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xenosagaepisodeone · 9 months

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i've consumed a lot of media where a creator's breakdown drastically changed the trajectory of a series, but narutaru is the first i've seen where the entire story is suddenly taken apart in the last 3 volumes and reconfigured into the author's response to the iraq war. volume 10 opens with the wife of an iraq war veteran (this was published in the end of 2003, and this detail is actually the only thing in the entire story that would indicate it takes place in the distant future) accidentally hitting 2 kids with her truck (subtle), followed by a US cargo plane crash landing into japanese building, and then a reveal that this was orchestrated by the US government to mobilize american troops within japan. servicemen interrogate citizens at checkpoints, and a curfew is enforced. it's at this point that the looming anxiety of nuclear warfare is also introduced as a plot point.

the vet meets up with the protagonist and explains that the 'dragon child' mentioned above is actually her son, who the US military taken from her and experimented on under the pretense of treating his degenerative illness.

^ she walks this back immediately but it's still an interesting panel given the wider context. this was scanalated in 2007 so i'm not going to be a hater towards 'believe you me'.

the arc rounds off with the protagonist and the vet's son stopping the military from carpet bombing civilians.

narutaru is messy a series that mulls over societal ills and the consequences of violence. kitoh strives to reconcile the existence of injustice with his belief that harmony in our present society can exist, but is so pessimistic in his conception of human nature that he also struggles with imagining a society that can respond to injustice instead of placating it. it feels natural that the bleak turn of the 21st century would capture his attention, and that the irrational, truly irreconcilable reality of it would draw him further into despair. the antagonist maintains that dragon children are a superior species that are destined to cull the earth and create a new civilization. as the series goes on (very specifically around volume 10), dragon children and their abilities are likened to nuclear warheads. this becomes literal in the penultimate volume as the antagonist summons nuclear warheads to destroy the earth, a process that is depicted in harrowing detail.

^it goes on like this for a while and sporadically throughout the last volumes as society crumbles further. stakes fall apart, major characters die unceremoniously, and the protagonist ultimately succumbs to despair. I don't know if this really qualifies as a spoiler since it's 1 of the 2 things the series is known for.

now with all of this being said this series is like a 6/10 for me at best. the first 7 volumes aren't anything special, and the lack of tightness in the writing (the quality jump between narutaru and bokurano is enormous, whatever awards the latter got should have just gone straight to the editor) makes the less pleasing aspects of the series more tiresome (I fucking hate tsurumaru man I dont care about the jungian symbolism beneath his character everything about him in repulsive). there are aspects I love and found memorable (akira! NORIO! kuri! shiina's complex relationship with her parents! jungian duality! the dragons! fantastic page spreads! etc!), but the rubble they're buried under can make the series a tedious read.

if you somehow are now interested in reading this, please just torrent it off of nyaa. this series suffers from both Dark Horse absolutely shitting the bed with their official translation, and most manga reading sites somehow missing entire chapters (which consistently includes 2/3rds of volume 9, which had one of my favorite side stories...baba yaga and a nice babushka are there).

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mega-ringsandthings-world · 6 months

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Oh Rings—can I call you rings?— with every Analysis and au you post my mind becomes intrigued you really understand and get to the heart of are favorite sometimes divorced most times fight couple that is Mishanks. I adore it and your post make you day.

But this Loguetown AU... now, that's some sadness and angst waiting to happen. And genius, truly. It makes sense to draw all these pirates and people to the execution and snap them up as they come rushing in. I'm guessing a lot of Marines and civilians died, but I’m sure that was a sacrifice the World Government was willing to make. Did Doflamingo get caught? He’s got friends or at least blood high up, so I assume he wasn’t caught for long.

And I’m certain just as how Shanks isn’t our fun-loving, calculating Yonko, and Mihawk isn’t our ever-bored, apathetic gardener warlord, as we know and love them in the future. Familiar faces will definitely have differing personalities, yet to face the horrors of paradise and the new world, yet to have their Sabaody arc(or maybe this is their Sabaody) and oh Mihawk you ambitious, vicious, little teen you. I can’t wait for you to earn your new epithet, i’m sure it will be… bloody. And I’m also assuming in this timeline that whoever decides to bring him the offer becoming a warlord is laughed at and then bisected for the gull.

Also total forgot Dragon. Mans is in his prime.. I’m sure he got away maybe he even run into a blue haired red nosed clown? Maybe not we can only guess but ahh that’s the fun of it! Who lives who dies who becomes a revolutionary? pirate? who gives up? that’s what it is really all that aren’t they?

All that to say, I love this au I will now place it delicately into my one piece brain au folder we’re it will be chewed on like a pit bull with lock jaw.

Rings is great! I have to say, I'm thrilled my mishanks posts are such a hit, with you and everyone else enjoying them! I was having fun putting my random thoughts on them out there, and now it's even more fun. Angst and sadness is the key! Maybe it's horrible (and I'm not apologizing for that, lol) but I love drama and discord and awful high-stake situations. And what can give more angst than messing with Shanks right after Roger's death? And throwing Mihawk in there for the ride? The entire pirates-are-captured-by-the-World-goverment-at-Roger's-execution is one big excuse to get Shanks and Mihawk into Marine custody together, where they have only themselves to rely on. And since they are going to meet and fall in love in Marine captivity (they will be there a while) their dynamic will be more intense from the start. Their natural connection + the trauma bond. There's going to be a huge fight and many dead for sure, because none of those pirates are going quietly, but the marines had a plan from the beginning, of course. If they didn't they wouldn't have been able to take anyone. And I will say that they were also gunning for Shanks specifically. For reasons. The marines/admirals/world goverment will certainly be the villians of the story. Doflamingo knew enough to get out of dodge before anything went down, as did certain other people. Coincidence? Well, maybe not. I do love young!mishanks, so Mihawk and Shanks being earlier versions of themselves is half the appeal about this AU. You can see their older selves in them, but they are younger and there's everything that comes with that. They are not quite the men they will become. (and that goes for all the other characters too!) Which means they can be hurt much, much more easily.

I said this was one of my darkest wips because Bad Things are going to happen to them, it won't just be threats or easily patched wounds. This being their Sabaody is spot-on! Everything will be All Right in the end, but they're going to go through things to get there. Mihawk's rise will be bloody. (so will Shanks') and maybe it's too early to talk about this plot, but they're also going to get revenge. through some interesting means. After what Mihawk suffers in the time spent as a captive, the very idea of him becoming a Warlord would be nothing but the highest insult. (That's not to say that becoming one is off the cards, but that's a different story) Ahh, Dragon. He's one of the ones who gets away, with someone else important. Buggy having got away is crucial, because him being free comes into play later. I don't plan on killing many people, but making them suffer is fair game. And this entire scenario is going to change the course of the future for sure. All that is too say, I have all this I need to write and get out there to you guys already, lol. I love how much you love it!

