#they’re still 16 here just to make things less confusing

[pastabaguette]

i’m putting them all in the 1850s now. starting with these two for no particular reason

this might be a really specific niche that nobody cares about except me, but it doesn’t matter. i can draw whatever i want.

i’m not a huge fashion person so if things are off don’t be super mean to me

[ondeemand]

Transformers One Review

For the sake of convenience, I’ll be referring to the characters as their new names (Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee) instead of their old ones (Orion Pax, D-16, B-127).

Also, I didn’t grow up with Transformers, so this will be mostly from an outsider’s perspective. I can’t tell what possibly was or wasn’t a retcon or how accurate to the source material it was, but I think the background info on their world held up very well and they were able to explain it clearly to new viewers like me. It definitely would have hit harder if I grew up with Transformers and knew more than just facts from cultural osmosis, but I still enjoyed the movie a lot.

Notes/Things I’m Neutral On

Very weird to hear my name (Dee) being said throughout most of the movie by Chris Hemsworth’s bad American accent.

Also, I forgot that Megatron has transformed into ground vehicles before. I only ever knew him to turn into a jet, so I was kind of confused that he was a tank in this movie. I hope we get to see him get upgraded to a jet in the next one, but the tank is still cool.

Pros/Things I Liked

Simple but effective color theory with their eye colors. Main good guys have blue while Megatron has yellow, sitting between good and bad. Still a friendly color at first, but slowly turns closer to orange and then fully red as his anger and hatred consume him (and after he met the red-eyed Starscream, a cowardly man who ends up enabling Megatron‘s more violent/aggressive tendencies)

○ Also I don’t know if I was just seeing things, but it looked like Megatron’s eyes got more yellow whenever he looked at Optimus which is so sad and so gay.

I really thought they were gonna push a romance between Elita and either Bumblebee (goofy manchild x competent woman trope) or Optimus (male lead x female lead, blue x pink), but I was pleasantly surprised that they didn’t. Sadly, there’s still time for it in future installments, but I can dream.

Not to be gay, but spider woman sexy. Airachnid was so obviously evil that it was funny, but I can’t fault Sentinel for having her around because I, too, would want a deadly goth woman to be my right-hand lady. They felt like the evil, less developed versions of Mustang and Hawkeye. I am in love.

The animation is gorgeousssss. The environments, the character designs, the fight choreography, the transformations, the lighting, the texture, mwah mwah MWAH STUNNING!!!

○ Sorry, I’m never gonna stop talking about this. The way they were able to make square/blocky figures move so fluidly was fantastic (and proof of concept that a fully animated Minecraft movie would have worked). ○ The camera angles were also great for framing both the dramatic, intense, and/or high-action moments like fights or chase scenes, while also adding a lot to the comedic moments. Like when the camera stays tracking Optimus’ face when running through the forest, only for him to suddenly fall down a cliff neither he nor us saw coming, only to then zoom out to the perspective of the guards below, showing them stumbling and falling. ○ The contrast between the mechanical and organic elements on the surface were really cool, and the way it was introduced was able to convey this idea that organic life was this strange, alien thing. ○ The way the surface just rebuilds itself into these jagged, blocky terrains was really unique and interesting! It felt like a glitched computer model because of its rougher shapes which really added to the fear and hostility of the surface.

90% of their jokes landed and they landed hard. The bit where Optimus looks like he’s about to transform and then just fucking books it is incredible. The audio and camera work help add to these as well, like the music building as Optimus pretends to transform, the camera zooming in close to different parts of him, only for all background noise to cut out as it shows Optimus running away. I won’t name every joke and quip I found funny or we’d be here all day, but they’re certainly a highlight of the movie.

I love Keegan-Michael Key, but I wasn’t a fan of him as the comic relief character of Toad in the Mario movie. When Bumblebee showed up I got a little nervous, but I really loved his performance of the character.

I really liked the midpoint pep talk about hope. That’s a really nice reason that Optimus is the leader despite not being as skilled as other people. He has the hope for a better future and it was a core part of his character from the beginning, and I really like the idea that a leader is someone who can envision a brighter future no matter what.

Alpha Trion transforming was SICK AS FUCK!!! I love that he was more animalistic when the rest of the cast become vehicles. His final fight was so cool, and it actually made me kind of emotional to see him at the end with the rest of the Prime ghosts.

The stabbings? The beheadings?? The branding??? The way Megatron tore Sentinel in half and then ripped his heart out on-screen holy shit???? This movie was incredibly brutal and I loved it. It’s such an interesting phenomenon that children’s media is allowed to be about as graphic as they want as long as it’s against robots, even incredibly sentient ones like in the Transformers series.

○ I watched the 1986 Transformers movie for a class earlier this year, and while it also had a lot of brutality in it’s fights, the new movie felt more intense. Part of this could be attributed to me watching the 2024 movie on a big screen vs the 1986 movie in my living room, but there are other reasons as well. The 1986 movie had more upbeat songs playing over the fights, specifically songs like The Touch and Dare, which helped keep the tone lighter and more exciting. The 2024 movie didn’t have anything like that, allowing the action, while still cool and exciting, to take on a more serious tone. This is also emphasized by the graphics of the movie being 3D instead of 2D. While the 2D 1986 movie is a stunning masterpiece, people still view it with the idea in mind that, since it’s a cartoon, the stakes and story will be less intense. The 2024 movie being 3D with very detailed graphics and lighting already has more visual intensity. The characters are still these bright, poppy colors, but they can come across more moody and dark due to the environments, lighting, and textures that the 3D medium more easily allows. And while the painted backgrounds and cell shading of the old movie are great, the CGI backgrounds are a lot closer to realism, so the harsher elements like metal and rock, which make up a vast majority of the environment and characters, look real too.

The way Megatron’s hate consumed him to the point where he started acting more villainous and, while not entirely similar to Sentinel, still ended up hurting innocent people was tragic. Trying to push away and deny everything about a person only to wind up being just like them. This was perfectly shown in the end credit scene where Megatron is branding himself and the new Decepticons with Megatronus Prime’s face. To him, it may be him reclaiming the traumatic experience and literally using it like a badge of honor, as well as thinking he’s honoring Megatronus Prime. But in reality, he’s just inflicting the same trauma done to him onto others, just like Sentinel. Such a cool way to show how every villain is the hero of their own story.

The doomed yaoiiiiii I’m never gonna get over them. The only other Transformers media I’ve consumed is the 1986 movie, which kills off Optimus Prime in the first 25 minutes and Megatron becomes Galvatron, so I never knew the depths of their homoerotic relationship.

I’m a sucker for “the hero and villain used the be friends (and maybe even lovers?)” trope, so Optimus and Megatron’s relationship and the general premise of the movie was already a slam dunk for me.

I’m also a fan of legacy stories like Avatar and She-Ra. While this movie didn’t get as in-depth with the concept, I enjoyed that they played with the idea of legacy and taking up the mantle of the former Primes.

I absolutely loved the end message that Optimus gives us. Hope, freedom, and autonomy are incredibly important things to learn, and as a trans person who very much wants to keep control over what I do with my body, I really resonated with that last one. I think it’s really cool that they included a message like that in this children’s movie about robots that turn into cars.

Regarding the message of autonomy, I love that it gives the term Autobots a new meaning. Auto meaning “automobile”, since they transform into cars, and Auto meaning “self”, as they are now fully their own bots with control over themselves.

Cons/Things I Disliked

Mid vocal performances from everyone except Brian Tyree Henry and Keegan-Michael Key. And as I mentioned before, it was hard not to focus on Chris’ attempts at an American accent, not to mention how recognizable his, as well as Scarlett Johansson’s, voices are.

The plot felt a little disjointed in the first 1/3-ish.

○ Good setup with the main characters being an oppressed working class with one dreaming of better things and the other hesitant to fall out of line or take risks. But then suddenly there’s a race, and then they’re in it, and then they lose, and then their leader wants to promote them. At first it feels like there are hints that he’s a scummy celebrity-type and that meeting their hero is what will spur on the disillusionment with their society. But then some random douchebag that doesn’t like them reassigns them which goes against their leader’s command, and that’s how the plot kicks off? ○ Also, Elita’s involvement felt kind of rushed/hand-waved. They all get stuck on the surface, but instead of trying to make her way back to report them like she was saying she would for the past few minutes, she makes a complete 180 and heads the expedition herself. ○ It all just felt a little strange, but once it got going the rest of the plot felt fine.

Megatron’s descent into “evil” felt kind of rushed. I understand that he feels betrayed and I really love where the character ends up by the end, but it felt like a real 180 without a lot of build up.

Some jokes fell flat or felt annoying and kinda cringe. That’s the territory of children’s movies though, so par for the course.

TLDR

Overall, this movie was a really fun watch and I’d love to go see it again. While some parts fall a little flat, the movie is lifted from mediocrity by its many Pros. From the stunning visuals, to the quick humor, to the tragic origins of two friends driven apart by their ideals, I’d recommend this movie to anyone interested in animation or the Transformers brand.

8.82/10

[marvelwitchergilmore]

For A While...

Summary: Spencer Reid x Fe!Reader -> You were first introduced to Spencer through Emily, however, six years later, it seems some things are beginning to change.

Disclaimer: 16+ CM level violence. Descriptions of torture, death and stalking. This is part two. Part one can be accessed here. Fluff towards the end. Pining. Angst (kinda). Not proof read.

Five Months Later…

The last five months had been like agony for Spencer. 

He’s spent the last five months trying his best to figure out his feelings for you until one morning he walked into work, determined to look less like a complete confused mess as he had done for the last several days. 

His tie was still a little crooked, but his hair was neater than when he’d rolled out of bed, and his shirt wasn’t creased. And with a coffee in his hand, he was waking up a little faster than usual. Except, just as he stepped through the doors, he saw you by your desk. 

No-one was in the office yet. You’d been removing your scarf and coat, laying them on the back of your chair when he spotted you and the voice in his head said…

I love you.

He’d shocked himself. 

Of course, he had already known his feelings ran deep for you. But it was the first time the actual words had been spoken out loud, or in the very least, to himself. 

And it had been agony ever since. 

He was pretty sure he managed to hide it, though he doubted that the team didn’t at least have their suspicions. If Emily had figured it out with only a couple of days, the team had seen them both for months. 

However, Spencer was certain of one thing. 

He had it under control. 

Like he had told Emily, he didn’t want to lose you. And if that meant forever being your friend, living with a cage around his heart when he was with you that felt as if it was crushing his soul, he could happily live with that. 

Until, one day, Spencer wondered why he’d built the cage in the first place. Because as much as he was aware of the dangers both of your jobs posed, he never thought he could lose you because of that. 

The team had been flown to Oregon for a case. Four women had been killed in the town, all with a similar look, background and lifestyle. And the further you were looking into the case, it didn’t just seem to be in Oregon. The bodies trailed over the years across the country, and from what you could figure, the first had been in Virginia. 

However, the longer you all worked on the case, the more the nagging feeling in your gut grew. Something felt too familiar about the case. 

“We have to be missing something. We already know this guy stalks his victims, right. He knows what they do for work, he makes sure he knows what they’re doing at all times. He prays for the right moment when they're alone or they’re away from their general routine.” 

“If it was a bigger pattern you could say he’s picking them at random.”

“But I don’t think he is. I mean, look at how each of the victims are described.”

They were described as smart, happy, hard working. If they ever stepped out of their routine, it was because they had to. The first victim drove a little out of town because her usual restaurant she ordered from was shut. The second because she needed cabinet hinges. The third because she needed to stop for gas but there was a diversion on the road, sending her to another. 

The rest of the team continued talking but when Spencer looked over to you, you seemed…off. 

“Hey, I’m gonna go and get some coffee. You guys want some?”

“Sure, that’d be great.”

“Thanks.”

Spencer knew that look on your face a little too well. You needed space. Why, he didn’t know. But he also knew it was better not to follow you. 

Except, he couldn’t help but wish he could turn back the clock and do exactly that. 

An hour later, you still hadn’t returned. 

After twenty five minutes, they figured maybe there was a long cue. After thirty five, they figured maybe they had been changing the coffee filter just as you got there. 

When you didn’t pick up your phone after an hour…they got worried. 

So, sending Derek and Spencer to the coffee shop to try and find you, Hotch, JJ, Rossi and Blake stayed behind in case it was just that they were changing the filter and there was a long cue and your phone had died. 

Except, when Spencer and Derek returned half an hour later having searched up and down the block, in every cafe, coffee shop, convenience store and gas station, they all knew something was wrong. 

“She’s not any of them. The cashier said she hadn’t even come in today.”

“That’s not good.”

From the screen, Garcia popped up. 

“Guys, I’m getting a live feed. You’re gonna want to see this, though…I don’t know if you’ll want to.”

“What is it, Garcia?”

Garcia said nothing, but her face said it all. With a couple of clicks, the feed was up on the full screen and everyone in the police department was watching it. 

“How long have you had this Garcia?”

“The alert came in only a few moments before I called you, but according to the chat room, it’s been prepared for a couple of hours, but went live about forty minutes ago. I think you should also know, I was invited to this.”

“Invited?” JJ asked. 

“Believe me, I’ve had every corner that I know of, being monitored. But apparently this is a new one.”

Everyone looked a little closer to the screen, and eventually it got a little brighter. Most likely from a light on the further wall. 

And everyone’s hearts sank. 

It was you. 

You had a gash on your head, most likely where the unsub had hit you across the head. From the look on your face as you move your body ever so slightly, it wasn’t the only place on you that was wounded. 

The camera angles kept changing, offering a different view of the room, though there wasn’t much to see other than you, beaten and bloodied, zip tied and chained to a bolted down chair. 

Then someone came into shot. 

The unsub. 

He approached you slowly, bringing with him a damp cloth, gently pressing it to your head. 

“It’s okay. Take it easy.”

You forced your eyes open, but when you were met with the reality of who it was, your face turned into shock, fear, disgust and anger. 

You jerked back, unable to move any further than you had tried before. 

“Get the hell off me.”

“It’s okay, don’t be like that.”

The unsub spoke softly to you. 

“Get away from me. Get off me.”

“You don’t have to be like this.”

Then you spotted the camera. 

“You’re filming this?”

“I thought your friends might like to see it. See how safe you are.”

“Safe?!” both yourself and Spencer asked. 

“Garcia, can you get a clear shot of the unsub?”

“No, sir. He hasn’t looked at the camera fully.”

“Then look into Y/l/n’s past. She knows him. Or, he knows her. Maybe they’ve crossed paths somewhere before.”

“Already on it, Sir.”

It would take a little longer for the team to realise your relationship to the unsub. And your connection to the victims. 

“I told you you’re safe with me, you don’t have to worry any more.”

“You kidnap me and tell me not to worry?!”

“I can take care of you.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“Why take her though? Why follow her? It’s too risky.”

“Maybe it’s his endgame.” Spencer said out loud, the cogs turning over and over in his head. Then he moved towards the evidence board, rearranging things around where he’d written your name in a bubble. 

He needed to keep moving, proving to himself he was alive. Or else he might break more than he ever had. 

“How would you describe her?”

“Smart.” JJ began, following what Spencer was getting at. 

“Hard working.”

“A stickler for routine. She’s fixed. Doesn’t often change what she likes.”

More comparisons came out and Spencer had proven his point. 

“I’m wondering if he was her first victim. Or if she was his catalyst.”

Everyone turned back to the screen when they heard a loud strike. 

“It WAS me!”

It took you a moment before you rolled your head back up and looked from the camera to him. 

“It never was you, that was the whole point.”

“Only because you couldn’t see what I could offer you.” He pulled a chair harshly in front of you and sat down. The camera still had a clear shot of your face, but just the back of his head. 

“I saw you, a few years ago. Who was he?”

“Who was who?”

