#like that phrase is associated with keeping promises

[aranarumei]

hate how webtoon advertises things. apparently they’ve gotten here u are on there and I just saw a little tagline on it that was like. “softboy meets seriousboy” like. I read here u are years ago and I’m not particularly obsessed with it but man… what a reductive way of describing those characters. yuyang in particular being described as “soft” irks me in particular considering how people treat him in the world of here u are…

(also it’s like. the comic was originally in chinese but this translation has opted to use the korean names from presumably a korean localization / translation of the comic which really throws me off but. deep sigh)

[destinysbounty]

Three important facts that I promise are connected:

Although it seems that the ninja take turns cooking, Zane's food is apparently so good that they all eagerly await his turn. And his pies are apparently so good that just the smell of them brought a tear to Jay's eyes.

When someone passes away, grief makes menial tasks like cooking and cleaning very difficult. It's for this reason that a lot of bereavement support advice recommends giving gifts of pre-made food or service to those who are grieving. I can imagine the grief would be doubly worsened if you are grieving someone who typically did a lot of the cooking, or someone with whom you strongly associate such tasks.

In s4ep1 "The Invitation", Lloyd invites each of the ninja to dinner with him at Chen's Noodlehouse. However, he phrases it as "if you change your mind, you know where I'll be". Despite his vague wording, all of them unanimously know exactly where to go and when to be there. Furthermore, Cole even says "you're late" to Kai despite the fact that a meetup time was never discussed.

Anyway, my theory is that due to the grief of losing Zane making it difficult to cook, the ninja became regulars at Chen's Noodlehouse. They would go to the same location at roughly the same time almost every night, and that's how the ninja knew exactly where/when to meet up. Which means the place that helped them keep their heads above water post-s3, the place where they spent many nights grieving Zane's loss, is also the same place Lloyd chose to suggest adding a new teammate. And also the same place they found out Zane was alive.

This restaurant has become so strongly tied to their grief over Zane's loss, simply through the way it was there for his friends when he was not. Feeding them the food he himself was no longer present to cook for them. The statue in the garden represents the legacy of his heroism while the noodlehouse represents the legacy of the grief created by his absence, and in this essay I will -

[perpetualexistence]

Team E-scope plays 'What If?', becomes unstoppable

During their morning jogs, Izzy starts making a habit of playing 'What if?' Neither Eva nor Noah take it seriously at first since they think she's just spouting off random questions. So she decides to turn it into a more involved 'What would you do?'

It starts off simple enough for Izzy.

She asks Eva "What would you do if I bit you?"

"I'd throw you into a tree."

"Cool!" says Izzy, as she immediately bites Eva. Eva commits to her promise. Noah's not quite sure what either of them expected.

It goes from things Izzy can quickly do to hypothetical scenarios. She refuses to leave the subject alone until at least one of them engages her. They also start going from 'what would you do' to 'what would we do'. It's more fun because it makes it more likely that Eva and/or Noah will start playing along. These hypothetical scenarios include:

What do we do if a zombie apocalypse hits?

What do we do if one of us might be an imposter?

What do we do if one of us is forced into villainy?

What do we do if one of us wants to go into villainy?

What do we do if we wake up with no idea where we are?

What do we do if we all turn into worms?

The next thing any of them know, they're coming up with actionable plans for these scenarios. Izzy comes up with out of the box plans, Noah comes up with clever plans, and Eva makes the plans simple so they're actually doable.

Zombie apocalypse? Izzy's the Scout, Noah's the Medic, Eva's the Heavy Hitter. Imposter? They each start developing two different code phrases to confirm who they are depending on who's asking. Villainy? Start a riot if it's forced, and start a different kind of riot if it's not. Transported? Go to high ground, kick ass as needed. Worms? Vibe.

They even start coming up with legitimate plans for how to take each other down if need be. Izzy and Eva have a plan for how to take down Noah. Noah and Izzy have a plan to take down Eva. Eva and Noah have a plan to take down Izzy. And each of them has a plan for how to take the other two out individually and together. They extend this courtesy to their other friends. Not out of maliciousness. Except for Justin and Alejandro, those ones have a good amount of maliciousness. It's mainly just because it's fun, and you never know if you might need it. Izzy even finds a safe house for some of their plans.

They develop so many plans that Eva's having a hard time keeping track of them. She's no Izzy or Noah who can just memorize things quickly. One thing that does help her concentrate is her music. So she starts associating plans with songs.

She won't admit to it at first because she's a bit self conscious about the intelligence gap. And that frustrates her. And that never goes well.

It's not until she accidentally hums a song under her breath during the creation of a plan that one of the others notices, and she confesses it while doing her calming exercises so she's not yelling at them for being know it alls treating her like an idiot.

Noah and Izzy just look at her because holy shit, that's a great idea, and they're rolling with this now. Having songs for each plan means that if they ever need to actually use them, they can say something like 'Track 34'. They'll immediately know what to do, and no one else will be able to catch on. If they need to be more subtle, then they can just hum the song or play it out loud.

They need to know how Eva's playlist works now, and they might end up suggesting some of their own songs for newer plans. They won't mess with her current playlist. It'd be a dick move to force her to unlearn her own associations when she came up with the idea in the first place.

Eva's definitely not tearing up for having supportive friends. Shut up. She's punching a tree now.

And that's how Team E-scope solidifies themselves as an unstoppable force of nature when provoked. Through the power of actually making plans, and unbreakable friendship.

[undreaming-fanfiction]

Banished (1)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

After the shitshow of spring 1986, all parents are kind of worried about leaving their kids with Eddie again, even when he was proven innocent. It’s not that they think he killed Chrissy, but they are afraid that their kids might be targeted for the association with Eddie, like Dustin and Lucas were before. 

Even though Eddie doesn’t want to show it, it breaks his heart because he really loves his bunch of gremlins (and the new additions as well, El, Will and Max who finally joined some of their sessions after healing). He tries to accept it though, perhaps stepping back a bit, not hanging out too much because he wants to keep them safe, damn it, they survived the Upside Down and they’re not going to be harmed by a town mob. Especially not because of him.

Steve notices Eddie pulling away first, of course he does, but he has no way to fix this. The kids’ parents trust him, yes, but he’s not that much older than the party so his voice doesn’t have the power to persuade them. And he tries, he really, really tries. The answer is still the same - “maybe when things settle down a bit”, but damn it, they need Eddie now, and he has a feeling that Eddie needs them too. 

When Steve vents to Robin, he mentions how hurt the kids are, especially Dustin (and he doesn’t also say so about himself, no, doesn’t admit how much he misses that loud laughter, the endless fantasy ramblings, the odes to his guitar), Robin just smiles at him and pats his back. “Can’t make any promises, but I might have an idea what to do.” 

What happens is as follows.

Robin goes to Nancy to ask for help. She refuses to have Steve present and there might have been some gossip involved because Nancy looks at him in a funny way afterwards and says: “Give me a bit more time, you might just get what you want.” And winks at him. Nancy Wheeler winks at him. 

Nancy goes for the throat and ambushes her mother. Karen Wheeler is a caring, sympathetic woman, and Nancy talks to her about who Eddie is, how he’s helping the kids, how he made Mike’s high school experience bearable, even enjoyable. She tells her bits and pieces (not all, definitely not everything, but enough) about his home life and what Eddie means to the whole party. She also mentions (maybe with a small smirk. Definitely with a smirk) that Steve will be driving the kids around anyway and while the mob might go for a few teenagers, they definitely will not mess with Steve Harrington. If nothing else, the Harrington family would absolutely sue. “Please, mom,” she finishes her plea, leaning into Karen. “There aren’t many people those kids can relate to. And Eddie doesn’t deserve to be punished even more, especially for something he didn’t do.” 

And Karen Wheeler just nods with a deep sigh, hugs her daughter and picks up the phone. She makes several calls and Nancy doesn’t want to listen in (well, maybe she does, but Karen is very assertive on the phone so it doesn’t take much), but she hears phrases such as “Claudia, do you know he actually saved Dustin during the earthquake? Exactly. I’ve reconsidered my decision and frankly, so should you,” and “I get that you are upset about the incident with the police car, but please understand. It’s exactly the kids sticking together that saved them and I absolutely don’t intend to dissuade them from doing that.” 

A few hours later, Karen Wheeler emerges from the phone with a victorious smile on her face. She knocks on Nancy’s door and asks her if she could make sure Steve is available tomorrow, to drop the kids off. Also for dinner, they might not be together anymore but she still likes him, considers him family. “But please call him in twenty minutes or so”, she adds, “I have one more call to make.” 

The phone is not picked up immediately, but when it is, there is a cautious “hello?” at the other end. Karen’s heart skips a beat when she hears the fear in that voice, fear of more accusing calls, of insults, assumptions. She curses herself for ever taking a part in that, even if with the best intentions. 

“Hello, this is Karen Wheeler,” she announces, making sure her voice sounds normal and collected. “Am I speaking to Eddie?” 

