#actually I wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter tbh

[lollytea]

Okay highly specific and idk if you even have any thoughts on it BUT ☕ on the Boscha/Amity dynamic in FTF? I literally had no significant thoughts on Boscha til this ep. Now I'm kinda into whatever toxic thing she's got going on with Amity. Heathcliffian in nature, almost. But what's your two cents, if you have em to spare?

I've never really had any strong opinions on Boscha. Like I know a ton of people absolutely loathe her but I can't even grant her those feelings. I can never really drum up too much animosity towards teen characters. She's just a kid. Kids suck sometimes. Sometimes they grow up and they learn and they become better people and sometimes they just get worse. I'm not gonna make any assumptions about which category Boscha will fall into because she's still too young to be certain.

I think it's kinda funny how the writers clearly gave her a deep underlying complex but never bothered to elaborate on it. Like the opening of WILW where she's like "You can be hated. So long as you are feared." Girl??? Can we like...get an update on this kid's home life? Why is this her mindset? Where is this coming from? Where are her moms??

During the time she and Amity were friends, the latter was also deeply depressed and had a horrible home life. So I wouldn't be surprised if she and Boscha had one of those sapphic toxic co-dependent teenage bonds. (We've all had them.) Like there's no escape to this life. Things won't get better. But at least they can stew in their own cynicism together. They help each other gain some semblance of control over their own lives by clawing their way up the Hexside hierarchy, with Amity being top student and Boscha being grudgby captain. Just a pair of fucked up and lonely girls just trying to pretend they're not fucked up and lonely.

I feel like, at some point, Amity even found solace in Boscha's company. When she was younger and more immature and was led to believe that actual positive mutually uplifting friendships were only for kids (bye Willow) so she desperately leans into what she has. What they had with each other may have been their only real connection. Early episodes definitely give the impression that their friendships with the likes of Skara and co. were rather superficial, with Boscha acting rather dismissively towards anyone who wasn't Amity. I'm sure they saw all the vulnerability and ugliness in each other that nobody else saw. I'm sure Boscha got unhealthily attached because Amity was really all she had and she didn't have any experience with an actual constructive relationship with anyone her own age to understand that she and Amity were bad for each other.

But Amity was clearly worn down. This relationship was exhausting. It leeched away at her. She was complacent in all the bullying because she didn't see the point in even trying to discourage it, other than half-hearted chiding every now and again. In her own words, there was no reasoning with Boscha.

And then Amity opened her eyes and realized that this fucking sucked. You see her gradually detaching herself from Boscha throughout season 1 which results in her completely cutting ties in WILW, much to Boscha's disgust.

Tbh I feel like Boscha's gotten pretty funny since then, though she's been barely present. I enjoyed her in ASIAS cuz she was just so pathetic. Literally just third wheeling lumity, neither of them give two shits about her existence but she just refuses to exit the scene. We love girlosers.

But yeah I really did dig her in FTF. It's definitely the most insight we've gotten into her character since her debut. I didn't exactly need Boscha character development to live cuz like. I don't care about her. But I guess if they're gonna include her at all, at least they didn't keep her stagnant.

She's clearly traumatized by the fact that her team essentially "died" (as far as she knows) protecting her and she's never experienced such a heavy emotion before. She doesn't know how to handle it. She pushes it down. She lashes out. And Kikimora has just made her a million times worse. No wonder she begged for Amity to come back. She's unstable and scared and wants to cling to some fantasy that this will all be okay. And she feels like if she just has her friend back, that can be a possibility.

I like how Amity dealt with her in this episode, as a contrast to how Willow did. Willow was perfectly within her right to be furious with Boscha, considering she's nothing but her former bully who's given her so many emotional scars. But Amity approached her with an appeal rather than a fight. Because Boscha is Amity's former friend. She knows things about her that Willow doesn't. And no matter how awful their relationship has gotten, she doesn't want to see her former friend as the villain of this story.

"There's no reasoning with Boscha." She said two season ago. And then she DID!!! It really speaks volumes about how much Amity has developed from an emotionally exhausted enabler to a proactive outspoken girl who's willing to give everyone a shot to prove themselves, the way Luz did for her.

Anyway I think Boscha has completely burned all her bridges and has no hope of rekindle her old friendship. That's a consequence she'll have to live with for the way she's behaved. Plus, she and Amity just....don't mix well anymore. Some people are destined to come into your life for a time and keep you standing upright but they're not lifelong friends. I could see them as like...acquaintances maybe? Maybe theyll grow up and have kids and be on the PTA together. Maybe. But I can't see them as ever being true friends again.

Some people say that Boscha's actions at the end of FTF was a "rushed redemption arc" though I disagree. It wasn't a redemption at all. It was simply an acknowledgement that Boscha is not the devil incarnate. She's a kid. All she wants is to have a normal life and play Flyer Derby. So she's taking the necessary actions to get that future for herself. It opens up the possibility that Boscha could be a good person. Someday. She's not there yet. But someday. Maybe.

#actually word vomiting with these

[waywardsalt]

Hi! I hope you’re doing good in life! So it’s spooky season so I have an ask related to that. I don’t know if you play horror video games, watch horror movies/shows, or read horror books, but if you do, I have to ask: What is the most disturbing book, or video game or show/movie that you’ve played/watched/read? In my opinion, there is two types of horror: the ones that scare you, and the ones that traumatize you. If you can think of any book, movie, or game that really kind of fucked you up, I’m curious to know if you feel like answering. I hope you have a good day and a good life.

Hey, I’m doing good and I hope you are too!

the answer ended up being really long lol

Woof, this is honestly a pretty hard question, since I can't really name any horror (or otherwise) media that actually left me kind of fucked up for a bit, at least not to the degree where it affected me for a while. I probably haven't been really fucked up by anything since I was a kid, so I'll try and recall what a few things fucked me up back then...

Off the top of my head I know that two different spongebob episodes got me bad, the first being one with that tunnel of love thing (tho tbh i havent seen it in a while so it might still spook me today) and the one where i'm pretty sure for whatever reason squidward gets locked in some small locker and has some kind of fucked up dream, whatever that was. I remember there was an eagle in that one. the eagle terrified me. (i looked them up, and the first episode is titled 'tunnel of glove' and the second is 'squidward in clarinetland'. with how badly that second one got to me, i'm surprised i ended up learning to play the clarinet at all)

other than that, i think the courage the cowardly dog episode 'the house of discontent' got me pretty bad, too, but i think everyone who saw any amount of that series as a kid has at least one episode that got them fucked up.

there's probably a handful of scooby-doo stuff that got to me when i was a kid, but i could not name any specifics (asides from charlie the robot's original episode, christ) because i think i managed to see just about every bit of available scooby media around that time.

nowadays stuff still does kinda fuck me up, but it's usually only for brief bits of time. the most recent example I can think of is cowboy bebop's 20's episode, pierrot le fou, which is honestly some great horror, especially how it uses the show's typical format and flips it on it's head, but i wouldn't necessarily say it got to me because of it being scary, more because of the way the ending disturbed me for a bit. it was the only episode that had me stop afterwards and really look into it for anything other than clarifying a character's gender, lol.

the endings of both neon genesis evangelion and end of evangelion had me shaken, the latter more so than the former, but not really due to horror aspects, though. i did have to take a walk after finishing end of evangelion. i don't really watch horror movies, i just... read the wikipedia plot descriptions of them.

