#i'm excited for this series but also convinced that i'm going to get clocked as the fake astrology fan i am

[catawampuscorner]

Competitive, headstrong, independent

✨Patreon✨| Stickers et al | Commissions | Bluesky | Instagram

@ahsoka1 @all-hallows-evie @onwardsandsideways @pentowrite-wingstofly @pyromanicdaydreamer @dangerousstrawberrypie @clonecyare @youngcheesecaketale @techissweet @ladykatakuri @freerunner4427 @weridgreenaurora @burning-quesadilla @constellation-savvy @chromia7567 @ahsokatano-thetogruta @my-flights-of-fantasy @darkangel4121 @zoeyserpentluck @theproblemwithstardust @pro-fangirls-unsocial-life  @ladysongmaster @yellowflicker09 @mmmdixie @needlefrost @queencousland101 @imrowanartist @bloom-domino-akrum @evergreen-lyricist ​​ @molly-mcgiftens @korribanarchive ​​  @victoryandlife​ @negative-ghostrider @screamingmadvoid @moobrvoobl-moobmoob-oobmpoobroom @zaya @darknight-brightstars @trickstermoose67 @arkred @theredshirtsarecoming @mis-mcgifstenn @elismor @coline7373 @nekotaetae @dangraccoon @mandogab @jediava @thatgreyjedi @ladykatakuri @droids-you-are-looking-for @saphirlefanz @u-got-lokid @zaya-mo @yellowflicker09 @jonathananubian @AhsokaTanoFan25 @razor0-0 @thatgreyjedi

.

Chuck your name in here if you want to be tagged!

[somedayillbepeterpan]

FOR BONUS POLINWEEK

DAY ONE | Favourite Season 3 scene: The Butterfly ball

PART 1: THE VENUE AND A FULL CIRCLE MOMENT

Disclaimer: This is going to be a series because the chokehold this scene has on me has been feral. I've ruminated on this scene for such a long time because I want to give it justice. I literally just need this out of my head so I can move on so I hope you can come on a journey with me 🤣 Also, this is my first time participating in Polin week and I'm so excited!

I have made a prior post about the Butterfly ball and it is what made me dive into the deepest end of this rabbit hole. Here it is if you're interested in it - Butterfly ball: Colin and Marina vs. Colin and Pen

_____ Notice how this venue is circular? Yes, the Mondrich ball also had a circular dance floor but the opening of this scene with the Dankworths and Finches particularly had circular sweeping shots, making you feel like you're inside a ball (the thing, not the event).

A subtle way of telling you that this scene is a FULL CIRCLE MOMENT.

WHERE IT ALL STARTS AND HOW IT CLOSES A 3-ARC STORYLINE.

Let me first paint the picture from S1.

S1E1: Diamond of the First Water - Danbury ball

I don't know if anyone has clocked this but Pen and Colin's love story, the scene where it became very obvious to us that Pen has a one-sided crush on Colin, is at her very first ball as a debutante wearing a BUTTERFLY DRESS.

As a freshly minted debutante, this is the first time that Pen sees Colin in a setting like this-- as an eligible suitor and we can see from her face that the scene she is seeing is making her feel all sorts of emotions. The Penelope scene we get before this was when she was convincing her mother to let her skip the season as she feels wholly unprepared for it. It is very evident on her face how affected she is to see Colin as a potential husband.

If anyone remembers themselves as a 17/18 year old, I know that there were instances where one would think about finding the "one" at that young age, when your emotions/feelings about love are still so innocent and untainted. We know from S3/book that Pen fell in love with Colin from the moment they first met but growing up with him and having a crush on him vs. seeing him as a potential partner in the marriage mart surely opened up a plethora of emotions and ideas inside Pen's head.

Aside from that, this is also the first ball that Pen writes about in her column where she openly challenges the Queen's taste (ma'am, you are but 17. How can you have the gall to challenge the head of your state so openly?). We are also introduced to the dysfunction of the Featheringtons'-- Philippa and Prudence being as ignored as Pen and Portia being insecure and egotistical.

To begin this deep dive into this analysis, Pen started her debutante season unprepared, insecure, very much infatuated with an idea of Colin in her head (especially after he "rescued" her by the end of S1E1), and in over her head as she hides behind LW.

A quick research about yellow butterfly symbolism gave me this definition: Yellow butterflies symbolise positivity, hope, and transformation. Seeing one might mean good news or big, positive changes are headed your way.

It took her 3 seasons to fulfill the "prophecy" of this yellow butterfly dress but we do get there and it is so much more than we could have ever hope for for this adorable wallflower.

This metamorphic journey has just began.

(posts will be updated with links as I put out the next ones in the series).

PART 2: THE COLOURS, THE FEATHERS, AND THE NUMBER 8

[redpenship]

Hello, I was wondering if you have any sonic fic recommendations?

Sure! Here are a few that have left an impression on me:

led clock faces by @hetchless (WIP) Notes: I'm a big fan of the tone and rotating perspective between characters. You can tell there's a lot going on with the world-building and I'm excited to see where it goes! Every nugget of world-building or alternate characterization has me wishing for more. It's also criminally underrated, so I must express support and ask that you check it out as a fellow sci-fi AU writer.

do gems conduct electricity? and good fences make better neighbours by @chaoxfix (Complete one-shots) Do gems notes: Fascinating Rouge and Sonic character study based in an AU where Eggman used Sonic as a battery for his machines during Sonic Forces. I've been a Sonic fan for a pretty long time, but I used to not bother reading fanfiction for the series because I had always struggled to find anything appealing to me. This fanfic both convinced me to keep looking for Sonic fanfic and also pulled me back into Sonic a little bit more, which resulted in me purchasing Sonic Among Us stickers at my local anime convention. And they say fanfiction is free! Good Fences notes: Big brings Tails+Sonic soup and reflects on how the world is changing due to human colonial activity on the planet. His perspective is interesting to read through, it grants something of a layman perspective that you wouldn't get through Sonic due to how involved he is in everything. If you go into the comments, you might find me (on anon, because I hadn't committed to this account yet) gushing about how I had similar world-building perspectives in regards to Mobian-human relations. The morose take on flickies here is also very sad in a good way. Great work all around.

