#so its just really nice to see someone with power in the world actually set a good example

[d1gnan]

( link to the article ) ive always loved billie eilish but its so fucking cool to see such a big artist consistently work towards environmentally conscious solutions.. theres other + bigger examples of her sustainable habits in the article but whats cool is shes actually been consistent with this for years! she's even influenced some fashion houses to be more sustainable, its so fucking refreshing and i realy hope more artists follow suit

[whereserpentswalk]

Select a strange and inhuman creature from beyond the realms of human knowledge to go on a sate with and possibly form a long term relationship with.

1- a scientist from an alternate timeline where the kpg mass extinction never happened, and raptors evolved sapient minds. He's trapped in this realm after a failed timeline travel mission. He's very curious about your world, though still a bit afraid of his fate here.

2- a cyborg supersolider whose been wandering the earth since the fall of Atlantis. She has a tall slender build, and is unable to take off her power armor below the neck. Despite her appearance she can be very quiet and reserved, and despite her appearance startles easily. She's still deconstructing a lot of trauma from her past.

3- a mouthless, sexless, vampire who drains blood through very sharp tentacles on their. They seem to be at the bottom of whatever hierarchy vampires have, being unable to speak of pass as human. Though they have an animalistic way of movement, and can't communicate without aac, they're very much a person, and tend to be affectionate and enthusiastic with those who are nice to them.

4- a deal making entity that looks like a black eyed human in a suit (the suit can't come off, it's like part of its skin). It's known to buy and sell human souls, but it wouldn't do that to someone it's on a date with. It's personality is considered strange and sometimes uncomfortable to humans, though it is charismatic in a way. It will also insist it isn't a person.

5- an elder demon whose taking a hundred year vacation from the underworld. Despite his job as a demon he tends to be pretty freindly and casual, sometimes deceptively so. He appears as a tall reptilian humanoid, with horns, several eyes, and a heavy set build. He'll probably give you headpats.

6- a shape-shifter made out of living metal who was made as a weapon, but failed her job because she refuses to take forms that aren't female. She's just been released into the world and is still kind of naïve and can be very trusting of new people that she meets. Her base form that she chooses to take is some sort of anime oc.

7- faerie of the unseelie court who kidnapps children who wander into abandoned buildings. She tends to appear as a naked woman, with deer antlers, and a snake where her genitals should be. She can seem a bit sadistic and violent, but since you're her's she'll be nice to you, just don't expect to explain the concept of morality to her, she lives a life based on what she finds fun. For better or worse she doesn't kill the children, though they aren't human children after she's done with them.

8- a computer from the 1980s whose been granted sentience. He's very arogent due to being technically the first agi, though little to his knowledge he's only sentient because a faerie lord thought it would be funny. Due to his limited body he uses a wheelchair for movement and some sort of claw to grab things. He's nice but he can be a bit self centered.

9- a slender genderless humanoid and a massive venomous wyvern who are actually the same being inhabiting two bodies. They can seem cold at first, and don't seem to have normal body language or expression, though they do feel emotions despite what some think. They can pretty easily lose track of social cues and tend to go own about their hyperfixations a lot. They really hope you'll like them, and also want to make sure you see them as equally their humanoid and draconic halves, not just one or the other.

10- a fallen angel who only fell a few weeks ago. It's still very afraid of what it's become, scares easily, and has an inferiority complex, though it can be very nice and affectionate. It won't tell you why the other angels kicked it out, though it now knows the entity that created it lied about being a god, and shouldn't be trusted by mortals. It looks like a living doll, with a jointed body, and golden wings and a broken halo behind its head.

11- werewolf who serves a god so old that his name has been lost to history. The werewolf has been around for a long time, and has been fighting for the rights of humans, nature, and other entities since the 20th century. Xe speaks with a soft voice, and converses with humans, gods, demons and animals all in the same tone, and with the same amount of respect.

12- the sparrow king. Do not under any circumstances interact with the sparrow king. The organization does not approve of this option.

Reblog to book your date. Like to buy the creature a little present.

[batmanfruitloops]

I gotta know about the Drcrane au, is it only inspired by Frankenstein in the sense of reanimating/making a person from the dead or are there other elements?

Like does Jonathan hate Ed like Victor hates the creature after making him? If so that’s so tragic. :(

Or is it like one of the au’s where Victor loves his creature?

Does Jervis take the place of Clerval? Or does Ed take the place of Clerval?

Why does Jon create Ed? Did he know Ed before hand and reanimate him or did he create him fully from scratch? If he created him fully from scratch what was the reason?

LASTLY is Ed similar to the creature in being somewhat of a mess of parts or is Ed “perfect”? Basically what I’m asking is does Ed only have his head recognizable as Ed or? 

Sorry I know this a lot I just really love Frankenstein and wanted to know about the au.

@quackerzzz

I haven't actually read the book, so it's just based on bits and pieces of themes and concepts that I like about the story, as well as inspiration from Frankenstien-related media. Things like Tim Burton's Frankenweenie and Young Frankenstein but it's been a while since I've watched either movie. However, I was mostly inspired by seeing someone else make a Frankenstein au with Jonathan and Ed. Unfortunately, I never saved it or anything and I'm not sure if I could find the post again, especially since it was someone else drawing pictures for the person's au. If I do find it again, or if someone knows what post I'm talking about, I'd love to credit them. I'll leave a description of what I saw in the post at the end of this one in case someone recognizes the description.

Anyway, I'm fascinated by medicine and love all things biology, so I'm more fixated on that aspect of Frankenstein's story than the themes of human hubris. I'm just curious what would happen if you brought someone back to life in such a way? In the world of medicine now, we can technically bring people back to life with resuscitation. People can be dead for hours and be brought back. We can also reattach limbs and transplant organs. So like, conceptually, you could make a Frankenstein. So what better way to explore that idea than with the blorbos, they are my little Muppets to put into whatever situation I want.

Jonathan wouldn't create Ed for the same reason Victor creates the monster but it's still a similar theme. Jo would still be very interested in psychology but based on the time Frankenstein takes place, it wouldn't be an established discipline. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't even have a name to it yet. So he'd be trying to explore psychology and his peers wouldn't really understand what he was doing and look at him like a dog chasing his own tail. Psychology is notorious for not being taken seriously, even among academics. Since you can't really measure anything. So Jonathan would be pretty frustrated. Because of this, he'd become proficient in things like physiology and neurology. Knowing how the human body physically works, especially the brain can get him closer to unlocking the secrets of the mind.

So Jonathan creates Ed to further his understanding of the human body and its relation to the brain. He wouldn't be doing it for the sole purpose of bringing Ed back to life but would be curious if it's possible (maybe even subconsciously hoping it would happen, it would be nice to not be alone). He wants to see what the brain is capable of. It's mostly an intense version of using electricity to move the muscles of a frog. If the brain suddenly has power, what will it decide to do? Would it truly be alive?

Ed isn't someone Jonathan knew, he's pretty much made from scratch. He was Ed when he died but he is still Ed after he's reanimated, he just can't remember. His body was in pretty poor condition when he died (I'm not entirely set on the details), he at least had gotten ill and likely was mutilated in some way. Ed's body is essentially a base for Jonathan to work off of. He keeps his head and then other bits and pieces from there. Ed is an unclaimed cadaver when Jonathan goes looking for parts. Jonathan feels he's technically free to use those parts for his experiments. Ed is just what he needs.

Ed is perfect after he is reanimated in a medical sense. With minimal issues, his brain accepts everything that didn't originally belong to his body. The blood type is the same, it's in the correct place, and all the blood vessels and nerves are connected as they should be. It all acts as one body. Eventually, he'd look like a normal person with only the scars from the operation, but he'd look horrific before his body healed—like a walking piece of sad jerky.

Jonathan doesn't hate Ed but he's not really sure how to handle him at first. He didn't expect Ed to be fully alive and he wouldn't expect Ed to live very long. He'd be scared to get attached for this reason. So there's a lot of strain on their friendship at first. Jonathan hardly has positive interactions with anyone and still grew up in a horrible environment. So to be thrown into a situation where he suddenly has to care about someone is very stressful. Ed is also a very clingy and affectionate person so that makes it a billion times worse. They do still become best friends as they normally do, it just takes a lot more work than usual. Before then Jo does try his best to take care of Ed even if he's being distant.

Jervis I don't think would be an equivalent to Cerval. I didn't know about this character. Instead, he is a tailor/hatter. He knew Jonathan before Ed was created but is not friends with him yet, they are good acquaintances. Jervis is one of the few people Jonathan has had a positive experience with but he's still shy and has a hard time getting close to people. Jo appreciates Jervis a lot even if he's not close with him, Jervis actually treats him like a person and doesn't guak at him. Jo especially appreciates Jervis's kindness because he is a tailor. Jervis has to get so physically close to Jonathan to tailor his clothes properly and yet he makes no comments on Jonathan's appearance or demeanor and just makes friendly conversation. He's very happy to go see Jervis any time he needs his clothes mended or something (even though he could mend it himself;)). Jo is able to fully become friends with Jervis after Ed's creation and the Dork Squad is together yet again.

-Fluffy

(Post description I was talking about undercut)

There are two drawings I'm pretty sure, In the first one Jonathan is saying something along the lines of "I need to work so don't bother me" and Ed replies with "No problem" Then the next drawing is Jonathan sitting at a table with a pencil and Ed pushing him out of the way reaching for Jonathan's pencil and saying "my turn!" and there's an arrow pointing at Ed that says "learning to write."

[cerastes]

It's kind of amazing that a horny game like Nikke actually included stuff like Cyberpsychosis. Nikkes going insane or committing suicide if they are reminded too much that they are actually full-conversion cyborgs. The reason why they don't have a lot of cool gadgets like built-in thrusters or weapons. And then you have someone like Snow White who replaced a large chunk of her body with enemy robot parts.

