#they’re so cute they’ve been on my mind a lot recently

[rocket-powered-socket]

“You better not be yaoi cube when I get down there”

My goofy ass:

[the-east-art]

Oh, wait I think I misread the post. My apologizes, I thought that was in reference to those two clothing shop drama. Though I am willing to hear out the other indie clothing shops that you keep a eye on.

Alright! Easts' big post about indie clothing brands I like!

Worth noting that while I’ve been keeping my eye on a lot of these brands for a while now, there is a possibility there is some kind of discourse around them that I missed - if so please let me know so that I can look into it myself!

Mayakern!

I like Mayakern a lot because they cater a lot to plus size bodies! They have plus size models and Mayakern themselves is plus sized! Recently they’ve been expanding beyond skirts to things like dresses and shirts. This makes me very excited because not only are these shirts cute as heck, but some of them are even more standard/essential shirts but are made with bigger body types in mind. So often fat people have to just settle for good enough,but its clear that Mayakern makes her stuff so that anyone wearing it can be confident! There’s also ton of customer pics you can see to tell how clothing lays on various body types. 

(Rest Under The Cut)

Umvvelt

Umvvelt focuses on fish/ocean themes and I absolutely love how creative they get - they’ve done a bunch of different fish lines focused on rays to jellyfish to sharks. I particularly adore their pinafores - I own three of them and they’re very comfortable AND have pockets. 

Carmico

A classic - I think the brand that got me really invested in indie clothing brands? Carmico does themed drops a couple times a year where they design a myriad of clothing pieces that all have a similar vibe/theme. I think they do a good job at getting creative while still having the clothing be something I would wear! From button-ups to sweatpants to jackets Carmico has the variety and the style. A lot of their clothing gives the vibe of something you would draw on a character and wish existed in real life - except now it does exist in real life! 

Morningwitch 

Another classic, if you haven’t checked them out by now PLEASE do. Morningwitch has SUCH as eye for design and patterns and color. Chiefly known for their creative button up tops (of which I own several) they also have expanded quite a bit recently. Their skirts are probably my favorite style of all the skirts on this list because they have a thicker band. They also do some relief print shirts, the CUTEST jackets (if you’ve seen pics of brownies pomegranate jacket this is where they got it) and on their twitter they have a lot more fun stuff brewing. Much like Mayakern they’re starting to branch out beyond their ‘standard’ (the button up tees) into new avenues and I personally look forward to what that brings! 

Knockthrice

This indie store blends concepts and casual wear together into something extraordinary. From their knight cardigans, to their ‘tea’-shirts, to their themed over-the-garden wall collections they have some of the most beautiful pieces you may ever see. Knockthrice does a great job at blending ideas into clothing in a creative way so make it something that I would wear in daily life. Their shirts are a good, durable, thick material - although maybe a little warm for the summer. A lot of their stuff gives me fall vibes, and as someone who loves fall the most out of all season - I eat it up! 

Envygreen Manor

More of a newcomer on the scene as far as I am aware, envygreen manor also does themed drops once or twice a year. However, their clothing it usually more of a mix between casual tees and more formal elements - their vests or poet shirts come to mind. I instantly fell in love with them when I saw their mock-neck designs and felt like they somehow knew me and exactly the kind of shirt I would want from them. 

Vetiverfox Apparel/Witch Vamp

Putting these two together because they kind of occupy the came part of my brain! They’re both skirt focused brands much like Mayakern. Vetiverfox typically has more intricate designs or patterns, while Witch Vamp usually has bolder themes - not that thats a hard rule or anything! I own I believe a skirt from each of them (soon to be two from vetiverfox!) and highly recommend at least taking a peak and seeing if anything catches your eye from either brand! 

Mothsprout

Mothsprout only has a few clothing options, but I absolutely HAVE to mention them. Mothsprout has two muscle tank designs that I literally wear like once a week - I’ve actually considered getting a second of the wolf design just so I can wear it more often. Their designs vary from intricate to fun, and honestly I would never pass up a chance to wear their beautiful art as clothing. 

Other indies I keep an eye on but don't have a lot to say about:

Motel777

Bison Wares

Snowlattes

Fiveboos

JeanaDraws

Howl Out

Bandaid Brigade

and if you have any other indie clothing brands you want added to the list lmk!

[sykestarot]

who's watching your social media?

1-2-3 (left to right)

I DO NOT OWN THESE IMAGES

Hi guys sorry for the break last week it was my birthday lol! But this week I felt called to do a who's watching your socials post. Maybe it can give you some insight right before valentines day! Thanks so much for the support and for stopping by :)

Pile 1

“cause when you’re fifteen and someone tells you they love you you’re gonna believe them” (knight of cups; 8 of wands (rx); 3 of cups; 6 of wands; 2 of swords; the world)) Hi pile 1 I hope you guys are doing well!! So for you guys I see for who’s watching your social media is someone either you knew when you were younger or you are young right now. You could either be with them or broken up but I see this being your first love. I’m leaning more towards you guys who aren't talking or havent started talking yet because there is a sense of longing and a lack of communication between you two. This energy is very sweet. This person still carries at the very least a nostalgic love for you and wonders what could have been. For others you guys haven’t even started dating yet but there’s a mutual attraction and curiosity about one another. This pile is filled with youthful energy!! I would also say that the energy that Enchanted by Taylor Swift carries is the same energy you carry about each other. But I do see hesitance in communicating feelings and stolen glances from one another across a room. Maybe you guys have mutual friends and are around each other but never alone? I feel for this pile that this person is a masculine and also quite youthful. I don't feel an age gap so you guys are probably the same grade/age. I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t feel like this person notices you and like it’s one sided but I promise they notice you for sure! I see that advice for you guys in this situation is to let the universe bring the blessings to you. Don’t try too hard! What’s meant for you will always find you and trusting the divine is the best and quickest way to receive your blessings. This reading was so sweet and cute. I hope everything works out Pile 1!  Signs: first love; highschool ; beat up car; friday night lights; screen doors; fireflies; innocence; brown hair; green eyes; levi jeans; converse; crisp morning air; dmv?; childhood friends

Pile 2

"can you hear the silence?" (8 of swords (rx); 6 of cups (rx); 5 of swords (rx); 2 of wands; 9 of wands; The Hierophant (rx)) Hi pile 2! I hope you guys are doing well, I’m going to preface this with I don’t think you want to speak to this person. So they’ve taken up stalking your social media. I feel like this person could make you feel uncomfortable or unsafe. This could also be someone who you’ve recently cut off or stopped talking to. I see them being obsessed with your life. I’m not getting a specific masculine or feminine energy, but I do feel that this person has lots of envy when it comes to you. Maybe you got a job they wanted or achieved something that they couldn’t. I feel like this person could’ve been someone you considered part of your close circle. I also feel like you didn’t really give them an explanation as to why you stopped talking to them. You just kind of distanced yourself, either for your own safety or for your own peace. This could have also been a person you dated for a short time. If that’s the case I feel like you didn’t date for that long. This person might have worn glasses, I feel like black frames in specific and this person could also be a blonde. I do feel like you had felt some form of betrayal from this person though. I feel like they’re looking at your social media a lot because they want to know what you're up to in terms of who you’re with. Whether it’s a new person you're dating or new friend you’re hanging out with. However I just feel you minding your business so they’re obsession with who you’re with is a little eerie ngl. I do hope you guys are safe and know whether or not to take action against this person because for some I feel this could be a very serious and heavy energy. However for those where it is not so serious I see you genuinely not caring about this person which is so funny because they’re literally so stressed about what you’re up to and who you’re with. Anyways pile 2 I hope you guys are safe and sound and continue to do well for yourselves! Signs: crows; open fields; halloween; fall; october; wheat fields; dilapidated houses?; long distance; orange sunsets; midwestern; muddy boots; cigarettes; tattoos; brick walls?; night life

Pile 3

"I'd like to get know you, I'd like to take you out" (5 of swords; 2 of wands (rx); 9 of wands (rx); The Hierophant; 3 of pentacles (rx); 7 of wands (rx)) Hi pile 3! For you guys I see that there’s someone who watches your social media who wants to ask you out but they’re too shy. I also think that they might think you’re in a relationship? (are you?) But I see them having taken interest in you for a long time. I also feel like they have known you for a while. Maybe you guys are close friends and they think that telling you how they feel might ruin your friendship? I feel like though when someone flirts with you they get jealous and wonder if you would be receptive to them the way you are others. It also reminds me of not allowed by TV girl. I feel like they long to be close to you so much but just can’t find the guts to tell you and maybe even the words. I feel like you don’t event realize the effect you have on this person! I’d say that this person really loves you as a person and so to think about losing you completely would be so upsetting to them. I also see that you probably have had feelings for them as well at some point within this friendship. I think that you two might blame life matters for not getting with each other but if one of you doesn’t confess sooner or later I see that you could miss out on a beautiful relationship. I do feel like there is also the possibility of being childhood or family friends here. This person might have dark curly hair that they like to keep at their shoulders. I feel like they also like to wear flannels or they are cold easily. There’s an innocence to how this person feels but I also think the idea of other people touching you in that way also really makes them upset. Out of all the piles this one is the most fueled with jealousy so I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone else feels like they could cut the tension between you two with a knife. Maybe you truly don’t realize or you play oblivious but I promise this person harbors some real feelings for you! Signs: film photos; ballet shoes; tutus; ballet buns; hailey baldwin; clean girl aesthetic; 80’s; pretty in pink; molly ringwald; muscle cars; europe; 555

[asfodelle]

As tragic as it is to see He Tian battle so hard to get out of what his family has decided for him, I’m gonna be screaming into the night about how sweet it is to see the other three be dead set on not leaving him behind.

