#i wish the bps would focus more on the character

[poorlittlevampire]

also i’m so mad there’s so much good junker queen shit in this current bp and not the last one even tho the last one was her mythic skin???? at least spread it out so i can try and earn enough credits that i can buy the pass without spending irl money!!!!!

[yes-i-have-thoughts]

By Popular Demand: Jonah Edmund Marshall Thoughts

He was robbed. I’ll say it right now: Jonah was robbed. /ref

No but I am pissed that he was yoinked from canon. I can understand why, but I am not happy about it. That being said: let’s begin.

(TW FOR SOURCE EVENTS BEING REFERENCED, INCLUDING ADAM’S THOUGHTS ON HIM IN VOL. 4. JONAH AND ADAM FICTIVES/IRLS READ WITH CAUTION.)

Jonah’s direction in lore was honestly shaping up to be interesting. I’m wondering if they’re going to re-cast his VA or revert him to how Thatcher used to be-a silent character, someone who mostly exists in the background. Because while we hardly know anything about him, he was probably going to have some kind of tie to the police in some way-maybe even the MCPD directly? Maybe they’ll still explore it, even if he doesn’t have a voice anymore.

Fingers crossed Adam deleting him from his contacts didn’t signify the series dropping the character altogether. Alex please don’t do him so dirty like that

ANYWAY.

Since all we’ve got right now is speculation I’m going to go insane and speculate as much as I can, starting with him gearing up to go to law school

The guy evidently cared about school, at least at one point. I’m not saying he was a smartass grade-A student but he was clearly bright enough to get the affirmation of that. I can think of several reasons why he would turn it down, but why BPS? On the off chance it wasn’t just for the Hell of it, why get into a job and stay with it once you start getting into trouble? Wanted-by-the-FBI levels of trouble?

I’m going to ignore the assumption that Adam would manipulate him into staying. 1. I don’t want to throw more dirt on the guy’s name and 2. I just don’t like the thought

So why stay in BPS? Why pick BPS? Was it boredom? Was it a way to distance himself even further from the expectations? Was he gearing up for law school against his wishes? Was this the biggest “fuck you” towards those forcing him that he could do?

And another thing. Adam said that they weren’t friends, that he was Jonah’s best friend, not the other way around. And the implication now is that he (Adam) was never human to begin with. Yet one of the times he shows “human” emotion...Is when he’s calling for Jonah over the radio. This was after a pretty vicious fight, mind you; when he would have every right to agree and assume that he wouldn’t come-and yet he hoped that he would. Despite whatever reservations he held about the guy, he was still hoping he would come for him.

And Jonah likely would have if he were in range! He was clearly tearing himself apart for having the audacity to leave Adam behind. A teaser for Vol. 4 even implies that he did go back for him, if I remember correctly-and knowing what we know now, I can’t help but wonder how their interaction would have gone.

“You’re not really him, are you?”

He never really was.

Going back to the Jonah focus since I started shifting towards Adam, I have so many questions about him. And almost everything starts with why.

Why was he an orphan? Was this retconned, or is there a reason?

Why is he in BPS when he seemed to have what some would consider a bright future in the law?

Why did he even go into law, only to (apparently) back out of it?

What happened to cause that?

And most importantly, who’s idea was it to make his middle name Edmund?

So many questions. And now none may get answered.

I’m crossing my fingers even harder that we get more story for him in the future. He’s got so much-whatever this is. So many ideas on him.

If Alex reveals that the death and contact deletion was him effectively retconning him from canon I’m going to be livid.

[crystalelemental]

Unit Teambuilding - Sygna Suit Hau

Apparently it was the Tapu.  I legitimately didn't think it would be.   In retrospect, I feel stupid for not believing it.  Oh well.  At least they picked cool characters to get them, right?  ...right?

General Overview I'm just kidding, I can't be mad at you, Hau.  You earned this one, buddy.

Hau comes in with Tapu Koko, as an Electric Tech.  Whose focus is Electric Terrain and extension.  Just...going right after SST Red with that, eh? I respect the hustle.  The instant thing I need to put on the table is that Hau is not as good as SST Red.  No one is.  But what Hau does offer is team support, where he's not the only person in the world that matters.  So I like him a lot better. Interestingly, Hau also gets Fairy Zone as a skill to call, provides +1 special moves up next when anyone sets a field effect, and has a buddy move that is AoE and hits all foes for -2 speed, then boosts team speed by 2.  Given the number of Cakewalk/Inertia units in the game, this is big money.  The activation condition for his buddy move is just any field effect being active, and he sets Electric on enty, meaning in three actions he caps speed for the team, and bottoms out speed for the foe.  This is fantastic.

Hau's limitations mostly come through in the lack of recharge.  There is no MPR for Fairy Wish, and the only recharge for Electric Terrain is a 3/5 grid skill.  Granted, it resets Terrain every single sync, and with extension, this is...forever.  Which means Hau actually maintains for any lower tier Electric-type as well for Gauntlet purposes.  So that’s...exciting.  Still, taking every other sync to keep it running is going to be interesting.

Move Level and EX? EX isn't necessary unless you plan to deal damage with him.   Interestingly, his base kit gives him everything he needs to succeed as a partner at 1/5.  3/5 is only if he's aiming to be the sync nuke, and 5/5 really just offers overkill levels of power for your allies.  I wouldn't say it's worth it.

Team 1: SS Hau, Eevee Kris, W!Jasmine Friends. It is with absolute glee that I announce...we did it.  Eevee Kris has ascended.  SS Hau, at 1/5, provides nonstop infinite terrain, thanks to Kris resetting it every sync.  Winter Jasmine provides SEUN and bulk for the team. We are, in a word, perfected.  You have no idea how stoked I am for this.  Trying to use Kris with SST Red was just constantly being rendered redundant by the absurdity of Buddy Volt Tackle, but now?  Now we're in business.

Team 2: SS Hau, Gordie/Lodge Serena, Hop/Sonia/BP Morty Outside of Electric and Fairy pairs, Gordie and Serena are the top winners of SS Hau.  Electric Terrain as an opener means Hau gets right to Buddy move, which can maximize the effects of both Cakewalk and Inertia in just three turns.  By the first sync, Gordie and Serena are at max capacity.  They also have solid self-setup, so while you can offload your offensive needs to Hop or Sonia, Gordie can cap offenses with just an MPR, and Serena only needs a little help to cap. So you could go bulk with BP Morty.  Which, this being the second bulk team, I feel I should mention 3/5 Hau can buff evasion for the team.  Just putting it out there.

Team 3: SS Hau, Sophocles/Clemont, Hop/MU Torchic This is more the emphasis of Cakewalk sync nukers with Electric as their type. Sophocles and Clemont come to mind, mostly because they're the two I most often wish had better options with Gauntlet.  They just...really need offensive support.

Team 4: SS Hau, Diantha/SS Wally/P!Serena, SC Jasmine/Lodge Dawn SS Hau offers Fairy Zone and a -1 cooldown on trainer move when that Zone is active.  This is a beautiful thing for Diantha and SS Wally, who are all about that fast-ramping life.  SS Wally is a little redundant, but for CS purposes, it checks out.  I'm using SC Jasmine as support, because of special defense debuffs.  I admit there's not a great solution to these, as Diantha needs special attack drops that don't really exist outside of her 4/5 grid.  But also she's a DPS in this case, the sync is just for mega evolution, so it should be fine.  Lodge Dawn exists if you want to let Diantha try self-setup.  It's not great, but Team Sharp Entry saves a turn.

But there's another to talk about!  Palentine's Serena!  Inertia on sync, and Hunter's Instinct on DPS!  Hau supplements both.  He's actually a fantastic partner to P!Serena, who loves just about everything he does.

Team 5: SS Hau, SS Kris, Archie Hey kids, you like stacks of Moves Up Next?!  Kris gets at least one per trainer move, possibly two with Limited Special Boost.  Hau gets one for each field effect, including the intro activations, so he’s getting at least four by just hitting Fairy Zone twice.  And now you have a wonderful decision.  Archie’s Origin Pulse blasts Water apart.  Or Electroweb blasts sides apart and Archie’s Thunder obliterates center on Electric. 

Final Thoughts I actually really like Hau...’s kit.  I think he's got a solid kit that does pretty well for the sets he's supporting.  I don't think it's like...insane.  There are definitely limitations.  But considering how many Electric types run Cakewalk or Inertia and have an awful time setting them up (Sophocles, Clemont, Elesa, Marnie), I think he's really good at supplementing those effects.  Even N, who doesn't need them for sync purposes but is just so slow, really appreciates it.  And on Fairy, it's the same situation.  He's able to supplement P!Serena beautifully, gives Diantha much better gauge control while providing Zone, and even supplements options like SS Wally and Bede well.

Hauever!  I do think he’s another one of those options that’s like...too strong to support everyone.  Lower tier Electric types love the infinite Terrain, but 3/5 Hau with sync is generally stronger.  Still, this is a much needed improvement for the archetype over SST Red.  I appreciate that more than he will ever know.

[bipolarediaz]

How would you like the BP Eddie arc to play out onscreen?

ohhh this is a great question, thank you! I'll be honest, my biggest wish in 5b was for it to happen then, when his mental health was the number one focus in his arc, and I felt like thematically it would have fit best there.

obviously it has to start with his therapy with frank and bringing that back to the forefront. he and frank have been working together for months now, and realistically it would have been brought up well before now, but I really want to see it from the beginning of the arc and how he reacts to it initially getting brought up, so let's pretend it takes them this long to start discussing diagnoses and things.

one thing I definitely don't want is him trying to hide it from the rest of the team. keeping things close to his chest has been so terrible for him in the past, and seeing him be more open was such a huge part of his arc in 5b that we should be continuing with it instead of having him backpedal on his character development. healing's not linear (and I would like to see some backward slides with his progress at some point in the future because of how REAL that is, just not yet) but with this I really don't want to see him fall back on old bad habits. I want him to open up to someone--most likely either bobby or buck, at first--and ask for their opinion on things. they're the people who know him best, and he'd want to know what they have or haven't noticed that could tie in with frank's suggestions of looking into bipolar disorder. getting more than one person's input, especially getting the input of someone who knows him in his daily life and who he trusts so much, is going to help him to better come to terms with things than he would if he only gets it from frank.

and we all know buck would immediately go on a huge research binge about anything that he could find relating to it, which I also definitely want to see, not just because it's a good way for eddie to really physically see that he has someone in his corner, but also because it could be a good way in the writing to bring up some of the misconceptions and stereotypes without it just sounding like exposition for the sake of it. it would make it actually fit in with the characters and storyline. I don't want it to just turn into a preachy psa about bipolar disorder, but I still think talking about it openly is important here.

