#i wanted to animate segments from ‘’‘ ready for this’‘

[jhyoos]

Dreams Come True

Chapter 6: Unconditionally

hockeyplayer! vi x idol!reader

summary: fans find out about you and vi’s relationship, but she’s a country away

mentions: angst, panic attacks, fluff, fame au, modern au

notes: I hope y’all are bundled up for the people that are experiencing the cold front rn. And my heart goes out to everyone who lost their home from the fire in California! 🫶🩷

Getting ready for the meet and greet felt strange. From the moment you stepped into the venue, it seemed like everyone was walking on eggshells around you. Mel and the rest of your group members kept checking in, offering reassuring smiles and casual questions like, "You good? Need anything?" Even the makeup and wardrobe staff seemed overly attentive, constantly fussing over small details that normally wouldn’t have mattered. You appreciated their care—it came from a good place—but deep down, you just wanted to feel normal again, not like someone everyone had to keep an eye on.

When the time came to step out on stage, you were blown away by the turnout. The venue was packed to capacity, and even more fans crowded into standing areas, clearly having paid extra to get as close as possible. The energy was electric, and the roar of cheers when your group appeared sent a wave of warmth through you. You couldn’t help but smile as you scanned the crowd, their signs, banners, and glowing lights all meant to show love and appreciation.

The meet and greet itself went off without a hitch. Fans were respectful, kind, and incredibly enthusiastic. Each member of the group got equal attention, with fans taking time to gush over everyone’s talents and personalities. The gifts were overwhelming: stuffed animals, handmade crafts, letters, and even a few bouquets. One fan had made a scrapbook of the group’s achievements over the years, and everyone had to take a moment to admire the thought and care put into it. It was a reminder of how deeply your music touched people.

Still, there was an emptiness lingering in your chest. Vi wasn’t there. She was across the country, competing in a major hockey game. You were proud of her, of course, but you couldn’t help but miss her. It had been days since you’d last seen her, and though she tried to call or text whenever she could, it wasn’t the same.

But there wasn’t much time to dwell on it. Your schedule for the week was packed. There were acapella renditions of your debut album to rehearse and record, talk show appearances to prepare for, and photoshoots for magazines and the company’s promotional campaigns. The constant rush of activity was exhausting, but it kept your mind off things, at least for a while.

On a Saturday, your group had a gig with a popular talk show to perform and chat with the hosts. The experience was exhilarating—the hosts were welcoming, the audience was lively, and it felt amazing to showcase your group's music to such a wide platform. The performance went flawlessly, and the interview segment brought a lot of laughs and heartwarming moments, solidifying the bond your group shared in the public eye.

When the show ended and you were leaving the building, a wave of fans awaited you outside, their excitement palpable as they cheered for your group. You followed your members out, but as you stepped through the door, you couldn’t help but notice the cheers weren’t as loud for you. The realization hit you like a cold gust of wind, making your heart sink. You pushed through the uneasy feeling, plastering a smile on your face as you waved to the crowd and joined your group in the waiting van.

Inside the van, your group members settled into their seats, chattering about the performance and the fans. Steb, your manager, climbed in after you, shutting the door firmly behind him. The lively energy in the van was quickly replaced with a heavy tension when Steb sat directly across from you, his expression serious. He leaned forward, holding out his tablet.

“There’s an article,” he began. “With a lot of evidence about you and some hockey player…dating.”

Your stomach dropped as you hesitantly took the tablet from him. It was a TMZ article, complete with all the hallmarks of a scandalous exposé. The text messages featured in the article were clearly hacked, showing snippets of private conversations between you and Vi. There was also a side-by-side photo comparison of you wearing Vi’s hoodie the night of your attack and Vi wearing the same hoodie during a halftime appearance at one of her games. But the most damning evidence was a photo of you and Vi outside your apartment door, mid-kiss.

"Fuck," you muttered under your breath, your hands tightening around the tablet. The weight of the situation felt suffocating.

You glanced at Mel, who was sitting beside you, her concerned eyes scanning the article over your shoulder. She noticed your reaction and gave you a reassuring rub on your back. “It’ll be okay,” she said softly, trying to ease your nerves.

Steb took the tablet back, his face unreadable. “What’s the plan?” he asked.

You exhaled sharply, leaning back against your seat. “Set up a press conference for me, Steb. I’ll figure it out there,” you replied, your voice steady despite the anxiety bubbling inside.

Steb nodded, sliding the tablet back into his bag. “I’ll get it arranged.”

Mel turned to you, her brow furrowed with worry. “What are you going to say?” she asked, her voice low to avoid alarming the others.

You bit your lip, looking down at your hands. “I don’t know,” you admitted. “I just want to make sure it doesn’t affect you guys any more than it already has. I’ll take responsibility…this is on me.”

The group had fallen silent, their attention now focused on you. You looked at Mel again, guilt weighing heavily on your chest. “I’m really sorry, you guys. Especially you, Mel.”

Mel gave you a small smile and shook her head. “You don’t have to apologize. Just focus on being honest. We’ll handle the rest together.”

Her words brought you a small sense of comfort, but the lingering unease about the situation made it hard to fully relax. As the van drove away from the venue, you stared out the window, mentally preparing yourself for the storm ahead.

When you got home to your apartment, the silence felt deafening. The weight of the day clung to you like a heavy cloak, suffocating and inescapable. Dropping your bag by the door, you walked to the couch and sank into it, hoping for a brief escape from the chaos. Grabbing the remote, you turned on the TV, flipping through channels without much thought.

But as soon as the screen settled on a news station, your stomach dropped. The same incriminating photos from the article—Vi’s hoodie, the kiss outside your apartment—were plastered on the screen, accompanied by speculation and commentary. The bright, intrusive graphics felt like a spotlight exposing your vulnerability to the world.

With a frustrated groan, you quickly turned off the TV, tossing the remote onto the couch beside you. You leaned forward, burying your face in your hands as the emotions overwhelmed you. Hot tears streamed down your cheeks as the stress of everything finally broke through. The constant pressure of being in the public eye, the fear of how this might impact your group and career, and the vulnerability of having your personal life laid bare—it was too much all at once.

Your phone buzzed in your pocket, pulling you from your spiral. Sniffling, you pulled it out and saw the name on the screen: “My Violet 🫶.” For a moment, you hesitated. You didn’t want to drag Vi into your breakdown, but the familiar name and the thought of her voice gave you the tiniest glimmer of comfort.

Taking a shaky breath, you answered. “Vi?”

“Yeah, cupcake,” her voice came through, soft and grounding. “I know. I saw the article, and I’m on my way back to the States right now. We’ll figure this out together, okay? I love you so much.”

Her words made your chest ache. “Vi…” you began, your voice trembling. “Wait. I have a press conference tomorrow, and…I’m going to decide what to do. What’s best for both of us.”

There was a pause, the silence on her end filled with her hesitation. You could imagine her trying to find the right words. “Do what you feel is best,” she finally said, her voice steady but carrying a weight of unspoken emotion.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Vi,” you admitted, your voice breaking as fresh tears threatened to spill.

“No matter what you do, I’ll always be here,” she assured you, her tone firm and unwavering. “I love you.”

Before you could respond, the line disconnected. You stared at the phone in your hand, the screen fading to black. Her words echoed in your mind, offering some comfort but also adding to the storm of emotions swirling inside you.

You curled up on the couch, holding your knees to your chest, as exhaustion crept over you. The silence returned, but this time it felt heavier, laced with uncertainty about what the next day would bring.

The next day, the press conference room buzzed with anticipation. As you prepared in the small green room beforehand, the reality of what you were about to do sank in. You stood before the mirror, adjusting your outfit for the hundredth time���a simple but professional ensemble meant to exude confidence you didn’t quite feel.

Your hands trembled as you smoothed the fabric of your blazer, and you met your own eyes in the reflection. "You’ve got this," you whispered to yourself, taking a deep breath. "This is just another performance. Just get through it."

But no matter how many times you tried to steady yourself, the pit in your stomach remained. You ran a hand through your hair, adjusted your earrings, and straightened your posture. After one final glance in the mirror, you walked out to meet your manager, Steb, who was waiting for you by the door.

The press conference room was alive with energy. Bright camera flashes and the low hum of murmurs filled the space as you stepped onto the stage, flanked by your manager. The air was heavy with expectation, every pair of eyes fixed on you as you took your place at the long table.

You sat down, your heart pounding as you adjusted the microphone in front of you. Steb sat beside you, his presence steady and calm, but the tension in the room was suffocating.

"Good afternoon, everyone," you began, your voice steady despite the anxiety bubbling beneath the surface. "Thank you for being here today. As many of you know, there have been recent rumors circulating about my personal life. I’m here to address them directly."

The floodgates opened almost immediately, questions firing off from all corners of the room.

"How long have you known Violet?" one reporter asked.

You cleared your throat, forcing a small smile. "We’ve known each other since freshman year of college," you answered.

"And how did you meet?" another voice chimed in.

"We had the same English class," you replied, your voice more confident now. "We supported each other through it—late-night study sessions, group projects, and everything in between."

The questions kept coming, each one more pointed than the last. You handled them with as much composure as you could muster, giving measured and thoughtful answers. But then came the question you had been dreading.

"Let’s get straight to the point," a reporter said, leaning forward eagerly. "What’s the nature of your relationship? Are you dating? Friends? Friends with benefits?"

The room fell silent, the weight of the question pressing down on you like a physical force. Your heart raced, and for a moment, all you could hear was the sound of your own breathing.

You looked out at the sea of expectant faces, and then at Steb, whose expression remained neutral but supportive. This was the moment everything could change—your career, your group’s reputation, your carefully crafted image.

But as you thought about the truth and what it meant to you, a calmness settled over you. You’d worked so hard to get where you were, but you also knew that living a lie wasn’t sustainable.

With a deep breath, you leaned forward to the mic. "Yes," you said, your voice firm and clear. "We’re dating."

The room erupted into a flurry of murmurs, cameras clicking wildly as reporters scrambled to capture the moment. You held up a hand to quiet the room, taking another breath before continuing.

"We’ve been dating for a few weeks now. I understand this might come as a surprise to many of you, but I want to be honest—not just for my sake, but for everyone who has supported me along the way."

"Do you worry this will impact her career as much as yours?"

You froze for a split second, the gravity of the question settling over you. Steeling yourself, you met the reporter’s gaze.

"Of course, it’s a concern," you admitted. "We’re both very dedicated to our careers, and we’ve worked hard to get where we are. But we’ve also talked about this. We’re committed to supporting each other, no matter what. That’s what a partnership is—standing by each other through the highs and lows."

The room quieted, all eyes locked on you as you continued.

"Look," you continued, your voice softer, yet firm, "I know that to many of you, we’re just faces on a screen or people you cheer for from afar. Vi is an incredible athlete, and I’m part of a group that’s had the privilege to share our music with the world. But we are so much more than the images you see or the personas we put out there."

You paused, your gaze sweeping the room, making eye contact with some of the reporters as you gathered your thoughts.

"We’re human," you continued, your voice cracking slightly but growing stronger. "We have feelings. We have fears, dreams, and lives that exist outside of the spotlight. Vi is more than just a hockey star—she’s a person with the biggest heart I’ve ever known. She’s been there for me when I felt like I had no one else. We were together before…but fate brought us back together. She’s made me laugh when I couldn’t find a reason to smile. She’s been my rock, my safe space. And I hope I’ve been that for her too."

A few reporters leaned forward, their pens still, as they listened intently.

"I understand that this is shocking for some of you," you went on, swallowing hard. "But for me, love isn’t something I can just put on hold or hide because of what other people might think. It’s real, and it’s messy, and it’s terrifying sometimes. But it’s also the most beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced."

You paused again, your hands gripping the edge of the table as you steadied your breath.

"Vi and I... we didn’t ask for this attention. We didn’t plan for our relationship to become public this way. In fact, we haven’t even confirmed our relationship to ourselves yet. But now that it’s out there, I want you all to know that we’re not just some headline. We’re two people who care deeply about each other. And we’re asking for the chance to live our lives—our real lives—without judgment or assumptions."

A lump formed in your throat, but you pushed past it, your voice unwavering.

