#introducing Tumblr to Bubble Cat

[asheanon]

Also, here's to the last weekend I have to try to do all the Mer things I can before MerMay is over! 🎨🐟

If all else fails, I have the pressure of sharing the WIP... the one dreaded, shippy Mer WIP that I'm once again terrified to share here, but I WILL share it if I end up having nothing else! 🪷🤍

(Though, I might share snippets of what I have of the others' concepts, too. You know, for the usual filling of the void and whatnot.) 🌌

[randy-jester]

My Imaginary Ride The Cyclone Hybrid Live-Action and Animation Feature Film that only exists in my head: Part 2

Here's the link to Part 1!

Apologies for splitting it into 2 parts. Tumblr literally wouldn't let me post it as one big chunk. 😭

Continuing on:

To refresh: This would be a hybrid film that combines both live action and animated segments. The majority of the movie would be shot in live-action under a sepia filter, but all of the choir member's songs would be animated with different art styles. "What The World Needs" is in CGI Disney style, "Noel's Lament" is black-and-white 2D animation, "This Song is Awesome" is stylized graffiti, and "Talia" is in watercolor.

Of course, "Space Age Bachelor Man" will use an art style resembling Silver Age comics (which, fun fact, is around the time Silver Surfer was introduced). The song sequence will actually show most of the events Ricky details in his fantasies (ie., him getting abducted to Planet Zolar, laying with the sexy cat women, stopping the war between K-9 and Zolar, etc.).

Side Note: We don't actually see Ricky get freaky on screen. But we do see him and the kitties in snippets of suggestive action accompanied by on-screen sound bubbles every time Ricky says "Meow!". (This movie is already getting an R-rating for every time Noel says "Fucked Up Girl".)

Another side note: I know that in the 2018 version of RTC, Constance plays the "Zolarian Queen". But because this is MY movie concept, I get to do what I want. And I say Jane Doe is the Zolarian Queen instead (SpaceDolls 4 Ever! <3).

"Ballad of Jane Doe" will be in stop motion (either using paper or puppets). In the first half, we see her recount the accident. She looks like how she does now (with the doll head). She hits the ground right before "And from the ground beneath my feet", and her head falls off. We see her laying headless on the ground for a some time while other carnival patrons are screaming and getting away from her. On "Just John and Me" she stumbles back to her feet. And on "Forever Eternally Jane Doe" she screws her head back on.

In the next verse, we see Jane try to reach out to the other carnival goers, essentially trying to identify her family and friends. When she finds none, Jane boards the rollercoaster again on "Time eats all his children in the end"

Essentially, the idea is that because it's her only memory, Jane is forced re-live the accident over and over again through her song sequence. She desperately wants to find out who she is and what her past was. But the only memory she has to dig through is that of the accident.

She falls to the ground again on "Forever Eternally Jane Doe". Then gets dragged onto the ride a third time by carnies. She looks tired like she doesn't even want to do this anymore. On "Like John I'll be eternally a forgotten name, some lost refrain" we see her fly and float through the air (like how the other choir kids did during Uranium suite). But this time she never hits the ground. Instead, at the end of the song, she just reappears in the warehouse.

Constance's song, "Sugar Cloud", is the only individual segment that isn't animated. Instead, it's shot in live-action, but in full technicolor! Think like how vibrant Barbieland looked in the Barbie movie. Like that. The reason why "Sugar Cloud" is in live-action is because Constance is romanticizing her life as it was, rather than what it could have been.

Constance begins her first verses, still in sepia, at the warehouse. But when she goes "Let me take you away", she struts forward and the scenery changes behind her to that bright technicolor look. And instead of being at the warehouse, they're back at the carnival. But everything is bright and sunny and idealistic.

During Constance's recorder solo, the choir gets new outfits that reflect each of their personalities. The outfits magically poof on out of thin air. The choir members keep these new outfits for the duration of the song, then go back to their school uniforms after the sequence is over.

When Jane Doe is chosen to live again, her body fades away, leaving behind a roll of film. Ricky slides this film into a projector, and the choir watches the reel of Penny Lamb’s life together.

After Karnak’s death, we see the sepia filter lift off from the film. Along with it, we finally get to see how much decay and disrepair has taken over the warehouse. The choir members have a spiritual glow around their bodies.

The choir members perform the last song, “It’s Not A Game/It’s Just a Ride” inside the warehouse. As the sun rises, their bodies fade away.

Title card rolls at the sound of crashing metal.

[aptericia]

I feel like I should properly introduce all my stuffed animals to tumblr…. Perhaps I will add better pictures later but here are some brief descriptions of some of them:

Raff (he/him) | Species: giraffe

Cowie (she/her) | Species: hippopotamus

Raffy (he/him) | Species: giraffe

Pi (any pronouns / no pronouns) | Species: long-tailed tit

Niall (she/it) | Species: plague doctor

Boba (it/its) | Species: bubble tea

Llama | Species: giraffe

Aurora (she/her) | Species: cat

[zoobus]

Okay apparently I'm in a bubble too, what is the lesbian cat-and-mouse spy thriller called?

My bad for not linking, went back and fixed it.

You know what's funny is tumblr introduced me to this show on the premise of "It's about a lesbian serial killer whose weakness is milfs" and I was like 🙄 yeah okay fandomification website let me see what it's really about.

And you watch it and it's about a lesbian serial killer whose weakness is milfs

[eurovision-facts]

Hi! Love your posts !! Suggestion for a fact (if you take those): Eurocat. The 1990 Eurovision featured an animated purple cat in the postcards (?) named Eurocat and I’ve never seen anyone mention anything about his existence. I only learned about him bc I was researching old shows and saw him mentioned on the Wikipedia page. 10/10

Eurovision Fact #477:

Eurocat was the mascot created for the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest in Zagreb. He appeared at the beginning of each postcard in an animated short that featured a blue background with the name of the country repeating on a diagonal and some cultural representation of the country being showcased that Eurocat would interact with.

For example, on the postcard for Spain, Eurocat blew bubbles that formed the Olympic rings, calling to the fact that Spain would host the Summer Games in two years.

Eurocat was created by Joško Marušić, who is credited for his as a member of the directors of the per-production materials for the contest for animation.

While introducing Belgium, commentator Terry Wogan spoke a bit about the mascot saying, "Eurocat! A tomcat who's slightly neurotic, not too silly, and eminently lovable." He also later said while introducing Luxembourg that he was "trying to ignore this cat," adding "I don't think he's gonna go away though," under his breath.

[Sources]

Yugoslavia, Eurovision.tv.

Eurovision Song Contest 1990 (No commentary), 2:47:06, YouTube.com.

Eurovision mascot 1990 EuroCat compilation, YouTube.com.

Barcelona 1992, Olympics.com.

"I would love to share with you..." @rice-crackerz on Tumblr -- See reblogs and comments (esp by @mirai-desu, @elliemadeit, and @unibrowzz) for their knowledgeable comments :)

[quirkythequill]

Tumblr Introduces Revolutionary Feature: "Thought Bubbles" that Allow Users to Share Inner Monologues in Real-Time

In a groundbreaking move to enhance the user experience, Tumblr has rolled out a new feature called "Thought Bubbles," allowing users to share their inner monologues and unfiltered thoughts with the world in real-time. The platform claims this innovative addition will foster a deeper connection among users by eliminating the need for traditional text or image-based posts.

Thought Bubbles appear as translucent orbs on a user's dashboard, containing a stream of consciousness that updates dynamically. Users can choose to share anything from existential musings to what they had for breakfast, creating a unique blend of introspection and oversharing.

Early adopters have embraced the feature with enthusiasm, praising its ability to make the platform feel like a giant collective diary. The Thought Bubbles are color-coded based on the intensity of the thoughts, ranging from soothing blues for serene reflections to fiery reds for passionate rants.

Social media influencers have already begun hosting live Thought Bubble sessions, where they share unfiltered insights while sipping artisanal coffee or practicing yoga. Some users even claim that spending time immersed in Thought Bubbles has led to profound self-discovery, though critics argue that it's just an elaborate exercise in digital exhibitionism.

As Tumblr users adjust to this new era of transparent expression, the internet community eagerly awaits the next wave of features, such as "Feel-o-Grams" and "Empathy Emojis," to further bridge the gap between online personas and unfiltered emotions.

---

About the Author:

Jestina Jotsworth

Jestina Jotsworth, a seasoned observer of the online absurdities, has been navigating the digital landscape since the days of dial-up internet. With a Ph.D. in Cyber Satire, Jotsworth is renowned for deciphering the nuances of internet humor and predicting the next wave of online eccentricities. When not diving into the depths of digital oddities, Jotsworth enjoys pixel art and conspiracy theories about cats secretly running the internet.

[endless-brainrot]

OH I AM SO DOING THIS

1: HAHAHA being a loser.

2: my mortal enemy ren

3: tied between my two best enemies

4: RED PANDAS!!! if i had one i would name it pine because osomatsus signature animal is a red panda and matsu means pine

5: RED

6: figurines and posters (nerd momen)

7: i can sit down and play video games for 10 hours straight. and i have done this before (minus the bathroom breaks)

8: i could literally not care less i just wear a hoodie and tracksuit pants

9: you wouldnt catch me DEAD with makeup on skfmsjks

10: i dont watch movies much uh uuuh. goncharov

11: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (2012) AND RISE OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (watching them both at the same time for some reason)

12: i have watched SO MANY. BNHA, haikyuu!!, osomatsu-san, danganronpa, senyuu, toradora, toilet-bound hanako-kun, the silent voice, pretty much any studio ghibli movie, a whisker away, little witch academia, yu-gi-oh!, hyouka, seraph of the end, your name, words bubble up like soda pop, smile precure, precure dokidoki(?), sonic x, bungou stray dogs, mairimashita! iruma-kun, mob psycho 100, and more i am probably forgetting

13: I LOVE MUSIC!!!! LITERALLY EVERYTHING TO ME I L O V E IT. also my favorite singer is araki hes amazing go listen to his cover of urusaaa愛 PLEASE

14: bug my enemies or mindlessly scroll tumblr

15: two + one of those like. plushie pillows?

16: dont really have trouble, and it depends on the dream hrnshks

17: im not autistic so uuh n/a. BUT i do like agares picero! (<-the only blorbo who is not a total wet cat)

18: I CANT GET A PHOTI RIGHT NOW BUT ITS A PICTURE OF LUFFY AND I LOVE IT

19: RPG by soramafuurasaka! its what introduced me to japanese music and utaite :D

20: IT HAS BEEN SO GOOD BEVAUSE IVE BEEN BINGEWATCHING ROTTMNT

gonna tag um!!! @rowynri @sunsetsongwind @everyonesfavoritebastard if you guys wajt to do it

not a dream

Hey everyone, I've thought about some cute questions for you to answer so here they go, leave the answers in the replies or reblogs and tag people who you want to answer said questions as well. You don't have to answer all of the questions, no pressure, answer the ones you like if that's easier for you!

What's one thing that your friends say that applies to you? Like a quirk or something they know you for? Something they associate with you always?

Who inspires you in your life? I don't mean a celebrity, but a person you know, brag about someone incredible that is your inspiration.

Who do you consider to be your favorite person and why?

What's your favorite kind of animal? If you lived with said animal, what would you name them? If you have said animal, what is their name?

