#i haven't animated non work stuff in forever

[chicinlicin]

carbyyysssssss

[jettison-my-gift]

.

[powerpolyculeshowdown]

Do you have recommendations for shows/books/whatever with canon/basically canon polyamory?

ok the only media w officially canon polyam i personally consumed are Iron Widow and Hades.

Iron Widow is a mecha scifi/chinese fantasy book, it has pacific rim mechanics, so it takes 2 ppl to pilot the mecha but its more dystopian in that the pilot (male) usually drains the life force of his concubine (female). the mc has a guy shes interested in from the start but she pushes him aside to seek her goals to become a concubine pilot (theres a very good reason for this but i dont wanna give too much away) ends up being forced to work w the most dangerous pilot (spoilers hes actually a misunderstood sweetheart and i love him), her first love somehow finds his way back into her life so he can be their ally and its very clear from the first time he meets the other guy that this bitch is bi af. At one point he literslly saves their lives and i wont elaborate on that cause again spoilers but someone mentioned it in a propaganda ask. They canonically fall in live w each other and start dating. Please look up the trigger warnings first cause theres some heavy subjects addressed in this book. The book itself has trigger warnings listed at the start so if u find it at a book store u can check them this was too.

Hades is a roguelike videogame w dating sim mechanics (ish) -you give gifts to characters to learn more about them, and theres two romance options but you can romance both at once, they're both aware of and okay with it, hinting that they mightve had a past even before zagreus was born (its greek gods one is death incarnate the other is one of the furies, they've basically existed since forever)

From the submissions I got:

ive been told Leverage is like the korrasami of polyam, as in they were as polyam as they could be in a show from 2010, so it sounds like its canon but not explicit because they couldnt get away with that.

The girls from Amphibia are apparently in a similar situation, heavily implied canon, someone told me it was confirmed by people who worked on the show, but i dont think its explicitly stated.

The Kane Chronicles apparently also has canon polyam, although its 2 bodies, cause I think one of them has a god in him or something? I never read the books, but I was told Sadie (i think thats her name? The girl) is in love w both of them, and kinda dating both too i think?

I dont know if Singing in the Rain is canon but theres that kiss gif that got prrtty popular on tumblr where kathy kisses one of the guys then the other, so it looks canon? or at least implied canon?

Sense8 as some people have mentioned has 1 officially confirmed to be canon throuple, 1 that has a lot of hints to confirm but a lot of ppl see it as a gay couple w a very supportive friend ig and someone else said in general because of the plot u could kind of see the 8 of them as a big polycule, although that one isnt canon

HoneyWorks/Heroine Tarumono is one of those songs turned novel turned anime. i dont think its confirmed canon but theres a lot of stuff pointing to the possibility, you mightve see @non-fantasy telling me about them in a few asks. im obsessed and ive yet to watch anything

Penumbra Podcast: Second Citadel has Rilla/Sir Damien/Lord Arum, i also haven't listened to this one but a lot of people told me rilla and damien were in a pre-established relstionship, both got crushed on lord arum separately, talked about it and worked things out to now be a canon polycule

im She-Ra (netflix) theres a trio that is implied to be a polycule at the end, a lot of ppl called them canon in the notes but i dont personally ember it being confirmed? i am very forgetful tho. It's Rogelio/Kyle/Lonnie, unfortunately they lost the prelim round

I believe people submitted some others that were canon but im very forgetful so i cant remember right now

[sadhornydemons]

Random Non-Fandom Related, but Related to Fandom-Content Question:

How/what programs/apps do you make gifs with?

I feel a bit out of touch with my tech.

I've tried some other programs, but keep falling back to the original one I've always used...A 24 year old thing called Jasc Animation Shop 3 that I first started using when I got online.

Just for context, back then I had to freakin' install a video card in my computer, (no dvd-rom for me yet) slow-motion whatever I was playing on my dvd or vcr, while repeatedly hitting the screen capture button on my WinTv app, THEN save each screen capture, upload the frames into my Animation Shop, resize (which were freakin' small file sizes then, because sloooooooooow internet) and save as gif. (dark times)

Years later, and better computers, I could at least adapt to recording video, editing it in Sony Vegas 6, saving and uploading a mpeg-1 file into Animation Shop.

Currently, at least with better quality video, I can edit a mp4 in Sony Vegas 11, then save as png files, which I can still upload as frames in good ol' Animation Shop 3. I just might have to resize several times until I can get the tumblr-allowed file size (no preview of how large the file size will be until it is rendered) and occasionally the program might crash as I don't think they were expecting us to upload a hundred 2463x1371 images in the year 2000.

So, it works, but maybe not forever. And honestly, I'd like to steamline the process and maybe even upgrade my entire photo-editing (which is still the Jasc Paint Shop 7 that my Animation Shop came with) and video editing (Sony Vegas 11 is already 13 years old and can't handle half my uploads) programs that I have.

But so far, some of the stuff I tried have been AWFUL. Corel (who bought my Jasc company) Video Studio Pro 2023 was confusing, chunky and curned out terrible quality gifs. And the Dell PowerDirectors..ect that came with my computer haven't fared much better.

So, long-tech-rant aside, can someone please tell me what gif or video editing programs are the best?

[xenosaurus]

Hi! Love your stuff. Wondering if you've ever worked on any stories/worlds involving animal protagonists in a real-life (or close-to) setting? A la Silverwing, Warrior Cats, Guardians of Ga'Hoole, etc. It's one of my fav genres that's sorely lacking in much of any published work at all, especially non YA — I think I've read most what's out there. (Obscure recs welcome!!). I know you do a lot of alien/alternate biology shindigs, and I feel like the way you approach worldbuilding for those could be really interesting from within an Earth-bound but nonhuman perspective.... anyway, no worries if that's not your jam, just curious!

oh man, i got such a burst of joy from the silverwing mention, i was OBSESSED with those books when i was a kid. like, warrior cats too, that was standard roleplay fare when i was in middle school, but i was a Bat Girl the way other kids are Horse Girls and the cannibal bats from silverwing imprinted on my brain forever lmao

that is to say, i genuinely cannot believe i HAVEN'T done a project like this?? i'm putting this at the top of my list

(also, not a book, but you might find burrow's end to your taste, if you have access to dropout! it's a season of dimension 20, so it's an actual play tabletop dealie, but it's solidly in the 'sentient animal perspective' category and VERY good)

