#hopefully that doesn't mess up engagement

[mossclan-moons]

woe, surprise new page be upon ye

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[yellosnacc]

Welcome to a long one.

The Ciwan empire is the fastest-growing sloman power ever since the war of continents and the first to discover a form of gunpowder (thanks to their enemies being uniima lls who have been using it long before).

But even with that advantage (among slomen), the Ciwan armies are iconic for a different reason. That being the Kuiqua-trained units that Sun-cutters come from.

These units have traditionally existed for hundreds of years but are slowly just becoming a symbol for show because of the political and battling changes in the world. However, you will still see them from time to time ripping people to pieces.

Just like the majority of sloman military groups the unit relies on intense teamwork, they need constant communication and preplanned routes to deal with the opposing strategy.

The simplified average scene might look something like this:

In one unit of 30 members, three strikers (Sun-cutters) make a plan with their scholars and commanding Fire-catchers (Seconds leaders). After getting to the war zone they wait for their window in which some members spy or communicate with deeper army spies. When they know their target and best strategy they get in. The strikers use hand gestures, clicks, or whistles to save energy while the Seconds forward the orders to the rest with "ground's" (war language), wooden whistles see more use in very large units. Many times, however, often just seeing the movement of the sun-cutters is enough for the whole group to act.

Strikers will sometimes wait behind their heavies (Beasts) if their force isn't necessary (units can be as few as 5 members or as many as 50, the two extremes work very differently). Once the situation calls for it, they bullet their targets, often stabbing talons first and tearing muscles in a swift motion. This may happen multiple times as other unit members engage in direct battle with the target/s or disarm them with specialized tools. Kuiqua units both kill and capture, having healing supplies on their heavies if they need to make sure their target doesn't bleed out (or their own soldiers).

All members of the Kuiquan unit are priests of different levels but all are priests of the dead (ones that speak for their ancestors rather than gods). It's believed lands conquered with these soldiers present will flourish with life. Many former battlegrounds have turned into gardens and crop fields (hopefully they don't keep this up when landmines are invented).

To the image. What you see is a small variety of soldiers. Beasts and fire-catchers have other names and features in their armor that they are known for based on all their roles that can often switch between fights. Only Sun-cutters truly have one name.

Fire-catchers are also sometimes strikers in training and may move up if they prove themselves. Though, more often Sun-cutters rise from the ranks of regular taloned soldiers with enough talent.

-

As mentioned in the image, Sun-cutters tend to be very prideful. Their helmets are an impractical mess that pushes their ears forward. A Ciwan Sloman's ears are very important to them and if they are damaged it's a career-ending event. Still, almost no strikers bind their ears, not wanting to be shamed for cowardness.

an ex-striker

here is the whole picture if you prefer it big

Btw, Kuiqua is the city Neal lives in. He has met or been arranged to meet these units multiple times since Neal himself is stuck classified as a fancy soldier. They are also not uncommon around temples, small talk is required.

Thank you for reading this far! Next I must answer the questions of biology. This has taken me 50 000 years.

[modernelites-if]

Modern Elites is a 18+ raunchy slice-of-life IF that follows you, a young royal, navigating the world of the obscenely rich and immensely famous while trying to keep your elite, royal family together in the midst of drama and tabloids.

Setting: modern times, fictional tiny country of Selusa, New York, Paris and more.

Genre: slice-of-life, drama, romance

Celebrity. Pop Culture Icon. Heir.

Royal.

As the heir to the Selusan throne, you're known by many names. Growing under the spotlight hasn't been easy, especially since it seems the vultures all want a piece of your elusive family. Country clubs, yachts, parties, private jets, elite schools, you've had it all.

But is there something missing?

Customize your heir from appearance to gender identity to personality. Dictate what kind of person they are: rebellious, dutiful. Do they care about the royal line or are parties more on their mind? Will you keep a squeaky clean rep or ruin the family name?

Customize Salusa and cater the country to your taste.

Dictate what kind of leader you want to be, and how others percieve you.

Experience the life of the hidden .01% and the drama of the ultra wealthy.

Engage in fiery, dramatic romances that could either uplift or ruin you and your family.

and more to come.

THE ADVISOR

Imogen/Ian Lancaster [f/m]- your family's advisor and publicist. I has cleaned up every mess, every leak, every scandal and at this point, there are no secrets between your family and them. Coming from a well-off family themselves, they know exactly how this world works...and they navigate it with a steel will and a cold, detached demeanor. I has you handled like an adult with a child, trying (and probably failing) to keep you in line. Anything you do will go through them, so it's better to think twice.

THE BETROTHED

Everett/Eva St. Clare [m/f] - the eldest of one of the most influential businessmen on your side of the world, black sheep, and a source of gossip in polite society, there have been talks of a betrothal between you two since the partnership started. Because of that, you two are forced into a fake romance for the cameras. E is an arrogant and brash casanova, sex-obsessed, and is proudly noncommital with string of rumors that follow them like their own entourage. Unfortunately for you, E's exploits can damage the carefully constructed facade you two have built. Of course, E doesn't give a damn.

THE REBEL

Vince/Vivian De Grasso [m/f] - (secretly) fresh out of jail and newly reformed (not) V's politician of a mother has asked in a favor from your family: to reform them and stifle their rebellious ways by adding them to your security detail. Your father having a soft spot for the kid, brings them in as one of your guards. Hopefully V keeps in line...or not.

THE COMMONER

Cordelia/Corden Bowen [f/m]- an employee at the country club you frequent, someone less polite would call them a 'nobody.' C has a bit of an attitude, but that's expected from someone who is used to getting berated by rich people all day. There's not much else to say about them...or maybe there is?

THE JOURNALIST

Romi Marshall [m/f]- a famed journalist with contempt for royalty and elitism. Their newsletters frequently slam you and your family's every move, and they don't like you one bit. You can confidently say they're your biggest hater.

THE ROYAL BEST FRIEND

Oliver/Olivia Ames-Astor [m/f]- a fellow prince/princess from another country and your best friend, who is still hung up on their ex. Forced to betroth someone else, O has so many problems you can hardly sort through them. Still, they're kind and as polite as you'd expect from a person who has had etiquette lessons drilled into them since childhood. They're also your best friend, so there's that.

[patrophthia]

hii, congrats on 600 followers!! i was wondering if you could write some theodore nott exes to lovers with slytherin or ravenclaw reader. if not, that’s fine. anyway, thank you for your time :))

this ask was sent a few moons back and im so very sorry it took me so long to get to it, i’ve just never written exes to lovers before so it was hard for me to but i tried my best here, i hope you like it!

i also got a bit carried away and went over the 600 word counts thing (this is 1.1k), and the characters are aged up/adults here so the houses aren’t the biggest focus on the story (im sorry)!

this was supposed to be part of my 600 followers celebrations but it’s been long closed!

try again | theodore nott

Blaise Zabini does not understand Theodore Nott, neither does he understand you. It baffles him on another level how you could sit there, smiling at Draco while Theodore sits across the table looking as gloom as ever. 

Maybe he was assuming things; maybe you were having a hard time but is plainly putting on a happy face to celebrate a mutual friend engagement. After all this was Draco and Astoria's day. Maybe —and he was pushing it here, if he messed with you the slightest bit, he could rile Theodore up enough to fix things between the two of you. 

"No," you say before Blaise could even get a word in. You've been friends with him long enough to know that he was planning something the second he turns to you. "Whatever you're thinking, it's a no." 

Blaise feigns a disappointed look. Placing his glass of wine down, you reciprocate his action soon after.  "But it's just a question, doll. You're not even going to let me ask you a question?"

You fix Blaise a look. One that anyone could tell you that you were ridiculing him but he only grinned, processing with his question. 

"Is it cheating for your boyfriend to zip your friend's jacket up for them?" 

Neither Blaise nor Theodore missed the glance you unconsciously cast his way. You lay your hands flat on the table, careful of your surroundings —and furthermore, words. "I don't have a boyfriend." 

Blaise cocks his head to the side. "It's a hypothetical question." 

"Okay well, hypothetically I don't have a boyfriend," you reply sneakily. And if you noticed the slight shift in Theodore's lips, biting back a laugh; you don't show it. 