“That-that-that guy! The one you think you wanted! The one you thought could offer you everything!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

Another strike across the face. Then he grabbed you. 

“I saw how you looked at him. Like he was the whole world. Your whole world.”

“When even was-”

“Six years ago. I was coming out of a bar. Couple of buddies wanted me to go with them but I knew I had to find you. And I was stupid enough to think you’d be waiting for me. Instead, I found you with him. Standing outside your apartment. I didn’t wait around for the kiss.”

His name slipped from your mouth before you could stop yourself. 

“So, you remember him? You remember him? You remember him…” 

Of course you remember him. How could you not? You worked with him every single day. 

The unsub was growing more emotional. From accusatory to confusion to a sadness of acceptance. 

Then anger. 

“You remember him!? And all he had to do was walk you home?!” The unsub laughed before pausing and kicking the chair over, sending it flying into a wall. 

You jumped at his quickness and the loudness of the noises. 

“Do you know how long I have been trying to get your attention?! How long I have spent trying to show you that you have feelings for me? You might deny it, but we both know it’s true. It has been since we first met. I know you didn’t know, but I saw it in your eyes, in that kindness you showed me when no one else did. You volunteered to be my partner, remember?”

“For the…the forest run?”

“You do remember.”

The unsub got down on his knees in front of you, clutching at your jacket. 

“See, this just proves-”

“I volunteered because Sophia didn’t want to be left alone with you.”

“What?”

“I opted to take her place to make her feel safe.”

As you continued to explain, Hotch and Garcia tracked your phone numbers and social media posts until she found Sophia. 

“So you don’t feel safe with me, but you’ll feel safe with Spencer?”

“Please, don’t bring him into this.”

“Why not?”

The unsub sat back. “Why not? Go ahead, tell me. This wouldn’t happen to be the same Doctor Spencer Reid, would it?”

You tried to deny it, but no words came from your mouth. 

The unsub became deflated. 

“And let me guess, you have feelings for him…you…you even…love him. Why do I not measure up? Because I don’t work for the FBI? Because I’m not a Doctor? What is it that makes  him so much better that he earns your love?”

“Please, just-”

“It should be me! What can he give you that I can’t?”

Then he pushed the hair from your face and held it against your head, forcing you to look at him. 

“I could have given you everything. I still can. Just tell them you’re safe, and I’ll make sure nothing ever happens to you, ever again.”

“Please, don’t-”

He turned to stand behind you, forcing you to look directly into the camera where the team could see the trails left behind through the blood on your cheeks, where your tears had flooded through them. 

“TELL THEM!”

“Garcia, please tell me you have something.”

“Uh, maybe, I-I don’t know. I can’t be certain.”

“I’ll take what I can get, Garcia.”

“Well, I, uh-”

“Now, Garcia.” Spencer called out, his voice oddly even and a little cold. 

“Sophia said his name was Toby-something. But I’ve looked through her files, her socials. There isn’t a single Toby, or Tobias or even Tobe.”

“Can you get a picture of him?”

“I’ve got a few, I’m running them through my database now.”

“What about Emily?” JJ asked. Everyone looked at her. “She grew up with Emily, right? Maybe she’ll know something.”

Spencer was already on the phone. 

“Emily? Emily, listen to me. Was there anyone in Y/n’s past that she had trouble with? An ex boyfriend or something in college?”

“I- Reid, is everything okay?”

“Garcia will catch you up, but please. Was there anyone she talked about? Maybe a Toby-someone?”

Suddenly, Emily’s voice turned cold. “Reid, where is she?”

“Emily?”

“Back when she was in college, she was having trouble with a guy. Everyone called him Toby but his real name Jonathan. Toby was his middle name. He seemed fixated on her and one day, she found him in her apartment on campus. She called me and I got her out. After that, he seemed to disappear, but she always was weary.”

“Okay, send all the details you can to Garcia.”

“Already happening.”

All the team could do was wait and watch, hoping something would jump out at them to help find you. 

“Do you love him?”

“I need to hear it from you. Do you love him?”

He picked up a weapon of some kind. A knife maybe. 

“No, no, I can’t watch!” Garcia called out, turning her chair away. 

A backhanded slap came across your face, the edge of the knife, cutting your cheek. 

“Do. You. Love. Him?” Toby screamed louder. 

Garcia squealed a little, hearing his arm movement. But just when she expected you to scream in pain, anyone who was listening heard what you said next. 

“YES!” you screamed, fear of what was going to come next taking over. Maybe it would have been best to lie. But he wouldn’t have accepted it. And if he was going to kill you…

Toby faltered, looking down at you in heartbroken shock. 

“Yes, yes. I do. I love him. Please…please don’t hurt me…I-”

Toby dropped the knife, the sound clattering on the floor, and he stepped back. Even from behind, they could all see the changes in his body movement. 

From shock, heartbreak, to more shock to…anger. 

And fear flashed across your face. 

“No, no, no. Please. Toby- what-what are you doing?”

He was moving around the room, gathering things. 

“Toby, please. Please don’t-”

Then the screen went dark. 

“Garcia! Please tell me you have something!”

“Almost. Hold on. Wait.”

“We can’t-”

“The footage is still running. There’s no picture or sound, but it’s still running. Maybe if I can just- I’ve got her.”

“Garcia, send us the address.”

“Already done. Please bring her back safe.”

Toby had taken you forty minutes out of town, held up in a small town shed on a small plot of land he’d rented in cash, save for the electric bill that was in his name from a month earlier. Garcia couldn’t trace the address, but she could find the closest cell tower. And with a little cross reference, she found you. 

All the team could do was hope you were still alive by the time they got to you. 

It was agonising to listen to, but your screams let them know you were still alive. And when Morgan kicked down the door, Toby turned around you, holding your body against his front. 

He’d changed you from being tied down in the chair to being strung up by your wrists. By the looks of it, however, you had managed to fight back, presumably in the small window of time you did have. 

“Come any closer and I’ll kill her.”

“No you won’t, Toby.”

“Won’t I?!”

You whimpered a little as the blade pushed further into your skin. 

“You love her, don’t you? Don’t you want to see her happy?”

“She IS happy. She’s happy with me.”

“Really, Toby? Because I wouldn’t say she looks happy. I’d say she looks scared. Terrified, even.”

“No, no, no she’s not.”

“Morgan…”

“She loves me! She has to love me!”

“But she doesn’t. And do you really think this is how she’s going to fall in love with you? By forcing her into it?”

Toby changed. 

“Doctor Reid. Doctor Spencer Reid. This is him, isn’t it? This is the one that took you from me? Maybe once I’m done with you, maybe, maybe he’ll be next.”

“No…”

“Or you can choose me. Choose me and they don’t get hurt. Choose me and-”

You jumped at the sound. 

A gunshot. 

Everything went silent and then the knife clattered to the floor once more, soon followed by Toby’s body. 

For a moment, you heard JJ’s voice coming from Derek’s wire, and then everything came back into a blurry focus. 

“Is it over? Is-is he dead?”

Reid moved closer, checking his pulse before nodding to Morgan. 

“It’s over.”

“Thank god, please get these off me.”

Spencer was closer, taking his pocket knife out before cutting your binds, allowing you to stand fully on the floor once more. 

Your arms wrapped around Spencer both out of necessity, since your legs gave way for a moment, and out of need to hug someone, anyone, who wasn’t Toby. 

In his arms, Spencer could feel your entire body shaking. So he simply held you tighter. 

“Is-is it-are you sure it’s over?”

“It’s over. Let's get you out of here.”

Spencer helped you out of the shed before walking you over to the ambulance that was pulling up behind one of the SUVs. 

“P-please don’t leave me.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got you.”

And he did. 

Spencer stayed with you as they helped you into the ambulance and drove you to the hospital, he stayed with you as the doctors talked you through where they were taking you and what would happen and he was right there waiting for you, as you had asked, when you got out. 

And when they finally found you a room, he stayed by your side, holding your hand. 

Even hours later, you were still shaking with nerves and adrenaline. 

“Have you called Emily?” you asked after a few hours of silence. 

Spencer nodded. “She knows what happened. She’s also said she’s gonna catch the next flight out once they open the airports in London. Some storms closed the runways.”

You just nodded. 

“Hey Spencer?”

Spencer hummed. 

“I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“For…for what happened. I-I don’t know how much you saw from the footage but Toby…I should have lied. I should have tried to keep your name-”

Spencer shot out of his seat and sat on your bed facing you, slowly taking the hand you used to squeeze your eyes shut from crying, into his. 

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s-”

“It’s okay. All I care about is that you’re safe. Emily…she already knew. She… a couple months ago, she talked to me about it…because she figured that was how I felt about you.”

“Spence, no, you don’t have to-”

“We can talk about it more, when you’re better, but I just…I need you to know, you’re not alone. And I don’t want you to be sorry for what you said. Because, even though I’m sorry for how it had to happen, I’m not sorry about what was said.”

“You…you’re not?”

Spencer shook his head, looking down at your hands in his, his thumb tracing a constant pattern over your knuckles. 

However, the familiar clicking of heels down the hall broke your intimate silence. 

“We’ll talk about it?”

You nodded.

Garcia was calling out your name before she found your room and took a look at you. 

“Oh, thank god.”

“Penelope,” you smiled. 

And Spencer smiled, too. For the first time in the last week, let alone the last twenty four hours, you smiled. Genuinely smiled.

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t find you sooner. If I-”

“It’s okay. You still found me. I’m okay.”

“I’m never letting you out of my sight again. And Emily will be here soon so it won’t just be me, you’ll have both of us. Maybe we can live like the Golden Girls.”

You struggled to laugh, but laughed all the same. “I’d like that.”

“Good, because you don’t have a choice.”

“I’ll give you two some space to plan your move,” Spencer smiled. 

You smiled softly back at him as he slowly walked out of the room, but not before Penelope called his name. “Bring her back some jello! Orange, if they have it!”

Spencer nodded, however he didn’t need telling why orange. It was your favourite. 

“How do you know that’s my favourite?”

“Emily told me.”

You smiled. There had been a week back in middle school when all you could stomach was orange jello. You’d have thought that after being sick for a week, you’d never want to eat it again. But that never happened. 

The doctors kept you in hospital for the next couple of days whilst the rest of the team helped finish the last couple of cases at the police department. 

When you were finally cleared to fly, Hotch and Emily were the ones to help you with your things. 

Hotch explained what would happen when you all got back to the Bureau and what would happen with yourself and your job. 

“I know you’ll be itching to get back to work, but I want you to take some time off.”

“I will. I promise.”

By the time you got to the jet, you weren’t up in the air an hour before you excused yourself from Rossi’s story time to sit by the one person who brought you the most peace. 

“Mind if I sit here?”

Spencer smiled and shook his head, making space for you beside him on the sofa. 

“Do you want to sleep?”

“What are you reading?”

He showed you. 

“Wizard of Oz.”

“Want me to read it to you? Studies have shown it helps with sleep.”

“I’d like that.”

Within twenty minutes, you were fast asleep against Spencer’s chest. He’s turned himself so you could lean against him and see the small pictures that had been drawn, as he read. 

And thankfully, Rossi’s stories kept everyone distracted long enough for yourself and Spencer to not experience the embarrassment of getting caught in such a compromising position, considering you were both just meant to be friends.

A week later…

Yourself and Spencer had seen Emily off in the Airport, and after that, Spencer had driven you home. You’d stopped off for some chinese food on the way back, and even though you’d both had…half conversations about what you’d said in the hospital, neither of you had come right out and said, well, anything. 

Until you stopped in your tracks, forcing Spencer to do the same. 

“Is everything-”

“I feel I need to confess something.”

“Do you need a church or-”

“It’s not that kind of confession.” you turned to face Spencer fully. 

In two weeks time, you’d be going back to work. And you couldn’t take another two weeks, plus additional ones of whatever the awkward…thing was between you both. Like you each knew each other's secret, but didn’t know its full whereabouts. 

“I love you,” you told him, finally. “I know it seemed forced, but it was the truth nonetheless. I love you. I am in love with you and…I don’t know what to do about it. Because, first and foremost, you’re my friend. And no matter what, I don’t want to lose what we have. I love you, but most of all I like you. I like being around you. I like listening to you talk about different books and music and the fact that whales can produce sounds up to 188 decibels. I-”

“I love you, too.”

That forced you to stop. And Spencer could see your eyes searching for an explanation. 

“I don’t know how it happened. All I know is that one day I just…breathed for the first time. That I saw you and knew that if I stopped, I might die.”

“Sounds a little dramatic.”

Spencer laughed a little. “I guess it does. But it’s true. I’m in love with you. And I like you, too.”

You smiled. 

“You know, I had a crush on you for the longest time.”

“Really? How long?”

Part of it baffled Spencer that you had perhaps had feelings for him longer than he did you, but most of all it baffled him how he hadn’t noticed. 

“For a while…”

With a smile, you felt yourself leaning into Spencer. And he felt himself do the same thing until finally your lips met his. 

The kiss was gentle at first, but became a little more searing as his hand gently brushed the hair from your face to behind your ear, and pulled you a little closer. 

And you both just stood there for a while, pressed against each other, allowing each kiss to let you both know it was, in fact, very real. 

[hiroshotreplica]

currently working on listing my extended promo kid headcanons. here's kaori and john while i work on the others (i may be autistic and care too much)

i think im beginning to treat them like ocs at this point.. oops!

text on images

Kaori

16 (Splatoon 1) (21 in Splatoon 3)

Female (She/Her)

Ink Color: Orange, fades to purple

Main Weapon(s): Splattershot

- Spunky and cheerful

- Can get a little petty and defensive about some topics

- Very passionate about her work! Makes her look serious sometimes

- Despite how friendly she looks, a lot of people worry about getting on her bad side

John is her brother! They fight sometimes, but are still super close. Kaori wishes he would be less cocky, though…

Laura is her BFF. They get along well and she acts like they’ve known each other for over a decade! (they have)

She knows Mizuho through John. She’s the only person that’s just as odd as her.

Kaori is Agent 3, and she takes the job super seriously. Though getting mind-controlled takes off a little of her cheerful edge, she still loves her job!

She knows both Patricia and Steven, though they tend to ignore her messages. She checks up on Patricia occasionally. She’s glad that Patricia wants to talk to her, at least.

She tried to be friends with Alice, but ended up starting a rivalry instead. She has a feeling her name isn’t Alice, though… 

Once Kaori becomes captain… her serious look ends up making her look disinterested. But she’s quite the opposite! She’s just a lot more quiet by the time Neo Agent 3 is hired. Being an adult is hard!

Though Kaori is super talkative with the other agents (especially 1 and 4!) she doesn’t talk much with the new 3. They seem to have their own problems, so she gives them space…

-

John

16 (Splatoon 1) (21 in Splatoon 3)

Male (he/him)

Ink Color: Blue, fades to darker blue

Main Weapon(s): Splattershot

- Looks cold and calculating due to his stern expression, but he’s just quiet

- Cocky and overconfident, always expects things to go his way (they don’t)

- Despite his attitude, he’s quite friendly like his sister. He has a better time making friends than one would expect

- He has a lot of empathy for others. Great at giving comfort!

- Lives by the “expect the worst, hope for the best” mentality

- Tends to change his eye color to match his current ink color

Kaori is his sister, and they tend to not agree on most things. But they still get along (as best as they can). John wishes Kaori would listen to his advice sometimes…

John is pretty close with Pit. Kaori teases the two about everything they do together. Cod forbid they like each other.

He knew Laura before Kaori did! (by 5 minutes) They get along well and are usually on the same page.

Despite Mizuho’s strange nature, he thinks she’s pretty cool.

Rui is his best friend. They’ve only known each other for a couple years, but they’re super close. John thinks Rui’s a bit too serious, though.

