#long title for a meme wow

[chillfaerie]

POV: You're doing the Duets quests and he shows you this

[midnight1nk]

⭐️A few days ago...⭐️

Wow, what a wholesome episode! "The rosemary to my bread", dude, I hope my future partner will say that to me one day. Now that I had my weekly dose of silly, time to check the Puzzlevision website! Eh, I bet it's going to be the same as...

[*SCREAMING*]

WOTFI 2024 PREDICTIONS REVISITED

⚠️ DISCLAIMER IN INTRO POST ⚠️

An eye for an eye...

How are we feeling, SMG4 fandom? It's that time of year and many have speculated about WOTFI as well as what might come afterwards. Myself included with my previous theory posts, suspecting that something big is guaranteed to happen. And we didn't have to wait long.

On the 14th of September, just a few days ago, the channel's latest episode, 'SMG4 and SMG3 come up with an episode' was released. But what truly made the fandom lose their mind was the sudden change of the Puzzlevision website. If you need a refresher, here is what it looked like before:

It had:

[puzzlevision.tv] being the site title and URL

Mr Puzzles' logo

A central image that transitioned between a webp to a gif file and vice versa on certain occasions

(after choosing Save As option) the image already labeled as Now Airing

Now, there was talk about this that wasn't left originally, stating that the image (that used to be larger) now had a black border around it. At least, at the time. As someone who has worked with web design, there's actually a number of reasons why this is.

Depending on the resolution/zoom setting on your device, it might alter the site's layout.

As said earlier, the image alternated between a gif to a webp. All websites require a background color underneath all of its assets so the change in image/file size may have shrunk than what was originally. Especially if you are attempting to make it look seamless between the transitions.

Long story short, It's simply how web layouts are: formatting gets a bit wonky from time to time.

Anyway, as I already mentioned, the website has changed to this,

(supposedly someone said the password was "carnival")

Then, to this:

Changes include:

The title "War of the Fat Italians 2024" with a similar URL [www.wotfi2024.com]

SMG4 logo

A whole new layout design (obviously) which just gives off 'Greatest Showman' energy

And now we've come to the present day: fans have already submitted their minigame challenges and preparing for a carnival-themed adventure. For me and other theorists, though, we're having a field day. From the clues I gathered on the website and a few past episodes, I might be able to put together what the channel has for us this year. Let's revisit my "WOTFI 2024 Predictions"!

I already covered a lot in depth in my "Puzzlevision 2: Now Airing" theory [link] and I'll be referring back to it here, so I recommend looking it over if you haven't already.

THE WEBSITE

I was honestly surprised that I was right about a couple of things. The main one being about the website itself.

The people behind SMG4 didn’t need to put this image in, they didn’t need to keep this website on. But they did.

Well, past Ink, you nailed it. And according to Cube (FM), this is the same website host.

"don't read into it too much"

Cube, with everything going on, I might as well interrogate a website for memes' sake.

Wait, what's wrong with it?

The fact that the website is used for WOTFI of all things is what's so strange. All the previous WOTFI'S asked the fans to submit their challenges through the comment section or social media. No other option was involved until now.

Maybe they wanted to try something different like what they did for WOTFI 2023?

That's a good point. It was stated that they wanted to be more experimental with their episodes. But even then, the '23 stream they hosted was on their channel, on Youtube.

Maybe they didn't want it to go to waste? After all, sites can be expensive.

Again, it's a good point. Depending on the domain they used and the apps connected to the site, it can be costly. However, I do want to iterate what I said earlier: they didn't need to keep this website up. Better yet, if they didn't want to raise any flags, why not keep the site how it originally was with the "That's all folks!" image? Why the change? Which brings us to our next point,

WHO IS THE REAL SMG4?

Let me explain...

After the change of the website, we got this post,

This brings up a lot of questions:

Who sent the letter?

If we can assume that's Four's hand, why did the post say "you" as if there is a narrator?

If Four had no idea about a carnival coming to town, then why would he ask us to submit challenges for a carnival he's supposedly hosting?

Well, they're pretty easy to answer. We already established that Marty would come back to be the most likely antagonist for WOTFI. I mean, this cardboard cutout managed to own a pizza shop, a casino, an airline company, and a spaghetti sauce brand. It wouldn't be a surprise if he also happened to own a carnival. But as I said in previous theories, Marty isn't working alone.

He's working with Mr Puzzles.

Mr Puzzles was the one who sent the letter to SMG4 just as he did for Wren in Western Spaghetti (indirect or not). It hasn't exactly shown if the letter had his seal on it. Not that it needs to anyway, they would recognize his logo and know they can't trust what's inside this envelope.

Remember how I said in my previous theory that one of the ways Mr Puzzles could control SMG4 was for our blue meme lord to be his eyes and ears? In the latest episode, SMG3 comes up with the idea of a carnival coming to the showgrounds for a week, and SMG4 wanting to go on the baby teacup ride.

Mr Puzzles was there, listening to every word they said to each other. He has been since "SMG4: Inside Out".

Could it just be purely by coincidence and just something out of improv? Sure, the SMG4 & SMG3 side episodes aren't really connected to canon. But like, c'mon, the channel knew what they were doing. Everything has to be put into consideration.

If that's true, the narrator could be Mr Puzzles, the second voice inside his head. Or, for those who love the goop!4 theory, the voice could be the demonic goo slowly taking over.

Now, back to the post!Four and site!Four. If we can assume the Four from the post is our Four, then the one impersonating Four would be Mr Puzzles, once again controlling the events in WOTFI. This time, using his website. Like Cube said, Mr Puzzles is the same website host as before. Also, look at these two:

It would be too obvious if we see a PNG of Mr Puzzles on the website again so why not impersonate his narrative foil. Well, at least look dapper while you're at it.

Or, even better, Four does know about the carnival but either the goo or Mr Puzzles are erasing certain memories.

A GAME OF WITS

Speaking of the website, let's analyze the description:

Step right up, WOTFI is coming to town and we need your challenges but this time...WITH A TWIST! We're doing a carnival theme this year and we want challenges named like a minigame and a description of what they are! For example "Whack a Bob - Who can smash bob with a hammer first?" OR "Pizza Pie Peril- Survive giant pizza's raining form the sky' Guidelines - Please only 1 challenge per person - Nothing inappropriate - Please add your internet profile name in the 'name' field below Thank you and see you soon!!! -SMG4

Carnival theme, huh?

Well, last year's theme made sense. Three's notebook was stolen and was risked of getting leaked. With the casino being heavily guarded, Four and Three had to sneak in. A secret mission to take back a secretive object.

If this WOTFI has Marty and Mr Puzzles working together, then It would make sense for a businessman and an entertainer would come up with something like a carnival. The best of two worlds: fun and capitalism. Besides, the Showgrounds would be a perfect place to host it since it used to be an abandoned carnival and Mr Puzzles having something to do with the land ownership.

[SMG4: Our New Home // timestamp: 5:38]

Now, what is peculiar is the use of the term "minigame".

Ink, it's a carnival. You have to stick to the theme of carnival rides and games.

Fair, but this is WOTFI we're talking about here. If you win a challenge, you get closer to the end and win a point for your side. For WOTFI '23, every choice impacted the story and therefore the ending. If the SMG4 crew plays and wins these minigames, what do they get in return? And if they lose, would there be a punishment?

It will entirely depend on how WOTFI would play out, in three scenarios:

Marty is revealed to be behind the carnival at the beginning of WOTFI and the Crew learns that, in order to reach him, they have to win some mini-games.

Marty isn't revealed until the near end. The Crew only came because they wanted to have some fun for the day but learned that this was a sort of trap created by Marty (along with Mr Puzzles but they don't know that yet).

OR BONUS SECRET OPTION

Both Marty and Mr Puzzles revealed themselves to be the ones hosting the carnival, meaning it's less likely that Puzzlevision 2 would happen unless something else happens.

Then, there is the phrase "WITH A TWIST". Sure, it could mean that it would be different than our regular old WOTFI, just as it happened in 2023. But WOTFI 2023 also revealed the twist that Mr Puzzles was actually the one orchestrating the whole thing, sending the fax to Marty about the secret recipe and his theme scattered in the background in multiple episodes. We might get a twist by the end of this year's WOTFI as well. Bonus points if we hear a version of his theme again.

Back in my Puzzlevision 2 theory, I predicted that the final battle with Mr Puzzles would happen back where it all started. With the carnival coming into the Showgrounds, it comes back full circle.

ONE STEP CLOSER

There isn't much to change from what I predicted:

Karen would be a key character for WOTFI this year. Maybe Karen just wanted her kids to have fun for the day, or even the corporation, her former workplace, gave her a tip that Marty would be there.

The Crew would have to find Marty's absolute weakness since he's technically invincible.

And possibly Pedro coming back to assist the Crew somehow.

But now I have a new prediction, based on the latest episode:

SMG4's and SMG3's relationship would change to a whole new level. That Four may need Three for something or if Three realizes something about himself, it would change their dynamic regardless.

It's really similar to how it was for WOTFI 2023 with small bits here and there all coming back to a single episode. (The notebook, the duo's meme guardian powers, Four's forklift, Three moving out of the Internet Graveyard, etc.)

It's still too early to confirm anything, but at the very least, we now have some idea what WOTFI may be about as well as evidence to back up some of my theories.

Will we get goop!4? God, I wish. I was listening to "Friends on the Other Side" and I was just imagining scenarios of Mr Puzzles taking complete control of Four with the goo. If it doesn't happen for whatever reason, I'll write it myself.

Oh well, we would just have to wait and see. In the meantime, that’s just a theory…

AN SMG4 THEORY

🎶Thanks for dropping by🎶

[mewkwota]

I see the meme, I ask: Marth!

