#still really cool though like? you like my art?? omg?!! its such an honor!!

[mewmew-dream]

forgot to say this when it happened because i passed out after but anyways um! ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITE ARTISTS FOLLOWED ME AND ITS SO SCARY HELP ME?? not sure if i should mention them though considering i never really interacted with them outside of liking or reblogging their art..! BUT ITS AN HONOR BC THEIR ART IS SO AMAZING AND COOL LOOKING !!!

[theguardianace]

AROACE POLYSHO ???? SPILL SPILL SPILL TWLL ME ALL ABOUT IT PLEASE

AROACE POLYSHOW AROACE POLYSHOW THE GREATEST THING OF ALL TIME.

things of note that i think are fun.... nene and rui had major questioning phases pre-wxs about being aroace. i'd imagine nene being really confused why everyone around her seemed so interested in dating and romance and the whole amatanormative feel of dramatic media and such. it's in so many plays, and people get in so many shipping wars/draw suggestive art for games. it's hard to ignore as a theater kid and gamer. she didn't get it and felt isolated. she came across the term aroace online but had a hard time accepting that she might be that, but eventually silently embraced it. rui on the other hand knew full well he was not like other people. he's not the kind of guy who would pick and choose a crush that isn't there. being aroace and a middle/high schooler made him feel even more lonely and alienated from his peers. he agknowledged the fact he was aroace pretty easily, but it took him a lot longer to accept that isn't a bad thing at all.

emu and tsukasa had NO clue they were aroace. did not occur to them at all. emu had to be told it was a thing and she went "huh? OHHH THATS ME !!!! :D". skipped teh entire questioning/am i broken stage and went right to "hehehehehehe". (though other people don't believe her that often. emu is so full of love. how could someone like her not fall in love with other people? she's too young. she hasn't met the right person yet. it's just a phase. her siblings started off as ignorantly aphobic, but then realized the fault of their ways and learned.). my hc for tsukasa is a bit different than other peoples, but i am fully convinced he thought he was bisexual for teh LONGEST time. "guys and girls can both be good looking, so i must be bi! yeah the extent of my feelings is "they're cool" ... what do you mean that's not what a crush is". it was a shocking revelation to him that people actually want to kiss/have sex for real. he's accepted being aroace and actively embraces it, though he still feels connected to teh bi label. he'd like the concept of tertiary attraction and probably label as bi aroace, to honor both.

i like to think that tsukasa accidentally came out first (accidentally meaning he simply forgot to tell them and then was surprised when they were all surprised). emu was like !!!!! omg samsies and nene laughed and came out, too. wxs were the first people rui ever said the words "aromantic asexual" out loud to.

i personally think aroace polyshow never actually labeled themeselves as such, but BOY do tehy act like they're all married. they just care about each other soooooo much. its platonic its queer platonic its romantic its everything all blended together. if its them, they can do anything. with the shared knowledge of being aroace, they all also sort of feel more comfortable being openly affectionate, yknow? there's no risk of misinterpretation of intent- they love each other. they love each other in a way that they cannot describe and most people wouldn't understand. they are tied by their love of shows and their love of each other. emu is really physically affectionate and they all feel safe cuddling with her. rui lightheartedly flirts and half the time i dont think he even realizes he's doing it, the other half he's just trying to be silly. nene excels in the silent acts of love, making sure the stage is clean and there's always a few snacks backstage and honeslty just being there for everyone.

they have game night/sleepover every once in a while, usually during planning stages of shows. there's also a high likelyhood one goes to another's house at least once a week for some reason.

oh also they never do romance plays ever. it was a revelation tehy only came to after coming out. it just... never occured to them to do one. and now that they all know none of them can fall in love they actively try and avoid it. they've re-written fables to be about the power of friendship, or re-imagined the tale to the point romance wouldn't even be on anyone's mind. it's not a theme the audience ever picks up on, but at the same time they do? they don't realize the pattern but nobody ever comes out of a show with that interpretation. their shows are a hit every time, too. ("story" doesn't mean "romance", after all).

wonderlands x showtime isn't a romance. it's a love story.

[artmiscarchive]

@spocksautismdiagnosis ahhhh thank you so much for the kind words!! (also what a stellar url omg💕)

these were by hand (though im quite honored that they look neat enough to maybe even be machined 🥺💕), mostly it just takes a lot of wrangling, patience, and practice! my first few were not anywhere near this level of neatness lmaoo. you can even see in the top pic how the border around the silver is much more uniform and bold than the one around the gold, there were quite a few patches made in between those two

and disclaimer also that at the time it was literally the main thing i was doing all day for months (shoutout to the person i was doing all the embroidery with 🔥) so hyperfixating on learning it really helped, we were both so deep in the sauce and basically embroidered while watching shows for agesss. audiobooks or youtube videos also work great for me for this

its the perfect kind of craft for if you just Gotta do something with your hands but dont have the space to start knitting projects, and its pretty cheap to get into! if youre not sure on what kind of thread to buy, the dmc brand ones youll find sold by the mini skein at most US craft stores are totally worth it. you can get kits online too, and while pretty much any thread works great, the dmc stuff is silkier and palpably a higher quality while still being affordable, and also much better texture-wise

in terms of specific techniques, id recommend using denim for sure. its stiffer and easier to work with while freehanding than classic embroidery fabric you might put in a hoop. you can also still see the grain of the fabric clearly, similar to hoop fabric, but also then the patch comes out a lot thicker since the body of the patch isnt all just embroidery thread!

when using denim, youll get that fray around the edges as you work, though, so id also recommend doing the border in bits of maybe an inch at a time, snipping juuust before you start to work on that section. id also definitely fill in the center and do the edges last, that way you have a feel for how the patch will most smoothly close up

practicing works best on long straight stretches or on larger circles, since then you arent having to wrangle the corners while youre just starting out. a circle patch about the size of your palm would make a great first few patches, since just going in a straight line wouldnt really let you make anything enclosed. seriously corners are a bitch, dont start with a trek delta! the three standalone deltas were all for a giveaway and after about two years of consistent work, the shiny one enclosed in the circle was one i made earlier on (though disclaimer the metallic thread was a lot thicker and more difficult to work with)

for stitchwork it helps if you do each one in a row as closely together as you can, but you can always go back over it later too. if you get any flyaway denim bits sneaking out you can lightly pull them or snip them too without too much problem. (i also found that doing white borders, like in my umbrella academy one, is a great hack to make them automatically look neater since then it blends in.)

this might be overly obvious but i literally took so long to process it was allowed to embroidery without tying it onto the needle, as long as you fold it back with about two spare inches itll mostly stay put. i spent three months desperately trying to work the tied thread through the fabric, it hurt my fingers and it punched too-big holes in spots constantly

lastly, if you ever decide doing the borders isnt for you - screw it! embroider gorgeous art or fun fan stuff and stick it right on the denim jacket, you can always do a little fabric paint to color match, or use fabric glue to seal or fold the edges behind so it doesnt fray! ive seen a lot of cool patches on jackets like that, it comes out looking very punk and absolutely rules!

happy embroidering and hmu anytime if you have questions or want to chat!! <3 <3 my trek main is @loudfederationscreeching and thats where i follow from <3

embroidery backlog, post 1/5

the ncc-1031 placard, rainbow tos delta, bajoran symbol (red/blue), wrath of khan era captains rank pip (purple), ds9/voy era delta, were all gifted!

the two call number placards use fabric paint with the embroidery, the rest are fully embroidery, all on denim

[greekgrad07]

favorite things about your mutuals? its positivity hour, go!

it would be a fucking honor 😭 i tried to get all my mutuals this time but i’m sure i forgot people. i’m sorry if i did pls don’t hate me 🥺

this is in no particular order btw

marisa (@skaterbeth): my fellow short asthmatic <3 i love you bruh 😭 i remember being nervous to message you at first bc i thought you would find me annoying. now look at us 😌 i can message you without fear bc i know you find me annoying 🤍you’re so talented and beautiful and incredible. i love your enthusiasm and you’re so funny. every time i get a notification that you’ve sent me a meme on instagram i get excited (and idk how but there’s one almost every morning when i wake up. i’m not complaining though)

erica (@skateryue): MY TWIN ILY 🤍🤍🤍 i forgot to tell you this but i took a which female atla character are you quiz and i got yue and thought of you <3 you’re so sweet and supportive and deserve all the love! i’m glad our mutual love of the parent trap, our mbti types, and how we’re both jeff goldblum brought us together lol. the vibes are immaculate 😌

adi (@bitcheusjackson): adi you are so smart. THE TAGS I LEAVE FOR YOU ARE WELL DESERVED! you’re such a good writer and your love of musicals is so cute! i also love getting to be an annabeth simp with you (as we all should). you’re also a talented artist! i know you don’t post a lot of your art but when you do i’m always blown away <3<3<3

fátima (@deepestempathllamalawyer): my adopted child 😌 i love you sm 🥺 you’re so sweet- like seriously, i appreciate every self help posted you tag me in and every cute animals post as well. i absolutely love seeing you in my notifications! you’re also the reason i became a malconnor shipper to thank you 😭🤍 (also i still have no idea wtf your url means but at this point i’m too afraid to ask)

ashna (@silenabeth): fun fact, you were the first “big” pjo blog that followed me and i absolutely lost my shit so there’s that <3 you’re such a talented writer and editor bruh i don’t tell you that enough. also, the queen who brought us connabeth i will forever stan 🤩 you’re so funny and one of the most supportive people ever <3<3<3 (also love all of your call out posts about marisa 😌)

sarah (@perseusjackkson): i told you that you were too cool to be following me and i stand by that. you’re so chill and funny, i vibe with you sm. really, your blog is full of so many different fandom and i vibe with almost all of it. you really made your blog for the people <3 i love reading your tags on the things you repost bc they are usually hilarious. also, i couldn’t be more supportive of your engagement to my twin 🤍

regina (@bisexualzia): regina you’re so sweet and genuine and funny and the fact that you associate me with cookies still makes me 🥰 and idk why. your tag has 🔥 by it and i told you it’s bc of ouat. idk if you get that but it’s my favorite show and one of my favorite characters is named regina so <3 also i’m glad there is someone else that can agree suki is superior 😌

zitz (@four-names): another reason why i ship malconnor <3 lol you send the most random asks and they always make my day! and your tags are everything btw stop hiding them 😂 you’re not afraid to speak your mind and you’re a very genuine person :)

drew (@cubanpercyj): you are so caring and passionate! i love your replies and tags to my posts and i’m glad we agree that percy can’t swim lol. you’re super chill and i vibe with you very much. and i’m sure you’ve heard this a lot but i love your aesthetic. the water header is so pretty <3

kayra (@awkwardteenwriter): you are so sweet! and YES ofc you have a tag bruh. i remember when i first tagged you in a post and you said that it made you happy aljdkhagf i tag you in like everything now i’m sure it gets annoying. you’re one of the most caring people ever though! one of our first interactions was you sending me a virtual hug during a hard time for me and i’ll always be thankful for that 🥺🤍

jaina (@jainadurron): you are so nice. every interaction we’ve had has been nothing but absolutely lovely and i’m glad that you joined the pjo fandom! you like almost all of my posts and i love seeing you in my notifications. also! i forgot to tell you your new avatar is so cute 🥺

haania (@padfootno): i love you and i’m sorry the fic isn’t out yet pls don’t hate me 😭 you’re literally the sweetest and most helpful person ever! i’m so thankful for your help on writing hijabi silena and ever since you’ve been so nice! i also love when you tag me in posts :)

@perca-beths: you give me such good vibes idek how to describe it. also, you’re insanely talented! i found your fic on a03 and when i realized it was you who wrote it i was blown away. anyways you’re awesome and i can’t wait for your next update :)

@percabethica: again, YES you have a tag 😂 you’re so nice! i remember i asked to be on your taglist for your fic and you were so kind. speaking of your fic, i loved it i loved it i loved it! you’re incredibly talented. i always end up seeing your reblogs from me on my dash before seeing it in my notifications and there’s always a second after i notice it where i’m like “omg that’s me. i posted/reblogged something she liked.” also your aesthetic is so pretty, i love it

gray (@bbyannabeth): idk why you’re following me. what do i have to offer? when i tell you i binged your masterlist after you posted it i’m not kidding. you’re so talented and seem so chill. also i just saw that you posted a new fic and bruh, i’m about to create a reblog that has so many tags

@ohmydamgods: i’m not above admitting that i’ve stalked your instagram. your posts are so fucking funny and so are you! i also see people posting your textposts on instagram and i’m always like “*gasp* does she know?” and then i see you’ve commented and it’s all good 😂 also you’re so nice :)

@mydramaticflare: YOU ARE SO TALENTED! when you comment on my fic there’s no time to unpack all of that i lost my shit bc your fic Quiet Moments inspired me to write a percabeth sleepover fic in the first place. also you seem so sweet and you show up in my notifications a lot :)

brin (@skatersuki): first of all, suki supremacy <3, secondly, you’re so smart like wtf. every time you go off about photokinesis and all that i’m like 😐😣😐 also every time i see the book circe by madeline miller i think of you bc you’re the first person who i have seen recommend it

teriza (@wasithard): we haven’t really interacted but we have a lot of the same mutuals so i know you’re cool. lol fr though you do seem very nice and fun and chaotic in the very best way, plus you’re blog is awesome

kayla (@eggplant-avenger): hi kayla :) we met through the connabeth agenda and you are super chill. also i hope that you know whenever i read your tag i hear chris mccarrell’s voice singing ‘being a half-blood, it’s scary, it mostly gets you killed in very nasty ways’

charlotte (@sonofsallyjackson): you are the most supportive person ever. every time i read one of your comments on my fics, my heart swells. you’re too kind for this world <3

taylor (@saltyypercy): another one of my connabeth friends 🤩 speaking of connabeth, your memes are everything! you’re hilarious and your content is awesome

@getwokescullyy: you are such a talented writer!! and you’re so nice and supportive! :) we also have a lot of the same hc’s for post canon percabeth 😌 super excited for your next update btw!

olivia (@thegraystreaks): you are so talented idk why you’re following me. it had to of been a mistake. if, so pls don’t leave 🥺 you’re such a supportive person and seeing you and liz interact is so funny. fr i love your writing sm and i’m obsessed with your url 🤩

aya (@percasbeths): again, WHY ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME? seriously i have some of the most talented writers following me and idk why but i’m not complaining. all of your au’s are beautiful and i’m always blown away <3

@judoflipped: you introduced me to Apartment 305 so i’m pretty sure i owe you a kidney or something now lol. fr though you were so nice to me during our first interaction <3 you’re so sweet and you seem super chill

emma (@jasongrape): first a foremost, a superior url. you’re posts are hilarious, especially the ones of you and ash going back and forth lol.