Clarity by @lunapegasus (Complete one-shot) Notes: Shadow wakes up with an alien third eye. A really good conversation with Omega ensues, and I literally gasped out loud at something Omega says when I read it for the first time. If you like Shadow, you should definitely read this one.

General author rec: @khalewren writes a lot of cute whispangle stories.

Unfortunately, I don't actually read that much fanfiction so I am at a loss for what else to recommend to you. I hope you check out what I've listed here nonetheless!

[jerzwriter]

This Christmas

Book:                   Open Heart (Post Series)

Pairing:                Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Kaycee MacClennan)

Rating:                 Teen

Category:            Holiday/Fluff

Summary:           Kaycee is eagerly looking forward to picking out their Christmas tree; but Ethan turns it into a night they’ll never forget.  

Words:                 2487

A/N:                    And…. they’re engaged. 😊 I did steal one part from one of my all-time favorite movies. Let me know if you spot it. I’m participating in @choicesflashfics weekly prompt event.  The prompt is highlighted below. Also in @choicesdecember2022 Day 19 – both Christmas lights and Lover from day 19 are fitting! And lastly, @choicesholidays I'm so glad we found each other.

The beautiful artwork is by the incredible, fabulous, I have no more superlatives to describe how much I adore her @/artbyainna on Instagram.

CHARACTERS BELONG TO PIXELBERRY STUDIOS.

It was a chilly winter day in Boston, and Dr. Ramsey was spending it the second-best way he knew how. Shifting positions underneath his warm, down comforter, a content smile was on his lips – when the alarm clock had to go and ruin it all. After muttering a few select curses under his breath, he hit snooze. That will show who’s boss. Then he turned to hold the person who made Saturday afternoon naps a part of his world… but found her spot vacant.

He sat up with a look of confusion and wiped the sleep from his eyes. An attempt was made to groggily call her name, but when he heard her hair dryer, he knew there was no way she’d hear. He was about to roll over and give the snooze button the respect it deserved when the comforter was yanked away.

“Hey!” he yelled, but his dismay dissipated the moment she replaced it. This was a much better way to keep warm. He smiled as she straddled him, leaning over to pepper him with kisses, but there was a problem with this picture.

“Wait…” he interrupted, “why are you clothed?”

“Because it’s almost five o’clock, mister!” Kaycee teased, “And we have evening plans that require clothing. Now,” she ordered as she jumped off of him. “Get up!”

“I love it when you’re bossy,” he growled as he rolled to his side. “What would it take for me to convince you to come back to bed.”

Kaycee raised her eyebrows in mock-disappointment. “What has happened to you? The Ethan Ramsey I knew and fell in love with would have scoffed at the idea of napping. He would have jumped out of bed, complaining about wasting the afternoon the second the alarm went off.”

“Mmm,” he groaned, “Well, that Ethan Ramsey didn’t have such a wonderful time exhausting himself with you after lunch. Are you sure I can’t convince you to go for round two?”

The pleading in his voice and puppy-dog eyes he offered would have normally had her bouncing back into bed in an instant, but not today.

“Sorry, Ramsey,” she winked. “But our Christmas tree isn’t going to pick itself out.”

She thought back to last year, the first Christmas they spent together. He watched her with horror as she spread lights, tinsel, and garland throughout his condo. Joking that if he sat for too long, she’d likely decorate him too. Her response? A large bow slapped on the center of his forehead. 

But this year so much had changed. It was their condo now, and he was the one who suggested they shop for a tree today. He may not have known it, but seeing him embracing the joy of the season meant more to Kaycee than any gift that would appear on Christmas day.

“Oh, that’s right. We have a Christmas tree shopping date,” he grinned, “Don’t we.”

“Yes!” She beamed, jumping up and down with the excitement of a child. He couldn’t help but smile. Whenever he thought she couldn’t be more endearing, she went and proved him wrong.

A half-hour later, they sat hand in hand in the front seat of his car as he started the ignition. 

“I’m really shocked you didn’t make me wear those reindeer ears, or at least a Santa tonight.”

“I considered it,” she smiled. “But relationships are about compromise, right? I’m just happy you wanted to get a tree without my asking… I wasn’t about to push my luck.”

Ethan let out a little chuckle. Didn’t she know? She could get him to do just about anything. 

“So there are at least a dozen Christmas tree lots throughout the City. Do you know which one you want to go to?”

“Yes, the one by the old firehouse. First, all proceeds go to charity, and second” her eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands, “they give you hot chocolate after you pick your tree!”

“Well, then that’s a done deal, isn’t it?”

“You better believe it!”

It was still early in the month, so the selection was plentiful, and the crowd was thin. Kaycee walked from tree to tree, examining its branches, smiling as if she were greeting an old friend. Ethan’s mind returned to last year when they performed the same task at another lot closer to his home. While it was a lovely memory, he knew he wasn’t the most pleasant company. 

