairi suggested brightly, “Hey, why don’t we get some snacks? We have been working a long time. A little cake and coffee wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

“Didn’t you get a cavity recently?” Riku pointed out, raising a brow. “And you want cake?”

“It goes well with coffee.” She smiled disarmingly, and Sora felt a pang of envy. Kairi was so good at convincing Riku to agree; he could only do it when they argued. Well, that was why they worked together, but he wanted to get better at tricking him.

“And I’m hungry,” Sora added, moaning softly as he rubbed his belly. “Brains need sugar, right?”

“Is that the only thing you picked up from biology? And you’re always hungry, idiot.” Riku rolled his eyes, not convinced. He also wasn’t saying no either, so it would only take one more push.

“I’ll grab the cake, Sora gets the coffee, and you can guard the books.” Kairi patted the table. “And we’ll be back in like, twenty minutes, and then we can study.”

Riku snorted, shooting them a look of disbelief. “You’re just going to goof off.”

“I never goof off.” Sora clutched his chest dramatically, mortally wounded. “You just don’t know what fun is.”

Before Riku could argue, Kairi batted her eyes and smiled innocently. “I said no to Sora earlier, remember. We won’t go anywhere else, just there and back.”

“Please,” Sora pleaded and they both gave him identical puppy eyes.

Riku frowned. Brow furrowed and utterly doubtful, he looked from one to the other before sighing. “Fine. Fifteen minutes.”

“Perfect!” Kairi hooked an arm through Sora’s. “We’ll be back soon.”

And then she promptly dragged Sora out of the library. Sensing some sort of scheme, he kept quiet until they were safely away from prying eyes. “So?”

“So we get coffee and cake.” Kairi let go and shrugged. “You go to Starbucks, I’ll go to that cute bakery I’ve been dying to try.”

Sora stared at her, not buying it. “Starbucks?”

“Yes, the one that’s at the corner of Twilight and Destiny.” Kairi smiled angelically.

He wasn’t fooled in the least. “There’s a closer one.”

“Yes but…” she trailed off purposely, leaning forward. When he obliged and leaned closer to her, she whispered, “There’s a guy there that looks just like you. It’s really freaky.”

“Seriously?” Sora gaped, unable to imagine it. A guy who looked just like him—for a moment, he remembered his dreams, that aching familiarity of it all, but that was silly. It had only been a dream. “Why didn’t we go earlier?”

“Because it took me forever to figure out his shift! I only bumped into him randomly, when you weren’t there.” Kairi shrugged. “You’re bored anyways, right? I’m doing you a favour, really.”

Somehow, he doubted that.

-x-

A white castle stood, surrounded by darkness. No, not darkness—from the parapets, Roxas could see tiny pricks of light against the black. It was a mass of shadow monsters, of Heartless, and they threatened to overrun the castle gates at any moment.

“We have to go!”

Someone grabbed his hand. In the gloom, Roxas could barely make out the stranger’s brown hair. He knew this person. There was an aching familiarity to it all.

“We have to save Ventus.”

He didn’t know that name. He did know that name. Somehow, both facts were true at the same time. An image flashed across his mind, of a white throne and a boy identical to him sitting on it. The boy was asleep, surrounded by a mass of white monsters.

“We have to—”

Roxas stared at the ceiling. At a bare minimum, he’d hoped to wake up less tired than yesterday, but that was asking for the impossible, apparently. No, instead he had to have yet another strange dream.  He held up his hand, staring at it. It was strange; it had felt so real. Even now, he could feel that other person’s hand in his own.

Yet, it had only been a dream.

“Roxas! You’re going to be late!” Aqua yelled. The scent of burnt toast wafted into his room, even though the kitchen was on the opposite side of the house. How she managed to do that every morning, he didn’t know.

“What time is it?” he groaned, rolling over. He stared at his wall, covered end-to-end with his drawings. He’d sketched the castle and Ventus so many times, but he could never find the real-life place that must have inspired the dreams.

“Nine,” Aqua shouted back. “Do you ever set an alarm?”

“I turn it—” Roxas froze. Nine. He only had an hour to get to work. Scrambling out of bed, he ran to the bathroom. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

He was skating on thin ice as it was with his manager. If he was late yet another day—he shuddered to think about it. It was hard enough paying for college on his own; his part-time job just barely helped them make ends meet. While his friend Namine shared a shift with him today, she was a terrible liar and any cover story she gave would be torn apart in minutes.