#one piece #op #opla #dracule mihawk #akagami no shanks #hawkeye mihawk #red haired shanks #mihawk one piece #shanks one piece #mishanks #mihawk x shanks #op marines

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raccoonfallsharder · 6 months

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let me love your OCs

masterlist

to request a doodle, read and reblog this post. (currently CLOSED) rocket art | my OCs | current queue | main masterlist

petra quill, petra again, moon, juno, rose ♡

doodle requests are currently CLOSED.

i reserve the right to choose & reorganize my queue based on wherever inspiration strikes (it's not that i don't like your OC ~ it's just that my creativity is a fickle thing). i do tend to most enjoy drawing humanoid femmes with reckless hair in the gotg fandom, so they will probably get priority.

avery, jolie, fleuret, chérie | ken, brita, star, akira | ember, mori, magril, dori

Akira (@bakaotakulife) look at this shiny blue-haired badass. she has such an interesting backstory and you'll want to follow her creator to find out more about what happens next, i'm just saying.

Avery Malloli (@evolvingchaoswitch) is a fuckin badass bar-owner with sexy arm-muscles and tattoos and both i and jolie have crushes on them.

Brita (@pretty-chips) is such a pure, delightfully fun character with record-store-clerk vibes. Thank you for letting me draw her. She is a glowing sunbeam-soul. ♡ another Brita wearing a terran t-shirt gifted to her by my oc, Jolie Spinner

Chérie (Cherry) (@aliasrocket) I have a crush. 10/10 would attempt to flirt with (badly). Thank you so much for creating her and letting me doodle her! Dori (@funkydancingdinosaur ) i have deeply loved having the chance to draw and paint tadoria. they are so rad and i love their bioluminescent fucken eyes. i may end up having to draw them again at some point just to play with those eyes again. so fuckin cool

Ember (@thirteens-lucky-tardis) this girl is a fucking dragon. she’s got such interesting background lore and she’s cool as fuck. i vow i will, someday, draw her wings. truly a rich and interesting oc with great interactions with rocket! thank you gif letting me doodle her!

Erit (@hipothermia) is a super-interesting cat-like alien with some mind-control powers, gorgeous patterning, and she's besties with rocket (i get it. they both like to annoy quill.) SUPER cool character, SUPER fun to draw! ♡♡

Fleuret (@elegant-fleuret) is my personal caffeine deity. i now pray to her for the ability to scrape myself out of bed and for deliverance from coffee crashes. she is also the dj of knowhere which is possibly the coolest fucking job in the universe and i would like to be her friend.

J'me (@caesarhamato22) is a badass babe and i loved getting to try some new things and make up some guns. plus making something for jay is like. making an offering to a god. such a fucken honor

Jolie (Window Across the Galaxy) - my gremlin child. just some scritchy-scratchy character concepts. feel free not to look if you want to imagine Jo in your own way. ♡ another series of low-rent jolies ♡ the "real" Jolie doodle - refined, finished, && in color ♡ a favorite scene of Jolie & Rocket (Chapter IV. Got There First.) ♡ i just wanted to add other folks' beautiful art of jolie here too. i am so grateful for these treasures ♡♡

very first portrait of jolie by @raccoonmybeloved ~ so fucking cute i died

sims of jo by @evolvingchaoswitch ~ particularly love her paint-spattered outfit

an absolutely drool-worthy nsfw of rocket & jolie by @lazarel-3000 that permanently has altered my brain chemistry and lives in my mind forever ♡♡♡

Juno (@lazarel-3000) is one of my favorite OCs ever. she is everything. i want to be her && i want to date her (unfortunately she only has eyes for rocket). ♡ a rough little juno sketch because i just love her that much (+ it was a birthday thing!) ♡ another juno [NSFW], covered in sparklies, per one of my fave scenes from The All of You ♡ my favorite juno so far ~ a lineless portrait. she's so fuckin gorgeous and i cannot get enough of her!

Ken (@thismonthshyperfixation) ken is a very rad-as-hell woodworker who meets pete on terra. they go on a space-road-trip to knowhere so ken can meet rocket. they have very cool hair and tattoos and i wanna hang out with them and talk about making stuff

Magril (@rxin3akamallory) i have so enjoyed getting to know magril over the months that rxin3 has been patiently waiting for this doodle. she's such a clever, resourceful, resilient little sweetheart, an opossum, and a halfworld refugee who escaped via a ravager ship. plus her eye is a camera?? i love her!!

Moon (@glow-autumz) with Rose (see below). Thank you for letting me draw these two lovelies. You know I headcanon them as interdimensional besties ♡ ♡ another Moon (@glow-autumz) Thank you again for letting me illustrate some of Moon's rad powers. i am OBSESSED. I appreciate so much you bringing her to life! ♡ a Moon-Mermaid (@glow-autumz) because she has captured my imagination. Thank you for letting me continue to doodle your amazing, gravity-defying, gorgeous-haired girl!

Mori (@blueberrysquire) this adorable badass is an alien space psychologist who focuses on shepherding folks across the threshold of life and death. they live incredibly long and their lore is rad as fuck. i took way too long to draw this character but they are an absolute delight and you should read more about them!

Petra Quill [NSFW] (@hibatasblog) so this version of peter is rad as hell and i wanted to draw them in their seductive shi'ar lingerie. petra quill is the darling version of peter quill who features large in all of this author's rocket x fanfiction and i love them. this particular sequence is from casino royale and you should check them out on ao3!

Rose (@love-for-faeries-go-burrrr ) & Moon (see above) Thank you for letting me draw these two lovelies. You know I headcanon them as interdimensional besties ♡ ♡ Another Rose (@love-for-faeries-go-burrrr) because I love her so, so much. aka rose gets her wings back

Star (@cleo-is-babygirl) is a pure fluffy little sundrop and a brilliant self-taught medic/surgeon. she is also the first tanuki/anthropomorphic animal i have drawn other than rocket so i was very nervous but i did my best. thank you for letting me try something new and expand my experience, friend!

