#part three in my Totally Normal Poll series

[tangledinink]

#part three in my Totally Normal Poll series #im having a good time with these #slowly gathering data so i can diagnose my followers as #like #a collective #you'll all have to share the dx tho sorry #i only have enough money for one #polls

[snkpolls]

SnK Episode 68 Poll Results (for Manga Readers)

The poll closed with 146 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results for the Manga Readers’ poll. If you wish to see the results for the Anime Only Watchers’ poll, click here.

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RATE THE EPISODE 140 Responses

The anime continues its positive streak with just over 90% of respondents rating the episode a 4 or 5. MAPPA appears to be blowing this season out of the water for most of us!

Noice

Good!

I liked it

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING MOMENTS WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 144 Responses

We got a pretty mixed pie chart this week. To be expected, given how many moments were in this episode. At a tie with the largest pieces of the pie were Hange’s eccentric attempt to greet the Marleyans and Eren’s gunshot figuratively hitting Sasha. Behind that two more options tied in each with 10.4% of the vote - EMA’s conversation at the shooting range and Sasha appreciating Nicolo’s cooking. This is followed closely by Eren’s mirror scene with 9.7% of the vote. Onyankopon explaining why he looks different when Sasha asks him about it took a solid 9% of the vote.

WHAT WAS THE MOST EMOTIONAL PART OF THE VISIT TO SASHA’S GRAVE? 144 Responses

This was almost too close to call, but Mikasa sitting alone managed to edge out just slightly over Connie’s “I’ve lost half of me” moment at Sasha’s grave. Trailing behind the two were Nicolo’s grief and the agreement between Papa Braus agreeing to a free meal from Nicolo.

AFTER SEVERAL TENSE AND ACTION PACKED EPISODES, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE TRANSITION TO SOMETHING MORE CALM? 138 Responses

The larger chunk of respondents are feeling relieved to get a break from the action for a few episodes. 21.7% prefer the action but don’t mind a break here and there, while 21% state that they enjoy the exposition more than the action anyway, so they are content. A small handful don’t care either way. 

We needed this for another build-up to more action

I like the action but it’s important to move the story along 

These just feel mandatory fillers to me.

I miss the warriors

I feel fine with it. I thought that was going to be some happy-go-me episode, but gladly it still had a serious tones.

This episode felt like a very welcome respite after the absolute shitshow that was spoilers week and....whatever the fuck chapter 137 was. 

Nice breather of sorts, I always like seeing characters from action-heavy series in their downtime.

WOULD YOU RATHER GET A SURPRISE GREETING FROM EREN & HANGE, OR ARMIN & LEVI? 141 Responses

The vast majority of respondents would prefer the slightly less lethal greeting given by Hange and Eren at the beginning of the episode. We’re not sure if the other 29.1% are masochists or just really love Levi and/or Armin that much more. Or perhaps they’re intrigued by the pig piss from the filthy island devils.

ON A SCALE OF 1-5, HOW HAPPY ARE YOU TO BE BACK ON PARADIS? 139 Responses

Overall, fans are happy to be back in familiar territory and put into the perspective of the Survey Corps again. Let’s get ready to rumble!

MAPPA HAS SPRINKLED IN ANIME-ONLY ADDITIONS THROUGHOUT THE EPISODE. AS A WHOLE, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THEM? 139 Responses

Though subtle, MAPPA did include some anime filler (such as Eren’s, erm, mouth breathing). 51.1% enjoyed the noticeable additions, while 37.4% are completely confused by the question and didn’t realize there were any. A handful generally don’t prefer additions but enjoyed what little ones we had this episode. A small sliver didn’t care for them.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SCENES FROM CHAPTER 107 THAT WERE PEPPERED IN BETWEEN THE MOMENTS FROM CHAPTER 106? 139 Responses

MAPPA is shuffling things around to pick up the pacing of this arc, and 48.2% of respondents are feeling very positively about it. 38.8% also feel that both the order of events in the original manga and the anime work out just fine regardless. A couple of smaller groups either felt that things were a bit off from the manga, or didn’t really care either way. 

I think it's great because it allows an episode to start and end on the same chapter if mappa ever wanted it, allowing the right twists or cliffhangers to be in the right episodes, all WITHOUT having to slow down, which I wholly appreciate.

I'm fine with the changes. Mappa is doing good job.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE CHANGE OF GABI BITING HER NAIL AND ANGRILY SAYING EREN’S NAME IN HER JAIL CELL? 142 Responses

Nearly half of voters feel that both MAPPA’s take and Isayama’s original take work just fine for Gabi’s character. 28.9% prefer the anime’s take on Gabi’s reaction to all that happened, while 14.8% feel that her more defeated posture in the manga makes more sense for her character. 

I'm a mix of both? Her defeated posture implies that she's not happy with the way things worked out with them in jail and Zeke betraying them. On the other hand, her angry face is realistic to the scene too because it implies she really blames Eren for their current predicament.

She looks like some female version of young, angry Tarzan. This time Mappa should have kept the original postures, because the defeated Gabi feels to be more realistic, than the crazy anime one. 

I think they both work but the anime's take might be the anime team beating us over the head that she's just like Eren when he was young.

Makes it clear to the anime-onlies that she really is psychotic

Gabi sucks

HOW WELL DO YOU THINK MAPPA NAILED THE TRANSITION OF EREN SHOOTING THE GUN, TO SASHA TAKING THE HIT? 141 Responses

The response to MAPPA’s take on Eren’s shot inadvertently hitting Sasha was overwhelmingly positive, with only a few people saying that they could have done better with it. 

Eren shot linked to Sasha's death was awesome. Mappa is nailing it!

THE PART WHERE JEAN, SASHA AND CONNIE ARE TRYING TO GUESS WHAT A PORT IS WAS CUT OUT, WITH ARMIN’S NARRATION INSTEAD CUTTING INTO THE SCENE. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT? 140 Responses

Exactly 50% felt that while having that JSC characterization would have been very much welcome, they’re okay with that small detail missing from the manga (granted, it was at least acknowledged by one panel being animated). 25.7% have a more nonchalant response, stating that if it helps with the pacing, they’re fine with small cuts like this. 10.7% are just let down by JSC’s lack of characterization in the anime overall and didn’t appreciate even more being taken from their characterization in this episode. 

I was more so interested in our Paradis Peeps talking about newly discovered technology but I’m happy with what we got.

Not dissappointed since I understand you can't show everything but I love them so sad

Why was it animated then?! I’m so confused

Normally I don't like it when they cut corners like this, but I wasn't fond of that scene in the first place so it's okay.

If by "anime" you mean the entirety of it including the past 3 seasons, then option 3. I'm always going to be salty about how much they took out or changed for these three during the uprising arc. So far mappa has done okay with them, I guess. 

Would have been a funny JSC moment, but it was really absolutely pointless. In manga format it works as just background words on a panel. Animating it takes seconds of an episode that could be used elsewhere. So I'm fine with it being cut out.

SOME HAVE COMPLAINED THAT THE ENDING SCENE OF EREN REPEATING HIS MANTRA INTO THE MIRROR LACKED THE IMPACT IT HAD IN THE MANGA. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT? 138 Responses

43.5% were receptive of the anime only shots, but favor the way the scene was portrayed in the manga more. 34.1% felt that both versions were done well, with only 9.4% feeling that the impact was largely the same (if not better). Based on the write-ins, the main complaint seems to be the lighting/color scheme of the scene not quite meeting expectations, or that MAPPA made Eren’s back look weird. 

theyll make up for it when eren screeches at hange next ep

Impact was there, art just felt a bit wonky and toned down the scene overall. 9/11

This goes into my criticism of the color palette and shading style mappa uses, which is far more subdued. The contrast is lowered and the scene is very dark, and there is little rim lighting, so while the actual lineart has far more detail, the detail in the lighting is reduced. Damn I really am writing a wall text aren't I? I prefer Wit Studio's art style a lot but Mappa has honestly been doing great so I couldn't care less, manbun Eren is hot.

I prefer the manga version. I think the anime version have weirds shadows in eren's back. Plus the mirror don't have the same energy, less impactful

Cool scene in the anime, an unforgettable blow to the brains in the manga

Idk

Most of the time seeing things for the first time is what's really impactful. Feel this way towards Armin's transformation in the boat as well. It was definitely less impactful than when you first read it in the manga.

I understand the fandom because this moment was very popular when the chapter was out. I think that in the anime Eren lacks the anger he had in the manga. His voice was too calm while repeating his mantra. .

WHY DOES HIS BACK LOOK LIKE THAT

I didn't care for it in the anime, it was really underwhelming. 

I think most people are annoyed about the lighting than the impact. It’s a bit too dim and the lamp hides Eren’s new hair.

Didn't like the anime version at all

The animation wasn't good and they totally fucked his hair, face, and body up. Although the added shots were definitely welcome.

Eren could've been sexier/animated better, I hope they do better next ep 😭

WE WILL ASK YOU AGAIN. HOW WILL THE ANIME DEAL WITH MIKASA’S HIZURU TATTOO/SYMBOL? 135 Responses

With Mikasa meeting Kiyomi presumably being inevitable in episode 69, we wondered if any opinions had changed on this. 34.1% feel hopeful that the tattoo will be retconned into the anime and that we will see this scene faithful to the manga. 28.9% think that Mikasa will happen to have some kind of embroidery on hand already. 25.9% don’t want to make a call either way, and a small handful think Mikasa’s going to just pull out an embroidery kit and go with it, lol.

The embroidery will be on the inside of her bandage.

Japanese are very taboo about tattoos because of the Yazuka... it will 100% be the embroidery.

I don't know but I hope it gets retconned. Never liked the embroidery thing.

It won't be included

Let’s just... ignore it..

I really really hope MAPPA retcons Mikasa's tattoo next episode. This will be the one retcon I will absolutely celebrate. Plus, it's not really a retcon if they're just amending Wit's changes.

WE WILL ASK YOU AGAIN, AGAIN. WITH THE PACING CURRENTLY UTILIZED BY MAPPA, WHERE WILL EPISODE 16 END? 137 Responses

Uncertainty continues to loom over exactly how far MAPPA will get into this (first half of the?) season. Nearly 40% don’t want to make predictions one way or another, while 23.4% feel that it won’t make it quite to chapter 122. The rest believe it will make it to chapter 122, with 17.5% feeling there will only be minor cuts, if any, and the remaining 13.1% feeling that there will be major cuts to make the feat to chapter 122. 

116 (?) when the allied force attack paradis

122 with the amount of cuts being somewhere in between. They can cut a lot of the Gabi and Falco plotline and still have the story remain intact.

See, I'm not sure buy I'm also worried and curious about it all. It brings up the question of will the story continue in a possible second half of the season? With the manga ending very soon now, it makes sense to have the story wrap up in its anime medium as well. Fees like there's some kind of uncertainty surrounding this, it's unnerving tbh. 

119 with Eren's head being blown off.

gabi no scoping eren, ending creds is eren entering paths and we see ymir standing behind him, s4p2 starts w the ymir backstory

121

No idea and I don't think about it. I just enjoy the show. 

Your guess is as good as mine, I'm still fearing major cuts.

119

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT NICOLO’S PORTRAYAL? 138 Responses

With Nicolo now formally introduced in the anime, we were curious how you felt about his portrayal. Overall the reaction was positive, with 48.6% agreeing that he’s a “cutie pie chef”, and another 45.7% feeling that his design and seiyuu are absolutely great! A small handful were less happy with the voice, but happy with the design, and a sliver went in the opposite direction, preferring voice over animation.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE ADDED DETAIL OF THE FLOWER BOQUETS AND THEIR SYMBOLISM ON SASHA’S GRAVE? 140 Responses

Respondents vastly appreciated the flower symbolism from MAPPA with 82.9% of the pie. 12.9% aren’t really sure what symbolism there even was, and a small amount either don’t care or felt the effort could have been spent on something other than flowers for Sasha.

WHICH SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? 143 Responses

This pie chart wound up being almost eerily even. 42.7% are most looking forward to the 104th discussing Eren (hopeful for the train flashback?). 39.9% instead are looking more forward to Hange and Eren’s tense conversation at his jail cell. The remaining three preview moments were pretty evenly split as well.

DO YOU THINK WE’LL GET BLUSHING!104TH NEXT EPISODE? 130 Responses

71.5% feel that there is a chance we will get the train flashback of the 104th in this episode, but don’t want to say for absolutely certain. 18.5% feel that it is a guarantee based on what we saw in the preview. 10% feel it is instead guaranteed that we will NOT get the scene in 69.

WE WILL LIKELY SEE PREGNANT HISTORIA NEXT EPISODE. THOUGHTS? 140 Responses

The plotline that continues to be a frustrating mystery in the manga - Historia’s pregnancy. 34.3% aren’t particularly looking forward to seeing her in the rocking chair and aren’t very stoked about having to relive this plotline all over again. 33.6% mainly just care about seeing how the anime only fans react to the scene. 17.9% just miss Historia altogether and will take any scraps they can get. And a small handful, at 9.3%, are actually looking forward to seeing anime!Historia with a baby bump. 

Don't really care about historia

It's in MAPPA's hands now. I just hope they can add a little more of her screentime somehow.

I hope so. I want to see the design of her adult self. 

I honestly wouldn't mind if Historia's entire arc, which consists of equal parts pregnancy, irrelevance and uselessness, is just completely cut in the anime lol

not interest

I'm not interested 

I've hated this fucking plot line with all my being and what it's done to Historia since the leaks for this chapter were revealed years ago. So I'm not looking forward to anime-only people jumping in with their hot takes too. 🤮🤮

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

mikasa was shown in sasha's grave in the morning/afternoon and then she was shown again at dusk. SHE SPENT THE WHOLE DAY THERE. and annie... what a queen. and hisu's few scenes? so pretty.

Really glad the pacing was well done

nicosasha ship just flew in and took the spotlight

fantastic!! maybe it's just because this isn't my first time going through this arc anymore, but i feel like the anime feels chronologically less confusing than the manga—I remember being very confused my first time reading these chapters.

The lack of score by Hiroyuki Sawamo is negatively impacting my relationship with the anime. The depth of the emotion that could have been evoked was not present. I also did not get the sense that Nicolo and Sasha were in love, which was a major disappoinment. There were other aspects that weren't so bad, though; specifically, Levi's portrayal and Onyankopon's philosophy.

It felt a bit all over the place, but just seeing things from the manga being animated, I ain’t even mad.

I think that the scene between Sasha and Nicolo was made better in the anime. Isayama has problems with writing romantic moments, so in the manga the whole moment looked like it was taken from some light romance. Mappa made this scene more serene. I liked it. 

I think MAPPA is doing so great tbh! I just need them to hurry up and explain if there will be a part two to this final season or what?! I need to know if we get more anime or they'll diverge into movies or.... just tell us! Lol! 

How DAREEEE they not give Levi his black steed!!!! .....Although knowing what happens ummm yeah maybe his pony gets to live another day this way lol

Here comes the train wreck, choo choo!

I'm really sad I didn't get to hear Sasha call Jean a perv. I was really looking forward to that. LOL I love them. When EMA were at the shooting range, it looked too much like Mikasa wasn't wearing any pants. 

VERY solid. Not the biggest fan of the War for Paradis arc but I'm here for the ride.

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 128 Responses

Thanks again to everyone who participated!

#snk poll #snk polls #snk spoilers #snk s4 #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #snk #aot

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 249: Todoroki Taco Night

Previously on BnHA: Nothing happened at all, because the manga was on break last week! Fortunately the anime had finally resumed after a billion years (estimation; exact length of time may be slightly off), so we had that to take the edge off in the meantime. Except we didn’t, because the anime also ended up going on break due to a rugby game or some shit. So that was nice. On a related note, when I die I’d like the Basement arc to lower me into my grave, so it can let me down one last time.

Anyway, Endeavor did some mentoring and gave Shouto and Kacchan a power-up assignment and told Deku to work on Air Force to help him master the fine control he needs for the Bloop. Then Fuyu called a week later and was all “HEY DAD, DINNER, OUR PLACE, TONIGHT, BRING THE KIDS.” And then as previously mentioned, we waited two whole fucking weeks and MY GOD, my body is ready, on to the new chapter we go!

Today on BnHA: Shouto, Katsuki, and Deku are cordially invited to Todosmith Farms for an evening of food and fun! They make it approximately six minutes into dinner before Natsu loses it and exits with more theatrics than a spurned reality TV show contestant. Baku and Deku spend the next hour being all “!!!” at each other back and forth, and whispering about how fucking dramatic the Todorokis are, which fully kills me and is my favorite thing ever to happen in the world. Deku then begins to guide Shouto through his personal healing process like fucking Mufasa booming at Simba from the heavens, and meanwhile Endeavor listens in while quietly kneeling before HIS DEAD SON’S PHOTOGRAPH, IN THE SHRINE THEY BUILT FOR SAID DEAD SON IN HIS BEDROOM, and sorrowfully wishing he could do more for his family. Anyways so I’m in ruins now, but otherwise fine. How are you?

(All comments are my unspoiled reactions from my initial readthrough of the chapter. I did a quick edit for grammar and clarity afterward, and added a few ETAs in the process, but aside from that there are no changes.)

well it’s Thursday morning, and I have just seen the picture of baby white-haired Touya because no one in this fandom knows how to fucking spoiler tag (and that’s on me too for browsing the BnHA tag on a Thursday; I know better, but I was just curious how this new group chat thing was working out), so here are my immediate thoughts

we never actually confirmed that the hair color correlates to their powers, huh. we just assumed. but come to think, there’s no reason why someone couldn’t have mom’s hair but dad’s quirk. it’s all Shouto’s fault for being a perfect 50/50 split and thus making everyone assume that THAT’S JUST HOW IT WORKS. damn you Shouto and your dramatic character design

anyways I tried not to look at the pic for too long -- once I realized what I was looking at, I averted my eyes -- but he does look like Dabi, I think. oh shit guys. it’s really fucking happening

and I also didn’t get a good enough look to determine whether this was a photo of Touya (that Deku or whoever happened to spot while visiting the Todochester Mystery House for the much-hyped dinner) or a flashback image (in which he is just standing really fucking still for some reason and staring directly at the camera), so I guess we’ll see. but anyways, Deku and Kacchan didn’t come all the way down to Todoroki taco night to not have their evening peppered with intricate family drama and reopened wounds and hysterical conspiracy theories, so you had better keep them goddamn entertained! lord knows the Todorokis don’t do small talk. this is literally their only way of spicing things up so their guests don’t die of sheer awkwardness while Endeavor sits in stony silence and Shouto just stuffs his face with soba all night

also aren’t we due some popularity poll results soon? just getting in all my random thoughts now before we dive in. anyways Horikoshi, so you know what I want to see now and you better deliver

aaaand now it’s Friday! so Happy Birthday Aizawa, and LET’S GET TO THAT CHAPTER

and we’re opening with Endeavor’s Redemption Arc: The Page. omg

holy fucking shit BnHA. you sure do have a way of making me wait WITH BATED BREATH!! FOR TWO WEEKS!!! ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT!!!! for the new fucking chapter only to have me immediately suck in a deep breath through my teeth and seriously reconsider whether I am in any way emotionally prepared to handle this. “you think you know what you want?!” Horikoshi demands. “YOU HAVE NO IDEA.” sob it’s trueeee

okay. okay. we can do this. hell, if we made it through Tomura’s flashbacks then this should be child’s play. so all right, let’s go

-- oh wait, but before I click to the next page, I just want to note that Endeavor isn’t the only one who’s nowhere to be found in this pic, though! boy you have three sons. uno dos tres

“the hellish Todoroki residence” lmao this legitimately sounds like the title of a Buzzfeed Unsolved episode

ARE YOU TELLING ME ENDEAVOR PROVIDES LUXURY APARTMENTS FOR ALL HIS FUCKING EMPLOYEES OMFG

SO MY THREE SONS HAVE ALL BEEN ROOMING TOGETHER UNDER ENDEAVOR’S ROOF!? THE FANFIC ENDEAVOR AGENCY RESIDENCES?! WHAT KIND OF OT3 SHENANIGANS HAVE BEEN ABOUNDING THIS PAST WEEK OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS LIKE A DREAM

OH MY GOD

okay I have like... ten different notes I want to make about Katsuki and I don’t know where to start SO I’LL JUST START SOMEWHERE!

