#had to grown and develop a lot as a leader and person in general

[chatxkilluaxnoir]

How the heck did it go from 78 to vote 85 votes within like, a few mintues?

What the hell!?

Anyways please vote Leo!!

I have already given multiple reblogs reasons as to why you should vote for Leo, but I will give more in the tags, please read my reblogs and the tags for them.

And please vote my blue boi Leo!

(I still love love u Raph too, but this is Leo we are talking about here, I am sorry).

TMNT tournament! Round 2 poll 2!

(2012 won a lot in round 1 lol)

[blackbirdie1234]

Brothers Best Friend Pt.1

Sam Uley! x Fem!Reader!

A/N: Part one of a two-part series where Sam is your brother's friend. Slightly based on the plot of New Moon. Emily is Sam's cousin in this. I'll get part two out as soon as I can!

Warnings//: Profanity.

Summary: Sam is your brother's best friend. What happens when suddenly you start hearing rumors that they have joined a gang and gone off the rails.

B/N=Brothers name (make one up if you wish.)

You had heard the rumors, “Sam started a cult”, “They must be in a gang”, and "Did you know that Sam and his goons run around the woods shirtless and perform rituals" It was all over the town. In a town with less than three thousand people, rumors are bound to spread like wildfire. You didn’t want to believe it, more so because your brother was a part of it, and you could never think of him being involved in that. No matter how much you didn’t want to accept it you couldn’t help how your mind raced with anxious thoughts.

Could your brother really be in a cult? Could Sam really be the one to lead and start it? The evidence was a harsh reality, every single person in the group including your brother had cut their long hair short and gotten a matching tattoo, and that had to be something. You decided enough was enough, enough of hearing rumors, enough of your brother ignoring your existence, enough of your parents worrying, and enough of letting your feelings for Sam blind you from the truth.

You have known Sam since childhood. Sam and your brother were close friends, which meant him being around a lot and you two having general knowledge of each other. As the years went on you had developed a small crush on the boy, but you would NEVER tell him or your brother that. You always thought he saw you as his friend's annoying little sister, and he did at least until one day that started changing. It happened slowly, the lingering glances, the protectiveness turning from one of brotherly love to jealousy, the very structure of your dynamic began to change. You decided that you push those feelings down, no matter how strong they were. You couldn't handle the thought of your brother finding out about your feelings for his best friend or even Sam for that matter, you knew he wouldn't approve, and besides the chances of Sam seeing you as anything more than the girl who used to hang out with his cousin and annoy him is very slim.

You were on your way to Sam’s house, you didn’t have a plan and you didn’t even know what you were going to say but you had determination and that was enough for you. You pulled up to Sam’s house and immediately saw multiple guys without their shirts on staring at you, you got out of the car ignoring their gazes. Heading straight for the front door you barged in without knocking.

“B/N?!” you shouted, walking through the house.

You soon realized no one was inside. You ran out of the house, looking around until you saw them. You stormed down the hill towards the woods, where Sam and your brother stood facing the trees talking. When you saw them you couldn’t help the anger that rose in your chest as you got closer and closer.

"HEY!" You yelled to the two boys, who turned their heads to look at you immediately.

You saw the confusion on both of their faces as you continued to stomp towards them. You are soon face to face with your brother, who is looking at you like you've grown two heads. Thats when you started ripping in to him.

"You need to explain everything to me right here, right now. I am tired of hearing that my big brother is now a part of some gang and that Sam Uley is the leader of it. You've ignored me for weeks, cut your hair off, gotten a tattoo. Mom and Dad are worried sick and you couldn't even pick up the damn phone like a man and explain what you've been doing. So I'm here now. Explain, and it better be good because I swear to you B/N I wont sit here and wait for you to pull your head out of your ass and realize all of the damage you've done." You say frustration bleeding from the words. You take a deep breath after the tangent.

Your brother's face shifts from confusion to understanding. He lets out a deep sigh. He was about to start talking but something stopped him. He slowly turned his head towards Sam, who is staring at you now with more intensity than you've ever seen on anyone before. Your brother started switching back and forth between you and Sam, becoming angrier and angrier each time. You were about to tell them to stop staring at you like idiots and tell you what was going on, when suddenly your brother started punching Sam repeatedly.

You stood there in shock. Before your brain could even process what was happening, they were now on the ground throwing punches wherever they could land.

"WHAT THE FUCK?......B/N, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" you exclaim through a scream.

All you can do is stand there and watch as your brother and Sam continue to throw each other around. Until, suddenly they weren't human anymore. They were gigantic wolves. You scream and fall back in shock at the sight of the two wolves, fighting their way into the woods. You sit there staring in shock as they tumble deep into the trees. You sit there for what feels like hours but is more likely a few seconds, now only hearing the sound of snarls and yelps from the distance. You begin to hear running behind you, 4 other wolves the same size jump over your head continuing into the woods. They disappear and you are left sitting, completely alone, and feeling like you are going crazy.

That didn't just happen, right? That was all in my head? What in the ever-living fuck did I just see? Why the hell did my brother start attacking Sam? How could this even be possible?, that's it I am now officially insane. These thoughts run into your head before you hear soft footsteps coming from behind you. A big contrast to the ones you heard just moments before.

"Are you okay, ?" A sweet voice calls out. You turn around to see Emily, Sam's cousin, with a calm but concerned look on her face.

"Did... did you see that?" you say in a wavering tone, barely above a whisper.

She walked over to you and grabbed your hand, helping you up off the ground and softly dusting the dirt off of your back. She always knew how to comfort someone, her presence alone was warm and inviting. You two were closer when you were little, you are still friends but haven't spoken since you started distancing yourself from Sam. You were scared of your feelings for him and the hurt it might cause, so you pushed him away and by default Emily as well.

"Everything is going to be okay, Y/N," she said in a soothing tone, careful to not spook you even more. "Why don't you come with me inside, I'll get you some tea and a blanket and we can talk about it."

She led me up the hill, rubbing a comforting circle into my back. She made me tea and wrapped a blanket around my shoulders. All I could do was stare blankly into the mug, mind running faster than my body could handle, as we sat down she began speaking.

“Your brother is a werewolf, and so is Sam and the rest of the boys,” she said giving a small smile and holding my hand. “I know it doesn’t make sense, and when they get back they can explain it better, but you have to understand he couldn’t tell you. It’s a sacred rule, and Sam enforced it. Alphas orders get obeyed whether they want it or not.” She says scanning my face for my reaction as she continues.

" I do not want to cause you more distress than you've already had today, so I'm going to leave the rest to Sam and B/N," she said smiling softly at me. She took my hand in hers and rubbed it smoothly "Unless you have any questions to ask me"

I looked up at her and shook my head no. I loved Emily but this was all too much, all I had was one question for her.

"I only have one, why did my brother attack Sam like that? It was out of nowhere, I couldn't even react it all happened so fast." I ask with confusion trying to wrap my head around all of this.

She looked at me a bit stunned as if she didn't know that piece of information, and I had just said something totally bizarre.

"He what?" she said stuttering a bit. "Wait B/N attacked Sam? Is that why they shifted? I thought the boys caught a whiff of........ nevermind" she trails off at the end, not meaning to slip up.

"Caught a whiff of what?" I ask staring at her intensely. She looks up at me like a child getting caught doing something wrong by their parents, she avoids my eyes and stands up starting to clean up what I'm assuming was lunch, until the boys were interrupted.

"Of what, Emily" I ask a bit more sternly.

[oozedninjas]

2007 TMNT GROWN UPS HC

Because they have a life outside of crimefighting, you know?

sfw

----

DONNIE

He got into college, got a degree in systems engineering and works from home as a programmer for an important corporation.

Uses an IA to generate a human-Like appearance for work meetings.

He’s the one with the highest income and the most uninterested in money. Donnie supports his family a lot in that sense.

After Leo, Donnie is the one who takes good care of Master Splinter, who fortunately never falls sick, but they worry nonetheless.

Donnie spends almost all he makes on his lab, and what he’s left he invests it on their home, which means: new, much more comfortable furniture, a new security system to protect the lair, escape routes in case of needing to, he made sure each of them had a comfortable space to sleep.

RAPHAEL

When learnt how to take care of his bike when working as the night watcher, so I picture him making money as a mechanic.

When he’s not fighting crime at night, Raph tends a mechanical workshop he build in association with Casey. It’s located in an abandoned garage near the lair.

Generally, Casey makes the deals, brings the clients, and delivers the vehicles back to them once they’re done, while Raph does the mechanics and fixes everything.

The place is a nice distraction and thanks to the marvelous work they make, it’s a nice business.

MIKEY

I think he would most likely be a TikTok celebrity.

It all started with couple of videos that he published by mistake and went viral.  

He constructed his personal brand around body painting, animal-care, and skateboarding.

Mikey’s a hit, seriously like he would get nice brand colabs and receive a bunch of free stuff for him to test and provide online opinions.

Master splinter wasn’t happy about it, but given that everyone thought it was a costume, he allowed it.

Donnie was commanded with the task of making an IA human-like appearance for Mikey, tho, just to be sure.

LEO

The turtle team still exists, fewer times now than before, cause life changes and they don’t have as much time on their hands now as they did when they were younger. Yet, Leo can’t help but feel lonely at times.

Training at the dojo and glimpsing back to see the Lab’s lights on and meet the silence of the house without Mikey and Raph.

Master Splinter’s no. 1 caretaker.

I think that as all his brothers progressively grew older, Leo started to note his only purpose until now had been his brothers: standing as a leader for them, protecting them, taking care of them, and being responsible for them.

What does he truly enjoy? Leo starts to wonder.

And this is Leo's best age to discover what he's into and show a wilder side of himself. He feels complete.

He loves exploring new things!

Leo became a teacher after settling down. He teaches Japanese history and martial arts online.

Donnie helped him develop an app, and everything's going alright.

[cupid-tune]

hey uhm could you tell us more about your fantrolls? they all look really cool but i dont know much more about them besides that. :P (also i like jhudas shes very pretty :])

OH ABSOLUTELY!! You have no idea how happy I am to get messages like this! This is gonna be a long post just because I want to get all of my guys in here, apologies in advance!

Not all of my trolls have fully fleshed out backstories yet, but the ones with dancestors are part of a fansession I'm in, they've had the most development by far.

Armane

Armane is probably my most neglected character, but I do really love his design and concept! He's a Burgundy with a lot of fight in him, despite his weak stature. He partakes in a lot of underground fighting rings in lowblood districts, usually to take out his anger or earn a little extra money. He's obviously gotten very hurt from it many times in the past, but that hasn't scared him away from a fight just yet. One of the reasons he gets violent so often is just the fact that he wants to prove himself to be tough and independent, since his lusus is very protective of him and has been ever since he was a wriggler. He's just a little problem child.

Armane is very afraid of death, but he hates mentioning or bringing up any of his fears. In general, he just isn't a very social or talkative troll, preferring actions over words and keeping his distance in any kind of gatherings. You could probably get him to warm up to you easy if you don't pose as a threat, but Armane follows the hemospectrum pretty strictly, and usually won't talk to mid bloods or higher on his own.

Nonemu

Nonemu is the leader of a cult called the Anon Trolls. I haven't done very much with their character in terms of backstory yet, since I really like them as a blank slate for whatever I could use them in. Her cult is meant to serve as an escape from society, living in a commune much more isolated from other trolls. To be apart of the family is to denounce your place in the hemospectrum and completely hide your color, as a way of being treated equally amongst everyone else in the commune. It's unknown what caste Nonemu is, but some say all the possible traits are hidden away, like their eye color for example.

Nonemu is a very kind and patient troll, serving as a sort of parental figure over his commune. He takes great responsibility and pride in his work, and can be quite a mystery to talk to. Nonemu is the type of person to speak in very vague terms, never really being fully truthful or transparent. It's up to interpretation whether or not they can be considered truly kind or malicious with their intentions.

Fennek

Ok Fennek is like. Think of troll Jesse Pinkman and that's what you got. My concepts for Fennek are in general pretty scattered, but his main gig is that he participates in a lot of illegal business as a supplier and seller. Having grown up on internet culture and self study, Fennek has taught himself all kinds of useful skills in advancing his unfortunate position to make the most of life. Chemicals and weapons are his specialty, but his skills and personality are nearly opposite.

Fennek is a very chill and easy-going kind of guy, never really taking any situations seriously. It's a wonder he hasn't died yet with the amount of life threatening risks he puts himself in. The mask really is the only precaution he takes when it comes to working with chemicals or other substances, his hair is probably full of toxic shit. It kind of gives off the idea that Fennek knows he won't live very long anyway, so he doesn't care either way. Live life to the fullest while you can.

Trinet

Admittedly, the dancestor designs are some of my favorites. The first concept for Trinet was that I just wanted a troll who was really into explosives, and oh boy is he into them. Similar to his dancestor, Trinet is an inventor who specializes in bombs. Explosives of any kind! He's very loud, probably due to the fact that his hearing isn't all there. It's probably a Snuzek tradition to just not be properly equipped for the shit you're trying to do, precautions aren't a concern whatsoever.

Trinet is VERY outgoing and active! He talks a lot and fast, you might not catch everything he says. Although his personality kind of gives off the idea that he's dumb or aloof, he's much more impressive when talking about the stuff he actually knows, like how to make this specific bomb or what that compound of elements can make! With how bright and joyful he seems, sometimes the things he talks about can be pretty dark or upsetting. There are lots of themes of death surrounding both Snuzeks, which I'll probably elaborate more on another post.