Jumbled thoughts incoming

And like, it makes total sense at this point. Mo has been looking for He Tian like a compass seeking North whenever he’s not on sight and ZhengYi are Loyalty Personified but I love that all three not only wait for him, but take an active role to go and look after him. (And it’s Mo leading the operation!! And He Tian sees it!! And that he’s touched by it!!) They could consider he’s with his family and to not intervene, ZhengYi could be leaving together but nope, they were four when they arrived, they’ll be four when they leave. Which also makes me wonder if Jian Yi already has an idea of what could be going on, he’s already got kidnapped, is somewhat aware of his family’s endeavors and how they’re tied to He Tian’s. 

We’ve often seen both He Tian and Jian Yi being alone, pensive, surely burdened by what their future could entail. So far, we’ve had a better view into He Tian’s mind and where the antagonists want him but not a clue (unless I forgot them) as to what happens to TianShan during high school or when they’ll meet again precisely. Narratively, it would make sense for He Tian to leave now that they’ve made their bond official through the piercing but ya know, let me hope that they still have cute moments together before the big sad hits.

Almost on the contrary, the timeline for Jian Yi is set in stones but the motives and the amount of knowledge Jian Yi has about his fate at that point are a bit more blurry and more complex? (Like it would appear his mom and his grandpa have contradictory goals, maybe neither he nor his mom know what'll happen because why would he even enroll in high school?) And it might be wishful thinking but I badly hope pushing ZhengYi into comic relief has a purpose for the story more than just being a way for them to be included during the TianShan focused arc. Maybe Jian Yi is in a phase where he’s hiding his own anxieties and fears behind a facade of naivety and cheerfulness? All things that could return to hit him in the face when he sees He Tian can’t escape no matter how much he tries. 

To return to him, I have no idea whether we’ll still see what happens to He Tian once he’s separated from the rest but there’s a possibility we’ll have parallel storylines, him alone on one side, the other three on the other, and part of me would love to see that and learn more about his family dynamic but there’s also the possibility that he’ll just vanish for us readers, just like he’ll vanish from Mo’s point of view.

No clue how it’ll unroll because let’s be honest, TianShan is what caught a lot of the more recent readers and if we’re a little cynical, maybe the author doesn’t want to just cut them up completely for a very long number of chapters. I could totally see visual parallels of them alone in their respective rooms, we don't even know if they'll go completely no contact for years but if they do, it'd be harsh to just... not see He Tian anymore. Though Old Xian has very very often decided to not show us everything, so I wouldn't rule that option out completely.

Either way we’ll get long chapters of sad lonely Mo??? Thinking he was abandoned soon after coming to terms with his feelings??? Who still decides to keep the piercing and the guitar and to keep working hard????? So no matter what I’m getting my heartstrings played with but if we could have a little insight into the He family as a compensation and heavenly sent ZhengYi development, I wouldn’t mind it. 

[krystaldeath]

Cult of The Lamb hc’s (part of me feels like I should wait till I play the game myself - or watch a full playthrough at least - before I “solidify” these but meh. For now at least these are how I see things):

* Kinda typical hc I feel like but Leshy is the youngest, then it’s Heket, Narinder, Kallamar, and then Shamura is the oldest.

* Idk what their ages would be chronologically wise but my personal hc’s for “biological” age are: Leshy (21), Heket (25), Narinder (27), Kallamar (32), and Shamura (40). I think Lamb is about 200 years chronologically but 28 “biologically” (I think it’s funny if they’re “older” than Narinder)

* I don’t have a name for them yet but my version of the Yellow Cat is a little bit fucked up actually. Like they seem chill and they kinda are? But they’ve got a body count. And no not the sex kind. Think of that one audio where the guy answers the body count with 30 and when it’s clarified that it’s about sex he’s like “Oh well I haven’t done that yet!” And the other persons like “WHAT DOES 30 MEAN THEN???”

* I need y’all to know I project onto The Lamb HARD. So yeah, they always wanted to be kind and sorta made it a big part of their personality. Unfortunately their world and circumstances just doesn’t allow for their kindness. They still try to be as kind as they can be, but it’s hard when you’re slowly ascending to godhood, especially into the god of death.

* Also Agender Lamb. They/Them and ONLY They/Them Lamb all the way. Demi ro & sex & pan. They’re a?ab (assigned ??? At birth; bc I can’t decide but if you MUST know I think they can shapeshift a bit now so. Maybe they forgot themself lol). Presents androgynously, leaning either way whenever they feel like it. They have a more masc voice though I think, like the ones people use in comic dubs a lot.

* Once I figure out how to draw (could stop it there I am Rusty) anthropomorphic animals it’s over for y’all (Translation: I will draw my self insert and The Lamb being kinda fucked up Besties)

* ((PLEASE ASK ME ABOUT MY SELF INSERT AND OTHER OC INSERTS I HAVE FOR THIS THE BRAIN ROT IS SO REAL))

* The cotl fandom is filled with queer people who’ve got some level of religious trauma, let me recommend a recent song I’ve been looping and imagining a cotl/narilamb animatic to: Collared by Vane Lily (look it up on YouTube to watch the fun mv first!) WARNING IT IS HIGHLY SUGGESTIVE

* I’ve been flip flopping a bit on what species she’d be but I have ideas for a follower love interest for Heket! At first I thought a bunny, then a bee, and currently feeling like a bat would be cute. Idk but I do see her as a warrior type who also likes to bake and do cutesy things too

* I think once the bishops become followers their injuries are worse but they can still “work” around them: Leshy can kinda see things if they’re up close. Heket can sorta speak but not fast and she’s got. Well not a sore throat bc. She doesn’t have one of those anymore. But something akin to that constantly. Kallamar can only hear loud things or if someone spoke into his ear directly (he only allows those in his polycule and his siblings (minus Narinder) to get that close). Shamura does get a bit lost in their own mind, and even when they’re more conscious their memory is spotty.

* Back to my Yellow Cat being a bit fucked up: They actually really liked the idea of chaos (though they hardly show it) so when they find out Leshy was the bishop of chaos instead of being scared or unnerved they’re like “*twirls hair (fur??)* ha ha ha, omg, really~?”

* *slaps the top of The Lamb, Leshy, and probably so many others don’t underestimate me* these bitches can fit so much adhd (+ autism probably) in them

* Probably (geez I use that word a lot huh?) got more hc’s, especially for other characters, but this is already pretty long so I’ll leave it here for now

[arty-ffxiv]

about me — people i’d like to know better.

LAST SONG. Online - TWRP Feat. Tom Cardy & Montaigne. I’ve been a fan of TWRP for a number of years now, as well as loving Tom Cardy’s chaotic energy from when I used to watch his Tiktoks (I’ve since deleted the app as it was a huge time-waster for me), so when I heard that they had collabed for a song I knew it’d be a banger. I’ve had it on repeat since it was released.

FAVORITE COLOR. I really love dark greens, burgundy and warm, autumnal yellows. My bestie also gifted me an Oracle deck for my birthday and I adore the similar colours/ wintry forest palette that it has. I think it’s been a big inspiration, even if the cards keep calling me out!

CURRENTLY READING. I’ve been slowly plodding my way through The Way of Kings  by Brandon Sanderson; I’m enjoying it but just have not had the spoons/ attention span to dedicate to reading. I tend to gravitate towards audiobooks nowadays, which I listen to when I’m driving.

The most recent books I’ve finished have been audiobooks during my commutes- I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy, and Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell.

CURRENTLY WATCHING. I’m watching more YouTube at the moment than serialized shows. One of my favourite YouTube channels, Lore Dump, has started a series on the Yakuza games and I’m really enjoying the chaotic energy that Chase brings to the host seat. 

The idea behind the channel is that one of the three hosts does a full plot recap of a game franchise that the other two have not played or aren’t familiar with. They’re long form videos that you can treat like podcasts or put on in the background (I use them for my commute to/ from work), and they’ve covered series like Bioshock, Metal Gear, Red Dead Redemption and Batman. They also did a 12 video series on Kingdom Hearts that is just under 30 hours long, which I highly recommend if you’re into long haul deep dives!

