#don't really like this one but meh that'll do

[m-kuprum]

didn't have time to draw that week so have some older jgm stuff </3

[ask-the-rag-dolly]

okay . while i was writing the essay , i was going on a big spiel about how fandoms often reduce characters to familiar archetypes . then when i finished writing i realized i actually don't know what the Fuck i was yapping about because it all doesn't really apply to the tadc fandom post-ep 2 ? like Cool !! ragatha's an absolute loser of a woman , i think everyone has known that at this point .

basically ragatha's not the Best model for when i want to talk about nice characters being mischaracterized in fandom because i stopped seeing people making her put-together anyway . i can think of other characters that'll fit the thesis better .

i'm only deciding to post what i had down because i think i did say some stuff of note and because people were interested for . some reason ! . just keep in mind that it kind of became a nothingburger .

i'm in the middle of rewriting it to be less about the fandom though and my god it's already around 1118 words what am i doing with my life

also apologies in advance for the walls of text

——— this is not an essay to get you to like ragatha if you’re feeling meh towards her , or even dislike her . opinions are opinions , you have characters that appeal to you and i have mine ! this is just a ramblefest on why i love her , how people characterized her , and commentary on fandom culture as a whole

this is also not meant to bash any headcanons ! like good for you if you see her as the mother figure in the circus found family . the term ‘ mom friend ‘ here is used to describe how people often reduced her and similar characters down to a caretaker role for other characters while ignoring the Depth they have

as i think is clear in this blog by now , my favorite character in a piece of fiction has always been a mentally ill woman . the more complicated the brain , the better . i don’t have a type , but i know more often than not i would gravitate towards characters that are either misunderstood or disliked by most of the fandom

can you guess which category ragatha falls under —

don’t get me wrong , i am NOT generalizing tadc fans here ! the idea of her being a well-put together person lessened around episode 2 which is GREAT because i got to read very cool fics — and i’m not saying you have to know every part of ragatha’s thought processes to talk about her ( though at this point i think i’ve heard enough takes that makes me want to say that — )

‘ nice characters ‘ ( especially female ones ! ) in fandom never have the most pleasant development in my experience . either they will be pushed aside because they’re seen as boring compared to the more brasher characters or they’ll be disliked for the few times they did something seen as ‘ not so nice ‘ . and in the few times where they Are being paid attention , they’ll be put in an arbitrary box that waters down their traits .

in other words , fandoms put characters in boxes . terms like ‘ mom friend ‘ and ‘ cinnamon roll ‘ are those boxes . they're common tropes in media that fandoms typically like . it’s why people were so disappointed to find out that jax is actually an unlikable asshole instead of a ' jerk with a heart of gold ' — these boxes make the characters easy to consume and understand .

as you can tell , i don’t agree with putting characters in boxes ! first of all , how are they supposed to breathe in there ?

secondly , it’s just restricting yourself from genuinely engaging with a piece of media , especially for a character-driven story like tadc . i would be More forgiving of this problem if tadc was a plot-heavy show where the lore’s the main focus , but The Characters Are The Focus , Johnathan . trying to understand the characters personally to extract any potential moral lessons from them Is The Point of those types of stories

thirdly , i call those boxes arbitrary for a reason ; they often don't describe the characters at all , and in some cases , even goes against their characterization . my biggest problem with mom friend ragatha is that it Takes away the things that makes her interesting as a character .

do you know what's so compelling about ragatha ? it's that , believe it or not , she is Not the most reliable . one of the most fascinating things with ragatha in episode two is how it shows her approaching emotions Vs. Pomni approaching emotions .

even though it's unintentional , ragatha can be seen as Dismissive and Overbearing . the way she tried to reassure pomni of not feeling hurt by being left behind can seem Passive-Aggressive . her conversation with kinger shows that she Assumes what the other person thinks without hearing them out . this contrasts against pomni who lets gummigoo speak out his feelings and actually had viable things to say than ' don't worry about it haha '

this contrast is interesting to note because it shows the world of difference between ragatha and pomni's emotional maturity .

you can tell that ragatha can be simple-minded . not in a ' she's a dumbass ' way , but in that she's Reluctant to approach uncomfortable emotions without beaming it with a ray of positivity . like you can tell she thinks that Repressing her emotions to the point she can't feel them is the same as ' processing ' them . all of these are stuff that don't fit the Mature Mom Friend archetype .

and that's Fine !! because she was never meant to be in the role anyway !! there's a common theme of Community and Support in tadc , and that Everyone Has Each Other . ragatha was never meant to be the Glue holding everyone together , she's meant to be a part of the Unit that is the circus .

there's also a conversation to be had about how older female characters — or at least characters that are seen as having stereotypically ' feminine ' traits of being kind and caring — are often being pushed to a reductive , supportive familial role that reinforces gender roles , but you didn't hear it from me !

anyways uh in conclusion ragatha's awesomesauce ok i'm going back to drawing

[yaboirezzy]

Any of you ever find a new thing you're interested in and you want to know and see more of it, only to find out that thing has been dead or gone for a while and the person/people behind it did something awful or got in some bad controversy?

Cause I have and it's with this:

So I was rewatching some old/classic web animations (mostly Eddsworld, SMB Z, and archived newgrounds animations) and I saw this in one of the playlist that has a bunch of those animations. I only watched it because it was next in the queue but after a couple of minutes I was kinda hooked on it and kept on watching, after a while I decided to watch it till the end, and well...I was really interested.

Sure it was REALLY dated with how it looks and feels, plus the characters and the concept or setting are really standard and could use some improvements, but I thought to myself while searching for more stuff about this series: "Eh, it's part of the charm with these old web animations. Also this was just the pilot episode so surely there's more to come, surely it'll get better from here, surely this'll be a good or at least fine series that'll have some charm and laughs with absolutely nothing bad happening to-" yeah that didn't happen and I wished it did instead of what actually happened.

Yeah so going over every unfortunate thing that happened would take like forever (I think based on what other people have said) so I'll just give you a short summary of what happened: The creator (animated james) canceled the series after two short seasons, he was exposed to have some questionable actions and/or interest which of course led to controversy, and he disappeared from the internet (wherever he is I hope he's doing well). Yup it's another "a classic content creator's downfall" situation...

Okay but you might be thinking to yourself: "What about the series itself and it's two short seasons? Is it any good, is it another case of separating the art from the artist, did it at least leave a bittersweet taste behind?" well....no. Yeah I'm very sorry to any C Students fans out there, I understand if you like this series and think it's really great or an underappreciated gem from the past, I get that and I respect it, but C Students is just really meh to me.

"Well what is C Students?" you might ask, well according to the wiki: C Students is animated web series centered upon a group of teenagers and their life and misadventures in Hartlane High School. Yup, that's all it is from the wiki, and it's actually fitting because that's is ALL this series is about, it's literally just another "teen high school - slice of life & comedy" series kinda like the ones you would find on Nickelodeon or Disney Channel back in the 2000s, except this time it's animated...which isn't really giving it much, like aside from the expressions, some of the movements, and a few things here and there you can have this series in live action instead and it would not be any different.

The characters don't improve or change even slightly from their basic one-note roles/stereotypes in the pilot, similarly the misadventures and situations they go on or find themselves in aren't that interesting or different compared to those from any other series in the genre, and the humor is...the same as those from any other series of this kind, not to say that it's all bad but it's definitely got a lot more misses than it does hits as the later episodes go on, hell even the mature jokes have all aged in varying conditions (both generally and based on the controversy). Speaking of which, that's kind of the overall problem I have with C Students: It clearly looks and feels like a comedic slice of life high school series, but it also tries to be serious and act like it has something important to tell, and it's obvious that it doesn't mix together or handled well. Like for example there's the music video "Creative Types" which is great to watch and listen on it's own, but when put alongside the actual episodes it feels out of place and doesn't feel like it's from the same series at all, which it is even if it's not canon to the main series' timeline. So TLDR: It peaked at the pilot and it slowly and sadly went downhill

However the thing that upsets me more than anything else about this series is...It could be good! It could've been better! I wish it could've been better! I wish it could've entertained us with something different or interesting to it's concept or genre in the same way as The Looney Tunes Show does to suburban sitcom, I wish it could've mixed/handled/balanced the more serious and mature stuff better like Smiling Friends, I wish it could've had some nice charm and laughs to it at least.