Blaise rolls his eyes, turning his attention before asking the blonde the same question. Draco takes a long look at Astoria and shakes his head. "I guess not," he says first, "mostly since I'm friends with dumb-arses like you that it's only fitting you wouldn't know how to zip your jackets up yourself." 

"Ass-hat," Blaise mumbles under his breath, clearly annoyed but takes in his answer before shifting his attention back to you. "Now what about you, doll?" 

You decide to answer him this time round, maybe he didn't actually have an ulterior motive behind something for once. "I guess not," you tell him, "I just wouldn't feel very comfortable if Theo— if my partner zips someone else for them." 

"Oh?" Blaise murmurs, his eyes shining at your slip up —and to your defence, it had only been a few months since the two of you split and it was only a force of habit, it'll go away soon. Hopefully. He then turns to Nott, eyes bright and filled with curiosity. "What do you think? How would you feel if your partner did that?" 

Theodore is slow, he is careful and hesitant. He doesn't answer straight away and for a minute you remember just why the two of you didn't work out. Theodore wasn't the most willing to talk, and it's hard —it's hard when your relationship was built on communication and one of you wasn't willing to communicate. 

He gazes at you and says your name. 

"What?" You're confused, maybe a little daze from hearing Theodore say your name after months of radio silence from his part. 

"My answer is you," he says. "I agree with you." 

"Oh." You meet his eyes, dark as ever staring back at you intensely as if he was begging for you to say something else. Something more promising than just 'oh'. If you were so hellbent on communicating to the point of breaking up, then why weren't you communicating with him? "Okay."

Okay? Seriously? Blaise cannot believe his own ears. That's what you say after Theodore says that his answer is you after he was asked how he felt? Would it change how you react if he were to ask it again? It wouldn't hurt to ask again, right? 

"Then let's say," Blaise begins, "you break up with your partner because they were bad at communicating their feelings but they're still in love with you, what do you do?" 

"Blaise," Astoria hisses from the side, shooting you a cautious look. She cares more about you than the scene Blaise can cause by asking you such questions. Astoria gets up from her seat besides Draco to stand behind your chair, placing careful hands on your shoulder. "Stop asking stupid questions." 

"We're just having fun," Blaise feigns a pout. "What would you do, the future Mrs. Malfoy?" 

Her cheeks tint pink at the nickname, her hand squeezing your shoulder comfortingly. "I'd talk to them and let them know how I feel." 

"What about you?" He turns to Theodore who's eyes linger on Astoria's hand. "What would you do?" 

Theodore wants to say something sarcastic in return, but he doesn't know what to say. He's never been the talkative one in the room, he was the one who listened and learned. So instead of saying something somewhat mean, he answered truthfully instead. "I'd  tell them that I'd learned from the past and will try to change myself for them, after all they should know that I'm always on their side." 

Okay, maybe the few glasses of wine has his lips loosening up a little. Because if it hasn't, Theodore would've never admitted any of what he'd said —nor what he would continue on to say. "Even if we have to start again and talk the long way round, I'd still feel the same way about them." 

"And what is that feeling, Nott?" Blaise eggs on, reaching for the wine bottle for a refill on his own glass. 

"I don't know," Theodore admits, his gaze turning to you now. "I just want to try again."

His voice is gentle, pleading even as he says his final words. The table goes silent and Blaise feels the slightest bit of guilt, knowing that he'd been responsible for dampening the mood during somebody else's engagement celebrations. Maybe he should've thought this through. 

Theodore's eyes are soft, a stark contrast against the darkness of his eyes and even though it seemed like his gaze was fixed on you; he wasn't looking directly at you but rather something slightly above you. Avoiding your gaze at all costs. 

You've thought about trying again. Over and over again you've mulled over the idea. If Theodore told you how he felt more and you learned to read him better, would everything be alright? It's not like you can know right? Not unless you try again? 

"Okay." And then there's word again, but instead of having shoulders deflate this time round, there seems to be a glimmer of hope right before you follow up with your next words. "Let's try again."

[whimedy]

Just watched Transformers One today and HOLY SHIT IT'S PEAK

I had seen a lot of spoilers on social media before watching but wow, it was still super impressive

It's def great for ppl new to the franchise because it visually represents the relevant lore bits very well (I only started checking out Transformers lore a few weeks ago since I saw the Transformers One trailers and had only watched one or two Bayverse movies before - neither of them got me interested in the lore btw)

The animation is BEAUTIFUL. Definitely not sp*derverse-level, but it's still has a pleasing aesthetic

I mean, what was I even thinking? ofc it's not sp*derverse-level because it's not a multiversal mess and solely takes place on a metallic alien planet

Some ppl find the jokes "cringy" but I just think they rely more on context. You may only find some of the jokes funny if you see other parts of the movie first, and none of them are shown in the trailers

I'd say the comedy makes up only about 30% of the movie because the plot itself is engaging enough

The one issue I have with the movie is the lack of elaboration on the [redacted, hint: it starts with a Q], but it doesn't ruin the whole thing so don't worry about it (might show more in a sequel, hopefully)

Rating: 9.5/10

(definitely biassed because I was familiar with the lore before watching)

Also, fuck Sentinel Prime IGN for giving this a 5

OH YEAH, shoutout to TFHypeGuy on Twitter for being the only member of the marketing team

[sirthisisa-wendys]

Hello! I'm a huge fan of your work! <3<3 I love how you write Taiju ^ ^ He is so handsome! Would it be alright if I request about Taiju meeting s/o for the first time, like it takes place where we were first introduced him in the show. And how s/o handles the situation like she's being a total girlboss and that's when Taiju starts developing feelings and later they started dating.

I can do this! (Hopefully, I did this right, lol)

Love, An Oddity: Taiju Shiba x Fem!Reader

wc: calculating…

tw: fluff

masterlist

The brawny man across from you scowls deeply, his hands clenched into fists.

"What did you say?"

"I said," you begin, standing before the brawler. "Your little gang here is making a racket. Perhaps you could understand that if you stayed in school." Taiju grits his teeth, looking down at you with nothing other than malice in his eyes.

You don't miss the "Black Dragon" emblem blazoned on various members' jackets, but part of you doesn't care. You'd been shaken out of your sleep by the utter chaos outside Taiju Shiba's home. And this wouldn't be the first time he'd done something similar.

"Don't you have any respect for the other people who live here?" Your eyes flash at the man, but he mutters words to himself that you can't hear before he takes a step back.

"I've seen you before," he finally states, crossing his arms. "Aren't you the priest's daughter?" Your eye twitches as he refers to you as anything other than your name, but you nod anyways.

"I am. What, think I can't fight because my dad's a clergyman?" Taiju tosses his hands in the air, looking away from you.

"Never said anything of the sort. Let's head out." You watch in rapt fascination as the group of hoodlums suddenly disperses, leaving you alone in the street as Taiju makes a slow but definite retreat. You want to egg him on and urge him to come back to fight, but there's no sense in engaging in that kind of behavior. It was clear that the conflict was over.

That is until you find an apology letter coupled with a box on your door the next day. It simply reads, "Sorry for the disturbance," and when you open the small box, you see a cupcake sitting inside. You grimace at the offering - it's obviously a pithy attempt by someone in Black Dragon to appease your fury - but take it inside despite your reluctance.

A week passes before you get a call on the house phone, and you hurry to pick it up, lest your father hears it and slip out of his bed to make sure it wasn't a member of the church calling for help.

"Hello?"

"Did you get the note and the cupcake?" You quirk your brow at the sound of Taiju Shiba on the other end, his voice much softer than it had been a day ago.

"Is that your way of apologizing for making such a mess?"

"Yes." The simple admission makes you sigh, and you look across the kitchen counter at the note still lying on the granite.

"Taiju," you muse, twirling a finger around the cord of the phone. "Do you really think a note and a cupcake will smooth things over between the neighborhood and your gang?" There's a soft noise on the other end, but Taiju doesn't reply. "You'll have to do better than that." You hang up the phone and waltz back to the couch, placing your feet on the coffee table and watching reality TV.

You awaken mid-morning to see your father standing at the window in his pajamas.

"Dad, what are you doing?"

