#i have so much ideas but can never execute them right that's so frustrating

[saveahorserideaneddie]

By killing off Bobby Nash, Tim Minnear and company have hit the selfdestruct button. Season 8 was way too late to start MCD's. He has doomed season 9 to be the final season. The only thing that could save it, is maybe a Bobby resurrection arc. He will never make Buddie canon.

so i know im in the minority when i say i dont think the show is in danger right now… but i do think that if they continue the way they’ve been going, they will very quickly fall into the red zone.

i haven’t really gone into detail over it, but like the concept of a MCD doesn’t really bother me if it had been done respectfully and effectively… ive said before if they were going to kill off a main it would make sense for it to be bobby, BUT that does not change the fact that the way it’s been done, and the way TM and co handled the aftermath of the situation was the catalyst for why it became a much worse situation than it would have been had they handled it in a respectful way

i think if it hadn’t been rushed or so glaringly last minute, the initial shock and hurt of the audience would have blown over quickly, especially with a funeral episode that had actually focused on the team and the emotional impact of bobby’s death (which is not what we got)

the show is limping after the finale, for sure, but a limp can be fixed if it is taken care of and healed. its when the limp is left untreated when the real deterioration begins.

hopefully the abc execs who have gone on record to point finger at tim minear know it, and it may be wishful thinking on my part, but knowing that they’ve said they don’t want to lose this show bc it’s such a huge money maker for them, i would hope some serious conversations are being held with execs, producers, and TM about the show’s future and what that looks like for TM specifically.

i know the general fandom reaction is thst we want tim to be fired… i think that’s wishful thinking, but what i do think is more plausible is that someone at abc might instill the fear of god into the bald man, and that hopefully they’ll realize this show needs a head writer under tim who collaborates on every episode to maintain consistency, and will also keep tim on track and has veto rights to his more outlandish ideas.

i would hope they would point back to how successful seasons 1-4 were under him so that he might realize that that is the show he should be writing for, and not lonestar where he got used to just writing whatever the fuck he wanted bc he didn’t care.

im still on the fence about buddie. if i base things purely off the last few episodes alone, then no, i absolutely wouldn’t think it was plausible, but the show isn’t just the last few episodes; we still have at least a whole other season that has not been written yet. we know they see what the fans say, regardless of if tim wants to admit it or not. it always gets back to him- and if abc is aware of the amount of vitriol the fandom has towards him after this season, then they will not risk allowing him to further shoot himself in the foot.

they’ve absolutely given him too much power at abc, but he’s not the end all be all- he has bosses and higher ups who can tell him no, and hopefully the amount of press, social media reactions, and blatant cast frustrations as well will prompt executives at abc to stop letting him just do what he wants.

[justaragdollysblog]

Can you write an alternate direction of "If I Didn't Walk In"? What if Jax did go to Ragatha about Marybelle instead of cheating on her? What if she confronted Marybelle about the situation while also trying to ease the tensions between them? What if something Marybelle says or does causes Ragatha to stop internalizing? What if she snaps? This is just an idea btw, I just love your fanfics :D

If I Hadn’t Gone In- Alternate Events (not canon to the series)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I AM SO SORRY i’ve wanted to write and i’ve been busy with work and executive dysfunction has been absolutely kicking my motivation out the window lol!!

i plan to write this and the zooble ask i have as well!

TW: Hurt/Comfort, Suggestive talk, Heated argument, Mentions of verbal harassment

————————————————————————

All was quiet in the main tent, but tension steeped in the air so thickly, one could choke. The cast sit at the long dinner table, simulated food in front of them.

The adventure that day hadn’t been particularly grueling, but it was what happened after the adventure and during the feast, that caused this charged and heavy silence.

It was all because of a relatively new arrival: Marybelle. A tall and slim porcelain wind up ballerina, fair skinned and poised. She had an instant disdain for every circus cast member, but Ragatha and Jax were the unwilling victims.

Ragatha knew what it was like to first get here. The news didn’t ever get easier to relay. Maybe that was why, like every member that arrived after her, she tried to give Marybelle a sense of community and compassion when she spawned in for the first time.

In the first week or so, after the initial shock wore off, the pristine ballerina hadn’t let up on Ragatha. Every glare, every insult soaked in venom, was directed at the rag doll. On the opposite end…was Marybelle giving praise and unwanted attention to Jax.

Jax hadn’t been used to this attention from another girl, or even another member of the circus cast. Him and Ragatha had been together for months now, and he made it clear to the ballerina that she was the only one he ever loved, and he’d never leave her for anyone.

The strange thing was…she didn’t seem deterred.

Before he got with Ragatha, he might’ve accepted the flirtation. But he always felt differently around the rag doll. He could be himself. He didn’t have to be alone, and he could finally let himself love and BE loved.

So, when she blew a kiss at the feast they were currently undergoing, Jax stood up abruptly, slammed his chair against the table, and stomped off. He wasn’t going to cry in front of the others; he did have a reputation to uphold. He wiped frustrated tears and opened Ragatha’s door, burrowing himself in her bed. Her scent calmed his whirling mind down.

Ragatha looked after him in concern and worry. She bit her lip for a second. “I’m gonna go check on him, see you guys in a bit!” She forced a smile to the others, and subsequently to Marybelle.

Zooble rolled their mismatch eyes. “Okay, seriously, this [BOINK] needs to stop. We’re all lonely here, but there’s no point harassing them.” They glared pointedly at her.

Marybelle simply sipped on a glass of digital water. “We have all the time here, right? He’ll come around.” She giggled a little, tinkling bells laced with malice.

Zooble just groaned in annoyance. They’d be there for Ragatha if something happened, but if she wanted to get herself into trouble, there wasn’t much they could do. Everyone eventually went back to their rooms, leaving Marybelle alone at the table.

—

Ragatha felt her heart break at Jax’s angry crying. She knew when he was upset, and she knew he’d be in her room. She liked to do the same thing when she was upset (read as: also burrow in his bed).

She gently creaked her door open. The fairy lights cast a warm and gentle glow in the already cozy room. She slowly and quietly snapped the door shut behind her. Soft footsteps filled the silence as she sat next to Jax on her bed.

He lay, quiet and hiding his face, but Ragatha knew he was crying. She smiled softly, eyes half lidded with affection and gentleness. She didn’t say anything, but started petting his ears like he liked her to do.

His eyes softened and he relaxed his body under her touch. He pressed his head into her hand. Nothing was said for a few minutes, when-

“‘m sorry, Rags…” Mumbled Jax as he felt her finger trace patterns on his furry ears. He didn’t know exactly why he was apologizing; he just thought he should.

Ragatha shook her head slightly. “None of this is your fault, bun.” She whispered, affectionate and tenderness soaking every word. She gently brought her hand to cup his face, gently rubbing circles with her thumb in his fur.

Gods, she knew how to calm him down. Jax sniffled a little. “I just- I don’t want you to think I’d ever…” He didn’t finish it. He couldn’t bring himself to.

Ragatha softly chuckled. “Jax, I trust you. I know you’d never. I know that for a fact. We’re gonna get through this. Maybe I can talk to her!” She suggested.

Jax wiped his eyes again. “Yeah. That sounds good.” He couldn’t help himself but let out a large, toothy yawn. He was already tired, and crying was exhausting to him.

Ragatha laughed, louder this time. She loved his yawns like that. She loved everything about him. “Get some rest, jaxrabbit. I’ll be right here when I’m done, okay?”

He looked up at her with yellow eyes full of love and trust. “‘mkay. Love you, Rags.” His voice cracked a little and he leaned into her hand once more.

Ragatha smiled genuinely. How did she ever get this lucky? “To the sun and back, Jax.” She kissed him gently and lovingly.

—

A few minutes later, his breathing straightened out and small snores escaped him. He was asleep, already splayed out and covering the whole bed. Ragatha squeezed his hand and walked out.

Marybelle was on her way to her room, red ballet shoes forever stuck on pointe glided across the carpet. Ragatha took a deep breath.

“Marybelle? Can we talk?”

She paused, and then shot daggers at Ragatha. “Only if you make it quick.”

Ragatha took another breath. “I know it’s not easy getting here. You can always talk to us, but…it’s making me and Jax a bit uncomfortable with how you’ve been acting toward us…” Ragatha tested the waters with her opening statement. She tried to sound reasonable and pragmatic, but she wasn’t as good at it as Pomni.