Which is why I'm planning on making my own take/version of C Students! Yes I know it's another one to add to my pile of "stuff I've planned out but never actually making", but that's the thing with me unfortunately: I'm good at planning or making ideas and not so much on actually making them come to life, I'm just one person and the idea of making a long running thing on your own without any help whatsoever is terrifying, I'm the one with the blueprints and I need other people to actually construct the thing. But anyways yeah, that was my personal thoughts on C Students (If you don't like or disagree with it then feel free to do so as it is MY opinion and you shouldn't feel obliged to agree with it) I'm PROBABLY gonna make my own take on this series sometime soon, hopefully we'll see how that turns out

EDIT: So I found out that the seasons I watched was a fan-continuation of the series not by the OG creator, but all my points still stand as it would've been more or less the same as canon (according to the creator and people in the comments)

[fangirl-in-general]

Hello! Before you read this one be sure to check out the prologue! It's not super eventful and takes place a little before the actual series picks up, but there's a little bit of info there that'll be useful for the plot later!

Warnings: Fem!Reader, slow burn, that's about it for this first one. lmk if I missed anything!

Enjoy!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An MCD Garroth x Reader series

"Legendary" pt 1

"Are you up yet!?!?"

You were trying to enjoy the peace and quiet of being in your own room again. Sleep had been a lost cause, as it usually was when you first get home from trips, but resorting to drinking tea with a blanket wrapped around you as the morning sun crept through your window was a decent substitute... That is until Zenix came banging on the door like a madman for no good reason other than wanting to be a nuisance. You jerk the door open at the disruption "Yeeess! I'm up! what do you want?"

The hard glare on your features doesn't detour the boy, instead eliciting a chuckle that makes you close the door in his face. He begins knocking immediately, convinced that you'll give in to your annoyance and open the door once more. You do.

"Oh my Irene what do you want!!" You whine.

"I'm on patrol today and I don't wanna be bored, you're the only other person in town who' doesn't have a stick up their butt."

Your eyebrow quirks up at the statement. Immediately a yawn slips from your mouth as you step away from the door. Before it's shut you hear Zenix call out "Oh come on! Patrol with Garroth is SO boring!" The door stops halfway shut. Zenix was an intelligent young man, enough so that Garroth wanted to train him himself to be a guard, but one thing he was never good at was social ques especially when it came to the lingering crush you'd always had on your dearly beloved friend. But it wasn't his business, it was barely even your business. You never acknowledged it, never told anyone, not even the journal you used to keep had any trace of the feelings that always rose in your chest at the mere mention of the man...a man who's face you wouldn't even be able to recognize...

"Let me get my shoes on..." Zenix pumped his fist at your response. He respected Garroth and considered him family, but their personalities didn't exactly...mix. Plus, what was the harm in getting to stroll with some old friends after being gone for days on end?

~~~

By the time you made it to the gardens where Zenix and Garroth were supposed to meet, the former was already there, his wrist laying limply on the hilt of his sword and the freshly risen sun shining brightly off of his pristinely maintained armor. It used to be annoying how put together Garroth was, till you started talking more, till you knew just how in pieces he always felt...then you began to respect that he managed to hold himself together in spite of it all.

It was inspiring.

He was still facing away as he spoke "Zenix, you're late again"

"Meh, figured we could both use some company after everything that's been going on" Garroth turned his head at Zenix's words, his body following as you came in sight. His brief stutter prompted Zenix to speak again. "She brought a sword so really, she's backup! Come on Garroth nothing is going on anyway and after being gone for so long it really-"

"Alright." He began to walk away. A smile crept onto your face before feeling the armor on Zenix's elbow jam into you side as he cheered.

"Come on Sis'! Nothing has changed so don't expect anything fun. If I get bored even one time while you're out here I'm never inviting you on patrol again." A chuckle escaped you at his words and you began to follow after Garroth, Zenix yapping behind you.

~~~

The heat of the midday sun and Zenix complaining about how hot his armor had become was enough to remind you why you never wanted to become a guard. Don't get me wrong, you loved helping the village and you were good in a fight, but something about standing around all day in sweaty leather and metal just wasn't as appealing as wandering around with light clothes and a sword, essentially hunting for treasure, while having the freedom to help anyone you could at your own discretion. But you had to admit, it was nice getting to spend the day with Garroth and Zenix...even if Zenix couldn't stop talking to save his life. He really hasn't changed much from when he was a kid.

Zenix began swinging his sword at some weeds and Garroth took the opportunity to match your pace and begin a quiet conversation. "He truly did miss you; it's all he's ever able to talk about when you're away. I'm glad you guys have stayed close all this time."

You smiled at his words. "Of course, we may not be blood but I'm not gonna let some kid go without a family if I can help it. Plus, if I did then I'd be alone as well...at the end of the day, no one deserves that." You glance at him; he remains facing ahead but his pace slows ever so slightly.

"You will never be alone. Even if you hadn't raised him, you're still deserving of...friendship." You turn away at his words, the breeze on your face feeling like a good excuse to do so. When you turn back to him you realize he had still been speaking "...You know that don't you?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

His head whips over to face you, and he begins fidgeting with the chainmail at his wrist. "I only meant- It's just that...well I-"

"Garroth, it's ok! I promise! I just didn't hear you. I'm so sorry...what did you say?" You stop walking when the sentence leaves you and he does as well. For a brief moment all you do is stare at each other, that familiar glimmer of blue, all you can make out of his facial features, is enough to knock the breath out of you all by itself; but that paired with realizing that you were close enough to feel the sun's heat off the metal adorning him, to hear the hitch in his breath at his own realization, to feel the slight rustle of your skirt as his had brushed against it...it was like static filled your whole body, your hands almost went numb, and the only thing your senses were aware of in that moment was Garroth.