Oh hello my old friend, how I have not drawn you in ages. :)

Send Me a Character

And I will tell you my:

First impression *Voice of Uninformed Smash Fan* Wow I hate this stuck-up narcissist, Roy is much better and I will make fun of you constantly.

Impression now Marth is a character I've grown with for quite some time, like many I first knew of him from Melee. After an utterly (and painfully) long journey of learning who he really is, I find Marth's brand of gentleness to be a huge part of why I like him.

Even more so-- it may just be my interpretation of it-- I find his constant worry of losing his loved ones to be a fitting tie-in to his series' iconic permadeath mechanic.

And while I've since moved that title of Most Favorite FE Protag to Chrom, I honestly feel that *Rose Quartz Voice* every part of me loving Chrom is likely tied to my love for Marth. (They are related.)

Favorite moment One thing I've come to learn and enjoy is that apparently Marth can be pretty smooth with his words. His response to shut-down Kris' insistence to accompany him everywhere is something that stays in my memory-- basically Marth suggests they may as well see him nakkid and I didn't think that was something he would say.

Idea for a story There is a moment mentioned in NMotE where Marth is said to visit the graves of his fallen comrades. It's very straightforward and I may never draw it out, but I had this idea where Marth learns about the day of Lucas' MOTHER passing and offers to pay respects with him. This was based on the fact that their games share an anniversary.

Unpopular opinion Uhh, I dunno. I don't think nice people are boring, I guess.

Favorite relationship Any trickle regarding Marth and his sister give me life. Elice doesn't get a lot of writing, but whatever they share of her has been so sweet.

Favorite headcanon "No Pants" Marth. He secretly dislikes them as much as Chrom dislikes right-arm sleeves. Similarly, the idea that Marth dislikes long sleeves and rolls them up constantly is a really cute idea too. It runs in the family.

[l0ve-bug-m1les]

Spider-Band With a S/o Who Hyperfixates on Things Hard

Miles Morales, Hobie Brown, Gwen Stacy, and Pavitr Prabhakar (separate) x Gn!Reader

Warnings: None! (Except my attempt at British talking—)

Summary: Really what the title says—

A/n: This is actually an idea i had when i first fell into the spider verse fandom but didn’t have anyone to talk to about it. Glad ya’ll picked this one! Enjoy!! Also lmk if any of ya’ll wanna be on a tag list!! I know i don’t write all that much but still—

Miles Morales 🌻🎧🌻

Bby is here for it

Always listening to what you have to say and never complaining

I have a feeling he’d be just as excited as you even if he’s got no clue what you’re talking about

He’d try to get into your interests with you no matter how outlandish they may seem

(I mean he’s basically a spider what’s so weird about fnaf lore—)

Definitely draws you things based off of the subject

“You said they were your favorite, right?”

Is always sending you memes and funny videos about your interest

Asks you for updates on your interest if it’s a series

Holds you when something bad happens and you’re sad

“Shh, shh…Hey, at least they existed, right?—Oh, no that made it worse—“

Going back to rambles, he’s always listening but maybe not always looking at you

But trust me

That boy could recite what you say perfectly

He just likes to listen while he works or draws

Has definitely made a mural of you and him in the world together (used it as a date spot. It’s true, he told me)

Overall

20/10 boyfriend

(I mean they all are but like—)

Hobie Brown 🎸⚡️🎸

Will spend hours learning songs related to your interest

But then he’s like

“What? Oh, i been knowin’ this song, luv. What’re ya on about?”

Say for instance, you dive deep into an artist or band

Obviously, Hobie’s gonna ask you about them

But would never ask you for your favorite songs because he’s “Too busy writing his own”

So he just pays really close attention to the songs you talk the most about

(As i previously stated, he learns them all and plays it off)

When you figure it out he’s just like:

“Took ya long enough, luv”

He also listens to your rants about whatever it is (much like Miles and everyone else here but shhh)

But here’s why he stands out

This man can keep up

He can and will remember all about it, and basically know about much as you do

Steals things from stores that are from the series or whatever it is

“Hobie, how’d you get this?” “It was on display and i knew you’d love it.” “Wow! I thought you didn’t buy things from brands..” “…” “You stole it…”

You’re too busy loving whatever it is to stay mad

(But we all knew you weren’t mad)

If you think your interest is cringey then you’re WRONG

“But it’s for kids—“ “And? So what?” “Well…uhm….hm.” “Yeah. Thought so. Now keep goin’, I’m invested.”

(But also in general, bby. Love what you love and come to me if anyone says it “weird” or “cringey”. I’ll beat them up bestie<33)

All in all, a king<33

Gwen Stacy 🩰🥁🩰

I’m gonna be honest

She is lost

Even if you go over things twenty times she still won’t get it

And that’s okay!

She takes notes and tries to keep up

Definitely proud of herself when she gets a detail right

“And then—“ “Wait, wait. Let me guess…He…he burned the pizzeria down, right” “Uhm—yeah, actually!” “*insert proud face*”

(Woah look at the trans flag colors^^^)

Definitely binge watches or reads your interest and learns as much as she can

She keeps a notebook full of her notes that she refers back to whenever you two are on call

She played it off as writing down some notes for school

But one day, she asked you to grab her suit from inside her drum set, and you found the notebook

It caught your eye because it had the name of your interest on it and you were like:

“Hey, Gwen? What’s this?” You showed her the notebook

I wish you could see my vision

When i tell you Gwen stood there for a good minute

I mean she stood there for several

Anywho

She just admitted to it and was all red and fidgety

Since this is her world, she was cast in mostly pink and red hues and the space around her fluttered yellow

You end up going through it with her, and talk about your favorite bits

Overall? She deserves several gold stars and cookies

Pavitr Prabhakar 🍵☀️🍵

Bby is here for it

Whenever you get excited he’s excited

When you’re on the verge of tears he’s already crying

He is your favorite character’s number one supporter

He’s always going on and on with you about your interests

Because unlike the others, he manages to actually get into whatever it is you’re talking about and not just keep up

It’s honestly a skill of his

I feel like Pav also has special interests that he dives deep into

Like

Deep deep

Same as you so you two get along well :D

He’s always looking for the newest content and sending it to you always

“Hey! They said the next episode would be released next Tuesday!! :DDD” “There’s a new theory for the last volume!”

It’d be cute if that’s how you met and became friends

You spend sleepovers diving into your shared and separate interests with eachother

You know what’d be funny?

If he also info dumps onto the villains he fights

Like

Hear me out

Pav tying up a villain who tried to rob a place and just going

“Yeah, so me and my partner have a theory for why—“

And the villain is just like

Stfu??????

But they’d never say that because it’s Spider-Man

All in all, your number one hype man and best friend :]

———————————-

YA’LL I DID IT :DD

[myloveforhergoeson]

memories are pay-per view for the title ask meme? 👀

ooh this is a good one - the first thing that came to mind was older kaisy, sitting out on the porch of their house and going through some of the scrapbooks daisy inevitably made of their lives. she'd have their love letters back and forth saved while they were still long distance. if someone showed her how to take a screenshot and use a printer i'd suspect she'd tuck some of their chats in there, photos from the first time they met... and of course, their lives together after that. engagement, weddings, kids, MORE kids, grandkids... just a very domestic fluffy wholesome look back on how they'd grown up together and lived their adulthood. photos with jennifer and katie, photos with daisy's grandparents and jay-jay... it's very clear in my mind they like flip the pages and one of them goes "oh, wow remember this?" and the other is like "how could i ever forget?" probably taking place after a major event in their lives, like their last kid going off to college :') i love them so much :')

send me the title of a fic and i'll tell you what i'd write for it!

[transparentlyfallingasleep]

7. How do you choose which POV to write from? (Especially for starbucks)

25. What fic do you wish you got more of a response on?

26. Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

39. Share a snippet from a WIP

aw wow! People never ask me questions on here.

let’s see number 7. Honestly I tried to come up with a better answer than this but it’s just the vibe of the thing. The first story was really just a response to “Clint Barton shows up 15 minutes late with Starbucks” insert Troy with the pizza meme that was out in the ether post his absence in Winter Soldier. I decided to try making myself write from Natasha’s perspective after the Clint heaviness in marketplace etc but in the Starbucks sequel I just wanted to imagine/ write down the Robert Downey jr voice in my head reacting to spy kid 3D. And then they all joined in. Clint’s voice is my most comfortable place to be Natasha, Cap, Maria, Jarvis the least but I think that’s because being that fucking competent seems heptapod level alien.

25: I wish people read unfinished business more… it was my first story in the marvel space and my second fanfic ever. And I still kinda like imagining it’s running in the background of the avengers… and it could have too if not for that pesky Joss Whedon. I also I’m proud of my Game of thrones fic. It was an attempt to self sooth and I think it turned out rather well all things considered.

26. I’m not sure I do wild rides I’m definitely not much of a plot writer. I tend to focus on small intimate character moments. Probably because I suck even more at the other stuff, possibly because being a speech pathologist I’m better at getting voices of characters ‘right’ than I am at making things happen. But I am proud at how I salvaged age of ultron for the rewriting in Market Place and how much I was able to reuse, reduce, recycle might be surprising to readers.

39. So my clinic shut down suddenly in September. If you are Australian I will just say this about it. The NDIS and in particular the Government have been making it harder and harder to work as a paediatric disability clinician and hell bent on telling our clients that it’s because we are rorting the system. I didn’t want my clients to loose their therapeutic alliance and a speechie that has known them most of their lives so I started my own sole trading. It’s long hours, crazy stress and I don’t even know if I will be able to afford the audit come 2025 but for now my kiddos are safe and getting therapy. All the govt has managed to do is privatise the old block grant system and lie about choice and control and that’s all I have to say about that. As a result I’ve got no real WIPs but I have this… you can see that I write dialogue first.