honestly, i think some of the more popular youtube analogue horror series have gotten to me worse (likely due to the fact that they can get a bit more fucked up than, say, a tv show or movie), specifically the walten files (which i did watch) and the mandela catalogue (which i just watched wendigoon's vids on), and those two and mostly because facial distortion is generally just an incredibly effective form of horror imo. a lot of the time (esp with the childhood examples) the way i was 'fucked up' was that id be in be visualizing the stuff that scared me, and both the mandela catalogue and the walten files had me doing that for a bit.

now that i remember it, i was really scared of fnaf when it first came out. i first learned of it second-hand from seeing some other kids looking into it, and the bits and pieces i put together about it really scared me.

honestly, it's usually straight-up disturbing sequences or imagery that gets to me the most, and i know my limits well enough to generally identify and avoid that stuff, which is probably why i don't have too many recent examples. i've got one or two examples of non-horror movies that fucked me up as a kid, but that's mostly because they were wildly inappropriate for someone of my age (at the time) to be witnessing, so that's a different sort of topic.

i mean, i think i generally have a decent tolerance for fucked up stuff in media, anyways, i mean, i enjoy berserk and haven't really been too upset or disturbed by what happens in it (look theres some nasty shit in there im not saying its not that bad) so there's definitionally some kind of line that media needs to cross to really get to me nowadays, or it just needs to be a specific kind of fucked up. books generally don't do that for me so i don't have any book examples. no games, either, though shadow mario and the haunted house segments in super mario 3d world scared me so much that i had to make my mom do the levels for me, and i'm pretty sure scooby doo: first frights scared me a bit when i first played it on ds.

other than that, though, I just think that, in pokemon x, the story that an npc tells you during your first trip to route 14 and then the strange office building encounter with the animation-less hex maniac creeped me out pretty bad.

yeah, it's kind of hard for me to think of anything (recent) that actually really fucked me up or anything. most stuff just scared me, never really fucked me up or figuratively traumatized me in recent years.

#asks #zeldanamikaze #salty talks #i think for media to really fuck me up there has to be some kind of intense emotional aspect to it or have some specific visual stuff #my enjoying of berserk is proof that it takes specific stuff to really get to me. the way i tested if id be fine reading berserk is so #fucked in hindsight. i straight up looked up the two most infamous eclipse chapters online and read them to make sure id be fine #what the fuck. i just dove in head first fucking god #anyways yeah. like berserk is generally fine for me but cowboy bebop episode 20 did have me a lil fucked up. its so good #ive been looking more into horror stuff recently and i have a lot of respect for (well-executed) horror games like damn. i wanna play #silent hill 2 so bad. it's a really interesting genre when pulled off effectively on a level deeper than just 'oh look at this scary thing' #anyways. i recently watched mononoke and its not really horror just kinda unsettling. its so fucking good #tbh tho there are some fanfics ive read that did actually fuck me up (which is why i kinda have an aversion to angst) #but i didnt want to talk abt those bc i dont want to name names or anything. theyre good fics they just affected me pretty negatively #generally its more like. freaky irl things that fuck me up but thats not fun to talk about its just like. depressing #sorry it took so long to reply to this i hadnt really sat down to write it or anything an just. couldnt think of much lol #anyways ig bottom line is that its more likely for non-horror stuff to fuck me up? or its gotta be specific stuff idk #i played a few hours of portal 1 at a friends house years ago and for some reason it creeped me out a whole lot #strangely enough i dont think scooby doo mystery incorporated fucked me up when i first watched it #i think there was like 1 episode that scared me more than the rest but it was never too bad #and that show is regarded as likely the most actually scary scooby thing. its rlly good #im pretty sure scooby doo was my first (or one of my first) special interest #also (similarly) i dont really get nightmares too often my dreams are just kinda really weird most of the time #i did actually have like. a scary dream recently but i dont know if id fully call it a nightmare

[handsingraphite]

BOC 2023 Projects Lineup Thoughts

I'm waiting for more translations to come in post-event, but I think it's starting to show that BOC definitely cannot produce a stream of shows. They can only do 5 major projects with airing dates in Q2/3:

The Hidden Character reality show - would take some planning but minimal production prep, plus a hint on a possible new series being written for the "couple" this show would generate. NGL, it could be a very bomb ass concept OR the worst idea. Depends on how they handle it. Plus I had the impression the other 16 actors on their roster can audition for this new horror/thriller series.

Wuju Bakery (JBC series) - This was the actual surprising reveal of today for me. I thought they might pair Barcode with someone else. But they get some slack production wise on this because it's in collaboration with a Korean production company.

4 Minutes (BBB series) - They were being very vague about the premise, and while Sammon is on it, I get the feeling it isn't quite fleshed out yet beyond a just-about-written script.

Man Suang (Movie) - I wanted an updated teaser at least, but it seems they scrapped the original storyline hence why (I think) they don't have one yet. I understand it likely is the biggest production out of the lineup, but I'm also concerned that they're shooting for the stars so much, they cage themselves into paralysis mode. In any case, I suppose the point was to showcase the tour de force behind the movie production as it seems to be where a number of resources are going.

KP 2023 and KP WTF: From what Pond said, Vietnam is their last stop, the tour isn't profitable (🤣😭) and the cast are doing this because they want to give back to fans. So I'm not going to make any complaints lol but seems the 2023 one will have 60-70% different content, and WTF will have them exchanging roles/performances (?) The exchanging is what I'm interested in tbh

Not a major project but MA will be on Woody FM so looking forward to that!

Other thoughts:

I kinda wasn't super banking on a KPTS S2 because of rights purchases etc and I at least didn't have to be let down by not hearing about it 🤣 it could still happen though

I did want a new MA series but given earlier release of the movie than they originally estimated (now in August 2023) plus the character and production prep they have to do, I'll be grudgingly understanding about them not committing to any other project yet; from what I can tell the movie will get lion's share of resources for 1H 2023

I did not fail to see that most filming work would be done by end Q2 and so I am predicting a 2H 2023 lineup announcement (optimistically) or we get a world tour resumption (hopefully with other stops); I would prefer the former over the latter

Hopefully Pond gets work for the rest of the roster, though, because there are 8 other actors without projects unless they're slotting them into the JBC and BBB shows (but wouldn't they announce that?)

This also partially confirms to me that MA's other projects may be more around brand deals, advertising work, etc.

As an introvert I do want to say this event could have been compressed, less dragging; in fact could have been an EMAIL (slash video teaser) so there is that. I think they met my minimum expectation aka that they wouldn't have enough resources for a whole bunch of shows, but I'm still allowed to feel disappointed that I'm not getting a new MA series.

I'm just going to have to hope they'll produce a great film I can... watch on torrent or smth with fansubs kabdiebxie

#thoughts #be on cloud #boc #be on cloud 2023 projects lineup

[makerofmadness]

DJDJDJKDKDMDMD THE EVIL TEAM IS LITERALLY JUST A CLUB OF TROUBLEMAKING HIGHSCHOOLERS THO-

ok I think I got spoiled for this 'cus I saw a post earlier on my dash like. I think complaining about this and I feel like giving my own two cents on it:

I love the past evil teams that were either like stupid evil (like teams magma and aqua) or just plain evil (team plasma), obviously. I mean my favorite Pokémon game is XD and team cipher is pretty freakin' dark. but tbh I feel like Team Star, just looking at this trailer (idk if there's been any other information given expanding on them or not), kinda just... fits with how scarlet and violet are looking so far.

like in sv you're literally a school kid. Going on a scavenger hunt for their school (if I'm remembering correctly fnnfnfnfnfn). I feel like just having to deal with a bunch of misbehaving teenagers is appropriate for that. I'm guessing the stakes won't be as high for this game's plot/s and I'm honestly fine with that, i think it works.

