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oh-meretseger · 1 month

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part 5 - The Party

attack on titan modern college au // Jean Kirstein x fem!reader

notes: mostly sfw, a little fluff (I’m posting the smut part tomorrow, it was SO unbelievably long I had to cut it😭 I’m unable to write shortly about anything smutty I’m sorry shdnxmdh), mentions of alcohol, drug use

word count: 3,6k

"MARCO!"

"WHAT" Sasha screamed as they froze and both her head and Connie's cake covered face snapped in perfect sync.

"Man, you made it!" Jean took the man in his arms with the happiest grin plastered on his face, Sasha, then Connie quickly joining them as they jumped right onto them. "Connie, your face!"

"Sorry, bro" he stepped back as he tried to wipe chunks of cupcake from his face, but the man's jacket was already smudged with cherry cream, just like Jean's shirt.

"It's okay, I wanted to wash it anyway" the stranger laughed, and you smiled at him as your eyes met. Jean's eyes shot to you as well, and he immediately jumped to pull you closer.

"Y/n, this is Marco, our childhood friend" he motioned towards him, and you accepted Marco's handshake, returning his friendly smile. His expression was warm and kind, freckles on his nose wrinkling as he beamed with joy. "Marco, this is our own little house rat, Y/n"

You gave Jean a death stare as he and Connie giggled like schoolgirls, his body jolting away from you as you poked a finger between his ribs.

"Nice, couldn't tell you were a wild animal at all" Marco deadpanned and you grinned.

"I'm not, I'm fully domesticated"

"You're such a jerk, why are you so rude?" you heard Sasha hiss at Jean thinking you wouldn't hear, but as always, they were unable to bicker without getting loud.

"I'm not rude, you just have a stick up your ass" Jean snarled at her. You shook your head, having zero clue why they were acting like brawling puppies all night.

"I'll show you a stick up your ass, JEANBO" Sasha yelled, and Niccolo sprang to stop her from trying to pull Jean's pants down without a second thought. In a second, they were a bundle of tangled legs and arms on the floor, shouting and kicking at each other.

You saw more sophisticated behavior in middle school.

"The fuck was that?" Connie's eyes widened at a loud BANG coming from the living room, and swiftly left the kitchen to investigate its source.

"Holy shit, it feels like I'm gonna have a seizure" you put your hands over your ears at the massive overstimulation, and Marco let out a heartfelt laugh. He quickly picked up two ciders from the counter Jean and Sasha were beating each other next to, then handed one to you and put a hand on your shoulder to turn you towards the door.

"Let's go outside. We'll check back when they're done killing each other"

A pleasant relief spread in your chest as you left the noise and complete chaos. Loud music became muffled as soon as Marco closed the glass door to the patio behind him, and soft laughs and chatter hit your ear of those who were sitting outside.

"Y/n! Let me help you with that"

You smiled at Armin and handed over the cider for him to, like the gentleman he was, open the bottle for you while you settled down on the wood bench next to him. "Thank you, Armin"

"Good to see you, man!" Marco reached over with a happy grin to shake his hand, then leaned over to shake Bert's as well. Annie greeted him with a small wave - they all looked at Marco with such a warm smile, you could feel how loved by everyone he was. "Annie!"

"Marco, s'been a minute! How's everything?" Armin asked while opening Marco's bottle as well, and you took a sip of the strawberry cider, sweet bubbles sizzling on your tongue as your eyes followed Marco's movements. He grazed his palm as a greeting over Mikasa's shoulder who sat next to Armin - she smiled up at him, but kept half an eye on Eren and Reiner, lounging on a pair of chairs a little further away, seemingly having a heated conversation over something sports related. Marco grinned back at Armin while shaking Reiner's hand, then taking Eren's as he mumbled a "hey, bro", immediately getting back to the vital argument they were having.

"Nothing much, working. I had to come and catch up with you guys though, how's uni life?"

"What the hell are they so pressed over?" you asked Mikasa in a low voice as you motioned towards the two athlete bros, trying not to disturb Armin and Marco's coversation.

"Don't even ask" Mikasa shook her head, her gorgeous black strands of hair moving around her face, shining in the faint light coming through the glass door to the patio. "It's just some statistics, or whatever. But Eren's been irritated all day, so even some stupid numbers can get him worked up, I'm afraid"

You looked over to Eren, lighting a blunt as he was listening to Reiner talk. You often saw his face around campus just like this, grumpy and unmoved by anyone and anything happening around him, but Mikasa knew him like the back of her hand. If she said he was unusually irritated, there was no room for doubt.

The grumpiness on his face seemed to quickly dissolve anyway as Marco and Armin's conversation started to spread across the table, getting Annie, Bert and Mikasa, then shortly after Eren and Reiner involved as they told you where they all knew each other from, what childhood or high school memories they shared, and how the strings of their lives still interweaved from time to time - even though everyone went on to different colleges, jobs and paths of life.

To answer their curious questions, you even talked about how you were completely new not only around this town, but to this whole state, attending this college being a fresh new start for you. And about how you were so happy to have met them here.

The small amount of alcohol and all the funny and endearing stories they shared made you forget about any anxiety you previously had about this party. You really felt like you were at home as you looked around to see their glimmering eyes, and faces glowing with joy as they laughed.

Even Eren seemed to forget about their super important battle of numbers with Reiner when they pulled their chair closer to the table to join memory lane.

"You want a hit?" Eren's hand suddenly appeared in front of you, holding the blunt that was obviously on its last legs. You turned your head to meet his low-lidded green eyes, and Reiner's eyes shot to you at your movement. He flashed his million dollar grin at you, and you bashfully smiled back at him. God, he was handsome.

"No, thanks" you smiled at Eren, amused at how much more relaxed he looked than before. To Mikasa's greatest delight, it seemed.

"Where are your glasses?"

"I've decided not to be short-sighted anymore" you shrugged, and Eren shook his head at your reply as a grin formed on his face.

"Yeah, you shouldn't let some object define you anyway" he played into your joke, and you nodded.

"That's what I'm saying"

"Where's your king of sarcasm by the way, Your Royal Highness?" Eren smirked at you, and you instantly felt yourself blush at the unexpected question. You dropped your eyes to look at your fingers as they started to fidget. You both knew who your king was, but at that moment, you would've done anything to avoid admitting it.

"I saw him playing beer pong inside, they're on a winning streak with Connie" Marco appeared next to you with two bottles in hand, cold and fresh from the refrigerator. You felt your cheeks getting even warmer as you looked up at his happy grin, accepting the bottle he held out to you. He knew.

"Thank you, Marco" you muttered, and quickly reached out to grab the bottle opener. You were more than happy to do something with your hands to hide your sudden nervousness.

"He told me about you, you know" Marco went on in a lower voice as he sat back down next to you, so only you could hear him.

Your heart started to pound faster in your chest. Jean told him about you?

"He did?" you replied hesitantly, not sure what to think. "And what- What did he tell you?"

"Well" Marco smiled back. "He told me about a cute little nerd he often annoys for fun"

"Of course he'd say that" you mumbled, fingers rubbing the bridge of your nose as you tried to hide the blush of your cheeks. Cute..? "I don't know about the cute part though, I'm pretty sure you misunderstood 'loser'"

"You think so?" Marco let out a heartfelt laugh. "I'm pretty sure I heard him right. Jean doesn't really gush over any girl, so him saying 'cute' caught my ear"

Your eyes dropped once again to your fidgeting hands, but you couldn't help a smile curving your lips.

"Could be anyone, a lot of cute girls compete to entertain him around campus on the regular"

"Jesus, you two really are the exact same person" Marco laughed, and you looked up at him flustered and confused at what he meant. "Look, through a difficult investigation, I found out he liked this smart, pretty girl with a bad eyesight, who likes reading her crime novels curling up under her nightlight, blushes easily, and whose bitter jokes he finds hilarious, but would never admit to it. I'm quite sure that can't be anyone"

You felt your stomach flip at the thought of Jean not only knowing you, but paying such attention to particular details about you. You couldn't have described the feeling even if you wanted to - but despite the sudden nausea and nervous fluttering of your heart, you couldn't help your smile growing into a grin at Marco's words.

You felt like you were on cloud nine.

"Are you sure Jean said that?"

"Yep" his bottle momentarily covered Marco's smile as he took another sip, examining your happily flushed cheeks under the dim light. "Why is it so hard to believe? I thought you both liked each other"

A few seconds of silence sat between you as you fought the tension straining your chest from inside. The tension that held you back from admitting your feelings up to this point, not only to someone else but even to yourself.

"I- I do. It's not that" you muttered in a small voice. "We've just been bullying each other for so long now, it's-"

You nervously paused as Marco let out a chuckle.

"It's hard to believe he'd look at me like that" you looked into Marco's joyful brown eyes. He truly found you and Jean floundering around entertaining.

"I know Jean. Believe me when I say he's actually smitten with you" he replied, making your fluttering heart almost jump out of your chest. "He's not gonna admit that though. You two like suffering in silence, as I can see"

You let out a quiet chuckle. As you looked at Marco's genuine, caring smile, you felt like this was the right moment to finally be truthful, that you were ready to open up. But before an honest answer could leave your mouth, the glass door to the patio flew open, and Sasha bursted out of the living room with Niccolo by her side.

"Guys, you won't believe what I just found in Connie's kitchen"

"It's nice to finally see you, too, Sasha" Mikasa replied to Sasha's choice of entry while Niccolo shook hands with the guys, already familiar to all of their faces.

Inside the house, the party reached its loudest, most chaotic peak. Loud banging of the music and shouting of the guests filled the basement, the kitchen and the living room. Guests being random faces of people not even Connie knew - the product of having your front door open to anyone without an invitation. But Connie couldn't care less.

Girls surrounded them in the back room, giggling as Connie threw the winner shot, jumping with a victorious yell as he hit the final cup. His audience was cheerful and tipsy, and that was all Connie needed to have an amazing and carefree time.

