#upcoming school franchise

[superdorkcat]

Upcoming Magical Girl Projects

Magical girl fans are finally eating good after years of starvation. So good, in fact, that I decided to make a list of magical girl projects in development.

The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies - The most imminent of these projects, since it's premiering only in a few days. It's the story of the forbidden romance between the magical girl Byakuya Mimori and Mira, a high-ranking official of an army trying to take over the world.

Mermaid Magic - In a new western magical girl show from the same studio as Winx Club, Princess Merlinda, with her friends Sasha and Nerissa in tow, ventures to the human world in order to find a way to save her homeland of Mertropia from the ghost pirate Barbarossa and his monster horde. Dropping on Netflix next month.

Acro Trip - One of several new magical girl series coming out in the Fall 2024 anime season, Acro Trip follows Chizuko Date as her efforts to increase appreciation for her idol, local magical girl Berry Blossom, takes her down a "dark path filled with strange folks."

Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. - Kana Sakuragi is having a hard time finding work, botching over 15 different job interviews. However, her luck changes when a series of events lands her a job at the magical girl company Magilumiere.

The Story of the Girl Who Couldn't Become a Wizard - The third of the magical girl anime coming out in October, MahoNare for short tells the story of Kurumi Mirai as she tries to become a wizard anyways after failing to get into her school's magic division.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie - Walpurgisnacht Rising - The fourth PMMM movie, which will pick up where Rebellion's massive cliffhanger left off. It's currently set to come out sometime later this year.

Cute High Earth Defense Club Eternal Love! - The magical boy series is getting a new movie in winter 2025 as part of the celebrations for its 10th anniversary. While the movie will "consist entirely of new scenes that will be newly drawn," exact plot details are unknown. (Added August 7, 2024)

Mahou Tsukai Precure: Mirai Days - A new installment in the Precure franchise, Mirai Days will serve as a sequel to Mahou Tsukai, the thirteenth season. Even though it's premiering early next year, specific plot details are currently unknown.

Princess Session Orchestra - A TV original coming next year, Princess Session Orchestra is based on a concept by Akifumi Kaneko, one of Symphogear's co-creators. The land of Alicepia's peace is destroyed when monsters called Jammerwocks attack, prompting a trio of young girls to step up the plate to protect the realm.

Winx Club - The western magical girl classic is getting a CGI reboot. While comments by Iginio Straffi imply that certain characters who were introduced later in the original series (such as Roxy and Nabu) will appear earlier, no specific plot details have been revealed so far. The series is coming to Netflix late next year.

New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt - Panty & Stocking is getting a second season after over a decade that's coming out sometime next year with no specific plot details revealed yet. (Added August 7, 2024)

Project Symphogear Next - A new Symphogear movie was announced late last year. However, no further details have been revealed.

Hua Xianzi: Zhi Mofa Xiang Dui Lun - A co-production between Tencent Video and Toei Animation's Shanghai branch, this anime is being billed as a "remake" of Lunlun the Flower Fairy. That being said, promises of "a fresh story and characters" make it sound more like a reboot.

Studio Pierrot's new anime - Studio Pierrot, which has made a variety of magical girl anime from Creamy Mami to Tokyo Mew Mew, has announced that they're creating a new TV original magical girl anime. No specific details have been disclosed, but the caption for the teaser image ("I want you to sing once more...") implies that it'll be a magical idol anime.

Lolirock season three - After Lolirock's second season ended with a cliffhanger all the way back in 2017, it seemed like the story would never get a proper conclusion. However, the series's creator and director, Jean-Louis Vandestoc, announced on his Instagram in 2023 that creative meetings for a third season have begun.

Magic Knight Rayearth revival - TMS Entertainment is making a new Magic Knight Rayearth anime in honor of the franchise's 30th anniversary. Unfortunately, it's currently unknown what the format will be.

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card season two - The sequel to the magical girl classic is getting a second season that will adapt the rest of the manga.

Magical Girl holoWitches - A multimedia project starring six VTubers as fictionalized versions of themselves who work as both streamers and magical girls who save people when they get trapped in the magical Holocas World. There was a four minute extended trailer in May, but the anime's proper premiere date is unknown.

Ojamajo Doremi 16-20's - An adaptation of Ojamajo Doremi's light novel sequel series, which follows the girls as they grow from being in their mid-teens to early 20s. Interestingly, the format for the adaptation (TV show, movie, or streaming series) will be based on the reception of a music video featuring the girls as adults.

[sailorfailures]

PGSM 20 Year Reunion Event!!

This is not a drill!! The five Sailor Guardians from Toei's 2003 live action adaptation of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon will be officially reuniting under the series's title for the show's 20-year anniversary on Christmas Day, 2023!

The five actresses - Miyuu Sawai (Moon), Rika Izumi (Mercury), Keiko Kitagawa (Mars), Mew Azama (Jupiter), and Ayaka Komatsu (Venus) - have each posted about the upcoming event on their social media, but the official Sailor Moon franchise website has posted this announcement:

2003年から2004年まで放送された、ドラマ『美少女戦士セーラームーン』。 その20周年を記念した特番「セーラー戦士 同窓会」の放送が決定しました！ドラマ『美少女戦士セーラームーン』を制作したCBCテレビ（愛知・岐阜・三重）で2023年12月25日（月）に放送予定です。 オーディションにおける裏話や中高生時代の5人が仲を深めるきっかけになった撮影秘話など、今だからこそ話せるお互いの関係性にまつわるエピソードが満載のトークバラエティ番組になっています。 放送情報などの詳細は後日発表いたします。続報をお楽しみに。 The TV drama "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" aired from 2003 to 2004. To commemorate that 20 year anniversary, there will be a special program broadcast: "Sailor Guardian Alumni Reunion"! The program is scheduled to be broadcast on Monday, December 25, 2023 on the station which produced the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon drama series, CBC Television [Aichi | Gifu | Mie]. The episode is set to be a talk variety show covering behind-the-scenes conversations about the show's auditions, filming secrets about what sparked deeper friendships amongst the five then-middle and high-school-aged girls, and tales of their relationships that can only be talked about now. Broadcast details, etc will be announced at a later date. Stay tuned for more information.

[eddieredmayneargentinablog]

New post: "Eddie Redmayne to reprise Fantastic Beasts role in new scenes for Universal experience tying Beasts to Harry Potter films".

EW has confirmed Redmayne filmed new scenes as Newt Scamander, while Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint also appeared in Universal Epic Universe’s preview.

Have you ever dreamed of traveling the Floo Network like your favorite Harry Potter stars? What about taming a fantastic beast (or several) with the flick of a wand in Paris? Universal Orlando's upcoming theme park, Universal Epic Universe, is set to cast a spell that will turn that fantasy into a reality when its new Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic land opens in 2025.

Entertainment Weekly has confirmed through a source that franchise star Eddie Redmayne will reprise his Fantastic Beasts role as Newt Scamander in the new land, with his new, already-filmed scenes set to appear throughout. Ministry of Magic is touted as the most elaborate of the planned park's five new themed areas, fusing timelines from the eight main Harry Potter films with the three Fantastic Beasts movies. The narratives will converge on a massive plot of land spanning 1920s Paris and 1990s London as guests travel to and from both destinations using the Métro Floo transportation network to dart back and forth.

Partially set within the British Ministry of Magic, the land's marquee attraction will be Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, which will take travelers on a first-of-its-kind adventure using new omnidirectional technology that allows ride vehicles to travel through sprawling environments in vessels that move up, down, forward, backward, and sideways along one of the company's "most impressive attractions to date," according to a press release.

The ride's story puts guests on a journey from Paris to the British Ministry of Magic for the trial of Dolores Umbridge (played by Imelda Staunton in the films). Visitors enter through the organization's grand atrium (as seen in the Harry Potter movies) ahead of the trial until things go wrong when Umbridge attempts to escape. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), and a house elf named Higgledy eventually accompany riders along the pursuit of Umbridge. (EW has reached out to representatives for Radcliffe, Watson, Grint, and Redmayne for comment on their potential return.)

Outside of the main ride, the Ministry of Magic section will feature a live show, Le Cirque Arcanus, billed as a full-scale theater experience with live performers and aerialists, puppetry, special effects, and fantastic beats appearing throughout the production, which follows Ringmaster Skender after he steals Newt Scamander's suitcase.

