#and the other one i've seen. probably at least 7 times in the last year and im due for a rewatch

[localcryptic]

tagged by @autumnfangirler 😋

bonus points if you tell me why in the replies/tags

i tag @b33tlejules @koala-bookworm @tuffgho-st :3 (if you wanna do it)

[sticktothestars]

𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 , " 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 '𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 . " ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

a/n: *walks in, twiddling my thumbs* so i watched thunderbolts. we're just gonna say that i totally didn't fall in love with bob. AVENGERS FOUND FAMILY FANFICS ARE SO BACK GUYS. FHDSFFJ I'LL MAKE A SEPARATE POST ABOUT WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT THE MOVIE, BUT YEAAH. I LOWKEY AM SUPER EXCITED & I CAN'T WAIT FOR YALL TO READ THIS 'CUZ I'VE BEEN HAVING THIS IDEA STUCK IN MY HEAD & IT WON'T GO AWAY. ANYWAY, IMMA STOP YAPPING NOW. ENJOOOYY!!1 (ALSO. you have the powers/fighting style of deadpool!)

paring: robert/bob reynolds x male!reader

word count: 1k+

warnings: slight spoilers for thunderbolts* if you haven't seen it. takes place post movie. slight cursing. contains a shit ton of angst & hard topics like anxiety attacks, child abuse, gore, & character death are mentioned throughout this oneshot. yeah i lowkey kind of spiraled while writing this lmfaooo.

════════════════════════════════════════════

──★

IF you told the [Y/N] from 3 months ago that you'd be working with the new avengers, you would've laughed HARD in your own face. Seriously. It would've lasted for like 7 minutes before you'd probably go tell you to fuck off or something. But now that you was here - saving people instead of being the one to end people for money - it felt trippy thing to even consider. Especially with the things you've done in your past. Despite your initial hesitation on even teaming up with this unstable group of people, you couldn't help but feel a LOT more happier than how you was before.

Maybe it was just the fact that saving people felt good or that you finally had a purpose in life - but no. It was something completely different. You was finally around people who understood what it felt like to not feel like they didn't deserve anything good or be stuck in an endless loop that just hurted you even more. It felt like a HUGE breathe of fresh air. Or maybe it was because you were around him like 99.99% of the time now after everything.

You met Bob in... troubling circumstances, to say the least. Bucky - a good friend of yours - contacted you while you were in New York in retirement from your mercenary past. You were honestly struggling a little. Working as an unsuspecting barista for some cozy coffee shop was nice & all, but it felt.. meaningless. So with one last second thought, you put your suit on & rode your motorcycle to a new mission. Which ended well overall, but with a lot of memories you wanted to lock away unfortunately.

But since then, the two of you have grown closer - especially since you were living together amongst the others in the Avenger's base. Bob obviously couldn't go on the missions due to not being able to control his powers all that well. You try to help him out the best you can when you're there.

...But sometimes that helping could go sideways.

──★

[Y/N]'s flicked open as he noticed the surroundings around him. Where was he? Just a moment ago he was sparring with Bob in the training room & then..

" Oh fuck.. " you muttered with a sigh as you realized what's happening. Your gaze fixes on a teen version of you - freshly scarred, WAY more defensive - yet afraid. Like there was something out for him. You knew what this was. You knew it all too well.

Back before you became a mercenary, you were a cage fighter in Orlando - trafficked at 7 & escaped at 16. 9 years of horror. Yeah that fucked you up pretty bad. Of course it would. But you had friends. It what kept you sane.

But they took that away too along with your dignity.

One night - when you were 16 - a new match was starting. They didn't tell you who the opponent would be. They never did. To them, it was just another body to throw away for entertainment. Having survived for so long & having so much blood on your hands, you'd think that you'd get used to it by now. But it only just got worse from there.

You stood there, watching yourself as your younger self enter the cage - a look of uneasiness on your younger self's face, tuning out the crowd of people as they cheered for blood. But you? You just wanted to know who else? Who else's blood would you have on your hands? As your opponent stumbles out into the cage with a shove from one of the guards just outside the cage, you saw your heart drop. Just by the horror on your own face.

Your opponent was your best friend, Liam. The Liam who stuck by your side through the last 9 years you've been here. The Liam who managed to make you laugh when things got that dark. The Liam who was your anchor. The Liam who you absolute adored like an older brother. You couldn't do it. You refused to. You couldn't do it if you tried.

" ... No.. No I'm not hurting him. You can't make me kill him. " You refused, backing away & banging on the cage's exit. Liam just watched you. He watched you try to figure out something. Anything to stop this match from happening. Liam knew this would happen soon. He was prepared for this. Hell, maybe he even prepared this moment from the start. You know that now. You wish you knew it sooner.

" [Y/N]. " Liam says gently, his voice calm - causing the younger you's attention to snap towards him, eyes tearing up as you tried to say something. Anything. But only a mournful silence filled between the two of you as the crowd cheered for the two of you to fight. You shook your head, keeping your head down.

" [Y/N], you have to. " Liam says gently, putting a hand on your shoulder as he approached. You just shook your head. " No- No- I-i-i can't- " You stammered out, clenching your fists so tight you felt as though you were bleeding slightly through your bandages.

" They'll kill you if you don't, kid. " Liam states. " I don't fucking care. " You say back, holding yourself close as you look back up at the 20 year old you've grown to be so attached to.

Liam sighs. " Well start caring. You're surviving. Even if it means killing me too. " The brunette says sternly.

" No! I'm not losing you! And I'm not listening to them anymore just to survive! " You call out so everyone can hear. The crowd boos, insults rolling out into the arena like a hurricane. The ringleader scoffs, motioning the guards to ready & aim at you.

Liam clocks this & horror enters his face, shielding you as bullets & sparks fly - the crowd falling silent. The bullets stop. Everything stops as a body slumps onto the ground. But it wasn't yours. It was Liam's. You stare at the hole covered body for what feels like a lifetime. You couldn't breathe. You couldn't even think straight.

Only when a guard grabs you is when you react is when you scream, absolute anguish & horror in your voice as it breaks as you're dragged out of the arena - new plans settled for you that changed your dna & life forever. The present you doesn't look away from Liam's corpse. You felt yourself spiraling within your regrets over the What If's.

What if you had let Liam kill you that day? You didn't deserve to live. Especially with the blood on your hands. The things you did without mercy. But Liam? He was kind. He was good. He deserved way better. He was so good & no one else ever got to see that goodness in him.

You scratched at the collar of your shirt, trying to force yourself to breathe but you couldn't. Everything felt so meaningless. You were meaningless. You were the problem because you couldn't keep your mouth shut.

Fuck. Everything felt so heavy. You collapsed to your knees, squeezing your eyes shut but Liam's lifeless body kept coming in again & again like a broken melody.

๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

" 'M sorry- M' so sorry- I-i should've known this would happen- I'm so fucking sorry- " A panicked & oh so familiar voice called out, snapping you out of your vision to feel Bob holding you in his arms tight as you sobbed. You hold onto his warmth, clenching his shirt. The two of you stay there for a while. Which seemed like forever. But neither one of you complained.

You sniffle slightly, letting your head nuzzle into the crook of the other's neck. And Bob just held you tighter. He couldn't let you go through this again. He couldn't bear seeing you hurt because of him.

You were probably one of the coolest people on the team, but seeing you fall apart like this felt gut wrenching. He mutters out more apologies, his chin resting on your head.

He's made everything worse again.

And to you of all people.

The man he absolutely adores.

──★

lowkey locked tf in on this one idk. hope yall enjoyed tho lowkey !! lemme know if yall want a part two or smthin cuz i'm down. SEND ME MORE REQUESTS PUHLEASEE.

anyways, that's it for now !! BUH BYEEE ^^

── DAMIEN ★

[whatlurksbean]

Hello! I’ve been reading WLB from some time now, and I am still absolutely loving this comic every time.(on my 4th reread lol) WLB has inspired me greatly along with WC content and (also great!)creations by other creators to the point that I am almost about to script my own comic, with a few scenes that WLB had a huge influence on. Though, I can’t help but be a little overwhelmed when I actually think of creating one, mostly because of the fact I lack the skills to draw comics. Believe me, I am shit at panelling lol. But also l‘m a bit scared because even if I actually end up making my own series it absolutely could end up flopping and that would probably make me lose enthusiasm. I don’t necessarily want to make money out of my comics but rather show others my stories and characters that I love, but I have a history of making and posting oc art just for nobody to watch and kinda giving up.(even though I’m aware of the fact that this happens to practically everyone all the time, it still hurts) The (real)question is if there is some advice you can give to beginner/wanna-be comic artists, and how did you feel when you first posted The Recruit if that’s your first comic. I’m sorry if this sounds like a vent, and feel free to pass this if you want-just know you’re a great inspiration for many people. Stay safe, remember that YOUR well being is number one, and Love from Korea♥♥

Hello! I'm very glad you've enjoyed WLB!

A webcomic can for sure be a daunting and overwhelming thing. Most artists are a one man show, and knowing how to do Every Aspect Perfectly is an impossible task. I think it's important to remember everyone starts somewhere, and it is hard to get better unless you Start.

I mean, the first comic pages I drew digitally looked like this.

The comic lasted 6 pages before I got tired of it, and then I started The Recruit.

(which was over 430 pages long and started and had quite a style/writing change throughout the 7 years I worked on it)

You learn so much by just doing. There are a lot of helpful free resources online now a days to make the learning faster! There are tutorials on how to panel! And I think just reading comics in general is a great source of learning. Pay attention to the things you like (paneling, simplification process, color palettes ) and implement them in your work!

I think it's really important to figure out the level of detail you want the comic to be. I don't think it's wise or sustainable to put 100% effort into every aspect of it. It will burn you out. It's good to consider what level of shading (if any) you'll be willing to do for hundreds of panels, what level of background detail, how many colors the characters should have, and figure out what your focus is.

I've met a lot of comic artists over the years, EVERYONE has a different method or different focus. Creating is not a universal experience!

