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youcouldmakealife · 1 year

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The recent pride night BS has really been bumming me out. I keep thinking back to the part of TOTI when Mike was worried about Liam coming out to the team and Liam laughs at him and mentioned how young he was when Dan and Marc came out. When you wrote that, or when you wrote YCMAL, did you think the league would be that tolerant by now? Could you have imagined then, that in 2023, there would still be zero openly gay active or retired players, teams would cancel or backtrack their pride nights, players would be openly bigoted under the guise of religion, pride night Instagram comments would be filled with openly homophonic rhetoric, etc?

The world you’ve created feels so lovingly accepting and I guess I’m curious if you thought by now life would have imitated art or if you knew it wouldn’t and this was always a fantasy.

Me too, anon. Me too.

Liam laughing it off was definitely meant to be reflective of his optimistic attitude as someone who grew up in a world with out players, and positive LGBT media representation, and other privileges he can't do anything but take for granted, because they're just...reality, as he experiences it. Mike, obviously, doesn't agree with Liam's flippancy, and doesn't have the same sunny view of things, and that's as much reflection of him growing up in a different time as it is his personality.

YCMAL 'verse definitely is a little...not utopian, I won't say that, and I'm leery of that descriptor for anything, but it is a world that's a little more...live and let live, I suppose, and the institutions are a little less rotten. That individual people can be shitty and selfish and cruel, but that, in collectively, empathy and logic and even simple 'this doesn't personally affect me in any way so I'm just going to mind my own dang business' prevails.

I know that's not how the world works. I've always known that, though boy have the last few years really driven that point down my throat, and underlined just how selfish and shitty and cruel people can be, collectively as well as individually.

The 'verse has never been meant as a complete reflection of reality, though I do intend for the characters to feel realistic (and hope I succeed). The little changes (different teams, different commissioner, different media personalities, different legacy players) have always been a signal of bigger deviations from the world we live in (okay, the no Trump as president was a LITTLE utopian of me).

I will say that when I started writing the YCMAL 'verse (the early 2010s) the world was trending in a slowly more accepting direction, and that it was, in some way, extrapolating based on that forward movement, what something COULD look like. Perhaps optimistically, but even so.

Unfortunately I think the pendulum has started to swing in the other direction; I'd like to think this is the last gasp of bigots being (rightfully) terrified that the world is leaving them behind and they're being consigned to the wrong side of the present as well as the wrong side of history, but unfortunately I've studied enough of history to recognise patterns when I see them, and this economic inequality round has landed firmly in the 'right wing populism' side of things in North America and Europe. In the words of Mark Twain, Sayer of Many Pithy Things, History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme.

Maybe hanging out in my little sandbox, making castles is escapism. I am, as you say, writing a fantasy world -- I love the sport of hockey but the institutions that prop it up, from youth hockey up to the NHL and national team programs, have been revealed to be horrific and often criminal. It's toxic masculinity, misogyny, homophobia, racism, sexual assault, and trauma all the way down. I think we collectively face all of that enough every day, and I'm going to keep making my little love stories set in a world that isn't perfect by any means, but is a little kinder, a little less brutal than our own. It's my small contribution to the whole 'not actively making the world worse, I hope'.

Also: James Reimer can go fuck himself. Really would love it if literally any member of the media asked him how he, as a Mennonite, squares wearing Military Appreciation jerseys with the pacifism that is a core tenet of his supposed faith, but I know they won't, so, you know. At some point you just have to laugh. This absolutely merciless Beaverton article is a good way to do it.

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rainbowcarousels · 1 month

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I wanted to do a seperate post because of people who don't want Rebirth spoilers but the fact that the three friends in LOVELESS really look like the 'children of man' that the Cetra explain the story of Jenova with fascinates me.

As does the fact that the Cetra here kind of look like the Sephiroth clones.

The Cetra spirits tell that humanity were afraid and envied them, likely stoked by the Jenova influence and they fought and died together until they started to fight and die between themselves. They were 'forsaken by fate, abandoned to unquenchable anger and unbearable grief, condemned and driven forth powerless to forestall the coming of our end'. We even see some of the battles between the Cetra, humanity and Jenova play out.

The actual retelling of Jenova's coming is here:

"Long ago, a wound marred the northern lands and to mend it did many venture forth, only to be met with disaster. A deciever that stole the faces of the dead - of mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers lost. With their voices did it sow the seeds of discord among our people, among the children of man. For the planet did we lay down our lives in battle, and in death, returned to her embrace. Yet our adversary did not. Could not. Thus did it fall into a deep slumber. And in the long silence of its sleep, it was given the name 'Jenova'. Heed well our warning of that which is to come: the reunion. When our adversary's scattered malignancy shall converge to plague the planet once once more. It has been our sacred duty to protect our planet against any who would threaten it. They who came from without were one such threat. The Gi, who with bitter prayer forged the black materia. So foul was the orb's magic that we knew at once it must be hidden, that none might ever weild its terrible power. The black materia shall summon the destroyer of worlds. The meteor shall fall, sundering the skies and shattering the earth. All life shall perish."