[mimikyufriend]

looking at the comics list I had on my "interests" page on my abt like forever ago

Always Raining Here - dropped this one bc the creators seemed fujioshi-ish (idk if they really are or not) also it had sex scenes with teenagers (not like explicit but still more than I was comfortable with seeing)

Ava’s Demon - dropped after all the shit with sexualizing minors came out

Balderdash - it doesn't update much, but I still like it, very cute ^_^

Boxer Hockey - the creator works on sonic stuff now which is so cool, I don't remember much abt his comic though >_<

Check, Please! - I haven't read this one in a while, cute, but not my favorite

Cucumber Quest - still love it, need to reread and catch up

Hanna Is Not A Boy’s Name - I still miss it

Helvetica - I liked that there was a character with the same name as me ^__^ I dunno if this one's worth a revisit though, I don't think it'll ever be finished

Homestuck - I liked this shit for way too fucking long

Knight’s Errant - forgot abt this one, but the art was gorgeous

Lackadaisy - I'm sooooo behind but it's so exciting that there's an animation of it now

Monster Pop! - dropped this one bc I found art by the creator of the main character (college age) shipped with the ava's demon main character (under 15? idr her age) also she still seems to be friends with the ava's demon creator

Monster Pulse - dropped bc the creator drew art of chiyo gsnk making an ahego face (in a non-sexual context as a punchline but it was still weird)

Monsterkind - I haven't kept up with this one much >_<

Neokosmos - I think it's discontinued? lost interest

Never Satisfied - dropped bc the creator made dick jokes about their teenage bnha oc

Not Drunk Enough - I want to like this one bc it's by the hinabn creator, but it never totally grabbed me, I need to try it out again

Olympus Overdrive - the site for this one was taken down (sad)

Parallax - dropped bc on of the teenage characters had a sexualized design and bc the creator shipped sheith

Paranatural - very behind but I love it ^__^

Peritale - dropped bc the creator was weird abt the sazzed drama and maybe some other stuff idk

Phoenix Flair - I don't think this one will be continued but I liked it while it lasted

Prague Race - LOVED this one, too bad it's no more

Puu - completed, I should reread bc it's lovely

Rock And Riot - not my favorite, don't feel the need to revisit but it was fine

Sakana - ABSOLUTE FAVE

Scott Pilgrim - I can appreciate the art style and its influence, but I can't get past scott dating a high schooler, that's more than being a loser, that's being a predator

Skeptical - still love this one as well ^__^ need to reread and catch up

Sleepless Domain - very fun, need to catch up

Snarlbear - completed, loved how colorful it is, I should reread

Spacehop - I believe the creator is making a sort of reboot for it? looking forward to that

Super Mahou - same as peritale

The Property Of Hate - dropped bc the creator likes abot

The Well By The House On The Hill - same as peritale

This Is Not Fiction - mixed feelings bc like the author strung us along for the longest time to the point where it seemed like gaybaiting and then it wasn't... it was pretty cute though

Vibe - I think I just like lost interest and wasn't into certain character designs of women

Witchy - I like this one, but it's never been priority reading

[sjofn-lofnsdottr]

I feel like posting some pictures I've taken in FFXIV. But not the good shit. OLD stuff, before I knew what the hell I was doing.

When I first started, I found gpose intimidating, so most of my early screenshots are of my boys in cutscenes. I still take a fuckton of those, a leftover habit from when I used to write Let's Plays, particularly my LPs of SWTOR. This is the first non-cutscene picture in my folder that I think is worth looking at. You can tell it's old because Tiny Estinien is in it, rather than Duck.

THIS one you can tell is old because it's an old AST animation that died when ShB arrived. I know there are people who like current AST. I know there are people who liked ShB AST. But I haven't liked the class since Stormblood. I loved the SB version of AST, and I doubt they'll ever recapture the magic for me, which is a little sad. I'm willing to be proven wrong, of course, fingers crossed for whatever 7.0 brings.

It took me forever to even notice the lighting controls, and I had basically no eye for photography, so a lot of my early gpose experiments are poorly lit and have shaky composition. But I can't bring myself to get rid of them. They're HISTORY.

I did enjoy seeing exactly how silly dragoons are while messing around with gpose, though. I wish I was better at the class (it's too clunky) because it's exactly the sort of awkwardly endearing vibe I think Dusk carries in general.

Seriously, I just did not mess with lighting at all at first. Which is funny, since lighting is one of my nominal skills. I spent years as a theatrical electrician, I whine about having to work with only three points of light I can't change the angle on constantly. But during the early times? Whatever the lighting happened to be, is what my gpose got lit with.

I think another reason why I keep these is because I can look at them and see all the ways I'd do it better now, and be pleased by my progress. I wavered on if I should show them at all, but you know what? So many people find gpose intimidating. They see people's amazing shit (and there's so much amazing shit!) and think they can't do it. I get complimented on my gpose work now, I know I'm pretty okay. So I want to show I didn't burst forth good at it. I have a lot of awkward shit in my folders!

And even with all the awkward, I have some nice stuff from my first year in FFXIV that I like the look of, even if I wouldn't do it that way now.

[twirlybumblevee]

I stole this from @bottleofchaos

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

71 right now! (man I've been here for a long time, haven't I...)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

1,077,321

3. What fandoms do you write for?

currently it's Dteam (adjacent) and Tolkien's Silmarillion, in the past most notably Marvel (plus various others)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Oh boy. First, and by a mile, we have Sign Dirty to me and its sequel As loud as our hearts (MCU, Steve/Bucky modern AU where Steve is deaf and they meet under... embarrassing circumstances), then the next with not even half as many kudos is No other version of me I'd rather be tonight (Larry famous/non-famous AU), then a fic called First Sons and Superheros (Johnny Storm from the Fantastic Four meets troubled gay president's son TJ from Political Animals), and then Cross the Line which was just a silly little MCU RPF get together fic but yeah, everything MCU related went HARD back in the day.

Everything and many others found here.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Always!! It sometimes takes me a while but I never ever leave comments without a response over - if you see them, I just haven't gotten around to them yet. I think it's only fair - if people take their time to leave comments, I should show just as much appreciation back by responding. (That's why I don't comment on fics where I see lots of comments that have never been responded to because I just think it's rude.)

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh man that's got to be the Silmarillion stories. Nightfall ending with murder and the dying of the Light (of the Trees), Shards that goes to incredibly dark places (but all the stories in that series aren't happy).