There’s a gasp at the end of the line, and then a quick “Y-yes, this is Eddie. Look, Mrs. Wheeler, I swear your son is safe, I haven’t been around him in-”

“Eddie,” she interrupts him, strict but kind. “I know. And I thank you for indulging me...and the other parents. But there have been some changes. Would you be free tomorrow at...let’s say, six PM? Join us for dinner, from what I understand, all the kids will be here for their fantasy game. They have been complaining nonstop it’s not the same without you,” she finishes in a soft tone. 

“I’d...I’d love to, I really would,” he says, voice strained, and Karen grips the receiver tightly. She is a social person by nature, but she really wants to meet Eddie now, properly meet him and talk to him. “But it’s not just you, Mrs. Wheeler, even if I have your permission, the others-”

“Will not be a problem,” she completes the sentence for him, smiling into the phone as if Eddie could see her. “I talked to them before calling you. They all gave their okay and will drive their children over, so you can check with them too. But I assure you, it will not be necessary. You are welcome to join us, Eddie.” 

“O...okay.” There is a quiet sound at the other end, perhaps a sniffle, rustling of a tissue? “Thank you, Mrs. Wheeler. Thank you so much. I will...I will be there. Six, you said?” 

“Yes, six. See you tomorrow, Eddie.” 

As she hangs up the phone, she sees Nancy leaning on the wall, smiling. “You’re the best, mom,” she whispers and hugs her. “You really can’t tell where I get the fighting spirit from?” 

Karen Wheeler just laughs, returns the embrace and starts planning tomorrow’s dinner. The phone is finally free. 

Steve picks up almost immediately and when Nancy tells him the newest developments, there is a huge sigh of relief and she can just tell the way Steve is smiling into the phone, running a hand through his hair. “I could just kiss you and your mom,” he laughs after he confirms he’ll be there no matter what. 

Nancy just snickers because there is no expectation, no unfulfilled hope there, just warmth that comes with Steve’s friendship. “Hmm...thank you, but I’ll pass this time. How about you kiss Eddie instead?” 

She hangs up the phone to Steve’s sputtering and, once she’s certain he can’t hear her, laughs until her sides hurt because a shy Steve Harrington? That’s a new one and something she definitely cannot miss. 

[italoniponic]

Hi, can i just say I love your writing! Can i please request a scenario with Jamil where you are his secret admirer and start leaving gifts and cards in his locker all addressed under 'secret admirer' and everyday it always shows up somehow everyday and he can't figure out who it is but realizes it when you say something word for word from one of his letters? I just want to give him the world- thank you!💖

𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲'𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭

| Notes: Hi, anon!

YEEESSS JAMIL DESERVES THE WORLD

I actually got Jamil to realize it a little earlier but not like fully, it’s just that I think he would suspect the reader at some point but not 100% believing it. Just wanted to inform you about that. This was a really funny story to make, from every little detail to Jamil’s journey to understand things and finally the reveal moment. I love to write Jamil, he’s a mood and at the same time, he’s so complex and interesting, especially about the way he deals with his emotions and how he sees the world around him. Like, really, I just want to hug Jamil so tight with all the love and care I feel for him <3

And I included Azul for a brief moment bc… their dynamic is precious (you never had a friend like him~)

Thanks for the request <3 |

Jamil Viper x gender neutral reader / scenario / 2,2 k words / secret admirer / fluff / bits of comedy / Aladdin references / use of “you” pronouns

Cherry’s Harvesting event 🍒 Masterlist

Secret Admirer's Wish

“Dear Jamil,

I will never really be able to detail enough how much I admire you and feel grateful for everything you do. There may be hard times, but somehow you always lift your head and find a way to keep going. I wonder where you get that strength from. Would I be able to do the same? Maybe I could also help you, be your support? But I don't think I'm good enough for that. Well, I passed by the city and these shoelaces reminded me of you. I think you’re in need of new ones, but you don’t have time to go out to buy. Hope you like it. The receipt is fixed on this note in case you want to exchange it for something else. But it's no use asking for me in the store, I'll let you know~ 

I hate to repeat it, but I really hope you like it. It's a very sly style! With love (and apologies for the pun),

Your secret admirer.”

Jamil didn't know if this was luck or bad luck. Lately, he was receiving a lot of letters and gifts from a mysterious person, a supposed secret admirer. The gifts weren’t a problem — whoever this person is, they knew his style very well and almost always got what he was wanting to buy right.

But the letters made Jamil very suspicious. So many beautiful words, compliments, promises of admiration and feelings. If Jamil didn’t find these letters in his place in the class, hidden in the space where he kept his school material, it was found in his basketball club’s locker.

He couldn't get it out of his head that this could all be a prank. With each new note, Jamil thoroughly studied the letter and style of phrases, trying to associate it with someone. Trying to find small openings that could reveal the true identity of the sender.

Jamil had his own list of suspects to go through some investigation.

It could have been Kalim trying to actually become friends with him, but that possibility was dismissed pretty quickly because it wasn't his style to keep a secret for so long — and in such a discreet way. Kalim would have revealed all on the second day, loudly and with all the excitement that he had been keeping for a long time.

Another possibility would be Ace or Floyd, as they were his teammates at the basketball club and prone to silly pranks. Overall, it would be more likely because they had the opportunity to observe Jamil more closely to know some of the things he needed — though, not all of them.

“Well, well! Another gift from your admirer, senpai?,” Ace leaned on Jamil's right shoulder, a wide grin on his face.

“Oh, look, a snake shoelace. What do you think, Umihebi-chan?,” Floyd took his place to the left side of his colleague, also entertained by the situation. 

That made Jamil very suspicious but he just kept the themed shoelace and note in his pocket, and kept going as if nothing had happened. Although Floyd and Ace could be the authors of those “little cute letters full of admiration and affection”, he didn’t think they would have so much literary tact to write something so flowery and sincere.

If it was really a prank and not just a very blatantly cruel act of love delusion, the duo would have done something more clichéd, predictable and affected. Jamil knew how to recognize empty words even on paper. In fact, it’s a very fine line between complete naivety, genuine kindness and the most plastic stupidity ever manufactured.

With the end of club activities, Jamil changed the laces on his shoes while reviewing his investigative thoughts. He wouldn’t rest on his case. As if he was going to let someone just praise him for no reason! Especially since it was attracting a lot of attention to him.

The others were already beginning to notice the preference of that mysterious person for Jamil — and him only — so they started teasing Jamil to see if they could discover information that even he didn't know. 

There was also the fact that he really wanted to find out about this person at all costs. At least to thank them, talk a little and convince them that all that motivational support was enough. Well, he didn’t want this person to waste so much of their time on him just to compliment and support him.

Although — oh, it was so embarrassing to admit — Jamil was starting to enjoy being pampered. Just a bit. It seemed so petty of him to think like that and it absolutely corroded him inside, but he couldn’t help it.

This is a person who understands a lot of my style…, he grumbled to himself.

Jamil finished the knot in his favorite wine-red sneakers and noted the contrast to the black shoelace with blood-red rhombuses, a yellow aglet with two tiny red dots one on each side. He wondered if maybe it would look better in his PE sneakers because the color palette would match more.

During his walk to the hallways, Jamil remembered the detail in the note that informed him about the receipt and about how it would be ineffective to ask in the store who made the purchase. The sentence ended with a swung dash, as if the person was trying to be comical or humorous.

“Jamil-san! Floyd told me about your new shoelaces…,” an exaggeratedly kind voice sounded in that poor unfortunate guy’s ears. “Let me be the first to praise you for having such a kind admirer!”

Jamil stopped static halfway through and turned alermed to the most unbearable colleague in his class — in his opinion. Could Azul be his secret admirer? He would literally strangle the merman with his shoelaces, more convinced that this was an attempted bribe than an actual prank.

“How... would you describe this style, Azul?”

Jamil had thought of something. The likelihood of Azul answering the same from the note was small because the colleague was not at all careless but it wouldn’t hurt to try.

“It's quite ‘you’ if I may say,” Azul answered, pulling his glasses closer to his face. He had his standard friendly smile. “I confess that I would have bought you something more practical aesthetically. A light-grey shoelace that would match any outfit... including Octavinelle's uniform for the Mostro Lounge.”

I pity the people who will be your victims when you hunt for employees in the future..., Jamil thought to himself. 

But Azul had raised a vital point: had he been the admirer, he would have made a very different purchase. In fact, the gifts Jamil received had an average and sometimes cheap price and were quite simple, something that someone would be able to buy with a reasonable allowance. 

As stingy as Azul was at times, to hook a big fish like Jamil and make him his precious ally, he would have tried harder and bought more expensive and valuable things. He would have known things about Jamil through Floyd's eyes, but not in such a deep way as to write down what Jamil needed to hear and at the same time, things that sounded so natural.

There was only one person left, even if Jamil couldn’t allow himself the luxury of certainty.

“Thanks, Azul. You were very useful,” he said, saying goodbye to his colleague.

“Did I?”

“Useless! I meant useless!,” Jamil corrected himself. The last thing he wanted was to owe a favor to that suspicious octopus.

“Just this once, I'll let it pass,” Azul’s eyes squinted as the other ran out of there. “I already have someone who is paying this debt…”

                                                    🌸🌸🌸

Saying that you were tired was a mere statement. 

