#but ultimately she is supposed to be based off of a cat

[dailypearldoodles]

for your consideration. Human tilly and human froggy and their horribly cursed little beast pearl <3

Day 272

Just Froggy for now because I'm still don't have a finalized design for Tilly, but I had a great time designing Froggy!

Although keep in mind we are only on episode 1 of limited life so Froggy's design will be subject to change if we get any new info about her or something lol

She's a Siamese cat so I made her a little thai girl :D i had a bit of trouble like, finding clothing or hairstyles that was like, from thai, was appropriate with what i wanted, and helped the cat silhouette because cat. but! i found a set of drawings by nalunalulove that was like, disney princesses in thai traditional clothing and that helped a ton :D

no backstory for her yet, again we literally only have a half episode of information on her lmao

also her colored sketch under the cut :D

[zethsdumpster]

New au based on an anime I liked quite a lot when I was a teen (Dog Days)

Anime's summary: protag-kun gets summoned to another world by a dog-eared princess to be her country's hero its a world where the countries and citizens have pastry-themed names, and each country has certain types of animal people, the countries also have protecting wards to keep monsters away hero-kun is summoned to fight in a war, but the wars are literally just an sports events with magic stuff so people can't die, dog princess chose him cuz she used an interdimensional thingy and watched him participate in an America ninja warrior-style thing and did awesomely (he did not win first place tho, he lost to -i think was either his cousin or childhood friend- and she's summoned by the cat kingdom to be their hero in the second season. in the third, the squirrel dukedom joins the wars and summon one of protag's friends tho she's no athlete, she gets to use magic-tech)

So

the ASL brothers are the heroes that get summoned by the different countries also, the citizens who "die" in the war become furballs and are taken to be treated/rest until they can join again if they want, except the important characters, those get their clothes torn

Germa is the kingdom of the cat people, ruled by Sora (Judge was exiled after trying to experiment on their kids) , they're neighbours with Alabasta (rodents) and Whitebeard (dogs) there are, ofc, other countries but these 3 are the ones that matter and the ones that participate the most in the war games the first to be summoned is Luffy by Alabasta's princess Vivi, they've been in a losing streak and are desperate, so hero time it is the Whitebeard gets Ace and, lastly, Sora gets Sabo Germa and Whitebeard had been absolutely dominating the war games

Until Alabasta brought Luffy Ichiji and Ace met at the war game, ofc, Ace had had the intention of going straight for Luffy but Ichiji got in the way and they were pretty evenly matched, tho Ace ultimately won having been the first to ever tear Ichiji's armour -and clothes- off, giving the Germa -and just all- citizens the fan service they've always wanted -and winning himself Niji's undying hatred-

The brothers get to learn that not all in that world is fun and games when it's time to free Dressrosa but after they do Dressrosa joins in the war game and ends up summoning their own hero, their sister, Uta Oh, yeah, and Dressrosa citizens are mostly sheep and the like

Sora is also a bit of a tech nerd-mad scientist, she's just not that into doing human experimentation or weapons of mass destruction she rather make tech-advanced raid suits and spyware a la Totally Spies the raid suits are supposed to be nearly indestructible so the whole "Ace accidentally burning off Ichiji's clothes on international tv" (because the war games are televised, I think I forgot to mention that lmao, there are commentators and all that jazz) incident was a bit of a shock and Niji will have Ace pay for it, preferably with his life lmao

Robin would be a delight as a commentator actually, she works as an archivist/historian (she does fieldwork as an archaeologist/anthropologist) at Alabasta's royal palace but always makes time to be a presenter at the war games and appreciates Franky's (and Galey-la's crew) effort on designing and making the game's fields}

Now, back to acechiji

Ace keeps accidentally burning off Ichiji's uniforms despite how many adjustments and upgrades Sora does to them and is growing convinced that it must be on purpose theif powers come from god-blessed treasures that respond to their wills and desires which is why Ace's fire keeps accidentally burning off Ichiji's raid suits he does want him nakey but it isn't his intention to leave him nakey on international tv lmao

Ichiji starts aiming to burn off Ace's clothes in revenge but Ace has no shame and has won more times than Ichiji has + Ichiji ends up getting embarrassed if he overdoes it and helps Ace over his privates

All the siblings (+ Ace) also start bringing an extra something for Ichiji to cover himself Ichiji just trying to take them both down but Ace has no problem letting it all hang out lmao Sabo daring him to see who gets censored more on live tv

The moment either of them start moving the show editors have their fingers on the audio censor (for Sabo’s swearing) or image blur (if Ace’s outfit dissolves again)

the worst part is that Ichiji is the only victim of Ace's burning-clothes technique germa citizens love and hate in equal measure this fact and Ace suffers cuz no-one believes that it really isn't his intention to do that (in public)

Sabo keeps scolding him and apologizing to the Vinsmokes on his behalf

Marco: don't you think it's enough? I'm starting to feel bad for the poor boy

Ace, crying on the floor: IT'S NOT ON PURPOSE

his own fire is getting in the way of wooing Ichiji (and then there's Niji) meanwhile Nika is probably laughing in the distance -he is the god who blessed these treasures- it'll take a while but Ace will succeed Ichiji easily fell for his charms but his bruised pride gets in the way

the animal peaple also have omegaverse tendencies, for example, they go into heats

picture -> Ichiji going into heat and getting all handsy with Ace and rubbing against him in public and Ace is flattered but also incredibly flustered and confused until Ichiji is dragged away by his brothers so he can have his heat in peace and someone explains the whole heats ordeal to Ace

[imthepunchlord]

Did you watch Season 5 of Miraculous? What did you think of it?

I stopped watching Miraculous at s3, I didn't watch s4 or s5, but I've heard a bit about it. Technically can't really give an opinion but I can share what I think based on what I heard.

I heard Adrienette dating was not too bad, but should've been much sooner. I agree. Could've saved us a bunch of trouble and salt. I also heard that they had the most powerful kiss that adults literally could not tear them apart XD that was funny to hear.

I got to learn that melting Miraculous down doesn't count as destroying them so, who's going to tell Frodo the one ring actually isn't destroyed as apparently melting doesn't count as destroying. Who knew?

And I got to learn that Gabriel was able to make the wish, getting what he ultimately wanted terrorizing all of Paris for 5 seasons, is remembered as a hero, and Adrien never learns about it which is all a really big wth. From what I've seen, no one was happy about that.

Uuuuh... I heard Lila got exposed, but it was meh. I heard she now goes by Cerise? Which ok, let's just make this confusing character even more confusing. Also, how much you want to bet that Cerise/Lila will join them in high school, and there's a repeat of Marinette knowing that's Lila who is lying to them but no one believes her and thinks Cerise is someone entirely new.

Ummmmmmm... oh, I heard Feligami is now a thing? Very rushed and kinda creepy/weird? But I guess they did a decent job as I do see the occasional fanart for them. Personally, I'll just stick to Kagami with girls. That moment in Riptose stuck with me waaaay to much to really get behind her being more interested in boys. I will say, Adrigami did have some nice moments, and there's concepts there where I think they can work nicely off each other (Adrien needs to learn to grow a backbone while Kagami wants to rebel and make friends, they can help each other with that), so Adrien could be the only guy I could roll with for her, but still prefer her paired with girls more.

Also I guess Felix is now a hero despite stealing the yo-yo from Ladybug and handing off... 14 Miraculous to Gabriel. And presumably making him more dangerous/difficult, though he is an idiot so I don't know how much more challenging he got. As far as I know, it was pretty much like another Tuesday.

Oh and apparently there will now be 18 heroes in Paris as I got to learn through asks. I wonder how that's going to work, if at all. Place your bets on how often we'll even see those full time heroes, as they can't really take much attention away from Marinette and Adrien, but who knows. S6 is in that weird placement now that Thomas is no longer apart of the development of ML, so it's hard to say how different it'll go.

Oh. I don't like Tikki and Plagg's true forms. Kinda Digimon over complicated design, and biblical in aesthetic which I found weird when they're supposed to be tied to Taoism. I have yet to find anything similar to biblical angels in Toaism, so I feel like this design choice works off a Christian view more (which isn't surprising as Plagg works off the unlucky black cat, which is exclusively from Christian Europe roughly 400 years ago).

Additionally, Gimmi felt like more of a Nooroo true form, than a fusion of Plagg and Tikki. I think they should've brought the concept of Null back. I think they were a better thought of a fusion of Creation and Destruction as these two concepts brought together would just nullify each other.

So over all, based on what I've heard, it's a pretty negative view of s5.

[chronussy-bc]

Annon-Guy: Slightly off topic, but how do you feel about slapstick scenes in manga and anime in general (same gender, male on female and female on male).

I ask this because Train and Svene get into a LOT of comedic beatdowns with each other and recover in the next scene compared to when they get hurt for REAL. Even when Eve clocks people in the head, with criminals they get knocked out, but with the doctor after she was injured by that gunslinger, he just gets a lump on his head. Even when Kyoko tries to kiss Train, he clocks her on the head for even attempting to do so. Granted, this is mostly in the manga, but still.

You see, people take it too seriously, calling it full on abuse and saying it normalizes it, regardless if the relationship is platonic or romantic.

This is especially prevalent with Harsh Tsundere characters, mostly female ones who attack the male love for perverted reasons or out of jealousy, whether intentional or not for comedy purposes. In that case, it's a Double Standard as they're called.

Ultimately, I know we're not supposed to take it seriously, but I wanted to know your thoughts regardless.

I think it based on the context and the frequency of the action. In case of Train and Sven, it’s part of how their dynamic, like how siblings often fight. In case of Eve, it’s because she was having a nightmare and suddenly saw a foreign face when she opened her eyes, so she reacted reflexively. There was even a scene where she apologized about it. In short, they have a rightful reason to do it, and readers know that it would be acceptable to a certain extent if applied to real life.

In the case of Tsundere, it often stems from jealousy or is purely an expression. It can be cute if used for a reasonable number of times, but it’s obviously the opposite. It’s eventually become a cliché that no longer has the desired effect, and people grow annoyed about it. While we all get that it’s for comedy, watching it is tiresome. It’s like you have to watch the same youtube ad for 10 minutes in order to finish an episode. And since people cannot relate to the main character putting up with it despite doing nothing wrong, they tend to be more critical about it.