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably Ever a surprise / Ever as before where DNF literally life in a fairytale and get a fairytale ending. :D (Taizi and I did our best. <3)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really. I remember once in an MCU Steve/Bucky fic there was a big discussion going on in the comments about an aspect of therapy in the story, but that was the height of it. It never went into hate territory.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Oh absolutely. XD Not sure I understand the question though, what kind. The sexy kind? Wholesome, sweet, kinky, dark, I've written it all.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I have! The crasiest was probably First Sons and Superheroes (mentioned above) that sort of founded a whole new branch of fandom at the time. The premise was good though.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

There have been several requests over the years, yes

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Constantly. XD I think 95% of fics on my account have been co-written. I don't know how to finish stuff by myself.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship

Mae/Fin and Tyelpe/Annatar (Silmarillion), but DNF is up there as well for sure :)

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

The Holiday. It's a Remus/Sirius fic based on the movie and there's only ONE CHAPTER MISSING and I still get comments on it even years later and they're all so sweet and I always feel so bad about it and I wish I could finish it but I'm so out of the headspace. Maybe one day. Not giving up hope.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Worldbuilding. Picking things apart until everything makes sense. Believable character/relationship progression especially in adversary, I'd like to think.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Motivation and drive, for sure. I was never able to write big stories by myself, I always needed someone to do it with. I WISH I could, how cool would that be. But I just get too distracted too fast by other things.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I can only write in English. German, I guess, I am a native. XD But I haven't done that in forever and the thought of it just makes me cringe.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Lord of the Rings

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

That's the meanest question. I have so many favourites, DNF ones as well, so many amazing ones that have never even seen the light of day on AO3 for one reason or another. I think overall I am the most proud of all the Silmarillion stories because they all belong in the same universe and span thousands upon thousands of years and so much worldbuilding and progression.

If you want to do this yourself, please feel tagged!! This was loads of fun. :)

[allthefujoshiunite]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks..

Of course I don't mind! This is a tough question though, because the scope is too broad, so I'll list some recent ones that come to mind.

Bokuto Koutarou (Haikyuu): Such a talented and fun character! But the reason I love him a lot is because, contrary to the way fandom reads his character, he's quite smart and extremely perceptive. As we saw in the 3rd Gym arc, he doesn't go through training mindlessly and when asked, he was able to condense three years of his experience into useful advice in a non-forceful manner. He's the real star (together with Yamaguchi) behind Tsukishima coming to terms with effort and volleyball. Again, contrary to people that make it all about Akaashi or Kuroo. I can give a 3 hour long ppt presentation about Bokuto.

Julius Novachrono (Black Clover): I recently started reading Black Clover so I'm around chapter 200. Julius immediately became a favorite because of his glimmering eyes, childlike curiosity towards magic, and compassion towards other people. I generally like characters that are unbelievably strong but instead of going around acting big, they just... vibe. And occasionally cause problems for the authority with good intentions.

Kageyama Shigeo (Mob Psycho 100): Talking about characters who are unbelievably strong, I couldn't NOT mention Shigeo. I ugly sobbed watching the last season and it never ceases to amaze me the way One incorporates the notion of power into his works. Forever proteccccc!!!

Bocchi (Bocchi The Rock): This series was easily one of the best one, especially in terms of its visual prowess, I've watched in a long while. I love Bocchi because she's an anxious mess and a lot of the time she's running away from reality, thus dream grandoise dreams on the daily, which is... very relatable tbh. She's also extremely cool when playing the guitar.

Emilico (Shadows House): I love Emilico because, she's a smart and strong young woman, but not in ways we conventionally define "strong" or "smart". She's a quick thinker and very practical, and her strength lies in her ability to move others and create a support system where everyone can rely on others when needed. I'd like to be friends with her!

Minare Koda (Wave, Listen to Me!): I'd probably think twice before befriending her but gosh she's a ball of fire! And it was so much fun watching her fuk up a lot but manage to somehow make it through the day! Plus, people who can find stuff to talk for hours unprovoked have my respect.

Sieon (Love For Sale): This is a BL manhwa by Dal Hyeonji that I will never EVER forget and will always carry in my heart. Sieon is the older male lead who works in publishing and he's one of the most, if not THE most, well-written characters I've come across. I felt like I had a lot of similarities with him and appreciated greatly that among the generic romance stories, we got one that was able to look beyond the cliches and was able to show there are different ways to love people romantically. Another 3 hour long Ted Talk topic for me.

Mitsuya Majime (The Great Passage): The Great passage is a series that I always remember fondly and Majime is the serious (like his name) quiet and book-loving male lead. He's especially particular about words themselves and I felt like he was my spirit animal. Love him to bits.

Karlyle (Define the Relationship): Another character from a BL manhwa. I'm super fond of Karlyle because he's so tender in every way. I adore characters (and also, tbh, envy secretly)who are naive but not dumb, maybe a bit inexperienced and they take smaller steps/are timid but always work hard towards what they want and are honest to themselves about their feelings. This probably won't make sense if you haven't read the manhwa, sorry... But I just want to encourage him and pull him into a tight hug! Deserves the best!!!

Katsuki Yuri (Yuri!!! On Ice): I wrote my thoughts on his character before on my Twitter (you can read it here if you'd like) but... yeah. Another talented, sweet, lovable character that I felt lucky being a part of the series' fandom and watched it week after week together with other fans!

Honorable Mention // Higuruma (Jujutsu Kaisen): His arc was brief, but packed the biggest punch for me. His backstory and fight with Yuuji will be the arc that I'll never forget in Jujutsu Kaisen. Masterpiece.

Hope this was interesting enough! Have a nice 2023 ~

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

MARIO Mumbojumbo

I haven't seen THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE yet...

That's because life-stuff usually gets in my way, namely... Work... I work at a movie theater, I case you didn't know. SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE is free for me to see starting tomorrow, but there are other movies currently playing that I have on my list as well, such as DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES, A THOUSAND AND ONE, and possibly JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4... If I can do all my homework on the latter, meaning watching CHAPTER 2 and PARABELLUM before the thing leaves theaters.

Anyways, it looks like the movie broke some records!

