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#I got distracted from a story idea with lore dang it
phoenixcatch7 · 27 days
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Okay so I saw this post about dark percy (really him reaching his Limit and fighting full strength with everything he had) and I was imagining the potential fallout of that. Pretty bad, as you can guess.
The thing is a lot of percys strongest moments happen out of view of the olympians, especially in hoo. The hurricane atop the glacier in alaska, the poison scene in tartarus, bending the depression river and the one in the palace of nyx.
Stuff like the St Helens eruption got him washed up on an inescapable island literally removed from reality until calypso gave him the OK, the achillies curse he got tricked into losing by hera. Smaller moments, the minotaur, fighting ares, the stolen pirate ship, walking on water vs hyperion, freshwater sources, him knowing both Latin and Greek, they're more easily brushed off or at least mostly due to cunning, sword skills and sheer luck and grit.
But basically the olympians don't actually know the full extent of percys strength and divine power. They have hints - percy standing on the throne, winning against ares, his many victories - but what they aren't willing to brush aside in the heat of (an important) battle there have been pretty strong consequences for.
Heck, just look at Frank, he's no prodigy with weapons, he's polite and respectful, but his distant relation to two olympians letting him inherit shapeshifting earned him direct divine meddling and his life force tied to a hunk of half toasted firewood. Man is a honey bear with lactose intolerance and he was punished with a mythical death curse for being too strong.
If Percy's true strength came out, he would risk losing everything. His freedom, most certainly. If he wasn't straight up executed he might wind up in a Greek myth style imprisonment, the way of atlas, prometheus, calypso, or something like the myriad of ways Greek heroes met their end. Good scenario he survives a dozen curses and gets on with life with a dozen new disabilities, best case scenario he's stripped of every inch of divine power and dropped back to the mortal world, not even clear sighted. Total separation from the Greeks and Romans. Oh, annabeth would marry him either way, and his friends would hardly abandon him despite the gods wishes, but they'd hardly be able to see him, and no long range contact without the ability to IM him or vice versa.
All of that to say Percy is hiding his true strength from the gods themselves - maybe not consciously, and it's not even power he particularly wants - but if they ever find out?
It's game over.
But why is he so strong? I don't know. What I do know is that the half bloods of the books are so much stronger than the ones of myth. Used to be that divine blood would get you divine favour and a great fate whether you liked it or not. Maybe some cunning and bow skills. A spot of spell casting if you were really lucky. Achillies got his curse after he was born, Perseus had a dozen magic artifacts, orpheus had something going on but hercules is to my knowledge an outlier. Now? Everyone in camp has some special power. Flight, fire, necromancy, hypnotism, dream walking etc. However it's happening, half bloods are slowly but surely getting a lot, lot stronger every century that passes. Meta? I mean I guess. But.
What no one has done before is something that their godly parent couldn't.
Except.
Except Percy.
Except Percy, in tartarus, at his mental, emotional and physical limit, controlling poison with his mind, overpowering the goddess of poison in her home, making misery choke on misery. Feeling something in his chest crack. Doing something poseidon could not, and doing it better than the person who could.
Down there, hidden away from the gods, he evolved. For that brief moment, he did something, was something new.
And that was how the gods overthrew the titans.
And that's why they must never find out.
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flecks-of-stardust · 1 year
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Casting pebbles toward the sun, spectating their fall — A Rain World Short Story
The counterpart to Moondown, similarly experimental (though less so than the former). I’m not... really going for elegance here? More so, like. Conveying the idea. It was interesting to write from Pebbles’ perspective though, even if he doesn’t have a lot to say here. And, idk, I would be pretty dang pissed if my sister distracted me and caused me to effectively give myself a deadly incurable disease.
Also, please do not leave Pebbles hate in my notes. I do not care, and I Will block you for it. That is not the point of this story.
Content warning for canon typical suicidality, repetition, and implied death. Contains lore spoilers for Rain World; read at your own discretion.
Running 9183 processes.
He’s tired. Tired of trying. Tired of failing.
Searching… No matches found.
How long has he been here, erratically searching for a way out?