Marybelle narrowed her eyes, winged mascara sharp as a knifes edge. She looked her up and down with a flick of her eyes. “I’m just trying to get to know the people I’m stuck with.”

Ragatha could practically feel her patience start to thin. “And there’s nothing wrong with that! Really. It’s just-“

“Just that you know he’d be better off with some prettier.”

Ragatha felt her blood turn to ice and she stopped. “You don’t know anything about him…” Ragatha cursed herself for letting a comment like that show her insecurities. To be truthful, Ragatha had always been insecure about her looks.

“Oh, I don’t need to. It’s obvious. He’s only uncomfortable because he has to hide it in front of you.” She snapped, once again giggling darkly.

She felt her blood metaphorically boil. She clenched and shook her fists. “You don’t know anything about him.” She spat, firmer this time.

Marybelle was full on laughing now. “Face it. Once we’re alone, he’ll forget all about you. I’ll make sure of that.” She dropped her voice to a sultry tone.

Ragatha felt something inside her snap. Just like everyone else, the only thing she tried to do was make everyone happy. Comfortable. She didn’t deserve this. Jax didn’t deserve this.

She approached her, getting in her face. Her voice was as low and as dangerous as it could go. Her voice was sharper than any knife. “You’re not going to get near him, or me, or anyone else. I don’t care if you find the exit and never come back. Stay away from him.”

She was breathing shakily. She loved Jax so much. Past the tough and rude exterior, he loved Ragatha in ways she’d never thought possible. He had been there to defend and protect her countless times.

Now, she was going to protect him.

Marybelle almost looked…scared. Her eyes darted around for a second. She huffed and scoffed. “Fine!” She pushed Ragatha back a bit and stormed off, censors beeping into the distance as she walked away.

Ragatha took a deep breath again. She felt a bit better. Maybe Jax was right about getting her anger out sometimes.

She brushed off her dress and approached her room again, slowly opening the door. Jax lay asleep still, somehow even more splayed out than when she left.

She sighed a little and smiled softly at him. She approached the bed and slowly crawled in next to him. As if he could sense her, he relaxed when she got close. She pressed a soft kiss to his neck and cuddled up to him. His chest rumbled with purrs.

She felt her eyelids drooping to the melodic, rhythmic tone. “Goodnight, bun.”

————————————————————————

I hope this is good!!!! IM STILL SO SORRY AB THE WAIT

reblogs are appreciated! see u guys later!

[what-even-is-thiss]

Hi roman. I know this is very weird, but i've seen you give some life advice to other people, so i thought i could give it a try too. Don't answer if you don't want to. Anyway

Do you have any advice/tips for a 15 y/o who thinks they just have no control over their life? Like, my concentration is dog shit, i think my grades are slipping. My executive dysfunction so bad and i think i'm disappointing a lot of people. I have no idea how to handle anything in my life. I can't force myself to do the things i need to (not that that'd be any good, i'll immediately cry lol). I just, don't fucking know how i could make things better for myself. And i can't really talk to adults about it, they'll repeat the stuff i already know, and i am the worst person to put their feelings into words, so they'll prob never understand. Not in the edgy way.

Yeah so sorry for half venting into your ask box. Thank you in advance if you'll answer it, if it's too weird and you don't want to do that for whatever reason, that's ok. Peace and love <3

Dude, you’re unfortunately suffering from being 15. And possibly a learning disorder. Godspeed to you.

And I don’t say that to belittle your problems. In many ways as a teenager you don’t have control over a lot of things. You’re still under the control of your parents, you’re still learning how to deal with adult level emotions and ideas. A lot is expected of you and a lot of things are made to seem more important than they are. It’s hard to tell what’s actually important and what’s just adults blowing things out of proportion. It sucks and it’s frustrating!

If you can, you might want to talk to a counselor. If your parents or guardians are anti-counseling you might try to talk to someone at your school like a teacher or administrator or school nurse about the possibility of getting counseling without your parents knowing. Some schools have programs like that.

The adults closest to you might not understand but if you keep looking you’ll eventually find someone who remembers what it’s like to be in your shoes.

And I remember fully feeling like I’d never get control over anything. The end goal of life was graduation from high school and god only knows if I keep existing after that. But the thing is, you do! You keep existing and you figure a lot of stuff out. Wisdom does come with time, it turns out. And legally and practically you end up getting a lot more autonomy as time goes on.

And I know hearing things like this might not feel comforting. When you’re stuck, you’re stuck and no matter how much you logically know it’ll get better right now it sucks.

Just find ways to keep going. And try asking for help sometimes. If your family won’t listen, find someone who will. Take the time to write down your problems and how you feel if you can’t come up with explanations of what’s going on. Or find a friend to talk it out with so you can practice explaining yourself.

If there’s one thing I can promise you, when you’re a couple years into adulthood all of the problems from your teenage years start to feel small. At the time they were big and important though. And that’s what you’re going through right now. And a lot of adults forget about that. Hang in there, and when all of this is behind you, remember how hard it was and maybe someday you can help someone like you.

I’m sorry if all that wasn’t helpful. I don’t know too much about your individual situation. But ask for help when you can. Someone out there understands. You’ll find them.

[midnight--sadness]

(k-pop idol AU anon) hewwo~ i'm back again ◝(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) ◜♡ first of all, YES TO GEUMJA BEING GIHUN'S MANAGER. YOUR GALAXY BRAIN! I LOVE IT! and you know youngsik said this in an interview and none of his bandmates believed him... you mean it's such a small world, that his mom was thee gihun's manager? sure, pal. but once he's proven right he will never shut up about it hahaha! oh and back then when geumja found out that her husband was cheating on her, you know gihun would 100% support her in beating up that good for nothing man ৻(  •̀ ᗜ •́  ৻)

secondly, yes yes yes inho as a rapper! r&b and rap is an iconic duo. inhun giving aaliyah & dmx vibes~ anyways, let's continue where we left off~ ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

i don't think inhun would be able to make things official during their tour. yeah they do feel the love and find comfort in each other, however everytime they're about to confess they're always interrupted by ilnam, the assistants, fans, or the stage crew. it saddens them both, but the show must go on... (˶˃⤙˂˶)

after this, gihun and inho try to keep contact as much as they can! this is the 90's so they have payphones or pagers/beepers. they can't meet in person because of the crazy paparazzi, and also the reputation of the record label must always be in focus. they feel very frustrated over having  to repress their feelings. on top of all that, inho feels like he's going crazy whenever a award show host or a backup dancer gets way too close or comfortable with gihun. "unhand him, you heathens." he seethes (҂ `A´) ︻╦̵̵̿╤──. inho knows they're not even in a relationship, but that doesn't mean anyone can put their filthy paws on the world's most precious pearl named gihun. though... it appears that the heavens might have blessed them with a rare chance to finally see each other.

both guys were in the same building for song writing sessions and meetings, but they were in different rooms. they had no idea about this until they saw each other in the hallway. inho and gihun had to practically beg ilnam and geumja to let them spend at least 25 minutes together, they promise that nobody will know. inho and gihun brought up that if they can't get to release their pent up energies, it will impact their performances and the label's profits negatively. that's how the music executive and the manager agreed to let the two of them be for a while and do their thing lol

cue makeout session in a secluded corner ( ∩´͈ ᐜ `͈∩) inho holding on to gihun's waist for dear life, afraid of losing him again. whilst kissing they finally reveal to each their true feelings, a heavy weight lifting off their chests. they're boyfriends now! ♡〜٩( ˃▿˂ )۶〜♡ inho's hand travels down to gihun's crotch area, delighted to find his soft mound and getting to feel the puffy folds. right now they don't have much time and can't get too messy because of their schedules, but they're more than satisfied with almost devouring each other and handjobs. one day they will finally get to go on a short hiatus and take weeks off everything. they will find a private soundproof room and have marathon sex all day all night ( • ᴗ - ) ✧ gihun would still have to take birth control pills though, just to be safe.

but before that happens! they're making hits after hits, their little intimate session in the building proved to make them better at their job. they were glowing, too.

meow (≽^•⩊•^≼) tune in for part 3 in which it will be about gihun announcing his retirement from music  industry in 2011-ish, followed by inho doing the same, them revealing their relationship to the world, and present day with our fave boygroup & girlgroup~

(also dw junho and inho's stepmom are very proud of inho, & so is gihun's mom. she points at the tv and smiles widely telling everyone; "that's my baby!")

