#but i also have this version--where I get to explore a bit of How Roy Exists if he had stayed at Chelsea and never met Ted when he did

[jamiesfootball]

Please tell me more about gender flipped Jamie because that seems like So Many Thoughts that I would love to hear

I have so many thoughts and yet they are so ephemeral and unspecific and this has been languishing in my askbox and this isn't technically what you asked for but here's what I wrote instead:

Chelsea sent Roy into retirement the way you sent an aging dog to be euthanized. Slowly and gradually, an inescapable march towards a day you knew was coming. Roy's agent gently broke the news to him that they wouldn't be renewing his contract, but there was no gently breaking Roy.

The retirement itself was an underwhelming affair; he stayed numb throughout the presser, answered questions, and left the spotlight. No bang--not even a whimper.

That was months ago. Now Roy Kent, former Chelsea star, was daydrinking at a bar in Richmond at half-three in the afternoon, wondering if he could convince the matron of the house to change the fucking channel.

"Rough season our girls have had," the proprietor, Mae, explained in a tone befitting a bartender cleaning a pint. In reality, she'd joined Roy at the bar with her own glass of chardonnay. "Lot of shake ups. New owner, new gaffer. Still, it could be worse. This new coach of theirs might be from the States, but we're sitting higher up on the table than we have in years. Does your lot keep up with the Super League, then?"

It was one in a series of loaded questions. Roy couldn't imagine you could be a bartender in London without knowing who Roy Kent was. Sheer wasted optimism, he'd had, moving out of Chelsea and assuming anything short of leaving the country would get him away from the haunting specter of his own fucking jersey.

"Yeah," Roy answered reluctantly. "Yeah, some of us keep up. All the teams in the Premier have sister teams, don't we?" Except for Richmond. The one outlier--the only team in the league without a big brother to speak of.

"Mm. Then you heard about the scandal?"

Roy grunted. Of course he heard. Everyone knew about Rupert Mannion ages ago; it was about bloody time someone did something. Awful for his ex-wife that it'd fallen to her to do it.

Mae topped off his chardonnay before pouring the remainder of the bottle into her own glass. "This new gaffer though, he's one of the good ones. He hangs around here sometimes, and you can tell just by listening to him--he respects those girls."

Since retiring, Roy had gotten used to living in a fog. He spent time with his niece, met with the yoga mums, let old ladies in bars talk his ears off to their heart's content, but anything he did between those events was a drudgery--a slow painful effort to drag one foot in front of the other, metaphorically and physically.

So he couldn't have said what it was about Mae's offhand praise for the Richmond Whippet's new gaffer that rankled him into talking back.

"Is he any good though?"

"What was that?"

"Their new coach," Roy gestured with his wine glass at the television in the corner. "The American. Is he any good?"

Mae shrugged one shoulder. "He's gotten better."

"So not really then."

The look Mae gave him could've scoured paint from a wall. "Well, talent isn't everything. Is it, Mr. Kent?"

She left under the guise of check on the three men in the corner. Regulars, by the looks of it; and the three of them the only ones aside from Mae wearing supporting colors for the local team.

He hadn't watched a match in ages. Oh, he'd caught highlights--it was impossible not too--but the few times he'd tried, unfairness ballooned in his chest like an atom bomb, and he gave up.

He hadn't bothered to watch anything from the women's league either. What difference would it make to try watching a different league. Sure, he didn't know any of them the way he knew the men in the Premier League, but football was football and envy was envy.

From what little he'd seen so far, he didn't envy Richmond at all. Everton had them on the ropes.

Roy winced as Number 14 knocked one off the crossbar. It'd been a good attempt. A solid cross from Number 9 had put it in the path, but with no one else nearby she'd gone for a risky shot.

From what little he'd paid attention to, only 9 and 14 were making any actual progress on the pitch, with 9 working double time to cut up the field. Every time the ball dropped back down the center, Richmond lost possession. Every. Time.

It was Number 6 that was the problem. McNally, that was it. Red-head, center-mid, captain. Roy knew her by reputation. A tough, seasoned player, who'd gotten her fair collection of caps for England. She had the experience; it didn't make any fucking sense why she'd be the weak link.

Roy looked away. He took a gulp of his chardonnay and relished in the unpleasant way it stung his nose. It'd be masochism to keep watching.

He kept watching.

Within five minutes, he'd cracked it.

Number 6 refused to pass to Number 9.

The gameplay split off like a branching tree. Either 6 got possession, crossed to another player, and they lost it to Everton's deep defensive line; or 9 got it herself and took it up the field, at which point the entire Richmond side narrowed down to the actions of 9 and 14.

What the fuck was going on?

In the aerial cameras showed two Everton players marking Number 9. Number 6 crossed to Number 24, and 24 took it to the net only for a defender to block her out easily.

A close up lingered on Number 24. She couldn't have looked more upset with herself. Young thing. Good talent, bad nerves. Fixable with the right support.

Number 6 got into Number 9's face and shouted. So where's her fucking support?

The camera panned in on 6 and 9 as what looked like a shouting match took place between the teammates. There was McNally, red-haired and red-faced and openly swearing even if the mics couldn't pick it up, and then there was Number 9. A cut of a girl, strong featured and iron-jawed, with her forehead set down like she intended to ram McNally like a bull if the captain came any closer.

What a fucking mess.

The camera panned to the gaffer, who stood with his hands in his pockets and a frown under his mustache. He called neither player off.

The match went back into play and almost immediately Number 9 took a foul. A blatant hit, tackled before she could grab possession again. Everton had singled her out just as clearly as Roy had.

Number 6 stood off to the side while 14 and 24 argued with the ref. The captain watched in open annoyance as Number 9 levered herself off the ground with a wince, her left side stained with grass and a limp.

Some fucking captain.

Number 9 took position for a free kick, and her name finally flashed across the screen in a font large enough for Roy to read. Jamie Tartt. Tartt lined up for the kick, for all the good it would do when she was a good forty meters back--

Tartt walloped the ball cleanly into the net.

A frisson of electricity ran down Roy's spine.

The lads at the end of the bar broke into cheers.

Half of the Richmond Whippets descended on Tartt. The other half shuffled around in discontent.

Number 24--Obisanya--nodded at Tartt, who nodded back. They didn't hug.

Extricating herself from (half) of her teammates, Tartt threw an arm around the only person she'd passed to all night--14, Rojas. Heads pressed together, headband to matching headband, they looked furtive and serious in their two-person huddle.

The camera panned back to the gaffer. He clapped but he didn't celebrate.

The whole thing was bizarre.

No, Mae was right; talent wasn't everything. Because Richmond had talent--what a spectacular fucking goal--and they were a fucking mess, like nothing Roy had ever witnessed before in his career.

If Mae was willing to put up with him, he might have to come back for the next match. Who knew, maybe he'd try swinging by on an off-match day to catch their gaffer and give him a piece of his mind.

Finally, something to look forward to. His sister would be so proud.

[ecargmura]

Pokemon Horizons Episode 100 Review - Lift Off At The Three-Digit Mark

100 episodes! I can’t believe we’re at the three-digit count now! This episode was a perfect way to celebrate the incredible milestone! While it’s not perfect, I liked it a lot! I liked how Liko and Roy finally managed to beat Strong Sphere users, even if they’re just grunts from the Explorers. It may not be the redemption from their loss against Coral and Sidian, but it’s still a win against Exceed and the Explorers nonetheless.

I liked that the battle is basically a 4-vs-2 Multi Battle where two battle one Tauros and the other two battle the other. I did like the kids were able to figure out the biggest flaw of the Strong Spheres: using Laquium causes Pokemon’s instincts to become stronger to the point that they don’t listen to their trainers anymore. Like what Uruto said, it makes the Trainer useless after the usage. One of my Discord friends who also watches Horizons said that it reminded them of Shadow Pokemon from the Colosseum and XD games and I agree with them! They’re like a modern version of the Shadow Pokemon gimmick in a way, especially with the Hyper Mode mechanic. Even though the team won, Karna did say that their defeat wouldn’t have major repercussions towards Strong Sphere manufacturing because her factory is one of many small ones that Exceed contracted with. I wonder if this means the group will have to find other small factories to stop production or try to convince people… it’s definitely going to be a grand fleet given how stupidly stubborn people can be, especially during Episode 95 where no one was on Liko and Roy’s side during the exhibition match.