Though tbh I wouldn't be surprised if we got something like in sword and shield and arguably sun and moon where the "evil team" isn't actually the main villains so they're pretty chill and you end up fighting the ACTUAL evil team later. Like I guess Team Skull is still pretty bad but they're just a gang it's not like they're trying to flood the world or anything, and Team Yell was literally just a bunch of well-intentioned gym trainers that went a bit too far but otherwise are good and honestly pretty wholesome (istg I love them, fight me-). And the ACTUAL main bad guys were in the former's case the Aether Foundation and in the latter's case Macro Cosmos.

But who knows right now-

idk I like Team Star so far sue me-

#Pokémon #pokemon sv #pokemon sv spoilers #pokemon spoilers #I dunno sorry if this isn't coherent I'm just rambling

[thekaijudude]

New Rumor for Blazar, Nexus cameo?

So I have 2 usual sources that say Nexus is showing up in Blazar

Which would actually make the Figure Oh info saying that Blazar is actually praying to someone rather consistent

But considering said sources aren't color809, I'd take it with a grain of salt for now

Tho considering that Noa is probably famous throughout several universes, a random Ultra knowing Noa/Nexus wouldn't be surprising, but I just wonder is this even related to Blazar as a character at all (since he should be some form of a Legendary Ultra as well)

This can't be a Dyna-Dinas relationship since Blazar was born from a Black Hole so it implies that he's an independent organism, just like Noa/Nexus is.

Tho this could be the Black Hole/Supernova dynamic theory that I posted before too, but that would at least make Blazar as old as Noa as equals. But then this wouldn't explain why Blazar would be "praying" to Noa if that were the case

Or maybe it's more simpler in that seeing Blazar has a similar origin as Noa, the latter took him in as an apprentice somewhat prior to the series (since we also know that Blazar was active even decades before the series) to coach him to control his powers as a juvenile Legendary Ultra which would make more sense

Again, no idea why we're getting so many Nexus references when it isn't actually even his 20th anniversary but I'm not complaining

Tbh, wouldn't mind at all if TsuPro randomly decides to come up with a series as a spiritual successor to older series without it being Anniversary-focused

#ultraman #ultraman blazar

[virgil-is-a-cutie]

"Bella as fake!Stella" Bella/Stolas/Blitz AU

So had a FUN AU idea for the Bella/Stolas/Blitz "Helluva Boss" concept.

The premise is that some time after Stolas has been betrothed to Stella and Bella's own engagement has been announced but still not completed, Stella suffers a fatal accident, publicly enough that said accident can't be hidden but still secretly enough that they can pretend it's BELLA who died.

Bella is tasked with pretending to be her twin and since her parents care more about honoring the betrothal with Stolas than Bella's original engagement, they break off the latter. Stolas and "Stella" generously offer for "Stella" to be the surrogate for "her sister's" former fiancé's heir.

Stolas and "Stella" end up not only having Octavia (turns out her soul wanted to be Stolas's daughter so much it didn't care about the change in mother, though it IS noted that Bella being Stella's twin helped) but all of the Bella/Stolas kids from the original AU plus the former fiancé's heir. Stolas, if it were possible, is an even BIGGER dote than he is in either canon or the original AU (it helps that he's married to a wife who he adores and who adores him back) and helps his would-have-been brother-in-law with providing for his various affair-kids.

Much like Stolas and Bella's relationship being an open secret in the original AU, here the fact that "Stella" is actually Bella pretending is an open secret but Bella's parents think they pulled the wool over everyone's eyes; Stolas and Bella find this UPROARIOUSLY funny.

Blitz comes into their lives roughly the same way as in the original AU except that there's fewer obstacles for Blitz becoming part of the couple's relationship, since Stella isn't around to be a bitch.

----

Listen I love this but I did make it where Bella is a black swan and Stella is a white one so it wouldn't really work tbh. That and Stella and her are a few months apart making Bella younger by a few months.

However I love the concept enough that I do see Bella's parents annulled the marriage proposal with Stolas's older brother and Bella and having her marry Stolas because surely Stolas marriage contract was more important.

Don't get me wrong I love this concept of yours but ima switch it up a little because their appearance is very much different from the two.

So yes her parents end the engagement she had with Stolas's older brother and ends up marrying him, to which she didn't mind they truly do love each other. But she and Stolas do feel bad for his older brother so they made an arrangement agreeing that she would be a surrogate for his heirs till surely they find a suitable wife for him.

Also this just means that Bella had 13 kids like the og au, and Stolas's brother still had illegitimate children with his mistresses.

All in all, all of hell find it amusing when they hear the parents are surprised the marriage was good they believed Stella would've been a better fit for Stolas but they glance at the couple who are extremely happy with their children and caring enough to help Stolas's brother.

Yeah Blitz ends up pulled back to bed when he tries to leave with the book and no one in hell can really say shit.

#submission #jenny speaks #i love this concept tho #had to reread it though bc i got hella confused #helluva boss #helluva boss au #stolas #helluva boss stolas x bella x blitz #blitzo x stolas x bella

[spicebiter]

Well I've finished reading Gantz and there's A Lot to say about it, tbh. I have, overall, very mixed feelings about the series.

On one hand, sexual violence and general sexualization of characters both human and alien (the latter I was not expecting but WOW did the man invent ways to sexually assault shapeshifting entities) is not really high on my list of 'things I hope to see', but I have to begrudgingly admit that as far as the actions of characters in the story go I don't find that this was out of place. It's definitely a lot to take in and isn't always something you expect to happen, but I wouldn't necessarily call their inclusion or depiction gratuitous. Depressingly realistic, perhaps? The pinups at the beginning of most chapters, though, that I don't fuck with. They are neither tasteful or necessary and quite frankly there's simply not enough screen time for the women to justify it- especially early on, when most of the pinups occur.

On the other hand, god damn does this series go hard. Right from the beginning you have a really cool sci-fi horror feel, and tbh for the longest time I was mostly just reading because the art and concepts behind the sci-fi gear and alien design was so cool. From the start Gantz's strong point lies in its consistency juxtaposing the most high tech and unrealistic future gear with the mundanity of modern Earth. Despite killing aliens on the reg and using guns that seem to emit a fucking One Punch Man level hit, the main character of phase one is concerned with getting a girlfriend and losing his virginity, with other characters dealing with their own everyday lives throughout the series.

While the series lacks severely in its pacing, feeling like it drags on in the in-world sense of time while also having SO fucking much happening, I do have to appreciate the underlying sense of build up to the story and the stakes behind it. In the beginning you have a bunch of people who don't know what the hell they're doing and are less concerned with the implications behind their role as alien hunters conscripted by a black sphere than they are with their personal lives, but by the end the fate of humanity as a whole is at stake and the main character, a character I all but loathed in his immaturity and arrogance, is now a character I can actually root for and feel how far he's come. Additionally, the main characters are not the only focus and you see a decent amount of character work done on tertiary characters and their growth/backstories. Even by the beginning of the third and final phase of the series- almost 100 chapters from the end- I found myself fully invested in seeing where multiple characters ended up.