"Come look, y/n. It must be a miracle!" When you join your father at the window, you see a group of Black Dragon gang members. But there seems to be little fear in the older man next to you as he watches them... clean.

"And don't miss a single spot!"

"Yes, boss!"

You fling the door to your home open and allow your eyes to roam over the neighborhood. Trash is picked up. Some are fixing things that had been broken for months. Others are standing around Taiju and getting directions from him.

"You've got to be kidding me." You wander over to what appears to be home base as Taiju dishes out orders to groups of eager members.

"Y/n," Taiju calls out, pushing one of his associates aside. "You made it just in time."

"This is a PR stunt," you quip, waving your hands around. "Ninety percent of the mess they're cleaning up is the mess they made."

"Isn't that what you want?" You scoff, placing your hands on your hips and shaking your head. Taiju groans loudly, wiping a hand over his face. “Listen, I’ll do anything to make it up to you.”

“Why?” Your question is given no answer as Taiju stares at you, his cheeks reddening. “Don’t be embarrassed,” you chide. “You’re a big boy; spit it out.”

“I… don’t like being in people’s debt.”

“You’ll forever be in my debt,” you quip, turning back toward your house.

“Wait!” Taiju grabs your hand and you whip around, about ready to fight the brute. “Why don’t I take you out… on a date?”

“A date?” The echoed words make Taiju nod a few times, and you blink at him as if seeing him for the first time.

Of course, he’d done all of this cleanup for you. He’d made efforts to get into your good graces - heaven knows why - so he could impress you, not frustrated you.

“This isn’t a joke, right?”

“Not even close.” Taiju’s hand tightens around yours and you huff a sigh.

“I suppose I’ll give you a chance. If that keeps you from tearing the neighborhood up, that is.”

“That’ll keep me more than satisfied,” he replies, giving you a toothy grin. “That I can promise.”

[love-belle]

1k celebration !!!

difficult ༊*·˚

in which i write a one shot based on a storyline you sent. ( example - "charles leclerc with ex!reader where she's close with his family even after their break up and it leads to them getting back together )

i miss you, i'm sorry ༊*·˚

in which i write a small blurb based on your scenario/prompts with your chosen driver. ( example - "you're the best thing i've ever had" with daniel ricciardo )

full machine ༊*·˚

in which i write a social media au with the situation and driver of your choice. ( example - engagement announcement with lewis hamilton )

block me out ༊*·˚

in which i add onto your random headcanons for a driver ( example - "i feel like lando would hate your cat at first but he'll eventually warm up to it" + my take on that )

camden ༊*·˚

in which i become your friend as i answer random asks. anything, from irrelevant gossip to rants about stuff or about my already written stories or if you'd just like to talk to me or be a mutual, anything.

mess it up ༊*·˚

in which i write an angsty one shot/blurb/social media au based on your angsty prompt/scenario with a driver of your choice. ( example - carlos doesn't want to tell everyone else that you're both together and you feel like he's ashamed of you )

the bottom ༊*·˚

in which i make false twitter posts/threads about an incident/situation/prompt/scenario with a driver you choose. ( example - "toto wolff and actress!reader dating and paparazzi catch them", so i'll be writing the fans reaction and the articles and all in twitter posts )

≡;- ꒰ °i will be writing for ꒱

charles leclerc ༉‧₊˚.

max verstappen ༉‧₊˚.

daniel ricciardo ༉‧₊˚.

lewis hamilton ༉‧₊˚.

lando norris ༉‧₊˚.

pierre gasly ༉‧₊˚.

toto wolff ༉‧₊˚.

sebastian vettel ༉‧₊˚.

mick schumacher ༉‧₊˚.

ollie bearman ༉‧₊˚.

arthur leclerc ༉‧₊˚.

author's note - holy shit this feels so unbelievable like i started this account just over a month ago and i have more than a THOUSAND people following me like that's crazy. i just wanna say that thank you so much, i love you so bad actually.

i have never done a celebration before, so hopefully i'll do this right. for the time being, i will be putting my usual requests on hold, just as along as the celebration is going but i may post one or two if i get time, i don't really know. you can spam my inbox with as many asks as you want, i absolutely don't mind. or if you wanna message me directly, you can do that too. thank you so much, i'm so excited for this.

you can find my works here !!!

ps - i'm also gonna start working on a taglist so, if you want to be added to it, please send me an ask or reply to this post or message me directly.

[msmc-796-official]

After-Action Report: The Fireman Saga

[PARTIES INVOLVED]

MSMC-796 "Heaven's Fury"

MSMC-148 "Neon Scene"

Corsair Mercenary Company / @corsair-mc-official

AGNI clone "Rev" / @revvedandrunning

Hercynian Refurbished Armaments / @hra-official

Monsoon Lance, Dawnlight First and Only

Patrol Squadron Osprey / @albatross-lancer [tangential]

Intern Jimbo, THOR clone "Arthur" / @harrison-armory-incorporated [tangential]

Karrakin Trade Baronies / @ktbofficial [tangential]

+++++++

[CASUALTIES]

0 dead, 1 incapacitated, 2 wounded

MSMC-796-1 "Lockbreaker" // unconscious, stable condition; fractured right arm w/ shattered wrist [prosthetic replacement recommended], third-degree burns across most of the body

MSMC-148-2 "Prowl" // stable condition; second-degree burns across the upper body, temporary blindness

MSMC-148-5 "Stimpak" // stable condition; temporary blindness

+++++++

[DAMAGES]

1 destroyed mech

SSC Dusk Wing "And The Voice Of Apollo Spake From On High" // stable condition; damaged auxiliary weapons targeting system

IPS-N Caliban "Sudden Intervention" // DESTROYED

+++++++

[REPARATIONS - IN PROGRESS]

HRA - reparations paid; turned over the casket of AGNI clone "Rev", along with a confiscated virus harpoon (initially obtained from CMC) from known mech-poaching group "Whalers"

KTB - discussions on necessary reparations ongoing; jurisdiction over final reparations to be overseen by Hades & Jackal, Esq.

AGNI clone "Rev" - d̵͎̘͛̆ȃ̶͓͑̉t̸̨̯̜̅̉ḁ̶̺̗̍̄̑ ̶̱̺̋c̴̨̮͒o̵̤̐r̶̢̧̭͗̃͆r̶̨̢̰͋̅̕ȗ̶̡͕͝͠p̷̼̫͇̃͗t̵̨͍̐͠e̷̟̹̾̑d̶̨̕

[ha, yeah, no, I don't think so. the higher-ups can [AUTO-CENSORED BY PILOTNET] for all I care, we are NOT paying reparations to Rev, especially not after what they did to Kennedi // -- Slipshod]

+++++++

[DISCIPLINARY ACTION]

MSMC-796 "Heaven's Fury" is on a one-month deployment probation, effective immediately. They may not accept commissions (paid or unpaid), recommend or commission fellow squadrons for deployments on their behalf, send or receive commission offers, or otherwise engage in the field duties of a MSMC Lancer squadron.

However, all squad members are permitted to engage with PR responsibilities as usual, within the updated guidelines handed down from MSMC Upper Management.

MSMC-148 "Neon Scene" is on a two-week deployment probation, effective immediately, following the same terms as above.

+++++++

There, that should about do it. Hopefully command is satisfied with that. MSMC-148 is sending in their recorded footage from the field for review (seeing as they were actually able to get the full scope of things from the sidelines), and all of our text correspondences with everyone have been compiled and timestamped for viewing from as many perspectives as I and Slipshod could track down.

Obligatory thank you to the boys from Hades & Jackal, Esq. for their assistance in drafting this. (Hopefully Slipshod's little "addendum" in the Reparations section doesn't show up in their copy.)

TL;DR - Our entire squad is banned from any sort of field deployment for a month, and we're probably gonna owe some pretty serious reparations to the KTB for blowing a Worldkiller-sized hole in Karrakis during combat (if/when they actually get back to us).

Kennedi's gonna need a new mech once she wakes up, and as far as the medical team can tell us, she's slated for a new arm prosthetic once her burns start to heal over and they can safely remove the old one without damaging anything further. But she is in fact alive, and is currently stable. Sometimes, stubbornness is a good thing.

It's been one hell of a week. We all need some rest. Expect us to be on and off for a bit as we wait for this entire mess to blow over.

