#but occasionally you get some fruit fusions

[hyydraworks]

Moar fruit based bovines

[dbfandom]

Alright, characters and emojis.

As you know, the Japanese fandom really likes to use symbols to talk about characters, it's a way to code the language without showing up in search functions. These are usually used for shipping, but not always.

Some characters are more obvious than others, but for those who may seem a little far reached, I will write a small explanation.

Some are established fanon-accepted, but they're not really strongly claimed, so some artists will use the same emoji for different characters. (And as always if you like what I’m trying to do, consider buying me a drink or a doujin with ko-fi) (twitter version btw)

So here's my list for Dragon Ball (🐉) :p

Saiyans and half-saiyans:

Goku: 🥕 (Kakarot -> carrot) or 5️⃣9️⃣

Vegeta: 🥗

Broly: 🥦

Raditz: 🦔 (the hedgehog hair lol)

Turles: 🥬(Tullece -> lettuce) or 🍎 (because of the fruit obviously)

King Vegeta: 👑 or 🔱 (they aren’t super common)

Bardock and his squad: no established emoji that I've noticed, but 🍅 should be for Toma (Tora in English). 🌿 should be for Fasha (Selipa in Japanese, which are the syllables for parsley (pa-se-ri). I’ve seen someone use 🦀 or 🩸 (the headband) for Bardock.

Gine: 🧅 I’ve seen this one once!

Cumber: 🥒

Caulifla: I haven’t seen an established one that, but 🔥 works for her hair.

Kale: 🥬

Cabba: 🥬 yes Cabba (cabbage) and Kale (.. kale lol) share the same emoji. Context!

Gohan: 🍚 ("fried rice" as lunch; the term rice is used as a way to talk about the entire meal, even if it does not contain rice); for Future Gohan, you'll find it with the kanji 未 mi, from mirai (future). 5️⃣8️⃣ sometimes too. Add in 🐺 for the beast version!

Goten: 🍤(TENpura) sometimes 5️⃣🔟. Tenpura (tempura) is a type of fried food, and it's used for Goten because (go)ten(pura) (he's nicknamed "ten" by Trunks).

Trunks: 🐯(tora(nkusu); Tora means tiger); for Future Trunks, you'll find it with the kanji 未 mi, from mirai (future).

Bra: 👙 usually. Sometimes 👸

Pan: 🍞 (bread, obviously)

Earthlings:

Chichi: 🥛����(her name means milk; both are used)

Ox King: 🐂 (only seen it once, but that’s because I don’t see many drawings of him lol)

Bulma: 🩲(bloomers) but she sometimes gets 💙

Yamcha: 🐺 (wolf techniques)

Krillin: 🌰 (kuririn -> chestnut). Marron sometimes gets the same emoji

Videl: 😈 (Videl -> Devil)

Mr Satan: 🥇or 🏆. He’s the world champion!

Tenshinhan: 👁️

Chaozu: 👲(not super common but I did see it twice)

Launch: 🔫 but I’ve also seen 🎭

Roshi: 🐢

Farmer with a power level of 5: 🌽

Uub: I did see 🌴 used ONE TIME..

Maron: 🩱 I’ve seen it once.

Androids/Artificial humans:

Android 16: 1️⃣6️⃣ or 🤖

Android 17: 1️⃣7️⃣ or 🤖

Android 18: 1️⃣8️⃣ or 🤖

Cell: 🦗 grasshopper or cicada due to his first form. 🆑 and 🧬 have also been used.

Android 21: 🧁

Gammas: 1️⃣ / 2️⃣ or 🍓 (ichigo which is also number 1) and occasionally Γ or γ sometimes (not emojis but still lol)

Aliens:

Piccolo: 🅿️ or 🍏 (he gives apples to Gohan early on). ピ is also super common (it’s the first katakana of his name), but it’s not an emoji. 🍊 for orange piccolo obviously.

Nail: 🐌

Dende: 🫑 or 🌱 (seen it once..)

Frieza: ❄️ I’ve seen this one a couple of times. 🧊 and 🥶 are sometimes used too, for him, King Cold or Cooler.

Tapion: 🗡️

Gods and Kais:

Zamasu:🍵 (the tea he drinks)

Goku Black: 🌹 (a rose by any other name..)

Chronoa: 🕛 or any alternative like⌛️

Shin: 😏 I’ve seen this one used twice, but nothing definitive.

Fusions:

Gotenks: 👻 has happened a couple of times; (Ry has told me 🍩 is also used)

Gogeta: 🥐 (because of the jacket)

Vegito: 🍬 (because he's the strongest candy in the world in the Buu Saga).

Merged Zamasu: 🌀or ❇️

Kefla: 💥 (seen it a few times but not definite either)

Others:

Buu: 🍫

Janemba: 👺 (not super common)

Beerus: 🍺

Whis: 🥃 (😇 has also been used it seems)

Champa: 🍾 or 🥂

Special thanks to Whirly for nudging me to compile further and to Popo and the twitter folks for using those emojis religiously haha

[another-heroine]

Silver Lining

A/N: IT'S FINALLY DONE

You probably are tired of me saying that I'm weak for parents-family-children boundaries in fiction since my irl family was disfunctional *laughing crying*

So here it comes an oneshot just for the fluff. I kept the WOTR spoilers low and Ekaterina in a 'neutral' route (it fits weather she becomes a mother after game or not, for example, regardless of romances etc)

Thank you, @silversiren1101, for lending me your little ganzi-gnome ;___;

She knew every corner of that place by heart. Even with shutted eyes, she could tell what was going on there: the birds chirping, the water fountain running, the oldest cat complaining about anything. And that sound of feathers, along the muffled giggle, was very familiar.

Ekaterina felt little hands grabbing her skirt, and heard a scare attempt, “Boo!”

The druid did her best acting, putting one hand over her heart. “Jesyll!”

The little girl laughed out loud. “Hi, auntie! I gotcha again, didn't I?”

“You always get it.” Ekaterina couldn't help but smile. She patted her head. “Hello, my dear. How are you doing?”

Jesyll hugged her legs. She adored how Auntie Kaya smelled like. It was like a fusion of a vegetable garden in summer and a pine forest. Herbs, flowers, juicy fruits.

Comfort scent.

“I came to help you.” The girl leaned her chin on the woman's leg. “What can I do?”

Ekaterina gave a half smile. She looked around; there was almost nothing more to do in that afternoon. But it would be impossible to change the mind of a ganzi-gnome child. Then she asked, “Alright, can you fetch me some water?”

“Yes, ma'am!” she happily agreed, darting through the greenhouse. The rustle of her tail always lured the stray kittens out of their feline dreams under the branches, making them run after her. Jesyll was used to that kind of buzz, and just laughed. When she had learned that it was a great way to bait them to pat them, she didn’t mind anymore about the occasional chase.

Ekaterina watched the scene, silently having fun, but also paying attention. She didn’t want anyone to get hurt in her greenhouse. And the vines, branches, playful kittens, many things there could leave a scar or two. Especially when you were small like… a gnome.

Jesyll got a bucket and filled it into the fountain. As she stopped and curled her tail, the kittens tried to nuzzle into it. She sighed, delighted with the scene, leaving the bucket on the stone edge for a while. One of the creatures had golden eyes like her, and his tail was halved. The girl pouted, thinking about what could have happened to him. She couldn’t imagine how to live without her tail, even without a tiny piece. The girl shook her head and went back to her actual task. She had to help Auntie Kaya and her plants.

Plants… Jesyll loved tending to them. Every time when she had the opportunity, she was on her Mama’s side in the gardens, taking care of roses and trying to make friends with insects. One time, she mistook wasps for honeybees, and it caused her to fall into her mother’s favorite rose bushes. She could swear that Papa’s eyes got brighter for a second when he heard about it later. And since then, everybody — mostly Auntie Kaya — kept all eyes on her when she was outside. Like that very moment, when the druid craned her neck slightly, pondering if she should disperse the curious kittens, but it was not necessary; soon the girl came back safe and sound and with a bucket of water as requested.

“Done!” Jesyll nodded. “What do I do now?”

“Now step aside, my assistant.” Ekaterina put her hands on waist.

The girl climbed a seat next to her, and watched with attention. Auntie was about to do that thing that she would never get tired of.

The druid rolled up her sleeves, revealing her Irriseni tattoos. Sometimes she let Jesyll touch them, feeling their texture, and Ekaterina told her what every piece meant. Auntie said that in her homeland, Winter Witches used to scare common people, so many girls received their tattoos when they were between nine and twelve years old. That was a way to protect them from evil, and to avoid being kidnapped by the witches. Jesyll asked once if she could get one as well, and Ekaterina smiled.

“Oh dear, it’s not necessary. You are safe here, don’t you think so?”

“Pleaseee, they are so cool!”

“Maybe when you get older, yes? And… if your parents allow…”

Jesyll was pulled to the present again when she caught the blue lines on Ekaterina’s arms starting to glow. The druid cupped water from the bucket with one hand, and the liquid became goldish. She hummed something in Hallit and little waves danced on her palm.

Before them, over the wide table, there was a dying plant. If Jesyll was recalling right, that one was touched by the Blight. Although the Worldwound was sealed a long time ago, even before she was born, there were some scratches around the world. And druids like Auntie Kaya had the duty to cleanse that mess. That was why sometimes she had to leave for weeks or months.

The enchanted water flowed into the roots of the blemished plant. At first, nothing special seemed to happen, then from the depths of the pot, golden lines began to spread through the stalk to the leaves. The black stains began to vanish, and then stopped. Ekaterina cupped more water and did that again, until the Blight lingering was gone and a small white flower popped between the revivified leaves.

In the meantime, Jesyll was grabbing the seat’s edges with anxiousness, and her tail curled on one of the wood legs. When the process was done, she sighed with relief. “I thought it would never go away!”

Ekaterina smiled gently. “Sometimes, you need to take a longer time to fix things.”

“Like… for anything?” Jesyll tilted her head.

Auntie nodded, taking the vase and placing it on a shelf. For a moment, Ekaterina thought of using the feats of the Fifth Crusade as an example, after all, it took over a century for them to finally close that crater. And it demanded a lot of time, sweat and blood. But probably Regill had already told his daughter about it, and she didn’t want to be repetitive. Also, the Crusade was not a story for little kids, although the stains of that were still spreaded out there.

She observed the full shelves of ‘rescued’ plants. Definitely there was no rest for the good ones in Golarion.

Katya felt Jesyll pulling the hem of her skirt shyly.

“Auntie… Can we have cake now?”

The druid took a moment to react, letting the demons in her memories return to their hideout. They couldn’t touch them anymore. None of them. The work would never end, but at least there was hope and renewal ahead.

And that little talkative being around her, with her curious eyes prying everything, her loud laughter and everyday discoveries was one of Ekaterina’s silver linings after the end of the Crusades.

She didn’t say anything. Ekaterina just rolled down her sleeves and took her niece’s hand. They would have cake and lemonade and anything that she wished for.

At the greenhouse’s door, they noticed the halved-tail kitten was following them. The druid stated, “He likes you”.

The girl smiled wide, looking over her shoulder. She liked him as well.

What if she hid him in her bedroom?

[bitegore]

dragstrip for 1, 23, and 26? @gaysontodd

Another long response, cut on account of how I can't shut the fuck up. Ask game here.

1. Canon I outright reject

I don't really like to reject canon, so I tend to instead go out of my way to incorporate elements of canon that seem contradictory to give me more wiggle room instead. But I'm mostly doing Sunbow G1/toy canon fusion for the Stunticons, with a few things taken here and there from Marvel G1 but not much. So I suppose you could say I reject the entirety of Marvel G1, but Marvel and Sunbow are basically two different G1 canons the same way IDW G1 is not the same as Sunbow G1 and certainly is not the same as G1 toy canon.

That being said, I'm not doing RID2015/Aligned with them, because that's an entirely different set of characters and I'm not particularly interested in them at the moment. So I also reject that canon, for a certain definition of reject (though I think "ignore" would be a little more accurate).

23. If they were a scented candle, what would they smell like?

This is hard because I very badly want to take the literal approach. SO I'll do both.

