#make them 15-16 and have it end when they’re all 18 just like bw

[lyricalchrysanthemum]

Pokemashe bw+bw2 is a coming of age story for everyone involved. Mainly the nuvemas but Hilda and kind of N gets the same treatment.

[yukisohmasmokesweed]

I feel like all the Shigure hate is less cause of his actions and more just from the perception that he's a pedo and SOO much older than Akito. Which, tbqh I'm not sure where that misconception comes from when Akito was never given an exact age to pin down a gap anyways. but I hate it and I wish this he's "6-9 years older than her" rumor would just be put to rest already! How do you think it even got started anyways when we were never even given Akito's age?

i absolutely agree and i know exactly where it comes from because everyone who claims he’s a pedophile cites the same two scenes. the first:

(note: i dont have official versions of the manga but i’m pretty sure they’re actually saying “love” and not “like”)

everyone who makes this argument, in my opinion, is ignoring one of the central themes of fruits basket: that love can come in many different forms and that platonic love can and does turn into romantic love (source: kyoru). when people cite this scene as an example of shigure’s pedophilia, they’re interpreting shigure’s answer to akito’s question as a declaration of romantic love. the way i interpret this, however, is shigure 1. answering akito’s question straight on 2. speaking to his experience of the close bond he’s always had with akito and 3. reassuring akito, who has had one parent die when they were very young and the other reject and abuse them from birth, that they are loved. i don’t think there is anything romantic about this scene. i think the reason takaya shows us shigure’s answer to this question and not anyone else’s is to showcase that their romance grew from a strong foundation of mutual like and closeness as children. i’m sure ayame and hatori also assure akito that they are loved, but their answers are not plot relevant. 

this scene also takes place in the infamous chap 101 where we find out not only that shigure and akito are sleeping together, but that shigure cheated on akito with ren. i think takaya put this scene in the same chapter to contrast their pure love for each other as children with how twisted and dark it has become between the two of them as adults.

the other oft-referenced scene is this one:

which is interpreted to mean that shigure, an elementary schooler, is announcing that he wants to start a romantic relationship with a person who hasn’t been born yet. i think this interpretation ignores the supernatural aspect of shigure’s love for akito—this is a love that is forced onto the zodiac, one that ayame and hatori rejected because it infringes on their free will, but shigure embraced. i don’t know how shigure could possibly feel romantic love for someone he’s never met, and i think this scene is speaking to the power of the bond and how shigure interprets that. i also personally don’t think an elementary schooler is capable of romantic love and i don’t think a child could have the forethought to decide they want to have an actual relationship with someone, especially someone they’ve never met (and don’t even know the gender of, btw). 

people do exaggerate the age difference as well, claiming shigure is older than he is and akito is younger than they are. however, takaya makes a very clear delineation as to who is a teenager and who is an adult, and akito sits very firmly on the adult side of things. we know akito is older than kagura, who is around 18 at the beginning of fruits basket, but younger than ritsu, who is college-aged (unclear, bw 19-21). shigure states akito is older than 20 in the last arc at the very least. i think it would make the most sense for akito to be 5 yrs older than yuki and 5 yrs younger than shigure, because it would mean akito and yuki wouldn’t have been in high school at overlapping times and making akito fully an adult when yuki is in high school. and shigure, ayame, and hatori were born the same year, making shigure 10 years older than yuki. so this would mean at the beginning of fb yuki is 15/16, akito is 20/21, and shigure is 25/26. 

(EDIT: shigure is 26 or 27 in the beginning of fruits basket; i made the estimation based on ayame’s statement that he is 10 years older than yuki and that ayame and shigure were the same age, but actually shigure is the oldest of the zodiacs and it’s likely shigure and ayame were born at opposite ends of the same year. so, he is likely 26 or 27 in the beginning of fruits basket.)

i think this claim is about interpreting shigure’s statements to akito when he was a child as romantic where i interpret them to be platonic/familial with the bond itself being the source. i think it also ignores the supernatural aspect of their relationship and shigure’s relationship to the curse as something that isn’t necessarily inherently bad (remember: his motivation to break the curse is to be on equal footing with akito and so he doesn’t have to share, not because the curse is a detriment on his life). the one unclear thing is when exactly shigure and akito started having a sexual relationship, but deciding that is purely headcanon since there’s absolutely nothing in the text to support one idea over the other. but claiming shigure is a pedophile when there are actual pedophiles in fruits basket is a waste of time and an interpretation of the text i feel ignores the importance fb places on platonic love.

[lovemesomesurveys]

1. List 5 things you want to do before the year ends. I’d love to just be able to go to the beach and relax, but that won’t happen. That was the only place I could feel relaxed. Beaches have reopened, but the hours are limited and you can’t just sit/lay there like you used to be able to. You can only walk around. And anyway, the fact we’re still very much in the thick of this whole thing I don’t feel safe or comfortable going places yet or being around people. I wouldn’t feel relaxed at all. 

2. What color are your pants? I’m wearing black leggings.

3. Favorite motivational quote. Meh.

4. When was the last time you drank coffee? I’m drinking a Starbucks Doubleshot energy drink, which as the can says is a “energy coffee beverage.”

5. What was the last thing you ate?   Ramen.

6. Favorite animal. Giraffes! <<< Aww, saaaame. And doggos. (:

7. Favorite song. I couldn’t just choose one favorite.

8. Last movie you watched? I’m completely blanking at the moment in regards to the last movie, but I’ve binged a lot of a couple shows on Netflix recently. 