I’ve legit wanted to see how he would look with his mask pushed up into his hair like a headband for the longest fucking time (I don’t know why! I just wanted to see it!) so this. is. Christmas for me omg. if only he wasn’t making one of his (◣д◢) faces and was instead making a normal face. but that’s probably too much to ask of him at THE CRACK OF DAWN, which brings me to my next point,

I thought he was a morning person?? [furiously checking headcanon notes] kid you go to bed at 8pm. you have your full eight hours by four in the fucking morning. and the full nine and a half hours that GROWING BOYS ACTUALLY NEED by 5:30am, which is when I always assumed you typically woke up in order to get in your morning workout and BEAST IT UP IN THE PIT or whatever gym people do. yet here you are, half dead, while Deku and Burnin’ are raring to go. were you just burning the midnight oil and that’s why you’re grumpy? WAS IT THE FANFIC AGENCY RESIDENCES SHENANIGANS, OH MY GOD I CAN’T

lastly, look at that unzipped collar. why is it that the more disheveled he looks the more I want to pile him up in a headlock and give him noogies. I love him so fucking much, this is ridiculous, he was only gone for two weeks but it felt like SEVENTEEN YEARS anyway

so Burnin’ is all “catch any villains faster than Endeavor yet, LOL, LIKE THAT COULD EVER HAPPEN!!” and they’ve been putting up with this trolling for a fucking week now huh. no wonder Katsuki’s ready to pack it in and sleep for the next year

motherfucker holy shit

sure thing coach. Todoroki Shouto out here ready for the morning huddle. BRING IT IN! ONE TWO THREE PLUS ULTRA

meanwhile Katsuki better keep his hair like that for the rest of the arc now. the collar too. I am living for this

what is Shouto doing with his hands

are you blowing a kiss. or beckoning toward her like Neo in the Matrix. are you channeling your inner Iida. wtf is this

this one panel perfectly encapsulates everything I love about this OT3 dynamic oh my god

Katsuki screaming at Todoroki that he’s better than him (based on impeccable, flawless logic). Shouto completely disregarding this and calmly continuing to have a normal conversation at a normal person volume. and Deku ignoring them both while sending the chipperest, most positive energy in the world out toward this other person because he loves everyone!!

and now there’s three closeups of the boys showing how worn out they are

they’ve been working so hard I’m so proud of them and also they totally deserve a night off to go gorge themselves on soba at Toderly Manor

and then there’s a whole nother page continuing to establish that it has been a week! and they’re working hard! and YES, WE KNOW, though

yep yep yep we get it now WHAT ABOUT THAT DINNER oh my god. it’s been four pages! and if we’re only getting thirteen again then this is precious real estate we’re just wasting here, come onnnnn

so Endeavor is continuing to show off how great he is while the kids look on in frustration

heh but I like this panel because LOOK AT THEM

ALL THREE OF THEM CAN FLY (basically). I love it. yes. just let them be airborne for the rest of the series

meanwhile Endeavor’s thinking agitated thoughts about how Fuyu wants him to try and CONNECT TO THE CHILDREN ON AN ACTUAL EMOTIONAL LEVEL, like what do you think he is?? a human being??!

lol he’s got that look like “WHY DON’T YOU JUST KILL ME NOW AND BE DONE WITH IT.” things he would rather do than have a family dinner with his kids and his two new apprentices: literally. anything. else. ah, but Endeavor. no one said the path of Not Being A Bastard would be easy

he’s thinking about how happy Fuyu sounded on the phone, though. “the thought of us finally becoming a real family...” c’mon Enji you can’t just let your only daughter down like that

and also me. you better not fucking let me down. I was promised dinner at Todoton Abbey and DAMN IT THIS IS HAPPENING

lol he’s getting all fired up and the kids are just mindlessly yelling back like “FUCK YEAH”

even the guy in the background’s like “YEAHHHHHHH LET’S DO ITTT.” the best part is how not a single one of them has any clue what they are loudly agreeing to

OH MY GOD

TODOLAND RANCH, AT LONG LAST. YESSSSS

lmao Kacchan

“it’s not too late!” he is so desperate, bless him. all he wanted was to curl up in his room with a bowl of spicy ramen after a long day and watch old All Might clips on Youtube while blissfully not interacting with a single other soul. and now instead they’ve dragged him to fucking Todo-a-Lago for dinner with his boss, his two best friends who he hates, and SOMEONE’S SISTER. what a nightmare

FUYUMIIIIII

worst part is, I don’t think Kacchan will be able to resist Fuyu’s Kind Elementary School Teacher Energy at all. he’s totally screwed. -- OH MY GOD, IS HE HIDING

like, I know this is the Todoroki drama chapter and that’s where my focus should be, and I’M SORRY, but you guys all know what you signed up for by this point, right? you can read a million other Todo hot takes on tumblr today, but this will forever be the blog that spends paragraphs and paragraphs obsessing over Kacchan hiding behind the door frame and sulking and asking “why though?” in increasingly petulant tones like a four-year-old because SOMEONE DRAGGED HIM TO A SOCIAL EVENT and this is his personal hell! Fuyu’s gonna end up having to manually feed him chicken like Satou did at the party

meanwhile now that I’m actually READING THE REST OF THE PANEL LIKE A NORMAL PERSON, I have to pause for a moment to let my heart break over Deku saying that he hardly ever gets invited over by friends. hey Deku come here for a moment, I just have to give you a dozen hugs real quick and then you can continue as you were

anyway so guys I literally owe Todoroki Fuyumi my life and I want to send her flowers with a “THANKS FOR SAVING THE MANGA” card but it’ll have to wait until the chapter is done. let’s continue

NATSU’S HERE TOO, SHOUTO SAW HIS SHOES, OH M Y GO D

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(ETA: shout out to Natsu for wearing the greatest shirt of all time and taking Deku’s rookie-tier gags to THE NEXT LEVEL!)

I LOVE EVERYTHING. I’M SOBBING. BLESS YOU HORIKOSHI. LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!

holy shit Deku

Alton fucking Brown over here. chill my dude

NATSU BRINGING THAT DRAMA YESSSS

and look how oblivious Deku is to the general vibe settling in here

what the fuck do you see. you just literally had no idea how else to respond to that, huh

oh my god oh my fucking god

(ETA: I’m laughing so hard and I’ll explain in the tags. sob.)

guys let me just break down these two panels for you

1. Fuyu is all “NATSU YOU COOKED TOO”

2. Shouto is all “WTF, I ATE NATSU FOOD AND NO ONE FUCKING TOLD ME”

3. Natsu is all “YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T BECAUSE... THAT MAN PROBABLY WOULDN’T ALLOW IT”

how the fuck is there drama brewing over the fucking cooking. this fucking family. and Shouto’s face is two seconds away from being my new icon omg

LMAO

SO YOU TWO FINALLY FUCKING CONNED ON TO THE DANGEROUS SITUATION YOU’VE FOUND YOURSELVES IN, HUH. that’s right bitches. welcome to Todo’s Landing

and now Fuyu has finally made a FATAL ERROR IN JUDGEMENT oh no. that error being trying to fall back on Shouto of all people to ease the awkward tension. that boy literally is made up of awkward tension. right down to his atoms. Fuyu what were you thinking??

FUYUMI: [SLAMS HANDS ON TABLE] “SHOUTO WHAT KIND OF FOOD DO YOU EAT AT SCHOOL!!!!”

SHOUTO: [LEAPING TO HIS FEET] “AT THE CAFETERIA!!!!”

someone help me I’m fucking dying. actually, you know what, help them

“yo Deku, do you wanna get the fuck out of here right now.” “yes, yes I do.” turns out, they didn’t really need that internship anyway. maybe they can still convince the centipede man to take them instead

holy shit

like, I feel so bad for him, but also Fuyu looks so fucking sad and I can’t?? this is too much, and things haven’t even gotten spicy yet. this arc is going to leave me a wreck

DSFKSLDFJLK

“it’s okay,” Horikoshi says comfortingly, “here’s a panel of your two good boys helping clean up.” WELL THANK YOU, EXCUSE ME FOR A MOMENT, I’M GOING TO GO SIT. and think about Katsuki being a fucking gentleman whose momma raised him right and who helps clean up the dishes after being invited over for dinner. never mind that he didn’t even help clean up the Christmas party. but he saw Fuyu being sad and immediately went MY GOD, I’VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING TO HELP THIS STUPIDLY NICE LADY

anyway so are you two going to ask Endeavor why his kids hate him so fucking much. or just ignore it because you pretty much know the gist already because Shouto can’t keep a lid closed on anything

OH MY GOD THEY’RE HAVING A SECRET CONVERSATION ABOUT IT

FFFFFFFdfsLK -- “YOU GUYS WERE TALKING ABOUT IT RIGHT NEXT TO ME, ON ACCOUNT OF I WAS STANDING RIGHT THERE, IN THE SHADOWS, BECAUSE I WAS EAVESDROPPING, SHUT UP”

anyways so did you guys know that Deku and Kacchan having whispered conversations about how dramatic the fucking Todorokis are is my all-time aesthetic. I didn’t know either actually. but it is

Fuyu why are you apologizing to Shouto for making him help clean up

AND WHY ARE YOU PERSISTING IN MAKING THAT FACE. SON OF A BITCH. GIRL I’M BRINGING YOU SOME ICE CREAM AND SOME DVDS. WE’RE GONNA HAVE A SLEEPOVER AND FORGET ALL ABOUT THIS SHIT. PLEASE FEEL BETTER. I’M SORRY YOUR TWIN BROTHER IS DEAD AND YOUR WISH TO HAVE A NORMAL FAMILY IS NEVER GOING TO FUCKING COME TRUE BECAUSE WE CAN’T HAVE NICE THINGS OMG

oh my god she’s having a heart to heart with Shouto about how he feels about Endeavor. oh my god I see Horikoshi aiming a bow right at my fucking heart. he’s notching the fucking arrow, this is it, it’s been real you guys

that look in his one visible eye. god. there it is. oh god. hurts

(ETA: do you suppose all of the Todorokis have secretly had that exact same dream. we know Fuyu has, and Rei as well based on her letter. I’m starting to think that Shouto has too. it only makes sense that a boy who was denied a real childhood for the first fifteen years of his life is going to have some part of him that secretly longs to just have a normal family. in related news, Shouto had better get some fucking hugs in this arc!)

-- ARE YOU SERIOUS

WHAT IS IT WITH HORIKOSHI LATELY AND BEING DONE WITH JUST IMPLYING THINGS AND NOW VERY INTO SHOWING THEM IN EXPLICIT HORRIFYING DETAIL. HERE’S A DEAD DOG! HERE’S A DYING CHILD! HERE’S A SIX-YEAR-OLD WHOSE MOM JUST POURED SCALDING WATER ON HIS FUCKING FACE AND SHE DIDN’T MEAN TO BUT IT’S TOO LATE AND NOW THEY’RE BOTH TRAUMATIZED. AND SHE’S USING HER QUIRK TO HEAL HIM AND HELLO, THIS ONE PANEL IS ABOUT TO MAKE ME START CRYING. KATSUKI YOU WERE RIGHT. WHY, THOUGH

(ETA: yeah this does not bode well for an upcoming flashback in which a child was presumably burned the fuck alive. feels like Horikoshi was testing the waters to see how much he could get away with. we may be in for some brutal shit pretty shortly.)

OH MY GOD A LETTER

they’re going to discharge her soon!?? IMMINENT FEELINGS INBOUND. I HAVE NO MORE SPACE TO PUT THEM!! MY HOUSE IS PACKED WITH FUCKING FEELINGS ALREADY, PLEASE

ahhhh he says he doesn’t know

this is the most realistic fucking thing I’ve read in this manga to this date. not knowing how you feel about the abusive parent who did so much harm but is now trying to change. boyyyyy howdy I feel that in my fucking bones. Horikoshi is out there delivering the real shit. goddamn

KATSUKI MY HERO

it’s as though Horikoshi placed his hands on his shoulders and said “listen up sonny boy, I’ve got an important job that only you can do. defuse this tension. in any way you can.” and Katsuki looked him dead in the eye and said “I got this”

meanwhile Deku’s hoping he can spontaneously develop another new quirk which will open up a hole in the ground to swallow him up

DEKU: “I HAD PERMISSION!!!” KACCHAN: “I DIDN’T HAVE SHIT!!”

HE IS BITCHING LIKE A DISGRUNTLED HOUSEWIFE HOLY SHIT I’M LOSING MY MIND

“A NORMAL, PLEASANT EVENING!!” yes of course, that’s why you spent the entire ride over here clinging to Todoroki’s shirt and repeating “WHY” ad infinitum. anyways as usual this child is a nightmare whose fickle tirades absolutely no one deserves to be subjected to, god bless him and I adore him so

and Deku is again apologizing for him like they’re fucking married. this chapter is filled with so many highs and lows for me, it’s wild

this, to be clear, is one of the highs. god I love it

oh shit it looks like Deku’s getting ready to say something! SOMETHING WISE, I BET

YESSSSSSS

IS HE?? sometimes this kid can just peer into other people’s souls with perfect clarity, it’s uncanny

oh my god Shouto’s face

genuine shock. he doesn’t even know how he feels, but somehow Deku is able to cut right to the heart of it

oh my god Katsuki’s there to chime right in too and say “but if you feel like he doesn’t deserve forgiveness that’s fucking fine too”

this is actually incredibly fucking supportive? anyway so guys have I mentioned within the last five seconds how much I love Bakugou fucking Katsuki. I have? well that’s okay I’ll just say it again anyway. and also I love Deku and Shouto too oh my god. bless this chapter

oh lol nevermind that still Deku talking while Katsuki is just making faces. well he’s doing his best. anyways so like I said I love Midoriya fucking Izuku

(ETA: [chinhands] do you guys think. that perhaps. Midoriya Izuku might be harboring some unresolved feelings regarding his own absent daddo. maybe. ??? why does this chapter have so many layers??)

ah I see, Katsuki spied Natsu just STANDING THERE LISTENING IN THE DARK, as one does, and that’s why the face

and also YES, Shouto is like the kindest fucking person in the whole series possibly. thank you for acknowledging that?? I’m in the process of arranging all of these new feels into a comfy little pile now, so maybe I can curl up in them. if Horikoshi insists on delivering more and more

SLDKFJSLDKFLSHGLKJKLJSLGKJSDLFKSDLFKJLSDKJFLKSL

“THE OTHER CHILD WHO’S NO LONGER THERE” RED ALERT, RED FUCKING ALERT, IT’S REALLY HAPPENING, HOLY FUCKING SHIT. REMINDER TO SELF, NEXT THURSDAY I’M GONNA HAVE TO GO ON A SELF-IMPOSED INTERNET HIATUS FOR TWENTY-FOUR HOURS BECAUSE FANDOM’S GOING TO LOSE THEIR FUCKING SHIT WITH THE SPOILERS NEXT WEEK AND I’M NOT EVEN MAD

sdfhk. oh my god. and so it was a photograph! but one which appears to be a segue into a flashback! and the law of escalating tragic flashbacks states that Touya’s is somehow going to be even more horrific than our last flashback, in which, let me just think back for a sec, oh yes, an entire family was massacred and torn into bloody chunks including a six-year-old girl and a dog, and the surviving child was then adopted by a psychopath who adorned him with severed hands and was all “NEVER FORGET HOW FUCKED UP YOU FEEL ABOUT ALL THIS” and then the child murdered some people to feel better about himself. so this is somehow going to be worse than that. well that’s just. ...I don’t even know. I literally can’t think of a lighthearted way to end that train of thought lmao. WE ARE FUCKING SCREWED. get ready to burn, baby

but meanwhile, parting thoughts

so they really do believe he’s dead. that’s confirmed. and he died (or, well, “died”) young, too, based on this picture and on the toys on that shelf. fffff

Endeavor kneeling at a family shrine to pay respects to his dead son and miserably wishing he was still alive is just. repeated stabbings of my already mutilated heart. thanks. thanks for that

he heard EVERYTHING and he’s saying nothing, because what can he say?? I meanwhile have already said “oh my god” about 1600 times in this recap, but I’ll go ahead and say it again anyway one last time because oh my god, the fucking Todofam AND THEIR FUCKING DRAMA!!!

what can I do for my family at this stage? the last plea of a desperate man struggling to make amends and piece together something he’s already shattered into a million pieces. he keeps dreaming of them being happy together, even if he’s not in the dream. he wants to do right by them, finally. but he doesn’t know how. anyways so people have been saying and saying that this arc so far has been death flag after death flag for this old coot, and you know what, they’re fucking right. this does not have a happy ending. this is going to be fucking devastating. and here I am, fully obsessed with it. fuck me

anyways I guess that’s finally everything I can think of to say. this recap is already a million fucking words so that’s fine lol. why though

#bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha 249 #todoroki shouto #bakugou katsuki #midoriya izuku #todoroki fuyumi #todoroki touya #dabi #endeavor #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #makeste reads bnha #so guys #when I'm writing up the initial recap and making notes of what screencaps to use #I use the first few words of dialogue from each panel I want to crop #for example: [why though] #anyway so long story short that led to me having one set of brackets which contained the words #[you cooked/endeavor] #and yeah. and then I was looking at natsu's face #and like #I don't know why I can't stop laughing? #'sis. you cooked endeavor??' #he's not sure how he feels about this. but he's probably going to allow it #anyway so when I'm busy sobbing next week I need to try and remember this to cheer myself up #'you cooked endeavor.' classic natsu #what a knave

[yamithediaperdork]

Don’t be a bully!

The first thing 12 year old Lance Kennedy noted as he opened his eyes was that instead of waking up in his bedroom, he was looking up at the ceiling of the school bathroom. the tall for his age blond sat up and winced, his head hurt and he tried to figure out what had just happened, and looked around the smelly boys room and locked eyes with the new transfer student. a full head shorter then Lance and with mushroom cut red hair and freckles, Timmy chuckled and waved to Lance. "Hey crew cut! welcome back to the land of the living." the little shit said. Now it all came flooding back to Lance, He had been laying down the law to the little shit, having caught him all by himself in the boys room, and telling him how he expected the twerp to pay a bathroom tax if he wanted to use the schools shitter's. The dumb ginger had actually been dumb enough to mouth back, telling Lance that the bathrooms was for everyone, unless the abused the privilege, whatever the fuck that meant. Lance had had enough by that point and had gone to smash his fist into the little shit's face but somehow the little fucker was faster then he looked and had dropped down, then replied with a shot to lance's gut that had knocked the wind out of him. as he'd fall to his knee's gasping, the little shit had brought up his knee and- "..where the fuck did you learn to fight like that?" Lance asked, going to get up on his feet and pausing, as for the first time he noticed a weird noise when he moved, and a funny feeling around his hips. Looking down the bully's eyes went wide as he saw that instead of his power ranger briefs and black jeans, he was currently only wearing a bulky white diaper with a nursery print. "WHAT THE FUCK!?!" "I was wondering how long it would take you to notice that. honestly, i was hoping you'd storm out of here not noticing butttt I guess that was a long shot." Timmy franc laughed, leaning on a sink. "How did you even.. Why do you..what the fuck!?!" Lance yelped, hand going down, trying to cover the bulky diaper up and squirmed back and forth as he noticed for the first time his undies and pants were at Timmy's feet. "I knocked your butt out, and every school I go to there's a jerk like you I end up having to put in his place, so I always carry some spare diapers around. Speaking of, your gonna wanna follow me to my locker and snag some more, you';re not allowed in the boys room anymore." Timmy said. "..I'm gonna fucking kill you!" Lance growled, taking a fighting stance and Timmy, just snapped a picture. "Youuuu sure you wanna try something right now? I took a lot of pictures while you were out 'tiny' and got one with your thumb in your mouth and you in all your padded glory. would be a shame if they ended up on the school website." Timmy said, Looking totally relaxed. "besides, if you come at me again, You'll wake up in just your diapies tied to the flag poll. I'm a black belt and your just a thug." "...Give me back my fucking pants and underwear and I'll think about not pounding you face into mush." Lance said, gritting his teeth. "Counter offer, I'll give you back your pants, your undies are going on my trophy wall, and you be a good boy and mind your P's and Q's or I'll make you famous." Lance was taking slow steady breaths, but a small part of him realized that the longer he stood here arguing, the more likely it was someone else would come into the boys room. "Fine whatever. give me my pants!" "See? was that SO hard?" Timmy asked and tossed the jeans over. "By the way, I'll be doing diaper checks and if your not in your huggie..well there's gonna be trouble." He said and winked, then turned and walked away as Lance glared a hole at the back of his head, the hoped up and down trying to get his jeans to fit over the bulky diaper. "Gonna..freaking..Kill..Him!" He huffed, hoping and tugging, then tripped and went sprawling into one of the stalls, his head dunking in the thankfully clean toilet and as he reached to stop it, he pulled on the handle giving himself a swirly. '...God, what did I do to piss you off today?'

the bell had rung but lance was still late getting back into class, wearing his gym t-shirt and his crotch and butt area puffed out under his jeans, with his hair looking damp. Timmy just grinned in his seat, wondering what exactly had happened but never spoke up, though many of the others boys began to whisper and talk among themselves. "Why's he back in his gym shirt?" whispered the brunette Taylor, the shrimp of the class with confusion in his voice. "wait, do you think he got a swirly?" giggled the brown haired Frankie, the pudgiest kid in the class and frequent target of Lance's wrath. "who would have the balls?" Taylor asked, though the idea made him grin like a Cheshire cat. "Forgot that, look at his butt! it's huge! did he sit on a bee or something?" the long haired blond Justin asked, sounding slightly concerned. "Looked like my little brother when he puts on pants.. but he's only 2." blue haired Ike (dyed naturally) giggled. "wait, are you saying that's a diaper butt?" Frankie asked, laughing louder and getting Lances attention drawn over even as he was getting a lecture from the teacher. "ask him and find out!" Ike urged. "No thanks, I like life." Frankie said, shaking his head. Lance waddled, there was really no other way to put it, towards his seat and the class went silent, so that the faint sound of crinkles could be picked up as the bully sat down. it didn't help that due to his poor grades Lance had to sit at the front of the class, and ergo kept reaching back to tug his shirt down. "Now that Mr.Kennedy has graced us with his appearance, we'll go over the results of your last math test." Mr. Davis said, drawing the attention of the rest of the boys. Class went on as normal for the next 5 or so minutes, but as Timmy watched, knowing what was about to happy, he couldn't help but grin as Lance started to shift about in his seat more and more. 'I was wondering how long that fleet enema would take to kick in.' Timmy thought, and for the briefest of moments considered trying to give a heads up to the other boys. It was after all, about to get VERY stinky in the classroom.

