#so glad to be starting our arc and have both food and bad things happen immediately

[chilltouch]

Great news: got to play dnd today as LUC-A my bestie LUC-A

Bad news: It's been so long and I've been so out of it I barely rp'd today

Other great news: we did combat today so I got to do my fav combo of spirit guardians + spiritual weapon against the cleric who Also was spirit guardians and I got to deal the final blow that knocked him out :D

[simplepotatofarmer]

technoblade: a takedown - pt. 1

(not clickbait)

aka i go over every argument people make against c!techno one by one and determine whether they’re valid, false, or a mixture of both. i rewatched every single stream/video, including those on his alt channel, so i could approach this with the most information possible. i’ll be breaking this up into parts because there’s just too much otherwise. all about the characters unless stated.

techno believes in a ‘dog eat dog’ world - false

this is an argument i see used a lot when people discuss techno so i wanted to address it first. luckily, the stream in which he says this is only his fifth stream on the server. there’s one major reason why this argument falls apart and one minor reason that isn’t objective like the first.

first and most importantly: techno has never acted on this. even at the beginning - which is when this comment was made - he was helping his allies, from building railings to keep them from falling, making a potato farm, and all the gear he grinded for to equip his allies in pogtopia with. moving forward, he’s also helped out plenty of people: giving tommy a place to stay and items, telling phil to reach out to ranboo after doomsday, as well as giving both tommy and ranboo food when asked. there’s more, of course, but the point is he’s never once followed up on this statement. he teamed up with quackity to stop the egg. he spoke to niki about how he was giving anarchy a bad reputation because of the violence and wanted to take a different approach which he has.

when people use this argument to insist that techno is the villain, it doesn’t hold up because it’s merely taking one statement he made and upholding it as a main part of his character when his actions and later statements have shown that he doesn’t actually believe in this randian view point. objectively, i can’t see how this argument can extend beyond ‘well, he said it’. regardless of what he said during the pogtopia arc, he’s said the opposite later - wanting everyone to live free with no oppression or imperialism - and has never acted on it nor brought it up later. this take honestly seems disingenuous and was in fact the driving factor of this post.

second and not as critical, techno mentions multiple times during each of his first streams that he’s not sure who all is on his side. this is a reoccurring point for him. he makes the comment about wanting a dog eat dog world during the red festival stream, while speaking to bad and sam. the first part of the conversation is techno asking about state secrets since they’re (as far as techno knows) on manberg’s side. bad mentions schlatt killing cats and techno launches into a spiel about massive anarchy and the weak being huddled in fear, asking them how does that sound. bad says as long as there’s no cat murder, perhaps. bad then asks techno what his ‘single issue’ is and techno responds that he wants to destroy the government. to me, the context of the conversation, who he’s speaking to and what his opinion of those people is, is an important thing to consider.

techno’s ‘we’ll burn that bridge when we get to it’ comment means he was always going to betray pogtopia/l’manberg - valid but not how you think it is

i’ve seen people say that techno saying ‘we’ll burn that bridge when we get to it’ is a clear sign that he was always intending to betray pogtopia/l’manberg which, yeah? 

but i wouldn’t call it a betrayal. 

he says the ‘we’ll burn that bridge when we get to it’ line at the end of the ‘eve of revolution’ stream while he’s talking to quackity, ponk, and sam. the conversation is as follows:

techno, to quackity: i’m glad we could get to know each other. i heard you’re on our side now. i heard you betrayed schlatt.

quackity: yeah, that’s right. are you betraying anyone?

techno: no. i would never betray my personal ideals.

[some chatter from ponk and quackity]

sam: what does that mean? what if the people you’re fighting along [sic] have different ideals than you, though? doesn’t that mean you’d betray them?

techno: listen... we’ll burn that bridge when we get to it.

then techno states that he ‘said what he said’ when sam questions him about his choice of metaphor.

he actually uses the same malaphor at the beginning of the ‘revolution’ stream when they (quackity and tubbo) question him again and in that case techno definitely avoids the subject which isn’t a good thing but considering everyone was so worked up about the possible traitor, i can completely understand.

overall, techno is extremely upfront about his intentions. yes, there is definitely some miscommunication between all the parties because none of them were on the same page but that doesn’t make techno the bad guy here nor does it mean he betrayed anyone. he was upfront about his intentions from the start.

in his first two streams, he makes a joke that if they happen to set up a new government/president that he would just take that one down and it would be a never-ending cycle. over and over, he says that he wants to do destroy the government/manberg. when tommy mentions taking it back, techno says, ‘what do you mean, take it back?’ though this kind of gets lost in the middle of everything else - dsmp (lack of) communication strikes again. 

the takeaway that i see here a lot is that techno always intended to betray them because he knew tommy wanted to take back l’manberg and knew that he would go against them if they set up a new government. and this is true to an extent! he did know that tommy wanted l’manberg back and he did know that he would go against them if they set up a new government. but wilbur was also telling techno that he was on board with the whole anarchy thing. 

none of them were on the same page and that surely led to a big chunk of what happened and hurt feelings on both sides but that doesn’t mean techno betrayed anyone or that he was the bad guy for doing exactly what he said he would do from day one.

techno destroying (l’)manberg was wrong - it’s complicated

the first thing to address here is that for most anarchists, destroying a government isn’t a bad thing. in fact, taking down the government/state is basically our goal. now, i don’t speak for all anarchists, of course, but overall the general feeling is that violence in the name of overthrowing an oppressive government is not inherently bad. there’s no way to do a one-for-one here because it’s minecraft but the general sentiment remains. so while violence enacted against the state is a bad thing for people who aren’t anarchists, techno has no reason to and would not view it as inherently bad.  

but it did hurt people and techno himself acknowledges that fact. he’s acknowledged what he’s done when confronted about it. he hasn’t said he was wrong because understanding that it was hurtful doesn’t mean he believes he was wrong. to him, he wasn’t. destroying what he viewed as an oppressive system was the right thing to do, even if it hurt people.

(also this isn’t any kind of meta but i think it needs to be pointed out that wilbur had already set off the tnt and techno summoned two killable mobs which did plenty of damage but he didn’t say wilbur was the great who came before them for no reason.)

again, this is going to be the most controversial part of this post because i don’t believe destroying government is a bad thing and i don’t believe techno is wrong for believing that as well. there are better ways to address the problem and techno is adjusting his tactics but if another government was to be established, i don’t believe he would be in the wrong to destroy it because he’s an anarchist.

the tl;dr of this section honestly could just be summed up with ‘watch less marvel, read more ursula k. le guin’.

‘techno is the villain because he called tommy the hero’ - so very false 

this is a take i’ve seen that to this day i don’t understand.

techno calling tommy the hero does not mean he was setting himself up as the villain in any capacity. it was merely pointing out tommy’s habit of putting himself at the forefront of almost every conflict, trying to shoulder everything, no matter how it hurts tommy himself. the speech was directed at that and nothing else. it doesn’t mean techno is the villain, it doesn’t even mean there is a villain; there are more stories to be told than the classic hero-villain and the hero-villain narrative doesn��t always apply to stories. (i’d certainly argue that it doesn’t apply to the dream smp but that’s a different conversation.)

techno is to blame for tubbo’s death - false

i think this one has been done to death but what would a techno post be without it?

no, techno is not to blame.

he said over and over that he was outnumbered and believed that if he had done anything, everyone would’ve turned on him and ‘torn him to shreds’. even if that wasn’t the case, it is what techno believed. he had no reason to think that he could take the entire crowd out until he actually fired the rocket launcher. and remember, he tested the rocket launcher earlier during the festival on niki (who volunteered) and it didn’t kill her. when he realized the amount of splash damage it did, he gives a surprised laugh and then begins firing into the crowd. 

as for saying he was under ‘mild’ amounts of peer pressure, techno has a habit of minimizing. not just the things he’s done, but often situations that he’s been in that were stressful. he stated that he deals poorly with high stress situations and one of the cognitive distortions that can come with anxiety is minimization. techno doesn’t actually believe it was ‘mild’ peer pressure - it was a situation that caused him enough distress that he brings it up later at doomsday - but it’s easier to deal with a situation when you downplay it, it’s easier for techno to keep up that calm façade when he’s acting as if whatever happened wasn’t that big of a deal even if it was. again, the way he speaks about it on doomsday was clearly upset and emotional. 

the only person to blame for tubbo’s death is schlatt. he was the one pulling the trigger and techno was the gun.

if you made it this far, thank you for sticking it out! i spent so many hours rewatching all the streams, some of them multiple times, while taking notes to be able to do this. i’m extremely passionate about techno and i feel as if a lot of the arguments against him tend to miss the nuance of his character. this project is on-going and i’ll be going over the butcher army/retirement storylines next. feel free to submit any points you’d like to see addressed! 

[razorblade180]

Interdimensional Moms pt3

Part 2 right here! <-

Team RWBY continue their interesting chat about their respective worlds. After the emotional roller coaster that was Weiss’s, a bit of light hearted stories would be welcomed.

Yang:Okay, does anyone have some real feel good things to talk about for their world? Just run of the mill pleasant life?

Ruby:Guess I’m going last....

Yang:Oh no!

Weiss:We’ll circle back to you then. Blake, I guess you’re up.

Blake:Wouldn’t you want calmer stuff at the end?

Yang:Blake, I would very much like to go at least ten minutes without wanting to cry.

Blake:Hmmmm I can guarantee you like...six I think.

Yang:I’ll take it! Blake Belladonna, tell me about a world where you and Jaune Arc are happily married. How did such stars align?

Blake:You make it sound crazy?

Weiss:Blake, there’s list of people I could see you with. Now I’m not saying Jaune couldn’t be one of them, but he’d have to fight his way up that list.

Blake:You...that’s kinda fair. It’s a bit hard to explain really. It happened back at Beacon initially, or our bonding did. Some days his team was busy and I didn’t tag along for the crazy antics you three wanted to do all the time, so we occasionally bumped into each by circumstances. He’d go to the library for a book, I’d do training and he was there, or sometimes he’d knock on our door and not realize I was the only one around.

Weiss:Was he trying to sing to me?

Blake:That plan did show up at our a few times, yes. One of those times I asked him out of nowhere to sing the song anyways because I just had to know if it was any good. Hehe, it wasn’t sonically pleasing at times, but you could tell it was genuine. Eventually though...he just sort of gave up on you. It was actually a little sad to see, even you thought so. It was strange. Jaune was definitely stumbling through his flirting and it came off as childish, yet the day he gave up, it was easy to see his heart was breaking a bit. Like all his insecurities ate even the faux confidence away.

Yang:Ma’am, it has barely been three minutes and I’m getting sad about thinking of Jaune being sad.

Weiss:Yeah don’t tell me I broke his heart!

Blake:Whoops, sorry. It’s important though. Jaune kinda kept to himself a little more after that. He still chatted pretty regularly but it was easy to tell he dived more in studies as a way to keep his head clear, which lead to us being on a project together. I was the only person in our friend group that wouldn’t actively try to make him open up about how he feeling. At first I thought it was a bit rude when he told me that, but I didn’t room to talk when it comes to socializing.

Yang:One more time for the people in the back.

Ruby:I’m the back.

Blake:*smirks* I was very against socializing about my feelings at Beacon.

Ruby:Yeah you were.

Weiss:I couldn’t even ask if you slept well without a lukewarm answer sometimes.

Blake:I’m better now. That’s all that matters. Romance and feeling love is a personal thing and talking about it is uncomfortable. I think we both recognized that in each other during our project. Trouble is, there’s only so many conversation starters and small talk subjects. Talking only about the project was dry and eventually all the facts a person could say about themselves ran out. Favorite food, color, hobbies, etc. We eventually had to dig a little deeper into those topics. To our surprise, we actually more in common than we thought when it came to how we felt about certain pieces of literature and music.

Ruby:Awwww, bonding over smut.

Blake:*red* It wasn’t all adult literature! Some were poems and stuff. Even when the project ended, we began being less formal around each other and hanging out. We went to the bookstores we mentioned and he even got us tickets to bands I liked. It...it was nice. I never really got to have just a normal teenage experience before without it being political. He always felt bad about being average compared to everyone but average was so foreign to me that I welcomed it. I liked having a normal time out. It was a thing we all took for granted. Especially when Beacon fell.

Yang:Yeah, that probably put a real bind on your relationship.

Blake:Actually....we technically never officially started to date.

Ruby:What? You courted each other all of Beacon.

Weiss:Ruby, who the heck says courted? I’m a Schnee and even I have never used the word courted.

Ruby:Hush, I read a lot of bed time stories to a five year old.

Blake:We were a bit shaky on labels. Me for obvious reasons. As for Jaune, it’s really true about what they say about guys when they get heart broken.

Yang: “Never again.”

Blake:Hehehe, it’s funny to look back at it but he’ll tell you it’s a bit cringy. He was so on gaurd. I could tell all the time when he was mentally telling himself to not be excited whenever we hung out or I complimented him.

Ruby:Hey it takes guts to shift feelings to a teammate of your first crush. That could blow up in your face.

Blake:Yeah...about that. *looks at Yang* you...were another reason why nothing was official. You uhhh, we actually had some jumbled up emotions.

Weiss:*sarcastic gasp* You and Yang, liking each other? Who could’ve seen that coming?

Yang:Was it mutual or...

Blake:Very mutual. Also...intimate at times.

Yang:*red* Oh....yeah. Yeah that tracks.

Blake:That jumbled mess was only more confusing after you got hurt trying to rescue me from Adam. Meeting up with-

Ruby:Question, so was Sun just not on your radar?

Blake:Sun? We’re just friends. He’s cute and I’m glad he was there for me when I needed help but things between us were always pretty calm. I think he noticed how confused I was with other people in my life and chose to not add to it.

Ruby:Bless him. Please continue.

Blake:Learning about Salem and reconnecting with you all was a lot. I’d really been out of the loop and my Yang and I were on....shaky ground.

Yang:That’s what happens when you leave someone who’s been left their entire life.

Blake:Sigh...yeah. It was a trying time, but not with JNPR. It’s funny, Oscar and I also hit it off quite well from the jump. I think we were both glad to have each other learn on the craziness at once. Even with readjusting, Jaune and I fell back into a groove naturally. Instead of doing average things we day dreamed of the things we did. Once again we become this little slice of simple life in this crazy adventure. Still didn’t date.

Weiss:What is this, a slow burn!?

Yang:Weiss, you literally didn’t date your Jaune until Atlas.

Weiss:There’s a difference. I didn’t make any heart eyes at him until around Atlas. I say I may have been a little quick. These two were “courting” for over a year at this point.

Ruby:Stop making fun of me!

Blake:Well anyways, I wouldn’t say much was too eventful in terms of romance with world destroying things happening. Salem, she was way too much to deal with. Every move age did was calculated and unrelenting. Keeping our head above water wasn’t easy. In fact, it was boarder line impossible. Yang and I barely beat Adam after all.

Yang:How’d you two feel about that?

Blake:Relieved. Huge weight off my mind, and yet...a piece of me still wishes things never got so dire. At least now I know that in another world, things aren’t.

Ruby:Sounds like your world was put through their paces? You survived though.

Blake:Not conventionally. I gotta say, hearing the ages and how you beat Salem so far makes me feel more than a little embarrassed. To be frank, we didn’t have this grand battle that involved the entire world making a final stand. We had Atlas, and then we had Haven. With their might and a plan to gain more time, we managed to seal Salem in a vault.

Yang:*chokes on water* Y- cough what!?

Ruby:You put her in a vault!?

Weiss:Thah sounds harder than a last stand honestly.

Blake:No matter what way we looked at things, we just weren’t ready for her, so we locked her away until we were. Two years on constant defense from her followers and grimm until Ruby had trained enough to use her silver eyes and we were all strong enough.

Ruby:Two years!? How old was I then?

Blake:Twenty I believe.

Weiss:Hey, you beat mine by a year.

Yang:Not mine, I think we either tied or just narrowly beat yours by like a year. Honestly it hard to keep track of birthdays and stuff.

Ruby:Wow. No offense to myself, but that’s a little disappointing. I guess being the same person really doesn’t mean we were all at the same level.

Blake:Hey, my Ruby put everything she had into saving the world. There wasn’t a second she wasn’t trying her best to defend it!

Ruby:My point exactly. If that was her at her absolute best then by all accounts, she doesn’t hold a candle to me; at least back then anyways. But I have no reason to believe she would be at my level now.

Yang:Okay little miss prideful, care to tell us when you saved the-

Ruby:Seventeen.

The reaper took a long swig of coffee while the others processed that information. It took a her a couple of seconds to realize she may be acting just a tad bit arrogant.

Ruby:Uhh, sorry. I think I was tooting my own horn a bit there.

Weiss:Seventeen....why so soon?

Yang:Why? Don’t you mean how?

Blake:That’s....almost unbelievable.

Ruby:Really? I don’t think so. I’ll dive into it when it’s my turn but for now all I really gotta say is people needed help, and I was going to answer those cries. I bet your Ruby had a similar urgency in her, but for some reason or another just had different limitations. I got hurt a lot as a kid. Maybe an injury did more damage in one universe than another? Who can say?

Blake:I...wouldn’t know. Odd, I know if my Ruby heard this, then she’d probably be more than a little upset. Saving lives is still what she’s all about. I know when she put everything she had into fighting Salem when the day came. All that training paid off. Her skills were polished and her silver eyes eradicated the grimm essence in Salem.

Ruby:Wait, she’s not dead?

Blake:No. Salem roams Remnant with Oz keeping an eye on her until one day she can finally grasp the lesson the gods wanted her to have.

Yang:That uhhh sounds risky.

Weiss:Yet oddly okay?

Blake:Funny, my Weiss said that too. Those two get checked on in secret. Can’t be too careful. With Salem beaten though, Remnant entered a state of...let’s call it average chaos. All in all, it’s way more peaceful but you know, people will be people. Downside about a secret war is you don’t get the unity of the masses. Atlas and Haven working together was still a great step in the right direction though.

Yang:Woah, I’m a little jealous. My world felt like a race against the clock. The pressure either broke you or made you harder than diamond, with most people crushing under it.

Weiss:Yeah. The tension and meet of extremes I had on the frontlines was beyond imagination. The unity was great, but to feel it on the battlefield against the odds was feeling with way too much adrenaline and stress. Can’t say I enjoyed it. I simply lived through it.

Blake:Well it isn’t like I had a walk in the park. But I guess in comparison, my experience was a tad more mellow. Still, people were lost and hurt. Oscar isn’t himself anymore, don’t have Penny, former classmates and a few enemies turned allies fell in battle. Family.... it took a bunch to get the plan of containing, then it took a lot more to do it. In a way though, the two years of training is time I can’t regret. It tested bonds, strengthening and reestablishing others.

Ruby:I take it since love couldn’t bloom on the battlefield, it bloomed in the training yards?

Blake:*red* You can say that. That’s when Jaune and I got serious. *frowning* But.....

Yang:We fell apart?

Blake:Yeah. I didn’t learn my lesson well enough the first time about the potential problems of dating a partner. Only difference this time was I felt like I was the one being cruel. We had gotten into arguments and apologized more than once. Your fear of being left and my own insecurities just kept butting heads. I’d cry, you’d cry, our friends would be concerned. Then the day came where you put it all on the line. You confessed genuinely how much you loved me and how you felt a bit jealous when it came to Jaune. I had never seen you look so vulnerable; letting your gaurd completely down. And though a piece of me loved you and wanted you in my life for ever....this sense of genuine comfort Jaune gave was something I want-needed for so long. So I did the one thing I didn’t want to do. I broke your heart. I hurt you again.

Yang:Sigh....*leans back in chair* Okay, let’s see how well I know myself. My eyes went red automatically, followed by tears. I lashed out at you angrily out of pain and embarrassment until I was probably blue in the face. But to take make things worse, somebody probably overheard. No matter who it was, I yelled at them too for trying to calm me down and then I eventually run off leaving everyone unhappy. A good old meltdown. Sound about right?

Blake:To the letter. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so distraught.

Yang:Of course not, I’ve never been in love before meeting you. I....did a similar thing with my Blake over the stupid Adam shit. *covers face* of all the things to be similar, it had to be my temper. Please tell me our team didn’t suffer too harshly?

Blake:The good thing about two years of training was it didn’t have to be together all the time. Team RWBY didn’t fall apart, but it didn’t feel comfortable either. Outside of missions, the four of us didn’t hang out as much. It was three at the most. Nobody pinned blame on me or Yang for it but it was obvious.

Ruby:I mean how can you blame someone for feeling sad or not in love with someone? Pointing fingers doesn’t do anything. However, I bet missions were rough.

Blake:Bumblebee was shelved. We did any other team up we could. When push came to shove, Yang and I did put feelings aside. Neither of us wanted our feelings to get anyone killed. That’s probably what kept us connected for awhile, especially with Salem. I don’t think we questioned each other when it came to watching one another’s back. Slowly, our relationship got a bit better. Until....we stopped speaking to each other altogether about a couple years later.

Yang:Wait, why!?

Blake:I got pregnant.

The three listeners’ faces scrunched up and they let in a sharp breath like they just got cut. No one had considered that bombshell.

Blake:Marriage was rough enough. Having Jaune’s kid and starting a family just...cut deep I guess. You didn’t make a scene or anything if that’s what you’re worried about. One day you told me “I just can’t do this” and exited my life. I wanted to keep you close to me, but you wanted to be closer. That was a thing I couldn’t do. Hehe, I can’t tell you how weird it is talking to you like this again.

Yang:So that’s it!? We just don’t see each other at all!?

Blake:Certain events and celebrations have us in the same room, but that’s all. Ruby is the only thing that regularly links us, but she’s busy living life too.

Ruby:Is it a good life?

Blake:The best. You’re the huntress you always wanted to be and a hero to many.

Ruby:*smiles* Really? That’s good. May she ride that high for as long as she can. Though I bet she wished she had a special someone to share that with.

Blake:Huh? Oh, you married Weiss.

Weiss:*red* What!?

Ruby:Aye, nice.

Weiss:Weren’t you upset about thinking of other people with Jaune besides you!?

Ruby:Yeah, but I won’t deny if I am going to be with someone that isn’t him, I’m very happy it’s the other special person in my life. I mean come on, the only reason we don’t get weird in your universe is because I married your brother and you already invited my sister.

Weiss:I mean...it’s mainly the brother portion. The second part...

Ruby:Weiss, that’s weird.

Yang:Eh...

Ruby:IT’S WEIRD! YOU CANNOT TELL ME OTHERWISE!

Yang:*sips coffee* Eh.

Blake:Anyways, Weiss, you’re running your company. The Schnee Dust Company was scrubbed top to bottom to remove as much corruption as possible. No department was overlooked. In times of money, there’s a notable decrease in how much the company used to make.

Weiss:Gee, I wonder if that’s because the other me is doing oh let me guess, paying all their workers and not cutting corners in safety?

Blake:The SDC people approval has gone up considerably, just so you know that too. Turns out people like it when the company they buy from have good morals.

Weiss:Am I happy though? I make time for my social life and hu- I mean wife?

Blake:Yea, you’re happy. In a way I think we’re all happy, but....

Yang:We’d be happier if we were all happy together? Yeah, that’s how it works. You’re only as happy as the most miserable person in a family or group; if you all care about each other that is. Ugh, I wanna punch the other me. I get how she feels but it’s fucking immature to just ignore years of teamwork and family. At the end of the day, team RWBY is a family! Can’t believe I’d runaway from it instead of figuring out...I don’t know! Something!

Blake:*small smile* Well if you feel that way then there’s no reason to believe she doesn’t. My Yang just struggles with it more I guess, but I hope she can come around one day. Not really for my sake, but for her own peace of mind. As well as Lucas’s.

Ruby:Lucas? Your son I take it?

Blake:Mmhmm. My strong and lazy young man. He got his father’s hair but my eyes and ears. I can’t think of a person who warms my heart quite like him. He acts uninterested in a lot of things, but his heart is so big.

Weiss:Ah, so he’s just you?

Blake:More or less hehe. Though I’d say I was passionate about things all my life. Lucas will sleep all day if he could and doesn’t like going out without a reason.

Weiss:Still sounds like you if I’m being honest. Teenager?

Blake:Seventeen, almost eighteen.

Yang:You said he’s need peace of mind too? I’m not...hostile towards him am I?

Blake:No, not by a long shot. On the occasions you two have meant, you were polite. It’s just he knows why you don’t visit or talk to me. That’s rough, knowing your parent’s closest friend stopped being apart of their life because you were born. I think sometimes he believes it’s actually his fault.

Yang:I really, really want to meet this other me and have a few words. She needs to know she isn’t trying hard enough. I’m proof.

Ruby:Yeah, but you’re only well off because the person that helped you get over Blake, was Jaune. Yeah she still can find love, but who that person will be would be uncharted territory for everyone.

Blake:Also I’m not entirely sure exactly if my Yang is even bi like you.

Yang:Sigh....

Weiss:Love.

Blake:Huh?

Weiss:As long as a person shows your Yang genuine love and a place in their heart where she’ll remain forever, Yang would fall for them. They just have to make it a point to make her feel like they’ll stay. Yangs are softies like that.

Yang:Wow, you an expert on me and all the versions of me now?

Weiss:No, you’re just a bleeding heart that’s super emotional. Let me guess, you fell for Jaune the moment you realized just how relaxed and vulnerable you could allow yourself to be around him.

Yang:*red*.......he holds me when I’m overwhelmed.

RWB:Awwww

Yang:Shut up! Blake, take the heat off me.

Blake:Not too much more. Lucas is a smart kid who generally stays out of trouble. Unfortunately, trouble finds him. Mainly because of his semblance.

Ruby:Don’t tell me...

Blake:No no, it’s not bad luck like your uncle, but Lucas can’t always control it so their similar in that regard. Premonitions, that’s his semblance.

Weiss:Like...the future? You child can see the future?!

Blake:Yeah. *sips drink* it’s terrible.

Ruby:What? That sounds so handy! Man, if I could someone fighting me before it happened, I’d be a monster on the battlefield.

Blake:Lucas isn’t a fighter. Well, he’s not aspiring to fight. He can fight, pretty dang well in fact.; but randomly seeing the future is not a gift. Imagine picking up a book and you suddenly know the ending, or watching a movie and you start seeing the middle of it right after you press play?

Yang:Ahhh, that’s why he’s lazy and unmotivated. His semblance is massive spoiler alert. Half the fun of new things is not knowing what will happen.

Ruby:Oof, you have a point. I’d be paranoid to no end.

Blake:To a point, he was. Ever since he was ten. Disasters happen at the drop of a hat. Lucas isn’t the kind of person to watch bad things unfold, so whenever it was possible or even if it was risky, he’d do whatever he could to prevent said disaster. But.....there’s only so much anyone person can do. There’s only so much information he sees. The constant strain and guilt that came from failing ate him up. The. There’s the incidents he’s seen that didn’t show him how it began or how it will end. *rubbing her hands* It’s bad...

Weiss:Hey, I...I’ve noticed your hands and frankly even your face are a bit....slim. Your skin isn’t as colorful as I’m used to either. Almost like it’s regaining color.

Blake:Hehehe.......I guess you were bound to notice of all people.

Weiss:Of course. I may not run a a company in my world but I keep tabs on my brother and have had my fair share of visits to a doctor. Why wouldn’t I notice.

Yang:So can we talk as if there are people who have no clue what’s going on?

Weiss:Blake has had one of two things happen to her. She’s either worked way too hard to the point she’s not taking care of her health, or she’s fallen very ill and her body is still recovering.

Blake:Yeah, it’s more of the second one, but probably because of the first one as well. Forwarding equality, I was overzealous with it. One day Lucas just started shaking and crying when he was twelve and I couldn’t understand why. Turns out he kept seeing me bedridden and unconscious without a reason. Day in and day out he simply cried and tried his best to get another premonition to learn more, but couldn’t. A week later I started feeling a little dizzy, and then blacked out after vomiting. At first I thought maybe I had the flu or something. Nope, a tumor.

Weiss:What?

Ruby:Blake!?

Yang:Oh shit, are you-

Blake:Perfectly fine! *smiles* I’m fine. Liver cancer, but it was caught early. No more tumor what so ever, but the meds and the entire process was really draining. Got sicker a couple of times. Not once did I feel like I was dying necessarily, more like...slipping? I felt myself getting drained. The whole time Lucas was so scared; blaming himself for not preventing this or knowing how to fix it. Though simply knowing he saw me like was a warning most people wish they got. I know I said seeing the future is terrible, but the scariest part through all of this was not knowing how it ended. Choosing medicine, doctors, surgery possibilities, it made me crack under pressure a little. I think he noticed that. I wasn’t sure if I picking an option that lead me dying or getting better. The stress alone may have killed me. Ever since then Lucas hasn’t been so outgoing.

Ruby:....

Weiss:....

Yang....It was already said, but there was no way this wasn’t going to get sad was there?

Blake:Take it from me, there’s joy in pain. So many people came to visit me when I was recovering. Even Yang dropped by for a bit. After I got out, I don’t think Lucas ever hugged me so hard. Jaune tried to stay calm through the whole ordeal but it was rough for him too. He was all but spent emotionally when I came home.

Weiss:I’m surprised Lucas didn’t become an older brother.

Blake:The last thing a recovering patient needs is a pregnancy, but as far as missing me goes...

Ruby:You can stop right there with that tangent.

Yang:We’ll talk about that in private. I wouldn’t mind that story.

Blake:*playfully rolls eyes* These days I try not to over do things. I’ve only officially been deemed completely cured for about a year. I can feel that I’m still not entirely up to strength. It’s fine though. It gives me an excuse for Lucas to dote on me a little. He’s a mama’s boy at heart. My biggest worries these days is peeling him out of this shell his semblance had put him in. At the very least I want him to smile like he used to and find away to live in moment when possible. His entire life is ahead of him. Hopefully he doesn’t see all of it.

