#what is going on with this new batch of fans seriously

[aechlys]

"misshitsu-kei" I feel like I'm hallucinating these western fans are just making shit up istg 🫠🫠🫠

[alexa-fika]

Heya, I have an idea that has lived rent free in my head since I started watching one piece. I've always been a huge demon slayer fan, and my favorite character is mitsuri I love her style and personality, and her whip like sword is awesome. With the first two episodes of the new hashira training ark now out, could I request a mitsuri like reader? I'm unsure about the characters/crew so I'll leave it up to you. I'll be happy either way

And seriously remember to take breaks it's important and stuff- also just a question what got you into one piece and who is a character you love? If you've watched demon slayer, what if your favorite character from there too?

Sweet Warrior (Whitebeard pirates x Mitsuri!Reader)

A/N oh! I am exited for this one guys, lil but different from my usual one’s as we got both quite a bit of action/fight scene and we got a tiny but of romance in there! Also Holo sorry it ook me like literally 6 months to get to this but it finally is here! I had lots of fun writing this piece and getting to look into mitsuri’s character especially having it interact with the different members! I answered the questions here just so that I din’t overwhelm this section!

Reader here is replaced by Dokucha which stands for Reader in japanese for the enjoyment of both oc and reader character readers!

Dividers by @/firefly-graphics

"Are you ready, Jozu?" Dokucha called from across the field

"I am ready!" he boomed as he activated his devil fruit ability; he dug his hands into the ground and began lifting the earth below him.

"Aha! So we're starting up big, Brother Jozu!?!" She exclaimed in glee as she propelled herself forward, whipping out her urumi. She cartwheeled her way up the raised bed, skillfully avoiding the flow of her sword as it spun around her. Its sharp edges made quick work of the ground below her, splitting it into smaller pieces that fell victim to gravity.

She grinned, doing a swift salto to make her way to even ground and away from the crumbling earth that she had left behind.

Not one to be outdone, Jozu was quick to step up his game, and he once again dug his hands into the ground and began pulling out huge parts of the soil and rocks and hauling them toward the swordswoman.

She let out a smile as she sprinted towards both the diamond man and the incoming barrage, throwing herself on a walkover as she maneuvered her sword in a small spiral in front of her. She watched with satisfaction as it wrapped around a particularly big-sized chunk of earth. Allowing the projectile to propel her off the ground and over the chunk itself, she put both hands on the sword and pulled down; aided by gravity, she watched with satisfaction as it was sent crashing into the ground as she continued sprinting closer to the man.

"That won't work for me, Brother Jozu! You are going to have to come after me yourself if you want to win!" She laughed as she cut the remainder chunks with a simple whip of her sword

"That's the spirit!" He laughed as he covered himself in a diamond armor as he threw himself forward

"What is mah beautiful Wife up to now?" Thatch called as he entered the Kitchen, placing a chaste kiss on the woman as he passed by, smiling as the action was rewarded by a small giggle

"I'm preparing something sweet; the boys are going to be here soon," she announced with a grin on her face.

He hummed, wrapping his hands around her from behind and placing his head on her shoulder.

"Is there any special occasion? It seems to be keeping ya busy as a cat on a hot tin roof," he mumbled.

"Not really; I just thought it would be nice to have a small gathering. The crew parties are great, but it's hard to mingle when there are hundreds."

"That's fair, but I hope ya know Ace is gonna devour those," he teased, looking down at the baked goods that she was preparing.

"I prepared various batches already; there's enough to feed me him and then some," she proudly stated

"Aren't you precious? Ya have everything figured out, don'tcha" placing a kiss on her cheek with a dopey smile on his face.

"I am your wife, after all; did you expect anything less?"

"Alright, lovebirds, knock it off. We're here-yoi," Marco Called, strutting into the Kitchen with Ace and Izou following shortly after him, taking their seats in front of the couple.

"Ah! You're here!" Dokucha squealed excitedly

"Here! Please help yourselves. I made enough for it to fill your bellies, including you, Ace!" she grinned, passing the commanders the various plated goods.

“Thank you, Dokucha!” Ace grinned, digging in.

"Here, Marco, you won't like these," She called, noticing the Jian Dui in front of the man and exchanging it for a plate of sunset cake.

"That one had red bean filling; this one, I believe, is more up your alley; it has pineapple filling!"

"Appreciate it-yoi," he called with a smile.

"Dokucha, Do my eyes deceive me, or is this daifuku?" Izou excitedly called, bringing the dessert closer to him as he examined the colored balls.

"Ah, yes!" You mentioned you were missing Wano's pastries, yes? I tried my hand at some of them! I hope they are to your liking!" she beamed.

"Darling, you are a blessing," Izou called, breaking the dessert in half with a fork and putting the sweet in his mouth, letting out a satisfied sound as the filling melted in his mouth.

"Thatch remind me how she married a barbarian like you?" he questioned with a smile.

"Izou, you looking for a fight, ya bastard?!" Thatch growled

"There, There, dear, he didn't mean it that way."

"Actually, I was wondering too since I joined you guys," Ace cut in

"If I weren't at the wedding, I would have found it hard to believe as well-yoi."

"Oh? Did I really never tell you the story? I would have thought this goofball would have talked your ears off about it already," she questioned

"Never came up," He grumbled, hugging her close.

"We met when Thatch beat up my ex]" she piped up, choking up the men in front of her at the brazen statement

"W-What?" Ace questioned

"Don't say it like that! The bastard had said only a boar or a cow would marry er and I lost it!"

"He said what?!" Izou exclaimed, slamming his utensils down on the table

"Ah, come on guys, calm down. I will tell you the story, but please remember this was in the past, and I am now a very happy woman!" She cried, waving her hands in front of her, trying to calm down the angered men

"Who the hell could say something like that to you, Dokucha!" Ace growled

Marco stayed quiet, but everyone could see the fury behind those half-lidded eyes.

"Ah, well...I come from a small village, you see. I had quite a big family; however, I was the only girl among them, and as such, I had many of my brother's mannerisms...I developed more strength than the other girls in my village due to the constant scuffles I had with them. I had also gotten their appetite; I was and still am quite a voracious eater. That last one is why it comes so easy to me to cater to you, Ace, since, believe it or not, we share the same magic stomach!" she giggled.

"And as you can see, I was also born with pink hair, and in my village, such vibrant colors were unheard of. My ex, who was a potential suitor back then, turned me down because of these traits, so I tried to fix myself," she narrated, ignoring the frowns on the men at her last statement.

"I pretended to be weaker than I was to be seen as more lady-like. I began to eat less to match the other girls' eating behaviors, and I began to dye my hair black," she mumbled.

"It's why my hair was so disastrous when I joined you guys; it had been surviving on box after box of dye. Which is why I appreciate your heavenly help in nursing it back to health," she joked, looking up at Izou.

"After I did, I tried again. I met with him, but he had said that he just couldn't turn a blind eye to these things and left saying those things. Thatch happened to be around the area at the time, and he jumped on the guy." She sighed as if remembering the day, though surprisingly, a smile grew on her face as she did, placing a hand on her cheek and leaning on it.

"This goofball said that he had to be a boar because he believed me to be the most beautiful gal he had set eyes on and that he would be elated to even be allowed the opportunity to court me, and so I did..."

"..."

"Damn, Thatch, didn't know you were capable of being that smooth," Ace drawled, grinning at the man.

"Hmph, I had to step up my game if I wanted to be considered by this darlin'," he called as he kissed her cheek softly and embraced her once more.

"He did; it was only when he came into the picture that I finally started to go back to normal. I gained my muscles again, and I was able to recuperate my fighting abilities as I was no longer in danger of dropping of hunger!" She cheered

"Not only him, though. I'm also glad I met you guys, too. I got myself so many big brothers along with a husband. You know, the old village also looked down on me practicing swordsmanship, so I was really happy when Vista and other crewmates first approached me inquiring about it.

I was amazed that someone would actually be interested in my skills, not only interested but willing to help me strengthen them as well!"

"Well, your skills are quite formidable. I had never and still have not seen anyone who comes close to wielding a sword like yours and with such grace. It is like watching a dancing performance; I highly enjoy watching you spar." Izou grinned as he resumed eating his dessert as he praised her

"Ya should have seen her spar with Jozu this mornin'! She was stunnin' out there." Thatch grinned.

"Alright, Casanova, I have to get more ingredients from the storage room. Be sure to behave; she called warningly as she untied her apron.

"Love you," She mumbled, giving one last kiss to the man as she made her way out.

"Remind me what Village She came from?" Izou asked once he had made sure she was out of earshot

"I already skinned em."

"Atta boy"

How about them apples ya’ll haven’t written a non-child one in a while! Much one with romance undertones! But I am actually quite happy how it turned out! My biggest pride is that action scene, I sjould stop talking about it but i’m just so proud of myself so let me have this!

