#big windup! 2

[turtlycute]

2024 Anime Watch Master List

This is my master list for the new (to me) anime I watched in 2024. It was fun to watch this list grow as the year went on.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009) episodes: 64 started: 1-2-24 finished: 1-12-24 rating: 8.5/10

Kino's Journey: The Beautiful World (2017) episodes: 12 started: 1-13-24 finished: 1-15-24 rating: 8/10

New Game! (2016) episodes: 12 started: 1-16-24 finished: 1-17-24 rating: 7/10

New Game!! (2017) episodes: 12 started: 1-18-24 finished: 1-19-24 rating: 7/10

Big Windup! 2 (2010) episodes: 13 started: 1-29-24 finished: 1-31-24 rating: 9/10

Diamond Daydreams (2004) episodes: 12 + OVA started: 2-3-24 finished 2-5-24 rating: 7/10

Code: Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth (2017) episodes: 13 started: 2-9-24 finished: 2-12-24 rating: 7/10

Ceres,Celestial Legend (2000) episodes: 24 started: 2-12-24 finished: 2-14-24 rating: 7/10

Horimiya: The Missing Pieces (2023) episodes: 13 started: 2-15-24 finished: 2-16-24 rating: 8.5/10

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts (2023) episodes: 24 started: 2-26-24 finished: 2-28-24 rating: 8/10

A Sign of Affection (2024) episodes: 12 started: 2-7-24 finished: 3-30-24 rating: 9/10

The Demon Prince of Momochi House (2024) episodes: 12 started: 2-10-2024 finished: 4-8-2024 rating: 8/10

Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! (2024) episodes: 12 started: 2-17-24 finished: 3-28-24 rating: 9/10

Sugar Apple Fairy Tale (2023) episodes: 24 started: 3-12-23 finished: 3-14-24 rating: 9/10

Hataraki Man (2006) episodes: 11 started: 3-18-24 finished: 3-19-24 rating: 8/10

Psychic Detective Yakumo (2010) episodes: 13 started: 3-21-24 finished: 3-22-24 rating: 7.5/10

Alice & Zoroku (2017) episodes: 12 started: 4-9-24 finished: 4-11-24 rating: 7.5/10

Kaze no Yojimbo: A New Face in Town (2001) episodes: 25 started: 4-15-24 finished: 4-19-24 rating: 7/10

Nabari no Ou (2008) episodes: 26 started: 4-22-24 finished: 4-25-24 rating: 7.5/10

The Prince of Tennis (2001-2005) episodes: 178 started: 4-27-24 finished: 5-14-24 rating: 9/10

Aoashi (2022) episodes: 24 started: 5-14-24 finished: 5-17-24 rating: 8.5/10

Haikyu!! Movie: The Dumpster Battle (2024) film watched: 5-31-24 rating: 8.5/10

Tadaima, Okaeri (2024) episodes: 12 started: 4-8-24 finished: 6-24-24 rating: 9.5/10

A Condition Called Love (2024) episodes: 12 started: 4-8-24 finished: 6-20-24 rating: 8/10

Black Butler: Public School Arc (2024) episodes: 11 started: 4-13-24 finished: 6-22-24 rating: 8/10

Kageki Shojo!! (2021) episodes: 13 started: 6-11-24 finished: 6-12-24 rating: 7.5/10

Love of Kill (2022) episodes: 12 started: 6-13-24 finished: 6-15-24 rating: 8/10

The Story of Saiunkoku (Saiunkoku Monogatari) (2006) episodes: 39 started: 6-17-24 finished: 6-26-24 rating: 8/10

Hetalia (2009-2015) 6 seasons episodes: 148 started: 7-8-24 finished: 7-19-24 rating: 8.5/10

The Grimm Variations (2024) episodes: 6 started: 7-1-24 finished: 7-2-24 rating: 7.5/10

The Foolish Angel Dances with the Devil (2024) episodes: 12 started: 7-3-24 finished: 7-5-24 rating: 8/10

My Oni Girl (2024) film watched: 7-8-24 rating: 7/10

Hetalia Axis Powers: Paint it, White! (2010) film watched: 7-16-24 rating: 7.5/10

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 (2009) episodes: 11 started: 7-11-24 finished: 7-12-24 rating: 8/10

The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes (2022) film watched: 7-19-24 rating: 9/10

Kimi ni Todoke (2024) season 3 episodes: 6 started: 8-1-24 finished: 8-2-24 rating: 9.5/10

Requiem of the Rose King (2022) episodes: 24 started: 8-5-24 finished: 8-8-24 rating: 7.5/10

BNA: Brand New Animal (2020) episodes: 12 started: 8-13-24 finished: 8-15-24 rating: 7/10

KADO: The Right Answer (2017) episodes: 13 started: 8-15-24 finished: 8-16-24 rating: 7/10

