#friendly reminder that connie is the best character

[awesome-normal-heroes]

I'm saying this as a bi person...

The problem with some of the gay/bi rep in cartoons is that after the character or characters are revealed to be gay, it slowly becomes their whole personality...

Hear me out...

Even though I love Garnet and Rupphire, they are a perfect example of being flanderized after the reveal of them being a romantic couple... Before it's revealed she's a fusion, Garnet was a unique and interesting character that tries to best to help and take care of Steven; she even slowly replaces Pearl as Steven's mother figure... But after it's revealed she's a fusion, Garnet becomes obsessed with people combining and that's almost all she talks about anymore...

Although Ruby and Sapphire are cute together, they seem kinda co-dependent and obsessed with each other... Which I guess makes sense, since they're always a single entity... But I wish Garnet's other things were talked about more often, like her future vision and the secret pressures she feels about being the Crystal Gem's new leader and Steven's caretaker etc...

Meanwhile with Pearl, when she first appeared, she was quite motherly and protective of Steven...

She also had a fondness for the nature of Earth...

Pearl also misses Rose, but not to the point of obsession...

But then in one of the episodes, it's suddenly revealed that Pearl was Rose's Right-Hand Gem that told her everything (except how Rose's canon works; guess the writers forgot that little detail) and Pearl gets upset that Rose kept secrets from her too (with Pearl implying to have a crush on Rose)...

Afterwards, Pearl's character was slowly being rewritten to being obsessed with Rose and being the most sad that Rose is gone...

Then Garnet begins to become the better mother figure for Steven...

They even made Pearl afraid to hold Baby Steven (unlike the other Gems) and later in the flashbacks, she tried to rip out Steven's pink gem which could KILL him (and the Crystal Gems don't stop her)...

Then later training Connie to fight to the death, like Pearl used to do for Rose...

Season 1 Pearl would NEVER think about doing something like that to Steven or Connie... Remember when Pearl wanted to train Steven safely with the basics?

There's also love triangle flashback episodes of her being salty that Rose fell in love with Greg...

I will give Pearl credit for finally accepting Greg as a friend and trying to move on (and being nicer to Amethyst)...

But falling in love with someone who looks like Rose is honestly a step backwards...

Pearl should move on, by ending up with someone that would truly treat her like an equal and not remind her of Rose... Like Amethyst or Bismuth or another human.

I will give Bubblegum and Marceline points for not being as obsessed with each other as Ruby and Sapphire are...

But the relationship seems to kinda mess with their friendships with other people sometimes...

Like for example, I find it hard to believe that Bubblegum's love for Marceline's shirt is stronger than Marceline's love for the teddy bear that Simon gave her as a little kid, the items should at least be equal...

Then friendly scenes between Finn and Bubblegum happened less and less...

The romance slowly overtook Marceline's entire storyline, like the ship seemed more important then her past with Simon/Ice King or her human mom...

Luz and Amity... where to begin... well, there's a few things that rub me the wrong way...

The fact that Luz is befriending Willow's rival bully and former friend behind Willow's back, while Amity has a somewhat inconsistent personality, until she gains purple hair... then her personality is basically 'Luz Fangirl'...

Green-Haired Amity gets angry at Luz whenever Luz gets Amity in trouble or makes a mistake...

And Luz almost always loses her backbone whenever Amity is angry at her...

But Purple-Haired Amity becomes the number 1 Luz Supporter and almost never gets angry at Luz...

Amity used to be ambitious and sassy, but all of that went away in Season 2...

She doesn't have any new goals for herself, other than being Luz's girlfriend...

Luz basically became Amity's whole world and Amity only cares about Luz-related things...

It feels less like character development and more like the writers had to completely change Amity's personality, in order for the Lumity relationship to work...

Speaking of the relationship, it’s undeveloped and unrealistic...

They’ve never really had a fight since they became official and Amity's personality had changed, and they never experience any of the pitfalls a true relationship has.

It doesn't help that Lumity is one of those relationships that can de-rail the actual story... like Starco kinda did for Star VS The Forces of Evil.

I will give Lumity credit for not getting love triangles and cheating involved, like Starco had.

Korrasami would have similar problems that Lumity had, with Asami's personality changed...

If Asami had much of a personality in the first place...

She only exists to create a love triangle and be eye candy...

She went from being a Mako Fangirl to a Korra Fangirl...

Despite the fact that Korra stole her boyfriend Mako twice... yikes.

...

I'm just saying that gay/bi rep is important, but it shouldn't consume the character's personality... there needs to be balance.

[my-mt-heart]

TWD 11x10 “New Haunts” Review

Well, that’s funny. This episode tried to throw Donnie and Carzekiel in my face and yet somehow I still feel…secure about Caryl’s future? Does that sound backwards? Am I delusional or could it be I’ve put my faith in the right showrunner’s hands? Hmm. But in all seriousness, babes, Angela comes through once again, knowing exactly where to draw the line to preserve our understanding of Daryl’s and Carol’s characters. With that said though, I do have one bone to pick…

And here it is. I have always commended Angela for allowing the emotions to drive the story, but when it comes to this fast transition into the Commonwealth and 30-day time jump, I worry she’s fallen a little short. We know characters are being given a lot of choices this season, the choice to either stay in Alexandria or join a new, high-functioning society is a major one I’d say. To me, it just seems like all of the characters, especially the ones who took the latter option, are being thrown into this situation for the sake of honoring a predetermined plotpoint without giving enough thought into motives. What could Lance Hornsby have possibly said to convince two suspicious characters like Daryl and Carol to leave their home behind, the home Daryl not too long ago suggested was worth fighting for even if it needs to be cleaned up and the one Carol was doing everything she could to keep standing, including slaughtering a horse? Don’t get me wrong, I can formulate a few ideas. After the whirlwind Daryl experienced with the Reapers for example, he’s probably so exhausted from day-to-day survival and of course, he wants to do what’s best for Judith and RJ. As for Carol, with everything she’s suffered and endured, it’s not a stretch of the imagination to believe safety and security would be enticing to her. Maybe she wanted to remain close to Daryl. After all, the work we saw her put in throughout 11A had been for his sake in a lot of ways, hadn’t it? Plus, like, she loves him and what not. That’s the thing. I can infer all day and night, but I shouldn’t have to. For a leap this big, I think we were at least entitled to a conversation between Daryl and Carol beforehand to gauge where their heads are at, including with each other coming off a season and a half of tension. 

A reviewer said Daryl and Carol seem to be on “much better” terms in this episode, and I could not disagree more. They’re friendly with each other. Carol gives Daryl a cookie. Daryl gives Carol a smug, but cute look when he finds out she used to read a lot of tabloids (side note: of course she did). Otherwise, they’re still a little bit stiff. Daryl giving the cookie to RJ reminds me of Diverged when Carol offers her canteen and he gives the water to Dog instead. It’s not meant as a rejection, but perhaps Carol sees it that way. She’s trying to take care of him, and he’s implying he doesn’t need her. Then on Daryl’s side, he’s hearing her say “maybe we don’t need to do anything to make it work” in reference to the Commonwealth, but he could easily attribute that kind of nonchalant attitude to their relationship. This is the problem with letting too many feelings go unspoken. They’re just sitting there, festering, and I predict it’s only a matter of time before it all boils over again. 

I’m sure some are still disappointed Carol is living separately from Daryl and the kids (I blame fanfiction), but the way I see it, she is trying to establish boundaries. She is intentionally keeping herself at arm’s length because she can’t entertain the idea of a nuclear family again. After Henry, she doesn’t trust herself to be a maternal figure to Judith and RJ, and more than that, she wants to give Daryl space to find the happiness she’s certain she can’t give him. This, my friends, is where Connie factors in. 

First, let me put it out there that there is nothing explicitly romantic between Daryl and Connie throughout the entire conversation. In fact, it seems more focused on bolstering Connie’s image, emphasizing what an accomplished journalist she is for having gotten Pamela Milton’s uncle kicked out of congress way back when. Carol even gives Daryl an impressed look as if she’s trying to communicate, “hey, did you hear that? Isn’t she great? She’s great, right?” Yes, Daryl does watch Connie go and there is definitely intent to make us think he might be attracted to her, but again, it’s worth noting there’s nothing in his expression that indicates he really is. There’s no score or anything to heighten what one would expect to be an emotional milestone for Daryl’s character because the goal is to make that dynamic as innocent or unemotional as possible. I have no doubt people who ship Daryl and Connie would laugh at that and say we’re in denial. Here’s the other thing. If the show wants to reveal Daryl has feelings for Connie, why not give them a private moment? Why not at the ball where Connie, dressed very cutely, can actually give him something to stare at? The reason, I believe, is because Carol has to be able to witness everything. She is the reason this concept of Daryl and Connie is being perpetuated. Curious that Daryl’s look comes after Carol tries to point out how impressive Connie is, as if he’s trying really hard to see what Carol sees. At the same time, unbeknown to her, Carol is the thing standing in the way of it actually happening.

She might sound amused when she says, “you should ask her to dance,” and honestly, it doesn’t surprise me. As long as she assumes Daryl is better off with Connie, she's not going to let her own deeper feelings surface or even entertain the fact that there are deeper feelings. As I said in my last review, she cares far more about making sure Daryl is happy than letting herself be happy, and I think that's because she's still harboring a lot of negative feelings about herself and her worth. At one point, she even jokes to Ezekiel that she is “a lady of high caliber” to which he replies “the highest.” The look on her face afterward is heartbreaking because it’s obvious she doesn’t really believe it, so why would a good judge of character like Daryl ever believe it? Objectively, Carol is an integral part of Daryl's happiness, but internally, she believes she's a walking virus who’s only good at spreading pain, so she is using Connie as a buffer. She needs an excuse to distance herself because if she does the opposite and gets too close, she might lose Daryl. Chase him away, get him killed. Whatever form that takes, it's Carol's biggest fear. The mind is a powerful thing, and hers is definitely playing tricks on her. 

When Bonds first aired, Angela Kang commented that Carol prodding Daryl on his love life stemmed from the belief she wouldn’t make it out of the whisperer war. And I know what you’re all thinking. Well, fuck. The whisperer war is over, Carol lived through it, she made amends, and she still hates herself enough to push another woman onto Daryl? What gives? I think I’ve said before that when Daryl’s and Connie’s relationship inevitably came up again, there would have to be some sort of nuance to reflect Carol’s emotional growth since S10. Well, as I’m slowly coming to terms with, this show loves (LOVES) to bury the lead, and for that reason alone, it’s highly possible nothing is going to be clear until either Carol or Daryl confesses or they kiss or both. I’m not saying I like it. I’m just saying we should brace ourselves for it. I still maintain that Daryl will be the one to confess first, officially shutting down the notion of a romantic relationship between him and Connie and ultimately shocking not only Carol, but the fans (the ones who don’t pay attention anyway). See what I mean about a bait and switch? 

All that being said, I think Carol’s apparent supportiveness can still be explained narratively. When you look closely at what she’s actually accomplished this past season – getting the horses, feeding her people, finding Connie – you might notice that it was all done in the spirit of “fixing what she broke” for the sake of the people she cares about. She did not “fix” herself. If anything, the events that transpired since the conversation in 10x06 have probably reinforced in Carol’s mind that this isn’t possible. She can’t go back and change what she’s done. Everything is a part of her, latched onto her soul. Yes, she’s accepted she can live, but in a lot of ways, she is only living on the sidelines where she watches and waits until someone needs her. Well, if Daryl’s handling himself just fine, how can she be useful? This brings us to…Ezekiel. 

I’m going to throw out two facts that I dare anybody to challenge. Fact number one, Carol cares about Ezekiel. They were married for six years and had a child together. Come at me. Fact number two, Carol knows Ezekiel has cancer. So if I’m doing the math right, it stands to reason Carol would want to do anything she can to help her friend (her words, not mine), and in Carol’s mind, she’s not doing everything she can if she doesn’t sneak out of the city in an unexplainable way, steal fancy wine, and use it try to manipulate Lance Hornsby, someone with authority, into bumping Zeke up on the list so he can get the surgery he needs to, you know, live. It doesn’t have to mean she’s still in love with him or that a reconciliation is on the horizon, though I don’t think Angela minds one bit if anyone thinks that. What would lead anyone to think that based on this episode alone, I’m not sure. All throughout, Zeke is very focused on “finding reasons to smile” despite knowing he’s dying and as part of the acceptance phase, he’s starting to get his affairs in order. In a very cute scene, where Jerry and his family are dressed up as tigers in honor of Shiva, Zeke lets Jerry’s son have Shiva’s collar, which Jerry apparently recovered from Hilltop after it burnt down (Aww!!!) Then when Ezekiel visits Carol at her apartment, he gives her Henry’s box, implying that he’s ready to move on from the life the three of them had together. Carol leans back against his arm, but no, there is no snuggling. I very much see two people who have a history ready to try to build something positive and healthy with each other while they still can. 

It’s very interesting that Daryl’s and Carol’s relationships with other characters are being paralleled in the same episode. I know some find it frustrating that Connie and Ezekiel are being used at all to propel Caryl forward. That frustration is totally valid. I too wish we could just focus on Daryl’s and Carol’s interactions with each other in the little time we have left. But as I’ve said many times, while it’s one thing to show Daryl and Carol belong together; it is far more powerful to convey that by first showing why they can’t belong with anyone else. Again, “choices” is the big theme of the season. Connie and Ezekiel both represent choices that Daryl and Carol have, potentially very good choices. They may even get to a point where it seems impossible not to choose them, but ultimately, I think the goal is to try to subvert our expectations (well, not our expectations). When the time comes, Daryl and Carol will choose each other. First though, they have to realize they do represent a choice in each other’s eyes. Not just a choice, but their first choice. 

Even though I’m a firm advocate in continuity and they have to tie up this thread between Daryl and Connie they started in S10, it does bother me a little bit that her character has to use Daryl (and Carol) as a crutch. I’m hoping her role as an investigative reporter will allow her to stand on her own more. I suspect she’ll be vital in exposing the city’s corruption, starting with interviewing former trooper Tyler Davis. Ideally, my girl, Kelly, can also play an active role and not simply become Connie’s shadow again. Wishful thinking maybe. 