In order to raise money for some of Jamil’s gifts, you made a deal with Azul to work at the Mostro Lounge for about three weeks now. And that day was pretty exhausting. Added to this, you took advantage of your little fifteen-minute break to run to the basketball court and leave one more note and gift for Jamil.

The day before, you went with Jade to the village to buy more groceries and ended up passing by a shoe store. Managing to lose track of your senior — or thinking you had — you walked in and found a pair of shoelaces that immediately reminded you of Jamil.

Your original plan was to buy him a pair of sneakers, but the options were too expensive and he was more in need of shoelaces than new shoes. Not that he said it with all the words, but you could tell by the state of his frayed shoelaces. All you wanted was to put your feelings into words and actions — even if he didn't know it was you.

In fact, you didn't know how much longer you could keep this secret. Jamil was very smart and sooner or later, he would get to you. What could be a desire or a fear depending on his real feelings for you.

You sighed, sprawled exhausted on the floor of Ramshackle’s entrance.

Your quick run and your dismissal of the day have tired you out a lot. It would probably take you another twenty minutes to get up and actually walk into your dorm. The Sun was milder at least, given the fact that it was getting closer to the end of the afternoon. You vaguely watched the horizon, not really paying much attention to the landscape.

That's why you got a bit scared to see two shins obstruct your vision and as you lowered your gaze, you recognized Jamil's new shoelaces.

“J-Ja-jamil!,” you looked up and saw the boy above you, his expression serene and quiet as always.

“Everything okay? You... are in a very bad state,” Jamil wanted to spare you from his concerned opinion that you looked horrible.

You let out a deep sigh, eventually relaxing too much.

“If a huge cobra had choked me to death, this wouldn’t have been the most difficult part of my day.”

“What?”

“Sorry, I forgot that you guys don’t understand these references…”

Truth be told, sometimes you say very incomprehensible things. But Jamil didn’t clinged too much on this. Instead, he bent his right leg, leaning on the floor with the tip of that foot to show you his sneakers.

“What do you think of my new shoelace?,” Jamil asked with a small smile. His eyes were so tight but so far out of reach that you didn't even notice how he looked like a cunning snake ready to pounce.

“Um, cool,” you complimented automatically, although too tired to express much emotion. Suddenly you laughed. “It's a very s-s-s-sly style, if you know what I mean.”

“But of course I understand... my secret admirer.”

“Oh, thanks. You’re so understandable sometimes, Jamil.”

Wait... secret admirer?, you repeated in your own head, slowly reasoning out what had just happened. It made you really stand up and hold him by the shoulders, desperate.

“No...! I...! Ah! I mean...!,” your ability to speak seemed to be gone.

Jamil, on the other hand, looked as shocked as you. He had come to you because there was no one else who could be close enough to him to understand him the way the words in those notes made it sound. But in all honesty, he wasn't sure if it could really be you.

He had approached cautiously, ready to wash his hands and ignore the whole situation if he had to. Jamil would have given up on finding out who that mysterious admirer was since the person he really loved couldn’t reciprocate him. 

In the last forty minutes, he had planned all the ways to reject his admirer — because not being matched by the one he wanted would already be enough pain. However, it seemed like he didn’t need to do any of this. 

“So it was you all along,” Jamil said, his eyes steady on you. “I'm glad.”

You were surprised to see Jamil smile, even though he looked down when he did. He didn't know how it made your heart melt to see him so determined one moment and then, shyly melt. You touched the side of his face, making him face you again. 

You had planned to write your next secret admirer letter all about the beauty of Jamil’s charcoal gray eyes but maybe you could say it another time. And in front of him too, at last!

“Jamil, are you a genius? - you asked, seeing Jamil raise one eyebrow in confusion. “Because you always fulfill my wishes.”

It was a silly pick-up line, you both knew that. But Jamil started laughing anyway. He tried to cover his mouth to muffle the sound, in vain. People say that because you're in love, you genuinely laugh at someone's jokes even if they're not very good. Maybe it was because that phrase softened the mood between you.

Either way, it was a beautiful scene to watch. Behind you, a beautiful and splendid sunset. Jamil — having at least controlled his laughter — tried to hide his smile from you, who regarded him as the most precious thing in your world.

[opinated-user]

transcript of the clip LO posted: "some make the argument that star was meant to be this way because it's inspired by anime, but that's a statement that need qualifying. which anime? well, sailor moon obviously. but that sentiment is found on any of the other shows. anime is a pretty wide medium with many irons and many fires, but the phrase anime inspired always narrowed it in small niche and culturally embarassing side of it that even Japan doesn't like to be reminded of it" (source_not_found) "when someone says anime inspired they never say that they were inspired by hello kitty or hamtaro or that silly one where everyone is sharply dressed and ridiculously buffer" (an image of Jojo Adventures) "no, it's always this shit that no one in their right mind would be caught with."

the last part of the clip shows this:

let me debunk this clip piece by piece. 1. you literally just said that SVTFOE is inspired by Sailor Moon, the anime that really popularized and cemented the magical girl genre for the public. although it wasn't the first one, it's the one everyone immediately associate whenever "magical girl" it's mentioned. to say that SVTOFE is inspired by Sailor Moon it's already saying that it has magical girl elements and many conventions of that genre baked into it. that's what it means. even the less knowlegeable people in anime will know what Sailor Moon is and if you tell them "this is inspired by Sailor Moon", they would know what it means. the fact that you insist that needs more "qualifying" and go on this completely incoherent rant talks more about your own ignorance than anything. "this show about a magical princess that comes from another dimension to earth in order to fight bad guys was inspired by this other show about another princess from another world that comes to earth to fight bad guys" is not a confusing statement at all, so i'm confused as to what you thought was necessary to "qualify" here? LO, when people say that your video are becoming worse because you lack structure and keep pulling words that don't end up connecting to any central idea, this clip is an example of what people mean. this whole rant was entirely unnecesary and it didn't help your point come across. any editor would have told you to either remove it entirely or worded it a lot different. by your response i can see that you think you were doing something there. i promise that you didn't.

2. LO, Japan is not embarassed by anime. i actually don't know from where you took that one. otakus were seen as embarassing because they were our equivalent of the incel stereotype that doesn't interact with people and lives indoors all day, but even that's changing. anime by itself was always part of the cultural expression of the country. they treat Evangelion like here in the west we treat Mickey Mouse, they plaster the images of those characters everywhere in the most populated areas. similar to how you have the "baby sister" you decided to romance in baldur's gate all over your tumblr, while trying to insist you don't have incestuous attraction to your younger sibling. but at least they don't do it to flaunt their incestuous attraction. you keep projecting this image of Japan being embarassed and annoyed by the existence of anime without any evidence or even an attempt to explain how that makes any sense. the anime industry is huge, it's one of the cultural products that Japan more profits with because they can export it to the rest of the world and the rest of the world wants more of it. in what planet does it make sense that they would be "embarassed" by something like that? 3. do you want to know why nobody ever says that something was inspired by hello kitty or hamtaro, LO? that's because Hello Kitty doesn't have an actual story. it's an cutesy aesthetic around a bunch of cute characters that a company made in order to sell cute merchandize. there was to my knowledge only one show made with Hello Kitty, but i believe none of that had anything to do with the official canon of the character. if you think about it, Hello Kitty is kinda like Barbie. it's a recognizable icon completely by itself. there can be stories made with it, but Hello Kitty will never go through a character development moment and will never change. she will always be just a cute kitty, just like Barbie can be whatever is the most convenient for Mattell in any given moment. as to Hamtaron, it was just a slice of life anime about cute animals. it was cute, indeed. but it didn't do anything new that thousands of other people weren't doing after or before with their own spins on it. here, a list of anime/manga that were exactly the same as Hamtaro without being directly inspired by it because nobody really invented the "slice of life story through the perspective of a pet" genre. it took me one google search to find, there's more if you want to see. if you're so desperate for more content "like Hamtaro" it was always that easy to find. ... more so, again, what does this have to do with SVTFOE or literally any other show that isn't about cute animals being cute? about Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and nobody ever was inspired by it in the west... you have to be joking with that one.

here are videogames inspired by JJBA: https://www.thegamer.com/best-jojos-bizarre-adventure-video-game-references/#bayonetta

other manga and anime it inspired: https://www.cbr.com/jojo-bizarre-adventure-anime-manga-inspirations/

shows in the west that it inspired/have direct references to JJBA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHhNUVtozKY one of the shows mentioned is Monkey Kid, which her wife watches. do you know why you don't hear that something wasn't inspired by this, LO? because nothing of the shows you watch had anything that could be inspired by JJBA or you wouldn't even understand the reference in the first place. one of the other shows that also had references was Amphibia... which LO refused to see because *checks notes* it had a plot.