Now, a slew of things that Suck. Spoilers ahead, but nothing that major, honestly. There's a whole leg of the story that splits focus between the alien fighting and... god it just sucks i barely even want to think about it... a cult of vampires trying to kill the alien hunters. This comes completely out of left field with no build up, and no real conclusion, either, as the last (?) of the vampires kinda just disappear 80 or so chapters from the end and show up for a singular panel where they muse over the possible end of the world and that's it! Their reasons behind killing the alien hunters is mentioned briefly as saying they're 'enemies' but with no real evidence to back that up since the vampires attack first and the alien hunters never retaliate out of more than self defense. The entire storyline of these vampires is completely dropped for the final phase of the series and while I was glad to not have to see any more of it I also have to just not know what the fuck that whole thing was about and why it was even a part of the story other than it just Could Be.

While it's not surprising for a manga written by a guy in the early 2000s, I still want to mention that this series is not kind to its female characters. For some, they have agency and character and some interesting moments. But especially in the first 150~ chapters, most women are disposable and/or used to show that certain male characters are garbage rapists. All of them have more interest in the male characters (primarily the primary protagonist Kurono Kei) than literally anything else, including a 23 year old woman with a child who meets the secondary protagonist, a 17 year old high schooler, and within a night decides she's in love with him and that he and his brother should live with her. For all its world building and sci-fi coolness, it can't make up for the less than stellar writing. Sad!

The series concludes quietly. While this is, in some ways, akin to the end of something like Titan A.E and you are left to ponder the possibilities of the future after so much hardship and chaos, and it can be a bit of a release as an ending because there is less to be disappointed in, it also leaves literally nothing to feel disappointment OR joy over. The climax of the series reaches its end, yes, but only for the main and secondary protagonists, really. There are so many loose threads left behind, characters I had grown attached to left unattached to any kind of ending of their own and the factions of humanity that botched the salvation of the world so handily left unaccountable (aside from the death of one small group, not enough to make up for the countless lives lost imo). In the span of less than 30 pages the fate of humanity is up in the air and then everything is over. While it's a somewhat dignified end, especially after such a long period of highs and lows and dread uncertainty, it still left a lot to be desired as far as I'm concerned.

This is not a series I could easily classify as good or bad. There's a lot I enjoyed endlessly about it, and the last third of it was some of the most intense and exciting manga I've ever read. But I also spent so much time thinking 'wow this is really really bad' that it's honestly surprising that I even made it to the end. Every time I thought about giving up, a chapter cliffhanger or thread of plot would pull me back in. It's like a train wreck, but if somehow all the train cars performed a respectable rendition of the Swan Lake ballet before the whole thing ended in a massive fireball. If you like sci-fi horror and don't mind a mind boggling amount nudity and blood and the idiocy of teenagers, Gantz might be just what you need in your life.

#gantz #media talk #spiced

[ascalonianlightbringer]

Last time on the liveblog of the entire personal story, I took another step towards earning my username by taking Gwen to meet up with TYBALT!!!! a mysterious apple seller who turned out to be Lightbringer Tybalt Leftpaw of the Order of Whispers, Gwen's new mentor.

In my headcanon, she just managed to repress her seething hatred of Charr culture and outrage at being partnered with a member of it. Still, she conducted herself with her usual competence and outwards charm long enough to receive orders. He left her with a rendezvous point and departed, only for a new Whispers spy, Riel Darkwater, to emerge to explain stuff.

This triggered a very cool cinematic about how the Order of Whispers is all that stands between the civilizations of Tyria and utter devastation (Vigil and Priory whomst?) and it's time for Gwen to earn their trust. It concluded with a stirring Welcome to the Order of Whispers.

Thinking back—at this point, Gwen's history includes:

getting by as a penniless orphan on the streets of Divinity's Reach through a mixture of charisma, iron resolve, and the favor of the goddess Lyssa;

banditry;

extricating herself from her bandit gang and turning hero by saving Logan Thackeray's life;

plotting the murder, with Logan's help, of the bandit leader who had her friend brutally killed;

careful but relentless investigations of her estranged sister's disappearance and of a cursed Seraph targeting the queen she doesn't even particularly like.

A bunch of dedicated spies, assassins, schemers, and manipulators working for the greater good is absolutely a natural fit for her. Despite my gripes with some of the railroading, it is really fun to play a character who is so suited to her order.

After the cinematic, Gwen was able to ask Riel a few questions, though the dialogue remains pretty naive for Gwen. I imagine that Gwen's version of it was much more guarded, but she got the same information—Gwen's mission was given to Tybalt by the Master of Whispers themself, so it's important, and the organization is highly secretive. I imagine Gwen simply responded, "I understand" because ... uh, she did.

That's the end of that section. Gwen then headed out to the rendezvous point, which was in a village north of Lion's Arch.

There, she found Tybalt with a Norn named Helena, who waved her over and (one presumes discreetly) remarked on Tybalt's odd personality. Apparently, he refused Helena's offer of a fight to prove his worth (which I suspect only triggered his self-esteem issues, tbh). Gwen had the option to express surprise or to say that Tybalt "really is a different kind of Charr."

I like the latter line about Tybalt, but it's way too early for it to come from Gwen. So my headcanon is that Gwen did say she was surprised (true enough), and Helena concluded that Tybalt must be a different kind of Charr. Gwen wouldn't be ready to hear that yet, but she courteously went along with it to play nice with a contact.

She turned to Tybalt and the cut scene took up again, this time starring a much friendlier and more cheerful Tybalt, who I'm guessing was actually nervous to meet Gwen back in Lion's Arch. Considering his issues and Gwen's personality, history, and political opinions, that would have been entirely understandable. But now:

Torn between "aww, cute" and "aww, you're so much more than that <3"

Gwen is also interested in pretty ladies (though I'm sure her idea of "pretty" is different than his), and her canon response is a bit too friendly for the character, so I'm imagining she said something related to that. Just a would-be casual, "Maybe next time, if there's some who will talk to a jumped-up street rat" or something like that. Per canon, he laughed.

The conversation then took a turn that is pretty weird for human PCs, in which Tybalt introduced Gwen to Kryta (where human PCs have lived for their entire lives), and explained the basics of Krytan politics and the tug-of-war between the Ministry and the queen (which is obvious from multiple human storylines). Maybe ArenaNet just didn't want to record separate dialogue for human PCs or do the programming for an altered cut scene, idk, but it is a bit strange.

Anyway, Tybalt said that the main threat to Queen Jennah was Minister Caudecus, who does not see dragons as a threat. The canonical response is "That means we're on the queen's side, right?" which continues to feel a bit naive for Gwen. Even shifting from a question to a statement (perhaps "So the Order is on the queen's side") would work for her, though.

Although he falls back on the Order (understandably) preferring Jennah to Caudecus, he's so emphatic and so immediately jumps to the Charr-human treaty that it does feel like Tybalt in particular wholeheartedly supports peace between their peoples.

I think Gwen would be canny enough to read his personal investment in the reply, but at the same time, find it difficult to believe a Charr would really want peace for anything other than pragmatic reasons. But, she quickly told herself, maybe he did have pragmatic reasons for personally supporting the treaty.