I'd want to see him come to terms with the diagnosis, and what it means--and ultimately, how it doesn't actually change anything about who he is. this was already who he was, he just has more words to describe it now and has access to better coping mechanisms and help. knowing eddie, he's definitely going to struggle a lot with coming to terms with it, just like he has with most things in his mental health arc so far, but I don't want to see it portrayed as this terrible burden he has to live with or some kind of flaw, something that's wrong with him. it's just... part of him, and it's something he's going to have to learn to live with and that he'll be dealing with for the rest of his life, but it's not a bad thing.

that's ultimately what I'd want from that arc. there's so much negative stigma surrounding bipolar, and it's kind of a taboo topic to talk about, and I'd want to see an arc that actively goes against all of that and emphasizes how he's still just eddie at the end of it all. that's another reason I'd want him to have at least one person he's open with throughout the diagnosis and when he's first coming to terms with it--I want there to be someone to tell him that this doesn't change who he is or his relationship with any of them. hearing that from someone he cares about would really matter to him, and knowing he can lean on them helps to ease some of the burden of his mental health, and seeing that reinforced would be great.

[wenellyb]

My journey in the MCU fandom on Tumblr: Sharing my thoughts on the Falcon and the Winter Soldier, racism in the MCU fandom and the best and the worse of the fandom

I wasn’t going to write this much but here I am… I don’t even know where I’m going with this but since The Falcon and the Winter Soldier just recently came out, I wanted to share some thoughts.

I joined Tumble because of a show I loved but most of you don’t know it “ Hit the Floor”

I stayed on Tumblr for two reasons only, Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan.

Before the Captain America:Civil War premiere, a friend sent me the link to the Sebastian and Anthony ET interview, and I was hooked. In just one interview. I discovered Anthony Mackie. The guy was hilarious!!! I just couldn’t get enough and I knew I had to know more about him. How could he improvise so many funny lines on the spot? He was just amazing.

I had pretty much watched all the avengers movie but that was it. I was not involved in the fandom. So I knew Sam Wilson’s face, but I couldn’t even remember his name if my life depended on it. That’s how much the MCU treated him as a side character.

I was like how the f*ck don’t I know this guy?

His talent reminded me of Eddie Murphy, Jim Carrey or Robin Williams, like yes they can make some emotional or serious movies, but when they want to make you laugh, you will laugh. Whether you want it or not.  I kept wondering how this guy wasn’t more famous.

And the banter with Sebastian Stan? Wow, you could tell their friendship was strong, the way Sebastian lighted up when Anthony was talking, and keep bouncing off his jokes. It was art. the way Sebastian said “ I love you” at the end of the interview. Pure gold.

I then started to watch some of the interviews and boy was that a mistake!!! I literally couldn’t get enough. So I watched all and I say all their interviews, it was the best. We got some gems:

“Why aren’t you looking at me as much”

“Which way is the beach Seabass”

*Them saying nonsense in Spanish and then Sebastian Saying Papi Chulo*

 ¨And so many more, ....

I watched other solo Anthony interviews and he was still HILARIOUS, but you could also tell he felt a little bit more at ease with Sebastian around. I won’t pretend I know him or his personality, but Sebastian seems like a little bit more of an introvert and looks like he doesn’t enjoy the interview experience unless Anthony id around him. Just my thoughts

I watched the interviews before I went to see the movie, I even cosplayed as the Winter Soldier to the movie premiere and I was IN!!! When I saw Captain America Civil War, I became a SamBucky shipper, these two were hilarious and I really so the potential for a great realtionship I love enemy to lovers stories.

I also shipped Stucky because, to me, the trope of the movie was Superhero gives up everything to protect his long term friend” Hollywood movies have some codes and if Bucky were a female character, there is no doubt in my mind that the movie would have been marketed as romance.

Stucky really was an easy ship! But then the MCU fandom of Tumblr fandom messed up everything for me. You see I really liked the CACW and I I liked Stucky, I liked Sambucky, and I loved the introduction of t’Challa’s character, but one of things that affected me the most in the movie was that it was the first blockbuster I watched with 3 black main characters, Rhodey, Sam and T’Challa. That, and the fact that they were planning to realease a Black Panther movie in two years, I was super excited, and that’s the main reason I got involved in the MCU fandom so much, when before, I was just a casual watcher.

If this seem weird to you, then you have no idea how we were only getting crumbs before. For me it was soo huge, I even told all my friends, and they were laughing at me. But usually blockbusters, especially superhero movies get one black character and that’s it, usually the best friend or something and never the leads. So, for me it really was a big deal. How sad is that by the way…

I became more involved in the fandom and, at first, I wasn’t focusing on anything special, Sambucky, Stucky, Stackie, the Black Panther, and even Zemo, whose character I really liked.

But soon I noticed that the CACW tags were always flooded, and I mean flooded with the same two white characters: Steve and Bucky. I told myself, ok that’s fine Steve is the lead after all, but it would be good to see the other characters too.

And then I noticed another interesting trend: Evanstan…. Wait what?

Chris Evans, and Sebastian Stan… did I miss something? Listen, obviously I’m sure they must be friends or something, but you’re going to tell me you watch all MCU the actors and you’re going to focus on Steve and Sebastian? I’m sorry what?

Sebastian and Anthony are right there… Or Chris and Anthony, they even have a secret handshake, only the 2 of them do… what more do you want?

Tell me one iconic Evanstan moment… go ahead tell me… See??? There isn’t.

Because of this and because of how badly some Stuckies were treating Sam and Anthony. I became less and less of a stucky shipper . I mainly focused on SamBucky, Stackie and the Black Panther,

And then the Sebastian Stan stans saw how popular Stackie, Sambucky, were becoming and I started to see some problematic stuff in our fandom too.

I don’t want to generalize, but when you go into the Stackie tag, and you see cropped pictures of Sebastian without Anthony, it’s easy to assume that a Sebastian fan did that. And we know damn well you cropped out Anthony because we watched all Stackie interviews and know exactly which interview your picture was taken from. We know that Anthony was sitting right next to Seb.

You post a picture of Sebastian laughing but you crop out the person who was making him laugh??

“but it has nothing to do with race” How do you know that?

“Sebastian had more screen time” More screen time than Anthony in CATWS or CACW? I don’t think so.

“I have been a fan of Sebastian for longer”, that’s fine but don’t go out cropping Anthony, just post gifs of Seb in his usual, sad, and Anthony-less interviews, not the ones where he’s smiling because his best friend is next to him.

Some of you really are the worst. And just so you know, your fave Sebastian is Anthony’s biggest fan, if he saw pictures where you cropped out Anthony, he would block you on the spot.

When I realized that Anthony Mackie would be the next Captain America I was screaming, no actually, I was crying, Sam Wilson will be Captain America, and Anthony would finally get the recognition he deserves.

You would think that the MCU fandom would focus on Captain America or at least one the two leads, instead of just Sebastian? Right? Right? WRONG.

Anthony is handsome, he’s funny, he’s a great actor, he went to freaking Julliard, he’s at the top, I don’t see what else the man can do??? He should already be a superstar, but no, you will side-line him even to he is the lead of the show.

Even when they are the actual leads, you guys would do anything to bring up the White characters even if it means ignoring the Black characters.

I remember I was having a conversation about Black Panther with my friends and I asked one of my white friends who was his favorite character in BP was and he told me Martin Freeman (don’t even remember his name in the movie) Martin Freaking Freeman, there are half a dozen of great characters and your fave is the only white man??? Ok, ok, that’s great.

Don’t give out automatic reply like “It has nothing to do with race, if you haven’t thought about it first”, because there’s a high probability that it is indeed about race. Stop saying it isn’t, sit down and ask yourself, “Am I biased?” “Why am I reblogging only stuff related to the white characters”.

One of these days you guys are going to make me hate Sebastian with the sh*t you are pulling.

I looove the Stackie friendship and the Sambucky dynamic but after seeing the way some of you treat Anthony and Sam’s character, it make me want to focus on Sam’s character and forget about the rest.

 I remember they were some posts about how Anthony was problematic, and I just lost it. Apparently, there was an old article that resurfaced were Anthony was making a joke about women making sandwiches or something.

If you were offended by the sandwich joke, that is totally ok, and I can understand that.

But if you were offended by the sandwich joke, and saying Anthony is problematic BUT you still stan Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, ScarJo or even Sebastian Stan, just know that there is a high probability you’re racist.

They have all said or done problematic stuff, and people only seem to remember stuff related to Anthony, which was probably just a joke by the way.

Chris Evans and Jeremy called Black widow a wh*re, ScarJo took roles that she maybe shouldn’t have and I didn’t forget Sebastian shady Instagram post, when Kaepernick was kneeling. There are so many more things to be said about Jeremy Renner but google is your friend.

Anthony also got hate for hating on Tom Holland? Like what? Do you guys even hear yourselves? Don’t you have any friends you like to tease? If you hate someone, do you go around talking about him every chance you get? It was obviously friendly banter but some people wanted to turn it into something it was not. Sigh.

I really cannot with this fandom

 The stackie fandom was small at the beginning and the Sambucky fandom even smaller, but we were there and it was amazing. Sebastian and Anthony received the same amount of love from the fandom and I wish we could go back to those days.

Stop pretending the fandom isn’t racist. Stop saying “it isn’t about race” when you haven’t even thought about.

Saying “it has nothing to do with race” only shows that you haven’t thought about anything but don’t want to be called a racist.

There is racism in this fandom and it will always be there, but if you guys want to do anything about it, you have to acknowledge it first.

You can’t be pulling off stuff like “I don’t see colors”, “ it has nothing to do with race”. Stop, sit down, think about it and then we can have a conversation.

If you’ve made it till the end, I apologize for the typos and grammar mistakes, I wasn’t planning on writing this much.

[axeline5]

Hey!!! 1, 3, and 18 for the VA ask meme?

Omg my first ever ask! Yay! And thank you for making the ask meme and getting some VA activity on my timeline again, it’s much appreciated.

Also I’ve only read Bloodlines once and I don’t remember it that well, so all my answers will relate to VA.

1) Favourite moment from the series.

Oh gosh, I don't think I can pick a single one, I haven’t read the books recently enough. It'd have to be one of those rare Romitri moments when we get the two of them being relaxed together, maybe with a little bit of emotional honesty/vulnerability thrown in. So, the snow angel scene in BP, the library in LS, the rooftop in FB, maybe even the “Wear it up” scene from VA.

3) A moment or storyline you wish you could change.

Avery. I just don’t care about her or that whole storyline at all. It’s by far the weakest B-plot in the whole series, and with the exception of that last fight at the end, I’m kind of tempted to skip all the Avery scenes during any future re-reads (which is something I never do, no matter how many times I’ve read something before).

Surely there would have been a better way to get the other characters where they needed to be by the time Rose returns (i.e. Lissa and Christian broken up, Lissa being a lot more appreciative of Rose as a friend, Jill becoming friendly with the group but there being tension between her and Lissa, etc). Basically everything else that storyline introduced is changed back or forgotten once Rose returns, and outside of a couple of spirit-related comments, Avery is never mentioned again. What was the point??? I’m not sure what it should be changed to, but almost anything would be better.

Sorry, every time I think about her I go on an angry rant, because in case you hadn’t guessed, Avery really annoys me. To the point where I’m writing a butterfly effect style fic and it makes me genuinely mad that I have to include Avery in it (but you can be damn sure her involvement is going to be better than what we got in the book).