STOP AS SOON AS U SAID THAT GIHUN WAS SINGING 90S R&B I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT OF AALIYAH!!! 😭😭😭

ahh i'm glad u liked it!!! 🫶💖 and omggg everything abt this is amazing, i loooooooove it 💖

inhun being in a secret AND forbidden relationship???? 😩

I CAN'T WAIT FOR PART 3!!!!! 😖😖 giggling and kicking my feet

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

Can I request an ask mainly focused on nox,wine,and torpedo, 3 of the strongest monster on the list, tough and scary and everything,but when was the time they suddenly had enough, broke down, or began to even feel suicidal, and not care of the concequences?

I added Edge to the list.

Underfell Papyrus - That time he thought his brother died in a cave-in. Red went missing an entire week after a cave-in, and everyone tried to make him give up on searching for him because it just meant he died. But Edge refused to give up, and some jealous guards reported him to Asgore. Asgore ordered him to stop to search for a weakling and to focus on his job, or else, that would end badly for him. Edge accepted, went home, and broke everything inside his home out of pure rage and frustration... Then he disobeyed, deserted his post, and kept looking for his brother. It's the first time he has ever disobeyed an order, and he got sent to isolation for an entire month for this. But he doesn't care, as he was right. Red was alive. Legs broken, yes, but alive. He couldn't care less to be executed after that, he couldn't live with the idea anyway. Asgore refused to give him responsibilities for a year and it compromised his position. But that's ok, as that's pretty much how Undyne gained interest in him, because he's not listening stupidly to orders.

Swapfell Sans - When he understood there would be no escape from his situation after Toriel made him her heir. Nox was never ok with entering the Royal Guard, he did it only because he needed money and a way to protect his rebellious brother from getting killed stupidly. He didn't mean to be extremely good at what he was doing. He didn't mean to become general of the royal guard. He just wanted to gain enough money to have a decent life. Then Toriel made him start to execute people for her, then the whole Underground feared him, then his brother turned his back on him, then the Queen made him her heir, right as Nox was looking for an exit to try to save his relationship with his brother. When he went home, Nox tried to take his own life, but couldn't end the process as Toriel knew somehow and sent guards to stop him. So he had to resign to his fate and do it. Nox was never the same, but he did his job. His job is the only thing he knows how to do anyway, what is the point of trying to change his fate?

Fellswap Gold Sans - When he got expelled from the Royal Guard when they reached the Surface. Even though Wine claims he is still a general of the Royal Guard, he is not. He got banned because he's a threat to the peace. Not that it's false, he is, but Wine at the time just got enraged to be ejected after all he did for those freakin monarchs. So Wine decided to show the King and the Queen what he thought of their decision and broke into their house to kill them. Which for sure didn't help his case, but that felt good. He wasn't strong enough to end them, but he still injured them both seriously, to the point Asgore didn't show up for months in public. After that, Wine realized he maybe gone too far as it was obvious the King and the Queen wouldn't just let that pass. He feared like he condemned his brother, then had a mental breakdown. It never went to the point of thinking about ending it all, but not far. Wine though, is a thinker before anything else. After the short panic, he started to plan how to protect himself, by literally entering all of the city criminal networks, quickly becoming the most powerful monster in town. He's basically unreachable now, and touching him has huge consequences you don't want to deal with. The King and Queen didn't consider him important, so Wine made sure everyone needs him in town without knowing it. That's why he's so dangerous too.

Mafiafell Papyrus - Even if he's looking really tough, Torpedo is actually a specialist at pretending. He's not fine. He's never fine. He's under constant pressure, he has to be absolutely perfect each day of his life because any little mistake is punished severely by Asgore. Asgore doesn't care he has needs. Asgore doesn't care he's feeling tired today. Asgore wants him to do the job and he will do the job without complaining. Torpedo doesn't know what part of him is the mafia and what else is his own personality anymore. He is not authorized to vent to anyone, he can't have any relationships outside of work for his own safety and his relationship with his brother is not that great. So when Torpedo comes home at night all alone in his empty apartment with no one to talk to about the horrible things he's witnessing every day, he breaks down. He cries almost every night as it's the only way to put him to sleep. And the next day, he wakes up, he puts back his mask and he goes back to work. Being mean to the people around him is pretty much just a scream for help to show he's not fine. But everyone is either too scared or too pissed off at him to ask him if he's alright.

[smilesnackhouse]

This is a Rant about Sachan on her Birthday 🎈

Sarutobi had immense potential to be a fan favorite and would have achieved a stronger, more substantial fan base today had Sorachi not shifted gears and taken the ninjas in a different direction midway through the series. Her design is one of my favorites in the entire series and is one of the most underrated. I especially love the breast-plated armor that's over her heart. The purple hair is such a unique factor that's both familiar and distinctive, and the voice actor, Yū Kobayashi, has done a fantastic job bringing her character to life. I cannot imagine anyone doing the role justice as she has.

As a long fan of Sorachi-Sensei, I am frustrated at how he handled her character, along with the rest of the Oniwaban, who were never fleshed out properly nor built on in the latter portion of Gintama. I could never dismiss how early Gintama would not only heavily highlight the Oniwaban's skillsets and abilities but also their unique duties to Edo. They do the work that the world would never truly understand. They would be trained to still their nerves and harden their resolve to complete the objective, even if it meant taking down their ally or master if the job called for it. Seeing how this correlates strongly to Gintoki later on, it surprises me how nothing was done right by this group because if there were a character(s) fit to allude to the foreshadowing of Gintoki's dark past, it would be the ninjas which Sorachi did initially aim to show a much darker side to in both Zenzou and Sachan.

However, he ultimately decided that the story would be too dark, so most readers would no longer view them in the same way afterward, which is silly, given the other storylines we've seen, and sadder, given how underwhelming the ninja's presence was in Silver Soul and in general.

Of course, Zenzou and Sachan each had a significant moment in the Shogun Assassination arc, but it was a fleeting moment and overshadowed by Gintoki and Takasugi's battle.

Much of Sachan's early dialogue acknowledges her pride in her honed skills, thanks to the rigorous training the ninjas endure. Because of that alone we should have seen it used in a much somber toned setting and we were actually supposed to.

The kick-the-can game/Father Hattori episode and Sorachi's mention of a ninja arc early in his career let me know that bigger things were to come with Sachan and company. Yet, an outside factor likely affected Sorachi's judgment around the time the anime caught up with the manga material. Instead of giving proper buildup to an early-established group that fits well into the series and relates to the MC losing his well-respected master and having to carry the burden of executing a loved one for the greater good, he adds in the red light district character who had little interaction with the trio as a main and has her group maintaining peace in Kabuki more so than the actual defenders.

Only remnants of his original plans for the Ninjas survived and got incorporated into the Shogun arc in the end.

As a fan, I will forever be upset about whatever prompted such a change because we often hear from Sachan herself about the pride she takes in her skills and how seriously she takes her assignments. She is very consistent in never giving up, as shown during the Screwdriver arc. In such a silly arc, we see our heroes give up while she continues to press forward in pursuit of their normalcy again; as ridiculous as it was, she chose not to give up. This quality reappears in the Be Forever Yorozuya movie, as she holds onto the idea of the early days when everyone else was accepting the present inevitable. She always aimed for things to remain the same as they often were.

This aspect of her character is also evident in the Shogun Assassination arc when she attempts to carry her leader, Zenzou, to safety, reaffirming how things will return to normal along the way.

She's one of those characters that epitomizes the habitual theme Gintama is known for which is promising to return to your friends regardless of the eminent danger to face. A proper arc would have made this more notable to fans.

Because of how mature she often seemed when it came to making sure Zenzou didn't neglect his duties I have this nagging suspicion that much like Otose, Otae, Ikumatsu, Kondo, Makoto, Hinowa, etc., are to their respective groups, is what Sacchan was to be for hers —the heart and reason they want to protect.

Today, she is underappreciated by many and often written off as a gag character because, oddly, Sorachi didn't do anything to shed her infatuation with Gintoki or her skills in a more serious light as he initially stated he would.

Sorachi hinted at future storylines involving the Oniwaban, specifically Zenzou and his late father, early in Gintama. Zenzou had a complicated relationship with his master and father. His dad was likely a hard-ass at times because he needed to be, just as Shouyou had to be with his students.

Regardless of how apparent Zenzou's unexplored grudge towards his old man still lingered, he had enough decency and respect to share considerate words at his wake.