She insisted he needed a tree. He informed her that he had survived over a decade without one,  and he'd visit her apartment if he really needed to see one. After all, she and Sienna had converted it into a virtual winter wonderland. But Kaycee said it wouldn’t do. Begrudgingly, he tagged along, insisting every tree was too big, too grand. But Kaycee carried on undeterred. 

“You’re not getting a Charlie Brown tree, Dr. Ramsey! So I suggest you lose the Scrooge act and get with the holiday spirit! Otherwise, I’m not pulling out that sexy holiday lingerie later.”

“Oh, you’re resorting to bribery?”

“I like to call it creative encouragement,” she winked just before they returned to his condo with the second-largest tree on the lot.

But this year was different. He suggested Christmas tree shopping a few days before over breakfast, trying to convince himself it was inevitable. He may as well beat her to the punch. But the truth was, he was looking forward to it. He even measured a space in the living room to see how big a tree could fit; he was sure they could outdo last year’s. 

He turned around and found Kaycee, her eyes aglow and her cheeks rosy red as she danced around under the twinkling lights. She knew the words to every holiday song that blared over the scratchy speaker. Though her singing was out of tune, he was sure he had never heard, nor seen, anything more beautiful.

She had brought Christmas back into his life. Something he had scarcely acknowledged since his Mother left home. Even when he had celebrated, it felt contrived; something he did to please others but never for himself. But it was different now. He hadn’t told her yet, but he picked up his old train set from Alan’s last week. He thought they could set it up to circle underneath the tree, just like he had as a child. It only dawned on him as he was standing there, but that memory had vanished and only came back for one reason, and that was her.

A young couple in gauche Christmas sweaters awash in tinsel and jingle bells sauntered by, pulling him from his thoughts. He went to Kaycee’s side and smirked as he pulled her near. “See,” he whispered. “That’s what I thought you’d have me wearing tonight.”

“Ethan,” she giggled. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“What,” he half smiled, “You wouldn’t do it?”

“Of course, I would! But I know it’s not your thing!” She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her toes to kiss him. “I want you to be you. But I’d still appreciate it if you put on those antlers in the bedroom,” she winked. “Now, come with me. I think I found our tree.”

Grabbing his hand, she pulled him across the lot and stood before a respectable tree. Not the biggest nor the grandest on the lot, but she looked at it as if she had found the most amazing tree in the history of trees.

“What do you think?” She breathed, gently touching the branches. “I think this would be perfect in the spot we had ours in last year.”

But he couldn’t hear her. Staring at her in complete wonderment, their story flashed before his eyes. The naïve rookie assisting him over a patient not ten minutes into her first day. Sitting by his side and comforting him the entire night after Dolores died. Helping him treat Naveen. The kiss on the balcony, then in the opera box. Him pushing her away time and again, the sadness in her eyes growing more profound each time, but her resilience growing along with it. The night he held her in his arms, fearing it might be her last. When he realized living without her wouldn’t be living at all. Their smiles when they finally confessed what they felt and committed to being together. The first night she stayed at his condo, moving in one article of clothing at a time. Then she was there for good and, at long last, a place to live had finally become a home. Before she came into it, he had lived a good, full, and successful life. But it took this stubborn, brilliant, beautiful woman with a heart of gold to make him see he was living, but he wasn’t alive. 

“Ethan? Did you hear me?” He shook his head as he came back to the present. “What do you think? Will this one do?”

Sometimes in life, decisions require a lot of thought. They need research, planning, and lists of pros and cons. The most important choices in his life always did, and he thought that’s how it should be. But standing there tonight, surrounded by Christmas trees, under a canopy of twinkling lights as Silver Bells filled the air… Frank Capra couldn’t have directed a better scene, and he knew what he needed to do; nothing had ever been crystal clear. Nothing had ever felt more natural.

“Ethan?” She waved her hand in front of him, “If you don’t like it, we can pick another….”

“I’m sorry,” he said with a shake of his head, “it’s just….”

“Just what?”

“You… you really deserve so much better than this, Kaycee. But it can’t wait….”

“What? The tree?” she asked, facing it and fluffing its already full branches. “I mean, maybe a little primping wouldn’t hurt, but it’s a lovely tree. I don’t think that I need any more. Why do you….”

The world seemed to stop when she turned to him. Covering her mouth, she let out a gasp when she found him on one knee. 

“Ethan, what are you….”

“Kaycee,” he said, taking her hand with a gentle smile, “I probably should have done this better. I see what people do these days, and this… well, I didn’t do any planning at all. No friends will pop out from behind the trees. I don’t have a custom-made ornament, not even a photographer to catch it all….”

“Ethan?”

“I hope that’s all right with you because all I know is I have to do this, and I have to do it right now. It can’t wait.”

“What? What can’t wait?”

“Sometimes I wonder why you put up with me for so long. I didn’t make it easy, but you never gave up. You knew we were meant to be from the start, and so did I, but without you… we may have never seen it through. What a tragedy that would have been because my life would have never been whole without you in it.”

“OK, Ethan,” she asked with a quivering voice, “what are you saying?”

“What I’m saying is I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don’t want a day to go by without you in it, and I hope you feel the same. There could never be anyone else for me, and there never has been anyone else for me… it’s you, Kaycee… and if you’ll have me, I want you to be my wife.”

“You… you what?”

“I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me, Kaycee?”

She tilted her head in confusion. “But, but you don’t believe in marriage… right? I thought that’s what you said, and….”

“I didn’t believe in it, but I believe in you. I believe in us, and I think we could show the others how it should be done.”