I really went heavy on the research for this one guys, the first part I had to go frame for frame on that one scene with mitsuri while also looking gymnastics and acrobatic terms to better write out the scene. For the second part I had to research the likes of the characters by looking at their trivias online and based on that research pastries. Things like Marco least favorite food being Beans, and so I searched for a bean pastry and a pineapple pastry. Since Wano is based on japan I also research some japanese desserts to fit the bill. And I of course had to research some southern slang for out lovely Thatcher 🤭

Taglist:

@Imaginarydreams

@amethystviolin

@h0n3y-l3m0n05

@hannahbarberra162

[cordycepsbian]

bugblr

🐜 antism

me and the mutuals

4 notes

🦋 testmothsterone

im literally obsessed with those videos of the bee sculpting stuff out of spicy candy

#how does she resist the urge to bite it #i definitely would if i were her

0 notes

🪲 beetlegirlhorn

hey spyblr does anyone know where to get a genuine peacock spider card? im trying to build a spider deck and cant find a boss

#spy cards #spyblr

12 notes

🏳️‍🌈 bluegreens 🔄 buzzin

🏳️‍🌈 bluegreens

why do the new bug rangers issues suck so bad i havent seen this poor quality writing since issue 12

🐝 buzzin Follow

dont quote me on this but i heard they fired the last writer so they went back to the bug who wrote issue 12

🏳️‍🌈 bluegreens

oh that explains a lot

#when will they go back to whoever wrote issue 35 that was peak

3 notes

🪲 beetlegirlhorn 🔄 spyersupreme

🌸 mothivasneckfluff Follow

i love the princesschomper blog as much as the next bug but i think it's hilarious how y'all just ignore that the "bug" who runs it is a zombie...

🕷 spiderenjoyer Follow

op do you seriously genuinely believe the leif cordyceps theory. thats the dumbest thing since bugs were saying elizant the first is still alive

#op is a mothiva fan of course theyd say this

229 notes

🐜 antism 🔄 istheseedlingvideocute

🌱 istheseedlingvideocute Follow

Hey guys, not a Seedling post but a PSA here. Recently, a batch of counterfeit medals have started circulating on the market, and wearing them causes terrible health complications. Four bugs have already been hospitalized from this. So just a reminder: ONLY buy medals from verifiable, reputable sources, for your own sake. Stay safe out there everyone.

#signal boost

1,798 notes

😎 Anonymous asked:

i saw you reblogged some art from transyellowranger so jsyk they support the ladybug ban

🏳️‍🌈 bluegreens replied:

oh yikes ill go delete my rb right away

#how are you gonna be a bug rangers fan AND support the ladybug ban #make it make sense

7 notes

🦋 testmothsterone 🔄 mantisbite

🌷 princesschomper Follow

Too bright outside... Chompy will just stay in bed... Zzz...

#venus what a mood

8,540 notes

[ender--slime]

AAAAAAAND PREORDERS ARE CLOSED!

holy shit!! thank you all four million bajillion times THANK YOU for the overwhelming support!! the total order count came tooooo…

FIVE HUNDRED ORDERS!! 500!! EXACTLY FIVE HUNDRED!

WAYGH!!!! WHAT THE FUCK!!! THATS CRAZY!! Thank you so much!!! This is so much more than I could have ever imagined!! I’m so so happy and grateful for the support!

SO!! What now?

GETTING THE BAGS MADE

It will take about TWO MONTHS to get every bag made, and then they get to be shipped to my house where i will…ship them all out to YOU. Um. Yeah. Nearly 500 bags. in my house. to ship out. one by one. i feel like markiplier with his tasteful calendar years ago. except he had to sign fifty THOUSAND and i’m only packing 500. so. actually it’s nothing like that and i get to SUCK IT UP!!! and look at the calendar in question on my wall for emotional support....please be patient with me while i do this!!! this will take me probably another couple of months just to get every single one out there!! but it will be done!! one day i’ll probably pay like. a fulfillment center? to do this for me? i’m kinda new to this. if that wasn’t super obvious… and then, after that…

Some changes moving forward:

PRICE INCREASE

Boo sound effect, tomatos, i know. But i got such overwhelming support for this project that um…well, i have to pay taxes on it! Essentially this became my real life job in a very short amount of time! I have to make myself an LLC now?!? I’m incredibly grateful for the support, but this does mean I need to make sure I can actually afford to keep doing this. or else the IRS will fucking GET ME. Like seriously. It could get really messy really fast. I have to pay taxes all by myself now. And this means a slight price increase for future editions of the bag. The base price will increase from $40 to $50! Shipping will stay the same. This does not come without some slight upgrades, though!

BAG UPGRADES

The strap is going to be longer in future editions (by what measurement i’m not sure yet- i will do some experimenting and figure out an ideal length!) and I will also see if I can order straps separately so that any Pink and Purple bag owners who would like an even longer strap can buy an extra one without having to buy a new bag! The bag strap length is okay right now, but I got quite a few requests to make them even longer- so I will do so!!

The inside pocket will be slightly modified to be looser fabric instead of the super tight zipper pocket. Can’t fit much in there. It will hopefully still have a zipper, though! I’ll workshop this a bit before I do the next batch!

If anyone has any more suggestions for future batches of the bag, please do let me know! If it’s within my (and the manufacturer’s) power to do, I definitely want to try!!

NEXT BATCH?

The next batch will be YELLOW and BLUE!! Hash fans unite!! You got your poll win eventually!! After yellow and blue, I’m planning some funky ones! Black, and…well. something else!! i’ll come up with one to go with it!

The black ones are pretty fuckin cool, and I can’t wait to show you all! I have two ideas for Black bags that i simply cannot decide between so i’ll probably have to put it up for a vote next summer!!

Okay, that’s all for announcements today!! Thank you all so, so, SO much for the support, and thank you in advance for your patience!!

WHERE DOIN THIS MAN… WHEre makin this hapen :)

[kaythefloppa]

Wild Kratts - Chimpanzee and Me - Thoughts

The last of this week's new episode premiere, released online today alongside Salamander Streaming and Bumblezzzz. Will air on TV this coming Wednesday so as always, spoilers ahead!

K, so huge confession but Zooboomafo was the only other show by the Kratt Brothers I distinctively remember watching. I watched a few clips of Kratts' Creatures, but mistook them for WK as a kid. This is most definitely a callback to some Chimpanzee adventure episode in KC that I did not happen to pick up. So it's totally lost on me.

That being said, my prediction of references to previous Kratt Brothers' works reigns supreme (and for those who view all four Kratt Brother shows in one hollistic "canon" here's some ammo for your fan-theories).

Look at those delicious yummy grapes... wonder if they're being saved for later.

I will still never forget when the synopsis for this episode came out about Chris spraining his ankle, as well as when a synopsis for the clip came of him tripping on grapes. The constant memes and reactions omfg /silly

But seriously this man is in PAIN. This season for what it's worth, does a lot of angst and in ways you'd never expect.

I've never sprained or broken a limb, so I'm probably in no place to talk, but from the looks of that frame, Chris bent his ankle pretty damn good. He's definitely gonna be on hiatus for the next few weeks (which could ironically be taken metacontextually since after this episode we'll be on another hiatus until next year when the live show comes)

Ok let's talk about the villain's plan here. He wants to replace his Zachbots with a Chimpanzee he can roboticize to do his work. Here are my many thoughts and takeaways from this, some of which, definitely are just me reaching.

A step up from his dumbass plan in the last episode. Not threatening, but motivations that are actually sensible (but still evil though).

More than once have I seen the theory floating aound where Zach programmed his bots to be smart enough to obey his commands, but dumb enough to where they won't turn against him. I assumed that this episode was going to end with the cliche of Zach's creations turning on him as laser guided karma (hint it doesn't) so it really puts things into perspective.

Considering how we are getting two Zach-related episodes in a row, coming just off the heels of Our Blue and Green World, I like to headcanon that Zach's overall character in this batch of episodes is some form of response or byproduct of the events of that special. Because between Paisley's sudden betrayal, Donita's callous threat of physical violence in the previous episode, and his henchmen's limited intellect, he realizes how much he is fundamentally losing control, both in the villain team, and in his own endeavors as a villain. He's slowly, yet consistently and constantly being knocked down from the pedestal that he views himself on, and by trying to change the status quo with a new animal assistant, he thinks he can keep himself up at the top where he thinks he belongs, completely oblivious to how he's his own worst enemy. Yes, I'm overanalyzing all 3 episodes and I love it.

This is another moment where I HAVE to use my one-video-only-free-card to convey the point across because a certain scene is that good. This is only a 34 second action sequence where the chimpanzees are running from the Zachbots, but holy hell the background music. I had to isolate the background noises just to share it with y'all so you can see my point as to how the music absolutely carries this scene. Pure West has always gone so hard with the scores in this show, but they were absolutely on fire for this brief chase scene. I actually tensed up seeing the Chimp's mother getting torn away from her baby as the music swole up. Yet another reason why PBS should release an official soundtrack for the series, it's so fucking good.

Ok so Chris doesn't activate Chimpanzee Powers, nor does he invent the disc but goddamnit! This entire plot is so cute, and dare I say, the episode actually works better with Chris not being the one to activate the suit.

Now I can use my allotted time to point out how much I love this scene and why it makes this episode very well-liked for most people, myself included. This isn't the first PBS Kids show to educate viewers on non-verbal communication such as facial expressions and sign language, and it's definitely far from the last, but it's a really sweet and sincere moment that's both educational, and really good rep for people who use sign language. It gets its point across efficiently and could very well reach out to any children at home who use ASL. It's magnificent.

Also, Leah is fun, I hope we see her more in future eps.

THE CHIMPANZEE POWER SUIT

Ok I take it back: This is definitely the best designed Creature Power Suit of S7. I remember dreading it because of how alike Chimpanzees and Humans are physically, but oh my god I am so glad to be wrong. It's giving full Season 1 vibes (looks a lot like the Orangutan Suit, total sense), and I am all FOR IT.

And again, I feel like I would/should be angry or disappointed that Chris didn't activate the suit, but again, the plot actually works better without him using the suit, and the design of the Chimpanzee Suit itself is so good, everything just comes together neatly.