Sorachi should have delved into the beloved master as well as her feelings for Gintoki more seriously since this is a big part of her character, which is how she got so involved in his life.

It's odd how the gorilla drops them like that, for who knows why.

It's challenging to pinpoint how this would have helped the series, as big reveals occur later down the road, constant fourth-wall breaking, and all the ridiculous humor we've come to love make it complicated; however, given the parallels I see and how early elements often reoccur, having the ninjas around would have made the series that much stronger, as it would have brought many things from the earliest seasons come full circle in the near end like the kicking-can game, which was a great callback, but could've been executed more endearingly since that's our first insight into another side to the otherwise silly ninjas who truly cherished their teacher.

Had the ninjas received an arc of their own early on, we likely would have seen Zenzou's core group, the Shinobi Five, have more interaction. An earlier arc for them would have given us a look into the lives of the ninjas and give the Shogun arc more definition in some manner, making Shogun's brief period seem less like a last-minute addition.

I find it a huge shame a huge missed opportunity that Sorachi did not do them justice. The initial arc he had in mind maybe would have filled in tiny gaps in early interactions between the characters.

It would have also befitted Zenzou's journey in taking over as head of the Oniwaban fully as it's unclear where Zenzou's headspace is at in Silver Soul after he leaves Shoyo in Momochi's hands to join the battle. The dialogue makes it seem as he's joining the fight as a means to distract himself from the hurt he feels after his friends death, rather than taking over for the sake of his comrades.

One thing I hold dear is how juvenile and ridiculous Sachan can be. And I say that with a lot of respect because what I love about the series the most is how it didn't care about crossing the line. The more vulgar characters set the established key component of the series high at the beginning which attributed to its success. I love how vulgar the humor is when compared to the usual decorum that Japanese society maintains, and with so many men in the series, it's great to have a female who can keep up with them in the dirty jokes department. True fans can appreciate that much. With that, happy birthday, Ayame Sarutobi. Thank you for the laughs and cries throughout the years.

Have a good one queen 🎈💜 👓

[redspades]

Hopefully this reaches the right audience.

I’d like to talk about Maya Sokolov and her writing and the analysis of what Miss Rina Kent could’ve done with her character and her story. I know Rina said in one of her Insta stories that for sure Remi, Maya, Vaughn, and Gareth were not getting stories. I can be fine with Remi and Vaughn not getting stories (Remi not so much but I can live) while Maya and Gareth I can feel some potential with.

And I get it from Rina’s POV, miss girl has written like 35 books within 3-4 years. And if she feels no passion or connection with certain characters then she won’t write it. I understand and agree with that completely.

It doesn’t mean I won’t have any ideas about it yeah? Even if it’s not canon that’s what makes it fun.

Anyway back to the point, Maya Sokolov and her character

She falls under the lines of the Queen Bee, diva, bitch. Something like Silver, Nicole, and Reina. I absolutely love those three. Personally, Silver should’ve gotten the trilogy, Reina was done dirty lowkey, and Nicole’s story (Empire of Hate) left me with wanting more groveling. But out of the three I found I relate to Nicole more.

It’s the inferiority complex. I love that shit, I have it too, and I eat it up. And that’s clearly scene in Maya too. In the end of GOR it’s referenced/implied/canon that Maya was jealous of Mia and made a monkey’s paw type wish that came true.

There’s something so raw and sad and powerful in that that can and should be shown in Maya’s character (speaking from personal experience) feeling something so negative that it results in an act of hurting another person you REALLY care about because it comes from a place of deep sadness and insecurity.

Maya can act like the biggest girl boss and look at everyone like they’re the dirt beneath her feet (literal quote from GOR) but that does not disguise the fact she can only act like that because no one else will ever hate her more than how she hates herself.

And as readers we can really see it, and even theorize it from in between the lines. In GOF we read about Nikolai’s thoughts about the twins.

There are people saying that GOR ruined the relationship and wished it never happened. I can’t say the execution of it was done well but I can’t say it was a total trash fire either. It’s a 50/50 depending because there are good things I absolutely loved and things that could’ve been improved.

But mostly people are saying that the relationship between Maya and Mia was sabotaged and it would’ve been better if it never happened. I disagree, I prayed for times like this to come—kidding, but the layers of anger and frustration and love in the relationship between them makes the relationship deeper. But we never get to see that in its completion.

Think of Landon and Brandon in GOF. We love them so much because behind that ire and blockage from both sides they came through that and love prevailed. This is why I stand by Rina Kent MALE friendships/relationships. They’re much more complex and thought out than the female friendships which come off as somewhat shallow. I’ll make another rant abt that later.

What I wish was done better was mentioning the difference in Maya, Niko and Mia’s relationship. It’s clear that Niko likes Maya less than Mia. And Maya feels less than Mia because she’s seen that Mia is favored. It’s not Niko’s fault but it’s like an unconscious thing, he’s just closer with her because he sees that he is similar to Mia. It’s a common and natural thing, you’re just closer to people you feel like you can relate with. That checks out.

I feel like even both of Maya’s siblings only see her for what she pushes herself out to be, a shadow diva who sees herself as superior (obviously hiding an inferiority complex). They don’t stop to acknowledge that maybe she’s compensating for something? Especially Nikolai, in that quote saying that he and Mia would fuck up each other’s demons but what abt Maya? You can’t be close to her because she doesn’t have flaws or negative thoughts or demons either?

This feels less like a “it’s Nikolai’s personality” issue and more like a “Rina Kent wrote Maya to be nothing more than her character archetype”

Other than that, I also wanna mention Maya’s relationship with Ilya and how it could enhance her character and dynamics.

Ilya is down to earth, not egotistical like Landon, or notoriously violent or volatile like Nikolai, nor with the high status like Jeremy. He’s a perfect match for Maya.

It’s mentioned by GOR from Mia’s POV that Maya wants someone high status with lots of money (I agree, get it girl slay) but Ilya is not those things. He’s just a bodyguard and the money in comparison isn’t that good. But he can see Maya for who she truly is, someone who is hurt on the inside, insecure and needing some help.

It’s not what she wants but it’s what she needs. She needs someone who won’t isn’t already existing in the circle who prefers Mia to her.

Although I do wanna say that I love the angst in early chapters if Maya felt some jealousy and sadness from believing that Ilya prefers Mia to her (seeing as how Ilya doesn’t regard Maya with the same reverence as other boys do) and he’s actually friendly to Mia while he’s bitchier to Maya. It’s all part of the angst. But endgame wise he would choose Maya cause he sees right through her and is more interested in the true part of her that’s vulnerable and scared to love in fear that the one she loves will love Mia more.

[hcneymooners]

hi allyson, this might be an odd question or hard to answer but how do you write so much? i struggle so hard with perfectionism and i ruminate and sit on fics for ages. it takes me forever to come up with an idea that resonates and then another forever to actualize it. my work pace is slow and i'm always frustrated at myself for it, even though this is a hobby and the point is to have fun. even if i don't like my version of doing that. it sounds ridiculous typing it out but i have fun like so inefficiently

so then i’m always wondering how other writers who write so much and so often and so consistently gorgeous do it (and then maybe a little further why i can't). you can't psychoanalyze me or anything and i would never ask you to, i guess i'm asking what it's like? and what your routine is? how you balance it all? all personal questions and you owe me no answer. wishing you the best as always. i always come back to your writing, and when the internet is overwhelming your blog is a place of rest

hi, my love. this made me realize people don't call me by my full name on here often. i liked reading it.

this isn't an odd question at all. in fact, i view it as a very normal one. i'm going to break this down piece by piece to make sure i cover everything.

i struggle so hard with perfectionism and i ruminate and sit on fics for ages. it takes me forever to come up with an idea that resonates and then another forever to actualize it.

i'm the same way. contrary to what my posting may imply, it takes me forever to be happy with something. it bleeds into everything, not just my writing. i can't read a book or watch a show/movie without feeling like it has to be the right time or right feel. especially if i need something heavy. weight is very important and i am always measuring.

to me, you having this gene is a good thing. i think it makes your work more personal and gives it an identifier because you put so much thought into its architecture.

my work pace is slow and i'm always frustrated at myself for it, even though this is a hobby and the point is to have fun. even if i don't like my version of doing that. it sounds ridiculous typing it out but i have fun like so inefficiently

this made me laugh. we are sooo similar. but in all seriousness, there is not best way to be a writer or creative that is applicable to everyone. here are some things that have helped me create more or work faster:

read/interact with content that you both love and don't like. consuming content with themes i'm drawn to furthers my urge to write my own take on it. consuming content i may not feel like i like or overly enjoy makes me ask myself why? is it execution? is it just the trope in general? is there an underlying message that i want to be louder or quieter or gone all together?

understand that everything is literally writing. you are writing when you only make a bullet point note of an idea you have. you are writing when you note down color schemes for a character, songs that match them, settings you want to work with, an ending line, a dialogue piece you can't put down, the name of a book you want for research. that is all writing. your journal entries are writing. anything half complete is still written. anything started is still written.

the reason i manage to post quite a bit on here is literally because i go back and rework pieces i still think about, i make notes on the train in my phone on the way to work or uni. i sometimes even record voice memos if i can't really articulate. a lot of this is older material i abandoned and then can now work with because something in me now better identifies with it.

what your routine is? how you balance it all?

i don't. my writing threatens to swallow me all the time, i balance it by giving it an outlet even if i don't post on here consistently. as for a routine i try to follow this one! you can tailor it to you, i'm an early riser!