#let me love them #other people's characters #i just love drawing pretty girls #gotg oc #rocket x oc #original character #space princess #let me love your ocs ♡rfh #gotg fanart #rocket raccoon fanfiction #gotg fanfiction #guardians of the galaxy #reader insert #rocket racoon x reader #fan art #rfh masterlist #rfh art

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aemonds-fire · 10 months

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House of the Dragon tag game!

Rules: Answer the following questions, then tag any and all people you think might enjoy participating. If you haven't been tagged yet and you'd like to join in, consider this your invitation!

(Suggestions: This tag game was designed to keep things positive in light of some of the negativity permeating our fandom space. I don't aim to tell anyone how to answer, but consider taking this as an opportunity to appreciate the show for what it is and connect with other fans while we wait for Season 2. Please don't use anyone's answers to justify sending them hate or judge their character- it's all fiction, and I think we could all do well to remember that sometimes!)

Thank you to @the-phoenix-king-blog for the tag. I loved this!! Thank you @jotterjots for this game.

Who's your favorite character? What draws you to them?

Aemond. I see him as more of a tragic figure than a villain. He's the kid who never really had a chance, had to deal with too much too soon. I have a soft spot for him.

What's your favorite episode of the season?

Episode 7, “Driftmark.” This episode was a turning point for me. I tried not to be Team Green or Team Black at first, but Rhaenyra lost me here.

What is your favorite line from the season?

Aemond "Come, let us drain our cups to these three strong boys.” The bullied boy grew up and here we go!

Which actor's portrayal is your favorite?

Ewan Mitchell as Aemond. He's a scene stealer. I'm drawn to him and mesmerized in every scene. Yeah, I have it bad. I know.

Olivia Cooke has won me over

Which character would you most want to be stuck on a deserted island with?

Aemond 😍

Name a minor character you want to know more about!

Heleana.

Who's character arc are you most interested to see continued, for better or worse?

Aemond. It would have been interesting to follow the book more closely with him. I think show Aemond has set this character up perfectly to show a truly gripping descent into true Targaryen madness. They have the actor who can do it.

Who's your most anticipated new character of Season 2?

Alys. She is vague in the book and I'm really curious to see what direction the show goes with her. Is she a witch? Is she a vengeful and manipulative woman?

Which is your favorite dragons of the ones we saw?

Granny Vhagar. If only she could talk, the stories she could tell.

What's your favorite relationship from this season? (romantic, platonic, antagonistic- whichever!)

You can write essays about Alicent and Rhaenyra. Alicent's relationships with her children are also fascinating.

Bonus

Fanart - Too many great artists to mention all here. Here's two

@4yvle1 and @cyeco13

Favorite Fics - Again too many to list here. Just going to list some of my favorite writers.

@oneeyedvisenya; @arcielee; @marthawrites; @flowerandblood

Favorite Gifs - Again too many to list. Here are some great creators.

@aemondx; @beaconofthehightower; @thecruel; @barbiegirlaemond

No pressure tags: @marthawrites; @arcielee; @aemondsmoon; @aemondx; @assortedseaglass; @livvrusso and @st-eve-barnes

If you choose to do this, here's the original post.

#tag games

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duhragonball · 1 year

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Dragon Ball Super 064

Yeah, so this is the one where they kind of stopped giving a shit.

Last time, Goku and Vegeta came back for a third attack on the bad guys, and this time they do a little better. Vegeta actually overpowers Black, and he concludes that this was because Vegeta was so angry over seeing him stab Trunks earlier.

Uh, no, it was because Vegeta trained for like five months in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Oh, he’s not listening to me, so he’s just gonna stab his own hand.

So this... somehow... allows Black to create a big energy scythe, as opposed to that energy dagger he was using before. And when he swings it he makes... something. Somehow. Even Black doesn’t know what it is, and I’m pretty sure the writers don’t know either, but they continue to use it as a plot device for half of this episode.

What is especially infuriating about all this is that Vegeta just floats there like a dumbass while all of this is going on. He was beating the absolute shit out of Black before, and then he just... stops? This isn’t an unusual thing for this show. Sometimes characters like to play with their food, so to speak. And sometimes they’re genuinely curious to see what their opponent will try next. But Vegeta’s already lost to this guy twice, so it’s frustrating to see him taking such a passive role this close to the end.

Meanwhile, Goku’s doing well against Zamasu, which kind of goes to my point. They’ve basically worked out a plan where Goku keeps Zamasu busy so Vegeta can have a clear shot at Black. Zamasu’s indestructible, which means Goku can never truly defeat him this way, but if Vegeta can kill Black, they can double-team Zamasu and at least contain his punk ass until they figure out what to do with him. But if Vegeta’s just going to float around and watch Black invent new tricks, this puts the whole plan at risk.

And sure enough, that’s what happens. Black’s rasberry jam space rift has somehow created duplicates of himself, which corner Vegeta and draw Goku into the fight. This whole business is never explained or resolved, so I’m not going to waste any more time on it. Goku Black can make infinite copies of himself, and then he just stops doing that and it never gets brought up again.

This frees up Zamasu to attack Trunks, Mai, and Bulma, who are repairing the Time Machine, and the pot that Goku brought along for using the Evil Containment Wave. The pot is fixed, but only Goku learned the technique, and there’s no time to get him. So Bulma decides that Trunks will have to learn the move himself.

Wait, can’t Goku just teleport to intercept Zamasu? No, because the raspberry jam thing is interfering with his ability to locate ki signals. This hastily conceived macguffin thought of everything.

So let me try to explain this debacle. Bulma doesn’t know how to do the Mafuba herself, obviously, but she did see Piccolo demonstrate it the night before, so she at least knows the pose you use to do it. Except, no, she doesn’t. She has Trunks do a bunch of different poses, and none of them are even close to the right stance.

Then she remembers she recorded the whole thing on her phone, which seems like a weird thing to forget, but I’ve never invented a time machine, so maybe Bulma’s just Built Different.

So Piccolo does it and it kicks ass, great video, Piccolo, you’re doing amazing sweetie, and Trunks thinks he has the general idea, but he’s still not sure if he can pull it off. Remember, Goku learned this move last night and it took him hours to get it down.

He needs time to practice, so Bulma goes out to meet Zamasu and distract him with a fake seduction thing. I mean, this would work on me, because the dingy labcoat and chonky work boots is one of my favorite Bulma looks. Damn, I can smell the fish sausage juice from here.