She covered her mouth and chuckled while choking back tears. “So it’s educational. We’d be doing everyone a favor. Right?” she laughed, then she turned serious again. “You want to marry me?”

“More than anything. So, are you going to say yes?”

He’d never forget that moment, the look on Kaycee’s face as she stood trembling before him. The moment her shock turned into pure joy. She later told him it was then she realized it wasn’t a dream.

“Yes! Yes,” she beamed through tears. “I will marry you. I would be so happy to be your wife.”

Ethan’s eyes went wide as genuine surprise registered on his face; for a second, she worried he had changed his mind. “You’re, you’re serious. You’re saying yes?”

“I mean, unless you don’t want me to,” she laughed.

“No! I want you to. So,” a smile lit up his face as he gasped. “You’ll marry me?”

“Well, we have to show people how it’s done.”

Before she had finished, Ethan sprang to his feet and took her in his arms.   Her laughter filled the air as he spun her around to the spontaneous applause of the onlookers they hadn’t noticed until now.

“You had us worried there a moment, lady,” an elderly man yelled. 

“I’m sorry,” Kaycee giggled.

A little girl peeked out from behind her father's leg, “I think you’re supposed to kiss him now.”

“We can arrange that,” Ethan grinned as his lips met hers. 

“Not to sully the mood,” the old man’s wife hollered, “but don’t you have a ring?”

Ethan’s eyes went wide with horror… “No, I… I don’t… this wasn’t exactly planned…I just knew I couldn’t wait anymore and…” he nervously turned to Kaycee. “But I’ll get you a ring. I’ll get you any ring you want. We can go shopping tomorrow….”

“It’s OK, Ethan,” she beamed. “That’s not important.”

“What do you mean not important?” The old man yelled. “When a man proposes marriage, he should offer a ring.”

“He’s right,” Ethan said, looking down at his hand. He took off the gold signet ring Alan had given him at his medical school graduation. “He’s absolutely right.” 

Dropping to his knee once more, he held up the ring for Kaycee to see. “Will you accept this… as a holder… until we can get a ring worthy of you tomorrow?”

“I’d be happy to,” she smiled as the crowd clapped again, including the old man.

Kaycee looked at the ring on her finger and beamed as her new fiance hugged her from behind. 

“I don’t know what I thought was going to happen tonight,” she smiled, “ but this was definitely not it.”

“But are you happy?” He asked.

“I’ve never been happier. I love you, Ethan.”

“I love you. So, should we buy this tree to get you your hot chocolate? I want it to be a perfect night for you.”

“You know what, I think you already have that covered.  But yeah, we’re definitely getting this tree!”

Permatags: @a-crepusculo @aishwarya26 @animesuck3r @annoyingmillenialnewbie @binny1985 @bluerosesbloom @bluebelle08 @crazy-loca-blog @danijimenezv @different4strawberry @differenttyphoonwerewolf @doriopenheart @fayeswiftie @forallthatitsworth @genevievemd @hopelessromantic1352 @inlocusmads @jamespotterthefirst @jennieausten @kingliam2019 @liaromancewriter @lilypills @lucy-268 @mainstreetreader @onikalover @openheartforeverinmyheart @potionsprefect @quixoticdreamer16 @rookiemartin @schnitzelbutterfingers @secretaryunpaid @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam @toadfrog26 @trappedinfanfiction @uneravine @zahrachoices @jerzwriter-reblogs-asks @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics @choicesholidays

Additional tags in reblog.

[farahsamboolents]

I got tagged in a WIP Wednesday by @dreamwatch ! I've never actually been tagged in one of these before, I was actually so excited to share that I ran around the house finishing up chores so I wouldn't feel bad if i just focussed on this :P

Anyhow! This is the beginning of what is currently titled Untitled Action Fic, which, yes, very creative, and it is part of my Sarge Series on ao3 :)

Jim Hopper had about four and a half minutes left on the clock. He was sitting in his car, head back against the headrest, eyes closed. His hat was on the seat beside him. There was no use getting anything started, as anything he could do would take longer than he was willing to stay. It was movie night, a tradition that Joyce, and now El, took very seriously. It was Will’s turn to pick the movie, but knowing Will, that really meant it was El’s turn to pick the movie. She was exploring her genres lately, so he had no idea what he expected to go home to.  His radio crackled to life. “Hey, Chief, you there?” Came Callahan’s voice. He groaned and cracked an eye open. Three minutes and forty seconds left.  “Whaddaya want?” “Got a weird call from the Leary family, up in Loch Nora.” Fuck. After his year undercover, Jim had instructed the station to make sure any “weird” calls weren’t dismissed, and that they go directly to him. The team had looked at him strangely when he had said it, but the government officials that had stood behind him intimidatingly had convinced them not to argue. Thus far, it really just meant that he had investigated a “monster” which had turned out to be a cat with a missing eye, and a “gate to the hell dimension” -- that one had sent his heart racing -- which had ended up being Jonathan’s friend, who had definitely taken too much of something.  He probably should’ve arrested the kid for possession, but he couldn’t not look the other way when he knew how much he had done for El. He had dropped him off at home instead, and made sure someone was there to take care of him before he had left.  “Yeah, what kind of weird?” He grumbled into his walkie.  “She says her neighbour’s house fell apart. Says that half of it fell into the pool.” Into the -- ?!  “Gimme the address.”  ~ The house looked like something had taken a giant bite out of it. Planks of plywood were hanging off of the torn edges, and shattered glass was tumbling down the sides of it. Jim could even see into one of the surviving rooms; a large bed dangled off the edge of the torn floorboards dangerously, threatening to fall into the pool. The pool that was now a pulsing, wet membrane. It looked like it was breathing. The concrete surrounding the pool disappeared and reappeared as the gate to the Upside Down threatened to stretch further. He called for backup immediately, and made his way around the neighbouring houses, ordering them to evacuate.  It was on his way back to check on the gate that he realized with horror that he recognized the BMW parked in the driveway. 