Bro is in his peak.

I mean, still peak.

Joss pointed this out better than I could, but there are a lot of varied facial expressions for Zach in this episode. As mentioned earlier, during the hiatus in between Season 6 and 7, new builders and riggers were hired on the animation team for Wild Kratts, many of them likely fans of the show themselves. And again, seeing as there's a 2 year gap between S6 and S7 in terms of development, there's bound to be some slight differences in rigs or models. Which is definitely why we get a lot of moments like this in the episode.

My two cents. I can definitely see why people would be caught off guard, and yeah, at such a high frequency it can get off-putting and requires some getting used to. But at the same time, I kinda dig it, just for the camp factor. It also somewhat reminds me of some of the facial expressions used in the pilot episode, (which has the stronger excuse of different animation + art-style to back it up), but yeah, definitely something that catches the eye.

Zach's hair is defnitely giving Kovu from Lion King 2 and I mean this in the worst. Possible. Way.

This entire scene can be seen as an allegory for two different types of parenting. Zach takes harsh, demanding approaches, speaking without listening for the sake of control, all out of a place of emotional unintelligence and immaturity, which alienates + drives away the child; Whilst Chris takes a more constructive, compassionate, understanding, yet still direct approach to get through to the child/chimp, allowing for a proper solution to the issue at hand. Yes, I'm pointlessly over analyzing even more but in an episode where communication is the main focus & moral of the episode as well as the resolution to the climax, I have to wonder if someone, whether it'd be the writers, animators, or even network execs did it on purpose. Because once again, you could takeaway a really good lesson for kids, and even adults with this interpretation in mind.

Oh yeah, once we get past that stuff, the climax of this episode is like, really fucking hilarious. And Zach getting mind-controlled by his own helmet is still a good dose of laser guided karma.

CONCLUSION:

Cons:

A few of the facial expressions can be a bit jarring. Again, Joss pointed it out perfectly how this episode could've been earlier in S7's development so these adjusted rigs probably can and will get better. I wouldn't even say it as a con, it's just some little thing of the episode that doesn't really lower my overall opinions.

This is a personal nitpick of mine; Not a critique. I think we could've seen more of the chimpanzees in action. I'm talking about face-offs with gorillas (which I think we might get an episode on that in the future, idk), hunting monkeys, leopard attacks! But I do get why it wasn't in the episode, it would've just bogged down time. Frankly, the only reason why I'm putting the cons first is because there is so much I have to say otherwise.

Pros:

The animation overall

The backgrounds

The Chimpanzee Power Suit

The Chimpanzees themselves.

The Background Music

Chris angst!!!!!!

The A plot and B plot perfectly complementing each other, which makes certain writing decisions that could've fallen short, work so much better as a result in execution!

Zach not being a dumb POS like he was in the last epiosde!

The chimpanzee designs!!!!

The very well-handled representation and depiction of sign-language and lessons of communications to its young audiences!

Final Ranking: 9.2/10. Our Blue and Green World and No Name Dream subverted expectations (mainly through Paisley's redemption and the S1 callbacks + the return of the Draco Power Suit). This is the first episode of Season 7 that exceeded my expectations. It is far better than how I thought it would be, and the experimental writing that this season has been hinged upon thus far hit the mark entirely when it came to this episode. So much so that it actually raised the already-high expectations I had for the new season. It is that. Fucking. Good. I'd easily call it a contender for one of the best episodes of the season, but again, we'll have to wait and see.

[crow-hoards-things]

The Bad Batch Series Finale

FULL DISCLOSURE: This is a vent post. I’m angry and hurt. After I get this out of my system I’ll be more open to discussing the positives of the episode.

Warnings: Ranting, Spoilers

Hooo boy. Okay. I am… less than satisfied?

Quick rundown since I haven’t posted much of anything Bad Batch related: Tech is my favorite Batch member, immediately followed by Crosshair. I’m also a HUGE Republic Commando Nerd (read all the books, played the game, despised Bad Batch as a whole initially because I felt the commandos were being unfairly ignored, can sing + translate Vode An, etc.) and Scorch was my favorite Delta. The Bad Batch grew on me shortly after Season 1 finished up, and I immediately latched onto Tech when I began watching. He’s the reason I watched the first two seasons. (Crosshair + delusions about Tech were the combined force behind watching the final season)

NOW, onto my actual thoughts on the episode, in no semblance of order because my brain is still trying to process, Ft. Cry count:

• Wish Tech was here. He would’ve loved the Zillo being freed.

• “‘Cause I’d do the same thing” no you wouldn’t. Fives would’ve. The you I fell in love with would’ve yelled at Fives about it being a terrible idea and then promptly gone along with it anyway. That said it was a really cute moment and I loved his nonchalant little “come on” afterwards.

• C: “Echo or Omega?” W&H: “Omega” THEY KNOW THEIR GIRL SO WELL

• When Hemlock went to get the operatives I got excited thinking maybe, just maybe we’d get Tech back.

• CROSSHAIR LOST HIS FREAKING HAND!?!? WHAT THE HECK!?! I will never stop being salty about this. He’s been through enough. [Near Tears]

• Rampart sucks

• Nala Se got to blow stuff up and I appreciate that even if I don’t really like her

• I’m glad Wrecker’s okay. He had me scared for a bit. Hunter, conversely, never really did? He’s Omega’s Dad, he had to survive.

• Did anybody else see that one operative whose helmet seemingly had goggles built into it? We had a lingering shot on his helmet for a few seconds and they looked like a red version of Tech’s goggles.

• SCORCH IS DEAD AND YOU’D BETTER BELIEVE I’M MAD ABOUT IT! [First shedding of tears]

• HECK YEAH, HEMLOCK IS DEAD!!! [Tears of relief combined with grief over Scorch]

• I’m so glad Omega hugged Crosshair first. I fully expected her to just run to Hunter, and Crosshair needed that hug.

• Echo’s goodbye was disrespectful. 0/10. He’s family and they don’t even care that he’s leaving???

• SOMEONE IS MISSING FROM OUR NICE LITTLE GROUP SHOT!

• I never really got super invested in the dynamic between Omega and Hunter, but the ending between them was cute I guess.

• We were robbed. We could’ve gotten Crosshair and Wrecker as old men and we were robbed.

• Tech is dead. Like, seriously, really and truly, dead. As a delusional “Tech’s alive guys, trust me” fan, it feels like he just died all over again. I’ll talk more about this later because I’m not over it. [Que sob-fest]

alright, circling back around to my main gripes, in order of appearance:

#1. Scorch.

I hate how they handled him. At first when he showed up I got super excited. That was my boy! In the Bad Batch show!! He’s making an appearance!!! Maybe they’ll do something with the Delta boys!!

Even as the episodes went on and I started to suspect where his path was leading, I consistently would go “Scorch!!! <3” every episode, because that is my boy and I love him dearly.

The levels of offended I am on Scorch’s behalf are not within my ability to express with words. The complete and utter disrespect he was shown over his time on the show is appalling. Why bring him in if you’re going to drain him of all his personality, make him have zero plot relevance, and then murder him?! They could easily have made a new clone for that, as seen by the number of operatives who exist and got 0.5 minutes of screen time.

But no. They brought in a beloved character with 10 seconds of canonical screen time prior, stripped him of everything that made him lovable, didn’t even have him DO ANYTHING, and then murdered him. It feels like a spit in the face and a kick to the gut all at once.

I will mourn. I’ve already cried and I’ll probably cry again. But right now I’m angry and I think Scorch deserves to have people be angry about how he was treated.

#2. Tech

Yes. I admit to having been a “trust me guys, Tech’s alive” person. I will also admit that at the end of episode 13 I wanted him to stay dead because I had zero faith they could satisfactorily bring him back.

My gripe is not with him staying dead. Yes, it feels like losing him all over again. Yes, I will mourn him again. Yes. That sucks. It’s not what’s making me mad.

What makes me mad is how his death was handled.

• It served ZERO purpose narratively other than to up the stakes and make us worry about whether anyone else would die (Spoiler alert: They didn’t. Tech was the only one who died) • Nobody mourned him. No one seemed affected by his death at all. No one cared. I don’t care what anyone says, that will NEVER be okay. • The first actual mention of Tech *dying* was in the finale. Sure, we’ve had name drops and goggle appearances, but actually talking about what happened? One line. One. Freaking. Line.

I feel like I’ve been slapped in the face, you know? He deserved better and so did we. He was a part of that family and they couldn’t even be bothered to address the responses to his death. He was beloved by many of us and they couldn’t even respect him or his fans enough to treat his death like something to be mourned.

That’s wrong, no matter how you look at it.

[slippinninque]

💕🍲Fontaine unlocks his inner Ramsey 🍲💕

Hear me out.

He would be a big fan of Good Eats.

Expect being taken on his tasty adventures. Different parts of The Glen that holds culinary wonders you never knew about.

He was so flustered when you brought matching aprons.

Fontaine would definitely be a glass Tupperware type and you better bring his shit back.

He's being mentored by Ms. Jeanine and takes it very seriously, "Ain't no one got crust like hers. Not yet, at least...."

He's the "stand there and watch the face closely" type, so he'd be the last one standing at dinner. He'll sit when cheeks are full and the sounds of forks scraping is in the air.

Surprisingly, he remembers his his grandmother having him on her hip over looking a pot of fragrant stew. Fontaine isnt sure if it's a dream, but he's been on a mission to recreate it for you.