Literally: gasoline, asphalt, electrical fire and hot metal (copper or iron both work but either way he should smell a bit like blood imo), with undertones of carnuba wax (car wax lol) and some kind of lysol-y air freshener. I know this sounds horrendous but I would burn this candle without question because to me that sounds like it smells very good.

More figuratively: Drag Strip is ruled by ego and a hatred for losing. He smells like a pale imitation of some more successful candle. So I googled best-selling candle scents and used this article - so chosen because it's by "the strategist" and that's the kind of stupid bullshit he'd buy into - and their best candle is fucking weed flavored. Like fucking cannabis. Which is really low fucking hanging fruit honestly to be like "my favorite character who is a loser smells like weed" but you know what. I did in fact say he was a pale imitation of something someone else thought was cool and then went to the first webpage with the right kind of stupid "cool" bullshit on it so I'm kind of locked into this now. So he specifically smells like, apparently: "Cannabis, suede, white musk, tulip, and amber" but like poor-quality imitations. He mostly smells like burning wax and chemicals, and the oils giving him his flavors are not very well-mixed, but he does smell like that some.

(what the fuck is white musk??? why does this site list the flavor profile as green amber?????? i hate candle scents so much)

26. What they would do if stuck in an elevator with [insert character of your choice from the same fandom] Soundwave or Vortex?

With Vortex, I figure Drag Strip would kind of just shoot the shit until either he or Vortex says something annoying and then they'd start fighting with each other. Ten hours on when they finally get the elevator open both of them are bleeding and Drag Strip has categorically lost and is sulking in a corner.

With Soundwave... I imagine that while the elevator is still working he's quiet and awkward, but as time drags on he starts occasionally trying to give Soundwave like an elevator pitch about why he should be promoted, or put in charge of more stuff, or something... but every time Soundwave tells him to be quiet he shuts up for another, like, twenty minutes, so it's very slow going.

[brahmionline]

Balancing Your Vata Dosha The Easy Way

According to Ayurvedic philosophy, the five major elements of space, air, fire, water, and earth interact to create the universe. According to Ayurveda, every element on earth contains one of three fundamental forms of energy, or functional principles, known more widely as Vata, Pitta, and Kapha in Sanskrit. Vata, Pitta, and Kapha are the three subtle energies that make up movement, digestion, and metabolism. They are merely seen as various aspects of one's being. These doshas exhibit a peculiar fusion of cerebral, emotional, and physical traits. By figuring out your mind-body type and living a life that supports it, you can achieve and maintain vibrant health.

What is Vata?

Vata is the energy of movement. It is necessary for health and provides vital motion for all biological activities. Vata dosha is most noticeable during the changing seasons, making them the most crucial periods to watch your diet and lifestyle. A person with a Vata-predominant constitution is believed to have the gift of a keen mind, flexibility, and creativity. They typically have an easy time mentally processing knowledge but forget it just as quickly. They are lively, alert, and restless. People with a Vata constitution move, speak, and think quickly, yet get tired soon. They are thought to feel unstable occasionally and to have less self-control, self-assurance, and tolerance for change than other types. Vata types may exhibit anxiety, fear, and nervousness when out of equilibrium.

What is Vata dosha?

The Vata dosha occurs when the body's Vata energy levels rise to an unhealthy degree. There are a few potential causes, which are listed below.

Extremely cold or dry conditions

Eating cold meals

Extensive fasting

Severe exercise, very lengthy brisk walks, and weight-loss-related activities

Excessive sexual activity

Tissue depletion

Injuries on the vital points in the body

What happens when Vata is imbalanced?

Let's examine the signs of Vata imbalance in the body, including

Dryness of the skin, hair, lips, ears, and joints

Bloating, gas, constipation, dehydration, and weight loss

A feeling of uneasiness and light-headedness

A feeling of unusual cold

Unusual pains, constrictions, and muscle spasms

Excessive restlessness, palpitations, twitching muscles, and anxiety

A lean body and inability to put on weight

Insomnia or sporadic sleeping

Although the symptoms of a high Vata dosha may not manifest immediately, they may appear one or more weeks later.

What to eat and what not to eat for Vata dosha?

Our food can greatly influence the amount of Vata in our bodies. For instance, eating too sour or bitter meals can frequently increase the body's Vata levels. Thus, It is important to follow an appropriate diet to maintain healthy Vata levels. Those with Vata dosha must consume warm, nutritious foods and include sweet, salty, and sour foods in their diet.

What to eat?

During Vata dosha, it is important to choose foods that help balance the energy of movement and provide warmth, grounding, and nourishment. Here are some recommendations for what to eat during Vata dosha:

Warm and cooked foods: Opt for warm, cooked meals as they are easier to digest and comfort the body. Include soups, stews, cooked grains, and steamed vegetables.

Healthy oils: Use healthy oils like ghee (clarified butter), sesame, and olive oil in cooking. These oils provide lubrication to the body and help counterbalance dryness.

Nourishing fruits: Choose sweet and ripe fruits such as bananas, avocados, dates, figs, and cooked apples. These fruits provide natural sweetness and hydration to the body.

Cooked grains: Incorporate nourishing grains like rice, quinoa, oats, and wheat in your meals. Cook them with ghee or oil to enhance their grounding qualities.

Warm beverages: Drink warm herbal teas such as ginger, cinnamon, or liquorice. These warming beverages help to soothe the Vata dosha and provide comfort.

Nuts and seeds: Include soaked and cooked nuts like almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, and sesame seeds. These provide healthy fats and grounding energy.

Spices: Add warming spices to your meals, such as ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, and turmeric. These spices aid digestion and provide warmth to the body.

Dairy products: In moderation, incorporate warm dairy products like milk, ghee, and fresh cheese. They offer nourishment and help balance Vata dosha.

What not to eat?

During Vata dosha, it is beneficial to avoid certain foods that can aggravate the energy of movement and contribute to imbalances. Here are some foods to avoid or minimize during Vata dosha:

Cold and raw foods: Avoid consuming cold and raw foods as they can increase Vata dosha. This includes salads, raw vegetables, cold beverages, and frozen foods.

Dry and rough foods: Stay away from foods that are dry, rough, or excessively crunchy, as they can further aggravate Vata. Examples include dry crackers, popcorn, and hard granola bars.

Bitter and astringent tastes: Limit foods with bitter and astringent tastes as they can increase the light and drying qualities of Vata. This includes bitter greens, raw radishes, green tea, and coffee.

Carbonated drinks: Avoid them as they introduce excess air into the digestive system, leading to bloating and discomfort. Opt for hydrating warm beverages instead.

Caffeine and stimulants: Minimize or avoid caffeine and other stimulants, as they can overstimulate the nervous system and disrupt Vata balance. This includes coffee, energy drinks, and excessive amounts of black tea.

Cold dairy products: Reduce or avoid consuming cold dairy products, including ice cream and chilled yogurt. Opt for warm dairy options like warm milk or heated spiced milk.

Light and dry grains: Minimize intake of light and dry grains such as corn, millet, and rye, as they can increase the dryness and lightness of Vata dosha. Instead, choose heavier and moist grains like rice and oats.

Pungent and spicy foods: While some spices are beneficial in moderation, avoid excessive consumption of pungent and spicy foods as they can increase internal heat and imbalance Vata. Examples include excessive chili, garlic, and hot peppers.

How to balance Vata dosha?

Other than what to eat and what not to eat, there are many other ways in which you can balance Vata dosha. For instance,

You must avoid dry and cold weather

You must wear warm clothes during the winters

You must improve your sleep cycle

You must avoid fasting for long periods

You must indulge in stress-relieving activities

You must take regular head and body massages

You must do only moderate exercise that creates stability and strength

Apart from the above, many Ayurvedic remedies can help balance your Vata dosha.

You can drink herbal tea made from Brahmi leaves.

You can drizzle fresh ghee on your meals whenever possible.

You can add a teaspoon of garlic paste to your soups and vegetables.

You can have a teaspoon of honey and turmeric every day.

You can consume Ashwagandha powder to control cortisol levels, manage stress, lower anxiety, and overcome insomnia. You can also opt for Ashwagandha capsules, tablets, or jam.

You can consume Brahmi ghee twice daily before meals to ease stress, improve memory, and improve sleep quality.

Another herbal medicated ghee formulation is Rasnadi Ghrutam, which is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and Vata-related disorders.

You can consume Triphala churna, a combination of Haritaki, Bibhitaki, and Amalaki, to relieve constipation, insomnia, stress, and depression.

You can consume Aswagandharishtam, an excellent tonic that relieves fatigue, emaciation, epilepsy, memory loss, neurological problems, and sexual diseases.

You can opt for Kas Shwas Hari Rasa tablets to help with respiratory problems by treating colds, coughs, and other problems like asthma, sinusitis, and migraine. It also strengthens immunity and maintains general well-being.

You can pamper your dry skin with an Ayurvedic massage to promote blood circulation and improve joint health. One amazing product is Mahanarayana Thailam, which can help treat head pain, joint pain, and psychic disorders.

In conclusion, balancing Vata dosha is essential for overall well-being, according to Ayurveda. By following a suitable diet, making lifestyle adjustments, and incorporating Ayurvedic remedies, it is possible to manage Vata imbalances and alleviate related symptoms. Striving for Vata balance promotes vibrant health and harmony in mind, body, and spirit. If you're looking to buy Ayurvedic products online to support your Vata balance journey, there are numerous trusted retailers and websites where you can find a wide range of authentic Ayurvedic products. These products, including herbal teas, ghee, Ashwagandha capsules, and Rasnadi Ghrutam, can be valuable additions to your Vata-balancing regimen. Remember to choose reputable sources and consult with an Ayurvedic practitioner for personalized recommendations.

Read Full Article: https://bit.ly/3JbHcdJ

[learnaboutchiropracticcare]

Neck And Back Pain Causes and Treatments

Neck and back pain is one of one of the most usual wellness issues in the United States. It occurs most frequently in the low back, but can affect any type of component of the spinal column. It is the 6th most pricey medical condition in the nation as well as can be really devastating. Read more details, click here. The back is a complicated structure composed of lots of bones, ligaments as well as muscle mass. It has vertebrae, intervertebral discs and a spine. Each of these structures has a specific function in supporting the body as well as shielding the spinal cord from injury. Some back issues, such as spondylosis as well as arthritis, can create chronic neck and back pain. Others, such as a slipped disc, can be treated with medication and also physical treatment. For more useful reference, browse this website here. If you have chronic neck and back pain, it's important to obtain help as soon as possible so that you can prevent lasting problems. If the problem is serious, surgical treatment may be needed. Therapies for back pain are generally non-surgical and commonly entail staying clear of particular tasks that intensify discomfort. Acupuncture, massage therapy as well as workout are also frequently used to help ease signs and boost feature. One of the most typical sources of back pain are stress and sprains from training, twisting or bending. These injuries can happen from everyday task or from sports or vehicle mishaps. Procedure such as discectomy and also spine fusion are occasionally used in cases where other therapies do not supply alleviation. In these instances, the person needs to be assessed by an orthopedic expert. Back problems, such as scoliosis or lumbar stenosis, can trigger persistent neck and back pain and are not uncommon in adults. They can also be a cause of discomfort for older grownups and people who are obese. Scoliosis can trigger a bent spinal column, which can tax the spine and nerves. This can bring about sciatic nerve pain, a problem where discomfort takes a trip down the buttocks and leg. Muscular tissue convulsions can likewise cause back pain and also stiffness. These spasms are brought on by muscular tissues in the reduced back that contract and loosen up frantically. Other problems that can trigger persistent neck and back pain consist of back fractures, spondylolisthesis, herniated discs and weakening of bones. These conditions can affect any component of the spinal column and also might be hard to identify without imaging examinations, such as X-rays. The most effective way to take care of pain in the back is to minimize the threat aspects that create it. This consists of reducing stress and anxiety, staying energetic and preventing smoking. It's likewise crucial to stay within your regular weight range and to avoid flexing or twisting when you can. Most neck and back pain gets better on its own, yet it can be unpleasant to deal with. It is an usual condition that can hinder your life and cause you to miss out on work. A few over-the-counter medicines, such as advil, can assist to alleviate pain in the back. Using a warm or cold compress to the area may also be practical. Maintaining a healthy diet plan is another crucial method to reduce the threat of pain in the back. Eat plenty of fruits, veggies and also entire grains to guarantee your body has the nutrition it requires. Please view this site https://www.wikihow.health/Receive-a-Good-Chiropractic-Adjustment for further details.