4. the two things i circled in red are not even anime. they're games. the one with two girls hugging and looking up with fear is Rape Lay, a infamous game about raping underaged girls and their mother until you get them pregnant and they either kill you or you force them to have babies. the other one is Doki Doki Majo Shipan, a game whose main objective is that you have to undress and touch the bodies of different characters in order to find a "witch mark". many of those characters are underaged, but a few are adults and you play as a highscholer so it's still not better.

i just want to ask the following. why did you bring two games, two infamous games about touching or raping underaged bodies for that matter, when talking about SVTFOE at all? just why? what was the thought process here? how does this make your point any more clearer? how it does examplify better that "anime inspired" is bad when you don't even show anime and is instead games? anyone should seriously question why you brought this games up at all when talking about a show that was made by Disney. a show about a underaged magical princess of another world. why did your mind ever went to those games when talking about this? you just exposed, with no warning mind you, a bunch of your audience to these games to discover by themselves. you did that. and that was bad and you should feel bad about it.

[razorblade180]

Thief’s Gambit

After a routine patrol of Vacou, Carmine sits on a rooftop, quietly on a rooftop. Normally she’d be ready to return home, but tonight she was given an anonymous request to wait at the Kingdom’s central location. Not one to ignore suspicious events, Carmine didn’t dare ignore the request. She’d get her answers soon enough. After all, there was someone already approaching behind her.

???: Such a goodie two shoes. It’s really impressive.

Carmine:What do you want, Mona?

Mona:Abrasive as ever. I thought you would’ve been a little surprised to learn I sent the request. After all, I really can’t stand you.

Carmine:Which is why I’m not surprised. *turns around* So what? Is this where you pull your daggers out and “settle the score?” I have to warn you I am incredibly tired and won’t hesitate to arrest-

Mona:Blah blah blah! Let me speak god damnit! You long winded types are so annoying. I’m here to ask you for a once in a lifetime favor. And before you say anything, no, it has nothing to do with a dumb relic sword.

Carmine:Wasn’t thinking about it until you said something. Not like I have access to it anyway. Cut to the chase already.

Mona:Later on tonight, I will be meeting with Aero and officially be resigning from his little gang. Do not tell him I’ve met with you. Soon I shall-

Carmine:No.

Mona:What? I haven’t even told you my favor in full yet!

Carmine:My opinion of you is rock bottom. Even so, you’re no idiot and do think of other’s feelings. It’s the leash Aero has on you that stops me from arresting you repeatedly and you know that. So…leaving the gang only means one thing. You’re planning on doing something completely out of line. You don’t want them associated and you don’t care about going to jail.

Mona:Heh, wow. There really is brain behind those annoying scarlet eyes. Too bad it only works for justice and is only half right. I don’t plan on rotting in a cell. If- When I pull this off, it’ll mean you’ll never see me again.

The air between them fell silent, Carmine’s curiosity piqued. Though she wasn’t sure that was good, given how Mona casually walked closer with her hands behind her head and stopped the the building’s ledge to look at the kingdom.

Mona:May favor is simple. I am going to do something horrible, and I need you to look the other way.

Carmine:I think you forgot how I spend my days making sure horrible things don’t happen. Plus I’d never make a promise with something that vague.

Mona:Ugh, I can see why you don’t have friends. Listen, I’m not telling you to not do your job. As a matter of fact, do all you can to save the innocent, but only that. Don’t come after me. Keep your pretty little eyes on the situation at hand and be the good little girl people think you are. Although we both know despite my “goodie little two shoes” remark, you’re more than willing to raise a little hell for the sake of humanity. It’s the only fun thing about you.

Carmine:You’re doing a really bad job of asking for favors.

Mona:Come now. Don’t pretend you don’t love the idea of never dealing with me again. You hate me as much as I hate you.

Carmine:I couldn’t care less about you honestly. You’re a broken person who’s no good for the people around her. Not that it’s your fault for being so…you. In fact if there’s anything we can agree on it’s how your mother should be put through hell and back.

Mona:Heh, fair enough. You saying we might’ve actually enjoyed each other’s company?

Carmine:Hell if know. As it stands, you’re like an ill dog in the Pound. Nobody can afford to take you in and nobody will be surprised when you suddenly aren’t around anymore.

Mona:Won’t stop a certain someone for being sad though. Perhaps I haven’t been phrasing this correctly. Don’t count this a favor to me. Consider it as doing Aero one. Like you said, nobody can afford to take me in and I personally never planned on turning my life around. Shouldn’t you be doing everything possible to cut me out of his life as quickly as possible?

Carmine:….

Mona:Look, I can’t promise you completely safety of civilians, but this kingdom has no shortage of heroes and huntsmen. All I can tell you is this, be near the slums at eight at night. Not s minute before, understand? I’m sure between you, your mother, father, and Aero’s parents, no innocent people will die. After all, I’m not trying to hurt innocent people.

Carmine:But you are trying to hurt someone?

Mona:Duh. It’s not like you don’t do the same to further your agenda. Let me fulfill mine and the rest is history.

Carmine:…I refuse to promise I will turn a blind eye. However, I won’t tell Aero. And maybe…I’ll drag my feet a little.

Mona:Hahaha! Works for me I guess. You really are stubborn, but not unreasonable. You have an annoying way of knowing the best course, even when it isn’t popular. I guess that’s the one thing I admire about you.

Mona took off the scarf that symbolized her affiliation to the gang. Honestly she was never the biggest fan of it considering it was inspired by the very girl who stood before her. It’s only fitting it should return to her.

Carmine stared with unblinking eyes at Mona’s gesture. Strange. The notorious bandit held a twinge of pain in her eyes. Maybe…no, Carmine didn’t allow herself to even fantasize about a different outcome between them. In the end, some things are simply beyond anyone’s control. Carmine took the thin, blue silk scarf into her custody; at the very least she could treat this request seriously no matter her final decision when it comes to pass. Carmine tore the scarf in half from the middle and wrapped a portion around Mona’s arm.

Mona:What are you doing?

Carmine:For better or for worse, you were once apart of something bigger. I see no reason for you to leave empty handed. I’ll find a use for the other half eventually.

Mona:Whatever you say. Welp, see ya never, probably. At least not in this scorching dump. Remember, this talk never happened. Oh, one final thing, a token of wisdom from your elder. You might want to consider working on your people skills.

Carmine:…..

And just like that, the notorious gem of the slums fell back into the city lights. Carmine couldn’t even see the woman anymore. She’d be lying if she said she felt unbothered. No good comes from a person as chaotic as Mona getting serious. All Carmine was certain of was despite her own gifts, this was the last time she’d see that messy blue hair in Vacou ever again.

[postsforposting]

the god damned shaking camera in GO s2

No, literally.

These aren't the only time the camera shakes--specifically the camera, and not the environment, like when the characters stumble and lose their footing because the actual ground is shaking. The camera is also not terribly smooth in s1 either, but it's far less noticeable. In the last gif, that's the present day--so this happens in the present too, not just the past.

Every single one of these moments where the camera shakes happen at a crucial moral, character-point: a point that changes the characters' values, who they are.

What is actually shaking, though? The camera is essentially our view; in s1 our view was god's view. That makes the camera-view the sky, aka the heavens. The heavens are shaking.

Biblically, a "shaking of the heavens and earth" is a common phrase, and it's tied to the end times. Shaking of the earth is used to indicate god's presence and power--in GO we saw Satan's arrival shake the earth, and when angels and demons arrive they often cause a little quake. The shaking of the heavens refers to the destruction of the enemies of the righteous, of Jesus (keep in mind this is about real Christianity, not GO itself):

For Hebrews, the “shaking” of heaven and earth refers to the judgment of the enemies of God. This is what God promised at the enthronement of Jesus. God said to Him: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet” (Heb. 1:13, ESV). Thus, Jesus has defeated the enemy (Heb. 2:14–16) and been enthroned (Heb. 1:5–14), but the enemies have not yet been destroyed (Heb. 10:11–14; 1 Cor. 15:23–25). But God will destroy these enemies in the future, when He will shake the heavens and the earth. The shaking of the heavens and the earth means, then, the destruction of the earthly powers that persecute God’s people and, more importantly, the destruction of the evil powers (Satan and his angels) who stand behind the earthly powers and control them. God has also announced that He will “shake” the heavens and the earth, which means that He will destroy enemy nations. Many modern translations of Hebrews 12:27 suggest that the shaking of the heavens and the earth means that they will be removed and forever gone. The Bible is clear, however, that God will create new heavens and a new earth (Isa. 65:17; Rev. 21:1–4), and we will be resurrected and have a new body (1 Thess. 4:13–17; Phil. 3:20) on this earth. Thus, the “shaking” implies the cleansing and renovation of creation, not its complete removal. What is here will be re-created, and it will be where the redeemed live. There are some things, however, that will not and cannot be shaken. They include the righteous. They will not be shaken because they trust in God. The Creator sustains them and guarantees their survival. Note that in Hebrews, permanence and stability are associated with Jesus. [...] In the final judgment, those who hold fast “in Jesus” will not be shaken (Ps. 46:5).

There are some things, however, that will not and cannot be shaken.

The characters in scenes where the camera shakes are not themselves shaken. Why not? They're not the enemies who are being destroyed.

What is, then? Who, or what, are the enemies?

Hate, distrust, bystanding, the morals of heaven, all that nasty stuff. You know, evil.

In the first gif, the angel who will be Crowley creates the stars with Aziraphale's help, shares info and concerns with him, and shields him from the fireballs. The scene gently bops around, but the true shaking is during the creation of the nebula and at the end as shown in the gif. Any angel could have happened by and could have participated up until the end, but Crowley shows us he doesn't really care for just anyone: he doesn't introduce himself. His act of shielding Aziraphale at the end, then, is meaningful and specific to Aziraphale, for specifically him, not just anyone.