"I also want to say this to my fans or just over all AURORA fans," you added, looking directly into one of the cameras. "I love you all. I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am, and I’m so grateful for your support. But I also hope you’ll remember that I’m a person, just like you. I have a heart that beats for the things I’m passionate about—music, my group, and yes, the person I love. I hope you can continue to stand by us as we navigate this new chapter."

You leaned back, your heart still racing as the reporters clamored for more questions. But you tuned them out, focusing on the sense of relief washing over you. For the first time in a long time, you felt like you were being true to yourself.

Steb placed a hand on your shoulder, his silent gesture of support grounding you. As you left the stage, the cameras continued to flash, but you walked away with your head held high. No matter what came next, you knew you had faced the truth—and that was something no one could take away from you.

The moment you stepped off the stage, the tension in your body began to dissolve. The green room was a welcome reprieve from the blinding lights and relentless questions. You let out the breath you hadn’t realized you were holding, tugging at your tie and tossing it onto the desk.

"Jesus Christ…" you murmured, running a hand through your hair as you tried to compose yourself.

"Jesus Christ indeed, cupcake," came a familiar, teasing voice behind you.

You spun around and saw Vi leaning casually against the doorframe, her sharp features softened by the warm smile on her face. Relief washed over you.

"Thank God," you said, moving toward her without hesitation. Your arms immediately wrapped around her neck, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"I missed you so much," you murmured into her shoulder, inhaling the comforting scent of her familiar cologne.

Her strong arms circled your waist as she pressed a kiss to the top of your head. "You were so brave out there," she whispered, her voice filled with pride and love. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Violet. I love you more than anything," you replied, pulling back slightly to look at her.

Her blue eyes searched yours for a moment before she leaned in, capturing your lips in a kiss that was both tender and passionate. You melted into her, one hand resting on her cheek while the other clung to her jacket. The kiss deepened, filled with all the emotion and unspoken words that had been building between you. It felt like the world outside didn’t exist, just the two of you in that moment.

When you finally pulled apart, breathless and with your forehead resting against hers, Vi smirked. "You know they’re probably going to write about this too."

You chuckled softly. "Let them. I don’t care anymore."

She kissed you again, softer this time, before grabbing your hand. "Come on, let’s get out of here before someone barges in."

The two of you exited the green room hand in hand, but the moment you stepped outside the building, a swarm of paparazzi descended. Flashing cameras and shouted questions filled the air as photographers jostled for a better shot.

The security guards pushed the crowd back, creating a path for the two of you. Despite the chaos, Vi kept her arm around your waist, holding you close as she guided you toward her car.

"Over here!" one of the guards called, opening the passenger door. Vi helped you inside, her hand lingering on yours for a moment before she closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side.

Once inside, the noise of the crowd was muffled, and you let out a sigh of relief. Vi glanced over at you, a soft smile playing on her lips as she reached over to squeeze your hand.

"You okay?" she asked, her voice low and comforting.

"Yeah," you replied, looking at her and feeling a sense of calm wash over you. "I’m okay now."

"Good," she said, starting the car. "Because you’re stuck with me for the rest of the day."

"Best news I’ve had all week," you said with a small laugh, leaning back in your seat as she pulled away from the chaos and into the streets.

Your company decided it was best for you to take a brief, secret hiatus to let everything settle down after the press conference. You didn’t protest—this was the perfect opportunity to relax and reconnect with the people you loved. For a few days, you surrounded yourself with your family, Vi, and Vi’s family, cherishing every moment of normalcy and peace.

One highlight of the hiatus was Vi finally meeting your parents properly. Despite your initial nervousness, they welcomed her with open arms, immediately putting her at ease. Vi, usually so confident, seemed genuinely touched by their warmth, and you couldn’t help but smile as your worlds started to blend seamlessly.

On another day, you visited Vi’s family, where you were already a familiar and beloved presence. As soon as you stepped through the door of Vander and Silco’s cozy home, you were met with literal open arms. Vander immediately pulled you into a bear hug, his hearty laughter filling the room.

"Welcome back, superstar," he said, ruffling your hair like he always did.

"Thank you, Vander," you said, laughing as you gently swatted his hand away.

Silco, ever the reserved one, gave you a knowing smirk from the doorway to the kitchen. "That press conference you had—it’s everywhere. Kudos to you for handling it with such poise."

"Thank you, Silco," you said, your cheeks warming slightly.

Before you could say more, you heard a familiar soft giggle from behind you. You turned to see Isha, Vi’s younger sister, running up to you with her arms outstretched.

"Hi, Isha!" you said warmly as you bent down to hug her.

Isha, though mute, was one of the most expressive and intelligent kids you’d ever met. At just her young age, she was already tackling middle school math and doing science projects for fun. Her enthusiasm and brilliance always left you in awe.

As you stood back up, the sound of a door opening caught your attention. Jinx and Ekko emerged from her room, and Jinx’s mischievous grin lit up the hallway.

"Hi!" she said as she bounded over to hug you tightly. "You’ve been MIA."

"Hi, Tinker. I haven’t seen you in a while either. You too, Ekko," you said with a smile as Ekko gave you a casual wave.

"I’m a busy man," Ekko replied with a smirk, leaning against the wall.

"Oh, please," Jinx interjected with a dramatic eye roll. "He has nothing on his plate but his own ego."

You laughed, shaking your head at their usual banter. "Ekko, I owe you my life, seriously. As soon as my long-awaited check comes in, I’m buying you something. Name your price."

"Don’t worry about it," he said, but you could see the playful glint in his eyes. "But if you insist, I’ll start making a list."

The warmth and familiarity of their home wrapped around you like a blanket. Vander soon returned with a tray of drinks, while Silco called everyone into the kitchen for dinner preparations. You felt a profound sense of comfort, knowing that no matter how overwhelming the outside world could get, you had this—these people who cared for you without pretense, who saw you for more than just your fame.

And most importantly, you had Vi, whose hand brushed yours under the table as you shared a quiet smile, both of you basking in the simple joy of being surrounded by family.

taglist : @val-k13 @ren-ren23 @snowbunnyboo @taurtel @justsomegaygirlig @alex-thegiraffeboyy @tobiotruther @krilara @veladeangl @maruiin

[pinkiepig]

More animation wips :D

[sunnycantaloupe]

"Since when was this marriage valid?!" Piece 2

Malleus's segment

This with Malleus, who as a young child was able to evade his caretakers and find himself in the forest near the palace. Hood over his head, he explored the area, admiring the wildflowers and trees. He was saddened when the small woodland creatures would run from him, but he didn't let it dampen his mood.

As he walked, he eventually came across a semi small clearing. In the middle of it, sat you as a child, making flower crowns and trying (along with failing) to climb trees in order to get to the birds on them. He wasn't sure if he should approach, thinking back to the times earlier when the animals evaded him. Before he could make a decision, you spotted him.

Instead of running, you eagerly approached him. You talked about how you couldn't see his face, but that you didn't care and asked him to join you. He nodded, very happy that you didn't run away out of fear.

For the next hour or so, you taught him how to make flower crowns, how to get the birds to come to him (which did not work), and other trivial stuff. Eventually, he took off his hood, expecting you to run away in fear or embarrassment because of his status. Your actual reaction made him so, so happy.

You stared wide eyed before excitedly going on about how "pretty" he was. How he must be a prince (you didn't recognize him????) for him to look so cool. How you were so glad to have him as a new friend now. Malleus was awestruck as he watched you flutter around him excitedly.

At one point, you claimed that you wanted him to marry you. When Malleus asked why, you said it was because you were never going to let him forget you, and that marriage was the only way to ensure that (you were a kid, give yourself some slack). That made sense to him, so he agreed.

You both picked a wild flower that you liked best and used some magic to preserve it. Then, you exchanged it with each other, you giving him a smile.

You two had been playing for hours, and it began to get dark. You heard your mother call out for you to come home, along with Malleus hearing footsteps coming from behind him. You both said goodbye, you telling him that "you'll know I'm home if the chimney is on!".

The week that followed was a very happy week for the both of you. You told your parents about your new "husband", which they laughed off and joked that you would have to bring him home eventually. Malleus told his caretaker about you, who seemed to already know and cheekily asked if he had fun. You would meet everyday, you bringing him snacks for him to try and him bringing his favorite book for you to read.

All was well, until one day you came to him in tears. You told him about how your parents were going to take you far away, and that you wouldn't be able to see him anymore. You confessed that they talked about how you had a "bad memory", and that you were scared you were going to wake up one day and not remember him. He comforted you as best he could, and assured you that it was ok. "I can remember for the both of us." he said, which cheered you up a bit.

With that, you waved him goodbye for the last time, promising him that you would come back. As your family packed up, you gave the preserved flower a hug before putting it away in your luggage. By the time night fell, your family was gone.

...

Many, many years have passed since then, and Malleus was newly appointed as the king of Briar Valley, after his grandmother stepped down. He was prepared all his life for this, and his grandmother deemed him ready.

Growing up, he always looked out his window. He was keeping an eye out for smoke in the forest near his castle, looking for any sign that you came back. He kept his flower preserved over the years, keeping it on his bedside table next to him while he slept every night.

One day, after his duties, he retired to his chambers. It wasn't quite late in the day, but he was still tired. At that moment, his advisor (the cheeky one that used to be one of his caretakers) suggested that he looked out his window. As he did, his eyes widened. There was smoke.

You had come back, albeit a few weeks ago. Many years have gone by and your parents let you have the small cottage that you grew up in, after you expressed interest in returning to Briar Valley. Soon after, you packed up your stuff and moved back. Nostalgia flooded your mind as you walked through that forest, through the small clearing, and up the steps to the cottage door.

You placed the preserved flower on your bedside table, in the same spot where you put it as a kid. Due to your now diagnosed memory problem, you couldn't remember exactly why you had it, just that it was given to you by someone you cared about. In fact, this mystery person was the reason you even came back. You were always someone that trusted your gut, so you went with that assumption.

The first weeks you were back home were spent cleaning up the place. It had been unoccupied for a really long time (by human standards at least), so it needed a little tidying up. By the time you had finished, a few weeks went by and you decided to enjoy the newly cleaned space by lighting up the old chimney and sipping some tea you bought in town.

Life went by peacefully...until one day when you were trying to make bread yourself, there was loud knocking at the door. You had half the mind to give the visitor hell, and you were ready to do that until you opened the door and came face to face with two royal guards.

At first, you freaked out. You thought you were in trouble somehow, because why else would the royal guard be at your doorstep. Before you could freak out further, the louder of the two guards opened a scroll, loudly proclaiming that your attendance was urgently requested by the newly appointed king, so that you may be formally crowned as his spouse.

See? He told you that he could remember for the both of you.

A/N: Here's Mal's piece! Funfact, his, Leona's, and Idia's segments are the only ones that take place in the original twst universe. Happy reading!

[wings-of-ink]

Update!

Hey everyone, just wanted to check in with you. I hope you all doing well!

Right now, I am feeling good about getting chapter 3 out by 4/30. It's a crunch for sure, but barring any disasters in the work itself or my personal life, I feel like it is doable. My aim is to get it to a point where it is release-worthy but will still need fine tuning after the fact. I generally like to edit things a couple times at least and have it play-tested, but I won't have time for all that. But, this is a work in progress, and I can always make improvements as I go. There are also a couple segments that I did not have time to add, but they're not pivotal to the story. I will add them if I find the time before the 30th (sorry to those who wanted to make a tasty cake for someone).

So far, I have gone through chapters 1 and 2 again and made some corrections to typos and grammar. I added a white hair option with some flavor text, and some other flavor text for purple eyes. The option to have your MC's hair turn grey (streaked or fully grey) from stress/illness was added, but I did not do it in the way I needed to, so if I have time, I'm going to fix that before release. I also updated some of the variable values of certain choices. A name bank was added for anyone who might struggle to come up with a name for their MC. I made all but one of them correspond to the marks. There's a wild card in there for the adventurous, lol. The codex was also updated.

Today, I am editing chapter 3. My very gracious boss encouraged me to take the day off, and I'm feeling pretty good, so I'm using this as an opportunity to get some serious work done.

If you're curious and don't mind my rambling about my life, you can read about my ordeal below!

I am feeling much better. I had a couple rough days in the past week, but mostly brought on by medication my dentist wanted me to take to stave off possible infection in a broken tooth. I had a less-than-stellar reaction to it, and it gave me insomnia and anxiety. Simply fantastic.