For a non-Marvel movie (or non-Disney for that matter) released after the outbreak in March 2020, the largest 3-day with an estimated $146m. On the not-Marvel but-still-counting-Disney part, this beat out AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER, and for everyone else? Beat TOP GUN: MAVERICK, JOHN WICK: CHAPTER FOUR, THE BATMAN, JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION... It even beat most of the Marvels for that matter, only falling short of MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS and WAKANDA FOREVER, and beating out THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, QUANTUMANIA, BLACK WIDOW, and all the not-sequel movies like SHANG-CHI and ETERNALS.

For an animated feature? This is the third biggest 3-day opening weekend gross ever, behind tech-demo remake THE LION KING (which opened w/ $191m) and INCREDIBLES 2 ($182m), and it sits above FROZEN II, which took in $130m. It is also locked to gross over a billion worldwide, the first time an animated feature will achieve that since... FROZEN II. MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU came very close this past summer, but SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE is totally getting there. It might even... Have a shot at being in the Top 10 highest earning animated movies of all time. More on that here:

Currently, the Top 10 is...

THE LION KING (2019) - $1,657m

FROZEN II - $1,450m

FROZEN - $1,280m

INCREDIBLES 2 - $1,243m

MINIONS - $1,159m

TOY STORY 4 - $1,073m

TOY STORY 3 - $1,067m

DESPICABLE ME 3 - $1,034m

FINDING DORY - $1,028m

ZOOTOPIA - $1,023m

All billion dollar behemoths. The 11th biggest missed the billion, that's DESPICABLE ME 2 with $970m, followed by THE LION KING with $968m, a gross made up of its three theatrical releases (1994 - where it took in approximately $760m - gargantuan numbers for back then, the 2002 IMAX-only re-issue, and the 2011 3D re-release).

And this is yet another biggie for Illumination, the reliable hit-makers they are. Four massive DESPICABLE ME/MINIONS movies, THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS, and now this.

It's also the biggest international animated movie opening, period... Over $370m from a multitude of markets, excluding Japan... This is interesting to me because, previous heavies didn't open everywhere on the same weekend. For example, INCREDIBLES 2 - with its massive $182m opening in North America, only added some coin worldwide... Because it wasn't out everywhere yet. A lot of animated movies get very staggered international rollouts, thus their worldwide opening weekend grosses are rarely massive.

I imagine the legs will be pretty solid too, because this is really the only PG-rated family film until THE LITTLE MERMAID releases at the end of May. Much like how Universal's PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH had virtually all of January, February, and March to itself...

So, yes, I think $350m domestically is a lock, as is $1b all around the world in total. It'd have to really dissatisfy audiences in order to score a bad multiplier. And judging by what I'm seeing at work? Audiences DIG it, big time.

Oh yeah, about those "negative" reviews...

Two things can be true, I feel... Critics are people, and their voice very much matters. (They certainly "mattered" when they gushed over PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH, now didn't they?) Criticism should be more than just a letter grade or a simple "yes or no" answer, it should be a conversation. Film as a medium, of all kinds - from live-action to animation - is communication, artists using a means of communicating something with an audience... Good critics are very much aware of that, and many of them went into SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE hoping to get something out of it. This isn't an us vs. them "this is for the fans!" case... They aren't these snooty pompous stiffs with caviar and wine who dislike fun or nerdy niche properties (please explain the over-80% scores for Marvel Cinematic Universe movies on Rotten Tomatoes), in fact I'm friends with some of these people.

This all being said...

Some people online also put way too much stock into critics' opinions and the grades they give movies, to the detriment of their *own* personal feelings on the movies in question. An insecurity, almost... Like, those paid professionals... Are they right? Is this movie I love *bad*?? Do I have no taste? Am I just some simpleton?

Clear your head of that. What the movies means to you, and your reasoning for it... Is more than enough. Critics aren't secretly judging you for finding merit in THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE, or something like that.

I'm just tired, grilled at every movie becoming this nonsensical "war". Whether it's for political reasons, or silly perceived rivalries between the studios (Disney/Pixar vs. Universal/Illumination/DreamWorks, Marvel vs. DC, etc.), or "fans" vs. "critics", it's all so bothersome to me. It also isn't sports, ya know. Each movie of this caliber is a big group effort, and decisions are made during production, decisions the filmmakers thought were the right ones at the right time... Like, no one can know for sure, to paraphrase William Goldman, what's going to work or what isn't... And the public response to that is very much of an ever-changing mood, zeitgeist, what-have-you.

So... Yes, I'm happy to see an animated movie making big bucks, even if a Mario movie being a blockbuster was a given. And the prospect of other animated video game-inspired movies getting off the ground... Like, we only have this movie and the two ANGRY BIRDS MOVIES if you think about it, plus that RATCHET & CLANK movie that came and went back in 2016. (And how!) I know there are other titles too, like the mo-capped FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN and the 1986 anime Mario movie, the SONIC movies and DETECTIVE PIKACHU are hybrids, but you know what I mean... If MARIO's success gives me not only other animated Nintendo movies, somehow, but something like a SPYRO THE DRAGON movie or something with CRASH BANDICOOT, I'd be quite grateful! Of course, Hollywood might learn all the wrong lessons from it, too.

I want to see all the animated movies succeed this year. 2022 was a slight bummer because it genuinely sucks to see such hard work and effort get undermined by circumstances beyond the filmmakers' control. We still had successes of course, like THE BAD GUYS, DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS, PUSS IN BOOTS 2, and especially MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU. THE SEA BEAST and PINOCCHIO pulled in lots of viewers on Netflix. But we had some real valleys, too. Like, I felt Disney Animation's STRANGE WORLD last autumn was really dealt a bad hand, and Pixar's LIGHTYEAR I wanted to see succeed (just a rough year, theaters-wise, for Disney's animation under former CEO Bob Chapek). PAWS OF FURY: THE LEGEND OF HANK (haven't seen, apparently it was merely okay?) was a pick-up for Paramount, formerly a more independent venture, but that too technically lost money. To say nothing of other stuff happening in animation: Netflix cancelled stuff left and right, Warner Bros. Discovery's many misdeeds, whole shows disappearing into the ether for eternity because "tax write-offs"... So, yes, I want to see the movies succeed so that the studios can keep doing this stuff.

Meaning, I am rooting for all of it: This movie, ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE, ELEMENTAL, RUBY GILLMAN, MUTANT MAYHEM, TROLLS BAND TOGETHER, WISH, MIGRATION, FIXED, UNDER THE BOARDWALK (when's that getting a release date?), etc. etc. Disney Animation, Pixar, DreamWorks, Illumination, Sony, Paramount, yes indeed.