9. Any turn ons? Nice smelling cologne. 

10. Any turn offs? Cockiness and arrogance.

11. List 4 big words off of the top of your head. Claustrophobia, arachnophobia, agoraphobia, tryphophobia.  

12. What are some meaningful movies?   Hmm.

13. 2 most important people in your life right now? God and my family. Yep, I’m grouping my family cause I couldn’t just choose 2.

14. What are 3 things you want to do before the month ends? Let’s be real- I won’t be doing anything.

15. When was the last time you read a good book? I’m almost done with one called, “Never Walk Alone” by Willow Rose.

16. How long do you study for usually, if you study? I spend about 20 minutes to an hour when doing my Bible studies. 

17. Do you have any nicknames? Just Steph and Sis.

18. Favorite kind of perfume? (fruity, alluring, etc.) I like certain fruity and sweet ones, ones with patchouli, and beachy and autumnal scents from B&BW.

19. Do you have any international friends / friends who live out of state? Those of us in this survey community live all over. 

20. What is something unique that you do every single day? Probably that I have a bowl of ramen of every night.

21. If there was a movie based on your life, what would it be called? A series of unfortunate events <– Pretty damn accurate. Lmao. <<< Lol, I’ve made that joke before, too. I also find it quite fitting for my life.

22. When was the last time you bought a gift for someone? Last month.

23. Are you a shopaholic? I was. My online shopping got out of hand the last few years, too. However, I’ve actually been pretty good this year so far. 

24. What are some songs that always make you feel better? Upbeat and catchy songs help in the moment. Sad, emo, relatable songs can help as well, though. Sometimes just shouting along to “I’m Not Okay” saying, “I’M NOT OKAY, I’M NOT O-FUCKING-KAY!” or something can feel good. ha. Need some good angst.

25. List 3 activities that you can only enjoy by yourself. Surveys, reading, and listening to ASMR.

26. If you could live in any biome (and survive) which biome would you live in? I don’t think I’d last long in any biome.

27. How do you like being roused in the morning? Uh, I don’t.

28. How was your day? What did you do? It’s only about 330 in the morning, but so far it’s been fine. I’ve had my bowl of ramen, scrolled some through Tumblr, watched YouTube videos, and now I’m doing surveys and listening to ASMR.

29. What did your last text message say? I sent my brother a TikTok video that reminded me of our doggo.

30. Do you respond to texts quickly? It depends.

31. Who was the last person you called? My mom.

32. List 5 things that are on your wish list. I don’t knowwww.

33. If you were famous, what do you think you would be famous for? I wouldn’t be famous. I’m not that special or talented. <<< Same. I don’t want to be famous anyway.

34. Winter or summer? Winter, HANDS DOWN.

35. What is a quality that all people should have? Empathy would be great.

36. If you could have a large collection of one item, what would that item be? I already have a large collection of giraffe stuffed animals, books, key chains, and graphic tees. I don’t have room for more.

37. What have you been thinking about lately? My mind is always a jumbled mess with a lot of stuff that is always on my mind from my health, family, and just life in general. But this year has and continues to give me a lot to think about as well.

38. What is the secret to a happy life? Ha, you’re asking the wrong person.

39. What are some phrases you say often? I know I have my many “Stephanieisms”, but I always seem to blank when asked this question.

40. Favorite food? Ramen, scrambled eggs with shredded cheese, spinach, and green onion, Wingstop garlic parm and lemon pepper boneless wings, spaghetti and meatballs, pasta salads, pesto pasta, deli sandwiches, and baked potatoes.

41. List 3 wishes. I feel like you’ve asked me this in different ways a few times now.

42. What are some of your greatest fears? Losing my loved ones, death, never getting better/getting worse, never doing anything with my life and just wasting away...stuff like that.

43. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer? Some stuff for the last Bible study I did.

44. Most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen (in real life)? Beautiful beaches and mountainous areas. I went on a gondola last year that took us up over 9,000ft and the views were breathtaking. 

45. Spicy food:Like or dislike? I used to be obSESSED with spicy food, but I haven’t been able to eat it for a few years now due to some health reasons. It sucks. :/

46. Scary movies:Like or dislike? I love ‘em. I used to be a big baby, but I did a complete switch a few years ago.

47. Do you like to travel? Yes.

48. Any regrets? I have a lot of those.

49. Do you like rain? I love the rain.

50. What do you spend most of your money on? It used to be food or clothes, but this year I haven’t been doing a lot of shopping. 

51. Would you rather visit the past or the future? Past.

52. Favorite clothing store? Hot Topic and BoxLunch.

53. What is the best advice you can give to those who are feeling down? I’m always feeling down, so I’m not the one to ask about that either.

54. How often do you think about your future? Does it scare you? The future terrifies me. My mind is more wrapped up in current and past stuff.

55. What angers you the most? Injustice and corruption.  

56. When was the last time you got majorly angry? In my personal life, it’s been awhile since I’ve been angry. I get irritated and frustrated very easily, though.

57. When was the last time you got really sad? Sadness is one of my personality traits.

58. Are you good at lying? I used to be when it came to lying and downplaying about myself like with how I’m doing and really feeling, but my emotions took control. I still downplay and leave things out, but it’s obvious I’m not doing well. 