If you’ve come to tell me I’ve besmirched my honour, that the castle is in an uproar… I care not. 

Your grace. 

Ser Davos I am no princess. 

The laws of the realm say

So Tyrion Lannister crowns my brother and frees the north for my sister and now I am smothered by titles? I knew I should have killed that-

Id never really thought about it like that Milady. Allow an old man a small courtesy? I accepted my title for services to Stannis Baratheon. Plenty of times I thought better of it but I did it for those who came after me. Lord Gendry well he doesn’t say, quiet sort that he is -

Surly 

As you say, but i think I’m right in saying he had similar thoughts. I don’t think either of us thought that there might be others on the other side of it. Born to the titles and the power and wanting none of it, wanting to be rid of it. 

He is a good lad lady Arya. Give him longer. He can’t stay this angry for long. 

I can’t stay ser Davos

Forgive me but I’ve lived longer on decking than I have on dry land or had till your brother made me hand. The tides they come again. Like circles they are. Why not tarry even if he’s determined to make himself unpleasant. 

He doesn’t have to put effort into that. He’s had it mastered for years. You are married Ser, children? 

Aye My Lady

[merryfortune]

there is water at the bottom of a swimming pool

written for my rare pair week over on @incorrect-vrains-quotes

Day 1. Attribute | Element | Affinity

Title: there is water at the bottom of a swimming pool

Ship: Raindropshipping | Aqua/Miyu

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains

Word Count: 1,372

Rating: T

Warning: None 

Tags: Fluff and Angst, Post-Canon, Healthy Coping Mechanisms

   Miyu cut through the water with power. Her form was immaculate. Every muscle expertly controlled, her hair pulled back and her face strapped with goggles. She had practiced and practiced and practice and it was all for this. The High School championships, scholarship on the line and who knows where it would take her after this.

   She swam the best free style of her life and touched the tiles at the other end of the olympic-sized pool. The water was cold but Miyu was warm, blood pumping and a smile split across her face.

   First place. A record time. And the crowd went wild.

   Thunderous applause. Confetti burst open and the flutters of see-through paper scattered down over the water like blossoms in spring. People cheered and the ordinance it became roared in Miyu’s ears - and her imagination.

   The championship was… tomorrow.

   She was just getting in the last possible practice of all that Miyu had already done with an audience of one: Aqua.

   “Brava, brava, well done, Miyu!” Aqua cheered for her from the grandstands.

   Her tiny voice, lone in the hallowed and empty indoor pool, hardly filled it and yet, made Miyu’s heart grow another size. Her body was drenched in adrenaline, her chest heaved and her heart pounded. She pulled herself up onto the side of the pool, splashing in the process.

   Aqua could only, and freely, cheer Miyu on like this right now. Tomorrow, she had been hidden away as though she didn’t even exist - even though she was, easily and by far, Miyu’s biggest supporter.

   “Swim exactly like that tomorrow and you will definitely take that grand prize.” Aqua encouraged her.

   “Thanks.” Miyu replied, bittersweet.

   She wasn’t exactly sure of how she felt right now.

   Sure, if she did exactly as she was told, repeating exactly what she did in the pool just now, Miyu would definitely leave her rivals and fellow competitors in the kiddy pool. The thought of that was exhilarating but the problem was, she was dampened by Aqua’s presence - or maybe expected lack thereof.

   It was kind of a long story but between now and tomorrow, there was plenty of time for cold feet and navel gazing.

   When Miyu was first reunited with the freshly resurrected Aqua, it had been a lot to take in. She wasn’t known as the brightest when it came to academics but when it came to sports and the arts, Miyu was the best of the best. So, she didn’t really get science-y things like this. Artificial intelligence with free will. Ethics and philosophy.

   She just knew what she knew.

   She had been kidnapped as a child and tortured. That was the end of it. She did what she could to survive: relying on memories of her beloved best friend, determined to apologise and set the truth free. Anything else was more adult than what she was capable of understanding as a six-year-old.

   And same for being a sixteen-year-old, apparently. Her mind whirled at the thought as she was reintroduced to Aoi and from her, learned quite the tale about why she had been kidnapped and what had happened afterwards. She did her best to block out things like duelling so it was quite the shock to learn that her childhood trauma had flow on effects like the Another Incident, the Tower Hanoi, and the Neuron Network.

   Wow. Just wow.

   But Miyu was given time to process but then she heard it. Aqua was called the Water Ignis and that didn’t bode well for Miyu. It made her stomach turn because water…

   Water was her thing.

   Miyu wasn’t super into astrology or anything but she very proudly wore the badge of being the fish: Pisces. She shared hydro homie memes online. She had never been big on drinking milk or even soda, either. She was a water girlie in her big, bulky water bottle that she took, religiously, to her favourite sport: swimming.

   Swimming gave her something. A here and now where she could only think about breathing. Nothing else. Not the horrors of being electrocuted or the terrors of being starved. The here and now: the cool water that enveloped her, the sound of the beach and the fun it represented. Swimming was her thing but now…

   Was it all predestined, or was it just a coincidence?

   Miyu couldn’t tell and that uncertainty gave way to fate and questioned all the therapy she had gone through. The way she had earned praise as a child for finding methods of resilience and enjoying her hobbies and finding success after her trauma and its ramifications. Now… Looking into Aqua’s face, the pale blue mixed with navy markings, was it all for Aqua? That it wasn’t random, that it was always going to be her who suffered…

   That was a lot to ask for when Miyu was a bit of an idiot. Emotional and bratty and competitive as all hell. The way she was looked at with suspicion because of her scars as she stood in her sleek one-piece, up there on the winner’s podium, basking in her triumph in the race.

   It took some getting used to, is all.

   Miyu did, of course, get used to it. Knowing the reason why she had been taken as a child, what her torture was meant to amount for, and how lovely an “Ignis” Aqua was at all despite such a start to life. She had a true soul, and soothing voice and soon enough, they were thick as thieves. In the end Aqua was dear to her but those origins still lingered in the back of her mind. 

   Even now. Though it was probably her nerves regarding tomorrow - and Aqua picked up on that.

   Her gaze turned sympathetic, “Is everything alright?”

   Miyu shrugged. It will be… She hoped it will be, anyway. She sucked in a deep breath and in the blink of her eye, Aqua shifted.

   She turned from her little blue form as big as a fairy to something far larger and far toothier. Aqua opened her eyes and her maw, her tentacles unfurled and her tail spooled from out of the Duel Disc that she made her home in.

   “Can I give you a hug?” Aqua asked.

   “Of course you can.” Miyu laughed.

   Despite the damper on her mood, Miyu cheered up like she normally did. Especially with a cuddle from Aqua. Miyu hugged her back, tight as tight could be around Aqua’s equivalent of a waist, in between the long slots of her arms. Miyu rubbed her face into Aqua’s markings on her chest, she rested her head on Miyu’s shoulder. Miyu sighed contentedly. Aqua was cool to the touch, rubbery and soft like a pool toy. Perfect for… dragging her into the water.

   Miyu gave Aqua a big hug and playfully took her into the water. Aqua squeaked and squealed as Miyu walked backwards and into the pool. The water splashed up around them and the surface hit Miyu’s back hard but she didn’t care because once she was sunken into the water, it was her world.

   Her and Aqua’s world.

   If she had to be allotted an attribute, at the end of the day, Miyu was happy that it was water. Whether it was on purpose or as a fluke, whether it was something bigger than her or just a quirk of paperwork, Miyu really was blessed to have the Water Ignis as her dearest partner and companion. 

   Those dark clouds in Miyu’s mind began to dissipate. They got lost in the shadows and reflections of the water. Everything always felt different and new at the bottom of a swimming pool, Miyu could feel her heart let go of everything that was weighing her down and Aqua sensed the relief. She rubbed her head against Miyu’s face amid their embrace underneath the meniscus of the water.

   They floated to the top together. Aqua was too buoyant to be held underneath the water for too long and Miyu needed to breathe, anyway. 

   “I’m really happy to have you, Aqua.” Miyu told her. 

   “I’m glad.” Aqua murmured.

   “I’m also gonna get that first place tomorrow.” Miyu said.

   Aqua laughed, “I know you will. Go get ‘em, Miyu.”

[cryptidanathema]

if not already asked, leon for the character ask :) basic but opinions vary!

(Also asked by @shinekittenace)

Why I like them: I fully expected this guy with his John Cena-esque go getter attitude and aggressively marketable ace to annoy the shit out of me, but the truth is is that hating Leon is like hating a puppy. You just can't. He's just a nice fuckin dude that wants to keep everyone safe even though he's just one man. There's also the fact that he's essentially a grown up ex-protagonist which the game delves into a little with his complicated emotions surrounding losing the title he's had since he was eleven by the end of the game and the fandom's done some FASCINATING psychological deep dives with. 

Why I don’t: I feel like GameFreak failed a bit with show don't tell with him. Some of the ways GameFreak try to make him seem really intelligent and capable are...a little on the nose to say the least. Like for instance him estimating how much Hop has grown during his introduction scene COULD be taken as a hint they don't get to see each other often but nah I really do suspect they wanted the kiddies to be like WOW THIS GUY IS SO SMART HE CAN DO MATH lol. I do kiiiind of suspect the fandom put more effort into analyzing the guy and the kind of havoc being a massive celebrity since the age of 11 can wreak on your personal life than GameFreak ever did but that's very much not a bad thing IMHO. I'm not one of those IF IT'S NOT STRICT CONFIRMED CANON IT'S OF THE DEVIL people (and honestly rather detest them) 

Favorite episode (scene if movie): I...don't think the Anime showcased the better sides of his personality well (he loses the protective streak and just kind of comes off like a self-absorbed manchild that everyone loves because he can defy basic Pokemon battle logic in the same way Ash can. He's a protagonist But Annoying This Time) so I'm not terribly interested in seeing more. 