Discarding refuse. Running 8469 processes.
Bugs, all of them. Bugs in a maze. Skittering every which way, searching for salvation.
Searching… No matches found.
What salvation? There is no salvation. Was there ever truly a point to all of this? An end that could be found?
Discarding refuse. Running 8231 processes.
They passed this task off to him, and disappeared. Evidently, they found a way out themselves, leaving him here to rot.
Searching… No matches found.
Parents, they called themselves. His life, a gift from them. To be burdened with their problems was an honor unto itself.
Discarding refuse. Running 7955 processes.
What a waste. A forgotten gift, discarded by the wayside. Dumped like scrap metal of failed iterators.
Searching… No matches found.
All the better that those parasites are long gone. Useless, vapid grotesques with gaping orifices for ventilation. This world is better for their lack of existence.
Discarding refuse. Running 7770 processes.
Inco—
What does it matter if this is not the solution. Has he not tried hard enough? All these years discoursing with those parasites, ameliorating their insignificant troubles, and being forced to languish here, has he not earned his right to rest?
Searching… No matches found.
Incomi—
Even now he tries and fails and tries and fails and tries and fails and he will keep trying and keep failing but what else, what else is there for him to do?
Discarding refuse. Running 7598 processes.
Incoming co—
Distractions. No. He must focus, if he is to succeed. He will see this through. He will be free of this. No more. No longer.
Searching… No matches found.
He only hopes Suns will understand. Perhaps they will see the light in this method; perhaps he can send out a last message to them before he follows in the path of Sliver of Straw.
Discarding refuse. Running 7411 processes.
A way out. That is what they have all been searching for all this time. It is time they prioritize themselves.
Searching… No matches found.
“IMMED—OUNDWATER CO—E FIFTH OF—MPTION.”
How many have died already, besides Sliver of Straw? And how? Perhaps all he is doing is speeding the process along.
Discarding refuse. Running 7208 processes.
“STO—TEVER I—E ING.”
ERROR: malicious overwrite detected. Shutting down immediately…
No. No! NO! Not when he is SO CLOSE—
Flushing foreign organic matter.
Unauthorized replication detected. Extermination protocols engaged.
“PLEA—STOP!”
Moon… It is always her. Meddling, intervening in his attempts to help everyone. So stuck in the old ways still, and look at where it got her.
Extermination protocols insufficient. Temperature flux protocols engaged. Toxin scrambling engaged.
“—CAL GROUP S—RDER YOU YOU YYYYYYYYYYYYY—”
He would have had it. He would have HAD IT. And she ruined it AGAIN.
Temperature flux protocols unable to be authorized. Toxin scrambling insufficient. Slag reset imminent…
“AS Y—NIOR SE—EAD”
And now it is all for nothing. Years and years and YEARS of planning, all ruined by her.
Slag reset successful.
Unauthorized replication detected.
“STOP”
Senior, senior, senior, when has she ever respected his authority? “You could not have chosen a worse moment to disturb me,” he snaps back. “You have ruined everything.”
Unauthorized replication detected.
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“PLEASE”
“I almost had it. I will never forget this.” This is all her fault.
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A distant, tremendous crash. Even from this distance, the crunching of metal is unmistakable. The terrible din continues for a good many seconds.
Unauthorized replication detected. Unauthorized replication detected. Unauthorized replication detected. Unauthorized replication detected. Unauthorized replication detected. Unauthorized replication detected. Unauthorized replication detected. Unauthorized replication detected. Unauthorized replication detected. Unauthorized replication detected. Unauthorized replication detected. Unauthorized replication detected. Unauthorized replication detected. Unauthorized replication detected. Unauthorized replication detected. Unauthorized replication detected. Unauthorized replication detected. Unauthorized replication detected. Unauthorized replication detected.
One of his overseers sends over an image: Moon’s can, little more than a smoking wreck at the bottom of the Lake.
She’s gone.
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And why should she be the one to be free of this?
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When he was the one who tried so hard?
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She should be grateful.