You buy him any and every dish set he lingers on when you're out. Even if you have to find it thrifted, it's worth the sparkle in his eye when he's trying to decide what meal would look best in it.

It starts when you're sick and you can't keep anything down. He wasn't showing it, but he was starting to panic. How long could you go without eating?

"It'll be okay, I'm like this sometimes" You'd rasp, still smiling after the thunderous dry-heaving you just survived. You only asked for water and crackers if you could stomach them.

He wasn't having it.

The soup he makes is not the greatest but you kept it down and was finally able to get some sleep.

It opened the flood gates. Specifically a lot of internet searches and hours spent on YouTube.

Fontaine takes to sautéing like a duckling to water. He found the measuring more than easy--ounces, quarts and all that. He found recipes online with pictures and names that intrigued him.

Lucky for him your kitchen was a wonderland of gifted, unused utensils and appliances that flourished his new hobby.

It also helped that he had a very enthusiastic taste tester in you. Willing to try anything at least twice and to bring the best batches to share at work.

He begins packing your lunch with hearty sandwiches and chopped fruit. The fragrance of his first ever lasagna was the envy of the lunchroom, you quickly becoming the Queen of Aromas and you made sure to tell Fontaine every compliment tossed around over your lunch.

Fontaine brought you a more than generous amount of pinwheel sandwiches when you worked a double. They were delicious but the fond look on his face as he watched you rant and eat was even better.

The best part was knowing that Fontaine had something waiting for you to try. He often stood at the mouth of the kitchen to escort you in, towel over his shoulder and hands damp from being washed.

Even if he could school his features into being nonchalant, he couldn't hide the eagerness in his shifting or the twitchy fingers--just ready to feed you something.

........

"Don't mind the mess, c'mon and sit with me."

You were still standing at the mouth of the kitchen, taking in the delicious cluster of food cramped into island. Fontaine looked as if flour went nuclear on him and the background was a disaster but he had that near-shy look in his eyes when he really wanted to be excited about something.

The ache in your back left you and the annoyance lingering in your chest disappeared. You couldn't remember the last time someone had a meal waiting for you when you got home.

Your eyes stung but your mouth watered as you neared the island. Fontaine was oddly reserved to you earlier in the day when he called you on break, but now you see what he's been up to!

Your lanyard and purse went sailing into the living room, quickly followed by your shoes. When you rushed back into the kitchen, Fontaine caught you around the waist to steal a few kisses. You indulged until your stomach rumbled, then you squirmed away and neared the spread.

"Fontaine, this all looks so good! What's that?"

He came behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist, "Ever had a Roulade, baby?"

The feel of his lips at your ear made you giggle and cuddle into his hold, "I have not, but how lucky is it that you make me wanna be adventurous."

He pointed and went clockwise, "We got Potato Gratin Stacks as an appetizer, the Nana's Italian Roulade I picked 'cause it has noodles. You like noodles."

Your heart sighed and you could only confirm, "I do like a good noodle."

Fontaine nodded and moved away to the fridge. He carefully brought out a nicely sized flat pan and peeled back the foil. You gasped and hovered as he sat the with the other dishes.

"They were supposed to be smaller," Fontaine scrunched his brows in distasted, "I made 'em bigger. Strawberry Cheese Cake Bars. Wha' the fuck a bite is gonna do? 'Specially for dessert."

"Okay then, I see you Mr. Michelin!

He grinned and grabbed one of the plates waiting off to the side.

Fontaine turned to find you watching him, eyes shining. Wordlessly, he opened his arms and you happily skipped into his embrace.

"What's the matter, baby?"

"I'm good. Just a bit surprised, but very happy."

Fontaine nodded and hesitated a bit before asking, "You think I did too much?"

You kissed him. Touching his face and tasting spice on his tongue, you pulled away to press your nose against his. Fontaine's hands came to your waist, thumbs rubbing soothingly.

"What you did is make me hungry as hell," You pulled away enough to meet his besotted gaze, "Them potato stacks are a good start."

Fontaine pecked your lips once more before he passed you a plate.

..........

ending notes: something small to free up space in the brain, lol! thank you for reading!!! Tell me whatcha think!

taglist: this is an older one that I just wanna reblog, so I removed the tags. I appreciate those who read already and those who are just coming in! 🥰

[talesfrommedinastation]

My redneck neighbor Doug watches 'The Bad Batch': Pabu

So, maybe it's because the Razorbacks are currently up over the Tigers, which makes Doug's LSU loving self extra fired up this evening, but I have made the mistake of asking him again about his opinion on the episode after 'The Outpost', which was 'Pabu'.

He called this both 'HR Goes to Daytona' and 'Did I miss an episode?'.

Doug: Make sure you put one of my Baton Rouge boys on the internet too right now. GEAUX TIGERS.

CW: Doug insults everyone, everything, and is generally a cantankerous old jerk in this one. His wife should have unplugged his internet. Lots of adult everything, ranging from language to...well, if you're under 18, please be warned.

Prepare thyself, especially if you're a TechxPhee fan. The amount of angry emojis I got in the text messages were pretty wild.

----

'Pabu' aka 'HR Goes to Daytona'

Oh it’s Church Lady and it’s Sunday service. Why is little orphan blondie in the bar with her? Daddy Rambo has his knife but you know the man was plowing vodka out of sight here. He’s tired.

I thought he hated Church Lady? Did I miss an episode?

Ah, now Ryan-from-Accounting is playing solitaire. Atta boy, get your mind off the bitch wife Laura. If he makes out with that garbage robot I’ll throw up. 

Time to skee-daddle. Woah! Church Lady just grabbed Ryan-from-Accounting. That man looks terrified, probably because he found a Youtube video of her taking down muggers behind Manning's after a Pelicans game. Bitch wife Laura gonna blow a gasket.

But such is the way of the Church Lady, I have known many in my day. “I groped the hot new usher in Jesus’s house, but it’s okay, The Lord forgives”.

(praise the Lord and pass the Tabasco)

No, seriously, did I miss an episode? I feel like I did.  

Houma-BBQ bitch is bitching, as is her wont. I wonder what sauce her tail would taste best with. Carolina Gold? I’d cook her brisket style. Oh, wait, back to the show. 

And now they’re on paradise! Daytona Beach! Who is this guy, he looks like he used to play hoops now he plays how much dessert he can eat at Golden Corral. Props to him, that lava cake is gold. Hope Rex and Toaster Strudel are there.

Where are Rex and Toaster Strudel.

No, really, where are Rex and Toaster Strudel.

I’m getting real mad here, where are Rex and Toaster Strudel. 

CHURCH LADY, GET BACK IN YOUR SPACE UBER AND GO FIND REX AND TOASTER STRUDEL. I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR MUSEUM OF SHIT YOU FOUND IN PEOPLE’S BACKYARDS AND THE DUMPSTER BEHIND THE KEY LARGO PUBLIX, GO GET REX AND TOASTER STRUDEL.

SHOVE RYAN-FROM-ACCOUNTING BACK INTO THE DRIVER’S SEAT, PAY FOR HIS GAS, AND GO GET REX AND TOASTER STRUDEL. 

“You have some competition”. From what, there’s gonna be a hot dog eating contest or something? Why does Ryan-from-Accounting look so upset? 

(“I think they’re trying to set him and Phee up, Doug.�� “What, when did that happen? Did I miss an episode?”)

Ryan-from-Accounting looks either sad or excited and I’m so confused. Maybe it’s because I’ve been married since before the dinosaurs but why is he either frowning and freaked out by Church Lady or smiling at Church Lady? Is he having a breakdown like my nephew did after he lost his job? Does Bitch Wife Laura know about this? Does he like Church Lady or is he planning on pepper spraying her? Did I miss an episode? Is this how the children flirt on the Ticky-Tack? No wonder y’all aren’t getting married any more. 

(“Doug, you did not miss an episode. And it is called Tik-Tok.” “I MISSED AN EPISODE. I KNOW I DID, AND IT IS CALLED THE TICKY-TACK!!!”) 

Ya know who would solve these questions? REX AND MOTHER LOVING TOASTER STRUDEL, WHO AIN’T HERE. THEY NEED TO BE HERE. WHERE ARE YOU HIDING THEM CHURCH LADY. 

Oh lovely, Hoops forgot to make a reservation at BoneFish, so they’re having his gas station sushi. Not one shrimp or crab on that table? Y’all Hoops is failing so hard right now, as a boy from Louisiana I’m just offended. His momma raised that man WRONG. 

You know who would love sushi on the beach while watching the sun set? REX AND TOASTER STRUDEL, and Daddy Warcrimes and Sassy Park Ranger too. 

I MISS SASSY PARK RANGER ALREADY!!!!!!

But no, Rex and Toaster Strudel are busy at work saving the galaxy while Julio and the gang throw back cocktails and stare at the sun like they dropped cheap acid they bought in a sketchier part of Biloxi. Which is all of Biloxi, I guess. 

Oh, and Ryan-from-Accounting is awkward around Church Lady and stares at his phone lest that Bitch Wife Laura of his get a snap of them sitting together and Little Orphan Blondie pets a monkey. I hope they all get food poisoning. I’m so mad.

They need Toaster Strudel the way I need FSU to lose this weekend, I have money on that game too. WHY IS ARKANSAS STILL UP IN THE SECOND QUARTER.

Ah, Little Orphan Blondie’s on a boat with her new buddy, that’s nice. If she doesn’t find Rex and Toaster Strudel out in the ocean with James Cameron I hope–oh, shoot, I was in the navy. I know what that water means. Oh boy.