59. What foreign language would you like to learn? I’d like to be fluent in Spanish. I’ve been wanting to brush up and start practicing again. 

60. How many languages can you speak and what are they? I’m only fluent in English, but I can speak some Spanish.

61. How often do you go to parties? If you don’t, what do you do instead? I stay at home.

62. What books do you plan to read this year? I’ve read several this year and I plan to read several more. 

63. Do you have breakfast every morning? Nope. Very rarely these days since I sleep until like 3PM everyday. Sometimes I’ll have breakfast foods for a late lunch or dinner, though.

64. Tell us a secret. Nah.

65. How many concerts have you been to? Seven.

66. Last hug? My doggo. I haven’t hugged a person in months.

67. Who knows you better than anyone else? You guys, probably. ha.

68. Baths or showers? Showers.

69. Do you think you’re ambitious? I haven’t been for a long time... 

70. What song is stuck in your head? None at the moment.

71. Countries you’ve visited? Mexico. Besides my own, of course.

72. What do you most value in your friends? Understanding and low maintenance. 73. What helps you to sleep better? Listening to/watching ASMR can help. 

74. What is the most money you have ever held in your hand? 1k.

75. What makes you nervous? A lot of things. 76. What is the best advice you’ve ever been given? Hmm.

77. Is it easier to forgive or forget? I always forgive but never forget. <<<

78. First mobile phone? A gray Motorola flip phone.

79. Strangest dream? I have a lot of those.

80. Best dream? Hmm. 

81. Who is the smartest person you know? My younger brother.

82. Who is the prettiest person on tumblr? All of you.

83. Do you miss anyone right now? Loved ones who have passed away.

84. Who do you love? Why? I love my family. They’re my everything.

85. Do you like sharing? Sharing what?

86. What was the last picture you took with your phone? Probably of my doggo.

87. Is there a reason behind everything that happens? I believe so.

88. Favorite genre of music? I like variety. 89. If you had one word to describe yourself, what would it be? Mess.

90. Describe your life in 5 words. Nahhh.

91. Describe the world in 4 words. Nahhh.

92. Craziest thing you’ve ever done? I’m boring.

93. First three songs in your favorite playlist? I’m not checking right now.

94. Are you more creative or logical? Logical. I wish I was creative.

95. Would you rather lie or hurt someone with the truth? I mean, it kind of depends. If it’s something serious and they need to know, then I’d have to tell them even though it would be hard and could hurt them. 

96. What are you most proud of? I don’t feel proud of myself for anything.

97. What personality trait do you admire in other people? Those who are driven.

98. When you imagine yourself as really, really relaxed and happy, what are you doing? I’m at the beach, just staring out into the ocean while listening to the waves crash in and out and feeling the cool ocean air on my face, breathing it in.

99. How do you usually start a conversation? I usually don’t, ha. But I suppose with a “hey” or something of the sort.

100. What is the best news you could hear right now? That it was all just a horrible dream. <<< Oh man. If only.

[1358456]

SA Complaints

I find it VERY amusing that this appears NOW. SA ended a long, long time ago. Looking at the date of the very first review for the SA2 Preview, I can see that SA officially ended in December of 2013.

And I just got a couple of amusing complaints NOW. Heh. From someone who apparently only read the first half. Given how most of SA's stuff happened in the second half... Like I said, amusing.

Ordinarily, I wouldn't bother at all, but in the event that there are those with similar thoughts for Destiny/Legacy, I think it's worth taking a look at the complaints and my responses to them.

Now, since nothing will change... there's no real reason to take a look. So... continue only if you wish. Meh, I say.

1) Ok I have read till half of the story upto chapter 26 This story seems too female oriented I don't think Blue is so strong if you don't agree you check her pokemon levels in the net. Sapphire doesn't even compare to Gold's pokemon majority of his team is in 80 levels whereas all of her pokemon are only in 50 levels. And all those moves Platinum performed against Red, will a sheltered rich lady able to do that (I mean pokemon battles she has talent but fighting not really). Male Dexholders are portrayed too stupid it is not like that they perform really well in all the crisis in the manga. Most of the time they are only there for shipping moments not doing anything worthwhile.

Female oriented. As mentioned at some point a long while ago, my stories generally have female Dex Holders in the main focus as compensation for them being screwed out of it in actual Pokemon Special. Main two examples are Sapphire and Platinum. Sapphire got sealed in a car at the end of RS, and Platinum literally did nothing in the end of DPPt. And THEN there's White. Though recently, thanks to Y and Moon, the balance isn't that disrupted anymore. Sort of. But in ORAS, it was mostly Ruby and Emerald doing everything, and Sapphire was just sent through one wormhole after the next.

Again with the levels. Yellow's Pokemon can reach the 80s. Does that mean she's stronger than Blue? Pff. Nope. Besides, Blue's Pokemon levels were taken in FRLG, where she was 16. LOTS of time has passed. So what, Blue, who is about... 22-ish in SA, should still be just as strong as she was at 16? She would have improved. The example you've conveniently provided proves MY point. Gold's team being in the 80s are from HGSS. 16 years old. Sapphire's team being in the 50s are from RS (11 years old) and did not get updated in ORAS (15) with the exception of Gallade being added. Easily noticeable when you compare Ruby/Sapphire in RS and then in ORAS. Ruby's team got a lot stronger. Sapphire's team remains the same. Did not get updated. Given RS, those two should be very similar in strength. Especially considering... if a CONTEST focused dude got that much stronger between RS and ORAS, shouldn't a BATTLE focused girl get even stronger than that?