Maboroshi (2023) film watched: 8-19-24 rating: 7.5/10

Fushigi Yûgi (1995-1996) episodes: 52 started: 8-19-24 finished: 8-29-24 rating: 8/10

Fushigi Yûgi OVA (1996-1997) episodes: 9 started: 8-29-24 finished: 8-30-24 rating: 7/10

Fushigi Yuugi Eikoden (2001) episodes: 4 started: 9-3-24 finished: 9-3-24 rating: 7/10

Kino's Journey (2003) episodes: 13 started: 9-4-24 finished: 9-5-24 rating: 8/10

Hetalia: World Stars (2021) episodes: 12 started: 9-5-24 finished: 9-6-24 rating: 7.5/10

Black Clover (2017- 2021) episodes: 170 started: 9-9-24 finished: 10-3-24 rating: 8/10

The Boy and the Heron (2023) film watched: 10-14-24 rating: 9/10

The Witch and the Beast (2024) episodes: 12 started: 10-14-24 finished: 10-15-24 rating: 8/10

Vampire Dormitory (2024) episodes: 12 started: 10-16-24 finished: 10-17-24 rating: 8/10

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (2023) episodes: 12 started: 10-17-24 finished: 10-28-24 rating: 9/10

After-school Hanako-kun (2023-2024) episodes: 8 started: 10-18-24 finished: 10-30-24 rating: 7.5/10

Twilight Out of Focus (2024) episodes: 12 started: 7-8-24 finished: 11-5-24 rating: 7.5/8

Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost (2022) episodes: 12 started: 10-21-24 finished: 10-22-24 rating: 8/10

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle (2020) episodes: 12 started: 10-27-24 finished: 10-29-24 rating: 8/10

Kokoro Connect (2012) episodes: 13 + 4 ova started: 10-29-24 finished: 10-31-24 rating: 7.5/10

Dragon Goes House-Hunting (2021) episodes: 12 started: 11-18-24 finished: 11-20-24 rating: 8/10

The Royal Tutor (2017) episodes: 12 started: 11-20-24 finished: 11-22-24 rating: 8.5/10

Takt Op. Destiny (2021) episodes: 12 started: 11-25-24 finished: 11-28-24 rating: 8/10

Fairy Gone (2019) episodes: 24 started: 12-2-24 finished: 12-6-24 rating: 7/10

Pretty Boy Detective Club (2021) episodes: 12 started: 12-11-24 finished: 12-11-24 rating: 8/10

Over the Sky (2020) film watched: 12-13-24 rating: 7.5/10

Chio's School Road (2018) episodes: 12 started: 12-16-24 finished: 12-17-24 rating: 7.5/10

Karneval (2016) episodes: 13 started: 12-18-24 finished: 12-19-24 rating: 7.5/10

The Life of Budori Gusuko (2012) film watched: 12-21-24 rating: 6.5/10

Tsuritama (2012) episodes: 12 started: 12-26-24 finished: 12-28-24 rating: 8/10

[genericruleroftheflies]

Pixar’s inside out 2 features the new emotion Mihashi Ren.

[cloudlesbian]

Abe is such a huge cunt I'm obsessed

[animeolympics2024]

OLYMPICS DAY 2!

It's the second day of the 2024 Olympics, and here are today's prompts for Sports Anime Olympics Week!

Winners/Losers

Paris & Eiffel Tower

To Paris With Love by Donna Summer

Any creations (art, fic, gifs, etc.) are welcome! Make sure to tag us in your posts and use the tag #animeolympics2024. If you’re posting to AO3, please also feel free to add your post to our collection (Anime_Olympics_2024).

We’re so excited to see what you’ve come up with!

[fuckthispost-andhappybirthday]

August 02: Happy Birthday Yoshiaki Matsubara (Big Windup!)!!!!

[youandmeboth1]

2024 and still waiting *patiently* for Oofuri season 3 and maybe a dub for season 2. 💀

2021 and still "patiently" waiting for Oofuri season 3 and maybe a dub for season 2.

[heymurada]

The gag over the last two pages comes from a sports anime/manga called Ookiku Furikabutte ("Big Windup") where the pitcher and catcher meet each other for the first time: Youtube link

(It's an older show, but I highly recommend it as a fun heart-warming series, doubly so if you want to see where most of my baseball knowledge comes from)

