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theerurishipper · 4 months

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Hi~ Hope you have a lovely day. I want to get your opinions on my rant lol and ask.

Marinette is such a disappointment of a lead female character in a western magical girl cartoon. She isn't a good leader and all her team consist of yes men and women and sidekick Chat Noir where her real partner Alya is standing over to the side. I liked her in the first two season and maybe some in s3 but the s4 and onward just got to me ngl. It's her world and we're all just living in it. Miraculous is so weird when it comes to team dynamics because I get she's guardian but I really wished it were someone else and not her because she chooses people she already get along great with. It fun for team dynamics to add be different and broader.

The whole she's just 14 the fandom spouts only goes so far how many messes do you do until you realise you need to own up to them even at that age when you should know better on your conduct ?

I get it hard to communicate but onwards I always thought the bigger of the two in the conflict was her because of her secrecy and her controlling tendencies. I disliked it so much in the ephemeral episode and her betraying her partner disgusted me. Sorry to those who like or defend her character this much but I can't stan or like a character that does this much crap to a friend let alone a love interest and then gloss over or minimize it and not be called out for it. Like, are people standards that low they think she's a good leader or a good proper representation on feminism when this show reeks of misogyny and misandry. She's the ultimatum voice for Astruc.

A communication issue with her Chat was fine a long time ago but now in s5 she crossed it hell nah how do people still support a ship with her knowing she followed Hawkmoth command for Adrien. I literally can't anymore with this show. Every guy she likes gotta be so 100 percent in effort and like in the Shadybug special him always comforting her makes me so jaded whenever she cries what about a change in dynamics had we ever seen her comfort him in turn how are people invested in this ship? Like that time in the bench and she just thought of ways to woo or give presents instead of just comforting him is so sad to watch.

She really followed in Master Fu steps. The bar is in hell and she crossed it in the finale. There is no excuse no handwaving it away and i know in my heart they gonna minimize it for Adrien own good. Everything is for his own good huh? What good is it rooting for a ship that just reeks of pity points. Like, she was never my favorite but who knew 8 years ago she'd pull a stunt like this and people bending over and doing mental gymnastics to rationalise this insanity. She really is a good foil to Gabriel ironically to bad she has no sway in this family drama we call the Agreste.

I know she has good intentions and it's not wrong for her to wish to save her prince but like thats all that is intention. Her actions are also important and the effects she's done is so bad that if she weren't the Main character and we haven't spent the chunk of the majority in her pov alone she'd be disliked.

I feel like compared to other respective series Winx Club s1-3 Bloom, Danny Phantom, Ben 10, Totally Spies they have it much more harder and so many more all show the consequences of your actions and how you do them right and they're her age. I feel like whenever someone bring up consequences it's like people in this particular fandom think we do it to punish Marinette but no I just never ever saw it properly done in this show because she's very coddled in the narrative. I don't see other MC as coddled as her before in a show where when they MESS UP it's actually integral and important.

Rant over.

You encapsulated all my thoughts perfectly, anon. I've said so many times before that I loved Marinette from Season 1-3 and even during Season 4 as it aired. What made me fall out of love with her character post Season 4 was the utter lack of acknowledgement of her actions and the insistence in portraying her as in the right at all times. Like you said, it's not just your intentions that matter. Your actions and the effects that they have on the people around you also matter. The writers don't seem to understand this, and it hits Marinette's character worst of all. She had so much potential to be such a great character, which is why I feel so sad seeing just how badly the writing failed her. Marinette deserved better.

Thank you for your ask!

#MLB #ML Salt #ML Writing Salt #ML Writers Salt #Marinette Salt #Meta #Asks

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51ft · 5 months

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In regards to BG3's install time estimate literally being 1+ year, that's something I learned recently about how Steam patches games

Basically, in order to update a game, you can do one of two things:

1) Download all the new files and just throw them where they're supposed to be, badda bing badda boom. Super fast, super simple. The problem with this is that, if any of the downloaded files are corrupted for whatever reason or your existing files conflict or don't get overwritten properly, you can end up with a corrupt install and your game just won't work or you'll suddenly start getting a bunch of crashes or whatever

2) Make a temporary copy of the existing game install (literally the whole folder), download the new files to that temporary folder so that they don't accidentally corrupt the stable install, make sure everything looks good once the update is downloaded and applied, and then overwrite the stable install with the validated, updated game install and you're good to go. The problem with this is that, while the download size for a patch may be like 9GB (which goes by super quick if you've got fast internet), Steam will show that the "installing" process (as shown in your screenshot) is creating something insane like 26-130GB worth of "new" data that will take "1+ year" to finish, which is extremely misleading. The underlying (and much bigger) problem with this is that you obviously need drive space to store all of that temporary data. If you have an ssd with a bunch of free space, this is basically a non-issue. However, if you have multiple drives and the only one with enough free space to store that much data is a hard drive, then Steam will dump all the temporary files onto that slower drive which makes the entire file packing and copying process much, much slower. The overall benefit is that it's an automated file integrity check to help make sure your games don't break during updates, the downside is that it's not as graceful as it could be purely because everyone's PC is different

I've run into this issue numerous times with my own games updating and even sent Steam a support ticket like last year or something. I don't know exactly what it was doing at that time, but I think it was doing something goofy like always defaulting to the drive with the most free space, regardless of if the ssd that a game is installed on already has enough room to do the copy/validate process. It was always defaulting to my hard drive and every single game took, like, an hour to install. They seem to have fixed that behavior since I brought it up, but it's still the fallback when you don't have enough free space on the current drive. I'm honestly gonna upgrade to all ssds as soon as I can to rid myself of this particular hassle and a few other issues pertaining to hard drive sluggishness

Not that any of this will help your BG3 install go any faster, but I hope that you (and anyone else reading this) will now be enlightened and know where to direct your frustrations when game installs are slow, lol. I saw some of the replies on your post were being very critical of devs and, while we absolutely shouldn't put up with devs who keep releasing unfinished/unoptimized games (even Larian isn't perfect), it's not always maliciousness or incompetence

oh! this makes a lot of sense and I had no idea thank you for informing me!

bg3 is many things but I think the 130gb filesize is very well deserved haha

#q&a #thank you mr larian for releasing free fanservice epilogue dlc for ME!!!#i was WONDERING what was happening bc the download was finished but the installation was so cursed #thankfully the estimate was just shot and it finished in 2-3 hrs \o/

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cowgurrrl · 10 months

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I’m Still Standing

Pairing: rockstar!joel x actress!reader (except he’s at home with the kiddos in this one)

Author’s note: yes I was influenced by Pedro’s Actors on Actors interview

Summary: Actors on Actors: You and Carolina Garcia-Long [2.0k]

Warnings: talk of pregnancy/family life, the age gap is finally ✨revealed✨, relationship stuff, Carolina being the best, discussions of sex scenes, I think that’s it!!

Carolina sits across from you in a beautiful white dress that perfectly compliments her olive skin tone, smiling big and bright. You've already been talking as the crew sets up around you, and you're struggling not to have too much conversation without the cameras rolling. It's been a long time coming, but after more than a decade of working together, you two are finally sitting down with Vanity Fair to discuss your jobs. Somebody calls to action, and a set of questions pops up over Carolina's shoulder, but you don't look at them immediately; you look at her.

"I'm so happy we're doing this," you say, and she smiles.

"Me too! I feel like I haven't gotten to pick your brain about this stuff in forever." She says, settling into her big plush chair, and you nod.

"Well, it's like every other year one of us is pregnant."

"That's true because you had Sam like three or four years after I had Victoria, and then the girls were born last July, right?"

"Yeah, they're gonna be one soon." You say bittersweetly, and Carolina pouts her lips sympathetically.

"Do you think becoming a parent has changed the way you work?" She asks, and you nod.

"Oh, absolutely," you say. "Even before we had Sam, Joel and I's older daughters totally changed my life and what roles I took and how much I worked. It's kinda crazy to think about how fast it all happened. Like one day, I was able to binge-watch Law & Order: SVU with no problem, and then all of a sudden, these girls came into my life, and I couldn't even think about it because it would make me sick to my stomach."

"That's how I felt after I had Elizabeth! They just change your whole world, man."

"And can I gush about you really fast while we're talking about our kids?" You ask, and she laughs.

"Uh oh."

"No, it's all good. After I had Sam, I was so worried about how having a baby would affect my career, and my body looked different and whatever else, but you made me feel so safe and secure and loved. You reminded me I was able to have a career before I was a wife and a mother, and I could continue that career after. I don't know if I can ever describe... what you gave me because it was so integral to the actor I evolved into, and I've always had so much respect for you, not only as a friend and an actor but as a mother. And seeing how hard you worked made me want to work just as hard. Not just for me but for my children. So, thank you." You say, and Carolina reaches across the couch to grab your hand, and you smile.

"Thank you for saying that. You know how much Ryan and I love you, so I'm glad to know that we were able to give you some actually good advice," she laughs, squeezing your hand. "We've been friends for a really long time now."

"Fifteen years."

"God, are we old?"

"I don't know. Our first project together is about to turn thirteen." You say, both of you groaning as the fact settles between the two of you.

"Oh, my God, you're right!" She exclaims, dropping your hand to cover her face. "When we did Sweet Water, you had just moved to LA, right?"

"Yeah, it was my first series ever. Ryan told me you had just been cast, but they were still looking for someone to fill the role of Alex, so I went in for the audition, and I wasn't expecting anything, and they cast me right then and there."

"Which never happens."

"No, never." You agree, still not fully understanding what it is those directors saw in your all those years ago to cast you on the spot. Carolina points to her nose like she's remembering something, and you smile at the habit. She always does that when she has something to say.

"I will still get people who come up to me and tell me how much they loved that scene of us in the hospital because it was so raw."

"Well, yeah, neither of us had slept the night before because we were filming, and we just let whatever was going to happen happen, and it ended up being one of those scenes that is just… once in a lifetime, y'know?" You say, and she nods. "You were and still are such a generous scene partner in everything you do, like in how you listen and react and really find your characters. It was an amazing thing to work on with you, and I still brag about you whenever I get the chance."

"I remember filming the scene where you came into the hospital all bloody and bruised and going home to tell Ryan, 'I think this kid has some serious potential.' I mean, you were just phenomenal, so I was not surprised when you started getting picked up by all these major studios," she says. "Speaking of which, tell me about The Beginning of the End."

"What do you wanna know?" You sigh as memories of those fifteen months flood your brain.

"Everything. What was it like filming it? What did you think when you read the script? What was it like shaving your head on camera?" She asks.

"Well, shaving your head on camera isn't much different than actually shaving your head because you pretty much get one shot to make sure it's good, and that's it. But, yeah, that was a hard movie to make. I was in a really weird place mentally, and Ruth was such a complex, nuanced, broken character, so it was interesting getting to know her and hard to let her go when we wrapped up. For better or worse, I still find pieces of her in my daily life."

"I remembered you calling us from Ireland and being like, 'I don't know if I can do this. It's so hard.' And I remember telling you there was no one else out there who could bring Ruth to life the way you did, and I still believe that to my core. There is nobody who could've played Ruth the way you did."

"You and Ryan were such an anchor when I was over there because I was alone and I was working all the time, and then it was always fucking raining, which is just not good for anyone's mental health and-"

"And you and Joel weren't together at this time, right?" She asks, and your jaw drops a little as you look at the cameras.

"Caro," you say, laughing. "I don't think I've ever talked about that publicly before."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Her hands fly over her mouth, and you reach out to grab her hand.

"No, it's okay. It's fine. All our loved ones already know the story, so it's okay," you say, squeezing her as a comfort. "But yeah, Joel and I were separated at that point which is another reason why it was so weird to be there alone."

"I remember you telling me you guys broke up, but it's been so long, and you are always together, so it's easy for me to forget about that. How long were you guys separated?"

"Pretty much the entire time I was there."

"Wow," she breathes. "Do you think that separation made your relationship stronger, or have you just not thought anything about it until I brought it up in front of cameras?" She asks, and you laugh.

"No, I definitely think it made us stronger. We were both going through a lot, and I won't speak to Joel's experiences, but for me, separation was the best thing I had to offer at that specific point in our lives. And we really didn't speak at all while I was over there because it just hurt too much, and we were both working, and he was being a dad, and there were just too many moving parts. But when I got back to LA, we had coffee, and it was like no time had passed at all."

"Things were back to normal. Just like that?" She asks, snapping her fingers, and you nod.

"It was kinda crazy because we had both grown so much in that year or so, and I was worried that he wasn't gonna like the person I was coming back as or we wouldn't feel the same, but, oh my God, I'm gonna start crying," you say as you dab at the corner of your eye. "I still had so much love for him, and being with him and the girls… it just felt right like there was nothing I wanted more in the world than to be with them. And I knew if we could survive that, we could survive anything."