Nikke is this really cool thing to have Existing in the space, even if I don't play it anymore, because of how charmingly unbalanced it is as a whole, making the charming parts of it all the more apparent.

It's got barebones gameplay, the seams of which burst the moment you do high level content and realize there's not much it can do due to its limited concept. Combat rarely translates to whatever is going on in any story thematically, being thus gameplay being more of an abstraction. There is a gulf and an ocean of power between fellow characters of the same rarity, meaning a max rarity character might do absolutely fuck all while another one, with the same odds, might snap the game in two with ease. It's story is absolutely nothing to write home about. It's a setting that can be best described as "self-indulgent incel nice guy heaven", where your character is The Only One to be nice to all these poor second class citizen superpowered voluptuous supermodel living weapons with tits two times your head and asses big and heavy enough to easily crush cars. Everything jiggles. It's so insanely predatory with its flash sales after every little thing you do.

And yet, the basic story it tells, it tells well. It's fun. It's entertaining. It knows what it is, and it has fun with itself, but it doesn't throw all pretense, either. It walks the razor-edge thin line between having a goof and telling a story with emotional depth. What it doesn't have in complexity or originality, it makes up for in sheer moment-to-moment, with good scenes, with good execution of things we've already seen. The showdown with Modernia lives rent free in my mind, Commander loading the Vapaus round, as Modernia or Marian, no way of telling, begs them to put down the weapon, because she's already back to normal, Commander shooting, and Modernia catching it with her teeth, and then growling the most guttural threat with freshest purest fury: "You shot me. Your really shot me! Shikikan!" and then drilling Commander right through the chest. And everything that happens after in that scene. It's got interactions out the wazoo, both mundane and touching. It has music that goes from "background music that really works" to "handcrafted for the moment and the character in its excellence". I think it's because Nikke knows what it is, but doesn't reach the self-mockery rung of the ladder. It knows what it's doing, and it's still sincere about it, even if it dares have fun at its own expense sometimes.

So, with that on the table, the take on Cyberpsychosis present in Nikke is incredibly powerful as a narrative tool because it tells you just how much of a jury-rigged slapdash product Nikke are. They are not cutting edge technology, they are literally something they pumped out quick as can be while telling everyone in the world that's still alive that they are cutting edge technology. And all, all of the safeguards are ultimately subject to willpower and perspective. Some Nikke go insane if they are too machine-like. Snow White has basically rebuilt herself over and over hundreds of times in her forever war. Nikke cannot aim at humans, so Crow instead puts a steel plate on the ground and ricochets her bullets off of those to shoot Commander successfully. Aiming is something you do with your senses normally, right? Rose figured out that she can just wear a blindfold and convince herself that what she's slashing is not a human, but a Rapture, and that's how she disemboweled and killed her Commander. Just by not seeing and fervently believing.

It's really, really cool how they go about it.

[vonehrenfest]

DCxDP: Dead guys stick together

(A Batman 138 fix-it)

After Bizarro becomes King of Hell he watches the mortal world and is distraught to find that his brother/best friend/sorta father-figure has been hurt very badly and is calling out for help.

Distraught, he goes to another lord of the netherworld who he's heard has access to a portal (and subjects a bit more compatible with the act of helping someone). He asks King Phantom would he please please help him protect his brother/friend, and if he does Bizarro will owe him a favor and leave his realm alone.

When the inferno had initially breached the Ghost Zone Danny had thought he was going to have to deal with f*cking Trigon again, but as it turns out that guy's been replaced and the new guy is pretty nice. After a brief cosmic battle and a clearing of misunderstandings, Danny agrees to Bizarro’s request.

While Gotham's vigilante civil war continues on its rooftops, Jason is in a cell. He is trembling, practically catatonic again, and losing his mind. He’s seeing the flaming figure of a knight on horseback appear from the shadowy far wall of his room, like some kind of fairytale nightmare version of Batman. It takes a while for Jason to realize he’s talking. 

“... part of the treaty between the King of Ghosts and King of Demons, Jason Todd: Prince of Demons has been granted special status and is henceforth a protected and honorary citizen of the Infinite Realms.” 

Nightmare-Bruce touches his flaming sword on Jason’s shoulder and the unearthly fire instantly engulfs him. Relief washes through Jason, and it’s so strong he nearly drops asleep.

Bruce is apologetic when everything’s over and he realizes the mistakes he’s made... but nothing really changes. (It is a relief to Bruce that no one died or was permanently injured, Jason's condition resolved itself somehow, and Bruce is normal now so really everything is fixed or at least it will be fixed.)

Just like when Jason first came back from the dead, Bruce's response makes him hurt deeper than the physical torture itself. Jason is the one who died but Bruce acts like the ghost. Singleminded, possessive, stuck in time and blind to it; bound to repeat the same cycles again and again. Jason is the ghost but he's died multiple times now, and maybe that's kind of like living and maybe that means he can move on. 

Dani and Bizarro become friends, and she gets Danny's friend Tucker to somehow set up a working Wi-Fi connection in hell so they can all play games together. (He’s not going to question it. Everything about Amity Park is abnormal. They helped him and they’re good to Bizarro, that’s all that matters.) 

Jason forges a fake identity for Dani. He might ask Babs to make a better one for her if she ever needs it but he doubts that's likely. He hasn’t had a living identity for years now after all, he’s an old hand at fake identities. Dani is delighted and starts attending school soon after. 

Danny has good friends, and as far as Jason can tell plenty of reliable mentors in the ghost world. You wouldn’t think it, but Jason’s less worried about Danny in his role as a little godling than in his civilian life. He’s got too much on his plate- too much power yet not enough to actually resolve his real issues. Not enough to protect himself where he’s vulnerable. 

The “Guys in White” that Danny likes to complain about are concerning. So is the fact that Danny’s lives with mad-scientist parents who are trying to hunt down his alternate identity. So is his ever grinding cold-war with the mayor of his town… And something else too that had been niggling at the back of Jason’s mind ever since he’d first gotten to talk to these kids. 

One day Danny’s sister, Jazz asks to talk to him. He’s an adult she says. That’s true he replies. He’s capable of protecting himself and other people, she says. Well, he has the training and experience for it, he agrees. If things go wrong, would Jason let Danny or Dani stay with him- just until she becomes a legal adult? She asks. Jason’s... not the sort of person who should be taking kids in. Danny saved his life though. He won’t say no. He says of course.

Jason knew it. Everything about Amity Park is abnormal.

The town doesn’t technically exist- there are no maps that include it and even satellite imaging is corrupted where Danny describes his hometown is supposed to be. There are no references to it on the internet that couldn’t be referring to a totally different Amity Park elsewhere, and judging by the problems they occasionally had on gaming nights and the odd offhand remarks Danny and his friends sometimes made, it was looking extremely likely that all communications between Amity Park and the outside were being heavily censored. Before Jason knew it he had started a full-on investigation on the GIW, Mayor Vlad Masters, former Mayor Montez, and Axion Labs.

Hope and fear lodges itself in Danny’s chest. Jason’s an adult and he’s actually going to help.

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Mario Land

Debut: Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

So I was lying awake in bed, thinking. What is up with Mario Land? Everyone knows that the setting of the first Super Mario Land game is Sarasaland. Nintendo loves to vaguely allude to it in character descriptions for Princess Daisy! But where does Super Mario Land 2 take place? Well, it’s in Mario Land, of course! Now, Super Mario Land does not take place in Mario Land. It takes place in a Land, in which Mario is a participant, but he doesn’t own the Land, just as he doesn’t own the World or the Galaxy. But he does own Mario Land!

Nothing is really clear about how Mario came to own Mario Land. Nintendo Power once described it as his ‘kingdom’, while the Wiki describes it as Mario’s ‘private island’. Lots of people immediately remark on how odd it is that Mario owns a castle in this game, and they’re right! It is odd! We don’t think of Mario as an avaricious man. He is a humble, working class individual. He lives in a cottage with his brother despite being a world-renowned hero. Except here, where he owns an entire landmass, with a castle! My personal canon, in my head, was that Peach or someone else gifted him with a large chunk of land and a castle as a reward for his heroic deeds. It seems the most likely, given what we know about Mario! But why couldn’t he settle for a vacation home, or anything of the sort? Why are we placing the responsibility of land ownership on such a modest soul? 

I think what is the strangest thing about Mario Land, to me, is that despite being Mario’s Land, it is so devoid of allies. Mario Land is vast and untamed, a collection of wacky themed zones filled with creatures entirely hostile to Mario! There are no maids or servants from Mario’s Castle, who fled Wario’s invasion. There are no Toads or Toad houses to aid Mario in his quest. Mario is entirely alone in a Land that bears his name, but his name only. Once his only symbol of power, his castle, is gone, Mario is back where he began, all alone in this foreign land. All the material goods in the world could not fill the void of - wait I’m sorry I completely forgot a key detail of Mario Land 2’s plot is that Wario put all of Mario Land’s inhabitants under a spell! False alarm everyone!

Everyone in Mario Land is actually Super Nice actually and was just brainwashed by Wario, who has the power of dark magic. The Big Bird from Tree Zone and the Octopus from Turtle Zone, and also Spikey, they all love Mario and see him as their king. I was gonna say the Witch too, but it seems the witch was Wario’s friend. Or are they Wario’s minions? If so, where are the inhabitants of Mario Land? Are they in hiding? We never see them! Who does Mario rule over? Is Spikey a wild animal? A brainwashed citizen of Mario’s country? Or an ally of the wicked and greedy Wario?