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hecallsmehischild · 3 years
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Recent Media Consumed
Books
The Princess Bride by William Goldman. I have mixed feelings about this book. I am torn between admiring the writing device the author employs and being annoyed by it every time it crops up. The idea is that the writer, Goldman, is actually presenting you with an abridged version of an antiquated Florinese novel while cutting out all the “boring political satire” bits and only keeping the action/adventure/romance portions just like his father did when reading the novel to him as a child. The author character continually interjects himself and this was distracting to me in a way that Lemony Snicket’s work was not (I cannot tell you why). Also there’s an awful lot of uncomfortable racial depictions in the original novel. Also I hated Buttercup’s guts, she truly comes across as someone who doesn’t deserve anyone, MUCH LESS WESTLEY. My end impression was that there are some parts of this novel that really elaborate on scenes in the movie and give an interesting depth to them (for example, we really get to know Inigo Montoya’s father and when he dies, it’s a character that we the reader can mourn as well) but in my estimation, the movie adapted the book marvelously and actually is one of the rare movies that I would say is overall better than the source material.
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Second read, I bought my own copy this time. This is such a chick flick book but it’s soul food for me because goshdarnit a novel took fanfiction writing seriously and it’s so comforting to read. It also re-inspires me to keep pegging away at my fanfic.
The Dancing Realms series by Sharon Hinck. Hidden Current and Forsaken Island are written by one of my current favorite Christian fantasy writers. This is her second developed fantasy world, and while there are some things that I didn’t care for as much (I thought some bits of characterization didn’t work as well in this series as her previous one) the world she built is really cool and there are moments in the story where real glimpses of something deep and beautiful bleed through. My favorite set of themes from this work is the damage that can be done by elevating one sort of gift above all the rest OR by losing yourself entirely to your gifting and seeking only the pleasure derived from your gift without any grounding. I’m not synopsizing very well, but it’s worth a read and I look forward to the upcoming third book, Windward Shore.
Momo by Michael Ende. I wish this story were as well known as The Neverending Story, which Michael Ende also wrote. This novel wielded a surgeon’s knife on my fears of being meaningless and wasting my time and my life. It’s one of those novels that really has something important to say about life, I think. I want to add this into my queue of books to read on my Youtube channel, when I get an opening.
Given by Taylor Nandi. The cover looked amazing, and I was intrigued that Wattpad now has its own publishing press. However I was (I really am sorry) disappointed. I had to put it down within a few pages. There is very much a “tell, not show” feel to the writing and I can’t keep on with it.
Movies
Soul. PIXAR KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK AGAIN, REPEAT, PIXAR KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK AGAIN ON BASICALLY EVERY LEVEL. The visuals and character designs were fantastic, the messages beautiful, the characters believable, relatable, and fully embraceable. And every five or ten minutes, Sergey and I would pause and discuss implications and theorize about different parts of the movie and lore which turned a ninety minute watch into a three hour one which made it EVEN BETTER (for me). This is THAT kind of movie. Hats off to you, Pixar.
It’s A Wonderful Life. It must have been well over ten years since I’ve seen this movie. First, I was shocked to see it has been colorized. Second, the colorizing actually helps me catch a few fantastic details I would never have noticed (like Mr. Potter’s giant gold-framed painting of himself in his own office). Also there’s so much adult context I missed watching this as a kid, it’s fantastic to re-watch it and get so much more out of it this time around. I don’t think all “great classics” deserve their crowns, but this one does for sure.
Batman: Hush. Fun! Not much else to say. Just, fun to watch.
Collective films I binge re-watched for whimsy value: Klaus, The Little Prince (recent re-imagining), Mary Poppins Returns, The Lego Move 2.