Of course 16 year old Gold would be a LOT stronger than 11 year old Sapphire. But that's not their actual age gap, now is it? I also have no idea how old they are in SA, but I'd imagine that they are both old enough that their teams would not be that far apart in levels. At a certain point, leveling becomes very hard. And this is why levels don't make any damn sense in a story setting. A 30 year old Red would just be as strong as he is when he's like 75. Because he hit the level cap. And at that point, even Moon would be just as strong as he is, since she would've also hit the level cap.

Platinum vs. Red. ... Um... hold on. Which one is this... Oh. The Unown thing? Would a sheltered rich lady be able to do such a thing? Who knows. They're ordinarily never in a situation like this. In SA, I had Platinum be quite physical at times, because she copied such a trait from Sapphire. Mostly for shock value, really. And also so that she doesn't DIE. ... Until the time came. It's either she does nothing like in DPPt, or she tries and dies immediately, or tries and survives by mimicking Sapphire.

Males being stupid and not doing anything? Clearly you have not seen the second half of SA. And in the actual manga... of course they perform well. THAT is the point of the female focus in my stories. The males generally hog the freaking spotlight.

2) In chapter 26 eight year olds just killed a bunch of ppl I mean that is insane how can they do that they are freaking kids

In a world where a bunch of RANDOM 11 and 12 year olds stop multiple doomsday events one after another, having a group of already-rowdy 8 year olds being forced to kill to survive in an apocalypse-setting doesn't seem that far-fetched. I mean, Groudon/Kyogre incident (RS, 11 years old), a literal doomsday cannon about to fire (XY, 12 years old), Legendary cryo cannon (BW2, 12 years old), space/time deity conflict (DP, 12 years old), etc. Not to mention in ORAS, a couple of 15 year olds went to SPACE to destroy a doomsday meteor. All that spatial radiation... and g-forces. To 15 year olds, who did not even PASS OUT. Bullsh*t. And also, it's very, very cold up there. And yet...

First you complain about the male Dex Holders who aren't being as amazing in my stories as they were in the actual arcs, and now you complain about kids being overly mature for their ages. Be consistent. The male Dex Holders in their own arcs were VERY young for all the sh*t they've done. So complaining about kids being too mature for their age is self-contradiction.

I'm more curious as to how the hell you managed to leave two signed-in reviews for the same chapter. I thought the site blocks you from doing such... unless some data got corrupted or something. The alert I got was that I received reviews for "SA chapter 26The Package". And "The Package" is chapter 1, not 26 (24+2 intermission).

So. In relations to RECENT stories...

Female Focus. - This will always persist, given Pokemon Special's initial imbalance. But for the most part, Destiny and Legacy will have joint focus. Especially later on in Legacy once... something happens.

Levels. - By the time of Destiny AND Legacy, the Pokemon Special arcs' levels are completely invalid. I have no idea how old Platinum is in Destiny (forgot), but probably around 16? And the last time we had a level update from her was when she was 12 in DPPt. 16 would be her approximate age in a theoretical DP remake, and given how everyone in the remake arcs were about 20~30 levels higher than they were before... ... Is her Empoleon going to be level 90? She's stronger than Red! ... Of course not. Red's last levels were taken in FRLG, when he was 16. In Destiny, he's like... 24. 50% older! - And in Legacy, Platinum is 18 and thus even stronger. And already there have been complaints. And I've already responded a few times. Would you still complain about Platinum being too strong, even if I kill off the first 10 Dex Holders thus she is the strongest one left alive?

Physical Activity: - Well, Platinum no longer has any reason to do what she did in SA. Y will now do that for her. ... Unless Platinum mimicks Y now. Which could happen, but in Legacy, she's a bit too mature for such a thing. She's not going to be kicking down doors and people. She'll order Y to do it for her. And Moon too. Platinum doesn't need to be aggro. She has people to do that for her. - And if I recall, no one ever complained about WHITE getting screetime doing things she normally would not be able to do. Like in SA. She did a LOT of work against the enemy... A LOT more than what she did in all of BW. And people just complain about Platinum. Come on. White is RIGHT THERE. Do you know what she did in all of BW? Fall off a ferris wheel, got a bit stronger, and then got kidnapped.

"Dumb" Male Dex Holders: - When has that ever been a thing to begin with? With the exception of Gold who's supposed to be a BIT like that, and MAYBE Black when a certain pink blob isn't munching on his brains. Besides, for the Dex Holders, the girls are generally smarter than the guys.

[jennafowlow]

DYSTT? New Story Treatment and Beats

Story Treatment:

             A woman stands in front view of the camera, she looks to be in thought and sighs as she reaches forward. The view of the woman distorts as it is revealed that it was a reflection of her in a mirror. She opens the cabinet, its rusty and almost completely barren except for one full pill bottle. The pill bottle states the patients name, Paranoid Schizophrenia, and Antipsychotic. Her hand reaches out for the bottle, but stops just before she can grab it, she hesitates. Voices speak to her, barely a whisper in the background as she hesitates. “It won’t help” she says before she closes the cabinet door and walks out of the bathroom. As she makes her way to the front of the house she starts to notice flickers of forms in different spots of her vision and the whispers start to grow louder, but suddenly she’s taken out of her trance by her son running up to her to give her a hug. She gives him a small smile and tells him that she’ll be home soon, looking around she doesn’t notice the figures anymore, but she fears that they are still secretly there. She can’t dwell on it though; she can’t be late for work this is the only thing keeping them afloat.