Still, the best outcome of the battle was that it convinced Orla to have a change of heart and strengthened her resolve to rejoin the Rising Volt Tacklers and their adventures. I like that for the three days they did to prepare to take off into the skies again, everyone did something. Liko cleaned the interior; Roy went to get supplies; Dot fixed the airship’s system and set it up again; Uruto fed the ship’s Pokemon and Orla did maintenance. She also did another great feat: getting Murdock and Mollie to rejoin them again. With Ludlow appearing out of nowhere, the Rising Volt Tacklers really have reassembled with Uruto joining as the new member. I was waiting for this day to come and it was worth it! I honestly love that it wasn’t towards the end that this happened, but ten episodes after the start of the new arc. Each arc usually has around 24-25 episodes, so for the group to reassemble around the halfway point makes me wonder what sort of crazy reveals they’ll have for the rest of the episodes.

The biggest shock of the episode is Friede revealing that he’s alive. I think this was already obvious, but it’s nice to get official confirmation. Still, the voice mail that he sent a month ago is still a bit ambiguous. He said that he was laying low because the Explorers are watching him, so is he somewhere in hiding in Laqua or has he escaped the island? I wonder how long it’ll take for Friede to return on-screen. Besides, the reason why I knew he was alive was because Horizons tried to pull a similar trick back in Episode 22 where he made Liko and Roy escape with Captain Pikachu as the mine caved in with him and Amethio trapped inside…only for the next episode have him escape off-screen with no explanation on how he did so. Wait, was that foreshadowing to the events of Episode 89 in a way? Also, Friede wasn’t haunting the narrative as much as a canonically dead anime character would, so it was obvious he was alive, but his disappearance still left an impact on the group.

To be honest, the biggest shock of the episode for me was seeing Murdock’s Lycanroc slimmed down. How in the name of Arceus did the dog lose weight that fast? I’m honestly devastated. His Lycanroc was so adorable with all that chub. By the way, a character sheet in the official Pokemon anime X account has it to where the Maushold family are listed as Mollie’s Pokemon—does this mean she caught them off-screen?

I honestly can’t wait for what future episodes will be like. What’s Spinel concocting after learning that the RVTs have reformed? What will they do to stop the Laquium consumption? Where will they go? To be honest, I can’t believe I’ve reviewed this anime up to this point! It’s such an accomplishment and an achievement! Just knowing that I’m in this journey alongside the RVTs make it so special to me! Let me know what you think about this episode and your overall thoughts on the series so far!

[gasps-inspanish]

Notes for the fifth and final chapter of my Green Lantern fic Fear and What Follows: Fear Remains, But So Does Your Kindness. This has some worldbuilding notes and GL headcannons i included in my fic as well as thoughts about the chapter so you dont need to read the fic to read and enjoy this.

I didn’t want to write them as fearless bc like, no one is truly fearless. And if they never felt any fear that locks off a lot of emotions. being a GL is about overcoming great fear, not being fearless. They feel fear, they just can overcome it easier! Thats why Chance died, he gave into fear-

Surprise Helen is alive!!!!!

Ollie, Hal, Barry and their families spending the holidays together is important to me. It’s their tradition they started just the three of them

Running gag that Hal never brings Carol because they are never together during the holiday season-

Kyle and his space friends (lovingly calling them Space Squad) are stupid but they love him and he loves them. I wanna write more about their adventures

If someone even hints at being interested in the volley ball incident I will write it I have no self control

I am a Hal and Carol shipper, but they don’t get back together in this fic sorry guys. They do later- Damn now I want to write them.

Please know that the eggs Hal made were bad but Kyle is polite and ate them. He’s surprised he didn’t die

Planning on writing Kyle’s graduation. Idk when yet

Also Bruce did go to Barry’s graduation. They just don’t know any of the Batfams secret identities at this point in the time line

When Kyle gets mad he draws himself bonking people he’s mad at on the head with hammers

I’m also very fond of the hc that Kyle draws people he’s mad at pregnant. That’s so funny to me idk-

Idk if anyone noticed, but like Kyle showing the contents of his sketchbook to Hal is a HUGE trust thing. U dont just share ur sketchbook with everyone.

Yes I’m a DonnaKyle shipper. Don’t look at me like that-

the donnakyle playlist is getting so long guys the brain rot is real but I get NO CONTENT-

Titans Teams in my au!!

So the Titans are divided into A and B, but they do also work together a lot!

Titans A: Donna, Dick, Wally, Garth, Roy

Titans B: Gar, Vic, Rachel, Kori, and Karen

Titans West (not yet established at this point in the story but they are brewing!): was supposed to have Jason as the leader with Connor, Jackson, and Joey but Jason died. M’gann is added a bit after Jason dies, and later Jaime, and Kelli are added.

Kara and Kyle are besties agenda being ran by me over here-

With the whole debate about the Parallax retcon, i decided I like both versions so i mixed it. Parallax wasn’t able to completely take over Hal, so everything that Hal did as Parallax was a group effort. You get to decide how much Hal would’ve done without Parallax

This fic actually wasn’t going to be written at all, but my friend BETRAYED me so I wrote this as a revenge fic. It was just supposed to be the scene in chapter three where Hal is helping Kyle get free from Parallax, but this turned into a 5 chapter 36k word fic so I hope u guys enjoyed this! But my point here is supposed to be, there are some plot points such as Kyle not sharing his name or face with the other lanterns yet and what happened between Kyle and Titans A bc thats gonna be explored in an other fic im writing! no official name yet, but its under the code name T7 for now but is another Kyle centric thingy with Fab 5 and Kara (pov switch between Kyle, Donna, Wally and Dick), and ofc Kyle interacting with the other Lanterns. So you should totoally follow me if you want updates on that

How did I write a whole 36k word fic about Kyle where Kyle’s name isn’t mentioned once? Crazy right

While the fic is in Hal's pov, the chapter titles are in Kyle's pov!

[amelikos]

Looking back on the year of episodes.

Just something I'm writing for fun now that the last episode of the year has aired. Basically, I'm just scrolling through this list of episodes and I'll write a thing or two about an ep that really stuck to my mind. I'm not aiming to write episodes notes all over again or to write something on every single ep that aired this year. Just picking out stuff.

--

HZ035: Liko describing how she saw Friede and Cap at the end of the episode was everything, ie they are her image of an ideal bond between trainer and Pokemon (Friede is the coolest).

HZ039: Kanuchan in general. Her and Dot both.

HZ040: It was already the case before that ep, but Nyahoja's backstory cemented her as my favorite Pokemon of the cast. Everything about her past and fear of abandonment, her personality and how it connects with Liko's personal arc was beautifully depicted. Liko and Nyahoja both learning to stop holding back (for different reasons) thanks to each other and finding solace and company with each other is everything. I'm glad Nyahoja got a whole episode explaining her past.

HZ042: Mighty G.

HZ043: The episode that made me really become invested in Sango's character. Also the episode that made me genuinely invested in Sango/Onyx (as a ship). Sango bragging about being cute around Onyx sure is a choice they made.

HZ044: Sango referring to Amethio as "bocchan". Spinel's everything. "Welcome, Professor Friede. I've been waiting for you." "I want to play with him [Friede] some more." Every time he talks, in fact.

HZ045: Friede and Amethio teaming up and working together like it was the most natural thing in the world. Amethio using Terastal. "Follow your own path, Soublades." Nyahoja evolving to respond to Liko's feelings. Amethio saving Liko.

HZ047: Sango failing to bake her cake made me think a lot about her potential backstory.

HZ050: Nanjamo and Dot!

HZ051: Liko being okay with pain if it's for her loved ones (Nyarote) was something (pls, cherish yourself more). Also, Nyarote taking care of her baby siblings was cute. I need more of them all as a team.

HZ054: Gibeon face reveal. Old man is hot. Also, Friede and Spinel in this ep. That ep was also really good in the way that it dealt with more modern and mature writing that can only be explored through older characters like Friede. (Him facing his past and apologizing for suddenly leaving the company was interesting and showcased that it was something that was weighing on his mind, etc. He doesn't exist in a vacuum and he could get where he is thanks to the people who've been supporting him, etc.)

HZ056: Liko, Kaede and Chili! Women supporting younger girls and helping them.

HZ062: Roy's flashback with his parents was cute.

HZ063: Grusha. Genuinely everything about Grusha and Liko. Liko's implementation test has been on my mind ever since it aired. The buildup and payoff with Grusha was really well-written, and I love what they did with Liko's implementation test (having her lose not because of a "fault" on her part as she genuinely performed well during the battle, yet not being up to Grusha's standards etc... the writing was nuanced and so good).