But, I had the root canal yesterday (got lucky and they had a cancelation so I was able to go in 5 days early). I am happy to report it was not bad at all. In fact, it may have been the easiest dental procedure aside from cleanings that I've ever had, lol. I was in and out within half an hour, and the endodontist numbed the fuck out of my mouth. The biggest pain was the drive there and back since I live so far away.

I chilled the whole day and took a glorious 2 hour nap, and have been sore but totally good. I even watched one of my favorite comfort-animes, Natsume Yuujinchou. If you are ever feeling poorly and down in the dumps or just need to relax, it is cute, a bit funny, and lighthearted - so I highly recommend it. So, all in all, I feel recharged and more than ready to see chapter 3 with fresh eyes!

Thank you to everyone who sent me encouraging messaging about the root canal. It really truly helped me show up for that appointment without feeling completely vulnerable. I was still anxious, because that is just what my brain do - I can't even see my GP without my hands shaking, lol. But, going into it knowing what your experiences have been helped so much.

Anyway, sorry for prattling! I'm going to get back to it now! ^_^

[ben-talks-art]

I have a confession to make... I don't think I like this movie

Before I start I just want to say, I do think this is a good movie. I think the visuals are amazing, it is very creative, has very pleasant lights and colors, the robots all have nice designs, it's paced well, has a lot of good humor despite what the trailers might have alluded to, and overall, as a stand-alone story, it works well for the most part to tell the tale of two friends eventually becoming enemies.

My problems with this movie come from... admittedly a very entitled headcanon-ish mindset of "This isn't how I wanted things to play out."

Kinda like how when you watch Sam Raimi's Spider-Man and you get upset that Peter doesn't tell jokes because that's a part of the character that really appealed to you, this movie feels like it doesn't do the parts of the character of Optimus that appealed to me, or if they do, they don't do it in a way that I wanted.

I grew up with quite a few different versions of Optimus through the years. The ape gorilla one from Beast Wars, the firetruck one from Robots in Disguise, the young one from Animated, and the one with weird feet from the Bayverse.

They all offer their take in Optimus but they all manage to keep the core idea of his appeal intact, that being... He's a boring guy, that just so happens to be THE coolest boring guy ever.

He's someone who is ready to fight and kick ass for the things he believes and giving it his all until his last "breath", but the things he believes in are pretty basic stuff like world peace and things like that. It's like if your school teacher was a superhero, the most boring person you know secretly fighting crime when they have time but still valuing more the importance of teaching and guiding people in need.

To me, what makes Optimus so cool is that despite being this massive killing robot that can turn his arms into blasters, the guy is just a giant dork who loves life.

His sense of duty over protecting others comes from his sense of love for all living beings and for their right to exist. He doesn't see himself above anyone, only above those that try to use their power to cause harm.

He's a pacifist that only fights when he has something to protect, he's a diplomat who always tries to solve things with words and reason first, he's inspiring because he never ceases to believe in the cause he fights for, and he has the leadership skills to back up everything he stands for. The dude is just HIM.

Even down to the name "Optimal", he represents the best of us in the best way possible.

So I was curious to see how he was going to be handled in Transformers One and... He's kinda basic.

My thing with this version, keeping in mind that this is meant to be a young Optimus, is that I don't really see any of the things I admire in him from other versions.

The focus here is more on playing up his "optimism" as Scarlett Johansson says, to show how cool he is because he never gives up, never stops dreaming, never stops fighting for a better future, never thinks he is less than those above him...

And all of that just feels so generic.

It felt like they could not give a damn about trying to show why Optimus loves and wants to protect life and values diplomacy over violence, and instead just tried to turn him into a Disney Princess who "dreams of more" because he was sick of being a miner.

Heck, the first few segments of this movie were showing him being incredibly reckless and putting himself and other people in danger, all of them for pretty much no reason.

He literally grabs his friend and drags him into a race without letting him know and proceeds to jump on top of several racers resulting in many getting injured, and by the time we were done he didn't even seem to care.

I thought this was going to build up to some reality check moment where he needs to grow up from his reckless behavior, but no, if anything, his behavior only leads to good thing after good thing in this movie. He gets praised by his superior, finds a lost message in the trash, uncovers a hidden secret about his people, unlocks the ability to transform and finally becomes a prime.

Optimus in this movie is constantly getting rewarded for being reckless, impulsive, selfish, and for not thinking.

To a point where when he does start acting like Optimus and takes a shot for someone else and nearly dies, I was like, "Oh, yeah... This is meant to be Optimus... Kinda forgot about that."

I just kept watching this movie and going "When is he gonna become Optimus? When is he gonna become Optimus? When is he gonna become Optimus?" and once he did, it didn't feel earned for me.

Again, my problem was that I never got the sense that this guy was someone who valued peace and life. I got the sense that he was impulsive and ready to fight for what he believed, yeah, but I didn't care what he believed in. The stuff he believed in was stuff any generic action main character tends to believe in.

Stuff like "There is something more to life for us out there, that we're all destined for greatness, that if we just believe in ourselves we can accomplish anything, and blah, blah, blah..."

I didn't really get a sense that he believed all life was worth protecting and even sacrificing yourself for.

There was a little bit of that hinted at with a scene with Jazz and the scene where he takes a shot for someone, but I needed more than that. I wanted to see why this dude would lead armies and fight armies just to protect the innocent, but I never really got a sense of connection between him and the innocent.

Like, we get a brief scene where they see a couple of animals and I was hoping he would have a moment going "Look at them... They're beautiful!" but we don't really get that. Or maybe a scene where someone ends up dying on his arms and he decides to devote himself to never let that happen again, but that also never happens. Or perhaps a scene of him talking and hanging out with the other bots, showing them struggling with their lives and giving him some sense of duty of "I need to do something to help them out!", but no, he barely talks to anyone aside from Megatron.

It's frustrating because we have these core four main characters and I kept thinking we would get some great bonding moments to show why Optimus feels it's important to fight for others, but their bonds is really surface-level. I never got the feeling they really knew each other that much.

I was so sad when I heard the speech about how his "Optimism was his greatest quality" because I just know there will be a lot of people coming out of this movie and going "Oh! That's what makes Optimus such a cool character!" and it really wasn't.

I remember in Puss In Boots 2 when they told the backstory of the little dog and we see how sad the two cats got for him.

I believed that emotion, I believed that connection, and I believed that Puss and Kitty would fight to protect him.

I never really believed Optimus truly cared about anyone any more than any generic action main lead would for their extras in a movie.

Transformers One Optimus is not, in my opinion, a good representation of what makes Optimus such an iconic leader, because it failed to convince me that this Optimus was a protector.

They put too much focus on him being an ambitious dreamer, and not enough on him being a hero.

But maybe that's just me. What do you guys think?

[sulfurz]

ೃ༄ VERY CONVINCING (edge x fem!reader)

ೃ༄ PAIRING: edge x fem!reader

ೃ༄ REQUESTED BY: @slutforoscarisaac

could you possibly write a one shot with heel!fem! reader and judgment day edge? edge wants reader to join judgement day but she refuses (cause she’s an independent badass) on live tv which pisses edge off. so after their segment edge follows reader to her locker room to convince her to join. if you could please add your little sprinkle of nsfw that would be amazing!

ೃ༄ WARNINGS: sprinkle of nsfw n slight aggression

ೃ༄ WORD COUNT: 2.6k

ೃ༄ NOTE: i have not proofread this so excuse how messy it is. it’s messy in general tbh i’m sO SORRY but my god i am very attracted to this man (i’m actually gay and ace but that’s just his power)

standing in ring, mic in hand as you listened to the boos of the crowd shouldnt been have exhilarating as it was. but as you surveyed the arena, one hip jutted out to the side to see the majority of those around you jeering and giving you disapproving gestures, you couldn’t help the smile that crept onto your face. it probably seemed menacing to the crowd, a sadistic show that you felt no guilt for the betrayals you had done, but truthfully? you could get used to being so hated. most great wwe legends had this period in their career, and seeing your name up on this lists made it all worth it.

backstage, you had your friend and the crowds you stuck around. in the ring? the only allegiance you pledged was to yourself, and the audience were well aware by now that this loyalty to your own cause ran deep enough to turn on those who appeared to be your allies. you had a goal — the belt — and you didn’t care what you’d have to do to get to it.

“missed me?” you asked the wwe universe, satisfied with the heckles you received in response. your break had only been short, simply recovering from a surface wound doctors had advised needed time to heal over, but you had wasted no time in ambushing one of your fellow superstars backstage on your return, and the fans were shown once again you were back and undeterred from your backstabbing saga.

taking a few steps forward, your leant against the ropes that surveyed the right side of the arena.

“it seems in just a month you’ve all forgotten who runs this show huh? hope my little display reminded you all.” you growled out, voice as sultry as you could manage. you were a villain they loved to hate, after all. “i’m getting pretty fed up of you all doubting me. how many times do i have to prove i’m the best before you start to believe me?”

your taunts were welcomed with angry calls, coupled with the occasional fan who cheered as they stuck by your side. those that loved the underdog always made themselves known.

you were just about to launch into the purpose of your promo when the arena went dark again, and the first sign of trouble was when the animated wings spread ferociously across the screen at the back of the stage. really, with the track you were on, you should have expected this sooner.

still, nothing could have quite prepared you seeing the newly drafted judgement day appear at the opposite end of the arena to you, damian and rhea flanking their leaders side as edge honed his attention directly on you.

he looked so eerie in the dark, an unsettling feeling settling momentarily in your stomach as you dragged your eyes over the kingpin of the stable. he only smirked back menacingly as they made their way towards you.

as expected, playing their role as perfect lackeys, rhea and damian took their places either side of the ring, ready to jump incase you made a break for it — but not edge. oh no, he climbed into the ring gracefully, not stopping until he was a mere foot away from where you had returned to stand front and centre of the stage. from here, he towered over you, something you were sure on camera looked more intimidating than most things wwe had seen.

lifting a mic to his lips, judgement days leader began his proposition, not breaking eye contact once. “you’ve made your statement y/n. you’ve got what you wanted — an opportunity.”

after an intense stare down, edge stepped away from you, and suddenly you could breathe again as he paraded the ring in a circle around where you stood.

“you have a lot of things to offer: the heart, the mindset, the strength — but what you haven’t got? a lot of allies.” you daren’t turn your head fully to look at him, feeling how the intimidating (yet, gorgeous) man stopped behind you. all you were willing to give was a weak glance to your side to see rhea grinning in the darkness. “you could be so powerful if placed with the right people. you have everything it takes, but way too many enemies to take them all down at once.”

edge circled back around, acting like a vulture as it waited for its prey’s final breath. they were determined to wear you down, but you steeled yourself as you let the man continue.

“you have no aid, and when those you’ve betrayed turn on you — well.” edge chuckled to himself, sinister and gravelly in a way that went straight through you. “i’d hate to have a front row seat to your downfall when you could have had so much more.”

poking your tongue into the side of your cheek, you stretched out your neck as you inserted yourself back in the conversation. “your side getting cold, mister? need another body to warm your titleless stampede?” you sneered, finding satisfaction in the glare edge sent you in response. “if you think i’d join your faction just because i’m alone then you don’t know me at all.”

edge clenched his jaw, taking a step towards you as another chant was ignited amongst the crowd. “i know you’re a smart woman, y/n. i think you know we could be the leg up you need to finally take what’s yours. and i must say you’d be better to have us as allies than enemies.”

you pretended to mull it over, but your decision had already been made from the moment you saw them appear. you had gone it alone thus far, and if anything, it was now a matter of proving to yourself, and everyone who doubted you that you could do it.

“do you know what i think when i hear you talk, edge?” this time, it was you who took a step forward, crowding edge where he stood. you had to look up to speak directly to him, but your presence was large enough to veto the difference. “i hear a man who is scared. you all know perfectly well what i’m capable of. none of you could come out to face me one on one, so you just had to band together to prove a point.”

you clicked your tongue before continuing.