18) Favourite and least favourite VA book.

Favourite is definitely Shadow Kiss. It’s got the cabin, Rose and Christian kicking arse and taking names, and the ending of that book makes me cry like a baby every time I read it. I love it. What can I say, I’m a masochist.

Least favourite fluctuates between Blood Promise and Spirit Bound. The Russia stuff is great and the scene on the bridge is heart breaking (again, masochist) but Avery really brings it down (God I hate her so much). Spirit Bound feels quite disjointed to me, with its action-packed first half and politically and emotionally focused second half. Both of which I like, and in the context of the series it makes sense to have the climax (Dimitri’s restoration) in the middle so that the focus can then be shifted to his recovery and the set up for the final book, but I think it makes the pacing of the individual book suffer as a consequence. Also Romitri is my OTP so Rodrian and “Love fades. Mine has” hurt me to read in the not enjoyable kind of way.

[sanstropfremir]

Okay, time for my weekly rant so buckle up. The vocal stages were okay-I cant really remember them well because I watched them only once so take what I say with a grain of salt. Well I watched the Spark one once and I only got through half of the other one because I can’t stand ballads especially when there’s no interesting movement on stage to keep me engaged. Like it’s no fault of the members themselves or the song (I actually think their singing was incredibly beautiful and Eunkwang always sings like his wife just left him with the kids which is how you know he’s good) but I physically could not pay attention. That’s why I liked the spark stage a bit better-there was enough movement that I was able to focus on it. I really liked the use of the fire and the way they were walking in and out of the frame trading off parts so there weren’t too many awkward moments where the other members where on stage but not doing anything. The opening was gorgeous with each members being lit by the spotlight as they harmonize. So stagewise, I prefer Spark but vocally I think the other group was stronger. I love Spark and Taeyon is such an incredible vocalist (I mean the song is great because of her) so I don’t get why their delivery was, I don’t want to say weak, but subdued might be a better word. The only one that really stood out was Junhoe (but also that man couldn’t not stand out even if he tried, not with that incredibly rasp) and even he seemed to be holding himself back a bit. Though it was a bit slow it built up well to the two last choruses but still the first half could have been stronger. I know they were trying to draw it out to a strong pay off but I don’t really know if it was enough. And yes the suits were *chef’s kiss*. I think at this point in their career the FNC stylist has put SF9 in so many suits they’ve got it down to a science. Also I’m a sucker for those shirts with the triangle cut out and we got not one but two of them here.

Okay moving on, I’m not sure which group was next but I’ll talk about the Ikon stage. It seems like they finally realized that they’re on a performance based competition show so they decided to pull out the big guns. Love the little skit at the beginning (making sure people don’t forget that they’re YG), it was cute and refreshing. I really appreciated how they leaned into the campy acting in this stage (Stray kids did it too-just adding to the similarities between their stages). The song was meh but I also don’t really like BP especially not their recent stuff so it’s not a big deal. I would have preferred if they had gone with another song maybe Whistle or As If It’s Your Last or if they’d done a 2NE1 song like Chanwoo mentioned some point in the episode. I also think the stage would have been way smoother if they’d let Ikon and Lisa interact. Like if the boys appeared in her set after her section and then they all moved back to the first jungle set and then the whole thing turns gold and they did a dramatic outfit change (but with better jackets because theirs look like they came out of Party City). I also get what you mean about the dancers outfits not being that great. I actually really liked the outfits of Lisa’s dancers in isolation but they didn’t match with her or the set so they threw me off a bit. At least with the ikon members they were going for a modern look so the dancers outfits didn’t look that strange in comparison. Do you think it would have been better if they were white? How would you have improved then? The best way I can describe this performance was that it was a stage, stuff happened, I enjoyed myself but I don’t plan to revisit it anytime soon. Oh and we also have to give points for them cursing on national television not once but twice (at this point Jinwan deserves to say fuck).

Now to Stray Kids. So I feel like I need to preface this with the fact that I am actually a stray kids fan (I won’t call myself a stay because I don’t associate with the fandom) and though I’ve been really critical of them and their stages tend to be my least favorite I still have a soft spot for them (I got into this show because of them after all). I loved, loved, loved the intro with Felix (and yes his biggest flaw is that he’s Australian but I forgive him for it) and the way it immediately transitions into the chorus of DDD-the abrupt transition does fit really well with the Deadpool theme and I guess it is the closest they’re going to get to the feeling of yeeting themselves into traffic like in the movie. Interesting choice to start with the chorus. Now that I’m rewatching it I do really wish they stuck with the comic theme. I think that’s my gripe with SKZ-they have a lot of good ideas but they move on too quickly from them. Just pick a handful of things and sprinkle them throughout instead of cycling through them at breakneck speed. Like okay they’re doing Deadpool and he’s a comic character so keep the comic styling (it would have been a good thing to put in the projection behind Seungmin’s scene), maybe in the subway they could have had some fight choreo so the guns coming in at Lee Knows part aren’t out of nowhere (also someone please tell me they were trying to recreate the meme with the cat and the knives, please I need to know). I absolutely agree that them having a goal or an antagonist would have really helped the story along. I mean they literally have a spoken intro so why couldn’t Felix just tell us who they were fighting (and I’m pretty sure in the movie Wade tells us he’s trying to kill Francis in that scene sooo). As always they put more focus on the rappers (please can we get less Changbin and more Seungmin, Jeongin, or Lee Know or at least give Felix more parts). Seungmin was the real mvp of this stage and he had the best outfit (I think it qualifies for Hanya’s best gay little outfit list). Personally I with they hadn’t gone with Gods Menu again. I’ve been hoping that they would perform My Pace (and maybe remix it with their B-side TA off their Go Live album) because that would be such a fun stage. Again, I enjoyed myself but I won’t revisit it anytime soon. At this point the only groups I actually look forward to are BTOB and SF9 (they’re doing fucking Move and I don’t know whether to be excited or terrified-there’s a clip of Taeyang covering Move from a variety show or interview and I think he does it really well so I know at least one of them can pull it off). Again thanks for creating space where I can info dump and I hope I said something of interest to you!

i think you wrote more than me!! i love this, im gonna put my response under a cut im not being super obnoxious on the dash.

i get that the mayfly stage would be not as visually stimulating for people and usually i would count myself in with that crowd because i love a good spectacle but i think because i watched the spark stage first and my colour perception is sometimes weird so when there's a lot of movement with very little colour variation my tiny pea brain loses track of whats happening really quickly. especially with red. so it was kind of difficult for me to pay attention to the spark stage in the second half. also i absolutely HATE watching people flub on stage because it brings up such visceral secondhand feelings that i couldn't even watch the stage when i started the full episode today.

i love a good suit but you know what i would also love: sf9 in more costume variations. tbh im just getting nitpicky about it because im a costume designer down to the core and i got trained by a designer who specialized in doing avant garde costuming so i tend to skew more towards wild than reserved. it looks like the move stage wont be be suits so ill take it, but oh man to do i want to see some really crazy stuff. which i know they'll never do because idols have to be pretty at all times or the fans get mad but oh i want it so badly.

do you mean how i would improve ikon's backup dancers outfits or lisa's? here why dont i do both. for lisa's dancers i would have just done away with that harness shape all together, its almost exclusively a military style. the jackets by themselves would have been fine but really what they should have done was put them in something that matched the gold but contrasted enough to give them shape. by having at least her dancers in all black on a gold stage there was a lot of "haha look at me do a duck walk because lets throw in some voguing for spice." they could have gone with a mesh bodysuit idea similar to what she was wearing or even just different colour coats. as for ikon's backup dancers, firstly pants. not black. or even a longer skirt. genuinely a part of the reason why i dont watch girl group content is because i HATE the hem length of the shorts they make everyone wear. words cannot describe how much i hate that cut. kpop is so obsessed with showing off women's bodies and especially their legs but they do it in the LEAST flattering way possible because it "can't be too risqué," just shoot me now. i hate it. i hate it so fucking much. yea yea everybody was on cocaine in the 80s whatever but at least they were all wearing french cut bodysuits so their legs looked fantastic. stop interrupting the lines!! anyways. pants so the only section of skin showing is thigh to mid calf, especially because they weren't even doing any fun legwork! if they really wanted to keep the full sleeve bodysuits they shout have done them in a fabric with a texture or external embellishments, like a patent/vinyl or sequins/rhinestones. something to catch the stage lights so we can actually see the shape of the limb. but the easiest way to fix it is literally just cut the arms off the bodysuits. stages are lit to show off skin, sometimes the best way to have something be seen is just to have it bare.

i agreed skz cycles through ideas way too fast, they need to just pick a couple and stick them out through the stage instead of just adding more and more different ones throughout. also ok good someone else noticed that there is just...so much changbin. we don't need that much changbin. i know there's other boys in the group let them do something! also im pretty sure theyre not recreating the cat knife meme but actually the promo image from john wick chapter two, which i also could have sworn i saw a deadpool version of as an instagram ad back when movies were happening, but now that im looking for it it doesn't exist so i might be crazy.

im excited for the move stage but im also trepidatious because...its move. i have NO clue what the concept is from the previews so i just hope its weird enough to take it enough out of the taemin context for me to enjoy it.

[hot-caramel-macchiato]

Save The Date is actually a really good book. i wonder why it's so underrated 🤔 i really enjoy the first person POV, it's a nice change after reading all the third person POV books. plus wouldn't it be better if you describe sex scene in FPP wink wink

Best Man (i named him Leonidas) is really a jerk and irl, i would have cry all the time/kill myself before i could work with him in peace 😂 but he got that dominant vibes and i really like that in a man, so although Simon is a sweet little boy, he feels too childish and i don't really like a guy like that as my boyfriend 🥺 it would be more appropriate if he's my little brother.

towards the end of the book, Leonidas is still getting no better. i mean he did apologize for making a fuss and all that with MC, but i kinda feel like he's not sincere about that 🤷‍♀️ i would never date a guy like that irl, but since it's a choice between a little bro and a jerkass boss, i guess i'd choose the jerk. i'm really into bad boys anyway 🤦‍♀️

Lindsay is, well. i'm still a straight girl, with the appreciation for beautiful ladies 🤷‍♀️ Lindsay is a really good friend! 🥰

maybe because Pixelberry already decided it's gonna be a solo book, they really didn't put any effort in the romance and the chemistry between characters 😅 it just feels so stiff, besides the side characters are so annoying yes i'm talking about the lesbian couple 🤦‍♀️

it would be more interesting if they dig a little deeper into the feelings of MC about her ex and the incident at the altar. and a little more sympathy from people would help too. people around her are such cold-blood creatures! 🙄

between Save The Date and Bachelorette Party, i'd gladly pick this one. BP is such a wild book, but the romance is quite good so that's a plus. i like both Reed and Ash, but Reed is giving the Adrian vibes though, so i picked him like almost immediately 😂 but overall, it's still not a book i'd add to my favorite 🤨 that's why it won't have its own post, because i didn't screenshot any memorable scenes. simply because there is no memorable scene at all 😒 well except for the part they took the characters from Endless Summer, and it's the same as my MC even!

