#gotta be honest i don't know how to draw children

[singtotheskiies]

i have begun to watch south park..........

[kaija-rayne-author]

10.1 in review series for Dragon Age Veilguard

70 hours in, 68 actual gameplay

Obligatory I'm not an asshole disclaimer, feel free to skip to the cut.

Something came to my attention. I need to make it crystal clear that I utterly love the diversity in DAV. It's fantastic. I'm also a heavily left leaning, non-binary, queer as fuck reviewer, editor, and author.

I'm on media blackout while I play this, so I'm only getting second-hand info on how awful it is right now in the DA Fandom. Please be safe and take care of yourselves. Arguing with incels and white supremacists is completely pointless. They sea lion worse than an actual sea lion. Your mental health is important.

Though, every single time the anti-queer brigade comes out for a new DA game, I sit there thinking 'have you bozos ever played any DA game, like, ever?' My guess is nope.

Spoilers for Dragon Age Veilguard

Section 9 is here.

I haven't played yet today. I have to take my immunocompromised ass into a world that doesn't give a shit about my life to get groceries. How do I know they don't care? They don't mask. It's as simple as that. If you care about immunocompromised people, people like me recovering from almost dying, pregnant people, old people, many children, people with immune affecting issues like long covid, depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia... goddess, the list goes on, if you cared? You'd mask. It's the number one way to help us survive. And no, us masking by ourselves doesn't work very well. Everyone has to.

Anyway. Yeah. Gotta risk my life for groceries because I can't afford delivery.

I was just sitting here, and I think I figured out some of the many issues that are bothering me about this game. The great big missing I've been trying to figure out.

They didn't make Veilguard for the adult gamers who have desperately wanted it for so long. They made it for children and teens.

Epler even outright said they'd changed things hoping to draw in a younger section of gamers. (In one of the first q&a sessions after the gameplay reveals.) I wonder if he bothered to do any market studies to see if that demographic would actually be interested?

I can only judge by my two gaming kids because I'm on media blackout while I finish this game. But no matter how much they simplified it for kids, they still have absolutely no interest in Dragon age. They're far more interested in indie games than anything a triple A studio puts out. Their opinions on Triple A studios are so low it's honestly ridiculous. They don't even understand why I love games put out by them.

So, the devs chose to remove things so that parents would be more likely to let their kid play what is still listed as a M level game (ESRB M for mature).

Ooooh, no. We can't have rogues picking locks and doing all the stuff rogues are supposed to be able to do. Why? Because that means kids will be delinquents doing the same! (The trust in the ability of older kids to understand the difference between a fantasy video game and real life is astounding, I tell you. /s) This is such a boomer thought process I'm shocked to see it, to be completely honest.)

Everyone is just so... nice. Not kind, that's different. But that sugary, false nice. None of the romanceables have anything tooooo controversial about them.

Blackwall Inquisition was a child murderer and lying about being a Grey Warden. Dorian was a spoiled, enslaving Tevinter rich boy (he did actually have a growth arc in Inquisition). Sera was a thief and a Red Jenny (people who worked against the entitled, rich nobility as needed to protect people without power). Varric (even though you can't romance him) was a thief, liar, cheater, and someone you wanted at your back in a fight because he fights dirty. Cassandra was bigoted, hide bound, and intolerant of any faiths other than Andrastianism. The Iron Bull was a failed Ben-Hassrath double agent. The ben-hassrath are a combination of spies, saboteurs, and assassins, among other things. Whatever was needed to defend the Qun. Cullen was a drug addict and such a horrible person in the previous two games it actually made me physically ill to try to romance him. Solas was, well, Solas. Who we all know had a lot of bad in his background. They've certainly hammered that point home in Veilguard. With a jackhammer. The only romance option in Inquisition that wasn’t dirty was Josey. And if you do Romance her, you find some dirt on her too.

I could say the same for almost every Dragon Age Romanceable in the entire damned series. They've mostly been not the greatest of people and when the writers were doing their jobs right, there were growth arcs for them that made them better people during the game. That's part of the fun of games with Romanceable characters. Picking out which broken bird fits your type of broken to romance. (And we're mostly all broken in some way.)

But all the romance options in Veilguard are... well, boring. They're nice, safe, decent people. And since most people have some darkness in them, it's probably not working for others as epically as it's not working for me.

If they're already nice, safe, decent people (even the fucking assassin!) then there's no room for growth. No room to learn that character and feel like your presence in their lives might give them a light to help them strive to be better people. They've truncated any potential for growth arcs for all of them. I'm a Romance author. When you're designing characters for Romance, they have to have a balance of flaws to good points. Otherwise they're just poorly designed characters with little potential to get hearts throbbing and knickers in a twist.

No wonder the romanceables aren't working for me. None of them have flaws big enough to make them well-rounded characters.

Moving on.

Have you noticed there's no blood splatter? You'll get a slowly creeping puddle around enemies, but somehow it never gets on the characters. I'll check if I have the energy to play after risking my life to get food. But I don't recall seeing a toggle for blood splatter in Veilguard. Like it or hate it, the blood splatter is very much a thing in games like these. They usually have an option to turn it off, but it's usually there. Especially in Dragon Age, blood splatter was a thing. A big thing. Hells, their logo was a blood splatter dragon for at least two games FFS. Edit. Confirmed there is no option anywhere I can find that lets us have blood splatter.

And honestly, having my characters coming out of hard fights looking like they've been through a meat grinder is part of the reason I enjoy games like these.

The choices for dialogue are also usually pretty 'nice'. The 'sarcastic' option usually isn't. The angry/strong one isn't either. It's all just... boring. And I'm into Act three now, so I'm thinking my hope of 'maybe the dialogue will get better' is probably an impossibility at this point.

The simplified plot points, the puerile storylines, the lack of dirt on the romanceables, the lack of growth arcs, the completely ridiculous cutting of 90% of the dark horror elements that made these games so good... we've lost all of that because they made this game for kids. And I highly doubt kids will be interested. So they've fucked over, and at least in my case, utterly pissed off the older gamers who have loved Dragon Age for so long, and very likely failed to attract younger gamers, too.

The problem with trying that, which I really think should've been obvious to somebody. Is that Dragon Age has never been a game designed for kids. It's always been bloody, often harsh, horrific, dark fantasy made for adults.

Games for younger people need to be designed for younger people from the first moment of creation. Or it just doesn't work. You technically can transfer some concepts from adult games into things for kids, but the result is invariably something as awful as Veilguard. And something bound to satisfy few people. The condescension toward younger folks in Veilguard is pretty bloody obvious. Something I've noticed kids hate? Being condescended to.

Congratulations on learning the lesson of knowing who your fucking market is.

It's crucial in any kind of content creation to know who you're making the thing for, and to not deviate from those genre expectations toooo much. Otherwise, you just have a mess of a disaster like Veilguard. They shot for two wildly dissimilar markets and failed both. Even the cartoony look of the art style is much more like a game for kids than anything like a dark fantasy game for adults.

And like... it's still listed as a mature rated game. So what, exactly, was the point of ruining Dragon Age like this? Many parents won't let their kids play M rated games regardless.

It's just so depressing. If they'd actually made this game for the people who had been praying for it for so long? It probably would have been phenomenal. As it stands, I'll be shocked if it doesn't sink Bioware. And if it doesn't, I'd think it because of bribery more than game quality.

I do have to say that you can decorate more than I thought. But you have to buy almost everything. And they're themes, so there's no intermixing possible. Like you could have Elven windows with Alamarri rugs and a Ferelden throne in Skyhold? All gifts from either people or cultures you'd helped, which tied it all together and connected it to the world... you can just change themes for the Lighthouse. It changes everything, and again, you have to buy almost everything. That really removes a lot of depth from the game.

People call all the collectibles and gifts etc. from the previous games 'filler'. But, frankly, that's a very uneducated opinion of what that 'filler' is supposed to do in fiction. The 'filler' (which is an actual technical term in writing fiction, and those things aren't filler) collectibles and quests gave depth to the games. It tied the world of THEDAS into the world of the player character. It's called world building in writing circles. And what confuses me is that I don't recall anyone having to do any of that. If all you wanted out of the previous games (especially Inquisition) was a fighting game, you could do that. None of the world building collection parts locked you out of any quests that I can recall. If you did enjoy deeper world building and collecting things, you could collect to your heart's content. There's none of that delicately intertwined, beautiful worldbuilding in Veilguard. It's stripped down to the very bare bones of mediocrity.

At heart, Veilguard is not a role-playing game. It's a fighting game. And not even a very well designed one. My not-a-fucking-rogue should never have aggro. That's not how this is supposed to work.

Why they felt going from a successful history of role-playing games to a stripped-down, poorly world built fighting game a good idea is just beyond me? Whoever made that decision honestly needs to be fired. And you will almost never see me say that. Jobs are too hard to find. But I will say it about Veilguard. The decisions made have ruined Veilguard in my honest, incredibly disappointed viewpoint.

They marketed this as a role-playing game. The expectation was for a role-playing game set in a richly detailed, deeply world built environment. Like most of the Dragon Age games have been. Especially Inquisition.

And we got a fighting game so stripped of world building that it's sad and just... boring.

Oh, heads up if you're disabled with any sort of disability that affects your hand eye coordination or ability to move your fingers quickly on a keyboard or controller. Don't buy this game. Even on the lowest setting with no death clicked on, you need a great deal of manual dexterity to use this crappy new fighting set up they've come up with. They definitely didn't think of physically disabled gamers at all in developing this. I'm just lucky my particular physical disabilities don't affect me that way. Though my hands are in agony from keeping my not-a-rogue out of the dragon on one side, stone wall on the other situation the fucked up aggro set up always puts me in.

They did bring gifts for companions back, which would thrill me if I actually had any desire to romance any of them. Which I honestly don't. And in games like these? It's often hard for me to pick which one. I often have to install a polyam mod so I can see the other romances because I'm usually so hot and bothered and just captivated by a Romanceable character or three that I won't be able to not romance them. Meaning I need the mod if I'm going to see the other romances.

I'm physically and mentally incapable of not romancing Astarion BG3. (I've tried!) Halsin gets me every time, too. Those are markers of excellent character development.

There's none of that in Veilguard.

Emmerich, and (as much as I hated his intro story, The Wigmaker,) Lucanis are the only slightly interesting characters to me.

Bellara is sweet and awkward, but they reduced her neurodivergent qualities so much it feels... off, to my neurodivergent ass. In the autistic people on tv way of off. (To date, there hasn't been much, if any, good rep of us on TV. It's all inspiration porn.) I don't feel seen in her. And I have quite a few traits she expresses. Whoever wrote her has my version of ADHD. But the way she's written, where she's constantly telling herself she's stupid or foolish or shouldn't do things? Those are markers of traumatized neurodivergence, not the ADHD itself they're highlighting. What that says is that, in her world, people have come down on her so hard for her differences, so often, that now she's mean to herself. ADHD kids aren't born like that. People make us like that. It's a sad representation of ADHD, not a celebratory or accepting one. It makes me feel like she, and me by extension, is to be pitied. Like someone like me, or Bellara, aren't worthy of respect, love, and trust. It's not a good feeling.

Neve is so suspicious and bitchy that I have no desire to even try to romance her. I want to shove Harding off a cliff.

Davrin is really suspiciously similar to Halsin BG3. Big, more blocky than usual for an elf, wants to do good, carves wood... but where Halsin really works (because of his deep character development and darkness) Davrin, while definitely hot and with an amazing voice... just falls flat.

Emmerich is a doll of prince charming manners and adorable fussiness. He's probably the character next to Lucanis who actually has the most darkness to him.

I really wanted to love Taash. And I like them a lot, but their 'you must choose only one' thing showed up really fucking early in the game. I didn't feel like I knew them yet, so they're just never going to work for my demisexual ass unless I actually replay this (unlikely?) with a polyam mod and basically plug my nose and close my eyes and leap into a relationship with them far earlier than I'm really comfy with.

So, there's some clarity for me on what's missing and why.

Genshin Impact has more draw for me as an adult gamer than Veilguard does. And that is absolutely a game targeted at teens and early twenties folks. It's also an incredibly well designed game with good world building, balanced fighting, and devs who know who their market is.

It's an old saw in content creation. But Know Your Market is a saw for a reason.

Section 10.2 here.

[pluralforsheep]

CW: Nazism, TribeTwelve, swear words, (vent??)

Spoilers for EMH, Canyouseethewords blog, TribeTwelve and Sebastian's Journal.

Hi, it's me again. No shit. So. It's been like a month since the whole drama unfolded and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. I know things have quieted down lately, and like many others, I wish we could all move on and forget this ever happened. However, I can't simply recover from it, mainly because I feel the posts about me continue to spread on this platform, radiating the negativity and false info about me to this day. This drama has been devouring me for a long time now, and I've decided to make another post. I gotta admit I haven't been 100% honest in my previous post, it was more of my attempt to back off, cry over it and avoid this drama. But I'm not doing that again. I'm done pretending and I'm tired of being nice and tolerating others when they're completely misguided. I'm fucking angry. That's why I decided to make one more post about this and I have so many things to say. This is not another apology post, think of it as a vent post and recap explanation of everything where I'll be brutally honest.

Also, if anyone of you is a Nazi supporter, get the fuck out. I do not welcome you here.