I don't know how many people I'm supposed to tag, but out of my moots, I know @aringofsalt , @shares-a-vest , and @eddiequinns all write fic, so there! (also, more of you, but i am bad at remembering who's who, i mostly just tagged the first folks that i could find chronologically that mentioned their fic in either their bio or first few posts). No pressure to respond, if you don't wanna do it just consider this a hello :D and if you do wanna do it and i didn't tag you, go right ahead, i love love love these kind of chain games :)

[popculturerobots]

Pokémon Interlude

I wanted to take a quick moment to talk about Pokémon: Twilight Wings.

Pokémon: Twilight Wings is an eight episode web series from 2020 that clocks in at just under an hour and is available to watch totally free on the official Pokémon YouTube channel (beware the quality degradation from compression). It takes place just before the beginning of the Sword and Shield games, except for episode 8, which takes place after the end of the base game. I should admit up front that I never played either game. I only know these details (and who all the character are) because I looked them up afterward. Despite all that, this series is my favorite piece of Pokémon media I've seen in many years.

Spoilers ahead --

I grew bored of Ash Ketchum and co. ages ago. Don't get me wrong, I still love the old movies. I just kinda…stopped caring after a while. An eternally young boy fighting battle after boring battle while tripping over every major event in the universe didn't interest me anymore.

But this series. This series gave me exactly what I had been craving. It showed me what the Pokémon world looks like to everyone else. Gym leaders, the League Chariman's secretary, the League Champion's little brother, a sick boy stuck in a hospital who will not have anything but the smallest impact on the universe. All of these characters have their own lives, their own struggles. Each episode focuses in on one and is deeply personal.

This series has heart.

I love the peeks we get into what life with Pokémon is like. League tournaments are huge televised sporting events with fans and commentators and instant replays and merchandise. As they obviously would be!

Pokémon are clearly and explicitly more than just pets or creatures that battle. They're ingrained in society. As they should be! They live, eat, play, train, work, grow up, exist alongside their human companions.

Look at the way the children resemble their Pokémon. And the way the Minccino holds onto its trainer's leg in the doorway. It's adorable, yes, but also such effective worldbuilding. You can immediately tell how important the Pokémon are to their trainers, and the trainers to their Pokémon.

Also Sudowoodo pretending to be a potted plant is extremely funny.

It doesn't hurt that the animation is beautiful. Even short scenes less than a second or two long go way harder than they have any right to. And the longer sequences are simply breathtaking. I don't know how many times I rewatched Bea training or Nessa swimming with Melotic.

Let's talk battles. It wasn't until I read the Pokémon manga that I realized the potential they had. These creatures possess terrifyingly destructive capabilities, and that should be clear when they fight.

It has never been more clear than at the end of episode 7.

It's dynamic and exciting and the best clash between Pokémon I've seen in a long time. I will say I'm still not convinced on the whole Gigantamax thing, but wow that Charizard is persuasive.

The biggest weakness of the series is the 3D animation work. Sometimes it meshes well, sometimes it's jarring to the point of distraction, and sometimes it's just…bad (looking at you test-drive-ass sequence in episode 7). It's especially infuriating because so much of the other animation is so damn good.

Anyway, if you haven't seen the series, I hope you'll give it a watch. It's fun and emotional and has so many little details that make it all that much better. It was such a joy for me when I found it, and it's still a joy going through it again.

Thanks for reading.

[gamerbearmira]

*steeples fingers* would you mind telling me more about either the encanto asoue au or the jack and the cuckoo clock heart au (or both? i’m fascinated! you’ve got such good ideas here)

I'll do both! I'm so glad you love the ideas :))

A Series of Unfortunate Events AU:

The Madrigal Orphans. I altered their ages a bit but I digress. No Gifts, but skilled in a certain area.

Isabela, The Botanist: Well versed in Botany, can also put together on site medical cures with the right supplies.

Dolores, the Sound Engineer: Able to use/invent Sound based objects to her advantage.

Luisa, the Athlete: Naturally Strong and athletic, quick on her feet. Can carry Camilo, Mirabel and Antonio at once.

Camilo, the Chef and Disguiser: Good at disguises, the best at cooking out of all of them, can make meals from very little food.

Mirabel, the Seamstress: Able to sew with unnatural speed and talent, she can invent things on the spot. (She's the one who embroidered her own dress and everyone's clothes.)

Antonio: Able to read an animal's body language and use them to his advantage, good at building.

So the children were on the beach, and they were going around, exploring on the gloomy day. Same as before Mr. Poe tells them Casita was on fire and their parents and abuela died in the fire. (Bruno wasn’t there but he’s important later.) So they do go to live with Count Olaf (still deciding whether I should change his name or not.)

The Justice Strauss of this AU is Bruno! He disappeared off the map for a while and no one knows what happened. It's not until later do they figure out that they are genuinely related to him and it's a race against their entire situation of them trying to convince Mr. Poe that Bruno's their uncle. The Quagmire of this AU is: Mariano! I decided to make it just him though, no triplets or twins or anything.