He started up a secret DJ career after the Squid Sisters’ final Splatfest. People tend to confuse him for an “Agent 3” for some reason…

He got a photo with the “New Squidbeak Splatoon” because of this. Weird!

[ciaossu-imagines]

I’m back to writing for Tony Hawk: The Anime! All kidding aside, Sk8: The Infinity is such a fun show, with great characters, and I enjoyed using number 4 from prompt 3 on day 16 for the a couple of the S Skaters! I hope any fans of the show enjoy the little, general headcanons for the characters.

Do all their things have their own place?

With Reki, the answer is kind of a no. It’s not a super-hard no, but the boy can be a little scatter-brained at times and he has a habit of setting something down while thinking that he’ll remember exactly where he put it afterwards. Spoiler: he often doesn’t remember exactly where he put the thing, at least not initially. He would eventually find it, mostly by retracing his steps, but it’s not an automatic that he’ll know where everything he wants is. The fact that he’s not super-ambitious when it comes to keeping everything in his personal living space tidy and organized also contributes to that. However, I want to tack on here that this is mostly about his personal living spaces. When it comes to his workshop, Reki works a lot harder in keeping things at least somewhat organized and clean. It might appear a little crowded or somewhat untidy to others, but Reki has everything where he wants it, he can find anything he needs, and the workstation is always surface level clean at least.

Langa embraces very minimalistic living, in all honesty. He’s not someone who wants or needs a lot of stuff. The things he does have, he does try his best to take care of, so his personal spaces are always pretty tidy and clean. It also helps that he actively thinks about doing things like chores. Even if he doesn’t consider them the most fun, he understands the importance of tidying up and cleaning and he appreciates the sight of a clean living space. That being said, it’s not so much that everything has its own place. He’ll often leave things in different areas, such as setting a leaving his board leaning up against a wall, as long as those things will still be visible and easy to find. He’s pretty relaxed on organization – as long as he can find things, it doesn’t really matter if they’re always kept on this or that shelf, etc.

Miya has always had his mother to do his chores for him. Legit, that woman does all his cleaning, his laundry, everything so he’s never really learned how to keep his living space for himself. He’s the type who, even as a late teenager or even as an adult with his own space, would take his laundry home for his mother to do and she might even pop over to clean up for him. He’s never had to learn how to stay organized and how to make sure that his things are easy to find because it’s always been done for him. When he moves out on his own, it becomes harder for him and he does lose track of this or that and has to really struggle to find it before he starts learning how to do the basics of organization. And it really will be basic organizational skills that he utilizes – commonly used things closer at hands, less used things more tucked away. However, this doesn’t apply to his skating gear or his videogames. Both of those things are always kept exceedingly neat and well cared for, since they are both things that he’s really passionate about. I think he’d really enjoy using storage furniture to show off not just his gear and to keep his video games together, but to display awards and merch.

If you only knew Shadow from skating, I think his living space would really confuse and astound most people. It’s actually really clean and exceptionally well decorated. Balancing out his two personalities, there’s a mix of darker elements, like framed pictures of his favourite rock and metal bands (there’s definitely a framed Kiss concert photo), skulls and skeleton motifs, but they coexist and somehow beautifully intertwine with more delicate and feminine details, with fresh flowers in pretty crystals vases, the light and pleasant scent of room sprays, plush fabrics like velvet, and nothing is overly crowded. His things are largely well kept, without showing a lot of damage or wear and tear and he knows where almost everything is. The only spot where this isn’t true is within his kitchen. While he definitely can and will cook, it’s his least favourite of his chores and while he’ll clean up after himself, he does it as quickly as possible and is guilty of just chucking a pot into the cupboard he thinks it goes in or just setting ingredients in whichever cupboard is closest at hand.

[yuisdad]

Rejet...just Rejet

Cw for mentions of age gaps, teacher x student romance, slave x slave owner romance, pedophilia, incest, misogyny, sexualized violence and imprisonment against women, suicide and suicide ideation, real and fictional racism, stalking, bullying, DID misrepresentation, and vore.

LOOOOOOOOONG post ahead.

Rejet started out as female-oriented CD and otome game developer since 2009, with Daisuke Iwasaki and Hirotaka Maeda being the central figures of the company. However, their bodies of work can be traced back to 2007, with Hirotaka Maeda illustrating the Vitamin X series, and Daisuke Iwasaki writing lyrics for the OP and ED songs of Dear My Sun ~Musuko Ikusei Capriccio~.

Games:

The company’s first game was Lucien Bee’s: Resurrection Supernova, a game about forcing the unique-looking love interests of different cultures to conform to Japan’s beauty standards. They cut the Arabaic character’s afro and straightened it, and to this day, I’m still pissed-off about it. The first fandisk, Justice Yellow, has the 17 year old MC dating a few love interests twice her age (17 and 34, wtf). The second fandisk, Evil Violet, not only has 3 love interests who are either too young or old for the MC, but they’re also the villans…at least the MC is a villan here…I think…I hope.

Rejet helped publish Red Entertainment’s game Scared Rider XechS, which, while it has a good, sometimes confusing, story, it unfortunately has the love interest in their 20’s end up in a romance with the 17 year old MC, and said MC, despite the other love interests being 16-18, is their superior who they don’t actually respect and one of them refers to her as ‘teacher’…

Rejet’s second game series is the Renai Banchou (Love Gangster) Series. Consisting of the first one with a long title, and the second one subtitled Midnight Lesson. This game series not only features a few teen x adult romances, but most of the characters look suspiciously similar to their voice actors…and I don’t know whether to think this is clever or creepy.

Rejet’s third game series, and the first one to become popular and have the most games, is the Tokyo Yamanote Boys, which is about a love tournament where the MC is to date a group of guys and choose one of them as her ultimate “Prince.” This seems like a comedy (and unfortunately one of the LIs stalking the MC is treated as hilarious), but it actually has a darker plot shift…which I can kind of respect since it’s treated as a bad thing and sort of criticizes the love tournament plot…Emphasis on ‘sort of’ because the MC and love interest end up getting married with only less than a week of knowing each other. The good news is that all of the love interests are around 16-18 and the MC is 17…unfortunately, the romance ends up feeling a tad rushed because of the few days they got to know each other, and one of the love interests stalks the MC to “protect” her. Another love interest only in the fan disk is also a serial killer. Rejet, you had one job to make The Bachelor/The Bachelorette in otome game form and you failed.

Rejet’s fourth game is Gekka Ryouran Romance, and the only good route is the Yuri route. The game is supposed to be a ‘forbidden romance’, which consist of being in a relationship with two bothers at the same time, a school nurse dating a student, a 14 year old in a relationship with a 17 year old, and incest…and Rejet wants to say the wlw route is just as forbidden as the other routes…

Rejet’s fifth game is Beyond the Future -Fix the Time Arrows-, and it’s your typical adventure fantasy game, but it’s thankfully not too dark. The only routes that matter are Kirito and Camus. The MC’s design is also cute. I don’t have much to say honestly. If 5/7 routes weren’t teen x adult parings, this would be a pretty descent game.

Rejet’s sixth game is Black Wolves Saga, which is a fantasy series that’s like Game of Thrones, but with animals and humans. All of the relationships suck, even the seemingly normal or descent ones. It shouldn’t have been romance oriented because the story conflicts so much with the plot. This is also the second time Rejet has this ‘torturing the MC’ thing going on, and it’s getting a bit concerning.

Rejet’s seventh game is Dot Kereshi -We’re 8bit Lovers-, a parody of JRPGs where the MC is isekai’d into the game she hasn’t played in a while. I like the idea of this, but I’m a little weary it won’t actually be a parody and just play said tropes straight with a few comedic bits here and there. It does have the NPC character be a yandere which is…a choice.

Rejet’s eighth game is Ken ga Kimi (Name of the Sword) which I’ve heard good things about, and none of the characters, at least to my knowledge aren’t based on real people. I haven’t gotten into it, but the main dude actually looks like he’d have a cute romance considering he’s a chill foodie. (Please don’t be another BWS, PLEASE don’t be another BWS!)

Rejet’s ninth game is -8 (Minus Eight), a game where the MC has to fall in love or else the school she just transferred to will shut down…That’s fucking HILARIOUS! And the MC is just as funny as the love interests? SIGN ME UP! …Unfortunately, despite it’s fun premise, the actual routes use the same writing template and plot…an there are 8 of them…It’s a bit disappointing honestly.

Rejet’s tenth game is Moshikami (If God Were to Exist in this World) and no, I’m not typing out it’s long-ass title. This is probably on the top of the list of ‘torturing the MC’ Rejet has done. The MC is constantly bullied by other girls and assaulted by guys not within her friend group, was raped by her brother’s best friend from high school at a young age, said friend was killed by her brother, the brother then proceeds to victim-blame his little sister for ‘tempting’ his friend and then proceeds to rape her, leading the MC to pray to Amaterasu to become a guy, but then want to still look like a girl because she fears her brother wouldn’t recognize her (the trauma of being raped caused her to forget that incident) so she identifies as androgynous instead…Wow, Rejet, that’s a lot of bullshit to have your MC present as androgynous and not just let her…be that because she wants to. There’s only three routes that matter (Shuri, my boy), and the brother is possibly the worst DID representation I’ve seen in an otome game. I thought Natsuki from Utapri and Ukyo from Amnesia were bad, but clearly I was wrong.

Rejet’s eleventh and “final” game is Usotsuki Shangri-La (Liar Moon Shangri-La) and it’s Rejet’s more tame games (thank GOD). Like the title suggests, this is based on Norse Mythology, and the true end is probably the most well-written romance Rejet’s done. They even had the MC and true boy meet as children instead of the guy being an adult, WHAT A CONCEPT! Unfortunately, this makes the other routes feel pointless, which is a shame since I thought Hati was cute and the Brothers of Calamity’s story was interesting. It’s not much, but after Moshikami, I’ll happily take this.

Drama CDs:

2011-2012:

Diabolik Lovers: Well well, if it isn’t the first appearance of the ‘torturing the MC’ saga. DL actually has a descent idea; a darker and steamier look at romance featuring vampires. This could work…if it weren’t for the fact that Yui/ the character in the CDs doesn’t consent to ANY OF IT! Sure the people who actively bought the CDs and games consent to it, but not Yui! It would’ve been great if Yui was into S&M from the beginning and wanted to be bitten. I also don’t like how Rejet and the fandom use S&M as an excuse for the way the guys treat Yui/the listener. Consent is sexy, Rejet, fuckin’ UTILIZE IT!

Tiny X Machinegun: This was a collaboration between Rejet and IM BULLET, a sub-brand of IM who makes the Are You Alice? series. If the main cast weren’t NYC police, I would’ve liked it. The CDs don’t have any romance, which makes since considering the MC is 15 and most of the cast are in their 20s-30s…Wait, what do you mean Rejet made this an otome game with romance? REJET, YOU HAD ONE JOB!

Shinsengumi Wasurenagusa: It features real historical figures as the love interests and makes them boring. And there’s sex scenes…Moving on…

2013:

Seventh Heaven: Oh boy…So, this series has a suicidal MC who comes across the mansion, which consists of seven shinigami butlers called Seventh Heaven, who will comfort her until they kill her with their singing on a full moon. Basically, suicidal ideation, the musical. Would’ve been better if the MC was already dead and the shinigami serve and comfort her until they send her soul off to heaven. There Rejet, I wrote a batter tragic romance for you, where’s my paycheck?

ALICE=ALICE: Alice in Wonderland…but with vore play…except not really because it’s just biting and licking. One of them is Another version of the MC and somehow her twin in the game…Twincest, my favorite/s.

BAD MEDICINE: Sadistic teacher x student romance…The op’s a banger.

VANQUISH BROTHERS: The MC is in an arranged marriage…go on…and the love interests, whom consist of six brothers, must have sex with the MC in order to get their dead father’s inheritance…and you lost me…The love interests are also 15-18 in high school…Underage sex too?!

2014:

LIP ON MY PRINCE: The MC is in a relationship with 6 different prince-like boys from six different schools depending on the CD…that’s it..So Rejet can write a cute romance, but I guess they couldn’t keep their search history out of the writer’s room.

Oz to Himitsu no Ai (Oz: Affair of Six Keys): The Wizard of Oz but with sexism and misogyny…why? However, the short stories about the LIs during their time at the orphanage and and the 7th CD featuring all of the LIs made me cry…They were actually well written…REJET, WHERE DID THIS QUALITY WRITING COME FROM?! They also criticize the MC being groomed and raped by an authority figure and have a brother character who doesn’t have romantic feelings for the MC?! REJET, WHY CAN’T YOU PUT THIS EFFORT INTO THE MAIN SIX CDS?! MC is the best part if this series.

Soubou Sangokushi (Hope of the Three Kingdoms): Basically a slightly more hornier version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The art and op are nice, but I’m not too invested.

Taisho Idol Romance Empire Star: The MC becomes the manager of 5 (later 6) stage performers during the Taisho period. The only one I’m interested in is the childhood friend. I wish all of them had theater-kid energy.

Ookami Kunchi -Wolves Brothers Home-: Based on Little Red Riding Hood where the country-bumpkin MC moves to Ikebukuro, where she moves into a mansion with 6 brothers, who turn out to to be in a compensated dating service to pay for their parents’ One Million yen. Wish they were actually Werewolves and if the forced dating service was more deconstructed. I do find it funny how the youngest brother is literally just a slightly more mature Kanato, right down to the stuffed animal and being voiced by Yuki Kaji.

Criminale!: The MC is a part of the mafia with 6 childhood friends as her bodyguards. Her father dies so they protect her while trying to figure out who murdered he dad. Would’ve liked this better if they were just a group helping the MC a la Bustafellows instead of a mafia.

SACRIFICE: The MC receives 6 letters from her childhood friends and a mysterious person, all proclaiming their love for her and ask her to join the mystical world of SACRIFICE. Once she’s sent their via butler riding a carriage, she learns that she can’t physically touch her long-time friends and must become a part of this strange world to be with them. The twist is that all of them, including the butler, are all dead and this world is basically a cult where they can escape from reality. Brilliant concept, and while it’s explored a little, there’s very little you can do with such a concept in an hour long CD. The butler is also the MCs brother who named himself after her dead cat, Calmera, and I guess he created the cult? He’s the last CD and it was too open-ended, leaving some plot threads unresolved. Would’ve been better as a game.

Tsukiyasha Mysterious Vampires of the Meiji Era: Blood-sucking yasha in the Meiji Era. The MCs blood is important for the survival of the yasha. Has nice artwork and winter aesthetic, the OPs a friggin banger and the last love interest is a himbo voiced by Mozu from Bustafellows…Too bad he’s not in the sequel. Not DL levels of blood-sucking (except for the policeman LI because of course) but it’s still…there…

HAPPY SUGAR DARLIN’: The MC works at a Italian-themed sweets cafe with 5 guys who attend a performing arts school. There’s a bear mascot who turns out to be the MCs brother. He has no romantic interest in his sister, thank GOD! The romance is so cute that people were wondering if it was really a Rejet IP lol.

2015:

Zenryoku Shounen Tachi no O-uta and Toriai: MC’s in a performing arts school and meets 6 guys living their lives. Separated into two characters rather than one and features banger songs. I honestly just imagine this series as a mlm CD instead lol.

Lacrimosa -The Seven Sins-: The MC is the daughter of a powerful and well-beloved king of a Latin-based kingdom. The MC follows a blue bird into a small and hidden palace. As the MC enters the palace, she unknowingly breaks the seal keeping seven of the king’s knights held hostage, each of them representing the seven deadly sins. The king’s horrendous secrets are exposed, leading the MC to view her father differently. Neat premise with the theme of a tragic romance, but I’m not sure how well executed it is.

