#i know i'm 84 years late

[stardust948]

Me watching White Diamond in Steven Universe Future: Hmm. I liked you better as a cult leader.

[thelionandtheeagle]

Re: Knight Terrors - Robin #2

There is so much here I could talk about, it's hard to even pick/ decide where to start. I guess I'll just say this up front: I really didn't like the first issue, and while I still have some minor gripes with this second one, it was overarchingly damn good and I'm ridiculously excited that Tim and Jason were finally allowed again to have an interaction that makes sense for them, given their past history. It's been 84 years I swear.

Now without further ado:

1)

The way they see themselves and each other.

This excerpt goes perfectly with a different post I was working on, talking about what happened at Titans Tower.

(Jason narrating, referring to Tim; Teen Titans 2003 #29)

Tim chronically suffers from imposter syndrome. He's constantly doubting himself. But Jason has always believed, known, that Tim is good at what he does. And over time his conviction in regards to it has only grown stronger. Jason's high opinion of Tim's capabilities is actually part of the reason he was so hurt about being "replaced" by Tim, specifically.

(Jason talking to Tim during Robin War; Red Hood/Arsenal 2015 #7)

Jason has always seen Tim as better than himself. All the while Tim has struggled to feel capable of living up to Jason's legacy. But Tim still took up the mantle because he cared and he had to try. And Jason recognizes that.

(Tim talking at a portrait of Jason, Secret Origins 2014 #3)

(Red Hood/Arsenal 2015 #37)

(Red Hood and the Outlaws 2011 #8)

In summary for this section: Tim and Jason tend to think lowly of themselves, but highly of each other. There's mutual respect and understanding. That's at the very core of their relationship and Knight Terrors showcases that beautifully.

2)

Another great thing about their dynamic that gets shown off in this issue is that they make a damn good team and enjoy working together.

throughout the issue

(Tim narrating, Teen Titans 2011 #16)

(We are Robin 2015 #7)

3)

Last but not least, we get some delightfully, painfully, tender moments.

Jason wishes for someone to count on. And Tim is right there for him. Which gets heavily doubled down on at the end of the issue:

Tim is always ready to work with Jason, to lend a hand, to be there for him-

- and Jason trusts Tim with his life.

Which, speaking of life...

After waking up, Jason tries to get in contact with Tim and when he can't, we see how devastate he is, thinking something went wrong. Ouch.

In conclusion: I was worried going in, with DC's track record lately, but I can happily say I was beyond pleasantly surprised. This feels like a return to form, and I pray we'll get more content featuring these two in the near future. If you haven't checked it out yourself yet, I highly recommend reading this issue.

Thanks for listening <3 I know this was a lot hah

[biasbuck]

BiAsBuck’s ficrec Fraturday

It's November! Hope everyone had an amazing Halloween. NGL October lasted approximately 84 years, and I am so so sleepy, but nevertheless I'm back with a fortnight of fic that I've read and loved recently. As always you can find previous rec lists here. Some light spoilers for the season.

2 November 2024

Buck, naked by @starlingbite has Eddie taking an art class on advice of Frank, but the only class left is a life drawing class. That wouldn't be a problem...except you'll never guess who the model turns out to be! Once again obsessed with the idea of Eddie picking up an artistic hobby, and I loved the both the artistry and the physicality of this fic.

You Can Leave It Late With Me by @ponyregrets oh this concept was delightful! In which Maddie becomes a firefighter and Buck becomes a librarian, running a book club for kids. Eddie, in need of more after school childcare support, enrols Christopher. Sweet and such a lovely character exploration. I loved this AU!

drench yourself in words unspoken by @eddiediazes one from 2022, this has Eddie keeping the fact that he's secretly a famous but anonymous romance novelist a secret from the rest of the 118, but when Buck finds copies of his books hidden in the closet, his secret soon comes out. I loved the way this fic showed Eddie processing his emotions and slowly embracing his sexuality through his fiction.

teach me how to love, and how to stay by @sharpbutsoft the sequel to a previously recc'd fave, aka the Chris finds out about the will fic. This is from Chris' POV and deals with the aftermath. His voice is so strong in this, I love his sarcastic teen thoughts that sometimes sway uncharitably into judgey Diaz mode, but are really his shield from the soft underbelly of wanting his Dad and Buck to be happy and his family and not leave him. He truly gets to say his piece here, whilst still ultimately giving Eddie grace and listening to him, and it's very cathartic.

With Eyes on the Stars and Hands in the Earth by @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels been working my way through all of Lincoln's Halloween fics (read the ghosthunters, were!Buck and were!Eddie fics next!) but this one had me gripped earlier this week. Buck has plant magic, an unusual set of skills that set him apart from most of the natural witches he knows. Eddie is from a long line of witches but doesn't demonstrate magic of his own...but perhaps he's repressing more than just his emotions. Romantic, full of twists, and truly magical.

the kiss that lingers by @greenbergsays 5 times Eddie kisses Buck's birthmark and 1 time he doesn't fic! What I really loved about this one is the way Buck's sense of home in his own body grows with the ever evolving romantic butterflies of Eddie showing him such specific affection.

There’s No Place Like Home-Spun by icewhisper ahhh undiagnosed adhd!Buck being offered learning accommodations by his high school teacher who helps him learn to crochet to keep his hands occupied whilst his mind focuses. Traverses through his personal growth until he ends up at the 118, gifting his creations along the way. But no one exactly realises he's making these himself.

a world to rediscover by @itsactuallycorrine the 'what if Chris DOESN'T come home' fic. In which Chris is a young man, settled and about to get married. Eddie followed him to El Paso to repair their relationship and stayed. They're back on somewhat steady ground, when Chris learns the truth about why Buck is no longer in their lives. His fiance plots with him on how they can fix it. Lovely and complicated and ultimately uplifting despite the premise that initially made my heart go oh no! Worth it.

been broken one too many times by @glorious-spoon an episode coda to 8x05, in which Eddie is struck by the realisation that yes he absolutely *would* kiss Buck if he weren't covered in boils.

That's it for now! Bring on the Eddie-sode.

[tr1nd2de]

Old enough

I just saw a post from Wonderjanga (C.C. And Great Grandpa Wayne), and it improved my head cannon about Billy telling the league, that he remembers everything he went through in those 84 years of the time bubble.

I wasn't going to post this but I changed my mind. In my Head Cannon, Billy is already older, like 16 or 17 years old. He has been in the league for a few years since he was a kid.

Ever since Captain Marvel (or Billy Batson) joined the league, he's hardly ever asked for a reunion so it would obviously be a proven thing to deal with. Bruce was worried about this, for a few weeks now Billy has been acting strangely, missing some meetings and not responding to the communicators or the messages we send him.

So him calling a meeting was important, especially because he said it was urgent. The league members were quick to arrive, even Flash who is usually late arrived early, Billy didn't say much he just looked down trying to understand something... something was wrong Bruce could feel it.

Billy: Thank you for coming, I would like to say that the problem is not the end of the world, at least not our world but mine. I recently discovered why Fawcett has so many mental hospitals.

Superman: What do you mean by that Billy?

Billy: Do you remember the Justice Squad?

Wonder Woman: Yes, I fought alongside them in the second war, its members were Bullet Man and Woman, Golden Arrow, Mr. Scarlet and his helper Pinky, Mega Spy and Ibis the Invincible.

Green Arrow: From what we know, they returned to the United States for an urgent government mission. We have no further information about them to this day. Some myths say they were killed, others say they deserted and disappeared from the map. I prefer to believe the latter.

Billy: I found out what happened to them. When they returned for an urgent mission, they were assigned to deal with a being called King Kull. Just like Vandal Savage he is also a caveman, high intelligence and physical condition. In prehistoric times, King Kull was the ruler of a race of proto-humans known as the Undermen (also called the Beastmen), a brutish but technologically advanced race who ruled over humanity until they were finally overthrown in a revolt. Kull survived into the 20th century trapped in a state of suspended animation. When he woke up he decided that humans should suffer the same as he suffered, so he built a Suspendium bomb.

Batman: What would Suspendium be?

Billy: Suspendium was an artificial compound developed by Dr Silvana.