HZ064: Liko and Amethio facing off and eventually being stuck in a cave together. Most impactful thing to me, though, was Spinel and Blacky's relationship. I love their version of love. Which involves being willing to experiment the Rakurium for your trainer on Blacky's side, and trusting your partner enough to know she'll withstand the pain and not turn on you on Spinel's side. I love how much their dynamics stands out, yet makes so much sense for both characters. This ep made me reinterpret their dynamics in a very good way. (I love "unexpected" things, which make sense in retrospect once you think about them a bit more deeply. Blacky being a friendship evolution doesn't mean she isn't messy like Spinel, and I love that for both of them.)

HZ065: The AmeLiko ep. Liko and Amethio good. Good writing, good ep, good everything. Amethio being the one who pulled Liko out of her slump with his words was what I speculated about before the ep, and it happened naturally. Their heart-to-heart was beautiful stuff. "There are things you'll never know if you don't hear people out."

HZ066: Liko getting Grusha's acknowledgment and the way it was written felt so satisfying.

HZ067: Liko and Roy's bond. Also, Sango and Onyx sharing food was the one thing I wanted for both of them. I'm glad that the writing didn't turn Sango never getting the food she wants into a running gag, and actually let her eat something onscreen.

HZ069: Friede fanservice. Very thankful that they put him into that Kitakami outfit. More of this in the future, please.

HZ074 and HZ075: Lucius, Rystal, Gibeon. Everything about their tragedy, and their love.

--

Things that probably stood out the most to me this year.. if I had to pick five things. In chronological order. Nyahoja's backstory. Friede and Amethio teaming up. Liko's implementation test with Grusha and the entire writing around it. Liko and Amethio. The original Explorers story.

I enjoyed this year of episodes.

[hardworkandguts]

SDF Macross

超時空要塞マクロス

(Anime)

Mecha romance musical by Shoji Kawamori

Era: Early 80s

Rating: S

Plot: In the late 90s, a giant spacecraft of unknown origin falls on an island, leading to the creation of the UN Spacy, to both protect earth from a possible alien invasion and to rebuild the spacecraft. 10 years after, the SDF-1 Macross is ready to be launched, and in attendance are Hikaru Ichijyo, a young stunt pilot at the invitation of friend Roy Focker, Lynn Minmay, a waitress in a Chinese restaurant in the city that grew around the Macross during the rebuild process and Misa Hayase, a first lieutenant working on the bridge of the Macross. However, during launch the solar system is invaded by the Zentradi, who identify the Macross as a ship of their former enemies.

Length: 36 episodes + 1 film + 1 OVA

Thoughts: And here's one of the big ones. Hard what may have come to the heads of two Gundam fans to think "what this needs is jet fighters with legs and singing", but I'm guessing saying "we can sell a lot of toys and soundtracks" at a meeting was probably it. How they *convinced* them it could work is another issue, but oh boy, does it work. It pretty much defined what the series would be known for in the following iterations - the variable fighters, an aspiring music star with a connection to protoculture (after all, what is music but an universal language) involved in a love triangle and the tensions between the civilian side of the Macross and it's military leadership in what's often terrifying life-or-death situations.

The weakest point of the story is probably the love triangle itself, making it where all vertices are very wishy washy about their feelings is just messy. Extending the story to the aftermath of the conflict also didn't seem such a good bet for this show (would payoff in terms of exploring the role of the Zentradi in the post-war) and probably would be better served focusing on different characters. Animation varies a lot (unsurprising for a show that may have had more than a handful of studios involved in, including very young Gainax), but the action scenes are pretty thrilling and you can still feel the impact they had on the medium as an whole, if only for the "this machine transforms into another machine" thing. Wonder if that picked up.

Might do a DYRL post separately, but in brief it's a condensed version of the story with some changes (Hikaru is already a rookie pilot and Minmay a up and coming star) and outstanding production values and maybe *the* defining song of the franchise that gives the movie it's title. Flashback 2012, which serves as the epilogue to the story, is a video album featuring Minmei's songs over footage from both series and movie and new sequences planned but not directed showing her final gig at earth, as she boards the Megaroad (captained by Misa), humanity's first colony spaceship. I don't think it replaces the series (for instance, it compresses the Jenius - Fallyna relationship to a bare minimum, and their kids appear all over the place over the rest of the franchise) but it allows you to get to the basics of the story.

Recommended to: fans of big robots and idols

Plus:

The variable fighter design by Mikimoto is one of those for the ages.

While animation can be a bit spotty, combat is generally on point. Ah ah missiles go brrrrrrrrr

Asking the important question, can singing save the world, which feels very 80s

Unsurprisingly, the music. Iijima is great as Minmei and this role as a virtual idol launched her career and is what best remembered from the show, but Kentaro Haneda's work on incidental music is incredible as well.

Inconsistencies between the TV series and DYRL being attributed in-universe on it being a war film? That works.

Minus:

Other than the infamous baby tossing scene, the added 9 episodes feel like a complete afterthought and feel the only reason to reignite a love triangle is to change it's shape.

Said triangle narratively is a complete mess.

Some bits of animation were very, VERY rushed.

[aqua-dan]

What advice would Mera and Arthur give teenage Garth if Roy was bullying him

Sorry that it has taken me so long to answer this, but to be honest, I've had a hard time formulating a response to it. I feel like there's so many different nuances that I have to explain and I don't even know where to start...

Okay, I suppose I'll try to answer the base ask first: They probably wouldn't have much advice for him. It would probably be something along the lines of "ignore him" or "try not to worry about it." Unfortunately, I doubt that either Mera or Arthur would have much good advice for him in a situation like that.

Beyond that, it really makes me want to ramble about Roy and Garth's early relationship because it is so messy and complicated. To be honest, Garth really wasn't around Roy all that much during his teenage years. They converged on a few missions through the Teen Titans, sure, but after Roy joined the team permanently, there wasn't all that many times that Garth got to interact with him. (Retcons have changed this a little bit, but.... I prefer this version...) In those few interactions they had, most of them were negative. Roy had a lot going on in his life and that caused him to lash out at people. This wasn't fair to them, mind you, but he did it to just about everyone.

Eventually, Roy started to grow a lot as a person and stopped being so much like that. The other Titans got to see his growth and they all grew pretty close. But since Garth was absent most of the time, he didn't get to bond with Roy the same way the other Titans did.

Because the very limited interactions they had were mostly negative, Garth held onto the idea that Roy was a total jackass and specifically didn't like him.

On Roy's side, that's not at all true. Yeah, Roy was definitely a douchebag when he was younger, but he does not hate Garth. The things he said to Garth that came off negatively weren't specifically about Garth. He would have said it to anyone in those situations.

When they started to interact as adults, they held two VERY different views of how their relationship was. Garth thought Roy not-so-secretly hated him (and also thought he was racist towards Atlanteans), and Roy probably felt fairly neutral towards Garth but also had a little bit of nostalgia about him by proxy when talking about the old Teen Titans. I think that he WANTED to be closer with Garth, so he defaulted to the old jokes and jibes that seem to have worked for the other members regarding Garth.

Garth... wasn't fantastic at standing up for himself when he was younger, so he didn't make it very clear how much those comments upset him. He would tell Roy to stop, but never really enforced it much, thus allowing Roy to think it was all part of the little "game" between them. He thought he was coming off as affectionate in his teasing, and Garth never set the boundaries in an adult fashion to make it clear how much he didn't like it. (That isn't to say that Roy shouldn't have stopped when asked-- he just didn't understand HOW serious it was.)

That was until Gargoyle manipulating their emotions sort of forced them to confront this whole thing. I very much wish that comics meta hadn't made it so the confrontation became slightly moot after that point. Regardless, Roy's reaction to Garth actually telling him what he thought about him/his actions is VERY telling about Roy as a character and how he viewed all of their interactions.

They still clashed after this, but also had some very interesting conversations where they were able to meet in the middle.

If I were in charge of writing for them, I would LOVE to go and explore their relationship more and build off of that conflict. I would love to set up a situation where they are forced to confront this stuff again.

I'm off topic now tho.... But my point here being that Roy really didn't bully Garth in the classic sense. He absolutely DID put Garth down and make him feel awful, but the vast majority of it came from misunderstandings, miscommunication, and simply not being around each other much. So many of their issues could be resolved if they just TALKED.