Zuzu

Zuzu is a whole fucking bundle of fun!! Ok the original concept was supposed to be a DJ troll, but somewhere through the designing process, they ended up turning into a Vocaloid. Centered around a lot of 2010 scene-type themes, Zuzu is an underground music artist and singer trying to make a name for herself. She'll take up any gigs available, hoping to be the party of the life and meet all kinds of trolls. Unfortunately, the music business is tough, and trying to get famous off of it is a lot more work than he initially thought.

Zuzu is the type of troll you'd go to for help or advice, a people pleaser with the full intention of trying to look good in the eyes of everyone. They can be pretty pushy at times, and they're not very good at reading the room. Although Zuzu means well, they fuck up social situations frequently, instead making him seem desperate or clingy. It seems like their emotions are amplified on all sides of the spectrum, one bad day can be a harsh blow for them.

Farrow

Although scary looking at first glance, Farrow is probably one of the most harmless trolls you'll meet. A simple farmer with a goal to live a just as simple life, Farrow is a recluse who lives on the outskirts of the city. They hardly ever interact with other trolls, not after an incident that caused them to lose their vision. A long time ago, Farrow worked as a bounty hunter, usually taking culling jobs as a means of getting trades for other goods. Now Farrow has taken up a more harmless line of work, disposing of the bodies from other troll's dirty work. They'll get rid of anything you might need to hide, using it for their own benefit such as fertilizer or food for their lusus.

In general, Farrow is very close to their lusus, using him as a guide around the farm and other places. Laying low is the next best option, but Farrow really doesn't mind. They are a welcoming troll with a habit of appearing much scarier than they mean to. Whether it be a creepy smile or misjudging you for an intruder, Farrow walks the line of good and bad. They don't really see their actions as immoral, simply understanding that their planet is a cruel place, and they really aren't the worst there is out there.

Fichte

Fichte was my first fan troll ever, originally used as a persona and turned into a dumbass philosopher. He is an absolute stuck up prick and will not apologize for any of his behavior. As cold cut as you can get with someone, Fichte is the type that will upright tell you his intentions and then get upset when you don't follow through with them like he wants. He'll study you, use you for research, and completely discard you after if you aren't of any use to him.

While seemingly emotionally distant, if you spend even a little time with him had he not pissed you off already, you might start to see signs of insecurity or loneliness. Fichte always favors logic over emotions, finding comfort in knowledge rather than the untameable pool of socialization. The subjects he studies varies, but his main interest is philosophy and studying the behavior of other trolls. One thing he especially loves doing is keeping notes of just about everyone he meets, and he has plenty of notebooks filled with just that.

Xarlow

Xarlow is just the guy you'd expect him to be, a silly clown guy with a horrible personality. He likes to consider himself popular and well known, running his own circus with his found siblings and performing to his heart's content. Xarlow specializes in the art of extreme performance, commiting acts of violence against others and himself. His tight corset is in fact one of the self proclaimed "art pieces" of his, using his body as a canvas and thereby destroying it. Speaking of, Xarlow had managed to lose one of his horns by accident during a public show, which ended in him tearing out the other to match. That was not a pretty show.

Xarlow doesn't seek sympathy. He isn't a good person outside of performing and he knows it. The general consensus of his personality is that he's bad, but there are so many personalities to choose from that it becomes confusing at times to pinpoint just one. He's manipulative and cruel, hypocritical at its worse. His history with Fichte is a great example of this cruelty, moirails turned kismesis to what eventually became too toxic to keep. They both hurt each other in their own ways, it's difficult to take sides. One thing is for certain is that their experience has had lasting effects, Xarlow isn't someone you should consider for a quadrant.

Onette

Onette is the definition of a gentle giant. What you see on the outside is entirely what's on the inside, a harmless troll who wants nothing more than to just create and enjoy life. A very soft spoken girl, Onette tries her best to appear harmless and approachable despite her size and caste, dressing in delicate clothing and using a gentle, warm voice to reassure others. Onette has a fascination with creation and art, one of her biggest hobbies being that of making dolls and paintings.

Onette has a certain distain for those in her own caste, often chastising them for their treatment of lowbloods, but doing nothing herself to stop them. She's soft, but perhaps too soft. Onette can be frightened easily, and is extremely nonconfrontational, something that she has a difficult time trying to come to terms with. Ironically, Onette has an interest in purplebloods especially, due to their popularity in being known as clowns. Many of her dolls are inspired by them, which can almost be seen as creepy or obsessive if you stepped into her hive.

Jhudas

Jhudas is very different from her dancestor, nearly opposite in nature. My biggest inspiration for her was the song Brutus, which can be seen in both her design and personality. She is a backstabber, often engaging in violence of all kind just to pave her way to the top. Unlike Onette, Jhudas has a clear hatred for the castes above her, purplebloods especially because she believes they rub their position in her face as being the caste right above. Jhudas deals with anger issues, and will likely explode on you with any minor inconvenience. She works as an assassin, usually taking up jobs from fellow highbloods even if she despises that fact.

Jhudas will be subservient to those she works for, but you can tell there are ulterior motives behind it. Waiting for the right moment to strike, to prove she is above everyone else in order to get what she wants. Despite all this, Jhudas may be one of your best allies, especially in quadrants. She's protective of those she deems worthy, and exerts a lot of tough love if she believes you can do better in handling yourself. It's just advised you should watch your back with her no matter what.

Veictr

Just from looks alone, you can tell what his deal is. Crazy scientist troll with the absolute worst intentions, gleefully using others in his nonsensical experiments all for the name of research. Veictr is just that! Everything about him should tell you that he's dangerous, and he very much is. Having stole the headlight of his dear lusus after a particularly nasty fight, Veictr began his work diving into the world of body modifications and mutation. He managed to find a way to hook the light to his own system, forming a symbiotic relationship with his body and the bacteria just as a symbol of award from his lusus.

Veictr is quite a confusing character in terms of personality, showing absolutely no sympathy for anyone while also being a sweetheart to those who manage to stay alive in his presence. He doesn't mean to intentionally hurt anyone, it just so happens that death and injury occurs when experiments fail. He's quite giggly too, with a hyperactive attitude and a great interest in others, Veictr can make for great conversation. His curiosity knows no bounds, and it really is a wonder how he manages to prove some of his theories correct.

Lucius

Lucius is probably the most unfortunate of my trolls. Having suffered the consequences of their own actions, Lucius managed to find herself trapped at the bottom of the ocean by a certain Fuchsia due to an obsession gone too far. Before this incident, she was considered a dangerous troll, perhaps just as much as her dancestor, but unfortunately, she was shut down far before she could get too bad. Although her entrapment was meant to be her execution, Lucius managed to survive with the help of her lusus, escaping after a sweep of just barely making it out.

Now, Lucius is an entirely different person. After so long of being in isolation, they've become paranoid and weak, suffering the many effects the ocean put them through. What was the most interesting part, however, was the fact that they returned with a strange mutation. It is unknown how exactly it happened, but Lucius now suffers with a bioluminescent stomach, her skin seeming thinner or perhaps even transparent.

Her story breaks off into many directions depending on the context, but one involves the scientific interest her own dancestor took of her after being discovered in this state. I'm currently in the progress of making an animatic based on this particular outcome which I'm very excited about! More lore stuff to be expanded on later.

This is the general information for each of my characters so far! There's a lot more detail I'd like to expand on in separate posts, especially considering I'm trying to cram a bunch into one. I really really appreciate the interest in my characters, and I hope to post more content about them soon! It makes me super happy that people enjoy them as much as I do.

This took a while to make LMAO

[a-mellowtea]

Interview: Lindsay Jones RWBY Archives: Remnant Promenade Volume 1-8

Q.1. Tell me how you became involved as a production staff member and cast member. Also, please share any general thoughts on it.

I voice the main character of this work, Ruby Rose, the leader of Team RWBY. It’s been a very rewarding and daunting challenge to voice her as a character and grow alongside her. To put it lightly, “RWBY” has changed my life.

Q.2. What was your impression when you first saw the finished version of “RWBY”?

Being a long-time anime fan, it was literally a dream come true to be a part of something with such a classic plot and story. Ruby has so much of my own personality in her. It was a hybrid combination of my career dreams coming true and a new version of myself. She’s way cooler than me, though.

Q.3. What do you think the appeal of "RWBY" is, and what are your favorite characters and episodes?

Compared to many production companies, we had fewer people involved at first but, in exchange, we were able to work more intimately, which is what makes "RWBY" so appealing. Fans and people in the industry say that it’s a little rougher than other anime, but it’s a very straightforward one. One of my favorite characters is Nora. I’ve always liked characters who appear cheerful on the surface, but who have a true nature to reveal underneath. As for episodes, I’d say Vol. 1 Episode 8, “Players and Pieces”. It’s the first episode where we see Team RWBY and JNPR working together in a situation that seems out of control.

Q.4. Please give a look back on production from the beginning to the present, when over 100 episodes have been produced, including Vol. 8.

I can’t say that nothing has changed. We’ve been swept up in a wave of support, not only domestically but worldwide. "RWBY" is in everything. Games, comics, manga, etc. Ruby has even become a VTuber. We've added more details to everything surrounding RWBY, we've seen the characters grow, we've been able to take the girls to different worlds, we’ve been able to add new weapons. It's gone from a small world to a universe called "RWBY".

Q.5. “RWBY” has become a long-running series, with numerous spin-offs and mixed media works in addition to the main story. What do you think is the reason it has grown this way, with so many fans around the world?

“RWBY” has a universal appeal and many people can identify with every character. There is a character for everyone. I personally identify with many of the characters, especially Ruby herself. I know that people turn to media as a source of solace and inspiration, and RWBY is one of those places.

Q.6. In addition to the Japanese dubbed version, there are various media properties, such as comics and goods. What are your impressions of the development in Japan, such as the production of the original work “Ice Queendom” by Japanese staff? Also, what kind of developments do you expect in the future?

I remember when I talked to Monty, he had a strong desire to enter the Japanese market, a medium that inspired him. Many studios such as Sanzigen, who produced “Black Rock Shooter”, inspired him. Now, we've been able to work with a Japanese partner to see his dream come true, and it feels like his spirit’s come full circle. It’s also great to see "RWBY" redone in the traditional 2D format, giving us a new look at the classic characters.

Q.7. What is the appeal of your character?

The appeal of Ruby’s character is that she is innocent, yet driven. There's triumph in her simple soul, she has an almost childlike purity and innocence, but she also needs to grow up. I think a lot of viewers, especially young viewers, can relate to that. It’s a formative time in life, a time when you’re discovering who you are and who you want to be.

Q.8. Please tell us about the points of your performance and story that you want people to pay attention to. Also, what episodes, scenes, or lines have left a particularly strong impression on you in the past 10 years of acting?

Episode 8 of Vol. 1 is the first time Ruby faces serious difficulties. Expression her core and innermost feelings through the battle was a big challenge for me, but at the same time it was meaningful. In Vol. 3, after Ruby picks up Penny’s sword, she says “Leave her alone!” and I had to convey a variety of emotions with just three words. If I’m hearing the audience right, I think I did a good job. That moment opened the door to the dark scenes of “RWBY” and helped set the tone for the rest of the leads.

Q.9. Please tell us about the character’s growth from her first appearance to the end of Vol. 8. Was there any change in your acting from her first scene to the end?

Yes, there’s more uncertainty behind her. She had to find her footing in Beacon, but there were people guiding her. As she's grown, those people have become neutral figures or are gone from her life. So she has to find her own compass within herself.

Q.10. What do you think are some similarities and differences between you and Ruby?

[laughs politely] Before Monty offered me the role, he literally said to me, “You’re not very social.” Yep! Socially awkward, but endlessly optimistic. I was eager to prove myself, and I definitely had my own struggles with finding myself, believing in myself over other people, and not letting anyone else speak for me.

Q.11. Please give us your thoughts on the future development of the character and your message to them.

I want Ruby to show more leadership. With so many obstacles in front of her and hope fading, she'll have to find her inner strength and support her team as much as she can. My message to Ruby is, “Choose yourself. Never stop choosing yourself. And no capes”.

Q.12. Please leave a message for your fans around the world.

First of all, I want to sincerely thank you for all your support over the years. Without you all, this work would not have been possible. My main message is to keep moving forward. As the team leader, I think that that’s the most appropriate thing to say to everyone.

— Translation by yours truly.

[natlacentral]

The Actress Who Waited a Lifetime to Become Katara

Kiawentiio talks joining the cast of Avatar: The Last Airbender and playing a character that means so much to so many

The 17-year-old actress Kiawentiio (pronounced gya-wuhn-dee-yo) can’t remember a time when Avatar: The Last Airbenderwasn’t part of her childhood in some way. Growing up on the Akwesasne Mohawk reservation in Ontario known as Kawehno:ke (or Cornwall Island), Kiawentiio—who was born in 2006, a full year after the beloved animated series debuted on Nickelodeon—recalls having older siblings who would have the cartoon regularly playing in the background of their house. Years later, when all three seasons began streaming on Netflix, she revisited the series and developed a newfound appreciation for its narrative ambition.

So, when Netflix first announced that it was developing a live-action adaptation of Avatar in 2018, Kiawentiio told her team to get her an audition for Katara, the 14-year-old girl who is trying to fulfill her potential as the last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe after her mother was killed by the ruthless Fire Nation.

“By the time they actually did start casting, I got the call from my manager that was like, ‘Don't freak out, but we think we have the Avataraudition.’ And obviously, I freaked out,” Kiawentiio tells Harper’s Bazaarwith a laugh in a recent phone interview. Of all the roles she had auditioned for, this one was at the top of her bucket list, because she knew that it could have the same impact on the next generation of Indigenous children that it had on her. “Katara was one of the only people that I could really see myself in. With the role model that she is for young Indigenous women, it's hard not to be drawn to her, especially when the representation is so scarce.”