Also, Isabela isn't mean to Mirabel, they are quite close. They are all actually pretty close. Each orphan is an expert in their interests (listed above.) I also made Camilo the cook too, I just think he spent a lot of time in the kitchen. Also, Antonio can speak, but not very well. When he does make remarks, much like Sunny, they're usually very salty/sarcastic. Difference is he speaks it in Spanish, so no one except the orphans, Bruno, and the Hooked-Handed Man can understand him.

All the events keep going the same, with them figuring out the VFD, the sugar bowl etc. This AU is still pretty new so I don't have much, but I hope you're happy with the info I've got now!

Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart AU:

So Antonio was caught up in a really bad snowstorm from Pepa. Julieta can't heal him amd the other doctors say he'll be gone by the end of the night. Mirabel is NOT down with that. So when no one is looking, she takes him to the clockwork woman; the only other person in the encanto with some kind of medical knowledge.

The clockwork woman replaces Antonio's heart and tells both her and Antonio the 3 rules. This leads to problems with the family. They're happy he's back (if not a little mad at Mirabel for taking him away). Mirabel tells them the rules but they seem to brush them off at first. This leads him almost dying on several occasions.

Abuela is constantly trying to touch his clock, trying to figure out how it works and if he'll ever be normal again. Julieta and Agustin are too busy to be around him. Pepa and Felix produce too much electricity, which can stop his heart, so he can't be around them for long. Isabela's plants get too close to his hands. Luisa is just scared she'll accidently crush him, so she avoids him. Camilo gets him too excited with his stories and it overworks his clock hands and gears, causing him to smoke.

The only ones who he consistently sees is Mirabel and Dolores. Dolores finds the "tick tock" of his heart is calming. Mirabel is his primary and pretty much sole caretaker. She watches over him and keeps him in check. All of his time is spent with her, usually playing with the kids, Mirabel as a supervisor. She also custom makes his clothes to fit around his heart. She teaches him everything and generally is just a mother to him.

His heart doesn't stop cause he fell in love romantically. It stopped because his bond with Mirabel is so strong, that it caused him to spin out of control. (But that's for another ask...)

---

Feel free to ask more about these ask more about these AU's, Mamabel, Papatonio, Housebroken or any other AU's you find on this blog!

I also take art suggestions for these AU's (+Cocooned!)

You can also suggest an AU idea and I'll write for it best I can :)

[beomglocks]

colors ; k.th

part of the badlands series!

colors: “you’re ripped at every edge but you’re a masterpiece.”

based off halsey’s badlands album.

warnings and other: museum curator!taehyun, old money!y/n, mentions of depression and grass smoking, little bit of angst i guess??

taehyun sighed as he took down the 11th painting this week. the museum hadn't been very busy in the past couple of weeks, maybe because the weather was getting colder. one part of him figured that many people just wanted to be bundled up at home watching holiday themed movies and drinking warm drinks rather than appreciating enchanting artworks.

he couldn't fool himself though, he knew the truth. today's generation didn't care about the fine arts anymore. a shame, seeing as everything around them seemed to be inspired by it.

kang taehyun worked at his local museum. he had been offered the position by the owner one night while roaming the place. this should've been a red flag looking back. the owner seemed desperate for someone to fill in the position since the previous employee had left without notice. nonetheless, taehyun took the job and didn't regret it one bit.

open 24/7, the red haired boy was always working on the clock. not that there was much to do seeing as most of the people his age or even a bit older didn't hang around museums purely for the joy of it. actually, his only job was to exhibit the newly arrived collections, clean and dust them off, and conduct regular tours and workshops for the public. due to this and the fact that not many people even came by he would take regular breaks.

once in a while you'd see the occasional old person or art expertee roaming around the small museum. if you were lucky, you'd see the local edgy teens posing next to a piece they didn't understand just to get an aesthetic picture. taehyun would also have the unfortunate job of shooing them away or scolding them for getting just a bit too close.

recently his boss, who was the museum manager and maybe the only other person besides taehyun that worked there, had informed him that due to funds and unfortunate unforeseen events, the museum would be closing down in about a month from now. this caused taehyun to fall deep into a depression since this was his only job and he loved it here. the museum was like his second home. he found comfort in the silent images displayed throughout the building. they always told him a story and when new pieces came in he would sit and stare attentively at the new anecdote being told to him.

taehyun smiled sadly at the piece he had just taken down. it was a painting of 2 people kissing however both of their faces were covered by white cloths. this was his favorite and he didn't even have a clue as to why. probably because of the uncertainty of what the other was feeling or because of the fact that the other couldn't see each other's faces through the cloth, that would've made the kiss more exciting in his opinion.

he stepped out of the museum and into the frosty air of the outside world. it was only autumn so why was it so cold? he thought to himself. he discreetly pulled out a prerolled blunt and his white lighter from his pocket. he lit it and stuck in between his slightly chapped lips.

maybe smoking dope wasn't the healthiest thing in the world, especially for a boy so young, barely 19, but it helped taehyun get his mind off the inevitably of losing his job and being homeless for the winter. he shuttered at the thought. he would have to room with one of his friends, he sighed shaking his head. no, he didn't want to be a burden, yeonjun had helped him enough as it is.

he looked at his surroundings taking in the cold autumn afternoon. the trees had long lost their leaves and were bare. the sky was a murky gray color as if it were threatening to rain any time soon. he noticed a girl bundled up in winter clothes near the entrance of the building glance at him. he smiled at her and she jumped at the eye contact, thinking that he wouldn't catch her. taehyun chuckled as he watched her rush into the museum. "back to work," he said out loud to himself.

once the blunt had been almost gone, he smoked what was left of it and headed back into the empty museum. he was feeling light-headed, the effects of the blunt finally taking action, but taehyun was used to it so it barely affected him as much.

he made his way to the girl who was now starting to take off her jacket and scarf. taehyun tapped on the girl's shoulder to get her attention. "hi," he smiled at the girl, showing off his dazzling smile. "if you'd like, i could give you a tour of the museum." well what's left of it anyways, he thought to himself.