What color is your most recent obsession?

What's a little decor item that you want to own in the future?

Do you have any mundane but cute "talent"/thing you can do? Something just slightly unusual but also completely usual?

Do you like fashion? What kind of a dresser are you? More casual? Fancy?

Do you wear makeup? What's your go-to makeup look? If you don't wear makeup, have you ever thought of wearing it?

Recommend us one movie that the critics/public didn't like that much when it came out but you personally think is a hidden gem!

What show are you watching right now? Recommend it to us!

Have you ever watched an anime? If yes, which one?

What's your favorite kind of art medium? Recommend us an artist or show us an art piece (could be music, painting, crochet, whatever) that you really love!

What do you like to do when you are bored?

How many pillows do you sleep with, if any?

Do you have trouble with sleeping? Do you remember your dreams a lot or forget them as soon as you wake up?

Who is one cool character in something you've seen in your life that you hyperfocused on at a time in your life.

Show us your current phone case!

Recommend people a song that has meant a lot to you sometime in your life and share us the story about if you'd like.

How has your day been so far?

UwU - I love you!

[ashmcfarlane]

Reflection

Fundamentals class has taught me so many skills and I feel so much more knowledgeable about adobe products compared to when I started.

Out of all the programs I struggled the most with illustrator. The bezier curves and pen tool would drive me insane as I had only used the programme a couple times prior. I was never able to get the shapes I wanted and I tended to add an excessive amount of anchor points to simple shapes. But now every time I use Illustrator I feel like I’m improving which is a great feeling. 

I have definitely improved the most in Illustrator. Understanding the bezier curves is probably my biggest accomplishment as I now feel confident in using all 4 anchor point types (corner, curve, hybrid and broken). I have effectively used them throughout this class in a tonne of different contexts. 

One thing I would like to improve on is remembering and using shortcuts within InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. Toby has done a good job at training us to use these shortcuts but my brain is deciding to be stubborn, I just need to try force myself to use these shortcuts even If I need to look back on my Tumblr or even google them to figure it out which will take up some time but it would definitely be worth it in the long run. There are shortcuts for pretty much everything within Adobe to make the user experience more efficient. If I keep practicing I will eventually wrap my head around a lot of the short cuts. I have been good at pressing V to go to the selection tool, A to get to direct selection and X to swap between fill and stroke in Illustrator. A lot more room for improvement.

During the process of creating this booklet I learned a lot about exporting and mock-up templates. Paying attention to whether you want to export as pages or spreads, if it's going to be printed, check crop marks and bleed, etc. Much more knowledgeable about the properties of how to export and print documents.

I have also learned that mock-up templates exist and I love it. Found it quite easy as photoshop does it pretty much for you if you've downloaded a template. You just have to edit the smart objects and place your design over it and it will appear on the product. It’s so easy yet looks so professional.

My favourite task within the class would be the ‘Jumping Man’, although I wasn’t there for the class I was still able to check moodle and I got a classmate to help me out. I love the look of mixing photography with digital graphics/elements and I felt this task gave us the freedom and opportunity to put our own creativity with the prompt. 

Another one of my favorites was the Beatles booklet I designed. Really helped push my understand of InDesign using parent pages, margins and collumns. Just had fun creating it using bright colours and making illustrations of the yellow submarine, octopuses, bubbles, etc. Very childish and had a lot of fun which was quite refreshing.

This task also helped me tone my skills of layer masking and introduced me to smart objects and linking a photoshop file with an illustrator file. I was stupidly happy with my final result of my guy jumping through space, entangled in abstract colours with 2 cats alongside him. It was a fun task where we got to use a lot of different photoshop tools which is a programme I was familiar with prior to this course.

Super happy with fundamentals as a class. It’s helped improve my understanding of adobe products which comes in very handy in my other classes. Definitely want to continue the skills I’ve learned in this class and expand more on it in my future design projects.

[honeybeezx]

Armor - Oberyn Martell x Reader x Ellaria Sand - Part 1

Author’s Note: Hey everyone! So this is the first fic I’ve ever posted on tumblr, low key kinda scary😄 But this man and his paramour have been on my mind for the longest. This is a self insert fic, but I don’t really use “Y/N”. Hope you enjoy and any feedback would be great!

Summary: You are an assassin hired by Tyrion to act as extra security alongside Bronn. He brings you back to King’s Landing just as the boy king Jeoffry Baratheon plans to marry the cunning Margaery Tyrell. But with all the guests roaming around, you begin to wonder who is a friend and who is a foe. No one makes you wonder more than the famed prince from Dorne and his captivating paramour.

Word Count: 2.6k

Warnings: mentions of murder, allusions to sex

—————

You never knew anything in the seven kingdoms could make you feel so small. It wasn’t as if you’d ever let it show. You held your head high, walking alongside Tyrion as both of you entered the great hall of the throne room, Bronn on the opposite side of your employer. The Red Keep was even bigger than you had imagined it to be. The throne room was the tallest room you had ever seen. Against the dark ceiling the columns looked as if they stretched up into the night sky.

Every eye in the palace was on the three of you, and you felt no one’s eyes more than Cersei’s. You held her gaze. A woman who lived in luxury her whole life did not frighten you. She may have influence, but you had experience, strength, freedom, and skill with your bow that you were now acutely aware was strapped to your back. Having the protection of Tyrion’s influence and connections and Bronn’s strength and skill with a sword brought a sense of comfort, allowing you to remain calm under such scrutinizing gaze.

“Brother.” Cersei greeted with a soft smile that failed to hide all the vileness in her heart. “You come with friends.”

“Oh no, more like bodyguards. We have so many enemies now a days sister, I like to know I’m protected.” Tyrion smirked, leaving Bronn chuckling. You, on the other hand, would not let your intimidating demeanor fade, remaining as stoic and unyielding as the stone columns that held up the palace you wished to see fall. “May I introduce Bronn, Lord of Highgarden and-“

“Yes, I know all about the Silver Hawk from the North. I wonder if you are half as good as they say you are.” She mocked, her tone anything but genuinely curious. “I am told that you can hit your target 200 meters away and steal their breath before they even know what hit them.” If you didn’t know any better you’d think she was impressed, even if she did look at you as if you were the lowest creature she ever beheld.

“Perhaps I will have an opportunity to display my skills while I am here, your grace.” You’ll see first hand when my arrow is aimed just above your crooked neck.

“Perhaps.” She replied, feigning as much sweetness as a ferrel cat.

The both of you narrowed your eyes at each other. There was no outright exchange of harsh words or petty language, but the furious tension between the two of you was enough to fill the entire hall with uncomfortable silence. You hoped your unyielding gaze scared her. You wondered how many people actually defied her, you wondered how long it would take to get under her skin.

“Yes, well.” Tyrion interrupted, knowing you were bubbling with anger. Cersei was too, and although you allowed her to see your own emotions, it please you a bit to know you could anger her just as easy. You hated Lannisters almost more than anything, but you also knew Cersei’s time would come. She would pay for her crimes, fate would decide her end. You knew that fate had not brought you here to slay the queen regent, as much as you despised her. “As much as I love chatting with you sister, I simply wanted our arrival to be known. We have much unpacking to do and much to discuss.”

“Be careful, little brother.” She warned. “Your guard has little reserve and it seems your little silver hawk has a silver tongue as well. You would be wise to remember that people have been killed for that and less.”

“I’ll be sure to keep very close watch over them.” Tyrion retorted sarcastically before turning on his heal and exiting the great hall. You and Bronn followed, the later unable to contain his amusement.

“I’d say that went well!” He quipped, smiling at both you and your employer.

“She didn’t call to chop off our heads, that is some relief.” Tyrion noted. “But you both must be careful, especially you.” His scrutinizing gaze met yours.

“What? You expected me to just let her try and hold some dominate power over me? Just because she is draped in finest jewels in the seven realms and hides behind the her father’s influence does not mean I will tremble like a child before her.”

Tyrion sighed. “You must, for now, hold your tongue. Your wit does you credit, that’s why I like you, but you must check yourself. My sister is more dangerous than you can imagine. Don’t tremble, but don’t overstep either.” You remembered that Tyrion had been playing the game his whole life, he was basically born into it. He knew his sister better than anyone, and that meant he knew how to get around her better than anyone. You made a note to observe exactly what made Cersei tick, what made her preen under her usually reserved demeanor.

Despite the warm tones of the palace, you felt as though you were walking on ice. One wrong step and you were dead under a frozen tundra. You didn’t like this at all. Tyrion promised your freedom would not be at risk, yet you felt the freedom to speak your mind, the freedom to do as you pleased slip from you more and more. You were being watched here, you weren’t stupid. Every move had to be calculated, every word like honey laced with poison. The faster the boy king could marry, the less people there were for you to worry about. It made you uncomfortable not knowing who was an ally and who was a foe. The one thing you could appreciate about Cersei was that you always knew where you stood with her.

“I will try to remain civil if she approaches me, otherwise I will avoid your sister to the best of my abilities. But she would be wise not to challenge my reserve.” I huffed, earning a laugh from Bronn.

“Your reserve, little hawk, will be undone, whether it be from your words or your arrows.” He teased. You gave him a shove and he stumbled a bit, but not much. The last thing you needed was the oaf calling you “little”.

“The sooner we are out of this horrid place the better.” You huffed.

“I agree,” Tyrion agreed, nodding in understanding, “but don’t hold your breath. There is so much to be done before my nephew’s wedding and I will be relying on both of you to help me. While I am arranging more intimate details with my family, you two will be protecting me, but also doing some side tasks that I will not have time for. Bronn, for the most part you will be either at my side or Shae’s. If the palace discovers her they will use her against me. She can’t be found.”

Shae, Tyrion’s lover of sorts. You had grown close to her on your travels. You were wary at first. Your job was to protect Tyrion, naturally, you were cautious of anyone who might try to hurt him, to get close to him only for information or power. But it was a tough business, out spying a spy, and all your instincts told you to trust Shae. She had not left any of you astray thus far, and though the couple had not named their relationship, you could tell Tyrion and Shae cared immensely for each other. But Tyrion was right, she could be used as a pawn against him, especially if Cersei found out.

There was a sort of kinship between you and Shae. You were both strong, clever women, and she had tended to the few wounds you found yourself with on your travels. She seemed like a sister, and you were grateful for the company and friendship she provided.

“As for our favorite archer, you will be assisting some guests, getting information. I want to know the people attending this wedding, I want to ensure that this wedding goes smoothly. The Tyrell’s are a powerful ally, we cannot lose them.”

You nodded in understanding. Tyrion hired you to protect him, yes, but archery was not your only strength. You could be quiet, and you could listen as well as you could speak. You knew he would ask that of you with all the guests roaming around. You were curious to know what King’s Landing was really like, and even more interested in knowing the people who came here. “Ask it of me and it will be done.”

“Aye.” Bronn agreed.

“You are the most trusted of friends.” Tyrion gave the smallest of smiles. You were hesitant to even be in his service when the lord found you and offered you a job, afraid of losing your freedom. You knew the Lannisters, you knew their foul and power-hungry disposition. Being in their service seemed to you signing your life away. You were surprised to find he did not wish to take such things from you. He hired both you and Bronn to protect him, yes, but he would do the same for you both. You were an odd sort of family, but a family nonetheless. “Get settled and rested for the evening, we’ve had a long journey. We will reconvene later to discuss further plans.”