8:00-8:30 am: wake up & eat breakfast.

8:30-8:45 am: outline writing plan, choose a word count for the day

8:45-9:45 am: write for at least an hour

15 min break

10:00-11:00 am: finishing writing and try to reach the goal

something else that is critical is that we are not meant to be creating all the time. it's so fucking hard to sit still, but it is crucial. i step away constantly and keep noting inspiration but don't always immediately begin molding it.

wishing you the best as always. i always come back to your writing, and when the internet is overwhelming your blog is a place of rest

this made me so warm. i love you so much and i am so glad you felt open enough to share this with me. i believe in you and i know you are so capable of creating what you want. sending you a huge hug and covering you in blessings, always.

allyson. x

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

I saw your post about that interview with Oliver and Aisha, and I LOVE YOUR TAGS! I was very pissed off at first and absolutely disgusted by the interview, because I tought: what the hell? Are you actually laughing this entire situation away in a "Okay, that's done, LET'S GO NEXT" kind of thing? But your take lightens up so much. You'd say that a man as Tim Minnear is smarter then this, but apparently, he isn't. This cast works 5 to 6 days a week with each other and has become family, that is one of the reasons why this show is so, so good. JEN'S KIDS CALL KENNY UNCLE KENNY FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!! I hope for Tim and the future of Nashville's sake, he fixes this shit, but he probably won't.

I'm glad that my response to that previous ask could help you feel better about the interview. The thing to remember with actors is that they have to be professional. For example, Oliver admitting during season seven that he basically said "let Buck be bi or I'll do it myself without permission" was HUGE. Actors do as they're told. The fact that he got SO blunt about bi!Buck and about previous attempts to make Buck bi and so on during season seven interviews was pretty jaw-dropping.

So if anyone seems lighthearted or overly polite or casual during an interview, it's almost always because they need to keep their jobs and have it hammered into their heads to not ever show anger or frustration. They can't make the show look bad. This is often why it takes a long time for actors to speak seriously about any issues with a show or things they disagreed with at the time, and so relatedly, it takes fans a long time to get vindication, ha ha.

It's not even that anyone signs NDAs all the time, although that can be a thing - it's that badmouthing your job just is a bad look and it can make the people in charge want to fire you, so you could be out of a job. I remember when the Game of Thrones season finale came out and how HARD the cast struggled to hide their disdain and upset in the moment.

Unfortunately, as I detailed in a previous post - I honestly think power has gone to Tim's head. FOX really did not appreciate 911 and made a lot of demands on them - for example, they didn't allow Buddie to go canon or bi!Buck, and they pushed Oliver front and center on interviews while shoving the rest of the cast aside. At the same time, honestly, the reason the show was good was that Tim had good writers around him who could temper or persuade him away from his stupider ideas, or simply take it and spin that shit into gold.

So Tim went to Lone Star, where he had pretty much total creative control. FOX let that show fail, but they also as far as I know did not impose on him the demands they did with OG.

In my opinion, this created an environment where Tim did not realize that he needs strong writers around him - it made him think he was a genius who was set up to fail by the network. So when the jump was made to ABC, Tim stopped listening to anyone. He did whatever the fuck he wanted. Some of this was good, like bi!Buck and a clear set up for Buddie canon. Some of it was not (don't get me started).

So now, we're here. It's unfortunately an old, old story. You let power get to you and you stop seeing the people under your care as people. It's all about what you what. And given how the cast used to talk about Tim that just... honestly breaks my heart. Not for him. Never for him. I'm not interested in the tragedy of a mediocre white man who got too big of a head. But for the cast. And to be professional, they have to be careful in how they speak. It's their job.

I wouldn't be surprised if in five years or so, we get them being a lot more open and harsher in their feelings around it. But right now we must be kind and remember the bad situation they're in. Because no, it's not going to get better. Unless someone with even bigger pants like ABC executives or perhaps Ryan Murphy (HAHAHAHAHA) steps in and verbally slaps Tim silly to put him in line, he's not going to stop this kind of nonsense. And given how he ran Lone Star, I have zero hope for Nashville.

Anyway - sorry I'm so long winded all the time. I'm glad that I could help you see the interview in a new and better light, that means a lot.

[itsclydebitches]

The amount of times RWBY wants us to feel scared for the safety of characters while conveniently forgetting Aura exists is staggering. Neo attacks Ruby with the intent to kill but her Aura is still active. James almost shoots Marrow with the intent to kill but his Aura is still active. Watts hacks an Atlesian Knight to run towards Qrow, Robyn and the Ace Ops with the intent to explode but their Auras are still all active. Sure the attacks would hurt like hell but they're not gonna kill, why should I fear for their safety?

If we're being generous (I'm having a good night lol) I suppose we could read moments like James vs. Marrow as shocking not because it would be a one-shot death sentence, but because he's threatening - in general - to take Marrow down. Sort of the equivalent of an IRL person raising their fists. Is that an immediate threat to the person's life? No. Are you making it clear that you're willing to fight over this while also ambiguously leaving it open how far you're willing to take things? Yeah.

You're right though, too often RWBY relies on average action threats (a pistol, an explosion, etc.) to raise the stakes without taking into account that none of that should be very scary to our protagonists. Not until their aura breaks (and we have no sense of when that will happen, despite them all supposedly carrying Scrolls to tell them. Which I get because if RWBY introduced clear thresholds of when aura breaks they'd have to actually abide by that rule). I feel the same way about characters about to fall: Ruby hanging off the airship with Neo, Ruby hanging off the cliff while fighting Cordovin, Ruby and Oscar both going down in an airship. The very first technique we're shown is a landing strategy, so how is falling from a massive height - even while taking into account other factors like, say, snagging the farm boy who never went to Huntsmen school and might need to use you as a personal parachute - meant to be taken as a serious threat?

In this regard the void of Volume 8 is actually a GREAT idea. Suddenly your landing strategy doesn't mean a thing if you have nowhere to land. Suddenly a single hit can be a threat. Not because the hit itself would seriously hurt you, but because it might knock you off the edge. I actually love the concept of Yang falling at the start of that fight, RWBY just did such a horrific job of executing it that there's nothing left for me to enjoy. Why does Yang panic like that when, as established, a single hit from Neo is not going to kill Ruby, or even seriously hurt her? Why is she jumping in front of her sister at all when the entire POINT (supposedly) of her Volume 3+ arc was to learn fight smarter, rather than relying on emotional impulsivity? (I will seriously never be over how that moment is an exact repeat of Yang trying to save Blake and yet the show doesn't seem to realize that.) Why does only Blake have a reaction to Yang "dying"? Why didn't the whole team of talented fighters with various ranged weaponry/magic/speed make a serious attempt to catch her?

All of this isn't even taking into account how Yang, as someone who powers up via taking hits, should consistently be standing her ground like she did against the mech, knowing her aura will not only save her, but give her an advantage. She's the tank. If Yang had gotten in front of Ruby with a confident, calm expression that conveyed her understanding that Neo can't one-shot her aura like Adam once did, taking the hit both to spare Ruby's aura and power her semblance as a strategic decision (give her a smirk and a taunting line like, "Thanks for the boost" before knocking Neo back), then later falls some other way after her team tries and fails to save her... that would have been so much better imo.