Ruby:I guess too much of anything really is bad. Knowledge included. I hope things work out.

Yang:Me too. A happy life is something you definitely earned.

Blake:Thanks. That seriously means a lot, which is why I made sure to not end this on a sour note.

The happy faunus pulled out her scroll to scroll through pictures and her friends eyes lit up. The first one was a beach photo. This Jaune was different from what they were used to. He let his hair grow a little bit longer and the back went down his neck, but it was definitely still him. This jaune was pretty toned and went for a lean look than bulky like Weiss’s, but a tad slimmer. On his shoulders was an adorable toddler with wide amber eyes and big blonde cat ears. Both men were enjoying the sunset on the waves.

The next photo was more recent with Blake right in the middle of hopping into Lucas’s arms. Weiss noticed the girl still had on the hospital bracelet. She must’ve just gotten cleared. Lucas had grown like a weed. He was now roughly Jaune’s height. His hair was messy and looked like Jaune’s in his younger years. Also like his father, Lucas was jacked! His sleeveless purple shirt should off his biceps as they wrapped around Blake’s torso for a hug. His baggy purple shorts had black and gold trim through the seams and the shorts stopped right below his knees; but showed of his well defined calves. A smile of pure joy and what could’ve been a few tears were visible as he looked lovingly at his mother. It warmed all of the ladies hearts. Still, the girls also could tell under his eyes were a little dark. Lucas must’ve been very tired.

The final picture had to be the most recent. It was Blake and Lucas sparring. Both looked at each other with excitement and ease as their wooden blades clashed. Their clothes mirrored one another by being black and white kimonos. They even wore the traditional shoes and everything.

Weiss:Yeah, that’s your kid.

Blake:Damn right. Unfortunately that makes him a little too stubborn. But I guess that’s okay. Without a doubt, someone’s gonna break through that shell of his.

Yang:Oh? It sounds like you already know who?

Blake:Well....I have a hunch.

xxxxx

RING! RING! RING! Lucas’s scroll chirped, in the middle of the night. The boy let out a long, agitated groan of sleepiness as he rolled over in bed; reaching for his scroll on the nightstand to answer.

Lucas:Hello?

???:Did you know you are mathematically more likely to choke on a hotdog than get attacked by a shark?

Lucas:....Serenity, who gave you my number?

Serenity:Your parents, and it’s Serendipity!

Lucas:Too many syllables. Also a bit ironic given who you are. With the way you act though, my name for you is better.

Serenity:Ooooo so we’re moving on to pet names? How forward of you.

Lucas:Five seconds before I hang up. Three...two-

Serenity:You’re late! You promised to guide me around the beach at twelve. That’s now.

Lucas:.....P.M. Twelve P.M. Serenity. Why in the world would I mean midnight!?

Serenity:It’s romantic and personal. Nobody else is around. I thought you were trying to use that Belladonna magic on me by acting all cool and aloof in the moonlight.

Lucas:.....

Lucas:Please delete my number.

Serenity:Not on your life, my whiskered bodyguard!

Lucas:Don’t have whiskers-

Serenity:If you don’t wanna move that butt of yours to hang out with a pretty girl in a floppy hat and sundress with a bikini underneath, that’s your loss. I’m still going for a dip.

Lucas:Do not go in the water when nobody is around.

Serenity:Pfft, I’m a strong swimmer.

Lucas:Sharks.

Serenity:It’s more dangerous to eat a hotdog.

Lucas:Sharks feed at night.

Serenity:Are you trying to tell me the statistics aren’t as reliable just because it’s nighttime.

Lucas:That’s exactly what I’m saying.

Serenity:Then you better move your butt just in case. Either you get a snack or the sharks do. Either way, I get attention.

Lucas:Difference is one wants to eat you.

Serenity:My goodness Lucas, oh brazen of you.

Lucas:......

Lucas:Tell the sharks I said hi.

Serenity:Okay! Byyyyyyeeeee! *hangs up*

Lucas:(She’ll be fine.)

..........

Lucas:*putting on shoes* This is bullshit. Who thinks midnight!? *walking down stairs* Can’t have a peaceful day or night....

Jaune:*watching tv* Hey Lucas, going some-

Lucas:I’m giving out your phone number to a homeless man the first chance I get! *walks out door*

Jaune:.....(Whatever gets you outside more.)

It took about fifteen minutes of aggressive walking for Lucas to wrap around to the back of his house towards their section of the beach. Where Serenity walked around humming and collecting seashells without a care in the world.

Lucas:The next shell you grab will have a crab in it.

Serenity:Huh? Oh hey you’re finally-ahhhh! Ow ow ow ow ow ow!

Lucas:Should’ve listened.

Serenity:Have a better warning!!!! It won’t let go!

Lucas:Pull it off.

Serenity:That’s hurt!!! Lucas, help!

Lucas:Fine, if you delete my number.

Serenity:*sniffling* Stop being mean!!! This really hurts, it’s breaking the skin. Isn’t a young and pretty girl’s tears payment enough!? I thought you were getting paid to-

Lucas:Oh my goodness! Okay, just shush. I’m too sleepy for this.

Serenity:You’re mean when you’re sleepy. At least your waking up voice sounds handsome though.

Lucas:Please....stop. Stop everything. *removing crab* Happy?

Serenity:No, you’re not happy. Also my finger is bleeding.

Lucas:Yep, looks like you can’t go swimming now for real.

Serenity:Eh, I lied anyways. I’m not getting in that water. There are sharks in that watery grave.

Lucas:So. Why. Did. You. Wake. Me. Up?

Serenity:....*red* I...don’t really, have friends here. Besides you. Umm *points to pail and shovels* sandcastles?

Lucas:*inhales*......I’ll get the water.

Serenity:*smiles* Yes! I’ll delete your number later.

Lucas:*red* You....can keep it of you really want.

Serenity:....Kek, okay Mr. Tsundere

Lucas:You can remove the next crab alone.

Serenity:Don’t joke like that! That was a joke, right?

Lucas:Welp that pail isn’t gonna fill itself. *leaves*

Serenity:What!? Lucas!!! You were joking right!? Right!? *looking around the sand* you’re a lousy bodyguard!

Lucas:Good, fire me.

Serenity:I...you....ugh!

Lucas:Cheer up, I’m happy now after all. *smiles*

Serenity:*pouting* This is why I’m a dog person.

[im-hqlover]

Arkham Knight - Chapter 1: Calm before the storm.

A/N - Ok, Idk if it will work, but I will try. I wanted to warn you that this story is based on the Batman Arkham Knight game, and that I will make certain changes in the universe, I hope you don't mind.  (Btw, I wanted to thank again @aliasimagines to proofread the chapter.)

Warnings: Spoilers, anxiety disorder, psychological terror? (maybe not yet in that chapter)

Pairings: Richard Grayson (Nightwing) x Reader (in that chapter / arc)

Y/n = your name (the reader is female)

d/n = dog name (the dog is male)

Words count: 1915

Next chapter: Coming soon.

Y/N's INFO:

Gender: Cis-Female

Sexuality: Straight 

Height: Short 

Weight: Not Defined 

Skin Color: Not Defined 

Hair Color: Not Defined 

Eyes Color: Not Defined

Other details? No

=-=-=-=-=

9 months. It's been 9 months since the Joker's death, and I knew something wasn't right, I felt that, since his death the crime rates have decreased, this should be a good sign, but... I feel like it was calm before the storm starts.

Today was October 30th, the day before Halloween, it was a nice day, I mean, I like to watch Halloween movies, give candy to children, see and create costumes, and maybe go to a Halloween party... pfff, obviously I don't go to parties. But other than that I think Halloween is cool, a great autumn day, cold days to stay under the blankets, watch something on tv and maybe customize some pumpkins.

My day was going as well as any other, Richard and I had agreed to spend today and tomorrow in my apartment, I was happy that he was coming to stay here with me, at least I wasn't so alone, I mean, I have (d / n), but well... he's a dog, so he doesn't answer me verbally, so it's good to talk to someone instead of just hearing my voice and the sound of barking. I was putting food for (d / n) when I heard knocking on the door and I ran to answer it, when I opened it I came across my boyfriend.

- Richard!

- Hey baby. - He smiled at me, put his arms around my waist and kissed me, I kissed him back and put my arms around his neck.

After we kiss, he walks into the apartment and places his backpack and motorcycle helmet next to the couch, I closed the door and go back to the kitchen.

- It looks like you worked hard to decorate the apartment. - He said while looking at the decorations, such as pumpkins and skeletons papers that I hung from the ceiling and also other details that referred to Halloween.

- Yes, I worked all week to do everything, but since I am not working and there were no classes this week, it was one of the only things I could do to distract myself. - I said while looking proudly at my hard work.

- It's wonderful.

- Thanks. - I say while blushing. I look at the oven and notice that the cookies were almost burning and I ran to get them out.

- The smell here is great, what are you cooking?

- Cookies. I hope it haven't missed the point. - I put the tray on the counter and Richard comes closer and look closely.

- That still needs to be painted. - I say while watching my boyfriend.

- They must be delicious, can I get one?

- Feel free, as long as you don't eat them all before painting them, I think everything is fine.

- I promise to leave at least one. - He spoke and touched my nose, he knew it irritated me. I crossed my arms and looked at him seriously. - Maybe two. - I rolled my eyes and laughed lightly. He comes over and wraps his arms around my waist. - Hey, you know I can't resist your cookies.

- You can't resist any food Richard. - I said and laughed as I put my arms around his neck.

- You know me. - He kisses me until (d / n) barks and we get scared.

- Looks like someone is jealous, isn't it (d / n)? - I say leaving Richard's arms and going towards my dog, and I pet him, after doing that I wash my hands to go back to my work in the kitchen.

- I'm just missing one thing. - He said while sitting on the couch and (d / n) lying on his feet.

- What?

- Pumpkins.

- Oh, I just didn't know where to leave them. - I get some pumpkins that were in my fridge.

- Wow, how many did you do?

- Four so far. I was planning to make two more after the cookies.

- Wow. This is incredible (y / n). He got up from the couch and looked at the pumpkins more closely. I smile shyly and continue making preparations to decorate the cookies.

While I was decorating the cookies, Richard decided to put some film on.

- Hey (y / n), what movie do you think we should watch?

- Hmmm, I don't know, how about ... The nightmare before christmas? - He smiles and nods in agreement placing the film right after.

While I was decorating the cookies, Richard stayed in the living room "watching" the movie, because he was actually writing something on his laptop. I saw it at a glance, it must have been a police case or something related to thieves.

When I finished the cookies I put them aside and went to carve another pumpkin, it didn't take long for me to hear the footsteps of a certain person coming to steal cookies.

- I loved the expressions of your pumpkins. - He said approaching slowly, like he wanted nothing with anything, but of course I knew what he wanted.

- You can get the cookies, you don't have to make a scene Richard. - He smiles and takes some cookies. - I loved this one. - He said showing a bat-shaped cookie with blue details.

- I made it especially for you.

- I am honored - He does something like a reverence and starts to eat the cookies, he supports his back on the counter and watches me make a drawing on the pumpkin.

- Oh, by the way, I have something that I think you will like. - I go to the fridge and get a pumpkin pie.

- I think I'm going to put on 10 kilos this Halloween. - We both laugh and put the pie on the counter.

- Since I had a lot of pumpkin pulp, I didn't want to waste it, so I made pies.

- Did you do more than one?

- Yes, I did if I'm not mistaken 7 pies.

- And what are you going to do with so much pie?

- I planned to maybe see with the neighbors if any of them would like it... on second thought, maybe they also already have pie... but, I think it is worth trying and see if someone would like it... - I say while I think about the possibilities of what people would like of pumpkin pie. - Maybe I'll give Alfred one, do you think he'll like it?

- I'm sure he will, you know that Alfred loves anything you give him.

- Yeah... I hope so.

- You don't have to worry about it, believe it. - I smile awkwardly and he kisses me on the cheek. - By the way, what do you think about watching Friday the 13th?

- It may be, I think I never watched the movie, so... I think it might be a good idea. - I shrugged while watching my pumpkin.

- Have you never watched Friday the 13th?

- I have almost pretty sure not.

- So it's going to be the perfect movie. - He smiles and goes back to the couch, with some cookies and a piece of pie of course.

The hours go by and it gets close to 18:00, it was getting dark outside. Richard and I were entertained watching the first Friday the 13th movie, everything was fine, just a few scares here and there and holding Richard's arm and resting my head on his shoulder, until I hear a scary voice outside. 

- Did you hear that? - I ask him and he answers positively, we got up from the couch and went to the window. My apartment had a view of some of Gotham's big screens, so it was possible that we could see Scarecrow talking. He was talking about his fear toxin, saying that tomorrow it would look like child's play, my heart started to beat faster. 

It didn't take long for the city to start being evacuated, I grabbed my backpack and put on everything I thought was most important to me, as Gotham was supposed to be dominated only by villains I couldn't leave it here to them. 

I got my laptop, pen drives, pictures of people important to me and a few other things. Richard took his backpack and helped me to take what I needed to my car, as he had come on a motorcycle, (d / n) couldn't go with us, so my car was the best choice, we put everything in and Richard went to leave his motorcycle in a safe place, or at least he thought it was safe.

- I drive the car. - He spoke while making hand gestures asking me to give the car key. - You aren't in a position to drive and you know it.

I agreed and handed over the key, I was very anxious, probably already having an internal panic attack, so letting him drive was the best option, as he was already used to dealing with this type of situation.

As there were so many cars and buses evacuating the city, it took us a long time to leave the island and head towards the wayne mansion, probably one of the safest places at this time. When we got there, we removed (d / n) and our belongings, and Alfred was already at the door ready to help us. 

- Master Dick, Miss (y / n), I'm glad you are well. 

I was still in shock with everything that was happening, so many things going on in my mind, I was freaking out, I was exploding internally, I couldn't answer anything, because I felt that if I said anything I would collapse.

- Actually (y / n) is not well, this whole situation has affected her a lot.

- I understand, come inside Miss (y / n), I know something that will help you. - I looked at Richard before entering the mansion and following Alfred into the kitchen, he started making tea and at the end put it on the counter in front of me. - I know you are not a big fan of tea, but I recommend taking this one, it will calm you down.

- Thank you Alfred. - I say with a slightly shaky voice and take the hot cup, I wait for the tea to cool down a little before taking a sip of the drink, it was not as bad as other teas I had already tried, but it wasn't something I would take all hour. Alfred leaves the kitchen and goes to another room. I spend some time alone in the kitchen, watching the cup of tea, until Richard arrives in the kitchen and approaches me.

- I know that all this is messing with your mind, but I know that soon everything will be resolved, I know that Bruce won't let anything happen to Gotham and will do his best to save everyone he can, and so will I will help in whatever I can. And I swear I won't let anything happen to you.

- Thank you Richard. - I leave the cup on the counter and hug Richard, who returns the hug. - Thank you…

We stayed like that for some time until Richard breaks the hug and says he has to see some important things, but that he would be back soon. I go back to drinking the rest of the tea and when I finish I watch my shaking hands, I hear the sound of dog steps approaching and I see that (d / n), he knew something was wrong, I approach of him and I pet him, at least that made me calm down a little. I decide to go to the living room and look out the big window and observe the dark, rainy night that was at that moment. I hope this nightmare will end soon.

=-=-=-=-=

Masterlist

[snkpolls]

SnK Chapter 126 Poll Results

The chapter 126 poll closed with 1,647 responses. Thank you for your support! This month’s poll results were compiled by @shifter-lines​ , /u/alooulla,   /u/_Puppet_, @manerein and @momtaku.

  RATE THE CHAPTER 1,514 responses

“Rate the Chapter” is a genuine bell curve this month instead of having its more typical overwhelmingly positive skew. While not terrible by any means, the response to chapter 126 was the most lukewarm since chapter 107, and it was the second worse performing chapter since we started the poll.

(Kazoo Avengers theme)

By far, this was the chapter I enjoyed the least, I just hope that the ending feels realistic

Definitely fast paced, but definitely needed to finally kick things into high gear. The Calm Before The Storm…

it was pretty disappointing by aot standards, but the last 15 chapters were amazing, so what am i even complaining for.... i just hope that isayama can write a decent ending.

I feel like this is either one of those chapters that will be more rewarding in hindsight when we have more info or was just straight up moving forward so we can get to the good stuff faster and we will have to suck it up and move on. All in all I think it was a good chapter even if a little rushed.

Easily the worst chapter in years due to the fast pacing, convenient plot developments and cliche and very cheesy and cringey ending page quote.

In the anime they could make a whole episode out this single chapter instead of using two chapters to make a single episode

ISAYAMA GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER!! THE SAUNA AINT RUNNING AWAY FROM YOU

Haha pie

  WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT? 1,519 responses

After nearly a year of absence Levi and Hange were finally back in the story so it’s no surprise that “Everything with Levi and Hange” topped the list of favorite moments with 22.1%. “Avengers Assemble” was a distant second with 10.6%. Confirmation that Levi was alive came in third (10.2%).

ONYANKOPON CALLYING JAEGERISTS A BUNCH OF CHAUVINISTS

Pieck and Hange teaming up? Eren better watch out because those two together are gonna KICK SOME ASS!

Hange needs so much more appreciation, she is such a good person. I hope she and Levi both survive this shit.

I loved everything that happened, it just desperately needs some more detail filled in.

I loved Levi and Hange interactions

Annie eating pie is just perfect

It was so good to see Levi and Hanji again and together. They suffered so much, i need an end where they both survive and can have a restful retirement

Glad to see that Connie is still a good guy. Also that he is trying his best becouse of his Mother.

But what Pieck Pieck? The greatest tragedy is that Isayama took that from us, y'know not that Eren is destroying the world or something...

I really loved to see Armin and Annie together!

  WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE MOMENT? 1,507 responses

Talk about polarity. “Avengers Assemble” may have been the second most popular “Favorite Moment” but it was also  the landslide winner for “Least Favorite” with nearly 22% of the fandom selected it as the worst moment of the chapter. “Floch’s Speech” (13.8%) and “The Ragako Subplot” (13.5%) rounded out the top 3.

everyone called them the avengers but lets get real they are a fuckin Suicide Squad

Why are we wasting time on Louise

Avengers Lowcost version

Didn't understand Magath reasons to join forces with his enemys. It felt like some story in between was missing.

Can I just say I hate what Isayama did with Connie's character? I've never seen a character as bipolar in his development

Floch was the only good part....

  WHO WAS THIS CHAPTER’S MVP? 1,503 responses

Hange (23%), Jean (16.2%) and Armin (13.4%) were our top three favorite characters this month. It needs to be said that “Pie” came in at number four with nearly 10% of the fandom selecting it.

it WAS nice to see characters choosing to be their best selves for the sake of others. For that reason, it was difficult to pick an MVP -- but I gave it to Onyankopon because he crystallized so eloquently exactly what I had been thinking since Eren started the Rumbling.

Levi and hange tho

So much Erwin nods!  Yesss <333

Still love my boy Jean!

Some characters are still acting consistent: Jean, Magath, Levi (still not over killing the BT and that's good), Onyankopon and Floch.

Connies growth, Jean's motivation, I'm glad these boys are reclaiming their almost-lost humanity!

Levi. That is all.

Oh, also, I want pie.

  WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE HANGE AND LEVI CAMPSITE MOMENT? 1,494 responses

“Hange suggesting that they live in the woods together” (27.2%) was the favorite campsite moment, followed by “Levi’s words upon waking up” (23.3%).  “Hange sniping while shedding a tear” was third (19.6%))

I'm giving this 5/5 solely for Yams finally feeding the LeviHan shippers some good fucking food after so long.

I ship Levi and Hange. It's so cute when Hange realized that Levi was listening to her/him while pretending to sleep.

Shirtless Levi round two! Wit, you better do the job correctly this time!

We need a Historia chapter but it’s great to see Hange and Levi being back.

  PIECK… FINGER? 1,492 responses

Pieck Finger. Pieck Finger everybody. You know how a common response to trauma or awkwardness is humor? Well 42.6% of you are primarily concerned with how “Pieck Finger” will be memed. 24.7% of you accept the trauma and say you wish she would’ve just stayed “Pieck”, and 20.6% of you are glad she has a last name, but did it really have to end like this? 6.5% of you think it’s a “cool and realistic last name”, and I think you guys scare me more than the people who vote “Snapchat” on the last question every month. More on that later.

"pekfinger" is swedish for "pointer finger" too. oh lord

Back when Pieck was supposed to be a dude, the working name was "Oliver Pieck", at least from what I read on the AoT wiki. I feel like Isayama could have just switched the first and last name around to make it "Pieck Oliver." That would've sounded far less weird.

I know a guy named Buck Ramming. Pieck Finger is fine by me lol

It's an instruction not a name.

Levi sure could use a couple of Piecks right about now heyoooooo

the fact that she got the worst titan and now also the worst name it’s so funny

What kind of a first name is Pieck?

  AS PREDICTED, CONNIE’S ROADTRIP WITH FALCO ENDED AMICABLY. WHAT DID YOU THINK OF IT? 1,498 responses

The Ragako subplot did little for the readers with nearly one-third of the fandom calling it a complete waste of time. The majority (46.2%) were slightly more charitable selecting “It was ok. I’m glad it wrapped up quickly”. Only 17.5% loved the moment. The write-ins were pretty damning.

Good plotpoint, really bad execution

I cringed the whole time.

I liked the outcome, but it was handled too quickly

A complete waste of time: Connie's arc? Sharted over. The consequences about Falco? Sharted over. Possibility to exploit serumbowl or Ymir's memories? Glossed over.

All of this made no sense and it was solved so quickly it seemed unrealistic. YAMS WE NEED PROPER CLOSURE PLS DON'T WASTE MORE INK

Connie changed his mind a bit too quickly, but it was good nevertheless

Connie deserved better writing.

Felt too shallow for how quick it sprung up, needed more development. As it is now, it could've just not happened

I'm glad that Connie hasn't died yet because I appreciate him, but there's been wasted potential. Ymir's memories and Porco and Colt's deaths have been reduced to a single vignette where we can only speculate and write fics.

Missed opportunity to actually develop Connie's character. We didn't learn anything we didn't already know about Connie.

This feels like what the anime did to the Uprising Arc. It happened way too fast and honestly felt like Isayama was just checking it off a list, so to say. Which is honeslty a bit uncharactieristic of his writing. I really hope this doesn't start, or continue, a trend...

  WHICH DENTAL HYGIENE MOMENT DID YOU ENJOY MORE? 1,494 responses

Before I talk about the numbers, I just want to shout out the one guy who responded “Other” and just said “why”. Anyway, a solid majority of you guys’ favorite dental hygiene moment was Hange asking Pieck rude lady questions, which frankly sounds much worse than it actually is. The next most common answer, getting just over 25% of the votes, was Connie’s Master Plan™, followed by “Both”, followed by “Neither!” I still like the guy who just said “why”.

I didn't mind it, but I heard that Isayama did this so he could get a toothbrush merch campaign going lol

Isayama has a teeth fetish confirmed

Holy Fuck what was Connies face doing when he was talking about titan teeth brushing.

Why, just why

Pie

  WHAT DO YOU THINK OF HOW MIKASA ACTED TOWARDS LOUISE? 1,457 responses

The fandom is almost evenly divided over Mikasa’s actions towards Louise. By the narrowest of margins, Mikasa’s compassionate nature took the majority (26.8%). The other extreme, “Mikasa should’ve sucked it up and let the girl be happy”, was second with 26.2%. A quarter of the fandom instead chose to focus on Louise. “Louise was crazy and deserves the cold shoulder” was third (23.9%).

It's not surprising that Mikasa ran out of f*cks to give. There are only so many lives she can value, and right now she doesn't have the time to spare, or room in her heart.  

I don't think Mikasa had any responsibility there, and the scarf is hers. Given its significance, and that she owes Louise nothing, it seemed like the moment was morally neutral.

I really didn't care. Louise is barely a character, and Mikasa had no duty to be nice to a person who enabled and supported a bloody coup just because she saved her life once.

I don’t blame Mikasa. I don’t like and want to spend time with my stalkers either

I felt bad for Louise. She’s dying, let her think you care about her, Mikasa

I felt like Louise is completely obsessional but Mikasa is just as much. To me these kinds of moments show that Mikasa has completely lost it recently

I'm concerned about what this says for Mikasa's character development thus far, and I felt kind of bad for Louise

I'm sick of the scarf back and forth

It actually seems quite obvious to me that Mikasa pitied the poor girl, but there was nothing she could have done for her. Because she simply lacks the time necessary to care for Luise, or change her mind or make sure that she's ok.

That this is about Mikasa’s compassion or lack thereof I think says more about how we feel women should feel. I think it was fine, she barely knows Louise and there is a lot more going on. Louise is a grown woman that made her own decisions.

the most interesting part about it is that Eren asked Louise to throw the scarf away. that's it.

Mikasa already did a good gesture by visiting Louise, no one would ask Jean to do the same with Floch, so I don't see the big deal. Both cases are "protagonist sees themselves in antagonist, and realise how they mustn't become like them".

  WHY DID MIKASA DECIDE TO TAKE HER SCARF BACK? 1,482 responses

“Mikasa wants it back for other reasons” was the selection of nearly half of respondents, since “wearing it” and vague malice towards Louise were the other two options.

Eren wants her to throw it away, so she's making her own decision and going against his wishes on purpose.

I don’t know if she’ll wear it again, but it’s always been her scarf and she’ll decide it’s fate when she’s ready

I think she wants to give it back to Eren.

It's still important to her. She may let go of Eren but the scarf is always gonna be there to remind her of what was and the family she once had.

It’s just simply that it’s hard to throw away a possession you held dear for most of your life. It’d be more out of character for her to throw it away. I don’t think she ever planned on abandoning the scarf—setting it aside was rather Isayama’s way of showing Mikasa’s conflicted thoughts on her relationship with Eren.

Ultimately, Mikasa's the authority on the scarf and it's emotional weight, while Louise was trying to squeeze her own meaning out of it. It wasn't Louise's place to do so, and it wasn't her scarf to take. Whatever is to be done with it, to see it used again, given to someone else, or see it thrown out or destroyed, is a choice only the scarf's real owner, Mikasa, should make.

  THEY FOUND ANNIE BY SITTING NEXT TO HER WHILE SHE WAS EATING PIE, THOUGHTS? 1,497 responses

The reunion with Annie was another chapter moment that fell flat for the majority with only 21.8% expressing approval with it. The majority (31.8%) thought it would’ve been ok if there was more time for conversation and reaction and 22% were primarily bothered by the coincidence involved in the reunion. The remaining 20% found the lazy writing unforgivable.

*sigh*

There was way too much build up just to have it end in a gag. It was cute, but it... just doesn't work?

Are you telling me that every time you talk about Robert Downey Jr. he doesn't just appear right next to you?

Humor was not appropriate in this situation

I fucking loved it

I think it's lazy writing but it made me laugh pretty hard so I'll give it a pass

It was a funny moment but definitely not how I had imagined nor hoped Armin/Annie's reunion would happen

Sitting together like nothing happened before and eat and laugh… are you serious?!! It’s not funny

SNK has always had funny moments like this woven into it, especially when the 104th were still trainee's, and it's nice to see a tonal flashback to the past like this.

Stranger things have happened. Floch's hair, for example.

  WHAT SORT OF PIES DO YOU THINK THEY WERE EATING? 1,469 responses

Fruit. Definitely fruit.

...

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

What's the point of this question?? I'm confused

What the fuck is a meat pie?

We're missing PIEces of the puzzle still

  WHAT PIE WOULD YOU SCARF DOWN THAT FAST IF YOU WERE ANNIE? 1,459 responses

Apple (23.9%), and chocolate (16.2%) are our favorite pies, with Meat and “I don’t like pie” tying for third (11.4%). Several respondents were rather vocal about this even being asked. To them I say Isayama is the one who started this :P 

Apricot, you American heathens

Duh. Pineapple of course

I'd be more worried about getting home to my dad before he's crushed by a psycho

Marleyan organ pie made by the Usurper Chad himself!

nectarine pie.... you should try it

Rhubarb pie. Best Pie Ever.

Sweet Potato Pie!

There are so many interesting questions you could have asked in this poll yet didn't, but you're asking about pie?  (A/N: There are so many interesting things Isayama could have drawn in this chapter yet didn't, but he's drawing about pie? )

  HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT HITCH BEING LEFT BEHIND? 1,479 responses

While the majority thought it was a good way to write her out (36.3%), there was plenty of disappointment (26.2%) and many who thought it could’ve been handled better (16.6%). A segment of the fandom (18.5%) thinks she’ll be back since there is more she has yet to do.  

Perfect. She is always left behind throughout the series. The continuation of this makes sense.

Does the lack of Hitch means the lack of pies? Because this is unacceptable.

Glad that she'll survive probably, but she was such an interesting character

Annie and Hitch were my new otp, so just sad feels

Hitch is safe from now on. Ok for me.

I felt so sorry for her, because Annie's disappearance reminded me a bit of Hitch's relationship with Marlowe. Once more it seemed like the Survey Corps was taking someone precious away from her, off to an unknown and risky fate

I never had pie so Idk.

  WERE YOU WORRIED THAT JEAN WOULD JOIN THE JAEGERISTS? 1,480 responses

For this question, 21.5% of you were a little nervous that Jean might join the Jaegerists, but a much more significant 69.2% understood the implied fact that the Jaegerists only accept humans, and Jean is a horse, and therefore there was never any threat of him allying with them. You’d think that with like four hundred years of this series being out, I’d think of a better way to make that joke, but here we are. Anyway, the last 9.3% of you think Jean would do more to help Paradis if he joined the Ab Church, which is an excellent parallel to the Wall Church in the beginning of the series, I might add.

