#the ep actually blew me away too like. the animation is crazy good?!

[mayushiis]

watched the first ep of roshidere in dub today, man have i missed hearing aaron dismuke’s goofy voice in high-quality romcom dubs 😭💕

[snkpolls]

SnK S3E09 Poll Results (Manga Reader Version)

The poll closed with 494 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that this is the results of the manga reader poll. Anime only watchers are suggested not to read if you do not wish to be spoiled about certain events! Anime only viewers, click here to view your poll results!

RATE THE EPISODE 486 Responses

Nearly adapted completely verbatim from the manga, overall the episode ranking was very positive this week, with no votes for it being awful. Seems each week keeps getting better and better!

All in all, brilliant episode. 10/10 would watch again, despite giant exploding guts.

It was great, especially what they did with Rod Reiss 120 meters Titan. I feel this was executed better than the manga. Hopefully, WIT Studio continues this way with season 3 and the next seasons of Attack on Titan.

Best episode of the season so far in my opinion! Was about to have a heart attack towards the end tho when I thought they flew over the flashback:(

In my opinion it was the best episode of the season. The animation rivaled levi vs kenny from the first two episodes

Amazing! My fav episode so far. Can't see anything bad this episode, except for that cliffhanger.... RIP Kenny

The animation was like Titan steam, cause it blew my away

Incredible devotion to detail. Best looking episode so far!

This season honestly just keeps getting better and better. The first few eps were a little shocking with the rearrangements and pacing changes, but now I'm back to being a WIT stan.

Easily one of the top 8 episodes of the entire series for me, so far.

HOW ABOUT THAT BARRICADES ORCHESTRAL REARRANGE? 480 Responses

Overall the fandom was positively hyped hearing that new arrangements of Barricades in the background. Now we’re all just asking, “where is the damn ost!?”

I NEED THE OST IN MY POSSESSION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE PLEASE OH MY GOD.   The Barricades remix was incredible?!?!?!?!!?!?

Really good music

the soundtracks were amazing man

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WERE YOUR FAVORITE OVERALL SCENES? 486 Responses

Overall, most voters were stoked to see Rod’s face reveal more than anything. Following closely after that is Historia declaring herself the ruler of the walls, Levi finding Kenny by the collapsed cave and the Survey Corps taking out Rod.

YAASSS! Historia just named herself queen! I loved that part!

One little niggling thing for me is that scene where Eren watches Mikasa lift barrels effortlessly. I liked how the focus on her strength was made obvious by showing a brief glimpse of episode 1 -the time Mikasa was NOT strong enough. It made my heart weep man.

GOD I LOVE THE REISS TITAN. SEEING IT ANIMATED WAS SO FUCKING SICK.

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WERE YOUR FAVORITE MC CHARACTER INTERACTIONS? 483 Responses

Eren accidentally inferring that Levi is a tiny, old man was voted most enjoyable scene of the episode, followed closely by Levi regrettably telling Kenny that he’s done for. Historia being firm about her stance with Erwin was another highly voted scene, along with Eren putting his game face back on.

I really liked Historia's characterization in this episode. It was nice to see her standing her ground in front of Erwin and the scene where she defeats her father was the episode's highlight for me.

HOW COOL WAS IT TO SEE THE POV OF A MINDLESS TITAN? 485 Responses

Overall, respondents were pretty stoked to see how a pure titan senses other humans.

YOUR REACTION TO ROD’S TITAN’S FACE REVEAL? 484 Responses

44% of respondents agree that the animation of Rod’s gruesome face was simply “awesome!” 25% were disgusted and 21% saw nothing but nightmare fuel. Ultimately we can all agree WIT really did a good job on this one!

ADORE

It set my gag reflex off like crazy, that shit was so disgusting! IMAGINE THE SMELL.

Finally! Gruesome details like that are an important part of the SnK universe and shouldn't be left out.

I'm glad WIT finally had the guts to go all out with Rod's titan form. It was definitely needed.

As Zackly would say: beautiful

I love that kind of macabre things but holy cannoli, I flinched so hard after seeing it. BIG KUDOS to the guys who animated this, it was a disgusting perfection.

Awesome disgusting & horrifying

If I were one of the soldiers I would've just shit my pants right there

Horrifyingly awesome! Awesomely horrifying?! THERE WAS BOTH RECOIL AND DELIGHT.

Wow it was awesome! It was so good to see first his eyes and then how devastated his face was. He had holes for eyes and the blood was like tears which fits with what Ymir said about mindless titans - that is incredible suffering.

It was absolutely disgusting and everything I was hoping for! Amazing!

Seriously don't get why it has to be so gross

I loved Rod’s Titan. It’s the stuff of nightmares.

Oh cool! Oh god.

WHO DREW IT BETTER - ISAYAMA OR WIT? 484 Responses

While Isayama drew Levi’s wanted poster better in the eyes of the fandom, WIT won the vote for Erwin’s talented left-handed drawing of Rod. We all thought it was beautiful either way!

Erwin actually draws better than me AND I WENT TO DRAWING CLASS FFS

WHOSE GRAVE DO YOU THINK EREN WAS VISITING? 481 Responses

Over half of respondents believe that Eren was visiting Hannes’ grave sometime between the events of Clash and Uprising arcs. 28% believe he was paying respects to a member of the original Levi Squad, while 25% believe it wasn’t anyone notable. Some write in answers had creative ideas:

A brat, I hope he's dead

His hopes and dreams

Can’t be Hannes or Squad Levi because they haven’t had time since the expedition for funerals. I think it’s Marco’s and the funeral was for the Battle of Trost.

I think it was an unnamed soldier's grave, but I was really hoping for it to be Hannes'

No idea, maybe a random soldier from Trost? When they're in titan territory how can they even stop to pick up what's left of bodies? I know they did after they escaped Annie but I never bought it much.