As for having your work be seen, it is honestly a lot of luck. Back in the day for TR I would just submit to all of the deviantart warrior cat groups and people would find it that way. deviantart groups are pretty dead now so I am unsure if that is any good now.

I personally really think ComicFury is a wonderful place for new artists. It's default page always shows the latest comic, so everyone always has an equal chance to be seen. You can be on the front page every 12 hours (i think, it might be 24..) and with a striking icon and consistent posting, you WILL find people.

It's not the largest site, but it is my favorite for comics.

I do not like the mindset of a comic "flopping." I think it takes time to build an audience. It is very unlikely for people to find your comic overnight, it will very likely take at least a few months of consistent posting to find a few engaged readers. I know it sucks to feel like no one is seeing your work, but it's just something that takes time.

Cat comics do tend to find readers faster though, so if that is your goal, I do hope you find success!

You could also post your updates in comic/art related places, like discords or post panels on bluesky or instagram. really any site or app that posts an image.

I also think consistent uploading is a strong key to building an audience. And to do this, it really helps to have a backlog. Meaning you draw like the first 10-20 pages of you comic (or however many) and upload one or two pages a week. The more your comic is seen popping up on their feed, the more likely people will be to finally click it. I usually do not click on comics I see once or twice, it usually takes a few weeks of me seeing it pop up before i decide to check it out. (talking about on Comicfury to be clear)

Once you've established you are dedicated to your comic, people do not mind if you take breaks. (and if they do, fuck em)

Also, having a community of friends or creators is a huge motivator. Show your work to friends! Share in a community of comic creators! Some things my friends have said to me about my comics has lifted my creative spirit more than anything.

This is turning into some 3am ramblings but to summarize my points:

•Find a style that will work for you to sustain a comic. (do not make 100% effort art pieces)

•Upload on comicfury (great comic site, equal opportunity for new comics) (I would also cross post to other platforms and link back to CF as a primary comic site)

•Work on some pages in private, so you can upload consistently once you begin your comic! (I would update daily for maybe a week and then switch to weekly pages, just to get the best chance of being seen + consistent posting. so that would be good to have at least 10 pages of backlogs. 7 for the first week, plus 3 weeks of backlog at that rate)

and the point most dear to my heart;

•Don't be scared of change.

I know a lot of folk wait and wait to make their comic until they are perfect artists or writers, but like, you'll never make anything if you wait for that. Change is so natural and normal in webcomics, in all art really. I think if you shade for 10 pages and decide you hate it, it's okay to change how you shade or drop it entirely. Change your art style. Change how you panel pages. Change how you do backgrounds. Change anything and everything you want. Enjoy the process and tell the story you want to tell.

Best of luck on your comicing journey, I hope you really enjoy it.

[purpdrawsthings]

You'll Be Back Mr Puzzles MAP!

No this is actually real soahsodhsoshsi

Hihi everyone saw my last post hahahhhh I wasn't joking 💀

READ THE ENTIRETY OF THIS IF YOU WANT TO JOIN ‼️‼️‼️‼️

I don't want no nobody to not understand anything

Anyways, onto the details!

Wait, what's a MAP?

Ah.. I should explain that shouldn't I?

MAP stands for Multiple-Animator Project. It's basically a collaborative project made up of numerous animations by different creators!

You might have seen these before in the art fandom, if not, you're not a real artist /jk /nsrs /lh

Jokes aside, these projects tend to be fun for most creators and I'm hoping that this would bring some fun to the people joining :)

Is this begginer friendly?

Why yes it is! Regardless you're good at animation or not, you're welcome to join! Just... At least put some effort rather than being lazy?

Regardless, everyone is welcomed with open arms here! So don't be afraid ;)

What canvas size should I use?

1280x720 preferably! Just to make sure it doesn't take up too much of my data ;w;

But you can use any canvas size you'd want besides that! A box shape, or that weird YouTube short form... Nvm exclude that one but anyways, yeah any canvas size that you're comfortable with!

Is there a specific theme?

There's actually none! The map is supposed to just be a silly Mr puzzles map :3

This includes the setting and etc like- go crazy! Do a sad, fun, crazy, angry moment or something! Do what your imagination can make out of that song using Puzzles ^^

Is it okay if I can't remove my animating apps watermark?

It's completely fine if you can't remove it! Don't worry you're not the only broke one here ;)

Am I allowed to put my watermark?

Yes! You're incouraged to add in your watermark so people know it's your part!

Dw, if you don't have one them I'll just put your name while I'm editing the entire thing :)

Can I include my OCS or my Mr puzzles design?

Yes you can! You can also change your Puzzles aus whenever you'd like.

E.g my Showman Puzzles on part 1 and my Puzzles kinsona on part 2

It's just an example! If you're adding ocs, it's good! But the animation should primarily focused on Puzzles! He can interact with other characters but it's mostly just him. Oh and if you're wondering, it doesn't have to be SMG4 OCS :)

How many parts can I take?

Hey hey don't be greedy /hj

2 parts! I want everybody to take their chances and do some cool stuff :D

Where should I ask for parts or send submissions at?

In the discord server I made! The link will be at the end of the post. I know I just replied to some in this blog and they got their parts, I will NOT be accepting any ask parts OUTSIDE of the server.

The same goes with submissions/finished parts, please do send it in discord.

Why is this? This is because I want everything to be easier for me so I could manage stuff. I get frustrated very easily so yeah 😭

Is there a deadline?

Well uh- I'm not sure! But it's probably going to be planned on the June or July, somewhere in the middle of the year. Though I will be making sure nobody feels rushed for their sake

Have you ever host a MAP before?

Wait where tf did that one come from-

No I haven't unfortunately, this is my first one! I've always wanted to make a MAP because of how cool the idea itself is.

Now that that's done, here are the parts! As time progresses a and people enter, I'll fill them up :3

Intro : me

1. @e-v-e-l-l-e

2. @rainbowrocketraichu

3. Entity-lol

4. @lari-the-dragon

5. @rat-n-atty

6. @madhalo

7. @mrtophat518

8. @fenicearts420

9. @cosmicoreo9

10. Entity-lol

11. @niranutcake

12. @madhalo

13. Me

14. @alex-dolmatescu2-0

15. @libbytwq

16. @alex-dolmatescu2-0

17. @rr3d2y

18. Me

19. @niranutcake

20. Rainbowrocketraichu

21. @messydoodlesyt

22. @messydoodlesyt

23. @icedbeverageenjoyer

24. @mrtophat518

Outro : me

Last but not least.. Please do enter your submissions in the discord server below this sentence :D

You can post your part outside the server if you want but I'm only taking the ones submitted in the server itself :)

Andddd that's about all! You can ask questions here and in the server. Yeetus chat!

[lackadaisycats]

Hey Tracy! Have you heard about the new Ai called Sora? Apparently it can now create 2D and 3D animations as well as hyper realistic videos. I’ve been getting into animation and trying to improve my art for years since I was 7, but now seeing that anyone can create animation/works in just a mare seconds by typing in a couple words, it’s such a huge slap in the face to people who actually put the time and effort into their works and it’s so discouraging! And it has me worried about what’s going to happen next for artists and many others, as-well. There’s already generated voices, generated works stolen from actual artists, generated music, and now this! It’s just so scary that it’s coming this far. 

Yeah, I've seen it. And yeah, it feels like the universe has taken on a 'fuck you in particular' attitude toward artists the past few years. A lot of damage has already been done, and there are plenty of reasons for concern, but bear in mind that we don't know how this will play out yet. Be astute, be justifiably angry, but don't let despair take over. --------

One would expect that the promo clips that have been dropping lately represent some of the best of the best-looking stuff they've been able to produce. And it's only good-looking on an extremely superficial level. It's still riddled with problems if you spend even a moment observing. And I rather suspect, prior to a whole lot of frustrated iteration, most prompts are still going to get you camera-sickness inducing, wibbly-wobbly nonsense with a side of body horror.

Will the tech ultimately get 'smarter' than that and address the array of typical AI giveaways? Maybe. Probably, even. Does that mean it'll be viable in quite the way it's being marketed, more or less as a human-replacer? Well…

A lot of this is hype, and hype is meant to drive up the perceived value of the tech. Executives will rush to be early adopters without a lot of due diligence or forethought because grabbing it first like a dazzled chimp and holding up like a prize ape-rock makes them look like bleeding-edge tech geniuses in their particular ecosystem. They do this because, in turn, that perceived value may make their company profile and valuations go up too, which makes shareholders short-term happy (the only kind of happy they know). The problem is how much actual functional value will it have? And how long does it last? Much of it is the same routine we were seeing with blockchain a few years ago: number go up. Number go up always! Unrealistic, unsustainable forever-growth must be guaranteed in this economic clime. If you can lay off all of your people and replace them with AI, number goes up big and never stops, right?

I have some doubts. ----------------------

The chips also haven't landed yet with regards to the legality of all of this. Will these adopters ultimately be able to copyright any of this output trained on datasets comprised of stolen work? Can computer-made art even be copyrighted at all? How much of a human touch will be required to make something copyright-able? I don't know yet. Neither do the hype team or the early adopters.

Does that mean the tech will be used but will have to be retrained on the adopter's proprietary data? Yeah, maybe. That'd be a somewhat better outcome, at least. It still means human artists make specific things for the machine to learn from. (Watch out for businesses that use 'ethical' as a buzzword to gloss over how many people they've let go from their jobs, though.)

Will it become industry standard practice to do things this way? Maybe. Will it still require an artist's sensbilities and oversignt to plan and curate and fix the results so that it doesn't come across like pure AI trash? Yeah, I think that's pretty likely.

If it becomes standard practice, will it become samey, and self-referential and ultimately an emblem of doing things the cookie-cutter way instead of enlisting real, human artists? Quite possibly.

If it becomes standard industry practice, will there still be an audience or a demand or a desire for art made by human artists? Yes, almost certainly. With every leap of technology, that has remained the case. ------------------ TL;DR Version:

I'm not saying with any certainty that this AI blitz is a passing fad. I think we're likely to experience a torrential amount of generative art, video, voice, music, programming, and text in the coming years, in fact, and it will probably irrevocably change the layout of the career terrain. But I wouldn't be surprised if it was being overhyped as a business strategy right now. And I don't think the immensity of its volume will ever overcome its inherent emptiness.