"I'll look for Marco" Jean waved his hand towards the living room, but Connie stopped him with a palm slapping on his shoulder.

"You can't leave me, we're on a winning streak!"

"You'll be fine, Connie" Jean patted Connie's hand gripping him, smirking over to all the bystander girls watching with gleaming eyes, waiting on their chance to join the team of the king of beer pong himself. "I'll be with Marco if you need me"

"But I need you NOW" Connie squealed, and Jean turned his back to him with a chuckle, shaking his head as he left the room.

Jean pushed himself through the sea of bodies moving and dancing in the living room, careful to dodge the plastic cups full of alcoholic beverages that all the drunken hands flung around in the air. Getting use of his height, his hazel eyes panned the room as he towered over most of the dancers, but beside a few familiar faces, he found none of the ones he was looking for. Not a sign of Armin and the guys, Sasha and Niccolo, Marco, or you...

He faced towards the stairs to the basement, but swiftly changed his direction when he saw a bunch of people occupying the steps. Knowing you and Marco, he was positive he wouldn't find you in an area so loud and crowded.

"Hey, Jean!" a shout exceeding the deafening music hit his ears and his eyes quickly followed its direction, Sasha's waving hand catching his eye. She pushed people standing in her way without a second thought, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Where are you guys?" Jean yelled as they reached each other in the crowd, and Sasha motioned towards the door to the patio.

"Y/n is out there with Marco" she replied, and Jean's heart jumped with a nervous beat as Sasha mentioned your name. "The others want to talk to you too, go!"

Sasha tapped his shoulder, encouraging him to step outside, then she continued her brutal way to the kitchen, elbowing and kicking anyone who was unfortunate enough to be in her way. Jean shook his head as he laughed to himself, then turned his head towards the patio.

With Marco?

What did Sasha mean you were outside with Marco? With Marco, like you two were only in the presence of each other, outside of the whole group?

Jean couldn't help a small little string of jealousy twist in his chest as he thought about you, and the first glimpse he caught of you tonight. How his heart was beating in his throat as you caught his eye, and how a mix of electric sparks and warmth spread in his body as he looked at yours.

The tight dress hugged your body just right, you tried to hide it under the oversized jacket, but the beautiful curve of your waist, your hips still showed underneath as you moved. He felt the blood rush right out of his brain, straight to his groin, as his eyes ran over the soft skin of your thighs showing where your pretty little dress was slit. He just realized tonight - he's never seen your knees, the curve of your calves, those delicate ankles... Jean immediately imagined them on his shoulders, and had to force himself to quickly shake off the thought. He's not a horny high schooler, for fuck's sake... The fluttering of his heart would've diverted his mind anyway as he gazed at your gorgeous face, your silky, soft strands of hair framing it as they fell to your shoulders. Beautiful, big doe eyes looked at Bert and Reiner as you talked to them, light glistening on your sweet lips as you spoke.

Fuck.

This was the second time he felt jealous today. What even got to him? Jean wasn't sure, but he quickly shook off these thoughts as he realized he had no reason to feel this way. He knew Marco, Marco knew about you, and you... Jean was pretty sure he knew where you two standed.

Waking from his momentary daydream, he pushed his way through the crowd of people to reach the glass door, then opened it to step out on the dimly lighted patio. Jean felt a sense of relief as a cool breeze moved the strands of his combed back hair and tickled his face. A similar tingling started to form in his chest as among the others, you caught his eye - sitting at the table, laughing wholeheartedly with that breathtaking smile of yours, as Marco put a blanket over your shoulders to protect you from the chilly night air.

Jean couldn't help clenching his jaw.

"Jean, where've you been? Want one?" Reiner called out to him with a grin as he grabbed a can of beer from the table. Jean caught the can flying towards him in the air, and threw it right back to Reiner with that same momentum.

"Nah, but thanks, Reiner"

As Reiner drew everyone's attention to Jean, all cheerful faces turned to him, eyes beaming with joy at the sight of him. You noticed that, and you heard the happiness in all of their voices as they greeted him, even though they'd already met earlier.

You looked at him. The Jean standing in front if you was so different from the arrogant prick you saw in him a few months ago - in this moment, it made perfect sense why he was so loved by every one of his friends.

"Jean, finally! C'mere" Marco waved for him to come closer, and your eyes nervously dropped to your lap as Jean's eyes panned over to you and Marco.

He looked exceptionally fine in the dark button-up shirt he wore tonight. Rolled up sleeves letting those damn perfect forearms be seen, collar hugging those damn beautiful muscles of his neck that simply screamed to be kissed. The dark trousers and the belt hugging his hips looked so mouth-watering, it made you want to rip them off when you put your arms around his waist earlier. Not even talking about how your stomach kept doing backflips as you looked at his pretty face. Stubble making his jawline look even sharper, his beautiful eyes under frowned eyebrows looking at Marco as Jean talked to him, the straight line of his nose driving your eyes right to his inviting lips, glistening a bit as his tongue ran over them before he bit down on his lower lip... His eyes burning right into yours as you suddenly became aware that you were staring.

He caught you.

"I'll be right back" you jumped to your feet, pushing the blanket off to the bench as you left the table. You had to be alone for a minute. This evening was becoming too intense.

"Where are you going?" Sasha asked worried as she put her arm in front of you, stopping you in the doorway, and you looked at her with a reassuring smile.

"Just to the restroom. Do you know where it is?"

"Sure, it's at the end of the hallway next to the stairs" Sasha's thumb showed the way, pointing back above her shoulder. "But I think you should use the one in the master bedroom upstairs. It's closed for all these randos, but you can go in, Connie wouldn't mind"

After getting the directions from Sasha to find the key, you pushed your way through the brutal crowd in the living room, making your way up the stairs between shouting, drinking strangers, even a drunkenly kissing couple. You fished out the key to the master bedroom from a plant pot, just like Sasha said, then easily unlocked the door, quickly closing it back behind yourself.

You pressed your back to the door with a sigh of relief. Silence, finally.

"What are you acting so grumpy for?" Marco laughed as Jean sank down to the bench beside him, right where you just stood up from.

"M'not grumpy, the hell are you talking about?" Jean frowned at Marco and accepted the empty glass he passed to him.

"You wouldn't be if you heard what we talked about" Marco smiled while grabbing a bottle of whisky, pouring some in the glass he just handed to Jean. That just made Jean's frown deepen even more with confusion.

"Why, what'd you talk about?" he asked as he slowly raised the glass to his lips, a wondering shimmer in his hazel eyes.

"You" Marco's finger poked into Jean's chest, and he just looked at Marco's entertained grin completely confused.

"Me?"

"You, man" Marco nodded. He was absolutely amused at the curious hesitance showing on Jean's face.

"And what... What did she say?"

"Well, Sasha almost blew it, but she did tell me eventually..."

You stood in front of the mirror above the sink, and examined your face while you washed your hands. You felt like you looked different. You felt different. Even though huge parties like this made you feel severly overwhelmed, you still felt an immense joy about how great it felt to be with people you grew to like so much, people you could call your friends.

And Jean...

It felt like a hundred little butterflies woke up in your stomach as you thought of Jean, and you smiled at your reflection. Maybe you were a little tipsy, but the usual embarrassment you felt when you thought of the dirty little memories you shared, was nowhere to be found. A knot of excitement started to form in its place instead.

You wanted to talk to him again. You had to hear him, touch him, feel him.

You burst into the bedroom, hurrying straight to the door, then just when you placed your hand on the doorknob, a sudden voice made you nearly jump out of your own skin.

"Where's the rush, smarty-pants?"

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theyhavetakenovermylife · 5 months

Text

Clog! (Crack)

Bayverse!Turtles x reader (Platonic)

In which the turtles and you want to show Leo how much time he actually spends meditating and training in one day, so you put together a performance.

Song: Oct! - Don’t Touch My Clogs.

Warnings: Strange music from a banger song, spelling because tired.

—------------------------------------------------

You guys had told him, and you had done so several times, but he still wouldn’t listen. Leonardo spent too much time training. When Master Splinter had told him it was becoming a little too excessive. But Leo wouldn’t listen. He would just brush your comments off before heading back into the dojo. And after one day where he skipped all meals except breakfast, and didn’t come out before the rest of you guys were about to go to sleep, you had decided it was enough. It was time to go into extremes, and show Leo exactly how much time he was spending in the dojo. So the next day, after Leo had finished breakfast and gone into the dojo, you, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo started practicing. If you guys could put on a five star performance in one day, he was definitely spending too much time in there.

After several hours, Leo finally came out of the dojo. He was sweating more than he had ever done before, and his limbs were aching. But all that was forgotten when he saw Michelangelo, standing in the middle of the lair on the raised circle with his arms crossed and sunglasses on.

Before Leo could ask what was going, music started playing, jolting Leo in shock, as Mikey started moving his shoulders and lip syncing to the song playing.

“Years before I was born, father told this to me / It was one Christmas morning in '73 / There was one lonely gift nestled under the tree / My grandfather said, Don't touch my-".

Leo stared in confusion as Mikey gradually got into the music, pointing in Leo’s direction with a sense of urgency.

“He said, Boy, listen close, I am saying this once / These were worn by my parents and their parent's parents / Now they're yours, but be sure to guard them with your life. / He said, Don't ever let them touch my clogs!"

Just as Leo was about to ask Mikey what he was doing, the chorus started up, causing Donnie to jump out of nowhere and making Leo jump in surprise once more. Leo blinked as he saw his two youngest brothers dance out a well choreographed dance on the raised circle, while both wearing sunglasses.

“You can take my cash, you can burn my house! / You could force feed trash / I'd let you kick my balls whilе I chewed on glass / Beforе I even thought about letting someone touch my clogs!”

Leo shook his head in surprise at the lyrics.

“You'll have to take my life, you'll have to steal my dog! / Have to beat my wife / You'll have to kill my mom with a rusty knife / You'll have to break my legs before I ever let you touch my clogs!”