Mine, for this episode has killed me dead

Carla's empty grave.

Marco or some of his other comrades

HOW MUCH DO YOU RELATE TO EREN PUNCHING HIMSELF? 483 Responses

Half of respondents feel like Eren punching himself is a big and relatable mood (or perhaps, some of you relate to wanting to punch him?). 33% sometimes feel this way while 16% apparently never get this frustrated with themselves.

Didn't really like the Eren punching himself bit but he did kinda need it.

i wANT TO HUG MY DEPRESSED SON :(

HOW DID YOU LIKE THOSE THROWBACK FLASHBACKS FROM SEASON 1? 484 Responses

44% of respondents have appreciated seeing the nostalgic look of Season 1 peppered in with the current animation. 27% think that it’s pretty surreal to see the differences put together, and 22% didn’t really care or notice either way.

It was great to remind us about times when everything seemed so simple...

All those flashbacks annoyed me to be honest.

I thought that they should have reanimated it at first, but then I realized it would require more work which takes too much time

It’s so cool to see how much the animation has improved

I miss season 1 character designs

Im crying, missing my thicc lines

WOULD YOU ACCEPT HISTORIA AS YOUR RULER? 485 Responses

The majority of voters would be thrilled to bow down to Historia and accept her rule. 22% wouldn’t mind, while a smaller percentage would rather nope out of that situation.

Historia can rule me anytime, anywhere ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Hisu could knock the shit out of me and I'd be thankful, honestly

Historia is bae

If anyone insults Historia i hope Rods titan guts fall on their head.

ROD IS A TINY OLD MAN. IS LEVI A TINY OLD MAN TOO? 483 Responses

41% of voters used this question to pay respects to Eren - who most definitely was shook by the realization that he used the words “tiny” and “old” in front of Levi. No respondents agree that Levi is old but everyone can agree that Levi is tiny.

Tiny old man is bestboi

WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE ADDED MOMENT WHERE EREN GAINS CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF AGAIN? 479 Responses

Over half of voters believed the added scene was a good way to show Eren getting back on his feet after his meltdown. 14% agree that it got them hyped up for what’s coming. 10%, however, believe that the moment canceled out his previous behavior and didn’t make a lot of sense.

I liked it and he looked great but it did seem out of nowhere that he got he confidence back so quickly.

Huh? That was added?

It was awesome. I liked that part as it showed Eren's natural self and weaker state. He was relatable.

It felt out of place? Like it came out of nowhere.

Objectively, it was a great step in his character development. I just don't care about him, that's all.

I felt like he didnt really have to gain confidence to do his part, it was very shounen-like but I guess its ok

I wish my crises of confidence were that short

It negated his previous (and/or future) behaviour imo but DAMN SON HE‘S HANDSOME. RIP IN PEPPERONI MY OVARIES.

It's a little bit of hope that'll be crushed in the next arc.

makes me wonder how they’ll change (if at all) his ‘i’m not special, just the son of a special man’ moment later on with keith

WE FINALLY GOT TO SEE HOW TITANS SEEK OUT HUMANS WITH THEIR “6TH SENSE”! HEAT SENSORY! ARE YOU GLAD THAT ISAYAMA FINALLY ANSWERED OUR QUESTION WITH THIS EPISODE? 481 Responses

43% of voters appreciated the added detail, while ⅓ of voters were excited to finally have this sensory detail shown to us! A small percentage were unimpressed.

I think it's not heat, but actual human sensory.

But surly that would attract them to animals and so heat sensory can't be the ENTIRE process of detecting humans.

H E A T P A T H S

I'm pretty sure titan vision was 'souls' seen with PATHS and not heat detection or else titan would eat animals, at least that's what I thought when watching that scene

That still doesn't answer how and why titans differentiate between humans and other living things.

I knew it, but one question. Why do they need eyes if they got a sixth sense? Is the 6th sense an insurance if their eyes failed them? The 6th sense could be the work of PATHs lol...nah most likely heat detection.

P A T H S

We don’t know if it was heat sensory, but it was good.

DID THE RISE OF QUEEN HISTORIA MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS? 482 Responses

Nearly half of respondents got what they expected overall, while about 40% had their expectations exceeded. Just under 10% of voters weren’t very impressed with the way it was adapted. Overall, the love for Historia is very real.

Game of thrones "Mhysa" soundtrack just kept playing in my head when she proclaimed herself as the queen to the citizens. It was REALLY well done, I loved every minute of her scenes

Underwhelmed is a strong word. I think the scene in the manga was stronger, but the anime was still pretty good. The battle was absolutely great, I just feel her final declaration carried a bit more panache in the manga.

It was very okay

Historia really rocked. She is the true badass of this arc.

I was expecting a little more intense music, but yeah, that was fine the way they did it though.

Not a fan of the moment in the Manga, it felt shoehorned imo. Masterful adaptation, however

This is on me because the scene was done great but I wasn't as hyped as I thought I'd be which upset me because I've been waiting to see this for years.

THE SEIYUUS FOR ZEKE, REINER AND BERTOLT WERE REVEALED TO  BE IN THE NEXT EPISODE. HOW HYPED ARE YOU TO SEE THEM? 483 Responses

The vast majority of the fandom are excited to see Reiner and Bertolt come back to the screen along with their warchief, Zeke!

Gimme that warriors next episode!

I can't wait for next episode to see my babies Reiner and Berutoto ;__; Miss them

I love Pieck and hope she shows up next wieck.

I want Zeke already

ACKERDUO PARALLELS! HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT THEM SLICING AND DICING UP ROD’S GLAZED HAM TITAN IN UNISON? 481 Responses

The majority of voters were hyped to see Mikasa and Levi slicing up flesh. 23% were just happy for any parallels given some of the other things that were cut or minced up this season. A smaller percentage didn’t really care.