i've also finished Wishful Thinking, way before i even started reading BC. it's a real funny book, but not my style either. she suddenly had superpower, no explanation at all. then it malfunctioned and disappeared, no explanation either. it focused waaaaay too hard on the take down the bad guys stuffs, there's no time for other things in her life 🙄 it was a relaxing book for diamonds mining, but in all seriousness, i didn't enjoy it.

finally, i just wanna say, after killing Rheya reading Bloodbound, i really got something going on with Greek names 🥺 i named MC in Wishful Thinking Eryx Myrrh, MC and Best Man in Save The Date Cassandra Hephaestus and Leonidas, MC from Bachelorette Party Zephyra Admetus. i might go with Greek names from now on for future books 😂

i'm so busy with school and finals i barely have time to catch up with everything on Tumblr 🥺 i'm still reading Distant Shores, TRH2, Witness, while still waiting for OH2 and BOLAS to comeback from the hiatus 😩 i also need to waste my keys in the waiting phase, so i'm catching up with Rules of Engagement book 2 (i endured everything just because i love Leo).

i hate the way it forces player to play as 4 people in a single series of books 🤦‍♀️ i hate that the bookish sister only have 1 LI!? i like that Paolo guy, but they gotta force her to be with Audrey 🙄 she HAS to be a lesbian for your sake of diversity huh? 😩 i hate that it forces the REAL MC to date all the guys, when i really just wanna focus my relationship with one guy cough Leo cough. the only relationship i could encourage in these books is between party girl sister and Blake. or Carter. i like both guys, and they're not even main characters 🤷‍♀️ reading these books are really a waste of time, so most of the time i just sit there, doing other stuffs while tapping my screen not knowing what i was doing 😅

imagine how awkward it's gonna be irl, if 3 guys propose to you and all expecting your answer, while you're, like, already make up your mind of who you're gonna choose from chapter 1 🤡 overall, i hate RoE and please blind me. worst book(s) ever. negative number out of 10.

[where-fading-princesses-live]

What is your opinion on Rolf’s scenes in the movie?

((Sorry this is going to be long. I’ve been trying to finish this for the past three days.)) So just going off from what everyone else said, I agree that Rolf’s scenes could have been trimmed down some, or at least utilized in a more productive manner. He’s all geared up like some hardcore Indiana Jones, looking ready as ever to whoop some serious ass, but he never really does anything. I mentioned it before, but it’s as if the writers just didn’t know what to do with him…

(Credit for art goes to Marlushion)

That pretty much sums it up.  

Granted, I don’t hate Rolf’s scenes. Far from it, actually. I just feel like he could have been slightly more on track. His scenes not only go on for too long, but in the entirety of his screen time, all he does is… fry an egg (???), pour some ‘’Rö suk’’ on a car seat, yells at Wilfred, mutilates a perfectly good muffin, yells at Wilfred some more, milks a cow, drinks unpasteurized milk, yells at Wilfred, gets a meat grinder stuck on his head… so yeah, basically, Rolf’s scenes are, as everyone described, just the very definition of filler. Which is a shame, considering Rolf is one of the most interesting and complex side characters.

In fact, Rolf isn’t the only three-dimensional supporting character that had less to do in this finale. Jonny and Jimmy also take back seats in their subplots, and they, too, have been the most developed of all the supporting cast. Maybe it’s just because these three characters had so much character development throughout the series that there just wasn’t anything left for them to do, and so the writers decided to shift focus onto characters that had very little development, like Sarah, Kevin and Nazz. The before mentioned characters were always the least interesting and least popular among fans, so I was surprised by how much screen time they received in BPS. Not only that, but their subplots are fairly interesting, at least compared to the more popular secondary characters like Rolf. I suppose it all boiled down to time constraints. It was more important, anyhow, that the Eds had their dramatic conflicts resolved and their time to shine– the rest of the cast just had to pick up the left-overs. Still, it would have been nice if Rolf, Jonny and Jimmy had the opportunity to be as great in BPS as they normally are in the series– even if they had plenty of development prior to BPS, this was going to be the last time we would ever see these characters, so to have them do nothing due to time, well, again, it’s a shame. EEnE was one of the few shows of its era that had a very strong supporting cast, so even if we watched it for the Eds, it was still a treat to see the others, too.

I think the majority of fans dislike Rolf’s story arc mainly because it lacks comedy (or at least, the usual Rolf antics we’ve come to expect). I like @mundane-ededdneddy-headcanons theory in that Rolf has been alienating himself further from the group and becoming more and more introverted as the series progresses. This is true. Towards the end of the series, Rolf has had some more serious moments than usual, moments that reflect his more introverted nature. For example, in ‘’Too Smart For His Own Ed’’, it’s revealed that he suffers from stage fright and has a phobia of public speaking. Yes, this same kid who bravely performs in front of his friends without a hint of shyness…

… loses the Spelling Bee due to social anxiety. 

‘’No Speak Da Ed’’ is perhaps one of the darkest Rolf-centric episodes, the plot which heavily draws upon past childhood trauma. So it’s not as if Rolf was never serious before BPS. Even before Season 5-6, Rolf had some heavy material in his episodes, such as ‘’Wish You Were Ed’’ and ‘’Dueling Eds’’.  So again it’s not like Rolf can’t be serious– but because he’s more beloved and popular for his comedic timing, I guess his story in BPS fell a bit flat for some. I think the criticism mainly stems from the fact that even in his more serious episodes, the writers always made sure to pull it back to comedy. In ‘’Wish You Were Ed’’, it begins kinda sad, but then it gets pretty outrageous. 

Same goes for ‘’Dueling Eds’’, which handled a pretty serious topic of Eddy unintentionally hurting Rolf’s feelings… it begins normal enough, but then escalates into… insanely… weird… shit… 

Even ‘’No Speak Da Ed’’ ended on a comedic note. So if BPS handled serious frustrated Rolf in the same way they handled these episodes, maybe fans wouldn’t be so nitpicky about it?

Maybe the meat grinder was meant to be hilarious, but it’s actually just kinda sad. I mean, the kid loses everything… all the possessions he can carry, his pig, his shoe… I mean, he’s kind of a wreck at the end. I don’t know about anyone else, but I wasn’t laughing, and maybe I was supposed to be?

But going back for a moment, maybe fans just weren’t thrilled with the idea of Rolf being so cut off from the rest of the group. Granted, he has really always been an introvert, just not in the pure sense of the word like Jonny and Edd. Rolf’s more of an extroverted introvert, in that he enjoys the company of his friends, but he’s also not afraid to go solo. We’ve seen moments of Rolf alone before– but that’s all it was, moments. He’s revealed to be a slightly different person when he’s alone as opposed to in a group. In fact, he’s more serious when he’s alone. In ‘’Pick an Ed’’ we see him sitting alone under the bleachers, dwelling over his poor grades. His frustration here mirrors exactly how he is during the entirety of BPS: talking to himself, talking to his pig. But I think because we’re not used to seeing him alone so long, it was maybe a tad unsettling to not have him bounce off of anyone and vent his anger and frustration in other ways– such as through comedy. The same would be true for the rest of the cast. It’s interesting to see how the characters react when by themselves, but they are much more interesting when bouncing off each other. I could say the same for the Eds– they wouldn’t be nearly as interesting by themselves. So because Rolf is alone for the majority of BPS, he doesn’t have the opportunity to be as fun as he usually is.

He isn’t playing comic relief in his story at all. Like Kevin, he’s terribly frustrated and solely focused on revenge. But even though we as fans sit here and analyze these characters like we created them, we didn’t, and maybe there was a creative reason why Danny–who obviously knows his own characters better than we do–decided not to go with comedy for Rolf. Maybe he felt it would be too inappropriate for this type of setting? I mean, all the kids have pretty dramatic moments in their stories… but then again, even in their most tense situations, they still have room for comedy. I’ve seen several responses already suggesting Rolf should have at least tagged along with Jonny or acted as a third wheel in the Kevin X Nazz X Bike subplot. Either one would have been good, but maybe Danny just didn’t want him around to crack jokes? Maybe he felt as though Rolf could be more than that? Maybe he just wanted to give us something we wouldn’t expect? The way they paired up the kids was a no brainer– but again, maybe there was a reason why they wanted Rolf alone with his pig instead of with his friends. I think there were other ways to make his story work without interfering with the other kids, one of the suggestions being the previously mentioned pitch that all he needed was more comedy. He could have still bounced off Wilfred the same way he bounces off the other characters, and in a less cruel way. That’s another criticism of mine, having him be so unreasonably harsh towards Wilfred. Rolf has never been shown to be extremely abusive of his animals before. Maybe he was just taking his anger of the Eds out on Wilfred… but it was still a tad extreme and slightly out of character, even for Rolf. I’m almost glad Wilfred bit the shit out of him.  

One last thing to add. Towards the end of the series, Rolf has been taking on subtle traits of Double D by not only improving his English and expanding his vocabulary but also…

Not only does he better his English, even though he can’t excel in school despite working his ass off to little avail, but Rolf also starts to embrace science and technology, as if an excess of Double D’s annoying habits rubs off on him. Season 1-4 Rolf is behind the times, often resorting to animalistic tactics and do-it-yourself conduct, using natural resources and living off the land. The only hint of ‘’technology’’ in his antique-ridden old-world colonial-style home is a dated television set with foreign characters on the control dials and limited channels. But in BPS,  he goes full Steampunk mode while tracking the Eds, which, as cool as it seems, is a little out of Rolf’s passé character. Though Steampunk incorporates modern technology with the aesthetic of 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery, it also seems very advanced for Rolf, who in previous seasons, would use traditional, natural remedies like Carbuncle of the Flesh Stew to heal acne and other skin blemishes. Analyzing egg whites to uncover evidence of missing persons in a forensic-styled science experiment sounds more like Double D’s mojo, not Rolf’s, no matter how DIY. Oh well. He may have temporarily stolen Edd’s thunder but he looks badass, so who gives a flying cow?            

Oh, also…

It might be safe to assume that science and agriculture aren’t so different after all, so perhaps Rolf’s retrofuturistic tendencies in eventual installments isn’t so bizarre.

[lady-olive-oil]

Chapter 3

|| Characters || Intro || Ch 1 || Ch 2 || Ch 3

A/N: Hey everybody!! So here’s the next installment of Brown Sugah Baby. The events in this story are complete imagination, and I don’t own the characters of BP. Nor do I own the Divine Nine; Southern University or the Fabulous Dancing Dolls, I only own the OCs. Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more!

Word Count: 2,506 [had to get in the details hunny]

Warnings: nothing really besides harsh banter.