Lances bowel felt all weird, and he played it up to his nerves since it was clear the rest of the class had figured out he was wearing a diaper. But now as Mr. Davis droned on and on about the test, and how many of the boys had failed certain parts of it (and Lance of course had funked it ALL) he could feel a urgent need building up and raised his hand. " Yes Mr. Kennedy, do you have something to ask?" Me. Davis asked, the tone in his voice making it clear he didn't expect much. "C-Can I go to the bathroom?" Lance asked, face wincing as a powerful cramp racked his body. "You were JUST on lunch break. I think you can wait a few minutes." Mr. Davis said dryly and started to turn back to the chalk board. "N-No sir I can't! Please!" Lance whined, all bravo forgotten as he gripped the sides of desk. a powerful fart was brewing and lance had a sneaking suspicion that if he let it out, he was going to fudge the stupid diaper taped snugly around his hips. "I'm sure you can-" was as far as the teacher got, before he was cut off by a massive wet sounding fart that filled the classroom. Lance himself found his body reacting on it's own as he leaned forward and raised his butt up from the chair, Helpless to do anything but let out a even wetter fart that was followed but a flow of sludge pouring out his back side and filling the diaper. His toxic smell also filled the classroom quickly, making eyes water and bring up complaints. "Is he.." Justin asked, a smirk turning into a grimace and he started to gag. "OH GROSS!" Taylor said, laughing and holding his nose. "Ugh! what a stinker!" Frankie complained, grabbing his hoodie of the back of his chair and burying his face in it as a semi shield. "Man my little brother brother doesn't smell that bad!" Ike laughed, holding his nose and waving a hand "Somebody change the BABY'S diaper!" Timmy called out, getting laughs from all the boys. "in the future Mr. Kennedy, if you have to go that bad, just leave the classroom." Mr.Davis said and walked over to the side of the classroom, opening windows. "Your excused to go and change your diaper." he added, getting even more laughs from the rest of classroom. "S-Stop laughing at me you JERKS!" Lance shouted, getting up and taking all of three steps before anther cramp hit and he was forced into a diaper pooper's squat, trying to cover his crimson face as more muck joined the back of his full diaper. Thankfully the diaper seemed to be a (pun aside) heavy duty one and hadn't leaked yet, though the wear and tear on his black jeans was becoming clear as the seams were starting to buckle under the pressure from the rapidly expending diapers. "Maybe I should help him to the nurses office." Timmy volunteered, making Lance turn and glare. "If it gets him out of my classroom faster.. your a braver soul then I." Mr. Davis said and nodded. wagging his eyebrows for the classroom and getting chuckles,Timmy made a show of it, acting like the smell coming off of Lance was a physical force and if he hadn't of been overwhelmed by the cramps making him take the biggest dump of his life, Lance would of slugged Timmy right then and there and dealt with the fall out after. Instead as he finished up with a series of stuttering farts, Lance felt too weak to do anything but numbly accept Timmy's help and as much as he hated the little shit, he leaned on him when it became clear the added bulk to the diaper had left him too unbalanced to walk on his own. 'As soon as i get this diaper off, then I'm gonna clobber him.' Lance promised himself as he waddled like a baby learning to walk out of the classroom.

"Man, you must of been backed up for awhile to unload like THAT huh?" Timmy asked as he lead the way. while Lance leaned on him for support Timmy didn't doubt for a second the only reason Lance wasn't at his throat right now was that he was literately too pooped to do so. And even if he had tried to attack him, one little shove and Lance would of gone butt first onto the floor and as good as the diaper was, it WOULD leak if that happened. Lance's jeans were making sounds of distress and Timmy had a feeling if they were pushed too much more the soon to be ex-bully would find himself waddling in the halls with his poopie diapers on display. It really was just too easy to make these so called big shots into helpless diaper filler, and Timmy enjoyed doing it at every school he went to. Though despite this being the 6th bully he had reduced into a pamper packer, there was one part of this that even Timmy had never fully adjusted to. The smell. Taking in shallow breaths he led the way to his his locker, to stop and get a new diaper for the new diaper filler, noting how Lance hadn't said a thing the whole time. "heh, you gone all baby brain on me? you even know where you are?" Timmy asked. That had actually happened at his last school, a pint sized bully named Malcore had been drunk on his own kool-aid after becoming student council president, and then ended up filling his diapers in front of the school while he was suppose to be giving a speech and had ended up giggling and singing 'I'm a little teapot'. Timmy didn't peg Lance as the type to break that bad but then again, you never really knew. "Hello? anyone home?" Timmy tried again and lance gave him a look that almost made Timmy need a diaper. "Shut up, and help me out of this shitty diaper." Lance growled. "I can see being a little stinker hasn't improved your attuide." Timmy said dryly, but handing Lance the clean diaper to hold, he got them into the boys room.

Lance wasn't even sure why he was hanging onto the diaper, save that the last time he'd gone commando in jean he'd chaffed pretty badly. the smell coming off of him wasn't as bad to him as it seemed to be to everyone else, but then again he was prone to having fart wars with his older brother Leon, who made Lance smell like a rosebush. In fact it was only the fact that lance could see HOW bad his smell was getting to Timmy, who had to keep stopping to wipe at his eyes, That Lance let the dead nerd walking help him get a change.   well that and he didn't know jack shit about changing a diaper. with his jeans tugged off off Boy boys got as look at just how totally Lance had destroyed his diaper, the designs were all gone and it was swollen and discolored, and sagged on his hips. "Uh..I mighta over stepped my reach here.. maybe we should take you to the nurses office." Timmy said, looking worried for the first time and lance smirked. "No way it'll survive the trip and if I go though the halls naked from the waist down in a shit coated ass, I'm making sure the headmaster knows who to blame." Lance said. "Fuck."

The clean up effort took by Timmy's estimate at least 10 minutes though it felt like hours, and he gagged badly several times during it. frustratingly enough lance just leaned back with his hands behind his head, smirking as poor Timmy did all the work. Finally the bully was ready for his new diaper and not eager to repeat the performance this time Timmy didn't even think of giving him anything to make him crap himself. Tapping up the new diaper, and having tossed the old one in the trash, Timmy scrubbed his hands over and over again in the sink as lance got up and grabbed his pants. "Now, while I'm grateful for the diaper change..I think you see I kinda owe you and well, logic dictates that I gotta pound you now." Lance said, tossing his jeans over his should and striking a fighting pose again. "...didn't we already go though this? or did you think just because your funk gagged me somehow I'll be a easier target now?" Timmy asked, turning the water off and well, just mostly ignoring Lance as he started to dry his hands. "I think you were bullshiting me before, and sides, I ain't got nothing to lose after the whole class just saw me..uh.." and lance lose his fighting pose for a second as his cheeks flared red again. "They all just watched you shit your huggies. Look, if it's a whooping you want, I'll give you anther one, but I really wouldn't recommend it." Timmy said, honestly trying to be helpful. "I know I can kick your ass!" Lance growled and started to charge in. 'Some people just insist on trying to skate uphill.' Timmy thought as he rolled his eyes. Snatching the top off of the trash can and then sweeping low with a kick, Timmy sent Lance flying head first into the trash can where he was then pinned, his diaper and legs sticking out and kicking in the air and Timmy just smirked. "I think you should take a little time out, and think about if trying to fight me is really working out for you." Timmy said, and after giving Lance's pamper butt a few pats, he left the bathroom, pausing only to grab the boys jeans and rip open all the stressed seams.

Lance whimpered and squirmed, trying to break free but the trash can itself was bolted to the floor after someone had been using the trans cans to break windows. And of course by someone, it had been him. He was a victim of his petty acts of vandalism and the only saving grace was that Timmy had put a few layers of paper towels over the dirty diaper to try and keep the boys room from becoming too toxic. If not for those layers Lance would of landed with his face against his own smelly diaper. the narrow design of the trash can meant his arms were pinned at his sides and useless and he just didn't have the leverage to force himself out by his legs no matter how much he kicked and squirmed. 'son of a bitch! I'm gonna kill him!' Lance sworn in his head over and over, truing it into a war chant of sorts as he tried to get free. 'Kill Timmy. Kill Timmy. Kill Timmy.' though even as he plotted out what he was going to do to the little shit, a nagging voice in the back of his head tried to remind him that he was 2 and 0 when trying to pound the bastard. never one to listen to common sense however, Lance figured third time was the charm and he'd figure out a way. He froze as he heard the bathroom door open, and then the voices that followed. "Man, who took a shit and didn't..flush.." came a voice that Lance knew VERY well and he groaned. If he was the top terror of the school, then Dustin Clearly was terror number two. the 13 year old was actually the same size as lance and had been the resident bully till Lance had put him in his place, but Dustin had made it clear he was only waiting for the right chance to strike to take back his tittle. "well well well.. what DO we have here." Dustin's voice rang out and then Lance felt a smack on the back of his pampered ass. he bit his bottom lip to keep quite on the hope that Dustin wouldn't be able to reorganize him from just a diapered butt and his legs. "awww, did the silly baby fall and go boom?" Dustin asked and laughed, smacking Lance's butt again. "or were you trying to be a good widdle boy and toss out your diaper and fell in?" again Lance kept silent, and prayed that Dustin would just get bored and leave. "You might as well speak up..Lance. Your the only one in the school with those tacky light up sneakers." Dustin added. Fuck! why had he begged and whined for his parents to get him those! he should of realized how much they made him stand out! "O-Ok Dustin. it's me. Can you PLEASE help me out of here?" Lance whined, with the jig up he had nothing to lose asking for help. "Hmmm i dunno..I think face down ass up in a trash can is a good look for you." Dustin laughed, and then Lance felt something poking the back of his diaper and moving around. "H-Hey! knock it off! what are you doing!?!" Lance yelped, kicking his legs only to get them grabbed by the stronger boy and held in place. "well you always made fun of me for liking to draw, but now I have this biggg white crinkly canvas to work with and a new black sharpie to boot." Dustin said. "Come on dude! this isn't funny! I'm getting light headed in here!" Lance whined and cringed as he felt himself starting to get close to crying. "alright alright calm your tits, I'm just about done and then I'll help you out. You know your pants are wreaked right?" Dustin asked. "Damn it! D-Dustin listen to me, there's this new kid.. he doesn't look like much but he did this to me and you're likely next. but if we team up-" Lance started to say and got a smack on his thigh. "OW! WHY!?" "oh quit your bitching, and no offense, but I think if I run into this kid I'm just gonna mind my manners." the sharpie stopped moving across the back of the diaper and then Lance felt himself tugged free, though some of the paper towel came up as it had plastered itself to his forehead. Dustin went to say something, then held his nose, his blench blond dreadlocks moving as did so and took a step back. "Ugh, dude! maybe you should go outside for a bit and air out, you reek like a shitty diaper." he said. Lance growled and thought about picking a fight with Dustin right then and there, but a small part of him nagged about the chance of ending back up in the trash can, and he stormed out of the boys room instead, trying to look as tough and as bad ass as he could, considering he was only in a diaper and t-shirt. Not to mention said diaper now had a warning written on the butt. 'Caution: full load!'  

Despite what his test scores might suggest, Lance wasn't stupid and knew better then to try and go back to class in just a diaper and t-shirt, and also knew better then to try and sneak out of the school in the same attire. Looking around the hallways of the school he tried to make his way to his locker, to get his gym shorts and cover up the diaper at least. if anything, his gym shorts would work better then his jeans had since his mom made it a point to get a size or two bigger (his jeans had been from last last) and he'd had to draw the string on it super tight to keep them from falling down. 'Huh, should of thought of that before..eh..I thought of it now, still means I'm a genius.' Lance thought, smirking and puffing up his chest in pride. He actually had a little swagger in his step as he got close to his locker, thinking about how he had outsmarted Timmy and while it might take awhile, he was sure he could get enough boys together that they'd make that ginger asshole into a even bigger baby then he'd been forced to be today. Lance was so caught up in his own head, picturing his victory that he failed to look at the clocks and see that it was just about the end of the period. he was just at the door to his locker, when the loud bells that singled the end of a period rang and made him yelp and jump. It also made him freeze as his bladder suddenly decided apparently that his bowels shouldn't be hogging all the fun and he started to flood the front of his diaper. As students poured out into the hallway he could only hunch over and try and will the flow to stop, even as more and more people started to notice him, pointing him out. there was a hush over the students in the hall as they looked, like the quiet before the storm, and then a roar of laughter washed over him as tears started to flow  from his eyes. "Stop it! stop laughing at me!" He whined and forgetting operation get some shorts, turned and ran away, sadly giving them all a good look at the message on his butt.

After that, Lance was never a problem for the most part. he kept to himself, he did his school work and his grades actually improved. He also never got back out of diapers as his parents didn't believe him when he said anther student had diapered him, and now he was in diapers 24/7, and even bulkier ones then the ones Timmy had put him in. These days the only time he's a bother to others is when he stinks up the classroom. Timmy sadly didn't get to stick around long to enjoy his handy work, His dad had anther transfer come though after only 3 weeks in town. Still he kept in touch with the boys from the last school, and saw how Lance even ended up having to drink from a sippy cup at lunch time and it gave him ideas for the bully at his new school, A know it all named Dan.

The end?

[keelywolfe]

FIC: Side Effects ch.1 (baon)

Summary: In the aftermath of from the events in 'Internal Disputes' and 'Bedside Stories', the fallout has an effect on everyone and they all have their own issues to deal with.

Tags:  Spicyhoney, Kustard, Established Relationships, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Fluff

Part of the ‘by any other name’ series.

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Read it on AO3

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Read it here!

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Waking up alone was not unusual in the scheme of things. That was most days and even on weekends the bed next to Stretch would usually be empty by the time he was ready to roll out for the day. Which wasn’t to say he’d never been awakened early by an amorous and handsy Edge, ready for a different kind of wakeup call, but Stretch tended to fall back asleep afterward. In his humble opinion, it wasn’t worth getting out of bed until there was some form of light outside and that was a fact that Stretch was willing to stand by, with plenty of Twitter polls on his side.

So when he reached out sleepily to sweep a hand over the sheets, he wasn’t exactly surprised when the only thing that greeted his touch was 1000-thread count sheets. A little disappointed, yeah, a smidge grouchy, absolutely, but definitely not surprised.

Stretch sighed and rolled over to give the ceiling fan a good stare. It only stayed in place innocently, the fan blades not pausing one whit at his mood. Which, to be fair, Stretch wasn’t exactly sure he could even classify his current mood; right now it was more a jambalaya than any single ingredient. What a week.

After the kitchen crisis, once Edge got his fill of groping Stretch’s soul, they’d gone upstairs, Stretch helping Edge to hop along for once rather than gathering up his crutches. That’d been a comedy of errors right there, they’d probably looked like some kind of tortured three-legged race, hobbling along. They’d gone right to bed, do not pass go, skip the two-hundred, and lain there wrapped around each other, Edge still petting his sternum even though his soul was no longer visible. Stretch really had no idea when he’d fallen asleep or when Edge crept out of bed, but it must’ve been a fun trip downstairs without his crutches. Hopefully not a literal one.

Stretch gave up on his contemplation of the ceiling fan to glance at his phone. The time made him blink. After using so much magic to heal Red, he’d been expecting to sleep in ‘til noon before guiltily creeping out to feed the ladies. But unless he’d accidentally changed the time zone, it was only nine o’clock. Huh. Magic drain was exhausting and he hadn’t eaten so much as a piece of burnt toast afterward and yet, he didn’t feel tired. Honestly, he almost felt energized, ready to get up and face the day.

Was this how Edge always felt in the morning? That was kind of terrifying. No wonder only half of the brotherly teams got to be energetic, hell, just thinking about Red waking up with his battery fully charged was giving him the creeps, he’d probably try to take over the world.

Thinking of that little pain-in-the-ass goblin made him wince. He really hoped Red was doing okay. There were no text messages waiting for him, but maybe Edge knew.

Welp, may as well get up and go find out. Maybe they’d be going on with the shitty continuation of opposite week, where he got to be the protective one, Edge got to lay around all day, and both of them would be a lot happier when things got back to normal.

The bedroom was a little chilly outside the toasty warm blankets, enough that he scrambled over to where his bathrobe was hung on the back of the bedroom door. Stretch slipped it on over his bare bones. Real clothes could come after coffee. He opened the door and that was when he heard muffled voices that were definitely not from the television. Kinda early for reasonable visitors and Stretch tightened the belt on his bathrobe, no point in giving a free show, and peered downstairs to see what sort of nefarious characters decided to drop by this time.

Honestly, they needed one of those prohibited door signs, except they could cross off ‘solicitors’ and write in ‘drama’. Stretch had pretty much had his fill of that sort of excitement, thanks.

But nefarious probably wasn’t the best way to describe the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Monsters who were standing at their kitchen door with Edge. Familiar Monsters, actually, Stretch thought they worked at the Embassy. In their hands were mops and carriers loaded with cleaning supplies. Their pointed ears swiveled in his direction and they looked up in unison, both giving him a wave as they went into the kitchen, although what the hell that wary look was for, he wasn’t sure. Usually he wasn’t considered the scary skeleton in the closet in this relationship.

Usually.

Edge was leaning on his crutches and as soon as Stretch got a good look, relief flooded his soul. He was looking pretty bright-eyed himself even minus the tail, and his smile was warm.

“Good morning, love.” Edge called up. There was no sign left of his near-breakdown the night before, so maybe a snuggly night’s sleep did him some good. Firmly competent looked like the phrase of the day and Stretch was down with that, he really was.

30 seconds on the stairs seemed like a criminal waste of time this morning and Stretch shortcutted down instead, very nearly right on top of Edge. He happily ignored his husband’s exasperated sigh, stealing a kiss before he murmured, “mornin’. what’s going on?”

Not that he couldn’t guess, they probably weren’t using the mops to whip up a five-course meal.

Once Edge was finished shaking his head in fond resignation over unnecessary teleportation, he pulled him close, trying to work out a way to hold him around the crutches. It took him a minute to whomp up a strategy that let him lean a little weight on Stretch, the rest on a carefully balanced crutch, and none at all on his casted foot, and only then did Edge offer up a lingering return kiss of his own.

By the time, he drew back, Stretch almost forgot his own question and Edge’s satisfied smirk meant he knew it, even as he said, “Sans sent a team over to check on our kitchen. What’s left of it. He explained to them about how the experiment you were doing went wrong and they’re going to handle the mess. I’m sure he would have brought them himself, but Red is still sleeping off that hangover.”

Coded message received, Red was doing okay. But it was the previous little tidbit that cut through his relief and brought his thoughts to a screeching halt. His mouth dropped open, excuse me, his experiment? And he couldn’t say a damn thing, not with those guys working in the kitchen with the satellite dishes they had for ears all prepped to listen in on some sweet gossip. All he could do was glare at Edge, whose eye lights glittered with obvious amusement.

Dude, not cool. That was going to be all over the Embassy and probably topple the whole ‘showing up naked in a sheet’ as his highest rated fiasco. What a dick move, he liked to come up with his own disasters, thanks, he didn’t need help. Except, of the two of them, people would buy him blowing up the kitchen over Edge at about a thousand to one ratio. Which was probably why Sans came up with that scenario to begin with.

Stretch sighed. Welp, the cover story was out there and now they had to roll with it. Yeah, okay, he could take one for the team, but if he was taking the heat for this, it better have a reward, sexual favors preferred, and not from Sans, either.

He and Edge could discuss a payment plan later.

“that was very nice of sans,” Stretch gritted out. He jerked his head towards the kitchen. “are they even going to be able to clean it all up?”

“Possibly, but I’m not going to try.” Edge gave him another light kiss around his scowl, then let go and headed for the sofa. His small groan of relief as he put his foot up was a pretty damn big clue that he’d probably been standing too long. “I’ve decided with the amount of damage, I’d like to do a full remodel, instead.”

“yeah?” He knelt down to help Edge get his casted foot settled on the pillows. Most of the red paint on it was cleared away, leaving the drawings and signatures underneath tinted pink but it didn’t look too bad. Which meant Edge was probably up way too early if he’d gotten that cleaned up, the brat.

But back on subject before his brain train rattled off the wrong way. Huh, kitchen remodel. Edge had been living here for a few years before Stretch, and the kitchen was definitely his personal territory so if he wanted a makeover, totally his choice. To be honest, he’d sort of expected Edge to be distraught over his kitchen, but right now, he seemed pretty damn serene.

“i mean, yeah, you should. treat yourself.” He gave Edge a sour look, adding dryly, “not like i can complain, since i did ruin your kitchen and all. with my ‘experiments’.” Since their cleaning crew could hear but not see, he went ahead and gave it the whole finger quotes treatment. Probably needed to get Sans to give him the details about ‘the wreckening’, unless his plan was to go all ‘we don’t talk about science club’ with it.

A gloved hand smoothed over his skull, ripe with silent apology. Stretch leaned into it and let it mollify him, for now. “Today they’re only handling basic cleaning up. I’ll contact the building team and see when they’ll be available, and we can work out a plan. Did you want to help me pick out new tile?”

Uh. About as much as he wanted to install a few chalkboards around the house and give ‘em a good scratch whenever he walked by.

Edge must’ve read that off his face like a headline, because his mouth curved in faint amusement. “Then I’d like to ask a favor.”

“anything.” Seriously, picking out tile with Edge sounded as entertaining as weekend plans to watch paint dry. No pun intended.

“Someday, I will teach you all to ask for terms before agreeing so readily,” Edge murmured, almost to himself, then louder, “I have a couple pairs of trousers that I’d like you to take into the tailor for alterations. I’ve already spoken to them and given them measurements, but I need for the pant leg to fit around my cast for when I go back to work next week. I’m afraid my current attire doesn’t exactly fit with dress code.”

Edge looked down at himself in distaste and Stretch had to agree; it’d been pretty weird to see Edge lounging around in shorts all week long. Not that Stretch was complaining, he was fine with bare bones, even put up a good argument for it, which Edge successfully disputed with a firm ‘no’. Of course, he’d paired those shorts with plain t-shirts, no sweaters or button-ups even if he was chilly, because Angel forbid he doesn’t match, seriously, Edge might lose his membership to ‘Sharp Dressed Monthly’. But yeah, if he went into the Embassy dressed like that, they might arrest him as like, a spy or a clone or something.