Ackerbrilliant!!

It amuses me how Ackermanns to Isayama are a different race of humans haha.

Ackerduo? More like Ackerdivas.

The Ackermans are such an eye-candy

Always a pleasure to see them in action 👌💯

imagine being that chill freefalling through the sky

as expected of Mikasa, don't care about Levi

I only care about Levi

HOW MANY OF YOU HAD HEART ATTACKS WHEN YOU THOUGHT KENNY’S FLASHBACKS WERE ONLY GOING TO HAPPEN IN A SPAN OF 10 SECONDS? 473 Responses

The vast majority of respondents were fooled for a few moments while watching the episode this week, worried that Levi and Kenny’s entire backstory got shoved into just a few moments. The preview eased our worries quickly enough though, thankfully! Many commenters weren’t fooled for a second, though:

I knew it was just a teaser for  next episode, not worried at all

Eh, I wasn't fooled by that, just a little confused. Nice addition to the scene though!

I wasn't ready for it to be in this episode! And yeah I began to panick like "they're not going to show us just that, right??" Still, I'm not ready to see the whole flashback thing next episode... 😭😭

I expected the flashbacks the next episode because of the episode titles.

I had a feeling that they were going to dedicate an episode or at least part of an episode to Kenny's flashbacks

I knew there was no way they'd do that, the thought never crossed my mind

I was more interested in seeing how they'd play out other important parts from them. They chose some great highlights to have people wondering what the deal with Kenny's past is while also making the transition into the full flashback feel less abrupt than in the manga, where I felt I had missed a chapter in between at first.

That thought never actually occurred to me. Pretty obvious that it was set-up for the next episode.

There's been too many heart-attack moments already. I've been reduced to a fandom grandma who sips her tea and says "Don't get your knickers in a twist, wait for it...

HOW DO YOU THINK THE STORY WOULD HAVE CHANGED IF EREN HAD BEEN EATEN IN THE CAVE? 206 Responses

You guys had some pretty interesting responses! Most people agree the story would have been effectively over and Paradis wiped out. We can't publish all of the responses, but here were some which stood out (or made us laugh):

Drastically! The people of Paradis would have their minds wiped, except for Mikasa and Levi. Historia would become a slave to the First King's "hide behind the walls" ideology. The SC would be disbanded and Erwin executed. So the whole island would be doomed when Marley invade again, and take Historia with the Founding Titan power away.

Pieck kills everyone

All the walldians would have died since there would be no way for the Survey Corps to take the Founding Titan and Attack Titan back from Historia or Rod Reiss and when the marleyans would have inevitably attacked, the walldians would have been erased from the face of the earth. Perhaps by an atomic bomb.

Levi for main protagonist!

Historia would have been controlled by the will of the First King and mind-wiped everyone. But not all things are lost. Levi and Mikasa would still be there, having all of their memories intact. Kenny and his squad would also still be alive, but Kenny would still not have much to live for anymore. Mikasa and Historia would have had a huge confrontation, with Mikasa almost killing Historia for eating Eren, but in the end, she can't bring over herself to kill her because Eren is ""alive"" within Historia now. Mikasa's liege to Eren will be slowly turning into a desire to protect Historia at all cost.

Erwin will be alive / Kenny will be alive / Berth will be alive / Sasha will be alive / Marlow will be alive / Moblit will be alive / Hanji will have their left eye / Zackly will be down with his shit machine

That's actually a great idea. Knowing where the author decided to take the plot, it wouldn't have worked, of course, but I would've loved to see the rest of the 104th taking over the story after Eren's death.

No future manbun eren :(

Historia might have more controll over the ability, If she becomes queen then the scouts will lose their hope for humanity. Mikasa will most likely be.... A little upset... Overall this question is difficult to answer because it creates a Senario with multiple different senarios within it. For example will historia become queen or remain in the scouts? It's just too difficult because of the different potential timelines created from this alternate event.

Zeke upon landing on Paradis: Where's Ereh?

I have never thought about that tbh. I guess we'd have no story at all, since the cycle of Titan inheritance would have not been broken and life would go back to as it was before the "story" started. Though Maria knows what Isayama had prepared for us in the upcoming manga chapters

they wouldve sold his organs on the black market

Oh wow, I never really thought of that. If Rod ate him then the story would probably end then and there because of the memory wipe (but a rebellion led by the Ackermans?? The possibilities are endless!). If Historia ate him then *maybe* she wouldn't do the memory wipe. It's interesting to speculate. The fate of the Survey Corps would come into question and that would become the focus of the story.

yea im not gonna write an alternate fanfiction for you

WHAT SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? 483 Responses

34% of voters are most looking forward to Levi and Kenny’s final heartbreaking exchange. 26% are excited to see Kenny’s backstory and his friendship with Uri unfold. 20% specifically are looking forward to Kenny and Uri’s first meeting. Where’s baby Levi!?

I'm not ready for Kenny's flashbacks next episode!! We're going to see small Levi and Kuchel and... I'm already crying 😭😭

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH URIKEN MY FRAGILE GAY HEART WILL NOT SURVIVE THE NEXT EPISIDE ASDFGHJKLZXCVBNM

I want the WHOLE backstory of Kenny taking care of Levi IMMEDIATELY!!!

NEXT EPISODE MY MAN WILL DIE!! I CAN’T DO THISSSSS

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

Beautiful animation, but I hope the next ep fills me with feels. I feel incredibly lackluster about Historia and her characterization this arc.