First of all, I do not understand why my efforts have been ignored. I did everything that was asked of me. I acknowledged my so-called ''mistakes'', I owned up to them, deleted the posts, apologized, explained my intentions, and you decide to just fucking ignore it?? What do you want from me then, huh? I'm not the ignorant here, you are fucking ignorants. Made me realize I actually haven't done anything wrong. Made me wonder if I should've even deleted those posts, I put a lot of effort into them, and some people actually liked them. It's not my fault some of you are sensitive and brainwashed by censorship culture and you can't accept or understand a canon-accurate depiction of characters. You think I've been sweeping something under the rug? No. In fact, it's the opposite. You've been sweeping this whole shit under the rug by dismissing me as a Nazi supporter, just because I drew something that was considered canon for so many years. I've done nothing wrong, I've been honest about my art the entire time. I draw what I enjoy and what is accurate to the lore. I love history and the Slenderverse, and I draw canon-accurate content, yet you get mad over it. It's so ridiculous. If this post can't open your fucking eyes, I don't know what else will, and frankly I don't care anymore. I'm done with this shit. I've acted like the adult I am, and took responsibility. However I'm not going to point any fingers or dismiss anyone specifically, because I am not like this.

And to everyone: If you don't like something, just ignore it. But if it really seems problematic and malicious, why not contact the person directly and talk it out, or find ways to know their true intentions instead of making hundreds of hate-posts about them like some pissy children. This is such a toxic behavior.

About the whole Nazi stuff:

Don't get me wrong. Nazism is a sensitive topic, I understand that. But I think being offended by it right now, in the 21st century, is just so ridiculous to me. I understand it can get very annoying tho. They talk about WW2 and the Austrian painter on TV non-stop. But being offended by some art? Like, are you serious. Do you realize Nazi shit has been in so many fanfiction, stories and literature for so many years, and you have no reason to get offended by it? The Nazi concept has been used in so many media, whether just for a joke or a serious plot point. South Park, Family Guy, Indiana Jones, Marvel Universe, X-Men, The Boys, and God knows what else.. Would you get offended by a fanart of cute little fat boy Eric Cartman? Of course not. But I can easily say: ''He's a Nazi! You drew a cute fanart of him! You're a Nazi supporter!'' That's you. That's how you sound. Do you see how ridiculous that is? There are thousands of people shipping him with Kyle Broflovski, oh but he's a Jew, and they hate each other in the show. Yet there are artists who make ship art of them. Does anyone complain? At the end of the day, they're just fictional characters, and I rather ignore it even if it kinda annoys me. Btw, South Park is just an example of this issue, I'm not targeting anyone or anything specifically here.

The Brandit post:

I really need to go back and add something to that post of HABIT saying ''LET'S FUCK AND PISS OFF OUR ANCESTORS.'' which creeped Firebrand out (honest reaction). That quote seemed really harsh, I know. Was it bad humor? Yeah.. But do I regret drawing this? At this point, I must say no. I did not stutter. As I said, I will be brutally honest from now on. Do you think HABIT wouldn't say that? Do you think he wouldn't say something sexual to a Jewish person, or frankly to anyone really? Yes, he would!! It's in his nature, he's fucked up. Are we trynna ignore the fucking scene of HABIT pulling the jerk off gesture at Noah?? Did we all not see the same thing?? He is like this. He makes fun of him while adding Christmas decorated borders on a letter for him. He's aware Noah is Jewish, yet he pulls a sexual gesture at him. Don't try to deny this one.

About the symbols... From what I've just said, I drew the little symbols there next to them (Star of David and Hakenkreuz) because I wanted people to see and realize the fact that these two guys are a Jew and a (former) Nazi, which people have been sweeping under the rug, not me. Also, if anyone remembers the post I made, I believe I wrote ''I should have put Christmas borders there as well/jk.'' under it or something like that. I removed it later on because people didn't seem to get it. It was obviously a reference to Severance. Everything I draw is a fucking reference. That being said, this post was made for awareness, not romanticization, and I do not ship them, neither romantically nor platonically, I just really like drawing them together, because of their iconic trope, canon interactions, mutual respect and shared spite for Slenderman, and the fact that HABIT helped Noah many times. That's it. Also, I wouldn't ship HABIT with anyone romantically. That is just wrong in so many levels.

Canyouseethewords blog and Sebastian's Journal:

If you didn't grasp the point of the Josef Mengele post either, go read Canyouseethewords blog here on Tumblr. It's part of the EMH lore. Basically, this blog belonged to Evan's girlfriend Stephanie, but HABIT takes over the blog later on and makes various posts about infamous real serial killers, such as Ed Gein, Jack the Ripper, and even the Nazi doctor, Josef Mengele. Whether HABIT wanted to imply that he's possessed those various people, that part of lore remains silent. At some point, I believed he's possessed those various people, so I wanted to to draw one of them, and I chose to draw Josef simply because I liked the idea of the connection with him and The Event from T12. That's it. And if that weren't the case that he's possessed any of those people, which would be rather a big relief, he's still possessed a different Nazi character in T12, which has been retconned. A character that no one really seems to know of, which is understandable. I get that some people don't want to analyze and support T12 anymore after what Adam did. In all honesty, I think sometimes it's best to separate the creator from the creation. I hate Adam, but I love T12. Anyway, in the story of Sebastian's Journal is a guy named Sergeant Heine who is (or was supposed to be) possessed by HABIT at some point. It implies to Severance where HABIT said he's been working with a group of Nazis on a particular project, including Sebastian. However, that connection has been retconned.

The HABIT/Nazi lore shit, people keep complaining and pissing about for no reason:

Listen, it was part of the lore for so many years that it's difficult to simply ignore it now. As someone who's been part of the Slenderverse fandom for years, going back, I just cannot think of it as a non-canon at this point. And I've already said the point of HABIT's character, and you all should know this by now. However I'll clarify it again anyways. The point is that he's an abomination of all the horrific actions humanity has committed, including atrocities of Nazism. He's done so many bad shit, as if eating a baby on screen wasn't enough, yet, of all the things he's done, people get mad over him being a former Nazi?? Like are you kidding me.. It's so ridiculous and hypocritical.

However... When I think about it, maybe HABIT was never even a Nazi, I mean- Working with them is one thing. He probably doesn't even give a single fuck about some ideology bullshit. He likely participated in the Nazi party purely for the sake of killing people. He wouldn't care less if his victims were Jews, Romani, or anyone else, he simply enjoys killing people for the sake of torture. Heck, he doesn't even remember the name of the party he was in. In Severance, he stuttered when trying to say ''Nazis'', which, in my opinion, was funny as hell. But that one is just an idea of his character.

Anyway. Even if HABIT wasn't a former Nazi at all, would it change anything? Absolutely not. He would still be the same horrible piece of shit he is. And sorry not sorry, but he was never meant to be a likable character. As a well-written antagonist, yes. But as a person? Hell no, so far from it. There is literally no reason for people to get mad over him being a former Nazi, and if you are, it's hypocritical of you, considering everything else he's done.

I must say one more thing, and it's the only thing I'm truly sorry for is that I didn't put content warnings and explanations on those posts. I made people angry unnecessarily for my impulsive actions.

I think that's all. Perhaps I've learned something by the end of the day, and I hope that at least some of you who are reading this, have learned something as well. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this (if you have), I appreciate it so much. See you on the flipside.

[s0dium]

hi!!! i just saw you had a matchup event and i would like to enter if its still open 👉🏾👈🏾

i typically go by nikki online!! i’m pan so i don’t really have a preference for gender. i would like to be matched with jjk or demon slayer charas!!

i game, draw (i’m starting an art account and hoping to sell works… soonish?), and watch twitch streams literally daily. i’m a very big nerd!!! openly, too. there’s not much i don’t like other than basic boundaries and being overstimulated.

wait. i hate people that lie. for whatever reason!! i’m very honest (a lawful good 😔) and empathetic to a fault at times. with that being said i find it easier to make friends than most, usually from doing something equally stupid and kind for people. very family and close friend oriented, but not so much that i think its a priority in relationships. (though i don’t want children and probably will never)

i think i’m very into quality time and acts of service as love languages. my partner also has to be okay with physical touch… i get cuteness aggression so much. i don’t have many turn offs but i do want some sort of open communication and to feel safe. my partner should also be my best friend!!

and uhhh. most things don’t make me cry? i’m typically the strong person that people look to to keep them stable in tough or situations. though i am very open about my struggles with depression and anxiety, i think i’m often seen as pretty cheerful and always laughing LOL

also omg i love cats….. so sad my family is afraid of them :(

hopefully this is not too long… i’m so sorry if it is. but ty for reading and doing a matchup event!!!

Nanami Kento!

Nanami's voice is ragged against your mouth. "If I get my hands on you, really, honestly get my hands on you, I don't know if I'll be able to stop. You know he isn't lying. You know it in your soul. That's why you trust him with your body. "So stop being so honorable Nanami and touch me."

It was tempting to pair you with a more "nerdy" character but I see Nanami fulfilling and completing you really well

Most of your dates with Nanami would involve quiet, meaningful activities at home. He appreciates your artistic side, so evenings might be spent with you drawing or even watching twitch streams while he reads or works quietly beside you, both enjoying the comfortable silence.

Nanami's love language leans towards acts of service, much like your own. He would likely show his affection through practical gestures, perhaps organizing your art supplies or upgrading your computer setup for gaming and streaming, appreciating how these things bring you joy.

With both of you valuing honesty, conversations would be refreshingly straightforward. Nanami's blunt nature complements your own directness, leading to a relationship grounded in trust and open communication.

Nanami def respects boundaries and personal time, aligning well with your need for space when overstimulated. He understands the importance of having time apart to engage in individual interests, which only strengthens your relationship.

He might not be the type to overtly celebrate every little achievement, but Nanami would make a point to acknowledge and celebrate milestones in your art career or personal projects, understanding the significance of these moments to you.

Nanami is the definition of stable, he is honestly someone you can rely on in your worst times. Trust him and he will trust you

True to his word, Nanami clocks out at six and keeps work at work, ensuring that your time together is undisturbed by outside responsibilities, which means uninterrupted date nights and more focused attention on each other. Probably says smth like “sorry gotta go see my girlfriend.” And just dips in the middle of a fight.

NANAMI IS A SERVICE DOM this is canon I’m sure.

I put his libido at a 6/10 which probably isn’t as high as yours (as you mentioned) but like I said he is a service dom so would definitely help you out

Definitely open to bondage

Hope you enjoyed!

MATCHUP RULES AND INFO

[beesmygod]

JJBA PART 5, VENTO AUREO IS THE UNDERBAKED MESS I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT FIXING...PART 2

FIX 1: MORE KOICHI FOR THE MASSES

koichi! we love koichi, don't we folks? i know i do.

who's koichi? oh shit, that might be hard to explain.

pictured: koichi, in his dormant, yet most powerful, form.

if you DON'T recognize this little gremlin above, his appeal might be totally lost on you, and his appeal is necessary to understand if i'm going to convince you of what a fucking missed opportunity his narrative purpose could have been.

that's koichi hirose, the short king of morioh. i didnt think i would like him at all after realizing he was being set up as the deuteragonist and companion to the titular jojo of part 4, josuke. like, who the fuck was this little dork? get outta here! im here to see the joestars kidnap children and have homoerotic adventures. i am not here to be subjected to the trials and tribulations of a friendless, spineless, standless dipshit. i assumed he was going to be the designated joestar hypeman for the chapter, a role usually carved out for precocious children.

wrong! koichi gets hit with the stand arrow (the arrow the gives you stands, remember this) early on and gets dragged into a frightening battle of good versus evil right in his own backyard. the arrow and the responsibility that comes with it acts as the main catalyst for his transformation from nottie to hottie. in contrast to the bastardly joestars and their ilk, koichi is a genuinely kind, empathetic, and honest person; he's intended as a foil to the mischievous josuke. he brings to the table the platonic ideal of an every-man who rises gallantly to the challenges thrown at him because its the right thing to do. the series folds koichi as a main cast member to the point where he is one of the very few people on planet earth to draw a smile and praise out of jotaro kujo.

who's jotaro kujo? uhhh.

hmm. i'm getting to my point. but it might require a chart:

POINT: jotaro kujo, the man who probably has with the strongest stand in universe, who appears in 4 chapters out of a total of 9, and who is probably one of the most recognizable and beloved characters in manga history, trusts literally one person on the entire planet: koichi hirose.

SO:

when koichi shows up in part 5 right from the jump to act as the part 4 connective tissue, there is absolutely no reason why he can't stick around for longer than he does canonically so that he can satisfyingly fulfill his role as official vibe checker. let him be important!

---

oh my god, i can hear jojo fans groaning as they scroll through all that shit. so what?! did you make me read all that just to say "there should have been more koichi?!"

look, i need to make sure "we're" all on the same page and understand the perspective i'm coming from. "we", in this case, being the audience of both jojo fans this is primarily aimed at and fandom rubberneckers (greetings friends) who shouldn't have to comb a wiki exhaustively to decode my unhinged ramblings. it's essential background info that koichi is a fan favorite both in canon and in fandom. we gotta understand the role he wound up playing in the overarching struggle of good versus evil in his hometown to understand his narrative role in part 5.

YES. there SHOULD have been more koichi! but not just because we like to see him! he provides an established, trusted moral backbone for the audience. his reputation as a reliable guy is such that jotaro sends him on his own to investigate a young man who may be related to the dreaded bisexual nemesis of the joestar bloodline, dio brando. this is a big fucking deal. if dio has a kid that's really bad. how many backup plans did this guy have (answer: dude you have no idea).