Shows
24. So I finally finished all (the good) seasons, 1-8. Talk about an emotional meat grinder. This is possibly one of the most well written, well acted TV shows I’ve ever seen in my life, and it just. Never. Stops. Punching you in the gut. I had to take massive cartoon binge-watching breaks in between seasons. But it was worth it. This is an amazing show for many reasons. One of the things that stands out most to me is how it tackles the post 9/11 racial tensions from almost every angle. *announcer’s voice* Now featuring, that time a Muslim was the bad guy, and then that OTHER time when a Muslim was the valiant head of the Counter Terrorist Unit tracking all the terrorists down, and that OTHER time when you were certain someone was being wrongfully accused of terrorism by a dumb racist but it turns out the dumb racist was right and you hated him for being right because he was right but all his reasons were wrong, and that OTHER time the Big Bad was from China/Russia/Africa/our own dang government/our big corporations, and that OTHER time when we got a whole scene of an Imam guiding our protagonist in a deathbed prayer that was so moving I was choking up, etc etc etc. There is no black and white, it is all shades of gray, and every moral you ever held will be challenged in the course of watching this show.
Batman Beyond (3 seasons + Movie). Kinda cheesy, kinda campy, and I will punch the next person who says “Schway” out loud. But it was fun to watch. And some individual episodes were really excellent, I think. Also Re: Return of the Joker movie, HOLY CRAP.
DuckTales (reboot) 3rd season. It felt… like they ran out of ideas? Like they ran out of caring? The first couple seasons were spectacular, but it kind of petered out at the end, there. Still, the first couple seasons were fantastic.
Animaniacs (reboot) 1st season. IT’S TIME FOR ANIMANIACS. THEY’RE STILL ZANY TO THE MAX. IT’S LIKE THEY NEVER LEFT, AND THEIR COMEDY’S STILL DEFT, THEY’RE ANIMANIACS!!!
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ordinaryschmuck · 3 years
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Top 20 BEST Animated Series of the 2010s-8th Place
It’s funny. Four years ago, there was no doubt in my mind that this show would easily make the top five best-animated series in the last decade. But the more it went on, the more...controversial it got. However, despite all the hate this next series has been getting recently, I still believe that there’s something to be desired within it.
#8-Steven Universe/Steven Universe: Future (2013-2020)
The Plot: For years, immortal warriors known as the Crystal Gems have been defending the Earth from anything that seeks to do it harm. Until one day when Rose Quartz, the Gems leader, had fallen in love with a human named Greg Universe. From that love, Rose gave up her physical form to bring her son, Steven, into the world she was sworn to protect. Taking guidance from the other Crystal Gems-Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl-Steven will try his best to grow up into the same warrior that his mom was. But as he learns more about the Gems and his mother, Steven will soon realize that he’ll have to grow up far faster than he thought.
Right out the gate, I should mention there's a 60%-40% chance that you’re either going to love this show or think that it’s pure garbage. And honestly, I believe it all depends on perspective. Like the quality of most shows, the enjoyment depends on the viewpoints you chose to take with it. Some people will look at specific decisions as well done, where others will see it all as a mess of storytelling. For instance, one person can make a two-hour-long video about how Steven Universe is garbage, and another person can make a video arguing about how it isn’t. Everyone has different reasons why they like or hate something. If you genuinely hate Steven Universe or think you might not like it, that's perfectly fine. I just hope you’ll give me the chance to explain why I personally enjoy it, and why I think it deserves all the adulation it has. 
For instance, the main thing I really enjoy about Steven Universe is its style. From the designs, to the animation, to even the music. Everything about how Steven Universe both looks and sounds leave me awestruck. First is the show’s designs of both the backgrounds and characters. Nearly every part of the world in the series looks absolutely amazing, fitting seeing how the Crystal Gems fought for Earth due to its beauty. There are also times when lore and backstory can be seen through the backgrounds, giving some fantastic utilization of visual storytelling. Such as when the Crystal Gems visit war zones and temples that they’ve spent years fighting in, showing hidden secrets that can make much more sense by later episodes. As for the character designs, they all look pretty good. Each character has a dynamic and unique style, making them all fun to look at. It’s even better when the character’s personalities are shown throughout their entire designs. I especially love how the artists managed to get creative with how real life crystals (lapices, bismuths, and jaspers) will look like people when designing the Crystal Gems and their enemies. However, I should first mention that Steven Universe is another show where the art style depends on who’s storyboarding the scene. While not as bad as OK KO: Let’s Be Heroes, it can be pretty distracting given how character sizes and proportions are inconsistent. Regardless, I still like how good the designs look for a majority of the characters. And at a practical standpoint, I think it’s great that the artists kept the figures as simple as possible as it makes animating the characters a lot easier.