Unfortunately, this type of behavior is usually meant for female characters. Therefore, you gonna see hate aimed at female character more than male ones. It’s not entirely double standard, but rather a consequence of a stereotype in writing. Adding to the flaws, these tsundere characters are not commonly very well written. They are mostly flat, overly dependent on the male characters or take him as the only purpose to do whatever. With prominent traits of a tsundere be considered annoying, if they lacked redeeming quality, it would make it easier for people to hate them.

A good example of Tsundere is Rin Tohsaka from Fate series. While she might have been physical/harsh at some point to Emiya, she has other things about her as a character that make people love to see her on screen. I usually avoid series with this type of characters, so I can't recall any bad examples, but I'm sure that there are plenty. I have seen much backlash in this topic. Sometimes they are justified, sometimes they are just another thing for haters to bash about the character in question. But as I have said, if the writing were good in general, people would not be so against it. Even when the series is just the type for recreational purposes, the one with barely any plot at all, there are still certain standards.

Good character writing is also a reason I really love Black Cat, despite its simple, typical shonen plot. Eve could have easily been written as those Tsundere commonly seen in anime or been used for fanservice, but the author chose not to and built her character neatly.

[itsclydebitches]

Saw your ask about Curious Cat and it made me think about how some of the new characters we get introduced (Leo, Cordovin, Ace Ops, Curious Cat) or the old characters coming back (Ironwood) are villains.

I know this isn't a huge number and we get introduced with allies as well, but outside of Maria in Vol 6, characters like Pietro, Terra, Saphron and Happy Huntresses (ouside of Robyn) don't that much screentime as the characters who get revealed as villains later on. (Ok, this one isn't a really strong point as characters screentime has to do with their relevence to the plot)

I didn't mind with Leo being a enemy for the main characaters, because it showcased Salem's influance and how through fear she can back you into a corner, until there's nothing left for to do, outside of doing what she wants or dying.

But unlike with Ace Ops, Ironwood & Curious Cat, I don't feel frustration about him being a villain, because by the time we get to Vol 7-9, the main villains are pretty much established and introduced. And with that, I end up wanting to see more of them and how they will impact the plot.

So, why are we shoving characters like Ironwood, Ace Ops & Curious Cat into the villains territory, taking up the screentime, when we already have villains who could use more screentime to get fleshed out or maybe fleshed out a villain who is planned to have a redemption and join the good guys side???

I already got tired from that fight Cordovin had with our main ones and the last thing I needed in the later volumes was yet another interesting, new character be against Team RWBYJNR + Oscar & Qrow.

With the themes of trust and working together and the whole task GoL & GoD left Ozma with, you would assume they would be making allies, while also being careful so that another Leo incident wouldn't happen. But, nope. Nothing like that at all.

And if you think about, Volumes 6-9 follow pretty much the same formula Volume 5 had with it's new characters - character gets introduced and at some point are against our main characters.

I'm not saying it's a bad if it happens in the story, but this trope not only takes away the attention & a chance to get fleshed out from the main villains, but it's been present in this story for so long that it becomes dull and predictable.

If we ever get Volume 10, I might as well assume there will be a new character, who will later on betray the main ones.

Also with Curious Cat, it's kind of weird how Curious Cat is the main villain in this volume, while Neo, a villain since the early days has less than 15 minutes of screentime in Vol 9 and gets lesser punishment than Curious Cat.

Obviously every Volume needs its own selection of antagonists/villains for the heroes to face as they make their way towards Salem. So you're right, the problem is absolutely that RWBY keeps introducing new ones instead of utilizing what they already have, not that we have a large cast of antagonists at all. I know it's been said a million times before, but having the group face off against the Ace Ops and Ironwood while Salem and her henchmen are right there, just waiting around off screen, is really the epitome of this problem.

A sub-issue specific to RWBY is how continually adding in opponents also messes with the supposed importance of the shows allusions. Lionheart is based off a character who realizes he had courage all along. Ironwood is based off a character who realizes he had a heart all along. Curious is based off a character who is often annoying, baffling, and slightly creepy, but ultimately a neutral/benevolent party. Some of the others are a bit more complicated—Robyn becomes an ally even if it was A Choice to start things off with the group against the Robin Hood figure and, frankly, she doesn't do anything for the poor; RWBY at least tried to impart a moral message about friendship with the Ace Ops, similar to an Aesops fable, even if it crashed and burned—but the only allusion I'd say truly works is Cordovin, an antagonist based on a character who, when faced with a difficult situation (how do you feed this many kids?) responds with cruelty and violence ("whip" them and send them to bed without bread).

A story is a series of choices and each choice should have a reason attached, even if—like the early days of RWBY—the reason is just, "It looks awesome." However, more often than not I ask myself, "Why?" of RWBY. Why introduce more villains when you already have a whole collection that needs development? Why take all these good or neutral inspirations and make them Evil™ when so much else rides on playing your allusions straight? Why when you have problems like, "Our main girls aren't getting enough focus" is the response "So we'll toss in Jaune, and Neo, but Neo won't be the biggest threat that's the Jabberwalker, no wait never mind they're already dead, Neo is the threat, except when the Volume's villain is actually the Cat and the group's focus is on the handful of one-episode side-characters instead"?

When talking about the cast bloat I've seen a couple of people say, particularly in regards to Volume 9, that RWBY had to populate this new world, but no. They actually didn't. Not to this extent, anyway. As I've mentioned before, I've been working my way through Demon Slayer, a series that actually knows how to manage its characters. The structure of Protagonist + Two Secondary BFFs + One Hashira is more than enough for each arc, especially when the focus needs to remain on Tanjiro. So the story introduces one or two new characters that serve very specific purposes—usually providing the heroes with information about the latest demon mystery—and they get an equally small number of details that add a spark of personality... but they're left as mostly flat, background characters; providing depth to the new location without detracting from the main cast. The bulk of our time goes towards a) introducing the arc's villain, b) developing the Hashira, and c) developing the trio + Nezuko. At 11-ish episodes (roughly Volume 9's runtime) that's more than enough to juggle. If RWBY were writing it though each arc would have a slew of new characters facing off against the heroes while the main antagonist just kinda hangs around off-screen and the fandom keeps asking, "What happened to those other twenty beloved characters that were just left behind and forgotten?"

I'm not saying anime as a whole doesn't have a problem with character bloat, but at least most of the overwhelmingly large casts I've encountered maintain that structure, deliberately, of moving swiftly through a new collection of characters to show off their unique powers and personalities. RWBY tries to integrate the newcomers too deeply into an already full story, these newcomers frequently fill roles that should be going to established characters, and frankly.... the newcomers aren't very interesting. When I meet New Character #89164 in most anime I can at least look forward to that over-the-top personality and crazy cool ability; their very existence is entertaining. RWBY is like, "Here's a useless talking mouse we're going to kill." :/

[vidumavi]

Who of the married into Gondorian nobility trinity worked the best? Seems like there could be multiple answers here.

I think it really depends on how you define “worked best”! The reason I lumped Mithrellas, Berúthiel and Vidumavi into one category in my head is that to me, their stories (or how I think about their stories because lbr, the canon information is sparse here) all involve a strong sense of alienation and othering from the culture they’ve married into.

Vidumavi was probably the happiest with her life- she married her husband out of love, there are no hints that she did not have a loving marriage and a good relationship with her son and she died before the civil war started and her grandson was murdered. Still, she left her home behind to become Queen of a country whose nobility- including her husband’s relatives- considered her racially inferior, and no matter how happy she was with her family, that grief and anger and worry for her children and grandchildren would have probably followed her her whole life. But she did ultimately have a choice in coming to Gondor, which doesn’t seem true for Berúthiel, whose marriage was likely political and who despised her husband (both Vidumavi and Berúthiel have to change their names to Sindarin, though, an interesting parallel of having to give up parts of their identity).

(Most mentions of Berúthiel that we get have a sense of historical mythmaking and dramatization about them and I tend to read them as a wild, one-dimensional exaggeration by people who did not understand her at all. She should get to do a little bit of dark magic and cat-communing, though. As a treat)

Berúthiel was probably ostracized and treated as cruelly as Vidumavi, it’s just not mentioned because her entire role is to be a semi-legendary villain (and to be a vehicle for Jirts weird hatred of cats. Booo.). Her stint as Queen of Gondor ends with her husband possibly attempting to murder (??) her and like 20 years (?) later Gondor conquers her home, so whatever diplomacy might have been attempted by her family in marrying her off to Tarannon was probably no success. She gets one good hit in, though, by refusing her husband heirs (possibly through cat magic, we don’t know. this is one of those “Jirt scrabbled it onto the back of a receipt and it’s illegible to human eyes” drafts). And I suppose if “traumatize the population of Gondor so much that they whisper her name thousands of years later” was something she would have considered a victory (based if true), she won that one too.

Mithrellas is the odd one out here, mostly because we know so little about her and because she didn’t really have an impact on geopolitics, but I’ve always found it hard to believe that her marriage to Imrazor was a happy one. People who vanish into the night alone immediately after giving birth never to be seen again are probably not in a very good situation, though I go back and forth on how consensual the marriage was in the first place. She was entirely alone, lost in a strange country and had just lost all her companions when he found her and I think it would have been very easy for him to take advantage of her in that situation, even if she agreed to marry him of her own free will (I’m having thoughts about her and Berúthiel both rejecting motherhood in some way, but god help me this post is already long enough).

I love rolling these three around in my head and looking at parallels and juxtapositions between them. All three of them are in fraught positions with limited power despite their status, considered Other, all three are, in a sense, alone. I think Vidumavi “works” best, because she actually has a family around that loves her- she's the only one, I think, who wouldn't change much about her life if she looked back at the end of it- but of course the society around her is so bigoted that what should have been simply a marriage makes someone start a civil war that permanently destabilizes the kingdom.

[redwolf17]

Obviously without saying who they are because it would be too spoilerly, do you have any characters that at one point you considered killing off (like how you killed off Davos) but ultimately changed your mind? Soz if this has been asked before!