@clr-stan: we haven’t interacted much but your posts are so good!! and you seem super sweet :) also, you’re right. if the pjo movies weren’t based on the books i would have been invested

@writinglettersaddressedtothefire: i’m pretty sure you’re also a mutual of fátima’s which makes you awesome. plus your writing is so good! also i see that you’re having a great time with taylor’s new album coming out so i’m glad you seem to be doing good 😂

lexi (@multifandom-420): one of the other three malconnor shippers on this cite 😭 you seem so sweet and your posts are top tier

@esistkeinponyhof: you are literally always in my notifications and it’s so fun lol. we’ve never really interacted but i’m glad that you like my blog :) also you’re a fellow directioner which is amazing 😌

@himbolin420: how does it feel to have a canon url? apart of the bolin defense squad and connabeth nation? we have no choice but to stan <3 i remember you kept a count for all of your mutuals when i first followed you and i thought that was absolutely precious lol

@twilight-hours: you’re in my notifications a lot and i'm not complaining. lol you always reblog the funniest stuff and i love seeing it on my dash. i know we haven't really interacted but i know we would vibe 

[misssunflowersandsangria]

Runways

Happy Day 6 of Temari week everyone!  Thanks to @heartofthesand for hosting the event! I had another story written for today but I super fell down a rabbit hole with this prompt, so enjoy!

Prompt:  Fashion Icon

Summary:  She always did love long walks. 

*

**

Runways 

Temari took slow, delicate steps across the large runway.  Remembering a similar walk just hours ago.  The empty seats and silence were startling compared to the earlier mass of people, music, and camera clicks. 

The cheers were deafening as Temari stepped out as a model into the bright lights for one last time. She strode down the walkway with the same confidence and assurance that she’d perfected over the years. The chaos of music, cameras, lights, and sounds would be disorienting for a regular person but not for her.  The runway raised her.  This was her home, her kingdom and she commanded the stage as a queen would. 

Her focus in all the madness was drawn towards her family smiling brightly at her. The tears in their eyes matched her own. 

She stood at the end of the walk taking a deep breath to capture the moment.  Allowing herself to enjoy the experience while a million memories ran through her head.  One last pose. With a sense of gratitude and a kind of peace, she made her final walk back. 

Temari laid back on the cool surface reflecting on the journey that led her there.

This was it. She was done. 

She’d started working for the Nara House of Fashion when she was 16. They were the first label willing to give her a chance when she’d started off on this modeling journey. From that day she never looked back.

They eased her in with photoshoots and magazine spreads before hitting the runway.  She would never forget the feeling of stepping out onto that huge stage.  Even now that rush is incomparable. 

She had worked for other designers and companies but her relationship with the Naras had been special. Their fashion line was a luxury, worldwide brand with its inspired designs and creativity. At first, she’d been in complete awe over the operation, wide-eyed and afraid of making a mistake. Now after so many years they were her family. 

Shikaku and Yoshino the husband and wife duo and CEOs took her under their wing. Keeping her safe from anyone that may have tried to take advantage of her lack of experience. Her own father had practically disowned her when she went off on her own. Whereas Shikaku and Yoshino welcomed her with open arms. 

Temari looked up curiously hearing a slow soft melody played through the speakers. Her eyes drifted to a handsome, dark-haired man in a well-fitting suit. 

“Dance with me, my Love?”  She grinned up at him taking his offered hand. She settled into his arms, her head rested against his heart. They swayed back and forth slowly under a diamond chandelier. 

“You were breathtaking tonight Tem.”

Shikamaru Nara, son of Yoshika and Shikaku Nara, now CEO and creative director of House Of Nara.  And her new husband. 

She’d met him when he was just an awkward 14-year-old boy dragged along to fittings, meetings, and fashion shows. 

He was annoying and complained the entire time getting on her nerves. Leaving her in disbelief that he didn’t appreciate the life he was born into. His parents would often force him into fashion shoots and even make him work right along side her.  Now she treasured those photos.

Over the years though his genius began to show.  He grew into the role he’d been bred for. His own line, Shadow Stitches, could be found around the world and kept the Naras at the top of the fashion world.  For Temari, even when she was younger, knowing that he was there at the end of that runway always made fashion shows that much better. 

She was thankful that she had him there for the entirety of her career. He’d supported her and held her through the highs and lows. They accomplished so much together. Exploring the world while growing up side by side. 

“The dress is gorgeous.” She sighed into his chest.  His fingers at her hips gripped the delicate fabric.  

“Good, you designed it.” 

They’d spared no expense in the creation. The rare fabric hugged her form perfectly. Real gold spun thread was used to create elaborate patterns.  It was a design that honored her history and was inspired by her desert homeland. An actual work of art that would never be worn by another. It would be preserved and displayed back at their offices. 

She’d delayed her retirement for a year after Shikamaru approached her about creating her own line under the fashion house. She had modeled for so long and worn countless designs that he believed she could create something new. Something that the world had yet to see. His hunch had been correct if the reactions tonight were any indication. 

For the last show of her modeling career, she was able to wear her own creation and it made the decision to retire feel right. 

She was now going to work right alongside him for her own label. 

“It’s going to be so strange being behind the scenes.  I’ve done this for so long now.”

Shikamaru kissed the crown of her head. “I agree. It won't be as enjoyable for me not seeing you walking down the runway and towards me. But you’ll be sitting right next to me.  This is a good thing. A next step, and like everything you do, you’re going to be great at it.” 

She nodded.  They’d talked through this decision so many times now. She’d accomplished everything that she could dream of as a supermodel. Endless covers, shoots, shows, and runways.  She was an icon in every sense.  It was now time to settle into a new role. 

Being a high fashion designer would just be a new adventure. 

So would being a wife and mother. 

He pressed an affectionate kiss into her hair. “I remember that first show that I saw you walk in. I was in the back so annoyed with my parents for making me come watch this thing for girls, but then I saw you.  You were radiant. It wouldn’t have mattered what you wore. There was this ferocity and passion set in your eyes.  That I can still see today. I think that I fell in love with you that day.”

She grinned, her teal eyes shining in affection. 

Shikamaru couldn’t help but smile thinking about those first early years together.  “Growing up I’d always see this all as being so vapid and pointless. You made me see it in a new way. There is an art and a love to it. It’s bringing an emotion, an experience to life. Within whatever the length of a runway you manage to tell a story.  Now you’re going to be telling your own story with what you create.” 

She kissed him wordlessly, her heart and mind at ease. 

She’d missed the bright lights and rush of walking down a runway but there was nothing that could compare to this. Love, home, and family. 

Temari took his hand in hers.  A genuine smile cut across her face.  “Ready to take this walk with me?”

Shikamaru nodded squeezing her hand tight taking a step forward.  “I’ll walk with you anywhere my Queen.”

*

**

OMG I love this AU!  I have an idea to make this a multi-chapter story starting from when Tem goes off on her own and meets the Naras then all the way up to this story.  (I’m so lazy though) but it might be something in the future.  I just love the idea of Tem being this amazing supermodel and Shika is a fashion designer (but will also unwillingly do photoshoots)!  It would be able them growing up and navigating the whole thing together.  Ino and Chouji are there too!  The Nara House of Fashion is just part of a whole empire. 

Well if I don’t write it, even if I do, feel free to ask me questions! 

Thanks for reading!  I really want to write something steamy for tomorrow but ugh we will see!  It might have to come after the week is over and will be part of my Lemonade series on AO3.  Thanks again! Love you my pretty deers! 

[teababe27]

Notes From the 2019 Myanimelist.net Challenges - Part 1: Anime

Health problems have laid me up a little, but now I’m finally posting this.

As you can tell by the title, this is a post in the vein of last year’s notes about the Myanimelist.net Anime Watching and Manga Reading Challenges. While I didn’t complete everything by the deadline, I had some fun with it and saw/read some good things, some okay things, some things I’ve been meaning to watch anyway, and some things I probably wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for this challenge.

This post will deal with the anime side. Part 2, dealing with the manga side, will come soon.

I will mention some notables/honorable mentions and then some of my favorite things I watched for this challenge.

Let’s do this.

Honorable Mentions/Other Notables: Millennium Actress - completed for the task “Watch an award-winning anime”

Two filmmakers interview Chiyoko, a retired, reclusive actress from long ago. She brings the two filmmakers through her memories.

As far as I’m concerned, anything Satoshi Kon does is great. A movie with an interesting concept and an interesting art style. I teared up a little at the end, ngl.

RIP Satoshi Kon.

My Neighbor Totoro - completed for the task “Watch an original anime”

Two little girls move to a house in the countryside with their father. While at the house, they discover forest spirits and go on adventures with them.

As expected from Studio Ghibli, the art is gorgeous. The story was fun. I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t seen this until now.

While not my favorite Miyazaki movie, this was still beautiful and also fucking adorable.

It was also pretty cool to hear the Fanning sisters in early roles.

Problem Children Are Coming From Another World, Aren’t They? - completed for the task “Watch an anime in which your favorite character’s voice actor participated”

Three kids, each with a different special ability, are whisked away to a world called Little Garden. They are called upon by Kurousagi (Black Rabbit in the English dub) to win “Gift Games” and help the community regain its former glory and resources after a demon took them away.

I’d put this under the group of “Things i probably wouldn’t have watched if not for this challenge”.

I’m not normally into isekai anime (I feel it’s been way overdone lately), but I had fun with this. I honestly didn’t like a couple of the characters at first, but then I realized it was kinda the point. They did get better, though.

Automatic props for having Josh Grelle in there voicing one of the titular problem children.

I had fun with this one overall.

Aoi Bungaku Series - completed for the task “Watch an anime with more than 16 minutes in total and tagged as Mystery, Psychological, and/or Thriller”

An anthology adapting several classic Japanese books and stories.

This anime was different than a lot of what I have watched before. Bleak as hell a lot of the time (especially in the first story), but I found this anime interesting. I might try and read the books that these stories were based on.

The Irresponsible Captain Tylor - completed for the task “Watch an anime suggested by Myanimelist or Anime+”

Justy Ueki Tylor is a bit of a lazy bum. He signs up to join the space military because he wants to live a relatively easy life and get a good pension when he retires. Through sheer charisma and dumb luck, he helps diffuse a hostage situation, leading him to be promoted to Captain of a ship with a bad reputation. An evil space empire and higher-ups looking to get rid of Tylor are also involved.

I found this show funny, but I also feel like this is one you need to be in the mood for. That being said, this was a fun watch.

A lot of zany hijinks and watching Tylor get by through sheer luck and charisma. Gave me some mixed feelings at times.

I have a weakness for things that came out in the 90s, as I grew up with that animation style and shows from that time period. As such, it was very cool to hear voice actors from my childhood, like Rachel Lillis and Lisa Ortiz, in this anime. (I was internally going “OMG it’s Misty!!” every time Yuriko talked.)