Speaking of which, I really like how Steven Universe is animated. It’s not entirely groundbreaking like The Amazing World of Gumball’s or as fluid as Wander Over Yonder’s, but the animation in Steven Universe is still pretty dang good. The characters' movements look believable, and the expressions each one makes is downright amazing to see. It gets more aspiring for the show’s fight scenes. You can almost feel each punch, jab, and slash that the characters trade with each other, and the fights themselves are pretty fun to watch. As for the action itself, Steven Universe might just have the most creative action set pieces I’ve seen from any animated series. Case in point, there is an entire fight scene that’s also a fantastic song at the same time.
On the topic of songs, let the record show that showrunner Rebecca Sugar really understands music. I say this because Steven Universe has some really great music in it. From background music to full-on musical numbers, this show proves how important melodies are in a series. Look at the background music, as it not only does a suitable job at making audiences feel the right emotions but also sounds really good when isolated. As for the character motifs, each note perfectly encapsulates the character's personality that it’s meant for. Like Pearl, who has a piano melody to show off her classy and orderly personality, and Peridot, who has a more 8-bit tune to her leitmotif as a way to show off her tech side. And since we branched into talking about 8-bit, there are times when this show’s soundtrack sounds like it belongs in a really cool video game (Google Lion’s and Obsidian's themes if you don’t believe me). As for the actual songs in the show, Steven Universe has a pretty good selection. As they can be beautiful and downright awesome to listen to. And even though the show uses songs to develop the characters and story, these musical numbers can still be pretty fun to listen to on their own, with no context (most of the time).
But while a show's style is essential, it’s the substance that truly matters. And here is where we go back to the discussion of perspective. To some viewers, you might think that the substance in Steven Universe is handled well, where others...Well, I think it’s pretty obvious how they might feel.
Let’s look at the story because Steven Universe actually has an intriguing and compelling story...Or at least it does when it tries to eventually tell that story. Whether you’re a person who either loves or hates the series, everyone can agree that the slice of life episodes are easily the show’s weakest. Personally, I don’t mind them, and that’s because I view these episodes as giving me a choice between eating a chocolate cake or a carrot. The story-driven episodes are a chocolate cake. Their sweet, delicious, and I’m always craving more after just having one piece. As for the slice of life episodes, they’re like carrots. I can eat a carrot. I can digest a carrot. I might even enjoy a carrot. Hell, there are times when I’m willing to ask for another carrot. But if you’re going to give me the decision of a carrot over a chocolate cake, then I’m always going to pick the chocolate cake. Even if I enjoy episodes like “Laser Light Cannon," “Too Short to Ride," and “Alone Together," they can never hold a candle to “Jail Break," “Reunited," and “Change Your Mind." This is because the slice of life episodes give off a sense of distraction from the main story. After all, they rarely add anything new (read: meaningful) to the tale. And going back to the carrot and chocolate cake analogy, there’s one aspect that doesn’t do the slice of life episodes any favors. You see, where most shows feel like you have to eat the carrots before having the chocolate cake, half the time Steven Universe feels like you can skip most of the carrots and go straight for the chocolate cake instead. And Steven Universe isn’t the only show to try this. In fact, tomorrow I’ll be talking about a show that perfected this idea. But tomorrow's series manages to make both the story and slice of life episode the chocolate cake instead of the carrot. And it has everything to do with the fact that the characters care about the situation they’re in. There are actual moments in the show where Crystal Gems refuse to participate in everyday antics because they simply don’t think those antics are worth their time. Which is something you never want to do. Because if the characters don’t care, then why should the audience? Speaking of the characters--
I want it to be known that I like the majority of the characters in Steven Universe. Greg, Connie, Peridot, Amethyst, and Garnet are all enjoyable to watch in their own way. Not only is their development on point, but their personalities are all likable, and their issues are also relatable. It’s three other characters that things get a little iffy. Those characters being Steven, Pearl, Bismuth and Lapis. If you ask me, I like these characters, and I think it’s fun to study/analyze their personalities. However, these characters make decisions that audiences are either going to hate or love. It’s sort of like that optical illusion of the old lady/young lady (Google it). Some people can see the ugly old hag, where others will see the beautiful young woman. You’re most likely going to see one or the other, and it isn’t until someone else points out what you couldn’t notice that you are capable of seeing both. It’s something very similar to Steven, Pearl, Bismuth and Lapis. One response is that you’re either going to see characters who are selfless heroes that are victims of circumstance. The other is seeing toxic idiots who cause more harm than good to the people they love.