Hi there anon! Yeah, several characters had their arcs change from initial plan to final draft, and oops I wrote a lot about it xD

The specifics of the upcoming culmination of Jaime and Cersei's arcs have shifted a little over time, though remaining mostly the same in essentials. Buttons and Ser Pounce have always been safe, because they're based on my and my bf's cats.

At one point I considered an epilogue or prologue POV of a little bird killing Varys, which goes with one the TWQ themes being the importance of overlooked people, especially smallfolk, but I just couldn't make it work. When I discarded the idea, I straight up didn't have a plan for what to do with Varys, until I landed on the short and sweet concept of Cersei finally catching onto him and offing him.

I also changed my plans for Sandor Clegane. Early on, I toyed with the idea of him remaining with Cersei throughout Part IV, then being sent to kill Sansa with Ser Lyn Corbray early in Part V. Sandor would have turned on Ser Lyn, with both of them dying near to Sansa's camp before being found. The general concept was of a bad person/collaborator being able to make a good choice, in the end, even if he didn't get rewarded for it. Dying in a noble way would not redeem him, because one act cannot wipe out thousands of bad ones, but at the same time, it still matters. Much as I liked the idea, TWQ is already so crowded, and once I sent Sandor off to the Westerlands in Part III, I just didn't bother to bring him back. The choices we make and the importance of having the freedom to make them is still a huge theme in TWQ, as is exploring what redemption means, but I ended up exploring those concepts in other ways.

Shireen is incredibly sad and doomed in canon, and she was also going to die here. I ended up changing my mind, because 1) she almost ALWAYS dies in fics unless they're fluffy, and the poor girl deserves a life for once, and 2) my version of Stannis ended up being tragic and misguided, but not horrible enough to actually go through with burning Shireen. He flinched at the last second, and died in her place.

Myrcella and Tommen were originally supposed to live. At one point I considered Myrcella running away with Trystane, with her golden shroud being a wedding veil, and Myrcella being only metaphorically "dead" to the enraged Cersei, who disowned her. Ditto Tommen, who would have given up his crown in defiance of Cersei and then become a holy brother. I like the kids! I wanted them to survive, to defy the valonqar prophecy.

But. As the story went on, I reconsidered. The valonqar prophecy is central to Cersei, whose obsession with power prevents her from seeing that the way to avoid the prophecy could have been by giving up power. If her children didn't have golden crowns, perhaps they would not have golden shrouds, etc. Cersei's incestuous affair with Jaime was always going to doom herself and her children; they were born on a fraying tightrope, and their fall was inevitable. Their fate had to lie in Cersei's hands, because she sees her children as extensions of herself.

Letting Myrcella escape just because she's innocent and I wanted to spare her felt like a cop out. Further, given her and Trystane's youth and inexperience, a successful escape felt very implausible, and with feudal politics, there was no way in HELL that Team Aegon would let them marry. In ACOK, Cersei was willing to kill herself (and Tommen, in the show) rather than be taken captive and executed by Stannis. The more I thought about it, the more it felt right that Cersei might try to "spare" Myrcella similarly (while also trying to take out Aegon in the process). As for Tommen... well. Cersei's desire for power is so destructive that she (accidentally) destroys her last child, whom she loves, rather than allow him to surrender power and live in obscurity.

Lastly, the deaths of Myrcella and Tommen were necessary not just for Cersei's arc, but for Olyvar and Sansa's. There is no "nice" regime change, no bloodless invasion where the prior royal family gets to retire to a nice quiet little life because the new rulers are soooo good and pure and merciful. No, Olyvar and Sansa didn't personally kill either child, but their actions still led directly to their deaths, a mirror to the canon deaths of Rhaenys and Aegon and a parallel to the TWQ sacrifice of the decoys Jonquil and Gawaen.

There is always a cost, a price paid in innocent blood. Sansa saved Elia, and Elia saved her kids, but the decoys still died. Elia didn't intend for them to die, of course, but their deaths were a result of Elia's decisions, regardless of her good intentions. Good people can be selfish, good people can make mistakes. The "less important" kids died so that Rhaenys and Aegon could live, and Elia bears the blame and guilt for that, and for the subsequent death of Ashara Dayne. But awful as it is, Elia would still make that choice again, because the lives of HER kids matter to her more than the lives of Jonquil, Gawaen, or Ashara.

[arekayic]

thinking about a spider-man adventure time au…. like there isn’t a specific spider-man universe i’m using (it’s more of an amalgamation of TASM and mostly USM bc they’re my faves) but oh my god i’m going crazy….. details after cut. i do want to clarify that this is NOT a character analysis because im horrible at that, i CANNOT "read between the lines".

like like peter as finn obviously because of him being the mc,, i’m thinking deadpool being jake because (ignoring spideypool cause i don’t really care for it anymore AND dp’s flirting because finn and jake are BROTHERS.) spidey and dp have a similar dynamic as finn and jake also deadpool’s personality really fits jake as a whole. and copycat is lady rainicorn because dp deserves happiness hehe

gwen is totally princess bubblegum,, science girl,,, peter in this totally has a crush on her and everything happens the same as in canon. i'm also thinking felicia as marceline.. black cat the halloween queen hehe :3 she'll still be a vampire though but she's LITERALLY called black cat she's GOTTA be halloween themed.

next up is ice king i guess. i want him to be usm doc ock bc tom kenny lol, but the personality doesn't fit much.. but it'll be hilarious so i'm keeping it.. and since it's usm doc ock i want the gunthers or gunters or whatever to be the spider slayers lmaooo. kaine would the main gunter i suppose.

i kinda want USM miles to be BMO because i love both of them,, and usm miles feels (to me) kinda like a brother to peter and BMO is pretty much considered a brother to finn and jake (i think). NEPTR is random as hell but i kinda want amadeus cho (USM) to be him, probably only as iron spider though.

ok ok now my favorite casting,, HARRY AS FLAME PRINCESS... i'm a parksborn junkie and wow their personalities and relationship match up SO well with finn and flame princess it hurts.. and yeah i know that finn and flame princess break up but UGH they fit so well, so i must deal with it. i just finished watching s4 e1 so i'm FUELED on this right now RAAAAHHHH. i did draw something and i'll post it tomorrow if i remember teehee. this harry is totally based off tasm because i LOVE his design and character and they fit flame princess more than usm harry does. also flame king is norman because that fits GREAT.

i'm also thinking, on the subject of love intrests, mary jane as huntress wizard. now this mj i haven't based off of usm (and tasm doesn't have her) so i don't really have a basis for her. BUT. her and peter are always fated to be together so she of course would be what is finn's final love interest in normal adventure time ( :,) /pos) and i also feel mj's usual design would mix well with huntress wizard's. now i want to clarify i do not remember anything because i haven't watched adventure time in YEARS and my current rewatch is only in season 4.

USM ben reilly would be fern. i don't really need to explain why. *cough* 'clone' of mc *cough*

carnage is lemongrab because of that abhorrent screeching (that phrasing could apply to either of them lol). venom might be his brother but i can't remember him at all lmao so that might change

now now now i think that eddie brock would be peppermint butler (but make peppermint butler smile less) because of his general vibe and story. but i must say, i'm talking about eddie with NO venom. i think as a candy person he would be black licorice so his design could reference venom with his colors.

fast round now, flash should be lsp, prismo could maybe be played by doctor strange (USM!!!), mysterio could be magic man because LOOLLL, martin could be peter's dad in TASM?, billy should be iron man, cinnamon bun COULD be liz allen (cause of harry) but i feel bad doing that to her, abracadaniel could be USM moon knight just for the laughs. i have NO clue who the lich should be,,due to usm lore i want goblin but norman is already flame king soooo... ultimate goblin maybe?

and that is IT for nowww. i will keep posting more about this au under #rk's spider time au, and i will be reblogging this post if i have more info teehee anyways i am insane.. ALSO also most (not all) character relationships are ignored when i pick the roles because that fucks up some stuff (like marcy and simon being close even though felicia and doc ock barely have anything to do with eachother)

[bookofmirth]

Was sjm planning on making Mor and Azriel endgame or did she just want it to be Azriel has feelings for Mor and it’s one sided? Do you think I’m ACOMAF Mor had romantic feelings for Az, but it was complex/complicated? I’ve seen people say they were supposed to be mates/endgame, but I feel like maybe they weren’t going to get together and it was going to be revealed why, but I think sjm decided to do that by making Mor queer which isn’t okay. I think if she didn’t want to make Mor + Az endgame, then she could’ve either dropped hints in ACOMAF that she was queer or it could’ve been that she didn’t see him in that way. I’m sorry if this doesn’t make sense!

We don't know for sure, without a doubt what sjm planned for Az and Mor. She's never talked about it at an event that I know of. She's hardly talked about Mor, for that matter, other than saying she's excited to write her story. The best that we can do is theorize and guess what sjm's intentions were until she actually comes out and says what her thought process was.

I was talking with the groupchat about this a LOT today, and IMO sjm was flirting with the idea of them, decided against it, but then didn't decide until acowar why it wasn't going to work out. Perhaps they would have been like chaolaena, or feylin. There was something there, but not in the endgame way and perhaps she didn't come to that conclusion until later on, when she was drafting acowar? Maybe.

I agree with you completely that it's not really okay for her to have made Mor queer as a way to explain why they hadn't been together/wouldn't be together. Queerness isn't a plot device in the way that it seems she has been writing it. Case in point - Mor continues to only matter when she's causing other people romantic strife, which is fucking ridiculous. I judge sjm hard for this. Mor didn't need to come out in acomaf for it to be clear where sjm was heading with the two of them. It's a pattern with her writing, though - Oh look, Mor is queer! Oh look, Helion is Lucien's father and everyone is supposedly too dumb to have noticed! Oh hey, Amren remembered this random thing called the Dread Trove!

I do lean towards them being the original plan because 1) moriel had better, more iconic quotes in acomaf than other ships we are currently debating, 2) like you said, if Mor was always supposed to be queer, then it shouldn't have felt like it came out of nowhere in acowar, 3) it shouldn't require character assassination to show why two characters won't be together, and 4) she had super romantic images on her pinterest that she titled "Mor and Azriel".