             It starts off as a normal day, the car ride was calm and her office work wasn’t busy at all, that is until she started to feel like she was being watched. She looked everywhere, glancing frantically at the other cubicles, her coworkers were all busy working on their own tasks and nobody gave her a single glance…but the feeling never went away. The voices told her that she shouldn’t trust them, that they were judging her behind her back, but she ignored them like she had always done. 

           It was starting to get late and she still had a few hours left but the office was claustrophobic, the cubicles felt tighter and she felt a presence everywhere. “These aren’t your coworkers.” “They’ll steal all your work!” “They’ll poison your food when you’re not looking!” The voices told her. It became harder to ignore them as their voices pounded at the back of her head. She felt like there were eyes watching her at all times, everywhere she looked all she could see was eyes. She was starting to get erratic; people were looking at her asking if she was ok, but she couldn’t hear them…all she could hear was the voices. Quickly packing her bag and turning off the computer she left, not wanting to risk her job with people thinking she was insane or her accidentally hurting someone in her panic. 

             She rushed home, getting out of the car and heading to the front door the voices were still loud but barrable. That was, until she unlocked and opened the front door. The voices sounded so real; the room, the walls, even the paintings had all changed, this was not her world anymore. Everything was staring at her, there were eyes on her at all times. It was then she noticed that the voices started to have real forms, all different shapes and sizes, completely black except for a single eye that starred right at her. They were no longer just the flickering forms in the corners, they were real. She screamed and tried to fight the forms, but they just appeared in new areas always surrounding her. She struggled against them and ran for the living room. In her panic, she didn’t realize that her son was holding onto her with tears in his eyes, he was trying to calm her down, but she barely noticed as she tossed him off of her thinking he was another of the voices. She ran to the living room, but she couldn’t escape them. The voices were all around her shouting things that frightened her, she cried as she kneeled on the floor unsure what to do. It was then something reached out towards her from the darkness, a small hand holding a pill bottle, a small but clear voice spoke to her, it sounded sad, “Please mom, just take them”. The voices telling her, “It’ll kill you!” “There’s nothing wrong with you!” “They’re trying to control you!”, but she had to do what she had always done her whole life, ignore them. Struggling and fighting back as the voices try to stop her, she reaches for the bottle, ending on a shot of her popping off the top. 

Beats:

             BW: Black and White

             BWC: B&W with color

             C: Full Color

1.     BW: Opening shot of woman looking at the camera, tired and in thought.

2.     BW: She opens the mirrored cabinet; her face is distorted as the view is revealed as a mirror.

3.     BW: She reaches for a pill bottle but hesitates, there are voices talking to her, but they are too quiet for the audience to hear.

4.     BW: She sighs closing the cabinet, leaving the pills inside.

5.     BW: She makes her way to the front but starts to see flickers of forms in the corners of her vision.

6.     BW: Her trance is broken as her son runs up to her and hugs her.

7.     BW: She smiles and tells him that she will be home soon.

8.     BW: At work, she is reading through papers and typing on the computer. Its bright from the afternoon light and the artificial lights that hang from the ceiling.

9.     BW: The voices start to say things to her that aren’t true about her coworkers, she franticly looks around, but no one is looking at her.

10.   BW: She tries to get back to work, but the uneasy feeling stays.

11.  BWC: Time passes, its darker now that the sun is setting. The uneasy feeling has increased, she feels eyes staring at her constantly and the space feels more claustrophobic.

12.  BWC: She starts to become erratic in her actions as the voices become louder, her coworkers are concerned and ask if she’s ok.

13.  BWC: As her coworkers approach her she starts to feel threatened by them, the voices are starting to get to her.

14.  BWC: She doesn’t want to risk her job by accidentally hurting someone, so she packs up and leaves in a rush.

15.  BWC: She arrives at home, getting out of the car she walks up to the front door, the voices still pounding in the back of her head.

16.  C: She opens the front door; this is no longer her home. The hallway is angular, lines are moving, and the painting all have eyes that follow her wherever she moves. Everything feels like a blur or another reality.

17.  C: As she walks in, the uneasy feeling becomes full terror as the voices are no longer flickers, but real forms.

18.  C: They surround her, telling her lies that terrify her. She tries to fight back, but nothing seems to make them go away.

19.  C: She feels something on her side, its her son and it looks like he’s been crying. He’s saying something, but the voices are too loud for her to hear.

20.  C: The voices tell her, “Its not your son” “He’s one of us” “He’s going to hurt you!”

21.  C: She believes them, and in her vision her son morphs into one of the voices. She screams and pushes him back.

22.  C: She moves to the living room, its too much. She kneels on the floor and cries as the voices surround her.

23.  C: Its dark, the forms take up all the space around her. They scream at her, and she’s too frightened to fight back anymore.

24.  C: In her hysteria, a hand reaches out to her from the darkness with a pill bottle in hand.

 25.  C: A voice breaks through the fog, its cracked and sounds sad, “Please mom, just take it.”

 26.  C: She slowly reaches out and grabs it, popping off the top.

 27.  BW: All sound stops with the pop.

[iky92791]

So FINALLY I get to show these two pieces off. 