I still wish more time was given to the subplots such as more time to stew on Jean joining the Yaegarists

  LAST MONTH 75% OF THE FANDOM THOUGHT JEAN WOULD BE THE PERSON TO TAKE DOWN FLOCH. DO YOU STILL THINK THE HAIRBOWL WILL HAPPEN? 1,463 responses

Remaining in the strong majority, 72.6% of you guys think there will be some sort of confrontation between Jean and Floch, though whether that means you think Jean will be the person to “take down” Floch or not is beyond me. I don’t know. I didn’t write this question, I’m just writing the blurb for it.

I'm still betting on Floch shooting Jean in the head as a punishment for not going along with the flow

take down Floch please!!!! ..

  FINAL WORDS. WHO DID IT BETTER? 1,479 responses

With 43% of the vote, Onyankopon’s... several... words? beat out Yelena’s strong and (mostly) silent type response (which got 33.1% of the vote, by the way) at their “execution''. 23.9% of respondents said “Both”, and while technically “both” couldn’t have done it “better”, I’ll let it slide, because they were both pretty cool, and semantics don’t matter.

Best boy was Onyankopon. We only used to get glimpses of him and finally he has rebelled, showing that he has more guts than some of our main characters.

  JEAN AND HANGE’S PLAN TO ESCAPE SHIGANSHINA HAPPENED OFFSCREEN. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT? 1,473 responses

Three-fourths of the fandom expressed some disapproval of how the offscreen planning of the escape from Shinganshina went down calling it sloppy(18.1%) and confusing (13.9%). Of those, the majority (39%) will be ok with it if a future chapter provides more details. Only a quarter of the fandom completely loved the handling of this.

Even if flashbacks fill the gaps later, they won't make 126 a better chapter.

How did they even communicate? I thought it was all planned between Jean and Mikasa

on the page with the titans marching at night, you can see a figure standing outside jean's window. could be hange coming to discuss plans

I liked it, but I think I like it even more if it's explained in the next chapter(s).

I think he did it that way to add surprise. I feel like lately he has been in general illustrating with a more cinematic eye and by writing the scene this way it will play better in visual media. Lately I feel like he has been thinking this way, it’s been a trend for a while now.

This is why you shouldn't cram up 3 chapters worth of content into one. I don't care if Isayama has to end his volume on some goddamn awful page. You don't mess with certain parts of the narrative.

It was fine, it wasn't necessarily a scene that needed to be included so I'm fine with it.

  WHO WAS THE PERSON IN THE WINDOW? 1,456 responses

Who was the person in the window? Was Chapter 116 the last time we’ll ever see Eren transform into his Attack Titan? How to turn into a titan without alerting the military police??? When will I stop asking questions? Right now!

Just under two-thirds of the votes for this question went to Shadis. Following Shadis at a clean 10% is Zeke, trailed by Zombie Erwin at 9.6%. Given the theories about Eren’s body at the end of 117 being a Warhammer clone, I never thought I’d see the day when Zombie Erwin beats Eren in a “who is the mysterious character who is not inside Eren’s Titan” question, but here we are!

CHADIS

Keith Lurkdis

Erwin never died! What even is that option 'zombie Erwin'???

Farmer-kun

Idk but whomever it is I hope they're a good guy.

Male adult figure... Must be my man Shadis. There's no way Zeke would wear so many clothes.

Ugh I have no idea. I’m not going to pretend I can predict anything anymore.

2Pac

  WHY DO YOU THINK MAGATH DEMANDED THEY CAPTURE YELENA? 1,465 responses

Why did Magath bring Yelena back with Jean and Onomatopoeia? ~20% of you thought it was because she’s need for a plan involving Zeke, ~17% think he wants the details of Zeke’s plan from her, just over 14% said  he wants information about Eren, 4.4% of you think he wants her as a prisoner, and the overwhelming majority, at 44.6%, think it’s all of the above.

My theory is that Yelena is Magath's daughter

  WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE FINAL PANEL? 1,478 responses

Another close one. If we disregard those who selected “Avengers Assemble”, which even though we added it I have no idea if it’s meant “Hell yes, can’t wait to see the Hulk and Black Widow together again” or “Please let Tony Stark’s legacy RIP.”, The “I didn’t like it” beat out the “I liked it” by 0.3%. However you look at the data, it’s astonishing that essentially one-third of the fandom did not like this ending.

*sigh*

Get in loser, we're going to save the world

A nice cringe to start my day with :)

The old gangs back together but with ADDITIONAL TRAUMA

I think it was supposed to be satirical. A lot of us expected that the warriors and the 104th would unite again so I think Isayama made it as cliché as possible to 1)offer the readers some comic relief, 2)maybe mock his own plot and show that he's aware that this alliance is kind of cliché.

At what point did Annie and Reiner deserve to be forgiven and taken in by the SC? And why do they think they actually can (or even should) stop the Rumbling?

Marvel copied the last panel

It is a reference to Reiner’s long time ambition, and an indication to his next role. Helos perhap. But I don't think isayama would let him save the world happily. Maybe he will save the world in an ironic and tragic way.

Brilliant !!! Finally it's Connie's turn to shine.

Can't wait to see this optimism crushed. Great moment, though.

I don't understand why people think it's such a cheap cheesy ploy when it's honestly kinda obvious that they're being set up for a fall. Optimism almost always meets at the very least a bittersweet reality in this story.

It's cheesy, but people don't consider it's Connie who's saying this who is an idiot

  REGARDING THE LAST PANEL, DO YOU THINK THEY HAVE A PLAN? 1,475 responses

Nearly 70% of you believe that Final Panel Gang have a plan, while just over 30% think they’re just gonna wing it. Get it? “Wing it”?

For more serious commentary, we’re normally used to seeing “Yes/No” questions a little more perfectly split, especially the ones that involve Eren. It’s interesting to see a more unified response, even if it means that SOMEBODY on Reddit is going to say “Nice.” about the Yes vote.

Isayama will probably do a flashback of the plan, he likes doing this sort of thing lol. It was fine.

It's fine IF the planning is shown in the following chapters, but if not then it'll feel like Isayama couldn't come up with solutions and did everything off screen just because of that.

Telling the plan to the reader only works, if the plan fails.

I feel like the pacing of the chapter was this fast so that Isayama could end with the "Avengers Assemble" scene as the big volume cliffhanger for the next one, so he tried to get through the events quickly to give it that poetic ending. In that case, it's possible Isayama might show how some of these events unfolded in the next chapter or two; he usually does that kind of thing when showing big events for the first time. If the next chapter fleshes some of the scenes from this chapter more like showing Jean discussing the Avengers' plan with Mikasa and Armin, I think that could make this chapter better when we look back on it.

  WOULD YOU RATHER THIS CHAPTER HAVE BEEN SPLIT INTO TWO? 1,468 responses

Remember what I said about being accustomed to more split votes? Well, 39.5% of you said that you would prefer this chapter have been split into two, citing a lack of development, while 39.2% of you said that you’re glad Isayama is, *ahem*, moving forward with the plot. The near-perfect divisions breaks off a little bit when we consider that another ~12% said no, blaming the plots themselves for the problems with chapter, and 6% effectively voting yes, saying that the chapter should’ve been split into three.

Ask me again in a few months when we see how the whole plot wraps up and if Isayama adds any additional details via flashback.

Honestly all of these plot points could have been arcs within themselves and i wish it had been given enough time to become that

I like that the plot is progressing but i don't like the subplots being rushed

I'm happy it's going forward and not dragging on, but I would've loved more of an interaction between the scouts and annie/reiner.

One and a half

𝜋

There are various holes (lack of reaction during Annie's appearance, poor coherency of when Eren managed to speak with many people) but Isayama is giving us cool alliances, so it's half okay.

  IF YOU COULD DROP A SUBPLOT, WHICH ONE WOULD IT BE? 1,463 responses

A fairly close call here, with the trip to Ragako Village being out in front with 42.6 percent of you claiming this is the subplot you would drop; Louise and Mikasa’s plot about the scarf is close behind on 36.2 percent. Perhaps readers feel the time for small subplots is done, since there’s so much still to do with the main plot we do not understand? A lot of responses indicated Mikasa’s perceived ‘cruelty’ (you’re all wrong, just so you know!) towards Louise, so perhaps this is indicative of why so many people would choose this event to be the subplot to drop.

Mikasa is just dead inside atm, but i feel bad for Louise

Mikasa knew Louise wanted that scarf, but she knew she needed it more. Plus I can barely remember Louise lol

Mikasa's behavior isn't good, but it's understandable---there are numerous mentally taxing events occurring.

Ragako stuff kinda sucked.

Goddamnit, this chapter was smelly poo. Not only we spent 3 months for nothing with that stupid Ragako plot and now everybody is holding hands just like that. If you're bringing an alliance you're not gonna make it happen offscreen with no detail whatsoever?

Ah and the Ragako subplot missed addressing the serumbowl as well: all we got is Armin whining about not being like Erwin and that's it. No Bert, no Ymir being addressed.

  IF YOU COULD HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ONE SUBPLOT IN THIS CHAPTER, WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE? 1,466 responses

Another close one! “The Armin and Annie reunion” is the subplot the majority wished for more information about with nearly 30% selecting it. “The conversation with Hange and Magath” was second (25.2%) and “Escape from Shiganshina” (17.7%) was third.

I was just expecting Levi, Hange and the corps interaction would be more surprising. The same goes for Annie and Armin's convo.

The mikasa scarf submit definitely could’ve happened in another chapter. This was too rushed and I really hope no other chapters feel this way. This chapter should’ve just been the Tagalog subplot, and then Annie and armin reunion. Then another chapter with hange/levi, Jean/flock and how they all came together to join forces.

It's so obvious this mad lad Isayama wanted to break the tension from the Armin / Annie reunion scene. We never know where he's going to trick us, do we ?

I do think that many things were kind of glossed over to save time. I'd prefer that things slow down a bit, just so we can soak up all that context. For example, the conversation between Hange and Magath, Annie and Armin's reunion and others.

  WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT HOW EASILY THE ALLIANCES WERE FORMED? 1,474 responses

A mere 17.5% enjoyed how easily the alliances were formed. The majority (43%) called it “OK” while a more than a third of the fandom (36.2%) hated it. Some folks seem to indicate it was expected and just needed to happen quickly so the story could move along. However, the amount of people who hated it was too large to ignore; and largely for similar reasons, that it appeared too easy. Maybe the mistrust and emotion will come as the story moves along? Some of your responses indicate trouble ahead, if not behind.

Also Hanji sides too many times with "benefactors". I'm expecting the alliance to be shaky, with probably backstabbings and double-crossings. They seemed to make an agreement over killing Zeke (since no side likes him), and I doubt characters like Mikasa, Armin or Jean would be ok with killing Eren.

I don't get all the madness over the alliance, It was obvious it would happen. Also it's obvious all the things glossed this chapter will be shown in Flashback if important, like what lead Annie join them, on how Hanji contacted Jean (although i think a lot of people didn't notice the shadow in the window on that panel of Jean in the bed).

It was warm and fuzzy and I really needed that, but the actual details of the new alliance will absolutely need to be expounded upon soon.

it wouldve been better if connie's mom plot didn't exist we could've got a better build up to the alliance

Overall, things were way too rushed, as if Isayama just wanted to get to the last page.  I'm expecting to see how this alliance was made in flashback form, as is typical for Isayama, but that won't fix the inherent issues of this specific chapter.

Hange getting so along with Pieck, who fought against them when Erwin was killed, was a complete joke.

I don't get all the madness over the alliance, It's was obvious it would happen. Also it's obvious all the things glossed this chapter will be shown in Flashback if important, like what lead Annie join them, on how Hanji contacted Jean (although i think a lot of people didn't noticed the shadow in the window on that panel of Jean in the bed).

I love seeing them all but oh heckin it was just a little too fast

  WHICH THROWBACK DID YOU ENJOY MOST CHAPTER? 1,465 responses

“Jean remembering Marco” (31.9%) narrowly edged out “Annie kicking Reiner”(30.3%) as our favorite throwback. Levi remembering his promise was a distant third (16.2%).

That Marco’s  throwback really hit me . *SOB*

I didn't like the Erwin reference when Armin tried to sacrafice himself for connies mother, instead of falco being eaten.

Armin recognized a very important thing to himself (he can't stay trying to Erwin, he suck on that, he needs to do what he is good on it, but as his own person and not shadow of Erwin)

Where was Jean at the end there? I want him to confront Annie over Marco. Poor guy had the worst death in the series. He was murder in cold blood and then it got covered up. Plus, the only person trying to solve the mystery is Jean. Bless Jean he is such a good friend

It makes sense that Connie would say that to Reiner of all people (that line come back to his childhood trauma). Fandom freaking out and fearing a cheesy happy ending is ridiculous.

I didn’t think it was cheesy at all. It circles back to Reiner’s declaration to Keith back during the training arc.

I'm kinda sick of Reiner's Kick The Dog treatment too. I know Annie hates him but still...

  REGARDING HOW THE AVENGER'S MISSION AND THE ENDING WILL GO, WHICH OF THESE IS PREFERABLE/ACCEPTABLE TO YOU? 1,465 responses

Fans proving as ever, that they are a divisive bunch! However, it's clear that the smallest amount of responses favour the rumbling being stopped and world peace occuring (hippies!). Some responses indicate that this chapter made them nervous for the ending being overly optimistic, even with Eren as the apparent antagonist. Endings where Eren achieves an extreme form of Brexit (Paradexit?) with a victory over the armies of the world have a fairly even spread of positive responses, proving that he still has a lot of fans on his side. However, most of you responded in the vague sense of feeling like Isayama knows best and at this point, just seeing where this wild ride takes us.

I keep seeing this popular prediction on almost every platform: Eren destroys the world outside Paradise, goes back to Historia and her newborn kid (in this sort of prediction it is always assumed that he's the father), tells his kid (who is also thought to be reborn Ymir) "you're free" and goes on to be a good dad - End of story. Honestly the thought of this type of ending pisses me off so much. Not only because its reeks of typical shonen ending, but because it goes against all the themes and ideas that Isayama has written into the story over the years.

I would not be upset with a 'golden' ending. Some part of me wants that to happen.

It setup the shonen cliche route and can ruin the ending

It was very unusual for this manga. I hope that the author will come to the most logical ending and will not use the power of friendship.

Least exciting chapter I can remember; it has me apprehensive about the ending.

I hope Eren's conclusion will end with him winning, however I do not him accepting his morality and to be shocked at what he's done but to come to terms with what he's done.

While I'm more supportive of Eren, I'm fine with whichever side comes out on top of this as long as it doesn't involve Eren being stopped through Power of Friendship or Talk no Jutsu. That would feel too cheap.

  WHICH RALLYING CRY DID YOU PREFER? 1,445 responses

While the Ragako subplot wasn’t exactly loved, Connie’s rallying cry was the fandom favorite (28.4%). Hange’s plea to Magath was a close second (26%) while Floch’s message of freedom was third (25%).

  AT THIS POINT, AROUND WHICH CHAPTER DO YOU EXPECT THE MANGA WILL CONCLUDE? 1,472 responses

The pacing of this chapter and the way its implications relate to the entire manga was, if I may be so bold, one of the more talked about meta points this month, from what I’ve seen. Maybe that was the thought process behind this question. I don’t know. I didn’t write this one either. That’s a good thought process though.

Anyway, a borderline overwhelming majority of you said that the manga will end around Chapter 134 (48.4% of you). The next most common answer was Chapter 138, which would give us 12 more chapters. Chapter 130 got the least amount of votes, at 7.3%. The remaining votes went to Chapter 142+, and I appreciate that optimism, because I for one hate thinking about this question.

  WHAT ARE YOU MOST HOPING TO SEE NEXT CHAPTER? 1,475 responses

“Historia when?” (26%) tops the list followed by the long awaited Eren POV (23.5%). “Details on things glossed over this chapter” was the third pick (22.7%) followed by “Zeke, Eren and OG Ymir” (11.6%).

I can't wait to see Zeke's reaction at seeing Levi AGAIN ready to fuck him up.

Historia when?? Also, Hange needs a hug, Levi needs sleep, Armin and Annie need to talk, Falco needs to deal with his brother's death some more, and we all need Erwin to come back :(

I hope we get flashbacks to explain all this off screen development.

Isayama please for the love of god remember that Historia exists.

Where is HISTORIA

where is zeke?

  WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 1,401 responses

Reddit continues to dominate this question, pulling 44.9% of the vote. “I don’t” actually takes second place this month, with Tumblr coming next, followed very closely by Twitter, which is in turn followed closely by Discord. In descending order from there, we have real life, 4chan, Youtube, a two-way tie between Instagram and Facebook, and everything else has less than 10 votes.

Before I move on though, it’s absolutely critical that I draw your attention to last month’s poll. Last month, I said, and I quote,

“Lastly, something ominous is going on in the Snapchat cult, because there were only two of you this month, down from five last month. That’s still enough to reproduce though and it makes me uneasy.“

“Why are you bringing that up?” you may be asking yourself. I’m bringing it up because Snapchat got SIX votes this time. “Why does that matter?” you ask yourself next. I’m glad you asked. That’s a 300% increase. If that rate continues, in just five month’s time, there will be more members of the Snapchat cult than the rest of you COMBINED.

That’s not to say anything more than it says, but I should add that I was totally vindicated on the Snapchat cult reproduction theory. Having done the math, you guys DEFINITELY scare me more than the people who liked “Pieck Finger”.

  ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE CHAPTER? 375 responses

Remember kids, the world is currently supposed to be ending

I know most people hated how rushed it felt, but honestly, I'm glad this wasn't split into 2 months. This leaves more time for the conclusion, and would much rather the alliances be rushed rather than the ending.

While it's certainly sad that Louise may not be long for this world, I also don't think Mikasa owes her anything. Mikasa seems to see a lot of traits she dislikes about herself cranked up to 11 in Louise, and I think it's understandable to need to distance oneself from toxic ideas or people. Mikasa and Louise were never friends, they never really knew each other, and never really cared about each other. Sure, Louise idolized an idea of Mikasa, but she put herself as separate from the real Mikasa, lesser. These two strangers never had a real chance to truly know each other, and that's okay, sad but okay.

While the panel of Annie with a face stuffed with pie is a gem, I think it seemed almost too good a coincidence. Both parties (Armin, Connie and the kids and Hitch & Annie) happen to be taking a break from their travels at the same time in the same city at the same festival. Seemed a bit too lucky.

Isayama has a bias against the yeagerists too. Portraying them as mindless dumbasses that are evil for no reason. Look at Floch everytime he has a moment it gets cut short for a "oh look at this dumbass" type of conclusion like him missing the shot at Shadis and getting duped by Jean and the 104th.

my dumb shipper’s heart wants Pieck’s reaction to Porco’s death.

this chapter felt too 'super hero movie' to me, in the sense that it was way too optimistic and cheesy, nothing like the Attack on Titan I know and love. Isayama's been watching too much Marvel.

A rushed chapter, Isayama may have messed up some timelines (e.g. Louise's talk with Eren, the changes in day and night), maybe Isayama was too focused on SAUNA SAUNA SAUNA when he was drawing the chapter but anyway, if the chapter was rushed because he wants to move to next plots (eee....east...eeeek...Ki....), I'm fine with it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Chapter Would've been terrific if it weren't for the rushed forced alliance. Mikasa's character also seemed out of place this chapter.

is not a bad chapter but at the same time is not a godly chapter like others but i have faith on isayama that he will blow our minds

Felt very disappointed and it is as if this story is moving to black and white territory again.

Good fast development, optimistic that what was glossed over will be addressed. A bit antsy that this is a setup for some tragedy but I don’t expect total senseless ruin for the characters.

I don't really see where all the complaints are coming from, to me the chapter must be one of my all time favorites ever since I've started reading the manga at the regular monthly pace. I think the build up and the tension have been steadily increasing slowly enough up to this point, and now we've finally reached the top of the roller coaster tracks, and it's time for the ride to the conclusion. I loved the mysterious plan, it reminds me of the uprising arc (ah the good old times).

I hope the author just got a bit lost and had to put things back on track quickly. I want to feel for these characters, not find out that I followed their struggles for chapters to see them dissolve for the sake of the plot.

Eren has suffered a lot over the years and a lot of things have been TAKEN from him - but do you remember "In order to achieve something, you have to give up something important"? I don't think Eren has ever GIVEN up something of his. He's always been a little maniac intent on killing the enemy (which is what he is doing right now). There have been so many characters in the story that have given up their dreams and finally their lives, why is Eren the one that gets to have his cake and eat it too?

I love it cause we need some time of just relax and be happy before the sad ending

I’m hoping the next chapter will make this one better by fleshing things out. Also seeing Annie and Reiner reunite made me deeply miss Bertolt this month.

JE VEUX PAS QUE CE MANGA FINISSE OMG

Reiner getting kicked in the face to wake up and understanding nothing is all of us

The more things don't seem to add up, the more you have to pay attention, that's what I learnt reading this series. And a whole lot didn't seem to add up in this chapter so I'm super hyped!

This is easily one of the weakest chapters Isayama has ever written. After creating all of these subplots that we were expecting to go somewhere and hold emotional weight for the characters were written off into cheap one-liners, off screen reactions and discussion, and just overall completely weak subplots that left us with no emotional payoff.

Boii I'm glad the development on the characters matters only when its relevant to the plot, I almost forget that I used to like them. If Reiner of all people doesn't point out how creepy and disgusting it all is I don't know what to say, what a waste of time of a series.

Connie mentioning Sasha made me cry! Actually makes me wish Eren pulls some time travel shit so that we can have our girl back.

Can I just say I find it funny, and I really love Pieck regardless, it is just a last name after all.

Good, but the former-enemy to friendly-pie-eating turnover rate was wayyyyy too fast!

I thought this chapter was it for Connie, who has been one of my favorites since the beginning. It was a bit sudden but I'm glad him not feeding Falco to his mom is Canon AND that it strengthened his bond with Armin.

It feels like none of the Jeagerists really see clearly what the situation is, or at least don't have an ounce of understanding or sympathy why everyone else is scared and freaked out by what has happened. That in turn makes it harder for non-Jeagerists to act with sympathy, what a vicious cycle.

What bothers me the most is not the way Mikasa interacted with Louise, but the fact that she wanted the scarf back. On a symbolic level, she left it behind a few chapters ago, which meant that she no longer put Eren first and started thinking about herself. She recognized that her bond with Eren was severed. So why take that scarf back now, when it's not supposed to have that much importance anymore?

I can see either the next chapter or the one after showing a flashback of Jean, Armin, and Mikasa discussing that plan. Cutting some parts of a scene and showing it in the following chapter or two is usually an Isayama thing to do.

I don't know why everyone's expecting every single piece of exposition to be laid out for them like meeting minutes. This isn't the first time we've understood what's been going on behind the scenes after the fact.

At the start Connie struggles to hold his emotions, and suddenly he's a hero, cheesy and cliche

Excuse me but can we stop making Gabi involved in everything? Shes so OP at this point

I loved the mockery of the cliche superhero assemble bullshit

STARDUST CRUSADERS

The cringe made me develop a permanent seizure. Also both my eyeballs are still stuck in the back of my head because of the excessive force I used trying to roll my eyes.

The team-up should have been given more time to develop. It wasn’t all bad though.

X-Men on their way to stop Magneto (Eren)

The problem does not lie so much in the pace as in the script tension, which Isayama killed a little in this chapter but intentionally I think. I mean the guys are literally sleeping and eating like it was a party during the freaking end of the world, do you really think he would have let such a thing slip out of clumsiness?

I'm pretty sure that Levi will have the role of "Helos", and Hange his 'Tybur' collaborator, because she's holding a hammer like the guy/girl next to Helos during the play (ch99).

Not the usual quality.

8/10. I liked annie's reunion the best, but wish that hitch had more characterization and wasn't written out so quickly. Ragako subplot was fine but predictable. Louise subplot kinda boring. Avengers assemble at the end was very anime and I liked it.

A peaceful chapter before the storm

A thought: What if Ackermans are the only ones able to actually kill off the Nine Titans? We know they’re byproducts of titan science, maybe they were created to annihilate them? That’d be devastating to see Levi or Mikasa kill Eren and Armin. I’d love it. 😂

Annie is the best girl

Anyone pretending this chapter wasn't utter shit is in hardcore denial.

Did not like the assemble. Nobody can forget what happened in the recent past of Paradis and what the warriors did. But have hope in Isayama

Do Gabi and Falco know that Armin is the Collosal Titan? I thought Connie might let that slip to them and it might create tension between Gabi and Armin but.... No. Everything about that subplot was insanely rushed, there were a lot of ways it could have played out.

Aforementioned last page quote that is so unlike SnK up to this point. Cringey and straight out of an Avengers movie, I can't believe there are people who actually like this development.

I hope Isayama isn't overworking and rushing himself to finish the manga just for the sake of finishing it this year, but I still believe he will finish SnK in a satisfactory manner that will be memorable for decades. However, this chapter as well as 125 were very disappointing and lowered my expectations considering how good the entire final arc had been up to this point.

Errrwiiiiiiiinnnn!!!!!

game of thrones level of trash, i hope for god that the aot ending isn't as bad as final season game of thrones

I didn’t like the Ragako subplot, but I did like Connie saving Armin and their heart-to/heart afterwards.

I don’t think the chapter was rushed. Glad to see Armin finally doing SOMETHING, and I hope it was more a gamble than him wanting to die. Hange’s monologue was so out of character, everyone knows Hange would never want to live in the woods, yet it looks like Hange always  gets discouraged and needs encouragement from somebody else. Seriously, that’s not the Hange we all know. Where’s the ‘defeat is all the Survey Corps ever knew, let’s kick asses!!’ Hange?? that interaction with Pieck brought some of it back thankfully

I don’t understand why everyone is complaining lol

I enjoyed how quickly it moved. We’ve been down in the doldrums since December, so I’m glad to see the characters & the pace picking back up again.

I hate how quickly Hanji becomes depressed. Armin, Jean - they overcame their doubts by themselves. Yet Hanji always needs someone else to tell them to stop being ridiculous. It’s like Levi is babysitting Hanji :/ I miss good, old, badass Hanji

I miss hitch already

I noticed that the way Floch gesticulates during his speech was very reminiscent of how Hitler gave his speeches

I really like Hanji and Levi’s friendship and how Levi always knows what to say to encourage his friends but can we please stop with Hanji being so emotionally weak? I love Hanji, but c’mon- Levi was seriously injured and still needs to treat Hanji like she’s a wounded kid. Jean came to his senses on his own, same for Armin and Mikasa. All they needed was to remember people who died, did Hanji not lose enough comrades to find her strength from? Hanji is one of two veterans left and the commander(!), it really hurts to see her so pathetic, that was hard to read. Glad she looks more like old Hanji at the end of the chapter

I wanted more Annie and Hitch adventures and feel deprived.

i wish there was more to the reunion of Annie & co, but whatever, let’s just move on with this plot.

I'm in the minority here, but I actually liked the chapter. Sure the pacing was a bit off, but this may be because we're getting a detailed explanation for it in an upcoming chapter. Other than that I find it somewhat amusing that so many people that a team-up wasn't happening. Like there was so much goddamned FORESHADOWING about it. Plus the fact that Isayama basically flat-out admitted that he was going to create a team-up a-la Guardians of the Galaxy. I'm not expecting roses and fluffiness at the end of the road, I see a lot of people dying. And I still don't know who's gonna be the victor at the end. It just seemed really clear to me where these character arcs were/are heading. I still have faith in Yams. He hasn't disappointed me yet, so let's just see what he has in store for us.

It feels like Isayama is rushing to finish it off just like Kishimoto did with Naruto Shippuuden and that makes me very sad. I'm worried he'll destroy everything he did until now.

It felt incredibly unrealistic. What I have appreciated most about SnK is its narrative integrity and ability to produce results proportional to the protagonists' abilities. Currently, this feels rather forced. When did they come up with these plans? How could they possibly have alerted Jean ahead of time without anything being shown? It feels like a cheat. Also, I don't like that its just them going after Eren. Realistically, in SnK, a small group of characters, even with their level of power, shouldn't consider going after him how they have. If anything they need to face reality and prepare for the world to come after the rumbling, since if I think anybody in their position would think it is utterly impossible to stop it.

I feel like the pacing of the chapter was this fast so that Isayama could end with the "Avengers Assemble" scene as the big volume cliffhanger for the next one, so he tried to get through the events quickly to give it that poetic ending. In that case, it's possible Isayama might show how some of these events unfolded in the next chapter or two; he usually does that kind of thing when showing big events for the first time. If the next chapter fleshes some of the scenes from this chapter more like showing Jean discussing the Avengers' plan with Mikasa and Armin, I think that could make this chapter better when we look back on it.

It was warm and fuzzy and I really needed that, but the actual details of the new alliance will absolutely need to be expounded upon soon.

It was...fine.

It wasn’t so bad, the hate is really annoying.

It's clear SNK is ending soon so before we see Eren and what else is going on with the rumbling Hisayama wants to close plots with other characters BUT IMO the price of this is giving us less hyped chapters since the walls broke and we still have to see the new Eren titan form…

Just to clarify, "Which throwback did you enjoy most chapter" is intended to be an English sentence, yes? Quality work here as usual, tumblr/reddit big-shots. I hope no one lets you guys near an actual workplace where what you do matters. (A/N: Well you didn't capitalise Tumblr or Reddit so who is the real villain here?)

Let Levi kill that ape. Please. He’s gone through so much and lost everything. Give him just this one little thing

Let's say we generally agreed that this chapter is bad.

Not nearly as bad as people say it was like Jesus heck calm down. I mostly feel bad for isayama tbh he’s probably being pressured to wrap it up and he’s not usually one to not give moments like this chapter proper time.