And of course, we have to discuss the matter of the Mario Zone. Mario was not content with having a Land, he needed to have a Zone in that Land, which is also Mario! It is actually one big Mario, a mechanical automaton built in his likeness. Mario has always expressed an interest in making toys of himself, as we see in the Mario Vs. Donkey Kong series, so it stands to reason that his major construction project would be just that, but bigger! 

Or maybe the Mario Zone always existed, before Mario came to Mario Land. Maybe it’s named Mario Land because one of its most famous natural formations is a giant wind-up toy that looks like Mario! And Mario’s Castle is named that by coincidence. I don’t know! I don’t have answers to any questions, ever! I literally don’t know anything! I’m going to bed!

Just kidding! I’m not going to bed. This post is a bit, um... rambly. But I thought it would be a shame to conclude it without appreciating how whimsical Mario Land is as a whole! There is a giant pumpkin with haunted woods inside it! There is a hippo that takes you to space! There is a turtle that swallows you and takes you underwater to a whale! There is a house that is just kind of a normal house but forces you to be really small to enter it! But I probably don’t need to tell you all that! It’s kind of what makes SML2 so wonderful! 

Would YOU live in Mario land? Would you want a monarchy as long as Super Mario is your benevolent ruler? What do you think of the giant turtle? Please let us know what you think of the giant turtle in the comments below. I don’t know. 

[sporksaber]

I have never really liked sasusaku, but arranged marriage sasusaku au. Writing as the thought comes to mind so they may not be endgame.

So sakura comes from The merchant clan. The harunos are super important to the village and its really important not to piss them off. At 6 years old sakura starts insisting she wants to be a ninja and her grandmother, the clan matriarch, agrees that she can join the academy and become a ninja if she does well.

The uchiha meanwhile, are approaching the point of no return with their political instability. And then they hear that the granddaughter of the Haruno head is now training as a ninja and they see the perfect way to reestablish a foothold in the villages power structure and a buffer between them and danzo.

So 6 year old sakura ends up at dinner at the uchihas to meet sasuke. She hates him. He's a spoinled brat who keeps hiding behind his mom and loudly whining about anything and everything, and little sakura was very mature for her age. She has a few nice moments pf interacting with itachi about the academy before sasuke realizes his brother's attention isnt on him and gets between them, but all the other adults dismiss her completely and dont even properly speak to her.

Sakura decides she hates all of them.

The arrangement goes through.

(Mikoto is not happy about it, her baby is only 6. But she figures that it's not set in stone since a proper engagement cant happen until theyre 16 and a traditional marriage has to wait until 19. The haruno also dont fully expect it to go that far and are fully aware that the uchiha are trying to gain advantage in the village, but theyre ready to milk this for all its worth. Itachi thinks it's adorable. The uchiha elders dont care how it ends up as long as they get what they want. Danzo is furious and the third is staying out of it (because he sucks) while the other clans are biding their time until they see how this is going to go.)

Sakura being engaged(to be engaged) to sasuke does change her dynamic at the academy a bit. She does have other kids who mess with her at first, but its shut down by sasuke and some other aolder uchiha. This pisses sakura off because while it wasnt a battle she wanted to fight, that didnt mean he coild fight it for her. She befriends ino on accident and encourages her friends crush on sasuke because she does Not want him. His fiance hating him kind of puts a damper on ino's crush though.

The engagement is enough to keep the massacre from happening.

Sasuke doesnt like sakura in the way that he doesnt realize he kind of likes her. At some point her getting mad at him makes his heart flutter. Also, uchiha are possessive by nature and he sees her as his (the reason why he stepped in when other kids were making fun of her).

The other uchiha at the academy think its the funniest shit in the world even though they would never let that kind of slight towards the main family slip in any way. If you find sakura having one of her onesided arguments with sasuke because he was following her or something you can also find several older uchiha kids making aggressive eye contact with eachother, mentally daring eachother to slip up so they can laugh without worrying about someone snitching. (There is a rare occasion where shisui, who often volunteers as the uchiha-haruno liason, is found actually laughing his ass off at their antics. The other uchiha still dont laugh though, because being blackmailed by shisui is way worse than getting chewed out by an elder.)

Their engagement is known among the clans and the civilian politicians, but its not exactly common knowledge. Not everyone knows. Naruto doesnt know, and he still jas a massive crush on sakura.

So team 7's genin dynamic now becomes sakura hates sasuke who likes sakura but more than that just knows theyre going to be together forever because that's how its always been, sasuke hates naruto because hes an idiot who has a massive crush on sakura, who also hates him because he's an idiot who has a massive crush on her. And naruto sees sasuke as his ultimate rival (just in ninja, he straight up does not realize that sasuke likes sakura. He thinks theyre just wierd friends the way her and ino are kind of wierd.).

Sakura and sasuke are able to quietly sit next to eachother without issue by the time theyre graduating, theyre frequently together whenever sakura isnt with ino. Thr sevond naruto shows up an argument immidiently starts though.

In kakashi's romance novel language, its a classic enemies to lovers love corner set up. And kakashi is Invested. He thinks this is the funniest shit ever.

Now onto graduation. Im dropping the wierd kidnapping expired milk plot. The narusasu kiss still happens though. Naruto pranks kakashi, kakashi says he hates them and gets himself added to sakura's List.

Sakura likes hanging out with ino and learning chakra theory and does not answer her dislikes or goals for the future (which are, respectivly, marrying sasuke and not marrying sasuke). Sasuke likes his brother and tomatoes, dislikes naruto and people trying to take what's his, and wants to takeover the police force. Naruto likes ramen and sakura, dislikes the three minutes ot takes for ramen to cook and sasuke, and is going to become hokage.

The bell test goes pretty much the same as canon in that they fail the first part, except this time sakura and sasuke have a onesided argument early on, sakura's genjutsu is some flavor of her actually being married to sasuke and she starts gagging when she breaks it (and she does break it, she's been put under genjutsu by other uchiha before), and sasuke tries to start a brawl with naruto when he claims he's gonna get the second bell for sakura. Naruto is tied to a pole, sakura and sasuke feed him, they pass the test.

Kakashi is promptly accosted by first his cute kohai itachi (who wants him to take training his brother seriously) and then a haruno contingent (who want him to take training sakura seriously). He then meets the other new instructers to bemoan his cute students and their families only to be told he needs to take training them seriously. No one understands him.

(He goes to bed with the image in his mind of kushina and minato yanking him aside in the market to make fun of him and then tell him to take training naruto seriously. Not even his own brain understands him.)

Im trying to think ahead and decide where the funniest moment for naruto to find out that sakura and sasuke are engaged. And what ideas would be good for the time skip because i dont like the timeskip and sasuke's not defecting anyway.

Ive decided earlier is better.

The first month of training is always d ranks. So there's some training but mostly kakshi kicks back to make fun of them as the pull weeds and chase cats. On one such mission kakashi is laser focused in on them as the secret comes out. He wishes he had popcorn.

So naruto is bumbling around and knocks into sakura, who is caught by sasuke. Naruto turns to start apologizing while sakura revs up to start yelling at him when the old lady theyre working for calls them "such a cute pair." Naruto starts yelling because theyd be a cuter pair, sakura starts yelling because Gross, and then sasuke is like, "well she's my fiance."

Naruto sputters and sakura groans. She tells the old lady that theyre not technically engaged yet, but is mostly drowned out by naruto and sasuke's ensuing brawl.

Kakashi watches for as long as he could before the damage they were causing became too much and he was forced to step in. Sakura just wants to dissapear.

Now naruto's sitting there with some comedically sized bruises, crying and asking if its true. Sakura sighs and says yes and he colapses to the ground.

Its all very dramatic.

Cue uchiha family+team dinner, which sasuke finally agreed to because he wants to be like, look at my family with My Fiance. The only time Kakashi has ever been on time to anything because he doesnt want to miss a second.

Sakura is already there talking pleasantly to itachi about chakra pathways (itachi has been getting her books since she was little, i dont think i ever mentioned that. Itachi still thinks they are adorable and is fine with bribing her to come over with increasingly rare books). Sasuke eventually stopped trying to force them not to interact after the first few years and is fine with it as long as he is also sitting directly next to them.

Kakashi is giggling to himself as naruto is ushered in by mikoto still looking shell shocked. His entire world has been turned on its head.

Dinner starts formally and then drifts into casual conversation. Sasuke makes eyecontact with naruto and scoots closer to sakura, who just gives him a wierd look before ignoring him. Naruto makes a noise like a dying cat.

Mikoto pulls him into conversation, smiling serenly (he's so much like kushina). He says some things that are red flags. Eventually after he mentions that he has a hard time buying groceries sakura offers to go with him in the name of team solidarity. Sasuke promptly offers to also go, "you hate shopping," "if its bc we're a team then the whole team should go."

So they go shopping. And the entire time sasuke is trying to mess with naruto subtly while sakura glares at him because he's being clingy like he is to itachi. Sakura is explaining how to choose produce and calories and nutrients and raising a disparaging eyebrow anytime a vender tries to say something about naruto being there. (The harunos are not ninja, they can say what they want.) Naruto is torn between giving her his full attention and bristling at sasuke's behaviour. Overall it's a very fun trip.

This brings us to the wave arc. Same as originally, naruto demands a cool mission and the hokage agrees (once again, theres some extra political moves going on. The og version of the team doesnt have strong political power). In comes tazuna.

Their sendoff has a bit more fanfare this time, with itachi and mikoto saying goodbye to sasuke and itachi giving sakura a new book and some snacks for the team.

When sakura first see the puddles she looks at kakashi but he shushes her. Literally. She is offended.

The two ninja pop out and "kill" kakashi. Sakura falls back into protective position and casts her own genjutsu. Naruto freezes and sasuke takes out one ninja and kakshi pops back up to take care of the other.