Flash: Since when has Silvana been alive?

Billy more than me and you

J'onn: Where are you going with this Billy?

Billy:Well... I-I knew Fawcett wasn't a "normal" place, not because of the abundant magic that pours into the city from the Rock of Eternity, but because of everything, the culture that hasn't advanced, the fashion sense that hasn't changed, and so on. I kept this in my head and went looking for answers, not only out of curiosity but because of memories that didn't make sense. Memories that I no longer remembered, I lived them.

Black Canary : Are you okay Billy?

Billy: yes, as far as possible.

Billy: I followed the clues that my memories gave me, and I arrived at an old building, the facade of Sivana, one of the Solar Centers, there was a passage to the basement and there I discovered where the old heroes of the Second World War ended up. They were trapped in a state of suspended animation, all of them, I came to the conclusion that the effect of the Suspendium had worn off after all these years. Apparently the Justice Squadron was unable to get Kull to detonate the bomb, everyone on Fawcett was affected, the heroes and Kull were trapped in a state of suspended animation that has not yet passed.

(Hal) Green lantern: Holy shit...

Billy: Yeah, holy shit. Well that was my report for the month, I would like to take a really long vacation, recommended by my psychiatrist.

Black canary: Psychiatrist!?!?!

Billy: Yeah, I'm seeing a-a psychiatrist, after discovering that my life was a loop of suffering and pain, finally my mind gave out and I developed a dissociative personality disorder, I-I- this is the first time I've come to consciousness. I-I-I have a few already, one of them is an 8 year old child called Hedwing, the other my supposed evil twin, all I fight are the sins, he was born from them I don't know his name yet...

Black Canary gets up and goes to Billy and hugs him."Oh Billy you don't deserve this"

Batman takes off his hood and stands up, hugging Billy. "I can't do much for you, but I will do what I can to help you, money won't be a problem."

wiping away the tears. "T-thanks, but that's not the whole problem, m-my Captain form also had new personalities."

After coming back from the shock Superman says: My God, I didn't know that was possible...

Not either, but the personalities that came are called Lord Shazam and a goth who says he has no name. says Billy leaving the hug: Lord Shazam prefers not to leave the Rock and Goth likes to explore the world.

So you mean that all that discussion about you being a child was a complete waste of time? Flash says trying to break the ice.

running his hand through his hair and leaning back in his chair (Hal) Green Lantern says: Nice try Barry, but how old are you Billy? Because the second war was about 85 years ago.

Well... coincidence or not, the Suspendium bomb exploded 84 years ago, in 1940 when I was 10 years old and had already been at war for 1 year. says Billy sitting in his chair.

Living for a long time has its consequences, Billy, but you are not alone, not today or tomorrow, because you have us and me, we will help you, little brother. Diana says, smiling at Billy.

Thanks but still, it's not something I like since well... I was childhood friends with Thomas Wanye. Billy looks at Bruce.

My father? Were you my father's childhood friend?.

Oh yes, how could I forget, Tommy was wild but fun, we got a good scolding from our parents, good times, I think that if the bomb hadn't exploded I would be a friend of the family, and possibly the one who would have been adopted would have been you. Smiling from ear to ear, Billy says looking at Bruce.

I don't know if it was good but that's it, have a good day, or night or afternoon, aah be well.

The End.

[fractualized]

we got you fam 😜

I assume this is about the batjokes vs timkon poll. Glad as always batjokes fans are standing up. 😤

Obviously a poll is essentially a contest, but man, it's still a bummer how inevitable nasty comments are when a ~problematic~ ship is involved. Instead of entertainment, the poll becomes an opportunity for some people to perform morality about fiction. And shipping wars, whatever their origins, were stupid when I was a wee fandomite in the late freakin' 90s, and they're stupid now.

So I'm well-seasoned enough that I don't let this nonsense affect my enjoyment of batjokes, but I still find it valuable to speak up so anyone who feels affected by the negativity sees the other side of it. That's the idea I really hate when this stuff crops up, that people will be scared away from what they enjoy or wonder if they're actually monsters. No, you're not some sort of objectionable person for exploring non-wholesome ideas in fiction. No, you don't have to limit yourself to the "good" versions (that are entirely based on the "bad" versions). No, you're not silly or stupid for looking at two characters with an 84-year history who in their varying versions are constantly presented as connected, and thinking "hey, there's some romantic subtext to play with there." (Or text that's only a few degrees off from overt in some cases, let's be real.)

And you know, while the point of fandom is fun, some aspects are quite meaningful. The communities that are formed. The friendships you make. Seeing yourself in a character. Expressing your thoughts and feelings. Improving your skills when you create fanworks. Expanding your media literacy. So many things!

Other people's dislike of the fiction you enjoy? That's their problem, not yours.

After all, batjokes could lose every poll, and it doesn't change that I've logged hundreds of thousands of words of fanfic about it, with more to come.

[anti-homophobia-cheese]

Get to know me 10/10/24

Once upon a time, I was tagged by my lovelies @14carrotghoul @alasse9 @pinkamour1588 @almightaylor @amnesiaa-on-ice to play this very cute game 🥲 It took me 84 years to play it but thank you for the tags, friends <33

Rules: Answer and tag nine people you want to get to know better and catch up with

Fav Colour: This keeps changing. Right now I'm mad into sage green

Last song: Gotye's Somebody That I Used to Know came on my Instagram fyp this morning and every two minutes I've been screaming "you didn't have to stooooop so low". Yeah, I'm real annoying to be around rn 😌

Currently reading: Uh. I've been a bad reader lately :(( It's not a slump exactly but all the hospital trips have left my mind too scattered to concentrate on words. But before all this madness, I had been reading The Darkness Outside Us and The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I am itching to get back to them super soon <3

Currently watching: Agatha All Along, Only Murders in the Building. For comfort, I've been watching King Fu Panda 2 and random episodes of How I Met Your Mother.

Currently craving: Huh. It's weird that I'm currently not craving anything but would I say no to a fudgy chocolate cake? Nope.

Tea or coffee: Tea is more comforting, it smells like home. But coffee has its moments too. (When you ask a pansexual to make choices, expect answers like this)

Hobby to try: I WANT TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE GIFS SO BAD!!! People who can make gifs are so hot my god

Current AU: I've been reading down for the count (down bad for you) by 0npurpose and acdhandfidget. I've also been following the kinktober 2024 fics by @kiwiana-writes

I'm sure everyone's already done this. But leaving no pressure, v.chill tags for a few moots I'd like to get to know better:

@evanbuckwad @catdadacd @luainthewild @myteavsricochet @myheartalivewrites

@run-for-chamo-miles @taste-thewaste @elliss-stuff @stratocumulusperlucidus

@potato-jem

and an open tag for whoever wants to play!

[tervaneula]

So i read the title and am instantly having so many thoughts such as; " What?! Do you mean with do boys lay eggs?! Is f!leo pregnant?! What's going on ". The title was enough to put my brain in storm.

The more i read the more i get flapergasted; SLIDERS BOYS CAN LAY EGGS?!??? WUT?! WUT?! THIS INFORMATION IS TURNING ME UPSIDE DOWN!!

And what more painful and heartbreaking is F!Leo had to go through it on his own,Wonder if it happened when he was at war, things like this makes me more and more anxious and worried about him.

But it made me happy how little leo decided to go for help for older him - especially it's late at night -, reminds me when a daughter seek out her mom when her first period come, it shows how little leo trust F!leo enough to ask about this💙

The more i read about the " healing " part the more am convinced it's like period in a way. Little leo thanking future him showed to me how much he's feeling weak and vulnerable right now, i wouldn't blame him if he wanted to cry, the poor child is suffering big amount of pain.

" Welp, looks like I’ve got an extra teddy bear to keep me company tonight, then " this have to be one of my favorite, wholesome comments i ever read 💙💙💙

Believe me when i say this; The moment i read about little leo feeling comfortable with hot water bottle and begin hugged by future him as he lay on couple of blankets... I felt that warmth!

Now my biggest question; what would they do to the eggs? I mean leo layed 3, no?