Kiawentiio got her wish in the spring of 2021. After undergoing an intensive audition process, complete with a seemingly never-ending number of Zooms and chemistry reads, she got the news that would change her life. “They sat me down for another Zoom call, and I was expecting them to tell me it might take a while, but [creator and showrunner] Albert Kim ended up telling me what the project was, who I was auditioning for, and then I landed the role, and I was crying,” she recalls.

Every diehard Avatar fan can recite the basic premise by heart: Long ago, the four nations—Water, Earth, Fire, Air—once lived in harmony, with the Avatar, the master of all four elements, keeping the peace between them. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked and wiped out the Air Nomads. A century later, Aang (Gordon Cormier), a 12-year-old Air Nomad who has been frozen and suspended in time in an iceberg, reawakens to take his place as the next Avatar. Feeling responsible for the destruction he was unable to prevent, Aang sets out on a quest with his newfound friends, Katara and her Water Tribe leader brother Sokka (Ian Ousley), to save the world from the onslaught of the power-hungry Fire Lord Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim), who is determined to place all the nations under his authoritarian rule.

Katara, as Kiawentiio puts it, is the heart of the Avatar crew tasked with using their bending powers to restore peace in the divided world. “I think the core factors that make Katara [who she is] are her hopefulness and her optimism, and she's the person in the group that can keep them moving forward in a positive direction, and I think without that, team Avatar wouldn't be able to see the light,” she says.

Below, Kiawentiio reflects on the defining moments of Katara’s arc in the first season (which was shot two years ago in Vancouver), how she has grown alongside her character, and why she feels a new day has come for Indigenous representation in Hollywood.

A lot of the dramatic tension of the first season boils down to Aang’s internal conflict: Does the Avatar need to act alone, or can they afford to have people who help them along the way? In Aang’s case, he doesn’t just want people in his life; he needsthem to help save the world. Why do you think Katara is immediately drawn to Aang and his mission? How do you think that relationship evolves over the course of the season?

I think the reason that she was drawn to him in the first place was this energy of bender to bender, honestly, and I feel like that type of energy [bonds them] not only physically, but just spiritually. It's really intertwined in who they are because Aang plays a huge part in Katara's growth physically with her bending, and I feel like it was just this calling of fate and where you're supposed to be. But in terms of how the relationship has grown, I think it really is just blossoming into a family. Team Avatar is a family in our show. They're not going to leave each other's side; they're always there for each other.

Midway through the season, Koh, the face stealer of the spirit world, temporarily imprisons Katara and her brother Sokka and traps them with some of their darkest memories, which allows us to see, rather than hear about, their backstories. In Katara’s case, she is forced to relive the day she lost her mother. How do you think that loss has affected her in the present day?

It's just painful and that is the point of Koh, right? It is to weaken his prey with their own pain and their own memories. The way I see it is she probably feels helpless. She can't do anything, and that's really what has held her back. What has stuck in her mind is the fact that she couldn't do anything [to save her mom], and to be stuck in that painful loop definitely puts a damper on her confidence that she's been working up this entire season.

That memory of the loss that she went through is a roadblock, and that's something that she has to try and overcome as we go through the series because it really is the main reason that she can't get to that next level [of waterbending]. In the episode with Jett, after he shifted her perspective on how she was thinking and how her memories were acting up, she really unlocks that good energy that her mom was trying to leave her with.

It's impressive how together Katara actually is, especially in our season, because the flashbacks and her memories are so brutal that it's like, "Wow, I can't believe you are still normal." [Laughs.] But that goes to show how resilient she is and how strong she is. I think that was one of the things I took away from her while playing her. I tried to implement her message in my life more to be more optimistic and to have that hope and strength.

When she arrives in the Northern Water Tribe, Katara realizes that the women of this tribe aren’t allowed to fight, which comes as a bit of a culture shock for her. But it’s moving to see how she is able to mobilize the women of all ages when the tribe is under siege by the Fire Nation. At the end of the day, they are the ones who helped defeat the enemy.

Arriving at the Northern Water Tribe was something that she was looking forward to all season, and I think in her mind she had this image of like, "I'm going to get there. I'm going to meet a master, and he's going to teach me everything I need to know, and I’ll finally be able to reach that next step [as a Waterbender]." And getting there and being told basically all your work is not going to be paid off [because you’re a woman] was, in my opinion, devastating. That devastation leads straight into anger, which I relate to. I feel like I get the same waves of emotions, and then that leads to wanting to prove them wrong, wanting to change things [like Katara does]. Honestly, that scene with the women [Waterbenders] is just so beautiful, and it was one of my favorites to film. But I think in her mind, she was just reality checking Master Paku: "We are literally in a war. We are not going to make it. Just use your resources." And not only was that the realistic thing that needed to happen, but the change that she's been fighting for [all season].

I read that you trained for six months ahead of production to commit Katara’s waterbending motions to muscle memory. You spent that time going over forms of tai chi and getting strong enough to handle the action sequences.

Boot camp was intense for me personally, just because I'd never really gone through that before and I don't have as much or any experience outside of the show with martial arts. But it was really helpful to be in the same boat as my character, training-wise. At the start of the show, she really doesn't know that much about bending. As we go along through the episodes, we could see her get more comfortable and more confident in her bending. As we watch Katara gain her confidence, I feel like off-screen I was also gaining confidence with those movements, getting stronger as we go and just getting more comfortable in general.

With the critical success of many Indigenous projects in recent years—Reservation Dogs, Rutherford Falls, Killers of the Flower Moon, The English, Dark Winds—it feels like we have reached an inflection point when it comes to accurate depictions of Native American communities. As someone who is part of this growing movement, what is your take on the state of diversity and inclusion for Indigenous communities? And what do you think is the next step that needs to be taken to move the needle even further?

I think we are making huge steps in the industry. I love being able to look around more and more and see more of our faces, and I do think that there's places that we could improve on for sure. But thinking of how far we've come, even from when I was younger, Katara was one of the only brown people that I saw on my TV, so it's really special to be a part of this generation that's being able to do these things.

I think the next step could be just normalizing things, like it doesn't always have to be an Indigenous story to have Indigenous actors, writers or directors. I think that's one of the things that can get touchy in this industry because we want to include everybody of course, but it doesn't have to be so specific. Why does the doctor have to be [only] the Indigenous doctor that came from [this tribe]? Why can't he just be a doctor that happens to be Indigenous?

Indigenous people or actors can be the main character. Obviously, our culture is always a part of who we are, but it doesn't have to be that the reason we are in this role is because we are Indigenous. We can tell our story as a person and still value and venerate our culture without that being the only reason that we're in the story to begin with.

With big blockbusters, I feel like it ends up being like, "Oh, the lead is white, the other lead is white, and then everybody else is a person of color." I feel like that's a theme that we end up seeing a lot. But another really good way to improve [on that] is supporting Indigenous storytellers. We have so many stories, and [telling them] is one of the things that is keeping our cultures alive, and there are so many stories that could be told from our perspective.

[ladyazurith]

EPEL AND DUECE HAVE A KID!?!?!?!? pwease:D If you're not comfortable sharing the doc, I understand, but I want to hear all about the children you haven't mentioned and more about the others!!! ALL OF IT!!!

Yeah, the document is mostly just a guide for myself, the main story that Magnus is featured in is Tomorrow's Already Come, but I change up my pairings sometimes so not everything is consistent.

For example, sometimes I'll pair Malleus and Leona other's Malleus and Yuu, so the children can change with them. Mal and Yuu for example have a child together named Malena in some versions and it can otherwise be hard to follow.

In this case, I can give you mostly ages, and names and a brief description of their personality, that is honestly all I have on some of them. Age-wise in Tomrrow's Already Come Magnus is 16 like the other First years, but when I drew up the document he was a "3rd Year" so that's what I'll go by here.

18 year olds:

Magnus's Birthday is August 28th (Pomefiore)

Iggy's Birthday is May 20th (Ignihyde)

One I haven't named in this age group (because I don't always pair them together anymore) is Trey and Jade's son.

His name is Jasper Clover-Leech (but he ends up getting called Cloverleaf because of how it sounds), tends to be introverted and quiet, spending most of his time with plants and animals (he loves the botanical gardens at NRC) He has Jade's teal hair, cut short and yellow eyes. In some versions he's friends with Magnus and Iggy but not always.

Birthday: April 11th (Heartslabyul)

Another is Taraji Kingscholar: Leona's daughter, while technically a princess, Leona didn't bring her up with that mindset, he didn't want her left feeling less than, since she wasn't part of the direct line even if she was in the royal family. She's grown up with a strong spirit and is very fierce and protective of those she cares about. Also because of how she was raised she doesn't tend to care much about someone's title as she does for their own merit/who they are behind all that.

Birthday: March 28th (Savanaclaw)

17 year olds:

Maki's Birthday: September 20th (Scarabia)

Nori's Birthday: September 20th (Octavinelle)

Alister's Birthday: October 12 (Octavinelle)

Saryia's Birthday: April 19th (Scarabia) - I also didn't mention in the last post but I generally pair Kalim and Silver so Silver would be her other parent.

Not mentioned before would also be Sebek's Daughter Alerinn Zigvolt. I do not have a super well-developed personality for her, mostly confident (borderline over-confident) very loyal like her father (but not to the extreme he was) and tends to be level headed/skilled leader

Birthday: August 21st (Diasomnia)

16 year olds:

Oriana's Birthday- March 22nd (Heartslabyul) What I didn't mention before is she's not much of a 'people' person. She tends to like to spend her time alone, tinkering with things. She loves taking things apart and putting them back together. And looks up to Idia A LOT (They were almost shocked she didn't end up in Ignihyde)

Others not mentioned:

Alice Trappola (yes Ace went there) and she very much lives up to her father and her namesake (at least the troublemaker she's made out to be in Twist). Which is all the more hilarious given in the future I often make Ace a teacher, taking over Vargas's position when he retires. So more often than not Ace has had long conversations with his fellow facility about his daughter. (Riddle believes it is Karmic vengeance)

Birthday: September 9th (Heartslabyul)

Claira Howl: Jack's daughter, though she embodies "Pyroxene/Shaftlands" better than her father. Tends to be more into personal care in general, makeup, and fashion. Something Jack has had to go to Vil for help with more than once over.

Birthday: October 26th (Pomefiore)

The three of them are however all friends. Though Oriana doesn't really care to notice Alice's behavior Claira tends to lecture her on it.

The rest of them after that would not be school age.

Epel and Deuce have a Daughter named Flora that would be 11 in line with the other's ages here. They grew up in Harveston. But tends to take more after Epel, she's got a fiery spirit, and enjoys living *fast* even when she gets older, things like rock climbing, blastcycle racing, and mostly extreme style sports. Especially when she gets a bit older. I generally place her in Savanaclaw.

Birthday: February 11th

Next is Rook's (Who I sometimes pair with Trey, sometimes with Neige, or even occasionally Yuu)

When I first developed Rook's child, I made them Non-Binary. I myself am not, but I had some people I knew who were and tried to ask them for advice/make sure I wasn't playing into negative stereotypes and representing them properly.

Their name is Nova Hunt, and while I'd like to keep that aspect of their character, I have since fallen out of contact with the people I was asking for help developing them and don't want to just randomly reach out to people saying "hey can you help me design this character?) so they're in a bit of a state of limbo.

They otherwise took a bit after Rook, just had a deep love for the world around them. And wanted to look for the good in what they found, and help people achieve the best versions of themselves, and support them if they could.

Their age has also varied some times I've made them the same age as Magnus, and other times they're quite a bit younger, it just depends on who Rook ended up with and when.

Birthday: May 9th (Pomefiore)

I don't really have children for Jamil or Ruggie, Jamil is mostly because while I do love him/his character, I have a hard time shipping him with anyone while he's still bound to Kalim. Or him wanting to have children in that state.

Ruggie isn't so much that I don't like his character, as it is I like other characters *more* and haven't spent a lot of time detailing what his future would look like.

Anyway thank you again with the questions ^^ Like I said always feel free to ask!

[signanothername]

Bonus for Blades:

Blades and Bumblebee: Ngl, when B made his last appearance I was genuinely so happy to hear him admit that he saw Blades as a true friend. Most star struck relationships tend to be one sided or remark how one member is clearly better than the other. But here’s bumblebee, one of transformers most popular characters, seeing Blades as an equal. My man didn’t even make fun of the name “bumbleblades” Love him. I also love how in Academy Blades has accepted that equality. Still putting B’s name high, but talking to him like an actual friend rather than someone he wants to be friends with/impress. I headcanon that, that transition for Blades happened after he and Dani had to move to China. The two B’s having to deal with being leaders probably gave them a lot to talk about. I also head canon that Blades totally forgot to tell B any of this. One day B shows up at GR or viceversa and gets thrown in the face:

“Oh yeah! I’m in China now! Heh, a lots happened. New location, new team, new mission (bonus if he’s saying this in primal form: new form too, IG… forgot to tell you about that one with the whole energon eater crisis”

Also, I’ll never let go of the fact that the rescue bots are all older than Bumblebee, even if only by a little.

Blades and Blurr: Kinda with like Kade, Blades can only take so much of Blurr, to his credit however, he does try. This is the classic awkward duo where they’ll be together in a room and go like “so… nice weather, huh?” It’s the one relationship where you can tell Blades is older. Not only is he shown in a more experienced light, but he also does that grampa thing of trying to get you exited for something he is only for Blurr to shut it down.

Blades and Salvage: this is completely headcanon, but I figure they get along. Salvage is a creative like Boulder and I can see Blades just enjoy watching him come up with something new. I noticed but didn’t mention that when it comes to Boulder and Blades they sorta take turns being the grounded one. Whenever Boulders exited Blades seems to be more down to earth, even when they’re still doing the crazy thing, and viceversa. Point is, I see Blades taking that more grounded (even if exited) role with Salvage, only with no switching like with Boulder.