“that’s the difference between you and me. i’ve been doing this alone. my enemies don’t try to get to me because they know it’s a losing battle. and i’ll promise you something else,” you placed a hand against his chest for effect, sliding it steadily down until it rested on his sternum “when i win this, alone, without your pathetic help, you’ll be the first person i mention in my thank you speech.”

with that, you dropped your mic to the ground, giving an exaggerated curtsy that had long become your signature, before you clambered out of the ring and made your way down the catwalk to the familiar sound of your music. even those who hated you couldn’t help but cheer after the display, and you weren’t about to stick around to see how judgement day picked up the pieces of your rejection.

there was a certain level of pride in your actions, knowing you had stuck to your own guns. you had barely even faltered when cornered by the hall of famer, and you could use that as a testament to your determination. the congratulations you received from various superstars and company men as you headed backstage (even paul heyman stopped to praise you?!) certainly told the promo had been an overall success despite the interrupt.

there would be a lot to sort at a later date, surely some damage control that your manager would be responsible for, but for now you deserved a shower, and maybe some takeout.

the locker room welcomed you with a familiar squeak of the door, finding the room which you shared with just two others empty due to their lack of scheduling at the company tonight. these were you favourite shows, when you could stretch and take as much time as you needed, no fear of others bursting inside whilst you were kid costume change.

or at least, you thought.

it was just as you were brushing through your hair with your hands, a button down shirt hanging open on your frame over the underwear that the door opened with a clatter. you moved to cover yourself, and scream at whoever was entering unannounced, but then you turned to see the figure standing in the doorway.

edge stared you down, eyes only leaving yours when he took the opportunity to take in the sight of your half dressed body. you buttoned up the mid section of your shirt on instinct, stepping back to your back as the judgement days leader closed the door behind him.

“my answer is still no.” you muttered, trying your best to ignore how he locked the door behind him.

“i know.” he hummed, playing with the bottom of his suit jacket. you had to turn back to your things to avoid his cold gaze “you made that pretty clear with your attempt to embarrass me.”

“nothing personal, sweetheart.” you taunted, surely adding insult to injury.

edge gave a faint growl, suddenly crowding behind you a lot like how he had in the ring. you felt a tug to the hem of your shirt, slapping his hand away before you were even fully turned to face him. he was closer to you now, having chest nearly colliding with your own when you whipped around to shoot him a glare. but all your possible retorts died in your throat when you saw how he was staring at you.

like he wanted to eat you alive.

“oh trust me, sweetheart, i know. to turn down such an opportunity on a personal grudge? now you’d have to be more stupid than i first thought.” one of his hands reached up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear, but it wasn’t sweet in the way most would take that action, it was a fight for ownership.

you stepped back in an attempt to put some space between you and the man, but were met by the bench against the back of your knees, almost causing you to tumble. just before you could slam down against the seat and the hard wood of the locker spaces, an arm was around your waist, steadying you but leaving very little room to breathe.

“get off me.” you whispered, no real heat to your own request.

he knew that too, lips curling in a smirk as he realised he had you right where he wanted you. “you don’t want that, do you, y/n?”

steeling yourself, you choked out an unconvincing “i do”, and just to prove a point, edge released his grip just enough to allow you to slip.

you weren’t proud of how quickly you reacted, grabbing at the collar of the black suit to keep yourself upright and igniting a low chuckle from the man in front of you.

once you had steadied yourself, he was the one to move to release your hands from his collar. you thought he might move back after having made his point, but he didn’t make any attempt to even release his hold on you, instead, taking a step forward until your back was curved as it pushed against the hard wooden beam behind you. the only things holding you up now were the angle and the way you levelled your legs against his.

he used the position to his advantage, sliding his knee in between your thighs, knowing you couldn’t push him away for fear of falling. one of his hands came around your body, not quite touching in a way that would provide pressure, but dancing along your bare thigh enough to pull goosebumps from your skin.

“your little stunt has caused quite the rift amongst us.” he growled, low and rough as his eyes raked your upper body. the top of your shirt had slipped open enough now that you were sure he had the perfect line of view of your chest. “i think you owe me an apology. what do you say?”

his free hand, the one that wasn’t teasing your thigh, journeyed back up your body, coming around rest on the back of your waist. you couldn’t help but arch on instinct, head lifted enough that the space between your faces was almost minimal. he leant forward, breath ghosting over your lips as you mustered as much power as possible to whisper a half hearted “fuck you.”

edge chuckled again in response, hand on your waist giving a firm squeeze before his lips were on your neck. your brain was screaming to move away, but the pleasant sensation that rushed through your body told you otherwise. “you’d like that wouldn’t you.” he mumbled against your skin, trailing a line of kisses down the side of your neck and across your clavicle. you couldn’t help the gasp that slipped out as he attached his lips to the bottom of your throat, nipping at the skin there “tell me to stop, babygirl, and i will.”

there was your out, all you needed was to say the word and, despite his harsh acting exterior, the gentleman inside would stop. but you both knew you couldn’t, not with how his hand massaged at your waist, and his lips sucked what would surely be a bruise come the morning into your sensitive neck.

“edge,” you whispered out, hands coming around his neck to tug him closer. he obliged, hand around your waist pulling you up and flush against his body. the movement caused just enough pressure of his knee against your crotch, and the involuntary groan that left your mouth was welcomed by him smashing his lips against yours.

he kissed you ferociously, not wasting any time before sliding his tongue into the mix. then, your feet were off the floor and legs wrapping tightly around his waist as he pushed your back against the locker spaces once more, his waist pressed firmly against yours so that you could feel just how affected he was. you were sure you weren’t much better, feeling the way your body reacted on instinct to the man’s touch.

he supported you enough with his thigh to release one hand from under you to practically undo the two buttons holding your shirt together with an expert flick. the air conditioning hit your body once more, and for someone who wrestled in underwear, you had never felt more exposed than now.

“still not joining.” you mustered up enough courage to whisper the rejection again, gasping loudly when edge used your distraction to cleverly unhook your bra. it didn’t slip off due to the issue of your shirt still being over your arms, but he seemed pleased with himself as he kissed down your chest.

the hand that had worked the magic on your top trailer down your centre, teasing finger pressing until he reached the hem of your underwear. he attached his lips momentarily to your left breast, before his hand found its goal and he cupped your heat through your underwear, a snarky “even now?” breathed into your skin.

you couldn’t help the moan that tore out of you once again as edge slipped your underwear to one side, but this time all that followed was a chuckle of your own as you used your hands to direct his head upwards. just before you collided your lips together once more, you punctuated your laugh with a sly “actually, you’re very convincing.”

[sydsaint]

Summary: The reader is Shawn's assistant for NXT having an out-of-control night. Luckily for her, Ilja is always around to lend a helping hand and charming word where he can.

You rush into the building clutching an overflowing briefcase of files in one hand and your bag in the other. Your security badge swings violently against your chest as you weave through backstage personnel in a desperate attempt to make it to Shawn's office before he notices your absence.

You reach Shawn's office huffing and puffing like an animal. You shoulder through the door and thankfully find the room empty. "Oh thank god, I made it." You let out a shakey sigh and hurry over to your desk.

You set your stuff down and take a second to compose yourself. While you're catching your breath, the doorknob turns signaling that someone is coming in. You quickly scramble to your feet ready to greet who is surely Shawn arriving for the night.

"Oh, Ilja." Your rigid posture relaxes when the current NXT champion steps through the door. "Good evening." You sink back down into your chair with another sigh.

"Good evening, YN, my dear." Ilja flashes a debonaire smile at you as he aproaches your desk. "I saw you rushing across the loading bay earlier." He explains. "So I assumed that you could use a little pick-me-up before our night begins." He reveals a cup of hot coffee from catering in his hand.

You eye the coffee with a grateful smile and gladly take it from Ilja's hands. "Oh, thank you so much, Ilja." You thank him. "This is just what I needed after all that running I just did." You muse.

Ilja chuckles at your joke and nods. "I was happy to help, YN." He assures you. "Now! I will let you get back to work. Please do take care, my dear. And perhaps we will see one another again tonight." He bows his head at you with charming smile before turning and exiting the room.

You watch Ilja shut the door behind him and feel blush creeping up your neck. You've been hit on plenty of times by some of the NXT superstarts since you took this job as Shawn's assistant. But none of them have the charm and poetic way with words that Dragonuv does.

A few minutes later Shawn finally arrives and greets you as he comes into the room. "Evening, YN." He nods as he passes your desk.

"Evening, boss." You nod back at him, pretending to be enthralled with the various paperwork at your desk.

"YN, remind me what we've got scheduled for tonight." Shawn asks you as he makes his way around his much larger desk at the back of the room.

You nod and dig around for tonights schedule. Once you've located the paper you're looking for you rise from your seat and walk over to Shawn's desk.

"We've got two more Dusty cup matches tonight. Both Semi-finals. Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade have a match scheduled. Chase University also have a tag match against Gallus. As well as a few backstage segments and promo's being filmed." You read everything on the list before handing it to Shawn. "Oh! And you have a conferene call with Hunter in 15 minutes." You add.

"Right, conference call." Shawn sighs and glosses over the paper. "I want you out at the producers table while I'm on the call." He informs you. "Just in case something happens that would otherwise warrant my attention."

You nod and walk back over to your desk to get some work done before Shawn's conference call. "No problem, boss."

You reply to a few emails and fill out a paper or two before it comes time for Shawns conference call. Shawn gets ready to take the call and you dismiss yourself out to the producers table backstage.

"Hey, guys." You greet everyone at the table once you've arrived backstage. "Shawn is busy taking an important call so he's left me in charge in case anything goes down while he's busy." You explain as you take a seat at the table.

The others nod and everyone gets back to work. You sit and watch the action in the ring for while before you grow thirsty and decide to grab a water from the table on the other side of the room.

You are retreiving said water when Ilja happens through the room after filming a short backstage promo for the show. "YN, darling!" He greets you with a wide smile and walks over.

"Ilja! Hello again." You smile right back at him. "How are you since we last talked? Everything go well with your backstage promo?" You ask him.

"It went fine." Ilja nods. "And I'm looking forward to facing Trick Williams in the ring here in a couple of weeks." He adds.

You nod in agreement and take a sip of your water. "I'm sure it'll be a great match to watch."

"How are you?" Ilja asks you after a moment. "Shawn isn't working you too hard is he?" He lightheartedly jokes.

"Not at all." You giggle. "The job can be hard at times, yeah. But I do love my work." You assure Ilja. "Plus, I have noticed a certain someone is always nearby to make my day better." You grin at him.

Ilja chuckles and nods. "It's my pleasure, YN. Anything I can do to ensure that stunning smile graces your lovely features, my dear."

You begin to blush again and bow your head in embarassment. "Ilja." You giggle to yourself when someone from the producers table begins beckoning you back to work. "Sorry, I should get back." You sheepishly dismiss yourself.

"Of course." Ilja nods and steps out of the way. "I'd never dream of keeping you from your work. Have a wonderful rest of your night, YN." He flashes you one last frustratingly charming smile.

"You too, Ilja." You nod and hurry back off to the producer's table blushing like a schoolgirl with a hopeless crush.

[rholsof-film]

My Unsolicitated Opinion on VSFS

The show has had a lot of iconic moments throughout the year and is known for excelling model’s careers, even when they walk it just once. Models are able to make a name for themselves after having some type of association with the brand. This year we saw models that were new to the show get wings, they might have been in the industry for a while, but VS usually introduced them with the pink segment first. Then the models had to work their way up to gain wings. The wings on the runway were always earned, after walking three shows models were able to attain wings and get contracts working for the brand. This did a lot more for their careers in the industry if they were able to attain these contracts. The pink segment was missing from the show this year entirely.

Secondly, not only did we have pre-runway interviews, but we had talked with the models on what makes Victoria Secret so special; and who exactly is Victoria Secret. We also got introductions from some of the angels and how they got their start with the brand or how they got into modeling as a whole. We got backstory and then we got campaign shoots for the show and behind-the-scenes preparations with the models. We also got model workout preparations and destination shoots for the campaign, to see the magic behind the scenes. There was none of that this year, no special moments, no backstage cameras that gave a look at what was happening, none of that. This is what built a fanbase for the brand, a parasocial relationship with some of the models and what gave models a name for themselves.