(The reality is that Gwen dislikes the treaty but supports it pragmatically—it's the only likely way for the Ascalonian people to keep a foothold in Ascalon indefinitely. I imagine that Tybalt genuinely does want peace for its own sake and dislikes the idea of eternal war, even if he doesn't fully see how much it's built into the Charr society he misses.)

Tybalt explained that Demmi, daughter of Minister Caudecus (the minister canonically behind the attack and enslavement of Gwen's sister, just btw), managed to contact the Order of Whispers and offered detailed information about her father's dealings in exchange for asylum with the Order.

My headcanon for this with Gwen is quite different from the Althea version. Althea would actually know Demmi personally, but Gwen's only association with the family is through the consequences of Caudecus's plot against Falcon Company. I imagine Althea would just be "Demmi? Oh, I could see that. Interesting." But Gwen, who dislikes and distrusts nobles at the best of times, was immediately wary.

It turned out that Demmi lost contact with the Order while traveling between Divinity's Reach and Applenook Hamlet, their current location (in Gendarran Fields). So Tybalt and Gwen's job was to track her down. I think Gwen firmly agreed that Demmi needed to be found and brought to the Order, and kept her own counsel about why.

#t: greetings friend #p: honor the past #h: everyone has a secret #s: fight what cannot be fought #long post #c: gwen velazquez #c: althea fairchild #c: tybalt leftpaw #c: riel darkwater #c: helena #c: demmi beetlestone

[ravysu]

Sannin headcanons and thoughts

The last thing I would like to post for the sannin week. It is still 24.04 here! :D @sannin-central

This is long. Spoiler alert. Mostly Orochimaru, some Tsunade, a little of Jiraiya (because his story is pretty clear and spoken and idk what I can add). Also I recommend to read this meta about Orochimaru, it has influenced me a lot and has some good points. Sorry for any posible grammar mistakes. Also I really should put here a lot of references to the manga or anime but it was something that was piling up for a year and I'm soooooooo lazy. After all, those are just headcanons. Also: Im not excusing Oro's bad stuff here, Im trying to understand the reasons.

Ive already posted some hcs, here, here and here.

1. First if all, the chronology pic of sannin lifetime based on the info i found on naruto wiki and also some statements about wars from this post. It was tough considering what a mess naruto’s chronology is.

2. Sannin story shows what it cost to be a legend. They're like Team 7 but more realistic. Tsunade literally carried the war but left with nothing and developed a ptsd and have problems to just live on. Also anger control issues. I think she can be pretty bossy and stubborn which is not always nice. Jiraiya is the hero of the day but also very idealistic and can ignore some important details in the real word whether its the fight (he always injured during flashbacks maybe because each time he took too much to handle and on the one hand it's heroistic but on the other is a mistake that can lead your team to situations like in that Iwa cave) or your friends issues (I bet he saw what's going on but thought it's fine until Oro actually got red handed and left). He lives in his world and may have problems to get out to see it through someone else's shoes. As for Orochimaru, it seems like he was a normal guy for 20+ years (I mean, he didn't do crazy criminal shit and had something good in him and it was stated somewhere that it was his teammates influence. It is obvious they considered him as a friend, I don't thinks it was for nothing) but we mostly know his darkest side. Despite being a moster he is a human that have empathy and some ordinary human traits (man just decorates every bit of an environment he is in lol).

3. Tsunade was the leader of team Hiruzen.

4. Tsunade sometimes hit Jiraiya for some stupid things he did or said but never touches Orochimaru even if he did something same. Jiraiya complained about it once and almost got another hit.

5. Jiraiya had problematic parents that didn't care about him much and a lot of time he was wandering in the streets.

6. Judging by the look of Oro bangs and hair, he sometimes cut it off. A stress relief huh? And the fact that he doesn't do it now in Boruto..

7. It was shown that Tsunade and Orochimaru was acknowledged before they become a team. Maybe they did just before, or maybe some longer time before. I prefer the second option and hc that they met because both had no real friends - Orochimaru seemed weird and scary for everyone and Tsunade was Senju so everyone wanted to hang out with her but didn't really care. They weren't seen as what they were - people put the labels on them. But they didn't care about each other's labels and actually saw each other in true lights.

8. Tsunade knew it was an accident and it's not right but still she blamed Orochimaru for Nawaki's death for some time. It was something that seriously damaged their friendship and the team. Orochimaru was mad but also guilty, after all, he was responsible at least as a shinobi since Nawaki was under his watch. So he started to act cold and emotionless and was trying to distance himself from his teammates.

9. Jiraiya was in Ame while Dan died.

10. The whole his orphans mission was a bit irresponsible tbh. They already fought Hanzo and as he stated the conflict between Konoha and Ame is going to an end with Konoha's win. It's weird to stay here for three years in the middle of the war while there were other lands to fight. He left his teammates for some idea. Maybe that caused another crack in their team friendship.

11. If Tsunade would have find a way to live on with her trauma and follow the will of fire and stuff it would affect Orochimaru as well just as her grief affected him. It's like he would get an example that you can live on with this pain. So death isn't above human capability and we are not just the slaves of mortality (sounds stupid but i dont know how else to describe sorry). But as we know what he actually saw is that it broke her crucially to the point she couldnt be herself again. And so the death is above everything.

12. Oro wasn’t just acting as a cold pragmatic bitch in that cave but also tried to save Tsunade. Jiraiya knew it and that’s why he showed this sign to him like "I see what youre doing here" and that stunned Oro because he would prefer to look rather like a cold pragmatic bitch hehe

13. Just a thought. People in the village probably treated Oro as a foreigner or just wouldnt accept him because he looked so differently and had a weird attitude. That's why he sometimes didn't feel that Konoha is his home. After the wars where people were treated as means and tools, even the children, he himself developed this view on people - he dehumanized them and used as the means to his goals, just as his village did. Funny thing some people were straightly dehumanizing him too like Ibiki thought that he was a demon (tho he was a child). And he probably weren't the only one. Anyways the point is that it's logical that Orochimaru don't care about anybody but some few people, he's the product of his era. He's like Naruto that would chose the hatred way. But naruto had some good and understanding people around him and.. Orochimaru had them too, but match how Iruka treated Naruto and this Hiruzen's "I sAw tHe mAliCe in This cHiLd fRoM tHe BegGinNinG". And oro didn't even have a big ass evil fox in him. sry i hate hiruzen

ANYWAYS the moral of the story is not "go criminal if they hurt you" but always treat people like people. Waving my hand to Kant.

14. The reason why Orochimaru didn't pick some good morals to stick with through the hard times no matter what (like, idk, Jiraiya or Naruto) is because 1) I think he is/was pretty depending on people around him 2) the war fucked him and his friends up too much (Nawaki incident + Tsunade) 3) twisted addictions (though I don't think he's that sadistic, we never saw him torturing randoms just for fun, it was always some science experimental shit. He tends to get fun out of cruelty only when it's personal) that maybe developed as a way to sublimate anger and sadness caused by his parents loss (that's what they share with sasuke - unlicke naruto, they knew their parents and it's other kind of pain. Sasuke developed a revenge issue and Orochimaru - cruelty pleasure which... is kinda the same but less epic and more occasional lol).

