#i had such a cool little edit for this with gifs but the quality got destroyed :(

[kichikichiko]

Heyyy loved your po headcannons, seeing as TaiLung is one of your fav could you please do dating TaiLung headcannons please? Hope you have a good day xx

You, always.

YES OF COURSE I CAN GRAHHHHHHHH.

TAI LUNG IS MY LOVE

I'm actually so happy I got this request

3 anons actually requested this so ill tag the other anons too when I reblog this hehehe

Synopsis: Dating Tai Lung headcanons!

Pairing: Tai lung x gn!reader (Animal of your choice)

Cw: Headcanon, fluff, mildly ooc Tai lung (BC HE'S A TEEN IN LOVE) pre kung fu panda 1, not proofread but I'll keep on editing this as I read LMAO

──────•❥❥❥•──────

Everyone knew of Tai Lung. He was the adopted son of Shifu and the soon to be Dragon Warrior

At least that is what Shifu keeps on saying. But no one doubted it, Tai Lung was absolutely amazing and strong.

Many girls fell for him, and of course you did as well. But the differences between you and them, was that you successfully got Tai Lung’s heart

Everyone knew that although Tai Lung was strong, he had the temper of an eruptive volcano. Which is why MOST of his admirers wouldn't dare to confess their love to him.

Tai Lung fell in love with your confidence. The next dragon warrior was not stupid. He knew that most of the villagers were scared of him, despite admiring him.

You basically strolled up to him one day when he was walking down the streets of the valley of peace, and thanked him for his hard work.

“Hi Tai Lung, my name is (name) and I just wanted to say that I admire you and thank you for protecting the valley of Peace from danger.” you smiled

“You’re.. Welcome.” He nodded, holding a bag of groceries. Tai was stunned someone had the confidence to even look his way when he was on the streets of the valley

You smiled and nodded a little “See you around! Soon-to-be Dragon warrior” winking at him playfully and walking away.

He finds himself smiling at the memory whenever he has time to himself. From that moment on, you started seeing each other more often and finally made it official.

Never in a million years would he think that he would find someone to love.

Afterall, his heart and mind was set to mastering the art of Kung Fu, and making his father proud

But you changed him for the better.

You and him were polar opposites, which was great. You both were compatible despite your differences.

He was hot tempered and prideful... and you patient and humble.

Shifu and Tai Lung would have arguments from time to time. It’s only natural after all! He was a teenager, in his rebellious stage.

Tai Lung would storm out of the Jade Palace to cool down.

Before you, He’d go to a hill and punch a sturdy tree to relieve his stress. Of course the trees stood no chance

Now that he has you, his partner, the hot headed leopard would come over to your place without saying a word.

He didn’t have to of course, because he knew that you would understand right away. Which is all he needed honestly. I don’t think that he would have the patience to explain the full situation.

Tai Lung would NEVER admit it to you though,because his pride won't let him. But he loves how gentle you are with him.

The way you spoke to him when he was having troubles

“Tai, I understand Shifu made you upset, but you have to understand where he’s coming from.”

The way you held his paw in your own

“I’m sure he means no harm. He just wants the best for you and so do I”

How you guide him to the right path “Please control your temper next time, I don’t want you to start losing yourself and go on the wrong path”

His shoulders become less tense whenever he sees how soft your gaze is when you look at him.

Those eyes are just full of patience, love, empathy and understanding. Qualities that he does not have (Except love)

Qualities he loves about you.

If youre having a hard time Tai Lung would sense it straight away.

You both know that he isn't the best with his words

He can be awkward and stiff, but for you? He’ll try his damn best.

He’ll buy your favourite food, and even stop by mister Ping’s noodle shop to get you something warm for your tummy.

The Leopard would visit your place and take you by the lake at night to watch the stars in the sky as you feel the breeze of the wind hit your (feather/fur/skin/scales)

“Thank you Tai… for this.” You smiled at him as you took a bite out of the food he brought for you.

Tai Lung would nod stiffly “No problem.”

Honestly he wasn’t happy that he wouldn't comfort you with sweet words like you would do for him when he was upset.

“You know. I used to come here often to take time for myself. The first time I came here was to find inner peace in myself, but I couldn't, which frustrated me even more…” Tai lung started, he took a glance at you to see if you were listening

“I then decided to stop my meditation and look up at the sky. And what I saw was the beautiful stars shining brightly up there. Only then, did I find my peace even if it was for one night. In fact,” he looked up at the sky as if he was signing to you to do the same “the stars up there are shining just as bright as when I saw it for the first time.”

Your eyes trailed up to the sky and immediately you saw what your boyfriend was talking about.

“Wow it’s beautiful” you whispered in awe as Tai Lung saw the stars twinkling in your eyes.

“Just like a certain someone I know..” he’d whisper back, admiring your features and admiring you.

He was so lucky to have you by his side and he knows it damn well

No other words were exchanged between the two of you.

You scooted closer to your boyfriend and leaned into his shoulder for warmth and comfort. Tai Lung didn’t push you away, instead he pulled you closer.

Whether or not Tai Lung knows it, you started to forget your worries right then and there. It seems like he knows how to comfort you after all.

──────•❥❥❥•──────

Masterlist

Requesting (closed)

[red-hairshankswhore]

Hazbin hotel x Reader seeing Jesus edits

Summary: The various characters in Hazbin Hotel react to you seeing Jesus' edits

Author's note:I don't know why I got this idea, so let's move on because I'm choking with laughter

(I know that in Hazbin Jesus practically doesn't exist but I was amused by the idea so fuck it)

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

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

Lucifer:

I think one day you were in the hall on the sofas relaxing, Lucifer was sitting next to you and noticed that you were watching some particular videos. when he noticed that what you saw were videos of Jesus as if he were in an action film he was perplexed for a moment like-

Y/n darling aehm…wtf is THIS?-

you giggle and say they are jesus edits I don't know why but they are cool

he will remain skeptical for a moment but sometimes out of the corner of his eye he sees them with you.

Vox:

He too would be perplexed for a moment and would approach you

Uhmm… y/n what exactly… are you looking at?

You hold the phone out to him and show him one of the edits, laughing. they are edits about jesus people go crazy for them

he would stay there staring at it for a while, he likes the quality but he would look at you strangely raising an eyebrow. do people actually like this…stuff?

you nod and explain to him for a moment how the edits work, he would listen and when it was time to go home he would think about those edits and if there were any they were on him too

Angel Dust:

OKAY- realistically speaking I think he would find it strange at first but as soon as they explain how the edits work and you show him Jesus he'll be like-

oh so are these videos great for faith or does he look like a hottie to suck it off?

Alastor:

He had noticed for a while that you were seeing these "videos", he wasn't too interested in your little electronic junk, but seeing that you were seeing them often he approached you and asked you what you were watching. after you explained it to him he would remain silent, smiling as usual and then say.

mhm what a ridiculous thing to see but it's amazing to see so much enthusiasm for this… stuff.

he would laugh a little and then walk away not wanting to hear about it anymore

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

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if you would like part two let me know

[necroangelz]

trust me and we will escape from the city !!

requested anonymously

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG GRAPHICS! this post is dedicated to my friend who likes sonic, my cousin who likes sonic (both are probably autistic), and anon. /silly

non-gif graphics (they kind of have better quality) + rambling under the cut. like/rb appreciated!

NOW PLAYING: Escape From The City from Sonic Adventure 2 !!

never got into sonic but i always thought that song was cool, i heard it from the roblox game survive the disasters 2 by vyriss i forgot how to spell their name (fun game btw but it's probably dead by now)

ik i keep saying that i had fun with what i edited BUT IM BEING FR I ALSO HAD FUN WITH THIS ONE ♥️♥️♥️ the sonic gallery on the wiki page has So Much content on it i had to spend some time just Admiring Sonic

my fav sonic era in terms of appearance is probably 1990s sonic or segasonic like he just looks so polite and innocent. he looks so sweet. he's just a baby

okay here's the still images

ezgif is a little stupid piss baby that throws a tantrum and messes up the gif whenever i put in images with a glow/drop shadow effect grrr!! stupid ezgif fuck u!!!!!! /exag

[gamerdog1]

Haikyuu: The Dumpster Battle Review

I am not a sports guy, never really was. I played baseball a bit as a kid, hardly keep up with major league sports, and couldn't really care less about who won the Stanley Cup. Maybe its the ridiculous amount of fanfare athletes get, or how male-dominated popular sports are, but I've never really been into sports.

Yet, I really like sports anime. Like anybody on the internet in 2015, I heard about Haikyuu, and got into it pretty quickly. Though I wasn't as obsessed with it as I was with shows like Naruto or Hetalia, I watched up to season 2, and fairly enjoyed it.

Smash-cut to this month, when a Haikyuu movie comes out, and is only out for a limited time. I think "Hey, it might be cool to go, but I'm not caught up with the anime...". But after getting assigned to make a tiktok covering an event for a journalism course, I knew that the stars aligned. It was fate: I had to see this movie, and cover it for marks.

And so, after struggling to film a 'stand-up' in front of the theater for 20 minutes, waiting in the lounge for an hour, and eventually getting to sit down and see the thing, I can say that Haikyuu: The Dumpster Battle was both an absolute delight to behold, and a bit of a disappointment.

The Dumpster Battle takes place directly after the last episode of the fourth season, and shows Karasuno's explosive match against their long-time rivals, Nekoma, and the Spring Nationals tournament. After coming this far, both teams are desperate for a win, and pull out all the stops just for any type of advantage.

Just like in the TV anime, the match is stretched out over the course of an hour and a bit, building tension slowly as points are won, strategies are formed, and flashbacks are shown. Without commercial breaks in between, what would normally be a few episodes comes together to form a cohesive whole that had me wondering what would happen next more than how much longer it would be.

Its also quite impressive how much content they've managed to squeeze into this 85 minute movie. It somehow compresses and stretches time, to make parts of the match more exciting while skipping over ones that aren't. All the while, it shows clips of characters' backstories, artistic moments for dramatic effect, and flashes back to key moments in the anime to make a point, while keeping within the runtime of just under an hour and a half, is absolutely mystifying. Its a testament to how good the writing of the source material is (since this is a direct adaptation), but also to the power of editing in film.

Though, that still doesn't hide the most glaring issue I have with this film: that it is pretty clearly multiple episodes stitched together. At least, it sure feels like it. Coming from a 5 day marathon of the third and fourth season, I've grown used to how the anime structures its episodes, and how its animation looks. Here, I could almost imagine the little bumpers playing at certain moments, or where it would cut to credits before the next episode. It doesn't really feel like its own piece, more like a few smaller ones put together without any openings or endings.

On top of that, the animation quality is on par with the TV anime, which is a bit disappointing. Usually, when a TV show gets a movie, the budget is upped, and you can see it in how the animation changed. Shading gets more complex, characters look more detailed, and there are sequences which would be too expensive to do on a tv budget. Here, I didn't really see much of a change. Its pretty surreal, watching something on the big screen that looks pretty similar to what you just watched on your computer at home.

Still, for the level of animation that's here, and the level that's usually in the anime, I can't complain much. Production IG really are the kings of sports anime, and this movie is just another jewel for their crown. The way they animate humans in motion is captivating, and I can't help but watch every set, spike, and block. Its quite realistic, and when they try to experiment more (like squashing and stretching limbs to make movements appear more snappy) it only enhances the beauty of the motion as a whole.

The characters, as well, look good here, but especially the Nekoma guys, who haven't been shown much in focus for a while in the anime. Kenma, of course, is a standout, with how varied his expressions are (ironic, for someone who is so detached and quiet!). I loved getting to see him react to stuff, just as much as the Karasuno guys, with every success or failure. Wacky expressions, snappy comedy, and quick one-liners got more than a few laughs out of me, and in my theater, I certainly wasn't alone.