---

ugh! part 5 koichi! if you really want to scream look up how he looks in the rohan spin off series.

in ep 1 of the "golden wind", koichi arrives in italy looking for our new jojo, giorno giovanna (who sucks, but that's a whole kettle of fish we can only barely touch on now). koichi, who has the street sense of one of those dogs that gets carried around in a luxury purse, instantly gets robbed by petty street criminal giorno in a rare burst of personality never seen again after this initial story-line.

okay whatever. after skipping a few eps, giorno and koichi team up to defeat the first stand together after drawing its ire during giorno's weird mafia test. the stand, black sabbath, stabs its victims with a stand arrow (the arrow that gives stands), causing them to either die or gain powers. this might be controversial, but its my personal opinion that its probably not good for a mafia to have a factory that creates jerks with super powers and its right to try to shut that down. after the fight, giorno reveals his dream to koichi of joining the mafia with the explicit purpose of reforming it from within. koichi promises not to report to jotaro about the fact that there's ANOTHER STAND ARROW until after giorno is initiated into the gang. god. jesus christ.

first of all, this GANG-STAR thing is the silliest shit anyone has ever heard. this is literally his for real goal throughout the entire story-line. which could have been great! but people within the fiction should react to this like hes telling them he's going to invent the first bicycle for fish instead of looking at him with the kind of wonder and glory you reserve for jesus christ himself. this train of thought leads to too many thoughts about giorno's lack of personality, so let's set it aside for now. i think giorno should maintain this insane goal, but he should actively have to convince people that he is capable of doing something that fucking nuts.

second, no way would koichi agrees to this absolutely braindead truce lol. koichi doesn't know giorno from adam; the sense we're supposed to get is that koichi innately senses that he's a good guy from his little speech and we, the audience, are supposed to take his word for it. but there is nothing convincing or authentic in how the situation plays out. there's a level of naivety/stupidity applied to the characters involved for this situation to work at all: i dont know why telling jotaro in florida that there's a stand arrow in italy would impact giorno's mafia standing at all. especially considering the arrow breaks and no longer functions shortly after giorno's initiation. koichi should find giorno's dreams and desires spurious and continue his investigation for jotaro, both to impress him and because its the right thing to do. he should also be like "heh, i took care of a stand arrow for you mister kujo". let him have another win. fuck it. why not.

third, koichi doesn't know that the stand arrow is destroyed and i have a hard time believing that he, a victim of said arrow, would do anything other than raise serious alarms over the proliferation of objectively evil stand users in italy where dio's son coincidentally happens to live. the following arc in which giorno and his new team mates go on a hunt for a hidden treasure should have been a series of demonstrations to koichi that italy was being cleaned up by a joestar (as opposed to the danger of being exploited by a brando) and was ultimately in good hands. this would require giorno to get some wins in during this time so he would actually have to do something for a change.

keeping koichi around long past where he does in canon could and should have given giorno a chance to demonstrate a different form of heroism to contrast the pure-hearted pursuit of justice championed by koichi. in eventually winning over a familiar and trustworthy character, giorno would have proved himself to be more than just "dio's son", a fact which should have hung over this part like a dark cloud.

but that's. that's next time.

[the-bar-sinister]

Deicide: Red Shift (47895 words) by VickytheSnake, thesavagesabretooth Chapters: 11/?

Summary: A mysterious signal is drawing ships across the Grand Line to a place called Elegia for the first ever concert by the rising star singer, Uta. Following the signal are Cross Guild and fallen emperor Shanks, the Charlotte family, the Donquixote Pirates and the shattered remnants of Law's crew, and Kid's crew, and Cavendish and Bartolomeo.

And the Straw Hats and their captain Luffy, who hasn't seen Uta since they were both little children at their idol Shanks' knee.

Perhaps this meeting was ordained by fate. Perhaps, in the end, there was only ever one tragic outcome possible.

But Luffy has other plans.

catch up here

-

The guard room was fairly large, but it still wasn't large enough to hold the Straw Hats and the Donquixotes. Usopp was fairly sure that all told there were more than two dozen of them, none of them wanting to take their eyes off the others while Luffy and Law were upstairs… working things out. However they were going to work out. Usopp was not at all sure that things were going to stay as civil as they were, not with the way Sugar was looking at him.

The small woman…girl? Woman? The small doll stood just out of arm's reach of him with one bright eye narrowed, the other, the one under her monocle, seeming to hitch just a bit wider on what looked like old scar tissue as relay ed through inhuman porcelain skin.

The look of silent, seething fury on her face was unmistakable though, her lips in a sharp frown as she flexed her fingers by her side with a soft series of clacks. 

Usopp tugged at his collar and fought with himself whether to try to strike up a conversation, or just to try to hide behind Franky. All around the room, quiet, tense conversations were starting between members of the two crews who had, for the most part, been serious enemies for a while.

Not all of them, though, Usopp was still boggling to see Bepo there among them, and saw that the bear mink was now waving down Carrot with a large grin on his face.

-

Geeze…now this was a situation Carrot had never expected. On one hand—she was glad that things weren't erupting into all out violence! On the other, well—she remembered Dressrosa well, and the people they were now crammed into a room with were the masterminds of that whole stupid mess.

BUT—well, people change, right? That was the only reason she could think of why she'd see Bepo, one of the few other minks she'd seen in her time venturing outside Zou, hanging out with them along with Law, the guy who, ya know, had basically asked them to take these guys all out for him.

Still, she couldn't contain her excitement when Bepo waved over to her with a smile, practically leaping across the room with rabbit-like speed to tackle him in a hug with an exclamation of "GARCHU! Wow, long time no see! Since what? Zou?"

Bepo huffed out a greeting in return and nuzzled against her happily, squeezing her in his big arms. "I think! I don't think we were even in the same room for a minute on Wano!"

"Yeah! I know right? Things were crazy on Wano—I don't think I had a minute to THINK with all the chaos. All that ninja stuff—and then the infiltration, I'll be honest Bepo, I have no idea what you were even up to on that little island!" 

"I was captured for a while," he said with a sigh. He had started running his claws through her hair, straightening and brushing it. "Other than that I was mostly following around after Law. How about you?"

Carrot nuzzled him affectionately. So many people on the grand line didn't understand the importance of minkship— of the casual intimacy of touch between friends who cared for one another.

"All the way to the Donquixotes, I guess! That's gotta be an interesting story!" she laughed quietly. "Gosh, after Wano? Well….things kinda went sideways when Luffy's ship got boarded by Emperor Shanks—you know, the guy he used to look up to?" 

"Shanks?" Bepo blinked. "You guys got boarded? For real? That had to be scary!"

Actually, now that she thought about it, even Bepo had been more shy last time they'd been together. She'd chalked it up to him having lived with humans for so long, but something seemed to have changed now.

She nuzzled against him again, her curiosity pinging stronger as she looked up at him with her bright, wide eyes. "It was kind of scary. But they had a big fight and Luffy drove him off—I'm not gonna air my captain's dirty laundry but—but Shanks was saying some pretty cruel stuff." 

"That's awful." Bepo shook his head, nuzzling her closely and snuffling at her ears. She noticed that the crest of his fur had been braided. "As I think you heard, we didn't have a much better time after Wano…"

"Yeah!" Carrot frowned. "I…I can't believe that big JERK sunk your ship and took out your crew!" Her sharp nails scritched his fur by his neck as she huffed happily, ears twitching against him "we'll kill him for it, someone here will at least!"

She looked up at him with a half smile "but something good must have happened—you've definitely opened up since Zou!" 

His ears flicked as she scritched him and he made a pleasant grumbling noise. "Well… I've been trying. Um. The new crew is a lot more open…"

She watched his gaze flick over to some of the Donquixotes, in particular a quite tall man with braided hair.

The tall man seemed to catch his eye, grinning from ear to ear as he waved—distantly, Carrot felt like she remembered him from Dressrosa, though his name didn't come to mind.

"They're open, huh? I guess I can see that—they always kinda had the feeling that they'd be fun if they weren't, you know…trying to kill us." Her nose twitched a little as she bumped Bepo again with a smile. "Who's that?" 

She watched him bristle and his ears flush as he smiled bashfully. "Oh uh, that's Buffalo." He gave him a little wave, as the man noticed them looking at him.

"Buffalo—oh!!!" Carrot hopped a little as she remembered. "He hit me with that spinning thing of his in Dressrosa! It got my bees all out of sorts! Hi Buffalo! Glad we're not enemies anymore! Glad I'm not bein' asked to kill you!"

Buffalo seemed to freeze up slightly across the room before his smile turned a little confused and he managed a "t-thaaanks? Me too?" 

-

Zoro had known this day was going to be weird, but he did not understand how weird it was going to be until he found himself crammed in a room full of Donquixotes and nobody had their weapons drawn. That was almost a shame because you could cut the tension in the room with a knife. His good eye bounced from familiar face to familiar face— he was surprised how low his gaze was when he got to Pica. It looked like he'd managed to cut the guy down to size after all.

At some point the cook had started to move. His long-legged swagger carried him across the room and towards a lone girl in the fishnet shirt, short shorts and a smoldering cigarette as she tapped her foot against the ground in a sort of tense, anxious irritation.

For some reason the thought of 'maid' came to mind despite her utterly maid-like attire. 

Zoro was already moving to intercept the cook's shitty attempt at inter-crew diplomacy before his brain was fully in gear and he realized that 'maid' came to mind because he'd seen her in a maid outfit in Dressrosa.

That certainly didn't stop him from moving to intercept, though conversation of some kind at least had already started by the time he got there.

He came in mid sentence, Sanji leaned on the wall near the woman "--now I'd hate to ask such a beautiful woman about someone else, but…"

The girl outside of her maid dress had gone a little pink, shifting from side to side as she waved her hand and chewed on the end of her cigarette. "Fuck, don't worry about it! I mean, I'm worried too." 

Zoro furrowed his brow. What the hell was the cook worried about? He crossed his arms, frowning and was about to ask when the synapses connected. Oh, the girl that had collapsed. Chopper and Caesar had her in the other room, doing some kind of examination on her. Hadn't she been the one that Sanji was talking about after Dressrosa?

Before he left for his big wedding.

Zoro gave him a warning look instead of interrupting him for the moment.

"Yeah, I'd bet—it's troubling your pretty face," Sanji purred as he smiled around his cigarette. Between the two of them, the corner of the guard house was filling up with dueling scents of different tobacco mixtures and smoke. He glanced sidelong, seeming to meet Zoro's eye before he leaned in closer. "so why don't we reassure one another, Baby 5."

Baby 5 blinked. 

"Uhm…" she took a long puff from her cigarette and glanced towards Zoro briefly. "I mean, the doctors don't seem to be screaming and runnin' around, so Violet's probably just, I dunno— fuckin' overwhelmed. Maybe it's all the voices around here? It's crowded." 

"It wasn't that crowded on the bridge when she collapsed," Zoro interjected. He didn't bother to add the rest of his thought— if that were the case, wouldn't she have collapsed while they were in the concert area?

"Mosshead, d'ya know how far she can SEE? This whole island's well within her range. She's pickin' up everyone here and then some!" Sanji snapped back "Baby 5, don't pay any attention to him, he's got as much good sense as he's got a sense of direction."

"Well, I mean—" Baby 5 chewed nervously on her cigarette with a scowl—Zoro could see as she turned each of her fingers into gleaming knives one at a time before they faded back to human flesh. A repeating tic that she performed a few times in succession. "The last thing she said before she collapsed was 'I'm blind' and somethin' about the island." 

"Yeah, what was that about?" Zoro shrugged. He certainly didn't know. He didn't know why Viola was even there, anyway. He was pretty sure Sanji had said that she'd left the Donquixote family. But maybe the idiot cook had just had the wool pulled over his eyes.

Baby 5 continued as Sanji's brow furrowed—was it concern? Confusion? Who knew. "Poor Violet—I mean, whatever's fuckin' happening did a number on her. I hope she's gonna be alright. I mean—she came back to the family, so we've gotta look out for her."

"Hahah…" Sanji laughed, before he noticed Zoro glaring his way and the bravado leapt back into his voice to send him leaning playfully on the wall beside Baby 5. 

"She'll be alright, Baby 5…, ut you show your colors beautifully, you know. A lovely, smoldering flower like yourself— overwhelmed with care for one of your own. Even one who I'd been told had— well, left the Donquixotes for good!" 

Here it came. Zoro was going to have to be ready to field it when Sanji inevitably got his feelings crushed. Again.

"Well yeah, she was a fuckin' traitor for a little bit," Baby 5 bristled—literally bristled with what looked like hundreds of knives' edges—before she flashed a broad grin. "But she came back to us—she actually saved the entire family from her father and helped us track Doffy down to bring the family back together! She's always been onna us, even if she —hey, uh, you alright man?"

Sanji's shoulders were shaking, and he'd gone white as a sheet as he pressed his hand to his face "---and now she's back with the Donquixotes, after all that—huh." 

"Don't faint there, cook," Zoro growled, putting his hand on his shoulder. It was a tease, but for a moment with how pale he looked, he was actually worried.

"I ain't gonna faint, Mosshead!" he snapped back—though he gave him a thankful smile "I just really—I dunno I thought she really did want help gettin' out of the Donquixotes. It's just a bit of a surprise."

"I mean—" Baby 5 leaned forward with the clinking of her metal fingers as they phased through different weapons again. "We were surprised too, you know. We thought she turned her back on us forever, went back to bein' a princess or a queen or whatever. But—I dunno. We ain't as bad as everyone thinks we are." 

Zoro glanced up at the ceiling, thinking of Luffy. That was probably what Law was telling him, too.

-

A fishman! A fishman! Another Fishman!!!! Derringer couldn't stop his excitement as he practically bounded around the other man inside the guard house—the SUPER TALL and BUILT LIKE A BRICK HOUSE Jinbei, the first son of the sea.

Oh ho, he was a famous one. A warlord, a former Sun Pirate—as far as fishmen went he was prooobably the most famous ever, ever! And now here he was, in fangs distance to little ol' Derringer—the half fishman reject, the Donquixote's special little guy. Him!