SJM is a pantser, and I think this is a glaring example. Her intentions are suspect at best because her intentions do, can, and will change. Trying to understand her intentions as a writer can honestly feel like trying to herd cats. I also think that she starts things off based on aesthetic choices (e.g. Az pining over a woman for 500 years can seem really romantic), and then when she realizes she has to make it work in practice, she fudges things to get the characters where she wants them to go (e.g. wait, now let's make her a queer woman, ummmm but what do we do with the mess we've made of Az's character? Let's make him lean into it with Elain!)

I seriously, seriously doubt that sjm put the thought into making Mor homoromantic/bisexual as an organic, natural choice. I think that instead, she was just trying to cover her basis and explain Mor's actions (IE sleeping with men) and OF COURSE the only reason someone wouldn't want to be with Az is if they are GAY!!!!!

I have a lot of thoughts on this subject but ultimately, it's in my top three wishlist of the series: to know wtf she was thinking with these two characters.

[bisluthq]

https://www.tumblr.com/bisluthq/757818239425396736/i-think-the-newold-lyrics-from-my-boy-makes-it?source=share

That's actually an interesting perspective I hadn't thought off Nat. I'm just not sure it fits in this case, because if she were to play pretend and be unhappy about it like you said, it wouldn't make much sense to say that she felt more in those moments. Also in the og lyrics, she says "in those brief moments".

Tbh I don't really know what exactly she means about playing pretend with Matty. Like pretend they were married or about to marry? They only even lived kind off together for less than a month. But since he was following her around, it was also more convenient.

I guess the “brief” part makes it sound more like Matty but my whole point is one wants to play again from before you realized you’re playing. When I *know* I’m playing pretend then it’s not that fun anymore and I know I’m unhappy and something is about to change/is changing but there’s a period of time before I realize that. In that moment in his kitchen, where I realized the whole evening was something of a pantomime, I’d have loved to go back to an hour before that where I hadn’t known that. Because if I’d known I’m unhappy, if I’d known I didn’t want to be there, I wouldn’t have gone. I’d have made up an excuse or I’d have made plans with someone else and pretended those predated these ones or I’d have attended as a guest and not run around up and down all night or stayed up washing the dishes. I’d have plopped down and drunk wine and maybe, if I was being generous and kind, offered to take a run down to the shop when the booze ran out/was running low or maybe I’d have suggested going out out at that point or whatever. But I didn’t because, up until it all felt unreal and a touch silly, I was doing what I thought I was supposed to be doing and being a great girlfriend and shit. Up until the ball finally dropped, I had wanted to be there. I had wanted to make sure everyone had a nice time. I had wanted to make sure everything was tidy and neat. And I did feel a lot in those moments - again, there were a lot of firsts he and I had and I think that specific night was the first time I’d ever gotten to be the girlfriend™️ co-host. Because up until then, shit either happened at my place and frankly I was and remain more nihilistic on completely my own turf like here’s some alcohol and here’s an ashtray and I’m very possibly gonna fuck off and play on my phone at some stage idk how this is gonna go OR it was at his mum’s and that was like me “helping” not really having responsibilities idk because it was HER HOUSE right so idk the height of my responsibility there was not leaving a mess after myself and his friends coming over there were her guests fundamentally and not mine) and unreal as it ultimately felt, I suppose I did enjoy it? If I hadn’t at all, I’d have left? I wasn’t married to the guy, I didn’t live there, my own place was within reach like it obviously wouldn’t have been a good idea to drive home because I wasn’t wasted but I also had been drinking but I could’ve done a myriad things had I known I was miserable. I didn’t really know that though like until it came to washing up. So I guess I had, at that point, felt more when I played pretend?

I’ll give another relationship example of this same feeling. In early 2020, pre COVID, my ex and I went to her family party. Can’t remember what the occasion was - someone’s birthday I suppose, or maybe like a UK based relative was visiting idk that isn’t important to the story time we’re doing now. Her and I had broken up end 2019 but then like decided to “work on it” and I dated that other girl but like we had a co-signed lease and we had the cats and we’d been together a long time and shit like I figured maybe we could figure it out because we’d been together a really long time and when I was seeing that other girl one of the things that struck me was she was very sensible and practical and very sweet and very functional but I couldn’t really see us being best friends whereas my ex and I 100% were and as I’ve said have remained on good terms. Anyway, here we were at this family party and all around me were these people I’d known for years by this stage and who were pretty much my family too. We had an extended family group chat even that I was on (and the guy who managed the GC didn’t add people to it easily like you had to really be around for a long while before you got added to it) and we were talking about things that had happened (we didn’t tell people about the problems we were having) and everyone was making plans for the year ahead (lol @ those not because of our problems but because of how 2020 went down ultimately) and it also hit me there like idk I’m playing pretend. I like these people, I know these people very well, they’re all very nice humans, but I probably shouldn’t be here. This isn’t where I necessarily belong in this moment or in my life in general. No offense to these people but like I’m maybe not meant to be here. I do think I felt a LOT though and I did love her and I care about all those people so I guess I felt a lot when I played pretend there too?

maybe this is a weird me thing that other people don’t feel or don’t experience but idk man it’s such a specific and recurrent feeling for me that I don’t know what it means for Taylor but it is probably always gonna mean this for me.

I also, at the risk of sounding lovey dovey, kinda expected to feel this way with my bf’s latest surgery because this month has been such fucking hell for the both of us and I kept expecting to have that moment of “I really don’t know if I want to be here or I’m here out of a sense of moral duty/obligation/responsibility because I’m obviously not gonna ditch the dude who was calling an ambulance for me two weeks ago” but I never felt that - I did actually want to be there and I did actually want him to come home and I wanted to go home with him so I guess for now I’m not playing pretend in this scenario but I’m also not sure I feel MORE or if I just feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be currently and don’t want to change all that much about my life (except the whole job sitch like obviously I can’t just work 3 hours a day that’s just not financially feasible but other than that it’s all good).

[wcrpconfessionbooth]

yeah timberclanner in fe here from what ive seen in threads only five people are active at all from the colony that aren't already members of timber

i think the mods need to actually like ask them about the way the plot is going because even for me to be honest its a bit of a slog playing as the place keeping a bunch of cats prisoner knowing they are innocent ooc and having no set time when this small group is gonna stop being treated poorly

the discussion of food was a bit of a one off and not really about denying them food but almost worse as its more of a "youre fed and housed what are you complaining about it could be worse" and considering how picky rps are with tagging youd think theyd want to tag a mindset plenty of people have experienced from their own parents

Hey anon,

Thank you for reaching out in such a pleasant manner, my friend! I definitely agree that mods should communicate with those directly affected! I know a lot of staff teams can get defensive over secrets and plots that they have going on.

But the thing is, that ultimately secrets are only part of the reason why people will stay in a roleplay group like this! If you know that in _ weeks this plot will wrap up, that is not an inherently bad thing to know since right now everything is all up in the air. That can be stressful and rp is, most importantly, supposed to be fun!

Thank you for the clarification for the food part, too! And, yeah, I do agree that with how usually I see trigger warnings for 18+ groups, I don't think it's unreasonable to let people know things like emotional physical and mental abuse will be heavily involved. Usually you can like, opt into that. But it seems that the colony kind of got shoved into a box (based on the xenophobia claims).

As clarification here, for people not in Forgotten Elegy, please read through and acknowledge that neither side has actually given me like concrete anything. It's kind of just he said, she said. Not that I don't believe these anons, but it is important to note!

Mod Water

[the-cat-chat]

May 20, 2023

We Have a Ghost (2023)

The discovery that their house is haunted by a ghost named Ernest makes Kevin's family a social media sensation. But when Kevin and Ernest get to the bottom of the mystery of Ernest's past, they become targets of the CIA.

JayBell: Based on the reviews, I was expecting something lightly entertaining and a few good laughs. Also, I admit that I enjoy David Harbour in the things I’ve seen him in, and I like Anthony Mackie. So what went wrong?

Well first off, David Harbour doesn’t talk in the movie. And I think the movie really needed it. Sure, he can act physically with expressions and movements, but it wasn’t enough for me. Honestly, I’m not sure why they couldn’t have the ghost talk. Just keep the amnesia so he can’t share important plot information early.

As for Anthony Mackie’s character, I think they made him too much of an asshole throughout the beginning of the movie. I know the message was supposed to be “parents are human too, they make mistakes, blah blah,” but I just didn’t like him. So while he has a change of character in the last bit of the movie, as a viewer, I still haven’t forgiven him.

One of the biggest problems of this movie is that they tried to focus on too many things. For example, the CIA bit isn’t needed at all. Besides jolting ghost-David Harbour into recovering some memories (which could be done in a different way), you could remove that entire plot line and be the better for it. The kid (Kevin) could still even go on a little road trip with ghost-David in an attempt to find the truth, just without the CIA as a conflict.

Plus, I’d remove the entire relationship with the neighbor girl. She was a fun character, but ultimately spread the plot too wide. It also felt forced between the two young actors. Instead, I would focus specifically on the relationships between father/son and ghost-David Harbour and Kevin. The movie needs to remove everything unnecessary in order to get to the heart of a more focused plot.

Now for the random issues. What was with Kevin’s random singing? For some reason, Kevin has this thought that his singing plus guitar playing will “summon” ghost-David. I found those out-of-the-blue singing moments so incredibly awkward to watch.

I haven’t read the short story this was based on, but perhaps the writers felt too beholden to the original short story. Which I get. But some essential changes needed to be made to make this a good movie. However, I am giving the movie some props for the twist (which I liked).

Rating: 3/10 cats 🐈

Anzie: Upon watching this movie, all I could think other than OMIGAWD, was NO, and is this a JOKE, and AM I BEING PUNISHED??? So needless to say DON’T DO IT. And DON’T let the promise of David Harbour trick you. Bc he’s just as guilty as whoever allowed this movie to exist.