15. Speaking of that, Orochimaru cared for Sasuke because he saw himself in him.

16. Oro hold grudges against Hiruzen for not choosing him to be Hokage not only because he was ambitious and/or egoistic, but also because Hiruzen was some kind of a father figure for him and his approval was important tho i doubt he was aware of that. He also probably could tell that Hiruzen was suspicios about him when he was a child and that led to many conflicts and was hurting as well.

17. Tsunade knew things weren't pretty with Orochimaru after the wars but she never expected them to be this bad. During the week that she was given in her arc she thought not only about how much she wants to see Nawaki and Dan again despite how wrong would it be but also was trying to bury all the good memories she had left of Orochimaru so it would be easier to kill him.

18. She poisoned Jiraiya exactly because she knew he would not let her do it. Jiraiya was always hesitant to kill and inclined to forgiveness, while Tsunade, as mentioned by Orochimaru, could be merciless (so much so that he was not surprised when Kabuto suggested that she wanted to use Jira for Edo Tensei).

19. That was one of her traits that scared Jiraiya and fascinated Orochimaru.

20. Remember how Oro grabbed Jiraiya's neck when the latter was trying to cover with hair jutsu? On the snake, in Tsnade's arc. Orochimaru could have easily kill Jiraiya by pulling the sword out of the mouth (arteries are right there) but he didn't. As well as he could kill Tsunade when she was still shaking - just aim for the neck or the heart. Instead, he just injured her lung and kicked her which is not a big deal for the kind of shinoby like her at all.. Also he helped Anko not accidentally kill herself but it would be way much profitable to let her do it. "Orochimaru has no feelings".

21. The reason he suddenly wanted to kill Tsunade instead of forcing her to heal his arms as it was planned (which is weird since it will not going to get him heals and he kinda said that he wouldn't want to kill her just minutes ago) is that not only she refused to help him (he thought he could work it out) but she also prefered the village over him (from his point of view). Out if everyone she was the closest to being able to understand him since the village caused her painful losses too but nevertheless she agreed to be on it's side.

22. He wasn't fighting her back in the end partly because he thought he deserved that. Somewhere deep inside hahah.

23. Tsunade got a fear to develop deep bonds so they probably weren't very close with Shizune (also the way she knocked her down in this hotel.. oh).

24. Orochimaru will be here when she'll die.

25. Orochimaru's eng dub to Tsunade: "I often wondered what it would be like to ring that pretty neck yours". No comments.

26. Orochimaru is either bi/pan or ace. Anything or nothing lmao

27. Hiruzen knew about at least some of the Oro’s illegal experiments and was okay just as he was okay with the Foundation all the time. Because it’s useful. Then he has discovered he went too far OR he knew everything and oro just became too inconvenient because of his methods. The way Orochimaru tells Sasuke about reasons they are well treated as the criminals is based on in his experience with Hiruzen.

28. As you may know the lyrics in Orochimaru’s music theme goes “don’t talk with the silence of the heart”. It was taken from one Indian song that also had lines like “don’t question life too much”, ”pain arose somewhere in the chest”, “don’t speak to the wounds of the heart”. Though I’m not sure 100% because I was translating it with some hindi dictionary with like zero knowledge of hindi

29. I like to think that this “silence of the heart” theme and the fact that he called his village a hidden sound village are somehow connected. The hidden sound is the possible explanation of all things waiting to be listened to but the truth is silent and you know it deep in your heart and it bothers you. The world is silent just like the life is meaningless but people can only hear. *Sigh* anyways

30. Orochimaru’s journey is the one about accepting death. When he saw Karin released her chains while was trying to get to Sasuke he understood that the death is a part of human’s strength.

Can’t wait to feel that everything I wrote is wrong or not enough or stupid and obvious lol. Anyways, it’s something that I wanted to share until I move to some other fandom.

#sannin week 2021 #orochimaru #tsunade #jiraiya #sannin #naruto #naruto headcanons

[martelldoran]

unsolicited tfatws opinions because i have them vol. 1

warning: here be spoilers

starting on the positive because there were things i did like in the episode

things i liked

sam wilson: *exists*

me:

sam's storyline was definitely the strongest of the two in this ep and i liked pretty much everything he did.

the opening aerial fight! was! so! cool! seeing batroc again was a nice nod to tws too and an interesting parallel to steve's lumerian star fight. i loved seeing his quick tactical thing, seeing how he fights, and the way he utilises the wings even in close quarters.

sam speaks arabic!

sam fixes redwing! (validation of a hc of mine that he's good with robotics. maybe that's a widely held fandom one as well? idk)

i instantly found torres to be really endearing and i'm looking forward to seeing more of him throughout the series. the relationship between him and sam has a lot of potential.

the manipulation of the government and general set up for sam's storyline felt strong. good basis for a story and pertinent to the current political landscape.

sam's speech as he handed over the shield was well written and gave me the same kind of vibes as the 'the price of freedom is high' speech. they could be quite nicely paralleled side by side.

sam's family! look, i'm a sucker for domestic moments for our faves so the entire sequence where we got this insight into sam's past, his relationship with his sister, and where he's come from was brilliant. i like sarah a lot and seeing her frustration with her brother for trying to come in and fix things when he's been gone for so long felt really realistic. i felt for her a lot. because you can tell there's so much there bubbling under the surface, a mix of love and resentment and frustration that was palpable as they talked about what to do with their parents' house/boat/business. so, give me all of the sarah wilson moments pls n thnx.

seeing the consequences of the snap (hi, i am refusing to call it the fucking blip. marvel, my god, get better names for shit.) idk how in depth they're really going to go into it all but at least they attempted something here with the scenes at the bank.

bucky's nightmare sequence as the winter soldier. it was such a brilliant reminder about how terrifying tws actually is. he's silent and ominous and THAT MUSIC. his presence is legitimately unsettling from the moment you see him. (but he runs around like a bull in a china shop which does make me 🤔 when i remember he's supposed to be a g h o s t s t o r y. idk. not exactly stealth and shadow work. but that doesn't look cool on screen so 🤷🏻‍♀️)

and on that note, vindication of my 'they sleep on the floor after coming back' headcanon. literally had raymond holt screaming in my head the second i saw bucky wake up on his living room floor. does my heart break for him? yes. was i smug about being right? also yes.

leah seems cool. could she actually be telepathic??? since she hit every single one of bucky's boats while they played battleships? i would like to see it. 😂 there's def more to her character than meets the eye since she's slated to be in all six episodes.

bucky having one (1) old man friend even if the reason behind it was heartbreaking.

so, yeah. these things i genuinely liked.

things i didn't like

the therapy scene. i genuinely hated it. there's a different between a no nonsense therapist and someone being deliberately antagonistic and that definitely erred on the side of the latter imo. she tells him to 'get over it' and mocks him for not reaching out and meeting people. media in general doesn't do a good job of depicting therapy so this is just yet another poor offering into the canon. i'm tired. i want healthy depictions of therapy already. it's supposed to be a supportive environment ffs.

plus she kept calling him james 🤮 genuinely wouldn't be surprised if she turns out to be a bad guy plant. which i think is a cliche at this point? 🤔

bucky's new look. which i know we've seen before now but i've not offered my unsolicited opinion on it. it's just sebastian stan in an ugly leather jacket. it's generic male lead#346. it's broification. someone said they made him look like brock rumlow and now i can't unsee it. 😭 rip to bucky with the good hair. i'd have loved to see him with some curls tbh. or a wave that kind of calls back to his pre-war days. anyway. i digress. character design is 0/10.