After the quietly-released THE AMAZING MAURICE and all the work PUSS IN BOOTS 2 had to do during the winter, 2023's animation crop is finally off to a huge start.

[nagitokomaedapizzasuitarchive]

please talk about syo or komaru or syomaru for the ask game, your takes are always so correct ( ˊ u ` )b

WAAA THANK YOU.. ;; /pos I will do all of them tbh... just give me a minute so I can make them separate posts (this one is so, so long as-is). In the meantime:

Syomaru

[click here for ask game link]

When I started shipping them:

Same time as Tokomaru. Tokosyomaru has always been a package ship 4 me. With that explained; this frame from UDG is what I credit as the straw that broke the camel's back (apologies 4 the yt screenshot I just can't be bothered to try and get a new one myself):

[ID: A YouTube screenshot of the cutscene that occurs after defeating the giant Monokuma final boss of Ultra Despair Girls. Toko Fukawa is holding Komaru Naegi by the waist, who is in-turn holding her megaphone gun in a partially ready position. Toko is to the right of Komaru, and they both have angry expressions on their faces. There is a red background with action lines on both the left and right of Komaru and Toko. End ID]

If I told you Syomaru blogger sho-fukawa spent up until the final boss fight of UDG telling themself they wouldn't ship the Fukawas with Komaru would you believe me? Bc that was my experience AJNDJNKGK-

My thoughts:

Rabies Pride catgirl (Syo) x Rabiosexual (Komaru) /j

UJADNIGNSJK joking aside it's soooo hard to articulate my thoughts on these 2 they're just a massive comfort ship 4 me... They can have such a wonderful, supportive relationship 'nd I like 2 think they lean on each-other a lot when Syo fronts. Soft kisses 'nd cuddles and whatnot. <3

What makes me happy about them:

Projection stuffs primarily? Very much love thoughts abt Syo being protective over Komaru (I have sooo many animation ideas when it comes to that one confrontation scene w/ Nagito I am not kidding I have Syomaru disease), and Komaru bringing out more of Syo than their "serial killer w/ jokes" exterior or w/e I kinda forgor canon. /lh

Oh also and in non-personal thoughts I think this is forever the screenshot of all time:

[ID: A screenshot of Komaru Naegi and Syo Fukawa, taken from the Danganronpa 3 anime. Syo, who is on the right, is holding Komaru's hands up and smiling with their eyes closed to the camera. Komaru seems to be whining, mouth open yet frowning with her eyes closed. End ID.]

What makes me sad about them:

Barely any time together in the source media. I will forever complain about how Syo & Toko's DID in general is just used as a punchline in Danganronpa, and how underutilized & underdeveloped that ends up leaving Syo. Also correct me if I'm wrong (it's been a minute since I've played through UDG), but that also leads Komaru to be written as not rlly distinguishing between Syo or Toko. :( TLDR: I haven't and never will trust the writers. <3

Things done in fanfic that annoys me:

Poor Syo writing 10000%, usually when people stick wayyyy too much to the "hyperactive serial killer" part of it. I don't have strong opinions on Syo being written still as a murderer like in canon, some people don't want to rewrite the canon whatever that's probably just a me-preference (if interested I can make a post talking abt my Syo headcanon thoughts later since I don't think I've ever talked abt it), but it is soooo annoying when people still leave them one-dimensional. I don't caareee if you think 1000 lines of "KYEHEHEHE" is in character you literally are not writing them with any emotions they're a flat cardboard stand that's spouting profanities. PLEASE just write Syo more like an actual individual.

Things I look for in fanfic:

If the last bullet point didn't make it obvious; good Syo writing. In general I'm not too picky with fanfic? I avoid coffee shop AUs & such and try to find works that aren't 200 words written out of character (no shade 2 new fanfic authors it's just hard 2 read), but that's not rlly specific to Syomaru. If I had to pick at my own interests: Stuff where they're protecting or caring for eachother in Towa City. Lot of material you can get out of that + I'm a sucker for one character being protective over another in a tense situation.

ALSO write Syo being soft or purring I am holding fanfic authors at gunpoint. /j But seriously Syo is all bark and no bite; they can dish out joking aggression and still be soft.

My wishlist:

No clue what OP meant with this bullet point tbh AJSDNJKSFGN. Oooo I need Syomaru plushies ooooo- /hj

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

Not Men™. Also I am very much uncomfortable with Syo x So//nia personally. Other than that I don't have many strong feelings.

Picking from my polyship w/ them, my alternatives would be Syo x Kyoko and Komaru x Miu x Kaede ??? Komaru's is much more "I have no reason for this other than I think it sounds super cool" but I am a secret sucker for Toko/ Syo x Kyoko, I think it could be an interesting dynamic depending on how you play it out. A win for nblw everywhere.

My happily ever after for them:

(Post-Despair) Komaru helps Syo get a more positive relationship with the other survivors of THH, also very-specifically helping Syo be on more amicable terms w/ Byakuya and Nagito, two people who they're probably not gonna ever fully be alright around. Syo & Komaru mostly just live on their own: maybe being visited a lot by Makoto & Kyoko (this thought lying in a Naegiri universe) and potential children those two might have after the world settles to more of a normal; allowing Syo another close bond with someone. Ignoring whatever work they may have, they would mostly spend their days with each other, cuddling in silence or trying to work on some sort of project together. Sometimes Komaru will leave Syo home alone so she can visit Makoto, but she usually will bring Syo with if possible since Syo doesn't get to front as frequently as Toko. I hope that all makes sense.