I saw this in English, because I watch the English dub of the anime, and didn't want to get confused. I highly recommend this, as the voice actors did a fantastic job, going above and beyond in their respective roles. Hinata and Kageyama were and always are a joy, with their actors sounding exactly how you'd imagine from their faces alone. But (again), Kenma was a surprise stand-out, for how varied his actor's performance was. I haven't heard a voice actor yell like that since the first season of Attack on Titan, and for a character who is known for not being enthusiastic much, you can tell his actor was giving it his all in the booth.

But above all else, the main thing that got me invested in this is how it continued the story. Seeing the boys again, this time on the big screen, was an absolute joy, and knowing that whoever lost the match would be going home kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I, as well as everyone else in the audience, had grown with these characters, and watched them grow in turn, seeing them learn new skills, face challenges, and get stronger. This movie felt like the culmination of everything up to this point, and there was a palpable sense of anticipation in the air that is hard to describe. For what its worth, you couldn't have paid me to not see this movie.

I don't watch sports. But for a movie continuing an epic underdog saga, with epic highs and lows, realistic character animation, over two dozen distinct and memorable characters that have their own mini-arcs, and a stellar English dub, I'll be there in the crowd, eager to watch.

(Also shout-outs to that first-person scene with Kenma. Holy fuck... I couldn't fit it in anywhere, but know that it is ICONIC, and will forever be badass.)

[fetishfairytales2]

Ask Princess (Heather)

Ask Princess Heather: Boy toys

Hey there all you pervy ladies and pathetic losers! Looks like you're all just dying to hear more of my amazing tales of torturing my pathetic ex-boyfriend! Well, don't worry, there's plenty more where that came from. And with all these new followers Baby Brandi's punishment, my inbox has been absolutely filled with questions from all you bad ass babes (no sissies allowed in my DMs, sorry, not sorry!) So I guess that means it’s time for another edition of Ask Princess Heather! 

Listen up, ladies. Many of you have been asking about my hot studs since reading about Brandi's birthday party. Well, let's just say my thirst for good dick after being with that pathetic sissy knows no bounds. You do the math, I’m losing count! It's all about quantity and quality, my sweet darling readers. If you recently got rid of a sissy of your own and now you’re looking for a real man? Get yourself a roster, I’m just sayin’.

Everyone keeps asking about Connor. Like yeah, he’s super hot and he’s my boyfriend, obviously. But he knows I'll sleep with anyone I want. Duh! That’s how he ended up my boyfriend to begin with! I've already made Brandi tell you about how I'm going through her contact list  and sleeping with anyone who's hot enough. And let's be real, I'm only up to the J's and I'm already having so much fun. Every weekend when I'm not with Connor, Brandi has to beg the next guy (or girl, or whoever I'm in the mood for) to fuck me. And trust me, they usually agree and even come back for more. 

It’s not just randos though when I’m feeling horny. No, no. There’s everyone’s favorite cuckysitter too! Oh my gosh, yes, it's so scandalous! Lyndsey and I have been hooking up since college behind Brandi's back, and now we can do it openly with Brandi tied up and watching. Then there's Charles, Brandi's boss. He loves it when I come to visit my little girl at the office. We always have such a fun time preparing Brandi's protein filled lunch. And let's just say, Brandi got a big promotion after I convinced the boss. She's now his "assistant" and spends most of her day working "directly under" him! Ugh, lucky slut!

There’s also those total studs that were at sissy's bday; my hot AF personal trainer Marcus and my hottie coworker Grant. Sissy was sooo jealous of them when she first met them! So I just had to tap that. And when I found out they were both amazing in bed? Of course I kept getting them to hit it whenever they wanted! And like, if you girls really wanna know? I have a whole list of hot guys and girls at my disposal. But they have to be cool with helping me torture my wimpy sissy and the boys always use protection. 'Cause let's be real, it's way more fun to make her swallow their jizz after I get fucked in front of her!

This is your sign ladies! I highly recommend finding a real man, or two, or four! Trust me, it's worth it to make up for all the time and dick you lost when you were stuck with those pathetic sissy losers. You deserve a strong, dominant man who can actually satisfy you in bed. Don't waste another second on those weak, submissive sissies. 

[saveraedae]

Late Indie Animation Day Post (A thread)

Pouring my heart out edition

Nothing new to show for myself this go around, but hi! I'm Saver! I'm making The Mark Side— a comedy about queer teens in Texas with an underlying personal story about life, mental health, & navigating friendship with a best friend who wants nothing to do with you!

My thread here is less about the series' content, but about my journey as a creator through the years, and my gameplan for it moving forward. If you wanna learn about the series itself check out this post or go to the official TMS website.

But if you've never heard of me— hi!

I'm Saver! An artist, storyteller, and animator!

A bunch of personal and sappy stuff below the cut!

I am not new to the indie animation scene by any means. Just a very small creator with a tiny reach. My journey in beginning to develop TMS as a show kicked off in 2016 when I was only 13.

During this time I made lots of little productions with TMS, most of which had pretty sub-par quality. (I was a kid with no experience after all.)

They're all still out there if you go looking for them!

But hey, I set out to make stuff and guess what? That's what I did!

In 2020, I released an animatic titled "Friend Fiction," which serves as both the pilot as well as episode 1 to the show. I was in high school during its creation and had no idea what I was doing, and it shows! But guess what? I set out to make something, and did exactly that.

Episode 2, "An In-Tents Trip" is currently in production. It will feature a huge increase in production quality, full animation, and will serve as the proof of concept for the show as a whole! (A bit messy with the proof of concept to pilot pipeline, but it's got the spirit!)

Throughout the years I've been through so many personal struggles, both related to TMS and not. There's been countless times where I felt like I was at my breaking point, or like I wasn't good enough. But I kept pushing through, because I wanted to see the show come to life.

I've spent my whole life up until recently living with undiagnosed neurodivergence and untreated mental health issues, and only a short time ago did I realize that despite all of that, I always held onto my one goal: To make a cartoon and tell a story.

Ever since I was a young child, even before TMS existed, I always knew I wanted to make cartoons. Not just any cartoons, my own cartoons. I remember being just 4 years old and daydreaming about spearheading my own production, telling my own stories and entertaining others.

A handful of indie cartoons nowadays, much like industry produced cartoons, feature full teams managing each department, as well as several to many other animators. Which is cool as hell! Who would have thought that one day animation would come to this point?

GLITCH and Spindlehorse are truly blowing my mind by what they have and continue to accomplish. It's really remarkable and satisfying to see as someone who grew up thinking the only way to get things in front of others was to give up control and sacrifice the quality.

Another handful of shows though, which The Mark Side falls under, has everything lead, animated, produced, and even more by just one person: the creator. There's people with enough passion to do what teams of hundreds do, just by themselves. Because they want to.

I one day aspire to expand its production to the likes of the aforementioned studios, but only time will tell if that goal will get met. Regardless, I'm going to keep going. My goal is to get a show made, and my eagerness to see it all in full one day is what drives me.

Does any of that sound messy? Unprofessional even?

It does!

And that's ok!

Indie is not the industry.

Indie is independence, and breaking free from the norm. Don't let anyone tell you what you can and can't do. Let your passion and love for your craft drive you

I believe the best creators write and tell stories from the heart.

Not everything will look perfect, but our love for what we do is evident in everything we create, and our eagerness for the future accomplishes more than we think. That's what indie means to me.

I've been through a lot as a creator. And I'm far from meeting my goal. But the world will be ready for what I have to offer some day, and same for whoever this thread resonates with.

Until then, let's support our colleagues and let our creations guide us.

[scavengerssuccotash]

If you’re still down to give hc’s….. do you have anymore domestic/animal/katya headcanons?

Hey there! I’m always open to talk about my headcanons or other fandom related stuff so thanks for asking!

Katya Headcanon: The Aunts Edition!

There was one summer where Katya and Kate managed to get lost on a hiking trail in the Appalachia Mountains. Kate had begged Clint to let her spend some quality alone time with her favorite niece for literal months. (Casey Lang had monopolized a good portion of Katya’s summer vacation by the time Kate could make it out to the Barton Farm.)

Clint was a little hesitant, his baby girl just turned twelve and while Kate was good with a bow (pretty damn good) her skills as a survivalist left a lot of room for improvement. Natasha did make a good point though which ultimately changed his mind.

“Didn’t Katya earn her Outdoor Survival badge?” Natasha muses.

“No, that was last year. A year early.” Clint peers over his newspaper towards Nat. “Wonder which of us she gets that from.”

With a heartfelt see you soon, Kate and Katya left to spend a week hiking in the Appalachia’s.

And everything was going fine! Kate had their little camp site set up and everything but then Katya spotted a waterfall on the map and thought it would be cool to take a picture in front of it for her mom. They made it there fine, but on the way back Kate dropped the map in a nearby stream, thus resulting in the most panic induced six hours of Kate’s life as the pair of them tried to find their way back to their campsite.

Eventually they do make it, albeit very itchy from both poison ivy and mosquito bites and hungry. Kate made Katya pinky promise to not mention their extended hike until they got home, and it became their first shared secret.

(Their next shared secret happens when Katya is sixteen and Kate is staying the weekend at the farm. Clint was doing laundry and finds a thong! Which of course couldn’t be his little girls (it was) and confronts her about it. Kate seeing the perfect opportunity to swoop in and cement her place as The Cool Aunt takes the fall by claiming they are actually hers.

“Oops how did that get in there!” Kate awkwardly exclaims. “Our laundry must’ve gotten mixed up!”

“I never pegged you for prints Kate.” Natasha comments with a knowing look in her eye.

“We’re never talking about this again. Kate, you are doing your own laundry from now on.”

They still laugh about the look of mortification on Clint’s face to this day.)

Unlike Kate, Katya first meets Yelena when she is seven years old, in the middle of the night wearing a onesie. She woke up in the middle of the night to use the restroom and heard voices in the kitchen, two she knew were her parents but the third voice was one she had not heard before and went to investigate. There at the kitchen table sat her parents and this strange blonde woman she had never seen before. A squeaky floorboard and an amused look from her mother later Katya finally meets her biological Aunt. Who had not come empty handed. Katya’s love for baklava began that night.

They’ve kept in regular touch since, with calls and the occasional visit in person. Yelena always comes to visit the farm, since she doesn’t stay in one place for too long (Katya learns why around the same time Natasha explains why she hates the sound of velcro), but whenever she does Katya is thoroughly spoiled with very high end goods, and the wildest stories about Aunt Yelena’s “job”. It’s when Yelena visits in the midst of a fight between Katya and Nat that Yelena earns the title of “good advice giver”.

Katya can’t remember what the fight was about now, but eventually Yelena asked Katya to show her how to feed she chickens after witnessing a screaming match between mother and daughter.

“She’s such a total grade A bitch sometimes! Argh I hate her!”

“Oh come one now hate is a very strong word, Katya. It’s not meant to be used lightly.”

“Yeah well it fits so there!”

“You know absolutely nothing about what that word means or the weight it carries.”

For Katya’s seventeenth birthday Yelena flew her out to her apartment in Paris for a week long celebration extravaganza, filled with shopping, good food and most importantly the freedom to go little wild without the fear of giving her parents a heart attack. Yelena was there for Katya’s first tattoo (Orions belt over her left shoulder).

Predictably Clint went on a weeks long diatribe lamenting over his baby girl growing up too fast and Natasha just about blew a top when they both found out. Yelena escaped relatively unscathed by hoping on a plane to Thailand for a month.

A week later, Natasha takes Katya to get her belly button pierced. A few pouts and bargaining later the pair of them walk about with piercings, Nat gets a forward helix piercing and Katya gets her belly button pierced.

Hope you enjoy! Now I can’t get the image of a girls roadtrip with Katya, Yelena and Kate would look like. Lol

[remimibanana]

Nintendo 3DS Retrospective Part 3: A System's Function Continued

I hit the image limit on the previous part, and there's so many more screenshots I want to share with you all! I won't let the limit stop me from blabbing on!

Here is the third part where I continue on about all the system functions and other software I didn't have a chance to show in the other parts. This retrospective was originally one part, and then it became two, and then it became three....

Part 3 is under the cut!

Nintendo 3DS Camera

For the DS/3DS line, one of the main features is the dual cameras featured on the inside and outside of the system. To go with the camera, you need a camera application!