Favorite season/movie: See above. 

Favorite line: Tbh I don't have one particular standout one immediately coming to mind and I'm feeling too lazy to go through his quotes page rn. His catchphrase IS fun to meme about I will say. 

Favorite outfit: He absolutely kills everything that's not the Sponsorship Cape tbh. The guy has GOOD fashion sense despite the memes, corporate was just holding him back. 

OTP: Raihan/Piers/Leon for reasons I already went into in the Raihan response lol (the vibes between him and Rai are interesting and pretty damn hard to deny but Piers is holding up 90% of my mental health on his bony little shoulders rn and also I wanna see him and Leon interact more) I'd also love he and Sonia to work thier shit out, they are cute as FUCK together in Pokespe 

Brotp: The platonic Raileon enjoyer strikes again. Id also certainly take he and Piers being bros too. Also he and Nemona would be absolutely insufferable together and I'd love to see it someday lol 

Head Canon: One thing that was inspired the anime and a certain infamous wall punching scene is that through no real fault of his own he and Raihan's relationship was actually dangerously close to fraying for a bit. He WANTS to be a good and supportive friend to his favorite person but he's gotten fame and empty adoration pretty much handed to him for long enough that he can't REALLY understand what's going on in Raihan's head, the immense pressure he's putting himself under and the frankly unhealthy behaviors he's starting to develop. It's gonna take the pressure of the championship being gone for Leon to stop being the impossible standard Raihan's harming himself with and start being an uncomplicated source of companionship again. On a brighter note he's a good enough guy that once he becomes Chairman he's gonna prove he deserves that position by taking steps to reverse Rose's power consolidation to make sure no one person can cause that much trouble for the nation of Galar again. He'll prove his worthiness to rule by NOT being a total corporate dictator. 

Unpopular opinion: I've bitched about finding him annoying in the anime enough so instead I'll say I actually don't mind how involved he was in the game plot, it's honestly kind of weird other adults HAVEN'T been like "why are we letting random ten year olds go into very dangerous situations unaccompanied" before if you think about it

A wish: The same as the others, I'd love to see him again IF he's not miserable or acting like an ass. 

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen: Don't get lost in spacetime my neurodivergent king you've been through enough 🤞🤞🤞

5 words to best describe them: The tragedy of Superman, Pokemonned. 

My nickname for them: Lee suffices.

[sineala]

Five fic self rec meme!

Tagged by @nostalgicatsea approximately two weeks ago. I am not entirely sure what the parameters of this meme are but I think it might just be reccing five fics of mine that I like. I currently have 302 stories on AO3, so sifting through the contenders here was challenging. I tried to stick to shorter work of mine. This is all Marvel fic because that's what I've written the most of, because I feel like I've become a better writer over the years, and because I decided that the PWP I wrote in The Eagle fandom in Latin might have, uh, limited appeal.

All-Time Low (Marvel 616, Steve/Tony, 12,000 words, Explicit.)

You know how sometimes you write a story that ends up being exactly the story you wanted to tell? You get it down on the page and somehow it's exactly the way you wanted it to be in your head? The words just come out of you easy and fast and you're in the zone the entire time? (Yes, I know the term is actually "flow state.") And, sure, maybe it still needs some editing, but writing it is just this extremely good experience where you don't ever stop and wonder how any of it should go and all the words are just there. You know the thing I mean? I only have a couple stories that happened like this, but this one is one of them. I don't have much memory of actually writing this one, which is how that goes; I remember that I got the prompt and I knew what I wanted to write and then somehow this entire thing happened.

It was actually written for one of Kiyaar's prompts, which was that Tony should be sleeping with men for money during the second drinking arc and Steve should find out and there should be "shame and humiliation and tears." I looked at it and I thought, oh, I got this. The element of Steve then sleeping with Tony after he finds this out, which is a big part of the story, was actually not part of the original prompt, which I don't think even occurred to me until after Ki read the story and said she liked that development that I'd come up with that part myself. My brain was just like, hey, I know exactly how this story goes. Never even crossed my mind to do anything else. 

I keep putting off writing the fix-it sequels -- I have Plans for how the blizzard goes in this universe -- because I am afraid I won't be able to make them as good as the original story.

The Libertine (Marvel Ultimates, Steve/Tony, 6,000 words, Explicit.)

One day, I was just sitting there minding my own business and I thought, "You know what? Ults began in the early 2000s and therefore early-canon Ults Tony would absolutely have self-identified as a metrosexual," and then I thought, "Goddammit, I guess I have to write this story now."

I know that this one is in most ways a pretty standard first-time getting-together story but I thought it would be delightful to make Steve and Tony's roles in it opposite from what the prototypical Ults Steve/Tony story would do. So Tony here is like "actually, no, I'm not gay, I'm just metrosexual... oh shit, wait, I think I'm actually pretty gay after all" and Steve is the guy who spent World War II sleeping with every guy he could find. In the story, neither of them expect this about the other one, and I think fandom doesn't either.

I am also weirdly proud of thinking up the title of this story because "libertine" is a word you would probably want to apply to Ults Tony and yet Steve, the Sentinel of Liberty, ends up claiming basically every other liberty-related word, for obvious reasons. And maybe here he gets this one too.

(Incidentally, reading through the See Also section of the Wikipedia entry on "libertine" is a trip I think you should all take. Wow.)

The Longing and Yearning (Bullet Points. Steve/Tony, 13,000 words, Explicit.)

This is also a pretty standard first-time story but it's also my attempt to make Bullet Points fandom happen, which I think pretty much worked, so I'm pretty happy about that. It's a very small continuity, but it's a Steve/Tony thing now!

Steve and Tony never actually meet in canon and also Steve dies halfway through the series, but I had a lot of fun imagining what they might be like together. It was interesting to get to write Tony hero-worshipping a much older Steve, who was Iron Man and had basically all the physical trauma Tony usually gets from being Iron Man, and Tony wanting to be Iron Man because of Steve being Iron Man. Which is, you know, not usually how Steve/Tony goes. I also had a lot of fun furnishing Steve's 1950s-1960s house for him (Gwyn helped me out a lot with this while betaing) and writing Steve and Tony into a world of slightly vintage US government employee homophobia in the age of the Red Scare, which I don't usually get to do in Avengers fic although it occurs to me now that I actually really could have been doing this all along in 616 early canon.

Look After Your Heart (Marvel 616, Steve/Tony, 19,000 words, Mature.)

Last week, I remembered I'd written this when someone was asking for recs of stories where Tony's loneliness plays a major role and I ended up describing this one as "loneliness is Tony's villain origin story." I hadn't thought about it in years and I reread it and was like, you know, this wasn't half-bad.

This has not been one of my most popular Steve/Tony works, I think because the tags and summary make it look like a real downer -- which, okay, yeah, it kind of is -- but I would like to point out that it actually has a happy ending. I wish to stress this. Happy Steve/Tony ending. I promise. You just take a trip through hell to get there.

So this is an AU where time bullets don't exist and when Steve gets shot at the end of Civil War, he dies and stays dead. Tony finds this out when he wakes up after World's Most Wanted, doesn't remember the past couple years of his life, and discovers that Steve is now dead. He experiences a lot of grief. So this is a canon-divergent AU running through the events of Avengers v4 and Hickmanvengers up through Superior Iron Man, in which we all get to find out exactly how far off the rails Tony can go when he continues not to have Steve around to keep him sane, functional, heroic, or sober.

This fic is also interesting as a historical document, because it's one of my earlier stories in the fandom. I actually wrote it when Hickmanvengers was still going, before Time Runs Out happened, and even before Superior Iron Man happened. The last thing in here that was based in canon is the Great Society incursion. At this point, we knew that Tony was going to be Superior but we didn't know how it was going to happen, what it was going to be like, or how Hickman's run was going to end. So I took a whole bunch of guesses, and I honestly like a few of them better than what we actually got.

Smell Like I Sound (Marvel Adventures: Avengers, Carol/Jess, 7,000 words, Explicit.)

This is a Carol/Jess fic with background Steve/Tony. Look, I didn't promise they were all going to be Steve/Tony. This is set in MA:A, mostly because I needed a canon fairly close to 616 where Carol and Jess hadn't canonically met, and Jess does exist in MA:IM. I wanted to tackle an issue I hadn't really seen explored much in Carol/Jess fic, which was "how do Carol and Jess actually get together if Jess's pheromones uncontrollably don't have good effects on women?" because that seems like it would be bad. (I mean, it would also be bad if Jess's pheromones did uncontrollably have good effects on women, but that would be a different story.)

(Because comics are gonna comics, I'm pretty sure that MA: IM Jess's pheromones do have negative effects on women. This is not necessarily the case in 616. We actually found out a couple years ago in 616 that Jess can in fact pheromone women in the fun way, which, yes, I do have a fic outlined based on this. You bet I do. I just have not yet written it yet.)

I don't write a whole lot of femslash, which in this fandom is partly due to The Carol/Jess Troll (thanks, dude) and it's partly because I have a femslash problem I've never figured out how to consistently solve, which is that I can't manage to write a whole lot of f/f that has the same kind of stakes and feelings and tropey idficcy goodness as the m/m that I like to write. I can't really even articulate the problem in a useful way; I just try writing f/f and then I read it back and mostly it's not the thing I like because what I end up writing just doesn't seem exciting to me. And I know it's possible for me to write the thing I like because this one is the thing I like! I did it here! It's just not a trick I can pull off consistently. But, anyway, this one was fun. I think I did this one right.

Not sure who has done this meme, but I'm gonna tag @blossomsinthemist and @isozyme.