So idk if the opportunity for Garth to ask Arthur or Mera advice on this would even arise, necessarily? Garth didn't really talk to them about this kind of stuff, and also the situation was far more complex than your typical childhood bullying.

I hope this provides at least a somewhat satisfactory answer! And sorry that I don't have more specific things to say on the Arthur/Mera front!

[sunny6677]

The House On The Hill.

(A rewritten version of the Hatzgangs scene from The Stars for the Saturated AU.)

TWS FOR FLESH EATING, BLOOD, DRUGS, DRUG DEALERS, ETC

————

It shows the kids walking along the sidewalk for a brief shot, with Skid being like. "Sheesh–how could this get any—"

He stops, noticing something off screen and then seeming frustrated. While Pump becomes visibly confused.

It cuts to the Hatzgang, who is standing in front of them. Roy's friends have mischievous looks on their faces, while Roy has a genuine smile from ear to ear.

"Hey! Those are some nice costumes you got there!"

"Uh—thanks?" Pump says, arching a brow.

"For us to ruin!" Ross suddenly cuts in with a smirk. Roy tries to protest, but before he can stop them, Robert and Ross both walk foward—straight up hitting the kids in the face, kicking them in the stomach and then punching them across their heads. Before they can go any further, Roy intervenes by getting in between them.

"He—Hey! Stop! What are you doing??"

Ross blinks. "..uh.. duh..? They're weirdos. They deserve it."

"No, they're not!" Roy exclaims, and then faces the kids while his friends glare a bit. "Uh—sorry about that. What are you two here for?"

"..uh.. we were just trying to find something cool to do until your friends decided to beat us up." Pump shrugs, speaking bitterly.

"Oh—reallyy?? Y'know—there's actually this really cool house over there on the hill! It's really Halloweeny and junk!"

"..really?" Skid looks over to where Roy points, and sees it. He still seems skeptical though, glancing over at Ross specifically. "..well.. we'll go check it out, I guess. This better not be a trick though. C'mon—let's go."

The kids slowly walk away as the three watch.

"..I bet they're gonna have a lot of fun with that guy who sold me the special sugar in the alleyway!" Roy grins aloud to himself. This sentence makes both Robert and Ross glance over at him, their expressions becoming more serious.

"..what..?" Ross says.

It cuts to the interior of the house on the hill, only for the doors to practically slam open. The kids skeptically look around, and see no one inside, so they walk in.

"..huh." Skid says aloud to himself, looking around. "..guess it's empty after all."

But then, when the two look ahead—they see a gigantic opening in the ground. There appears to be some kind of strange wrapped box beside it, but also a splatter of blood trickling from the hole.

Skid becomes noticeably cautious, and as does Pump. As bravely as he can, Skid steps foward to maybe ensure that whatever is inside doesn't hear him. But the moment he peeks in, a tentacle shoots out and grabs him. Skid screams out. Pump yells, only for a tentacle to shoot out again and grab him too.

They're both dragged down into an eerily silent, bright red void. And..

..Eyes is standing there right before them, his eyes looking straight down at their faces. Skids face becomes noticeably irritated instead of frightened, while Pumps becomes absolutely horrified as he stares into Eyes's red sockets.

Eyes loud, rumbling voice begins to speak. "..HELLO, MORTAL FLESH.."

"..hi." Skid frowns. "Can you let us go? We're trying to explore a house up here!"

"..I DON'T BELIEVE I CAN ALLOW THAT. ALLOW ME TO PUT YOU OUT OF YOUR—"

When Skid feels Eyes's tentacles tighten at a painful level, he reacts quickly and literally slaps Eyes on the tentacle. "Hey! Stop! I don't know who you think you are, but I'm not letting you push us around!"

"..YOU'RE.. INTERESTING."

"Yeah. That's very nice of you. Can you let us go? Please?"

"..HMMMM.. YES. BUT IN EXCHANGE FOR ONE THING.."

It shows Eyes ominously emerging from the house for a frame, and then cuts to the Hatzgang.

"What do you mean that wasn't candy?" Roy asks his friends, who then look up with even more horrified faces as a shadow looms over them. Roy looks behind himself, and it shows Eyes, who has two of his eyes in the center brightly lit up. It cuts to the Hatzgang, who now have red pupils and are visibly distressed as red marks begin to appear on their skin a bit.

"Wh—hey!"

Skid slaps Eyes on the mush they're sitting on, and Eyes briefly stops making noise.

Skid yells, "I said we'd show you the town! Not eat people's flesh!"

Skid then just let's out a irritated sigh, but his eyes light up, seemingly getting an idea on what to do.

[29625]

Blade Runner/Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? AU.

Blade runner/replicant! Slider x Blade runner Maverick.

Contains a bit of NSFW discussion and huge spoilers of both works.

This is a sort of mish-mash of both the movie adaptation and the original novel. While Deckard is clearly a human in the original while coded as a replicant in the Final Cut version of the film. The interesting thing about Deckard is the difference in his character in the novel and the film. While Deckard in the novel is portrayed as very…human, overtly showing distress, desire, anger and jealousy, the film depicts him being colder and less human, almost like a replicant himself as he does his job. (He, a supposed “hero” shoots a female replicant from the back—in that day and age!)

I also LOVE to see his respective characterization getting mixed; Slider being his jokey self while struggling to make sense of his identity, or Maverick slowly getting more and more protective of his partner along the way. In addition, the novel features another blade runner/bounty hunter called Resch—who Deckard suspects to be an andy/replicant (and I honestly LOVE his character. The scene where he gets so defensive about being an andy that he overkills an android? GOD.) In this AU, I’ve set Slimav as partners in “retiring” replicants, as in the collaboration between Deckard and Resch in the novel—with a twist. A romantic twist in the same fashion of Deckard/Rachael in the movie. Sex to restore each other’s blurred, messy identities. A kiss to make sure they are there, together. Confusion and affection. Anger and passion. Desperation mixed with equally intense desire for each other’s touch and comfort.

The deal is, Slimav but Blade Runner. The Tyrell Corp.—now we have Dr. Charlotte Blackwood! (I love Charlie. I will let her explore my body like WTF girl!!!! Ur gorgeous and educated and everything!!!!!!!!!! Leave that man!!!!!!!!!!). She is the one who created the Nexus 8–Slider, that is—with an implanted memory, reduced/more human-like stamina, reproductive capacity, and no expiration date assigned. The Nexus 8 promises, as she claims, the next-gen of human race—and Slider is the pilot version of the series. She and her team want to test his capabilities while also flying under the radar of the authorities, particularly when there’s a group of rebel replicants lingering around. So she contacts LAPD and Maverick and “offers” to “lend” another blade runner to do the job. Of course Slider has to take the VK test because why not. Why not let them experience that sexual tension.

The rebel replicants? We’ve got Mr. Iceman (Roy Batty). I’m still thinking about how to cast other replicants but Iceman as Roy just makes sense to me. In the novel, it is implied that Rachael and Pris (who is Roy’s partner in the film but just an accomplice in the novel) are created using the same mold, looking identical to one another while being different in their positions/classes. I’m usually a IceSarah shipper (and I will DEFINITELY write them in the future!!!) so whether to cast Sarah as Pris or as Zhora (who’s also got an important, very magnificent role in both the novel and the film; cornering Resch to the edge of identity crisis in the former and making Deckard question his job and his affection towards Rachael in the movie) is the biiiig question for me. Who knows? Maybe we can go batshit crazy and make it Slimav AND Slice!

Also, maybe this is a hot take but Charlie/Carole (as J. F. Sebastian in the film). An unhinged genius who only truly loves her creations that are replicants and an equally unhinged engineer who is devoted to fulfilling her boss’s desire. C’mon, I believe she can pull off that awkward yet somewhat eerie vibes while making it cute.

And Gaff. Do you know who plays Gaff in this scenario? Goose. That’s it. I said what I said. I love how Gaff treats Deckard like his dog in the film, hitting him with his cane and turning a blind eye at his betrayal almost whimsically. Dark Goode lovers rise up. Rise up and make the tension turn all the way up.

[royal-shining]

hello, i agree with most of them but i think

shizuka is more an estp because he love being the center of attention, outgoing, action orientied and DRAMATIC. Plus he always taking risks ( like telling minami and mei about his ridiculous game in the penthouse when mc could litteraly hear it ) and very spontaneous. Rather focus on the present time and rely on his senses to understand the world and make decisions based on logic and objectif criteria rather than emotions so i think it fit him more .

