#episode 5 has a section where everyone is getting it on but that's like the least disturbing thing about it

[speakergame]

Progress Update - 3/4/24

Hello and happy March!

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? 😅 Well, I finally have some good news for you this time: I have some actual news!

I'm happy to be able to announce at last that an update is on its way! I’ve still got some assets to make and code cleanup and testing to finish, but I should finally have something to show you soon.

I’ll put a cut at the end of this and go into more detail about the what and why of what I’ve been working on during this long and unintended hiatus, but the tl;dr is that I hope to have an update out by the end of the month, and that said update will break any saves made in Chapter 4. Unfortunate, but unavoidable, since Chapter 4 had to be recoded from the beginning 😞

I just want to thank all of you once again for sticking with me through my extended silence! Especially to my patrons who’ve put up with me putting everything on pause month after month while I dealt with my real life shit, and to everyone who’s sent me kind and supportive messages to let me know Speaker hasn’t been forgotten. It really means a lot to me.

Okay, enough of that sappy shit! I’m gonna get back to work finishing this up 😁 I’ll put out another update later this month once I have a more definite release date.

Thank you all for reading! I hope you’re having a fantastic 2024 so far, and that the rest of the week treats you kindly. See y’all soon! 💙💙💙

(For those who want a more detailed breakdown on what’s been happening and what to expect, hit the readmore)

I won’t go into the personal life stuff I’ve been dealing with this past year that has slowed down my work, but as far as the actual game goes: 

To put it simply, I just wasn’t happy with it. Some of it could be because of how many times I had to reread the same section while I was coding the scenes that would’ve taken place after the last update, but no matter how much I edited or rearranged it, I didn’t like how that scene turned out. There was something… formulaic that had been happening with the way I always laid out scenes, and a bit of stagnation in the story, character, and relationship development that bothered me.

So I rewrote it. And when I still didn’t like it, I rewrote it again. And I still didn’t like it. I thought about scrapping the whole thing on more than one occasion as I struggled to get out of the corner I’d written myself into.

Inspiration finally struck at the beginning of this year, thanks in part to another interactive novel I follow, and I really like the direction I’ve taken it now. 

Instead of the RO split scenes happening where the last one left off, Speaker, Seer, and Gavin are gonna have a chat about Things™ to move the next story arc forward. Then Speaker will get some downtime, by themself at first and then in an extended scene split with the RO of their choosing. 

All the Big Plot Things that were going to happen in Chapter 4 will be moved to Chapter 5 instead, and 4 will be a bit more of a filler episode. A deep breath before the plunge, as it were.

This split won’t just be a quick conversation/reaction from the RO, but a full on different direction for the rest of the chapter based on who you choose. Most of them will involve leaving the house; all of them will involve actual one-on-one time (or one-on-two time, as the case may be) away from the others. And though romance isn’t required, all of them will have the potential to really move the romance forward if you so choose. One or two might even have a lock-in choice (maybe. I’m not 100 percent on that, so don’t hold me to it) 

These scenes won’t be in the next update, because they’re all very complex, but the update will definitely have the Seer chat and at least some of the by-yourself stuff. The update after will have the rest of the alone time stuff (including the clothes/body CC you’ve all been waiting for), and then the one after will start the RO scenes. I think.

I may actually split the RO scenes into separate updates, and let my darlings over at Patreon vote for the order they’re released. That way I can focus on one at a time instead of trying to split my attention six ways at once.

Okay, that’s enough rambling for me today. Time to get back to work! Still got a lot to get done before this is ready, but it’s so close now.

[seaofwine]

What do you like about the Odyssey? Besides some entertaining episodes (e.g. Circe or Calypso), I've never really been able to get into the Odyssey as a whole (I find the first 5 books especially dull). The Iliad really speaks to me more.

It's hard to really pinpoint what I like most about it but I love to talk about the Odyssey so I hope you like long posts hahaha

The first five books act as the exposition. When the Iliad ends, there's a general understanding that most of the surviving characters made it home. Menelaus and Helen have reunited, the catalyst for the Trojan War has been resolved. Agamemnon traversed the sea and made it back, and although he was killed by his wife Clytemnestra, there is no question about where he is; unlike Odysseus.

Telemachus has spent his entire youth without a father. When he finally decides to set out from Ithaca to find any leads on where Odysseus is, he is confronted with the fact that most everyone else has been accounted for. He sees Menelaus and Helen, the order of their kingdom, the comfort they have in each other and the bonds they have restored. Telemachus has known nothing but uncertainty, while his mother is forced to weave lies and deceptions to keep the suitors that plague their home at bay. The first five books really show how important one man can be when he is utterly lost, and what it would mean for everyone who loves him should he be found. These books also show the close interest that Athena, as patron of Odysseus, takes in his family. She steps into the chaos of Ithaca and gives Telemachus the inspiration to embark on his own journey, chasing the ghost of his still-living father.

When we finally reach Odysseus, he is not the same man that those who knew him in Troy described. They are the closest Telemachus can come to knowing what came of his father, but even they are separated by nearly a decade and the breadth of the sea. Penelope hasn't laid eyes on her husband in twenty years, there is no overestimating what that can do to a person's memory. Odysseus's first action is to cry. When finally Calypso is forced to allow Odysseus to leave, by order of Hermes, he makes his own raft and leaves at the first possible moment. He is fighting against the will of Poseidon, against the wrath he incurred, all alone. He has lost every single one of his men, every single person who could ever vouch for his identity, in a world where no one could recognize him, is gone. Despite this, he is still fighting to get back to Ithaca.

Odysseus is so utterly human in the text. When he is hosted by Alcinous, Odysseus asks the singer there to recount the story of the Trojan Horse. It's like landing at the doorstep of a stranger who graciously allows you to stay and immediately asking his DJ to play *your own* greatest hits - which in turn only upsets him. This also sets up the dramatic reveal of his identity (I like to imagine him looking around like, you guys remember this one? Yeah that's Me, I pinkie promise. Please give me 4000 drachmae and your best oarsmen (: ).

He recounts the story of how he got so utterly lost on the way back and one thing the Odyssey will tell you, to your face over and over again, is that Odysseus is a big time liar. But for some reason, his tale is so compelling it's hard to remind yourself of that when hearing it for the first time. Some points are so beyond baffling (like striking Polyphemus in the singular eye the poor sod has, and then once to the safety of his boat (which is on open water, the domain of said cyclops's father) loudly announcing his full gods-given name and mailing address, just in case anyone missed who it was) that it's like, yeah that was probably exactly what he did. This is the section of the story where we see Odysseus as he sees himself. This is his own reflection of the actions he made and the troubles that befell him because of it.

Odysseus is such a complex character that one of the epithets he is given is "polytropos", the many-faced or many-sided. Odysseus and his relationship to his own identity, which he can shed and don at any point that's convenient for him, is one of the main reasons I am obsessed with his story. This, and the exploration in an ancient text about what a close relationship with a deity, is something I am constantly thinking about.

[quasi-normalcy]

Lower Decks season 5 predictions!

Shaxs/T'ana wedding!

Relatedly: Kira is a wedding guest

Possibly related: We get to see the Caitian homeworld

William Boimler returns, seemingly as a villain, but actually he's infiltrating Section 31 on Riker's orders

Mariner needs to be in command of a group of ensigns, at least one of whom is obnoxiously insubordinate towards her

The alternate reality version of Rutherford from the trailer has all his original memories

Another Crisis Point episode! Or, rather, I'm thinking that there will be a fake epilogue at the end of the finale where it looks like it's a few years later and one of them has been given their first command, but then it turns out to be on the holodeck

Ferenginar joins the Federation

There's an actual serious episode where some supporting character gets "redshirted"

A Planet Killer joins the battle in the opening credits

Everyone gets promoted up to lieutenant in the finale

Not quite a cliffhanger ending, but something that demands closure occurs in the finale

Something happens that's relatively innocuous on its own terms, but ties directly into the backstory for 'Prodigy' or 'Picard'

Avery Brooks guest stars. (I'm not actually expecting this, this is blatant wishcasting. But even so.)

[robogalaxies]

☎️ - The Unneeded But Happily Researched Crumbs Of Everything We Know About The Commissioner

“If anything happens… I’ll deny I ever knew you.”

The Commissioner is, as we all know, a mystery, and I hope it stays that way, but I put it upon myself to wrangle every little tidbit of information we have on him outside of giving cases! I do this solely because of three things:

I have nothing better to do

I find myself strangely endeared to his character (i.e. I do a gay little "favorite character" clap every time I hear him mentioned)

I want to share all my random knowledge with you all because I go digging for it in every S&M media there is

I'll be dividing this up into 4 sections for ease of access: comics lore, games lore (HtR, Telltale, TTIV), cartoon lore, and misc. lore. Some things MAY be assumptions based on other characters' reactions to what he MIGHT be saying or say about him, sure, but I will source all information on where to find it & provide images when they can be easily provided!~ If anything new comes up or I have forgotten something, I'll update. Until then... hope you love both hyperlinks and "at least I laughed at it" style commentary! ☎️

Comics Lore

The introduction of The Commissioner, as with everyone else! Small tidbits of his quite understated character outside of being The Phone are here, obviously, including:

the Commissioner's one and only speech bubble! (Bad Day on The Moon)

the beginnings of the implied "I love you" statements towards Sam & Max with an "XOXO" on a postcard (Bad Day on The Moon)

he shows SOME disdain towards Sam & Max's attitudes towards achieving their goals, being the one specifically to tell them to go on a road trip (On the Road #1, "Prisoners of The Casbah")

Games Lore

Hit the Road

The Commissioner is barely a character in this game (big surprise, right?) and you do not get much information on him minus the bare minimum of "he is Sam & Max's boss," so there's not much to be said here. In fact, I don't know why I mentioned it. Great game, though, go play it! Now! I'll wait until you get back :)

Save The World

Welcome back! There're only minor silly tidbits here, but they're needed for this comprehensive list. Everything is worth mentioning about a character with nothing to his name but "The Commissioner." I mean, you're reading this post, right?

wears bifocals! 👓 ("The Mole, The Mob, and The Meatball")

was once in contact with & worked with Harry Moleman, as he sent him to be the mole for the Toy Mafia. Crossover of the century... I wonder if he knows how far poor Harry has fallen ("The Mole, The Mob, and The Meatball")

Takes Sam & Max out for dinner sometimes, apparently, if they do well enough on their cases! Squirrel Garden sounds disgusting, but I'd be jazzed too if they also had the free breadsticks ("The Mole, The Mob, and The Meatball")

likely just a quick jab, so I don't really know why I'm putting it here other than humor, but Max apparently doesn't trust him! I hope that gets solved; Commissioner is sorta signing his meager paychecks ("Bright Side of The Moon")

Beyond Time and Space

The middle child of the Telltale trilogy, this game has barely anything in terms of tidbits given that he really only assigns the beginning cases in 1 out of 5 episodes, and even then, that doesn't give a single thing away. Despite this, there's gotta be one or two tidbits we should learn, right? Sure!

is aware of Sam's insistence on answering the phone & seemingly asks straight up why he didn't answer (What's Up, Beelzebub?)

Can confirm an "I love you" towards Max... d'aww! (What's Up, Beelzebub?)

The Devil's Playhouse

The Commissioner barely shows up or is referenced in this game, mainly due to the story existing outside of the common framing of "assigning cases," but we learn two small yet revealing tidbits:

British Columbian! 🇨🇦 (The City That Dares Not Sleep)

Has provided books on cultural and racial sensitivity for Sam & Max because they kept "reducing people to obvious stereotypes." (The City That Dares Not Sleep)

This Time, It's Virtual!

The phone exists yet again... but in your VR HEADSET! Some fairly funny Commissioner lore in this one even if you, like almost everyone I've seen in this fandom, dislike or even hate this game:

His family is in hiding, and I'm assuming Witness Protection?! Must come with the territory (phone call after completing first three Freelance Training segments in-game)

Can confirm an "I love you" of some sort said to Sam ... d'aww! (phone call after completing first three Freelance Training segments in-game)

Signs off even official, legal wanted posters with "The Commissioner," asking people to seek the help of Freelance Police & associates himself as PART of the Freelance Police!

signs your certificate at the end of the game, which mentions the Illuminati in conjunction with his name for some reason! What kind of policing are we running here....??