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27

NOPA page masterpost

~~~~

Bonus: Alternate version of page 7, or what's happening just offscreen of the last panel

[weeb-polls-with-pip]

Autistic Anime Boys Side B Round 2 Match 7

Propaganda:

Edgeworth -

"Being pushed by my friend for this but also they're 100% correct. This man is stiff, formal yet impolite, terrible at understanding the feelings of those around him, but has an inexorable sense of justice and and excellent eye for detail. He's a loser nerd who deals with his emotions for his rival by setting up a nonsense chessboard about it. His autism swag and eccentric pretty boy design was so popular he actively changed the direction of the series, and now makes an appearance in more games than any other character, including the original protagonist. Also he gets to play mind chess in one of his spin off games."

Mihashi -

"Mihashi has trouble with eye contact, struggles with social situations, seems to have a hatred or avoidance for change, has a hyperfixation/special interest in baseball and specifically pitching to the point that his friends and coach have to put limits on his pitching lest he do it too much and hurt himself, he abides by strict politeness scripts with regards to names and honorifics even when told he doesn't need to, he seems to get overstimulated easily, he needs to be reminded regularly what the "right" or "normal" thing to say in a situation would be, and he has poor volume control (talks very quietly). He is extremely hard to understand and is seen as needing "translators" in a lot of instances. He also has big beautiful autism creature eyes. Look at one image of him going :◇ and tell me he isn't the best."

[channiedotcom]

and the crowd goes wild

seungmin x gn!reader – established relationship ; fluff

word count – 1.0k

a/n – sorry for being m.i.a. for so long; i have been absolutely dying to write about baseball for a seungmin story!! i hope y’all enjoy, fingers crossed that my small knowledge of baseball was useful for this

You looked at yourself in the mirror at the baseball stadium, inspecting your outfit from head to toe. You fiddled with the buttons on your jersey, wanting everything to look perfect for your boyfriend on his big day. A sharp breath escaped your lips as you smoothed your hair back. After a moment of quiet motivation, you left the restroom and made your way to your section, where you would watch your boyfriend take the field.

Leaning back in your seat, you sipped your soda and glanced toward the field. The opening ceremony was wrapping up when your boyfriend strode onto the mound. “Seungmin, a member of the group Stray Kids, will join us!” the announcer’s voice boomed.

You couldn’t help but grin as he did a few hops, rolling the baseball in his hand. As he began his windup for the first pitch, you leaned forward, captivated by him. Anticipation rushed over you, and you watched his every movement closely.

Seungmin’s left leg rose into the air, winding him back slightly. His hands followed, both moving to the right side of his head. He stepped forward, his right leg extending straight back, and his arm swung forward with precision. The ball spiraled through the air, and you held your breath, your eyes tracking its path. When it landed squarely in the strike zone, you shot to your feet, cheering.

“That’s my boyfriend!” you shouted, jumping up and down as he walked to home plate to pose for pictures with the catcher. He maintained his usual stoic facade, but a slightly larger smile broke through as your eyes met.

After a few moments of photographs, Seungmin disappeared briefly before reappearing in your section. He plopped down beside you with a beer in one hand and a hot dog in the other, grinning as he leaned into you. “How did I do?” His excitement was written all over his face.

He had just thrown the first pitch for Team Korea and the LA Dodgers—something he had dreamed about for years. You remembered the moment months ago when he first mentioned the idea and, later, the phone call inviting him to do it. With his background in baseball, this opportunity had come naturally.

“You… were absolutely fantastic, Puppy,” you said, leaning closer to him. His confidence and happiness were so magnetic, and in that moment, you felt incredibly lucky.

As the game progressed, the two of you cheered enthusiastically for Team Korea and booed the Dodgers’ successful plays. Once Seungmin finished his food, you held his hand and rested your head on his shoulder, savoring the moment. His busy schedule didn’t allow for outings like this often, so you knew how special it was for him.

You gently squeezed his hand and looked up at him, but he was completely engrossed in the game. When you squeezed his hand again, he looked down at you with a soft smile. “Are you doin’ alright?” he asked, his eyes dancing between yours.

You nodded, cherishing every second of the experience. “I’m doing great.”

He sighed and kissed your forehead gently. “Good. That makes me happy.”

The game eventually came to a close. Unfortunately for Seungmin, Team Korea lost 2-5. He narrowed his eyes as he glanced at the Dodgers’ dugout. “They got lucky,” he muttered.

You stifled a laugh, unsure if he was being serious or playful. He turned to glare at you but couldn’t hold back a slight smile.