Jumping down the stairs, he dashed into the kitchen. There, his adoptive sister was calmly sitting at the table, munching on black toast as she watched him. Slyly, she reached out and ruffled his hair. “You’re a mess.”

“Hey!” He swatted her hand away and stepped back. Glaring at her, he smoothened his hair. “You know how long that took!”

“Maybe you should wake up earlier?” Aqua took another bite and gestured at the second plate she’d set up for him. It was relieving to see that it didn’t look half as charcoaled as hers. “Like, if you actually went to sleep at night, you’d wake up with your alarm.”

“I know, I know, it’s just…” Roxas rubbed his arm, not sure how to explain it. There was just this energy in him at night, something that felt almost magical. There was a reason he’d always done his homework and art in the middle of the night but saying it as an adult felt silly. “I’m just…more awake at night.”

“That’s because your sleep cycle is ruined.” Aqua frowned, noticing his eyes. “Did you have another one of those nightmares?”

“Yeah. It’s the same as last time.” Roxas shrugged, not wanting to get into it. It wasn’t like talking about it could change things.

“You’ve been having it for years, maybe we should get someone to look into it.” Aqua sighed, reaching over to squeeze his shoulder affectionately. “But we’ll talk about that later—you’re running late.”

Roxas swore.

-x-

Sora stood in front of the Starbucks counter, staring at the cashier. He smiled back awkwardly. “What would you like to order?”

First point, Sora was never that nervous or awkward around anyone. So it couldn’t be personality that made Kairi say they looked the same. It couldn’t be looks either—the cashier was blonde and Sora was a brunette. Did Kairi become colour-blind when he wasn’t looking? Their eyes were kinda similar, maybe, but that’s just because they were both blue.

“Um, are you going to order?” the cashier asked again, looking extremely uncomfortable.

Well, at least no one else was in the store to complain if he didn’t. Sora glanced at his name tag. Roxas. That didn’t even sound like his name! All they had were some of the same letters. “Is there another cashier?”

Roxas’s brow furrowed for a moment before he gave a carefully blank expression. “Namine isn’t on right now, but she’s not interested—”

“Whoa!” Sora held up his hands immediately and shook his head. “I w-w-wasn’t asking for a date.” Ok, maybe he did get nervous sometimes. Clearing his throat, he clarified, “I mean, do you have a cashier that looks like me?”

Roxas looked even more confused, if possible, and he slowly shook his head. “No.”

“And you’re the only one working now?”

“Yes.” Now Roxas was looking at him as if he’d grown two heads and Sora couldn’t blame him. Honestly, this all sounded really crazy. “Are you going to order?”

Sora sighed. Kairi must have pranked him. When he got back, it was revenge time. “Can I get—”

What happened next could only be described as magic. Above the counter, a glowing circle appeared, looking like a sci-fi hologram. The wind picked up—they were inside a building, how could wind pick up?—and napkins and paper cups swirled around them. It was like standing in the eye of a storm.

Suddenly, two figures fell out of the circle, crashing on the counter hard. And just like that, it was over. The Starbucks goods fell to the ground. The wind stopped. The two strangers stayed.

“WHA—?” he yelped, stumbling backwards.

“Gosh, Donald, do you think we got to the right place?” One of the prone figures slowly got up, looking around.

“Of course we did, I’m never wrong,” the other snapped back, rubbing his head after rolling off the counter.

Sora rubbed his eyes. It didn’t change anything. In front of him stood a giant, humanoid dog and a short, angry duck. They spoke English. He glanced at Roxas, who looked as dumbfounded as he did. “Do you see…” he trailed off, gesturing at the creatures.

Roxas pinched his cheek before nodding. “Yeah.”

Standing now, the fully clothed dog-man pounced on Sora before he could react. “Gosh, Sora, you’re so big now!” He turned to Roxas and started to sniffle. “You too, Roxas.”

“Of course they’re big, it’s been years!” the duck angrily quacked. He was only wearing a shirt. Did that make him half-naked? Sora wasn’t sure if he wanted to follow that thought. “And quit crying, we don’t have time for that.”

“We always have time for hugs, Donald,” the dog argued, letting go of Sora and chasing after Roxas. For something that big and clumsy looking, he was surprisingly fast and almost fell on Roxas in his attempt to hug him.

“No, we don’t!” Angry, Donald the duck marched over to Sora and grabbed his hand. Donald had hands. Not wings, hands.

Sora wondered if he’d just fallen asleep at the library and the last fifteen minutes were a dream.

Still embracing Roxas tightly, the dog waddled toward them. “We do! Times infinity!”