Well bless Ryan-from-Accounting, he watches Big Tuna and knows how to do a rescue. Church Lady looks happy. He finally touched her, it only took a natural disaster and a whole lot of nagging on her part. Oh, poor Church Lady, you need a guy who actually likes you back. 

Seriously, why does that man look like the subject of them shitty videos HR makes us watch once a year so we don’t get sued? I don’t know, but I’m starting to understand why his Bitch Wife Laura is the way she is. I can’t believe the episode they filmed in Daytona makes me feel for her, but it do. 

(“Doug, you’re making up Bitch Wife Laura in your head. She’s not in the show.” “Well, it’s clear that I missed some episodes, so maybe I missed the Bitch Wife Laura ones.” “No, you didn’t miss any, I promise.” “Are you SURE?!”)

Man, the tsunami got people running like it’s Black Friday Wal-Mart in Tampa. But they rescued an old guy and Daddy Rambo got the stolen work truck working to rescue the kids. Hooray, I guess. 

You know who would have done a better job? Of all of this?

REX AND MOTHER-LOVING TOASTER STRUDEL. But they ain’t here!

(Doug's love for them runs hard and it runs deep, for which I can empathize)

You know who should have been on a beach horking down Mai Tais and getting into Church Lady and her handsy hands?

POOR POOR SASSY PARK RANGER. BUT HE DIED BACK IN WYOMING.  I bet he’d love a back massage from Church Lady too! He’d sass her, she’d sass him back, and they’d make out on the beach while Daddy Warcrimes played the saxophone behind them or something. I support that. I’d like that. He’s got brown eyes.*

Make it work, Star Wars, damn it. 

(Doug has unlocked a new rarepair, I guess: Mayday and Phee? WTF?)

Well they’re hanging out here in Daytona for the time being, I guess. Julio passed out under a tree like a drunk uncle at a cookout. Everyone's smiling.

I’d be smiling too, knowing that REX AND TOASTER STRUDEL ARE ACTUALLY SAVING PEOPLE WHILE YOU CLOWNS STOMP AROUND FLORIDA. 

Stop smiling at Church Lady, Ryan-from-Accounting! Is it because you finally filed HR complaint paperwork or because you filed for divorce papers from Bitch Wife Laura? Why are you smiling?! Church Lady belongs to Sassy Park Ranger! 

(“Doug…Sassy Park Ranger’s dead. He and Church Lady never met. You need to stop.” “IF THEY CAN BRING PALPATINE BACK, THEY CAN BRING SASSY PARK RANGER BACK TOO!”) 

*=I NEED FAN ART OF THIS NOW, please @amalthiaph! Help me out!

[marshallpupfan]

New Marshall Pics! (Season 11, Ep.02)

Again, these episodes appeared early about a month ago over in the UK, so some of you might have already seen these. I decided to hold off until it popped up on TV, and my wait finally ended today!

The first segment - "Rescue Wheels: Pups Save the Risky Race"

I'm not going to lie - I did not like the last episode, whatsoever. Today, however... I thought both segments were pretty fun! This one involved Boomer and Roxi racing to the top of a snowy mountain, although one was racing more than the other, of course. There was some cute moments at the start, particularly a belly-sliding Marshall, and the mission gave everyone something to do, which was nice to see (even if what some of them did felt a bit forced). Boomer was rather entertaining, as always, so there's that, too. Overall, I enjoyed it!

And the second segment: "Rescue Wheels - Pups Save the Runaway Truck"

Easily the best of the two segments, and arguably one of the best episodes to come out of PAW Patrol in a long time. Seriously, I actually found myself chuckling a few times in this one! Boomer really stole the show and was easily the biggest highlight here, which once again makes it such a shame that this might be the last time we see him. The mission itself was fun, and it even gave me my dream team again (Chase and Marshall), even if it was brief. Overall, the whole thing was a lot of fun! I heard a comedian wrote this episode, and goodness me, I hope he writes for the show again!

That's all for now! We've got another new episode coming next week, although it's a regular episode this time. Some fans believe this is when the cartoon will switch over to the new animation style. There's no confirmation on this yet, but... who knows, maybe my next batch of pics will be Marshall with his new look! I certainly hope so! Guess we'll find out soon!

[inkedkoi]

Hold On To “What If”: Overanalyzing and Rewriting Sonic Prime

aka Masterpost & References: Part One

💬 “But, Koi, Prime finished months ago…”

Hmm. What do you think I should do, Shadow?

Shadow: "Determine your own destiny, just as I have."

Well, you heard the hedgehog. What better way to celebrate the Year of Shadow than by talking about the show where he had the best characterization: Sonic Prime. I may have my own bias towards the show due to a personal connection, but overall I think the show is pretty good. Animation, voice-acting, music/sound, editing, they were amazing. The writing, aside from Shadow’s character, is ok. There are definitely some good lines but there were “eh” moments as well. (We’ll get back to that.)

I thought I would give an insight into what I thought about Sonic Prime, from overanalyzing every single frame to rewriting Season 3, and finally explain whatever the hell I had on my bingo card (the one I made before Season 3 was released).

Due to the image limit, this will be the masterpost for all of the sections:

References: [this post] // 2 // 3 Plot Holes (x) Connections: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 Bingo Card: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 Rewrite 1 // 2 // 3 Remaining Questions & Final Thoughts (x)

(also available in the "🌻 hold on to what if" tag down below)

⚠️ Spoilers for the whole series, all media here belong to their respective creators. ⚠️

✨//🌻//✨

Before we get into it…

As the internet is, I want to clarify some things:

1. I’m not a die-hard Sonic fan so some things may not be 100% accurate. I honestly entered into the fandom when Sonic Frontiers was announced. My first exposure to Sonic at all was the Sonic Unleashed Animated short film, “Night of the Werehog”, when I was like 14 so I caught myself up with Sonic lore in between releases of each season of Prime. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong about anything.

2. There's this whole debacle on whether or not Prime is part of the canon. News has recently been brought up that the Prime Team didn't acknowledge the comments made by Ian and the lore team about inconsistencies. It didn't surprise me at all. The show wasn't going to be part of the canon to begin with, which was abundantly clear by the show's writing. It feels like the writers copied from a wiki. There were so many scenes where instead of taking the moment to breathe and have character development, they put fighting scenes, more so in season three.

💬 "What about the references, Shadow's characterization, etc?"

Actually, we wouldn't have them if not for some of the crew fighting SO hard to get that into the show. The animators, storyboard artists, voice actors, editors, and many others — some are legit Sonic fans and others wanted to please the fandom. They have done such a great service to the fans with what they could, so could we just give a round of applause to the creative crew behind this? 👏👏👏 To the crew, you did what you could for us, and we can’t thank you enough.

Back to the whole "canon" thing, for this essay, we'll treat Prime as a stand-alone thing unless we absolutely have to affiliate it with canon.

3. Netflix did the weird thing of splitting up all the episodes of the series and called them “seasons”. I personally call them “batches” and I know there are some people who do the same, but for our sakes, they’ll be referred to as seasons, just so we don’t get confused. Okay? Cool!

Finally, this is for funsies, don’t take this too seriously. I want to establish that I have nothing against the people behind Prime or anyone else.

So grab your snacks, and get comfy. Now, let’s lock in, chat!

References: Part One

Here’s a list of references to other Sonic media I picked up in Prime. Some of them on the list are from Felipe Sonic Hacks YT video I saw while drafting my bingo card predictions, so you can check it out (Link). Whether or not these are intentional, that’s up for interpretation unless said otherwise.

Chilidogs (EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.)

"Gotta Go Fast" (just an iconic Sonic line)

Sonic’s iconic gestures: waiting stance (S1 EP3), finger-wagging (S1 EP6) and nose-rub (S1 EP6 + S2 EP5)

look at this lil' guy :)

[S1 EP1]

Eggman’s Badniks — the usual (designs primarily the same ones from the game Sonic the Hedgehog 1)

Sonic’s super peel-out animation — a reference to Sonic the Hedgehog CD (and other games beyond)

“...sonic boom of a headache” — a reference(???) to the Sonic Boom show

New Yoke City — a design reference to Eggman Land, he wasn’t wrong about the neon (seen in the game: Sonic Unleashed)

Sonic balancing on the edge — a reference to Sonic’s balancing sprite animation from Sonic Games (matches perfectly with one in Sonic the Hedgehog 2)

Sonic’s breakdancing — a reference to Sonic’s S Rank victory animation from Sonic Generations

I mean, Sonic definitely is a breakdancer and incorporates it in his fighting style, prove me wrong.

Orbot and Cubot — returning characters from the franchise

Side note: I screamed in joy when I first saw them :)

1992 — the year of Tails’ first appearance (Game: Sonic the Hedgehog 2)

This whole scene explaining Tails' origin story — also a nod to the pixel games

Obstacle test — a reference(???) to Chemical Plant

[S1 EP 2]

Shadow’s hand back-spring in the first Sonic vs. Shadow fight — the same move done in Shadow the Hedgehog when Shadow encountered robot replicas of him

1998 — The year of Big the Cat’s first appearance (Game: Sonic Adventure 1)

[S1 EP 3]

Sonic’s free falling from an edge — similar move in Sonic Movie 2 (does that count as a reference???)

Rebel’s drill maneuver in beating the bots in the stairwell fight — same move Rouge uses in Sonic X (that I know of)

[S1 EP 4]

The Berries the Boscage Crew scavenged for — a nod to Chao Garden Fruits (confirmed to be intentional)

(right photo credits to ChaoProfessor on Twitter)

Sound FX when Sonic getting prickled by spikes — same sound FX from the games

To be continued...