"GUYS OVER HERE!!!" Zenix yelling was enough to send you both stumbling away from one another as he came frantically barreling out of the tree line. "I heard something!" Garroth turned to you before sprinting over to Zenix, you follow at his heels.

~~~

Zenix was prone to false alarms, and you wouldn't exactly call this a dangerous situation, but the raven-haired woman entering the village was at the very least new and interesting. She seemed kind, although maybe a bit lost...she kept talking to herself about fixing the roads and stuff which was fine by you, the previous lord didn't do much to improve life around town so maybe a fresh face was just the motivation everyone needed.

After your brief introductions and Garroth asking you to help her settle into town, you decided to set her up in the library with Emmalyn until Brendan could build her a place of her own. Emmalyn...wasn't thrilled. "Are you crazy!?!? I am a busy woman!! I don't have time to babysit some deranged stray!!"

"Emmy keep your voice down! She's right outside, and she's not deranged OR a stray! Come on, she needs help" She crossed her arms and shook her head. "Emmy pleeaaasse!"

"No! I have research to do, I don't have time. If it's such a big deal to you, Let her stay at your house!" You hesitated; the thought actually hadn't crossed your mind. It was just kind of instinct that she would stay here for a while, but you didn't actually know what caused that feeling.

You said your goodbyes and apologized to your friend before walking down the road with the young woman, making small talk during the short walk. You liked this girl; she may be a little strange, but she was kind and funny and seemed to care about the world around her.

You made it to the end of the street and turned to her. "This is my house! You'll be staying here with me till we can find a more permanent place for you, unless you decide you hate our guts and run away." You were glad she found your joke funny; it was hard to find people who you just clicked with though you were good at making do in a pinch. "The beach is just over that hill, if you're interested! I go there sometimes to clear my head. We should probably build a dock or something now that I think about it, get some trade going on." You unlocked and opened your door before stepping inside to show her around.

"Here it is! Not too cray but it's more spacious than a lot of the other houses in town. Zenix used to stay with me when he was younger so I wanted to make sure I had some extra room. I turned his old room into a guest room, you can stay in there for now." You turned to face her after your small tour of the house. "Oh my Irene I completely forgot! Umm...what's your name?"

She chuckled slightly and beamed at the question.

"I'm Aphmau!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed!

[sonicboomseason3]

🪿💥🥞 , Sonic and Tails?

ask game: send me AT LEAST 3 emojis (the more random the better) and AT LEAST 2 characters from sonic boom and i’ll come up with a little drabble in response!

"Sonic!"

Lying on one of the lounge chairs in front of his shack, Sonic looks up from his pancakes at the sound of Tails' voice and promptly spots him running towards him. "'Sup?" he asks as the fox skids to a stop in front of him.

"Behold, the Explodinator 5000!" Tails announces, brandishing his newest creation in his hand. It appears to be some kind of mechanical headband, complete with an antenna protruding from the top. "By putting this on, the wearer can make any desired target explode."

"Huh." Sonic looks back down at his pancakes. "Explode, like BOOM?" He tries to stab his downright stale pancakes with his plastic fork and lets out a frustrated sigh when he only succeeds in bending the tines.

"Explode, like BOOM! Do you have any idea how much this will help us in our battles with Eggman? I can just point this at his robots and reduce them to smithereens!" Tails finally takes his eyes off of the Explodinator 5000 to look at Sonic. "It isn't limited to just his robots either—Sonic, what is that."

"Pancakes," Sonic replies blandly, gesturing towards his plate in much the same way as Tails was doing moments ago with his invention. "Meh Pancakes, actually. Meh Burger's experimenting with the idea of a breakfast menu, and—"

"I'm talking about the giant bird."

"Oh." Sonic glances over at his other lounge chair, which is currently occupied by a giant white goose. "His name's Bruce. Bruce, meet Tails. Tails, meet Bruce."

"Hi," Tails greets stiffly.

Bruce honks.

Sonic begins to explain, "Bruce wandered into my shack this morning and climbed on top of me and woke me up with his goose noises—by the way, not the best way to start the day, don't really recommend it—and I couldn't chase him out, so..." He makes eye contact with Bruce and reaches over to scratch his head like one would do to a dog. "He's my pet now, I guess. Or at least he is until he decides to leave, whenever that'll be."

"And you're sure this isn't gonna just be another Buster incident?"

"Buster was a robot that shot slime. Bruce is a real goose. Trust me, I checked already."

"I don't think I wanna know how you did that, but that's good at least." Tails can't help but wince a little when Bruce honks again. "Just... make sure you know how to take care of him."

"Pretty sure he's wild, so he should know how to take care of himself—Hands off." When Bruce suddenly leans forward and tries to take a bite of Meh Pancakes, Sonic pushes him away a little more roughly than necessary. "They're mine. And believe me when I say you're really better off never having these."

Bruce's responding honk sounds downright enraged at being refused subpar breakfast food, but Tails is ready to dismiss it as simply his imagination... until Bruce suddenly lunges for him. He yelps and instinctively holds his hands out in front of him to protect himself, but instead of attacking him, Bruce snatches the Explodinator 5000 out of his grasp with his beak. Before either hero can digest what is unfolding, the goose tosses the headband into the air, and it lands squarely on his head.

"What the—" Still holding his pancakes, Sonic rolls out of his lounge chair in the nick of time. He barely registers the tiny explosion that goes off right above him, only fully realizing what's happening when he feels the charred bits of the back of his lounge chair rain down on him.

"Sonic, he's trying to explode you with his mind!" Tails says, horrified. "I really think you should give him the—"

Sonic leaps to his feet, still keeping a tight clutch on those accursed pancakes. "Bruce the Goose, you put that dangerous thing down right now!" Honestly, he sounds more like he's trying to get a small dog to spit something out and less like he's defending himself from a wild bird out for his blood. "I said put it down!"

Bruce honks, and Sonic dodges three more explosion attempts within the next five seconds.

"Pets," he grumbles at Tails. "Word of advice: If you ever think about getting a pet yourself, get a gerbil or something."

And then he dashes off. With the pancakes.

Bruce honks the loudest honk he's honked so far and takes to the skies to give chase, leaving Tails by his lonesome.

Tails stands silently for a moment before sighing wearily and pulling his notepad and pencil out. Flipping to the appropriate page, he quickly skims the notes he already has written. "'Explodinator 5000 - Status: Complete. Testing: Successful. Field Results:—'" He jots down the most recent update. "'—Stolen by a goose determined to cause a Sonic BOOM.' Huh. Wonder when I'll learn my lesson to not invent things that'll endanger my friends."

He ponders that thought for a moment before shrugging.

"Oh well, back to the workshop. Been meaning to work on that one invention that throws knives at everything within three feet of it anyway."

[nyxxxx-onepieces-dragun]

A/N: This is part two! enjoy meh lovelies <33

Characters: Mikey x gender neuteral! reader

"Hold My hand~" pt.2

"Let's go on a date." Those words made you stop dead in your tracks, a date!? and you gave him a dumbfounded expression He stopped and turned to you with a lazy tilt of his head "What's wrong?" he asked with a teasing smile "I-you-wha-" you stuttered a blush slowly creeping on your cheeks "y-you wanna go on a date with me!?" you asked in totally disbelief, he laughed and nodded "yea! that'll cheer you up we'll go to an arcade,eat dorayaki, and ride on my motorcycle!" you scanned his face for any sort of teasing or him just trying to make a fool of you but no, his raven eyes held no judgment or teasing and his smile was genuine "C'mon we'll go right now!" he said before grabbing your hand and pulling you to wherever he was taking you,mostly to his motorcycle and you tried protesting but not really because the way your heart fluttered and how hot your cheeks got when he said those words, maybe this wouldn't be so bad afterall.

It was the most fun and the most happy you've ever been. You both laughed hysterically while playing some arcade game to which he lost and hit the machine quite literally breaking the screen "Mikey! you broke the game literally!" you say through a fit of laughs and tears of joy "Shit- well we better get going before we get into some serious trouble" He says with a devious grin and you both run out of the arcade with a angry Karen chasing after you both for almost running over her son, you eventually lose her and stop by an alleyway catching your breaths while still laughing, he made you feel alive like you had a purpose on this earth and it made you so...so...happy.