It is a simple application that lets you take photos and videos, and view them all. I used to spend a lot of time here, messing around with all the effects you could set and recording random videos here and there.

You couldn't record any videos on the DSi, so I went a little crazy with it back when. I still have all the old photos and videos I took, although the quality of the photos aren't that great.

It honestly feels like a downgrade from the Nintendo DSi Camera, as there are less effects and ways to edit your image. I miss distorting my images!

But it still was pretty cool to use.

Nintendo 3DS Sound

The DS/3DS line also had a microphone, so of course we need an application that lets you record voice clips and listen to music!

I loved recording myself. I would record the most weirdest of things that makes me wonder what I was thinking back then.

Let me list some of the highlights:

Me swearing very intensely for no real reason in particular, I think I just wanted to say “god damn piece of shit” while emphasizing the last part.

Me singing the beginning to Dragostea Din Tei because I really like this song.

Me singing the entirety of the English cover of A Female Ninja, but I Want To Love because I was really into Yandere Simulator for a bit.

My brother saying “asshole” over and over.

Me recording myself saying a garble of words when reversed, would sound like me saying “moving on the ground”, like Mario.

A whole bunch of calls from Stevo, my quail I used to have.

There is Streetpass, but I never knew how to use it back then. I still don’t know how to use it in fact, it won’t let me add anything to the Streetpass playlist in order for me to turn on Streetpass for this application.

Perhaps one day, I’ll be able to try it out.

Nintendo eShop

Even though it shut down a while ago, you still can use it at the time I post this retrospective.

I really love the eShop a lot. It had soul and our little shopping bag guy. I was there when the shutdown occurred, downloading any last games or demos I wanted.

It looks rather empty without everything...but I'm glad we still can access it and listen to the banger BGM! I always have a smile on my face when I come on here.

I used to spend a lot of time on here as a kid when I had access to the internet, downloading a whole bunch of demos and exploring what games there was!

One time, my dad put $50 into my account since he saw I was on it with his card. I remember being so grateful, he didn't have to put in any money!

I could have bought a single game, but I bought multiple smaller games since I went a little crazy. You can't blame kid me, $50 was a lot of money to me!

From memory, I bought:

Colors 3D

Pokemon Dream Radar

Crystal Monsters

A Shaun the Sheep Episode Set

I wish I could go back to the heyday. It's crazy to think I bought these things over 10 years ago....

I love the Other Settings menu. I used to spend my time here scrolling through it all, seeing what each of the options did. The BGM makes me really emotional when I hear it.

Before the shutdown occurred, I spent over five minutes on this screen trying not to cry. It feels like a part of my childhood got stripped away without my consent. I know we still can use it, but one day....they will stop it too.

Thank you, Nintendo eShop!

Face Raiders

I liked this game a lot! I'm surprised people didn't, I think it's rather charming!

This is my favourite opening animation, the faces sing in a row but the last one messes up and the others gang up on that face.

I used to play this a lot back when I got my red 3DS, since it was one of the only games already on the system. You take a picture of someone's face and then hit the shit out of it with balls over and over in various stages.

My favourite mode was "Share the Fun", especially the underwater stage. I know it was meant for someone else to try out the game, but I used to do it for myself!

Every time it would say to pass the system over to the other person, I would pretend to pass it to myself.

In the underwater stage, you hit someone's face over and over before it falls down onto the floor, with a new version of the face appearing when you destroy it.

I used to always challenge myself to beat my record.

I've never actually beat the final boss in this game, surprisingly. I have the Final Stage unlocked, but I never understood how to beat it. The whole laser thing went over my head, and I think it still does to this day.

I vow to beat it at some point!

Internet Browser

A very simple browser that had limited functionality, especially on the original 3DS line.

I didn’t really use it much when I was a kid, since I had no internet. I did like going on it anyway to get nowhere. I think I tried to use Youtube on here a few times, which didn't load any videos as you might have guessed.

I did log into Twitter before they removed the legacy support since it would have been a missed opportunity otherwise!

You can download images from here, which is what I used it for mainly! You search up the image on Google, view the full sized image and click on "Save Image"!

Not all images could be saved though.

They had to 480 x 480 or below and even then, it might not work for some reason. I used this feature a lot when I drew on Colors 3DS, so I could colour drop the colours I needed for an artwork.

You could put the image you need on the SD card, but if it doesn’t appear in the Nintendo 3DS Camera, you can’t use it in Colors 3D. I wish it wasn't so complicated.

It’s tough drawing on the 3DS.

Colors Gallery

Speaking of Colors 3DS, this is my opportunity to show the Colors Gallery I was talking about in Part 1! Tumblr limit will always be my enemy.

I love this gallery so much. It's a shame we won't ever see it on the 3DS again after the shutdown, but luckily...it won't completely disappear!

There is the Colors Live gallery online which has all of the 3DS artworks! It’s nice to see that nothing will disappear, although no new artworks will ever be uploaded to the gallery from the 3DS.

It's rather unfortunate. I did make my own account and uploaded some of the artworks I was proud of!

Click here to see my profile!

Here is one of the Tokyo Mew Mew artworks I saved when I was a kid in all its glory. It still looks the same as I remember all those years ago....

Friend List

You're probably wondering, why is the Friend List here?

I really like this part of the system, despite how small of a part it plays. You always go on it to see all your friends, add new ones and set your favourite title!

The BGM is a banger, I could spend hours listening to it without being bored of it. I love how they used your Mii inside this card, they would move and even have their own 3DS while you were playing a game!

I remember trying to add people as a kid but the other person didn’t have my friend code so I would be left with these blank cards while waiting for the other person to be my friend.

Once I realised they would never become my friend, I deleted them after a while. If you have a modded system, you can actually put homebrew software as your favourite title which I find really funny.

“I love the FBI manager so much that I should let everyone know!” - someone probably.

Game Notes

You're also probably wondering, why is the Game Notes here too?

I think it’s one of the functions people often overlook, but I used to use it all the time! You only had three colours you could use and only sixteen notes to draw on which was a bit of a shame.

As you can see above, I used it to draw whatever I felt like. Mostly just Splatoon and Pokémon.

Miiverse

It really is too bad it shutdown.

I didn't get to use it too much back in the day, but I'm glad I was able to use it a bit! I remember looking at everyone's posts and admiring all the wonderful drawings!

I even posted on there too, but I don't remember what I drew. There was an offline mode where you could make a post and save it for later to upload. I wish they kept it, just so we could experience it all again like before.

Swapdoodle

The lovely note application we all know and love!

I decided to make this my last title I'll talk about since I have a lot of memories with it. I used this to draw little notes for myself and my friends, sending them when I felt like doing so.

Nikki is the mascot who writes notes to you and teaches you all the things you can do, unlocking new features as you go. You can put up to four badges as an example, which I like to use a lot since I have many of them.

There was a store you could buy more pencil colours and new note backgrounds, but that stopped working with the eShop shutdown, unfortunately.

I regret not buying a pack or two.

We will never see this little notification appear again. I think it's a shame, but what can you do?

And that's a wrap!

With that, my 3DS retrospective is complete! It was a lot of fun reminiscing. Thank you for all the wonderful memories you have given me, you wonderful handheld.

I wish Nintendo would keep supporting it, but all good things must come to an end. I never thought we would reach this point.

To the next console and beyond!

[writingonesdreams]

Year in review 2022

2022 has been an incredibly productive year for me. So much happened, progressed and changed in just one little year, I almost don't recognize myself.

At the beginning of 2022 I was an insecure and unsure student, worried about finishing her bachelor in just one more year, worried about the possibilities, about leaving the safety of my beloved faculty and having to look for a job out there in the real world, where everything worked differently.

I was worried about starting offline classes again after Covid, after 2 years in blissful setting at home that I really liked. Dicussions, homework and classes all nicely done from home, no annoying travelling and lots of time with my family, those were the 2 best years of my life. Until now.

In 2022 summer semester I got my first job at uni as tutor that I really enjoyed.

I started my course for writing mentoring at the uni as part of an extracuricular activity, met the best teacher there, learned a bunch of new stuff about writing and started my research project in writing sciences.

I made 3 new close offline friends and my first ones at the university. 3 awesome girls that study things I considered studying myself, who are super sweet and philosophical, smart and thoughtful and hardworking. It took a year, but I'm finding out we are agreeing more and more on stuff that matters and that's gratifying.

I got my new job as writing assistant at the university in September 2022 and it was a giant jump from that. Proper 10 hours a week, a work collective for the first time, advising students, holding classes and advice sessions of my own in academic setting, organizing my time around classes...incredible work skill progress.

I can see my future in academic setting now. I can see myself finishing BA, MA and then going for PhD, in topics I love, holding classes, publishing articles and being happy.

Now I'm excited about finishing my BA this February and starting my master's degree, about continuing as an univeristy assistant until I can start working as PhD. About being more active, joining conferences, travelling, doing a semester in foreign country altogether. I'm so excited about the future and so happy everyday.

I finished my BA thesis this Christmas, 2 months before the official deadline so I can sign up for Master classes on time. It's been such a beautiful experience. I read incredible books for it, my knowledge grew to the sky, my view of studying popular culture and literature totally updated and progresses, changing my world of the world and life.

I was worried how difficult my BA thesis would be to write and what quality I managed as a assistant myself, but the progress was enjoyable and I'm proud of the result. The first feedbacks have been very positive.

I have grown more bold, outspoken, more oriented in what I want and care about and want to accomplish.

I finished my first novella, Tears of Iron, in 2022. It needs some editing and a wrap up chapter, but I still never wrote so much consistently in one project, never shown it to an editor before, never had betareaders looking at it. Big shoutout and thank you to @avrablake who keeps giving me comments, thoughts and tips that are incredibly helpful, joyful and encouraging. I'm very grateful.

I also want to thank @myhusbandsasemni for being an amazing friend who really helped me out and supported me in hard times.

Overall I want to thank you guys who stuck around, who witnessed what happened and stayed on my side, didn't blame me, or turned your backs on me against bullying and attacking of such a degree. Lots of my close friends jumped the vagon and joined in the hate-blame wave to look cool, hence my break from tumblr that taught me as much as my presence did. But my win lies in not shutting down, in not staying silent, and moving on from the wrong people.

You are going to see what you are looking for, and if what you look for is negativity, unfairness and power structures, no matter what is there and gonna blame people for seeing something different, well, then we can't be friends and I'm sorry there isn't a way to tell this apart before a crisis happens. Perspective depends on the reader (Cawalti/Berger/Storey)

Anyway. Up into a new year, learning and shaking off the bad, focusing on the good and making progress in goals, knowledge and dreams.