He giggled eagerly, his hand covering his mouth as he watched Jinbei's expression with pin-pricked red eyes "gooshhhh" he tittered. "You're handsome, Mr. Jinbei, has anyone ever told you that? You look positively De~li~ci~ous~!" 

Jinbei cocked his head at him, looking down as he towered over, practically blotting out the light. "Actually the last time someone told me I looked delicious, it was a threat."

"It could be a threat if you want it to be a threat!" Derringer laughed, batting his long eyelashes at him as he leaned in closer. He wanted to see how he reacted—he wanted to see what this legend was like! Was he anything like him? Did he feel the fighting fish blood fever? The anger? The excitement? "Or, ya know, whatever!" 

"Or whatever, hm?" Jinbei's wide mouth formed a smirk, and Derringer could see his fangs peeking out. "That's a dangerous proposition, young one. Especially in circumstances like these."

Despite his words and his calm manner, there seemed to be a teasing sparkle in the older man's eye. Baiting him, if only a little.

"I'm not scared of a little danger!" Derringer said proudly "I grew up a fishman in the North Blue an' Dressrosa!!" 

And everyone knew how fishmen were treated, even half-fishmen—maybe even especially half-fishmen.

He leaned a little closer, the sharp edges of his sharp teeth showing as he snapped them. "and anyway, a tussle would proooobably spice this place up a bit. A little sweat, a little blood—a little exertion! I mean, it's the big reunion of the Straw Hats an' the Donquixotes! Let's get freaky with it!" 

Jinbei laughed and he laughed merrily. "You remind me of old friends, young one. But I won't break the peace unless my captain gives the order."

Derringer's eyes practically sparkled as he leaned in closer, closing the distance—where was the fun in staying apart? I mean, they say fishmen had to stick together right? So why stay so far apart? Besides—wouldn't it be funny to see his face when he smooshed up right next to him? He pressed against him with a batting of his eyelashes.

"I remind you of old friends?? Really really?" 

"I could tell you stories, if you have the patience to listen to them."

Patience…eughhh…sometimes he felt like he'd had the patience removed from him and put somewhere else. His mind moved so quick—he got so distracted—he usually responded to a request for patience with a few playful bites and indulging an appetite.

But that being said—Jinbei wasn't just handsome, he was a connection to a culture Derringer hadn't ever known—his own. He nuzzled up against him with a broad grin. Just this once, just this fleeting moment he'd grow a little patience to listen "I'm dyin' to know, Mr. Jinbei~" 

-

Nami's teeth were on edge. She cast nervous glances towards Giolla—she hadn't forgotten that fucking modern art shit she pulled on her and Chopper. She wouldn't forget it for a long time, either. It'd be a cold day in hell when she let herself be turned into a painting again. She looked at Doflamingo slouched in his weird and birdlike stance—the man they'd worked so hard to beat, just standing there while Law explained himself.

She was in the middle of the cocktail party meet-and-greet from hell and there weren't even any cocktails.

"This is absurd," she muttered to herself.

"Sure is," an unfamiliar voice answered from somewhere above her on her left. 

She looked up to find one of the Donquixotes— in a similar slouched posture to their illustrious leader— slumped against the wall next to her with a pack of cigarettes in his long fingered hands. He was wearing a cape, and had a broad brimmed hat that cast a shadow over the top of his face in a way that only brought more attention to his wide lips.

"GEEZE!" Nami startled, nearly fumbling her climate rod that she was using as a makeshift prop to lean on. "Fuck! How the hell does a guy your size sneak around like that?" 

He waved his hand dismissively and shook his head– though there was a wide smirk on his face. "Ah, I'm not that stealthy. Want a smoke?"

He offered the pack of cigarettes down to her.

"Says the guy who crept behind the master thief," Nami snorted as she eyed the cigarette pack curiously.

She didn't smoke often— sure, sometimes she would, especially with Sanji on nights when they had watch together. She'd also smoked a little back in the day, with Arlong and the Arlong Pirates before she made her bid for independence.

Reaching out, she plucked one of the cigarettes from the box with a thankful nod. "Thanks uh…what's your name. I don't think we wound up fighting—mostly I was dealing with your artsy buddy over there." 

"Giolla huh? That must have been a hell of a fight." He chuckled and snapped open a silver lighter, first for himself, and then leaning down to offer the open flame to her. "It's Diamante. You?"

Diamante. He was one of the big leaders of the whole group.

Nami sputtered as she stuck the cigarette between her lips. 

"....Oh uh, hey there—big guy." One of the big four…three? Of the whole Donquixote Pirates was looming over her and offering her a cigarette like they were buddies.

They sure lived in interesting times, huh? She leaned forward and caught the end in the open flame "mostly it was annoying honestly. Really turned me off art for a while."

She took several short pulls on the cigarette until it lit. "I'm Nami. Straw Hat's navigator and—well, I figure you guys already know I'm a catburglar too." 

He snapped the lighter closed once her cigarette was lit and tucked it in his pocket, still slumped down closer to her level.

"No shit? I used to do a little burgling now and then. Bet you're a hell of a lot better at it than I ever was. No damn cat, that's for sure." He took a long draw on his cigarette and blew out a puff of smoke thoughtfully.

"You were a burglar?" Nami's curiosity was piqued. 

Sure, the Donquixotes were probably all a bunch of assholes, even if Law inexplicably forgave them or whatever—but it wasn't every day she got to talk shop with a fellow thief. "I mean—not to toot my own horn here, but I did rob the East Blue blind before I left it—and helped in a grand heist to rob the Gran Tesoro." She blew a stream of smoke towards him on an exhale and smirked. "How about you? Why don't you tell me about the sorts of places you used to hit." 

-

Doffy stood in the doorway between the room where most of the crews were nervously hanging out, and the room where the doctors were looking after Violet. He had been surprised to see Caesar Clown with the Straw Hats— but grateful, at least. 

He had too much on his mind, his wheels were spinning. He needed a drink. His new Corazon was upstairs negotiating with Straw Hat Luffy– or possibly 'negotiating' with him if they were all lucky– and who the hell knew what was wrong with Vi. And all of everybody was on a hair trigger.

He really needed a drink.

This was supposed to be a fun concert.

"Can you believe how weird this concert has been?" A familiar voice cut through his spinning thoughts, as a cold and strangely fluid weight suddenly bumped into his side before solidifying into a pair of arms wrapped around his. "Doffy, remember me!?"

Doffy jolted, and his fingers tensed reflexively, but then he blinked down at the suddenly familiar intrusion. "Vivi! Oh! It's been a while, hmm?"

The last time Doflamingo had seen the former Princess Vivi had been about two years ago, when she and Croc had shown up in Dressrosa looking for a Devil Fruit for her. That had been a hell of a time. and seeing here now was an… adequate distraction from his restless nerves, for the moment.

The Alabastan woman eased up on his arm to nod her head, before she turned her starlight eyes towards him with a broad smile. 

"Almost two whole years, which—with everything that's been happening? It feels like forever!" Her voice dropped lower and she murmured "I heard about what happened in Dressrosa—I'm just glad you're all okay. I was worried! After everything you did for me, I felt terrible hearing about it." 

Doffy softened, and he put a hand on Vivi's back. It was sweet that she cared. They'd lost people in Dressrosa, dear people, but thank hell the majority of them had made it out alright. And he'd managed to avoid Impel Down– thanks to Crocodile.

"I can't imagine you heard good things," he chuckled darkly, glancing at the Straw Hats. "I see you managed to rejoin your crew. Crocodile said as much."

Vivi chuckled with him, brushing her hair over her shoulder as she leaned against his hand.

"Yeah , I'd actually found them again basically right after Dressrosa—if Croccy and I had caught up a little sooner maybe I coulda convinced them that things with you weren't as bad as they seemed." There was a bit of genuine regret there—it sounded genuine at least, and her eyes flicked downwards as she took a deep breath. "But at least it put him in good proximity to find you and your people, huh? Small favors." 

"Small favors," he agreed with a sigh. He wasn't surprised she at least felt a little bad. They'd had a good time when she'd visited with Croc. He'd shared some Uta dials with her. It seemed like everything in the Dressrosa disaster had conspired to go just wrong enough to make the whole house of cards come tumbling down.

But the Donquixote family moved on. They persevered. They'd rise again. Vivi being here now, and Law being here now— this wouldn't be another disaster. Already he could see that the building tension in the room had cooled to a low simmer as other conversations struck up. "Did you hear about Cross Guild at all?"

Vivi perked up again, and as she looked up there was that little shimmer of starlight that the fruit he'd helped her get had bestowed. She grinned widely with a nod. 

"Yeah, I heard a lot about it—I had a call with Croccy recently and he told me some. It's a huge pirate alliance, right? You're in it, and a bunch of other famous pirates. It's a real meeting of the minds!" 

"Any chance we might see the Straw Hats signing on?"

Vivi looked from side to side before she leaned against him conspiratorially. "Hell, I hope so! I've been kinda thinking of how to pitch it to the Captain. I mean—he loves his independence as a pirate, but…he's kinda been softening on people like Croccy and Mihawk and everyone, so there's a chance I can get through." 

Doffy smiled as he thought he heard noise from upstairs. Maybe it really wasn't to be another disaster. As long as they figured out what was wrong with Violet…

-

It'd taken several curious glances from across the room, furtive out of the corner the eye type glances and a few open stares before he finally registered why the random 'Donquixote' pirate lingering near the back looked so familiar.

A doggish excitement overtook him as he bounded through the room with a couple of murmured 'i'm sorries' as he shifted past the other people talking to grin down at her. 

"Komurasaki!"

She wanted to be called that, he remembered from their last conversation—the one on the banks of Wano, where she wanted to leave Princess Hiyori dead as the world thought she was. He respected that, she was taking the chance to be her own woman, right? Like he was trying to be his own man, even with the looming of his idolization of her father.

But man, she looked different—she wore her hair more relaxed, gone was her kimono in favor of the sorts of things he saw Nami tend to wear around the ship. She looked good, but hardly like the old Komurasaki he'd seen only a few weeks ago. And it wasn't just clothes deep.

Did he look different? Sure, he'd dressed up for this festival—Luffy had practically insisted with the goading of the rest of the crew. He'd thrown on 'jeans', a sturdy, rough, and coarse material that he found he'd rather liked, and one of the logo-bearing concert tees under a large jacket of the same 'jean' material. He'd even gotten a collar, studded in red and white, which had been teasingly pressed in his hands. He looked different—

But did he look different like she did? Had he changed into a man of his own like she'd changed, so clearly?

"Komurasaki," he said again with a doggish grin. "Wow, I didn't expect to see you here!" 

Her cool, oceanic eyes swept over him, taking him and his changes in much in the same way that he had looked over her. She smiled, and there was a slightly crooked edge to it, a little different from the placid and practiced smile of the great Oiran.

"Nor did I expect to see you. Yet another strange circumstance."

"I'd say! I know you'd left with Law, so if we ran into him it meant you had to be somewhere, but—" he could feel his phantom tail wagging, he couldn't help it. He was excited. He'd wondered a few times how she'd been doing—and it seemed that she was doing well. His eyes fell on the crookedness of her smile, his own hitched wide and excited.

"But I didn't expect we'd be runnin' into you at my captain's sister's big festival." 

Her eyebrows raised curiously and she lifted her chin. "So Miss Uta is Straw Hat Luffy's sister? I had no idea. Fascinating. We came mostly because the young master seems to be quite the singer's biggest fan."

Yamato's head tilted to the side, his pale hair obscuring his vision of her for a moment. "I mean, it was kinda a surprise for me too—but Miss Uta's his long lost sister. He didn't exactly get around to tellin' me what happened though. We wound up wrestlin' instead. Luffy's kind of an 'oni' sorta guy."

His brow furrowed as there was a sudden flash on something she said "---the young master?" 

Komurasaki flicked a slender hand toward Vivi and her conversational partner– the leader of the Donquixote pirates. "Doflamingo."

Yamato rubbed the back of his neck, feeling one of his fangs slip over his lips as the confused expression crossed his face. 

"---Doflamingo's the young master?" 

The guy was clearly older than a lotta the people here, him and Komurasaki included. You'd think he'd have graduated to just 'master' by then, right? The people outside Wano sure were weird— but anyway, weren't they saying on the bridge something about Law, that pirate captain, being part of their crew now?

"Huh. Law's—he's with these guys now, huh? Guess it makes sense you'd join up too. They seem—" Captain Luffy seemed to hate 'em, but—still. "Kinda fun? Showy. Like a walkin' theater show." 

"That's right," she nodded. "They rescued us after Blackbeard destroyed the Polar Tang. We would likely have been dead in the water without their assistance. And I would very much describe them as a theater show. It's… delightful."

"I can tell you like it!" Yamato grinned "I mean, Komurasaki, you look like a whole new woman! Like you fit right in!"

He put his hand on his hip, feeling the hushed vibration of jean against whatever formed the comfortable shirt that clung a little tightly to his body. "I'm—" his smile faltered. "I'm sorry your captain lost his ship, and I'm real glad these fellas saved your lives. But it's gotta be something to live in a theater show every day!"

He flashed a broad and toothy grin. "gotta find yourself now that we're outta Wano, right?" 

"That's what I'm trying to do," she nodded. "And it seems you're doing the same. I do like your outfit– you fit right in with your own crew."

Yamato flushed as he grinned wider, his whole body vibrating. 

"You really think so? I don't—I mean, I've been worrying that I've been kinda the same ol' Yamato from Wano! You really think so?" That doggish excitement rolled through him as he bounced on his heels. "The outfit—it's called 'jeans', aren't they neat? Captain Luffy and Usopp and everyone helped me pick it out. They even got me a co—" he flushed, and pointed to his neck "you know, a necklace." 