Finally, ngl my period started so am feeling nasty, and this fic is all i needed to feel warmth again, call me sappy all you want but this fic is making feel comfortable, thank you so much for it💙✨

AHHHH FINALLY I'M HERE... IT'S BEEN 84 YEARS... Thank you for your patience<3<3

Oh gosh yeah I try to put in enough tags to not have anyone confused about anything that might happen in my fics but I did just kind of jump right in in this one XD I apologise!

Things were undeservedly rough for Leonardo in his youth but while he didn't have the kind of support he's now able to give Leo, he still had his family and they obviously had his back, no matter what. Everything sucked but he survived and now all that's left is to look forward to the future and keep healing.<3

AND YES OMG Leo might bully Leonardo every chance he gets but he does love him and looks up to him. They've got the mutual desire to keep each other safe, just like they want to keep their whole family safe, and Leo knows he can trust Leonardo with this, even if it's awkward and scary. And you're right, it's their equivalent of a period!

I love it so much that this fic gave you warm feelings and ahshgdh especially that you liked the teddy bear line, I was grinning like a fool because I imagined Leo in a teddy bear mascot suit, complete with a huge bow tie LMAO

Shjdfgsdhjkbf oh. Yeah. Right. The eggs. I mean they could make an omelette....... Rofl no, I think Leo just threw them in the trash in his initial panic X'D

Thank you so so much for reading and commenting once again, I'm SO HAPPY this little story gave you comfort, it's all I could ever ask for!!! This fic is so important to me and I still get emotional over it :') You're probably feeling much better now than when you sent this ask but please take care and sleep and eat well and treat yourself with as much kindness as you can<333

[catofadifferentcolor]

Terrible Fic Idea #84: Star Wars, but make it the Outer Rim

I've been reading a lot of Star Wars fic lately, much of it involving time travel in some shape or form. Most of it is wonderful, but after a while some of it starts to read as let's fix the Republic so we can bring the light and civilization of the core to the outer rim. Which, while possibly disingenuous, feels a little too much like the justifications made by Europeans for their colonial empires.

As I said, I'm probably reading too much into certain tropes, but can't help but wonder: what if one of these fics started in the outer rim as a way of bringing light and goodness back to the core? Or: Save Tatooine, save the galaxy.

Just imagine it:

Several years have passed after The Book of Boba Fett in the original timeline. While the New Republic calls Daimyo Fett's leadership just another crime syndicate masquerading as good government, anyone who's actually been to the planet knows it's the other way around. Most crime syndicates don't care for planetary infrastructure or public vaccination programs.

Boba has encouraged Din to use his palace as a base for his bounty hunting activities - and as a home planet for the small community of Mandelorians building around their Mand'alor. Ideally, this would be the start of a courtship that wouldn't be moving as slowly as it is if Din wasn't an oblivious idiot about 1) his feelings and 2) traditional Mandalorian courting, but it could also simply be vod'e being vod'e. Dealer's choice.

And so Din is on planet when someone tries to bribe Boba for one reason or another with an ancient Sith artifact.

Din calls in a Jedi from Luke's school to investigate - Cal Kestis, who is one of a handful of trained adults in the new Jedi Order and the most knowledgeable about weird force osik...

...which doesn't stop Cal from accidentally triggering the artifact and sending Boba, Din, and himself back in time to the year 53 BBY, shortly before Jaster Mereel is set to die in the Battle of Korda VI.

As if finding themselves on Tatooine approximately 66 years in the past - well before any of them were even born - isn't enough, all three find themselves in their teenage bodies. Boba and Din are somewhere between 15 and 17, when they have most of their adult height but none of their bulk, while Cal is disgusted to find himself a particularly short 12. This in no way reflects their real differences in ages, and they are forced to attribute it to more inexplicable force osik.

Despite their ages, this proves an opportunity to stop the Empire from ever forming. But how? None of them know enough about the precise course of events to begin to stop it, and even if they could manage to get the Jedi Council to listen to them, waltzing into the Jedi Temple and declaring themselves time travelers is bound to put them on Palaptine's radar in a way that is likely to end their painful deaths.

The solution, they decide, is to get the Jedi to come to them. After all, if they repeat Boba's actions from the future, overthrow the Hutts, and free the slaves on Tatooine, someone from the Jedi is bound to come and investigate.

Taking over Tatooine proves easier than their wildest dreams.

Killing Jabba the Hutt in his own throne room and transmitting a signal that jams slave chips across the planet is all that's needed to spark a general uprising against the slavers and Jabba's criminal empire.

It's a little less easy getting the representatives of the colonists, freed slaves, and native peoples to believe that a pair of teenage Mandos and a half-grown Jedi took out a member of the Grand Hutt Council, but once they hear Boba's plans to convert the planet's slave-based economy to a viable democracy funded in part by the wealth of Jabba's vaults, they're more than willing to vote him Daimyo. His actions more than make up for his apparent age.

The Republic is naturally less sanguine. Mandalorians on Tatooine? Is this the start of another war of conquest? (To say nothing that several of the more corrupt members are in the position to lose a lot of money if crime and slave trade is disrupted in the outer rim.) The Senate orders the Jedi to investigate.

The Jedi are also in an uproar. Not only do holos show a young force sensitive helping a pair of Mandos take over Tatooine, but one of those Mandos has a lightsaber the likes of which they've never seen. (Tensions between Jedi and the Mandalorians are such that no one recognizes the Darksaber for what it is or what it means.) Could this mean some dark side sect has sent some of their apprentices to help rebuild the Mandalorian Empire?

The Mandalorians are also unsettled - Death Watch because the Darksaber seems to have disappeared overnight, only to end up with a child in unpainted beskar half a galaxy away; the True Mandalorians because it looks to them that Death Watch might be sending children into battle to build the empire they're always going on about; and the New Mandolorians because this is exactly the kind of violence that gives Mandalore a bad name.

And all of this fails to take into account the Sith, who are naturally upset that the fear and despair they've worked so hard to cultivate on the edges of the Republic has been disrupted with something so light as hope.

All parties converge on Tatooine.

The Mandalorians arrive first. The True Mandalorians are just beginning to investigate when Death Watch decides to attack first and ask questions never.

Boba, Din, and Cal were expecting this and so have a plan in place that allow their forces to take down most of the terrorists while ensuring Jaster Mereel survives, thereby preventing Korda VI, Galidraan, and all that follows. Montross is killed in the fighting without his double cross ever being known.

This also manages to convince the True Mandalorians that they're just a bunch of kids trying to make their way in the galaxy, and while they ask why take over a planet? why not just join a mercenary guild?, Jaster can't deny that they're doing a good thing. He stations some of his people on planet and leaves them be, content Din isn't going to try to push his claim as Mand'alor and/or build another extremist terrorist sect around the Darksaber.

The Mandalorians leave right as a large number of Jedi arrive. In this party are most of their best lightsaber dualists, including a less jaded Yan Dooku and a young Qui-Gon Jinn (who is only a few months out from Xanatos' Fall and in desperate need of a mind healer). Forced proximity has made the later very clear to all the Jedi Masters involved, and this alone prevents many of the tragedies of Obi-Wan's early apprenticeship.

Qui-Gon's mental health aside, the Jedi presume they'll be attacked by dark siders the moment they touch down on Tatooine. Instead they're invited to the Daimyo's palace, given refreshments, and brought before the planet's new ruling council. Which includes two freed slaves, a wizened Tusken grandmother, a pair of moisture farmers, and a representative from one of the cantinas in addition to a pair of teenage Mandos and a young force sensitive.

This meeting goes a long way to convincing the Jedi that what's happening on Tatooine could be a good thing - particularly after Boba turns over everything they could find regarding some of Jabba's dealings with several shady senators and businessmen within the bounds of the Republic. Including one young senator, Sheev Palpatine of Naboo. While several are able to talk their way out of trouble, it removes the worst of Palpatine's future lackeys from power.

The Jedi also invite Cal to come back with them to the temple to "finish" his training. Cal invites them instead to build a satellite temple on Tatooine. After all, there's no reason why a religious order should be tied to the Republic government, and setting up a temple in the outer rim would allow the Jedi to help those on the outer rim more easily, without waiting for the approval of the Senate.