Consistent with Universal's other Harry Potter-themed parklands, the Ministry of Magic section includes merchandise locations that sell wands and other franchise materials, namely the focal wand location Cosme Acajor Baguettes Magique. Here, attendees can purchase wands and then use them to interact with fantastic beasts sprinkled throughout the Parisian locale.

Harry Potter characters are also set to roam the land, including exchange students from Hogwarts and Ilvermorny schools, an Auror from the Ministère des Affaires Magiques de la France, and even talking portraits.

Dining locations include Café L'Air De La Sirène, Le Gobelet Noir, Bar Moonshine, and a Bièraubeeurre Cart (translation: this is where you can get Butterbeer) — all joined by other smaller shops like Les Galeries Mirifiques, a sweets shop cleverly named K. Rammelle, and Tour En Floo, a gift store inspired by the magic of the Floo Network.

📷 Eddie Redmayne, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe in Universal Epic Universe preview. Universal Creative

[acquired-stardust]

Game Spotlight #16: Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories (2000)

Just in time to celebrate its upcoming release as part of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Early Years compilation, Ash takes a look at the very first title in the series released in the west with Dark Duel Stories, a quirky little game that remains surprisingly playable to this day. Come take a quick look at the game to know what you're in for when The Early Years releases later this year!

Yu-Gi-Oh! is a series that Larsa and I have a lot of affection and nostalgia for. Once upon a time we were even avid players of the physical card game (Larsa to much greater competitive success than I), and we've kept up with the series in all its various forms for most of our lives now. Binging the notoriously campy and hilarious English dub of the anime together was one of the first things we did as a couple, and when we started Acquired-Stardust it was a no-brainer to create some content in tribute to the series. That content even went on to become some of our most popular posts, so the series holds a special place in our hearts as well as in the history of the blog.

It's a fascinating series that has taken on a lot of different forms throughout the years and you might be surprised to learn that the iconic physical card game, now mostly known for its incredibly long first-turn combo plays that determine who wins and loses before you're even able to do much playing, wasn't even the original hook of the series. Yu-Gi-Oh! began life as a manga by the late Kazuki Takahashi, the story of a high school boy possessed by an ancient spirit that would punish Domino City's many bullies and thugs through the power of Shadow Games, dishing out Twilight Zone-esque ironic punishments to them, with the signature card game the series is so synonymous with only being played a total of twice in the first 60 chapters before becoming the main focus with the Duelest Kingdom arc which the anime most western fans are familiar is based on. It was a shockingly dark and violent manga especially compared to the camp that the series is more well known for.

Just as well, the physical real-world card game itself has undergone radical shifts in mechanics and formats over the years since its 1999 introduction, and the result is a series that means something different to everyone. If you poll a hundred people, odds are they'll all have a different bit of the franchise as their favorite and consider a different era to be its peak. Larsa and I are personally most fond of the early years of the series, and so playing some of the video games set in that awkward 'wild west, anything goes' time when they were learning and experimenting with exactly what they wanted the card game to be was a pretty intriguing prospect.

And make no mistake about it - Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories is very much in that early feeling-out period. So early in fact it released a mere two days before the Playstation classic Forbidden Memories and eleven days after the debut of the physical card game in America. Dark Duel Stories may have been the first Yu-Gi-Oh! game released in the west, but it's actually the third game in a Gameboy-specific series of Yu-Gi-Oh! titles (and has had its name swapped with its predecessor - whereas Dark Duel Stories is the name of the second title in Japan, this game was originally titled Tri-Holy God Advent in Japan). This series follows what I'll be calling the Gameboy Format for the game for the purpose of this piece, and for the most part it faithfully recreates the base mechanics of the physical card game (which we're assuming you have at least some level of familiarity with, but if not actually playing Dark Duel Stories yourself is a fine way to learn) with a number of key differences.

The first important difference in the Gameboy Format is its de-emphasis, but not total elimination, of Effect Monsters, Traps and Magic cards. Decks consist of a mandatory total of 40 cards, each with their own cost and level limit associated with them. Monster cards will make up the bulk of decks due to their low costs compared to the very costly Magic and Trap cards, necessitating clever usage of the game's largely weak lineup of Monster cards. Facilitating this is the biggest key difference between the traditional physical card game and the Gameboy Format in the much larger emphasis it places on the elemental typing of Monster cards, more inspired by the original manga's version of the card game. Each monster card in the game has an element associated with it (a total of eleven elements exist in the game), with the elements following a rock-paper-scissors sort of mechanic not unlike Pokemon that sees elements strong against one another (such as Water being strong against Fire) be able to inflict increased damage on their opposing element. Unlike Pokemon however, Yu-Gi-Oh's Gameboy Format sees Monster cards of an element weak to its diametrically opposed element outright destroyed before inflicting any potential lifepoint damage to players.

While this can (and will) lead to asinine scenarios in which the iconic Blue Eyes White Dragon card is destroyed by the meager Kuriboh, it adds an interesting layer of strategy to the game that goes beyond simply loading decks with the most powerful cards obtainable. It also stands in stark contrast to the physical card game in which setting up unbeatable scenarios with very little counterplay outside of hyper-specific scenarios on the first turn has become a hallmark.

Another aspect of the Gameboy Format that differs from the physical card game is the lack of Polymerization, a Magic card that enables the fusion of Monsters into a new and more powerful creature. While the Polymerization card is missing the fusion mechanic itself remains, relegated to an entirely unexplained process in which the player can attempt to combine any two monsters to potentially result in a successful fusion with getting the formula incorrect resulting in the first card being replaced by the second. It's small touches like this and the unique elemental system that promote a lot of experimentation and make sure that every Monster card has a potential use regardless of how weak they are statistically.

Players are given a deck of cards to start with and tasked with defeating three tiers of opponents, all of whom being an iconic characters from the manga and anime, five times each. Defeating opponents will earn the player more cards and card parts (more on this in a moment), as well as raising the deck level and cost limitations imposed on the player slowly but surely. There are a total of 800 obtainable cards in the game which can also be acquired through the usage of the Password system that allows players to add one of each card to their collection through entering the corresponding password associated with them. The Password system also allows players to unlock the game's hidden bosses as well as enabling additional post-duel drops indefinitely.

The game's main hook is its allowing of the player to create custom cards through combination of obtained card parts, with players able to combine top and bottom halves of original Monster cards in all sorts of ways that change their attack and defense values, elements, names and appearances. It's a small gimmick that the player is not necessarily required to interact with by any means but does help immerse you in the series by allowing you to create your own unique signature cards.

The end result of Dark Duel Stories' gameplay loop and format is a game that is perfectly suited for its handheld platform in all the best and worst ways. Its small, almost bite-sized duels go by rather quickly and painlessly but obtaining cards without the use of Passwords is a grind-heavy experience that leaves the player completely at the mercy of random chance. The costs associated with constructing decks can feel stifling at first but forces you to engage with the game and appreciate some of its eccentricities like the elemental system, and makes finally being able to include higher-value cards feel like the major upgrade in power that it really is.

It's a perfect fit with the Gameboy Color that allows you to sink however much time you want into it, grinding away to raise your level and cost limits or obtain cards on long road trips or just spending a few minutes beating Joey Wheeler or Seto Kaiba one more time.

Another strong aspect of the game is its art, faithfully adapting 800 cards from the game's early era to the Gameboy Color with a lot of success. Opposing duelists are also particularly strongly adapted, including a lot of (but unfortunately not all) the iconic characters one would expect to find in the game in impressive detail all without an over-reliance on digitizing existing artwork from the manga's original artist. The beautiful pixel art splash screens after selecting an opponent hold up extremely well and have my vote for some of the best visuals on the platform.

Not quite as strong is the sound, with songs being inoffensive and not super memorable but certainly serviceable - you won't be muting the game to protect your ears or anything, but turning on your own music instead might help with some of the grind if you're wanting to invest bigger chunks of time into obtaining Dark Duel Stories' large amount of cards or raising the limits imposed on your deck.

A small touch I greatly appreciated was the lack of manual saving, with Dark Duel Stories featuring a reliable autosave that happens after every duel, making rematching or putting the game down both a painless experience. One particular annoyance is the lack of a search function in the card library, so it's helpful to keep a guide on hand to reference individual card numbers you might be looking for rather than having to scroll through 800 cards manually.