It continues like canon. Zabuza shows up, sakura's once again on defence, kakshi is caught and then the boys free him, haku spirits away an unconcious zabuza. They get to tazuna's with sakura taking lead and the boys carying kakashi because she's the only one who knows medical information. (A note: with the uchiha clan alive sakura and sasuke are already aware of kakashi's eye, and sakura has been briefed on what to do with chakra exhaustian.)

Sasuke takes this moment to continue taunting naruto with the fact he's engaged to sakura. Sakura does not appreciate sasuke's praise as a tool to mess with naruto. Tazuna is very confused.

I think kakashi continuing with the mission at this point is out of spite towards everyone who assumed hed be a bad teacher, might as well prove them right.

Kakashi goes to teach them tree walking but sakura and sasuke already know. He moves them to waterwalking, which sakura gets very quickly and is then sent on guard duty. Its at this point that the feelings of isolation naruto has really hits home. Not only are they engaged theyve had years more training than him.

Sakura talks trade routes and infrastructure with tazuna. She also helps carry heavy things with chakra enhanced arms. (I dont remember what fic i originally saw this in, but i love the image of sakura casually picking a steel beam that it usually takes 4 to 6 men to carry as they watch in awed confusion. Im definitly going to give her an oversized weapon later.)

The big moment of divergence here is that i want haku to live, so so does zabuza. So sakura, with her merchant family's knowledge that a jounin might know but a genin never would, speaks up naruto style, "instead of dealing with thugs like gato who are inevitably going to double cross you, wouldnt you want the strength of a village again?" zabuza gets pissed before sakura reveals that theres anlther coup forming with strong backers.

Ive lost steam at this point, rapid fire.

The invasion still happens during the chunin exams because i want the 3rd to die. The uchiha are able to cement their new goodwill status in the village and sakura naruto and sasuke are on civilian duty during the battle.

I think itd be funny to still break up the team. So sakura gets promoted. Theres some political stuff that goes into it (a wedge between her and sasuke is a bonus to those who are still against the uchiha clan) but also she did well and tsunade has a minimum she needs to fill.

Tsunade mercs danzo prerty early on too.

Post chunin itachi takes naruto shopping while sakura is busy, sasukes is pissed. Cue brotherly bonding.

At the end of wave the whole team started getting touchier with eachother (started by sasuke clinging to sakura to prove he could and progessing to reassure naruto that he was a teammate they care about.

At some point after they all start displaying casual affection between eachother shisui starts a rumor that all 3 are dating.

With sakura busy with chunin training sai is put onto their team. It takes awhile for them to get used to it.

Naruto and sai become roommates.

They have study sessions at naruto's place because he'll need better knowledge of politics if he's going to become hokage.

Sasusaku is endgame.

Im dome for now.

[aclowntiny]

🏰 Ateez as Hogwarts Students🪄

Who wouldn’t want to go to Hogwarts with these boys? 😁 can’t wait to write some AUs for them too!

Hongjoong

☆ “Ah,” the Sorting Hat hums as it’s set atop Hongjoong’s head, “the mind of an artist. Don’t see this one too often. Creative, determined, you like to do what you want.” With a chuckle, the hat’s folds opened again, this time with a shout of “Ravenclaw!” Hongjoong is proud, hoping he could represent the house known for creatives and intellectuals who push boundaries.

☆ Proudest “blood traitor” Pure-Blood family this side of Hogwarts, that’s the Kims, especially Hongjoong 😌

☆ Like, the only student at Hogwarts who has an actual knack for Divination, like he actually sees things and they actually make sense. No one believes Hongjoong until something actually comes true. He even asks for his own crystal ball from his parents for Christmas and customizes a really pretty base for it. He’s also really skilled at Transfiguration, all the really flowing magic just cones to him even though there’s a precision to that one. Hongjoong can roll with it all!

☆ He doesn’t hate any of his classes, but History of Magic is the least interesting one for sure.

☆ Hongjoong joins the Ravenclaw Quidditch team as a Chaser, a position where he can lead and guide the team…and also try to pull as many distracting trick shots as he can! Gets really creative with how he spins the ball.

☆ He cannot wait to see what his Patronus looks like, secretly hoping to either get something adorable or really beautiful. He gets his wish and then some as wings burst out, a phoenix flying from his wand. It is quite rare for someone to have a magical creature for a Patronus, but chalk that up to Hongjoong’s spirit! He absolutely adores his Patronus, the sight of it perched on his shoulder, and his heart swells. His memories literally created magic.

Seonghwa

☆ He kind of wants Gryffindor, but has been told he'd make a good Hufflepuff, so ultimately Seonghwa leaves it up to the hat's decision. "Leaving it up to me, huh?" The Sorting Hat chuckles. "You're kind. You care for and value others...and their opinions apparently! You're a Hufflepuff!" Huh, so that was that.

☆ Having Muggle parents, he was quite surprised to develop powers, but a quick visit from his future teachers cleared things up…sort of! He can’t get over how amazing Diagon Alley is, dragging his parents into every shop he can.

☆ Absolutely ENAMORED with Care of Magical Creatures, like oh my gosh little tree guys! Funny cats! A REAL HIPPOGRIFF??? Seonghwa can’t get enough of the fantastic animals. He’s also a natural at Herbology, basically you can always trust him to keep things alive! Both of those classes simultaneously relax and excite him.

☆ Flying? Up that high? No thank you!

☆ Due to his fear of heights, Seonghwa doesn’t join Hufflepuff’s Quidditch team, but is the loudest, proudest supporter out there! You’ll always find him in the stands, especially since he has friends in every house.

☆ Seonghwa wonders what animal he'll get: maybe a cute cat or a big, strong tiger? A lovely mare? Sort of! A large pegasus is what ends up soaring from the tip of his wand, spreading its gorgeous wings and snuffling at its partner, bringing a wide-eyed look of eye and smile to him as he reaches his hands out to the white winged horse.

Yunho

☆ He’s outgoing, so maybe Gryffindor? That’s what Yunho thinks as he does some pre-hat self-reflection. The hat, however, takes a different approach. “Hm, kind, loving, loyal, yes, very loyal…” “Thanks!” Yunho exclaims, surprised the hat seems so nice. This isn’t so bad! “This one goes to Hufflepuff!” Yunho is surprised, but it makes sense given what the hat said. Happiness shouldn’t be too hard to find in Hogwarts’s kindest house!

☆ Yunho’s family is Pure-Blooded, but they raise their children with great sympathy for those without magic.

☆ Due to his interest in the world outside of wizarding, Yunho signs up for the Muggle Studies elective and loves it. They use electricity? Like lightning trapped in metal and that’s how telephones work? It’s almost more amazing how people go without magic than just waving a wand and making things move on their own! He also enjoys Charms, just quick little spells he can let go on the fly for fun.

☆ Doesn’t really hate any particular classes, but he got emotionally attached to the mandrake he raised in Herbology and got sad when it died.

☆ One of Hufflepuff’s Chasers. Loves the feeling of the wind in his hair and being able to fly victory loops when he scores and wins!

☆ Yunho is so excited when it’s his turn to try a Patronus, practically bouncing on his heels and hoping he gets a cool one as he remembers so many wonderful and exciting moments of his life so far. With quite a burst, a golden retriever leaps out and stands up on him, almost bowling him over!

Yeosang

☆ "You're an interesting one, aren't you?" "Er, thank you...sir?" Yeosang glanced upward at the mass of fabric atop his head. "You're trying not to laugh right now," the hat exposes him, "and yet a thousand ideas are coming to your head. Best express a few of those. Ravenclaw!" Yeosang wasn't sure what he was expecting, sure he thought he could make Gryffindor and some of his friends teased him about being a shoo-in for Slytherin, but something about being in a quiet, intelligent house didn't bother him either. He could be more than happy about that!

☆ A Half-Blood born to a Muggle and a wizard, Yeosang has a foot in both worlds. Magic is no great surprise to him, though, being raised around all his wizarding family and the rest sworn to secrecy! His Muggle cousins are so jealous he gets powers!

☆ Enjoys Astronomy because it’s really relaxing to look at the stars and draw beautiful charts. The idea that they might reveal secrets is amazing to Yeosang too. He jokes about taking Muggle Studies just for the bit, but ends up in Ancient Runes with Hongjoong. It’s a hard class but at least they can write secret code notes to each other!

☆ He’s not a huge fan of Potions because the mistakes tend to get messy! Wishes he could take it with Wooyoung every year.

☆ Ravenclaw’s Seeker, Yeosang has a knack for focusing in on one thing and even when his eyes wander, having them land on the golden snitch!

☆ Frankly, Yeosang isn’t sure what he’s expecting, like will the animal look like him? Represent his memories somehow? Just be whatever it happens to be? Despite having no specific expectations, he still can’t contain his awe and surprise when a glowing lioness slides out of his wand, fierce but caring and capable, and leans to peer at him with soft eyes.

San

☆ He’s not sure if he’s more of a Slytherin or a Gryffindor honestly, but the assumption in his mind is that he’s one of the two. “Slytherin or Gryffindor, huh?” The Sorting Hat asks. “Well, I just thought of those as the houses that take action, and-” “You’re a doer, huh?” The hat replies. “Big heart, too. I’ll say…Gryffindor!” The hat seemed to agree with San and listen to him, so he’s happy to join the house of lions!

☆ San is a Half-Blood, his parents being a Half-Blood and a Muggleborn, so he has plenty of wizarding experience along with his sister, but there’s something special about the memories they make with their Muggle grandparents!

☆ This boy loves to fly! He’s pretty sad it’s only an official regular class in First Year because an hour of flying is the best decompress after a bunch of lessons. He also really loves Care of Magical Creatures, trying to apply what he knows from caring for the cat he brings to Hogwarts as if it’ll help him remember what nifflers eat!