Hell yaaaaaaaa!!!!!

Ok sharing more thoughts >:)

Blades and Bumblebee: GODDAMMIT THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS SO ADORABLE!

And I agree! The thing is, I love how their relationship develops on both sides!

During Bee’s first appearance he seemed a tiny bit uncomfortable with Blade’s excitement and tendency to be physically affectionate

And that’s completely understandable this is literally their first time meeting and Blades is already very affectionate towards Bee

Their second meeting in “Odd Bot Out” goes a lot better and Bee seems more open towards Blades

They fist bump like two bros hell yaaaaa

Then their last meeting episode in S4 and you can truly tell Bee is super fond of Blades and truly sees him as a best friend, it’s genuinely so nice and that episode was so heartwarming to watch ugh 😭❤️🌷✨

Look at Bee’s smile when Blades hugs him this time!!!!

AND YESSSS I LOVE HOW YOU CAN TELL HOW MUCH THEIR RELATIONSHIP HAS DEVELOPED IN ACADEMY!!

All the team seems to have grown so much including Blades and I’m ngl I’m kinda sad we haven’t seen these developments, like it would’ve been nice to have a show taking part in between Rescue Bots and Academy where it focuses on the Sigma-17 team as they journey through their new mission, or at least a S5 of RB covering that

But you can tell how much Blades has grown not only with his relationships but also as a person, he seems to have a lot better control over his anxiety and generally seems a lot more confident in himself and it’s so nice to see

And omg I approve of that headcanon, I think Blades’ mission could definitely be a great connection point between the two

And hell ya the rescue bots are older!!! I get the idea of the fandom thinking the rescue bots are young and I completely agree, they’re definitely young, however I don’t believe they’re really as young as the fandom thinks

They’re obviously way younger than OP and Hightide, but they’re definitely not way younger than Arcee or Bulkhead, i’d even say they’re around their age just slightly younger

They all know what a Decepticon is, meaning they have to be old enough to witness Megatron’s rising, Heatwave mentions Starscream by name, meaning he knows of the lieutenant, and that could only happen as long as the war happened, hell Heatwave is canonically a lobbing champion (three years running might I add) which can’t happen if the planet is at war can it?

What I’m getting at is that they’re old enough to have lived on Cybertron before the war even began, they assume their HQ is still active cause they woke up from stasis not knowing how much time has passed since their departure

Bee on the other hand, has been one of the last Sparks to be created before the well of Allsparks died, he was created during the war, unlike the rescue bots who were created way before the war even began

And who’s not to say the Rescue Bots HQ never operated during the war? Rescue teams are definitely needed during a war when buildings fall and people die, at least that’s what i love to think, is that the RB HQ definitely operated during the war, before it got wiped outta existence that is

So yep, I’m team “the rescue bots are actually older than Bee and Smokescreen”

———

Blades and Blurr: wheeze omg I wholeheartedly agree! Blurr is too much of a hothead for Blades to wanna deal with him too much, Blades is probably thankful HW is the one dealing with him and is actually surprised by the amount of patience he shows with Blurr

That being said, I feel like outside training and rescues there definitely would be a bit of dissonance between them, and both are a bit impatient, so neither will want to deal with the awkwardness or having to go through what the other is planning

Blurr either needs another hothead to keep him in check (Heatwave), or someone calm enough to deal with his impulsive behavior (Salvage), Blades definitely wouldn’t know how to deal with him

———

Blades and Salvage: ooooohhhh I love the way you think!

Salvage is generally really calm, kind and understanding, he and Boulder are similar in that regard, only less chaotic than Boulder, so Blades would definitely get along really well with him

And omg I never really noticed that thank u for pointing out these little details hzhzhzhzj, but it absolutely makes sense as Blades used to have a grounded alt mode so he’s definitely a lot more comfortable with being grounded rather than hanging in the air, and it’s nice to see how he becomes grounded when Boulder isn’t around, shows how he subconsciously does the thing he used to do

And ah it’s honestly nice to think of Blades and Salvage teaming up, I think they’d be great! :D

———

Honestly thinking about Blades’ relationships with others is so fun hahaha

And the show is genuinely such a masterpiece when it comes to its characters, you can tell how much thought were put into every character and I think that’s amazing <333

[gone-series-orchid]

do you think any of the villains are written well? i think caine's crew was good in Gone, but after that they just got. stereotype-y. and a little two-dimensional.

that’s a good question! i’ll hesitantly say yes—though the best antagonists, captain orc and his gang on bully row, don’t stay antagonistic for long (unfortunately).

i think having orc and howard and their group stay the ostensible leaders of the fayz would be really interesting. it could lay some of the groundwork for orc’s development early on, precluding his murder of bette. it would be fascinating for michael grant to have to toe the line between keeping orc and howard as firmly antagonistic figures while still underlining their general ineffectiveness as leaders.

not to mention, keeping orc in power for a longer time would give more “oomph” to the whole bette situation—there would be more suspense leading up to it. hypothetically, at this point we’ve gotten a pretty good insight into orc and howard’s specific petty antagonism. they’re the schoolyard bullies given an unprecedented amount of power…but they don’t really know what to do with it. they’re still menaces, and dangerous because they’re so confident (howard) and stupid (orc), but at the same time they don’t know any more than any other kid does about this new world little pete has created. they’re bad kids hopped up on this new influx of authority, but they’re not evil.

so when orc does accidentally kill bette, it’s even more of a shock than it is in canon, because we’ve seen what his rule is actually like and we know what kind of person he is.

maybe bette’s death could be built up to even more. maybe orc at this point is used to punishing people with his baseball bat if they don’t do what he says (always below the chest, though). he does it to intimidate and shock kids, and it works. sam and co. are of course concerned and disgusted by his and howard’s schoolyard tyranny.

maybe orc starts drinking at first to celebrate his captaincy (his gang has confiscated all the town’s alcohol for themselves because haha, the adults aren’t around and they can do whatever they want). he drinks to heighten his enjoyment, lower his inhibitions, and numb whatever mild stressors he’s dealing with as the fayz’s captain. he probably doesn’t even connect his drinking with his dad (that’s how different the context of said drinking is!) at that point. he’s on top of the world. he’s riding high. why shouldn’t he have fun and get drunk with his friends? it’s the fayz, after all. it’s a party.

it’s only after bette’s death that he drinks to dull his suffering and guilt.

sorry, i kind of went off on a tangent. anyway!

in a similar vein, i enjoy the human crew for their very human awfulness. i think mg writes them well. i just wish they had a lasting effect on the fayz as a whole and were generally taken more seriously as threats—the gaiaphage, drake, and caine were always prioritized over the call coming from inside the house. which of course, they’re bigger threats, but there’s something a lot more compelling about rooting out the villains festering in the fayz itself. zil and the human crew are driven by bigotry and resentment that have grown because of the power dynamic of the council that the protagonists have spearheaded.

i guess i just love pathetic bullies being the big bad antagonists of the fayz. they’re more interesting because they’re so fallible and human. i just don’t find caine or drake or the gaiaphage interesting in comparison.

on the coates trio, i definitely think they were at their peak in the first book. in hindsight i’m really surprised mg didn’t refer back to their alliance in later books. that might give drake a little bit more pathos, if he half-genuinely looks back on his time with cementing kids with caine and diana through a rose-tinted lens. sure, it’s mostly the torture he enjoys, but being a weird whip-handed servant to a radioactive alien in a mineshaft sounds pretty lonely. maybe he misses being a normal sadistic kid instead of a weird monstrosity, at least to a point. once the shine has worn off. 🤷‍♀️

anyway once again! sorry this got a bit more scattershot than i meant it to be. i hope i answered your question!

please feel free to send more asks!

[amomentoftimeandword]

Geek rant incoming 😮‍💨

**Spoilers** If you haven't seen The Clone Wars do not proceed.

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Back in 1977 the world was introduced to Darth Vader and his empire, as well as Luke and Leia, in Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope. Back then, it seemed right to have this big bad character reeking havoc across the galaxy, a character who had fallen from the path of righteousness.

Fast forward 22 years to 1999 when Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace came out and introduced us to Anakin Skywalker. We followed Anakin's journey as he became a Padawan at the end of this first film. In 2002 we followed him as an older, (essentially) fully realized Jedi. Then in 2005 we watched the prophecy surrounding him, come to fruition, as he became the very thing he was meant to destroy, a Sith Lord.

In accordance to the 1977 film, we all knew it had to be this way, that this was what Eps. I-III were setting up. Now, let's jump forward again to August 2008 when the feature length, animated film, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, was released. In this film (set between Eps. II & III) we see Anakin take on his own Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. Two months later, The Clone Wars series began.

From October 2008 to March 2013, we got to see Anakin and Ahsoka develop a close relationship. They may have been master and Padawan, but it was more than that. They were friends. Ahsoka was someone who was able to keep him grounded, even when Anakin's emotions threatened to get the best of him.

This series, fleshed out Anakin so EXTREMELY well! We see him as a trusted Jedi, a leader, a mentor, a general in the grand army of the republic. We get to see him as a 'brother' to Obi-Wan, a husband to Padme, and (again) a friend to Ahsoka🥺. I seriously prefer clone wars Anakin over live action Anakin (probably unpopular opinion. Love Hayden Christensen though❤️).

Anyways, in the Season 5 finale episodes (17-20) of The Clone Wars, we watch as Ahsoka gets framed for murder and other crimes against against the republic. No matter how many times she claimed she was innocent... No one but Anakin believed her (maybe Obi and Plo Koon), and the Jedi Council abandoned her, expelling her from the Order. In the grand scheme of things, I understand (again) why it had to happen this way, however I still hold some resentment towards the council for turning their backs on her (I know this is all fictional, but I am ATTACHED 🥺).

That being said, Ahsoka got her name cleared and was offered the chance to rejoin the ranks of the Jedi, but she refused. She was hurt and maybe part of her saw how 'blinded' the Jedi actually could be to one another. WHEN SHE WALKS AWAY FROM ANAKIN AT THE END OF EP. 20 😭😭😭😭😭💔 My heart BREAKS Every. Single. Fucking. Time!!! Personally, I believe this is where Anakin's villain origin story started.

HAD Ahsoka been even an IDEA back in 1977, we honestly probably never would have had a Darth Vader. This is a personal belief of course, and I can't change what's been canon for nearly 50yrs now, BUT a heart can still dream. Ahsoka was SO GOOD for Anakin. She would have kept him on the straight and narrow, I'm sure of it.

This makes an even harder impact in season 7 of the Clone Wars (that didn't drop till 2020), when we see Ahsoka return. She's grown up in her time away and has keep her distance from the Jedi. We follow her journey in this season as she eventually finds her way back to Anakin. Eps. 9-12 tie in VERY closely to the events of Revenge of the Sith.

These last four episodes HIT SO DIFFERENT after you've followed all these characters for so long (even the clones 💔). There is a scene where Anakin presents Ahsoka with new lightsabers and then he walks away to join the mission to capture Dooku (that opens up Revenge of the Sith). THIS IS THE LAST TIME AHSOKA SEES ANAKIN BEFORE HE BECOMES DARTH VADER 😭��😭💔😭

A lot of people ask where Ahsoka was during RotS and these last 4 episodes answer that too. She had a mission to capture Maul on Mandalore and bring him back to Coruscant to the Jedi Council as a way to help the republic one last time. THIS EXPLAINS WHY SHE WASN'T THERE IN THE END!

Do y'all REALIZE the impact she could have MADE though, if she'd been around to HELP ANAKIN 😭😭😭 (in a perfect world where Vader doesn't exist)!!! However, there's no telling whether she would have survived Order 66 if she had been around. WHICH!!! Order 66 goes into effect while Ahsoka is bringing Maul to the council (of course she defeated him). And seeing HOW she survived the execution order is one of THE MOST HEARTBREAKING, DEVASTATING THINGS THAT EXISTS ON TV!!🥺💔😭🥺💔😭

Yes, I do it to myself, putting my emotions through the ringer every time BUT DAMN! The Clone Wars goes hard and it hurts like hell, but it is for that reason, that it is one of my FAVORITE animated shows. 😮‍💨🥲

I may be part of a small population too that believes Anakin didn't do anything wrong either. If giving into emotions makes way for the dark side, then SO many of us would be. As humans, we are meant to FEEL and some feel more strongly than others. Anakin is of the Force but he feels things SO deeply. All he wanted was to be able to save those that he loved and was coerced/peer pressured/led to believe(falsely) that the Dark Side had the answers he needed. I don't believe he ever truly wanted to be the reason why Jedi across the galaxy were eradicated. We know Palpatine only wanted him for his power and it was ALL Palatine's idea from the beginning. ANAKIN IS A VICTIM!! HE WAS CORRUPTED!!😭😭😭 Sure, Anakin was brash and had some intense moments (a think first, ask questions later type) throughout the series as a whole, but they were justified. He did what had to be done. I am a very firm believer that the corruption of the dark side did indeed 'kill' the Anakin we came to know and love. Everything he did after killing Windu, is not our "chosen one". Though, let's be honest, 'our Anakin' probably started to disappear when Palpatine ordered him to kill Dooku.

If you've seen Clone Wars, you may remember a few episodes in season 3 where the Son (essentially the personification of the dark side of the Force) tried to coerce Anakin, even then. MY WILD THEORY is that, the day Anakin gave in to the dark side, was the day the Son possessed him, "killing him", hence allowing for the creation of Darth Vader and the Empire he rules. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️ Fight me.

Ok, I'm getting off my soap box now. If you've made it to the end, do you agree with any of this? However theoretical it may be? My mind cannot be changed. 🤷🏼‍♀️ This is where I firmly stand. I will die on this hill.