Cartoon Lore

Truly, the 90s cartoon is where most Commissioner lore lies if we take into consideration all of these happen within the same universe, which we likely shouldn't. This being said, the cartoon provides us with the only picture we have of the guy (see post photo above the cut). Alongside this, we also get a LOT more information than any other media:

before we even start the information in the ACTUAL cartoon, Sam & Max say within the show's initial Bible believe he's out to kill them, in some way, saying they're the "troubled, ungrateful sons he never had." That's so sweet ... in a way. As well, there's a very small section dedicated to the Commissioner as a character, though not much is said that we don't already know (Sam & Max Cartoon Series Bible)

has Geek's number, or at least a number to the Sub-Basment of Solitude, as he calls it more than once over the course of the series, which makes me wonder how well he may or may not know Geek! Like a grandniece or something (episodes 1, "The Thing That Wouldn't Stop It" & 3b, "They Came from Down There")

cried over the story of Sam & Max having to get rid of John, their beloved alligator son... must be a shared parental instinct (episode 6a, "That Darn Gator")

apparently sends sticker books in case briefings on a semi-regular basis, as Sam comments that he "loves when the Commissioner does that" as if it has happened before - how whimsical! (episode 6b, "We Drop at Dawn")

confirms the Commissioner as a legitimate police commissioner alongside being Sam & Max's boss (episode 6b, "We Drop at Dawn")

seemingly very fussy if not given his private bathroom and honor bar. Fancy stuff, Commissioner, & he apparently allows Sam and Max up there! Or not, they just sorta bust in. Whatever! Sharing is caring (episode 6b, "We Drop at Dawn")

the Commissioner has a DAUGHTER! and somehow, Sam & Max got invited to her WEDDING! I think she's beautiful and I hope she doesn't resent her special day getting ruined (episode 11a, "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang")

that iconic, signed, chest only photo given with the solemn, loving, promise of "If anything ever happens, I'll deny I ever knew you," followed by Max crying that it's "It's just... so him." - what a loving, tender and slightly bordering on oddly familial relationship he has with Sam and Max... stop, I'll start crying! (episode 13, "The Final Episode")

Misc. Lore

These are lore tidbits that are present in mediums either outside of the media itself, belong in a game that is not technically part of the larger S&M canon, or has to do with out of media context, but should be included anyway because why not!

gifts Sam & Max a new floaty pen from a different United State every Christmas ... but not really anything else! (Poker Night 2)

Sam & Max discuss the Commissioner's power in response to doubt about his existence, claiming "Don’t you know he’s everywhere? He knows we’re talking about him right now!" - which is sort of scary, but I'll let it slide because it implies that the Commissioner's surveillance is of a much higher caliber than we initially thought and that is BANGER (in-character interview for Telltale, found here on Steve Purcell's Sam & Max FB page)

He's affectionate yet surly & I'm sure all those "I love you" statements contribute to that! D'aww... (Skunkape Origin Video)

Voiced by a member of Bay Area Sound, Julian Kwasneski, in the Telltale trilogy! Talked about and even has a LINE recited in this specific developer commentary! We love a mysterious boss who sounds like an adult in Peanuts.

God bless the guy, he had a rash! Does this matter? No. Will it ever matter? Likely not, as it was from the sadly cancelled Sam & Max: Freelance Police trailer. Sighs. At this point, you can tell I'm just adding whatever mentions we get of the guy. Makes me giggle, though.

Conclusion...?

In the end, the Commissioner is a mystery, and always WILL be a mystery. Hell, I sort of never want to know as it will ruin every single thing I have worked so hard to archive, but it is fun to comb through the different canons! Of course, it is likely any of this can be tossed out or considered non-canon in the blink of an eye because Sam & Max always loves to give a middle finger to character details if they don't affect the main plot & likely a lot of these are mere gags. The Commissioner is phone, and always will be only phone. However, it's always in my best interest to try to find ANYTHING to push back the curtain even the tiniest inch, and I hope my efforts were worth it. Now, to sign off, just press that phone! You got it, you got it! ☎️

[nanawritesit]

SM Entertainment Girl Group Idol AU (fem!reader insert)

feel free to use this for shifting or as a fanfiction backstory! (just tag me if it’s the second one hehe)

disclaimer: the extra info sections aren’t all original ideas, many were found on pinterest/tiktok :) images aren’t mine either

tw: none that i’m aware of

Group Profile:

Group Name: Etoile (meaning star/ point of a star in French)

Members: 5 (5 points on a star)

Fandom: Starlight

Concept: Ethereal, Cosmic, Elegant

Debut Year: 2017 (between Red Velvet and Aespa)

Debut Song: “Constellations”

Debut Album Title: “5 Makes 1”

B-Sides: “Aries,” “Nebula,” “Orbit,” “Stardust,” and “Pisces”

Fandom/ Lightstick Color: Indigo and White (stars in the night sky)

Group Chant: All: “Twinkle twinkle!” Nabi: “Hi Starlight! It’s…” All: “Etoile!”

Members Profile:

Y/N: Oldest, Center/ Face of the Group, Main Vocalist, Speaks Korean, English, and Chinese

Cho Nabi: Leader, Lead Vocalist, Korean, Speaks Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese

Marie Tang: Main Dancer, Chinese-American, Speaks Korean, English, and Chinese

Han Iseul: Visual, Lead Dancer, Korean, Speaks Korean

Ikeda Kaori: Maknae, Main Rapper, Japanese, Speaks Korean and Japanese

Extra Info about the Group:

Pre-debut, Etoile released a cover of Girls Generation’s “Genie,” and it blew up so fast that fans couldn’t wait for them to debut

Etoile is known as “the bridge between third and fourth generation” in the kpop community

The members are also known as “the princesses of SM”

Etoile does a lot of variety shows because everyone loves the members’ funny personalities and playful group dynamic

Etoile was featured in a popular kdrama as themselves, though they only had a few lines in a couple episodes, it became a fan favorite and made the ratings sky-rocket

Etoile’s second comeback, “Andromeda,” is said to have one of the most difficult girl group choreographies in kpop. It was also the song that got them their first win

When Etoile got their first win with “Andromeda,” all of the girls were crying hysterically, including Nabi who was supposed to give the speech. She ended up handing the mic to Y/N, who had just been smiling happily the whole time. Y/N pulled Nabi into her arms as she gave the speech, and then the other three girls assembled a group hug around them. It became such a tender moment for Starlights that everyone watching started crying too

Etoile did a collaboration music video with Sailor Moon where all the members got to dress up as the sailor guardians. Y/N was Sailor Moon, Nabi was Sailor Mars, Marie was Sailor Mercury, Iseul was Sailor Venus, and Kaori was Sailor Jupiter

Etoile has their own plushie characters that are put on headbands and other merchandise for Starlight, similar to BT21 and Skzoo. Y/N’s is a white swan, Nabi’s is a blue butterfly, Marie’s is a black cat, Iseul’s is a pink puppy, and Kaori’s is a yellow duck

Etoile did a collab with “rom&nd,” a korean makeup brand, where each member got to create their own shade of lipstick. The five shades the members created sold out in just three minutes.

Etoile performed a cover of EXO’s “Growl” during one of their concerts in male school uniforms, and Starlights were so impressed by how cool and masculine they were

Being sandwiched between the two girl groups, Red Velvet and Aespa are like the older and younger sisters of Etoile (respectively.) The Red Velvet members are always checking in on them and giving them advice, and Etoile does the same thing for Aespa.

Starlight is famous for being one of the most loyal and devoted fandoms. They buy the girls billboards and food trucks for their birthdays, protect them from antis, and offer so much love and support.

The members have their own youtube channel called “Etoile Clubhouse” that they have permission to use freely. They post lots of different content, including challenges, games, song/dance covers, mukbangs, get ready with me/us videos, and q&a’s

Extra Info about Y/N:

Y/N is known as the loving mother of the group, while Nabi is more like a strict dad

Kaori was still in high school when she debuted, and Y/N took care of her like a mother would her daughter. She would wash and iron her uniform, prepare her breakfast and lunch, and help her with her homework every night. Kaori’s mother was so thankful, as she couldn’t do all this for her daughter herself, still living in Japan

While all the girls are close, Nabi and Y/N are best friends, they even have friendship bracelets

While Iseul is the visual because she fits the KBS the best, Y/N is the center/FOTG because her visuals match the group concept the best. She’s known for her “white swan” visuals: ethereal, graceful, and elegant.

Y/N and Iseul were also chosen as members of GOT the Beat

Y/N was the first member to have a solo debut in 2021. Her debut song was fittingly titled “White Swan.” Nabi helped her compose the songs, Marie helped her with the choreography, and Kaori had a rap feature on one of the tracks. Y/N performed it at the MAMA awards, and everyone was singing/dancing along to it so hard they almost forgot about the actual awards show!

Y/N is an ambassador for Dior and Chanel. Many brands were offering her deals after Etoile became popular due to her unique visuals, so she got to choose the ones she liked best

Y/N is known as the “OST Queen” of the group, she has sang many drama OSTs

Y/N’s best friends at the company include Yeri (Red Velvet,) Taeyong (NCT/SuperM,) Karina (Aespa,) and Ten (NCT/SuperM/WayV)

Y/N has had cameos in many different artists’ music videos, including Stray Kids, Enhypen, and NCT Dream

SHINee’s Key dubbed Y/N “SM’s secret weapon”

Y/N was part of a one-time collaboration unit with Dreamcatcher’s Dami, Weki Meki’s Doyeon, IZ*ONE’s Yena, and fromis_9’s Chaeyoung. They released a single called “Wild Mind,” and it was so popular that fans were advocating to start a new group with just these idols!

Y/N once dyed her hair indigo to match the fandom color, and fans started to dye their hair the same color to match her. The shade became known as “Y/N hair” on social media

Y/N and Marie were mentors on a Chinese idol training show, all the girls loved them because they were super helpful without being too tough. It also gained Etoile a lot of Chinese fans

Y/N has very impressive high notes, Starlights have made several youtube compilations with titles like “Y/N obliterating the sound barrier with her high notes for 5 minutes”

Y/N’s nickname from Starlight is “Angel Voice” due to her clear, bright voice

Y/N sang a cover of Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” on Etoile Clubhouse, and Starlights tagged Taylor in it so much that she was shown the video in an interview. Taylor responded: “I’ve watched this video so many times! Her voice is so pretty. I met her once in Korea too, she’s so genuine and sweet! I’d love to collab with her, or Etoile as a whole. They seem so fun.”

Y/N was getting a lot of lip-synching rumors, until one day a staff member shared a video of her practicing before a concert with her mic on. It revealed her raw vocal talent and debunked all the rumors.

