#you don’t have to include this one in the lineup. I just really wanted to draw this.

[changlingfamilies]

I guess I really liked this prompt because I did another take for Healing. After fighting the titans, many members of the family were injured, including new addition Skrel. Though she had some help from Morgana and Lenora, Barbara did most for the healing and was particularly exhausted once everyone was stable and on the mend.

[f1byjessie]

IN FAIR VERONA ━━ CL16.

things are hard when you're the only female in a male-dominated space, and the newest driver for the newest team knows this best.

( charles leclerc x driver!schumacher!reader )

━━ part one.

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yourusername feeling blue?

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user i am gnawing at the bars of my enclosure right now 

user MOTHER IS MOTHERING SO HARD RN 😩

user y/n schumacher never misses

↳ user let’s be real here user the entire schumacher family never misses

↳ user y’all have seen mick’s most recent post too right??

user she is so gorgeous i am ILL

user god really does have his favorites huh 😭😭

↳ user this is undeniable proof

↳ user people this beautiful don’t actually exist i refuse to believe it

user every day i wake up and cry that i will never be as stunning and skilled as her

user formula 2 silly season has me losing my damn mind i swear 😫 i might as well be wearing a tin foil hat with the number of theories i’m following and the consistent blue themed posts y/n keeps dropping are NOT HELPING

↳ user not to add to your conspiracy madness, but it’s already confirmed that fred vesti is replacing jehan daruvala who’s moving to mp motorsport, and there are rumors that oliver bearman is also getting a prema seat which could mean that y/n schumacher is going to another team as well or leaving f2 entirely

↳ user a good chunk of the other teams have already revealed their driver lineup and none of them include schumacher, which doesn’t leave a lot of options IF the rumours are true

↳ user i can’t see her just leaving motorsports entirely considering she’s worked so hard to get where she is 🤔 which calls into question whether she’s moving to a different racing series

↳ user i really can’t see schumacher leaving tbh, especially since she’s been in f2 since 2017 and has established herself as a prema legend basically

↳ user the fact that she has been at prema for so long (and has gotten p2 in the f2 championship nearly every year since 2017) could also be proof that she’s moving on to bigger and better things

↳ user wait she’s been there HOW LONG??? since 2017??? as in she drove with charles leclerc, her brother mick, AND oscar piastri??? 🤯🤯🤯

↳ user she’s had a very long and successful career there, but it wouldn’t surprise me if she decided to retire from formula racing and move onto some other series that’s more woman-friendly, all things considered 🤷‍♀️. she has been runner-up every year that she’s competed, proven that she has what it takes to make it in a higher level of formula racing, and yet not a single f1 team has even offered her the opportunity to be even a test or reserve driver? 🤨 something isn’t adding up and i don’t want to say it’s because she’s a girl in motorsports but it’s kind of hard to ignore the proof when it’s put right in front of you.

↳ user guys the keyword is “if” here, of course, bc as fun as it is to speculate it is all still speculation and we won’t know for certain until it’s revealed by official sources. silly season is called that for a reason, and for all we known y/n is drawing out the announcement of her continued partnership with prema to stir up interest. she’s been in a very loyal and secure partnership with them for years now, a partnership that both she and prema seem very happy to keep considering just how long it’s lasted.

↳ user f2 is another series that once you win the championship you are no longer allowed to compete in, so prema may have kept her around to help carry her male teammates into first place until females are more accepted in formula racing so that she could eventually move up to f1

↳ user prema’s gonna announce her as their driver with vesti and you all are gonna look so fucking dumb for this 🙄🙄

user blue is HER color now 😍

maseratimsg 💙

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yourusername to the women of f1 that came before me, who paved the way, this is for you.

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maseratimsg When you race, they race with you 💙.

↳ yourusername 🫶💙

user Y/N SCHUMACHER??? IN FORMULA ONE??? IN 2023???

user i’ve been following her career for years now and this makes me so excited omg

↳ user me too!! she’ll be the first female to drive in f1 in over 30 years 🤭

user HARD LAUNCH BUT FOR THE 2023 GRID I GUESS

user when maserati announced they’d be getting back into formula racing i had no idea that also meant formula one as well?? they’ve got drivers in the 22-23 formula e season right now but this is how i found out about y/n schumacher driving for the 23 formula 1 season? i think i am going into shock

user 2023 might actually be a good year if this is how we’re gonna be going into it

user WOMEN IN MOTORSPORTS

user milf = man i love females-in-fast-cars

user been watching f1 since i was a kid, always wondered why there were no girls out there driving. this year i’ll get to turn on that tv and finally see someone who looks like me

↳ user it’s so fitting that maserati’s original f1 team also had the first woman f1 driver, and now they’ll be breaking barriers again by having another woman f1 driver in their first season back

↳ user i’m hoping they’ve got a good car ready cuz i wanna see y/n schumacher up on that podium telling everyone who didn’t believe she could do it just cuz she was a girl to eat shit and die 😤😤😤

user there’s a reason there aren’t any female drivers in f1. she’s doomed to fail just like all the others smh 🙄

↳ user the biggest reason is sexism, and y/n has consistently proved throughout her career that she is just as skilled if not more than her male counterparts. she works harder to make up for the physical disadvantages she has as a woman, and she still wipes the floor with the other drivers. she’s not “doomed to fail” she’s practically destined to succeed.

↳ user y/n has trained her ass off to be the best, and she’ll prove it when she gets out on the tarmac in bahrain, just you wait 🥱

↳ user she’s literally a 6-time f2 runner up??? sure, she didn’t win, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still incredibly fucking impressive that she’s managed to get p2 against her male counterparts 6 YEARS IN A ROW 👀👀 her brother got p12 his first season and you know what she got? p2. she’s already raced with the likes of charles leclerc, zhou guanyu, yuki tsunoda, alex albon, george russell, lando norris, and a number of other very prominent formula racing names, and she held her own against them all incredibly well. she gave her own brother a real run for his money when they were teammates in 2019 and 2020, and in 2021 she was only a 9 point difference away from oscar piastri, whereas the p3 finalist was nearly a full 60 points below both of them. get out of here with that “there’s a reason there aren’t any female drivers in f1” bullshit, because the reason is misogyny 😒🙄

user not to be that person but like??? who else is lowkey excited for potential driver x driver romance?? 🫣

↳ user nah cuz i didn’t wanna make this about that but i’m actually totally ready to see who she has the best chemistry with on the grid 🫢 first hope is charles leclerc cuz they’d be a power couple hands down but also mayhaps max verstappen?? maybe??

↳ user totally agree babes a ferrari and maserati romeo and juliet love story would destroy me 😩

↳ user the parallels are already paralleling

↳ user to add to the parallels, her and charles were teammates at prema in 2017

↳ user OMG RIVALS TO STAR CROSSED LOVERS??? 😭😭

↳ user schumacher and leclerc are about to live out THE fanfic dream i can see it now

user can’t wait to see her mop the floor with these boys next year

user 2023 IS GONNA BE CRAZY 💙💙

user if i see any of those lads talk down about her or dismiss her just because she’s a woman, it’s on fucking sight 💀

↳ user they did that campaign in 2021 about equality in racing and i am BEGGING that it wasn’t just a media ploy and that they actually believe what they said about men AND women being able to drive

user this is about to be the best f1 season in history folks

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maseratimsg Prepare for trouble, and make it double ✌️💙.

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user SCHUMACHER TWINS TEAMMATES AGAIN???

user someone pinch me i think i’m in a dream 😳

↳ user i pinched myself and this is in fact very real

user we knew y/n would be driving for maserati but to also have MICK? maserati picked not one but TWO legacy drivers they have an agenda to push and they are certainly pushing it

↳ user yeah, an agenda to win 😌

↳ user genuinely just imagine how much natural talent and skill will be in that garage come the start of the season with michael schumacher’s twins…

↳ user back in 2020 when they raced together at prema, i saw someone joke that they were made into twins because no singular human being would be able to handle having that much racing prowess, so they were split up. but idk how much of it was actually a joke because they were scarily good as teammates? y/n has always finished no more than 10 points behind p1, and mick is a very powerful driver in his own right. putting them together and letting them drive as allies again instead of rivals will be a sight that’s for sure.

↳ user imagine being nerfed at birth cuz fate knew you’d be too powerful otherwise 😂😂😂

user blue is THEIR color apparently

user it’s the schumachers’ world and we’re just living in it

↳ user schumachers vs the entire f1 grid sounds like an insane clickbait article but the fact that it’ll be real in a few months is crazy

user everyone’s talking about y/n and mick but i’m stuck on the fact that there will finally be 11 teams driving for f1 again

↳ user maserati really said fuck the expectations

↳ user maserati’s gonna get a 1-2 with the schumachers in their first year back i’m calling it now 🤪🤪

↳ user first female driver in f1 in 30 years and first 11th team to drive in f1 since 2016, and i’m betting it’ll be first ever female driver to podium in f1 and first ever female driver to win in f1 too because i’ve seen y/n schumacher’s skill and i guarantee that if she’s actually given the ability to go all out then she’s gonna be a force to be reckoned with

user hope they’ve got a good car planned cuz i wanna see these two put up a good fight

user verstappen better watch his back 👀

user Y/N SCHUMACHER WDC 2023

user at least mick got to drive with seb still on the grid, but i’m actually heartbroken that y/n won’t be able to 😔

↳ user and kimi too

↳ user i think the only drivers left are hamilton and alonso no? from before their dad retired i mean

↳ user perez, hulkenberg, and ricciardo too, but they only drove on the same grid as michael schumacher for a couple years

↳ user i imagine it would suck to lose but i personally would be very proud to see my old friend’s kids standing on a podium above me or beside me 🥹

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mickschumacher from beating you into this world, to beating you in karting (both professionally and casually), i'm so proud to have the chance to beat you in formula 1 too

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yourusername those are fighting words micky 🤨

↳ mickschumacher not sure what you mean 😊

↳ yourusername it’s on sight 👊

user GUYSSS JUST THINK ABOUT THE PADDOCK INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THESE TWO

↳ user the media days boutta be crazyyyy

↳ user i’m imagining the chaos of not just having siblings on the grid together, but twins specifically, and i’m already getting a migraine on behalf of whoever their pr officers are 😅😭

↳ user 2023 is the year they make a geneva convention for the grid prank wars and it’s gonna be the because of the schumachers

user baby photos oh i am unwell 🙃

↳ user i’ve caught a nasty case of baby fever i fear

↳ user they’re both menaces as adults, i wonder how bad they were as little kids

↳ user baby fever cured methinks 😶

user 💙💙💙 MICK P1 2023 💙💙💙

user mick being proud to race with his sister but also making it well known that he isn’t gonna take it easy on her is the type of sibling rivalry content i’m looking forward to seeing this season

↳ user i need all the drivers to have this same mentality bc i know mick is gonna recognize her as the threat that she is, but if any of those lads underestimate her just bc she’s a girl, then their karma will come in the form of eating the dust of y/n schumacher’s car

↳ user PREACH 🙌🙏

charlesleclerc cannot wait to have you both on track this year

━━ tags: @maih23 @urfavnoirette @casperlikej

━━ a/n: first and foremost, happy international women's day! i've had this sitting around for a little while now and decided that today would be the perfect day to finally share it, what with the themes of women empowerment and breaking the glass ceiling. my main priority will still be my lando series until i can get that finished, but updates for this might appear in between on occasion. i also wanna take a moment just to appreciate the sheer amount of research that went into this, finding a team that would reasonably work well as an 11th team for formula 1 was a bit difficult, but i'm not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth when maserati fits pretty perfectly. also, as a twin myself, i'm incapable of writing a sibling duo that aren't also twins, and i have zero shame about that. anyways, i'm very excited for this, and i hope everyone else is as well!