Next Part

[daitranscripts]

Varric Conversation: Warm Approval

Let’s Discuss the Inquisition

Varric Masterpost

PC: What are your thoughts on the Inquisition?

All Inquisition powers max Varric: If there’s anybody out there who hasn’t joined the Inquisition, they’re hiding under a rock. Did you want to take over Ferelden? I think we might be able to conquer it just by looking east.

Connections maxed Varric: We know everyone there is to know. Meanwhile, Josephine has an entire team writing your polite refusals to dinner parties.

Secrets maxed Varric: You might want to keep an eye on Leliana. At this point, I think her secrets have secrets. Someone needs to get her out of the fortress for a while. Take a walk or something. She’s starting to twitch.

Forces maxed Varric: We know everyone there is to know. Meanwhile, Josephine has an entire team writing your polite refusals to dinner parties.

All Inquisition powers mid Varric: We’ve got a pretty well balanced organization. I’m a fan of diversification and all, but do we have the strength to handle major issues when they come up?

Connections mid Varric: Josephine is ordering more Inquisition stationary. I think the new batch is covered in gold leaf and smug superiority.

Secrets mid Varric: Leliana is sending out so many message birds, we’re starting to attract large cats.

Forces mid Varric: Whatever you do, don’t ask Cullen to tell you about the troops. You’ll be there all day.

Highest rank is connections Varric: If you see Josephine running around in a panic, she’s fine. I think she enjoys it, actually.

Highest rank is secrets Varric: I have no idea what Leliana is up to. That’s a good sign, actually. If you find out, don’t tell me. I think she’d have to kill us both.

Highest rank is forces Varric: Cullen’s been working overtime getting the troops into shape. Reminds me of an old friend of mine.

No powers leveled/all low Varric: We have a lot of work to do. I we want to be taken seriously, we’ll need… well, everything.

1 - Dialogue options:

General: Tell me about Cullen. [2]

General: Let’s discuss Josephine. [3]

General: How is Leliana doing? [4]

General: Understood. [5]

2 - General: Tell me about Cullen. PC: What do you think of our general?

Highest rank is forces Varric: He’s been insufferably smug lately. You might want to tell him to watch his back. I think Leliana might shiv him. [back to 1]

Forces maxed Varric: Find him a war or something. If he spends any more time in the yard drilling, Josephine will have him killed. [back to 1]

Lowest rank is forces Varric: He needs more to do, honestly. Right now, he spends all day cleaning his armor with a lost-puppy look on his face. [back to 1]

Forces mid Varric: He seems to be doing a decent job. He’s starting to remind me of my friend Aveline, actually. [back to 1]

No powers leveled/all low Varric: I met Cullen back in Kirkwall. He’s the only sane templar to come out of there. [back to 1]

3 - General: Let’s discuss Josephine. PC: How do you think Josephine is handling the job of ambassador?

Highest rank is connections Varric: If this Inquisition thing doesn’t work out, I may hire her to deal with the Merchants Guild. She’d own them before breakfast. [back to 1]

Connections maxed Varric: I’m starting to get the feeling that this is all a warm-up before she takes over Antiva in a bloodless coup. [back to 1]

Lowest rank is connections Varric: You might want to find some tasks for her before she rearranges the war room again. [back to 1]

Connections mid Varric: She’d fit in perfectly with the Merchants Guild. Too bad she’s so tall. [back to 1]

No powers leveled/all low Varric: She’s a brilliant planner. Lots of potential. I don’t know how experienced she is, but she’ll go far. [back to 1]

4 - General: How is Leliana doing? PC: What do you think of Leliana’s work?

Highest rank is secrets Varric: She scares me… mostly in a good way. At least I’m reasonably sure she’s on our side. [back to 1]

Secrets maxed Varric: Do you want to know what the Arishok had for breakfast this morning? I think she can tell you. [back to 1]

Lowest rank is secrets Varric: She’s pretty bored right now, and that’s dangerous. Never leave your spies idle. [back to 1]

Secrets mid Varric: She’s good at what she does. If she quits the Chantry, she could make a killing for the Carta. [back to 1]

No powers leveled/all low Varric: She was a bard. Intrigue comes naturally to her. That should tell you pretty much everything you need to know. [back to 1]

5 - General: Understood. PC: Good to know. Varric: Back to work, then.

[writingforfun0714]

So I wanted to wait and let the new Bad Batch trailer sink in before posting about it.

Warnings: Spoilers, some thoughts/opinions will be critical

Alright so I don’t think it’s any secret that I don’t care for the Bad Batch. Even ignoring the horrible, incredibly RACIST clone model, the writing is mid/passable at best and not even watchable for me. Most of S1 and 2 combined is the typical ‘mission of the week’ type of story where only a few Empire-focused episodes stand out. There are also instances of ableism concerning Echo in particular (CF99 are also super dismissive of him in general—going along with that whole fucking ‘superiority over regs’ thing—seriously wtf).

Most episodes were very bland and predictable. S1 had no stakes despite its finale. By Mando/ST it’s clear that something has happened to Kamino. Didn’t really need to see a 2pt ep of the city getting wiped. Plus AZI should’ve been sacrificed. Even Ahsoka learns the lesson that you can’t save everyone in S1 when she disobeys Anakin and Admiral Yularen. TBB S2 had no character development from anyone besides a little bit for Omega (and Tech—but that was always speculated by fans since S1 and he’s dead now so it doesn’t really matter). A lot of the dialogue felt…basic. I think the only thing that TBB does well is the music. It’s really amazing and beautiful along with the smooth, crisp animation/scenery. Shame they ruined it with racist clone models, racist tones with the ‘reg’ dispute in both seasons, and being ableist and dismissive towards Echo.

Which brings me to the trailer. Oh boy. First, right off the bat I noticed how similar the trailer opening is compared to the S2 trailer. I do like that Phee is back. She did take time to grow on me but I do like her character and am curious to see where they will go with her.

It’s interesting we are seeing Crosshair back with the group so soon. Personally I do believe that is Crosshair and not just someone else wearing his armor like some think. I like the idea of Omega and Crosshair escaping early on but Omega gets recaptured/separated and taken back to Tantiss.

I’m interested in Hemlock and his backstory (is his gloved hand robotic?). I wish they’d create more interesting and unique characters like Phee and Fennec Shand instead of relying on cameos of established characters/fan-favorites like Ventress. I loved Dark Disciple and I thought it was a great ending for her.

I know it’s officially said that Ventress’ story will follow Dark Disciple but I don’t see how unless they retcon her death or pull a ‘somehow she survived’. Either way that sucks. Reminder!! DAVE FELONY DIDN’T EVEN FOLLOW REBELS FOR AHSOKA. SABINE IS NOT FORCE SENSITIVE IN REBELS. DAVE RETCONS THE SHIT OUT OF EVERYTHING. I have no faith that they will remain loyal to DD. Anything that will be ‘canon’ will be mid at best because even Crosshair’s arc has been messy (which is due to the weird S1 ‘reset’ the characters go through. Like they totally should’ve appreciated ‘regs’ by the end of TBB arc in TCW S7–there was no need for that awkward food fight scene in S1).

I hate that this show has to rely on cameos to get the viewing numbers. Here is a list of every character cameo we’ve seen so far:

—Rex*

—Tarkin*

—Palpatine*

—The Lawquane Family

—The Syndullas/Chopper

—Nala Se/Lama Su*

—Cad Bane

—Bail Organa

—Riyo Chuchi

—Gungi

—Gregor

—Wolffe

—Cody

—Scorch

—Saw Gerrera

—Martez Sisters

—Kanan/Depa*

—Muchi/Rancor from RotJ

—Taun We/Halle Burtoni

—Ventress

*I consider these important/relevant cameos and am not bothered by them like the others*

What a list right? I might even be missing one. These were just off the top of my head. Some are big players, others smaller and almost not-relevant to the plot. Not counting the one’s I asterisked, it’s 15 characters. There are original characters but a lot of them, especially in S1 felt like one off, not important characters. And I hate Cid so much—glad to see she was absent in the S3 trailer. I’m really starting to love Phee and I’ve always loved Fennec Shand, and Hemlock is definitely an intriguing villain and Emerie feels like a total mystery (though the reveal was not shocking due to the similar design and accent to Omega). Like why can’t they create more characters like these? The rest just feel forgettable. And it’s clear that characters like Saw, Gungi, Scorch, Cad Bane and even the Syndulla and Lawquane families just felt like fan service. The rest kind of make sense that they’d show up but it also feels a bit like fan service.

Moving on..

I know a lot of people think that new weird dark trooper at the 1:40 mark is Tech. While I’m inclined to agree as I think the ‘Winter Soldier’ story is an obvious choice to pick, I also think that Tech is dead. I’ve changed my mind and kind of hope that Tech isn’t brought back.

I hope this is someone new. I also wouldn’t mind if it was a bounty hunter we’ve seen before. Due to the frame and stature, I could almost think of Boba due to him being older than Omega but it’s definitely more likely to be Tech than either of these choices.

It’s interesting a lot of cameo characters from S2 do not make an appearance in the trailer. Bail, Riyo, Gungi, Gregor and Cody are all absent from the trailer. Trailers usually show action shots to avoid story spoilers, but with Gungi, Gregor, and Cody all being capable fighters, I’m surprised they didn’t appear (usually stuff with politics is a story spoiler).