I always wondered in the manga how titan Rod didn't splatter his intestines on the Walls even without a skin. Like, it felt all too much clean, so anime made sense and a bit of splatter never hurt nobody! But with that scene, why WIT censors things like Levi killing humans??? They quite contradict themselves lol

Storyboards were handled by the man who storyboarded End of Eva and the Rebuilds, huh? Certainly paid off. I don't think his input was limited to storyboarding either, while easy to miss the first time around, Rod's agonized scream as he dies after Historia sees his memories is pretty disturbing and haunting. Very good stuff.

I'm sure that a lot of people will write about the battle against the Rod's titan and about Historia, so I will skip it. I have really nothing to add here except the fact that I really loved how strong, brave and mature Historia was in this episode.

Historia taking down her father gave me so many feels! I can't wait to see her get crowned and then punch Levi, he had such a heartwarming smile!

Historia is sooo fucking badass. I love Eren so much God bless his soul.

Erwin looked fucking great this episode.

Something about the anime didn't quite hit the mark, particularly in regards to the scene of Eren noticing the 3 kids and Armin giving him the pep talk. It's practically panel for panel, but the feel was just different somehow.

IT WAS A-MAZING! WE GOT THE SCENE WITH EREN INSULTING LEVI BY ACCIDENT (tho I was a bit disappointed that Levi didnt look as pissed as in the manga), WE GOT REALLY CREEPY UGLY ROD TITAN FACE, WE GOT KENNY AND LEVI MEETING, A SUPER COOL SEQUENCE OF EREN RUNNING TO GIVE ROD TITAN EXPLOSIVE CANDY, ARMIN WAS THERE, HISTORIA LOOKED COOL, ERWIN'S BLESSED ART SKILLS, IT HAD SO MANY GOOD STUFF

This episode was perfect in every way, except for Rod Reiss' giant fucking stomach just squelching onto the wall- yech!!! For a series with man eating monsters as its premise, nothing has ever made me feel as horrifyingly disgusted as that scene did. *shudder*

Seeing the serum bowl in the episode gave me chills OH MY GOOOOD I'M NOT MENTALLY READY FOR WHAT IS COMING

Historia was so good in this ep and the animation for the rod reiss titan was KILLER. WIT outdid themselves with that adaptation

RETURN TO SHIGANSHINA IS SO CLOSE I CAN ALMOST TASTE IT. I'VE SUFFERED THROUGH THIS ARC, NOW GIVE IT TO ME WIT. GIVE ME MY CHILDREN.

No additional thoughts but thanks for making this survey every week :p

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 430 Responses

Thanks again to everyone who participated! We’ll see you again on Tuesday! 

[a-god-of-calamity]

Lucy Heartfilia (A short One-Shot)