This was suppoppose to be comedic relief for us. But all I feel like is that I need my head examined. The story is insane- you know why??? There’s like a bazillion different plot points that they spend like six minutes on them jump to the next and mayyybe revisit 45 minutes later for like 2 more minutes. It feels like total whiplash but bc it so dumb it’s not even like it causes injury to the overall movie. (I will grant exception to the plot twist at the end bc that was the only intriguing plot element and I guarantee you that it was probably from the original short story not the movie people). Alsoooooo why’s there got to be a mini awkward romance between the kids- I don’t remember their names - forgive me- and it made even weird by an NON TALKING FIFTY SOMETHING GHOST WITH A COMBOVER. I didn’t need that cringe in my life. I have my own awkward experiences, thank you very much.

My next digression is how did any of the actors agree to be in this? Were they blackmailed? Bc that’s the only thing that makes sense. Do I need to discuss David Harbour anymore?Bc they did him dirty. And they did us dirty. Nuff said. But honestly that combover? And the not talking? What were they thinking??? And I will never bc able to look at Anthony Mackie again without associating him with this evil, annoying, scammy, wormy dad character. Yeah I said it wormy. Even though his character redeemed himself? I’m not even talking about Jennifer Coolidge’s appearance.

Alssooooo the CIA??? That was all a bit dumb and stupid. Right?? Should I say more? I really don’t feel like it, I almost can’t wrap my head around it. It was just an unbelievable, unnecessary plot tangent. Like they don’t care - now they care to the extreme. Ugh.

Ohhhh and why’s there random singing and guitar playing??? Just out of the blue. Twice. And never again. For like 30 seconds. Weird.

The biggest sin. It’s 2 hours long. The next biggest sin. We watched it. My biggest sin. I gave The Lobster 0/10 Lobsters and I feel like I might have been harsh?? Not really but ummm at least you get Colin Farrell with mustache and not David Harbour’s combover. And that is at least something.

Rating: -5/10 Ghosts 👻 (I’m not apologizing)

[womenusingwords]

A Book Review: Someone Just Like You by Meredith Schorr

The details…

Title: Someone Just Like You

Author: Meredith Schorr

Published by: Forever

Release Date: July 25, 2023

Pages: 352

ISBN13: 978–1538754801

Genre: romantic comedy

Themes: finding love, family, community, friendship, healing old animosities

Tropes: growing up next door, enemies to lovers

The blurb from the publisher…

New Yorker Molly Blum knows everything about her lifelong nemesis, Jude Stark. With their families so close, they should have been best friends. Instead, she thinks he’s a too-charming slacker, and he thinks she’s allergic to fun. After years of one-upping each other’s pranks (chocolate-dipped cat treats are not as delicious as they appear), one high school joke went too far, and they stopped speaking completely. But now that they’re supposed to help plan a massive party for their parents-together-there’s no better time to resume their war.

And it is on. Only somewhere between all the sniping and harmless hijinks, a reluctant friendship develops, along with an unexpected spark of sexual tension. It might have to do with the fact that she’s been dating Jude-lookalikes and he’s been dating Molly doppelgangers. Or the fact that neither of them is nearly as horrible as they thought. All Molly and Jude know is that they’ve mastered the art of hating each other. Falling in love, on the other hand, is a whole new battlefield.

My thoughts…

An enemies-to-lovers rom-com is always entertaining to read because the storytelling is driven by transformation, growth, and unexpected love. When two people who have grown up next door to each other become enemies, there is a history that adds depth to their relationship. The familiarity and closeness that come with growing up in the same neighborhood makes the stakes higher and the tension palpable. It all works to create a solid base for an engaging romance, something that readers find in spades in Meredith Schorr’s latest novel Someone Just Like You.

In this storyline, protagonists Molly Blum and Jude Stark grew up next door to each other and participated in a lot of adolescent high jinx during their formative years. Unfortunately, one high school prank went a bit too far and created a long-standing animosity between them. As adults, they hold on to these childhood grudges and are unable to see each other in a different light. This normally wouldn’t be a problem, as their daily lives don’t intersect anymore, but that all changes when they are expected to plan a joint anniversary party for their parents. As they begin to spend more time together, they start to see each other’s vulnerabilities and flaws, and their hate slowly transforms into love. Seeing these characters come together as adults is uplighting. As the characters put their antipathy aside and find common ground, they open themselves up to the possibility of redemption and second chances. It allows readers to imagine what it would be like to have a do-over with someone from their past, making for some fun romantic escapism.

This story is cute as heck and has all the features of a classic Hallmark rom-com movie. The “growing up next door to each other” trope adds a layer of nostalgia and familiarity that readers can appreciate. It gives off a sense of comfort and security, as the lead characters have known each other for a long time. There’s a push-pull dynamic between Molly and Jude that’s entertaining to watch too. It works to foster a satisfying resolution for them, which is really a new beginning. It ultimately works to draw readers into the storytelling, providing them with the thrill of an adorable romance they can easily buy into.

Final remarks…

Overall, this enemies-to-lovers rom-com is an entertaining read. Molly and Jude’s romance combines the elements of familiarity, rivalry, and unexpected love. It is a love story of transformation and growth, and it keeps readers invested until the very end.

Strengths…

Cute and adorable

Nicely written

Funny dialogue

Likable characters

This book is available from…

Amazon

Apple Books

Barnes & Noble

Google Play

Kobo Books

BookShop

Indigo

Thrift Books

Books-A-Million

A bit about the author…

A born and bred New Yorker and lifelong daydreamer, Meredith Schorr fueled her passion for writing everything from restaurant reviews, original birthday cards, and even work-related emails into a career penning romantic comedies. When she’s not writing books filled with grand gestures and hard-earned happily-ever-afters or working as a trademark paralegal, she’s most often reading, running, or watching TV…for research, of course. She is represented by Melissa Edwards at Stonesong. Meredith’s trade paperback debut with Grand Central Publishing/Forever, AS SEEN ON TV, was published on June 7, 2022. For more information, check out her social media.

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[imthepunchlord]

I hope it’s okay for me to send this, but going off of what you’ve researched and how you’ve set everything up so far, I do believe that the only change you need to make is switching Bee and Fox between Bagua and Wu Xing.

Like you said, power-wise both the Fox and the Bee have about an even number of pros and cons for going into either, so it really does boil down to Trixx just feeling more important than Pollen at this point in terms of their personalities themselves and how much attention those personalities are given in-show. Along with the pros you’ve given for having the Fox be the Earth Wu Xing, the Bee going into Bagua is good because it still fits for the Earth slot there that’s not too weak or too strong of a placement with both the powers and the kwami tied to them in consideration. Bonus, it evens out the number of bugs to mammals in the Wu Xing (Peacock was gonna be the odd one out anyway since there’s five slots) and adds another to Bagua so Mantis isn’t left hanging.

Concerning Turtle and Butterfly switching place too, I don’t think that’s necessary for many of the reasons why a Bee-Fox swap is. With Wayzz and the Turtle in general, they just don’t FEEL nearly as important as the Butterfly and Nooroo due to how they were handled in-show, especially with the main villain holding one and the background mentor holding another. Plus, the switch would throw off not only the Butterfly being powerful enough where both Ladybug and Cat are needed, but why Gabriel would even bother with it over Peacock regardless of possible sickness seeing as it’s not one of the ones he needs to make a Wish or even in the top tier of power.

I also don’t think you need to mess with the number or meaning of the Wu Xing, Bagua, or Zodiac slots. Not only does that make life more complicated for you, but switching that sorta stuff up for these real-life ancient systems for what are supposed to be in-universe even more ancient godly beings feels kinda… wrong?? Like, it’s why the canon handling of the zodiac, Wu Xing, and yin yang and how they relate to each Miraculous bothers me so much; it just feels like NOT the thing anymore y’know?

In any case, I hope my ramblings are of any use to you, and please feel free to reply with your honest thoughts either way.

(P.S. If it helps concerning Duusu, after her Miraculous is fixed, it's revealed that her erratic behavior really was partly a result of the damage to the Peacock Miraculous, which she comments as being like there was "chaos in [her] head" and she was in a nightmare. Now that her mind is completely cleared, she can still be quite emotional and a bit scatterbrained, but to a lesser extent than when her Miraculous was broken.)

Yeah it's ok, I don't mind feedback and having thoughts shared with this, cause it will be something I'll be going back and forth on. So having outside feedback helps.

And you do bring up good points. This is to work off what's seen in the show while also making changes to secure it works out better (like Butterfly, Ladybug, and Cat adjusted to be on that same level of power, cause based on what Butterfly can do, Peafowl too, it's hard to believe LB and Cat are the "two most powerful"). And between the two, Fox does have more significance. Between Trixx having a defined personality and to Fox actually tied to more plot relevant characters. Bee's importance really comes down to who has Bee, which ultimately in the grand scheme of things, Chloe and Zoe aren't so important. The former definitely got far more attention than she really needed given she wasn't going to be redeemed or be a big bad.

The nice thing too about having Bee with Bagua does allow flexibility in where Bee can go, so if I feel I need to move some around placement wise, I will have that option.

Like Bee can match with any of these. Fox though is more limited in placements.

And good point with the debate for Turtle and Butterfly; by my research, Turtle should be a very significant Miraculous, it's a sacred animal in China, one of the few equals to the Dragon. But show wise it is more of an after thought. So Bagua is a good middle of the road for it.

And yeah, messing with official numbers would be best to avoid. The only one I think could be done in adjusting the numbers is the Bagua set, while it is officially Eight Areas, there is the unofficial 9th area, the yellow center representing balance and vitality, yin-yang. Earlier ideas actually had Dragon be the unofficial 9th member of Bagua, which works really well as dragons are tied to the number 9, and the initial idea was that Dragon was the most powerful, the one that represents yin-yang as a unit, and is the one all 3 tiers circled around. And the trade off to being the most powerful was that this was the only Miraculous you can't make a Wish with. And while Dragon was the unofficial 9th member, hidden under the yin-yang symbol in the Miracle Box, Turtle would've taken Dragon's slot in the Zodiac, allowing a loose reference to the Four Symbols within the Zodiac, and work off Turtle and Rabbit being an immediate pair. Or, allowed there to be 2 serpent based Miraculous: Cobra and Snake.