While it's not a perfect game by any means, Dark Duel Stories remains a very fun and addictive time capsule of an era of the game now decades past and comes at an extremely early point in the existence of the physical card game and series at large. There's a lot of charm and a deceptive amount of depth to hook new and old players alike, and the gameplay remains smooth and fast all these years later despite obvious platform limitations.

It even allows players to link two Gameboy systems to duel or trade, though this will be less attractive a feature to people playing the game via emulation on PC which typically lacks the capabilities necessary for multiplayer functions. Original manga author Kazuki Takahashi constantly designed little games that appeared in the backs of compiled volumes of the manga, most often played with dice, and it's not surprising that he'd also come up with a very fun card game too even if this wasn't exactly the format we'd come to know in the years after the release of Dark Duel Stories.

A gem hidden among the stones, Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories is undoubtedly stardust.

-- Ash

[katsona-the-katsequel]

Background Events: Persona Experimentation

Unethical experimentation on Persona Users has been happening since the beginning. But how has it evolved until now?

Warning: Some speculation will be involved.

TW: Human Experimentation

The Beginning

We don't have an exact date for when experiments related to Personas and the Collective Unconscious began. Phil and Nyarly's bet had been going for some time by the time IF took place. However, if we had to place a true beginning to the experiments, we would have to go with Stephen and the Demon Summoning Program. Along with Kyouji Kuzunoha, he's the only SMT character who's also canon to Persona. Makes sense, considering his weird transcendent nature. The tale may vary between franchises, but the Persona version goes like this:

By unknown means, Stephen managed to create the Terminal System to travel through computer networks. Since he's in a wheelchair in IF, then this Stephen also managed to connect to the Expanse (located in the Collective Unconscious) with the Terminal System. Since he didn't have a way to communicate with the demon who crossed and no Persona to defend himself, Stephen was was attacked and subsequentaly crippled. All of this had to have happened before 1996 for the timeline to make sense (Side Note: This also tells a lot about Stephen, since the incident had the perfect conditions for an Awakening).

The incident led Stephen to create the Demon Summoning Program, probably for personal use, since there was no upcoming war to prepare to (that Stephen could have known of). For some unknown reason, Stephen chose to upload the only copies of the program in the computers of Karukozaka High School. Was he an alumni? Did Stephen realize teens had more probability of connecting with the Expanse? Were Karu High's computers just that good? Who knows. Only Hazama and Tamaki took the program serious enough to use it, even if it was against each other. But that's a story for another time.

Like St. Hermelin would in a few months, Karu High briefly made the news before the entire incident was forgotten. That is highly suspicious on itself. My assumption is that there truly were some experimentation going on before this, amd they made sure to silence the press and make sure the students didn't snitch. Since Tamaki managed to hide among the student population as another victim (probably with Stephen's help), they never questioned her on her abilities nor disappeared her.

But who are they? Well...

SEBEC

The first formal organization seeking to gain a foothold in the Collective Unconscious was the Japanese branch of SEBEC, leadered by Takahisa Kandori. Their story goes like this:

When Kandori took over as head branch of SEBEC, they began to undertake the creation of a device capable of transporting matter from one place to another. Kind of like a portal. This had the main objective of helping to lower freight costs of imports and exports. Maybe even erasing them entirely. Key contributors were Setsuko Sonomura (an engineering specialist) and Dr. Nicholai (a scientist). Kandori kept the project so under wraps that those involved basically lived in the installations. Together they created the Dimension Variable Accelerator System, or DEVA System. However, they also pulled a Backrooms and accidentally connected to the Collective Unconscious.

It is probably at this point that Kandori awoke to his Persona, which was hijacked by the real Nyarlathotep. And thus, Kandori became a puppet in The Great Bet while believing he was achieving world domination or something like that. "But, Kati," I can hear you saying, "all of that was about the Collective Unconscious. Aside from Kandori, there were no Persona Users working with SEBEC".

Oh? OH? So quickly you forget about him?

Takeda. The man, the myth, the barely remembered NPC. All we know about him is that he is Kandori's right-hand man, the head of security at SEBEC and a Persona User. We don't even know what his Persona is, only that its couldn't handle the combined forces of the St. Hermelin students. His existence does imply something deeper: SEBEC is already employing Persona Users to their cause. They probably didn't know much about the phenomena (understandable, since they had just finished the DEVA System) and didn't have a definitive way of figuring out who could be a User and who couldn't. For all they knew this could be random. And so, a not-so-stellar security guard rose to become the second-hand man of the main antagonist. Just because he had the same power as him.

As we know, Kandori and SEBEC failed. But what was the fate of the staff that worked on the DEVA System? What about the little knowledge of the Collective Unconscious they had?

New World Order

Due to Nyarly's meddling, the NWO was founded in 1979 after they found Kiyotada Sumaru's head. They might have had supernatural advice from an ancient head and the backup of one of the most powerful beings in the Persona Universe, but no real Persona Users. Not one of those people had their shit together. The closest thing they had was Chizuru Ishigami, who was a sorcerer (most probable given true power by the Rumor Curse). When the time was right, we can assume Nyarly guided them to the remnants of Kandori's fuck up. The NWO revived Kandori and began their recruitment of the now-lost scientists and inventors. The NWO gave more freedom to their researchers than SEBEC did, which eventually led to the beginning of true human experimentation.

We don't see the worst of it unless you play Tatsuya's Scenario, where the hints they leave us are enough to call for a second Doctors' Trial.

Yikes. And this was only one known experiment.

Like SEBEC before them, the NWO also fell. But they weren't the only ones running supernatural and unethical experiments in 1999.

Kirijo Group

With the creation of the Dark Hour, demons shadows weren't only a danger of the Collective Unconscious anymore, at least, as far as the Kirijo Group knew. Now those in the know had to watch themselves every night to avoid being attacked by them. They couldn't always rely on the perfected version of the Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons. That must have been the moment when they began to hear rumors of supernatural events in Sumaru City, which led them to the crumbling NWO.

As it turns out, the entire Death Incident a couple of months ago left a huge vacancy for their supernatural research division. And these guys seem like they have fresh ideas that might just solve their self-created problem! A secret scramble must have taken place where the Nanjo and Kirijo Groups tried to covet all the info and personnel that had anything to do with the NWO. Those who weren't important enough to know the truth behind Kiyotada Sumaru's head and their self-proclaimed high-class greatness could have become the precursors of the Conspiracy.

And so, the Kirijo Group now had better scientists, inventors and researchers than before, and more willing to dab on unethical territory. With the need for defense, the former NWO scientists must have suggested they try to create their own Persona Users, like the ones who kept barging into their labs back in Sumaru. Thing is, no one there knew how a Persona User came to be. They did seem to have the power to control a shadow to do their bidding... maybe all they had to do was link (whatever that meant) a human with a shadow. The survivors of these experiments would become bodyguards for the Kirijo Group's excursions to Tartarus. No one would last long, though.

Skip a couple of years and the unexpected happened:

A natural Persona Awakening.

Note was taken of the factors that had to do with the event: the User was a child and she had been in a highly stressful situation. This is how the Kirijo Group rounded up the 100 children they would experiment on to create Artificial Persona Users. All of them dying except for three: Takaya Sakaki, Jin Shirato and Chidori Yoshino (and Sho Minazuki). This violation to the Nuremberg Code probably fell to the side when Mitsuru found and recruited two natural Persona Users on her own. Nothing like flushing dozens of children's lives down the toilet.

We must remember that the Kirijo Group didn't know everything about Personas, and so believed that the stressful situation with a dash of fear of death was necessary every time the User wanted fo summon their Persona. And so Evokers were created. Better not think of the trial and error that led to those inventions. Nor the one that helped create Persona Suppressants.

Who cares if three failed lab rats ran away? Now the Kirijo Group had true Persona Users with them.

A lot happened after that, but that is a story for another day. What about the hypothetical precursors to the Conspiracy formed from the high-profile members of the NWO? The ones that fell through the cracks during the power vacuum?

The Antisocial Force

For once, this wasn't Nyarly's fault. The basic rich bitches would have remained basic rich bitches if it wasn't for Yaldabaoth. The creation of the Shadow Operatives and the less restrictive hold on Kirijo Group employees probably made all that Persona and Collective Unconscious experimentation more of an open secret in the science community. And like hypnosis, this is one secret that most didn't believe until they witnessed it themselves. Not all were skepticals, and those interested were recruited by Masayoshi Shido for the creation of the Antisocial Force.