While the slingshot sisters, Yumiko, and a begrudging Tomi (who works at the hospital now?) seem to all be thriving at the Commonwealth, it’s hinted that some characters are not. Magna is back to being a waitress for example, and she seems fully conscious of the class divide. Meanwhile, Daryl and Rosita are barely scraping by as military trainees. I don’t think it’s random  at all that this is the path Daryl is being placed on when you consider the fact that Merle had been in the army at some point too, presumably because he was deemed a redneck lowlife with no other options. The only difference is, Daryl also has Judith, RJ, and Dog to look after. Living in a ratty apartment where crying babies and loud music are on blast couldn’t have ever been easy for Daryl, but when a little girl is asking for an allowance so she can buy records (from Princess’s store!), that must add a lot of pressure. It seems Daryl had been under the impression that “it’s not forever” and there was no reason to try to become “a team player” as Mercer puts it to him during training, but with both Judith and RJ expressing their desire to stay as long as their mom can find them, he realizes he has to step up. Even if it means kissing up to an egotistical prick like Sebastian (seriously, can this guy be more of a trope?) I imagine it’s only going to get harder for Daryl to maintain the illusion which, if he hasn’t started to already, should get him thinking about what he really wants in life. Here’s a hint: vroom, vroom. 

Carol’s scene with Ezekiel also heavily suggested that she, too, feels like a fish out of water if only because she’s constantly surrounded by families and happiness she assumes she can’t have. There’s also an interesting parallel to be made when we see Carol standing outside the masquerade ball while Daryl is inside doing his best to blend in. It’s like a reverse of S5 when Carol was the one attending the party and Daryl was hovering on the outskirts. While Aaron became a mentor for Daryl, it seems like Lance is going to be taking Carol under his wing in the episodes to come. In another parallel that may not be intentional, Carol tells Lance her mother always taught her to be observant, which reminds me of Daryl back in season two when he said he was observant.  

I liked some of the other dynamics we got to see, both new and old. Mercer and Princess are cute, and it’s nice to see Daryl and Rosita working closely together, trying to have each other’s backs. I’m going to come out and say it though. I don’t particularly care for this episode. It just feels offbeat. That entire sequence of Daryl catching Davis even felt like a procedural crime drama. Agent Dixon is on the move! The peculiar tone is probably intentional to a degree, but I do hope future episodes will ground us back in the world that feels like home for us and our characters, and for the love of god, let’s get to some meaningful Daryl and Carol scenes already? I have a feeling the ship baiting is going to get worse before it gets better, so let’s just stay strong in the meantime, guys. Remember there is nothing to gain from a Donnie and/or Carzekiel relationship for their own sake. Only six more weeks until we can turn our attention to 11C. We got this. 

11x09 “No Other Way” Review

[levi-supreme]

Connie and Levi 😍😘

Megan my dear!!! I'm so sorry I took so long to answer your ask but here it is!!

Connie

First bingo for besto friendo Connie!!

I feel like if I knew Connie or someone like him irl, we would probably vibe well with each other. I think I've said it a lot of times before that Connie's like my bro and bff because I am similar to Sasha (or in other words... Connie is being bro zoned).

And I also stand by the idea that Connie would be the most chill and easy-going friend ever. Need someone to rant to? Connie's your man. It's 3am and you're craving supper? Call up Connie and he'll drive you somewhere for some fast food. He's just really adventurous and fun-loving, and there'll be no boring time with him. Also I have mentioned before that Connie's my number one choice if I were to choose someone as a one-night stand LOL XD

Moving back to canonverse Connie!! I know most of us see him as a joker who can always liven up everyone's spirits and says things that don't make sense sometimes, but he had his moments to shine as well and he is fantastic on the odmg!!!!! I feel like a lot of people overlooked the skills Connie has and somehow only sees him as a duo with Sasha. Friendly reminder that Connie graduated 8th in the 104th batch and he's the quickest on the odmg okay???

ANYWAY yes Connie is a cutie we should all love him <3

Levi

It's a bingo for the husband too!!!!!

Do I need to say more about Levi???? Everyone here knows how much Levi means to all of us, and why we all love him so much. If I were to say everything I feel about Levi, this ask is going to end up as a thesis so yup, I shall not start XD

You all know how much I love Levi already, and plus this blog is called levi-supreme for a reason hehe. And if it's not obvious enough!!! I love this man to death!!!! Levi's the only man I wanna marry!!! He who is the only one who I want to spend my entire life with!!! The father of my future kids!!!!

Hahaha but putting those self-indulgent thoughts aside! Levi is the best man out there who deserves all the happiness and love in this world ❤️

Character opinion bingo!

[zhowongli]

hello! i started a new thread because the other one (+ this one) got really long, so sorry! but i guess this is my love letters to you guys because you’ve made my tumblr experience so, so much better && i’m grateful for all of you guys + all of my mutuals and followers!!

first of all, @himawari-senpaii thank you so so much for your kind words! meggi, i love your sunflower motif because it suits you so well! sunflowers make me smile whenever i see them, and it really brings me so much joy to see you on my dash/notifs. your tags are always so fun and sweet. thank you for tagging me in this 🥺 

@animoozies connie, where do i even start? you were my very, very first tumblr mutual on this account! i’m so thankful you reached out to me before, and you’re still checking up on me even now. words can’t describe how much i adore you + how appreciative of you! when i see you on my dash with your stories, i always end up cackling because you’re so fun. idk how you do it working all those hours + going to nursing school, but you is a mf boss ass queen!!

@hoekaashi ash, my queen!! my tag for you is my day is blessed because ash ✨exists✨ because that’s honestly how i feel about you. i am truly blessed with your kindness, your humor, your friendship, you. thank you for always keeping me company through our struggles in pharmacy school! you are one of the realest people i know, and i feel so honored that you always send me random kenma pics & fics you think i’d like 🥺

@kanao annette, the other half of my soul, my whole heart, my literal soul sister. you are one of the biggest blessings i’ve received this year, and i honestly don’t know where i would be without you listening to my dumb shit and supporting me through all my mess LOL. thank you for validating me all the time, even if it’s just stupid stuff like enabling me to buy all the random stuff that i’ve been thinking about LMAO. i love how we are always ✨speaking✨ and  ✨manifesting✨ good things in our futures together. i literally feel like i can talk about any and everything with you, and i love that about us 🥺 i am manifesting that beach vacation 2021 for us, okay!!! 💖

@sapphitedreams leo, my cutest menace in the kitchen 💖 thank you for reaching out to me when i was too shy to reach out to you uuuu. you’re such a chaotic calm in my life, and i love your energy. i am constantly in awe with how adorable, supportive, and creative you are! even though you bully me sometimes and only make things for characters’ birthdays, you are so so talented and it floors me every time i see your creations because they are so amazing idk how they’re real. i hope you are able to get some rest even if you have to work during your break (& i hope you don’t accidentally fall during work anymore smh HAHAH)!

@onefortyninecm danielle!! my love!! i know i mention this before, but i am always so so inspired by you. you’re so tiny, but you have such a big heart and soul. you’re so beautiful inside and out + your humor is god tier. i’m so glad you were the very first person i’ve ever commissioned from (& spiraled me into comissioning indulgent kenma art HAHAHA), and i’m still amazed by your talent and kindness every time you post something new omg. i still can’t believe you DREW ON YOUR PHONE what the heck!! you’re so talented it’s crazy HAHA. i’m always thinking fondly of you + dandy wedding in a pumpkin patch 2021, okay thanks. 

@p-irozhki rissa!! i am so blessed with all the gifs you create and all your content on my dash! whenever i think of you, i think about all the smol icons you use because to me, you = cuteness = i wanna hug you so much!!! i think i already said it, but i’m always so thankful when you read all my self-indulgent fanfics and leave kind comments on them 😭 thank you for culturing me about mangoes HAHAHA. there’s never a bad time with you, and i’m thankful we got to meet this year!

@hoshino-a lena lena! you actually have so much bde that i am in constant awe by you. you are such a baddie & i have this like clear imagine in my head of you with crisp and clean vibes + the skies from your pfp on discord, hehe. i love you and all your brain rots about your exes. at this point, every time i see semi, my first thought is “ah it’s lena’s ex” and whenever i hear some sad song, i would be like “omg it’s lena ab her ex semi eita” LMFAOIOAGJDLA. i love talking to you because your energy is just immaculate + i just love your presence 💖 also please get some sleep because do you even sleep 😭 

@myelocin nic!! you’ve painted my world in so many iridescent shade so life, i can’t even begin to describe how much you mean to me. you works are just so beautiful so imagine how much i shrieked when i saw you followed me LMFAOOADIGDALJ i love that your blog is your safe space because it has become a place of comfort for me as well (and i’m going to miss you so much when you leave 😭😭). your makki brain rot is so strong, and sometimes i think about makki and you making dinner and teasing each other and throwing flour at each other or something idk. this is nic’s world now and we are all living in it tbh. 

@tsu-kiss nina!! you are someone i find such comfort in. i’m not really sure if that even makes sense LOL. but your blog and you are a source of comfort for me. in my head, you have such an older sister vibe even though i’m older than you LMAOOADGHDAKJ. i hope life is treating you well because you deserve all the best!! seeing you thrive makes my heart so full 🥺 i love you so much!!

@souheii lisa!! i kid you not, the first time you dropped an ask in my ask box, my heart skipped a beat because you told me you love me and i love you and you are so cute and i cri!!!! i know we don’t talk often, but every time i see you on my dash or in my notifs or when we do talk, it’s like a little shot of serotonin every time :”) thank you for being such a lovely human being mrs. iwaizumi hajime, 27, althetic trainer😭

@ultkags​ cas!! my first child 💖 i know you’re on a hiatus right now because school really, really sucks BUT you are seriously one of my biggest blessings. you are literally my ray of sunshine because every time i talk to you, i gain so much warmth and energy from you. every time i see your edits, it absolutely AMAZES me because i literally don’t know how i am able to see all your edits FOR FREE?? all your thoughts behind the composition and symbolism for each piece is CRAZY. please remember that i’m always your biggest fan + i love you so so much. please take care and remember to drink water and get some rest!! your grandma is always here to send you love + forehead kisses because this grandma can’t bake :(

@u-make-my-heart-tsumtsum​ ree!! hi, i know we’ve only started talking recently but i love how open and warm you are. our love was so strong that even tumblr tried to stop us 😭 conversations with you are always so easy and lovely, and you are just such a cool person!? i love reading all your thoughts (& i can’t wait to dive into your masterlist after school ends because we live for fluffy tsumu content 😭). i’m not sure why you even follow me, but i adore you so much!!

@neonghxst​ el, where do i even begin!! you are such a lovely person, and i literally have no other words to say because you always leave me speechless. your writing is so so gorgeous, and you are so so beautiful. i love reading all your stories because they truly leave an everlasting impact on me, and i love reading your interactions + just seeing you on my dash. you are so thoughtful, and you take care of everyone around you so well. i hope that you are also giving yourself the same treatment because you deserve all the best as well! remember to drink water in between your coffees and get some rest as you go into your final 2 weeks of the semester!! 

@und3lla​ maliha! hi love! i know we haven’t spoken much or in a while, but i really do always think of you randomly. you were one of the first mutuals i made && you are such a sweet soul. i love how every time we talk, it really fills me up with happiness. thank you for just being such a lovely person && you truly are one of the softest people i’ve met. thank you <3

@deadontheinsidebut angel, my dumb ham, my queen, my hoe (heaven on earth), my everything. i know you are also on a semi-hiatus right now because everything that’s going on, but i hope you are properly taking care of yourself >:( i’m always here to remind you to drink some water in between your coffees and teas and to GET SOME REST. you are so so driven, and i really admire how open and friendly you are. you truly are your namesake because you are literally an angel, and i always feel so blessed to be in your presence (even if you bully me sometimes for being a boomer 😔). words can’t describe how much i love you and care about you && i hope that you are able to find what you’re looking for during your break! 💖

@rumprich​ ananya! hello! i am so thankful to see you and all your content on my dash. you have so much creativity, and all your edits are so aesthetically pleasing to look at? like it’s so light + pretty!! i’m so so grateful that we are mutuals somehow because ahhh i really don’t deserve you. you are so adorable, and i truly am blessed to see your presence! 

@yuki-souma​ vee! i know we only started talking very very recently, but you are so much fun to talk to! i love how diverse our conversations are, and i love that we have similar favorites, and even when we don’t, it’s always a fun conversation that i look forward to! i love how open and inviting you are, and i’m really grateful that we are mutuals + i love and appreciate you so so much! 

@owlywrites​ owly! hello! you are seriously one of the most supportive souls i’ve met on this website. your kindness and drive to learn always leaves me speechless because you’re so amazing. thank you for being so kind to me, and i hope you extend that same kindness to yourself! don’t be so hard on yourself and remember to take breaks and take care too. you are such a beautiful soul, and i hope you’ll remember that i’m always here to support you!! 

@graphicstills-in-motion hi arianne! thank you so so much for always being so kind to me. i don’t know what i did in life to deserve you, but i must have done something right to have someone so kind like you in my life! thank you for being such a sweet soul + always boosting everyone around you up. your kindness is definitely contagious! i love seeing your edits and reading our conversations because there are always so many thoughts put in. thank you <3

@applepienation​ justine! thank you so much for always checking in on me whenever i post random shit on my dash. i really do appreciate you and all that you do for not just me, but also for everyone around you. you are such a ray of sunshine, and i’m so thankful that you’re in my life! i know uni is crazy for you right now, but i hope you’re still taking time to take care of yourself! sending you lots of love and positive energy!!

@touyax​ drake! hi love. i absolutely LIVE for your tags LMAOOADJGALD. they are literally my thoughts but you just typed them out HAHAH. i’m so thankful that i get to see your beautiful content on my dash, and i’m always in awe by all your edits! thank you for always being such a fun person + never leaving me feeling like a fool whenever i post ask games LOL. i love and appreciate you so much! 💖

@kagehjna​ ilayda! my kagehina supplier 🥺🥺 i love seeing your presence on my dash because you truly post all the best things! you are such a lovely person + i love reading your tags HAHA. you are truly a joy and we will definitely have matching kagehina icons one day okay 😭😭 12/7 is finally here/coming SO I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!! thank you for always blessing me <3

@sadaharus hi mei! you are literally the definition of softness to me. all your content and edits are just so soft and beautiful, and i love seeing everything you post. you are my main gintama supplier HAHA. i really appreciate how kind you are + how you’re always so sweet to me. 🥺 i know it’s kinda funny how i started following you because of a random ask game, but i’m so so glad i did because i always feel so thankful you’re here! 