“yeah, you gotta follow dress code. you don’t want janice to have to punish you for being a bad boy,” Stretch said, slyly, just to see if he could get Edge’s socket to twitch. “that’s my job.”

Edge ignored that because he was boring that way. “A sense of normalcy would be much appreciated as well.”

That had a certain weariness layered beneath it and Stretch tossed his playfulness on a mental shelf for later use. He settled a hand over Edge’s gloved one, squeezing gently as he asked softly, “babe? you okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine.” His firm tone of voice was pretty convincing, but, maybe he wasn’t quite as okay as he seemed? Hard to tell and there was no way Edge wasn’t going to put up a good front with anyone else in the house. “I did want to ask, have you considered allowing me to speak with your therapist for my assessment? I’m not trying to rush you, there’s plenty of time, I’m only working on planning out my week.”

“i--” Stretch sank back on his heels, swallowing hard. He hadn’t considered it, honestly, he’d mostly forgotten about it with everything else going on.

He wasn’t quite sure how he felt about it, but it made his soul feel weirdly tight and itchy. If Edge spoke to his therapist, she’d be talking to him knowing all the things Stretch had told her in confidence, all the things he hadn’t even been able to speak of to Edge. Those were the sessions he was speaking more to the carpet than his therapist, but it was still a relief to get it out, lancing mental wounds he’d had for so long he barely noticed the pain anymore. But, so what, did he really think she’d be blabbing it to Edge? Her experiences with him and Sans probably made her the most qualified Human on the planet to help Edge through any problems or trauma. She’d take good care of him, and suddenly the choice was an easy one.

He reached out and cupped Edge’s face in his hand, fingertips grazing the crack through his socket. “you know what, yeah. call her. i trust you both.”

“Thank you,” Edge told him with quiet sincerity. He took Stretch’s hand in both his own, drawing it over to press a light kiss against his knuckles. “For trusting me.” Then he promptly betrayed it by shifted his grip to Stretch’s wrist and pulled, toppling him into his lap. He yelped, trying to keep most of his weight off Edge before he hurt his fool self, but it was useless with Mister Grabby Hands holding on tight. “And I’m sorry, what was that about me being a bad boy? I think you’re the one who gets into the most trouble in this relationship, hmmm?”

“you’d think, but i ain’t the one with a broken foot...edge!” He squealed a laugh as Edge gave him a poke in the ribs, right where he was most ticklish. He let up for a second, letting Stretch catch his breath, only to double down, tickling madly while Stretch squirmed and shrieked. One leg kicked out without his permission, narrowly missing a lamp on the side table, and Stretch gasped out through laughter, “stop! haven’t we broken enough lately?”

Before Edge could offer his opinion on that, heck, maybe he was hoping to remodel the living room, too, the kitchen door swung open and two burly Monsters bustled on out, mops in hand and just in time to catch a front row seat.

“Okay, so we’ve got the worst of--whoops, sorry!”

The tall guy took an instinctive step back, right into the shorter one, who hastily turned to try getting out of the way. Only he forgot about the mop in his hands, and it turned with him, smacking his companion in the face with a wet slap. That sent his buddy reeling, swinging around to give the mop treatment right back.

While they were working on their Stooges impression, Stretch hastily scrambled out of Edge’s lap to his feet, barely avoiding the fingertips that tried to snag onto him again, not this time, brat. That didn’t stop the heat of a blush scalding across his cheek bones as he yanked his robe down modestly, yeah, there was more gossip for the Embassy, if Tall Boy and The Short One ever stopped sputtering through their facefuls of dirty mop.

A glance at Edge didn’t help, either, his face was schooled to calmness already, not even cracking a smile at the comedy gold in front of him. How was it he managed to look cool and professional with one foot in a cast and gym shorts? He probably didn’t even need to modify his trousers, one sharp look would shut any complainers right up. Even his damn t-shirt looked freshly ironed. Meanwhile, Stretch was feeling kinda sweaty and unwashed in his bathrobe, and he hadn’t even had coffee yet. A mop in the face might even feel refreshing right about now, but that seemed like a thought best kept to himself.

“Thank you for your help,” Edge said evenly, sitting as regal as a King on his…uh…sofa. The two Stooges paused, and the power of Edge’s gaze seemed like enough to straighten them out, both of them turning back to Edge, nodding and smiling.

“Hey, no problem!” Tall Boy said heartily. “Anything to help out you and Sans.”

“Yeah, no problem, anything to help out,” The Short One agreed. “If you have any other...erm...” He slanted a knowing look at Stretch, like he hadn’t been re-enacting an entire slapstick routine two minutes ago right in their living room, “…experiment issues, give us a call.”

”oh, i sure will,” Stretch muttered darkly. “for all my ‘experiment issue’ needs.” He stalked over to the front door and held it open, forcing a smile, “but thanks guys, really appreciate it.”

Took a few more head bobs, but eventual Stretch managed to herd them out the door, mops and all. When he turned back to Edge, his head was dropped back against the sofa, his sockets closed. That stoic mask faded back a bit, leaving behind weariness.

Yeeeah, that disguise was slipping more by the minute. Stretch sat back down next to him. “babe, are you sure you’re okay? lotta shit went down yesterday.”

Edge opened his sockets and offered him a faint smile. “Yes.” He reached out and ran his thumb gently across Stretch’s cheek bone. “I’m only a little tired.” His smile turned wry. “I can guess some of what you’re thinking, you know. Yesterday was difficult, and yes, my kitchen is important to me. But I’ve been very recently reminded that nothing is as important as the people in my life. You’re safe, my brother is safe. Your brother, Sans, Papyrus, Jeff and Antwan. Everyone I care about is safe. It’s something to be grateful for, isn’t it?”

“yeah, it is,” Stretch agreed slowly. It was, but it didn’t mean Edge could turn off his emotions about it like a water spigot or even that he should. Maybe it was a good thing Edge was gonna be talking to his therapist; if nothing else, she was damn talented at finding the X marks the spot to dig at. Stretch knew that from personal, and painful, experience. “we’ll get the kitchen taken care of, so long as no one gives those two hammers.”

“Cleaning duty is probably better for everyone involved,” Edge agreed.

Understatement. “it’ll take me a little while in town, why don’t you take a nap while i’m gone?”

It was mostly a rhetorical question, so he was surprised when Edge nodded. “I will, love. And I won’t touch any work until you get back.”

Good enough.

By the time he fed the chickens, got dressed, and headed back downstairs, Edge was already asleep, his foot propped on the sofa arm and the rest of him hidden beneath the fluffy blanket from the back of the couch. That was good, let him rest, let him find his balance again. Tempting as it was to straightened the blanket or give that much-loved skull a pat, Stretch kept his hands to himself. Better not to take the chance of startling him, Toriel wouldn’t be happy if he voided her warranty, but damn if he didn’t want to.

For all his doubts, the Stooges actually did a pretty good job of cleaning up the kitchen. The remains of the table were cleared away and so was the worst of the paint. Stretch poured himself a travel mug of coffee before heading out to the bus stop, garment bag in hand.

A stop at the tailors to get his baby some real pants would help him get back in the direction of the normal Edge was craving. He hoped. Looked like Opposite Week wasn’t quite finished yet but that was okay. Stretch didn’t mind getting to be the protector, for once.

-fin

#spicyhoney #papcest #keelywolfe #underfell #underswap #underfell papyrus #underswap papyrus #by any other name

[yogpetshame]

Have you seen Hat Films's latest GTA video? What do you think about what they've talked about?

Content variety

To me, at least, it seems like they’re holding one less puzzle piece than they need to have complete justification for the issue they claim to have. The problem they describe is that their video pipeline becomes jammed when they play too much of the same game in their recording sessions. By spending consecutive days recording VR, they generate weeks of nonstop VR videos. Which creates a different problem they glance over in the video: the most important part of YouTube success is that your content is habit-forming. If people take two weeks off because they don’t like the direction your content has gone, you broke their habit.

The reason I don’t think they’re legitimately stuck in this situation is that their content isn’t timely. They’re playing GTA V. GTA V was released in 2013. It’s not exactly launch-day. If they record a GTA video on October 19, they could upload it months later and it’s very likely nobody would notice. So, if they buckled down one week and recorded an extra session, they could begin to upload weeks-old content in with newer content and mix up the games as they go. So instead of feeding from two VR sessions nonstop until they run out, they could intersperse two VR sessions with one session of something else and not aggressively alienate VR-haters for an extended period of time. 

They get into how they don’t do like, “Monday Monopoly,” “Tuesday Twitch Sings” or whatever because they don’t record in variety, but this method really only requires they like two different games at once. It’s not that demanding.

In case I explained it badly, I’m going to give an example, and my relation of session/upload dates will be way off but it’s simpler to go 1:1. Let’s say they normally plan to record VR twice this week, and use the footage to upload VR videos for the next two weeks. Instead, they drank some Red Bulls and also recorded a third session, this time of Jack Box. Instead of uploading one week of VR, another week of VR, and a final week of Jack Box, they use Jack Box to break up the VR. So one week of VR and Jack Box, next week VR and Jack Box, on the third week they record more two more sessions to replace the two weeks that went by but still have a third week’s worth of spice to continue mixing with.

Nobody’s going to go, “Hey! That video you just uploaded is three weeks old!” Because nobody expects this stuff to be fresh anyway.

“The millionth game of Fortnite”

Not a whole essay on this one - Smith explains that he sees streamers playing a lot of the same game forever because it’s popular and insists that they won’t do that because it’s bad for your sanity.

Meanwhile, he’s playing a racing game for the last six years that used to be super-popular but now isn’t. But go off.

I don’t think there’s an easy solution for this, but pretending to be all high-and-mighty about the content you choose to produce when it’s no more dignified than anyone else is some very unwarranted confidence. Go take a look at Jerma if you need a refresher on how doing what everyone else is doing is not the only path to success. The guy streamed himself in a dunk tank.

Polling

Ross talks about why they can’t poll their viewers because the responses are effectively useless. Trott describes the type of people who would bother to vote as “active, and potentially fans of us already.” As the conversation goes on they lay bare that there is a certain type of audience member whose advice is pointless because they watch out of habit and aren’t sensitive to content or quality anymore.

What’s hilarious is that, because they prompted people to comment, they got a bunch of responses from that exact type of person trying to “encourage” them to drive their channel into the ground.

These people, while they are also the bread on your table, want your channel to fucking die.

You really don’t care what they play? What if they started playing World of Warcraft tomorrow? What if they started playing something so obscure that they never attracted any new viewers who weren’t parasocially attracted? Would it matter that you’re so entranced with their Chemistry, Vibe and Personality when they’re uploading Flower, Sun, and Rain for an audience you could fit in a large room?

These people make a terrible, terrible barometer for your channel. It may be better if they never spoke up at all. You’re not successful because of your chemistry, you’re successful because you made well-edited and choreographed Minecraft update videos and a cohort of your viewers from your 15 minutes of fame developed a habit of watching everything you upload. The fact you aren’t working in a Tesco now is because you continued to attract new viewers from that moment on to replace the habitual viewers that were lost due to attrition. If you rely entirely on the belief that your Vibe will pay your rent, you’ll hollow out until you become one of those broke has-beens that screeches about their “entitled viewers” on Twitter.

A YouTuber may have good chemistry. But never ever ever listen to people who say “”personality” or “chemistry” is the reason they watch. They’re in too deep.

YouTube Expert

Smith brings up a time when a “YouTube expert” came to Yogtowers to give advice that was “totally fucking useless” because staff aren’t allowed to share any tricks of value.

This, while knee-slappingly hilarious to picture, is also a little pathetic. The “secrets” to YouTube success aren’t secrets. It’s just that they’re prohibitive to make because creating that type of content saps your integrity, your dignity, your wallet, or all three. “ROSS AND SMITH GET IN A FISTFIGHT! (BROKEN NOSE)” could crack 5 million views. “MY DOG MOCHI ALMOST DIED (POISON FOOD???)” could crack 6 million. If you want YouTube to be a day job and not a series of traumatic incidents, you settle with making mild content that’s mildly successful. If you want to live in a private neighborhood in Los Angeles, you live like a wolverine on PCP and upload content that’s illegal in many countries.

You really don’t need an expert to tell you that. The idea of people at Yogtowers sitting around trying to understand why they’re not the next Rooster Teeth and finding out the answer is not because Rooster Teeth knows secrets, but because the Yogscast just isn’t as good, is pleasant though.

Gambling ads

Smith talks about “gambling ads” appearing before their videos. He says that “just because something is legally advertised doesn’t mean it’s not bad” and they say just because they recorded themselves using scratch cards doesn’t mean they recommend it. Trott brings up that minors can’t tell the difference.

Which is so fucking cute of them to discuss.

Granted it’s been some time, but really. You were thoroughly in bed with Tom “Syndicate” Cassell and Trevor “TmarTn” Martin, a pair of men who are only famous for luring kids into a gambling scheme, and friends during the time that they were under investigation for it.

“Say, ‘the four digits on the back of mommy’s credit card!”

You don’t have to condemn every advertiser that YouTube automatically throws on your channel. Nobody expects that. But going out of your way to throw in with Mr. Child Gambling? And then trying to take a stand on it? Please.

#Anonymous #hatfilms

[dillydedalus]

november reading

how is it november. anyway i mainly descended into asoiaf hell again but there’s some other stuff!

hugo long list anthology vol. 3, lots of people anthology of the hugo long list for sff short stories - like most anthologies, it’s a mixed bag; i skipped a few stories, found a lot fine, liked quite a few (especially those by ursula vernon, sarah pinsker, p. djeli clark & theodora goss). this tends more towards scifi than fantasy, but i generally preferred the more fantasy-ish ones. 2.5/5

heimat: a german family album, nora krug collage-style graphic memoir about krug’s relationship to german identity after moving to the us and marrying a jewish man, focusing on her research into her family history and her grandparents’ actions during the holocaust, collecting images, documents, letters, statements from other family members, etc etc. the collage style is impressively well-done & her use of documents is especially excellent. 4/5

die untalentierte lügnerin, eva schmidt a german book prize nominee about a young woman in austria going thru a personal & familial crisis after dropping out of acting school. it’s intentionally really detached & isolating (e.g. there is absolutely no direct speech/thought in the entire book) but (unintentionally?) also quite boring. the creepy supportive-but-boundary-breaking stepfather is well done. 2/5

a game of thrones, george r. r. martin (#1 asoiaf) y’all.... i missed this series. i know i’m always lowkey obsessed, but reading the books really is a whole ‘nother thing and there are beats that get me in the heart every time (& every time there are beats that feel completely new) & every time i read agot i suddenly and painfully remember how much i love ned & how good he is & how sad. gods. also i want to take everyone who thinks asoiaf is all about being grimdark & edgy & cynical & ‘honourable = dumb’ and shake them like that’s not what they’re saying! littlefinger thinks like that, cersei, tywin and varys. we’re not meant to side with them! we’re meant to side with ned, who is honourable & chooses ‘the madness of mercy’, even if it kills him, which it does. 4.5/5

cosmicomics, italo calvino (tr. from italian by william weaver) honestly this is so hard to describe but it’s basically short stories about the genesis of the universe, the development of earth & life on earth, told from the perspective of a kind of eternal being (called qwfwq i think) who has been around with some other eternal beings with similarly weird names since before there was space, or time, or anything, but these eternal beings also behave & think pretty much like normal humans if they existed on eternal time-scale. it’s really weird & really fun, altho after the 12 stories i was kinda done. also like the gender politics in this are super eyeroll-y so be aware of that i guess. 3/5

a clash of kings, george r. r. martin (#2 asoiaf) i recently saw a poll on r/asoiaf or something about everyone’s fav book in the series & acok came in last, which i kind of understand - between agot & the absolutely epic and intense asos, it kind of looks like just a transitional book, & while both affc & adwd are kind of polarising, they both have really passionate fans BUT i think acok might actually be my personal favourite in the series. almost all the character’s arcs in this are amazing (arya in harrenhal! sansa figuring out how to cope in KL! theon’s whole mess! tyrion as hand! bran’s last chapter making me cry every single time!) and it has the amazing battle of blackwater bay. so anyway: 5/5

the narrow road to the deep north, richard flanagan (uni) UGH. this is a booker winning (for some reason) novel about australian POWs on the death rail, which is not entirely uninteresting & not something i’ve read anything about before but a) the writing is bad, b) flanagan tries really hard to be incredibly profound & it’s not working, c) half the story isn’t even about the POW camp but about our noble self-sacrificial hero dorrigo ‘manly resolve’ evans, who is a serial cheater & in his feelings about his ~true love for his uncle’s wife which like... who cares!!! in retrospect our discussion in class brought out some interesting aspects about the book & especially what we are meant to think about dorrigo evans but i still dislike it. 1.5/5

bad blood: secrets and lies in a silicon valley startup, john carreyrou the absolutely wild story of startup/total scam theranos by the investigative journalist who originally exposed their total scamminess. it’s sad that there’s so little insight into elizabeth holmes (steve jobs reborn/scammer in chief) and her motivation but oh well. my fav scene was elizabeth holmes giving every employee a copy of a coelho book & telling them she was starting a religion. 3/5

emma, jane austen another austen that is both incredibly delightful and incredibly frustrating in a lot of ways, which i think is partially intentional (although the intense classism never really gets challenged, just emma’s flawed way of enacting classism) - emma herself is often frustrating, misguided, arrogant, but her situation is so dismal and stifling, so many people around her so dull and wearying and demanding, that i couldn’t help but feel for her. sure, the romance is a bit #problematique, and the classism is a lot, but i think the heart of this is emma trying to find a way to exist in highbury, recognise that a) jane fairfax is great but b) she doesn’t have to be like jane fairfax, and that a) yes, she is responsible for her father but b) her father doesn’t have to be her whole life, and that she probably should just let poor harriet smith do what she gonna do. 4/5

the need, helen phillips i think what this book (and fever dream) really confirmed for me is that if i ever have kids, my ocd will go into infernal nightmare mode. anyway. this is a pretty good, pretty scary thriller about molly, working at an excavation site that seems to hold a lot of fossils and artefacts that are just a lil wrong, while also being stressed as hell about her two young children. the book opens with a truly terrifying sequence, switching from molly at her job to molly putting the kids to bed and hearing something that sounds a lot like an intruder (but she’s probably just paranoid right???). the rest of the book doesn’t quite live up to that, but it’s still pretty cool. 3/5

a storm of swords (asoiaf #3), grrm this book is just one thing after the other, in a really good way, in that every time something big & huge happens you read the next chapter or two and something else big & huge happens. read for handless & noseless the lannister boys, not one or two but three contenders for top post on r/weddingshaming, the infamous arya burrito, jon snow inventing cunnilingus in a cave, vengeance zombies, the most emosh snowcastle ever, and just. feelings everywhere. 5/5 thank you for my life grrm

exquisite cadavers, meena kandasamy kandasamy’s last novel (when i hit you) is a kinda autofiction-y novel, closely based on her own abusive marriage but also a novel & the fact that much of the reception has focused on her own traumatic experiences rather than as her novel as a work of literature frustrated kandasamy, as she says in the author’s note here, so she decided to write a story and include her commentary on how it relates (& doesn’t) to her own life in the margin. but rather than straightforward explanation, the margin notes, told by meena (herself? the author-persona? something else?) become their own story, often going on tangents only tenuously connected with the ‘main’ story. i love this conceit & i think in parts of this book it works really really well & it’s interesting how each part informs your reading of the other & how to read the margins as someone whose academic training & inclination tend toward death of the author (one of the characters dislikes barthes lol). sadly i don’t think there’s not enough meat to the story-part to make it more than an interesting experiment. 3.5/5

currently read a feast for crows (of course) and a brief history of seven killings which is... a bit of a slog to be honest sorry :(

#the books i read #long post

[theguardiansseries]

From the Beginning Chapter 4

Bonjour, mes chers! Sorry for such the long wait! I was getting back into school and my job and boy is life getting exhausting! Midterms just passed, however, so let's hope I can get a little bit of a routine going here again.

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Click here to read on FFN Click here to read on AO3

Summary: Danny Fenton was a simple, sixteen-year-old teenager who loved fast food, video games, and getting a B on surprise pop quizzes. He’s also the half-ghost teenage hero Danny Phantom who defends Amity Park from ghost attacks on a daily basis. Somehow, the ghost attacks make a lot more sense than crushes, friendships, and falling in love with someone he is definitely not supposed to be falling in love with. It was a lot easier to separate Phantom and Fenton before, but now it’s getting harder the more he learns about himself. Just who was he? The dorky son of scientists who loved the stars or the hero that protected the town. He’s starting to feel like he won’t like the answer. (Iambic Prose) (Prequel to Guardians and Partial Show Rewrite)

<<First Chapter>> <<Last Chapter>><<Next Chapter>>

Chapter Four

::

“Have a good day at school!” Yelling back a garbled-out goodbye through whatever he had shoved in his mouth, Danny quickly made his way down the front steps of Fenton Works before running towards the school. As much as he would love to fly there, it was way too cold to even bother with this early in the morning.

God, winter break was both too short and too long, sometimes. It seemed like both minutes and lifetimes ago that Danny’s winter break was starting, and he had been trying to ignore the holidays with everything in him. Maybe he was under some Christmas curse and learning Ghostwriter’s lesson had finally broken it or something. Ugh. He’d have to wait an entire year to find out.

It felt like way too long since he had been back to school, though, and a small part of him was honestly looking forward to just hanging out with his friends and being a normal teenager – well, as normal as a teenager could get considering the ghost powers and everything.

Idly thinking on maybe going back to visit Ghostwriter when he needed help on his homework, Danny didn’t slow down his quick pace until he was getting close to the school steps, catching his breath as he felt every inch of happiness leave his body as he stared up at the now familiar building. He was definitely back at high school, at least.