Natsu woke up in a bed not his own though not unfamiliar, the sun shining through the curtains. He opened his eyes as he shifted below the covers looking at the blonde girl who lay next to him. His lips spread in a smile, inhaling her familiar scent that he had come to love, as she sighed softly and stretched, her eyes beginning to open. She looked at the dragonslayer in her bed next to her, and glared at him. Yeah she had had slept great and the bed was warmer and comfier than usual but this had become to much of a habit. “Natsu…” she said slowly. “Yeah Luce?” “Get out of my bed!” she yelled and pulled the blankets off of him. The force of her voice startled him and made him fall back out of the bed. “Ow, gee Luce it’s too early to be yelling.” He winced as he sat up on the ground and looked up at her. “Well, then quit sneaking into my apartment and sleeping in my bed!” she huffed as she got up and held out a hand to help her partner up. “The bed better be made when I get out of the shower.” she said helping him up and then heading toward the bathroom. “A shower sounds great!” Natsu beamed. “No way!” she turned on her heel and held out her arm to stop him. “You can take one when I’m done but don’t you dare come in!” “Fine.” Natsu huffed as he crossed his arms and looked away. “Don’t know what the big deal is.” he muttered as he heard the bathroom door close. He went and began to make the bed which was a bit of a comical sight. The strong Salamander of Fairy Tail making up a bed with pink sheets and neatly placing various stuffed animals on it. Surprisingly, he made up beds fairly well, and very neatly. When he had done it in the past Lucy had been impressed that he was so good at it. If he hadn’t been banned from cooking he would’ve made Lucy breakfast but his first attempt at cooking nearly resulted in him almost burning down the apartment. Thus he was never allowed to even look at the kitchen. He looked over at the bathroom door as he heard the shower stop and had to stop himself from jumping over there and walking in. He sat on the bed and waited for her to emerge, but unfortunately she had on more than a towel. He didn’t know when she grabbed clothes but those didn’t look bad on her either. She had on a t-shirt and loose sweats, her lounging attire. “Come on Luce, let’s go do something.” Natsu said leaning back on his hands as she went to the kitchen to get some water and a muffin. “No way, today we actually have a day off...for the first time in awhile.” she said walking over to her small desk. “I can finally work some more on my novel.” “Oh yeah?” Natsu perked up at hearing that. “Yup, and you can only stay if you promise not to be looking over my shoulder and making comments. Otherwise you can go.” she said pointing to her door. “Promise. I’ll be good.” he said and she smiled as she pulled out her notebook. “Natsu.” Happy called softly as he flew in through the window. “Yo, Happy.” he said as the exceed landed next to him on Lucy’s bed. “Hey, just wanted to make sure you were gonna come today, that you didn’t forget.” “Yeah, don’t worry I'll be there. I wouldn’t miss it.” Natsu said and Happy nodded his head before flying out. “See ya Happy.” “Bye!” Happy said “Bye Happy!” Lucy called as she began to write again. “That’s right, gotta leave enough time to get ready for Fairy Tail’s party today. Another reason why we can’t go on a mission or anything.” “Yeah, yeah. The party.” Natsu waved it off as he laid down on her bed. “There’s some food in the fridge you can have.” Lucy said as she worked and Natsu jumped up with a big grin. “I’m all fired up now.” A few hours had passed before Lucy finally took a break from her writing. She had agreed to go out for a bit and do some window shopping. Natsu laughed softly as he watched her go from store to store looking at all the things she wanted or found cute. He looked up at the sky, his hands behind his head as they strolled through Magnolia. Eventually they made their way back to her apartment, needing to get ready for the Fairy Tail party. “You really know how to dress up nice Natsu.” Lucy said looking over at him in his dark suit. Natsu adjusted his tie as he and Lucy walked on the pavement to their destination. A cool breeze blew past them and his jacket fluttered in the wind. He brushed his hand through his hair and felt the warmth of the sun. Natsu dropped his hands to his sides and put them inside his pants pockets. “Yeah, well I figured you’d want the party to be fun and want everyone to look nice, even me.” he said smiled softly as she walked up ahead of him. “Listen Natsu, there’s one more thing I want you to do for me.” she said turning around to face him and they stopped walking. “I can’t promise not to brawl.” Lucy shook her head. “You have to forgive yourself for what happened the other day.” she told him. “Seriously?” he chuckled but not in a humorous way. “Yup. Promise.” “You’re crazy...fine. Ok.” he said hesitantly and she smiled. “Good.” “Now, where’s your dress? You’re always wanting to look all dressy and stuff at these things.” He asked her noticing her usual mission clothes and the fact that she wasn’t dressed up like he was. “Aren’t you gonna wear a dress?” “A dress?” Gray asked walking up behind him. “Yeah, for the party, need to look nice and everything for a party.” Natsu said turning to his friend. “Natsu, where do you think we are?” he asked softly. Natsu turned back to Lucy only to find her gone. He looked around for a bit and his smiled faded as he slightly cokced his head to the side. He turned back around to Gray who was dressed in a dark suit also and began to walk toward him. The two friends walked over onto the grass passing a few headstones. Gray walked behind him and looked at Natsu softly. Eventually they came to a black marble gravestone and Natsu paused in front of it. Lucy Heartfilia. Gray held back and watched as Natsu approached it, staring at the letters, wishing that none of this was real. He pulled his hand from his pocket, an engagement ring between his fingers. Gray turned and tears streamed down Mira’s face as he placed the ring on her gravestone. Everything was supposed to work out and be perfect. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He wasn’t supposed to lose her. Natsu sighed shakily as tears fell from his eyes. He turned back and walked with Gray to sit in the front row of seats as they waited for the others to get there. Natsu’s soul unbelievably heavy, sank deeper as he heard Levy sobbing into Gajeel’s chest. Forgive himself? What a joke. How could he? He lost her. He lost Lucy. The person who was everything, who meant everything to him, who was life itself and she was ripped away from him. What was the point to anything if Lucy was dead? The words sank into him shredding his insides, an indescribable pain coursing through him like he had never felt before. After everything, he wasn’t strong enough and now Lucy Heartfilia, the love of his life, was dead. ------- Ahahahahaha *laughing turns to crying* I made myself cry re-reading this...anyways hope you liked it? Lol. This was based off an episode from Scrubs but I can't remember which ep # and stuff right now. So it wasn't completely an original idea but I liked the episode a lot and I got this idea. Yay. *cries*

[aquaquadrant]

of love and dancing

okay so this is just some mindless fluff I wrote after ‘the new lars’ because I absolutely adore the fact that the Cool Kids are a dance crew (idk why I waited so long to post it, but the new eps motivated me to finally finish it so here we are).   so please read on and enjoy some poly cool kid fluff, and remember that comments are loved and appreciated! :)

also, click here to read it on FFN and here to read it on A03 - Aqua

of love and dancing

“Alright, let’s go again from the chorus.”

Buck hit play and cranked up the volume, nodding in time with the beat before throwing himself into the dance.

Even as he lost himself in the music, he was hyper-aware of Jenny and Sour Cream beside him, anticipating their movements as if they were his own. They moved together, breathing on the same beats as everything faded away and they focused only on each other and the dance.

They were rehearsing at the warehouse, a warm breeze drifting in and out of the open building. The evening sky cast a soft pink glow into the area, muting the harsh fluorescent lighting. Jenny had brought one of her dad’s old stereos, and Sour Cream had set up the music, one of his original tracks he’d converted to CD. The floor hummed beneath their feet, pulsing with the heavy bass of the music.

Admittedly, it was a little unconventional. Most of the dance crews they competed with had their own studio or rehearsal space that wasn’t a crumbling ruin on the outskirts of town. But Beach City wasn’t exactly dance central, and the city itself was a bit unconventional; it wouldn’t make sense if their dance crew was anything but.

They were a small crew, only three strong. Most crews had well over ten members, with a wide variety of skill sets. They’d already learned that having fewer members meant creative choreography and a much bigger challenge, but Buck didn’t mind it being just the three of them. Realistically, he knew they’d have to expand at some point if they really wanted to establish themselves. He’d already been asking around town, and Sour Cream had been vetting his pool of online friends for any potential members who lived close enough to rehearse regularly. Jenny had even tried, and failed, to get Kiki to join.

But while they were looking for more members, Buck made sure to enjoy these moments they had to themselves, since they wouldn’t last forever.

Besides, for such a small group they were doing very well for themselves. It had been Buck’s idea to form the crew, so he usually took point when choreographing routines, but he wasn’t really a ‘leader.’ It was always a group effort. They worked well together, and when they all collaborated, the routines essentially choreographed themselves.

Buck was just happy that Beach City was hosting the next competition. It’d save them an hour car trip to the cities where the other crews resided.

“Ready?” He spun in to meet Jenny, his arms wrapping around her waist as he and Sour Cream flipped her.