The Jedi obviously don't agree right away - but it does mean that they come back fairly often to discuss the particulars, meaning that someone is on planet when the Sith decide the best way to fix their plans is to try to assassinate the young Daimyo and his allies, revealing the Sith's continued existence decades early.

Which is where my plot bunny starts to fizzle out.

With Jaster Mereel alive, the True Mandalorians have a real chance of stopping both the terrorism of Death Watch and the cultural genocide of the New Mandalorians, leaving Mandalore in a position of strength versus the Republic. So long as this remains the case, plans for a New Sith Empire must be put on hold.

With the shadiest characters removed from the Senate, it's harder for a Sith to take charge of it - especially when a strengthening Tatooine continues to disrupt smuggling and slave trafficking in the outer rim, reducing the darkness and the funds he has access to.

And so though the details are up to the dealer, taking over Tatooine disrupts the Sith's machinations enough that they're forced to show their hands too soon, and thus defeated before they can ever give rise to the empire. It's not easy, but it involves a lot less suffering than the original timeline.

Bonuses include: 1) Merrin and Grogu also traveling through time as a result of the force bonds that they have with Cal and Din respectively. They wake up on the currently uninhabited planet Luke's school will occupy in the future rather than Tatooine and have to go through a quest of their own to get off planet and rejoin the others. This should involve accidentally helping the other's plans to prevent the empire, such as by disrupting a crime syndicate or blowing up the Trade Federation's first droid factory; 2) Teenagers being teenagers. These kids may have been adults in the future with all their adult memories, but they've got teenage bodies now and it shows; and 3) Boba and company never outright admitting they're time travelers, but dropping enough hints to the relevant parties that they eventually come to that conclusion on their own. Only then do they share the details of the horrible future they've prevented.

And that's all I have. As always, feel free to adopt this bun, just link back if you do anything with it.

More SW Fic Ideas | More Terrible Fic Ideas

[aokuro-san]

Recommending fanfics (III): In progress or incomplete.

It's been 84 years or something like that… But today I woke up wanting to recommend fanfics, so I continue with this small collection that started with:

Complete fanfics: https://www.tumblr.com/aokuro-san/714582391192272896/recommending-fanfics-i-complete-fanfics?source=share

and continued with

One-shots: https://www.tumblr.com/aokuro-san/723176474909327360/recommending-fanfics-ii-one-shots?source=share

And before continuing,

I want to remind you that… In general I like to read fanfics x reader (or with inclusion of reader) because I enjoy imagining that I'm inside the story, however, you'll see that there are some that I didn't take that way and I still love them.

I hope you like it!

Part 3: In progress or incomplete.

shiratorizawa antics, by mooshys

(Haikyuu!!) AO3

I said it at the time and I'll say it again: SHIRATORIZAWA is my favorite Haikyuu!! team, and this was one of the stories I was most eager to recommend; not only because it was one of the most elaborate ones I read on the subject, but because it's a great slice of life that's worth reading, even if it's not finished, that deals -again- with the experiences of the fictional Shiratorizawa manager with the peculiar members of this team. In general, stories full of light humor, but that can also deal with more human/adolescent themes such as fear of the future and what we will be in it.

Anyway. A little gem that I always come back to and that can even be read as if it were an anthology related to each other (I think?).

26/28 (at first, because the author always changes the final number of chapters, haha).

Belligerence, by SecretPuddin

(Jujutsu Kaisen) AO3

Apparently, while I was "away", this fanfic increased its number of chapters and seems to be about to end. But, since it is not yet, I will take advantage of it and recommend it to you here (in fact, I just noticed that the last publication date was in 2023, but, well, that should not discourage anyone either). Because, like everything I recommend to you, in general and in my eyes, it is more than worth it!

In this case, the story is presented as a story of love, violence and family found between the reader (male, in this case), a lover of fighting with good feelings (typical shonen protagonist, but with hidden depths and a traumatic past as the plot progresses) and the unfortunate Junpei Yoshino, while the parents of both have their own romance in the middle; which, inevitably, complicates and uncomplicates things at the same time.

It is… BRUTAL. I mean, when you start reading this story, you certainly don't know how much it will impact you and how well the author will treat the themes and her characters (within the context she offers us). Especially Junpei, who always seemed like an interesting character to me and…, for those who were left with a bitter taste with his ending in the original story, this fanfic could be the answer!

However, keep in mind that it deals with topics, perhaps taboo, perhaps controversial, perhaps tricky, depending on the reader's sensitivity (which is excessively high lately xD) and there is some sexual scene involved (especially when the healthy relationship between the reader and Junpei inevitably turns into these areas), so, unlike me at the time, I would tell you to read the story tags to get an idea of ​​what you will read… or not.

21/24 (again, for now).

Vivisection, by death13

(Blue Lock) AO3

Ok, maybe I'm taking a risk here, but it won me over after just one chapter and I think it deserves to be included in this post. Also because it's rare to find fanfics that include or are, directly, horror (my favorite genre) and that, in addition, start in such a potential way as this one (that it catches your attention and is good, let's say).

The plot introduces us to the new manager of her high school's football team, where weirdos seem to abound, and the tension and bad vibes (or feelings) are present almost at all times! Even if you can't pinpoint exactly what's wrong, you know something's wrong, the protagonist's friend knows something's wrong (and her last sentence is quite revealing (although also prejudiced)… And this is just the first step of what seems to be one of the best horror fanfics that could be born around here. Well, as I said, I can't say much because only the first chapter is available… But I think it was worth including it for the reasons already mentioned.

1/15 (in principle! The truth is that it's the one I hope continues the most of all, haha).

PS: I don't know why the suggestiveness of certain Shirley Jackson stories, mixed with the typical j-horror, came to my mind… So, there you have it! If you like both things, I think you'll appreciate it even more.

Well, look, for now we'll leave it like that. I know that there are fewer fanfics than the ones I usually recommend… But, in general, most of the stories I read are usually complete, so I didn't have much material, although, it's true that I have more unfinished stories out there. However, right now it seems risky to recommend them, since, when I go over them, they don't seem as good to me anymore or I feel that, despite the good story, the protagonist is somewhat weak compared to these three here (even within their simplicity). So we'll be content with these three (the best of the best, haha, and what will be easier for you to find).

Well, I'll see you later (if I feel like it and I'm not busy with my own work, lol)! 😇

[jo-harrington]

Corroded Coffin Fest - Day 7 - Celebrate Good Times, C'mon

Summary: Eddie Munson is being a party pooper.

Word Count: 930

Rating: T

Warnings/Themes: Friendship fluffiness, some angst, hurt/comfort, it’s supposed to be a celebration but I’m a sad little asshole so here we are, FOI References, Ronnie Ecker, I don't know...are they in character? Probably not and I don't care.

Check Out the Main Post for @corrodedcoffinfest here! Even if you didn’t start on Day 1, you can still join!

Tagging: @the-unforgivenn at her request.

You can find my masterlist here.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

"A decade later and you're still out here digging holes."

Eddie bristled as Ronnie's voice hit his ear, but ignored it and continued to poke at the ground.

He felt her drop to the ground beside him and rest her chin on her knees, silently watching his repeated motions.

It was graduation day, and even though Eddie hadn't been able to walk across the stage himself, he and Wayne had still gone with Granny to cheer for Ronnie.

And Dougie, of course.

But mainly Ronnie.

Eddie had been caught up in the excitement of the day, hung around with Ronnie and the rest of the class of '84 until it was time for him to take his seat. He ignored all of the curious glances of his now-former classmates who apparently thought that they'd seen the last of Eddie Munson, and instead fucked around with his friends for, what seemed to be, one last time.

It wasn't, they still had the whole summer.

Ronnie and Dougie teased him over the fact that he was so non-conformist that he probably wouldn't even wear a cap and gown when he graduated the following year. Or that he'd light his diploma on fire a la Hendrix.

"Don't give me any ideas," he'd joked right back.

It was a fun morning, felt like the disappointment of the past few months hadn't even happened...and damn if he hadn't been the loudest one in that crowd cheering for his friends.