Ultimately decided to not change up the Zodiac and let it be, and just stick to there being 25 Miraculous instead of 26. It would've been a number difference but it also is still a good size number of Miraculous to exist and work with.

Anyway! Thank you for sharing your thoughts, it was helpful and brought up some good points I didn't think about. And thanks for letting me know about Duusu post her Miraculous fixed. That's good to know.

[maeve-writes]

Heroes

Pairing: Stripper!Bucky Barnes x Reader x Stripper!Steve Rogers

Rating: 18+, Minors DNI 

Warnings: Adult situations, alcohol consumption, allusion to mild cheating(??). More to be added later.

Summary: It’s your friend’s birthday and you’re dragged to the Heroes club. You’re not one for that kind of place, but you quickly change your mind after you get to play the damsel in distress for a pair of Brooklyn babes. 

a/n: Unbeta’d, any mistakes are my own and please forgive me. This is the second story I’ve written in a while. Forgive me?

You normally don’t go to these sorts of places but it was your friend’s 30th birthday and it was on her bucket list. Luckily, you weren’t talked into planning any of it, just had to toss in some cash for the fee to get in and the never ending flow of drinks, plus the very special Birthday Girl Dance package.

It took you three years after the second Magic Mike movie came out to watch the first one. The idea of male strippers seemed odd. But, when you really thought about it, so did female strippers. 

Nevertheless, the night ultimately wasn’t about you, it was about your friend and her birthday. You were happy to be there with your friends, enjoying the celebration and drinks, seeing hot guys take off their clothes was a weird added bonus.

Heroes was the club to go if you wanted to see buff dudes bare it all. Tara, the birthday girl, had been raving about it for months. She found videos of it online and shared them in your group chat. That, of course, had your other friends looking for more videos and all of them started to have their favorites.

“Girl, some of them even give private shows,” Sonya, the oldest and who was supposed to be the responsible one of your group, mock-whispered excitedly.

You tried not to roll your eyes as your gang was escorted to the front table near the stage. It was a semicircular booth where small round tables came up from the floor, big enough for drinks, but small and spaced out enough to allow for bodies to move around and in between.

Your host was a slender built guy on the younger side, barely old enough to be allowed in. He had a baby face and a boyish smile, but his muscles were well defined as the club forced him to be shirtless save for the small bow tie around his neck with a spider in the middle, and the tiny pair of shorts that cupped his rear which stayed there by what you guessed was his will or magic. Maybe both.

“Here you are, ladies,” he guided, instructing Tara to take her seat near the middle. “The name’s Peter- uh Spider-Man. I’ll be taking care of you tonight.”

That set off a fit of giggles from your friends which caused a full body flush from your waiter. His embarrassment tugged at your heartstrings. “New at this, Mr. Spider,” you asked.

His flush darkened and he rubbed absently at the back at his neck after he passed out the menus. “It’s Spider-Man,” he corrected you, “but is it that obvious?” You tilted your head and scrunched up your nose, parting your pointer and thumb a small ways apart. He laughed in return, his shoulders relaxing a little. You gave him a wink and a smile before the rest of your friends attacked the poor kid with their drink and food orders.

You felt sorry for the guy, but he seemed to have loosened up a bit since your small, playful banter and your friends ate up his boyish charm. 

While you waited for your turn to order, you looked around the club to find its sleek design, not something you thought a strip club would offer. The walls were painted black, accented by silver framed posters of the dancers. Above each were white neon lights that spelt out their Hero name.

The rest of the booths were like your own, made of soft black cushions, black metal bases which were illuminated underneath by white light. The tables that sprang from the ground were polished silver necks with textured tempered glass tops to keep drink slipping and spilling to a minimum.

Of course, all of the booths surrounded the stage, which was mostly closed off by a thick black curtain, save for the large catwalk that split half of the sitting area in two. It was wide enough to fit three large men comfortably across it, shoulder to shoulder, and from some of the videos your group shared, they had done so before.

When Peter- there was no way you were going to refer to him by his Hero name- got to your order last, you could hear other rowdy groups start to file in. A couple of bachelorette parties, a girl’s 21st birthday, and a Happy Divorce Finalization Day were all joining you. Your friends quickly became friends with everyone in the room, so even if the show sucked, at least all of you could get drunk and have fun.

“Excuse me, ladies,” a voice rang out above you. Cheers burst from the crowd and every light in the room popped out and stayed out until the room fell silent. “Now that I have your attention…” A tall, dark man walked out from the split of the curtains. He wore a wireless microphone over his ear, an eyepatch over his eye which rested just above a self assured smile. Dressed in a fitted pair of leather pants and combat boots, he strode to the center crossroads of the stage and catwalk, “My name is Director Fury. I will be introducing you to your Heroes tonight.” He paused for another round of catcalls. “And hopefully we can save you from the Villains, too.” That drew out louder screams from the crowd.

“Now, what do we do to the bad girls like you,” he paused, looking pointedly to the crowd, “we contain,” he pulled a piece of rope from the back of his pants and tossed it into a group nearby, “detain,” he pulled out cuffs and twirled them around a finger before he threw those out as well, “and entertain.” With that, the bass dropped and the curtain flew open, behind Director Fury were the Heroes (and Villains) in all of their sweat slicked glory. 

Once the Director stepped aside, the seven dancers on stage began their opening routine. Dressed in black vests and tear-away leather pants, the men paraded around the stage and catwalk to the thump of the music, pulling off pieces of their clothing as they went. The women around you went wild, snatching at whatever was tossed their way, fighting playfully for it. While it seemed incredibly silly, Tara was having the time of her life and you absently sipped at your Tequila Sunrise while you scrolled on your phone. 

The dance number finished not two minutes later with a screaming cheer and standing ovation from the rest of the already slightly tipsy crowd. Director Fury came out while the dancers disappeared into the back to get ready, he worked the crowd, mentioning the brides-to-be and promised them a very special wedding gift before the night was over. “But I heard there were a couple of birthdays here,” Fury said, looking between your group and the one behind you. “Now, I’m going to get the young gun back there in a moment, but… a little bird told me that you,” he pointed to your friend, “are a very big fan of our first Hero of the night.” 

Tara squealed and stood up, “Fuck yes, I am. God bless Captain America! ...and dat ass!”

It was obvious that Director Fury was trying to keep his composure, but the corners of his lips twitched like he wanted to join in on the laughter from the crowd. “Well, he is certainly blessed,” he replied, “and ladies, you will be, too, when you see him at full salute.” He winked and started to walk off stage, “Captain? Duty calls…”

Some sort of abomination of the Star Spangled Banner started to play, remixed with drum and bass. You looked up to see what kind of horror show would come from something treasonous as what bled from the speakers around you, you were met with over six feet of muscle covered in a fitted blue suit, fingerless leather gloves on his hands, and a round metal shield on his back painted red, white, and blue. 

The Captain’s background was what looked like a large war ship with painted ski-masked bad guys spread throughout the levels. His stage allowed him ramps and poles to move up and down, which he used freely. He used a mixture of acrobatics and dance to move across the stage, tossing the shield around, “fighting off the bad guys” and losing his clothes in the process. By the end of the song he was left in just the leather gloves and a very tight pair of shorts, much like the ones Peter wore, except the Captains had the same pattern of his shield printed across the backside. 

Tara’s screams knocked you out of your daze and you realized you hadn’t stared down at your phone at all during the Captain’s dance. You watched all five minutes of it and couldn’t tear your eyes away. Heroes wasn’t about getting drunk women horny, they wanted to put on a show, too. You clapped lightly, though it was drowned out by the cheering around you, but unbeknownst to you, it wasn’t unnoticed. 

Fury was out once again and he brought up the first bachelorette of the night. He put her in a chair on the catwalk and gave her a candy-garterbelt. Then he asked her waiter, a guy named “Ant Man”, to remove it with only his tongue, which he happily obliged. 

Peter cut off your view with another drink, one you didn’t order. “On the house,” he said with a lopsided grin and placed the red, white, and blue layered drink next to your nearly empty Sunrise. Before you could ask him who ordered it, the candy garterbelt was being tugged between the bachelorette and her waiter. It ended in a tongue-y kiss and the ladies went wild. 

“Let’s hope her future husband doesn’t mind,” you muttered and turned your attention to your phone once again. Director Fury, thankfully, broke up the awkward scene on stage and began to introduce the next dancers. It was a pair, brothers, apparently, and they worked on the good versus bad troupe. Thor and Loki were opposites in every sense of the word. Thor was a large blond with a commanding presence. He had a bright smile and sun kissed skin that looked great in his red and gold trimmed briefs. But his brother was slender, graceful - almost cat-like, with dark hair and a mischievous grin all wrapped in flawless alabaster skin. They didn’t look like brothers, but they moved around each other like they had been together all of their lives, and knew each other’s moves. 

You only caught half of their story, as you were already halfway done with, what you found out was called the American Glory drink, and half wondered if that was what Captain America tasted like. Fury was up again and had the young lady celebrating her 21st birthday take two shots and lick the salt from Thor and Loki’s still sweaty chests. 

Peter found his way in front of you again and said that someone needed to talk to you about your card being declined. You frowned and excused yourself from your friends to find out what was going on. There shouldn’t have been a problem, you got paid the day before, there was plenty of money in your account.

You were taken to a hall that connected what seemed like offices, the dressing room, and the route to the backstage. “Sorry,” Peter said sheepishly, “they said this was the only way to get you back here. Gotta go.” He waved and jogged back out to the lobby.

Confused, you were about to shout out after him when you felt a tap on your shoulder. When you turned, you faced that wall of American muscle beaming down at you. “Hey there,” he greeted, a smile almost blinding you from its perfection. “Don’t be too mad at the kid, I asked him to get you back here.”

“What,” was all you could get out. He was thankfully dressed, but his muscles were straining against the white tshirt and the gym shorts did not hide the package he carried. Even with all of that, what mesmerized you most was his eyes, sparkling blue and bright with amusement. 

“This next bit requires audience participation and he had someone in mind,” the Captain replied like he explained everything.

“We had someone in mind,” a voice corrected behind the door you two stood near. You tore your eyes away from the blond and eyed the wood barrier suspiciously. 