[nerdy-novelist017]

Rooftop Conversations (Benny Cross x Shy!Reader Pt 4)

On my drive home yesterday, I heard Zach Bryan's Oklahoma Smokeshow for the first time and I realized it's so Benny x Bunny coded :) I'm curious to know what song reminds you of Benny x Bunny! As always, I so so so appreciate all your comments!

Benny x Bunny Masterlist here!

Word Count- 3.1k+ (longest one yet!)

Summary- Another night spent with Benny was sure to be an adventure filled with firsts for both of you.

******

Benny told you he knew a place to eat that had real food. You were about to tell him that Ricardo’s did have good food, but he all but pulled you into the back of his bike in an effortless move that silenced your voice with a soft gasp. The adrenaline surged through you as fresh as the first time he had given you a ride and you wondered if you would always feel this feeling riding on the back of his bike. 

He drove you to the other end of town again and you couldn’t hide the surprise on your face as he pulled up to a bar, parking next to a lineup of other motorcycles. 

“A bar?” You asked as he helped you off the bike.

“Not exactly what Pete would have picked,” Benny replied coolly as he dismounted. “But the best food ‘round.”

“Well, I’m mad at him so who cares what he’d pick.” You grinned as you followed him to the door. 

Inside, the bar was alive with music, voices and bustling bodies. Benny’s hand found the small of your back and gently guided you toward the far tables. Ignoring the rush of butterflies at the contact, you tried to focus on the familiar faces from the picnic who cheered when you entered with Benny but you blushed, looking down at your feet. A couple people clapped Benny on the back as he passed and you felt sort of like a prize and he was the winner. He found an empty table at the back, and you took a seat, facing the room. 

“I’ll get you a drink,” he announced before he disappeared into the crowd, moving towards the bar. You glanced about the bar, taking in the rustic setting and colorful characters. Then suddenly, the leader of the Vandals himself was in front of you, sliding into the unoccupied chair. 

“You’re Benny’s girl, right?” Johnny asked and before you could correct him – or rather ask exactly what he meant by that – he continued, “It’s nice to see you here again. The boys all really liked your cookies. Sure was sweet of you to bring that.”

You nodded, muttering a soft thanks.

“My wife was wonderin’ if you could give her your recipe – for the cookies, I mean. Maybe you could tell her at another meeting,” he said, tapping his fingers over the tabletop. He’s trying to be friendly, you realized. Trying to include you in the club somehow. Warmth filled your chest at the idea of a club filled with bikers could possibly like you enough to want you around. You wondered if they just aimed to make you the center of every inappropriate joke that would inevitably be thrown out. Regardless, you still felt flattered at the notion.

Charmed, you replied, “I–It's nothing too difficult. I’m sure she could recreate it.”

He hummed. “Well, maybe some of the guys would like to see you ‘round, too. It’s good for ‘em to be ‘round such a civilized lady as yourself. Might even be able to whip ‘em into shape.”

“I don’t know about that,” you grinned sheepishly, rubbing your shoulder. For being the leader of a motorcycle club, he wasn’t as scary as you originally thought. Intimidating, definitely, but not terrifying. 

“You whipped our boy Benny into shape! And hell, if you can do that in just the few hours you spent with him, think of all the good you could do for the Vandals. You’d be like a god amongst men here.” The lines around his eyes creased as he bantered.

Heat climbed up your neck at the implication and you broke his eye contact. “I’m sure Benny acts like that with every girl he’s trying to sleep with.”

“I’ve never seen him act the way he does when you’re around. It’s like you’ve hypnotized him.” A mirthful grin overtook his ruggedly handsome face. “You’re not a siren, are ya? Leading him off to his watery demise?”

You giggled, shaking your head. 

“Good, can’t have that – it’s bad for business.” He stood, using his foot to slide the chair back in. “Plus, ya know, I kind of like that kid. He’s rough around the edges and damn near feral at times, but he’s a good kid. Has a good heart. I think he’d take care of ya. That’s all he wants, I think. Someone to love ‘em and someone he can show he’s capable of lovin’ too. ”

Bemused, you fell quiet and before you could reply, Benny reappeared, two bottles in hand and he nodded at his friend, “Johnny.”

You glanced between the two as you felt the gravity of their friendship sparking. It was clear that Benny had not heard Johnny’s previous words because if he had, you were sure he wouldn’t appreciate the wingman stunt. And though you didn’t know Benny hardly at all, it was clear in the way he nodded at Johnny that this was an important relationship in his life, possibly one of the only friendships he had. Something heartening stirred in you as you pictured Benny going to him for advice, for brotherly connection. 

“Benny,” Johnny returned innocuously and he shot you a secretive smile before disappearing into the crowd again. 

“He wasn’t teasin’ you, was he?” Benny asked lightheartedly as his gaze found you again.

“No,” you replied with a small smile, mind still sifting through the information Johnny had left you.

“Good, I’m the only one that can do that,” he stated and your eyes widened slightly at his confidence. “I didn’t figure you were the type to order a beer,” he explained as he slid the coke bottle in your direction. You wrapped your fingers around the cold glass, internally beaming at the thought of him second-guessing himself when it came to ordering you a drink. 

“Not usually,” you answered as he sat down in the seat next to you, a fresh beer bottle in his hands. “You must think I’m pretty boring.”

“I think you’re anything but.” He smiled, his eyes seeming to be alight with a playful seductiveness. A dare, you realized. That’s what his mischievous look was; a dare, to be bold, to be adventurous. It stirred something in your gut chest that you didn’t know was dormant until now. 

“Well, in that case . . .” You quirked your brow as you slid your coke bottle across the table stopping in front of him and grabbed his beer bottle which he had already opened and took a swig from. You brought it up to your lips, the smell making your stomach flip before you sipped a generous serving. The alcohol burned as it went down and you winced, nearly coughing. 

Benny laughed. You were certainly something to keep him on his toes. He opened your soda bottle and moved it forward to cheers with you. The bottles clinked together and you smiled, making his heart flutter. Without breaking eye-contact, he lifted your coke bottle to his mouth and drank from it and nearly lost it when you mirrored him with the beer bottle. You sip was considerably shorter than his and you screwed up your face at the taste afterwards but he was still impressed by your sudden intrepidity. Just as he thought he was starting to figure you out, you’d surprise him with a new and exciting action. And Benny lived for the thrill of it. It was his turn to surprise you.

“What do you want out of life?” he asked abruptly as he set the bottle down.

Your brows rose at the severity of his question. “That’s . . . a deep question.”

“You don’t have an answer?” 

“I have an answer, it’s just . . . that’s not something I expect on the first date. First date questions are more like ‘What’s your favorite color? What kind of music do you like? If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?’ Stuff like that.” You explained, voice lowering as you played with the wrapping on the beer bottle. A nervous distraction, he realized as he watched your delicate fingers.

“This is our first date?” he quipped, living for the way your eyes shot back up to his, a blush coating your nose and cheeks. “I thought it was when I gave you a ride home last night.”

“No, that was just a ride home.” You stood your ground, but gaze still fluttering back to the bottle.

“Oh,” he pretended to look down as if he were in deep thought. “Then what’s your favorite color?”

He watched as you tilted your head and fought to hold back a smile. “Yellow, like the sunrise in the early mornings. What’s yours?”

He made a mental note of that. “Red, like that red lipstick you're wearing right now.”

At that, your smile grew and he felt a swell of confidence so he continued, “What kind of music do you like?”

You giggled at the realization that he was playing into your game. “I listen to a lot of The Ronettes . . . and Elvis. Let me guess, you like The Rolling Stones?” 

“Are you judgin' me by my cover, Bunny?” He grinned. “I also like Johnny Cash.”

“That makes sense. You seem like a character Johnny Cash would sing about," You said flippantly and brought the beer bottle back up to your lips for another sip and Benny was so enamored by the way your head tipped back, delicate neck exposed that he didn’t even realize you had teased him. 

“If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?” he continued after a moment to compose himself as he drank from the coke bottle, wishing it was something stronger.

You seemed to ponder that for a second. “I’m not sure. I’ve always wanted to go to California.”

“Why is that?”

“I’ve never been to the beach and when I was a little girl, my mom had this magazine that dedicated an entire issue to the beaches of California. It looked so fun,” you described, your eyes lighting up.

Benny imagined the sight of you in a swimsuit – one of those new bikinis he’d seen Aubrey Hepburn wear on tv – and he nearly groaned. 

“What about you?” you asked innocently, drawing him back to reality. 

“The beach in California,” he replied instantly.

“Why?”

“Because you’d be there.”

You blushed, a smile encompassing your beautiful face and you looked down at the glass bottle again. 

Benny leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table. “What other first date questions do you have for me, Bunny?”