"And now look at you."

"I know. Five kids and ten years later."

"How old were you when you met Joel?" She asks, and you have to look at the ceiling as you do mental math.

"I was… Gosh, I think I was twenty-eight or twenty-nine. Somewhere around there. We met when Ryan and I were filming Hyde." You say, and she furrows her brows as she thinks.

"And how old was Joel?"

"Joel was either thirty-nine or forty when we met. Or..." you trail off. "Maybe he was forty because we met in the fall, and his birthday is in September."

"Can I tell you something I've never told you before?" She asks with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Please."

"When Ryan told me you were dating Joel, the first thing I did was google how old he was because I knew he had two kids, so I was a little worried," she says, and you laugh. "But then we met him, and he was so goddamn charming. It's really hard not to like him."

"Isn't it the worst? He's got that accent and those stupid guitarist arms and those big, brown eyes," you gush, rolling your eyes. "And he doesn't even know how pretty he is, which is the most annoying part!"

"Wait, so if you guys met during Hyde, did he know what the movie was about?" She asks, and you make an eek face.

"No, and I wasn't going to tell him because I didn't know how serious we were gonna get, but then he showed up to set with me one day, and we were filming the cabin scene-"

"Oh, the cabin scene!" She half-yells, and you laugh. "Dude, when that movie came out, I got asked about it all the time."

"Really?"

"Yeah! Well, everyone knew how close the three of us were, and when the movie came out, people were shocked that I would let my husband do a scene like that with one of his best friends. But Ryan told me he wasn't going to take the part until I read the script and approved or disapproved or whatever, but I thought it was just fantastic. Because it wasn't just about this relationship between these two people, it was about the different paths each wanted to take when it came to your character, Amber, being pregnant. Plus, it's just work. It's not like this was a real thing that was happening." She says, and you nod in agreement.

"I remember I got cast first, and then they brought us both in for a chemistry read, and we were like, 'this would be so crazy if we got to be in this movie together,' and then we were. And I think I do recall Ryan saying something about letting you read the script and you encouraging him to do which, thank you, by the way."

"I didn't do anything except give him a nudge," she shrugs. "Wait, so Joel was there when you filmed that scene?"

"Oh, my God, yeah. I tried to get him to wait in my trailer, but he didn't wanna listen to me. So, he was off in the corner while I'm, like... filming this sex scene, and it was so embarrassing because we had only been dating for a few months at that point. Plus, you're already so vulnerable in scenes like that, but Ryan and Tanya Reid, our intimacy coordinator, were so supportive, so I felt really safe," you explain. "You did a good job with that one." You say, and she laughs.

"Yeah, you too."

#one for the money two for the show #rockstar!joel x actress!reader #rockstar!joel miller x actress!reader #rockstar!joel miller #tlou au #the last of us au #dad!joel miller

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schmeap · 1 month

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do people on this website post tierlists for fun idk does anyone care about my opinions on pokemon and miku probably not but I'm finally giving into the urge to be really annoying about music (not a music analyst) (doesn't know how to identify a lemotif) (Was in High School Marching Band)

Anyway gonna be real fuckin annoying about this one its called i talk about rankings that are mostly personal bias

Let's just go in release order lol

Songs linked in their "titles" (video embed limit is. less than 18)

DECO*27's Volt Tackle

ok so i have a confession. when this song came out, I knew it was going to end up pretty low on the list lol

Deconina (i can't. type that every time guys) is one of my favorite producers and almost every song he makes I nod my head at and go "yeah. that's a banger." But. BUT. He's started mixing his harder rock styles with his poppier hip hop styles and it comes to a head in this song. The bridge is really really distracting lol, feels like a different song and tone entirely from the kind of intense, battle like ferocity of the main part to a cutesy pop chant... It has a purpose, I'm sure, but there's something too dissonant about it for me to like.

The like, rest of the song is Deconina at his Deconina-est, I love the cute take on love (as he always does) with a pokemon flavoring... The visuals are also quite cute and fitting. It's really solid, but that one point holds it back from Funky Fresh, which is my baseline Very Solid.

Electrical Forecast by inabakumori

The second song, by a producer I don't follow nearly as closely as Deco. Uhh I did listen to lagtrain as homework before this and yes it bangs. It's always nice to see people using people other than Miku and Kaai Yuki actually has a real solid appeal to me.

This is a song that slaps. It bangs, even. I don't know enough about inabakumori to comment on its relevance to their personal stylings or themes but we were still in the romance period with pokemon puns and tie ins so I was already tempted to put it higher in the list. In actuality, every song does an excellent jobs integrating game sounds and puns so no extra points are available for that stuff lol

Taking the idea of catching pokemon is always dangerous, I think, because pokemon fans aren't really here to catch things, we're mostly interested in battles and the journey with our faves, not completing the pokedex (because it's hard, and kind of chore) at least, to me. This song feels like a journey through the tall grass, scouring the lands to find pokemon... I just like the inabakumori style man. It gets points for getting on the playlist, but not really speaking to me.

Mitchie M's What Kind of Future

Silly songs.......... my weakness and Mitchie M's strength oh no.........

Yeah Mitchie M really plays to his strengths, using cute visuals and nonstop puns to ooze a charm you can only get from haplessly indulging in the most whimsical of vibes. It was also quite surprising how well their TL team did with all the puns given some of them barely work lol.

"I love them all" is the type of pokemon fan I am, so that might also help explain why two of those songs are up so high...

Pinocchio-P Kills You with The Pokemon Inside My Heart

yeah i cried what're *you* gonna do about it huh

Im a pinocchio-p fan. I don't always like everything he puts out, but when he really hits its insane how hard he does.

1) i fucking love his little pinomikus... having them all in a costume is so fucking cute they're little slit eyed freaks and by far my favorite trademark a producer's ever had lol My favorite. is lapras...

2) This isn't the first song to fuck me up by him lol 2:30 Life Remaining also damaging as hell, so it wasn't surprising to see him go for a quieter angle but man when its something you grew up with, a nostalgia you could relate to, an experience you lived, its way worse. It's such a soft song, with an upbeat backbone, I've no idea how he got the music to scream "nostalgia" so hard but the reverberating "aah"s are so cool too...

Anyway this song would be the best song if I weren't horrendously biased. It should honestly be up their with the top two but it was funnier to keep it in the crying tier.

Battle! by cosMo@Bousou-P

I honestly did not like this song all that much when it first came out, but that was almost certainly because it was right after Pinochhio-P's lol

The high concept of people in the comments talking about some sort of Miku AI champion that was tired of winning got me more into the song now that I'm not directly comparing it to a song that spoke way more to me, there's just something a little unhinged about it in the way that cosMoBousou does well with machine intelligence/the meaning of digital media.

He also plays p well into his strengths with the breakcore fast bpm lol this song screams GO GO GO! I think it makes total sense why he'd go for a battle theme, and I really like the way the pokemon sfx are incorporated into the backing... drums? Unfortunately, I like battle songs not that much, and the lyrics leave a little to be desired because the story's a bit... confusing lol Maybe it's cheap of me to prefer nostalgia baits over whatever strange original story cosMo's thought up but that's how it is.

A little evil with Kasamura Tota's I'll Fly in the Sky with You

Another producer I've not heard of before! No one talked about this song either, in my circles, I actually missed it until I came back for Giga and Jin's. I passed over it on first watch, put it on in the background and said "yeah, that's a nice soft song," thinking nothing of it. Boy was I fucking WRONG

edit (not an edit I'm writing this all in one sitting), I LIED I *have* heard this guys stuff before!! Araki covered one of his songs lol ok I'm getting the sense their skillset is Violently Sad Songs and goddamn are they good at em.

Anyway this song's MV is adorable and uses mudkips status as an adorable fave as a double shot directly to your sadglands as it tells a story of a pokemon that stays the same to continue to fly with its friend. Its fucked up, and a little evil, and totally took me by surprise because I was a fool. Little Guys Deserve Love Too is something you don't always remember as pokemon fan and it takes the implication of evolution seriously its really some pokemon Mystery Dungeon type heartstring pulling that got me good.

Musically I love the quiet backing that really lets the vocals (the story) breathe, its a musical narrative. The back and forth between Luka and Miku is done really well, plus having it based entirely around an existing pokemon song really helps it achieve its heart punching effectiveness.

Also I have a horrible bias toward piano please don't look up at the tierlist and where I placed Marasy

(Hilarious it got a kids rating on youtube btw. Another youtube kids L, probably)

We couldn't draw miku at a fucked up angle this time guys: Giga's Gotchu!

lol yeah they had to sanitize this one's visuals a little bit, probably worked with a different artist than usual... It does show, a bit, in the kind of bouncy visual style Giga's used to being flatter and less 3D than usual. This leaves the music video a little lesser than the others that move... I also don't know if I've ever been a huge fan of Giga's recent animation style.

In terms of actual song: it's good! Giga puts his swing on classic pokemon motifs and it feels very him, with a nice mix of hip hop beat and electrical edge.

But uh, remember how I said before "catching pokemon is the weakest element of pokemon"? That point stands here, especially since the song itself is just simple and peppy. It's stylish as hell but doesn't give me a sense of journey or scouring like inabakumori's.

Sorry, but someone had to be last.

Jin's Secretly Miku the whole time: Juvenile

Trans miku real or whatever

I'd like to say this is the first full on deadass whole animated story. I should be right. Also I don't think I've followed Jin since Kagepro lol (but I did hear Neo, and I did scream really loudly at it!)

dude the eevee is drawn so fucking cute im rhhdghh im not even a huge eevee fan (too mammal) but man when he do the lil paw to cheer up their trainer it got me. I also really like the compassion of the story, the trainers just want to support each other even though they fight... It's like, that's kind of what pokemon is, it's not necessarily about winning, even if Every Voice on the internet Ever (including myself) tells you otherwise. Turns out all you need from a friendly rival to make them better is to lose against them and not let them speak (im joking.......)

I just realized I never looked up the lyrics, actually, but I totally got the emotions through the fantastic MV and the general upswings of the music. It's a bold swing to take a trainer through their whole journey, but both songs that try this hit it justtt right, actually. Building yourself back up after a loss is like, The pokemon story, because turns out you can't win them all. Plus it takes time to focus on the mundanity of the pokemon journey, the stuff you don't really think about in game but is the meat of any fanfic... depicting hanging out w your pokemon is a huge bonus points.

The music combined with the visuals made me cry what can I say, I don't cry easily so it deserves it.

Syudou's I'm a Ghost Type

I honestly don't know a whole lot about Syudou, not to say I don't know who he is, i do, i play pjsekai, but none of his "popular" songs really captured me.

I can mostly say the same for this one lol This is the first one where I have to actually explain the Funky Fresh tier: it means they play well to their strengths but they don't have a whole lot of staying power to me. This is where my pickiness starts kicking in, they just weren't swanky enough to make the cut.

The lyrics and visuals scream joy of ghost types though, I really dig how much energy is in the song... I think it's just personal preference for electric beats that puts the song the highest in Funky Fresh.

BIPPA!! Wonderful Opportunity with Go! Bidoof Group!

Wonder Opp never fails me they got my back every time. I was hoping for something silly happy peppy fun and oh boy did i get it. A feverish dedication to a silly not strong pokemon, a basic rat you can get in any route that the pokemon company loves making fun of, BIPPA!!

All these dumb mfs so relatable to the Len that wants to evolve for utility, to the Rin that loves him as he is, to Miku who thinks all pokemon have their appeals... I've seen some people say WonderOpp's songs border on just speaking over beat, but I don't really see what's wrong with that. The comedic timing is solid (Len getting shot down is so funny) and the setup is inherently funny, a team of bullies that go after Only Bidoof. Team Rocket but Bidoof.

Joy radiates from this song and who doesn't want to hold a pokemon in front of your friends and go "Look!! this is my favorite child!!!" I think that's the real essence of pokemon. Pick your faves and then be really annoying about them. That's why this is the best one.

Huh? Muddled... (Weird title... it's sfx, really) by Kuriyama Yuri

This project got me digging around in new producers libraries, quite fun. In this one I found Jitterbug! I love a good Meiko producer... But I don't particularly like their style, sorry to say.

I do like it though! It's fun, spooky and very stylized! I love the rhythm it gets into and the expressions on the people, even if I'm not entirely sure what's going on besides some good ol fasioned spooks. I think it accomplishes what it sets out to do, which is make a spooky ghost house experience song. Just doesn't appeal to me enough to rank it higher.

Orangestar's Encounter

Look. This is pure bias. But I also think it's good!