You nodded and left to your new chamber, one just across from Bronn and down the hall from Tyrion.

The trio was still not aware of the Red Viper slithering about the halls.

——————

Days passed with little to do. You hadn’t seen much of Tyrion. Since your arrival at King’s Landing your employer had become hand to his nephew king and married the pretty Stark girl you later learned was named Sansa. Still, you found ways to spend your time, keeping eyes and ears open for any useful information. You were particularly interested in Joffrey. It was astounding how a little boy could hold so much power, so much evil. You figured he inherited his terror from his mother.

Sansa was an interesting girl as well. Your heart broke for her. She was nothing if not resilient, staying loyal to her betrothed if only to keep herself alive. She was smart, you learned, but not useful when attempting to gather information. She did not deny her loyalty to Joffrey, even to those she liked. You were grateful that Tyrion stepped in to propose to the poor girl, if only to save her from the tyrant king. Both you and Shae kept close eyes on her. She was as smart and clever as Shae and yourself. You had a sneaking suspicion that she could be a close ally, if only your little family could get her away from the palace.

But today was different. Today you left your quarters to explore the palace a bit. You wanted to know what sort of battleground you were working with. It seemed surprising that a palace that was so heavily targeted was so...open. It seemed like light could illuminate any room. Even the gloomy and foreboding throne room could not escape a few beams of sunlight. If you didn’t despise every Lannister crawling about the palace, you had a mind to stay. The palace was only under the allusion of being warm and charming, the people who inhabited it ruined any chance of it being a lovely place. You noticed that the open windows and balconies made perfect outlooks should you need to eliminate a threat with one of your silver arrows.

But for now, the open windows became your place of peace as you ate a bowl of berries, just watching the rest of the sunrise. You saw the sun just barely grace the city with its light before you were called into Tyrion’s chambers. You arrived promptly, Bronn stumbling in a few minutes after you. You rolled your eyes at his lack of punctuality, which only earned you a playful nudge from the Lord of Highgarden.

“Behave you two. I swear I am dealing with children.” Shae huffed, but you could tell behind her sharp features was an air of mischief. Still, you straightened up and diverted your full attention to Tyrion.

“Well, much has happened. Prince Oberyn has arrived in The Capital. I visited him yesterday morning and he made it very clear that he wants to kill any Lannister that he sets his sights on. My father apparently ordered the death of his sister and her children. Our goal, for now, is to keep him happy, to keep him entertained. Bronn, your job will be to appear inconspicuous as you keep a watchful eye over my quarters, make sure no one goes in or out.” He ordered.

Shae huffed. “I’m perfectly capable of handling myself thank you.” She huffed.

“No one disputes that my dear.” Tyrion chuckled. You remember watching Shae stab a man she did not want for laying a finger on her. “I’m not worried about you. But my sister and my king nephew are very powerful. They will know how to use you against me.” He explained. Shae still was not pleased with the idea, but she relented.

“As for our hawk,” he turned to you and gave you a list with names you did not recognize, “you will present these girls to Prince Oberyn in my place. You will tell him that royal duties as the king’s new hand have prevented me from revisiting him, but you hope he enjoys the whores as a welcoming gift to King’s Landing.”

“Excuse me?!” You snapped your eyes narrowing in on your employer. “I am not a squire whose job is to bring in girls for spoiled princes!”

“Do not think of it as that.” Tyrion poured himself a glass of wine, knowing that he should chose his next words very carefully. He could feel your eyes burning into him. “Consider it a diplomatic mission. Besides, the prince wishes to meet you. The legends of the Silver Hawk have reached so far as Dorne and he is eager to make your acquaintance. This is the perfect opportunity for the both of you.”

You still weren’t pleased. “So I am now to serve as entertainment for the prince of Dorne.” You sighed and shook your head. “I am only staying long enough to bring him the girls, then I’m leaving.”

“Fine,” Tyrion relented. “But you will be cordial to the prince. Don’t be deceived by his charming words, he stabbed one of my cousins for a few unkind, brutish remarks. I don’t want to know what he’ll do when he hears your fire-laced words.” If it weren’t such a serious situation, Tyrion might have been amused to hear you use your wit against a prince, but the prince’s history with the Lannisters was anything but a joke.

“I’m sure she can handle herself. Hawks have talons after all.” Shae teased, but squeezed your arm affectionately. You offered a kind smile, but you still loathed this plan.

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Tyrion rubbed his temple like the very thought of you getting into trouble was enough to send him over the edge.

You relented and chuckled a little before placing a hand on your friend’s shoulder. “I will be on my best behavior, but only because you will worry yourself ill.” You teased. “It can’t be too bad if I just deliver your message and leave. I better get going though. Can’t leave a prince waiting.” You snorted. As if you cared what a prince thought.

————————

Oberyn Martell lied in his temporary bed at the brothel, Ellaria Sand at his right, a blond haired boy on his left. He was the picture of lustful bliss, his golden chest glistened as the small rays of light entered the sinful den. But the prince was quiet deep in thought as he started out into the empty space before them. All the pleasure the brothel had to offer could not break his focus.

“Your thoughts are too loud, my prince.” Ellaria chided as she placed a kiss to his chest. “Tell me.”

Even then, Oberyn still could not break his thoughts of you, but he ran a hand through his paramour’s raven curls in acknowledgment. “I think I found our third partner.”

Next Chapter

[artificialqueens]

Feast For Two (Icesis x Pythia) - Strawberry

Summary: Icesis finally asks out the cute girl in her art class after months of pining.

A/N: I can't find the post on Tumblr to link, but @holywaterzzz is the mastermind behind Icethia McDonalds date, so credit to xem for the idea :D I also tried my best to make this kind of fit so it can be my submission for the Holiday challenge! (I misread the rules and only used two words, which are feast and gift!)

Asking the cute girl from her art class, “Do you want to hang out over winter break?” was the bravest thing Icesis had ever done in her fifteen years of being alive, she thought.

She wasn’t one to get nervous easily, but being sat at the same table as a vibrant and bubbly redhead named Pythia brought out the nervousness in Icesis. She was talented, creative and just pleasant to be around; more pleasant than hearing Kendall and Gia gossip about the other girls in their geography class.

Their first project in class was to draw a portrait of someone at the tables they were all seated at. Kendall and Gia quickly declared themselves partners, why wouldn’t they when they had spent the entirety of their middle school years attached at the hip? That left Icesis to be paired up with this girl she had never seen before, and she found herself stuttering and messing up her sentences while introducing herself to her partner.

It got better as the months passed, but Icesis could never act ‘normal’ in front of Pythia. Kendall and Gia obviously caught on, teasing her about it (luckily) whenever the ginger wasn’t around.

“Have you asked her out yet?” Gia asked one day when the other girl wasn’t there, making Icesis nearly fall out of her chair.

“Ask who out?”

“Don’t play dumb, Icesis. We have less than a week left of this class, who knows if you’ll see Pythia again.” Kendall spoke up, “you should ask her to hang out over winter break!”

Icesis rolled her eyes, like she really needed advice from someone like Kendall and Gia, who had yet to confess their own feelings for each other. She could barely speak around the girl no matter how hard she tried and how focused she was on not fucking up, and she would probably die of embarrassment if Pythia declined her offer.

“I’ll think about it.” She concluded, and thought about it, she did. They did have a point, Pythia had mentioned signing up for a bizarre elective for the next semester that Icesis wouldn’t dream about taking, meaning that she would be the one who got away if the stubborn girl didn’t make a move.

-

Icesis gave herself a pep talk on her way to art class the next day, trying to hype herself up so she wouldn’t chicken out the second she looked into Pythia’s beautiful eyes.

“Hey! What did I miss yesterday? I’ve been sick,” Pythia greeted Icesis as she sat down at their table.

“Nothing much, we just colored and watched a movie. I think our teacher ran out of things for us to do, if I’m being honest.”

“I’m not complaining, I love coloring.” She giggled while Icesis tried to think of something to say to segue to asking Pythia to hang out on their two week break, but nothing was coming to mind.

Fuck, why was asking out a girl so difficult?

“Are you excited for winter break? I can’t wait to just lay around with my cats for days on end,” She started babbling. Pythia loved to talk, which was not something Icesis minded one bit. Listening to her voice was quickly moving up on the list of the top ten of her favorite things.

But holy fuck, here was her chance.

“Yeah, I am. I was actually going to ask you about that. Do you maybe want to hang out with me over winter break? We can go to McDonalds.” Icesis was fifteen and broke, while she thought Pythia deserved a feast, fast food for two was the most she would be able to afford.

Pythia’s dark eyes widened at this, face heating up as well, “I would love to! I actually bought you a gift for you over the weekend, I could give it to you then too?”

Icesis swore that she was floating. Pythia said yes and had gotten her a gift? She swiftly pinched her arm under the table, but she was wide awake.

Flash forward to winter break, Icesis was standing outside of the McDonald’s closest to Pythia’s house, waiting for the ginger to arrive. It was quite cold, considering the harsh winds and the decision she made to wear a lighter jacket simply because it looked cooler than her winter coat.

She finally spotted Pythia crossing the street, feeling giddy as the girl she had been enamored with since the beginning of her freshman year came closer and closer. Icesis really was brave for asking her out, despite the fact they had yet to discuss if this was a friend hangout or an actual date.

“God, it’s cold. I would’ve told my parents not to move here if I knew this.”

“Hey, don’t say that. If you didn’t move here over the summer I would’ve had a lame partner in art class.” Icesis laughed, opening the door for her crush and following them inside.

“I guess I did luck out, getting paired up with the prettiest girl in the room.” Pythia smirked, catching the girl with black hair completely off guard,

“W-well, are you su-sure you weren’t the prettiest person in that room? Like, I know Gia is convinced that it’s them, but I actually think it’s you?” She managed to get out, watching Pythia’s face, hoping for a good reaction.

Pythia blushed, reaching up to lightly punch Icesis in the shoulder. “What? I’m right.”

Pythia chuckled, “Yeah, whatever you say. I’m starving.”

They ordered, Pythia ordering a quarter pounder with no pickles, and Icesis getting twenty piece chicken nuggets. There was no way she could eat them all, being nervous about hanging out with Pythia, but she was thinking they could share them.

The two slid in the booth Pythia wanted to sit in, both smiling nervously. They made small talk as they waited for their order to be done, both of them not sure what to talk about.

When their order number was called out across the restaurant, Icesis offered to go get it, telling the worker thank you before heading back, trying to think of cool things to talk about with Pythia.

They dug in right away, Pythia making a sour face as they bit into their burger.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, watching Pythia take her burger apart.

“They added pickles.” She whined, disappointed about the workers getting her order wrong on accident.

Icesis stood up, “I’ll go talk to them.”

“No, it’s fine, I can just take them off.” She protested to ears that were not listening to her.

“Lalalala, can’t hear you!” She teased, going back to the counter and explaining the situation to the worker. They apologized and Icesis came back to their booth with a brand new quarter pounder that did not have any pickles on it.

“You’re really sweet for doing that, you know.” Pythia said after biting into her burger, “I’m always too scared to do that.”

“I want you to get what you want. It would be a really sucky date if you didn’t get it fixed,” Icesis shrugged.