******

The night was spent with smiles, stories and plenty of teasing (the latter of which was mostly Benny’s doing) and you hadn’t realized how late it was getting, too absorbed in the attention of the ocean blue eyes of the man sitting next to you. You both ate dinner (Benny insisting on the best meal was their burgers and you had to agree) and you had finished the beer but Benny replaced it with another coke afterwards. Hours passed and the rest of the patrons began to leisurely shuffle out, each calling out goodnight as they went. There were only a few left now, you realized as you glanced about the bar. Then, Benny asked if you wanted to see something. 

He seized your hand in his and took you through the back of the bar, down the hallway and out the back door. The cool nighttime air was a refreshing change from the cigarette filled clubhouse. He led you around back to a closed in ladder leading to the roof. He opened the cage door and motioned for you first. You shot him an expected look.

“I’m not going up first!” You tried to act serious as you crossed your arms playfully, feeling an funny buzz from the drink. 

“Why not?” he grinned, yeilding.

“Because, you just want to look up my skirt as I go.” You quirked a brow at him. “I’m not stupid, you know.” 

“No, you definitely aren’t stupid. And I would never. I’m a gentleman.” He held a hand over his heart as if he was hurt by your insinuation. 

“Yeah, sure you are,” You said, holding your ground. 

He held up his arms in an appeasing way. “Alright, I’ll go up first. Just don’t trip and fall on your way up.” 

You laughed as you began making your way up the ladder after him. You climbed up the two stories, the ladder clinking beneath each heel until you made it to the top where Benny offered a hand to help you up. A gentle breeze guided you to the far end of the rooftop where a generous view of the town lights, each twinkling like the stars above. You’d never seen this perspective of your little home town and it almost looked magical.

Benny went forward and lowered himself to sit down. He beckoned you to follow and, though you were scared, you moved to mirror his seat. He held your hand as you took a seat next to him. Your legs, significantly shorter than his, dangled off the edge, bumping lightly against the brick wall. He was close enough to feel the heat radiating from his body, close enough that your shoulders touched slightly. 

“Wow, what a view, huh?” you said, voice barely above a whisper as the scent of his cologne wrapped around you. 

Benny only nodded and you looked at him with a small smile, falling into a comfortable silence. Your gaze fluttered over his face, taking in the details in this dim lighting. His dilated pupils made his eyes darker and the shadow of his nose blended beautifully onto his lips. The gentle curl of his hair looked so soft and you didn’t even realize that your hand was reaching out. And maybe you tried to tell yourself that it was from the alcohol, but you knew you weren’t drunk. You touched him because you wanted to. Your fingers found the blonde tendrils and a gentle sigh escaped your lips because they were soft. His eyes were locked onto you and he remained unmoving, letting you take the reins. 

“Do you actually want to marry me? Or were you just sayin’ that to get a reaction out of me?” you whispered, hand dropping back to your lap, fingers still tingling from the contact.

“Yes, I want to marry you.” His voice was a low rumble disrupting the silence of the rooftop.

You studied his face carefully, unable to look away. “How could you know that so soon?”

“You make really good cookies,” he retorted playfully and you gave him your best unamused look despite the fact that he left you very amused.  

“I’m serious,” you said, fighting the smile tugging on your lips.

“I know you are,” he murmured, gaze flickering down to mouth. “I’m serious too – about marrying you and about your cookies.”

Heat filled your core. Like the undeniable pull of a magnet, you felt yourself drifting closer to him. “I bake more than just cookies, ya know.”

Benny groaned, “You’re teasin’ me, Bunny.”

“No, just letting you know what you’d be signing up with if you married me.” You smiled. 

“I know exactly what I’m gettin’ myself into with you, Bunny,” he admitted slowly as he dipped his head lower, only a few inches from your face. His thumb and forefinger touched your chin softly. “Why else do you think I ran off Pete?”

You paused, brows furrowed at his words. “Wait, what?”

He didn’t seem to hear you as he continued forward and you lurched back before he could kiss you. “You did what to Pete?”

“I ran him off,” Benny explained as if it were obvious. “Had a talk with him.”

“Oh my god,” you breathed out harshly, a feeling of being drenched in icy water washed over you. “You saw him? Where?” Then it dawned on you. “You saw him at Ricardo’s? He actually showed up?”

He remained quiet, watching as you turned from the ledge, standing and began to pace as you worked through the thoughts hitting you faster than you could process. 

“You ran him off? Oh my god, Benny. Is that code for something? Did you kill him?” You squeaked, the possibility of poor Pete being having to fight for his life played out like a complete disaster in your head. 

“No.” He shook his head as if annoyed.

“Well what does that mean, then?” Your voice raised an octave as unease gripped your heart. “Did you beat him up?”

“I told you. I had a talk with him.” He said simply as he turned, flipping his legs over the ledge and faced you. 

“You intimidated him! You with your loud bike and leather jacket and mean look, it wasn’t just a talk. He doesn’t deserve that. Pete is a good guy.”

Benny lifted his hands up in a placating way but the sarcastic look on his face caused anger to spike through you. 

“What makes you think you had the right to do that?” You demanded as you planted your hands on your hip. “Where do you get off from?”

He opened his mouth to say something but thought better and closed it. 

“You intimidated my date,” you snapped. “A date I was actually excited for by the way. He was kind and . . . had a nice smile.”

“I don’t see the problem,” he mumbled, narrowing his eyes at the ground in front of you.  

“You don’t–” your mouth dropped open in shock, blood boiling at his audacity. You threw your hands up in exasperation as you spun away and made your way back to the ladder. 

“Where are you going?” Benny called out as he trailed after you.

“I’m going home so I can call Pete and apologize.” You retorted over your shoulder. And probably check to see if he's not been put in the hospital because of the biker behind you.

Benny laughed. “I thought you said you were mad at him,”

“Well, I’m not anymore. I’m mad at you now,” You fumed as you shot him a look before you descended the ladder.

“Me?” Benny scrambled down the ladder after you but you didn’t slow your pace as you rounded the outside of the bar, heading for the sidewalk. It would be a long walk home, but you had no interest in getting a ride home from him.

He jogged to catch up, grabbing your arm to halt you. “I didn’t hurt ‘em. I swear.”

You spun around to face him. “That’s not the point. You men all think alike, don’t you? Thinkin' you can stake your claim like women are just . . . just objects, toys.”

Benny’s jaw clenched tightly. “I’m not goin’ to apologize for it if that’s what you’re thinking.”

You scoffed as you wrenched your arm free and turned away. You picked up your pace as you made your way down the sidewalk in the direction of you home.

“Can I at least give you a ride home?” He called out. 

“Nope, I think it’s a perfect night for a walk, don’t you?” you replied without looking back, leaving Benny standing in the middle of the sidewalk in a stupefied silence.

-Tag List-

@imusicaddict @elizabeth916 @jaiuneamesolitaiire @dudii4love @ironmooncat @beebeechaos s @astrogrande @themorriganisamonster @pearlparty @sillylittlethrowaway @ughdontbeboring @penwieldingdreamer @eugene-emt-roe @charmingballoon @sunnbib @semperamans @groovyangelkisses @killerqueenfan @cynic-spirit @pomtherine @tranquilty @m00npjm @twisteduniverse5 @justsomewritingblog @nhlfs @thepassionatereader @rebecca-hvnstn @nethanybear @dreamlandcreations @buckysteveloki-me @simsiddy @zablife @sansaorgana @autumnleaves1991-blog @butler-trouble @lindszeppelin @wavyjassy @real-lana-del-rey @ilovehyperfixating @xcallmetaniax @lovenewfandoms @youngestxhearts @abaker74 4 @ateliefloresdaprimavera @thefallofthedamned @hottpinkpenguinreads

[susansontag]

studio ghibli ranking list let’s go

(will include nausicaä and the red turtle)

the these-are-actually-bad section:

24. earwig and the witch

actually the only one I haven’t watched so it’s cheeky to put it here. but I won’t be watching it and no one will blame me.

23. ocean waves

who sincerely cares about these teenagers they’re so annoying. if the boys had been gay it would have honestly been homophobic.

22. pom poko

this film is about shape-shifting raccoon dogs waging a war on humans and there’s copious jokes about their testicles. so on paper a perfect film. execution wise it’s so long and so boring and you care about none of them.

the cure-for-insomnia section:

21. tales from earthsea

hayao miyazaki was right to walk out of this one even though he probably is a terrible father for having done so. some of the animation was really nice but these protagonists made me yearn for the ocean waves cast because at least they have semi-personalities.

20. castle in the sky

proof miyazaki was judging his son too hard for earthsea because this is basically his version of the same thing: a nice idea with good animation and the most boring boy/girl protagonists imaginable. has got that whimsy he does so nicely however.

the passable-films section:

19. the cat returns

but should he have? was that really necessary? has a scene of cats walking in a procession on their hind legs though so that’s a plus.

18. arrietty

visually gorgeous but otherwise a very run-of-the-mill adaptation of the borrowers, which in something that should feel wondrous is less than ideal.

17. my neighbors the yamadas

some harmless and inventive fun that you can put on in the background whilst eating lunch or doing some light yoga stretches.

the don’t-harm-me-I’m-right section:

16. howl’s moving castle

yes I do in fact understand the intricacies of the plot and I still don’t care. this is one of ghibli’s messiest films for sure, it can’t decide what it wants to be or focus on and the plot just seems to happen and then not happen for no good reason. I also think howl’s a whiny bastard and hate that sophie has to mother him and endure his contemptible man tantrums. a shame because she’s actually cool.

15. grave of the fireflies

it was sweet but I’ve watched more moving animated films set in war-time, even. I don’t have much desire to watch it again honestly but maybe I will at some point.

the this-is-getting-there section:

14. the red turtle

I liked it! an acquired taste but I really felt the harshness of the elements and the cruelty and the love. it's also very beautiful to look at, one of the most visually arresting ghibli productions.

13. only yesterday

a tale of two films with this one. the parts where she's a young girl are much more interesting, but if this had stuck the landing and it'd been more even overall, could have potentially been a favourite. alas.