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 18/12/2023

Ripping Video Game Music​.​.​.​.​.​.​At Night (2020 Edition)

Season 4 Episode 2 Featured on: Neon Lights & Holiday Nights ~ The SiIvaGunner All​-​Star Winter Festival Collection

Ripped by cookiefonster (@cookiefonster)

Can you believe it guys? Christmas! Just a week away! Christmas is in a week! Oh wow!

I was really close to making this post a simple double-feature to yesterday's on Ripping Video Game Music​.​.​.​.​.​.​At Night, because, well...they're very similar to one another! I've previously only done three double features on here, one of which was on another Pokémon Gen 4 rip with The 2:28 Collab and The 2:28 Collab -The Sequel- - excellent rips absolutely, yet also specifically a situation where the latter was building quite directly off of the former. As the title here says, Ripping Video Game Music​.​.​.​.​.​.​At Night (2020 Edition) isn't as much a sequel as it is a new take on the same idea - and I find that really fascinating.

Because yeah, let's cut that part out of the equation immediately - the joke in this rip is the same as the one its directly based on, a jazzy medley of various SiIvaGunner memes within the confines and instrumentation of the original Route 216 (Night) theme. Yet its those chosen memes, and the differing context the two rips were released in, that really gets my brain spinning in listening to them. From December 16th 2016 to December 16th 2020, four entire years had passed: so much had happened to the channel in that time, yet simultaneously so much still remained. In 2016, the original rip was like a joyous celebration of SiIva's original Season 1 run, a cheerful look back before moving to new horizons with the Christmas Comeback Crisis. With Ripping Video Game Music​.​.​.​.​.​.​At Night (2020 Edition), it was released as part of the All-Star Winter Festival, an event all about celebration and joy, in a SEASON all about celebration and joy. With just that one small change, paired with the memes chosen specifically being ones that debuted or thrived during SiIva's run in 2020, the rip is given an interestingly different energy from what its originally based on. I have an emotional connection to both, yet the two feel...different, in my mind.

By the time Season 4 Episode 2 was coming to an end, the worry and confusion of 2016's end was a long-distant memory. Because of that, I feel like Ripping Video Game Music​.​.​.​.​.​.​At Night (2020 Edition) more feels like a nice little trip down memory lane, rather than reminiscing on an era long gone. For instance, The Phineas and Ferb theme song, Crank That Super Mario, Natsuiro Egao de 1, 2, Jump!, are all specifically referencing the SiIvaSummer festival from earlier in the year - another event that still carried the same festivity and fun that the channel was still under during WinterFes. Season 4 Episode 2 felt a lot more...steady, so to speak - the community and creatives at SiIva were at more of an understanding with one another than back in 2016, and rips like this feel like a sort of affirmation of the channel's new ground.

I dunno, I may just be waffling about, but...both rips do really mean a lot to me. I think it says a lot about how well SiIvaGunner works as a cohesive entity, that two very similar rips feel so different due purely to the context they were released in, the vibe and feel of following the channel back ín Season 1 compared to in Season 4 Episode 2. I really can't pick a favorite between the two - to me, they're both perfect the way they are, as sort of bus-stop checkpoints to sit idly by and reflect on the year as a Season comes to a close.

Here's hoping for another one - either this year or the next!

...oh god Season 8 is soon upon us...

[bropunzeling]

12, 18, 19 for the writer's meme? 😌

12. If a genie offered you three writing wishes, what would they be? Btw if you wish for more wishes the genie turns all your current WIPs into Lorem Ipsum, I don’t make the rules

(1) that i would know the right title right away every time instead of staring down the ao3 posting form (2) that the things i think of when falling asleep would automatically show up in my notes app so i don't forget them (3) that the editing would just happen with no effort from me whatsoever

18. Choose a passage from your writing. Tell me about the backstory of this moment. How you came up with it, how it changed from start to end. Spicy addition: Questioner provides the passage.

here is a bit from contact high:

In the night, they’ve shifted. Leon is pressed along Matthew’s side, one arm curled over Matthew’s stomach. His chin rests in the divot between Matthew’s shoulder and neck. With every deep, slow breath Matthew takes, Leon can feel his chest rise and fall under his hand. The barest amount of light filters through the gap in the curtains, catching on their silhouettes.

It had been like this in March. Lying together in Matthew’s bed as the clock ticked past Leon’s curfew, even though he knew he should head back to the hotel. Their last game of the regular season looming as tomorrow came closer and closer. They hadn’t even flipped on a light switch, had fumbled through kissing and fucking all in the dark. It didn’t matter. Leon had still known Matthew’s body, what Matthew wanted, and Matthew had known him.

It was dark, and Leon was seconds away from falling asleep in Matthew’s bed the way he had never let himself before, when Matthew had broken the silence. Had said, in a voice scratchy with sleep, “It’ll be different, next year.”

Leon froze in place, suddenly wide awake. Hadn’t trusted himself to speak, to do anything more than make a noise.

Matthew heard his unspoken question. Said, again in that soft, rough voice, “I’ve been thinking about leaving Calgary.” A long pause as Leon lay there, perfectly still. “I don’t know. I’m just ready for a change, you know?” A sigh. “It’s going to feel really fucking good. Leaving all this shit behind.” And then, finally: “Don’t tell anyone, yeah?”

Leon had nodded. Lay there for five long seconds, but couldn’t get warm. Gave up, told Matthew he’d be heading back to the hotel, waved off the offer of a ride.

when i first started this fic, i was simply like wow, sex pollen sounds fun for them! i love making matthew and leon have dubious sex! and then maybe 2k in i went for a walk and was like you know what this needs. this needs leon feeling deeply, deeply abandoned by the trade and both of them being fucked up about it. and the whole tenor of the fic changed! i started dropping in more hints about previous feelings, about perceived unevenness in their relationship. but by the time i finished the horny shit i had to settle on what actually happened, and that was when i worked on this little flashback segment. and it took SO long to figure out exactly what matthew would've said that could hit the exact right note of matthew's feelings about calgary and how leon could perceive that as matthew's feelings about him (because they haven't talked about anything they're doing!) and how it could lead to this rupture between them that neither of them really know how to bridge. that is, until the plant life of florida gets involved.

also i really like the imagery in this sequence! the use of lighting and shadow, how the last time they were together they didn't even need to look at each other. i find the kind of familiarity you can have, to be able to know each others bodies so well that you don't even need the lights on, to be really compelling. and, of course, leon almost staying the night the last time, before the trade, and then deciding in this moment that he is going to stay the night even if it hurts :)

19. Tell me a story about your writing journey. When did you start? Why did you start? Were there bumps along the way? Where are you now and where are you going?

i started writing as a little tween obsessed with x-men comics and bad shounen manga and didn't know how to stop! i've always told a lot of stories and been a voracious reader and as soon as i had regular access to a semi-private way to get on the internet i found ff.net and had to read more stories, and then learned i could write those stories. the amount i write has ebbed and flowed a lot, including a long, long down stretch in my late twenties, but i've been really happy coming back to writing in the past two years. i forgot how much i really loved it and it's been so fun stretching myself and figuring out how to sustain a story arc and set up subplots and foreshadowing and all that jazz! my hopes for this year are to keep going, but at a pace that is sustainable for me, and that is coming from a place of joy and excitement. and to FINALLY write a fucking slow burn.

[natsumi-no-hotaru]

Chihayafuru #55: Karuta is so unpredictable... and fun!

AKA. I was completely blown away by how AWESOME this episode is. 

[Previously: The four-on-four team match and all hail the Shiranami Offensive!]

Gosh, what an episode. Absolutely wild, chockful of surprises and oh so meme-able! The pacing is faster and so much happened in 20 minutes. Seriously, a lot and wow, I haven’t felt that energized after watching Chihayafuru in a long while. Not that the last couple of episodes were dull or anything, but they kind of lack a certain spark that makes them truly memorable and leaves viewers at the edge of their seats. This is definitely not the case with Chihayafuru #55. As soon as I finished watching, I felt compelled to start writing, and had it not been for the intense workload and pressure at the office, this post would have come out much sooner. 

Picking up from where we left off, the match between Chi-chan and Haruka entered its most critical juncture, as Chi-chan snatched back the Chihayafuru, the one card that Sakurazawa never managed to take from the former Queen. 

Why she plays karuta

The loss of Chihayafuru was a considerable blow to Haruka, whose inner tumult gave Chi-chan the chance to reduce the card difference and turn the tides in her favor. Facing a fearless young opponent who played with such tranquility and enjoyment, Haruka became trapped by strenuous thoughts of having to “throw off [her opponent’s] pace and not let her have fun”. 

Her elder kid is so cute!!!

Instead of making the overly enthused Aki a burden to Haruka and her pursuit of karuta, the narrative took a step far from the beaten track, in turning his curiosity and budding interest into a source of strength and encouragement for the young mom. 

The game was momentarily interrupted but it gave Haruka just the needed headspace to recall her karuta origin story. Turns out that her parents were also karuta players and she, along with her sibling, joined their karuta practice ever since they were little. Haruka grew into a successful player, as proven by her holding the Queen title for 4 consecutive years, and became a young mom with two adorable kids. Convention would dictate that she should be satisfied with what she had, with the implication of giving up karuta, akin to a part of herself, to focus on her kids. But that was not the choice that her parents made, and this is the one case where “history repeats itself” does not mean a negative thing.

“But the realization that parents can have something they treasure as much as their kids set me free.”

I am once again blown by the bold and mold-breaking direction taken by Suetsugu-san (the mangaka), and subsequently honored by the animation, with regards to Haruka’s storyline and character. At first glance, Haruka had all the family trappings that, in your run-of-the-mill competition narrative, would have weighed her down and turned her into a past-her-prime mom player. But this is definitely NOT the case here. Previously, we have seen how supportive her husband was of her karuta to the point of sharing in the child-rearing and caretaking responsibilities and how Haruka herself was not content to rest on her laurels. All of that culminates in this episode, where she demonstrates a solid conviction to be a model for her children, to show them that a rewarding lifelong pursuit does not need to come at the cost of family. She plays karuta because she wants to stay true to herself and believes that by not giving up on her passion, she is passing on her parents’ gift to her children - a chance to embark on the journey of self-validation and self-affirmation from a young age. 