“Who cares about the fucking burger? I’m here with you.” She pointed out, stealing a nugget from the box, “I’m over the moon just because I’m spending time with you.”

Having actual confirmation that Pythia felt similar to her made Icesis��s heart melt. “I’m so happy you feel that way. I’ve been crushing on you since the first day.” She shyly admitted.

“Me too!”

“No way.”

They continued eating their ‘feast’, switching from talking about school to flirting with each other. Pythia finished off the last nugget, digging a small bag out of her purse and placing it on the table. “I almost forgot about your present.”

“I didn’t get you anything, though. I feel bad!” She insisted, not knowing to expect from this.

Pythia scoffed, “Did you not pay for our lunch? Open it!”

“Okaaaay.” She dragged out, opening up the bag to reveal a blue crystal necklace. It was absolutely stunning, not something Icesis would usually wear, but for Pythia she would make sure the necklace was in her rotation. “It’s beautiful, thank you so much!”

“It’s kyanite! It just reminds me of you, since you wear a lot of blue. I just had to pick it up when I saw it at the crystal shop. I didn’t know if it was too forward, though.” “I don’t think so. Would you have given me this if I didn’t ask you out?”

Pythia blushed again. Icesis thought she looked adorable with rosy cheeks, “I would’ve gotten to it eventually!”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah!” She was starting to get flustered now, making Icesis want to reach over the booth and just kiss her already.

So that’s exactly what she did.

[thebeautyoffanfics]

Hi ♡ Could you write an x reader one shot with Kou and with a female reader that’s very shy, cute, but has low self esteem, loneliness, and self love issues? Also like dressing up in kawaii fashion! (Yes I did just describe myself lol) It’d be heavily appreciated ♡ P.S: Love your profile pic! Where’d you get it from?

kou minamoto x f!reader

a/n: hello!! Not too much at all, I’ll be glad to!! <3 and thank you!! I got it from a post here on tumblr, but I can’t seem to find who posted it?? I know for sure I saved it,,, hmm :(( if i find out, i’ll be sure to let you know exactly who <3 also man, this is lowkey all over the place- i’m sorry about that ahhh, i hope you like it!!!

warnings: mentions of overall disliking yourself?

word count: 1,264

Going from elementary to middle school was a nerve-wracking experience for anyone- and our bubbly, almost cat-like boy (or maybe he’s more of a dog) felt no different. However, he entered the classroom with his usual brightness about him, already having convinced himself that the year would surely be fine! The moment Kou Minamoto saw you sitting in a desk in his class, he could feel his heart rate increase, his face growing pink. Our typically loud, outgoing exorcist was momentarily speechless- was such a cute girl really in his class? He noticed you sitting there quietly, not really interacting with other students, and, somewhat hesitantly, made his way over to your desk.

He cleared his throat, before placing his hand on his hip, donning his wide smile, his canines poking out rather cutely. “Hello! I’m Kou Minamoto! Who are you?”

First day of middle school, on top of your already shy personality, on top of a boy who looked rather like a degenerate introducing himself excitedly- it was certainly overwhelming. Despite that having should been obvious, Kou still stood there expectantly, looking at you as he waited for an answer.

“(Y/N)... (L/N),” You responded quietly, avoiding eye-contact.

There it was- the moment your friendship with Kou began. Or, more like the moment Kou began to see you as a friend. From that moment, until the present- your last year of middle school, Kou stuck by your side, proud to consider himself your best friend.

It wasn’t uncommon for Kou to ask about you, compliment you, and worry about you. He knew in his heart that he was going to be there for you no matter what you needed, but he wondered if you knew that as well. He surely hoped so, but… there was a part of him wondering whether or not it was as obvious as he thought it was. If anything he did was as obvious as he thought it was- in one of those moments of thinking, probably thinking a little too much, Kou found himself wanting to address that fact. He wanted to let you know that he cared- he cared, maybe even in a way “just friends” didn’t care.

“Hey, (Y/N)? Ready to walk home?” Kou asked you, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as he always did. You nodded, picking up your bookback, already well aware that Kou was going to take it from you so that you didn’t have to carry it. That he did, taking your backpack from your hands and carefully putting it on his other shoulder. At that, the both of you stepped out of the school, and began your usual path back to your home.

The walk was unusually quiet for a few moments, and you found yourself growing anxious at the fact that Kou wasn’t talking- had you done something? Was he upset at you? Or had he simply had a bad day…?

“(Y/N), uh… I was just thinking in class, and… well, you know we’re friends right? Best friends?”

“Yeah… of course we are, Kou,” You responded, trying to make your voice seem as calm as you could. You were well aware that if Kou could hear your nerves in your voice, he’d drop what he was about to say in order to ask what was wrong.

“So you know you can tell me anything? I was just thinking, I don’t think I’ve ever told you directly that I’m really always here for you. Whether you want to talk about your day, or something you read, or vent about something that happened- I’m your own personal diary. You can tell me anything, and I won’t tell another living soul… I really love you, (Y/N), no matter what.”

You felt your footsteps slow, as you carefully processed what he said. Someone… there for you. Someone who loved you, regardless of anything you’d been through, or anything you’d done. But how? You weren’t exactly sure how anyone, much less someone who seemed to shine brighter than the sun despite what he’d had to deal with, could think of you so highly… in your mind, weren’t you nothing? What was there to love about someone like that, you thought…?

You hadn’t even realized the tears falling down your face until a soft, and yet slightly calloused hand cupped your face, wiping the tears gently. You made eye contact with Kou, who wore a concerned expression, along with a very slight blush, most likely at the fact that he was holding a girl's face in his hands as if it was a dream. Although in a dream, it wouldn’t be because something he said had made her cry.

“(Y/N)...? What’s wrong?”

Ah. There it was. Kou forgetting about anything that had happened previously just so he could know whether or not you were ok. You recalled all the times you lied straight to his face, telling him that you were great- that you were just fine- when, as soon as you got home, you’d go to your room, and think about how often you screwed up that day. You also realized… maybe Kou didn’t care if you screwed up. Would he?

“Sorry- I’m sorry, Kou,” You muttered, continuing to cry as you grabbed hold of the boy's shirt, your fingers gripping weakly to Kou, as if you were scared he was going to turn away and leave you to cry.

“Don’t apologize, (Y/N)... I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here, as long as you need me.”

“Thank you… really, thank you- thank you so much.”

You watched his slight frown turn into a sad smile, as he shook his head again.

“You don’t need to thank me, (Y/N). That’s what friends are for, right…? To hold you when you need it- to be your shoulder to cry on- to... love you regardless...”

Kou brought you into a hug, letting you hold him as tightly as you needed to as you thought about his words. Love… love… he’d used love several times… you recalled the tone in his voice when he said it, searching for a sign as to whether or not his feelings for you were mutual. Maybe… he was encouraging you because he… had feelings for you?

You lifted your head from his shirt, slowly leaning out of the hug to face him properly. Once again, he wiped the stray tears off of your face, smiling fondly as he did so. You couldn’t help but note how much he looked like his brother when he wasn’t grinning like a fool- still, he was very clearly Kou. You loved him because he was Kou.

“I love you, Kou,” You muttered, feeling your face warm up as you did so. He retracted his hand from your face, face growing warm as he opened his mouth to respond, shutting it flusteredly before opening it once again.

“I love you too, (Y/N). Very much.”

A few moments passed, and you noticed Kou glance at your mouth. Your heart rate picked up dramatically, as Kou began to close the gap, moving slowly, not wanting to overwhelm or scare you. His mouth pressed gently against yours, and you didn’t argue, giving him that much more confidence in his action. The kiss was clearly unexperienced, and short-lived, but it was enough for the both of you to know that you really did care for the other. More than friends cared, that is- and Kou grinned, his face red, happy that you finally were aware of how much he cared for you.

[animeyanderelover]

Hello! Welcome to The Yandere Fandom! And Tumblr! I hope you enjoy it here. Can I request headcanons with Black Butler characters? Like how did they first met they darlings and what made them fall in love in the first place? With Alois, Claude, Grell, Will, Sebastian and Undertaker if possible?Not sure how many characters I can request...

I love using Tumblr😁! You can request a maximum of 10 characters so basically a bunch of ‘em. By the way, this Hc’s might contradict in some points with the basic Hc’s I wrote about this characters because in them I didn’t focus that much about who their darling is.

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, possessiveness, obsessiveness, paranoia, delusions, stalking, clinginess

Hc’s when meeting and falling for the s/o

Alois Trancy

👅I believe that he met you somewhere outside the mansion, for example in a village near the manor.

👅He was in a bit tricky situation at that time, for example being pestered by some people who wanted his money and cornered him. Of course Claude could have helped him, but suddenly Alois heard yelling from behind him and that’s when he saw the s/o for the first time. They quickly stepped in front of Alois and cursed at the villagers for treating a young man with such disrespect.

👅Alois was amazed at that. You didn’t even know him, but were willing to protect him even though you were clearly outnumbered? Surprisingly the guys left, probably because all the yelling had drawn already too much attention and everyone was staring at you.

👅His darling quickly turned to him, asking if he was okay and apologized for this guy’s behavior. They felt terrible about it and were ready to make it up for him so they basically assisted Alois for the rest of the day, showing him around the village and even going as far as buying him something he wanted, of course only if they had enough money for it. And after a day were Alois spent more time in the village than originally planned he left together with Claude, the s/o waving after his carriage.

👅Alois fell that day for your incredible kindness and your will to protect those in need. He never experienced much kindness in his life, but you... You showed him that not all people are just after his money! He made a mental note to himself to visit this village more often. That’s when he started falling into his dark desires that would cost later on the lifes of many innocent.

Claude Faustus

🕷Claude met the s/o somewhere outside as well. There’s no chance that you’re a maid because I don’t think that humans would survive very long in this manor...

🕷He was getting someone for his master at that time when suddenly an exquisite scent hit his nose. Claude had a hard time to not let his eyes turn pink. He immediately started looking around, searching for the source of the sweet smell. Then he found the source of the scent and with it the s/o.

🕷They had somehow managed to hurt themself and blood was seeping out of their wounds. It took all of Claude’s willpower to not grab this human and lick their wound clean. Instead he offered his help and started cleaning and bandaging the wound. The s/o happily thanked him for his help and ran off to somewhere else, Claude’s eyes following them until they disappeared in the crowd.

🕷His gaze turned to his now slightly red tainted gloves. The scent was nearly driving him crazy and he quickly ran into a secluded alley and was finally able to taste some of your blood. His eyes turned immediately pink and his jaw dropped. Their soul... If Claude needed to describe it he would say that it tasted like a bright burning flame made of passion, love and innocence. He licked greedily his gloves clean, not leaving a single smear of blood over. This soul was better than anything he had ever tasted in his whole life and he had lived a very long life. This soul was amazing! Fantastic! Marvelous! And most important, HIS!

🕷The thing that made Claude obsessed with you was your soul. He wanted it for himself! But what was at first just the pure greed and desire for that soul turned later on in an unhealthy obsession for the owner of the soul itself, YOU!

Grell Sutcliff

🟥She met you when she was pretending to be Madam Red’s butler. The s/o is most likely an old friend and she met them on some party where her and Madam Red were invited to.