I've gone on record (no record. just talking to friends lmao) saying Orangestar's music feels like running alongside a ocean during a sunshower. All their music is kind of same-y but by god does it hit that niche so good for me, using vocaloids to go way above what any human would sound good. In this song the synthwave really elevates it to something I'd recommend a non-Orangestar fan, it really carries you up, gives the song a rising energy... just like Lugia.

Breath is a key of Orangestar's songs, besides being very high, there's a lot of running vocals and held notes, meaning singing them is again, very difficult (if you're trying to copy miku) and I think the breathlessness of the vocals and synth really works with the concept of a legendary encounter. It's always so cool when you finally run into the thing on the box... and in the surrounding media, everyone always oohs and aahs. The lyrics support this, but I'm not very good at reading, so I actually just skim them to make sure they aren't total nonsense lol

Eon Ticket by Marasy

I saw somewhere an author's comment about this song, something to the effect of "I always chased Latios and Latias"... So this is just a song about your faves, just like pokemon should be. It also has Kaito, which is *my* crypton bias.

Uhh I'm always back and forth on Marasy songs, I love him as a pianist, but his compositions don't always speak to me working with the others on em. But? I think this one hits nicely. It's a little toothless still, not as emotionally impactful as those on the top, won't make me scream in excitement but I do think this is one of my favorites in a while.

Kaito and Miku... it's always nice to have duets in this Miku focused project lol. I think the Eon ticket, Latios and Latias in particular was a good pairing for Marasy's flighty fluttering piano trills and runs, they're the kind of pokemon that dash around the skies like the music does. Part of what makes me rank composers higher in these miku songs is whether they play to their strengths or not, because you're already adding the twist of subject matter, and I think this does. I also think the framing device of the newscasters is cute

Party Rock Eternity by Hachioji-P

Ahh Hachioji, another name I know and don't really listen to on purpose... Rad Dogs goes insane though an all time fave (but I say that about half the VBS commissioned songs). Maybe that's why I biased it higher, because it's a style of music I really like. A lot of bias is probably involved in this lol (poison type fan)

I like the perspective of a rocket grunt a lot, leans extremely well into the harder rock of Hachioji's natural lean, but the lyrics don't really tell us much, it doesn't quite lean hard enough into character for me to give it a funky pass... plus I find it's missing a POP that makes it appealing. It's extremely pleasant, but I can't give it a pass.

Iyowa's Journey's Prequels, Journey's Traces

Hmm, I think the only producer I know truly nothing about, didn't even really recognize a song on their page. Doesn't matter since this song's extremely cute and appealing on its own.

The button mashing making up the backing track I almost didn't like but it totally grew on me, it gives the song more life. Visually the MV compliments the cutesy subject and the wonder of a child's first pokemon. But... it's just pleasant. It suffers the same fate as Party Rock Eternity before it, there's just nothing pushing it beyond musically, likely in part because I'm not as familiar with the composer. I like songs that go somewhere, and this one stays in the same place, which doesn't make it bad, it just makes it less interesting to me.

Esper Esper, Psychic Psychic! by NayutalieN

I don't listen to a whole lot of NayutalieN's stuff outside the Rhythm Game Staples (most of which I like, at least passively), but it's enough that I know generally what I'm getting.

Musically this song doesn't stand out to me all that much, I like the rising tones during the chorus, but it actually doesn't use as many of the kind of flourishes on the top of vocals I really like about Nayutalie's tuning. The sfx in blend with the background are also really fun but for me, theming tops out anything.

When I went into the song, I wanted a cute silly fun song about psychic type pokemon that LOVED psychic types. I wanted to see them clap. And they did! There's just so many psychic types doing the classic flip back and forth dance, and isn't that, really, what makes a NayutalieN song?

Kairiki Bear's Melomeloid

So Kairiki Bear I actually spent like, a day lying in bed listening to their entire lineup on their channel lol I wanted to determine whether I liked them as a producer or if I just really liked Bug. Turned out I just really liked Bug (and venom). That's to say, I wasn't expecting something standout in this song.

I was not disappointed, but I wasn't blown away either. That's ok, I think the most important part of Kairiki Bear songs are their texture, the rhythm of the vocals mixed with the instrument. I like Bug because of its punchiness, its extremely harsh tones, and Melomeloid's are a bit softer. It's good for a song about fairy types, but it doesn't make up that loss in musicality through the melody, which makes it average to me. But! I think it really hits where fairy types lie, a cutesy "I love you" mixed with the signature sharp, kind of off tune vocals with a harsh, present beat... It screams "cute but dangerous."

A Glorious Day for Miku Yuri by EVE (it's Glorious Day)

wh what if u were a dragon type trainer and and I was a fairy type trainer and uh uh hhhhh and we were rivals............

Um ok, I just have to say, before I talk about Eve or whatever. The fact that they animate Every Miku in Voltage's art run and place them in this mikuverse where they all fight together is like, dude talk about an excellent finale. Deadass that touch alone put this to its ranking by itself.

That's not to say the music's not pulling its weight. It's Eve, and though I think is one of his weaker compositions, not being able to play into his more off beat rhythms (and having to use miku) it's still got all the bones of an extremely solid hype journey song. But to be honest, I think the music is the weakest part of Glorious Day, even if its flow is perfect for the story they're telling.

But the story..... God I do love a fully animated MV, there's just so much they put in it to make a pokemon fan happy, from the sakuga of the battle and the possible red cameo. Plus YURI!!! I love miku miku relationships I just think this one has the most potential to live in my brain rent free, so it goes up a tier. As a pokemon fan, this one's got the most for me, even if as a vocaloid fan, I wish Eve would just sing all his songs forever lol

Uh anyway thanks for listening like and comment if you want me to do this for commissioned songs for sekai i guess

#vocaloid #project voltage #I'm not tagging anything else lmao #this is a rambling post #I just like music and have opinions ok #is that so wrong.................#miku compels me #actually it was probably pokemon that compelled me #btw i already have a ranking system for sekai songs #ive been sitting on this stuff for a while #just takes a long ass time to type #typed this out instead of doing my work tbh #oops

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elvenbeard · 6 months

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Y'know, I enjoyed Phantom Liberty so so so so so much. And I really want to integrate it into Vince's story somehow, but like... I talked about it in a prev post, at the time when you have to get the identity theft cyberware installed, he would nope outta there so hard. Replacing your face for a one-off thing, for something you don't really believe in, is just so much. He gladly helps gather intel on the Cassels, he would even help kidnap them (under the assumption they get out alive, but oh well...), but taking on their identity, no matter how cool and badass and useful that is in theory, and could be for his regular merc work even... he wouldn't wanna get it done even then, just how he wouldn't get Mantis Blades or anything like that, no matter how useful.

So I've been raking my brains and like... In the same vein I've been talking with various lovely peeps about how Kurt would've deserved more of a presence, more missions etc etc and that he seemed to fall a bit short. How awesome it would've been to side with him etc etc....

AND NOW MAYBE... that is my way to headcanon my way around the faceplate but still incorporate the whole DLCs story how I want to into Vince's story. I haven't played siding with Reed yet, and I think siding with Songbird is going to be my go-to, cause yeah. And since everyone double-crosses everyone all the time here, why not have Vince be a part of that too. Cause I mean, he agreed to helping Songbird solely for the promise of a cure, for his own benefit, and since he can't seem to win by playing along with either side, why not play by his own rules and just for himself?

So... at the point when he would need to get the faceplate installed, he instead finds a way to get into contact with Hansen to warn him of the FIA's plans. Get close enough to him to gain his trust and get access to Songbird. I think Kurt could get behind/ appreciate his iniciative and taking that kind of risk, they surely could manage to strike a beneficial deal (on the surface). Then, when the FIA arrives (however they're gonna pull off being both twins with having just Alex at their disposal- but maybe Reed would step in, or another agent, that I'll have to decide still), Vince seizes a good opportunity to get So Mi out of there, explaining himself and why he did what he did, and hoping she in return will understand why he had to do what he had to do the same way she asked him to understand her.

The details are a bit fuzzy still, but yeah... I am very fond of the idea, and like that Vince could go and get Songbird outta there without betraying himself even more than he already did by agreeing to all of this in the first place. No hard feelings towards Kurt whatsoever, but I think if their roles were reversed Kurt wouldn't hesitate to do the same, the way I've experienced him in my one playthrough so far.

Obviously not a cool move to betray Kurt, cause he's cool XD but as I said, in the end, this is not about forging long-term relationships with anyone, this is about surviving to Vince predominantly (although it would be cool if I could find a way to make it so he doesn't need to betray Kurt at all, or in a way they can remain contacts afterwards xD cause if Vince becomes a Fixer in the Sun Ending, having Kurt on his good side sure as hell wouldn't hurt).

#cyberpunk 2077 #phantom liberty #phantom liberty spoilers #vincent ezaki

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recurring-polynya · 3 months

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Writing/Art Update 1.30.2024

Good news! I have finished Chapter 7, including the parts of Chapter 7 that is now in Chapter 8. I mentioned last week that Chapter 7 was running really long with 3 scenes left to go, and I wasn't sure if I was just going to let it get really, really long, or if I was going to shunt those scenes into Chapter 8. In the end, I did both--I moved the longest of the three scenes to Ch 8, and kept the other two in Chapter 7. I had it in my mind that this would ruin the pacing, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed Fine, Actually, and I think it is.

Finishing "all the stuff allotted for Chapter 7" was kind of a big milestone for me, so I celebrated by...editing Chapters 5 and 6 and sending them to my beta. The editing was a bit of a bigger project than I expected--I had run into a couple of places where I wrote things out of order, and I ended up with "well, does this character know about X or not?" problems that I had to resolve. Anyway, I got a very positive review, so that's exciting!

What's next? Well, the second scene of Chapter 8 was already written, although it had more integration problems, so I cleaned those up and got it into place. That puts Chapter 8 at about 5k words right now (I'm always aiming for 8-9). I've got one more, fairly hefty scene on the outline, so that should fit just about right.

My plan was to try and finish Chapter 8 and then skip ahead and try to write the end. Usually, for fanfics like this, I have a very clear end in mind, and I honestly did not for this one. A while ago, I sat down and came up with one, but I'm not all that sure if it's gonna take up a whole chapter, or if I'm gonna have to pad it a little. I figure that once I have the end in place, it will be easier to fill in the canyon between what I've got and where I've got to go. Right now, the outline gives me one chapter to do that. I feel in my heart like it's more realistically two. I am not excluding the possibility I might get carried away and need three (geez I hope not tho). I've had a little trouble getting started on that last scene of Ch 8 tho-- I'm gonna give it another day or two, and if I can't get some juice on it, I might just skip ahead to the end and come back to it later.

Word count: Part B is now 34,983, for a total of 71,862 (+7265 from last week, although about half of that was already written, so let's call it a 3600 word week).

I also spent a lot of this week drawing. It's a Kuchiki sibs piece for both their birthdays. It was very hard and I won't say I'm happy with it, but I fanart-failed the last two things I tried to do, so I'm just pushing forward. I want to have something to show for January. I've finished up the linework and the flat colors, but it still needs shading and I need to half-ass a background of some sort. I hope I'll be able to do all that in time to post it tomorrow. This is also the phase of the project where it looks the least good, and the part that comes next is where it rapidly starts to look a lot better. I also need to do A Special Effect, and I think I'm going to have to look up a tutorial, because my usual brush-mashing was not turning out to be fruitful. We'll just have to see, I guess.

#writing update #art update

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dragon-business · 5 months

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Majima versus Omi

Where Majima, once again, went on a self-sacrificial crusade to help someone he cares about. Yaaay.

But really, after talking about Tachibana siblings and discovering how close his and Kiryu’s experience and pain from that time are, Majima was quite disoriented. After all, Kiryu's already was a pretty integral part of his life and played a big role in Majima getting his freedom. And then this, too? Knowing they share this soul crushing experience they literally can’t share with anyone else? Ohboy, that’s a lot.

Sure, Majima made a lot of progress in getting his life back, and living for himself, even left yakuza and everything. But progress is not linear, and the sudden weight of care he doesn’t know what to do with made him backslide a bit. Made Majima go out on a stubborn limb and try protecting Kiryu (and all of his own men), by taking out the whole wave of Omi invasion all by himself. Sure, he pulled it off, but barely. Sadly, the hard hat can’t save from all the concussions.

And not to be that guy, but all the reservations about physical contact went out of the window when Kiryu rushed to hold Majima. And how he held him, uh oh.

Poor Majima, struggling to stay alert through the concussion and knowing there’s a wholeass woman there with them, really tried to apply the suave flirting game. This was very funny, they should've expanded on that, Majima probably rambled all the way Kaoru carried him to the hospital..

And we’re so here for that.