[gameguides]

ONE PIECE ODYSSEY Achievements Guide 100%

Welcome to the One Piece Odyssey Achievement guide. Below we have explained all the achievements in the game and how you can get them.

ONE PIECE ODYSSEY Achievements Guide

The guide is a work in progress. We are currently in the middle of creating collectible maps for everything including the Yaya Cubes. Story Achievements

Chapter 1 Clear Cleared chapter 1.

Chapter 2 Clear Cleared chapter 2.

Chapter 3 Clear Cleared chapter 3.

Chapter 4 Clear Cleared chapter 4.

Chapter 5 Clear Cleared chapter 5.

Chapter 6 Clear Cleared chapter 6.

Chapter 7 Clear Cleared chapter 7.

Chapter 8 Clear Cleared chapter 8.

Final Chapter Clear Cleared the final chapter. Combat Achievements

Victor Won 50 battles.

Battle Master Won 300 battles.

Bond Battler Activated 20 Bond Arts. Bond Arts (Moves) are unlocked by fixing Memory Links. Some Memory Links have 2 parts to them before you unlock the associated Bond Move.

Singular Strike Did more than 10,000 damage to an enemy with a single attack.

Escape is Victory Ran from three battles.

Challenge Enemy Beginner Defeat one powerful challenge enemy.

Challenge Enemy Conqueror Defeat all the powerful challenge enemies twice or more. Memory Links

Fixed a Fray Cleared 5 Memory Links.

Certified Fray Fixer Cleared all Memory Links. Note: If you are unable to see any Memory Links, complete the Memoria first. Memory Links are mini-instances that only a portion of your crew can access. Completing them rewards you with Bond Moves and the occasional accessory. Memory Links are marked as pink icons on your mini-map. Some Memory Links also have 2 parts before you get the Bond Move as a reward. Please refer to the area-related sections and maps below for a list of Memory Links per area. Crafting Achievements Note: Journeyman Cook and Trick Ball Beginner are cumulative (any recipe) unlike Top Cook and Trick Ball Whiz which require the creation of at least 1 of every Recipe/Trick Ball.

Journeyman Cook Made 10 recipes. See 'Top Cook'

Top Cook Made all recipes. Starting recipes: - Small Drumstick ww - Scorpion and Clam Soup - Bedrock Salt Pasta - Sandora Dragon Steak Tips - Bronze Bat Soup - Sazae Kancho Pescatore - Banana Gator Pie - Herb-Grilled Bo Bo Bird Sanji Cook Level 2 required: - Flame Salisbury Steak - Thunder Soup - Ogre Sazae Kancho Carbonara - Ganzo's Oden - Durian Gator Salad - Golden Jelly - Aqua Cabbage Roll - Elephant Tuna Saute Sanji Cook Level 3 required: - Shogun Jishi's Steak - Rock Bear's Strongarm Soup - Rose Squid Ink Pasta (Rose Squid Meat & Ink can be bought in Dressrosa's General Store) - Fruit Gator Punch - Offal Soup with Sea Pig - Dogol Dragon's Chilled Pasta - Jura Bird Pudding - Shay-King Parfait - Merchant Gelato - Dress-Shrimp Paella (Dress-Shrimp can be bought in Dressrosa's General Store) - Fairy Pumpkin Gazpacho

Trick Ball Beginner Made 10 Trick Balls. See 'Trick Ball Whiz'

Trick Ball Whiz Made all Trick Balls. Try picking up every shiny object you encounter and you should have no issues having the materials required. - Shabby Ball - Perfected Shabby Ball - Perfected Shabby Ball Plus - Ragged Ball - Perfected Ragged Ball - Perfected Ragged Ball Plus - Exhaust Ball - Perfected Exhaust Ball - Perfected Exhaust Ball Plus - Rundown Ball - Feeble Ball - Negative Ball - Perfected Negative Ball - Roast Chestnut Ball - Sleep Ball - Chilly Ball - Shocking Ball - Perfected Shocking Ball

Craft Enthusiast Fused 5 accessories.

Chasing Champion Fused 30 accessories.

Jewelry Master Made an accessory with 4 effects. By progressing your story, Robin eventually gains access to a 2nd tier of Fuse skill upgrades. This unlocks the 4th slot of any accessory which has them. Simply fill the slots through Fusion.

Crew Abilities

Gum-Gum Rocket Traveled with Gum-Gum Rocket 100 times.

Usopp's Slingshot Used Usopp's Shot 100 times.

Iron Door Slicer Cut 20 doors with Zoro's Door Slice. You will encounter more than enough doors to slice through along the regular course of play. These doors respawn so it's impossible to miss this achievement if you're going for the 100%.

Franky Skywalk Built a bridge 10 times with Franky Skywalk. Most of the materials you need can be obtained from the Dressrosa Memoria. See the area-related categories below for the maps where you can build bridges using Frank Skywalk. The next 3 achievements are for picking up quasi-collectibles that can only be obtained by the appropriate characters:

Archaeologist's Appraisal Robin collected 20 items with Archaeologist's Appraisals.

Treasure Sensor Nami collected 25 Items with Treasure Sensor.

Cook's Nose Sanji collected 25 items with Cook's Nose.

Side Stories & Bounties

Pit Stop Amateur Cleared 10 side stories.

Pit Stop Pro Cleared all side stories. With the exception of Alabasta, most side stories don't show up until the Memoria is complete.

Journeyman Hunter Turned in 10 bounties.

Bounty Hunter Turned in all bounties. Just like with Memory Links, some bounties don't start appearing until after you've completed the Memoria. There are a total of 30 bounties (10 each spread across 3 areas) and you typically can't access the 10 bounties all at once. You first have to turn in the "1st tier" to reveal the next set. Cube Fragments

Cube Collector: Luffy Collected 50 of Luffy's cube fragments.

Cube Collector: Zoro Collected 50 of Zoro's cube fragments.

Cube Collector: Nami Collected 30 of Nami's cube fragments.

Cube Collector: Usopp Collected 40 of Usopp's cube fragments.

Cube Collector: Sanji Collected 40 of Sanji's cube fragments.

Cube Collector: Chopper Collected 30 of Chopper's cube fragments.

Cube Collector: Robin Collected 30 of Robin's cube fragments.

Cube Collector: Franky Collected 20 of Franky's cube fragments.

Cube Collector: Brook Collected 6 of Brook's cube fragments. Most of Brook's cubes are near the end of the game (Sky Tower). Please note that there are more fragment cubes than available skill upgrade slots. This also means there are extra cubes beyond what you need for each achievement. Please refer to the area-related sections and maps below for cube fragment locations Yaya Cubes

Collector Collected 99 Yaya Cubes. Yaya Cubes are a precise number of collectibles that can be turned in for the Yaya Cube Collector quest chain. This quest chain has a total of 19 quests which require you to turn in 8 cubes for the 1st quest and 5 cubes for each quest for the next 18 quests. Before the chain begins, Madame Trade (the quest giver) takes 1 cube from you. This adds up to the total of 99 Yaya Cubes needed for Collector. Keep in mind that Yaya Cubes only exist in Memoria. There are no extra cubes! - 30 in Alabasta - 33 in Water Seven - 3 in Marineford - 33 in Dressrosa Turning the Yaya Cubes in is not required for Collector, but it's necessary to complete the chain to obtain the Pit Stop Pro achievement. Please refer to the area-related section and maps below for Yaya Cube locations and totals per area. Treasure Hunter

Treasure Hunter Opened all the locked treasure chests. Locked treasure chests are the bright red treasure chests you won't be able to open until close to the end of the game. The master key that unlocks all of them is obtained by completing all of the Zoner quiz side stories all the way up to Dressrosa. There are: - 8 in Waford - 4 in Alabasta - 5 in Water Seven - 1 in Marineford - 4 in Dressrosa Please refer to the area-related sections and maps below for locked treasure chest locations. Read the full article

[spaceseinensam]