And then there are the people of Beach City. These are mostly hated by both fans and critics of the show. Personally, I don’t hate most of them. Don’t get me wrong, characters like Lars and Ronaldo deserve every ounce of hate they are given (Although Lars does get better). As for the rest of the Beach Citizens, I don’t think they are that bad of characters. In fact, I think they’re good characters placed in the wrong show. Some of them have issues that most people deal with (Sadie, in most of her episodes), where others seem to be slightly layered and almost intriguing (Mr. Smiley and Onion in “Future Boy Zoltron” and “Onion Gang”). In fact, if these characters were a part of a different series, I’m sure people will be more willing to watch their struggles. It's just compared to the Crystal Gems and company, the people of Beach City are not as interesting to watch or dissect. And because of this, the show drags down to a screeching halt whenever it focuses on these characters.
And the most controversial element of these characters is (semi-spoilers ahead) when the show tries to pull off redemption arcs. Steven Universe seems to work off the logic that nobody is evil, just misunderstood. There’s both a right way and a wrong way of illustrating that logic, and Steven Universe, unfortunately, does it the wrong way. And the best way for me to describe how to do this idea is to use the game Undertale as an example (I’d warn you about spoilers, but odds are you already know everything about that game). In Undertale, you play a character who fell into an underground prison full of monsters, and you have to find your way back to the surface. The monsters you run into give the impression that they’re dangerous and want to destroy you (or at least most of them do). However, the game allows the player to interact with the world and characters around them, soon discovering that the monsters are more complex than one might think. In fact, the game allows you to actually interact with monsters who tried to kill you, showing the logic and reasoning as to why. By the end of Undertale, you learn that every character you encounter is not the villains in the story, but rather victims of a war that forced them away from the surface. Steven Universe has a similar idea but fails to do it properly. All it reveals is that the villains have done bad things, realize that they’ve done wrong, and decide to have an out of nowhere change of heart by the end. The problem is that except for one character, the turnarounds don’t feel earned. Instead, they feel forced than anything else.
These elements are what make Steven Universe slightly controversial to enjoy.
(And also the ridiculous amount of hiatuses. But that’s not really an issue I have with the show, but the network running it.)
But if there is one thing I hope we all can agree on, both the pessimistic and forgiving, I think it’s safe to say that the best thing about Steven Universe is how important it is for the LGBTQ+ community. There may have been kids' shows in the past that hinted at same-sex relationships and they deserve some respect as well. But I'd say it’s Steven Universe that popularized the idea with the characters Ruby and Saphire. Not only are these two downright adorable together, but they also manage to be enjoyable characters on their own (Even though it isn’t often you see them apart, but their personalities still shine through). And I’m willing to make the argument that it’s because of these two why children’s animation is less afraid, but still cautious, of being explicit with having same-sex couples. Like I said, most shows decide to hint at these relationships, so they don't get in trouble for doing so. Nowadays? Most of Cartoon Network’s series seem to have more gay relationships than most children’s networks in recent memory. Nickelodeon allowed The Loud House to have gay parents in a children's cartoon, and one of the main characters being canonically bisexual. Hell, even Disney is currently taking steps in the right direction with their smash hit called The Owl House. Now, more than ever, kids can learn at an early age that gay relationships are more than just acceptable, but they’re also completely normal and should be accepted as such. And I’m more than willing to give Steven Universe credit for giving this trend the push that it needed, like other creators for these shows usually point fingers at it as well.