But Zamasu? Well, he’s a different kind of cat. The not-attracted-to-women kind. I mean, I don’t know what the term is, but everyone just understands there’s some sort of Onceler self-cest bit going on between Zamasu and Goku Black, right?

So Trunks comes out and thinks Bulma is dead, so he gets mad. Really really mad! And as well all know, the madder you get, the less practice you need to execute the Mafuba, so he gets it right on the first try! Hooray.

Wait, no, that’s not how this works at all! This whole episode is bullshit!

Also, Bulma was okay, because it turns out Black and Zamasu are really lousy at killing people. I know Goku Black killed Future Bulma at the start of this story, but I’m starting to think she survived somehow. Or, if she did die, maybe it was an accident. Black grabbed her and a stray spark ignited the flammable solvents that had soaked into her clothes.

Now, this could be satisfying in spite of all the idiot comedy they worked into this, except there’s one more “hilarious” punch line: Goku forgot to bring the magic seal needed to complete the technique. So Zamasu just breaks out of the pot, no worse for wear.

That spooks Black enough to come running to Zamasu’s side, and he finds Zamasu visibly shaken by the experience. And then Goku and Vegeta show up soon after, since they don’t have to deal with that raspberry jam thing anymore.

So the Zammies decide to stop fooling around and use their ultimate weapon: Fusion. One of them switches his earring to the opposite ear, and they combine together just like Vegito in Dragon Ball Z.

And now they’re this guy, which is at least convenient, because it means no more bullshit double-teams, and fewer speeches.

So the thing is, I get that they couldn’t have the Mafuba be the final play of the arc. They were clearly setting up fusion from the start. Everyone noticed Goku Black’s single Potara earring from the start, and this episode is the payoff to that idea. So I don’t have a problem with Zamasu breaking out of the pot.

The problem is that they set up the Mafuba as a legitimate strategy, and then turned it into a complete joke. We wasted a big chunk of an episode watching Goku learn the technique, and he never even got to use it! Then the jar got broken, then Trunks had to learn it on the fly, and then Zamasu had to get slower and dumber in order to make that process even slightly believable. Seriously, did it take him twenty minutes to fly over to where Bulma and Trunks were?

And then it turns out the Mafuba was never going to work because they didn’t bring along a seal. Which... could be a good joke. I don’t object to the construction of all these gags. Trunks doing silly poses, Bulma doing a fake seduction in her late 40′s, the Mafuba failing because of the issues with the pot and seal, those can all be very funny.

Except that this arc is trying to be all grimdark, at least for the parts in this dystopian future world. Look at History of Trunks, for goodness sakes. Imagine if they put a fart joke in that. The Saiyans Saga was pretty intense, but it still had a lot of gags. King Kai is a literal comedian. But they didn’t do jokes in the middle of the fighting. They didn’t have Goku handing off the Spirit Bomb energy to Krillin, and then he goes “Uh... wait, how did this work again? I forgot!”

A big, big part of what makes the humor work in Dragon Ball is the timing. What’s awful about the Zamasu arc is that it sort of understood this concept, and then kept screwing it up anyway. There’s a grimdark world (Trunks’ timeline) and a lighter world (the main Earth). And they do all the Pilaf gags and Beerus rants and fart jokes in the lighter setting. Most of the jokes suck in this arc, but at least they put them in the right places. And then suddenly we get Episode 64, where they’ve got some decent jokes for the first time, and they completely kill the mood.

It would have been much more palatable to have Zamasu escape the pot in some other way. Maybe Goku Black breaks him out, but that seems a bit too obvious. Maybe Zamasu could just escape on his own, demonstrating that the technique doesn’t work on someone like him. (”Did you really expect an ‘Evil Containment Wave’ to trap a god?!”)

But a joke reason to set Zamasu loose is just really dumb. It makes it sound like they don’t take the threat seriously, and that could work in a different story, like one of the tournament arcs where the antagonists are just opposing fighters instead of genocidal monsters. But the Zamasu arc keeps trying to raise the stakes with anger. Black and Zamasu are motivated by their anger at mortals and injustice. Goku is motivated by his anger over the murder of Chi-Chi an Goten in an alternate timeline. Vegeta is motivated by his anger over Bulma’s death in an alternate timeline, and Trunks’ life being in danger. The plotline is trying to flow in the direction of making the characters angrier and angrier until the angriest one wins, I guess. So putting a dumb joke in the middle is stupid. It’s a good way to relieve the tension, but the objective here is to build tension, not relieve it!

I’ve said enough. Let’s just get on to the one where they make Vegito to counter Merged Zamasu... wait, that’s in Episode 66. Then what the hell do they do in Episode 65?

Fuck.

#dragon ball #dragon ball super #2023dbapocryphaliveblog #goku #vegeta #goku black #zamasu #bulma #mai #trunks #master roshi #piccolo #fuck the zamasu saga forever

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maraleestuff · 2 years

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Guys I wrote a Merthur thing! No title (yet)

“I had a feeling I’d find you out here,” Arthur said, boots a quiet click on the battlements. “It’s hardly a feast without the guest of honor.”

It was true, unfortunately—Merlin had been stonewalled into wearing an ornate, midnight blue tunic, embossed with silver threads. His new cloak, fine and fitting his newfound title as Court Sorcerer, was soft with downy gray fur and, by his request, a golden dragon—the Pendragon seal—was embroidered above his breast.

“Or the King,” Merlin retorted, glancing over at Arthur.

Arthur wore his favorite feasting tunic—what Merlin calls it—hemmed with gold thread and embroidery, dark trousers and boots. It reminded Merlin of when Arthur was still the Prince, but now Merlin couldn’t deny that his friend had become a truly great King.

He always knew Arthur would be.

“What is it?” Arthur asked, and Merlin glanced away, realizing he’d been staring. (Merlin always chose the feasting tunic because it was his favorite on Arthur; it also, coincidentally, happened to be the shirt that showed his broad shoulders and chest well.) “Admiring your wardrobe choices for me?”

Unfortunately, destiny decided he was fated to fall in love with a compelling, ornery cabbagehead.

“No.” Merlin’s cheeks heated, and he was glad for the darkness. Arthur would never let him live it down if he knew Merlin was checking him out.“There’s a bit of sauce on your chin.”

“What!” Arthur squawked, rubbing his face furiously with the hem of his sleeve.

Merlin smirked to himself.

Finally, Arthur stopped and realized. “You’re messing with me!”

“Whatever do you mean, Sire?” Merlin drawled.