“Don’t worry,” Captain America laughed, capturing your attention once again, “it’s nothing too dangerous or embarrassing. You just have to sit there, pretend to be tied up, and me and Buck will dance around you.” He put his hands on his hips and tilted his head in thought, “Well, actually, you really will be tied up, but we promise we’ll let you go once we’re done.”

“Or not, if you don’t want us to,” came the voice again, which made the Captain laugh.

You blinked up at him and frowned, “What’s the catch?”

“There’s no catch,” he shook his head. “We might dance on you a little, if you don’t mind, the crowd likes it. But if not, we can work around that.” The thought of Captain America in those tiny shorts grinding on you was a very nice thought.

“‘Sfine,” you shrugged.

He beamed and reached out to squeeze you on the shoulder, his touch lingering and his thumb running along your collarbone. “I’ll let the stage team know.” Reluctantly, he dropped his hand and knocked on the door next to you both, “Five minutes.” When he heard a ‘yeah, got it’, the Captain motioned you to follow him. 

The stage crew took over and the Captain disappeared to get ready. You were told about the chair you’d be sitting in, the rope that would be tied around your chest and if you would be okay with it. There was some hesitation on your part, but ultimately you agreed. They brought you on stage, a winter wonderland of sorts and placed you on a log-like chair. The rope wasn’t tight, but it was obvious you were the damsel in distress. 

“One of you was taken,” Director Fury said from the other side of the curtain in front of you, “by The Winter Soldat. Will she survive? Will she be saved?” All of the lights turn off once again and an industrial heavy beat thrummed through the speakers, rattling your bones. Red stage lights shone down on you when the curtain pulled open and your friends lost their minds.

To your right you saw a figure stalk out of the dark, red light bouncing off a silver metal arm. A mask covered the lower half of his face, but his eyes were trained on you like you were prey. His black muscle shirt clung tightly to his chest, one sleeve missing to show off his arm, and his black tactical pants stretched against his thick thighs. You could feel the shaking of the stage from the stomps of his booted feet.

Eyes wide, you stared at him until he stopped short of your chair on cue with the music. His nostrils flared lightly before he moved again, the music flowing with him. He slung one leg over the side over your chair, straddling you. The metal arm clamped the wooden back rest of the chair and he narrowed his gaze. Lights flash around you, strobing from red to white and back again until they settle on the house lights. 

Soldat began to roll his body with the tempo, blue eyes locked with yours. You could hear the screams behind him as he dancing, but neither of you were paying attention. 

His hips circled until he’s seated on your lap, you’re practically nose to nose. He brought his flesh hand to the side of your face and you could feel it trembling against your skin. With him that close you could hear him mutter in some other language that isn’t English, you’re guessing Russian, but you’re not sure. Either way, you felt crushed by his weight and you liked it. You didn't want him to go. 

But the music changed and the lights started to flash again, red, white, and now blue mixed in. Captain America joined the two of you on stage and Soldat slipped from your lap. Just as Thor and Loki had before, these two moved around each other like they were made from the same mold. 

During the fight, pieces of clothing were tossed aside and at one point you were freed from your bonds. Soldat pulled you up from your chair and up against his chest, your backside pressed so tightly against him you could almost feel his heartbeat. He moved you with him as he continued to fight the Captain.

Until seconds before the song ended and the music swelled, the Captain landed one good blow to Soldat and sandwiched you between them. The Winter Soldier recalibrated and recognized his old friend and you. He pulled the Captain into a big bear hug and then picked you up bridal style, taking you off stage with cheers from the crowd.

Once you’re all off stage, he sat you down with a hearty laugh. “You did a fantastic job, sweetheart,” the Soldier praised, running his metal hand through his chin length brown hair. “Couldn’t have asked for a better dance partner.” Flushed from embarrassment and arousal, you continued to stare at him until you were joined by the Captain. “I told you she’d be great, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, Buck, you know how to pick ‘em,” the blond agreed with a smile.

“Thanks,” you replied breathlessly, finally coming out of your stupor. “That was… fun. I’m just going to go back to my seat now, I guess.”

“Wait,” the one named “Buck” jumped to stop you, “we were wondering if you wanted a private show?” You heard about those from Tara. You knew that they were exclusive and very expensive… and sometimes had happy endings. They seemed to sense your hesitation because they both added in unison as they eyed you up like you were a four course meal, “For free.”

“I never turn down free anything,” you shrugged. The pair turned to look at each other and their smiles turned to wicked grins. You aren’t sure what you got yourself into, but you’re pretty sure you were going to enjoy it.

a/n: Part Two coming soon... with smut!

[cyclone-rachel]