🟥Grell was at that that time pretending to be really clumsy and this wasn’t different on the party. She helped the other servants in the house with serving drinks and food on the party, but always messed up and spillled everything on the plates on the floor. The guests and other servants started complaining, calling her unsuited for being a butler. It wasn’t like she cared, but what surprised her was when her s/o suddenly interfered all the jeering.

🟥She stood in front of Grell and looked threatingly down on the guests and servants. The scene somehow looked like a momma bear protecting her little one from any danger. All people shut up because of the dangerous glint in their eyes. After that Grell’s darling started scolding Grell as well, but for some strange reason helped her for the rest of the party with everything. Grell was surprised how talented they were with all this even though they were a noble themself.

🟥What she also found really fascinating was their rough and impulsive character. A pure hothead who quickly lashed out on everyone with harsh words, it looked like everyone on the party was afraid of them. But at the same time Grell catched on on the s/o’s more softer actions they were showing her. Of course they threw harsh words at her, but always helped her with cleaning the mess up she made. This made her feel special.

🟥Grell fell for you because you were strong headed and defended her even though she seemed like a hopeless case. She also loved that you were showing her your softer side. After that she was already incredibly fond of you, but that would worsen even more later on.

William T. Spears

📒William met his darling the first time when he was following his target who was about to die that day.

📒He was quietly observing the person from the distance, watching how they suddenly walked in front of a carriage just about to collide with it when suddenly someone sprinted towards them and pushed them away, saving them. This person was no other than the s/o.

📒William was shocked to say the least. Impossible! It was written down that his target was going to die today, but they saved him. William was at first annoyed to say the least. Great, this means more paperwork. He observed the s/o, angry with them for saving that person and giving him more work. But somehow he was also curious, after all it doesn’t happen everyday that a human saves another from their death. He decided to watch you for a bit longer. At least then all of this wouldn’t have been a complete waste of time.

📒William watched you as planned and he discovered that something about you...fascinated him. What exactly was it? Was it the s/o’s bubbly and energetic way of being? They were the exact opposite of him and normally he found people like them annoying and exhausting, but somehow they managed to make it oddly fascinating for him.

📒Will was at first interested in you because you saved someone from a written down death in his book and after watching you he became interested in you as a person. You were somehow...refreshing to him. He was quick to catch on his interest for you and decided to avoid you before this would turn into something more. But if he would have known at that time how fatal it would be to deny his emotions he probably could have prevented the happening of future events.

Sebastian Michaelis

🐈‍⬛I believe that his darling is a servant themself for Ciel.

🐈‍⬛At some point Ciel needed another capable servant in the manor who wouldn’t burn his mansion down when he was away with Sebastian so he started searching for such a person until he believed to have found just the right one. He informed Sebastian and the others about the s/o’s arrival and ordered Sebastian to introduce them to everything.

🐈‍⬛Sebastian was prepared for a lot, but not for this splendid scent that hit his nose when you arrived, he nearly lost it then and there. But with every last bit of his self control he managed to not do something stupid that would have brought him troubles with his master. He introduced himself politely and started showing the s/o around the manor, his mind starting to feel hazy due to their smell that he nearly missed another thing that was very pleasant about the s/o besides their magnificent scent.

🐈‍⬛Sebastian noticed that the s/o moved in a very graceful and elegant way that he had so far only seen by cats. This sparked his curiosity with them even more and he started a conversation with them, showing a genuine interest in them. And ohh...this human managed to shock him. Not only their way of moving, but even their way of speaking was elegant and graceful! What a charming and witty little thing his master had found there. A true feline!

🐈‍⬛Just like Claude the first thing that attracted Sebastian to you was your scent. But he also became attracted to your cat like charm. He found you fascinating, but even he couldn’t have imagined that later on he would crave you like a human craved his drugs, being addicted to all of you.

Undertaker

⚰️His s/o was a costumer that visited his shop someday.

⚰️Undertaker hadn’t expected much when the door to his shop opened and a new costumer walked in, asking for a coffin because some of their relatives had died recently. Undertaker informed them about his assortment of coffins and which ones were more suitable. In his eyes it was just a normal and boring day.

⚰️But the s/o didn’t leave after they ordered the coffin. They just stayed in his shop, walking around and looking at everything with a glint of curiosity in their eyes. Undertaker watched them confused which the s/o noticed and quickly started explaining that they found the theme death and afterlife very interesting and admitted to even like spending time in graveyards. Now this caught Undertaker’s attention and he started a conversation with them.

⚰️And his conversation with them brightened his whole day up! The way they were so fascinated about death and afterlife and the way they were looking at things made this guy feel thrilled. Finally! Finally someone interesting! He couldn’t remember that he had ever seen someone with a similar mindset they had. The s/o had a very unique charm which pulled him in immediately. He was more than disappointed when they left the shop.

⚰️Your weird way of seeing and judging things around you plus your unique charm led Undertaker to have a morbid fascination with you. It was like he saw for the first time in his grey world colors. And he already knew at that time that he yearned for more of the colorful you.

[centrally-unplanned]

Allocating Your Aesthetic Budget: Sailor Moon Edition

Sailor Moon is a show that undoubtedly built a powerhouse of a visual brand. Should I even bother posting a screenshot of the sailor scouts, given that I am 100% confident anyone reading this can recall them instantly? I guess it won’t hurt: 

Anime is often really good at creating iconic designs like this, through repetition of the visuals. It is awkward in live action shows if characters just wear the same outfit every scene (what, they only own one outfit? Are they homeless/work in the tech industry?), but animation gives us enough aesthetic “distance”, an awareness that this isn’t accurate to real life, that you can buy into the conceit. By wearing the same outfit every time, it just becomes the character. Not to mention a studio can really save quite a few bucks by streamlining production with neat tricks like having only one character design to animate - when you are on a shoe-string budget, like pretty much every anime in the 90’s was, every cut corner counts.

What is interesting about Sailor Moon is that most of the time it doesn’t really use this conceit at all.

-----------

Episode 15 of Sailor Moon’s first season has, in its opening act, this shot of all of the Senshi (at the time) talking to the plot-of-the-day character, who clearly trains rock Pokemon in 16-bit caves in his off hours:

If you knew nothing about these three characters, you could probably infer about 80% of their personality just from their outfits. Usagi (the blond one in the middle, if that's necessary) is wearing:

Light pastel colours, with pink on top of that: girly, feminine, bubbly and breezy

Short-but-not-too-short of a skirt, and red heels: cares about fashion, wants to project an image of being a woman with a romantic hint to it

Long-twin tails w/ buns: Contrasting the shoes, she is still immature and childish. It also means she is the protagonist of an anime 

Rei (far right) rocks a very different look:

T-shirt and jean shorts, shoes over heels: sensible, practical, a bit sporty

Very short shorts, long black hair: Confident, a bit aggressive, and suggestive of a more overt sexuality

Ami (far left) settles into a more restrained vibe with:

Full, long, but sleeveless dress, bob-cut hair: Chaste, more conservative, but not to the point of prudishness; particularly with the length (and the hand posture, shielding her body) probably a bit shy

Monochrome blue colour in outfit & hair: reserved, serene, possessing a calm demeanor

I know I have seen the show already, but really none of these details are a stretch - this is just the language of fashion. And all of these outfits are outfits that the characters have never (or rarely) worn before up until this point. The cast of Sailor Moon, far from that animation conceit of “standard outfits”, change clothes all…

the….

time.

     I just randomly clicked on episodes to find these, it requires no hunting

And while it isn’t always as spot on as the top picture, they all in some way embody the language of visual design to speak to the personality of the characters. If you want to see more, check out one of the multiple tumblrs dedicated to the everyday clothing the Sailor Senshi wear, because of course those exist.

If this was a 2010’s Kyoto Animation show, pointing this out would be the end of it - every one of their shows has this level of impeccable detail. Sailor Moon is notable in that it is not at all that kind of show; the animation and designs in Sailor Moon take perpetual shortcuts to get the job done. I don’t think the transformation sequences need to be belabored - the way they permitted the team to recycle identical animation sequences, multiple times per episode, was surely a godsend to the production schedule. Yet not all of the budget limitations are so prettily masked:

     I’m sure they finished the background art in the...VHS release?

The show is filled with dirty animation, unfinished backgrounds, backgrounds that are a simple color gradient for no clear reason, and so on. It is clear that the Sailor Moon team did not have the resources for every detail - which is why the decision of what details they did choose to prioritize is so interesting.

----------

What is the point of Sailor Moon? I do believe that shows have “points”; and by that I don’t mean a message or theme but a core appeal to an audience, something specific that they will get out of the show. Almost every show appeals along multiple axes, and Sailor Moon is no exception, but I want to focus on one: aesthetic identification.

If you learn someone is a Sailor Moon fan, there is the obvious follow-up question you have to ask, namely “which Sailor Senshi are you?” It’s the which-Harry-Potter-house-are-you question of anime, a horoscope where you can choose your sign (in this case literally). The premise of this concept is not hard for media to execute on - it is just personality traits and aesthetics grouped together under a label, a basic building block of media and clickbait internet quizzes. Harry Potter, ironically, raised up its memetic question almost by accident, as its focus is so squarely on House Gryffindor that the others are almost forgotten; it was just so mind-bogglingly popular that it didn’t matter. 

Sailor Moon, however, takes this concept and allocates so much of its aesthetic budget into making it a centerpiece of the show. Sailor Moon herself is a klutzy, lazy romantic, Sailor Mercury is a shy, earnest bookworm, and so on, with none of them ever really becoming very complex characters. However, the show devotes itself to making you *feel* these archetypes as strongly and intricately as possible. All of those outfit changes are chosen because not only do real girls care about their outfits and can therefore identify more strongly with characters who do the same, but so they can constantly emulate their archetype in diverse, different ways. The show doesn't have the budget for intense action scenes, so after Sailor Moon engages in her hyper-serious transformation sequences, she proceeds to, nearly every time, bumble through the combat scenes like this:

Oh sure, the scenes are done this way because it is funny (and good comedy can be done on any budget - these shots are frequently still frames with motion lines!), but it is also done this way because Sailor Moon is a total screw-up, and if you identify with that it is validating to see someone “just like you” able to pull off wins despite it all. The transformation sequences are not only beautiful animation that showcases aspirational power, but are also crafted to highlight the personalities of the Senshi in question - unless you think aggressive, combative Rei got fire powers by coincidence. Half of the run-time of every episode is spent, not on the plot du-jour, but on light-hearted personal squabbles between the cast because those scenes are not just funny, but also allow for far more moments of character expression. 

All of that work pays off in building with the audience, not a connection with a character who reflects their identity in total, but a connection that reflects one aspect of their identity in an extremely deep (dare I say multifaceted?) way. I think if you were to describe Sailor Moon as a “shallow” show, you would actually be right to say so, in a sense. These characters will never have the true depth of personality, themes and so on of a more ‘adult’ show. But those adult shows have to spend their effort somewhere - for all that the themes of say Evangelion or Paranoia Agent are pristinely detailed and impactful, you aren’t ever going to be memorizing the moves of their transformation sequences. The way Sailor Moon committed so strongly to fleshing out the archetypes the Senshi stood for is, I think, one of the keys to how this cast of five became so iconic.

     Not even their school uniforms match! They had to spend time in-universe *justifying* this!