As the crowd began filtering out of the stadium, Seungmin’s attention lingered on the field, replaying the game in his mind. You touched his shoulder gently, not wanting to snap him out of his thoughts too abruptly. “Hey, champ, are you ready to go?”

He turned to you, his boyish grin returning. “Yeah,” he said, scrunching his nose playfully. “But next time, they don’t stand a chance.”

You laughed, picking up your bag as he grabbed your hand.

The two of you strolled out of the stadium hand in hand, the cool evening air wrapping around you. The streets buzzed with fans discussing the game, vendors packing up their stands, and the hum of distant car horns. Seungmin slowed his pace, glancing over at you.

“Hey, um, thanks for coming today,” he said softly, his voice a quiet contrast to the busy atmosphere. “It meant a lot to me to have you here.”

Warmth spread through you as a blush crept across your cheeks. Smiling, you squeezed his hand. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. It’s not every day my rockstar gets to do something this cool.”

He tilted his head and gave you the half-smirk that always made your heart flutter. “I loved seeing you cheer for me. I swear it gave me superpowers.”

You laughed, your eyes sparkling. “If that’s the case, maybe I should go to every game with you.”

“Deal,” he replied, pulling you closer.

As you approached the car, you noticed he was unusually quiet, his pace slowing. You stopped, holding his hand gently as concern filled your eyes. “Is everything alright, Seungmin?”

He stared at you for a moment, his dark eyes illuminated by the streetlights. “I’m more than alright. Lately, I just… feel really lucky. Moments like this remind me how much I love having you in my life.”

His words made your heart skip a beat. You wrapped your arms around his waist, leaning into him. “I feel the same way. You make me feel like the luckiest person in the world.”

Standing on the sidewalk, his head rested atop yours as you held each other close. He let out a soft sigh before speaking again. “Let’s make a deal: no matter how busy life gets, no matter what’s going on, we’ll always find time for moments like this.”

You looked up at him and nodded. “Of course.”

He smiled and touched your chin gently before kissing you. Pulling away, you admired the glow of the city lights around you.

“Hey… I bet you can’t catch me,” you said suddenly, a playful glint in your eyes.

His eyes widened as you took off toward the car. A beat later, he chased after you, both of your laughter echoing into the night.

[intheticklecloset]

TickleTober 2024 Masterlist

1 - Fall Leaves: Lee Todoroki, Ler Kaminari (MHA)

2 - Thunderstorm: Lee Nirei, Ler Sakura (Wind Breaker)

3 - Caramel Apple: Lee Kageyama, Ler Hinata (Haikyuu)

4 - Fire: Lee Yuno, Ler Leo (Black Clover)

5 - Moon: Lee Atsushi, Ler Akutagawa (BSD)

6 - Scarecrow: Lee Chrome, Ler Ukyo (Dr. Stone)

7 - Pumpkin: Lee Kirishima, Lers Bakusquad (MHA)

8 - Pie: Lee Chuuya, Ler Dazai (BSD)

9 - Shiver: Lee Bakugou, Ler Todoroki (MHA)

10 - Candy Corn: Lee Miyano, Ler Sasaki (Sasaki and Miyano)

11 - Black Cat: Lee Deku, Ler Shinsou (MHA)

12 - Witch: Lee Finral, Ler Vanessa (Black Clover)

13 - Boo!: Lee Isagi, Ler Bachira (Blue Lock)

14 - Nightmare: Lee Arthur, Ler Shinra (Fire Force)

15 - Haunted House: Lee Suo; Lers Kiryu, Nirei, and Sakura (Wind Breaker)

16 - Chase: Lees Chigiri and Nagi, Ler Kunigami (Blue Lock)

17 - Skeleton: Lee Mihashi, Ler Abe (Big Windup!)

18 - Jell-O Brain: Lee Gen, Ler Senku (Dr. Stone)

19 - Costumes: Lee Takato, Ler Junta (Dakaichi)

20 - Tickle Monster: Lee Luck, Ler Yami (Black Clover)

21 - Scary Movie: Lee Bachira, Ler Rin (Blue Lock)

22 - Blood: Lee Choji, Ler Togame (Wind Breaker)

23 - Ghost: Lee Sigma, Ler Dazai (BSD)

24 - Evil: Lee Asta, Ler Liebe (Black Clover)

25 - Clown: Lee Poe, Ler Ranpo (BSD)

26 - Scream: Lee Deku, Ler All Might (MHA)

27 - Shadows: Lee Higuchi, Ler Gin (BSD)

28 - Vampire: Lee Mika, Ler Yu (Seraph of the End)

29 - Eerie Music: Lee Loid, Ler Yor (Spy x Family)

30 - Halloween Party: Lee Langa, Ler Reki (Sk8 the Infinity)

31 - Trick or Treat: Lee Blitz, Ler Stolas (Helluva Boss)

[giggly-squiggily]

💕 Candy Heart Valentine Event 2025! 💕

Heyo everyone! We're back at it again for the 2025 Candy Heart Valentine Event! :D I'm so excited to see what you've got in store this year! :D Thank you all for enjoying this event as much as I do- it's just so FUN!

Rules and sentence starters below the cut!

~Rules~

-Please check my pinned post for character restrictions and boundaries!

Puffs (Candy Hearts/Sentence Starters) will be open today (Jan 26) to Feb 13 10pm EST.

-Candy Hearts will start coming out Feb 1!

-Send me a sentence starters from the list below and a character(s) and I'll write a 300-500 word dabble for it!

-Can be tickles or non-tickles! Please specify which you'd like in your ask!

-I will write X-Reader!

-Can be romantic, platonic, or familial- please specify in your ask!

-I'd say the limit is around five? I'll let you know if that changes as the event goes on!

-Some fandoms may and will close- I will let you know what's still open and what's not!

~Candy Hearts~

❤️ Be Mine: “Oh that is IT! Come here!”

🧡 Miss You: “Don’t cry- give me a smile!”

💛 True Love: “I could do this all day.”