12. the wind rises

a genuinely weird one in ghibli's lineup, in which miyazaki meshes two different stories together (one of inventive 'genius' and a doomed love story, respectively) in a likely attempt to try and grapple with his having chosen his career over all else, including family (noteworthy is that his wife was not able to retain her career as an animator). as a piece of art it's less whimsical and more mature than many of these films, but I struggle to not let my distaste for what it potentially represents get in the way of my appreciation for it as a film, but it's so blatantly personal that it's impossible.

the that-was-just-a-good-fun-time section:

11. nausicaä of the valley of the wind

aesthetically one of the coolest films on this list but I don't remember the story as well. great protagonist too. must have been great to experience when it first came out in the '80s.

10. porco rosso

I love this film about a tomboy mechanic and some pilot guy who went off to war and was so changed he is now a pig. watching it feels like if the mediterranean was so small it fit into your back pocket and was also populated by all your friends all your enemies and your ex-lover also.

9. from up on poppy hill

I found this one boring the first time I watched it but it really grew on me with subsequent rewatches. I really like her predominantly female household and the community they share in the backdrop of the rest of the drama is sweet. the bit of drama midway through is still batshit though but in a loveable, disney-would-never way.

the near-perfect section:

8. the tale of the princess kaguya

probably takahata's magnum opus with the studio, if slightly overlong. folktales are tricky because they tend to feel moralistic and the characters one-note if you're not willing to build on them but kaguya herself feels very spirited and alive. the prettiest on the list too I'd say.

7. my neighbor totoro

cozy late summer comfort film. perhaps even more special now because I was able to see the london production. cute!

6. when marnie was there

surprised this one has ranked so high for me but that's the power of tomboy lesbians heck yeah etc. also the fantastical element of this one is so up my alley and touches upon a particular kind of childhood nostalgia I have of being in old houses and imbuing them with magical qualities. the image of anna facing the house across the marshland is burned into my retina.

the I'd-die-for-her section:

5. princess mononoke

aesthetically too cool for school and has one of the best ghibli villains and female characters (lady eboshi). they really said all the spirits of the forest are going to die in this one but well it was a nice thought.

4. ponyo

my comfort movie of all-time! heartwarming! with another great female ghibli character in lisa, sosuke's mum who is legally allowed to drive like that apparently. also one I actually watched for the first time in my childhood when I was around 7 or so at an after school club. the subtitles taught me the useful and now underused gem of a phrase "bog off".

3. kiki's delivery service

asks the important questions such as: what if you were a young witch from a dying tradition who moves to a gorgeous town in sweden? what if your remarkable gifts were no longer appreciated due to rapid advancements in aviation technology? what if you could live in a bakery?

2. spirited away

when you're just a timid child who is scared of admittedly a lot and your parents manage to mess everything up spectacularly so now you're forced to work at the age of twelve for people who steal your identity. still one of the best honestly they may never top this as the peak of their artistic achievement.

1. whisper of the heart

have you ever been a struggling artist? have you ever been in love? have you ever been obsessed with john denver's take me home, country roads? in all seriousness love a story of two artistically inclined people inspiring each other and this has a unique feel compared to other ghibli films forever favourite probably. it feels like basically no one has watched it and that's a shame. rest in peace yoshifumi kondō.

[dreamerwitches]

Could you have a three course meal with only Madoka merch?

I've seen things like this before with Pokemon or Evangelion but I wanted to try it with Madoka, it would probably be a little more difficult since it’s a lot less popular than both but here we goooo!

So we’re looking for food and crockery for this! We want a starter, a main course, a dessert and a drink for our food. And for crockery we want a plate, perhaps a bowl (for starter or pudding), a knife, fork, spoon (perhaps for dessert) and a cup or glass.

I’m more confident with the crockery so let’s start there.

There are plenty of plates to choose from! So let’s go with the Broccoli line which includes every girl, Kyubey and Charlotte. Originally sold for ￥1200. I’ll choose Mami :)

I could only find one bowl in contrast but that’s good enough. From Movic, we have to choose a Kyubey for this one... sigh... at least we can pretend we’re drowning them XD This one’s a slightly pricier￥1260.

Now cutlery is a lot harder... I couldn’t find any knives or forks but we can compensate! It may be harder for certain dishes but we can use the Penguin Parade chopsticks! Originally selling for ￥840, we’ll choose Mami again, of course.

However another option is the cake forks from the "I'm not afraid of anything anymore" cake set selling for ￥5880 altogether. Perhaps we could use the forks for our main but it could also be for dessert depending on what we choose (though if we’re buying it all we might as well choose the cake that comes with it too XD )

Even though we have a cake forks, let’s still prepare well with a spoon! This is actually the reason I wanted to do this in the first place XD I saw a set of spoons on a regular ebay trawl! I believe, these are limited from the Madoka Magica cafe. Unfortunately the listings for these settle to around $150 since they’re limited items from a no longer running cafe...

But fear not! Perhaps instead we can choose the spoon from the Kyubey cake set! Now we get two cakes for dessert! This one is certainly cheaper than the first option at ￥3780.

Next let’s choose a glass and a cup! There’s certainly plenty to choose from in this category. Let’s go for the ACG glass set and choose the lovely Charlotte! This set also includes a Kyubey design, a generic fancy design and runes. You can buy three glasses for ￥2800, we can bring guests!

Let’s go a bit more modern for our cup! The glass was from 2014 now let’s jump to 2021! A lovely cup designed by our favourite Inu Curry for ￥1500!

Now we’ve got our crockery, let’s move onto food! I have a feeling this will be far more tricky...

We can’t really have a traditional starter but what about some bread hm? No, what if I put it in a can for you? Canned bread! We’ve got the same lineup as our original plates but sadly missing Kyoko as many early merch pieces do... sorry Kyoko... I know you would’ve appreciated the bread... This is only a low price of ￥700 hooray!

Now onto our starter! What luck, we have a choice! Would you like the curry for ￥683? 

Or the ramen for ￥893? I’m surprised they sold full meals, I don’t know about you

We already bought our dessert with our cutlery so we have another choice of two! Would you like the peach and pineapple Mami cake?

Or the vanilla and raspberry Kyubey cake?

Wasn’t that tasty? Now why don’t we top off our meal with some tea in our 10th anniversary cup! Let’s have the black tea from Mami for ￥525!

So let’s run the maths, how much did our lovely meal cost? A-Ah... ￥40982..? just shy of $300..? P-Perhaps it’s not such a good idea then... shouldn’t’ve bought those spoons...

[judebellvngham]

Hi can I get a Gavi x pedri sister where she’s Ann Olympic gymnast and they go support her and she gets nervous since it’s her first Olympics and he calls her down! Some fluff ty :)

I KNEW YOU COULD, pablo gavi

pairings : gavi x pedri sister!reader

warnings : ngl idk fluff ig

notes: i didn’t really know how to write this im ngl but i absolutely love this request lmao gavi is such a cutie

(i also don’t know anything about how the gymnastics thing works .. so bear with me. it’s fictional anyway.)

not proofread at all lmao

✩

your anxiety was through the roof waiting to walk out with the rest of the teams lineup. there was at least 15 minutes before your team had to go and present themselves in front of over 12,000 people. not including the millions watching on TV. this was your first olympics and the pressure was starting to get to you.

you could never understand how your brother and gavi could do this and not let the pressure affect their performances.

it was crazy seeing yourself here as an 18 year old competing at the olympics, this had to be one of the biggest moments of your life so you couldn’t mess this up.

you sat trying to steady your breathing, placing your hand on your bouncing leg. all these doubtful thoughts just kept running through your mind- it was unhealthy considering you were going up soon. all the noise around you started to drown out as you tried to calm yourself down.. making it impossible to hear your teammate trying to grab your attention.

“y/n..” one of your teammates touched your shoulder, not wanting to scare you but you were so spaced out you didn’t hear her.

she was hesitant to say anything else but your phone was going absolutely crazy. “y/n!” and that finally shook you out.

you were slightly embarrassed and shocked. “i’m sorry, yes? what happened?” you say with a deep breath. she gave you a soft smile and shook her head.

“someone’s here to see you.” she nodded up towards the open door of the locker room and you look over to see two figures standing awkwardly in the door way. all your teammates just stood there looking at them as well out of shock.

you quickly realize that it’s pedri and gavi standing there, gavi with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. you cover your flushed face with your hands and you laugh out confused. It was a rule that visitors couldn’t come down to the locker room- especially not right before the event was starting so how they got here was completely beyond you.

you looked up at your teammate a look of puzzlement on your face as to ask ‘how and why?’ she only shrugged and pulled you up out of your seat by both of your hand, her smile growing bigger— you knew she had something to do with it, she was one of your closest friends on the team and was always there for you.

“go, don’t let coach see you guys.”

you pulled her close to you whispering a desperate ‘thank you’ and she laughed you off.

you quickly excused yourself from the room grabbing your warm-up jacket practically sprinting out the room to meet your boyfriend and brother.

the way the both gasped out of shock when you nearly knocked both of them down while clinging onto them. you guys stayed hugging for a little before gavi pulled away.

“your squishing my flowers i just bought you.” gavi said and you pulled off of him smiling like crazy, and pedri was off to the side laughing.

“how did you guys even get back here?” you felt your nerves slip away seeing the people who give you the most comfort in front of you.

“your teammate led us back here, she’s nice.” pedri said his face turning a little red talking about your friend and you only nodded with a slight smirk you and gavi giving him a knowing look.

pedri looked down at his phone checking the time, “you have ten minutes before you start , you ready?” pedri said with an encouraging smile, and you could physically feel your heart drop. you did not want to hear that right now because you were in-fact not ready.

gavi gave him a side eye, he was wondering if he didn’t see the terrified look on your face.

you stayed quiet starting to pick at your finger nails, “dude, go find our seats.” gavi said to pedri scolding him a little and pushing his shoulder. pedri couldn’t understand what gavi was trying to do, and he didn’t want to.

“since when did you become the boss of me?” pedri said with an small attitude pushing gavi back, and you roll your eyes at the immaturity.

“guys..”

pedri waved gavi off and started to walk towards you with a small smile on his face, his arms out perfectly for you to walk into and you did. he swayed the both of you and rested his chin on the top of your head. for some reason this made tears spring your eyes.

“you will do amazing, don’t worry.” he kissed the top of your head letting you go.

gavi stood awkwardly watching you and your brother interact because he was waiting for his turn.

���let’s go pablito” pedri said after letting you go leaving you standing in the middle of the big hallway.

you and gavi both looked taken aback. “i can’t talk to her too?”