"Okay now THAT was fun-" Mikey says with a bright boyish smile dusting his pants off as he looks at you with a somewhat serious look "I mean did you see that Karen? she was all like 'my poor baby how dare you incompetent delinquents run in a public place'-" you said still laughing and panting before you felt Mikey grab your shoulders to look him dead in the eye "I-" "I like you Y/N." those words hit you like a ton of bricks and you froze unsure how to proceed a bright pink blush painted your cheeks and your voice got caught in your throat "I like you Y/N I really really do...from the moment we first hung out I've always felt something for you I didn't realize it until today..seeing you smile and be happy with me is something I'll never get tired of"

he said as the a cool breeze passed by his blonde locks flowing effortlessly and his ravenette eyes soft and loving, his confession made your heart burst and your mind flooded with so many emotions it had your head spinning the blush on your cheeks only got brighter in color, you also hadn't realized it but you did like him to "I-I...I like you too Mikey but- I don't think you would like me if you saw another side of me" you said quietly hanging your head, you didn't want to burden him with your whirlwind of emotions and the sadness that consumed you late at night eating you alive, but he reached out and cupped both of your cheeks into his soft warm hands "I don't care, I like you, hell I even love you and nothing is going to change that I love the way you smile I love the way your eyes sparkle when I say some stupid joke and I love the way your always there for me when I need it, so now its time for me to return the favor"

before you knew it his soft lips were against yours in an instant, the kiss sent jolts of electricity through your veins as if you both became one in that moment his lips were so gentle and soft as if they were saying "I'm right here don't be afraid" and you both stayed like that for a moment before he pulled away slowly, leaving you stunned and dazed and he laughed softly "so, what do you say, how about another date where we don't get in trouble?" he said light heartedly as he scanned your face, "Yea....yea that sounds nice" you finally say after a couple moments still replaying the kiss that was now burned into your brain,

"Good, now c'mon hold my hand I'll walk you home" and after that day there wasn't a single dull depressing moment in your life, afterall, He was your Invincible Mikey.

JSKANJKDSDBJAD god this is so good i was literally screaming for joy for the reader and I was writing it but I hope yall enjoyed it go read PT.1 if ya haven't reposts/reblogs are welcome just credit me! <3

Tags: @nakukuu @z3r0aqxa

Link to pt.1: Hold my hand pt.1

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Quickly Think About the Ultimate Universe 2.0

With the new Ultimate Universe halfway through its first year, I thought I'd share my thoughts about it.

And before you ask, no, I have not read Ultimate Invasion...Though, I probably should. Apparently, it explains EVERYTHING about this new universe and how it came to be, as well as some origins. Like, I did not know until Ultimates #1 that Doctor Doom was Reed Richards...and I'm kind of disappointed by that, not gonna lie. I just LOVED the idea that in a universe ruled by an evil Reed Richards, it'd make a perfect sense of poetic justice that Victor Von Doom would be the one to go against him, either as a way of cosmic moral balance or for Doom to take control himself. It would have been GREAT whereas a Reed Richards turned Doctor Doom is just...Meh. MEH, I SAY!

With that said, conceptually, this new universe is already better than the last Ultimate Universe. I couldn't even finish reading the stuff in that universe outside of what went on with Spider-Man, because the Spider-Man stuff was the only part of that universe that was consistently good aspect of that universe where everything else was just try-hard, edgelord SCHLOCK. Don't believe me? Read the Ultimatum event and compare what went down with Spider-Man compared to all the other shock value that event tried to pull. It was an attempt to modernize Marvel's long history of characters and arcs, where the only good thing that came from it was Miles Morales.

As for this new universe, I loved the idea it presented just from Ultimate Universe #1. The concept of a world without its heroes because they never experienced their origin stories is BRILLIANT, aided by the idea that a band of heroes bringing others back into this changed world in order to save it. I also grew to love how the universe SORT OF acts in real time, making each month that passes between issues be a month in that universe. It's a great way to keep you in the mindset of the characters you follow as time moves both too fast and not fast enough, making you want some events to move forward but know, realistically, this is how real life just operates. It DOES give each issue of every title a pacing issue as everything that needs to be done needs to get wrapped up THAT issue so we can move onto the next, creating this scenario where we can't really have a two parter because that'll just...stall time, which isn't possible in this new universe. It's not a big deal yet, though, as it doesn't really hurt any of the stories...Well, most of the stories.

Speaking of, let's see how these new titles have been doing so far.

Ultimate Spider-Man

Just like the last universe, everything with Spider-Man is the best part of the canon. This is my introduction to Jonathon Hickman's work, and he doesn't disappoint. I love how he plays around with what fans expect, changing the lore and history of Spider-Man that works for this new universe. Where the last one was just about retelling some of Peter Parker's old adventures but with slight, modern updates, this title is more about challenging the character and asking the question, "What if Peter Parker became Spider-Man as an adult?" It answers it well, FINALLY giving fans what they've been wanting for 616 Peter Parker, making him a family man who feels like he should be doing MORE with his life despite how good things already are. There's also some great stuff going on with Harry I look forward to and an interesting angle with Uncle Ben that I was FLOORED when seeing it for the first time. I also like how well Hickman handles the slowburn. Despite having the story's timeline constantly moving forward from month to month, he manages it to go at the right kind of speed, knowing exactly WHEN to flashback to offer more information and fill in some blanks while still tying thing back into the present and showing Peter progress into a hero and Harry progress into...Well, we'll see. I'm already in love with this title, I'm willing to say it's better than the last Ultimate Spider-Man, and I am on my hands and knees PRAYING that Marvel looks at this, realize what fans REALLY want with Peter Parker, and make Zeb Wells step away from anything Marvel related from now to for-fucking-ever. He apparently already ruined Deadpool and Wolverine and IT'S NOT EVEN OUT YET!

Ultimate Black Panther

This one tends to combine stuff from the movies with lore in the comics, making something that's more of a royal politics drama as T'Challa tries to fight aware with Ra and Khonshu. And it's...good?

Honestly, out of all the characters, I don't fully understand why Black Panther got a title. With Spider-Man and X-Men, it makes sense because they're two of Marvel's most popular brands. And you can't do Fantastic Four because, well...obvious reasons are obvious. But for Black Panther, I guess it KIND OF make sense? The movies made the character SKYROCKET into popularity, with him and Wakanda being the more well-known now than ever and proving that a Black superhero CAN be profitable (Fuck you, Ike Perlmutter). It's likely that someone higher up said "Do Black Panther because he's hot right now," and everyone else just nodded along because it's not really a false statement. It just feels weird because...I don't know. It just feels weird to me.

That being said I do like most of the ideas presented here. I like how T'Challa is married to Okoye but his destiny says he's bound to be with Storm, which could present some interesting drama. I love how Storm and Killmonger are these sort of freedom fighters, twisting Killmonger's origins but in a way that kind of works with the character. I like how Shuri's more present in the story, likely setting up how she could be a Black Panther herself. I like the lore it's adding in and the set up of Black Panther going to war with GODS. And I REALLY love the new suit (even though the idea of it being nanotech can die in a fire). There's a lot of good stuff here, but it's where the pacing issues feel a little more noticeable. If this really is a timeline that's moving along from month to month, then it makes the slow progression of Wakanda warring with gods feel off. Like, five issues in, and it's NOW hinting that the battle has just begun, when it really should have began...five months ago. Let's be realistic here.

Another problem is just how...ANGRY everyone looks. It's just page to page of frowns and furrowed brows and it feels off for some reason. I get that this is a drama about royal politics, but if you want me to care about these characters, you gotta show that they can feel more things than anger or annoyance. So while there IS some good stuff in Ultimate Black Panther, it needs to polish off its rough spots to make it something great.

Ultimate X-Men

And here we meet the inevitable...

I think it's steadily agreed upon that this is the weakest aspect of the new universe. And...yeah, I have to agree.

POSITIVES FIRST, I do like the art style. I'm much more of a fan of an artist doing their own thing as opposed to copying a more realistic art-style that makes each comic look the same. An artist adding their own flavor gives a title an extra bit of punch, and it's no different here. And I like the idea of following Armor and having her face the guilt of a friend committing suicide. It makes for an interesting, personal story that makes this title worth the time despite some issues. As for those issues, there are three VERY prominent ones.