Favorites from the Challenge:

Hanayamata - completed for the task “Watch an anime that began airing between 2010 and 2015″

An ordinary student, Naru, wants nothing more than to be pretty and dazzling like in her fairy tale books. One day, she meets a mysterious girl, Hana, who dances with her one night. Hana turns out to be an American transfer student who ends up transferring into Naru’s class. Hana then introduces Naru to Yosakoi dancing and forms the Yosakoi club.

I thought this was a cute and fun slice-of-life anime. Premise can be a bit iffy if you really think about it, but I had fun with this show. I love how everyone slowly opened up with each other and was able to make their club work.

Also, I couldn’t help but have this thought: I feel like the first couple episodes had so much lesbian subtext that I had to check if this anime was made by KyoAni (it wasn’t, it’s made by Madhouse).

Tatami Galaxy - completed for the task “Watch a Noitamina anime”

A third-year college student runs into a mysterious guy at a ramen shop. The student reflects on his past 2 years at college, mostly spent with his friend Ozu trying to break up happy couples. The student wonders if he’s wasted his life and resolves to do better. Then a time loop starts happening and more chances arrive.

*clasps hands like Gendo Ikari*

We meet again, Masaki Yuasa.

No better time than this challenge to work through more of Masaki Yuasa’s filmography, especially after watching the decent Mind Game and the excellent Kaiba for last year’s challenge.

While watching this anime, I felt myself going back and forth on whether or not I really liked this anime. Whether it was overrated or underrated. Whether it was a good idea on what the Endless 8 could have been or something that kept going unnecessarily long because the Student couldn’t see what was in front of his face. Whether it was style over substance.

The answer?

Yes.

I honestly liked it, but I do understand the criticism. I feel like the confusion about my feelings can be a good thing and this anime still had some great points and made me think.

I also thought the art style and soundtrack were great, as usual from Masaki Yuasa.

One Outs - completed for the task “Watch an active staff member’s favorite anime with 10 episodes or more”

A struggling baseball team recruits Tokuchi Towa, a pitcher who is more of a gambler than anything. Kojima, the team’s veteran player, hopes that Tokuchi will lead them to the championship. Corrupt ownership and unethical opponents also add problems.

Tokuchi was a great character. He’s a genius, but also a huge troll. His method is basically trying to psychologically get to the other players and go from there. I liked seeing him work through situations and outsmart people. This was one of the few anime from the challenge where I could watch several episodes in one sitting and not even realize it.

Basically, this was a take on sports anime I didn’t know I needed.

Aggressive Retsuko (aka Aggretsuko) - Season 1 completed for the task “Watch an ONA,” Season 2 completed for the task “Watch an anime with more than 16 minutes in total and a popularity lower than #700″

Retsuko, a red panda, is an average office worker. Unfortunately, she hates her job. She is harassed by her boss and given unreasonable amounts of work. To relieve the stress from her life, she secretly goes to karaoke and sings death metal to scream everything out.

I love this. I love Retsuko. I love the little songs sprinkled in. I love Retsuko’s relationships with several of her office-mates.

I feel like I can relate so hard. Not necessarily with the heavy work load, but just the general stresses of life in your 20s. Being stuck in a job that isn’t the best, and also liking metal.

I had a ton of fun with this show. Season 1 was slightly better than Season 2, but I loved this show all the same.

Girls’ Last Tour - completed for the task “Watch an anime that finished airing with more than 10 episodes and has a synopsis by MAL Rewrite”

In a post-apocalyptic, war-torn landscape, two girls, Chito and Yuri, travel the world for answers, with only their motorbike/tank, their supplies, and each other.

This, by far, wins Best of the Challenge this year.

This anime gave me a mix of emotions that I don’t know if I’ve ever felt before. A strange mix of existential dread and sadness and going “aww” at the slice-of-life adventures the two girls have. It made me laugh, made me cry, and made me think.

Watch this one, please.

[vixenfur]

In the mood for more positivity around! Tell us how much you love your friends and how they have made an impact in your life!

!!!! I love this!!!! OFF I GO!

@zeta-jane - Zeta, you’re unlike anyone else I’ve ever had the chance to know. You’re filled with sarcastic remarks and random facts and you never fail to amaze me, make me laugh and teach me new things (sometimes all at the same time). Your writing skills are phenomenal and it’s always so much fun writing with you. Even if I take ages sometimes to get a project rolling with you, believe me I really enjoy myself the entire time!! :D Thank you for always being honest with me and never sugarcoating stuff, I need realism in my life more often than not xD Thank you for being a constant force in my life and being true to yourself above all. Seeing your bold personality and mentality grounds me a lot and I really love that about you!!

@yuudefensesquad - my DAWTER. my precious sunshine child. You have made me soso happy and I hope you can say the same about me. I feel like we’re on the same wavelength and we understand each other a lot. Beyond quoting the same vine at the same time or sending the same/similar memes to each other, sometimes when you talk about your experiences it feels like listening to myself. I feel really lucky to know someone like you and I absolutely adore what you create. You’re so amazingly talented and sweethearted and I want the best for you.

@crazyloststar - AAAAAH you’re just incredible. I’ve always seen you as one of my closest friends in fandom, and at the same time I look up to you. Not only in terms of your writing & the things you create, but just your attitude on things, from your own personal struggles to your advice for my own problems. I really strive to think more like you, and thanks for always being reasonable and truthful with me!! and of course, thanks for all the laughs and fun times!! I find it hard to stop smiling when we talk!! :D

@absolute-exclusivity - omg girl. I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you’re in my life. You are so full of energy and joy and sunshine that it’s impossible for me to be sad anymore after talking with you or seeing your smile. Spending time with you during my abroad experience was so worth it every time and I miss you tons!! All the laughs we shared and more–I will never forget them. Most of all I love your outlook on life. Even when things get rough, you motivate yourself and power through. You don’t let yourself get dragged down no matter what shit is thrown at you and your strength is so admirable. Even in your most painful moments you find a way to see the light and I love that about you. Just know you have a shoulder to lean on when you need it– I’m right here for you. Thank you for being in my life.

@ Feli even tho she’s not on tumblr - girl !! you are the most cursed fuckin person I’ve ever met LMAO but honestly thank you for all the laughs. You crack me up constantly!! but more than that, thank you for being there for me. We’ve only gotten close as of lately but I really enjoy talking with you & I’m glad to know we’re both the same level of filth™ as each other XD Your advice is really helpful to me personally and I hope I can be a help to you, too! Rock on girl & keep up that amazing art and writing talent you’ve got going. You’re incredible and never think otherwise.

@balefulvengeance - You are soooo sososososo COOL and I am so freakin thrilled to be your friend. I’ve always admired your art and writing and cosplay, and I can’t say how excited I am to cosplay with you coming up!!

@anyonguk - you are so incredible!!! We met so long ago but both of us have changed and grown so much. Despite our interests going different directions, I’m still so happy that you remain in my life & spread your loving, positive energy. You’re so full of happiness and joy even during the hardest times and I really admire how you get through the hurdles in your life. Even when things seem bleak you find a way to pick yourself up and carry on! But you don’t do it alone– you let us friends help you and support you and I think the fact that you can rely on us is really amazing. It’s so good that you know when to reach out and how you want us to help you. I’m so honored to be someone you can turn to.

@ Kris, who’s tumblr I also can’t find atm - girl!!! You are so so full of love. Your posts always bring a smile to my face and I absolutely love the energy you have. You’re always out there wanting the best for this world and it’s so admirable. Your drive and motivation to stay positive and be the best person you can be is amongst the strongest I’ve ever seen in people. I appreciate your memes, your creations, and your kind words in rough times. I hope my words can comfort you too. You’re doing great & I want nothing but the best for you!!!

@just-another-dream-about-yuu - Hey girl I know we don’t talk a whole lot one on one but I am so so happy to know you. You have the best attitude imo, always being your best self and doing what you love. You’re unashamed to be who you are, to express yourself how you want, and to do what makes you happy!! I may not always understand what your posts are sayin but I LOVE seeing you out with your friends and smiling and enjoying yourself. I Love your art SO MUCH even if it isn’t always OnS, I adore your style and always have. I love your enthusiasm and you’ve always, always made my fandom experience so, SO worth it. Thank you for being you. Keep it up!!!

@ Theo who also might not have a tumblr idk - Again we don’t talk a lot one on one but you’re so freakin sweet!! I don’t even know how to explain it!! You make me so very happy; your art is so soft and though you might have parted ways from ONS, I’m so happy you still wanna be friends & stay close. I am excited to see your creations from now on while treasuring what you’ve given the fandom. Most of all, thanks for being such a bright person in my life! When I think of you I think of sparkles and smiles, so thank you for always being so positive and fun to chat with!!

@seraph-star - you’ve done so much for me and you probably don’t even know it!! Everything from your fanart, your posts and your comments on my works have always left a huge impact on me. I hope we can become closer friends because you really rock and I adore your edits, your art and everything else you create. You’re so inspiring to me and I love seeing your story & what you’re up to. I wish we lived closer so we could hang out cause man I think it’d be so much fun!! :D Keep up the amazing work and keep being you. You’re one of the coolest online friends I’ve had the pleasure of meeting!!

@weirdfairytales - I MISS YOUUUUU! yo i Know life be that way but I think about you lots. Not only your amazing fics but just chatting with you– its been far too long and we gotta catch up soon. You’re so freaking awesome and unique and I love our convos, our deep talks and the times when we meme each other into nothingness XD you’re doing so many cool things and I am cheering for you always, even if you’re not aware of it all the time. Keep being amazing girl and I’m here when you wanna chat.

shoutouts to Gia, Helen and Angeru for being the coolest beans ever as well ;) though we aren’t as close I still appreciate you guys!!!!

THERE’S SO MANY PEOPLE I LOVE AND WANNA SHOWER IN LOVE but I kept it to this group for now. you’re all so great and I took this ask and ran with it. I hope it brought a little smile to your face if nothing else. This isn’t for anything in particular, & don’t feel obligated to give me a long response or anything!! this was just a chance for me to express how much i love and appreciate you all.

[classywastelandbread-blog]

Honored Spirits - Dinosaurs

Takes place almost immediately after “Smooching”. Also references “Jurassic Park Chili”, which my dad and I used to make. 

With art done by @ohayokuroneko​ - so sorry for taking so long with this! 

In which Udon and Soba are nerds and Genji disapproves of Hanzo reading the books to the noodles. The team just tries to enjoy a movie but it doesn’t quite go as well as they intended. 

WE’RE STARTING THE MOVIE WITHOUT YOU, MCCREE! Soba thundered as McCree was stepping into the shower.

Do you really think he could hear you? Ramen asked, its voice just barely audible to McCree over the sound of the water.

Udon’s voice was much clearer: Why not?

Those two are the most emotionally-stunted humans I have ever met, Ramen declared matter-of-factly. I doubt they would have realized the depths of their feelings for each other in such a short amount of time – at least enough to be considered mated and to be able to hear your speech.

McCree laughed out loud as he scrubbed himself quickly. As many times as he had seen and read Jurassic Park with Soba, he still enjoyed watching it and didn’t want to miss too much of it.

The dragons fell silent – most likely one or both of the Shimada brothers had quieted them or had distracted them with the movie.

You look ridiculous, he heard Ramen say later as he was drying off. There was no reply from either of the blue dragons so McCree shrugged and pulled on a pair of comfortable sweatpants and an old Overwatch shirt he had found in a dusty corner of Storage.

By the time he reached the common room the movie was in full swing and the group was just arriving at Jurassic Park.

“Did I miss anything good?” he joked as he vaulted over the back of the couch. Hana, Lucio, Mei, and Genji had recreated the blanket fort from a few weeks ago, freeing up most of the couches and loveseats in the room. Hanzo and his dragons were taking up the one remaining couch whose cushions hadn’t been stolen.

McCree had to pause when he saw them, holding a hand to his mouth to keep the laughter at bay. “Do you like it?” Hana asked around a mouthful of popcorn. “They took some time to get here – it got stuck somewhere and was delayed by a snowstorm somewhere so it didn’t make it in time for Christmas. I got the idea after our sleepover.”

“I need a beer,” McCree said with a strangled sound as he climbed back over the back of the couch. Hanzo clicked his tongue chidingly at him. “Anyone want?”

Soba followed after him, wiggling its legs as if it were swimming through the air. Do you not like it? It asked plaintively.

Counting the raised hands, McCree booped Soba on the nose when it scrambled across his shoulders. “Don’t you look adorable,” he teased, tickling the dragon’s dewlap before he ducked into the refrigerator to tug out a few six-pack bottles.

I am not adorable, Soba protested as McCree pretended not to hear.

I am a Triceratops, Udon declared from where it was perched on Hanzo’s head. It bobbed its head smugly, dewlap extended as far as the strap beneath its hat-like costume would allow. The stuffed frill and horns there, which emulated the titular horns of a Triceratops, wobbled comically.