[bingoboingobongo]

task force 141 + christmas day

Characters: Simon "Ghost" Riley, John "Soap" MacTavish, Kyle "Gaz" Garrick, John Price, Alejandro Vargas, Rodolfo "Rudy" Parra

Warnings: none

A/N: oh lordy i can't believe it's christmas already. keep sending me requests so i have stuff for january por favor. merry happy to all u guys

alright so the big day has finally arrived

christmas

it's been snowing for the last week and the trend continued today which means rudy is ecstatic because it's always been his dream to have a white christmas

he's also one of the first people to wake up and he has to fight the urge to run around and wake everyone else up

another person of the first people to wake up list is soap and unlike rudy soap does not fight the urge

he goes throughout the base blasting christmas music (mariah carey ofc) and shaking everyone out of their beds

ghost's been up for a while (as expected) and is already waiting in the kitchen with a cup of tea as everyone else piles in

pretty much everyone is in pajamas or sweatpants

rudy and soap are wearing their favorite ugly christmas sweaters tho

and as price starts up a pot of coffee the gift opening ensues

they all let rudy start out because he's literally trembling with excitement

of course everyone chipped in to get rudy his dream lego set this year

the ferrari daytona sp3

but in addition to that ghost somehow managed to get rudy a mint condition, never opened, ferrari f1 racer set

and for those of y'all who aren't familiar with legos (pretty much the entire team except rudy) this is a huge deal because the set has been retired

rudy was so excited he couldn't stop himself from running up to ghost and giving him a massive hug

ghost awkwardly let him but mainly because rudy looked so happy he couldn't say no

and yes rudy spent the rest of the day raving about how cool the set ghost got him was

the next person to open up their gifts was price

and apparently all his coy hinting worked because he got what he wished for, a heated weighted blanket

unfortunately (or maybe fortunately idk u decide) his hinting worked a little too well because gaz, soap, and rudy all got him one

so now he has three

in addition to that alejandro got him a super nice bottle of macallan whiskey

and ghost got him a really expensive set of cigars

after price went gaz

soap felt so bad for sitting on and breaking gaz's speaker that of course he had to buy him a new one

it's bluetooth of course and very nice

that being said the gift is technically from soap and price because the speaker was pretty expensive (but really good quality)

alejandro and rudy both chipped in and got gaz a really nice pair of noise cancelling headphones so that he wouldn't have to deal with the task force's nonsense anymore

and gaz had recently mentioned how he had gotten back into listening to the weeknd

and ofc ghost bought him two vip tickets to the weeknd's after hours til dawn tour

gaz literally freaked out when he saw the tickets like im talking jumped up out of his seat jaw dropped wide open

ghost let's gaz give him an awkward hug too because he doesn't want to kill his mood

and then it's alejandro's turn to open his gift

and low and behold what does he see when he opens up the wrapping paper

of course it's his dream gift and like the one thing he wished for

a brand new ps5

everyone on the team chipped in to pay for it

and they got him a few games too

then next it was ghost's turn

he wasn't expecting much and he was pretty surprised when he opened his gift

he got all the books he wanted of course, plus a few extra

soap got him the metamorphosis by franz kafka

gaz got him the picture of dorian gray by oscar wilde

alejandro got him journey to the center of the earth by jules verne

rudy got him the count of monte cristo by alexandre dumas

and then somehow, price managed to score a signed, first edition version of treasure island by robert louis stevenson

ghost was literally speechless for the first time in his life when he realized what he was holding

like his hands were literally shaking and he had to put it down because he was scared he would ruin it

he tried to interrogate price and find out where he had got it from but price wouldn't say anything

and then last but not least was soap

he was getting kinda nervous as everyone opened up their gifts because it didn't look like there was gonna be any for him

and the ghost opened up the last box and soap's heart pretty much broke

but before the sadness could fester too long everyone dragged him to the garage

and low and freaking behold what does soap see

but his dream gift, the yz250 sitting in front of him with a bow on top

and soap freaked out he was literally bouncing off the walls in shock

it turned out ghost knew a guy who knew a guy who knew a guy

and so he was able to get the bike at an insane discount

and with everyone chipping in, they were able to get him a helmet/gear as well

and again soap was literally freaking out

he tried to hug ghost, who declined at first but then gave in

after gift opening was over they all went to have lunch and the kinda split off to do their own things

simon "ghost" riley:

alright so the first thing ghost does is take his first edition treasure island and sprint to his room

like i cannot emphasize to you enough how insane of a deal this is

because not only is a first edition copy valued at literally ~$10,000, treasure island has an insane amount of sentimental value to ghost because that was his favorite book as a child

that being said ghost was literally terrified to touch the book

like he put on his gloves and anything

the book was in really good condition and even the signature looked like it was in mint condition

i mean again ghost was just in awe completely shocked

he ended up tucking it away in his safe because he was too scared to read it

he ended up brewing himself a cup of tea and reading the count of monte cristo to relax

and if you're there with him than congrats u get to see a new side of ghost, nerd!ghost

because he will not stop raving about the first edition treasure island

he'll also give you your gifts in private

and they're everything you ever wished for

including something you didn't even remember wishing for until you saw it

and then he's more than happy to spend the rest of the day hanging out with you while he reads

at least until price calls everyone to the dining room for christmas dinner and soap starts drinking

john "soap" mactavish:

alright after seeing his gift soap has one thing on his mind and that's riding the dirt bike

unfortunately the weather outside is not the most friendly to dirt bikers

but what soap wants soap does

and so (very unwisely i might add) soap decides to try riding his bike indoors

he takes it to the hangar because it's got a lot more space but just because he has the extra space doesn't mean he's successful

it's been a long time since he last rode a dirt bike and so he almost immediately nearly ran into one of the planes

and then you and price practically forced him to stop so he wouldn't immediately destroy his bike

he was disappointed for a bit but you made it better

he gave you his gift and it was the best, most soap-centric gift you could ask for

it was absolutely perfect and it referenced one of your many inside jokes

he also let you pick one of the soap's everyone put in his stocking

you picked a fancy bath and body works one

then he spent the rest of the day hanging out with you and the others until dinner time

and you know that afterwards he's getting stupid drunk again

kyle "gaz" garrick:

alright so honestly gaz was freaking out about the weeknd tickets a lot

like it took him a good while to finally relax

and of course the other ticket is going to you so you can join him

he also pretty much immediately put on the noise cancelling headphones alejandro and rudy got him

and you just know he was listening to the weeknd's entire discography

he also pulled you aside so he could give you your gift in private

he got you some new clothes you've been wanting for a while

as well as some jewelry with your initials engraved in it

he was kind of nervous it was too much but you assured him it was perfect

he spent the rest of the day listening to music and dancing with you

as well as hanging out with the others until dinner came

and during the after dinner party gaz's speaker was the prime music source

john price:

alright so price is just ready to milk his gifts as much as possible

but before he does he knows he has to give you your gift first

it's something really sweet and heartfelt and you can tell how much he loves you through the gift

and he also got you your own bucket hat with your initials embroidered on the inside

he says you look like the most beautiful girl in the world with it on

then he drags you to his room where you milk his presents with him

he pours you a glass of the fancy whiskey while he lights one of ghost's cigars

if you smoke too he'll offer you one as well

and then he'll have you cozy up to him under one out of the three weighted heated blankets

and the two of you will just cuddle there until dinner

alejandro vargas:

alright so the first thing alejandro does after everyone's done opening gifts is hook up his PS5 to the tv

he's super excited to play some games and he brings you over to play with him

before you start though he gives you your gift

it's something you've been wanting for a while

plus an all expenses paid for spa trip at a really nice spa

then he pulls you against him and has you pick a game to play

and the two of you will play that until dinner comes

and then he might still keep playing after dinner, although this time he'll be much worse because you don't get to go through a soap party without drinking at least a smidge of alcohol

rodolfo "rudy" parra:

alright so rudy is just super duper hyped about his legos man idk what to say

his first thought is to immediately start building one of them but he has enough reason to give you your gift first

one of them is an expensive set of shoes you've been eyeing for a long time

another is a lego set of your own (because he wants to build legos with you but he also gets super defensive if you try to build his so he needs it to be seperate)

and then a super duper heartfelt homemade gift

he's really really nervous about it and his heart just about bursts when you wrap your arms around him and tell him it's perfect

and then the two of you spend a pretty long amount of time building legos

honestly you finished pretty quickly but you stuck around to watch him finish his

you also helped massage his back/shoulders whenever they would hurt from being hunched over for too long

and lord knows rudy would sing your praises so loudly for doing that

he's done by dinner and during soap's little party rudy is more than happy to be all over you

and it's easily the best christmas he's had so far

[sublimecatgalaxy]

Hey, i love the headcanon that you did of move in with Elliot, can you do one with Maddy?

Suuuuure. I like doing these :)

Not edited.

- So in this case, it would be Maddy to bring it up to you that she wanted to move in with you. She didn't like her house or her family so she spent most of her time with you anyways at your home.

- She would tell you that it was 'about time' for you two to get your own place and start a life for yourselves in the world, in your own place. A place that she was very excited to have.

- She loved shopping so 'shopping' for an apartment or apartment hunting was one of her favorite past-times with you, loving to learn about the neighborhood, the qualities, the pros/cons and the utilities and stuff. She'd mark everything down so you guys could go over all of them at the end before picking one.

- You'd end up in a loft like building, a few stories up, very clean and very minimalistic. She didn't want clutter, she didn't want tons of hallways but instead more of an open floor plan with lots of windows and light.

- She liked that the apartment had a lot within walking and biking distance, not really needing to use her car or your car to get around to grocery stores.

- One of the first things you'd do when you moved in was get a cat, a perfect little fluffy being to prance around the apartment, to greet you and her when you both got home and to give you and her something to look after, especially if you were pondering having a family in the future.

- Maddy would love filling the empty, open apartment with fluffy rugs and soft tones, loving how it softens the room that once echoed from emptiness, liking the contrast between the softness and the industrial vibe that it building offers.

- You'd find more friends within the same space, a few couples even on your floor that you met while doing laundry one day, inviting them over for some drinks and introducing them to your lovely girlfriend.

- Maddy was just happy to have adult friends, friends she didn't want to argue with and start unnecessary drama and petty fights. These people were cool, fun, they liked small concerts and getting coffee.

- It was nice for the both of you, finally able to grow up without the toxic influence of those around you in high school, running as far away from them as possible the minute you both could.

- And it was good, you finally had what you wanted. Space between the people you didn't like and family that overwhelmed the both of you and less space between the two of you.

[sunflowersteves]

feel your touch || g.r.

summary || Geralt wasn’t used to your gentle and soft touches, but he never wanted them to stop either. 

author’s note || ok this is dedicated to @borkingbarnes​ because it’s v much inspired by this post and bee u are a wonderful amazing human being for thinking of touch starved geralt. hope you all enjoy!!

warnings || so much fluff, insecurity, touch starvation, soft!geralt, some angst, NC-17, not edited (oops)

masterlist

Geralt of Rivia was a plethora of things. He was a warrior, a tracker, a magic holder, a skilled fighter, and a monster hunter. But, he wasn’t a passionate lover. In fact, he wasn’t a lover at all. In the one-hundred years he has been alive, he’s never had a lover.

He’s had little nightly adventures with many women to cease any tensions he had. They were one singular night, the sheets pooled around him, and whoever was in bed with him. And every single time, there was always a mutual agreement that there would be no attachments except that of sweaty bodies. 

He had previously thought that emotions got in the way of things. Feelings and sentiments always get him in some type of trouble, so he vowed never to let them get to him. He always chooses to hold people at least five feet away from him at all times, even close friends like Yennefer and Jaskier. 

That is until you came along. 

You were like a breath of fresh air, light and flowing in the sunny breeze, but you were also a force that crashed up against rocks during a storm against the ocean shore. It had shocked the stone cold Witcher that you had held such an effect on him. 

It struck him so suddenly, like lightning; it was fast and hard. He thought of things he had never done so before. His mutated heart beat faster and faster when all you did was grin at him underneath the sunlight. 

He suddenly wanted to be a good lover for you, and Geralt had no clue how to deal with such feelings. He had never dealt with such desperation to be near you, such wanting that surrounded him constantly. He wanted to hold your hand when you walked along a market, laughing and talking casually. He wanted to press his face against your thighs as you fiddled with his long hair. He wanted to feel your warmth radiate onto his cool body while you read a book with your back pressed up against his chest. 

He wanted to feel your warm skin against his, basking in the sweet sensations of you. He wanted to give you everything; the desire to please you struck deep within his soul. 

Due to the lack of experience in such longing touches, he had struggled quite a bit. He struggled not to let his muscles tense when you lay a hand on his shoulder in comfort. His lungs restricting the air in them at the sensation of your lips peppering faint kisses on his chest. The strange phenomenon, however, was the fact that he loved your touches.

He loved the way the pads of your fingers ran down his spine. He loved the way your heat seeped into his skin. He loved the way your softness caressing his rough skin. Despite all of the times his body had betrayed him, he loved it.

You were reading some of your spells, trying to memorize every detail about them. For a short while, you didn’t even notice the Witcher make his way to bed. However, Geralt never got comfortable and only sat on the edge of the bed with his back turned towards you. 

Your sweet, honey-filled voice interrupted his intruding thoughts. “Why are you so tense, my love?”