💚 Cutie: “You can't hide from me, I can hear you laughing!"

💙 XOXO: “Hey, do you like raspberries?”

💜 Angel: “What happens if I do this?”

❤️ I love you: "What a brave thing to say for someone so ticklish."

🧡 Bestie: Requester’s choice: Pick your own sentence starter!

💛 Sweet Heart: “Are you ticklish?”

💚 Cupid: “I’m gonna get you!”

💗 Say Yes: “Hey did you- give that back!"

💙 Smile: “I didn’t know you were ticklish here!”

💜 Hug: “I just want a hug!”

❤️ Darling: “Do you want me to tickle you?”

🧡 Love bug: “What’s so funny?”

💛 Soul Mate: “Not there? What about here?”

💚 Sweet Pea: “Is this a bad spot?”

💙 Adore: “I haven't even touched you yet!"

💜 Kiss me: “Do you want me to stop?”

❤️ Me + You: “No way! Since when were you this ticklish?”

🧡 Always and Forever: “Look how red you are! How cute!”

💛 I’m Yours: “You like being tickled, don’t you?”

💚 Puppy love: “Where are those giggles I love so much?”

💙 Only You: "Stop squirming!"

💜 Hot Stuff: “Come over here and make me!”

🩷 Be My Valentine: "I know all your weaknesses!"

❤ It's Love: "Hey could You...You Know?"

🧡 Babydoll: "Keep your arms up!"

~Fandoms~

-Big Windup

-Black Clover

- Blue Lock (Anime)

- Bungo Stray Dogs

- Buddy Daddies

-Cafe Enchante

-Code Realize

-Collar x Malice

-Chainsaw Man (Anime + Around Chapter 72 I think?)

-Cupid Parasite

-Danganronpa THH, SDR2 , V3

-Dr. Stone

-Death Note

-Demon Slayer

-Fire Force

-Free! Iwatobi Swim Club

-Fruits Basket

-Given

-Haikyuu!!

-Heartstopper

-Hell’s Paradise

-Hunter x Hunter (Up To Greed Island Arc)

-Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure Parts 2-6 (Anime)

-Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime + Movie)

-Moriarty The Patriot

-My Hero Academia

-Piofiore: Fated Memories

-Pokemon (Games)

-SK8 the infinity

-Spy x Family

-Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun

-Tokyo Revengers

-Tengoku Struggle: Strayside

-Vinland Saga (Mainly Season 2)

-Virche Evermore: Error Salvation (Up to La Salute)

-Wind Breaker (Anime)

-Yu Yu Hakushou

-9 RIP

That should be it! Lemme know if y'all have any questions! I'm so excited! :D Happy Candy Hearts!

[turtlycute]

My Top 10 Anime Watched in 2024:

Kimi ni Todoke (2024) season 3 episodes: 6 started: 8-1-24 finished: 8-2-24 rating: 9.5/10

Tadaima, Okaeri (2024) episodes: 12 started: 4-8-24 finished: 6-24-24 rating: 9.5/10

Big Windup! 2 (2010) episodes: 13 started: 1-29-24 finished: 1-31-24 rating: 9/10

A Sign of Affection (2024) episodes: 12 started: 2-7-24 finished: 3-30-24 rating: 9/10

The Prince of Tennis (2001-2005) episodes: 178 started: 4-27-24 finished: 5-14-24 rating: 9/10

The Boy and the Heron (2023) film watched: 10-14-24 rating: 9/10

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (2023) episodes: 12 started: 10-17-24 finished: 10-28-24 rating: 9/10

The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes (2022) film watched: 7-19-24 rating: 9/10

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009) episodes: 64 started: 1-2-24 finished: 1-12-24 rating: 8.5/10

Horimiya: The Missing Pieces (2023) episodes: 13 started: 2-15-24 finished: 2-16-24 rating: 8.5/10

Honorable Mentions:

Haikyu!! Movie: The Dumpster Battle (2024) film watched: 5-31-24 rating: 8.5/10

Aoashi (2022) episodes: 24 started: 5-14-24 finished: 5-17-24 rating: 8.5/10

Hetalia (2009-2015) 6 seasons episodes: 148 started: 7-8-24 finished: 7-19-24 rating: 8.5/10

The Royal Tutor (2017) episodes: 12 started: 11-20-24 finished: 11-22-24 rating: 8.5/10

[chr1ssycrumble]

A couple of fruits (part 5)

The fifth part of my bullet train prequel focused on the twins! all other parts on my page <3

notes: thank you so much as always for the support! you all are so kind!!! unfortunately, a couple of fruits is slowly coming to the end within the next 1 or 2 chapters, in the following few days i will put up a poll asking if i should finish the story at the end of the trio as teenagers OR do a timeskip and focus on when they reunite as adults- i will put up more info nearer the time <333 also this chapter is utterly devastating so i do apologise profusely. also, i have done a doodle summary of this chapter from ashley's perspective so lmk if you wanna see thattt :D

TW: quite a bit of violence, alcohol mentions, very strong language, awful bullying, blood and injuries

as always a name reminder

tangerine-michael

lemom-toby

"Michael's fucking kissing rat girl!!!" The voice of one of the popular girls,screamed out, the sound shrill, ugly and carrying through the house and shutting everyone up, to be fair, it was quite big moment, no one had ever really seen Ashley out and about- except for working at the pub, and now she was with Michael Davies of all people.

"What?!- Oh my days he is!" Ted, the guy who was running the party, laughed when he saw the sight, fishing out a digital camera from his pocket and pointing it at them.

The pair had long since pulled away from the kiss, they had done when hearing the ear-piercing scream, so there was no overly humiliating photo taken, but only one of Ash looking utterly mortified and Michael looking like he wanted to die right then and there.

"You got a problem with that?!" Ash finally spoke up, yelling, it was the first time most of the people there had even heard the sound of her voice.