Thirdly, we got to see how wings were made and how they sourced the artist to make some of the wings. There was also aesthetic for each segment, like in the 2010 show we got a prairie aesthetic for one segment, then a amazonian aesthetic with animal print. There was time spent with putting thought behind each segment. This year we did not get that, we got a plain runway that was not elevated or raised off the ground, the whole point of VS is that the models are unattainable. That the models are out of this world and not like regular people, there is this air of unattainable attraction. The runway being the same level of the audience diminished that standard. We also got plain lingerie and dresses, there were never dresses in VS, there were trains hanging off the models but never full-on dresses. We may have had slips before in the past but never actual dresses because this is a LINGERIE show. I get it is more inclusive, but lingerie is lingerie, if the models aren’t ready to showcase how beautiful their size and curves are, then casting needs to be better about who is walking. I get inclusivity is a new thing and concept, that is fine but be ready to show us those beautiful curves.

Hair and makeup were insanely unprofessional this year, I wanted to see romantic curls and blowout with voluminous, teased hair, 90’s blowouts and bombshell, sex crazed hair. The slick back ponytail was absolutely dreadful. I wanted to see smokey eyes and contoured, chiseled faces and Sunkissed skin. A lot of them were pale and not Sunkissed skin at all. No one was glowing from head to toe with bronzer or any oil. All of these preparations are what made the show iconic. It was like we were there every step of the way, from wing sourcing to getting background on some of the angels and getting introduced to new angels. We got none of that and that is why it was so lackluster.

I understand that these might be nostalgic expectations, and that people were looking for nostalgia. I cannot deny it, but I was also expecting to see something new, to be introduced to some new traditions. I think that was the reason some of my expectations were so high. I think that might have been the issue. Our expectations should have been low in watching a comeback. We have to keep in mind that a lot of people have stopped shopping for the brand so the money and funding is not going to be as out of this world as it used to be. The glitter or LED light runway was not in the budget and a lot of the underwear was not as expensive as it used to be. The brand also could not afford a lot of things like makeup and hair, wings and venue. If the brand can get to where it used to be then maybe expectations will be met again. I think the show is back in it’s premature days when it was just a normal runway show like when Monica and Yasmeen Ghauri walked. There was no glitz or glam, so this might very well be an end of an era, so we must give grace and welcome something new. I can admit that this is a turnover, that this is something that is possibly played out and we should not expect the glamour it used to give. This is truly a sad moment but hopefully the future can bring something new and interesting.

[butch-bakugo]

Im so glad we all rightly clocked the Minecraft movie as probably going to suck and I'm not alone. I was so worried I was just being a pessimist but after seeing what other's have said and what moistcritickal posted (haven't watched it yet), I feel a bit safer sharing my opinion. So, as a mc fan and player for almost, if not exactly, 10 years, I'll give my opinion.

It wants to be the super Mario movie. It wants to be it SO BAD but it doesn't care to actually commit to it. So many awesome movies about gaming IP have come out over the last 5 years from the Mario movie and the fnaf movie to detective pikachu and sonic. All bangers. Idk what it is apparently about 2024 and letting the most sludgy shitty gaming movies being announced/coming out but this is... Not it. This and the borderlands movie (tbf I'm only repeating popular opinion as I haven't seen the movie and am not a fan of the franchise but mega and even casual fans plus it's horrific box office say it enough. ) are probably gonna end up the same.

It looks terrible. Period. Almost everything in it looks terrible and I garentee it's budget was 150 to 300 mil and it still looks like fucking garbage. It can't even commit to being a live action or animated movie. It wants to be both so bad and not lose the recognition of the 2 celebrities it dumped probably a quarter of the budget on. Everything from the mobs to the world design to the cgi already looks like fucking garbage. It looks so fucking bad y'all I'm not even exaggerating. Holy shit. Everything has that fuckin cursed style of realistic components but cartoonish attitude and shape. Everything in the trailer looks like jigglypuff or Mr. Mime from detective Pikachu bred with sonic before everyone bullied them into giving him justice.

Tell me this shit doesn't have the same fucking energy.

This isn't cute, it was never cute, it's fucking creepy to put hi-def details on an originally cartoonish characters. Its giving fleshball with hair. Side note, since tf when were creepers made of grass and leaves n shit? I feel like I'd puke if I touched one by accident.

I want to give credit where credit is due and say the piglins and the ghasts look great. I fuckin love the fact the ghasts are stitched at the seems. They look great. It's almost like cartoon proportions but realistic style can look good in its creepy nature when out on top of characters who are supposed to look creepy and not right. 🙄

I have no idea why they wouldn't just fully animate this movie. Why are there fully human live action actors in this bitch but literally everything else is CGI. These poor actors are just standing on green screens when they very literally could have just been live action segments of them popping in and out of the world of Minecraft while voicing their minecrafty looking selves while animated. Literally just give it the ready player one treatment. Also why is Steve, the titular Minecraft character, a live action human as well? Even if your weird fascination with Zionist autism-speaks devotee Jack black is what you paid ungodly money for, he's a good voice actor. He showed that in the Mario movie as Bowser. Why does he have to be not only an IRL human but also his beard nor skin tone match canonical Steve. Jason Momoa, the only moc on the cast of human characters, would match Steve's actual skin tone. The boy's got melanin, Jack does not.

Speaking of the human characters, I can smell the uninteresting cookie-cutter nerdy boy with a crush he needs to profess to protagonist a mile away, I'm sure the little girl character is tough on the outside but soft when she warms up and is quirky and joins the bad guys for a bit only to come back but never has any actual character, idk litterally anything about the adult woman character other than her outfit is giving Dora and she litterally says nothing during the trailer and jason Momoa? I'm alittle worried. First off, why you got this whole ass man in that shitty ass wig. That is party city shit. I could find better for $8 on Amazon. Second off, though I think he's trying to be like... 80s 90s pop star twisted sister style shit, im NGL... My first thought was " is this a transmysognistic caricature?" Because of notch and the fact he moves pretty femininely through the trailer. I won't judge it yet but like... My hackles were UP up. I'm stressed. Another thing of note? No Alex nor Villagers. The villages were there and actively plundered but no villagers.

Something interesting of note is that the villagers were originally made, by notch, to be antisemitic caricatures. That's why they have the big nose, the nasally voice, considered primitive, the specific obsession with emeralds of all gems, why their deals always suck and they come off greedy. Mojang did very little to change their original design and even though you couldn't tell nessesarily without knowing that context that the villagers were a caricature, that doesn't make them less of one and Mojang really should of made the choice to change them by now. I, like many other allies and obviously the Jewish community, always felt a little uncomfortable with them but are now especially nervous about their more realistic but still cartoony take. We've seen plenty of human/realistic but cartoonish takes on villagers fully lean into the caricature with hooked noses, pointed ears and other common ethnicly Jewish features. Some even Include Payots ( the curly pieces of hair worn on orthodox Jewish men), Yamakas and stars of davids. These are clearly antisemitic caricatures and I, and many other fans, are worried about their one screen translations. I can only hope they humanize them as some more realistic takes on villagers can be good.

My second to last note is the setting, holy fuck is it UGLY ugly. Like I dont watch any Minecraft YouTubers or streamers so I'm not accustomed to tracing rays 1,000 mods realistic lighting, realistic resources, needs huge processors to run without the computer becoming the same temp as the surface of the sun to be happy with the way it looks but like... Ew. I play raw mc, no mods on console (and PC at one point but that was awhile ago and also with no mods) and I, through buildings or natural landscapes and locations, etc have seen prettier lighting and locations than what they chose. Like, one of the many joys of Minecraft is the simplistic but natural and real and relaxing atmosphere the world of Minecraft can be. Even when it's raining or snowing. Minecraft sunsets and sunrises after you spent the last real world 56,000 hours on this big building complex and finally resting and watching the sunrise over your work and the mountains or ocean or forest or even desert around you become pink then yellow then bright as the start of a new day is a healing experience. It can be emotional even. That landscape looked like garbage. Incredibly monotonous and boring and plain. Just nothing. How you squeeze the very easy thing of a beautiful atmosphere out of Minecraft is beyond me.

Speaking of emotions, let's talk about the story and the humor/dialogue. I'll start with the later and end my thoughts with the former. The humor, the little we did see, seemed at least a little bit on brand for Minecraft. The animals especially. I'll give it that, I just hope it's not unending poop or fart or pee jokes. Finally, I, like many others, are very worried this is a modern isekai ass Jumanji style shit take of minecraft. We are very worried this is just modern people shoved into minecraft to solve a problem, save the world and leave. This isn't what Minecraft's about, it's not it's messaging nor ever been a " hero/band of heros story" about saving the world, I don't even think it will honor the final poem of the game.

Minecraft has always always ALWAYS been about community, belonging, making a place for yourself in a world that won't accept you, working together and coexisting. It's about peace. It's about sharing. These messages are very near and very dear to the 6 yr old gen alphas who've been playing it since they were 2 or 3 yrs old and beat it 60 times to the elder Gen z and millennials like me who grew up with the game and have a special place in our hearts for the world's we've built and lost to the 89 yr old grandma who played it over covid and built a home for her whole family to visit and live in with all the accommodations they could want. Minecraft is for all ages and everyone has either played it or heard of it, it is the most successful singular game in the world ffs. It has sold more copies than ANY single game in existence, over the most common production of solitaire and Tetris and Space invaders AND any super Mario or Pokemon game. Minecraft rakes in over billions of dollars and millions of players every single year. Those who start playing it struggle to stop. It's a cultural icon, a seriously beloved and wholesome one. One the fans truly took, made it their own for everyone's benefit and spawned so much spin off media and love that it's done better than most games could ever dream to do. Minecraft's success and communal love, despite the unsavory trend of pedo and bigoted YouTubers centered on the game, is its soul. It's driving force. Its succession literally cannot be understated and cannot not be attributed to its fans.

I fear this movie is a slap in the face money grab disrespectful turd in a doggy bag left on the community's porch. I fear this movie will have none of the game's and community's values and lessons and love. I fear this movie will do what Mario, sonic and fnaf did not, hurt it's audience. I, like many other fans, already have an unsavory taste left in our mouth's from this trailer pie and we can only hope it didn't come from American pie or the help. The movie looks fucking soulless. It looks corporate. Like it only exists to make money off the already successful IP that is Minecraft. Like they saw the box office explosive success of sonic and Mario and fnaf and decided to shit something else explosive out as quick as possible to jump on the trend. I fear because it's fucking Hollywood, the messages it holds will be watered down and tasteless like a fucking LaCroix where someone ate a cubic millimeter of an orange peel and shat in my can and called it flavor. It'll be the same old schmut that every kid friendly movie has. It will have no nods to and for its existing fans to comb through and point out and smile that they are seen.

It may not even have a fucking ender dragon or a wither. Will it even have the nether? People already pointed out that most movie trailers include some of the big cool (expensive) parts of the movie and if they eventually fight the ender dragon, they would of probably included that in the trailers due to how cool (expensive) that scene would be. It's not there. All we see is piglins, a relatively small enemy in the game, pillaging villages (why no , ya know, actual pillagers pillaging. Why piglins... Who are barely present in the over world....who dont attack unless provoked... and only attack the player not suddenly aggro with every AI in sight... Why are they attacking villagers suddenly....) which.... Isn't super interesting. That and the irl actors walking around and discovering how to fucking play the basic shit in Minecraft like getting wood.. and making crafting tables.... And talking to Steve. Like this has bad shitty written all fucking over it... I'm so worried.

We, the fans who work and love this game tirelessly, deserve better than isekai diet Jumanji live action meets shitty animated garbage.... I can only hope and pray that my take on this ages poorly. I hope it ages poorly and I'm horribly wrong and it's the next fnaf movie and shows huge amounts of respect for the fans. I want to be wrong. I want us to be respected. However you can't ignore the blood in the handkerchief concerning movies with a highly popular IP, too many a-list celebrities, high costs and piss poor CGI. It rarely doesn't lead to disaster. Please let me be wrong.

[forrests-dash]

First Monday since the move. House was a good idea. Too many stuff to fit in a room for long. Still can't believe I'll just live here. Who knows for how long? But it's not as bad as I thought it'd be when I came. Everyone's nice so far. That's a lie. But I can tolerate them. tolerate all except one or two, but it's fine. Comes with any place, I guess.