It felt so natural, dancing with them. And it was fun. Most of the time they were all fairly laid back, but when they performed together they just let loose. And dancing in such a small, close-knit group had helped them grow more connected to the point that other crews had commented on their synchronization and chemistry.

“I guess it’s easy for everyone to be on the same beat when there’s only three of you,” another dancer had once told him good-naturedly. “At least there’s one advantage to having such a small crew.”

Buck had just laughed, “I guess so,” but he knew the real reason. When they’d finally taken that plunge and started dating, Jenny and Sour Cream had become such an integral part of his life that they might as well be a part of him, an extension of himself. He could tell they felt it too.

Their choreography came to an end, and Buck paused the track. “How we feeling? Any questions?”

“Wait a sec.” Jenny caught her breath, swiping a hand across her forehead. She was dressed in black leggings and a bright purple workout tank that was already damp with sweat. “Are the two hits after the stomp and twist separate, or do they flow?”

Buck made a noncommittal noise, running over the steps in his mind. “They’re separate, and the emphasis is on the second one. Hit, hit.” He demonstrated the movements; two consecutive sharp jabs with the elbow, stepping into the second one.

“Mmm, okay.” Jenny nodded thoughtfully, marking the steps.

Buck took a sip from his water bottle. “You guys wanna run it again, or can we go on?”

“I think we’re good.” Sour Cream stretched his arms over his head, the hem of his black T-shirt riding up ever so slightly. “We’ve made a lot of ground today.”

Jenny nodded her agreement, and Buck set his water bottle back down. “Okay, cool. So what comes after the chorus?”

Sour Cream tilted his head, his fluffy white hair falling into his eyes. “Uh, the dubstep section I think? We’re pretty much at the end of it.”

“Any suggestions?” Buck asked.

Jenny thought for a moment, humming the melody as she played the dance in her mind. Suddenly she snapped her fingers, her coffee-colored eyes lighting up. “I’ve got it! SC, you should totally do a solo there!”

Sour Cream was taken aback. “Really? You think?”

“Yeah! Listen.” Jenny knelt by the stereo and rewound the track. “Right after the bass drop, it sort of goes crazy. I think it’d be the perfect place for some animating.”

“I agree,” Buck said. Sour Cream had surprised both of them, and himself, with his skill in animation, and so far, he hadn’t had a chance to really showcase it in their routines.

Sour Cream closed his eyes and listened to the music, his body moving imperceptibly as he marked out the movements in his head. “Yeah, I could swing this.”

“So what’d you have in mind, then?” Jenny prompted, tucking a dark strand of hair behind her ear.

“Well, there is a new move I wanted to show you,” Sour Cream said, rolling his shoulders to loosen them up. “I saw this on the internet, you’re supposed to move your whole body around without moving your head, so you look like a robot.”

“What, like a chicken head?” Jenny teased.

Sour Cream looked thoughtful. “Uh, yeah, actually.”

“Let’s see it, then,” Buck said, rewinding the CD and hitting play.

They all fell silent as Sour Cream started to dance, his eyes becoming half-lidded as he fell into a sort of trance. The improvised movements were sharp, controlled, and almost mechanical in nature- he truly did look like a robot.

A smile spread across Buck’s face. He never ceased to be amazed by Sour Cream’s dancing; it was so different from the break dancing Buck himself was partial to, and a totally different genre from the crumping Jenny excelled at. It required an insane amount of muscle control, and he knew SC spent many an hour perfecting his technique. It was unfortunate he was so down on himself- he often felt like his skills couldn’t compare to theirs.

The music faded out, and Sour Cream looked up at them expectantly. “What’d you guys think, did it look right?”

Jenny whistled. “Woah, that’s awesome!”

“Man, that is sick,” Buck said appreciatively.

“Yeah?” Sour Cream looked pleasantly surprised.

“Totally. Just, one thing.” Buck stepped in close, draping one arm around SC’s shoulders, and one across his chest. “Try leading with your chest, instead of your shoulders.” He guided the pale boy through the movement slowly. “See, like that?”

Sour Cream’s face was flushed. “Yeah, I see.”

“Good.” Buck grinned, and quick as a flash he slipped his hands beneath the hem of SC’s shirt and pressed his fingers against the taller boy’s sides, which he knew to be particularly sensitive.

Sour Cream let out a high-pitched yelp. “Dude, your hands are freezing!”

“I know.” Buck nuzzled his shoulder playfully. “Just making sure you don’t get distracted.”

Sour Cream’s expression turned mischievous. “Oh, yeah?” He retaliated by tackling Buck to the floor and tickling him mercilessly. “How’s this for distracted?”

“No fair!” Buck gasped, his laughter echoing around the warehouse.

“All’s fair in love and dancing!” Sour Cream retorted. He tugged Buck’s shirt up and blew a raspberry on his stomach.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Jenny interrupted with her hands on her hips, looking bemused. “In case you guys forgot, we still have work to do.”

Sour Cream pouted. “You just hate fun,” he said teasingly, sticking his tongue out at her.

Buck took advantage of the momentary respite to flip Sour Cream over, pinning the other boy to the ground. “Nah, she’s just jealous,” he grinned.

Jenny sniffed haughtily at them. “No, I’m just being mature.” She gave them a smile to let them know she wasn’t really displeased; she was only giving them a hard time.

Buck hummed and sat back, his legs still sprawled across SC’s stomach. “Well, Miss Mature, why don’t you get off your high horse and- augh!”

Sour Cream had used his temporary freedom to snatch his water bottle and dump it over Buck’s head, thoroughly soaking him.