"She can speak!" The girl who had screamed earlier laughed, crossing her arms, her name was Mya, she wasn't great, with ratted up bleached blonde hair, and too much makeup, the two had been friends many years prior, back in primary school. "I thought you were like Helen Keller or something."

Michael didn't even look phased, as if he was expecting for a disagreement like this to occur, whilst Toby just looked severely displeased with both of them and sighed.

"That's rich, i thought you were a cave woman, with the whole barely any clothes, and hair teased to the sky thing you have going on." Ash retaliated, crossing her arms.

Mya scoffed and raised an eyebrow, stepping towards the other girl with an extended finger pointing at her, the plastic false nail just about touching her. "The only cave woman here is you, Ash, what's the benefits agreement that your mum is on again?"

"Shut the hell up." Ashley could feel her skin crawling from the stares of the other teenagers, she felt so stupid, being called out for what she couldn't afford, and suddenly wanted to go home, she didn't want people to know about the poor way in which she lived.

"Do you like rats so much because they live in your flat with you?" Mya laughed smugly, she loved how she was riling up Ashley, the rest of the room was silent, with a few stifled laughs from the others being the only source of noise.

Michael stood in horror, before Mya pulled him close to her, for which he looked at her with pure hatred in his eyes.

"You shouldn't even be here, no one wanted you to come, Mikey over here just felt pity that you have no mates, except the rat army of course- maybe you should go snog them instead, maybe they'd actually care hm?" Mya continued, after realizing Ashley was too distraught to respond to her windups, until she wasn't.

"I'll call the fucking rats and you'll get rabies and die!" Ashley yelled at Mya, she could hear her classmates laughing at her and it was driving her insane, she hated the attention; She stepped back, as if she was trying to teleport out of the awful situation.

Ted, who had previously been snickering in a corner with his arms crossed, lifted up his camera again, as the teenagers went on to laugh at her, he was just about to take a photo before Toby spoke up.

"Give it a bloody rest!" Toby yelled, adding to the shouts of the room, knocking the camera out of Ted's hand, which landed on the floor with a loud crack as it smashed. Shit.

"You prick! You fucking prick! You just broke my camera!" Ted exclaimed, shoving Toby back and away from him, that managed to snap Michael out of his astonished daze.

"Don't put your hands on my pissing brother you twat!" Michael shouted back, pushing forward against the forming crowd and Mya to punch Ted in the stomach, who narrowly dodged it and instantly kicked Michael in the shin, hard.

Michael winced slightly, before sending another punch flying at his face, Ted, and he didn't miss this time, the boy stumbling backwards into someone else.

"You arsehole-" Ted froze, his fingers going up to touch his bloodied nose and looked down at the red liquid, his gaze darkened, glaring at Michael before running at him, tackling him to the ground, trying his best to beat the skinny prick of a teenager into a pulp, going on to hit him over and over again, whilst he writhed and battled against him.

But Michael, who was sure there would be blue bruises on his face by morning, did eventually manage to hold his own, and grabbed one of the malibu bottles off the table, lifting it up and swinging it over Ted's head, causing it to smash in half, the spirit pouring over the floor as the glass cut open his head.

Suddenly, the screaming of the people had stopped, everyone was frozen in shock horror as Ted slowly went upright, blood dripping down from his scalp, no one knew what to do. Ted backed away from him, dizzy and disorientated as he fell onto a friend, the other attendees' eyes all darting around the room desperately, what Michael had done was very much illegal, and damaging too, however Ted could not go to A&E in the state he was in, he was far too intoxicated, whilst also being below the legal age for drinking.

"Oh my days- Oh my- Ted?!-" Mya gasped out, running over to the boy on the floor, an even tighter crowd formed around him as they tried to figure out what to do to help, and Toby realized this was probably time for them to leave.

"Come on-" Toby hissed at the pair, grabbing Ash and Michael by the arms, and pulling them out of the house, the other two eventually catching up to speed with the severity of the situation and followed his lead quickly.

"Did Michael just-?" Ashley gasped out as she ran, too shocked to say anything, it was too much, too awful, she didn't want to think about it, the imagine of Ted down on the floor, surrounded by a crown of dark red liquid dripping from his head.

"Yes- I did. Shit, I did..." Michael groaned and ran his hand over his face, he hadn't killed Ted, but he could've done easily, he didn't feel guilty about it, though, just scared to get caught and punished for what he had done to the guy.

"Three words describe our situation right now-" Ash rolled her eyes, running with the others away from the house, down the street, not to the boys' apartment straight away, just somewhere where they wouldn't be found.