Minami is entp because he enjoy engaging discussions and debates ( that most of the time he take too far cuz he want problem ) and like exploring. He is enthusiastic and energetic but also a very independant thinkers ( in his route when he runway from mc to america he told her that he can leave without her and hate being told what he has to do ). A bit intolerent dismiss any idea that don't stand up his scrutiny and get bored easily.

mei is infp because he is highly intovert and creative. Expressing himself throught music and others forms of art ( in one of his ending where he play a music for mc to show his feeling but dense she is , she had no idea ) his creativity is driven by his stong values for music and emotions . I notice in his route because of his backstory he end up self-isolating wich made him struggle to connect with others leading to feel loney and isolated.

Rei is infj because he take adavantage of people feeling so he can get what he want ( especially mc ) but at the same time want to help others . Like his goal is nice but he execute it in evil way , he often seek holistic solutions that consider well beings of all involved . 100% plan ahead and have a clear sense of direction and very private struggle to open up his own feeling ( like the fact that he actually care about his siblings or telling honestly to mc how much he love her

alan is an enfp a bit the same like minami he is energetic and enthusiastic but he is an angel compared to this evil minami . Prioritize harmony and understanding in his interactions ( especially with mc ) but also playfull and mischievous. Enjoy motivating others and use his enthusiasm to connect with people . Oversensitive to criticism and may take neagtive feedback personally .

Roy is honestly a bit hard cuz i read his route and he remind so much of shizuka and rei at the same time but i think he is an enfj because he is pretty sociable, confident, outgoing and a leadership ( i mean he is the oldest siblings and the their ) but unrealistic put pressure on himself to solve problems and sooo condescending ( espacially to mc, and it still piss me off )

Love your interpretations! I feel like your understanding of Shizuka is better than mine, because that does sound more like him. With Minami, especially, but also Rei, I feel like they both have very complex and strong personalities that can overlap with many of the types.

Oh, I would love to know more about Roy! With the discontinuation of translation for the international version, unfortunately we've never gotten to play any of the routes after Minami's sequel.

Thank you for sending in your ask! It's always wonderful to see players' thoughts and opinions of the game.

[impetuous-impulse]

Tagged by @cadmusfly.

Last Song: Napoleonically speaking, I read the last song I listened to (thanks to Victor Hugo). Le roi d'Yvetot is by Jean-Pierre de Béranger (1780-1857), a popular chansonnier. He was under Lucien Bonaparte's patronage for a bit. This song satirises Napoleon, and apparently Napoleon heard it one day and was like "haha funny". I found a record of it below.

There's also this recent version, which is clearer and more dynamic.

William Makepeace Thackeray made a translation of it, as seen here. Someone also posted the French text in the comments of the first song, so you can machine translate to get the literal meanings.

More generally, I've been on a nostalgia trip listening to older songs. Time-Forgotten One (時忘人) strikes me as apt for this blog, because the lyrics explore grief and survivor's guilt in a post-war context (with a twist at the end). Of his comrades, the singer muses:

Even though the long-drawn-out war has ended / where have they gone / have they gone to a land where no grass grows / and continued the fight there？/ I continue to wait for them

I remember fighting with comrade whom I could entrust my back to / Now I am the only one left on this street, where have the familiar faces gone？

Translations adapted from here (if you want to experience the story in its glory). The creator hinayukki also posted a remake recently.

Currently Watching: Two reality TV shows, which I need to catch up on.

Three ships: Any kind of ship, right? Not my favourite or anything? Okay. I define shipping by two people interacting with and reacting to each other intensely, whatever that may mean. The following are some I would actively promote.

Ney/Soult: From comrades and work friends to "bitter rivals" (and scholars continue their feud). I love a good friends to rivals/enemies to something else, and their historical relationship gives me so much material to work with. You can create something very historically-compliant and trace various narratives depending on what you focus on. Desaix/Saint-Cyr: Two giants who respected each other equally and were intimate friends (to the point of using "tu" with each other). Hot/cold foils (commented on contemporaries and later writers). There is also some tragedy in outliving one of your closest friends (of which you have so few), ascending to a higher rank than he did in life, while disliking the institution who bestowed the accolades upon you. Bernadotte/Brahe: This is just here for how codependent they were. Bedside counselling deep into the night? Brahe having a room of Bernadotte statues? Matching rings with braided hair? So much potential.

Honourable shout-out to Jourdan/Kléber as a thought experiment of the ephemeral variety (I think my bias for the Rhine armies is showing). I would also like to mention [REDACTED] and [REDACTED], but I suspect it would get me dragged through the mud by fans of Ney (as he is represented in popular tradition), haha.

Favourite Colour: Gold and green, currently.

Currently consuming: The last food I had was vegetable broth.

First ship: In the Napoleonic fandom, it would be NapJuno (because of the plausibility).

Relationship status: Complicated

Last Movie: The Holdovers (2023). A good alternate Christmas Hallmark movie.

Currently working on: 1) The Ney and Soult Get-Along T-Shirt AU, where Ney escapes arrest with Soult's help post-Waterloo. Here's a WIP of it choked with purple prose to prove it isn't dead:

2) A Lannes WIP. 3) A non-Napoleonic fic that I desperately need to finish so I can be more active on here again.

Tagging: Anyone who wants to do it—go ahead.

[cordatumcape]

📓!!

Put “📓” or some other version of a book emoji into my inbox and I’ll explain the plot of a fanfiction that I haven’t written but daydream about.

Maybe something from Roi's POV... Something simple, if just to get used to writing his voice. Spoilers for the entire game ahead, since I'm drawing from endgame lore here.

Tying into my theory/headcanon that Temenos is Claude's son, I think one running thing I would write is that Roi's just *raising an eyebrow* at how his little brother is just a wee bit eldritch... And only near his disappearance, did he actually start to suspect that there's something like, Vide related?

However, the main focus of it would definitely be Roi isolating himself from people, but especially Temenos, the more he investigates— only for him to start telling him stuff only when it's too late. I like a good siblings tragedy any day— especially when I imagine Roi as being like, a reflection of Temenos and even Crick's characters, but ends tragically due to circumstances.

FTR this absolutely would be a part of Chimera Crick AU to further contrast Roi and Crick's character growth too— since I think present day Crick more so tries to emulate the principles Roi said he saw in Crick, rather than Roi himself. I imagine that Roi was more mild-mannered and reserved in comparison to Temenos' tendency towards teasing, and is definitely way easier to get along with.

However, he's still very sharp when he wants to be— perhaps, to his detriment. Going back to Roi being a reflection of Temenos and Crick, I think that while he inspires the two's best traits (those being Temenos' recalcitrance and inquisitive nature, and Crick's altruism), I think Roi is specifically like... Temenos' determination and wit taken to such an extreme where they define Roi's downfall.

Also, unlike present day Temenos, Roi didn't have anyone he could go to about what was going on; or rather, he didn't feel like he should, not until it was too late— and all he could tell Temenos in the end was to not trust the church. By contrast, Temenos in Mourning Howl has multiple people he knows he can rely on. He opens up to Ochette, recognizes he and Osvald's experiences with institutional trauma, and by the end of it, says he'll place his trust in Crick as his investigative partner.

This is me thinking aloud at this point, but it'd be cool to explore Roi's character— and how that defines the tragedy to come later on.

[ecargmura]

Pokemon Horizons Episode 32 Review - Lapras and Lucius

I’m a bit divisive over this episode, honestly. On one hand, there are good aspects of this episode that I liked. On the other hand, there are things that are nagging at me a lot. Sit down, relax and let me explain the good and the bad of this episode.

The good was the entire Ludlow sequence. That man is a crazy sailor and knows how to pilot a ship. This makes sense as the Brave Asagi used to be his small fishing boat, after all. Seeing Chansey rolling around and Murdock sliding on each side was a treat to see. I do hope that a Ludlow backstory episode will be shown one day; I’d love to learn what sort of person he was in the past for him to be just a regular fisherman now. The part where his Quagmire used Surf was great. I think the last time I saw Surf used efficiently was back at the Tag-Team Tournament in the DP era. 

I think the part where Diana asks Liko and Roy whether Lapras is good or bad for stealing food was nice. To humans, what Lapras is doing might be bad, but for Lapras and its friends, they’re doing it to survive. Good and bad are not applicable in Pokemon’s standards. It’s either survive or die. I do like that sort of nuanced writing.