He let out a long sigh, eyes flickering towards yours before fluttering down to his lap. You could tell that he wanted to say something, but his mind was betraying him leaving him with a blank stare as he twiddled his thumbs. 

“Lay down.” 

There were a few beats of silence, his back still shining before your eyes. You knew he must’ve had something troubling him even further if his ears ignored your presence. He rarely would ignore you of all people. It was as though he was incapable of it; his mind was constantly filled with thoughts of you. 

“Lay down, Geralt.”

Your tone was much sharper than before, the hints becoming more of a demand than a question. He blinked before doing as he was told and laid on his stomach. His eyes fluttered close when he felt you lay on top of him, your legs meeting the end of his back. 

His mutated heart starts to beat a little faster, your lips gently kissing the nape of his neck. He felt vulnerable as his cheeks scrunched up against the feathered bedding while your lips skated across his skin.

Your finger mindlessly started to trace a large scar, and his body immediately reacted by shivering from your delicate touches. He couldn’t help but let out a whimper as your hands caress his back, rubbing back and forth. 

Your body lifts itself at the sound. Your mouth hung open slightly in surprise. You weren’t expecting such a sound to erupt from him, more or less from the massive stoic Witcher. For a split second, you could have sworn there was a hint of blush that rested on his cheeks, most likely from the embarrassment of the sound he had made.

Nonetheless, you ignored it and continued to poke and prod at his tense muscles. Your hands worked their way from the top of his shoulders—grinding and digging to elevate the stress he was so clearly under. 

A moan escapes his lips, and you giggle, trying to dig even further into his muscles. You could tell that he felt good; his lips curled into a small smile. 

“Your hands are wonders, little dove.”

You laugh slightly, warmth spreading in your chest as a groan slips past his lips. Your hands kneading the sore battle-scarred muscles had felt like heaven. His skin burned with each touch you gave. 

You stop for a second before prompting him to roll over. He looks at you teasingly, watching as you try to lift him. He was like four men in one, so it was hard to get him to budge. Finally, he turns over and shares a couple of giggles with you. 

He lets out a small gasp as you immediately go to kiss down his chest, his hair slightly tickling your lips. On days like these, Geralt would normally wrap his arms around you and pepper kisses along your body. However, he just stared at the thatched ceiling while his breaths became shallow. 

“What’s wrong, my love?”

“I just… I feel as though you deserve more.” Your heart broke a little at the sullen look on his face; the furrowed eyebrows and teary eyes told you everything. All you could do was softly smile and take his large hands into yours. 

“You are stubborn, yes. You lack emotion more than anyone I’ve ever met, you’re thick-headed, and you have the worst of tempers.” You pull his head up to look at you. His eyes slightly widened at the burst of adoration that flowed between your glistening eyes. His stomach churned with pure glee while you squeezed his hands, “But those qualities that you always deem as negative are what I love about you. My love for you isn’t as simple as a want or desire. My love for you is by what you do and how you live. You are my life, my love. You are my stars and my sea.”

He just stared at your face. His eyes flickered between the crease of your brows, the hollows of your cheeks, and the plumpness of your lips. At first, you thought he was going to kiss you passionately, but he just held your face in his hands.

“I’m never letting you go, dove, ever. Anyone will feel my wrath if they disagree otherwise.”

“Hmm, that better be a promise, my love.”

~~

witcher: @lenalxvegood​ @harrysthiccthighss​ @borkingbarnes​ @dreams-of-sunlight-and-starfire 

geralt: @harrysthiccthighss​ @borkingbarnes​ @doozywoozy​

permanent: @captainchrisstan​ @angstysebfan​ @teenagereadersciencenerd​ @rebekahdawkins​ @hailmary-yramliah​ @buckybarnesplumwhore​ @stardust-galaxies​ @wiccanmetallicrose​ @keithseabrook27​ @hereforthesunrise​

[bbq-hawks-wings]

Chapter 316: BBQ is capable of critiquing BNHA and… Oh boy.

Let's start this off properly, Horikoshi's typical quality of writing has been diminishing in recent chapters, but this week it was so different that it didn't even feel like Horikoshi was the one who wrote it.

To be clear, I'm not blaming Horikoshi for the issues I'm about to bring up. The man is criminally overworked, usually doesn't even get the final say in what makes it in the final drafts, and even in his other rough patches he's still produced decent chapters that hold up amongst the grand scheme of things. This feels like something else is going on behind the scenes, and while I have my suspicions on who/what might be the culprit behind it, I choose not to share it at this time because if I name names some people might go off on a crusade, and that's not what I want.

I just want to be clear that I'm not blindly firing off shots in the dark, but despite my frustrations I want to wait to see if this gets resolved down the line, and while I do I can complain about the specific reasons this chapter left such a bitter taste in my mouth.

Buckle up, buttercups, because we got a lot of points to cover.

Where's the Gun?

Not a literal gun, but I mean Chekhov's Gun. It has always been a staple of Horikoshi's writing and the reason so many of his long-standing plot lines have paid off so well.

Chekhov's Gun is a writing principal that if you see a gun on the table in the first act of a play, it will be used in the murder that happens in act 2. Basically, the author should include details that are relevant to the story and not betray the audience by leading them in one direction and at the last minute pull the rug out from underneath them to go in another direction.

Horikoshi has done this to phenomenal success in the past. Just as one example, he dropped hints about Nomu being human experiments early in the series but held off explicitly stating it for a while. He hinted at the loss of Shirakumo in the main narrative and that he was important to Aizawa and Mic as well as approved it for Vigilantes so when it was revealed that Kurogiri was Shirakumo's body, not only did it narratively make sense but it also pulled in Eraserhead and Present Mic's emotional stakes into the battle with the Doctor, and then when Ujiko reveals he was after Aizawa's quirk the whole time it made the payoff for Mic punching him in the face all that much better and brings the weight of his crimes and the impact they have on the victims full circle.

That's 3 different guns paying off in the long run: the Nomu, Shirakumo, and both Mic and Eraserheads' personal arcs past the loss of their childhood friend and that they could finally finish processing their grief and avenge him in full righteous fury instead of chalking it all up to cruel chance.

He has left details, some particularly innocuously, in plot lines like the Touya Todoroki reveal, Hawks' backstory, Shigaraki's blood connection to Nana Shimura, even with Mr. Compress's backstory, and more. When re-read, these details become more obvious and usually leaves us with a greater sense of satisfaction in the plot knowing that twists and turns were not only planned, but built up to and hinted at for us to find so the payoff is that much better and it feels purposeful instead of just shock factor.

None of that happened this chapter.

Lady Nagant has zero business being in this plotline. She was never hinted about before this arc, and her existence does nothing to tell us about the plot moving forward or the world that they're trying to change. Nothing her existence provides actually has any bearing on the universe or tells us anything we don't already know. But that's not how she was presented.

In the beginning we're given a glimpse of her helping Overhaul escape from Tartarus. The focus on her was odd enough to begin with as a new character, and the fact that she didn't look like she fit the profile of someone who belonged in Tartarus was like a flashing neon sign saying, "Pay attention! This new character is important!!!" She then shows up later with Overhaul in hand to attack Deku out of the blue. We get her talking about how she thought Overhaul might be useful and her disillusions with Hero Society. We catch her mannerisms with eery similarity to Hawks only to find out immediately after she was a senior colleague in the HPSC. Never once to my knowledge has Hawks referred to any of his senior colleagues as a "senpai" - not even his fellow heroes - and when he catches her in midair, he uses the words, "Don't die on me, senpai!" as if she's near and dear to his heart.

The entire character arc is set up for her to have known about Hawks and grapple with her desire to help people and her fear of re-creating what she hated, and this also set up Hawks to be the successor who succeeded where she failed and helped bring her to a place where she could be a hero without guilt again. What actually happened?

They're strangers.

They have never actually met before, and while he seems to know a lot about her, she doesn't even seem to have any idea of who he was - at least as far as being another hero under the thumb of the HPSC. So ALLLL that setup, all that gesturing, and all of the potential themes that would be right at home in an arc like this goes completely out the window.

Her story doesn't tell us anything new. The HPSC bad. We knew that. They're not above throwing innocents under the bus to achieve that goal. We knew that. They preyed upon young hopefuls with powerful quirks with the intent to maintain the status quo. We knew that even if the fact that Hawks isn't the only one now makes more questions than answers. We know that these young heroes can never say no under threat of steep, life-shattering consequences. We knew that already.

So what does Lady Nagant even bring to the table?! The entire "you're just a puppet doing what you've been told" angle is a little tired and out of place in this point and time with actual anarchy in the streets (not to mention hypocritical considering she was a blind puppet following orders and offers zero actual solutions that supposedly fall in line with her heroic nature), and it could have been left to any number of other villain characters who could have executed on the theme better - you know, like Shigaraki who's justification this entire time has been, "hero society doesn't make people safe, it just makes them feel safe" from the moment of his inception.

So from that angle she's unnecessary.

Her presence messes with the continuity of the series as well. If Hawks is supposed to explicitly replace her, that would mean that he wasn't just a fluke find on the commission's part and grabbed to mold into their own special superweapon; and that also would mean that her killing of the former president was before he was discovered which should put her at least in her forties. If this isn't the case, and he was meant to simply replace her in a "special agent" case, that still begs the question of how many more gifted children the commission preyed upon and are still out there.

And maybe the worst kicker for me is that something stinks. The way the art in this chapter is presented, if you completely blanked out the speech bubbles, is the same setup I had before - Hawks reaches out to his former mentor and pulls her from the brink of despair with a moving message about why he never gave up hope in being a hero who could actually make a difference.

Again, this is not what we got. He claims he knows her, and it's implied to have been a deep, personal character witness; but at best he only knows about her from secondhand sources. Even his reasoning as to how he never lost hope doesn't vibe with his character.

We have gotten so many cool one-liners for Hawks, but there has always been a consistent tone and imagery with them.

"Those who can fly, should."

"I don't belong in a cage."

"I'm free of my shackles."

"Can I be a shining light, just like him?"

What we got was, "I'm an optimist to a fault" which was the wording the official release went with and was by far the best iteration I have seen, but even this falls short of being truly in character for him and answering her question properly.

@mikeana made an edit of the titular panels for us Hawks stans this week with dialogue we and a few other friends felt was more fitting not only with the imagery of the chapter itself but internally consistent with the specific expressions Hawks uses in his heartfelt, personal dialogue. I just tweaked it a little bit more to fit what I was going for in our original conversation.

Which brings me to another concern.

2. What's the point?

There was no use for Nagant in the series as she's been presented so far. But more than that, Hawks has no business in this fight to begin with. He literally did nothing to earn this emotional moment, and this should have been Deku's moment.

We were teased in an interview with Horikoshi that Hawks was going to get a special moment as an important end-game character as a "shining light" of hope for others to follow as well as promises for Ochako to have another moment in the spotlight to make a difference.

If this was Hawks' shining light moment, it wasn't necessary, and it does nothing to move the plot forward or develop characters in any true or believable way. It just happened because plot. This should have been Deku's victory through and through, and even he is the reason BOTH Hawks and Nagant made it out alive instead of painting the street below them.

Deku's victory was stolen from him, too. It sours the other promises made to us about other characters moving forward, as well, if this really was Hawks' "Shining Light" moment.

By the way, did you forget about Overhaul? Me too!!! What was the point of getting our hopes up about reintroducing this beloved character with the implications this was a major arc setup to have him scream about pops and then get detained with no clues about what's going to happen to him besides, "Say you're sorry to Eri, and you get to see pops"?!

All this posturing and clumsy narrative flailing only actually succeeded in getting Deku in front of AFO again for plot when we already know Mr. Potato Head could summon, show himself to, or find Deku at any time he wanted. But instead we get this time skip with a bunch of heroes completely mended walking into a big, spooky mansion for AFO to evil monologue at Deku for… *counts*

FOUR PAGES!!!

Only to then give him the "I want YOU!" point over a pre-recorded message and the final nail in the coffin to me that something is off.