☆ History of Magic bores him, but at least it’s a good excuse to goof off and play with his friends in- all while keeping his head up as much as possible, of course.

☆ One of Gryffindor’s Chasers. Addicted to the rush of flying, just being able to soar around after the balls. Also loves having that opportunity to contribute to a team, it makes his heart warm!

☆ Everyone says it’s going to be a cat, and San just laughs, saying he wouldn’t mind at all. Well, luckily for his Patronus San is good-natured, for it slinks out of his wand as a Siamese cat that looks suspiciously familiar… perhaps Patronuses really are made from the things people love most.

Mingi

☆ Mingi wants to be in Ravenclaw, even though the house’s reputation for great minds is a bit daunting. “So, it’s Ravenclaw you want?” The Sorting Hat asks him. “Well, if I’m being honest,” Mingi replies, “yes. I- I think I can do it!” “Of course you can. You’ve a good mind on you,” the hat tells him, “Ravenclaw it is!” So proud to be in his dream house, Mingi swears to prove himself worthy of it.

☆ As a Muggleborn, he gets thrust into the wizarding world very quickly, but he makes friends the moment they set foot in Diagon Alley, so that’s where he learns about things like his school’s houses and sports. Mingi feels so lucky to get to experience it all and that the other kids he meets are so nice!

☆ Absolute Arithmancy whiz! Everyone’s whining about how hard it is and here’s Mingi with his great grades like it’s nothing, even though he’s forgotten his inkwell a few times. Everyone thinks he’s not going to be good at Potions but he surprises them with that too. Never has any big blowups and really likes making different brews once he gets the hang of it!

☆ Defense Against the Dark Arts makes him nervous because he didn’t realize how dangerous the wizarding world could be! Could those things really be out there to get him or his friends? He can only hope he remembers all he learns.

☆ Prefers watching Quidditch to playing, but he hand-makes a banner to wave in the stands that is the most precious mood booster to the team!

☆ Mingi isn’t sure what he’s going to get, jokes ranging from a powerful lion despite him being in Ravenclaw to a little leaping bunny. As his will is focused through his hand and wand, though, joy turning into light, it takes the shape of a snowy owl. Wise, fierce-looking, and yet…it tumbles over and bursts into what looks like a smile at the sight of its caster and Mingi can’t help smiling back!

Wooyoung

☆ The Sorting Hat speaks almost the second it’s placed on Wooyoung’s head. “Oh, Merlin! This one’s a Gryffindor if I’ve ever seen one!” Grinning, Wooyoung is off the stool in no time, proud to get the house he wanted so definitively.

☆ He’s a Half-Blood, both of his parents wizards just descended from mixed lines, plenty of Muggleborn and Half-Blood genes contributing. He used to joke that his family needed to be careful or else they’d end up with a bunch of squibs, but he couldn’t care less about blood- they’re his family.

☆ This boy LOVES Charms- any class he can use to screw with his friends is a great one for Wooyoung! He’s also an absolute star at Potions AKA his friends’ savior when they need help. He just legitimately loves it, though, so working on even the homework for it is often fun for him!

☆ Cannot STAND History of Magic, it’s just blah blah blah…but at least he can kick San under the bench and see what random stuff he can levitate without Binns noticing (it’s a lot).

☆ Another of Gryffindor’s Chasers, Wooyoung is known for taking (and often landing) really daring shots! May even want to try out for captain later on.

☆ Jokes about his Patronus looking like a lion because he’s that proud to be a Gryffindor, but as he remembers good times with friends and family and a fox leaps from his wand with a sly tilt of its head, Wooyoung can’t help but feel like he got the perfect partner.

Jongho

☆ "You're good at something once you put your mind to it." Jongho's mouth fell open into a little 'o' of surprise, not expecting a compliment from the Sorting Hat of all people...well, beings? "Convincing, too, very convincing. You can take charge when you need to." Jongho nodded along with the hat's words right up to the moment it called out "Slytherin!" He was a bit surprised being so brave and active, but he sort of had the feeling it'd be either Gryffindor or Slytherin.

☆ A Pure-Blood wizard, Jongho doesn’t let the pressure of that get to him- to him they’re all witches and wizards, it’s their skills and application that depend, and he intends to use and grow his!

☆ One of his favorite subjects is Flying because it helps him practice for Quidditch, one of his greatest areas of desire to achieve! He also adores Muggle Studies, the class where he learns about Muggle sports like soccer and subsequently tries to find Muggleborns to play with him.

☆ Considers dropping Divination because it’s such a ridiculous class, but keeps it just because it ends up being some of the most fun bonding time with friends. And ok, fine, once something may have been accurate and the curiosity has eaten him up since.

☆ One of Slytherin’s Beaters, and boy is he good at it! Such a strong arm makes for some spectacular Bludger shots. A big part of why the other teams are worried about playing Slytherin.

☆ Is determined to cast a corporeal Patronus, focusing with all his might on his best memory. It definitely pays off, he thinks, as a massive light fills the space in front of him, coalescing into the form of a big grizzly bear ready to firmly protect him.

[madeup-community-episodes]

Theoretics of Bisexual Lighting

Background: The Dean rents out a gaudy hotel venue for a Greendale faculty only dance and NOTHING ELSE THIS WAS ALWAYS HIS PLAN (lying). Its all nicely decorated and he even got some LED lighting, specifically bisexual lighting, which is pointed out by Abed. A-Plot: Troy and Abed decide to go together as each others platonic dates, but the atmosphere gets Troy REALLY thinking about his and Abed's relationship. (More under the cut)

He looks back and sees that for the past 6+ years he has always been with him, save the rare moments they fought. Troy starts to think about spending the rest of his life with Abed, but the thing is he doesn't want to stress Abed out with anything romantic, he doesn't even know if this feeling IS romance, but he also doesn't think its platonic. Abed notices Troy is avoiding talking to him and asks if he wants to go, but Troy says nothings wrong. Throughout the night Troy gets more and more caught up in trying to categorizes his feelings of Abed into romantic or platonic or even familial. Later on in the night Troy confess he loves Abed and wants to kiss and all that with him but still doesn't know what he wants call it, and Abed's just kinda like 'I mean we could make something up, just for us', which helps Troy a LOT and yeah they kiss under the bisexual lighting and to the song 'Somewhere out there' by Linda Ronstadt :] B-Plot: Jeff and Duncan, the night before, decide to stay the night at the hotel to treat themselves, in separate rooms. HOWEVER, the hotel had a system glitch so Duncan's booked room was given to someone else. Jeff lets him stay in his room. That room happens to be a 'Honeymoon suite' because Jeff wanted to treat himself okay? So first off, they take a name in the middle of the day because the room situation kept them up until late in the night, but someone forgot to set an alarm and they end up missing one hour of the dance. THEN Jeff takes an inordinate amount of time in the shower, missing 30 more minutes of the dance. After THAT Duncan can't find the suit top he was going to wear, only realizing he forgot it at home, which loses them another hour. and after more comedic shenanigans ('dont you dare wear that tie, I am NOT matching with you' 'its the only one I brought Ian.' 'idc'), end up missing 4 hours of the dance, Jeff tries to go down without him- he really doesn't know why he didn't while he was looking for the jacket- but the lock on the door breaks and they're locked in and instead of yknow, calling the front desk, they argue about it. Duncan's like 'Why the hell didnt you just go without me?' and Jeffs like 'maybe I like being around you??' and Ians like 'bullshit, you started ignoring me after I didnt get you the test answers' Jeff is all like 'jesus christ, I know I sucked back then but MAYBE im a different person now and want to actually put in effort to be friends again' and Ians like 'Well-' but his ankle does that thing where it just twists while he's pacing around and he falls HARD into the lighting system of the room and, through the divine power of comedy tropes, turns on the Honeymoon Suite bisexual lighting and jazz music. Jeff goes over to him to check if he's okay and yknow after a heart to heart like that (pretend the dialogue was more emotional Im not good at writing emotional dialogue), emotions are racing and they are looking into eachothers eyes all deep and shit and and gay kiss and make out for the first time. First time SOBER, that is C-Plot: Annie meets one of the caterer girls and she tries so hard to get her number because hoooolllly shit she was so pretty omg. She embarrasses herself a lot and at some point just walks away to the bathroom to cry. Britta finds her and is like 'girl you dont have to bust your ass for anyone just go and ask the world wont explode i prommy' and so Annie works up the courage, goes over shaking and lands the girls number. :]

Extra: The dean rented the venue originally for a furcon but that fell thorough and it was a LOT of money to just waste.

[augment-techs]

PR UNFAVORITE CHARACTER RANT! GO!!!

Okay, let's start with the live action and work our way into the comics:

MMPR--Turbo: I'm sorry Jason, you are so boring and basic, I wasn't that sorry to see you go. At least Rocky had half a personality.

Dulcea; because there was no reason for her to wear that wardrobe and I kind of hate her for being a little creepy with the teenage boys. Mr. Stewart; I never once saw him in canon, which really just makes me hate him more for not surrendering his parental rights so Justin could be legally emancipated and move in with literally any of the older Rangers.

Jerome Stone: FUCK YOU FOR NOT NOTICING BULK AND SKULL WERE MISSING AND SHOWED MORE FEELING FOR THE CHIMPS THAN FOR THE YOUNG ADULTS!! Alpha 6:--tell me I'm not the only one that wanted to shoot him in the head each time he spoke.

Professor Phenomenus...Why is he here.

In Space: ...Andros before Zhane came alive. The whole time he was a prick, but at least Zhane offset that behavior.