It's hard to say why Isayama decided to wrap up things fairly quickly, whether he has later flashbacks planned or whether he was overwhelmed with time pressure/suffered a writer's block of whatever. I think, in the end, if the rest of the story wraps up strong, it doesn't matter much.

I'm happy with what happened in this chapter, except the fact that it was rushed and Levi's plot armor, I mean Ackermann blood. He should have lost at least a leg...

The only solace I take in all of this is that the plot can finally move forward. This has been an entire volume of seemingly pointless side quests and I'm ready to focus again on the main story. Frankly, I'm exhausted. I just want answers and I want to know how the story finds resolution.

We had several excellent chapters recently, a subpar one is understandable. Hopefully the Anime will expand on it a bit

[bssaz97]

Fun Times #1

*Atlas Academy, Recreation Room*

The RWBYNOR group have been experiencing a problem that many Huntsmen experience from time to time....boredom. They had no missions as of late and everything else was pretty much run of the mill errands to do. Something that they all either didn’t want to do or found too tame. The door to the rec room opens and comes in Jaune Arc with frizzed hair and a ‘STOP’ sign he got from his babysit- er, primary school voluntary work. He took a look at the room around him and found a spot to sit at on the end of a couch, in between RWBY and NOR. He sat down and sets the sign on his lap.

Yang: ....Ok I’ll bite, what happened to you Vomit Boy? Did those kids become rascals and tried to climb you like a tree?

Jaune: Pff, I wish, the kids were fine. It’s the mothers of those kids that I had to ward off.

Ruby: Wait what? Those ladies are still giving you trouble?

Jaune: (Rubs his face) No, it’s not that, they’re actually very friendly. A bit too friendly. I swear I had so many of them trying to ‘thank me’ for taking care of their kids that it’s really starting to get on my nerves. I think I’ve been given so many casseroles from Mrs. Lars that it’s starting to pile up in the fridge faster than we can get rid of.

Ruby: Well have you tried I don’t know......telling them to back off or that you’re not interested in their advances.

Jaune: I’ve thought about doing that but I’m worried that if I do that and they take it the wrong way, or maybe they aren’t trying to flirt with me and were just trying to be nice in a over friendly way and they’ll look at me like I’m the one getting the wrong idea.

Nora: Mmm. That’s a good point, a lot of ways they could spin it to make it seem you’re the bad guy. Thirsty moms are a scary thing.

Ruby:(Murmurs) I’ll give 'em something to be scared about....

Jaune: What was that Ruby?

Ruby: What? I didn’t say anything. I was....thinking about that casserole that you mentioned. I’m gonna go get some! (Saying the last statement very tightly then left for the kitchen)

Oscar: So, I’m gonna assume we’re going to be having casserole again for dinner?

Nora: Looks like it. I gotta say, I loved the idea of you getting more attention from the ladies because of the new haircut, but now it’s starting to become old. I miss eating other food!

Blake: Maybe we can go out somewhere to eat so that we have something to do.

Weiss: Actually that does remind me of something. Winter said that the academy was going to be holding a ceremony for a class reunion for older Atlas graduates that she’s going to be attending this evening. Perhaps we can go there.

Oscar: Wouldn’t you all need clearance for that from Ironwood?

Weiss: Nonsense, the event is open to all the Atlas students and hunters, besides it more of a formality for old friends to reacquaint with old peers.

Blake: Well that could be fun. What do you think Yang? ....Yang?

She turned to see that her partner was locked on to her scroll and was having a content smile. Yang looked to be texting someone when all of a sudden she feels a nudge on her shoulder. Yang looks away from the screen and sees everyone’s eyes looking at her inquisitively.

Yang: (Closes her scroll) Haha! Sorry guys you were saying?

Nora: Well.~ You seemed in a good mood, who were you texting?

Yang: Hmm. Oh! I was just reading a message from a pen pal of sorts.

Weiss: Pen pal? I wasn’t aware you had kept in contact with any social relationships outside the rest of us.

Yang: Well Weisscream, I’m sorry to disappoint but I do have a life outside of you all and saving the world. Plus you can’t tell me talking to the same people everyday doesn’t sometimes get on your nerves.

Weiss: Hmm. Fair point. So who are they?

Yang: Oh they’re called Nunya.

Weiss: ‘Nunya’? That’s a interesting name.

Yang: Yeah and their full name is Nunya Business!

Weiss: What kind of name is.....Hey wait a minute!

The other remaining friends starts to laugh at the expense of former heiress. While on of the more intellectual of the group, slang was still foreign to her.

Weiss: Alright! Alright! I get that I walked myself into that one. Sense you are not willing to reveal the identity of your friend Xiao-Long, I will not pry any more.

Yang: Great. Glad to hear Weisscream. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m gonna go to the dorm.

Blake: You’re not going to the ceremony with us?

Yang: Sorry Blakey but I’m gonna be flying solo tonight. Miss me too much you guys!~

With that Yang left the rec room and was out of sight from the group.

Jaune: Well sense she’s gonna be doing her own thing, maybe we should try going out someplace fun. Be nice to spend with people my age than moms and kids. By the way is Ruby back yet? She’s been in the kitchen for awhile.

Ren: I’ll check. (Walks from couch to rec room Kitchen) Ruby were you able to-

Ruby is seen looking at a burning pile of what smelt of casseroles in a trash bin. She looks at Ren and they make eye contact for a brief moment before he slowly backtracked his steps and made his way back to the couch.

Ren: Just checked with Ruby, turns out we’re out of casserole. Went bad.

Jaune: Dang it! I knew we wouldn’t be able to finish them before they spoiled.

Ruby:(Coming back from kitchen) Welp! Since we’re out of food, I vote we go do something fun! Maybe we could get Penny to join along.

Weiss: I think she maybe too busy attending the ceremony with Winter as she’s a Atlas representative.

Ruby: Oooohhh yeah. Bummer.

Jaune: Hey Ruby how about we all go see that new movie that we’ve been seeing on the posters lately?

Oscar: Can I come along?

Ruby: Oh, sure I don’t see why not? Jaune?

Jaune: Yeah that’s sounds good the more the merrier!

Oscar: Yes!

Nora: Well you can count us in too! Beats going to a snore fest like a social event. (Grabs Ren and wrapped her arm around him)

Weiss: Well I guess that just leaves you and me Blake.

Blake: You know actually I noticed that the Atlas library had a book that really seemed interesting to read-!

Weiss:(Grabbing her via summon arm) Oh no you don’t! I refuse to attend this event by myself, and you’re the only one singled out by everyone here. So dare try to weasel your way out of this!

Blake: But-! Books!

Weiss: (Dragging her friend to the exit of the rec room exit) They aren’t going to grow legs and run away, they’ll be there when we return.

Blake:(Whimpers)

Soon both W and B of team of their group left the rec room leaving only five of the eight friends by themselves.

Jaune: Guess that just leaves us. Kinda funny, this may be one of the first times we’ve had a chance to hang out as team RNJR.

Ruby: Wait really?! ....oh yeah! Oh this’ll be great then, this will be just like when we had time to relax during our time in Anima!

Nora: Oh yeah Team RNJR is back baby! Wait a minute, we have Oscar with us so that does kind of chance the name a bit.

Ren: So what should we call this arrangement then?

Nora:Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

Jaune: Guys we don’t need necessarily a new name for the group, we’re just going to see a movie, not fight a final boss Grimm.

Ruby: Besides, it’s just like Jaune said, doesn’t matter what we’re called. As long as we’re together. (Smiles)

Nora: Yeah you’re right. I’ll think of something later. Anyway let’s make this night a killer!

Ruby/Jaune: Yeah!

Ren/Oscar: Yeah.

*RWBY Dormitory*

Yang entered the room and sighed. That was a close one, she almost didn’t think they would let her leave that easily. Before she could think about the matter further she felt her scroll vibrate as her friend had messaged her once more. She opened the scroll to view the message.

White_Knight: Are you still up for tonight? I didn’t rush you too soon did I?

White_Knight: I could always reschedule!

Sun_Dragon: Nah . You’re good, just my friend was trying to be nosey.

Sun_Dragon: Anyway, you still want to go see that new horror flick that’s out now? Heard it’s supposed to be intense.

White_Knight: Most definitely. I’ve reserved private seats for us on top where we won’t have anyone being ‘nosey’ as you say it.

Sun_Dragon: Really?! Dang I thought reserving a seat was hella expensive on primere night!

White_Knight: Never to fear, I have good connections so the seats are very much legit.

Sun_Dragon: ....bet?

White_Knight: On everything.

Sun_Dragon: Geez Knight, keep tryin’ to impress me and you might get yourself a girlfriend by the end of the night cutie~ ;-)

White_Knight: I like to impress my dear. But let’s keep it slow before we start talking about relationships. Or you might come off as desperate ;-)

Sun_Dragon: Ok see you tonight <3

White_Knight: Can’t wait! <3

Yang smiled after the chat with her pen pal. She originally started talking to Knight after download Instaspam on her scroll when she took that selfie with Blake. Originally she got a lot of likes for how the two looked like a cute lesbian couple but she put a plug on that real quick. While she and Blake we’re getting back to better times, she wasn’t really interested in starting a full on relationship with her partner. Kind of brought bad thoughts about her own family dynamic so that was a no-no. Of course she did lose a few subs for the apparent ‘queer baiting’ from some of the ruder people on the app, but others were actually glad that she made the clarification early on so that people wouldn’t make inaccurate assumptions.

It was actually how she met Knight, through a personal message saying how brave she was to tell the truth and not to take the fake friends words seriously. Yang was a bit suprised about the message so she thanked him later and one thing lead to another and they were talking almost everyday whenever she wasn’t on missions. She got a look at his profile and it looked like he was a music enthusiast and played multiple instruments like the piano and violin. She of course teased him of being a nerd for apparently liking classical music for being a young man. However to her suprise he sent her a link to one of his tracks of his music and while not of fan of classical, he was very good at playing piano covers. He didn’t have a profile picture so she asked if she could send her a picture, she had to be sure he wasn’t a creepy old man or something. To her suprise he did send a picture. Granted he was wearing a hat and a pair of glasses but he definitely looked young. Maybe a bit too young. She was a bit uncomfortable about this little tidbit about Knight, but she knew he was definitely only two years younger than her.

Yang’s sisterly instinct was too let Knight know that he shouldn’t try to flirt with girls older than him but the more she thought about it....it couldn’t be that bad. They stayed only as friends and besides casual teasing it wasn’t anything excessive that would send people the wrong message. So she kept in contact with him. Besides her own sister had a massive crush on a guy two years her senior so it wasn’t that bad. Besides Knight was a nice guy, always polite, never vulgar or tried to ask for body shots of her. What really got her was his respect for women. He apparently had a family mostly consisting of women so that put some insight. So Yang was very glad that Knight didn’t turn out to be a creep. Who knows, maybe she might give him a reward if this first outing goes smoothly.

Yang: Guess I’ll see you tonight Mr. Knight.~

*Schnee Manor*

Whitley has been rereading the chat for the past two minutes and couldn’t believe how far Sun_Dragon and him have come from complete strangers to good friends. He originally gotten Instaspam as a way to entertain himself and share his musical taste to other musical enthusiasts. When one of his recommended came up one day and he saw a picture that immediately took his breath away. That was when first was introduced to Sun_Dragon. He saw at the time how people were bashing her for the honestly miss assumptions about her relationship with a friend. He couldn’t believe how others could be so ignorant and uncouth behavior they were treating the poor dear. He normally doesn’t try to engage in these types of topics but he knew he needed to say something that would let her know that not everyone was like these wolves who just enjoyed to harass her. From their their interactions developed then blossomed into the first genuine relationship he’s ever had.

Truthfully if he had to say, Sun_Dragon may have been his only friend. A friend that he had grown especially fond of. Whitley tried to reason that he was only had a small crush because of her majestic beauty, but soon he began to realize that he found everything about her wonderful, her personality, her casual attude and her plain honesty she told. He had never met a more genuine person than Sun_Dragon. The only problem he was worried about was if his age had worried her some, because being a underage minor made some who were female admirers scared off because of fear of being called a pedophile. However she seemed not too worried about the age gap as she was only two years older than him. That made his whole day when she told him that. Whitley was content for the most part with the screen conversations they had but soon he desired to step up the pace, to meet in person. Whitley was sure she would turn down his advances but surprisingly Sun_Dragon favored the idea as well and now brought him to this moment. In a mere few hours he will meet the woman of his dreams. So naturally he only had one response.

Whitley: YES!!! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes yes, yes! Whitley you’re a genius! Oh my gods! Thank you! Oh......this is officially the best day of my life.

So yes, he was excited.

*Trying something different just a bit of a side story, not canon to anything just a spoof or omake if you will. More for comedy than anything. Hope you all enjoy!*

[bluepenguinstories]

Happiness Overload Chapter Sixty

Finally: cotton candy. Held in my hands, stacked high, almost a mile wide. Or maybe like a foot long. Or some odd centimeters (but not the even ones). Such sweet, cottony candy.

“There’s something bittersweet about finality, isn’t there?” I asked the guy at the cafeteria who gave me the cotton candy.

“Dunno what you’re talking about,” he grunted.

I shrugged and told him, “yeah, me either. I mean, it’s bittersweet when things come to an end no matter the outcome. But when it comes to cotton candy, it’s just sweet. That’s why I love it. That, and fruit snacks. Say, which would be better: fruit snack flavored cotton candy or cotton candy flavored fruit snacks?”

“Cotton candy isn’t a fruit. It’s just sugar.”

“Oh yeah. What would you call sugar, anyway? It’s a crop, right? So, is sugar a vegetable? Or a seasoning? Could sugar be considered a spice? But then again, spices are bitter and sugar is sweet.”

“I don’t have time for philosophy. I make food and serve it.”

“That’s fair!” I snapped my fingers. “For me, I can’t even be sad even if I wanted to. My whole cotton candy journey was a long and arduous one. It must have taken the length of two characters’ arcs just to find the cafeteria. Can you believe that?”

He groaned. Jeez, tough crowd. I took a bite out of my cotton candy and the taste was so good that more cotton candy formed from out of the space where I took my bite. As long as eating cotton candy made me happy, I’d get an unlimited amount of cotton candy, which was guaranteed to be unlimited, because being full only made me happy when I felt like being full, and I never got upset stomachs, because it has the word ‘upset’ in it and being upset didn’t make for a happy Blanc.

“Say, what makes you happy?” I asked the cotton candy maker, who I was sure made other food, but everything else paled in comparison to cotton candy. Well, cotton candy paled in comparison to fruit snacks. It’s all relative.

“Making food,” [insert guttural adjective here] the cafeteria worker.

“Great!” I waved finger guns at him. “Then that’s all you’ll be doing for the rest of your life! Hope you at least get a chance to eat what you make, but I don’t make the rules!”

“Yeah,” his face crinkled into a smile. “MAKING FOOD MAKES ME HAPPY!” He bellowed.

I took a bow.

“You’ll do great. I probably won’t see you again. I gotta meet up with a couple of friends, though there’s no telling how long that will take. Then some things will happen. Probably. Happy things I’m sure, because those are the kind of things I like to happen!”

I skipped off, cotton candy in hand, in search of Velvet and Coriander. As much as I wanted to cross their names off of my happiness list (which I never really conjured up, it was more of a mental list. Sure, I could have, but I wasn’t a big fan of work, and writing things down on a piece of paper was just too much work for this human-shaped happiness), something told me that they weren’t quite out of the woods. I put my finger (not the index finger, the happy one (obviously, the pinkie)) on my chin and got to thinking.

“Now, that whole artist thing sure created an ethical dilemma. One that I don’t want to boggle my mind with, but I’m going to have to figure this out one way or another.”

I had to think of that artist. Dr. Katsushika. She didn’t go by that name, at least not often, but that’s what it was. Or that’s what it would be if she went by that name. To be honest, I would have felt bad for Velvet, and doubly bad for Coriander. Sure, there were folks like that in The Flashbulb. Many more than those two faced, but there was only so much time in the void, even if time in the void didn’t quite exist. But I didn’t feel bad for them, because feeling bad wouldn’t have made me feel good. But that would have made me feel bad, if I could feel bad.

All that said, Dr. Katsushika didn’t quite make me feel good either. Retract that. Dr. Katsushika would have made me feel bad, if I could feel bad about anything. She wasn’t what I’d call someone who made others happy. Even if she liked that word almost as much as I did. When it came down to it, she was the ethical dilemma: if dying didn’t make her happy, but it put Coriander at peace, was that OK? On one hand, it was probably better if she had died, but on the other hand...happiness comes first.

“I knew it! I fuckin’ knew it! You can’t make everyone happy!” I stamped my foot. Then my left hand formed a mouth. Y’know, like a hand puppet.

“SURE YOU CAN! BOTH PARTIES DON’T HAVE TO BE HAPPY RIGHT AWAY!” My left hand told me. On the other hand...cotton candy.

Ah, yes. My Left Hand was right. It was all clear now that the pieces would soon come together. I just had to disregard any sort of ethical dilemma, disregard logical conclusions, and let things run their course. That course being a corrected one.

Hey! Would it come off as a surprise to say that I’ve had a hand in everything this whole time? Specifically, My Left Hand. More specifically, Euphy! Maybe a better question was: would it ruin the impact of everything that’s transpired? Hmm...probably. But it wasn’t like it was anything major, really. Euphy’s hands were long and could find their way anywhere. That said, most of my friends’ actions were their own and for the most part, I was hands-off. The best explanation I could give was that I tossed around a few metaphorical breadcrumbs here and there.

So with that out of the way, let’s just say that a few more breadcrumbs were about to snow down like dandruff.

Tick-tock, knick-knack, knock-knock.

Those were the sound effects made once my little bug found the correct door (and no, they were not behind door number three, but game shows really were the pinnacle of television). Of course, neither of them answered. All the better. As far as I figured, neither of them wanted to see me. Especially not the spice rack. Which, given what I put her through, was understandable.

All the same, thanks to all my spare time locked away from all the other Flashbulb employees, I once learned the fine art of lockpicking. Not to say that I could have just broken free of my enclosure any time I wanted to, but I sure was glad I learned the craft all the same. If not, I might not have gotten into their room.

Like a thief in the night (not that there was any sense of day or night in our headquarters), I slipped into their room. To my surprise, they both must have been heavy sleepers. There they were, hand in hand, holding each other close. Like still life models. It brought forth the urge to chuckle, something I had to surprise in order not to get caught. Even asleep, they continued to be an inspiration.

Oh. There would be questions.

“How did you survive? Didn’t I slam you into the floor and kill you?” The outraged, or horrified Coriander (the art formerly known as Mavis) would ask me.

I would smirk all smug, close my eyes, with my index finger (a very smart and astute finger, the one finger who puts the most work into every craft) pointed up, and then tell her:

“Simple: I created an android of myself to pull the strings while I watched in a hidden space. You really should have paid better attention. Not that it would have done you much good, as I had packs of blood stored up in the android set to spill out upon a fall. It’s true: I really do think of everything!”

She would probably yell and/or scream, “I HATE YOU,” and I wouldn’t know what to say to that. I had no smug remark. As far as I was concerned, she had every right to hate me, to wish me dead. Hell, I’d wager that she’d try to kill me all over again.

But alas, I was alive, and I’ve had my fill of both of them. I’ve painted so many paintings, and sent one of my little flies (microscopic robots) to scout out the area and find them for me. All in the span of time that they spent lovemaking. Yes, I knew about that too. But rest assured, I had my fly leave the room as soon as it went in. Say what you will about me, but I respected others’ privacy.

Case in point, I slipped underneath the bed. I was in no rush and the cold, metal floor was really quite comfortable. Those two also had all the time in the world. The problem was that their world didn’t have much time left. That was A-Okay, though. Because I told them I would help them and damn it, I meant it!

It wasn’t like I woke up between a rock and a hard place. In fact, the bed I was on was quite soft, and Coriander’s back was also quite soft. But even still, I felt like I was between an unstoppable force and an unmovable object; the unstoppable force being the comfort of being on a bed, and the unmovable object being my cute girlfriend who was currently asleep on top of me.

Well, if my time awake was time wasted, so be it. I couldn’t be any more satisfied knowing that I held in my arms both the one I loved, and the one who loved me. There was still a world to save, somewhere out there, with however much time it had left, but let’s face it: I was too tired. So I smiled as I stroked her back, then turned my head to fall asleep once more.

Whether sleep was for the weak or I was weak without sleep, one thing was clear: I didn’t get enough of it. Then again, how could I even tell? Trick question, I couldn’t. It was all a wild-ass guess based on how tired I still was. I was so tired that when I lifted my head, I didn’t have the strength to get up all the way, so I lowered my head back down onto Velvet’s chest. Big mistake that was. As soon as I did so, I felt a wet spot on my cheek and for a hazy moment, I thought nothing of it. Until I did. And started to freak out.

“Oh no! That’s drool! I drooled on her boob! She’s always saying I do that and I always say that I don’t do that but I just did! What am I supposed to do?” My words spilled out in a panic. Spilled out like drool. Ew. No. Stop.

I stared down. She was still asleep. I poked her cheek for good measure. Nothing.

“Okay. Good. I can use this to my advantage,” I mumbled. I could get a tissue from the bathroom. Wipe her boob down. Wait. What if that woke her up? Well shit, too late to consider that, I was already up and out of bed.

Ugh. What if she wakes up and notices and points it out and I wouldn’t have anything in my defense! I’d be caught drool handed. Ew. At least I’ll wash my hands.

I got into the bathroom and washed my hands. To my surprise, there was a stack of folded clothes on the counter right next to the sink.

“Was this here before?” I muttered. Well, I was too tired to think about it too hard. Maybe if I was less tired, I could have asked questions like, “is this an automatic feature of The Flashbulb’s technology?” or “was this here this whole time and I just didn’t notice?” and of course, the most important question would have been, “did someone sneak in here?”

But no. Call it stupidity, tiredness, or a lapse in logic, because I just took the clothes and put them on. They fit quite well. Not too tight, not too baggy. Really, if there was any complaint, it was how generic they looked. Plain white shirt and pants. Nothing much else to say. I wasn’t even sure why describing them at all was worth mentioning.

Once I left the room, clothed and cloth in hand, I froze in place. Lucidity took hold and all the thoughts I should have had weighed down on me as I stood face to face with the one I thought I had killed. The same one who put me through such torture.

“You…” I forced the words out. My blood was boiling, but I just couldn’t bring myself to move. “You can’t be here…” I was about to say, “...you aren’t real. You’re not here.” But the rest of my words didn’t come. I closed my eyes.

“Surprise! Bet you thought you’ve seen the last of me!” Her words rang through. No, there was no mistake: it was her.

I opened my eyes and looked around for something to use as a weapon. Not that it would have done me much good. I should have just kicked her face in and whaled on her, but for whatever reason, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Worse yet, I started to tremble where I stood.

“Really, this wasn’t how I expected our meeting to go down. I wanted to wait until both of you were awake, but maaaan, that Velvet is one heavy sleeper! You’re welcome for the clothes, by the way. Did you know that I’m quite the seamstress? Quite the tailor? It’s true! Just one of the many art forms I’ve learned throughout the years!”

I growled. That was all I could bring myself to do. I wanted to lose all control and beat her to a bloody pulp. I should have been allowed that after all that was done to me. She shouldn’t have been alive, she should have been dead. All the pain, everything she caused, and there she stood, without so much as a scratch.

“Huh? What’s going on?” Came a voice beside me. Hoarse and droned, but unmistakably Velvet’s. I looked over and when she saw who was there, she too got on the defensive.

“You! How...how did you get in here? For that matter, how are you alive?” Her voice changed to that of more serious and harsh in tone.

“Finally!” Dr. Popsicle grinned. “I’ve been waiting for someone to ask that! It’s simple, really, I –” The mad artist never got the chance to finish. Velvet shut her down quick.

“You know what? I really don’t care. It doesn’t matter how you’re still alive, but I won’t forgive you for what you’ve done to me or my girlfriend. So I’ll make sure to kill you this time.”

“Your girlfriend? Oh, congrats! You made it official!” Popsigirl chuckled. I managed to break free of whatever mental restraints were placed on my physical being. I began to charge at her and gave her a swift kick in the shin.

She seethed, but even in pain, managed to keep a smile. “Right...I deserve that,” she winced.

“Velvet!” I yelled. “Grab something to throw at her! No mercy!”

She gave me a nod in response and felt around, then grabbed a knife. Blessed. I continued the beat down as I shoved the artist to the floor and began to kick her repeatedly.

“I’ll kill you!” I yelled. After a few kicks, sure to at least bruise up her sides, she put a hand up in the air.

“Wait! Wait!”

I didn’t want to wait. How dare she tell me that?!

“You guys can kill me if you want, but you might want to think it over!”

“What?!” I stopped for whatever reason.

“OK. So. Imagine: you kill me, I’m on the floor. My body rots. The smell gets real bad. Either someone notices my body, ups the security and finds out who killed me, or, let’s say hypothetically, you manage to defeat the whole Flashbulb, which I can’t imagine you guys doing without my help. You’ll probably have to kill many others along the way, too, of course. All of those bodies, that smell, it all tends to add up. If you’re going to be stuck here for the rest of your lives, is that really what you want to walk around smelling all the time?”

Such drivel. As if she really believed she could weasel her way out with some loose logic that anyone could poke a hole into.

“Of course,” she went on. “You could dispose of the bodies. The question is, where and how.”

“Enough,” Velvet interrupted once again. “First off, what is this wet spot on my chest?”

Really? You’re really going to focus on that when we have more important things to worry about? Even still, I guess it would be bad on my part if I told her it was drool.

“It���s probably sweat. We were going at it pretty rough,” I told her.

“Ah, that makes sense,” Velvet replied, and I was saved.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t watch!” Popsigirl chimed in, much to my disgust.

“Second off!” Velvet hushed the intruder. Although I suppose as a whole, Velvet and I were the intruders. “Bold of you to assume I have a problem with the stench of death. Sure, I’d probably vomit every time I passed by a dead body, but I’d rather make that sacrifice than know someone like you would still be around to hurt the one I love.”

“Oof. Well, you raise a find argument. Some sacrifices may be necessary, after all. Gee, I’m getting a kick out of discussing these things with you! We could have some really creative debates!”

“Screw that,” Velvet spat. “It’s bold of you to even be in our presence right now!”

“That it is!” The art fanatic proclaimed. “And you two have every right to hate me.”

“Good, because we do,” I found my voice once more. Velvet nodded along.

“But even if that’s the case, I’d like to make it up to you guys. The way I see it, neither of you have much time left before your version of Earth is kaput. And if you just flail around the headquarters randomly, you’re never going to save anything. Hard truths, y’know?”

“Here’s a hard truth: you can’t make it up to us. I can only speak for myself, but even if it takes longer, even if I fail, I don’t want to stoop so low as to accept help from someone like you. Besides, you’ve already claimed to want to help us before, and I remember all too well how that went.”

Both of us were on the same page, but I started to feel a little mixed about it all. The whole reason I wanted to get to the headquarters was to exact revenge on the ones who made me who I was. Yes, I knew that the world was ending, but that wasn’t my main reason. But I knew there were better reasons to defeat them besides revenge, which Velvet had those better reasons, and yet she was willing to sacrifice them for my sake. Not only did I not deserve that, but if we had a chance…

No. I knew better than to think about that. The one in front of us was the one who had traumatized me, used both Velvet and I for her amusement. We had no reason to trust that someone like that could help us, and even if she could, I didn’t want to be in her presence. It hurt so much just to stand there. Worse, I was wearing clothes that she had made for me. Total red flags right there.

“I...I feel sick,” I said at last. “I’m going back into the bathroom.”

“What about dealing with the other person in the room?” Velvet pleaded.

Really, what about it?

“I trust you to make a decision,” I replied.

“But I don’t want to make a decision without you!” She called for me, but I already closed the door. I sounded so bitter even though I knew I wasn’t mad at Velvet. I just didn’t know what else to do. So I locked myself in until I felt safe enough to come back out.

Gee, things were going to be harder than I thought. Well, according to the ancient art of boxing, “sometimes you just gotta roll with the punches.” So that’s just what I did: I reached into my shirt and pulled out a pile of clothes. Voila! I threw them at Velvet and got into my most Serious Person impression.

“Put these on. You’re not modeling for one of my drawings, and besides, you two don’t wanna be running around the headquarters naked,” I commanded.

“I bet you have it rigged so the clothes have some kind of mind control or body control thing, or it’s got some explosives attached, or there’s tracking devices, or –”

“All good ideas,” I stopped Velvet from listing other things. “See? Even now you give me such good ideas! But no: they’re just clothes.”

She eyed me, but gave in all the same. As she did so, I decided to sit on the floor. Not to worry, it wasn’t to better enjoy the view, I just figured the floor was a good place to be. Once she was all dressed, I got back to business.

“Now, I don’t doubt your guys’ resilience, you two displayed it quite well back there,” I chuckled. “But as I said, you can’t just run around and hope for the best. That’s even worse than how others have tried to overthrow us in the past, and their organized efforts didn’t pan out well. Do you know why?”

She said nothing, but continued to glare.

“It’s because everyone could see them coming, so just as the groups were prepared, so too was the company. Which meant they could hire all the guards, janitors, death squads, you name it. Traps and gadgets, weaponry beyond your comprehension. No offense, of course, but the only thing you two got going for you is that no one sees you as a threat. Sure, you had guards after you, and they saw you as intruders, but after you fell down and into my domain, everyone just walked on and figured I killed you guys.”

Still no response. Well, I had more to say, so good.

“But really, it’s a matter of time. The more it seems you have a chance of winning, the less of a chance you actually have. I mean, you don’t think there’s cameras in this room? And listening devices? You’re lucky I’ve disabled them, but still, there’s bound to be other cases where such things weren’t disabled, and you two were caught sneaking in a room or two. Hmm?”