But by the time they got back to Forest Hills for a little barbecue to celebrate, reality really hit Eddie. And the regrets snuck up on him yet again.

That'd been happening a lot lately, even after he'd gotten over that initial funk.

Never in his life had he really regretted anything he was or did, but now it had become a part of him, a stain on his soul...because he'd hurt the people he cared for most in the world.

He'd just meant to step around to the back of the trailer to have a smoke and get back into the party mindset, but then he'd heard a bunch of laughter as Jeff's dad and Wayne struggled to get the grill going. Then another car pulled up--some other neighbors stopping for a drink and a congrats.

And he just couldn't bring himself to get back there.

"You're missing out on burgers," Ronnie finally piped up again when she got sick of watching him torture an earthworm for several consecutive minutes. "You know, we got sesame seed buns because they're you're favorite."

"Hmm."

She huffed and nudged his shoulder, then dropped her voice to emulate his.

"Gee thanks Ronnie, they are my favorite, sorry I'm being a shithead, I'll come back to the party now." He fought the smile that threatened to make its way onto his face. She cleared her throat and stared at him expectantly, but when no answer came, she slapped her knees and stood. "Alright, more for me then."

"It sucks," he finally spoke up.

"What does?"

"Change."

Ronnie snorted and kicked his sneakered foot with her own, "no shit."

"I always lived in dad's stupid shadow," Eddie continued, "and people judged me because of the things he did. Now...they judge me because of the things I've done."

"Wow, Eddie Munson has to face the consequences of his actions, what a lovely life lesson for you."

It was Eddie's turn to get to his feet, ready to abandon this conversation altogether.

"Burgers you said?" he asked avoidantly, turning on his heel to walk away.

"Eddie! Ed!" She grabbed his arm and stopped him; he schooled his features to not show any emotion, but Ronnie saw all of the pain and fear in his eyes. She knew it as well as her own. "It sucks, and I know you're feeling all...pessimistic and shitty right now, and you're stuck here while everyone else gets to move on. It sucks.

"But you get something that a lot of people don't get: a second chance. You get to redo senior year, maybe get some better grades--"

"Impossible, I won't have you to copy homework off of."

"--make things up to Wayne. You already started making things better with me and the guys. Maybe Corroded Coffin will be even better with Gareth? And you'll actually get to make a name for yourselves."

It was a mixture of emotions that he just didn't know how to handle, the sweet hope and the bitter regret. But the more he listened, the more the hope shined through, until he was hiding a smile in his hair.

"You really think so?" he asked, a little bashfully.

"I know so," she punched him in the shoulder. "You guys are gonna be stars. And I'm gonna be jealous up at NYU, where I will be a weird kid from the midwest who knows nothing and no one...actually...on second thought, I might have to stay."

"Oh no you don't!" Eddie knew she was joking but he laughed regardless. "You got yourself out of this shithole, don't be tempted by mediocre promises at fame Veronica."

"Full name," she winced. "I guess I went too far."

They shared a laugh, and then Ronnie pulled him into a hug.

"Can I have my best friend back?" She whispered into his ear. "Bad jokes and fart noises and the walrus impressions with straws for tusks? This party is really missing out without him."

He laughed and squeezed her tightly.

"No more sad sackery. Only the finest farts for you on your big day, Ecker."

[consanguinitatum]

DT and His Appendicitis Scar: So When Did That Happen, Anyway?

I think I've mentioned in previous posts that I come across quite a few personal tidbits about a young DT while doing research for my sloooowly developing podcast. I think - well, I certainly hope! - I've also mentioned those sorts of tidbits are not going to be in the podcast? Well, if I haven't mentioned it before, I'm mentioning it now.

I see no reason to include these sorts of things because the podcast won't be about David's personal life (either then or now) but about his professional life. But while I tend to consider most of the theatre work he did between the time he entered the RSAMD Junior School at age 11 (and then got his Equity card and went on to drama school) and prior to his move to London in 1994 part of his professional life, technically they're really not -- because up until he took his first job in the 7:84 in 1991 for The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, he hadn't been earning a wage. And he's said in interviews Arturo was his first professional gig.

But I'm choosing to split hairs here. For the purposes of my podcast, I plan to treat his drama school years as if they were part of his professional career. I do this because I want to give them the same consideration and respect as the rest of his career, and feature them as the seminal experiences they were. They helped build the foundation of his professional life. Besides, he himself has said that attending drama school was essential for him to become the actor he wanted to be.

Because I consider them professional experiences (and because I'm acutely aware of his desire for privacy) the podcast will stay as much in the professional arena as I can possibly make it. He's talked quite a bit about this period of his life before, and I don't feel uncomfortable highlighting anything he's mentioned which happens to coincide with information I've discovered. Anything of a more personal nature which gets included in the podcast will have been measured against all of these factors before it gets added in. So all of that said, we come to an interesting bit of information about something David has definitely talked about and shared about it before - but which has no place in my podcast. So let's talk about it!

The lovely mizgnomer did a great little post a few years back which featured a photo set of David chatting about the near-death experience with appendicitis he had when he was a child (see below):

David's mentioned his appendix scar a few other times as well, and each time he speaks about it, the range of his age at the time of the attack varies by a few years - usually from age 8 to about 10. That's not surprising at all, of course, because for most of us, trying to narrow down some of the events in our childhood to specific time ranges can get a bit fuzzy. But I'm pretty sure I know when it happened.

Back in 1980, a society/organizational newspaper column entitled "Church News" appeared regularly in the Paisley Daily Express. This column often featured prominent figures in churches all over the community and were often framed as "One Week in the Working Life Of" these certain figures to debunk the myth that ministers only work on Sundays. One of these columns, published on 1 May 1980, featured a certain Rev. Sandy McDonald, the minister of St. Marks Oldhall.

That week, Sandy was busy recording a series of short services at his church which would later go out on STV. These were likely part of one of two religious television broadcasts he was a part of at the time: Late Call or That's The Spirit (both programs David has mentioned over the years).

The article goes on to document Sandy's busy week, speaking about his duties chairing festivals of praise and being principal speaker at church rallies and charity events. In between these duties, the article mentions, Sandy has to attend to all his pastoral duties, including meetings with his own church groups, and - and here is the important part - "visits to hospital patients (including his own son)."

The time at which this article was written implies one of Sandy's children was in the hospital in late April to early May of 1980. It's probably a safe bet to assume it was David: while it could have been either his elder brother or his elder sister, this does happen to fall pretty splendidly into the age range of "9 or 10" for his appendicitis scare which David has given in the past. David would have just turned 9 years old in mid-April of that year.

So there you have it. David was 9 years old when he suffered the bout of appendicitis - which burst, and brought him near death.

Thank goodness he made it!

[qs63]

Amestris Military Real world Influence

This is the third of my series of long posts about the Amestrian Military. This is the post for the history nerds. There are plenty of real world references in Fullmetal Alchemist, especially pertaining to the first half of the 20th century. While Amestris and its military have often been compared to Nazi Germany (especially when it comes to the anime), the references in the manga are very diverse. Disclaimer, this is by no means an exhaustive list, there are too many for me to cover in one post, and I'm not a historian. So let me know if there's any reference I might have missed or if I got something wrong!

To see the rest of this meta series check out the Main Post..

Names

Probably the easiest reference to the real world is in the names of the military personnel. Almost all of them are named after military vehicles and equipment, mainly from World War II. Some examples:

Roy Mustang — P-51 Mustang (USA WW2 aircraft)

Riza Hawkeye & Grumman — Northrop Hawkeye E-2 Grumman (USA 60s aircraft)

Maes Hughes — Hughes aircraft series (USA aircraft company)

Black Hayate — Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate (Japanese WW2 aircraft)

Jean Havoc & Henry Douglas— Douglas A-20 Havoc (USA WW2 aircraft)

Heymans Breda — Breda M37 (Italy WW2 Machine gun) or HMS Breda (UK WW2 Yacht)

Kain Fuery — Hawker Fury (UK 30s aircraft) 

Vato Falman — Farman aircrafts series (French aircraft company) 

Armstrong Family — Armstrong Whitworth Whitley (UK WW2 aircraft)

Weapons and equipment 

The weapons used by the military are also based on real world weaponry. Arakawa herself admitted to using references for weapons as well as for the vehicles.[1] Not all of them are a direct copy of a historical weapon, but all of them are at least inspired by one or more of them.