@fake-charliebrown charlie! my little sprout babie!! i have so much admiration for you because you have so so much talent! your style is so distinctive, and i love that!! it’s so soft + vibey, and i’m honestly so so amazed by it all. not to mention, you have the best haikyuu thoughts! thank you for sharing all of that with me! i’m thankful for you, thank you <3

@itachihaa​ ay! my froggy princess 🥺 thank you for always being so kind to me + having the patience to deal with how slow i am to responding!! i’m really appreciative of you always because you make/have so much beautiful content and you are so so sweet as well!? and the way you call me miss starlight 🥺 that makes me so soft like!! uuu i love you. 

@stardust-make-a-wish​ star! you are so so adorable!! i LOVE reading your tags because they make me feel so fuzzy and soft but also relatable HAHA. your presence is such a joy + thank you for always interacting with me even though i just spam random stuff LMAO. i love how thoughtful your answers are + how much you love cake/sweets (very suiting because you are so sweet 🥺). thank you for being interested in me even though i am the one asking you questions! 

@karasu-hoes​ daisy! hello! i have so much admiration for you because you have so much creativity and kindness! like your events are so cool and unique + your writing is so beautiful! i love reading your feral thoughts + all your work. i also really love reading your witching hours!!! thank you for blessing me with you 🥺 you are always so kind + i love how much you care about your friends and the people around you. i hope you’re taking care while renewing your teaching certifications! 💖

@frailuta nico! hello love! i know we haven’t really spoken before, but i just want to know i love you so much. you make the most beautiful gifs + i truly am in awe every time you post something. life is tough sometimes, but you are tougher! sending so so much love and positive energy to you + please remember to take care! <3

to all my mutuals and followers: thank you so so much for sticking with me and my mess of a blog. i honestly don’t really contribute much to anything, but i’m so thankful you guys are still here! thank you, thank you, thank you! i love and appreciate all of you guys + my ask box/messages are always open if you want/need someone to talk to 💖 thinking fondly of everyone today + so much love to you guys mwah mwah!

[lonelier-version-of-you]

That... was pretty mediocre for an anniversary episode? Although 35th anniversaries aren’t usually very big anyway, so. I suppose that’s justified. It was better than last week’s ep (to be fair, that’s a VERY low bar, it would’ve been pretty much impossible for it to be worse than last week), but the show is still on shaky ground for me. I honestly don’t know if I’ll keep watching past this point. If I do keep watching, it’ll just be for Jade, ‘cause she’s brilliant.

Anyway.

I only tuned in tonight to see Noel one last time, and in that respect, I’m pretty satisfied. I know a lot of people were saying the same about Cal, but I’m not particularly familiar with Cal, I started watching a few months after his death and haven’t seen that many older episodes with him. It was nice to see him again, though. But my focus really was on Noel.

He actually got more screentime than I expected, and it was lovely, if also painful, to be reminded of what a great character he was. To see his compassion, the way he went above and beyond for the patients and relatives in the ED, even though he was only the receptionist. To see him laughing with Big Mac, showing off his friendliness and sense of humour.

And then there was the “grandpa Noel” line. OW. Casualty got me right through the heart with that one.

I miss Noel so much. But I’m glad his final scenes got to be here, rather than in the COVID episode, which pretended to be about him but was actually just about Connie and her feelings. (I love Connie. You know I do. But it did Noel a disservice, focusing his death episode on how Connie felt about it.) And he’ll forever live on in my heart. Noel, my beloved. <3

Indeed, the flashback scenes in general were probably the best part of the ep. They did a very good job making it really feel like 2016 Casualty - to the point my mom, while watching the episode with me, commented “This is just making me think ‘Oh, it was so much better in the old days!’. I don’t think that’s what they’re going for.” For once, my mom is right and she should say it, lol.

I particularly loved how Jade was tied into the flashback. I wasn’t expecting that at all, and I was very pleasantly surprised. If you all haven’t figured it out yet, I really love Jade. She’s one of the very best characters Casualty has at the moment, and she has to be one of my personal favourite fictional characters ever. The more screentime and storylines she gets, the more I enjoy an episode.

Poor, poor Ethan, eh? His life just really, really sucks. His brother was brutally murdered. He has a terminal illness that will eventually rob him of his ability to be a doctor. He’s lost both his biological and adoptive mothers. Now he’s lost the woman he loved, on the day they were supposed to get married. Now he’s been left as a single parent, knowing that, even in the most optimistic scenario, even if his condition can be managed for a long time, he’s still not going to live long enough to see his son become an adult and start a career and have kids. God, that poor man. No wonder he’s having a breakdown.

And now Stevie is about to cause more trouble for him. I like Stevie so far, and find her an interesting character. I am curious about how the storyline with her sister is going to play out. But oof, her arrival sucks for Ethan, given she blames him for what’s happened to Emma. And she’s definitely a very flawed character. (And please, fandom, stop hating on her this soon and let her be flawed. You’re allowed to dislike her, but you can’t deny she’d be getting a lot more interest and sympathy if she were a male character behaving in exactly the same ways. There are plenty of male characters on this show who aren’t very good people but we love them anyway.)

Anyway, speaking of Stevie, we’re all agreed that she’s definitely not straight or neurotypical, right? She just gives off strong sapphic vibes, she’s probably bi. And she hasn’t been around long enough and doesn’t have a defined enough personality yet for me to figure out quite what I think is going on in her brain, but she’s definitely some kind of neurodivergent. My first thought, being me, was autism - I’ve seen other people suggest ADHD or bipolar. I guess we’ll have to see how her character develops, in order to see what fits best.

And Stevie is also polyamorous!!! That one’s canon!!! Okay, the line about her going out with 3 different guys with the same name at once could mean she was cheating on all of them. But I’m taking it to mean she’s polyamorous! And no one can stop me! :D

Uhhh, what else is there to talk about... oh yeah, I like Theodore so far (even if he - and the other paramedic from the trailer - does look about 12, lol), I literally don’t care about Charlie or Robyn or Paul, we got some good Dylan content tonight, and last but not least I have no sympathy for Faith. Sorry not sorry, she treated Lev like shit. I don’t care about how she feels now that he’s dead.

[cordonian-literature]

Forever Mine

chapter one

❦ summary — The time for Princess Riley to step into her role as queen fast approaches and finding the future king is Cordonia’s top priority. Commander Liam is aware of that, and has plans to make sure the princess ends up with someone suitable.

➺ a/n: most of this story will be told in third person POV, unless stated otherwise

❦ chapter warnings: mild language 

➺ catch up here! 

❦ word count: (+/-) 1750

*all characters belong to Pixelberry, except those unique to my story*

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Hidden in the midst of lively chatter and music, Leo watches as different members of the nobility enter the ballroom. It wasn’t difficult to see who was who under all the masks, and Leo notices many of Riley’s suitors. 

Leo turns his head slightly when Maxwell Beaumont and another childhood friend of Riley’s, Hana Lee, are announced by the herald. Lady Hana hadn’t visited Cordonia in ages. Riley would be glad to see her. 

Leo remembers that Maxwell’s father had been close friends with Constantine before Riley's mother’s death. Maxwell was probably a favorable choice for Riley in the king’s eyes. More than that, Leo trusted Maxwell, remembering when the boy had confessed to having a crush on the princess when they were still children. Leo wonders if those feelings had gone away or resurfaced. 

There was also Ezekiel Theron. Even though he was the son of a diplomat, Leo had rarely seen Ezekiel at political summits and had never heard of his involvement or concern for any issue. Maybe Leo was looking too much into it. If Ezekiel didn’t particularly care for being king, then all the better: Riley would be allowed to rule by her own accord without a power-hungry man breathing down her neck.  

A familiar scent wafts past Leo; he recognizes it as Madeleine’s perfume. She has her arm linked with a distant cousin, Michael. Leo doesn’t know much about him, and he suspects that was purposeful. Madeleine has chosen someone whose image she can mold herself. 

Leo’s shoulders relax once he sees Rashad entering the ballroom. A gentleman well versed in politics, but a businessman as well. If he had the chance to become king, would he abandon his business to rule by Riley’s side? Leo thinks it's unlikely. 

But Leo’s shoulders tense up again when Neville is announced. There was nothing wrong with him that Leo could physically point out, but the way Neville looked at women made Leo uncomfortable; Madeleine had once pointed it out to him early in their engagement.

Moving away from his spot, Leo makes his way through the crowd, looking for a silent way to enter the ballroom. 

Behind him, people’s conversations quiet into whispers once Prince Alexander of Hidar is announced. Leo doesn’t think Constantine would go through with using Riley’s hand in marriage as a peace treaty. But Hidar and Cordonia are dangerously close to war. Leo wonders if Liam would support the option if it were the best for the country. 

Are those all of the suitors? Did I miss anyone? Leo wonders. Some of the Great Houses had not sponsored any young men for the season. The less men the better, Leo thinks to himself. Only six men he has to keep an eye on. 

He enters the ballroom, the shine of jewels and glass and smiles consuming him. Leo lets out a gentle sigh, revealed no one noticed him, then promptly runs into Drake who is visibly shocked at the sight of Leo. 

After an awkward laugh, Drake gives him a pat on the back as a greeting.

“She’s about to be introduced to the suitors,” Drake tells him. Both men look towards the front of the ballroom, where the men vying for Riley’s hand have lined up. 

Constantine sits on his throne with Commander Liam to his left and Riley next to Liam. The princess’ and Commander’s heads are tilted in each other’s direction. The man whispers into Riley’s ear, making her blush and giggle. 

Drake frowns at the sight. Sure, Liam had given Drake every reason to trust him, but that trust would disappear whenever Riley came into the picture; the man was too frank with her. 

Leo admits to himself that Riley being so close to the Commander didn’t seem very proper, but they were close friends and Leo trusted his sister to know her limits. 

From their spot on the sidelines, Drake and Leo watch as Riley fully turns to face Liam. The princess stands on her toes, her elaborate gown shifting with every movement, and whispers something into the Commander’s ear. Leo notices a new piece of jewelry hanging from her neck; it shines like the crystals in the chandeliers. Liam’s hand goes to her hip as he tilts his head down. Once she leans back, they make eye contact and gently giggle. 

“Is she serious? Does her father not see her acting like that?” comes a comment from a small group of nobles to Drake’s left. 

“Maybe they should keep their distance,” Drake comments under his breath. “If you forget that they’re close friends, you could think—”

“There’s no reason to speculate,” Leo interrupts him forcefully. “Look, Connie’s part of the conversation, too.” 

They watch as Constantine shares a laugh with the Commander and the princess. 

Once he stops laughing, Constantine waves his finger, and Liam kneels down to hear something the King says. When he stands up again, the friendly expression is gone and the Commander’s face yields no emotion. 

Once the suitors start greeting the King and Riley, Drake and Leo watch Liam intently, neither of them completely comfortable with how close he seemed with Riley. 

The Commander maintains a stoic expression as the suitors kiss Riley’s hand and give short introductions: Michael is the most charming, Liam admits to himself, Maxwell seems the friendliest, with Ezekiel the most nervous. Rashad was the embodiment of the perfect gentleman, and from the corner of his eye Liam sees Riley blush at the compliment the man hands her. Prince Alexander and Neville seem the most arrogant, but Liam is willing to let them change his mind. 

Once they all walk away, music fills the room. Riley turns to look at Liam, but Neville is in front of her again, asking for a dance. As they walk away, Riley gives Liam a playful frown. He gives her a small smile, and watches as Neville leads her to the middle of the dance floor. 

Liam stares at Neville intently, his gaze darkening once he notices that the man’s hands were a bit too low on Riley’s torso, that Neville had glanced towards her chest one time too many, and that he’s standing too close to her. 

“Hey, man,” Leo’s voice makes Liam’s attention falter. He has to pry his eyes off of Riley and Neville.

“Your Highness,” Liam greets, bowing his head respectfully. 

“Didn’t I tell you to stop with that?” Leo pulls Liam into a quick embrace, giving him a brotherly pat on the back. Once they part, Leo asks, “What were you and Connie talking about?” 

With a sigh, Liam tells him. “He’s declaring war against Monterisso tomorrow morning.”

Leo raises his eyebrows. “Nothing on Hidar?” 

“It wouldn’t be very practical to be hostile with them while their prince is sleeping under our roof.” 

A rough chuckle escapes Leo. “Guess that means more paperwork for you.” 

Liam scoffs, having now fully turned back to face Riley and her dance partner. “Nothing too difficult,” the Commander comments. “I’ll maybe miss a few events here and there, nothing more.” 

Leo follows Liam’s gaze back to Riley. He wanted to ask the Commander about the princess, slightly itching to know Liam’s reason for being so close to Riley. But before Leo can form a sentence, Liam speaks up, still staring at Riley. 

“Will you remain in Cordonia for the season?” 

A waiter passes by them and Leo grabs a glass of champagne. Liam refuses the offered glass, putting up a hand when the waiter stops in front of him. 

After a few sips, Leo musters an answer. “I’ll probably stay for the whole thing. I actually was planning on being far away when the season started, but figured that being here to support Riley couldn’t hurt.”

Liam gives a low laugh. “I’m sure she’ll be thankful for it. She hasn’t been doing too well these past few days.” 

“Anything serious?” 

“No, I’m assuming it’s just anxiety.” Liam remembers the anxiety that he had during his first military ball. That had been long before he met his darling. “I hope I’m enough of a shoulder for her to cry on. I’d hate for her to be alone when she feels like this.” 

Leo feels the grip on his heart loosen; clearly there was nothing between Liam and Riley. The Commander was just concerned for his friend, and Riley had taken the only outlet she had been presented with.

The rest of the evening passes by in a tense blur. Liam, Leo, and Drake discuss each of the suitors and their behaviors with Riley, and when Duchess Olivia finally arrives, she gave her opinions about each of the men as well. Prince Alexander had approached Liam and Leo separately, and both men found the prince to be as arrogant as they had assumed. 

Leo and Drake were also visibly more at ease around Liam compared to how they had been in the beginning of the evening. It was clear that Liam was just being a good friend, and by the way he spoke about Riley, Leo and Drake were convinced that the Commander’s affections were anything but romantic.

And plus, the declaration of war would keep Liam cooped up in his office and away from Riley. Leo tells himself that there’s nothing to worry about.

The Commander, on the other hand, had taken note of the odd questions Leo and Drake asked. As he retired for the evening and walked back to his office, Liam reminds himself that there will be a time when he can present his love for his darling for the entire world to see, but that will have to wait. He had to be more careful around Leo and Drake. Or maybe Leo and Drake should be more careful around him.