I also liked the part where Lucius finally makes his debut. His face is fully shown and he looks like a male version of Liko in a way. The memories his Pokemon have of him end with him going to Rakua and promising that he won’t die and would come back—but he never did. That was why Lapras was upset; that was also why Galarian Moltres was upset at the time. It just builds up the mystery behind what Rakua is and why Lucius never came back. Regarding Lucius, he’s either a direct ancestor of Liko, or related to by another of Lucius’s family. He’s voiced by Daisuke Namikawa, who also voices Dot’s Quaxly.

For the bad parts of the episode, I do feel like the whole Lapras portion was a bit hastily written. Lapras did fight off the Rising Volt Tacklers by freezing their boat, but afterwards, Liko, Roy and Friede just showed up at its base and after some convincing and seeing the flashback with Lucius, it goes along with Liko. I honestly thought it would be more reluctant than this. I do feel like these hero Pokemon go along with Liko so quickly that it doesn’t feel unearned. Well, in the case of Arboliva, they helped out with the forest, which earned its trust. But for Galarian Moltres and Lapras, it just meets Terapagos, thinks about Lucius and then tags along. It makes me wonder if there will be a hero Pokemon that will be harder to convince to come later on. I’d like to see that, honestly. I want to see multiple attempts of the group trying to convince a Hero Pokemon to come with them, but they are so doubtful of their intentions.

Though, I do admit that giving them food was the best thing to convince Lapras to join. I just want to know how Lapras ended up in that situation; did it get those scars before or after its awakening? Since Horizons focus more on the people part of the Pokemon world rather than the Pokemon, I guess Lapras’s scars will remain a mystery.

The Terapagos’s adventure segment has the little turtle explore the basement of the ship where Fuecoco and the other wild Pokemon sleep. It has cute interactions with all of them but Fuecoco especially. It’s nice to see Terapagos interact with the starters but still try to maintain their personalities.

Now that Shiny Rayquaza has shown up, I do wonder what’s going to happen. The next episode’s preview has it that Amethio is fighting the dragon with Ceruledge; all I know is that Rayquaza is going to wipe the floor with Ceruledge. It was nice knowing you, Ceruledge. What are your thoughts on this episode?

[eyrieofsynapses]

Yeah, like he was so young when he became a flash and being struck by lightning and suddenly seeing spirits, feeling your body become as light as a feather because your disconnecting from this plane of existence is, in fact, very scary…and as a kid I can expect you’d just ignore it and feel like that makes it go away; or maybe it becomes just a factor in his life like “some Victorian speed force ghost moaning on the floor, just shhs them bc you have Econ exam to study for.” But like— when your mentally connected to your teammates what happens when they start seeing them too. Imagine that fic! Or like seeing different dimensions, or different timelines (like the one Bart is from), maybe he sees his own death, or another copy of himself die. Maybe you could connect that to his blasé-ness at his own death in failsafe, he’s seen it before and once you’ve seen one death so real even if it’s a dream you’ve seen it all, the unique time and dimension fuckery of the speedforce opens up so crazy options for angst. One of my favorite flash comics is when Wally cheers up his kid self so like…but also the speedforce is also something that can be so creepy since it’s basically an other worldly spirit that’s half sentient and chooses humans to wield it powers and you could totally lean into the how un linear time is scary.

Like what if Wally almost restarted the timeline by accident out of grief during failsafe and no one saw him do it because Wally woke up before he could actually do it.

Or newly minted kid flash Wally goes a little too fast and disappears and Barry was so scared like “kid where were you?!” / “I was right there! I was right there I’m being honest how did you not see me!” And no one believes him and thinks he was fooling around even Roy and Dick and Kaldur and it’s so isolating

He’s just spends every minute like he will stop existing because he knows he could deep down and THATS why he doesn’t say goodbye to anyone, he doesn’t know what’s next but he knows it’s gonna be weird. Ugh I just have a lot of feelings

Justice league animated x young justice crossovers are my favorite because it’s trying to smash a camp sprinkle cupcake with a grounded filet mignon. (If you took both Wally’s from both series you’d get a comic accurate version of the character)

I’m rambling but yeah. Someday I’ll get a Wally adaption that includes Linda and Hartley but alas

Ahh I'm so sorry it took so long to get to this! Getting to the other asks will probably also be touch-and-go for a bit. Life is very very busy right now. (You know, your typical October.)

Yessss, Speedforce ghost angst! Literally anything with the "yes, I live with ghosts, no they're not that dangerous, but yes they are absolutely whiny bastards" is my jam. And oh my absolute goodness I totally didn't think about how that could interact with the mindlink. That's just begging for whump.

I know exactly which comic you're talking about; it's actually sitting on my shelf right now. That's one of my favorite bits too. There's just something very relatable about wanting to go back and talk to your younger self, and the sheer kindness and love he has for bb!Wally is heartwrenchingly wonderful.

ANON. Anon, are you trying to break my heart? Arrrgh, Wally just struggling with the speedforce and how it keeps messing with him and then bearing the consequences like that... jeeeez. Have you considered writing a fic?

Crossovers between YJ and the JL animated series are hit-or-miss for me; it can be a delicate balance between characters, especially depending on how you work with timelines. I've seen a couple good ones, though.

You're one hundred percent on point with comic!Wally being a combination of those two. I hadn't thought of it like that before, but that's very much what they did: each show pulled certain comic characteristics and then exaggerated them a bit. It works really well for each show, actually, and I honestly like how they explore different aspects of his comic version.

YES. YES YES YES. DC NEEDS to give us an adaption true to the comics, oh my gods. I have literally no idea why they haven't figured that out yet. I mean, come on, Wally and Linda's relationship is exactly the kind of thing everybody loves! They're super sweet with each other, but Linda really stands firm on her values and she's got such a great fire to her. (When she's being written right, anyway. Geoff Johns completely screwed her over.) Throw inventor Hartley in there with his own storylines and his wonderful friendship with them, drop in some of the Titans occasionally, pull in Wally's connection to the speedforce... seriously, that would be something incredible. DC's really sleeping on it.

Okay, now, off to the war again. I'll see if I can answer one or two more asks today, but I can't promise anything.

[amelikos]

Going over the opening for Mega Voltage, Get Back by Yuzu. The full version isn't out yet.

The ending still hasn't been shown and it will debut in HZ092, but the full version of the song is already available here.

Writing thoughts and impressions for future reference.

I really like the song in general. The visual presentation is beautiful, the way it's divided into two sections (Liko and Roy) was interesting since it wasn't something that was really done for previous openings? The lyrics are poetic and feel melancholic.

The film reel showing the Rising Volt Tacklers in the past juxtaposed with Liko, Roy and Dot after the timeskip is a really neat visual. The only appearance from the adults RVT in the opening, too. Makes it feel like they are a relic from the past. I wonder where they are now.

Liko's section in the opening is really cool?? I like it a lot! I like that she is shown to be contemplative and at a standstill, but also confident, fierce, and on the move. The contrast between these different aspects stands out to me. Just really like the whole scene when she gets ready to head out (does her hair, ties her shoelaces and then goes out).

The depiction of Liko's team in the opening is nice, too. I like that the passage of time is illustrated through Nyahoja's evolutions. Showing her in meaningful places for her and Liko (at school at night with Liko as Nyahoja, by the sea as Nyarote which is probably when she evolved after the battle against Rayquaza, at Rakua as Masquernya). I like that the main partners are so prominent for the kids and that they are making visual callbacks to their early stages in the opening/ending? Like, the ending for Rayquaza Rising showed Nyahoja, Hogator and Kuwassu. Their stories matter and their pasts matter, too. Seeing Pagogo in the opening was reassuring, as it means it'll probably awaken soon? I hope so, at least.

The part with the lyrics "show me the magic" was neat. It fits Masquernya, who is the magician Pokemon. (Tebrim's last evolution form is also a witch, so the magical motif just fits Liko's team well in general.) Also, liked it because Liko is a magical girl to me and Horizons is a mahou shoujo, so seeing lyrics about magic made me think of that.

Liko running in a somewhat desperate manner at the end of her section was good. Like, she is trying to grasp something? Catch up to something/someone? In a hurry to find something, get back something? The shot just before Liko running is the one with the RVT flag, so it's probably what she wants to get back. It makes a nice contrast with Roy who is shown just after her, walking calmly.