Pistol — Colt M1911A1 (USA 1924)

Hawkeye's pistol. [1]

Colt M1911 & M1911A

Rifle — Mauser Karabiner 98k (Germany WW2)

Hawkeye's Rifle. [1]

Mauser Karabiner 98k rifle

Hand grenade — Stielhandgranate M24 aka the potato mashers (Germany WW2)

Team Mustang's and their weapons. [1]

Stielhandgranate M24

Briggs' Tank

The Briggs' tank isn’t modeled directly after any specific tank, and rather takes inspiration from different WW1 to WW2 tanks. The manga and Brotherhood tanks take after different inspirations, with Brotherhood being more German coded than the manga tank. There's an excellent article in the tanks encyclopedia analyzing the Fullmetal Alchemist tanks if anyone's interested.

Military Cars —

We see a few military cars throughout the story. Once again the cars we see in the manga and Brotherhood are quite different, and they appear to be based on models from the late 1910s to the late 1930s.

The manga’s standard issued military car looks at least partially inspired by the American Ford model A of 1927.

Mustang's military car(manga).[2]

1927 Ford model A.

The Brotherhood art sketches have two different drawings of military cars. The first one, the one we see Mustang use, is based on the French Citroën traction avant 11CV of 1935.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood military vehicle version 1.

1935 French Citroën traction avant 11CV.

The second car seems to be inspired by the Italian Fiat Tipo 5 of the 1910s. Perhaps even inspired by one of the American made Fiat models.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood military vehicle version 2.

Fiat tipo 55.

Ranks and insignias 

With the exception of the Führer-President, the Amestrian military ranks appear to be a mix of the USA WW2 officer ranks: 

General, 

Lt. General, 

Major General, 

Brigadier General, 

Colonel, 

Lt. Colonel, 

Major, 

Captain, 

1st Lieutenant,

2nd lieutenant;

As well as the Imperial Japan NCO ranks: 

Warrant officer (Special Sergeant Major),

Master Sergeant, 

Sergeant, 

Corporal.

The history of the Imperial Japan  Warrant Officer rank is a bit confusing and complicated. In the 79 years that the Empire lasted, the Warrant Officer rank saw a lot of changes, being its own category at times, a Senior NCO at others.  The NCO Warrant Officers seem to have been specialized Sergeant Majors (also translated as Master Sergeant) that basically functioned as the most senior of the NCO ranks. Aside from this the one modern country, I could find, that has Warrant Officers as NCO is Malaysia.

The rank of Führer-President (大総統 - Daisōtō in Japanese) replaces the rank of General of the army in the USA officer classification. While the English translation is a direct reference to Nazi Germany, the Japanese word is a lot more nuanced. 

The word Daisōtō actually refers to the president of the 1912-1924 Republic of China, and if you Google it, all you will get is images of Bradley himself. The term used for “Führer” is 総統 (Sōtō), without the 大 (Dai) which is instead used in the word president 大統領 (Daitōryō), this is probably the inspiration for the Führer-president title of the official English translation. 

However, Sōtō isn't used to refer just to Nazi Germany's Führer, but rather to any fascist associated head of state. As such Germany's Sōtō is the Fuhrer, but Italy's Sōtō is the Duce (Mussolini).

The effect is technically the same (you still think of Hitler and fascism), but the Japanese word is not a direct translation of Führer, nor a direct reference to Nazi Germany, it's more subtle than the English translation. I imagine Führer was used in English (in absence of a more subtle unifying word) as it is more recognizable to the English speaker than other fascist titles like: Duce, Caudillo, Generalísimo, etc.

The WW2 imperial Japan ranks also included superior private, first class private, and second class private, but they were their own class, called soldiers, below the NCO ranks, and were mainly composed of men serving their conscripted time. This might explain their absence in the Amestrian official ranks as Amestris doesn't seem to have conscription. 

The rank insignias themselves are pretty much a copy of the imperial Japan ones. 

Amestris rank insignias.[3]

Imperial Japan ranks insignias.

Uniform

In terms of the uniform there's not one single reference or perfect match for the design, but the closest to it is probably the WW1 French infantry uniform.

Amestris military uniform. [1]

Early WW1 French uniform

Late WW1 French uniform

Aside from the color of the French uniform, the long skirt, flaps and boots are very similar to the Amestrian uniform.

The Amestrian short jacket itself seems to be inspired by the WW2 USA Ike jacket.

USA WW2 Ike jacket.

Furthermore the white lining of the Amestrian uniform reminds me of the Imperial Japan formal uniform jacket, which is itself Prussian and French inspired.

Imperial Japan Major General formal uniform.

The Briggs uniform is very much WWII winter gear inspired.

Briggs uniform.[3]

Soviet WW2 winter uniform

Finnish WWII sniper.

Out of every uniform variation, the one most German coded is, to no one's surprise, the Führer-president’s. His trench coat looks similar to the WW1 Prussian one.

Bradley in uniform.

WW1 Prussian soldiers.

In general the uniform has a very World War I vibe to it, down to the impractical, decorative parts of it like the skirt. This is an uniform that obviously predates modern warfare, very apt for the time period the story is “set on”. This makes an interesting contrast with the weaponry which seem to be mostly World War II inspired.

Other references

Ishval war of extermination 

First of all trigger warning for genocide and human experimentation. Just skip this section if you're sensible to these topics. 

Just like the Ishvalan are an amalgamation of many cultures and ethnicity, the Ishvalan civil war seems to reference multiple conflicts and events. 

Plenty of comparisons have been made with the Jewish genocide in the hands of the Nazi (and the 03 anime leans especially hard on this). There are also similarities with the Herero war and genocide at the hand of the German empire which just like the Ishval Civil war ended in 1908. Another possible reference is the Armenian genocide at the hands of the Ottoman empire, which also involved a minority living at the border of a nation the country was at war with and being suspected of colluding with the enemy. Both the Armenian and the Ishvalan soldiers serving in the army were dismissed, incarcerated, and eventually executed.

Another more clear cut reference made in the Ishval civil war is Mustang's and Knox’s experimentation. This would be a reference to the horrendous experiments done by both the Nazi and Japan's infamous unit 731. Both which included burning people to test treatments and the limits of the human body.

I am sorry to end up on such a hard note, but I think it's best we move on to other — less traumatic — topics.

Source

Fullmetal Alchemist Manga

Chapter 38: a counter attack signal [2]

The Complete art of Fullmetal Alchemist [1]

Fullmetal Alchemist perfect guide 3 [3]

Training Regime post

[nerdynuala]

It's been 84 years

84 years since my last levihan fanart

I know I'm very late to this, but it's based on that official art of sleeping Levi. Because I can't stand seeing him sleep without his Hange at his side.

That's all folks, see you in half a century again! Or maybe less this time, who knows ._.

[kaiowut99]

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX Episode 1 Subbed (Finalized Re-Release)

(Original Finalized Release Post)

(Check out my Subbed!GX Stream Masterpost!)

TURN-1: Yugi's Successor

On his way to the Entrance Exams for the Duel Academia High School, Judai Yuki meets the legendary duelist Yugi Mutou and receives a card from him. Running late, Judai arrives at the venue and requests to take his exam, but Instructor Chronos sees Judai's exam as pointless given his lackluster score on the written exam. A duel begins between Judai and Chronos, and Chronos's rare Antique Gear Golem card uses its powerful 3000 ATK to damage Judai. His back against the wall, Judai hears the voice of a Monster--which turns out to belong to the card he received from Yugi, Winged Kuriboh...

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

...I first posted the original finalized version of this episode almost 10 years ago??? Time is an illusion...

Fresh off the presses, it's a re-finalized version of my episode 1 subs! Well, probably re-re-re-re-finalized given my penchant for consistency and quality after previous revisions in the past 2-3 years, between fixing a handful of animation errors and terminology revisions... But this one merited a new post not so much for any updated translations, but because after casually skimming through this episode a while back, I noticed more animation errors, all card-related, that I'm now able to fix as I have for episodes since. You know the deal with this one, I'm sure; new kid on the block bumps into the Game King himself as he runs late for his Academia exam and manages to hit one of the school's best with his skills--literally. Fun opening episode to a fun series.