I love it because the hosts clearly love the series they’re talking about dearly, and hearing the others gradually getting swept up in the excitement of the narratives is really entertaining.

SWEET, SAVORY, OR SPICY? I’m a sucker for savoury foods, but I do get the occasional craving for sweet foods. Sadly I can’t tolerate spicy foods like I used to :<

RELATIONSHIP STATUS. Happily married for the past eight (nearly nine) years! My partner and I married young, and it’s hard to believe it’s been so long already. I adore him so much and it’s been a joy to grow alongside him.

LAST THING YOU GOOGLED. “Do they make scuba suits for dogs”.  This was for our modern day TTRPG game, using the ‘Everyday Heroes’ module for D&D 5e. 

The game is set in Australia in the 2070s after a catastrophic rise in sea levels, and because we’re playing in our home state, we’ve been able to use google maps and a lot of real-world resources in the game which has been super fun. We’ve even made an interactive map to keep track of important locations.

In our last session, we found information that points to us needing to go to locations under the new sealine and joked about taking our rangers’ sniffer dog along on the dive.

The answer we got is yes, there absolutely are diving suits for dogs.

CURRENT OBSESSION. I’ve been getting back into playing mobile games in my downtime! A few long-time favourites of mine are below- bear in mind that I’m on Android so these may not be available on iOS if you want to check them out.

The main one I’ve been playing is called Luna Story; it’s the first in a series of 3 apps that are nonogram-based games. Using a grid and a sequence of numbers, you fill in the grid to create pictures. I’ve had Luna Story installed on my phone for years and have been sporadically playing it, but I’ve recently dived into it again and am playing it before bed, on my lunch break and even when I wake up some mornings. The grid sizes range from beginner (5x5) to advanced (20 x 20) and uses super cute pixel art.

The other is called My Oasis, which is an idle clicker game where you progressively grow an island with animals. It’s got lots of positive little messages in it, like the abilities to buff your clicking being called virtues- like ‘compassion’, ‘selflessness’, etc. The animals I’ve chosen for my island are all favourites of the people I love- a fox for my little sister, a red panda for my husband, giraffe for my mum- even a racoon for myself. The animals can speak via bubbles with encouraging messages, and sing to you- you can sing back to them with a little keyboard at the bottom of the screen. Super cute, if a little clunky at times.

Tagged By: Thank you @why-raven for the tag! ♥

Tagging: @zenmai--jikake--no--komoriuta, @gatheredfates, @riftdancing, @ishgard, @this-is-ris, @thefreelanceangel and anyone else who wants to do this! ♥

[gunsatthaphan]

honest opinion on the 8 our skyy 2 actor pairs of gmm?

oof lol. but okay you said actors so this won't be about their shows/characters.

here's my opinion. (from left to right, also obvs this is subjective so if you disagree that’s fine.)

ForceBook: I really like their dynamic. I know they’ve been friends for a long time and it def shows in their chemistry. they haven't been in the best shows so far lmao but they do work very well together. can't wait to see them in OF!

JoongDunk: they both have a masters degree in fanservice because they really know how to give the fans what they want jdfhgk. I love how unhinged they are on social media and I like their casual chemistry a lot. they’re just vibing around and I love it lmao. their acting in star in my mind left some room for improvement but I like them together regardless so I’m very excited for hidden agenda!! 

FirstKhao: my kings. my babes. no comment. no further questions. 

EarthMix: they’re such a comfort couple for me. I love their chemistry so much; I wasn’t the biggest fan of atots as a whole but I was 100% sold on CLW and MLC. they work extremely well together, both on and off screen and they just have a very effortless connection. love them!!

OhmNanon: bad buddy was fine while it lasted but I’m not a fan of them outside of the show. I used to like Ohm but in light of recent events that’s no longer the case. Nanon is fine but I was never a big fan of him and that will probably never change. sorry. 

GeminiFourth: babies!!! they’re adorable together, MSP was a cute little show and I like their dynamic off screen a lot too. I first fell in love with them in safe house and idk they just seem like chill little dudes lol. hoping for a bright future for them because they deserve it!!

PondPhuwin: I liked them in futs but not so much in nlmg sadly. I definitely like & respect them individually and I love their twitter bants lol but for me they don’t have as much on-screen chemistry as some of the others in this lineup. sorry. 

JimmySea: they have an insane chemistry on screen but for some reason it’s the opposite off screen lmao. they seem very held back and awkward but that might be because they don’t like being in the spotlight a lot. which is totally fine. they delivered hardcore in vice versa and I’m sure they will do so again in last twilight!

xxx

[gonespacetruckin]

I’m super duper obsessed with the “12 days of ___”Barbie line! I think that they’re all so so so beautiful and I would literally kill to have them!!

I think their outfits, face ups, and accessories are so perfect and cute! They’re so expensive tho!!

And I really don’t understand why? From what I’ve heard from others who purchased them, they’re pretty but the quality definitely doesn’t match the price point … and yeah … I see that.

$160-200 + for these dolls is nuts to me, but I would still really like to have them tbh.

Maybe someday [* delusional ]

Anyways, I just thought I’d make a post about these ladies because they’ve been on my mind a lot recently. I hope you guys like this and peace out!!! :) 

[spidey-x-male-reader]

Task Force 141 reacting to seeing your top surgery scars for the first time

Requested: yes / no

Warnings: mentions of transphobia, top surgery and boobs

Pairing: Task Force 141 x trans male reader (meant platonic but can be romantic too)

A/N: I'm recently very obsessed with CoD. So you'll get more of this in the next time

Masterlist

Captain John Price:

Considering he had already looked over your file, he probably already knows that you are trans when he properly sees the scars for the first time

You just came back from a mission, and he’s helping to patch you up after you take off your shirt

He doesn’t pay it much mind at first, not thinking that it was anything important but slowly realizes that you seem to be self-conscious about it

He doesn’t know how any of this works, but he still wants to encourage you

“You know scars are a soldier’s medal. That counts for all of them, no matter what kind of fight you’ve been fighting”

He pats your back

He isn’t really direct about it but he’s proud of you and what you’ve accomplished

Simon 'Ghost' Riley:

Ghost sees them for the first time when you’ve just finished with training

You pull off your shirt after you’re done, to put on a clean shirt, that you get from your bag

He watches you from the side, not meaning to stare but still scanning you up and down for a second

He obviously doesn’t have anything against scars, having a fair share of them himself but those aren’t any scars you got from battle, those were surgical

But in the nicest way possible, he does not care

The scars look like they’ve healed well, so it doesn’t pose any danger of you having a higher chance of getting hurt in any dangerous situation, and that’s the most important thing for him

“Ghost?”

He realizes that he’s been staring at you

“We’re not done for today. Get back to work”

He walks past you, patting your shoulder

For him that’s basically as sign of you having his support

He doesn’t really know how to say it, but you still understand it

He will beat up people when they’re being transphobic towards you

No one will ever dare being rude again

John 'Soap' MacTavish:

You’ve just finished training with Soap, lying on the floor, asking yourself why you decided to do this again

“Good work today”, he just grins down at you

You get up and pull your shirt off to get something on that’s not full of sweat

He frowns slightly while watching you, he hasn’t seen those scars before

“Soap?”

You look over at him when he’s still not saying anything

“Sorry, I was just…”

He vaguely gestures in the direction of your chest

“I haven’t seen those before”

“Oh yeah right that was when I chopped of my tits”

He looks at you for a few seconds

“Oh…OH”

Soap has no idea about any of it but tries his best to be supportive

Would tell you that it looks cool and gives you a thumbs up

He’s slightly awkward about it but it’s cute

It doesn’t make a difference for him, but he’s worried about you feeling less included because of it

Invites you to some boys’ nights after that

Teams up with ghost to beat up people if needed

Kyle 'Gaz' Garrick:

Gaz sees the scars for the first time when he visits your room late in the evening because he had to give you something back he had borrowed

You were already ready for bed, not wearing your shirt, when you heard the knock and opened the door

“Hey (y/n), I have—”

He just stares at your chest, smooth as always

“Gaz? You okay?”

“Sorry I was just…where are they from?”

He hasn’t seen those kinds of scars yet, being interested on when you got them

“Oh, that was when I was getting top surgery”

He looks at you for a few seconds when he realises

Oh shit

“I am…so sorry”

For some reason he had not considered that

He looks extremely embarrassed, but you just shake your head

“It’s fine, Gaz”

He immediately tries to find ways to make you feel more comfortable

He didn’t know a lot about it, but he immediately tries to find out more for you

Extremely supportive

Is always there for you if you need to talk about something

[davenweenie]

I’ve spiralled into a Lab Rats hyperfixation recently and now all of you have to deal with it. I haven’t watched Mighty Med yet so some stuff about Elite Force may be wrong since I don’t know the MM characters that well yet. Most will be Chase-centric. Anyway, here are my HCs.