– Majima: you know what they say about hips!.. gotta have a good grasp on them! Kaoru, who has a figure if a solid stick:

- Majima be like: you're the nicest smelling woman I've met, very alluring And Kaoru: I've just spilled a beer on myself half an hour before, trying to eat grilled ribs as fast as I can to make it to the meeting with Kiryu in time Majima: mmmm… ribs……. I bet mine are fucked up hahahahh

– Majima, way later: and then I saw the boobs so beautiful I blacked out Kaoru: but you were talking all the way I was carrying you to the doctor's office? Majima: you were there???? Kaoru:

She really wanted to hit him, but he had enough. He's still not quite there fully, lots of painkillers for the ribs.

– Majima: if I die… you tell Kiryu (says something so embarrassing the nurse turns purple)

It needs to be something pathetic, desperate, and gay.

Like: “Nishida has the will, it's all legal, all yours, watch over the boys, I'll be watching you from the pits of hell and beyond, so you better not have that little scowl thing going on for me, you better be happy, yes. Also you should have more buttons on the shirt open, pls, I'll be watching, pop some open for me sometimes, that's my dying wish ._,”

He is sobbing a little and is ready to go on talking till he reaches his actual last words.

(if something happens to Majima, the people from his family are all getting settled too, ofc. everyone is covered)

Kaoru: I'm not saying all that. you ain't gonna die, get a grasp, bitch. Majima: fair. I would love to get a grasp of Kiryu before I die. Kaoru: of Kiryu's what? Majima, trying to make hand motions: of all of him… Kaoru: I think it's called a hug. Majima, tearing up: a hug…

– Majima will get a hell of a hospital visit later. Nishida would cry. Stoically, but obviously.

Oh, and in private he furiously asked him why. Why did he do this? And Majima answers, curtly and matter of fact: “Well. Kiryu is safe, ain’t he? And can do what he needs to do.” And this is. Really something.

Nishida watched Majima go from “I won't sit near him at lunch” straight to doing the most extreme shit for Kiryu. “For Tojo clan” my ass, he already left that circus.

Nishida thinks that Kiryu believes in the boss's power to survive… too firmly. This is a strong callback to the pier. Kiryu is too caught up in Majima’s energy of being able to crawl back out of anything. If Kiryu really believed that Majima got hurt really badly in the fight with Omi, he wouldn’t’ve pushed him onto Kaoru.

And maybe with the new Tachibana context Majima decided that he needs to be the guy who Doesn’t Die on Kiryu. You know. But he kinda missed the part where he got caught in the exact situation Tachibana was in. Kiryu believed that Tachibana could handle this terrible thing on his own for a bit, and went to do other things, and it ended in tragedy.

Oh Kiryu holding the person dear to him, while they bleed out in his arms, because he was too late. Yumi, Kazama, Rina – this list keeps growing ever since Tachibana, isn’t it.

And now Kiryu is clearly not thinking through his blind faith in Majima’s survival rates. Do you think he’ll be angry when Nishida, who’s very upset now, will tell him that he’s not seeing things clearly? Angry at himself, obviously. And a little bit at Majima, for doing this. (It is a mess of feelings, huh)

Nishida really needs to say something though. Because Kiryu believing in the legendary strong and smart Majima-san, the best manager and untouchable fighter is straight up infantalistic behaviour.

Majima generally wants to help people. He’s very good at it. But his self destructive urges get tangled in this too. He is also still repenting.

It can be a real hit for Kiryu – to realise that he was dragging Majima to the Mad Dog life without ever calling him that. Kiryu was doing to Majima what everyone did to him with the Dragon of Dojima expectations that are impossible to shake off because, well. Kiryu is also repenting.

So, for now, all Kiryu can do is come visit Majima in the hospital.

– before / navigation / next

#yakuza #kazumaji #goro majima #kiryu kazuma #kaoru sayama #kiwami 2 #this is canon now

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kim-seung-mo · 2 years

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𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪'𝕕 𝕊𝕒𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕧𝕖𝕤 𝔹𝕒𝕔𝕜 𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕄𝕖𝕥 𝕐𝕠𝕦

or... stray kids writing a letter to themselves back when they first met you

♩ g/n!reader, idk how to categorize this but it's fluff??? a lot of different emotions smashed together

♩♩ word count: 1.9k

♩♩♩ A/N: I really really liked this one, hope you guys enjoy~ <33

prompt list here (or you can request ur own)

Chan

Hey Bang Chan from 5 years ago, how are you? Whenever I remember that five years ago you had neither debuted nor met Y/N, it just makes me feel weird. Time flies, and in a flash Stray Kids is now four years old, whereas now I feel that Y/N is an integral part of my life. Back then, five years ago, you didn't know when you were going to debut and knew nothing about Y/N other than their name. If I could give you some advice, the first and foremost would have to be: believe in yourself, believe in your members, keep trying, gold always shines. And also …… if you have something to ask, just ask, stop being shy! You don't even know how much time you lost that you could have spent with them because of your shyness and lack of confidence. That's something that you, and I, wouldn't even get if I wanted it five years later. Being a trainee was tiring and hard, I know. After all, that's something I've been through myself. But you have to trust me, after having Y/N in your life, everything goes in the right direction. You will never meet anyone in your life who loves you more than Y/N, so no matter how hard it is or how tired you are, always remember: be good to Y/N, cherish them and give them as much happiness as you can, not only does Y/N love you, but you too are the person who loves Y/N more than anyone else in the world.

Minho

Hello Lee Minho from three years ago~ Maybe you thought this person called Y/N was just a passing visitor in your life, someone who would stay in your life for a short while and then leave you like everyone else. But you would be wrong, three years later, you can already be sure that Y/N is the one who is going to be with you for the rest of your life. I have very few regrets, but if I had to say one thing, it would be the fact that I didn't realize this sooner. But it's okay, what's meant to be will happen. You two will get to know each other, talk about things you thought you'd never share with outsiders in your life, and experience feelings that you didn't even know you had. You'll think you're going crazy, you'll run away, you'll pretend, pretend that these feelings are just a phase that will eventually pass. But Y/N will show you with actions that you're not crazy, and that it's not a phase, you're just in love with them. And then slowly, you will be as happy as I am now. You don't have to worry about anything, you don't have to be afraid of anything with Y/N by your side. Whether it's sunny or rainy, sorrowful or joyful, ordinary or exciting days, three, five, ten years down the line, you never have to be afraid again.

Changbin

At the time, you probably didn't think it was a big deal, or that this ordinary day would have any special meaning. But I remember. I remember the day I first met Y/N, four years, eight months and sixteen days ago. How the smile Y/N gave you when they looked at you was the inspiration for many a love song, as you will come to know. You're so confident in front of everyone else, so why can't you speak normally when it comes to Y/N? Y/N is gonna tease you for this for the rest of your life… but remember that Y/N is never really teasing you… Y/N admires you more than anyone else and thinks you are the greatest person in the world. But at the same time, you have to remember that you can't let loose just because Y/N loves you. Don't take your anger and frustration out on Y/N, no matter how exhausted you are. You don't have to be the "strong man" all the time. You're human and you get tired too, as Y/N has told you dozens of times. I know you want Y/N to depend on you, but you can depend on them too. Y/N wants to be your strong support, your safe haven, your muse, your love, the person you hold most dear, so don't let them think they aren't.

Hyunjin

To me, three years ago, how are you doing? I'm doing well now. You may not believe it, after all, you hadn't experienced true happiness then, the happiness you could experience with Y/N. You will never have to sit alone in your darkened room, hugging your knees and cry again; there will always be a light by your side to guide you on your way. You have to hold on to this light and never let it run away. Don't let Y/N run away. Don't get into pointless fights and don't let Y/N be sad and upset because of you. You are supposed to be protecting them, but you always end up being the source of stress for them. Y/N loves you more than you think and you are more important in Y/N's heart than you think. They are willing to bear all the stress and gossip to be with you. You have to at least do what it takes to make them feel that their choice was right. Y/N always believes in you, don't question them and never fail to believe in them. Passionate love and time together is important, and I know how much you want to leave everything behind and spend endless hours with them. The same is true for me now. But trust is the most important thing between you, and with trust, you can overcome anything. You need to walk the rest of the way together, hand in hand.

Jisung

It's been half an hour since I put pen to paper, but I still don't know what to say to you. I can write a song in half an hour, but I don't know how to face you. I honestly can't remember the person I was before Y/N. It's like that wasn't even the complete me. But if I had to say something to you, or make some comments …… they would actually all be my comments to my current self. The most important thing is that you don't have to hide your pain. You know how much they love you, so why do you always have to hide everything? Maybe deep down you still think Y/N will leave you one day? Or maybe it's because you don't want to cause trouble for Y/N, you don't want to be a burden. I know you are wrong, and you know you are wrong. I want to tell you that you can show every side of yourself to Y/N with all your heart. Y/N will love you for every way you are. Don't ever disbelieve the love you have for each other and never question how much Y/N loves you. Where you don't know, Y/N must have shed many tears for you too. Surely you wouldn't want Y/N to be upset in places you don't know about, would you? So you must do the same and show all your sides to Y/N. And remember that Y/N will never, ever, ever hurt you.

Felix

The Felix before Y/N, the Felix before Stray Kids, you must have been lonely back then, right? I didn't realize that seven years had passed since I first met Y/N. I remember you used to be curious about what life would be like in the future. Whether it was the right choice to leave Australia and come to Korea all by yourself. I can tell you now with absolute certainty that it was the right choice. I have nothing to say about your career, keep working as hard as you can. But I have a few words for you about Y/N. Felix, you can be a little greedy… Y/N will accept you. Don't hold back, your love for Y/N is not a burden. I know you are probably unsure, insecure, wondering if you are too clingy, too naggy, too emotional, too much of a crybaby. These things bother me even now. But all these worries are pointless, Y/N loves you as much as you love them. Y/N loves your hugs, the kisses you give them, the sweet words you say. You can be as close to them as you want and ask for more physical affection. If one kiss is not enough, ask for ten. Even if you ask for a hundred, Y/N will give you every single one. Your happily ever after with Y/N is about to begin, so remember to put your best foot forward for them.

Seungmin

Seungmin-ah, when I heard I had to write a letter to you, I honestly had no idea what to write. I have been journaling, but this is the first time I've written something like this… Anyways, Seungmin, don't worry, you're still the same person you were four years ago. Probably the biggest change is that you are now accompanied by Y/N. Some people may think it's not good to stay the same, but I think it's great if you can stay happy all the time, isn't it? Back to what I was saying …… If I had to give you advice, it would be: you don't have to smile all the time when you're with Y/N. I know you probably think love is all sweetness, but I want to say that you can be vulnerable, you can be not so strong, you can cry, you can be tired. You can fall asleep in Y/N's arms all day long and Y/N won't think you're "no good" because of it, Y/N likes the way you laugh, and Y/N likes the way you really are. Don't ever force a smile on Y/N, they can always see right through it. Oh yeah, one more thing: Seungmin, you may be lucky to experience the feeling of falling in love with Y/N for the first time. But I don't envy you, because you will never be as happy as I am and you will never love Y/N as much as I do.

Jeongin

It's only been less than a year, but I feel like I've changed more in this year than the previous years put together. Both physically and emotionally. The only thing that hasn't changed since you met Y/N is probably…the pace of your heartbeat, no? You might think that after a year has passed, your heart won't beat as fast as it used to when you see Y/N in person again, not knowing what to say, but you'd be wrong. I still love them more every day now than I did yesterday. And then…words of advice to you …… Well, get your feelings out properly and don't keep them bottled up inside. I know at the time you didn't know how Y/N felt about you, believing that you were in unrequited love, but now I can tell you with confidence: Y/N likes you too. Be brave and confess your feelings. Then no more tossing and turning in bed alone at night, no more worrying about someone else stealing them away from you. But most importantly, no more pretending to be a grown-up, you can be yourself. With Y/N, you can act like a child and be happy. They love you for who you are.

#stray kids #skz #skz imagines #stray kids imagines #skz x reader #stray kids x reader #skz reactions #stray kids reactions #skz headcanons #stray kids headcanons #skz scenarios #stray kids scenarios #skz angst #stray kids angst #skz fluff #stray kids fluff

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hurricanek8art · 7 months

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So a lot of people have seen my Star Wars posts the last couple of weeks. I only have a handful of followers and I'm still pretty new to all of this, and it's been fun and kinda mind blowing. I would love to talk about Star Wars or other nerdy stuff more than anything right now, but... I have something I have to get off my chest.

My dog Lucy died this afternoon.

It was sudden, like this developed at some point in the three months since she was at the vet last, and there was nothing we could do. I can't bring myself to really talk about it. I don't think I ever will be able to. It's too much. Because Lucy was my everything.