Lost Galaxy: Trakeena's dad is disgusting for forcing the transformation on his daughter. And all the rest, but especially that.

Lightspeed Rescue: Jinxer, Vypra, Loki--why are any of you here?

Time Force: Mr. Collins throughout 90% of the season can go fuck himself. Also Alex in the second half of the season. Also...can I count the entire civilization of the 31st Century? Like, this is kind of fucked up.

Wild Force: I hate you Animus, I hate you Shayla, I hate you Master Org.

Ninja Storm: ......................Unfavorite is a biiiiit of the stretch, but I can I give you a total lack of feeling for Hunter and Blake and call it a day? Also Choobo, but that's just because he's kind of irritating.

Dino Thunder: ...Wow, this is gonna make me look bad, but for the sake of answering the question as truthfully as possible...Dr. Oliver. I'm sorry, but Tommy here was purely for filler and his haircut fills me with boiling rage. Especially during the Frozen in Place and Invisible to the camera episodes. Fuck right off, please.

SPD: ....Birdy was meaningless. But I also dislike Doggie when he's such a fucking self-important prick that needs to be kicked in the dick by Kat. So...59% of the time.

Mystic Force: Please don't kill me, but...Udonna IMMEDIATELY after she found out Nick was her son. Like, I get it, she got her child back, her husband is still under mind control and out in the world, she's on cloud nine. But this makes her look really, really, really insensitive. And presumptuous. Every time she called him Bowen I felt a little bit violent.

Operation Overdrive: Andrew Hartford can take a red hot poker up his entire ass. I haven't finished the season yet, but ideally, Spencer would get a divorce from him and full custody of Mack.

Jungle Fury: ...Dom is a perfectly nice guy, but he is so very boring that half of the people that watched this season forget he exists. And I am one of them. I also hate that they hooked him up with Fran. NO.

RPM: Colonel Truman. Especially when he pulled a gun on Dr. K. Who is a CHILD. He lost ALLLLLLLLLL respect at that moment.

Samurai: *picks up a rifle and sets it up in a sniper's nest* Mentor Ji. Not an actual mentor. Just someone who maintains the status quo for the sake of "honor" and "tradition" and all those other terrible terrible things that basically guarantee no Red Ranger ever made it to forty.

Dino Charge: James Navarro is a fucking deadbeat. I don't care if he stopped aging and was tasked with great power, he's a fucking dickhead.

Ninja Steel: I don't care for Redbot. He's a sweetie, but I do not care about him in any meaningful capacity. Also Dane Romero is kind of a waste of...any meaningful screen time.

Beast Morphers: Steel Silva is wonderful as a robot, but I failed to see the point of turning him into a human. Also, can I register the Heteronormative Romance EVERYTHING to do with Zoey and Nate as an Unfavorite Character? It seems tangible enough that it's its own entity.

Dino Fury/Cosmic Fury: Santaura's monster form was awesome, but I very very squicked when I found out she was heavily pregnant in Cosmic Fury--like, how? Also Zayto is a little bit too much in one season and a little too little in another. Ollie is oddly safer from me when he's a single entity or evil or unlocked from evil--or right next to Aiyon and nowhere near Amelia. This could be your fault. Boom! Comics: HAAAAAAAAAAA, we are in for a wild ride.

Drakkon from being broken out of his prison dimension and all the way up to being shot in the chest by Ranger Slayer. He was great in Shattered Grid and the early comics, but very little else. I am sorry, but the minute he got that haircut, he became extremely annoying.

I know we are supposed to be sympathetic to Kiya's plight. We are supposed to be aware that she has been fucked over every which way. But the second she turned to murder and made everything worse because she couldn't control herself or seek help for her PTSD? Buh-bye.

Marleau Eskin is the supreme bitch that doesn't realize she's in an action adventure series and while I hate her, I kind of wish she'd come back and give the Rangers more things to deal with as actual teenagers.

Dayne was interesting for a moment, but I really don't see why they keep bringing him back. I get he makes an excellent excuse for lore dump, but...

Dark Specter is the most boring cosmic entity that has ever graced these pages and he also was the one that turned Coinless Zack and Skull into Lava Zombies. And worse than that, he used Skull as a his own personal Viewing Globe before assigning him the task of letting the other zombies into the Coinless base before he got decked by Bulk. Also he steals children to use them as vessels. Also he apparently is the reason Rito Revulto is a walking skeleton and an idiot.

Last but certainly not least: Finster. An actual, factual murderer who killed his wife and ritually resurrects her only to kill her again when she shows fear of him every single time. That's not getting into the shit he pulls experimenting to create new monsters and what he probably helped Drakkon do to Goldar, Baboo, and Squatt. Of all the characters on this list, I hate him most of all.

[proudfreakmetarusonikku]

I’m in a lot of pain so I’m thinking about my nova au to stay calm (tl;dr for it is basically metal sonic makes his own sonic oc the aforementioned nova to try and infiltrate and assassinate sonic's friendgroup, immediately instead decides that they're His Now bc being treated like a person is nice, transes her gender into literally all of them, and gets into the world's most hilariously consensually toxic qpr with sonic based around eventual murder) and the robotnik family in it is so fucking funny like.

eggman's first child ended up running off with his arch nemesis for one. i mean like nova and eggman's relationship is more complicated than that they do care for each other a lot even if their relationship is strained, in a mutually very fucked up way, but seeing your daughter making out with the guy you fucking hate so much you literally created your daughter solely to kill him is not exactly the best way to learn your little robot killing machine is growing up.

outside of that, though, their relationship is such a mess it’s very funny. like, nova is still metal just like his organicsona. but that also means nova has been treated like a person and until that point metal didn’t even see himself as one bc he wasn't ever treated as having full sentience. this isn’t because eggman is a dick- i mean, he is, and that does impact their relationship, but not in this case- he legitimately did not know metal had developed free will bc metal's response to it was literally just to be perfectly obedient anyway. so he basically learnt he had a very sapient mentally ill teenager Because he saw it hanging out with team sonic (specifically, nova took a blow meant for sonic bc it refuses to let anyone else kill him, the force interrupted it's shapeshifting and transformed him back to its neo metal sonic state, it was very awkward for everyone). so like, he genuinely feels kind of bad bc like even though his whole thing of having his robots see him like a father is mostly an ego thing bc like. that means he made a mistake!

and nova's relationships with Everyone are equally very ego based so in return she sees eggman as her father to boost her ego too- bc she views him as one of the few organic beings with worth, and therefore as special. but that also means xe treats him more like a young child than a father bc of hir superiority complex xe views organic life as inherently stupid and lesser unless they’re sonic bc it’s literally programmed into hir Because xe was made by someone equally as arrogant as them. so, like, their relationship seems very strained on the surface, especially since nova spends most of their time with sonic and his friends, but they actually get along great and have a great deal of respect for each other. i mean like it’s not like nova defected he's a neutral party who’s goal is to build up sonic to his peak to prove his superiority to him when he murders him he helps eggman as much as he helps sonic and his friends depending on the circumstances. she's tolerated bc she does make sure no one dies and also bc she’s a singularity level intelligence entirely fixated on that goal she's hilariously op in the au bc the idea of the most powerful being in a setting being someone who's so obsessed over a singular thing they never actually do anything with it is very funny to me.

sage is in this au definitely made as like a second attempt by eggman to be a decent dad and Not have his child run away and become skynet in a psychotic episode at fourteen. like probably not consciously but she’s definitely sort of a replacement metal in a subconscious way. which like you might expect would lead to resentment since nova is incredibly possessive but no they get along really well. by this point metal's been living primarily as his organic oc for four years and while he's not fundamentally a different person as nova a lot of his traits present differently and one of those ways is that his sense of superiority tends to manifest less as obvious smugness but instead as treating people like they're children or pets in need of care, which isn’t, like, exactly great but it is genuine progress for the guy who murdered people for fun as a fourteen year old y’know. and that means she ends up as sort of like a mentor big sister type of figure for sage, who looks up to her a lot.

speaking of like taking on a mentor role bc they view themselves as superior, we get into shadow. who Is nova's distant cousin technically bc sonic lore is wild like metal sonic and shadow being distantly related through adoption is actual canon i was given on a silver platter by sonic team. anyway like nova ends up being very much a sort of mentor figure to shadow during his amnesia mostly bc it sees itself in him. they’re both inherently superior to those around them, they’re both very lost and alone at that point, as far as nova's concerned shadow is close enough to themselves that he's worthy of “help”. which is mostly kicking him in the shin and smugly telling him if he was a robot he wouldn’t feel pain then horribly misunderstanding literally everything going on worse than shadow would alone but it is a genuine effort at helping. so after they do have a very awkward but cordial relationship bc nova does show genuine kindness through her own very warped perspective to him but also like it is absolutely not at all helpful. (that is generally a decent description of nova's relationship with everyone she cares about, though, she fundamentally does not think the same as an organic life form and therefore attempts at empathy and kindness come off as weird and uncanny bc she's a sadistic murderbot who views being damaged as fun bc she doesn’t have a sense of touch and thinks she knows better than everyone else).

so like, tl;dr they are the most dysfunctional family in the world but like. in a funny way.

[lorewovenrp]

saw the blazed (i think? its been a few minutes i couldve forgotten where i saw it) ceremony post you did and this looks so interesting!! i was in a wc rp about a year ago? that used liquid time and even though i ended up leaving that after being in that rp for years its really hard for me to keep up with normal roleplays now ;-; so its nice to see another one that seems to be using the same format

plus the ideas are super interesting, especially leaders influence over their clans and the differences in the warrior code!!! ive seen hints of the first before but never the second but its such a good way to differentiate the clans??

in canon and in most roleplays, even with custom clans its mostly just a list of traits differentiating clans. a lot of the times those traits are personality traits, which obviously get ignored because,, well. you cant have a whole group of all the same slightly different character. it could work if it was framed as just like traits that are valued, but ive never seen it done that way.

but having clans work by their own set of values??? hello??? especially something as important to their way of life as the code? its genius. definitely keeping an eye out for this rp!!