“Goofy, I am going to—” Donald took a deep breath and shook his head. “No more distractions! We need to get to Castle Oblivion.”

“Castle Oblivion?” Sora shook himself out of his stupor. Why did that sound so familiar? The image of a white castle flashed before his eyes. His dream. His recurring, realistic dream.

“Your home! Ventus is waiting for you guys!” Goofy chimed in, letting go of Roxas. Unintentionally, the four of them now stood in a circle now.

“Ventus?” Roxas repeated, looking utterly shocked. “But…that’s a dream?”

“A dream?” It couldn’t be, could it?

“You can’t have forgotten Ventus.” Goofy looked despondent as he grabbed Roxas’s and Sora’s hands. “You’re triplets, you can’t forget family.”

“TRIPLETS?” Sora and Roxas shouted at the same time.

Before they could get any answers, another white circle appeared above them. The wind picked up. The last thought that Sora had before he disappeared was Riku’s going to kill me.

[oozepop]

I received a second strike on my YouTube channel while live streaming.

This one is actually upsetting. I was streaming on YouTube on the night of 12/18/22 (which was a good day, as it was my mom's birthday, as well as my good friend Jom. Also, it was creeping into midnight, so I might be wrong on the exact date, but who cares). I started the night with Dark and Darker with some friends, moved on to Dead by Daylight, and proceeded to end the night with Elden Ring. Germbubble, a chatter and good friend of mine, always posts stuff in chat for me to react to. This time, he sent me a recent OJ Simpson interview. I had the video in the corner while I played Elden Ring, which was taking up the majority of my screen.

I received a flurry of emails pertaining to my YouTube channel, insinuating YouTube is looking right at me within this very short amount of time, including reviewing an appeal (spoiler alert). The first email [from the bottom] is informing me that my stream from earlier in the week was copyright claimed. This is not a strike, but rather YouTube blocking some (or all) of my stream. Very easy action that doesn't harm my channel in anyway. The second email is informing me of the same thing on a different live stream, I believe the one from the morning of 12/18/22 (yes, I stream often and need to touch grass).

The third email is where it gets interesting.

Here, they inform me that my stream is interrupted. This has happened to me before, when I watched a clip of a movie a different chatter, omegabuttwish, sent me, although this first time, it did not result in a strike (spoiler alert). When I stopped watching the clip, my stream went back to normal, albeit some minutes later (the first time, I mean). This time, when I stopped watching the clip after this email, my stream was only returned to normal... briefly.

So, I 'm not exactly sure if I'm interpreting this correctly, but did I get a strike because I had OJ on my screen, and I didn't remove it as soon as I saw this email? Because for a very good amount of time, my stream titled "Elden Ring" was about Elden Ring. This just seems absurdly unfair to me, but I am just but a punished normie. So, I 'm not exactly sure if I'm interpreting this correctly, but did I get a strike because I had OJ on my screen, and I didn't remove it as soon as I saw this email? Because for a very good amount of time, my stream titled "Elden Ring" was about Elden Ring. This just seems absurdly unfair to me, but I am just but a punished normie.

The last email shows that they reviewed my appeal in less than an hour after my strike, and determined that I did, in fact, violate their policy. I guess I should just take this for what it is and do my best going forward. I feel like it's all just so vague and I can't tell when what I'm doing will result in a strike, since sometimes my loose behavior is allowed, and sometimes it's not.

What I think I will do going forward is be very safe. I will record and edit videos in the meantime that will not be uploaded until my first strike disappears on January 24th. From that point on, I will only upload until my second strike disappears on March 19th. I suppose it's possible I stream on YouTube before that date, but if so, it'll be very specific streams with a very specific goal in mind, to ensure I do not get in trouble for some dumb bullshit. I can always just stream on twitter until then, which is kinda weird, but I guess I'll do it.

I'm honestly just upset and discouraged. I can't tell if I just have a dedicated hater, or if I'm an absolute idiot to streaming. Maybe a break is exactly what I need so I can finally focus on my physical and mental health. I want to read more books, write more music, and be more productive with my time. I don't want to stream twice a day anymore to a small audience. My videos get better views anyway. Streaming should be fun, and unless I have a dedicated audience, which I don't anymore, it's not as fun as it used to be. Gaming with friends is fun, and making an audience laugh is fun. If I can build up a new audience, then I would be happy to give them awesome content. For now, I will take it easy and see if I can't make better friends and healthier connections.

Follow me on twitter.com/oozePOPtv for pointless blurbs and possible future streaming.