LOVE DON QUIOTE: MC enters a new school where romance is forbidden. The theme of this CD is kabedon, where the LIs push the MC against the wall in an intimidatingly steamy way. OP’s catchy…but overall meh.

Yugen Romantica: MC’s in a school where she discovers that a few students are actually the rumored seven wonders (ayakashi) of her school. Hikaru Midorikawa plays Hanako, the toilet ghost, who is flamboyant and fancy as fuck. Yeah, that’s all I got.

Mignight Jinagshis: Blood-sucking CD but with the Chinese Jiang shis, which, to my understanding, are damned souls in the form of zombies who take souls of the living. Most recent adaptations depict them as blood-suckers, so you can see where this is going. But, this is actually my favorite of the blood-sucking CDs because you can tell the writers and VAs were having fun, ESPECIALLY Shinnosuke Tachibana. He made the yandere character actually fun to listen to because he was just so over-the-top hammy! The second series had the new LI want revenge on one of the idol Jiangshi because he was supposed to debut with his idol group, but the other idol dude gave him ice cream that caused him a stomachache, leaving the new LI not able to perform and debut as an idol. Rejet should be funny more often, because this is great!

Dear Vocalist: A music series where the MC’s in a relationship with the lead singers of different bands working under the same company. Some of them have a nice romance, others…not so much…It really depends how well the writing is I guess.

Paradise O’ Whisper: MC is a new student at a music school and is greeted to God 6, a group of popular students with rumors surrounding them. One of them apparently can get someone pregnant just by looking at them lol. Funnily enough, that guy is actually the best one out of the others. He does the bare minimum, but this is Rejet, they should’ve done the bare minimum since the beginning. The others…treat the MC like garbage. The greatest thing that happened in this series is the MC slaps one of the guys after he tells her his sob story. Justice for MC!

Honey Liar!?: MC is a school student and is somehow in a forced relationship with the student council. The theme with this CD is that each of them have a completely different personality underneath their exterior, which could be fun, but the personality switch was so jarring that it felt like two completely different characters. The one with the paper bag on his head is a misogynist…

Occultic Lovers: There’s a secret society in a high school that fights spirits…Okay. Like the aesthetic, and it’s a bit more plot heavy, but it’s not my thing. There doesn’t deem to be a creepy love interest, so that’s good.

2016:

Kuro Yoshiwara Melancholia: The MC is a mermaid being persuaded by the LIs who want to use her scales for ulterior motives. One of the LIs is a cat boy and the MC being a mermaid is the only thing I find interesting about this series. The music’s pretty neat though.

FRESH KISS 100%: A Happy Sugar knock-off but with a soda theme and a cute penguin mascot instead. Relatively harmless, and focuses more on the idol aspect, but it’s only cute fluff and not doing anything bad.

G-Goku Spa: Possibly the most interesting premise yet, the MC is the daughter of the underworld ruler (yomi specifically) and is checking the onsen that demons are forced to work in for all of eternity to know it’s secrets. An onsen in hell?! Okay, that’s actually interesting. I believe it has 2 disks in each CD, so they’re able to do a bit more with the premise than they usually do.

Yotogi HoLiC: The MC has trouble sleeping, so she is sent to the Yotogi household, which consists of sextuplets who’s job is to help their hosts fall asleep. I heard that it actually helps the listener fall asleep, so Rejet did actually manage to do their job correctly this time! Good job Rejet, you get a ‘you tried’ sticker!

Forbidden Star: A music series featuring different idol groups. They apparently have an ‘edge’ them them, but to me, they just look like gay theater-kids lol.

CHU LDK: The MC recently moves to a share house with 6 other guys. Seems like it could be a cozy experience, but the MC’s in high school, 2 of them are in college, and one of them is a science teacher. Rejet, you lost the right to that ‘you tried’ sticker, give it back.

Cia Voice: An ASMR CD where the MC is taken to a relaxation spa. I like Ryouhei Kimura’s character, Iris’, design the most, but that’s about it. It looks fine for what it is.

Issei Fubi: The MC is of higher class and has a male harem of concubines. Considering how concubines were treated back then, I don’t think making them guys is the 'take that’ Rejet thinks it is.

Prince of Grimm: Grimm fairy tales reinterpreted by the MC as she’s in a coma recollecting her memories. Red Riding Hood’s a better version of Ayato, but the rest range from neat, meh, and OH MY GOD HE MURDERED HIS ENTIRE FAMILY?!

Taisho Kuro Kazoku: The ill MC is friends with discriminated beasts (humans with animal ears) and it’s supposed to be a sad romance. Would’ve worked better as regular racism story. If humans are involved and the discriminated class only have animal ears, just make them people of color. But, I do find it funny how the one with rabbit ears is essentially a less unhinged version of Azusa, right down to the shy personality, bandages, sad past, is a masochist, and is voiced by Daisuke Kishio.

THANATOS NiGHT: Same premise as Seventh Heaven, but it’s fallen angels going to high school instead of a mansion full of shinigami butlers. The aesthetic is cool and the songs are good, and Nia is a better written version of Laito, but the romance is…not good.

2017:

Shuukyoku no DOLLS (The Ultimate DOLLS): The MC is convinced to go to a new puppet show with rumored life-sized dolls that come to life. The leader of the show and creator of the dolls, Bellemere, has the MC come on stage and have her pick out a doll for her to keep. The twist is that said dolls are to slowly turn the MC into a doll so that her body can be used as a vessel for Bellemere’s dead wife’s soul. Cool premise, AMAZING artwork and aesthetic, but only one of the dolls is somewhat likeable. The backstories for the characters are somewhat interesting.

Corpse Heart: A musical that takes place in a monster school in London. The MC, a witch, is the only one with a beating heart, and the upcoming Easter Festival revolves around the students searching for the Jewel Heart, and whoever posses it gets their wish granted. Obviously the MC contains the Jewel Heart, and the plot becomes more confusing as it goes on. One of them turns out to be the MCs father…which makes ZERO sense because he’s not only one of the younger characters and it has nothing to do with him wanting to become an idol, but you’re telling me this guy killed the other LI’s whole family and is somehow the principal of the school?! This twist isn’t even mentioned in the other CDs! The last one’s with her 'twin’, so expect insect, but PLOT TWIST, she’s actually a homunculus with her memories scrambled up by said 'twin’, and he’s been keeping the Jewel Heart in multiple clones so the Easter Festival can go on each year. Dude, WHAT’S YOUR END GOAL?! 0/10, Worst Monster High reboot.

2018:

Princess of Luciole: The MC finds herself in an old mansion. Said mansion is apparently a pocket demension where 1800’s French servants of a princess born of inbreeding thinks the MC is said princess, and they believe she has lost her memories. Honestly, this is the best horror story Rejet has done so far. The princess they serve is apparently cruel, sadistic, and evil, which leads them developing a twisted love for their princess and it’s written that way too. The MC has zero recollection of these events, making the audience even more horrified. I’d give more praise to this series, but…the plot twist ruins everything the CD built it’s plot on.

The twist is that the MC is actually from the 1500s rather than modern times. The prince from the 1500s, who’s the last love interest, Dr. Thriller, loved the MC, who was a servant, and I guess he’s some kind of time traveler and can see the future, I think, so he intended to put the MC into his future generation’s role as princess so she can become just as messed up as he is. But I guess something happened along the way and she ended up in modern times without any memories. So her coming across the manor was on purpose, and while she’s slowly losing her mind, Dr. Thriller dons said name and pretends to be the prison warden to keep an eye on her. The craziest part of this is that IT WORKS! Not only that, but they end up in a romantic relationship and kill everyone in the manor. REJET, YOU HAD ONE JOB TO DO ACTUALLY GOOD HORROR AND YOU FAILED! HOW DID YOU FAIL SO SPECTACULARLY?!

Tokyo Cemetery: The MC works as a police officer trying to solve a case of a mass murder. She also suspects her 6 partners since one of them might be the killer. Basically if Collar X Malice was written by Rejet and had another banger theme song.

C'mon Fellows!: A music series about fictional YouTubers. It apparently has a deeper plot, but meh. It’s probably descent.

Others:

MARGINAL#4: A music series that was supposed to only be mascots for Rejet’s 2013 concert, but they became popular enough to warrant their own game and anime. The game’s bad because the MC’s an adult manager who looks after 4 teenage idols and falls in love with them. Ew. I heard the anime was actually wholesome and good. There is some implied  twincest going on with the twins in media outside of their music…Rejet STOP!

ZEPHYR: A short animation in collaboration with Studio Satelight. I’ve never watched it because it doesn’t even have subtitles, but the theme song for it is pretty good. Takes place in a sci-fi setting focusing on a band.

Dance with Devils: A 12 episode musical anime animated by Brain’s Base with music by Elements Garden of Uta no Prince-Sama fame. The story’s about Ritsuka Tachibana, an ordinary girl who gets caught up in a battle between demons and vampires. She holds the Forbidden Grimoire inside of her, which whoever wields it can control the world. Despite my grievances with the incest, Lindo’s character in general, and the romance not being that good,  I still came out of this anime liking it. It’s saved by Ritsuka’s character and the ending. Some people are upset that Ristsuka doesn’t get to stay in the demon realm with her dude, but it makes more sense character-wise for Ristuka to want to stay in the human realm.

AND I’M DONE! Holy shit, this was longer than expected. Thanks Rejet for the content/s.

[keef-a-corn]

Dat’s right, people, it’s time for ‘Keef watches TFP and you just get the notes!’

This is for season 1, episode 15: Shadowzone

I write down the timestamps, but I watch Transformers Prime on Stan (an Australian streaming service) so they may be slightly off.