“I get that evil monologues are what you guys are good at, but can you just get to your point?” At last! Velvet spoke! Hurrah!

“What you guys need to do is simple: just run up to the front of the ship, say that it’s been taken over, and do so before your guys’ world is destroyed. Easy enough, right?” I may have skipped a few steps in my head, but she did want me to get to the point, so really, that was on her.

“How did you get to that conclusion?” Velvet sounded baffled as all heck, which was baffling to me, to be baffled at all.

“Because I’ll take care of the rest! See, once you get up to the ship, either they don’t take you seriously at all, or they see you as an actual threat, and if it’s the latter, they’re going to want to throw everything at you. But if they can’t get a signal to contact any guards or anything, they won’t have anything to throw at you. Meanwhile, I’ll be organizing various Flashbulb members to revolt and we’ll open up portals and kick the guards into those. It’s really funny that we had a Morale Department seeing as worker morale here isn’t very high.”

“I see. And the guards won’t overpower the workers because…? I doubt the ones in front care all that much about killing their own in order to maintain power.”

“Ah! Yes! Power! See? That’s something I didn’t think about! Aren’t I glad I have you around?”

She growled. Sheesh, I expected that from the other one, not the velvety person.

“The Flashbulb’s hierarchy goes as follows: the workers, the scientists in the departments, and then the Grandmaster Flash. Everyone answers to Grandmaster Flash, except I’ll let you in on a little secret: there is no Grandmaster Flash. There never has been a Grandmaster Flash.”

“So what? It’s a conspiracy within an organization shrouded in conspiracy theories?”

I snapped my fingers. “Bingo! But also, it’s not the wisest of decisions! See, it was born from a rumor spread by those at the front of the headquarters. Apparently they got together and wanted to get out of work, so told the other departments something like, ‘Grandmaster Flash says I don’t have to do anything.’ At first, the others must have been confused, but as the rumor spread, the ones at the front cleared up the manner by saying, ‘Grandmaster Flash is secretive and makes all of the decisions. Maybe if one of your departments is really good, you will be recognized and one of you will become the next Grandmaster Flash.’ But yeah, it’s a con to keep everyone working hard and to allow the ones at the front to do whatever they want!”

Her eyes widened. Good. She was catching on.

“So basically, if we want to defeat them, we just gotta get them to admit that there’s no leader?”

...Swing and a miss. I rolled on the floor.

“No, silly! Instead, just say ‘we’ve taken out your leader’ or something. That will make them take you guys a little more seriously. And then, when they call for backup and nothing comes, bingo! You’ll have them pissing their pants and I’ll be laughing at them from afar!”

“That still sounds really far-fetched and way too convenient. And besides, how can we even trust you to follow through on your end and do all those things?”

“Good point! You can’t trust me! For all you know, I could rat you guys out and watch your downfall! That’s the poetic nature of all this! Such revolutions like this really are a work of art!”

Velvet shook her head. “This doesn’t sound good, no matter how hard you explain. The fact that you’re even alive…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” I sighed. “You want me rolling in my grave instead of on the floor, which, there are no graves here, so why would I be?”

“You did all those things, unrepentant –”

“What can I say? An artist should never apologize for their art.”

“Good,” Velvet crossed her arms. “Because here’s another hard truth: I will never forgive you. No one is obligated to forgive you for the things that you’ve done to them and the sooner you learn that, the easier life will be.”

“Duly noted. But don’t you worry! You don’t have to actively work with me or anything. Just run to the front and say that you’re overthrowing the whole organization, and I’ll do the rest.”

“You say that, but…”

“...Or...you two can run around naked and get killed a horrible death and fail miserably in your mission. Choice is yours, really.”

“I don’t want to do this. If I do, it will feel like I’ve gone against Coriander. If I can find another way, with her, I will.”

As she said that, the one and only spice girl (in the void. Not to discount the infinite amount of spice girls out there across an infinite amount of universes. Also not to discount the infinite amount of Spice Girls, either. I was particularly fond of the version of them where they put out an EDM Folk Death Metal album. Truly ahead of their time) stepped out of the bathroom.

“Let’s just do it, Velvet,” Coriander announced in a dull and lifeless tone. “If there’s more of a chance with this, I’d rather go with it.”

I put my hand on my chest and smiled. So it seems I was forgiven after all! Good! Even though when I looked over at Coriander, her face looked like it was filled with hate and sadness, but I’d take what I could get.

“Now!” I took one good look at the both of them. “Before you two start running off, perhaps you’d like to know how much time you have left.”

“Don’t we have plenty of time, though?” Velvet objected. “Seeing as time doesn’t flow the same here, plus all those time travel devices. I think we’re allowed to take our time, given all that.”

“You’re going to apply logic to a sci-fi setting? What’s wrong with you?” I countered. “I’m sure you can understand how things work if you think about it for more than a few seconds.”

Velvet groaned, Coriander grunted. They must have understood once I said that: time still flowed down on their version on Earth, and maybe even at a faster rate than in here.

“For all you know, your Earth could already be destroyed,” I added. “And you can turn back time, that would just make an alternate Earth, which means there would already be a Velvet occupying there, and…”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Velvet grit her teeth.

“So in order to figure out how things are going down there, I’ll send my little bug to see if there’s anyone I can talk to! That way I can confirm that there’s at least some people still alive, and that they can tell me what the situation’s like!”

I put a little earbud in my ear, then sent one of my little bugs out from my pocket and watched as it warped away, using a built in fragment of a time cube, and waited until it found someone. After a little while, I heard the bug beep. That was my cue.

“Hey! Is anyone still alive on this planet?!” I yelled, as I had no idea how loud I should have been.

“Oh, just little old me,” a voice on the other end came up. I just about jumped for joy! There was life! And with a pleasant voice like that person’s (a soothing mix of baritone, treble, and alto), it seemed like my two muses were in luck.

“Hi there! Yes! This little thing I sent down was one of my art projects! Good to see it was a success!” My heart was racing so fast I could have entered it in a horse race, except hearts weren’t horses. Not unless you did some genetic experimentation, but that was neither here nor there.

“If only I got to hear this conversation from your memories,” he crooned. It really got me thinking: did he know who I was already? Well, I didn’t even know if the voice was a ‘he’, but I just figured such a disembodied voice being a ‘he’ would have been a nice thought, and then I started thinking about how I might have gone about drawing that. Oh, but I was getting distracted once again.

“Then I could see who you are and what your motive was. I could even taste you, just a little,” ‘he’ continued. While some may have found that to be just a bit creepy, I imagined ‘he’ must have thought of me to be a mix of paints.

“Yes! That would be so artistic! Maybe it could mix together at once like a collage!” My excitement might have been showing a little too much. Restraint, too, was an art.

“Where did you send this little bug down from?” ‘He’ asked, which seemed obvious enough to me where I sent it from. Maybe obvious to ‘him’ as well, if ‘he’ called my art project a ‘little bug.’

“I think you know already!” I replied, still with as much cheer as before. Restraint never was my strong suit.

There was a pause before either of us said anything else, so maybe I should have just cut to the chase.

“Are you really the only one left?” I asked. “How’s the situation on Earth?”

The voice on the other end came in once more:

“There were many booties a clappin’,” spoken in a sing-song voice. “But yes, I may be the only one left. There might be a few others. Not sure. Probably won’t last long, though. I’d give it...what? A few more months? A year? Then everything, so happy it could all die.”

“Oh, that sounds so beautiful!” I would’ve been this person’s biggest fan had I been down on that version of Earth and in that specific period in time. “Say it again!”

“It does, doesn’t it?” My next source of inspiration agreed.

“But! And this is a big but!” I had to get myself back on track, else I’d be in awe the entire conversation.

“...You cannot lie?”

“I can’t! One of the greatest artistic achievements! Aha! I am among a true scholar! Oh! But I didn’t go on! See, I’ve got a couple of muses with me who would like to possibly save Earth. Think there’s any way they can do that?”

“Let’s say I could pull a few strings. Buy some time.”

“Great!”

“But, and this is a big booty, I can only delay it for so long. If your pals can’t do anything soon, then I’m afraid my hands are tied.”

“Sounds good! I’ll let them know! They’ll be so excited! Hold on just a sec!”

I put my hand over my ear and said to Velvet and Coriander.

“So someone on Earth says you’ve got time, and could even buy you guys some more time! Isn’t that great!?”

Whether they were excited or my imagination was telling them that they were, I was excited enough just to tell them the good news. Then I uncovered my hand and spoke once more to the jolly fellow.

“Hey! Hey! I’m still here, are you?”

“Indeed, good friend. I have a feeling you and I would get along quite well. Which means I would probably not get along with you at all. But if only I could have found out.” Gee, what a friendly person. Like a star-crossed friend that I never would have met, because if there was anywhere on Earth I’d have wanted to go, it would have been back in Japan, with my father.

“That’s okay! There’s artistic merit in mystery! Leaves some for the imagination!” I assured the good-natured spirit.

“Well, before you depart, I just want to ask a favor of you.”

“Sure!”

“If you could give me an audience, that would be great. I think I’m done being in the shadows. It’s gotten quite boring. So, I would like it if I could speak with others.”

I thought about it. I could already do quite a bit with disabling communications, so opening up a line of communication didn’t seem too hard, either.

“Not a problem!” I assured ‘him’.

‘He’ laughed hysterics. “It’s good to know I had your permission, given I already had the ability to do so.”

“Oh, you sly devil!”

Then, without so much as a good-bye (although I’ve had worse phone conversations), my little bug left and within a few moments, had returned to me.

With that out of the way, I took the earbud out and grinned.

“So basically, you’re already pretty close to the front of the headquarters! I suggest you get going, because it’s hard to tell how long you guys have even after all that! All I can tell you is that there is still hope!”

Velvet and Coriander looked at each other, put on their shoes, then were about to get going. But before Velvet left the room, she turned to me.

“Why are you doing this?” She asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. “I just started thinking that even though art has been my life ever since I was a child, if I have to hurt others to make art, then maybe I should find a different path.”

“That’s good, but that still doesn’t absolve anything you’ve done,” she spoke in a low tone.

“I wouldn’t count on it!” I grinned.

“Maybe the right question I should be asking is this: just who were you before you joined The Flashbulb?”

I shrugged once again. I wasn’t good at being concise, but I’d try.

“Also an artist. Someone’s daughter. Something like that. Hey, I have a favor to ask you and you don’t have to accept, but I just thought of it!”

“Yes?”

“If you ever figure out who I was on Earth, please don’t think of the other versions of me as evil. My actions are my own.”

Velvet nodded. I wasn’t sure if that was her agreeing to my favor or not, but both Velvet and Coriander left at that, without so much as another word. I looked out the door and watched the two run off, then I went back in. It was time for me to do what I did best.

[movienotesbyzawmer]

October 21: Friday the 13th Part 3

(previous notes: Friday the 13th Part 2)

We're on a journey, you and I; a journey through the first eight Friday the 13th movies. And now we're at the only one that I actually saw in the theater! I was 11 when this came out, and I asked my dad to take me and a friend to see it in 3D. I remember mostly being excited about all the cool older kids that were in the crowd, plus also not being at all disappointed in the overall experience of cinematic violence.

And now I'm going to see it for the first time since then… and sure enough, I have it in 3D! I wonder if on my deathbed when I'm doing a mental inventory of my lifetime of experiences, if I will realize that I saw Friday the 13th Part 3 twice, both times in 3D. Will I wish I had the 2D experience at least once? Will I wonder if my life might have been different it… okay I'll shut up and watch it now, here goes…

Oh yeah, it does kind of suck to try taking notes while wearing the 3D glasses. Good thing this is just a Friday the 13th movie.

There is a card at the very start saying that the ladies and gentlemen of the audience must wear the glasses even though it won't be 3D right away!

Same director as the second one. He went on to do pretty successful non-horror movies, as I recall. The writer and director of the first movie weren't involved in any of the sequels at all, right?

Oh, the reason the beginning isn't in 3D is because it's a rehash of the end of the last movie. I wonder if they'll make it so that that ending sucks less. That's what I would do.

It's not even edited down, it's just the whole entire end of the last movie…

…oh, except, no, there is a new shot of Jason skulking away! And now the credits have started and there is a rockin' new theme, and I actually remember kind of thinking the rockin' theme was cool.

OMG the 3D here is going to be a huge problem. It is 3D, but it's broken. You know how when you look at a 3D thing without the glasses and there's the double vision thing? It's like I'm seeing the 3D effect AND the double vision. Am I supposed to have 50s-style red/blue glasses? I don’t have those. This is terrible to look at and despite everything I've noted above I am not going to watch it in 3D after all. (I tested another 3D Blu-ray and it looked fine so this is clearly just a shitty Blu-ray product. Oh well.)

The first scene after the credits is playfully doing 3D effects at us which I now cannot experience. Woe. Woe is me.

Woman in curlers is watching the story of the last movie as a news story on TV while worrying about a lurker outside. She's a little worried but she also realizes it's time to take the laundry in from the clotheslines.

Not even sure what the setting is here. The news reporter called the murders from the last one "the worst crime in local history".

The exposition has taught us about this couple who lives on this property that is a rabbit farm and a grocery store where the husband just grazes on the food. We know there's also a lurker! But there's also a snake in a rabbit cage that has mutilated a rabbit, and that snake jumps at the camera in some sort of Three Dimensional Effect! Plus also, lurker. Ch ch ch ch ch ha ha ha ha.

Husband checks a room and is butcher-knifed shockingly! These are not camp counselors. What did they do wrong. The wife gets killed quickly afterward, but with a different weapon, an arrow or something! Variety!

Now we're on some new characters. Fun lovin' young adults! One of them is a silly prankster who is insecure about his appearance. Will that play into the story later? Oh I hope so.

They all just arrived at a friend's house to pick them up for something. But uh oh… the van is on fire, look at the smoke! They are alarmed! But ha ha ha, no, it turns out there are hippies in the back of the van smoking grass ha ha! It’s their friends that had been deliberately a secret from us until this moment.

A merry Cheech/Chong scene ensues where they think the police are on their tail so they all have to swallow the drugs! But the police just pass them and it was all for nothing ha ha.

Unlike the first two movies, this Blu-ray transfer is riddled with marks and flaws.

The next tale in this saga, this veritable Odyssey, involves an old man lying on the road, obstructing their van trip. What is wrong with him! It turns out he's crazy; he is the sequel to the crazy old man from the first two movies. He is holding an eyeball maybe, and he tells them that his handheld eyeball means he has to warn them about doom or whatever. It doesn’t look like an eyeball. I am watching this movie.

The place they are at is some kind of ranch, not even a summer camp I don't think, but Chris, who it seems like might be the main girl, is reacquainting herself with a house on the premises that is adorned with many paintings. Maybe I missed where they explained who they are and what this place is, but it seems like they're just a bunch of young people who are spending a weekend at this ranch place where Chris used to hang out or live.

Insecure Guy played a trick which resulted in the 48th fakeout of the movie so far, he makes it look like he's been hatcheted, but it was just some clownin' with gore makeup. The dialogue is very, very unnatural.

Um, an incident just occurred at the grocery store! A different grocery store from where the opening murders happened. Insecure Guy was there with a friend, and some TUFFS show up to make trouble! They bully our protagonists and make them feel bad! That ends with Insecure Guy running over their motorcycles in a heroic moment for him. His character has a complex arc!

The TUFFS broke the windshield of the car, and all the characters are oddly tolerant of that.

The TUFFS apparently tracked our heroes to the ranch and are there to get some revenge. They gotta even the score! They're going to do that by siphoning gas from that stoner van apparently. But the TUFF that is a girl decides to go exploring. And someone we can't see is watching her! Hey, what kind of movie is this anyway? She is unnaturally amused by the various props on display in the barn she's exploring. She is so pleased with her decision to go exploring.

But she hears a noise! In the barn she has trespassed into! She decides to vigilantly investigate! But a moment later we see that she noticed the rope that hangs from the side of the barn and she swings on it. She is delighted! "This feels good", she actually exclaims while just swinging a little bit on a rope. I'm not sure the writers of this movie have ever met a person.

One of the TUFFS goes after her and finds her pitchforked! Then he gets pitchforked! Then the last remaining TUFF goes in there to investigate, having executed the masterful chess move of stealing gas out of the van, and gets in a fight with an assailant whose face we can't see, but who appears to have clean, pressed slacks. The last TUFF gets clubbed real good.

Insecure Guy tries to tell a pretty girl that he likes her. She responds by saying "no. I’m going to go outside for a little while, and when I come back inside, we'll talk." That's really how that exchange went. Have you ever been in an exchange like that.

We're on Chris now, and she's finally spilling the tea about her past. It turns out she was attacked by a grotesque man with a knife in the woods near her house. Just some mysterious man with a bad face. It ended with her losing consciousness and waking up with just that story which was apparently unbelievable to her parents. Glad we got to the bottom of that. Do you think this is a true story.

The way they're showing the killer makes him less scary than in the other movies. You see it's a male adult that has clean clothes and a casual, confident gait. We can't see his head at all but what we can see is well lit. Sometimes it's a fakeout because it isn't really the killer. But sometimes it is. Like just now the stoners went to investigate a mysterious noise in the barn. They don't find anything, but we see the killer, from the chest down, seeing them. Ch ch ch ch! Ha ha ha ha!

I think we just saw the first appearance of the hockey mask! Insecure Guy played another devious jape upon the pretty girl he was hoping to woo - she's sitting on a dock and he grabs at her ankle from underwater! Wearing a hockey mask. For some reason. He had a mask earlier, but it was a different one. Maybe his identity is "mask guy". Because in a way are not we all Mask Guy.

Jason, I guess, just killed that girl with a spear gun while wearing the hockey mask! It was a 3D gimmick death. Shot her right in the eye. I think when they had their first meeting about making this movie they just said "okay, let's just make a list of some different murder weapons and send it over to Fred, he'll write it up as a screenplay."

One of the guys just got macheted! I think I do remember that from before because he was a handstand walker-arounder and he was walking on his hands when Jason came upon him and swung the machete down between his legs! It didn't actually show it, but you know how he got sliced and ow.

That guy's girlfriend was in the shower when that happened, and when she comes out, she is distracted when she comes upon a very enticing issue of Fangoria magazine. They're in a bubble, the makers of this movie.

But that scene ends with her seeing her dead boyfriend in pieces above her in the rafters, and they are very gory pieces, and then she gets bowie-knifed from under the hammock as she's laying in it! Many deaths. Oh, the many deaths.

We didn't see Insecure Guy get killed; we only assume he's dead because Jason has the hockey mask now.

Oh, I had just typed that when Insecure Guy arrives at the stoner girl's door with a slashed throat. She doesn't believe it's real because he is such a fooler. Plus also maybe because it's not a very good gore effect by any standards. Suddenly her boyfriend is getting killed somewhere else in a manner that has to do with an electrical box, it all happened so fast! Then she herself gets run through with a hot poker! Jason is being very diligent about killing each victim in a different way.

Pretty sure all that's left now is Chris and her boyfriend, who were off somewhere talking about her terrible experience with a grotesque man. They are returning now, and we will soon see them realize that they are in a world of murder! murder! murder!

The boyfriend has a very square jaw. One of the squarest, really.

The most Hitchcock-y shot so far - Chris is looking out the front door and calling out for Square Jaw… she can't see him but we can, around the corner, being muzzled by Jason just out of her view! Then she goes back inside and Jason just squishes his head with his hands! Eyeball pops out and it is 3D. Unless it isn't, which in this case is what it is(n't).

Chris is exploring the campus trying to get some answers, and the body of one of the TUFFS is suddenly dangled in front of her from like a tree branch or something. Then she goes inside and wonders what oh what will become of her, and Square Jaw's body is hurled through the window. Each movie has multiple instances of bodies getting inexplicably thrown through windows and suddenly dangling out of the sky at just the right time for it to be scary.

She comes upon Jason in the house and they tussle! She stabs him in the leg with a knife that she extracted from a body that was conveniently nearby! He pulls it out and throws it at her with Olympic-caliber precision, but she still gets away.

She runs to the van and has the keys and starts it up even! Drives away and everything! But it runs out of gas so she literally just runs back to the ranch. Like, "back to the drawing board" I guess.

I can't stress enough how odd and disappointing it is that Jason just walks and dresses like a normal man, other than the fact that above the neck he is disguised by the mask. He doesn't limp or lurch or hunch, and again, he has clothes that, while plain, are oddly presentable for someone who is some kind of supernatural homicidal forest hermit.

Here now is another thing I remember from seeing this in Actual Nineteen Eighty Two; Jason's hanging from this pulley thing where she thinks she has him killed or immobilized or something, and he be-s alive at her, and even lifts up the mask to show his grotesque face! It's so that she can realize that he's the same guy that attacked her in the woods in the story she told from several years earlier.

He's about to get her… but one of the TUFFS is not dead, and emerges to fight Jason. That ends badly for the TUFF, he gets de-handed and just beaten down badly, but meanwhile Chris axes Jason in the head.

And here is what happens the next morning to blow our minds at the end of this movie. She has gotten in a canoe to get a good night's sleep. All tuckered out, time to hit the canoe, right? Then in the morning she wakes up in the canoe and spots Jason with a big head wound from her axe, he's just looking at her through a window of the house. He's totally going to come get her. But instead of him getting her, a lady emerges from the lake and pulls her in! It's maybe Jason's mother? But she's all ghoulish so we don't really know. Seems like that's the same sweater though. But also, her head is attached to her body, whereas the movie began by very clearly reminding us that Mom's severed head is a cabin somewhere else. But anyway, just like in the first movie, the consequence of that surprise waterborne attack is that she is being cared for by paramedics a little later, all confused.

This is a bad movie! So bad! From this team I expected so much this exact thing.

(next: Friday the 13th - The Final Chapter)

[rocketfool]

fawks - 62, 64, 52, 40, 15 | kass - 8, 16, 36, 42, 66 "rainy that's ten questions" "yes :)"

putting these behind a read more to spare people who are not interested in all of this because whoops it got long! 

FAWKS

62. Who does your character think is the most put together in the party?

THIS DEPENDS ON THE PARTY. of the main party, it’s definitely pierce. like sure he has some anxiety but he has not put goo in his mouth unprompted. so that pulls him ahead of fyn, who would be the second choice. of the surface party...probably valytra! like sure she collects souls in her necklace but she seems Polite and like she was a Pleasure to Have in Class, plus you have to have your shit together to be a spy (theoretically). kidar is...put together in that she’s extremely confident in who she is and assured of her own place in the world, but not the typical standard for “put together,” and fyn has put goo in her mouth, so. valytra wins. 

64. What is one thing they want each party member to know?

I’m going to do main party, and out of character! 

pierce: you’re so much braver and more heroic than you give yourself credit for. you deserve your place here just as much as anyone, and have personally inspired me to be a better person. but stop side eying me about scully I am WORKING on having a realization about this!! I’ll get there maybe!

jolene: we both put up such aggressive fronts to hide our vulnerabilities, but I’m discovering it is actually helpful to let people in and care for them, even if it makes you feel exposed. I hope you’re also coming to that realization and maybe one day (IN THE VERY DISTANT FUTURE) we’ll be more honest in our own friendship but for now lmao what is going on with blacksmith girl huh. I would like an update.

fyn: you’re the most optimistic and good-hearted person I know, and I hope you can see what an effect you have on the party. I’m very glad I’ve had you at my side for pursuing the black dragon wyrmspeaker, because I don’t know how I would’ve done it alone. also please stop putting goo in your mouth, we have enough money for quiche and lavender lemonade PLEASE. 

52. If your character was under quarantine, what type of quarantine person would they be? (Productive? Hobbyist? Lazy?)

oh my god fawks in quarantine is off the rails immediately, she cannot be left unsupervised. I think she starts her own youtube channel that people LEGITIMATELY think is supposed to be like a ~found footage narrative fiction channel or other creative project but...it’s never been stated to be and she just keeps appearing in videos to talk very urgently about cryptids and show everyone how she’s converted her kitchen to include a PROPER, homemade fumigation hood. so it’s very unclear. on that note, the vlog probably comes to an end bc she either 1) blows up her kitchen with her own experiments because it is NOT a lab, or 2) breaks into someplace she shouldn’t be and isn’t caught but then uploads the footage to ye olde youtube and it’s like...okay so this is you running around fantasy area 51 right? knock it off. 

40. Describe a corruption/redemption arc version of your character.

OKAY corruption arc fawks...like we all know fawks is very, very motivated by ~discovery and has a black and white way of thinking, she’s always poised on a precipice of discovering one powerful magic artifact that makes her risk it all LOL. she’s doing some character development in that area but I think there some very clear seeds of a corruption arc there--her connection to people (such as the party) is what keeps her on the...generally okay if not exactly the Right Path, so I think something awful befalling the party/people she loves where they are all killed would push her firmly into the dark side. I can see her getting lost in pursuing a way to “undo” whatever happened with time travel magic (wow like a certain tower we encountered) instead of reconciling it, and being willing to do whatever it takes to get her way. would prioritize herself and her mission above everything and everyone else, even if it threatens to rip the universe apart or results in killing people because she knows once she discovers this magic it will set things right, not just for her but its uses for the world at large...yeah it’d be bad. :/

REDEMPTION ARC is kind of what she’s on now. she’s discovering she has worth outside of what she produces for science/magic/etc! she’s figuring out she can open up to people and ask for help sometimes! she’s putting things right for her family! things are slowly coming up fawks...maybe.

15. Describe their ideal date. 

OH BOY. fawks is not really uh...into traditional expressions of romance. like she’ll make an effort for the right person but her preference is never going to be a fancy dinner and candlelight. honestly I think the ideal date would start off in the late evening (AFTER A LONG DAY OF SCIENCE), going to a museum of curiosities or for cryptids/the arcane, where she’s allowed to really go in deep with her date on the history of various items/the theories behind everything and listen eagerly to what her date has to say too (in any world where fawks is dating, that person has to have Opinions on this type of thing). they’d stay until close and then head to a food truck to grab something to go while fawks leads the date to a rooftop of an abandoned building she likely discovered cryptid hunting but realized has an amazing view. they’d sit out under the stars and eat together, chatting inevitably about how fawks found the building, maybe do some exploring of it together. and then they head to a 24 hour diner for milkshakes as dessert! 

KASS

8. What is something they cannot resist?

OOOH this is fun because there are a lot of ways to interpret the question. I think kass can never resist a bustling marketplace in whatever city he ends up in--he loves travel and finding out about the local culture, is always curious to see what’s for sale and what the gossip is about town from the merchants he meets there. he spent a lot of time in marketplaces growing up so they’re nostalgic for him--he also loves purchasing trinkets from them anytime he lands somewhere new, particularly if those trinkets are fancy scarves/boots/etc. foodwise, he’s a sucker for baklava and good red wine--he enjoys wine shops/bars over taverns because he’s bougie lmao. oh and if dancing is happening and he’s not the one playing the music, kass is involving himself as is his right as a bard. he can’t resist a good opportunity dance when he has the chance!

16. What keeps them going?

OH BOY a good question. I think kass is a realist in a lot of ways, but has held onto some amount of idealism. he keeps moving forward with the idea that he’s in a losing situation right now, but he’s patient enough to watch and see what way the winds will blow. he justifies his work with the understanding that he has a certain moral code for his behavior when he can make choices, versus when his hands are tied by the zhents. always is keeping one eye out for an opportunity to slip out of those binds completely. 

36. What makes them blush?

HMMMM I don’t think kass gets too worked up over flirting--sometimes it’s literally just part of his job, and in general he’s just confident in himself. and listen he’s been in plenty of seedy taverns and courts rifled with intrigue, so not a lot makes kass bat an eyelash at this point. the things that would make him blush would probably be genuine romantic gestures? he doesn’t have a lot of experience with them so someone doing something very sweet and thoughtful for him would catch him completely off guard. like even getting flowers from the right person, kass is just not used to that type of attention! 

42. Is there something your character isn’t very good at, but enjoys doing nonetheless?

kass would LOVE crossword puzzles I think. he’s been doing them since he was a kid and could filch a newspaper every once in a while, but he’s not super good at them. just enjoys having something to sit back and focus on while drinking his coffee in the mornings. I also don’t think he’s very good at cooking, but he enjoys trying out new recipes!

66. Outward Passion or Quiet Rebellion?

this is hard because I think kass feels pulled between the two very frequently. I think he’d much prefer outward passion, throwing himself heart first into a cause, but he definitely is more likely to commit quiet rebellion and does so frequently. like what the zhents don’t know won’t hurt...him. again, where he has the ability to, kass follows his own heart so he’s willing to work quietly to do some good. but he’d much prefer to be bolder, in the grand scheme of things. 

[lotus-mirage]

The Untamed episode 39 + 40 liveblog

Not sure how this is going to end, but I think this arc is wrapping up.

I can’t tell if he’s doing something magic or if he’s just really good at sneaking around in fog

Yikes, that was a pretty close call. Good thing Wen Ning caught on so fast.

Bringing up the actor friend again

Oh, Wen Ning kept his chains, just as like weapons/reinforcement then?

Wait, I thought she was a ghost already?

Guess not?

Wait, was that Song Lan back to having normal eyes again?

Shoot here’s the masked guy- is he the actor friend? He’s the only other one associated with Xue Yang at the moment.

And he’s gone.

Oh, the girl has the puppet marks too?

Stabbed 3 times!?

Yeah I’d give Song Lan the final blow here

Oh, there is something weird with his finger

Kind of just yikes at Xue Yang’s whole monologue

:,(

Oh no

I wasn’t initially expecting that to be how he got his neck wound, but after the last episode... yeah

Wow, that seems really lacking compared to the setup that WWX had for Wen Ning.

Can’t fully feel bad for him at this point, but it is kind of hard to watch

Threatening the guy isn’t going to help if it’s still just a corpse

Guess the guy really was the first person to treat him alright huh

Who left the candy there while he’s dying?