[distant-screaming]

your top 5 nlmg moments <3

what the HELL archer............. worst sleepover ever I'm being made to choose? from nlmg????? >:( I had 22 scenes shortlisted, and I with great pain cut it down to 5 + 3 bonus ones. also this took me really long to answer because I can't shut up. anyway. I will try to keep this as short as possible and not go into full explanations because then we'd be here forever 🎀

so, my favorite nlmg scenes, in no particular order:

palm gets shot

is this surprising? at all? no I didn't think so. palmnueng are so insane about each other and this entire scene is such a good demonstration of that - palm, actively bleeding out from a gunshot wound, tells nueng not to sign anything over, and nueng does so anyway. and then palm gets shot and just - the acting is so wonderful from everyone in that scene and it's such a good demonstration of their characters! I also especially ADORE the next bit, where nueng is outside the operation room and he's just so grief stricken it makes my stomach hurt. and I just love this whole section a lot okay!! (fun fact: my first time watching the show, I wasn't able to watch the scene fully - I had to skim it and go ahead to the part where palm was Alive. once I realized he was, I went back to watch it properly djfkfj)

waltz scene(s)

I'm cheating a little but it's fine - all three of palmnueng's waltz scenes live in my head rent FREE. the first one (the dream sequence) is just so very 'I have a crush on this guy' core and it's so soft and sweet and yearn-y <3 I don't remember where I talked about this, but in the dream sequence nueng keeps track of the rhythm by tapping his finger on palm's shoulder - the same thing he did in real life. this means palm was so focused on him during the irl dance that he even noticed that. and that just. it makes me sick okay. second dance sequence is in the motel room after mam dies, and this one is so different from the first because it's much more centered in comfort and relief rather than romance. the whole scene is an absolute masterpiece - the way it's shot with the blurred backgrounds and close ups and the colors - and man I just. I love it so much. it's so intimate. and finally the waltz at the restaurant before nueng gets snatched by kit... literally no one does it like them they're so!! it's a very scary scene to watch because you can tell something's about to go really wrong really fast, but my GOD is it good. me and who literally........the tenderness, the trust, the way they look at each other with absolute stars in their eyes (and the way that the camera focuses on nueng more this time, and how in love he is because we've seen palm but nueng is just as insane). insane. deranged.

first kiss on the island

rooftop hug

while watching this, I had to pause the episode and physically stand up to do laps around the room. it's sooo good and pondphuwin are amazing at intimacy and it's just like, they really do kiss like they're desperate for each other which is exactly what palmnueng are. also the significance of it being after david + wu's wedding is a whole different rant I will spare you from but ajfkskfkdjfkdjfkfjfjfjv!!!! absolutely amazing first kiss, especially contrasted with their first kiss on the rooftop. no notes.

speaking of rooftops! man. the whole ben + coming out part really hurts me every time I watch it and this scene is no exception. nueng is so desperate and heartbroken and he keeps lashing out but palm just holds him close and doesn't say anything and eventually nueng hugs him back and just cries in his arms and he just. he just wanted a friend. he just wanted to be loved. that's all. GOD.

peng(2) you(3)

world's most insane guys flirt, leave me dead. like. this is episode 2. nueng still has some like vague pretend animosity towards palm. and yet. 'oh yeah let me just - here touch my neck and I'll gaze into your eyes and say peng you (friend)' HELLO?? I mean. sure why not. palm's clearly enjoying it (read: having a gay induced mental breakdown). generally I love scenes that have flirting with pining oblivious guys and this is the perfect fit. also, the fact that palm is slightly higher than nueng here the CONNOTATIONS guys the THEMES. the [I am shot and dragged away]

Bonus:

nueng barging into palm's room

sir...... just. all of this. no words. he's such a bratty teenager. I love him

palm opening shot

this one is on here solely because this is the exact moment I feel utterly and deeply in love with pond. hello there gorgeous standing there all by yourself??? why is he so <3

every time palm is annoyed by ben existing

I ADORE this dynamic. they're this 👌 close to killing each other in every frame they're together. the fingers are touching btw. hashtag gay on gay hostility. I love it.

[zacki0gaming]

My TPC Circubit’s Reoccurring Memory Deeper Analysis

Hey Everyone! I want to try and go a deeper analysis on the “Circubit's Reoccurring Memory” short video! ^_^

Firstly, let’s analyze the key elements of this short.

Key Elements

1. Circusic’s Desperation:

Circusic: "Huh? W-where is it!? It was right here!"

In the beginning of the video, it first shows a sense of urgency and panic coming from Circusic’s confusion and alarm state, indicating him being in a critical situation here. This was because of him trying to find some unknown item that has been taken or moved, which escalates his desperation.

2. Iris’s Father’s Accusation:

Iris’s Father: "I knew it. You were only here to take what's precious to this castle.":

Circusic: "No! Th-that's not true! You got it all wrong, j-just let me ex-":

After Circusic noticing this “item” that he is trying to steal here, Iris’s father showed up an accuses him for trying to take what is precious to the Royal Castle. This accusation shows significant conflict here between the relationship of Circusic and Iris’s father.

I think Circusic’s attempt to explain here suggests that he is trying to portray himself of being misunderstood and falsely incriminated. He appears that he is wanting to try and lie his way out of this accusation as quickly as possible, but regardless, I don’t think that would be enough in this type of situation.

3. Punishment and Judgment:

Iris’s Father: "QUIET! There is no excuse for this! We all trusted you!":

Iris’s Father: "You need to pay the price. A dastard like you don't deserve to live.":

When Circusic was being unjustly accused or likely lying he’s way out of his interaction Iris’s father for his actions here, Iris’s father’s anger and authority are evident, showing him alongside his family feels deeply betrayed. His refusal to listen to Circusic indicates a rigid stance and possibly a history of mistrust or conflict.

Iris’s father’s harsh judgement underscores the gravity of the situation in hand. Not only that he calls Circusic a “dastard”, it implies him being cowardly and stupidly enough to treacherously come inside the Royal Castle, thereby risking a death sentence at the hands of the royal family, from the king himself.

4. Circusic’s Plea:

Circusic: "Wait! p-please wait!! STOP!!!":

Circusic’s frantic pleas for mercy indicate his fear and desperation, highlighting his vulnerability and the life-threatening danger he faces as a consequence for coming to steal something so precious that belongs to the royal family.

Wait a minute… I’m not done let for this section…

The Aftermath Of Circusic’s Plea

I would like to present one of the artworks from Season 2 that I captured through a screenshot before the episode's premiere in October 2023. In this artwork, it depicts Circusic being wounded by Iris's father and subsequently attempting to escape through the front entrance of the royal castle while bleeding profusely (his blood is seen clearly seen pouring out of him onto the castle’s floor). Eventually succumbing to his injuries, Circusic is presumed to have passed away shortly thereafter. This artwork serves to bridge the gap between the events of the "Circubit's Past" and "Circubit's Reoccurring Memory" short videos within Circusic’s past so far, directly following Iris's father's assault on him.

5. Flashback and Present Connection:

Shift to Circubit

Circusic: "Geez, is this gettin worst?":

After Circusic gets supposedly killed by Iris’s father, the scene transitions to the present time, focusing on Circusic’s corrupted counterpart, “Circubit”, who is experiencing a terrifying flashback from his pure counterpart. Circubit’s reaction from this indicates worsening conditions involving reoccurring flashbacks of Circusic, when he said this final line of dialogue in this video: “Geez, is this gettin worst?”

My Thoughts On Circubit’s Reoccurring Flashback Ability

About this power, it is unclear that Circubit sees different or the exact same memories from his pure counterpart, possibly only traumatic ones. However, this strange ability has further proves to be uncontrollable for Circubit and periodically activates in certain instances throughout the series such as from what we’ve seen in this short and his boss level in Season 2, Episode 2. “A power that something that Circubit can’t seemed to control”.

Symbolism: One thing I like about this mysterious ability is that it symbolizes someone who has PTSD. “Circubit receives a haunting memory from his pure counterpart, Circusic’s demise that appeared to startled him after visiting through it.”

Conclusion/Main Conflict

This short's story concludes its mark by the dramatic shift from Circusic's desperate situation in the past to his corrupted counterpart, Circubit’s present state. It reveals about the lasting impact on the relationship between Circusic and the Royal Family, including Iris’s father, the king in this video.

The main conflict in this short is the confrontation between Circusic and Iris’s father, which centers around deeper underlying themes of accusations of betrayal and the consequences of lost trust. This video sets up the audience, like myself, questioning the true nature of Circusic's actions here and the fairness of Iris's father's judgement.

Was Circusic truly trying to steal something precious, or was there a misunderstanding about his actions?

Theories

I can only think of one, but if you guys have new theories about this short or Circusic’s character that you’ve ever said let, I would generally appreciate to hear it if you ever have the time to do so.

1. The Crown Theory

So my hypothesis may become glaringly evident if proven true, indicating that Brittany Robinson might be intentionally integrating plot elements from the upcoming (shitty and no one gives a fuck about) spin off series, "Iris's Story," into the non-canonical continuation. To begin our analysis, let us examine the artwork featured in the Circusic's Art video. Notably, in the artwork video, pay attention to the item adorning Circusic's head – a crown.

I’m theorizing that when Circusic used to have a better and dependable relationship with the royal family, signifying his significant status within their circles. I can support this by the presence of the crown itself on his head from the artwork video, suggesting that crown belonged to Circusic himself or was previously associated with Iris as a possible replacement.

Subsequently, upon the royal family's discovery of Circusic's transgressions, his reputation and trustworthiness eroded, prompting his desperation to reclaim his standing by attempting to steal back the crown as depicted in the "Circubit's Reoccurring Memory" video. However, Circusic's efforts to recover the crown failed him, potentially due to Iris's father preemptively taking possession of it before Circusic could execute his own theft.

Anyway, thank you guys for listening to another TPC deeper analysis from me!^_^

[spyskater]

Alright folks, you asked for an essay. We all know Jade Claymore is your quintessential knight archetype. As such, she is extremely dedicated to the path she’s set out for her life. She is bound to the oaths that she’s made and while we don’t know what those oaths are, it’s easy to assume that she is entirely committed to Tir Asleen and Sorsha and, by association, the entire Tanthalos family. Due to the restrictions set upon her as servant of the crown, Jade is wound rather tight. You know what else is bound and wound up rather tight at the beginning of the season? Her hair.

Note the way her hair is constantly close to her head, making it seem rather small. She’s got these ties running through her curls for half of the journey, keeping everything neatly in place. It’s very Jade, a character for which things are rarely out of order (unlike Kit, whose hair typically flies about everywhere). There are two physical attributes Jade gets rid of over the course of the season, both of which we’re introduced to her with: her mask and her bound curls. 

Jade's different styles in episode one. Even when her hair is out, there's always a section bound or twisted.

When we meet Jade, her mask is on and her hair is braided back. This Jade is at her most duty and honor bound and the unforeseen adventure ahead will evolve her beliefs about what it means to be those things. By the way the mask is made, it almost forces Jade to keep her hair pretty low, due to the head strap in the back. In episode three, after her mask is knocked off of her face, she never picks it back up again. The mask represents an identity that she ties to Tir Asleen and Ballantine (it’s paralleled with his helm). Kit offers to return it to her, but Jade refuses it and begins her crisis of faith and journey to discovering who Jade Claymore really is. We never see it again. This Jade Claymore died in the Pitiless Pass with Ballantine.

Episode two is where Jade's signature style truly begins through the next few episodes. Note the ties in her hair and how they hold it down.

In episode five, something similar happens with her hair. After Scorpia tells her the truth about her history, that she is a Bone Reaver stolen by Tir Asleen, her hair is never bound again. She loses all of the ties and strings holding it. Instead, her Bone Reaver look consists of Bantu knots that crown her head like her sister’s and fully freeing the rest of her hair. She’s accepted her Bone Reaver heritage and gone is the orphan girl always searching for family. Also important, she finally allows herself to be honest about her feelings to Kit, something that has been forbidden by the duties she’s bound herself to.

Episode 5: before and after her Bone Reaver heritage is revealed.

And as the season goes on, she continues to allow her hair to freely flow, even if it’s tied back. With every episode, it seems to get bigger and bigger until we have the ponytail she’s wearing in episode seven and eight that sits high on her head. I would argue that, despite the life threatening quest they’re on, at this point, Jade is at her happiest and most liberated. Note that she is the only one that doesn’t appear as broken down by the Shattered Sea like everyone else. She’s found her family, discovered her purpose, and has Kit.

Jade's styles, post-Wildwood.

Episode eight is where she breaks her final chain: she’s finally able to admit she loves Kit in front of other people. Willow basically gives her the permission and it leads to Jade’s most important quote of the series, the purpose of her journey. From bound and restrained to a knight who understands that duty and honor means nothing without love. By unbinding her hair, Jade unshackles herself.

[suzannahnatters]

And here are my reactions to Love Like the Galaxy: episodes 13-27, in which a cdrama does some absolutely terrific things I've never seen before which make me incredibly happy. This is also beneath the cut because I got very excited!