"I love it," Komurasaki nodded. "I was just envying it in fact. Do you think one would suit me?"

Yamato tugged his collar thoughtfully, feeling the sharpened studs against his claw-like nails "Honestly, yeah? Especially if you're leanin' into the style of these folks here. I think that girl over there's wearing something like it," He pointed to the girl in the fishnets talking to Sanji and Zoro.

He looked Komurasaki over, admittedly—it wouldn't have suited Hiyori, and even the refined oiran Komurasaki it wouldn't have either. It was kind of brash, it carried connotations. It wasn't dignified—but Komurasaki seemed to be trying to move beyond that kinda life. Maybe it suited this new Komurasaki real well. "I think it'd suit ya well." 

She followed his gaze. "Yes, Baby 5 wears one fairly often. I wasn't sure how common they were," she chuckled. "If you think it would suit me, perhaps I'll consider it a second time. But– you worry you're the same old Yamato, hmm? That's funny, I hadn't thought you spent any more time being Yamato at all. I'm going by just 'Saki' now, by the way."

Yamato flushed—she wasn't wrong, he guessed. He'd spent pretty much all the time she'd known him being someone else. Being 'Oden'. Even before they'd met he'd spent pretty much every moment trying to emulate the dead and infamous samurai.

He rubbed his neck. 

"Baby 5 huh? I mean, they're common enough… I like 'em. They feel nice to wear, you know? I think you'd enjoy it, " he hesitated before he continued, not sure how open he wanted to be. His father always hammered home how a man kept that sort of thing to himself. "Just Saki…That's pretty cute, I'll remember that," he chuckled, crossing his arms under his heavy chest. "You hadn't thought it, huh? You thought I'd still be ah—goin' around as Oden?" 

"I had no idea, really. I didn't want to make any assumptions. You were fairly insistent about it for a while, after all."

Yamato grimaced, his long and jagged teeth clacking together as he glanced towards the ceiling "yeah uh, I'm sorry about that—I…I mean," he was faltering, the awkward feeling of hesitation welling up inside him.

Was he embarrassed about the way he emulated the man? He'd wanted to be anyone but the 'oni princess' so bad, and the only time anyone aside from his father respected him as a man was when he'd taken on the mantle of their lost hero. It was all he had in the prisoner's pit. That and his father's expectation that he'd rule the Beast Pirates.

"I'm tryin' to be just Yamato now," he murmured, his shoulders sagging slightly "whoever that is outside of the prison." 

"Then I think you are making a fine start at being Yamato," she nodded. "The jeans are a very handsome look if you don't mind my saying."

Yamato flushed deeper , bobbing his head with a sheepishness of his smile "thanks, Saki. You're pretty clearly makin' a hell of a good start at being Saki, too."

He lightly punched her arm with a grin. "You think so? I never wore nothin' like this before, but I'm not gonna lie, I kinda love it." 

–

Usopp stood nervously in the corner trying to avoid gazes as around him the tension started to strangely ease. People were actually talking to each other. It was madness.

Sugar was still staring at him.

Her eye narrowed again as she took a sudden step towards him. 

"God Usopp," she said slowly. "You were very mean to me in Dressrosa." 

Usopp had no idea how to respond to that. He was mean? They had been enemies! They had been on opposite sides of a guerilla war! Sugar was turning people into dolls?

"I mean, uh… it wasn't personal?" he offered nervously.

"I shoulda turned you into a doll. I bet you'd become a silly armadillo toy or something," she continued in a monotone, taking another step forward. "But I didn't. So now there's only one thing you can do." 

Usopp took a step backwards– only to find his back was already up against the wall. He glanced from side to side, wondering where he'd call for help if he needed it— and he was feeling like he might need it.

"W-what can I do?" he asked thickly.r

Sugar tilted her head up imperiously, and stuck out her hand. 

"Say you're sorry. Maybe make me laugh. It's the least you can do to make up for making a fool of me." Her eye peered deep into his as her hand hung between them "I'm sorry for the way things went out of control in Dressrosa, and for turning your friends into dolls. Now it's your turn. We are both adults, here." 

Usopp felt like his jaw was on the floor. She just wanted him to say he was sorry? She… she was sorry for the way things went in Dressrosa? He felt like he had entered some strange and parallel universe where everything was topsy turvy.

On the other hand, hadn't Zoro and Perona been getting along just fine apparently for two years? And he guessed they had Caesar Clown actually traveling with them…

It felt strange, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"I'm… sorry?" he blinked, croaking it out. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry for making a fool of you Miss Sugar."

Sugar reached her hand up and patted his elbow, about as far as she could reach with her diminutive height. 

"Good boy. I forgive you. I have a big heart." She paused before a rather wicked grin cut across her face "you're still going to have to make me laugh sometime. That is a promise." 

Usopp tittered nervously and gave her a sloppy salute. She had touched him! And he wasn't a doll! That was a good sign, right?

"You got it! I'll uh, try to come up with some jokes."

And try not to feel like he was going to pass out.

[shamrock313]

Cillian Murphy General Reading

This reading is for entertainment purposes. Please take everything you read with a grain of salt. Enjoy!

I'm a fan of Cillian. I love sitting down and watching Breakfast on Pluto or Red Eye. I use to have Peaky Blinder nights with my friends and I love that he's a not that big of an actor. I gotta say when Barbenheimer happened that was the BEST marketing ever for these two movies.

I might have to put Bill movies aside (again) and have a Cillian marathon. Sorry Bill fans, but Cillian came first. I swear whenever I try to watch something Bill or Evan related, something better comes on like I can't watch American Crime over The Mummy (Brendan version). I can't just not watch it!!!! It's THE MUMMY!!!!!

For those who haven't seen it. I think its still on Tubi. You need to watch is asap. The first and second. Don't watch the third Mummy. I barley remember it. I just know I went to sleep on it in the theaters.

Career: 2oS + Sun + Lovers = "Choosing between jobs. Debating on what projects to take on". With the Sun and Lover that means people took an interest in him and want him involved in their project because he's a "big name" and it might draw audience in. Taking on significant roles. Perhaps more leading roles? They want this, I don't know if he does though. Depends on him. He doesn't care. If he takes it, he'll be paid well. Risk of romantic feelings on set (?) Maybe some flirtation.

Love Life: Cillian POV: 3oS, 9oC, Strength, 5oW = 3oS "unwanted 3rd party coming in between relationships". Argument/ conflicts. 5oW "competition between suitors" "conflict between lovers" Fighting for relationship. "Love you and doesn't want to walk away". He and his wife need to communicate the issues that come between them during Oppenheimer. If they don't this could possibly ruin them. Now, with the 9oC + Strength it would say he's appreciative of his love life. It's a strong caring relationship and he will "fight" to make it continue as is, but he can have a temper if the same issues keep coming up repeatedly like he might get annoyed about something that happened a year ago still getting brought up now, but it's like if you fucked up and someone is still hurt by it, you can't just not expect them to let it go. You need to consider your wife's feelings.

Oracle Cards: Mercury Retrograde which of course is communication issues

Yvonne POV: 10 of Pent - She's a faithful wife and has been with him since the beginning. Has always supported him and they have built a foundation (marriage, children, family unit). For this to break, it will be upsetting but a part of me feels she might be okay. She's independent and she's a woman with her own career.

OC: Liar and Water Sign. Liar is being watchful of someone being sneaky (3oC) and it's a Water Sign person so IYKYK.

Dynamic: QoS, 10oW, WoF, 8oW, and Knight of Cups (R) = QoS Honest conversation. Clarity and mutual understanding. Setting boundaries. 10oW Unresolved issues. Burden. Taking on more responsibility within marriage. Trying to fix the wrongdoings. WoF Uncertain outcome. Either stay in their marriage and work it out or divorce. It can go either way it just depends on them. Like they say the wheel keeps spinning and you don't know where it will land. 8oW is a period of growth and communication. Doing family activities together. They could be just doing this for the boys, but I don't know. I keep hearing "Remember the good ole times. How things use to be". KoC (R) insecurity / instability. Failed promises.

OC: Spy (people such as fans and family watching them closely and their interactions), Distance (emotionally or physically distant), and Let Go "make room for the new beginnings on the way to you now".

What does Cillian think of Emily Blunt? Death + Knight of Swords (side) = IF something happened between them, I don't think it was serious and I don't think he will leave his wife for Emily. She (Emily) brought some changes into his life, so if the blind items are true then damn. (I think there are some blind items about them if I'm not mistaken). KoS (U) They work well together. Great pair. He sees the drive and motivation she has in her work. It's impressive. Similar values and intellectual conversations. (Rev) She has a problem with her mouth. She talks too much and when she does, she let's things slip. Don't tell her anything or she might accidently let it slip out. She gets her way. I also kept seeing a wall like a blockage between them. They might not be on talking terms right now.

Emily on Cillian: 3oW (side) + PoP (R) + 5oS (R) = 3oW (U) Crush? May have caught some feelings for him. I mean have y'all seen those eyes? Damn. Love eyes (?) Admires him...(Rev) Unsure about him sometimes. Regrets. There's something weird about these two. I don't know if they were physically together or very flirty. I know we got the FWB OC and that could be what we think it means or it doesn't.

PoP (R) She thinks he waste his talents by not taking on bigger roles. "Wasted opportunities". I know Cillian was almost Batman, but he didn't fit the look of Batman. I like him better as Jonathan Crane. "Sees him as someone who wants success but not willing to work for it". I just think he doesn't care too much and doesn't want the pressure. Wants to be grounded, but I could be wrong. 5oS moving on. Cut the loses. I hear "She came on too strong".

OC (for them both): Incompatible, No Spark, FWB

[johnlocsin-johnyakuza]

Quotes from the Yakuza/Ryu Ga Gotoku (Like a Dragon) video game series.

"All the bad luck in the world shouldn’t make your dream less worth pursuing.”

“You can't judge someone just because they don't conform to society's standards of sexual normalcy.”

“If you always avoid things that are difficult, you’ll never be able to grow. Owning up to your weaknesses and facing them head-on is the best way to improve.”

"Some are born with talent, and some aren't. That's true. But that said... Those with talent never make it through talent alone. You have to overcome. Find boundaries, and break them. The only way to grow is by overcoming challenges.”

“Any title a man draws up for himself isn’t worth wearing.”

"I try not to stereotype people into certain roles. A person's real value is on the inside."

"Your life is yours to live. You shouldn't have to justify it to anyone else."

“Complaining won’t get it done any quicker.”

“If you’re so desperate to write yourself a title, write it in your own blood, not others.”

"Life is like a trampoline. The lower you fall, the higher you go."

“Workers are welcome, earners are embraced, and lazy fucks get hunted down.”

“I'll let you in on a little something, The Yakuza game, it's not like boxing. The man who gets beat down isn't the loser. The guy who can't tough it out till the end, He's the one who loses.”

'Life will always have ups and downs. And if we don't have the bad parts, we'll never appreciate the good ones.”

"Right, wrong... Nobody's got a clue what the difference is in this town. So I'm gonna have more fun... and live crazier than any of 'em."

"No point? You're just makin' things harder on yourself. Deprivin' yourself for no damn reason! You think the world gives two shits if there's a point or not? Keep that up, and it'll break you."

“I just appreciate honest people, They ain’t faking it for someone else’s sake.”

“Grow up. Stop blaming others of your failures. You gotta fight your own damn battles.”

“Everybody fucks up at least once. It's what you do after that counts. If you're a strong person - fight back for what you've lost!”

“Everything you're going through now helps you get stronger. Self-doubt spurs creativity and innovation. It makes us grow.”

“A real man owns up to his shit. So if you wanna blame someone, try looking in the mirror.”

“Once you’re at rock bottom, the only way forward is up. But the bottom doesn’t have to be all dark and gloomy. If you can stand and look up, you’ll see the light of hope there.”

“You walk alone in the dark long enough, It starts to feel like the light will never come. You stop wanting to even take the next step. But there’s not a person in this world who knows what’s waiting down the road. All we can do is choose. Stand still and cry… Or make the choice to take the next step. You pick whichever one feels right to you. I can get you as far as the starting line.”

“Sometimes reflecting on the past makes you a strong person. But if you do nothing but look backwards, you can never really move forward.”

“A real man oughta be a little stupid.”

“You decide based on if it’s fun or not. I decide on whether I love it or hate it.”

“You only live once, make sure you have no regrets.”

“Anyone who brags about being strong is just giving away how weak they’re.”

“It’s not a weakness to depend on others. If fact, it’s proof of your own strength.”

“Me and a bunch of other people are on board with you. From today on, you aren’t alone.”

"Only a parent knows how truly empty a home can feel. Parents are nothing without their children."

[jigglypuff1994]

It was absolutely heart-wrenching to watch, and that's what makes this show/special so captivating.

Let's be honest, the show in season one started out with a bang. The characters (and us as the audience) all started out with stars in our eyes. The idea of being a superhero is exciting/thrilling/scary and new relationships forming feels whimsical! And the love square and the friendships and classic silly villainy of HawkMoth ... it was just cutesier and funny and was a perfect way to draw us in.

In the earlier seasons, it felt very nostalgic for me. It was a fantastic opener to the world building of Miraculous as it held the same energy as something young me would have watched in my pjs on Saturday morning.

And while I adore those show types, I feel like the show is morphing into something else entirely. It's now balancing between children's show for 4–11-year-olds now and growing older with the generation who has watched this show since it premiered.

I mean, this show is almost ten years old. They have to keep the audience (who have been with them since 2015) engaged somehow!