#1: The pacing is at its worst with this title. Everything goes by so quick that my brain never takes the time to fully register what happened. This month's issue said in its recap that Hisako and her friend got revealed as mutants, and I genuinely thought it was something that happened off-screen (Off page?), only for others to remind me it happened at the end of last month's issue. Except that it happened so fast that...I'm not sure HOW I was supposed to remember it.

#2: It's the most disconnected title of the whole universe. Ultimate Black Panther has T'Challa facing off against members of The Maker's council and Ultimate Spider-Man has Kingpin trying to JOIN said council. But with Ultimate X-Men, the most we get is an article talking about Storm and not much else. Instead, it forgoes lore and showing us more of this new world for the sake of a personal story. And that story IS good, I DO like it...when it occasionally slows down to say something, that is. But when other titles are showing me more of this new universe and how characters are reacting to it, I'm not as invested in this small story that, honestly, doesn't NEED to be in the Ultimate Universe to be told.

And #3: It's an X-Men title...with not many X-Men. Granted, this is a universe without mutants (Somehow. Does Ultimate Invasion answer that?), but part of what makes X-Men so good is the TEAM. We get to see this group of people interact, gain relationships, and bond together in a shared goal against the enemies of mutants. Four issues in, we so far have two characters, with only hints of there being more to come, but it isn't as strong as compared to the very first roster all the way back in the 60s or even late 70s. I don't need Wolverine and I don't even WANT Wolverine, but I DO want an X-Men title with more, you know...X-Men.

These problems are all the reason why the title feels so weak, at least comparatively. I know what Peach Momoko is TRYING to do, but with everything else going on in this universe, I'm finding myself less invested in Hisako's story than I am with anyone else's.

The Ultimates

And here we have the latest addition to the universe. Emphasis on late because that's the main thing going on within its first issue. To save themselves from certain death, Iron Man transported him and the new members of The Ultimates SIX MONTHS into the future...Or in this case the present. Time travel is always confusing...

This leads to most of the issue playing catch up so the characters can explain what they've been up to in the last six months as they fix the world and assemble a team to protect it. It's another case of the pacing being off, with Captain America getting the worst of it. They just BREEZE by Cap being in 2024 and all of America collapsing, all for the sake of focusing more on Tony and Reed giving heroes their origin stories. The second issue hints to be more Captain America focused and I REALLY hope we dive into how he feels about all these changes, but for an introduction it could have been handled better.

But that's just in the first half. By the second, things still go by a LITTLE fast but we still get some great stuff between Ant-Man and The Wasp. It's especially great with Hank Pym, showing how he WANTS to be good but fears of becoming the same mess 616 Hank has become. Even Cap gets a good "Captain America Speech" in to motivate Hank to do the right thing. I'm looking forward the MOST of what happens with Ant-Man of all characters, and if this comic accomplished that then it must be up to something good. It's just one issue, but we'll see what comes of it in the future.

All and all, this universe is off to an imperfect but...good enough start. There are flaws each title has and things COULD be better, but I am interested and I am MORE invested in what goes on in THIS Ultimate Universe than the last one. As long as they avoid using slurs, making Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver fuck, and having Nightcrawler kidnap a person to force her to love him (Yes, that all happened), it should be smooth sailing.

[bunnyloaves]

hickeygibson euthanasia posting hours

thinking about the hickeygibson euthanasia scene, or more like superimposing my own feelings onto it. not to put my hickeyposter street cred on the line like this but this is what i delusionally think its all about.

the take that its all about the pragmatism is just so meh to me. that hickey really just stabbed billy out of necessity and he's the one worst for wear out of all of them or that this euthanasia scene is just a perversion of the fitzier one. this one is Wrong while the other is Noble (they are just as noble as each other, yall girlies just don't like his form and manner in having done it :pp)

he saw billy suffering and wanted to put him out of that misery before he could fully sink into that debility and pain. and like fair, coming from them two its as much an expression of love as he can provide (we can now be sad about the sparseness of love, it was there but these conditions have whetted it into a weapon, ok) but the take that it was about love doesn't have enough grit to me either, like yeah thats them but i don't think thats how they operate.

idk TO ME that whole exchange is like. if hickey could reasonably believe that billy wasn't as worse for wear as he was. like if there was some measure of life (not just lumbering around camp) then i don't think he'd have stabbed him. they were gonna make it out together, not traipsing away to some tropical island, no. but they were gonna be together even with hickey's delusions of grandeur. like to some extent, billy IS hickey's creature, or wife, (or whatever u guys want) there is some measure of culpability there, a sense of responsibility for the deterioration they've reached

so there's this aspect of being culpable and guilt, whether he is forgiven by the other or not. its about whether he still looks at you with affection or is it vacant and long-suffering. the pivotal point is, if its a look of long-suffering then, yeah he'll shank the wifey. but if its a look with recognition, then no, he won't be shanked since having recognition means that billy's still attached to hickey. and i don't see hickey as the type to hand off recuperating/caring for billy to another person. like its definitely not bc he wants to do it himself, but i think it'd be sickening for him to have a person he liked turn to another figure for such comforts, like seeking that elsewhere IS a kind of betrayal to him. that's what the stabbing is TO ME, some kind of fucked up apology for letting billy wear himself out that much. since hickey's the one who put billy in this state, he's the only person allowed to absolve/extricate him from that pain.

yeah i hear you, billy is in a state of disarray, feed him more broth or something. isn't that the obvious loving response to your partner deteriorating?

i think a lot of it hinges on whether or not hickey perceives that billy accepted his proffered comfort, like yes the logical thing is to be tender (and he IS, like that bit was so tender) but what if he looks at you with emptiness, like what if the wifey is too far gone in his debility, what then. what if the tenderness/benefaction hickey is proffering is turned away. so your partner has just shown you that they aren't dying for the comfort ur offering and isn't that a damn betrayal (and by betrayal i mean like hickey makes the biggest slights out of nothing, be forreal) that betrayal is a catalyst for the shanking, more than love or practicality, its about the fear that they don't really need u at all, not when they're this far gone and deteriorated. and any future attempts at recuperation would similarly be too far gone to be fully appreciated. that betrayal riles him up enough to do this. like if billy smiled or any bit of recognition, i just know he wouldn't have been shanking him but since he's looking so sad n dejected that means he's not absolved (this isn't something that'll just come to pass, so he's compelled to shank)

like i don't mean this in that hickey is inherently manipulative, honestly i mean this in a pathetic "i kinda cant let u seek this from anyone else, bc it would render me impotent, and being confronted by my own impotency is driving me crazy". like oh it definitely was still about love and all that putting him out of his misery, but its a secret third flavor of attachment TO ME.

[theidiotwhowritesthings]

I have feelings.

Also, if you sent me a message with spoilers just know that I did see them and love them, but I won't be replying to any until a few days from now to avoid accidentally spoiling it for any one else.

MANDALORIAN SPOILERS BELOW CUT.

I think I liked the episode? No, I did. I did like the episode overall, but it felt... flat to me? I don't know how to put it into words, but I'm sitting here post finale feeling very '🤷🏻‍♀️meh'.

LIKE DON'T GET ME WRONG. Love, love, LOVE that Din Djarin officially adopted Grogu (side note was this episode trying to tell me that this entire fucking time Din was the family name and not Djarin? i'm ignoring that forever, Grogu Djarin shall thrive in my heart).

LOVE that it ends with Din having a little home with his little boy and it's hinting that he's gonna go on little adventures with Grogu😭 I adore that so much [an anon, sent me a message that at the end of the episode they thought of 'A Fresh Start' and I am not ashamed to say I did too😘]

LOVE that Bo Katan and Din didn't end up a couple. Which, I am sorry to those who really wanted them together (not super sorry mind you) but I still stand firmly by the fact that literally both of them could do better [and side note I'm still very much here for the absolute chemistry b/w the Armorer and Bo Katan].