When Liam reaches his office, the room in a dark hue, he grabs the new pile of papers and smacks them down on his desk. Through the window, he can see drunk party-goers singing into the night with wild abandon. After turning on a light and taking a seat, the Commander glances over at the sealed pink box on the corner off his desk, filled with the letters he had written to Riley but never dared send. One day, he told himself, he’d be able to recite each letter’s contents to her.

He pries his thoughts away from her and focuses on trying to finish some of his paperwork. Otherwise he won’t be able to attend the Derby tomorrow.

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

please let me know if you would like to be added or removed from the tags :)

tags: @twinkleallnight @gkittylove99 @sweatyrysconnoisseur @kingliam2019​ @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @queenrileyrose​ @royalromancer @princess-geek @mom2000aggie 

[rdo-constance]

hi! for the oc emoji asks: 🍧, 🙈, ☁️ and 🌌. for both Connie and Grace, if that's alright?

🍧 Shaved Ice - Do they still have any objects from their childhood? What significance does it have to them? What would their reaction be if they lost it?

Connie doesn’t have anything from her childhood. Both because she’s learned to not be sentimental over things, and that if it doesn’t serve a purpose she should throw it away, and because she’s angry. To her, keeping a memento gives whatever memories are tied to it too much power.

The only thing Grace has from her early childhood, traveling with a performing company, is a locket. She doesn’t even know who the woman on the picture inside is. It’s not her mother ..but what she does know is that she could paint this face from memory after all the nights in the orphanage she spent staring at it, reminding herself that it was real, it was real, it was real. But it’s been a long time since those days and while loosing it would upset her, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. She keeps it in one of her bags, and it always brings her some comfort when she remembers that it’s there.

🙈 See no evil - What’s a side of your oc that they don’t want to show other people?

Ahh i absolutely love this because it made me realise they’re polar opposites when it comes to what side of themselves they try to hide. Connie wants people to believe that she’s capable, not to be messed with, etc. So she’s very reluctant to show her “softer” side aka she prefers it if people think she’s gonna stab them in the back at any given moment rather than them truly knowing her and seeing anything other than a very put-together, competent facade. Feelings? We don’t know her. Meanwhile, Grace is very much the opposite. She wears her heart on her sleeve and tries her best to come off as approachable and friendly, because apparently the fact that she’s killed people with her bare hands is “unsettling” and she’s “fucking terrifying” when she’s on the warpath. :)

☁️ Cloud - A soft headcanon.

Grace is a huge cuddler. Esp. with a partner but also completely platonically. Like.. if she’s sharing her tent she will wrap anyone within grabbing distance into a bearhug and promptly fall asleep like that. (this has been in my brain forever there ya go)

🌌 Milky Way - What was the inspiration behind your oc? What was the first thing you decided about them?

Aw man im so bad at remembering inspirations so im sorry but this is probably gonna be a really bad answer.

Both Connie and Grace are an amalgamation of many things/ideas/other characters at this point. (not in a “im too original to have any inspirations these are all my own ideas UwU” way. i will see a character i like and subconciously start adding their traits to my own characters but also i have an absolutely shit memory lmao.) I do know that when creating Grace i really wanted to use the brawny body build. (because lady with big arms make brain go brr) That’s it. I am a simple person. What i can tell you is that i’ve done the myers-briggs test for Connie a couple of times and got entj/estp pretty much fifty-fifty (so im looking at both) and then checked what characters matched that in personality database (which is really fun btw, i could spend hours there) a few characters that made me go hmm, yes, interesting were Aria T’Loak and Miranda Lawson (Mass Effect), Eleanor Shellstrop (The good place), Tokyo (La Casa de Papel), Nyoka (The Outer Worlds), Tommy Shelby (peaky blinders), Fedya Dolokhov (Great Comet (yes im mentioning this one only because its from my favourite musical but also he weirdly does kinda fit lmao)). Like..that’s definetely not all ive stolen characteristics from but mash all of those together into some sort of weird character soup and you got a pretty good picture of Connie?? I think??

[snkpolls]

SnK Episode 69 Poll Results (for Anime Only Watchers)

The poll closed with 85 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results for the Anime Only Watchers’ poll. If you wish to see the results for the Manga Readers’ poll, click here.

Anime only watchers, beware of spoilers if you venture over to the manga readers’ poll results.

--

RATE THE EPISODE 81 responses

Another episode with no negative ratings from respondents. MAPPA seems to be doing a fantastic job!

Loved it! 

epic

WHICH MOMENT FROM THE PRESENT TIME WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 83 responses

It was relatively close for the top 2 choices that respondents picked, but the scene that caught the most eyes was Eren quickly escalating the conversation with Hange (30.1% of the vote). Right behind that scene was the conversation between the 104th about Eren and what to do about him moving forward. Distant favorites were Hange questioning Eren (14.5%), seeing Historia (9.6%) and the small Levi and Zeke crumb at the end of the episode. 

Adult Eren was the best thing.

WHICH MOMENT FROM THE KIYOMI FLASHBACK WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 83 responses

The largest piece of the pie that was chosen (36.15) for the Kiyomi flashback was the moment where Historia agreed to inherit the Beast Titan only for Eren to passionately reject that plan. 24.1% of viewers most enjoyed the moment between Historia and Mikasa. At a tie, 15.7% either enjoyed Hange agonizing over sacrificing Historia, or Mikasa revealing the clan symbol tattooed to her wrist. A small handful most enjoyed seeing Kiyomi and Zeke meet in secret. 

Pixis gigantic head. What was that all about?? Lol

WHICH MOMENT FROM THE RAILROAD FLASHBACK WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 83 responses

Nearly 40% of respondents were most thrilled with the moment where Eren confesses to his friends how important they are to him and the subsequent blushing. 22.9% enjoyed the moment prior to that where the 104th were debating on who’s best suited to inherit Eren’s titan. 21.7% enjoyed seeing Levi being visibly irritated about everyone’s height, and 10.8% enjoyed the background moment where Armin was chasing after Sasha. 

I loved the train scene so so much!

MIKASA REVEALS THE AZUMABITO CLAN SYMBOL AS A TATTOO ON THE TOP OF HER WRIST. THIS IS A RETCON FROM SEASON 1 WHEN WIT REPLACED THE BRANDING WITH EMBROIDERY INSTEAD. THOUGH THE TATTOO IS WHAT’S FAITHFUL TO THE MANGA (MIKASA’S MANGA COUNTERPART HAS ALWAYS HAD THIS), WAS THIS A GOOD DECISION ON MAPPA’S PART? 81 responses

28.4% of respondents felt that the retcon wasn’t really a big deal, considering that the family symbol had already been alluded to previously in the series. 21.% didn’t care about this detail at all. 19.8% believe it’s a bit of a “yes and no” situation as both faithfulness to the source material and continuity are equally important to them. 12.3% supported the retcon in the name of faithfulness to the source material, and another 9.9% were supportive because they felt the embroidery was “lame and forgettable” anyway. 

it was something useless that turned out to be important

We might get to know more about ackerman

HYPOTHETICALLY, IF ONE OF THE 104TH WERE TO INHERIT EREN’S TITAN POWER, WHO DO YOU THINK WOULD BE THE BEST OPTION? 82 responses

More than half of viewers feel that Jean is most suited to inherit the titan power from Eren. Trailing behind him, 22% feel that Mikasa would be the best candidate. 11% feel that Armin would be ideal (possibly due to him already having titan powers) and 8.5% felt that Sasha would have been the best candidate. Only a handful feel Connie is suited to the role.

WHICH “SHIPPY” MOMENT FROM THE EPISODE WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 81 responses

This episode had a lot to give in terms of endearing moments between the characters, so we asked which ones stood out most to you! 24.7% didn’t want to pick just one, and felt that all the “shippy” moments were equally good. 13.6% were swooning at the blushy glance between Eren and Mikasa. 9.9% most enjoyed Sasha and Connie’s increasingly awkward conversation about who’s the bigger idiot. 8.6% enjoyed the sweet moment between Historia and Mikasa, and another 8.6% enjoyed Jean heckling Eren over getting his hand-me-down, only to blush later at Eren’s confession. Relatively even amounts enjoyed all the other moments listed. 

Let the shipping wars commence!!!

WHICH REVEAL WERE YOU MOST SHOCKED BY? 81 responses

The largest amount of respondents (38.3%) were most shocked by the revelation that Historia is now pregnant in the present time. 17.3% felt that Mikasa being the descendant of a shogun was the most shocking reveal. 14.8% had already been spoiled on all of these topics, and 8.6% found that Kiyomi’s alliance with Paradis was the most shocking revelation.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE REVEAL OF MIKASA’S ASIAN HERITAGE? 80 responses

The reveal of Mikasa’s asian roots comes with mixed opinions. 22.5% are enamored at the idea of “princess Mikasa.” 18.8% just feel happy that Mikasa is getting some importance and focus. 16.2% didn’t really think much about Mikasa’s asian heritage, but think the detail is kinda neat. 12.5% wish the series had done a better job of reminding the audience of the family symbol beforehand, and another 11.3% felt the opposite, stating that they knew this old plot point would be revisited again someday. 10% didn’t care about it at all.

IS EREN BEING TOO HARSH ON HANGE? 82 responses

Overall, the vast majority of respondents feel that Eren was much too harsh on Hange when they went to visit him in his cell. Though, 20.7% felt that he was justified in his anger toward them. 

He could have talked nicely also

well yes as she came to have a friendly chat but he was technically in prison for wanting to protect his friends

Yea he did way to much

Yes and No...he was being a lil extra, but I don't know why Hange came to his prison cell heckling him like that

HANGE SEEMS TO THINK ERWIN CHOOSING THEM AS COMMANDER WAS A MISTAKE. DO YOU? 82 responses

The fandom shows almost unanimous support for Hange as the 14th Commander of the Survey Corps, with 91.5% stating that Erwin didn’t make a mistake in choosing them as his successor. A small handful feel that Hange wasn’t the best fit for the role. 

I don't think there was a better option for Commander at the time of Erwin's death, but Hange isn't suited to the role (doesn't mean they won't try their best!)

Hange is definitely capable of leading, but I doubt that's a position they want to be in

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HISTORIA’S PREGNANCY? 80 responses

Historia’s pregnancy came as a huge shock to the fandom. It seems as though it’s hard to feel positively about it with the information we’ve been given so far. 30% solidify that thought by stating they feel just as miserable as Historia seems to look. 20% responded more light-heartedly and stated they just hope this was Ymir’s “big dick ghost energy” at work. 13.8% are certain there’s more to the pregnancy than meets the eye, wanting to wait for more information. 13.7% feel that regardless of the situation, Historia would inevitably have to produce an heir anyway, so it is what it is. 

The harshest violence in this manga : putting a lesbian in a non wanted pregnancy. 

My heart breaks for Historia. She looks absolutely miserable. Seeing her so happy in the flashback and then seeing her now makes me so sad. Girl deserves so much better :(

DO YOU THINK SHE’S IN LOVE WITH THE FARM BOY? 80 responses

A rather uniform opinion arrives here, with 87.5% stating that they believe Historia does not love the farm boy, in contrast to the 12.5% who do. Happy belated Valentine’s Day!

NILE STOOD UP FOR HISTORIA WHEN THE OTHER MP WAS DISPARAGING HER. THOUGHTS? 80 responses

Nile has consistently been portrayed positively throughout the series and him standing up for Historia is just another aspect of Nile’s portrayal. About a third of respondents stated that their respect for Nile increased substantially because of this. Another third noted that they thought it was a nice detail, but it didn’t really make them care more about him. Finally, another third or so said that they always liked him and appreciated more reasons to do so. A few were indifferent.

WHAT DO YOU THINK, IS THE WINE SUS? 81 responses

Aside from those who were already spoiled about future happenings, the vast majority of anime viewers think that there is definitely something off about the wine that Nicolo offered. 9.9% aren’t sure, and small handfuls either think it’s just a red herring or wish we would not have used the term “sus.”

DO YOU THINK HIZURU TRULY WANTS TO HELP PARADIS, OR ARE THEY JUST USING THEM FOR THEIR RESOURCES? 80 responses

55% of respondents feel that Hizuru is not being honest about wanting to help Paradis get out of their dire situation, instead only wanting to use them as a resource for their unique iceburst stones. 31.3% think that it’s half-and-half, they want to help, but also want something in return for that help. Absolutely no one felt that Hizuru’s primary motivation for coming to Paradis has to do with wanting to aid them.

CONNIE IS FURIOUS WITH EREN FOR HIS REACTION ON SASHA’S DEATH, AS WELL AS THE FACT THAT EREN DRAGGED THEM INTO THAT DANGEROUS SITUATION IN THE FIRST PLACE. DO YOU THINK HE WILL HOLD THIS GRUDGE FOREVER, OR EVENTUALLY FORGIVE EREN? 80 responses

Connie suffered a near breakdown in this episode, courtesy of Eren and Sasha’s death. As such, one wonders what’ll happen to their relationship afterwards. A plurality (43.8%) think that it’s really just up in the air and also depends on what Eren does moving forward. 22.5% believe that he won’t be able to forgive Eren, but will move past it in some sense. Finally, 20% simply think that this’ll forever remain something embedded in Connie’s view of Eren. A select few did state that they believe Connie will forgive Eren in time, however. A couple more were also spoiled about this development’s future. 

When Hannes died, Eren laughed as well. This is probably just how Eren is. 

Connie is right and he should say it. As far as forgiveness goes, i dont think Eren has passed the point of no return yet, but he's pretty damn close

CONNIE ALSO STATES, “THAT WASN’T EREN.” DO YOU THINK THAT THERE IS SOMETHING WEIRD GOING ON WITH EREN? 80 responses

Eren does not exactly appear to be as he was in his prior appearances and Connie states so. The respondents were rather split when attempting to figure out Eren. Just a little over a third thought this simply was the real Eren, but one who gave into his dark side. 27.5% weren’t sure, but did note that Eren was truly acting differently than usual. 15% thought that he might have been influenced by previous Titan shifters, while 10% believed that Zeke might have taken some control of him. A select few were either spoiled or simply had no clue. 