For the past couple of seasons, it feels like the writers are actually trying to develop a plotline beyond "LB & CN defeat villain of the week".

I'm here for the tough times. I'm here for where we are now.

The what ifs and questionable motives and everything else angsty that comes with it.

As the old saying goes, pressure creates diamonds, and I think the character development will see a lot of pressure in the upcoming seasons.

Yeah, I said that right, seasons.

Do you think everything will be solved by the end of season six? Because I sure as heck don't. And I don't want it to, either.

I'll be honest, I didn't grow up watching this show.

As a late Miraculous bloomer (both because I'm an adult when I entered the fandom and because I started watching when season five had ended), I actually prefer season 4 on. I feel it's when we're really diving deep into consequences of actions and testier moments. Life lessons. Harder calls. How to be a better person while still struggling with the past.

It's something that older children, teenagers, and adults go through. And I actually appreciate the show's hustle on this.

Life's biggest questions aren't resolvable in 22-45 minutes.

And yeah, based on the London special, Maribug's choice to lie was questionable, but I'm way more interested in the consequences of her decision.

What did she learn?

Would she approach that differently next time knowing what happens after? Or would she decide to do the same thing?

How would her choosing not to lie affect the world?

That's what I care about.

Redemption arcs are on their way, too, folks.

I can feel it in my bones.

Just gotta be patient for now.

Idk, y'all. This special was just... special.

It's raw. It's emotional. It's authentic. It's gritty. It's magical.

It's miraculous.

Concluding thought: We can hold nostalgia and appreciate the past episodes for what they are. We can still try to enjoy them and look fondly upon them, even coming to terms with what happens in the future.

I am not the same person that I was as a child, but it doesn't mean I can't look at past me and be happy. Because I wouldn't be who I am now without everything that happened in between.

That's the beauty and magic of growth, healing, and time.

After the rain, the sun comes out, and together, they make a rainbow.

am I the only one who can't watch Miraculous the same way anymore after the London special? like I can't even think about Miraculous without feeling a wave of sadness hit me in the face.

I was trying to watch Origins, then re-watch the whole show, just to enjoy the old animation one last time. but I just couldn't.

all I saw was Marinette's numb expression as she walked through the hallway. Adrien's cries as he grieved his father. Gabriel's wish ruining everything.

it's not the same anymore, and it never will. that's how I know they nailed it with this special.

when I got to the part when Marinette renounced Tikki, all I could think about was that current timeline!Marinette would be there to fetch the earrings, and that Tikki knew everything from the start. and whenever Adrien was on screen, I thought about how sad he would become soon. he still had that sassy humor and all, but it disappeared over time. I had forgotten how snarky he used to be...

I am both excited and terrified of the upcoming season. let's hope it's a good one.

[tj-crochets]

Further crafting update: I forgot post-migraine symptoms are a thing (I think it’s called postdrome?) and the only crafting I did today was crocheting a single hoof for that horse. I’m okay but pretty much just spent the day reading because moving or focusing was no.  I did make pumpkin spice cake yesterday so I could use the salted caramel sauce I made in the frosting, though, and that was awesome!  My current short-to-mid-term crafting plans are: - tiny space bear (was supposed to be a wolf but it isn’t) - doll clothes - space bunny - Large sushi - finish the crochet horse

Longer term: - some leeks  - a witch hat and a half (for some friends of mine) - fabric ouija board (also for a friend) - another mini-mothman

[gaybarbiegirl]

00s Barbie rewatch - Rapunzel (2002)

Is it bad that I always found this movie kinda boring?

That opening sequence, though

Going inside the pencil sharpener in first person, amazing

Storyteller Barbie, my beloved

THE LITTLE PENELOPE PAINTING IN THE BACKGROUND 🥺❤

Ok, I think its kind of iconic that Barbie made "Rapunzel loves painting" so ingrained into Rapunzel canon that all other mainstream adaptations of this fairytale since have decided to keep that in

Like, that was NOT a thing in the original fairytale, the thing Rapunzel loved/was super talented at was singing. Barbie really changed the public perception of a story that already existed for hundreds of years. Amazing

Why does Rapunzel have super long hair in this version of the story? She doesn't live in a tower, she lives in a castle, and Gothel just walks in through the front door every day. What was the point of the hair?

Listen. Listen. I can take a lot when it comes to gay coded villains. But you gotta draw the line somewhere. And a gay coded horny evil ferret crosses that line

Penelope is baby

How did no one ever find that passage before? Rapunzel presumably cleans this room regularly, how did she never touch that statue? If a spoon was heavy enough to open it, I'm sure her hand would be too

Penelope's relationship with her dad is the plotline I care about the most in this movie

"Does he ever smile?" "Not around me..." 💔

Rescuing that little girl was the PERFECT opportunity to have Rapunzel use her hair, are you kidding me?

Rapunzel's dad really was ordering traps to murder children... Yikes

The amount of times I'm forced to hear a ferret moan in this movie is criminal

Barbie really had the best lullabies, though. I 100% plan on singing constant as the stars above to my future nieces and nephews

THE MAGIC PAINTBRUSH!!!

BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL, ICONIC

How are these two in love already? They literally know nothing about each other

I know this is a fairytale, but still, in most Barbie movies we actually get to see a bit of the process of the characters falling in love, or at the very least we get a reason as to why they're into each other. In this movie these two just like each other overnight for no good reason

Ok but why is her hair long? There's genuinely no reason

The name's Penelope, bucko 😡

NOOOO I can't believe I was subjected to this again

THE MAGICAL DRESS SCENE ❤

Ok, we all know this scene is beautiful and magical, but does anyone else think that all of these dresses were kind of ugly? Like, including the final one?

I feel like that haircut could have been more dramatic

Stefan, my man, you just saw her face. That is very clearly not Rapunzel, why are you still following her?

YES PENELOPE IS THE MIGHTIEST DRAGON

I don't care, Penelope is the real protagonist of this movie

Wow, Gothel has really bad aim. How has she been missing Stefan for this whole time?

Here comes Rapunzel's dad's murder army to kill a bunch of civillians

Why is Gothel confessing like this?

How long has Rapunzel been standing there to understand the whole context of the fight + Gothel's backstory?

Rapunzel's murder dad can fuck right off with his half assed apology

Honestly, why did Stefan's dad forgive Rapunzel's dad? He very much attacked his kingdom unprovoked and tried to kill civillians, even if it was because of a misunderstanding

That ending with Kelly is really cute

Final thoughts:

I'm gonna be honest, I'm actually surprised with how much fun I had with this one. For pretty much my whole life, Rapunzel has been my least favorite out of the original 3 Barbie movies, but I'd say I enjoyed this rewatch even more than I enjoyed rewatching The Nutcracker. Actually, I think I enjoyed it more than any other viewing of this movie I ever did before.

I think the main issues I have with this movie are that I always thought Rapunzel and Stefan were pretty boring characters, so it's hard for me to root for them, and also that the movie has a lot of plot holes, like, way more than in your usual Barbie movie. And while I still agree with all of that, I think typing out my frustrations here instead of bottling them up for the whole movie helped me not get too stuck on them and enjoy the good parts of the movie more. Because don't get me wrong, even if this movie has some flaws, it still has a lot of goods parts. I love Penelope with my whole heart, love the magic paintbrush, really like the soundtrack, really like the 'listen to your dreams' message, etc. Rewatching this was a great time, and I love that all these years later, my opinions about the Barbie movies are still changing and evolving.

[johnlocsin-johnyakuza]

Some quotes from the Yakuza Series

“All the bad luck in the world shouldn’t make your dream less worth pursuing.”

“You can't judge someone just because they don't conform to society's standards of sexual normalcy.”

“If you always avoid things that are difficult, you’ll never be able to grow. Owning up to your weaknesses and facing them head-on is the best way to improve.”

"Some are born with talent, and some aren't. That's true. But that said... Those with talent never make it through talent alone. You have to overcome. Find boundaries, and break them. The only way to grow is by overcoming challenges.”

“Any title a man draws up for himself isn’t worth wearing.”

"I try not to stereotype people into certain roles. A person's real value is on the inside."

"Your life is yours to live. You shouldn't have to justify it to anyone else."

“Complaining won’t get it done any quicker.”

“If you’re so desperate to write yourself a title, write it in your own blood, not others.”

"Life is like a trampoline. The lower you fall, the higher you go."

“Workers are welcome, earners are embraced, and lazy fucks get hunted down.”

“I'll let you in on a little something, The Yakuza game, it's not like boxing. The man who gets beat down isn't the loser. The guy who can't tough it out till the end, He's the one who loses.”

'Life will always have ups and downs. And if we don't have the bad parts, we'll never appreciate the good ones.”

"Right, wrong... Nobody's got a clue what the difference is in this town. So I'm gonna have more fun... and live crazier than any of 'em."

"No point? You're just makin' things harder on yourself. Deprivin' yourself for no damn reason! You think the world gives two shits if there's a point or not? Keep that up, and it'll break you."

“I just appreciate honest people, They ain’t faking it for someone else’s sake.”

“Grow up. Stop blaming others of your failures. You gotta fight your own damn battles.”

“Everybody fucks up at least once. It's what you do after that counts. If you're a strong person - fight back for what you've lost!”

“Everything you're going through now helps you get stronger. Self-doubt spurs creativity and innovation. It makes us grow.”

“A real man owns up to his shit. So if you wanna blame someone, try looking in the mirror.”

“You walk alone in the dark long enough, It starts to feel like the light will never come. You stop wanting to even take the next step. But there’s not a person in this world who knows what’s waiting down the road. All we can do is choose. Stand still and cry… Or make the choice to take the next step. You pick whichever one feels right to you. I can get you as far as the starting line.”

“Sometimes reflecting on the past makes you a strong person. But if you do nothing but look backwards, you can never really move forward.”

“A real man oughta be a little stupid.”

“You decide based on if it’s fun or not. I decide on whether I love it or hate it.”

“You only live once, make sure you have no regrets.”

“Anyone who brags about being strong is just giving away how weak they’re.”

“It’s not a weakness to depend on others. If fact, it’s proof of your own strength.”

“Me and a bunch of other people are on board with you. From today on, you aren’t alone.”

"Only a parent knows how truly empty a home can feel. Parents are nothing without their children."

“Once you’re at rock bottom, the only way forward is up. But the bottom doesn’t have to be all dark and gloomy. If you can stand and look up, you’ll see the light of hope there.”

I am feeling rlly depressed rn

Can you reblog this post but like… add a wholesome headcanon or worldbuilding of a work of fiction or videogame you love? It can be anything really.

I just need some kind of hope…

[borinlauryn]

This is gonna be really long, but it's My Story, and you're gonna love it! ( Pt. 1 )

Hi, my name is Lauryn, I'm 22, and mixed with Nigerian, and Scottish. mainly. I have 1 daughter, 1 Sister, 1 brother, 1 grandma, and 1 mom. Oh, and 1 cat! I am a Pisces, and I was BOI so, kinda makes sense right? I'm the youngest of 3 children. All with different dads, and the same last name, from my mothers side. None of us know our dads, kinda crazy story behind that. We all grew up together, mainly in Houston, Texas. For most of the time. My family is from Chex Republic/ Slovakia, a few generations back. Well, since I don't know my father, when I am talking about my family I mean, on my mother's side.

I have not done this blogging sort of thing yet, but I have a very diverse background, and a very profound story. Since, I don't really care much for sharing it in person, I meant to share it with the world somehow, and so I started having ideas. You know, all these ridiculous ideas, about how sharing my story would change the world, and how sharing it would make things different for me. I guess, like more acceptable, but as I'm writing it right now, it doesn't really feel like it's a life changing, profound, and ground-breaking story. It just feels like I'm being, well, honest, to be completely honest. BUT, let's get into it anyways, since I'm sick* of keeping it inside.

Well, to tell you a little bit about me personally, I am a very honest, kind-hearted person. I am very funny so, people tell me, and I'm smart, you know, like the intelligent kind. Apart, from funny, I'm sarcastic so, my humor tends to be kind of dark sometimes. I'm very corky, I guess. I kind of have a weird way of doing things. Well, I'll tell you why in a second, we'll get into that. First, let's make place with the things that I am into. ALL THINGS, nah I'm just kidding, but almost! I am into singing very much so, I'm a singer, not famous or anything, but I should be, I am very good at it. I busted my ass to get to where I'm getting, so I can say that with quite some confidence. I think it was the first thing that I was every really into. I also, like crafting, I like making things, well just about anything. I like jewelry making, macrame, crochet, painting, volleyball, cheerleading, drawing, sketching, sculpting, wood-working, wood-burning, building, construction, and remodeling, furniture-refurbishing, fashion, dance, anything music, make-up, i love people, and animals, grew up with horses, in the city, and outside, i have lived on a farm, my mom was raised on a farm so she passed that down, her and i both are quite a history geek(s), i love math, and architecture, literature, and writing, reading, hiking, jogging, culture, social sciences, and regular science, psychology, and psychiatry, religion, spirituality, interior design, biology, ancient geometry, mythology, and literature, and artwork as well, oh and i love antiques, i love being innovative, i love helping people, so therapy, charity, and volunteering are on my list of things up my sleeve, i also, love plants and nature, photography, social events, outside, and walking-with-friends lol, of course sex... who doesn't, obviously i'm a lil hippie, so clearly aside from peace, meditation, and connection, i used to love smoking weed, but with a daughter, I gotta be responsible, so getting up outta the couch kinda became a thing. Also, I still love cannabis, it's quite some beauty, and a very just IDK, that plant gets me man, it turns me on lol, I used to say if it was a perfume, I'd wear it. Some could agree-disagree, either way I don't really care, I'm a non-judgemental person, so if you judge me, then there will be one thing you don't get about me, and one thing I don't get about you, so we're even is the way I see it. AND, there's probably a few more things I could add to my list, but we'll leave it there as it probably seems I am rambling endlessly, but let's be honest here, I am being honest, 100%, and those are the things I could just bring off the top of my head. Did not have to write them down or anything. LMAO. How long is your list? How well, do people really know you? mhmm those are some things to think about, but let's get back to me.