-- Angel

[OOC: FC's Note - look for the new tag (#the fireman saga) on my blog to track down all of our side of the story!]

[otomefiend]

Victor

Story Event: Black Wedding (part 2)

Chapter 1

Beware of this dork.

~~Part 1~~

Floating through the soft sunlight of the court's office,

Was the smell of freshly baked scones and Earl Grey tea with a drizzle of honey.

Whilst consuming them, I was finalising my report to Her Majesty the Queen as a fairytale writer.

As for Victor, who prepared those refreshments for me――.

Victor: "Oh dear! Jude ripped his shirt."

Victor: "Well, can't be helped since he's awfully familiar with sword wounds."

Victor: "Oh, and Harrison's jacket over here has a button that's coming off. I can't take care of them at all."

Victor eagerly picked up his sewing kit and began happily fixing the Crown members' clothes.

Kate: "Heh, that's some fine handiwork, Victor."

Victor: "Ah, you're right! I'm sure Jude will say that when he sees my beautifully repaired clothes."

Jude: "Did ya stitch this for me? Some fine Queen's Aide you are. Ta."

Victor: "Hmm, I might see his precious smile! I'm sure Harrison――...

Harrison: "You're so thoughtful, Victor. Would... would you like to go for lunch once in a while?"

Victor: "Aww, maybe I can finally have a lunch date with him! Just imagining it makes my heart pound."

(...I don't think either of them would ever say that)

~~Part 2~~

Today as well, I was working hard as a fairytale writer next to the lively and joyful Queen's aide.

It felt comfortable; being by his side was quickly becoming the place where I was most relaxed.

My only problem was that Victor's homemade sweets were so delicious I usually ended up eating too many of them.

Victor: "Ah yes, I was thinking that your clothes need fixing as well."

Kate: "What?"

Victor snapped his fingers; I could feel my eyes reflexively widen at sight of the item in his hands.

It was a beautiful jet black wedding dress.

Kate: ".... wonderful."

Victor: "Right? It's one-of-a-kind, so it's still not in your size――."

Kate: "Please wait, Victor. I don't understand..."

I had no recollection of purchasing such a beautiful wedding dress, nor did I have a plan to wear it.

Victor: "....yes?"

Victor: "Aah! I got ahead of myself! How foolish of me."

He shrugged, then gently put the dress down with a serious expression on his face.

Victor: "There's been a lot of talk among London couples lately."

Victor: "The rumour says that if you hold a wedding ceremony led by a congregation called Amour, your love will last forever."

Kate: "This is the first time I've heard of it. I guess it's like fortune-telling or superstition......but it's heartwarming."

Victor: "Yeah, I thought so too. Until the disappearances started."

Kate: ".... disappearances?"

~~Part 3~~

Victor continued his explanation.

There had been several cases of those who visited Amour going missing.

Suspecting some faul play, Victor approached William and both embarked on an investigation.

They discovered that the head of Amour, a man calling himself the Guru, was orchestrating it.

Most likely, the man killed those people and took all of their savings.

(....what a mess)

Though, it was disconcerting that no further action was undertaken by the Crown.

Kate: "Is there any reason why nobody has been convicted?"

Victor: "It seems that the man called the Guru doesn't like to show his face."

Victor: "He only appears during the wedding ceremony."

After hearing this, I finally realized the meaning of a wedding dress.

Kate: "Then, I presume you want me to infiltrate Amour under the guise of being engaged."

Kate: "This should hopefully lead to a wedding ceremony and, in turn, lure the Guru into the open."

Victor: "That's right! I tip my hat to your deduction skills."

Kate: ".....Then, who's going to play my fiancée?"

Victor: "As you can gauge by those tattered clothes, the Crown has been busy lately."

Victor: "Right now, I'm the only one who can be assigned to a mission."

Victor: "In other words―― Miss Kate."

Victor: "Will you marry me?"

~~Part 4~~

Victor: "In other words―― Miss Kate."

Victor: "Will you marry me?"

Kate: "..... you, Victor?"

Victor: "I, Victor, swear to always protect you. And I won't let you be anxious or sad. What do you think?"

His shiny, jewel-like eyes easily robbed me of any resistance.

Kate: "As a fairytale writer, I have no choice but to accept. Let me accompany you on your mission."

Victor: "Truly?! Thank you, Kate. You made me very happy."

Seeing him in high spirits was contagious and made me feel excited.

(Come to think of it, this is my first mission with Victor)

(But... Hmm? Will he be able to fight when push comes to shove?)

He was competent at his job and versatile at housework, yet I never saw him fight.

The truth was, no matter how many times I tried to picture it, I could only imagine him happily skipping down the corridor.

(Whatever happens, I have to protect Victor!)

It would be a disaster if something happened to Her Majesty's precious right-hand man.