ALSO! I try my best to note points for every character, but tend to get a little caught up by Bee (although I think I do a pretty good job with the notes regardless) so do be warned.

~~~~Transition~~~~

00:12 - parallel between Megatron in the last episodes and Starscream now.

00:46 - Megatron noticed the parallel too.

01:10 - one of those moments where being a smexy bicth comes second to his job as a doctor.

01:19 - honestly, Knockout not pushing it shows just how well he knows Starscream.

01:33 - I thought the dark energon was necessary because Megatron needed energon, but his body was no longer comparable to accept anything other than dark.

~intro~

03:04 - I hardly even noticed Bee was there.

03:10 - the thinker.

03:16 - But Megatron was dead during the Skyquake episode. He wouldn’t know that Skyquake would require dark energon. Understandable why they’d assume it’s Megatron, but why would they assume Megatron’s there for Skyquake?

04:03 - this girl is on fiiiireeeeee + giving off ‘friends on the other side’ rn

04:18 - shut up, the way way Bee looks at Optimus and the cheetah meme have the same energy.

04:22 - so they truly are skipping over that angst? It appears I have a future project.

04:23 - Ratchet is the only one who doesn’t put on a game face when he’s addressed. We know why, but it’s nice to note.

04:30 - there’s something so perfect about the way Optimus jumps straight to explaining his decision and turns around to face Ratchet while doing so rather than pulling a classic ‘yes, because we need you’

04:35 - Once again, refreshing to see a character assigned to a position they’re not traditionally assigned to, but still showing passion and respect.

04:39 - How did Bulkhead not realise Miko was up to something?

04:42 - She’s drawing Optimus fighting Megatron.

04:46 - Glad to know someone’s paying attention.

04:52 - I love the way the bots walk, especially Optimus and Bee. There’s something so proper and powerful about it.

05:06 - LMAO

05:14 - Let’s pretend that Arcee couldn’t hear them.. why wouldn’t they yell out to her so she could stop Miko or close the ground bridge before Miko got there?

05:22 - Miko, Miko, Miko… frustrating af.

05:44 - they all have similar walk cycles, but none sync up.

05:53 - Bee dropping back as they walk along could be multiple things, him getting protected, acting as rear support, could also be because he’s the smallest but is walking at a similar pace to the others, meaning he’s covering less ground. Obviously I could be overthinking it too, but if we go that route these notes are completely useless.

05:55 - If you pause it at the right time Ratchet’s head makes it look like Optimus has a huge ass. (Unfortunately I did not screenshot it at the right time)

06:06 - my dude didn’t think to even ONCE call out to the bots and go ‘just so you know, we’re here’

06:18 - that would be my worst nightmare. Don’t have FOMO, just care about my phone.

06:25 - HO MAMMA

06:34 - the fading between the red and purple is so seemless and a nice detail

06:41 - I just need this screenshot to be witnessed. Why is he standing like that?? WHY DOES HE STAND LIKE THAT FOR SO LONG?

06:52 - this line’s so confusing when you forget that his arms are apart of his wings when he’s in his vehicle mode.

07:16 - AHHH THE HEAD TILT!!! Seeing that we’re looking at them from an angle, Bee’s most likely behind Bulkhead, meaning he cannot actually see the humans, but can hear them. + everyone else’s reactions tooooo!

07:27 - While everyone else looks at the ground bridge, Bee looks at the others before the bridge.

07:30 - Ratchet looking fabulous rn.

07:33 - 1. The way his voice echos is a really nice touch. 2. Ratchet using the same tone a parent would rn has me cryin.

08:06 - Starscream went into the ground bridge around the same time the kids did. Why wasn’t he caught?

08:14 - the longer that shot went for, the more I laughed.

08:26 - As soon as Starscream pulls out the dark energon it plays Arcee screaming ‘Tailgate’. Starscream has nothing to do with what happened to Tailgate. I think they were just reusing the sound from when Airachnid killed Tailgate and forgot to edit out the voice line. Upon evaluation, I do believe they’re different sounds. I don’t know why her voice line plays.

08:51 - Bee’s so cute until he breaks the fourth wall. + height difference my beloved.

09:03 - I don’t understand how the bots weren’t affected. Let’s say Starscream got to the otherside, but they kids didn’t, fine. But the bots were still caught in the explosion?

09:26 - You know that would be absolutely traumatising.

10:09 - … what was the point of insulting him?

10:14 - This is what makes it really confusing. How did Skyquake get caught in the shadow zone, but the other bots didn’t??

11:16 - Karma’s a bicth, ain’t she? Jack and Raf didn’t deserve it, but Miko totally did.

12:00 - God do I hate Miko rn. + Aw, Raf’s reaction

12:45 - Yes. In the rocks that are apparently not with you in the Shadowzone.

12:51 - you can hear Optimus trying not to show his panic and worry… and failing.

12:56 - Father and Son right here.

12:58 - with mild Confidence ‘what if you (or we) call them?’

13:35 - Not ‘nothing’. He picked up. He’s alive. It’s that there was no response.

14:05 - kinda disappointed that they didn’t have any other way to message the bots. Feels like there should be a way for the bots to message them and they message the bots, especially for situations where silence is necessary or Bee has to tell Miko or Jack something.

15:38 - Decepticons have parts to spare.

16:10 - Starscream’s arm is enormous compared to the kids.

17:23 - how does he get it open??

17:27 - *mwah* beautiful line delivery.

17:40 - god these line deliveries are stunning.

17:44 - It’s like the shot at the start.

17:46 - why does Starscream have the Crystal out?? What if Knockout saw?

18:35 - Love how either thought the other would be able to tell what Ratchet was saying.

18:47 - saying that as if common sense wouldn’t tell us that if they changed any part of it something would go wrong.

19:02 - aren’t they in a canyon? Isn’t that like one long strip??

19:31 - why would it be yours??

20:15 - glad the plan worked so seamlessly.

20:18 - Why wasn’t Bee sent? He’s Raf’s guardian after all.

20:31 - HOLY SCRAP LOOK AT HOW PRETTY IT IS!

20:34 - There’s literally no reason for Bee not to be(e) present.

20:39 - agreed. Repeat that and also apologise.

20:45 - Optimus smilinggggg

21:04 - a logical assumption.

21:10 - hc is that Knockout promotes self care for everyone (autobots included, but he’s careful when he does it.)

21:18 - I know Skyquake’s a zombie and all, but I feel bad for him.

———————

And that was Shadowzone!

It was alright. I’m not one for the human focused episodes, but it’s alright and a good way to introduce the Shadow Realm (despite how confusing it may have been.)

I thought the way Optimus was portrayed in the episode was good, showing how he cared for the children despite not really being allowed to express worry for their safety. I will admit that Bulkhead, Arcee and especially Bumblebee’s reactions to their charge’s going missing were too weak from any standpoint.

I thought that the Starscream plot line was quite weak as well and I don’t really understand what they were going for.

[grumpygreenwitch]

Machina Ex Machina 38-39

And we're back! At least for a bit. I think I'm over the hurdle, though the queue is still woefully thin. I'm also coming to the endgame, slowly but surely. I apologize for the interruption regardless; I got overconfident on this being a short story.

A lot of the fic I write serves as an exercise on dealing with difficult themes - in this case, loss.

As always, if you enjoy the writing, please like and reblog. There’s no algorithms here; my publicity is you. And if you’d like to buy me a Ko-fi, I certainly won’t complain.

1+2 - 3+3.5 - 4+5 - 6+.6.5 - 7+8 - 8.5+9 - 10+11 - 12+13 - 13.5+14 - 15+16 - 17+17.5 - 18+18.5 - 19+20 - 21+22 - 22.5+23+24 - 25+26 - 27-28 - 29.29.5 - 30+31 - 32+33 - 34+35 - 36+37 - 38+39 - 40+41 - 42+ AO3 Link

THIRTY EIGHT

The Drakkar left behind the Sea of Simulation and passed over the rough terrain that was the Outlands of Om, making a beeline for the distant, storm-outlined Spire of the oldest city in the Grid.

The little repeating tone began to play on Adas’ screen when they were, according to Gungnir’s latest broadcast, a microcycle away from the city. She straightened up at once, abandoning all the remote work she’d been doing, which mostly had to do with the safety and comfort of the Ilo refugees back at Halcyon. She was about to answer when she saw GAM draw up sharply. Off to the side, where MAR and Vidi were intently examining something on the former’s disk, the Master of Parnassus suddenly looked up in mild confusion. “Your Users?”

“Yes,” GAM replied. “And yours?”

“I suppose, but Robert hardly ever communicates in pure text.”

“It can’t be,” Vidi said. “I got a message too.”

They stared at one another in confusion, and opened the commline, only to receive an immediate redirect.

“Nuh-uh!” Vidi exclaimed.

“I second that,” MAR declared, sounding even more dubious.

“It’s attached to Lily’s frequency, though.”

“And Emil’s. Interesting. I probably have the more solid personal protections of us all, yes?” He got nods from everyone, and accepted the redirect, going silent.

“WallSec, don’t make us nervous,” Vidi snapped at him.

“I am… not sure what I’m looking at,” he admitted after a long moment.

“Pure visual data?” When he nodded, Adas accepted the redirect. It took her less than a picocycle to realize what she was looking at. “Oh!”

In a moment she had set up a connection between the conference table and the feed, and screens began to pop up, six, ten, twelve, twenty. The table was full of rolling text, in some places scrolling along at a swift gallop, in others taking its time. “It’s the Users,” she breathed out. “It’s the Users’ communication lines.”

GAM took three steps to the communication console. “WallSec for Pevir SysAdmin.” Regardless of what had gone down between them, Gungnir replied quite promptly. “Go for SysAdmin.”

“Accept the redirect.”

“Was the thing sent Grid-wide?” Gungnir mused on the line. “Hold on – oh, what in the name of the Users!”

“That’d be about right,” GAM replied dryly, then left the console to stare at the table.

“Is this all of them?” MAR asked no one in particular.

“No. There’s hundreds of them,” Adas’ faceplate was gleaming with facts and statistics and graphs, “but there’s tens of thousands of programs on the Grid. Even allowing for Users that… no longer exist,” she glanced quickly at GAM, “this can’t be their entire population.” She spread her hands on the table. “It’s us. They’re talking about us.”

“They’re talking about the virus,” MAR pointed to one of the screens, and Adas brought it to the center of the table. “Oh, it’s the time differential kicking in, look at it. For them, the fight on the Drakkar ended just a little while ago.”

“It’s ideas,” Vidi’s hair was looking in every direction, but she seemed to have no problem absorbing the communications her dreadlocks were picking up. “It’s their thoughts, or what they’re guessing at, it’s everything. It’s like… It’s like a Souk of ideas.”

“This helps,” GAM murmured. “This helps immensely. I can’t even begin to fathom how much… There’s no delay here beyond the time differential, if they find something out and put it here, on any of these communication channels, we’ll know right away.”

“Adas, that’s an Ilo commcon,” Vidi pointed.

“What?!” Adas stalked over and found one of the smaller screens seemed to be entirely composed of the Users looking to the Ilo refugees back in Halcyon. Suddenly the status reports she was waiting on were moot – each User was reporting on their own program and those around them: what they were doing, what they were saying.

“They’re exceptionally organized,” MAR remarked. “Other than idle chat, they’re all being very careful about details.”

GAM lowered his head. In the privacy of his helm, he murmured, “Thank you, Emil.” He looked at Vidi. “Is there one for every city?”

“Not for every city, it’s like… places or groups inside the cities? That’s the Drakkar,” she pointed, then pointed again. “And I think that’s some sort of engineering group in Flow -”

“This one’s all Users complaining about the shutdown of the Souk,” MAR identified another screen.

“Ugh. Get over it.” Vidi rolled her eyes. “Not even if beans were real.”

The door suddenly slid open with a clear musical tone, and Gungnir charged in, Fortis close behind him. “Are you seeing this?” He noticed that Adas and Vidi were glaring at him. “Get it out of your systems now, I want everyone’s focus on this. Let’s hear it.”

“For the sake of future diplomatic relationships,” Adas replied primly, “let’s not. Vidi, where are any communications pertaining the Drakkar or Om?” As she pointed them out, the GO4 brought them to the center of the table.

They stared at the communications, and Gungnir couldn’t help but shake his head. “I might as well be in Om. This is rich, this is priceless. This is as good as pure energy.” He looked at Fortis. “I want someone in every ship’s control center monitoring these feeds. Several someones, if we can match program to User. If I can’t speak to my fleet through Om’s storm they certainly can, time differential or not.”

“Couldn’t you just fly over the storm to avoid the interference?” MAR asked.

Gungnir shook his head. “Spire won’t let you. It takes offense at anything going up nearly as much as it does to something coming straight at it.”

“Well, I know how you can fix that,” Vidi shrugged.

Everyone gave her a curious look. “What? I’m from Halcyon.”

Gungnir lifted a hand. “Hold that thought. Did this broadcast to the entire Grid?”

Thin lines of crimson energy passed over Fortis’ surface. “No one in Pevir is acknowledging a redirect.”

“There’s a virus loose,” GAM pointed out. “It doesn’t seem unlikely that some random, unknown redirect would make a program nervous.”

“Fair,” Gungnir admitted. “Confirm with Pip-Pip, Fort. Put my personal tags on it, tell her to do the same, and send the confirmation to everyone and anyone the Drakkar and Pevir can reach.” He turned back to Vidi. “Alright, go.”

THIRTY NINE

The Drakkar docked next to Om’s weather monitoring tower, the highest structure in that ancient city, marking the upper limit of the Spire’s tolerance.

Lightning slid over the black and crimson hull, crackling along, unable to touch the carrier and vanishing back into the black clouds. Beneath and all around it stood the massed fleets of the Grid in all their shapes and colors, from immense, heavy Flowian energy barges to three single, elegant Arkite sailers. And there were Pevirian carriers and warships everywhere, forming a bristling line of defense between Om and the distant shores of the Sea of Simulation. The terrain around the city was dotted with the lights of further defenses.

Gungnir stalked down the Drakkar’s ramp, flanked by MAR and Adas, GAM directly behind him. Adas was carrying an umbrella, and MAR had a very elegant raincoat on, but neither Pevir’s SysAdmin nor the Sentry seemed to care about the spitting rain.

OM was alone, waiting for them in the rain. He cocked a brow minutely at the sight of them, and smiled faintly. “I feel vaguely outnumbered.”

“You should,” Gungnir replied evenly. “Is everyone ready?”

OM stepped aside and gestured them on, leading them inside. “As ready as we can be.”

“And the Users?”

“Would you like to meet them?”

“If I’m gonna pick a fight with your friends, I’d rather do it in front of an audience.”

“Showmanship?” OM teased dryly.

“Witnesses,” Gungnir countered sternly.

OM laughed as they all walked in.

Kane and Sam were standing off to one side of the large hexagonal room. Rain pattered on the window at their backs, and they had a good look at the many projections that a number of programs were nursing to life amidst bouts of storm-caused static. Sam was leaning back, arms crossed, the white of his circuitry stark against his black outfit. Kane had surrendered to the inevitable and wore a matching outfit, but his had the delicate, almost filigree-like white circuitry of a last-gen program. He still looked like he was trying to catch up with all the information being piled up on him – which he was.

He did have at least two things that could be set to rest easily, and he decided to jump on them while they waited for the meeting of all the city leaders to begin. “You knew.”

“Me? Nah.” Flynn, who’d been watching with intense curiosity, looked vaguely amused. “Why didn’t you?” He lifted a finger to point at the world in general. “This is your world, your Grid.”

Kane rubbed at his face. “Moll’s the programmer. Moll and Rob. She looked, she knew the code, she probably knows all of what’s going on. Other than the boards, the chats, other than making sure everything was running right… I’m hardware. I’m an engineer.”

“So this, the weather, that’s on you.”

“No. There’s no reason for the Upload Spiral to reject proximity, it’s not like it can be activated from this side. There are other safeguards, but… I have no idea what’s going on, man.”

Sam could only laugh quietly at the wanly resigned tone of the young man. “You really thought I was warning you about the people, didn’t you.”

Kane just sighed. “Who’s he look like?”

“Hm?”

“OM. You said he looks exactly like someone else.”

“My uncle.”

Kane blinked at him, then stared at OM. “But…”

“I asked. OM’s a title, not his name.” He smiled a little. “Told you he’d been here from the beginning.”

“Right.” OM stepped forward, the new arrivals moving to where they were directed. “Is everyone here?” He waited for several nods from his techs. “Does anyone have eyes on the virus?”

Kane listened restlessly as the various programs spoke of cities, terrains, of wonders that under any other circumstance he would’ve loved to see, if it weren’t because everyone around him seemed to be discussing how best to kill his sister. His hands had gone to fists and he nearly jumped out of his skin when Sam bumped him lightly, chin redirecting his attention.

Kane turned, and found himself staring at a black, impenetrable faceplate. There was a tank of a man, er, program in black with sparse violet circuitry standing between two of the speakers, a short, curvy woman in white and indigo, and a lean, elegant man dressed like something out of a trashy romance novel, colors shimmering through his clothin- “Crap, MAR!”

The meeting came to an abrupt halt, and every head turned to look at Kane. Even Sam pivoted very pointedly to stare at him. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“Perhaps the User,” MAR spoke in a diffident, cultured tone, “minds that you’re talking about destroying another User with such cavalier authority.”

The meeting exploded into chaos. Sam’s brows shot up. “That’s Robert’s program?”

Kane stared in disbelief that someone had totaled the careful political dance he’d been watching with one casual revelation. “I guess.”

“MAR was there!” The SysAdmin in red shouted over everyone else, silencing every argument. “MAR fought it. So did I. And if you think testimony from a SysAdmin is not objective enough for your tastes, so did the Sentry.”

Everyone seemed to measure the giant in black and violet. If it bothered him, there was no way for even the Users to tell.

“I trust MAR,” one of the programs said quietly. “I wouldn’t trust you, Gungnir. Not because I don’t like you, or because of our history, but because you’re too eager for a fight, and in the middle of fighting things can be… mistaken. I trust MAR to keep a cool head.”

Gungnir seemed to think hard on that. “You know, that’s fair.”

“Oh, irony,” ACM declared. “I trust Gungnir precisely because of the same thing.” Pevir’s SysAdmin snorted a laugh, truly caught by surprise.

“Halcyon trusts its own,” another program declared with calm assurance. “Identify yourself, please.”

“GAM,” the program replied. “Wall Security Defender.”

“I remember you,” PEN said. “You protected the refugees in Sector 42.” It laced its hands together. “Sentry GAM. Do we harm a User if we harm the virus?”