Thinking about what the Jojolion ending could look like

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS DO NOT PROCEED UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE SPOILED FOR EVENTS OF JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE PART 8 JOJOLION (AND I GUESS ALL OTHER PARTS TOO)

~~~Can't put in a read more on mobile~~~

So uh, the newest Jojolion chapter (chapter 99) dropped a lot of new lore and raised the stakes even more and I love it, but it threw me a bit back into previous arcs of Jojolion and got me thinking. I guess it's pretty obvious that Gappy will have to defeat Tooru and Wonder Of U at some point within this current arc and that the 'finale' of Jojolion will have the harvest of the Rokakaka fruit (or maybe it's destruction who knows) tied in with this fight, but unlike previous parts of Jojo, I have really no clue what's precisely going to happen.

Like with Part 1 and Part 2 it always seemed fairly obvious: defeat Dio, defeat Kars (albeit Jonathan's death was a bit unexpected for me). With Part 3 it's the same: DIO has to be defeated for the world (haha) to return to 'normal' and save Holly, which Jotaro succeeds in. Then Part 4 was a bit more ambiguous about what the protagonists' goal is (I think the collecting of the Stand Arrow was the first goal, but Josuke wasn't tied in that much with that), but halfway through with the reveal of Kira it became obvious that Josuke's plot is to defeat/stop Kira from his shenanigans. Part 5 also was a bit vague at the beginning with Giorno's goal being 'fulfilling his dream', but then quickly shifted to at first 'finding out who The Boss is' and then to defeating him so Giorno can take his place. Part 6 had a fairly clear-cut villain from the beginning, with Pucci being directly affiliated with Dio, and so I guess no one was surprised that it's Jolyne's goal to defeat/stop him in the end (albeit the entire original Joestar universe ending was more than just a gut punch like wtf Araki thanks for the tears). Part 7 actually surprised me a lot because to me it was an ongoing escalation of goals: at first I thought it was all about Johnny learning to walk again, then about him and Gyro winning the race to a) fulfill Gyro's goal of stopping the execution of the little boy and b) help Johnny regain his pride, and then there was a whole lot of corpse searching and racing to find the parts, but in the end, Valentine stood as the clear villain to be defeated in front of Johnny (yes yes I know Diego was still there afterwards, but Diego was more of an occasional foil in my opinion, and not as directly 'evil' as Valentine). I was actually glad that Part 7 didn't just stop after Johnny defeated the main foe, but went on till the end of the race and told what happened to the corpse afterwards, and only ended when Johnny sorta fulfilled his arc of 'don't be selfish give something to others lose the only man you ever considered a real friend to understand the vastness of the universe'. Still, Valentine defeated, the corpse safely stored away, Johnny on his way to a new life. Great ending, 9/10, points lost for killing off Gyro.

And then there's Part 8: the entire first half of Jojolion is dedicated to Gappy asking "who am I? Why can't I remember anything?" and his sort of search for his memories. Cue in me: "aaaah, so the whole journey will be about him finding his memories and discovering who he is in the end, great". Sike! It's about the Rokakaka fruit and stopping the Higashikata family curse. "ok, well, but it'll still be connected with the search for who Gappy is". Double Sike! Here's the entire story of how Gappy came to be: he's the fusion of Kira and Josefumi and thus only has parts of their memory and not really a past life he can discover. Wait what. Tooru wants the Rokakaka fruit, Higashikata family shenanigans, Head Doctor, upcoming harvest of the fruit, Gappy sits at the hospital and waits for the Stand to come to... Yeah, yeah, I get that, Tooru and Wonder Of U have to be stopped from getting the fruit and pursuing (haha) the Higashikata family and then the child has to be saved and all, but...

What will happen then? Like Steelball Run, I think Jojolion won't just end with the defeat of the main foe up to now (Tooru and Wonder Of U) and will surely go on after that fight (all connected to when exactly the fruit will be harvested), but what is Gappy's role in this?

Surely he wants the Higashikata family to be well since he's also a part of it and very caught up in their weird history, but personally for him, what will be his future? Even with Johnny at the end of Part 7 it was sorta clear that he will now go on to try and live his life as normal as he possibly could, which is why it's not surprising that we learn of his wife and son in Part 8. But with Gappy, what is there for him to become? I know it's early to say this, but what will Gappy's ending be?

Will he just stay with the Higashikata family? Happy to have found a home but still with the looming knowledge of being a mere fusion of two other people? Will he go to the sea or maybe to another country to sort of search for his destiny after the events of Jojolion? Will he ever be able to lead a normal life without really having a past?

Or will the completely unexpected happen (aka I want this to happen) and some weird Stand or Rokakaka shenanigans lead to the defusion of Gappy? I know this isn't Steven Universe, but consider: Gappy gets hit by something Stand or Rokakaka related and disappears behind a bolder or something else obstructing the view and Yasuho calls for him and runs over and discovers Kira and Josefumi laying there the way they died/fused to form Gappy. Maybe they're both dead and she cries because she doesn't understand and then it's like, what can we do to get Gappy back? Do we even want him back? Or do we want to bury Kira and Josefumi and give them the final rest they deserve? Maybe Josefumi is alive again and he doesn't understand what's going on and wants to bring Kira back. What if the Rokakaka isn't there to do that? What if it can't do it? What if Yasuho explains to Josefumi that he and Kira were fused after Kira's death and became an entire new person called Josuke, and Josefumi is horrified of that? Or what if he begs the Higashikata family to help him make it so he and Kira become one person again, because it's the only way Kira is still alive in some way?

I know this is very unlikely to happen, but it's Jojo, so really it's not. And if something in that direction occurs, with Gappy 'disappearing', then how will the Jojo story go on? Will Part 8 be the final part? I mean, Araki is not the youngest anymore and maybe stopping the series after 8 parts is the best for him and his health. If there were to be a Part 9, how will it be connected to Part 8? Whose story will it tell? I think it'd be a bit bland if it was just Gappy's son or grandson, and we don't really know enough about the rest of the Higashikata family for someone from their lineage to become the next Jojo. Even Part 8's protagonist, Gappy, is still very much connected with Johnny Joestar and the Joestar lineage, so for the theoretical next Jojo to be someone completely detached from that, would be very un-Araki-like in my opinion.

But hey, I'm just spit balling here. Chapter 99 is filled with lore and references and explanations and still manages to raise more questions than answer them, very much in Jojo fashion, it's impossible to know for sure which direction the rest of Jojolion will take, or even how long it will go. I just wanted to throw some opinions and theories out there and maybe someone else has a better idea of what could be going on.

For now, the defeat of Tooru and Wonder Of U is the main focus of Gappy and Rei, and I hope that within the next chapters, Yasuho can finally stop dying in front of the Higashikata house.

[kakitysax]

*reaches out* Tell me more about Rai and Mal please!

REALLY?

Nah I’m just kidding y’all know I’m gonna tell you anyway.

I’m probably going to get into their entire character arcs or something so here’s a cut

RAI

I initially thought that Rai’s magic was Anger. He is an Elemental Wizard of Earth and Fire, with a decided volcano aesthetic, and he does have a temper problem. But the problem was his magic didn’t have the *dark* overtone that Orpheus and Mal did. It’s just raw and natural - destructive, but not malevolent. In addition, I had another character whose V I B E was just much more characteristic of an anger problem.

Also, Rai’s problem isn’t ANGER. He DOES have a temper, but he’s...more than that. He’s intense, and impulsive, and unfiltered, and FUCK it’s ADHD again.

Rai is ADHD.

Meta mental health symbolism aside, Rai is just a really cool character. One of my favorites. First of all he is SOLID muscle and y’all know how I feel about that. But he also lives in a volcano and I love that energy. He lives in Mount Pele, on an island of the same name in the Ai-Lauu archipelago, this world’s Hawaii fusion. Due to the fact that he is immortal and a territorial bitch, Ai-Lauu has never undergone colonization. The natives consider him their patron god (but also not really, I’m using western terminology but he’s more like their garbage kupua mascot.) They know he’s a hoe but they love him anyway.

Rai’s main character arc is homesickness. He strikes out on this journey with Orpheus out of pure boredom and dicks around with him and Mal for a while, but as time goes on he gets steadily more lethargic. Then he gets really hurt and has to go back to Pele to recover. Once there he decides never to leave again. The others come get him and see this whole other side of him - the side that is passionate and happy and has learned only to erupt on one side of the island because destroying the forest on the other side makes him sad, and runs on the beach because he can and eats tropical fruit and gets the juice all over his face and is comfortable with all the animals that live in his woods and occasionally pops on over to the neighboring islands to wear leis and party with the mortals. So yeah uh I love him.

MAL

Mallory Cessair is a Doom player. The end.

Nah just kidding half of you probably don’t know what that means. It’s just...her backstory is kinda working through the stuff that I witnessed as a kid that I was too young to know about and really impacted me a lot. So um. Triggers ahead. It’s kind of intense.

Mallory is the only Mortal in the group. She is half Wizard, which makes her a Witch. Her father, Cessair, has magic that basically represents being a dick - Poison and Pestilence and Death and Bitterness and he loves to spread that shit around.

Mallory was born to Cessair and an unwilling mortal girl. Said Mortal Girl was really not equipped to deal with both the trauma of Mal’s conception and the complications of parenting. Mallory looks like Cessair and has his magic, and as such her mother sees her subconsciously less as a child than as a curse, a symbol of everything Cessair has put into the world, and Mal has internalized that image of herself as a result.

Eventually Mal’s mother got her happy ending with a marriage to a mortal man. Whether or not it’s actually a healthy relationship is something I’m still working out. All I know is that Mal got an older stepbrother as a result of the union, who abused her.

At some point Mal runs away. I don’t know yet how long the timeframe is between her leaving her family and meeting Orpheus and Rai, or if anything important happens between there. She has a pretty abrasive personality but manages to bond with them anyway.

But like, remember how Rai got injured? It was protecting Mal.

Which only serves to further her image of herself as a curse. After Rai recovers she goes to visit him and they end up having a pretty big fight. Basically he says what she thinks (she’s a curse) she cusses him out because even though she thinks that about herself she doesn’t take shit lying down, and the group basically falls apart.

Everyone kind of blasts off to do their own thing. Mal’s own thing is tracking down her dad and FUCKING KILLING HIM.

I wrote that scene, it needs work but there’s some pretty raw-ass dialogue.

Anyway after that she kind of has a breakdown. Mal has poison magic, but the aesthetic is that she IS poisonous. She oozes poison. She sweats poison, spits poison, cries poison. And the more stressed she gets the more she secretes.

So basically she kills her dad and then curls up on the floor of his office to die. It’s like that scene in Howl’s moving castle, only without a Sophie to come get her. By the time Orpheus FINALLY shows up (his love and commitment to his friends overpowering his apathy and putting another notch in his “overcoming depression” belt) the entire floor is ankle-deep in toxic sludge.

Up until now it’s been assumed that Mal is immune to her own poison. But she’s not. Not really. Not completely. She’s kind of experiencing multiple organ failure in slow motion.

So anyway Orpheus tries to fix it but he can’t so he goes and gets Rai because Rai is the only one who can get through to her at this point and then the hurt/comfort kicks in and she flushes out all that nasty stuff with a good cathartic cry and gets a bath and a bomb-ass new haircut

But she’s still mad at Rai who is finally starting to learn that his actions have consequences

And Rai noticed that Orpheus got happier when he got a dog

So Rai pops on over to his island via teleportation magic and brings back a parrot for Mal because they’re smart and reminded him of her while he was sulking in his volcano (and it’s also green because Mal’s color is green)

And Mal teaches it to call Rai a dickwad :)

Sorry that’s WAY more than anyone fucking asked for or wanted but I like it. It’s plot stuff which never lasts long so the whole thing is probably going to undergo some MAJOR changes but this is what it is right now.

So uh

Yeah.

Please react I want validation.

[loftec]

Hello 🤪 27 [NTW] and 30?

Hello! 

27. If you were ever to do a sequel to NTW, what do you think might happen in it?

Haha I think this is for me to know and you to find out. I have a whole separate document called “NTW after the fact” where I drop all my random ideas for future NTW bits and bobs. Mind, it’s mainly bullet points and snippets of dialogue and timelines, but it’s still over 7000 words long. Here’s a small sample:

Casual domestic evening at Mickey’s 2016

Mickey finds himself alone with Jon at some point, which he honestly just been avoiding like the plague. Can I speak plainly for a sec? Can’t stop you

Yeah, alright wonder boy, shut up and kiss me. Yes sir