Tremendously diverted by how little this whole entire arrow through the chest is bothering our hero, one would think he'd broken a nail

Ling Buyi: I will tear apart this whole empire and everyone in my way to find out who is smuggling imperial weapons to rebels

also Ling Buyi: I am determined that only the very deepest love will ever induce me to marry

NN scolds a whole hospital full of sacking victims into drinking their medicine because how dare they lie around in pain and trauma when their loved ones died to keep them alive and it's another writing decision I'm not very fond of

the emperor is a gossipy old woman, he's discovered the secret of Murder General's heart in two minutes of screen time, I fondly look forward to episodes' worth of behind-the-scenes matchmaking

ahaha we have entered the "Niao Niao finally gets a boyfriend, and Murder General stares at the two of them sadly from a distance" section

he's just bowing himself out so silently, without ever saying a word - because he only wants to marry for love, so if NN doesn't want him, he doesn't want her

Marry the sweet boy, Niao Niao. He's not very bright, but the only baggage he's got is from the cake shop.

oh my, Niao Niao's boyfriend is sending her terrible mother snacks in an attempt to soften her heart, what a darling

I'm dead, not only does Murder General literally have a Niao Niao Memorabilia Hoard but he leaves it in his carriage for her to see while she's being given a lift in the rain askajdalfah

Niao Niao has dinner with with her three suitors and her aunt's ex and it's every bit as wildly uncomfortable as it sounds

also the Smug Scholar is here just to cause drama and wooow these are some epic sour grapes

It's a bit jarring how cavalierly everybody at this dinner dismisses the orphan girl in the backstory. The best thing I can say is that she fails to recognise one of the emerging themes of the show, that a woman shouldn't let love consume her entire life.

Murder General's family is straight out of Shakespeare - heartrendingly mad mother, moustache-twirlingly-evil estranged father.

meanwhile, over the Jane Austen side of the plot, Niao Niao's parents break the news to her that Murder General must be hopelessly in love with her. is this the worst way to find out or what

This whole mother-daughter relationship is so real it's triggering memories of a bad family situation I was familiar with around 5-10 years ago. Just…NN's mother not trusting her an inch, wanting to micromanage her life, despite all the ways that NN has bloomed away from her. Too painfully real.

Part of the reason this story feels SO Jane Austen is the way it focuses on the small domestic dramas of families, women, and marriage, with a keen eye to humour and satire. There's Murder General's political subplot too, but it's kept compartmentalised away from the main plot.

I…I think Murder General might be a darling, actually? when he's not mowing down the emperor's enemies in an overly dramatic manner or quietly and visibly pining, he is salving his broken heart by trying to make sure NN has everything she wants in life

and this is another place where this show neatly sidesteps a common pitfall - instead of HIM decided what's good for NN and then making sure she gets it despite her own wishes, he's allowing HER to decide and then silently providing her with everything she needs to make it a success.

I'm honestly astounded that this show is managing to make the typical strong, silent, commanding male lead…actually make sense as the endgame love interest, even in the presence of someone as charming and well adjusted (and devoted to snacks!) as Luo Yao. I honestly hadn't shipped them until this stretch of the show but now I'm beginning to.

He even credits her with "suppressing the mountain bandits" when he was the one who swooped in and saved her just as she was about to lose her siege T_T I'm sorry I have something in my eye

what WHAT WHATTTTT

having been informed of General Ling's feelings by her parents, is her maid now proposing to her on his behalf???????? wild

oh………he just wanted to know her hopes and dreams

Luo Yao has learned from Niao Niao how to fight for what he wants and it makes me so happy that this show is committing to these themes because the last big cdrama I watched was all about punishing the free-spirited heroine for wanting a life of her own

I feel hopelessly confused about all this arms smuggling subplot and backstory tbh

"don't be afraid, I'm here" asjkg love a good callback

also: good for you, He Zhaojun. good for you

It was also very satisfying seeing Bad Mum and our girl getting to fight together for once, but it's clearly only a temporary case of interests aligning and not a genuine change of heart for the former. I continue to enjoy the nuanced writing here.

Smug Scholar cracks me up. every interaction he has with our girl is like: NN: you make me feel sick SS preening yes I have that effect on a lot of women

Murder General telling NN that he's convinced that whatever decision she makes will be the right one!!!! and then for the first time she breaks down saying she's tired of always being the unlucky one - she's been fighting not to show any vulnerability and she's finally showing herself - to HIM eee

again: I'm ASTONISHED the show is making me believe he's the best choice for her given the presence of darling little snack boy but it is. She hasn't shown any vulnerability to Snacks. As for Murder General, he's been bleeding vulnerability everywhere silently for 21 eps.

"Everyone talks to me about righteousness and being fully considerate. But who will be fully considerate to me?" Snacks is a sweetie and he's doing really well, but the show is doing a terrific job of showing that for all his baggage, Murder General understands & supports her far more deeply.

I was wondering how the engagement with Snacks was going to end, & I have a lot of thoughts. On one hand, I really hate that after all the stuff about the importance of being able to fight for yourself, NN convinces LY to give her up & marry a girl who's already mistreated him, for the greater good

Snacks is absolutely correct here - none of the people telling him to marry He Zhaozhang can live the rest of his life for him. While NN always does prioritise the state above family, I hate that she is now putting it above somebody else's future happiness, AFTER teaching him to fight for himself.

It feels a bit hypocritical of NN, tbh, and like it muddles the themes of the show a bit. Also, it would be one thing if Snacks marrying HZ was to avert a future catastrophe, but the He family is already heroically dead and Snacks is being asked to self-immolate on their pyre. So unfair.

That said, I'm still appreciative of a lot about this. While I don't like that Snacks is deprived of agency here, you don't often see a drama heroine making this decision, & it's done without any of the "break his heart to save him" nonsense you'd usually see at this point.

We are also shown that although Snacks is giving in to marry HZ, he still has the lessons he's learned from NN about fighting for himself & plans to use them to make his life more bearable. And NN, though kinder & more respectful than HZ, never did truly love him.

I had my money on NN being the one to bow out all along, but I wish the show wasn't trying to make a virtue out of her self-righteous statism. I would love to see NN in the future realising that being able to let LY go like this, was a sign that she didn't truly love him. I hope!

In any case, I'm glad the show leaves us with real hope that Snacks is going to be a better, happier man for having known our girl.

"no need to worry about Miss Cheng's marriage. I'll be responsible for that" the SOUND I made

A LITTLE BOYFRIEND FOR YANG YANG, YESSSS

someone needed to come along and rescue our girl from Murder General's rescue just there, 1 out of 5 stars would not ask for a rescue again

does the man have fingertips made out of Velcro

the emperor is dying to matchmake Niao Niao and Murder General and tbh I feel his frustration, we have entered the "it's been eighty-five years" section of Waiting For The Cdrama Leads To Kiss (Or At Least Confess)

ahahahahahahahahahaha Murder General just blithely announces to all the princes that on account of the cancellation of NN's previous engagement he is going to marry her now and she goes into a coughing fit, hilarious

thing is, I don't think he actually means to be domineering here, I think he reckons the entire city in general and Niao Niao in particular must know about his intentions towards her, so why beat around the bush??? it's not like it's a secret or anything?

!!!! we have a proposal?!?!?!

and her mum is like NO NO NO oh die in a fire, woman

oh wow. oh wow. it's a trainwreck. oh my goodness.

"I had no idea I was so wonderful in your eyes" screaming crying throwing up

the fact that nearly their entire courtship has had to play out in public, carried by family members and households, until finally this proposal scene happens in the royal hall itself during a banquet, is just one more of the absolutely wonderful ways this is SO Austen-esque

I'm dying for these two to have a proper conversation in private but instead they've got to checks notes attend her ex-fiance's wedding together OOOOOOHH

This scene between He Zhaojun and NN is so good. I didn't expect such growth and change for this character based on her introduction. And she's absolutely right - a marriage to someone kind and gentle is far better than to someone elegant, but cruel

The writers making this point feels pretty unusual given a very usual sort of cdrama hero. But if course murder general is, as NN points out, cruel only to his enemies. Or is she in for some surprises? WE SHALL SEE

He certainly has no chill when it comes to using his more powerful position to protect her socially lollll

He's been protecting her so often it's beginning to deprive her of agency and I'm really hoping the story doesn't overlook this in the second half.

OH YES "he's standing up for you! Are you not happy" no, no she is not I AM BLESSED

I can't believe it they're finally having a chance to talk in private and it's ALL ABOUT THIS STUFF

NN just calling him out for his thoughtless use of power

Yessssss we've moved past the point where she can fight catty girls, she's fighting him now, AHHHHHHHH. so good

"let's eat together. No need to feel awkward. I am easy to get along with" amazing "hello fellow kids" energy

OH NO HE'S TRYING TO TELL A JOKE ABORT ABORT

Murder General, who has got straight As on everything in his life to date, getting an F in Intimate Family Dinners and thinking he's done splendidly is really…amazing

I see now how NN's conflict with her mother was setting up her conflict with Murder General - both want to run their families with dictatorial military discipline, and NN, who has had more than enough of it coming from her mother, definitely doesn't want it from a husband. NN I'm barracking for you

SCREAMING

Murder General has now taken over Niao Niao's household to train them so that his beloved will be strong and ready for anything. How bad is it? it's so bad that even Perfect Cousin Yang Yang no longer wants to be an obedient female anymore

the soundtrack for this drama seriously cracks me up sometimes. Most of the time it's lush, romantic classical strings and flutes. Then, BANG - 80's guitar + synths, or…jazz clarinet????

"I'm not used to discussing everything with someone yet" aw he does want to learn better!

"You represent only oppression in my life…I don't need you to take care of me and my family so much" I cannot beLIEVE this show is letting someone say this out loud. Amazing

Cannot believe she just sent him away like that. And of course he went because he only wants someone who loves him. And I think that's the one character detail that makes this man capable of change - he doesn't know how to relate to people outside hierarchy, but he WANTS it

I really, really like that the show doesn't try to gaslight NN that she's making a fuss out of nothing - her parents encourage her to compromise the life she truly wants, but even they aren't bad enough to tell her that this IS the life she wants.

And I also love that BOTH of them are shown reflecting on where they might be going wrong and why they might be better off yielding to the other person - not just NN.

It's delightfully reminiscent of Lizzie and Darcy getting a reality check in tandem after his first proposal. SO AUSTEN.

With episode 27 I've officially finished "season 1" of Love Like the Galaxy and am right around halfway through - and this show is fulfilling my wildest dreams of cdramas justifying tropes, letting the heroine have agency, and overtly calling out the hero's unthinking use of power to control, protect, and smother the heroine. All in a sparkling Jane-Austen-flavoured comedy of manners about a little gremlin girl whose greatest strength is fighting for herself when nobody else will, and a strong, silent murder general who has resolved only to marry for ~~ LOVE ~~

It's so good, if the second half continues to be this good it'll be a solid 10 for me. MORE TO COME.

[thehotelpod]

ONE MORE WEEK OF DOUBLE STUFF OCTOBER LETS DO SEASON 5 OF IZZY'S EPISODE ART

5.1 Merp and Burble

Our first Big Named Event arc! "BEHIND THE CURTAIN" which I'm almost certain I picked because we could do this cool ass curtain frame device. Izzy continues to bring the pain here with photo bashed curtains, a modified Madam Hotel horrifyingly cartooning about like bugs bunny to reveal our almost Trevor Henderson-like trail cam timelapse photo of Merp. He also gave me a number of color options on this one, maybe we'll have a section in The Guestbook Vol. II of bts sketches? I'll ask Izzy. This one holds a special place in my heart because Merp is, as devotees will recall, just Scary Slar.

rest of the season under the cut! (it's long, you've been warned)

5.2 It Watches and It Smiles

look! The curtain connects at the top! It's gonna be one long picture!

This monster was actually based on a 3 foot tall hard foam statue we had in our house growing up. It is actually scarier looking than you are imagining, made every one of my cousins cry, and is not only something I had nightmares about but also one of the main reasons so much of my horror is "something weird is Over There but looking at you". Full disclosure, one of the reasons I put this monster in this episode was so that Izzy would have to draw a postcard of it and maybe someone would recognize it and tell me what the hell it is because I have not so much as a single photograph of it. BUT then Izzy showed me this drawing, which almost completely hides the monster but it's just so so good I couldn't pass it up. The implied shape and DYNAMITE bloody palm fronds make this look so much like a 90s book cover I fell in love right away. We always try to keep those season and episode numbers in the postcards now too, but I think we forget sometimes?