"oh...no thank you," said the girl. she smiled warmly at the worker. "well not to be invasive of your decision but it's sort of in my job description," taehyun replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. the girl sighed in defeat, "i guess i have no choice then."

taehyun laughed as he took her coat and scarf to hang up in the public closet, "yep, trust me. they say im not that bad of a tour guide, im quite fun to be around if i do say so myself. i promise not to bore you too much." the girl nodded, not entirely convinced. "if i do end up bored i will hold you accountable..." she took a moment to take a peek at taehyun's name tag, "kang taehyun," she joked.

as they walked through the museum the girl couldn't help but notice that it was fairly empty. "why are there almost no paintings in here?" she laughed hesitantly. "i thought this was a museum?" taehyun stopped walking, turning to her with a sad expression on his face.

"the museum is expected to close in about a month or so," he stated simply. "oh...that's terrible. may i ask why?" the girl responded. "my boss says we've run out of funds or something like that," taehyun chuckled bitterly. "people don't really give a shit about good art these days anyways."

"that's a shame..."

they continued to look through the various paintings that were still up and occasionally the girl would ask to see the ones that were taken down and left on the floor. it seemed the two were lost in each other's company as night started to approach.

"thank you for the tour of this lovely museum taehyun. it was fun but it's a shame such a nice museum like this is closing down," the girl said softly. taehyun nodded solemnly, he just wanted to get this day over with and crash at his apartment. he didn't blame the girl before him but talking to her reminded him of his harsh reality. a notification coming from the girl's bag made both of them jump as they were both lost in their thoughts.

"ah, that must be my father. he's kind of annoying when it comes to my curfew," she chuckled, digging her phone from her bag. taehyun watched her with a bored expression until his eyes reached her bag. he hadn't noticed this earlier but she had been carrying a louis vuitton bag. his eyes bulged at the expensive item that was so close to him, they got even larger when she fished out the latest iphone from it.

taehyun wasn't poor per se, he had just enough to get by since he was living paycheck to paycheck. however, he had never been in such close proximity to any luxury items. he suddenly felt weird being this close to this girl.

"what do you mean by curfew?" taehyun asks hesitantly. the girl sighs, "my father is one of south korea's richest chaebol's, maybe one of the big three at his point." she rolled her eyes as if this information was nothing. "he's super strict with me because i guess i'm just his show pony daughter whom he can show off to say he's a good father."

taehyun gulped, had he just been casually hanging out with the daughter of one of the richest men in korea? he felt sick at this. she looked up at taehyun's uneasy expression, "oh my god im sorry i just dumped that all on you! i just needed to catch a break so i came here, i didn't mean to drag you into my life story."

taehyun fixes his face, laughing nervously, "no- no its fine really. we all need a break sometimes right? im glad you got to have that time here." the girl smiled up at him, completely misreading his nervous laughter, "im glad i got to spend it here with you taehyun."

"oh before i go!" taehyun watched her pull out a checkbook from her bag and his stomach dropped. he silently watched her scribble some stuff onto the slip and tear it out, handing it to him.

"there's not too much i can take out of my account without my father flipping out but i hope this helps even just a little. whether it be in your personal life or with the museum."

taehyun eyes the check and chokes when he sees 50,000 dollars written neatly on the black line. he swears he can feel sweat going down his face like in the cartoons. "i- i cant possibly take this from you." he moves to hand the check back but the girl refuses to take it back. "taehyun, you love this museum with your entire being. i see the way to look at the paintings and the passion with which you explained them to me. i'd hate to see that taken away."

"plus, if you're gone who's gonna give me the tour when i come back?" she laughs as if this is something casual. taehyun's hands shake as he pockets the check, "i seriously cannot thank you enough...you don't know how much you just helped the museum and m-"

the girls phone dings again and she grumbles, "ugh why can't he just leave me alone. sorry but i think i really gotta go for real before he tracks my location or something crazy like that."

taehyun nods wistfully at the mention of her having to leave. he was really starting to enjoy her company.

"oh by the way," the girl giggles as she pulls her coat on hurriedly.  "was that you smoking weed at the corner of the museum earlier?" the girl chuckled to herself again just remembering it. taehyun furrowed his eyebrows, "why would you say that kind of thing at out loud and at my job?!" he scolded in a playful hushed voice.

"i just thought it was funny and you also smelled of weed the entire tour, i didn't mind though so don't worry," the girl concluded. she was starting to walk away towards out the door now. "i'll walk you out," taehyun offers. "such a helpful employee. is this in the job description too?" the girl jokes, turning to him while a smile on her lips. "well, not exactly," taehyun says smoothly.

she shakes her head, "i'll see you soon taehyun." he watches her walk off into the darkness of the night when he suddenly remembers something.

"hey what's your name by the way?" he shouts after the girl. for some reason taehyun really was hopeful of seeing her again.

"y/n!" came the disembodied voice of the girl he had just met.