Both Donnie and Mikey started circling while staring directly at Leo, causing his metaphorical hair to stand.

“Don't touch my / C-L-O-G-S / They're my clogs! / Whoa, oh!”

As the second verse began, Raphael jumped up on the circle, causing both Donnie and Mikey to crouch and look at him like he was a god. Leo was actually quite surprised to see Raph was in on this.

“Father said: You're my son, so I'll tell you the truth / I wore clogs without socks for the bulk of my youth / Now these clogs, they are yours, protect them with your life / I pray you never let them touch your clogs!"

And just as Leo thought it couldn’t get any stranger, you jumped in from out of nowhere, taking up the second chorus with animated arm movements, all while his brothers circled you.

“You can slap my wrist, I'd let you shave my head! / Let you wax my pits / I'd even butt-chug bleach while you twist my nips / And after all of that I still wouldn't let you touch my clogs!”

Raph lifted you up on his shoulder, while Mikey and Donnie continued to circle the two of you with their arms up in the air, continuing a more advanced version of their choreography.

“You can eat my lunch and you can knock me out / With a 1-inch punch / And make me drink your sweat from a dirty sponge / You'd have to shoot me dead before I ever let you touch my clogs”.

Raph threw you up into the air, and started an air choreography that Leo was pretty sure took a long time to put together. Everything started picking up speed, and Leo was surprised to see how well it actually was going.

“Is my purpose in life to keep them safe until my child is at least 25 / Then I will pass the clogs to them and they'll wear them with pride / And every single day from then, they'll make sure no one has touched their clogs! / They're the one thing I love, the only thing that makes me sure there's a god up above / Those wooden clogs on my feet, and they fit like a glove / And I would give up everything 'fore I ever let you touch my-”.

Raph slowly placed you back down on the ground.

“Clogs / C-L-O-G-S”.

All of you moved your attention towards the door into Splinter’s room. Leo was more than just a little surprised to see his Sensei come out with a pair of clogs held high in his hands, ever so slowly moving towards the rest of you, who were acting as if he was carrying Jesus as a child.

“Now I lay me down to sleep / I pray the Lord my clogs to keep / If I should die before I wake / I pray the Lord my clogs to die”.

Splinter now stood in the middle of the raised circle, holding the clogs high above his head, while the rest of you were circling him in the ground beneath him, continuing your complicated choreography that only continued to surprise Leo.

“You can take my cash / You could force feed trash / I'd let you kick my balls while I chewed on glass / Before I even thought about letting someone touch my clogs”.

They took turns spinning you and holding you high up in the air, all while Splinter continued to hold the clogs high in the air.

“You'll have to take my life, you'll have to steal my dog / Have to beat my wife / You'll have to kill my mom with a rusty knife / You'll have to break my legs before I ever let you touch my-”.

It ended with all of you posing in various ways, all with your attention directed towards the clogs in Master Splinter’s hands.

Leo honestly didn’t knew if he should clap or run and hide in his room. But one thing was sure, he wouldn’t stay in the dojo for half as long as he had done before.

—-------------------------------------------

A/N: This is so bad, but I’ve had this idea stuck in my head for days. I just needed it out of my system.

#tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt donatello #tmnt leonardo #tmnt michelangelo #tmnt raphael #tmnt x y/n #tmnt x reader #tmnt x you #bayverse leo #bayverse raph #tmnt bayverse x reader #tmnt bayverse #bayverse raphael #bayverse turtles #tmnt crack #tmnt crack headcanon

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echo-goes-mmm · 2 months

Text

Moonflower #12

Masterpost

Warnings: none

It wasn’t like a revel. Kit knew it wouldn’t be, especially after Iris’s brief etiquette lesson, but he didn’t really have anything else to compare it to.

He should really stop comparing human customs to his own.

The music was slow and soft, stringed instruments in the background as people milled about.

Servants in smart black suits carried trays of tall narrow glasses, all full of fizzy wine.

Iris delicately plucked a glass off a tray, but she didn’t take a sip.

“The trick is not to drink,” she whispered with a smile, “but to look like you are.”

She handed him the glass and took another.

“Good evening, your majesty,” greeted a woman in a blue-green dress. Her makeup was garish, in Kit’s opinion.

“Hello, Lady Selina. How is your cousin, Mark? Recovering well?”

Lady Selina tossed her blonde hair a bit, and the twitch of Iris’s mouth told him this was both an annoyance and an amusement.

“Our cousin is doing just fine.”

“Wonderful. Have you met Kit yet?” Iris gestured to him, and Selina’s haughty gaze looked him up and down.

“I haven’t. I’ve just heard rumors. Does it speak?”

“Yes, ma’am, I do,” said Kit, and Iris covered her laugh with a delicate cough.

“How novel,” said Selina to Iris, completely dismissing him. “Speaking of novel, your dress is… interesting. It took me a moment to realize it was meant to be the colors of a sunset. Did your seamstress’s apprentice make it?”

Kit internally bristled. He liked Mira; who was straightforward but not rude with how she ordered him to move and stand. She was kind under her gruffness, and her work was excellent.

Selina was just being difficult.

“Mm, isn’t it lovely? Mira’s work is truly beautiful,” airily replied Iris, deliberately maneuvering around the insults.

“Your dress is so pretty too, ma’am,” said Kit, his voice innocent and his eyes big and dumb. He cocked his head, looking Selina’s outfit up and down. “I didn’t know humans could make faux silk. It surely looks almost like the real thing!”

Selina blinked, bewildered and offended, and Iris smiled with condescension.

Kit was very pleased with himself. He did not say anything untrue (he was unaware if fake silk did exist, but surely it would look real if it did). His words were carefully chosen to clearly appear as an unintentional insult, and Selina fell for it.

“Isn’t he adorable?” Iris playfully ruffled his hair, like he was a particularly cute animal that didn’t know what it was saying. “So sweet.”

“Uh- yes-,” stammered Selina. “So cute. If you’ll excuse me, your grace.”

Selina fled, in as much as slowly walking away could be fleeing, to a group of other nobles. She was flushed, and Kit could hear her whispering to her new companions about the conversation.

“How upset is she?” murmured Iris to him as she waved to a Lord.

“Very,” he whispered back.

Iris smiled, and Kit decided to boldly make fun of Selina.

“Does this look like fake silk to you?” he whined, in a copy of her voice.

Iris glanced over her shoulder, and sure enough, Selina was clutching the fabric of her dress, desperately showing it to another Lady. Her lips moved just out of sync with Kit’s mimicry.

Iris couldn’t help but laugh. “You sound just like her,” she giggled.

Kit smiled. “I can do more, if you like.” As a fae, mimicry came easy to him, and if it made Iris laugh he was happy fool around with it.

“Not here,” she said, still grinning. “But maybe later.”

___________________

Kit was getting used to the rhythm of the party when Mistress sent him over to the dessert table to get her some of the miniature tarts.

Unfortunately for him, a gaggle of young women were interested in chatting.

“Hello,” said one, who looked like she was putting on a brave face. “Are you really a faerie?”

It was an unnecessary question. Anyone who looked at him could see he was not human.

“Yes,” he said, a bit confused.

The girls giggled with each other.

“Can you do magic?” another piped up.

“Uh, yes.” Kit knew what question was coming next, and his mind whirled to list what he could do in his condition that would please them.

The last legs of sunlight still streamed through the nearby windows, amber and glowing.

“Would you like to see?” he offered.

The girls nodded eagerly, and Kit put down the plate he was carrying.

“Just a moment,” he said, watching the beams of light fall.

He shot out a hand to catch a sunbeam, and the girls gasped as the light filled his cupped hands.

Catching a sunbeam was child’s play, but it looked impressive enough to the young women.

They ooh-ed and ahh-ed at the light winding around his hand as he turned the beam over and over in his palm.

“Can I touch it?” asked the brave one, her face in awe.

“It will shatter,” he explained. “They’re delicate. But you can feel how warm it is if you hold your hand above it.”

He held it out to the group, and they took turns feeling the heat and cooing.

“Are you girls having fun?” asked Iris from behind, and the young women turned and curtsied.

“Oh yes,” said one of them, “Kit was showing us magic.”

“Was he?” Iris’s gaze turned on him.

“Um, yes.” Kit let the sunbeam drop and it made a tiny sound like broken glass on the floor as it dispersed.

The girls giggled again, and Kit felt more like the butt of a joke he didn’t understand. An innocent one, probably, but still.

The women walked off together, whispering to each other and laughing, and Iris fondly watched them go.

“I think they were trying to flirt with you,” she said.

“You think so?” He didn’t get that impression, but Kit wasn’t exactly around younger humans often.

Iris shrugged.

Kit handed her the plate of treats he’d picked out for her. “I thought they might be making fun, at the end,” he muttered.

“I doubt it, but maybe.” She took a small bite of a strawberry tart. “I didn’t have many friends when I was a teenager, so I can’t say for sure.” Iris hummed, enjoying the tart. “I'm pretty sure they think you’re cute, though.”

Kit felt weird about a bunch of adolescents finding him attractive. “I’m an adult,” he said. “Isn’t that obvious?”

“Of course it is. It’s just a teenager thing, I suppose. Having crushes on grownups. I wouldn’t think anything of it.”

“As you say, Mistress,” he agreed. He picked up a chocolate tart from the table, tasting it. A faint burn of salt lingered on his tongue, but it felt more like a hint of spice than pain. It paired well with the sweetness and faint bitterness of the dessert.

“At least your magic is coming back, Right?”

Kit hesitated. “Catching sunbeams is barely magic,” he mumbled.

“Oh.”

He didn’t feel tired, which was a good sign.

Maybe… maybe after the party he could practice. Try and push his limit.

Kit ate the rest of the tart, joining Iris back into the crowd.