What I am certain of is that it will not eliminate the innate human impulse to create. Nor the desire to experience art made by a fellow soul. Keep doing your thing, Anon. It's precious. It's authentic. It will be all the more special because it will have come from you, a human.

[ywpd-translations]

Ride 825: Neck and neck!! Four people!!

Pag 2

1: Each school's ace

Pag 3

1: brimming with confidence!!

What they're looking at ahead... is victory!!

Pag 4

1: They're here!!

2: I can already hear the cheers!!

They're taking the final curve, on!!

That means they're at 600m left!? They're so fast!!

3: No time to look at the monitor!!

4: Let's go!!

Yessir

On!!

Ye-yes!

Pag 5

1: Imaizumi joined the top three!!

On!! Kawada-san!!

They'll take it!! After all, even though they were stupidly fast during practice, I've never seen them look like they were having a rough time, not even once

Like woah!! No problem at all!!

2: He'll be in third place at least!! Well, there're three people, so third place is obvious!!

Haha... on...

3: Kawada-kun

4: Among the guys running at the top right now, none of them is having no problem and neither of them is aiming for third place

Everyone who's there

5: is only aiming for the first place and is fighting with everything he's got!!

Pag 6

3: I see them!! They're coming, on!!

Sorry, old man, make a little space for us

4: Come, Imaizumi!!

6: Oi, wait

That... weren't there three people in the lead...!?

7: As expected, huh

8: Ah...

9: Bu....

Pag 7

1: Hakone Academy, with the blue jersey, caught up!!

Pag 8

1: That guy wasn't on the monitor!!

2: There are four people in the lead!!

Pag 9

1: 500m left until the finish line of the Inter High's first day!!

Pag 10

1: This is... I see, Hakone Academy's strategy...!!

2: Takadajou....!!

3: I see

4: They expected the two final curves would turn into a free-for-all fight, so they fell back on purpose

5: Without any hindrance by the other cyclists, they could choose the cornering route that would make them lose speed the least and passed the curve more efficiently

6: Even so, if he was alone, he'd use up his legs to fill regain the seconds he had lost

But

7: Since there were two of them, they could keep the ace comfortable and

8: send him here safely!!

9: He probably...

Pag 11

1: still has a lot of strength left in his legs!!

Pag 12

1: Is it yes?

3: This is bad

5: What!?

He shook his left shoulder twice!?

6: Ah, you noticed this?

It's an old story

8: An habit of my brother

Brother!?

Pag 13

1: When he's about to accelerate!!

2: “Accelerate”!?

Pag 14

1: I'm just imitating it for fun!!

2: He stepped on!!

Pag 15

1: Not even ten seconds after he caught up to us!!

Tch

2: Groooss kyaa!!

3: Seriously!? Here!?

4: What happened!?

So fast!

Pag 16

1: Hakogaku's ace caught up... accelerated in less than a second, and is leaving the others behind!!

The other three behind him are desperately chasing!!

2: The table is turned!!

Hakogaku is in the lead!!

3: In an instant...

He... Hakogaku...

Pag 17

1: He shows no mercy nor hesitation!!

Pag 18

1: That's Hakone Academy's new ace, the second year Shinkai Yuuto!!

Rushaaa

2: Shinkai-saan!!

Yuuto-san, Yuuto-san, you're so cool!!

Yuuto goo!!

3: Hakogakuu!!

Pedaal!

Pag 19

2: Strength and strategy!! The battle can change completely in an instant!! This is road racing!!

3: Shinkai!!

4: Earlier, when he was chasing at 5km left, he was pulling the pack

5: He was able to accelerate like that with the energy he had left!?

Pag 20

3: But

4: Yuutoo!!

5: Oooooo

Pag 21

2: I caught up!!

Pag 22

1: Caught up?

No way

3: Imaizumi-san

4: Maybe I let you catch up?

8: I'm Shinkai Yuuto

Pag 23

1: I rested while Jou-san pulled me, so I was just doing a little warm-up

I can't just jump into zone 5

2: But now I got a feel for it, so it's perfect

3: Delicious

You want one?

4: Ah... this isn't the place to eat (haha)

5: Shinkai Yuuto!!

Pag 24

1: That guy... did you hear the rumors about this year's Hakogaku's ace, Shinkai?

During race, before anyone knew, he smoothly came up and always snatched the finish line....

2: They say his movements are tricky and hard to read

His sense in front of the finish line is incredible

3: He was a climber, up until last year

4: But he started practicing as a sprinter since early spring.... and he got faster in the blink of an eye....

5: He kept improving his time and quickly adapted to the speed

In Kanagawa's races, he could still win with a margin even without his assist, Takadajou

They call him....

Pag 25

1: “Finish line's hornet”!!

He always sting you when you're neck and neck...

Pag 26

1: He's the heartless hornet!!

4: Kanagawa Prefecture, Hadano City, Nanabitsu pass

At 500m left one more person caught up

It's Hakone Academy number 11, Shinkai Yuuto!!

He caught up just before the finish line...

Pag 27

1: You've gotten stronger, Yuuto!! Really!

Right now, you...

2: can do it!

You're far stronger than last year, and also

3: much faster!!

[cornliastreett]

ALREADY OVER ⎯⎯ chapter one

george clarke x singer!reader

NAVIGATION !

ALREADY OVER MASTERLIST !

NEXT CHAPTER

001. NOTE

before i say anything, this fic is starting in 2022! i plan to have lots of time jumps so will end up in 2025 probably but it is starting in 2022.

i have tried my hardest to get accurate dates and times for things but i've also had to move things around for things to make sense so if the date of something is wrong, it is probably on purpose.

hope you guys enjoy! taglist is at the bottom of this chapter!

The music blasting through the room was enough to cause a headache, mix that with the unlimited alcohol from the free bar, Y/N could guarantee she would wake up the next day with a sore head. But that was the least of her worries as she enjoyed the company of most of her friends.

The Sidemen had thrown a party celebrating the release of their own vodka, XIX. So most of Y/N’s friends were in attendance, considering most of them she had made through those 7 men she could now call her own friends.

The last 4 years of living in London and getting to know all of the incredible people around her was a dream come true. She never expected a place she once loathed to become her home, and now Y/N couldn't imagine ever leaving.

Y/N couldn't even say she enjoyed visiting her home town anymore. There was nothing for her back in Pennsylvania, except for her mother but the two didn't really have the best relationship anymore. Everything she needed was in London. The amazing people around her reminded her everyday that she made the right choice moving to London fresh out of high school.

One person in particular being Talia Mar. The older woman had taken Y/N under her wing pretty soon after she moved to London and they had been inseperable since. They had a bond that was for forever.

But Talia and the other girls Y/N had met through her weren't the only ones keeping Y/N in London.

When Y/N was sixteen she had met Isla. She had been in London visiting her dad for the summer, just like she had done every year since she was twelve. She and her sisters were spending the day at their father’s house in Kensington, bored out of their minds on a quiet Monday morning in August while he was at work. Their stepmother was home, but busy with clients, moving in and out of her office since before the girls had even gotten out of bed.

Just before lunch, one of her stepmother’s clients arrived—this time with her daughter in tow. She’d apologised repeatedly, explaining she couldn’t find a babysitter because of the school holidays. Her daughter, Isla, was fourteen at the time. Seeing an opportunity to keep the girl entertained, their stepmother asked Y/N and her sisters to keep her company.

From that very moment, Isla and Y/N hit it off. Best friends instantly, like it had been meant to happen.

They exchanged numbers and made plans to hang out a few more times before Y/N flew back home to Pennsylvania. They kept in touch over the following year, messaging and calling until the next summer rolled around—Y/N was seventeen, Isla fifteen. Their friendship grew stronger with each visit, till Y/N moved in with her father after graduating high school.

Between this and the time Isla had turned eighteen, Y/N had met Mabel. She had met her at an event she'd attended with Talia. Mabel had just gotten into acting and didn't really have any friends in the entertainment industry. So, Y/N befriended her, taken her under her wing and six months later, Y/N, Isla and Mabel were moving in together.

Y/N didn't know what she would do without them, and she wasn't ever planning on finding out.

Y/N had been scanning the room for Talia and Freya when she had spotted Chris, as he stood at the bar with a few people Y/N couldn't quite make out. It had been a while since she’d seen him, so instead of continuing her search, she made a beeline straight for Chris, a mischievous grin tugging at her lips. Slipping through the crowd, she crept up behind him and gave his sides a quick pinch. Chris jolted in surprise, whipping around, and the moment he saw her, his face lit up. Y/N burst into laughter, thoroughly amused by his reaction.

"I should have known that was you." Chris said, bringing Y/N into a tight embrace. Despite the fact Chris wasn't the tallest of people, Y/N still had to go on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around Chris' shoulders comfortably. "I can't believe how long it's been since I last saw you." It had to have been at least 4 months since the two had seen each other.

Y/N had met Chris back when she had moved to London in 2017. When Y/N had become friends with Talia practically as soon as she had moved that summer, she had been quick to introduce the younger girl to all of her friends. That was when Y/N had met Tobi, and then eventually the rest of the Sidemen and all of their friends. And Y/N liked to think she got along really well with everyone.

"I know, it's been too long." Y/N said, pulling away from the man but keeping her hands on the sides of his arms. "How have you been?"

"I've been good." Chris nodded, still smiling. "How about you? Shannon told me you've been working on new music." He added, remembering how his girlfriend had spoken about Y/N recently. Y/N had met Shannon around the same time she had met Chris and had instantly clicked with her. The two often having girls days together with Mia and Becky.

"Yeah, I'm really good. Been in the studio a bit recently." As Y/N had said this, a familiar distinctive laughter filled her ears. She removed her hands from Chris' arms and turned slightly to the left. "Is that Arthur Televisions laugh I can hear?" Y/N would have recognised that laugh anywhere.