“no.” pedri responded almost instantly, he still wasn’t used to the relationship between you and gavi.

gavi gave him a look as to ‘come on bro’ and pedri rolled his eyes at him and he started to walk away. “remember you are amazing y/n! i love you!” he pointed at you and you giggled.

“thank you pedri” you make a heart with your hands and he walks out of the hallway to the stadium, now leaving you and gavi alone.

your heart starts to beat quickly when he puts the flowers down on the floor and walks up to you, starting to hold your breathe when he is directly in front of you.

“are you okay?” he ask and you let out a breathy laugh.

“do i not look okay?”

“no, you look like your about to cry and shit and the same time.” he tries to joke with you looking down at your shaking hands. he grabs both of them in his in attempts to get them from shaking and it did help.

now your chest was caving in heavier and it was getting harder to breathe, you don’t think you’ve ever felt worse anxiety than this before. gavi face was even more concerned than before. he always knew how to comfort you in smaller situations but this was a life changing experience so it would be harder to help you.

despite feeling like you couldn’t breathe you were able to get a few words out, “gavi what if i mess up out there?” and he just shook his head at you as if it was the most ridiculous thing he’s ever heard.

“no no don’t say that..”

the tears were back, “i mean- these girls are so much better than me, i can’t do this- i’m just going to embarrass myself” you say in between sniffles.

“y/n, no stop it.” gavi voice was stern but soft he hated when you talked down on yourself because you were so talented and he wish you could see that.

you stayed silent so he continued, grabbing your face in his hands wiping the tears that spilled out. “you wouldn’t be here right now if you weren’t good enough. you’ve worked so hard to get here- this is your moment to show everyone how amazing you are.”

you gave him a sad look, doubts still running through your head.

“and guess what? even if you don’t do well- and i already know you will, but at least you can say you made it this far. not everyone has that privilege, but you do.” gavi spoke from the bottom of his heart with a smile that made you almost fall to your knees. his smile could literally light up a whole room.

“me and your brother will always be your biggest supporters no matter what, like he said you are literally amazing and no one does it like you.”

you couldn’t believe you had a person like this in your life he was a gift sent from God himself. A small smile started to appear on your face and once he saw that his smile got even bigger too.

“thank you, i love you gavi.” you pull him into a hug resting your head in his chest and he rubbed your back. you guys hadn’t said ‘i love you’s’ before but to you this seemed perfect. if he was anywhere else in any other situation he would be jumping off the walls but he had to keep his composure.

“i love you too.”

after a while of hugging you looked up at the clock on the time that showed you only had 5 minutes until you went out- so you pulled back with a deep breathe pulling yourself together.

“your right. i’m just so nervous right now.”

“and you have every reason to be, but you are going to go out there and absolutely kill it. this is light work, no worries.” he joked.

“light work? your insane.” you both laughed and he pulled you back into another hug.

“no but im serious, you got this.”

you pulled him into a passionate kiss, you always loved kissing him it was like dream that you never wanted to wake up from. before it could get to heavy he pulled back knowing he had to let you go.

“okay you have to go baby, me and pedri will be watching..” gavi walked and grabbed his flowers from the ground and you let out a small sigh feeling content.

you watched him walk away with your hands wrapped around your body the smile never leaving your face.

✩

and of course you ended up doing great at everything winning gold in the all-around finals. gavi and pedri were probably happier than you were,being absolutely ecstatic. they had no doubts in their minds anyway that you were gonna do amazing.

afterwards they both came running and jumping to you, pedri literally picking you up and spinning you around to show how proud he was of you.

“no way my sister just won an olympic gold medal.. your absolutely insane!” pedri put you down letting gavi scoop you up next. all you could do was laugh and hug him back.

“see? i knew you would do it.” he whispered in your ear plastering kisses all of your face.

pedri just looked in disbelief, “absolutely disgusting.”

[fuck-customers]

kitchen anon back with an ecstatic update!

J finally got fired :)

his hours had been severely cut and he was working more often at a different venue in our collection of businesses. after like a full pay period i finally worked a shift with him again. however, the two new folks in my section (EXCELLENT, by the way, i cannot sing their praises enough, both to the chef and to their faces) had both been scheduled that night. by the time J showed up that night we had already gotten almost everything done and really just needed to make ranch dressing.

so he starts roaming the kitchen, slouching, dragging his feet, hands in his pockets (all of which chef has told him not to do, for various reasons including he’s putting himself in everybody’s way and we don’t have that much space to move, and which chef later confessed to me he had already been considering writing him up/firing him for on its own) instead of like. finding some kind of busy work or something? wipe a counter, sweep a floor, stock something. idk. one way or another we had more hands on deck than were needed for the night and i had to be in early the next morning. however i did get very smug when the line lead told him to get back to “his section” and J got loud and bitchy about “it’s not MY section anymore, it’s [Anon]’s section,” because he’s fucking mad that i make him look bad for giving a fuck about the quality of the work i’m performing i guess lmfao

anyway given my official position as a floater, i asked chef if he wanted to put me anywhere else for dinner service, because we didn’t need four people in a section that two people can handle on a busy night when we’re well-prepared (like we have been since the two new folks showed up). he said no and sent me home, but little did i know he was planning to test J. i learn of this the next morning when one of the new folks greets me with “i need to tell you what happened last night”

the breakdown i got was that after i left, J wasn’t calling back orders, and chef was riding his ass for it all night. he’d call a dish on the fly, J wouldn’t call that he heard and just start working on it, and chef would lean through the expo window to snap at him. he continued to trudge around with his thumb up his ass between orders. later, towards the end of service but before they had stopped seating new customers, still actively preparing food and calling orders to each other, J’s got his earbuds in. line lead scolds him, snaps that “you know better than to have those in during service,” and chef happened to be rounding the corner at the time, and sent him home with like half an hour before service closed. chef made a comment about how he wanted to give him a chance because he’d initially hit it off and worked well with the new girl (who initially relayed these events), and J scoffed, with her standing right there and having to hold her tongue to stay uninvolved, but she revealed later how tempted she’d been to tell him off right there. after he left, chef pulled her aside and assured the section wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore.

chef confirmed these events with me later when he confessed that he’d been considering firing already; he usually only pursues it as a last resort because people tend to look for other jobs at the first sign of trimmed hours in our already inconsistent open schedule, and he doesn’t like filling holes in the staff lineup with temp workers—he’d rather replace them before they leave. J hadn’t quit at our venue, but had been working at the other site; chef confessed to me that he didn’t suspect J would be working there much longer, especially full-time, because the chefs and shift leads in that industrial-scale kitchen over there are going to crack down much harder on those behaviors.

between me, the line lead, and the new folks all coming to chef about J’s attitude and behavior and failure to communicate or cooperate, after so long without him on site chef had hoped he’d take the opportunity to try and show he was willing to turn around. instead J gave him the perfect straw to break the camel’s back on a silver fucking platter, and i remember the way the sun kissed the green hills of the shire.

Posted by admin Rodney.

[sebbyisland]

akahika final thoughts (500 words + 1k supplementary content)

part 1

part 2

part 3 (you're here!)

Conclusion

It’s not mind-blowing to have some yuri or shojo influences in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine (or any shonen magazine). I mean, Blue Box is right there. What IS surprising, at least to me, is to see the Akahika rivalry take up so much narrative space. I love seeing girls who fight in a healthy way, and to have it take up space in the story rather than just a one-time thing is so satisfying to witness. I still can't believe the magazine that gave us Goku vs Vegeta, Naruto vs Sasuke, and Deku vs Kacchan now gives us Akane vs Hikaru (and Karashi. As a fun topping), and it feels completely natural with the rest of the Weekly Shonen Jump lineup. Similar to how shojo magazines have changed over time, we can see shonen magazines make changes by releasing a story like Akane-banashi. The fact an important rivalry for the shonen protagonist is informed by shojo and yuri story beats is just one of many ways Akane-banashi leads these changes.

I’ve wanted to make an essay about shojo rivalries for years, but if you had told me in the past that a shonen rivalry would inspire me to finally get it done, I would have told you, “be serious.” I have a love/hate relationship with shonen rivalries. I often find it dissatisfying when the protagonists rival is both most important to the protagonist’s story and most important to the protagonist’s personal life, but at the end, there’s this expectation that the protagonist still needs to adhere to social norms of what is actually supposed to be the most important part of your personal adult life, so now their rivalry can’t carry as much emotional weight as it once did. Honestly, it reminds me of Class S breakups because girls need to “grow up” into “real women.” Akahika, however, will never have that problem because while Hikaru is important to Akane’s STORY, she’s not the most important person in Akane’s life, nor is Akane the most important person in hers. This also means the emotional intensity of the Akahika dynamic is a bit more mellow than the average shonen protagonist rivalry, but I much rather have this so there’s room to watch Akane’s growth. I’m also a slow burn fan, so I could be biased.

In my biggest, most self-indulgent fantasies, Akane-banashi gets fully adapted into an anime and a live action film and Akahika becomes the next big shonen rivalry and the animated adaptation makes their homoerotic moments even more homoerotic and in the story conclusion Akahika run the Arakawa school together like how Issho and Shiguma do but better which basically makes them rakugo wives. Will any of that happen? Who knows! I don’t care. Akahika is already winning. 

As a final note: Thank you so much for reading this! Even if you only made it through a portion of it, I hope it was informative. I know I learned a lot in the process of putting things together, at least. The discussion of shojo rivals is really underdeveloped in fandom, so I hoped this could spark your interest in them! My inbox is always for questions. I ask that you please consider skimming through the Supplementary Materials before sending a message, though.

Supplementary Materials

I’m using this section to include any extra commentary that didn't fit the main essay + educational materials that might be useful.

Educational Resources

I am far from an expert in shojo or yuri. There is a lot of nuance I did not cover because that was not the focus and I am not someone informed enough to discuss it. I barely feel like I'm informed enough to write this essay 😭. If you would like to learn more about the topics discussed (in English) from people who actually know about this stuff, I recommend reading essays like this one from a professor in manga + gender studies , this huge resource on yuri research, and the following blogs: okazu.yuricon.com, @/fehyesvintagemanga, @/osharenippon, @/retroyousei, @/brickme, @/yurimother and this article she wrote, @/empty-movement, @/animefeminist, @/ani-mentation, and also this paper on the early shojo decades. Oh, and this documentary on Takarazuka. And these interviews with a yuri author that inspired the "this too is yuri" meme.