During the Job flashback, there are several shakes, but it's most obvious during the ox rib temptation and feast. Crowley does not judge Aziraphale for indulging, and they both experience changes: Crowley learns he's not alone in doubting and being a black sheep, learning to trust outside himself and especially in a group that's done him harm, and that he enjoys someone else's joy; Aziraphale learns physical experience, that not everything he's been told about himself and his people is true or trustworthy--the first steps to doubt, and the first steps to trusting. What is reduced is distrust, indifference, and lack of care for people you are supposed to hate.

The demon attack on the bookshop forces Aziraphale to take drastic measures, specifically acts of war, to protect two humans. He permanently discorporates a lot of demons to protect both Gabriel and the humans. Gabriel has harmed him in the past, tried to kill him, and the humans have done nothing to help him, indeed they put themselves in this situation by refusing to leave when he told them to and who caused the problem by allowing the demons into the shop. Aziraphale is showing how far he will go to help others, even others he himself does not like, others whose predicament is both their own fault and who have put Aziraphale himself in danger. He believes it's not right to allow demons to have them: sinning, even against an angel, should not result in eternal punishment in hell, and he's willing to go to war over this. That's the final evil to be purged, of course that would shake the heavens, literally and figuratively.

What does all the Biblical stuff mean for the GO universe?

The afterlife system is an enemy of Jesus. God herself is an enemy of Jesus. Perhaps we don't hear god this season because she's being transformed, or utterly destroyed, by the second coming herself: it is written that all enemies will be destroyed, and what is written must come to pass. Will god herself be overwritten, like Gabriel was? Will god fall, like her own angels fell, and be remade? Will her identity too be lost, like Lucifer's was lost? Like Gabriel's was threatened?

Rebirth is a huge theme; it's what the second coming actually is, both for Jesus and for humanity. Jesus is reborn, and Jesus is god. Perhaps whatever happens to Jesus, also changes god herself. Perhaps the universe itself will be reborn too, with a new god, where the Fall never happened, where the horrors of the bible never happened, just like in s1 where Satan was never Adam's father. It would be a perfect symmetry, where god was never humanity's mother, and that would reach back to before the beginning to change when god originally planned it. It would change god herself, as it changed Satan himself, and rippled through all reality.

At the end of s1e6, we do hear god say: "Perhaps the recent exertions had had some fallout in the nature of reality, because while they were eating, for the first time ever, a nightingale actually did sing in Berkeley Square. Nobody heard it over the noise of the traffic, but it was there right enough."

How do you make a horrific god into a good god? You don't, unless you reboot it and utterly remake it. Perhaps that's why there is no god in s2, because the nature of reality has changed. Perhaps that's why there's weird time issues. Perhaps the nature of miracles changed, and what was previously impossible is now possible, or the opposite.

[ms-moonlight-inn]

✨✨Weekly Tag Wednesday ✨✨

Look at this shit, it's me answering one of these on the actual day it was assigned. Magic! 🪄🔮

Tagged by @blue-disco-lights, @burninface, @energievie, @jrooc, & @mybrainismelted & @guinguin1984

Name: Burned out & waiting for summer AKA Cyn

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? (or you): That place that keeps promising the Northern lights, but it's always cloudy af here, so we never actually get to see them. last night was supposed to be a good light show... womp, womp... thunderstorms. 

Ok, so this week we are going to snoop into your google search. Type in each phrase and tell us what the first suggestion is that google gives you!

What is the best way to…. study. LOL! Ok, Google, thanks for the generic answers that only work for the few non-neurodivergent individuals in the room.

Where can I…. watch the Celtics game. Um, fuck no. Basketball sucks now, all the new rules have watered down the sport. Also, fuck the Celtics. I'm a die-hard Lakers fan.

How old is…. Joe Biden. There ya go. asked and answered.

How long does it take… to get to the moon. Just g'head and blame my son for this, and all astronomical questions, being permanently etched into our search history.

How many…  weeks in a year. It's moo, motherfucker, moo. Also, 52.

Who set the record for…. the highest jump (@blue-disco-lights, we're all getting this question?!) (it was Javier Sotomayor of Cuba btw)

When did…. WWII start.

 

What does it feel like to… get shot. (@blue-disco-lights Mickey must've hacked into my shit, as well.) Honestly, I'm sur[rised it didn't pop up with something crazier than this.

Can you… run it. And the sites associated with this search are IT/tech sites that tell you if you can run certain software on your machine.

When you… say nothing at all. And these two vids pop up side-by-side.

Same song, different versions. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Why do… I owe taxes this year. LOL! I don't.

Is there a way… to unsend an email. The very first response is an AI generated summary of shit we already know: depends or your email provider & how long ago you sent it. Yeah, so shit, Sherlock.

How old do you have to be… to work. Not even dignifying that shit with a response.  

Where do the… Florida Panthers play. Again with stupid sports questions. i bame wifey for this. (Also, @blue-disco-lights nice Warriors reference! 😉)

What is the best time to… post on Instagram. I really couldn't care less.  

And to finish us off…. What comes up when you type in Shameless? Oh, nothing. Nothing at all...

***

I do believe everyone's been tagged on this. If you haven't please feel free to join & give a tag back.

[mirabilismayhem]

Lore Time!

So, in each of the posts I’ve made, I’ve had something like “20 of month 7” or something. That’s due to the calendar system I have here!

Each year starts on the Summer Sun Celebration, and has been such since Nightmare Moon’s defeat. Since they switched to that calendar for the new era, it’s only gotten to a 1005 AL (After Luna). Though, Celestia never liked that phrasing and people mostly forgot Luna, instead remembering Nightmare Moon, so it’s mostly AN or AE now (After Nightmare or After Evernight)

It’s been about five years and six months since Luna’s return depending on the post you’re looking at, hence the extra 5 on there. Due to this calendar, it’s currently winter despite “month 6” usually being associated with summer for the northern hemisphere.

Also! I never actually finished mlp. I only watched up to… a bit after Starlight and Twilight’s time travel stuff? So do keep that in mind. I know majority of the stuff that happens after, but since I was never invested in it I probably won’t make stuff like the school relevant. I’ll have to decide what I want to do with the changelings though…

Reminder, please ask about anyone you wanna know about! It gets my creative juices going and as such is more likely to get you guys content faster! If you wanna know what Fluttershy is up to? Ask! Rarity? Ask away! I can’t promise that every single character will be involved in the main plot, but especially further into the au I’ll be likely to have some sort of story for them.

[stranger-chichka]

Jason’s speech is about Mike and his truth

The police officers are talking with the citizens about Eddie and the curfew they should follow while they're looking for him. People are mad. "It's been days. Days!" The police officer answers: "I understand you all are upset, but I promise you, we will find him." And that's when Jason comes. His first word is "No. You won't." (El's first word to Mike is "no")

"Son, how about we talk about this in private?" That's what the chief asks Jason. (He is not ready to reveal the truth yet. The same with the Duffers.) Does it remind you of any other scene? Season 2. Mike is mad because Hopper (who’s also the police officer) was hiding El and Hopper asks him to talk about it in private. He calls him a liar and cries in his arms. But what if I told you he's not only mad at Hopper for hiding El but also at himself because now he has to hide from himself. From his true feelings. His feelings for Will. And Jason's speech just proves it.

"So you can keep me quiet? So you can keep the truth from coming out?"

Very and very interesting phrasing. That’s definitely the parallel to Will’s speech in the desert. "Sometimes, I think it's just scary to open up like that. To say how you really feel. Especially, to people you care about the most. Because what if they don't like the truth?" We saw Mike resonated with these words very much. He nodded and even wanted to say something, but Argyle distracted him. What is Will's truth? He loves Mike. What is Mike's? Same. The only option for them is to come out in s5.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't bear to listen to any more excuses and lies. In fact, I think we've all had enough. That's enough."

Well, well, well. We have plenty of liars during the show but it seems to me that Mike deserves a first place for that, right? e lies not only to others but to himself. And here Jason just speaks on behalf of the GA, especially those who are homophobic, because the truth is "awful" for them.

"Last night, I saw things, things I can't explain. Things the police don't wanna believe. And things that I don't wanna believe myself. And I've come to accept an awful truth."

Jason is talking about Patrick's death, but we should always look for a double meaning in that show. He is talking about an awful truth. And we associate the truth with Mike and Will's feelings towards each other. What things e can't explain and believe is he talking about? Mike having gay panic at the airport maybe? Or Mike being pissed off because Will was showing little attention to him at Rink-o-Mania? Or Mike flirting with Will in Jonathan's and then his room? Or maybe Mike's triple take in the desert? Here Jason represents the GA, who were oblivious to the boys' feelings but now start noticing it.