Victor: "Come on, loyal to our evil. Let's have some fun!"

~~~

--Once we had packed our bags, we immediately set off to the church where Amour was based.

Believer: "Welcome to Amour!"

People who greeted us were members of the church all dressed in white.

When I expressed my wish to have a wedding ceremony, they smiled at me――.

Believer: "Then, let us test if you two are really in love with each other."

(Test!?)

(....what should I do, I didn't expect this)

Sensing my uneasiness, Victor gently squeezed my hand.

And I was fine again, just like that.

Victor: "Yes, of course. But love is invisible. It is very difficult to prove."

Victor: "So how about this."

Victor: "If I can make Kate smile in an instant, let's agree that we truly love each other?"

~~Part 5~~

At Victor's suggestion, the followers looked at each other and nodded.

Victor: "Thank you for your flexibility and generosity."

Victor: "Now, everyone pay attention to me!"

Victor: "When I flap the jacket, Kate's favourite flowers should suddenly appear all over the place!"

Believer: ".....some kind of magic trick."

Victor: "Now let me show you. Here's the jacket――."

Victor: "Yes!"

A moment later―― a flock of pure white doves flew out of his coat, all at once.

Believers: "Eek!"

Victor: "Woah! Why the doves though!?"

Believer: "Open the skylights! Hurry up, open the skylights!"

Kate: "Oh, I'll give you a hand....!"

Everyone present opened the skylights, and the doves flew gracefully into the sky.

(That was surprising...)

Kate: "Phew..."

Victor: ".....?"

Kate: "Heh, ha ha ha! Not doves again."

Kate: "'The probability of seeing doves when you fail is so high... haha...."

Believer: "Heh... What a surprise. I didn't expect pigeons to appear."

Victor: "Well... she ended up laughing as a result."

Believer: "A promise is a promise. Let us acknowledge that you two love each other."

Victor: "Wow, really? Thank you!"

The church members surrounding Victor continued to laugh in disbelief.

(I wondered what would happen if he failed, but he effortlessly made everyone smile)

Believer: "The wedding will take place tomorrow morning. Until then, you are free to do as you please."

Chapter 2

[suzukiblu]

Hello all, I am honestly not even sure how long it's been since I've really talked to anyone online and I'm very sorry for just straight-up ghosting so many of you, but I'm trying to work on resuming my life and reconnecting with people a bit and especially trying to start picking up all of the commitments I've let myself drop in the past year or two.

Full disclosure, I've been having a bad time mentally for quite a while and just haven't been available to anyone in my life, online or off. I'm really sorry to have stressed people out with that because I know I did worry a few of you. I'm just not all here, to be honest, and I haven't handled it well. I'm having some personal struggles and just not doing my best taking care of the resulting issues--it's not anything trauma-based/triggered, it's more along the lines of problems with in-built psychological issues stemming from chemical imbalances that I just don't always manage as effectively as I could. But I'm not physically ill and haven't been in an accident or anything like that, and I'm trying to re-engage with life now. Catching up with people I owe communication/commissions/explanations to is on my list, but I just haven't managed to make it very far into said list yet. I am, however, physically healthy and in stable housing, and if anything emergency-adjacent happens I do have local friends and non-local family members I could get help from, so I'm not in an "immediate crisis" situation.

I'm just also unemployed, out of money, and scraping by on food stamps and state-issued healthcare that doesn't cover my previous psychiatrist, and I haven't been able to find a new one in-network who's taking patients and actually, like . . . calls me back when I leave a message or email them in interest of making an appointment. I'm signed up with a program that can help me get a job, hopefully, but the process is taking a little while and I'm not sure how long it'll take in the end, so the future is very nebulous at the moment.

And like . . . VERY full disclosure, I'm just very depressed and stuck being off my meds for the forseeable future. My room is a mess I can't bring myself to clean up, I feel like I can't engage meaningfully with a lot of things, I don't feel hopeful or optimistic at all, my emotional responses are all heavily muted, my coping mechanisms are avoiding breakdowns but are not long-term helpful or productive, and I'm neglecting a lot of people and things in my life and my own best interests because I just . . . don't care.

I know my situation and my feelings are largely just because I'm going through a major depressive phase unmedicated and with limited personal resources, it's not an end of the world scenario or anything. It's just been difficult and upsetting trying to find ways and motivation to fix my life and get out of that phase when I'm already feeling sunk in a quagmire and like I did all this to myself with my own mistakes, and I'm just trying to take things one step at a time and build back up from where I'm at.

So long story short: I'm not doing great right now but I'm stable, and I greatly appreciate the concern and grace I've been given while being just entirely off radar and am going to be doing my best to make right or make up for the neglect. If anyone wants or needs to check in on anything I owe them, please feel free to message me and ask; I'll be trying to contact everyone I owe anything to but given the brain-fog I've been dealing with I don't trust myself not to miss anybody in there, so believe me, if you feel the need I will in no way be offended and you'd probably be doing me a favor anyway.

Thank you all, you've all been so good to me over the years. I'll hopefully be in touch soon. ❤

[jessenitrogen]

for the good of all

self conscious of the title now but whatever I had this piece in mind for awhile and finally got around to drawing it .

ANYWAYS I absolutely love Earthspark, it's so pretty, fun, and the story so far is ENGAGING

(Earthspark spoilers ahead? I went on a tangent here if you read it all I love you no homo and thank you)

going absolutely ballistic over what I think is the the conflict in the show, almost everyone to some degree is trying to do what they think is best, for humanity, for cybertronians, and their factions

I believe Soundwave is trying to do things in the best interest for the Decepticons, I feel like he took the leadership role for them after Megatron turned autobot. Ofcourse, hes pissed, but maybe his fight with Megatron in episode Decoy both served as a way to get into G.H.O.S.T.'s facility, and send a message to Megatron. why Soundwave wants to be in the facility? to free the decepticons

Dr.Meridian, ever since he lost his arm due to a building collapse caused by autobot friendly fire, believes both decepticon and autobot are hazards to the human race. he almost died due the conflict between the two factions, theres a high chance people already have, and since this conflict is still going on now even when the war is over, probably feels more justified in attempting to eradicate them

Optimus, oh my poor boy I know he goes to sleep crying or with a bad helm ache or both. Personally, I think, this version of Optimus really gave in to appease to humanity, and lost a bit of himself. He isn't as stoic, I dont believe he delivered one of his moving speeches yet, he doesn't entirely feel like typical Optimus to me. This, I think, is the result of trying to appease to humanity. He knows he and the others must coexist with humans preferably peacefully ever since he destroyed the space bridge home, which he did in desperation to save the universe from the war he was fighting. To stop the still ongoing conflict with the decepticons now, he joined G.H.O.S.T out of desperation, a last resort, thinking it was the best course of action. Hes a leader, he must make the toughest decisions, but he didnt have anyone tell him in time or straight up that maybe, the course of action he takes isnt the best. I could go on about Optimus but some other time I'll continue but I really like this version of Optimus

MEGATRON TFE megatron is the only megatron I really like (tfp megatron got tainted for me because of a friends cursed character association, and I don't know other megatrons well) ANYWAYS, despite not exactly a leader, he still did what he thought was best, not only for the decepticons but maybe for the autobots and humanity: help end the war by joining the autobots. he sacrificed his image with the decepticons causing outrage in some (soundwave) but atleast it ended the war. But now, he helps clean up the mess that is still ongoing conflict. He sees as both sides, and disapproves of what is being done to decepticon prisoners, he knows something is wrong with G.H.O.S.T, and knows that, you cant please all of humanity. he hasn't brought up a different course of action, but he does bring up this: there's got to be a better way to go about this. he hasnt said it, but I believe that's what he thinks

END OF RANT AGAIN THANK YOU IF YOU READ IT ALL HOPEFULLY I MAKE SENSE

[hologramcowboy]

I read somewhere in tumblr that D said in one of OTH podcast that Jensen can never impress her and I'm like wtf! did she actually said that ? and if it's true why Jensen is like this? is he truly a spineless simp for this talentless stretched face bimbo? I'm mean no offense but she is a trashy flopped forgotten actress with creepy plastic face who is only known for her stripping roles ,does he really lacke self esteem and respect? Maybe because he father used to beat him up he was traumatised and ended up in marriage where he is just a moving back account simp for her and her jobless brother , yikes this is a major turn off

Anyone can feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but I think Danneel just repeated what Jensen keeps repeating (soundbite they agreed upon for PR purposes) but also said her answer would be different. Meaning she doesn't agree with his impression. That being said, I only "skimmed" that sucktastic interview so I might be completeley off. Will listen to it fully when I get some time to focus on that, it's just not a priority.

People still don't understand that actors build and image and carefully pick narratives to position themselves in certain ways depending on their goals. Jensen is well aware neither him nor Danneel credibly manage to sell their connection and marriage so he overcompensates by saying things like that to make it seem as if he values her but if we look at his actions, especially the way her career disappeared and her entire identity shifted to just being "mrs ackles" we can see he doesn't truly love her. When someone truly loves you they don't allow you to give up your dreams or identity. Danneel has no personality of her own. Aside from this, every family post they make comes off fake and planned, there is no real chemistry just a business interest.