They would be the new oppressive entity in this area, suppressing information and giving stitches to snitches. This wouldn't stop "Cognitice Psience" from becoming an increasingly popular field. Who knows what kind of experiments happened in and out of the Antisocial Force. They couldn't have been the only ones.

If there is one thing the new Kirijo Group managed to contain, was the knowledge of the creation of Persona Users. The Antisocial Force didn't even have the research from the original NWO scientists that would help them create Artificial Users. Yaldy had to put an already-Awakened Goro Akechi in Shido's path for them to have a User. And even with an actual User, they couldn't replicate the circumstances that could have helped create more. I doubt Akechi was very helpful with that, though. Can't have any potential substitutes for his job.

Nah, the Antisocial Force's forte would never be Persona Users, but rather humanity's cognition.

So, what was the order of events?

Stephen created the Terminal System and began working on the Demon Summoning Program.

SEBEC began working on the DEVA System.

Stephen completed the Demon Summoning Program.

SEBEC finished the DEVA System and, after Kandori's Awakening, began to recruit Persona Users (at least one other than Kandori).

After SEBEC's fall, the New World Order recruited the staff that worked in the DEVA System.

The NWO began to experiment with demons and humans.

The Kirijo Group hired all the scientists and inventors from the NWO.

The Kirijo Group began to create Artificial Persona Users.

After Mitsuru's Awakening, the Kirijo Group focused on children experimentation.

The Antisocial Force began to recruit experts in cognitive psience for personal experiments.

[flodaya]

those Instagram and tiktok Stans are annoying bc a key part of tomlore is he is soooo messy about Zendaya. It’s not my business bc she’s a private citizen, but I’d like to know his lore from the end of his long term high school relationship. How much did it have to do w distance vs. his impending celebrity vs. Zendaya 1. Like dating his coworker when he’s the lead of the movie and he knows he has to make 2 more and don’t live in the same country is CRAZY.

2. Dumping her bc they couldn’t find a career balance then immediately being spotted with a childhood family friend is CRAZY (why did it have to be his moms best friends daughter???). 3. He’s also rumored to be flying in an incredibly beautiful professional golfer (that’s now in the best f1 relationship); this one is not crazy I just believe the rumor.

4. What I would’ve done to be in the city of Cleveland in fall of 2019. CLEVELAND. He also followed his next gf during this time. 5. his ex - from the big movie franchise, is spotted with her new man going on the same dates the two of them went on together, so he freaks out and panic commits to his next gf

6. Less than 3 weeks into the new relationship he’s LIVING with his new gf

7. Posts new girlfriend hard launching. ONE day later his ex gets nominated for a big award. He reaches out. She likes his next Instagram post. He posts the new girlfriend again (as reassurance??). Less than a week later his new girlfriends mom unfollows him. The upcoming weeks his new girlfriend posts on Instagram like she’s single.

i thought i was going to be annoyed by this long "let me explain the history" ask but you had me laughing tears, tom was so messy, like you cannot tell me that man didn't see Zendaya at the audtion and was like "whelp it's her or no one i guess", that man has been in love with her for 8 years and i'm glad it's worked out for them for both their sanities

(dumping Z sounds so harsh lol as if it didnt take months for them to disentangle smh)

[andythecorsair]

Spoilery Deadpool and Wolverine Question

Which of those cameos--expected or unexpected--would you like to see followed up on elsewhere in the MCU?

Personally, I wouldn't hate seeing Gambit and X-23 again in the upcoming X-franchise. I know they're probably going to go younger and reestablish them for new audiences, but Channing Tatum was so good! And why can't we have a different set of mutants be the older generation, and a different gaggle as the younger? Tatum's only 44. He could land at the school from the Void, X-23 in tow, and meet Rogue as he's trying to acclimatise to a new life in a new universe.

Yeah, I know, it's not going to happen, though the MCU will be forced to do something different, as we've already seen kids being inducted into Xavier's school twice on the big screen. So what's going to be different this time? Krakoa? That'd be cool...

[gaykeithbilance]

honestly idgaf about the upcoming voltron movie. it will most likely be another reboot of the 80s cartoon and not related to legendary defender. the voltron movie will be a movie based on an existing franchise in our current media landscape of movies based on existing franchises because originality is scary. it will probably be mediocre nostalgia bait for people who grew up with various other voltron iterations, including us. look guys here's a movie about voltron you guys like voltron right? we have a popular actor. come watch our movie in theatres so we can make money. we want money and making a good film is secondary to that. if i'm outraged about this it's because i think this trend is annoying not because they chose voltron as their target. i'm simply not invested enough in the voltron brand. i just happened to like this one show when i was in middle school and developed an unshakable emotional attachment. even if it was based on the vld characters i would ignore it like i ignored netflix atla. i love not watching things it's so fun to not watch things everyone should try it i think.

[sweetness-pop]

Hiya! 💗💋🍓🌸Sweetness*POP🌈🍭💀🌟 here!

I would love to share this idea to you PlayStation gamers!

I recently had been imagining what would it be like if in the mid or late 2020s there were to be an upcoming and unexpected Playstation crossover game starring 3 female characters:

Talwyn Apogee of Ratchet & Clank

Keira Hagai of Jak & Daxter

& Carmelita Fox of Sly Cooper

Either for the PS5 or upcoming PS6.

The 3 main voice actresses:

Ali Hillis as Talwyn Apogee

Hillis voiced Talwyn in Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus. Her other roles include Dr. Liara T'Soni of Mass Effect series, Audrey Gassenarl of Valkyria Chronicles II, Karin of Naruto Shippuuden, Andra Cressen of Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011), Presa of Tales of Xilla (2013), Dr. Ariel Hanson of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, Black Cat/Felicia Hardy of The Amazing Spider-Man Video Game (2012), and Lightning Farron of Final Fantasy series.

Erica Lindbeck as Keira Hagai

Imagine when J&D franchise makes surprising return, some of the characters will have new VAs. And Keira's 3rd VA will be Lindbeck. Her other roles include Sayaka Igarashi of Kategurui, Kaori Miyazono of Your Lie in April, Eli Ayase of Love Live! School Project, Futaba Sakura of Persona 5, Cassie Cage of Mortal Kombat 11, Daki of Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba), Lady Nagant of My Hero Academia, Emira of The Owl House, and Loona of Helluva Boss.

& Alésia Glidewell as Carmelita Fox

Glidewell voiced Carmelita and Constable Neyla in Sly 2: Band of Thieves. Her other roles include Zoey of Left 4 Dead (2006), Sedna of Demigod (2009), Alma Wade of F.E.A.R. 2: Project & F.E.A.R. 3 (2009-2011), Chell of Portal, Krystal of Star Fox Assault, Metroid's main protagonist Samus Aran in Super Smash Bros series.

The rating of this game would be ESRB T (Teen) in North America, CERO C (Ages 15 and up) in Japan, and PEGI 12 (Suitable for ages 12 and up) or even PEGI 16 (For ages 16 and up) in Europe.

The content of the game:

Fantasy violence, Blood, Language, Suggestive themes, Mild use of drugs of alcohol, & Sexual themes. Oh yeah, there would be certain reasons why this game would be rated T/C/12(or 16) with this kind of content. Remember when Ratchet & Clank games use to be rated T and toned down to E10+? Or remember that Jak & Daxter was franchise for a teen audience? But do you remember how the Sly Cooper series was always rated E and E10+.

The game would be action/adventure filled with female empowerment.

Plus, a very interesting and sweet storyline were while being the unexpected ones to save and protect their worlds as some unknown force is what mixing their universes dangerously, the 3 heroines help each other out and blossom a close, strong, deep and loving bond together.

Do you all know what would also be cool? If Richard Steven Horvitz (roles include Daggert of The Angry Beaver, Zim of Invader Zim, Billy of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Raz of Psychonauts, Kaos of Skylanders, and Moxxie of Helluva Boss) were to have a voice role the game either as a badass close ally/handler or one of the villains to the 3 heroines!