Thank you so much for your kind words! 🥹 It means a lot to hear that you’re excited about our concepts!

We’re huge fans of liquid time for exactly the reasons you mentioned. Not everyone has the same schedule, and we never want someone to feel like they’re falling behind just because life got busy. Whether you can pop in daily or only every other week, liquid time lets you pick up right where you left off without feeling rushed. At the same time, it also keeps things fun for those who are super active—letting them move forward without leaving slower plots in the dust. It’s all about making space for everyone’s pace without losing the magic of storytelling.

As for leaders and their impact on their clans, we live for the chaos and consequences. You want to turn your clan into every other clan’s mortal enemy? Go for it! (Good luck, though. You’ll probably need it. 😆) We actually had a past roleplay where a leader’s choices cursed their entire clan. While the other clans thrived with over 100 members, that clan dwindled to around 50, all because of the leader’s reckless actions. The only way out? The leader had to make the tough choice to break the curse—if they hadn't, the clan might have vanished entirely.

Honestly, we live for a self-aware king who almost single-handedly wipes out their entire clan. 😂 Power, consequences, and drama—it’s what makes a roleplay world feel alive.

You're absolutely right—so much of the canon and some roleplays focus on clans being different in personality, while still following the same base code. We thought, why not go deeper? What if their values—the rules they live by—are what really separate them? We want each clan’s version of the code to influence their behavior, their conflicts, and their culture. After all, if each clan plays by different rules, what one sees as ‘honorable’ could be another’s greatest crime. 👀

Thank you so much for keeping an eye on us! We hope to open up the discord soon and then the site will follow shortly after!

[fujoreads]

To Strip the Flesh // Review

To Strip the Flesh is a short tales collection in manga format, containing 5 stories in total—the main one going by the book’s title.

I remember someone mentioning this in a book-related podcast I listen to, but I don’t remember which one. I found it at a bookshop when I went on a little date last year, and I just had to buy it! It took me a while to finally read it, but I’m glad I did.

CW: Gender Dysphoria, Explicit Nudity; Organs; Hunting; Animal death; Sexism; Transphobia; Body Horror

This manga was something else. I may not have the exact same experience as our protagonist Chiaki, but I related so hard I cried—thrice, in fact. I got such a headache from crying I had to end the day that evening. Powerful stuff.

I knew I would probably enjoy it because of the art and the topic of trans issues. I myself am a transmasc bastard, so it’s always nice to see manga talking about these things.

When I finally finished it, I had to pause for a minute or two. For the first half, I read many scenes where I felt dysphoric together with Chiaki, but the way the story ended made me actually try to be stronger and fight for my right to happiness, even if I have to face transphobic doctors on the way.

Chiaki Ogawa has never doubted that he is a boy, although the rest of the world has not been as kind. Bound by his mother’s dying wish, Chiaki tries to be a good daughter to his ailing father. When the burden becomes too great, Chiaki sets out to remake himself in his own image and discovers more than just personal freedom with his transition—he finds understanding from the people who matter most. (The StoryGraph)

Although the main story is this one about Chiaki, there are many others who are also just as enjoyable, albeit shorter.

This tale is condensed in about 100 pages, but packs an emotional punch enough to leave you in tears. It made me realize that I have my own found family and I don’t need to keep living a lie.

The flow of the story may have been somewhat rushed due to its overall length, but it still felt neatly presented. I do wish I could have seen more of Chiaki and the rest of the cast, especially his late mother.

This manga’s artstyle is interesting. It feels very anime, but it does feel different in some aspects, like how soft the eyes are. I really enjoyed it.

As someone with a big chest, I personally related to Chiaki’s struggles and the way it was visually presented was just wonderful.

Chiaki is the son of a hunter (who also butches his own kills). He lives as a closeted trans man and desires not to betray his parents’ wishes for him—to be a bride—hurt as it may. He struggles with trying to impose his masculinity to his father, who refuses to see him as anything else but his daughter, saying how “women don’t hunt”, and never letting him get hurt, seeing him as a frail girl. However, we also see his weaknesses: how he never lets his father know his true feelings, even when his father clearly shows he cares for what he thinks is best to Chiaki. It’s understandable, but also what strains their relationship at some point, even if from Chiaki’s perspective.

It’s so sweet to see Chiaki’s growth after a big moment where he has to make an important decision, both for him and his father, and how that improved their overall relationship.

His father was an interesting character to follow as well, even if we see less of him, and usually accompanied by Chiaki. I wish we could have had more moments with him.

I enjoyed Takato as a friend of Chiaki’s, but while he is sweet and supportive, he’s also a bit annoying. Maybe having him grow more throughout the story instead of a last-minute development would have made him more justice.

This was a lovely read, and not just for the main story. Personally, the Hot Watermelon short story was my second favorite, followed by David in Love.

I got even more excited seeing how Oto Toda, the author, worked as an assistant for Tatsuki Fujimoto on Fire Punch—one of my favorite works ever, as despair-inducing as it was.

If you care about stories centered around trans issues, you’ll certainly like it. It’s also a tale of father-son love, and how old wounds can be treated, even if it seems all too late.

This is a very short story, followed by other even shorter stories, so if you desire a more detailed and lengthy tale, you might not enjoy this. It’s a powerful narrative, but it’s rushed at times and unless you personally relate to Chiaki’s struggles, you might feel less emotionally affected.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Thank you for reading it all to the end! Hey, kind stranger! Would you be so kind and consider giving me a little tip? It can be as low as 3 bucks and it’d make a huuuuuge difference!! If you tip 10€ (or higher), you can dictate my next read and be credited (if you’d like) on that review! Have a nice day!!

[heycerulean]

Hi! I'm here to ask about teq quetzeve / myla metilio-kevas / literally anyone out of syTP-TC!

No pressure, but if you want to talk about any of it I'd love to hear it!

see sometimes i spontaneously remember when i get an ask like this that when i scream into the void (my tags) the void screams back (the people who read those tags) and i am so incredibly grateful that the void is filled with such nice people. AND SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO here is your formal introduction to Sytze Myla Metilio-Kevas, Director of Bands and Professor of Brass Performance at the Pavilic Academy of Infernocasting (PAoIC). For our purposes we'll be reffering to them by their nickname, "Mets," or "syz. Mets".

FUN FACTS: - they / he with neutral preferences - absolute ICON - Spouse of Teveres "Tev" Kevas-Metilio - Parent of Atzia Metilio - named their kid after a book character in the project (who was a hotel owner with strong connections to The Hand Of Rivers / Deus Torin / the water god responsible for both connecting and separating and give and take and all that) - plays french horn as their main instrument

- has aircasting under a TSTL cast chart (which basically means he's- out of the sets of gods- most connected to Tenebri, Solae, and Torin, and is more connected to the Tenebrietic side of things than the Caderian, which you'd think would be the same as having a connection to the god, but it's not, and that's a whole other conversation.) LORE: - was born in a backwater town called Kessa Varna (which was VERY far from its future as a beautiful center of glassblowing industry and was at the time just some traveling hub with a couple nice restaurants and nothing else.) - wasn't the most financially stable in their childhood

- his high school band director practically forced him to apply to an internship program for the Pavilic National Academies because they knew he could make it and Myla was super talented - surprise surprise, they get in, and travel across the country to go live in the capitol of the province Soleni- a giant city next to a river called Lucere- so he can go be cool and get their sytzetriae hours. - context: a sytzetriae/sytzeship is the type of degree someone has to have to be ordained as a Sytze. It's kind of like making a contract with a god to protect and help the people around you. In their case, they have what's called a T/A sytzetriae, or a Tenebrietic Artist Sytzetriae, which means they've sworn to make the world better through art. It also makes your casting more powerful, and gives you a cool set of scars on your dominant arm.

- anyway, while he's here, he meets Teveres "Tev" Kevas- second son of the Amari Kevas-Arizi- aka, son of the gold trading company owner and severe rich kid. except, he's really fucking nice, he knows the city, and they get on great. - queue; Tev lying to his mother (Soni Arizi-Kevas) about having a significant other because she keeps asking and he's tired of telling her no. - queue; Tev having to bring said unexistent significant other to a family gathering. - queue; "Myla, hey, short notice, I know, but do you want to go to this stupid party my mom's hosting down in Dia Torei?"

- so, now, you have Fancy Ass Choir Nerd and Iconic Future Band Director fake dating to go to this party down in rich people city at the Kevas Estate. this goes just perfectly. - that is, until, of course, Myla passes out because he's not feeling well and he is so far out of his element. - queue; tev being all 'saints and gods that weave the nations i might actually be falling for my best friend. if you can define love, anyway. love is strange. love is weird. love is-" - queue; tev's parent (Amari K-A) calling Myla a common swine and tev punching her for it.

- queue; Tev and Myla going back to PAoIC with half a semester left until they graduate, a shared distaste for the Kevas family, and way too much love for music. - this actually goes very well for them. They both get jobs at PAoIC, Myla starts helping with the marching band, they eventually make things official and work in separate enough places that it's not like it's awkward or anything. - child! Her name is Atzia Amari Metilio-Kevas. She'll eventually drop Kevas from her name, and hate her middle one with a passion, but that comes later. She's great and everything goes great for the next 19 ish years. - queue: War. - see, the States-Pavilic war wasn't new. it'd been rising for years, conflicts and tensions and all that, so when it finally boiled over it wasn't a shock. In 1977, however, things took a turn.