To this end, there was no other way for Haruka to proceed but to play the karuta that she excels and enjoys. Instead of dwelling on how to break Chi-chan’s momentum, she recovered herself in time to showcase the top-tier hearing that carried her through past games and astonished all. 

In a battle over a multiple-syllable card, Haruka emerged victorious when she swiped at Chi-chan’s card after hearing only the first syllable, which, technically, should not be enough to let her know which card the reader was reading: hers or her opponent’s. Yet it was not a grab made in desperation or blind luck. Haruka knew which card was read with dead certainty because she could pick up on the tonal variations of the card reader (who is from the west like her). There was simply no contest possible for Chi-chan in this regard.

Just as the match was about to take a more serious turn, a curveball came out of nowhere in the form of a card being slightly moved upon the reading of a dead card. 

A moment of confusion gripped the room as everyone tried to figure out who moved the card. 

But for the two persons in question, it was no more than an amusing incident, a much-appreciated reliever of tensions that brought them closer. It is also another instance that highlights Chi-chan’s growing maturity as a karuta player; she would have been so flustered had this been a year earlier. The fact that she could laugh about it and enjoy a bonding moment with her opponent, a former Queen for 4 consecutive times no less, speaks volumes about her mindset and approach to the game. Her little routine of wiping her face, fixing her sleeve ties and hair, and exhaling deeply before returning to the game without a hint of stress viscerally reflected Chi-chan’s inner composure and enjoyment of the game itself.

“I’d thought she’d tense up against a former Queen, but right from the start, and even this close to the end, she’s not getting worked up. Maybe in Ayase’s mind, the only Queen is Wakamiya Shinobu.”

Damn, this moment gave me the shivers. It is precisely why I ship Shinochi - this fleeting yet tenacious connection between two very talented and quirky players, both in search of personal fulfilment through competitive karuta. Previously, Shi-chan found in Chi-chan a promising rival who wants nothing more than going head to head against a Queen that went all out. In Shi-chan, Chi-chan found an indomitable will to aspire to, a constant source of inspiration that buoys her up at challenging moments. If Chi-chan can face Shi-chan after a merciless match and came out all the more gratified for it, then how can she lose heart in front of an opponent lesser than the latter?  

What puts the cherry on the top for me is how these insightful observations do not come from the usual sources, like Kana-chan, Tsutomu, Taichi or more recently, Sakurazawa-sensei, but from Nishida. The fact that he could grasp this facet of Chi-chan’s psyche so well speaks to the bonds between Mizusawa karuta club members. It’s a very beautiful and understated way of showing how much they care for one another’s progress.

“This is it, Taichi”

“Even Wakamiya Shinobu isn’t invincible.”

Mentions of Shi-chan and her defeat at the hand of Arata made for a smooth transition into Arata’s unanticipated loss against the unfavorably compared Tsuboguchi. The latter’s victory was such a major upset that left everyone dumbfounded in the most hilarious of ways. 

LOL, look at their faces. I absolutely DID NOT foresee this turn of event at all, too. Kinda bet on Chi-chan facing Arata in their first official match in this tournament. Turned out that would have to wait. 

Me very glad that it was not an actual bet me made. Would be a major loss here lmao. Who would have thought that Arata would lose here, to high school karuta coach Tsuboguchi-san of all people, cursed or not by the latter’s student? 

Nothing seemed to go according to plan for opponents of the Shiranami Society. Murao-kun, Arata’s senpai, managed a win against Harada-sensei, but at great expense to his stamina. Imagine the kind of unyielding battle Harada-sensei must have waged against this much younger player, to have brought the card gap from 10 down to 4 at the end. 

It was a vicious tug of war for Chi-chan and Taichi, both locked in a tie against their opponents. At a juncture where many would play cautiously, our beloved President and Vice President persisted with the Shiranami-famous offensive style, living on the edge as their sensei and senpai would have it. 

The imagery is a little silly in how it made Harada-sensei and Tsuboguchi-san the dearly departed, instead of the still kicking members of the Shiranami Society; but the emphasis on the bond between all members and the influence they had on each other’s mentality, playstyle and decisions rendered depth to the story, neatly harking back to the team-tournament spirit espoused by Harada-sensei before the quarter-finals, as well as to the desire to stay true to oneself in karuta, as embraced by Haruka at the episode’s beginning. 

Chi-chan ended the game victoriously on the poignant note of “Since I could not hide my love” (remember when Taichi himself pulled through the class A ascension game with this same card?) and promptly fell into sleep on the spot, to the joy and dismay of Kana-chan and Nishida. The only match undecided left was Taichi’s, and as per his usual luck, it came down to a luck of the draw, again. Good thing this was not a cliffhanger cos I was literally holding on to my tea mug for support. 

Feels like Taichi is becoming a Master on his own at luck of the draw...

The instant the reader started reciting, Taichi reached for the card on Sudo-san’s side, before the latter even reacted. It was not that he could hear a decisive sound as the basis for his judgement. It was simply a move borne out of much arduous experience.

Lmao, it was too outrageous even for Sudo-san.

Regardless, GO, Taichiiiiii!!!! *exhaled in relief* Semi-finals, here we come!

Well, before the semi-finals was a somewhat out-of-the-blue segue about Chi-chan’s mother, who sought to juggle between doing her own work and supporting her daughters in their career/pursuit. 

It did find its way back to an unconscious Chi-chan cradled in the arms of friends but still, bit disjointed, albeit an interesting glimpse at the dynamics among the Ayase women.

“I’ll take the loss by default.”

In another surprising turn of event - well not the post-march dead-to-the-world Chi-chan, Hiroshi chose to lose by default to Chi-chan, instead of making her lose by not being able to show up for the match. Certainly one may chalk this up to team spirit but that would not be ... sufficient. Hiroshi’s concern for Chi-chan - “just let Chihaya-chan sleep” felt very brotherly, which is nice because it didn’t seem like she was showered with enough familial care and affection at home.

Taichi is a different story though. It’s not that Hiroshi did not care for Taichi but like a big brother, he knows exactly which button to push to get his sibling fire up, the way he did back at the Omi Jingu team tournament as a karuta high school coach. Hiroshi knew that Taichi needed someone to acknowledge his efforts and progress without sugarcoating the thornier parts.

“Most people here think you’re just a kid who rode a wave of momentum to get here.”

As Hiroshi rightly said, Taichi could never rely on momentum or luck, but pure skill. This helped to bolster his spirit but also placed the weight of expectations on him, as someone with the skill. Thankfully, he was motivated by the fact that Arata would be watching him - a chance to show Arata what he could do now. 

An easy win is not gonna help Taichi mentally and I think that’s partly why he said that he would not have yielded to Taichi, the way he did to Chi-chan, in response to Harada-sensei’s question. Certainly, rivalry also fueled this answer but at the core of it is Hiroshi’s desire to show that he takes Taichi seriously as well as his deep awareness of Taichi’s inferiority complex. 

“This is my first time watching Taichi play.”

Gosh, that cute chuckle of Arata. This is, if memory serves me well, the first time that we got to see Arata showing an interest purely in Taichi, without being occupied by other considerations such as forming his own karuta club or joining group tournaments. His flashback was of the few interactions with Taichi that did not directly involve Chi-chan too - the incident with Arata’s glasses in their early days and Taichi’s tsundere attitude towards playing karuta with his childhood friends. I personally enjoy very much these brief moments of camaraderie between Taichi and Arata and look forward to more of them, be it in the rest of season 3 anime or in the post-s3 chapters of the manga. There is a lot of potential to flesh out meaningful character developments from these interactions, not just from Aratachi or Taichihaya moments. 

Before getting back to Serious Land™, and I do mean it, cos oh boy the ending, here are Chi-chan’s lovely selves.

I do want to see Chi-chan and Shi-chan decked out in all their goofy glory for a karuta game lol.

The perfect defense

In previous episodes, Taichi has shown a certain affinity towards incorporating others’ techniques into his own mentally rigorous playstyle. Against a Murao-kun whose "simple-minded aggressiveness” has been whittled away by the attrition battle waged by Harada-sensei, Taichi held his own and maintained a large card difference against his opponent, even finding opportunities to test out a new pull-back move (which is Sudo-san’s move right?).  

While this battle’s outcome is more or less decided, especially with the large card difference and Chi-chan already being slated for the final, it would be nice to be able to delve deeper into Taichi’s state of mind here. Seemingly in response to the unvoiced question from Tsutomu-kun and Nishida, Taichi mentally pointed to the presence of Arata in the audience, Harada-sensei’s previous whittling effort, and Chi-chan’s absence. I am not quite sure how all these pieces fit together to bring about this version of Taichi; hopefully we will get some insight in the next episode. The most ominous piece is Chi-chan’s absence... considering what several people already said regarding Taichi’s performance in her absence. 

In the meantime, Harada-sensei clearly sensed that in spite of the offensive karuta he was taught, it is defensive karuta that increasingly defined his playstyle and brought him victory this time. I vaguely recalled someone already making an observation to similar effect, was it Sakurazawa-sensei, during the team tournament in season 2? 

And here we go, the match that has been hinted at for quite sometime now - an official match between Taichi and Chi-chan!! 

Chi-chan certainly is the better player and she has proved herself against very strong players, from Queen candidates to actual Queens, so I think there should be no surprise as to the final outcome of this match. Nonetheless, I am certain that Suetsugu-san would not have this important turning point to be without its share of twists and drama. 