What if it will be a huge extremely, unexpected surprise that this game will turn out to sell really good around the globe?! It'll be the one crossover game that fans have never asked for! Plus, imagine in the one country, this upcoming PlayStation game will be selling even better. And that one country will be Japan! Japan would end up making lots of advertising with entertaining commercials and 3D digital billboards in Shibuya of Tokyo, and merchandise like figures and anime-style posters. Hell, there could even be a Japanese dub for the game too!

Imagine these brand new seiyuus (who are also singers) for the "PlayStation Move Heroines":

Marina Inoue as Talwyn Apogee

Inoue's roles include Armin Arlert of Attack on Titan, Yoko Littner of Gurren Lagann, Yumiko Miura of Oregairu (My Youth Romantic Comedy is Wrong as I expected), Rei Miyamoto of HighSchool of the Dead, Tohka Yatogami of Date A Live, Momo Yaoyorozu of My Hero Academia, and Mai Zenin of Jujutsu Kaisen.

Rie Takahashi as Keira Hagai

Takahashi's roles include Takagi of Karakai Jouzou no Takagi-San (Teasing Master Takagi-San), Emilia of Re:Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu, Megumin of KonoSuba, Tomo Aizawa of Tomo-Chan is a Girl!, Anzu Hoshino of Romantic Killer, and Ai Hoshino of Oshi no Ko.

& Yoko Hikasa as Carmelita Fox

Hikasa's roles include Rias Gremory of High School DXD, Emilia Justina of The Devil is a Part-Timer!, Hwaryun of Tower of God, Utahime Iori of Jujutsu Kaisen, Kyoko Kirigiri of Danganronpa, and Yoh Asakura of Shaman King (2021)

Our heroines would even have a special color to always represent them in their together crossover game. Talwyn-yellow💛, Keira-pink🩷, and Carmelita-light blue🩵. (Hehe just like idol groups☺✨)

💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛

🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵

This ideal PS game could also give the 3 supporting characters who are the love interests of Ratchet (Talwyn), Jak (Keira) and Sly (Carmelita) the spotlight and recognition that they should deserve to have.

My question for all of you is that if Sony were to make this happen someday in the future, then should this be canon to the PlayStationVerse?

So what do you Playstation fans think? And 1 more thing, imagine seeing the first official image looking like this:

The 3 Playstation Femme Fatales standing next to each other. Talwyn in the center, Keira in the right, and Carmelita in the left. And they happen to be wearing what look like hooded black suits that are similar to the skydiving stealth suits of Deku (Izuku Midoriya), Dynamight (Katsuki Bakugou) and Shoto (Shoto Todoroki) from the movie My Hero Academia: World Heroes Mission, but only combined together with what looks like the black catsuit of Nancy Makuhari aka Miss Deep of Read or Die. Talwyn: black with yellow trim and black hoodie with yellow striped black lombax ears. Keira: black with pink trim and black hoodie with top pink/bottom black crystal horns (similar to the dark horns of Dark Eco Jak), and Carmelita: black with light blue trim and black hoodie with black raccoon tails as ears with sky blue ring stripes. Talwyn Apogee, Keira Hagai and Carmelita Fox looking like beautiful, hot, dangerous, sexy and badass Playstation ladies in the image.

Here is the post to my ideal concept for them to wear for the FINAL SHOWDOWN!

And this happens to be from my YouTube comment on a video showing PlayStation Move Heroes cutscenes. (I am TETSUSakura91)

Please share feel free to share your comments and opinions on this idea for a PlayStation crossover.

Thank you.😘

🔥✨🌹🩵💛🩷💋🔫😎

[thenightling]

This is interesting. Apparently Nickelodeon's live action TV movie musicals of Monster High were / are so successful that Universal Studios now wants to make a high budget (to be theatrically released) live-action Monster High movie.

(As far as I know, there will still be a third Nickelodeon Monster High movie this October, not connected to the Universal Studios version in development).

Universal Studios has made a new deal with Mattel, which suggests that their own planned Monster High movie will make specific reference to the Universal movie versions of the classic monsters and not just the public domain or zeitgeist idea of the characters.

So for anyone confused, this is NOT the third Nickelodeon Monster High TV movie. This is different. This will be a high budget Universal Studios project for an actual theatrical release and probably with direct references to the Universal monster movies.

(Joking) Boy, Universal's Dark Universe is certainly going in an unexpected direction! :-P

For those who don't know what Monster High is, Monster High is a line of collectable fashion dolls meant to be the children of classic monsters. They have tie-in books, animated series, music videos, and live action musical TV movies made by Nickelodeon.

Every six years Monster High gets a "soft reboot" where the collectable dolls get redesigned and the attached storylines are changed. For example in Generation 1 the school was like an American public High school and the principle was the Headless Mistress (A woman Headless Horseman, whose doll is now highly sought after by collectors).

Generation 2 changed the school to a boarding school created by Count Dracula to protect monster children from the threat of humans. This incarnation of Monster High heavily "borrowed" from Hotel Transylvania. The dolls also lost some quality and were more cheaply made. Their eyes were made bigger and the monstrous traits softened or greatly reduced. The zombie character, Ghoulia, was almost entirely dropped.

Generation 3 restored the dolls quality and gave them new body types such as Draculaura being shorter and more full-figured. She's also a vampire-witch (Love that combo).

Lagoona Blue is no longer Australian and (this change I don't like) is now pink instead of blue and they removed her webbed hands, making it hard to tell she is even the daughter of The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Frankie Stein was given a prosthetic leg and is now nonbinary, using they / them pronouns.

The weird thing is Clawdeen (the werewolf) is now "half-human." ...How? Werewolfism is like diabetes. You either have it or you don't. There's no "half."

It is likely the new Universal movie will be intended for the next soft reboot but that's not scheduled until 2028.

It will be interesting to see what Universal studios does with merging their own classic monsters with the Monster High franchise.

[captainremmington-13]

New Year, Same Problems

A Bellova x Coriolanus One-Shot

DISCLAIMER: I don’t own The Hunger Games franchise, the images above, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, or any of the characters in this fic other than Bellova. I also do not condone the beliefs or actions of Coriolanus or Bellova.

Summary: A week before the beginning of the school year, the Academy hosts an orientation night for new and returning students. As the top members of the upcoming senior class, Coriolanus and Bellova are instructed to write and present a two-person speech during the lecture part of orientation. Neither of them are thrilled. 

⚠️Warnings⚠️: swearing, alcohol consumption

A/n: This takes place at the beginning of their senior year of the Academy. Also, I HIGHLY recommend you catch up on my series, A Lady Made of Snow, before reading this.

“No, I will not reconsider. You two have the best grades and academic records in your class. Therefore, you must be the ones to give the speech.”

Bellova’s jaw clenched, and her lips curled into a snarl. “Fine.” She pushed past Coriolanus and exited the room, muttering profanities under her breath. 

Professor Satyria Click sighed. “As brilliant as she is, she has room to grow in the emotional control department.”  

Coriolanus laughed good-naturedly. “I couldn’t agree more.”

Satyria looked at the clock hung just above the door. “Well, I don’t want to keep you waiting. The luncheon has probably already started, I don’t want you to miss the opportunity to catch up with your friends.” 

Coriolanus smiled. “Of course. I’ll see you at the orientation, professor.”

He gave her a parting kiss on the cheek and left the room, heading towards Heavensbee Hall, where a luncheon was being held just for the new senior class of the Academy. The seniors had been required to attend a meeting regarding the beginning-of-the-year orientation held for new and returning students. As the highest and oldest class, they assisted the teachers in explaining the ways of the school. Many of them were assigned with showing new students around the campus. 

However, being the top students of their grade, Bellova and Coriolanus has been tasked with writing a speech about their experience attending the Academy. When Professor Click told them this, they both protested, insisting that they should write separate speeches instead of collaborating. But alas, their complaints went unheard.

Bellova sat at a small table, purposefully ignoring anyone who tried to converse with her. The school year hadn’t even started yet, and she was being forced to work with her most irritating classmate. 

She wasn’t surprised that Satyria had paired them up. They both had solid social skills, and excelled in public speaking. In short, they were the definition of model students. 

“Bellova!”

She scowled, looking down at the table to avoid making eye contact with the person who called her name. “Leave me alone.”

Coriolanus sat down across from her. “Believe me, I wish I could,” he began. “It’s not like I enjoy working with you, but I have no choice in the matter.”