5.2 Nothing Can Kill That Which Glowers

LOOK AT THIS ONE. Madam Hotel rotting in the reflection of the bubble (she was supposed to show up more in those episodes and sort of be in the process of rotting but she ended up being a single light instead.), I'm crazy about the Owner here, Izzy loves to always keep a little monster in the mix when he draws the Staff. And miss Manager POPS like an 80s music video. Lot's of subtle layers and textures here that can get overlooked, but just like the lake the Owner sinks into, it deepens the longer you linger (did you find the episode number?)

I also like to remind everyone that 'That Which Glowers' is the Grimace and this episode title is a reference to the Clerks cartoon.

5.4 We Are...Watching You...

But are you really LOOKING at it? Do you SEE Izzy's MIND? Lined up you get back to back Managers mirroring each other as well as Madam Hotel in the wings of the now completed curtains--these doubles ALSO frame what is hopefully implied to be the Lobby Boy's hand reaching for his Manager. All of this duality and connection not only reinforces what we know about the characters and show already but set up beautifully the new mirrors about to arrive...

5.5 The Bellhop

THERE SHE IS! There's my goblin girl. You get the bloody vision of the Hotel as Hop sees it as well as the framing for a triptych of the New Crew, each on their own floor. The New Crew stands apart from the Staff in that they have canonical designs immediately, so there tends to be less variation on their fan designs. However there was like ONE WEEK or so before this episode dropped where people were drawing Hop ALL KINDS OF ways. She's one of my favorite designs Izzy's done for the show and I think it's partially because she looks a little like ET.

5.6 The Concierge

Shut up. Shut UP. Look at those colors. Look at that face. Look at those shoulders. Look at those colors! THE COLORS DUKE! THE COLORS!!!! and those printing spots breaking up the lines, all layered over starlight?! It should be, at this point, very hard for Izzy to outdo himself but...he just keeps on outdoing it. We jump down a floor here and the Concierge has slightly more brick surrounding him than the Bellhop did so my pattern recognizers in the crowd can probably guess what's coming next--

5.6 The Auditor

It's been pointed out that Aud has gotten the most detailed description of the main characters on the show. I try to always keep it vague so everyone can imagine whatever they like , but the Auditor is so weird I just wanted to play a little. I saw this scary looking, lonely monster begging to be seen in all white surrounded by nothing. Even the brick and mortar of the Hotel doesn't seem to want to be around her much. One thing I love about Izzy's work is how well he combines whimsy and fun with actual scary imagery. She looks really scary. That is a scary looking monster he drew.

I also think she kind of looks like this alien from Star Trek IV (hey look Star Trek showed up)

5.9 Tenaj Druh - 004 Moor

Oh how I wish I could have a full set of New Crew postcards from Izzy seeing season 1 from a different perspective (for that matter I'd love a full set of season 1 from Izzy, but one thing at a time). Getting to not only see Janet Hurd, but see the NEW CREW checking her in is so so exciting. And the Manager's TV's re-imagined as giant bloody eyeballs is expressed to it's grossest perfection here. Even the Goosebumps frame is tinted sickly green. (the rest of the season also has Goosebumps frames but I'm trying to show off Izzy's art I want you all to have a good look)

5.10 Tnurb Yrrah - 002 Moor

this one's bonkers. The Hubble's ultra deep field on the left, brains on the right but both halves of one face with the broken illusion between them that is just the building of the Hotel herself?? It's got poster folds and teeth for doors! This is a really stunning one that I feel like deserves a little more attention than it gets. Also maybe I spoke too soon on the Goosebumps frame, I don't...this one doesn't have one but maybe I just saved that file somewhere weird.

5.11 IT'S NEW YEARS EVE, JUDY BLASHY!

This is i think the first one we did that had a Goosebumps frame baked in. You can see the 5 and 11 on the clock give us our season and episode number, but that gets a little lost on the printed version so here it is in all it's glory. Love to get to see Judy here her FACE is so EXPRESSIVE and sharp. Notice how Izzy does NOT draw her with a gap tooth. Is that gap battle damage, or some aesthetic flourish the Hotel likes for her bodies? You'd have to ask Izzy. Also love getting to see him draw the things in her furnace room, which are like huge and imply a much larger elevator inside the box. Always reinforcing that boundaries and rules do not apply at the Hotel

they are also based on the family from Mac and Me

what the fuuuck?? why are they so scary??? why are they like that?? why did they make this movie this way?? I was a child!

5.12 The Reaper's Envy

Finishing up the season is this gorgeous party poster that would be right at home in the 90s. Other than the colors (THE COLOR!) I want to point out the confetti that breaks out of the border that also quietly includes some vermin (all up top, letting your eye drift down to the New Crew being reflected in what hopefully everyone assumed was Judy Blashy's eye. Of course we know now who's eye that is and what it's connected to (nothing its nothing it got cut out)

And that's season 5. Now we have entered the @filthyguts desert and must wait once again for the rains to return. I've got new ideas for season 6 that are gonna completely change how we do the art for the show and maybe we can even squeeze some button designs out of him when we launch the next wave of stuff we're launching.

I've said it before and I'll say it again and again and 100 more times, but Izzy's art is a hugely important part of the show, a source of inspiration not only to the fans who listen but to me myself (especially in my lower moments) and I am so so happy that his art and his style has come to define the show.

[putschki1969]

2024/07/30 Blog post by Wakana 明日締め切りです！！〜夏の強めの目覚ましビーム〜

❗This is Fan Club EXCLUSIVE content❗ ❗PERSONAL USE ONLY❗ ❗Do NOT SHARE on other sites❗ ❗Join her FAN CLUB! Check out my detailed TUTORIAL ❗

The Deadline Is Tomorrow!! ~Powerful Summer Wake-up Beam~

These days, it's hot every day… 😇How is everyone doing? During the summer, I run the air conditioner in my living room 24 hours a day. When I go to bed, I open the bedroom door a little to let the cool air from the living room flow into the bedroom…The gap in my door is perfectly in line with a small vertical window on the east side of my living room. Every morning without fail at around 5 o'clock, the strong morning sun hits my eyes like a laser beam. (I took this photo while half asleep) It's a very intense way to wake me up. This morning, I was woken up by the beam as usual.

Hello, this is Wakana (0￣▽￣0)／

Of course I'll go back to sleep. 😪💤I've been thinking about putting up some kind of blind on this small window, but every year, the summer ends without me putting anything on it 😂

Now, everyone!! The deadline for this month's podcast submissions for the episode on August 10th is tomorrow! ＼＼\٩( 'ω' )و //／／

The talk topics arte:

What kind of pillow do you use?

Anything you want to ask me♪

Please tell me about your pillow situation at home! Which kind do you find comfortable to sleep on? Do you even use a pillow? Or maybe you have a bunch of pillows? Or you could share a particular way of sleeping on a hot humid night! I'm just very curious about everyone's pillows! 😄And of course you can ask me anything you want once again so please don't hesitate to send your questions＼(^o^)／I'm waiting! ! ! ･:*+.(( °ω° ))/.:+

Click here to submit a message! ↓↓↓ https://wakana-fc.jp/answers/botanical_oshaberi_12/new

Everyone, please take care of your health and don't push yourself too hard! The other day I felt a bit squeamish when I was drying my hair with a hair dryer 😱 I think it was probably because it was too hot 😓Even though I was in a cool room with a fan on and keeping hydrated🥺 Your head can get overheated easily even if you are being careful🥺Don't forget to take precautions against heatstroke even when you're at home!

Until next time~☆( '▽')/

＊＊＊Wakana＊＊＊

2024/08/01 Instagram post by Wakana

Last month, I went to "Ghibli Park and Ghibli Exhibition" in Tokyo‼️(^o^) It was so much fun~😍 This has made me want to go to Ghibli Park even more ✨I'll definitely go someday…😳✨There were so many great photo spots, I had so much fun taking a ton of picutres😂Today I'll focus on the Totoro section💕 I was happy to see Totoro and the Cat Bus welcoming me at the entrance♡ The inside of the the Cat Bus was so fluffy🥰 They also had Satsuki and Mei's father's study room in display. I love the wobbly pillars😂

I got a Totoro and a little Totoro as souvenir☺️💓 I have a lot of other photos so I'll post them later~🌻(Source)

2024/08/04 Instagram post by Wakana

"Ghibli Park and Ghibli Exhibition" Photos Part 2!! 🥳🎉 Today's post is dedicated to Princess Mononoke 🐾 Here I am at the photo spot where you can ride on Yakul and Yamainu on a merry-go-round 📸They were both so cute and beautifully decorated…😍💕I brought along my San keychain, so I showed it to Yakul 🤗 (Yakul didn't seem particularly interested though) (Source)

2024/08/07 Instagram post by Wakana

"Ghibli Park and Ghibli Exhibition" Photos Part 3!!🥳🎉 Today is dedicated to Spirited Away 🐲🍙 I got to take some photos with No-Face😍💕 I was nervous…😳💓No-Face was pretty tall😳 It was bigger than I imagined and I thought "Wow"😳

I also visited Yubaba's room🤗I had a big smile on my face while imagining Yubaba saying to me, "From now on, your name is Waka! Okay, Waka!"😂I wasn't intimidated at all😂

Tomorrow I'll post a little summary of my adventures at "Ghibli Park and Ghibli Exhibition"!!🧚✨ (Source)

2024/08/08 Instagram post by Wakana

I'm worried about everyone in Kyushu after the earthquake that occurred this evening. I hear that there might be a wave of aftershocks and other earthquakes but I hope that the damage will not be too great. The expected epicenter area also includes the Kanto region so I will do my best to be prepared. Please be careful, everyone.

Yesterday I mentioned that I would upload a little summary of my Ghibli adventure so here it is☺️ These are the last photos from my visit to"Ghibli Park and Ghibli Exhibition"🥳🎉I was able to look at various exhibits but now, more than ever, I want to go to Ghibli Park soon🥺 That really sums up my feelings…!!🥺💓 It's like a dream to be able to actually experience those amazing stories in the real world✨I vowed to myself that I will definitely go to the park someday soon🧚Until then, I will continue to dream about that day! 😻🔥(Source)

[crowns-of-violets-and-roses]

Hugo Novellas 2024

Did not read: Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher.

I swore off Kingfisher after her novel that won the Hugo last year. I looked at the overbearingly twee description of this concluded that there's no chance I'd enjoy it so I skipped.

I might read another of Kingfisher's books someday but she isn't getting an nth chance to win me over today.

5. The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

An author who I did give a second chance by reading this. While it's a vast improvement over the last book I read by Older it's not enough of one.

It's set on a gas giant with a rail line circling the planet where people live on platforms along the line. The worldbuilding is on the surface interesting but can lack depth at times. For example the academic debates in the setting feel like they've been playing out for a few years (or less in some cases) instead of the centuries the setting suggests.

The novella is a hybrid murder mystery-romance. A detective Mossa contacts her Pleiti old girlfriend who is now an academic in the classics department (notably not the same discipline as classics in our times) to help her solve a mystery after another academic disappears and is presumed either to have killed himself or died. The mystery elements are competently executed; the romance less so.

It feels very self indulgent in ways that don't fit. Mossa literally starts referring to Pleiti as “my dear Pleiti" which just leaves me wondering are we meant to take this as Mossa making a deliberate reference to Holmes or what exactly.

(And this is petty and not on the book/author but everyone keeps describing the novella as "cozy" and cozy has a specific meaning for crime fiction which doesn't apply here and it bugs me.)

There are endless descriptions of food which I'm not against on principle but it's often the same food over and over and over again. Scones, scones and more scones. I like scones but at least shake it up a little!

None of these are severe problems but the best parts of the book are rarely more than okay so there's nothing to make up for it's shortcomings elsewhere.

4. "Seeds of Mercury" by Wang Jinkang (trans. Alex Woodend)

The initial premise of this novella has a fun reversal of the "inheriting a fortune from a distant relative" plot where the protagonist is already a rich businessman and inherits a quixotic scientific venture which is an endless money sink - nanomachines that could evolve like biological life over millennia.