One important thing I'd like to add is this: If you are in a relationship where you constantly have to impress your partner then run, that's beyond toxic and Jensen is so toxic for even promoting that as an ideal. The fact that he keeps mentioning that just reinforces all the devaluing Danneel does with him. If his marriage is all about constantly jumping through hoops and buying her affection then sorry but that is an abusive relationship.

That being said, I think Jensen desperately wants to sell a kind of fairytale love he never experienced, except he has so many toxic beliefs about love he ends up making up lines and stories that just make them as a couple seem vapid, aggressive and narcissistic.

Let me reinforce this: the fastest way to end up a self destructive mess is to engage in a relationship with someone that keeps moving the goalposts and asking you to "impress" them. That is not love, let's be real. Please don't expose yourself to that kind of treatment.

Also, please remember that public statements made by actors are made to frame an image, there's a strategy behind that, it's not someone realistically sharing their feeling or real life dynamic. It's someone selling a product: themselves as a bookable actor.

Jensen wants leading man roles without doing any inner work, he just wants to signal certain qualities he doesn't have to get a certain image. Especially since Danneel comes from an extremely trashy background. He is trying to overcompensate with comments that will hopefully stick or so he thinks.

My advice to you is not to look at Jensen's "statements" but to truly look at his choices, his actions. Danneel is just a commodity to him and he does everything in his power to either be away from home or to be inebriated when he is home. That is extremely telling. He is not a fulfilled man and so he is overcompensating by making comments that he hopes will cover his discontent.

[randomdoodlesgobrr]

Catching up on doodles for a fanfic I'm writing in hopes of regaining my motivation to write again. Chapter 12:

This one is also a bit decent. I call it: "What the Eyes Perceive"

Aaand back to being a mess...

+ bonus "Wing Tamer"

Why am I making a ferocious beast of a wyvern act like a cat?

I want a cat...

Also, here are different versions of the first pic in case the snow or bbq hat doesn't vibe with you.

And maybe someone wants to see this. I dunno.

I'm trying to replay Engage on an emulator this time, with some funky mods and doodads. Hopefully, that helps inspire me to write.

That being said, school did start again...

Oh well. Thanks for reading this far! Have a great day!

[opinated-user]

Latest stream: Lily’s already gonna make plans for Puppet V6. Why? Because she’s disappointed in how V5 looks. (Throwing Mikaila under the bus again. I’m surprised she hasn’t blamed Mikaila for her grey hairs.)

For one, she wants V6 to have full lip sync (much like how a certain other person did for V4). Crack the whip as you want, Lilith, but I don't think the wife has the chops to do it. You keep rushing her to the point where she cut corners on basic anatomy. How is she supposed to do full lip sync if you’re not going to give her the time to do so?

For another, she’s going back to realism—as in, she wants V6 to look like her again, as close to her as possible while still engaging in brownface, and including Dollar Store Native American trinkets.

Mikaila… I think this is your sign to say, “no.”

well, considering how about everyone said that the puppet was an obvious downgrade it was only a matter of time. i'm just fascinated because it hasn't been not even a full year with this one. we all know already how the creation of the latest puppet turned out: rushed, pressured and LO actually demanding MO to forget about anatomy because that's part of the art community gaslighting her or something. unless this time she actually gives MO more than enough time to sort herself out (since she's the one with a daily job) and do it right, it'll just end up another mess that she'll keep changing until she finally caves in and commission another artist... which she probably don't want to do because any other artist would charge a lot of money for something like full lip synching. hopefully the fact that LO wants this one to be sitting at her desk (that she bought with the money she scammed from her audience, i guess) will mean that all MO has to concentrate about is the face and be a easier (unpaid) job for her. i do appreciate that at least she finally admits that the necklace she took from her grandfather was a cheap trinket and not "a family heirloom"... it doesn't make it any less weird, racist and gross that she used it as her only accessory while stripping for YT but I'll take what I can get. of course that immediately gets eliminated when she mentions wanting to include that trinket into the new puppet because i can't even imagine why, unless she just wants to keep selling her brownface fantasy regardless even if she has to use a culturally appropriated necklace for it. her white audience won't notice anyway and that's what matters in the end for her, so at least she can still appear "exotic" enough for them. on another note, it bothers me slightly that she insist that vtubing's only appeal is that is for people who want to look like anime girls. 1. there's nothing wrong with that. there are people on the internet that want to look like anthropomorphic birds. neither is bad. again with the unnecessary anime bashing. 2. what's the difference regarding her own avatars? it has been pointed out before, but the current avatar she has, it's the one with the most anime looking influence out of all of them, down to the appearing on the screen on the classic sorry for coming late to class pose that anime schoolgirls use all the time. the next avatar will have the same issue as long LO insist on that pose, on the weird proportions or big bug eyes. an anime girl is meant to be attractive/cute usually. she obviously very much cares about her avatar being perceived as attractive. the only real difference is that one comes from Japan and the other doesn't. 3. this is a personal pet peeve, but the idea that vtubers can't be too expressive is just... wrong. it depends entirely on the modelers and the vtuber themselves how they arrange it. for what she talks about sounds like her friend sketchy went for a cheaper version, which is completely understandable because they can get expensive if you hire someone who knows what they're doing, but that is not the whole of what vtubing is. futhermore, it's rich for LO to say something is not expressive enough when her own avatar has only three expressions: bored, disgust and smug smile. how is that any better?

lastly vtubing would actually be easier to animated that a 2d image because it's all about face tracking motion and prefixed expressions with a single command. why does she think that a lot of vtubing is live content or that vtubers get to make so much content so quickly?

the whole suddenly and out of nowhere blaming Lizzy for her grey hairs and she should be able to sue... that was just petty.

[septusuki]

Once the fight is over — once a thousand and one little worlds have evaporated — there is always a winner. Even if everyone is just scraps, someone somewhere manages to make the all-important decision. The rubble is counted up, the wreckage all gathered together, and a victory is somehow rendered from the mess. But that is not my place, not my standing, not my problem to worry myself over. I come in after that.

"Command asks you to stop whistling." Commandrone always accompanies me, either whirring along on wheels, or pacing behind me on semi-biological legs. It always accompanies me, and always complains. I can't, and won't, argue, but I wish it was a bit more accommodating. I suppose it isn't Commandrone's fault, that it is so very picky — with Command arguing in it's ears at all times — but it always manages to be a spoilsport. "If I receive an important transmission, you might miss it, or mistake it." It continues to buzz on, still following a few feet behind me, and dragging our medical casket behind us. Commandrone is a walking, vacuum-packed cyan bodybag; enough to petrify anyone who isn't expecting it. Even I, with my almost-friendship with the thing, struggle to keep my calm knowing that it is only a metre behind me, looming over me with it's biomechnically boosted vertebrae.

"I need to whistle!" I protest, still walking, and talking as loud as I can. "What if there's an alive pilot, who's just a few inches from death," I begin to pontificate, purposefully on the edge of yelling. Perhaps I'm trying to rub it in, that Commandrone can't do anything to me, despite even wanting to. "and she hears me whistling? Or talking, even? She'll know that we're here!" I smile, reminding myself of how important this little task is. Med-Scav. Cleanup crew, as we're sometimes called. It's meant to be a joke, at my expense, but it doesn't feel like it. Someone has to do it, and it's more fun than Electro-Scav. Fun, perhaps, is the wrong word. It's more engaging. More rewarding. "We're here to save her! Hopefully."

Commandrone seems to go quiet at that. Maybe, just maybe, I've suggested a good idea. Maybe, I've made such an incredible suggestion, that Command is going to change our regime! I giggle, for a second, and then it speaks up again. "I will play the radio, then." With a little whirring, a hole in the packaging of Commandrone's head opens up, and a speaker pops out. It begins to play music. "Now, you can be quiet, and we can work at maximum efficiency." The music switches off and on as the drone talks, perfectly adjusted so that it doesn't interrupt even a syllable of it's deadly-important proclamations.

Even if Commandrone's dull tone has managed to shut me up, I keep a tiny little grin on my face. Bezzerone's Holiday Home begins to play, and I can't help but shake my hips as we walk. I know I'm enjoying myself too much. This work isn't supposed to be enjoyable, even by the loosest measure. I'm supposed to be as droll and dour as Commandrone itself, but sometimes I can't help it. Remembering that I do, in fact, have a job to do though, I reach into my sidepack and pick out the life-form scanner. Poking it back to life after its short hiatus, the hummer clicks on, and the radar groans to life.

"Life form detected." Commandrone beeps, as if I couldn't already have guessed from the thrumming of the radar-stick in my hands. In a single second, Commandrone pumps itself up to action-size, the hydraulics under it's bodybag-flesh clicking to attention. "Two-hundred feet. Ten O'Clock." Commandrone repeats to itself, almost ready to sprint. Finally, the drone's hips screech, as it's unoiled cogs click and clack against eachother. They howl, and then expand properly. "Preparations complete. Moving to target." Commandrone squeaks at me, as if it's a dog, begging me to let it off it's lead. We do run. I am at work, after all. I am being paid for this. Running, is the least of my worries.