Tag Squad: @maddiestundentwritergaines || @destinio1 (I need extra help so gotta tag my girls) @designerwriterchic @terrablaze514

[let me know if you’s like to be apart of the tag squad]

It was another scorching humid day at Southern University, and everyone had their hands full. Tailgating, getting the team ready for the game, the band tuning their instruments for the halftime show, the majorette team stretching and making sure the speakers were loud enough. The whole campus was on fire about the homecoming game against Alabama. One thing's for sure though, M’Baku could not focus for the life of him.

“Dude. You playin or not?” Erik nudged his teammate to get him out of the trance he was in.

“Huh? Uh y-yeah. Sorry man, I was just distracted. Let’s play.” Getting refocused on the plays for the game, he glance back at her occasionally.

What caught his eye you may ask? His best friend in her dark blue leggings and an SU tank top, practicing with the majorette team. The SU Fabulous Dancing Dolls, were one of the best in the land; and everyone knew it.

Once Nefe became captain, she made them even better. She lead the team to nationals her first year. It was like the music was in her blood, and she could throw out a stand like nobody’s business.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were checking out your so called best friend. Who I might add, was -“

“Sean, think about what your gonna say. Choose wisely before I send you to Jesus early.” M’Baku stopped him before he could even finish. These two were like bulls in a China shop.

They were constantly butting heads over Nefe and it didn’t make sense. One was only with her for the sex but she didn’t see it like that; the other was  her best friend and would do anything to protect her. Which mad shin want to go the extra mile to make sure she was safe at all costs. Yet it made Sean want to work harder to keep her.

“Or what? You gonna stomp me into the ground like a elephant?” The joking tone was paired with a sickening smirk. Sean wouldn’t let up with the Africa jokes and it made the situation worse.

“At it again with the African jokes I see.” The disapproving chuckle that left M’Baku’s lips, was a rare one because Erik was eating this up with a shit eating grin.

“What are you gonna do about then, huh? As far as I’m concerned you don’t have feelings for her, or do you? Cause either way, I’m gonna be the one she wakes up to every night till senior year.”

Now he was just taunting him. The low growl that erupted from his chest was loud enough for both men to hear.

“Man you straight up buggin. Even I know that ain’t right, and I was just like you.” Both of them looked towards where to voice came from. Erik of all people got over his old ways once he met Nakia. She put him in his place and he never left since.

“Your only chance of getting laid again, Sean, is crawling up a chickens ass and waiting.” M’Baku eyed him up and down and smirked a bit at his own roast, upon hearing the football team egging him on.

“Whatever man.” With that Sean just backed off, going back to stretching.

“Never in my years of living, would I be around to see you stand up for me. Of all people really.”

“Man, you’ve been there for my shit. I gotta be there for you. We boys, we gotta stick together.”

Erik was right. In this world all they had was each other, and for him to stand up for M’Baku like that was eye opening.

“I wonder what that was all about.” Nefe being an on looker to what just happened, taking a break from practice and all. Nattie knew exactly what it was about and Nakia pointed it out first.

“The boys were arguing over you. I’m so close to beating the hell out of Sean.”

Nefe sighed at what her friend was saying and didn’t even wanna ask as to why. She was tired of the boys fighting, yet was ecstatic for Erik breaking it up.

“Ya boy stopped em too. I don’t know how you got him to draw back is gangsta ways, but I gotta hand it to ya Kia.”

“He’s still like that, just a bit toned down. I love me some Erik though.” Nakia was smitten over Erik just the same. Them two, along with T’Challa and Nattie, were what Nefe wanted in a real relationship.

What she had with Sean, was just for fun. Did she tell Sean that? Nope. She couldn’t because she was afraid he’d hurt her again, and by hurt her that meant grabbing her. She only told Nattie and the girls, mortified about how M’Baku would feel. He’s very protective over her, along with her brothers too.

“Oh please. That fine ass man with locs can have any woman he wants. Even me, I have the body; mind and skills to prove it. I’m surprised he’s even dating you. You have less hair than he does.”

Nakia nearly lunge for her, but Okoye grabbed her before she could claw her face.

Melanie couldn’t stand anyone else’s happiness but her own. Tearing others down was her thing, and she never got tired of it.

“Listen here med school,” Nefe got tired of her whack behind and was about to give her a piece of her mind.

“Save it. If only you were on the cheer team. Because as captain I wish I could kick your as off the squad.” She got in Nefe’s face, at a comfortable distance.

“As a 2nd degree black belt, I can just kick your ass.” Nefe sucks her teeth and looked her up and down.

“I’d like to see you try-” Melanie was off till the coach called her back, and she gave them a sinister look before sassaying away.

“Count ya blessing bruja! You better be lucky she’s holding me back!” Nakia growled in rage and Melanie smirked before going back with the cheer team.

Ain’t no way in hell, was Nefertiti about to have her on the majorette team and not think about choking her.

“Alright y’all. Save the fight for the parties tomorrow. We have a game to practice for. Nakia, good job on your Spanish.” Nefe winked at her friend, who then gave her a hug.

“Nefe’s right. Come on.” Nattie rallied them all together, with the rest of the team, and got into formation.

“We doing Formation or Dose?” Nattie asked before pressing play on the laptop, that was plugged in near the stands.

The smirk laced that Nefe’s face, was a triumphant one.

“Let’s switch it up. We’re doing Dose.”

~The Game: Southern University vs Alabama A&M~

The game was close. It was 77 to 76 with SU in the lead so far. M’Baku has scored the touchdown and the field goal kick. Only 2 more quarters left to go and the crowd was hyped, with a sea of sky blue, yellow and white. Nefe gathered up the girls in a huddle one last time for a prayer. A Southern University tradition.

“Alright girls, one shoe in.” All the girls places their right foot in the circle and Nefe led the prayer. They all held each other’s waists and bowed their heads.

“Father god, I ask that you cover and protect us as you always do going into these life changing moments. We ask that you guide our senior girls to victory and cover them with your hedge of protection, dear lord. Marchbus into victory, in your name we pray..”

“Amen.”

Sending off with a proper SU chant, getting into position and putting on smiles was what the girls were used to. Down south with an HBCU halftime was a goldmine. It was like watching the history of black rhythm come alive.

“Nattie. There go ya boy.” Nefe nugged her best friend nodding in the direction of T’Challa, dressed in his drum major outfit, practicing.

Anyone who knows Nattie and T’Challa is that, she’s the dancer one of the two. Even though he tries his best, he knows he’s enjoying himself. Who else would be best as drum major?

“This fool here knows how to make people laugh. He loves what he does and that all I can hope for.”

Nefe could see the love in her best friends eyes, as she gazed at the goofy man with the feather hat. That’s what she truly wanted and needed in life; an honest and loving relationship. She kept battling with her herself on it and couldn’t decide when it was time to be upfront with Sean about it.

“I see you love. Good luck out there like always.” He cape over to give her a hug, the girls and the band all made noise with the sign of affection between the two.

“You two are cute. Ok Drumline, we gotta go. Lead us on Udaku.” Nefe smirked and gave him a fist bump, sharing a quick laugh, before watching him leave to start the whistle to let the girls go.

Their outfits were jumpsuits with sheer tights, that were a lustrous jet black; with cut out parts. The ensemble hugged every curt and left little to no imagination, as the girls sashayed from the outside of the field to the field. Hearing the crowd cheering them on as they lead the band in all their glory.

They all had their hair down and pressed out, in order off them to whip them back and forth. Except for Nefe because she refused to take her braids out, since she just got them done.

M’Baku knew where to look, as he glance at the field watching his best friend move with grace and elegance, to the music of the band. That was until his coach told him to come back and was embarrassed, causing Erik to laugh a bit.

T’Challa was doing his thing as any great drum major would, and gave the crowd a show. Any HBCU had a great leader, and Southern University had one of the best. Whomever was next in line, had to live up to his expectations.

The music changed quick as Nefe threw out the first stand, everyone in the stands was into the groove with the music as well. Everyone knew the Dolls would be immaculate as whatever song they danced to and didn’t expect less from the team.

The girls followed Nefe’s every move with a smooth nature. Throwing out high kicks; backflips, a few twerking moments and few gyrating movements. The girls felt right at home. Plus adding little bit of Latin flare of course.

Getting the crowd hype was what the Fabulous Dancing Dolls were known for. All the right counts; the formations and the stands were on point. All the way down to the strut back to the stands.

[Watch this to get a visual!!]

As the game went on, the hype never died down. The girls were allowed to stand on the sidelines with the cheerleaders, during the last 5 minutes of the game.

“The suspense is killing me man. Alabama State A&M is gonna probably kick our ass.”

“Come on Nefe. Have a little faith in our boys. They’ve never disappointed us and won’t now.”

Nattie tried her best to calm her friend down as they watched the game. This M’Baku’s first game as a running back and it was only his junior year. He had strived to be quarterback by time senior year came, and would never back down from striving to get there.

“I just hope he doesn’t miss this. This could be his big break for the head spot next year.” Nefe couldn’t hold in her excitement as much as she’d like to, and Melanie scoffed at her in annoyance.

“Oh please. Why are you so worried about M’Baku’s chances of being quarterback for? He’s got me as his good luck charm to worry for him.”

“Listen here Med School, I had a enough of your shit for one lifetime let alone in practice. I’m his best friend and I have a right to worry.” With as much fire to throw back at her, Nefe snarled and gave a once over.

“Why do you care? It’s not like-”

“Shut the hell up before I herky you in the throat.”

Nefe cut her off before she could ever start, and paid attention to the game. Getting antsy with anticipation.

“M’Baku, this is all you my dude. Score it for us, better you than Sean.” Erik encourages him as he glances his way, receiving a head nod and a smile.

“I got you.” With a gentle smirk towards him, and a wave to the Nefe but Melanie took it as one to her. He shook his head in defeat and got back in the game. As the call was heard he caught the ball from David, and ran for the end zone from the 40 yard line.

“Go M’Baku!” Nefe and her girls cheered him on along with the crowd.

Melanie had had enough and decided to speak up.

“Why are you so into his future, not like he likes you or whatever.”

“I’m into his future as much as he is into mine. That’s what friends do. Scouts are out here tonight, like they are at every game so they look out for him. I’m his friend and he is mine. Whomever he dates has to deal with it.”

Nefe didn’t even have to look at her to explain her reasoning. Hell, she didn’t need to and yet still did. Receiving a high five from Nattie, she got back into the game and was on the screaming happily when M’Baku scored the winning touchdown. Making the score 98 to 83.

The crowd's reaction was just like hers, as both majorette and cheer teams ran onto the field with the superfans. Nefe knew who’d she wanted to hug but was stopped by Sean and hugged him anyway.

“Did you see me babe? How’d I do?” He was too prideful in himself to congratulate the rest of his team.

“Uh yeah. You did great. I’ll catch you later ok? I gotta get the girls ready to uh march out.” Placing a kiss on his cheek, earning her a smile before he headed out to talk to his boys. She made a beeline for M’Baku, once they saw each other. He picked her up, spinning her around in glee.

“We did it! That was amazing.” M’Baku smiled as he held her as close as possible.