McCree tossed the bottles to those that had requested them and settled back on the couch with Hanzo, letting Soba climb along his body until it was positioned to its liking. It perched on his knee, its cool body resting on his thigh and its tail curled to the side. Settling within his peripheral vision meant that there was no way that McCree could ignore the little green and yellow felt costume that it wore.

Clearly, like Udon’s “hat”, it was a pet costume that had been repurposed – for the greater good, McCree was sure – though this one was a Stegosaurus rather than a Triceratops.

“Too cute,” McCree told Hana.

THEY LOOK RIDICULOUS, Ramen boomed from where it was tangled up with Snowball.

Udon and Soba bobbed their heads smugly at the green spirit. You are just jealous, Soba told it. Envy is not a virtue that should be cultivated!

It was difficult to keep a straight face at that so McCree thumbed off the cap of his and Hanzo’s beers and hid his smile with the mouth of the bottle. The brothers didn’t even pretend, wheezing in laughter as the dragons bickered amongst themselves.

They were all shushed by Mei and they returned their attention to the movie.

In the book they had motion-detecting cameras that would track the animals, Soba said smugly.

Across the room, Genji groaned. “Hanzo!” he complained. “You turned them into monsters! You’re such a dork!”

Hanzo scowled. “There is nothing wrong with reading.”

“Reading the books and watching the movie?” Hana asked, shoving a huge handful of popcorn in her mouth. “No, that was McCree.” Surprised, Genji looked at her. “Yeah,” she continued without looking away from the screen. “He reads the books to them like bedtime stories. It’s nice to hear – put me right to sleep.”

Lucio looked between them in surprise. “That’s adorable!”

“The books are rather dense,” McCree admitted and tugged teasingly at the tip of Soba’s tail. It twisted its head and extended its dewlap in a playful warning. When he stuck his tongue out at the dragon it replied in kind, its fat forked tongue drooping out of its round snout.

“OMG,” Hana squealed from across the room. Genji rescued the bowl of popcorn before it spilled all over their blanket fort. Lucio fumbled with his phone and made a disappointed noise when Soba stopped by the time it was aimed at it. “Do that again! That was adorable.”

Soba wiggled its whiskers and curled its claws under its body like a large, spoiled cat. It returned to watching the movie, sitting as still and somber as a statue. Laughing, McCree scratched his fingers along its spine, tangling the tufts of its golden mane, and leaned back in his seat.

“What did it say earlier?” Mei asked hesitantly. “I haven’t read the books in so long.”

Sensing someone that may be interested, Soba and Udon bobbed their heads at Mei. They had motion-sensors all around the park, Soba said excitedly. And a computer system that would interpret the data that they picked up into a list of animals. They could type in the number of, say, Maiasaura and after a moment to computer, the computer will compare the number of Maiasaura they found to the number they picked up on the sensors in the park.

Now Ramen seemed more interested, its ears pricking forward. It still seemed disapproving but it had craned its head toward Hanzo’s dragons. That is a good idea, it agreed grudgingly as Hanzo translated for Mei.

The problem was that they only searched for the numbers they wanted to see, Udon said gruffly. So if they only expected 20 Maiasaura, the computer stopped searching after 20 because that was all that was requested. When they realized that the dinosaurs may be breeding, they put in much larger numbers than expected to see just how many animals they really had.

Mei frowned and they paused the movie on Dr. Grant’s shocked face as he stared out of the Jeep. It wasn’t flattering but McCree figured it could be forgiven as the movie wasn’t exactly meant to be paused at that moment. “I think I remember that,” she said hesitantly. “And they had a lot of dinosaurs that they didn’t really show or mention in the movie.”

Across the room, Genji groaned and Hana threw a handful of popcorn at him. “This is so boring,” he complained, swatting the kernels away in midair. The benefits, perhaps, of cybernetic enhancement. McCree saw Hanzo swallow the thought and casually rested his arm around Hanzo’s shoulder, ostensibly to scratch at Udon’s nuchal crest the way it liked. Subtly, Hanzo leaned into his shoulder but the motion wasn’t lost on Genji who frowned at the both of them; McCree shot him a mocking finger-gun and the ninja narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

The book is very dense, Udon agreed. But it offers a lot more detail than what the movie was able to offer. I think it would be very interesting thing to see an adaptation that was more or less exactly like the book.

Soba twisted its head to look at Udon. That wouldn’t sell, it pointed out. It would be a side project for the pleasure of moviemaking. The changes made to the movie adaptation of Jurassic Park were more to make it appealing to viewers. That was how Mr. DNA was created after all – they needed an easier way to explain the science of cloning extinct animals and how the animals were created without having that much boring exposition. Even then, they left information out.

There was a long pause as Hanzo translated. “That makes sense,” Mei said thoughtfully. “And movies are working on budgets so minor storylines are more difficult to render.”

Impatient, Ramen threw its head back, its ears pressed back. CAN WE JUST WATCH THE MOVIE? It demanded.

Genji groaned. “Can we just watch the movie?” he echoed. “This is bo-oring. You can talk your nerd science later.”

Chuckling, McCree played the movie and absently shushed Soba, tickling its ears with his fingers until it playfully nipped at them. I never understood this scene, Udon said absently, coiling its tail around McCree’s other arm and draping the tuft at the end over his opposite shoulder.

Also, I’m not sure that Brachiosaurus had a vertical neck, Soba said, bobbing its head. Can you imagine the kind of heart it would need to get blood all the way to the brain? Or what kind of lungs and diaphragm just to breathe like that?

Udon bobbed its head in agreement and it was a struggle for McCree not to laugh as Dr. Grant declared that the Brachiosaurus was clearly a warm-blooded creature. I don’t know how he could tell that just by looking, it sniffed. But consider this: many thought that dinosaurs were based on lizards - hence the name “terrible lizard” - which would imply that they would have a three-chambered heart. However, I would think that especially in an animal like Brachiosaur or the other ones with long necks they would have a four-chambered heart – they’re more efficient, after all. Perhaps a good analogue for them would be a giraffe.

YOU ARE RUINING THE MOVIE! Ramen thundered, interrupting whatever else Udon was about to say.

After a disapproving glance, the two blue dragons ignored it. There are other schools of thought that imply that Brachiosaurus, Apatosaurus, and other long-necked dinosaurs didn’t have their necks vertical at rest, Soba pointed out. It would be implausible to have such large hearts and lungs to push blood that far on a long-term basis. Some believe that their necks are naturally level with their tails and they only raised their necks for short periods of time if at all…but can you imagine what kind of energy expenditure that would be?

“Shh!” Genji hissed from across the room. “You’re ruining the movie.”

Udon and Soba bared their teeth at Ramen and Genji and bobbed their heads disapprovingly but they did sullenly fall silent. Smiling, McCree gently rubbed his knuckle along Soba’s jaw the way it liked. “I doubt it,” he whispered to Soba who threw him an awkward smile. It playfully nipped at his fingers before returning its attention to the movie.

This time it was Lucio that interrupted. “So I know they explained how the dinosaurs were made and they explain that in the movie,” he said. “But how did the plants get there?”

Genji groaned out loud and Soba bared its teeth, bobbing its head excitedly. In the book they discuss that the plants found on the island were transplanted from other regions around the world such as the Amazon basin and other rainforests around the world that had similar plants if not the very same ones that had somehow survived since the Cretaceous.

On Hanzo’s shoulders, Udon snorted. Dr. Sattler has a brief monologue about it – she wasn’t actually very happy to find a lot of the plants there because a lot of them were extremely poisonous. She briefly brings it up later in the movie but in the book her upset is much more evident.

They took a break as Hanzo translated and fell silent as the movie continued. “Can the dinosaurs even eat the plants on the island?” Mei wondered, making Genji groan again. She blushed and sank down in her corner. “Sorry, sorry.”

“Way to be an ass, Genji,” McCree drawled. Genji groaned and then yelped when Ramen nipped him. It drifted over to Mei and draped itself over her shoulders, curling its tail for Snowball to join them which it did with a pleased warble.

To McCree’s surprise, Udon and Soba joined in, their ears flattened. APOLOGIZE TO HER, they thundered in unison. Somehow it made their voices pack more of a punch and it was only by virtue of hiding behind Hanzo’s bulky shoulders and Genji’s flinch that the younger Shimada didn’t notice McCree doing the same. Hana did but didn’t say anything and stuck her tongue out at him when she saw him looking at her. DO NOT BE RUDE, SHIMADA GENJI.

“I’m sorry Mei,” Genji said meekly. McCree was surprised; he wouldn’t have thought that the other man would have obeyed so quickly. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”

Mei curled a little tighter around Snowball. “I forget sometimes that I’m not with my team,” she admitted in a small voice. Ramen glared at its host, flaring its whiskers as it snarled silently. “It was something we used to do a lot.”

Leaning over, McCree paused the movie again as Dr. Grant held a newly-hatched Velociraptor in his hands. Once more the movie was paused in an awkward place, freezing his face in a twisted expression. “No reason to be sorry,” McCree said. “Genji’s just being an ass.”

She is a climatologist, isn’t she? Soba asked. I’m interested to hear what she thinks of the climate change associated with the K-T Extinction event and some of the more recent climate shifts.

“Another time,” Hanzo murmured quietly to Soba. It huffed but didn’t sound particularly torn up about it. To Mei, he said, “This is a recreational movie and by no means mandatory. If people are upset by the conduct of others, they can simply leave – especially since Genji’s initial reason for being here was to pry more into my personal life than I would readily tell him. He really has no interest in the movie – just in being an ass, as McCree says.”

Genji scowled at him but didn’t refute it. He huffed. “Yeah, I’m just being an asshole,” he grumbled. “I’m just not used to people talking so much during a movie.”

You’re just frustrated because you don’t understand half of what is being discussed, Ramen said, bobbing its head.

Hana patted the seat on her other side. “Come here next to me,” she said with a cheeky grin. “I’m curious – you can whisper it to me if you want. Then Genji won’t complain and we all get to be happy.”

“Or you can sit between me and Hana,” Lucio suggested, moving over to make room. “You can whisper it to us both and then we won’t bother Mr. Grumpy No-Pants over there.” Shyly Mei obeyed, shooing off her attendants so she could move. It put Lucio near Hanzo’s legs and Udon wiggled down to the arm of the sofa like a curious cat. When Snowball drifted up toward the dragon, it snorted and retreated to Hanzo’s lap, much to the droid’s disappointment.

Before more of an argument could break out, McCree played the movie again, which distracted Genji and the dragons. Out of the corner of his eye, McCree saw Hanzo offer Mei a soda over Lucio’s head from the cooler at their feet, which she shyly accepted.

“Do we ever learn why the Triceratops was sick?” Genji asked later, much to everyone’s surprise. He shrugged when everyone looked at him. “It’s just about the only thing I remember from this movie. I had always wanted to know what happened to the Triceratops and why it was sick. Was it poisoned? Did it get better?”

Hana hummed. “Now that you mention it, I don’t think I remember that part,” she admitted and tilted her head to look at Soba and Udon. “Do either of you know?”

It wasn’t the first time anyone had addressed them directly, but it always seemed to both please and surprise them. Gastroliths, Udon said simply as if that explained everything.

“Gastro for ‘stomach’ and lith for…‘rock’?” Mei guessed when Hanzo repeated the word.

Soba bobbed its head. Gastroliths are rocks used by animals that don’t chew their food, it explained as Hanzo translated. They’re also called gizzard stones. An animal will swallow these rocks whole and store them in their stomach. As they eat, the vegetation will be ground up between them. The animals will eventually spit them back out and find new ones. Dr. Sattler finds one of these piles of rocks which leads her to her conclusion.

It paused as Hanzo finished relaying that. “What do the gastroliths have to do with a sick Triceratops?” Hana wondered.

When the dinosaurs spat up their gastroliths, they’d have to look for new ones, Soba explained, bobbing its head excitedly. They’d find some in the middle of the West Indian Lilac bushes and accidentally ingest some of the pods and shrubs with it even though they wouldn’t deliberately eat the West Indian Lilac on their own. They only got sick every once in a while because that was when they were finding the gastroliths.

There was a long moment of silence as they all processed that. On screen, thunder crashed. “I wish they’d explain that,” Hana complained. “But I guess they had to cut that because it’s not as interesting as dinosaur rampages.”

“It works better as a fun fact,” Mei agreed quietly.

You’d think it would play a larger part, Ramen grumbled. Considering it’s the first part of their group splitting up.

They fell silent again as the movie progressed. More of the team joined them at different points: Fareeha and Angela brought more blankets and pillows from Storage and Ana and Reinhardt made a large batch of cookies that they shared with everyone. Lena had arrived and to everyone’s surprise Torbjorn did as well, taking Hanzo’s old seat with a grumble as his feet were too short to reach much further than the edge of the cushion. Leaving Udon and Soba to enjoy the movie from their perches, McCree and Hanzo moved into the kitchen to begin preparations for dinner.