Bellova sucked in a breath, trying to ignore the pang or hurt the insult caused. “We need to get started on the speech as soon as possible. I don’t want to leave it until the last minute, like that one time in History-“

“Will you drop it?” Coriolanus snapped, his lips curled into a small pout. “I’ve apologized to you thousands of times already, you’re just trying to get a rise out of me.”

She smirked. “Anyways,” she said, ignoring his frustration. “I’d invite you to work at my place, but my father has an important meeting with some Senators and would hate to have any extra visitors. So we could go to your penthouse instea-“

“No,” Coriolanus said hastily. “No, we can’t.”

Bellova’s eyes narrowed. “And why not?”

“My Grandma’am is sick, and she does not want to be disturbed.”

Bellova knew he was lying. He may have been able to fool others, but not her. He knew that she read him like a book, and usually didn’t try deceiving her. But for some reason, he felt it was necessary this time.

She shrugged, brushing it off. “Alright. Then what about the library? I think it’s open to seniors and staff, but not to the other students. It’ll be nice and quiet.” 

Coriolanus nodded. “That sounds fine. What time do you want to meet?”

“Three o’clock. I have a manicure appointment at one that’ll take at least an hour, but I should be able to make it to the library by then.”

Coriolanus scoffed. “You’re such a princess.” 

Bellova flipped him off while simultaneously taking a sip of her drink. He rolled his eyes and stood up, slinging his Academy bag over his shoulder. “I’ll see you later,” he said, and walked away briskly.

She watched Coriolanus leave the hall, her gaze burning into the back of his head.

Silently, she hoped he would put his bitchy behavior aside while writing the speech with her. Or she’d be tempted to stage an unfortunate accident so she could do the whole thing herself. 

________________________________________________

Bellova stifled a yawn behind her perfectly-manicured hand, glancing at the ginormous clock on the wall of the library. She had been working non-stop for almost three hours, and her body was beginning to shut down. She was tired, hungry, and thirsty, effectively putting her in an agitated mood.

They had made adequate progress, at least. Only a few sections remained unwritten, and they were certain they’d complete it before the sun set.

Coriolanus nudged her elbow, causing her to recoil instinctively. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked.

Bellova scowled. “Nothing. Focus on your work.”

“Technically, it’s our work. It’s a co-written speech.”

“God, Coryo, can you just shut up for once?” she hissed, rubbing her temples aggressively. “You’re giving me a fucking headache.”

The boy frowned, setting down his pen. “Seriously, what’s going on? You always have an attitude, but this is a bit much, even for you.”

Bellova slumped forwards, crossing her arms and resting her chest and head against the table they were working at. “I don’t feel well.”

Coriolanus sighed. “You forgot to eat a proper lunch again, didn’t you?”

She huffed. “How did you know?“

“You do that far too often, especially when you have a lot of work to do.”

“I didn’t know that you noticed. Or cared.”

Coriolanus frowned, and stood up from his chair. 

“Where are you going?“ she murmured, her eyes closing due to fatigue.

“To get you food and some coffee. If we’re going to finish this speech tonight, you need your energy back. I don’t want you dozing off while we’re supposed to be working. I’d have to douse you with water to wake you up.”

Bellova groaned, still resting her head against the table. “Don’t you fucking dare, Snow. I’ll bury you alive.”

“I’d expect nothing less.” Coriolanus pushed pushed in his chair and left the library, silently thanking the founders of the Academy for allowing cafeteria food to be free for students. 

He barely had enough money to pay for his own food, let alone pay for someone’s who never had to worry about going hungry.

.

.

.

Coriolanus returned shortly, placing a steaming mug of coffee and a sandwich before Bellova. She was still resting on the table, and her breathing had slowed. She was asleep.

He sighed, and patted her on the shoulder gently. No response. He prodded at her arm a few times, which did nothing. 

Finally, he resorted to poking her in the ribs.

“What the-“ Bellova jolted awake, instinctively swatting at whoever had touched her. Coriolanus barely managed to avoid getting scratched by her nails. “What the hell was that?”

“I brought you food. Now eat.”

She sat up slowly, muttering curses under her breath. “No need to be so bitchy about it, Coryo.” But she complied, quickly eating the sandwich and drinking half of her coffee before speaking again. 

“That better?”

She nodded. “Yes, I feel much less brain-dead than before.”

Coriolanus smiled slightly. “Good. Now let’s keep going.”

________________________________________________

𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫

“Fuck!” Bellova shrieked, hurling her lipstick across the room, not caring where it landed. 

She had spent almost three hours getting ready for the orientation. It took her half an hour to decide on an outfit, and she eventually picked out black dress pants, a black corset that definitely pushed the Academy dress code, and a black blazer. She paired that with extremely high platform heels. Ever since Coriolanus had surpassed her in height, she wore heels when he was in her presence.

She was going to be really late if she wasted any more time.

She darted out of her room and down the stairs to meet her driver, snatching her purse off the table and practically pushing the Avox at the door aside to exit the building. 

Her driver started the car as soon as she entered it. As they drove towards the Academy, Bellova tried to gather her bearings. She didn’t want to make a bad first impression on any of the new students. Even though some of them were still quite young, she knew they could be incredibly judgmental. 

She also knew she and Coriolanus would be labeled as role models. They had always been star students, the top of their class, and avoided trouble. The only exception was the whispered banter that sometimes got heated during in-class discussions, and the arguments that occurred once class was no longer in session. 

If they were both less stubborn, they’d make an exceptional team. Alas, neither of them were ever willing to back down and admit defeat, so the game would continue. 

Unless one of them was forced to quit.

.

.

.

Bellova practically sprinted through the sea of students, searching for Professor Click. Heavensbee Hall was packed, as the entire student body was crammed into a single room. 

Finally, she spotted the communications professor at the front of the room, talking to Professor Demigloss. “Professor Click!” she said over the noise, maneuvering her way through the crowd. 

“Oh hello, Bellova, dear,” Satyria beamed. “We were worried you wouldn’t be coming.”

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” she said apologetically. The professor waved her hand dismissively.

“No need to worry, we’re running behind schedule anyways. You go catch up with your friends and I’ll fetch you and Mister Snow when it’s time for your speech.”

Bellova nodded, and went to go find her fellow seniors. Within seconds, she found her group of friends standing near the beverage table. 

“There she is!” Persephone said happily, coming over and practically dragging her towards the group, which consisted of Festus Creed, Lysistrata Vickers, Felix Ravinstill, Diana Ring, Arachne Crane, Clemensia Dovecote, and Sejanus Plinth. 

“Hi there, Bellova,” Sejanus said, giving her a warm smile. “We were wondering when you’d show up.”

She winced slightly. “I was running a bit late. I put a little too much time into my makeup, because I insisted on doing it myself instead of having my stylist do it. She always pokes me in the eye while doing eyeliner, it’s quite annoying.” 

Arachne giggled, and Bellova bit the inside of her lip to keep from wincing. Arachne’s laugh sounded as atrocious as nails raking across a chalkboard.

“Well, you look beautiful,” Felix said. “I’d say you’re most beautiful girl in the senior class.”

Bellova smiled, though the comment made her slightly uneasy. She knew Felix still had feelings for her, despite them coming to an agreement to just be friends. He had confessed his love for her at the last end-of-year gala, but she politely turned him down. 

“Hey!” Arachne protested, elbowing Felix. “There’s other girls standing here, you know.”

Felix grimaced, rubbing the spot on his arm where Arachne had made contact. “Yeah, I’m aware.”

The Crane heir opened her mouth to protest again, but Dean Highbottom’s amplified voice over the speakers cut her off. 

“Students, please take a seat. The orientation is about to officially begin.”

As everyone around her began finding a place to sit, Bellova saw Professor Click standing near the small stage at the front of the room She rushed over, tapping her on the arm to get her attention. 

“Hello again,” the professor said, smiling. “Coriolanus should be making his way over any time now. You two will give your speech after Professor Sickle talks.” 

As if on cue, Coriolanus appeared at Bellova’s side. He was wearing a dark purple dress shirt and black slacks. It briefly reminded her of a luxurious purple coat he used to wear all the time as a little boy. 

“How are you feeling about this?” he asked her quietly. 

“Fine, I suppose. I’m good at public speaking, so I’m not worried.”

Coriolanus hummed, glancing around the room. “The lowest level of students looks younger and younger every year, I swear.”