Chris let out a laugh as he reached out next to him to nudge Arthur and gain his attention. The taller man had his back to them so hadn't seen Y/N. When he turned around, that was when Y/N could see the rest of the group Chris had been standing with. Arthur Frederick, Josh Larkin and a man Y/N had never seen before.

"Y/N!" Arthur exclaimed, a large smile on his face. He pulled the giggling girl into a hug, rocking her back and forth. He had clearly had a few drinks already.

"Hey Arthur." Y/N giggled, hugging the older man back.

"Did Chris get you over here to make himself look taller?" The voice of Josh (Chip) caused Y/N and Arthur to break away from each other.

Y/N rolled her eyes playfully and laughed. "It's the only reason he ever has me around." Y/N joked, stepping away from Arthur and towards Josh to give him a hug. "Did you leave Sabina at home?"

"Yeah the missus stayed at home." Josh said, giving the blonde girl quick hug. Y/N pouted at his response before she turned to the unfamilar face. But before she could say anything, before she could introduce herself, Chris had stepped in.

"Y/N/N, this is George." Chris said, gesturing to the brown haired man. "George, this is Y/N."

Y/N couldn’t remember ever meeting a man who looked at her the way George did, like she was both a mystery and the answer all at once. It made her want to giggle like a nervous schoolgirl, though she did her best to keep it together as their eyes locked. His eyes were gorgeous.

"Nice to meet you, George." Y/N said, extending her hand with a warm smile. She thought she had caught a flicker of hesitation in his eyes before he reached out to shake it—just a split second too long. It struck her as odd, but she brushed it off, keeping her expression bright and unfazed.

"Yeah, you too."

What Y/N didn't know was that George had recognised her instantly. he'd seen her on the Sidemen channel before—she’d popped up in one of their Tinder videos, roasted them in Strangers Roast the Sidemen, and featured on more collabs than he could count. Ever since becoming friends with Chris and the wider Sidemen circle, George had heard her name come up more times than he cared to admit.

But none of that had prepared him for meeting her in person.

There was something about the way she carried herself—effortless but captivating—that had George slightly off balance. It wasn’t nerves exactly, more like awareness. The kind you get when someone important enters a room and your instincts tell you to pay attention. And standing just a few feet away from her, that instinct was ringing loud and clear.

“So, how do you guys know each other?” she asked, glancing between the four men.

Chris was halfway through a sip when he grinned, as though he could read George's thoughts. “We met at a shoot a few months ago, he's basically one of us now."

"So, George,” Y/N said, turning her attention back to him, “how’s it been, surviving your initiation into the Sidemen circle?”

George smiled, trying not to sound too eager. “Chaotic. But fun. Never a dull moment with this lot.”

Y/N laughed, the sound light and warm. "You get used to it. After a while, it's strange when it isn't chaotic. But you have to learn how to say no with these guys. They'll get you to do anything if they know you'll say yes everytime."

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, eyes locking with hers for a brief moment.

Something flickered between them—curiosity, maybe. Or something more.

She held his gaze a second longer than necessary before turning back to Chris. George took a slow sip of his drink, trying to play it cool. But inside, something had shifted.

And he had a feeling that night was just the beginning.

yourusername posted a photo !

liked by taliamar, behzingagram and 503,203 others

yourusername life lately (and it's been pretty cool)

view all 2,900 comments

tagged taliamar miniminter bambinobecky geenelly

user NEW MUSIC???????

user simon <33

user picture of simon? bit weird

↳ user imagine your best friend posting a picture of your boyfriend in a photo dump on instagram

↳ user y/n is really close with talia AND simon, why is it weird she took a photo of him at a party that they all attended?

user y/n's relationship with talia and simon gives me life

yourusername guys, the picture of simon was from the xix launch party, don't be weird about it

taliamar just a girl and her baguette

❤️ by yourusername

bambinobecky adam sandler vibes are strong in the last photo

❤️ by yourusername

user new music soon please 😢

chrismd10 did your clothes stop fitting you in the last photo because you’re so tiny

↳ yourusername you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you christopher

freyanightingale pretty girl

❤️ by yourusername

mabelparker not part of the photo dump? okay

↳ yourusername only photo's i've taken of you recently are you in the apartment napping

georgeclarkeey followed yourusername

yourusername followed georgeclarkeey

georgeclarkeey liked this post !

ALREADY OVER TAGLIST !

tags: @lottiewills @sophiexxclarkey @sundarksposts @rkaya @lovingaphroditesworld @theresglitteronthefloor @golden-hoax @duolingofanaccount @courtjjade @dopeysunflowers @tyna-19 @madforgeorge @just-yazz @madsclarkey @justheretoreadthxxs @happyclifford @hey-there9-its-me @clarkey4life

[sparklykat-hideoutenthusiast]

I've seen people doing an intro post so I suppose I should do the same right? I have no idea how to do this, I'm just winging it :3

INTRO POST TIME WOOO!!

[last updated: sat dec 7th at 7:18 PM 2024]

(I update this often, a reread of it every now and then would be greatly appreciated!)

Maybe every week/month depending on your time scale? ↑

Follow my other blog where I reblog a bunch of stuff and things for the full experience of my personality and interests! @eckos-reblogs :3

@everytime-i-reach-the-postlimit ←Exactly as the name entails

@nature-is-mystical ←is my other random blog that you can follow as well if you want.

that blog is just for reblogging nature stuff and posting nature stuff. (Occasionally rhymes come with it ig)

side blog for fanart!: @sonar-fanart-hall

I'm always working on making reference sheets for OCs ^^

Chill dude side blog: @cool-dudes-official

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

I will continue to edit this, probably for the rest of time to get it right since I'm a slight perfectionist lol

Hello! I've been an artist for around 5 to 6 years, and I still kinda suck at it! I do traditional art normally but I've been branching out to digital art as well. I mostly draw animals, anthropomorphic creatures, creatures in general, whatever beautifully ugly faces I can come up with, and sometimes human faces!

I classify as a furry but do not reblog a ton of furry stuff nor do I have a fursuit. I just like drawing and seeing anthropomorphic animals :3

Furries, Therians, anyone of lgbtq+ community (including ace people cuz apparently there's a debate about that), weirdos (but NOT in the gross way), and more are welcome on my blog! :3 ❤️ (you're kinda automatically welcome if you're kind anyway lol but whatevs :3)

Tags and stuff! To help you find stuff in my blog better through search :)

#Ecko draws -exactly as is obvious, it will be for when I make art, digital or traditional.

#Echo Rambles -For posts of mine that include mainly me talking about random stuff

#Echo rants - for when I rant. Similar to #Echo rambles but different..

#Echo answers - For when I answer asks!! :D

#The Clowder seeks - For when you guys ask me stuff!

#Mama Change - For when I mention my mom. (Her name is change..or it's more of a nickname but no one calls her by her actual name except for professional/job people like a dentist or something)

#Echo asks - For when I ask questions :3 lol

#Eckos moots <3 - for interactions with moots, obviously 🙄 (I love y'all sm)

#Ecko irl - me irl

My main Media for traditional art is, pens, pencil, gel pens, paint markers (posca) and normal markers! I hope to soon branch out to ink! (Maybe one day you'll get to see some watercolor stuff from me. It's not that good of watercolor art and I don't enjoy painting too much tbh)

Anatomy You say? Don't know her 😔

If you are interested, I do art requests! It's not guaranteed to be good or to be done quickly but I will try my very best every time. You can even request multiple times if you'd like! Like a ton of times! I really don't mind!

You can also request art of fandoms I'm not in but make sure to give me a good reference or the drawing will look off :3

Art requests open until further notice.

If there's something I don't mention here that you're wondering if I can draw or not, give me an ask in my inbox and I'll let you know! (Pls, I'm friendly I swear)

You can also dm me if you'd like but I'd prefer the askbox instead (⁠´⁠-⁠﹏⁠-⁠`⁠；⁠)

I can't draw/don't want to draw: items, anatomy, bodies (unless you want the equivalent of a boxy stick figure), rendering, lighting, dragons (without a reference), romance/NSFW (no, just no.), hands, human legs (for the life of me 😭), +more

I can draw/like to draw: faces, animals (mostly cat related ones but you can request any animal and I'll at least try to draw it.), different hair styles (only with a reference), eye bags (I think they're pretty lol), dragons (only with a good reference), gore (not the best at it but I'll will try my best to make something nice and bloody for ya!), +more!

My name is Ecko and it's my preferred name but you can refer to me as Melleona (my OC) or by a nickname as well if you'd like! (just please ask me first if you want to use a nickname as I'm bad with setting boundaries.)

My pronouns are She/Her but feel free to refer to me as it/it's! :3

Speaking of which! This is my OC, Melleona:

She is 14 years old, she is introverted and blunt but also shy and insecure. She has anxiety, dealt with a bit of depression, and she's very casual as well as lazy (like me lol)

She's half Cat, she has greyish blue eyes (not visible in the drawing), slightly blueish black hair that's long enough to reach her ankles, she has a mushroom themed party hat, and some wicked whiskers!

If there's anything you'd like to ask me about her or ask her, go ahead and ask away! I love anons and normal asks! ❤️❤️❤️ (There is a slight filter on the drawing. I'll edit this later and put her color palette below ❤️)

I'm a minor! Mind your words, don't send me gross/weird asks or messages. (I've already had a few people message me asking for my age, a picture of me, and my sexuality. No, I will not be sharing my real appearance on here. my age? Minor, that's all you need to know. My sexuality? I don't know and you don't need to know either, respectfully ^^❤️)

IDC if I post something slightly suggestive or that says I know about 18+ themes. I posted it, not someone saying something to me of those themes. Sure, I understand the stuff but It really doesn't matter now does it? It just means I understand enough to know you shouldn't be saying that stuff to me. (Boundaries ✨)

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I do half-curse in posts from time to time. I do censor it a bit tho, like "f7ck" for example. Hope ya don't mind (⁠；⁠^⁠ω⁠^⁠）

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I'd appreciate it if people reblogged my art!

I don't appreciate reposting it however.

Just in case you don't know what the difference between reposting rather than reblogging: it's when you (typically) take a screenshot of the art, and then repost it on either Tumblr or a different app rather than hitting the reblog button!