2022 Omniverse Rewatch + Episode Ranking

part 6: Arc 6

• I like that Looma is acknowledging that she’s going to settle for Ben. • That’s gross, you never do that in public. • Literally the "I'm cold, too." "well, damn, baby, I can't control the weather!" meme except Ben just shoves his jacket in her face. • Kimberly Brooks has great range too, I’m here for that • So did Ben just get two containers of nachos? • How many Sumo Slammers movies are there exactly? Okay, apparently there are 6. • Rayona’s got some moves • Love how this episode plays on the meaning of “catfight”, as in a fight between two women, but also there are actually cats involved. • Ester’s right. • Thank you, Rayona. • Sorry, “Argit boulevard”? • Is fishing a criminal activity? • Looma just casually rips off someone’s roof • And of course she had to say that. • That was clever of Rook. • Oh yeah that’s accurate. • Not under attack yet, anyway. • The Plumber badge has a video camera? • That is a very interesting visual metaphor. • You’re both teenagers, aren’t you? • They probably should have realized that on their own. • This is why they would never work as a couple. • Ben playing soccer is always fun. Guess he graduated to soccer from baseball? • Would not expect one soccer ball to cause that much destruction. • Legit thought he was voiced by Diedrich Bader. • Also he really does look like a Rob Liefeld character, it’s incredible. • And you would know a lot about that, wouldn’t you? • I’m glad they clarified it’s Screegit-free. • But Ben is famous. • Cannot believe people misunderstood that Gwen and Kevin were one person. • That seems like an exaggeration. • I see there’s some Ben 23 merch in his cart. • Also I like that he mentions the Unitrix and the Nemetrix! • This is Super Alien Hero Buddies all over again. • “fruity plan” that would not fly today. • Isn’t there a reboot alien called Slapback? • Also I guess they’re not gonna talk about that again. • Thank you, Ben. • Okay, it is a problem now • “jumping the root shark”, ha • Wasn’t he looking at the planet anyway? • Simian, you’re such an asshole. • I’m not gonna say who this character could very well be based on, but if you know, you know. • Couldn’t Ben point out that he wasn’t the one who signed the planet, and thus, Collectimus could just take the TV show Ben? • Although okay, I guess Collectimus was planning on taking him anyway. • The least subtle line ever. • Then where the hell are you from? • Collectimus was doing The Collector’s schtick before The Collector was. • Okay never mind, The Collector is cooler. • I love that they spelled “existed” wrong in the subtitles, like how he pronounced it. • I’m glad Ben apologized. • “I’ve dealt with collectors before” like when? • How many old shirts do you have? • That was very smooth. • Wait, does he know? • Also a very un-subtle line. • Okay, finally, we can actually go in the order Hulu has the episodes in, because it’s the same as production order. • Why so specific? • Captain Nemesis is such a sinister name. • Also I like them retroactively establishing Captain Nemesis as a hero Ben was a fan of in addition to Kangaroo Commando, as was the case in that one Ultimate Alien episode. • Yeah, Corey was the clear choice for this character, if one was going to do a recast. • That’s a very good pun. • The way he speaks is very interesting. • Also I think I mentioned this in my original liveblog, but I think it’s great that Christopher McDonald and Corey Burton, who play Captain Nemesis and Kangaroo Commando here, were also Jor-El and Brainiac respectively in Superman: The Animated Series, and they definitely had a significant interaction in that show. • HEY WAIT A SECOND, Yuri Lowenthal, who voices Ben obviously, has also voiced a Superman, so we’ve got a Jor-El, a Kal-El, and a Brainiac in this episode. Fantastic. • I thought that was supposed to taste good? Unless it’s only good for Revonnahganders • You’d think he would learn to take fights outside. • Ben sounds so tired. • He can definitely tell that’s staged, right? • Wait, is his name spelled with two Rs, or one? • Also Billy hired him in the first place? • I guess there are no other superhero teams in Bellwood to begin with. • Billy is so full of shit. • You just said he would remain nameless. • I guess he wouldn’t want Ben’s perspective on all of this, because we know Ben wants to be a genuine hero. • That’s not funny. • Can’t believe he actually said that. • Fuck. I love this Brainstorm fight scene. It’s so good. • Corey has so much range. • Ben getting his Spider-Man 2 moment. • I hope he got his jacket back later. • Can we please get a reporter in this universe who is unbiased and believes in Ben? Thanks. • And of course they’re gonna fall apart. • Awww, there were posters of Ben and Rook I guess. • Gosh, they’re literally watching paint dry. • Wow, they fired the shapes of their symbols into Billions Tower. • “Brainstorm was right” aw hell yeah. • And you finally admit it. • Cannonbolt falls with style. • And they never show up again. • “Vulpin yak wool” so they have yaks on the Vulpimancers’ home planet? • You maybe have that backwards. • Not a bad trap. • Well that didn’t take very long for the phone to lose battery completely. • That’s your idea of trouble? • Wait, he really does want socks? • Yeah, they really want to make it look like Jimmy is Spanner. • He would be a genius in the future. • Gosh, those portraits. • How do they know each other? • “pounding alien face meat” uh. Gross. But I’m glad it’s not meat anywhere else on the body. • “our priority needs to be Argit” yes, because Kevin would never forgive you if it wasn’t. • How many panic rooms does Argit have? • Yeah that is gross. • And how do you define “his time”? • Glad you finally asked that question. • Ben’s got some moves. • And apparently so does Argit. • Yeah, you still haven’t explained that. • And he doesn’t even stick around. • Well that’s not good. • So why did Spanner choose to interfere in this event? • Mood, Ben. • Really liking this use of the Proto-Tool. • That’s not a good idea. • How do you even wash that? • I didn’t even know he could speak. • Well, shit. • Oh, so that’s why he was there. • So does he use that later? I don’t remember. • She does look good in the red armor. • The Omnitrix looked real wonky there. • I guess they don’t already know who the Rooters are. • God, Charlie Adler is real good at creepy villain voices. • Yikes. Yikes. Yikes. • Oh, so at least they know. • You call that an interview? • What does that mean, exactly, in this context? • Way to go, Max. • Peak comedy right there. • Yeah, because “there hasn’t been a Phil in this body for years” • Like Ben keeps saying, he’s not a real Plumber. • Damn, Ben. • I guess they definitely don’t want to cooperate with him because he’s part Cerebrocrustacean. • Well that’s very cool. • So how far away is Kevin, exactly? • Also why are they still calling him an Osmosian? Although I guess that’s the kind of mutant he is. • YEAH ZED • That’s a nice car. • Very much an understatement. • So, kind of like the Forever Knights? Ish? • Conduit and crucible are very different things, probably. • It makes perfect sense that Argit is the source of Pierce’s powers. • He had a serious case of the flashbacks. • But you’re also a hero, and Ben’s best friend. Come on, Kevin. • Damn, she’s ruthless. • How dare you. • Oh no, Zed got left alone for the second time, that’s very sad. • So, basically the word for “we can’t use the word mutant on this show, so here’s the alternative” • He can’t understand himself? • What does that mean, exactly? • So why didn’t Max keep an eye on him when Kevin was a kid? • Oof, that makes them ending up in the Null Void worse. • And are they failed experiments? • Why does he have a lot of nerves? • It is interesting that Zed attacks Phil, given that Phil was the first recipient of the Nemetrix that Zed herself later wore. • Rob Paulsen fighting himself, love it. • Does that word really apply here? • Way to go, Rook. • Well, he’s gonna come back, obviously. • That’s an incredibly sinister ending. • Different sandwich this time. • Had no idea Diamondhead’s arms could be that long. • Yeah, that is good to know. • Skeuomorph, to my surprise, is a real word. • “Defeated by the superlative” is a good line. • Of course they were the Area 51 aliens. • Gosh, I wonder how Ben would react to that “storming Area 51” thing that happened a few years ago. • Okay, so funny thing, there’s actually an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine where some of the main alien characters in that show are also “the aliens at Area 51”, and one of them (well, the character who tries to break them out, but ends up stuck with them anyway) is actually Odo, played by Rene Auberjonois, aka Azmuth in this series. • You know, Kate Micucci’s voice does fit perfectly for Luhley. • Also I love that all 3 Galvans are sitting in that one seat together. • I really need to know how the Galvans work, exactly. Also, he had his hat thing even then? • Blatant lies. • So Azmuth came back just that one time, and then he went into self-imposed exile on Xenon again? • 23rd class out of how many? • These idiots. • How is Max there? He’s not that old. • Does Max have a Hawaiian shirt-print ascot • These days, that guy would definitely be played by John Mulaney. • Would love to know your definition of peace. • Is that what the Galvan language sounds like? • That is kind of impressive. • Ah, there’s Paradox! Nice! I was wondering if Max had met him before. • Is this why he ends up hiring them and having them at the Plumber base? • Again, very blatant lies. • They got real lucky there. • Those lasers do look very cool. • Of course that’s what it means. • Yeah, you keep saying that. • Hell yeah Luhley. • “old nemesis Azmuth”? • Go inside, Ben. • Just get it up to the surface, if it’s gonna explode. • Thank you, Ben. • So, the planet getting destroyed is your idea of peace? • That many, really? • Good luck with that, guys. • These complete idiots. • Oh, Benevelon’s actor is an audiobook narrator? Wild. • Very interesting names. • Can’t you work out with the lights off? • Gross. • That can’t be good. • Didn’t remember it happening that early. • Okay, but he has to call it the Bro-to Tool. • Alright, different thing, same pun. • Is Ben going to get along with this version more, like brainless Azmuth in the season 4 finale? • Spoke too soon. • I do like Ben’s concern. • I also like that music. • Alien brain chemistry must be a fascinating thing to explore in this world, like how different aliens have different parts of their brains. • That smoothie is still new? • Good luck, Ben. • Has his name been said before? • Awww. • Are those even the same area of the body? • It does look like the Infinity Gauntlet. • Okay, Rook has a point. • He looks very different. • Just looked it up, “enneagon” is another name for a nonagon, or a nine-sided polygon. Cool. • Still can’t believe he’s named Liam. • Ooh, one of the fighters is a Piscciss Volann. Neat. • Would love to know more about that guy. • Also is that a blue Pyronite? • So you wanted you and your sovereign to die, as well as having centuries of brutal warfare? • Can’t believe Baumann and Pakmar are watching this fight. • Are The Worst’s species and Fistina’s species the same? Or are they just really similar? • Also in retrospect it makes sense that the two villains with “fist” in their names would be connected in some way. • Was it really that long? • She deserves it. • Gosh, they’re even calling him “Fistrook” now. • So they’re getting him back to normal, right? • Can’t believe he just brought that up out of the blue like that. • You have no memory of that because Ben literally recreated the entire universe. • You don’t look fine. • Does he really want that? • Also is he really your friend? • Not a terrible landing, all things considered. • That was a good line. • Also isn’t Fistrick just a regular guy? • So what, do they use “the Ben 10 defense” in this universe? • Love how he gets progressively angrier over the course of this montage. • You just had to jinx it, didn’t you? • Was he just supposed to let the universe be destroyed? • Did that just float out of his pocket? • Are there other universal courts? • I think it’s neat that this and the first part of the season 4 finale are the two episodes where noted “way-more-than-half-my-life/known-longer-than-my-kid” friends Corey Burton and Rob Paulsen are both included in the individual episode voice cast, and this one has them actually interact. • Sick burn, Rook. • Maybe talk about his good qualities? • One last witness? That was quick. • Are there any other exhibits? • Again, I just love this episode. • Why couldn’t he get that flavor right specifically? • You literally just said this was your first case. • This is the best joke. • Gosh, I love Vilgax twirling a part of his “beard” I guess you’d call it. • Sick hammer. • Way to make him feel worse about this. • Intergalactic law would also be fascinating. • “I would if I could but I can’t, so I…will, I guess.” • He doesn’t have three beings in his head. • This fight scene is so cool. • How would they even have five pieces of Taydenite? • Alan is a smol • Also I can’t believe he’s only been voiced by actors with the last name “Robinson”, or for that matter that two actors with that last name have been in this franchise but their characters were in different shows and don’t interact • Although also they’re both in The Owl House now? So that’s cool. Did Principal Bump and Hunter interact, I don’t remember. • And I like his hoodie. • Love his sarcasm right there. • Gosh, Kevin’s face. • Why does he think absorbing wood is a good idea? • I love how fire is drawn here, with Alan and his abilities. • That’s a bigger problem? • Savior of the universe, everyone. • I refuse to believe Kevin wouldn’t leave love letters for her. • Also how long have they really been dating? • Very smart, actually. • Good girl, Zed. • “experiments”, big yikes. • Okay I can’t remember which predator that is, but why is it attacking a city? Especially what’s supposed to be 5 years before Ben will be aware of it. Unless it’s fiction instead of the news or something. • I love the tiny Amalgams’ looks. • Did he give them their punny last names? • I like how Rook said his name there. • He’s probably lying there. • How did his attitude on Ben change so quickly? • You literally just missed him. • You’re talking like he’s already dead. • YEAH • Oh yikes • Hell yeah • Of course, it’s Feedback. • Don’t tempt him. • Just a kid who wants to have fun, yes. • He’s not wrong? • Servantis is such an effective villain. • Goddamn, Kevin. • The Rooters’ base, aka the “hates Ben” camp. • How many Kinecelerans have you seen, Argit? • And here’s one of them now. • I truly forgot one of the Way Bads came back. • How do you know that? • Glad they didn’t forget Pierce, even though he is still dead. • I don’t think it was safe in the first place. • Gross. • He couldn’t turn into a Celestialsapien back then. • Definitely sounds like one. • Yeah, he didn’t have any better role models, I guess, after Kwarrel. • Snot-rag is an insult Kevin used in the original series. • So Ben, Gwen, and Max just forgot about all of this? • Is it really? • Kevin, you can do better. • “Corona” that aged poorly. • And that was abrupt. • So they’re his failed experiments now? • That all makes sense. • Thank you, Argit. • You definitely did. • And that’s what you wanted to do? • You don’t sound relaxing. • So Ben gave him the scar? • You can use her real name; you all know each other. • I’m sure that would hurt. • Holy shit. • Very good use of Feedback’s powers. • You okay, Kevin? • Hell yeah. • Just destroy that chamber already. • Awwww. • That was abrupt. • That’s very cool. • Oh yikes. • Anyway, really love this episode too.

Arc 6 episodes ranked: 1. Universe vs Tennyson 2. Weapon XI, part 2 3. The Rooters of All Evil 4. Weapon XI, part 1 5. Collect This 6. The Vengers 7. Cough it Up 8. Blukic and Driba Go to Area 51 9. Catfight 10. No Honor Among Bros

Basic thoughts: Again, an interesting season to watch, kind of in a similar vein as arc 4? Like there’s 3 strong arc episodes, a really funny episode that builds off of things introduced previously and has great meta jokes, one of my favorite episodes of the whole show with great humor and a gorgeous fight scene, an episode that I personally have a soft spot for with another really good fight scene, and then a few episodes that are fine but I don’t really vibe with? I feel like again, we could have used another Rooters arc episode, but I do like the ones we got, and I know most people aren’t big fans of the Kevin retcon, but we got a really good villain and 2 great Kevin amalgam forms out of this arc, plus the return of some old friends and some new characters.

Original rankings: 1. Weapon XI, part 2 2. Weapon XI, part 1 3. Universe vs. Tennyson 4. The Rooters of All Evil 5. Collect This 6. The ‘Vengers 7. Catfight 8. Blukic and Driba Go to Area 51 9. No Honor Among Bros 10. Cough It Up