DRAMA! Jace returns (Ian’s birthday 2016? November) (Please note that the all caps exclamation of DRAMA is ironic)

you know that song is about sucking dick, right? most songs are about sucking dick (This is a really old one, I’ve had it in my notes for years and I still don’t have an excuse for it) (Also, the song is about fellatio but Not All Songs, Ian, honestly.)

PDA FFS

30) Tell us an idea for a longfic you want to write in the future.

I told you (very little) about the space pirates AU here. But let’s have a look at one of the (many) really silly ones that I’ve thought a lot about but probably won’t ever get around to write... hmmmm. Oh, this is a real silly one. I’m going to just copy-paste a select bit of my notes on this one (I have 10 more pages of this drivel, it’s pretty astonishing really, why do I not have more time to write all these silly fics??)

ANGELS AND DEMONS AU Fuck it. It’s a Good Omens fusion.

Timeline!

The fall. Crowley saunters. Iain and Mikhail are angels, tied together in some angel way adjacent to a romance. Iain tries to get Mikhail to go with him, but Mikhail refuses on the grounds that he figures their bond should go both ways, would Iain stay in heaven if he asked? Iain falls without him.

After the “fruit incident” Mickey spends his time on earth, mostly to avoid the growing unpleasantness of heaven. And also to do some incidental good, perhaps. Even though they fell out, Mickey is still the flipside of Ian, who he can feel constantly, also roaming the earth. They avoid each other for centuries.

The antichrist is born and Mickey is visited by Aziraphale (they’re not really friends, but he’s tolerable as far as angels go, and the only other angel who has been on earth longer than Mickey has), and they talk about choice.

Mickey is vaguely involved with a branch of the witchfinder’s army in America, who have branched out to deal with all manners of metaphysical anomalies. They talk about being on the heels of a demon, and when it turns out to be Ian, Mickey interferes. They work together to bring down a different demon who does worse things than Ian’s balancing act, and Ian and Mickey come together, deciding that they’d rather spend 12 years together on earth than forever apart. 

But then of course the armageddon doesn’t happen.

No sex in this one, I think. Like, it would be fun to keep it in the tone of Good Omens, and kind of have a “we make it work” moment, if someone asks Mickey about it.

(Angels are sexless unless they really put some effort in it, maybe someone else is talking about it and Mickey mutters that there’s nothing lacking in the efforts department, idk)

I like the idea of Mickey being like, Mikhailo the angel in the beginning, and everybody confusing him with Michael, which he hates because Michael is pretty much the worst. Iain is the only one who respects and knows him well enough to call him Mickey.

Ian could be Iain the angel? 

Ian and mickey are angels. When lucifer falls, ian goes with him after arguing with mickey about it. They spend 2000 years on earth parallel to Aziraphale and Crowley, occasionally bumping into each other. When the antichrist is born, Mickey is visited by Mr Fell and they talk about choice. Mickey and Ian decide to become human ??? And live for 12 years together, instead of unknown time apart after the war that might kill them.

Then the Armageddon doesn’t happen and they live happily ever after for like another 80 years

Mickey calls Aziraphale Az, and it took him a while, but he’s very proud of the fact that he managed to coax language into making “ass” a near universal insult.

When it all comes down to it, Ian says he made the wrong choice. Heaven or hell, he should’ve chosen Mickey. At the time, he thought it meant something that Mickey wouldn’t go with him, that Mickey wouldn’t make the choice to do anything when they finally got the opportunity. He didn’t realise that asking that of Mickey meant taking away the one instant of free will they had, making himself another force telling him to do something without knowing why.

That’s sweet and all, but why didn’t you tell me this 3000 years ago?

[fauzhee10069]

The Wildest Theories of Caato (JoJolion)

This might be my last post about analyzing and debunking the hype of Caato. Maybe some of you are also getting tired, though I myself am also tired with those Caatofags who still appear occasionally. Back to the topic, here are the theories I mean:

”Caato is a rock human with an agenda”

Due to the strange shadow in her eyes during her first intro, the readers were theorizing about the possibility whether Caato is a fusion-human like Josuke or a rock-human.

But according to the colored manga, she doesn't have two different eye colors like Josuke. Besides, I noticed that Caato's eyes do not have the small cracks that signaled a fusion like him, only weird dark shadows.

I have also explained further about this issue in my previous post below:

How the manga coloring team determined that Caato doesn’t have split eyes

So I will skip this and immediately explain the theory of her as a rock-human. If the basis of this theory is her so called splitted-eyes, this is less acceptable, because it is not part of the rock-human’s characteristic.

Yagiyama Yotsuyu

Dainenjiyama Aishou

Damo Tamaki

a rock-woman

Moreover, it also contradicts the need for rock-humans to blend with ordinary human.

The other basis of the theory is the youthful looking Caato had, especially when she was compared to Holy's first appearance. It has been explained that rock-humans don’t age gradually, instead they grow by molting and changing their form all at once. They have longer life span than ordinary human and can look much younger than their actual age.

Even so, her youthful looking had little relevance to the plot. I think Araki simply likes to draw hot milf as callback to Lisa Lisa.

This theory also continues with the notion that Caato has an agenda… or mission, either as an agent or the mastermind herself. Whatever the agenda is, it is also associated with Higashikata family curse, the hereditary rock disease. Readers have thought about the theory of how the Higashikata got the rock disease curse, one of them speculated that they were cursed by the rock-humans. I also believe that this has something to do with the rock-humans (hopefully Tooru will reveal it in the future).

From this speculation, a crazy idea emerged from a reader that there was a forbidden love relationship between a rock-human and a Higashikata (as a mere human), born of the fruit of love from them who since then passed on the rock disease.

Then the connection with Caato as a rock-human is that she had a role in Johnny Joestar's death and the birth of equivalent exchange ability in Higashikata’s land, perhaps the rock-humans also needed to obtain the Holy Corpse.

In her current mission, Caato approached the Higashikata and successfully married to Norisuke IV, which should have made it easier for her to complete the whatever mission. But on the way, she made mistake and accidentally ended up having four children with him. Hmmm… that sounds intriguing- nah, THIS SOUNDS STUPID!

Why would you make this mistake by accidentally having kids… repeatedly?? It would make sense if it is only once (like Diavolo->Trish’s case), but four times? I doubt they were accidents, of course they were planned as it was implied in the family tree.

In addition, this reader must have missed a crucial fact about rock-humans: they could not have children with ordinary humans as they are biologically incompatible.

JJL chapter 46: Love Love Deluxe - part 4

If Caato is a rock-human, it is impossible to her to bear a single Norisuke IV’s child, let alone four- NO, it’s still possible actually.

!!! Spoiler of chapter 99 !!!

The most recent chapter of JoJolion (ch 99) added more information about rock-humans that:

JJL chapter 99: Endless Calamity – part 5

Therefore, if Caato a rock-human, it’s still possible for her to have child with an ordinary human (Norisuke IV). Theories regarding rock disease curse as a result of “this relationship” have also become increasingly possible. However:

The rock-women don’t have strong affection or bond to the child they gave birth and Caato certainly has affection and strong bond to her children as it was shown in her flashback.

Besides, the rock-baby at birth is only as big as beetles.

And we have seen how big Caato was when she was pregnant.

We’ve also seen baby Daiya in the flashback as well and how her children grew up like any normal human in contrast to the rock-human who lived as parasites in a wasp hive for 17 years until they began to venture into the outside world.

Wise non-Caatofag readers have said:

I like how the chapter 99 raises the theory that Caato is a rock-woman, with the fact that only rock-women and humans can have children, and AT THE SAME TIME disproves it by literally showing us how rock-women give birth to their children.

If Caato was a rock-human then that would've meant everyone except Norisuke IV and Mitsuba were rock-humans, and Tsurugi wouldn't have existed.

Moreover, if Caato was the reason for the curse upon the Higashikata, what about Rina who also contracted long before Norisuke IV and his children were born?

JJL chapter 21: Shakedown Road – part 4

If indeed the Higashikata family was hit by a curse due to forbidden relationship with a rock-human, rather than Caato, I think it is more appropriate to suspect Teru (Norisuke I's wife) that she could be a rock-human.

Caato was created as a comparison between Higashikata mothers’ role regarding of their decision and action in dealing with rock-disease and the knowledge of equivalent exchange as shown in JJL chapter 64 (her infamous flashback).

It is acceptable if this theory was created before chapter 64 was released, but pretty dumb if it came after the chapter was released.

There are still a lot of forced arguments issued by her supporters that you can read further here: Is Caato a Rock-Woman?

”Caato is descendant of Funny Valentine”

WHAT THE- How? I believe this is just a pure crack theory, there is absolutely no basis to strengthen this theory… other than their sorta similar hair curls:

The second one kinda reminds of Valentine’s under the effect of Tusk Act 4

And a silly word play in which the connection between Valentine and Caato would form the word: "Valentine Card." If you want to use puns, I recommend learning Japanese first! Because the explanation of the name "Caato" as a reference to "Card" is much more complicated than you might think.

Other than that, their links are very far away, one is American and the other is Japanese, one is blonde and the other is dark haired, etc (it is still possible though, considering the generation gap).

Hair curls aside, the hype of Caato’s Stand which often compared to D4C due to the similarity of their theme and mechanism (dimension-based and caught-in-between) might strengthen the relation of her as Valentine’s descendant.

But I think this should not be considered, given that some Stand users with blood relations such as Joseph-Josuke-Jotaro-Jolyne, DIO-Giorno, and Diavolo-Trish, even Caato and her own children (etc), each have Stands whose mechanism, design and theme are very different to each other.

Perhaps this theory was created to validate Caato's relation with the Holy Corpse and her hype as the main villain. However, the main villains in JoJo never had blood relationship between them. Their relationship is only “causal connection”:

and it should have been connected to “Dio” instead (LOL)

Besides, the curls in Caato's hair are also inconsistent, often not visible or even ignored.

her hair resembles more like bee abdomen

Also, don’t forget how her hair looked in her first intro:

where’s the curl? her hair looked very straight

She also has different hairstyle in the past.

It is not her curls that are consistent, but her “twin buns”. Of course, based on her hairstyle, it will make much more sense to regard her as an AU version of Jolyne than to link her as Valentine’s descendant. Moreover, Araki also put some call-backs such as the name of the prison where she was incarcerated (Stone Ocean), the duration of her sentence (15 years, the initial sentence of Jolyne) and the reason of her incarceration (murder).

And last, this reader again missed (I'm more sure that he deliberately ignored) an obvious fact that Valentine and his wife had no children.

SBR chapter 61: Both Sides Now - part 2

Maybe this reader used the argument that some characters in JoJo such as Joseph and DIO have illegitimate children they didn't know about. Considering Valentine's willingness to have sex with other woman and his relationship with his wife which implied not so harmonious (he didn't really mind his wife’s death & his wife was a cheater as well), he might accidentally sired bastard child.

But this possibility is not confirmed yet and it will be more ridiculous to use this unproven theory over the canon statement Valentine said in SBR chapter 61!

The idea of Caato as Valentine’s descendant is too silly and ridiculous, I’m gonna laugh my ass off.

These theories are too far-fetched and extremely forced.

[purkinje-effect]

The Anatomy of Melancholy, 42

Table of Contents. Second Instar, Chapter 9. Go to previous. Go to next. ‘Choly, slow down. You’re advancing the plot.

________________________________

Kitchen sounds beneath ‘Choly woke him. He glanced to his Pip-Boy for the time. 4:47. He rubbed at his face. Angel had covered him in his sleep. He slumped upright, then wandered into the bathroom before heading downstairs.

Angel had opened all the windows downstairs overnight to air out the dust. The Handy hummed pleasantly to itself at the pantry. ‘Choly smiled to himself as he ambled through the living room and across the crusty, deteriorated low-pile red carpet, to sit at the small linoleum kitchen table.

“Good morning, Mister Carey! I was just about to rouse you, when I heard the plumbing. Oh, please tell me you rested well.”

“I rested... amazingly.” He nodded appreciatively at the presentation of coffee in his Billerica Golf Course mug. “You’ve been busy.”

“My apologies that breakfast isn’t elaborate.” It presented plated reconstituted egg powder with some hard yellow cheese and a mound of nondescript fruit preserves. “But I’ve made sure you have your morning coffee, at least.”

“Where did you get eggs?” He nearly didn’t think it could be eggs.

“It’s another MRE. G-3 was by already with your dry cleaning. I asked it to bring you an MRE fitting for breakfast fare, and also a percolator.”