His magic could surely only get better from here. At least, until winter came again.

taglist: @paintedpigeon1 @cupcakes-and-pain @loserwithsyle @cepheusgalaxy @thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight @virtualbreadtale

#Iris: teenagers am i right? Kit: whats a teenager #this one took forever to figure out #also i probably need to make a list of all the very minor characters so i can keep them all straight #my writing #whump #slavery whump #moonflower series #fae whumpee #royal caretaker

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fabuloustrash05 · 9 months

Text

My Review of Mutant Mayhem

Warning: SPOILERS

The animation was AMAZING!! From the colors to the facial expressions to the fight choreography, it all looks so good!

It took me a while for me to get used to the Turtles designs and voices but after finally seeing the movie and watching them talk and move, I can say now that I do love them, though I'm still not crazy about Raph's design��

If you know me then you know I'm not too big of a fan of the idea of Splinter not being a human at all, but for this movie it makes sense as to why he was always a rat and never human. Him being a rat from the start and hating humans ties in with the movies message about being accepted and even has a little connection/parallel with the main villain Superfly. I am still kind of upset that Splinter has no connection to Hamato Yoshi (that we know of rn).

Another reason why I don’t like the idea of Splinter never being a human or Hamato Yoshi is because I feel like it takes away the ninja aspect of their story, but the way they explain why they’ve ninjas was actually hilarious. Splinter and the boys learned how to be ninjas through YouTube tutorials, which makes so much sense for this day and age with how many people claim they are experts at something simply because they read or watch something online.

Leo was my favorite turtle in this movie, I loved his personality/character and how serious but dorky he was. He’s trying so hard, I love his hopeless romantic side, and how he wants to listen to his dad but also have fun with his brothers, so he’s stuck in a tug or war with himself. He was precious and I love him.

Leo having a crush on April actually wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. His crush on her was genuinely sweet and it wasn't shoved down our throats like in other versions *cough* 2012 & Bayverse *cough* I like that he asks her to prom, which I thought was very cute and a nice ending for Leo.

I'm surprised how quickly they killed off Baxter Stockman, but his "son" Superfly was a really cool villain to take his place. Ice Cube did an amazing job! But I’m not full convinced Stockman is dead. There’s no evidence that he’s still alive but knows. Maybe they’ll pull an 03 Stockman and make come back as a robot in the sequel.

The other mutants were also really fun, but I wish they had more screen time. And truth I felt like they added too many Mutants and I felt like a few of them could've been removed from the film but overall they were a fun cast!

Mondo Gecko and Mikey instantly becoming besties was nice. And I loved Bebop and Rocksteady's Bromance.

Mikey twerking was NOT needed in this film.

I like how the "milking" joke actually came full circle when the turtles were kidnapped by Cynthia.

Splinter vs the TCRI soldiers was my second favorite part of the movie, The animation was so well done in the choreography of the fight was amazing and had great detail.

My overall favorite part was the sequence of the Turtles confronting each one of Superfly’s leads. How the scene would sync up and cut back-and-forth to each brother fighting different gang members. The music during the scene was so well done and the animation with how it tied in with each brother was peak cinema.

April’s little arc of getting over being camera shy was cool and actually helped save the Turtles and NYC. But the April puking joke went on for too long. The fact they showed it longer than I excepted felt wrong.

I’m happy that Splinter got a girlfriend by the end but please don’t ever show us him making out with Scumbug ever again. *flashbacks to 2012 Raph making out with an ant*

My favorite joke was when the Turtles were like “Eventually Superfly will run out of cars to throw at us, right??” *Superfly turns to see he’s right new to a parking garage* LMFAO XD

There was a lot of modern day references and slang in this movie and a lot of people say this movie is gonna be outdated in 5-10 years but I feel that’s gonna be part of the movies charm. We’ll have to see in 5-10 years…

Superfly’s mutant army (Mondo Gecko, Bebop, Rocksteady, Leatherhead etc) got redeemed way too quick. All it took was one heartfelt speech and suddenly they weren’t down to kill all humans. Like they seemed really excited about it during the bowling scene?? Gave me Shrek 3 vibes. I was confident that Mondo Gecko was gonna change but all of them was unexpected but I’m happy regardless by the end that the Turtles have a bigger family.

I loved the sequence of the people of New York helping the Turtles and their mutant friends stop Superfly. I feel we’ve never seen that done before and in truth, New Yorkers ramming their cars into a giant kaiju Superfly IS something New Yorkers would do! XD

The ending I did not expect, the Turtles actually being excepted by all of New York, and actually getting to go to high school. This was so new and fresh, and I absolutely loved it and I can't wait to see more of it in the TV show and the sequel.

Also there’s a mid credit scene.

It starts off very cute with the Turtles doing high school shenanigans: Mikey in joining improv, Donnie with his “people” (lol), Raph joining the wrestling team, Leo and April starting a conspiracy vlog, and finally them at prom, but then it cuts to Cynthia, who it’s revealed she is secretly watching them. She talks to her second in command about wanting to catch the Turtles and get revenge. She then basically says that she “knows a guy” that can help and it cuts to a shot of someone outside the city….

SHREDDER IS COMING

But sadly no Casey…

#FabTrash review #my thoughts #review #tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt: mutant mayhem #mutant mayhem #tmnt 2023 #Nickelodeon #tmnt leonardo #tmnt raphael #tmnt michelangelo #tmnt donatello #april o'neil #master splinter

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star-girl69 · 1 year

Text

Ultraviolence

Natalie Scatorccio x Fem!Reader

—-

a/n: double chapter today bc…. you’ll see… i hope you all enjoy!!

warnings: swearing, mentions of guns and bullets, animal death, mentions of blood, tell me if i missed anything!!

Chapter Eleven - This Hunger Has No End

—-

1996-

This is how we do it!

The impromptu dance parties had been happening almost every night, a way to preserve normalcy. Jackie has first suggested it, but the rest of them had all agreed and soon- they were putting a music player in bucket, making it loud enough to project across the whole cabin.

You were still eating your dinner, the venison just as good as last night, easier to savor now that there wasn’t a rolling hunger in your stomach. The deer wouldn’t last much longer, but it would last long enough, you told yourself- until you could find another thing to kill.

The girls all danced and shouted, Coach snapping as a way of clapping, and you watched them all with a smile on your face. This felt like you weren’t in the woods. And maybe that was what you all needed.

Finally, the music started winding down, the voice becoming distorted until it stopped completely.

“Goddamn it,” Van panted, pick it up from the bucket and giving it a few hits. No music. “Has hitting something ever fixed it?”

“Maybe try blowing on it,” Mari said, and Van opened the side and did just so. Nothing was heard in the cabin besides for sharp creaking from upstairs, like a footstep.

Everyone stopped and looked up at the ceiling.

“Uh, the fuck was that?” Jackie asked.

“Wait, you heard it too?” Lottie says, her eyes wide.

“It was probably just a branch,” Taissa says, her voice commanding.

Mari gives her a look. “Inside, on the floor? What if it’s… you know, him?”

“What, the dead guy?”

“Um… yeah.”

“You know what it probably was?” Nat asks. “The dead guy’s missing fingers trying to find their way home.” She smiles and everyone scolds her, and you can’t help but laugh slightly, hiding behind your hand.

“You really have to encourage them?” Tai sighs.

“You gotta admit, it didn’t sound like it was on the roof.”

“Fine. Then it was just a rat, a raccoon, or something, I don’t know, it-”

“Shh,” Lottie says sharply, suddenly cutting Jackie off. She looks towards the ceiling. “Listen.”

“Oh, my God,” Tai mutters under her breath.

Everyone looks at the ceiling, including you.

While you won’t deny that the wilderness is a weird and scary place- ghosts? An animal is much more likely.

“Well I don’t hear it now,” Mark says after a moment.

Before the girls can start arguing again, Coach Ben interrupts.

“All right, all right. You know what I think it was? I think the ghost decided it was time to get some sleep. And we should probably do the same, yeah?”

“Yeah, I don’t know,” Van spoke, holding up the music player. And slowly, like a spill of water, the girls are dispersed and moved to their beds.

—-

Hunting was what you did most these days. You, Nat, and Travis would all hike out into the woods and look around for tracks and scratches in the trees- and while sometimes you did find markers that a deer was around, you never found it.

You were ready to go, holding your stomach because of your cramps- which most of the girls were also plagued with by now.

“Jackie,” Nat said, kicking her sleeping form. She groaned. “Jackie! Up and at ‘em, or something.”

“You got it right,” you say, smiling sarcastically, and she rolls her eyes, smiling as well.

“I’m so cold,” Jackie groans, looking like a blue blanket with her brown hair spilling out on top. “And I have cramps!” she said, finally rolling over and facing the two of you.

“No shit,” Nat scoffs. “We literally all have cramps.”

“I feel like I have appendicitis and I’m not in bed.” You start walking towards the door, excited for some fresh air- wondering if it will help you. “It’s no excuse, Jackie!” you shout over your shoulder.

Natalie chuckles. “Our periods have synced up,” she says to Jackie, nudging her one more time. “C’mon.”

She follows you out of the cabin, slinging the gun over her shoulder while you slip on your backpack.

“Hey,” Akilah says when Jackie finally comes outside. “Bloody soldiers on the left, breakfast on the right. Okay? Don’t mess ‘em up like Travis did,” she smiles.

“Okay,” he says, shooting her a look. “You guys are disgusting. I’m just-” he makes a gagging sound, and Akilah rolls her eyes.

“Shut up,”

—-

“Are we finally going?” Travis asks, looking at the “bloody soldiers” in disgust.

“Oh, don’t be so happy,” Natalie smiles. “Everywhere you go, the blood will follow you.”

He groans, but follows the two of you anyways, deep into the woods, looking for birds or something to shoot.

Travis goes first, resting the gun on the curve of a tree, staring at a large plain of thick shrubs, nothing comes out.

“Nothing,” he sighs after a minute, letting the gun fall.

“Ah, giving up makes sense.” She holds up the piece of paper you’ve been keeping track on. “You’re not too far behind to catch up.”