“Incoming!” That loud cry was all the warning Danny was given before he suddenly had a best friend wrapped around his shoulders. Danny was eternally grateful for his ghost strength, because otherwise he and Tucker would both be collapsed in a pile of snow. “Danny! Buddy, pal, friend, chum, sport-”

“Who did you piss off and who are you hiding from?” Danny probably shouldn’t encourage Tucker’s crazy behavior, but it was hard to hold in laughter when Tucker was shifting and moving around him like a demented squirrel.

“Me? Piss someone off? Danny, please, come on. I’m the most likeable person in this entire school. I really don’t appreciate-”

“Foley!” Biting his cheek to stave off his laughter this time, Danny felt Tucker slap him on the back before he was given a crazy grin.

“And that’s our cue to get to homeroom!” With that, Tucker was pulling him along, Danny easily letting him as he kept an eye out for the color black. Somehow, even with him keeping an eye out, Sam still managed to sneak up on him enough to almost give him a heart attack.

“Jesus, Sammy, are you trying to make me use my ghost powers?” Danny accepted the hug anyways, getting a face full of a furry hood that was attached to a coat and had a sheen to it that made it look like it was forever stuck between being black and being purple. It was probably some fake fur made of human skin or something like that, too. “At least Tucker gives warning.”

“And I give you impromptu training. You’re welcome.” Damn. He really had missed these two. Like, yeah, okay, he hadn’t been that long since he had seen them, but still. “So, I believe you were catching us up on some ghostly poem drama last night before we ended the call?”

“Oh, yeah, right. There’s not much to it.” Danny used the rest of the walk to class to quickly explain the basics of what had happened over Christmas with the whole poem incident. When they dropped into their seats in homeroom, he was completely unsurprised to see that Tucker was holding back laughter and Sam was looking offended.

“A ghost messed with my memories? I mean, I’m glad the town didn’t really remember that mess and they don’t hate you again or anything, but is that why I can barely remember what I did over the holidays? Oh, that’s so-”

“Hey, hey, Ghostwriter isn’t all that bad.” At the look he was given, Danny gave a weak little shrug and half of a smile. “What can I say, I made a new friend. Doing the whole apology thing and spending time at that library probably made it the funnest winter break I’ve ever had.”

“Dude. Now I’m offended.” Tucker, very dramatically, held a hand to his chest. “You don’t count our winter breaks as fun?”

“Last winter break you almost had us thrown in juvie.” That had been an interesting one to explain if nothing else. It made kind of a funny story. At least, to them, it did, but not so much for their parents when they had picked them up at the local courthouse jail or whatever it had been. “You have your own category of fun.”

“I still can’t believe there’s a ghost out there that can control us all like that.” Leave it to Sam to stick to the heart of the matter. “Are we sure he isn’t going to do that again? I mean, we can barely even remember what he did.”

“You’ll probably be fine as long as you don’t piss him off,” Danny shrugged. “I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty good with never again angering the guy who can control reality, although Clockwork did mention there were limits to his powers.”

“It’s because he’d be overpowered, otherwise, and the universe knows that isn’t fair,” Tucker said solemnly. Danny was a little disappointed that Sam beat him to it when it came to kicking Tucker’s chair. “Hey! No kicking in class!”

“You don’t have any proof.” Sam crossed her arms and smirked at Danny. “Let’s get back to the true heart of this matter where you befriended a guy version of Jazz.”

“I did not!” Thinking on his week with Ghostwriter, though, and what he had learned about the guy, Danny supposed that maybe he kind of sort of maybe kind of had. “Shit. I totally did, didn’t I? Well, you know what, he might be a kind of friend, but he’s still annoying!”

“Hey, at least you have another ghost that isn’t out to hunt you down or kill you or anything.” Tucker finally got his chair perfectly straight before Sam nudged it just a bit to the left. “Dammit, Sam!”

“It is nice to have another friendly ghost on our side. Like, yeah, okay, he’s a little weird, but… He can actually be pretty fun.” Danny hadn’t thought discussing books could even be fun until he and Ghostwriter had almost destroyed a couch arguing about one of the books.

“Fun, huh?” Sam raised a single eyebrow which, really, how the hell did she even manage that? Danny bet she practiced it in the mirror. “I can tell since you spent an entire week with him.”

“Whoa, hey, no, I spent five days with him.” That didn’t really sound all that much better, but Danny was on thin ice to begin with.

“That’s a school week,” Tucker piped up. “It counts and there’s no way I believe that you were just ‘organizing books’ for an entire week at that place. Spill it. What else did you do over break?”

“Settle down, students.” At Lancer’s voice, Danny let out an explosive sigh and slumped in his seat. Thank God.

“I never thought I would say this, but thank God, class is starting.” Both his friends choked on a laugh, Danny smiling himself. It was nice for things to be normal, again. “Hey, wanna hit the mall after school?”

“Oh, hell yeah! I hear Techtopia has a sale going on.” Oh, Tucker. He would never change. “I’m sure there’s probably a deal going on at the Hot Topic there, too.”

“Please,” Sam snorted, looking toward the board at the front of the class before glancing back. “There might be a new year sale going on, actually.”

“Mall it is.” A little time to be just a normal teenager was just what the three of them needed. Besides, after ghost hunting, the mall was harmless as could be.

::

“Right. Note to self. The mall is never harmless.” Danny dragged himself out of the pile of store merchandise he had crashed into it and waved at the scared cashier at the counter. “Sorry about that. Send a bill to the mayor, I guess? Sorry!”

“None can stop the all-powerful Technus 2.0!” Oh, God, Technus was worse than ever before. Danny seriously might lose his mind if he had to keep this up for too long.

“Yeah, yeah, all hail the megadork. I seriously can’t believe your upgraded form is just you with a mullet. Where are you from, the eighties?” Dodging the electronic wires that came after him, Danny grinned at Technus and tried to make himself as annoying as possible. At least he was used to being used as a target, unlike everyone else here. “Ooh, did I hit a sore spot?”

“You will be the first to be crushed under my might, ghost child!” Eugh. That was probably the most annoying moniker he had yet. Well, he guessed his break really was over now. It had been nice while it lasted.

“Yeah, yeah, master of technology. Hey, you know what? It’d be more impressive if you actually ever managed to win!” Quickly dodging a blast of energy, Danny gulped as he felt the searing heat just barely brush his arm. God, he really needed to work on never getting hit by those because they hurt-

“Ah!” At the cry of pain, Danny quickly snapped his head around, eyes wide at seeing Valerie on the floor and sitting up with a hiss of pain.

“Oh, I’m gonna break you in half!” Feeling energy pour into his hands, Danny unleashed half a dozen blasts all at once, viciously pleased when most of them managed to hit Technus on at least some part of his body. “Well? You’re after a fight, aren’t you!”

So, alright, maybe Danny had the tendency to jump the gun and get too angry and protective and all that, but he was trying to keep the ghostly stuff away from his friends! They shouldn’t have to worry about stuff like this when he was supposed to be here taking care of it!

“C’mon, Technus! You wanted a fight, didn’t you?!” Readying more energy, Danny narrowed his eyes when he saw Technus looked intrigued. That was never a good look. He would know, too, after growing up with scientists his entire life.

“Interesting.” Technus’ gaze flickered to Valerie and Danny was attacking again at once. The last thing he wanted was for ghosts to put together that Valerie was the Red Huntress. They were less forgiving on ghost hunters than they were on him. “Oh, don’t worry, ghost child, I haven’t forgotten about you.”

“Dude, could you sound any more like a super villain?” Dodging the wires that snapped for his ankles, Danny grunted as he was hit with a blast strong enough to send him crashing into a huge stack of boxes and god that fucking hurt. Pushing himself up and catching his breath, Danny frowned when he saw he had changed back. “Ugh, why do you never work when I need you to?” Stupid powers.

“Danny?” Freezing at the voice, Danny blinked up at seeing Valerie looking down at him with raised eyebrows and, yeah, right. Phantom crashed and Fenton appeared. Right.

“Ah, hi, Val. So, uh, hey, those ghosts gone yet? I was trying to find Sam and Tucker and suddenly boxes were falling on top of me.”

“Yeah, they’re both gone.” Valerie gave a laugh and held her hand out, Danny smiling as he let himself be pulled to his feet. If nothing else, Valerie had a nice laugh. “You okay?”

“Just another day in Amity Park, I guess.” Danny gave Valerie a quick once over, relaxing when he saw that she was just fine. Technus’ blast didn’t seem to do any real harm to her, which, good. “You good? I saw you go down from that one ghost’s attack or whatever it was.”

“Knocked off my feet, I guess, but I’m good.” Valerie’s smile seemed to soften before she suddenly stepped back and dropped Danny’s hand and oh, yeah, that- Huh. He had forgotten they were even holding hands in the first place. “So, uh, you were looking for your friends?”

“Yeah- Yeah. I was. Sam and Tuck. My friends.” Danny really wished he could clone himself some days, just so he could slap himself. He just was never sure how to act around Valerie some days. She was kind and sweet and friendly and had a pretty sharp wit and she was also a ghost hunter who absolutely hated his guts with everything in her.

“Right.” Valerie looked away and Danny was about to move before he heard her clear her throat with a rough cough. “So, um… You’re good at Chemistry and everything, right?”

“What?” At the dry and sour look he was given, Danny gave a slow nod. “I mean, yeah? I usually get by with a low A or sometimes a high B. Why?”

“I was wondering if maybe we could meet up in the library some time and you could run me through a few things? Petricoff is making it way harder than it needs to be.”

“Ugh, I know, tell me about it.” Danny loved science, don’t get him wrong, but that demon that taught the science classes as Casper was pure evil. She probably really was a demon. Danny wouldn’t have been surprised. “But, uh, yeah, sure, I can help.”

“Great. Exchange numbers?” Valerie was already holding her phone out with a new contact pulled up, Danny fumbling to do the same with his own before they swapped. “Thanks. I know I haven’t been the nicest friend lately.”

“We all have our rough spots. I mean, it is high school.” Was he alive? Did Technus’ last hit kill him? Because he was exchanging numbers with one of the more popular girls in school and she was honestly smiling at him.

“Tell me about it,” Valerie laughed, taking her phone back and tossing Danny’s to him. It was a close save to keep it from dropping, Danny slumping in relief as Valerie laughed. “Hopefully having scientist parents pays off.

“Yeah.” Okay, so, yeah, maybe Valerie was the Red Huntress and all that, but she was still pretty amazing, and she actually seemed to like Danny. That alone was an impossible miracle considering the only people who had ever really liked him in his entire school career was Tucker and Sam.  

“So, hey, do you need to meet up with your friends right this second, or do you maybe wanna grab a bite to eat real quick? I was about to grab something before the whole dick measuring fight took place.”

Choking on a laugh, Danny silently nodded as he followed Valerie back towards the food court. Sam and Tucker would be okay for a while yet, and, well, maybe it was time to move on from his puppy crush on Paulina. Valerie’s dad had taken her suit away after that whole Pariah mess, after all, so Danny would be perfectly safe dating a ghost hunter.

Heh. Dating. It was the time for New Year’s Resolutions and all that Jazz stuff. Maybe he could make a resolution to try a little bit harder to be a normal teenager. Sure, he should probably be worrying about Technus getting away, but he could let his parents handle it or something. They were the professional ghost hunters, after all.

“You know what, Val? Grabbing a bite to eat sounds great right now.” Food did sound pretty great but being just an average Amity Park teenager sounded even better.

“You’re pretty chipper all of a sudden. Should I worry about you being possessed by a ghost or anything?”

“Nope. Just possessed with some good company.” Grinning at Valerie’s startled laugh, Danny felt something in him relax.

A little time as a normal teenager was just what this new year could use.

#danny phantom #from the beginning #guardians series #iambic prose #ftb chapters

[racingtoaredlight]

College Football 2020 Season Week 10 TV Watch Em Ups: Some of these games will even be played

These are bad times for living but there is a slight shadow of hope. Hope doesn’t normally cast a shadow but, you know, bad times. Dark around the sun. Clouds for months. We live in a bog. Follow me on twitter for more mirth!

This is the way the games are listed right now at about midnight Eastern but the dominos they are a-fallin’. We might see some more cancellations / postponements but you know the rules by now. Shit’s not getting updated on this site unless there is something really crazy going on. Like one of the proprietors of the site actually looking at it during the day. Highly improbable, as you well know. Bad info (incorrect kickoff times, wrong channel listed, flip-flopped lines) is not my fault. Bad takes are all me. Just keep the good ones in mind when you are painting my portrait.

Saturday, November 14

Matchup                                                     Time (ET)                   TV/Mobile

9 Miami (FL) at Virginia Tech                     12:00pm                       ESPN

Virginia Tech is favored by 2.5 and I am legitimately puzzled. What is Vegas expecting here? Miami has been underwhelming at times but the Hokies have actually been bad for the most part.

10 Indiana at Michigan State                     12:00pm                        ABC

Sure, Indiana is undefeated and ranked #10 but this season shouldn’t count and they’re still Indiana. I laughed when Michigan State beat Michigan two weeks ago and I’ll do it again if they knock Indiana off their pedestal. To be fair, Sparty getting run the fuck over would also be funny. B1G 2020 - it’s even worse than it looks!

Vanderbilt at Kentucky                               12:00pm                        SECN

These two long-time SEC rivals should have more cancellations in their series history.

TCU at West Virginia                                   12:00pm                         FOX

Go WFV. I feel that in my heart but there’s no magic here.

Wake Forest at North Carolina                   12:00pm                       ACCN

I was happy for UNC when they were #5 but I also want to see them buried under the graveyard. The duality of man.

Western Carolina at 22 Liberty                    12:00pm                       ESPNU

Vegas Insider doesn’t have a line listed for this game so I guess Western Carolina is FCS but I really don’t ever know anymore. Especially in the mid-Adlantic region. Liberty had an all-time great stupid game ending last week so it would be perfect if they lose the rest of their games and we can forget all about this tragedy of a season that has Liberty ranked every week.

Middle Tennessee at 16 Marshall                12:00pm                      CBSSN

This is probably my backup for the Canes game but I can’t tell you anything about either team as of now.

Army at Tulane                                               12:00pm             ESPN2/ESPN+

On paper this isn’t even the worst game with a noon kickoff this week and let me tell you why that has my heart just glowing.

Penn State at Nebraska                                12:00pm                        FS1

Teenage me would have been overjoyed at the prospect of 1994′s co-National Champions playing in a nationally televised showdown of winless teams in November 2020. Is that weird? Sure, but I still hate both of these programs and love to see them struggle. Penn State has to win this one, I reckon, but there is still an outside chance at a cancellation. If we can end this season with zero wins for Penn State then all the risks were worth it.

Illinois at Rutgers                                           1:00pm                          BTN

Here is yet another example of a game that should have been cancelled in a non-pandemic year.

South Alabama at 25 Louisiana                     2:00pm                        ESPN+

A 6-1 Sun Belt team with a top 25 ranking is a clear indication that this season needed to be over before it started. This is madness.

Fresno State at Utah State                             2:30pm                           FS2

This is not a midday kind of game and, as such, should also be cancelled. Or at least pushed back 8 hours for the sake of aesthetics.

Georgia State at Appalachian State              2:30pm                       ESPN+

I have the song “Kill Em All” stuck in my head but the word kill is replaced with cancel. The meter does not work at all but it’s close enough for me and it’s my only comment on this game.

UTEP at UTSA                                                  3:00pm                       ESPN+

If you want to see the nation’s second leading rusher, his name is Sincere McCormick and he plays for UTSA. Yes, he is now second.

Louisville at Virginia                                         3:30pm                       ACCN

Great matchup of horrible teams that don’t always seem horrible.

Southern Miss at WKU                                    3:30pm                      CBSSN

There is no way to carry any self respect watching this shitty game, imagine writing about it? Imagine reading my writing about it? Goddammit, man, it might be time to give up on football altogether.

Texas State at Georgia Southern                    3:30pm                     ESPN3

Pure unadulterated misery.

USF at Houston                                                 3:30pm           ESPN2/ESPN+

I love it when these two programs thrive but this is not one of those years and the idea of actually watching this game this year is wholly unappealing.

2 Notre Dame at Boston College                            3:30pm                 ABC

Until beating Clemson last week the last time Notre Dame had beaten a #1 team was 1993 when they outlasted Florida State in one of the most mercilessly hyped games in college football history. Florida State dropped all the way to #2 in the polls and Notre Dame followed up that high with a loss to an unranked Boston College team. You know what they say about history - those who don’t remember how funny it is for Notre Dame to lose to Boston College are in for a real treat if it happens again.

Colorado at Stanford                                                3:30pm                ESPN

Great uniform matchup. Still rooting for the cancellation.

20 USC at Arizona                                                     3:30pm                FOX

UPDATE!: I still hate USC.

Hawaii at San Diego State                                       4:00pm      Spectrum PPV

I saw last week that you can download an app that lets you watch Hawaii games for free but I think you have to cast it from your phone to the TV for some reason. Also, I forget what the app is called.

Eastern Kentucky at Central Arkansas                   4:00pm               ESPN3

Is there a trophy for this game? Is it a rivalry? If it’s a rivalry and they don’t have a trophy already then I’d like to suggest awarding a barrel of moonshine to the winning team.

Baylor at Texas Tech                                                 4:00pm                  FS1

Look at this beautiful SWC shit being ruined by existing in 2020. Related: how did Baylor manage to do so much embarrassing shit as a school after the SWC collapsed?

23 Northwestern at Purdue                                       5:00pm                 BTN

I’ve mentioned it in these posts plenty of times but I have a truly inexplicable hatred for Northwestern.

Pittsburg State at Stephen F. Austin                         5:00pm              ESPN3

Without doing a modicum of research I’ve concluded that Stephen F. Austin transitioned to FBS this year but their schedule is still set to NAIA.

Nevada at New Mexico                                              6:30pm                FS2

How are there still so many games that haven’t been cancelled yet?

19 SMU at Tulsa                                                           7:00pm             ESPN2

SMU is #19 and I know there are no good teams this year but I feel it in my heart that this is too high for SMU to be ranked.

Arkansas at 6 Florida                                                  7:00pm              ESPN

I’m too busy being baffled by the amount of football being played to dispense with too much half-assed gambling advice this week but Arkansas +17 seems like the easiest play of any line I’ve looked at.

11 Oregon at Washington State                                  7:00pm               FOX

The only reason to play this game would be to try to give Mike Leach COVID but he isn’t even coaching Washington State anymore.

South Carolina at Mississippi                                      7:30pm             SECN

In a world full of COVID this game is an STD. The racist south is going to be wearing some stars & stripes themed uniforms, I think, which isn’t really markedly different than their Confederacy-themed normal look.

Florida State at NC State                                              7:30pm            ACCN

FSU is currently at the lowest point that any of the big three Florida programs has been at in my entire life. NC State is favored by 10.5 and that seems too low by half. NC State being unranked is very fair and they are still, from what I’ve seen, easily good for beating Florida State by 21. What a fucking world.

13 Wisconsin at Michigan                                             7:30pm          ABC

Michigan is totally going to win this game. It is written in the stars.

Temple at UCF                                                               7:30pm        ESPNU

Just realized it’s Tulane that’s playing Army. When I wrote the capsule I was thinking of Temple. Oh, well, nothing we can do about that now.

UNLV at San Jose State                                                10:30pm         FS2

There is no reason for this game to be played.

Oregon State at Washington                                         11:00pm        FS1

Has UDub really fallen this far this fast (again) or are they just forgotten? Let’s all agree to not find out.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Memphis at Navy                                             Postponed

3 Ohio State at Maryland                                Canceled

Gardner-Webb at Charlotte                            Canceled

Air Force at Wyoming                                     Canceled

North Texas at UAB                                         Postponed

Arizona Christian at Abilene Christian          Canceled

1 Alabama at LSU                                            Postponed

Rice at Louisiana Tech                                    Postponed

12 Georgia at Missouri                                    Postponed

15 Coastal Carolina at Troy                            Postponed

#saturday post #football #college football #tv #watch em ups #gambling #fuck brian kelly #fuck notre dame #brian kelly is a murderer

[michaelfallcon]

Voices Of The Global Coffee Supply Chain Respond To COVID-19

For the third and final of our latest series of reader polls on how COVID-19 is impacting the specialty coffee world—the first specifically for baristas and the second for the coffee consuming public—we ditched the more statistical approach in favor of in-depth individual answers. The results look a lot more like a survey than a poll—they are truly revealing, equal parts hopeful and gut-wrenching.

This survey was open to anyone whose employment pre-COVID fell within the coffee supply chain, anywhere in the world. To make sure the responses truly represented the global community, the survey was presented in a total of eight different languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish.

The responses we received, nearly 170 in total, reflect both the transcontinental nature of coffee, the chain of hands that take a tiny ripe little cherry from oceans away and turn it into the beverage in your cup. Representing a total of 30 countries across six continents, we received thoughtful answers from producers, exporters, importers, green buyers, roasters, cafe owners, and baristas. Over the course of three rather open prompts, we wanted to find out, generally, how COVID-19 has changed life for those who make their lives in and around coffee.

We are reprinting a selection of those responses in full below. All answers were given anonymously. We have included each respondent’s country of residence and job title for context.

Some answers have been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

How has the pandemic impacted your workplace?