As we hurry to our target, Commandrone overtakes me. Perhaps, it's excited. Perhaps, it just wants to be rid of me. With the Medicare trolley still rolling behind it, Commandrone looks for all the world like a proper soldier. A real one, with a purpose, and a goal. Unfortunately, Holiday Home stops playing, just as we get to my favourite bit. Maybe Command has a Spotify subscription it can lend us, and I can listen to the whole thing. That'd be nice, but I figure I've pushed my luck too much, already. "Commandrone, prepare to lift." I huff out my keyword instructions, watching proudly as the drone's shoulderblades puff out, into lifting mode. The bodybag that makes up it's body is tight, now; so much so that I can see the robotic musculature that makes up the precious little drone.

And then, I can see it's organs, too. I can see it's lubricant, blood, and pus. I can see everything that makes — or made — up the drone, as it is torn to shreds. In a second, Commandrone is on the floor. The instant we turned the corner into the alley where we detected a life-sign. That very instant, we were set upon. Commandrone is taken apart, and I am left with nothing to protect me. After all, Commandrone was the one with the built-in armament platform. Commandrone was my bodyguard, my supervisor, and my assistant. None of which I have, now.

"W-Woah!" I splutter, my hands up to my head in anything approximating a surrender. I don't have time for my oculars to adjust to the dimness of the alleyway, but I do have time to know that I'm thoroughly doomed. "I'm unarmed! I swear!" I gasp, still catching my breath, from the run over. "J-Just Med-Scav!" One hand gingerly searches my pockets, and reveals my MEDIC passport; the only thing that assures my safety, in these kinds of situations. Safety, against everything but a psychopath.

"Med-Scav," A distinctly feminine voice repeats me. She doesn't sound disappointed, for one; just grimly determined. "You're lucky that you're not Electro." She swallows, and there is a flash of light as she lowers her gun. The same gun that lowered Commandrone to the floor, seconds ago. "You may approach." Like I've just entered a royal court, I am bidden to enter.

My eyes adjust, once I'm a metre or two into the alley. I figure out the situation immediately; it's not a challenge, after all. One pilot — an enemy — is holding another pilot by her hair, and dangling her, just a few inches off of the floor. She used our ally's life-sign to summon us, and then tripped her trap. "What...?" The enemies had been reported dead. Extinguished, by the bloodier clean up crew, that came an hour before me. Clearly, they missed one. My arms are up, again.

"Medic," dropping our allied pilot to the floor with a wet, bloody thunk, this red-dappled enemy keeps her gun trained on her, even as she stops wriggling. "I need your assistance. You will accompany me, or die resisting." She starts to prowl about the alleyway, rolling her shoulders and picking glass-fragments out of her peach-red plugsuit. Every movement seems to hurt her, but she persists nonetheless.

"Accompany you?" I approach the downed pilot, and check for life signs. None, unsurprisingly. This is Electro-Scav's job, now. Turning my focus to the problem at hand, I figure out what this enemy wants, without a hitch. "I don't think I'm allowed to help enemy pilots. Especially not two of them."

From the half-darkness of the alley, she points her gun at my face, once again. "You aren't being given a choice." I'm shocked, slightly, that this pilot's vocal chords aren't cropped. From the full-function of her brain, it seems nothing has been cropped. No lobotomy, no training. This is a woman, not a pilot. Something in the back of my own brain grins, as it computes the only conclusion; the dissident nation is desperate. My more empathetic engrams fixate on the pilot's plugsuit. I can see her ID, even from here. When someone has a gun in your face, it's easy to see a lot of them. 4X-TR.

"Attraxia." I make a guess at her given name. They jumbled it up a bit, but not quite enough. Judging from the anger flashing across her face, I'm spot on. "Okay, I'll join you." Even with that tiny step-up, though, Attraxia is still holding her cockpit-pistol to my face. I am still utterly beholden to whatever she decrees. If she says Help, I don't think I have a choice. "Just," my eyes drift over to Commandrone's corpse, laying a few metres away. Its bodysuit is beginning to grow baggy, as the internal systems decay and collapse. "Just let me check the drone, Okay? I... I gave it my lunchbox."

[yzafre]

Trying to wrap my head around my thoughts re: 2012 and Rise, and how they hit my brain, and it’s like...

The things I think these two series are missing/needed to improve on are what the other series did really well?  Like, each show would be enhanced by borrowing from the other (an impossibility in one direction due to the linear nature of time, but you get me).

And now I'm going to post about it to hopefully trick my brain into thinking I talked to someone about it so that maybe it'll let me think about anything else.

Uhhh putting a read more because this is mostly just a brain-dump ramble to free my mind from the topic-loop and it got.  Long.

Okay, exposing my biases ahead of time: while I very much enjoyed both series, I will admit that Rise appeals more to my personal taste.  I do also like 2012!  I liked it a lot, it’s just that, you know, I’m easily drawn in by cool 2d animation and anime bullshit, and also Rise’s humor matches mine better, which means it's the one I’m more likely to re-watch.  However, that doesn't mean I think Rise is perfect.

Also, for the sake of this rant, we’re going to be ignoring the circumstances surrounding production.  Yes, yes, we all know the executives specifically asked for Rise to have a much lighter tone, and that it got cut really short, and that affected how things panned out – but I don’t know enough about 12’s production to compare them fairly on that front.  So.

MOVING ON FROM THAT.

Let’s start with ROTTMNT.  I love Rise, love a good shenanigan, but... can you really deny that it would have been nice to have a more even split between pure shenanigans and more serious episodes?  Even just getting closer to 50/50?

Don’t get me wrong, the shenanigans absolutely have their place and actually contribute to what I like about Rise’s writing (which I will talk about in the 12 section), but the overwhelming amount of them really messes with the pace of the show overall, and with the escalation of tension.

Obviously, you can’t have every episode have the spectacle of an episode like, say Many Unhappy Returns, I'm pretty sure animating that shit's expensive, and early on it’s not like they really know what they’re slowly being dragged into, but... post Shadow of Evil, you’d kind of like them to acknowledge the stakes more, right?  And even before the turtles themselves know, you’d like the slow build that only the audience is getting to be a bit more consistent, right?

You’d like the weaving together of the plot and character arcs episode-to-episode to just be a bit more well-thought out... wouldn’t you?

And that is what TMNT 12 is good at.

I personally think 12 peaked in season 2 (I was so engaged with that season, the buildup was phenomenal), but throughout the entire series it is obvious just how much effort they are putting into developing these interweaving plots, and it pays off.  Every episode is a self-contained story, true, but even from season 1 you can see how even the most one-off episode is putting at least one thing into the Rube Goldberg machine that’s going to go off at the end of the season.  It honestly impressed me how they balanced “you can watch any episode on its own because tv has re-runs" and “every episode leads into the next until everything blows up”.

The end of season 2, when the tension they've been ratcheting up inch by inch nearly every episode finally releases, and all the dominoes start falling and danger is coming from every direction? Mwah. Stellar. Like, devastating cliff-hanger of an ending, but also the satisfaction of seeing it all fall apart? It's gripping.

Also, they acknowledge the stakes.  12 is obviously going for a much more serious tone, and covers some heavier topics like revenge, obsession, healing, ect (in a kind of surface level way for young kids, yes, but this is a nickelodeon toy-selling series.  Genre and intended audience matters).  I may not always agree with the answers they come to, but they are trying!  As opposed to Rise where the enemies feel... kind of out-of-sight, out-of-mind, in 12 the Shredder, and occasionally the Kraang, are a constant threat that they are always aware of.

While the setup is different (12!Shredder wants them dead specifically, whereas the Rise boys don’t really know what the Shredder will want other than mass destruction when the armor is complete), you kind of feel like the danger could have maybe been a little more acknowledged in Rise.

And like... the move into season 2 had them getting the Shredder armor "contained", which they used to go so far backwards on stakes which is... I mean, there were other choices they could have made.

You can argue that many shows reset the stakes when you beat the season boss at the end, but... Rise specifically went straight back to "straight shenanigans with little awareness of the outside world", repeating the "occasionally things are happening to build up to the end outside the turtle's awareness" and it's. It's a pacing and escalation, issue, again. And yes, we got some of my favorite episodes out of season 2! Season 2 had some good episodes! But also... I would have liked the stakes to progress just a bit?

When you finally had such a huge shift in the plot, and then suddenly you go ALL the way back down the where you started in stakes and tone it can be a bit... jarring. It's a pacing and escalation issue, again.

Also, if we’re going a bit more abstract, Rise could have had more serious episodes relating to their main theme/focus.

2012 was obviously focusing on their plot, and specifically the history between Splinter and Shredder, and the concepts of revenge and obsession.  And it came up a lot!  It was threaded through the majority of the episodes.  I might not always personally agree with the conclusions they came to, but I can’t deny they treated it with gravitas.

Rise seemed to be focusing on family bonds and family baggage.  And it's woven into a lot of the silliness. And there are also some episodes that address it seriously!  And they’re GOOD!  But, uh – there could definitely have been more.  Especially for the Splinter-children relationships.