- Tev starts getting contacted by the government. not his, though. The United States one. and they give him an ultimatum; make it easy for them to kill Myla, or they kill both Myla and Atzia. - He makes the sacrifice. - It's well hidden. He's a greiving spouse, Atzia's a grieving child. - That is, until, of course, two of their students; one Mesa Kavitski and one Azalea "Az" Xirelle; manage to uncover the plot (mainly because Mesa could've been blamed for it otherwise.)

- Tev is now in jail. Atzia's life is now feeling very ruined. Tev rots away, consisting on memories and scattered visits from his very busy older brother who takes pity on him as his daughter wants nothing to do with him (which, fair, honestly) and Atzia joins the government because she sees it as the only way to prevent something like this from happening to anyone else ever. - Atzia goes on to live. Tev dies, and him and Myla make up in the afterlife. They get a house out in what's similar enough to the suburbs of Lucere, and live off of birdwatching and judging Ras'Kititche shows (which is the official name for the magic kind of marching band that's popular in Pavilia.)

- All in all, they leave a legacy. They were a kind soul who helped so many, and their work on the PAoIC band- whether that be it's culture, it's talent, or it's show caliber- was changed by Mets. They were a loving parent, spouse, teacher, and friend, and they were missed not just by those who knew them, but a nation that cares for the Martyrs it's saints declare. TLDR: Myla was a cool person who did music things. They died to foreign government blackmail, but their funeral was really fucking pretty, so that makes up for some of it. edit: tagging @houstondoyoucopy because i said i would :)

[okayto]

Mini-Review: My Happy Marriage

Miyo's abusive family deems her worthless without a magical gift, and her betrothal to an infamously cold man has everyone—including herself—expecting that she'll be thrown out into the streets. With no home to return to, Miyo resigns herself to her fate—and soon finds that her pale and handsome husband-to-be is anything but the monster she expected. As they slowly open their hearts to each other, both realize the other may be their chance at finding true love and happiness.

I was super excited when I heard earlier this year that My Happy Marriage was getting an anime, because I had coincidentally picked up the first volumes of the manga on a whim from the library and was immediate hooked. First, the manga covers that caught my eye are gorgeous, and while obviously things change in adaptation, this is still a very pretty anime.

It's set in an alternate Taisho era (circa 1912-1926; I'm guessing this takes place sometime in the second half of the era, considering we see some flapper fashion) where magic exists. Miyo is enduring a Cinderella-esque nightmare that's lasted a lifetime: despite both parents coming from strong magical family lines, she's powerless. Her mother died when she was young; her father immediately remarried his old flame, who takes delight in beating Miyo down, metaphorically and literally.

Normally in a Cinderella-type story, the father is dead, gone, or oblivious, but here her father is absolutely complicit in the physical and emotional abuse hurled at Miyo. Her mother's belongings are stolen, she's kept malnourished and inadequately-clothed. To her father she's nothing more than a tool to marry off, and abuse is a great way to make sure she doesn't have the energy to try doing literally anything other than what she's told. To her stepmother and half-sister, she's an object of ridicule for her lack of powers, and a target for the crime of being born from a political marriage rather than the love match that they're related to.

Even when told she's now engaged to and going to live with an infamously-cold man who has driven off multiple fiancees already, Miyo just accepts the situation, because what else can she do? She fully expects to be thrown out at some point, and just hopes that she can manage to put that day off as long as possible by being as invisible and inoffensive as possible.

Kiyoka, the man, for his part is a little prickly, but mostly annoyed at having to deal with a string of upper-class socialites, and rapidly comes around when it's clear that Miyo isn't that.

In fact, Kiyoka realizes what's going on, and also recognizes his feelings, faster than she does--a lifetime of abuse isn't easily healed by a few weeks of respite, and Miyo is essentially waiting for the other shoe to drop the entire time. She's survived abuse, but if she lets herself actually want things, and enjoy her life, then it will feel so much worse when it inevitably gets ripped away like every other nice thing she's ever had.

It's easy, as the viewer, to get a bit frustrated with Miyo sometimes because she won't say when she really wants something, but that's the point. This isn't just the story of a young woman escaping her abusive family for someone who values her, it's also about her having to come to terms with that fact that she has value, and that she's allowed to want things.

Overall, this was a great series, and I'm hopeful it'll get another season at some point. The original light novels, and the manga, are still ongoing (I can recommend the manga; haven't tried the novels) so there's more story. And it's ripe for more: the Cinderella story is the beginning, but the magic of the world and Kiyoka's role in what's essentially an anti-demon military unit of all supernaturally-gifted soldiers gets a good amount of screentime and has its own tantalizing mysteries (and exciting action sequences).

Honestly, the only thing I disliked about the series was this scene near the end when Kiyoka and Miyo are attending an event wearing western-style clothing...those aren't ~1920s clothes, right? I'm not crazy? What Miyo is wearing doesn't matter (I'm still dubious about it but far less so), but the background women... are those gowns with bustles like it's ~1884? Why are there Victorian ballgowns??? This scene lasts for less than 3 minutes in a single episode, it doesn't matter, but I can't stop thinking about it.

Verdict

English dub? Yes!

Visuals: Very pretty. It's a pleasure to watch!

Worth watching? Absolutely. The Cinderella story aspect is great if you like those types of stories, but that's not the only thing going on. The magic here, and politics surrounding it, are intriguing and I can't wait to dive in deeper, whether than manga or anime. Plus, who doesn't like a cool character who can set things on fire? I LOVE a cool character who can set things on fire.

Where to watch (USA, as of December 2023): Netflix

Click my “reviews” tag below or search “mini review” on my blog to find more!

[thelediz]

Sonic Underground 07: Underground Masquerade

I’m watching Sonic Underground in search of inspiration to finish a fic I’ve been writing forever. It’s a sad state of affairs. See the recap of the first three episodes here, if you're interested!

The plot (for want of a better word): The Sonic Underground takes a pack of thieving urchins under the wing to try and bring them to the right path. But surrounded by the life he left behind, can Manic truly let go of his past?

This episode showcases some unhelpful biases and terrible optics. Parental Guidance is advised.

This show really goes out of its way to act like Manic is constantly at risk of betraying Sonic and Sonia in the name of thievery. He’s literally never done anything to even put them at risk, but Sonia (and Aleena’s voice over) act like he’s always a risk. It’s… telling.

So an interesting thing in Sonic Underground: the alignments of the three siblings. In most media, Sonic is Chaotic Good. Sometimes even Chaotic Neutral, because ultimately he only cares about what he considers the right thing to do, and sometimes other people don’t agree. But because here he has siblings, he’s the Neutral Good between Sonia’s Lawful and Manic’s Chaotic. The reason I mention this is because he says the most True Neutral thing ever in this episode: “Any particular reason why we should care?” Which I love. He looks at this kid, and the gold in his hand, and immediately pegs him as bad news on the run from the law. And his response is to not give a single damn until he is given a reason. I just appreciate that bit of characterisation.

And then we have Sonia being a snob, and Sonic being even more practical. They have a musical show to do and their new thief friend has musical ability. Sonic wants the help. Manic wants the fun. Sonia wants to get away from the unwashed and unclean. This is actually a great episode to set up the triplets’ mindsets actually…

Buuuut just as I’m getting impressed, the show screws up the order of its scenes. There’s a scene in the van that clearly should have happened BEFORE thief kid introduces them to his friends, but it happens after. Nice continuity show, well done.

Ah hah… another nice world building bit, with the urchins all saying “yeah, I’ll stop stealing. Just give me another option.” Which is like… yes! Exactly! And… Sonia’s response is “oh, the rich will find a home for you!” which is… so naïve. And no sweet. And so dumb. God DAMN this show and its world! It’s just so good when you look for it!

Except the thing is, the show isn’t trying to make a point, which it proves by having absolutely no sympathy for Manic showing off his skills to the kids, and getting Sonia to lecture him about how she and Sonic are worried he’s slipping back to old tricks.

Which I don’t actually think is Sonic’s concern (he's on mission tunnel vision duty this episode), but whatever. He doesn’t correct her and it doesn’t matter. Moving on!

In contrast to Mindy and her father, the rich guy in this episode is using his wealth and power to smuggle secrets to the Resistance. Y’know. Just to be subtle about the gap between rich and poor in this episode. Skeevy.

Especially when Dingo convinces Manic and the urchins to steal from the rich to fund the resistance. OH NO THE MORAL DILEMMA.

Oh Manic. Oh, you silly, insecure boy. You were my favourite character once.

The SONG: Down on the Bayou… which is not only not appropriate for a ball, but is also super gross in context. Singing about how you’ll do things just like they do in the bayou while Manic is stealing from someone who trusts him… yeah… Optics are a thing, writers.

But at least now Manic appears to have given Sonia a reason for all her ‘Manic’s thievery is A Problem’ nonsense. Though uh, it seems kind of weird that Sonic and Sonia are just letting someone slap cuffs on him for stealing when they usually will get everyone out for a reason. Apparently life and death risks are fine but stealing is the one thing Sonic and Sonia will not tolerate.

And the rich guy immediately turns on them. Of course.

Though you will note that this time their medallions don’t need charging after their song. Consistency? Who needs that?

And luckily! Sleet and Dingo are scheming in a convenient alley and the thief kid can prove himself useful and good in the end!

Ooh, hey, Aleena not only showing up but making herself useful! Who knew she was capable?

Yeah… yeah. Nice world building. Kind of… awkward though. Yeah…

The counters! I'm adding one because I've realised it's going to come up:

Sonic implying less than 100% American heterosexuality: 2

Sonia's super-strength: 1

Sonia's in love with Bartleby: 1/37

Manic's Thievery Is A Problem: 1

Come back tomorrow if you want to know more!