With this, I'm hoping to officially call this episode finalized for good, mainly because the kind of annoying thing about doing further revisions now is that, thanks to my solid-state drive (SSD) failing in October of 2022, I lost my personal copies of the episode scripts with the ATK/DEF counters I stylize and all, so it means I have to cut/stitch together different parts of the episode between the fixes I applied and the previous hardsub to account for the stat-counter subs or the eyecatch subs I started doing--since the softsub MKVs I release don't have those specific subs, they're easier to update. So I hopefully shouldn't be touching anything before episode 84 (the first one I finalized after getting a new drive) again and those can ideally be considered finalized for good. I'm hoping I can also give that title to 84-109 (where I currently am), but I'd like to think I didn't miss anything, lol.

Anyway, as mentioned, this revision applies several card-related fixes to the episode, some of which replicate fixes 4Kids did for the dub that I took a cue from. The fixes were added to the last DVDRip I released, subsequently made into a new softsub MKV, both of which will be up on NAC soon with the updated hardsub. List below the cut below as always, for the interested~ (Nice thing with some of these is that the frame rate was usually consistent, which meant that editing most panning shots and the occasional zoom shots were usually more of a breeze than later on, haha.)

Enjoy, folks; with this out of the way, since it's been about two weeks since 108 and 109 were finished up, I'll start setting up stuff for finalizing 110 while doing a little more TFSP work here/there before I fully start on 110 sometime next week. Stay tuned!

Fixes & Edits!

*The bolded edits below were applied back in 2021 and were added into the original release post; adding them here for completeness.

Applied a card back to an orange rectangle that was a face-down card during the panning shot of the Exam Duels going on over the episode’s opening narration as it fades to Chronos watching, repeating the edit as it pans back around again before fading to Manjoume and Ryou/Asuka watching.

As Misawa's exam proctor says that he stands no chance against his Super Defense Deck, the blank-art cards on his Disk for Big Shield Guardna and Gear Golem the Moving Fortress are reversed (the wider side for the effect box should be on the right). Fixed by applying proxies on them for a frame in AfterEffects, masking in the card outlines for blending, before taking that frame into Sony Vegas and zooming it out for the zoom shot here.

As Misawa's Ring of Destruction destroys Vorse Raider, we see the smoke rush onto the proctor's side of the field--and as we do, we can quickly see the blank-art Big Shield Guardna and Gear Golem cards on his Disk are again reversed before the smoke covers them. Fixed first in AfterEffects by slapping the proxies on for a frame, then in Vegas by taking that frame into and keyframing it to the rapid panning shot for most of its 17 frames. (Incidentally, throughout this scene, a different error happens in the dub, where aside from keeping the cards' orientation on the proctor's Disk incorrect, they also shuffle between Gear Golem and Big Shield Gardna being Normal or Effect Monsters--bit of an identity crisis!)

Fixed the error with Misawa’s LP dropping to zero after he uses Ring of Destruction to finish his Exam Duel; should have dropped to 1300.

After the proctor's LP drop to zero, he congratulates Misawa on his win, but the Gear Golem card on his Disk is reversed. Fixed first in AfterEffects by applying my proxy for a few frames, then taking one of those frames into Vegas to lightly keyframe as the shot pans left. (As a fun editing aside, I could tell 4Kids likely edited this in a similar way to how I did because as the cards fade out, you can briefly see some residue of Manjoume's hair outline on Big Shield Gardna's card which they didn't cover up; I definitely made sure I went the extra mile with redrawing the arena floor to cover that haha.)

After Misawa thanks the proctor, we zoom out to Manjoume in the stands as the Solid Vision fades out, but the cards under Big Shield Guardna and Gear Golem are--you guessed it--reversed. Fixed in a few ways, with the goal being to redo Big Shield Guardna and Gear Golem fading out--first, in Vegas, I took the first frame after they're gone and zoomed it into place at the start of the zoom, which let me cover up Gear Golem and most of Big Shield Guardna, but because Manjoume's hair moves upward as the shot zooms out, doing this means I couldn't fully cover it. So, I then took this first post-fadeout frame into Photoshop, where I used the Clone Tool to duplicate the arena floor and cover up the rest of Big Shield Guardna, reinserting it into Vegas and applying the zoom keyframes I did to the earlier frames to it--this lets my edited frame properly zoom out with the shot. Once done, I went into AfterEffects and applied the Big Shield and Gear Golem proxies onto the shot's first frame, masking them above the cards, then took that frame into Vegas to zoom out with the shot (rather easily, luckily, thanks to the frame rate note I mentioned up top), masked out Big Shield and Gear Golem and made them fade out into the edited frame in the layer below. With that set, all I had left was to go back and mask Manjoume's hair back above the edits for the duration of the fade, which was pretty easy, and boom goes the dynamite.

After Judai's duel with Chronos starts, he summons out Elemental Hero Featherman, but the card gets placed reversed on his Disk. Fixed in AfterEffects by applying a proxy first to one frame during the initial light zoom-out in the shot, taking the fixed frame into Vegas to re-zoom and hold once the zoom was over.

Chronos reacts to Featherman's summon, and as Featherman lands in front of Judai, his card on his Disk is reversed again, but also as the screen pans right, for a few frames as Judai moves to then place a card face-down, the shadow under his left leg goes from being more gray to black, turning back to gray once he stops moving. Fixed in AfterEffects first by placing a correctly facing proxy on his Disk for a frame, which I then took into Vegas and re-panned into the shot; while in Vegas, I then masked in the gray leg shadow over the black, masking in part of Featherman's ATK/DEF counter over the edit to blend it in.

In the next shot, as Judai ends his turn and their LP counters pop up, the Featherman card under him on the field is reversed; fixed in AfterEffects by slapping in a proxy, masking Featherman back in above it.

[cont below]

(10) After Chronos uses Confiscation, as he sends Judai's Revival of the Dead/Monster Reborn to his Cemetery, a few things happen: 1) the Featherman card on his field under him on the field is facing Chronos in Attack Mode, and 2) it's in the wrong Zone on Judai's Disk, as it should be in Monster Zone 3. I fixed this a few ways, first fixing the Featherman-on-field aspect in AfterEffects, applying a Defense-Mode proxy under Featherman and masking him and Judai back over it; I then took a cue from 4Kids and took the frame immediately after his Cemetery stops being lit up (but before Judai starts to move) and the frames as Judai moves into Photoshop, where I copied the empty Zone 1 into place over Zone 2, blending it in with some minor editing, and combined it with the AfterEffects edit I then did by applying a Featherman proxy in Defense Mode to Zone 3. After throwing everything into Vegas, I then applied some masking to a solid-white color layer to replicate the lights coming from Judai's Cemetery slot (helped by the fact that, luckily, the lights don't move). (The dub, for their part, only handled the Disk aspect, applying a weird light to cover up their Zone 2 edit while the Graveyard was lit up, leaving the Featherman card on the field as it originally was, OCG format and all lol.)

(11) Chronos activating Heavy Storm causes a huge storm of wind on the field, and as it gets to Judai's field, we see that the Defense-Mode Featherman card on the field under Featherman is reversed. Fixed first in AfterEffects, applying a proxy in a frame where most of the card was visible and masking Featherman back above it, then taking that frame into Vegas where I first redid the panning that happens, then I created a solid-color layer colored like the wind and applied some masking to replicate the gusts of wind that blow over the card.

(12) After Chronos summons his Wicked Lord Tokens and the crowd reacts, the smoke on the field from their summon simmers down, but the Featherman card under Featherman is reversed again. Fixed in AfterEffects by applying a correctly facing proxy and then masking Featherman back on top.

(13) After the commercial break, fixed the error with a Ra Yellow student’s miscolored jacket as he and the others watch Antique Gear Golem being summoned, thanks to thepalebride’s help.