3. Ex-pu-LOOOO-SHUN!

It's become almost a game among friends to count how many explosions have happened since the end of the war arc - and specifically fake-out explosions. In the end of 311 we get All Might's car attacked via explosion and Deku cornered by Nagant only for All Might to be fine in the next chapter. In 315 Lady Nagant herself explodes in a blaze of glory to once again not be dead.

Gee! I wOnDeR if aLl the heroes were AcTuAlLy cornered and KiLlEd in that explosion in the mansion!

None of us do. They're fine. We're going to see it first thing next week. The shock has worn off, and it's repetitive and annoying at this point. There is no cliffhanger despite how the framing might try to tell you otherwise.

It's BAD WRITING.

The writing has been moving far too quickly and clumsily with no explanation in sight, and even character interactions are being cut short to the point of them being meaningless and empty.

This doesn't even feel like Horikoshi's bad writing. It feels like someone else is trying to call the shots and rushing him through these final bits of the series, and he's run out of things he's previously set up for months and months to reappear so someone is trying to get Dabi-reveal levels of attention with arcs and storylines that don't have the build-up to result in a satisfactory payoff.

4. At least it can get better... I hope.

Maybe those who share my suspicions or know what particular suspicions I have are with me in believing that this is a temporary disappointment and we haven't seen the last of the writing that's captivated me for years. I don't blame Horikoshi for these glaring faults that all came to a head in this chapter.

It CAN get better later, and I think it WILL- we just probably are going to have to wait for it. Until then, I'm going to enjoy the Hawks panels we got, maybe edit the last few chapters to be more in line with something more like the BNHA I know in a "fix it fic" fashion so I don't groan in anticipation of how long it might take us to get there.

See you all next week, hopefully on a much brighter note.

[anasticep]

Why Julie and the Phantoms is a masterpiece of a show. Part 2. Heroes and Villains or Let that foil shine

NOTE: Thanks again for your kind response to Part 1. I never expected that. It being my first tumblr post and a first meta in quite a long time I was blown away. I read all the tags, some were really hilarious. About having more than one brain cell xDDD I laughed so hard. It means a lot.

NOTE2: Please remember that the gifs are made by me, so don't crop, edit or give as yours.

Part 1.

Before diving into meta, I have to mention that the Villain of the story is actually one of the best in the decade. He’s cool, evil from the start, we understand his motives and we certainly are not supposed to love and make excuses for him. The writers made sure of that. So back to the main topic.

A foil is a character who contrasts with another character; typically, a character who contrasts with the protagonist, in order to better highlight or differentiate certain qualities of the protagonist

Foils in literature are not necessarily antagonists. A friend can be a foil or sometimes even a thing, a song. Whatever can make a good and real contrast to the protagonist. But it’s not very simple to use this author’s device and not fall down a deep hole. Because you have to make sure you did just the right amount of work to make it understandable for a reader, the things you want to contrast are definitely there and still you don't waste a character. On TV it can be even harder given limited air time. And, well, I don’t come across this device being used in full very often nowadays. It’s usually good and evil fighting for the plot. That’s why I personally appreciate JaTP so much.

Caleb is clearly a foil to Luke. As much as I’d love to say that Julie also has one, that’s not entirely true, at least not this season. Carrie is not her foil though it may seem so, and I really think that’s cool as Julie’s journey is being presented through her own demons and I'm going to cover that next. That being said, of course Caleb doubles as an antagonist plotwise, but I personally consider him being written more as a contract to Luke so we could see and appreciate his character and journey better.

1. Origins

Caleb and Luke have extremely similar backgrounds. They are both natural performers. They know how to deliver, because c’mon, “Now or Never” is something and so is “The other side of Hollywood”. Stage is their natural habitat, their element, power. Although they channel this power from completely different places.

Let’s start with our little ball of energy. It’s emphasized TWICE that he doesn’t care about the money aka the physical side of art.

All Luke wants is to make music. Connect with people. He is so happy just to be heard despite him loving to perform. Making music is what makes him feel alive and basically that’s enough. I think if there was no “hologram” magic at all, Luke would have still been extremely happy to make music with and for Julie. Because that’s the way he is.

But Caleb doesn’t know that. He knows, and I’m standing by that, right away that Luke is the one to aim at. Because we always feel the similarity in people. If Luke said yes, Reggie and Alex would have followed. So Caleb recognizes the passion and shoots at them what he thinks is appealing. And, oh boy, he delivers.

“The Other Side of Hollywood” is a perfect song to emphasize Luke and Caleb being foils for each other. Follow me here:

But these lines come from very different places. For Caleb the only thing that matters is himself. He owns the show, he IS the show. It’s about being famous, drowning in applause, admiration. Look at how he performs. Confident, yes, but still very much in control. He must keep his perfect face. No flaws, no real emotions, no real connection (Did you miss ME? I did too // This band is back). Whereas Luke is simply living the best time of his life each time he performs. Is it just jamming? Bring it on. Doing fun riffs? He’s all for it. He doesn’t care how he looks (though who could deny gorgeous sweaty Luke), he owns the show just because he is a natural.

So back to the business. Caleb immediately puts the boys in his own shoes:

On the other side we live like kings // Your soulprint on the walk of fame on the boulevard of your wildest dreams // I got your glamour, got your gold, got all you’ll ever need

And, I mean, he is not that wrong. You can see the appeal on the boys’ faces. They are young, passionate, handsome, talented musicians. Of course they wouldn’t deny fame. Of course they would want all that to some extent. And Caleb is very sure he pulled the right strings.

Watch me make a move, I’m your number one choice

Also I have to mention, as we are talking about TOSOH (IKEA name again) and it being a foil for Luke, thy lyrics still don’t forget about what is important for Reggie and Alex (we’ll talk about that just a bit later):

Welcome to the brotherhood -> Reggie

Where you won’t be misunderstood -> Alex

Then again, lots of foreshadowing in the song, if you listen carefully the lyrics are stressing the true colors of the offer:

A tomb with a view

Man, what a metaphor. I would have run out of there the minute I heard this line. But our boys share one brain cell (I can’t get over how funny this is) and it’s currently taken by Julie, so I don’t blame them.

Disappointment is huge. Caleb read it all wrong. So we are moving to the next point in our Heroes and Villains essay.

2. Recruitment

It’s very cool that Caleb offers the boys to join his band right after Luke offers Julie to join Sunset Curve. They both are going out of their ways to get that (although have different budgets apparently. But look, they live in a garage). Luke made a hit with a bunch of Julie’s not very well structured lines (I love Flying Solo with all my heart as a song, but as a poem it just looks weird to me) to impress her, and we all saw the show Caleb had thrown to impress the boys. Plus food. And fancy dancing. But here is where contrast comes again.

Caleb offers to join the band, yes, but only as backup singers. It’s his show, remember? It’s only about him. He doesn’t care if they are even good. He wants their magic under control.

Share the spotlight with ME / How do you like MY new band?!

Luke offering Julie a spot in the band is a completely different story. He saw what she is capable of. He instantly knows she must be the key to a new sound, a new level. And he, a natural performer, frontman, lead guitarist, steps back and gives the spotlight to Julie. To think about it, he could have just got her magic under control by giving her simple lines, incorporating piano in the songs and that’s all. They would be visible, he would still be a center of attention, and Julie herself wouldn't mind that much. But that’s not who Luke is. Yes, there is a funny scene of “Hey, I’m your lead singer” and “you don’t have to be mean”, but it’s just messing around. Because right after that he finishes Flying Solo, writes several other songs with Julie, seeks her approval of Sunset Curve songs and basically follows her around like an adorable excited puppy.

Moving on and back to the rejection. Again the writers are mirroring them. Julie quits the band & the boys decline the offer. What does Luke do? Well, he tries the way he knows: books a gig, makes Reggie and Alex sing in perfect harmonies and does his puppy eyes thing. And it doesn’t work. And Luke goes to reflect and then probably try to come up with a plan. But something tells me he would not have haunted Julie until she joined them.

What does Caleb do after the initial rejection? Puts a cursed stamp that leaves them no choice but to join HGC. You don’t need to say more.

But in fact the more I think about it, the more I suspect Caleb also not possessing enough mental capacity for a human being. Like, if it wasn’t for Willie, how would they even know? Has Caleb planned to simply show up one day and casually explain? Look, foils in everything.

“You’re in a tough spot… So, you wanna join the band?” | “Looked like it hurt… you know where to find me”

But we sidestepped a bit.

3. Pulling the strings

After the song Caleb comes out to consolidate his success. What he does is clever and, btw, that’s the only time he becomes Julie’s foil. They are stating basically the same thing.

Again, Julie is concerned about the band and the boys, while Caleb is only concerned about having them under control. But they both are pulling basically the right strings.

What is interesting, Caleb actually impressed the wrong person (and that person is our sweet Reggie). Luke follows the string Julie pulled. Although the offer is tempting, he insists twice that they are in a band already directly to Caleb and then in Eats&Beats he says "It's like Julie said, we have a new band, a new sound». No matter what Caleb promised, Luke is not affected at all although Caleb’s offer is a very-very safe choice.

Speaking about using friends as foils, Alex and Reggie also serve as contrast characters for Luke at some points. Luke’s indifference to money is first stressed through Alex who is clearly the chief accountant for the band. His lines about not getting tips, living in a garage and «it’s a little bit about the money» are waved aside by Luke. Reggie is clearly the most affected by the whole Bobbie thing. His lines «I don’t care what Julie said, I’m glad we scared Bobbie», «So we’re gonna forget about getting back at Trevor?» are getting a clear contrast by Luke’s «It’s what Julie said, we have a new band, a new sound» and «He has to live with that guilt».

While editing the article I realised a very cool thing I haven't noticed before. How badly Luke wants to go on tour. And again that's another thing Caleb offers as if reading his mind. That's actually brilliant, to think about it.

Caleb is a VERY good reader. He tests the waters with a speech about disappearing from stage and going around the world and all dreams coming true. Still he doesn’t know the boys and especially Luke, so his phrase “no real connection” doesn’t register that much.

But he learns. Remember the lines I��ve marked before?

Reggie is afraid they will not be together after they cross over. He is in desperate need of a family. So wouldn’t it be nice to spend the rest of your afterlife with your brothers? (Reggie's main insecurity is loneliness, feel of a broken family. That's why he is the most concerned about crossing over. Will his family stay intact?)

Alex is insecure, and not being understood by the people closest to him will always hit hard. So welcome to a place where you won’t be misunderstood. And actually we know there is a guy you like and find comfort in. (Alex's insecurity is growing up in times when he could not truly be himself even with his family and for sure not believing he would ever be able to find someone meant just for him)

That mirrors the whole Luke’s beach speech perfectly. Only comparing them we can truly appreciate why Luke is the leader. He shuts down his own demons to make Alex and Reggie remember that they are not alone (“and I believe in you”. sorry. Olicity fan).

Caleb makes them suffer to get what he wants. But this time he is careful with the words aimed at Luke. Yes, he repeats his words about vanishing and applauses BUT he makes sure that his words about CONNECTION are the key words for Luke. Intense look, calming voice, touching - these are all elements of hypnosis. And Luke is in a daze. (Continuing the parents' thing, for Luke the main insecurity is not managing to connect with his mom. Maybe that's such a big thing for him: through all these people he wanted to find that connection with her)

4. The Hero’s journey

That’s the best part actually but I won’t be saying anything new or that you don’t know. Luke is made of lyrics and music. That’s his soul, heart, that’s the feeling running through his veins. He doesn’t need anything other than that in his life. Playing for eternity is “a gift no musician would ever turn down”. But he actually does turn it down. As well as his dream to go see the world with his band (is there covid in jatp universe?). He is the one who resists the hardest to the pull. Luke, who always has a guitar in his hands, doesn't want to play. Because it’s not only about the music now. He has this amazing girl in his afterlife who was willing to accept them for who they were, helped Luke battle his own demons, eased his pain and made him open up. And it doesn’t make sense any longer without her anymore. “And you’re a part of me now till eternity”.