Beyond that general concept many of the specific details reminded me of the Futurama episode A Clockwork Origin to the point I'm curious if someone on the Futurama staff read it when it was originally published in Chinese (although it's entirely possible they were inspired by other works of SF with similar plots instead).

It cuts back and forth between the present and sections sets in the distant future. The sections set in the present are much stronger for the most part and they never quite feel they gel together.

There's a disabled character who has an appearance that people view as hideous and he's presented sympathetically but the way it's dealt with was clumsy at best.

While I said above that the present sections are stronger even there the characters often feel wooden and unrealistic.

The central idea behind this novella is fine even if nothing terribly original. The execution however doesn't entirely work. This proves to be common to everything in this story. There's a lot of potential in all it's aspects but in the end that potential is never fully realised.

3. Rose/House by Arkady Martine

This wasn't the worst novella of this bunch but it was by far the most disappointing. I didn't have any expectations of Wang Jinkang and went in to Older's novella knowing it was likely I wouldn't enjoy it but Martine's Teixcalaan duology is great and I've been intending to read Rose/House since it came out.

It opens with a death in Rose House - a house that is an A.I. created by world famous architect Basit Deniau considered his greatest architectural triumph.

The death, suspected of being a murder, forms the impetus for the plot. Selene Gisil, a former student who denounced Deniau and who he named as his heir, is the only person who the A.I. will leave access the house (for one week a year) and is called back by the local police so they can investigate.

It's one of those increasingly common near future settings where everything is worse because of climate changes and it's downstream effects but that's largely background rather than focused on.

Perhaps the greatest disappointment of the book is the house just isn't that interesting. The A.I. as a character is as interesting as any of the others but the physical house itself didn't enthrall me. If you're going to make Rose House and architecture so central to the book the house itself needs to grab your attention and stick in your mind when you finish reading and it didn't.

We rotate between the POVs of Gisil and two local police officers. The story starts strong and gradually peters out until it comes to an end and you find yourself thinking "that's all?"

Martine is an talented author and there are moments that shines through. Ultimately though while she's a great author this book doesn't show her at her best.

2. Mammoth at the Gates by Nghi Vo

The latest entry in Nghi Vo's Singing Hills Cycle. It again follows Cleric Chih of the Singing Hills Monastery. Chih's order is tasked with with finding, recording and remembering stories of the past and they have talking hoopoe spirits with perfect memories as companions to help them with this task.

Instead of being out searching for stories to record this entry sees Chih return to the Monastery and meeting up with old friends including Always Brilliant his hoopoe companion. When Chih arrives back he finds his mentor Thien (who was once royalty) has died and there are, per the title, mammoth at the gates. The mammoths have been brought by Thien's grandaughters who are seeking to take his remains while the monks wish his funeral to be in accordance with their own customs.

This entry is not particularly spectacular or groundbreaking but it does what it sets out to do and it does it well. If you enjoyed the others books in this series you'll most likely enjoy this one too. It's portrayal of grief and change is powerful and moving. It also has moments of joy and cuteness that avoid being cloying.

It’s a good book. I wouldn’t necessarily nominate it for an award myself but I can see why others would.

"Life Does Not Allow Us to Meet" by He Xi (trans Alex Woodend)

This was the standout best of the novellas nominated this year. A novella about two new astronauts and the old astronaut (named like the author He Xi) who guides them who have been recruited to return to a water planet named the Caspian Sea. A previous mission ended in disaster with a woman He Xi loved being killed and warning the known route was too dangerous. A new route has now been discovered and they have been sent back to the planet. A return over 50 years in the making.

There are frequent awkward infodumps. At one point a character explains he's infodumping because he wrote his thesis on the subject which is all the justification needed but before and after there are no attempts to justify characters infodumping or it being dropped directly in the narrative. It's strange because some elements of the story are dripfed in a carefully measured manner but it doesn't even bother trying for anything else.

I wouldn't say romance is centre stage to the book exactly but love, including romantic love, and how it affects people is something the story focuses on.

Thematically it deals with heavy subjects: colonialism, genocide and whether contact with alien species would inevitably lead to conflict and war. It's matter of fact in how it relays atrocities which combined with some unsettling imagery only serves to make them more chilling. The story's handling of these subjects isn't flawless but I found it compelling.

So much of my thoughts about this novella hinge on the ending which is impossible to discuss without giving the whole story away. I may make another spoiler filled post about it at some point.

It's not perfect but out of the five I've read it’s easily the best novella among them. Highly recommended. As near as I can tell it's the only story of his that has been translated into English. Hopefully this will win and spur more translations of his work.

General Thoughts

Overall I think this is a weak year for the novella category. There's nothing terrible nominated but He Xi's is the only standout. Comparing it to other recent years every other year has 2-3 novellas I'd rank above the other five here.

[snackugaki-jestsjapesjokes]

blep blah, here have some old ass backrooms doodle content when the topic of "the beach episode" concept came up bluhp blooh brain nyooming but art hand isn't arting

i think what is super cute in modern fandom expression that I've seen is that in terms of making OCs or AUs is that sound seems to have a bigger role now than from what I remember when I was young. which I'm thinking has a lot to do with being able to clip audio easily or being able to make multi-track playlists whenever. y'all out here with reels of your art with voice claims and some of the most thoughtfully and artfully crafted soundtracks-- not even playlists, some of that shit is a straight up soundtrack level be real

89% tempted to try one of those shady "free" video/audio editing programs to make a LoFi chill beats study girl visualizer playlist with my iteration's boys ...

anyway gonna contemplate music headcanons for my iteration under the cut

From Turtle Tracks fan letter section, Archie run, #24

so real quick, my iteration is literally just them chilling, hanging out, being together in their mid 30s- early 40s, and then sometimes flashing back to their child/teen years in the 90s because tl;dr i have miiiiiinor beef my childhood turtles weren't quite as "90s" as they "could have been" (nvm I'm cackling at the milennial pop culture refs in Mutant Mayhem drop kicking me back into my adolescence)

but mehehehehe, keeping that they listened to Public Enemy and The Jungle Brothers

and aside from Top 40 musicians of the time... I feel like being outsiders themselves, having to sneak around to explore and learn about people and what's above the sewers had them eavesdropping into a lot of nighttime venues and getting into the underground and various niche subculture scenes that daytime Top 40 didn't play.

cannot tell me the lights, thumping and noise from bands playing hardcore or house or hosting cyphers or raves didn't attract these curious and funky little green dudes like moths to a flame

... Leo definitely fell in deep with the gregorian chant phase, soothing sounds of nature fads , a big fan of Orbital and he fell into that electronic, house, trance, eurodance rabbit hole right after. he also got into Celtic folk music but when his brothers caught his ass studying Michael Flatley to incorporate Riverdance footwork into his ninjutsu he got teased so mercilessly that he took great care to hide listening to it... which just made his stealth better so joke's on them heehoo

Not to mention they're from New York City, the underground music scene is always bangin' no matter the decade; feel like rap and punk got a lot of tracks on their mix tapes back in the day

Raph getting into the metal scene in his own exploring the city trips, and then progressed to music with that boom bap sound (cuz baby boy needs a way to come down off those high intensity moods idk ijs)

Donnie... just the amalgamation of his brothers, he needs that background noise while he's chewing on schematics and protoype development, he would definitely have been the mixtape maker/recording bootlegger (along with Mikey)

Mikey absolutely tagged along with his brothers sometimes whenever they went to their spots for music, though he himself backflipped into ska 'cuz Mikey is always for the people

my tmnt  iteration (where everyone made it past their 20s, splinter’s alive just old, venus is here, and they deserve some goddamn respite and shenanigans)

tmnt  iteration part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | part 11

tmnt  iteration omake 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

lny visit 1 | 2

Keep reading

[mdhwrites]

Would you consider explaining here, in your opinion, the decline of the Emperor's Coven as an antagonistic force or even broadly as a concept within TOH's world? And - if you don't mind me asking - do you think it had that much of an adverse effect on the series?

So I'm going to break this up into two sections to answer the two questions here. The first is going to be their decline and then why that had an actually pretty big adverse effect though not one you'll immediately feel. I'll do bold text and what not to help clarify in case you want to go to each.

The Decline of the Emperor's Coven

So it is important to recognize that there is a decline at all because it is important, regardless of how quickly it happens. The first time we see an EC guard is during the Covention demonstration in episode 5. Before then, we only have the bumbling guards of the Conformatorium as the protectors of the Isles. They have all magics, Lilith beats Eda in a witch's duel implying that she is even stronger than her, bare minimum due to not having the curse, and in general is treated with reverence. They fill out an entire stadium of people wanting to join them. Amity's biggest motivation and desire for the future is to join them. They're a BIG deal and implied to be real threats. Enough so that Eda will actually hide from them unlike in episode 1 where the regular guards made her not worry about needing a disguise of any sort. She isn't reckless with the guard but they are definitely less than the EC, even if not absolutely stated.

But... The decline starts almost immediately as the next time we see them is episode 8, Upon a Swap. Not only do they struggle with keeping Luz entirely under control while in Eda's body but they have a humiliating loss at the end of the episode when Eda swaps everyone's bodies around. I believe we still see some Conformatorium guards, something that effectively stops by S2 but this is the origin of Steve. Still, they lost Luz from other madness going on and the joke at the end is followed up by Lilith's resolve. It could be brushed off.

Unfortunately they don't really ever get another big moment. They turn into the name drop for turning in Eda but otherwise, until Agony of a Witch, we don't see any EC members besides Lilith. Unfortunately, Lilith just lets Eda go once, loses a Grugby match a different time and that's it for TEN. EPISODES. Mostly just jokes as Lilith refuses to actually do her job.

Until in Agony of a Witch, Lilith and an entire squad of scouts are beaten... By Hooty. As a joke. Yes, at the end of the episode, Lilith gets a big fight against Eda but this isn't an even fight like before. They use all the same spells they did in the previous fight but Lilith has to cheat in order to not be immediately obliterated by the power gap between her and Eda. It's not an intelligence thing either as Eda isn't using tactics besides BLOW THE FUCK UP ALREADY. Lilith has to be saved effectively by the timer running out on Eda's magic because she never had a chance. Even if she's acting high and mighty... It still leaves a worse impression for how good her magic and her ability to fight are and she is the COVEN HEAD.

Hunter does not fix this in S2 either. His accomplishments are: Bullies a couple people without magic.

Steals defenseless palisman before losing them.

Beats up Kikimora while she's under sleeping drugs.

Kind of a step down from Lilith getting to claim to have beaten the most powerful wild witch in the Isles, isn't it? On the influence on the Isles side, we don't get a lot but Amity forsakes them kind of just because. No argument or debate about this still being her world and her needing proof that Belos and the EC are evil or can't be changed from the inside. No, she's just now a wild witch because her girlfriend is because otherwise we don't get a reason. Worse, Sport in a Storm... exists? An episode where multiclassing students have less than zero interest in joining the Emperor's Coven despite that being the only way for them to legally practice the type of magic they want. Also, just by concept, it requires that people are so disinterested in the EC that they now have to actually try to recruit people versus 20 years ago when people would curse each other just for a chance into the limited positions available.

Hell, by the end, it seems like most EC guards are honestly one bad day away from quitting, with no repercussions, because of Steve and the guard Dana voices who goes to the cute cat coven which isn't even one of the big nine.

Also means that the cute coven joke, which happened three episodes before The Day of Unity where everyone needed specifically one of then sigils (though why EC coven members were affected without a representative in the ritual is unknown) had to go past Dana so many times she VOICED IT.

Sorry, got off track. On the power side, we only had Lilith before Hunter and Hunter doesn't have magic so the members have to keep up the slack. They are then immediately replaced with Abomatons and the Abomatons lose to... Everyone. They are literally never a credible threat except to Luz who had the worst chances of beating one when that came up because she already been worn down by the rest of the demonstration. Otherwise, the only moments the scouts or the abomatons are treated as real threats are when the Emerald Entrails are captured because they don't actually have a reason to fight them and cause problems for the school and when Amity tries to pretend Willow should be worried about them. Not all of them, only Willow and it's pointedly to make sure the audience knows that Amity is an idiot when it comes to Willow. That she is blatantly wrong about how much of a threat these guys are. That's still worse somehow than in Once Upon a Swap where they at least recognized these people could kick their asses without a distraction of some sort.