Eren is finally standing up for himself and fighting 

The pressure of trying to make the world a better place is driving him mad I guess

I go back and forth on this, because on one hand, yeah, this seems like a really drastic shift. But on the other hand, rewatching previous seasons and seening some of the impulsive/extreme shit he's done and said, his current behavior doesn't seem TOO out of the realm of possibility

MIKASA ARGUES THAT EREN’S ACTIONS WERE FOR THEIR SAKE AND THAT HE ONLY DRAGGED THEM INTO THE ATTACK ON LIBERIO BECAUSE HE TRUSTED THEM TO SURVIVE. JEAN, ON THE OTHER HAND, ARGUES THAT EREN IS NO LONGER THE PERSON THAT THEY KNEW AND DIDN’T CARE ABOUT THE RISK TO THEIR LIVES. WHO DO YOU AGREE WITH MORE? 80 responses

It would appear that the majority (65%) sides with Jean, thinking that Eren doesn’t really care about the lives of his friends any longer, in contrast to the 35% who believe that he still does and he was simply trusting them to survive the Liberio raid.

JEAN STATES THAT EREN IS “SUDDENLY ON BOARD WITH ZEKE’S PLAN,” AND THAT WHATEVER THEY TALKED ABOUT IS “SOMETHING ONLY THEY KNOW.” DO YOU THINK THAT EREN AND ZEKE HAVE THE SAME GOAL? 79 responses

There appears to be next to no consensus on what exactly is going on between Eren and Zeke and why they appear to be working together. 24.1%, the largest chunk of the pie, feel that Eren still doesn’t agree with Zeke’s plan, but is rather using him for his own goal. 4 more options came in at a tie. Aside from the 13.9% that have been spoiled, the others feel it’s either a mix of some of the options presented, or that the Yeagerbros have come up with a plan together that they intend to keep a secret, or aren’t sure how to answer and simply put “I don’t know.” 11.4% believe that Eren, left with no other options, has fully agreed to Zeke’s plan - but that Zeke’s true motives are still yet to be seen. 

I’m excited to see all the reasons behind Eren’s sudden change and his true motives.

We need to find why eren acting like this and am i the only one who saw trouble coming because of him

IF EREN HAS ACTUALLY TURNED HIS BACK ON HIS FRIENDS, WILL MIKASA CONTINUE TO DEFEND HIS ACTIONS AND PROTECT HIM? 80 responses

Mikasa has shown unconditional loyalty throughout the series toward Eren, but are his current actions enough to shake that loyalty? 41.3% don’t seem to think so, believing that Mikasa will ultimately still support Eren in whatever his future actions may be. 32.5% think that she may continue to stick by him, but don’t want to say for sure. 26.3% feel certain that Mikasa would ultimately choose her other friends over Eren if push really came to shove.

ARMIN INSINUATES THAT SINCE PARADIS NOW HAS ACCESS TO SERUMS, THE MILITARY WILL TRY TO HAVE SOMEONE MORE “TRUSTWORTHY” EAT EREN TO TAKE HIS POWERS. DO YOU THINK HIS HUNCH IS RIGHT? 79 responses

Few, if any, militaries in the world tolerate insubordination and the Paradisian one is no exception. The majority (67.1%) believe the military will attempt to have Eren fed to a more trustworthy individual, in contrast to 10.1% who believe that they won’t. 22.8% simply aren’t sure.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WAS THE POINT IN THE FLASHBACKS THIS EPISODE? 80 responses

This episode’s flashback was received rather positively, but this series does not include any flashback for no reason and this one is probably no exception. The majority (60%) believe it’s there to showcase the glaring difference between Eren’s current and former demeanor. In contrast 35% think it’s there to reiterate the idea that Eren still loves and cares for his friends. A select few also noted that perhaps it’s there for exposition/angst or were simply unsure.

It just gets better; the flashbacks are definitely important to show Eren's progression and his seemingly contradictory actions, but I definitely feel like the emphasis on how much he cares for his friends is more important than it currently seems.

LOOKS LIKE WE’RE GOING BACK TO GABI AND FALCO NEXT WEEK. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT? 80 responses

Many are looking forward to seeing Gabi and Falco’s Bizarre Adventure, with 77.6% giving it a rating of 3 or higher. Are you a proud member of the Gabi Gang? Wow! Let us know!

Gabi sucks

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

People who spoil, dig a grave and crawl in it and die please

Awwwww why are Levi and Hange not included in the "shippy" moments? I like how Mappa balances out the heavy and light stuff and showed how different Eren is from before and how it makes people keep on thinking if he still really care for his friends, but the previous episodes have been better for me, maybe just because of the content. I did not really fell good seeing the scene of Eren and Hange. I think he couldn't be like that had Levi been there. Also, I think farmer boy is the real father. Isayama just didn't see the importance of revealing it and what with only 2 chapters remaining and people still really curious about it, this chance has come up.

Kind of slowish. I appreciate the big plot points, but I always want to see more of Levi.

Again, back to not knowing what the fuck is going on...so many flashbacks and plan details. Imma still watch tho !! Thanks MAPPA for the food <3

Eren is hot (lmao sry but he didnt really catch my interest UNTIL this episode)

Honestly loved it,like i loved every other episode,i just hope that no one else dies but i know they will

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 76 responses

Thanks again to everyone who participated!

[raretastes]

Uri Reiss & Kenny Ackerman  ... JeArmin’s alternative?

When the first time I saw Grisha and his first wife, I thought that they are like Eren and Armin in alternate universe where Eren marry Armin (if he was a woman). This could be that Isayama have limited archetype characters, because I can see the similarities among the other characters in example is these three:

Angry german kid Archetype: (Eren) Gabi

Weakling fight hard archetype: (Armin) Falco

Slender and dependable big brother (Jean) Colt

(Boy, Isayama really ship Eremin hard isn’t he? lol)

on the Kenny arc story, the archetype between three of them also resonates in some way... and I will ponder about them a little.

Armin and Uri 

Aside of physical appearance, both Uri and Armin posses gentle vibe, and both are brainy people. Uri is wise, Armin is knowledgable. And both are courageous in their own way. 

WHO ELSE SURVIVES KENNY’S KNIFE ATTACK?!

........................other than Levi?!

And WHO ELSE EAGERLY WIN THE WAR SO HARD, HE SACRIFICE HIMSELF FOR VICTORY??

........................other than Erwin?!

Anyway, both of them also wanted the best for the people. They may not share similar dreams, but  Uri wants to do something for the good for his people, Armin want the best future for humanity. Tho their dreams is kind of opposite, but both of them want the best for people.

Jean and Kenny

Rough guy, in appearance or in words,... with very similar face profile. Both of them have long face, long nose, slender body build. 

I know, both are very different people. Tho he is quite obnoxious, Jean is actually very nice and sweet guy. If you take Kenny’s words then put it to Jean’s bubble chat, I’m sure it will be OOC. Vice versa.

I mean look at this picture..

This happened shortly after Armin being molested by pervert old man. We can see that he still wearing the same clothes. Eren focus on himself, Mikasa focus on Eren, Historia focus on the general situation, Sasha and Connie laughed at him, ... ONLY JEAN CARES!! Only Jean shows empathy! This guy is the nicest among the gang.

Kenny is the total opposite of Jean, he is a murder.

But, in their role about relationship with Uri or Armin, both actually shares similar “path” (idk what word to use, not native English speaker and I learn english from youtube vlogs, video games, and movies, so pardon me!).

Uri and Kenny’s relationship was based on respect. As someone who had been through various countless short term relationships, I want to emphasize to you that any relationship... again... ANY relationship, should have respect as it’s foundation. Love may come and go, but without respect, it will end ugly. See how crucial a respect is? And this respect is able to be maintained so well that Kenny being loyal when guarding Uri for 2 decades at least. If this is not a true friendship, IDK what life you’re living in.

At the beginning, Jean and Armin were actually not noticing each others. Jean is busy looking at Mikasa, Armin is being outgoing and friendly to everyone (from what I read from character interview, I deducted that his best friend was actually Marco, aside of Eren and Mikasa). When the war against the titans begins, Jean and Armin had to work together as team, and this is how they noticed each other’s potential (it’s not in the anime but in the character interview, Armin did mentioned that he agree with Marco about Jean’s potential, but of course, Marco would say it nicer than Armin)

Not going to forget how Jean and Armin arguing about Erwin’s leadership on their first mission as scout legion. Jean is a difficult person to deal with, but he can listen to Armin’s different opinions. I think this shows that Jean was actually not trouble maker but more like, he is very logical person that it will took good reasoning to “tame” him. And that’s what Armin does. This little guy tame the wild side of Jean (Jean is wild, admit it. He’s just not as strong or as lucky as Eren), just like how Uri tame Kenny’s aggression. 

Eren and Rod .. 

wait... 

nahh... 

they don’t really looked alike (eren and rod)

----------------------------

We all noticed that Isayama loves paralellity (was that even a word?). Often we are shown two kids boy and girl, or a band of three kids consist of the boy, the girl, and the nerd watching the scout legion that reminds Eren about his younger self. Twice, as far as I can remember. 

End of words, it’s still fun to see the “alternative” side of JeArmin. 

I love this arwork, but IDK the artist. if you are the artist, .. good job! I love this art.

[amaikana]

TPN Character Musing #2: Don

Again, asked by @just-like-playing-tag​, thank you for the ask and here we go~

[ FAVORITE THING ABOUT THEM ] I have this one favorite part of his role in the 1st arc when he didn’t immediately believe the trio’s words and chose to seek the truth about Conny’s death himself it was one of my favorite parts in the anime too I like that part of him that still chose to seek for the truth even though he wanted to believe in his friends. I’d like to see more of this side of him, but oh well... The fate of the side-characters... :’)

[LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT THEM ] I’m not saying that this is a bad trait, but I just don’t vibe well with “goody-two-shoes” characters (which I think he is, if judging by how he almost always go along with everyone’s plans and listening to everyone’s words without much second thoughts). Again, it’s not a bad trait at all. It’s just I personally cannot relate to these type of characters.

[ OTP ] err...none? I don’t particularly ship him with anyone at the moment.

[ brOTP ] Don & Gilda, Don & Emma Don & Nat

[ nOTP ] DonGilda (I swear I don’t have anything against this ship.. I just somehow can’t get my head on this ship.. Idk why tbh. But based on their canon interaction, I think they’d work well as a couple)

[ FAVORITE LINE ] Nothing he said so far particularly stood out to me so far, but there’s this one scene that I rather liked. It’s a scene when they all were on the journey to find Mujika & Sonju. Back then Hayato questioned how they’d defend themselves if they’re not killing them, and...uhh, sadly I forgot what Don said at that time, but he showed Hayato how they could outrun the demon and said something along the line of “there are still many ways of surviving without unnecessary killing them.” (ps: if anyone remember this scene please tell me ^^;)

[ RANDOM HEADCANON ] I have this self-indulgent headcanon about Don discovering Pokemon Go in the Human World (idk if this will still be a thing 20+ years later, lol) and he’d go around randomly to the other kids’ houses or rooms just because “I NEED TO CATCH THAT RARE POKEMON ON YOUR BED!!” XD

[ UNPOPULAR OPINION ] I think Don and Emma have rather similar characterizations. They’re both the people who always wants to believe in the best of things, and also relying more on their physical strength and observance of their surrounding than their tactical/strategic ability (which, to put it bluntly, they’re both rather suck at, lol). Although I think Emma is a bit more mature than him, given that she’s often being around Norman & Ray, both of which are highly critical and cynical people. I’d like to see more interaction between Emma & Don (Emma could be some kind of mentor to him, I think). Though, with the development of the current arc I think that’s highly unlikely... Well, we still have fanfictions and fan-headcanons to cope XD

[ SONG I ASSOCIATE WITH THEM ] There’s no any song (yet?) that particularly reminds me of Don’s character, but there’s this one singer that reminds me of him: JHope from BTS (yess I’m a kpop fangirl, I just outed myself lol) This singer has this funky/playful/friendly aura that just fit to describe Don, I think. Also, this singer’s dopey smile expression just somehow reminds me of Don’s smile, lol.

[ FAVORITE PICTURE OF THEM ] I don’t actually have any, but if I have to choose... probably this picture from the scene of him and Gilda infiltrated Isabella’s secret room in the 1st arc.

[todaydreambelievers]

The Newdie Awards!!

So, now that TDB is winding down - and in honor of the final podcast, I decided to hand out a few awards for all the people who’ve helped me along the way.  It’s a lot like The Office’s Dundie Awards! (only nicer).  

First of all, though, I want to shout a huge thank you to all the people who’ve donated so far to the TDB Pool - to keep the podcast hosted for years to come, so new people can listen, even if we’re not producing new content.  I’m amazed at how much we’ve raised so far.  Thank you so, so much for all your contributions! 

Secondly, a shout out to @seeroftodayandtomorrow - who diligently watched the show every week with me for the last two years.  That’s quite the feat and shouldn’t be discounted.  You guys try doing anything for two years straight! <3 

Thirdly, not sure how many of you realize this but @nikkisrandomthingsfan has been modding @todaydreambelieversfic for years now, and does an amazing job of it.  I can’t thank her enough for taking that over for me - and agreeing to continue to watch over the fic blog even after the main TDB blog ends.  In addition - to all the writers, including those who did the Author Spotlights with us back in the day, and to all the artists and creators out there - I hope you keep on doing your thing.  We’re blessed to have such creative talent in the fandom.  Thank you, thank you <3 

The Newdies!! 

The Matt Rutherford: Not Here but Not Forgotten Award goes to... 

All of my lovely guests who weren’t here in the finale.  I’ve had the pleasure of discussing the show with so many wonderful people - and I’m grateful to all the people who took the time to be on the podcast an share your thoughts.  Thank you for being such wonderful guests <3 

The Blaine Anderson: Biggest Stan Award goes to... 

@thedorkmark   There are plenty of Blaine stans around, but I haven’t met any that have surpassed Izzie’s passion and willingness to die on any hill.  And like Blaine, Izzie’s a sweetheart and a kind soul.  Thank you for bringing such joy and fire to the podcast <3 <3

The Mike Chang: All Around Awesome Award goes to...

@somewhereonlyino​  Like Mike, Lauren’s sometimes quiet, but always brings a fun and warm attitude to the podcast.  Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and being such a team player.  <3 <3  The Tina Cohen-Chang: Don’t Cut Me Off Award goes to...