-Chase is trans, he is the most trans character I have ever seen you cannot change my mind.

-Adam acts like a d!ck to Chase but he actually loves him a lot and would actually kill someone for him (I stand by Adam being the cuddliest sibling)

-to reiterate the above, Adam loves hugs. He will hug anyone and any given point (Tasha is usually the victim of his super strong hugs)

-Bree loves girly stuff but when it comes down to it she can act like a classic brother (pranks, punching people in a friendly manner, bro hugging people, loogie contests, arm wrestles to prove who’s stronger etc) (THIS IS NOT ME SAYING GIRLS CANT DO THIS, it’s just that traditionally brothers do this more than sisters. This is coming from someone who has a sister and a brother)

-Bree can pick Chase up and used to always attempt to throw him like Adam does. She has not yet succeeded in throwing him farther than about a foot. Adam thinks it’s cute and hilarious.

-Leo gets along with Chase more than everyone else because they’re both autistic and they stim dance together all the time after Leo introduced it to Chase.

-Chase was forced to suppress his stims as a child because Mr Davenport wasn’t educated on autism/neurodivergence enough to realise it was helpful to Chase.

-Chase was not diagnosed with autism until Leo came along and both him and Tasha pointed it out that he is most definitely on the autism spectrum.

-Adam isn’t stupid. He just acts stupid and like he doesn’t know things just to annoy Chase and he thinks it’s funny.

-Adam has ADHD and struggles with retaining information that doesn’t interest him.

-Adam is also dyslexic and has dyscalculia (number dyslexia basically)

-Leo and Bree love reading comics together. Bree fangirls over Skylar Storm (since this is based on the seasons before Bionic Island and Elite Force. She pretends to not know Skylar when she sees her because she’s been bullied at school for liking comics before and she doesn’t want Oliver, since she had a crush on him, to know she reads comics)

-Adam and Chase can’t read comics. The colours and fonts make it hard for Adam to focus and Chase gets overwhelmed by all the bright colours with his super senses. The pages also feel very icky to him.

-Chase leans against Adam when he feels overwhelmed (this is kinda canon since we see this in the scene where Chase gets overwhelmed by the sound of the school bell in Crush, Chop and Burn)

-All the siblings play Minecraft. Chase and Leo have an amazing world together where they’ve built a whole city with really cool features. It’s their pride and joy.

-Spike doesn’t know he’s bionic and god forbid he ever finds out.

-Spike stems from Chase’s deep rooted dysphoria. Spike is everything he thinks he is not. This is why we see Spike portrayed as having a really deep voice and constantly flexes his muscles as a result of toxic masculinity.

-Chase can communicate with Spike in his head if he wants to, he just hasn’t discovered it yet because he still hates the idea of Spike taking over his body

-Chase and Sebastian definitely dated.

-TW for this one: Sebastian was abusive to Chase towards the end of their relationship, after Sebastian found out about the destruction of Krane.

-Chase falls for people easily and tends to blindly trust people because of his autism. He isn’t aware when people have ulterior motives as he’s not good at reading between the lines. (This is totally not based on me /s)

-And on that note, Chase uses tone tags all the time after Leo showed him what they were. Leo loves it. Adam is confused on what they mean and forgets the meaning so has a screenshot of what they all mean saved to his phone. Bree forgets to use them a lot because she speed types and makes a lot of mistakes but she tries her best.

-Adam is gay, he definitely went out with Owen but had to break up with him when they moved to the bionic island. They get back together once Adam realises that Owen can come to the island whenever he wants to. (I imagine this happens after the team is split up when Bree and Chase join the EF)

-Bree is lesbian. When she started school she realised all of the girls always talked about boys and dated boys, she was desperate to fit in so she tried to force herself to go out with guys. That’s why she never had a long lasting relationship. None of them ever worked out. She’s dating Skylar now (I will get more into detail about that in future posts)

-Chase is bisexual. I absolutely love this hc. He thinks girls are really pretty, and blushes every time a girl has complimented him. But he thinks boys are very pretty too. He only really realised he likes boys too when he had to pretend to be Bree at that school dance with Bree’s boyfriend (?) at the time. I stand by Chaz (Chase and Kaz) being real. They were so in love.

-Leo is pan. He’s gender blind and doesn’t care about the gender of the person he is dating. It took him a while to find a label that fits but when he finally found one (after hours of research with Chase) he was ecstatic. He asked Taylor out when he realised how much he liked her but it turned out she was dating one of the female students in secret. Leo now has a crush on Logan but is still trying to figure out how to ask him out since he’s never been with a guy before and he has a lot of past internal homophobia he’s trying to work through.

-Last one for this post, there will be a lot more. Leo’s dad was abusive which is why Tasha left him. She was a single mother for a few years before deciding to start looking for another partner which is when she met Mr Davenport. She was very picky because she didn’t want the same thing to happen to her and Leo again.

So sorry for the extremely long post. I just have so much to talk about.

[rui-drawsbox]

Hi, it’s me again *blows up several buildings and kills eighty seven bystanders with my sheer aura*

I figured out more stuff for my gay little episode outlines, so anyways, here’s the outline for episode two of my horrifying little plot idea for your Magical Knight Arashi au:

K, so after the bullshit Arashi dealt with she deserves a break, too bad, anyways the sword turned into an aesthetic looking makeup brush when she detransformed. Me thinks, she deserves a transformation item.

Anyways she a student so it’s education time, and by that I mean school + drama

she and Mika talk again, it’s fairly normal, he’s still a weird little man pretending to be a tsundere but he does ask if she liked the bear charm he gave her, she fucking loves it btw cuz it’s adorable. (Little standoffish man ain’t used to interacting with normal people, living with Shu does that to you ig 😔)

Mika, being the self sabotaging king that he is, asks if she has anyone better to talk to. Arashi is of course like “no” but with a tone that clearly means to indicate “are you ok?” But Mika doesn’t get that. So Arashi talk about her friends to him. Izumi, Leo, and Ritsu <3 and then she invites him to eat lunch with them.

Mika declines :( (for good reason but we’ll get to that eventually, he does kind of want to go but he knows he can’t, and it’s a Shu thing btw, Shu wants him to blend in and making friends is kind of part of that, it’s just, another thing)

anyways we cut to the class where Leo is, Shu is introduced via a goofy yah funny way, like he’s the comedically stuck up classmate.

he and Izumi are fighting

Leo is trying to break up the verbal smack down but like, it ain’t really working, eventually once these bitches tire each other out or a teacher intervenes they’ll stop.

Leo tries to calm down and comfort Izumi with a hand on his shoulder but Izumi brushes him off

Leo also tries to invite him to lunch again and he tells Izumi that he, Arashi, and Ritsu all miss him at lunch

Izumi declines and says that he has to go before storming out of that classroom as soon as the bell rings

Leo complains to Arashi and Ritsu about Izumi at lunch.

After Leo is done venting his frustrations Arashi brings up the weird shit from the night before

She tries to show the photo she got of the mannequins? No, weird living dolls. On her phone, but all the photos are blurred out.

Ritsu is like “So, what are we supposed to see here?”

Arashi explains and shows them the gem mark + the makeup brush + the 87 photos she got of her new cat.

Leo and Ritsu believe her cuz like, they’re besties, and also, it’s Leo and Ritsu, they’ve dealt with weirder, Aliens + Rei Sakuma

anyways the besties decide that A. Arashi needs to do something fun to get her mind off things + B. They want to do something for Izumi cuz he’s been super stressed recently

So they go out together to look for something to buy him. Girlboss mall trip <<33

After browsing through a few shops they pick out a couple things for him, a nice shirt and some ink for that pretty glass pen he likes to use. (Leo picked out the second one)

They go to a little cafe with those cute colorful drinks in the mall for a snack. This is the usual hang out spot for a lot of the younger students, like the first years, especially if they like sweets.

Ritsu notices something is up.

there are gold strings creeping along the floor, and they seem to be going toward Arashi’s bag

Ritsu grabs her bag and stand from his chair.

Arashi and Leo are of course like “??????”

but they go along with what he’s doing, the strings start to follow him so he gets up and goes lmao, the three of them leave the table and their drinks behind. (At this establishment you pay at the counter so they’ve already paid for the drinks)

These bitches actually get chased by the strings until they end up in a deserted place (the fucking back alley outside the mall where people usually load stuff from trucks)

Arashi grabs the makeup brush out of her bag so she can transform to do something about the strings, maybe cut them?? She doesn’t really know

So the strings form these circles on the ground right? Cool. They open up little portals and the dolls materialize out of the strings (it kind of looks like they’ve been woven together like a tapestry)

Arashi is trying to transform but she cant figure out how to do it. So Leo starts beating the fuck out of the dolls like the feral street cat that he is.

he starts getting his ass kicked and when he’s about to get slammed into a wall Arashi figures it out and transforms

she deals with the dolls pretty easily and they unravel back into little piles of string

anyways things go on, these three besties go back to the house to play with the cat and also patch up Leo’s scratches.

also Tsukasa saw the whole fight, oops.

yeah he saw them leave the cafe in a panic and decided to follow just incase the kids from his school were in trouble and he legit saw the entire thing. Have fun dealing with this Arashi.