[skylar-sunshine]

hi! i'm skylar! this is just going to be a place where i dump all of my thoughts. it's probably going to end up being a place where i just nerd out about all of the things that i'm literally OBSESSED with lol. therefore be forewarned that most of my posts are probably going to be pretty long, even this one. what can i say, when i nerd out, i NERD OUT lol. i'm just going to put a list of things that i will probably be talking about on here so if you like any of the things that i list below, you can interact with me if you want. i would also like to preface this by saying that i'm very new to tumblr and honestly a lot of the things on my list so please bear with me and feel free to educate me as well. i'm also not planning on making any of this look "aesthetic" although i would love to. it's too much work lol. ok with that out of the way here are the things (there's a HIGH likelihood that i'm going to forget some things but this is just a general list):

anime: i'm not super new to the community, i've been watching anime for about a year at this point. but i have a SUPER short attention span and not a lot of motivation when i watch any show, anime or other. so i've only watched two animes, attack on titan (i'm actually almost done with it!) and my hero academia (i think i just started season four). but it's been about a month since i've watched any anime. there are a lot of animes that i want to watch, and since i usually don't care about spoilers, i actually like them, i know a lot about them already from twitter and stuff.

genshin: i'm very new to the community, like i just started getting into it a few days ago. i'm not much of a gamer, and i don't have a pc, so i tried playing it on my phone, but one, i don't have that much storage, and two, I SUCKED. so i don't think i'm going to play it anymore. plus, i'm much more interested in the lore than the gameplay. i've watched like half of a four hour lore recap video on youtube, it was like seven months old or something so it doesn't have a lot of stuff, and i'm just going to be completely honest, i was zoned out like half the time i was watching the video. i've seen some stuff on twitter and stuff though.

lost in the clouds: one thing about me is that i LOVE bl. and don't worry, i don't like any of the weird tropes, like student x teacher or incest or other tropes like that. i like the more wholesome bls like given. i'm also not a super big fan of reading. if i come across a manga or manhwa or something that i like, i usually just watch the adaptation. but lost in the clouds doesn't have an adaptation, and i really liked it, i mean, the main character has the same name as me! and it's spelled the same too, usually skylar is spelled with an e! anyways, i decided that i wanted to read the manhwa because i liked it so much. i'm only on chapter five though and i haven't read it in like a month, because like i said, i'm not much of a reader. the only things that i read are fanfics lol. and even so i prefer oneshots over longer ones because they are less commitment.

redacted asmr: this is the only thing on this list that i would go so far as to say that i have a decent amount of knowledge on it lol. i started listening to redacted in february and absolutely fell in love with every aspect of him and his audios. his voice, his characters, the relationships that the characters have with their listeners and each other, how everything is connected, his writing, how smart he is with everything, i could go on forever. i stopped listening to his audios a few audios in to hot boi summer because those kinds of audios aren't really my cup of tea. so i haven't listened to his most recent audio, but that's the plan for tonight!

vtubers: i started watching vtubers a few months ago, i can't exactly remember when. i mainly watch nijisanji. i started with nijisanji en and shxtou because well, i speak english and i don't know if i could be entertained by one of the non english speaking livers, just because i wouldn't know what they're saying (obviously). i started branching out to the other nijisanji livers that as far as i can tell frequently stream in english, like bonnie. and i may started to branch out to the non english speaking nijisanji livers, but if i do i'll probably only watch clips with english subs so you know, i can actually understand what they're saying lol. i've also started watching other smaller livers like komai rui.

so those are the things that i'll probably be posting about on here. if you like any of them, please feel free to interact with me if you want. as you can probably tell, i love talking about the things that i like.

have a great day/night!

[phoenixdnasty]

The Problem with Season Five

this is already going to have a lot of you in the replies yelling at me. obviously, massive SPOILERS for s5 of she ra and the princesses of power if you haven't already seen it.

okay, so She Ra is definitely a kids' show, but it has a lot of themes aimed towards an older audience: abuse, war, found family, destiny and knowing who you are. I loved She Ra because it made me feel empowered, made me feel seen. after this last season, however, I don't feel the same. I will, however, talk about what it did well.

What She-Ra s5 did RIGHT

I very much enjoyed seeing the character development for most characters come to the forefront here. For example, SW returned to her original motivations. When she lived in Mystacor with the other sorcerers, her thirst for power was borne of a desire to fight the Horde. When she was rejected, then she chose to do what she did. We see a return to that in s5, where she takes a stand against Prime by enlisting Castaspella to stop her if she tries to take any power for herself. She ends up just wanting to help, to do what she can, which was excellent. Glimmer, Bow and a bunch of other characters are given some love here as well. I especially enjoyed seeing Bow and Mermista take on leadership positions in the absence of Adora; it was an excellent look into another facet of their personalities.

Character interactions in non-serious moments were, for the most part, good. Swift Wind and Scorpia being bros was not something I knew I needed but something I want more of. Netossa basically being Batman and knowing the weaknesses of everyone around her was great and an iconic scene. Bow thinking Catra was super adorable was also an excellent moment in the season and I could watch 9 more seasons worth of that. Something that surprised me was Entrapta's "not good with people"-ness being talked about and addressed by the other characters and explained by her; I wasn't sure if that was ever gonna be talked about in the show.

Side note: thank you Crew-Ra for giving Scorpia her own musical number, it was great.

Prime was also a fascinating enemy. He's this sort of religious figure, this world destroyer who's been around for seemingly centuries, maybe much longer. He's cold, calm and calculated. I've seen it pointed out that he's everything Hordak is not. He's manipulative, knows body language and facial expressions, and has a perfect grasp on how to get exactly what we wants. My favorite aspect of this season was the hive mind control. This was a very interesting plotline to me, and I thoroughly enjoyed HiveMind!Catra as well as Wrong Hordak. I loved the idea of pitting allies against each other and the angst and emotional weight that carried.

Going to use that point to segue into one of this season's strengths: Netossa and Spinnerella. Wow! We get a chance to see what a healthy queer/wlw relationship looks like, and two background characters get major upgrades in relevance. Two diversity points for one being a big girl and for the couple being interracial (in our world anyway), but diversity is the norm is SPOP and we might have to stan forever. It was extremely heartwarming and resulted in one of my favorite scenes to ever show up in animated media (one which I'll be stealing to add to my vows if I ever get married):

It was beautiful and I will absolutely never shut up about it.

There were some beautiful moments this season!! Absolutely gorgeous. A highlight for me cinematically was episode 5, which will probably bother some people when I say what I will below. I will be honest, the new transformation sequence and the scene of Adora holding Catra as She-Ra was powerful and had my heart pounding with excitement. It was awesome.

On the other hand...

What She-Ra s5 did WRONG

I'm going to break my issues with the final season down one by one, starting with the narrative of abuse.

From the very beginning, abuse is the most prevalent theme in the show. Prime (HP) abuses Hordak, Hordak abuses SW, SW abuses both Adora and Catra, and Catra abuses Adora. I liked the Crew-Ra tackling this issue. Abused people abuse people, right?

Why was everyone redeemed in s5? (Well, except for Prime, he was blasted away by She-Ra.) Hordak was given a blank slate to start over, even though he was the reason Etheria was war torn for at least a few decades; SW was given a hero's sacrifice, where at the end of her life she finally decides to do some good; and Catra is immediately forgiven for doing one good thing and all trust in placed in her simultaneously.