All of us are doing our best and working from home; only key production personnel are authorized to be at the roastery to prepare wholesale orders or quantities for our coffee shops’ consumption. — Commercial Manager at a cafe/roastery, Bahrain

We had to shut down our shop in high season two weeks ago. No seating, no terrace, and kitchen closed. We opened a kiosk the next day selling coffee beans and take-away coffee. We keep a high safety standard for customers and staff to create a secure environment. Fortunately one of our regulars runs a drug store and provides us with disinfectant and masks. Everything seems to be unreal in our good old shop but our customers really appreciate what we do. All catering and coffee courses are canceled until December. — Cafe/roastery owner, Germany

The impact is still unfolding. Uganda has introduced a number of lock-down measures that are already impacting the poorest of the poor, the people with whom we work. Movements have been stopped, public and private transport cancelled. The motorbike riders are out of work, people in the villages where we work can’t get to health centers for safe delivery of babies, treatment of other illnesses. Although exports of goods are still permitted (and we still have committed customers at the moment in the US/UK/Korea for which we are so thankful), processing factories—mills, warehouses, etc—are heavily restricted. This is already leading to delays to orders. We hope it doesn’t lead to cancellations.

As a project we’ve always committed to pay our farmers cash on delivery, so we’re grateful that all our payments on the mountain are cleared. Our farmers and workers have all been paid for the season. However, as a project we absolutely now rely on our buyers coming through so that we can receive payments for the coffee and clear our business loans… We’re really hoping that we can get our orders out, that we can agree terms with our buyers that help them out, which allow us to support our farmers at a time when they need us most. — Director of a Producer Organization, Uganda

In New Zealand, all cafes, restaurants, retail shops, etc. are completely closed. We are primarily a wholesale coffee supplier direct to cafes, we don’t supply mainstream supermarkets, only a few boutiques. We do have a web store for direct to consumer sales but the lockdown restrictions stopped us from offering coffee online too, as roasters were only able to continue supply to essential supermarkets, not to home drinkers. Thankfully the online sales restriction was lifted after 9 days of shutdown, so we at least have that now. But volume wise, we are doing 90-95% less than we usually do, as almost our entire customer base is closed down. The lockdown is scheduled for 4 weeks, depending on the situation it may get extended. Even when it is lifted we will likely have a period of non-essential closures, takeaway only etc. Our borders will probably remain closed or essentially closed for months to come meaning next to no tourism (a huge industry in our country) so less coffee drinkers around in general. And it is likely that a lot of our wholesale customers may not reopen after this.

For what it’s worth I am completely supportive of the shutdown and after 12 days it appears to be effective, the curve is flattening. But it undoubtedly has a heavy impact on hospitality that will be hard to recover from.

My workplace as a result of the pandemic has introduced distancing practices in and stepped up general hygiene. Anyone who can work at home, is. As a result of the low sales volumes and general slow down of work, a lot of my colleagues have been placed on discretionary leave, being paid the minimum government subsidy until nationally we return to “alert level 2” (there’s a 4 step alert system, we’re in level 4 now). Nobody has been laid off, yet. — Head Roaster, New Zealand

Minimally. Panama is in total lockdown, agriculture exempted. Most of our coffee is sold to Asia, who continues to buy. Main problem is shipping logistics, especially via air. — Producer/exporter, Panama

In Jakarta, our government has not required us to do a complete lockdown. We are still allowed to operate but we only have one location purely for takeaways. We used to have three stores. Sales have dropped around 80% and it’s tough. We have put some of our recent hires on unpaid leave… hoping this will end soon. — Cafe owner, Indonesia

How has the pandemic impacted your job?

I’ve personally accepted more responsibility, since we’re down to a skeleton crew and the acting manager isn’t setting foot in the cafe because he doesn’t have insurance and he’s scared. Most days are either really busy or dead in the water. The days that we’re busy I make astoundingly good tips. Every day I wonder if it will be the last before the government shuts all of the restaurants down. — Barista/manager, United States

As a founder you wear all the hats in the business anyway so day to day hasn’t changed too much except now absolutely everything is done from my laptop except for packing all the online orders. — Founder of a cold brew coffee company, United Kingdom

For many small exporters, to finance one container requires quite a bit of financial muscle, not to mention the hefty interest rates from banks and/or private lenders. Because of the world-wide stay-at-home effort, roasters aren’t stocking up on green because of the uncertainty and consumers aren’t going out to coffee shops and restaurants to drink their coffee, which is reducing consumption. Once the consumer stops spending, the roaster slows down production, the importer starts sitting on green, and well, the exporter has to scramble to find a quick solution to stay afloat and continue to carry the loans until payment can be made from the importer/roaster. By holding up cash-flow, exporters will not be able to purchase as much coffee as projected, affecting the farmer who will have to sell to the co-op and be subject to the market price. The reduction in demand that is expected for 2nd and 3rd quarters will also have an affect on the quantity of coffee being purchased at specialty prices.

There is also a worry of a shortage of pickers for this harvest season for two reasons; pickers don’t want to leave home and risk getting infected while away from home and two, local governments don’t want pickers from other regions coming in to their regions potentially carrying the virus. This has prompted some local governments to start campaigns to hire locals to pick coffee, offering guaranteed medical coverage against the virus and other subsidies. — Importer/exporter, Colombia

Our management made the right decision to close the coffee house completely, and not work “to-go”, because even the slightest risk is a risk for all of us. — Barista, Russia

Sales have dropped a lot. Also forecasting has stopped as no roaster wants to take a long term guess. This is impacting how we can forecast purchases at origin as well. — Green coffee buyer, Australia

It’s gone for now! I’ve worked in the coffee industry since I was 18, I’m 25 now. It’s been my career aspiration to work in a coffee roastery. Eight months into my dream job and it’s been snatched away from me. I was also training for the Brewers cup, hours of training put in with a coffee that won’t make it to the national stage. — Production assistant/account manager, Ireland

What’s your life like right now?

I’m enjoying myself at home, trying to work on creative projects, suddenly needing to buy way more whole bean than I normally would. I visited my store yesterday to say hello to everyone, and I’m glad I’m not working through this time. The job right now simply isn’t what I was hired for, or what I had hired staff for, and although I know regulars keep showing up and the working staff are nothing but positive, I know I couldn’t suspend my fear and completely alter our operations without having an eventual breakdown. Sometimes I worry that I made the wrong choice, that I turned my back on a great company and wonderful coworkers, but this is far bigger than me, than any of us individually, and I have to remind myself that despite the uncertainty, staying home is the likely the best thing I can do for everyone in my community. — Barista/manager, Canada

Working from home and waiting for funding from the government so that I won’t have to shut down altogether. — Cafe owner, Brazil

It is better but still we hope that we will overcome it soon because still we are making just 50% of our regular numbers. — Cafe owner, Czech Republic

My wife and I run our cafe, where we have around 11 employees. The future is just uncertain. We were one of the first coffee roasters in Kazakhstan, and we have been here for the past eight years watching the culture grow. And now I’m scared we will have to start all over. — Cafe/roastery owner, Kazakhstan

My life is very precarious. I have expenses without any return. I am limited in practicing my profession, if not for video lessons to keep in touch with the community. How it will return to normal is my doubt. Our profession is at risk. — Barista, Italy

Filled with anxiety of no income but relaxing spending time with loved ones at home. — Head of coffee, South Africa

My life is a series of zoom calls, FaceTime, daily anxiety, and planning my alternate idea of a career that doesn’t rely on the global economy. I’ve been knitting a lot and filming crafting videos. — Roasting operations manager, United Kingdom

Boring and stressful. — Cafe owner, Trinidad

I filed for unemployment but with little clarity as to what the stimulus package is actually sending, my partner (also a barista) and I are making about a third of our wages from unemployment leaving our livelihood up in the air with rent and other bills still coming. We are also losing our health insurance through our full-time jobs. — Barista, United States

Additional Reporting

Poll results: Baristas 

Poll results: Coffee consumption

Voices of baristas

Voices of cafe owners

Voices of importers 

All COVID-19 coverage on Sprudge. 

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

Voices Of The Global Coffee Supply Chain Respond To COVID-19 published first on https://medium.com/@LinLinCoffee

[shebreathesslowly]

Voices Of The Global Coffee Supply Chain Respond To COVID-19

For the third and final of our latest series of reader polls on how COVID-19 is impacting the specialty coffee world—the first specifically for baristas and the second for the coffee consuming public—we ditched the more statistical approach in favor of in-depth individual answers. The results look a lot more like a survey than a poll—they are truly revealing, equal parts hopeful and gut-wrenching.

This survey was open to anyone whose employment pre-COVID fell within the coffee supply chain, anywhere in the world. To make sure the responses truly represented the global community, the survey was presented in a total of eight different languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish.

The responses we received, nearly 170 in total, reflect both the transcontinental nature of coffee, the chain of hands that take a tiny ripe little cherry from oceans away and turn it into the beverage in your cup. Representing a total of 30 countries across six continents, we received thoughtful answers from producers, exporters, importers, green buyers, roasters, cafe owners, and baristas. Over the course of three rather open prompts, we wanted to find out, generally, how COVID-19 has changed life for those who make their lives in and around coffee.

We are reprinting a selection of those responses in full below. All answers were given anonymously. We have included each respondent’s country of residence and job title for context.

Some answers have been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

How has the pandemic impacted your workplace?

All of us are doing our best and working from home; only key production personnel are authorized to be at the roastery to prepare wholesale orders or quantities for our coffee shops’ consumption. — Commercial Manager at a cafe/roastery, Bahrain

We had to shut down our shop in high season two weeks ago. No seating, no terrace, and kitchen closed. We opened a kiosk the next day selling coffee beans and take-away coffee. We keep a high safety standard for customers and staff to create a secure environment. Fortunately one of our regulars runs a drug store and provides us with disinfectant and masks. Everything seems to be unreal in our good old shop but our customers really appreciate what we do. All catering and coffee courses are canceled until December. — Cafe/roastery owner, Germany

The impact is still unfolding. Uganda has introduced a number of lock-down measures that are already impacting the poorest of the poor, the people with whom we work. Movements have been stopped, public and private transport cancelled. The motorbike riders are out of work, people in the villages where we work can’t get to health centers for safe delivery of babies, treatment of other illnesses. Although exports of goods are still permitted (and we still have committed customers at the moment in the US/UK/Korea for which we are so thankful), processing factories—mills, warehouses, etc—are heavily restricted. This is already leading to delays to orders. We hope it doesn’t lead to cancellations.

As a project we’ve always committed to pay our farmers cash on delivery, so we’re grateful that all our payments on the mountain are cleared. Our farmers and workers have all been paid for the season. However, as a project we absolutely now rely on our buyers coming through so that we can receive payments for the coffee and clear our business loans… We’re really hoping that we can get our orders out, that we can agree terms with our buyers that help them out, which allow us to support our farmers at a time when they need us most. — Director of a Producer Organization, Uganda

In New Zealand, all cafes, restaurants, retail shops, etc. are completely closed. We are primarily a wholesale coffee supplier direct to cafes, we don’t supply mainstream supermarkets, only a few boutiques. We do have a web store for direct to consumer sales but the lockdown restrictions stopped us from offering coffee online too, as roasters were only able to continue supply to essential supermarkets, not to home drinkers. Thankfully the online sales restriction was lifted after 9 days of shutdown, so we at least have that now. But volume wise, we are doing 90-95% less than we usually do, as almost our entire customer base is closed down. The lockdown is scheduled for 4 weeks, depending on the situation it may get extended. Even when it is lifted we will likely have a period of non-essential closures, takeaway only etc. Our borders will probably remain closed or essentially closed for months to come meaning next to no tourism (a huge industry in our country) so less coffee drinkers around in general. And it is likely that a lot of our wholesale customers may not reopen after this.

For what it’s worth I am completely supportive of the shutdown and after 12 days it appears to be effective, the curve is flattening. But it undoubtedly has a heavy impact on hospitality that will be hard to recover from.

My workplace as a result of the pandemic has introduced distancing practices in and stepped up general hygiene. Anyone who can work at home, is. As a result of the low sales volumes and general slow down of work, a lot of my colleagues have been placed on discretionary leave, being paid the minimum government subsidy until nationally we return to “alert level 2” (there’s a 4 step alert system, we’re in level 4 now). Nobody has been laid off, yet. — Head Roaster, New Zealand

Minimally. Panama is in total lockdown, agriculture exempted. Most of our coffee is sold to Asia, who continues to buy. Main problem is shipping logistics, especially via air. — Producer/exporter, Panama

In Jakarta, our government has not required us to do a complete lockdown. We are still allowed to operate but we only have one location purely for takeaways. We used to have three stores. Sales have dropped around 80% and it’s tough. We have put some of our recent hires on unpaid leave… hoping this will end soon. — Cafe owner, Indonesia

How has the pandemic impacted your job?

I’ve personally accepted more responsibility, since we’re down to a skeleton crew and the acting manager isn’t setting foot in the cafe because he doesn’t have insurance and he’s scared. Most days are either really busy or dead in the water. The days that we’re busy I make astoundingly good tips. Every day I wonder if it will be the last before the government shuts all of the restaurants down. — Barista/manager, United States

As a founder you wear all the hats in the business anyway so day to day hasn’t changed too much except now absolutely everything is done from my laptop except for packing all the online orders. — Founder of a cold brew coffee company, United Kingdom

For many small exporters, to finance one container requires quite a bit of financial muscle, not to mention the hefty interest rates from banks and/or private lenders. Because of the world-wide stay-at-home effort, roasters aren’t stocking up on green because of the uncertainty and consumers aren’t going out to coffee shops and restaurants to drink their coffee, which is reducing consumption. Once the consumer stops spending, the roaster slows down production, the importer starts sitting on green, and well, the exporter has to scramble to find a quick solution to stay afloat and continue to carry the loans until payment can be made from the importer/roaster. By holding up cash-flow, exporters will not be able to purchase as much coffee as projected, affecting the farmer who will have to sell to the co-op and be subject to the market price. The reduction in demand that is expected for 2nd and 3rd quarters will also have an affect on the quantity of coffee being purchased at specialty prices.

There is also a worry of a shortage of pickers for this harvest season for two reasons; pickers don’t want to leave home and risk getting infected while away from home and two, local governments don’t want pickers from other regions coming in to their regions potentially carrying the virus. This has prompted some local governments to start campaigns to hire locals to pick coffee, offering guaranteed medical coverage against the virus and other subsidies. — Importer/exporter, Colombia

Our management made the right decision to close the coffee house completely, and not work “to-go”, because even the slightest risk is a risk for all of us. — Barista, Russia

Sales have dropped a lot. Also forecasting has stopped as no roaster wants to take a long term guess. This is impacting how we can forecast purchases at origin as well. — Green coffee buyer, Australia

It’s gone for now! I’ve worked in the coffee industry since I was 18, I’m 25 now. It’s been my career aspiration to work in a coffee roastery. Eight months into my dream job and it’s been snatched away from me. I was also training for the Brewers cup, hours of training put in with a coffee that won’t make it to the national stage. — Production assistant/account manager, Ireland

What’s your life like right now?

I’m enjoying myself at home, trying to work on creative projects, suddenly needing to buy way more whole bean than I normally would. I visited my store yesterday to say hello to everyone, and I’m glad I’m not working through this time. The job right now simply isn’t what I was hired for, or what I had hired staff for, and although I know regulars keep showing up and the working staff are nothing but positive, I know I couldn’t suspend my fear and completely alter our operations without having an eventual breakdown. Sometimes I worry that I made the wrong choice, that I turned my back on a great company and wonderful coworkers, but this is far bigger than me, than any of us individually, and I have to remind myself that despite the uncertainty, staying home is the likely the best thing I can do for everyone in my community. — Barista/manager, Canada

Working from home and waiting for funding from the government so that I won’t have to shut down altogether. — Cafe owner, Brazil

It is better but still we hope that we will overcome it soon because still we are making just 50% of our regular numbers. — Cafe owner, Czech Republic

My wife and I run our cafe, where we have around 11 employees. The future is just uncertain. We were one of the first coffee roasters in Kazakhstan, and we have been here for the past eight years watching the culture grow. And now I’m scared we will have to start all over. — Cafe/roastery owner, Kazakhstan

My life is very precarious. I have expenses without any return. I am limited in practicing my profession, if not for video lessons to keep in touch with the community. How it will return to normal is my doubt. Our profession is at risk. — Barista, Italy

Filled with anxiety of no income but relaxing spending time with loved ones at home. — Head of coffee, South Africa

My life is a series of zoom calls, FaceTime, daily anxiety, and planning my alternate idea of a career that doesn’t rely on the global economy. I’ve been knitting a lot and filming crafting videos. — Roasting operations manager, United Kingdom

Boring and stressful. — Cafe owner, Trinidad

I filed for unemployment but with little clarity as to what the stimulus package is actually sending, my partner (also a barista) and I are making about a third of our wages from unemployment leaving our livelihood up in the air with rent and other bills still coming. We are also losing our health insurance through our full-time jobs. — Barista, United States

Additional Reporting

Poll results: Baristas 

Poll results: Coffee consumption

Voices of baristas

Voices of cafe owners

Voices of importers 

All COVID-19 coverage on Sprudge. 

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

from Sprudge https://ift.tt/3adI0uh

#Sprudge

[snkpolls]

SnK Chapter 112 Results

The chapter poll closed with 1706 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

RATE THE CHAPTER 1,664 Responses

No doubt about it, chapter 112 was lit. 77.1% of the fandom gave this chapter a top rating making it the third most popular chapter since we started the poll.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH

After more than 5 years reading these series I'm not sure if I can get any more broken than this, but Isayama-sensei surely will find a new way

Probably one of the most start to finish exciting and fascinating chapters we've had in a long time.

I have nothing but praise for this chapter and the discussion it has generated. Both Eren & Levi's parts were equally emotionally compelling. All in all I feel like crying in a corner now until the day comes with Mikasa smiles again and Levi stops suffering.

At this point, Eren is the greatest character in AoT, one of the greatest protagonists ever, Attack on Titan is one of the greatest manga ever and Hajime Isayama is one of the greatest mangaka ever.

Best chapter since 100 for sure. The EMA talk was delivered in the best and least expected way possible, and Eren absolutely killed it this chapter.

Can a manga chapter kill a person?

I've enjoyed lots of recent chapters, but this is the first one in a good while that I've loved all-out. Gimme dat good juice Isayama!

Eren whyyyyyy

I normally would have spent my time stressing out about Falco, but my god what a phenomenal chapter. 

This manga is the only toxic relationship i want in my life.

WHAT WAS THIS CHAPTER’S MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT? 1,669 Responses

Eren’s relentless roast session takes first with 28.3% of the vote. Armin punching Eren was second with 16.6% and EMA in the chapter vs. EMA on the cover was third with 14.6%.

Me crying this all through

The Titans falling from the sky

Zeke warming up then running away

My heart was absolutely broken for Mikasa. I want to pull her out of the manga, wrap her up in a blanket, dote on her and tell her everything's going to be okay. Eren, damnit, tell her you're sorry and that you love her!

I'm glad Nicolo admitted his guilt and wanted to atone/redeem himself

Let's hope Falco won't become the sink titan for now.

ON A SCALE OF 1-5, HOW DID THIS CHAPTER MAKE YOU FEEL? 1,653 Responses

A third of all respondents feel dead inside, while ¼ are still fully in denial and think everything will be fine. Either way, our psyches need some TLC. This question was brought to you by Betterhelp.org. #notsponsored.

Everything hurts and I'm dying.

HELP ME

I loved it but Im suffering af

it was absolutely depressing

this killed me inside

I want to die now

It hurts

Took my mental stability away😂👌💯

See y’all in therapy.

DO YOU BELIEVE ONYANKOPON IS INNOCENT? 1,660 Responses

When it comes to Onyankopon’s intentions, it seems we’re still as lost as ever. Over 4 out of 10 respondents don’t have clue where his loyalties lie. Nearly 3 out of 10 respondents think he’s trustworthy, while almost exactly the same amount of people think he’s full of crap. Also, there weren’t any write-ins about Onyankopon, but with everything else going in this chapter, we’re not entirely surprised.

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE EMA TALK? 1,649 Responses

Nearly 50% of you are not pleased with how the EMA talk turned out, while a little over 30% actually enjoyed recent developments. 15% of people now realize why we didn’t include “EMA talk” as an option for the “things you’re looking forward to in the next chapter” question (it was because we forgot, but I guess it worked out fine?)

3 words: God damnit Eren!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I loved it but it was awful, in a good way

Eren is obviously lying about hating them but until we know why all I feel is pain. Mikasa and Armin didn't deserve this.

Everything fell apart in the worst way possible

I don't buy Eren's words here, but I'm so satisfied at seeing Armin punching him in the face

I felt personally attacked, gutted, and murdered by Eren but I liked it

I was absolutely torn to pieces by it. Seeing the bond that they had/have grow and change, to seeing them go their separate ways is hard to watch, especially with the dreams we've seen them share and work to accomplish.

Eren has bad table manners

DO YOU THINK EREN IS CORRECT ABOUT ARMIN BEING MANIPULATED BY BERTHOLDT? 1,664 Responses

In our chapter 110 poll, we asked about why Armin wanted to touch Annie in the crystal. At that time, 26.8% of respondents felt he was being influenced by Bert through Paths.

Now, it seems more complicated. 62.9% feel like Eren isn’t correct, but not completely wrong about Armin being manipulated by Bertholdt. 18.1% think this isn’t the case at all, and 13.3% feel that Bert is influencing Armin’s actions.

He claims Armin is being influenced by Berthold. If Armin can be influenced by one titan, what about Eren with his three titans? I'm not sure he's being controlled but he's probably heavily influenced.

There's something more that we don't know about yet since we (and characters in the manga) are constantly being surprised by his actions. Eren's not wrong, but I don't think he's right either. He's saying he's doing everything out of his free will (cause I guess he's not ignorant about possible influences of the memories he has), while Armin and Mikasa are being manipulated, but maybe he's overestimating the power of his free will and accepts ideas that are passed down to him along with memories as his own. Or maybe he's really fully aware he's also being manipulated but uses it to his advantage somehow.