I'm not posting this because I'm looking for sympathy or prayer. I mean I'll take it if you're comfortable giving it, but that's all really complicated stuff, y'know? Not everybody has a great relationship with grief or religion—heck I don't always have an easy relationship with either of them sometimes, but I'm working on it. I'm not digging for commiseration or "poor sweet baby"s or anything. I just... don't have many people to talk to in my life. And this is gonna be really hard for me going forward. Not that anyone needs me to tell them that, everyone who's been where I am knows this. I'm not ready to grieve. I've grieved half my life, really, for different reasons, different people. It's... complicated. I'm complicated. So I'm going to do what I learned how to do to cope with my grief as a child. I'm going to tell you a story.

It's a story about love and unexpected journeys. Of finding who you are through someone else. Of a girl and her dog, who found each other and were who the other needed in just the right moment. I want to tell you a story because if even one person reads this, just reads it, doesn't even reblog or like or anything, the story is carried on. And the story lives forever. And in a way, Lucy lives forever. Because she already does in my heart, and she always will. So I'm going to tell the world our story not because I'm looking for followers or likes or sympathy or whatever. I'm telling it because I want at least one person to know even a fraction of how much I love her. If you don't or can't read this because it's too much, too close, too anything, I understand more than anyone that it can be overwhelming or painful. But if you do read this rambly ode that I wrote last night in sort of a haze... I thank you, for carrying the story on.

I met Lucy when I was thirteen. My family had been looking into training a service dog for me for a few months. We thought that it would help with my autism, alongside the PTSD I was dealing with in the aftermath of my father's death a little less than a year before. Because we already had one wonderful lab mix, the local training organizations had turned our applications down, citing that it would be too complicated to integrate the dogs. A friend of our family who did occupational therapy through animals suggested we find a dog and train it ourselves, with her help and help from people she knew, so off to the local shelters we went. This trip was our third try, and it was the same shelter we found our lab in—third try's the charm, right? And it was.

My mom wanted me to look at the puppies down a different row of kennels. Easier to train when they're younger, and she has a fondness for labs. But I walked down the righthand row, waving and smiling and wincing at the noise as excited dogs barked, wanting to see why new people were there, and I saw her. She was in the middle of the row of kennels. She never barked, but her big brown eyes were bright. I knelt down to say hello because she was the only one not barking in my face, and she leaned against the chain link to get closer for me to scratch, still looking at me with those beautiful eyes. I didn't realize it in that moment, but that was the moment she moved straight into my heart. I wanted to at least visit with her in the introduction room. Yes, the puppies were cute, but I had a feeling this time, y'know?

When they brought her into the room, I was sitting on the floor. She about dragged the shelter volunteers across the room, making a beeline for me. Sniffing all over. No licking—she's never been a licker. That's alright. We played a little, my mom and brother watching kinda surprised because this dog didn't want to look anywhere but me. She sniffed curiously around the room a few times, sure, but otherwise, she was right there. Stayed right there. And then she did this.

I was a goner. Because I found my dog.

___

They told us they thought she was a dalmatian mix, estimated to be about one and a half, which was amazing because we did the math later and realized she was likely born around my birthday in December. Asked me what I wanted to name her. I was on a Narnia hyperfixation at that point. Lucy, because she was so sweet and curious. Later the name evolved into an homage to Lucille Ball, because she was wacky and goofy and fun. I don't care where the name came from. She was Lucy and she was my dog. We had to introduce her to our other dog the next day, at the dog park. It went fantastic. All she wanted to do was romp and play, and our other dog went from acting her age of 8 and sorta arthritic to a happy two year old again. Surprisingly, the shelter worker handed us the leash and said "she's yours for the weekend, we'll talk on Monday". Trial run I guess. I was fine. I was ready.

It was Friday, April 13th, 2012. My brother likes to make jokes that the date should've been a clue that she'd be a handful, but I don't care. A Friday the 13th was one of the best days of my life. Even if it didn't feel like it at the time.

(I swear she and our lab got along, that one is just one of the few pictures I have of them together at the moment 🤣 I have so many pictures, but I can't go through them yet. These are just the ones I feel comfortable sharing right now.)

___

She was not a dalmatian mix. We figured that out that night when we put her up in my room to sleep. I was too buzzed with excitement, so I was in the living room when I heard it. This bay from my room. Not a bark, a full on hound bay. I remember looking at my mother in shock, and she just shook her head, eyes wide. "That is not a dalmatian."

It turned out there was an foxhound breeding/hunting place a few miles out in the boonies from us. They don't actually fox hunt, it's more of a horse-riding club where you go out riding with a whole flipping herd of foxhounds, English and American, to exercise the dogs. The shelter had found her about a month before running around in the woods, no collar, no chip, nothing. We don't know if that really is where she was lost from, or how long she was a stray. No one from there came looking for her if she was theirs. She had some scars on her face, thin scratches you could only really see when you squished the loose skin on her face. I loved squishing her face so much. Lucy had pretty clearly never been raised around non-working dogs. Or humans. Or anything, really. The world of the suburbs was new and confusing to her, but she knew how to chase, and run, and scent-track. Never had a problem with wild animals trying to get into our yard again at that house. Lucy was here to protect her new people.

(I should be clear that there was nothing in this tree. No squirrels or anything. I think this photo really captures some of her essence, though 🤣)

Service dog training went out of the window pretty quickly. My mother, who'd had dogs for decades, had never adopted a dog as old as her before, and Lucy was a lot. Hyperactive, intense prey drive, stubborn and hardheaded and loud, oh my gosh she was so loud. And settling into a new routine after losing her husband while trying to raise two autistic kids, while we all dealt with PTSD, was a lot. She got overwhelmed and kinda shut down after a while. My brother didn't know how to train dogs either, so he shut down, too. I don't blame them at all, we were all grieving and they came back around eventually, but I was thirteen years old with a dog I had no idea how to train, and I felt alone. I was grieving and scared, and for a while I was terrified that it wasn't going to work out. Every time our family adopts an animal, we swear right then—that animal is a part of our family, no matter what. But it was so much, and we were dealing with so much.

But then Lucy would look at me with those big brown eyes. And I'd feel okay. Because she was my dog. And I was her person. And I wasn't going to give up. So I squared my shoulders, I went over everything I knew from what my mother had taught me over the years, and I trained my dog.

(this was from 2016, and it's the day I knew she and my brother actually did get along, despite all the headaches and banged-up knees from her not dodging around him quite in time that she caused)

Things have never been easy. But we got through it. We moved out of my childhood home, a little over a year after returning from everything that happened with my father. (It was a saga I really don't know how to share) My PTSD and trauma stuff got worse, and my now-regular panic attacks really got started, and I dropped out of therapy like an idiot, but through it all she was there, always, always. When it felt like no one else was. When it felt like I was drowning. I never got suicidal thoughts until the pandemic hit, and have never been anywhere near wanting to even think about following through on them, but even when I was in really dark places, no matter what, Lucy was there, listening to me with her big floppy peanut butter colored ears and her big brown eyes and her freckly-looking spots. Lucy saved me from fully spiraling into a grief-filled, depressed fog I wouldn't be able to find a way out of more times than I can count. As far as I'm concerned, she saved my life. She was never cuddly—I think she tolerated my attempts at affection more than anything sometimes, but that was okay. I'm pretty touch-averse when it comes to humans and hugs and stuff. Dogs, no, humans, yes. I understood, and I knew when she'd had enough and when to step away, and I did my best to respect that. She was fine with being independant, with just being near me. And I realized I was fine with it too. Because she was there. And I was there for her.

(She heard me open a snack container in the first pic; behind that bush was one of her favorite spots in the summer even though it drove me crazy when I couldn't find her 🤣)

Over the past few years, it felt like we'd really settled into where we were supposed to be. She never slowed down with age. She just... matured, I think? Especially after our lab mixed died in 2016 and it was just her and us humans. Realized she didn't have to constantly chase the next smell, be on the lookout for the next squirrel or bird or rabbit. When I took her out for our hours of hanging out on the back porch in the sunshine, as soon as the weather would turn warm, she went from constantly running around the yard to taking breaks to hang around my chair. Laying near me, sometimes even next to me. A few times she laid her head on my feet, or next to them, or against my legs when I was sitting on the ground. I almost cried every time because it made me happy she was so comfortable with that. (Scratch that, I did cry) My favorite was when we were out there in the evenings, and she'd fall asleep as it got dark, deep enough to snore. She felt safe enough to do that, comfortable enough, content enough to let herself fall that deep asleep, because she knew we were there to protect her, be there for her. Because I was there. And if you've never heard a hound howl in their sleep because they were dreaming about chasing things, you've missed out, it's possibly one of the funniest sounds you'll ever hear, and I got to hear it on a nightly basis. I heard it last night. Even when it kept me awake sometimes as her snores rattled the windows, I have treasured that weird yodel-y sound as it fluttered through her flappy lips.

Those summer days will be in my heart forever. And when the weather would turn cold, and my seasonal depression would get bad, I felt better because she'd let herself become a couch potato with time, and realized "Hey, I can sleep on Kate's bed when she's not on it! Score!" She was content, at last, after years of us working so hard to find a balance. That's what I've held onto all this time, what I'll hold onto in the coming months, years, decades. That she's content, and happy, and she knows that she is loved more than anything in this world.

I've grown and changed with her. It's been eleven and a half years, we had to have. I've lost family and gained family. Drifted apart from friends like an idiot when I should've held on. Sometimes I don't know if the person I've become is who I want to be, or need to be, but when I'm with her, it's fine. Because I was who she needed. I became an adult. I found new interests and hobbies; I found writing, I re-found art, I found music and making friendship bracelets and a little bit of sewing recently, though I'm bad at it. I found historical subjects, mythologies and folklore, stories I never knew existed, that fascinate me. I found Lord of the Rings and Captain Marvel and Paramore and Taylor Swift with her. I still don't always know who I am, but I found myself. And every bit of that, Lucy was next to me, watching me as I discovered it, listening to me sing to her and ramble on about whatever I was doing on the days we sat out on the porch or in my room, just us, and I needed someone to talk to. She was always a good listener.

I'm still struggling with my mental health, everyone in my family is. And I know the next few months are going to be hard. But every bit of my life with her, I've been happy, even when it got hard. Because Lucy was my dog, and I was her human, and we were Kate and Lucy. My only regret is how long it took us to find our balance, find out how to coexist when we were so different but the same at the start. I will always regret how long it took, even if I was a confused child for half of it, but I never gave up. I couldn't. Because she never gave up on me, even when I had no idea what I was doing. Anything else—the grief, the frustration, the fear—I regret none of it. I never will.

Because through it all, I had Lucy. And Lucy had me. And now, if you've read all this, as I rambled my way through our story, trying not to cry and laughing at some of the memories, maybe you know her a little bit too. Everything on the internet is forever, right? Well, now our story is forever. Lucy is forever.

And she will be in my heart forever, too. I love you, Lucy. My Goose, my Goober, my Goofus, my Lucy-Goosey Mongoose, my "no, no, stop that, please stop eating stuff you find in the yard!". I love your squishy face and your droopy lips and your floppy ears. I love your loud barks and your window-rattling snores and your incredibly weird sleeping positions. I love your big brown eyes and your goofy grin and your misunderstanding of the word 'gimme five' regularly leading to you enthusiastically smacking me in the face with your big ol' paws. I love how I had to show you how to chew apple slices with your back teeth because you'd never had one before, and how you'd mooch for a carrot that was supposed to go to the horses only to spit it out three seconds later and then immediately try mooching for another. I loved teaching you to boop me with your nose when it was clear you weren't comfortable with kisses as a way to show affection, despite the numerous times you almost broke my nose. I love you. I love you. I love you. You have been part of me since April 12, 2012. You always will be part of me. One of the best parts.

And now you're forever.

#tw: grief #tw: depression #tw: suicidal thoughts mention #tw: parent death #tw: pet death #tw: pet loss #tw: long post #i don't know what to tag this #im honestly swerving back and forth between “ill be okay” and completely numb and just falling apart at the seams #im gonna be okay i just need time I think #whoever reads this thank you #i just... needed to let this out #dogs

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bellygunnr · 9 months

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Hanging it All on You

A Transformers OC story. ES-based with G1 elements. Liberties taken. Sawhorse POV first, Firewall POV second.

If you weren't so attuned to the scent of energon, you wouldn't have noticed him. Bumblebee knew how to hide well, though you question the efficacy of such a skill when you're on death's doorstep. You don't even need to be a medic to parse that out. Injuries of all kinds had a scent to them-- and this one was bad.

Still, you don't announce your presence until you're rolling the rock away from the under-bridge tunnel. You take the blaster fire handily, letting your battered shoulders dissipate the worst of it, until he registers the tell-tale markings of a medic. Technically, you weren't supposed to retain these decals, but you kept them on hand. Didn't make Bumblebee look at you with any less suspicion, but he did stop firing.