(14) After crowd reaction to Antique Gear Golem being summoned, Asuka looks out onto the field and says she unfortunately heard the sound of the Academia's gates closing shut for Judai--as she does, we see that the blank-art card under Featherman is reversed. Fixed first in AfterEffects by applying a proxy under him in the first frame of the shot and masking him back on top, then taking that frame into Vegas where I re-panned it as the shot pans upward.

(15) After a brief blush, Judai summons out Winged Kuriboh, but he places it reversed on his Disk--and in the very next shot, it's correctly facing such that its name box is to our left. Fixed in AfterEffects by applying a proxy as he places it on his Disk, masking his fingers over it.

(16) After Antique Gear Golem destroys Winged Kuriboh and Judai tells Chronos that it reduces his damage to zero--to Asuka's shock--Judai takes Winged Kuriboh off his Disk and places it in his Cemetery slot in a quick shot, but the card is reversed again. Also fixed by 4Kids, I fixed this in AfterEffects by applying a proxy facing correctly in the frames in which Judai moves it.

(17) After summoning Flame Wingman, and after some taunting from Chronos, Judai activates an arena as heroic as he is in Skyscraper, but as he does so, Flame Wingman is missing from his Disk, as it should be in Zone 3. Fixed first in AfterEffects by applying a proxy (after finding the best-quality screenshot of Wingman's anime art and touching it up using an AI tool [I think I settled on Waifu]), fading it in as the scene fades from the Judai closeup to Judai about to swing his Disk around, and adding it as he does so, then applying a brightening and dimming as the Solid Vision lights go on around him. Once I did that, I went into Vegas and applied some masking on the little flickers that pop up over that zone to blend the edit in. (Side-Note: while dubifying the Skyscraper card in Judai's hand, 4Kids forgot to mask in his thumb over it, begging the question... how is Jaden holding that?)

(18) Fixed the blank Normal Monster card that should be Flame Wingman, both as Antique Gear Golem crashes onto Chronos and as the duel fades to an end.

[blackboard-monitor]

book review: kirjeitä tove janssonilta [letters from tove] by boel westin & helen svensson (eds.)

Tove Jansson (1914-2001), for the uninitiated was a Finnish painter, author and illustrator, best known as the creator of the Moomins. She had an illustrious 70-year career, publishing her first works at 14 and last at 84.

Kirjeitä Tove Janssonilta (Brev från Tove Jansson in the original Swedish) is a collection of letters written by Tove throughout her life, spanning from the early 1930s all the way to the late 1980s. These letters form a sort of biography, recounting the various stages of Jansson's life, both personal and professional. She writes to her parents, her close friends, her various (male and female) lovers, and her publisher turned friend. She describes her travels, her art and the work of creating it, her love affairs, the Second World War, her summers in the Pellinki archipelago on the Southern coast of Finland, and the growing popularity of the Moomin franchise.

I currently work at the Moomin Museum, and I picked this book up at work to learn more about Jansson's life and to pass the time when it's slow. I read bits and pieces over the course of several months, looking for spots in the dimly-lit museum where there's enough light to read. And I enjoyed it very much, which is why I'm writing a book review for the first time in years.

I already knew the broad strokes of Tove Jansson's life, but the letters, written in her own voice, helped me get to know her as a complex, three-dimensional human being. Some things made me like her less and some things were deeply relatable, but having read the whole thing, I feel I know who Jansson was as a person and not just as a public figure. Her wartime letters were also a great insight into how life went on even as bombs were falling and her brother and boyfriend at the time were at the front.

The most enjoyable part of Tove's letters was not that they were interesting and informative historical documents, but the way she often managed to describe what felt like universally relatable human experiences in such an apt way. Here's a couple memorable exerpts (English translation by me):

"Ja silti – loma on kuin kevät; kaivattu ja ihana, mutta aina liian lyhyt, ilon alla aina niin äärimmäisen melankolinen." [And yet – vacation is like the spring; longed-for and wonderful, but always too short, underneath the joy always so extremely melancholy.]

“Ehkä voisin lähteä Klovharulle yksin kun kaikki on ohi ja kaikki ovat matkustaneet...? Mutten kerro sitä kenellekään, he vain huolestuisivat miten pärjään yksin. Kuka huolestuu siitä miten minä pärjään seurassa!?” [Maybe I could go to Klovharu by myself when everything is over and everyone has travelled...? But I won't tell anyone, they would only worry about how I'll manage by myself. Who will worry about how I'll manage in company!?]

The introduction to each section of letters by the two editors are fairly informative but not that in-depth, so I don't know that I would recommend this book for someone with no prior knowledge of Tove Jansson or her work (for that I suggest Boel Westin's Tove Jansson. Life, Art, Words), but for anyone with a passing knowledge who is looking for a more nuanced understanding of Tove's life and relationships, this collection of letters is a must-read.

Rating: 9/10

[greensparty]

Concert Review: Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band

Wed. 9/18/24 @ Chevalier Theatre (Medford, MA)

Sir Ringo (center) and his All-Starr Band

What more can you say about Sir Ringo Starr? At 84, he is still an active musician and performer in his own right and not just the drummer for The Beatles who occasionally sang on select songs. I have been fortunate enough to cover not only The Beatles (most recently with the reissue of the Red and Blue albums late last year), but also Sir Ringo's solo output including 2019's What's My Name, 2022's EP3, 2023's Rewind Forward, and this year's Crooked Boy. I was lucky enough to see him live in 2010 on his 70th birthday where his old bandmate Paul McCartney came out for the encore and performed "Birthday" with him. For my second time seeing him in 2022 he was at the Boch Center and it blew me away to see someone in his 80s singing and drumming like he was in his 20s. At the very last minute, I got to cover Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band's only MA show on a Fall tour in the same week I got to see Jane's Addiction and Pearl Jam. What a week!

All-Starr Band with their starry background

Over time it has become cool to poke fun at Sir Ringo, but his solo career is criminally underrated. As a member of The Beatles, he gets loads of respect, but as a solo artist he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. He has to live up to the Fab Four and each of their solo careers, but he has actually made some great solo albums. In 1989, Starr toured with a supergroup Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band. Each of the band members takes turns doing some of their hits in addition to backing Starr as he does his solo and Beatle hits. The line-up of the All-Starr Band has changed over the years, but the group is still going strong. This lineup features Toto's Steve Lukather (an All-Starr since 2012), Men at Work's Colin Hay (an All-Starr in 2003, 2008 and since 2018), Average White Band and Paul McCartney's band (in the late 80s/early 90s) Hamish Stuart (an All-Starr 2006-2008 and since 2018), David Lee Roth alum Gregg Bissonette (an All-Starr since 2008), Kansas and Toto alum Warren Ham (an All-Starr since 2014) and Aerosmith touring member Buck Johnson (newest All-Starr). The only difference in this lineup since I saw them in 2022 is that Edgar Winter wasn't there, Buck Johnson was filling in. Ringo did his solo hits "It Don't Come Easy", "I'm the Greatest", "Back Off Boogaloo", and "Photograph" as well as Beatle hits "Yellow Submarine", "Octopus's Garden", "I Wanna Be Your Man" and "With a Little Help From My Friends". He also did cover songs he's closely affiliated with like Carl Perkins' "Matchbox" (which The Beatles did in 1964), and The Shirelles' "Boys" (which The Beatles covered in 1963). Each member got their chance to shine too with Lukather singing Toto hits, Stuart doing Average White Band hits, and Hay doing Men at Work hits. Of all the non-Ringo / Beatle songs, I found the Men at Work hits to be the strongest.

Sir Ringo singing

Sir Ringo drumming

I don't know how much longer Sir Ringo is going to be touring and performing for, so any chance to see him is exciting. He sings lead and sometimes plays drums and he's a born entertainer! There is an element of a Vegas show vibe to this, but what's wrong with that? I do wish they'd incorporate some of Ringo's output since the 70s into set, but he's giving the audience what they want. This was my third time seeing the All-Starr Band and it was a blast. The first time is among my most legendary concert moments ever to get to see two Beatles onstage together. The second show I got to see in the same week as a Sir Paul concert. Bottom line: it's hard to compare to both of those concert experiences, but this was quite a show!

For info on Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band