The originals can be found on my DeviantART here and here:

http://fav.me/dau0alj

http://fav.me/dau0fpy

After doing a lot of the art for Renegade Rhetoric and Echoes and Fragments, I was on a GoBots high…probably mostly because before all this I knew little to nothing about GoBots, so it was fun breaking into something new and being a part of breathing new life into this underdog franchise. I had expressed to Jim Sorenson my overly ambitious goal to eventually draw and redesign every GoBots character, if for no other reason, just for fun. Eventually Jim approached me with just the opportunity, except for something actually canon…so that was a huge plus. He told me that Andrew Hall was interested in a huge poster of literally everybody from GoBots…so I was down.

While it still wasn’t exactly clear WHAT the poster would be used for, the project evolved into a set of two posters: one for all the Guardians and one for all the Renegades. And more specifically, they were to homage the “Goodbye Convoy” and “Goodbye Megatron” posters that came with the respective gift sets.

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/attachments/10-jpg.27332166/

So my mission was to complete both of these posters, include every GoBots character, and makes them all recolors/retools of existing Transformers designs so as to avoid any copyright/trademark fiascos. (Actually, any Hasbro-owned design was at my disposal, though I was able to manage sufficiently within the realm of Transformers.) Oh, and the amount of time I originally had to complete the posters decreased significantly, offering me only two months to complete them both. (And having a family, full-time job, and not being an amazingly quick/efficient artist made this quite the challenge.) But I sold my soul, and got to work…and HOO BOY did I work, but - dear fragging Primus - I actually did it! Finished each one in exactly a month…and I must say that these posters have been my most grandiose artistic undertakings, and I was quite astounded and impressed with myself for actually completing something so damn huge AND doing it on time (OK, well…each one went like a day over my deadline, but whatevs :P) Drained as I was at the end of it all, I was also at the same time super invigorated to start doing some more art to help out with Beast Wars: Uprising, and my confidence in myself as an artist had increased drastically. Also, with the enormity of these projects, everything after that seemed thoroughly achievable. (Oh, and I later found out these posters would actually be used in the Spatiotemporal Challengers finale…so that was really exciting…and then literally 10 minutes before the story went live, they were apparently cut from the story. But Jim was still so kind to use them for Renegade Rhetoric. So either way, I’m still quite enthused!)

But I won’t get into everything else regarding my adventures doing Fun Pub art right now. The focus of this post is on the GoBots posters and some things I’d like to share about them.

So I did a ton of research and did my best to include every (or nearly every) GoBots character in these two posters. I made sure to include every Guardian and Renegade from the Challenge of the GoBots cartoon (including show-exclusive characters) as well as every toy-exclusive character as well - and not just the ones from the “main” toy line, but the obscure, miscellaneous ones as well. I specifically begged Jim to include Scooter Bot (which he fortunately supported), so I threw in the other weirdos like “AM Radio”, “Laser Gun”, “Trans AM”, and the other non-RoGun Arco GoBots. Considering these guys were factionless, Jim and I had to group them accordingly…so they’ve now been sorted onto their appropriate for these posters. We also agreed that the model kit character “Turbo Teen” was TOO weird to justifiably include, so he’s been left out.

Jim said I didn’t HAVE to include Rock Lords, Jewel Lords, and Fossil Lords, but I was feeling REALLY ambitious (and I’m a self-destructive completionist at heart), so I did my best to include them. In the end though, due to time restraints and the fact that it would visually be very difficult to include THAT many additional characters that weren’t even GoBots proper, only the major ones made the cut. Boulder, Nuggit, and Magmar were the most significant Rock Lords, so they got to squeeze their way into this cacophony, and Solitaire was the representative Jewel Lord. Sadly, none of the Fossil Lords or Narlies made it.

Regrettably, its been several months since I’ve finished these posters, and I’ve very recently discovered some more super obscure characters from play sets and other merchandise that I would’ve included had I known about them previously. There’s A-Tak from the HO Train Set, the little dude from the Mystery Tunnel Roller Coaster, the four different colored Bubble Blowers, the 3-in-1 Communication System, and some little guy that literally turns into the GoBots logo. (OK, so that one would probably have been too weird to use too…but still.) I’m sure one day I’ll draw them, though.

Now more specifically regarding everyone I did draw, I’ve compiled a guide to who’s who and what bodies they’re modeled after. Also to note, in order to resemble the original GoBots characters as much as I could beyond just a paint job, I chose different heads from OTHER Transformers characters that most resembled the original heads of the GoBots characters…or at least the ones that most readily came to mind when I referenced the GoBots characters’ original designs.

So here’s a list of everybody (with numbers matching the above images):