"You're not Autobot," Bumblebee hisses.

"What gave it away?" You huff, sarcastic. "Let's cut a deal, baby."

You spare him the glare of your lightbar, opting for the low beams across your chest. Bumblebee was in shambles, curled up against the concrete wall, arms cast listlessly in his lap while energon flowed anew from his joints. No doubt from the effort of transforming them into weapons -- what a pain.

"You think I'm just gonna-- make deals? Better off lettin’ me bleed out, 'Con," Bumblebee says, baring his teeth. "I've got buddies on the way, you know."

You roll your optics. The tunnel echoes with the sheer noise of your movement inside. It'd make you claustrophobic, if you still had that defect. Bumblebee doesn't even move as you lumber closer and closer. He must really be injured.

"See, I'm gonna fix you, deal or no deal," you say bluntly, dropping to a crouch. "You're too valuable to die, ain't that right? Aside from that... I think I can change your mind."

Bumblebee's face contorts, conflicted. He doesn't protest as you reach behind your neck and unspool a diagnostic cable, the shielding pitted and burned, simply staring up at you with wide, blue optics. Dim optics. At this distance, you can hear his internals working, most notably a clicking coolant pump.

You're a doctor by trade, of course. For speedsters and modifieds and outliers. Not always a surgeon, but you figure you make a pretty good one now, after millions of years at war. Unfortunately, you didn't kit up for a field op, but...

Wordlessly, Bumblebee turns his right arm over, exposing an open port at his wrist. Before you can jack in, though, he jerks back, plating and doorwings flaring in alarm. Yet, just as quickly, he cringes in pain, knocking his helm back against the wall.

"You can tell me to frag off, you know," you say dryly. "I can just let you bleed out, if you're gonna be ungrateful."

"No, no, no-- I just-- why the port? Can't you just scan me or whatever?"

Bumblebee has the grace to look guilty through the pain warping his body and rolling off his field. Still, you hesitate, cursing yourself for it all the while. You're a doctor-- an enemy, maybe-- but everyone listens to doctors! What kind of medics do the Autobots have if their scout is acting like this?

"I don't have a handheld scanner, so no," you explain patiently. "And just between us? One of your lot damaged my medical suites. We're down to analog, you and I."

This time, he lets you plug in. You push forward nothing but medical requests and your ident-tags. He responds in kind and a klik later you’re analyzing his vitals, from spark integrity to fuel pressure. He taps at the firewalls inside your head, a packet closed within a metaphorical fist.

You brush him aside. <<Were you serious about your backup?>> You ask instead.

He’s a mess. Not as dead as you thought, but his coolant pump is on its way out, no doubt due to the significant physical trauma wrapped around his abdomen. Already, his temperature is ticking up, wicking away the intensity of his self-repair. Hard to think about sealing fuel lines with the radiator threatening to boil, huh.

<<I thought medics were supposed to talk more,>> Bumblebee complains. <<What are you even doing in there?>>

You don’t cease peeling Bumblebee open like an organic crab, but you push apology-guilt into your field while opening a watch-along to your processes. His jaw clenches as he’s now able to watch you file away his topic change for later.

“It’s not overly invasive, don’t be a baby. I’m clamping your lines because you can’t stop bleeding– not your fault— and I’m checking out your cooling system. Half your fans are burned out. Did you get some voltage?”

<<Business end of a power line,>> Bumblebee confesses.

Memories flicker on the peripheral of the hardline connection, most likely of said power line. You ignore them, tying off the last errant line through the first wisps of steam. Absently, you pop open a physical compartment in your abdomen, fishing out a large unmarked tin. The sweet scent of coolant is stronger now, nauseating with the acidic odor of energon already weighing down the air, its source obvious.

<<I’m gonna be real honest, Autobot,>> you start, switching to the silent comm-link, <<I ain’t equipped to handle your wiring. Best I can do is keep your internals from cooking.>>

You’re aware of Bumblebee tracking your every movement. You make a show of wiping off your hands, as if showing off your wide palms and blunted fingertips will put him at ease. Over the link, you push forward images of your intentions.

For some reason, it doesn’t put your patient at ease. But you’re not here to make him feel good so you forge ahead, tarring up the cracks in his radiator and dumping a cube of coolant down his intake. His pump clicks all the while.

Some part of your treatment seems to work. Bumblebee visibly relaxes, but you warn him against moving too suddenly, lest your hard work come undone. His optics brighten marginally and newfound alertness prickles over his field. He makes a weak gesture to the cable running between you both.

“Need to keep observing you,” you say aloud, only slightly admonishing. “Now– that deal. You have something I want.”

Bumblebee jerks forward, expression darkening. “What could I possibly have? I don’t even know who you are!”

“Stop moving!” You snap. “You don’t need to know who I am. You just need to help me find him.”

“I never agreed to the deal,” Bumblebee says, but there’s no fire in it.

He lets his helmet rest back against the wall. You wonder if you misjudged all of the Autobots, or just this one. Aren’t they supposed to be soft? Don’t they like paying back favors? You just saved his life, after all, oath be damned. Did you have to get physical with him?

Primus, his chest was open. You were plugged into his systems (and he, yours). It would be so easy–

Bumblebee is waving his hand in your face. You snap reflexively at his fingers, sharpened fangs scraping across metal planes.

“Fucker, ow,” Bumblebee hisses, snatching his hand back with the whine of a servo. “I said I was gonna help– not my fault you were spacing out, ‘Con.”

Oh. You stare at him, winding back the last thirty seconds of your life. Ah.

“Oh. Well. Good,” you say. “His name’s Firewall. You took him prisoner three local cycles ago. I need him back. Please.”

For a terrifying moment, Bumblebee looks as if he doesn’t recognize the name. Then his field flickers, a mixture of shock and confusion covering bitten-back lethargy and wariness.

“You want that lunatic back?” Bumblebee demands, optics flying wide.

“That lunatic is my conjunx!” You snarl, suddenly witless, frightened. “I need your help, so please– please.”

Begging. You’re disgusted with yourself, but you can’t stand the idea of failing here, not after juking the Decepticon brass and diving headfirst behind enemy lines. You won’t fail here. You’ll show him–

Bumblebee waves a placating hand,vocalizer fritzing. “Hey, hey, hey– I’m not retracting my offer or anything, calm down. Didn’t realize it was so serious.”

It's at that moment the rocks blocking off the opposite end of the tunnel shift. Harsh lights flood inside, followed by two pink chassises. Bumblebee shouts for them not to fire, but you’re already subspacing a handheld saw and jamming it against his throat.

—

The Autobots have a tight ship, at least. Of course, why wouldn’t they? Their base was literally a spaceship. The brig, stuffed in the deepest, lowest section of the hull, is especially tight, with cells reinforced with both force fields and bars, the dimensions just wide enough to accommodate a seeker’s wings. And with your build, that means plenty of room to walk four paces and turn around in a never-ending cycle, so long as you keep your cooling fins and excess blades retracted. Not that you have a choice – the inhibitor claw newly bolted into the back of your neck makes it impossible to even think about a transformation, let alone do it.

So you pace, lurching and lunging back and forth, memorizing the featureless metal box with every pass. Rivets, some missing, most not, line the walls, potential weaknesses if you were the type to notice or exploit such things. You’re not, but your wrists are cross-cuffed, so you especially couldn’t try to make something happen. It’s whatever, really.

That’s what you tell yourself. It’s not a big deal. Just being alive is infinite possibility. You owe it to Sawhorse to behave. Keep your helm down. To hell with your way out, so meticulously planned. You two always worked best when improvising, after all. Maybe this was meant to happen. Serendipity at the business end of an Autobot firing squad. They wouldn’t believe you if you told them, after all, that you were Conjunxed and want to move to Earth-Italy, and would they pretty please let you go so you can stuff yourself inside a box for ninety local cycles and come out a new mech– it’ll be like being a bug, you’d tell them anxiously, like those caterpillars, have you ever seen them, did you ever care to look–

You freeze mid-step. Your thoughts have wandered off. This is a very, very small room. Primus didn’t forge you with cramped spaces in mind. Only the brig warden– well, guard– shifting his plating grounds you back into reality.

His voice carries.

“Didn’t expect you guys back so soon. Is that another–?”

“You’re dismissed, Sunstreaker,” a faintly familiar voice says. “Get some recharge.”

It’s difficult, dredging up the data necessary to place the voice. All your taxed brain can give is a featureless pink visage, which a subroutine helpfully labels as either Arcee or Elita-1. Neither of which you’re eager to meet. Did your reputation even warrant Autobot brass? You puff up your plating and press up against the shimmering bars, stasis cuffs humming in warning.

Footsteps rattle. Shadows loom. You perk up, audials instantly detecting an uneven shuffle, the rhythm of a limp. Something in your spark squeezes, then blooms, a savage thing, the first cut of hope–

“Doctor,” you whisper.

There he is. Half your height but twice as wide, all broad curves and tough rubber edges, dim with the lack of energon, but alive. You shove your helm up against the force-protected bars, howling plaintively when it shocks you– so you keen beseechingly at your captors, up until Sawhorse shakes off his cuffs and grabs the bars, optics cycling to their widest setting.

“You’re gonna hurt yourself doin’ that, baby, come on,” Sawhorse murmurs gently. “It’s okay, we’re okay, we’re gettin’ out– you understand me?”

His words wash over you, but you’re not sure if you understand him, not really. Your thoughts have vanished, processor going scratchy as your brain module happily loops itself into an existence consisting of “Sawhorse” and “Obstructions preventing proximity to Sawhorse.” You snarl threateningly at the Autobots shuffling behind Sawhorse, uncomprehending of both word and action, until the bars and shield drop and your way forward is– open. You lunge.

Big, stout, heavy arms catch your torso and twist your momentum, sending you reeling through the air in listing spins, but it’s okay because it’s your doctor, your Conjunx, cradling you close and stroking dense digits down your back. You tuck your helm underneath his, letting the quiet rumble of his engine soothe you. He unhooks your restraints with quick, practiced motions, muttering sweet nothings just loudly enough your combat protocols stay offline.

“That’s a good one,” Sawhorse continues, soft as a whisper. “You look unhurt– good, I’m glad. Now, we don’t have a lot of time, Firewall, so… Unless… Are you sure Bumblebee will be fine? I can continue–”

“We do have a medical corps,” one of the Autobots says dryly. “As much as we’d love to have you stick around, we are halfway to committing treason–”

“If you insist,” Sawhorse says.

You curl a protective arm around your doctor’s waist. The Autobots cast unreadable expressions upon you, data that your mind files away for processing later. Then they turn around and hurry off.

Bound together, you and Sawhorse follow doggedly. It’s a circuitous route through the fallen Autobot ship, paths and details you should memorize, but you know better than that. You’re leaving this war– trying to pretend otherwise, or save your metal later, undermines the purpose. The only way, now, is this.

Though you have no idea how Sawhorse pulled this off. A breakout is one thing– Autobot command assisting is wholly another.

<<Sawhorse: query,>> you ping over the bonded connection.

<<Firewall: acknowledge,>> he pings back.

<<How did you pull this off?>>

One of the Autobots draws short, a fist clenched in the air beside her. You slide your hand up to grip Sawhorse’s shoulder tire, plating clamping tight to your protoform as everyone stops. The other Autobot, pink and chrome, starts digging into the wall. You quickly reason out why– this is a door you’ve stopped at.

Perhaps your way out?

<<Fixed up a scout. You know the one.>>

<<Oh, Bumblebee?>>

You’ve never had the fortune of meeting the scout on the field. But soldiers talked, rumors spread, and you’re at least tangentially aware Decepticon command wanted him personally. Not even for his successful thievery or intel– but because he meant so much to the Prime.

<<It was a lucky break. And we still may not make it, Firewall.>>

You understand that, at least.

Mechanisms activating in the walls of the ship startle you. Your claws sink into Sawhorse’s rubber, prompting him to bat your hand away while simultaneously petting reassuringly down your side. Again, the Autobots give you a funny look, but only long enough to point at the chasm opening by way of the door.

“It’s open. You’ll have to make a bit of a jump, but it’s flat ground. Get out of here.”

“We have to jump?” Sawhorse yelps.

His field flares hot and sharp against yours. You shove him forward, into the gaping airlock, and peer over his frame.

“That is a bit cruel, Arcee,” one of them– not Arcee– says.

“Eh, well. Shouldn’t be grounders, then, huh?”

It is, as she says, a bit of a jump. Approximately four hundred feet from the edge of the airlock is the ground below. You’re not sure about the flat ground, if only because foliage and moisture make rough work of your systems. Still….

“See you around,” you throw over your shoulder. <<Go into your altmode just before you land,>> you whisper.