LOVE all the fight scenes where Din kicked ass. Like, HOLY HELL. I made a post last week about how Din had no badass moments like he has in the last two seasons and the it was like the show writers went 'yeah okay bitch fine hold my beer' and wrote the most BADASS SCENES. The part where Din is kicking ass with R5 dropping shields one by one? Yeah, that'll live in my head rent free forever.

LOVE that gideon didn't take off Din's helmet. I want to see Din helmet less so badly but I also want it to be his choice the next time it happens (if it happens).

SO I LOVE ALL THOSE THINGS. But, I still finished the season feeling kind of 'meh'. I think it's because at no point did I feel like I was on the edge of my seat? But, you know what, whatever. I will claim this as a victory overall b/c Grogu is officially Din's son, Din is a home owner with his boy, he's back to his bounty hunting roots, and he got to end the season sitting his tired ass on the front porch while watching his son terrorize the local animal life.🙏🏼

[whattraintracks]

I was recently reminded of something I learned in an intro to college class that I call the +1/–1 energy continuum of relationships. I don't know if this concept has an actual name, if it does, I'd love to know! But I think it's pretty cool and useful, so let me learn you a thing

The basic idea of the +1/–1 continuum is that there are five types of people or relationships in terms of the energy they give you. Some people boost your energy, drain you, or don't really affect you either way.

+2s give you a lot of energy when you spend time with them, and that energy sticks with you: best friends, close family members, etc. +1s are pleasant to be around, they give you energy when you're with them: friends, close colleagues, your nice neighbor 0s are all those people who just exist in your space; you don't engage with them deeply enough for them to positively or negatively affect you –1s necessarily require some energy to interact with, maybe folks you just don't really vibe with –2s completely drain your energy and leave you feeling empty; likely unhealthy or toxic relationships

Now, you're going to meet and have people in your life all over this spectrum, but most people will be between +1 and –1, hence the name.

This concept was radical to 18-year-old me. For a long time, I thought all social interaction was draining and that was something I just had to get used to. There were really only a few people who weren't tiring to be around. Then I learned about this idea, and realised I just had a lot of –1 relationships in my life. And that's fine! That's normal! Those weren't bad people or relationships, I'm just naturally the kinda person who gets drained by social interaction. I needed to understand that about myself and those relationships to do something about it. Now, I know who my +1s and +2s are, and I make sure to keep them close. If there's a week I'm around a lot –1s and 0s, I make time to hang out with one of those few +2s in my life or chat with a few more of my +1s.

The point of the continuum isn't to go around categorising everyone in your life, but to be aware of those people who build you up and break you down or are even just meh to be around. Learning to balance your pluses and minuses, so most weeks you're coming out positive or at least an even 0, is really important: socially, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

For some people, that'll look like planning out their day-to-day and deciding who and how they want to interact with other people. If that's you, by all means. I'm not that kind of person. But I have noticed a difference when I take a moment to think, "Okay, where am I at energy-wise?" and then do what I need to boost my energy.

[say-hi-intrepid-heroes]

heyyy... the other day i played dnd for the first time and i had so much fun (it was a one shot campaign). thing is I've been having some big post rumination anxiety since then like i know it went well and usually i don't get anxiety this strongly but i feel sooooo awkward... also i thought the dm was really cool and i want to be their friend and that doesn't help actually. like i know my best option is to combat it with logic and let it go but also i just want to curl up in my bed and not be perceived like ever. i know this isn't yalls problem but you seem nice and i need it to let it out to someone

this is absolutely valid. D&D and TTRPGs are a form of improv, and improv is a performance. post-performance anxiety is normal.

i'd suggest talking to your DM! let them know how much you enjoyed the session, mention something specific. as a DM myself, this is the best thing that could ever happen to us, a player could be meh during the session but if they take the time to say something nice after, they're my favourite. that'll also open the bridge for friendship, which sounds like it could be a really cool thing.

but no matter what i'm so happy you got to play dnd!!! it's definitely a performance, but it gets easier the more you do it. best of luck, friend!!

[p5x-theories]

May I share a hot take/rambling? While Riko for now its my favorite, i feel like focusing the arc on Kataya takes away screentime from her.

Its not *too* bad, after all Riko fits a pretty popular anime archype, rich anime girl good at school and with a lot of pressures its quite common. But at the same time, showing her relationship with her dad in a 2 minute flashback its a bit Meh.

Compared to Makoto, who we see her relationship with Sae a lot, or Haru, who we see interact with her dad and fiancee multiple times, even if her arc too dosent foxus too much on her; Riko feels a tad bland. I hope her confidant will explore more her personality beside 'smart rich girl'

Honestly, I hope this doesn't come across as rude (because I really don't mean it that way!), but I'm surprised she's your favorite right now if that's how you feel about her, heh! It sounds like you don't really like what they're doing with her, so I'm not sure the plot/her arc is going to suddenly pivot to something you like better, if that's how you already feel about it.

I do think you're looking at this the wrong way, though. Makoto's relationship with Sae, and Haru's relationship with her dad, are kind of core relationships to their characters, and notably both cases are their relationships with Palace rulers. Riko's dad isn't the Palace ruler of this arc, Katayama is. Katayama is repeatedly shown to care about Riko's wellbeing, and her Shadow is what finally breaks Riko down and makes her acknowledge she wants genuine relationships and love. Riko's dad is shown twice: once in Katayama's flashback, where he reiterates that dedicating herself to being the perfect heiress is what Riko wants, and then later in Riko's flashback right before her awakening, where a very young Riko comes to him for praise after doing well on a test, and he just tells her she needs to do better. Katayama's relationship with Riko, and her influence on Riko, is the core relationship of this arc (from what we've seen so far); Riko's dad is just presented as part of the reason she repressed herself so much in the first place. We haven't seen any desire from Riko to connect with her dad emotionally; we have seen her acknowledge how important Katayama is to her, and it's her motivation for her awakening and reason for investigating Akashi in the first place, really.

Do you see what I mean? It's possible her Confidant will focus more on her relationship with her father, but we've already been shown he was always this bad. It's not like Sae or Okumura, who became worse over time and partially due to outside pressures. Riko's dad seems to have been this way for as long as Riko can remember. Riko's dad doesn't matter to this story arc; he's simply one aspect informing Riko's present personality. Katayama, thus far, has been the Sae/Okumura equivalent you're expecting Riko's dad to be, and considering it's her Palace, I don't really think that will change. It doesn't have to be a direct family member of Riko's to be an important relationship; in fact, I think it's more interesting because it isn't.

I do agree that she's the "smart rich girl" archetype, but I don't think starting with a trope necessarily means the character is bland. Her awakening certainly made her stand out to me compared to the other smart/responsible girl teammates in this series (who aren't always the rich ones, which is the only reason why I drop the "rich" there- I'm including Makoto, for instance). Obviously, we're going to get to see more of her in the story as it progresses, and in her Confidant, and that'll flesh her out more, but she really hasn't felt "bland" to me right now, so much as just a character that we're in the middle of being introduced to, heh.

[castillodeleon]

An Unserious Serious Conversation Who: Leo and Seb What: The two have a talk about Sebastian's relationship. Where: The Castillo Deleon residence When: May, 2024

A/N: Mentions of @rebecca-anderson & @salvadorquiroz

Leo began packing his books into his bag along with some Pokemon cards gifted to him by Henry and some board games he had begged his father for. Even though his birthday was three months away, Leo already had a long list of games he wanted and was excited about playing with Henry and Jason when they had the chance.

"You're the only kid I know that packs books for a sleepover." Seb bit into his apple and leaned against their dining room set. "Isn't that a little heavy?"

"That's not true. You know Henry and Michael Sin. Literally, all my friends are giant nerds."

Seb almost choked on his apple and laughed. "Excuse me?"

"We figured it's best if we embrace our natural selves. Me, a possibly queer boy from San Fransico who reads at a college level, loves spreadsheets and Dungeons and Dragons. Henry, the language and arts wizard with an emotional quotient that would shame just about anyone, and Jason---he's just cute. I don't know. I've got nothing, dad."