Guardians

1. Command Center - CW Sky Lynx (with the legs out) 2. Flip Top - CW Alpha Bravo 3. Guide Star - Generations Payload with G1 Beachcomber’s head 4. Bent Wing - CW Powerglide 5. Ace - DotM Powerglide 6. Bolt - TF 2010 Highbrow with Armada Oval’s head 7. Bullseye - G1 Windsweeper with G2 Hooligan’s head 8. Sky Fly - Armada Ramjet 9. Steamer - Go-Bots Randy with G1 Bumper’s head 10. Blaster - Armada Wreckage 11. Baron/Professor Von Joy - Alternators Camshaft (modified so the top of the car becomes his head) 12. Solitaire - Armada Thunderwing with Animated Red Alert’s head 13. Bullet - G1 Shouki 14. Night Ranger - Cybertron Lugnutz 15. Boulder - BW Under-3 with Infiltration Ratchet’s head (specifically Guido Guidi’s cover for issue #2) 16. Nuggit - BW Eggbot with MTMTE Fulcrum’s head 17. Good Knight - TF 2010 Hubcap with Armada Incinerator’s head 18. Small Foot - G1 Gears 19. Dive-Dive - Cybertron Deepdive 20. Shotgun - WFC/FoC Shockwave with MTMTE Rung’s head 21. Rifle - TR Galvatron (modified to have G1 Sentinel “guard” head) 22. Scope - Universe 08 Nightstick 23. Squirt - CW Shockwave with Armada Stormcloud’s head 24. Pistol - AM O.P. 25. Tic Toc - Movie Meantime 26. Scooter Bot - Generations Metroplex (with a modified face) 27. Spay-C - OC Raker with TF 2010 Sea Spray’s head 28. Path Finder - G1 Cosmos 29. Royal-T - CW Quickslinger with Prime Vehicon head 30. Treds - G1 Warpath 31. Man-O-War - G1 Seaspray 32. Beamer - G1 Windcharger 33. Dart - RotF Knock Out 34. Raizor - G1 Rotorstorm with Armada Gunbarrel’s head 35. Road Ranger - G1 Huffer 36. Motosan/Mr. Moto - Armada Sureshock 37. Defendor - Movie Brawl with Classics Jetfire’s battle mask head 38. Dumper - CW Long Haul 39. Dozer - CW Bonecrusher with CW Scrapper’s head 40. Tri-Trak - DotM Backfire with Cybertron Ransack’s head (with an added mouthplate) 41. Jack Attack - Classics Bumblebee with Armada Iceberg’s head 42. Rest-Q - G1 Hubcap 43. Leader-1 - CW Air Raid with CW Quickslinger’s head 44. Twister - Energon Bulkhead with CW Onslaught’s head 45. Hitch Hiker - G1 Omega Spreem 46. Courageous - OC Sky Sweeper 47. Mach-3 - CW Fireflight 48. Wrong Way - G1 Spinister 49. Space Hawk - Prime Star Hammer 50. Major Mo - Universe 08 Prowl with his head from Echoes and Fragments 51. Super Couper - TF 2010 Hubcap 52. Rumble - BM Blastcharge 53. Tail Pipe - Masterpiece Sideswipe with Cybertron Red Alert’s head (with an added mouthplate) 54. Zeemon - G1 Firecracker (modified so the top of the car becomes his head) 55. Turbo - CW Breakdown 56. Scratch - G1 Trailbreaker with G1 Arcee’s head 57. Throttle - Cybertron Offshoot with CW Counterpunch’s head 58. Hi-Way - modified TF vs. G.I. Joe “Bus Decepticon” 59. Scooter - CW Groove 60. Hans-Cuff - CW Streetwise 61. Van Guard - G1 Skids 62. Sparky - G1 Runamuck with Universe Roulette/Universe Shadow Striker’s head 63. Street Heat - Universe 08 Sunstreaker with MP Ironhide’s head 64. Trans AM - G1 Roadhandler with RID01 Hot Shot’s head 65. Wrecks - Armada Scavenger with Timelines Strika’s head 66. Ridge Runner - Spittor’s Cybertronian form from BW: The Gathering 67. Heat Seeker - G1 Dreadwind 68. Spy-Eye - Classics Jetfire with G1 Whirl’s head 69. Apollo - Armada Sky Blast 70. Pumper - CW Hot Spot with CW Hook’s head 71. Staks - CW Optimus Prime with his head tucked in 72. AM Radio (who I’m calling Radio-Head) - Spychanger Prowl 2 (modified so the top of the car becomes his head) 73. Tork - Cybertron Dirt Boss with Armada Spiral’s head

Renegades:

1. Thruster - Victory Thunder Arrow 2. Twin Spin - PCC Searchlight 3. Quick-Step - Hero Mashers Grimlock 4. Traitor - Animated Waspinator with G1 Ransack’s head 5. Geeper-Creeper - Energon Strongarm 6. Grungy - OC Sky Sweeper 7. Bad Boy - G1 Powerglide 8. Bug Bite - Classics Bumblebee 9. Nemesis - Prime Bumblebee Battle Suit 10. Chaos - G1 Flywheels with Armada Jetstorm’s head 11. Decker Decker - Bendy-Bus Prime 12. Scales BM Thrust (modified so the cycle-mode’s head becomes the robot mode’s head too…except it’s G1 Rippersnapper’s head) 13. Slicks - G2 Double Clutch with Cybertron Hardtop’s head 14. Pow Wow - G1 Crankcase with Armada Blurr’s head (with the “side wings” removed) 15. Psycho - TR Blurr (modified so his cockpit becomes his head) 16. Magmar - Protoform Optimus Prime with LSotW Impactor’s head 17. Stinger - Masterpiece Tracks with G1 Searchlight’s head 18. Destroyer - Classics Broadside (with his turret turned around so he has a cannon for a face) 19. Fly Trap - RB Salvage 20. Herr Feind/Doctor Go - G2 Blowout (modified so the top of the car becomes his head…and added a monocle) 21. Fitor - Classics Ramjet 22. BuggyMan - G1 Beachcomber 23. R-Navi (BM Technorganic Waspinator) 24. Laser Gun - Masterpiece Shockwave with G1 Onslaught’s head 25. Crasher - Classics Mirage 26. Cy-Kill - Generations Wreck-Gar with CW Dragstrip’s head 27. Monsterous - IDW Monstructor with BW Tripredacus’ head (specifically based on Don Figueroa’s design): — Fright Face - Slog — South Claw - Wildfly — Weird Wing - Bristleback — Heart Attack - Birdbrain — Gore Jaw - Scowl — Fangs - Icepick (They’d probably all have different heads, but obviously I didn’t need to figure them out for this project.) 28. Sky-Jack - G1 Talon with Armada Jolt’s head (with no mouthplate…as per his appearance in the PS2 game and pack-in comic) 29. Zero - RotF Ransack with SotW Ostaros’ head 30. Breez - PCC Searchlight with G1 Pipes’ head 31. Puzzler - modified CW-styled Combiner with RB Chase’s head: — Tic Tac - TF 2010 Tracks (modified to transform into a Combiner body) — Pocket - CW Breakdown — Crossword - CW Dead End — Zig Zag - CW Streetwise — Rube - CW Wheeljack — Jigsaw - CW Blackjack (They, also, would probably have been given different heads had it been necessary.) 32. Water Walk - CW Powerglide (with modified “sunglasses-styled” eyes/visor) 33. Stallion - G1 Trip-Up with BW Manta Ray’s head 34. Gunnyr - Armada Jetstorm 35. Evil One - RotF The Fallen 36. Tank - BM Tankor with MTMTE Trailbreaker’s head 37. Destroyer (the other one) - RotF Depthcharge 38. Clutch - Movie Dropkick 39. Cop-Tur - Energon Bulkhead with Universe 08 Jolt’s head 40. Vain Train - G1 Yukikaze 41. Crane Brain - CW Hook 42. Screw Head - UW Nosecone (modified so his drill becomes his head but with G1 Soundwave’s face 43. Binoc - Movie Longview 44. Odd Ball - RB High Tide with Armada Thrust’s head 45. Tux/Stretch - Animated Stretch (without the mustache) 46. Spoons - RoTF Dirt Boss with G1 Hook’s head (with an added mouthplate) 47. Gong - Movie Meantime 48. Re-Volt - G1 Doubledealer with Action Master Treadshot’s head 49. Blast - BM Blastcharge 50. Night Fright/Blades - TF 2010 Tomahawk with Armada Dune Runner’s head 51. Snoop - Armada Terradive with MTMTE Nautica’s head (without the antenna) 52. Zod - G1 Trypticon 53. Warpath - Classics Divebomb 54. Rogue Star - Prime Sky Claw 55. Spoiler - G1 Freewheeler 56. Dactyl - Armada Laserbeak 57. Loco - RoC D-Go 58. Block Head - CW Mixmaster 59. Bladez - Cybertron Unicron (slightly modified so his claws extend on the side of his hands and not over them) with BM Thrust’s head 60. Hornet - Animated Slapper (with added wings) 61. Scorp - Energon Scorponok (with a slightly modified head design) 62. Pincher - Energon Slugslinger with BW Manterror’s head (specifically based on his design from The Gathering) 63. Klaws - Energon Sharkticon with G1 Venom’s head 64. Vamp - Cybertron Megatron with G1 Chop Shop’s head 65. Bugsie - BM Scavenger with BW Retrax’s head 66. Creepy - Cybertron Scrapmetal with BW Tarantulas’ head

Additional notes:

Anyone who had already been given a design in Spatiotemporal Challengers kept it.

With Courageous, Grungy, and Nemesis…due to the fact that they’re really just combining battle suits rather than the characters themselves actually combining, it wouldn’t have really carried over properly to represent them as recolored Transformers Combiners. But instead, since they all have vehicles modes as well, we found some TF molds that fit the bill decently enough. And since the Sky Sweeper is made up of Combiner kibble, the design still hints at the notion of combining. And using the Bumblebee Battle Suit for Nemesis carried the whole…well, battle suit theme. So I think those worked out pretty well.

While it it’s PRETTY difficult to tell in the poster, Scales in actually in Thrust’s “3-wheeled robot mode”…since that would be more fitting for Scales than having legs. In a similar vein, Rumble and Blast are in Blastcharge’s “wheels-for-legs” robot mode.

Tic Toc and Gong display a little Easter egg. Tic Toc diplays 10:29 1984, which (after Jim and I did some digging to make sure it was actually accurate despite other reported information) is the original air date of the first episode of the Challenge of the GoBots cartoon. Also his pose is lifted from the 12th Doctor’s iconic stock pose. Gong’s display date of 10:27 1986 is (according to Vector Prime) the air date of “season 2” of Challenge of the GoBots, as recounted by Cy-Kill himself in Renegade Rhetoric. To parallel Tic Toc’s pose, I wanted to give Gong an iconic pose of The Master…but there doesn’t really seem to be one. But I did kind of use this as reference:

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/themasterthumbsup_8908.jpg

Oh, also I’m an idiot and just noticed a couple days ago that I didn’t color Geeper-Creeper’s right arm all the way. I’ll fix that eventually.

But I guess that’s about everything I can think of currently that worth mentioning about this project. It was quite a momentous undertaking, but it was a blast to do, and I’m super grateful to Jim, Andrew, and Fun Pub for giving me the opportunity to do it!

- IKY