While this has never happened to me personally, I do feel like it's worth mentioning.

Oh, and, don't under a circumstance feed my art to AI. I can forgive reposting my art. I put out there for people to see not to get fame from it but under no circumstances EVER will I allow feeding my art to AI. It is not human. It does not make art.

AI artists don't exist unless it's used ONLY to assist with a process that is still mostly YOUR OWN SKILLS THAT YOU'VE CULTIVATED OVER TIME. AI is NOT art but it can HELP with art.

ミ⁠●⁠﹏⁠☉⁠ミ-ミ⁠●⁠﹏⁠☉⁠ミ-ミ⁠●⁠﹏⁠☉⁠ミ-ミ⁠●⁠﹏⁠☉⁠ミ-ミ⁠●⁠﹏⁠☉⁠ミ

don't dm asking me to commission from you. like said before, I don't have money bc I'm a minor + I don't like being pestered for me commission you. talk to me like a person, not an ATM.

If I want to commission someone, I will dm them and even then, I'm most likely to commission art from a friend to support them.

I support the lgbtq+ community! And I don't discriminate against race. I really shouldn't have to say this. (˘⁠･⁠_⁠･⁠˘)

I will respond to money asks with "!!" And that's it. I don't have money and even if I did I don't got any money to spare. I'm broke and struggling too. Not to mention, I'm a minor and can't just go out and get the stuff. I hope you understand and I wish you all the best!❤️❤️❤️

Some games and shows and stuff I like:

Shows and stuff: Rick and Morty, adventure time, lost in space, bsd (never watched it but I've seen enough of it on the Internet to know a bit about it. Very interesting :3), Some of the Life Minecraft series, httyd, doctor who, and more!

Games/fandoms: Yonder(Yonder Cloud Catcher Chronicles.), Minecraft, the Stanley parable, tiny bit of South Park, cotl, MLP(childish I know but I don't care. I love them), creepypasta, SCPs, Trevor Henderson's creatures (mostly cartoon cat), plants vs zombies, fran bow, little misfortune, and more!

Stuff and things (hobbies?): Art, apparently I make rhymes now too??, rollerblading, climbing, Hiking (iffy), sleeping, being annoying+lazy, doom scrolling, interacting with people, and more!

(I'm not really in any fandoms really..kinda like on the edge of being in each and every fandom I come across..)

General facts about me! Yippee!

I think eye bags and wrinkles are pretty (odd, I know lol), I live in a bus (not decked out like you see on social media though. We just live in a bus lol), I live with my ma (my dad is my step dad and he and my mom just broke up psooo ye), I blank out a lot and just stare at people for no reason (which freaks them out), I have greyish blue eyes (a long with some, I'm pretty sure permanent eye bags lol), I get energy right before nighttime mostly (and then it disappears as soon as it reaches around 11 pm to 12 am), My favorite color is maroon (and any type of blue along with orange and yellow and forest green..mostly just comfy vibe colors tbh but maroon is a fixed piece), my favorite animal is a cat (although I have a dog. Muffin doesn't count as a dog, she's practically human. Apart of the family.), and more!

(I'll update this as I go)

[I will block as I see fit]

Do not interact with my blog if: You're racist, you only or mostly have sexual themes on your own blog (I apologize but it makes me uncomfortable. Have some other interests and it might make me less uncomfortable ^^), if you in general just enjoy hating on people for no reason (I like to make my area a safe space for people) if you're a Zoophile (No explanation really needed but animals can't consent.) (more will be added later when I think of what to add)

Don't dm me unless you're a moot or you say your intentions within the first 1-3 messages. (moots that I've interacted with can send me a dm unprompted with stated intentions anytime they'd like. Special privileges ✨)

(Added a specific part of that bc a moot felt they were making me uncomfortable by having such themes on their blog. I didn't really realize at first but yes that does make slightly uncomfortable but I don't really care as long as you have other interests. If s3x is your only interest, it weirds me out to have those types of people interact with me. Just know you're all good moot, you're not the type of person I was aiming it at. There are other people that just don't think about anything else but $ex and relationships that creep me out and you are not one of them. ^^❤️)

Things about me, (random stuff): I am cringe from time to time, my fav colors are maroon and any kind of blue, orange is nice too though,

I appreciate any and all constructive criticism. IDC if it sounds rude and might hurt my feelings, TELL ME so I can help better myself and my blog! I'm dum and will most likely not notice I'm doing something weird or anything :P <3

•Send me asks! Wanna to hug one of my OCs, Want to slap the sh1t out of one of em, Want to introduce me to a new (or old) fandom I don't know of but you think I might be interested in, Want to say hi, Want to give a music suggestion, send an ask!

I LOVE interaction and if possible, I want to be busy with asks at all times so send a ton!

•Moots:

@theachskid @voidsweirdthoughts @burningbutter @rafrfr @rateater2000

@footlongdingledong @ender-the-insomniac @thistlebriar @rspoetry @virtualcroissantflapcolor

@jawdoesstuff @storythesilly @yourfavoritecuntist @chamber-of-voices @i-draw-things

@2oo7xddd @catsreblogging @silli-billy15 @totally-not-a-commie @khloethecatsworld

@1nd13gh0st @cur1os1tyk1lledme @nonbinaryriverclan @ilove-fanart-and-lore405 @hermitchild

@my-mom-named-me-duck @hermitchild

@williamsart12345 @lilytheaxoltollover @twobraincellsremaining @nn-the-doodle @emmajasonartz

@bugba-bugbee @railway323 @xho-the-scribble @asqadia-banthen @nasthesilly @ceaselessbackflips

@the-anxious-acrobat @justuravghazbin @callmekiyo24 @maybeyoullfindthissomeday

@sensehumor ♥️

+any future moots/one's I might have forgotten (I hope I wouldn't forget anyone 🥲)

If you don't like being tagged in tag games, let me know and I'll move your name over here cuz I copy paste the ones above for tagging in stuff: (nothing here yet!)

Moot side blogs: @thistlebriar-tags @my-dad-named-me-goose @mysterious-other-being @

Btw, moot/friend privileges: tagging me in whatever the heck you want, sending nonstop and possibly annoying asks, dming me and having a convo at random, +more! I love all y'all and am more than happy to interact ❤️

My art ↑

Yippee!! That's all for now folks! ❤️

I'll update this whole thing as I go, any questions, just send an ask and I'll update this with the answer as well as you know- replying in general lol :3

I seem incredibly childish in this intro post and my general posts but do know, I am over 12 years of age lmao 🤣

I'mma keep some notes here as well... mostly for tone stuffs cuz I can't remember these 😭

/lh = lighthearted

/j = joking

/hj = half joking

[madebycoffee]

The person who get 0 notes just wants a few. The person who gets a few notes wants just to get to double digits. The person getting double digits thinks it's not good enough unless it's getting near 30 or 50. the person getting THAT is wanting to get to triple digits. The people getting triple digits think their posts are failing if they get double digits.

If you have a post that takes off one day, the one you post next doesn't do as well you think you've failed. But... that's just how engagement works??? Sometimes things are going to hit better, and usually you will NEVER be able to guess which one takes off. It surprises me that one of my all time most downloaded posepacks are the super boring 'confessional' poses. Or that a silly post I make half assed super late gets a bunch of attention when something I'm really proud of doesn't even get a reblog.

I posted for like two years straight on my simblr and only 1 person was reading it and liking it at the time. One. Now I get at least 10 people! And they'll reply to posts semi regularly!! That's incredible to me! Would I like the level of conversations I see happening in other people's notes? Obviously, that'd be so much fun! But it's ok that I don't have that. Maybe I will one day!

It's going to take time to build an audience. My legacy on my simblr has been going for nearly 7 years, and I would only say within the last year or so I have any sort of an audience. I've seen many people leave and join and leave simblr again in that time. There are lulls on simblr when people are less active.

I guess what I'm getting at is yeah, you're probably always going to want more than what you already have. But I find that it means more to me when some of my favorite mutuals or friends on here reply to a post of mine than if it gets 100 notes. 🤸‍♀️🤷‍♀️

[hana-a-chattic]

Karasuno first years and Talent.

I've recently seen a quote that goes something like, Genius is a product of obsession. Can't remember the exact words, but there's plenty of similar ones, you get the idea.

I wholeheartedly believe that's what partrayal of "talent" in Haikyuu!! is like.

The character that has the word "talent" thrown at him most is probably Kageyama. He must be one of, if not the, best players overall in the story. He also started playing when he was 7/8. And even before that, volleyball was everywhere around him at his home. He also dedicates his entire life to the sport. He's never shown to care about anything else, no sign of having any other hobby (dude doesn't know how to use a PSP ffs).

Have you seen the guy's room in anime?

Yeah. It's empty as hell, with only volleyball magazines and workout equipment in the shot. If he's not practicing with the ball, he's working out. He only approaches his peers when he needs it for better performance. And I'm not saying that to be rude, or sad, he seems content. Because that's his obsession.

Hinata? His teammates and rivals alike unanimously agrees he - from the technical standpoint - sucks at the beginning. He picked it up when he was 12/13, and even then, it's shown he only started getting actual practice in his last year of middle school, so, 14/15. He's been doing it for less than a year. (Oh, ye also has casual social life, friends outside of this one thing he does, and ejoys - or, at least, used to enjoy - doing other stuff with them)

But now he gets actual coach, actual people who know how to play with him on the team, and of course, Kageyama. With whom he can stay well into the night practicing, go running together. Compared to Kageyama, he lacks experience. A lot of experience. And compared to many other players in his position, he lacks physicality. Height. But he makes up for it with sheer enthusiasm, basically. By joining Kageyama in allowing the sports take over his life, even flying to another side of planet. He's also, definitely, obsessed.

Tsukishima is not. He found joy in it, enough to join a pro team, albeit not the best one (sorry Frogs I swear I love you). But he also went to uni. Got a degree. Got a stable, public servant job. He has at least one friend (from whom we know he does play video games lol). He has other interests, showcased for the first time ironically in his room.