[l-1-z-a]

Interview with Tim LeTourneau on 10 years of making The Sims - VentureBeat [February 3, 2010]

Game designer Will Wright has moved on to new things. But Tim LeTourneau has been with The Sims game development teams since before the first game launched a decade ago. Now he is the vice president and general manager of The Sims Studio at Electronic Arts. EA says that the video game franchise has now sold more than 125 million units across 60 countries. Like a machine, EA has produced 45 different versions of the game, launching The Sims 2 in 2004 and The Sims 3 in 2009 as base games for expansion titles. We caught up with LeTourneau for an interview about the occasion.

VB: How long have you been doing this?

TL: I have been working on The Sims for 10 years. I joined the team six months before the release of the first game, as a producer.

VB: What has it been like?

TL: It’s been 10 years of the most fascinating virtual neighborhood you can imagine. Every one of the neighborhoods is the creation of an individual person. When you think about it that way, as a game where you create the experience, where you can create your own person, houses and neighborhoods, I think that’s why The Sims has endured so long. It changes so easily with the times because people can put themselves into the game.

VB: What are some examples of that change? TL: The technology we use has changed. When the first game came out, it had wall phones and counter phones. That is how the Sims called for pizza. Now with the Sims 3, they’re using cell phones. It’s funny how to look at the content of the game is a reflection of our everyday lives. We use laptops instead of big giant desktops. That’s what is so fun about The Sims. It captures everyday life, like a mirror of our universal reality. That’s probably why it sold more than 125 million copies.

VB: A lot of other games don’t last as long. The franchises die off. What is the difference here? TL: We’ve been asked where we draw our inspiration from. What will we do next? The Sims is as big as life itself. The things that we find interesting in our own lives are things the Sim characters can find interesting in their virtual lives. As developers, we think about what the Sims would like to be able to do. We find game experiences in those things. We love to go on vacation. We love our pets. We love to become famous. Those are natural extensions to our games. For us, we can continually add content to this virtual world because there is always something we want to do in the real world.

VB: Were there particular games that were the most successful?

TL: If you look at the community, in the history of The Sims, I think that The Sims Hot Date (November, 2001) was a big transition for the franchise. It was the first time the sims got to break the barrier of the house. The Sims were used to living in the confines of one place. In The Sims Hot Date, the sims traveled to see other places, got to go downtown to shop. And you can chart from that point to this day to how The Sims has grown. The Sims 2 came with a whole  neighborhood. The Sims 3 is an open world. You can follow them wherever they go. It’s simulated at a town level.

VB: You’ve got some more games coming?

TL: The Sims 3 High-End Loft shipped this week. The Sims 3 sold 4.5 million units since its launch in June, 2009. It’s doing very well. The Sims World Adventures was the first expansion pack for The Sims 3. That shipped just before Christmas. The expansion packs are what we use to add to the Sims experience over time. We grow the content and experience across new places and adventures.

VB: What brings in new players now? TL: The Sims is a pop culture phenomenon now. It’s an ubiquitous brand. A lot of people are drawn to the new expansion packs that are relevant to them, and that brings them in. We take advantage of today’s marketing avenues. We use social networks. The Sims are everywhere. When you’re ready, it’s there on the shelf.

VB: I imagine that Facebook, the iPhone and other hot things are likely to be used with The Sims? TL: The Sims 3 for the iPhone was the No. 1 app. It’s natural to expect that future Sims products will take advantage of all of the places where people are playing. The Sims 3 World Adventures will be available on the iPhone.

VB: The pace of game introductions will continue as you’ve done? TL: We are always thinking about the future, including going places we haven’t gone before.

VB: What were some things that surprised you about the impact of The Sims on culture?

TL: First and foremost, it’s a game. What none of us anticipated was the creative medium it would become. We didn’t know we would have millions of pieces of content available from players for free. The Sims 3 already has 110 million downloads of player-created content. I don’t think any of us imagined that would happen. You combine that with the movie-making tools that we included in the game. Now you have a YouTube channel with Sims-themed movies that has been viewed 26 million times. Players can now experience the Sims without playing the game.

VB: Will Wright created it, but he has moved on now. How did you adjust to that?

TL: A lot of the creative team has moved up. I went from a producer/designer to a general manager of the studio. Many of us were there from the beginning. A lot of the original Sims talent is still there in the studio. It was Will’s brainchild. But Will is the first to point out that The Sims is a collaborative effort. Women designers such as Claire Curtain and Roxy Wolosenko had a very big impact on the game. It was a result of a very creative team. A lot of that team is still here. Will is not involved anymore, but the spirit of collaborative development is how we make the game.

VB: How much more real is The Sims 3 compared to the original?

TL: We don’t think in terms of real. We think in terms of believable. How do we help the players believe in the characters? What The Sims 3 does is give you a sense that this entire town is simulating at the same time. You see families move in. You see this activity that happens around your character. That makes it more real for me. The entire town is growing, aging, and living together.

VB: What sums it all up for you?

TL: For ten years, which seems an eternity in the games world, The Sims has been a leader. There are no competitors. No one is doing what we do. That is a testament to the game that came out 10 years ago and has continued to grow and develop. It’s a game that is about enabling the players to tell their own story in an incredible virtual world of their own creation. To me, what makes the game timeless is that it is a reflection of the player much more than it is a reflection of us.

VB: From a business view, I think of the Sims as an annuity business. From the purely business view, it is an example of milking a franchise for all that it is worth. Not many franchises would justify that. From a business view, The Sims seems to represent the best and the worst of games. TL: As developers, we have always lived by the motto that we earn the right to make the next one. We can’t ever feel like we are just in a routine. We have to earn the right to make the next one. We have to create the desire for the consumer to come back. We stay humble. How do we deliver a quality experience for fans that makes them want to come back. We don’t take our success for granted.

VB: There were times when you had some difficult games. The Sims Online didn’t work out. How did you bounce back? TL: The Sims Online was ahead of its time. Some really liked it. It never resonated as strongly as the regular Sims game did. It was something we tried. It worked for players it worked for, but not in the same sorts of numbers that a regular game does.

VB: I suppose that with everything moving online, you could create a game that gives you a lot more feedback? TL: A lot of people would say that The Sims is not an online or multiplayer game. But the reality is when you look at what people do with The Sims, the way that they share, we have always thought of The Sims as an online experience.

[thefcguy]

Pokemon: Journeys – Review of the Saga

Inspired by @natedogx15 ‘s reviews, I decided to make this review.

Many of you might not you, but I really like Pokemon! I love the franchise, specially the anime.

For a long time, though, I stopped watching it for some complicated reasons. However, I returned watching it in Journeys! I haven’t watched all of the chapters yet, but I have seen reviews and scenes of future chapters, so, I know basically everything that happened on it.

Since I am such a big fan, I decided to give my review and PERSONAL opinion on it (it’s just my opinion, don’t judge).

(There are some spoilers below, but I don’t think they are that big)

 1- The Structure:

 The pokemon anime from gen 1 to 6 had the same formula. Ash with a group of friends would travel through a new region so that they could achieve their dreams.

Ash would fight the gyms, catch at least six pokemons, and help a lot of people along the way, usually having a rival that would be his opposite in some way.

His teammates would usually be gym leaders, monotype trainers, a coordinator/performer, and sometimes a little sibling.

They would usually have less pokemon than Ash, and arcs that would be solved in the saga they were a part of, returning on the next one showing how much they had grown after solving their issues.

This formula was pretty good and interesting, because it allowed us to get attached to the region and show us many different places with detail.

Besides, the camping scenes would usually give the pokemons time to interact with one another and have their own arcs.

However, Alola… broke this whole formula. Ash started going to school, had lots of companions, there were no gyms to challenge because Alola has the kahunas and trials systems, and there were no contests or showcases.

It was not bad, but it didn’t interest me that much back in the day. Nowadays, if I could, I would probably try to rewatch it, but, there is no easy way to doing it in my country, so… I know my judgement of Alola probably isn’t fair.

Now, on Journeys, I will be honest, there probably wouldn’t be an easy way to go back to the old formula, and there was no school in Galar so that they could use the same formula as in Sun and Moon.

So, that’s why I think that the idea of making Ash and Goh the assistants of Professor Cerise was a good solution, and I understand why they did that.

We need to remember that the original formula was created in 1997, and, back in the day, when kids stayed less time at home and actually went out to play more, the idea of Ash travelling with friends world-wide was more relatable than nowadays.

Nowadays, with technology, kids leave their houses less, and play mostly on smartphones.

To appeal to the new public, this idea of sporadic travels and always returning to the institute and the ending of the day probably makes things more relatable.

This was also probably the reason they changed how the friendships are shown here

I will be honest, I am not from the generation of those who started watching from gen 1, because I am not that old (I started on BW and then watched all the old seasons), but narratively speaking, the original formula was better at showing and presenting new regions.

Reason why Galar is the region with the most wasted potential (BW didn’t show Unova that well, but, at least we saw all of the Gym Leaders and Ash battled them all).  

As for the World Championship thing… I think it was a pretty good idea actually. It was an interesting way of finishing Ash’s arc… and a quicker one than making him rechallenge all of the past leagues and defeating the champions.

I will talk more about Ash on his section.

 The new formula isn’t perfect, but had it’s good points, and allowed us to see a lot of past characters. So… I give it 3,5 points out of 5.  

 2- Characters

 2,1- Ash Ketchum:

Before anything, I have to say, I feel bad for the writers that had to develop the new Ash for journeys, because it was a hard job. You guys probably didn’t understand what I meant, so, allow me to elaborate.

This Ash we accompany nowadays isn’t the same of when the show started. No, this isn’t one of those creepy theories. He is the same boy, but not the same character.

Gens 1 to 4 had the same Ash from beginning to end. The Ash that started as a childish and slightly arrogant boy, that became more and more mature until the point of entering the Sinnoh league with many strong pokemons. An Ash that had fun and silly moments, but also had experience and cared for those around him.

Then, we have Gen 5 Ash, who was… softly rebooted, lets be honest. I don’t hate BW like many, but I recognize that this Ash doesn’t feel the same as Sinnoh Ash (my personal favorite).

When Gen 6 came, they tried to bring Sinnoh Ash back… but they made him a bit too mature. He is not a bad character, but he is a 10 year-old that act like he is 15. He is not bad, but needed a more mature context of Ash growing up to reach its highest potential.

The writers noticed that, and tried to make him more childish in Gen 7… but they were a bit too extreme, and the character lose most of his seriousness. Again, he is not bad, but he was clearly reseted.

So, the writers in Gen 8 definitely had a hard time deciding on the new Ash.

He could be the continuation of Gen 1-4 Ash, but, it has been so long, that they probably wouldn’t know how to write for him anymore.

Making him a continuation of Gen 5 would be an awful idea, considering how much he was hated.

Gen 6 Ash wouldn’t fit in the new context, and Gen 7 Ash also wasn’t that beloved.

That’s why they combined what worked from each Ash, and made Journey!Ash.

And, I have to say, the result was pretty good too. He is not that great like Sinnoh!Ash, but he has Ash’s silly side and he remembers his experiences.

He also has lots of good moments, like his bond and story with Riolu, the fact that he remembered the pokemons in the lab, and all of the support he gave his friends.

He also had lots of interesting battles during the World Championship.

The biggest issue with Ash this season were his new pokemon and the lack of screen time.

The fact that the old formula is gone, and that they don’t camp anymore, made that Ash’s pokemon didn’t have much of an arc this saga, and not much individuality or personality.

They aren’t bad but could be better.

As for the lack of screen time, this is a result of the writers not being able of balancing the attention on Ash and Goh.

Goh’s captures had a lot more of focus than Ash’s battles and arcs.

In the end, I give Journey’s Ash 4 stars. He is not perfect, but I am happy with what we got.

2,2- Goh:

What I am going to say about Goh might seen contradictory, but it makes sense. I like Goh’s personality, arc, and concept… but I hate his role.

I really like characters like Goh, characters that are smart, always had few to no friends, and through a new friend, they learn to open up and be more confident.

It’s also really nice how he is so smart and so interested in researching pokemon, basically being a better version of Tracey.

Even his goal is interesting: Catching Mew!

The problem is how he manages to achieve his goal. As I said before, the pokemons of the trainers are also characters.

That’s why they need focus, arcs, stories, specific personalities and moments on the spotlight!

The fact Goh captures so many pokemons makes harder for them all to have great arcs or be interesting, which, combined with the new form, make them all more forgettable than the rest of Ash’s companion’s pokemons.

I think that if they made Goh be more like a trainer that wanted to be a researcher/professor in the future, it would have been better.

Like, instead of capturing every pokemon, Goh would travel to places, study their behavior, draw them, make notes, and them verify if the info on the pokedex is right about them. Perhaps, he could even discover new things!

And, during his travels, he could catch pokemon that he developed a bond with, or that would be useful in future research!

Or, I don’t know, he could have been a coordinator. A male protagonist being a coordinator would have been a nice addition, considering it never happened before.

Anyway, I just think they could have done more with Goh and his arc. I know that he was just advertisement of Pokemon Go, but he could have been better.

In the end, I also give him 3,75 stars. He is great but could have done more.

 2,3 – Chloe Cerise:

 This character is the definition of wasted potential.

Chloe could have been so much more than she ended up being.

First, her personality is kind of unique compared to the other girls. She is not overly girly (like Serena and even Dawn) nor a hot headed tomboy (like Misty and Iris).

She is a kind, shy person, but not defenseless. She is smart and sassy.

Besides, her whole plot with Eevee and wanting to understand what she wants to become is really good.

Sadly, she got just a few chapters to shine, and just two pokemon to use (and Yamper wasn’t even technically hers).

I think that if she joined Ash and Goh earlier on their adventures, she could have had a better development.