“Oh, it’s on!” Buck’s own water bottle was within reach, and he used it to exact revenge, pouring it all over the other teen. Sour Cream’s hair, normally an untamable gravity-defying mess, was drenched and plastered to his head and face. He blinked up at him, his minty blue eyes wide and appealing, and Buck finally leaned down and closed the distance between them, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips.

Sour Cream responded instantly, and reached up to grab Buck’s sopping wet shirt as leverage to pull him closer, tilting his head to deepen the kiss.

Buck obliged, his eyes fluttering closed. He could feel his shades slipping down the bridge of his nose.

After a few seconds they broke apart, smiling at each other breathlessly. Sour Cream leaned up to kiss Buck again when he paused, glancing to the side. He started snickering, the sound rumbling in his chest beneath Buck’s splayed fingers. Buck followed his gaze to Jenny and broke into a self-satisfied grin at her expression.

She seemed to have frozen on the spot, starry eyed and blushing faintly.

Buck sat back up, lifting his eyebrows. “Hey, Jen, you’re staring,” he said softly.

Jenny started, her face growing even redder. “No I’m not!” she insisted.

Buck gave her a knowing smile and pushed his shades back up.

Sour Cream continued to laugh beneath him. “Okay, so maybe you weren’t. Or,” he drawled, “you could drop the act and join us, unless you still think we should get back to work?”

Jenny bit her lip. “I… guess we could call it a day,” she amended, walking over to them. “But we still have work to do! Don’t you go thinking you can get out of rehearsal by being distracting, okay?”

Buck gently tugged her down to join them, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Okay. Same time tomorrow then?” he asked innocently.

Jenny grinned and rolled her eyes, kissing them both in quick succession. “I don’t know how we manage to get anything done,” she said with a huff.

“I guess we’re just that good!” Sour Cream exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air emphatically.

Buck took each of their hands in his, lacing their fingers together. He nodded serenely, smiling in contentment.

“We’re good together.”

End

P.S. here's a link to a video that showcases some of the dancing I pictured while writing this (the animating stuff SC was talking about shows up at the very end, but the whole dance is very good). Thanks for reading! - Aqua

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32NAd20obbM

(if the link breaks, search 'Step Up 3: Battle of Red Hook')

[foodieworldmelbourne]

The Simpsons, doom metal, and the seven stages of grief: The story of Dr Colossus

By Matt Neal Posted April 21, 2018 06:08:40

Photo: A Simpsons-style depiction of Nathan 'Buddha' Johnston, drawn by Glenn Smith. (Supplied: Glenn Smith) Map: Portland 3305 Doom metal band Dr Colossus were on to something. When they formed in 2014 they had found a unique musical niche heavy rock songs about long-running animated TV series The Simpsons which would prove surprisingly popular. Over the next few years, Dr Colossus comprising long-time friends Jono Colliver (guitar) and Nathan Johnston (drums) built a large following by releasing EPs and singles, and toured Australia. When it came time to record an album, they launched a successful crowdfunding campaign that raised well above their target of $6,000. With new third member Mike Findlay on board, Dr Colossus recorded their debut album The Dank and readied themselves for a series of launches. But then Nathan died suddenly. He was 29. 'Why don't we make all the songs about The Simpsons?' Nathan "Buddha" Johnston grew up in the south-west Victorian town of Portland. As a youngster he was more likely to listen to Black Sabbath than The Beatles, and started playing drums in early high school. He met Jono Colliver by playing in high school rock band Emprica together, starting a decade-and-a-half-long friendship and musical partnership. What is "doom metal"?Doom metal is one of countless subgenres of heavy music. Sometimes also known as stoner rock, stoner metal, or sludge metal it is typically characterised by slow tempos and heavy riffs intended to conjure up a sense of doom or dread. Guitars are often tuned down lower than is typical for rock bands. So instead being in standard E tuning, they might be in standard B tuning, which is five steps lower.Black Sabbath is seen as the originator of doom metal. After high school, Jono moved to Melbourne and Nathan moved to Geelong but they continued to play together in bands such as Honeytrap and Kashmere Club (the latter band worked with The Living End's Chris Cheney at one stage). It was while on tour in Tasmania with Honeytrap in 2011 that the seeds of what would become Dr Colossus were planted. Jono and Nathan joked about starting a "slow and sludgey" doom metal band and naming it something "ridiculous and cliched [like] Colossal or Monolith", to which Jono suggested "Why don't we name the band after Dr Colossus from The Simpsons?". "Well, why don't we just make all the songs about The Simpsons?" Nathan replied. A crazy idea was born.

Photo: That makes two of us: Jono Colliver (left) and Nathan Johnston employed their humour, musicality, and love of The Simpsons to create doom-metal band Dr Colossus. (Supplied: Dr Colossus) 'Wait a minute, this is just good heavy music' Jono remembered thinking two things about this idea. One, "that it would be really funny" and two, "that it would never see the light of day". He said over the next couple of years the notion of a Simpsons-themed doom-metal band refused to dislodge itself from their minds, so they eventually took it seriously or at least as seriously as one can take a Simpsons-themed doom-metal band. They recorded an EP called IV, so named because the subject matter came from season four, which featured three somewhat thinly veiled songs paying homage to Jono and Nathan's favourite TV show. The EP tapped into their shared musical preferences and sense of humour, and proved surprisingly popular, not only with fans of The Simpsons, but also fans of doom-metal. "There [were a lot] of people who didn't even realise it was Simpsons-related and didn't realise it was a joke," Jono said. "People [who] liked it thought 'Oh, this is just good heavy music' and then some people were like 'The Simpsons' gags, that drew me in'." Another seven-inch single followed, which was more overt in its references with one track's title coming from a direct quote from the show Shut Up And Eat Your Pinecone. But things really took off when another Simpsons-themed metal band the Ned Flanders-worshipping Okilly Dokilly went viral in a massive way, accidentally dragging Dr Colossus into the spotlight too. "We'd been playing shows, releasing music, being a normal, busy band, and around that [time a] band from Phoenix, Arizona, arrived on the internet in meme form, which was a picture of this band all dressed up like Ned Flanders and they were a 'nedal' band which was a heavy metal band [singing songs] all based on Ned Flanderisms," Jono said.