Overall I’m skeptical of the trailer. I don’t like Ventress being alive/in TBB being a Dark Disciple lover. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding the story of S3 so I don’t feel like I can give an accurate take on that. I hate how Omega’s longer hair looks. Curly haired Omega is adorable!! The animation (everything but the clone model) is definitely getting better. However, based on how S2 was marketed as a ‘darker story compared to S1’ and was like 80% fetch quest I’m definitely skeptical.

Those of you that made it through this post, thank you for your time and I hope I gave you something to think about. If you wanna learn more about the racism and ableism portrayed in this show, check out @unwhitewashthebadbatch for more info.

[eelfuneral]

After dealing with my emotions surrounding the season finale and looking at the situation from an objective point of view, I have a very strong suspicion that we have not seen the last of Tech. From both a marketing and storytelling standpoint, it makes the most sense to have this be a misdirection. This post runs a bit long, so I am going to elaborate under the cut.

First off, let’s talk marketing. Star Wars is a huge, merchandise-driven franchise, and The Bad Batch is an extremely successful part of it. It is so successful, in fact, that it remained relevant and popular while the Mandalorian, an absolute juggernaut of a show, was airing! I have also heard, anecdotally, that Disneyland has a hard time keeping Bad Batch merch in stock because it is so damn popular. Tech himself is a fan favorite and major money maker, and D/LF knows this. He is such a fan-favorite that he was frequently featured as the focal point for social media marketing for season 2, and his adorable armor is practically designed to make action figures of him sell. My point is, it wouldn’t make financial sense to kill a main character that sells so much merchandise off so early in the run of a series. Bear in mind that we are only on the second season of the show!

So why bother with leaving the audience on a cliffhanger where Tech appears dead? Two words come to mind: social media. Having a fan favorite’s fate be left up in the air is a great way to generate debate and discussion across social media platforms and keep your show trending for a long time. Trending topics have more eyes on them and often spark the curiosity of people who did not know about them before. Contemporary show runners know that a social media presence is yet another way to advertise a show, and TBB’s has been heavily marketed via social media anyways.

Having Tech’s death be a fake-out also makes sense plot-wise. First off, we didn’t see a body, and television shows often do this when they want to hint that a character may not actually be dead. This is especially true in Star Wars, where characters have survived immolation, explosions, and being cut in half. Big, main character deaths in Star Wars don’t tend to happen until the very end, and we are not quite there yet. We also don’t see much of Tech’s fall, meaning that he could have gotten dislodged from the tram car by an obstacle like a tree or fallen into water.

Second, Hemlock, a character who has been established as a dishonest manipulator of clones, was the one to break the news of Tech’s “death” by giving Hunter Tech’s goggles. As many others have established, Tech’s goggles are the most delicate part of his kit and they have an intact strap. They also sit underneath his helmet, so they would likely have to have been physically removed via human intervention. Hemlock would also see Tech, an enhanced clone, as an irresistible test subject, and Hemlock having Tech gives the writers an easy way to get into the facility where Omega and Crosshair are being kept. If I were a writer who wanted to have one of my super-soldier characters get captured and later help other characters break out of a laboratory with him, then I would go with the genius hacker/engineer.

Having Tech survive would also give us a nice parallel to the first two episodes of season 2. Tech fell and sustained a serious injury from being crushed by a box in a way that could foreshadow his current predicament. A big deal was also made about having a seriously injured Tech rescue Omega, so having a similar thing happen with higher stakes in season 3 would be a nice callback, and Star Wars LOVES callbacks.

Finally, Tech appearing to be dead, seeing the horrors of the Empire’s experiments, and returning to his family would bring additional emotional weight and character development. Losing Tech and then having him come back and tell them about what is happening to other clones just might be the push that Wrecker and Hunter need to join Echo and Rex in their fight against the Empire. Since we are in the very middle of the story, the stakes will have to be raised even further to get to the climax in the final season, and having The Bad Batch actively fight the Empire would be a good way to build up to that. Additionally, this kind of a plot would further reinforce how close this little family is by showing how lost they are without each other and how intense their emotions are when reunited, and that would make whatever happens to them at the very end (happy, sad, or bittersweet) that much more poignant.

And about those tweets from the Kiner Brothers: don’t take them as confirmation of anything. The score is one of the last things that gets added to television shows, so it is very unlikely that they have seen season 3. They also would not tell us over Twitter if they knew Tech’s fate, because they likely would have had to have signed an NDA and The Mouse is infamously paranoid about leaking spoilers. They also reiterated that they are not in the writers’ room in a recent Q&A.

[jackdanielsripper]

ART SUMMARY 2024

I figured why not, because I want to show off how I've improved. It should be prefaced that this first batch from January aside from the first image was mostly me tracing for practice as I was extremely novice at the craft and needed to learn how to properly use the tools for digital art. Take those pieces' quality with a grain of salt. Also keep in mind I am mostly a horror artist and my artstyles aren't "pretty" or clean by normal standards. January looks the worst so bear with me.

JANUARY

January was interesting, I rarely went outside of the one artstyle I was doing, rarely experimented, likely because I was still learning at the time. The one time I did was that not-so-great portrait of Jonathan Banks. In a year's hindsight I don't really know why I kept the border around his features, but I didn't know what I was doing back then so oh well.

MARCH

We skipped February because of personal reasons. If you've been following me since before then you might have figured out some stuff is missing. That's because of said personal reasons.

March sort of marks a bit of a mental decline for me and a bit of a decline in productivity along side it. A few months might be missing.

I'm isolating this one to talk about it. This is one of the first appearances of my OC "Deathwish". Edgy name aside, this post has sort of marked a cornerstone in creativity for me, this is possibly my favorite piece I've done and the one I'm most proud of.

That's really the only notable thing about march.

APRIL

Shit hit the fan for me hard in April. I didn't really do any digital drawing in April, pretty much all of the art I did was with pens on a sketchbook. Most of it is too personal to show, but there's some I can. Namely some art of my OC Mr. NastyBags and some celebrity caricatures.

MAY

I seriously lament the fact that I wasn't able to really continue working on Project Pinhead, I wanted to keep going but developing a game while having issues with committing to long term projects sucks bad, frankly. Here's some promotional art. I'll pick it back up eventually.

JULY

I don't think I did anything in June, so here's what I will show from July:

Welcome Atymede!!! An OC from a failed project called Tower of Revelations. I was really sleep deprived one morning because of insomnia and I got really weirdly inspired to make a fucked up medieval fantasy universe. As I'm writing this I realized that this dude later became another oc that I made last month by the nickname of Fundead, with the medieval fantasy being replaced by a more grounded wild west comic book feel.

AUGUST

July into August and onwards for a time I was dealing with some stress related hand cramping I mistook for carpal tunnel. So productivity slowed down a lot more. I made One (1) drawing in August. Mina from hit game Noita. I was pretty into that game for a bit, it was fun!

Something weird happened in September

I also got my wisdom teeth removed in November, nothing noteworthy in October.

DECEMBER

Here's the most recent stuff!!!! Plus a sneak peek at a new comic thing I'm working on with Fundead, it's a rough sketch and improvements should be made. Note that the stuff I made with Fundead already are largely not going to reflect his final design fully, The comic version will probably be more accurate to what I want him to look like.

Thank you, everyone, and have a wonderful 2025!!!!!!!!!!

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

reading update: august 2023

wow what a month!!! I turned 27, I got to do so much work on a documentary on queer style, and most importantly I read a batch of really cool books that I'm so excited to ramble about. so let's cut the bullshit, here's what I've been reading!

Condomnauts (Yoss, 2013; trans. David Frye, 2018) - thank you to, who else, tumblr user @condomnauts for the recommendation! the premise of this book is so sensational: humankind has taken to the stars and become part of a bustling galactic community, with a catch: politeness demands that when different species get together to trade, they open negotiations by sending members from each crew to have sex with each other. these "condomnauts" are highly in demand among humans, since it takes a very particular kind of person to figure out how to bone down with someone who isn't even remotely human. but it's not all fun or free-wheeling space orgies; our protagonist, Josue, is up to his eyes in unresolved trauma from the miserable violence and poverty of his upbringing (seriously, look up those trigger warnings; it gets pretty yucky out there) and has definitely never been to space therapy. ultimately this book isn't as much of a romp as I might have hoped and does fall a bit more into "let's explain at length how the sci-fi tech works" than I usually like, but. BUT. I have to say, the payoff at the (deep sigh) climax of the book (and it is, in fact, a climax) took me totally by surprise and made me SHRIEK with delight when I realized what was about to happen; huge props to Yoss for bringing that particular plot point so perfectly full circle.

Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs (Jamie Loftus, 2023) - I'm a huge fan of all of Jamie Loftus' nonfiction podcast series (go listen to Ghost Church, like, immediately. stop reading this an go do it) so I was naturally pretty fucking stoked for her first foray into nonfiction books. the premise is simple enough: driven by a need to consume a truly terrifying amount of hot dogs for research, Loftus and her boyfriend set off on a cross-country road trip, sampling hot dogs across America so that Loftus can alternate descriptions of the most iconic contemporary hot dogs with an investigation of the hot dog's sordid past. as is pretty much the signature of Jamie Loftus' work, to me, the end result is much funnier, weirder, and sadder than the innocuous-sounding premise would suggest; in addition to the perils of colonialism, capitalism, COVID-19, and factory farming, Loftus does a remarkably tactful job documenting the the downfall of her own relationship as she searches for the perfect dog. cannot recommend enough, an incredible debut.