This one ball game never was and never will be end-all be-all to his life. And he's not a genius, no one would call him that. But he's pretty good, isn't he? Part of it is genetic lottery, sure (both he and his brother are Tall for Japanese boys), but even outside of that, he's good. And he also has to have been doing it since he was 8/9, although for most of the time, he wasn't really putting himself into it. And he was plenty familiar with it even before, with his brother playing it at least since Kei was 6. To a lesser extent than Kageyama, but Tsukishima also grew up with it, watching his brother play, probably watching other people play with his brother. He's no genius, he's no maniac, but he knows this stuff.

And then there's Yamaguchi. The only person out of them who dropped the sport after highschool, despite putting so much effort during those 3 years. Because it doesn't really seem like it was ever about volleyball, for Yamaguchi. It was about his pride. It was about proving himself he can do it. It was about no longer just envying "stronger" people, but actually standing tall and proud by their side. I can't figure out when he started playing it (i.e. met Tsukishima, in his case), has to be 8-10, but he says it himself: all he knew was the fun volleyball, a game you play with buddies, a club activity you do to hang out with your friends. And with sad self-sabotaging best friend by his side, he didn't ask for much else. Until he did. He probably couldn't go pro with his skill set, but it doesn't seem like he wants to, either. He likes volleyball, sure. As an adult, he watches it on TV and even visits faraway games in person. He's probably extremely supportive of his pro league friends. But he seems content with that. He's casual.

Haikyuu!! is pretty fair in this way. You can have an innate advantage, be it physical or the sort of family you're born to, but at the end of the day - the more you sacrifice, the more you earn. And the more of an obsessed crazy freak you are, the more you enjoy every single sacrifice you made, I suppose.

(I wouldn't know I kin Tsukishima lol)

[andorerso]

wait, I thought I was done but I forgot to post my usual live thoughts so here we go, these are my last thoughts about this arc. disclaimer: VERY salty (not you episode 8, we love you)

episode 7

glad to see Yavin but how is it already this operational? would have liked to see that

literally what the fuck is this hut and how is it realistic that they'd get this in any shape or form 😭

EADU MENTION

idk I don't like the force healer thing. Cassian's not chosen. he's just a guy who wants to do the right thing. that's the whole point of R1

DRAVEN MY MANNNNN

"the day I need permission to come and go, I'm gone" LMAO SHUT THE FUCK UP. YOU FUCKING IMPOSTOR

going on an unsanctioned mission a year pre r1. brilliant. spectacular. makes so much sense, I love it

"we're building a real army" well I wish I could have seen that!!

"Cassian's a leader now" wish I could have seen that too

brain does go brrrrr when Cassian is competent. this is the moments I like, when he's on a mission

episode 8

I'm sorry but "rebellions are built on hope" felt like such a random thing to say in response to that? I… don't like it. it's not my biggest gripe but I wanted those to be his own words

I don't know why they're using their real names with each other out here… use your code names ffs!

is the one that keeps staring Kay 👀👀 my beloved droid

oof Syril choking Dedra. yikes…

the Syril and Cassian fight my god!!

he really did that one meme 💀 rip Syril

Cassian will never understand what just happened here lmao

Cassian helping a stranger get up as they escape 🥺 a small detail but THAT'S my man

don't have much else to say. I did really enjoy this episode, definitely my favorite of the season by FAR, and probably up there with The Eye

episode 9

my casskleya crumbs

yeah. so he witnesses Ghorman and he thinks that's it, I'm done? THIS late into the timeline? fuck this honestly, I'm enraged

at least Kleya read him for filth

"I need to start making my own decisions" the way I fully burst out laughing. bitch you've been doing that THIS WHOLE TIME. like you CANNOT be serious

Mon speech cleared!!

"your cousin Vel is a friend" I'd like to see it

competent Cassian still has me kicking my feet and giggling. him rescuing Mon is solid stuff. too bad this won't last

I really thought Mon's speech at least affected him and he changed his mind but no, he still wants to leave. lmao the clownery

"I've done what I can, and I've done a lot" and are we supposed to just believe it? how about you fucking show us? because all I've seen this season (except arc 1 but he was barely in that) is him playing house, resisting going on missions and wanting, in general, to be done with it

he can just stop talking? this is so insanely OOC I fucking hate it. fucking hell I'm furious this is the direction they thought to take him in

I can't believe she drugs him 💀 was that the entire point of her drug addiction or....? because we hadn't seen anything of that in this arc

so... I'm meant to believe that he stays because his gf leaves him? that he literally has to be FORCED into committing? wow. what a brilliantly brave and selfless choice from our hero. so impressed 👏 genius writing

"I'm choosing for the both of us. I'm choosing the rebellion." IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SOMETHING HE CHOOSES ON HIS OWN BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING, BECAUSE HE BELIEVES IN IT, BECAUSE HE WANTS TO. GOD FUCK OFF

he doesn't even get to reprogram Kay. they just take everything from us

and also... Kay was literally not even in this arc

fucking hate it here goodbye

[mahou-furbies]

The results for the Favourite Precure poll 2025 are in!

Top 7 Cures:

Cure La Mer (132 points)

Cure Sky (113 points)

Cure Milky (109 points)

Cure Flora (104 points)

Cure Blossom (98 points)

Cure Prism (94 points)

Cure Moonlight (91 points)

Top 7 side Cures:

Cure Mofurun (59 points)

Cure Infini (53 points)

Cure Echo (39 points)

Regina / Cure Joker (38 points)

"Cure Daifuku" (36 points)

"Cure Satoru" (34 points)

Dark Precure (Heartcatch) (33 points)

Victory for Laura once again! She also won last year's poll and even outside that the top spots mainly have familiar faces, though there has been some movement too. The highest placing Idol Precure was Kyun-Kyun, ranking 26th with 45 points.

Last year Cure Fortune was the only main Cure not to get any votes, but this time she got three, with the highest being 4th favourite. Good for her! Meanwhile Cures Ace, Earth, Yum-Yum and Finale did not get any votes, better luck next time.

As for the side Cures, I was not surprised at Mofurun, Infini and Regina doing well, but I had no idea Echo this popular.

Thanks to everyone who voted, and especially for any comments, those are always fun to read.

Comments and Top 25/20 under cut:

Thank you for organizing the poll o/

Let's go Parfait! 💚

There are so many Precure now. .. I had to have another tab open to remember them all!

None of my favourites made it last year, so I am hoping this is it!

COME ON CURE KAGURA (has only just seen Dancing Star subbed)

LET'S GO PIKARIO CMON BABY WOOOOOOO!!! THAT'S MY GIRL!!!!!

I love Cure Sunshine so much okay. I just love her a lot. I want her to win

Go Regina!

Choosing to rank my top 3 is so hard… They're pretty much equal in my eyes.

Sky <3

I shudder to think what the 25th anniversary movie will look like

okay but fr dark dream and cure blossom mirage in particular are the goats of non-all star cures

this was hard. i love so many of these characters so much! as me again tomorrow and my answer will probably look pretty different. the only one i'm confident is putting mofurun as my number 1 minor cure. my main cure rankings thouh are all over the place. plus there are many seasons i need to actually watch to get a real opinion on (there are more then 20 seasons. i've seen a good chunk but a good chunk are still on the list)

Hope that we will get an actual Green Cure someday

Geez I need to get back to my rewatch

Kinda unfair to not include Black Pepper while Pikario and the bunny boys are there 💔💔

i hope we'll get a gemstone themed season next year 🙏

Kimi To Idol Precure Is My Favorite Precure Series! I hope it becomes a sub franchise in the big franchise!

Cure names last two seasons aren't following the previously estabilished rules… also please Toei stop naming the lead after the season, it is my pet peeve.

Where's Bunbi! I wanna vote for Bunbi! He's so bby girl🎀✨️

Thank you for this poll. I'm interested in the results!!!! :-)

Rating the minor Cures is so difficult, because I like a lot more of them than three! Also, some of them count as duos for me… Michiru/Kaoru and Satoru/Daifuku to be specific. I'm glad these characters are included in the poll though because they're so important!!!

Shout out to all my other favorite Cures! (roughly half of them lol) They're all first place in my heart <3

I haven’t even heard of half of these minor cures

ive mainly watched tropre, sky and wonpre

Hope my 7th favorite cure vote helps Cure Fortune to get at least a vote :,v

[Regarding Black Pepper, I considered him but in the end did not include him, because I thought he belonged to a clear non-Precure character "class" as a Cook Fighter, unlike Pikario and the bunny duo whose have similar powers and aesthetic to the Cures. So I felt that if I included him it would open up the debate for all other ally characters.]

Side Cures

[butchsophiewalten]

Twitter Space Recap July 28th 2024

Last Sunday Martin, Eva, Kyle did a Twitter Space, with intermittent appearances from Coral! Here are some of the Q&A answers and other interesting things they talked about:

-Someone asks if TWF5 is going to be longer or shorter than TWF4, and Martin says that he currently predicts it to be "a bit longer".

-Somebody asks how Laura Peony (Rosemary's sister) looks. He says that she looks similar to Rose, probably, but that he honestly doesn't have much of a design in mind for her. Something fun to me is that he calls her "Sophie's aunt", rather than calling her Rosemary's sister, which is interesting when remembering one of Martin's previous statements that Rosemary doesn't have a very good relationship with her family.

-Someone asks about something Martin said in a Q&A a while ago, about Jenny going through many redesigns before her current and final design, and if we could see any of them. Eva ends up sharing one of Martin's old drawings of one of these designs, even though Martin says that he really hates it.

He mentions that she looks "too normal" and that she "looks like she's straight."

-Someone asks, "Who or what was the thing behind Bon and Sha in the TV in TWF2?" and Martin answers that it's Susan. (slowed gif relevant)

-Someone asks about how the Relocate Project trio all met each other, and Martin explains how in his original vision for the characters, they were this really close and inseparable group of long-time friends, but that he's recently kinda revised that idea, thinking it'd be more realistic if they were just work friends, who met each other through their jobs and all had full, separate lives and maybe weren't so inseparably close.