Yang's lack of engagement with her semblance has been especially frustrating for me after her line about how Adam "cheats." If Yang thinks it sucks that she has to take a beating to gain an edge... show her actually taking a beating to gain an edge. You know, like the show once did. It would be so badass to watch Yang getting in the way of all the attacks against her team, toeing the line between safety and breaking her own aura, before finally EXPLODING with a massive attack she's been saving up for, making that sacrifice worth it.

(Also potentially devastating if she's taking those hits with turning the tide in mind... but then she falls before she can see her plan through.)

[ailelie]

Exhausted Eddie Makes an Executive Decision

Buck is talking with Hen and he comments on how it would be nice to foster one day and how he still hopes to be a dad, but that seems even further away now that he's single again, and Eddie, who missed his morning coffee and has a headache building behind his right away, mutters a wish for patience.

Buck has Christopher and Eddie hopes Buck has somehow not realized this because the alternative is insulting. Before Eddie can think of anything to say, his phone beeps yet again. This damned conversation has been running since yesterday and Eddie is already exhausted with it. He had hoped that school parties and fundraisers would end at some point or, at the very least, become less communal. Surely 6th grade had to be the limit, but, no. Christopher is on the verge of high school (how?) and Eddie is still plagued by chat groups of parents parceling out tasks.

The current conversation is about the 8th grade dance which the school had been about the cancel for budget reasons before the parents stepped in and offered to host it instead. Since the school agreed yesterday, the conversation had not budged from an ongoing and increasingly ruthless argument over theme.

Eddie considers Buck's moaning about wanting to be a parent and makes an executive decision that a more caffeinated, less frustrated Eddie would have never made. He texts the group, "Hey, from now on Chris' other dad, Buck, is going to be handling school event planning. His number is XXX-XXX-XXXX. Please add him to the chat. I'm muting now. He'll let me know if I need to check in."

And he mutes the chat and turns his phone over. Across the room, Buck's phone chimes.

"You should get that," Eddie says, even though Buck is already reaching for his phone.

Buck opens the phone and his eyes round like quarters. His gaze flies to Eddie. "What?"

Eddie shrugs. "I already told you once, but since you don't seem to have understood: Congratulations. It's a boy. Don't promise us to do too much." Then, without further explanation, Eddie lowers his head to his arms, pressing his right eye against his wrist until he sees stars. He really needs to take some medication for this headache.

"Eddie," Buck says, his voice closer than before, "they're calling me Chris' dad."

"I know," Eddie says. "That's what I told them."

"What?" The high pitch of Buck's question drives an ice pick into Eddie's brain and he groans.

"Have you changed your mind?" Eddie hopes that isn't true. He doesn't know who else to put in his will.

"No, I mean, did I--" Buck continues to sputter questions. He seems confused, but not upset. The gist seems to be he wants to continue co-parenting Chris, but has somehow not realized that's what he's been doing.

Eddie looks up from his arms. "I'm not changing my will again."

"No, I don't want you to, but--" then Buck stops and his gaze sharpens. "Are you all right?"

"My head." Eddie lowers his head down again.

Buck reaches across the table and pats his shoulder. "I'll grab you some aspirin."

"And a coffee."

"And some water," Buck counter-offers.

Eddie groans, but doesn't argue. Hydration will probably help.

Buck returns quickly with the medicine and water. As Eddie is swallowing the pills, Buck says, "You don't think it will be confusing for Chris? What if someone calls me his dad around him?"

Eddie is so tired over pointless arguments. First the dance theme and now this. "That's what you are, Buck," he says, glaring--partially at Buck, partially because of his headache. "It is more confusing for him and me, honestly, when you deny it. What did you think the will was, Buck?"

Eddie lowers his head back to his arms. He had thought about adoption even back then, but that would have required Buck to sign as well and would have been difficult without them being married.

"Married?" Buck squeaks and Eddie realizes he'd muttered all of that out loud.

"For adoption," Eddie clarifies in case Buck missed that part, though, honestly, the idea of marriage in general doesn't seem like a terrible idea. He already likes and trusts Buck in a way he hasn't any of the women he's dated recently. Eddie tilts his head on his arms and looks up at Buck through his left eye.

He's practically already married to Buck, isn't he? All they need to do is file some paperwork and move into together. Well, that, and one other thing. "Come here," Eddie says.

"What?" Buck asks, as he leans forward.

"Closer."

"Do you need to whisper in my ear or something?" Buck asks, leaning closer.

"Or something," Eddie agrees. When Buck is close enough, Eddie loops his left around Buck's neck and pushes up to kiss him, quick and sweet.

There are no fireworks or epiphanies. Kissing Buck feels as easy as talking to him. No rushing heart rate. No stressing over whether Eddie is doing it right. No feeling like he's on stage. Just normal.

Eddie presses in for a second quick kiss and lets Buck go. He folds his arm back under his head, eyes sliding shut. Sleep is tugging at him. "Not just for adoption then."

"What?" Buck says again like it's his new favorite word. Then his phone chimes a few times in quick succession.

"Please make them pick a damn theme already," Eddie says. The words unspool from him slowly as sleep stretches over him. "And we're not chaperoning. Or designing the decor. Anything else is okay. Trust you."

"Um, okay then," Buck replies, though his voice is soft and distant. "We're talking about this later."

Eddie hums and falls asleep.

--

Buck turns. Hen eyes are as wide as her frames. "Did he just--" she asks just as Buck asks, "Did you see--"

They both stop. Buck touches his lips as he crosses the room back to Hen. "He kissed me. Twice."

"I know. Was that the first time?"

Buck nods. "I think he said something about marriage?" Laughter is bubbling up his throat, which is better than tears, he guesses. "He called me Chris's dad and acted like I have been for ages."

His phone chimes again and Buck opens the parent chat. He holds it up for Hen to see. "He told basically every parent at Chris' school that I'm his other dad. He has a headache and was half asleep, what's going to happen when he realizes what he did?"

"In vino veritas, Buck."

"He isn't drunk."

Hen rolls her eyes. "No, but aren't you the one who explained at length the other day about how being tired is basically the same as being drunk? Will Eddie be embarrassed when he wakes up? Maybe. Will he take anything back? I doubt it."

Buck's phone chimes again.

"Instead of worrying about it," Hen says. "Why don't you take care of that?" She nods toward the phone.

"Right," Buck says, pushing the kiss, marriage talk, and being Chris' dad to the side until Eddie is awake. He takes a deep breath. "I can do that."

He reads through the messages he missed and types a quick introduction. "Hey, this is Buck. Thanks for pulling me in. Can someone catch me up? Eddie's busy at the moment."

The replies start rolling in. He can do this.

And, when Eddie wakes up, Buck is going to find out what the hell his partner has been thinking.

[boomershooterwoman]

I learned from One Piece to consume manga in a different way.

I silence, block and avoid theories and the fandom as much as possible, this was due to Dressrosa and the weekly experience, but the fact that I loved the villain and one of the new allies (Doflamingo and Law) and read so many ideas and theories and speculations meant that when I read what Oda wrote, I was disappointed, what I saw didn't meet my expectations, I had read and even seen fanarts of such incredible and well-crafted possibilities that the canon was disappointing in some respects, I could see the good, but my frustration didn't allow me to see what the author wanted... I could not see Dressrosa for what it is but only for what I wanted it to be... my vision changed when I talked to a colleague and she said she loved it, and I brought her some theories and possibilities and some she even liked, but she said something I've never forgotten, she said how interesting some of them are, how cool they are, but questioned where did they get that from? Because that was not what she read.

Life happens, other priorities come into play and I've adopted another way of reading, I read OP every 6 months, no more theories, no more youtube chancela, another way of reading that brought me great satisfaction, I've done the same with Doctor Stone, Golden Kamuy, MHA and JJK.

I read in my own time, without interacting with fandom, without theories, I read what's on the pages, I read the author's work and not the collective and creative mind of the  fandom and it's only now, with the end of jjk, that I've started to read what the fandom has to say and I feel like I've read a different manga from what some of the fandom has read.

I saw JJK as a manga with a simple and straightforward story, with excellent panels, great sense of movement, great fight choreography, and a real pout porri of ideas that the older you are or the more you've seen, the more references and inspirations (from tv, movies, super sentais and other anime/manga) you notice.

But it's still a simple story, from which you can draw depth and interesting discussions, but simple in its essence.