Seb shook his head. "Speaking of, will you be asking Jason to the summer soiree? I hear Mr. Escobar will be chaperoning."

"Meh. Dad, I don't think he sees me that way and Uncle Thomas says that's okay and I can move on when I'm ready. Maybe we'll do a group thing. Henry refuses to talk tot he girl he likes and Jason is too busy trying not to go to summer school for third time in his academic career. Do you think that'll be weird?"

"Um, I don't think so. You're all still so young. Not saying I didn't try to date in middle school but there's a lot that comes with all of that."

Leo nodded and zipped up his duffle. "Trust me I know. Xavier is getting us all sundaes today and Winter is going to come with us to the comic book store in town before we grab dinner and go back to Henry's house. So, you can call me on my cell phone or text me. Don't set the house on fire while I'm gone."

"Who's the kid again?" Seb walked back into the kitchen to toss the core of the apple into a trash can. "And Winter will make sure you all stay together?"

"I'm 12, dad not 4. Besides, Winter is really mature for her age. " He smirked. "Are you going on a date with Rebecca or Salvador tonight?" Leo was curious about the information his dad had given him last month and now that they've done the appropriate research, Leo understood it better.

Seb smiled as he began the dishes. Xavier would be here any minute to pick Leo up but he wanted to answer any questions his son would have for him. "Both of them." He shut off the water for a moment and reached for his dish towel to wipe his hands. "Did you understand what I meant the other day when I said I was dating them both?"

Leo nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I understand it better now. I think. I just wonder what it's like to be in love with two people. I know you're not in love yet but when it happens, like will it happen for both of them at the same time?"

"Um, that's a good question. I'm going to say maybe not. Maybe in a perfect world it would but I feel like it's very possible for me to love them both at the same time at some point which is why I'm in the relationship to begin with. I see them both as two individual people but at the same time, it's like being with one person so all the rules o f dating still apply."

"Huh. What about when it gets more serious? Will you marry them both?"

"Perhaps. But it's too soon to tell any of that. Again, if it does get more serious, it would be a strong consideration. Is that something you'd be open to knowing more about?"

"Yes." Leo replied quickly. "I like seeing you happy. That's what matters most to me but I also want to understand it all. Do you think they like me?"

Seb reached out for his son and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "What's not to like?"

Leo shrugged. "I know, right? I'm delightful." He giggled and looked up at his dad. "Do you think people will say mean things about you all?"

"It's possible. People are unpredictable but I do know that there are nice people and there are mean people. I can't change that or their mindset but if I'm happy and Becks and Sal are happy and YOU are happy, I feel like we'll be okay."

Leo took a moment to take that all in. "You know they're like really rich, right? like Henry is rich but they're rich rich. I looked up their profiles. It wasn't hard..."

"Whoa...Lee. No hacking my boyfriend and girlfriend, okay? I know them pretty well by now. There isn't anything you've discovered that I don't know. I promise. We're open with one another like that."

"And they're okay with us having a savings fund for new brakes?" Leo asked genuinely, not wanting to sound unkind. He was just a realist.

"I mean, they don't know about the needing new brakes part but they're not opposed to dating someone middle-class. Would it make you feel better if I brought them here for a dinner date? And you can join us. You can bring Henry as your emotional support friend."

Leo nodded. "Yeah...that would be helpful. I want them to see our house and maybe they can play Scrabble with us."

"Maybe." Seb wondered when he could make that happen.

"If they don't care that we eat out of takeout boxes and play Scrabble on Sundays and have a brake fund then they're great in my book. They already make you happy, dad." He looked over his shoulder when he heard the doorbell. "That's Xavier. Do you want to come out and say hello?"

Seb nodded and ran a hand through his cirls. "Yeah, I do. You know, your uncle Xavier is the reason I met Sal and Becks. And your aunt Cel."

"Yeah, aunt Cel was ready to kidnap you and throw you to the auction." Leo giggled again as he shouldered his bag. "That was funny."

When they headed out the door, Xavier was standing in front of a car he's never seen before and Seb let out a low whistle. "Whoa. Riding in Style!" He did the Fresh Prince handshake with him as Leo and Henry began their banter about Pokemon. "He knows now."

Xavier arched a brow and looked over his shoulder at the chatting boys. "Oh yeah? Good. That's good, Seb. You deserve all of this. And I happen to know Sal and Becks are excited about you three." He extended his hand to shake Seb's shoulder slightly and then chuckled. "I gotta get Winter before she kills me but tomorrow you can tell me about your date and we can chat some more when I drop Leo off."

Seb nodded and then knocked on the passenger window to get the boy's attention. "Be good! listen to Xavier and Winter!"

Xavier rolled his eyes playfully, before placing his sunglasses back on and getting into the driver's seat. "Should have left it at Xavier. Winter is too bossy as it is." He smirked and asked the boys to put their seatbelts on before driving off.

Seb pulled his cell phone out and text Sal and Becks asking them if they wanted to do Sunday dinner at his house and yes, they were still on for tonight.

[srkizer]

dave can do anything successfully... when he's sufficiently paid.

even his name rhymes with paid.

there is absolutely no way dave played the role of annie pretty decently. it's a given that dave also doesn't really care about the petty stuff from the past, as amy's the one who got him fired (it's actually eggman) but he did not let that be a reason to act like a hurrdurr like how he portrayed sonic under eggman's directions.

and then meh burger vip section. dave would look like someone who's incapable of getting anything right, but tommy knew. pay him enough and get a top notch service that'll set up team sonic to push sonic towards him.

and then he somehow is the only person capable of making fries. not even amy, since all her food from the show never involved any. eggman almost made it... but almost is not quite a success.

when both team sonic and eggman got conned by tw barker, dave never did. reason be damned, he never got conned in the show, outside of his job, where he is not supposed to care much anyway.

when he sensed that eggman won't give him the chance, he rose up and claimed a doomsday device. he's the og striker against eggman.

be like dave. show the best performance if you're paid well. rise up if you're being mistreated. if you don't like it and aren't paid enough, do just enough to be kept employed. the other option is to dig up a weapon of ancients like charlie. which you won't make it.

[keyblade-knights-blog]

Introducing Tamiel

"What was with the shouting?? That's it! I'm coming in!" Both the Dreamer and Gabriel jump as that voice gives it's final warning, something on the other side turning the door knob. Gabriel looks into the mirror and quickly shushes the alien figure in it. "Don't say anything, I don't want her to worry. Let ME do the talking." ... A moment later, the alien reflection vanishes and Gabriel's is left in it's place. At the same time, the whispers of strange thought quiet in his head.

And when the door opens, a new figure walks in. A young girl about the robot boy's age. Where the boy wore a simple cap to hide most of his hair however, this one let her wiry but somehow full head of blonde hair, dressed in reds similar to the young man, and decked out in steam punk looking gear here and there as well. "Pfft, what's taking so long lazy bum~?" Gabe lets out a fond sigh. "Good Morning Tamiel."

Tamiel? .... Huh. And Gabriel. For whatever reason, the Dreamer was starting to pick up a theme here. "It's Tammy, Gabby! Tammy!" The girl puffs out her cheeks, and the motion looks so fluid and so fleshy, that the dreamer briefly forgets, in spite of the copius amounts of evidence provided, that this girl is made of metal. "You really gotta stop using the full name thing. The only one 'round here who should be saying 'Gabriel' or 'Tamiel' should be dad." The robotic fem huffs and looks around. "BUT, more importantly, I heard shouting. Is everything alright?" "OH UH THAT. UH... Let's see uh...." This poor kid starts to very clearly flounder, and it becomes apparent to the Dreamer that Gabriel has never lied even once in his entire life. There isn't even a single idea tinging up in his brain that could plausibly explain the shout. ... So that's when the Dreamer comes in. "OH RIGHT! Meh, it wasn't anything too serious... Just uh.. Just somehow got grime in a place I didn't know I had." The excuse he fires out? It was clear the Dreamer had been INTENDING to imitate Gabe's voice with a simple impression... And yet it almost FEELS like he had briefly taken control of Gabriel's voice box a few times in there. ... He could TELL Gabe wanted to glare at him. But Tamiel just titters. "Oh is THAT all~? Well I guess that'll teach you not to jump into Ole Mr. Grinder's dump again~." Gabriel takes over from there, "I JUMPED IN TO GET BACK THAT PART YOU DROPPED!!" Ah, the exasperation of a flustered brother~. And the mischievous tittering of a younger sister. It was honestly cute~. "Well WHATEVER Mr. gross~." Tammy continues giggling, fit to burst for a good few seconds before she regains control of herself. "Dad's ready if you are! He wants to give us both a check up before we rush out to do work around town!" With that said, she backs up to the door. "Don't keep us waiting anymore! You've already slept in by a lot!" And with that? Tamiel takes her leave out the door, leaving Gabriel alone in his room. ".... How did you do that?" Gabriel shoots out, sounding terrified at even the POTENTIAL answers. "... Well, honestly, I was just trying to do an impression of you to help you out... And for whatever reason it just... Came out as your voice-?" Gabriel turns to the mirror to give it a flat look.