----------

A Final Note:

At least, everything I’ve said here applies to Sailor Moon at its peaks. The show, however, is not one without its stumbles, even in Season 1. This section doesn’t flow into the core essay too well, but I wanted to note it because if you were to watch Sailor Moon today, you might struggle to feel the dynamic outlined above. The biggest culprit here is the length - Season 1 is 46 episodes long, and sections of it most certainly drag. They also take a startlingly long time to introduce the cast - this choice builds tension around their arrival, but it also means the later Senshi get a lot less time to establish themselves. Sailor Venus in particular gets hamstrung by this - she is introduced and then immediately arc plot elements sweep the narrative, and so she is left as a hollow shell for some time. The pacing of the show is undoubtedly flawed.

I think Sailor Moon is a show that you do have to keep its time and place in mind for - namely, middle schoolers and anime nerds watching it on broadcast TV in the 90’s. As an adult you “get” the point of the show pretty quickly, and get satiated on it almost as fast. Watching it all in a few sittings only heightens this problem. For a younger audience, and one that is waiting for a week between episodes with no internet for plot reminders, all that extra time is needed to jog memories and build connections. And younger audiences just have that limitless commitment to the things they love! If you think no one could actually enjoy seeing the same transformation sequence for the 30th time, watch it with someone who would have died for this show when they were 10 and you will be disabused of that notion *very* quickly. 

Still, we can’t travel back in time - Sailor Moon is a show of its era. There are “filler-reduced” guides out there, though I caution that the plot of Sailor Moon is absolutely not the point of the show in comparison to the character dynamics, and so sometimes the filler is the best part (Cat-Rhett Butler is the best character in the show YOU KNOW I’M RIGHT). Certainly, however, some method must be used to cut down on its length. If you are going to be a first time viewer in adulthood, that reality should be kept in mind, and if you do accept it for what it is you can really appreciate its core appeal - and don’t forget to finish it off with a 1990′s era internet personality quiz to really wrap it up!

[fandom-blackhole]

Now that I have time and some motivation let's get down to business.

Paz also has tattoos for you,

One of your name in mando'a,

Second of the star constellation that you spotted on your trip, we love our wiccan king,

He'd 10000% be the guy to get his child's birth date tattooed,

Paz posting his precious doggo on instagram?,

Oh or Paz starting a culinary YouTube channel???,

And also showing his of the grid lifestyle?,

showing his animal rescue and promoting adoptions!,

He is buffy, handsome, funny, loves children and animals, dresses good and is the best chef, so there are many fanboys and fangirls in his comments thirsting over him,

When the comments asking if he is single get too overwhelming, he asks you to tune in for some vlogs,

You'd definitely film a mukbang video!!,

And also these crazy spicy noodle challenges,

Boba accidentally disliking all of Paz' videos?? (we are still onto tech-grandpa Boba? 😂),

You have to make sure that he doesn't post any pictures done by his hand,

He'd retweet funny clips of cats and cute pictures from Jango Investigation company's official profile,

Also him leaving embarrassing comments on your profile?

Or not knowing that there is function to dm you on instagram,

So he comments on your recent holiday trip picture ''you looked good in this swimsuit princess, shame on me I tore it apart'' or ''looking tempting babygirl, be ready, sir will be home soon'',

Din doesn't really care for sm?,

Like he used to be a casual user,

But one day people were flooding his comments and dms, spamming him with @pascalisapunk,

He noticed that you were watching youtube kids with Grogu,

(oh now I hope you will know what is going on) Grogu really likes watching cocomelon,

So Din tricked him to watching PewDiePie instead,

You don't like it tho, thinking these videos are too edgy and stupid for both of them,

''Din you've watched too many of these videos and you became a brain-rotten himbo I don't want the same to happen to our son!'',

Din and Grogu playing Minecraft together? 🥺,

Also Paz has the best town in Animal crossing for sure!,

Surprise, surprise Boba actually likes and knows how to(!!!) play Mafia game (well it's from 2002 so maybe that's why lol),

But he is the king of board games,

Especially Monopoly!!!

Also not to mention cars games,

He made you play strip poker with him 😳,

Paz and you doing a baby shower at his restaurant!!,

Imagine big daddy bear Paz with a little babygirl 😍😍😍, (Bummer that we don't have an official name for the Armorer, could be honored by Paz naming his baby after her 😭),

Grogu telling his friends at school that his daddy is also an actor lol,

Few days later bunch of 5 year olds are asking him if this is the way to the restroom, if he can bring in some hot chocolate, and doing the baby yoda batuu sound at him lol,

Poor Din, but he secretly loves it, he just loves children,

So imagine his combustion when you tell him that you are having a little Djarin 😍,

Paz helping with babyshower??,

And Boba is totally on buying you a new, bigger apartment as a gift lol,

''What, Djarin? Can't have my little nephew and favorite sister-in-law who is pregnant living in your excuse of an apartament'' lol Boba has no chill,

Grogu gets addicted to bubble tea,

And it isn't because of your introduction, you knew better not to let him drink too often,

But everyday, after coming back from the kindergarten Din and Grogu would stop by your favorite bubble tea shop,

Grogu totally wants a little brother!,

And Din is thinking about a little babygirl or better, why not both, or even better two little boys and a little girl and Grogu being their big bro 😍,

You better be ready for some intensive wrestling sessions,

You and Din have no idea why, but lately, he seems to cum A LOT MORE,

When Boba carries out the tradition you are pregnant,

Pregnant with twin boys,

And the look identical, like they were literally cloned 😉,

Boba wouldn't throw a huge babyshower,

He is too afraid after the incident involving you and the rival syndicate,

Actually Boba decided that you should move from the downtown, to live in a more low-key area,

So you are now living in a palace 😉 in the suburbs

Boba gets you a private driver and a bodyguard,

But most of the time he tries to drive you to work since you both have offices in the downtown area,

Your daily commute can get really pleasurable for both of you 😳,

Boba has his own shooting range lol, king of extra right?

One day when you were babysitting Grogu at your place you found out that Boba was teaching the kid about shooting,

You were furious,

''C'mon princess, haven't I told you about me and my father? He showed me how to use a gun when I was even younger than Grogu'',

Srsly, this man,

Giving him a death glare you take Grogu and treat him for some bubble tea

-🐣

Oh yeeesss let's get to business....

Paz's tattoos 😭😭😭 so cute (kind of reminds me of my dad, he has all of our names)

Paz totally has an Instagram dedicated to Ad'ika

Paz being thirsted after on his YouTube is so cute

But his followers also really ship the two of you, because you both are just couple goals

Paz makes you the cutest anniversary video and posts it to his YouTube

Paz is a total gamer, he absolutely loves Animal Crossing and he makes a whole section of his town dedicated to you

Paz throws the absolute cutest baby shower and anyone and everyone is invited

You both decide to wait until after the baby is born to find out the gender, and Paz has a raffle going on at the restaurant where people can guess the gender

Armorer = Amira? Amara? Andromeda??

He makes you both cute matching sweaters for your characters

Paz is the one that introduced Grogu to minecraft

Boba cause so much havoc on social media

He totally is leaving thirst comments under your pictures on Instagram not realizing everyone else can see them too

You have a Instagram set up for Fennec too because she is just so photogenic, at least when you take the pictures

I think Boba is actually pretty proficient at using Twitter, and its more or less because he uses it to stalk people 9/10

You have a tumblr where you tease and make fun of Boba, mostly posting quotes or the silly pictures that Boba takes

Boba totally dominates at any board game, but especially Monopoly

That game of strip poker did not last long at all, and you think Boba quite literally was hiding aces up his sleeves

Boba makes sure you are always thoroughly satisfied before he drops you off at work every morning

When Boba finds out you're pregnant he celebrates, and its huge

He starts going all out buying anything and everything he can/wants

When he finds out its twin boys he is over the moon

Names for the boys, Jango and Jaster? Rex and Cody??

Boba totally buys some big house outside of town, that has anything and everything you could ever ask for

It also has a panic room and state of the art safety because Boba isn't taking chances with you or the boys

Also, bringing the babysitting saga to the modern au 😭😭

You walk in on Boba handing Grogu a gun and you flip out, yelling at him

He just shrugs and you take Grogu away and say that your kids WILL N O T learn how to do any of that stuff until they are atleast teenagers

Boba pouts because you ruined his and Grogu's bonding time

When Din comes to pick up Grogu, Grogu looks him in the eye and says "cocksucker"

Din has a heart attack and Boba laughs as you yell at him asking where he heard that

Grogu says that he heard uncle Boba say it while on the phone

Din tries to follow Paz’s recipes from his YouTube, and it always turns out badly and you have to come in and save it

Din totally loves Pewdiepie's humor

Din gets frustrated with social media and ends up just making an empty account so he can follow you and watch videos, but after the whole Pedro Pascal disaster he never posts anything

Grogu and you are his profile picture though

When Grogu goes around telling the kids at school he is the mandalorian he just sighs

And when all of the kids start quoting the show, he just starts quoting them back so they will stop bothering him

When Din announced the pregnancy Paz got so excited to have another nephew/niece

Paz lets Din hold the baby shower at the restaurant and he makes all of the food, including little gender reveal cake pops

Paz gifts the two of you a photo album at has pictures of the two of you and grogu, but it is still half empty so you can add more memories of your expanding family

Boba just hands Din house keys a day says the place is paid off and he's covering the bills for the first year (he also had a nice play set built in the backyard for Grogu)

[gay-cartoon-stan]

Why the “Corrupted Steven Theory” is more likely than it seems at first

Okay, you probably think that this theory is very unlikely, and it won’t happen in Steven Universe Future. But hear me out, I thought so at first as well, just like I thought the “Rose Quartz is Pink Diamond”-Theory was a stretch. But guess what? It turned out to be true, so I gave this theory the benefit of doubt and now I’m convinced that it could become canon as well!

In the beginning, I was unsure but intrigued by this theory and read some posts. Steven Universe Future means a lot to me, I related to Steven Universe a lot already and kind of grew up with it in the past few years. Now, seeing how Steven deals with deeply rooted problems and his mental health issues hit close to home for me. So, obviously, I searched through the tags very much.

Unfortunately, the actual theories with proof are scattered all around Tumblr with almost no coordination, even within “#corrupted Steven theory” that is full of fan art (which I enjoy a lot btw!!). And I had to search through a lot of posts to see the full picture of possibilities this theory has, so I decided to make a master post for you guys. It’s not that much of a stretch when you put all of it in one big master-post, for those who don’t want to search for as long as I did.

WARNING: This will be a very long post!

Now first off, I heard many people say that this would be too dark for the show. And while this is a children’s show, Steven Universe already had way darker episodes. Here are some examples:

Previous Theories in Steven Universe

I searched for some previous theories for the original Steven Universe cartoon and pulled up a few popular theories from the Cartoon Network YouTube videos. Let’s start off with some of them that were proven wrong later on in the series.

3 Theories that were more based on feeling right than proof and turned out to be wrong

-         Gems start out as babies

-         Sardonyx’s identity

-         Ruby is blind

First off, everyone assumed that Gems are quite similar to humans. Now, these theories were created in the first season of Steven Universe, when we didn’t know a whole lot about Gems, yet. Rebecca Sugar started the show by telling us to “expect the unexpected” like expecting to have Gems be quite similar to humans.