Hordak and H. Prime as abusers are pretty cut and dry; at no point are they ever remorseful for their actions, except for Hordak in the case of being abusive to Entrapta. SW is much more of an interesting character to analyze, because her motivations are geared directly towards herself. This seems to change in the final season, when she returns to her original motivations from back when she was in Mystacor. Defending her home. In her pursuit of the power needed to defend Etheria from the Horde, she fell into darkness. She began to abuse Adora and Catra.

One could argue that the hero's sacrifice she was given for redemption was unneeded. SW was an individual addicted to power. She was manipulative, using fake affection as a means to control. She didn't deserve a redemption. The only evidence we have of this supposed change of heart is a line to Castaspella: "...and stop me if I try to take the power for myself." Okay... so, SW, um... what changed your mind? Was it Micah? Because at no point has he forgiven you. In fact, there should've been much more hostility between the two of you (which is a point I'll address in a moment). In all honesty, the relationship between SW and Micah reminds me of what should've happened between Catra and Glimmer, or Catra and Scorpia.

And Catra... My problem with her story is that she was kinda just... forgiven? instantly. no repercussions, no long talks about feelings, no... consequences. Catra got the girl and that was it. A small list of things she did over 4 seasons, in no certain order:

Scratched what was implied were scarring marks down Adora's back

Was the cause of Angella's "death" #angelladeservedbetter

Kidnapped both Glimmer and Bow

Opened a world-ending portal all to ensure Adora failed

Also pushed Adora into what looked like an abyss

Verbally abused Scorpia into leaving

Wanted to pit Corrupted!She-Ra against her friends (dehumanization)

Got Entrapta sent to Beast Island, a deadly place no one ever returns from

And this is just the stuff off the top of my head. We all knew Catra was going to get a redemption, but this one was completely undeserved. She apologized to Adora and Entrapta. Two very short apologies for what canonly was at minimum, months of abuse, manipulation, intent to kill (which is literally mentioned by Adora) and general disregard for anyone or anything but revenge for something that didn't even deserve it. The entire cast should've been outraged. Glimmer in particular had a very big reason not to ever forgive Catra ("I'm not losing another parent!"), but it was all glossed over.

The biggest issue with season 5 was the abuse plotline completely dropped. You can't spend 4 seasons explaining how the cycle of abuse affects you and everyone around you... and shelve it. And we know the reason why it was shelved.

Let me first preface this with the fact that I am super happy we got representation. As a queer nblw who grew up feeling alone, it's so good to see things changing in media. An onscreen wlw kiss on a kids' show is groundbreaking and I'm very happy that She-Ra broke this barrier.

But all representation is not good representation. Catra and Adora is not a good representation of a healthy relationship.

Catra is shown throughout the series to be very unstable. This is even prevalent in season 5, when Adora "chooses SW" over Catra, she runs away. This breaks Adora's heart. The last thing that Catra needs is a relationship when she hasn't even confronted the issues that she has. There's no healing done in season 5, no therapy as the fandom loved to meme about, no long talks about forgiveness and the hurt caused. There's no callback to any of the pain and anguish that Catra put Adora through. Catra may love Adora, but if there is no healing done for the both of them, their relationship will fail. They will fall into the same cycle again. Adora will do something Catra doesn't like, Catra will do what she's done for all of the show, and it will repeat until something breaks.

I'm going to talk about the implications of the ending we have now, and feel free to argue with me.

She-Ra is a kids' show. Abuse is one of the main themes. Catra is shown to be an abuser. Here's what we are teaching younger audiences:

a. if you love someone enough, maybe they'll change

b. everyone deserves a second chance

c. your abuser will change as long as you're loyal and never stop trying to love them

d. things someone does to hurt you mean nothing in the wake of forgiveness

e. if someone who hurt you changes suddenly and wants to be back in your life, you should let them back in

Character interactions for the things that mattered (plot threads from previous seasons, general personality clashes, etc) were absent this season, in the moments where they mattered the most. (The best three in my opinion were Scorpia and Perfuma, the BFS inviting Catra in, and Mermista and Entrapta.) Glimmer and Adora should've had their time to talk. Scorpia should've gotten to say her piece to Catra. SW and Micah should've interacted more. Micah and Glimmer should've gotten more than an introduction!

I'm not going to get into how the entire final season was wrapped around making Catra and Adora get together (a fundamental writing no-no; it never ends up working), or how it was bad writing. I just want everyone to think critically for one moment. There are so many other glaring issues in what was, overall, a stellar show. If there was another season, or some mini episodes where the characters talk out their problems and past transgressions against each other, then I could excuse She-Ra. But I doubt we're going to get any of that. So I won't.

[undeservedfavor]

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The Bucketlist

Mini-Series of Short Stories

SILK-Should I Let him Know[EN]:Chapter 3/FINALE

Phoebe decided to go out to the school garden and appreciated all of it before it's gone.

She sat on the swing, not caring if her dress get dirty...

"Bye School... You may not know it, but I will miss you." She whispered.

"I'll miss you too..." A voice said from behind.

Phoebe almost jumped out of the swing...

"Oh! Joshua! You scared the hell out of me..." Joshua laughed at her reaction.

"How come after all these years, you haven't still recognized me?" Josh asked.

"What?" Phoebe looked confused.

"Alright... I'll give you a clue." Joshua said as he inhaled air to make his stomach expand like he just swallowed a watermelon.

Well, it's not that effective since the man has developed six pack abs due to non-stop working out through the years...

Then, he widely opened his mouth...

"Hey!!! What are you geeks up to?! I'll tell on you!!!" His voice deep and childish at the same time as he mimic an old dialogue.

"Oh my Gosh! J-josh? Is that you? You lost weight. And... It looked good on you." Phoebe said.

"Yep. But I'm so not your middleschool bully anymore." Josh said laughing a bit.

Phoebe was about to go down the swing but Josh stopped her...

"No, don't go down, I'll give you a push..." Josh said smiling to her.

And he did.

He pushed Phoebe gently on the swing as they talk.

"Why are you alone? Don't you have a date?" Phoebe asked.

"Hey, I should be asking a beautiful woman like you the same question, but to answer your question... I went to the ball alone because she kinda, ditched me..." Phoebe laughed.

"I like seeing you laugh. It's been a while. I also wanted to say sorry..." Josh said.