Travis is third, by a wide margin, and you can’t stop thinking about it and smiling. Even though he’s been nicer ever since that day on the plane, you can’t help but wonder how much this is hurting his ego.

“It’s not my fault your lady bloods are scaring all the prey away.”

“Wow,” you laugh, leaning down to touch the leaf of a small fern.

“You went there,” Nat says.

“Went there? I am surrounded on all sides That cabin is, like, the blood hive.” He reloads the gun.

She scoffs. “What’s the matter, Travis? Are you scared of our menses?”

“Never said that.”

She smiles, giving you her hand and helping tug you up from the ground. “Anyway, shouldn’t the smell of blood attract animals?”

“Uh, predators, maybe. But sure hunter-gatherer tribes used to make their women, like, hide in huts or whatever when they were on their periods?”

“Yeah, Travis, let’s talk about the logic of neanderthals or whatever,” you say.

“Yeah, I’m confused. Are you a zoologist or an anthropologist?”

He chuckles. “I’m pretty sure it was that so they wouldn’t ruin the hunt.”

“More like cause men needed something to blame their failures on.”

Travis looks at her and takes in a breath, turning back around towards the trees.

“Ouch. I guess that hasn’t changed.”

“Can he, like, forfeit his turn for being stupid?” Natalie smiles and wraps her arm around your waist, leaning against you, while you cross your arms, wanting to go back to the cabin.

Finally, the bird you’ve been stalking kicks up in flight. Travis fires a shot, and misses.

“Fuck,” he says, breathing heavily, and you and Natalie have to turn around to try and hide your laugh. “Whatever,” he spits, stalking off.

—-

You lay on your stomach next to Natalie, watching a small groundhog eat some leaves maybe 30 feet away.

She takes a deep breath and pulls the trigger. You shrink into yourself, expecting the sharp sound of a gunshot to come, but it doesn’t. Something clicks, and you look over to see Nat opening an empty chamber, which shouldn’t be empty.

“You cheater,” she says, turning to Travis who starts laughing, holding a bullet in his hand.

He does some weird trick you can barely even make out, and the bullet disappears from in between his fingers.

“Are you seriously doing magic right now?” you ask. “Major turn-off,” you sigh, flipping around so you’re laying on your back. You can hear Travis scoff. “Can we stay here for a minute? My stomach hurts.”

Natalie lays on her back next to you.

“Didn’t you tell Jackie that cramps are no excuse to stay in bed?”

Travis makes a gagging sound and walks away.

“Yeah, but like, this is is the woods. Not my bed.”

“Oh, okay,” she laughs. You rest in silence for another minute, you shoulder touching hers. “Appendicitis, though? Really?”

“I’m serious!” you say, drawing out the word in a groan, digging your feet into the dirt and turning your head to face her.

But she was already staring at you.

Her face is inches away from hers, the end of your noses brush, and you can feel her breath on your skin.

Her eyes are wide and bright blue, and you want to smile, to laugh and joke with her, but there’s something pulling you towards her, to just be like this.

You can hear branches rustle in the wind.

If you were to say her name, your lips would ghost across hers.

She’s been haunting you for so long, always right there, always a second too long, always thinking of her touch as soon as you had touched her.

Hunger has been something in your stomach you’re accustomed to. But this hunger, this one for her is different. It is a storm, in a way that you know it will never stop. There is no end in sight, no hope of food, of a savior.

You are starving and dying by the day, but this shaky friendship with her, that is what is barely keeping you alive.

The only savior you could possibly have is her.

And you’re in the wilderness, and you’re not stupid, and she looks and Travis and she cares about him. She dug up a dead body for him.

This is a hunger that will never stop, a violence inside of you that she could help you with, that you could share, but she won’t give it to you. She won’t ever give it to you, the girl with the gash across her face, the girl who barely speaks, the girl who is always second best even here in the wilderness.

It is never over, not when you’re too young to keep something like this, not when she is all that you have ever wanted, staying right in front of you for years.

Maybe it is the wilderness, the plane crash, but maybe it is just that you like looking at her, and you feel safe with her, and you want to hold her hand forever and wait for her.

“Guys!” Travis shouts, and you gasp and sit up, feeling stupid and embarrassed. Your mind was going to places that you wanted it to go. Not where it had to go.

“Y/N,” she whispers, reaching out for your hand, but you stand up. One of the bandages on your face comes loose.

“Sorry,” you say finally. “I-” But you can’t speak, you can’t lie to her, because you aren’t sorry.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for-” she smiles, so sweetly, like she’s watching her favorite TV show, like she’s watching the rain fall on a peaceful night.

But the thing about rain is that soon your boots will fill up with water, soon you hair will stick to your face, and soon it won’t be nice anymore- it won’t be peaceful.

But you’re violence and she’s violence, and a little more won’t hurt-

You have survived through so much together, and you can’t step forward like this just to lose her. Not here, not in the wilderness, not ever.

You are so hungry, so, so hungry, and there is no way you can ever feed it. No way you can ever make this go away. This hunger will never be over.

—-

taglist:

@sweetdayme4427 @dreaming-for-an-escape @peachydoki

#yellowjackets x reader #natalie scatorccio #natalie scatorccio x reader

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mint-merriment · 6 months

Text

things about the rhythm doctor act 5 update

just some stuff i noticed/liked abt act 5 !

note: this covers the new content added so there Will be spoilers! also i Just bought the game (despite knowing the prior levels through youtube hee hee) so this is from the perspective of someone playing seamlessly through the acts :)

misc pre-act-5 stuff:

i dont know if the 'simulated' option was there before, but it is very cool actually!

after playing 1-xn (act 4 boss), instead of the credits playing, paige suggests the intern take the day off. the screen fades to black and we are implied to have had a restful day before coming into work the day after and starting the cutscene with hailey and logan

from the steam page, i noticed that you have to play 2-1n in order to start act 5, so i purposefully didn't play 2-1n to see what they would do. (now that i think about it, this definitely is because the boss level uses the 'skip a beat' cue that is introduced in 2-1n's tutorial.) in order to let you know you need to know about skipped beats on svt patients, nicole blocks the doorway to the physiotherapy ward and asks you to go check on cole because he's got a bit of writers' block. it then cuts to 2-1n immediately so you can play it!

before you play 5-1, the ward takes the appearance of the field (which confused me a lil). after the level finishes, the illusion of the field dissipates to reveal the actual ward :0

5-1 & 5-1n:

in the level itself, the background sign counts your hits! other things are also displayed on the lights of that sign when its shown (such as the 'ready get set go' from the nurse, imitation of static during the rainy part, etc)

whenever you have to hit a "two" or "three" or etc, the lights that orbit the patient have that number of beams. nice visual cue there

the beat right before the cutscene where paige is startled awake by lucky, the ball is flung at the screen. even if you hit it perfectly, the animation that plays is lucky's early/late animation- ie, the one where his rotator cuff is tearing :(

speaking of. paige was sleeping/dozing off next to lucky to be startled awake in the first place, and throughout the level and after she notes that he might be feeling anxious

whenever you're cued for "four", lightning flashes in the background. this is just cool to me

in the second half of the level, the hospital ward actually glitches in and out! good foreshadowing for what the actual ward looks like on a first playthrough

5-1n actually starts with ian's hand as a fakeout- you might think he'll take the first few beats, but it immediately fades into the dream where our hand is taking the procedure, and transfers over to real life too

the miner actually has a single held beat in this level, with a unique running animation! foreshadowing his appearance in 5-3 intermission :)

"one slip, too late, three strikes, for me" I LOVE WHEN THE LYRICS COUNT!! AND ALSO IT COINCIDES WITH HOW MANY BEATS YOU HAVE TO HIT THAT TIME. (these lyrics also show up on the sign in the background!)

when logan says 'my hero would never hesitate to take his shot!', hailey joins in from the word hesitate. to me, it reads like he's said this a lot before and she knew what he was going to say, which is quite cute

the second chorus was from the trailer! which. is where they got it from probably lol.

5-2 & 5-2n:

5-2's tutorial has new tutorial music :0

the song itself is called lofi beats for patients to chill to, which is obviously a reference to 2-1 lol

speaking of 2-1, in the level proper, the part after the short cutscene between ian and paige includes that one piano part from it (specifically the part synced to the samurai's heart that ian is doing)!

ahh the classic 'i thought i was getting better so i went back to normal and made it worse' :(

i do like the snickety snick sound of the freeze cue! as well as the texture of the ice, it is very... cool B)

the tutorial (of 5-2n) shows the continuing friction between ian/paige vs edega, focusing on ian. edega is trying to push the rhythm doctor program to be something it's not really, which is just a tasty lore bit (i talk more about the story below)

...okay so 5-2n is sooooo hard for me, specifically me, but maybe also some of you. but it is a banger! and the burn/freeze beats are a very cool concept. (also the burn cue sounds very.. blacksmithy? it reminds me of that one forging minigame in patapon.)

the 'stage' thing is cool, introducing us to the individual concepts, before we get thrown off the deep end. very difficult, very fun. this level will haunt me.

i also liked the background ! oh yes and also: the mythical "5" cue :0

5-3:

5-3 is an intermission! one revolving around held beats haha, fittng for our second character- the miner! i liked the miner's reintroduction, and how his philosophy and views on life and his own health ended up greatly affecting lucky's viewpoint as well. as we see in the future!

the digging through bag to find things and multiple other random things being thrown out was very funny :)

samurai being at the other end of the bungee cord lmao

its nice that miner doesn't even know who lucky is, it makes their interaction a lot more genuine without the veil of 'fan' and 'guy who has fans' :) (even if it is a bit of a hit to lucky's ego oof)

i also really enjoyed the conversations overheard! cole not knowing anything about baseball players was funny, and mr and mrs stevenson reunion was so touching,,,(and also the birds hehe.) i love how they conveniently narrated it so that someone who isn't physically there can know almost exactly what's happening

this also really shows how much the hospital is a community of its own now actually. paige calling everyone over to see the reunion, even wondering where we, the intern finger, are. the doctors work very hard to make everyone's stay comfortable, and i'm glad that everyone's comfortable enough to be reaching out and finding this moment touching.

also speaking of which. its very funny and very in character that the reason mrs. stevenson wasn't moved to mr. stevenson's room earlier.. was that everyone involved forgot about it oops. at least the birds are there too!

annnd as evidenced by 5-x's pre-treatment notes, the miner's words seems to have really helped and affected lucky! good job!