When we heard of a new voice actor, most immediately assumed it to be a new gem or a fusion of new gems. But instead, it was Sardonyx, a fusion between garnet and Pearl. Rebecca likes to explore new possibilities by combining already established things: Like making a completely new character out of two well-known gems.

I think that’s exactly what’s going to happen in Steven Universe Future, this epilogue will deal with big concepts that we already know. It would make no sense to have something entirely new in the epilogue, when we already have some unanswered questions left, like the true nature of corruption.

5 Theories that were based proof rather than “feeling canon” and turned out true (even though they seemed like a stretch)

-         Rose Quartz is Pink Diamond

-         There are multiples of every gem

-         All monsters were once gems

-         Ronaldo’s theories are right

-         Garnet is a fusion

Theories like the one of Pink Diamond were very unpopular and I’m sure almost no one believed Ronaldo in the beginning: they were unpopular or controversial at the time. But all of these theories turned out true, so don’t just shoot down a theory because it seems unlikely at first. On further examination, theories that seem like a stretch at first, actually, make a lot of sense.

Foreshadowing and symbolism about Rose Quartz actually being Pink Diamond were already planted in the beginning, look at the first song about Cookie Cat by Steven in the very first episode for example.

So, even if it seems unlikely that Steven will become corrupted in Steven Universe Future, that won’t stop Rebecca from making it canon. But if she planned it, there had to be a lot of proof for that, too. And there is a lot that could be interpreted as a connection between Stevens, his mental health and corruption!

That brings us to my next point:

 Steven’s Mental health

In the limited series, Steven is shown to bottle up his feelings a lot and has developed some harmful coping habits, as shown in Episode 10: “Prickly Pair”.

Steven is already known for not dealing with his own problems, trying not to think about them instead of being honest about how bad it feels so he can move on, as shown in “Mindful Education”, which was the fourth episode of Season 4, so even before the “Wanted” and “Diamond Days” arcs.

There even is a whole episode revolving around Amethyst trying to help Steven with his feeling about his mother after it’s revealed that she actually is Pink Diamond, but he just keeps reflecting and wants to help her instead.

Now, the synopsis tells us that “as he runs out of other people’s problems to solve, he’ll finally have to face his own” which confirms again that he didn’t deal with his own emotions, yet. So, now he feels lost because he feels useless now in addition to years of undealt trauma. Just look at his monologue in the last episode!

But why didn’t he deal with his own mental well-being yet? Because he’s scared because all of his experience in the last years were very traumatic for a teenager? Not to mention that he wasn’t even 14 when the series started off. Even the Crystal Gems, who are supposed to be way more mature than him, struggled multiple times within the series. Garnet even split up two times.

He’s scared because he doesn’t know what to do now that he can’t help the people around him anymore, everyone around him changes for the better and knows how to help themselves and what they want to do in the future. Everyone except Steven.

 Steven vs Steven

All of his human friends change way faster than he can deal with, so one would think that he could at least relate to the Gems with the struggle of accepting change, right? NO! He’s growing up, he changed in the last couple of years. And while it’s too slow for the humans around him, it’s too fast for the Crystal Gems since they’ve been around for thousands of years.

Even though the whole universe is changing, he still has problems as a hybrid between gems and humans. He struggled for years to fit in with the Gems, while he was always too much “Gem” to be understood by fully humans. For example, even his best friend and his dad don’t include him as a “human being” in Season 2, where he was just starting to be respected by the Gems as a part of the Crystal Gems. So, he didn’t really fit in with either species even back then. Out of stress, it caused him to clutch his gem, also because it is the thing that will always set him apart from other humans.

For years, he could at least relate to Amethyst. They shared a kindred spirit as fellow "worst Gems" who, in Steven's words are "not like anybody". Now even she found her own personal purpose while he is as confused as ever.

 Becoming like someone “bad”

Not only that, in his attempt to be nothing like his mother, since he still has a complicated relationship with her (see: the whole Episode “Rose Buds”), he slowly becomes more and more the person she used to be. He doesn’t want to confront that, but he’s still scared of his new powers that remind Volleyball of Pink Diamond.

But it’s not only her, but Steven also begins to act like the diamonds in general: He ordered people (like Amethyst and Jasper) around.

Just like the punishment by Blue Diamond for Pink, Steven imprisoned Cactus Steven (a metaphor for himself, his mental health, and his problems) with barely enough light to survive. Both Pink Diamond and Cactus Steven didn’t know how to act any better. Cactus Steven was just learning from the only role model he got, but Steven was too angry to try to understand. In Steven Universe, he even tried to understand a literal monster and befriended Centipeetle aka corrupted Nephrite, but now he can’t even communicate with his own creation, sentient humanoid cactus.

He spent years trying to fight the ways the Great Diamond Authority worked, but now he takes after them. And whether he is ready to confront this or not, he can’t help but see how he changes to a person he never wanted to be.

 No Control

He just got new powers that seemingly only Pink Steven really had control over and struggles even more than before. Steven could do a similar bubble, but never actually did it in a symmetrical way or in the shape of a dome, like his gem half could do seemingly with ease.

But since his powers are connected to his emotion (which react to his new and old problems) it’s no wonder that he’s getting out of control. This new pink side of him is linked to extreme stress (or anger) and using powers only his fully-gem half could do before.

We already saw him losing full control over his bubble (trapping someone) and shapeshifting/ageing, where he almost died.

In the first season, he trapped Connie in his protective bubble, which only dissolved after he talked with her. He subconsciously trapped her in there because he didn’t want her to leave again before he got the chance to give the bracelet back.

He lost control over his body a few times, for example, a few episodes after Bubble Buddies when his age-shifting powers get introduced. In a similar matter as before, his gem reacts to his feelings (here: his mental age) and acts accordingly. He almost dies in So Many Birthdays and Cat Fingers because of it.

He already ended up trapping his friends in Episode 9 because of his new powers in connection to emotions. In Season One, he trapped Connie in his bubble in a similar matter.

Next, he could be transforming his problems in himself externally again. We already saw that trauma inside of a gem can manifest in Volleyball as it was explained by the cracked eye.

The creature could be an apparition, something Steven sees in dreams or hallucinations, rather than a physical manifestation at first, but most of the issues in Steven Universe, even if they’re just emotionally, evolved to become something physical. But even though this can be done in a couple of ways, corruption would make sense in Steven’s case.

 Corruption

Extreme emotional distress is linked to corruption as it seems to speed up corruption’s effects. Both Jasper’s and Centipeetle’s mental state affected the corruption process. As the bodies of Gems are mental projections, the bodies of corrupted Gems are a reflection of how damaged their minds are. Corruption’s damage is mental rather than physical, at least at its core.

Just like their emotions affected their body, Steven’s powers got worse under stress. In Steven Universe Future, his mental health is worse than ever, so if he ever got corrupted, it would be in this epilogue series. He’s getting out of control form when he’s distressed or under extreme stress more than ever.

There are no gems corrupted on Homeworld due to the lack of a Diamond blast. But even the other diamonds don’t understand the true nature of corruption completely, they didn’t even know that they corrupted these gems.

But we, the audience, already know a couple things: Second-hand corruption can occur to a non-corrupted Gem through fusion with a corrupted one, while Nephrite described it as a "song" and remembering this seemed to be what triggered her to revert into her corrupted form.

Corruption is linked to the mind of the gem and needs at least one diamond. Steven, who is a diamond, can probably corrupt other gems or himself without meaning to do so. If he loses control of the corruption-powers as well, it could very well be that he ends up accidentally corrupting himself.

But without addressing his issues, he won’t be able to reverse the effects of his subconsciously used gem powers. Pink Steven always worked this way in the past. His gem half reacts to the wishes from Steven’s human half very directly, like trapping all of his friends. And he treated his cactus-self badly, so also harming himself isn’t that far off. He already fought himself quite violently in Steven and the Stevens (which was Season One), but now he got even more problems with himself directly. What if his gem half reacts on that?

 Corruption forms

While Steven’s trauma could manifest in a couple of ways, there are some similarities between the worm-like creature from the intro and Steven.

Of course, it doesn’t completely look like Steven, but consider how humanoid this creature’s face is in comparison to other corruptions in Steven Universe. Let’s take a look at the heads from the others in the corrupted and uncorrupted form.

Nephrite’s corrupted head has a flowing, light-cream coloured mane immediately behind her head that looks like her previous hairstyle. Aside from that and her colour scheme, her body completely changes because of corruption.

Because of the corruption Jasper got spikes from multiple areas of her body now, but her hairstyle only changed to a mane around her neck and she kept the same skin tones.

Ocean Jasper, similar to all Jaspers, kept her colour scheme (aside from corruption marks) and hairstyle/colour even while corrupted.

Larimar’s head always had spikes on top, even though they became more. She still has her blue tones, even though it got a bit darker. Her body changed quite a bit and she got a lot bigger.

So all in all we can say that a gem becomes bulkier and bigger while growing spikes. The placement of the gem barely changes at all. The colour scheme doesn’t really change, but the gem can have corruption marks.

I strongly believe that this thing a corrupted gem, since a completely alien species in the last act of the show makes no sense. Especially with the premise that this epilogue would focus on loose ends and Steven himself.

 Similarities between the Creature and Steven

Only this corruption has a human-like face shape and nose. But humans can’t corrupt, except for Steven. He has the same nose, a softer version of the face shape and is always drawn with 5 hair curves. Instead of that, this creature has 5 horns instead of Steven’s usual curls.

Another dominant feature of this creature is the mouth shape. It’s a sharper version of a squiggly mouth that’s usually drawn when the character is stressed/worried. In the original series many characters were drawn with a mouth like that, but the only character who is frequently seen using a mouth like that in Steven Universe Future is Steven himself. Also, it is drawn quite sharp.

Besides, both Cactus Steven and the Watermelon Stevens are known for a squiggly mouth form like that.

The Watermelon Stevens needed time to even become alive, and even more time until they got a mouth. After Steven send them away and they had to build their own community, they were drawn with a sharp mouth.

Cactus Steven had a mouth, to begin with, it was very curvy drawn. But as the episode went on and Steven got more aggressive with him, it got sharper.

Let’s move onto the body from the creature. It is massive, even bigger than White Diamond, and has spikes leading down his back. A gem would have to be very powerful, to begin with, to be able to become this big and spiky. Our Jasper, for example, was way bigger and har way more spikes than the average Jasper soldier.

Based on the size, I thought about a corrupted White Diamond at first, especially with her pink hue at the end of Change Your Mind. But she’s already on the intro screen, also pink, and she has her gem glowing on her forehead while the creature doesn’t have a visible one. That makes it seem more mysterious like something is surprising to discover here.

Every gem except a diamond had the chance to be corrupted in the original blast. Steven’s gem placement would make sense, too, since you can’t see the stomach of the monster.

Not just the shapes, the colours are similar as well. When Steven reacts to stress, he gets angry and has a new, pink colour scheme. Even outside of turning pink, there are a lot of pink hues used in the scenes that include him.

If he corrupts, it could get a bit darker similar to Larimar’s/Nephrite’s corruption form. And the colour scheme of the creature is a dark pink instead of purple without the blue, dark tint of the intro scene. We can see that if we look at Jaspers original colours and her skin tone in the intro.