“That’s because we’re getting older, Coryo,” Bellova replied in a condescending tone.

Instead of insulting her like she expected, he laughed. “I suppose so. But some things never really change.” 

“True. We’ve always been each other’s fiercest competition, and I doubt that’ll ever stop.” 

He shrugged. “We’ll see.”

________________________________________________

“Oh, well done, you two!” Professor Click squealed. “That was perfect!”

Coriolanus and Bellova looked at each other, exchanging happy grins. They had been flawless, and the students seemed much more interested in their speech than the teachers’s.

“Thank you, professor,” they said in unison. 

“I should have you work together far more often,” Professor Click gushed. “You’re such a good team.”

Bellova stepped away from Coriolanus instinctively. “Yes…Yes, we are,” she said, lying through her teeth. 

The professor didn’t seem to notice. “Enjoy yourselves for the rest of the night, you’ve earned it.” And with that, she departed. 

Coriolanus turned to Bellova. “I’m not sure I’ll survive another year of doing projects with you.”

Bellova rolled her eyes playfully. “Fuck off, Coryo.“

He smirked. “Such vulgar language for a Capitol heiress.”

“I’ll always speak my mind, no matter what.” Bellova grabbed two drinks off the tray of a passing Avox, and handed one to Coriolanus. “You need to unwind.”

“I agree,” Coriolanus said, taking the glass. He raised it, signaling a toast. “To success?”

“To success.” They room small sips of the champagne, and smiled at each other. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but something about his presence was making her skin feel clammy and her heart beat irregularly. 

A small group of students approached them, giggling loudly. They couldn’t have been much older than thirteen. Bellova raised an eyebrow, stepping backwards slightly. 

“Can we help you?” she asked. 

One of the girls stepped forward, her cheeks flushing red with nervousness. “Um…we just wanted to say th-that you’re both really smart and cool.”

Coriolanus chuckled. “Thanks.”

Clearly, the young Academy students were enamored by Coriolanus. Bellova didn’t blame them. If she was in their place, she’d be nervous too. 

One of the boys coughed up. “I have a question.” 

“Yes?” 

“Are you two dating?“

Bellova saw Coriolanus’s face turn pink. She laughed, turning to face the boy who had just spoken. 

“No, we’re not. In fact, I’d rather die than be his girlfriend.”

“Hey!” Coriolanus exclaimed. “That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?” 

She shrugged. “It’s true.” 

It was a lie, a bold-faced one. 

But unlike Coriolanus, she was skilled in the art of deception.

.

.

.

“Well, I think I’m going to head home,” Bellova said, her head resting against Persephone’s. She’d been at the Academy for hours, and was tired of the loud chatter of her fellow students. 

“Alright,” Persephone said warmly, squeezing her friend’s hand. “I look forward to seeing you on the first day of classes!”

Bellova kissed her on the cheek and bid farewell to the rest of her friends. She exited through the large doors of Heavensbee Hall, and walked down the several flights of stairs it took to reach Scholars Road.

On the ride home, she couldn’t help but contemplate the awkward question that young boy asked. Honestly, the audacity of adolescents to ask their superiors such personal things! Bellova would never have asked a senior student something like that when she was their age. 

Not only was it nosy of them, it forced her to imagine what it would be like to have Coriolanus as a romantic partner. She was sure it would be her own personal hell. They already fought so often, and dating would only make the animosity worse. 

But there would be some positive elements. He was charming, well-mannered, socially and academically intelligent, and undeniably handsome. She was genuinely surprised he’d never had a girlfriend. He’d been asked out by many people in the past, but turned them all down. It made sense, given that he saw them as unequal to him. 

The only one he had ever admitted was on his level was Bellova.

She sighed. She knew that one day, he would aspire to find someone to pursue a relationship with and marry. 

But nobody in the Capitol was truly good enough for him.

Except for herself. 

✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊

TAGLIST: @daenerysqueenofhearts, @squidscottjeans, @euphemiaamillais, @gracieroxzy, @effectwalker, @mystargirl-interlude

Author’s Note: Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think in the comments! I’ve had this idea in my head for awhile now, and finally had a chance to turn it into an full one-shot.

If you have any one-shot ideas, pls leave a comment below or send something to my inbox!

Also, let me know if you want to be added to the tag list!

[numbuh-1507]

Some time ago, I made a journal (https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10927368) stating how I’m getting worried about what might happen in the upcoming Jellystone! crossover special.

Basically, Joesanchez has told me that, due to the “mean-spirited” nature of the show, the episode might end with all of the 19 universes featured on it being erased from existence forever. It doesn’t help that 1. it’s named after a DC crossover event that did the same thing; 2. in real life Cartoon Network lost their studio and their website, so the special ending with all the classics being purged could be sort of a “Reality Subtext”.

Besides, DC already eliminated the 2003 Teen Titans series in the recent animated adaptation of Infinite Earths, so it’s not out of the question that Warner Bros is willing to greenlight this special not to celebrate Cartoon Network, but to tell everyone “Here, Robot Jones’ world is gone forever, which means we don’t have to make a sequel or reboot of it ever. Tough break.” This will be the ultimate “Torch the Franchise(s) and Run”.

The worst part is that the crappy CN shows such as Steven Universe and Gumball are not part of this special, which means they’ll get to survive even though they don’t deserve it. We will have to endure more of their beanmouth styles and crappy tumblr fanfiction writing that makes Hazbin Hotel look like a masterpiece in comparison. At least actually good shows were also spared like Generator Rex and Infinity Train… which isn’t saying much considering their real life fates.

Of course, there is the possibility that I’ll be proven wrong and the special has a decent ending (for Jellystone! standards anyway) that will do these characters justice, and I’ve wasted my time drawing this and writing this rant about your precious CalArts Style crap. But for now, it looks like it’s curtains for Dexter, Aron City, Cow and Chicken, Townsville, Peach Creek, the Time Squad, Samurai Jack, Robot Jones, Endsville, Bunny Island, Sector V, Foster’s, Camp Kidney, Charles Darwin Middle School, Ben Tennyson, Marzipan City, Stormalong Harbor, the Land of Ooo, the park and 18 years of continuity. It’s the Super Genesis Wave all over again, and this time is personal.

All of these belong to Warner Bros. Discovery. Art based off a panel of DC’s Infinite Crisis.

 “24 hours, 7 days a week, from now to the end of times”… which turned out to be 2024.

You must be wondering though, why is Yogi crying? You’ll see soon enough.

[tmnt-tychou]

Since 2024 had just started, what are your expectations for the upcoming Mutant Mayhem series (I think it will start in April)? For me, they will probably show up some cringe love CRINGY moments between Splinter and his cockroach girlfriend 😬

I am expecting more of the same with what we got from the movie. A lot of teen boys being teen boys and weird, Nickelodeon-eqsue humor. I'm trying not to let expectations get into it as I seem to ruin things for myself when I expect certain things. With the turtles being out in the open to the public and going to school, we are entering territory that the franchise has not explored before and I'm curious to see what they're going to do with it. What I hope to see are full character arcs for each turtle and I want to see a MM Casey Jones. Other than that, I'm going to let it ride and see how it goes.

[marvelmaniac715]

When I was eight, a little movie called Descendants came out. I was hooked, I memorised the songs - I sang them in the playground with my classmates - I watched it several times, I just adored it. Then Descendants 2 came out, and I came to love that too. I watched it at a sleepover with my first high school best friend, I planned to sing one of the songs at a talent show with said friend (that plan fell through), and I memorised all the details. When Descendants 3 came out, I have a distinct memory of being distraught when I realised that I got the release date wrong, and I watched it as soon as I could - I even bought the audiobook because I loved the film - and I own one of the Isle of the Lost novels. I even watched the animated Wedding special and the Wicked World series, as well as the Bad Lip Reading version of the first movie on Disney XD. With all of this context, you can understand that when I discovered the upcoming release of Descendants: The Rise of Red, my little eight year old heart cried out with joy and I decided to watch it for nostalgia’s sake. I just finished watching it and, well… it wasn’t the worst? The songs were good in places, the actors were all talented and I’m always happy to see Uma, but as I kept watching I could feel my smile falling more and more, and when I reached the ending I was just confused. I heard that there’ll be a Part 2, and I hope there is so that a more complete story is created, but it just didn’t feel like a Descendants movie? The core four were the heart and soul of the franchise, and whilst I love Red and Chloe, it just isn’t the same. Maybe I’ll feel different on a rewatch, but coming from a longtime fan, I’m disappointed. It’s not the end of the story, but after The Rise of Red, the future of Descendants looks dubious.