“I was thinking chili tonight,” McCree murmured. Behind them, the T-rex roared as it escaped its enclosure.

Hanzo bumped his hips into McCree’s thigh. “I was wondering why we left so early,” he murmured back.

“A good chili takes time,” he said. “And I make multiple batches for those of us with dietary restrictions.” He winked. “You thinking of helping me, darlin’? I could use someone with your knife skills.” There was a full-body flinch from Hanzo and McCree was quick to wrap an arm around his waist to reel him closer. “You know that’s not what I meant,” he murmured into the shaved sides of Hanzo’s skull.

Hanzo trembled in his arms for a bit before pulling back slightly. As they parted, the dragons drifted over to twine around them. The overall effect was ruined by their costumes but it made Hanzo smile nonetheless. “It’s fine,” he mumbled and nervously scrubbed his hands on his jeans. “What do you need me to do?”

Pressing a final kiss to Hanzo’s forehead – one that was missed by Ramen and Genji, who were wholly engrossed in heckling Dr. Grant and Lex on their climbing skills – McCree let him go at last. “I need you to find me the ground beef and tofu in the fridge,” he said. “I’ll get the canned stuff and the vegetables.”

“What are you doing?” McCree heard Hanzo ask as he turned away. He turned again to find Soba and Udon tugging at the door to the freezer with their tiny talons. McCree watched as Hanzo opened the door for them and they began tugging on one of the freezer bags in there. “Oh.”

Strangely enough, the dragons said nothing as they swirled in dizzying arcs around Hanzo. “What’s up?” he asked quietly, stepping back toward Hanzo.

It was a bag of frozen edamame in Hanzo’s hands. “Edamame,” Hanzo whispered as the dragons drifted back to the sofa where they perched. Soba, McCree was pleased to see, draped its tail over Mei’s shoulders. “It’s not a lot, but it does have lysine in it.”

After a moment to make the connection, McCree put a fist to his mouth to stifle a laugh. “Because the dinosaurs are lysine-deficient; I gotcha. I can use those to replace some of the beans,” he said quietly, tapping his chin as he thought. “Maybe instead of beef, see if you can find ground turkey instead. I think I saw some there when I was checking earlier. For the Velociraptor,” he added when Hanzo looked confused. Then he modulated his voice – still as quietly as he could manage to keep it a surprise from the rest of the group – to mimic a kid’s mocking voice. “That doesn’t look very scary. More like a 6-foot turkey!” This time it was Hanzo that hid his laugh as he tucked the bag of frozen edamame into the sink to hide it from prying eyes.

The endeavor took all of the large pots they had and what was, according to Hanzo, a ridiculous amount of peppers and spices. Still as they handed it between movies (spicy with tofu to Mei, Torbjorn, Ana, Reinhardt, and Lucio, spicy with meat for Hana, Genji, Fareeha, and McCree, and mild with meat for Hanzo, Lena, and Angela) everyone appreciated their humor.

For a good half of the next movie the only sounds were the clinking of spoons as everyone ate. Eventually Ana and Reinhardt brought over the stock pots, folding the musty sheets from Storage under the still-warm pots to keep it from doing too much damage. It allowed everyone to remain seated and not have to move very far to continue eating.

By the time commentary started up again, everyone was in too good a humor to protest. Ana had the idea of turning on subtitles, allowing everyone to follow along even if people were arguing. Tucked into a corner (because Torbjorn, Ana, and Reinhardt had stolen their couch), McCree let Hanzo sit between his legs and wrapped his arms around the archer beneath the blanket with a contented sigh.

Just as McCree was about to nod off, lulled despite the screaming and shouting from the movie on the screen by the gentle buzz of conversation and the warm press of Hanzo’s body, he heard Udon and Soba thunder, THE BOOKS ARE BETTER.

YOU ARE RUINING THE MOVIE, Ramen thundered back.

Hanzo groaned in his arms and his tattoo flared as he recalled Soba and Udon; their costumes fell to the ground, empty. “That’s enough of that,” he mumbled and tipped his head back against McCree’s shoulder.

It didn’t stop the dragons from bickering and McCree knew better than to point this out, so he hummed his agreement and tugged Hanzo tighter to his chest.

[esseastri]

Megan Reads Oathbringer (part 5)

whhooooooo there’s still so much left, but I’ve come so far?? I’M !! THERE IS SO! MUCH! HAPPENING! IN ! THIS! BOOK!

Part 5 encompasses pages 326-394 (previous parts)

INTERLUDES 1

fucking. Venli? really? I don’t want to be in her head. I don’t want to know.

anyway! NEW PEOPLE FIRST:

“Puuli the lighthouse keeper” I LOVE THEM ALREADY

“Kelek himself had broken apart the land in the middle of a storm” I...Kelek? really? are you sure? Aren’t most of the Heralds busy being...not here?

Listen, Alyx told me that we’d seen all ten Heralds somewhere over the course of the series so far, and armed with this knowledge I have squinted at every single new character like “are YOU a crazy person who is sort of a god? are YOU a crazy person who is sort of a god?”

I’m pretty sure none of them have been crazy people who are sort of gods.

But I’m keeping my eyes peeled anyway.

I RELATE TO THIS ARDENT LADY BECAUSE I, TOO, WOULD LIKE TO BE LEFT ALONE IN PEACE AND QUIET AND VERY VERY LONELY SOLITUDE TO READ MY SMUT FIC.

“What was that you’re studying?” “Important works.” Obviously. Trashy romance novels are the HEIGHT of important works.

ROSHARN LINGUISTICS IS REALLY COOL.

it’s a trashy romance novel; of COURSE there’s a sequel.

tbqh, Venli, I’m not sure what you expected. “You should be taking orders from me.” Uh huh. Sure. You summoned a hatesprean that your people literally went dullform to escape, and you didn’t think you were going to be ordered around by it?

YOU KNEW YOUR GODS WERE EVIL WHY DID YOU THINK THAT SUMMONING THEM WOULD SAVE YOUR PEOPLE

nooooo

Eshonai please. don’t be dead. you’re the best of them, just...don’t

aaahhh

wow, that’s. a lot of information okay. um. Spren of redemption? yeah, I’ll believe that when never. The parshendi ANCESTORS? are in charge?? in charge of what? the spren? the voidbringers? the changes? the storm?

also Venli is KIND OF AN ASSHOLE and I mean, we knew this already but this kind of power-hungry selfishness is. really unfortunate in a person.

ooh. different spren? save Esh please? maybe? I LIVE IN HOPE.

PART TWO

what

BRIDGE FOUR gets a pov?!!!!!!??! MY BOYS!!!??!?!?!? AAHH

BHAHAHAHA I ALWAYS FORGET HOID’S REAL NAME IS A STUPIDLY RIDICULOUS STAR WARS NAME I Love it

how come we don’t get Navani’s reaction to her daughter just magically appearing back from the dead

I want the Navani-Jasnah reuinion scene. I’ve been robbed of good mother-daughter content.

“Storms. She was perfect.” Every. time. I love it. I love how super bi Shallan is and how desperately in love she is with two very different Kholins. What a good.

god bless Jasnah “Every Moment is a Teaching Moment if You Try Hard Enough” Kholin

you know, I’m also been robbed of Jasnah and Hoid’s Road Trip Adventure. I’m sad.

omg it’s so weird for Jasnah to be the one who’s a step behind.

AAHH JOINT VISION TIME YO this’ll be fun

oooohh the Stormfather does care. he has an imagination and everything.

bahahaaha Dalinar. How many times has he witnessed all these visions and he’s still a doofus when it comes to fitting into them.

OOOHH SUMMONING ARMOR THAT’S COOL!! Can they do that nowadays?? 

“they moved on all sixes” like yeeeeppp right, most stuff on roshar has six legs but that’s a wild variation on all-fours and suuuper jarring for a sec

hi, yeah, I love Fen a lot. petition to keep her.

also her assuming that Dalinar was working with the Voidbringers: not unreasonable considering the last few months of him possibly going crazy or not. like...she’s got reasons to be suspicious.

OMG THE ART FOR THE HEADER FOR BRIDGE FOUR AAAAAHHHHHH

SIGZIIIIILLLLL omg. Having panic dreams about messing up tests. I love him???

he’s SO OFFENDED THEY DON’T KNOW HOW TO QUEUE I LOVE IT

hold on I’m changing my queue tag to “I’m Azish, I know how to queue”

BLESS. AFRO!SIGZIL

LOPEN EATING BREAKFAST ON THE CEILING WHAT A NERD

I HAVE MISSED THESE ROWDY BOYS

“Where was Teft? They actually listened when he gave orders.” MY BOYS ARE DUMB NERDS AND I LOVE THEM

what’s the “other thing”? Where does Teft disappear to? what is happen. why does Kaladin not know about it, but Sig does?

dear. god. I’m.

of course he does morning push ups. without his jacket on.

I’m

hhhnnnnngggggggggg

#priorities

I LOVE MY DUMB BOYS

LOOK AT THEM ALL GETTING MARRIED AND COURTING AND GETTING LUNCHES DROPPED OFF BY THEIR WIVES AND LOOK AT THEM BEING REAL PEOPLE WITH REAL LIVES AND I’M SO PROUD OF THEM THEY’VE COME SO FAR I LOVE THEM

also I adore that the only "problem” about Drehey being gay is that Sig thinks he’s gotta fill out forms, and that the indication is that in Azir, the forms go both ways. That’s. so refreshing and lovely and. Good job, Brandon! I’m so. this is A Good.

“Master Hoid” is a fucking hilarious juxtaposition of terms.

Kaladin’s desperate insistence that they won’t lose any more people is endearing and also terrifying because you just know someone is going to die and he’s going to be so upset and I’m going to have to drive back to Utah to yell at Brandon personally for making my boy suffer.

Can Lyn join Bridge Four? If we’re recruiting, can we recruit her?

BLESS. TWO SENTENCES LATER “How would you like to join the Windrunners.” GOOD YES EXCELLENT

me, anytime they even mention Moash: *long keening noises of despair and pain* 

Kaladin didn’t teeeeellll theeeemmmmmm he didn’t tell them what Moash did he didn’t tell them Moash hecked up and betrayed them he didn’t want then to be mad or to hate Moash I’M UPSET NOISES FOREVER

ohhhh my god.

Kaladin. Please.

Using the royal treasury’s emerald grain reserve to practice Radianting is DELIGHTFUL and HILARIOUS and also TERRIFYING OMG I LOVE IT THAT’S PERFECT

God, I love these boys.

Evi calls Dalinar “beloved” and I’m emotional

He doesn’t deserve her.

oooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

He didn’t kill the kid.

He didn’t--I... I doubted him. I thought--so caught up in the Thrill, I just ASSUMED, BUT here were the seeds. The idea that the Blackthorn wasn’t quite as horrible as he could have been. Which makes the changes later so much more plausible.

god, she’s so proud of him. I love her?

Gavilar can fuck right off, tbh, oh my god.

YAASSS, ROCK POV OMG

LUNAMOR

THAT’S SO PRETTY

“I want everyone on this plateau glowing like they swallowed a lantern.” that there’s a decent David Charleston metaphor.

WHERE! IS! TEFT! I’m so worried about him.

I love that they salute Dabbid.

I love them.

I love Bridge Four. I’m not sure if you guys know this about me.

LOPEN PLEASE. “Did you stick yourself to the ground?” “All part of the plan, gon.” IS IT THO, DARLING?

KALADIN TRYING TO TEACH HOBBER TO BREATHE IN STORMLIGHT SO HE CAN HEAL HIS LEGS IS SO GOOD KALADIN IS SO GOOD I’M

crying

“I now have to either promote him or push him off the side of the plateau.” “Promote him? to what?” “Airsick lowlander. Second class.”

HELLO, FRONDS, I DON’T KNOW IF YOU ARE AWARE, BUT I! LOVE! BRIDGE! FOUR! SO! MUCH!

I...they saved the bridge.

I love that Rock bows to and respects even the spren he can’t see. Also I get the feeling that no one really ever sees Glys, except Renarin. Which makes...sense, in a weird way? I guess...’cause they are both so quiet and reserved. Or we assume Glys shares that with Renarin. It seems right though, if that’s true.

Also, Rock making work for Renarin, just so he can be included, which is all he wants is A Good. Rock is an extremely observant fellow, once he puts his mind to it, isn’t he?

Rock is really, really good at making people feel better. And he knows exactly what people need. Skar is a teacher, so he gives him the opportunity to teach. Renarin needs a confidence boost, so he tells him not to see himself as a flaw, but as a person. Rlain needs company, so he sends Renarin to him. He’s very good at manipulating people into making themselves feel better. It’s really delightful.

HOBBER!!!! HOBBER GOT IT!!! THEY’RE ALL JUST GIVING HIM THEIR GEMS THEY DON’T EVEN HESITATE THEY’rE JUST

I’M CRYING I LOVE THEM SO MUCH THEY ARE ALL SO DAMN GOOD

you know what, fuck Sadeas.