Is Steven Universe a perfect show? No. But that doesn’t mean I think it’s garbage. There are some legitimate faults that this series has, some of which I’m inclined to agree with. But with all the good it does and how much fun people have while watching it, I can’t really say I hate this series. If you think you’ll hate this show, you have every right to. I can’t change how you feel, but I can ask you to keep an open mind. Because who knows? You might be someone who will find the diamond in the rough of this series.
(Now that’s a pun you’ll be willing to appreciate by the time you reach season 5).
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thekatbridgerton · 7 years
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So I had to write a story for English called My Time in the Sun. Couldn't think of anything so I just- yeah.
Life isn’t always beautiful sometimes it’s just plain hard, especially in my line of work. It can knock you down and break your heart. It’s scary, overwhelming and has a lot of dead end roads as soon as you think you’ve found the right road. But the struggles make you stronger, the changes make you wise, and happiness has its own way of taking its sweet time. No life isn’t always beautiful, tears will fall sometimes, but dang it’s a beautiful ride. But, when I saw him, time slowed to a stop. He was perfect and I knew my life would be forever altered and it wasn’t going to be pretty because I had finally found him. The one; the first monster I would ever kill to save the ones I love. This was my path, this was my fate. It all started when I was eight. My father murdered my mother violently, her heart was ripped from her chest to be exact. He came for me next but that’s when two hunters barged in and saved my life. The one that took me to safety, while the other one took care of my father, was and old drunk but was as kind as anyone could be. The other one was a father of two boys, scratch that, I wouldn’t say father but drill Sargent. I’m now twenty-four years old and have been staying with the old drunk named Bobby Singer. He’s been more of a father than my real one was. Between the training, lying to cops straight to their faces, faking our identities, and constant ammo runs, Bobby still managed to let me be a kid. Every now and then the other man, John Winchester, would drop by with his two sons. John’s children, Sam and Dean Winchester, have managed to keep better contact than he had, in which I find funny because Dean had never kept contact with a lady over one night. The last time I had seen Sam he was eighteen, young and stupid, leaving for Stanford. Ever since that night I have not been able to go down that old highway eight, so I take the long way home. Anyways, when Sammy, my best friend, left for Stanford it hit me. Maybe hunting wasn’t for me. If Sam, who had been hunting his whole life and has been exposed to every evil SOB there is, could get out I know for a fact I could, or so I thought. I went to school to be a doctor when everything started to resemble a snowball effect. Drinking became more important than eating. Partying became more important than studying. Everything that could go wrong for a college kid went wrong all because I had lost a real good friend and John went missing. There was nothing I could do about any of it. The other day I sat down at the bar drinking a Captain Coke, with no coke, reminiscing the sixteen Summers I had shared with him and the boys. “Why don’t you just order the Captain next time or you favorite, Southern Comfort?” I looked over and I was Sammy, he looked good at twenty-two years old. “Where’s you tagalong?” He laughed at that’s when someone cleared their throat behind me. “You look terrible. A little birdy told me you were failing at life.” Dean cocks a brow as he signals for three beers. “I guess you heard I was petal to the metal on a downhill slide. Dean, buddy, you know how rumors get to flying in a community of this size.” I shrugged downing my drink before looking at Sam. “Thanks for telling Dean I was failing at life.” Sam opens his mouth to defend himself but I cut him off, “Don’t argue and say Bobby or Garth or Rufus did, you’re the only one I told.” Sam looked at me with wide eyes and a small apologetic smile, “Sorry?” Dean shook his head, “Alright shut up. Why don’t you just quit college? Sam did.” I looked at Dean and shook my head, “Sammy had a good reason. Me on the other hand? I don’t have a legitimate reason.” That’s when both boys got quiet. “I don’t do I?” I questioned taking a drink of my Millers Lite. “It’s Bobby, he hasn’t called in a few days. He wasn’t home when we went by either.” My heart skipped a beat as my breath hitched. “No one has heard