I’m having a lot of fun with this Lmao. I hope you enjoyed this <<33

thank you for the wonderful ideas Rui. I have so much more that I want to write about this Lmao. I’ll be back when I have time and another outline that I want to share <<33

*gets out of a timetravel machine* hello, misano from almost a week ago :)

i would drawn all of this before but 1. i had no idea how and 2. last week i was in my house only to sleep haha /sobs

now going to the central theme!

early series Mika got the same social skills as a 11 years old introverted otaku obsessed with yuno gasai frfr

Shu being unbearable for Izumi is so fking funny to me for no reason. I've always felt like when these two meet they would pull each other's hair idkwhy JDFAS

Izumi is so done with that school that he can't not-be an asshole :)

also i've been acting like i know how tf Arashi's cat looks like but i can't denie it anymorE i think is this cat from that card cuz is the only one i can find

I like to think that some moment out screen she went to the closest pet store and just bought half of the store for her new kitty

thanks to Ritsu for noticing those strings or our series would end up a lot earlier than planned 👏👏

also while they run away from the strings you can't tell they didn't hit at least ONE kid like

Ritsu: *hits a kid with the bag*

Leo: holy shi-

Arashi: SORRY CHILD SORRY MA'AM

also i fully want to think that Tsukasa followed them expecting something surreal, but like drugs or them just doing a joke video surreal, not *now i suppose that i live in a magic world where people can transform and bring out a sword out of nowhere in seconds, and also there's fucking living dolls* surreal

anywys, amazing work as always my dude c:! I can't wait for the next chapter!! <-already read it 5 days ag

ME DESAPAREZCO *throws a smoke bomb**trips and falls*

[drawnaghht]

Usagi is a given name (part 2)

I had a confusion abt a recent(ish) post in the Samurai Rabbit tags, but then after writing a reply, realized, it was about an AU they were writing and not the series itself directly. So I scrapped my reply and revised it a bit to put it here separately. (general spoilers for Samurai Rabbit: the Usagi Chronicles and minor spoilers for Usagi Yojimbo) Also posting bc I keep seeing old info circulate that keeps confusing the name thing further so lol. general reference for u fans who haven't read the UY comics or watched the SRTUC series. Even if you change things in your own fic, even if u dislike the SR show, it’s good to keep in mind what the original work might mean.

Summary:

Miyamoto Usagi is based on historical samurai Miyamoto Musashi, so Usagi is always his given name. In japan, names are written [surname][given name]. Usagi Yojimbo is Stan Sakai’s life work, inspired in the early 80s by samurai films, namely Samurai trilogy about the real life Miyamoto Musashi.

Based on how the Samurai Rabbit show treats it, Usagi is the given name of Yuichi Usagi as well - it's more familiar, what you would call any other characters in western shows - their first name. We do not know the in-world or our-world reasoning for it (yet). But safe to say that the SRTUC crew were big fans of UY or else the show would not have been made.

Although UY predates it in the US, Usagi is usually considered a given name thanks to the popularity of Sailor Moon, so it is not used as a surname. Maybe it's more of a Kira Kira name in real-world japan. Cute but harmless.

Usagi means "rabbit" so it makes sense as a fictional name because all these characters mentioned are rabbits or rabbit-themed. In the Usagi Yojimbo book, many characters have names based on what species of animal they are (Inukai (Stray Dog), Nezumi, Zato-Ino) so there are just a lot of name puns.

but you can use Yuichi when wanting to differentiate while speaking of both of the Usagi's (Stan himself switches between using Usagi/Yuichi and "My Usagi"/Miyamoto Usagi when he starts talking of both of them in the same answer in this CBCC podcast interview). Usagi is still a given name for both.

So you can use both names when talking about him as a character, but in-story people would probably address him as Usagi regardless of if they've just met him or known him for a long time.

Yes, it makes things confusing, but it’s like having two people in the same class with the same name. You don’t rename the classmates, you give them nicknames.

Since he is so friendly, he would probably let people use Usagi from the first time they meet (and we see this in the show itself too haha) but in other contexts, maybe he would let people address him as Yuichi-san, for example, but we never really see anyone refer to him in this way. And to all strangers he meets, he is just “Rabbit” - the friendly farmboy descended from samurai.

edit (14.06.23): after writing this I realised, even more likely that both Yuichi and Usagi are meant as given names and the family doesn't have a surname anymore... lets think about it more below! ^^

= Intro =

So I thought that maybe making a long reply would be rude, so I’m making a separate post about it. This post was confusing to me at first, bc I thought, “ahh, more confusion abt the names” then “but wait they’re not Father and Son…” and then realized omg, this post and poll is for  OPs AU! (lolol sorry for misreading it, i’m still sick and very slow on the uptake for a lot of stuff this week ^^;)

I had a bit of trouble at first too with a new Usagi and his names. Yuichi is very commonly known as a given name in japan. After seeing the series, I even tried to rationalize that maybe his friends are using Usagi respectfully as a family name after they get to know him... but in the show itself, his aunt calls him "Usagi" so even tho Yuichi is a common first name, it is intended in the show that he is called Usagi, whatever way "Yuichi" is meant to be used.

(Usagi and his Auntie. Shot from the 1st episode. "The Big City" )

Usually an aunt who raises you, does not use your second/family names. I'm not Japanese or Japanese-American myself (I am mixed Asian-European) so I deferred to the show to give me info. This show seemed a bit better to me than other american shows based on asian cultures. So the naming kept confusing me but I guessed that maybe I just don't know enough info and it must be some pun or simpler nickname like many characters in the comic (like general Oyaneko, Lord Hebi, or Zato-Ino)

(Yuichi Usagi and Miyamoto Usagi. screenshot from the 18th episode. "The Chizu Stands Alone" )

So I tried to consider some time ago, that maybe the team who named him, just decided on it based on something else (maybe the meaning "heroic first-born (son)" (via Japanese-Names.org)) and that Stan went with it as the one overseeing everything for the show because the name stuck. It's a fairly catchy name. 

I’ve also heard from other fans that they kept calling him Yuichi during production and then added Usagi for the connection to the original Usagi and vice versa, that he was always called Usagi, but then needed and secondary name to differentiate him among both the crew and in the text.

We don't really know as fans. Maybe there's a long story behind it that the crew didn't have time to include as they tried to finish the 20-episode order... but I digress. His first name is Usagi. Lets say that it's a namesake to his ancestor.

Miyamoto Usagi from Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo comics is well-known to be based on Miyamoto Musashi, a real-life samurai. The fact that his first name is Usagi, is sorta like Stan making a joke about how he's a rabbit also. It's a fun juxtaposition of serious and funny, because it's a very well-researched comic about Edo-period samurai, but everyone is animals. So that's why the comic is also titled Usagi Yojimbo, because, Rabbit Bodyguard. It's just a good title that makes sense when you start reading the first story.

Usagi Yojimbo is the TITLE of the comicbook series. The folks who made the 1987 series made a mistake naming him (and there's prob history there but I won't go into it). In the comic, Mr. Sakai uses the japanese naming convention of [FAMILY NAME] [given name]. This is consistent in the cartoon as well. Usagi itself is a common given name in manga/comics since Sailor Moon.

Yuichi Usagi in this way, sounds like two first names then. But...

Yuichi can actually be a last name too irl, it is just much less common.

There's also name-explaining sites. I can’t quite take sites like these (Forebears) at face value, but it has some vague statistics on Yuichi as a surname around the world. Again, vague for me personally, bc how do they collect this info.. but they’ve been active since 2012 and some of the info on other names is correct so maybe it’s correct here too.

And of similar names:

Lets take sites like these witha grain of salt though, since they don’t have concrete sources.

Another fan (@/vagabond-pinky) asked about this name confusion 3 months ago in march and got some interesting replies in the notes so I'll leave that here too: "we found 2 historical people with the last name Yuichi, case closed. his first name is Usagi"

= Usagi Yojimbo: Senso connection =

I already made a longer post looking into the name some time ago, trying to analyze a possible reason for why the crew named him Yuichi Usagi and not something else. I went and read Usagi Yojimbo: Senso, which, in addition to the main comic, is what the crew based the concept of the show on, in large parts. I also found after writing this bigger post that Miyamoto Yuichi is a really common name. So maybe they also didn't want to name him something that wouldn't be as memorable or show up in an internet search. But that's my speculation as a fan as is what I wrote before. There is an article in the Pachific Citizen that actually calls him Miyamoto Yuichi by accident and it does have a nice ring to it.