Some commonly cited books are By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga which is by the host of the okazu.yuricon blog I mentioned in the paragraph above, and Boys Love Manga and Beyond: History, Culture, and Community in Japan. It might be more accessible to read an academic review of these books.

Bishonen/girl prince/boy prince aesthetics are informed by multiple different pop culture influences, not just the Takarazuka Revue. You can learn about one such influence here.

If you are interested in learning more about Takarazuka Revue, or watching a performance from a Takarazuka troupe, there is a fan wiki written in English for this very purpose.

If you don't watch Utena, you should at the very least watch Shiori's monologue since this was a big inspiration for part 2. You can also literally watch all of Utena eng sub/dub for free on Youtube (trigger warning list).

This isn't necessarily educational, but if you read all of this, you might be interested in this butch x butch yuri anthology.

Addressing Gaps in Analysis

I’m worried I threw around the term “sapphic subtext” a lot without clarifying what that exactly means.

The intention was to convey a distinction between "yuri" as a literary genre and "implicitly sapphic/lesbian relationships" overall, aka sapphic subtext. GL/yuri often has relationships that are almost entirely built on recognizable subtext because certain tropes get popularized. Often times, when I refer to "sapphic subtext," I am specifically referring to the subtext established by the yuri genre itself. However, because yuri also includes explicitly sapphic romantic/sexual relationships, it felt too confusing to just refer to everything remotely sapphic as "yuri." Hence, for the purposes of this essay, when I meant subtext, I said "subtext," and when I mean something explicitly sapphic, I said "yuri." Please know that these definitions are not concrete.

The full extent of the Takarazuka Revue's influence on how gender roles are represented and/or challenged in Japanese pop culture is complex. I want to clear up potential misunderstandings from my use of gendered terminology that may have come from this:

Do not confuse the Takarazuka-inspired girl-prince/girl-princess sapphic dichotomy described in this essay with a butch/femme dynamic. There is obviously overlap, but they are not synonymous with each other. A butch character is not always a bishonen character and vice versa. A femme character is not always a princess-like character and vice versa. I get these differences might seem miniscule, but when trying to do formal literary analysis, I think people should always be weary of applying Western terms to a culturally non-Western phenomenon, even if it usually communicates the same thing in a colloquial context.

"Are you familiar with the term akogare? So, in my research I did come across akogare (one of those nuanced "no direct english translation" words that seems to describe a deep admiration for someone??) to describe the sapphic subtext of retro shojo. Since I cannot with confidence explain what it means nor how the term is typically used, it wasn't mentioned in the analysis.

"Akane-banashi is a shonen manga and yet you barely acknowledged shonen manga history. What gives?" The answer is quite simple. The focus of this essay is not the shonen manga industry. I'm sure someone else would have a lot of fun analyzing Akahika in context of the history of shonen manga, the gender roles in shonen manga, or the impact of shonen manga on pop culture, but that person is not me.

“Why didn’t you talk more bout Glass Mask?” I never read/watched Glass Mask. While I was willing to read MANY things for this, I was not about to start the juggernaut that is Glass Mask just so I could include it in my analysis. I would love to see someone compare Glass Mask with Akane-banashi, though.

"What about Ruka?" This isn’t about him.

"What about Urara and Mayura?" This isn’t about them.

"I have misgivings about [interpretation of a complex aspect of RGU's narrative]?" Part 2 is catered to an audience who is familiar with Akahika, but not RGU, so some things like the rose bride/prince dynamic were dumbed down a bit. If you have RGU questions feel free to send an ask!!!

"Wait, why don't we talk about Act Age?" Short answer: I never read Act Age. Long answer: Act Age was a popular theatre manga published in Weekly Shonen Jump that was discontinued because the author was arrested for sexual harassment towards minors. Given Akane-banashi released approx 2.5 years later, it is possible that the former success of Act-Age influenced Akane-banashi's inception, but this is purely conjecture. I personally consider Act-Age defunct and irrelevant. I only mentioned it in the part 1 footnote because it used to be published in the same magazine as Akane-banashi.

[rokurookajima]

7 and 8 for raava ;-)

i think we should kiss with tongue 👀 👁️👄👁️

(ily thank u u know i’m dying to talk about my girl)

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

both of these are so funny considering like. out of the entire lok fandom there’s probably like.. what 25% that rlly include her in anything .. think about her.. and then in that 25% faction 80% of that is made up of me and my friends lmaoo. so ANYHOW

i love how given the nature of raava’s role in canon (ie screen-time) we have a very solid basis of her character, but also so much room to extrapolate from that. i love that everyone’s characterization of her gets more room to vary because of that, but that we all also share so many points. my favorites of those are depictions where she’s an unreliable narrator, highlighting the fact that just because she was the “good” spirit, she’s also not GOD y’know she’s deeply flawed, judgmental and skewed toward her own biases, temperamental and sometimes volatile.. etc. and those are all elements we were given in canon, but i mean i love fandom work that pays more attention to these characteristics (also those of us that are big brained and understand she is a feral horny beast of a creature that is most definitely DOMINANT)

i also love that in general .. the majority of everyone is like yah she totally had a human form bc .. it’s fun! and bryke did confirm spirits could do that so i mean fair game. but i really love how everyone has their own design. i love that a lot of them lineup with similarities, and i love when i see completely unique and original ones (shoutout obv to @shadelorde but also a handful of random ones over the years that were much more.. humanoid than human)

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

i feel like anything i despise -which is fr so little since i don’t go super deep into the lok fandom spaces beyond my little trash can subfandom anymore except for every once in a while, so i honestly don’t see very much i don’t like from idk willful ignorance lmaoo) - is just pretty much the opposite of what i DO like.

that girl is NOT perfect no matter what she thinks of herself, or where bryke did y’know fumble the light/dark coexistence concept into too much direct good/bad. i’m also not a fan of anything depicting her as having too much.. control over the avatars if that makes sense? i’ve seen some takes insinuating she would have much more direct influence over the avatars’ lives and choices (mostly seen this about the avatars’ personal relationships) - it very much robs free will and agency from the avatars themselves, and i think is a mischaracterization on raava’s side that she would WANT to assert influence over them to that level. i think she would have wanted all of them to live their lives by their own choices, leaving them to make their own mistakes. of course she’d give them guidance if asked, but never CONTROL. but yah i’m sure there were A LOT of times she had to watch terrible choices unfold and wanted to beat her head against the bars of her enclosure, but i don’t think she’d interfere

and also. of course. as nightmare said in their answers too - she is not a sub… lets all just strike that from the consciousness lmao. the being who yeeted her dark twin across the sky and beat his ass into the ground without mercy… a diminutive soft submissive ??? no way bruv

[magpiemagica]

-Guide to Rainbow High G1.5-

Differences Between G1 and G1.5 dolls:

- There seems to be less of a focus on designer fashion. In leaks, multiple accessories are recolored and reused from other dolls. Not unheard of for fashion dolls but something Rainbow High is not known for doing.

- As far as we know (right now December 2023), Poppy Rowan seems to be cut from the main lineup. This kinda stung. I’m not a big Rainbow High fan (more of a ironic enjoyer) but Poppy was my favorite while watching the webseries. She was the only neurodivergent character (synesthesia) and was overall very cute 🦋💔

- All the main dolls being released in this new gen have forehead glitter. I think it is supposed to make them look more cohesive next to their new pets. I can see this giving ooak customizers some trouble. Along with the forehead glitter, the dolls also have tinsel in their hair (another inconvenience for many collectors and ooaks)

- The elephant in the room, the unicorn/hybrid pets. Based off of the latest webisode and YouTube shorts, these little shits (/j) seem to be a big part of the new series and are going to bring some fantasy elements to the brand (portals, magic eggs, etc.) Whether you find these creatures cute or not is really up to your personal taste and patience lol.

- The slime. The first line of new toys really focuses on slime play and creation. As someone who worked with kids a lot at the peak of the slime trend, I could easily see this going south for sales. Slime is messy, gets in the doll’s hair, is hard to clean up, and very frustrating for parents to deal with. Also collectors of what I’ve seen have little to no interest in the slime too. It could be a hit but I see it affecting the brand more negatively than positively.

- Change of setting. As of the day of posting this, Rainbow high has posted an YouTube short of Sunny jumping through a rainbow portal. Sounds like we might be leaving Rainbow High as a setting. I honestly have no clue where the new series will take place; I’m not too familiar with the “Poopsie Surprise universe”.

- Main character design changes. Amaya (based off of the leaks) has changed the most in fashion and appearance. She now has reverted back to her white and rainbow hair (emphasis on the rainbow). Her clothing is also much more in your face with the rainbow theming. If you are a fan of Amaya in Moschino, don’t worry, she still has a brand inspired bag.

- New webseries. On leaked dolls, there is a sticker “as seen on Rainbow World”. I guess Rainbow World is the name of the new series that will be dropped. It is unsure whether Netflix will pick it up this series like they did with Rainbow High. The webisodes will most likely be posted on the YouTube channel.

- No wrist articulation. Is exactly what it sounds like. The new dolls will not have wrist articulation like the Rainbow Junior High.

——————-——————-——————-——————-

Personal Questions and Concerns For the Series:

- What happens to Shadow High? Will any of characters we know come through the portal with the Rainbow High students? Or will they just disappear from the series as a whole?

- Will members of the main cast missing from the leaked line up be included in this new series like Poppy or Bella?

- How much will the doll prices differ?

- What new characters will be introduced in this portal world?

- What will the plot be and how will the show runners keep the world engaging?

- I am concerned about the characterization of the main cast. Rainbow High was relatively grounded before and now with all of these magic elements getting introduced, I’m worried some of the characters might all blend together in order to focus on the pets. Also just general character butchering.

——————-——————-——————-——————-

Overall, I just wanted to make this post as a general summary of what is going on with Rainbow High right now as a doll brand. There is a lot of different information and I wanted to throw it all in one place for people who aren’t super up to date on this kinda stuff. This is a kind of doll rebranding you don’t really see everyday and I want to document it.