 Possible Foreshadowing / Symbolism

The body of the monster is full of spikes that resemble rose thorns. Roses were symbolism of Rose Quartz in Steven Universe. Now it could represent Steven’s internal insecurities about his mom since those are a big part of Steven Universe Future.

Like roses, horns and spiked were used throughout the original series. I’ve seen a lot of people point out Steven’s caterpillar sleeping bag, especially since the creature seems to have a caterpillar-like form. Also, honourable mentions are the horns in An Indirect Kiss and Steven’s design in Future Boy Zoltron looks very similar to the corruption in the intro.

As I already mentioned, Steven lost control at the beginning of the original series since his powers were new to him. His shapeshifting powers got dangerous and he ended up trapping his friend Connie. In Steven Universe Future he got new powers again and loses control again, but just ended up trapping his friends and lost control over his dome-thingy.

If it will be like the original series, he will lose control over his body, too. Next, he would be transforming his problems in himself externally again, just like Cactus Steven ended up as a “monstrous version” of himself.

Steven ended the Great Diamond Authority but can’t seem to defeat a cactus. That’s because Cactus Steven is a living metaphor for Steven himself, his mental health, and his problems. He can’t deal with his own feelings reflected back at him and gets hit in the face by it. Literally.

Another metaphor for Steven is the plushie by Onion in A Very Special Episode, that resembles cookie cat mixed with Steven in a creepy way. Cookie cat was a very early symbol for the backstory of Rose / Pink Diamond and two halves of Steven. It could even move without being moved by Rainbow’s umbrella. A plushie was already an allegory for corruption and it’s most likely is a reference to Garnet’s explanation of corruption: “It’s sort of like if MC Bear-Bear didn’t tear the fabric of his arm, but the fabric of his mind.”

The biggest plot twists in Steven Universe was predicted by Ronaldo early on, all of his big theories except People (Snake People) turned out true. He was convinced by the Great Diamond Authority theory after he saw the diamond on the USA dollar bill. Before that, he believed in Sneople. Snakes are on the other side of the bill. I think that Sneople are supposed to be corrupted gems.

A few episodes in, Aquamarine and Eyeball-Ruby demanded that Steven should destroy his home, bubble his friends, and burn Little Homeword to the ground. Steven didn’t want to do that and won the fight with the gems against Bluebird, but later both of those events happened anyway. So, that may have been foreshadowing to future episodes when Little Homeschool actually gets destroyed. And that could happen if Steven actually self-corrupts and becomes the massive creature from the intro.

The last important thing for possible corruption foreshadowing was that Nephrite described it as a "song". There is a lot of association between corruption and music. It’s clear Steven loves music a lot and deals with heavy themes mostly through songs. Most gems like Peridot didn’t even know what music was at first.

 Plot possibilities

All in all, it wouldn’t make sense to introduce something completely new now. Instead, the show would deal with big concepts that have already been established in a new way.

Self-corruption could be a plot device to represent his current struggles with mental state. It would make sense in the way Steven Universe functions but also for storytelling in Steven Universe Future.

Now, he has to deal with problems he accidentally created himself along the way. He has to deal with his feelings and finally sort them out. But that won’t happen until something drastic happens.

If Steven gets to a point where he corrupts himself, he will need help from others. And the person who could help him the most through that was Connie. She was always there for him, especially in the moments where he struggled with himself.

That would explain Connie’s lack of screen time when she plays a major role later on. If the focus lays on Steven and Connie, they probably get together, too. The Crewniverse teased their relationship already a lot and after de-corrupting Steven, there would be a perfect opportunity for making them canon.

   “After saving the universe, Steven is still at it, tying up every loose end. But as he runs out of other people’s problems to solve, he’ll finally have to face his own.”

After all those Seasons in the original series, this epilogue could show how Steven deals with his problems and that you can’t always blame your problems on someone else. Just as Pearl said once: “[Humans] want to blame all the world's problems on some single enemy they can fight, instead of a complex network of interrelated forces beyond anyone's control.”

 Other theories that are possible and/or popular right now

-         Steven will leave Beach City at the end of Steven Universe Future

-         Steven loses an eye

-         Steven-fusion will split up

 References or sources? (and a few others, but I can’t find them anymore so rip me)

https://novantinuum.tumblr.com/post/189151877094/have-you-seen-the-leaked-trailer

https://novantinuum.tumblr.com/post/188153524489/on-the-corruptedsteven-theory

https://novantinuum.tumblr.com/post/189304112304/novantinuums-corrupted-steven-theory

https://novantinuum.tumblr.com/post/189560459059/find-your-center-your-very-core-remember-your

https://backinbizmuth.tumblr.com/post/189991650603/su-mini-theory-steven-will-corrupt-himself-after

https://drawloverlala.tumblr.com/post/188219448551/hehe-about-the-corrupted-steven-theory-that-he

https://sal108.tumblr.com/post/189160278143/so-about-that-suf-promo-that-leaked-on-steven

https://alexorcism.tumblr.com/post/189801984533/look-im-just-saying

https://lifeiskorrasami.tumblr.com/post/189417484385/ever-noticed-that-pink-also-has-the-horn-spike

https://gay-cartoon-stan.tumblr.com/post/189928744648/is-no-one-but-me-concerned-that-steven-looks-more

https://badartbysomeguy.tumblr.com/post/189928770039/so-cactus-steven-is-spouting-all-of-stevens 

https://somelazyassartist.tumblr.com/post/189688736598/wait-hold-up

https://viibecheeck.tumblr.com/post/189676375245/stop-it-rebecca-what-are-you-trying-to-say

https://celly-does-art.tumblr.com/post/189982116768/some-of-yall-i-dont-think-steven-is-going-to

https://unexpectedchair.tumblr.com/post/189928860906/corrupted-steven-theory-whos-going-to-be-able-to

[ichika27]

TWEWY 04

Week 2!!!

Seeing Joshua on the thumbnail made me giddy lol. Week 2 is my favorite in the game. Also, I have feelings right now so I’ll be making this post as I watch the show haha.

I’m still not that used to the fact that they’re using smartphones now instead of flip phones.

Spoilers for the game ahead!

Did Minamimoto do this in the game? I don’t remember. He uses his megaphone to yell out the mission (still sent everyone the text though).

Joshua!! Joshua is finally here!! I waited so long to see you animated and voiced. It’s Joshua... my boy is here! Yes, I will fangirl over him for the entirety of his Week.

Their partner pact is so cute lol. I’m a nekujosh/joshneku fangirl. Have been since I played the game years ago so uh... yeah.

Joshua is introduced and says some strange things the way he does, of course. Since they changed game mechanics to fit the anime (scanning requires you to touch the person instead of just tapping the player pin), Neku has gotten some... flashbacks when he touched Joshua.

Hehe It’s starting...

Sota and Nao! They’re players now. I wonder if this meant they’d get more significance than poor Makoto did.

Minamimoto appears... in front of our main characters! On his junk pile... haha I remember those piles in the game. He starts shouting in math puns calling them zetta slow lol. The Minamimoto fans are probably happy right now.

He also seem to have recognized Neku and Joshua (hinting it with the change in attitude/expression when he noticed who he was talking to). I guess the anime is trying to foreshadow stuff again.

They’re showing us other players. That’s a nice touch. You don’t really see them be featured in the game. Like, you know there are other players clearing walls and stuff but you don’t really get to meet them unless they’d have something to do with the plot so this is a nice touch.

Also, Minamimoto just sent out some noise to attack them even though they have completed the mission. What a jerk lol

They’re really trying to up the brutality in the anime, huh? The first episode featured an erased player who suddenly turned into bubbles and disappeared immediately after being attacked but this time, they’re gonna make the erasure time slow by showing us how bad this is haha. I don’t hate it though.

Minamimoto immediately gives them a new mission which is basically battle royale - destroy other players. Neku saves the others from noise attacks and reminds them to trust their partners. Total shounen protag right there lol. Sadly, it doesn’t work for everyone and so some of the players are fighting each other. Minamimoto then gives them the orders to fight kariya and Uzuki giving the reapers a reason to attack them back.

I guess this is a faster way to decrease the player count right away. This way, the anime can just focus on the important characters.

They’re both levitating! Haha I thought this was just a Joshua thing. They used a very powerful attack (fire and ice, I guess) that destroys all the noise. They’re already showing off Joshua’s strength on Day 1.

The audience is finally given a part 2 game tutorial! Joshua explains about the routes and the reaper decals. Of course, it seems it’d make no sense in the anime about why the players are even allowed to shop since they don’t really use all the game mechanics here. No sidequests to do and they don’t really incorporate the “brands you use and food you eat raises your stats” thing. Still, it’s good they introduced this to new fans.

Oh yeah, since there’s no Tin PIn in the anime, they’re not gonna do the gold pin mission. Sad... Joshua likes Tin Pin.

Aww they’re working together now! They’re using their special skills again to fight some powerful noise. Also... taboo noise already?

Minamimoto watches as the duo fight the strange noise. I’m wondering if they’d also show that Kariya has suspicions on what Joshua might be?

I’m glad Eri is getting screentime but man, it’s sad. She buys flowers and visits Shiki’s grave everyday. I���m glad she gains more significance and while she’s still Shiki’s friend, she shows a bit more personality with the scenes given to her.

Neku apologizes to Eri regarding what happened to Shiki (no reaper decal on the flower shop so he’s invisible). He soon realizes he has no idea how he dies.

They’re making Joshua look more suspicious than in the game. He’s kinda being strange and cryptic in the game but here, they’re kinda hinting that he’s sinister. I know they wanna finish this up quickly but this might change how people who only watched the anime see Joshua. I’m curious how this’d affect what he would do at the end of Week 2.

Flashback again! So Neku doesn’t die of being shot in the head in the anime. I guess that’s probably too much for the anime, huh? He bleeds to death due to his wound here. In the game it seems he dies immediately after being shot. I dunno which death is worse.

Reaper Beat! I was wondering if he’d show up in today’s episode. No Rhyme noise yet...

--

I was unable to get a screenshot of it (I didn’t even know if all these would fit caise tumblr gives me errors when I have too many pictures) but Kariya and Uzuki had a talk earlier where Uzuki mentions having only been a reaper for 2 years and Kariya says he’s seen the game go past just 1 week before but it was a long time ago hinting that he’s been a reaper for far longer. Little ways the anime gives infos on how this all works.

I have some things I didn’t like but I guess that’s what happens with compressed adaptations. I’m happy Joshua is here though. They captured his “pretty boy” looks in the anime. Since this is gonna be dealt with fast, I guess there might be less joshneku/nekujosh moments since they’re already trying to make Joshua seem too untrustworthy. Ugh that hurts my shipper heart but I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything in the first place.

I’m excited for the next episode though. More Joshua! lol

Also, next episode is CAT so I guess they’d give some screentime to Mr. Hanekoma. I hope they animate the part where Neku finds out who Hanekoma is haha. Please. They already took away Tin Pin for Joshua so at least give Neku something to fanboy about.

Alright, til next week’s episode! Not sure if I’d do this “make a post as I watch” again or just collect screenshots and then make a post afterwards but I guess depends on what will happen next episode. A lot happened today and I didn’t know if I could remember all my thoughts after watching the episode.