Maybe it’s an issue of how the name was researched. When looking up the name and any historical base like with Stan’s Usagi and Musashi, I found that many EN language wikipedia redirects/directory lists had JP names either first-name–last-name (western) or last-name–first name (japanese), without consistency across the site. Maybe the crew researched a name, but it was listed wrong. Maybe they based the name also on something historical, mimicking Stan in their admiration of his work, but ran out of time to actually reference these isnpirations in the work itself because of time restraints? I do not know yet, because we have not had any interviews from anyone in the crew about this. Usually animation productions, especially for TV series are on an incredibly tight schedule. The actual production of the show started in 2020 (Comic Con 2021 interview with Stan, crew and cast - this is where I first heard abt the show if I remember right) and the show premiered its first season on March 28th 2022. They might have even been finishing up some details on the second season between this and the 2nd season airing on September 1st. So logistically, it's possible they couldn't include more lore and explanations except what was deemed important e.g. the yokai storyline, Chizu's story arcs, Miyamoto Usagi's Ki-stone flashbacks and storyline, the alien storyline. So basically maybe they just ran out of time for us to see Yuichi's backstory, as the show tries to be a bit different in this regard. We even see Gen's backstory a bit throughout s1, but miss out on Kitsune and the younger Usagi. Going by the Comic Con interview with Stan however, Stan is really proud of the series and pre-production had already been going on for a year or so before this interview, so they must have worked out something between pre-production and post-production.

= The japanese dub =

In the japanese dub, his name is spelled ユウイチ (雄一) うさぎ - Yūichi Usagi, so by naming conventions, again things are fairly correct. Usagi is the given name to call him by, but then by the spelling both are technically given names? When you search this name in japanese, you will get children's books listed in both the site results and the image results.If I really wanted to infer meaning from this, I could say that “hey, maybe this is a common children’s nickname for an old book series or fairytale, or something!” Except I do not actually know that. That would be my assumption to make based on a surface-level detail.

Now, since I'm not japanese or japanese-american myself (and probably neither are many of the online TMNT and Usagi fans), I can only learn from others about this culture. While I am european-asian, that is kind of totally different no matter how many living relatives I might have in japan or not. I might know slightly more about some japanese culture and history than say, the average northern or eastern-european here? But I am still quite clueless about many things about the language and history itself. So whatever I try to search in japanese will have some human error in it because I am not fluent in japanese. So, if we try to expand beyond the show, unless we are actually close to these communities, we will not know about japanese culture unless we've learned about it beforehand. So we can only refer to the comicbook series and the show itself to give us more info, or more context, to look up and research. But if I find anything else, I can really only use it as a point to sort of expand my existing theories on, but not quite “hard canon” as what the show itself and the comic are.

One other thing I find of note to mention: both the original EN language cast and crew had actual Asian-American members in important roles. The art director is Vietnamese-American. Yuki Matsuzaki reprising his role as Miyamoto Usagi and Darren Barnet, who is half-japanese, playing Yuichi Usagi. Darren is fluent in japanese btw, so that's why you might hear a slight "accent" when he speaks japanese as Usagi - he is actually pronouncing the japanese words correctly. And that was so nice to hear. You have no idea how many cartoons and other media I've seen where the asian language pronunciations are completely butchered. Sometimes it is intentional from a production i.e. game localization from a chinese game to english - because english pronounciation of names has different rules from other languages, so some names and words have to follow those rules more closeuly so people know what word is being said and recognize it. But it's still grating to hear. So the fact that names and food or other terms are pronounced in a way that seems correct (again, not fluent, but it's better than I hear in non-researched productions), is very nice to hear.

Additionally, it seems from just the way the crew talks about it that they put a lot of care into making sure they don't mess things up regarding the culture and the comic. So I refuse to believe that research was not done on the show, including the names. It comes down to the quality of research, but also their time restraints, what was actually left in the show and what was deemed viable to keep, what would have added more time crunch or work on top of existing work. Again, blame netflix, not the crew, not the producers (all supportive of the show, bc who knows what netflix upstairs things about cartoons anymore.

= Conclusions =

Thinking of all this, the most likely reasons for Usagi’s names like that that they had considerations for other names and more lore behind it, but focused more on getting the show finished and done in a way that the most important plot and info got into it. So a lot of things might have been cut for time reasons, including a consideration for a different surname, because again, for time and quality reasons, this was not as important as the rest of the show.

It might be that my theory linking Senso to the creation of the show could turn out to be true - that the name Yuichi is more a title than a traditional surname. 

Extrapolating on this Senso theory, since the show borrows just as heavily from Edo time aesthetics, history and ideas, it’s possible the crew also built on the idea of a samurai family losing their surname and becoming farmers over time... Something we also see in Usagi Yojimbo, with a general in hiding who has become a farmer and having a new family... it’s interesting to consider then that perhaps the whole line after the Ki-stone incident with the shogun, lose their name over time as history changes. So Usagi and his auntie perhaps don’t really have a real surname, but his parents wanted him to have an honorable family name anyway, so they think of the name Yuichi, because of it’s meaning. That’s my fanon idea over all this speculation, but hey, it’s a possibility.

Regardless, we don't know exact reasons for the naming without asking a crew member directly, and that's usually a bit rude out of an interview I suppose?  Neither can we ask about the naming of the show, that's usually a long process for shows in general. I do wonder what alternative names they had for both Usagi and the show, but, I’m not really up for asking directly myself. Like the crew seem like nice people so I would not ask any of them abt this randomly. So what I’ve done instead, is to try and speculate in my earlier post about it in general, based on what Samurai Rabbit is based on (the UY: Senso book), some of the interviews and context clues within the show (Usagi’s auntie calling him by his given name, and his friends keeping the nickname Usagi once they get to know each other more, we can assume).

Because we don't know exactly, we mostly just have the show itself + those other aforementioned sources to go on, and there might be more possible reasons than I could speculate in the future. So we'll probably never find out.

In your own fanfic, theories etc, u can do whatever, but it’s just good to know abt some stuff abt these series as a reference point, even if u change things. If you love TMNT as a series/concept, maybe you can learn to respect UY/SRTUC as series too. I know it’s just silly fandom stuff most times, but it’s good to be mindful about this if it’s your interest or something you like even a bit.

So to summarize:

Miyamoto Usagi is based on historical samurai Miyamoto Musashi, so Usagi is always his given name.

Based on how the show treats it, you can use Usagi for Yuichi Usagi - it's more familiar, what you would call any other characters in western shows - their first name.

his aunt who RAISED HIM, calls him Usagi. Even if it’s only at the request of him (like say, it’s a namesake he got and not his birth name), that’s still the name his family calls him

If his pursuers/new friends really were calling him Usagi (family name) out of respect at first, then they would have to do the same to each other too. Maybe even switch to given names later. But they all call each other by given names right away. This seems to be a generational difference (Nochi and Fuwa, adults but also enemies/adversaries to the main cast, are adressed via family name throughout)

Although UY predates it in the US, Usagi is usually a given name in Japan thanks to the popularity of Sailor Moon, so it is not used as a surname. Maybe it's a Kira Kira name just like we have it in real-world japan.

Usagi means "rabbit" so it makes sense as a fictional character name because all these characters mentioned are rabbits or rabbit-themed. In the Usagi Yojimbo book, many characters have names based on what species of animal they are (Inukai (Stray Dog), Lord Hebi, Nezumi, Zato-Ino) so there are just a lot of name puns.

it’s possible it would have been confusing to switch the names around during the production of the show - losing the connection with his ancestor, his namesake + the idea of every character meeting him and then mistaking him for Miyamoto Usagi, but also, the idea of everyone just calling him “Rabbit” in comical anger.

While the show follows the same conventions as the comic re: [surname][given name], it also wants it's viewers to feel more familiar with the characters, so same as Stan's original work. Similar to the comic, the show is written with a western/US audience in mind. In an old interview from 2010, Stan says it better himself: "Usagi might be about Japanese history and culture, but it's told from a distinctly western perspective". 

but you can use Yuichi when wanting to differentiate while speaking of both of the Usagi's (Stan himself switches between using Usagi/Yuichi and "My Usagi"/Miyamoto Usagi when he starts talking of both of them in the same answer in this CBCC podcast interview).

So you can use both names when talking about him as a character, but in-story people would probably adress him as Usagi regardless of if they've just met him or known him for a long time.

Whatever the reasons, Usagi is meant as a given name for both.

Since he is so friendly, he would probably let people use Usagi from the first time they meet (and we see this in the show itself too haha) but in other contexts, maybe he would let people address him as Yuichi-san, for example, but we never really see anyone refer to him in this way, he is just “Rabbit” - the friendly farmboy descended from samurai. 

[bumblybee-fic]

@flyingchiclets requested something with supernatural creatures...I may have interpreted this as supernatural Sid, and then didn’t end up including all that much supernatural in it in the end, but I hope you like it anyway!

It’s not really something they talk about when Zhenya moves in.