Caleb, being Luke’s foil, completely misses the whole point of connection. It’s not in his nature. His house band are just recruits (Just so happens you’re in luck we’ve got a vacancy). For Luke his band is his family (We are the only family we ever gonna need). The Connection theme is one of the main in the show. And it’s so cool to show it focused through Luke whose best way of interaction is a touch. But not being able to touch Julie Luke has to find other ways, although it’s not that simple for him. And Julie backs that up: We connect in so many other ways. They literally touched each other's souls. Without knowing she put a stamp of her own on Luke, Alex and Reggie. They’ve never felt loved enough, appreciated enough, supported enough. They’ve only had each other. And Julie’s stamp is love. And for Luke (as well as Reggie and Alex) from now on this girl is worth dying for all over again.

_______

So yeah. I hope you enjoyed it, as I for sure enjoyed writing. There is gonna be a part 3 about Julie and a few honorable mentions of parallels of the Pilot and the Finale (I hope at least to do all that). I’ve also figured very very cool connections in the songs and I can’t wait to share.

Also as I was heavily speaking about The Other side of Hollywood, @catty-words has a wonderful meta on rain metaphors here (sorry for tagging, if you don't want to be tagged), check it out if you somehow missed it. It's super clever.

[stranger-who-writes-fiction]

Ya know what these self-indulgent Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow posts need? Self-indulgent banner art, that’s what.

Spoilers for issue #4!

Let’s start this off right with CREATOR CREDITS. Issue 4 of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is titled “Restraint, Endurance, and Passion.” Written by Tom King, Art by Bilquis Evely, Colors by Matheus Lopes, Letters by Clayton Cowles, and Edited by Brittany Holzherr. (w/ Assist. Editor: Bixie Mathieu & Senior Editor Mike Cotton)

THE STORY: 

Right, so this? This issue? Best one yet.

Also the bleakest of the bunch thus far; even though we don’t always see the brutality of the space pirates that Kara and Ruthye are following, there’s...the suggestion of it. The aftermath. And how Kara responds to it.

Okay, getting a little ahead of myself. BASIC PLOT SUMMARY: Ruthye and Kara continue their pursuit of Krem, who has taken up with Barbond’s Brigands.

The Brigands basically just. Murder and terrorize people, for profit.

Each planet they visit brings new horrors, as well as people who need Supergirl’s help.

And help she does.

KARA-CTERIZATION:

I yell a lot about the art on this book, and have, in fact, openly admitted that I’m primarily here for Evely and Lopes.

Well, that wily son-of-a-gun King went and wrote some of the best ‘Super’ stuff I’ve ever read and dang it, dang it, now I gotta yell about the words too. XD

Specifically, I wanna yell (in a good way!) about some words that occur towards the very end of the book.

Kara and Ruthye have Seen Some Things; things like genocide and mass grave sites and horrible violence, and upon reaching a planet where peaceful monks were slaughtered, Kara’s had enough, and needs to leave because if she screams, she’ll destroy what little is left of the monks’ monastery.

Here’s the text in full, because my gosh. It’s so good:

“What I write next I write based on my observations in those long-ago days at the side of the greatest warrior in the history of this august reality we all call home. It is important to note that my assertions do not rely on anything Supergirl said. It was not a subject we ever discussed or even approached, but nonetheless I believe it to be as true as the turning of worlds. You see, what is not well understood about the daughter of Krypton is that her power was not one of action but one of restraint, endurance, and passion. She did not choose to fire a beam from her eyes, or have breath of ice, or run faster than a speeding bullet. Or any of her other well-documented miracles. No, she held back her heat vision to look you in the face. She warmed her breath to converse with you. She slowed herself to walk by your side. Ever moment of every day, she suppressed the forces churning inside of her. All of the energy of a dead world that strained against her many barriers, eternally demanded to be released. I believe this effort hurt her. I believe she lived her life in pain. But I reiterate again, for I think it important enough to repeat--These beliefs are based on my time at her side, watching her as she moved through strife and sorrow. If you were to have asked her, I have little doubt she would have claimed that such as assertion was absurd. She would say she felt fine and well and then she’d as you if you needed any help.”

A long chunk of words, I know (this comic is DENSE!) but like. This is it. This is one of the defining attributes of the Supers--all that raw power at their disposal and they choose to help people, to be kind, to suppress that power for the benefit and safety of others.

HNNNNNNNG.

Hope, Help, and Compassion for All.

Whole lotta folks claimed at the outset of this book that King did not understand Kara, that he was a bad fit. And that may be so, I suppose--there’s a whole other discussion about like. The violence and swearing and ‘does that belong in a Supergirl book?’ But the characterization? Getting that Kara and Clark are just good people? 

King gets it. He got it in Superman: Up in the Sky and he gets it here, in Woman of Tomorrow.

Other things King gets! Kara is stubborn! Kara is passionate! Kara is going to fix things, even if the effort of doing so hurts her, physically, emotionally, and mentally!

(Fuuuuuuun fact for the crowd saying that Woman of Tomorrow is vastly superior to the CW show: TV Kara is ALSO all of those things! King isn’t pulling this stuff out of thin air. It’s almost like...gosh. I don’t know! Both the show and Tom King are pulling from the character’s comic history, or something!!!! HOW NOVEL.) 

Like, seriously. There’s a lot of overlap. Stop pitting Karas against each other!

Anyways!

I promised art, so here is art!

Oh, right, forgot to mention, Kara literally THROWS HERSELF INTO THE SUN to express her grief and anger, so as to not cause that unnecessary destruction. She gives new meaning to the phrase: Set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm. 

More art yelling: GOTTDAMN, the way Evely draws Kara just colliding with the surface of the sun and then the way Kara’s hair like...becomes the flames...

I am FEELING FEELINGS. HOW DARE.

Also, props to King and Cowles; King for deciding to have that initial scream, Cowles for the way the letters burst forth from the point of impact on the sun, and then back to King who decided that it would just be...devastating silent screaming from Kara, for the remainder of the scene. 

Back to the characterization, I just wanted to highlight something I mentioned...earlier on, I think? In these posts? But haven’t brought up recently, and that is how this book has not once brought up Zor-El, and I think Superman only got a quick mention in issue 2.

Honestly, I think that’s gotta be some kind of record.

It’s so refreshing. Not because I think there should never be mentions of Clark, or anything--I love that boy--but because so much of modern Supergirl comic drama is mined from the same like, angsting over her place compared to Clark, or her crazy sometimes-a-supervillain dad. 

There is no Clark and Kara drama here, no manufactured friction, because it’s just. A cool Supergirl story! 

Gonna keep going, but let’s do it with some more...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTT!!!!

Once again, Mat Lopes is all over the dang place with his palettes, it’s marvelous.

Each new planet gives Evely the opportunity to go hog wild on the worldbuilding and design, and similarly! Each new locale is an opportunity for Lopes to set the tone with colors. Like, here, towards the beginning of the book, we’ve got a planet bathed in this warm, pale yellow/orange light. 

(Quick note: “Sure, yeah, I get it. We all have our duties. And it’s mine as a neighbor to do what I can to help you with yours. Please.” A+ Kara content. We love to see it. And then locating the remains of the alien’s daughter, so that they can go visit the grave site and have some emotional closure???? It’s just. So. Touching.)

Anyways, back to colors.

Like!!!! LOOK AT THAT JUMP. From the soft, almost pastoral feel of the delicate oranges and yellows to HARD GREEN, PINK, AND PURPLE. (Difficult colors to pull off in print, I might add.) 

(This is also an interesting scene, character-wise, because I think it helps re-contextualize some earlier stuff with Kara. Like, I’m mostly thinking that incident on the bus, where she was swearing at the passengers as the space dragon was about to destroy them. Here, we see Kara kind of...goad this alien woman into releasing her pent up emotions by yelling at her/getting her to fight, and you can clearly see at the end of it that Kara did not mean the things she said, because check this out:

She goes and gives her a hug once the woman is able to finally cry.

It’s not ‘Kara is being mean, Kara is swearing at her’, it’s, ‘Kara has an unorthodox solution to a problem, and she’s gonna FIX that problem, NO MATTER WHAT.’

Circling back to the bus thing--again, that could be an instance of ‘unorthodox approach to a weird situation that Kara is going to handle because lives are at stake.’)

But also, DIG THAT KIRBY KRACKLE, BAY-BEEEEE!

And a little Strange Adventures easter egg! The Pykkts! 

(I think those guys are unique to the Black Label series, rather than deep Adam Strange lore, but don’t quote me on that.)

Moving on to YET ANOTHER PALETTE, one I’ve dubbed, ‘Treasure Planet Purple/Grey’

Love Ruthye’s snoozing against the door, waiting for Kara.

Also, just as striking as the colors of the environment, are the colors used on Kara. 

If you compare this page with the previous one, Kara’s eyes are a paler shade of blue, and the red-rimmed look on her eyes here is not as intense as the red-rimmed look we saw back in issue one, when she was confronting Krem. 

All of which to say! There’s a pale, haunted quality to both the linework and the colors. Like. We know Kara has Seen Some Things. But she’s shoving all that stuff down to protect Ruthye, to save Krypto, and to stop these monsters, and you get all of that WITH COLORS AND LINES ON A PAGE.

I love it, I love it so much.

OTHER BOOKS WISH THEY HAD THIS LEVEL OF CHARACTER ACTING, I TELL YA! THEY WISH THEY HAD THIS BEAUTIFUL ALCHEMY OF INKER, COLORIST, AND WRITER WORKING IN SUCH TIGHT TANDEM!

Ahem. XD

Alright, last bit of art, lest I just. Post the whole issue in here. (Which I’m honestly always tempted to do but Strong Feelings about Piracy hold me back.)

JUST HECKIN’ LOOK AT THAT BLUE, MAN. JUST LOOK AT IT. S’BEAUTIFUL.

And more stunning character acting from Evely. Like. Bottom middle panel. The expression, the tilt of her head and the shadows on her eyes...

*insert silent flailing here*

Oh, also, KRYPTO LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVESSSS (for now). 

I’m never right about these things, so I’m glad the one time I’ve correctly read a thing is when it involves Krypto not, ya know. Being dead. XD

Also absolutely love that Kara’s instinct is to send Ruthye home to protect her--once more leaning into that whole, ‘I’m going to protect you, even at great cost to myself’, though of course we know that she can’t send her home, not here, not now, just halfway through our journey. 

ERRRRRRGH, so mad we’re not getting twelve issues of this! CURSE YOU, POOR SUPERGIRL TRADE SALES! CURSE YOOOOOOU!

That said, King’s pacing? Has been phenomenal. I feel like Strange Adventures and even Mr. Miracle kinda...I’m not gonna say dragged, that’s not quite right. But it is more build up, I guess. Takes a while to get to the payoff.

Here, I think King is pushing things steadily along as he doesn’t have the benefit of an additional four issues, so he has to get to the point, so to speak. Keeps everything moving.

SOME FINAL, MISC. STUFF:

I’ve sort of glossed over the darker stuff from this issue, and I just wanna note that like. This is a book that features a bad guy getting stoned (in the death sentence way, not the drug way) on panel. Like. I can’t recommend this to children.

I can’t even really recommend it to some other Supergirl fans, because I know that the King elements will be too off-putting. 

It never feels like the book is going too far, though. At least in like an...exploitative way? If that makes sense?

The violence is handled with discretion, I guess is what I’m trying to convey. This could very easily tip over into like, gross shock factor territory, if not handled well, but I think the creative team pulls it off.

...Still wouldn’t hand this book to kids, though. XD

As mentioned, we’re halfway through this series! Can’t wait to see where it goes--every time I think I have this book figured out, it surprises me. So, like. Bring on the Dinosaur planet! With no sunlight! I wanna see how Lopes handles THAT. XD

(But Oh, OooooOOooh, we gotta wait until NOVEMBER.)

(Hhhnnnnng!)

(Then again, maybe that’s good; we’ve got the TV show in the meantime, and then once it ends we can pick right up with new Supergirl content just a few weeks later.)

(...Aw. Made myself a little sad, thinking about the TV show coming to an end.)