OH MY GOSH

OOOOOHHH

ROCK’S FAMILY!!!!! IS HERE!!! THERE’S KIDDOS!!!!!! I’M!!!!! OH MY GOSH

HER NAME IS SONG AND THEY ARE CHILDHOOD SWEETHEARTS AND I’M CRYING AGAIN

they are SO GOOD. honoring their bridge for its last run. the last one. That’s...almost incomprehensible, but YEAH! They fly now! what do they need a bridge for! (a bridge four. hah) But the still...they honor it. It saved their lives. It was all they had. Of course it gets one last run.

aahh, I love Bridge Four so, so much.

[simsiesquadforlyfe-blog]

MIDDLESCHOOL!VERNON AU

insp. by a dm w/ @ankle-sockss

In middle school he was that kid

You know

The one who’s like super cool and doesn’t care about what other people think

but they have like anxiety and if you know them well enough then you’d know that they can get really scared of the littlest things

like spiders and grade reports

even though they’re really smart and it’s stupid to get stressed out

Well yeah, he was THAT kid

always number one in Language Arts and is on the honor roll

Whenever he reads his essays in front of the class he would make everyone get super surprised

His words just kind of roll off the tongue

But Math always stumps this little goth/rock/punk prince

What importance do these numbers have if I’m only going to count the minutes left of an anime episodeee???

His best friends are Seungkwan and Joshua

But he has more of course

More close friends but these are the two main friends he spends time with

also everyone knows about Josh’s intense stalking of Jeonghan even though they’re friends

Josh says it’s to make sure Hani doesn’t get himself in any trouble

but we know better it’s really because he wants to admire the view

Josh is also the main reason he like Soul Eater

why not?

Since Josh was like Anime fan no. 1 when he went to school there (he’s in highschool now) he introduced Vernon to Anime and let’s be honest Joshua always calls Vernon Spongebob on “accident”

And Seungkwan is like his friend that’s only a few weeks older than him but still calls him “child” and “smol one” because he wants to make it seem like Vernon is a little child

The poor thing though he’s allergic to things like Metal and Mold

But he plays the guitar

So that’s pretty cool

Sometimes he asks to borrow the Music Teachers guitar and (since he’s good friends with the Teachers and Staff) they let him and he plays it “secretly” in the band room but there are always tons of girls around the door trying to hear him play

GOSH HE SOUNDS LIKE MY FRIEND JESS

EXCEPT FOR THE GIRLS THING

anyways

BUT what those girls don’t know is that he has a crush and like

ain’t no one gonna know who it is

except for maybe Josh because Josh can get anything out of anyone doesn’t matter who they are

So Josh doesn’t count as a person anymore

But yeah Josh knows and whenever they see her he kinda goes “HEY VERNON ISN”T THAT {insert random name here}”

And it normally ends up with  having an extra dent in his head

(I say extra because he’s done it so many times he can’t remember when there wasn’t a constant pain in the right side of his head)

BUT I MEAN

it’s totally worth it

And I mean

He’s in the poetry club

So he’s pretty lit in the words department

But yeah some extra facts:

he can ride a skateboard

he doesn’t hate it when people call him by his real name but most people call him by his nickname

He has a sibling of the other gender (Sofia of course haha)

this really sounds like a gender bend of my actual friend omg

whenever he goes to the mall he goes to Hot Topic

or the candy stores

shhhh

He’s bilingual (for this it’s gonna be special he knows German and English okay)

swiggity swooty he can sing

plus all the girls love him so it’s a happy ending

I know that some of you may have seen the unedited version of this post but that was an accident (I still had to rewrite it a little bit and edit)

--

Also if there are spelling mistakes please tell me I probably missed a few its pretty late and my arm hurts

--

BUT THIS WAS MY FIRST WRITING (kind of) ARE YOU PROUD OF ME?

[acealistair]

Heyhey, so what are some of your favorite dating sims? I've only played Mystic Messenger and I don't know any others that measure up to it.

Oohhh I’ll be happy to share what I play! I don’t play any that aren’t free, so that’s probably good news, but that also means there are probably a lot of quality ones I’m missing out on. 

It’s worth noting that Mystic Messenger is my all-time favorite, though. I don’t know if any of these will truly measure up to it, mostly because MM is just so unique in its concept as well as the depth of characters and story. I think we are truly blessed to have access to MM’s level of quality for free. (thank u cheritz for my life)

Anyways! I’ll list these from my most favorite to least favorite (however, I do like all of them to some degree because I regularly play all of them). Under the cut because I talk too much :’D

Midnight Cinderella

This one was my top favorite before Mystic Messenger came along! The premise is that in the country of Wysteria, if the ruling monarch(s) grow to a certain age and there is no heir, a “princess elect” is chosen from the common people. Of course, your character is chosen, despite not being interested in the position at first. Also of course, the princess is expected to find a “prince consort” along the way. (I’m kind of a sucker for a “commoner thrust into the world of the rich” story, myself. >v>)

Each character has a distinct personality and each route has a significantly different story. The main character has a decent amount of development, as well! It’s also very well-translated, and the art is lovely. I’ve played through every character’s route at least once and have just started going back for round two for everyone – each character has two different endings that are each good in their own way, rather than the standard good and bad endings. Louis is my favorite, by far. i’ve played his route four times no joke ha The app is regularly updated with fun side-story events, and they’re also coming out with after-story routes for all the characters!

Guard Me, Sherlock!

…listen. The stuff you start reading/watching/playing as a joke are always the ones you end up loving the most, right.

I thought this one was going to be utterly ridiculous and horrendously out of character. I WAS WRONG. Pretty sure it’s based a lot on BBC Sherlock, because the personalities of the characters are spot-on. Sherlock is just as rude and insufferable and weird as he should be. The most ridiculous part about the whole thing is just the aging-down of all the characters to be young and hot and anime, pffft. Each character’s route is centered around a case, which is pretty fun. 

So far I’ve just played Watson’s route, and am about halfway through Sherlock’s. I feel like I haven’t played enough routes yet to pick a definite favorite character yet, but both routes have successfully given me the doki-dokis, haha. There are four routes out so far (Sherlock, Watson, Moriarty, and Mycroft), and three of them have a “season 2″ sequel to their routes. So lots of content!

The Niflheim

This one’s fun because it has a pretty unique concept (it’s the land of the dead; essentially the afterlife, though apparently some people come back as zombies, mummies, and other types of undead, while others just look like normal people? It’s never really explained lol), and the art is really gorgeous! It’s also just a bit silly in general; definitely doesn’t take itself too seriously. The characters have a surprising amount of depth, though. Unfortunately, I think the developers have pretty much abandoned it, though. You can still play it, but there aren’t anymore events and I don’t think they’re coming out with anymore characters/routes.

If nothing else convinces you, you can romance a skeleton. ;D

Wizardess Heart

This was my first dating sim I ever played! At first glance it looks like a wannabe Harry Potter knock-off. And it is… to a mild extent. They’ve managed to put their own spin on things to keep it comfortably out of the “painfully blatant” zone, so that’s what matters in my book. Anyways, the gist is you’re a new student at a wizard academy. There’s a thing called the “Buddy system” (lol) where two students’ fates are connected, and they’re supposed to help each other succeed at the school. So of course it’s just used as a plot excuse for you to be connected to whoever’s route you’re doing.

I’ve played seven routes (currently on my eighth) out of twelve, and they’ve promised at least three more characters in the future, which honestly shocked me because that’s a ton. The guys are grouped by threes and are called “series”, where their plots, while all different, all deal with the same antagonist/threat/mystery. My favorite character is Klaus… compare him to Louis from above, Gill from Harvest Moon, and Jumin Han and you’ll see why lmao

Modern Cinderella

This one’s so far down on the list only because I literally started playing it a couple days ago. I think it’ll get way higher up once I’m more familiar with it, and if this first route I’m playing doesn’t disappoint! The story for this one is self-described as a “reverse Cinderella”, where the main character is rich and has led a lavish lifestyle until she runs away from her overbearing and controlling mother to start a completely new life. I think that’s pretty interesting itself, but what I really like is that the main character ends up with a different profession based on the route chosen. With the three routes that are out right now, the career options are singer, patissier, and writer. At least two more routes are promised (I’m hoping there’ll be even more).

I wasn’t too sure about the art style at first – the main character starts out with a really ugly dress and makeup, but they make a point of changing her clothes and essentially going “that’s much better” after the prologue. The guy that helps out the main character by giving her a place to stay is explicitly gay and doesn’t seem to feed into any bad stereotypes, so that’s a cool side note! So far my overall impression is that it’s cute.

Lost Alice

An Alice in Wonderland one, yeah. >_> However, it has a somewhat unique twist on the story? Some of the mystery was revealed in the Hatter’s route, but that’s the only one I’ve played so far and I feel there’s more to discover about… the lore, for lack of a better term? If more stuff is revealed then I might get a little more invested, otherwise I’ll probably be a bit miffed, because as it stands I have a lot of unanswered questions about what’s going on.

The art style is nice, and there are currently five routes out with a sixth (and probably more) on the way. Most of the characters are directly out of the original story (Hatter, Cheshire Cat, March Hare), but others are harder to recognize (there’s a dude named Joker who I’m still not entirely sure is supposed to be…?). Haven’t played enough to pinpoint a favorite character yet, but the Hatter was cute.

Oz

My general attitude towards this one is “LMAO”. XD

Wizard of Oz. The premise is that Dorothy comes back to the land of Oz for her seventeenth birthday! And suddenly the scarecrow, tin man, and lion are human (that’s right, they acknowledge that they weren’t human to begin with)! And in this version, there were never any witches – they’re all hot romanceable wizards! including the wizard of the west because of course hgkrhsgnks Every single character’s name is a pun based off who they are! And then, the real kicker is that as soon as Dorothy arrives, she’s told she has to pick a boyfriend out of them all. Because reasons. And she just goes along with it.

So, uh, yeah, the story’s flimsy. And it doesn’t get much better in any of the routes lol… I’ve done three routes and am almost done with the fourth. I play it because it’s funny and… it has a few good moments bahaha. my favorite is heartmann Also worth noting that this one’s dead, like Niflheim is. They stopped having events and updates after they came out with all the characters.

Honorable mention: Notice Me, Senpai!

I don’t really consider this one a true dating sim, but it’s definitely meant for people who like dating sims! This app is one of my favorites ever omg, it’s so great honestly. It’s literally Neko Atsume… except instead of entertaining and collecting cats in your yard, you, the only girl at an all-boys school, run a cafe for personified anime boy tropes!

Instead of just leaving you a gift after a number of visits, each senpai has an affection level and you get CGs as they fall in love with you. At three hearts they leave a personal note, then at four and/or five hearts you get a CG where they confess to you. Then you can get additional CGs for each of their birthdays as well as for visiting a certain number of times after they’ve gotten five hearts. You can dress them up in tons of different outfits, and there are events for all the major holidays and seasons. Now I think they’ve settled into an event and new senpais every other month (so they’ll be coming out with stuff in May). Right now there are 34 senpais and I fear that the devs are going to burn out by releasing more, but hey if they think they can do it I won’t complain hgdgfsgvfsvgg

tl;dr it fulfills my lifelong fantasy of being the protagonist of a reverse harm anime and i love it so much

[inktae]

oh my god, there’s so much i’ve missed out and want to say to you. my exams (not final though, just counts for like a portion of 10% of my final grade;;) got finally over but there’s one more week of school until summer ;-; I heard that you too have a lot of stuff do as well like finals, and your paid internship (congrats~) all the best for finals (i.e. if it hasn’t happened yet or you’re in the midst of it) or I hope you did well if your finals are over. - (1/?)

it’s good that you’re taking a writing hiatus. You need rest (even though the hiatus is for your said finals and work) first of all, congratulations! FOR HITTING THAT 6,000 FOLLOWERS MARK!!!!!! Oh MY GOSH, the day you posted your first ever follow forever, was the day I was curious about how many followers you have considering the huge response your blog is getting

swear I got a bit teary eyed when I was reading it :’). I STARTED SCREAMING SILENTLY WHEN I SAW YOU MENTIONED ME omg i felt so honored that my little anonie messages made you happy. - (3/?)

Ahem ahem, how DARE YOU OFFEND ME WITH ASTRONOMER TAE;; astronomy is my passion and taehyung my love, JUST THE IDEA OF IT OFFENDS ME;; okay, first of all let me give you a standing ovation *claps cLAps* for writing such a well thought and balanced fic. Like I can’t imagine the amount of thought and time you put into creating such a great fic. That’s one of the reasons why you’re my favorite ff author of all time, like you put so much effort into making sure that the facts are right - (4/?)

and stuff I can’t really put into words but very much can appreciate (like ily in short, okay?) I loved jimin’s character in this I just don’t know why, like he had this really calming presence in this story and ahh~ squish squish everywhere. jin, oh my gosh, jin the amount of pain he had to go through from being rejected by his soulmate to having to run away from his family ;-; im not even going to talk about madscientisttae like im just ded y’all. - (5/?)

and omg now we dream apart was truly unique and wonderful. Honestly soul mate au’s are so versatile and im so in awe that you come up with a new idea turning your usual fic into something beautiful! “it is not your other half, but rather someone who reminds you that you are already whole” :’) wow that was so beautiful, like in most fics (not that im bashing them or anything) would say that your soulmate is your other half but someone who reminds that you’re already whole, idk but - (6/?)