Arthur made an odd choking sound. Merlin glanced over in concern; Arthur was slightly flushed in the moonlight, swallowing as if he’d had a dry biscuit.

“Are you alright?” Merlin asked.

“Yes, I—“ Arthur coughed. “Just…swallowed wrong.”

Merlin raised a skeptical brow, a trick he’d learned well from Gaius. “You don’t have a drink.”

“Only you would question your King, Merlin.”

“Well, I’ve never been one for decorum.” Merlin returned to staring over the lower town, at the torch lights flickering. It had been a year or so in the making, with many tedious council meetings and self-righteous nobles, but magic was finally legal—and now Camelot rejoiced.

A festival celebrating the lifting of the magic ban; for many, whether magic users or not, it meant not being arrested for simple totems or an in opportune bless you. And, to Arthur and Gwaine’s greatest enjoyment, a banquet in Merlin’s honor.

It wasn’t that Merlin wasn’t glad for the magic ban being lifted, or even being made Court Sorcerer, it was just…

“Brooding’s never suited you, Merlin,” Arthur said, drawing Merlin out of his thoughts. He bumped Merlin’s shoulder playfully, standing close enough that Merlin could feel his warmth in the early autumn air. “C’mon, out with it.”

Merlin sighed. “Just thinking.”

“Merlin.”

“Alright,” Merlin rolled his eyes. “I was just remembering the first night after I arrived in Camelot.”

Arthur hummed, quietly prompting Merlin to continue.

“Well, I’ve already told you why I risked coming to Camelot. And for obvious reasons, I was terrified of being found out.” Merlin well remembered the sight he saw when he first arrived. A man executed for the crime of magic. Though Merlin had known about Camelot’s anti-magic stance (especially so close to the border), it had been another thing entirely to witness Uther Pendragon.

Merlin glanced sidelong at Arthur, who watched him quietly in the darkness. The subject always seemed to draw a shadow of darker times over them both, so he continued.

“But that first night…I had looked out my bedroom window, out at Camelot.” Merlin gazed over the familiar sight, as amazed as he was all those years ago. “Hiding my magic was hard but nothing new, and despite everything, Camelot was full of possibilities. Massive, compared to Ealdor.”

“It is,” Arthur agreed. “Bigger than Ealdor, I mean.”

Merlin smiled slightly. Arthur had taken a shine to Ealdor since his first visit there; although they couldn’t visit often, even less so now, Arthur has always found a way to spare a day to visit with Hunith. Or send a gift with Merlin when he went on his own.

“Anyway,” Merlin continued, and sighed, shaking his head slightly. Unable to quite shake this mood. “Camelot looks the same.”

“But it isn’t,” Arthur insisted. “And neither are you.”

Arthur gestured to Merlin’s attire. Even his hair had been combed back, a silver circlet on his forehead. It still felt clunky to wear, too much like a crown, but Gwen had insisted it suited him.

“You’re right about that, and I’m glad for everything…”

Arthur tilted his head. “But…?”

“But it is a bit…overwhelming,” Merlin confessed. “Everything’s changed so much. I don’t have to hide anymore. I’ve got a laundry list of duties—which, thankfully, no longer include mucking out the stables, or even cleaning Gaius’ leech tank.” Merlin shrugged slightly, to himself. “I almost miss it sometimes, though.”

“Courtly duties not stimulating enough?” Arthur smirked.

“Tedious. How is it that the supposedly most educated in Camelot ask the most stupid of questions?”

Arthur snorted and laughed. “Gods, I wish I could ask them all that in council meetings.”

#merthur #bbc merlin #fic #my writing #I originally was going to link my kofi #then I figured better not cause legal stuff #better safe than sorry!#anyway enjoy my early morning merthur Drabble

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childofaura · 1 year

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Happy Weekend! Speaking of, I heard that you talked about Nishiki Areku a lot and I’m quite surprised there isn’t a review about his art from you just yet!

So, is it ok to ask your opinion on Nishiki Areku's art, if the FEH Artist Opinion ask is still there?

LMAO I APOLOGIZE, I TALK TO MUCH ABOUT NISHIKI AREKU BUT HOT DAMN I JUST LOVE THEIR ART. It's part of having the 'Tism.

It's been a while since I've done an artist review so for anyone new here, I review artists based on posework, colorwork (shading, lighting, color stuff), expressions, anatomy, and the range of characters they've drawn. They're up there with Argon in terms of being my favorite artist to see.

Nishiki Areku's drawn Resplendent Alm, Seiros, Ingrid, Niime, Summer Dimitri, Bertram, Jeralt, New Year's Askr, and Duessel. And I just... love their art so much, just adore it. They've drawn such a HUGE range of characters in age, gender, builds, etc.

Older, rugged characters like Jeralt, Niime, etc:

And youthful characters like Ingrid, Alm, Dimitri, etc:

They're probably one of the most versatile artists in terms of age range, besides Kozaki Yusuke of course (given he was the artist for Awakening and Fates). One of the things I like about their art is how detailed they draw their faces, giving them defined noses instead of little dots or lines. The materials are detailed too, the worn metal of Jeralt's armor (and the new shiny metal of Alm's armor), the folds of fabric for Niime's outfit, it's great. And the anatomy doesn't look funky or anything, it looks appropriate for each character.

OH, AND THEIR POSES:

(Sorry for the green in Seiros's image, I'm pulling these pngs from the FEH wiki)

The poses are so strong, forward-driving, powerful. And just as a side note, I love their expressions! Especially how Seiros gets dragon eyes. And gosh I love Askr's happy smile (And Embla looks gorgeous too).

I WILL say there's one or two criticisms I have with their art, though one is more specific to a singular character and the other does have to do with all their art.

Alm. I truly do love their work for Resplendent Alm, the colors, the action, the details. But Alm is so... baby-faced. He doesn't look like he's seventeen, he looks like he's twelve or thirteen years old. I think it was just a slip-up on their part, because we've seen them draw Dimitri accurately and he's the same age as Alm at the start of 3H.

The colors that they choose to color the inside of the characters' mouths is super dark, and it's a tiny bit distracting. Askr, Dimitri and Seiros look fine, but on Jeralt, Alm, and kind of Niime it sticks out. It seems like the colors they use for the mouths fluctuates. I think part of it has to do with the skin-tone of the characters clashing with the mouth colors.

Those are super super minor issues though, because the artwork overall still slaps. Nishiki Areku's easily a 10/10 of an artist and I want them to draw Shura, Reina, Miklan, or Alois.