Then you shove Sawhorse out of the ship proper and take the plunge right after. He screams and curses loudly, but that just means he’s okay, so you tune it out.

#gunny writes #gunny oc sawhorse #gunny oc firewall #transformers

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avelera · 1 year

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I've got...5,000 words of Giving Sanctuary ch. 21 (Le Dessert!) but so far it's cuz I have 2 takes on the opening conversation and I kiiiinda want to take a stab at a 3rd.

The way I see dialogue is in branching paths that sort of ricochet off one another and there's always at least 2 directions a conversation can go after every statement or question in a back and forth.

It's one reason why having a later scene already written is so hard to integrate vs just writing something fresh, trying to get the ping-pong ball of the mood of the scene to ricochet back and forth between all the obstacles and what-ifs and character emotions and previous events and facts and Things That Need To Be Talked About to get it into exactly the right place to kick off an already written scene is difficult as fuck, whereas with green fields, just bouncing around and seeing where the conversation goes and hoping it pings off a few Big Things I needed to have talked about / have happen is both fun and much more freeing.

Dream and Hob have so much to talk about in Ch. 21 that really any one thing coming up in a certain order can totally derail the conversation into a particular direction, so part of the reason I wanted to do a few takes is to really dig into my own head for unexpected ways it could go that will be more satisfying than my first instincts. I learn a bit more from each one but commonalities show up too, things that I think are gonna make it in there regardless, cuz it's just how it needs to go, and that's kinda what I'm looking for.

The Calliope conversation had something like 3 drafts of how the conversation could go (in script format) before we got where it was, and I think the level of quality shows as a result. Ch. 4 also had this level (less joyfully or purposefully since I was wrestling with it more) of care put into making sure all the BEST versions of what they could talk about come up. So that's the level I'm kind of aspiring to, that level of "Ok, I've written this scene 3 times, these things come up every time, these are things they HAVE to talk about, now I'm going to use the best iteration of what came up across multiple takes to really stitch together something of high quality

#1689 fic #maggie's writing progress

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softguarnere · 2 months

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For Whatever We Lose

Lewis Nixon x OFC (slow burn, enemies to lovers)

Chapter Five: Enchanted

Summary: She may not be fond of Guarnere, but she would rather have a group than be the odd one out. A/N: Battling through burnout this weekend to post a chapter for the first time in forever 😰 Fun fact: it was originally over twenty pages long! Amazing what ADHD can allow you to do when you're avoiding other things, huh? I've split it into two different chapters for everyone's sake, though, but it does make the end of this one feel very sudden The title for this chapter comes from "Enchanted" by Taylor Swift because of course I'm using her lyrics for titles again, it's me we're talking about here Warnings: mentions of the Boarding School Era Taglist: @dcyllom @kujofam

The morning is muggy. Fog clings to the camp like a wet blanket, the moisture so heavy that no one can tell if they’re sweating, or if their shirts are clinging to them because they’re heavy with the water that seeps out of the air all around them. Either way, it’s uncomfortable, and people are complaining about today’s activity before it even starts.

They stand in groups. Easy Company’s men stand to one side, clustered in their small cliques that have already formed, and the women stand to the other, doing the same. Although no one is brave enough to bridge the divide between them, there are curious glances thrown across it, like a scouting party being sent ahead into the unknown before the adventure can officially begin.

Nixon has a feeling that this is either going to go very well, or very poorly – which, to be fair, is how most of life works. But either the men will begin to include the women and successfully integrate them into the company, or they will effectively ostracize them, thereby causing Sink’s great experiment to fail. No pressure.

He, for one, has no intention of ostracizing the women. Quiet the opposite, actually. He’s already searching the scene for Sergeant Revels as he and Dick approach the group.

But Dick stops suddenly. Nixon stops, too, looking back at his friend.

“Wait a second,” Dick commands, his voice quiet, yet firm. Although Nixon has never been in the habit of doing as he’s told, he obeys his friend’s order, taking a step back toward him so that they won’t be overheard. Dick’s voice is low when he says, “Whatever you’re planning – don’t.”

Nixon can’t help but blink. Feigning surprise, innocence, has never worked that well for him, but here it’s at least half true; he has no clue how Dick has figured out what he’s been thinking, and is rather surprised that he’s noticed at all.

“What?” He asks anyway.

“What if it were Blanche?” Dick says, very straightforward, as usual. “Or my sister? What if they had this opportunity, only to end up being sent home because some guy couldn’t help fraternizing with them. Because we both know the consequences for the man would be nothing in comparison to what the women would face.”

Before his friend had spoken, Nixon had planned on teaming up with Sergeant Revels for the scavenger hunt. Now, though, he’s too busy considering what Dick is saying to worry about what he was going to say to her. Instead, he has to figure out what to say to his friend.

“Dick, I was just gonna – “

“You’re married,” Dick reminds him. He raises a gingery eyebrow to punctuate the point. “That wouldn’t look good for anyone.”

“That’s never stopped anyone with the last name Nixon before,” he mutters, mind flashing back to his own father, his own mother, his own childhood – everything from before the Army that mostly feels very distant and easy to forget nowadays.

“Nix,” Dick warns. “Getting the women integrated into the company is going to be hard enough with Sobel accusing everyone of fraternization left and right. Don’t give him any more excuses to revoke a pass. And don’t be the reason that someone gets sent home.”

Nixon hasn’t even done anything yet, technically, but the look of disappointment on his friend’s face is so strong that some terrible feeling that he hasn’t felt in a very long time begins to fester in his chest. Dick can’t really tell him what to do like this. And yet, Nixon is sure that if he doesn’t obey, he might lose the best friend that he’s ever had.

And, okay, maybe Dick does have a point. If someone ruined Blanche’s career, her future, he would probably hunt the bastard down and kill him. He prefers being alive . . . most of the time.

After a moment of doing nothing but staring at his friend, openmouthed – how embarrassing! His mother would kill him if she could see! – and hesitant, he finally snaps it shut, forces his lips into a firm line, and acquiesces. “Fine.”

Dick nods. “Thank you.”

And with that, he approaches the group ahead of them like nothing has happened.

Silence falls as the lieutenants approach the group. Men and women alike stand at attention, ready. Dick nods, smiles, and they all fall at ease.

“Not the most agreeable weather,” he begins casually. “That’s part of why today’s exercise is optional.” He pauses while a sigh of relief runs through the crowd in front of him. “However, I think you will find the reward for those who do choose to participate to be far greater than for those who bow out.

“Somewhere in this camp, there is something that you need to find. You may find it immediately, or it might take you all day. But trust me when I say that it will be much easier if men and women work together.”

No one speaks, but everyone glances at each other in question. Together? Even with the fraternization policy?

“Don’t worry about your passes,” Dick assures them. “You can’t learn to be a real, cohesive company if you’re never allowed to interact. It’s encouraged from now on.”

The men and women glance at each other again, much less shyly, and much less confused than before. Some people clearly seem more excited about this news than others, though. That part becomes even more obvious when Dick allows them to split into groups. Some of the men throw glares at the girls before turning on their heels and heading back to the bunkhouse. It is their day off, after all, and they’ve been told that this is optional.

The rest of them, however, tentatively begin to break away into groups. Some men band together, creating all male groups, but others whisper amongst themselves before glancing over at the girls, figuring out which ones to ask to join them, and how to go about doing so.

“Oh, Anna! He’s looking at you again!” Lucinda teases as Floyd Talbert throws a look in her direction.

The singer keeps her cool, though, only shrugging. “Well, he’ll have to do more than that. Skinny Sisk is the one coming over here.”

On cue, Easy Company’s favorite reprobate swaggers up to her, smile bright. “Hello, Anna.” He nods to the rest of the girls in greeting before putting his full attention on the Tennessean. “Would you like to join my group?”

“Depends.” Anna glances behind him. “Who else is coming?”

“Shifty, Popeye, and McLung.”

“Okay then. Sure.” With that, she follows him off, casting a smile back at the other girls and completely ignoring Talbert, who watches with wide, forlorn eyes as she goes.

Liebgott is the next to approach, which may or may not be because Talbert, looking so crestfallen, whispers something to him before beginning to stalk over himself. Ed Tipper follows them, but he doesn’t look as aggravated as Talbert, or as determined as Liebgott.

“Bianca,” Liebgott says with a smile. “You wanna join us?”

The Italian girl’s eyes widen. For a moment, she stands stock still, like a deer in the headlights. Ever since they joined Easy Company, everyone with eyes has been able to see that Liebgott likes her – except Bianca, that is. Though some argue that she knows and that the real problem is that she’s just too shy and too Catholic to do anything about it.

Finally, she nods. “Sure.”

More men have plucked up the courage to approach them now, and the other girls find themselves receiving invitations that range from bold and bordering on flirtatious to hesitant and downright painful to watch.

It’s not until a familiar face approaches that Lori thinks she’s been saved. For there, out of the crowd, approaches none other than David Webster. She hasn’t seen him in ages. If she’s being honest, she never really cared for him much at social events – he was a bit socially awkward and always managed to find a way to turn the conversation into one about literature or about sharks, neither of which have ever really sparked Lori’s interest. Nevertheless, he’s walking over, and Lori is willing to put all of that aside for the sake of finding a group to join; the comfort of finding something familiar within the unfamiliar.

That is, until he walks straight past her.

“Lori,” he says, offering her a polite nod.

“Hello, David,” she replies, making sure to show off her brightest smile.

But then he continues walking, his friends by his side hardly giving her a glance. What’s worse is that she has to watch in disbelief as he approaches Minerva.

“Good morning, Sergeant Revels,” he greets her.

Minerva smiles. “Hello, Webster. Nice to see you again.”

“Care to join our group?”

She doesn’t know the other men standing with him. And even though she hardly knows Webster himself, he’s always been polite to her, right from the first moment that he came over and introduced himself. The gesture is much appreciated considering all that the women have been through.

“I would,” Minerva agrees. “Thanks.”

She’s just about to take off with him when a hand takes hold of her elbow, stopping her in her tracks. Keziah is staring at her, brown eyes wide as she watches the sergeant go. She doesn’t have to say anything – her eyes dart toward the next group of men approaching, and Minerva can see the problem immediately.

Bill Guarnere is at the head of the group, and he’s heading straight for Keziah. Anyone could have guessed that this would happen. He always seems to have an eye on her.

“What am I supposed to do?” she hisses.

“Kez,” Minerva says, patting her friend’s shoulder. “Just give him a chance.” Guarnere might be boisterous and laugh a lot, but none of the girls have ever had a bad thing to say about him, and it seems like the men don’t either. Besides, when he looks at Keziah, it’s completely different than the expression that he uses when surveying the rest of the company; he’s like a man trying to piece together a puzzle. “I’m sure he’s not as bad as you think.”

Keziah fixes her with a hard look that seems like she’s resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “He’s always looking at me.”

“But I don’t think it’s for the reasons that you think it is.”

He’s upon them now. His friends all greet the girls, flashing bright, handsome smiles. It’s clear that Bill is the leader of this expedition, though.

“Keziah, do you wanna join us?”

A beat passes where it looks like she’s going to say no, to laugh in his face, to refuse him. What no one else seems to notice, though, is the way Lori is edging in at the periphery of Keziah’s vision. She may not be fond of Guarnere, but she would rather have a group than be the odd one out. And if she wants that, then she’ll have to accept before Lori can throw her hat into the ring.

“Sure.” There is no pleasure in her voice, but no malice either. There is nothing but resignation, an acceptance of one’s own fate as she follows Guarnere and his friends away through the camp.

With that sorted, Minerva turns to her new group and offers them a smile. “Well, boys. Where should we start?”

At least Guarnere’s friend is funny.

Keziah has heard about George Luz, though she’s never noticed him much. She recognizes his voice, though, as soon as he introduces himself. He’s Easy Company’s funny man. And his other friend, Joe Toye, is quiet, reserved, but polite enough. Luz’s polar opposite. He offers Keziah a nod when she joins the group.

“Well, fellas,” Guarnere starts. As soon as the words are out of his mouth, he pauses, corrects himself. “I mean, er – Well, you know what I mean. Should we start with the mountain?”

Luz groans. “Bill, we climb that thing every damn day. This was supposed to be our day off, and here you are, wanting to make us go right back up there.”

“If something is hidden in this camp, don’t you think it would be up there?” the NCO asks.

“That seems too obvious,” Keziah cuts in before she realizes what she’s doing. All eyes are on her. Clearly no one else expected her to offer up a contradiction, either. “I mean, most people are probably going to assume that it’s on the mountain. Everyone will be going up there.”

“Unless they think it’s too obvious and avoid it,” Toye points out. He shrugs. “Could all be a mind game.”

In the end, they decide it can’t hurt to hike up Currahee just in case. Especially since no other group seems to be doing it, and it might be, like Toye said, the obvious answer.