They went with a very risky play for Splinter and his arc, and while I personally liked the shape of it, I can understand the people who take a very negative interpretation of this Splinter because there were not enough episodes dealing with reconciling his relationship with his kids.  They made a point to show that things were strained, made the theme family bonding, and then... didn’t put in enough episodes to finish off their main theme.

Don’t get me wrong, what Rise does have for their characters is very, very good.  Again, I’ll be talking about it in the 2012 section.  It’s just... the pacing of it all.

So, what I think Rise needed is what 2012 excelled at – pacing and interweaving of the plot, proper escalation of stakes, and time spent highlighting their main theme in more serious episodes.

Now, the other half of the equation: 2012.

I mentioned earlier that 2012 was going for a more serious tone, and that it was focused on the plot.  And they did it well!  It paid off!  I just maybe, personally, think that came at the cost of the character writing.

It’s not that it’s bad.  They’ve got a strong sense of character voice for their main cast.  It’s just that when you go anywhere beyond that it’s really... average for a kid's cartoon, and when compared to the obvious effort they went to when weaving together the plot it sticks out.  Of course, authors are allowed to lean into plot-based narrative over character-based, and this might just be personal taste again, but...

I’m going to put in a reminder that everything in this rant is based on how the writing hit my brain specifically.  Different people will experience the same story differently, yes?  Yes.

That being said, the character writing for 2012 hit me weird.  There were “character episodes” in between the plot ones, yes, but they didn’t feel... connected?  If the pacing of the plot in Rise felt weird and disjointed, the character arcs, if I could find them in 12, felt the same way.  It’s like they would drop in a really interesting nugget for a character into a single episode, and I’d be excited to see where it went – and then it would either be shoved way in the background from there on out, or dropped completely.  It often left me feeling like I’d missed a step going down the stairs, when I expected them to start working on a character arc and they just went back to the status quo.  That’s not uncommon for a kids show, but... they put so much more effort into the intricacies of the plot!

What ended up feeling missing was a development of the characters from an internal perspective.  That is, hm.

I mentioned earlier that there were narrative benefits to the shenanigan structure of Rise.  The first half of this is because it lives and dies by its characters.  They can’t depend on an engaging plot to capture your interest long-term, because the plot is only in select episodes, so by god you better be attached to these characters.  While part of the humor is, yes, the situations they get into, the other part is the character dynamics – both the friction between them, but also the positive synergy between them.  That’s not to say 2012 doesn’t have character interactions – they've got their banter – it's just that it doesn’t have to carry the episode the way it does in Rise.

The other half of the narrative benefits is that more episodes can be motivated by the character’s internal desires, rather than external forces.  Stepping outside of TMNT to reference everyone’s favorite cartoon, Avatar, for every, say, Avatar Roku, you’ve gotta have a The Waterbending Scroll.

2012 is largely driven by its plot – which is a good plot!  But what felt like, eh, 90% of the time?  Everything that’s happening is motivated by what the antagonists are doing – the Kraang/Purple Dragons/Foot are doing this bad thing, or coming after us, and we have to stop them, because we’re the good guys/they’ll kill us if we don’t.  Not bad, objectively, it certainly raises stakes!  But also, it doesn’t really let us in on, like, the character’s internal world or what they want.

With Rise’s shenanigans...

Origami Tsunami happens because the boys got a taste of fighting and want to chase that high.  Shell in a Cell happens because Raph loves wrestling, his brothers seem to like it well enough or otherwise want to hang out/humor him, and Leo is feeding his ego/fighting his insecurities.  Repo Mantis is because Donnie and Mikey were hanging out while Donnie collected resources(?), saw something they wanted, and went balls to the walls to acquire it.  The Purple Jacket happens because Donnie wanted to experience toxic academia and fashion.  I could go on.

My point is Rise leaves more space for the episodes to be internally motivated, and that ends up telling us a lot about their characters!  What did they want?  How did they specifically go about trying to get it?  Did they involve others?  Who did they involve?  It adds depth to them, even in the silly goofy show!

There is also one specific writing trick Rise uses which I wish could go back in time and be implemented into 2012, and that is: “line played for laughs in one episode” > “oh wait they were serious”.

I’m talking the “my first positive reinforcement from a parent-aged adult. EVER.” to Turtle-dega Nights pipeline.  Minotaur Maze to Many Unhappy Returns for Leo.  Arguably Pizza Puffs to the series finale for Raph, if you follow me.  Reparin’ the Baron to Hidden City’s Most Wanted.

Even in the jokes, the throw-away lines, Rise is exposing what makes the characters tick.  And then when it hits, it hits.  This is why, while the Rise arcs are kind of incomplete, the writing still feels more consistent to me and I find it easier to see the intended arc they were going for.

And I so so so wish 2012 had that kind of thing, or ANY more focus put on character development, because, not to harp on this again, but they’ll drop in this one really interesting line or action from a character in a single episode focusing on them, then never mention it again or develop on the concept, and it kind of makes me feral because, like -

I want to gather up all these weird little scraps they give about these characters and pin them up conspiracy-board style and go: why didn’t we get a plot line about this?  Or this?  Did you notice how a lot of the time Raph is pushing for more action against their enemies, he brings up that they’re out there hurting more people?  And that could indicate a unique empathy for the victims, which would have been an interesting expansion on the vengeance theme of the showing, looking at justice v vengeance when ti comes to people without the ability to fight back?  Leo has a lot of tension between wanting to be a good leader and wanting the freedom to make impulsive choices and chase what he wants, which is interesting when you also look at moments we see with his two role models the sci-fi hero (who is kind of an asshole) and Splinter (who, while wise, has baggage that sometimes affects his decisions), and it feels like somewhere between all that there could have been an expanded storyline that actually resolved that tension between responsibility and personal desire that would have lead to his own version of leadership?  What about getting a focus on the few lines Donnie gives about his insecurities/stress re: his scientific abilities/role, rather than dragging him into his extremely bland romantic b-plot?  Can we address the weird way Mikey did chemistry magic two or three times but it’s never brought up outside that, or that one line by the anger-persona in his mind explicitly saying he tries to repress his anger because he doesn’t like the way it feels, or, or -

Why do they keep dropping these really interesting inciting incidents for character arcs and then not going anywhere with them I am losing my mind I am shaking the writers why do you keep teasing me like this -

Ahem.

Additionally... well, I mentioned above that Rise has a main theme of family bonds, where... 2012 kind of struggled to convince me of any relationship. Or, no, that sounds harsher than what I really mean.

I also want to clarify that I am not saying I think they dislike or don't care about each other, or any of the extremely negative takes I’ve seen thrown at the 12 characters dynamics.  That’s not it at all.  It’s just that they all felt... very surface level?  Sometimes it felt like the show wanted you to just accept that the characters were close without putting in the work to really show it.  And definitely not to explore it in depth.  (And I know, I know, I know!  It’s a Nick kids show!  But!  They put so much effort into the plot!)

Again, I think this is affected by the lower usage of internal motivation for episodes.  Characters doing things because they want them, then seeing how those different desires interact, gives you a better view of their relationships than just seeing a team work together because they have a common enemy.

Again, it’s not that 2012 never does this.  We see glimpses of them playing around – competing to do flips when running the city, watching their tv shows, playing pinball (was it pinball? Or an arcade game?).  It’s just that the emphasis on the plot (not an objectively bad thing!) leaves less room for episodes based on them just... doing things together, because they want to.  And less room for engaging in personalized interests together, rather than separately, and seeing how that plays out.

I think I’m devolving into senseless rambling at this point, so to sum up:

2012’s emphasis on plot – which it generally excels at! – leaves less room for exploring stories based on internal motivations, which I find necessary for consistent character arcs or relationship development and are the elements Rise kind of lives on when its plot is running thin.

Hopefully none of this is taken as an attack on/dislike for either iteration.  I like them both!  It’s just they both drive me a little bit crazy with what could have been!

Of course, this is all down to personal taste and interpretation.  I am fairly aware of my biases, I think.  I am very much attracted to character-driven narratives, and even in plot-based ones I have a tendency to care more about the character implications than the plot itself.  There’s a reason Days (the oops all character writing game) is my favorite Kingdom Hearts story!

(I do, also, really, really like anime bullshit, so do with that what you will.)

I am also aware that I binge-watched this series as an adult years after it ended, and that combination of factors may affect my reception.  (Admittedly I did that for both series, but).  Your experience might be very, very different, but I’m trying to understand the way these two shows are hitting my brain.

Thinking it over also gives me a hypothesis (which other people have probably already figured out) of why certain people are drawn to one series of the other: 2012 probably appeals more to people who are engaged by continuous, interconnected plots and careful pacing in a story, while Rise probably appeals to people who are more engaged by pure character pieces (and anime bullshit).