#Fire Emblem Heroes #FEH #ask game #Nishiki Areku #Seriously though if you look at their Twitter they actually just posted what looks to be an expression study #And AUGH they're so good at drawing a wide variety of faces #I really really want them to draw more characters; maybe draw Zelkov or Mauvier too if they get introduced to FEH

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soultoken-archived · 1 year

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GET TO KNOW THE MUN.

what's your phone wallpaper: a wonderful drawing of solaire during the game and in the bad ending; i also have a reading mode with a different wallpaper ( even if i rarely activate it ) with one of the thumbnail art of detective void. last song you listened to: "the bends" by doomtree. full welcome to night vale mood, i'm listening to it in loop because i have a literal animated video in my head with it. currently reading: "the devil's due" by bonnie macbird. it's so good up to now, and i'm always happy to read more sherlock holmes story written well! <3 last movie: "dungeons and dragons: honour among thieves"! i think it became my actual new favourite movie and ultimate comfort movie, i literally cried when i told my therapist about it. technically i saw other movies in between, but the dnd movie was the last one i actually sit down and watched start to finish, instead of keeping it as background. what are you wearing: long sleeved black shirt with a space jam shirt on top ( i'm COLD okay ), black jeans, and double socks ( i am VERY cold don't judge me :C ). piercings / tattoos: none, but i'd love to have a tattoo one day! i even know already some i'd like to have. almost all of them are borderlands-themed. glasses / contacts or both?: glasses! i used briefly contacts, and i still know how to use them, but i don't have the money to take them. and also i like glasses enough. <3 last thing you ate: pasta with red ragout, cooked by yours truly! <3 favorite color(s): sapphire blue is the absolute favourite. current obsession: MMMHH i'd say darkest dungeon 2 and welcome to night vale. i have my head full of cecil all the time, it's ABSURD the inspiration i have for him. do you have a crush?: gestures at gio!! <3 favorite fictional character?: sherlock holmes. the books one, not the [ waves ] others. read the books, please, i swear he's SUCH a wonderful character, PLEASE JOIN ME. IT FEELS LONELY HERE.

tagged by: i stole it from gio. <3 tagging: anyone who wants to do it!

#𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐲.「 out of character. 」

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kindredhearts13 · 2 years

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Dissecting The Cleaning Lady, Episode 2x05 “The Brit”

Okay, I know I am SO BEHIND on these. I’m going to try and pump out episodes 2-4 over the next few weeks but I just HAD to talk about this episode. So many interesting things, so much evolution in writing. And Lou Diamond Philip’s directing was beautiful. It’s a long one, let’s dive in:

ROBERT KAMDAR

Let me begin by stating that I am such a fan of Kamdar, or rather- what he has the potential to become. There is so much potential and character literally oozing out of Naveen Andrews and my only complaint is that Naveen is being under-utilized. I feel like they’ve told me each and every episode who he is and how much power he holds in Vegas, and yet, I still don’t actually know anything about him. I love the fact that they want to have the characters talk about how dangerous he is, but I want the writers to stop telling me and actually show me. Typically, letting the audience arrive at a conclusion (though it may be a guided arrival) is more impactful than constantly telling them of the imminent danger. We are in the second chapter of this story, we understand the inherent danger looming over everything and everyone- and even though we’re introducing new characters, I still need to feel like they fit into the world we’ve established immediately. And while I don’t feel like Kamdar doesn’t fit, I also am not sure exactly how he fits in.

Let me better explain with some examples of ushering in a major character or major facts about that character:

Lately, I’ve been watching House of the Dragon (potential spoiler warning for anyone very behind or who has not, but plans on watching the show). There is the now infamous scene when Alicent Hightower enters the engagement dinner mid-King’s speech all dressed in green. Now, we don’t know House Hightower very well, at least we didn’t until we got further into this season, so the writers felt it important for us to be as familiar with these houses as we were in the original Game of Thrones. The issue is that they took what would have already stood alone as a truly brilliant show of strength and introduction to the house, at large- and dumbed it down, lessening the impact. We saw her wearing green, her house color and the way her house (also in green) reacted. We knew what it meant, but they still had a character explain what it meant.

This is similar to Kamdar. That first scene with Thony was so powerful and uncomfortable and left a lasting impression on us all, but after giving us a taste of who he is- they’ve proceeded to explain his power every episode rather than show it. Yes, he has Arman doing things for him, but I want to see Kamdar in action. I want to watch this man, who is clearly a wizard with his words and deeds, scare us.

I’ve often said that this show is heavily inspired by Breaking Bad and I feel that Kamdar’s character is inspired by Gus Frig from that show, arguably one of the best written, most insidious villains on television. Much like Kamdar, he was the Kingpen of all criminal activities in that show, and though seemingly unassuming at first glance- one conversation with him let you know just how lethal he could be. The difference is that we got to watch that unfold with Gus, on here- we haven’t yet. I’m fine with little hints into who Kamdar is and it makes sense to discuss him as a threat, but I wish we got to see more of that threat for ourselves.

Last thing on him: I have been a fan of Naveen for most of my life, and something that always excites me about his performances is the subtlety he has in his gestures and looks. He doesn’t ever approach a character in an obvious, over the top way. My favorite characters of his are the ones that have this sense of curiosity to them, quietly drawing you closer with each passing moment. He’s so phenomenal in how he does this, and I want them to give him more screen time and more to work with for the audience to really see that. Especially with the scenes between Kamdar and Nadia. While I definitely feel the connection between them, all of their scenes together are too short to really let you feel that intensity and passion, and let me tell you, Naveen Andrews knows how to give a loving, baring my soul with only my eyes scene in a way that makes you weak in the knees. He just feels too confined right now.

FIONA

It is ABOUT DAMN TIME that we learn more about Fiona’s past relationships and Jazz’s father! I’ve been wanting to explore this side of Fiona for so long, and I’m excited that we finally get to. This has truly been her season, and the growth and resilience of her character has been one of my favorite things. Martha’s managed to steal just about every single scene that she’s in, and really make the depth of Fiona’s emotions and inner conflict feel so real. I don’t have much to comment on, where Fi is concerned, in this episode outside of the fact that having Fi working at at a showgirl club that will undoubtedly have some drag queens at some point was a fantastic choice and will hopefully be a excellent source of growth for her. (And Thony.) I’m keeping my eye on Fi these next few episodes because I feel like we’re about to have some major movement on her character with the return of JD.