It’s a sweet gesture (no pun intended), but unless he was using Song Lan to ferry them around, who’d even have them??

I wonder how long there been there after that.

Where’d Song Lan go?

Oh they made a grave for her :,)

Wait, they’re just leaving Wen Ning and the disciples together?

Oh there he is. He doesn’t have the markings?? I thought he was, like, still undead, surely?

Awww his plans are very sweet, even if tragic. Is he keeping the spirit bag on him along with the sword?

The white sword + carrier really contrasts the rest of his outfit in a nice way

cut from Song Lan with his sword to both of them walking together, my heart

:,)

I think this might be the last we see if either of them, honestly - it feels pretty final.

I’m so glad I wasn’t more attached to these guys - they don’t have the luxury of the fallen half of the pair getting resurrected, and it hurts enough as it is.

Wait, what was in the bag that went into the coffin?

A second coffin underneath it!?

Is that Nie Mingjue? The robes look like the same pattern.

They cut away but I’m going to assume it was.

Okay more focus on the disciples, particularly on Lan Sizhui at the toy stalls

The butterfly for younger kids, then? I think Wen Yuan had one in a stick, right?

Okay there was a lot of emphasis being put on that butterfly

Wait. Wait that quick flashback cut was one of Wen Yuan and his toy, wasn’t it!?

Is. Is the implication that Lan Sizhui is Wen Yuan. Am I reading this right? I’m fairly certain, but I’m also like !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! right now

How’d he get to Gusu, though? None of the Wens were cultivators, right? And the burial grounds were far away - they only had 3 days before WWX could get up.

I’m sure it’ll be elaborated on, I’ve just had this screen paused for like a solid 5 minutes to type this all out on my phone.

Anyway !!!!!!!!!!

Awwww WWX flashing back to Wen Yuan too

That’s definitely the intended connection to draw, okay.

!!!!

Just hands Lan Sizhui the lantern with no explanation, haha

Oh good he’s got his mask back on

It was headless!?

That is a lot of data points on the masked guy

The implied ‘him’ is Meng Yao, I’m assuming?

Yeah I’m not sure that he’s a good enough fighter (or cultivator) to do all this, but I guess he could be getting someone else to? Maybe?

And now for whatever the disciples are discussing, I guess

Ouch, Jin Ling

LAN XICHEN KNOWS, OKAY

wasn’t expecting him to just. address him like that out of the blue

End notes:

Okay. Okay that was a lot.

We got our last bit of flashbacks from Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen, backstory Xue Yang, and probably the last we’ll see of either party.

We also had the heavy implication/pre-reveal sort of thing that Lan Sizhui is Wen Yuan, which I am very happy about and eager to see more of (best boi twice over it seems, haha).

There was also momentum on the main story - found Nie Mingjue’s body and a heavily implied murderer. Even if he isn’t the guy in the mask, at this point I’m not sure how Meng Yao could not be involved, particularly with how the show has been building him up.

Also like. Where is Wen Ning? He can’t be inside with the disciples, right? ...was Jin Ling there when he got identified on Danfan mountain?? Does he know who that is?????

- episode 40 -

A couple hours later: I have time to watch more and lingering hype from the Lan Sizhui thing, I’m going to keep going

Pfft - ‘lets not attract attention’ ‘shoot he’s right there’

The staring as he asks for liquor, haha

Hahaha it just keeps going

He just stuck the chicken back in his friends mouth

Was that Wen Ning outside?

Yes, okay, it was him. Coming in spider-man style

I love this episode

Ouch haha

Wait is LWJ planning to drink liquor again

Oh thank goodness I don’t know if I could handle that again so soon

Why the head? Wouldn’t it be the most damning to have?

Are we skipping right to the next month??

Wait I just realized - who are these other guys in red? They’re dressed differently than the Wens, but...???

Did Jiang Cheng come just before them? He doesn’t seem to have a retinue. Or was he waiting for them??

Jin Ling and his boatload of uncles

Wait that’s actually like more accurate than I thought they’re all more or less uncles. Wow.

Oh right Mo Xanyu got thrown out of here

Okay, so Meng Yao’s wife is going to be relevant

Is Nie Huaisang drunk?

Doesn’t seem to be handling things well

Awwww Jin Ling’s trying to defend him

Oh boy that’s, ah. Yeah that’s gonna land him in hot water with everyone.

Oh, teaching him a new move?

Hahaha he’s kind of an awful influence

Haven’t seen the paper person in a while. What’re they doing now?

Even with the paper person he’s messing with LWJ’s ribbon.

There’s synth music I can’t

Is she scared of Meng Yao?

What’s in the letter? Really doesn’t seem to be good.

So it is definitely the letter and not, like, food poisoning, so: really bad.

So it implied he got their son killed?

They’re saying a ‘she’ sent the letter, but WWX said ‘he’. Unless there’s multiple then I guess there’s a broad range of suspects.

He’s. Switching emotions being projected really fast and it’s kind of terrifying.

What’d he just do to her

That was a doorway?

Are those chains

They’ve been building him up for a while but I genuinely am shocked that he’s gotten so bad. Holy crud.

I assume that’s the head?

Yyep

He can do Empathy with just the guy’s head??

End notes:

So this episode started out really fun. And then it went a little internal politic-y and then it went to whatever brand of spy-slash-horror drama this is.

I really don’t know how to feel about this one. In other news: major plot progression, I guess?

I don’t know. When he was first introduced (and for a while afterwards) I kind of liked Meng Yao, so I don’t really have a solid emotion towards whatever’s happening right now. Definitely don’t like him as he is now, though, and he has concretely gone full-blown evil antagonist.

He’s also probably the ‘actor friend’ of Xue Yang, considering... the conversation between him and his wife (Qing Su?). I didn’t comment much during that, admittedly, albeit mostly because my brain was blanking out with internal sirens going the entire time.

[sassyduckqueen]

30 Days of Lukanette- Candy Cotton

While I liked the ending of S3, I think Chloe needs a redemption arc so I'm working on that. Also you can find what Kitsune looks like by checking out the post before this and finally, Lila will be taking a bigger, villainous role soon and if you go check Flavor, you'll notice I have removed the part about Cat Noir been akumatized as I decided to make a chapter of it. It will be coming soon.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Will he be ok?" Luka asked as Master Fu got onto the train with Marianne. He turned around and waved at Luka and Marinette. Both of them waved back before the door closed and the train left.

"He'll be fine," Marinette smiled, weakly as her phone buzzed. She unlocked it and read the message. Luka waited patiently for her to read it. "Alya says everyone is meeting up for ice cream from Andre... would you like to come with me?"

"Sure," He smiled as they turned back and walked out of the station. They hadn't had their talk yet but he knew they would. He trusted her after all. It didn't take them to get long to Andre. Marinette's face fell a little as she saw Adrien, ordering an ice cream. Before she could walk away, Adrien looked over and waved. Luka waved back before he gently gave her a smile then he walked off and sat with the others on the edge of the Seine. Marinette took a deep breathe and walked up to the ice cream store.

"Hey, Adrien," She smiled before she turned to Andre. "Can I have one ice cream to share please?"

"Of course, Marinette," He smiled as he picked out a cone. "Blueberry for his eyes and strawberry for his lips. I think this one is the best one for you,"

"Thank you, Andre," She smiled, paying for it as Adrien waited for her. She walked over to him. "How are you and Kagami?"

"We're good," He smiled. "I'm taking her out for a date later on,"

"That's great," She smiled sadly as they walked down the stairs. "I'm happy for you,"

"How are you and Luka?" He asked, unexpectedly but before she could answer, he looked over at Kagami and waved before he told her he would see her late and walked over to Kagami. Marinette waved and turned as she began to walk towards where Luka was. She looked back sadly and saw Adrien gently wiping ice cream from Kagami's lips before she closed her eyes painfully and in that moment, she finally made a choice. She needed to let him go and take Master Fu's advice. Life hadn't given her what she expected but it had given her someone amazing. She sat down next to Luka and felt instantly better just by been in his presence.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, looking at her. She smiled softly and looked at him.

"You know that tune you were trying to find?"

"Your song?" He asked, smiling. She nodded.

"Did you work it out?" She asked, surprising him but making him smile as he nodded. He had worked it out for a while but he wasn't sure if she would want to listen to it while Adrien and the other things were on her mind. "Can I listen to it?"

"Do you want to hear it?" He asked, thinking she'll hesitate but she nodded. He smiled and begin to play for her. The tune sounded so beautiful to her and just listening to it made her feel happy and free. She closed her eyes and smiled as she listened to him playing it. Slowly, he came to a stop and she opened her eyes.

"Luka... it's perfect," She smiled. "You're amazing,"

"I only play what I hear into people's hearts, Marinette," He mumbled, shyly but she placed her hand on top of his as she looked at him with a look of admiration. He felt a light blush go across his face as he noted she had never looked at him like that before. He cleared his throat and began to play again as he wasn't sure what to say. Not that it was a bad thing. He just didn't want to mess up his words so he played how he felt right now. A blush came across Marinette's face as he played the song, gradually bringing parts of hers into the tune, playing them in perfect balance.

"Luka..." She gasped, feeling tears in her eyes form. He stopped as soon as he saw them,

"Mari.. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset-" He stopped talking as she hugged him.

"You didn't," She gasped as he hugged her back. "It was just so beautiful,"

"I'm glad you liked it," He smiled, blushing.

"Like it? I love it," She gasped, gently pulling away. "Can you play it again?"

"Sure," He smiled as he started to play. She closed her eyes and listened, leaning a little closer to him.

(***)

Viperion jumped across the skyline before he came to Marinette's house. Making sure he wasn't followed, he jumped onto the chimney of the house, finding Ladybug leaning against the wall, waiting for him. He jumped down and stood in front of her.

"I'm not late, am I?" He asked as she opened the skyline and slid inside. He followed, closing the skyline before closing the blinds. "Sass, Scales rest,"

"Tikki, Spots off," Marinette ordered, catching Tikki as he caught Sass. "Sorry, Luka. We'll have to keep quiet. My parents are asleep,"

"That's ok," He smiled as she took out a plate of food for Tikki and Sass. Both of them dived in as she walked over and kissed his cheek. He smiled softly before sitting on her bed. "Do you want the Snake Miraculous back? You know since I know,"

"You can keep the snake miraculous as I'm changing the rules slightly," She explained, sitting down next to him. He looked at her. "I think we worked better because we knew who each other was. We knew what was at stake and more importantly, that we have each other's back. I know we did before the reveal but we knew our words were true. We won..."

"But Hawkmoth got away and Master Fu lost his memory..." He mumbled, looking down but Marinette placed a hand on his arm.

"Master Fu had been training me take over as guardian for a while. I have a copy of the pages we translated from the book and the miracle box is safe and sound," She reassured, making him look at her.

"But why did Master Fu lost his memories?" He asked, frowning.

"It's what happens when a guardian gives up the miraculous box. To protect it and the identities of the chosen, they lost their memories of their time as guardian... and as a miraculous wielder. Master Fu knew this and had prepared for such a scenario. The Kwamis will be continuing my training as he passed on what he hadn't taught me to them but I'm now the guardian,"

"And you're ok with this?"

"I guess I have to be. If he hadn't done what he did then Hawkmoth would have won for sure," She mumbled but she was looking down. "But I do feel alone and afraid. This is a lot to take on, even for Ladybug,"

"You're not alone," He whispered, moving his hand so they were holding each others'. "Remember I believe in you and I have your back. Regardless of the problem, the time of day, whenever it's a school day or a weekend, if you need me, I'll be here,"

"Thank you, Luka," She smiled, lightly kissing him on the cheek. He smiled softly before a soft frown took his features.

"But we do need to talk about the holders. Hawkmoth and Mayura know their identities,"

"I have a plan for that," She smiled, causing Luka to smile. "But the fox miraculous will have to come out to play again,"

"I'm sensing a mirage,"

"Yes," She smiled. "But not yet. First, I need to go talk to the miraculous holders and I would like Viperion to be with me. I've tried to message Cat and Ryuko but no reply,"

"No worries," He smiled before transforming into Viperion. Marinette smiled before transforming into Ladybug. The two of them climbed out onto the roof and jumped off before flying through the night sky before stopping at Alya's house. She hoped Nino would be there too. She dropped down onto the balcony and knocked on the window as Viperion dropped down next to her. Within seconds, Alya opened the window and gasped in surprise.

"Ladybug! Viperion!" She gasped before moving out the way and letting them climb in. "I'll go wake Nino,"

With that, she rushed off and a few seconds later, she returned with Nino, who looked half asleep.

"Lady dude? Snake dude?" He mumbled, sleepily. "What are you two doing here? Didn't we blow our identities?"

"Firstly, I don't blame you. You were all under Miracle Queen's spell," She informed, sitting down. "And to train new heroes would be hard. Sure, we're gonna need some but I also need ones who are experienced and know what they are doing. In other words, it would be foolish of me to ban the current holders from using their miraculous,"

"So Carapace and Rena Rogue aren't going to be retired,"

"Neither are Pegasus or King Monkey," Ladybug smiled.

"But Hawkmoth still knows our identities," Alya pointed out. "How are we going to fix that?"

"I have a plan," She smiled. "I just wanted to tell you in person that you're not retiring,"

"Thank you, Ladybug," Alya grinned, hugging her. Viperion smiled before getting a bro fist off Nino.

"We're excited to work with you again," He smiled.

"We better go and tell Pegasus and King Monkey the good news," Viperion suggested, getting a nod off Ladybug.

"We'll let you know the plan once we worked all the details but for now, keep this to yourselves," She replied before they both climbed out the window and flew into the night again. Alya squeaked and hugged Nino as they disappeared. Ladybug couldn't help but smile at her friend's reaction. "Viper, can you tell Pegasus and I'll go to King Monkey?"

"Of course, Bug," Viperion smiled before jumped and slid down a roof, making a turn before he headed towards Max's house as Ladybug went towards King Monkey's. He lowered down and knocked on the window lightly. The light turned on and Max opened the window.

"Viperion. Please come in," He stated. The two heroes came in as Max's friend, Markov was charging. "I calculated that there was 89% chance you would visit after the battle of the miraculous. I take it I'm off the team due to Hawkmoth discovering my identity,"

"Actually we want to keep you," Viperion smiled, shocking Max.

"Excuse me?!" He gasped, excitedly. "But the logical choice-"

"Would be to keep you," He interrupted. "Ladybug wants to extend the team but we also need members who know what they're doing. You understand the horse miraculous and it's powers perfectly,"

"I can't thank you enough, Viperion," He smiled. "I will not let you down but how are we gonna get Hawkmoth off our trail? Thanks to Chloe, he knows who we are,"

"Ladybug has a plan for that too. We just need to work out the details. I'll let you know once we have the details but for now, keep this to yourself," He smiled encouragingly at the smaller boy. "I can't wait to work with you, Pegaus,"

"Likewise, Viperion," He replied as the hero climbed out the window. His phone buzzed as he did.

"I'm sorry. I have to go," He explained, getting a wave off Max as he jumped out the window and swung into the night. He landed on the roof opposite off the Grand Paris Hotel. A few seconds later, Ryuko and Cat Noir joined him then moments after them, Ladybug joined. She walked over to the edge and looked over as Cat walked over.

"Any reason why we're here, Ladybug?" He asked.

"I have come up with a plan to help the current miraculous holders so they don't go into retirement,"

"Are you sure that is wise? Hawkmoth knows their identities," Ryuko points out but Ladybug looks at her and nods.

"If we don't do something, we'll have to train new people to use the fox, the turtle, the horse and the monkey miraculous. We'll have to train a new bee holder but our team is stronger if we let them four work with us. They already know what to do with their powers and how to fight. They are a strength to our team. Yes, we're gonna have to train new people for the other miraculous but eight experienced users are better then four,"

"I take it you have a plan then," Cat grinned, leaning on his stick.

"Don't I always," She grinned before looking back at the hotel. "But to make it work, we're gonna need Chloe,"

"Are you sure? She did betray us," Cat gasped.

"I know and I'm not giving her the miraculous back," She replied before flying across to Chloe's room. Viperion, Ryuko and Cat followed before entering the girl's room. Chloe stared at the four heroes in surprise. "Chloe Bourgeois, we need to talk,"

"I don't want-"

"Shut up and listen," Ladybug shocked everyone in the room. Chloe went quiet and sat down. "You have committed an unforgivable crime and you placed not only my miraculous holders but the whole of Paris in danger. All because I wouldn't give you the attention you needed,"

"I deserved to be the bee,"

"Why?"

"Because I'm the best-"

"No. Tell me why you deserve. In fact, explain to me how a spoiled, self-centered brat who only puts herself could possible be a true hero? How could she scarifice herself for someone else if she can't even be nice to anyone?" She stated, sitting down.

"I'm not self-centered! I was good! I tried to be nice!" She gasped. "I even believed that Dupan-Cheng didn't cheat on that test or hurt Alya or steal her necklace! I resisted an akuma! I helped save my best friend,"

"And in the end, you placed everyone in danger," Viperion suddenly added in, walking over to Chloe. "What do you think would happen to your family if Hawkmoth won? To your best friend? To yourself? Do you really think he would grant you power?"

"H-he understood me!" She gasped, tears filling her eyes.

"No, he doesn't," He replied. "He preyed on your loneliness. He doesn't care about you or anyone and once he's done, he'll just toss you aside with the rest of us,"

"No! He gave me the box!"

"He already did, Chloe," Ladybug informed, making Chloe frown. "Once he realized you were no longer useful to him, he dropped you and left. Or did you forget that he flew off on his giant moth with Mayura?"

"Chloe, Hawkmoth doesn't care about you or anyone," Cat added in, making the girl frown even more before she finally burst into tears.

"I just wanted to be special again!" She cried, tears rolling down her face. "I wanted to be a hero. Everyone in school thinks I'm so awful and horrible! I just wanted to prove to them that that I could be better then they think I am but I failed at that too! I don't want to be on Hawkmoth's side but I was so angry that I couldn't help my mummy and daddy that I realized I could get him to free them if I joined his side. I didn't mean for it to go so far, Ladybug but he said that I could be the greatest hero in Paris and that my mummy would finally be proud of me! And I fell for it, like a stupid idiot,"

"Chloe... I should have given you the bee miraculous that day. You were the right choice and I was distracted. I made a mistake but part of been a hero is admitting that we all make mistakes and trying our best to fix them. I can't give you the miraculous of the bee ever again. For one, everyone in Paris knows that you're Queen Bee and you betrayed us to Hawkmoth. You broke my trust,"

"I u-understand," She sniffed, wiping her eyes.

"But I can give you a chance to earn my trust again but it will take time and you won't be getting a miraculous. I don't want you to do this for yourself. I want you to do this for the people you hurt and for the sake of Paris. You revealed the identities of some of our heroes and as a result, our team is feeling the loss. Hawkmoth is getting stronger and we need to as well,"

"W-what can I do?"

"I need you to get your father to arrange an all inclusive day trip for your whole class to the Eiffel tower, all expensive paid for,"

"That's it?" She asked, a little surprise. "I can totally do that! Consider it done! When do you need it done for?"

"This Thursday," Ladybug stated, causing Chloe nodded excitedly. "Chloe, there is something else. When I pull off this plan, it will make you look like you were petty and vengeful to your classmates and that you framed them as miraculous holders. Hawkmoth will also believe you betrayed him if I pull this off correctly,"

"I'm ok with that, Ladybug. If it means I can fix what I did and that Hawkmoth will no longer see me as an ally then go with it. Besides, everyone already thinks I'm petty and vengeful anyway," She shrugged before running out of her room, shouting for her father.

"Do you think she'll change?" Cat asked but Ladybug sighed.

"I have no idea but phase one of the plan is in place. The holders will be in the same place together,"

"Ok so what's the second part of the plan? Will we need to be there?" Ryuko asked but Ladybug shook her head.

"Not here," She stated, leaving the room. The four of them jumped into the night and moved above the rooftops before coming to their usual hangout place. They landed and sat down. "Us three don't need to be there but Viperion, I will need you to be at the tower. You know how to use the fox miraculous better then any of us, apart from Rena Rogue but she needs to be there in her civilian identity to pull this off,"

"Viper Fox?" He asked.

"Only the fox. You don't need to combine the two this time,"

"Whoa, danger noodle! When did you do that?"

"When we had to save your sorry ass, kitty," He smiled, causing Cat to laugh.

"Aah right! Sorry about that!" He grinned, causing Ryuko to roll her eyes.

"So you're gonna create an illusion to convince Hawkmoth that the people he saw becoming the 'miraculous' holders aren't actually the holders,"

"Yep,"

"Is he going to believe that?"

"We can only hope,"

(***)

"Are you sure you're ok with doing this, Luka?" She asked as she held out the miraculous box to him. They were stood in the top of the effiel tower, preparing for their plan. They had arrived there as Ladybug and Viperion but he soon de-transformed and Sass had fallen asleep. He slowly took it and opened it. As soon as he did, a little orange light appeared and flew around.

"I'm sure," He smiled as Trixx formed from the light. He looked at him with unsure before Luka took out a small bag of Candy Floss, his favorite food. The Little Kwami grinned and floated over.

"So am I staying with this one?" He asked but Marinette shook her head.

"No. It's just for a plan I have," She smiled. "To transform all you have to say is Trixx, let's pounce,"

"Ok," Luka smiled as he put on the necklace. "Trixx! Let's pounce!"

The little fox got sucked into the necklace before Luka swiped his hand over his hair, creating ears then threw his hand to the side. The costume appeared in an orange light as he span before a fox tail appeared. He swiped his hand across his eyes, creating his mask before he held out his hand as a ball of light appeared that then formed the flute. He caught it and striked a pose before looking at himself in the window's reflection. Like his Viper Fox form, his highlights had turned orange but the outfit itself was themed orange, white and black. He had black gloves and boots and a white streak down his chest. The rest was all orange and his mask was white on the top, orange on the bottom. Ladybug grinned as she walked over.

"Wow. You look awesome," She smiled. "What should I call you though?"

"I don't think it matters as I'll only be using this form once but... if I was to use it permanently... I guess I'd call myself Kitsune," He smiled before looking at her. "You better go and meet with your class,"

"You sure you're ok with doing this?" She asked, worried. She knew he could handle it but he had to keep out of sight and create a hell of an illusion.

"I'll be fine," He smiled. "Don't worry,"

"Ok," She smiled before jumping down and turning back into Marinette before joining the class that had just arrived. She already said she would join them at the Eiffel tower to buy her time and as Ladybug, she had already informed the holders that they needed to go on Chloe's trip as it was part of her plan. I order to get a genuine react of shock, she hadn't told them her plan. Gradually, time moved and it would be time for Kitsune to create illusion. As if on que, Ladybug jumped down and landed on the edge of the Eiffel tower.

"People of Paris!" She called out. "I have come out today with a message. As you know Hawkmoth recently attempted to take over the city again. This time, by using it's heroes against it. Well, the joke's on you, Hawkmoth! The 'heroes' that you believed were part of my group were merely decoys I had set up. I was aware that you would go after Chloe Bourgeois and as a result, I took precausion and had the true heroes protected!"

To everyone's surprise, a flock of akuma turned up and formed the head of Hawkmoth. Marinette kept her fingers cross that Luka kept outside and was focusing on his mirage.

"Foolish child! You merely trying to cover up for a stupid mistake,"

"Sure, I made a mistake but I am human, Hawkmoth," Ladybug grinned as he looked around.

"Your so called heroes are down there. They are but children and you think I'd believe this nonsense about decoys,"

"I thought you would say that," She grinned as Cat Noir, Viperion and Ryuko joined her. "That's why I invited some friends,"

To everyone's surprise, Pegasus, King Monkey, Carapace and Rena Rogue all jumped down and joined Ladybug.

"No! Impossible!" Hawkmoth gasped. "You-"

"I knew you'd go after Chloe. I have done since you akumatized her friend and got Mayura to try and turn her on your side. Well, unfortunately for you, I got to Chloe first. Why do you think she allowed you to akumatize her after resisting one? I also informed them off the role they would have to play and gave them instructions on what to say and how to attack. They were never under her control. All it took was some great acting and a nice collection of contact lens. You can thank my lucky charm for that,"

"Why you little brat! I'll get you for this!" He gasped before the butterflies turned back white and the crowd that had gathered cheered, along with her class.

"To those who helped me during this most recently battle. I just want to thank you. As long as we keep trying our best and work together, I know one day we will defeat Hawkmoth!" Ladybug shouted, causing more people to cheer. "We better go for now! Bug out!"

With that, the heroes all jumped off the tower and swing off in different directions, disappearing into the day time. Marinette smiled to herself. Hawkmoth brought her plan, meaning he'll now believe that the identities of the heroes belong to other people, meaning it was safe to use Rena, Carapace, King Monkey and Pegasus when they were needed.

"Isn't Ladybug just awesome?!" Kim gasped, excited.

"I can't believe you guys were in on Ladybug's plan," Alix gasped, looking at the four friends. "And that Chloe let herself getting willing akumatized to help Ladybug. That was so selfless of her,"

"You think?" Chloe asked, shocked but the other students nodded. "Well... I am trying to be a better person..."

"I think that's great, Chloe," Adrien smiled. "Been a good person is a great goal,"

Marinette smiled and noticed Luka sneaking down from the tower and heading back away. Her phone buzzed as a message came through as the class was busy surround the 'everyday' heroes, even Lila was.

L: Mission complete. Will feed Trixx and return him later. x

M: you did a great job. Looks like Hawkmoth brought it. Will see you later x

(***)

Marinette hummed to herself as she finished sewing her end of year dance dress. With her in the zone, she didn't notice when the trap door open and Luka climb in til he cleared his throat. A squeak left her throat and she spun around, only to see it was Luka. Relief washed through her.

"Sorry," He smiled sheepishly. "Your mom let me in,"

"That's ok," She blushed before getting up and walking over to him as he closed the trap door. "You did great today. Hawkmoth really believed it. I honestly don't know how you pulled off such illusions,"

"It's like writing a song really," He smiled before handing her the box. "But I prefer been the snake,"

"I don't know. Kitsune was pretty cool," She teased, causing him to pout.

"Are you saying Viperion is not awesome?" He gasped with pretend shock before lightly pulling her to him and ticking her softly. She laughed but misplaced her footing causing them to both fall onto the floor. Luka caught himself before he landed on but was never the less on top of her. A blush worked it's way across his face as one worked it's way across hers but before he could say or do anything, Marinette softly cupped his face and pressed her lips to his. Luka was surprised but he didn't hesitate to kiss back, cupping her face as he did before they both pulled away before Luka got up and helped her to her feet. "Please don't just play with my heart, Mari,"

"I'm not," She replied, leaning up and kissing his cheek softly. "Remember? I told you I love you,"

"But you weren't sure how,"

"I think I'm starting to get an idea,"

[nelvana]

In which the trouble with evolution is discovered

First [ARC 1]: In which the human is transformed First [ARC 2]: In which a present is prepared Next: In which partners reconcile Previous: In which bad deeds are fixed

    “Alright, recite all of the names of our A Squadron back to me,” Nelvana instructed.

    “Okay, uh… ˙ıɥɐǝ⋊ 'ǝǝqǝǝƆ 'ɹɐɓpƎ 'ıʞns⊥ 'xǝl∀ 'ɐuɐʌlǝN” Keahi responded, “did I get that right?”

    Nelvana’s eyes lit up, “yes, you did!” she exclaimed, bubbling with excitement.

    “Oh, really?” Keahi responded, beaming back at zir partner. “Finally! I was having so trouble with pronouncing Edgar’s name,” zie laughed, “glad to see some progress though!”

    Nelvana and Keahi were currently alone at their home. Nelvana sat cross-legged across from Keahi, who had tried settling into a comfy seated position but kept having to jump up again with boundless energy. Ceebee and Gardevoir were training their psychic abilities, Damien was still helping out around town, Edgar and Tsuki had taken some more missions, and… Alex had just said he was going for a walk, and no one had seen him since, but no one had sensed anything bad about it, so they left that be for now.

    The two partners were practicing the human language, both in part as a slight review for Nelvana, but also just to teach Keahi. After establishing that Nelvana, Alex, Ceebee, and Damien all could speak and understand human speech, and Gardevoir could understand but not speak it, Keahi had become more determined than ever to be able to speak it for zirself. Hopefully, they would be able to teach Tsuki and Edgar later as well, and then the team would have a “secret” language to use if they ever ran into a tough situation.

    After that meeting at Pokemon Square, Damien had become busy most days, but he explained to the team that he actually was enjoying it a bit. He didn’t like manual labor much, but it certainly gave him something to do, and the effects of his work were already beginning to show. There was definitely less glaring just from him wandering around town, which made him more comfortable at being around there in general.

    The second day of this, Team Galaxy sent out the message for the rest of their team to meet up together to hang out, and this time got much better results. There were plenty more games to play, stories to tell, and laughs to be had. Tsuki made some food all on her own for everyone, and while it wasn’t perfect, everyone could agree that it was a tasty meal. Before leaving, Rayden announced that they wanted to be a boy, a he, and in return, Keahi explained that zie felt like being non binary again.

    “Should I try learning the B Squadron’s names next?” Keahi asked, shuffling closer to zir friend.

    “Only if you want, but that’s less important for now. The chances of you needing to say their names are slimmer than the chances of you saying one of our names,” Nelvana responded, ruffling the torchic’s feathers as zie got within arm’s reach. “I’m thinking next it would be good for you to learn certain directional words and basic phrases. Those will probably be used often; for instructing the team without the enemy hearing,” she continued.

    “That sounds good too! Where should we start with that then?” Keahi hummed, peering up at the cubone with bright brown eyes.

    Nelvana paused to think this over, “hm… actually, I might have to bring this up with Alex and maybe Ceebee, see what they think some of the common words and phrases are,” she decided, “so, we can take a break from this for now.”