But that's how it falls. With how few times it shows up though, it raises a question:

2. Why Does the EC's Fall from Grace Matter?

It's actually pretty reasonable to wonder about this. Besides Hunter, they don't get a lot of appearances so why does it matter that they're inconsistent? Well... For one big reason:

They our only sign of Belos being a bad ruler. Of him being a dictator. Of him... At all. They exert his force more than even Hunter does because Hunter is constantly questioning him and not doing his job. For a villain like Belos, who is effectively not in the series for 90% of it since he doesn't take an active role until the Hollow Mind effectively, before then it's always just sweet words to people that are all lies, THAT'S A PROBLEM.

If we can't take his coven seriously... Why should take him seriously? Worse yet, why should we take Luz's opinion of him seriously? When she yells about him lying to people and she claims he's hurting people, you're left asking how? The guards are bumbling fools without direction or ability. Most of them, Hunter included, are just one push away from not doing their job. That's not what happens with a dictator and it's not what you should be thinking abut when EC members become the primary threat to our protagonists.

Instead, the show has no tension for its second half except against Belos effectively. Whenever EC members are around, victory or loss is just entirely plot dependent and we know that. That's how Willow can effortlessly bury a person and their abomaton and then they just... show up, covered in vines once we're actually pretending these people are threats. It's why they during the entirety of Labyrinth Runners, its only Gus and Hunter we're following because their lack of magic makes them able to be threatened while Amity and Willow getting in each other's way is the far larger threat than the trained soldiers. An abomaton and captain of the guard is just one not that fancy combo move away from being beaten because they're that little of a threat.

For an adventure show, that's just explicitly bad. From a thematic standpoint, it actually gets worse the more times WILLOW specifically beats them. After all, Willow is the poster child of the regime. She practiced the wrong type of magic at first before finding the one that the Titan blessed her to be able to be a master of. The more times she specifically beats the EC handedly, despite them using multiple magic types like Luz and Eda preach you should be able to... It makes you question if Belos isn't right. The evidence amongst the main characters, Gus included, is that he is and them conquering his forces better than Luz, Eda, Lilith, Barkus, Jerbo or Viney just reinforces that they're better.

Even Amity, who still only practices one type of magic, eventually beats the poster boy of the Emperor's Coven, something Luz never does in a fair fight. So is Belos wrong in thinking witches should only be using one coven?

Yes, him lying makes that the case but the show supports his arguments far more while also discrediting him as some grand tyrant who is a force that needs to be opposed. Hell, Terra tried to poison kids and its his guards, and his laws, that protect Eda and Raine during Them's the Breaks because why not? The EC scouts don't like doing evil. Steve and the cute cat coven members make that clear.

It discredits the final villain and ruins the themes while also just making the show worse at its genre. So yeah, it's a real problem... But only a problem if you think about it. If you care about the worldbuilding. Otherwise, the lack of stakes is the main one that will dig at the back of your brain because you'll want to be invested in what's happening but everytime a fight scene breaks out, it's nothing. Because you know the result.

And as Belos' only manifestation for absolutely the first season and arguably the second... That should be the last thing you feel when one a squad of these guys steps up.

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

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

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

A Twitter you can follow too

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

[baileypie-writes]

~How to Watch Pretty Cure in Order - Part 2~

~~~🎀~~~🎀~~~🎀~~~

Pretty Cure has many seasons, so it can be confusing and overwhelming if you want to get into it. So I made this guide on how to watch all seasons and movies in order! It’s very specific, almost unnecessarily so. But I know that it’ll surely help people out!

This is part 2. So if you haven’t seen part 1, do that before reading this!

Part 1 here!

Note: The plot sections were not written by me. They were copied and pasted from various sources. They were occasionally edited to make them less long, or to fix mistakes.

~~~🎀~~~🎀~~~🎀~~~

~Important~

Pretty Cure, for the most part, does not need to we watched in order. You can watch almost any season first, and not be confused! There are some exceptions, of course. But I’ll get into those a bit later.

~Side Notes~

• The movies don’t need to be watched at a super specific point in the series. They are never mentioned in the actual series. They’re more like fun side quests. It’s not even confirmed whether or not they’re actually canon. But for those who want to be super specific, I added when during the series the movie aired.

• In newer seasons, there is sometimes an episode that includes Pretty Cure teams from the past. It’s usually not significant to the main story. But you can still watch it without being too confused.

• Starting in 2014 with Happiness Charge Precure!, Pretty Cure started doing something called the “baton pass”. Basically, during the last episode of the season, the main Cure for the next season will be featured. It ranges from a small cameo, to them having multiple minutes of screen time.

~Exceptions~

• Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart must be watched after Futari wa Pretty Cure.

• Yes! Precure 5 GoGo! must be watched after Yes! Precure 5.

• To watch Power of Hope: PreCure Full Bloom, you have to have watched Futari wa Pretty Cure, Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart, Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash☆Star, Yes! Precure 5, and Yes! Precure 5 GoGo!(seasons mentioned in part 1)

Let’s get started!

~~~~

~Season 11 - Happiness Charge Pretty Cure!~

Number of Episodes: 49

Theme: None?

Plot: The ruler of the evil Phantom Empire, Queen Mirage, begins her invasion on Earth using an army of Choiarks and powerful monsters called Saiarks. Pretty Cures are dispatched to fight against the Phantom Empire threat. Hime Shirayuki, a princess from the Blue Sky Kingdom who was given the power to become Cure Princess by a being named Blue, flees to Japan when her kingdom is invaded by the Phantom Empire.

Movies:

Pretty Cure All Stars New Stage 3: Eternal Friends

Aired After: Episode 6

Crossover?: Yes

Seasons Included: All(from that time)

Plot: Gureru and EnEn from the fairy school come looking for the new Pretty Cure, Megumi and Hime. But a mysterious incident occurs where children keep sleeping without waking up. The Pretty Cure gather to help children trapped in a dream world.

Happiness Charge Pretty Cure!: Ballerina of the Doll Kingdom

Aired After: Episode 35

Crossover?: No

Plot: The film's story is set in the Doll Kingdom, where dolls reside. The Happiness Charge Pretty Cure are asked to help by a woman named Tsumugi when the sudden appearance of Saiarks begin wreaking havoc upon the Kingdom. However, all is not what it seems with the mysterious man, Black Fang, dwelling in the shadows.

~~~~

~Season 12 - Go! Princess Pretty Cure~

Number of Episodes: 50

Theme: Princesses

Plot: When Haruka arrives at her new school, a chance encounter with a pair of magical creatures influences a series of unbelievable events, and Haruka awakens as "Cure Flora," the princess of blooming flowers. After two of Haruka's classmates also transform into legendary princesses, a story of self-discovery unfolds as the newfound team "Princess Precure" carries the responsibility of protecting everyone's dreams. Engaged in a battle between hope and despair, Haruka may find the key toward becoming the princess she has always dreamed to be.

Movies:

Pretty Cure All Stars: Spring Carnival♪

Aired After: Episode 6

Crossover?: Yes

Seasons Included: All(from that time)

Plot: A spring carnival held in the country of dance and song, Harmonia, is beginning. Haruka Haruno and her friends also join the festival to learn dance and song from their senior Precure warriors. However, the fairies go missing, and the carnival is thrown into confusion. Even worse, the announcers Odoren and Utaen seem extremely suspicious, and the guardian dragon of Harmonia has started a rampage, angry at the chaos at the carnival. In order to protect the peace of Harmonia, the 40 Precure warriors work together to create a miracle through dance and song filled with hope.

Go! Princess PreCure The Movie: Go! Go!! Splendid Triple Feature!!!

Aired After: Episode 38

Crossover?: No

Plot: Part 1 is a dialogue-less story featuring Cure Flora and a mischievous ghost in a mirror. Part 2 features the four Precure girls trying to rescue a princess who is held captive. Part 3 is set when the Night Kingdom lost its daytime. The Precure team fight to take the daytime back alongside the princess Refi.

~~~~

~Season 13 - Witchy Pretty Cure!~

(Also known as Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure! and Maho Girls Pretty Cure!)

Number of Episodes: 50

Theme: Witches/magic

Plot: One day, Mirai was in the park when a witch, Riko, falls off her broom. Together with Mofurun, Mirai's talking teddy bear, they become Precure to fight the villains called Yokubal while collecting Linkle Stones.

Movies:

Pretty Cure All Stars: Singing with Everyone♪ Miraculous Magic!

Aired After: Episode 6

Crossover?: Yes

Seasons Included: All(from that time)

Plot: Two friends must use Pretty Cure's magic tears to save the human world. Separated by a witch and her partner, the only thing that can protect the world is the friendship of the 44 Pretty Cure.

Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure! The Movie: Miraculous Transformation! Cure Mofurun!

Aired After: Episode 38

Crossover?: No

Plot: I'm Mirai Asahina! Everyone, do you know about the "Wishing Stone"? It's a powerful stone that can grant any wish you want! Today is the day we're celebrating its revival, a huge magic festival that only occurs once a century♪ Together with Riko and Ha-chan, I wish upon this "Wishing Stone", but believe or not, it chose Mofurun's wish! This is truly exciting!! However...a mysterious bear・Dark Matter suddenly appears, and takes Mofurun with him!! I have to definitely save Mofurun! Even when we're separated, the wishes of all of us can bring about miracles!! Well that is what I thought, what~~~!! Mofurun became a Pretty Cure~!?

~~~~

~Season 14 - KiraKira☆Pretty Cure A La Mode~

Number of Episodes: 49

Theme: Sweets(and animals)

Plot: 8th Grader Ichika Usami becomes a Precure through the power of baking. With the help of fairy friends, she and 4 buddies fight evil as Precures while running a patisserie.

Movies:

Pretty Cure Dream Stars!

Aired After: Episode 6

Crossover?: Yes

Seasons Included: Go! Princess, Witchy, KiraKira

Plot: I'm Ichika Usami! On this day, I met a girl named Sakura! She told me that there is a beautiful sparkling world. However, a bad person named Karasu Tengu appears to steal <beautiful things all over the world> and kidnap Sakura's friends...but don't worry! "GO! Princess Pretty Cure", "Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure!" and my team, "KiraKira☆Pretty Cure A La Mode" will definitely save your world! So everyone, hold hands! Open that door! Let's go and save Sakura's world!

KiraKira☆Pretty Cure A La Mode: Crispy! The Mille-feuille of Memories!

Aired After: Episode 37

Crossover?: No

Plot: Set in Paris, the land of desserts, the Pretty Cure use the power of their memories to confront a mysterious monster.

~~~~

~Season 15 - HUGtto! Pretty Cure~

Number of Episodes: 49

Theme: Professions?

Plot: Hana Nono wants to be a cool adult. Her first day at her new school gets off to a rocky start, but she meets some nice people and is looking forward to the next day, when a mysterious baby named "Hug-tan" falls out of the sky, along with her hamster caregiver, Hari. Hug-tan is pursued by the evil Criasu Company and its monsters that want her Mirai Crystal. Soon, Hug-tan is attacked, but Hana's desire to protect the baby creates a new Mirai Crystal, and she transforms into Cure Yell. Hana learns that the Mirai Crystals have the power to create tomorrow, and if the crystals are taken, everyone's future will disappear.

Movies:

Pretty Cure Super Stars!

Aired After: Episode 6

Crossover?: Yes

Seasons Included: Witchy, KiraKira, Hugtto

Plot: Hana takes Hugtan to a field of alpine flowers, where she is eventually joined by Saaya and Homare. However, a monster called Usobaka appears, which is determined to cover the world in lies.

HUGtto! Pretty Cure♡Futari wa Pretty Cure: All Stars Memories

Aired After: Episode 37

Crossover?: Yes

Seasons Included: All(from that time)

Plot: The Hugtto! Pretty Cure team joins forces with the Futari wa Pretty Cure team to retrieve the Pretty Cures' stolen powers and memories from an vengeful teru teru bōzu named Miden.