GARRETT

First of all, I LIVE for an unexpected drag queen scene in any show, so that was an absolute delight and also shout out to the show for celebrating the drag culture in Vegas and painting it in such a powerful tone. Seeing Garrett have such respect for someone and not try to play games with them was refreshing and truly the scene he needed.

Okay, let’s chat about this man. I do not hate Garrett, he annoys me, but I think that’s a bit of the point. I do, however, believe that the writers are being extremely smart with how they approached his character last season. Garrett was never a bad character, but the reality is that even Oliver Hudson couldn’t make him charming when he existed in a space where he’s a privileged white man coming for a group of minorities just trying to take care of their family. Making Fi and Thony his targets was never going to make him everyone’s favorite FBI agent. As well, the only person to hold him accountable was a white woman who also constantly got him out of trouble. His partner, though a black woman, was severely under-used and barely made an appearance after a few episodes. So, Garrett was always going to look like the incompetent antagonist, even if we’re supposed to view all of them in this grey area. As much as I am a fan of Liza Weil and was intrigued by Russo, I think that is was a smart decision to move away from the Garrett/Russo dynamic this season. I’m not entirely sure why that happened (perhaps Liza had another opportunity come up but already committed to the first season?), but the introduction of Agent Jefferson was incredibly smart. Garrett and the FBI could not exist in this world and tone of the show without having a more grounded presence and reality; and Jefferson compliments Garrett so well while also holding his feet to the fire for everything.

I am excited to see how Garrett’s story proceeds this season, especially now that he, Thony, and Arman are working together. Perhaps the funniest thing he said was during the final scene of this episode when he told Arman to “shut his face.” It’s scenes like this that we need more of, because they show us so much of what makes Garrett a likable character and even necessary character. We had a few glimpses last season, but I really want his character to mean more to us all.

NADIA

I truly need to make an entirely separate post on Nadia. I love her, and I’m excited to see more of her in action this season, but I also need them to give her more screen-time and more interaction with Robert that isn’t used solely to make Arman jealous. So far, we know more about how smart she is and that she was in a backwoods bar- but I would love a montage of Nadia truly working the floor and a chance to see her in her element the way we do when Thony cleans or performs medical procedures. I want to see Nadia in all of her power, and I want to see Kamdar’s reaction to it all.

When it comes to Arman, truthfully- I want Nadia to be the one who leaves him. Don’t get me wrong, this is a toxic relationship on both sides and they’re both holding onto something that is dead at this point, but she is so hurt and feels so alone in this relationship and I want to see her truly take a stand against that. Let’s have Nadia and Kamdar go into true business together and be rivals to Thony and Arman. Let’s see Nadia in her mob boss era.

Also, on the Morales’ marriage- it truly is over. I don’t think that there’s really any coming back from the state it was in before the show even began. From day one, we’ve seen that they love each other, but also aren’t happy together. And now that we know that Kamdar was the one to bring Nadia into this world, this life- it kind of makes the story between her and Arman even more devastating- she truly is the string representing his connection to a version of himself that he detests. And even though Nadia doesn’t want him to suffer and “lower himself,” as she puts it; she also doesn’t truly care about doing things that are legit and benefit people outside of them. She’s not a bad person, and she’s selfish because she had to be to survive. But Nadia needs to make sure that she’s taken care of, and I feel before Arman even met Thony, he was starting to feel a bit lost- and that their trouble started there. To me, it seems like they were too people that burned hot and fast when all that mattered was getting ahead; but once Arman’s moral compass started to conflict, once his emotions got in the way (remember, before he even really got that involved with Thony’s life, he was hesitant to ask Hayak for something because he didn’t want to fracture their relationship) their relationship started to shift because they no longer had one common goal for their future and their family. I feel for Nadia because she is with someone that doesn’t appreciate her the way that he should; but I also feel for Arman because he’s in a relationship with someone that loves and appreciates the version of himself that he used to be- but can’t love or accept the person he’s been evolving into.

Someone else on here said it best: at this point, it is easier for them to point fingers and blame each other, Thony, and Kamdar than it is to just say the truth.

THONY AND ARMAN

Okay, this is probably the longest chunk- so, if you are still reading: steady on.

At the club

I love seeing Thony so unphased by both Nadia and Arman. I can only imagine how extremely uncomfortable and confusing it must be to have Arman act one way with just her (usually) and then become almost an entirely different person with Nadia. Twice now, she’s felt disrespected by them both and though they may have not appreciated how she spoke to them, she knew that if she didn’t make her feelings plain and shut that shit down, they would just ignore her. Which they did anyway, BUT they did it feeling a little butt hurt because my girl gave a quick read and walked away without so much of a look back.

The Fight

Okay, so I genuinely had to pause the episode, walk away, and then come back a few minutes later after Thony and Arman’s argument. I was so angry and disappointed with how he spoke to her that I couldn’t even handle it in the moment, but now- we get to dissect!

First I want more Bosco, but I’m loving the little nuggets of him that we get. The evolution of not only Thony but his respect for her and for, clearly, how much she means to Arman is fascinating. The first time they met, he was short and curt with her and she was scared of him. Now, she’s fine greeting him before Arman, their hsaking hands, and he refers to her as “sister,” much like how he calls Arman “hermano.” It’s a small detail, but it paints a larger picture of how much things have changed and how people that Thony was once afraid of are starting to respect and like her.

Now, the actual fight was necessary but also heartbreaking. On the one hand, Arman was right- he has done so much for Thony without a second thought. On the other hand, why do something for someone out of love and loyalty if you’re just going to throw it back into their face? Because that isn’t a show of love, that’s a show of “I did this for you, and now you owe me.” But love and friendship is doing something for someone because you want to help them, not because you expect something in return. Again, at the same time, if you are a loyal partner or friend and you’ve maintained that position of being someone that shows up- you should absolutely expect the other person to show up for you. Because these things are not one-sided. I was toying with this dichotomy back and forth until I realized something: both Arman and Thony were correct and valid in their feelings, but the issue came from Arman’s delivery and the way in which he chose to go about it and that informed the rest of the episode.

Arman is used to sharing low blow for low blow with Nadia. At this point, it’s become his normal. He equates this tit for tat to being in a relationship, when in reality, it isn’t healthy to fight with your partner that way. To him, from Nadia to Hayak, love comes with some form of abuse- even if it is mutual- because that’s just a part of getting ahead. It’s something you have to put up with. For Thony, she’s used to these kind of arguments and has definitely exchanged her share of low blows (let me remind you of the way she dragged Arman two inches from his face until he had to walk away last season). Her relationship with Marco mirrored this aspect of Arman and Nadia. (We saw just how much from Marco’s father.) The difference is that Thony doesn’t believe that this is love- she knows that it isn’t- and she doesn’t want to go back to that anymore.