@carojane​ - I’ve never met a person who stans Tina harder than Carly, someone who shares Tina’s strong will and ability to push through the hard parts with sheer determination.  You’re sweet and sensitive and kind but also won’t back down from a fight.  Thank you so much for everything you’ve shared over the years <3 <3

The Sugar Motta: Sweet’n’Spicy Award goes to... 

@coming-up-rosie​ - Every time Rosie pops on to the podcast, she’s sweet’n’spicy and always knows how to liven up the conversation.  While not around a lot on the podcast, like Sugar, whenever you were on you brought joy and enthusiasm - especially lovely since I kept placing you on such random podcasts.  Thank you so much for your ability to go with the flow and have fun while doing it <3 <3 

The Sam Evans: Always Lending a Helping Hand Award goes to... 

@klaineship2​ Over the years, Carmen has been such a hard worker! She’s done the entire rewatch with me, continues diligently to keep track of fics, and has even translated my and other’s fic into another language for more people to read!! Like Sam, you’re kind and dependable, and great friend who’s always there to jump in and help out.  Thank you so much for everything you’ve done over the years <3 <3 

The Adam Crawford: Cutie Across the Pond Award goes to... 

@perfectanomaly  The thing about Anny is that she’s always coming at me with an unexpected, but welcome, new point of view, and challenging me on how I see the characters.  Like Adam, she’s sweet and friendly (and also European!) and reminds me that these character’s don’t always have to live in the boxes we sometimes place them in.  Thank you so much for keeping me on my toes all these years, and giving me new perspectives to think about <3 <3 

The Santana Lopez: Tell It Like It Is Award goes to...

@honeysucklepink​ - Pink, you’ve been such a firecracker over the years!  Your deep love of music and glee and Darren Criss has driven your passion, and like Santana you’re never afraid to shy away from your opinions, even if they’re different from everyone else’s.  But also like Santana - you care deeply about the things and people are important to you.  Thank you for always bringing your massive knowledge of music and crackling stories to the podcast <3 <3 

The Sue Sylvester: Kicking Down the Fourth Wall Award goes to...

@slayediest​ - No one on the podcast has had an insider view of production quite like Slayediest, so it’s always fascinating to hear your stories about how things probably happened on the show.  But also, like Sue, you don’t really give a shit about all the nonsense going on around you, and think that most of the drama is ridiculous and silly (and it is!) and I really appreciate it about you.  You have a great sense of humor, and are always reminding me to sit back and enjoy the craziness in the world.  Thank you for letting me drag you on all these years, I’ve always valued your input so much <3 <3 

The Marley Rose: Most Precious of Precious Muffins Award goes to...

@sleepdeprivedmind - Connie, hands down, is one of the kindest, most positive, purest people I know.  I’ve never heard her say a bad word about anything, and even tries to bring a positive on some of the most negative subjects (like Will!!, lol)  Like Marley, you have such a big heart and warm soul and radiate joy whenever you come on the podcast. I’m incredibly thankful to call you my friend, thank you so much for all the great conversations we’ve had <3 <3 

The Mercedes Jones: Oh Hell to the No Award goes to...

@black-john-lennon​ - Kay was the first guest I recorded with on the show, and I’m so grateful for that first conversation, because it helped me gain the confidence that this project was something I could accomplish long term!  Kay’s never been one to back down from a fight - but doing so from a place of passion and getting to the heart of the matter.  Like Mercedes, you do have a sassy, won’t-back-down attitude, but I think you also share her vulnerability and big heart, and I don’t think that’s appreciated enough.   Thank you so much for so many fantastic conversations, and becoming someone I can call a good friend <3 <3 

The Emma Pillsbury: The Gingers Always Know Best Award goes to...

@redheadgleek​ - Oh, Julia, so calm and wise in her ways, she’ll always be there to lend a listening ear or be of service in whatever way she can be!  Like Emma - I think you’re smart and on the nose about a lot of things, but also incredibly kind and caring. And, many people may or may not know, the backbone of keeping a lot of fandom things afloat.  (She has every Klaine fic ever stored on a drive somewhere in case the apocalypse happens guys, lol <3)  Thank you for always being so sweet, and listening to me ramble on with an open mind and an open heart <3 <3 

The Kurt Hummel: There Are More Than Four Sides to Me Award goes to...

@kurtmckinnon​ - Kelley helped me redefine what a Kurt Stan could be.  Believe it or not, being a Kurt fan myself, I always shied away from the term - but Kelley’s love and passion for the character, and the show, helped me be secure in my identification of being a Kurt Stan (lol).  But more so, like Kurt, there are far more sides to you and you’ve always come to the podcast with a new perspective and a way of thinking that I might not have been privvy to.  I appreciate so much that you kept challenging how I saw the world.  Thank you so much for being such a huge, positive champion of Kurt, and always pushing me to think outside of the box <3 <3 

The Finn Hudson: The Show’s Gonna Go All Over The Place Aware goes to...

@notthatbea - My dearest Bethany, my goodness where do I even start.  Always there when I needed her, Bethany’s never been afraid to back away no matter what kinda crazy scheme I’ve got going on.  Like Finn, she’s sometimes bumbling along with me (in a good way!) but has a huge heart and always willing to go with it now how matter how crazy and out of control things get.  Thank you so, so much for becoming my good friend, for letting me take you on some of these insane adventures, and solidifying yourself in my heart - so much love <3 <3 

The Brittany Pierce: Special Unicorn Award goes to... 

@slayerkitty​ - No one has a laugh quite like Kitty’s, and it’s a delight to hear it, even when it’s for the most randomest of things.  Like Brittany, she’s a little bit sweet, a little awkward, a little odd, and a whole lot wonderful unicorn - all of it wrapped up in such a delightful way.  I’m sorry I cancelled your contract so many times - know that I couldn’t really imagine doing the podcast without you there.  Thank you so much for your fountain of knowledge, your great sense of humor, and your deep love of all fandom things - you’re unique and wonderful in your own special way, and I appreciate that about you <3 <3 

The Cooper J Anderson Emotional Tornado Award goes to...

@ckerouac​ - I mean is anyone really surprised by this??  RB is the ultimate emotion tornado, swooping in and creating a great time like like none other.  Like Cooper - your enthusiasm never wavers, your energy is inspiring, your sense of fun is endless, and you’re always pointing me (ha) in the right direction, and I’m guessing you probably have really great hair. 

Thank you for the phrase - ‘I wanna lick him nipple to navel’ and your vast knowledge of liquors, and the bangity-bang song, and the 2 out of 3 podcasters joke.  Thank you for jumping in on a podcast as a pinch-hitter even when you didn’t even know what the topic was.  Thank you for all the laughs and the sometimes tears and the driving me crazy but not really.  Thank you for becoming one of my greatest friends - I value your friendship deeply. Just - thank you <3 <3 

And one final thought - Iron Man’s better.  He just is, RB, I mean really ;) 

The Elliott Gilbert: Glitter Rock Vampire Award goes to... 

@snarkyhag​​ - I’m not really sure I have words to express how I feel about the one and only Le Diva Hag.  You are the Glitter Rock Vampire of my world - always there, always helping, always being a life coach and a wonderful friend.  I can’t tell you all the things she’s done for me over the years - because if I did it’d take up another post entirely.  But know that sometimes you come to a fandom just wanting to hang out and enjoy the silly world that is your favorite story, and you walk away finding someone whose become one of your closet friends.  I have nothing but gratefulness for everything she’s brought into my life.  

I love you, Snarky, you are the Elliott to my Kurt, and I promise I’m never saying good-bye to you <3 <3 

and finally...

The Rachel Berry: Greatest Star Award goes to...

YOU!!! 

To all my listeners, and all the people who’ve contributed to TDB over the years, taking polls, giving prompts, writing stories, doing art, joining in on the conversation, or just hitting like or reblog.  This blog has been made special because you were a part of it.  To my real Daydream Believers - thank you for bring such joy to my life and others.  You all are the greatest stars <3  

Congratulations!!! 

[damianfitz]

                                                 MEET DAMIAN

1. Full Name?

Damian Elliot Fitzgerald.

2. Preferred Names or Nicknames?

Damian doesn’t have any nicknames and he’s not really the type to go by one.

3. What does their name mean? Does it have any significance in their family? Do they like their name?

Damian means “to tame”, chosen by his father who took inspiration from St. Cosmas and Damian -- the patron saints of pharmacy and medicine. Context: the Fitzgeralds are a hoity toity family full of doctors, at least on his dad’s side. Elliot is his father’s name. Damian very much enjoys his name and likes to think that he’s very special and great things are meant for him because he carries his father’s name. (Unlike his ridiculously perfect older brother who is only named after their grandfathers, ha!)

4. Age and Date of Birth?

He is 18 years old and his date of birth is April 19, 2001.

5. Gender and Pronouns?

Cis Male. He/him.

6. Hometown?

Boston, MA.

7. Does your character fit into any well known archetypes or tropes?

The Chief? The Gentleman? I’m bad at archetypes. He’s also a very stereotypical Aries dude. (Me, pretending I know anything about zodiacs.)

8. How long have they been at Broadripple?

Damian has been enrolled at Broadripple since Freshman year.

9. What led them to apply to Broadripple? Was it a decision made by them or by their parents/guardians or somewhere in between?

Before his father even graduated from Broadripple, he planned that his children would attend the academy. They’re a staple there; it’s tradition and the Fitzgeralds are all about that.

10. Whether they’ve been at Broadripple four days or four years, do they enjoy it? Do they like Broadripple?

Damian absolutely adores Broadripple. He’s been fed stories about house Fenwick and the academy since he was old enough to understand words. Growing up, he fantasized about Broadripple the way some kids fantasize about attending Harvard or Yale. Every school he’s attended prior to Broadripple was just a stepping stone as far as he’s concerned.

11. What house are they in? Do they care very much about their house?

Fenwick. And abso-freakin’-lutely. He treats the house like he’s their dad and often refers to its members as his ‘Fenwick family’. He tends to go out of his way to befriend and develop close bonds with them, whether or not it seems like they’ll get along. Damian fully believes that the best kind of leadership is respect-based, so he’s relentlessly proactive -- always trying to take care of and encourage his Fenwickians with the hope that all of his hard work and toil will pay off in the long run. He 100% intends on winning the Clary Cup and getting his name engraved on the Clary shield before graduation so it’s important to him that his ship is always tight and out of trouble. #fenwickpride

12. Who do they share a dorm with, or are they on their own for the moment? What are they like to live with? Are they clean or messy? Early risers or night owls?

Damian shares a dorm with Connor Roberts, who he decided he quite likes so he’s been making an effort to develop a friendship with him. Damian likes to consider himself a very good roommate -- an ideal roommate even. He’s always mindful that his side of the room is tidy, with everything in its place and that his bed is always made when he’s not sleeping in it. He sleeps early and rises early. Since the start of November, he’s been a little restless for obvious reasons so he’s gotten a bit... nitpicky. If he sees something of Conny’s that’s on the floor or seems out of place and Conny’s not there, he’ll pick it up and put it where he thinks it belongs. He’ll also like, fluff a pillow if he thinks it looks a little flat, smoothens out the sheets if it looks a lil creased. You could leave your books open to random pages all over your bed and leave, and when you come back, they’re all neatly stacked on your desk and bookmarked and Damian’s just like :) I hope you don’t mind. You might have wanted to rest on your bed upon return so I took the liberty of tidying up for you. He’s just a little more intense than usual since Izzy’s disappearance.

13. How is your character’s dorm decorated? Is it bare or bursting at the seems with personality? Any particular sentimental items from home?

It’s very classic and masculine. All of his desk accessories are matching and made of tan leather and accented with brass. His mattress is fitted with fancy white Hotel™ bedding but his duvet is deep red because #fenwickpride. There’s a large monthly planner that adorns the wall that his bed is pushed against so he can review what’s in store for him tomorrow/for the week before he falls asleep. A bi-fold picture frame sits on his desk. One half holds a photo of him, his sister, and their parents. (Where is Joseph? We just don’t know.) The other half holds a photo of the 3 Fitzgerald beagles looking cute as hell bc obvi. Everything clearly has its place except these 3 photos that are stuck to the wall in front of Damian’s desk with tape (gasp!). One of the God Squad being pure having a picnic somewhere, one of Alpha being cute just because, and one of him and Eliza that he took that she doesn’t like because her face is in it and she’s laughing and that obviously isn’t allowed but like it’s Damian’s favorite so sucks 2 suck.

14. What is their favourite subject at school? Do they even have a favourite? Why?

Of all of the classes he’s taking right now, Damian’s favorite is World Culture. He likes learning about other cultures and ways of life; he thinks it’s interesting.

15. Are they involved in any clubs? Which ones?

He’s been a member of the Buddy Club since his second half of his Freshman year. He’s Vice President of the Student Weekend Activities Team. He’s also the secretary for the Student Council.

16. How does your character feel about Broadripple’s Unofficial Clubs? Do they know about them? Are they a part of any of them?

Damian thinks the Broadripple Boys Club is childish and in poor taste. He avoids associating with them if he can help it but he’s civil with them for the most part even if he thinks they need new hobbies other than destroying property, lives, and their livers.

He’s a member of the Unofficial Chastity Club because celibacy is important and you should always leave room for Jesus. 👀 (It's also a very good reminder that he shouldn’t listen to his hormonal teen body no matter how incessant.)

He doesn’t know about Broadripple Unsolved but if he did, he’d think it was a waste of time.

17. Does your character participate in any sports? If so, what made them join the team?

Damian is Swim captain and a member of the Cross Country team. 

The Fitzgeralds think it’s important that their children grow up involved in at least one sport because the physical/social/mental benefits are far too great. Swimming just happened to be what Damian naturally gravitated toward and was best at, so it was no-brainer that it’s the team that he wanted to join upon arrival four years ago. (It may have also been about wanting to assert dominance since he’s been swimming competitively and kicking ass since the age of 8.)

As for Cross Country, Damian’s parents have always encouraged a healthy lifestyle. They’re the type of parents that jog in the morning and make the family run a 5K every year. It was familiar. He also just wanted to be able to workout and not worry about becoming a prune.

18. What afternoon activities does your character do? Do they just do the one mandatory one or are they involved in multiple? Why?

Damian is an animal shelter volunteer. He’s a big dog lover and he cares a lot about the city’s furry friends so it was the obvious choice. He’d honestly do more than one if he had the time -- he was a nursing home volunteer during his Junior year and he loved it -- but considering his involvement in literally everything else, he decided to stick with just one.

19. Do they miss their home when they’re at Broadripple? Do they often go home for the weekends or do they only go home during holiday breaks?