Keziah wishes that they would run. Then they could get this thing over with. But the boys seem intent on walking – almost at a leisurely pace – and talking the whole time. And talking to her, no less, which was not something that she expected when they set out on this expedition. When she was invited to join the group, it was obvious that it was Guarnere’s idea. She didn’t expect his friends to welcome her with such openness like this.

“So, Keziah,” Luz begins as soon as they’re past the initial incline that starts the trail. “Am I saying that right?” He stops to say it slowly, Kuh-zai-uh, working each syllable and then looking to her for approval.

She nods. “Yeah. Like from the Bible.”

“Job’s daughter,” Guarnere muses.

“Anyway,” Luz continues. “Where are you from, Keziah?”

That’s a good question, and one that she’s not too fond of answering. “Oklahoma.”

Guarnere raises an eyebrow. “Really? You don’t have the accent, though.”

Toye scoffs, checking Guarnere’s shoulder with his own. “What? Should she talk like a cowboy, or something?”

Guarnere shrugs, rolls his eyes. “I don’t know! I’ve never met anyone from there.” He turns to Keziah. “Do people have accents in Oklahoma?”

“Usually.” At a younger age, she would have said no. But now that she’s older, and after spending time away, she can hear it every time that she returns, and can note the different types, too. Her grandpa and father have the distinct tone that comes from speaking Choctaw, whereas her little sister probably sounds more like the cowboys that Guarnere is imagining.

“You don’t have an accent,” Guarnere notes.

“No. I was sent away for school.” Where they would rather die than let you hold onto any semblance of home, she doesn’t add.

Toye’s eyes go wide with realization. Guarnere, however, doesn’t pick it up as easily and plows ahead.

“Oh yeah? Where’d you go to school.”

“God,” Toye sighs.

“What?”

Keziah watches him for a moment, waiting to see if he’ll catch on. When he doesn’t, she tells him. “A boarding school. You know, the kind for Indians.”

“Oh.” The Philadelphian cringes at his own mistake. For what it’s worth, he looks like he wants to kick himself for that one. “Sorry.”

At least he sounds sincere. “It’s fine.” Keziah shrugs it off. She may only be nineteen, but she knows better than to let it weigh her down, to turn the situation awkward. She’s stuck with these men until they find whatever it is they’re looking for.

So she takes a page from Luz’s book and makes light of it. “That’s why I’m the best at close-order drills. Been doing them all my life.”

“The best, huh?” Guarnere raises an eyebrow, his embarrassment at his earlier mistake ebbing away. “We’ll see about that.”

#lewis nixon #lewis nixon x ofc #lewis nixon x oc #band of brothers fanfic #band of brothers #band of brothers oc #hbo war #hbo war fanfic #for whatever we lose #oc minerva revels #my writing

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kitkatt0430 · 11 months

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It's still Sunday here - barely - so here's a Six Sentence Sunday.

First, the sequel to Closer and Closer Still. It's unnamed as of yet and opens with Eobard having run back home after Barry kissed him for the first time (at the end of chapter 1 of Closer and Closer Still). He is freaking out, though Eobard would never admit it.

“I can’t stay. I can’t be a hero. I can’t… I can’t be his.” Eobard’s voice shook at the last words.

It was as though this timeline had twisted into a fun house mirror reflection of the fantasies Eobard had once held, when he was still young, innocent, and naive. He’d imagined finding the Flash and being mentored by him or being his equal. In his more… lonely and amorous moments, he’d dared to dream of the Flash as his lover, older and more experienced. Willing to guide Eobard’s passion in every sense.

Eobard is telling himself, of course, that he can't afford the distraction when his goal is to go back home. But, of course, what does he really have to look forward to go back to? Barry might not have to work as hard as he thinks to give Eobard reasons to want to stay...

I've also started on a show finale Westhallen fix-it - my second fix fic after the Eobard/Savitar crackfic I posted up the other day - where the fic opens with establishing that Barry's in love with Eddie and still feels that way after all these years. So does Iris.

Barry had visited Eddie's grave probably more times than was healthy that first summer after Eddie died. It was an empty grave, but it had Eddie's name on it and... Barry'd confessed a lot of things he'd been too afraid to say before.

How much he'd admired Eddie. How much he missed the way Eddie said his name, called him 'Bar' in a way he could now barely stand for anyone to say. How much he'd loved Eddie. Still loved him even now, all these years after saying the words, finally, to an empty grave.

Barry had told Iris, later. After they'd moved in together and Iris had been hesitating to put out some of the things that had been Eddie's. He'd been making a mess of things, before Eddie died. Because his own feelings had been a mess. And he'd realized far too late that he was almost as in love with Eddie as he'd already been with Iris.

The first part will probably be a bit Barry & Eddie heavy as they try to figure out a way to deal with the N!SF without Eddie dying or developing the temper issues Eobard and Nora 1.0 suffered from. I want them both there with Iris when Nora 2.0 is born. Then Iris can give Eddie a speech that refutes what she said in canon because S1 Iris loved Eddie - she said screw the future and she meant it. The future she and Barry are going to have together may be something she wants to fight for now, but she wants to fight for Eddie to be a part of that future too.

I may wind up splitting this up into a series, which each part focused on a different aspect of the Westhallen fix-it. And I've got ideas for integrating Eddie into Team Flash - I see Mark not liking Eddie and, oh shit, I'm gonna have to try to write Mark at least somewhat sympathetically aren't I? *swears quietly* I guess I'll figure that out later. Caitlin, at least, will be happy to have Eddie back and alive. After Khione ascends to hang out with the Ancients from Stargate and Caitlin gets her body back, anyway. Though, of course, she's gonna have big feelings about Eddie being back when Ronnie came back but wasn't really Ronnie and Frost died for it. So happy for Eddie, but wary about his N!SF connections too.

#six sentence sunday #the flash #fanfiction #eobard thawne #barry allen #eobard x barry #eddie thawne #iris west #barry x eddie x iris

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lets-talk-spirituality · 4 months

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Hello!♥️ I've been having lots of dreams about my soulmate I suspect and there's been really strong messages through songs as well as angel numbers. Water is also a big recurring theme in my dreams with them. I was wondering if you had any insight on your part or messages from my soulmate that might bring me more clarity.

Hmm well there’s a few things that could be going on… you could be drawing on their energy because you need a boost or may be having a hard time so they are there to comfort you; they could be searching for your energy to comfort them; and it could be that they are indicating something about your life path, or some lesson. I sometimes think that we get those signs as indicators that all is well, trust the timing. Like hey we’re still on track, it’s find.

“Sit through the loneliness” just came on my co-Star notification, maybe that is also a message for you.

Water can mean many things in dreams depending on what it is. Usually water symbolizes cleansing, or clarity. But I’m gonna see if spirit has anything to contribute.

Spirit, what clarity do you have about this situation between anon and a sm?

You’re meant to learn acceptance. Accept that you aren’t in control and aren’t meant to be. Trying to know things you aren’t already aware of is part of control seeking. Do you not trust that you will know when you know? Do you not trust your own inner guidance telling you what you think? We don’t mean to shame you it’s more like we want you to realize how powerful you are and how out of your power you become when you try to control instead of surrender. Your power comes from the peace of knowing you are fine no matter what. Maybe you need to boost your confidence and make yourself feel that you will be fine no matter what. Your soulmate wants you to embody all that you are. When you get reminders of them, examine where you are not that day, or even in that moment, holding yourself in your own power. Are you not showing up as your true self so someone may like you, are there fears you need to work through?

Chakra Exploration Deck

Spirit, what chakra needs healing/how can anon integrate the soulmates message more deeply?

Solar Plexus Chakra— with what in your life can you release the desire for control and simply allow what is?

Mantra: I cultivate surrender and release control of things, situations & people, remembering that I can only control how I respond

Sacral Chakra— what stories from your past are you still holding shame or criticism around?

Mantra: I release shame towards past versions of me and give thanks for their crucial role in my becoming.

Confirmation! Work through need to control and your shame. That’s what your sm wants to communicate when you get signs of them.

Hope this helps and would love to know how it resonates.

#ask box #chakra work #free tarot reading

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duckielover151 · 7 months

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Some Ep 3 Live Action One Piece Thoughts

I have to say... I'm not in love with this episode. But to be honest, I didn't love the whole Syrup Village/Kuro adventure in the anime either so...

I'm just gonna break it down like I've been doing. Negatives/Meh reactions first, save the good stuff for last.

To start... I'm still holding out hope for Coby and Helmeppo becoming friends. I feel like it's pretty central to both their characters and surely that's one thing Oda would have fought for, right? They're both still getting plenty of screen time, but Garp almost seems to be pitting them against each other. And I'm not feeling that right now. I feel like that friendship breakthrough could still be coming... I do want to see Helmeppo redeemed, show that there's more to him at heart than just the spoiled brat we've gotten to know... and I'm hoping to see it soon.

Episode 3 is really visually dark. Most scenes were kind of muted. I'm not a fan of that kind of style in general, but I especially wasn't feeling it during the scenes where they're inside the mansion, having a party. What we saw of Kaya's mansion in the anime was so big and light and airy... The live action's take on it feels like some kind of evil funhouse.

But the big reason I may not feel totally satisfied by this episode may just be because it's the first one that doesn't resolve its conflict in one episode. This episode ends with everyone in a pretty dire place. Kuro won't be properly confronted and defeated until the next one. (I assume. But with the pace this series has been keeping, I can't imagine it stretching out to episode 5.)

A couple of the good points feel a little marred by 'meh' feelings.

Okay. Listen. I know this is a tiny, tiny detail. But it's bothering me that they didn't also dye Celeste Loots's eyebrows blonde. It's not bothering me on the other characters who have crazier hair colors but... Don't get me wrong! She's really killing it as Kaya in every other aspect. I think she's perfectly captured that inner spark and strength Kaya has while definitely coming across as frail and sickly... But something about her doesn't look wispy enough. Kaya practically looked like a ghost. Someone who had all the life-- and thus, color-- sucked out of her. I would have liked to see something more to that effect in her live action appearance.

I know I've already talked about the way they've portrayed her mansion. But it's not just that the lighting's been lackluster. Some of the colors are also weirdly garish in places. Especially the scene where they first all meet in the garden, I got the weirdest... Alice in Wonderland vibes. I don't think that's a bad thing. It just feels a little strange. Also. Kuro's lackeys. The Meowban Brothers. Something about the way they've been brought to life... I can't be the only one getting 2003 Cat in the Hat vibes, right????? That's so weirdly fitting. I have a hard time believing it's a coincidence. It's another thing that, like, I don't think I hate it... but I don't know if I like it.

Finally, I really liked seeing Nami and Kaya bond. Nami gets this particular look when it's revealed that Kaya's parents are dead that was a really great little detail. Their talk really gave the audience a chance to see that there was some depth to Kaya, which was also great. I'm just not sure how I feel about how it came about. It feels like a pretty important detail that Nami's not just a thief... she steals from pirates specifically. Up until the point she officially becomes one herself, that is. There's an integrity to that that the live action hasn't preserved. While I'm totally fine with a lot of the other changes they've made, I don't think I'm on board with that one. It just doesn't feel necessary.

But despite my overall meh feelings towards this episode, there are a lot of entirely unblemished good points in episode 3.

I do still think the way it's coming together is really great. That they all meet on the day of Kaya's 18th birthday, accidentally walking right into the climax of Kuro's schemes to take over her fortune. Perfect.

That her fortune is the fact that Syrup Village is known for its shipbuilding in this version... also really great. Gives our characters more of a reason to be there, for one. Also just gives the place a little more flavor.

It hasn't really come up yet that Usopp's got kind of a blemish on his life. A father who ran off to be a pirate. But his running through the village, crying wolf about pirates day after day really hits different in a live action. A villager literally pulls him aside, tells him he's pathetic and that he's wasting his life and... ouch. That was surprisingly brutal.

But I feel like Usopp is very much a cartoon character. There's a lot about him that would struggle to fly in a more realistic live-action. So I'm really pleased to say that Jacob Romero Gibson is also really killing it in his role. We are 4 for 4 on great casting for the Straw Hats. Something about the way he delivers his lies... They're still outrageous claims, but there's something so casual and sincere about the way he tells them... And I really love that this episode ends with Usopp running into Coby and Helmeppo when no one else will believe him about there being real pirates this time. Goes back to this tweaked version of the story all coming together really nicely. I'm really interested to see what role they'll end up playing in that conflict.

And I like that Arlong's being established as a more overarching villain of this arc, and pulling Buggy along with him. I could spend another 12 paragraphs speculating on all the places that could go, but I'll spare you.

I have high hopes for episode four!

#one piece #one piece live action #episode 4 #Usopp #captain kuro #kaya one piece

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