Going over the specific Explorers scenes in the opening now.

Very invested in the scene showing Liko battling both Sango and Onyx. I'm really liking what they are doing with their dynamics and that they keep leaning into it? The fact that it's been a constant thing since the ending of chapter 1, too. I'm really interested in what they are going to do with Sango and Onyx going forward, and how it could relate to Liko. Liko is battling them by herself in the opening, so I wonder if it'll actually happen in the series. Usually, Roy is with Liko when they come across Sango and Onyx. I hope we do see them interacting going forward. I also wonder where they are battling. Not sure I recognize the place.

Sango and Onyx seem to have slight changes to their designs. I need to see them in actual episodes to form my thoughts about them. Also, very interesting that they keep showing Sango and Onyx specifically together. The other Explorers are pictured by themselves (only their Pokemon are with them). But they keep showing Sango and Onyx as a tight duo. In case there was any doubt, they are literally inseparable. Attached at the hip. An item. Makes me a bit insane tbh. Also, quite intriguing to me that Sango seems to be under a spotlight (artificial one?), maybe it relates to how the Explorers are known now and are considered positively by the general public. Onyx seems to be withdrawn in their shot together? Genuinely curious about their upcoming roles.

Agate being in a room monitoring something is also interesting. Spinel is the one going public now, while Agate seems to take a step back? Usually, he was the one staying in his lab all the time while she was willing to make interactions with others (at the school during Terastal Debut, she is also the one who mediates things between Spinel and Sango and Onyx, etc). I hope we learn more about Agate. Please, tell me more about her and her true loyalties and motivations.

Spinel's shot is neat. I like that he is shown being affectionate with Blacky. Despite everything, there is one being he shows affection to and it's Blacky. Genuinely such a compelling part of his character. Also, the fact he is depicted in the director office of Exceed is a lot. The only times we've seen this room was when Crave was in it. This was where Friede came to see his former mentor (? not sure if that's the right word to describe Crave and Friede's relationship, but I'm using it for the time being, at the very least, Friede was a student Crave acknowledged for his thesis work) to apologize to him and where they caught up. It was where Crave told Friede that he always had a seat with him and that he was free to come back any time. And now, both of them are nowhere to be seen. Seeing Spinel there just makes me wonder even more what's up with Crave. This was probably something entrusted to him by Gibeon, but now.. Just adds a lot to my thoughts of Spinel trying to insert himself into that legacy by force. It's so interesting. Spinel, that old man won't adopt you. He doesn't want you in his family. Also, he is gone now. Why are you trying so hard and following in his footsteps. I wanna study Spinel so bad. I don't get his deal.

No Amethio in the opening, but I think some scenes are probably temporary placeholders. The empty sunset beach scene, for example. Seems like it's similar to the beach Amethio went to with his mom when he was a kid. Amethio is absolutely getting a redesign that they want to hide until he actually shows up. All I'm asking is that his new design slays, please and thanks. Also curious about his upcoming role, he has something to "get back" as well, just like Liko and Roy. And I hope the timeskip has been good on his relationships. Especially with his dad, that's the one I'm most curious about. They only have each other left as relatives as far as we know, so.

Really liked that the Explorers scenes were shown in Liko's section of the opening. Big fan of Liko's connections to the Explorers, and how they relate to her arc and how she grows stronger in relation to the antagonist faction.

As for Roy. I like that he is shown walking calmly at the beginning of his section. Shows that he is more composed nowadays. Heading to the future, in a calm manner?

Uruto's bit around 0:52 is something that makes me really curious about his character? Idk how to put it, but something about this specific part gets to me. Feels like there are hidden sides to him that we'll discover in due time.

The bit with Cap falling was heartbreaking, and makes me feel the weight of Friede's absence. Cap lost his partner, and I hope they'll eventually reunite.

The scene with Roy eating at night with his Pokemon was such a cute one?? Rayquaza is also seen flying in the sky at some point. I like the bit leading up to Roy's Lucario. Feels very dynamic. I hope we learn how Roy met Lucario eventually.

The bits with Roy dancing with Achigator, Liko dancing with Masquernya, Dot smiling with her Pokemon were precious. They are all cute! Last scene with Liko and Roy hugging their partners Pokemon was great too. It's similar to one of the scenes in Dokimeki Diary.

Curious about the crowd rallying behind Liko, Roy, Dot and Uruto. We can see Nemo, Ann, and someone wearing Gurumin merch. Are they people they'll meet during their journeys who will believe the truth of the RVT?

--

Overall, really liked the opening! Great visuals, lyrics are good too. I especially liked the part about the utopia (reference to Rakua?), travelers wandering, the references to evolution (Liko feeling like she has to evolve like Masquernya?), the themes of the current arc shown through the lyrics (getting back something), the way Roy's part of the opening can be read as him encouraging Liko ("let's get it back together") and a message from him to her, etc.

Stuff that I'm currently curious about. Liko in general! Roy and his Lucario. That bit with Uruto when he is standing alone in an alleyway. The Explorers in general. I can't pinpoint one thing I'm most curious about with them, because I really want to know more about everyone. Looking forward to Amethio's new design, too!

I hope the full version of this song is released soon!

[korra-the-red-lion]

Lonely.

I will forever be salty that LoT doesn’t let Sara explore her grief a bit more, it seems. Anyway, enjoy some angst with a happy ending!

---

Sara put down the make-up brush and stared at herself in the mirror. It wasn’t a lot, but she felt confident in what she did for herself. Lightly, she put on the finishes touches to her lips and was ready for the big event.

In just a few short hours she’d be marrying the love of her life.

But why did her heart feel so heavy? Shouldn’t she be overjoyed that she was marrying Ava? But it only took one quick glance to the photo sitting her in locket to remind her why she felt this way. Laurel and Oliver smiled up at her, their faces alive and happy. Sara picked up the locket, holding it gently in her hand. At least Oliver got to marry the life of his life, Laurel never even got that chance. Both men she loved were tragically ripped away from her, before her own life was as well.

Although Laurel told her it was the right decision, Sara couldn’t help but still feel guilty that she didn’t use the Loom of Fate to bring her back. Why did someone like her get so many chances at life yet her sister didn’t? It was a cruel thing, fate was. Sara would have gladly given one of her several returns to life in exchange for Laurel to be here on her wedding day.

And Oliver too, who would never see his daughter grow old. How was it fair that someone who gave so much and rarely asked for anything in return was not allowed this once in a lifetime opportunity. At least Mia had Felicity, who was one tough cookie. It just felt like some cosmic joke to her. Oliver wasn’t perfect, but he deserved to grow old with his wife and children.

Sara blew a frustrated breath through pursed lips. She needed to stop thinking about this. About them. Today was supposed to be about her happiness, her love. About her and Ava finally retiring from saving the universe and enjoying life. It wasn’t an easy decision for them to make, especially for her. Sara had been fighting since she was teenager. What would the domestic life feel like? Going for walks with having to watch your back? Talking about that silly thing the neighbours did with Ava? Sara honestly couldn’t even picture it in her mind.

There was a knock at her door, startling from her thoughts. Sara put on a brave face and called out, “Come in!”

Nyssa walked into the room with a smile adorning her face. Sara smiled back, but Nyssa was not fooled. She had known Sara for a very long time and knew when she was hiding her feelings. Nyssa closed the door softly before turning to face her former love.

“What is wrong, Beloved?”

Sara smiled softly at the familiar expression. “It’s nothing, really. Just got thinking.”

“Thinking about what?”

“How much I miss them,” she said, looking down at the locket again.

Nyssa nodded in understanding as she came to sit next to Sara. “I miss them as well. I cannot imagine how difficult this must be for you.”

Sara clutched the locket, holding it to her heart. “I wish they could be here to see this. I want to let them know that I only got this far because of their support. Especially Laurel’s…” the tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

“Sara…” Nyssa reached for her hand, squeezing it in comfort. “They may not be here physically, but I know Oliver and your sister. They’re watching from wherever they are currently. They would be so happy for you, so happy that you found the love they wished for you. Do you understand that?”

“I do,” said Sara with a small voice, “but that doesn’t make me miss them any less.”

Nyssa hugged Sara tightly. All she could hope was that Sara could feel her emotions through the hug. That it was okay to grief those you’ve lost, you just cannot let it consume you. Sara hugged back just as tightly, wondering when the emptiness in her heart would finally feel a little more whole.