“I’m so freakin proud of you! You did so well!” Squealing in happiness, holding on tight to him as he spun her. Next thing she knew, she kissed him. It was as if time stood still, and nothing else mattered to either of them. Except for a noise from Sean and Melanie. Once they broke apart, he set her down and a sense of awkwardness filled the air.

“Oh shit..”

[twilights-800-cats]

thoughts on redtail’s debt below

it didn’t feel very strong - at least, not as strong as people were saying it is

we simultaneously got a lot of character for redtail and yet... not enough - for me, anyway. the first half of the novella was much stronger than the latter, because the latter just felt like we were rushing through redtail’s life without much thought for the moments in between it all that might be interesting - like, not even his deputy ceremony was shown. what? i really wish they’d used a chapter or so to flesh out the time in between bluestar’s prophecy and this novella’s finale - the battle at sunningrocks didn’t need to be three whole chapters. its a problem a few of the novellas have because they’re trying to rush through a character’s entire life in ten chapters - but that’s beside the point.

redtail’s conflict with tigerclaw felt... weird. tigerclaw himself seemed almost cartoonishly evil around redtail, but smooth and suave and manipulative around everyone else - which might have been intentional but it just felt strange and really oddly out of character. even ravenpaw feels weird in his brief moment here.

obviously oakheart’s death was a huge mistake - redtail did not kill oakheart in the main series books, this was a huge point fireheart had to prove in order to get bluestar to even consider believing him. im utterly baffled by this mistake when its such a simple thing - redtail not killing oakheart would have fit in so much better with tigerclaw’s taunting and jeering about redtail’s cowardice and how he needs to die in tigerclaw’s eyes.

im kind of bummed that thistleclaw’s death did not play a role in this novella at all - it jumps around so rapidly that i have no idea where or when he died and the novella makes it almost seem like he lived all the way through with just how vague it gets. thistleclaw’s death could have been used to further drive home the conflict with riverclan - in fact, the entire windclan silliness could have been cut if tigerclaw made thunderclan believe that thistleclaw had been killed at sunningrocks by riverclan! this novella begs for the entire focus to be on the fight for sunningrocks, which could give redtail some rapport with oakheart - perhaps tigerclaw would have tried to pin the blame on oakheart? who knows!

anyway

i am glad that this novella confirms it - the battle for sunningrocks in the prologue of into the wild is not the same as the one where redtail dies! it was a revelation i had a long while ago and the thought seemed to stump some people so im glad that was at least handled.

some of the characterization we got was cute! we got to see bluefur be a deputy, actually - something bp glosses over iirc. redtail’s interactions with his clanmates are really good and the dialogue (other than tigerclaw’s cartoonish villainy) feels more genuine! redtail isn’t a super big, strong, powerful warrior and he still achieves a high position - and that’s great! I just wish we got to see more of why he got to be deputy in the first place and how his thoughtfulness impressed bluestar, who could have chosen lionheart or whitestorm as her first deputy instead. in fact, who did redtail train before dustpaw? there had to be some other apprentice, right? there’s just not enough detail in certain spots.

perhaps the novella should have started with redtail as a warrior already - or maybe spent less time with him as an apprentice. im not sure. but the novella seems really rushed in places and unbalanced in pacing, and that sucks: because while its not the worst novella (you have to do a lot to get below the trainwreck that is spottedleaf’s heart, lbr), it had a lot of potential it just didn’t meet.

[neo-shitty]

toffee!

ah yeah i suppose ur right. yeah i think quarentine has had that sort of effect on a lot of people :( sorry to hear abt ur strict parents, hopefully ur friend will be able to come back soon. small outings (even with family) are still good tho, make sure ur taking care of urself toff.

youre totally right! ah yes thats good advice (/gen) ill try and use that when im in a slump ty. any music suggestions?

lol sames. even some of the stuff abt seungmin, innie etc is a little uncomfortable, like theyre grown ass men for sure, but at the same time, theyre still young, still just over being a teenager in the grand scheme of things. (on that note, i do struggle with worrying that im infantalising them, obviously theyre adults but at the same time, theyre still young. i do treat all fictional characters as my children, but i guess its different when its real people. idk. what do you think?) yeah some stans rlly need to take a chill pill, some are rlly walking the wire between 'ah theyre attractive/that look rlly suits them' and making fucking smut fics abt minors, like... they do not see a problem with that?? yeah tbh i feel like unless theyre 18 they shouldnt be put into the spotlight, weve seen what it does to peoples mental health, but modern day kpop industry is a lot like old hollywood with a lot of popular child actors -_- hopefully the big companies will learn but i agree, its unlikely

suuuuure toff haha. ill go searching for them, but idk if ill be able to find the fluff needle in the angst haystack (jkjk) yeah, fair i groan and complain but you do write angst etc rlly well, so if its what ur comfortable with, then pls continue, it is one of your strong suits, well as you write fluff aside

ah okay good! ill continue to send you essays then

THE ALBUM YES. so ive been looking forward to it for literally months, this is actually my first skz album release as a stay (since the last on was 9 months ago) i was sitting there hitting refresh on my spotify the second 6pm kst came around. (speaking of which, how did you do the release? i couldnt decide whether to watch or listen first but i ended up on listening cos there would be more material) okay: so cheese was super cool, very skz ya know? tho i almost wish theyd made domino the title track, tho obv it was a more experimental track and would have been a bit controversial (much like whistle for bp) i looooved domino and thunderous was absolutely impeccable. all the songs were amazing but standouts were- secrets, secrets which lowkey made me tear up idk why, red lights which almost killed me (it did not have to go that hard, but it did) and OT8 WOLFGANG omgggg i wasnt sure if hyunjin was going to be included in it but i was hoping and, ya know people had said hed be in there, but the further i got in, the less i was sure and then BAM hyunjin started what had been jisung's part and i just sat there grinning for about 5 minutes. surfin was absolutely adorable and gone away almost made me cry AGAIN. star lost was so touching, almost a nod to hyunjins little star? silent cry was relatable beyond anything. SSICK was funny? for some reason I was laughing while it was playing, idk the combination of added cheering and minhos aggressiveness and the totall seriousness they sung it. but i rlly enjoyed it. sorry i love you showcased their vocals like nothing else. the view is THE BOP of 2021, absolutely going to be stuck in my head for the next decade, that hook is genius. what did you think?

also did you watch their grow up performance? with all the stays and ALL THE TEARS? ;n; i feel like this is the end of an era of skz and tbh im kinda happy but also sad. super excited for their promotions but super bummed they wont get to tour. ah well

<3 w.a. 🐺

answer under the cut bc i gave an equally long answer to this already long ask HAJSH

oh yeah, abt quarantine having an effect. my friend and i talked about this earlier actually. i didn't realize the world was moving so fast until the pandemic happened. being in quarantine gave me time to think and i got to know myself more. it's just the sole good thing i got out of the isolation lmao. and abt my strict parents, ironically i got to go out today so i got to hang out with a few of my bestfriends. i had fun but my legs are a bit sore from walking. but they're a different set of friends. i'll get to hang out with the others when my getaway driver comes home in december.

hmm music recommendations for writing? depends on the plot you're writing. care to share what story you're working on and i'll try to rake my brain for a song that might match the vibe. i listen to classical / lo-fi if i don't have song inspo for a fic because lyrics sometimes distract me.

i don't think that's infantilizing tho. for me, it has something to do with my environment and the way i was raised. maybe it's the same the other way around? like this certain age (for the ones above 18 but below 20) is thirst-able for them. idk really. it's just not for me ?n? what i do NOT condone is writing smut for minors??? like get checked : D // i agree with everything with the idols being 18+ before they debut simply because it's for the best for their well-being like. how can young idols decide that this shit is the thing they want to do for life? or at least until their contracts last. idk :// it's unfortunate that it's unlikely to happen.

WELL. i have a list so you won't have to go search for them! in class (minho), in the rain (seungmin), gladius maximus (chan) and you've read five star already. and i just realized that most, if not all, of my upcoming fics are fluffs and i'm fond of all of them :D i used to focus a lot on angst because fluff disgusted the living shit out of me. i think things changed when i wrote champagne problems and hurt myself so bad i wanted to drop angst entirely. i didn't, of course, but i allowed myself to be self-indulgent now.

for the release of the album, i was on twt and watched the vid at 12 views (if i remember correctly, i watched back door at 14 so HASJH) i’m gonna talk by track so it wont be too confusing? bc i wrote this in paragraph format and it just ???? beware im very picky with tracks even if they’re my ults. so no offense if we have opposing opinions and i’m not fond of reading lyrics so these are all music wise.

cheese - oh god i hated cheese at first listen but it grew on me easily. i was singing the yeahyeahyeahyeah bit all day today :D

thunderous - i cant say that it’s my favorite title track. it felt really dry sometimes, both mv and music wise. but at the same time, it’s not that bad. the choreography carried the song tho o.O it’s so fucking cool. but like go live, another track has my heart and it’s

domino - AND YES I AGREE THAT THEY SHOULDVE MADE DOMINO TITLE TRACK UGHHHHH WHAT A WASTED FUCKING OPPORTUNITY. WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS HOW FOND I AM OF THIS SONG. it stands close to the level i love easy.

ssick - was a skip on first listen too because i found the chorus underwhelming but it grew on me? not that much but i can bear listening to it.

the view - it’s something the gen public like, hence its something i dislike. im not fond of songs that are structured like this? it’s not a bad song, just not the type of song i like. but i agree that the hook is very not catchy but it would get stuck in ur head.

sorry, i love you - it’s not as sad as i expected but i actually like it??? i can’t wait to write a fic out of it (1) HAJSHAJ it’s like a 3/5 for me. it’s angsty but chill?

silent cry - i’m pissed at this song bc it hits but sometimes it doesn’t?@?#!? but it’s starting to grow on me but definitely not my fave track.

secret secret - glad i found a secret secret enthusiast because my irls thought it was a skip?$?#@$? it gives me ikon vibes and i’m a huge fan of ikon’s discog so this was a win for me T_T +

STAR LOST - gives me bigbang song vibes and now im very sad :(( in case u didnt know, i’m a hUGE yg fan and 2ne1/bigbang introduced me to kpop so when i heard this track that gave me yg feels i just <3___<3 and it’s one of my favorite tracks anw moving on,

red lights - I WANT TO SKIP THE FIRST TEN SECONDS OF RED LIGHTS EVERY TIME IT PLAYS LIKE IT MAKES ME FEEL AWKWARD KDSJFSK but fine. i’m adding this to props and mayhem’s playlist LMAO it’s more aggressive than sexc tho. more enemies to lovers o. O

surfin’ - this coming right after red lights just wasn’t the best decision arrangement wise because how did we go from ooh sexc to aigh pARTAY. felix saying sheesh T___T it’s such a fun song i want to go to the beach ;n; do you like beaches?

gone away - i have yet to read the lyrics because i’m using this as inspo for a jeongin fic jskjash it’s not the type of ballad i like but it’s so fucking sad to listen to :’ ) the pitch change caught me off guard? still does. it’ll grow on me prolly.

wolfgang - I YELLED WHEN I HEARD HYUNJIN IN WOLFGANG. i didn’t like this song until recently. it gives me the confidence boost i need to pick myself off self-esteem crashes.

and no i haven't watched that performance and i prolly wont because i’ll cry. i’m excited for the promotions too. do you think they’ll still have a repackage?? i cant fucking believe that i just finished waiting for 12am kst for skz teasers and now i have to look forward to 12am for nct 127??@?#? NOT A SINGLE DAY OF REST FOR THIS STAYZEN

[eenefangirlanalysis]

Just then Jonny jumps on a rope only for it break apart.