With only 4 or 5 really important characters. With everything else being used as a means to created a more digestive bridge for a straightforward path to the conclusion and its include side characters and side plots. The character have a function, he executes that function and he is gone (dead or forgoteen) the same goes for some parts of the story (is that the best way to write it? I don't know...I think it's a very peculiar and cold one...but it's one clearly and deliberately chosen)

It's like that with the invasion of the American army, with the clans, with the Tengen/Kenjaku/Sukuna relationship... you get a glimpse but no elaboration, because to continue with the evolution and conclusion of the journey of these 5 core characters you don't need that elaboration.

Did that work?

In my view, it worked for 4 of the 5...

1 of them suffered from this choice... but the balance was positive in the end.

I say 5 because I feel that the narrative isn't complete without them, we don't have the beginning of the story, nor the conflict, nor the middle, nor the end...

They are, in the order of their appearance in the manga, Megumi, Yuji, Sukuna, Gojo and Kenjaku.

The story begins with Sukuna and everything revolves around him, Yuji has a connection with him and eats his finger, Megumi first appearance is looking for him and then he finds Yuji and in the future becomes his vessel and his technique is of the utmost importance to Sukuna and Gojo arrives soon after, 4 of 5 right in the 1st chapter.

Kenjaku comes later in the manga, but he also has plans involving Sukuna, pacts with Sukuna...always Sukuna.

The power system, the importance and superiority of CE and CT, the preference for powerful techniques, the contempt for who isn't strong, all align with Sukuna.

Of these 5 characters, I'd say that 4 had great arcs and conclusions.

Yuji, Gojo, Kenjaku, Sukuna...the only one I wanted more was Megumi, he had an ok-ish conclusion in my opinion.

About the final chapter, Mahito was said to be the mirror of humanity, death, and him being there with Sukuna makes sense, Mahito is the mirror, and Sukuna remains faithful to what he said to Jogo (hit him and he'll do what Jogo wants) to what he said to Yorozu (losing is the same as dying, do what you want with my body) and is extremely adaptable, he never lost so his ways were never showed to be wrong...but in the end Yuji defeated him, so Sukuna in the afterlife accepts his defeat with alacrity and nobility, he adapts and is show to consider a new path.

Sukuna can thus be said to follow the two facets of Sukuna from Nihon Shoki and local legends, one of violent being, an evil despot, the other benevolent and protective being.

As Yuji himself said, you could say that the finger is now a talisman.

The story begins with Sukuna and ends with Sukuna and since JJK's world until then adhered to similar principles as Sukuna, his defeat and change could mean the change of that society itself, and this was made possible by a new generation, guided as far as possible and in Gojo's own peculiar way.

Kenjaku wanted chaos that he couldn't control, he got it, this chaos created Takaba, and Takaba gave him an illogical, chaotic fight, which he enjoyed so much that he didn't notice something that he had prepared so much for, he died, but as he told Choso, he did everything he did out of curiosity and entertainment, the merger could be an abonible being or a funny face, he would laugh if it was that. Takaba questioned him, if he wouldn't give it all up if he had fun...

Well, Takaba provided Kenjaku with everything he wanted, Kenjaku had his chaos, he had his entertainment, his fun, his bizarre face, his laughter.

I can't say enough about Gojo, not having interacted with the fandom, my impression is that Gojo is one of Gege's favorite characters, such is the care and appreciation I've seen for him in the manga second only to Sukuna in my opinion.

Not that the manga have no flaws, far from it, I've never been a big fan of how Gege likes to complicate explanations that could be much simpler and more succinct. Techniques and concepts explained several times, sometimes in different ways to make it more confusing...

But I read JJK with the perception of an action story, with comedy and lots of references and a few hints of tragedy, but I didnt saw the dark story, much less a story with a tragic ending.

Even in Shibuya, of the characters who are the good guys, who do we really lose? Nanami and, at the time, Nobara. Reading it in one go, it's a chaotic arc in which evwryhting goes wrong and the characters lose and it marks a change in the rhythm of the story, but that's it...

CG arc the characters all win, it's action and fun and deepening of some themes and characters (those characters have to have their arc concluded or their question/dilema ready for when they face Sukuna, after all Sukuna will answer their question/dilema, Kashimo/Gojo, or will defeat them because he is the strongest and them in one way or another still adhering to his path, till we get to Yuji)

But in CG arc is only after volumes of winnings that he finaly in the fight against Kenjaku, lose, and then Sukuna...Gege managed very well to bring the feeling that we're fucked, but Megumi would be saved because that's what he asked Yuji, and Yuji is the protagonist and will win in the end.

It's the pillars of shonen jump, friendship, effort and victory.

Thats why I can see how Gege succeed in create the dread atmosphere but cannot see the possibility of a dark or grim ending.

So the ending was very satisfying for me.

But I agreed it would have been beneficial to have 10 instead of 5 final chapters, or maybe give a few pages for us to see Megumi process what happened, just what Yuji had in the aftermath of Shibuya, I think I'd like his conclusion better to me.

I'm not saying that fandom is bad, it's good, great for sales, popularity, meeting people and getting to know other manga.

But I wanted to give a perspective from someone who read CG and the Gojo vs Suluna battle in one go, and everyone's battle against Sukuna after accumulating almost 6 months of chapters.

I didn't find Sukuna's death abrupt, because for me it was four and a half chapters of dialog, fighting and surprises...

Yes, I missed a moment for Megumi to have a ponder like Yuji, and Yuta returning to his body was an explanation that I just accepted, without questioning it too much because I didn't think it was the best of explanations, it was more Rika being the Macguffin that she is and was in JJK 0... the simple domain chapter was interesting, it shows the change, the different future that Gojo wanted, Takaba got his comedy partner and I thought it was hilarious, totally within his character and power.

The mission seeing that everything turned out well, a classic shonen trope, very similar to the beginning of JJK which is a classic shonen trope, with a special touch seeing Sukuna and the final image which is very similar to the beginning of the manga.

8 out of 10 for me.

It's worth buying and I will have this the manga in my memory with all my affection.

It certainly makes me excited to see what Gege will do again.

As for JJK part 2, which I've read people talking about in X, I don't see the point, but if he wants to do it I can see how JJK would allow such a choice

[satanfemme]

Nahyoure right mushrooms are fun and great for ur mental health if ur a chronically depressed person

it's actually kinda insane (I mean neurodivergent) how good mushrooms can be for your mental health. cause I've seen all the anecdotal evidence and studies and stuff before, but idk if I really believed it until I experienced it for myself. I fully went into the experience with my only goal to be experimenting with it, seeing what it's like, and trying to have a good time; I wasn't trying to force any serious psychiatric benefits or anything.

but for the past week my executive dysfunction has literally been SO much better. it's not perfect, but it's unarguably better in a way I've never experienced before. like I keep doing the dishes. do you know what a big deal that is for me? I Can Not do dishes, this is a basic fact about my lifestyle. it's why I rely 100% on disposable bowls and utensils. when I do have dirty dishes, they will sit in the sink for 2 weeks minimum, many many months maximum, before I'm able to clean them. it's not just frustrating but a genuine health hazard to be this way. I frequently need to throw things out because sitting in the sink that long ruins them. but somehow I have done the dishes every single day since my trip last saturday.

first it took me 2-3 days to catch up on what was already in my sink, but now I'm just using dishes On Purpose, and then cleaning them right after. not just within the same day (already an impossible feat) but Right After I'm Done with them. this was unthinkable for me two weeks ago. I have no idea how permanent this effect is going to be but just this one week of increased functionality alone will have been enough for me to be forever thankful. fucking adderall didn't help me this much. anyway, yeah the general boost in mood has been great too. can't wait to trip again sometime.

[freakyshibs]

Shows that were canned too early that deserved better (imo)

We all hate it when we get wayy too invested into a show with good characters, an interesting plot, and a solid setup right? Well it seems that the networks for these shows didn’t really see it that way sadly, some of these shows are known, others aren’t, but this is just gonna be me rambling about how we didn’t get more of these said shows 😭

The Owl House

Now this one I wont dig deep into too long? We did get a solid ending in the end, but we were definitely robbed of a full season 3

The fact that this was Disneys next big thing, (like Gravity Falls) and still got axed kinda baffles me a bit because executives love big ratings

I heard they cancelled it because of it ‘not fitting the disney brand’ (mostly because there were two main gay characters in it) which I thought was super unfair, because they really were that homophobic 💀

All in all, I enjoyed this show and wanted a full season 3

Close Enough

From Regular Show creator J.G Quintel, this show was definitely more for an older audience, and let me say they did amazing at it.