-

Wednesday. No boxes unpacked. People starting to ask when I'll invite them over. There are no boxes unpacked. No one is coming over in the next five years.

-

Been a week. The only one touching boxes besides me is Ricky. He's too helpful. Doesn't seem to want anything in return, except my couch. Do I owe him a favor? He says no.

But I owe him a favor.

-

Peggy brought Sandra over. Why? WHY?? Oh thanks Peggy, nothing says hot new blood in town ready for a classy night or two out like introducing more people to a life-sized game of tetris in every room I live in!!! THANK YOU, Peggy!!! It was such a great idea!!!!!

-

Spoke to Dr. Lou again, might have been a little harsh, but I'm trying not to psych myself out of it. It's the least I can do, I think? Can't talk to the guy, Peggy's still having enough trouble getting through to him as it is. But it can't hurt to make sure he doesn't get in more trouble than he needs to while he's in there.

Not that I can help that. Keeping an eye out and being there for her is all I can do. Don't know how I feel about being her chauffeur though. I said I'd give her a ride the first couple times, not that I'd do it from now on. Ah well…

-

Friday. Sometimes I think Ricky just lives here.

-

Ricky, touch this journal again.

-

There's been a (Wed.) dog coming by, looks like it has a limp. Left it some food. Looks wild, I'll call Ricky about it later.

-

Getting second thoughts about the house. Place is fine, but it's pretty close to the woods. Dog keeps coming back now. Fine, I guess. It's wild but getting better, Ricky said, but that's not really what's bothering me. Other animals keep screeching before I leave for work, like they're getting louder, closer. Better or worse than the neighbors in Chicago? It feels like this should be better, honestly. Less rude. But I dunno.

-

I do miss my neighbors, though. What a bitch-fest that building was. I should call them up.

-

Ricky. I really like you. But this is a journal. Are you reading this? I buried five people in my old backyard for reading this. That's why I had to run from Chicago. That's what my scandal was really about. Stop opening this drawer.

-

Sunday. Peggy got him to talk. Just a little, she said, but she's more hopeful about it than I thought she'd be. Said he asked after me, knows I spoke with the doc about treating him fairly. I don't think it was smart of Lou to tell him that. I pretty much threatened to go on air if Peggy suspects abuse. That's something like blackmail, isn't it? I thought it was right at the time, but it felt like I just got snitched on. It's not smart for me to talk to him now, is it? I don't know if I'm with Peggy on this one.

The dog isn't shy anymore. It was never shy, I guess, just a regular animal, but it's closing in on the front door now. I don't even leave the food there. What if it bites? It's wild. Do I report it? Would that be like me snitching on the dog? Maybe someone should adopt it. Someone who isn't me.

-

Mon. Woke up to something tapping on the window.

It's Winter, probably something blew at the glass is all, but it sounded like knocking. Maybe I do need that dog? But that'd be stupid. I can't have a pet, this place is still a mess, and it isn't a normal dog. It was just another noise, anyway.

-

Tonight's segment was the worst Reggie's come up with so far…

[arileartist]

Hello and a good day to everyone👋🏻👋🏻

This is something I'd like to write as a change. I've explored a lot more anime like idolish7, Haikyuu, Sasaki and Miyano, Horimiya, etc. and my writing prowess has expanded as well, in addition to the fact that I was assigned Literary club head where I currently am. I'm making oneshot-one liners of all my favourite characters from various anime for everyone to enjoy!

I hope you guys like this segment~

Pieces of my World

-Y/N

"A mesmerizing sky of shooting stars, where Ikuya makes you a promise, one that'll live on forever in the Dreamland that you both created. Let's cherish this moment, your presence as it is a gift for me...a comfort space just for the two of us?"

-For Ikuya kirishima

"It is only with you, Rin that I can see sights unseen and explore lands that I couldn't even think of going to... Drag me with your fierce passion and let's dive into an unexplored sea, engage the dreaded waters with a fiery passion, and our love will ignite the oceans"

-For Rin Matsuoka

"Ahhh the pink hair of yours, just like cotton candy, your words just like sugar too~ Kiss me lots and hold me in the embrace, oh so sweet~ We know that it's the two of us against the world, but the world is wrapped around your fingers isn't it? So let's go, turn this dark world into an amusement park, where the heavy hearted enter, and to happiness they embark....

-For Kisumi Shigino

"Yeah I'm still here, still the same, but ever so different.... In his closed moments, you opened the lock, his heart and pulled him out of the cage he put his soul within. He'll forever be yours, as long as you promise... Never shatter this fragile heart of glass.... For it is the only thing that'll reflect your beauty, even when shattered in a million fragments..."

-For Izumi Miyamura

"A gentle breeze passed me? Haha, I hope it made you look in my direction~ After all, everyone keeps telling me that my handsome face is the highlight of their day... But you know what? I want you to pull my face close to yours, stare at me in the eye, and tell me... What you truly see... For beneath this 'perfect' exterior.... I'm a human with my own desires too hehe~"

-For Akane Yanagi

"Hey! You forgot to tell him that you're okay, you took everything and that you're ready! Did you forget how much he cares for you? Now go, tell him that you love him. You love his little snack boxes. You love the tiny gifts he brings you. Every small 'forgotten' item is brought right to you by his gentle hands.... So you too should observe him.... His golden eyes often shed tears in darkness"

-For Koushi Sugawara

"You forgot about us didn't you? They asked. An unapologetic smile will definitely adorn your face as a symphony of chaotic voices lands on your ears. A pair of twins, a pair of blessings, oh who are these boys who once fought over blazers and goals? You walk towards them and nudge; for you'll never forget. They are the same boys who worked hard, failed, cried, got up, pushed and crossed limits of the court are no less valiant than diamonds in the sky"

-For Miya Twins

"Looking into his piercing eyes, you wondered if he really likes you. Time and again, he silently stood besides you, when you thought there was nobody there, that's when he shone.... His ever present gaze never letting you falter for even a moment... Is it an owl watching you from afar? Maybe a gift sent by the gods to ensure that your delicate happiness is ever lasting.... Will you accept this silent guardian?"

-For Keiji Akaashi

"The way he flirts with girls is infuriating. Can't you be the only one to receive his affection? Oh but you are... Once you see the smile on his face turned towards your gaze, you know.... He didn't give that smile to anyone... A view just for your eyes... Seeing him grow from a normal kid to a talented prodigy... No... He refuses to believe that 'talent' is what breeds success. He will capture what he wants, he will believe in his own cultivated strength and then, with his own two hands... He'll get all he wants.... But what if all he wants, is for you to believe in him..?"

-For Tooru Oikawa

"His laugh is attractive? Or is it his charisma? Oh well ... We never really knew why him.... But we did know..... We slipped and fell, and before we realised, we were in the grasp of this devious cat. His proud stance took us all by a whim, but his caring nature was what nested our love. Kuuro my man, what type of a monster are you? No... You're just another normal guy experiencing and riding the waves of life aren't you?"

-For Tetsurou Kuuro

"Oh we always loved your attitude. So relatable.... Wanting to be asleep, wanting to relax... But... If not you, then who else? Your brains carried your team, but more than that, your perseverance is what turned the tides in the moments of dire. Like a cat, you're quick to adapt using your devilish... Almost mischievous techniques.... aren't you too, addicted to the duality of the game you play?"

-For Kozume Kenma

"Call me perfect. Call me sharp tongued. Call me everything you want. In the end, I'll be the only one who stays and guides you to your destination.... That's what he said with his cool expression. Even though he's young, you can't help but feel extremely respectful towards this boy who's not afraid to correct you, and hold your hand to take you where you belong in this overcrowded world. He promised, you'll obtain the spotlight that everyone will see. Who else would be this devoted to you?"

-For Iori Izumi

"Careful with him! Take his hand softly and kiss it. He likes it. Rub his tears away, for he's soft...Osaka is his name, please remember it. Why you ask? Well, because he never forgets who he bows down to~ Oh don't worry, he's just a normal rich guy .... Don't believe it? Well then ask him about it. He'll like it. Ask him how his day was. He'll like it. Who else asks him about these things? Diamonds too hide themselves in the dirt of rocks."

-For Osaka Sougo

"Slimy? Untrustworthy? Intelligent is a better word. A child actor prodigy huh? Well what if his companionship is an act too? Or maybe he's pulling the strings on you~ The world is cruel place, so please don't be offended by his tongue, his repel....It's his defense mechanism.... Stay with him.... Take the ride. His friends will promise you that he too will anchor your heart one day"

-For Natsume Minami

[this-is-a-dystopian-parable]

Part One!

Song-by-song synopsis and review of Dave Malloy and Lucy Kirkwood's The Witches.

Preface I guess with the fact that I enjoy a more lighthearted and spectacle based show sometimes, it can work! This show I'd say is somewhere between Matilda and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory in tone; they definitely wanted to make it another Matilda and though it's just as dark, it doesn't lean into the introspection as often. This doesn't feel like a Malloysical, so don't expect it to, but it's a good show nonetheless.

1. A Note about Witches (The Witches)

Like Matilda, Witches opens with an exposition song taken directly from the book! The witches tell us how they've learned to hide as nice, well-mannered ladies so that no one will suspect them. And how much they hate children, there's even a trick where a child in a cage gets turned into a dog. This song takes place in front of the curtain, and there's a big screen that features animations for a couple segments. Don't worry, you won't see much of it.

Right off the bat, the ensemble is pretty big and they're killing it. There's at least a dozen witches. This song is fun and dark, plays off of the different solo lines well and feels appropriately chaotic at times.

Favorite line: "A nudge to Mr. Shakespeare / Some hints to Brothers Grimm / In Salem we made scapegoats / And you tore them limb from limb"

2. Ready to Go (Luke, Young Company)

First real set of the show, in his house Luke argues with his parents about wanting a pet. I think the choice to include his parents in this is strange, since the book begins after they've been dead for a while and there isn't anything particularly interesting about this scene. The parents aren't really likeable so idk how to feel when they die.

Luke sings about how he's ready to grow up and be on his own and do all the stuff no one lets him do. This number is kinda fun because the ensemble are all dressed like him but with big masks representing each thing, and I like the object head vibes. But I think the additional motivation added to Luke here feels like it's trying too hard to engage the kids in the audience, or be like Matilda, and it almost never comes up again.

At the end, his parents swerve off the road and crash their car.

Favorite line: Don't have one :/

3. How to Recognize a Witch (Gran, Young Company)

With his parents dead, his Norwegian grandmother Gran comes to take care of him. She's bonkers and we love her dearly. She shows up witch crates and crates of objects (and animals) that were once children who had been victims of witches. They sing a song about all the warning signs: wigs, gloves, and pinchy shoes.

This is the first use of children popping up from inside boxes that look too small. It's fun. The costumes are kinda cheap and simple which is strange considering the ridiculous budget of the rest of the show which I will touch more on later. But the song is really fun and Gran gets really into it.

Favorite line: I love that they kept in the girl who turned into a painting. The witch trapped her inside a landscape painting in their house, not able to move, and all the parents could do was watch her as she slowly died. Dark! This is also the second use of the screen.

4. Heartbeat Duet (Luke, Gran)

Aaaaaaaaaaaa

After Luke had a run-in with a witch, Gran comes to his rescue but she has a heart attack. She's rushed to the hospital, surrounded by doctors and nurses, for an operation, while Luke has to wait outside the room.

This is such a good song. I love the way the heartbeat monitor is the defining instrumental and the movement on stage is synced to it. While Luke says that everything is happening too fast (the one time we get reference to his opening motivation) Gran sings about her heart beating too slow. The way their two experiences overlap is really beautiful, and the relationship between a little kid and his grandmother was my favorite part of the book.

Favorite line: "I'm just ten years old" "eighty-five years old" "and my heart is beating so fast so fast so fast too fast" "too soon"

5. Magnificent (Mr Stringer, Hotel Staff)

WOOoOOooOOOO

The doctor tells Luke and Gran he booked them a seaside vacation for her recovery. Which means it's time for the hotel manager, MR STRINGER. BIG HAND FOR THE HOTEL MANAGER.

Big oom-pa number welcoming them to the hotel as the set changes behind them. This song is so FUNNY it's so FUN and there's like TWENTY ENSEMBLE in it. The hotel staff uniforms are all in magenta and baby pink we are so BACK.