He’s already made the mistake of trying to boost the temperature past 65 degrees—Sid had been sweating like he was in a sauna, unable to leave the bed. Zhenya had switched the temperature back as soon as he’d realized, but Sid hadn’t given any explanation even then. Sid is an unassuming master of deflection; Zhenya could ask him what his favorite color is and he’d get an answer about hockey instead.

Zhenya starts wearing a hoodie around the house, regardless of the weather. 

Sid’s house isn’t as big as Zhenya’s had been, but there are rooms that Sid has never shown him. Early on, Zhenya discovers what is essentially a walk-in freezer, except instead of food, it’s just filled with comfortable chairs and a selection of alcohol. Zhenya’s always assumed it has something to do with the cryo fad that a lot of the guys have been into recently, because Sid is never one to do something halfway. 

He never does end up asking Sid about the room, and Sid’s never invited Zhenya inside. 

Zhenya’s suggestion to vacation in Miami is turned down swiftly, as is every offer Zhenya makes to go to the banya together. When he brings up going fishing during the summer, Sid goes on a tangent about ice fishing and Quebec and the right time of year for it.

“I change my mind,” Zhenya says quickly, because fishing in the winter sounds like his own personal version of hell. 

Zhenya takes these things in stride, partly because they aren’t that big of a deal in the end, and partly because they’re just part of what makes Sid who he is—the sky is blue, grass is green, and Sidney Crosby has some quirks. The fact that they go beyond hockey rituals doesn’t come as a shock. 

They’re having lunch outside with the team the first time it really clicks for Zhenya. It’s warm for Pittsburgh in October; the forecast had promised overcast skies, but instead the sun is making its presence known, and it feels almost like a mild summer day. They’re mostly through the meal, and some of the paler guys are sporting a little pink on their cheeks already. Zhenya can feel himself start to sweat through his t-shirt, and he can tell the other guys aren’t faring much better. 

He glances over at Sid, who’s been pretty quiet all afternoon. Out of all of them, he looks the worst: his cheeks are a cute shade of pink even though he’s otherwise looking a little gray, and he’s sweating so much that if Zhenya didn’t know better, he’d think Sid has a bad fever. There’s a small stack of paper napkins next to his plate—his meal is only partially eaten, which should have been Zhenya’s first clue—and Sid seems to be constantly wiping his face with a new one. 

Zhenya tilts his head toward Sid, a silent question. He doesn’t really want to bring everyone’s attention to him—Sid would hate that—but he’s not just going to sit there while Sid seems to be suffering, either. 

Sid gives him a watery smile, but he scoots his chair back from the table, the metal legs scraping against the concrete. “I’m gonna grab something from the bar,” he says, and Zhenya is up on his feet as soon as he hears that. 

“Me too,” Zhenya says, and Sid glares daggers at him but doesn’t keep Zhenya from following him into the restaurant. The air conditioning feels like they’ve just jumped into a pool on a summer’s day, and Zhenya almost wants to bask in it for a minute. 

Sid’s at the bar as promised, and Zhenya gets there soon enough after to hear his order: a pitcher of ice—just ice. 

“You hide beer somewhere?” Zhenya chirps, but Sid immediately lets his captain-face fall when he sees Zhenya. “You O.K., Sid?”

“I’m O.K.” He smiles at Zhenya, captain-face back on as per usual. Zhenya hates it. “Just need to cool off, is all.” 

“You sure you O.K.? You look bad.”

“Thanks, G.”

“You know what I mean!” 

Sid grabs a cocktail napkin from the bar, wiping his face again. While the air conditioning feels refreshing to Zhenya, it doesn’t look like it’s doing all that much for Sid. 

“You need go home?” Zhenya asks, his voice low. “I’m make something up, we go.”

“Geno, I’m fine. Please.” 

The bartender brings Sid his pitcher of ice cubes, and it’s almost instantaneous. Sid snatches it with one hand, then immediately shoves his other hand into the ice. He sighs, his eyes closing and his shoulders relaxing as his fingers wiggle a little, like he’s only stuck his hand in a jar of marbles. 

Zhenya is quiet for a moment, mostly because he thinks he’s either hallucinating or dreaming. When Sid looks like he’s got some life back in him again—and when Zhenya can actually figure out the right words to say—he scoots a little closer to Sid. 

“What’s happen, Sid?” Zhenya asks. 

Sid’s eyes flick open, and he’s staring at Zhenya wide-eyed, like he’d forgotten Zhenya was there. “It’s—it’s hard to explain.”

“Try me.”

Looking down, Sid removes his hand from the ice. There’s no sign of frostbite; his hands look the same as they always do, just wet. There’s an inch of water now at the bottom of the pitcher, and it’s starting to condensate. 

“I can’t be away from ice for very long,” he says. “It’s a long story, but if I get too hot or I’m not near it, I get sick.”

Zhenya lets this soak in. It explains a lot, really, but it also doesn’t explain much at all. He wants to ask about why Sid is this way, why he’s always cold when Zhenya touches him, why he’s only just now telling Zhenya about this. 

But Zhenya also realizes they’re in the middle of a bar, they’re with the team, and there’s a group of people in a corner booth that keep staring at them. Since Sid is otherwise preoccupied with, well, his health, it’s Zhenya’s responsibility to make sure this stays under wraps. 

“We talk at home,” Zhenya says. Sid nods quickly, though he stops when he sees Zhenya’s expression. Zhenya’s not happy about it, but he knows Sid would rather die than talk about it here, so he’s fine with waiting.

“I’m get beer for guys,” Zhenya says. “You want stay in here little longer?”

“I’ll help carry.” Sid brings the pitcher a little closer to himself, holding it against his chest. He looks like a little kid with his stuffed animal, and it almost makes Zhenya forgive him. “Don’t want you telling the guys I have diarrhea or something.”

He definitely feels better, then, if he’s willing to joke about it. Zhenya’s jaw relaxes—he hadn’t realized he’d been so tense before. 

“Maybe I’m tell them anyway,” Zhenya says, and Sid rolls his eyes, but it’s fond. “Maybe I’m tell them you so nice, get big pitcher of water for beer, share with everyone.”

“I’d like to see you try that.” Sid’s tone is the same as when Zhenya challenges him to a warmup competition, and Zhenya loves him, he really does. 

They head back outside with their arms full of drink orders, Sid’s pitcher still clutched against his chest.

[retcon-writer]

9/5/23

The sound of the thunder scares me to death. It’s not the sort of thing you’d expect from someone like me, scrawny as I am. Weak people like me generally need to be quick to be brave against the world to survive around here- not that I’ve had a chance to go elsewhere, what with the tight security around nowadays. Impossible to leave without a permit, I tell you. Not that I don’t get it, what with the recent events and missing persons incidents, everyone’s scared outta their mind… running around like rabid rats if you ask me.

No… rats are harder than people. It’s because they’re weaker, so they can sense danger better. It used to scare the hell outta me, I always found them so ominous as a young ‘un. Always lingering around, watching, thinking…

Of course I figured that was a load of hot air when I caught and cooked my first one, I suppose the fact I hadn’t done so already was what allowed me to catch it so easily. Y’see, the weak also hope. They hope for the companionship of someone stronger, someone to protect them- not that I’m like that, I just noticed that in others… no, perhaps that was a lie.

But this hope, I noticed it, and took advantage of it, the rats, they skitter around so frantically when they realise one of their brethren have gone missing. Luckily, I had a talent for cleaning- as my last occupation left me with lots of experience and a bruised eye on my way out, and I am very good at keeping myself clean because of it. I’d just simply revisit the rat den and they’d welcome me- hoping with all their beady eyes that I’d either feed them or drop dead, I made sure to snag one on my way out when they were all focused on their own activities.

That kept me going for a good while, but soon they’d install curfews and guards stationed around, hoping it’d help; I found it very cute. All I’d need to do is call out with promises of food or throw an off-hand insult from an alleyway to get a drunk to come down with a score to settle- though I tend to avoid them, processed alcohol isn’t as nice as you’d think, and I need to keep a straight head to remain careful. And here I’ve gone on and on and I realise, I haven’t been scared of them since I gutted my first. They were no longer indecipherable beings that always seemed to watch, I no longer had issues figuring out what they were thinking while looking at me: pity for a poor child, desire for companionship of a fellow weakling, rage at a brat that had called them a “lumbering oaf”, fear of prey looking up at their predator.

I used to do it for the food, but nowadays I just do it for the sport, thrill of the hunt and all that- but it truly is an amusing game, even if the other players don’t feel the same way. And if they truly don’t wish to play, they can always leave; as if! Guards have set this district in a more or less complete lockdown. And everyone knows it’s not to hold the culprit here; it’s for the people. They can’t have the other districts overflow, or have people leave the city, otherwise what would happen to their precious tax income? And of course they need their guinea pigs- lambs of slaughter I say- to get more hints and clues to further their limping investigation. I’ve noticed they’ve been cursing their protectors more than their killers on their deathbed as of late; not that I’ve suddenly grown a bleeding heart, personally I find it quite amusing. I have to say though, I do pity the lower ranks of the guards that do the actual investigating. Higher brass who locked ‘em in here are safe in their ivory towers (they aren’t) while the guards down here come across my rosy works and barf, which is quite rude if I have to say.