With a mouthful of egg and cheese, ‘Choly gazed, half-awake, at the percolator beside the stove. Vaguely, he recalled that MREs may have precipitated his concocting Melancholia in the first place. The eggs weren’t bad. They were just... wrong. Scrambled eggs were supposed to be chunky and fluffy, but these were almost like aerated rubber. It was better than the Yum Yum smoothie. Just about anything was better than the Yum Yum smoothie. He washed it down, and sank into his chair.

“I want to try to dry the silt beans as soon as possible. Preferably dry roasting in the oven, I think. We’ll need a way to grind them.”

“I take it the meal last night gave you trouble.”

“Yeah, and this one probably will too. It’s got nothing to do with the taste. I have to eat something, though.”

The fruit preserves were neither tart nor sweet. He ate them anyway.

He glanced around the kitchen and living room. Angel seemed to have unloaded a majority of its storage to the locations typical of such items: magazines on the coffee table, rations in the pantry, and toiletries in the bathroom upstairs he realized. His syringer rifle jutted out of the golf bag in the front corner, an odd juxtaposition to what could have otherwise felt like just another day in 2070. He supposed Angel still kept all the chems inside itself, though. He picked up his plate and stood in the living room, to look at the periodicals on the coffee table. The history textbook lay among them.

“You said G-3 stopped by?” He sat on the edge of the couch to finger through the book.

“I didn’t want to wake you, so I received your dry cleaning. Everything is hung or folded upstairs in your closet.”

He murmured in affirmative, and set his food in his lap to stare at the photograph Jared had shown him. Figure 16.4, ‘Major Johnston and Three of His Pharm Corps Chemists.’ Left to right: Second Lieutenant Gary Sydney, and Captains Olivia Francis and Alan Carey. Major Theodore Johnston to the right.’ The Major had been a grizzled old man with peppered hair and a bulletproof mustache, while 2Lt. Sydney with a slicked short dark undercut had likely been the youngest officer on base. His brow furrowed before slacking as he stared at Olivia. With a heart-shaped face and a full head of blonde hair pulled back into a neat bun, she had a few inches on Carey, who stood beside her with his dark hair in a mussed french twist and his eyes half-hidden behind crescent-frame glasses. No, he remembered her. Structured, punctual, and paradoxically recalcitrant to spite her rank. If there’d been anyone Johnston had indicated express dislike of on base, it was Capt. Francis. Everyone had to mitigate between the two of them by proxy. Just as the military had overlooked his more glaring traits, they were just as desperate to keep someone as skilled and versed as she.

His finger traced at his chin scar, recalling the photo predated his receiving it. He hadn’t had friends on base because he hadn’t let himself. He’d stayed to himself. The hardback book shut. No, unless it came up in conversation, he wouldn’t bother Olivia with his relic, or how he got it. He set the empty dish in the sink and finished off his coffee, then vanished upstairs.

As indicated, his orthotics and uniform pieces lay in the drawers of the chest in the closet. He strung himself into his orthotics, which now shone white they had come so clean, and brushed his teeth and washed his face. He dully traced at the metal he’d applied to his bathrobe the night before, only to remove them and set them atop the closet chest. The wool uniform, combat boots, and tucked four-in-hand khaki necktie came next. His hair swept up into the neatest french twist he’d achieved in recent memory, owing to the decent lighting and access to a mirror. He retrieved the white coat from its hanging bag, and returned the nameplate and bars to it, to wear it. The full length closet mirror had shattered, so he sized himself up in the bathroom. The echoes of 2077 snagged at him, and he loathed a moment what his work day might bring, until he could reassure himself that Olivia had sworn they no longer needed to test CM on soldiers. With a sardonic breath, he went downstairs in search of his bracers and holsters, to complete the ensemble.

‘Choly and Angel went to the General’s office, to meet G-7 waiting in the hall.

“The General got restless,” it informed, leading the way to the Robotics wing. “She’s always working on something.”

When they arrived, Olivia had powered down a Sentry Bot and crouched to do maintenance on one of its three mecanum limbs. An Assaultron stood nearby. G-7 excused itself, having accomplished its shepherding, and silence besides mechanical operations subsumed the space.

“Good morning,” ‘Choly began, hands laced behind him. He stiffened in the presence of two of the military’s most powerful robotic models.

The ghoul looked up, but didn’t stand, focused on her task.

“Take it the food was satisfactory,” she commented, deadpan.

“It would be apples to oranges, to compare an MRE to Angel’s cooking.”

Angel scoffed at him and he grinned at it with a side-eye. She guffawed.

“Since it’s just me, I don’t really bother much with getting meat and produce on base. I’m fine with the bicentennial MREs, with the occasional indulgences. They’re edible, and there’s enough variety left. It’s not like I’ve been stuck eating InstaMash every day, three meals a day, all this time.”

“--But don’t you miss things that can’t be in a Meal Ready to Eat? Salads? Or--”

“--Around the time the world ended, I took my grieving, Carey. Melancholy. I don’t need the pampering of fresh food, or... sweets... or a... rare steak...” She tossed down her crescent wrench and sat cross-legged. “Oh, who’m I kidding? I’ve just gotten so used to it, that I stopped questioning it. It’s convenient, and it’s still edible, and it’s not junk.”

“It sounds like you’re fishing for me to give you a reason to do something about the food,” he smirked.

“It’s certainly not something I’d fix, just for my own sake alone, that’s for sure.”

“Maybe once we contend with the potential security threat, we can work on improving the quality of the base’s food supplies. I feel like we both could probably stand to take better care of ourselves.”

Olivia’s features tightened just enough to notice, before she stood, and patted the Sentry’s thigh plate with a resigned satisfaction. She rounded to its back, and uncoiled the key prong of her Pip-Boy to plug into the robot.

“Maybe so.”

The Sentry powered back on with a series of hisses from both mechanism and steam, and it lurched as its hydraulics kicked in.

“Good morning, General,” it grunted in a low broken digitized voice.

“Good morning, S-2. I’ve replaced that cracked roller, and I rotated your belts. You’re free to return to regular operation.”

“Affirmative. Maintenance valued.”

The Sentry rolled out of the garage doors with unexpected agility for something as enormous and bulky as what amounted to a robotic tank. ‘Choly gave it a wide berth, straightening on his cane. Meanwhile, Olivia had begun to circle Angel with her hands in her back pockets.

“Parts from Handy, Gutsy, and Nanny,” she remarked, nodding. “You’ve gotten parts from all three models cooperating smoothly. Impressive. Angel, what’s your current ammo count?”

“Miss Olivia, I have twenty-seven 5.56mm bullets, and 59 fusion cells.”

“Oh, no. This won’t do.” She about faced and waved them to follow her to the next hangar over: Storage. They trailed behind her as she skimmed aisles for mental notes. As she spoke next, she produced the indicated items. “All three tendrils utilize laser attachments. You need at least a hundred fusion cells on hand. And I won’t accept anything less than a full 5.56mm belt.”

“Thank you!” It loaded the ammunition into its attachments, handing off the 27 spare bullets to her in exchange for the full belt of 500.

“Always thought any Handy could be a Gutsy at heart,” she grinned. “Angel, you’re a beautiful piece of work. Really something else."

“It’s all thanks to Mister Carey,” it insisted in continued gratitude.

"You deserve the best,” he deflected, stressed to realize that the Assaultron had followed them.

“Oh, Melancholy. Lighten up.” Olivia gestured at the Assaultron. “This is Helen. Helen, Melancholy. Sorry I didn’t introduce you two earlier. I forget everyone doesn’t already know everyone.”

“H-- hello, Helen.”

“I won’t hurt you unless you deserve it,” the cyclopean robot greeted in a deep, coy tone.

A nervous laugh trickled out of him.

“The army didn’t issue me a robot like they did you, so I appointed Helen mine myself.”

“I see.” His composure slowly cemented. “You... mentioned my accent last night.”

She paused to find the best wording she could muster.

“We all knew you’re red, ‘Choly. You weren’t the only one of us that passed for an American. The Feds got real desperate in the final years before the Great War. Reached for just about any asset they could grab, including contracting well outside the Thirteen Commonwealths. You’re fortunate that of all your colleagues to survive, you’re stuck with one that worked alongside you long enough and closely enough to know you’re a loyal fuck.” She leaned in with a quiet grin. “Look, I’ve read the DIA papers on just about everybody who frequented this chem pit. I know you’re only half Russian. The other half behaved itself, never betrayed us. You’ve proved yourself just as much as any of us did.”

The truth rang in his ears like gushing water. What was his motivation? He’d told Jared he’s loyal to security and safety, and money in lieu of the first two. Confident the dollar no longer carried any weight, he wondered if how he’s changed as a person since Lexington was for the better. It hadn’t even been a week, and already his priorities had been turned on head. More than anything, they had to work toward preventing the raiders from overtaking and occupying the Deenwood Compound. The Rust Devils would abuse the chem resources far worse than the Deenwood chemists had, and in the wrong hands, Deenwood’s robotics could easily decimate what was left of the Commonwealth. The base was viably his new home now--the sense of belonging had not been stronger since he’d thawed out--and Olivia’s reply had him grasping blind for any way to prove what he was willing to do to defend it.

“It’s not just the two of us and all these robots, right? Surely not. And even if there really isn’t anyone else on base, there has to have been survivors in Lowell? Or Chelmsford? I... didn’t get a good look at the state of Billerica on the way up here, but I wouldn’t be shy to double back if it meant we could drum up allies.”

“Chelmsford and the Highlands are crawling with ferals. Most of Lowell and Pawtucketville’s wildlife. Pelts and Merrilurks. There’s a pocket of trappers in Centralville that call themselves the Furriers...” She trailed off into a frown. “I... don’t know if I like where this is going.”

“Would they help us? If I can get up there, would they talk with me?”

Somehow, she found cause to warm to the idea.

“I haven’t made contact with them in a long time. It’s been since before the Rust Devils settled in. Too nervous to leave Deenwood on automatic, especially without knowing how far the Rust Devils’ territory expanded. I don’t know. It’s a long shot. They keep to themselves. They’re descended from mill workers who survived since day one of the new world order.” She paced the stock aisles again, arms folded behind her. “The way’s dangerous without proper gear. You can’t cut North on Chelmsford Road and follow it up to O’Donnell Bridge, for a lot of reasons. The Devils recently took Back Central--from what my Eyebots have reported. You’re probably safest taking the West route across, and cutting across Rourke Bridge to follow the shore. Hermit crabs often hole up on O’Donnell Bridge, and believe me when I say you don’t want to know why I’m warning against encountering them if you can ever manage it.”

His face slacked. He hadn’t encountered any shellfish yet.

“If the insects got big, the crustaceans must have got enormous.”

She turned to grin at his naivete.

“Seeing it’s believing it, but you’re dead right. There’s another reason to favor Rourke Bridge. You need to go see Sticks. He lives at the Sampas Pavilion. Get him to go with you. He’s got clout with the Furriers’ sachem, Reese. Just you on your own, they might turn you away. But both of you? A much better shot.”

Doubt screwed up his face.

“What makes you think this guy will help us?”

“He’s helped me a dozen times. He’ll definitely grasp the stakes. And I’d warn you in advance, but you seemed less shaken that I’m a ghoul than you are I’m still kicking--he’s a ghoul, too. Try not to stare at him as much as you stare at me, all right? And don’t give the farm away, either. Negotiate without bartering, if at all possible.”

Caught admiring her, he poorly disguised his averted gaze with a cough.

“So you think it’s a good idea then?”

“We haven’t been able to outgun the Devils in two years. You know what an arms race looks like. You’re on the money, to propose calling in reinforcements. What’s important is, are you absolutely certain that you want to do this? You only just got to Deenwood, already flying to her defense.”

He glanced over to Helen, recalling the two savage robots that had torn after him and Angel on their way on base, and his mouth became a thin line.

“I don’t think we have another choice.”

Go to Next »»»

[another-heroine]

Wip Wednesday

Before the day ends, I'd like to join and share a little piece that I'm writing with @silversiren1101 blessing (and approval).

She knew every corner of that place by heart. Even with shutted eyes, she could tell what was going on there: the birds chirping, the water fountain running, the oldest cat complaining about anything. And that sound of feathers, along the muffled giggle, was very familiar.

Ekaterina felt little hands grabbing her skirt, and she heard a scare attempt, “Boo!”

The druid did her best acting, putting one hand over her heart. “Jesyll!”

The little girl laughed out loud. “Hi, auntie! I gotcha again, didn't I?”

“You always get it.” Ekaterina couldn't help but smile. She patted her head. “Hello, my dear. How are you doing?”

Jesyll hugged her legs. She adored how Auntie Kaya smelled like. It was like a fusion of a vegetable garden in summer and a pine forest. Herbs, flowers, juicy fruits.

Comfort scent.

“I came to help you.” The girl leaned her chin on the woman's leg. “What can I do?”

Ekaterina gave a half smile. She looked around; there was almost nothing more to do in that afternoon. But it would be impossible to change the mind of a ganzi-gnome child. Then she asked, “Alright, can you fetch me some water?”