Posted December 12, 2023

[smoshsfavoritepizzaplace]

as much as i like phone it in because i like shows from smosh pit that shows ppl's competitve nature (you posted that, who meme'd it, shayne guesses etc), i fear it would end fairly quickly because of the amount of crew they have. so i'd say around 2-3 more eps of this. or at least very occasionally with a fair amount of gap before a new one.

so im genuinely impressed that they were able to have enough time and content for that pilot episode.

It’s funny you say that bc as soon as I was done watching the pilot, I thought the exact same thing. For it to be 50+ minutes long with Tommy saying they still had more crew/cast that wasn’t shown, it makes me wonder if they have more people there than we think. I don’t remember everyone who was apart of it, but I do remember thinking how there was barely any cast members included. The only ones I can think of were Angela, Tommy (technically), and either Keith or Noah (I think). And if you look at just the vidcon lineup, they have WAY more cast than that. So I’m really interested to see how many episodes they can milk out before they run out of members. They could also maybe do a little spin on it and make it other things phone related 🤷‍♀️? But idk, I just want to see where this show goes, it has over 600k atm so there a chance for a ep 2.

[intoloopin-archive]

gimmie numba 8

CONGRATS! YOU GOT … AIR CASTLE!

Air Castle, also known under the acronym ARCT [spelling], is a fictional south korean girl group debuted in late 2019 under media conglomerate MBN Entertainment Group. LINEUP (07): Perla. Hyunju. Jihye. Lihua. Evelyn. Soryeoung. Domi. HITS INCLUDE: Dalla Dalla (2019). Nonstop (2020). Birthday (2022). After Like (2023). CONCEPT: The endless wonder of the REM Realm. NOTORIOUS MEMBERS: Lihua, Evelyn.

I just can’t for the life of me start talking about NPCs with their own little worlds without starting off with my Castle Girls, because they have SO! MUCH! GOING! ON! As does everyone under the big bad MBN empire, a side of the Gioverse that we’re yet to explore (I had plans to do that with Idolmaker, since they’re always right in the middle of the shitstorm, but oh well… Maybe someday?)

Fully gasping how much of a punishment from Hell is having Night Child as labelmates and seniors might be a little hard, since LOOPiN only ever has to really deal with Dongwook (the crowd boos), Gunil (the crowd cheers) and sometimes Code, but Air Castle can’t escape NTCD as a collective horror – we’re talking daily bullship from creepy Jinsoo, disgusting fucking Cain and asshole Josh! Not to mention their branding of being a matching set with Night Child, which is really hitting them hard now that Dongwook’s public enemy number one and their worldwide reputation is going down the toilet.

They really torment the living shit out of these hardworking women that don’t get an inch of the appreciation they deserve, and the sad thing is: Air Castle can’t for the life of them join forces to try to do something about it because they have extremely clashing personalities, and almost no friendship inside the group that takes root in that, but also happens because of exterior factors that, boy oh boy, go way too deep into MBN Entertainment lore.

My biggest star in the group is undeniably Lihua, who you might have seen name dropped/put on some graphics here and there as ½ of ‘J.J’s Awful Friends’ alongside Jiyeon. I’m OBSESSED with her 'laid back but in a way that makes it clear that I've seen shit that would make the devil run off' energy, which lately has taken a lot of inspiration from the character of Klaasje Amandou from Disco Elysium – Lihua has her exact cadence in my head. She also has two slightly crooked front teeth that I always picture to be a little smeared with lipstick, and she’s got constant mood swings about it – long story short, is extremely rare for her to smile wide. Jiahang himself has known her for almost two years and has never seen it. She’s kind of a loner in her group, but fully by her own choice: she thinks the girls are lame as fuck (which in her defence!!!! Perla, Jihye and Domi really are!!!! They’re peaceful women!!!)

She grew close to Dongwook because, true story!, she lightly stabbed Cain at the Night Child’s dorms once when he tried to scalate sex to a point she didn’t wanna go, a.k.a: record her to shove it at Evelyn’s face – at the time his recent ex-girlfriend – as a gotcha moment. It was a whole Thing. Dongwook was completely fascinated, because he always wants Cain to get stabbed – preferably to death, but anything will do. He personally paid for her lift home and, as he does, invited her to go party with him at HYLL, which she was like, “Eh. Why not.”, and there she’s been ever since for reasons that saying here would strip a lot of fun off some future things (I have a WIP mapped out about Jiahang’s major adventures, if you will, on the HYLL nightclub that features her heavily!)

Long story short, Dongwook really adores that self proclaimed “Rude Boy 99” (laaaaaame) to this day shits himself at the mere mention of Lihua’s name, and so does she, and they mainly get off on that – and like, you know, substance abuse, which is as sad as it sounds. Lihua took a picture of Cain crying with his tight bleeding and sent it to the Castle Girls group chat, and that gained her some brownie points all around.

Unfortunately, it still gave Cain an excuse to extract sympathy points from Evelyn, who’s not one of God’s strongest soldiers.

Speaking of little miss prim Evelyn Suh, she’s another very fun case because MBN is trying to make a Bae Suzy out of her, and despite her best efforts to fight the effect that has on her long term bond with her members, by now the tension just keeps on growing. In a way, she’s kind of being pushed into a corner just as lonely as Lihua’s, with the major difference being the lack of choice coming from her side – homegirl is losing actual sleep and a good chunk of her hair over this! –, and I find myself really having big and elaborate thoughts on their relationship progression. I think something really interesting can be said of what it means to be a ‘girl’s girl’ through them if I ever choose to actually explore it. Also, very fun black cat/imagery with these two, which I just love!

And an extra extra fact about Evelyn: she has a little crush on Chihoon, and it’s a bit of a running gag that she always approaches LOOPiN with a very smiley and very pointed, “Hi, Dylan! 🤗🤭🙂‍↔️” But it’ll never go anywhere because she’ll never fuck a loop dude. She has been through enough! I won’t allow it!

[fulgurbugs]

an extremely thorough review of the monster fest draculaura food truck playset

was getting something for my mom today for her birthday, and since now that im home, the target and the walmart actually close together, decided id see if they had Monster fest cleo and the draculaura playset. they had both! i picked them up with some birthday money i got.

this set retails at 59.99.

up first: the box. i’ve seen some problems online me with this doll having her clothes stolen due to the open packaging that allows you to touch her without unboxing her. i respect the lack of plastic, but i doubt they’ll be packaging any future releases like this. the doll herself is near impossible to remove without scissors though.

i will say, she was quite easy to remove from the box. all the sticker decals are separate, and the instructions included have corresponding numbers telling you where to put them.

here’s all the parts the playset comes with. it was too large for my desk, so here it is on my bed lol

all sides before opening (with decals)

the interior of the food truck section. the little door can hold all of the included food accessories, luckily, so they won’t be loose.

the stage section. folded up, it’s like a dressing room, with slots to hold the guitar and microphone. folded down, it’s a stage

also, be careful before you commit to putting those stickers on. i put one of those mirrors on crooked and it did NOT peel off clean

now onto the draculaura. she is certainly…. less extravagant than the other monster ball dolls.

she is 100% polypropylene. oof.

face card. i actually love love love the makeup on this draculaura. green is a rarely used color on her, but it’s cute and subtle in this makeup! her headpiece is separate inside the box, and is not worn on her head in the box, and thus has no head tabs. it falls off pretty easy.

my draculaura is missing her green necklace…. i couldn’t find it any of the bags of accessories she came with either….

budget body. (this seems to be the norm with all playset dolls.) i honestly don’t miss the chest articulation that much, but she already feels a bit barebones….

quick shoe check. i actually love these, they’re a lovely level of shiny irl, with really cute molded details. maybe they just need some green and pink paint to make those details pop?

now to make some proportional comparisons! venus will be assisting today, since she’s one of the larger dolls.

unfortunately, there is no way i could find to make her sit nicely in the driver’s seat :(

the pop up section of the food truck is accommodating to both of their heights though.

draculaura on the stage. it’s extremely hard for her to hold the guitar due to it lacking a string or a second handrest. i bumped her and she dropped it again. also, why is it blue? doesn’t match anything on her outfit….

i do enjoy the bat microphone, though! very cute

ended up tucking the truck away down with my peach riots, but im sure i will eventually put it into storage. i dont have much interest in the playsets. i think maybe displaying some dolls on the stage could be cute though? (maybe catty….)

and that’s monster fest draculaura! honestly, if i wasn’t specifically a draculaura collector, i’d pass. the playset is huge, and the doll herself is not nearly as cool as the rest of the monster fest lineup. i do really want to give her a little tlc and some paint on those accessories to see if i can really make her shine though!

[tomorrowxtogether]

You Can Count on TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s Hueningkai

TXT's youngest opens up about relying on his bandmates, growing onstage, and more

Hueningkai’s advice to people looking to enjoy this time of year, when the world feels like it’s in full bloom, would be to stop and smell the roses — almost literally.

“You know, recently, the cherry blossoms started to fall as it’s gotten warmer,” Hueningkai tells Consequence, seated for a one-on-one interview in a hotel room in Osaka, Japan. “Walk along the street and watch the cherry blossoms flutter down and enjoy the view. It makes me feel sentimental and inspired.”

At 20 years old, Hueningkai is the youngest member of TOMORROW X TOGETHER — such tender thoughts about the beauty of nature aren’t always top of mind for people his age. Hueningkai, though, is not your average 20-year-old; he’s part of a group headlining Lollapalooza whose most recent project hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Speaking about achieving headliner status, he recalls being particularly excited to share the news with his immediate family, including his two sisters. “I’m so happy that I became a proud son for my family,” he says.

While he grew up a middle child, debuting in 2019 with TXT required a shift; suddenly, Hueningkai found himself the maknae, or the youngest in a group. “The other members are only children or the youngest in their family,” Hueningkai explains. “I couldn’t get used to it at first, but gradually it became more comfortable — and it was really nice that I could lean on and rely on the older members.”

Hueningkai spent almost three years as a trainee before the lineup for TXT was finalized. Being introduced to global audiences and setting off on a debut showcase at just 16 years old required the vocalist to mature faster than the average teenager. Present-day Hueningkai is thoughtful and professional, but also seems to have retained a youthful, curious approach to the world. Throughout our interview, he approaches each question intentionally and often replies with surprising levels of honesty.

Consider when he’s asked about the people outside the safety of the TXT membership with whom he feels most comfortable discussing struggles or more difficult periods of his life. “I barely have any,” he says simply. “If I talk to my family, I would only worry them; and if I talk to my friends, they wouldn’t relate to that stuff. So in the end, I only talk to the members.”