Maybe catching some more Pokemon that also feel confused like her. Like Oddish, Poliwhril, Slowpoke or Kirlia!

And the end of her character being that she still doesn’t know what to do, but continues researching, would be great, showing how there is no hurry to find your dream!

I just think that they could have shown her more and keeping her ending the same.

Her interactions with the pokegirls were also great, and I wish we could have seen more of that too. Maybe Misty or Iris could have helped (sadly, I know May couldn’t appear).

In the end, I give Chloe 4 stars, because of what she could have been.

 3- The Interactions and Character Dynamics:

This was definitely the best part of journeys. Goh, Ash, and Chloe had such good chemistry with each other!

Remember when I said about the new formula being more relatable for kids nowadays! Well, I say the same about the friendships.

Ash and Goh’s friendship of supporting each other, teasing each other and arguing with each other was a lot alike real friendships we see in our day to day lives!

Like the scene on the train where ethey compare their drawings.

They care about each other and talk to each other about how they feel.

And Chloe being so done at the two, but keeping on hanging out with them, is also a great example of friendship.

Friendship isn’t this magical perfect thing were we never get annoyed at someone, there are times there are arguments, and differences, but we all solve that in the end.

I feel like the friendship that the three have is a lot closer to real friendships nowadays than those in the past sagas.

And I also like how there was no forced shipping between Chloe and the boys. The three were friends and nothing more than that (but I don’t judge the shippers though, everyone is free to have their opinions. So, if you guys like AshxGoh, AshxChloe or GohxChloe, don’t worry, because I don’t judge).

So, for the interactions, I give it 5 stars! The three have amazing interactions with one another.

 4- Team Rocket:

 Okay… this is probably the weakest part of the season.

Team Rocket in this season was… terrible.

Usually, Team Rocket had great comedic moments, and good episodes were they bond with their pokemon.

But the biggest issue this season is that they don’t have pokemon of their own, and neither an arc.

Their highest moment this saga was the radio episode, which, to be fair, was good, but… it was just that.

There is so little to talk about them, that their section is just that.

In the end, I give them… 2 stars. Not entirely bad, cause they are Team Rocket, but this is probably the worse they have ever been.

 5- The Cameos:

Other good thing that they did this season was showing us lots of characters from the past sagas.

Not all of their returns were perfect, but they still were really good at its majority.

I really like the return of Alola’s gang episode. Now, you are probably wondering why, because I haven’t watched Sun and Moon. I just really like the idea of introvert guy becomes best friend with extrovert guy, and now he needs to handle all of the thousands of friends that his bestfriend has.

Iris’s return made her character a lot better. Again, even if I don’t hate BW, I know that it has problems. And it was great to see that they made Iris less annoying, made her more mature, and actually have powerful Dragon Types! They also made her the champion which is also great!

It's amazing to see what they have done with the character.

Dawn’s return, though, it’s complicated for me. I always say that DP is my favorite saga, and that Dawn is my favorite companion. But… I don’t think Journeys gave her all that she deserved.

I loved her interactions with Chloe and how her friendship with Ash is recognized by the writers, but the fact that they gave her no new pokemon, and didn’t update her outfit, makes it seems like she didn’t have much development.

The episodes she appears are far from bad, some being really good, but I think she deserved more, considering how great she was in DP.

Serena’s return for me was both good and bad. I loved how they made her more mature and confident on herself, her new design, how supportive she is of Chloe, and how she became more than “The girl who openly likes Ash”.

The bad thing about the chapter is how they made Contests so boring. Contests on gens 3 and 4 were amazing! The appeal stage being limited to one or two pokemons at a time gave them the chance to shine.

And the battle stage was amazing! The combinations, the strategies, the tensions, the unpredictability, and a lot more!

Now… Contests are basically Showcases 2.0. Not bad, but I really prefer how they were before.

Lillie’s return and the ending of her story was done flawlessly. I really liked Lillie’s character on the games, and it was great seeing her finally achieving happiness.

Clemont and Bonnie’s return was also good. They weren’t amazingly great characters on the XY saga, and their episode followed the same pattern. I like Clemont, Bonnie, and their return, but it was not that special.

Gary’s return was also fun, honestly. I always though him to be annoying, but enjoyed what happened to him in DP. And it was great seeing Gary motivating Goh to be better, like he did with Ash. It was great seeing him finally return.

Paul’s return was also fantastic! Seeing Paul and Ash battling was nostalgic. This time, though, he is less villainous than he used to be, but it’s great to see him as this weird source of advice. He is also a Gym Leader now, which is cool.

Cyntia’s return was also amazing, and I loved that she and Ash finally had an official battle.

It’s sad Cilan didn’t have an official return, because that could have been a way to redeem his character, like they did with Iris, but, considering how much he is hated, maybe it was for the best he didn’t return.

I already talked about the May situation, so, I won’t repeat.

And Tracey… well, no one cares that much about him, so, it’s not worth it to talk about him.

In the end, I give 4,5 stars out of 5 for the cameos. It was almost flawless.

 6- The Pokemons:

I will be quick on this one, since I already talked too much.

The good part is that they gave Ash a lot of pokemon that he should have had back in Kanto, like Dragonite and Gengar.

The bad part is the whole thing of pokemon not having that deep character arcs because of the new formula.

But, Chloe’s Eevee was good, Gengar’s backstory was sad but also interesting, and the episode of Goh and his Floette was pretty emotional.

I also like Sirfetched.

So, I guess I am going to give… 3 stars out of five. Not bad, but not that good.

 7- Conclusion:

Pokemon Journeys wasn’t perfect. In its majority, it was pretty good, but some problems ended up appearing, and it didn’t reach its highest potential.

In the end, I give Journey on its entirely… 3.85 stars out of 5. It was a good saga, but not one of my favorites.

[dtothe4th]

four

no fucking way.. the life giving tree that cobblersbug and bakersbug had visited so long ago could not be the sans calamity that struck the ancient bugs and destroyed their civilization. as they hurried back through the jungle with futuresbug, after saying goodbye to the snailies they saved of course, they discussed how yggdrasil could do this. futuresbug explained that the tree had grown into their main settlement: a large spacious cavern underground. it's healing and regenerative abilities did not apply only to others, it also applied to itself. so when the ancient bugs tried to use its wood for building materials the tree’s thick roots grew downwards and sealed the cave’s entrance. this effectively placed a time limit on the ancient bugs’ lifespan, with the tree continuing to grow forward and encroach on their territory. it was almost as if a spiteful force inhabited the tree and wouldn't stop until the ancient bugs that wronged them were killed. futuresbug talked about how an expedition team was set out to the cavern’s entrance to check on the progress of the tree problem but they were all apparently sucked up… with a surge of growth they had been engulfed in tree and the entire kingdom saw as golden lights lit up the entrance and flew up along the cave’s ceiling to the center of town, right below where yggdrasil’s trunk up above was. this absorption of life force must be how the tree is able to grant such wonderful and mystical powers, seersbug thought. they were eating this up the most btw, hammersbug was mainly using his chef’s tools to cut through the vines and shit and crochetsbug was splitting her focus a bit like a good leader but futuresbug and seersbug were like so conversationed up. anyway the tree continued, and swallowed up many houses and tree golden lights became a daily sight. futuresbug and other prominent bugs moved to the opposite end of the cave and devised plans to stop the tree and not have their entire population wiped out. contraptionsbug thought of an idea they had gotten from an ancient blueprint of a big person before the cave’s entrance was sealed: they spent years tracing over the large paper and translating it into smaller bug sized objects but eventually they were able to do it, and they came in handy luckily.

the cave was rich in metallic resources so the ancient bugs had developed very very quickly with technology that the current kingdom of bugs couldn't even dream of. electriciansbug and contraptionsbug worked together with the miningsbug and the three of them created a series of pods that could act as a barrier between them and the tree. they worked by filling the space inside with atomized metal gas that apparently kept them alive as a preservative forever while also making them go to sleep or something. so a team consisting of the futuresbug, a bug obsessed with the future who actually had a prominent book series about what the future could look like and got rich enough off of that to be invited to the cool kids club, the contrapsionsbug, minersbug, and electriciansbug, who built the pods, their ancient kingsbug, who ruled generously and kindly over the cavern kingdom, making sure all bugs were cared for and provided for, the jestersbug, who was above all just a funny guy, the languagesbug, who studied all things vernacular and knew many many languages and made a fortune off of selling dictionaries and translation guides, the travelersbug, who mapped nearly the entire known world and kept her maps in her odd mammal-like pouch, and of course… the philosophersbug, an ancient bug obsessed with the meaning of life and the universe’s purpose. seersbug was about to explode with excitement they damn near asked for an autograph right there on their body in permanent tattoo ink even though it would run all over their slimy body and wouldn't really look good and hurt a lot and stuff. crochetsbug mainly tuned out this story except for the end. okay so there's 8 more bugs and 8 more pods out there… very interesting. i forgot to mention but bugs live forever unless they're killed in some way. like always that's just a trait of bugs and how the kingdom of bugs post modern kingsbug was able to survive for soooo fucking long. that's how bugs do. hammersbug chimed in for once because he overheard talk of the philosophersbug which he knew they were following the map of so he mentioned how there existed a large tower out in the great plains to the east far outside the kingdom of bugs that held star charts and evidence of a philosophersbug living there but no sign of death or a body or a reason for leaving anywhere. the world had assumed this bug had died especially under the rule of kingsbug but when they were all brought back there was no evidence of philosophersbug ever living among the population. especially now that they know the ancient bugs looked so different from modern bugs, they would have picked the philosophersbug out in an instant but they didn't. does that mean that the philosophersbug somehow cracked out of their pod early and may still be alive? or how about the other 7? contraptionsbug? inventorsbug would absolutely LOVE to meet them. and perhaps electriciansbug could help them use electricity. they had seen it in some of philosophersbug’s writings on the stars: they spoke of orbs that glowed like them that could fit in the palm of a bug’s hand. none of the kingdom ever knew how to create these but apparently they hadn't really been able to anyway because of their lack of metal resources: which the minersbug could help with. a!kingsbug also seemed very interesting as someone who was the exact opposite of their modern counterpart. futuresbug thought he would get a kick out of hearing how awful the modern king was and how he got the same treatment of the ancients all those years ago.

the party was just now reaching the edge of the rainforest and were able to clearly see smoke rising from the direction of the kingdom now. oh fuck. as they walked they had hoped washeranddryersbug had perhaps quelled the rebellion but it seemed like they did not at all. the group cut the conversation and began running towards the kingdom now, making it there in no time flat. futuresbug was in awe of the kingdom as they approached, in sort of a bad way. the edges of the kingdom seemed mostly intact and away from the fighting, and a calm little village is where they first entered. futuresbug noticed the lack of electricity, the lack of centralized hubs for bugs to purchase food and drink and entertainment, however they had the running water thing down, thankfully. the bug kingdom ran very simply, little farms out back used to sustain life with crops but with bakersbug’s fingers they didn't really need to. however their sudden disappearance had apparently led people to frantically start planting to no avail. it was mid-warm and these crops were destined to mature mid-cold where they would shrivel up and die before anyone could eat them properly. they ran through the deserted village in silence, going towards the center of the kingdom. they passed through several small villages, some on fire, some razed completely. clearly the year it took them to return was enough to totally wreack havoc on the kingdom, it would take so much to rebuild. they passed a couple of bugs on their way that weren't really able to explain much in the state they were in. most just sort of babbled on the floor or were asleep in a tiny hut. as they got closer they spotted newsbug with his cute little cap running away from one of the larger cities. his hat was on fire, so he threw it to the ground and stomped on it real hard before putting it back on and resuming his running. crochetsbug stuck out her hook and caught newsbug on it, who screamed, but calmed down once he saw who he was being pulled towards. thank fucking god it's you holy shit he said, the kingdom’s gone bananas. the party took refuge in a nearby village house that was still in tact for the most part, and listened as newsbug explained what happened. he was there from the start. as a part of washeranddryersbug’s appointed cabinet along with inventorsbug and deliverysbug and doctorsbug, a diverse group of carapacian bugs and softbugs alike.

as the other softbug alongside doctorsbug, news and doctor conferred a lot. she was a smart bug, went to bug college, got good grades on the BKMLE, started her own practice with her partners, receptionistbug and dentistsbug, and generally knew a lot of shit. the two of them spoke to each other and to washeranddryersbug, who had appointed themselves interim king even though that title hadn't been used since the kingsbug’s days. that should've been red flag number one. what red flag number two was that they actually saw as a red flag, was catching washeranddryersbug alone, seemingly speaking to their floor. after they had left newsbug and doctorsbug had checked out what they were talking to and it was an odd grate in the floor. looking closely they could spot two pinpricks of eyes but the creature stayed deathly still, not even blinking. it was fucking terrifying. they quickly ran out, and decided to talk to washeranddryersbug about the incident but they were blocked by inventorsbug and deliversysbug… what? excuse me, we have to talk with the interim king, it's very important. they said that they knew what we were up to, and were here to stop us from overthrowing the interim king. we explained the of course we weren't going to overthrow the interim king, we just saw some odd behavior that we wanted to talk to them about, look we can even show you - but just then, interrupting the conversation, a thick root of a tree burst through the wall of the room they were in. holy fuck. the four just looked at each other and silently agreed to drop it and flee. as they got outside they spotted it: washeranddryersbug was in the garden near C&B’s cabin, staring up at the tree growing from yggdrasil’s pail.