Also if Eren thinks that Armin being controlled by Bertholdt is a bad thing, he’s wrong because now Armin is two best boys for the price of one.

My baby Bertholdt is relevant again and I live for it

ACKERMYSTERY REVEALED!! DO YOU THINK EREN’S GOT THE CORRECT VERSION? 1,664 Responses

Ackermystery revealed! Or is it? 62% of respondents believe we only got partially correct information from Eren. 22% are confident Isayama is wasting no panel space on false information and 10% are certain that the information is flat out wrong.

I don't think he is totally correct. Mikasa's bond and strenght isn't solely explained by her ackerman DNA, as well as Levi. He awakened his abilities way before he met Erwin. Both of them aren't slaves of his DNA and destiny.

Partially but not fully accurate. I think there's definitely truth to what he said, but either not every... Ackerman... works the same or there are different 'levels' to the bond. He also definitely might have been exaggerating to be a douchebag, because I can't imagine how he'd think Mikasa was a slave to him when she's blatantly gone against him in the past, sometimes even physically hurting him to make a point or get him to stop doing something.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF EREN’S EXPLANATION OF THE ACKERMYSTERY? 1,656 Responses

Nearly half of respondents feel that this new information adds another layer of complexity of the Ackermans’ relationships. ¼ of voters agree that it simply makes sense, while 13% are not the biggest fans of Eren’s explanation.

Eren just replied a harsh version of it (just to protect her and let Mikasa get away from him) OR he was manipulated by Zeke with this shadowy version of the truth behind the Ackerman family

I believe his explanation of things is warped; I think Eren's explanation has some truth, but his own feelings made him jump to conclusions (e.g. Mikasa's feelings are ALL based on her Ackerbond)

Eren only understands part of it. Mikasa unlocked her powers fighting the kidnappers but formed a close bond with Eren when he wrapped the scarf around her. Those are two separate moments.

He's lying, the ackermanns haven't followed the king for the entire time they have been inside the walls, he just wants Mikasa and Armin to stop blindly following and worshiping him

Let's not jump to conclusions, we don't know if Eren's lying or if he even has the correct information. Everything should be taken with a grain of salt.

I believe it's far more complex than Eren's half assed "explanation". While it is in the Ackerman genes to find someone to bond with, it's far from a master slave relationship.  And Erwin and Levi are a proof of that. If the slave theory was true, Levi would inject Erwin with serum, his dna would prevent him from allowing Erwin to die, because humanity needs him. But he chose Erwin. He chose to set him free. I think Eren meant that Mikasa was a slave for her feelings towards himx otherwise Eren looks like a complete idiot.

I think that he has very basic or oversimplified facts. What he's saying makes sense, but I feel there is a lot of grey area that he's not considering. Mikasa is still her own person. Her feelings toward him are genuine. Not to mention, Levi and Kenny both awakened the powers without an ackerbond, so....

DOES EREN BELIEVE THE CRUEL WORDS HE SAID TO ARMIN AND MIKASA? 1,657 Responses

At a near even split, respondents are either certain that Eren didn’t believe the hurtful things he said to Armin and Mikasa, or they are completely unsure. Less than a quarter thinks he truly believes in what he said.

I can't shake the feeling that this isn't 100% him. The hurtful words still feel like an act to push Armin and Mikasa away from him, rather than actually aiming to hurt them

what Eren said was gasp worthy. No one would have though he actually hated Mikasa. I do think that’s how he actually feels about Mikasa, as he said everything he will do is just him.

Whether Eren actually meant it when he said he’s alwaa hated Mikasa or he’s just trying to break the ackerbond, it’s too far, he broke her down and stomped on her repeatedly, it breaks my heart because Mikasa’s worse fear and true, she lost her last family member

Eren's words are not his own. Trust me.

I think that eren is TRYING to make his friends hate him by saying these things so when the time comes and he has to die, they won’t miss him as much. What I’m saying is, Eren is trying to be less connected to his friends so that his death won’t be too hard on them and they move on with their lives rather than having regret and mourning his death never continuing their lives the same way ever again

To be honest, I'm not all that surprised Eren would tell Mikasa what he did. While there are times that he has shown concern, friendliness, etc he's also had his moments of showing her some rather explosive anger. Whether it's real, all him or not, I don't know-nor am I concerned about it- but I do think it is something to be taken into account.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT EREN NOW? 1,653 Responses

30% of voters just want to understand what Eren is up to and are concerned about where his head is at. ¼ of voters think he is just plain full of crap, 22% find his actions unforgivable and a small 15% are ready for him to lead the country immediately.

Conflicted. Best written protag in a long, long time.

A common theme in this story is the need to do something monstrous for a perceived greater good.  We don't know what Eren's goals are yet and I'm content waiting to find out before judging him.

Eren is either poorly written or his mind has been altered by Zeke somehow.

I think it’s another interesting character development for Eren. The flashbacks showed that he was starting to see his friends this way. After gaining his father’s memories, that changed everything for him.

He is still good, he hasn’t changed in terms of mindset he has become more mature and is looking at things from a different perspective. People always relied on him to make the most important descision, now he’s doing it on his own like Kaneki if u ask me. It’s like when you constantly call someone a monster, that they aren’t. they will eventually become one

I wanna kick his ass

Boy he got good roast game, bUT BOI I WOULD LIKE TO STRANGLE HIM

If he's pulling an act, then it will make me like his character even more, but if this is Eren's true self then I want him dead.

He claims he's free. What's he going to do next, run around with NO clothes on? He's already been shoeless and shirtless, he may as well cross another line!

He’s my favorite character but good lord Eren what the hell man

Still my fave. He's a bit of a dick right now but he's just so damn interesting. I NEED to know what's going on inside his head!

Eren's behaviour in this chapter is so at odds with his character portrayal in the Marley arc, that I only hope there's an explationation later that'll make it all make sense from a characterization POV

WHAT BEST DESCRIBES HOW YOU VIEW EREN’S CONTROL OF HIS ACTIONS? 1,653 Responses

40% of respondents feel that Eren is likely not fully in control of his actions and believe he is suffering a combination of control from Zeke and control from one or many of the titans in his system. 17.5% don’t want to make any assumptions just yet, and at slightly less, 17% believe that Eren is perfectly in control of himself.

Free, but heavily influenced (not controlled) by memories

A combination of all three

He might be making his own choices but that doesn't mean he's free. He's still a slave to his own ideals in the end.

Eren is definitely influenced by previous titans, but being influenced by Zeke would be bad writing.

Zeke gave him (questionably true) information, and he has lots of voices in his head but he's still in control. He's doing what he believes he needs to do to save those closest to him, even if he knows it's wrong and even if it drives them away.

Dude doesn't know what he is doing right now, Eren.exe has stopped working.

I really don't know. This feels so much different to when he was slaughtering kids in Liberio of his own volition only a year ago, and now he's setting up his contemporaries, countrymen and friends for his own ends and i can't tell if this is genuine help me

The memories are of course altering his personality and thoughts but I don't think there's any kind of direct "control" over him. He's doing what he thinks is best for Eldia.

He is certainly being influence, but still free to make his own choices

Partial will, partial influence of Attack/Founding Titan

There is something wrong with him. But it's too early to tell.

Eren and Attack titan's personalities are merged now I think. But is Eren cooperating or completely against Attack's will is a big question. I like the theory that this titan will be the main villain at the end (the series is called after his name duh)

CAN YOU CAN ACTUALLY PINPOINT THE EXACT MOMENT HER HEART BREAKS IN TWO? 1,650 Responses

RIP Mikasa’s Heart 

How will Mikasa ever recover tho…

F for Mikasa’s feelings.

I'm broken like Mikasa

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN TO MIKASA NOW? 1,647 Responses

A solid ½ of respondents are confident that this was Mikasa’s calling to finally break off from Eren and have a story arc apart from him. 20% believe she will ultimately choose to go to Hizuru in the end (or do you?) and 15% feel she’s just going to be broken for the remainder of the story.

Mikasa is approaching Reiner levels of suffering... I want her to prove Eren wrong so badly, and if that means beating his ass, then so be it.

Mikasa didn't deserve this

Mikasa better move on.

Mikasa ilu bby. Your love and consideration for others has been genuine and you're doing amazing sweetie. Don't get caught up in Eren's bullshit.

AT THIS MOMENT, WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO PUNCH IN THE FACE? 1,642 Responses

It was a close one but Flock edged out Eren as the characters we’d most like to punch in the face. Zeke and Isayama made a distant third and fourth. Popular write-ins were Armin (26), Gabi (35), Mikasa (10), all of them (14) and no one (11).

Myself, for always still returning to this series, despite Isayama destroying my hopes and feels time and time again.

Guys who destroyed the shit machine

All of above. No questions asked.

none of them are u crazy!?

Why isn't Gabi an option here?

I'm gonna pull a chapter 68 and punch myself in the face.

I picked Floch but I’d love to punch the shit out of Zeke and Eren as a close second and third

WHERE DO YOU THINK HISTORIA’S LOYALTIES LIE? 1,639 Responses

At over ⅓ of the votes, most feel Historia is either acting on her own, or is in cahoots with Eren and the Yeagerists. Quite a few write-ins felt her loyalty only goes as far as Eren, while another several said she’s loyal only to Ymir.

Daz the Winged Titan

Eren. But, that loyalty is wavering.

Her unborn child most likely. Everyone else has screwed her over!

Historia's loyalties lie with Paradis. She will probably side with anyone who can ensure the island's continued survival. She's clearly taking her role as the Queen seriously what with her pregnancy and all... :(

I might have an opinion on this if Historia had screentime to base said opinion on.

Ymir her secret girlfriend who cosplays as a farm boy

Even if I'm disappointed with her being pregnant because of Zeke/Eren's fault, I'm sure she'll rise again. She may have close friends in the SC, but she is loyal to Ymir. She'll live in a world where she can proudly say who she is.

WHICH OF THESE PANELS IS THE STUFF OF NIGHTMARES? 1,657 Responses

With 43.8% of the responses, the random scouting legion members being turned into titans was the most horrifying, followed by Floch’s… smile. Falco’s bathtime came in last place, but do you guys realize just how big that sink is?

*screams*

Zeke screaming like the furry monkey that he is and seeing Floch being a bitch was horrible too. The only thing that matters to remember is our cinammon roll taking a bubble bath🛀💗 what a cutie pie.

Falco is going to wake up like "wtf i'm in a sink"

You'll think I'm crazy, but I absolutely LOVE this Floch-villain thing. It was like I was waiting for that "smile" to happen. Most people hate him, but he may even be a more dangerous villain in the future.

WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF LEVI’S HEADACHE? 1,647 Responses

56.4% believe Levi’s head grab has nothing to do with his Ackergenetics. Of those, 29.2% attributed it to stress and 14.8% believe it’s not a headache at all. For those who believe his Ackerbonds are a factor, 27% attribute it to his bond with Erwin, while 25% cite a connection to Eren.

After all the trouble Levi went through to defend Eren, all the dead comrades who gave up their lives to defend Eren. Now Eren is in league with the very man who killed Erwin, Connie's entire village and many more people on Paradis. That's a recipe for a head explosion, nevermind a headache!

Both stress and the Ackerman headache of himself doubting the idea of continuing to defend Eren and uphold Erwin's promise of saving humanity and killing the beast Titan but his Ackerman blood tells him otherwise

He is tired as hell, give this man a break, I don't think he formed an Ackerbond with Eren, well I hope for his sanity that he didn't...I'll pray for him.

I don’t think he’s formed an ackerbond with Eren, but he seemed to believe Erwin and Eren were humanity’s hopes so whatever that means…

Little bit of the vow to Erwin, but also has a lot to do with the stress and all the lives lost for someone that may have betrayed them.

We've never seen Levi get a headache before and if that really is a headache in the same chapter Eren mentioned them I find it kind of silly.

I'm so curious about Levi holding his head and what it could mean. I hope that he can fulfill his vow to Erwin. Also that panel of him turning back around was beautifully drawn.

DO YOU STILL BELIEVE ZEKE’S STORY OF HOW RAGAKO VILLAGE WAS TRANSFORMED INTO TITANS 1,632 Responses

57.9% think that Zeke’s still lying about, well, everything, but especially the actual mode of transmission for his spinal fluid in Ragako. A little over a third felt he was telling the truth, and the rest of the write-ins don’t trust him farther than they can throw him.

Who believes anything Zeke says now (besides Eren)?

I do, but the reason why everyone froze up wasn't because of the spinal fluid: it was the gas. If someone just ingests the spinal fluid normally, the signs aren't completely present. With the case of the wine, they didn't add any toxins to it: just Zeke's spinal fluid. What Zeke said about how someone ingesting his spinal fluid getting a coordinate on his/herself afterword to make them susceptible to Zeke's Titan transformation scream is true.

The only firm evidence we have is that Zeke's spinal fluid was involved, Everything else is supposition... damn Zekerets...

I still have my faith in the theory that he was a fake doctor, who delivered his spinal fluid in the form of medicine.

I don't trust a single word that Zeke says. I'm guessing the gas was a misdirection to throw suspicion off the wine, but it could still have been true, because no one was eaten in Ragako.

Believe' and 'Zeke' should not be in the same sentence together.

All of the Above

ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR THE TITLE OF THE BOOK ZEKE HAS READ 7 TIMES?

This is our first question with only a write-in option and it happened because we weren’t clever enough to think of any smart book titles on our own. The fandom came through with 774 people providing suggestions. Here are just a few:

"How to be a key player and still not reveal your true goals to anyone 101"

"How to convince your captors that you're innocently reading a book while you're actually plotting your escape"

"Levi will make it out of this" and other hilarious jokes you can tell yourself.

“Eren knew Reiner would save Falco” and other lies to tell yourself!”

"So you have one year left to live. One Hundred experiences you shouldn't miss out!"

8D Chess by Zeke Jaeger

A Little Brother's Love: Garnering Your Sibling's Affection with Empty Promises and Frequent Deceit

Anarchist cookbook

Fantastic Beast Abs and Where to Find Them

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Zekerets

"How To Be The World's Biggest Douche". Floch also has a copy.

How to Take Over the World While Having Fun, for Assholes

My Mom Ate My Brother's Mom!

O brother where art thou

The Adventures of Wile E. Coyote & The Roadrunner, published by ACME

The beards and the bees.

When Levi comes about, scream and shout!

Where's Waldo? with Waldo already circled on every page

No, I just hope it’s the last book he’ll ever read

DO YOU THINK LEVI IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO FULFILL HIS VOW? 1,651 Responses

The majority (41.2%) of voters think Levi will (eventually) kill Zeke, but around a third aren’t sure if he’ll be able to. 27.4% think Levi will die, possibly next chapter, before he has a chance to avenge Erwin’s death.

Levi will probably die (although I wish he wouldn't), so I hope Connie kills Zeke in his place. That's my only hope.

Levi can't die before his vow has been fulfilled, or else I will be sorely disappointed.

I think Levi will kill Zeke, therefore fulfilling his promise to Erwin, but will die in the process :(((

Levi kill Zeke already!

Zeke will have to die at some chapter, because Levi will fulfill his promise. Even if he dies in another scene, the Mike-like ambush won't happen again.

pls don't kill Levi isayama

I WANNA SEE LEVI CUT ZEKE'S BALLS OFF THAT MOTHERFUCKING MONKEY I KNEW HE SHOULDNT BE TRUSTED

WHO ARE YOU MOST ROOTING FOR? 1,651 Responses

With a new faction appearing in the last couple chapters, 50.3% of respondents are still rooting for the Survey Corps to come out on top. Next are those supporting Eren at 25.7%, followed by those rooting for no one.

if there was an option 'just Armin, Mikasa and Historia' in the 'Who are you most rooting for' question, I'd have taken it

As long as Eren doesn't hurt historia I'm still rooting for him

Please give me Reiner i want him to save the day like the true hero he is

Eren is pulling a Lelouch.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of The New Eldian Empire, and to the Republic for it stands, one Nation under Eren…

friendship ended with Eren now Reiner is my new best friend

Amazing how Eren manages to become more and more irredeemable with every passing chapter. Hopefully the warriors and Scouts team up to put down him and his maniacal brother.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST HOPING TO SEE NEXT CHAPTER? 1,652 Responses

1039 (62.9%) Levi’s titan battle 742 (44.9%) Flashback of Eren and Zeke in Marley 717 (43.4%) Information about Historia 704 (42.6%) Yeager brothers in Shiganshina 540 (32.7%) Warrior infiltration time 513 (31.1%) Uhh... did Falco ever make it out of that bathtub

Levi’s titan battle is tops on the wish list followed by a flashback on Eren and Zeke’s time in Marley. Information about Historia is third.

Some Goddamn insight into Eren's mind. (It's been 2 years Isa COME ON)

I would literally sell my soul to the devil for an Eren POV, a flashback to his time in Marley and an explanation of what the hell he's doing and why

Eren apologizing for hurting best girl's feelings

Floch getting shot in the face.

Floch kicking ass

So wait- did they really just leave Falco alone, naked, and probably Titan juiced in the restaurant? :(

Hange taking Mikasa Historia and preferably Annie and flying off to the Bahamas for an eternal vacation away from everyone's bullshit

Levi's survival and maybe a nice cup of tea.

Armin Vs. Eren Titan Battle

WHERE IS BEST BOY REINER BRING HIM BACK

anything nice...

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 1,594 Responses

Reddit still reigns supreme with 44.3% of respondents, but Tumblr made a slight comeback up to 18% over only 11% last month. “I don’t” is third with 10.5% and 9.8% are lucky enough to discuss the series in real life.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE CHAPTER?

Lots of revelations, lots of suffering :(

Why Eren? Mikasa loves your stupid ass, ackerbond or not.

Friendship ended with Eren. Now Armin is my best friend.

I can't be more proud of armin he is my baby forever.

Amazing so far still hoping EM is a thing but its looking dim, Eren is now my waifu despite him being a jerk I love how much the dude doesn't give a shit.

Armin's gonna take at least a year to explain this shit storm to Annie once she wakes up

ARUMIKA/JEANKASA LIFEBOATS HAVE TONS OF ROOM! BE PREPARED TO ABANDON SHIP!

EMA was one of the main reasons why I was into this series and seeing Eren hurt MA like that makes me want to quit the series entirely.

Eren baby please get your shit together. Also fuck Zeke and Floch.

Eren becoming a villain was hinted since chapter 25 and by numerous characters (Levi, Annie, Reiner, Eren himself, Zeke - all before the timeskip). So Eren is probably being genuine, especially since the words he's saying to Mikasa and Armin are the same he said to Carla in the first chapter.

Eren did nothing wrong!

Eren hates that he has influenced Mikasa for so long. He's trying to break the Ackerbond so she can choose for herself in these trying times.

Eren is a bitch but I still love him

Armin and Mikasa did nothing wrong to deserve hear that crap of him, of all the people, the one who has 3 titans + a crazy half brother to influence him. Is Eren free? HAHAHAHA NOOOOOOOOOOOPE.

Even though I'm not the biggest fan of EMA what Eren has done is completely unacceptable, Zeke running and screaming is my mood, and please please please don't kill off Levi now Isayama or I'm gonna stab a bitch.

I'm heartbroken. I don't believe Eren hates Mikasa, and I'm sure he knows it. I won't pretend to understand his motivations at this point, I just know he's lying. The look on his face says it all. But Mikasa, my poor sweet girl. I wish she didn't have to go through all of this pain. Someone give her a hug ffs.

I found it funny when Eren was like “we’ve never fought, huh? That’s because I’d BEAT YOUR ASS!”

I love Eren but by god am I worried about the way the character is being handled. I hate the idea of him being so manipulated that he's almost a totally different person, I hate the idea of him being controlled and losing his agency... both of those just feel like cheating for a plot twist, y'know?

I love Isayama, but fuck him.

I think Isayama knocked it out of the park with the EMA scene. That shit will be remembered as the Grim Reminder 3.0 in matters of writing once this series is over.

I think this was a great chapter. What I find amazing is how quickly people stopped talking about Gabi after this chapter. While you might say that it's because she wasn't the focus, I think it's partially because of her (lack of violent) reaction to Eren. I think she clearly has more depth now and I am wondering what her role in the story will be.

I wish Jean had been at the table when Eren said that stuff to Mikasa.

I'm incredibly worried for Levi's safety, along with Mikasa's mental health and Armin's physical health. Eren's words created wounds that aren't going to heal quickly; It's going to take time. I'm beyond infuriated at Zeke, and I hope he gets what he deserves.

I’m not sure how I feel about this series anymore because this chapter. I get a almost a years worth of Gabi, Galliard, and Zeke whom I really don’t like and then when the characters I actually like reappear they become jerks, fools, or they bite the cursed dust. I know I sound so salty lol.

Floch being a douche beyond my wildest expectations, Eren's entrance, the fight, the tears, the child who had no reason to be there caught up in all of it, Zeke running away like he was some kind of Looney Toons' character. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. This was the most enjoyable chapter in a very long time.

Seeing Gabi terrified of Eren while he was talking to Mikasa and Armin was amazing, she finally realizes that this is the person that was responsible for the attack on Marley. Eren is this devil that she was told that she will need to kill, but when she is finally in a room with him she is full of fear.

Zeke, that jerk. Once I get his hands on him-

Eren... I still like him a lot, but damn, that was such an intense roast he did toward Mikasa and Armin. I think it'll lead to some interesting development for the latter, but I really wonder if Eren was really bluffing his hatred toward Mikasa and has an ulterior motive behind what he did. That'll be interesting to find out!

When Levi said a long time ago "It might rain Titans", do you think Zeke read his mind through paths and made his thoughts come true? Other than that, Eren's villainy is continuing. I'm not sure whether to cackle "Let the world burn" or cuff him around the ear for making Mikasa cry!