(On my next post, stay tuned!)

[fanmoose12]

Hello again It is me the worried anon about their fanfic. Actually, I am so grateful for your feedback, I thought about sharing more with you? If this annoys you, tell me in your next reply, I will stop immediately and I will fully understand it. I hope you are ok with my being my exclusive reader if that is not too weird? Here I go with another part: I don’t know exactly why I am writing what I have already experienced years ago; is it my habit to organize my thoughts whenever I feel lost? Is it the need to remind myself how I became who I am now? May be all of them together? Where should I start? I guess I will record the beginning of all this. At the age of 6, I started talking about people I never met, I said names I never heard and called people in my sleep while crying and screaming whom I never knew. My parents thought that I was another scared child of whatever scares children at this age and ignored my actions. I grew older and the dreams became more violent, the faces became more recognizable, the names started to ring bells that only I could hear and it became even harder to pretend that I don’t experience all that.

My parents decided to consult a psychologist who silently listened to my story of how I was seeing grown up people fighting scary huge creatures; they were eaten, tortured and killed brutally even when they fought back. I described this hellish world as well as I could only to be diagnosed with hallucinations and early signs of schizophrenia. That’s when I learned the first lesson but not the last lesson in my life. Never share what you saw with anyone but yourself.

Ever since I was young, despite all the nightmares, I have always found my peace wherever there were books, plants or both, and I was such a friendly dork who longed for friends but never had one. I met some children and made some fleeting memories but once I started getting used to them, they would never show interest in my friendship again, well, I can’t blame them now if all my drawings were huge ugly smiling creatures eating little screaming humans, can I? My parents had enough of my madness and I was sent to a mental institution where I was under observation for months without being given real medication due to how young I was. Luckily, the doctors noticed that I was younger than the usual age when schizophrenic patients show any reliable signs ; My parents never visited me though, they called once a week but never cared to show up even on my birthday in September I received a short call to remind me that I became 10 years old and that they love me and that’s it. I stayed there for six month which I spent reading, digging in the small garden of the institution, getting scolded by the nurses, reading and digging again and the life went on. The doctor who was responsible for my case was fascinated by my behavior, he made sure to test my mental state and abilities quite often and I remember his kind and impressed smile after every test, it filled me with joy and pride even if didn’t say it often and that’s when I started to understand that I was exceptionally smart. He kept testing me whenever he had a chance using games, questions, tests and after each session, I got a new book. He became my one and only friend in a place where I was the youngest resident they ever had. He kept trying to ask me about my dreams but I learned my lesson by then and so I denied everything I said earlier with the most innocent and clueless smile I could give. He could never succeed and always smiled accepted my lies with a kind yet disappointed smile.

I spent my days there doing the same things on daily bases or at least that’s how it looked like… Alone in my room, I learned even more from my nightmares. There was a beautiful blond girl called Nanaba, a very tall blond man called Mike, another tall blond man called Erwin and another man called moblit but the most interesting of all was a short, grumpy yet very strong man called Levi. My 10 years old self memorized the names and faces but didn’t have enough memories to know who they were back then until this fateful night when the fire broke out in the floor where I stayed. I still shudder whenever I remember this moment.

Fire scares every living being no matter how fearless they are, we all can agree on this fact but in my case, I was beyond terrified. I was literally burning…alive.

It was as if I was teleported to a different world. I was flying up in the air. The scary giant creatures were there but with a major difference. They were radiating heat and flames, it was impossible to avoid them if you were close enough and yet, I was so close to them that I felt the heat on my skin without touching them. I managed to kill one Then another Then another I was a lot older than myself then, I was stressed, worried and in pain. I kept on slicing the back of their nicks though. After the fourth one, the fire caught my clothes. The last one in the first row who was about to destroy a weird looking plane forced me to ignore the flames that started to burn the ends of strange clothes. I had to kill him or everything will be lost…. The fifth went down. He didn’t fall alone this time; I started to feel the burning sensation climbing my body, getting more and more painful with each passing moment, I screamed when I could not take the pain anymore, I didn’t know for how long I kept falling or screaming. Everything ended as it started, suddenly. I opened my eyes to find myself in another room. No burns, No fire, No scary huge creatures. Dr Ethan, the friendly doctor who kept my stay in the institution as enjoyable as possible was looking at me with an obvious relief on his face: Hana? How are you feeling now? Can you see me and hear me? I looked at my left hand that was wrapped carefully: I am fine Dr, my hand! The fire…What happened?

He kept the same kind smile: it is ok now Hana…You are safe now…your hand was burned when you tried to push the door to escape; only your palm but it wasn’t too serious. I tried to push the door? What door? When?

I asked: I don’t remember that? Where are my parents? Can I call them? My young self could not think of anyone but them at that moment even if they didn’t. I hoped that would be enough for them to take me home. Dr Ethan remained silent for a few seconds then said: Hana…you fainted because of the smoke you inhaled…you have been very brave trying to open the window and even push the door to save yourself…you are impressive as usual but you need to rest now. I remember how angry and scared I was: Dr Ethan I want mommy! I want to tell them that I was going to die! I remember that it was the first time in those six months to cry like the real child I was; I was terrified, confused, tired and scared.

He tried to maintain the same smile: Hana, it is too late at night now…you should sleep and we will call them the first thing in the morning, I promise.

I couldn’t say anything…I nodded quietly so that I can be alone, I didn’t want anyone around me, I only wanted my parents. After he left the room, I kept sobbing silently all night until I learned another harsh lesson in the morning. That's another part of it, I hope my asks don't annoy you, Remember you can always be as honest as you want, I really appreciate your feedback as much as I love your work.

omg don't feel sorry or worried that you annoy me! your work is really good and i'm so honored that you decided to share it with me🥺

and i've gotta say i'm so interested in what happens next! that doctor, he is up to something, right? oh, and that fire! i wonder what was the cause of it? will hange find the others? and what lesson she learned? i'm so, so hooked!

[coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe]

The Salem House or The Scottish Cottage

Quick Tag List: @kuruumiya @spacelizardtrashboys @stupidbluegirl @enigmaticandunstable @nattinngrst

This Passage Contains Potentially: swearing, violence, blood, angst, whump, fluff and smutty content.

Summary: Rod and Kirby move in to their new cottage home in Salem, Oregon.

Kirby's POV:

Rod blindfolded me with one of his ties and drove our rented van out to the property, taking off my blindfold in front of the house.

"There it is, our new home," he twirled the keys around his index finger, "all ours now, Kirbs."

There it was, white panel exterior with fancy windows and lights along both sides of the gravel path towards the house. Without thinking I pulled Rod into a hug and kissed him, tears of happiness rolling down my cheek.

"Woah, baby, are ya alright sweetheart?"

"I love it, and I love you and-" Upon hearing that, Rod hoisted me over his shoulder, "Woah, Roddy, what are you doing?"

"Taking you inside and carrying you to the one room I know you're gonna love."

He carried me through the front double doors, through the foyer and then the kitchen, before carrying me past the television and sofa, past what I believe is the ground floor bathroom and up the stairs, letting me get a glance at the basement staircase as we went up to the top floor of our new home.

He then put me down in front of a pale green door with a childish or childlike, chalk or pastel drawing on the front.

I turned the handle slowly, not knowing what to expect.

Then I saw it.

The lone white bassinet.

Surrounded by soft toys and things you'd assume would be in a nursery.

"The former owners said that they're daughter was gonna move in before she moved to L.A. They knew she had a baby and set this room up. I'm gonna be honest with ya and tell ya that I let a couple tears slip when I saw this room ma-self, so I completely understand if you need a moment alone."

"Rod, Roddy, as much as I hate the weird wallpaper in the foyer, this room is," I took a second to compose myself, "It's perfect."

"Do ya wanna see our bedroom?"

"Yeah."

Rod showed me around the rest of the house before going into the basement.

"There's no attic, so the basement will have to do if we want to store anything anywhere."

The basement was large, the only room separated off from the rest of the basement was another bathroom. I walked to the opposite side of the basement and stopped in my tracks.

"What's wrong babe?"

"They have a hot tub?!"

"What?"

Rod walked over to me, also stopping upon seeing the hot tub in it's own corner of the basement, separate from the gym equipment and rugs and the very empty basement.

"What d'ya reckon they use that for?" Rod asked, teasing me slightly.

"No, Rod, eww, that's gross, you wouldn't dare suggest that!"

"Hot tub sex, babe, it's a thing."

"We are not doing that. Ever!"

"We are alone in the house, you know." He started unbuckling his belt, chucking it as well as his sporran down at his feet, "I know we've gotta fly back to the other side of the country later, but, right now, we're home, honey," He started walking towards me, whipping his jacket and shirt off, leaving him in his kilt and boots as he ran his hand through his hair, letting out a deep guttural sigh.

"I guess we could test out the new bed, Roddy." I started unbuttoning my shirt, exposing the peach toned tank top underneath.

"Or, We could have sex right here and now," He suggested, whipping his kilt off and in true Scottish fashion, revealing nothing but his bare body below.

He unclenched his hand, showing off the fact that he had brought a condom with him.

By the time we got to Taunton, Massachusetts on the first of March, Roddy had set aside some time for us to redecorate the house, and by the time we actually got around to redecorating, Roddy had recruited the rest of the D.O.D as well a Schultz, Orton and Orndorff to help us. We had met back at the house on the Eleventh (of March) and unbeknownst to me, Piper had made a couple calls to his friends from back in his NWA and Mid Atlantic days.

"Woo!"

"He didn't." Schultz grunted out, partly worried and partly surprised.

"He didn't do what … David?"

Schultz guided me outside to meet the guys.

"Piper! introduce ya wife to the boys, I'll go grab us some beer."

"I'm not his wife," I called after him as he walked back inside, "So, Roddy, who are these guys."

Rod leant up to kiss me, he would have backed me into the nearest wall if I didn't pull away immediately after, concern taking over any hint of a flirtatious mood in me.

"Who's this fine female?"

I recognised the voice from the yell earlier.

"Ric, this is my girlfriend, Kirby. Kirby, this is Ric Flair. Over there," he gestured to the other four, "Are Tully Blanchard, with the black hair, JJ Dillon, the other blonde looking one and Ole and Arn Anderson."

"Are they here to help or are they here to distract you?"

"The only thing distracting me is the idea of seeing you na-"

I covered Rod's mouth with my hand and gave Ric a sheepish smile, "I apologise for my hus, I mean boyfriend's attitude Ric."

"You almost said husband, Kirbs." Rod whispered to me as we led the boys inside, before he took me aside.

"It was a slip of the tongue."

"I'm sorry, about the kiss, I got a bit jealous because I know what Ric can be like, with women in particular."

"Rod, you shouldn't have to apologise for that, I love ya. I was going to start looking for you anyway, what d'ya want for lunch?"

"Don't you worry about that, I'll go grill those hamburgers we have in the fridge and … hey look, beer."

"Thank you, David."

"Anytime, Tall-ass."

"Look, babe, I'll deal with it alright, you stop worrying and I'll deal with it. I'm the man of the house so I'll deal with it."

I came up behind Roddy, putting my head on his shoulder and wrapping my arms around his waist, kissing his neck.

"I'm gonna go rest for a bit Rod, my head feels funny."

"Baby, baby come here."

Rod helped me upstairs, making sure I didn't fall over and letting me lay on the bed.

"We have today and tomorrow here baby, relax."

"Rod, you know me, you know I wind myself up with worry."

"I know," He brushed his thumbs over my knuckles, "I'm gonna get you some hand wraps or something, stop punching things until ya knuckles bleed."

"I thought you were gonna go cook."

"I am, but, right now, I'm taking in every little detail of the woman I love."

"You softie."

"Oh really? I'm soft. You worry way more than me baby."

"I love you, Roddy."

"I love you too, Kirby."

I slept for a short while until I was woken up by Piper and Schultz yelling obscenities at each other. I ran down the stairs and outside the house to see the two grown men squabbling like children.

Without saying anything I picked Roddy up by his midsection and took him back inside, chucking him down on the sofa.

"I'm gonna fuckin-"

"Roderick!"

"Yes, baby."

"You are drunk, and shut up."

"Yes, Sweetheart."

I helped Roddy up, almost gagging at how strong the smell of alcohol was coming from him, swiftly avoiding his attempts at kissing me and placing my hand over his mouth.

By the Thirteenth we were back working and Rod had started to get fidgety around me until things came to a head on the Thirtieth.

"Rod, are you alright, you've been awfully quiet today."

"I'm fine baby, actually, Kirby?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to be on Piper's Pit?"

"When?"

"Sunday, Yes or No?"

"This Sunday?"

"Yeah."

"Well, there's your answer."

"Wait, you'll do it."

"Of fucking course I'll do it. I don't give a fuck what Damien says."

He let out a chuckle as I pulled into the hotel parking lot.

"How's the Visa status going?"

"It's good, I'll hopefully be a US citizen before the end of May."

"So, May, you'll be a citizen, so," He mumbled to himself for a short while, "Alright, cool."

Before long it was time for me to be on Piper's Pit, fully expecting Roddy to do something and cause a ruckus to occur.