-Someone asks how old Kevin is in TWF2, and Martin explains that the relocate trio's ages are something that he's kinda retconned. He brings up an old image of Ashley that gets passed around by the fanbase sometimes which says she'd be 19 years old in 1978, saying that in his mind now, she'd be 22 at the time. He says "-and there's a reason for this, there's a reason for this. There are things about, uh, Ashley, and some things about the rest of the episode 2 crew that we haven't seen yet."

-Martin and Eva joke back and forth about an idea they both like, which is that Bon can create or mimic noises with his animatronic voice box, and that he likes to do stuff like bark and people in K-9, just to freak them out. Martin says, "Wait, did you know that this actually happens, in one of the episodes? In episode 2, Bon fucking plays rabbit noises, to mess with Ashley. When the lights go out, Bon-- he's imitating a rabbit."

-Martin says, "Somebody asked if the baby doll we see in Souvenir and TWF4 will have meaning in the future. Ah, yes it will."

-Someone asks, "Are we gonna get wholesome Rosemary content in the upcoming episodes?" and Martin and the rest of the crew shoot the shit for awhile, alluding ironically to the torment (emotional and otherwise) she will almost certainly be met with in the upcoming episode.

-Martin mentions that he's working on something related to TWF7, and says, "I genuinely think that episode 7 is going to be the most hated episode of The Walten Files ever. I've talked about this with Eva before." Martin and Eva refer to it sneakily as the "yuri" episode, and we know from previous Q&As and spaces that TWF7 is most likely going to be about Sophie and Jenny's relationship, possibly detailing how they met. Martin says, "I think- it's not because of what is in it [that it will be hated], it's more like, it's the least 'Walten Files' episode of The Walten Files."

Kyle says, "To be fair, I feel like season 2 is going to be such a tone shift and it's gonna do so much, that it's gonna be like, "Woah!" You're gonna send people back, like, 20 feet in surprise."

-Somebody asks if Jack is addicted to smoking, and if Felix gets on his ass about it. Martin says "I don't think Jack is addicted, I think Jack just smokes because he thinks smoking is cool. I wouldn't say addicted, but I'd say Rosemary smokes out of like, a place of, like, stress and anxiety. Instead of just as a hobby, in a way."

-Someone asks if Susan is skinny. Martin says, "I don't think Susan is very skinny, I would say Susan is more--" and Eva fills in with "Muscular..?" to which Martin replies, "Yeah, I was gonna say that, I couldn't find the right word. Yeah, considering she usually helps build the stuff, and shit like that, while Charles sits on his ass and stays on his computer all day, like a fucking lazy bitch. Just programming shit."

-Martin openly laments that Charles doesn't have more of a fanbase for him as in individual character. He goes, "Do I have to wait for the next two episodes to drop, so I can fucking have a Charles fandom? That's so sad."

-According to Kyle, Charles' favorite Sonic the Hedgehog character would be Knuckles. Martin says he doesn't know a lot about Sonic, but that Jack's favorite character would be Doctor Eggman, because he's the only human character.

-Martin and Eva talk for a bit about who would win in a fight between Bon and a bunch of different animatronic characters from Five Nights at Freddy's, with him losing terribly to most or all of them. Eva determines that he could definitely win against normal human William Afton, and Martin says he could, at least, probably win against The Puppet. Martin says, "Y'know how dogs grab, like, a toy? And shake it around? Bon just fucking bites-- and starts fucking shaking the animatronics around."

-Somebody asks, "Do Brian and Kevin know each other?" and Martin says, "No, they don't. I don't think Brian knows anybody from the rest of the series. Why would he?"

-Martin says, "I like to think- in the apartment [Jenny and Sophie] live in- It's really funny to me, the idea that Jenny knows everybody in the building and is friends with everybody, and Sophie isn't. Like, it's like, imagine in everyone else's perspective, its like 'Ohh, there's Jenny!', and she's like this really sweet person, and then there's just Sophie, this fucking-- this silent, weird girl that's always seen next to Jenny."

-Martin asks Eva, "What to you think of episode 7?" to which she replies, "It's very yuriful." He responds saying, "That's true." Eva later appends saying, "It's also a very good episode."

-Someone asks, "Will there be a Walten Files 5 & 6 trailer soon?" and Martin replies, "I have an idea for a trailer, but I know know if it's necessary, considering I don't want to show what happens in the episodes. I want people to go in completely blind."

-Eva reads a question that she likes, but is worried is too spoilery. "What's Sophie's relationship with her medication? Does she resent having to take it? Does Jenny know that she's on it?" Martin responds, "We cannot answer that. Because the medication Sophie's on will be expanded on." appends later going "I love how my original idea for Sophie's pills was like, it was never addressed it any way. It was just like, 'oh, she's just taking pills.'"

-Somebody asks about Hidie the Raccoon from the Showstoppers Cartoon, and Martin says that he's a burglar who pretends to be a collector for charity, but just steals the money.

-Someone asks about Madness Meridian. Martin says, "It was a book that was like, a more realistic version of The Walten Files. And it was like, 'what if The Walten Files was, like, completely made up by Sophie?', and it was like, it was really bad. And I remember I worked a lot in the book, but I lost it on an old computer, so."

-Someone asks if we're ever going to see the Showstoppers singing for real, instead of just performing over a preexisting song, and Martin says yes!

-Someone asks about the Findjackwalten page that was recently discovered, /jennyslair-dot-com-worldwideweb, which is currently password protected. Martin says that it will be a page soon, so the page's content is probably not currently meant to be accessed.

[cbrownjc]

Hello :) I was wondering if we ever got confirmation about which books Rolin is interested in focusing this adaptation on? I know that they'll probably take elements from most (if not all) VC books, but if they're aiming at 7-8 seasons with some books taking multiple seasons to adapt, they're going to have to pick and choose which books to really dig into.

I was also thinking about production. I've seen people talk about how we'll need to wait another 1.5-2 years between seasons and I kinda doubt that? I feel like we'll start speeding things up and getting a new season every year, mostly because I just can't see them go for 12+ years of production on this show. Very few shows nowadays go more than 10 years, and if they really want to do 7-8 seasons I can't see how they'll manage that with 1.5 to 2 years in between each season. I understand they're in for the long haul with the Immortal Universe but...that's very long in the modern drama landscape.

Honestly I am mostly just hoping to get new seasons more frequently and also be able to see their full vision realized because the longer it goes on the higher the chance they'll run into issues like actor availability, leadership changes that could impact renewals, budget restrictions, etc. What do you think?

Hello!

Okay, first to answer the production question. Now, while many shows rarely go past 10 years wrt production of them, that is really dependent on their Season count. Game of Thrones, for example, only ran for 8 Seasons, and production only lasted 8 years as well.

The Walking Dead ran for 11 Seasons and was produced over 12 years.

AMC has said in the past (or, at least, Rolin Jones has said that AMC has said) that they wanted 10 Seasons for IWTV. RJ, however, has been consistent in saying he has an 8 Season plan.

So whether the show continues on for at least 2 more years after Rolin's 8 Season plan is up in the air right now and we should just focus on, at most, getting 8 Seasons, Which yes, I think will take over the course of 8-9 years to film.

Because I think starting with Season 3, the wait and production times will decrease over time. Remember, the strikes threw a bit of a wrench into things. But what also did regarding Season 2 was that it's clear that Rolin and the writing staff didn't start actually writing Season 2 until AMC had officially greenlit Season 2 back in September of 2022. That is why shooting for Season 2 couldn't start in the fall of 2022, there were no scripts broken, let alone written yet!

And then, once the scripts were done, they still had to start pre-production stuff, such as location scouting, figuring out which sets needed to be built, etc.

So shooting for Season 2 could only start shooting when it did because it was the earliest they could get all that done once they were given a renewal notice.

I think things are very different when it comes to Season 3 because I think, even if the show hadn't already been quietly renewed for Season 3 before it was officially announced, RJ and the other writers were already breaking and writing the scripts for Season 3 starting either just before or while Season 2 was airing. And so given that writing time, plus the fact that they probably don't have to do as much location scouting (since many of those locations were already found in Season 2) pre-production will likely take less time.

I think filming will begin in late October, meaning we'd get an October 2025 release date. Which I think will be the standard release window going forward with each new season and why the wait will be another long one again, but that will also give the production staff and actors breathing room after they are done filming a season before going into the next one.

So for that reason, I can see production of the show lasting 9-10 years, but that is because of the extra 1/2 year gaps between the filming and airing of Season 2 and the one I feel we are going to get for Season 3.

As well as the fact that I think when they get to Queen of the Damned, that will be a true split-season like the one Breaking Bad got for its final season. That show had Season 5, Part 1, and Season 5, Part 2. Because even though this past season was called "Season 2" externally, you can see by the episode numbers that internally, what this really was was "Season 1, Part 2."

Anyway, as to the books being adapted -- and not just having elements taken from them -- Rolin has said for sure we are getting IWTV (which we just finished), The Vampire Lestat (Season 3), Queen of the Damned (which is where he spoke about it being so epic and grand a story that they will probably have to split the season in order to tell it all) and Tale of the Body Theif (which he confirmed after Season 2 was finished that they were beginning to already set up for). He also mentioned at Comic-Con in 2022 that Prince Lestat would be adapted.

Also, while RJ talked about the book The Vampire Armand being important, he's never said it would get its own separate adaptation, which honestly makes sense. Because of the way that book is told, you can just interweave elements of it when you want to focus on Armand's backstory, or even just do a stand-alone episode here and there dedicated to parts of it. It really isn't the kind of book you do a full season on IMO.

So yeah. The books that we know for sure are getting their own, full adaptations per RJ so far are IWTV, TVL, QotD, TotBT, and PL.

I can see them throwing elements of books like Memnoch, TVA, and Blood and Gold into it all, but I don't know if they'll get their own full-season adaptations. As I said, I don't think TVA will. And I don't think B&G will either, as I see it just like TVA -- you adapt elements of it during a season, maybe even full sections of it for a flashback episode or so during a season, but it doesn't get its own full stand-alone season.