    “Oh, alright! What shall we do now then?” Keahi replied, leaning up against zir partner and settling down there instead. “We could go for a walk; the leaves haven’t all changed color by now but it’s still nice,” zie suggested.

    “You know, that does sound really nice,” Nelvana murmured, cuddling closer to her partner as well. “If we’re going to do that, we should get up now before we get too comfy,” she added.

    “Mm, you’re right,” Keahi agreed, but made no movement to get up zirself.

    They lingered there for a few more quiet moments, enjoying the silence of the house and just taking in each other’s presences. Keahi never liked being away from Nelvana for too long, so zie always wanted to soak up every moment zie had with her, and zie could tell that she felt the same. It was alright if they rested here for awhile, even took a nap. Keahi always believed Nelvana could use some more sleep, and they could take that walk in the evening or even the next day if they had to, there was no rush.

    At least, not until the door burst open, destroying the comfortable atmosphere to let in some disruption. It was Alex, who made his way straight over to the living room where the pair was relaxing together, forgetting to close the door behind himself.

    “Nel!” Alex called out, “Keahi!” he added as he noted that the torchic was there as well. “Are you two busy right now?” he asked.

    Nelvana sat up, “not really…? I just finished helping Keahi fix up their pronunciation for our names,” she told him, “what’s going on?”

    “I… Okay, you know how it’s weird that no one has evolved, even though we destroyed the meteor and the word’s balance has been fixed?” Alex began.

    “Er, yeah?” Keahi responded, blinking up at him.

    “Did you find out something about it?” Nelvana asked.

    “Yes, I think so! It isn’t just some weird coincidence or chance; I think there’s something still wrong,” Alex continued, “here, come with me, I’ll show you what made me finally realize this.”

    “Should we get the others?” Keahi asked, slowly standing up.

    “It’ll take too long to get all of them; we’ll just recap later. Come on,” Alex said, turning back to exit through the still open door.

    Hurrying to her feet, Nelvana quickly followed after her other partner, only pausing to make sure Keahi wasn’t far behind and that zie had actually closed the door behind zim.

    Alex hastily led them into Pokemon Square, where Lombre, Snubbull, and Bellsprout were already gathered around and chatting amongst themselves. They stopped and turned their attention over to the other trio as they arrived, Lombre immediately showing them a blue gem he was holding in one hand.

    “Took you long enough!” Lombre chastised.

    “Oh please, we came as fast as we could,” Alex hissed, “I didn’t even get to properly explain what’s going on to them, so how about you do it, if you’re in such a hurry?”

    “Fine! Look at what I have here! It’s a water stone,” Lombre responded, turning to Nelvana and Keahi to show off his item. “It’s supposed to be able to evolve me into a ludicolo; but here I stand unchanged!”

    “Is it fake?” Nelvana questioned, peering closely at the strange rock.

    “Of course not!” Lombre snapped, but then calmed himself. “I mean, that’s what I thought too, but I just got this from the kecleons. They would never sell false wares!”

    “They’d probably be furious if they heard we had even suggested such a thing,” Bellsprout added.

    “Yeah, looks pretty real to me,” Keahi murmured, “may I hold it for a moment?”

    “Go ahead,” Lombre huffed, passing the water stone over to the torchic, who carefully held it on zir wings.

    It was a heavy, light blue crystal that practically looked like it was just solid water. Bubbles were hidden under the tough surface, giving it the appearance of there being water with air bubbles trapped inside. As Keahi held it, it felt cool and mildly damp, and even after holding it for a few moments, it remained feeling the same way.

    “Feels real too,” Keahi commented, lifting zir wings up and down to test its weight.

    Alex nodded, “that’s the thing; there’s no reason it shouldn’t be evolving him, unless…”

    “…unless evolution still isn’t possible,” Nelvana quietly finished, “but why not…?”

    “That’s the question, and what we’re going to have to find out,” Alex sighed, “the world’s balance should’ve fixed itself by now; it’s been nearly a month now. There must be something going on.”

    “So, can you fix it then?” Snubbull asked impatiently, and Lombre nodded in agreement.

    “Not right now, but we’ll definitely get to work on it,” Alex told them, “thanks for bringing it to our attention.”

    “May I hold it?” Nelvana softly as Keahi, “I want to look at it a bit closer.”

    “Sure!” Keahi replied, passing the object over.

    Nelvana gingerly accepted the water stone, flipping it over in her hands as she examined it closely. Then suddenly, her breath hitched, and she stopped moving altogether. It wasn’t as if she was frozen in place, the movement of her chest from her breathing was still visible, but she didn’t seem to move much otherwise, as if she had zoned out of what was happening completely.

    Keahi paused, concern flitting over zir expression as zie noticed this chance, “Nel? Is something wrong?”

    Previously still distracted in discussing the situation with the other trio, Alex turned his attention back to his friend’s at hearing the worry in Keahi’s voice. He stiffened and his eyes widened at the sight, but otherwise did his best to remain calm. Crouching down beside his partner so that he was at eye level with her, Alex observed that there was a white ring that swirled around each of Nelvana’s pupils.

    “Alex?” Keahi’s voice broke. “Is she okay?”

    “…I’ve seen it before, she’s fine, nothing to worry about,” Alex responded.

    He stood back up again and wrapped one of his arms around his partner, pulling her to his side. Nelvana offered no resistance to this movement and practically slumped against the grovyle, though, she did not fall completely limp and continued to mostly support herself despite this. Otherwise, she still didn’t say anything.

    Lombre eyed the situation hesitantly, “look man, are you sure-“

    “Human thing,” Alex blurted out instead, stopping any further argument.

    An awkward silence followed after that, Lombre and his friends unable to leave yet with Nelvana still holding onto the water stone, but there not being much more to say than what had already been said. Keahi shifted anxiously from one foot to the next, trying not to seem too stressed and just trusting Alex’s judgement on what was going on with their friend.

    Finally, Nelvana stirred again. She took in a sharp breath, pulling herself up from where she was leaning on the grovyle. Alex peeked over at her widened eyes, which were now back to being their normal blues. He kept his arm around her though, and she slowly leaned back towards him again, breathing shakily.

    “I’m alright,” Nelvana said, picking up on the stares that she was getting. “Sorry, here, you can have your water stone back,” she continued, swallowing another breath and handing the item back over to Lombre, who gingerly accepted it.

    “You sure?” Snubbull asked, “that was really weird, you sorta zoned out for awhile there.”

    “Yeah, yeah… sorry if I scared you,” Nelvana murmured, still somewhat sounding out of it, and her eyes looked past the trio and over the land around them all instead. “…how long was I out?”

    “Just a minute or so,” Alex assured her, “probably felt longer to us, no worries,” he added, softly moving his hand to make circling motions on Nelvana’s back to hopefully soothe her. “Anyway, we’ll look into the evolution thing, I’m afraid you’ll have to hold on until then,” he told everyone else.

    “Alright… Thank you for your time,” Bellsprout replied, ushering his friends away back towards the eastern end of town instead, likely to discuss this over themselves as they usually did.

    The remaining trio held themselves together until the other group was out of sight. Once they were gone, however, Keahi immediately turned to question what had happened and possibly comfort zir partner, but Nelvana had already let out a strained whine and slunk down onto the ground, sitting down there and putting her head in her hands.

    “Nel?” Keahi crouched down beside Nelvana worriedly, brushing feathers against fur. “Are you actually okay? We can go back home if you need to,” zie offered.

      “No, no, no…” Nelvana muttered quietly in repetition, shaking her head slightly and making Keahi realize that this wasn’t really in response to what zie had said.

    “Nel? Nel, please, look at me,” Keahi pleaded, and after a moment, Nelvana complied. “What… What just happened? Are you okay to talk about it?”

    Nelvana opened her mouth, but at first all that she seemed to manage was a small gurgling noise. She swallowed again, finding herself with teary eyes and a dry throat, but tried again.

    “I… Alex, please?” she briefly requested instead, looking to her other partner to explain while she composed herself.

    Alex sighed and nodded, “it’s an… ability she has called the dimensional scream. It’s a human exclusive ability, and incredibly rare, like a hidden ability. She’s the only one I’ve met who has it; though, Ceebee has said that there have been others before.”

    “What does it do?” Keahi asked, turning zir gaze up to the grovyle but shuffling closer to the cubone and offering her zir warmth.

    “It gives her visions of the past or future to help her current situation sometimes after touching items relating to that situation,” Alex told zim, “however, it only works under two conditions. She has to be around a trusted pokemon partner, and…” He swallowed, the real danger of what this meant sinking in. “…and if time is out of balance.”

    “Time out of balance?” Keahi repeated, “but… what does that mean for us? Time should be okay, right?”

    “Apparently not,” Nelvana whimpered, slowly lifting her head again. “I thought I had lost this when turning into a pokemon, but it’s back! And this means there’s something wrong here now! There’s… There’s something still wrong with the world’s balance.”

    Keahi paused, “okay… let’s just take this one step at a time,” zie decided, “we’ll have to check in with Ceebee and Tsuki about this; maybe they already know something and didn’t want to worry us, hoping it would pass over. If the dimensional scream has only activated now, it probably is a sign that we will have to do something… but we don’t know what that is yet, so we should start with that without getting too overwhelmed, okay?”

    “Yeah, yeah, okay… that sounds good,” Nelvana murmured tiredly, leaning back against Keahi again. “Thank you. For… just keeping things a bit calmer. Here. So, we, uh, don’t stress over everything as much,” she told zim.

    Keahi nuzzled zir partner, “no problem! And hey, it’ll be alright. We handled this once, and we can figure things out again, right?”

    “Right…” Alex responded, turning back to the other two after having stared out in the distance for a few moments. “I feel I should ask though, what did the dimension scream show you?” he asked Nelvana.

    Nelvana gulped, but nodded, and spoke up again, “it… back by Whiscash Pond, behind the waterfall, there’s a cave. There’s something important in there, but it didn’t show me any more than that,” she told him quietly.

    “A cave behind the waterfall?” Keahi repeated in disbelief, “wouldn’t Whiscash have mentioned something like that if there was one?” zie questioned, thought zir expression softened after gauging Nelvana’s.

    Alex shrugged, “could not have been accessed in a long time. People forget those sorts of things all the time,” he said, “but if you were shown it, it must be important. We should go check it out. If you want, Keahi, we can ask Whiscash about it too.”

    The other two seemed to agree to Alex’s suggestion, and pulled themselves up from off the ground. Glancing around, Nelvana allowed herself to relax more seeing that no one else from around Pokemon Square had really been paying attention to all that. The Kecleon Shop was the closest stand to where they were, and the two brothers appeared engaged in some sort of business conversation. It granted her, and evidently Alex as well by how he scanned the area as well, some relief to see that no one probably overheard that conversation.

    Together, the three of them wandered up north to visit the Whiscash Pond. It was oddly quiet, with none of the usual town kids playing about at the moment. The only sound that broke through the quiet air was the sound of the small waterfall by the pond as the water flowed down into the pool. Whiscash himself was floating in the pool, though currently his light snoring made it clear he was taking a nice nap. As they approached, however, he stirred to consciousness and smiled at the trio.

    “Ahh… hello there!” Whiscash hummed drowsily, blinking away the sleep from his eyes. “How are you all doing?” he asked politely, yawning briefly afterwards.

    “We’re… doing alright,” Keahi responded, glancing at zir friends for a moment. “We wanted to ask you something though. Do you know about any cave behind your waterfall here?”

    Whiscash let out a long hum as he thought over the question. He went silent and closed his eyes for a few moments, and just when one of them was about to check if he had just fallen asleep again, the older pokemon blinked awake on his own and continued.

    “I don’t believe so! I’ve been living in this very pond since I was a wee little barboach, and I can’t seem to recall any waterfall cave,” he finally answered, “ohohoho, though, I must admit, my memory seems to get a little worse every year! And my eyesight too; can still see the nice flowers Butterfree planted from here though!”

    The flowers he was speaking of were a small garden a few feet away from the pond. It wasn’t anything spectacular, in fact some of them seemed a bit wilted with the cooler air coming in from autumn, but it was still a nice garden.

    “Right… that’s nice,” Alex murmured, turning back to face Whiscash after having his gaze drawn to the plants. “Look, would you mind if we look around a bit, just in case? We think there might be something important out here.”

    “Ohohoho! You’re very welcome to, though I’m not sure you’ll find much! There isn’t any buried treasure at the bottom of this little pond; Caterpie and his friends already checked for that,” Whiscash chuckled.

    “Thanks, Whiscash,” Keahi replied, offering him a smile.

    “No problem, kids! If you need me, I’ll be right here,” Whiscash hummed, already closing his eyes again and dozing off in the warm sunlight.

    “Well, that was a load of help,” Alex snickered as he stepped out onto the stones that lead out into the center of the pond. “Anyway, there’s no way to really get close to the waterfall from here, hm…”

    “Do you think we could jump through from here? I doubt we could swim in, the water at the bottom of the falls looks a bit too strong,” Nelvana commented, strolling up next to Alex and looking around the pond.

    “You’re going to try jumping through a waterfall?” Keahi asked, hurrying after the others with a worried glance. “I’m not sure if that will work like you expect,” zie added, frowning slightly.

    “We’ll be careful,” Alex assured zim with all the confidence of someone who did not plan on being careful. “I’ll go first; don’t have to worry about type disadvantage that way, even though I know Nel’s a good swimmer.”

    Keahi gulped, a strained expression taking on zir face, though zie didn’t object. Zie wanted to trust in what Nelvana had seen, and while zie didn’t admit it aloud, Alex would be the best out of the three of them to test this out.

    “Go ahead,” Nelvana told him, stepping aside to make more room for the grovyle.

    “Alright, cool,” Alex smirked and gave her a salute. “I’ll call out to you guys if I see anything in there,” he told them, not even seeming to consider the possibility that there wasn’t even a cave at all.

    Not taking the time to allow any possible objections, Alex took a few steps back on the stones to give himself the space for a running head start to his jump. Taking a few moments to ready and position himself to where the likeliest spot a cave could be hiding behind the waterfall, he sprinted off. He leapt off at the very end of the last rock, diving towards the waterfall.

    Instead of just hitting rock and then falling into the pool of water, like most would expect if they had just wandered over to watch this, he disappeared behind the rushing water. There was no grovyle-sized splash into the pond, no yelp of pain. In fact, at first, there were no noises from him at all, until they could hear faint yelling from beyond the water. It was challenging to make out what he was saying, but it didn’t particularly matter, what did matter was that he had made it.

    “Alright! Good job! We’re coming!” Nelvana called back, hoping her voice would make it clearer to the other side than his had for them.

    Whiscash was roused awake from all this noise, but Nelvana simply nodded enthusiastically to him again and he nodded off once more.

    “We’re going after him?” Keahi asked, glancing from the waterfall and back to her partner. “We’re weak to water,” zie pointed out.

    Nelvana blinked, “yeah, this isn’t an attack though. We should be alright. Don’t you want to see what’s back there?” she responded.

    “I… I do like discovering new things, but I think we should leave this one to Alex and wait here,” Keahi told her, “it might not be safe for us.”

    “I want to try, at least. I don’t want to force you to jump too if that makes me uncomfortable, but I want to try going. At the very least, Alex is probably expecting us, and I don’t want him to have to wait there wondering where we are,” Nelvana explained.

    “What if the water is too strong and you don’t make it?” Keahi blurted out, “you aren’t as fast as Alex, what if you don’t come in strong enough and-“

    “Hey, it’s alright,” Nelvana assured zim, crouching down closer to the distressed torchic. “I’m not going to drown in the pond. I can swim, and I’ve taken bigger hits than that. If I were to somehow be knocked out by the water, Whiscash can help me out.”

    “I… I know, I just… I can’t help but be scared,” Keahi murmured, “I’ve had family be hurt by water before. I don’t want that to happen here,” zie said quietly.

    “It won’t happen; I promise,” Nelvana replied, “it’s going to be alright. I’ll hop over and be back in a jiffy.”

    “You shouldn’t jump alone though! I’ll go with you!” Keahi insisted, stiffly standing up straighter, and puffing out zir chest, though zir legs shook.

    “…do you really want to go? You shouldn’t have to if it makes you uncomfortable,” Nelvana said, reaching out to carefully hold one of Keahi’s wings in her hand.

    “N-No, I don’t, but…” Keahi gulped, “I’m scared I won’t make the jump,” zie admitted, “but I don’t want to be left behind! And I don’t want you to have to risk the jump alone!”

    Their conversation was momentarily interrupted by more muffled yelling from behind the waterfall from Alex. Clearly, he was going to start getting impatient.

    “I can carry you,” Nelvana suddenly suggested, “we could both make it, together.”

    “Are… Are you sure? Wouldn’t that just make it harder to get through?” Keahi questioned nervously.

    “Maybe, but maybe if I get enough speed it will just give us more momentum to get to the other side,” Nelvana responded, “I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

    Keahi swallowed, looked out to the water, over to Whiscash, who was still dozing, and then finally back to Nelvana, “okay, I trust you. Let’s do this,” zie told her.

    Nelvana smiled, “got it, don’t worry about a thing.”

    Carefully, Nelvana wrapped her arms around Keahi and picked zim up. This wasn’t the first time she had held the torchic, though this would certainly be the first time she would really have to be so careful and keep a tight grip. She held Keahi on her chest, having chest touch chest, so zir head was over Nelvana’s shoulder and facing behind them rather than where they were going.

    Like Alex when he was preparing to make the jump, Nelvana took a few steps back to give herself some space for a running head start. She stepped further back than he did though, knowing she would need to give herself some more room. Keahi had had a point, carrying zim may slow her pace a bit, but she was confident not to mess this up for the both of them.

    Taking in a deep breath to dispel any anxious doubts, she took off for the end of the rocks. Worried about going too far, she jumped earlier than Alex had, but this didn’t seem to make much of the difference. Before either of them could really think about being in the air over Whiscash Pond, they hit the waterfall and continued right through it, washing the both of them over in water.

    Instinctively aware that she wasn’t going to be able to make a clean landing on her feet, Nelvana tucked her head in and held Keahi closer, readying herself for a roll. Despite flying purely by instinct, her body directed her into a perfect roll over the stone floor of the cave and she stopped in a crouch, still holding her partner close to her.

    Alex, who had been leaning against one of the walls and impatiently staring at the rushing water, turned to the pair with an excited gaze and a smirk.

    “Hey, you made it! I was starting to get worried there that you weren’t coming at all,” he greeted.

    Keahi gasped and began nervously laughing, slowly pulling zir head away from Nelvana and looked around to see zir new surroundings, “heh… yeah! Yeah, we made it!” zie exclaimed.

    Nelvana uncurled herself, carefully letting Keahi out of her grasp and shaking the cold water off her fur. Keahi shook out zir feathers as well, but between the natural warmth of a fire-type and the fact that Nelvana had protected zim from most of the water anyway, zie was already mostly dry. Nelvana smiled back at zim, looking around at where they were as well.

    “Yeah, I promised we would, didn’t I?” Nelvana hummed, patting her partner on the head. “What was that you said about not getting overwhelmed?” she added teasingly.

    Keahi laughed, batting zir partner’s hand away with a wing, “oh, lay off, you!” zie hissed playfully, “honestly though, thanks for that. I don’t know if I could have done that without you.”

    “Hate to break up this nice bonding moment, but how ‘bout we actually explore this place?” Alex interrupted, gesturing towards where a hall deeper into the cavern.

    “Oh, yeah, of course!” Nelvana responded, standing up and brushing herself off, Keahi following suit.

    “Nice roll, by the way,” Alex commented, taking the lead and beginning to walk down the path.

    They were led deeper into the cave, and then down some stairs. Worry spiked the trio momentarily as they wondered if they had walked into a dungeon without realizing, but the stairs lead them down to another pathway which evidently only lead to a single room.

    “Wow, I would have had no idea that there was so much back here!” Keahi exclaimed, looking around the stone walls in awe. “Do you think someone lived here once?” zie asked.

    “Don’t think so… Check this out!” Alex gasped, bounding ahead.

    The room that bad been up ahead was what had lured Alex’s attention. It was a small space, having no other pathways leading out from it. In fact, the only thing in the room were many large crystals emitting a dull, almost rainbow looking glow. A small patch of grass surrounded the crystals; however, it was long dried up and dead, no color left in the leaves.

    Alex carefully approached the crystals, eyeing them closely with every step to make sure he didn’t possibly mess this up. These were unfamiliar to him and Nelvana, though after a moment, Keahi’s eyes lit up as it clicked in zir mind with what exactly these crystals actually were.

    “That’s an evolution crystal! A clear one too!” Keahi told them excitedly, “I had no idea there was one of these out in Pokemon Square! Wonder why no one talks about it?”

    “Everyone probably forgot it was here…” Alex muttered, now standing a mere foot away from the evolution crystal. “Refresh my memory, what makes this clear one special?” he asked Keahi, not turning his gaze back to zim.

    “Clear ones can make any pokemon evolve, no matter the type! They’re really rare too, so that’s why it’s so special!” Keahi explained, “usually they’re colored based on typing, like the gummi colors actually, and can only evolve pokemon with that as their primary type,” zie added.

    “Didn’t you say there’s a fire one of these out by Scorched Plains?” Nelvana commented, slowly walking up to where Alex was as well.

    Keahi nodded, “yeah, but it hasn’t been working in a long time… looks like this one isn’t working either; it’s so dull,” zie murmured.

    “It is still glowing…” Alex mumbled, hesitantly reaching out a hand to touch it, but stopping himself and pulling it back. “Should we try touching it, or leave it alone?”

    “Well, if we want to be sure if it works or not, it wouldn’t hurt to touch it,” Keahi answered, “none of these have ever hurt anyone before; even when broken.”

    Alex still appeared reluctant, so Keahi gingerly reached out with a wing instead. When zie touched the evolution crystal, nothing happened. A bit of the glow almost seemed to move closer to where it was touched, but otherwise the item didn’t appear to react, and neither did Keahi. Zie removed zir wing again, ruffling zir feathers and turning back to look at zir friends.

    “Don’t work,” zie sighed.

    “That does confirm something though; evolution still isn’t working. This isn’t just about Lombre’s water stone being a bad one in the bunch; no one is able to evolve,” Alex muttered, “this, along with Nelvana’s dimensional scream that led us here to begin with, just adds more to confirm that something is still wrong with the world’s balance that we need to look into to fix.”

    Keahi nodded, “we should call a meeting with the others to discuss this. I still think Ceebee and Tsuki would be the best to figure out the basics of what’s going on first, and then we can work from there.”

    “Sounds like a plan,” Nelvana murmured, “let’s gather the others then.”

First [ARC 1]: In which the human is transformed First [ARC 2]: In which a present is prepared Next: In which partners reconcile Previous: In which bad deeds are fixed

[murasaki-murasame]

Thoughts on Sarazanmai Episode 7: “I Want To Connect, But I Want To Betray”

I was getting a little suspicious of how seemingly perfect things seemed to be with our main trio for most of this episode, but then the final scene happened and oh boy do I love dying and being dead :)

I feel like a bit of a broken record by saying this at this point, but this episode was So Much, all at once.

Anyway, thoughts under the cut.

Oh boy, where do I even start with this one. My precious traumatized gay cop dads Reo and Mabu, or my Disaster Gay son Enta? Ikuhara’s really spoiling me with all these options for emotional pain :))))

There’s definitely at least a few people watching the show who really hate Enta, and I guess this episode probably isn’t gonna change their minds, lol. I had a feeling something like this was gonna happen, though, since it seemed obvious to me that his whole character arc hadn’t been resolved yet. I could tell that his feelings for Kazuki would end up becoming an even bigger deal later. I didn’t expect it to happen right at the start of the anime’s second half, though.

I definitely wasn’t expecting it to play out with Enta messing up his own beloved practice spot and stealing Keppi’s dishes to try and sabotage Toi’s place as their new friend. I guess it was all a bit too perfect to be true.

In a lot of ways, I think this was a really necessary bit of conflict to bring up and put in the forefront, so I’m glad it’s happening. The idea of Kazuki trying to bring Toi into his and Enta’s friend group now that he’s in a better emotional place, and Enta internally freaking out and deciding to sabotage it all to keep Kazuki to himself, was a bit of an inevitability after the last episode, in hindsight. It’s really tragic that, as a direct consequence of Kazuki and Toi getting closer and happier as individuals, Enta’s repressed issues with obsession and jealousy are getting set off. It was pretty obvious after the first few episodes that Enta was going to get more and more jealous of Toi for getting close to Kazuki, and now it’s all coming to a head.

I only just thought of it now, but I guess it makes sense that this week’s kappa zombie was angrily jealous of balls because he wanted to be the one getting kicked. Enta wants to be the only object of Kazuki’s affection and attention, no matter what he has to do to get it, even if he ends up getting strung along and indirectly hurt by Kazuki in the process.

Also this week’s kappa zombie had a soccer ball for a head, was wearing a ball gag, and fantasized about getting kicked in the balls, so I’m just gonna leave that whole pile of puns on the table for us to appreciate.

Anyway, I feel bad for everyone in the main trio at this point, and it’s hard to imagine this ending with none of them being hurt. It’s really becoming apparent now that their desires are in conflict, and that they need to work through their shit before they can actually all be mutual friends.

In particular I feel really bad for Toi now, since he seemed genuinely happy about being able to become real friends and play soccer with Kazuki and Enta [I see you laying out hints for Toi having known the two of them through soccer as children, Ikuhara, don’t think I can’t see you being sneaky], and then he had to deal with the stress of finding out that his brother got betrayed and might end up having to go on the run, which would force Toi to commit to immersing himself into a solitary life of crime for good. And then even after Kazuki brings up the idea of using the dishes of hope to fix what’s going on with Toi’s brother so they don’t have to go into hiding, we find out that Enta stole the dishes.

At the very least, the fact that Enta stole them in the first place probably means it won’t be hard to get them back from him. But I have a feeling that Enta still might not want them to use the dishes for Toi’s sake. Considering that this episode cuts off right at the end of Enta’s secret-leaking sequence, I think there’s gonna be a lot of subsequent conflict between them about it in the next episode.

I think that sooner or later the fact that Enta has a possessive crush on Kazuki is going to have to come out and get addressed by all of them, and this seems like it’s probably the best time to get that out the way once and for all. I wouldn’t be surprised if Toi ends up being the one to really force everyone to acknowledge it, since Kazuki and Enta would probably just fall back into this pattern of willful ignorance and silence if nobody else forces the issue.

At this point I don’t exactly expect Kazuki to return Enta’s feelings, but I think that Enta needs SOME sort of closure so that he can move on with his life and let both him and Kazuki make new friends.

I’d been thinking for a while that both Enta and Toi still need to have their own character arcs resolved, especially now that Kazuki’s has basically been resolved, and surprisingly enough it looks like both of their arcs might get focused on at more or less the same time now, considering that there’s pressing issues going on with both of their lives, and their desired individuals. If it means that things with both of them might more or less get wrapped up soon, that’d probably be good for the sake of narrative speed, since we only have four episodes left.

I still feel a bit suspicious about how Kazuki’s whole peppy attitude and willingness to connect with everyone feels a bit TOO perfect to be happening just halfway into the show, but there’s not really even that much time left for there to be too much more to happen with his character. But we’ll see.

In general this episode is really making me curious about how exactly the pacing of the last four episodes will go, and what stuff will get focused on in them. But before I get into Reo and Mabu and all of their emotional pain and Otter Empire worldbuilding, I wanna just comment on the complete out of left field reveal that Sara and Keppi are apparently a couple and they’ve just casually reunited off-screen.

I know that Sara’s TV show was subtly setting up this background plot of her ‘looking for her prince’, but I wasn’t expecting it to come up and apparently get resolved so quickly, lol. I’m somehow even more confused about what Sara’s whole deal is, and where her character is going. To begin with, I still REALLY hope the anime delves into her history with Reo and Mabu, since that still seems way too important not to bring up.

Ikuhara’s always bad a bit of a fascination with the concept of ‘princes’, which as far as I can tell is something he’s revisited time and time again [although other than Sarazanmai I’ve still only watched Utena], so it’s kinda interesting in a lot of ways to see how he’s handling Keppi as this silly, comedic little dude who just randomly reunites with his beloved princess off-screen. It actually reminds me a bit of stuff from the Utena movie.

Anyway, I guess I can’t skirt around the elephant in the room, or should I say the otter in the room, any longer. Reo and Mabu fucked me up this episode, not gonna lie. I just want them to be happy in the end.

I honestly wasn’t expecting their scenes in this episode to be so . . . blunt and straightforward in the worldbuilding they delved into. It’s still confusing in it’s own way, but now we know that the Otter Empire weren’t able to properly heal Mabu’s injuries, and had to give him a mechanical heart to keep him alive, which has clearly stunted his emotions. At this point their whole story together is reminding me of real-world cases where a relationship starts fracturing at the seams when one person gets into an accident that ends up changing their personality, and that sudden shift causes all sorts of complicated feelings for the both of them. Which, ironically enough, I have a bit of indirect personal history with, since my father ended up breaking up with his girlfriend after she got into a cycling accident that gave her mild brain damage.

Though it also really comes across like Mabu is on magical metaphorical life support, and Reo is living with this constant awareness that Mabu is suffering in this state of half-life that he can choose to end if he wants to. But of course, it’s clear that Reo is violently opposed to the idea of killing Mabu, no matter what he says about refusing to accept the way he is now. I hope that one way or another they can get a happy ending together, even if they can’t return to exactly how they used to be.

This episode also seems to pretty blatantly confirm my suspicions that Mabu’s maintenance is at least metaphorically sexual in nature, if not literally. It also looks like he specifically gets his maintenance from someone in the Otter Empire, which is interesting, but I guess it makes sense. It also looked like he was being taught how to make food again, which makes it seem like he’s being slowly taught how to live a normal life again, which has it’s own real-world medical parallels.