~~~~

~Season 16 - Star☆Twinkle Pretty Cure~

Number of Episodes: 49

Theme: Space

Plot: The Starry Sky World is the home of the twelve Star Princesses, who maintain order in the universe. But when the Notraiders attack the Star Palace, the princesses scatter themselves across the universe as the Princess Star Color Pens. Seeking to revive the princesses and prevent the universe from being consumed in darkness, the aliens Lala and Prunce travel with the fairy Fuwa to Mihoshi Town on Earth, where they meet the imaginative Hikaru Hoshina. After receiving a Star Color Pendant and a Star Color Pen, Hikaru transforms into the legendary Pretty Cure, Cure Star. Hikaru leads the Star Twinkle Pretty Cure as they seek to revive the Star Princesses and fight against the Notraiders.

Movies:

Pretty Cure Miracle Universe

Aired After: Episode 6

Crossover?: Yes

Seasons Included: KiraKira, Hugtto, Star Twinkle

Plot: I'm Hikaru Hoshina! One day, when I was looking at the stars, space just warped before my eyes!? Twincool~☆ Are we really going to the planet that made the Miracle Lights? Wait, what? Huh~!? Suddenly the lights just went out and the stars are being swallowed up by darkness!? If this continues, the world as we know it will become pitch black...that's a huge pinch right there!! But, I definitely won't give up on bringing back the universe's light! So come on everyone, give us your support!

Star☆Twinkle Pretty Cure: Wish Upon a Celestial Ballad

Aired After: Episode 36

Crossover?: No

Plot: One day, a mysterious creature suddenly appeared from within Lala's gummy case! Their name was... UMA. And just like a shooting star, we were whisked away to a faraway place!? Is this UMA's powers? What sort of creature are they? But one day, a mysterious alien hunter appeared...oh no! Is it possible that they're after UMA!? If that's the case, then the universe and Earth are in danger! Let's all protect UMA together!

~~~~

~Season 17 - Healin' Good♡Pretty Cure~

Number of Episodes: 45

Theme: Elements

Plot: When a group called the Byo-gens attack the Healing Garden, a magical garden protected by Healing Animals, in hopes of poisoning the entire planet, Latte, as well as three of the Healing Animals, Rabirin, Pegitan and Nyatoran, flee to Earth in hopes of finding human partners to become Pretty Cure.

Movies:

Pretty Cure Miracle Leap: A Strange Day With Everyone

Aired After: Episode 30

Crossover?: Yes

Seasons Included: Hugtto, Star Twinkle, Healin’ Good

Plot: Nodoka, Chiyu and Hinata run into trouble when a troubled spirit known as Miraclun appears, being chased after by Refrain. The Pretty Cure appeared to defeat Refrain. Except, time has been reversed and the day starts again!?

Healin' Good♡Pretty Cure: GoGo! Big Transformation! The Town of Dreams

Aired After: Episode 45

Crossover?: Yes

Seasons Included: Yes! Precure 5, Yes! Precure 5 GoGo!, Healin’ Good

Plot: The Pretty Cure visit Tokyo in this movie!? Let's go to the fun world of "virtual dreams"!! What are "virtual dreams" though? Nodoka and the others obtain something known as the "Dream Pendant" which gives them the ability to see holographic images of various things in Tokyo. The "Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo!" characters also make an appearance. Please look forward to seeing everyone meeting each other!

~~~~

~Season 18 - Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure~

Number of Episodes: 46

Theme: Tropical/summer

Plot: I'm Manatsu Natsuumi! The day I moved to Aozora City, I discovered a secret in the ocean. This secret goes by the name of "Laura", and she's actually...a mermaid! In the ocean, there's a land of mermaids called "Grand Ocean", however, a "Witch of Delays" who lives in the darkest depths of the ocean, deprived Grand Ocean of its "motivation power". So now, no one in Grand Ocean is feeling motivated anymore. And it'll be horrible if motivation is taken away from the human world too...! And that's why Laura has come alone to the surface to find the legendary warriors, Pretty Cure!

Movie:

Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure: The Snow Princess and the Miraculous Ring!

Aired After: Episode 33

Crossover?: Yes

Seasons Included: Heartcatch, Tropical-Rouge

Plot: I'm Manatsu Natsuumi! One day, we received an amazing invitation from the Land of Snow, Shantia! They're holding a coronation for Sharon! We all depart to the sparkling world of snow♪ Woah, it's tropica-shining~! Laura, who wants to be the queen of the Mermaid Kingdom, has befriended Sharon, who gave her a beautiful ring. But just as they decide to keep a promise, a mysterious monster suddenly appears and locks everyone inside of the kingdom.

~~~~

~Season 19 - Delicious Party♡Pretty Cure~

Number of Episodes: 45

Theme: Food

Plot: CooKingdom is a delicious happy world run by cooking. One day, the Recipe-Bon, the treasured power with which they cook with, is taken by the phantom thief Bundoru Gang! Next, they're after the cooking fairies, Recipepes...!! The Energy Fairies arrive in Oishiina Town in search of the Recipe-Bon and by chance, three ordinary girls become Pretty Cure!

Movie:

Delicious Party♡Pretty Cure: Dreaming♡Children's Lunch!

Aired After: Episode 28

Crossover?: No

Plot: A theme park for Children's Lunch has suddenly appeared! It's all-you-can-play, all-you-can-eat! There are so many attractions that make me delicious smile♡ It seems Kome-Kome and the others were treated to a Children's Lunch by the park director, Cait Sith. Everyone was having fun playing together, but... What!? Oh my god!! Rosemary has been turned into a stuffed toy!? Is there a secret to "Dreamia"...!?

~~~~

~Season 20 - Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure~

(Also known as Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure)

Number of Episodes: 50

Theme: Sky, super heroes

Plot: A major incident has occurred in the peaceful Sky Land!? The young Princess Ellee has been kidnapped by the monsters of Undergu Empire! A brave young girl, Sora, follows the princess through a mysterious portal. "TV"? "Cars"? Are those some kind of magic tools!?!? But there's no time to be surprised! She has to get the princess back to the castle...! Flying between two worlds! The adventure with the Pretty Cure begins now! It's hero time!

Movie:

Pretty Cure All Stars F

Aired After: Episode 32

Crossover?: Yes

Seasons Included: All(from that time)

Plot: "Where am I...?" --When Sora wakes up, she finds herself in a mysterious world... It seems that she has lost Mashiro and the others.... They meet a lot of friends, but for some reason, their memories are all a little hazy... And it seems that the only people in this world are Pretty Cure...? We want to go back to our own world! The clue is a castle in the distance-- Onward! Our journey begins here! Let's go on a great adventure to the castle! ♪

~~~~

~Mini Season? - Power of Hope: PreCure Full Bloom~

(Also known as Kibou no Chikara ~Otona Pretty Cure '23~)

Number of Episodes: 12

Crossover?: Yes

Seasons Included: Futari wa, Futari wa Max Heart, Splash Star, Yes! Precure 5, Yes! Precure 5 GoGo!

Plot: When Nozomi was an ordinary middle school student, she met Coco, a mysterious fairy from Palmier Kingdom. In order to protect everyone's wishes, as the Pretty Cure of Hope, Cure Dream, she joined forces with her friends to fight against a powerful enemy. Time has passed since then, and Nozomi and her friends are now adults. Suddenly, a mysterious shadow appears and attacks humans...! When the bell of the clock tower rings, a new story of Nozomi and her friends, who have become adults, begins to unfold!

(This season has no movies)

~~~~

~Season 21 - Wonderful Pretty Cure!~

Number of Episodes: 34 so far(still airing)

Theme: Pets/animals

Plot: Animal Town is a town where animals and people live together. Iroha loves animals and is good friends with her dog, Komugi! One day, a mysterious monster, a Garugaru wreaks havoc in the town! However, in order to protect Iroha, Komugi transformed into a human and became a Pretty Cure...!? Komugi has to save the animal whose heart is being garugaru-ed...! Let's join forces and return the animals to the Niko Garden!

Movie:

Wonderful Pretty Cure! The Movie! Doki Doki! An Epic♡Adventure In The Game World!

Aired After: Episode 32

Crossover?: Yes

Seasons Included: Witchy, Soaring Sky, Wonderful

Plot: Komugi, Iroha, Yuki, Mayu, Daifuku, and Satoru have gathered to play the super popular game "Doki Doki♡TanuKingdom" Everyone starts the game happily! Or so they thought... But it seems they've been sucked into a world of the game with a suspicious tanuki... And now they're in even more trouble! Komugi has been separated from Iroha and the others...!? How on earth did this happen...? What is the secret hidden in the world of the game...? The clue is in the hands of Natsuki, the young girl who created the game. "Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure" and "Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure!" have also gathered together! When everyone's feelings come together, will a wonderful miracle unfold?!

~~~~

Congratulations! You’re officially all caught up on Pretty Cure! I hope it was a fun journey! Now, you can enjoy a healthy dose of one episode a week from now on.

~~~🎀~~~🎀~~~🎀~~~

~~baileypie-writes

[vestaclinicpod]

Audio Drama Sunday - 30th July ✨

Another great week of audio drama has kept my brain busy while my data collection is less busy. Happy Audio Drama Sunday, please allow me to share my favourites!

SPOILERS!!

🌲 @hellofromthehallowoods (127) Oh NO Mrs Wicker get your children away from that Church!!!! I love to hear the J-sibs starting to push back against her, long may it continue! I'm also still obsessed with the Raven-Writing Desk dynamic and it's only going to get juicier when Mr Writing Desk actually wants to follow Penny’s demands… And Danielle!! I love that she still gets to be an active help in the mission to the North in a way that doesn’t feel like deus ex machina because it’s just her. 

🎞 Tiny Terrors (022) this episode had me yelling ‘what’s the catch?!?!?’ internally and I’ve just seen that the wait is over to listen to the other side of the tape!! Angela, what are you??

🌍 @lastechoespod (7) As some of you may know. . . I am a huge fan of Drs in Space. This episode had me gripped, those poor people 😭 What a cruel scare tactic from the Collected for that to be played to the people trying to decide whether to join. I’m so tense to hear what the final archival selection is going to be! 

🧛‍♂️ @re-dracula Things are TENSE aboard the Demeter. Even in <60s of audio, the creeping dread is so palpable. And Mina, sweet Mina! So thrilled to have her back! Listening rather than reading has makes it so much easier to parse the long, chunky sections describing Whitby!! I have high hopes that I'm going to stick with it to the very end this time.

 💫 Wolf 359 (24-32) Oh fuck. I am so glad I have all the episodes to listen to at once. I could NOT have dealt with the wait between seasons. Ep 30, Mayday, is possibly one of the coolest things I’ve ever heard. I love that feeling of rooting for a character so hard that you forget that they don’t really exist and that you know they make it because there are another 30 eps of the show left. And the new characters - Kepler, Jacobi, Maxwell - wow, I LOVE to hate them. They’re fantastic in the worst way. 

🎩 @ethicstownpod (5) Things got a little creepy on the emergency broadcast this week. Memory is created as it is recalled?? What?? My mind is boggled. I’m very excited to hear how this, and what seems to be a growing discomfort between January and Artemis, plays out in the next episodes! 

🥾@doyoucopypod (3) Now. Hear me out. I know that being stuck up in a radio tower all day has got to be boring but I do think there might be a better time to flirt with your colleague than when 3 people are missing in a place called the ‘Dead Zone’ where strange ecological events are occurring . . . Just me?? Have I got the braincell here??? I’m so excited for these shenanigans to get even spookier. 

🏴‍☠️ Yeah. I listened to @levianpod again. What are you going to do? Support their crowdfunder? Good. Do it.

🎧 Such an interesting episode of The First Episode Of with @wirelandranch! The wireland vibes have always been immaculate and it’s so interesting to learn about where it came from and why it’s an amalgamation rather than a straight-up audio drama. 

🐬 Described as a weird mystery, @patterspod is exactly that. It’s batshit in the best possible way. Perhaps I hang out with strange people, but the main character is so normal in his weirdness, I feel like most people know a guy like Ryan even though Ryan is a liar ghostwriter trying to hunt down his thieving EX-boss with ?paranormal connections. It’s great stuff. 

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend! My goal is to have season two of the show written by the start of August . . . So I should stop writing this and get to writing that . . . Right? Okay.