The second curtain raises to reveal the full depth of the set, a lavish hotel of pink marble and fancy wallpaper with turquoise trim. Right now, a concierge deck takes up the center.

Favorite line: "At the hotel where you'll never feel alone / fill the howling void of your dark and lonely soul"

6. Bruno Sweet Bruno (Bruno, Company)

While they're being checked in they meet Bruno!!!!! The perfect child. We love him. He sings a HUGE VEGAS NUMBER with TAP DANCING. Ans once again, so many ensemble members in yet another costume change.

LOOK AT MY BOY GO.

Okay this is getting REALLY long and we're not even at the act break so I'm going to split it up into multiple parts. See you soon!!

[recurring-polynya]

So, a thing that is happening at my house right now is that the youngest Polynya decided she wanted to start watching Bleach. That's too much to unpack right now, the upshot is, I am rewatching Bleach. Yesterday, we got to the parakeet episodes, and I was enchanted by this little exchange here, as Chad is getting ready to throw Rukia at Shrieker:

As I'm sure you all know, I adore the peculiarities of Soul Society speech, particularly early in the series. The first place my brain went was @littleeyesofpallas 's post about how the four gates of the Seireitei correspond to the Four Auspicious Beasts. In this case, "the direction of the tiger" would be west, which is...not left, although I suppose if you were being a little dumb about it, you could say from the POV of the view, north is up, west is to the left? Feels like a stretch.

After a little googling, I found out that the "direction of the tiger" could mean a number of things. In kung fu, tigers are associated with forward movement. While I could certainly see the shinigami combat styles including that kind of terminology (not that we've seen any evidence of it), it does not seem like a particularly good way of telling someone how to aim. (Also, all the websites I found on this topic were mildly shady western kung fu schools, so please take that with the appropriate grain of salt)

I also saw a few astrology references, which at first didn't seem right, but what meant was using the animals of the Chinese zodiac as clock directions. This system was used in Edo era timekeeping, and I half-joking posited before that they use this system in Soul Society. In this case, the hour of the tiger is 3:00-5:00 a.m.. Keep in mind that this system segments the day into 24 segments, not 12, so 3-5am is roughly where 8 o'clock would be on a western clock (there's a diagram in that time-keeping post), which could reasonably be interpreted as "left", I think, if you consider "noon" to be "forward", although it seems like it would be a lot further left than the animation indicates. (Edit: I guess this is still west, if you were to line it up with a compass, which obviously makes sense, but I think it's more common to use clock directions for relative direction where as compass directions are by definitely absolute directions)

I didn't mention it, but the first thing I actually did after watching the episode was to dig out the manga panel.

It doesn't mention the direction of the tiger thing at all, so I assumed that there was some localization going on in one or the translations, although I have no way of knowing which. It does use clock directions, though (although 1 o'clock is neither 3-5am, nor is it left).

Anyway, my best working theory at the moment is that Rukia is giving directions in zodiac animal-based clock time, which the anime subs and Viz have chosen to localize in slightly different ways.

The reason I put that clip in as a video instead of a gif is so the audio would be included. I would love it if anyone who speaks Japanese, or anyone who has the manga raws wanted to weigh in further.

[e-flo]

FINALLY got around to finishing this fic !!

i wrote it for last year's zosan secret santa and the last segment wasn't as paced or fleshed out as i wanted it to be, but i posted what i had for the deadline (i really wanted it to be ready on new year's eve)

it's been on the back of my mind to finish it up and i finally got it !! it was a nice break from writing Fresh stuff lol

anyway, if y'all enjoyed the OG, i hope you like what is now the Finished version of this fic!

ZoSan | T | 9,079 | Modern AU, Time-Loop, New Year's Kiss

[rainbowangel110]

My little sister watches Toh saga

We uh... got through episodes 8-11 so a bit to cover!

Episode 8

Starting off the episode with Hooty. She was already invested.

"I'll never find a way into Amity's heart!" cue Rock face from here

So uh as much as she loves Hooty she still was weird out by him... swallowing King

"What is Hooty eating???" Cuz King was covered in some stuff.

Oh shit this is puberty talk I thought in a panic

Anyways!!! Bug dance was funny. She was re repeating DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT MY MOTHER for a while.

"HOW BIG IS THAT SYRINGE??"

Voice powers had her hyped actually, she was all "What is that?? HE HAS POWERS NOW???" Cute

Onto Eda!!

"I want those cookies." I am not letting you get roofied by a baked good, kid >:(

Oh she was not ready for Owlbeast to attack Dell lemme tell ya.

We got the Archivists part of the Owl Beasts memories and I popped off

She really loved the segment where Eda talked to the Owl Beast.

"I want a plush of it."

"THAT'S SO PRETTY!!!!" in reference to the ending of the dream sequence

SAY HI TO HARPY EDA KID :DDDD

"SHE CAN DO THAT???"

Onto the Lumity segment (y'all were waiting weren't you)

"Stop blushing so much oh my gosh." "They do that a lot trust me."

She was all "ohh nooo" at the reveal of the Tunnel of Love and I was dying inside.

"Amity calm down oh my gosh!" I am in tears rn

she was sooooo hyped at the part where King used his powers again

Little tiny gasp at the Lumity part immediately after

the part where Luz was dancing around asking Amity out she was YELLING

"JUST DO IT ALREADY!!!"

Hooty receives a letter from someone

"KING'S DAD!?!?" no

Episode 9

She has been obsessed with what Belos looks like under the mask ever since we first saw him

"Oh man sure hope Little Rascal doesn't get caught...." "Why?" "... Remember how Belos eat-" "NO I DON'T WANT TO-" (Doing just fine here-)

"That's what he looks like?? ... ew what's the green for??"

I am freaking out right now kid, don't ask me

I paused so much because wow implications when you know the full story are REAL

"What did you think of that conversation (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)" "... Creepy." GIRL SAME

"Is that-" "Dragon Ball Z? Yes" (knows through memes okay?)

"Oh what happened to her??" "She's sick :("

we will now skip over a bunch of stuff nothing too exciting happened here tbh

I am pausing so much during this episode and it's annoying her (YOU WILL UNDERSTAND I PROMISE!!!)

"Lotta projection going on here." "... what?"

Had to explain some stuff about the convo between Hunter and Amity over the Tamagotchi (give her a moment)

"Oh. That's not good." "It really isn't."

Don't mind me just sobbing inside at every Hunter/Flapjack interaction.

Was so so so worried for Owlbert there.

"It's in the key?!?" Yeah uh so here we are :)))))

She was so entranced with the animation and so was I (with internal screaming though)

"SHE CRACKED IT!!!"

"Mushroom Luz."

Was awwing over Flapjack and Hunter at the end (don't mind me just... gonna go over here and AUGHHHHH)

Episode 10

"Who is that?? How is she in the mirror"

"Weird door."

In between is really interesting actually

"IT'S!!! HER!! THE SLUG!!"

Again I found her watching this show at S3E1 at the intro part (all she remembers was Hunter and Vee thank god) so she popped off here.

"She's cute. I like her."

*pause* "Okay so you see that?" *points at Gravesfield logo* "Remember that." "okay..."

"Oh and those two." *points at the the Wittebanes* "Okay I will sheesh 🙄" /lh

She will not

"The basilisks remember? "OH YEAH-"

Not much from her until the rain sequence.

"HOW IS SHE HOLDING HER??" girl don't sweat it, cry with me instead :)

"I feel bad for Camila.' SAME

Episode 11

Honestly not much happened here with her so uhhh....

Biggest take away for her though

"CAT COVEN PERSON!!!" (coven scout)

"King read her diary-"

[m0e-ru]

tohruest adachiest manager's choice experience as compiled by the tumblr branch moel gas station 2023

helloooo my dearest okyakusan my most wonderful customers whether you have a membership card or just passing by. Here is the manager's choice of how to have the most tohru adachi experience ever 📣📣📣

this post will have a breakdown of the whole diagram with highlights, and my own opinions of each medium stated. Otherwise, here's a summary as a list!!

YES!!

Persona 4 (PS2 2008)

Standalone Drama CD Vol. 3 (scattered cameos)

Manga Adaptation (Sogabe)

adachi jumpscare table

Vol. 10; Chapter 54

Vol. 12

Arena Ultimax; Episode Adachi

Arena Ultimax Manga Adaptation (Rokuro Saito special mention!??)

this is a bit cool too

The Golden Animation

Blu-ray/DVD Vol. 2; Bonus Drama CD: A Sense of Gratitude

Blu-ray/DVD Vol. 4; Bonus Drama CD: Boo ~ I bear a grudge on you ~

The Animation

Standalone Drama CD Vol. 2: You'll understand when you get older

The Golden (PS VITA 2013) (Social Link, new events, etc.)

um

The Golden Animation

Episode 6: See? I told you Yu.

Episode 7: It’s cliché, so what?

Unaired Bonus Episode “Another End Episode”: Thank you Mr. Accomplice

other opinions 

I’ll be linking all available online resources for everything I’ve stated!! If a link is broken or the media is inaccessible, hit me up!! I have my own personal archive.

YES!! segment !! wahoo !!!!! this is where i constantly stuff my nose in whenever i want a good reference on adachis character. AND THEY'RE ALL PERFECT TO ME!! <- about the media

Persona 4 (PS2 2008)

Back to basics everybody!!! Let’s remember who this goofball is from the start. Forget he has a social link and see him be the bumbling fool for plot exposition and the real murderer !!!! Just like how I tell you not to reference the attendant during 3/20, we can put Shadow Adachi’s mannerisms and his influence under literal god aside and try and focus on what that means as symbolism and extra information on Adachi himself!!

Standalone Drama CD Vol. 3

THIS IS A FUN ONE he has scattered cameos throughout the drama and was essentially being dragged around by Dojima.

Basic premise of this volume that it’s sports festival season!! Yasogami’s at it and the IT are participating, as well as Nanako—although she worries that her dad won’t even come to see her and that she wouldn’t even be able to do the family three-legged race.

Adachi’s appearances here are so stupid, he says he was an “elite” then flops trying to help high-schoolers with homework because Naoto’s there. He does his usual begging and whining with Dojima etc etc he also drove Dojima to compete with Nanako after saying the man finished all his reports as fast as possible.

I like this one because it reinforces who Adachi is based mostly from the main game. With the context that fans listening are aware he’s the culprit (or not), they do sprinkle in his “emptiness” (<- no i'm exaggerating it sorry) and bring it to the front of the picture a bit.

Translated Transcript: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14uOTyzic9Ij9DjN4ZRNBLFTcGe0UF-PvX4qMnqcs2Fk/edit#gid=283104639

Available video link: https://youtu.be/p3yDNbczEqg?t=228 (timestamped to 3:49)

Manga Adaptation (Sogabe)

SOUJI SETA TRUTHER COMING IN STRONG also i just adore Sogabe’s adaptation on the game as a whole. While I am Marie lover#1, this manga did begin in 2008, and I like to think it’s the hypothetical that Marie really was expunged completely OKAY WHERE WAS I

As mentioned, this whole adaptation focuses on the game before Golden was ever a thing. No scooters, no extra events, no nothing. Although, Sogabe did write in a bit of Adachi’s Social Link in a context best suited for Souji.

I like Sogabe's take on Adachi in the manner of how he draws him and writes him as a character. It's not as whimsical or lazy like the anime, and the way he took the downhill spiral of the Hospital arc, from November to December, just actually felt like my emotions were ready in the right places. Surprisingly, in every adaptation, I was really enamored to see how Adachi acted differently in each one.

In the manga, he didn't seem as slack jawed as he did in the game at least. He looked like he was trying so hard to act concerned when he he actually feels guilty for everything going down !!! OR MAYBE NOT !!!!!!!

compared to the game, you can really how much he exudes of being so. plastic. ung kaplastikan. and you're mad not because you're stuck with ps2 limitations of three polygons of an arm waving around, but you're mad that he reeks of faking concern. But also unlike the game, you don't understand what's going on anymore because of the things that have transpired in relation to Adachi's character. Which is Sogabe's adaptation of his Social Link with Souji through having dinner with each other.

and Souji doesn’t know him! They share things with one another that one dinner but otherwise, Adachi’s never rambled on about himself as much as he does in a normal Social Link run. There is a different sort of motive with Souji and he wants to some things wrap things up while everything else is falling apart around him. If there’s a chance to help someone, even if he’s only talked thoroughly once or twice and that the other party’s opened up a single time to him, he’s the boy who wants to get through to people either way. What if Souji’s a bit selfish himself and wants to be in control of things when everything in his life and vision are literally blurring as he breathes? (takes place in november when nanako's hospitalized btw)

I love the lack of intimacy between the two, contrary to what majority of the fan base wants or even BELIEVES. Souji is a kid with a year in Inaba, of course he does a million other things with his time than hang out with an adult that’s some kind of darker version of himself and a representation of a possible bleaker future considering how similar they are. 