There's a lot of key terms there that link through to LOVELESS and this is just another reason why I think LOVELESS is based on something from the era in which Jenova invaded. It provides a lot of interesting background, I guess I had never considered there were in fact full blown battles in the Jenova Take Over vol. one, but it makes total sense there would be. It really adds to the whole 'history doesn't repeat itself but it does rhyme' vibe of the entire R-verse.

Finally, there is the version of LOVELESS - or rather, the excerpts, it's clear we're only seeing snippets of a larger story - that we see in Rebirth is known as the G edition. Again, the wording shifts and changes but the core narrative remains the same.

When the end of days is come The Goddess alights from heav'ns above 'Pon those Her blessing She doth bestow True happiness but they shall know To claim Her boon, a valiant three Sally forth, heroes they would be One's life cut short, another slain Naught but a prisoner doth remain Bereft of his wings, he falls from grace Yet venerated is he in Her embrace Now, through the cruel world hath forsaken us all Will our hero ne'ertheless stand tall?

#ff7 rebirth #ff7 rebirth spoilers #i was just reminded of this #loveless #cetra

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bibibbon · 2 months

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Thanks for answering my ask....If you don't mind me asking (again), can I ask, what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....

My top 7 favourite media in general actually ends up fluctuating a lot considering that I tend to hyperfixate on one thing and then kinda get a bit lazy and go and try and find something else to hyperfixate on.

It will be really hard to rank this so Iam just gonna tell you my top 10 in no particular order (again) sorry about that.

Currently Iam hyperfixating on Jujutsu kaisen I really love the premise of the story and how it's built in this way where the story just repeats itself in different ways. It kinda sends the message of history always repeats itself and if it doesn't it will rhyme in a twisted way. I also love the way gege handles the themes of the story. However, I do think the story has a lot of wasted potential especially centering around themes of misogyny and just female characters in general.

There is also MHA. I think it has a whole lot of wasted potential as seen when I talk about in my blog I have kinda became a hater on what the manga contains because I feel like it could of been better and we could of had so much more in general but we just don't it's a big let down for me but I love seeing peoples view on the manga and how people would rewrite the series or different aspects in general.

I also like attack on titan. Yes I do like the ending of attack on titan (controversial but yeah 🤷‍♀️) I think isayama made a great choice in ending the series the way he did. I think the seires follows the idea of history repeats itself especially if people forget history and I love the way he depicted erens character how Eren is both a selfish and selfless fool at the same time. The interactions between the younger and older generation of characters for example Armin and Erwin parallels/contrasts are really interesting. I also love how both Keith and magath were just two sides of the same coin fighting something bigger then them both and both dying together back in the ship felt like a decent conclusion to both their characters.

Violet evergarden is a great series where the main protagonist has to learn love, the different types of love and how to love. I loved how each episode had its own story that made it very unique and the animation style is flawless. I do have my own problems with the ending especially with violet and Gilbert's relationship (the way they met and the 9year age gap isn't doing it for me) I think the series should of simply ended with violet learning self love and acceptance.

Avatar the last airbender is a masterpiece of a kids show. The themes it tackles like survivors guilt, imperialism and genocide I think it handles them very well. However, I do have a problem with the way they handled aangs character in book 3 and how they tried and failed to handle the theme of sexaul assault. Katara's character was also done very dirty I wish she accepted bloodbending but understood how it can be helpful and dangerous at the same time. Considering I watched with my sister it does have a special place in my heart and I love the content the fandom creates.

Percy Jackson was like one of the first books that got me into reading and greek mythology. I love the series from what I remember reading I absolutely love the parallels the series has, how it actually battled certain issues, how it has a perfect balance with humour and seriousness in the books and so much more. I also love the irony that rick puts latter in the hero of Olympus books how every child of the big 3 ends up being scared of their own element is a great touch or the focus on fatal flaws is very interesting how one thing can be your downfall even if it's something good like loyalty. To be honest I always found annabeth and Luke's relationship in the books to be very weird especially with how Luke is 21 and annabeth was like 12 so Iam glad that rick chose to change it when it came to writing the live action.

Purple hyacinth. Oh if I had to recommend anyone to read a webtoon this is the one that I would recommend. I absolutely love all of the characters and the character development there is. The series concept is amazing ( I don't wanna spoil it so I won't say much) and I love how there is music that goes with the chapters you read, it's just amazing. I hope we get a new chapter soon considering that the author is still on hiatus due to some health issues.