I was so satisfied like that’s what a soulmate should be (in my pov).Im in the midst of reading below thunder shows and im loving every second of it. Sorry it got too long, the message that is. Im so so very excited for your upcoming projects like ot7; requiem of time when there;s so much potential for angst like sign me up! And OH MY LORD, KOE NO KATTACHI AU (+ fantasy aU) WITH JIMIN?! Im reading that manga and I swear its one of the most beautiful mangas - (7/?)

I have ever read in my entire life, like im in chapter 14 and I’ve cried like 4 times already ;-; im planning to watch the movie after I finish (or should I watch it then read the manga?) then, omg the sequel for blue notebooks!! summer just got bearable. Also also (sorry) don’t let the hate get to you. you don’t deserve this at all and I WILL PERSONALLY COME FROM DUBAI TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO DID such mean things and give them a wack in the head because they need it. Just forget about (8/?)

about them and focus on the positive things and the people who loves you (like me for instance xD) btw, tumblr made me wait for an hour before I could send any more messages - (8/8) n.

DUDE I SMILED SO MUCH READING THIS thank you for the asks and for taking the time to send me such a lovely, caring message ❤❤ I am still in the middle of exams and will be studying for a few more weeks still. but I made a studying schedule I’m finally comfortable with, so it’s all good! (I mean.. I am still the grumpiest I have ever been. you don’t want to see how much of an ogre I am during exams season lol). anyway, congrats on finishing your exams, even if they are only a 10%! that’s already a great accomplishment.

and thank you so much, I’m still thrilled that so many people support my works. pjiminnie was.. considerably bigger, but it took me this long to see that that doesn’t matter, as long as I’m happy with what I’m posting :)) and YES I had to mention you!! you are at the top of my mind when it comes to the most supportive followers I have ever had, so believe me when I say I’m genuinely grateful for you and your messages. 

and omg you actually read away from the sun and now we dream apart!! thank you!! can you tell I’m very, very trash for soulmate aus LOL and it’s really fun to try and come up with something new every time. it’s like a little challenge. :) 

I was going to keep the koe no katachi au strictly as a slice of life (zero magical elements) buuuut I came up with this really cool fantasy idea for it and goddamn it, I know it might sound weird to mix those two aus but I can only hope it turns out alright!! I never read the manga, I just stumbled upon the movie a while ago after seeing some gifs, and I only found out there was a manga after watching it. then again, I checked out the manga’s art afterwards and I can say that the animators did a great job with it, it looks so similar ^^

thank you for your support, I really hope you're okay and that you get to spend a great, relaxing summer! ahhh I seriously smiled so much with your messages so thank you for that hehe ❤

[comicteaparty]

May 13th-May 19th, 2020 Reader Favorites Archive

The archive for the Reader Favorites chat that occurred from May 13th, 2020 to May 19th, 2020.  The chat focused on the following  question:

Which comic has your all-time favorite artwork, and why do you like it?

carcarchu

Oh yes i can say this with certainty but the webcomic with my all-time favourite artwork by far is 榴花不及春 https://www.manmanapp.com/comic-1404769.html. it's not just that the art is beautiful but the way the artists create mood and tone is just jaw-dropping. I actually got chills a few times while reading it from the art alone and that's not something that i can recall happening when reading a lot of webcomics, or actually any fiction in general. there's such a elegance to the line weight and movement of the art that brings life to the characters. the artists' use of lighting adds such depth to the scenes, sometimes creating a warm and inviting atmosphere and other times a haunting and foreboding chill. the time i've spent with this comic is not something i'll soon forget(edited)

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

This is such a difficult question for me. Gahhh, so many pretty comics out there.... I guess, in regards to artwork alone, my favorite is the 2015 version of Countdown to Countdown by Vel. (https://tapas.io/series/Countdown) Just... such beautiful work. I'm a sucker for detailed painterly styles I will admit, but also the color and lighting is phenomenal. The way Vel sets up the mood with color and movement is amazing. The textures and brush strokes are simply gorgeous! Unfortunately, Vel rebooted the comic to a new style last year, and while it is still really gorgeous, I must admit, I don't like it nearly as much as the original. (What can I say? I have a bias for painterly styles.) Still highly recommend it! (https://tapas.io/series/CTC) I do want to point out some honorable mentions for me: * Ghostblade by WLOP (https://tapas.io/series/GhostBlade) - another painterly comic * The Sixth Dalai Lama by Ze Zhao (https://tapas.io/series/thesixthdalailama) - discontinued as far as I'm aware, but painted traditionally with watercolor! * Wind Rose by Sfera (https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/wind-rose/list?title_no=54306) - Painterly again (later on as the artist improved) but also great expressions I will say, I also love deliciously detailed lineart, but I don't see it a lot (especially in webcomics), and I cannot think of one right now :/(edited)

carcarchu

ahh ghost blade is a great choice @Cronaj (Whispers of the Past) and while i agree that countdown to countdown's new art isn't as sumptuous as it used to be for a comic it works better and the simpler art style allows vel to release at a more consistent rate without injuring herself so i really respect the change(edited)

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Yeah, definitely understand why they changed styles, because oml can a painterly style be taxing

DanitheCarutor

I can't pick just one! But to start off I love the art of Lost Honey (https://www.losthoney.com/), everything about it is so soft, the linework, the colors the character designs, the panelling, it all has such a nice feel to it. The creator's use of color is sooo easy on the eyes, it fits so well with the comic. The linework has such a nice flow and movement, there is never a feeling of stiffness, it almost reminds me of water. Also I'm a complete sucker for traditionally drawn comics. Even though it's discontinued as far as I know, Thicker Than Blood also has really nice aesthetics! (https://tapas.io/series/Thicker-Than-Blood-), it has such a unique style almost like classical art mixed with glass. The designs are detailed yet highly stylized. The quality varied from time to time, given the amount of work that goes into them, but overall I really liked the look of this comic. Carciphona is another one I like aesthetically. (https://tapas.io/series/carciphona) The art of this one has improved immensely since it started, and while I'm not a fan of the look of the earlier pages, I'm loving how their work has evolved. The style is very Japanese inspired, there is a lot going on sometimes, but has its own unique look and is very well crafted. Also I love the action scenes, how they're handled makes the scenes look intense, sometimes grandiose.(edited)

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

Oh my god I love carciphona’s art! I always get shilin’s art whenever she sells at Anime North I’ve been meaning to read carciphona for a while so thanks for reminding me!

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

Hands down it is Black Out Cityhttp://blackoutcity.ca/lvl10.php Jay does these amazing illustrative panels when they introduce a new chapter and it has me hooked on each update! The way that the title is incorporated within the panel is beautifully done, and their attention to detail and effective use of contrast is breath taking. Definitely a huge inspiration of mine! I also want to shout out to O'Sarilho by @Capitania do Azar . The palettes she uses are unique and dynamic, and the layouts read like the comic is animated (there's even animated parts in it!) the way she draws action and portrays horrific parts is phenomenal!https://sarilho.net/en/

(also i love this prompt but i could def go on forever with it hehe)

Deo101 [Millennium]

I wholeheartedly second O'sarilho ^^ it's a comic I regularly reccomend and I probably won't ever get over how lovely it looks! (I'll have to look for more comics who's art I love later)(edited)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I'll throw in Heart of Gold https://heartofgoldcomic.com/. The ethereal palette, the clean and crisp architecture, the panels that work perfectly with the church imagery, and the energy of the lines and brush strokes. SO GOOD.

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

I agreEE

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

Okay for me it's two webcomics One of them is Tracy JB's Lackadaisy https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/lackadaisy/list?title_no=39790&page=1 https://www.lackadaisycats.com/ Everything she does is wonderful; colour, expression, character, plot.....her art inspired me to embark on expression work. I remember being younger and being so inspired by her webcomic. Hands down can't find a flaw. The other one is Muted by anidoodles https://www.webtoons.com/en/supernatural/muted/list?title_no=1566 I was introduced to her from her Heather animatics on youtube. I love how her inking and cell shading is simple but VERY effective; the use of bold bright colours and watercolours was amazing. My art style is heavily inspired by hers and overall, I love how she captures people's attention with it.(edited)

Miranda

Oh I love Muted!

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

looks at your profile pic heheh

Miranda

I mean, I'd have to say I love "Nothing Special" by Katie Cook. Her art style and color scheme is just easy on the eyes and I love her intricate filled backgrounds. https://www.webtoons.com/en/fantasy/nothing-special/list?title_no=1188&page=1 Phantomarine is another favorite. I absolutely love the painted look and it's been inspiring my newer pages. Every page is just a work of art and I love the color choices and just everything about it. http://www.phantomarine.com/

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

PHANTOMARIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I’m also going to say Phantomarine

Theres also one I found recently called Bybloemen that has a really cool art style

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

ohhh Bybloemen is gorgeous and is so up your alley Sssfrs!

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

Its so good

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Woah, it's like woodcuts!! I like it!

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

Ooh this is a hard choice since I see beautiful webcomic art alot. Recently my favorite art and coloring style I've been inspired by are: - The Glass Scientists https://www.theglassscientists.com/ Some of the pages are well executed, I like the character designs, fantasy with alchemists, werewolves and more. Ghost Teller https://www.webtoons.com/en/horror/ghost-teller/list?title_no=1307 I enjoy QTT use of gradient coloring and spooky atmosphere, it looks like alot of time were used to make each strip. I like how the characters are linked to each story, it's not as spooky as more dramatic. They are all short stories Gourmet Hound: https://www.webtoons.com/en/drama/gourmet-hound/list?title_no=1245 When I think of slice of life with a soft pleasant color palette, this story comes in mind. I like to refer to her work as well as other SoL comics for inspiration on coloring.(edited)

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

@carcarchu ooh I love the different comics you recommend. It's always unique and pretty. I hope there's a tranlation strip for '榴花不及春'(edited)

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

GOURMET HOUND

IM SO HAPPY ITS HERE

chalcara [Nyx+Nyssa]

Funnily, the webcomic with my all-time favourite art is Order of the Stick. Love how much expression and narrative work this simple style does.

RebelVampire

Definitely Rising Sand https://risingsand.glass/. The art is immensely detailed in ways that are relevant to the world and story, has beautiful color choices, beautiful compositions, amazing light effects, great backgrounds, and so on. And just overall the skill level is so high I'd need another 20 years experience with art to even be able to begin to point out a single flaw.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

^Ooh yes! I don’t know how Rising Sand keeps that quality so high. From their posts, it seems like a bit of a nightmare sometimes But the end product is like its own animated film!

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

Omg I'm often in awe with those artists making high quality art that looks like it belongs in graphic novels or film. I can imagine those big details will take alot of time to put together. (edited)

I once happen to meet the creators for Rising Sand. Very passionate writer and artist team who have quite some experiences and strong teamwork. (Life goals!)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

so many comics to check out :0

Deo101 [Millennium]

wow rising sand is really gorgeous

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

Whoa rising sand is really good

actually reminds me of Tigress Queen by Allidraws https://www.tigressqueen.com/comic/page-0001(edited)

especially the parts where she draws glass and architecture it's very vibrant and full of life

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

Gosh I realized I have a trend of loving slice of life stories, so I might end up recommending that genre afew times!

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

(don't forget webcomic_recs for recommending good comics in general outside of the weekly topic!)

Unfortunately Korean-only at this time, but I am in awe of the art in this comic. It's not very polished, but you can tell the artist really knows what he's doing in terms of anatomy, perspective and composition. https://comic.naver.com/webtoon/list.nhn?titleId=701535&weekday=wed

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

oops I remembered that, I'll go repost there instead. Thanks Keii. Wow that comic(edited)

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

I really want to read more Korean and Chinese webcomics, they have a different vibe and story atmosphere. I enjoy looking into them as inspiration on how to stage my webtoon scenes.(edited)

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Hmmmm, I wouldn't recommend the one above for how to make vertical scroll comics. That one was originally made for print and then adapted afterward, and it shows.

Still absolutely amazing action art, though!

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

@LadyLazuli (Phantomarine) Heart of Gold is SO beautiful! I agree with you 100 procent!