they held a huge axe which they assumed caused the huge chunk missing from the tree. they watched as the tree grew itself back and it's roots continued to extend in all directions. washeranddryersbug had an evil look on their face which was quickly wiped clean as yggdrasil's roots lashed out towards them, grabbing their legs and pulling them in. they desperately clawed at the earth and chopped blindly with their axe but to no avail. when they hit the trunk the tree grew over them and absorbed their body with a yellow light that now travelled up its trunk. it rose to the canopy where it bathed the leaves in a golden light, just like C&B’s description of the original yggdrasil, and just like the original this golden light shot to the stars and came falling back down onto its leaves, only fostering its growth even more. the four quickly fled though they split up along species lines: newsbug and doctorsbug ran to the mainly softbug populated areas whereas inventorsbug and deliversysbug presumably ran to the carapacian bugs populated areas. as they ran doctorsbug looked behind them and said she saw a dark figure atop the rubble of the building they were in, with the eyes of that creature in the gate. it looked like a bug, but it didn't have the silhouette of a bug they had known… in fact they sort of looked like the odd bug sitting with them in this village house, who futuresbug responded by telling newsbug their name and that they are an ancient bug . so newsbug clarified and said that creature they saw must've been an ancient bug too… anyway, after that both the carapacian bugs and softbugs blamed one another for disturbing the tree, despite what newsbug and doctorsbug had to say. the two actually had a bit of a falling out: after this occurred and they both told the softbug population about the evil king they all refused to believe it and threatened to leave them both to fend for themselves if they didn't stop peddling so called lies, doctorsbug couldn't bring herself to be separated from the group that contained both of her partners, dentistsbug and receptionistsbug, so she lied to herself that it must've been a product of the fire smoke. newsbug explained that they couldn't live with themselves lying constantly. they tried, but it didn't work. that's how they got to here, alone, running and on fire. at some early point in the conflict, inventorsbug must've shot a flair up into the sky, indicating the return of history’s second great trio. newsbug hadn't seen inventorsbug, deliverysbug, or doctorsbug since, and assumed they were all living in similar situations of loss and grief. but now that the trio is here. surely they will all come together! newsbug showed genuine hope, but the party was still grim. it was going to take a lot of fucking convincing to bring the kingdom together after this. i 

[lunarlightingsblog]

LED Lights Sector and Home LED Lights

THE TINTED LED AND WHITE LED MARKETS

Whereas the marketplace for colored (Red, Environment-friendly, Blue) RGB LEDs is well established, the market for white LEDs is still expanding. Why? When you think about sectors that still count on white, non-LED lighting, such as tvs, vehicle makers, computer monitors, notebook computers, LCD backlights, and so on, you can comprehend the push to become the leader in white LED manufacturing. Many individuals are stunned that a service would certainly miss an earnings producing possibility that converting a home or service to LED would produce. However, even if replacement white LED bulbs and retrofits are finally on the market, does not imply that they should be on your prompt wish list. In extremely basic terms, the market for tinted and also color-changing LEDs is fully grown. While designers are still locating means to make them brighter and also much more reliable, the holy grail of the LED sector remains in establishing quantity manufacturing of high-efficiency, high-brightness white LEDs. Glare free lighting

It might be simpler to think of colored LEDs (RGB) and white LEDs in terms of one more sector: Automotive. RGB LEDs resemble the inner burning engine: Dependable, abundant, easy to use and also make, as well as relatively well developed in terms of the possibility for new or breakthrough innovations. There are whole lots on producers and each has their very own set of patents and "methods of the profession" to help provide themselves some advertising and marketing take advantage of over the competition. White LEDs resemble the different power sector for transportation: Fairly differed, still fairly "brand-new", still requiring to be market verified, extra costly, more tough to manage. There are many makers, each using a various innovation or mix of technologies to attain what they think is the "the next big point." Following this example, RGB LEDs are fully grown sufficient to complete on expense alone as well as the decrease in prices is what fuels new applications for colored LEDs that had actually not been thought of formerly. White LEDs, on the other hand are still creating technically and also ought to not be shopped based upon cost alone. The need for top quality and also long life is what fuels the additional research and development into white LEDs.

11 THINGS TO CONSIDER IN DETERMINING LED UPGRADES

Because there are many variables that need to be considered, making a fast and also simple recommendation about transitioning to white LEDs is not possible. To get a dive begin on the future, take into consideration every lights resource in each room and also develop what it's key function is. Once you have done this, examine the adhering to items to help establish where on the top priority purchase-list each substitute ought to be. Here are a couple of general standards to help you identify if an LED upgrade is the appropriate selection for you:

1.) Is the lighting located in a home where the main citizen is older or has flexibility issues?

If the LED substitute produces adequate light levels, LED options are perfect for usage in residences where security is a top priority. Understanding that a sick or older person will certainly not need to alter a burnt light bulb again can give peace-of-mind.

2.) Is initial cost a key consider identifying if you are going to upgrade? lighting tower

The existing nature of the white LED market implies that costs are still relatively high, particularly compared to conventional illumination. Being a very early adopter implies paying a premium; are you comfy with understanding you could have paid less for the exact same technology if you had waited?

3.) Is the light situated in bright daytime sunlight or a location of high warm?

High degrees of heat will significantly reduce the life expectancy of any kind of LED, specifically white LEDs. When thinking about LEDs, try to make sure that both the fixture and also the location allow for ample passive cooling down to prevent color-shift and durability problems. This is a much larger concern when taking into consideration retrofit bulbs versus thinking about a "total bundle" LED component as well as lamp.

4.) Are you needing to minimize the warmth outcome from a traditional light source?

In bathrooms, utility room and also tiny spaces, conventional lights can produce unpleasant heat. LED lights is terrific for these locations because they generate no warmth and because economically lighting up smaller sized areas with LEDs provides much less of a difficulty.

5.) Is the illumination located in a location of rough solution or ecological extremes?

Garage door openers, unheated/cooled laundry room and also outdoor workshops position extreme demands of lights devices. Resonances that can break a light bulb filament as well as cold temperature levels that can trigger a fluorescent tube to flicker are of no consequence to LED lights, making these replacements a relatively simple decision.

6.) Is the brightness important to the application?

LEDs are directional naturally, so trying to fulfill a certain brightness expectation over a large location is not the very best use of LED lights. The present crop of common fluorescent tubes or high-bay lights will probably be more effective for these applications.

7.) Are you trying to retrofit an existing lights fixture to suit an LED replacement?

The majority of current illumination components are made to record and reflect as much light as feasible from traditional lights that generate light from all 360 levels. Due to the fact that LEDs release very directional light, there are typically many compromises that have to be made by suppliers in order to make LEDs "job" for the greatest number of retrofits. When feasible, rather than retrofit bulbs take into consideration a "total plan" LED illumination component that has been made from the ground up to effectively utilize LEDs.

8.) Is the light outcome as well as top quality of the LED variation appropriate contrasted to your existing lighting?

With the selection of illumination modern technology offered (incandescent, fluorescent, LED, and so on) the only way to obtain an accurate concept of just how the lights will perform is to compare the light result or lumen as well as shade temperature specifications rather than the electrical power as is common of the majority of us increased with conventional lights in the house. The United States Department of Power has devised a standardized "lights truths" tag similar in principle to the nourishment tag located on foods, to assist customers contrast lights.

9.) Are the light bulbs you're considering changing difficult to accessibility or reach?

If they are, LED substitutes are excellent prospects since once they are changed, you will likely never have to change them once again given that LEDs do not "stress out" like a traditional light bulb.

10.) Are you replacing all the light bulbs in a particular area or simply a solitary bulb?

Unless you know the color temperature level of all the lighting in the room, try to be consistent in whatever illumination modern technology you pick. For instance, if your room uses largely halogen lighting, it is likely a warm shade temperature and also changing a single reading light to LED with a cooler lighting temperature will not only be noticeable, however may likewise be distracting.

11.) Does the power savings and/or roi (ROI) make it worthwhile at this point?Prepare an energy audit utilizing complimentary web calculators to figure out how much money you will certainly save on power and what the potential roi is. Simply enter your energy rates, the overall electrical power of your traditional illumination and also the overall electrical power of the LED illumination that you are taking into consideration and also the calculator will certainly inform you specifically just how much cash each modern technology will cost you each year.

As you can see, every lights circumstance need to be taken into consideration separately against the above checklist. Doing so will certainly assist you to identify LED upgrade strategies that fit within both your spending plan and also your expectations. As a whole, LED illumination will certainly continue to enhance in both outcome as well as performance annually comparable to the means the computer market has progressed. What could be considered a "middle of the road" LED lamp today, was highly likely taken into consideration a costs item a year or two ago. Prioritizing your LED lights purchases to make sure that the essentials are covered initially as well as postponing your more requiring lights needs as the technology enhances will certainly make sure a comfy transition to tomorrows lighting innovation.

[atopvisenyashill]

@esther-dot Yes! That’s basically what I think he’s doing with the endgames of the starks, is really playing with how this generation faces the same issues the previous generation did - kind of commenting on the Institutional Rot by having this next generation not only reject that rot but actively work to undo it. like, sansa understanding The Problem Lyanna Had more intimately than Ned ever could, and allowing Arya the freedom to be who she wants to be. jon being given the chance to be in power and completely rejecting it not just bc he doesn’t want it (he can be more helpful in other ways!) but because he’s attempting to protect his half siblings. bran approaching this situation with so much more calmness, wisdom, experience, than brandon stark ever could. etc etc. (which is why there’s so many sibling groups of 3 and 4 among the robert’s rebellion characters, and paralleled to the modern day groups of siblings. at least in my opinion, what he wants to explore is like…can you break the cycle of violence? not just on a societal level but on a personal level, is it actually possible to stop yourself from perpetuating the horror? how is it even possible to do in a society so hell bent on continuing the death spiral it’s on?)

i think it’s especially striking with sansa/jon and arya/gendry for those rhaegar/lyanna/robert/ned parallels, and with a five year gap, that makes so much sense! arya would be at an age where it’s less weird gendry is attracted to her, sansa and jon would both be well into adulthood by their standards (and in young adulthood by ours even). but with the gap gone, i think it’s both a lot harder to take them seriously as leaders (bc they’re all babies) but also sooooooo hard to try to pull off these romances. And like, I’d bet money on that parallel being the main motivator for developing all four of these characters that way, so if you nix the romance you’re missing half the reason the characters even exist! AND YET we cannot have like 11 year old arya getting it on with grown ass gendry and still consider this a romantic play on robert/lyanna!!

the solution here was just to rewrite agot the moment he realized the plot was moving too fast but he can’t really do that now can he 😭 i think some of that could be fixed with the follow up books he wanted to do with arya’s adventuring but at the same time, i’m sure it’s frustrating to have to delay this pay off to a book he’s not likely to ever get around to publishing 😭😭😭 so personally, i’m always kind of stuck at predicting what it is he’ll want to continue with and what he’s given up on depicting. i think losing either ship really impacts the endgame, and probably he can figure out a way around it but god it’s tricky to walk that line!

there’s a few potential sansa romantic endgames that i think have some textual basis and i think all of them come with a lot of issues wrt sansa being able to publically claim these relationships which is why i think sansa will say her children are “fathered by a wolf” because regardless of Who she’s with or even the legality of it, she’s going to be actively concealing their identity AND YET she needs to have children.

i think especially that even though arya’s love life is guaranteed to be less complicated, sansa will feel obligated to take this “burden” of ensuring their line onto herself; she wants arya to have the freedom to go where she pleases, be with who she pleases, and follow her passions and that is not easy to do if everyone is expecting you to come home and start popping out kids. I consider them a sort of reflection of ned and lyanna in this way in that sansa, second born and not meant to rule, uses her newfound power to let the wild, youngest girl (but not youngest child) in the family follow her passions wherever they may take her.

this is all kind of weird with the nixed time jump but considering that george has talked about writing stories from arya’s pov about her adventures, I think it’s going to be fairly important in story regardless of their ages that arya will attempt to offer to stay home and marry and have children as a way of helping to protect sansa’s very shaky claim on winterfell but that sansa encourages arya to do whatever she wants. to travel, to help shepherd the boatloads of refugees from the various wars to wherever they want to call home, to settle displaced northerners in other parts of westeros as well, to get involved in the lives of the people arya is helping and agree to help them liberate their own homes by using her skills (crucial here that arya is A leader but not the SOLE leader), or to go out into the woods and be a secret not-quite-an-outlaw (bc sansa isn’t outlawing anything that could hurt arya’s lil crusades, probably is helping bankroll arya) to bring justice to the smallfolk, like whatever it is arya wants to do with her life, the point is that she offers to give it up and sansa refuses to take the offer.

and then we have the idea that her kids are fathered by a wolf. not elizabeth-ing herself here exactly because she’s having children but never publicly acknowledging a father or a husband or even a lover.

i think the candidates most likely are jon snow and theon, with both brienne and podrick as like “i’m not saying he’s gonna do it but i am saying they make a lot of sense narratively” and aegon vi as a huge long shot but still undeniable contender. if briensa does go canon everyone owes me five bucks each tho. i think the options other people float are not just wildly unserious they also clearly don’t think sansa will be The Ruling Lady Of Winterfell, but some much more minor or less emotionally resonant title and i just do not vibe with that shit at all. harry the heir, sandor, sweetrobin, tyrion, littlefucker, like never mind sansa never once showing any real interest in these guys and NONE of these dudes being satisfied by the idea of being her secret husband, if sansa says to arya “yeah i’m marrying tyrion” arya is going “blink twice if you’re being held hostage and you need me to kill him” but it’s too late because jon snow is already unsheathing longclaw and bran is attacking with every raven in winterfell. it’s not fucking happening and imo it’s unserious to pretend like it could happen in canon. (and if it DOES happen in canon you will find me rocking up to george’s house in jersey and demanding to know why he’s so weird about teenage girls). i think margaery is a huge long shot here (and not just bc it would make them both canonically on screen gay) because i don’t think she’s gonna live to the ending, and jeyne poole is too traumatized at this point in time for me to feel confident in putting her in the same category as brienne and pod.