“Oh, here we go...”

This is one of my favorite Kevin catchphrases. It resembles Kel’s ‘Ah! Here it goes!” from Kenan and Kel. I wonder if Kevin watches that show depending if the time period took place in 1999, the year the show started.

Jonny becomes entangled in the rope. So, Rolf decides to rescue Jonny.

I need more RolfJonny. They have a sweet yet odd friendship. They have rescued one another from danger. Jonny rescues Rolf in A Fistful of Ed when it’s believed that Edd threw a handful of sharp pencils at Rolf pinning him to the lockers.

Background Object: Are those the monkey bars from the playground? Did the Eds steal them? In Jonny’s flashback he still had his head stuck in them and admitted that he didn’t see the Eds around. They must have stolen it once Jonny left. 

It feels out of character for the Eds to steal. They only borrow and improvise with whatever objects they find in the junkyard. 

Kevin starts sweating profusely. This is not going to go well. Kevin stays grounded the whole time.

Is Kevin a person who likes to take risks? Or is he cautious? There are times when he doesn’t think before going through with his actions. He’s always skeptical towards the Eds scams while the other kids immediately fall for them. Kevin is still gullible but then he slowly starts to grasp the Eds true person in the late half of the series.

While howling like a wolf Rolf swings across on this rope he never checked to see was hooked to.

Isn’t it ironic that Rolf fears wolves and he howls like one?

“Those dorks are out of control,” Kevin’s anxiety worsens. He can hardly speak. And he’s sweating so much that it’s going right through his shirt.

If the Eds are not around it makes Kevin very uneasy. He can’t think straight. That’s why his life has to be routine.

“Kevin, check out this slide!” Nazz calls out. How did Nazz get up here? There aren’t any built in stairs or a rope. Nazz must have climbed this tree. I wish we could have seen that. It really shows her love for sports and exercising. She is a strong person both mentally and physically.

Speaking of which, did Edd climb up all these trees to put each contraption in its place? He can also climb trees as seen in a season 1 episode. He showed no difficulty what so ever.

Why is there a spatula tied to the tree?

Kevin’s warnings have no effect on Nazz as the built in slide immediately breaks catapulting all the way to the ground as if it were a slinky.

Meanwhile Sarah and Jimmy are chasing after one another pretending this banana... oh no, I hope they’re not imitating a very violent weapon. This episode aired over ten years ago. If this episode were made now I think the writers would have done something totally different.

Sarah and Jimmy are very lucky that they were not crushed by the falling slide. 

It’s hard to determine if it’s better that they end up dangerously hanging off the edge of the broken bridge. 

Out of the kids, Sarah and Jimmy were in the worst case where they could have been injured, or worse, killed.

Whether you feel the scene is comedic or dramatic, whenever I look at this screenshot it terrifying. It looks as if a broken board goes right through Nazz’s head. I like her crazy hair, however. Her expression is a little off. I think the artists has more fun with Nazz’s character in BPS as it was their final chance to try and develop Nazz’s character.

Sarah and Jimmy dangerously dangle from the edge of the broken bridge.

Jimmy is much stronger then he thinks. I would never be able to hold onto a broken bridge at that vertical. 

And now Jimmy and Sarah’s roles have been switched. Sarah has to depend on Jimmy. Her life depends on it.

“The Eds’ are movin’ in,” Kevin remarks helplessly watching the events unfold.

Right when Nazz thinks she is able to safely jump out from the slide it springs back up catapulting Nazz into the air.

“Those Eds are out of control!” Now Kevin is completely on the edge of an anxiety attack.

See No Ed is wonderful example of how Kevin is inwardly struggling battling to come to terms with his anxiety. He has a hard time connecting with people. Like his Dad, 

Do you think the Eds do test runs for their scams? They never tested the scam that went wrong in the movie. Eddy went right to pressing the red button ignoring Edd’s warnings. The loss of the missing monkey mask distracted them from any advance testing. 

Kevin may actually believe that the Eds are much darker human beings. The Eds motives are never to hurt the kids. The goal is to befriend them. That’s why Eddy is begging for their forgiveness pleading how sorry he is at the end of the movie.

Nazz’s pants get caught on a bolted nail.

Did the Eds really use a bat and tissue box as wood to keep their scam intact?

‘Kevin, do something!”  Nazz utters. I wish we could see Nazz’s eye brows. It make her expressions more believable. That’s why I like that her hair is totally cut off in the movie. We’re finally able to see her true personality. 

Nazz’s pants begin ripping.

“This is not cool.” And there is her eye brow!

Instead of her pants ripping which was the focus of that last frame, Nazz actually falls right out of her pants!

“Awesome.”

Wow, really Kevin?

[crystalelemental]

Alright, now that I’ve beaten the League, a few thoughts on the game overall.

I really like it, but I’m not sure I like it more than Sun/Moon, which is a damned shame considering the next part in a generation is almost always better in my eyes.  I think the only other time this might have been the case was Black/White 2.  Which is...oddly fitting.

I think my big issues come down to two things: Necrozma and Lusamine.  Combined, they adequately sum up all of my problems with the game.  I’ll get to them, but positives first.

Love the new UBs.  They’re all excellent, I can’t wait to get my Stakataka, Blacephalon is still cool, and while Naganadel cannot be my favorite because Nihilego is way better, it’s a neat design for a Dragon thing so I’ll let it go.  I’m a huge fan of the expanded island dex, and I’m sure that Nuzlock-esque rules would be fantastic with the new spread.  That said, I cannot imagine a horror greater than a Nuzlock in these games.  Totem Pokemon are hard as shit, and while that’s been fun for a normal playthrough, you’re basically asking for half your team to get wiped if you run a Nuzlock.  Marowak in particular is a fucking asshole, with Detect and, if memory serves, Ground and Fighting coverage on a Fire type.  Callie hated this fight, and had a really good point: it’s not entirely fair that you have two things, both now super fast, hitting for most if not all of your life in one turn.  You don’t really get breathing room in a 2-v-1, and without a chance to really switch out, a Nuzlock may as well be impossible, I feel.

I ADORE Mantine Surf.  The ability to accrue a reasonable amount of BP per session is spectacular, and I sincerely hope this mechanic stays forever.  Not even necessarily in this form, but in some kind of easy minigame that permits you to get a ton of BP per run.  Two runs gets you any move you want, and that takes all of 5 minutes.  Easily the best mechanic.  The move tutor options are also great, and a lot of additions really help a lot of Pokemon.

On a more neutral note, I think the Ultra Wormhole travel is interesting, and I don’t have that they put it in the game, but I really wish it wasn’t so random.  Going through the White Wormholes was a nightmare.  I found my first Celesteela on accident before getting Nihilego, but once I tried looking for another I couldn’t find it for an hour.  I really, really hate random chance, and think there should’ve been a way to make sure you know what you’re getting in to with those.  But, they also allow me to get an infinite number of UBs and shiny hunt forever, so I guess I can’t be too mad?

Now, the complaints.  The real ones.  I’ll start with Necrozma, because it kinda ties in with the other, but indirectly.  Necrozma, as a force you need to subdue, is great.  It does seem intimidating, and it’s new forms are great.  But it’s a force that...literally was already kept in check.  And was only a threat because some assholes pissed it off in their dimension.  They don’t really get into this, but it was apparently used to power the technology of Ultra Megaopolis.  Which, by the way?  Super disappointing area.  You don’t get to explore it!  It was just the tower!  Laaaame.  But getting back to Necrozma: I think what bugs me is that it’s a Dragon.  I know that’s petty, but another major super legend being Dragon type sucks.  I really was hoping we’d move away from that, but instead here’s yet another Dragon.  So now it’s a slower, weaker Deoxys-attack with better defenses, and an ability that lets super-effective hits deal more damage.  No idea how much more.

From a story angle, what really bugs me is that it doesn’t feel like an immediate threat.  I can definitely get behind the concept of a force of nature as the antagonist, in the sense that there is no villain and the real thing we’re struggling against is a force of nature or some conceptual threat.  It’s the entire reason I loved the Atelier Dusk trilogy so much.  But...well...that only works in the absence of a villain.  But we do not have the absence of a villain.  We definitely have one, and she was great once, but just...god, okay, get it together me.

Lusamine’s arc in this game weirds me out.  And not in the good way.  I knew some people who were looking at the anime trends and some of the promo stuff for this game, and going “Oh god, please don’t make Lusamine a good person, that’s really not okay.”  And I didn’t really agree entirely.  I think a redemption arc is fine.  I think that, given sufficient motivation and self-reflection, any villain becoming a good person is possible.  But with Lusamine...her actions are severely fucked up, especially toward her kids, and if you’re gonna have that redemption, it’s gonna have to be big, and it’s gonna have to mean going through a lot.  My biggest worry was the return of Mohn.  I saw that spoiler, and was worried they were gonna go the route of “well Mohn’s back, so Lusamine’s stable.  See?  She just needed her husband, and when he left bitch just lost it.”  Basically, I was worried about an invalidation of her entire character and agency as a person by having everything hinge on her husband.  Thankfully, that did not happen, and initially I was very pleased with the direction.  I have since changed my mind.

Lusamine goes off and awakens Necrozma, attempting to capture it for herself, fucks up, and Necrozma almost ruins the world or Alola, as well as Ultra Megaopolis.  She does this because, guess what, she still has that collection of Pokemon frozen in time.  She also still has the scene where she talks down to Lillie and proclaims she has no children.  So all the stuff that showcased her definitely being a villain?  Still there.  My problem isn’t what, it’s how.  A sufficient struggle and showcasing of Lusamine making an effort and dealing with ramifications for her actions would be good.  That I would appreciate.  But they didn’t do that.  Any possible changes occurred off-screen and we’re just told about them, and worst of all, the main takeaway they try to push is that Lillie and Lusamine talked to each other, and suddenly it was fine.  No.  That is not acceptable.  Communication is good, but do you know what Lillie tried to do, in both games, after the third island?  TALK.  Lillie tried to talk with Lusamine, tried to talk sense into her, and nothing came of it.  Communication only works if both parties are listening, and the entire point of Lusamine’s character is that she’s controlling and not willing to listen, but suddenly we’re gone to Ultra Space for a few hours and she’s completely changed as a person?  Nothing adds up, and it’s entirely because there’s no focus on characters anymore.