Can Taichi hold his own against Chi-chan? Will he lose to himself? And more importantly, what will he do to improve his karuta, especially the defensive playstyle, in the aftermath? I eagerly await the next episode (or episodes, since the match may take longer) and what it has in store for Taichi.

Before ending this post, I just wanna drop a quick note for all readers, new or regular (gosh, do I have any left after more than a year of hiatus). Thank you so much for your support and I am sorry for disappearing for so long. Life has been putting me through the wringer ever since and drained me of any interest in putting out my own written word. This is not the first time this happened, unfortunately. But regardless of my pre-occupations, be it professional, gaming or anime-wise, I remain invested in seeing my series of posts on Chihayafuru to its completion. So buckle up, cos this train is resuming service, to the next episode of Chihayafuru and beyond!

[rivaille-13]

Hey Hans! I just noticed that you never really posted your new fanfic with the 1950-ish vibes here so let me be the one to promote it for ya lol

i know quite people are begging this lovely writer to update an epilogue for ATW or even asking updates of By Dawn but we never really had your answers *sad cries* until my email beeps that you actually posted another fic *holy moly*

And it’s freakin 1950’s. FOR REAL guys read it the title is “From Afar” and honestly Hans I’m kind of scared it has a cutesy vibes but at the same time it screams disaster and chaos just like the movie Edge of Love (ik ik, you’re a fan of Cillian just like moralee!)

Again, the writing is incredible im forever a fan. But pls Hans, could you please update By Dawn too? That story got me on chokehold I don’t know how I actually read that because I’m literally bawling every chapters but it’s still freaking beautiful

Ok love u

Wow, this is a long ask indeed! I don’t know what to answer first, it has been a while but please let me express my gratitude first. The amount of support I am still getting is very flattering and heart warming so thank you very much.

It has been two years since the last chapter of After The War, and I swear that I’ve tried to write an epilogue, but then tossed it right into the bin because there has been some changes I want to revise with the whole story. It feels like the story is still lacking plots, and I’m really not satisfied with the whole outcome and grammatical error…I’m still at Chapter 3 revision, and it’s taking me a long time and it’s killing me too.

While By Dawn, I’ll Leave is like the skeleton meme that was left chained at the bottom of the pool LOL I’m very kidding but yes, a year had already passed since I last updated a new chapter. To give you my answer, I have a draft of the next chapter — around 3,000 words but I definitely feel the need to drop a hell of a long chapter in regards to the POV of whom character I am writing…I think that this chapter should express the missing details (I know some of the readers are left hanging and dissatisfied with Levi and Mikasa’s choices) to give way that both of the characters suffered equally in their own way…alright no spoilers. Haha

And of course, I almost forgot! From Afar — 1950’s and stuff…I’m getting a lot of suggestions to write a 50’s one so here I tried. Tackles about the 1940-50’s, I actually don’t know how to react with that opinion of yours but it did make me laugh. The chaos and disaster, hmm…maybe? But it’s not going to land like The Edge of Love for sure, I don’t want Mikasa to be milking Levi’s military pension the way Vera did it to William (Cillian Murphy)! Hahaha, maybe the vibes, you know, I’m still head over heels towards Cillian as Levi and so on.

Thank you for promoting it again, and for the time to ask me such. I’m sorry, there’s no emoji available, my iPhone is shitty, I can’t put emoji on my text!

To everyone who wants to give From Afar a try, here’s the link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48274930

It’s not really fixed yet, like the title and tags could change but yeah, a 1950’s…enjoy and let me know what you think. (:

[inhumanliquid]

Okay so I love the fact that the channel itself is like 12 years old or something and not only is it still going but there's like INTENSE LORE that wasn't there when it started

Like imagine watching from the start as he slowly gets better editing skills and tools and watching the content go from Mario 64 bloopers to episodic little mini-stories to wait holy shit there's continuity?? An arc??? MULTIPLE ARCS!?

And the fact that once the r word started being considered a slur he not only stopped using it in videos but he also REMADE some of his R64 series (which as you can probably guess the full title was [r word]64) and renamed it to REMASTERED64 which is not only removing the word but its also a pun is just. Aough

Rewatching some of his old videos (m. maybe not Snowtrapped though) i get so nostalgic bc smg4 (character) DIDN'T HAVE VOICE ACTING and just. wow. Also with the stuff like the addition of voice acting and the redesigns you kinda know just by watching any particular video roughly when it was made even without looking at the description

Speaking of, I remember I didn't like the redesigns at first (at least those of 3 and 4) bc like they've been Mario recolors for so long. It's like the new minecraft piston sound. But after the second redesigns im fine with it. Actually I think he did comment about the fact that redesign 1 was like. cocomelon looking or something

Also he made the redesigns kinda. Canon?? He put them in the lore kinda

And at the start when it was still bloopers he collabed with a bunch of other yt'ers about the size of his channel like X and FM, but once he got big they kinda stopped showing up but the crazy thing is HE HAD A LORE EXPLANATION FOR THEM DISAPPEARING

Spoilers for uhh i forget either the Genesis or Revelations arc, skip to the bold green text if you want to watch first (you should tbh as long as you're not scared of what I'm scared of)

So Zero was actually the reason the Mario recolors disappeared, which is interesting bc that was back when 3 and 4 were still Mario recolors but around then it's also found out that SMG doesn't stand for SuperMarioGlitchy like the channel implied up to that point (iirc it was even called SuperMarioGlitchy4 for a bit), but it actually stands for Super Meme Guardian, and if Mario dies the universe will end bc Mario is the Avatar, explaining why 3 and 4 (the meme guardians of that universe) look like recolors of him. Also one of my favorite lines from the whole series was in that arc, "Killing us won't fix what happened to you!", said by smg2. Oh yeah there's other universes and smg1 and smg2 are from one where the Avatar was a guy named Spudnick, who smg2 looks like a recolor of. ough the DETAIL i love that arc despite. what happened to Axol..

spoilers for those arcs over

And there was like. If Mario was in video games that would have Mario be transported INTO the games CANONICALLY not just start with him there

And the recent arcs. OH THE RECENT ARCS

spoilers again. this time for the It's Gotta be Perfect arc, Western Spaghetti and really the whole Showgrounds era

Okay so smg4 goes crazy and wants to make the Ultimate Video or whatever. And he gets this keyboard from an ad with a TV mascot... (important later)

Thats part of a whole arc where smg4 is missing for Mar10 Day bc he can't stop working on the video, but it's revealed that Mario wanted smg4 there for a specific event that smg3 has to be there for instead, but after that which i think was one of the redesign announcements, Mario REALLY needs smg4 for something but he's not leaving his work so eventually the wifi router ends up being knocked over and THEN smg4 comes out, but he's oNLY YELLING ABOUT THE WIFI, he kicks everyone out, puts the router back and goes back to work again. Yknow what Mario needed him for? HE FUCKING WANTED TO GIVE HIM A BEST FRIEND AWARD

And yknow what really started this ultimate video insanity? Smg3 got millions of views on a livestream. That might not sound like much but one of his running jokes is that he NEVER gets more than like 3 views, one of which is always either Eggdog (his pet) or a Ugandan Knuckles that lives with him

But he didn't do anything special or different that one stream. SO WHO GOT HIM THE VIEWS HUH??? (This is my theory, but it's. The same TV guy from the keyboard ad i thgink. You'll see why I think that soon)

So at the end of the IGBP arc, the main crew loses their home (oh yeah have i mentioned they were living in Peach's castle this whole time) due to a giant Eldritch abomination that was released/summoned by smg4 using the keyboard

So they have to search for a new home. But when they go to the house market, Boopkins (one of the main characters) is working there and mentions he hasn't seen the listing before. And there's a mysterious logo next to the listing, titled The Showgrounds. Tbh i didn't notice that the first time i watched bc there wasn't any known significance to the logo at that point. But remember that.

So they get to the Showgrounds, build their new castle and. there's a boarded up room? That never gets addressed?? Also the castle looks SICK AF seriously google "smg4 Showgrounds castle" it looks AWESOME

Holy shit i just realized i don't think the second floor of the castle has been shown yet-

uh. Anyway they have an arc at this place called Western Spaghetti (which Mario seemed very eager to go to for obvious reasons) and on the train everyone starts acting like cowboys and time freezes. And there's actually an official gmod map that was made for this arc, where some lore stuff is idk I don't play gmod

But anyway yeah they go to Western Spaghetti because they want to find Meggy's idol, One Shot Wren. But as it turns out, Wren is a villain and the whole place is a SIMULATION that was.. gifted to him. And guess what cloddamn logo was on the letter Wren got. YEP THATS RIGHT THE SAME ONE FROM THE SHOWGROUNDS

And they only get out because Tari has experience with simulations before (this connects to lore of Meta Runner, a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SERIES MADE BY THEM)

and THEN. Another arc happens, the Marty arc, where Mario makes a cardboard guy named Marty who inexplicably is super fucking resistant to being moved when he doesn't want to. Mario drew Marty into existence bc he didn't want to work at his pizza shop bc he didn't realize running a pizza shop rneant giving OTHER people the pizzas

But after Mario stole all the money Marty made to pay for the castle (yes this is a bit out of order sorry) there was this big arc that started with the printer at the pizza shop being hijacked to print something that basically said if Marty was able to open smg3's secret notebook uhh i forget what exactly would happen but it would be good for Marty. But wait. The printer glitched when it was hijacked and you'd NEVER GUESS what logo appeared when it glitched.