Another knock at the door broke the pair apart. Ray stuck his head into the room, his smile instantly dropping when he saw Sara. He wasted no time in walking across the floor and scooping the tiny assassin into a bear hug.

“I have no idea what’s upsetting you, Sara, but I’m not going to let it ruin your wedding day,” he said firmly.

“Ray…”

Ray put Sara onto the floor before getting to work straightening out her wedding dress. “Sara, I’ve known you for a very long time. Heck, I think you’re my oldest friend at this point. You were there for me when Nora and I tied the knot. We were there for each other through all the hardships that we’ve face. I would never let you do this alone.” Ray stepped back to make sure there wasn’t a single wrinkle left. With a satisfied nod, Ray placed a gentle hand on Sara’s shoulder.

“You deserve happiness and peace, Sara Lance,” said Ray with watery eyes. “I believe that more than anything else in the world.”

Sara swallowed thickly while blinking out tears. “Thank you…” She fanned at her laugh with a wet laugh. “Oh God, my make-up. Ava is going to freak out if I don’t get a move on things.”

“I believe I can help with that,” said Nyssa with a smirk. She held up the eye make-up with a fire in her eyes. “I am quite good with my hands, after all.”

Sara burst out into laughter while Ray looked pleasantly confused. Together, Ray and Nyssa got Sara ready to walk down the aisle.

XXX

Quentin looked like he was trying his hardest not to cry as he walked his daughter down the aisle. Sara squeezed his arm tightly as they did, trying to keep her raging emotions in check.

“I’m so happy for you, baby,” he said in a choked whisper.

“Thanks, dad.” Sara sniffled slightly. “I’m really happy too.”

He gave her a kiss on the cheek as he left her at the alter. He joined his wife in the front row. Sara took in the crowd. Jax and his wife were here with their kids. Thea and Roy were in the crowd chatting quietly to Dinah. Sara couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow when she noticed that Dinah had her pinkie finger linked with Laurel 2.0. That was unexpected. Barry and Iris were sitting next to Kara, Alex, Lena, and Kelly. Ray waved to her, his arm linked with a very happy looking Nora, who was also waving. Mona was seated next to Gary, who was already ugly crying. Nate was on Ray’s right side, and he was beaming up at Sara, Zari holding his free hand. Charlie was with her band, providing the music for the wedding. Amaya came from the past to also watch her former captain and friend tie the knot. She was seated next to the Hawks, which they had been hard to track down, but Kendra had been Sara’s first friend aboard the Waverider, and there was no way she was going to miss this for the world. Nyssa sat with Sin, who was looking so much older than Sara last remembered.

All her friends and family were here, and it was a wonderful sight to see.

Charlie looked up towards the doorway and motioned to her band to start playing the music. Sara’s heart was beating like crazy with anticipation as the doors swung open.

Ava walked out from behind the curtains. Her smile was wide and there were already tears in her eyes as she walked towards Sara. Her dress was nothing fancy, but that’s exactly what suited her best. Mick was walking her down the aisle. They had an unlikely friendship, but Ava had helped Mick with so many things in his life, he felt it only fair to return a favour. There were tears in his eyes as he helped her up the steps. He gave Sara a quick nod before clomping back down to take his seat next to Spooner, who was sitting with Astra and Behrad.

“Alright,” said Diggle with a clearing of his throat. “Sara and Ava both asked that this not be fancy. Sara said to me, ‘I already have enough drama in my life, I don’t need it at my wedding too,’ and I couldn’t agree more.”

This drew laughs from the crowd.

“So, Sara, do you have anything you want to say to Ava?” asked Diggle.

Sara nodded quickly. “Ava, I just want to say that you’ve made me the happiest girl in the world. You just get me, and that is so important. We’ve had our rough patches, but we always got through them together. You’ve been with me through thick and thin. I love you so much that it makes me lie awake at night thinking about it. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” She smiled brightly, ignoring the tears that flowed freely down her face now.

“Ava, do you have anything you want to say to Sara?”

“Yes.” Ava took a deep shaky breath. Sara could feel the tremors in her hands as she spoke. “I hated you the first time I saw you.” Everyone laughed at that, including Sara and Ava. “But you slowly broke down my walls and taught me how to really live. If it wasn’t for you, I probably would still be working for Rip, without ever realizing the person I could have been. You helped me because the best version of me, because that’s what’s being a person is all about. Helping each other grow. I hope that we can continue to do just that, because you’ll be spending every moment with me, and I can’t wait.”

Diggle smiled at the two of them before saying. “Okay, well, go ahead then!”

Sara dipped Ava and gave her the most passionate kiss she could muster. It would take some time, but she was hopeful that Ava would help her fill the hole in her heart. She already had, in some way. Because Sara knew that this right here meant that she was no longer lonely. She would always grieve the death of her Laurel, her wonderful and beautiful sister, and her best friend in Oliver. But she also knew that Ava would always be there for her, every step of the way.

And she was ready to see where that path led.

[ectonurites]

One of my problems with the Young Justice show is that none of the characters I knew from the comics felt like themselves to me? Like, Kon is the most obvious, but Dick, Wally and Roy also felt just a little... off. A little to one-dimensional, maybe, idk how exactly to describe it. Then they killed off Wally as part of DC’s vendetta against the character, which has always ticked me off ever since it started. And then later when they brought in more characters I love, like Tim and Cassie and Bart, it was weird then too. I get why Bart was different, because they changed his backstory to him being from an apocalyptic future with a mission, rather than him just being from the future and raised in VR, so his personality is a little more serious, a little more calculating. But characters like Tim and Cassie we barely even got to know. Even in Season 3, they focused a lot more on characters like Brion and Violet, who aren’t big at all in the comics, if they’re even in the comics at all idr, and so were essentially blank slates for them to do as they pleased with, like Kaldur, Artemis and M’gann pretty much were in the first season. Idk, I love getting to see characters I love show up and be seen, but they don’t really feel like themselves

Oh yeah I completely agree. The thing about the Young Justice cartoon is it really was the creators just wanting to do their own entirely new version of things using the basic build of the DC universe, and by establishing a world like that with so many very drastic differences, it ripples out (not necessarily in ways they were even thinking about when writing it tbh!) and makes some things hardly recognizable in a lot of ways.

Some of those changes are actually good, their version of Artemis is a super interesting character and same with Kaldur, and I thought the Roy cloning thing was cool and honestly until they just started Infinite Frontier as a reboot in the comics I was pro the idea of using something like that as a way to let Pre-New 52 Roy and New 52 Roy coexist because they’re so wildly different and people wanted the original version back.

But... all those changes make things so different. Superhero cartoons based on existing comics... are adaptations. And with adaptations, people are always going to be comparing to the source material. There are always going to be changes made just because of medium constraints (time being a big one), but for something to be a good adaptation it needs to keep the heart of the original work, or in the case of criticizing how a character was adapted, having the same core values/features/traits. This is why I think Young Justice ultimately kinda falls flat as an adaptation of the DC universe, because out of their main cast the majority is pretty unrecognizable. That doesn’t mean it fails as a show or even is bad because of it, like that’s not what i’m saying, but overall as an adaptation it doesn’t... properly adapt things. it drastically alters them and expects us to just go along with it, which we can, but... you know what I mean. I hope that makes sense? 

But so that, where we know even the characters we do get to know well are altered drastically, then that leaves us in this super weird position with the characters who show up, and are familiar characters from the comics, but we don’t get to learn about in this universe. Are we just to assume that they are approximately the same as in the comics? Or are they different in ways we just don’t know? Are we ever going to know? Because man, personally, knowing just how different the characters we do know well are, I don’t really feel safe making any assumptions abt others! Especially when the little bits we do see of them don’t have the same character relationships or even necessarily personalities. Bc man, your friends do shape you in a lot of ways, and so does your history/past. Versions of Tim, Cassie, Bart, and Kon who didn’t get to go through YJ -> Teen Titans together are going to be so unrecognizable because it was so formative for them?? A world without the Teen Titans in general just changes SO MUCH for SO MANY characters. So it’s just. A lot.

Sometimes I just imagine a world where they deadass made a cartoon in this style but with all original characters so that A) they wouldn’t have people comparing it to the comics thus they could do more things without people getting annoyed at how different things are, and B) they wouldn’t feel the need to include so many fucking cameos and characters that distract from what’s going on, rather having just... the characters that will actually be relevant and explored in the plot.