Funnily enough, not really. Damian isn’t the type of person to miss places. The person he would miss the most from home is his sister, Eliza, and since she attends Broadripple with him so he doesn’t really ‘miss home’. He does go home every weekend though unless there’s a SWAT outing planned because he misses his dogs and his parents think it’s nice if the family sits and has a meal together at least once a week. Also often, there’s a schmancy event the Fitzgerald kids need to show up at so their parents can boast of their achievements and show off what good parents they are, so :)))

20. Did your character know Izzy De Santis or Maggie Monroe?

Yes. They were all part of the same Bible-loving group of buddies that the Weekend Warriors cleverly dubbed the God Squad. Izzy was also Damian’s best friend and right-hand man, so he’s terribly saddened by the sudden hole the Melleray Senior left in his life. And while he wasn’t as close with Maggie, Damian does feel quite disturbed by her sudden departure as well. He just finds it rather difficult to keep in mind that her disappearance is just as important as Izzy’s when Maggie wasn’t the one who spotted Damian at the gym every other day.

21. Has your character heard of Edith Lynch? Do they know the story?

Yes and yes. It was a topic of conversation at the dinner table once and never again because his parents think it’s that ridiculous that people have made it some ~haunting tale. His parents, having both attended Broadripple, described it as a ‘terrible mishap that people have blown out of proportion’ and that’s exactly how Damian chooses to describe it if he hears anyone speak of it and need his two cents on the matter.

22. How does your character feel about Nighmore? Have they noticed the recently closed shops yet?

To Damian, Nighmore is just your everyday quaint little town. He doesn’t see anything wrong with the fact that they’re all very friendly and always willing to engage in a bit of conversation. He just thinks it’s good manners. He would even go as far as to say the rest of America needs to be a little more like Nighmore. 

Yes, he’s noticed they’ve closed down. Though, he’s more bothered by The Kettle being closed than Hill’s Wholefoods. He was a really big fan of their lattes so it’s a bit disappointing to him that he can’t enjoy that product anymore. He quickly got over it though and hasn’t paid much of a visit to Nighmore since then.

23. Have you made any aesthetic Pinterest boards/WeHeartIt collections for this character? Or playlists? Anything you would like to share!

Pinterest / Playlist / Musings / Schedule

[gem-rewatch]

SU rewatch- S1E10- Steven’s Lion

Lights up. A magical pink lion enters stage right. 

And really, what a perfect fit for a magical boy who has- on multiple occasions- fulfilled many a Disney princess trope. Let’s make a count... He’s got a deceased parent, has broken into song while looking out at sea, possesses healing tears + other various powers, is essentially space royalty (although he doesn’t know that yet), and in this ep- gains an animal sidekick.

A rather docile sidekick, for a legit lion.

Y’know, Lion’s docile nature makes a lot more sense with more recent knowledge we’ve gained about Rose’s pink zombification power via the official Steven Universe podcast- namely, how both Lion and Lars don’t need to eat anymore. (And how food tastes completely bland to them now.) No wonder this big cat never makes any moves, he’s probably long since figured out that there’s no need to kill for food anymore.

It’s also probably why he likes Lion Lickers- he’s literally got bad taste ahahahah XD

This image is so sweet though, awww. Look at this boy cuddle up to this oversized house cat. I’m... admittedly concerned at how trusting it is, but at least we all have the foreknowledge that Lion poses no threat.

Steven: “Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl are coming! Quick, put my head in your mouth-”

Buddy. Buddy. Why are you like this. Steven. Why you wanna scare the bejesus outta your guardians. You’re gonna make them reform with grey hair, Steven. Gawdddd.

Steven: “Lion, I gotta go. I had a lot of fun. I think you really get me!”

I have to wonder if this statement runs a bit deeper than just... Steven’s typical M.O. of personifying and befriending anything/anyone. ‘Cause like, at this point in the show? He’s got a supportive dad and the Gems clearly adore and dote on him, and he’s a pretty extroverted kid, but... all the same, I kinda get some lonely vibes from him. After all, there’s a big difference in having a lot of people in your life and also feeling heard by those people. Feeling like a part of the group. Feeling understood.

Steven can count on his dad for a loooooot, Greg’s wonderful- but he’s also just human. He doesn’t always understand all the Gem stuff his son gets up to, and for that reason naturally won’t be able to relate with all of his problems. And the Gems all love him, but he’s often left out of activities. They’re just as bemused by many of his human activities as his dad is to Gem ones. He talks a lot with people in town, like Lars and Sadie, but much of it early on doesn’t seem to go far beyond the typical Steven-y small talk. He hasn’t gotten the chance to really connect with all of these people, and he hasn’t made a friend his age who really understands both sides of his life yet. Someone who gets him. (He’s not there with Connie yet, but he will be.)

I think deep down Steven is very aware of this, even if he barely ever brings it up.

It’s always in these lighthearted seeming moments that I catch little glimpses of this kid’s inner insecurities hiding around the curtain.

I major dig Steven and Amethyst’s couch pillow fort. Big childhood vibes right there. That’s like, all I did as a kid. That and lose toy cars in the sandbox forever ahfhshjgh. But never mind all that!

Steven: “We’re together again!”

Indeed, my young sir. The bearer of the Pink Diamond gem and the lion brought back to life by the original Pink Diamond. Reunited at last. ;w;

We’re all in agreement that this is why Lion followed Steven home, right? Because he sensed his gem and recognized who’s it was? Hmm, though I still do wonder how Lion came to be alone in the middle of the desert in the first place.

Um. Why is Steven’s idea of what “best friends” do an extreme life-or-death trust fall? Or... throwing a ball back and forth? Oh my god, please get this kid some real friends.

He’s so extroverted, and so genuinely friendly... able to talk to anyone, but this just makes it so blindingly obvious how little he’s been socialized around any other kids his age. Before Connie it was only Peedee, and he practically doesn’t count based on how quickly he was forced to grow up to help run the family business. Again, as said above, he’s got legit good relationships with his family, but family is different from friends. Both are so, so important in their own ways.

Steven: “I’m ordering for two!”

Ronaldo: [spittakes]

Ronaldo: “STEVEN’S PREGNANT???”

This scene is flippin’ ICONIC. My god.

Additionally, it’s the first time we get to see Kiki and Kofi, and the interior of Fish Stew Pizza! 

Steven: “Onion, you believe me, right?”

The expressions in this scene crack me up, Steven’s legitimately upset to have lost Onion’s approval jhfshjg

Steven. I know you’re upset at the idea that Lion didn’t return for you, and only came for the pillow, but please explain what good yeeting it like fifty feet away will do. This child exudes Big Clueless Energy sometimes, I swear.

Nonetheless, he clearly wasn’t listening earlier when Pearl was nagging Amethyst to keep it off the sand.

And look where that got him! :D

On his own, separated from the rest of the Gems’ help, vying to retrieve an artifact that- when active- poses a legit threat to his safety. For as unwise as he was to throw the pillow in the first place, he makes up for his lapse in logic here with his sheer determination. Look at this young man go! He sees what needs to be done and he jumps right to it.

He would’ve succeeded too, if it weren’t for how crumbly the desert glass castle was. Thank goodness for Lion’s loyalty, or else he could’ve gotten really hurt here.

Steven: “Lion! You didn’t come here to steal the pillow... You came here to protect us from it!”

I think he’s half right on this. As previously stated, I’m of the opinion that Lion originally followed Steven because he recognized the gemstone of his healer. I also think that when he saw the pillow and began fixating on it, he was kinda bein’ all... “put that sucker away, you dummies!” I mean, if he lived in the same desert as the desert glass for all that time then I’m sure he’s grown to recognize its power.

But in the end Steven has no reason to assume Lion has any connection to his mom, so it’s a fair assumption to make.

I really like how the artists transition from the muted, limited color pallet to the normal full-saturation one when Lion and Steven burst out of the wall with the artifact in hand- that’s a cool touch.

Aaaand then...

Whomp. There they gooo ;D; 

Enough epic heroism for the day, now it’s time to face plant into the dirt. I love Lion’s little disgruntled face here, heheh.

Pearl: “Are we really going to let him keep that?” Garnet: “We kept Amethyst.” Pearl: “Oh! Kept Amethyst. Oh, Garnet, that’s priceless!”

This is funny on its own, but it also reminds me that we haven’t truly gotten to see how Amethyst met the Crystal Gems yet. That’s one of the top five things I’m betting season six will tackle- I’m sure there’s more to how that happened, perhaps an arc relevant reason why Amethyst overcooked in the first place. And if not that, then it’d be a fun flashback story to tell.

(Are we really sure there’s no other Gems who also overcooked on Earth? Who maybe... haven’t even emerged yet? I’d be really surprised if Amethyst was the only one, to be honest.)

With this episode, though, the show’s finally introduced all the big characters who we’ll get to know more as the season progresses. The foundation has been officially laid! Every episode from here on out begins to build upon this foundation more and more.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in Arcade Mania!

[stevenuniversallyreviews]

Episode 123: Room for Ruby

“It's sunny now, but it can always rain later.”

Catch and Release really did change everything. I’ve already discussed it as a paradigm shift, transforming the concept of what the Crystal Gems are: before, a quartet with Steven as the rookie, and after, a fluid group where Steven has some seniority. We’re in an era where Connie, a full-fledged human, is a Crystal Gem. Bismuth, who already was a Crystal Gem but got reintroduced and then left behind, will return as a member of the modern iteration. And two former enemies, Peridot and Lapis, have joined the group (the latter unofficially). So who’s to say a ruby soldier wouldn’t fit in?

Granted, Charlyne Yi’s performs a ruby that’s a little too forgiving, and power combo Raven Molisee (of the highly expressive Molisee’n’Villeco) and Jesse Zuke (of the barnmaster duo Zuke’n’Florido) exaggerate her face and words to the point where it’s at least a little suspicious from the start. But Navy, cleverly named for the gem on her navel just as Army is named for her arm gem, has always been friendly and chipper compared to the other rubies in her squad. It’s believable, despite us never witnessing it, that the other rubies are mean to her for this attitude. And because this is a ridiculous character, it was always possible that her ridiculously jolly attitude was sincere.

That Navy is lying the whole time is irrelevant to the wonder of a show that makes us believe that she might join up. Her betrayal might be predictable, but our status quo is as capable of change as the planet our heroes love; it’s a similar sensation to Alone at Sea, where even though nothing drastic happens there’s a real possibility that Lapis might relapse and go back to Malachite. It’s so much better than an episode where we know from the start that the character-of-the-week will depart by the end of the story.

Navy’s chipper behavior is variably cute and questionable, but I love the massive hint that is the rain sequence. Gems become Crystal Gems when exposed to water, so Navy gets her own little baptism as part of the orientation. But because she’s a false convert, we get artificial rain for her artificial reaction. Yi sells absurd joy as well as absurd frustration, but there’s a cloud hanging over this moment that becomes clearer on rewatch. 

Despite beginning with Steven and Garnet, then bringing Navy along for the ride, Room for Ruby becomes a Lapis Lazuli episode as soon as we head back to the barn. Navy is as one-dimensional as it gets before the reveal, blithely accepting everything that comes her way and seeming incapable of feeling negative emotions, so she needs an external opponent if we want this episode to have a plot. Yes, it’d be fun to see this goofball being a goofball for eleven minutes, but thankfully Steven Universe is willing to go deeper.

Peridot’s bossiness and desire to impress makes her an excellent candidate to teach Navy the ropes, and both can bond with fellow shorty Steven over a shared go-get’em mindset. So it makes sense that our wet blanket is Lapis, who first distrusts Navy and then gets fed up with how easy everything is for her. She’s trying, but seeing another foe-turned-friend have such a smooth go of it isn’t easy, and exploring those emotions of jealousy and inadequacy allows for a wonderful last hurrah before Lapis abandons Earth in Raising the Barn.

Lapis has a tricky role to play here, as she’s straddling the line between protagonist and antagonist depending on how much you trust Navy. Our hero/villain is portrayed sympathetically, as we’re reminded of her traumas and her slow but steady recovery process; she might come across as petty, but it’s understandable pettiness when Navy breezes by in areas where Lapis has struggled. And it helps that unlike fellow Ornery Lapis episode Barn Mates, Navy doesn’t seem to get upset at the negativity; this isn’t Peridot trying to win over a stubborn holdout, it’s a spacy ruby who ignores the venom. But at the same time, Lapis is the only protester in the Navy Parade, and her clash with Steven’s goal of bringing in a new friend makes her a huge bummer. 

Which is why I love this episode’s lesson so much: that it’s sometimes okay to be a huge bummer.

It’s okay because everyone’s going through the world at their own pace, and whether you’re clinically depressed, a survivor of trauma, or you’re just plain sad, it doesn’t make you less worthy than folks in a happier mood. Lapis attempts patience and understanding despite her annoyance, and only snaps when Navy’s attitude turns sickly sweet; feelings of inferiority are hard to work through, but it doesn’t make it okay to be a jerk the whole time. Even after the outburst, Lapis is quick to reassure Navy, acknowledging that it’s an internal problem and apologizing. She wants to like the newcomer, but as soon as she senses the forced perkiness it’s hard for her not to notice that something’s off.

A good twist is something that makes you rethink the plot, but a great twist does this duty while being enjoyable as a plot point on its own merits. The execution of Navy’s betrayal is marvelous, even as it becomes more and more obvious that it’s coming. After spending the whole episode geeking out about Earth stuff, Navy not-so-subtly suggests that she wants to go back to her ship. Steven not only falls for it, but is down to press a huge button without asking follow-up questions; it may seem inconsistent with his growing maturity, but it makes sense that an excitable kid is lost in the joy of making a new friend. The stranger area for me is his exclamation that the Crystal Gems “finally” have a pilot, as if Pearl hasn’t been successfully navigating spaceships this whole time, but again, he’s caught up in the moment.

The twist-within-a-twist is that while Navy has been plotting against our heroes this whole time, her demeanor isn’t part of the act. Yi's transition from earnest giddiness on land versus manic giddiness post-betrayal is worth the price of admission, especially as she merrily explains that she opted not to just steal the ship because she wanted to watch the Crystal Gems suffer. 

And of course, this brings about Lapis’s triumphant laughter at being proven right. Jennifer Paz is awesome throughout the episode, restraining herself when necessary for big bursts of energy to hit home, and it culminates in the sheer joy that comes from righteous vindication. We could’ve gotten a somber moment of Steven’s anguish at being tricked, similar to what we got after Peridot’s duplicity in Message Received, but Lapis allows us a sense of relief despite things going horribly. 