would have been nice to see him cut his hair as a marker of him starting a new chapter and coming into his own personhood.

rhodey's disability was just? glossed over? no visible assistive tech at all?

the date. just the fact it was there at all. it was heavy handed and not subtle and we know why they put that in there within the first 10 minutes of bucky's screen time. that's all i'm going to say about it. if you follow me, you know where i stand. we don't need poorly written romance. get it in the bin.

there was no acknowledgement of bucky's relationship with steve. if there was a memorial to be had then bucky should have been there. maybe these will come later but i'm not holding my breath.

is steve dead? i assumed that the party line was that young steve died in the battle and no-one knew about old steve . but did they actually kill steve off-screen? what a kick in the teeth if that's the case. let me just cut open a wound for them to pour the salt straight into, shall i?

things i'm mostly neutral on

john walker. he looks like a cop and his wink at the camera gave me the creeps but i'm interested to see how that pans out. i hope sam beats 50 shades of star spangled shit out of him.

the flag smashers. premise of a world without borders is interesting and a believable concept given what's happened in universe. there's a lot of scope there i think. that said, the name is dumb.

right. i think that covers everything for now. my expectations going in were really low, i won't lie. before the premiere i tried to stay away from the trailers and tv spots and the hype in general so i was pleasantly surprised at how much i enjoyed certain aspects of the show.

in conclusion, some good, some bad, some ugly and i will be cherry picking my favourite nuggets for fic at a later point. also, i'm still a skrull!Steve truther. real steve is chilling with some wakandan goats 😌💖✨

#ali's unsolicited opinions #.txt #tfatws #marvel #tv

[helianthus-tarot]

Hello! I'm CosmicTulips -she's a sideblog, I only start with this because I reblog through her but follow you as...this...because sideblog ...anyway-

and I hope you're doing well. I think this is the first time I actually... have done an ask for your blog lmao.

Hows the new moon treating you? my whole week has been a mess lmao.

TM are my initials. I am a female and go by She/They.

I am 25

things I like... currently I'm obsessed with learning italian. I really enjoy animation and reading. I like to listen to music. and I... enjoy tarot... I like D&D and Disney and... art. lmao. I'm... kind of into everything tbh. I'm on duolingo religiously. so thats me lmao. anddd I LOVE going to museums omg. I know people say that to be boujie and whatever but I will literally spend all day doing puzzles and going to museums. thats a fun day for me.

Your person (future spouse/long-term or next bf/gf): ... uh just... future partner. future spouse. Male, He/him is fine

I'd like to choose... 2000s ballads lmao

How many times do you want me to shuffle (max 10): 6! first number that came to my head.

Make guesses about things I like (max 10 guesses): You come to me in hues of gold and black, so I feel like you may like... the more "darker" things to life. skulls for some reason so it gives me this gothic vibe. you know you can like metal and rock music without dressing like ... goth or something like that. perhaps learning about the paranormal even. maybe just good folklore lol. I feel like there's something you keep wrapped hidden. this has nothing to do with likes lmao. I think you may be into history. history is always fun. also Idk I wouldn't be surprised if you liked Game of Thrones or like Hannibal lol

Tarot: 7 of Cups, 5 of Cups

Song: Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely by Backstreet Boys

Is the entire song your message?: I can't say yes or no. You can try listening to it and see if you get any intuitive message.

Extra notes: Honestly I'm not sure if this song is about breaking up or dying (hopefully not the latter). The cards fit the vibe tho. As for your person's message to you, it has the feeling of unrequited love or pining-- his heart will be (is) searching/longing for you, it depends on how you want to see it (whether you want to see it as his message for you right now or as his message for you in the future after you guys have met).

My comment on your guesses: I do like reading paranormal stories on reddit! But as for liking other darker things in life... actually not really? History is fun yeaa. I haven't watched both series, unfortunately haha.

I hope that resonates. No need for a long feedback but I appreciate it if you can tell me what you think about it! (no feedback yet)

#j tarot games

[20thcentury-kylo]

Tides Of Memory Chapter 2

Surprise!! Wanted to have this up yesterday but things sorta got out of hand, and tbh after this I'll be kind of busy so I atleast wanted to finish this one- anywho Enjoy

--

A wild flower hill overlooks the calm sea at dusk. The sky’s color fades into a midnight blue as the moon and stars peak from the clouds. Ebisu sits among the wild life- Guitar in hand as he hums a simple tune.

“Just breathe… just breathe- it’ll all be fine~” Soft strums from the instrument follow in simplistic patterns. As he gazes up to the stars above he feels no words could better fit the moment. Amongst the chaos of interstellar wars and the literal end of the world- a scene like this- it’s peace.. He could believe that it would all be fine. Kiome had already gone back- most likely to keep Ebisu from seeing him break down completely, but Ebisu knew.. He could feel it in his soul- the scared tremors, the subtle shaking in his hands. The rose haired musician swore he’d be strong for the both of them, he wouldn't make Kiome face this alone, he didn't have to be alone, not anymore.

“Maybe it's the question.. Maybe it's the answer~”

--

The quaking roars were gone, but Kiome was nowhere to be found. He promised to stay away but as Ebisu runs through the ravaged battlefield the only thought coursing through his mind is finding the chubby swordsman.

“Kiome!!” He pleads out their name gaining no response. With every step he takes, dread seems to fill him more and more.

“Just breathe.. It'll all be fine~”

--

The blood won't stop pooling between his hands, the tears in his eyes won't either. In the midst of it all he somehow finds the strength to laugh.. How unfair it all was. His beloved laid there dying in his arms and yet here Kiome was… singing to him. How unfair the world could be. The last thing he sees before the light envelopes them is the pained smile on his face, as he whispers it one last time

“Darling… i love you~”

--

Ebisu is a 17 year old boy living in the Nakano ward in Tokyo with his adoptive guardian. He loves tales of the sea, of lost treasure and one day hopes to venture out there on his own, to maybe find his own lost fortune. Ebisu has the strangest dreams filled with even stranger people, and fleeting whispers of feelings that leave dull aches in his heart.. The words always echo in his mind and he can't seem to explain the tears in his eyes as he wakes. It was all so… confusing, and yet when their eyes met… when their eyes met suddenly the distant haze seemed to be clearing.

They're such a soft shade of amber- so warm so… familiar. The feeling that follows is so intense that he can't stop the stream of tears that follow soon after. The boy in front of him winces- bringing a hand to graze his forehead, yet never breaks eye contact.

“I-i’m sorry, are ya okay?” Ebisu tries his best to compose himself- stifling the tears long enough to pick himself up off the ground.

“Dont worry ive been through worse.” whatever was ailing him seems to have subsided and yet- they stay there, gazing at one another in a tense silence. The boy eventually begins to speak when he’s caught off by a shout from the distance.

“Hey! That creep snatched My wallet!” The cries of a knocked down pedestrian follow as the therian sprints away. Instinctively Ebisu checks his pockets to find his own wallet missing.

“That little sneak-” The fisherman prepares to apprehend the transient- brandishing his signature fishing rod and hook. Yet before he can even start the backswing- the stranger he’d just met is already dashing towards the thief.