(also. i got an s- on this the first time. dunno if you can get an s+)

5-x:

now. 5-x. the BIG ONE. god its so good but you already knew that

a preface for everything: the window movement is IMMACULATE. IMMACULATE I SAY.

the crunchy guitar chord coming in right as the screen pans up to the sunset-sky and the 'boss stage' fading in was PERFECTION. BY THE WAY.

i like the window moving like a clock! and sometimes, each tick actually ticks over to a different scene at a different time, with different people in the hall (but edega watching from that observation room at all times. unnerving)

the snapshots of people hanging out is also really nice, i like seeing that most have come to visit :) and also in multiple combinations! they are all hanging out :D

i cant get the blast beats perfectly, but i like the timing and occurrences of them- syncing really well with the lyrics/song!

"it'll never be a hundred percent. you have to make peace with that" this line hit me so hard. i have nothing else to say. its a good quote.

this scene is just good actually. it shows that the miner and lucky have spent enough time together, and when he responds to that quote with "i know... it's just..."? that speaks of understanding! and he was also spontaneously willing to share why he strives so hard, which lines up with all of his previous behaviors perfectly.

this cutscene also acts as a checkpoint; if you fail after it, restarting quickly returns you here! (during my initial playthrough i only failed twice, once before and once after)

SAMURAI COMING IN CLUTCH WITH THE "CAN YOU TEACH ME BASEBALL" thank you samurai you've done us all a great service

i really like how when the running sections start up again, everyone who was shown to have been roped in shows up in the next one (ie logan and hailey joining after the box of beans part)

also. the return of beans hopper! nicole's coffee throw being repurposed for baseball! cole and the samurai (who are of course friends since at Least 2-2n) texting each other! cole's "X" response before immediately after being shown running with the rest of them! (interestingly, nicole doesn't show up in the next running scene. maybe because she was designated as pitcher??)

also, lucky is running Behind everyone, the samurai is rolling/skating/thats his run animation apparently, hailey and logan are running together, and cole is running ahead of them all. fitting!

the team!! the people who were roped into this impromptu team include: samurai, logan, hailey, cole, nicole, lucia, hugh (farmer), miner, and the insomniac. thats... almost everyone lol. besides the birds, the stevensons, and the doctors

lucky's 3am thoughts were portrayed really well. imo, even though it doesn't seem like it, i believe that this game does mean something to lucky, though maybe this isn't realized until after the game. the virus kicks in here, and the screen movement is very intense here

glad they included him brushing this negative mindset in the morning to focus for the game though! late night thoughts can be very mean...

the lil graphic of the game playing out under lucky's heartbeat was really cute. glad they didn't go the 'intern, you must now treat Every Patient Here while they're playing' route (though that might be what is implied actually happened storywise rather than gameplaywise? through paige and ian's convo). ayo, hailey scored!

THE BALL BOUNCING AROUND THE SCREEN WAS SO GOOOOOD AUGHHHHH . fun fact the first time i saw it i was so entranced by the ball richocheting that i forgot i had to hit it. i think thats where i failed here lol. also, the parallels between the samurai and lucky here are quite thematic

ahhh lucky's final speech to the team! it resolves his feelings about his coach (whom, as we know, didn't think he could succeed in the role he wanted to play, but from whom lucky still sought validation from), and also helps him portray his own thoughts about his stepping away from baseball for a time to recover.

fun fact: if you fail between the game's start and the final speech, lucky expresses doubts about this being worth, but the players are still ready! they aren't backing down yet!

and of course. they win!! lucky refuses dr. edega's treatment, preferring to stay at the hospital for an extended period of time for his physical therapy :)

fun fact: i talked to the janitor after this (the janitor has some surprising insights actually) and while he was tempted to join the team, he ultimately didnt, instead deciding to cheer from the bleachers! thank you janitor

(also. this poor, poor local university team. they got beat by a cobbled-together team consisting of *checks notes* patients at a hospital who literally All have some sort of heart problem, ranging from some teenagers to people who have been doing hard labor or been incredibly sleep deprived for years. f on their part. but also a big name baseball player was coaching them, so that softens the blow haha. still tho. teenagers. thats gotta suck for them. lmao)

and! even though lucky hasn't been added to the credits (which perhaps the final release might change?), the roof where paige sings still has the net and baseballs strewn around :)

bonus 4-4n because it was also added:

spoiler: it was very cute. im glad they added it, it's very fitting!

the 'skip' cues were quite underutilized before, so im glad that they used them here (especially to signal that the characters were going to speak a short sentence, hehe)

NICOLE ACOUSTIC GUITAR!!! from all the way back in 2-4!! glad she's trying it out again :)

also its SO cute that she dusted off her skills because she was thinking about cole, perhaps wanting to make a song for him.

can't believe that when asked if they were thinking about playing for someone, neither cole nor nicole answered properly.

also. their hearts are beating in sync here. there is no one else to call the other heart's cues, the nurse is enough for both.

((sorry, i love act 2. they are so good.))

logan doesn't have heart eyes on hit, because hailey's out of town :(

leitmotifs!! i like the guitar from 1-2 coming back in for logan and hailey. and also the samurai's part threw in a bit of 1-1 too !

about the story+misc thoughts (this one is WAY more rambly):

this act is about lucky's struggle with his hospital stay, and also brings edega into the spotlight a bit more with the overarching story.

actually, this act is structured a lot like act 2 (which is. my favorite act actually)(all the times is SO GOOD OKAY) but only one person; it uses mostly two-beat rhythms, the first night level is a song with lyrics and the only lyric'd song before the boss, including an intermission, and a moving window final boss (with lyrics!). it also focuses on a singular (2 patients in act 2) patient's struggles for multiple levels, rather than multiple recurring patients for the levels, which i think really fleshes out said character a lot.

and i really like lucky's story! he was so impatient to get out, worrying about losing everything he had built for himself, but through the efforts of everyone at middlesea hospital, he realized that he could take it slow, that he won't suddenly be nothing if he takes the recommended amount of months to heal, and even if he steps away from the game. (i think his friendship with the miner was so good for him, im glad they brought the miner back)

as for the overarching plot, it brings the question of 'if the rhythm doctor treatment is really effective, does this make traditional medicine more obsolete?' and... the answer is actually no. in 2-4n, paige brings up that the rhythm doctor treatment only stops the symptoms, it doesn't treat the cause. and that's what she and ian are actually there for! (although paige does start to wonder if it'll ever get to the point where the rhythm treatment Can solve such things. shelve this for now)

we, the intern finger, are merely throwing a rope to a drowning person. paige and ian (more prominently paige bc ian is splitting his time working on the rhythm doctor program) are the ones actually pulling them back to safety- recovery takes time, and while some problems can be solved with a bit of rhythm defibrillation, Not All Of Them Can. in my mind, the ideal scenario is the rhythm doctor program supplementing a full hospital staff, but...

worryingly, edega doesn't seem to have picked this up, or if he has, he's deliberately ignoring it. as seen before and also in 5-1's tutorial, he's allowing the hospital to remain understaffed while pivoting towards the rhythm doctor program. he's pushing ian to make the rhythm doctor program do more things than what its meant to, as evidenced in the 5-2n tutorial, and in the pre- and post-5-x conversation. (and possibly more but those are the ones i remembered fastest.) ian has actually figured out what's causing the connectifia abortus (and what a shock that was, to learn that the program itself is dealing with inherent glitchiness), but edega making him work on other things is stopping him from being able to fix it. (ian also mentioned edega's plans for a 'miracle cure' which is. hm. worrying to say the least.) i am intrigued about the plan to distract edega long enough to let ian do his job tho...

also. edega's theme is very unsettling. make of that what you will.

if you're down here thank you for reading! tl;dr rhythm doctor act 5 update Good :)

#haha wow this was a long post :3 a REALLY long post O_o;#rhythm doctor #rhythm doctor act 5 #rhythm doctor spoilers #anyway. mayhaps i shall do this for the rest of the game. just little things yknow? buuut not right now (i have spent hours on this)#i was initially gonna put this in a single thing of bullet points with no breaks but alas. there's a 4000 character limit for a single list #hope this is coherent!#rhythm doctor tag

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a-door-to-somewhere · 10 months

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Ok watched spiderverse 2 again here's some thoughts in no particular order (spoilers and long post ahead):

- peter b is reading a book called "how to talk to kids" at the very end. Presumably because may can't speak yet and Gwen and Miles were zapped away I choose to believe he was reading this so he can go talk to Miguel LMAO

- I fucken love the way spot, after he powers up, move around via just like... sliding around in the air basically with his bad posture like he's hung from strings like a puppet

- when gwen is drumming at the opening and when spot gets zapped both are intercut with frames from later in the movie and also later in the future. I'm guessing spot got a glimpse of canon events but when Gwen was doing her intro it was phrased like a retrospective- but unlike most intros it didn't have a shot of a new spiderman comic being thrown on the pile. So when was she doing this retrospective? I hc she'll pick back up at the end of the third movie

- someone needs to make procreate brush packs for each universe/character PLEASE

- ok the "watercolor" effect being a mood ring is incredible but I havent seen anyone talking about the sort of abstract animation?? It almost reminds me of like experimental film from the impressionist/dada/supremetism eras, you can see it synced to the drum in the intro and also in some of the backgrounds during her big speech

- also during the Guggemheim fight when the Renaissance Vulture was like "you call this art?" And Gwen was like "well we're talking about it aren't we" YOU'RE SO RIGHT GWEN I AM KISSING YOU ON THE LIPS

- the shaky 1st pov cam when Gwen's dad sneaks up on her both times reminded me of when Miles accidentally watched kingpin kill perfect Peter? Idk if it was exactly the same I'd have to go back and rewatch but UGH it really gets that Gwen's dad has two sides too and the cop side isn't really human almost, lurking in the shadows, silhouetted

- also Gwen's dad just being a shit cop, giving her mixed instructions, raising a weapon at an unarmed person who is trying to communicate, firing warning shots, yelling the Miranda rights over her which is not how its supposed to be given

- contrast that with Jeff who literally never pointed a weapon at anyone and went charging after spot with his bare hands, is casual with his spiderman. I mean even when Jeff was talking about Miles not capturing Spot correctly it was lighthearted and joking, he's actively not going by the book, he's keeping the squad off of Spiderman's back, he apparently talks to spiderman about his family troubles???