The same goes for Merrick, since they already did Louis' suicide attempt and Louis seems to be moving forward from his despair and grief regarding Claudia -- so that even if Lestat did fall into his post-Memnoch coma in the show, I'm not sure this Louis would attempt to end his life again over that loss. (Even more so after this Louis also got that letter from Lestat in the past, telling Louis to please live on in the event of his death.)

I have no idea if they are seriously going to ever do Blackwood Farm or Blood Canticle. Neither book has ever been mentioned, even in passing. Plus, they kind of depend on what and where Mayfair Witches is at or has going on at the time and well, that show . . . 😅

Oh! And they might be looking to adapt the whole Prince Lestat trilogy, but I don't remember if RJ has talked about adapting the whole trilogy -- meaning the entirety of each book -- or just the full first book and then elements from the other two. (Because I do think it's clear that, if anything, we'll get the Loustat ballroom dance from Blood Communion in the final season of the show).

So yeah, I think that this is what we're looking at for the next few years, book adaptation-wise.

[cosmicjoke]

Hi again, Cosmic!! I know I just wrote here like 2 days ago, but I was unable to sleep at all with not much to do and I had the bright idea to do something entertaining with the paper I had by writing down actual (bananafish related) questions to contribute to your ask me anything. I hope the handwriting isn't too bad. I can leave a typed translation if you need it, but as of right now Im being very lazy - Also, Im not sure exactly sure why, but despite having no clue what you look like, I sketched a drawing of us together by drawing you as what maybe you look like - I hope you dont mind it. I'm not any artist at all. My only intentions are that I thought it would maybe bring some joy or something. So I hope it can!

Hey there brookshieldsfan! Sorry for not getting back to you until now, I've just been a bit busy the last, couple days.

Anyway, thank you so much for your questions about WIEN, and for the drawing! That's very sweet of you!

I'll try my best to answer your questions without going into a whole essay, lol.

That's a tough question to answer. I think, more than anything, especially if we're talking about Ash at the start of my story, that I would just want to tell him that he's worth so much more than he's been made to feel and believe about himself, and that it's possible for him to break free and live a good and normal life. I would want to encourage him to believe in that possibility for himself. Of course, the tragedy for Ash is that he never really had an adult in his life to help him toward that end, or to encourage that belief in himself. I think in order for Ash to truly break free of the life he was trapped in, he would have needed the help of an adult, and he just never really got that.

Chapter 12 was rough to write, just because it's a flashback to the first time Ash is raped, and he's just a very young child, and because I didn't want to sugarcoat it or hold back on the horror of it, I found it difficult to write. Trying to get into the mindset of a 7 year old boy going through something like that for the first time was hard. I also found chapter 19 really painful to write, because of the cruelty of what Marvin and Frog put Ash through, with the situation with Ryan, and the self-hatred Ash feels for himself in the aftermath, even though none of it was his fault. And then chapter 70, because it deals with some very complex emotions in relation to victims of sexual abuse and their abusers, how it's not unusual for attachments to form between the two. I wanted to explore that reality while also still capturing the evil and horror of what Dino was doing to Ash, so that was a really delicate chapter to write, along with its aftermath, and I really wanted to get it right.

Luckily for me, I don't personally relate to any of Ash's experiences, either in "Banana Fish" or in WIEN. Still, I hope I'm able to empathize with his emotions and what he endured and was able to convey those feelings accurately as a result.

Blanca is one of those complex characters that's easy to feel a lot of resentment toward, just because of all the ways in which he failed Ash. Overall, though, I think he had an at least somewhat positive role in Ash's life in my story, because he was the first, actual adult Ash had ever interacted with that didn't, in some way, physically or sexually abuse him. Of course, one could easily argue that Blanca abused Ash in other ways, certainly emotionally and mentally, I think, though I believe that was unintentional on Blanca's part. It's a hard question to answer, because on the one hand, Blanca gave Ash a sense of safety and of being seen for maybe the first time in his life. But at the same time, he worsened Ash's self-esteem and further warped his perception of himself by projecting his own issues onto Ash. So it's probably half and half. Blanca helped Ash in some ways, teaching him to defend himself against the likes of Marvin and giving Ash an adult he could turn to and mostly trust. But he also drove Ash deeper into a life of crime and further conditioned Ash into believing himself unfit for anything else.

I definitely think Ash thinks of Cape Cod as his home, more than NYC, just because of his time with Griffin there. Those are pretty much the only happy moments of Ash's life, those few years he had with his brother. When he got to New York, everything pretty much went from bad to worse for Ash. He also refers to himself as a "hayseed" with Eiji, later on in canon. So I definitely think Ash feels sort of foreign, in a sense, being in the city, even though he obviously adapted to it remarkably well and I think most of Ash's hard edges come from living on the streets of NYC.

Anyway, I hope that answers your questions and thank you for asking! I'm always down to talk more about BF and my BF stories! It's such an honor that there's people out there who still care enough about them to ask!

[tubbypeddle]

parts 7 and 5 jojo's bizarre adventure matchup! with @critter-paw!!

this was interesting! it's been so long since i've had to think about part 7 beyond just johnny and gyro because it's been literally years since i've read part 7, but I thought it'd be interesting!

(author's note: credits to gif owners, bc I did not make them. <33 minor spoilers for the manga if anyone hasnt read it yet)

so!

you find yourself in the middle of the Steel Ball Run!

Which of those lucky competitors do you find as yours?

From part 7, I match you with...

Johnny Joestar!

now this one was a surprise to me!

Johnny's a little selfish and blunt, and with your rather anxious nature upon first meeting, it's bound for some hurt feelings. (probably on your end)

But, over time, as the two of you get to know each other a little more, and your more playful nature becomes known to him, he finds himself falling a little more for you.

He sees you less as a competitor, and more as a confidant. Now, he and Gyro get along fine, great even! But he still tells you things he's never told Gyro, things he never thought he'd ever tell anyone; about Nicholas, and his father. He appreciates how well you understand.

(yes, this includes the bug bites)

Johnny often finds himself doubting that he deserves you, even when the two of you aren't together yet. You're just so much better than he is, why would he ever taint you so? Not that you let him continue that train of thought.

You treat him as if he's fragile, and for the first time in his life, that thought doesn't send shivers up his spine. Because you don't treat him as if he's weak, y'know?

Rather, you treat him as if he's something precious, something to be cherished as much as protected. And it makes him feel all mushy gushy inside. The last time anyone's ever treated him like he deserved to be protected, Nicholas had still been alive.

He finds it hard to talk to you sometimes, you just make his throat close up, his words catch in his chest before it even reaches his mouth. Really, everytime you try to talk to him, his face is red and his hands are shaking.

Just as you find him precious, he finds himself being almost disgustingly protective of you. He's willing to sacrifice damn near everything, or everyone, for you, (Save Gyro, of course) the Holy Corpse parts, the world. He will do anything to keep you safe, he will sacrifice anything.

I think you'll find that he'd rather keep your relationship private. He's not a fan of having vulnerabilities known to the public, and that includes you. You are his most treasured person. He can't take losing another important person. If someone takes you from him, he might break for good.

He of all people understands how hard it can be to express your emotions, so he tries his best to be patient with you. He understands the temper and the repression and the awkwardness. Because he's the same. And that familiarity brings understanding. And understanding brings patience.

He makes an effort to learn how you want to say things without saying them, how you express yourself without expressing too much. He owes you at least that much for even giving him the chance of being your partner.

And every gift you give him, he takes great care to keep them safe. Or if they're practical items that he could use everyday, he uses them Every. Day. Until they're so worn they can barely be used anymore. He loves your gifts.

Out of everything though, he loves your humor the most. You're always teasing him, and you match his sarcasm on everything. It's like, when he looks at you, he finally understands what it must be like to love himself, too.

Honorable mentions!! Diego Brando he hates the world as it is, but you...you're something else. He's seen plenty of people like you before, hurt by the world with nowhere else to turn. But you're the first he's met who wasn't so openly disgusted with everything the world has become, and instead has become kinder because of it. He finds you absolutely breathtaking. Gyro Zeppeli He spends a lot of time with Johnny, and after you join their little duo and make them a trio, he's fascinated by you. You are so much like Johnny in every way that matters, and over time, he finds himself falling for you. It's just a damn shame that Johnny got you first...

Oh wow! How cute you and Johnny are!

Now! Back to the first universe! you find yourself in Italy, in 2001!

Now which of these lucky lucky gangsters find themselves belonging to you?

hmmmmmm

Bruno Bucciarati!!

Honestly, the two of you just bond over having grown up way too young. With each other, you two can be as freaky as you want. As childish as you want.

He also takes an interest in your interest in Criminal Justice. Ever the business oriented person, he takes in every bit of information you tell him and uses it to his advantage in his career. Every loophole, every law, he'll memorize it to his advantage.

He also can soothe your hot temper. It's not often that he'll set you off, and if he, or someone else does, he knows how to calm you down. You'll often joke and call it his Bucciarati Charm.

And he cherishes your bruised heart, because you gave it to him. And just like with every gift you give him, he protects it.

He also tries to nudge you out of your habit of apologizing all the time. It's heartbreaking that you feel the need to apologize for merely existing near him. He is your partner, there's nothing to apologize for when you're with him.

Your need to keep neat about things is something he appreciates. When he spends so much of his time around teenage boys and Abbacchio, it's easy to find himself lost in a mess. It's refreshing to have a partner who will help him clean up and keep neat. Even if you are a bit scatterbrained every now and then. He's pretty good at keeping people on track.

You want words of affirmation, he's got you. He loves praising you, especially when he sees you doing something that's normally outside of your comfort zone. He wants you to know that he's proud of you when he is. He's big on gentle communication, and is eager to let you know that.

And he absolutely adores your comfortable style. He likes knowing that you feel comfortable around him. It's domestic in a way he didn't even know he needed in his life.

Honorable mentions! Leone Abbacchio you're precious in a way that he doesn't see in the world very often. Even if he didn't trust you on the team right away, as you got closer to Bucciarati, he found himself longing for you.

This was fun to do again!! Ignore that I accidentally posted it prematurely, that never happened 🤭