The shows humor didn’t revolve around cussing or sex jokes, (which is what I see all the time now in modern adult animation) and the show was definitely funny!

Unfortunately though, Max cancelled it after 3 seasons due to the merge of Discovery + and HBO Max, with Max canning alot of shows during that time, this being one of them

We kinda sorta got left on a cliffhanger of sorts?? At least imo. Liked the show and wish we had more

Wander Over Yonder

For a show made by Craig McCracken (Powerpuff Girls, Fosters Home) you’d think it would be popular and have a bunch of seasons right?

Well no, with this show only having two seasons after Disney cancelled it because ‘80 episodes were enough for this show’ which is kinda dumb?? I dunno I just don’t like executives and rules and stuff

I remember this show from my childhood, it was really good in my opinion, I feel like we could’ve had more if Disney didn’t cancel it as early as it did

Love you WOY 🫡

Inside Job

The fact that this show left on a cliffhanger too made me even more upset that Netflix cancelled it as early as they did

Not only was this another adult animated show that didn’t rely on cussing or sex jokes, the story was actually really interesting too and if the show did continue, we would’ve had a happy ending

Screw Netflix actually I will never forgive them for this one

Grojband

I CANNOT stress enough about how this show deserved so much more than what it got, I actually would’ve put it at number one, but the next one is kinda justifiable so ._.

From Todd Kauffman and Mark Thornton (Total Drama Island) this show featured a kid and his friends that were in a band, and used lead singers sisters diary as lyric ideas, bc they suck at writing them

And I loved it

I swear I don’t think I’ve ever been heavily interested in and emotionally attached to the characters in a show before, it was so good

The songs in this show were also heavenly, I suggest you give them a listen, theyre really good!

Also another reason I really liked the show was because it was a Canadian toon that didn’t revolve around gross out humor (I applaud them for that)

Unfortunately this was a show Cartoon Network screwed over BIG time, with when it came out during the summer it was airing, kids were mostly outside playing, never really gaining an audience, and then after the first half of the season aired, it was on a 2 YEAR hiatus. With fans questioning if the show would ever come back

Fortunately it did! Except Cartoon Network shoved it on their app, and a year later shoved it onto their sister channel, Boomerang. Then, after the show FINALLY ended their first season, the show was immediately cancelled, with Cartoon Network never really giving it a chance

The whole way Cartoon Network handled this show frustrated me immensely, with it having a decent fanbase, and people wanted more (me being one of them:()

The creators even had alot of plans for next said season, but I guess we will never get to see them (unless a Clone High situation happens but that’s doubtful)

Show was very underrated and deserved SO much more, Cartoon Network fumbled this one and the last show Im about to mention

Sym Bionic Titan

This sci fi animated series by Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack, Dexters Lab) only lasted one season with 20 episodes

With Cartoon Network cancelling it because of the failure to produce a TOY LINE

The fact this show got axed because of toys just makes me so upset

This was one of those shows that also left on a cliffhanger sadly, so we never really got to see how this show properly ended

With Genndy even saying that he wrote 10 more episodes, but now we will never get to see them

ALSO THE SHOWS SOUNDTRACK WAS SO GOOD?! Love when shows put banger songs in the bg, reminded me so much of Clone High

Anyways thats pretty much it? These are just my opinion tho, everyone is entirely different

[alientitty]

poor people really do spend more. and i dont mean in the idiot bootlicker sense that "rich people got that way by being 'smart' with their money and not giving to those in need 🤓'" (they just dont give a fuck and also have no idea what its like. i think this is a story middle class people tell themselves to soothe their conscience). i mean that poverty is expensive.

you can't afford a nice apartment or house with a washing machine? alright go use a laundromat and just hope youre not stuck with a place that charges $11 for a medium sized hot water heavy cycle. homeowners are definitely not paying that much per load over the long term. youre sick or injured? well you can't afford healthcare so you hope it goes away and end up at the emergency room with insane bills, with something that a richer person could have prevented.

by many measures the mortgage for owning a home is cheaper monthly and long-term than renting. you can take money out of your house to cover unexpected expenses...and rich enough people won't even see consequences for that. but if you rent then all your money is just going to some asshole who owns shit and can charge whatever they want from you because the alternative is homelessness.

you live in a rough area? your wallet might get stolen by someone else desperate in poverty and going after the closest, easiest targets. and now you have to pay tons of fees to replace your IDs and and you lost the cash you had in there and you have to hope they dont max out the credit cards you used or pull identity fraud which is extremely expensive, painful, and drawn-out to clean up.

even something as simple as lunch at work. executives and doctors and shit get free catered lunches at their board meetings all the fucking time meanwhile the people working to make that happen have to shell out for (often insanely priced near business areas) food because when youre working yourself to the bone to make ends meet you dont have time or energy to cook every single meal you'll ever eat (something middle class assholes will tell you to do all the time because they think not being rich means they're an expert on all the tax brackets below them).

or clothes, right? cheap polyester wears out fast and looks bad when youre trying to impress for a better job and hey it might catch fire in a poorly maintained washing machine (this has happened to several people i know) but you can't afford $85 for a single pair of pants. this one is extra insulting cuz people with a little money will tell you how youre such a bad person for not buying from their preferred expensive ass brand that's using ethics as marketing (never mind what the actual chain of production looks like!)

i could go on and on but you see my point. and i wouldn't describe myself as having ever lived in poverty (some of these things happened to me but others to people i know), just working-class and close enough to know that it could be worse. this is also why forcing people deep into poverty to qualify for any social assistance is so cruel. it's just so insulting and frustrating and demeaning when people act like poverty is just the product of poor individual choices so everyone deserves it. great way to tell yourself you don't have to feel bad about the suffering you witness or guilty about having more through mere chance. great way to do absolutely nothing and feel fine about it.

[yuzukimist]

Okay, so! I was hoping to have the next chapter of it's you I'm fighting for done and ready to post today as a gift to all of you (and in celebration of my birthday) but unfortunately I've been so busy with work and school and other assorted things that I just couldn't make it happen. 😅

But! I have made some progress, so we're still going to celebrate! 🥳

So: here is a snippet from the beginning of Chapter 10. I hope you enjoy!

Things slowly but surely settle into a new normal in the aftermath of the Marilith attack.

Prompto is gently bullied by both his children and his friends into taking three weeks of paid medical leave from the CCPD so that his back can heal properly without any complications.

During that time he tries repeatedly -and fails, also repeatedly- to duplicate what he'd done in the forest.

No matter how hard he tries, he can't quite seem to successfully summon weaponry from thin air again.

There's definitely some sort of magic there; he can feel it, a shimmer of silver and starlight at the back of his mind.

But he can't quite seem to do anything with it; it feels a bit like an Armiger should be there, like maybe it's lurking just out of sight in a funky metaphysical way, but every time he tries to use it the power slips through his fingers like sand through an hourglass.

It's frustrating and confusing by turns, and eventually he makes the executive decision to not worry about it anymore because otherwise he's going to go crazy wondering why, why, why, why then and not now, what's going on with me, what's happening, why.

He chooses to focus on his kids instead, which is better all the way around.

Since he's on leave, they're able to spend heaps more time together as a family; they visit local museums and do day trips to the chocobo ranch and all sorts of other things, and it's wonderful.

He also sits them down one day and has a very gentle but frank conversation about that night in the forest and how they're feeling about it.

It's not a pleasant conversation exactly, but it is necessary. And Nyx and Selena actually seem less bothered by the whole ordeal than Prompto is, which is somewhat amusing.

That conversation eventually leads to another conversation, this one about additional combat training. It's a talk he'd originally been planning to postpone until they were both a few years older, but given the circumstances he can't really justify putting it off.

Especially since -if Prompto's got the timing of things right- the Kingsglaive will be forming within the next three or four years. And perhaps it's just him overthinking things, but Prompto has never, in any lifetime, met a version of Nyx who did not become a Glaive and Selena has already begun to express interest in following Prom’s footsteps and joining the CCPD someday, so.

More training. More training seems like a good idea. He doesn't want to pressure them into it, though, so he raises the subject cautiously.

As it turns out, he needn’t have worried. His children respond positively to the idea without being worryingly overeager about it, and so Prompto consults with Cor and Clarus and gets to work on planning out suitable training regimens that won't interfere too much with Nyx and Selena’s school schedules.

(He also makes a note to himself to set some time aside specifically for additional firearms training for Selena, because if her performance with that flare gun is any indication she’s got more than a knack for it.)

And so life goes on.