[schrisnicholas]

Black Fox - An Undercooked Burrito

The other day I went to chipotle,

I was excited because I hadn’t been in a while and I was really in the mood for a burrito. I waited in line and when I got to the front and saw all the ingredients it all looked so good, it made me a little more excited for what I was about to sit down and enjoy, but once I got my food and actually sat down to enjoy it I learned that looks could be deceiving, all of my excitement and joy dwindled down about fifty percent once I realized that the rice was undercooked. However, even though the rice was ruined the beans, chicken, salsa, and sour cream all still tasted wonderful and made up for an otherwise disappointing trip out for lunch. But... What if the Beans were undercooked too? What if everything else would have been as upsetting as the rice? Well, I would have hated my experience asked for a manager and complain about it.

Black Fox was a very similar experience for me, I Haven’t kept up with current anime in what feels like years and heck I’ve barely gone back to watch anything old in quite some time as well. But much like that burrito, the other night I began to crave the anime I used to consume daily. I created a new CrunchyRoll account and signed up for premium, the poster for Black Fox caught my eye and I actually thought the color, character designs, and art style looked really cool together. I knew nothing about it and at first thought, it was a series only learning it was a movie after seeing the length of the video and a quick google search. but if it wasn’t for that search I would’ve been incredibly confused. from the pacing of the story to the lackluster visuals I could have sworn I was watching a series, but the more I watched the more it felt like a series that was poorly edited down to a movie. I Won’t take the time to explain the plot, mainly because everything happened so fast without almost any explanation and the little bit of the story I could understand, and that’s not saying there was much to understand was so incredibly underdeveloped it would be hard to quickly describe so I’ll just leave a link here to the Wikipedia page you can read.

But the other reason is that this isn’t a review and it’s not meant to convince you if you should watch it or not, no I'm only writing this all out because after I was done watching I felt so strongly mixed that I had to do something I so rarely dare to do, read the comments.

I was amazed that for the most part, it received generally favorable comments. I was so shocked by this that I went to google only to find that at the time of typing this out it holds a 7.02/10 Star rating on MAL with a total of 11,305 ratings and a 6.3/10 out of 114 reviews on IMDB with 95% of google users saying they liked the movie. 

Now I should take the time to make it clear before going forward that I didn’t hate Black Fox the same way I Didn’t hate that chipotle burrito. It wasn’t bad it just felt undercooked and like it was missing something. For example, I’ll start by saying the first problem is that this Anime feels like it’s having an identity crisis as to whether it’s a movie or a series, SAG Defines a feature-length film at minimum to be 80 minutes long, with Black Fox clocking in at a 90 minute run time it definitely meets that requirement but somehow manages to feel too short while dragging on because we as the audience are never properly introduced to any of the main characters apart from Rikka.

We are never shown the relationship between Allen and his former friends that led to Lauren’s jealously, Never shown exactly what Allen did before or why he created the drones beyond wanting to make friends for people? that’s what I got at least from the film's explanation. it’s never properly explained what Gradsheim does, and what makes that even more confusing is Allen at the beginning of the film telling Brad “you want to use them for war?” which he laughs at, then at the end of the film a reporter saying to brad that the company helped develop the city? their facility is heavily guarded and protected but we don’t know why or what they plan to use the drone research for? Lauren is never shown to be mentally stable at all so him becoming or already being crazy felt so empty since the only time we see Allen, Brad and Lauren together is in a picture where they both ALREADY look extremely evil??? In the same way, the relationship between Lauren and Mia is touched on so little, just like how beyond playing chess in one scene Mia and Rikka are never seen bonding or getting to know each other. Almost as soon as Rikka takes her in after they both refuse to kill each other they argue, Mia calls her father and stupidly believes he’ll turn himself in for killing Allen and Rikka’s Grandfather then in the next scene are attacked. and somehow within these three scenes, they share some kind of close bond? or at least that’s what it feels like they want us to believe from the final battle. now throw in that so little about their world or any of its characters are ever explained it makes it hard to care about anything happening in the film. And I refuse to even talk about Melissa because so little is ever explained or shown about her beyond finding out that she’s also a drone? which felt like a legitimate surprise but was never brought up ever again until the very end of the film.

I Even like some of the elements introduced in the story but since every element is just mentioned and never built upon it all feels useless, And that’s why it feels like a series more than a movie. Everything happens so fast and we move on before ever learning what just happened then we're introduced to something new in the next scene! If this was a series that had more time to slow down and have the audience understand what's happening I would have really enjoyed Black Fox. And That’s the major undercooked rice, everything else I was hoping to enjoy would have come from the visuals but sadly nothing about Black Fox truly stands out apart from a few frames I noticed mix into mostly boring and generic backgrounds and the end of the film, the aesthetic in the poster is only ever really present in the last two minutes of the film as well. However credit where credit is due I did really like the use of CG and I enjoyed Rikka, Mia and Melissa's character designs. It’s a shame though that we only really see their best designs as the movie closes. The animation also never really stood out apart from the action scenes but even then they’re nothing to write home about.

The movie ends on a cliffhanger but with no promise of a sequel or series in the future, I really can’t recommend Black Fox because while it left a lot to be desired with cool concepts, without any explanation those cool concepts become generic. Lauren could have been a fun villain if we would have learned anything about him, The final battle could have meant so much if any of these characters or we as the audience got to learn about them. Mia’s power is never explained and neither is Laurens, Allen dies before we ever get to care about him, The detective agency is only shown in one scene so Rikka’s boss giving her the building just feels like a way to give them a home at the last minute after we remember their home was destroyed. I Would love a fleshed out Black Fox, but the Black Fox we have isn’t laughably bad because there are shreds of good that aren’t explored but it isn’t good enough to where I can tell anyone to watch it as it is.

I Believe Jesus Christ said it best when talking about the church of Laodicea

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” - Revelation 3:15-16