It’s true that Hueningkai’s profile has risen higher than many of his peers can relate to. Following 2022’s “ACT: LOVE SICK” tour, he’s noticed an uptick in the group’s public reception. “I don’t really go out much, but these days, when I do, I’ve been surprised that so many people have actually recognized me,” he explains. His eyebrows shoot up, disappearing under his hairline as he expresses his surprise. “Oh, we have gotten a little more famous!”

TXT are back on the road spending more in-person time with their fanbase, MOA, on their current “ACT: SWEET MIRAGE” trek (find tickets here). It’s an even grander adventure for the quintet, and Hueningkai feels he’s progressed a performer between the two tours. “I think I learned how to be more calm and move at a steady pace, and I think I gained more experience when it comes to being on stage,” he observes. “I think I know how to rise to the occasion a little more now.”

As someone who’s already experienced more at age 20 than many people will experience in a lifetime, Hueningkai has an impressive amount of clarity when it comes to his priorities. “I want to be a trustworthy person; someone that people can really rely on,” he says. “I want to be a person that people can feel comfortable being around.”

While it’s clear how dear his members are to him, the other piece of the TXT puzzle is undeniably MOA. Hueningkai describes the relationship between the group and their fans as almost cyclical: They energize and inspire each other. The fans provide the enthusiasm needed for the five young men to perform for nearly three hours, and, in return, TXT leave everything they have on the stage, for every audience on the tour.

And for Hueningkai, in the midst of a truly exciting life, it’s those moments that take on the most enchanted, almost supernatural, quality: “Magical things happen meeting MOA in person.”

[halfway-down]

1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 25, and 28 for the music asks <3

LOVE YOU

1. An album you can’t stop listening to lately

There is only one honest answer and it is embarrassing. But it’s the Seussical Original Broadway Cast Recording. I’m choreographing the show it’s unavoidable. I want to give another answer but anything is would simply be a lie so just don’t talk to me about it. 😔

3. A song you really like by an artist you otherwise don’t listen to very much

That’s So True by Gracie Abrams. I tried to give her a chance and everything she makes is just simply not for me, HOWEVER- the second I hear “made it out alive but I think I lost it-“ it unlocks something in me. Now that is a BRIDGE baby. But like even the rest of that song doesn’t compare to the bridge. I can’t get into Gracie but I will never skip that song just so I can scream along to “I put up a fight taking out my earrings don’t you know the vibe don’t you know the feeling” because yes Gracie I DO know!

5. Name an album you think is perfect

SO many. Decide by Djo is absolutely skipless. A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out and Vices and Virtues by P!ATD have never been topped. You’ll hate this one but Red by Taylor Swift, it’s literally her magnum opus nothing has touched it since and it’s also just so nostalgic for me personally for so many reasons. Lemonade by Beyoncé is also HER magnum opus, it’s everything. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell is ART front to back. Vs. by Pearl Jam oh my GOD. I could literally list 3-4 Iron Maiden albums but if I have to settle on the most perfect I guess I’ll say Number of The Beast. I could keep going and never shut up about this actually.

7. Do you have any concert tickets right now? If so, who’s concert is it?

Ok so right now I have tickets for Djo (fucking FINALYYY) in Michigan in April and of course My Chem in August in Philly. I also may or may not be going to a music festival in Barcelona in June where Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Charli XCX are headlining? Logistics of that are still in the works. Next up is I’m going to TRY to get tickets to Beyoncé’s Chicago show when they go on sale but I’m sure that would be a bloodbath. And if Gaga announces a tour after her album comes out best BELIEVE I will be there.

I wanted to go to Coachella SO bad this year but had no one to go with and also it was just really bad timing w my show schedule and work shit. Truly devastated, the lineup was SO perfectly tailored to my taste I thought it would finally be my year 🥲

11. What’s a song your favorite band doesn’t perform live, but you really wish they would?

See this hinges on me being able to pick one favorite band which is in fact impossible to me. I’ll settle for Iron Maiden not performing 2 Minutes to Midnight. They have in the past and I’m sure will again at some point, but in recent tours including the one I went to they did not play it, and it’s my all time favorite. As someone who refuses to look up set lists before a concert I was SHOCKED and DEVASTATED!

25. Name a song that makes you think about someone you love

Okay HERE WE GO.

Coffee Talk by Broadside and You In January by The Wonder Years make me think of Joel (I think the acoustic version of the latter is gonna be our first dance at our wedding ❤️)

Boy Division by My Chem, Headfirst Slide into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet by FOB, and Backflip by The Front Bottoms all make me think of you (first bc it’s just your vibe, second because you like to sing it at karaoke, and third because of the tattoo I gave you and just the fact that I’ve given you so many stick n pokes in general. Also the ENTIRE Mania album by FOB bc I remember you picking me up in the van the day it came out so we could drive around w the windows down blasting it in its entirety)

Mirrorball and Hits Different by Taylor Swift makes me think of Audrey and Tied Together With a Smile and Never Grow Up by Taylor Swift makes me think of Macy. Dancing Queen makes me think of both of them bc we literally ARE Donna Tonya and Rosie from Mamma Mia actually like I’ve seen our future and that is it

Any old Disney Channel star songs make me think of Lydia bc that was our childhood (like old Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana, etc from while they were still w the Disney/Rock Mafia labels). ALSO Dry Town by Miranda Lambert, we were obsessed w that song, god knows why. And Somebody’s Watching me by Rockwell bc we once got a CD in a kids meal with that on it on a trip to Chicago and made our moms blast THAT ONE SONG over and over again for 4 hours. Drove them NUTS.

Downtown by Macklemore makes me think of Ray and Pink Pony Club by Chappell Roan makes me think of Lin. The Time Warp and The Floor Show from Rocky Horror makes me think of both of them.

28. Name a song (or a few songs) that would need to be included in a movie about your life

The Archer by Taylor Swift is the first and immediate answer that always comes to mind. I AM The Archer sorry. Other than that, in mostly chronological order-

seven by Taylor Swift, ballad of a homeschooled girl by Olivia Rodrigo (no I was not homeschooled obvi but the vibe is right trust me), A Place in This World by Taylor Swift, Paul Revere by Noah Kahan, I Can Do It With a Broken Heart by Taylor Swift, Nothing New by Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers, I should call my friends by Hey Violet, (Coffee’s for Closers) by Fall Out Boy, Disenchanted by My Chemical Romance, Mean Girls by Charli XCX, Lady Strange by Def Leppard

Thanks for coming to my TEDtalk/reading my essay xoxo

[subaru-meteorlight]

I finished starforce 1-! I played the dx patch, ofc, I hunted the sp bosses but I gave up when deep space asked for a complete standard library like god bless dex filling is not my passion. Maybe one day I’ll come back to it. 25 hours across 6 days… it’s a bit sad actually, if I were a kid this would’ve taken years but now I just blitz through it in less than a week… aw.

But anyway I really loved it… I’ve never played mmsf1 before, only watched a playthrough and anime years ago so while I was aware of some major twists (pat/rey and AM-ian mega) and the boss lineup, I had forgotten a lot of the smaller details so it was still really fun… I really love geo’s character progression, depressed lonely kid who pushes others away but ends up being saved by people who insist on being in his life, insist on dragging him around and including him and consistently reaching out to him… as well as geo ultimately deciding to move on because he meets someone with the same pain as him and wants to reach out and help, so that she doesn’t fall into the same pit that he does, ending with the both of them moving forward and deciding to be strong together… it’s something I relate to/understand heavily so honestly I’m pretty floored that this is in a game for 10 year olds. If I had a nickel for every time a kid’s game smacked me over the head with its writing I’d have 2 nickels etc etc (tho it’s probably the fact that it is a kid’s game in the first place that makes me underestimate it then get surprised when it has good writing).

Geo and Mega’s relationship is so touching to me… I really love the dynamic of “oh dear god I’m stuck with this guy” but in the end it was because of mega first that geo started caring about other things, started trying new things and experiences for mega’s sake… and in return mega does learn more about caring for other people and being kinder too. It’s a minor detail that I haven’t seen anybody point out before but for transer requests in the early game areas (ie echo ridge) mega is often dismissive about other ppl’s problems (his dialogue along the lines of “ah geez let’s get this over with”/“yeah? let them figure out their own problem.”) but later on in the game he seems… disappointed? when megaman decides not to take on a request. It’s a really cute minor detail that I love. Sadly I don’t have any screenshots to prove this but you gotta trust me bro. Or you can look it up, compare say, echo ridge requests vs dream island or time square reqs.

And on mega- it’s actually very funny to me when you compare his sf1 and sf3 concept art, lol. In the art book it says that they redesigned him to have more upright posture and “handsome” appearance it’s killing me 😭 he’s a domesticated cat… geo tamed him….

Anyway! I just started zerker x ninja last night, played a lil bit of it- unlike sf1 I never watched a playthrough, only the anime, but honestly I totally forgor anything that was in it. Apart from there’s 3 main villains? And solo, god I love solo I can’t wait to meet him properly… but that was all from a rewatch of the anime op, so. First impressions of the game is- holy fucking shit mega follows geo around when you put on the visualiser?????? 😭😭😭😭😭oh my GOD. this is EVERYTHING. Tears in my eyes actually ohhh this is probably the best feature of the game. My god. It’s so cute….!!! Mega’s always by your side, geo… he’s like a following pokemon, lol. That’s a good thing. Number 2- oh, you can walk on the ground as megaman now, cool that’s like sf3- WHY DID I GET AN ENCOUNTER ON THE GROUND. When I tell you my jaw dropped…. Lmao it feels like my safe space got robbed from me </3 viruses should NOT be bothering me on the ground.

Frankly my initial opinion on sf2 was soured because of the negativity surrounding it online, which, fair, half an hour in and I can already see the translation errors… and I’m playing the lowered encounter patch so hopefully the rates won’t be too problematic for me… and ngl people saying that the game having a less heavy and serious tone unlike sf1 and sf3 is a bit of a let down, but ahh, I’ll play regardless and see how it goes. I’m excited to meet solo, at least-! Sf2 is entirely new sf content to me, so I’m way excited to experience it for the first time…!! After this I will join everybody else in the drought 💀