Mario helped Marty steal and try to open the notebook and this caused War of The Fat Italians (shortened to WOTFI) 2023 to happen which was the end of the arc

and hold on. 2023? Yes that's right the first appearance of the one known only at the time as "TV Adware" was in the IGBP movie, which premiered MARCH 18TH 2023 and according to my theory his influence goes all the way back to SMG4... Are You Ok? Which happened FEBRUARY 18th

The movie where this mega arc ended premiered APRIL 20TH OF THIS FUCKING YEAR. NOT EVEN A MONTH AGO

Anyway the ending of WOTFI 2023 was when we got to see what "TV Adware" really looked like, which. woah he looks cool

Spoilers over lol I have a lot to say about those arcs

Yknow what. As much as I want to im not going to ramble about the Puzzlevision arc bc I don't want to spoil it for you. I can't recommend enough that you go watch it because HOLY SHIT, also why im not spoiling it. Start from WOTFI 2023 and skip to No TV Make Mario No Okie Dokie if you need to. It honestly won't take that much time, maybe like a day at most so you absolutely should go watch it all

Hough. Sorry this took so long to type and [tumblr] I swear if you fail to send this fucking ask-

anyway this has been Me Rambling About SMG4

Wow. I will absolutely go watch Puzzlevision, then. Holy shit.

Feel free to come infodump about anything you want to whenever, by the way. I like listening to people rant about things. /gen

[theroseempress]

Weaving and Finger Painting for the ask meme!

(Weaving: are your works typically similar to one another? Pick two works, and share one similarity and one difference between them.)

I don't know if I'd say my works are similar per se, but there's most definitely themes I gravitate towards, and as such most of my works have said themes in common.

As to what said themes are... I'm honestly not entirely sure, to be honest. I definitely like writing character interactions, so I guess most of my works have strong inter-character relationships? I also really like exploring platonic love (and in general find exploring various types of love/relationships fun) so there's that as well.

As to the two works, I'll pick The Golden City and Mercy City (placeholder title) since they're the two I've been recently working on. Similarity- the main protagonist of TGC's name is Felix and the main protagonist of MC's name is Felice Aside from their names, Felix and Felice are pretty similar in some aspects. Also each of these stories currently has City in the title. Difference- Well, the first thing that comes to mind is that MC has a magic system and TGC does not, just average humans. There's also a lot more groups of people up to their own agendas in MC than TGC.

(Finger Painting: share a small snippet from your earliest work (or the earliest that you can get back to). How would you rewrite it today? Either share the rewrite itself or just describe how you'd do it.)

Oh wow, my earliest work... Actually, hang on, I might be able to get that. One moment... Yeah, couldn't find my actual earliest work. It's hypothetically somewhere in my email, but I emailed it to someone when I was like 11 or something, so yeah.

My actual earliest work was a fantasy book where the main characters were horses, believe it or not. I called it Isles of the Endless Sea (which is honestly a very cool name) and it had like 3 or 4 books before I got bored halfway through the ending of one and just. stopped writing them haha.

IotES was honestly quite a good series despite the rather clunky writing (not blaming my past self, she did her best), I reread it recently and there's quite a few moments where I was like 'huh that's actually a really cool concept/line'. The first book's title was 'Night of Shadows' and I honestly can't figure out if that's a bit too dramatic or if it's actually a very cool title.

I'd like to try rewriting it someday, to be honest. If I did, the biggest change I'd make would be changing the characters to humans. I'd also adjust the plot a bit so it's less convoluted, and definitely change how ALL THE CHARACTERS are somehow related. (I'd just discovered the concept of 'secret evil sibling' and was very enamoured with it).

There's a snippet (the first book's prologue) under the cut! Notes specifically on the snippet... not that bad honestly. Formatting could definitely use some work. If I were to edit it now, I'd probably rewrite some of the lines, but overall quite good, especially for what was basically my first time writing.

“She will see you now.”

The white attendant stepped out of the way, and Reikan strode past him, into the throne room. The mare who waited there was beautiful, a deadly kind of beauty, however.

She was the color of polished black ebony, and had striped hooves. Her face was neatly structured, suggesting a hint of Arabian. The only flaw was a long scar,running down her jawline. It was not a ugly thing, merely a line where there was no hair. However, it served as a reminder of who she was to her legions. That and the sabre, that deadly curved sword, that hung in a sheath at her side. It had emeralds studded down the handle, and a blade many suspected was dipped in poison.

It was, in fact. A narrow tube ran down the blade, feeding from the tip, to a reservoir set in the handle, that was filled with adders venom! It had a plug at the tip, so that when it stabbed something , that plug would give leeway for a thin trickle of venom. If you felt the tip, you could feel a slight bump, the plug. However, no-horse felt the tip, as Ziara made most of her kills without using the poison at all.

But perhaps her most recognizable feature was her eyes. They were black, which was not a strange thing. But the kind of black..ah, that was strange. They were a deep black that if you stared into, you felt almost as if you were being sucked into a vacuum. When she was angry, the black gained a strange gleam to it. She was also a master of stares, and could make almost any horse feel the way she wanted them to.

Ziara was studying a map when Reikan entered. However, she greeted him before the door had even closed

“Reikan.”

Somewhat astonished at how she had know it was him, he bowed, and replied. “Milady”

Eyes spitting fire, she turned around.

“Reikan! How many times must I remind you? Do. Not. Call. Me. Milady!” “Apologies General. It was a slip of the tongue.”

The lethal mare returned to her previous state, one so charming it was impossible not to be awed by her beauty.

“Your report?”

[lotus-mirage]

Trigun Stampede episode 7 liveblog

Man I said this two-parter is really focused on Wolfwood, but this episode has his name as the title

Oh I see the destination is an additional threat to him. Huh. I wonder what the purpose of that is? Like just to mess with him, or to make the journey seem appropriately menaced, or what?

I didn't notice before, but it is incredibly funny that the letters front and center are B and L

I feel like half of Wolfwood's gun is like ammo storage lmao, he goes through that fast

Oh actual emoting from Livio! Not looking particularly cognizant, but it's something.

Oh there's Meryl and Roberto! Would not have figured that's how they managed to tag along, but if it works it works haha

The boing noises as the desert raiders are thrown around are fantastic

Vash is wielding his gun, backhand, like a blunt weapon. Possibly as a gauntlet idk. Still. Makes sense for him, but not something I've ever seen before lol

Mmmmhmm and now the "monsters" and "not human" assertions are being foiled.

Between Livio and Rollo, seems like they kinda get stuck on a single sentiment?

"It would have been better without you around" ...ah. I did not expect that and don't know how to respond to it.

Wow, uh. I mean we knew Vash was incredibly accurate at aiming before, but to redirect someone else's gun to land a clean shot (particularly one that has as much heft as Wolfwood's) is rather uncanny.

that method of getting another Worm actually made me gag ugh.

wait hold up what was happening with Livio's reflection. I don't think I recognize it?

Eef. Thought that was how it'd end, but didn't expect him to shoot and fall over the side. (I suppose it's possible that the 'if there isn't a body, they're probably not dead' rule applies here though)

"I just wanted to spread the good word. That's all." You know I think this does in fact hold true to the, uh. Real world weight? That this sort of phrase carries.

Okay this is the first we've heard of a topic that Wolfwood apparently has disagreements with the Eye of Michael over. ...Actually that was on an assumption that it's a decision on an action, not a religious thing. It's Wolfwood's initial verbal disagreement on religion, isn't it.

Switched to Eng dub for a second 'cause I wasn't sure who said the next couple lines, but yeah I think it's clearer that it's about Wolfwood's denial.

Wait speaking of that's also a Christian term too right. Like Judas denies Jesus or something? I know the term is used in relation to those two in particular but I don't actually know the specifics. It's like "one of you will deny me" or "one of you will betray me" and I don't remember which.

Not sure if that really matters in this case, though, since I don't think Bluesummers quite maps to Jesus lol. Anyways.

Okay yeah "Punisher" is definitely being used in relation to Wolfwood himself. Noted.

Lmao the "Hi!~" being in English really sold it

Ooh, worldbuilding. Spacefaring age, okay.

Wait if they're running around to all the controls, where are the people originally driving the ship?

Yay, character exploration and development from Meryl! (and Roberto to a lesser extent)

Oh wait the kid that fell in the first town is alive?? I guess I saw him moving a bit at the end there, but it was a long fall and I thought maybe it was his mom's movements while carrying him.

:0 Vash's arm fractured! Frankly I didn't know it could do that. That's not good.

Oh lmao it's the disproportionate response "Wolfwood..." that kept being memed on.

Oh NOW the title comes up!

Actually wait I saw something on this a while ago, too. They were talking about he asserts he's "the Punisher," then "Nicholas the Punisher," and then the framing basically hits him with a "no :)" That's so funny. Also kind of tragic. But still funny.

Oh hey this is the first time we've seen Vash in this sort of situation since he was a 'plant technician' in the first episode.

it can move in there!?

oh that looks really painful

it's humanoid already!?

maybe I leaned too far into the "oh it's kind of egg shaped" assumption lol

Oop, yep, I guess Livio's not dead. Or uh. Might be dead but isn't out of the picture?

Alright yeah Vash looks pretty out of it.

...was that him hitting the ground? oof.

End Notes:

Again not really much to say here! We got some character details, some worldbuilding details, lots of character development & solidification of relationships, and now some immediate threads to be followed up on (Vash's arm and the Plant reveal thing). Feeling much more invested than when I started the series and interested in seeing how this conversation goes!

I will say. The plant did not look uh. very intimidating. kind of reminds me of the... neopets fairies? I don't think that's right, but like some similar franchise kind of had similar vibes, shape-wise.

...is this the first time the Plant stuff got fully revealed in the show? I went in knowing and haven't been keeping track. I know it was established that Vash is a) non-human b) fell from a spaceship onto the planet and c) had 'relatives' in pods on said spaceship. Not to mention his twin also having pretty obvious markings. But I'm curious about the reasons for the pacing of these reveals, since we got so much of Wolfwood's backstory just last episode.