By "satanic cults" he refers to Hellfire and other DnD clubs. And DnD represents Mike and Will's relationships, IT'S THE FACT. Jason compares it to disease. @howtobecomeadragon cracked it right open: D&D - sodomy - Satanic Cults - disease - AIDS, and @aemiron-main wrote a great post related to this topic. Here's what i think:

ritualistic sacrifices = the consequences of forced conformity;

cults = lgbt community/Byler shippers;

deaease = AIDS crisis;

DnD = Byler;

"And Eddie Manson is the leader of one of these cults."

Who's also called a leader of the party? Mike. Who wants to look like Eddie? Mike. Jason's speech is not only about Eddie, but it's about Mike and his feelings that he's hiding deep inside for a long time. Feelings toward Will.

Jason believes their town is cursed because of Hellfire and some ritualistic shit. In 1x04 Eddie says:

"Society had to blame something. We're an easy target. We're freaks because we like to play a fantasy game. It's forced conforming. That's what's killing the kids!"

And in 9x04 we see this scene. 5 targets with shot heads. As far as we know Vecna was targeting 4 people in s5: Crissy, Fred, Max and Patrick. Or was there one more person? Mike is Vecna's 5th target. And also the smoke in these scene looks like a fog we see in Vecna’s visions.

Let's return to Jason's speech. On this note, Erica's lost her nerve. By the way, she also has stars and hearts on her dress during this scene, so the next scenes with her are also important.

"A club. A harmless club. That's what they want you to think. But it's a lie. A lie designed to conceal the truth. And now this cult is protecting its leader, Eddie. Hiding him. (Here we see Mike's parents, so these lines definitely refer to Mike) Allowing him to...continue his rampage."

Mike is projecting in s2. He's talking about himself hiding his real feelings, lying to himself and others.

Here again, Jason represents the homophobes, some of the GA and Milkvans who hate Mike and don't understand his personality, whereas we are protecting him for all costs. And what is a lie designed to conceal the truth? Mike's romantic feelings toward El.

Again, here he's religious = homophobic.

That reminded me of Mike and El in s3 lying about a curfew to the party in order to be kissing in Hopper's cabin (El's house). I'm not sure if there's some connection, but the whole kissing thing was Mike trying to be a normal teenager. Having a girlfriend. Enjoying time with her. While being in the closet (= locked doors).

And this is the scene that follows. Mike himself confirms Jason's truth. His words just parallel what Jason already said.

Jason: "Last night, I saw things, things I can't explain. Things the police don't wanna believe. And things that I don't wanna believe myself. And I've come to accept an awful truth...Some people say our town is cursed. They just don't know why. Now we know. Now we do." Things = love. Remember that.

Mike: "I know, it's hard to believe. But it's true. All true."

In this scene, the boys are lying to Suzie about Nina Project calling it Nintendo. Wait, wait, wait…Americantendo. Nintendo goes together with DnD in Will's love confession, so it represents Byler's relationship. And really, during their search for Nina Mike and Will open up about their feelings to each other. Mike says they need Nintendo for Dustin's birthday. Can we suppose that we'll see Mike and Will as a couple on Dustin's birthday?

[mrs-monaghan]

Something I've been pondering. Just wondering if any other JKK get this vibe. Jikook are fine. TK are fine. Even after the Taennie pics, TK are fine. You know who's not? Vmin. I keep thinking about when the Taennie pics dropped & we saw Tae for the first time in public after the pics dropped, he was wearing a shirt that said J I M on it and Jimin was hanging on him in in a way where if you focused on him, you couldn't help but notice the JIM on Tae's shirt. Also JM's first live after the Taennie pics, Tae was in his comments asking if he was okay & telling JM to facetime him and JM said no & then JM told us that day he got his moon phases cause of Tae & even said he didn't know if he should say it. Why not, afraid of ticking off Tae's new partner? JM didn't go to the Harry concert, not even to sit with Suga and RM, if he didn't wanna sit with TK & now we know Jennie was sitting just seats away from Tae.

Sweet Night being about falling in love with his best friend and Tae saying JM is his only best friend. I also keep thinking about Letter. Letters are associated to Vmin. Tae wrote JM a letter, then wrote a song about JM referencing the Letter he wrote him. And only like 2 months ago, Tae wore a shirt in one of his lives that had "I wrote a long love letter to you, because I found it hard to write a short one" & the lyric he wrote in 4 o'clock about JM is "I wrote a long, long letter to the moon" which references Tae's letter to JM in BV. JM also wore a shirt with the exact quote as Tae's shirt. So they've both worn that phrase on their shirts. Title of JM's secret song is called Letter & the lyrics match Blue & Grey, Promise and Friends. I'm probably overthinking, but Vmin be giving off sus vibes, esp Tae. There is only one duo who seems to be annoyed with each other since the Taennie scandal and it's not TK or Jikook. Jikook seem to be fine, TK seem to be fine, but Vmin acting divorced. And add Jimin's album seemingly pointing at a bitter break up. Sus, sus, sus all around. I'm starting to think there's a triangle alright, but not Vminkook more like Taenniemin. UGH, chapter 2 is really showing true colors all around. I think we're all wrong. TKK and JKK. There I said it, but I just hope I am wrong.

[fierrochase-falafel]

Bare: A Pop Opera song saga- #2 You and I

The set-up to Jason and Peter's relationship is genius; the way Jason continuously addresses people with his straight-man act only to turn around and flirt with Peter in private is such a smooth switch, Peter finds it hard to fully believe.

Jason is very composed and smooth in this song- he deteriorates from easily being able to keep up his facade as the musical progresses. Peter is unable to really connect with him here BECAUSE of this straight-man facade, which frustrates him and makes him want to come out alongside Jason. The line "I think we're the best act this school has ever seen!" really shows Peter's desperation regarding having to stay closeted and Jason's facade but Jason makes a sex joke to avoid discussing it. Jason cuts Peter off with innuendos and light-hearted reassurances throughout the song (and a kiss at the end), in a way having the facade intervene in his personality in his relationship with Peter. It brings up the theme of how after acting for so long, the lines between truth and act can start to blur and leave you disoriented about who you are and how to go on. Jason ends up unable to deal with this dilemma (combined with his several other dilemmas that contribute to this dilemma).

Jason's internalised homophobia really plays through with his claims of not acting (since drama in general is a gay stereotype) and his subtle linking of general dodgy behaviour with his relationship- his opening lines calling Peter for a ride, lollipop or puppy- could POSSIBLY (this is relatively far-fetched) show this as well since gay people are often stereotyped by homophobes to be predators (it doesn't really make sense to me how this came to be, I credit genius lyrics with this part of the analysis by the way, but homophobia as a whole doesn't make sense, does it). Usually one would associate asking a "little boy" if he wants something like a lollipop with predatory behaviour, and Jason may have an underlying association of queerness with-- that. The implications suck, but this is mostly contextualising initial thoughts about the wording in this song.

The modulation in the chorus on "I'll be with you always" really stands out due to the sudden melody that goes down the scale in contrast to the previous verse in the chorus. This could be done for multiple reasons- it could be percieved as an add-on because it just comes in at a higher pitch like an extra romantic phrase to stop Peter from objecting; which leads to Peter objecting more, if that's how he percieved the line. Or it's Jason stressing his love for Peter and how sincerely his love (so basically him) will prevail forever. Or maybe the downwards melody from D to F# signifies how downhill that plan's going to go. I'm no music genius though, so of course take this with a bucket of salt.

The 2000 version has me on this one honestly, with the "besides I need you for French"/"yeah you do" exchange and the extended Jason segment talking about his future in a sense, it feels really natural and I really like how chill it is and then descends into frustration, and it's so clear to us why he's frustrated.

"What do you call this then, this clever song and dance?" "What are you taking about?" "US!" Like, guys-- this also links to Role of a Lifetime, when Peter talks about Jason dancing and hoping the music won't stop. It's all clever until the music stops and he has to make a decision (think the events of Promise).

Peter feels a bit more cynical in the 2000 version than any future version, like he is so having to hold back from swearing at Jason mid-conversation and that to me feels more natural than the 2004 and 2013 (LA) versions, even though I love those too. They're all brilliant! But Peter has a vibe of being a bit more openly bitter but in a way meant to seem light-hearted, and I enjoy seeing him get to feel that way. It feels like repression but just to a less extent than Jason, and it means something to me for that. That being said, I do prefer the change from. "I take your hand, leaving me breathless", to, "you take my hand, leaving me breathless", because it emphasises the effect Peter has on Jason specifically as opposed to the focus being mostly on Jason. It's Peter's action and Jason's feeling rather than Jason's action and Jason's feeling, which feels more like Jason's talking about their relationship rather than just Jason.

Anyways, appreciate the drums! I know it's a pop opera but the rock music is part of what truly elevates this musical for me.

[perpetualexistence]

Sea Monster AU: First Meetings

I'm still getting a heehoo giddy feeling with all the interest for this AU! I haven't even properly written things yet and you're all being very welcoming! I'm seeing likes from people I've been following in the TD fandom! I got my first reblog from someone else who understands the joys of big monsters and monster x human tropes! Aaa! It sparks joy in me.

I promise to use this joy exclusively to give Noah a Bad Time. He's one of my favorites, so he must suffer. That's the rules. (Don't worry, Alejandro will get to suffer too, we just haven't gotten that far yet.)