“Yes, ma'am!” she happily agreed, darting through the greenhouse. The rustle of her tail always lured the stray kittens out of their feline dreams under the branches, making them run after her. Jesyll was used to that kind of buzz, and just laughed. When she had learned that it was a great way to bait them to pat them, she didn’t mind anymore about the occasional chase.

Ekaterina watched the scene, silently having fun, but also paying attention. She didn’t want anyone to get hurt in her greenhouse. And the vines, branches, playful kittens, many things there could leave a scar or two. Especially when you were small like… a gnome.

Jesyll got a bucket and filled it into the fountain. When she stopped and curled her tail, the kittens tried to nuzzle into it. She sighed, delighted with the scene, leaving the bucket on the stone edge for a while. One of the creatures had golden eyes like her, and his tail was halved. The girl pouted, thinking about what could have happened to him. She couldn’t imagine how to live without her tail, even without a tiny piece.

She loved tending to plants. Every time when she had the opportunity, Jesyll was on her Mama’s side in the gardens, taking care of roses and trying to make friends with insects. One time, she mistook wasps for honeybees, and it caused her to fall into her mother’s favorite rose bushes. She could swear that Papa’s eyes got brighter for a second when he heard about it later. And since then, everybody — mostly Auntie Kaya — kept all eyes on her when Jesyll was outside.

But for the aasimar’s relief, she came back safe and sound and with a bucket of water as requested.

[a-seed-in-need-blog]

The Seed’s on a date (head-canons)

John: 

- Oh this boy is gonna take you places, especially restaurants. Downtown for haute cuisine, a flat specializing in Mediterranean fusion foods, indulge in some rolled-ice cream. 

- Dress nicely. He is always preening for his S/O, spending hours grooming himself for you, and he expects you to do so in return. He wants the world to know you are the hottest power couple of the century, he wants to absolutely show. you. off. 

- Oh and shopping. Oh good lord the shopping. John Seed is going to spoil you rotten with that pretty little (limitless) platinum card. Louis Vuitton red-sole pumps? You got it. Marc Jacobs nomad saddle hand-bag? Sold, you deserve it. It helps that he also loves to shop and spoil himself. You two can spend all day at the mall.

- It might seem odd at first, but John loves vehicle shows. Car shows, plane displays, boat viewings... He is extremely well-versed in the trivia surrounding these events: history, makes/models, uses, etc. He loves to share his knowledge with you, and it’s adorable to watch him become so giddy at these outings. 

- Most dates end with some dessert indulgence: gelato, an assortment of macarons, perhaps he takes you to a little place that serves “the best tiramisu you’ll ever taste.” John always wants to end his dates on a high-note, what better way to do that with sweets? 

Jacob:

- A homebody at heart, it’s hard to get this boy out of the house. However, that does not mean he is incapable of appreciating the little indoor dates you coordinate. Binge watching action movies (with the occasional comedy/romance thrown in there), kicking your ass at Mario Party (what do you mean he’s “too old for video-games?”) or even just huddling around a fire in the back yard.

- There are a few things he’ll leave the house for, although. Take him paint-balling once and he’ll be hooked. Hyper competitive in nature, he has the time of his life asserting his dominance while simultaneously protecting you. Honestly, the other team doesn’t stand a chance.

- Hiking is another beloved past-time. He loves to be in the quiet of nature with you, not speaking, just enjoying each-others company in the cool mountain air.  Occasionally he’ll point out interesting phenomena to you: the way flowers grow to face the sun, fresh prints in the mud, how to detect nearby water. It helps you realize how in-touch with nature this man is.

- Jacob wont often say no to bar-hopping. Drinking numbs his trauma and emboldens his confidence. Plus, bar food is killer, who doesn’t like chicken wings and greasy-ass fries? (If you don’t like bar food, what the hell are you doing with this boy?) Wont wait around for you to primp yourself, just throw some sweatpants on, let’s go get fucked. 

- Once you two stayed indoors and got drunk off vintage whiskey and vodka, critiquing the SHIT out of infomercials until the early hours of the AM. You’ve never seen his face so flushed, heard him laugh so heartily. Cuddled up on the couch, you both scream “Asshole! You absolute tool!!!” at the T.V screen. Who needs a kitchen pan specifically made for omelettes, anyways? 

Faith:

- This girl is fun central, she wants to squeeze as much activity as she can into the time she is given. Will not hesitate to create a schedule if you decide to go somewhere large with her, like Disney Land or Cedar Point. Cannot waste time waiting in lines, absolutely has to have a fast-pass at these locations. 

- Concerts are also a great experience for the both of you, she loves the music, the bass, the energy. She wants to hold your hand, be close to you, let the music flow through her and into you while you both embrace each other in the night-venue. Just wait until you try a concert experience in The Bliss, absolutely spiritual.

- Faith, however, is also interested in more low-key, stimulating dates. Getting up around 10 to meet you at the farmers market by 11. Loves it when you encourage each other to try new and interesting foods (usually strange fruits and other produce.) Holds your hand the entire time. You wrap up your afternoon stopping by the flea markets; she loves to see the little relics for sale. To her, they’re little monuments full of love, she adores seeing which things will catch your eye.

- You and Faith have probably been to the Zoo six-hundred times. She knows the names of all the animals, but she is never any less excited to be there. And, oh, the petting zoo. “Look at the goat! Isn’t he precious? Come here, give him a little pet, he loves it!” Strangely enough, the animals seem to adore her just as much.

- Sometimes, however, the dates are simple. A quiet walk through the botanical gardens, arms linked, steps ginger with enthusiasm. She loves to tell you about all the different flowers, both beautiful and deadly; you both agree this is your favorite place to be together, something about the environment just feels right, it just pulls you two closer. 

Joseph:

- Oh, Joseph is down for anything. Honestly gets excited at the prospect of letting you pick the destination of their date, loves to see what unique places you’ll bring him to. Is always listening to you like you’re the last person on Earth; if this place/activity has meaning to you, then it must be of utmost importance.

- Is a sucker for going out to breakfast. Shows you this little hole-in-the-wall diner that serves the most amazing eggs and hash. Stares at you quietly over his coffee while you wait for your food, smiling at you, relishing in his love for you. When the food arrives, however, you both find yourselves lost in the amazing cuisine, he did not lie. 

- In his opinion, just sitting around talking is a great date. Sits outside with you in the midst of the twilight hours, watching the breeze tousle your hair, asking your opinions on the world, on your life. You sit together, swaying gently in a tree swing. He listens to your words as if they were gospel, cherishing every moment he has to spend with you. Occasionally, he will move your hair from your face, admiring your gentle features.

- Much like Jacob, he likes to enjoy natures beauty with you, just in less strenuous ways... his preference is a picnic. Somewhere quiet where the both of you can talk and admire the wildlife around you. If he’s feeling romantic (50-65% of the time) he will pack the basket, surprising you with little foods you love, and maybe even a bottle of wine to share. 

- Loves to get creative with you. Wants to paint with you, create music or take up some productive hobby. Wants to express himself beside you, allowing his soul to pour into his work, while allowing himself to witness your soul poured into yours. Will always keep and cherish whatever you make, as he considers it “an expression of your heart, a beautiful gift.” 

[e350tb]

Steven Universe: Marooned Together - Chapter Thirty-Two

(with thanks to @real-fakedoors for reading)

Stevonnie and Lapis sat at the doors of the barn, wide open to the elements. A gentle, steady downpour weeping a steady pitter-patter onto the leaf-thatched ceiling, running down the ridges and grooves and soaking the earth down to the foundation. They hadn’t spoken for some time, sharing in the quiet observation of the world beyond.

Stevonnie rubbed their arm, occasionally stealing glances at the blue gem. A few times, it looked as though one of them were about to say something, but then inevitably their mutual silence returned. The high of the kiss had worn off, replaced by a weird sense of… awkwardness. Now that they had crossed the threshold, neither of them seemed quite sure of what to do next.

“So,” Stevonnie said at last, “Are we…”

“I… think so?” replied Lapis, cheeks burning dark navy. “Unless you don’t want to, I mean… I…”

She looked away, biting her lip.

“No,” replied Stevonnie, “I think… I think I do.”

They sat in silence for a while longer.

“So we’re together, then,” said Lapis, “I-I-I mean we’ve been together for twenty years, but now we’re together together, so…”

There was a long silence.

“We need to talk to Garnet, don’t we?” asked Stevonnie.

“Yeah, I think we do.”

There were a lot of things Lapis and Stevonnie might have expected when warping to New Earth. They definitely might have expected a welcoming committee, having both been missing for - was it two weeks? Lapis couldn’t quite remember. They expected having to answer some questions - where did you go, what happened, how did you escape Yellow Diamond?

The last thing they expected was to be staring down the barrel of a gun. Yet that is exactly what they saw as they warped into the back room of the Diamond’s Lament.

“Uh… what?” Stevonnie asked.

The pistol was held by a Human Resistance officer, his face twisted into a dark scowl.

“You’re in violation of the Gem Restriction Act,” he sneered, “And I…”

“The Gem Resistriction what?” demanded Lapis.

“Don’t play dumb with me, rock,” replied the officer, “Now come quietly and I won’t have to shatter you.”

Lapis blinked.

“You… you actually think you can take us,” she said flatly.

“I said,” the officer snarled, “Come quietly. Or else I’ll-”

Anything else he might have said was cut off by a loud crash as someone slammed a large bag of fruit over his head. The officer slumped to the floor, revealing Jenny standing behind him.

“‘Sup, ‘Vonnie,” she said, “Glad to see you’re still with us!”

“I… thanks,” replied Stevonnie, “What the heck was he doing?”

Jenny frowned, turning and walking to the door. She locked it with a metallic ‘clink’ before turning back to the two gems.

“Lewis launched a coup,” she replied.

“She what?!” exclaimed Stevonnie.

Jenny nodded, sitting down on top of some old crates.

“When you didn’t come back, Amethyst was furious,” she explained, “I mean, I’ve never seen her that mad. Dug into Franks at the debrief - I thought she might actually kill him. Humiliated him in front of all of his officers. They didn’t take that well.”

She sighed, running a finger along a dusty shelf surface.

“Anyway, Ames and Peri went off to find you - I think they’re still out,” she continued, “Which left Garnet and the HR to look after New Earth. ‘Cept nobody respected Franks anymore, which meant Lewis could convince them to overthrow the government.”

“Garnet,” asked Stevonnie, “Jeff, Peedee, are they okay?”

“Jeff’s locked up with Franks,” replied Jenny, “Garnet and Peedee are at the Museum of Earth - there’s still people holding out against the Resistance there. I can take you guys there if you want.”

“Of course!” replied Stevonnie, “We can’t just leave our friends, can we?”

“Plus we need to talk to Garnet,” added Lapis, “About… things.”

“Alright, c’mon.”

Jenny unlocked the door again, slipping into the main bar room. She glanced over to Simon, waving her arm in a circular motion - the old bartender nodded, reaching under the counter and throwing her a dirty old key.

“You ever seen the sewers?” asked Jenny.

“...no,” replied Stevonnie.

“Well, you’re about to.”

The sewers were not particularly impressive - they were sewers, so it’s not like they had particularly high expectations. The ceilings were low, forcing Stevonnie to crouch to fit their head in, and the walkway creaked and groaned. The air was putrid and stale, the water a foul brown, and there was precious little light.

The sewer was one of the first parts of New Earth to be built - it was a hygienic necessity, but it was clear it had been built before gem tech began to be integrated in the settlement. It was a jerry-rigged tube of rusted metal, held together by grit, polish and a healthy amount of wishful thinking. It was, evidently, overdue to be upgraded, nearing the limits of its capacity - exactly how Lewis intended to do this without gem help was anyone’s guess.

“Where’s the water coming from?” asked Lapis.

“Used to be we’d have to go out and get it from asteroids or other planets,” replied Jenny, “But we put in a water production plant about… two, three years ago? It’s under the hospital. Saves a heck of a lot of work.”

Stevonnie nodded.

“You’ve really made something here, haven’t you?” they asked,

“Sure have,” replied Jenny, “It’s what we can do when we work together, y’know?”

She grinned.

“There’s always room for two more, y’know.”

“I… we’re happy on the island, I think,” replied Stevonnie.

“It’s home,” Lapis shrugged.

“Well, you two ever change your mind, maybe you can get a little apartment or something,” said Jenny, her tone turning conspiratorial, “You know, just a little one bedroom thing…”

She chuckled as Stevonnie and Lapis both blushed.

“Anyway,” she said, “We’re here.”

They had reached a small ladder and a hatch on the roof. Gently, Jenny tapped on it - once, twice, three times. There was a brief silence and a muffled voice.

“Password?”

“I dunno, you change it every time I come here.”

“Oh, right… um… uh… who won the battle of-”

“Just let me in!”

“...alright.”

The hatch creaked open. The Curator, looking a little haggard but otherwise none the worse for wear, motioned for them to climb up.