"We are fucked." Toby chimed in, and Ash nodded, it was true, the trio was screwed over, they were going to get in serious trouble, one way or another.

Just as they were running, several black vans swerved and parked right in front of them, causing a barrier so they couldn't easily run that way, it was odd, and unexpected, but they didn't want to stay and see who was going to get out of those vans, so the three screamed when they almost got hit by them, before quickly changing directions and running down the street, caving and going to Ashley's place instead of just sprinting without a destination.

She fumbled with the keys, before pushing it open and practically pulling the boys inside with her, the three then moving to lean against the wall and regain their breath, panting heavily.

"What the hell?!-" Toby exclaimed, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"Who the fuck was that?!-" Michael gasped, making sure the door behind them was locked.

"Why did you almost kill Ted?!-" Ashley yelled, her voice cutting through the air like a knife, the tension rising instantly.

Michael groaned and ran his hand through his hair as he looked at her, taking her arm. "We need to talk, alone." He glanced back over at Toby before walking with Ashley into her bedroom.

[saxandviolins77]

DEEPLY curious about your vision irt devastator and starscream, do you have any extended thoughts on that? (beautiful baseball piece btw! the pose is very dynamic, the colors rich, and i really adore how devious Devy looks in your style)

The general throughline is:

What if the bratty 60-year-old commander and the bratty 17-year-old living weapon had beef with each other?

Additional context undercut

So, I already mentioned this before, but Scrapper and Starscream are "divorced," and while Scrapper simply does not care for SS whole existence and finds him the most tiresome person he ever knew (especially after he enlisted), Starscream, on the other hand, LOATHES him. So much so that he goes out of his way to blow everything Scrapper does out of proportion to make him seem like an awful person (they both are, but Starscream is making shit up at this point).

Why am I talking about Scrapper and Starscream?

Because Starscream does not understand combiners. AT ALL. So he thinks Scrapper and Devastator are the same person and treats him accordingly. He thinks this way and refuses to change his mind because 1. thinking of Scrapper as this guy who gets the smallest bit of power and becomes an infantile attention-seeker loudmouthed jerk works great for the version of Scrapper he made in his mind, and 2. He can't grasp teamwork, so obviously the other Constructicons are lending their free will to that egocentric psycho!

Now, to our big teenager... He just wants a friend... Or just a meaningful relationship.

You see, most people either idolize Devastator or find him scary or disturbing (Decepticons included). So he doesn't have many people to talk to; Soundwave is his manager, but she made it very clear that their relationship is strictly professional, and she makes sure to not give any openings for any sort of "friendship" (he still thinks of her as his best friend).

SO STARSCREAM.

Starscream is the only guy on the Victory that dares to talk smack to Devastator (because in his mind Devy = Scrapper); at first, he's pissed because he has never experienced something like this before, so he treats Starscream as he would any upstart Autobot.

But Starscream keeps bickering with him and keeps treating Devastator as if they're old friends or something... So he starts playing into it and actually having a back-and-forth with him... And it's like... An actual conversation and Starscream treats him like a person!

Devastator very much hates Starscream's attitude and sometimes just smacks him, but he still has that weird urge to not be viewed by him as a dork, so he'll really play up his act to seem "cool". He also gets sick enjoyment when Starscream finds himself in a pickle and goes running to him for help (when not mindwashed, he'll happily use this as an opportunity to be a brat).

So uh... It's a very messy non-relationship where both sides have completely different ideas of what is going on in the other's mind... Except for Soundwave, who's looking from the sidelines and thinking: "Not my circus, not my monkeys... 😑"

SIDE NOTE: Lol, yeah, I think I did pretty well in that piece. Devastator is a pain in the ass to draw, and I insist on always drawing full bodies. Glad it could be read as a baseball pose (it's a windup because he'd be a pitcher... Because he canonically has a good throwing arm... Trust.) Also, suspend your disbelief because he could never pose like that in a real-world scenario, no kidding.

[mdhwrites]

The Tragedy of Yanqing

It's fascinating that if you look at Yanqing, it becomes actually really obvious really quickly that he's mocked not for being weak but for being awkward.

Yanqing's buffs by all means should make him a MONSTROUS Hunt character. He gives himself a 10% speed boost on Crit, he deals extra damage to ice weak enemies and, oh yeah, HAS A 20% CRIT RATE BUFF AND 30% CRIT DAMAGE BUFF. And that's without getting into the 60% crit rate buff on his ult or his follow up that can freeze. These are all really good buffs for a damage dealer on top of just having the correct percentiles to work as a DPS... So why is he a laughing stock?