I'm going to start with how the two meet and their relationship up until Alejandro decides to reveal his true colors. So no real content warnings for this part except for manipulation and intimidation, especially regarding size. Given the premise, and the fact that Alejandro is Alejandro, this is going to be true of most of this AU.

Now let's see if I can properly use the Read More button to get into the juicy deets.

<- Start/Prev | Next ->

Noah lives in a small town on the coast of Lake Wawanawka. In days long past the town was a major shipping port. It was fighting with a rival city for dominance in the region. A massive storm set the town back, and now it only exists as a place to stay that's cheaper than the big city up the coast. The town government has been trying to revitalize the town by turning it into a tourist trap, but that's only resulted in tourists trashing the place at night while they spend most of their time and money in the big city. Still, money is money, so the townspeople have little choice but to put up with it.

Noah's recently been accepted to the one community college in town that's kind of helping to keep the town afloat. He plans to coast through an associate's degree with ridiculously easy classes. Then he's going to use his intelligence to get a scholarship to a private university and will never look back on this town. Only exception would be to come visit his family, though at this point only a few of his older sisters still live at home. Some have already left the nest just like he plans to.

Noah doesn't have many friends, so he tends to go off on his own. He's managed to find one spot on the beach that's inaccessible to most. It requires a tight squeeze through rocks. It's the one thing his wiry frame is good for. Tourists don't know about it so they can't ruin it. Townspeople who do know about it typically don't bother. He's taken measures to make it look as unappealing as possible. Can't have people taking away his best spot to get away from a rowdy house and read in peace.

That is, until a particularly bad storm hits. He returns to his reading cove, ready to complain as he has to either deal with or ignore the debris that's sure to be littering the place. It's while he's kicking away debris that his foot comes across something soft, small, and....tan? He moves the debris away to see something that would look like an eel if not for the top half being a human that looked around his age.

He reacts calmly when this thing groans and looks directly at him asking "¿Qué pasó?" He takes a second to breathe, and think rationally about what he's seeing in front of him.

He certainly doesn't scream like a bitch, fall on his ass, and attempt to crab walk away.

Once Noah actually calms down and accept the fact that this is not a psychotic break on his part, he and who he learns is Alejandro get to talking. Fortunately in English. Alejandro reveals that he swam too close to the surface and got swept in the storm. He doesn't know where he's ended up. He took a really nasty blow to the head too because he doesn't even quite remember where he came from. Alejandro would greatly appreciate if Noah could tell him where he is.

Noah's got some questions about all this. Ignoring the fact that merfolk apparently exist (a phrase he never thought he'd utter), Alejandro's an eel. Literally. Eels aren't native to Canada. So there's no possible way he could be from Lake Wawanakwa. Noah suspects he's an electric eel, which would place him somewhere in South America. When he points this out, he swears he sees a spark of electricity in Alejandro's tail. It confirms Noah's suspicions. It also confirms that Noah's not about to touch Alejandro with his bare hands. Alejandro commends him for being smart enough to help jog his memory. He remembers humans referring to the name 'Peru' in the waters he comes from.

He reveals that magic does exist in this world, as is evident by his very existence. There must have been magic in the storm that brought him here. Sadly, he doesn't know how he can use it to get himself back home. Not that it matters much, he can adapt to living here. Still, he begs for Noah not to tell anyone else that he's here. Noah has been so kind to him, but Alejandro isn't quite so sure how other humans will react to seeing him.

Noah's still quite suspicious about Alejandro. But the alternative is either A) a townsperson finds Alejandro, sees him as their ticket out of this town, and does who knows what to him for fame and money. Or B) a tourist finds Alejandro, and either does like the townsperson, or flips out and calls the cops, leading to who knows what kind of military experimentation assuming the cops don't just shoot him on sight.

So curse Noah's bleeding heart, he tells Alejandro that if he's going to stay in shallower waters, he'll be better off staying here. He warns him about the tourists and the townspeople. If he's going into deeper waters, then he's going to have to watch out for the fishermen, the cargo ships, and the ferries that go across the lake. Alejandro just grins and promises to repay Noah's hospitality in full one day.

And thus, Noah begins to meet Alejandro in secret. Mainly because he refuses to concede his favorite reading spot. Noah does some research on electric eels, and comes prepared with rubber gloves any time he wants to get close with Alejandro just in case. Alejandro isn't always there, but when he is he insists on interacting with Noah. He gets interested in the books he sees Noah reading and reveals that he doesn't know how to read. Noah can't just allow for that, so he teaches the Peruvian how to read English. He tries to teach him how to write too, but that's more difficult given the size difference and Alejandro constantly being wet. Noah will take to reading aloud to Alejandro, and when Alejandro learns how to read, he takes to slithering his way in between Noah and his book so he can read along, taking care not to touch Noah's skin.

Their relationship continues to grow as they talk about their respective lives. Noah tells him about humans, and Alejandro will tell him things about merfolk. When Alejandro goes to deeper waters, he comes back and describes the old shipwrecks he's found closer to the bottom of the lake with a certain wonder in his eyes. He'll even start to bring little treasures back from them, first for himself, but eventually for Noah as well. They get to make fun of tourists together and watch them from afar. Noah's dog Ark comes in at one point, and Ark loves Alejandro. Alejandro doesn't feel the same way about Ark and complains about the slobber. At a different point, a stray cat makes its way to the beach and Alejandro learns that he loves cats. And that cats don't feel the same way about him. To them he smells like a fish and looks like a snake, so they'll either try to claw at him or flee on sight. This saddens the Alejandro. He vows to one day successfully pet a cat.

Then, things take a turn seemingly out of the blue. Alejandro reveals that he has a surprise he wants to show Noah. It's a skill he'd lost for a while due to the nature of his arrival. He's been practicing it in private, but he thinks he's finally recovered it fully! He begs for Noah to indulge his theatrics by covering his eyes. It will be the last time he asks like this. He promises. Noah rolls his eyes, but begrudgingly agrees to do so.

Noah hears a lot of shifting. Of rocks. Of waves. He hears something scraping the ground around him. He feels the air around him grow charged. The hair all across his body is standing on its end. He can't help but remember those initial doubts he had about Alejandro.

"You may open them now." a familiar voice rumbles. The accent is as thick as ever. It's louder than a tiny body should be able to produce. It's coming from the wrong direction.

It had been so nice to be wrong. If he keeps his eyes closed, he can keep being wrong. Schrödinger's idyllic beach life. He's smart, and he has a friend with no strings attached. He's smart, and he knows patience is not one of Alejandro's virtues.

Noah opens his eyes to gaze at the massive beast staring down at him.

Were his teeth always so sharp? Alejandro spoke of hunting, which implied he needed teeth sharp enough to rip into flesh. Noah had never really paid attention until he was looking at a full set of teeth, each the size of his hand. They grinned in a facsimile of a warm and inviting smile he was accustomed to.

Noah forced his gaze further upward to check if Alejandro's smile met his eyes. He recognized those eyes. When Alejandro had first started bringing his treasures, he would talk about them nonstop. Noah had tried to grab one of them to get a closer look. Alejandro had immediately retreated to the water, holding onto his treasure as if his own life depended on it. He'd felt an odd sense of something he later recognized as jealousy. Which was strange because it was jealousy over an object. But it was an object that had commanded Alejandro's full attention, full protection, full possession.

What a fool he'd been to feel jealous of something he was now the target of.

"What do you think?" Alejandro asked like a dog that had just brought home a dead cat and was now begging for praise. He closed the distance between them by bending down and slithering back to meet closer to Noah's level.

Noah's throat closed. He felt his face betray him as his ears and cheeks began to flush red. This is fear and a confused and conflated mixture of adrenaline and oxytocin brought forward by an intense situation, nothing more.His feet remained loyal. He backpedaled, only to be stopped by a soft wall that hadn't been there a second ago. He pressed a hand against the wall while maintaining eye contact with Alejandro. That was what you did with wild animals wasn't it? Certain ones at least. He didn't if it would work with eels. An electric eel will wrap itself around its prey, ensuring that there are at least two points of contact for maximum effectiveness. Once established, it will send a shock to incapacitate its prey before consuming it. If he wheels through facts he picked up about eels to prepare himself for this situation, he doesn't have to acknowledge that the wall that dwarfed him from behind was a hand.

"Noah, por favor." Alejandro purred. "We're amigos. I haven't forgotten the times we've spent together. They've been delightful! And so very informative."

Noah had been too concerned about protecting Alejandro from humans. He taught him how to read. He warned him where the people frequented. He taught him how modern ships run on electricity. Alejandro shared that he wished he could have met the ships he'd visited before something else had sent them to the bottom of the lake. All of these red flags only served as the pins and needles holding Noah in place.

"And more importantly, I made a promise to you! A Burromuerto never breaks their promises. Not even to humans." Alejandro suddenly tilted his hand forward, forcing Noah to stumble backwards into a cupped palm. He pulled Noah closer until his face engulfed the entirety of Noah's vision. He let out a breathy sigh right onto Noah. "It truly is a shame that you're a human in my new hunting grounds. I could allow you to simply stay if you weren't. I have no doubt you would enjoy literally ripping apart los estúpidos turistos with me just as you enjoy verbally ripping them apart."