Yellowface (R.F. Kuang, 2023) - a couple of months ago I read my first R.F. Kuang book, Babel, and thought that it couldn't possibly live up to the amount of hype that it was getting at the time. and I was wrong! Babel was tremendous! but surely R.F. Kuang, that crazy son of a gun, couldn't pull it off twice in one year. and yet! Yellowface was a book I found hard to put down, because with each chapter came some fresh new BUGFUCK CRAZY BULLSHIT from our terrible, terrible protagonist. maybe the plot hinging so much on extremely online book discourse will make it inaccessible for some readers, but as someone who used to spend a lot of time on lit twitter I got it and felt seen. honestly, if this kind of discourse broke loose on twitter tomorrow - a white author stealing the work of her Chinese-American friend? publishing it after her friend's tragic premature death?? changing her name to sound more racially ambiguous??? - I might go crawling back to X dot com just to gawk. this is a satirical thriller of the highest order, and if you love mess as much as me you will gobble this shit up.

The Prisoner's Wife (asha bandele, 1999) - and now for a totally different vibe than I've been bringing you so far! bandele's memoir is an absolutely wrenching account of falling in love with Rashid, a man incarcerated for murder and the ensuing fight to build a life together. bandele is a poet and it shows; her words flow beautifully even in the ugliest of circumstances. this is no suffering porn but a nakedly honest account, all of the good and all of the bad in her relationship. the struggles are never limited to the inhumanity of American carceral system, and the reader is also witness to the usual growing pains of two people learning how to love each other heightened by the enormous obstacles of stolen autonomy. but for every moment of difficulty there is love, such an enormity of love that you at time feel the need to look away from someone being so vulnerable. but I'm so grateful bandele shared the way she did. even reading the book two decades after its publication, with the knowledge that she and her husband Rashid would ultimately divorce, did nothing to dull the love. the love was real, and bandele captured it with devastating precision.

Clay's Ark (Octavia E. Butler, 1984) - god, I love Octavia. just when you think you know where she's going with a story of a creepy codependent psychic cult she zags on you and introduces a SECOND creepy codependent cult, this time in the form of a bunch of HORNY PARASITIC SPACE WEREWOLVES hiding out in the desert! there was no mention of Mary and the Pattern! where are they, Octavia? why are they sending people into space? what does it mean that aliens are in play now? are they going to fight in the next book? god, I hope they fight. there was some gruesome shit in Clay's Ark, but man was I compelled.

My Wandering Warrior Existence (Nagata Kabi, 2020; trans. Jocelyne Allen, 2022) - this was a really exciting new turn for Nagata's graphic memoirs! this one is a great reflection on ✨romance✨ as Nagata begins the arduous work of trying to figure out what romance means to them and what she'd actually want out of a relationship. there was a lot that I related to immensely, although our outcomes may be different - in my case, I realized that building so many mental hurdles for myself because I didn't want to be in a relationship at all. watching someone else navigate that journey at a later age than people are usually expected to is so cool, especially doing it so thoughtfully and with such candor and coming from a place of queerness. I don't know where things are going for Nagata Kabi, but I'm excited for the next translation of her work to be released in November. and I really recommend this graphic memoir to anyone trying to figure out their own romance situation, whether or not you're read the preceding volumes; it can stand quite well on its own!

Love, Hate & Clickbait (Liz Bowery, 2022) - guys. listen. I was so prepared to hate this romance novel, but "a governor forces two of her male staffers to fake date each other to win #woke points" is pretty heinous premise! and it SUPER doesn't help that one of these guys, Thom, is a stone cold manipulative bastard who's chronically online and obsessed with his job to a generally terrifying degree. (the other guy, Clay, is just kind of a doofus who's been, I think, accidentally autism-coded.) but by the end [SPOILERS] Thom has uuuuuh suffered complete and total ego death and renounced his entire life, and it kind of rules? idk, the fake dating might be kind of long and tedious if you're not into fake dating, by which I mean it was tedious for me, but the climax really catapulted it up the list of romance novels I've read this year. also I regret to say the sex is pretty good.

Docile (K.M. Szpara, 2020) - god almighty I put off actually getting to this book for YEARS but I'm glad I did, because I don't know if I would have had the range to appreciate her back in 2020. the basic bones premise - a slightly future dystopia in which those in extreme debt can take a drug called Dociline to become a passive blank slate and sell themselves as servants for the ultrawealthy - barely scratches the surface; it's an intoxicating story about power, control, cobsession, consent, vulnerability, exploitation, capitalism, and loss of self in so many different ways. also I once again regret to say that the sex is pretty good. I completely understand why this book wouldn't be someone's cup of tea - jesus CHRIST read those content warnings - but I couldn't read it fast enough.

Carnal Knowledge: Sex Education You Didn't Get in School (Zoë Ligon and Elizabeth Renstrom, 2020) - what a fun book! for those of y'all who don't know Ligon's work, she's the owner of Spectrum Boutique, a Detroit-based sex toy store that I endorse wholeheartedly and as often as possible! Ligon has put together a great little book of beginner's sexual affirmations, covering everything from body image to pubic hair to relationship styles as well as, naturally, sex toys. it's a great read for anybody, and Renstrom's whimsical, vibrant photos make it a delight to flip through. I'd recommend it for anyone, especially my many anons over the years who have asked how to start getting more comfortable thinking and talking about sexuality. it's a great place to start, a gorgeous little safe space of a book that welcomes everyone to think more widely about pleasure and how to find it.

[centrally-unplanned]

Alright, last batch:

The first half of these are "Official" Anime Books. We have the Official Guide Books for Yuru Camp & Bocchi the Rock, modern buys from a Kinokuniya. They are what you would expect: character designs, concept art, episode & story guides, cast & crew interviews, etc. I was very happy with the level of photography they have - Laid Back Camp of course has a ton of pages comparing photographs of the actual camp sites with their anime depictions, while the Bocchi book has a bunch of Shimo-Kitazawa scene spotting. The Bocchi book also has a page laying out all of the art used in its EDs, which I really love for their pastel-chibi style, very kino:

But I will admit how standardized this style of book has become is a little sad - these two unrelated anime have nearly identical layouts, because that is how it works these days. There is a reason I am drawn to the earlier history of anime so much, it was way more unfiltered. A minor note though on otherwise very fun buys.

Finally we have Haruhi-ism: The Art of Noizi Ito. This is a full-on waifu book, just a big collection of splash art of Haruhi being Haruhi and the rest of cast dealing with her bullshit with erotic flecks sprinkled throughout. A real whim buy as I picked it up for a few dollars; the used book market in Japan is truly amazing, I get now how people build such massive collections. What is cute though is that Noizi Ito is the illustrator for the light novels; she didn't work on the anime in any real way, and it shows:

Kyon and Mikuru have the greatest difference in design, but the style difference hits them all in some ways. The anime's visual design is of course far more omnipresent that the light novel illustrations are; it makes this book feel like its from a slightly parallel universe, where Ito was brought on to do the designs for the anime so its entire concept is shifted just a bit to the metaphorical left. The Berenstein Bears branch of Haruhi's multiverse, if you will.

The bottom three are more unique - additions to what I would call the "otaku studies" collection, books by otaku doing media or cultural analysis of anime or otakudom itself. First is A New Millenialist Perspective on the Daughters of Eve, by Mari Kotani, which is a feminist & post-modernist exploration of Evangelion. This whole genre of books...well, here is the back cover, in English for your convenience:

"Here, post-structuralist psychoanalytical theory will enable us to define Angel as the representation of 'abjection' in-" okay buddy, put down the weed and step away from the graduate studies applications, lets go for a walk. Seriously, stuff like this was absolutely in the water in 90's Japan; it was going through a huge wave of psycho-analytic sociology that broke into the mainstream. Back in the day there was a tendency to use this stuff as a way to "understand Eva" - that is backwards, Evangelion is not that deep. But instead, you can see works like these as a byproduct of fandom and the media mix - how Evangelion's brand as the "intellectual's show" was propagated and reinforced over time, and how a certain kind of fan related to it. Eva-as-show does not need these texts, but Eva-as-cultural-event was built from bricks like these. Its not the biggest "Eva philosophy" book but was well-enough known in its day, so it should be fun to read.

Okay, I'll be quick on the others: next is Kurahon, by Hideyuki Kurata - manga author of works like Read or Die. This books is a bunch of autobiographical-style essays about him being a complete hikikomori shut-in otaku collector maniac, complete with 2D Girl supremacy tracts and manifestos for the life of the outsider. Its extremely 2000's in its genre, this kind of ideology would die down as otaku culture transitioned fro- NOT NOW, deep breaths, whew, back on topic. Anyway, this books is insane, this is literally the first in-line image in the book as you go through his text:

Kurata is a lunatic, but he is my kind of lunatic, and this text has a level of raw, intense honesty and cultural reflection in it that really makes it stand out.

Last book is an edition of the print series Eureka! Haruhi Suzumiya Edition, which was a literary & cultural studies joint that collected essays on topics. Wait, one sec...sorry, not 'was', 'is', they are still at it! They have an upcoming collection on Tolkein, cool. Anyway, this of course falls into a similar genre of the Eva book as being quite high-concept, but is from a more diverse set of authors and is a bit more grounded. It has a whole section on Doujin and meta-textual elements in the anime fandom of Haruhi, excited to read that.

Okay okay, that is the Japan books, generally. Though I did realize that I had imported a few things before that I never posted about when they arrived, I might throw those on the stack and do a post about a few...