The black faceplate turned directly toward Kane. “Yes. During the fighting on board the Drakkar, one of the Users appealed to it. And it answered… briefly. Before the virus cut it off.”

“She answered?” Kane surged forward, uncaring of whatever protocols he might be breaking. “You heard her? You heard my sister?”

“Didn’t you?” MAR asked in puzzlement. “You could have heard a voxel drop at that point in the fighting.”

The black faceplate tipped minutely to one side. “Your name,” the Sentry replied calmly, “is Kane.”

[taylorcometobrazil]

Well I was going through my notes and I just found something I wrote when I was 26 and now I am 28 and I still feel the same way…?

I WILL POST IT HERE BECAUSE AT LEAST I WONT LOSE IT.

I am kind of deleting a lot of things from my phone because next month I’ll see Taylor and I data needs to be free so I can make as many videos as possible.

Lost.

I feel lost, not knowing where I am going but also nowhere near I thought I’d be.

At 16 we dream, we imagine ourselves with a perfect life, family and job by the time we are, at least, 26.

That’s my age now and I am lost.

I’m confused, frustrated, tired; I am blue.

I look at myself in the mirror and I see me stuck.

Stuck in the same path since I was 16, stuck inside this sick mind of mine,

Stuck inside a body that doesn’t seem to age.

I look down at myself I still see that little girl, invisible, lonely and done.

And that is how I still feel… done.

Done with myself, my life.

It’s weird too see me in others’ P.O.V.

As a strong, resilient, brave woman, mature enough to deal with losses and chaos.

But I know deep inside me I’m none of those things, I’m just a girl whose desperately trying to find love.

No, not romantically, I mean the kind of self love that’ll help me see myself in another way, a good way.

The type of love that will give me the strength to speak up, to stand up for myself and make me care less about what others think of me, that kind of love that’ll give me the courage I need to do what I love, to live my dream.

Yeah, my dream…

My dream is to act; I’ve always been fascinated by it.

It’s magical how art can make us go through so many emotions, the ability an actor has to take us to totally different world with, sometimes, just a expression has always amazed me, making us feel the way they’re feeling, it is just marvelous!

And that’s what I want to do, that is my dream.

Unfortunately, I’m not self confident enough to do it.

I can’t love myself enough to have faith in me because all I see in the mirror is the lonely, scared little girl, sitting on the floor in a dark room, crying and trying really hard to find love, confidence, trying to finding herself, her light, clutching onto the tiniest hope that someday she’ll find them.

Praying to find the courage she know is somewhere inside her to fight for what she believes and do what she wants to.

To put together the pieces of her dreams, once shattered by those who swore loved her the most.

She wants to live her dreams, to live and to believe in herself but fear gets in her way and she is clueless on how to shut them down.

The phantoms of the past hunt her, looking at her as she is their prey, as if they’re waiting for the the smallest sign of weakness to make their move and devour her, along with her dreams.

Meanwhile I am watching them I am also watching myself, my scared, ugly reflection, I close my eyes, turn my back to the looking glass, take a deep breath and turn to this old notebook to write down what I feel,

And I feel lost.

[heroesriseandfall]

Regarding your post about the Titan’s Tower thing, I think it’s a little irritating how many people treat it in fanon. In canon, Jason beats Tim up badly but doesn’t do anything too extreme, so it makes sense that it wouldn’t be Tim’s biggest trauma at the time. Fanon ramps it up to 11 and often makes so that Jason gleefully tortures Tim to the point of it being irredeemable. But then they double back and try to make us feel bad for Jason and try to make both of them reconcile by saying “it was the pit that made him do it”. I find it tasteless and honestly a little triggering.

Yeah, it’s a little bit backwards because in fanon it seems like a lot of people are writing about Titan’s Tower to try to...fix Tim and Jason’s early relationship, I guess, while still keeping it angsty? But without reading Teen Titans #29 or the surrounding comics, there’s no context for what they’re trying to fix. I think a lot of them don’t realize that the throat-slitting thing was in Batman: Hush, for example, not at Titans Tower. So they make this particular attack worse just by adding that in.

I’ve also noticed a lot of confusion over ages, making Tim much younger than he was (like 13-14 instead of 16) and Jason a bit older (he should be 18, but fics often seem to have no idea--and tbh that’s fair because the comic artists didn’t seem to know either lol). Which, like with the Tim vs Damian issue, it does change the dynamic of the fight when they have a larger age gap.

Also IMO Jason wasn’t even trying to leave Tim for dead, like I don’t think that was the point of the fight for him. It honestly seemed like the fight itself doesn’t last long and it was mostly Jason venting and seeing what Tim is like, along with kinda sending a message of “I’m here and I’m different than I was before; I did this.” Which doesn’t excuse Jason, I just don’t think people really get what the motivations were. If Jason wanted to kill Tim, he could have, but I honestly don’t think that was the point of the fight for him.

And yeah, the mischaracterization of pit madness is a big part of it. Not that Jason couldn’t have been affected by the pit at all (Ra’s seemed to think there was some influence), but he DOES have full autonomy over his actions, the pit can’t take full control of Jason and make him do things against his will—in comics, pit madness is not really an embodied force of the pit with an autonomous will to control peoples actions so they do specific things it wants (can a vat of mysterious chemicals even want anything?).

Jason is not really being mind controlled or possessed by the pit...because the pit isn’t an entity that can do that, at least not in any comics I’ve read. But fanon does treat it like it almost has a mind of its own, giving him glowing green eyes when its influencing him most (even though Jason wasn’t even dumped in a green pit, it was orange; and his eyes were still blue because the pits don’t usually change your eye color...).

I understand people like the supernatural element of all that, but there’s already a supernatural element to the Lazarus Pit, just not in that way, and adding all of this would require reworking a lot of other things. Jason was absolutely the one who chose to go after Tim, even if his psyche was changed from being healed by the pit. And while Jason very much needed help because he was traumatized and mentally unstable, his need for help doesn’t absolve him of responsibility over his harmful actions—and it was his responsibility, not the pit’s or Talia’s.

Honestly, creating a new excuse for Jason’s actions does a disservice to his character and to every other character he hurt at the time. It doesn’t actually change anything Jason did, it just shifts the blame and autonomy of his actions away from him, even though he canonically did it of his own accord. Which then makes everyone else’s reactions look less reasonable just because they correctly recognize his autonomy in the harmful choices he made. If you don’t like what Jason chose to do in canon...maybe change his actions, not his responsibility over them?

It also completely undermines Jason’s point, which is that he is the one who did it. He set up the whole elaborate plot specifically because he wanted everyone (especially Bruce) to know it was him doing it. If you make the pit do it, that defeats the point. There are so many good ways to make Jason’s return kinder to his character, without changing nearly every feature and context of his story (and everyone else’s).

[purrincess-chat]

Cat’s Writing Tips: Trimming the Fat

Hello, and welcome to another Writing Tip Monday on a Tuesday with Cat! My name is Cat, and I was busy yesterday. For those that are new here, I’ve been writing unprofessionally for 16 years. I’ve learned a thing or two in my time, but feel free to take any of my advice with as many grains of salt as you see fit. Let’s get into it. 

If you’re someone who constantly has high word counts and are looking to cut them down to fit into a zine or just in general, then this post is for you! I’m talking to all my over-writers out there. Today I want to talk about how to trim down unnecessary words and phrases from your writing to be more concise and less confusing and redundant. Keep in mind that there are times when you can use these things, but I’m just saying that a majority of the time you shouldn’t. And before anyone gets their feelings hurt, I’m guilty of a lot of these during drafting too because sometimes it’s just easier to use them and get the words onto the page. These are all things to eliminate in editing. If it’s easier for you to use them during your actual drafting process, then by all means. Just be sure to go back and edit them out, and eventually, you’ll reach a point where you can avoid them during drafting all together. 

1. Filler Words

“Cat what do you mean by filler words?”

Words like “that,” “very,” “really,” etc. 9/10 you don’t need them, but let’s talk about each one specifically. 

That is one that I’m particularly guilty of. Maybe it’s a regional dialect thing, but I use “that” in my regular conversations when I’m speaking a lot. The thing about “that” is it’s usually unnecessary, and sentences can make sense without it. Key word: usually. I’ll give a couple examples to show you the difference between when “that” is appropriate, and when it’s not needed:

Appropriate use of that:

“Hey, can you hand me that?” She pointed to the wrench on the counter.

Here, context will matter, but it’s perfectly fine to replace an object in a scene with the word “that” in this context. Sometimes “that” does have a place, so I’m not saying go out and delete all the “thats” from your stories. Just assess whether or not it’s necessary in each context, like my next example: 

Unnecessary use of that:

Something told her that he couldn’t be trusted. 

In this context, the sentence can work without the word “that.” It still makes grammatical sense to say, “Something told her he couldn’t be trusted.” The word “that” is just an extra word filling up space in the sentence. Delete it. 

“Very” and “really” tend to serve the same function, so I’ll lump them together. These two words offer a scale your readers don’t need. In most cases, it’s best to replace these words with stronger verbs, more specific adjectives, or just delete them all together. I’ll give some examples:

Weak: A very big cake sat on a table, colorful birthday candles waiting to be lit. 

Stronger: A large cake sat on the table, colorful birthday candles waiting to be lit.

Weak: She was very tired.

Stronger: She was exhausted. 

Weak: This wasn’t really how he planned on proposing.

Stronger: This wasn’t how he planned on proposing.

These words aren’t as descriptive as you might think, and more than anything, they just bog down the sentence. Your writing will pack more of a punch if you replace them with better descriptors and actions. 

2. Epithets

“the brown haired girl”

“the blonde”

“the writer”

“the musician”

I see epithets used a lot, and I want to commend epithet users because it comes from a place of good instincts. You use them as an alternate means to describe someone because you worry people will get tired of reading a character’s name over and over, and you are correct. People will get tired of that, but they’re also going to get tired of the overuse of epithets too. Here’s my two cents on the matter:

Epithets are fine if the character doesn’t have a name or if they don’t bear any importance to the story. Let’s say your character buys a coffee in one chapter from a random coffee shop they’ll never visit again. Saying something like, “The barista handed him his coffee,” is fine because the barista is serving one purpose in the story--they’re a barista. They don’t need a name because the readers are never going to see them again. 

However, if you’re using epithets for important characters or even the MC, what you’re really doing is creating distance. And in some cases you’re also confusing the reader just as much as if you used their names over and over. 

“Hey,” the blonde said. 

“How’s it going?” the brunette replied.

“Great! How about you?” Her friend smiled. 

Like, you see how that’s just as annoying? I promise you, I would much rather just read the characters’ names in this situation, but how do we fix this in a way that doesn’t involve repeating character names or pronouns, which can also get tricky in scenes where people of the same gender are talking? There are a couple of different ways. 

-Break up long conversations with action or description

Very rarely should your characters just be standing around doing nothing except talking. Create movement in the scene, utilize the surroundings, have your characters do something instead of just talking. Even if that’s all your characters are doing in a scene because a conversation needs to be had, you should still break up the conversation every now and then. How does your MC feel about what’s being said? What things might they be leaving unsaid? How does what they’re feeling manifest physically? What is their body doing?

Ex from my own writing:

“Can I make you some tea?” She offered, setting her bag on the stairs.

“Sure.”

Perfect. Tea was a good excuse not to look at him. She kept her back to him while she worked, pretending that she didn’t know where things were to stall for time. His eyes followed her every move. Watching. Waiting. She couldn’t keep this up forever, so she might as well get it over with.

“So, what’s up?” she asked while filling the kettle.

Instead of immediately continuing the conversation, you can pause to give the reader a breather, but it really depends on the situation. If you’re going to break a conversation, be sure it makes sense for the character to pause and reflect. If characters are having a heated debate, inserting a paragraph where the character is reflecting on their feelings might pull the reader out of the tension in the moment. Just be aware of what the tone and intention of the scene is. 

-rather than overusing dialogue tags, consider occasionally using an action tag. 

“Said” is fine. I’m not advocating for the overuse of action tags or giving every piece of dialogue a hyper-specific tone descriptor. But if you write an entire conversation using only things like “said” “asked” “replied,” you’re going to suffer from White Room Syndrome/Talking Heads Syndrome. 

“Cat, how is this different from the previous example?”

The previous example was about interjecting a non-dialogue paragraph and getting inside the character’s head or following their actions. This example refers to how you tag dialogue itself. I’ll give another example from my own writing:

“Wow.” Marinette’s eyebrows raised. Her makeup never looked half this good when she did it herself—a skilled hand made all the difference. She peeked up at Gabrielle applying her own lip gloss and pursed her lips. “So, what kind of party is this?”

“Relax, goody-two-shoes, the most exciting thing at this party is wine. My parents don’t let me go to trashy parties.” Gabrielle rolled her eyes, removing her large trench coat to reveal a sparkly black dress with mesh cutouts along the waist. “Just try not to act too lowbrow, okay? Don’t embarrass me.”

“I’ll do my best?” Marinette said as they pulled up to the front steps.

“Great.” Gabrielle tossed her compact into her purse and kicked open the door. “Oh, and just because we’re arriving together does not mean you are allowed to socialize with me here. Don’t hang off me like a sad little koala. Go dance and have fun with other people.”

“Right. Wouldn’t want anyone to think we’re friends,” Marinette said.

In this case, having action tags instead of dialogue tags helps keep the scene flowing without the repeated use of their names becoming redundant. Keep in mind that there are more ways for characters to interact during a conversation other than just speaking. Body language can tell the reader a lot about how characters might be feeling and what their relationship is to the person they’re speaking to. 

But just like the last point, I’m not advocating for you to go and delete every dialogue tag in your writing and replace it with an action tag. Use of action tags still needs to make sense and add something to the conversation. Using action just for the sake of action can be just as redundant and annoying to read. Conversations are a balancing act. Remember: “said” is fine, but using only “said’ is boring. Writing is a balancing act, so assess your scenes carefully. 

-create distinct character voices (*a topic I’ll touch on another day in more detail)

I’ve talked about dialogue tags, action tags, breaking up conversations with inner monologues, but what if I told you some lines of dialogue don’t need any tags at all? I’ll give an example from my own writing:

“I know I messed up. I’m sorry.” He lowered his gaze. “I learned my lesson.”

“Good. With your silly little conscience out of the way, we can actually get some real work done,” Chloe said. “I do have a few ideas for you, but…”

“But what?”

Chloe leaned against her fist with a wicked grin. “I need to test your loyalty. If you’re going to lie down with the dogs, you can’t be afraid to get dirty, so I need to know you’re capable of breaking the rules.”

A chill prickled his spine, and Adrien shifted in his seat. “What kind of rules?”

“See? This is why I have trust issues, Adrikins.”

In this example, I have two lines of dialogue that are untagged, but in both cases, it’s still clear who is talking. Given that this is a conversation between two people, and by sheer adherence to the “new speaker, new paragraph” rule, you can rightfully infer that Adrien is the one who says, “But what?” Similarly, you can assume the last line is said by Chloe, but the last line in particular is very specific character voice. Chloe is the only person who calls him “Adrikins,” so even if there was another person in this conversation, you’d still know it was her talking. Giving your characters a specific manner of speaking can help readers infer their dialogue in situations like this. This specific manner of speaking is known as “character voice.” It’s literally what it sounds like--the “voice” that readers will hear in their head for a specific character. If your character has a distinct and strong voice, readers will be able to pick up on their dialogue more easily. 

3. Adverbs

I feel like everyone gets heated about this one, and some writers will cling to their precious adverbs until their dying day. Cool, you do you, but I’m here to tell you that adverbs aren’t doing as much as you think they are. 

Don’t get me wrong, I like adverbs, and I’m not one that’s going to tell you to go out and delete every single adverb from your story. Adverbs do have their place and can add to a scene, but you need to be conscious of how you’re using them. Let’s talk about some examples of good and bad adverb usage:

Bad adverb: “She ran quickly down the road.”

Running is inherently something people do quickly. By definition, it’s faster than walking. 

Good adverb: She smiled sadly. 

Smiling is normally something people do when they’re happy. By adding the adverb “sadly” in this instance, it changes the meaning of the smile. 

When using adverbs, it’s best to ask yourself what exactly the adverb is adding to the scene, if anything. Is it changing the meaning of something, or is it being redundant? In general, most adverbs can be replaced with stronger verbs to improve a sentence or just deleted all together. 