Well, it's because unlike most DPSes, your sustainer doesn't just matter but is CRITICAL to him working. He is by a wide margin one of the most rigid characters to build a team around for. It all comes back to those big crit buffs of his for why. If you don't know his main mechanic, it's that after he uses his skill, he enters Soulsteel Sync, a buffed state that gives him those crit buffs and that make it so when he attacks an enemy, he has a chance to do a follow up that itself has a chance to freeze. It has one turn of windup but then can last forever... With two major caveats:

1: He never stops using his skill. The buff only lasts one turn. That is BRUTALLY rigid but not really all that untenable as most DPSes want to be using their skill every turn regardless. No, the bigger problem is

2: He can never take damage. Period. If he takes damage, he immediately loses the state and has to re-activate it. He HAS to have a preservation sustainer because they create shields which protect an ally from taking direct health damage, which is what Yanqing cares about. Hitting a shield doesn't do anything to him. However, until Aventurine, your options for that were... Imperfect. March 7th drew aggro to him, which he doesn't want. Gepard only shields on ultimate which means if you're doing most hyper carry strats, it's very easy for Yanqing to lose his shield and Preservation Trailblazer... Well, the shield isn't always strong enough to take a hit without a well built one and even then, it only lasts two turns, which doesn't work at all with hypercarry Bronya strategies.

It wasn't until Aventurine came out that he had a sustainer who could genuinely allow him to work in a smooth manner and by then, we have to face two inherent things about the game.

1: Powercree-

No. Not that. Design shifts in the game have led to new DPSes mostly being stronger but that's largely in part because you get a LOT less traces like Yanqing's that gives him 20% effect resist while in his buffed state. The game learned better what its goals were which is why you can feel very real design differences between 1.0 characters and even 1.6 characters. No Hunt character since 1.0 has gotten the aggro reduction trace that at least three? Characters from 1.0 had because survival elements on your DPS have been mostly abandoned. Hell, one example of this is how a lot of 1.0 ice characters, one of Yanqing's eidolons included, expected freeze to be MUCH more prevalent than it was for adding additional damage.

No, instead, it's much more:

1: Ice has been entirely absent. Most enemies in fact resist ice instead of being weak to it and this isn't surprising when you remember that from 2.0-2.7, MISHA was literally the only ice character released. I know someone who adores Jingliu who has been struggling under her damage just getting cut by this lack of enemy weaknesses that came with the extreme fire focus of 2.0. This would naturally hurt Yanqing's options.

2: He's Hunt. The only Hunt team that still gets respect is Follow Up and that's because their response to Hunt's limited action economy of single target attacks is just to add more attacks on top anyways. Even then, plenty of hyper carry Hunt characters can do just fine. My understanding is people still rock Seele against MoC and win out because they've put in the work to make her work despite her not having had a dedicated support in so long. Hypercarry Hunt though definitely struggled in the more synergy focused era of Penacony where Bronya hypercarry finally took a backseat to full team wide strategies. Remember: We didn't get a new Bronya until Sunday and unless you have a summon, Sunday still gives less damage% than Bronya. Crit damage hyper carry just hasn't been the game's focus for a while so someone like Yanqing will suffer in that environment.

So when we finally got the sustainer who could work with Yanqing, no one has been looking at him. Even if you were, you were probably looking more at Jingliu because she's the crit ice hyper carry everyone normally talks about. And yes, if you want to call Jingliu powercreep on Yanqing, I'm not going to deny that entirely. One is a limited time five star, the other is a standard five star. Just like with Yunli and Clara, or Sunday and Bronya, I don't think it's a bad thing for the limited time version to be stronger because you should get something in return for the money/pulls you spent on them.

But it's a shame that it's a meme to root for Yanqing, rather than being honest about the fact that he's still a five star DPS. You want to make him work, you absolutely can. You just need to know that he's a bit awkward coming in, but aren't most teenage boys?

======+++++======

If you want more thoughts on mine on what shifted Star Rail's design priorities from 1.0 going forward, please shoot an ask. The shortest version of it though is that Simulated Universe was eventually chosen to be more side content than truly the focus of end game content.

My link to Amphoreus' pre-registration, if you want to help me out. Still feels weird to say that a pre-registration is happening for a game that's already out.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[fuckthispost-andhappybirthday]

August 02: Happy Birthday Etsuko Shino'oka (Big Windup!)!!!!