:C

So as not to end on that sad note, here once again is tiny, smushed Kara:

Give ‘em the ol razzle dazzle.

[ilovefandoms102]

Oh Boy-Part 2

Summary: While still worrying over the whole Topper situation, the Pogues try to take you out for a day of fun. But is it really ever a normal day for the Pogues without some drama?

Note: I am so happy you guys like this so much! I have so many ideas for this story. I am not sure how long I want to make it, but I personally like longer stories so buckle in!

Part 1 Part 3 

edited by author

=====================================

To say I was pissed was an understatement. My idiot brother and our friends just didn’t know how to stay out of trouble…and of course drag me with them. But then again, nothing in my life has ever been easy so nothing surprises me anymore. 

It was the next day, and my first day off in almost a month, so I planned on making the most of it. Even if I still am pissed at my brother.

I walked out into the kitchen to see JJ passed out on the pullout, making the right decision than to try and talk to me after I screamed at him and John B. the whole way home last night. He looked so peaceful sleeping on his stomach, his mouth opened with little snores coming out, and his curls a mess. I couldn’t help but crack a smile at how cute he is.

I walked over to him and patted him on his behind, startling him awake.

“Rise and shine blondie, the fish are callin’” I said with a laugh. My reply from JJ was a deep grunt in which he didn’t even open his eyes.

“Woman, I’m sleepin’ here since you refused to cuddle me last night.” JJ muttered.

“Hmmm wonder why that is?” I fake pondered, putting my finger to my chin.

JJ cracked an eye open, and smiled a sleepy smile that made my heart flutter. He turned and made grabby hands at me. I sighed, and leaned down to give him a hug. 

“Baby, I’m really sorry about yesterday.”JJ said into my neck. I could feel his hot breath on my neck which made me shudder a little.

“I know you are, J. I’m sorry too for yelling at you.” I said, hugging him tighter.

“They can’t prove shit so there’s no way we will get caught.” JJ reassured.

“Alright, enough about this. I’m ready for a day on the water” I smiled at him in which he returned my smile.

=====================================

I managed to get everyone’s lazy asses out of bed so we could spend some quality Pogue time together. We picked Kie up at her dock and managed to steal Pope from his dad.

We stopped at our favorite spot in the marsh and while the boys were fishing/swimming, Kie and I laid out and talked about our favorite and not so favorite customers at The Wreck.

“I swear I think Mr.Anderson has a permanent stick lodged in his ass. He’s always so rude and literally all he tips is whatever it takes to make the bill an even number.” I complained to Kie. I had my eyes closed while talking to her when all of the sudden there was a shadow and someone dripping water on me.

I opened my eyes to see none other than JJ smiling down at me with a mischievous look in his eye. That was never a good sign.

“Can I help you Maybank?” I asked, raising a brow.

“You look a little hot there babe, I think you should cool down in the water with us.” he said with a nod towards where my brother and Pope were having a splash war.

“I’m good, but by all means you swim your heart out.” I said smiling at him.

In about three seconds flat, JJ scooped me up and walked to the front of the boat. I kicked and hit his arms to let me down, but he just flashed me his goofy smile.

“JJ Maybank if you throw me in that marsh we are going to have some serious issues!” I yelled, hitting his shoulder. He got really close to my face looking from my pursed lips to my eyes.

“JJ no!” I screamed and held on as he jumped off the boat and into the water with me in tow.

I resurfaced, immediately looking for JJ so I could punch his stupidly cute face. He came up a second after me and I glared holes in his head while he just laughed at me.

“Aww come here baby I’m sorry” he pouted trying to come give me a hug.

As soon as he got close enough I latched on and pushed his head under. As I was laughing I felt him grab my legs and pull me under with him. I opened my eyes and looked at his smiling face, smiling back at him I pushed on his shoulders to get back to the surface.

When we both came up for air, we started laughing. My brother and Pope came to join. We found a sand bar where we could stand on to play chicken, in which it was Pope and JJ versus John B. and me. Kie volunteered to keep score and be our referee. John B and I started out strong with me almost instantly getting Pope off JJ’s shoulders. 

The last round was me against JJ. I knew this was going to be challenging with JJ being almost three times stronger than me. Thankfully, I had my brother as my hype man to boost my confidence that we would win the game. 

But what is a day without some Kook drama.

We were in the middle of the round and I had just pushed JJ really hard to keep me from falling, making my brother have to take a few steps back. Out of nowhere a boat comes flying between us, the boat so close to John B and I that someone put their hand out and pushed me off of his shoulders.

I landed on the sand bar, immediately feeling pain in my lower back near my kidney. John B. pulled me up out of the water and noticed I was not okay immediately.

“Dude are you good?” he asked looking around me and spotting my hand on my back. 

“Birdie I think something cut me!” I cried.

I put my other hand on his shoulder to steady myself while his went to my sides to help hold me up.

“Who in the fuck was that!” JJ screamed, walking towards us. He noticed me crying and immediately started to panic. 

“Babe what the fuck happened!” JJ asked as he went behind me to look at my back.

 “Oh shit that does not look good,” JJ said, unsure of himself.

“Kie, drive over here so we can get her in the boat we need to take her to the hospital!” Pope yelled.

=====================================

After our trip to the hospital I learned that basically I must have landed on something sharp sticking out of the sand bar and cut myself pretty deep. Deep enough that I had stitches going from the the bottom of my back near my kidney to almost hitting my bra line.

I was given strict instructions to not let the stitches get wet,unless it’s to take a shower, until I come back to get them taken out and that I had to be off of work for at least two weeks so the stitches wouldn’t rip. 

I still wanted to attend the kegger that we were throwing which led into an argument with JJ.

“Absolutely not are you crazy?!” JJ asked, his voice raising.

“I must be since I hang out with you” I said while continuing to put my makeup on.

He gave me a stern look which I ignored. I was going to that party even if they handcuffed me to the bed (which they couldn’t) I would still find a way to go. Where there’s a will, there’s a way my dad used to say to John B and I when we were little. 

“I’m not finding this very funny sweets,” JJ growled.

“I am going to that party JJ Maybank and neither you or any of the other Pogues can stop me!” I said angrily while slamming my brush down and turning to face him. 

“I work almost every single day, and who knows when I’ll be able to get another day off. I have been looking forward to today for weeks now! Please babe, just let me go for a little while.” I ranted, pouting. This trick always worked because I knew he could never say no to me.

He looked at me for a second and finally said, “Alright cupcake, but you have to promise me if you don’t feel good you’ll tell me so we can come home.” 

I jumped up from my vanity and gave him a hug. 

“Yay! Thank you baby!” I kissed him on the cheek causing him to blush a little. 

Wait....did I just make JJ Maybank blush????

I went back to doing my makeup while JJ sat on my bed scrolling on my phone since I had better service than his. Thankfully no one knew about my feelings about JJ, not even Kie. I kept it to myself because I didn’t want to make things weird in the group and just thought it would be better off that way. I couldn’t stop thinking about him blushing...could he possibly have the same feelings? I mean the nicknames we have always done which confused a lot of people.

We have always been the closest out of anyone in our group and told each other everything. Even stuff the other Pogues didn’t know about. My brother asked me about the coupley things we do and I told him I wasn’t sure what it was about, but he left it at that and hasn’t said a word about it since.

I finished getting ready, not having a lot of clothing options I just chose to stick with my bralette and an off the shoulder tshirt with my one of two pairs of jean shorts. Then the shorts started bothering my stitches so I had JJ put a gauze pad over where my shorts were rubbing against my stitches. 

“Jesus, are you ready yet? You’ve been doing your fucking makeup for at least three hours.” my brother exclaimed, bursting into my room.

“It definitely has not been three hours bubba,” I chuckled, rolling my eyes at my brother.

“Well it sure has fucking felt like it!” John B yelled. I started to open my mouth to argue back, but JJ beat me to it.

“Alright ladies, let’s go get wasted,” JJ said diffusing the argument that would have ensued. 

We finally arrived and saw Kie and Pope had already had their cups filled with whatever the fuck we had mixed in it earlier. I can’t even remember half the shit we put in it. Granted though it was right after we left the hospital and I was high on the painkillers they gave me. 

“Hey, save some for us!” I yelled. This earned me a laugh from everyone.

“SALUD” we said while clinking our red solo cups.

I was having a good time. I was getting slightly buzzed while my brother was piss drunk dancing to whatever music was playing. Kie and I had socialized with some others from The Cut and even some tourons who had stumbled upon our party. 

Then came the Kooks.

I immediately tensed as I spotted Rafe and his crew.Topper having brought Sarah along. Knowing what she did to Kie made me instantly not like her. I spotted JJ and saw him talking to Pope and my brother, not having seen the Kooks yet. I really hoped Rafe and Topper would give the rivalry shit a rest tonight.

“I love this song!” Kie yelled, pulling me to where people were dancing. I was a bit restricted since I couldn’t risk my stitches coming out so I couldn’t go too hard like Kie was. 

I felt someone’s hands on my waist that definitely didn’t feel like any of my friends. I turned and saw it was Rafe with a sly smirk on his face.

“Hey little Pogue, heard you guys had a little accident at the marsh today?” he said with a shit eating grin on his face.

Immediately my blood boiled and I could feel Kie’s hand on my arm. “You asshat! That was you?!” I yelled. He continued to smile at me then squeezed right where my injury was and I let out a yelp of pain.

“Rafe don’t!” Kie yelled. I turned and gave her a look that said ‘go get the others’. She took off in search for my brother and the rest of the group.

I turned back to Rafe trying to look like I wasn’t in an immense amount of pain.

“I told you that you filthy Pogues would pay for what you did.” Rafe said still smiling.

“Let me go Rafe!” I yelled starting to attract attention from everyone. He then smiled menacingly and took his hand and slapped where my stitches were. I let out a blood curdling scream and fell to the sand while Rafe started laughing at me. I couldn’t stop the tears from coming as I tried to get up.

“You’re going to end up just like you’re old man you keep down this path little Pogue,” Rafe said still laughing.

That struck a nerve as I forgot about the pain and half stood running at his legs to knock him back into the sand. He landed hard, knocking the wind out of him. I got on top of him and started punching his stupid face in. All I saw was red and could not stop my fist from connecting to his face over and over.

He caught my fist in his hand and threw me off of his and drug me to the ocean where he tossed me in. I landed on the sand again, choking on the water that went in my nose. Rafe came towards me again and lifted me by my hair.

“You little bitch! You need to learn your place.” Rafe sneered. And just like that I was being forced underwater again. Rafe held me under, his hands around my neck.

I started panicking and flailing around wondering where the hell my friends were. I started blacking out, my lungs burning for air. Then it all stopped and I was being pulled up from the water.

Taking a huge gasping breath I wiped my eyes to see Pope helping me back to shore. Kie met us there and hugged me as I cried into her chest with Pope’s hand rubbing my back.

“Shhh it’s ok, you’re safe now.” Kie said holding onto me as I cried.

Pope handed us a towel which Kie wrapped around us. I looked to my right and saw JJ with a gun pointed at Rafe, my brother standing just behind him. I could hear them yelling, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. 

Then JJ yelled,”ALRIGHT LISTEN UP! GET THE HELL OFF OUR SIDE OF THE ISLAND!” firing off a few shots which made me jump. 

After everyone was gone, JJ took Kie’s spot and lifted me up. I threw my arms around him and cried some more. He mumbled something into my hair, but I couldn’t hear it.

When we got back to the chateau, I was half asleep in JJ’s arms. JJ placed me on my feet in my room and it all hit me at once.

I could have died. This could have been my last day on earth. The last time I saw my brother, Kie, and Pope. And my JJ. I looked up at him, my bottom lip trembling.

“JJ, they tried to kill me,” I sobbed putting my hand over my mouth in disbelief. He hugged me, forcing my face into his chest as I started  hysterically crying. “They actually were going to drown me!” I exclaimed.

“I promise to you right now, they will pay for this.” JJ said in a scary tone that I had never heard come from him.

==========================

And that’s part 2! Hope you guys liked it!

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