[cqallenwalker]

Finished Season 2 of @niconicorose 's massive fanfiction Love Live! New Melody Project. Once again I am pleased with the author's understanding of the characters and what makes Love Live tick. Seeing her original characters grow within the story also reminds me of getting to know the new girls each major iteration of the Love Live anime, such as when we all got to know Aqours after the end of μ's. One of the things I've liked with her use of the Nijigasaki girls has been adding some much needed conflict that wasn't as present in the anime. Back when they were in the school idol club, they were all friends sure, but also rivals. What happens after the School Idol Festival days are over? What happens when they enter the wider Idol world? What happens when the rivalry conflicts with the friendship? I feel like we get a good view of that with the role Kasumi plays in the story. Much like her take on the other girls, it feels realistic and in line with most of the writing in the broader Love Live franchise. As a side note, I feel like the author and I are on the same wavelength with Nico in regards to her behavior, motivations etc. Lots of "That's what I was thinking!" when reading her take on Nico. She just gets Nico. I've still got a couple of the one-shots to read, but regardless it's made me excited to see what happens in her upcoming original book.

[idleglowingpixels]

October-December 2024 Updates - XXY, Monster High & More!

Me when I remember I have a Tumblr & AO3 I wanted to run on a regular basis, but haven't done anything with either for roughly 3 months:

ANYWAY hi, I am back on Tumblr (and soon, AO3) to drop some MAJOR updates regarding what I've been up to in my absence, my WIP fanfics, upcoming fandom stuff (mainly art but also some general theory/headcanon/etc. posts), and generally what I'm up to for the rest of this year!

Lin! Where Have You Been, Loca?!

I've been doing a lot behind the scenes! During the spring and summer, I've been working on a script for a personal project of mine. All of my writing time had been committed to it -- I've got over 400 pages of script done since March 2023! I met some new friends and reconnected with old friends too, this summer was very social for me.

I'm currently attending my first semester of college (FINALLY), and it's going well! The adjustment period was very long and tiresome, but I feel a lot better about being on top of my schoolwork and keeping things balanced. Now if only my sleep could enter the equation...

Since August started, I haven't written much at all because I was taking part in a college summer program. I wanted to have at least one chapter and/or oneshot fic completed by October, and thankfully I've manage to achieve that! It's been genuinely refreshing to return to my fanfics, and they make me wish I didn't have to be away from them for as long as I did. There's also just been so many different franchises that I've re-entered obsessions with, and would love to share with all of you. So without further ado, let's get to it!

XXY - Chapters 8-14

I have officially completed the first drafts of all 7 upcoming chapters! Editing doesn't take me very long to do, and now that I'm better adjusted to my school/work/life balance, I've been able to manage my time a little better.

To all of you who have been waiting for new chapters since Chapter 7 released, I'm so sorry for making you wait! I honestly don't know how the time from last August to now went by so fast. I still check my email regularly and seeing support from old & new fans of the fic during its extended hiatus has really helped me get back into the swing of things.

To celebrate the occasion, I wanted to provide the names of the next batch of chapters, as well as their release dates. These release dates are final, and will only be changed under extreme circumstances (WHICH WON'T HAPPEN WORLD ISTG--!!!) or if I accidentally forget what day it is (which has happened before), and in that case it'll be posted within 1-2 days after the release dates I've listed below.

Chapter 8: Gladiolus - December 7th, 2024 Chapter 9: Hyacinth - January 7th, 2025 Chapter 10: Spearmint - February 7th, 2025 Chapter 11: Coriander - March 7th, 2025 Chapter 12: Hibiscus - April 8th, 2025 Chapter 13: Violet - May 7th, 2025 Chapter 14: Jasmine Tobacco (INTERMISSION) - June 7th, 2025

Per my Monster High fics, I will also be releasing cover art for Chapters 1-7 (since I didn't get to before) throughout November, leading up to Chapter 8's release. From Ch. 8 onward, cover art for the chapters will be released the same day & on the same update posts as their respective chapters. I hope you'll be looking forward to what I have in store!

Monster High AU Updates

My Monster High AU is back from the dead with plenty of goodies this October! This year I was planning to write, draw & release a lot more for the AU, but since I haven't been able to, I wanted to make up for it during Spooky Month.

I don't have definitive release dates for this, but I have plenty of stuff I want to share, so here's a list of everything I plan on releasing throughout the next few months:

Updated Character Art & Bios: Frankie, Draculaura, Clawdeen, Cleo & Lagoona (Fun fact, I'd had everyone but Cleo done all the way back in 2022, which is why the art style differed so much from more recent drawings I'd posted!)

NEW Character Art & Bios: Clawd Wolf, Howleen Wolf, the Timberwolfs (3 characters), & a surprise character!

NEW One-Shot (With Cover Art): Taking A Lycan To New Salem

NEW Art -- Two pictures from the text conversations in Trapped By The Rain

My original plan after the main 5 ghouls was to create & release the bios of the main mansters (Deuce, Heath, Jackson/Holt, etc.), but in light of the upcoming fic release, I wanted to shift my attention to Clawdeen's siblings and the rest of their pack first. I've spent a lot of time developing them, and a couple of these characters are from G2 & G3 who I've altered to fit into my AU as seamlessly as possible! After these bios release, I do intend on returning to my versions of the mansters, as well as rounding out the rest of the lead ghouls in the ensemble cast (Including (but not limited to) Ghoulia, Abbey, Twyla and Torelai).

Since my scripts are wrapped up for the most part, I do plan on having more frequent fanfic updates for the AU in the forseeable future. How frequent? I have no idea! But I'm absolutely making this AU update much more than once a year.

Gravity Falls -- Billtober & Upcoming Fanfiction!

That's right, one of my all-time favorite TV series has re-entered my mind and I cannot contain it! Believe it or not, before XXY AND my Monster High AU, I had been planning to debut on AO3 with a Gravity Falls fanfiction.

With all that The Book Of Bill & thisisnotawebsite.com have given us lore-wise, I've had a new and revitalized version of that old fanfic idea (Name TBD). Unfortunately, due to the lack of attention I've been giving the aforementioned stories I've been working on over the last couple of years -- and because I want to release chapters once the fic is completed -- I don't (and won't) have much, if anything, to report on it in the upcoming months.

To satiate my need to make something for the show, I decided to take up the Billtober challenge created by @dailybill-cipher ! I'll be working on my sketches sporadically over the next month or so, and will post 7-8 doodles for every week that I finish. Again, this will be sporadic, so I will post whenever I have completed my personal quota!

I also have an old OC for the series I made back in high school who was in DESPERATE need for some upgrades, and whenever I finish a drawing for him, I can't wait to share his design! He'll be in my fic, but only really at the beginning and end, with an appearance here or there as the plot demands it (which is not much).

Miscellaneous

I have a Miraculous Ladybug rewrite fic in the works, whose notes have been collecting dust on my cork board, but it's something I intend to begin working on again in the next year or so. I despised S5's ending, and therefore, will not be continuing to view the series proper. I stopped at S5, so anything that has released for it after S5's finale, excluding the movie (I forgot if it released before or after the finale), I haven't seen. And I don't intend to see (I'm allowing exceptions for what I've seen already, because I need to research for my fic). But I'm really looking forward to returning to this old draft and rejuvenating it!

I may do some art for Five Nights At Freddy's in the near future? Nothing guaranteed, but I do love the franchise, so it's not like I won't talk about it ever lol. Also, I was gifted a copy of The Week Before, which besides my movie poster is my only FNAF merchandise, and OOOOOOOOOOH BOY AM I EXCITED TO RAMBLE ABOUT IT AND EVENTUALLY LET MY RAMBLES ESCAPE MY DRAFTS.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is dropping in December...And I will make it everyone's problem (/j). I'm highly anticipating this one, the trailers make it look great!

Ending Notes

For now, these are the main projects that I'm working on. I'm be working really hard to be better at consistent updates and such, so hopefully I won't be away as long as I was unannounced.

As always, thank you to my readers, old and new, for being patient with me. It really is appreciated and helps me continue these stories!