"Why?" Phoebe asked.

"I blamed myself for what happened to your leg. If I wasn't such a bad kid... You wouldn't end up in that well anyway." Josh explained.

"It's not your fault... I was never mad at you." Phoebe said.

"Phoebe?" Josh called. She turned her head.

"Yes Josh-..." Phoebe was cut off.

She was shocked as he kissed her.

Phoebe kissed him back.

Neither one of them knows that someone accidentally saw them...

When their lips parted...

Josh spoke...

"I have to go Phoebe. I have to go to a job interview tomorrow. I applied for a job in advance. Don't ask sweetheart. I need it badly." Josh said smiling as Phoebe nodded.

With that, Josh left.

Phoebe decided to sneak into the building.

To the classroom that she and Zoriah shared memories together.

"And I thought school took so long to finish..." Phoebe said to herself.

"Time flies when you're having fun..." A familiar figure stood at the door.

"Zack?" She asked.

"Why did you kiss him?" He asked.

"You saw-?" She was cut off when Zack harshly pinned her to the wall and kissed her roughly.

Her crutch fell on the floor.

Phoebe used all of her strength and pushed him away...

"Why?! You liked me from the beginning right?!" Zack asked.

"What? T-this can't happen between us Zack. Zoriah loves you so much. She needs you." Phoebe's eyes began to water.

Zack's expression softened in front of the crying woman.

"You're right... I'm sorry..." Zack whispered and picked up Phoebe's crutch and gave it to her.

Then, Phoebe picked up her pace and she went to the door to get away from the man...

He chased her to the University building's entrance.

"Phoebe... W-will I see you again?" Zack asked her.

Phoebe just smiled to him, she turned her back and closed the glass doors.

Two years after...

Life happened and they have lived it how the paths has lead them...

Separate lives.

"Once again, thank you for calling Parker and Welsing Customer Service, have great day. Bye." Phoebe's closing spiel made it.

It's O'clock.

"And Log-out guys! Good job, our sales went higher this week." Their team leader announced as the floor was filled with applause.

"Looks like someone's going home early." Her teammate teased.

"She's in a hurry. Do you have a date?" Her other teammate Grace asked wriggling her thick jungle brows on her.

Phoebe just laughed a bit and shook her head at the comment.

"Caught you red-handed girl." The other teammate commented laughing.

Phoebe blushed.

"Geez, my last customer's really mad. Said he ain't dying yet so why sell him insurance... Phoebs... How many insurance deals did you close today?" The other teammate asked as they're on the lockers getting their stuff.

"Eleven." Phoebe casually answered.

"Wow, our team leader's right, you are good." One exclaimed.

"Is your boyfriend gonna fetch you?" Phoebe nodded.

"Yes, he's downstairs." She said.

"Is he still going overseas to for his dream?" Grace asked.

"Well, it's job offer as an animator. It's his first love but because of me... He's still thinking about it." Phoebe sighed.

"Why don't you go with him?" Grace said.

"Nah... It's not that easy. He was only sponsored. Me? Where will I get the money to go with him? And besides, he already let me fulfilled my dream. I have worked as a part-time science teacher, even though that I'm not getting a lot from the job while he's earning hard. He said, he's doing that for our future. That's the reason I have applied for this job, I think I'll earn a little more here." Phoebe explained.

"Future? Maybe he's planning to propose to you." Grace commented.

"I'm thankful if he does but I still won't get my hopes up. Marriage is such a big step." Phoebe said.

"Well, if you say so... See yah Phoebs! Ciao!" Grace said as they part ways.

Just then, Josh decided to take her out on a restaurant like their usual...

Later, Phoebe spoke...

"Are you going to Zoriah and Zack's wedding?" She asked Josh.

"Nope. I have to work that day..." Her boyfriend answered.

"Well, if you're not going, then I'm not going too." Said Phoebe.

"Too clingy... I'm living for it though." Josh laughed a bit.

"Uhm... Josh?" Phoebe called out.

"Yes?" He said.

"I know how you thought hard about the job offer you got and-..." Phoebe was cut off.

"I will decline it." Josh immediately said, blocking his girlfriend's words.

"I'm grateful that after all these years, you have been with me... Josh. We both know that declining it, is not really what you want. Thank you for always being there and taking care of me. You've let me do whatever I want, now it's your turn. I will never hold you off and take you away from your first love." She addressed seriously.

Her eyes shed tears as she was speaking.

"W-well, if that's how you look af it but... Phoebs... I'll be back for you. I will marry you Phoebs..." Josh said.

His eyes are getting dewy as well.

"D-don't make promises you're yet not certain that you can keep. I know you'll be happier fulfilling your dream there, even without me. Do not hesitate and go for it. I'll be okay." Phoebe said smiling to Josh...

Josh stood up and went across the table go reach his girlfriend, and hugged Phoebe...

"Thank you..." He whispered to the woman.

Years later, after Phoebe's leg operation and therapy.

She fully recovered.

Then, she went hiking with her new hope.

She's with her mom and dad as well...

When she got to the top along with the other climbers, she walked away a little from them to take in and appreciate how beautiful and peaceful it is.

She so was consumed by the beauty and her thoughts...

I wonder how and what are they doing right now?

Zoriah, Josh and...

Zack.

'Should I still let him know?'

Nah, I'll pass.

They guy's married to my bestfriend Zoriah and I'm sure that they're both very happy now.

I owe it to Josh that I'm here in this beautiful place by myself, now I know I'm not alone.

I have my family...

They're my first and last love.

It's okay to have it that way.

She looked at her parents taking pictures and selfies with the breath-taking background.

Someday, I'll live in a place like this. Serene and free...

'Freedom.'

It doesn't always mean that you need to be out there.

Like the frogs trapped in the well that doesn't need to be saved if it doesn't really want to...

It also doesn't always relate to love.

Sometimes, being able to reflect, focus on one's self and realizing own worth, away from the prying eyes, is the greatest freedom of all.

And when it comes to loving someone freely...

You don't need to always let them know that you love them, 'cause if you really do, they will feel too.

Eventually.

"You seemed pre-occupied. Mind if I join you in your thoughts?" A familiar man's voice said beside her.

She turned her head with tears in her eyes...

Her lips parted and spoke...

"Josh?" She asked smiling.

The man nodded.

"You're one and only... I'll never leave you again. I'll take care of you forever if I have to..." Josh said smiling back and she hugged him tightly.

~END