- have I mentioned I LOVE MUSICAL MOTIFS????? Seriously they’re always good (fuck Wagner everyone knows Toby Fox invented the leitmotif) I mean everyone noticed the horror style Prowler stinger but even more characters got some: Gwen got a Little Rock theme with a guitar lick that echoes the ‘spi-der-man, spi-der-man’ song, Miguel’s distorted synth whine, the interesting mouth and bells percussion that Pav gets (good job Hollywood avoiding the exotic Asian pentatonic lick for once), at the end when the 42 prowler reveal slowly changed the prowler stinger into a human scream???? There’s probably more but I’d have to go back and watch it again again lmao

- I really love how Miguel is kinda goofy. He’s aloof and over serious but he makes mistakes and shows other emotions despite his best efforts. His flaws are shown off in his very first interaction, with his unwillingness to ask for help despite the fact that he knows he needs it. He’s frustrated. He’s got group object leader energy. It makes it so much more lovable that he’s susceptible to quips and he also gets knocked down and messes up and shows up and has his quirks that everyone puts up with. THATS how you make an interesting, relatable, lovable antagonist. Perhaps it worked too well LMAO

- I am an Oscar isaac simp I gotta go rewatch moon knight

- when miles was swinging around with gwen he passed a truck called "redex" bc gwen rejected him lmao

- theres an 8 clearly visible in the background of earth 42? Wacc

- the Spread Your Wings, Man scene focusing on the plastic wrap on top of the Alchemax flowing in the wind like it’s an ocean?/??? I really hope they call back to that imagery later because it clearly means something and I need to know what

- I’ve got an inkling of something that specifically revealing one’s spider-dentity to a loved one is some kind of anti-canon event, like maybe it’s the thing that fixes the destabilization? I mean we’ve seen that it’s ok if loved ones figure it out themselves (or if they then die, like uncle Aaron) like it’s a clear theme that miles keeps trying to tell his parents, and then Gwen tells her dad, which causes him to quit the force, thereby averting the canon event of him dying indirectly??? Also, it’s implied that the MJ of 1610 sold out Perfect Peter Parker to Fisk, leading to his death, ALSO also, gayatri probably figured out Pav’s identity right before HIS world destabilized??? Idk lmao

- I hope spiderbite/Margo and Jess get proper intros I can’t wait

- the background spider hockey girl has my heart, I couldn’t stop looking at her during the chase scene

- God I need to watch moon knight again

- when mj moved into mays room to greet them she lifted a picture frame back up as she moved in the door? What's up with that???

- not Spanish originally starting as a too-relatable joke that Miles gets a B in despite his mother speaking Spanish at home as well, not living up to his expectations, and then 42!Miles presumably speaks more/better Spanish due to being closer to his mom because his dad died???

- not miles aceing ap physics and ap studio AT THE SAME TIME in his SOPHOMORE YEAR free my boy from grounding he’s done nothing wrong

- btsv’s main villain is gonna be the sat I’m telling you

- most importantly: what was up with the Comic Code Authority’s seal being shown after the studio logos at the beginning??

Did that happen in the first one??? Why would it be there??? The cca has obviously been defunct since before superhero movies were really a thing. Famously, the cca seriously censored a ton of content, causing Marvel to be unable to portray darker stories involving drugs and other more mature themes, which they wanted to do with many superheroes including Spidey??? Is the Spider Society secretly the cca, censoring storylines that they think shouldn’t be portrayed, including darker timelines like 42? There was also issues with the convoluted Spider-Man comic lines going through unsatisfying ‘resets’ to keep Spider-Man relatable, without evolving the character into anything too far away from the OG Spider-Man, ie young, relationship issues with MJ, nerdy, tragedies etc. this is the detail that had me wondering the most because it was so clearly displayed right at the beginning, and the cca was generally a shameful part of comic book history in which publishers submitted to satanic moral panic. Like, not really something that reads as a cute little callback to an era of comics like he use of Ben day dots or misaligned printing or the onomatopoeias??

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thebladeblaster · 7 months

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What if the Pokémon protags had Digimon part 2?

So in masters Nate just has Braviary so…

I ran out of ideas for armor evolutions and Hawkmon’s are obvious. Nate also uses the tried and true Masaru method of evolution.

First off this second part took so long exclusively because Calem’s was an absolute nightmare to decide. Both him and Serena have Fennekin also Serena has Greninja. Also Serena is the protagonist which complicates things more…Anyway so I wouldn’t end up pulling out my hair I just decided that Serena has Fennekin like her anime counterpart so Calem has Froakie. Ninjamon is an abomination and the frog Digimon suck so I gave him the other ninja Digimon.

I guess he gets an Xros Loader so considering how evolutions are in Xros Wars he may well go straight from Falcomon to Ravemon.

Unlike Calem he was much more simple because he only has one sync pair. I’m also imagining that his super ultimate form comes about from Ultra Necrozma’s influence.

Xros loader too because Digimon Hunters is a thing that exists

Lucas took the only monkey rookie so I had to improvise. I tried to resist the urge to give him Etemon as a joke because musical monkey and unfortunately I couldn’t help myself 😅. Also once again there is not a lot of super ultimates. Sorry Victor.

I haven’t finished watching Ghost Game so I dunno. Maybe Appmon could be used too.

Since this dude isn’t in Masters I just based his on Miraidon. It’s that simple.

I could have also gave him this guy though 🤣

Anyway I have overthought this silly idea and actually have a very solid au idea. Let me know if anyone wants to know about the silly au where Digimon exist in Pokemon. Also I was thinking that I’ll do the female protagonists and rivals in the future.

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channelsurfer02 · 1 month

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youtube

Behold! I have made a Slayers AMV set to the song The Wizard's Last Rhymes by Rhapsody of Fire. Funnily enough, this was for a school project. One of the examples my professor gave me for the assignment was an AMV, so it was totally fine for me to make it! Anyway, I really like how this turned out. Some parts really sync up well and I got to make something about one of my new favorite anime franchises. Although, I still wish I could have synced some parts more to the music. Ah well, I spent four whole hours editing this thing anyhow. All things considered, for my first ever attempt at making an AMV, I think I did pretty well.

#slayers #slayers next #slayers try #the slayers #lina inverse #rhapsody of fire #Youtube

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soberpluto · 1 year

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Scribble: Sun in Cancer

Brainstorm on what it feels like to have Sun in Cancer!

Flooded by emotions. You change without being aware of it. Your soul is intertwined with the unseen realms. You read others so naturally. You have a psychic antena. Your sixth sense is unmistaken. You pretend to be rock hard, but deep inside you are a tender creature. You understand others without effort. You make others feel seen and acknowledged. Your energy is healing. Your closeness feels ethereal. Excessive acceptance of others may turn into self-abuse. You can forgive, but you never forget. You stand for your loved ones much fiercely than for yourself. You are the Divine Feminine. You are very attracted to masculine energies because you complement them so well. Understanding yourself is essential. You are relentless when you love something or someone. To quit, love has to die. Is it even possible? Do you know when loving is hurting? You are sacrificial and caring by nature. You create family systems. Your friends and lovers become soul units. Women in your family are healing, either by helping you or by being a terrible example you don't ever want to follow. Children make you happy. A partner that takes a paternal role. Your father has a lot of feminine energy. You honor compassion over stern justice. You are excellent at protecting others' assets. You have a beautiful ability to nourish whatever you are affectionate of. You are a good provider. Skilled at organizing and ordering. Tidy and cozy homes. Great at saving money. Your moods are subject to the Moon. Beware of the Full Moon! Temperamental and often misunderstood. You mean no harm, but the tides inside sometimes feel overwhelming. Usually, others cannot imagine how tender you are before you let them in. Naturally creative and expressive, especially in private. Music or art are cherished. You need intimacy to feel safe. You are good at making others feel at home. You are others' support system but may find it hard to find one of your own. Your emotional intensity is brutal, for the good and the bad. It's hard for you to let go. You live in the past. The past makes you feel at home. You want to root when you love something or someone. Antiques, archeology and heritage are of special interest. You are averse to arrogant and abusive types. However, you may be manipulative when you want to get something. Good at instigating guilt trips. Good at lying or bending the truth for your own advantage. Humorous and funny when relaxed. Others may be surprised by your bubbly and cozy personality once you trust them. You defend love with tooth and nail. You can die protecting others. Hero/heroin complex. Passive-agressive tendencies. More often than not you get what you want because of your keen ability to influence emotions. When offended, you retreat and give the cold shoulder better than anyone. Silence and distance are your preferred defense mechanism. When choosing, you cannot ignore your intuition. The nurse. The counsellor. The family therapist. The psychologist. The tutor. The womb. The Chariot. The Oracle. The ocean. You are mysterious like the sea. Still waters run deep. A rich imagination. An adorable soul. Proactive care and emotional growth inspire you. Whatever you initiate has soul and depth. In sync with nature. Animal lover. You need to feel needed. Indifference hurts like nothing else! You love when others ask your advice or help. Very sensitive to criticism. Intensely stubborn, it's hard for others to change your mind. Excellent listeners. You are skilled at observing your surroundings. You solve problems through intuition. Can attract emotionally unavailable partners quite easily. You can be too idealistic and see the good in everyone, a detrimental thing at times. An enormous devotion capacity. You teach others how to feel and open up. Inspiration comes in waves. Productivity depends on the ebb and flow of your emotions. Powerful gut reactions. Amazing storyteller. "Look at the Moon" mood. Your tenderness is like the love of a mother. You are giver of life. You lead with the heart. How will your love heal the world now?🦀

#astrology #astrology community #astrology notes #astrology observations #cancer sun #sun in cancer

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rays-of-fire-and-ice · 10 months

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BLEACH: The Thousand Year Blood War Ep 16 Reactions and Thoughts

Overall reaction:

Another late reaction post, but considering the next episode is airing today, I had to get this out before then...also, there was no way I was doing this reaction post without gifs from this episode!