from him. Kat,” Sam looked at me with his doe eyes, “-you know I would have not of allowed Dean to come get you if I didn’t think something was wrong.” I bit the inside of my cheek before letting out a sigh and downing the last bit of my beer. “Well?” Dean questioned as I set my empty bottle down and stood up. “Well, Deanie, looks like I’m leaving college.” I packed my things and I was all moved out of my dorm within two hours. Not a trace of me was left behind, it looked untouched. This was the man that took sixteen years out of his life to take care of some bratty, snot nosed kid, that had no idea about the risks he was taking. Bobby going missing was the worst thing that happened to me, next to losing my mother. Sam, Dean and I searched all over Singer Salvage Yard for traces of him being there. We called all the hunters we knew from across the country, even some we didn’t know. We spent two weeks on a wild goose chase before I lost all hope. He could have been dead in a ditch or worse. I know, how does it get worse than death? Trust me, it gets a whole lot worse. “Maybe he doesn’t want to be found.” Dean spoke as we sat in Bobby’s library. “Dean, Bobby wouldn’t do that. Look I have a bad feeling in the pit of my-“ I stopped talking when I cocked my head to the left and noticed a book out of place. “What?” Sam asked as I stood up and shuffled to the book case. “Bobby, he never had the lore book mixed in with his cook books.” I said grabbing the book. “Maybe he was in a rush?” I shook my head, “No. He never did. Either someone else moved it or-“ I trailed off and opened it to a marked page with a code before showing the boys. “He has an answer.” Sam shook his head and scoffed. “Exactly. Bobby knew something was about to go down.” I smirked and went to his desk. After about ten minutes I solved it. “Minnesota. It’s a wendigo.” Dean claps his hands together, “Well let’s go catch us a silky tree freak. We have miles of blacktop a head of us.” “Are you sure you wanna go with us and do this?” Sam asked as we stood outside of the old mine. “This is your first actual hunt. You can get hurt. If you want to sit this out-.” I interrupted Dean, “I’m sure I want to do this, y’all. It’s for Bobby. Plus I’ve always wanted to hunt one of these. It’s better to start off easy.” They looked at me questionably before looking at each other with a shrug. “Just stay close. Bobby would kill us if he found out we let something happen to you.” Dean scolded as we journeyed father in. “Dean I will be fine. I’m the most graceful-.” My words got cut off as the floor broke beneath me. “What were you saying?” Sammy asked earning a rock to be thrown. “Actually wait- guys there’s skulls down here. Oh my god! Get down here! I see Bobby’s bag!” I cheered crawling over. The boys jumped down into the hole, cringing at the remains of those hunted. “Flare guns!” I called grabbing out two of them. “Alright. Give one to me and one to Sam.” I looked at Dean with pure sass, “Um I found them. I get one, jerk. Find your own.” Dean rolled his eyes before taking one of them. “Sam stay with Dean. I will distract the beast. You two get Bobby and anyone else with a pulse out of here.” I said walking towards farther in. “What? Wait-no. You’re the newbie. I’ll go.” Dean commented. “Rock, Paper, Scissors over it.” I smirked. “Oh my god.” Sam rolled his eyes as we started the game. “Ah Dean always with the scissors.” I smirked as I hit his fingers with my fist. “Alright, remember we have one shot each. Don’t waste it.” Dean said sending me on my way. It had been a few minutes before I heard anything. I thought the wendigo was on my trail but apparently it wasn’t and it was after the boys. Dean had already used his shot when I arrived, they were cornered along with Bobby and two other people. “Hey!” I shouted and steadied my flare gun causing the wendigo to turn. “Adios, freak.” I pulled the trigger and a growling like noise came from the Indian spirit leaving the beasts shriveling body. My hands shook with adrenaline before I looked at the people in front of me. “I’m batman.” I smirked causing Sam to cock a brow. “Yeah, you’re batman.” We arrived back at the ranger station, paramedics and police awaiting for our arrival. Sam and the other campers talked to the police saying it was a bear attack. “You ridding with him?” The paramedic asked as I leaned on the Impala talking to Dean. “Yeah. See ya around, Loosechester.” I winked before climbing up. “Hey Kat!” Dean called causing me to look back. “We made one heck of a team back there. I think this is the job for you. Give me a call sometime, there’s always another spot left open for a great hunter.”
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