"Well, I'd just like you to know, it's a pleasure to have our first, female, guest on Piper's Pit. I want you to know that I asked every single female in the entire WWF if they would be on the Pit and only one of them said 'yes' to me. The only woman with enough guts to face me with 'Gluttony' herself, Kirby Lucifarian. Kirby, I would like to thank you for being brave enough to come out here and face me. I had Captain Lou on here last week and he said something vague about you and your sisters protecting Lauper. Why would a woman like you, someone who doesn't smoke, doesn't swear, doesn't drink, or shack up with skinny little idiots like Dave Wolff, Why would a great and accomplished female wrestler like you offer her protection to Lauper?"

"First of all, Piper, thank you for having me on here."

"My pleasure."

"Secondly, I was going to let you unmask me, but you showed support of Big John Studd, A man I greatly despise for his disrespect of both me and André."

"I am sorry for going back on that unspoken promise, Miss Lucifarian."

"Thank you for the apology, Roddy, Thirdly, may I say that I did not offer my services of protection to Miss Lauper, instead that was my father who told, Miss Lauper, that the D.O.D would protect her. Why on earth would a woman with an intelligence that rivals, yours for example, protect a girl like Cyndi Lauper?"

"I don't admire a lot of women, but you, I like you. I admire your intelligence, your ability to strike fear into the hearts of men with your words alone. I know that you have been searching for your next challenging opponent, and I for one don't wanna offer myself up, I just want to know how difficult it has been for the past few weeks going without a challenging enough opponent for your skill level?"

"Well, Piper, it's been tough, honestly, I think I may have scared everyone off. As someone who has previously been banned from women's competition, I find getting any support in the ring quite hard at times. I find your lack of fear quite charming, honest to the Lord above, you charm me, boyo."

"Thank you, you're a real sweetheart. Quick question, why do you call me 'boyo'?"

"Don't you call men 'lad' in Glasgow?"

"Oh, I see, anyway, before you go, one last thing."

I wasn't expecting this, the rest me and Rod had planned in advance, but not that line, he said he wasn't going to pull anything, he gave me his word.

Then, before I knew what was going on, he unbuckled my mask, pulling it down for a moment and kissed me square on the lips, in front of the cameras and the fans.

I tried to stand up and he dipped me down into the kiss, much to the enjoyment of the fans, who were hooting and hollering, obviously this doesn't happen much in the WWF.

Roddy kept his right hand intertwined with my ponytail and had his left arm around my back, supporting most of my waist as he brought me back up and helped me re-fix my mask into it's rightful spot.

After the show I tried to avoid Roddy for a couple minutes, trying to make sense of why he would do such a thing knowing full well we were not an 'out' couple or even an 'in' couple with the fans, sure the fans enjoying the moment was nice, but we were both heels, we were not supposed to do that off-screen, let alone on-screen and in front of a full crowd of fans.

I came to the decision to drop it for now and wait for Rod to hopefully explain his actions or somehow work it into a programme.

My mind started to wonder, maybe he would try to use that as blackmail against Damien, or even against me.

The D200's door opening and slamming shut caught me off guard, making me jump a little.

"I'm sorry, baby, I didn't mean to scare ya."

"I'm fine, Roddy, just caught up in my thoughts, that's all."

"What were ya thinking about?"

"Nothing important, mainly just what happened earlier."

"Ya mean, me, Orndorff and Schultz winning the match?"

"No, Roderick, the kiss, we didn't plan that."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot to clear that with ya, but Orndorff and Schultz said that it would get the fans interested."

"Hon."

"Yeah?"

"Next time, please clear everything we do in a promo or interview with me first, so I don't start wondering if you'll blackmail me."

"I would never blackmail ya, maybe Damien, but never you."

"I love you, ya hot-headed, kilt wearing idiot."

"I love you to, ya blonde, gothic, tattooed Ivory tower."

"Did you call me an 'Ivory tower'?"

"You're tall and pale, what d'ya want me to say?"

END OF THE SALEM HOUSE or THE SCOTTISH COTTAGE

[one-spidey-boii]

BUMMER SUMMER || peter parker; ch. two

read chapter one here

masterlist

an; welcome back y’all. thank you to all who have read so far, even tho it’s only chapter two. i’d love to hear your feedback! enjoy!

**italics indicates flashback**

warnings; mentions of battle wounds (i.e. blood/scars/etc), future smut, mature language, fluff, angst, both peter and oc are 18+!!

word count; 2.2k+

edie's pov

so that's spiderman? seems like a fun guy, i think as i walk through the dark alleyways so i don’t draw unwanted attention to myself. it's late and i'm navigating my way home, still thinking about my run-in with the red and blue clad boy. it's easy to tell he's young by the sound of his voice, leading me to believe he’s twenty at most. that doesn't bother me of course, as i too am considered young for a crime-fighting vigilante.

i turn the last corner before reaching my street and sigh with relief at the sight of my apartment building. the light in my window is off, aiding in the illusion that i'm asleep so my mom doesn't come in while i'm away on my semi-nightly adventures. just before i can touch the brick stones of my building as i pass by, a mechanical swoosh comes down and picks me up off the ground. i let out a small yelp and quickly find myself placed on the roof.

"hey, wolfie." mr. stark says as he walks out of his iron man suit. i let out the breath i was holding and turn around to face him. i offer him a small smile and take my hood down.

"mr. stark, hello, sir."

"school's almost out, right?" before i can answer, he keeps talking, "good. i'm gonna need your help with something."

i wipe away the beads of sweat running down my forehead as i bend down to pick up my throwing knives from the concrete ground. i steady myself and focus on the tattered piece of cardboard nailed to the wall that is my makeshift target. with a small grunt, i fling one towards the center of the red dot, hitting it dead on. i continue this activity until i run out of things to throw and my arms feel like jelly. i lost count of how many times i'd hit the center of the target in a row.

stepping back with a satisfied smirk, i collect my knives, shoving them back into their rightful place in my bag or around my waist and turn on my heel to head home. i manage to take two steps before a voice stops me in my tracks.

"hey, don't walk away now, kid, the next one would have been fifty." my eyes widen at the familiar voice that often appears on my living room television. i slowly move to face the man and gulp, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish, not being able to say a word.

"come on, one more. show me what you got." says tony stark, with a loose smile on his face.

without a word, i force my trembling hands to grab my favorite knife from my right boot and brace myself for a throw. my breathing is shaky as i raise my right arm and inhale along with it. i can feel the sweat running down my back as i close my eyes for a moment. don't embarrass yourself, e, i think to myself. with that i snap my eyes open and silently chuck the knife towards the target.

i missed.

"oh for fuck's sake." i groan into my hands before i remember who i'm with and freeze. i keep my head in my hands, making sure to cover my face, only gathering enough courage to peek at tony stark through my fingers.

"well, that's awkward, i won't lie," he says, looking uncomfortable, "but i think i saw what i needed to see beforehand. i'm tony stark, or iron man if you wanna get fancy." he reaches a hand out in my direction.

"edie wolfe, hi." i reply with a defeated and lame handshake. to save both of us from looming silence, he pulls at my hoodie before continuing on, "okay, ms. wolfe." he pauses to inspect my attire, "what is this? leggings? and a hoodie? kid, if you're gonna be throwing knives, you gotta expect people to throw them back at you. this isn't going to cut it." he motions to the thin fabric covering my arms and chest.

i laugh at his words, "oh hey i see what you did there."

not catching on to his own pun, he moves on again, "what? actually never mind, we have a lot of talking to do, wolfie."

ever since that night, he took me under his wing- and a week later i got a package with a brand new suit in it. one that would protect me a whole lot more than what i was working with before.

"earth to wolfie, beep beep boop," mr. stark says as he pokes me in the forehead. i swat his hand away and give him my full attention. he continues on, "so you're in? a summer at the compound, being scary and keeping bad guys away?"

i raise an eyebrow at him, "what makes you think my family will be okay with that?" i ask. mr. stark simply rolls his eyes, "i already talked to your father, need i show you the proof?" i shake my head and he nods with satisfaction.

"okay, kid. see you in a few days." he says, preparing to get back into his suit, but before he can fly away i stop him, a question looming over my head, "am i doing this alone?"

"of course not. i wouldn't leave you alon- well actually i can't leave him alone so that's why you're gonna be there," he explains with a shake of his head.

"and who exactly is this person?" i ask with my arms crossed.

"how about one friendly neighborhood spiderman!" he yells and takes off before i can say anything back.

-

finally, the last day of school was upon us. it seems that the ending of every school year is bittersweet, and to be honest it hasn't quite hit me yet. senior year was way lamer than everyone played it off to be. you're told that you're officially ‘top dog', but let's be real- no real credit is given until you've graduated. but hey, here's to making it this far.

i'm sitting at my usual lunch table, surrounded by peter, ned, and mj. we pass jokes around the group and take in every moment we have left of our time together, yanno, since peter is leaving. but so am i. which is something i still have to share with everyone.

"uh, hey, guys. can i be a debby downer for a moment?" i ask, clearing my throat and disturbing the light mood of the afternoon. the table quiets down and all eyes are on me. "so you know how peter is leaving this summer?" i ruffle peter's hair in an attempt to not make that statement so sad.

"yeah, edie, we know." mj says with an eye roll as she picks at her cold french fries. i roll my eyes back at her and mock her voice. i can't help but notice peter's guilty face sitting next to me, little does he know i am going to make it a whole lot more weird up in here.

i take in a big breath and hold it to up the anticipation, "well it looks like i'll be gone too."

ned drops his chicken wrap and shakes his head furiously, "nuh uh, nope. no way. sorry, e, i can't allow that to happen," he says with a stern voice. peter chooses this moment to negatively highlight my new confession, "edie, how dare you! someone needs to be here to look after the kids."

i lower my head in shame, god this was so hard to do. faking a playful smile, i try to make light of the situation, "hey, c'mon, we all know mj is the mom friend of the group."

mj shakes her head violently and protests against my statement, "absolutely not. i veto that with all of my being, ned is the mom." she insists as she points to the pouting boy. we all laugh at that before falling into an uncomfortable silence. i glance in peter's direction and try to smile at him. doing this to him was the hardest, i tell him everything and knowing full well that i can't tell anyone about my stay at the compound, it just hurts my heart. we won't be able to communicate all summer.

"my mom signed me up to be a camp counselor...at, uh, a self-defense camp." i panic at the last second, realizing i never thought about what kind of camp i would fictitiously be a part of. the whole table bursts out into laughter.

through short breaths and a hearty laugh, ned pokes fun at me, "edie? teaching children how to kick someone's ass? look at you, you're like a soft pillowy little marshmallow." i stick my tongue out at him and cross my arms.

"hey, i wouldn't shut down the idea too fast, remember e's dad is like, an actual fbi agent. i'm sure he's taught her some stuff," peter chimes in, coming to my rescue. i nod along and hum a 'mhm', snickering inside at how much they don't know.

-

once i'm home, i pack my suitcase with all the things i think one would need to stay at a high tech superhero compound. i grab all of my knives and shove them into a utility pack, along with my suit.

my parents know where i'm going, and lucky for me they’re okay with it. well, at least my dad is.

my father, sam wolfe, works for a hidden branch of the fbi that trains government spies and the occasional assassin. thus being the reason i grew to be so good at combat. he would take me onto the roof of our building and have me shoot at targets and hit punching bags. we would practice for hours at a time, his booming voice critiquing my every move and decision as i worked. i've never been comfortable with a gun, so i stuck with knives and made that my craft.

i haven't seen my dad in a few months now. to 'protect' me and my family, we weren't allowed to know where my dad was going or why he had to leave in the first place. once mr. stark came into my life, he and my father became close, putting his trust in mr. stark to watch out for me whenever he was gone.

my mother on the other hand, she hates everything about it. she’s afraid of the world and all the things that lurk behind closed doors. when dad isn't around, we aren't allowed to talk about anything related to knives or fighting or tony stark. and for my nine-year-old brother's sake, i oblige.

pulling my bag onto my shoulder and lugging my suitcase through the hall, i meet my mother and brother in the living room. she meets my eyes with her cloudy ones and closes the distance between us with a strong hug. i chuckle at her before wrapping my arms around her plump frame.

"mom, it's okay-" i start, before she cuts me off, "shhh, edie. let me have this moment."

i shut up and continue to embrace my mom. i know this is hard for her, but she needs to understand that this is an amazing opportunity for me. i'm being put in charge of the avengers compound for the entire summer. i wish i could share this excitement with my dad, but i know he's happy for me, wherever he may be.

"edie, promise me you'll come home if you can't handle it. no one is going to judge you for that. you're only eighteen. i can't believe your father is letting you do this." my mother rambles as she pulls away from me. i smile at her and just nod my head.

my little brother looks over in our direction with a shy smile on his face. i ruffle his hair and pull him to me for a quick hug, "take care of mom for me, booger." i whisper into his ear. he gives me a simple nod and backs away.

my phone buzzes in my pocket. i pull it out to see a message from mr. stark.

'beep beep, i'm here'

i sigh and look up at my mom one last time, "that's my ride." she lets a single tear stroll down her cheek before wiping it away and shooing me out the door.

once out of the apartment, i lug my suitcase down the three flights of stairs and out onto the sidewalk. mr. stark is pulled up to the curb in his fancy black car. he rolls down the passenger side window and yells at me through it, "time to party, wolfie."

i stroll to the car and pull the back door open to throw my stuff down. then i hop into the front seat and look at mr. stark, "you know, you could have come in."

"yeah, well we all know your mother doesn't like me very much. i don't wanna poke the bear," he says as he pulls his sunglasses over his eyes and revs the engine, "let's get you to your new home for the next three months, shall we?"

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