The main floor of the Museum of Earth was crowded with gems - pearls, rubies, peridots and all manner of others - and their human allies. The exhibits had mostly been spirited away into the back rooms, allowing as much space as possible for what appeared to be a combined command centre and triage. Not far away, Peedee and Garnet were discussing something - the former looked incredibly tired, and there was a nasty new scar running across his mouth.

“Garnet!”

The two turned as Stevonnie ran over, pulling the fusion into a hug. She grinned, returning the gesture and spinning them around.

“You’re alive?!” exclaimed Peedee.

Garnet pulled out of the hug but kept her hands on Stevonnie’s shoulders.

“I knew you’d make it,” she said.

“Because of your future vision?”

“No.” Garnet glanced over to Lapis. “Because you have someone who would never give up on you.”

Lapis blushed, averting her eyes.

“So what’s going on?” asked Stevonnie, “I heard about Jeff and Franks… I guess… but how’s everyone else?”

Peedee frowned.

“We haven’t been able to get back to the dock and call Amethyst,” he replied, “So we’re on our own. As far as people who can fight, we got me, Garnet, Jenny, Buck, Carl… I think that’s it.”

“I can fight!” the Curator said brightly.

“No you can’t,” replied Peedee.

“No I can’t,” the Curator agreed glumly.

“What about Vidalia?” asked Stevonnie.

Peedee pointed over his shoulder.

Vidalia was laid on a table which apparently doubled as a bed, her stomach being bandaged by Doctor West and a lime-green pearl. She winced as he tightened the bandage, before turning her head to Stevonnie and Lapis.

“Yeah, thought you two would make it,” she said, “I’d come over and say hi, but…”

She winced.

“...they got me right in the gut,” she grunted, “Doc says I’m lucky I’m not dead ‘cause I’m ‘old’ or something.”

“The chances of recovering from a gunshot wound from a person pushing seventy are greatly decreased from…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” snorted Vidalia, “I’m alive, ain’t I? And I got them as good as they got me.”

She pointed at a shotgun resting against the wall.

“Why’s Lewis getting away with this?” demanded Lapis, crossing her arms, “Why didn’t anybody notice?”

“We did notice,” grumbled Vidalia.

“Jeff brought this up with Franks time and time again,” said Peedee bitterly, “But you know what he did? He went and asked Lewis if she was doing anything wrong. He asked officers if they were stockpiling weapons. He asked if they were disobeying him. And then he took them at their word.”

“After what happened at the space station,” added Jenny, “Jeff was gonna launch an investigation. Lined up a few people to take a proper look - me, Vidalia, Simon, Lenny… but that spooked ‘em. By the time Franks even knew they were planning a coup, it was too late.”

“And now they have Jeff,” spat Peedee.

“And Franks,” added the Curator helpfully.

“Fuck Franks!” Peedee spat, “This is all his fault! If he’d just done his damn job - or better yet, hadn’t decided to play freedom fighter for twenty years - Jeff would be safe and I wouldn’t be panicking about whether he’s alive or not, and… fuck him! Just fuck him!”

He ran his hands through his hair.

“He never meant anything wrong,” reminded Garnet.

“That doesn’t matter,” replied Peedee.

He sighed.

“I’m going in the back to cool off,” he said, “Let me know if anything happens.”

He marched away.

“So,” asked Lapis, “What do we do now?”

“Attention Homeworld sympathisers!”

A voice, amplified by a megaphone, came from outside.

“This is the Provisional Government,” the voice continued, “We offer you one last chance at clemency. All humans inside the building, with the exception of the arch criminals Peedee Fryman and Vidalia… um… Vidalia…”

“Nice to be famous,” muttered Vidalia.

“...may leave the Museum of Earth without punishment if they come out quietly within the next hour. We have only one stipulation.”

“Of course,” muttered Jenny, “What’s the catch?”

“All persons who take this offer must be present at 1700 hours for the public executions of Roger Franks and former Mayor and arch-collaborator Jeff Fryman outside the hospital. You have one hour. Make your choice.”

There was a long, long silence.

“...public executions?” blurted Jenny at last, “What is this, 1755?”

[littlemisssquiggles]

Have you considered Ozpin eventually taking over Oscar completely and that perhaps Oscar himself will not be present anymore? According to Oz, their souls will eventually become merged. I know you don't want anything to happen to Oscar, but what if that is what his trial will be during this volume?

I have actually anon-chan. After all that is the looming concern with the merging of the two souls, right? That Ozpin mayend up leeching his way into poor young Oscar's mind like a parasiteand becoming the dominant mind between the two souls.

I've actually wondered if that too is part ofOzpin's cursedilemma or is just the "truenature" of Ozpin---a downside to his reincarnation cycle that he has nocontrol over. I know painting Ozpin as a secretly villainous person on parwith Salem is a common trend amongst the FNDM community but this squiggle meister is still adamant on remaining on the side thatbelieves in the good in Ozpin. He isn’t without his own fair share of faults mademore prominent by his past sins but I’d like to stand with the firm opinionthat every deceitfully wicked action that Oz was forced tomake in his previous lifetimes was not of his own accord. After living forthousands of years fighting off the same evil entity that seems to be as immortal as the shattered moon that orbits Remnant, Iwouldn’t be surprised if Ozpin had been forced to resort to desperate measuresto acquire more fruitful results. He’s not proud of them but…bottom line is, Idon’t think Ozpin is evil. Just flawed.  

But in spite of pondering on this, I don't think Ozpineclipsing Oscar will be the case. Why waste establishing Oscar as his owncharacter with his own personality and characteristics that differentiate himfrom Ozpin if the CRWBY Writers' intentions weren't to make him a permanent character?

My firm belief is that either Oscar willinherit Ozpin's power and memories and move on in his place as his fully-realizeddescendant while still retaining his old personality, justreplacing Ozpin on the main cast or...he and Ozpin will become one and bereborn as the Wizard---theperfect culmination of both minds.

As I described in this musing post, the Wizard isboth Ozpin andOscar but neither ofthem at the same time. The Wizard will be his own persondespite being a fusion, like how Garnet from Steven Universe is her owncharacter despite being the fusion of Ruby and Sapphire. Same for other fusionslike Stevonnie.

That being said, I’m also starting to quite likethe idea of the Wizard formally being called Ozcar. I mean it’s fitting since,like the Wizard, the name is an anagram of both Ozpin and Oscar’s namescombined. That way he can still retain the Oz nickname for the allies who knew Ozpin best(like Qrow, Glynda and Ironwood) yet still be called ‘Oscar’ forthose better associated with the precious freckled farm boy(like Ruby).  

I wouldn't be surprised if part of Oscar's trial asthe next Ozpin is learning to accept his inevitable fusion with Ozand all that brings. It'll be a strenuous one since Oscar will show resistance,dreading that he might lose himself to Ozpin.

Iactually had this scene in my head where part of Oscar goes on a sort of spiritualjourney where he enters his own mind palace to confront Ozpin. It's kind of similaridea to this art post by @xhikarixyamix butin reverse. In my scene, Ozpin's resting period becomesso serious that Oscar is forced to take a deep dive intohis own mind to venture alone into Ozpin's corner of their shared mentalmindscape---the Labyrinth of Memories.  

Insidethe Labyrinth of Memories, Oscar is forced to relive some of Ozpin’s mostdetrimental memories of his past that shaped him into the man he is currentlyincluding the one where he first failed against Salem and was then cursed bythe Brother Gods. Oscar even relives one of his own memories of his childhoodthat he had long repressed---the day he lost his parents (granted that thePines are still canonically alive or not).

Throughoutthe mental excursion, Oscar is pursued and tormented by a mysterious nightmarishentity; who occasionally rises up to thwart Oscar’s progress with obstacles suchas sicking cognitive versions of past foes that Oscar/Ozpin have faced in the past. 

Butfortunately for Oscar, even in his own mind, he surprisingly has allies. Toassist him on his quest, Oscar is aided by his predecessor---the memory of the previous Ozpin who was the Headmaster of Beacon we all know andlove from V1-V3.

Ireally love the idea of Oscar getting the opportunity to meet Professor Ozpin,the version of Ozpin fans are most familiar with. However this Ozpin asks Oscar tocall him by his true name since in the Labyrinth of Memories, both him and Oscar,as well as the other Ozpins are all Ozpin. So according to him, to avoid any confusion, it’s bestto call each other by their actual names.

Sincethe previous Ozpins were confirmed to have true names, this is a cool way forOscar to meet them---especially the Ozpin we all know. I’m especially curiousto know what Professor Ozpin’s true name was. 

In the original Wizard of Oz story, Oscar is thefirst name in the Wizard’s O.Z.P.I.N.H.E.A.D initials. Since Oscar is the firstname, if I had to guess the true name of the last version of Ozpin, it’d be...Norman.

Ifwe’re only focussing on the Ozpin part of O.Z.P.I.N.H.E.A.D, then Normanrepresents the ‘N’ initial. Not to mention that in the alphabet, the letter ‘N’comes before ‘O’ which fits into the lineage because Norman came before Oscarin the cycle. So for the sake ofthis theory of mine, I’ll refer to the Headmaster Ozpin as Norman.

Normanhelps Oscar traverse the Labyrinth meeting other recognizable Ozpins such asthe King of Vale and even the Old Hermit.

Eventuallythe two are able to find the Ozpin they were looking for---the Original Ozpin---Ozpin the First.He is believed to be locked away in a deeper part of the Labyrinth representingOscar’s subconscious. Ultimately through further guidance from the King of Valeand the Hermit,Norman and Oscar make it to the chamber, but as they arrive, they encounter thenightmarish figure again. While the entity subdues Norman, it reveals its trueform to Oscar.

Andto the farm boy’s astonishment, he is face to face with himself. The Nightmare is a manifestationof all Oscar’s insecurities and fears taking his form only inversed. Basically picture an Ozpin-skinned Oscar Pine with silver hair insteadof black, pale skin instead of his usual tanned complexion and his hazel eyesare replaced with venomous blood red eyes with a pitch black sclera.

AsNightmare Oscar speaks to him, in Oscar’s own voice, he taunts theboy with every deleterious thought that Oscar has thought and felt abouthimself since he met Ozpin. He even taunts him with thoughts from his pastinvolving his parents and family.

Atsome point, Nightmare Oscar even summons a Nightmare Ruby Rose; going so far as to play intoOscar's possible romantic feelings for the huntress by having her counterpartberate the idea of even caring for Oscar. Nightmare Oscar even cuts down Normanin front of Oscar while the predecessor jumped in to shield the farm boy.

Ihave this theory where, just as the Maidens chose themselves, the Ozpin cyclekind of works the same way. A long time ago, back during V5, I shared a theoryabout Ozpin---well Norman Ozpin possiblymeeting a toddler Oscar in his past and unknowingly forming a connection withthe boy which transcended into his next life.

Sowithout realizing it, Norman chose Oscarbecause he sensed something great in him. I know this sounds farfetched butthat’s why it’s an old theory. Anyways, Norman sort of sacrificeshimself to help Oscar and it’s with his aid ,that Oscar comes to therealization that Nightmare Oscar is actually Ozpin the First corrupted byOscar's negative emotions. 

Longstory short, Oscar is able to overcome his negative counterpart and Ozpin the First is finally set free. Even Norman turns out to beokay, to Oscar’s relief since after all, he’s a memory and so inside theLabyrinth, no Ozpin is truly gone because they get to live on in their nextheir---Oscar. It also turns out that Nightmare Oscar wasn’t just amanifestation of Oscar's qualms but Ozpin's as well.

Ozpinthe First laments his guilt for the past millennia, apologizing to Norman andOscar---his two recent successors as well as the others thatcame before them, practically breaking down before them both.

We'venever actually seen Ozpin cry before. We've heard him express his guilt but notthrough tears. This is a tortured soulwho’s been forced to not just spend countless of years trying to fix a mistakehe made but also force his way into the lives of other innocent men who had noplace in his never-ending feud with Salem yet they had to die because of him.

Ozpinhas bound to be harbouring some majorly heavy feelings he's been forced to repress.So can I have Ozpin cry in front of Oscar, like inside their mind palace orsomething to that similarity. Let Ozpin feel the full weight of his guilt andshame. Maybe even have Oscar allow Oz to take over so that he can personallyapologize to everyone---Yang and Ruby especially.

IfOzpin is to truly repent for his sins then he needs to come fully clean abouteverything.Confess over a thousand years’ worth of sins and all theheartache that came with them. It’s as Yang made him promise during V5, nomore half-truths and/or lies.

Neverthought I'd say this but let Ozpin cry for V6. Let him be allowed to beemotional, fall on his knees, clutching his chest as the man crumbles under thefull weight of everything he’s been forced to hold back for so many centuries.

Onecommon line that Oz always repeats is ‘I’m sorry’. Now I can understand why Oz sawPyrhha as his guardian. He probably saw a lot of himself in her. That sameselfless pride. If Oz is truly sorry for everything he’s done or has been forced to do or hide or lie about,let him try apologizing a thousand times over in the dirt bawling his eyes out.

It’stime for Ozpin to confess all his sins. Only then will he be saved from furtherdamnation and can start anew. And perhaps then folks will stop painting him as sucha devious individual; both in the show and in the FNDM.

Theman has so much against him. I just would like for V6 to finally clear the air on all of Ozpin's suspicions so that hecan move forward with a clean slate.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2018)