There was this beautiful, split second moment when Thony caught herself from saying something she would regret, and instead delivered a measured response in the midst of her anger- because she cared too much about Arman to hurt him. Arman, however, still needs to learn how to do that.

Everyone’s default way to try and knock Thony down a peg is to call her judgmental. And she is. But not in a way that looks down on others- she’s judgmental in a way that she judges your behavior against the person she knows you to be- which is better than what you’re displaying. It’s not an “I’m better than you,” so much as it is an “you’re better than this.” And for Arman to throw the motel manager thing back in her face was so wrong, but it is exactly how he and Nadia communicate and talk to each other. Let’s be clear: Arman knows that Thony fells horribly about what happened, that he literally killed for her, and she more than appreciates it- but that shouldn’t mean compromising her morals or who she is. The irony of it all is: if Arman had just opened up and been honest with Thony about what was really going on and what it was doing to him, she would’ve agreed to everything from the beginning. But he’s spent every episode icing her out- even though last episode he was more vulnerable and open, he still didn’t fully let her know what was going on. So, she had no idea of just how truly dangerous Kamdar could be nor how much it all was hurting Arman.

Their reunion

Something that I noticed in this episode is that Arman finally saw Thony again. Like, actually saw her, for the first time since last season. This is, again, why pacing is so important and why they needed more episodes this season- because if you don’t have a steady pace, too many things lose the chance to unfold as naturally. I wish they would focus on those smaller moments more because we need to see more of how tormented Arman has been by all of this, and though I felt for him, I didn’t feel the level of anguish I should have because I’m still trying to figure out how long its been and how we got here.

When Thony came into that room, grabbed his hand and told him that she was going to help him- he truly looked at her for the first time in a long time. And by that I mean, it woke something up inside of him. She could’ve abandoned him for how he spoke to her, the things he said, she could’ve called him the monster he believes himself to be- she could’ve done anything- but instead, she took his hand and let him know that she was with him and wasn’t going anywhere. And that is the biggest difference in Arman’s relationship with Nadia. Thony is capable of forgiveness and moving forward; and even when she has the opportunity to land a final blow (and every right to), she nurtures you instead. That is also why I stand by my repeated statement that, until Arman gets his shit together, he doesn’t deserve her.

I, personally, am glad that there haven’t been any major declarations of love between the two because it wouldn’t make sense and all it would do is taint their relationship into a toxic mess. I don’t want to watch someone tell another that they love them, they want to be with them, and then proceed to fling mud at them- that’s literally what Nadia and Arman’s relationship is. The way that I mentioned I want the writers to do less talking and more showing about Kamdar? That’s what they’re doing with Arman and Thony, and it is going to make the moment when they do finally vocalize their exact feelings to on another that much more powerful. Because they let us watch it happen and evolve.

If you stuck around to read this whole thing, thank you. It was a LONG one. I’ll leave you with this: to me, Arman helping Thony with her helmet and then wrapping Thony’s hands around his waist was so beautiful because he not only gave his consent for her to be that intimate with him in that moment, but it was also him saying “I am choosing to protect you, I want to keep you safe. This is my choice, it always has been. I’m sorry for making you feel like a burden.” It was a return to him actually being present with her. And we saw the fruit of that when they were stopped by Garrett- Arman wasn’t concerned about himself, just Thony. He didn’t try to talk or argue his way out of getting arrested, he only tried to keep her out of trouble. And I am hopeful that we have finally gotten to the place the writers really wanted to focus on this season and that now, the pacing will be much stronger and the show will feel more airtight.

#tcl #the cleaning lady #armony #thony x arman #thony de la rosa #arman morales #fiona de la rosa #nadia morales #robert kamdar #elodie yung #adan canto #naveen andrews

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dear-wormwoods · 1 year

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For the past few years I’ve been making posts on New Year’s Eve about my life, so… gotta keep the tradition alive I guess!

Some things I accomplished this year:

Another year of maintaining my Duolingo streak. I’m still not confident in speaking Spanish but I feel like I’m making progress understanding it.

Paid off all of my credit card debt. I’m very proud of this one because I’ve been in debt since I turned 18 and got my first credit card, and I thought it was just a fact of life, but it didn’t have to be!

Saved up $10k for… idk, part of a down payment, day care costs for whenever I finally decide to have a kid, whatever! The world is my oyster.

Developed a healthier relationship with food. My weight loss goals ultimately didn’t pan out, I only lost 20lbs and gained some of that back over the holiday months, but I feel good about my mental progress.

Started exercising more. I joined the local Y and attended a variety of classes that I really enjoy going to, and I walked outside a lot when the weather was nice. I even hiked a couple of times! Which was a big deal for me considering how out of shape I was and how little confidence I had in myself.

Highlights of the year:

Going to Colorado!!! Absolutely my favorite thing about 2022 was the South Park 25th Anniversary Concert and the whole trip surrounding that, from visiting Fairplay, to eating fancy food at Wolf’s Tailor in Denver, to hiking up to Hanging Lake. Even standing in the merch line in the blazing hot sun for hours at Red Rocks had its moments. I definitely want to go back after Casa Bonita reopens in May.

Reconnecting with a friend who ended up becoming one of the people I spent the most time with in the back half of 2022. Going walking together and doing Y classes, having House of the Dragon watch parties, dinners and drinks… it’s just been really great having her around this year!

Hiking a full mountain to see the foliage. It was a small mountain in the grand scheme of things, but I still felt accomplished!

Just generally going out and doing things more, socializing and being active and not worrying so much about money. It put a dent into how much I’ve been able to save but you know what?? Worth it.

In general this year was a good one. I’m still miserable working at my waitressing job, but it’s necessary to be able to save money. Work in my career is going well, though - I feel like I connect with the kids even though I’m constantly worrying I’m not doing enough there. My mental health has been pretty stable, some hiccups here and there but nothing drastic. And my cats are doing great, thankfully! I even went on a date to end the year and I’m seeing her again tomorrow!

Goals for 2023:

Another year of Duolingo.

Save another $10k.

Get in better shape before summer so I can do more difficult hikes.

Lose weight… I should stop putting this as a goal but it’s tradition at this point.