As for the specific chapters, I think it’s fulfilling to go through the whole manga from the start. Like, forget everything you know about P4 for a second and experience it as fresh as possible. Then you get to Chapter 54 to see Adachi’s condensed Social Link and get to Volume 12 to see things come together. Sure, I start getting a bit iffy with Volume 13 but I enjoy the parallels between the two, genuinely.

i have more stuff locked and loaded but uhmmm yeah 👍

Available manga link: https://manhuascan.me/manga/persona-4-official 

VISUALIVE (stageplay)

you will never see adachi ever act like a cunt like this ever again. he only does it once because hes gay.

i have made a million essays about this this is the foundation of this gas station itself

Available video links to the only things i’ve subbed ever because they’re the most important ones to this fruit’s development:

https://youtu.be/mWRB1dIgFNE

https://youtu.be/QRps3M9uXiw

or you can watch the whole thing because Masami Itou’s portrayal of him is just delightful: https://youtu.be/7oTpjmeD-mk 

Arena Ultimax; Episode Adachi

hahaha. haha. laughs weakly. haha.

I would kindly ask everybody to do this in Japanese dub but otherwise ehmmm yeah ! Episode Adachy. I do enjoy how they try to elaborate how his personalities are coalescing into a single face as he doesnt have to fake around people anymore. Like the fact that his lame humor is still present and he’ll do stupid voices, which makes you wonder if he was always like this or that it’s something he adopted while acting out the last facade he’s done for over a year—or more. 

HE IS SO FUCKING OPINIONATED AND THINKS HES SO COOL he has SO MUCH PRIDE but also he doesnt at the same time. you think hes a soldier surviving in the idgaf war but hes still dying in the mines he planted and crossfire for multiple reasons. hes simultaneously a teenage girl and a man in his late twenties.

Adachi is totally giving a fuck, not just in a white girl bully “I’m better than everyone” kind of way but like he’s totally giving a fuck about a lot of things. “Oh I gotta stop whatever this god has going down for this city in bumfuck nowhere because the case is going to go around in circles and i’ll never serve jail time in peace” how many times has he turned corners in an alleyway maze just by saying this.

hes literally trembling in his shoes with everything happening in that hour but hes just so good at bottling up emotions from others and HIMSELF. Theres only so much he’ll admit in his own monologue—in his own thoughts. That hes aware of things but he’ll never say it out loud even in his own head i’ll tear him apart with my bare hands <- i am just genuinely annoyed he can do this and not me but i should be grateful that i can express myself than be an emotionally repressed asshole 

He finds kids who are mirrors where he sees himself in. One, a goody two-shoes who has it all, the other an actual brat with a fucked up life from loneliness, isolation, and abuse (a million other things). And he’s not annoyed only because he finds similarities between him and them, but the fact that they’re children and they have at least a decade more than his ass which he spent sulking about with.

He’s mad at Bancho because he has his way from the kindness and generosity of his time he’s spent with others, something Adachi didn’t do; in which he could use his situation with his family and education as an excuse, but he never brings that up because as much as he likes seeing others eat shit and he has his way, Adachi also considers himself a fuckup. can you see this irony. So many chances to get out there and socialize, but he stuck his nose in his studies thinking a good future’s already laid out for him—BUT THE BUBBLE POPPED which is what fucking happens when youre in Japanese economic depression after the bubble economy. and you dont bother to leave your comfort zone either EVEN WHEN YOU DONT NECESSARILY like the things youre doing because it’s the only damn thing you’re used to !!!!

He’s sick of Sho because he’s an oversized 10 year old who’s doing the exact same thing Adachi’s done in the past and Adachi is sick of that. he hates himself. and he’ll hate a kid for acting the same way. He’ll project so much he’ll fix another person’s mistakes not out of pure goodness of his heart, but because he doesnt like himself as a person no matter how much he tries to deflect these thoughts in his own head.

Adachi’ll scoff and nitpick Narukami because he doesn’t want to admit this better version of him is better. That he’s not this other guy, but rather, he’s just himself. He complains and whines about Dojima and even says he “hates him,” but is everyone not aware he’s the second biggest tsundere in this series next to Marie at this point. they are COMPETING for that number one title.

no matter how many times he tries to sever connections for the sake of the other party, those bonds are developed enough for the other party to WANT to tie it back together. he doesnt know how to build bridges, but he doesnt know how to properly burn them either. hes sloppy at everything he does. he is gay.

okay sorry about that im sososo dizzy honestly. where was i. i talked about his issue with his Persona before and how it isnt his Persona a million times on this blog sorry i really everything's spinning right now 'and you're still writing an adachi essay?' hushup

Japanese Bubble Economy: https://www.britannica.com/topic/bubble-economy 

Available Video Link: https://youtu.be/0TkRLCGqT3g 

Arena Ultimax Manga Adaptation (Rokuro Saito)

this is a bit funny. i read it mostly for Sho like. while i do adore it as very beautiful adaptation. when it comes to adachi uhh. hmm. looks around. the rokuro saito effect. he did mementos mission too if you're wondering and what I mean by this.

I mean he did reinforce Adachi getting proper police training and essentially being above average to the top of his classes (krav maga, shooting accuracy, detectivisms, etc.). His humor and mannerisms are also delightful i think personally with the way they're illustrated and essentially visualized. Rokusai has his quirk for drawing everybody really pretty which he does really well for Persona characters, but it also caught me really off guard when he works on adachi like okay! sho breaking his ribs can fix everything itsok.

Available manga link: https://m.manganelo.com/manga-cn116859

OH now this is the section where im a bit iffy with the characterization here but i still like to reference it sometimes

The Golden Animation

Blu-ray/DVD Vol. 2; Bonus Drama CD: A Sense of Gratitude

Adachi doesnt have a big part here he’s literally there to help with the Dojima garden and Narukami plants cabbages for him.

Available Video Link: https://youtu.be/1SNKljdyUcY?t=640 (timestamped to 10:40)

Blu-ray/DVD Vol. 4; Bonus Drama CD: Boo ~ I bear a grudge on you ~

THIS. this, goodness gracious it was so silly. Adachi’s here for a few segments with Dojima in the pub. Detective yaoi if thats what you’re into I guess. He also sounds a bit cheeky here in speaking tone and the scheme he’s pulling to call Naoto to do their job while Dojima’s knocked out on duty.

Available Video Link: https://youtu.be/PasKTZtKx_c?t=720 (timestamped at 12:00)

The Animation

i dont have much to say about the actual anime i dont really watch it, but i respect the Narukami truthers out there. It’s just not for me, nor do I reference it for Adachi at all. why does he look like this

i dont have that much judgement to say if it's good enough to use as reference for Adachi besides it visualizing how much of a goofball he is, I guess I could mention that. I have issues of it depicting lore but otherwise i dont think it's that much different than what the base game pulls besides it different pacing to better fit the animation medium.

Standalone Drama CD Vol. 2: You'll understand when you get older

Not particularly partial with this one because the anime gave Narukami a face, like he’s his own character here. Dojima makes Adachi go to Okina and deliver something because his clown ass forgot to hand it over to the other prefect police who visited within the day. Narukami’s off to go help Ebi stand in line for a makeup promo and Dojima says they can go together. There’s a subplot with the IT where they think Narukami’s being arrested lol so they go follow him throughout the rest of the drama.

Adachi just hangs out with the silly billy that is his boss’ nephew who has so much kindness and generosity that it could get the kid killed one day.

Available Video Playlist Link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2Wysh6PBhe_jyqxxIcyt_XrW6GcKHRn0 

The Golden (PS VITA 2013)

I scratch my head and wonder what they were going for with Adachi’s Social Link besides the fanservice. I mean thats what they did with akc in royal i guess. <- has my own opinions about this but im closing my mouth.

It feels a bit too… intimate for me? What’s the deal with WANTING to invite him for dinner… without Dojima around either. Like they’re a two in one package for me, you can’t see one without the other most of the time. Like Adachi’s slacking off work while Dojima’s slaving away by himself? I’ve always believed they get off at the same time or something because of the subordinate status.

I did enjoy the Junes segments though, it kind of felt like it was a good placement—if you move things around a bit. Him hiding behind your back while you’re doing groceries so it looks like he’s busy was a bit funny, and him chatting you up while you’re supposed to be busy yourself is also silly if you consider that Bancho himself wants to bail and was just caught into his chismosa and whining. He has enough of a degree of association with you as you’re putting your nose into the murder case and that you’re his boss’ nephew, so that’s kind of why you’re the only few people he can talk to.

(pauses yes or yes ) i also ate ice cream where was I going with this

dont make me talk about the accomplice ending that thing’s pretty corny to me but also unnerving i dont want to think about it alot.

With the way things have gone for Adachi’s new characterization with the added Social Link and the new events for Golden, it personally made me think twice about it all, especially when his TV studio and Shadow self ended up the same. There’s a lot to go about this? (<- deranged) and I will admit that I myself got sucked into the idea that he’s an antagonist and couldn’t truly experience everything right at that point. whoopsie. Then again, looking at it at this point in time after a few years makes me realize yeah maybe this does make a bit of sense! The nature of the fog has changed, which can explain the drastic change in character between Namatame and Adachi. which is an essay for another day I really feel a bit out of it.

The “um” segment. Stuff I dont really like to reference nor put in the pot that makes adachi soup because im really iffy with it and how the writing was taken liberally for the sake of the audience rather than the reinforcement of source material itself.

The Golden Animation

The Adachi centric episodes 6, 7, and the accomplice ending bonus episode lol, as the whole Golden anime was really for Marie and other new Golden add-ons like Okina and scooters and ski trip and etc. 

how do I put this. im really opinionated on this segment it’s okay if you dont take my word for it. I dont like the production quality. The animation is honestly really bad and the artstyle itsnt tasteful with how it’s executed. There’s enough frames of Marie that people looking over my shoulder while I watch would call her Adachi. It really is a boatload of a cashgrab and fanservice that kind of adds new insightful things to the lore but honestly? I don;t trust it. Like the writers forgot what they were writing about and started writing fanfiction of what they originally made.

It did give some insight with Adachi, but I hate how they just made Narukami the way he is for this adaptation. Like the boy does have all the time in world and hes not an overworked high-schooler with so many commitments now he can… make a man dinner and deliver it to him…? I would definitely say “> Adachi doesn't seem to lead a nutritionally balanced life...” and leave it at that, i am not making him dinner i dont have time for that. can someone get this guy a girlfriend please. Don’t get me started how they treated his character development and lore surrounding him overall im sick of it. At least Sogabe made it all look pretty.

anyway here’s the part where i can add my closing thoughts as someone who fills a niche solely because they think and enjoy things so differently than the present majority. I don’t think im mature enough to enjoy things peacefully in a community full of different people but also because im losing the idgaf war myself. I’m glad I can enjoy a media in general and I’m so happy when people can enjoy it with me. (had to stop the cat from clawing on the vacuum he likes the texture apparently) where was I

hold my hand as i go through a hundred coming of age arcs in my life and that one day i wont be as embarrassed as i am now to admit i like tohru adachi as a character and talk about him with a restraint so childish because I dislike how a majority depict him. he’s part of my journey as i learn things about myself as much as mimi but in a more human way because. hes human. or something. one day i can forget his reputation in the community and create all the things i make with pure love that is not fueled by spite to be right and correct. I already know i am right and correct because everyone can enjoy things their own way and find things that they like in one thing that are different from things others like. for now, i will still treat him like an insufferable uncle older brother thing whose arm i periodically chew on until i reach bone and let him carry me back to bed when im tired of being annoyed of him.