I’m also wondering now if this is actually still Mabu with just his brain and emotions affected by his injuries, or if he’s more like a manufactured AI implanted into Mabu’s body that’s being trained how to mimic him. Either could be true, I guess. Mabu’s line about ‘wanting to be the one that’s desired’ was really sad, though, and it makes me think that one way or another he genuinely wants to be the version of himself that Reo loves, even if that might be impossible now.

It’s also still kinda unclear to me whether or not Reo and Mabu are actually meant to be otters, or if they’re humans working for the Otter Empire, or what. They definitely seem to be working for them, but every time we see anyone else from the Empire, they’re very obviously a different type of creature to Reo and Mabu, who just look like regular people.

We also found out right at the end that they’ve apparently locked up Keppi’s dark desire in the water tank thing that they dump people’s corpses into in order to create kappa zombies, which is certainly interesting. I’m not quite sure what to make of it yet, though.

On the whole topic of what these final four episodes will focus on, I still wonder when and how Reo and Mabu will come into direct contact with the main trio, since thus far they’ve been kinda going down parallel lines in the story without ever directly crossing paths. But obviously they’re gonna have to clash at some point before this is all over. With how this episode went, it’s possible that the series will focus on wrapping things up with Enta and Toi before the big climactic confrontations, though. Plus there’s the whole detail of if/when we’ll dive into Reo and Mabu’s history with Sara.

At the very least, it’s spelled out even more clearly here that Reo’s main motive seems to be getting the dishes in order to save Mabu. Which I could actually see quickly leading to a big conflict between him and the main trio, considering that most of this episode lead up to the whole plot point of Kazuki deciding that he wants to use the dishes to save Toi’s brother. So it seems like that whole conflict of motives might be where the two teams finally clash. I said before that the whole thing with Enta stealing the dishes could easily get fixed if he just gives them back, but I think it’s very likely that Reo might swoop in and steal them for himself, which would lead to a situation where both teams need to steal the dishes the other has in order to make a full set so they can make their wish. I think that the main trio should have one from the kappa zombie they just defeated, and if Reo steals the ones that Enta took, he’d have four, so they’d both need what the other has to get a complete set of five.

I’d been wondering whether or not this first gold plate they’re working toward would be the big climax of the story, or if there’d be time for them to get a second gold plate afterward, but at this point I think it’ll definitely just come down to this one wish.

On the one hand, I know I’ve said before that I think Reo deserves it most because his issue isn’t something he can solve otherwise, but at this point I think it’s possible for him to just accept Mabu’s situation and love him for who he currently is, and on the other hand, the situation with Toi’s brother is probably too big for the main trio to solve without the help of a wish, so I’m shifting over toward thinking that Toi deserves it more. But of course that leads back to the issue of Enta clearly not wanting that to be how this ends, lol.

There is just A Lot going on at this point in terms of conflicts and motives and what everyone wants and how everything will turn out, and the main two groups of characters haven’t even directly come into contact with each other yet!

Even though we just have four episodes left, if we’re already moving into the big endgame conflicts now that there’s five silver dishes in play and two major wishes that want to be granted, I think that’s enough time to make it all work out nicely, in terms of pacing.

[karma-was-taken]

MY THOUGHTS ON ENDGAME

 (mostly focused on Steve and Tony) (95% of this post is pure rambling)

THE GOOD THINGS: • Tony and Nebula…….. just,,,,,,, their entire dynamic. Tony offering her food and her gently nudging it towards him. Them working together. Her being so soft and caring when he fell asleep. Just. So soft……. So pure…… when she helped him down the ramp I was already In Love. • Steve CATCHING TONY WHEN HE STEPPED DOWN FROM THE JET!!!! Tony saying in that absolutely broken voice “I lost the kid, I lost the kid” i----- HELLO?????? Literally the best stevetony scene to date I cannot believe that ENDGAME SAID SUPERFAMILY RIGHTS and also my heart was bursting holy fuck • Still can’t get over how fucking good tony’s monologue/speech with the other avengers was. The catharsis. The satisfaction. “Where were you when i needed you?”, the distaste in his voice when he says “we’re the avengers! We avenge, we don’t prevent” and then the “we’ll lose together. You said we’d do that together too, liar!”. Amazing. Powerful. One of the best moments in this movie and in the entire mcu. Rhodey having to physically hold him back. Tony tearing the reactor off his chest. Him pushing everyone away as he collapses. Everything was so painful and yet so healing oh my god- • EVERYTHING ABOUT MY BOYS 5 YEARS LATER!!!!! The parallel between Steve and sam at the support group. Steve still trying to help others through their trauma despite being unable to do the same for himself. Powerful and heartbreaking, especially in his scene with nat. I didn’t love the “this is my family” thing because it was a tad out of the blue but I still enjoyed nat’s character and her relationship with Steve. • TONY AND HIS FAMILY I CAN’T EVEN EXPLAIN HOW MUCH I LOVED THAT. Tony finally getting a quiet life with his wife and kid. Literally everything he deserved and more. TONY WAS SO SOFT WITH MORGAN. THE PHYSICAL AFFECTION. THE CARE. I LOVE YOU 3000. Like holy fuck,,,,,,,, you cannot tell me that tony isn’t the best dad in the whole universe. • Tony’s bitterness when the avengers came to his house. The jarring difference between how warm and open he was with morgan vs the cold sarcasm he gave the avengers. Steve’s evident pain at seeing tony living the life he never got to have. • Tony telling Steve he had a family he couldn’t sacrifice like,,,,,, I fucking teared up. Tony was so emotional, so desperate to keep what he had fought for his entire life. AND YET!!!! He still couldn’t live with himself without trying to save the world. This is why I loved his conversation with pepper. The clear subtext that connected this to her leaving him when he couldn’t quit being iron man. the development for both of them,,,,,,, she went from “it’s either me or ironman” to “will you be able to rest?”, tony asking her permission but really telling her that if he went for it he would have to sacrifice their life and leave them behind. It was so powerful and so well executed. • The photograph. Yes, that one. That’s all. • THAT STEVETONY SCENE WHERE TONY BRINGS THE SHIELD I--!!!!! WAS LITERALLY SCHREECHING. It felt like an acceptable reunion after the events of CA:CW but tbh I would have loved a “you gave me a home” moment for our boys. BUT STILL VVV GOOD • Tony and bruce teaming up and literally creating a time machine we stan two science bros (plus scott bless his soul) • the throwbacks to the old movies were incredible. It felt like a behind the scenes feature AND a fanfiction all at once. The 2012 one especially Fucked me UP!!! The elevator scene,,,,, Steve’s “hail hydra” being a fucking smartass wink to the audience. Steve vs Steve!!!! Tony telling Scott to disconnect the reactor!!!!! America’s ass. Tony finally being a thot on main for Steve rogers. • I----- didn’t love the 70s time jump. I disliked how howard got redeemed for what he did to tony. Not something that I wanted for either of them. The Steve/peggy scene was so painful and yet powerful, specially because Steve left her behind once again (………. More on this later) • TONY BUILDING A FUCKING INFINITY GAUNTLET HELL YEAH BITCH • I didn’t have many feelings about the whole nebula thing but the reactions of the characters there felt rushed (gamora immediately trusting the new nebula. Past nebula being killed and this somehow didn’t affect the “rule of time travel” or whatever the fuck,,,? Sure jan). loved her dynamic with rhodey and quill. Super fun. • The big three facing thanos was everything I’ve ever wanted from this movie and I’m so glad it was SO FUCKING GOOD!!!! • STEVE LIFTING MIJOLNIR!!!! HE FUCKING USED THOR’S LIGHTNING AND!!!! I LOVE HIM HE DESERVES THIS AND MORE!!! • RESCUE MADE ME CUM!!! That scene where they’re back to back?????? Orgasmic. • Just. That entire fight scene was. So good. Perfect. I wouldn’t have changed a single thing. Absolutely incredible. The subtext was everywhere and it was so powerful. The Steve/t’challa nod,,,,, the clear throwback to iw,,,,,,,,,, amazing. • Listen y’all when strange lifted that finger my heart stopped. I Knew what was going to happen immediately. The sheer relief/terror I felt when I saw that fucking finger is indescribable. • Literally the most powerful and iconic line I’ve ever heard: “I am inevitable.” “I am ironman”. I was bawling at this point. • The entire funeral scene. “proof that tony stark has a heart”. Happy and morgan interacting. “I want a cheeseburger”. Sam getting the shield. Tony’s message at the end. I was crying for the entire thing. Literally the most cathartic thing I’ve ever experienced.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: • Literally my pettiest beef with this movie: carol danvers. Her screentime was a joke. Literally “oh hello carol” *carol fucks off to god knows where for the entire movie* “oh hey carol nice to see u again just in time for the final fight huh”…….. absolutely disgraceful. She should have been part of the planning. Where’s the team dynamic. Where’s the character building. Literally the only good thing about this was her haircut I’m so upset at how fucking badly she was treated in this movie. • thor and bruce were …….. no. it felt like a bad comedy. What the fuck was this character building I have no idea but I’m so sorry for thor and hulk fans because they were done so dirty I’m actually speechless. Bruce’s actions made no sense (he’s just,,,,,, chilling with his fans while the avengers struggle???? Hello????? Where’s his,,,,,, *barf* “relationship” with nat????) and thor was……. His struggle and clear ptsd were just treated like a joke. They literally put him in a fat suit I was speechless. Disgraceful. • They both deserved better. • I’m a bit meh re: natasha’s death. Like,,,,,,, I get it but also Why • RHODEY DESERVED MORE!!!! I WANTED A RHODEYTONY HUG AND I DIDN’T FUCKING GET IT. NO CAROLRHODEY EITHER HELLO?????? I’M BEING DENIED MY RIGHTS. • And now……. The Big Yike: Steve. The mcu has never treated Steve’s character like he deserved. What I wanted for him was the chance to have a new life, in the present, with his family. His entire character arc seemed to go towards it (e.g. his dialogue with tony when tony was leaving the avengers???) and yet. We got fucking robbed. I wouldn’t have minded Steve going back to have that goddamn dance with peggy, hell, they both fucking deserved it. But leaving for good? Not coming back? Hell no. he gave up his friends. He gave up Bucky (stucky shippers I am so sorry Bucky also deserved better) just for the chance at having a relationship with peggy. What I wanted for Steve rogers was the possibility to make peace with what he’s lost in the past so he can live in the present and fight for the people of the future. Instead all we got was this,,,,,,,, weird character regression where he just. Gave up??? No. I hated that.

THE BIG DEATH: A lot of people were unhappy with tony’s death but honestly? It’s exactly what I wanted for him. He had the best possible ending: dying to save the entire universe with his sacrifice, using the infinity gauntlet he built himself. The mcu and the avengers started and ended with tony stark. This was his final redeeming act: he made the sacrifice play once again, this time once and for all. No one will be able to call him selfish anymore and he’ll be remembered forever (“i hope they remember you”) for dying like he lived: always trying to save the world. Sacrifice has always been the core of the im movies and this ending felt perfect for him. He got the 5 years of bliss with his family, and then he had to give it up to save the world. The final sacrifice.

I can’t elaborate more on why I hoped to see this ending because it’s literally midnight but long story short this movie was amazing, final score 10/10 despite the Steve thing, I left the theater literally crying tears of joy and felt high on happiness for the following 2 hours. This movie means a lot to me and I’m so glad I liked it as much as I did.

[stevenuniversallyreviews]

Episode 94: Greg the Babysitter

“We all gotta grow up sometime, right?”

Right off the bat, this episode’s greatest weakness is that we don’t see Baby Buck and the Baby Pizza Twins as we do in Lamar Abrams’s promo art. How dare we not have more baby teens?

Lack of infant variety notwithstanding, this is a great episode, if not a subtle one. Greg is no stranger to hammering out the lesson of a story, but here it’s made so explicit so often that it threatens to weaken the actual plot. Fortunately the plot does a good enough job of showing that it makes up for all the telling, but still, it’s so on the nose that Vidalia calls Greg out when he belatedly repeats the moral it in response to an unrelated statement. 

(But to be clear, this is a story about growing up. Growing up is what this episode about. Gaining maturity is valuable. Emotional development is important. Taking responsibility as you age: good. Staying a kid forever: bad!)

As with Annoying Steven early in the series, this lesson is achieved by presenting us with Douchebag Greg. Douchebag Greg slums around and mooches off a single working mother, depriving her of her own food and taunting her for working to feed her child. When tasked with babysitting, he does what he wants instead of focusing on what a baby might need, and when the kid goes missing, his search includes a pit stop to the arcade to play video games.

This is the second episode where Greg is awful for the bulk of the runtime, and the first, House Guest, was so bad that it earned my inaugural “No Thanks!” rating (a brutal assessment, I know). By that metric you might think I’d dislike Greg the Babysitter as well, because boy oh boy is Douchebag Greg unlikable. But the key difference is the level of intent: even looking past the age and maturity gap between these two Gregs, the Greg of House Guest chooses to lie to his son despite seeing how hard Steven takes it, while Douchebag Greg’s actions stem from sincere cluelessness. Neither is great, and younger Greg is still old enough to know better, but ignorance is far more digestible than purposeful shadiness from this character.

Both House Guest and Greg the Babysitter stay somewhat true to Regular Greg by making him driven by love, whether it’s paternal or romantic. The problem of House Guest is that this emotional core is tainted by him wronging Steven in a way we’ve never seen before or since (compare his feigning of an injury to his negligence in Maximum Capacity, where he instead makes a mistake and is immediately regretful). Nothing in Greg the Babysitter diminishes any sense of authenticity about Greg’s feelings for Rose, because for all his flaws, he doesn’t take advantage of Rose or their relationship.

Moreover, I appreciate that his flaws come from the same character traits that kicked off this relationship, which so far has dominated his flashbacks: Greg is a dreamer and a romantic, which works great in Story for Steven, and he takes the relationship seriously, so he matures on that front in We Need to Talk, but now we see that he’s so focused on Rose that he’s ignoring every other element of life as a functioning adult. 

This episode works because Greg is realistically irresponsible. His head has always been in the clouds, and now he’s in a relationship with someone that’s literally magic, so he has no incentive to reflect on himself barring a dire situation. But this episode excels because Greg’s decision to grow up has nothing to do with Steven. We get the groundwork for Rose wanting a kid, but Greg getting his act together is something he does for himself. It would’ve been so easy for this shift to be prompted by impending fatherhood, but it’s far more satisfying to see a character improve himself because he wants to, rather than out of obligation to others. It allows the moment he takes agency to be triumphant without being mixed up in a sense of begrudging acceptance of his duties.

Finally, while I still think it’s ridiculous that the Crystal Gems treat him like a total flake in Laser Light Cannon given his clear improvement since the Douchebag Greg days, it does make a little sense that beings unaccustomed to change would have a hard time getting past this first impression. If you go back and watch the second season of the series after Greg the Babysitter, it’s not hard to imagine which Greg they’re talking about. It’s a stretch, because they’ve seen plenty of evidence to contradict this impression, but if you’re looking to explain their behavior then it’s the best reason I’ve got.

Greg the Babysitter marks an unspoken milestone in the series: this is the last time we’ll ever see Rose Quartz before her web of duplicity begins to unravel. In just four episodes, we’ll learn that she bubbled Bismuth away and lied about it to everyone. In another three, we’ll hear that she shattered Pink Diamond. The veracity of that second part is irrelevant, because the truth only further proves her capacity for deceit. We’ve seen already that Rose wasn’t perfect, but this is her final appearance before the dominoes begin to fall. One last happy memory that directly leads to the creation of our show’s title character, in an episode that emphasizes how dreaming is nice, but reality will always force people to make a change.

We see way more of Rose in this swan song than we did in Story for Steven or We Need to Talk, and like Greg, her mistakes here can be attributed to cluelessness. She admits how confusing humans can be for her, particularly babies, so it’s hard to blame her for not taking good care of Sour Cream. It’s especially hard to blame her considering how excited she is for him to exhibit independence. And it’s impossible to blame her, at least for me, when she references one of my favorite dumb Simpsons jokes in regards to watching him.

The Pink Diamond revelation adds new layers to her explanation that Gems are made for specific purposes, but the funny thing is, it doesn’t add that many new layers: even before learning just how high up Rose was, we still knew she was rebelling against what she was made to do. I think the more interesting aspect of her speech is how it lines up with Bismuth’s repetition of her insistence that Gems could break away from their intended roles. Seeing Rose talk about it here, less than twenty years ago, is made fascinating by knowing she was saying the same thing thousands of years ago. For a Gem that’s interested in change, she hasn’t really changed that much. It’s one thing for her to know that and talk about it, but it’s another for us to see it in action.

I love how an episode that’s this unsubtle (about being a story about growing up, in case you didn’t catch it) manages to quietly explain why Steven exists. We see a baby, and we see Rose loves babies, and we see Rose admires the human capacity to change, and we’ll soon see that Rose herself stagnated there a little bit, but we leave it at that. Judging by the age difference between Sour Cream and Steven, it’s a few years until she and Greg make an actual decision, so it makes sense to not reference it too explicitly this early, but it’s still a direction the episode could’ve taken and I’m very glad it didn’t.

I’ve made no secret about how much I love Brian Posehn voicing Sour Cream with his regular grown man voice, so obviously the best part of this episode is his further use of that voice for Baby Cream. It’s the gift that keeps on giving, and by itself ensures that Greg’s dickishness can’t pull the episode too far down. As with Onion Friend, the strange connection between Sour Cream and Steven is left unspoken, but it’s wild to consider that this side character is a big reason why our protagonist exists. While I’d be fine with this continuing to be a quiet part of the backstory, I can’t say I wouldn’t be interested in seeing Steven and Sour Cream talk about it one day, even as a small gag. 

Onion Friend was also the last time we spent any meaningful amount of time with Vidalia, and it’s neat to fill in some gaps between her debut cameo in Story for Steven and her modern iteration. Marty’s flakiness is further proven by her being a single mother from the start, but she’s clearly risen to the occasion and loves the hell out of her kid. Her patience with Greg is tested by his awfulness (and honestly makes said awfulness hard to watch, given how much is on her plate), but it speaks volumes that she’s so welcoming to the ex-friend of her ex. She’s probably the only human Greg knows in Beach City at this point, and I honestly wish we saw more of their modern relationship when we have such a vivid image of their history.

I Think I Need a Little Change might not reach the rocking heights of Comet or What Can I Do For You, but it’s catchier than either and has that wonderful twist on the double meaning of “change.” The wordplay speaks for itself, but it’s a cool trick to reveal that this musical montage is as diegetic as the other two songs: this is something he’s actually singing to people. We get a hefty break from songs after Mr. Greg, so that might be meddling with my opinions, but I think this is my favorite of the three. Puns beat electric guitar, and the song crystalizes Greg’s similarity to Steven come Change Your Mind.

And so we end Season 3, Act 2. We’ve had the aftermath of the Cluster, and we’ve had a series of slice of life episodes from this particularly magical life, but we’ll soon be back to the high-octane plotting of the Cluster Arc. It’s a bit strange that Greg the Babysitter comes between Alone at Sea and Gem Hunt, considering the Jasper of it all, but it’s nice to have this respite before we barrel towards the pivotal moment of Steven’s series-wide arc, especially when this respite tells us a lesson that’s about to become a lot more obvious in the coming storm:

Steven Universe is a story about growing up.

Future Vision!

Good thing nothing bad happened to Sour Cream, or else Greg would’ve had to pray that his space goddess's magic could bring people back from the dead. That would be a ridiculous power!

If every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn’t have inconsistencies…

Vidalia got this top from the T-Shirt Shop where she works. This top has a collar. T-shirts do not have collars. It’s unresearched nonsense like this that makes Cartoon Network put this show on hiatus so often, come on people.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

While I do enjoy this episode and stand by it being great, I don’t necessarily love things that I critically find great. Greg the Babysitter doesn’t do quite enough on the emotional level to make me truly love it, considering how much time we have to spend with Douchebag Greg. I appreciate the importance of his douchebaggery, and the importance of this episode as a whole, but this isn’t an something I go out of my way to rewatch. Sorry, Baby Cream. I still like it!

Top Fifteen

Steven and the Stevens

Hit the Diamond

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

The Return

Jailbreak

The Answer

Sworn to the Sword

Rose’s Scabbard

Mr. Greg

Coach Steven

Giant Woman

Beach City Drift

Winter Forecast

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Warp Tour

The Test

Future Vision

On the Run

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Joy Ride

Keeping It Together

We Need to Talk

Chille Tid

Cry for Help

Keystone Motel

Catch and Release

When It Rains

Back to the Barn

Steven’s Birthday

It Could’ve Been Great

Message Received

Log Date 7 15 2

Same Old World

The New Lars

Monster Reunion

Alone at Sea

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Story for Steven

Shirt Club

Love Letters

Reformed

Rising Tides, Crashing Tides

Onion Friend

Historical Friction

Friend Ship

Nightmare Hospital

Too Far

Barn Mates

Steven Floats

Drop Beat Dad

Too Short to Ride

Restaurant Wars

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

Greg the Babysitter

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

Say Uncle

Super Watermelon Island

Gem Drill

No Thanks!

     5. Horror Club      4. Fusion Cuisine      3. House Guest      2. Sadie’s Song      1. Island Adventure

[all-the-fand0ms-blog]

Starting Over

my best friend @manoriantrash101 and I are writing a fic together with our Ocs so I hope you enjoy!

Tempest woke up to the creaking of bus seats, the pouring rain, and the curse words of fellow students. How pleasant. It was her first day at school since moving in by herself, halfway through junior year. She had moved over Christmas break, enrolled herself, got settled into her apartment, and here she was.

She ran her fingers through her shoulder-length brown hair as the bus clattered to a stop, and only one girl climbed up the steep steps into this metal cage filled with curse words and the obvious smoker. She was instantly eye-catching, her lilac-colored hair flowing down to the small of her back and, quite oddly, no makeup adorning her face. Her shirt was cropped and fit her shoulders well, but her waist was too tiny for even the smallest size to fit. Her blue-gray sweatpants flared at the bottom and were doused lightly in the rainwater that was surely running in rivers down the street.

The girl walked up to Tempest’s seat, the closest one open for another person to sit. Besides the smoker. Smart choice, lilac girl.

She sat down next to me without even asking, instantly pulling her phone and earbuds out of her bag. She switched on some music, bobbing her head, her oddly long hair shivering slightly with the subtle movement.

“Why are you glaring at me?” The lilac-haired girl said, snapping me out of my head. It seemed she had caught my gaze without me noticing. Her right hand held an earbud and her eyes were wide and nervous as if something had happened to her without her knowing it.

“I’m hoping you’ll spontaneously combust,” I said, shrugging as if it was a pure fact. I forced my face into carelessness and lack of emotion as I turned away.

“Excuse me?” Lilac girl’s voice was now tainted with offense, though Tempest couldn’t see her face.

“You’re excused.” She retorted, fighting back a smirk. “I mean that hair? Purple hair? That is definitely a cry for help.”

Lilac girl snorted, seemingly done with the conversation for now.

“Tempest.” Tempest said after a few awkward moments of silence, turning back to the insanely fascinating girl and letting a soft smirk pull at the very edges of her lips.

“Huh?” The girl blurted, turning to her quickly.

“My name. Tempest.”

“Oh, uh, right.” She said. “Harper.” She sighed, attempting to compose herself by flipping her hair back and plastering an obviously fake smile on her face.

“Huh.” She said, cocking her head slightly and looks her over. “You don’t look like a Harper.”

“Oh, yea and Tempest is such a realistic name.” Harper retorted, eyes narrowing.

Suddenly, a male head popped between them.

“Girls, girls, you’re both petty.” He said, looking at them.

“Um, don’t you mean we’re both ‘pretty’?” Harper asks, eyes opening wide again at the sudden intrusion of their conversation.

“Nope. Pe-tty.” He sounds it out, smiling to himself.

“Don’t flatter yourself ladies, ‘cause if you do it’ll feed your ego and that is b-a-d, bad.” Another voice, female this time, sounded from next to him. “We already have enough stuck up people in this school we don’t need anymore.”

“She means no offense, right Rowen?”

“Umm yea! Definitely!” The girl, Rowen, draws out the last word.

“Froy.” The boy says, practically grinning at our silent, wide-eyed stares.

“Uh, H-” Harper starts.

“Harper and Tempest.” Rowen cuts in, and both of our eyes widen.

“H-” Harper starts again, obviously on edge.

“Calm down, I heard you talking.” She shrugs, smirking softly. She sits back in her seat and pushes up her glasses. “I’m not psychic or any of that crap.”

Froy smiles at Rowen, sitting back. “Glad to make the acquaintance of you two.”

“Uh, sure.” Tempest says, those two words being the only ones she’s said or tried to say, in this whole conversation.

When they finally arrived at school, Tempest broke off from the unlikely group that had formed with some sort of illegible excuse, quickly hurrying toward her first class. She observed the walls lined with puke-colored lockers, the waxy linoleum floors, the judgemental stares from the students within their friend groups. It all just seemed like an average high school.

Pushing the door to her first class open, she groaned internally. There, in the middle of the classroom, sat Rowen. And guess where the last seat was? Right next to her. Yay.

Noticing her half-angry stare, Rowen followed her gaze and put two and two together. Her only reaction was a light smile and she waved Tempest over, patting the seat next to her.

“Welcome to the wonderful world of Ms. Elderige’s Algebra 2.” Rowen says sarcastically, her hands making an arc above her head. “You might want to turn up your hearing aids.”

At first, Tempest was extremely confused by that comment. Then, Ms. Elderige came in. She was a stumpy old lady dressed in some sort of bathrobe, the tiniest glasses she’d ever seen resting on the tip of her nose, seemingly defying gravity.

The entire class was still chattering from the beginning of the day, but she didn’t seem to care. She talked on and on, but her voice could not be any louder than a whisper. She drew seemingly random things all over the board, gesturing to them as she ‘talked’.

“Are you sure that she isn’t mute and deaf?” Tempest whispered to Rowen, leaning over slightly.

Rowen shook her head and shrugged. “I’ve had her this entire time and I have yet to learn anything. The internet becomes your best friend when you can pick up the general ideas.”

Tempest smiles, turning back to the board.

Lunch in hand, Tempest walks slowly toward the lunchroom, dreading the situation sure to come. She would be alone. Again. As always.

She walks into the broad room with a low, paneled ceiling, feeling the stares of people burn into her back. Then she catches sight of a head covered in lilac hair, and her heart soars.

“Harper?” She yells over the murmur of others talking, laughing, and eating. Harper turns, a smile lighting up her face when she recognizes Tempest and waves her over.

As she walks toward her, she sees Froy and Rowen, already laughing together. She slides into the seat opposite of Froy, next to Harper.

“Hey, Tempest!” Froy smiles, noting her presence.

“Yea,” Rowen composes herself, grinning. “Glad you could join us!”

Tempest smiles softly and nods, shifting in her seat. Attention wasn’t her thing. Neither was friendship. It wasn’t that she was shy, just… socially anxious.

“So guys,” Rowen starts. “Tomorrow night is a Poetry Slam at The Roasted Bean & Books. Wanna come?”  

“Sure.” Harper shrugs, flipping her hair over her shoulder to lean down and grab her lunch bag that she seemingly brought from home.

“Well,” Tempest starts, feeling the eyes of the others flit over to her. “I work there. So I’ll obviously be there.”

“No way!” Froy says through a mouthful of food. “That’s my favorite coffee shop. How have I never seen you around there before?”

“She’s new, remember?” Rowen comments, shoving him slightly.

“Oh right.” He pulls a face.

Harper turns to her. “Could you… give me a ride? I don’t exactly have a car…”

“Me neither.” Tempest laughs. “I just walk, since my apartment building is only a couple blocks away. We can walk together if you want.”

“Sure!” Harper smiles.

As Tempest turns back to her food, she catches Froy’s eyes. They are filled with curiosity and… is he teasing her? About… her and Harper? No. No way.

She mouths ‘no way’ to him, shaking her head, and he just nods at her sarcastically. She rolls her eyes, shoving a bite into her mouth.

The conversation steers away, turning slowly into average chatter about their days, themselves, and practically all other random topics. All through lunch, they chat together and crack jokes. Tempest is closely grasping the feeling of belonging that she has so suddenly experienced.

The lunch bell rings, and the day continues, seemingly being like every other day she’s ever known.

Later that night as Tempest is getting ready for work, she hears cars honking outside her window. Going over to investigate, she looks out her window and sees a long stretch of cars in front of her building. Odd, considering there normally wasn’t much congestion. Following the line of cars, she comes to a stop when she sees a girl bent over at the waist, slowly shuffling her way across the street.

Right as tempest turns away to dismiss the situation, the girl shuffles under a light from a street lamp. Tempest curses and quickly finishes getting ready before rushing out of her apartment because that wasn’t just any girl. That was Harper.

Harper keeps her gaze down, ignoring the cars honking and the people yelling at her. She cannot, and will not, be bothered by those noises because if she does get distracted, one of the fluffy ducklings she’s helping across the street might stray from the little group and get squished. So, focused on the ducklings, she hadn’t even noticed the girl yelling her name, not until she was right in front of her.

“Harper! What on earth are you doing!” yells the girl.

About to tell this person off in the nicest way possible while still getting her point across, Harper looks up and realizes that it was Tempest in front of her, not some stranger.

“Oh, hey Tempest!” She greets Tempest, smiling brightly. “Excuse me while I escort these nice ducks here to the other side of the road.”

“Harper, you can’t just-” Temper’s retort is cut off by a deep male voice.

“Ladies, I’m afraid you’re gonna have to come with me.”

Please like and reblog so we can get this rolling!

@highladyfxyre