“Oh no ya dont!!” Before Ebisu can blink the apparent swordsman is already flying at the transient- his still sheathed sword arced forwards. The encounter is over in seconds with the captured therian pleading apologies as he scurried off. He’d been so stunned at the boy's ability that he hadn’t noticed the small faded blue wallet being shoved in this direction.

“You dropped this..” Their hands brush slightly as he takes the wallet- and Ebisu’s mind fixates on the fleeting warmth. He wants to thank him sincerely, yet the blush flooding his cheeks keeps his eyes averted choosing instead to focus on his newly re-acquired wallet.

“I um- I never got your name~” Ebisu manages to stutter out- still refusing to meet eyes with the mysterious swordsman.

“HEY!!” The recognized shouts of none other than Nankano’s resident viral sensation, Benten. She practically flies at them, her phone camera trained on the chubby swordsman.

“Kiome! Didn’t expect to see you ‘round here, especially pulling off moves like that~” In the midst of her excited rambling he hears the name…

“Kiome…” It’s almost scary how naturally the name rolls off his tongue. Ebisu finds himself unable to control the smile that sneaks its way onto his face.

“Ebisu- you manage to find anyone for your little adventure, I’m still rarin to go of course~” The sudden reminder of his previous endeavor has him more embarrassed than he honestly should be.

“Ebisu huh.. Well If it's adventurers you need- you’ve just found the right guy.” Kiome expresses with a subtle wink. The nervous giggle that erupts from the rose haired boy resembles more of a shy highschool girl rather than a trained fisherman. Ebisu escorts the 3 of them back to the restaurant he helps run. For once he was thankful for Benten’s presence, having her between them with her excited chatter was perfect for keeping him distracted. Even so he couldn't help but sneak a passing glance at the chubby swordsman when he got the chance.

They sit down discussing the plans over some tea, and while Ebisu, and Benten fall into their usual banter- Kiome is reminded of the warnings his friends gave earlier

“Yeah, I've been hearing a lot of those recently as well, though in the end- it doesn’t change what we hafta do.” Benten’s proud declaration earning a chuckle.

“Actually, I looked into those before- judging from the location of where these pirate ships were being sunk, it’s most likely they were confronted with mermaids; the Daughters of The Waves-” Ebisu informs them. From what he’d gathered- the mermaids were likely guarding the treasure. As he keeps explaining- Kiome gets that same unsettling feeling from before- this wouldn’t be some light adventure… This was serious. By the time they’d finished the three of them settled on a plan; Benten was in charge of finding a crew- people strong enough to stand against the apparent threat that awaited them, a crew that now included Kiome, and Ebisu would handle getting the ship, supplies, and salvage equipment ready which from the sounds of it- he was already on top of. Benten had parted ways at the shop's entrance, eager to begin her search- leaving the two boys alone, Ebisu having offered to walk Kiome back to the station. So as they strolled side by side- Ebisu decides to break the silence.

“Y’know this may sound weird but- I have the strangest feeling… that we’ve met before, somewhere.” His words cause Kiome to turn with a pondering expression, he had no memories of a past life, but somehow he held the same feeling.

“It’s weird but… I know what you mean~” From there they fall into light conversation, a simple game of 20 questions passes between them yet both still held the strange possibility in the back of their minds. Before they knew it the train's electronic whistle was heard from afar.

“Guess the fun's over for now huh~” Kiome’s words followed by a breathless sigh.

“Yeah heheh , i guess so..” The pearl eyed boy parrots back. Kiome turns to him, suddenly unsure of what to do. A hug?, just a handshake? To keep himself from dallying he settled on the latter, extending a hand out to his escort.

“Nice meetin’ ya-' ' Ebisu stares a bit in awe at his hand for a moment before slowly reaching back with a hand of his own. Their hands meet in a subtle shake, it's the first real contact they've had, and Kiome can't help but notice how soft Ebisu's hand is. There’s a whisper of a feeling, warm, and nostalgic- the two seemingly lose themselves in it for the moment. It lingers even as they let go, and with sheepish smiles and stuttered goodbyes the two part ways.

In the clear star filled night- the haze further clears on their memories. Ebisu finds himself unable to find easy rest, finding comfort among the midnight sky. As he sits illuminated by the moon- lost in thought, something long forgotten seems to return to him. He has no idea what it means but the prospect has him anxious and excited to find out

‘I wonder what it looks like’ He muses in his thoughts. Gazing up at the moon's glow.

“San Diego~”

#Housamo #tokyo afterschool summoners #Tides Of Memory #mc5 x ebisu #kiome #fanfiction #my art #clip studio paint #i have an 8 work day stretch coming #so i wont rlly be active :p

[comradegeorgemoved]

i don't think george being completely neutral is a bad thing tbh. but idk maybe that's just because i relate to him on this. the only time i ever talk about anything serious is with people i'm really close to (and even that's hard) or anonymously over the internet. i'm just an extremely reserved person, to the point that i've been called stoic/aloof by multiple strangers/acquaintances. and since my beliefs are heavily tied to my emotions, the last thing i want to do is talk about them with someone i don't know well. nevermind to thousands of strangers

not saying this is why george refuses to speak up on things, i don't know him personally, but considering he's also extremely reserved and private, i wouldn't be surprised if that's the case. and i just don't think anyone should be obligated to bare themselves to strangers, not even streamers/youtubers. obviously it's nice when they do since they have large platforms, but...they're not politicians or activists, they're entertainers. literal modern day jesters

hmm i understand if you meant to say that he’s not comfortable sharing his opinion versus being truly neutral/apathetic (like being all “oh i don’t mind if this or that happens” when it comes to issues that have a very clear oppressor or exploited party). but i think if it’s the latter, then that’s legitimately concerning and i would be uncomfortable supporting someone who genuinely thought that.

otherwise, i get it. this thread and aenqa’s follow up tweets summarize how i feel in a way that i'm not confident i can adequately articulate. pressuring a CC to “spread awareness” doesn’t help much if that CC isn’t qualified to talk about them. for a lot of CCs, this is the case, and as a result they talk about these issues to their young, impressionable audience with nothing more than a link to a petition, which rarely do anything, and even enforces the idea that cases are won with digital petitions like those. there are way more productive ways to spread awareness that do not include your favorite CC “speaking up”.

but i definitely still think it’s understandable for people to be disappointed when CCs don’t use their platforms, especially for the groups actually affected by the issues they don’t speak up on and especially because some deem CCs as sources of comfort. on a personal level it upsets me because i’ve always thought “if you have that large of an audience, why not?” but that's because it’s what i would do—and what i've always thought others should do as well. ultimately it doesn’t really affect my activism or my political stances because i don’t look up to these CCs for that or think they would ever lead people to a movement, and watch them for who they are: entertainers. none of the twitch CCs i watch are activists, or anywhere near. for information, i go to community organizers, activists, people who actively engage with politics and actually know what they’re talking about.

#i hope i worded this the way i meant to #but really aenqa's thread is worded much better and much clearer #and it says everything i would like to say and more #so i would just recommend that lol #ask #anon #long post #also for the record i think Everyone should speak up on these issues #but it's just a continuous struggle to organize everyone and we shouldn't focus on just a few people because they have larger audiences #and i believe eventually people will talk of their own volition once they are properly educated on the matter #and attend basic masses integrations and educational discussions #georgenotfound critical #cw negative #<- just in case