Noah felt an index finger ruffle the top of his hair. On instinct, he moved his hand up to smack it away. His eyes widened as he realized what he'd just done, but Alejandro only chuckled. "See what I mean?" he continued. "But, sadly for both of us, I can't let it be known that I let a human go without a fight. I have a reputation to uphold. However, I will reward your hospitality with something I will never offer to another human again. Porque eres tan precioso para mí."

Alejandro carefully placed a thumb under Noah's chin to keep his gaze focused on the former. His claw rested against Noah's right cheek. The sharp tip faced away from him, but that could change at a moment's notice. "You have the privilege of convincing me why you deserve to live."

And Noah knew he would have to choose his next words very carefully.

[iciatheguardess]

ELSIE RANT THAT I PROMISED 4 HOURS AGOOOOO LOL!

So ummmm Symbolism right?

I like to have a few different bits of “running symbolism” for each plotline/character, so here’s some lol!

Animals.

Various animals tend to mean various things when it comes to my characters lol, most notably Rabbits, deer, and Foxes.

Rabbits are almost always connected to comfort. Aoki starts having rabbit symbolism when he embraces his role as comforter. Chance gets a rabbit companion when she becomes Hope Anon. One of my characters gifting a rabbit of some kind almost always means they wish comfort upon that person, like Aoki giving Dunite a stuffed rabbit to give her comfort and love when he isn’t there.

Deer are specifically associated with Dusk. She has a noticeably large set of antlers, uses deer for travel, and will transform into an abstract doe when she needs to run at high speeds. Deer are docile and graceful, but dangerous at times, similarly to Dusk. If you restrain them, they’ll break their own necks trying to escape, similarly to how Dusk can’t take that kind of stress.

Foxes are more abstract, being associated mostly with Kitsune. They tend to represent characters that are both predator and prey, depending on the situation. Kitsune hunts witches, but is hunted by her own past and grief to the point where she will physically run away for days on end to escape it. She uses a hunting rifle, specifically Hammer’s rifle, as well.

Cats don’t have a consistent meaning associated with them. Aoki has Deedee, a cat, but also a stuffed animal, so she takes on a stuffed animal’s symbolism more often. Stuffed animals will be covered later.

Arc phrases!

“My, My, How things have changed.”

Associated with Dusk, but used more generally. The presence of this phrase is used to make a contrast between how things worked before and after the event in question, or a comparison between the past and the present, often in the form of a drastic change in characterization. It first started popping up while Dusk was in her Dawn Arc, and stuck around afterwards.

“Ay, Soror Mea!”

Showed up more recently, also connected to Dusk. It means “Oh, Sister Mine!” and is used to show Dusk’s grief over Sun’s situation. Her calling Sun “Sister Mine” is going to be a consistent thing.

“Liar.”

Associated with Aoki, he calls himself a liar a lot when he’s having a panic attack. The lie in question is almost never outright said, because it’s a representation of his split nature. He is a comforter, but a murderer. He was made by a child to love her, but was made by the forest to kill her. He wants to give all the love in the world to those he cares for, but is sometimes misguided into thinking that there is no other way than his “mercy”, specifically by Nightmare. His ceaseless apologies can almost always be connected back to this “lie”.

“It is my duty to serve.”

Said by all four of the court members, even before the Lull arc started properly. Each of them entered a form of “service” when they left Lull. Arthur became a conductor, serving travelers. Verie became the owner of the manor and a healer. Assassin anon attempted to serve by becoming a vigilante heroine. Mercutio, while still trapped, served his fellow prisoners by keeping them company and comforting them with his talents. Verie tells Icia that a leader is meant to be a servant of the people, a statement backed by how the court rules. They are the definition of “it is better to be loved than feared”.

Languages can also be associated with symbolism and chaarcters!

Ukrainian

Yelena. It’s meant to hint that she isn’t from Candleton, because Candleton is noticeably Germanic. It’s also meant to show the fact that she’s human, seeing as Dusk doesn’t really make characters with specific ethnicities.

Latin

Dusk. Dusk often uses Latin when stressed or emotional, and most of the names of her books or projects or weapons etc. are all in Latin. Honestly, if there’s a weird word that Elsie uses, try translating it from Latin.

Japanese

Aoki, obviously! Aoki’s symbolism is almost always taken from Japan, like how nearly all the death/suicide imagery from his introduction was Japanese: Flowers on a desk, Spider lilies, and his lack of shoes. He nicknames Dunite “KiraKira”, a Japanese word for sparkly or glitter.

THERE SHALL BE MORE :3

UGHHHHH I LOVE THE SYMBOLISM IN EVERYTHING YOU DOOOOOO GODDDDDDDDDDDD

[dcpamines]

[ quintessa swindell, non-binary, they/he ] - was that HUNTER KING i saw by the lighthouse today? i heard that the TWENTY-EIGHT year old who has been in nightrest for TWENTY YEARS and works as a/an PARAMEDIC has a reputation of being SHARP, but also DISTANT. they reside in LOW POINT & people in town usually associate them with flirting on the edge between life and death, finding comfort in chaos, not knowing who you are anymore but trying to find it, and missing a person so much you pretend it doesn’t exist. let’s hope the killer doesn’t go after them next. 

full name — hunter king nickname(s) — hunny ( only by their brother and it’s to annoy him )  name meaning — one who hunts, pursuer age — twenty-eight date of birth — november 3rd place of birth — bronx, nyc star sign — scorpio sun, scorpio moon, aries rising  current location — salem, massacusetts  gender — non-binary pronouns — they/he sexual orientation — bisexual religion — atheist  occupation — paramedic/firefighter  education level — paramedic school  family — roscoe king ( father, estranged ), marianne tinley ( mother, estranged ), janine king ( aunt ),  jordan king ( brother ) finances — could be better spoken languages — english, spanish

inspos: rue bennett ( euphoria ) , tk strand ( 911 lone star ) , meredith grey ( greys anatomy ), jo march ( little women ), evan buckley ( 911 ), jeremy gilbert ( the vampire diaries ), steve harrington ( stranger things ), hayley marshall ( the originals ), nick miller ( new girl ), ian gallagher ( shameless ), sarah ( palm springs ), shawn hunter ( boy meets world )

tw: npc character dies on the job, non descriptive

“don’t go where i can’t follow you,” it’s the saying that jordan and hunter have been pinky promising each other since they were kids. hunter was raised by his brother and aunt janny, the three of them thick as thieves, and nyc was hunter’s playground. jordan taught him how to ride a skateboard when he was four, jordan holding onto their small arms, hunte’s legs never hit the ground but it was like they were gliding on the pavement, by ten hunter was skating circles around their brother with janny on her bike trying to keep up with her two children. 

janny was well loved in the community, a mother to many who needed it, always serving home cooked meals, jordan and hunter often bringing home some kind of stray ( whether it be a friend or an animal, all were welcome ). 

when hunter is eight they move from nyc to salem for a job opportunity. it wasn’t an easy thing for hunter to pack of up the only place they’ve known and live somewhere else, while it was phrased as a job opportunity their aunt thought that the two kids needed a change. 

it’s only really when hunter becomes a teenager does the woes of identity crisis start to hit, on top of wishing that you had a mom or a dad to teach you certain things. he’d never tell jordan or janny that — in many ways they knew that jordan probably felt it too. but janny was home and love and comfort. it didn’t mean that it fixed everything. 

hunter was hot and destructive and their teachers not understanding how hunter can be so smart but make such stupid decisions with their life, like it was some sort of gamble. they could never sit still for long, they had to be going somewhere, could never sit still and it would be the downfall, that kind of impulsiveness. hunter made a lot of wrong choices. 

jordan and janny loved them anyway. it wasn’t love that saved them, but the willingness to not become the ghosts of their parents. ( hunter thinks its funny how ghosts work, their parents were still here, just never… here. )

hunter becomes a firefighter after high school, then becomes a paramedic, either way — they see the firehouse more than they see their own apartment. it’s good for hunter, they’re good at what they do, their recklessness and impulsivity will always be their own downfall, but in the end it wouldn’t have mattered. it would take months of their own investigation, friends and family saying, it wasn’t your fault. you did the right thing. 

hunter and their partner got a bad call while on the job, it seemed off at first, hunter had been the one to say that they should wait for backup, its what they train for – scene assessment. scene size up. scene safety. it didn’t feel right, and hunter was usually correct when it came to their gut feelings. it didn’t matter. their partners funeral was days later. and their feelings for their partner would be buried with them. 

jordan moves in with hunter for the first couple of months, janny wants him to come home but he never does. on the outside they’re okay, they try to heal. 

hunter gets a new partner. life goes on.

more fun stuff:

ok look their story is sad but like on the outside they are very chill and act like everything is fine its called repression baby and they are living proof of it !!

v much loves their brother he's their bffl and probably comes as a duo most of the time

looking for best friends & possible roomie , hunter needs a ride or die fr

lowkey a slut ngl !! but they're hot so its ok asdkfnlsd

honestly just needs a hug

hunter still keeps the post cards that his parents send him, in a little box that's kept under his bed. is it healthy?? no !! but they're secretly sentimental and a softie at heart