It was kinda like this with Delta Episode.  Instead of focusing on any human element, it’s just “Here’s this big cool super legendary Pokemon.”  And sure, Necrozma is cool and all.  But you know what was better?  The dynamics of a broken family, and the development of an abused child coming to terms with her history, calling out her abuser’s actions as awful, and moving forward.  But we don’t focus on that.  Instead, we sideline that entire family’s story.  You give a few more details initially, talking about the history and the loss of Mohn, and hinting at more complex motivations for Lusamine, then immediately toss all of that away in favor of...what, exactly?  Big space monster dragon?  Yeah, it looks cool, but it’s not as engaging as their story.  You focused on the wrong thing, and sidelined what made the initial games so good.

I mentioned Atelier earlier, and I feel like this is the perfect comparison, because Atelier Shallie did this too.  “This series is supposed to be light-hearted, so we have to have a positive and upbeat ending!”  Fine, great.  But the basis you set is heavy material and incredibly sobering, and you can’t just hand-wave that and insist that things got better off-screen or with minimal effort.  These things take time and effort to resolve effectively, and it’s almost better to imply that parties are willing to work toward a solution and not reveal the means, than insist that the means was a simple 5-minute conversation and easy fix.  Acknowledging the gravity of human struggles and showing only that parties are willing to work toward a fix without needing to show the fix is perfectly valid, and trying to undermine severity for the sake of remaining “light-hearted” becomes a massive problem for a story that is otherwise gripping.

Ultimately, I strongly feel like the bad outweighs the good here.  As a cap-off to the series on handhelds, it’s almost disappointing to know that their idea of an appropriate culmination was a bunch of flashiness and “Look at this cool big Pokemon thing!” while sidelining the story and characters as hard as humanly possible.  I was really hoping for an improvement and a deeper analysis of the family dynamics within the context of the original story.  But instead, all of that is sidelined in favor of this “alternate telling” that changes nothing about the history of their dynamics, but ends on a note where everything is immediately and casually resolved with no effort, off-screen.  It’s bad, and I really, really wish that we’d stop getting these stories that have such a powerful start to work with, and just fuck up the ending beyond belief.  I know I have a tendency to complain, but I do not ask for much to be generally satisfied.  To miss that entire mark is, quite frankly, unbelievable. 

[book-o-scams]

Either 1. Do an analysis on the scene from Run for Your Ed where the Kanker's find that their ship-in-a-bottle is missing. Or if you don't want to do an analysis (please think about doing one though) you can just answer this question. Why is the Kanker's ship-in-a-bottle so important? * If you have any questions see the post on my blog. You have until Sunday to complete the analysis.

I’m excited to do this because ‘Run For Your Ed’ is a really great Kanker episode AND a really great LATER episode.  Season 4′s Kanker episodes have some of the most intentional character-exploration in the show’s entire run, and it’s really nice to see AKA so proactive about developing characters who are usually treated like extras, especially during an era  era where they were having trouble developing the central characters.  This season contains at least 3 episodes that begin from the Kankers’ perspective and humanize their motivations before setting them loose on the cul-de-sac, this being one of those episodes.  This season also contains ‘A Twist of Ed’, an interesting episode that begins from the Eds’ perspective but starts blending in the Kankers’ perspective when the Eds start to turn the tables on them.  It’s disappointing that we don’t really get any Kanker-focused episodes during the digital era of the show, but at least season 5 finally breaks status quo, first by having the Eds publicly declare the Kankers to be their girlfriends, and in the end by scaring the Kankers away for most post-s5 episodes.

Here’s a weird thing I noticed… for the last 3 episodes of season 4, the storyboard credit screen does not actually say “storyboard by.“  And although they are all episodes with the “Tout Le Monde“ credit--  a trend mostly used during seasons 2 and 4, while season 3 had more solo episodes and season 1 wasn’t credited very clearly, it’s a French phrase they use when all of the storyboard artists in the studio contributed pieces of the episode-- earlier instances of “Tout Le Monde“ as late as s4′s ‘Stuck in Ed’ included the “storyboard by“ line.  Kinda seems like an oversight as season 4′s deadlines got tight...  But obviously I know this is nitpicking, regardless it’s very interesting that Danny wanted the show to go out with so many group-effort episodes.  I wonder if perhaps it was to improve morale when everyone was feeling out of ideas?  Or if the artists actually disliked not receiving clearer credit?

Anyway the other reason I wanted to include this screenshot for Kanker appreciation month is that I noticed the Tout Le Monde episodes of seasons 2 and 4 (IIRC, it’s just Homecooked Eds, A Twist of Ed, Run For Your Ed, and technically the movie although it is not credited to Tout Le Monde) produced some of the most iconic Kanker moments and I think the Kankers’ group dynamics are influenced by the team spirit at AKA.

This is the first time we see the trailer park at night and the only time we see it at night without it being buried under snow.

Oh, I also have model sheets archived for this episode!  Here are some color tests using season 1 background lineart:

This episode is the only time we get to see the Kankers all sleeping in their bed, as well as the only time we get to see their pajamas.  I’m fascinated by which characters get pajamas and other sorts of alternate outfits.

So things begin peacefully enough, with Brahms Lullaby, lotsa night ambience, and a cute gag where the Kankers each have their own obnoxious snore that somehow doesn’t wake the others.

But soon enough, one crash downstairs wakes Lee and a second crash wakes Marie. 

The storyboarding seems to be intentionally framing this as the older sisters sharing a feeling of responsibility for their household.

Ohh, I also love whenever we get to see the Kankers scared shitless like this, it’s surprisingly not as rare as you’d think.

Have some cute sleepy Mays:

The girls have each others’ backs as they cautiously look down their staircase.

Thankfully I have the model sheet so we can fully appreciate this perspective:

In a subtle and effectively creepy little bit of animation, all the Kankers see is a tiny tin can rolling out of their kitchen.

Marie and May immediately turn to Lee for their next move.

LOVE this shot with the kitchen light.  Season 4 also has the hands-down BEST trailer backgrounds, we get to see so many interesting perspectives in these episodes.

Lee seemingly lets her sisters stay behind and charges to the kitchen with their wall-mounted swordfish (or is that a marlin…?).

However, the intruder has already left and we get a few more looks at the nighttime trailer park:

Relieved, Lee and Marie jump into the window and bark insults at the intruder.  Another good older sisters sequence, and this one I have a couple storyboard panels for:

They inspect their wrecked kitchen, and at first the background, Lee’s tone and the music sync up to make this look like a really depressing moment, this family with little to begin with having been eaten out of house and home.  And as fans, the next scene’s reveal that this is a redux of Ed’s sleepeating from season 1 is no surprise, and I think it’s being portrayed a bit less amusing now that it’s affecting families outside of Peach Creek’s ritzy suburbs.

But then we get this dramatic shot of Marie holding the table and it always throws off the mood of this scene to me…  I still love the scene as a whole but when Marie whines “why’s it always the good ones that get away!?” while looking at a bite mark out of something inedible, it kind of implies weird things about the Kankers and adult strangers and really any trailer park weirdo who might break in…  Especially after what the Kankers do without a second thought to Bro in BPS, this is more than a bit concerning.  It’s right up there with Marie saying “I LIKE cheaters“ in her second appearance, sometimes Marie’s defining trait in my mind is that she’s somehow LESS rational than the others.. Or maybe it’s just another reference to this specific interest they’ve picked up from their mom, in men who have big appetites…

I always want to believe this is actually a more absurd gag and that Marie is instead saying it to mourn the table where she eats all her meals, in more of a “why do the good die young” way… but then Lee and Marie continue the conversation, referring to this stranger as a bum they shouldn’t shed tears over and it’s cemented as a creepy moment.

Moving on, I love this unnecessarily detailed ketchup bottle Lee shakes and then tosses on the floor:

At least Marie ends up agreeing with Lee.  Then Marie makes a joke about May being the only one to clean this up and it gets a laugh out of Lee.

I love how much the later backgrounds in the show focus on how these homes look from various standpoints… Makes the world feel very lived in.

Take note of how the front door has been eaten through by Ed, exposing their yellow car out front. Ed apparently nibbled on EVERYTHING along that wall on the right…We also see a new telephone, a Chekhov’s Gun for a later gag in this scene…

Love the trumpets blaring as the camera swirls up to the missing heirloom.

“HOLY TOLEDO!” Lee and Marie exclaim in unison to underline that this is crossing a major line.

This angle is making my mouth water.  Latter-day EEnE backgrounds are to die for.

Getting back to my favorite time-wasting Kanker gag, even at their most personally attacked and mutually motivated, the siblings have to fight over who gets to hold the plaque first.

Marie strikes first.

Yay, May called first dibs before they jumped!

OH NO

Lee looks so much like Bro in this pose…

Could these just be Toomey’s drawings?  I’m not sure how often he storyboarded or how often he changed drawings during the design phase since the show’s so close to the boarders’ styles, but I feel like these square jaws are something I keep noticing when archiving Toomey’s model sheets.

Also, I love the phrase “someone shanghaied our ship inna bottle,“ very nautical.

May is moved to tears yet again this season as she fills the audience in on how this is a family heirloom that the Kankers were allowed to play with during bath nights at their old home.  Pretty cute memory, I wish the show had flashbacks at this point!

Does anyone know what it is May calls their old home here?  I’ve always heard it as “the Ol’ Hubcap“ which is convincing enough for me as a name for another local trailer park or just a nickname the Kankers would come up with for a nostalgic home, but it’s difficult to hear through her sobs.  Another popular theory, which I see is currently used on the EEnE Wikia’s transcript of the episode, is that she just says “the ol’ homestead,“ which is a pretty old-timey phrase if you ask me.. May’s certainly not made to feel “modern“ as much as Marie or Nazz are but it also seems unusual to give her such antiquated wild-west dialogue.

Marie covers May’s mouth before she exposes any more vulnerability or personal details about their backstories.

Marie is surprisingly lawful and proposes they call the cops.  I WISH WE GOT TO SEE THE COPS THEY MENTION AND THE FIRETRUCKS WE HEAR LATER IN THIS EPISODE, AAAARRRGGGHHHHH I just want to see more emergency vehicles, this season let us have an ambulance for Pete’s sake!

HEY LOOK IT’S THE PHONE I POINTED OUT.

“WHAT’S THE NUMBER YOU DIAL FOR 9-1-1?!”

Uh.. May, put the phone down, the Little Rascals Movie’s calling, they want their joke back.  Sorry, this episode came out when I was 12 and going through a terrible Little Rascals phase. 

This episode has really good camera direction…

“NO COPS!!“  Why do I get the feeling their mom would punch a phone to prevent the cops from getting involved in anything…

Such good looking backlit sparks!  Gonna miss backlighting during the digital era.

Can’t help but notice that these model sheets have been reversing the rimlighting on the Kankers…

In this very well composed and cinematic feeling shot, Lee vows to find the crook and recover their bath toy, “Kanker Style…“

Cue maniacal laughter and end scene!  It’s a pretty self-explanatory scene, but I really appreciate all the detail put into the Kankers’ poses and expressions and home life.  Season 4 doesn’t always sit right with me, but I think this episode has a pretty fun understanding of every character.  Hope you enjoyed studying this scene with me!