Oh yeah, I’ve been getting into art as well recently. I know it’s bad taste, but “what is art if not a way to express oneself”- I think someone once said that to me anyway. Recently I’ve been thinking this pond has gotten a bit small for me, I think I’ll likely see what a district closer to the castle has to offer, perhaps I’ll have some towers to climb.

But for now, I’ve noticed a few rats following me again, it’s not very rare but not exactly common either, so I’ll have to take care of this, making as little ‘a commotion as possible, I bid thee adieu.

I think I’ll be able to make a pretty flower with these ones.

[imabillyami]

Thoughts on Raw?

Hi anon! Sorry, I know it’s been a while!

I know the ask referred to the Raw from the week before, but I turned that off at some point and only caught up by watching some clips over the course of the week. So I’ll talk about this week’s episode instead, if you don’t mind, cause I actually sat down and watched it.

Short answer: An overall solid episode imo and one of the better ones they’ve done recently, I think. I didn’t love it, but I also didn’t hate it. They started some good new feuds, teased some development in already existent ones, had some solid filler segments. It was pretty much what I wanted from a post PLE show. 

Match by match (segment by segment) under the cut:

I’m a bit salty that Wade is doing commentary on Raw instead of SD. I like watching SD a lot more, so I wish the better team of commentators didn’t get switched to RAW, obviously (sorry, but I can't stand Kevin Patrick on commentary, he needs more training and a lot of it). But then maybe it’ll make sitting through Raw a little easier. 

Opening with Cody - do I have to say anything at this point? Nope. I’ll admit I was excited when Seth walked out (can we take a moment to appreciate that killer outfit please? 🔥🔥🔥), cause these two put on some banger matches in the past. TJD interrupting, Sami making the save and this turning into another 6-Man-Tag? That pretty much killed my excitement though. I always love love love seeing Sami as we all know ❤️ but not as a third wheel for whoever needs it that week.

Fatal 4-Way #1 Contender: This was a BANGER match! Loved it! Highlight of the night for me. It made all the competitors look good and I love love love me a rare Gable win (especially in front of his home crowd and his son! and that celebration? THE CUTEST OMG). Realistically we all know that he’s not gonna beat Gunther, but this was a feel-good moment though.

Tbh I didn’t really care much for the Cody/Seth relationship drama and Sami deserves much better booking, but them agreeing to do it for Kevin was kinda cute.

Shinsuke vs. Bronson: These two will always put a decent match together, both are very impressive, but there were a few scary looking moments/botches in that one. (I personally feel like this „feud“ is getting a little old by now, but apparently Shinsuke is moving on to bigger and better things now and we love to see it!)

Patiently waiting for that Raquel/ Rhea feud to really take off. They deserve a good feud! The attack at before the Main Event was 👀 I’m excited!

What even was that Kaiser/Maxxine/Otis backstage thing? I’m just- 

Becky Promo: I know you’re tired Becky, so am I. There’s just so much frustration around this feud. This could have been one of the all-time-great feuds of this era, but they completely fumbled it, took away all the spotlight it deserved and made it feel mediocre at best. Becky, Trish (and Zoey) have taken whatever crap they were handed and worked with it the best they could, but something just doesn’t work here. WWE missed out big time (no pun intended) with this. I hope they’ll give it proper time and a proper sendoff next week or at the next PLE. These women deserve so much better.

I’m not gonna say much on the whole JD McDonagh thing. I don’t want him in TJD, I don’t want him around at all, that’s it. That guy is right there on my shit list with Theory and Riddle. No further comment.

I LOVE that delicious tension building between Finn and Damian, they’re doing a very very good job with that (of course it’s the briefcase’s fault, of course lol). When shit hits the fan eventually, these two are gonna have a banger feud with banger matches, no doubt (and I wouldn’t even mind it being for the WHC once Seth had a good long run with it, both Finn and Damian would deserve it!)

Stark vs. Baszler: Y’all know by now that I have lots of love for Shayna 💕 and I thought the match was really good! These two are great workers imo. (I was a little distracted by Becky and her lemonade though, cause that? Girl, I got you! Go get their pathetic asses for doing you so dirty with that terrible booking! YES!!! Honestly, at this point it wouldn’t surprise me if Becky walks away once her contract is done.) They teased Shayna vs. Becky later on and I’m interested, even though I really need Becky vs. Rhea to happen more)

SAMI GETTING HURT/ BEING INJURED IS MY WORST FUCKING NIGHTMARE 😭😭😭 God I was devastated. I hope he’ll recover soon (same for Kevin) and that they’ll receive some better booking upon their return. 

Speaking of people who deserve better: OTIS. He shouldn’t get squashed like this, ever. Not even gonna comment any further on this. The crowd chanting for Chad was very heartwarming though.

LA KNIGHT YEAH! God I love The Miz. I love LA Knight. And that was an epic promo battle! Pls make this a good feud and don’t fuck it up! 

The New Day is back YESSIR 😭 When I tell you I missed them! I don’t care much for The Viking Raiders, but it was so good seeing Kofi and Xavier back in action! Let them run through all the tag teams and then once Kevin and Sami are back and recovered, please give us that banger feud! (idc that they’re all faces, they’ll still have awesome promos and epic matches, no doubt there). Thank you! 

The news of Sonya tearing her ACL broke my heart. I was so happy for her and Chelsea and now this! Istg those tag belts are CURSED. Does anyone even want them at this point? Throw them in the trash and get a new set pls, cause this one clearly has bad luck all over them.

Main Event: I’m really not the biggest fan of those 6-man-tags, not gonna lie. It was a solid match, I loved Sami getting involved in some capacity, but I’d like to see something new for once. No more 6-man-tags with TJD in the near future, I’m begging you. While I don’t like Cody, I love that the tension with Seth is still there and I’m hoping to see another round of that feud at some point. Very much here for Seth vs. Shinsuke, I liked that ending to the show a lot! 

Thanks for asking/ being interested as always, anon! And sorry again, for the late reply and hijacking this! Hugs to you 💕

[oktxvia]

Hi, I saw you reblog a post recently about Daisy Jones & the Six and I wanna say I love the show as well as the book but there were so many differences between them that disappointed me. Anyway, do you think Billy and Camila will get divorced in the last two episodes? I’ve noticed that in the interviews, Camila has her maiden name Alvarez instead of Billy’s last name. Also, in the show she seems threatened by Daisy and says that if Billy loves her then that is when this ends. And we know that Billy has been a bad husband to Camila in the past as he cheated on her and in the show he does end up kissing Daisy. I know this may be messed up but I hope Billy and Camila won’t get divorced and that they’ll be endgame. I want the last two episodes to show that their marriage gets better and Billy learns to be a much better husband and father. This seems to be happening in episode 8 of the series as there’s several cute scenes between them and she’s even telling him about her day when they’re in a hotel room. And I shipped them so hard when I was reading the book as Billy did try to be a good husband to Camila after he got sober. And as I’ve mentioned, the series already had so many changes from the book and I want the last two episodes to pretty much follow the book. That would mean Billy and Camila would stay together and their marriage improves since that happened in the book.

Hi anon, thank you for your question! I’ve been thinking about how they’re going to end the show as well the past few days and I agree with you. I also hope they’re staying true to the book as I was quite happy with how it ended. It felt realistic and true to the characters and I hope they don’t change it too much.

That being said, I don’t mind the changes of the source material too much so far, and I think overall they’ve done quite a good job portraying the ambiguity and complicatedness of the characters’ relationships, and how the people you’re attracted to and connect with aren’t necessarily people who are good for you. And how that in turn can lead to resentment and self hatred because it won’t work out the way you want to and no matter what decision you make, people will get hurt in the process. It’s just very much buried between the lines in the show, but I think that might also be due to the medium itself, I think written works tend to convey that a lot better in general.

As for the ending, Camila is by far my favorite character and she was always the guiding light for everyone and to have Billy actively stay and make the marriage work was such a nice change of the usual ~but they’re soulmates so they have to end up together trope~ that Billy x Daisy would represent. Billy and Camila staying together and working on their issues shows that people can change and that happiness can be found in stability and safety and that love requires more than just passion. I do hope the show decides to stick with that ending. And I think the interview parts so far point to that so I’m hopeful for now! The only thing that really annoys me is how the interviews seem to be set way earlier in the future than they were in the book. I read another post on here the other day of someone pointing out that that’s a mayor issue because the only reason everyone was able to reflect so well on everything that happened was because 20 years have passed when the interviews take place. Major paraphrasing here and the person explained it much better but I’ll reblog that post for you anon if you’re interested. So yeah tldr; let’s hope they let Camila and Billy stay together and don’t divert too much from the book!