This chapter has DEVASTATED me. I already heard warning bells when I saw the cover with EMA being so adorable, and hated being proven right when the chapter came out. The bond between EMA was the thing I rooted for the most in this series, the purest thing in the SnK universe. Eren and Armin have both died for each other. Mikasa would have too, if she wasn't already an immortal goddess. The strength of their bond is something that has been made apparent since chapter 1. Together, they are almost unstoppable, invincible, and Isayama has taken even that away from us. Thanks, I hate it.

Every part of this chapter was brilliantly executed. Although, I am somehow always surprised at how wildly different reader interpretations end up being whenever Isayama teases us with purposeful ambiguity. This chapter was extremely polarizing, but as always, I think the answer to the truthfulness of each of Eren's claims (hating Mikasa, Ackermen being robotic slaves to their bond, being free, etc.) is somewhere in the middle.

#snk spoilers #snk 112 #snk poll #snk polls #poll results

[bountyofbeads]

Trump Announces Deal to Reopen Government, in Surprise Retreat From Wall https://nyti.ms/2S2Wx6Y

TRUMP CAVED BIG LEAGUE

Trump Announces Deal to Reopen Government, in Surprise Retreat From Wall

By Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Nicholas Fandos and Peter Baker | Jan. 25, 2019 | New York Times | Posted January 25, 2019 |

WASHINGTON — President Trump agreed Friday to reopen the federal government for three weeks while negotiations proceeded over how to secure the nation’s southwestern border, backing down after a monthlong standoff failed to force Democrats to give him billions of dollars for his long-promised wall.

The decision paved the way for Congress to pass spending bills as soon as Friday that Mr. Trump will sign to restore normal operations at a series of federal agencies until Feb. 15 and begin paying again the 800,000 federal workers who have been furloughed or forced to work for free for 35 days.

The plan includes none of the money for the wall that he had demanded and was essentially the same approach that Mr. Trump rejected at the end of December, meaning he won nothing concrete during the impasse. But if Republicans and Democrats cannot reach agreement on wall money by the February deadline, he indicated that he was ready to renew the confrontation or declare a national emergency and bypass Congress altogether.

“We really have no choice but to build a powerful wall or steel barrier,” Mr. Trump said in the Rose Garden. “If we don’t get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on February 15, or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and Constitution of the United States to address this emergency.”

[President Trump’s emergency powers, explained.]

The cease-fire could pave the way for Mr. Trump to deliver his State of the Union address to Congress after all. He had originally been scheduled to make the speech next Tuesday, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi rescinded her invitation to come to the House chamber until the government was reopened. It was not immediately clear when the speech might proceed.

As he announced the move, Mr. Trump paid tribute to the federal workers who have endured five weeks without pay, expressing sympathy for them in a way he had not until now. “You are fantastic people,” he said. “You are incredible patriots. Many of you have suffered far greater than anyone but your families would know or understand.”

He promised to ensure that workers will be compensated for the paychecks they have missed since the shutdown began in late December. “I will make sure that all employees receive their back pay very quickly or as soon as possible,” he said. “It will happen fast.”

The surprise announcement was a remarkable retreat for a president who made the wall his nonnegotiable condition for reopening the government. Mr. Trump relented as the effects of the shutdown rippled across the Northeast, with impact far beyond paychecks, such as air traffic slowing Friday because of a shortage of air traffic controllers, who called in sick. The F.B.I. director said he was as angry as he had ever been over his agents not being paid, and 14,000 workers at the Internal Revenue Service did not show up for work despite orders to come in.

Mr. Trump offered no explanation for his surrender, nor did he even acknowledge that it was one. Cabinet officials and White House aides lined the sides of the Rose Garden and applauded him. The president began his remarks as if he had actually emerged victorious, saying that he was “very proud to announce” what he called “a deal to end the shutdown and reopen the federal government.”

With polls showing the president enduring most of the blame by the public, Republicans led by Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, pressured Mr. Trump to agree to the temporary cease-fire. Over the next three weeks, a House-Senate conference committee representing both parties will negotiate a border security plan, but if it fails to reach a consensus, government agencies could close again.

The president’s concession came a day after two competing measures to reopen the government failed on the Senate floor. A Democratic bill, which would have reopened the government with no strings attached, received more votes than the bill backed by Mr. Trump, which included temporary protections for some undocumented immigrants in exchange for $5.7 billion for his proposed border wall.

Mr. McConnell spent part of Friday morning talking to Mr. Trump about what kind of border security the president would accept — other than a wall — in exchange for a promise from Democrats that they would at least debate the wall in the Senate during the regular course of business, according to a senior Republican aide familiar with the talks.

This person said that Mr. McConnell’s goal was to pressure moderate Democrats, who had expressed openness to a physical barrier, to agree to one. If they did not, the person said, Republicans or Mr. Trump could shut down the government again — with much of the pressure caused by 800,000 federal workers who had gone without pay somewhat alleviated.

On the Senate floor on Thursday, a bipartisan group of senators signed on to an amendment that would open the government for three weeks without conditions and with a commitment in good faith to negotiate a broader border security solution in that time.

“What we have put on the table is our reputation as legislators, that given three weeks, we’ll come up with a successful conclusion on the border security issue,” said Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, Democrat of Maryland.

Republican leaders tried to rally their members during a closed policy luncheon before Thursday’s votes. But even as Republicans prepared to support Mr. Trump’s plan, there were signs of mounting frustration over the tactics being used around the continued impasse and a lack of momentum toward a solution.

At one point during the lunch, Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin, vented at Mr. McConnell for putting Republicans in the position of having to vote on two competing approaches to reopen the government — one Republican and one Democratic — without consulting Senate Republicans first.

“You put us in this position,” Mr. Johnson said, according to one of his aides. Another senior Republican aide familiar with the exchange said Mr. Johnson told Mr. McConnell that it was “your fault.” Mr. McConnell, who had largely absented himself from negotiations to reopen the government until late last week, responded, “Are you suggesting I’m enjoying this?”

Details of the exchange were first reported by The Washington Post.

At another point, Mr. McConnell also signaled to Vice President Mike Pence, who was present for the lunch, that Senate Republicans were generally not supportive of shutdowns.

“There is no education in the second kick of a mule,” he said, repeating a line he has used frequently, according to another person familiar with the exchange.

And other Republican senators made their own reservations about the continued shutdown clear. Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska raised the crippling effect on the Coast Guard, for instance, this person said.

Just a few of the better responses to Trump's cave to the Democrats :

"In other words, the pain he inflicted was totally unnecessary. He got nothing."

"Trump is only ending the shutdown to deflect attention from the Roger Stone indictment. That sounds so jaded but it's true. He always has to control the headlines. It's about time this shutdown ended. Now Congress should draft legislation to make shutting the government down obsolete."

"All the suffering by federal workers and government contractors because of the Trump-McConnell shutdown was entirely unnecessary. Our current president should apologize to the American people. Speaker Nancy Pelosi did her job, and she did it well."

"He has met the wall and it's name is Nancy Pelosi."

"This person said that Mr. McConnell’s goal was to pressure moderate Democrats, who had expressed openness to a physical barrier, to agree to one." I have two words for those moderate Democrats. Merrick Garland."

"My Dad was right: you have to stand up to a bully or he will never leave you alone."

"From Mitch McConnell saying his goal was to make Obama a one-term president, to blocking Merrick Garland from seeing a vote for SCOTUS, to not even bringing a vote to the floor that Trump won't sign into law, the Kentucky senator will go down in history as THE obstructionist of our government's normal functioning"

"Hooray for Nancy Pelosi and all of the women in congress!"

"So... to be clear here. We were shutdown for 30 days to get the deal Trump turned down 30 days ago?"

"I believe we are all tired of the self-promotion, threats, lies, and mindless rants. The wall is nothing but a diversion against his mounting legal and moral problems both for his Presidency and his business. He has no feeling or compassion for anyone else. It is all about him. He forgets that he is a public servant and not the emperor. Before I retired, I had the privilege of working with the staff members of my non-profit's Federal funding agencies. They are extraordinary and dedicated professionals, who care intensely about their work. We are grateful to all Federal employees and their families for all that they do for us. Thank you for your service. I doubt that Donald Trump will ever understand.."

"Trumped by Pelosi. Her stamp of approval for the direction of reopening the government is heartwarming. Trump is even more powerless than before because he promulgated the midterm Democratic wipeout with his actions."

"Well let's just assume there will be another shutdown because as long Senate Majority Leader did not learn from the first kick of the mule. The first kick was that in two years of a Senate and House majority they could not get a wall built. The wall is wrong, we all know it. The GOP is paying a well deserved price of complicity. Instead of being a check on the President they are a checkbook for the President."

"If, after three weeks, the Republicans shut down the government again, they will signal to any competent government worker that it's time to bail and find work elsewhere. Many have already come to that conclusion. Instead of "winning" the current administration is rapidly pushing out dedicated employees. That's failure and it's. disgusting!"

"Republicans are incapable of governing. A three-week agreement ? So we can Make Trump A Horse's Bottom Again ? Pathetic. Remember in 2020."

"Progress. Too bad contractors and cooperators that had 1/12 of their annual revenue destroyed by this wont see a dime of back pay and some will downsize as a result. Congress's first order should be passing a recurring funding measure to ensure federal workers, contractors, cooperators, wont be pawns again for either side.

#donald trump #u.s. news #politics #trump administration #republican politics #immigration #president donald trump #trump #republican party #us: news #politics and government #senate #white house #borderwall #trumpshutdown

[djgblogger-blog]

How Greece could escape debtors' prison – if Europe opens the door

http://bit.ly/2w4BRAz

European Council President Donald Tusk and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras address the press. AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis

Greece has acted out a European tragedy for more than seven years. But some signs suggest Greece may finally, in the words of its economy minister, be on the way to becoming a “normal country” again.

Greece’s creditors have disbursed another chunk of funds as part of Greece’s current, €86 billion (US$100 billion) bailout, and the country recently tested the bond markets for the first time in three years, planning to borrow more from private investors soon. Some now believe Greece may soon follow fellow bailed-out countries Ireland and Portugal in their revivals.

But despite the wave of optimism, Greece’s staggering amount of debt looms menacingly over the country’s economy and future. And the International Monetary Fund (IMF), while endorsing Athens’ reform program, is urging its fellow creditors to offer Greece much greater debt relief.

In my recent book, “Tangled Governance,” I examined the financial rescue programs for euro area countries, including three for Greece, and the conflicts over them. My own research supports the view that Greece needs to finally be released from debtors’ prison but for political reasons more than the financial arithmetic at the core of the institutions’ debt analyses.

And there’s a way to do that which makes the pain bearable for everyone and opens a path back to normalcy.

Protesting hospital staff sit in front of a wall they built in front of the Greek Finance Ministry with a banner depicting their leaders wearing ties that read ‘Ministry of broken promises’ and ‘We drown in debt and bailouts.’ AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris

A great depression

Over the last seven years, we have witnessed many 11th-hour crisis meetings and last-minute rescues that, after much brinkmanship and grinding of teeth, each time seemed to narrowly avert the Greece’s ejection from the euro area.

You’d be forgiven for becoming numb to the continual travails of a modestly sized country in the southeastern corner of Europe. That would be a mistake: Greece’s tenuous position in the euro area weakens long-term confidence in European integration. Moreover, as a key NATO ally, located in a strategic corner of a volatile region, its economic and political stability are essential to European security.

To stabilize its finances and avoid expulsion from the euro area, Greece has undertaken a wrenching series of government layoffs, budget and pension cuts, and tax reforms, among other measures, at the insistence of the IMF, European Commission (EC) and European Central Bank, which together make up the so-called troika of public lenders to the beleaguered country.

So far, the troika has lent Greece about €265 billion in three separate bailouts, with the latest one set to expire next summer. Separately, Greece managed to restructure its private sector debt in 2012, reducing the amount it owed investors by about 53 percent.

Despite all this, Greece still owes a total of about €320 billion in debt, and its economy has suffered the equivalent of the Great Depression in the United States in the 1930s, having shrunk by a fourth. Unemployment is running at nearly 25 percent, and youth poverty, which soared during the crisis, remains near 36 percent.

But now that the latest disbursement of funds has been agreed to, does that mean the worst is behind Greece?

Moment of truth

Sadly, no one should be confident that Greece’s recovery will become self-sustaining. It is particularly vulnerable to another European recession, whenever that might come. And with the end of the current bailout on the horizon, its creditors are sharply divided about what to do next.

For the moment, they’re waiting for Germany’s national elections in September to come and go so that domestic politics don’t get in the way. Debt relief before then could have been costly at the polls for the governing coalition. But once talks resume this fall, they are certain to be contentious.

The euro members, which have put up the lion’s share of the loans so far, remain deeply reluctant to offer Greece more than minimal debt relief. The IMF, on the other hand, has argued forcefully that Greece’s debt won’t become sustainable without substantial relief. It suggests doing that by keeping interest rates at today’s lows, extending grace periods and allowing Greece to defer paying back its loans until decades past the current due date of 2060.

Part of the problem is that the European creditors are holding onto a rather rosy scenario of how much Greece’s economy can be expected to grow beyond the near-term recovery and thus generate enough tax revenue to pay off its debt in the long term. The European Commission expects Greece to grow 1.5 percent every year, on average, until 2030 and 1.25 percent thereafter.

The IMF, on the other hand, projects growth of just 1 percent a year beginning in 2022.

While the difference may seem small, the cumulative effect on Greece’s ability to pay back its debt is decisive. The larger the economy, the smaller the relative size of the debt and interest payments, and the easier it will be to run budget surpluses to repay debt. If the EC is wrong, Greece will have a very hard time meeting its debt payments in two or three decades without major relief.

Ultimately, however, the ability and willingness of Greece to service its debt rests on political considerations, not economic ones, just as does the question of debt relief.

It looks like European creditors want to use the debt burden to keep Greece on a very short leash to prevent backsliding on economic reforms, albeit ones that are essential for the country to get back on its feet.

Retirees wait for a bank branch to open to receive their monthly pension payments. AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis

A way out of the impasse

As a long-term strategy, however, using debt as leverage over reform is doomed and will prevent Greece from a full recovery. There are two principal reasons for this:

Private investors will tend to avoid committing to projects in Greece as long as its debt remains so high that periodic renegotiation is likely.

More importantly, European decision-making throughout the euro crisis amply demonstrates that Greece’s creditors are hamstrung by their own domestic politics. That prevents them from pursuing the optimal course of action, even when the admittedly formidable political barriers in Greece have been overcome, and has contributed to many delays.

A way out of this impasse, however, is to make the size of Greece’s debt payments contingent on growth outcomes. If Greece rebounds quickly and maintains high growth, debt relief can remain relatively modest. If Greece grows more slowly, as the IMF and others predict, then payments on the debt can be reduced and deferred automatically – without requiring creditors to come together and overcome domestic political hurdles every time.

Eurozone finance ministers recently floated this as a possibility for Greece. Given the political constraints of the key players, as my analysis of the crisis suggests, it’s the best way forward, and proponents should fight for its robust adoption so that Greece’s debt payments are significantly reduced if growth proves to be weak.

If Greece’s European creditors truly believe that their neighbor’s prospects are as rosy as they say – rather than a ploy to avoid granting relief now – then they should have little problem signing on to the new mechanism.

This will also give investors confidence that Greece in fact is returning to “normal” and they can commit to projects in the country. Finally, this will align the interests of everyone with those of the long-suffering Greek people.

C. Randall Henning receives funding from the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI).

[snkpolls]

SnK S3E10 Poll Results (Anime Viewer Only Version)

The poll closed with 115 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note this is the anime only viewer version of the poll. Manga readers, please click here for the results of the manga reader poll!

RATE THE EPISODE 102 Responses

Another episode with nothing but positive feedback. Voters agree that the episode was enjoyable!

One of the best episodes from the entire series.

this was the absolute best episode so far.

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WERE YOUR FAVORITE SCENES? 105 Responses

It was close, but Levi’s reaction to Historia punching him was ultimately the favorite scene of the episode. Followed behind by just one vote less is Levi and Kenny’s final moments together. Many respondents were also thrilled to see Reiner, Bertolt and the Beast Titan again, and getting Levi’s backstory was satisfying.

Thanks for letting me see Levi's smile.

HOW MUCH DID KENNY’S DEATH AFFECT YOU? 106 Responses

Most respondents voted somewhere in the middle, but overall more viewers did feel something for his death than those who didn’t. We can all agree that it made Levi feel something!

I honestly expected Kenny to play a bigger role / have more screentime than he did this season. I am now completely emotionally invested in his character, so I'm pretty gutted that his strongest episode was also his last. I wish we could have seen more of him! Kenny's complicated relationships with both Uri and Levi are so compelling and intriguing with so many layers and nuances.

WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS THE MOST TRAGIC PART OF LEVI’S CHILDHOOD? 104 Responses

40% of respondents feel that Levi losing his mother at such a young age was the most tragic part of his childhood. At a tie for 18%, respondents also agree that Kenny abandoning him and almost starving to death are the worst parts of his backstory. A few wrote in that they couldn’t choose just one thing.

His mom slowly starving to death in front of him

All of the above

Having a deadbeat dad.

Not knowing why Kenny abandoned him

All of the above is tough for a kid

Why is there no 'all of the above' option.

ARAKI REQUESTED NO MUSIC FOR LEVI AND KENNY’S LAST CONVERSATION SINCE THEIR SEIYUUS DID SUCH A GOOD JOB. WAS THIS A GOOD CHOICE? 103 Responses

The vast majority of voters are happy that Levi and Kenny’s final moments weren’t overshadowed by music.

I think it was a great choice, because I was consciously struck by how profound the silence was.

Didn't really notice

I don't feel one way or another. I just can't wait for the dub tbh!

HOW DID YOU FEEL SEEING HISTORIA’S CORONATION? 105 Responses

Overall respondents felt positively about Historia’s coronation, with 45% of voters feeling proud of her and 32% agreeing she looked stunning. 13% could have taken it or left it.

I thought it was a flashback to a previous queen, like the Christa from the books, at first, because she looked so different from her usual appearance that I didn't even recognize her.

Queen Historia Reiss, the first of her name, Queen of the Walls, titans and humanity.

i loved the music and how pretty she looked

THUS FAR, THERE ARE NO REMAINING AIRDATES POST-EPISODE 12, HOW LONG DO YOU THINK IT’LL TAKE FOR THE SEASON TO CONTINUE? 104 Responses

Opinions are split, with the largest group believing we’ll be waiting a couple months to pick the season back up, some think the wait will be shorter, and a few believe it’ll be a bit longer. 30% agree anything is better than waiting 4 years for new content.

WHAT DO YOU THINK KENNY WAS TRULY “A SLAVE” TO? 102 Responses

About 57% of respondents agree that Kenny was more invested in wanting to understand Uri after meeting him than he was trying to become more powerful.

Being batshit crazy.

Between seeking power and want to understand Uri

To feel normal

Being able to love

trying to understand compassion!

Both. Yes, he wanted to understand Uri, but more precisely he wanted to understand the perspective of someone who possesses ultimate power; thus Kenny was a slave to the idea that only violence can get you to the top

WHAT DO YOU THINK URI WAS “A SLAVE” TO? 102 Responses

66% of voters believe that Uri was simply a slave to the First King. 32% believe he truly cared for love, peace, “and all that.” Only one voter had another idea:

Wanting to create "Paradise" within the walls

DID YOU FIND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KENNY AND URI COMPELLING? 105 Responses

Over half of respondents thought Kenny and Uri’s relationship was very interesting and would love to know more if they could. 30% found it interesting enough, but don’t need any more details. 16% believe they weren’t given enough material to care.

Yes, very compelling and my favorite part of the episode, but I don't think there's more to know.

YOUR REACTION TO LEVI’S SMILE? 105 Responses

Altogether, about 80% of voters total reacted positively to Levi’s smile, agreeing that it was beautiful and heart-warming. Some thought it was okay, and a few actually thought it was very out of character for him!

Better than a million dollars!!!

I could survive in a desert for three weeks on this image alone

It was so out of character that I thought he was going to inject the titan serum and eat them all right there and gain the Founding Titan and Coordinate.

i would die for that smile

WE HAVE THREE CONFIRMED ACKERMAN CHARACTERS WHO’VE FORGED A DEEP BOND WITH ANOTHER PERSON. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT EACH ONE?

Overall, Levi and Erwin’s relationship is the one that voters find the most enjoyable. Most voters also agree that Mikasa/Eren and Kenny/Uri are also quite enjoyable, however Mikasa and Eren’s relationship was also the one with the highest votes for “boring”.

WERE YOU EXCITED TO SEE REINER, BERTOLT AND THE BEAST TITAN MAKE AN APPEARANCE? 106 Responses

Overall, voters are happy to see these characters again and curious to see what’s in store for them moving forward or what they plan to do.

This season's cliffhangers will be the death of me.

no, it feels unsuitable

YOUR REACTION TO SEEING THE BEAST TITAN’S HUMAN FORM? 106 Responses

37% of voters believe the Beast Titan’s human form was really cool to see. 25% are already bracing to punch him in the face and 20% of you guys are just thirsty.

When the monkey titan doesn't have nipples??

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

Forever missing Kenny. Oh and I shall make Levi’s smile and Mikasa’s smirk a picture I can hang on my wall.

What did Levi do to deserve that treatment? Is Mikasa seriously still holding a grudge against Levi from season 1? He saved their asses more often than not, also injured himself so save her...wtf

levi's child voice makes me wanna cry

Im dead.

There, you got your stupid smile, now will y'all shut up about it

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 100 Responses

Thanks again to everyone who participated! We’ll see you again on Tuesday!

#snk poll #snk polls #snk spoilers #snk s3 #poll results