(theon’s trauma is WHY i think he’s still a contender - post reek theon is going to struggle a lot with figuring out where he’s supposed to be, who he’s supposed to be, and who he can trust as he puts himself back together, and that lends itself nicely to the idea of a secret husband/lover imo. once again, we are talking extreme trauma bonding here - that’s just the only way i see sansa’s romances going).

if you’re asking “who do you think arya is winding up with” it’s gendry. i don’t doubt that there were some plans for edric dayne, arya, and gendry but i think gendry was always going to be her great love here, that she’s always going to turn down the idea of marriage to him but gendry doesn’t care so long as they are still together. there’s a neon blinking sign over gendry’s head that says “endgame material” and i think it’s unserious to pretend it’s not there too!!

[theteasetwrites]

The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning

Chapter 2: Destroying Angel

❧ Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader ❧ Era: Season 1 ❧ Pronouns: she/her ❧ Warnings: mild swearing, scary situation, Merle being creepy, mild violence, typical TWD ❧ Word Count: 2.6k

❧ In This Chapter: A foray into the woods for mushrooms turns deadly, but a mysterious man with a crossbow comes to your rescue, not unlike Robin Hood. The man isn't alone, though, and his brother seeks to know just where you came from.

❧ A/N: This chapter introduces the lovely Daryl Dixon (and the insufferable Merle Dixon). I also researched a bit about poisonous berries and mushrooms for this chapter, something I've never really looked into before. You learn something new everyday!

It had been six days since the explosions, and in that time your group had gotten significantly bigger.

Dale was the first person to find his way to the quarry. You and him both had the idea of heading that way. Apparently he was also familiar with the site and had frequently camped there. You liked him a lot, he reminded you a bit of your dad. He also brought an RV with him which provided some shelter from the elements.

Others began to trickle in one by one. A younger man named Glenn; a woman named Jacqui; a man named T-Dog; a woman named Andrea and her younger sister Amy; a man named Jim; and a man named Morales and his family had all somehow landed at the quarry.

There was a handful of other people in the general area, but the camp seemed to be mostly concentrated around yourself and the others you had grown close to in the last six days.

You, Shane, Andrea, and Glenn had gone to the nearest town to find useful supplies. What hadn’t been ransacked during the panic was sufficient to keep the group alive for now, but a bigger run into the city would have to be planned out sooner or later.

You were lucky enough to snatch your own tent and cot, as well as a hunting knife and some more outdoorsy clothing. After all, the ankle-length dress you arrived in probably wouldn’t be the most practical outfit in an apocalyptic situation. That was one thing you hadn’t really thought about during your panic-pack.

In terms of the disease, it was safe to say that things had gone from bad to worse. The wandering infected, whom Glenn had affectionately nicknamed “geeks,” had been seen staggering around the surrounding woods. It was agreed upon that all geeks were to be killed on sight since they wouldn’t hesitate to take a bite out of one of you. Your group was still able to tune into radio broadcasts, but they weren’t particularly helpful. However, they did confirm your suspicions that those who were bit did actually come back to life. So you weren’t just losing your mind, which was only a small comfort to you.

Despite the overall situation, you considered yourself pretty lucky to have fallen in with such helpful people. Nevertheless, you found yourself dissatisfied with Shane. He fancied himself the leader of the group, and you wouldn’t mind so much if he weren’t so cocky. Plus you were always a good judge of character, and something about him didn’t sit right with you.

By the sixth day you had found a few chores to keep your mind off Shane’s slightly questionable leadership. You and Amy had developed a daily routine of collecting berries, mushrooms, and whatever else you could get your hands on in the forest. Amy was quite a bit younger than you by at least five years but you found yourself getting along with her well. She reminded you of yourself when you were in your early twenties.

“Hey, check these out,” Amy called out to you as she approached with a cluster of blueberry-like berries in her hand, “Think they’re edible?”

You took a cursory look at the purple fruit, then thumbed open the guide to wild berries, nuts, and mushrooms you had “borrowed” from the camping store you had rummaged through a few days earlier. You didn’t know the first thing about foraging, but your life philosophy had always been “there’s probably a book about it.”

“Let’s see,” you muttered, turning the pages meticulously while you examined the berries, “They look like… pokeweed berries. It says here they can cause headaches, nausea, vomiting, extreme dia—”

“Okay, so not edible,” Amy quipped, tossing the bunch of berries behind her in defeat.

You closed your book with a tilt of your head and an exasperated sigh. “Hey, I’m sure we’ll find something.” You rested a comforting hand on the younger girl’s shoulder as she gave you the best smile she could.

Truth be told, the food situation was not great. Fortunately, Dale had brought some fishing gear but no one had any luck in the quarry so far. Ed had some M.R.E.s in his survival kit but they were down to their last box. Plus Ed was pretty stingy with them as it was.

No one in the group was a hunter or trapper. You yourself were a vegetarian and didn’t have much to offer in that department. It seemed that for now you’d have to resort to scavenging until someone found some hunting gear on the next run, but even that was risky with the dead walking around in seemingly greater numbers everyday and very few means of self-defense.

Amy stretched her arms as she looked around at the surrounding woods. “I think I’m gonna head back, Andrea’s gonna have a cow if I’m out too long.”

You nodded and slung your backpack onto your shoulder. “You go ahead, I’m gonna keep looking around. I swear I saw some mushrooms around here the other day.”

“Shane’ll freak out if I come back without you. Buddy system and all that,” she gestured her hands, mimicking Shane.

“Yeah, well Shane’s an asshole."

Amy rolled her eyes and smiled, grabbing her empty basket and starting towards camp. “Just be careful. Don’t get yourself killed over mushrooms.”

You knew it was not the best idea to be out in the woods alone, but the group needed food and you were intent on making yourself useful with the few practical skills you had. Although you didn't know how to forage, the least you could do is try.

As you made your way deeper into the forest, the sun began to make its way towards the west with the last of its gold flakes caressing the dainty silhouettes of the leaves on the beech trees. Time had gotten away from you as you kept looking for those damn mushrooms. Surely you were now much too far away from the camp.

You stopped to rest on a fallen log, wondering how you got this far without finding anything edible.

You gazed up at the intermingling branches giving texture to the increasingly dark blue sky. Evening was encroaching upon you much sooner than you had anticipated.

Bringing your gaze back down to earth, you found your Holy Grail: those goddamn mushrooms!

Practically lunging yourself off the log, you kneeled down next to the pretty white fungi. If you were being honest, you didn’t even like mushrooms, but the beautiful, pearly growths standing proud at the base of an ancient tree were enough to change your mind (that and the incessant growling coming from your stomach).

Reaching behind for your pack, you procured your handy field guide and began eagerly flipping through the dusty pages.

Your eyes darted between the cluster of alabaster and the images in the book, trying desperately to find a match. It was as if, in this moment, the only thing that mattered was those mushrooms.

Your mind was so preoccupied that you couldn’t even hear the crushing of dead leaves underfoot coming from behind you. Your eyes lifted slightly from your coveted mushrooms as you finally unsheathed your hunting knife from its cradle attached to your belt, but by then it was too late.

You spun yourself around only to be trampled on by a particularly hungry looking geek. By some sick twist of fate, your knife had slipped out of your hands in the chaos and landed a few feet away, too far to reach considering this geek had its entire body weight draping over you.

You pushed the geek’s face away from you, one hand on its forehead and the other on its rotting chest.

“Oh, god!” you yelped in panic.

This is it. This is how I die. Picking mushrooms. I don’t even like the little bastards.

All thoughts ceased as an arrow zipped through the air and lodged itself deep into the corpse’s skull. You sighed in relief, until the now completely lifeless body collapsed onto you.

“Ugh!” you pushed the thing off and away from you, checking yourself for bites all the while.

Hearing another rustling of leaves, your head bolted to attention as you laid eyes on a man, a live one, brandishing a crossbow.

He was wearing a tattered sleeveless shirt and jeans. His weatherworn skin was coated in dirt and blood, but you could still make out the sapphire of his eyes, which were narrowed at you as you began picking up your things, still in shock but not wanting to stay here longer than you needed to.

“Um… thanks,” you mumbled, subconsciously fixing your disheveled hair.

The bowman approached you and rather unceremoniously tore the arrow from the decaying bone in which it had nestled.

“Don’ mention it,” he looked down at you with something in his eyes you couldn’t quite pinpoint. Annoyance? Confidence? Pity? He was difficult to read, but somehow you knew his intentions weren’t bad. Hell, he saved you from a geek. That’s got to count for something. Or maybe you were just naïve.

“Well, looky here!” a booming voice came from behind the archer.

A taller, older man in equally as dirty clothes wielding a shotgun approached, resting a hand on the younger man’s shoulder and flashing a smile that made you uneasy.

“Looks like we got ourselves a little doe-eyed bambi,” he looked you up and down lasciviously whilst licking his thin, dried lips, “Where’d you come from, darlin’?”

You quickly stood up to your full height, trying your best to maintain some sort of composure despite the jitters running through your body as you stood alone in the woods with two much stronger looking men whose intentions weren’t entirely clear.

You cleared your throat. “Um, I don’t come from anywhere,” you lied, “I just came out looking for mushrooms and things.” You weren’t sure if you could trust these men enough to tell them about your camp.

“Mushrooms n’ things?” the younger man echoed, eying you suspiciously.

“Yeah, I just love the darn things,” you lied, again, gesturing to the cluster of white mushrooms next to your feet.

The older man scoffed, “Well, you gotta come from somewheres. You got a camp around here, girl?” He stepped closer to you and watched as you zipped up your pack and threw it on your back.

Shit. You’ve always been bad at lying. How were you supposed to talk your way out of this one? It wasn’t like you could just run, these guys had long range weapons. Wait…

Your eyes widened as you focused on the bulky crossbow slung across the archer’s chest. Trailing to his shoulder, you eyed a string of dead squirrels dangling there haphazardly, tied by their fluffy tails.

They’re hunters.

At least the bowman was. That was what the camp needed more than anything — someone who could navigate the woods and bring back some hearty meat. Maybe he could teach others to hunt too. Sure, you just met the guy, and you didn’t like the looks his brother was giving you, but they seemed mostly harmless.

You went over the consequences in your head: living with two rednecks who could hunt and fight or starving to death? The former seemed the better option for surviving.

“You guys can hunt?”

The archer scoffed. “No shit, Sherlock.”

“Hey, that ain’t no way to talk to a lady, Daryl,” the older brother chided and turned his gaze to you, “‘specially not one as pretty as you.”

Great, you thought, one’s an asshole and the other one’s a creep.

“We hunt,” the man called Daryl nodded to you, “Sure as hell don’t hunt no mushrooms neither.”

You couldn’t help but smile a little. This could be a tremendous help to the group’s chances of survival.

“If I take you guys to my camp,” you ventured, “will you help us? We need food and none of us know how to hunt. We don’t have a lot of weapons either.”

“Can’t ya teach yourselves? It ain’t rocket science, woman,” Daryl spat. You couldn’t help but be a little hurt by the vitriol of his words. It stung even though you didn’t know the man.

“Now hold on a minute, baby brother. Maybe we can help these people, but what’s in it for us?”

You thought for a moment. Why should they help you?

“A place to stay, a group to watch your back, human interaction…” you trailed off as you couldn’t think of any other reasons.

“We also have checkers,” you shrugged, and the two men just looked at you like you were crazy.

After a few too many seconds of awkward silence, the older brother let out a vociferous laugh that you were sure would attract every walker in the vicinity.

“Oh, man! You hear that, Daryl? They got checkers!” he hollered.

The younger man just kept looking at you, chewing his bottom lip as he crossed his arms against his broad chest.

“Tell ya what, sugar,” he approached you slowly, never taking his eyes off you, “you take us to this camp of yours and we’ll stay and help if we like what we see,” he was now so close to your face that you could smell the cigarettes on his breathe. “But considering we damn near saved your life, I’d say you owe us a little bit more.”

“Shut up, Merle!” Daryl pulled him away.

Of course his name is Merle.

Daryl looked back at you, “Jus’ take us to your camp.”

“Fine,” you quickly plucked some of the mushrooms and delicately placed them in your basket, “but please don’t make me regret this.”

There was a vulnerability in your voice. You didn’t want this to be a mistake. You needed it not to be a mistake. There was no room for error these days.

“Lead the way, sweetheart,” Merle drawled.

“My name’s (Y/N). I’d prefer if you called me that,” you replied as the three of you began walking towards the camp.

“Okay, okay,” the man held his hands up in defense, “Merle, and that there’s Daryl.”

You looked to the silent archer. He didn’t talk as much as his brother, so that was a relief. He might not be very nice but at least he wouldn’t grate your ears with constant remarks.

As the three of you trudged through the increasingly dark forest, you looked down into your basket at the mushrooms you had picked. Your thumb traced over the soft curves as you admired the delicate ivory cap. You would be sure to identify it later, but for now you marveled at its undeniable beauty.

“Destroying angel,” a gruff, yet somehow soft, voice intruded on your thoughtless thoughts.

“What?” you turned towards the archer.

“Those ‘shrooms, they’re called destroying angel. Eat ‘em and you’ll shit yourself to death.”

“Oh.”

Great. Almost got killed for the damn things and they’re poisonous.

“Thanks for the tip,” you smiled.

Daryl simply grunted, looking down at his feet as they moved across the forest floor. “Ain’t nothing.”

You might get an earful from Shane when you get back to camp with two seemingly unstable rednecks you found in the forest, but at least they seemed to know what they were doing out there.

In any case, Daryl wasn’t so bad. A little rough around the edges, but not so bad.

~

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