It’s fine to just say: “She ran down the road.” But if you’re trying to convey a bigger sense of urgency in the way she’s running you could say: “She darted down the street.” or “She sprinted down the street.” Both of those are ways to say she’s running faster than normal. You could also get showy with it and say something like:

“The rubber soles of her shoes hit the pavement, ragged breaths weighing her lungs. Her child’s pained cries fell silent in her arms, and she cradled her closer. The hospital was still three blocks away.”

There are a lot of ways to eliminate adverbs from your writing to make it stronger. The world will go on without them. Please, let them go. 

There are plenty more things you can do to trim down word counts, but I feel like these are the big three I see a lot. Another option is cutting unnecessary scenes, but that’s a topic for another day. A lot of the time, you can easily cut down words by making these little line edits and improve your writing exponentially. If anyone has any more questions on how to trim these examples specifically, feel free to send me a message or leave a comment on this post. I’m always happy to talk writing! As always, we improve by helping each other, so don’t be afraid to ask. I’ll see you guys next time! 

[liesoverthec]

OG 911 Character Details from Canon Pt 2

Hi y’all I’m back! I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who reblogged the last details post - I sort of just thought people would like it and it would die, so to see it travel and hopefully reach more writers was so great so thank you again!

Details under the cut since I went a little crazy 😅 and if this is your first time seeing this, the first part, and any future parts, can be found under this tag here!

Quick note before I get to the details - always, ALWAYS take details from dialogue or plot over details from the set or props if they contradict each other. The writers have the ultimate say over what happens on the show/for the characters, so whatever they say goes, even if it goes against something props has already laid down (eg, Chim’s birthday, sorry Libra crew. He’s an Aries or a Pisces). So keep that in mind for the future in case some of these details I have which are from props/set are changed in the future, or if you’ve noticed something yourself!

Also if you have questions, I am MORE than happy to answer them, although if you leave them in the tags on this post I’m probably gonna lose them, so if it’s something you’d genuinely like an answer to, drop it in my inbox! Besides my standard “ask” tags, I’m also tagging asks about canon details with this tag here. Every time I make a big post like this, I’m going to link all the asks I’ve gotten since the last post, but if you’re looking for more info in the mean time, that’s the other spot to look!

Buck has a grill on his patio.

Eddie doesn’t hang Christopher’s art on the fridge - instead it is either hung on the corkboard in Chris’ room to the left of the door, or Eddie puts it in an actual frame and hangs it using a hammer/nails in Christopher’s room. All the Diaz family has on their fridge is a bunch of bendy people magnets. (I absolutely ADORE him putting all this effort into treating Christopher’s art like it’s something you’d buy from a professional artist).

Info on everyone’s ages can be found here. (Little more discussion of Chim’s situation here).

Albert has a bachelor’s degree! I don’t know in what though, except that it’s some field for which is a Master’s is useful.

Athena was in a sorority in college, Delta Sigma Theta. Their website describes them as “ ...a sisterhood comprised primarily of Black, college-educated women ... [that] considers the issues impacting the Black community and boldly confronts the challenges of African Americans and, hence, all Americans ”, which I love for Athena, and feel is very in-character for her at that time in her life!

Chim is an aviators dude. When he wears sunglasses, they’re always aviators.

Athena also wears nothing but aviators.

Bobby wears square aviators.

Eddie, on the other hand, always wears Wayfarers.

Buck either doesn’t really like sunglasses or he constantly forgets he owns them, since we’ve only seen him wear them once in 60 eps, in a move I’m pretty sure was ONLY for dramatic effect.

Hen’s sunglasses change style over the seasons like her regular glasses do, but she tends to like browline sunglasses.

Info on Christopher’s school can be found here!

There are two colors of dispatch polo, and there doesn’t seem to be any rhythm or reason for who wears what. Maroon - Maddie and Linda. Blue - Josh and May. Jamal has actually worn both maroon and blue, so it doesn’t seem to be TOTALLY set in stone although I’ve never seen anyone else switch. Sue is too badass to wear a dispatch shirt.

Both Bobby and Eddie drive 4 door pickups. Bobby’s is navy. Eddie specifically has a black, 2020 GMC Denali 1500 pickup truck (in case you want to specifically look up what the inside of it looks like or what features it has 😂)

Info on the 118’s medical certifications can be found here.

Correction to Eddie’s living situation from last post: no next door neighbors, but instead UPSTAIRS neighbors. (Pointed out by Abigail in this ask). Also since someone else was wondering the notes of the last post - no, there is absolutely no discussion on the show of whether or not Eddie rents the apartment or owns it. But based on the fact that it’s 1) LA and 2) an apartment, my guess would be he rents it.

When Maddie isn’t feeling like herself, she tends to straighten her hair rather than curl it. It seems to be more when she’s uncertain about her place in her own and other people’s lives, rather than just when she’s simply worried - eg it’s straight in 2B, when she’s uncertain if she wants to continue working as a dispatcher/is unsure about her relationship with Chim.

For work, Chim, Eddie and Buck all use black duffel bags with a LAFD patch on the top. Hen uses several different cute bags, and Bobby seems to have a plain black duffel bag.

Watches - Bobby, Athena, Chim, Hen and Buck all wear their watch on their left wrist (but Athena ONLY wears hers for work, she takes it off at home.) Eddie wears his on his right wrist, and Maddie doesn’t wear one.

Chim (and Maddie by default) literally still have the exact same couch as in the pilot. (Which means that Chim has cuddled Tatiana on that couch, AND Albert has had sex on it. TIME TO GET A NEW ONE, BUCKLEY-HANS 😂)

The 118 has five different rigs - the engine (E118), the ladder truck (T118), two ambulances and the captain’s truck. 95% of the time, when the team is chilling in the cab of a rig and chatting (eg the ‘stuck under a live telephone pole’ scene in Jinx), they’re in the engine, not the truck. (Which I personally learned recently are NOT interchangeable terms!)

Athena and Michael got married when Athena was 37.

If you’d like to give Maddie a full name beyond “Maddie”, you should use Madeline. (I know, I know, in 4x04 she says Maddie is the name on her birth certificate, and that you should never use props details if they contradict script details, but I always thought that was a super weird exchange in 4x04 which could be explained by Maddie getting a nickname since she was born when Margaret and Phillip, you know, actually loved their kids and showed it, so of course Buck doesn’t get one, and in 4x04, Maddie was trying to avoid the entire issue of why she got one and Buck didn’t. But! Do what you want, and use Madeline as the full version of Maddie if you’d like, since that’s what’s on the BOLO in 2x13 😂)

Athena’s call sign is 727 L30, but she doesn’t have a specific squad car - the number changes throughout the series.

Chim really likes chewing gum, but he’s the only one out of the entire family!

The station has an Xbox One S, and it’s white.

In the real LAFD, there are stations 1 through 114. To avoid confusion while filming on the streets (I’m assuming), our fictional LAFD never uses the number of a real station. So if you want another station for a fic, and you want something that would be real in OUR universe, use the numbers 115 and above. They’ve gone as high as 221 in our universe.

Battalions - station 118 is in Battalion 7, which is also not a battalion in real Los Angeles. The 118 has interacted w/ Battalion 1, which is a real battalion, but other ‘non-real which makes them more likely for our universe’ battalions include numbers: 3, 8, 13, 16, 19 and above.

S1 Buck knew the term Jedi, but based on context, didn’t understand AT ALL the context provided by Star Wars, so there’s another edge of his pop culture limits for you.

Chim is the most tech-savvy out of everyone, hands down.

Athena has a VERY active Twitter account.

Abuela’s house number is 8902. I don’t have a street name for you unfortunately though. :/

Athena’s favorite flowers are white roses. None of the other women are really flower people.

Michael likes to wear purple.

When they’re at a call, Buck does pretty much all of the stuff with the hammer and the saw. Eddie does all the work needed with the drill.

Harry goes to Meadowbrook Elementary.

Buck lives on the fourth floor of his apartment building, across the hall from Apt. 416. The lovely @lovelessmotel found this listing for what is more or less the apartment. What happened was: the set crew rented this apartment for the one episode at the end of s2 when Buck moved in, and then over the summer before s3 built their own set of it, and changed some things - eg giving him an island, and moving the sink to a second counter against the far wall, you can see the changes here in this amazing gif set by the awesome Austen, but the listing should let you click around a little more upstairs and figure out dimensions better than what the show provides!

When Athena and Hen go out to eat together, it’s always fast food burgers and fries.

Waffles are Athena’s favorite food, and tiramisu is her favorite dessert.

Every takeout we’ve seen Buck eat has always been in a Chinese food takeout container, and we know he likes Thai food the best. EXCEPT! The one time we see him eat takeout with Eddie and Christopher, they have pizza. So take from that what you will......

Eddie has a cell phone and a landline.

Chim is a shameless multiple texter.

Chim and Bobby sleep closest to the door in their respective bedrooms (both right side of the bed if you are standing at the foot, facing the headboard), and Athena and Maddie sleep furthest away from the door (left side).

Some canon last names for other firefighters at the station in case you wanna add more people to a fic - Mitchell, Sanchez, Serrano (woman), Porter, Meyers (woman), Maxwell, Voyta

Hen and Karen really love decorating their house with dark/red wood.

Karen is Mommy and Hen is Mama.

Bobby has a brother, and a grandmother, and that’s literally ALL we know about his family outside of Marcy and the kids.

Evidence points to Eddie being the oldest child in his family.

Karen has multiple brothers (no sisters), but no idea how many - just that one of them is named Trey, and one of them lives in LA and has kids. They might be the same brother and they might not be.

Both Hen and Athena are only children.

Athena has been on the police force for 30 years.

Christopher and Denny are the same age (born in 2011), and Harry is two years older than them.

Michael lives in apartment 308.

The bank in this universe is CalAm.

Hen and Karen have a picture of Denny, May and Harry on their fireplace mantel.

Eddie having a black thumb + a lot of plants in his living room = him buying fake plants bc he likes the aesthetic ™ or someone (cough Carla cough) is taking care of them for him.

The COVID timeline in OG’s universe is fucked up compared to the real world’s, so it shouldn’t be used as a way to measure time! They just throw it in wherever it makes sense for the story they want to tell (eg the vaccines in s4 ep 8), since s3 was both done before COVID hit but also airing while it was happening. It makes absolutely no sense for May to graduate in March nor for Chris to be going to what is specifically labeled summer camp, and the vaccine plotline was INCREDIBLY early, even for real life, so don’t use anything from that as a measure of time. I’ve found except in specific examples, eg the two tsunami episodes, it’s very safe to say every episode covers a week - fall holidays on the show line up with their real life counterparts, indicating about the same amount of time is passing for us and them.

On that note - Jee-Yun was born in late January, early February 2021. (Conceived in Pinned, which was end of March/beginning of April, meaning Maddie was around a month along at May’s graduation in May ➡ 42 weeks + 3 days from then = late Jan/early Feb. Which unfortunately means we most likely won’t see her birthday celebrated on screen. If we assume she was conceived on the date Pinned aired, aka the very sexy hotel scene, then January 21st or 22nd would be Jee’s birthday, depending on if she was born after midnight or not.

Buck has had at least one other Jeep between the one Maddie gave him, and the one he has now, which means that when he needs a new car, he is purposefully choosing Jeeps.

I hope this was all as interesting/enjoyable to you as it was to me! And just to repeat - I love answering questions so pls let me know if you have any at all ❤

🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

Tagging: @buckbuckley

[fireflyhwufanficwriter]

My thoughts on Dr. Stone’s Chapter 232.1 (“Dr.STONE Terraforming”)

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE BIGGEST MYSTERY OF THE SERIES!

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE BIGGEST MYSTERY OF THE SERIES!

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE BIGGEST MYSTERY OF THE SERIES!

My thoughts after reading Chapter 232.1:

01. Ah, Chapter 232.1! :) From the colored chapter art of Senku, Chrome, and Ryusui, you can tell that this was released in honor of the Dr. Stone: Ryusui TV special :D

02. This is an interesting way to start things off. Instead of being isolated on land, like he was in the very beginning of his stone world journey, he’s now isolated in water :O

03. Of course Senku wouldn’t give up! :) He’s started from scratch before, and he can do it again! :D

04. I never thought of oil being useful in this kind of situation, but it makes sense! And Mecha Senku’s here! :)

05. He has SO much stuff XD Maybe he has new bags that are airtight and they helped him float?

06. A reference to Senku and Byakuya’s clothed swimming training! :)

07. He found Kohaku!! :D It looks like there’s a worried sparkle in his eyes while he’s looking at her :)

08. Whyyyy would anybody want, like, two whole teams of people (science team and battle team) along on their honeymoon? XD Why, Taiju, why??? XD

09. Kinro, Ginro, Taiju, Yuzuriha, Sai, Senku, Gen, Chelsea, Francois... and Whyman and Chrome! :) Aww, Whyman’s still adorable! :)

10. And then... oof! Some bad lightning (not to be confused with baaad lightning XD) hit their plane :(

11. We actually see Whyman worried XD Like, Whyman, out of his capsule, is a lone Medusa, but somehow, with just some lines, Boichi still managed to convey its distress - great job! :D

12. I find it interesting that while Chrome, Ginro, and Gen look worried... Taiju and Yuzuriha don’t. Taiju’s facial expression is more... speculating, and Yuzuriha’s eyebrows make her look determined, not scared. And this is just my take on it, but maybe being the ones who have known Senku the longest, they know that Senku can get them out of the situation, so while what’s happening IS alarming, both of them aren’t showing/feeling fear :)

13. I’m glad Taiju was able to catch Whyman! :) Ryusui totally looks on the bright side of life XD Poor Sai, having such an adventurous younger brother! XD

14. Kohaku told everybody to assume protective positions, just like how Ruri told everybody to assume defensive positions during the second worldwide petrification! :)

15. Senku got bonked on the head by his own revival fluid bottle XD Good thing he still keeps them in those earthenware bottles! :O If that thing had been in a sturdier container, they’d all be petrified for another 3,700 years! :O

16. ...And then he got bonked in the head AGAIN, this time by something decidedly LESS friendly :O Hit in the head by a palm tree... poor Senku... :O

17. Dr. Xeno’s so confident in Senku! :D He knows what Senku’s capable of, after all! :)

18. Senku revived Kohaku, and she looks at him with shining eyes (well, eye) and immediately wraps her arms around him in a hug! :’) Looks like the sudden action startled Senku, from the way his eye looks :D

19. But after that... look at him XD He’s not even trying to get away or anything. He and Kohaku are just looking each other in such a mischievous way, like, this is so normal for both of them or something XD

20. He complimented her, and their dialogue... ahhhh, a callback to when they first met and he talking was talking about how she was acting during an emergency!! XD The way they’re talking, it’s so... like... casual. Like it’s so normal for them to hug and flirt like this, and I LOVE it! :D

21. And Kohaku knows why Senku revived her... he wanted her to be his partner... okay, in this situation. But c’mon, acting like this and talking like this in this kind of situation without any awkwardness whatsoever? It feels like they’re already together but just not explicitly mentioning their relationship in this scene :D

22. The way she looks when she’s hugging him and talking... when she said that part about being his partner; there’s such a soft look in her eye :) And Senku has this blend of ACTING indifferent, but saying all the right things anyway :D

23. Such a sweet moment between them, and then Kohaku even goes on to say that that’s very... AND THEN SHE ABANDONS HIM FOR A PALM TREE :’( It may even be the same one that bonked Senku. Arrrgghhh, they’re both too practical...! :’( I mean, look at that, just two panels later and she’s so focused on getting the palm and he’s just like, sort of knocked out or something in the background XD

24. I like to think that Senku was really enjoying the hug and the sweet things Kohaku was saying, and was totally waiting for her to continue saying sweet things when that she spotted that palm tree :D :’) Would explain his wide-eyed / knocked out expression as she was swimming away, hahaha! XD

25. Aww, look at Kohaku, holding Senku’s axe as she swims and talks/thinks confidently about bringing back scientific civilization! :) And both of their mouths are wide open when Kohaku shows him the fish she caught - him from absolute shock, and her from I’m guessing eagerness to eat :D

26. From just the two of them floating in the water, they got a palm tree; food; more wood to build a raft, and a pile of something soft to serve as a mini-shelter... and from the looks of it, they spent two nights together, just the two of them, out there on the open sea :)

27. Chrome and Suika are here; a callback to how they were the next two Ishigami Village members to join the kingdom of science after Kohaku! And maybe they sat close to each other on the plane because they’ve worked closely for so many years and are great friends! (Although I thought earlier that maybe Kohaku and Suika sat together since they love each other a lot and they both weren’t in the wide panel with the others.) And she and Kohaku are so happy to be reunited! :)

28. The incredibly strong expressions on Chrome and Suika’s faces as they prepare the fish... XD A callback to when they made food (ramen) way way back, too! :) And also a callback to how they need alcohol now for something important, just like they did back then! :)

29. Ahhh, the original four (well, from the village arc, anyway XD), working together... :)

30. Kohaku learning from Suika, the science expert! :) A callback to the different methods for making nitric acid... and, the importance of Chrome’s observation of the lightning now is just like the importance of his observation of the Medusa’s constant speed way back on Treasure Island! :D

31. I had never heard of this St. Elmo’s fire thingy before I read this chapter! :O It looks like this fire likes Senku’s spiky hair XD And electric Senku here is a callback to electric Senku from the cell phone arc! :D