Photo: US metal band Okilly Dokilly, in all their Ned Flanders-inspired splendour. (Supplied: Okilly Dokilly) "Online just gobbled it up. "These guys had not only taken this similar concept, they'd accumulated millions of followers online in the space of a week and picked up pretty much every major music press and web blog. "We were like 'Awww, that sucks'. We thought that was our only chance and they've nabbed it from us." But Jono and Nathan hit upon a smart way to cash in on Okilly Dokilly's sudden fame, using an unrecorded song Dr Colossus had been playing live called Stupid Sexy Flanders. "Okilly Dokilly came onto the scene [and] the internet kinda blew up on a Friday the next day we were out at the studio [with producer Nic Pallett] and I said to Nic 'Tomorrow can we record a song?', so we recorded the song, mixed it in a day, and put it online that night," he said. "I wrote a press release for it saying 'Dr Colossus have released this track Stupid Sexy Flanders but it's not directly based on Okilly Dokilly'. "We implied there were accusations I kind of just invented this feud that wasn't there. "Our press release was saying 'there's no feud it just happens to be a song we released', which was all true." The Australian online music press lapped it up and began spreading the word about Dr Colossus. "Okilly Dokilly turned a lot of people on to us inadvertently," Jono said. "People who loved the idea of a metal band based on episodes of The Simpsons, they all clicked on those links to check out Okilly Dokilly, but I think they stuck around with us because we were actually creating a body of work at the time and we were playing shows we were a real band that I'd like to think you could have longevity with, and listenability beyond the gag. "That's no criticism of Okilly Dokilly because they were masters of what they did [but] their focus just wasn't as heavily on the music as we were, but yeah, it worked amazingly well it amassed a ton of listeners for us." Tragedy strikes This accidental burst in popularity put them in good stead to record their debut album. Jono and Nathan added a third member, bass player Mike Findlay, and started a crowdfunding campaign that easily eclipsed its target.

Photo: Dr Colossus as a three-piece, just prior to Johnston's death: Mike Findlay (left), Jono Colliver and Nathan Johnston. (Supplied: Dr Colossus) The resulting album, The Dank, attracted positive reviews and interest from a record label in Europe. And then, just as they were readying more gigs to launch the record and mailing out the rewards for the crowdfunding campaign, the unthinkable happened. Nathan died in his sleep, most likely from an aneurysm. He was about five months short of turning 30 and two months away from sharing his first wedding anniversary with his high school sweetheart and best friend Kate. Dr Colossus had played their final gig just days earlier at Cherry Bar in Melbourne. Nathan was remembered as a big man with a big heart who threw himself into his passions, whether it be motorcycles or music. Friends and fans flooded Dr Colossus' Facebook page with messages of disbelief and condolences, as well as sharing stories about their fond memories of Nathan. Jono, understandably, was devastated. "I was [thinking] the only way he really could die is in a fiery motorbike crash, but that didn't really make sense [because] he was at home and he was crook [so] I didn't think he'd be riding his motorbike, but for some reason that was the only thing in my mind that would have ever killed him exploding in a ball of flames on his motorbike," Jono said. "I was in disbelief. "I rang his partner Kate and I kinda knew as soon as her friend answered the phone the disbelief turned into instant and total agony. "The penny dropped that he had been feeling a bit ill and this reality just smashed me in the face. "I was in the process of posting out [album] orders so when Nathan passed away my whole house was filled with this record [staring] me in the face every day, illustrating this absence of him, of him not being able to share the record not being able to hear what people say about the record. "The timing of it was atrocious, no matter how you look at it. "He was far too young." A celebration of Nathan When a band loses a member, there is no rule book on what to do next. Amid the usual maelstrom of feelings that follow a death, Jono and bandmate Mike Findlay struggled with the sense there was "some unfinished business with Dr Colossus that Nath would have wanted to be finished". Eventually they called in one of Nathan's longtime friends and fellow Portland native Josh Eales to take the place behind the kit, as well as Jono's brother Joel as an extra guitarist and for moral support, with the idea of playing some tribute shows to honour Nathan's memory.

Photo: Get with the times, Moe: The new four-piece line-up of Dr Colossus will pay tribute to Johnston at two upcoming gigs. (Supplied: Dr Colossus) "We're all playing with Nath in our hearts and minds and we can feel him in the songs and the way those songs move," Jono said. "The main reason for doing it is we feel like we should it feels like it's a shame to let any opportunity for celebration in these situations to pass you by. "I just hope it will connect everyone around him more." He said the rehearsals had been going well and they hoped the tribute shows would be the start of a new chapter for Dr Colossus. "It feels healthy and healing to be doing it," Jono said. "It's a nice excuse for us, particularly Mike and I to be busy on a project that's so rich with memory that we can reminisce about and be close to those things that Nath did. "It's going to be a different band naturally, but that's cool, that's fine, that's good Nath will always be an absentee member." The "Dr Colossus Honour Nathan Johnston" gigs will take place at Cherry Bar in Melbourne on April 28 and the Barwon Club in Geelong on June 8. All profits will go to Edgar's Mission, an animal rescue charity that was close to Nathan's heart. Topics:music,arts-and-entertainment,music-industry,rock,death,community-and-society,grief,television,portland-3305,warrnambool-3280,melbourne-3000,geelong-3220 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-21/simpsons-band-dr-colossus-death-tribute/9670186