If I was blown away last week, I have lost my footing this week. OH. MY. GOD! There's was way too much good stuff this week, I don't know where to start.

Highlights:

Momo's cameo: SHE'S BAAAAAACK…for ten seconds. I'll take what I can get! What's happening with Ichigo: I mentioned my theory in the last episode reaction that Ichigo is going to the Reio's past and this is all likely a test to see if he can be as strong as Reio to take his place as part of Kyouraku's plan. Well, it looks like that's basically what's happening. He's getting visions of Reio's life and we even got the multiple irises. Is this a sign of him simply seeing into Reio's past, or is it a sign he has the potential to become the next Soul King? Toshiro vs Cang Du and the lead up: this was just top tier! Form the music, the voice acting, and the animation, it was a beautiful adaption. Seeing Toshiro's hollowfied bankai was a moment for me, because I'll forget how I reacted to seeing it for the first time in the manga all those years ago. As a Toshiro fan, seeing him struggle, especially when Rangiku was thrown down in front of him, and he was helpless to even crawl over to her, was heartbreaking.

Then, to see him rise up again, with a form that looks this cool, and to take down the one that had harmed both him and Rangiku, it's one my favourite moments from the arc. Now here I am watching it ANIMATED (for, like three minutes, but who cares?!). And not just animated, but voiced. Romi Park couldn't have done a better job, and whoever thought to sync Toshiro and Hyourinmaru's voices when Hyourinmaru deserves a raise. That moment gave me the shivers, and it adds to the reveal. And just look at him!

I absolutely love how the ice has been coloured, and the small particles falling from his bankai is such a good touch. The conclusion of this fight had me sighing sadly, because I know where this goes for Toshiro and Rangiku. It was sad enough to see him stumbling and then collapsing trying to get to Rangiku, but then knowing that's Giselle's shadow and what she's about to do to him...I am both dreading and excited for zombie Hitsugaya. So then, this begs the question of will Toshiro make another appearance in this arc. The first arc adapted volumes 55 to 61 more or less, and this arc is still volume 62 if I'm not mistaken? Zombie Hitsugaya first appears in volume 65, so my guess is we will be getting an adaption of his fights against Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Mayuri in this cour. The excitement is real everyone! Shinji's shikai and bankai: the man of the hour. Fifth division's best captain. The fashion icon. The dork who spells everything backwards. The spin master himself. Shinji Hirako is here and he got his bankai animated. I knew it was coming, I had screamed during the trailer when I saw it was going to be included as part of the arc in a small way, but I still screamed when I saw and heard him activate it. When I read it in Can't Fear Your Own World, I knew I needed to see this animated, and the team behind the anime has made that happen with flying colours. Would it have been better to see him use this ability against a massive army? Of course! But the emonstration of it here was still amazing, and like with Toshiro's fight, the combination of the animation, colouring, music, and Shinji's voice actor made this scene AMAZING.

They make Shinji look like a freaking tank here (and he deserve it considering how the rest of this arc goes for him). Then there's the animation for his shikai, which was also just *chef's kiss*

Sui Feng gets her bankai back: I'm not a fan of Soi Fon, but even I have to admit this scene was great. Just look at this explosion, it's epic!

Mayuri the Christmas tree continues: HIS SUIT/COSTUME CAN CHANGE COLOUR?! HE REALLY IS A CHRISTMAS TREE! Shuhei, Ikkaku, and Yukichika vs Mask De Masculine: in my initial reaction, I said Sajin appeared the battle earlier than he did in the manga. My mistake, he actually does appear at this point in Shinji vs Bambietta, I had just forgotten about it. What IS early though is Shuhei, Ikkaku, and Yukichika's battle again Mask De Masculine. I'll admit it here and now that Mask is one of the few Sternritter I don't like. I found him annoying the manga, and so far, the anime hasn't really changed my opinion of him. So when I saw him appear in this episode, I cringed a little. I thought the anime wasing going to come back to him and just show he'd defeated Shuhei, Ikkaku, and Yumichika off screen like it happened in the manga. I was pleasently surprised to see this was not the case, and that we actually get to see this fight. Yes, it's going to end with the three of them defeated, but it's still great to see them in combat, showing off their skills and getting some good banter in. If nothing else, at least Hisagi gets to look cool for a couple of minutes:

Why did Yumichika get a Shin'eiyaku?!: It the question that's got the fandom scrambling for answers, and I honestly didn't notice he got one the first time I saw the episode XD

Overall, what an episode! We got at least two iconic moments here, and they happened for two of my faves! I have high expectations for the next episode, considering Momo will finally get an appearance that's more than a minute long (I hope)!

#bleach #toshiro hitsugaya #momo hinamori #rangiku matsumoto #shinji hirako #ichigo kurosaki #shuhei hisagi #bleach episode reactions #side note: this gif is how I imagine I'm going to react to seeing Hyourinmaru's Completed form animated #I hope I remember to use it down the line XD

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animehouse-moe · 1 year

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Bocchi The Rock 12: Making Anime History

So, Bocchi The Rock (hopefully Season 1) is now finished. I'm not great at rating things or keeping track of rankings and the like, but this show is one of my only 10/10 series this year. It's not in a "this is my favorite out of everything I've experienced" way, but just looking at what they've done. You just take a look at almost anything out there and try to find something that Bocchi is outright beaten in. Animation? Direction? Character acting? Bocchi has it all, and it damn well knows it because it put all of it on display in its finale.

Just take the opening music work for example. It's such a massive expectation subversion. The girls don't kill it, it's not stardom, it's hardly even really a focus on the surreal. It's the girls' perception of the talent show. Some of them are nervous, some of them are really into it, there's slight miscommunications and Bocchi is on edge. Just look at this, Ryou and Kita are both facing Nijika directly, while Bocchi is only slightly turned.

They're all on edge in their own ways, and the direction really shows that. There's not any crazy moments of animation or direction, it's an almost cut and dry musical sequence in comparison to what they've done before. But what really separates it is the crowd. You get to see the familiar faces, you get to see Bocchi search out into the sea of people and find those familiar faces. You get to see Bocchi's reactions to the cheering, to the smiles and enjoyment of everybody in the crowd.

It's an eye-opener that is there for one specific purpose. Comparison. To see how far they've come, they can't have perfect performances every time they're out and about, they can't have revelations every time they step on stage. Instead of that, it's showing how far they've come, even if they're nervous and slightly awkward, you get to see Kita's eyes dart around and make contact/sync up with Bocchi and Ryou, you get to see their response to the crowd, and how in tune all the girls are with each other. The songs weren't for showing off their ability or making it cool, they were to show that the girls have come far enough to see outside their stage, outside of their individual performances.

Of course, it's Bocchi The Rock, so there's a catch. And it works so incredibly well as a wake-up call and tonal shift to take the episode where it really wants to go

From here it plays out like typical Bocchi. The grand sense of tension and excitement evaporates and is replaced with the oddball humor and wild creativity of the staff in stuff like Bocchi going Super Saiyan, or the real photorealistic backgrounds and environments that the show is so well-known for, or even Nijika going to town on a drum set with a pair of guitars as drumsticks.

I could write about every last frame of Bocchi, and I'd probably love doing so. Every last detail, every little piece that forms this puzzle, all of it has intent, purpose, passion, behind it. It's not a half-assed "get it out the door" adaptation, and it's not a director trying to leave their mark on the work.

It is the insane love child of the staff that have worked tirelessly to make something that stands out as an incredible pillar of anime and animation. It is their blood, sweat, and tears distilled into a surreal and near indescribable adaptation that does leave the team's mark on the material. Not because they changed it, but because they nailed it.

Bocchi The Rock is more than what awards can give credit to the series for. This is a first time director. A FIRST. TIME. DIRECTOR. This is their first full anime project undertaken, and this is what they produced. This staff, on a short and somewhat tight schedule, produced this. The creativity of this team, and subsequently Cloverworks, is massively understated in the community.

This is a studio that's brought God knows how many stellar adaptations at this point. They brought us Bocchi and Spy x Family part 2 this season. They brought Shadows House S2 in Summer, Spy x Family Part 1 in Spring, and even though I'm a big Dress Up Darling hater, they did incredible work on it in the same season as Akebi's Sailor Uniform.

Bocchi The Rock is a reminder of what the anime industry is. Ever changing, ever evolving. The "best" studio, the greatest work never being chained down to a single name for a long period of time, never being able to dominate in all genres of anime. But more than how volatile the industry is, it reminds viewers of what anime can do. How far it can take itself, how thin it can stretch its reality, how wide its reach can be. It's a reminder of the limitless potential that anime and animation holds, and how much more we still have that we can explore.

Bocchi The Rock is a literal rock-star of anime and should be recognized as such. Incomparably incredible.

#bocchi the rock!#hitori gotou #bocchi hitori #bocchi #bocchi the rock #bocchi chan #bocchisweep #animation #anime and manga #anime recommendation #anime #anime review #ぼっち・ざ・ろっく!

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