32. Ahhhh, Senku and Kohaku are holding hands!! :) I know it’s for a practical purpose, but it makes me happy and I’m sure it made them happy, too :D

32. Senku’s sort of struggling with holding his breath underwater, but Kohaku’s just fine hahaha XD

33. The four of them working on... whatever this is is JUST like when the four of them worked on pumping oxygen into the furnace back then after they had gathered all the iron sand! :D Poor Senku’s eyes are shooting out lasers again, just like before! XD

34. Time for reviving lots of folks! :) This is just like on Treasure Island, when they had to revived people in a certain order, depending on their capabilities! :) Although I do know that this time, the order might have been limited to who happened to be nearby... but I’m sure some strategic thought went into this order as well :D

35. Ukyo’s hearing; Tsukasa’s food-gathering; Chelsea’s cartography; Sai’s mathematics; Ryusui’s captain abilities; Gen for hard labor (hahaha! Poor Gen! XD); and then we see Taiju with Whyman, Ginro with the treasure chest (just like how there was a treasure chest on Treasure Island! :D); Kinro’s here as well... and Yuzuriha! :) Wow, look at that incredibly strong sail-sewing facial expression of hers! XD

36. The Ainu people (whoever they may be) made clothing from fish skin? :O Wow! And now Senku and the others are using this knowledge - especially Yuzuriha! :D

37. And that two-part boat shape... it’s like the the boat design that Magma made Namari draw for him during the boat design competition in/before the age of exploration arc! :D

38. Dr. Xeno still believed in their being alive, and his faith was rewarded! :) Everybody else is shocked at what Senku and the others made, but he’s not! :D He’s proud of Senku! :)

39.  WOW that thing is GIGANTIC! :O XD Ryusui’s in his own hot-air balloon because he’s can probably control it the best, and Senku, Kohaku, Chrome, and Suika are at the head of their terraformed ship! :D

40. Their opening the treasure box to find so-called “gravel;” Ginro’s reaction; and Kohaku talking about how simple stones can be scientific treasures... it’s just like in the Treasure Island arc when Kohaku drilled and exploded the Soyuz open; was aghast that there was just sand inside; and then remembered how Senku turns simple things in the stone world into useful things through the power of science! :D Now SHE’S the one who’s explaining that to somebody else... and not just anybody else, but Ginro the person she was petrified with on Treasure Island! :O :)

41. I like Kohaki and Dr. Xeno’s exchange about taking things from Earth and how they weren’t limited to just Earth! :D

42. They want to TERRAFORM OTHER PLANETS?! They want to make cities in space?! :O

43. I love how Ryusui got to say something in the last two pages, as if to remind us who this extra chapter is in honor of XD

44. Oooh, we saw the globe, and now Chrome and Suika have scrolls... it’s just like when after Tsukasa was revived, Senku had scrolls for their spaceship roadmap that Kaseki and Yuzuriha built a globe for! :D

45. And, of course, the last panel is of Senku telling us to get excited! :D

46. The chapter is now over, and, ohhh, what a wonderful chapter!! :) So full of Senku and Kohaku sweetness; callbacks to SO many things that happened in the past; and lots and lots of science! :D I didn’t know that the word “terraform” could be used in this context, since they weren’t working with land/soil, but this is another thing that Dr. Stone has taught me! :)

47. I’ll be honest, both Chapter 231 and Chapter 232.1 (this chapter) feel more like solid, satisfying last chapters for Dr. Stone than Chapter 232, the ACTUAL last chapter for Dr. Stone XD

48. While Chapter 231 was full of awe and wonder, Chapter 232.1 was full of warmth and light :) I am so happy and grateful that they made and released this chapter!! :D

49. I hope there will be more bonus chapters to come... which, like I said in my post about Chapter 232, I think is possible, for Dr. Stone anniversaries and things like anime season, movie, and game and other promotions :)

50. But even if this is the only bonus chapter we get, it’s a very sweet, warm, and wonderful way to conclude the manga! :D

51. And now, I’m waiting for the Dr. Stone: Ryusui TV special to be released with English subtitles tonight! :) (Hopefully it’ll be tonight, and not tomorrow!) It’s going to be exhilarating... am I wrong? :D Advanced congratulations on your television debut, Ryusui! :D

https   ://   firefly-hwufanficwriterrrrr   .   tumblr   .   com   /   MyDrStoneEpisodeMangaThoughts

[poseidonsarmoury]

MBTI masterpost

@johermione here’s the MBTI explanation. However I’m not an expert so I’ll just try my best

I recommend this page if you want a more in depth (and probably clearer) explanation

In mbti you’re typed depending on eight cognitive functions, not to be confused with the type indicators (the four letters that define your type). These functions are:

Extroverted sensing (Se)

Introverted sensing (Si)

Extroverted intuition (Ne)

Introverted intuition (Ni)

Extroverted thinking (Te)

Introverted thinking (Ti)

Extroverted feeling (Fe)

Introverted feeling (Fi)

Keep these in mind.

Once we know these functions, we can start to look at how we use them to type into the 16 personality.

Each type has four valued functions, stacked in order from strongest to weakest, like this. This does not mean that we don’t have the other four functions, it just means they aren’t dominant.

Primary functions:

Dominant → Most natural (and comfortable) function; the internal “mother tongue” Auxiliary → Supporting function, usually connected with creation and job choice

Secondary functions:

Tertiary → Function where individual often takes action steps to improve upon Inferior → Activates under extreme stress, generally avoided out of self-protection

Now let’s look at what the letters in the type indicator mean:

Second letter in the type indicator (S/N)

This letter relates to the way we perceive the world, how we take in information from our surroundings. It’s divided into two: iNtuition and Sensing, hence the N or S letter. Everyone perceives the world through both sensing and intuition, but in different ways.

Sensors, as their name indicates, take in information mostly from their senses, and take everything at face value. They focus on the details first and get to the big picture later. Rather than developing new ideas they try to fit everything into their established framework, which can mean they can be resistant to change. They are more interested in the way things are than the way they could be.

Intuitives, however, focus on the way things could be, and are outside-the-box thinkers. They focus on the big picture first and then get to the details. They’re generally more future oriented and use the new information to guide them on their path. They tend to be less resistant to change, and, in fact, often embrace it. Obviously they still use their senses, because we’re hardwired to do so, but they’re more interested in the possibilities than solely what their senses tell them.

The third letter (F/T)

This letter relates to our judging function, and it is also divided in two: Feeling and Judging. Of course, we all make decisions using both, but in different ways.

Thinking judgements are logic based, which is why they usually excel in fields that use logical or strategic thinking. Thinkers tend to have a quantitative bend to them. Even subconsciously they’re always comparing odds and making strategies. Systemising and classifying also play a role in the thinker’s mind, especially in intuitive (N) thinkers (T). Thinkers are often perceived as cold or emotionally detached by other types, which isn’t necessarily true.

Feeling judgements weigh and evaluate their affective responses to the world. They’re very aware of their emotions, and attuned to emotional subtleties and nuances thinkers may not be. Because of this some may feel that words aren’t enough to express themselves and turn to forms of art, such as music, poetry, painting... They strive to enhance our lives in less “functional” or “practical” ways.

Now, these two letters are always the primary or auxiliary function, which is because we each rely primarily on one perceiving function (sensing or intuition) and one judging function (feeling or thinking). These, respectively, are our input and processing functions, so basically how we see and interpret the world around us.

The first letter (I/E)

This is probably the part that confuses most people because it’s often misunderstood. This function defines our attitude towards the world, and you can be one of two: introverted or extroverted. Let’s try to not get confused by stereotypes. 

It’s important to know that while we are primarily extroverted or introverted, our cognitive functions are also extroverted and introverted (see the 8 cognitive functions). We each have two extrovert functions and two introvert functions, and they alternate in the cognitive stack starting with the attitude represented by the first letter of the personality type. An extrovert’s first and third functions are extroverted while the second and fourth are introverted. Now obviously, this is a lot more nuanced and detailed, but if i were to talk about the differences of each the introverted and the extroverted functions we would be here for a long time, so if you want me to do another post explaining them I will.

Anyways, perceiving and judging functions manifest differently depending on whether our attitude is introverted or extroverted, which explains why there are eight total cognitive functions.

For example, if you’re like me, and are an ENTJ, your function stack will be: extraverted thinking, introverted intuition, extraverted sensing, and introverted feeling, in that order. So my functions are Te, Ni, Se, Fi, with the primary functions being Te and Ni, and the secondary functions being Se and Fi. To discover what your type’s function stack is, see the charts at the beginning of the post.

The main difference between introverted functions and extroverted functions is their focus. Introverted functions focus on the self, and extroverted functions focus outside the self. For example, introverted thinking seeks to process information for the satisfaction of learning and understanding, while extroverted thinking seeks to process information in order to do something with it.

So, the first three letters of the type indicators help us understand our two primary cognitive functions, but to accurately define our two secondary functions we need to know the fourth letter and the inverse rule.

The fourth letter (J/P)

The fourth letter of a personality type indicates our orientation to the outer world, or which primary function is extroverted. If the letter is ‘J’ then our primary judging function (feeling or thinking) is extroverted. If it is ‘P’ then our primary perceiving function (sensing or intuition) is extroverted, which means we can then place it as a dominant or auxiliary function. The outer world orientation is important because it represents how others see us.

The inverse rule

Once we understand the letters of the type indicator we still need to place the order of the secondary functions, and to do this we’re going to apply the inverse rule.

Every function, as we’ve seen, has an opposite (eg. Te & Fe), and an opposite attitude (eg. Te & Ti). Our secondary functions are always the inverse of our primary functions. Inverse functions are always either the two outer functions (1 and 4) or the two inner functions (2 and 3) in our cognitive stack.

Introverted Sensing (Si) — Extroverted Intuition (Ne)

Extroverted Sensing (Se) — Introverted Intuition (Ni)

Introverted Feeling (Fi) — Extroverted Thinking (Te)

Extroverted Feeling (Fe) — Introverted Thinking (Ti)

And that’s basically it. Obviously there’s a whole lot more that I haven’t explained here, but these are the basics. I hope it’s a clear enough explanation! Let me know if you want me to explain the functions and stack order more in depth.

[mysterylover123]

Hey, just wanted to know if you could rank MHz ships from least to worse?

MHZ? Do you mean MHA? LOL there are so many that could go on for infinity. I guess there are some ‘main’ ships, so I guess I’ll try and rank them.

24. Izuocha

I guess not so much the fandom as the confusing mess that has become their relationship in canon makes it my least favorite. I think it’s too late in the story to salvage this one for me or make me happy that they’re apparently supposed to end up together; it jus keeps getting less interesting as time goes on.

23. KiriBaku

I also just don’t get this one. Like, yeah, it’s nice that Kacchan has a friend, but the second biggest ship in the fandom? I probably wouldn’t have anything against it if it was just middle of the road popular, but the overexposure makes me dislike it.

22. KiriKami 

Kinda in a similar vein, though this one I’m just neutral too. Nice friends, kinda sweet, nothing else.

21. Todo/Ii/Deku

Same as above.

20. Kirideku 

I like this one better since Kiri has an actual emotional lbackstory piece with Midoriya that connects them and they share interesting things in common.

19. MomoKendo

I really enjoy MomoKendo, and all the ships from here on out; it just has less screentime and therefore less of my attention.

18. Erasermic

This is another one that feels to me like it’s really really popular, but as a ship for my books just kind of ok. Like, they’re childhood friends and all, but what else?

17. Melissa/Mei

A rarepair that I think is important and should get more attention.

16. Eraserjoke

Similar to Erasermic, though at least this one has a bit more chemistry (in my opinion)

15. Shinsou/Kaminari

I do like this one; it just has very limited screentime, so it lands in the middle.

14. DabiHawks

LOL I guess I like this one because it seems like the only viable ship for either character. I guess there’s also Touya/Tomura but they don’t really hang out that much. 

13. Iida/Mei

These two do have some really fun chemistry, even if they don’t get that much screentime.

12. EraserCloud

This has sort of beck my favorite Aizawa ship. I’m a sucker for that Winter Soldier/Obito dynamic.

11. Kacchako

Yeah even though they don’t have much screentime I still like this one more than Izuocha. If the Wonder duo have to end up in straight pairings I’d be all for the Kacchako/Midotsuyu pairing. Or the OT3 option.

10. Togachako

Uraraka has like half the pairings on this list lol. Anyway these two have really grown on me since last year’s arc finally let Ochako reciprocate Toga’s affection a bit. 

9. Tododeku

These two are undeniably sweet together. They’re the least interesting corner of the OT3 trinity to me, but I get why they’re popular.

8. Tsuyu/Ochako

Definitely one of Ochako’s most stable relationships and the most prominent Tsuyu pairing.

7. KamiJirou

Love their chemistry. 

6. MomoJirou

Grown on me over KamiJirou due to their friendship, but this is another one where the OT3 option is nice.

5. Iida/Ochako

The most balanced Ochako ship and Iida ship. Largest part in each other’s lives and most supportive dynamic.

4. TodoMomo

Also Todoroki and Momo’s most balanced pairing, though only my second favorite Shoto ship.

3. KiriMina

Easy winner for Kirishima and Ashido. 

2. TodoBaku

LOL they have so much chemistry. It’s not even funny. And now they’ve got friendship and substance to their bond too. I love them.

1. BakuDeku

Huge shocker, I know. OTP from the start, still now. 

hope that answers it. LOL what if the ask meant a different show. 

[turtlesandfrogs]

There's two sets of terms that I've been seeing a lot of confusion about recently, so I thought I'd make a short post to go over the terms what they mean and how they're different.

First off we have the terms annual, biennial, and perennial. It seems most people have heard the terms annual and perennial and so when they find a plant that sticks around over winter, they automatically call it a perennial. Now a lot of plants that do survive the winter are perennials, however, biennials have a very particular specific life plan that also fits this. In their first year of life, a biannual will build up its energy stores and mass in order to bloom in its second year. Examples include carrots, Swiss chard, kale, and hollyhocks - and many more!

Next we have hybrid, heirloom, open pollinated, and GMO seeds. Specifically I've read, more than once now, people conflating hybrid seeds, GMO seeds, and seeds that have the Terminator Gene. They'll say that you need to get heirloom seeds, because hybrid seeds will be sterile and you won't be able to save the seeds to grow your next generation. First off, hybrid does not equal GMO. Terminator genes are in some crops, but they got there through genetic modification -not through hybridization. If you are concerned about accidentally buying GMO seeds, look for a seed supplier that has signed the Safe Seed Pledge. For example, Johnny's.

If you save the seeds from a hybrid tomato and grow them out, you will still get a tomato. It will be edible. However, as it's from a hybrid, you won't be certain of exactly what it will look like, taste like, or how it will perform in your garden. It will still be an edible tomato and there's a pretty good chance that will still be tasty.

Also people tend to forget that just because all heirloom seeds are open pollinated doesn't mean all open pollinated seeds are heirloom. In fact people are breeding up new varieties of vegetables all the time, to meet all sorts of needs. Some of these are hybrids and some of these are open pollinated. Open pollinated just means that it was created using good old fashioned artificial selection (as opposed to natural selection). Someone somewhere decided there was some trait that they really valued, and started selecting from the existing plant varieties for plants that had that specific trait. They're breeding for more cold tolerance, they're breeding for disease resistance, flavor, all sorts of different traits. Don't be afraid of trying a new variety just because it's not an heirloom. There's lots of new open pollinated varieties that have loads of potential to be successful in your garden. And just like heirlooms, you can save the seed from any open pollinated variety and it should come true to type.

One thing to note here that very few people talk about is that even with heirlooms you need to select plants to save seed from that exhibit the traits that you value. Otherwise heirloom or open pollinated hybrid or not, your varieties will not stay true to type from generation to generation.

Also, consider if it might be worth it to buy a hybrid that does exactly what you need. For example, I just saw someone saying that they wanted a really small cherry tomato for container culture, but they were avoiding hybrids because they didn't feel like they'd be able to save the seeds, and had assumed that those seeds had the Terminator Gene in them. Remember! Hybrid does not mean GMO. There happens to be a hybrid tomato, from a company that has signed the Safe Seed Pledge that meets those exact criteria very well, and sells for about 20 seeds for less than $5. Now given that these seeds come from a reputable source you can assume about a 90-95% germination rate. Even if you assume an 80% germination rate, that's still 16 tomato plants for less than $5. And if you store the seeds well (cold and dry) you can expect to use that same package of seeds for several years. Maybe it's worth getting a hybrid that's exactly what you need even if you can't save the seeds and be 100% sure of what you'll be getting.

Also! Whatever you do end up growing out from those hybrid seeds, will have some of the traits that you want and you might be able to create in time your own open pollinated variety that has the exact traits that you desire. There are people who have some this! Just a thing to think about if you're considering vegetable breeding.

Did I say short post? Oops.