The young dreamer in the mirror just blushes a bit. "I'm sorry! I swear I didn't mean to take over your voice box too~..." ... Gabriel just lets out a groan. "WHATEVER... Well, hopefully my Dad'll be able to make heads or tails of you." His smile becomes wide and victorious. "He's the smartest guy on the Spaceport and he knows everything! I'm sure he can make sense of it~!" ... Spaceport? "Hold on... Gabriel right? Where... Exactly are we?" That causes the robot to look confused. "Wait... You don't know? I thought you might've been some kind of ghost or somethin... But you don't even know that? Weird..." He grumbles as he walks to the window. "Well whatever. You're currently on-" Then he opens the window. -------------------------------------------- ... And Words? Words do not even begin to describe the sight that awaits outside that window.

-------------------- Title Card Reference: [ https://youtu.be/tWDv7ZQ9v8A?si=tzSedq2bRZ4OAOOv ]

[purecommemasolitude]

Thoughts on Eurovision rehearsals so far

Norway - Not sure about the hair, but other than that I love the outfit upgrade! One of my favourite parts of seeing NF choices in the actual contest is seeing upgrades like that :) Other than that it seems to be pretty much the same as the MGP staging, which is fair enough-- if it ain't broke don't fix it and whatnot

Malta - Suddenly this has shot up from "meh probably won't qualify" to "oh boy this has a good chance of qualifying". The staging looks fantastic; the Maltese delegation really outdid themselves. Excited for how the choreography seems to be more elaborate than the NF choreo 👀

Serbia - Once again not much to say on this one since it's essentially the same as the NF-- I was expecting something very different than the NF staging for some reason, but I hope they make it work and can qualify!

Latvia - Falls a little flat in the videos, but the pictures look fantastic, so I have no doubt that this is going to be elevated tenfold by the camerawork. The light work is great and I really hope they get their costumes back from their allegedly lost luggage jksdfh

Portugal - I miss the couch :( and honestly I prefer the dress from the NF way more, but I have faith that Mimicat will probably pull off a great live show regardless. It looks like the lighting is gonna be excellent also!

Ireland - It seems like nice staging! And their costumes look good too, though I'm not as sure about Conor's as I am about the others. I don't think it'll be enough to save them from NQ though :(

Croatia - An alas in the chat for them not seeming to have a real traktora 😔 Other than that though, the staging looks even more buck wild than the NF, and I'm terrified by the fact that they seemingly got the okay for the stripping and butt corks (?). Honestly I still don't think they'll qualify, but I won't be upset at all if they do (and I am very looking forward to seeing first-time reactions to them)

Switzerland - Mixed feelings on this one honestly. I love that they have contemporary dancers and also the lights, and massive props to Remo for singing so steadily while running, but I'm not sure how I feel about him dancing alongside the dancers (I was hoping for more of an elaborate choreography piece around or behind him that tells a more elaborate story), however I am reserving full judgement until the semi-final because the staging seems to evolve a lot and that makes this snippet even less of an indicator than most. Also not a huge fan of his outfit, but it's growing on me a little

Moldova - I can already tell this is going to be great. Moldova never fails with staging and this is no exception-- the lights, costumes, choreography, etc all come together to create an excellent atmosphere very fitting of the song

Sweden - Well, she's keeping the platform! I'm not sure if the Swedish delegation is going to really have to play camera angle tricks to make it look bigger/more impressive or if it really will look as cool as the Melfest one did to people who haven't seen her NF staging. Very nitpicky but I'm not as big of a fan of pattern of the. I don't even know what to call it honestly. The shell? The outer casing? of her platforms, but it'll probably become inconsequential come the live shows

interim text so I don't exceed the character limit for the lists which apparently exists 👍 also a good place to put a read more

Israel - Ohhh I can already tell this is going to be fantastic. The costumes look great, the stage setup is excellent, the choreography is tight and well-done-- I had my doubts about the dance break but it already looks like it's shaping up to be one of the most enjoyable parts of the evening. The only things that could maybe kill this are a) bad camerawork or b) if people compare her too much and too negatively to Chanel, but even then I don't think that'll make that much of a difference, especially when it comes to her qualification

Azerbaijan - Oh no :(( oh girlies no :((( This staging pretty much killed any chance I saw of it qualifying, and I really like the song-- it's very much on the left-hand side of my ranking. Actually, the more I watch it the more I do like it, and it does have good aspects-- the costumes are fun to look at and I really like the lighting-- but I don't think it'll be enough to qualify, and I'm not a fan of centring the guitars so much in their performance when everyone knows they'll just be mimed? It works for other, less common instruments, like the violin or the saxophone, or of course folk instruments, but something as generic as the acoustic guitar doesn't really add that much (okay I looked closer and one of them is actually a bass whoops. That makes it slightly better but I don't think it'll do that much in the long run)

Czechia - Ahh!!!! Czechia!!!! I never really had my doubts that much about what their staging was going to look like, but now that we've seen it will after all be dramatic like the music video I'm so so excited to see the final product. I didn't like the pink in the pictures, but it works much better on video, and if they can get their vocals well then the entire package is going to be phenomenal. I'm predicting that their full performance will probably give me child night of the semi-final

The Netherlands - The staging seems pretty similar to S10's last year, which is fitting because they're similar songs. I'm not sure on the staging, but I'm predicting camerawork will make a world of difference, as tends to be the trend, I feel, with more intimate songs + stagings like this and Latvia. I love their costumes, and I'm wishing them the most broken of legs in terms of performance

Finland - Ahh I'm excited!! Very intrigued to see the upgrades to the staging, and I think the dancers' hair being plastic as well is a nice touch. I think the music video will always be my favourite visual representation of the song, but this is shaping up to be quite nice staging, an excellent closer (but we already knew that), and I think making the stage + lights rainbow instead of just gold was a really good one

Denmark - The set looks really really cool, I'm excited to see it in motion! Still have no idea why this is opening, and that might hurt its chances a bit, but the staging seems much more exciting than I was expecting. I honestly liked his outfit today more than any other outfit he's performed the song with so far and was very disappointed to learn it's not his actual costume elemayo. I hope his final costume is something similar

Armenia - Not what I expected! I love her costume and the first part, but I was hoping she'd get off the platform at some point-- looking at it, I doubt they'll not be able to make it work, though. I wasn't too keen on the lights at first glance, wanting something more like her preparty performances, but I watched it again and it actually does look pretty nice-- if they pull the lights off well the whole song and have good camerawork, this is going to place high, I'll wager

Romania - It looks fun!! I never really had problems with either this or his NF staging, but I'm seeing it's not very popular staging still, which is a shame. The outfit is nice (obviously I love the Pikachu socks) and the only complaint I have at the moment is that having yourself be a giant background sure is a Choice. My prediction is that he'll either NQ or borderline qualify and get a low result in the final, but I'm hoping he'll do well! He's a great vocalist and an excellent performer, especially considering he's only 18

Belgium - This song has been rapidly growing on me recently, and the staging looks pretty good! I was fervently hoping for something more different than the NF staging or the music video, but it seems to work really well on the bigger screen + stage. It'll be fun to have a dancer there, and overall the whole show looks like it'll be good!

Cyprus - It's better than I expected! I'm not sure if this one needed the LED screens or if it would've been better as just lights, but I wasn't sure how they would stage it and they by far exceeded by expectations. The stage seems like it'll go through a journey following the song, his outfit looks great, and his vocals are Excellent. If this qualifies I don't think it'll do well in the final, but I'm hoping it will, because so far it looks fantastic!