In an episode featuring a character as unsubtle as Navy (being tricky doesn’t stop her from being loud and hammy), I love the quieter story we get from Garnet. We only get a nudge that Navy’s story appeals to Ruby and Sapphire, but we don’t need more than that, so I’m glad we don’t get more. Yes, it would be fun to see Ruby hanging out with Navy, but the episode’s focus is elsewhere and we don’t indulge in fanservice that would take away from the plot. The two balloons Garnet brings at the end are color-coded for convenience, so we don’t need anyone to tell us that the optimistic red message is Ruby’s hopes and the apologetic blue message is Sapphire’s realism. It’s not a novel observation that Steven Universe respects the audience enough to not hold our hands, but it’s still appreciated.

(Also appreciated is a soft moment of Garnet bonding with Steven independent of the plot as they make wishes; Steven may be growing up fast, but he’s still allowed to be a kid sometimes instead of spending every episode in teen angst mode.)

In terms of criticisms, I’m a little torn about the pacing: Room for Ruby meanders a bit in that second act, even though I understand its purpose. Lapis needs to have her tolerance for Navy strained to a breaking point so she’s not throwing a tantrum out of nowhere, so we need multiple examples of frustrating glee. But it does get a little boring on rewatch to have the point driven home again and again that Navy is a perfect little angel, even if it’s all building up to the twist that she’s anything but.

Still, I can’t help but enjoy the nostalgia this structure provides, because major plot points aside, the episode fits right in with classic Season 1. We get a simple story that primes us for an obvious conclusion. Steven will find an unusual solution in his cheeseburger backpack. Steven will learn patience when Pearl takes a while to reform. Steven’s beach party with the Gems and the Pizzas will teach the Gems to respect civilians more. Lapis will grow to accept Navy’s differences. But instead, Steven’s improvisation only goes so far, and he’s impatient again as soon as Pearl returns, and the Gems still don’t care about Fish Stew Pizza, and Lapis’s negative outlook was correct. Steven Universe first made its mark by toying with the conventions of episodes with straightforward morals, and it’s nice to see that legacy continue so late in the series. 

The implications of Navy’s actions are soon made clear, as the loss of the Crystal Gems’ only means of space travel (stolen from the very barn where Steven, Greg, and Pearl first experimented with space travel!) makes Steven’s imminent sacrifice that much weightier. But before that shoe drops, we can enjoy one last glimpse of our favorite little ruby.

(I’m kidding of course, our Ruby is the best ruby.)

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

Charlyne Yi hamming it up and Lapis’s grouchiness paying off? What’s not to love?

Top Twenty

Steven and the Stevens

Hit the Diamond

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

Last One Out of Beach City

The Return

Jailbreak

The Answer

Mindful Education

Sworn to the Sword

Rose’s Scabbard

Earthlings

Mr. Greg

Coach Steven

Giant Woman

Beach City Drift

Winter Forecast

Bismuth

Steven’s Dream

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Warp Tour

The Test

Future Vision

On the Run

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Joy Ride

Keeping It Together

We Need to Talk

Chille Tid

Cry for Help

Keystone Motel

Catch and Release

When It Rains

Back to the Barn

Steven’s Birthday

It Could’ve Been Great

Message Received

Log Date 7 15 2

Same Old World

The New Lars

Monster Reunion

Alone at Sea

Crack the Whip

Beta

Back to the Moon

Kindergarten Kid

Buddy’s Book

Gem Harvest

Three Gems and a Baby

That Will Be All

The New Crystal Gems

Storm in the Room

Room for Ruby

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Story for Steven

Shirt Club

Love Letters

Reformed

Rising Tides, Crashing Tides

Onion Friend

Historical Friction

Friend Ship

Nightmare Hospital

Too Far

Barn Mates

Steven Floats

Drop Beat Dad

Too Short to Ride

Restaurant Wars

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

Greg the Babysitter

Gem Hunt

Steven vs. Amethyst

Bubbled

Adventures in Light Distortion

Gem Heist

The Zoo

Rocknaldo

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

Say Uncle

Super Watermelon Island

Gem Drill

Know Your Fusion

Future Boy Zoltron

Tiger Philanthropist

No Thanks!

     6. Horror Club      5. Fusion Cuisine      4. House Guest      3. Onion Gang      2. Sadie’s Song      1. Island Adventure

[heilewelt]

2019 is over. Here are a few things I loved.

This year went by way too fast and occasionally I feel like I haven’t done anything, haven’t experienced anything. Busy with a full-time job time flies by and it’s been way too quiet on here. However, in the last couple of days I reflected on the musical side of the year, wondering if I experienced as little as I think and remembered some very fine moments, concerts, album I fell utterly in love with and new discoveries.

Orville Peck is the combination of all. I did an interview with him earlier this year and he has been such a great conversation partner and seeing him live just made be fall in love forever and always. I’m fascinated by the way he creates his character on stage and his performance – somewhere between a Country star and the theatrical elements of an musical and musically influenced by all kind of genres, even punk and grunge. I kept returning to his debut album “Pony” all year long. This love won’t be over anytime soon.

Most loved concerts in 2019 in no particular order:

Patti Smith.

Archive. Favorite all-time band. 25. Anniversary concert in Paris. Do I need to say more? This band keeps being incredible.

Reignwolf returned to Berlin with a new album “Hear Me Out” and it was one hell of a show. Purest Rock’n’Roll. Sweat was involved.

The Raconteurs. 10 years. It was about time. I went to see them in London, Cologne and Berlin and it was such a joy!

KISS. The best. The last concert in Berlin. Perfect.

Caspian are an absolute must live. They always made me feel all the feeling – joy and sadness were lying so close when I saw them live in Dresden. They didn’t play in Berlin this year, so I had to travel to the nearest town.

Ida Mae are such a wonderful, heartfelt band. I saw them a few times this year and every time they got better and better. Glad they are stubborn and wouldn’t want to be a country pop duo but a very fine Blues influenced Folk music.  

Low Cut Connie was a complete surprise. I remember winning the tickets and thinking I’d see a nice quite Folk band as I haven’t checked their out beforehand. Boy, was I wrong! Jerry Lee Lewis meets Elvis meets Elton John. What a live band – within a  minute they had me dancing.  

Faces On TV got me dancing.

North Mississippi Allstars reminded me what (live) music is for when I almost forgot it: to make you forget about daily life and enjoy the moment. What amazing talents and what a joy of playing live.

The Picturebooks are another band to save Rock’n’Roll. Always fun to watch.

Matt Andersen doesn’t need much. He just sits there with his guitar and it’s all you need. He makes you dance, feel, laugh. His energy and laughter always blows me away.

My favorite festivals couldn’t be more different from each other: Watt En Schlick on the beaches of Dangast, Germany, this August and the UK version of AmericanaFest which takes place in a couple of small clubs in Hackney, London, UK. Both are not very big and feel just intimate in a way. Friendly people who organize the festivals, great audience and the selection of the artists is very diverse. I loved both festivals.

Albums, EPs or songs that have been played a whole lot this year in no particular order: The Raconteurs “Help Us Stranger” – I’ve been waiting for this album 10 years and I’m so glad these four found their way back into the studio.

Reuben And The Dark “UnLove” – I love Reuben voice for so many years but with “UnLove” it felt like a renewed love. Especially the song “Breath” gets me every single time.

Poor Nameless Boy “Wake Up Call” – for reasons I don’t understand his music always feels like home, very comfortable, even when the topics are not that comfortable. 

deFrance “Second Wind” – I should’ve written a review about it. I met Drew DeFrance earlier this year at Americana Fest UK when he played guitar for Arkansas Dave. “Second Wind” is a bit of old school Rock’n’Roll, some Friday night music but for me it just doesn’t get boring. I enjoy it so much and feel terrible for not writing the deserved review about it. Listen to them. Just do it. 

Arkansas Dave “Live at Music in the Park at Montreux Festival” – Dave’s live energy is fantastic. I travelled to AmericanaFest London in January 2019 mainly to see him live and he’s so good. The live recordings from the Montreux Festival capture his energy on stage perfectly. Rock, blues and fabulous guitar play. Great dude as well. Hopefully I get to see him again in 2020.

Great Defeat – “A supergroup of bands you’ve never heard of” is written in their twitter bio but I know the bands and I love them and therefore I love this band.

Sunset Sons “Blood Rush Déjà vu” – “Alien” on repeat.

The Glorious Sons “A War on Everything” – Actually my album of the year, with “Panik Attack” being my hymn for the year.

Blown Away Soundtrack – It’s a movie by two guys travelling the world, meeting musicians in every country and compiling this wonderful record. My favorite song is “Radiate” with Jack Mantis. I saw it live after the movie was shown in Berlin and couldn’t forget it.

Sam Isaac “This Year” – This EP is the reason you shouldn’t start your End of the Year list beginning of December. It was released on the 27th of December. He could have joined Great Defeat as my love for his music come from the same time and because of the same record label Alcopop. I stumbled over his new EP on the 27th when it was released. I didn’t knew it was coming. That evening I listened to it until I fell asleep.

My favorite new discoveries:

Rival Karma are so much fun. Gotta love this bearded, guitar/drum, rock’n’roll duo.

Rosborough has a sweet Irish accent and makes heartfelt music.

I found Ian Noe through an instagram post of Jason Momoa. What a beautiful deep voice!

Beranger are super fun. Their concerts are fun. They have classical piano and Pop and Beranger is an entertainer par excellence. Whether it’s on a small floating stage or a sold out venue in Berlin. He plays Mauerpark, Berlin, and there you just can’t sit quietly on your piano to have the people stop at your place. Certainly one’s to watch.

Willie Jones combines Rap with Country. Sounds like it doesn’t fit? When Willie Jones takes care of it, it’s a perfect match but to experience his music to the fullest you got to see him live!

And now let’s get 2020 started with a bit more live music and a few more words written!

Thank you for reading,

Dörte 

[astradella]

My top ten cartoon characters!

I know that no one cares but I like finding gifs and singing praise.

10. Dendy from OK KO!

Everyone loves an adorable nerd side character, but Dendy is something special to me. She never had any friends before meeting KO, and has learned a lot about friendship and helping those in need since her debut. She reminds me a little on Hatsume from BNHA (which is kind of like the anime version of OKKO anyway) in the sense that she isn’t bound to the limits of her power. Even though she has the power to jump super high by charging up her feet, she does most of her amazing feats with her inventing and coding skills. A 10/10 friend!

9. Commander Peepers from WOY!

Out of the four main characters from Wander Over Yonder, it wasn’t until the very end of the series that I had decided on a favorite. Another nerd here, but very confident and a master at getting shit done! Even though some of the reason that I love Peepers so much is his legendary voice actor, I still admire his creative design and role in the series. Some of his best moments, in my opinion, are when he and Sylvia put aside their fighting tendencies and work together to do something badass. 10/10 fucking superb you funky little eyeball

8. Oscar from SCI!

Summer Camp Island hasn’t been around for very long yet, but Oscar’s design, voice, and passion immediately caught my eye. His never-ending friendship with Hedgehog is just what this age needs: an innocent friendship between different genders without drama about crushes or anything. Oscar has so much passion for everything, and even though he gets picked on about it by Susie, a kind heart and a child’s spirit. 10/10 best friend material.

7. Radicles from OKKO!

This dude deserves a ten on every list. His telekinetic powers go well with his beefy alien appearance, but below the surface he has heart of gold and a pure soul. He’s passionate about pretty much everything, and loves his friends more than anything. His love for cats and playing with cars is something that he is reluctant to admit, but everyone still loves him for it. 10/10 good boy

6. Nerris from CC!

Camp Campbell is full of personality, from our spunky wild child to this determined D+D mage. Nerris, apart from having a unique design and adorable voice, is one of Camp Camp’s best side characters. Her spontaneous and mildly violent nature at the beginning of the show has shown a lot of growth through bonding with her fellow campers and learning to put aside differences with her former magic camp rival, Harrison. 10/10 would recommend on a quest.

5. Nikki from CC!

Another Camp Camp character! Whooo! Nikki stole my heart immediately, shortly followed by Nerris. Nikki’s wild personality is always apparent, whether she is climbing trees, eating bugs, or digging up human bones. Her energy seems to hold the main three together, somehow always finding a way to rope her best friends Max and Neil into wild adventures. 10/10 Nature child

4. Marceline the Vampire Queen from AT!

All the way from her debut back at the start of Adventure Time, Marceline has always been a big favorite of mine. Her personality, design, voice, and fire-as-hell music will always hold a special place in my heart. Her amazing character development has turned her from a bossy fun-loving goth to a passionate, friendly bisexual icon :) Marcy’s character arc was one of my favorites in the whole series, added to her healing relationship with Simon and Princess Bubblegum, making for an amazing iconic character with multiple layers. 10/10 at everything

3. Milo from MML!

Milo Murphy’s Law can never beat it’s creators’ previous timeless masterpeice, Phineas and Ferb, but with a main character like this, people will certainly remember this one. Despite his genetic condition to attract the worst possible scenarios, he is always on step ahead and ready for anything Murphy’s Law throws at him and his friends. Milo is well designed and has a great personality, not to mention he is voiced by the legendary Weird Al! He would almost definitely go to hell and back for his friends, add with his luck, he probably will at some point :D 10/10 amazing

2. Connie from SU!

Connie’s character development throughout Steven Universe is one of the most amazing things in the show. She started out as a shy book nerd without any friends, but after meeting Steven, her life turned upside down completely. One of my favorite details is how her former self was seeing things through a rose-colored glass, literally. Her glasses were tinted pink and a big part of her personality. But after Steven magically heals her eyes, she has a revalation about the gems and their war. She pops out her lenses and becomes a whole new person after that. Since then, Connie has become a master swordfighter, a brave warrior, and a crystal gem! 10/10 strong independent warrior

Aaaaaand...

1. Mabel from GF!

Ah, Gravity Falls. A classic. Mabel, as well as being my favorite cartoon character of all time, very much has the potential to be one of the best. Her spunky, bubbly personality is a perfect touch to this amazing mystery show, adding sparkles and rainbows in even the darkest of times. Her love for her family and friends will always be one of my favorite parts of this show, and her sweaters made for a great Halloween costume in seventh grade! Keep shining Mabel! We all love you!