I will add The Ocean Soul. Holey damn this comic is SO gorgeous!!!! https://tapas.io/series/The-Ocean-Soul

Javi

Gonna add this before this prompt changes. I think Oren's Forge has the best artwork I've ever seen done in a webcomic. Every panel has a setting that's so bold and pristine in color, layout, and background that it begs to be animated. Every color used paints a different mood to show character development and the style of the characters is so stylized and interesting to look at. Even the story is interesting enough that it gets you hooked and wondering what will happen next. Also talking animals, what more can I say? :) There's more discussion in FurAffinity than there is on Tapas so I'm putting two links https://m.tapas.io/series/OrensForge https://www.furaffinity.net/full/18260576/

[surrendertodaniel]

Surrender To Daniel’s Top 250 Tracks Of 2017ish (250-201)

Opening Blab

250. Kelly Clarkson - Love So Soft (Cash Cash Remix)

“Love So Soft” was always meant for a “the nice restaurant lounge at the good mall” EDM remix that could tear a dancefloor to shreds. Please don’t do that, though. That sounds expensive. 249. Trinidad Cardona - Jennifer

A sticky sweet singer-songwriter plea for forgiveness that might not win back Jennifer, but has done pretty well for itself. (As it should.)

248. Arcade Fire - Electric Blue

OH! I get the U2 jokes now! I kid. I kid. I really wanted to like the new Arcade Fire album for what it’s worth. I wish them no harm. Everything Now felt explicitly like the album in the 2-page magazine discography review that gets cut down to 10 words due to space limitations and WHO COULD ARGUE? I think “Electric Blue” is fantastic, though. It’s a smidge “Sprawl III (Electric Beyond Blue” and that’s cool by me.

247. Valerie June - Shakedown

“Shakedown” is the sort of tune that inspires me to dance around like I’m goddamn Scrooge McDuck doing a bunch of weird pointing and twirling and shit. (That doesn’t sound like an endorsement but it is. An enthusiastic one! “Shakedown” is probably a folk festival floorfiller parkgrassfiller of some sort, I imagine.)

246. Rozwell Fitzroy - Block Game

The ReBoot Reboot soundtrack is coming along nicely. (Let me imagine this.)

245. Fickle Friends - Hard To Be Myself

Sparkling youth activity centre pop that comes in its own shade of neon!

244. Katy Perry featuring Migos - Bon Appetit

Katy Perry’s Witness came across as a bit of a lame duck record after “Chained to the Rhythm” missed the mark, didn’t it? It didn’t really help that the videos seemed second tier (or like a “favor” from JibJab in the case of “Swish Swish”) and that clunky SNL showing. Even if Witness isn’t my cup of tea (I’m rooting for the next Katy cycle)“Bon Appetit” is a first-rate muff-diving anthem with Migos making a welcome showing.

243. Chip - Snap Snap

Wait! Wait! Wait! Is that? Could it be?

Holy moly! How did I not put it together that Chip is the artist formerly known as Chipmunk? Anyway, Chip would prefer if his partner cool it on all the Instagram posting. The music video presents a convincing argument about this lovely woman’s endless selfiecrafting. I’m onboard for some sort of rebuttal track if that’s in the cards.

242. Borussia - Kinda Love

An infectious dance colossus whose power only grows by the number of bright cocktails taken in during your evening. Or morning. Look, I’m not here to judge. (Outside of this silly music judging exercise.)

241. Lady Gaga - The Cure

It’s been AGES since we had a Lady Gaga Thanksgiving special. I wonder if we’ll get one in like 2018. I hope she hasn’t had a falling out with any of the Muppets.

240. Sonamoo - I (Knew It)

I go a little too hard stomping to this K-Pop kiss-off. Like T-1000 (or whatever) stepping through that skull quarry in Terminator 2 only I’m far more prone to slipping on most surfaces.

239. Taylor Swift - ...Ready For It

2017 Taylor was not elite Taylor. (”Look What You Made Me Do” was a music video masquerading as a proper song, for goodness sakes.) Non-elite Taylor is still capable of incredible feats. “...Ready For It” reaches the sublime as its meticulously built ULTRA STADIUM POP grandiosity consumes us all. Just blinding pop light. It took me a while to get on the “...Ready For It” trolley, but I’m happy to be here.

238. Joyride - Aunty Tracey’s Cookies

If you’re going to get creative with your cookies, do so with the hopes of having a blissed out anthem sung in your treat’s honor.

237. Carly Pearce - Every Little Thing

One of those classic country songs where if you see the listener’s face go a certain way you let them sing their heart out.

236. Eves Karydas - There For You An elegant and enormous part the seas anthem, plus Eves does some excellent slowly sliding down the stairs work in the promo.

235. Vic Mensa featuring Pusha T - OMG

A chain swinging, bubbling cauldron of a cut with Pharrell production teleported in from the ‘00s. By the way, if anyone needs a dopey white guy to say something like “oh my goodness” as the hook, gimme a call. Look for 21 Savage x Dan MacRae’s “Geez Louise” on iTunes in 2018.

234. Tigertown - Warriors (St. Lucia Remix)

A Capri-Sun kissed groovy remix of Tigertown with charm to spare.

233. Lady Leshurr - Juice

Lady Leshurr is the sort of entertainer where she’s do damn likeable that I’ve spent the past 3 hours imagining TV projects the English MC can do on the side.

232. Frank Ocean - Chanel

You know the Frank Ocean drill by now. Press play, immediately feel it in your chest.

231. DYGL - Let It Out

Albert Hammond Jr. endorsed Tokyo rock outfit DYGL have crafted a tightly wrapped indie gem with Britpop and Blogosphere First Wave tendencies.

230. Old Dominion - No Such Thing As A Broken Heart

The video for this is so quarter-assed (glass houses much, Dan?) that I have been increasingly MYSTIFIED with every rewatch. Like, the concept is that Old Dominion are in a video game world that’s stuffed with wacky high score gags and kwazy on-screen graphics. The execution doesn’t pan out, so instead it’s like you’re watching someone try to recreate a Christian edit version of Scott Pilgrim from memory and STARTED COOKING WITH GAS! The song’s fantastic, though. Arena country brimming with warmth and even a touch of Ed Robertson’s Barenaked Ladies output.

229. Super Junior - Black Suit

Unlike “No Such Thing As A Broken Heart,” the video for Super Junior’s “Black Suit” fudging ruuuuules, buds. The promo is the best piece of art involving an elaborate suit heist you’ll come across all 2017 and the entire operation looks awesome to boot. K-Pop’s Last Men Standing® teeter on the brink of jazztronica at times and it’s a treat DANG IT!

228. Barenaked Ladies & The Persuasions - The Old Apartment

Is this cheating? It is, isn’t? Whatever. BNL (a term used exclusively by cool insiders) and The Persuasions were a fantastic match in 2017 and combo performances like this update of “The Old Apartment” feel so damn alive I wish both parties would consider hanging out a lot more.

227. Ayo & Teo - Lit Right Now

As infectious as a yawn but lit (FUCK!) like a firecracker, Ayo & Teo are making Frosh bangers you want to throw paint to. Or maybe I just want to chuck paint. I dunno.

226. LCD Soundsystem - Tonite

Did LCD Soundsystem really need to come back? Probably not, but they’re welcome to stay. (Look at me! I’m doing rulings now, apparently. Ha ha, life.)

225. Pip Blom - Babies Are A Lie

Nothing will top “Babies Are A Lie” in the 2017 song title sweepstakes. Also the hook is an absolute dream.

224. Shay Lia - What’s Your Problem

Pulsating R&B brilliance that sometimes leads me to do ill-advised arm choreo on my balcony. (I’m allergic to rhythm so it’s a tragedy and I apologize to anyone that’s gone down George Street this year.)

223. Lauren Alaina - Doin’ Fine

Play this at just the right volume and you will be powerless to resist the urge to belt out this country anthem while wrapped in curtains, a comforter or both.

222. Jachary - Yellow Vision

An absorbing electronic pop blend (think a spiritual second cousin to Discovery) with a chorus that swings into action like a battering ram.

221. Cende - Bed

A melting ice cream cake of mid-misery assessment wailing power-pop. Or glower-pop if you will. You will not? I completely understand and apologize immediately.

220. Waju featuring Phantom Thrett - If U Wanna

Blissed out hip-hop soul that marinates nicely in the brain. The video’s pretty darn good too.

219. AOBeats & Annabel Jones - Strangers

“You run your heart like a club: One in, one out.” It’s important to note this is a fantastic dance number for anyone that enjoys doing mid-level theatrical glances in lieu of actual dancing. (Read: Me.)

218. CupcakKe - Barcodes

Burn your motivational posters, this horn-aided banger from CupcakKe will slap you in the face with ESSENTIAL life advice about knowing what you’re worth and not budging. Also CupcakKe has some awesome lines on “Barcodes” that made me legitimately guffaw. It’s not easy to pull the guffaw out of the Dan laugh library.

217. Aly & AJ - Take Me

I think I’ve been on about this before, but there was a brief time I confused Aly & AJ with Prussian Blue. Not important. What is important is “Take Me” which is a synth-soaked sledgehammer to the sky that sounds absolutely massive. It’s a big tune is what it is.

216. Tyler, The Creator featuring A$AP Rocky - Who Dat Boy

Ya blew it, Schoolboy Q. 

215. Joe Goddard - Music Is The Answer

Hot Chip boy Joe Goddard turns in an engrossing frosted electronic effort that feels like backstroking through gel in the nicest possible way.

214. Gabrielle - Nye Joggesko

“Nye Joggesko” glides, strolls and spikes like hybrid pop should.

213. Amber Coffman - No Coffee

Pastel (but not Pastels) tinted guitar pop that gets the “breezy” tag even though I wouldn’t quite put it in the “breezy” camp.

212. Diamond Platnumz, Harmonize, Rich Mavoko & Rayvanny – Zilipendwa 

Last I checked, “Zilipendwa” was embroiled in a saxophone copyright scandal. No matter where you stand on the issue, it’s 14 seconds of sublime saxophone worth fighting over.

211. Ugly God - Fuck Ugly God

“You act like a freak, but you ain't never sucked no toes.” Ugly God treats self-immolation like a superpower. Even though the dude is doing a vivisection of his own shame, "Fuck Ugly God” hits like you’re the one being powerbombed through a table. 

210. Royal Canoe featuring Begonia - Fussin’

If this Western Canadian folk festival tent is rockin’, it’s cuz of what Royal Canoe and Begonia are clocking. (Or there’s a live ferret rescue on the grounds. Either way, respect people’s space.)

209. Ah Mer Ah Su - Meg Ryan

“I’m a white woman, I can do whatever I want,” declares Ah Mer Ah Su on the marvellously woozy pop carousel “Meg Ryan” and yes, she does mention City of Angels on the track.

208. Wesley Gonzalez - Piece of Mind

Nervy indie pop that lands somewhere between They Might Be Giants and XTC. But NOT Adam Ant. (WHO IS THAT JOKE FOR? IMPROV KIDS BEATEN WITH THEIR OWN MEAD BINDERS? WHO?)

207. Smino - Anita

The T-Pain remix is gorgeous too. Be sure to tell T-Pain if you happen to hang out with him in the future.

206. Hannah Jane Lewis - Raincheck

THIS TRACK IS BUOYANT AS FUCK, GANG! There’s also a great bit in the video where a cursor has to choose between “Accept (heart sign)” and “Raincheck” which is something I like in a music video. Play your ace, Hannah Jane Lewis.

205. Mollie King - Hair Down

This is tacky-as-you-like pop the way only the Brits can do it (you can practically see visions of loud Panto ads if you close your eyes) and should poured down your gullet like it’s Tetra Pak booze. In retrospect I should have watched E!’s Chasing The Saturdays when I had the chance.

204. Ten Fé - Twist Your Arm

A Guardian review pegged Ten Fé as something like Madchester meets Springsteen, but “Twist Your Arm” is more a glimmering ‘80s AOR creature than anything else. Probably goes down a storm with Q’s readership. (Not a dig.) I can totally picture a lot of spouses doing intense bicycle repairs with this CRANKED in the garage.

203. Charlie Worsham - Cut Your Groove

Full points to Charlie Worsham for having an first tier country name. Say it out loud right now for fun. It’s great, right? Charlie lays out a sweethearted country self-affirmation anthem that feels like warm embrace on “Cut Your Groove” and I’ve done some power twirling to this.

202. iLoveMakonnen featuring Rae Sremmurd - Love

This combo effort would be quintuple platinum if satellite radio were still “a thing.” I am 10000% convinced this would have been gargantuan in that era. Fight me and my ghost on this and I’ll fudge you up, bud. I also believe this would be fantastic on Riverdale.

Vaguely Related: I’m behind on Riverdale and need to catch up on season 2 so my dad and I can talk about it at length this Christmas.

201. Allison Crutchfield - I Don't Ever Wanna Leave California

“Darling, you're too mid-Atlantic,” begins (ex?) Swearin’ talent Allison Crutchfield on this solo cut and that’s an incredible way to start a song.