#mha #MHA #purple hyacinth #attack on titan #avatar the last airbender #violet evergarden #Jujutsu kaisen #ask #anon ask #thank you for the ask #percy jacskon

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ufuckingpastry · 10 months

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History doesn't repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme

Alternative title: if i had a nickel for every time a thing in wilbur's name blew up and killed a lot of people on an smp, i'd have 2 nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it's happened twice

#pastry noises #i know it's like 4 times now but look the meme #dream smp #qsmp

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starlightshadowsworld · 7 months

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Danganronpa 3: Despair arc episode 5.

Thonks.

Into a flashback of kid Ryota being bullied by some kids.

Having rubbish tipped onto him as they call him dirty and taking photos.

Kids are scary man.

Poor Ryota.

And his parents suck, and he copes by watching cartoons.

This got way to relatable.

Cool seeing his set up and such but man he's so stressed which... yeah, shout out to all the artists and animators out there.

Ya'll are great.

Back to Chisa heading to the Reserve Course.

Aaand we don't see it, it's skipped over of course.

I get that it's her punishment and it's a downgrade from her usual class which she loves.

And I know kids can be asshole's.

But I just hate that teaching these kids is considered a punishment.

These kids are looked down upon by everyone at the main school, it's just sad seeing that everyone really was against them.

Hammering the point that any one of those kids could've become Izuru Kamakura.

And for teaching them Chisa was treated awfully for it.

It's werid seeing Juzo calmly talk to someone.

Chisa's heard about the Kamakura project, I think it's too late though.

This sounds werid but I'm kinda glad they're not gonna be able to save Hajime.

Because can you imagine if they got him out and saved him?

The Reserve Course would probably be shut down or something especially knowing where the funds for it were going.

Hajime would be more depressed than ever, and these guys are not the people to give the "You're more than a talent speech."

Unless it's Chiaki than its a whole other story.

But than they'd be seperated and Hajime is back to square one.

... Fuck is the good ending for Hajime bring tortured so bad he literally becomes someone else?

I mean it does get better, hopefully if the end of Danganronpa 2 is any sign.

But man that's sad.

Did not need to re-live Juzo beating Hajime.

Ohh so they covered up Hajime being involved by saying he's been expelled.

Clever.

And looking like Jin Kirigiri wasn't involved, as they say the other staff on the board run the school.

Idk if its better or worse he wasn't involved.

Because either way he's enabling it.

I really like the idea of him being in on it, but than regretting it.

Much like the Director, case of history repeating itself.

And that guilt playing into his actions in the first game.

And partly why he kept Kyoko at arms length, he didn't want her getting caught up into this.

But also knew if Kyoko was near him she would snuff out the project easily.

It's okay if he's not, just makes him both a bad headmaster and a bad father.

"Make sure you're students don't make the news again."

Oh you're in for a rude awakening.

But Nagito's gone missing.

Suspicious.

And we get a shot of the applications of the 78th class.

Hell yeah.

And Jin looking at Kyoko's. Incase we forgot she's his daughter.

... Chisa why would you want to be Munakata's anything nevermind beloved?

Sworn enemy maybe, but beloved?

Aww the class having a celebration for her that's so sweet.

And Chiaki planned it, and she's been holding the class together.

Love that for her.

Fuyuhiko pretending he doesn't care but he does.

Man I missed these guys, even though it hasn't been long at all.

Hiyoko got taller, holyshit.

Gundam and Sonia giving a toast in true Gundam fashion might just be the sweetest thing I've ever seen.

Ryota saying he has no time for friendship.

I get your busy man but you can't stop friendship.

It will find you, you will be friended.

And yes that is a threat.

... Wait a sec... That wasn't Ryota, that's Imposter?!

Twogami my boy! I was wondering where he was.

Awh he's been covering for and looking after Ryota.

That's so sweet.

"This show can't end till its characters get a redemption."

I hope so.

"People can flake you out but carbs are always there."

Same ol Twogami.

He's not wrong though.

A plane and a fancy car.

..... SHE'S HERE.

And she put a bomb in her purse, or her purse was a bomb.

Either way that limo is gone, heh unintentional rhymes.

Junko Enoshima has entered the building.

As fabulous as ever.

And of course she's narrating her own life and insulting Mukuro at the same time.

I like how Mukuro's voice is almost monotone, balancing out Junko's more loud upbeat voice.

Junko's narration including the tragedy, so she had this shit planned from the get go.

This afternoon in fact.

Man imagine joining secondary school like what are your goals?

Oh I'm gonna destroy the whole world.

Can't even call her overconfident because she did it.

Mukuro being... Infatuated? With Junko doesn't suprise me, mainly cos I've seen that clip of them in the limo before.

Without context.

But even than makes sense, they may be the despair sisters but Junko has always been the mastermind behind the whole operation.

And for Mukuro to go through and do this shit for Junko, yeah she's gotta care for her a lot.

... Maybe too much...

The fact they both talk while Junko casually tries to kill Mukuro, I guess that's how they bond.

Because if they wanted to, they could kill the other.

The only one who would and succeeded was Junko.

"What an affect my bloody corpse would have on her."

Honestly, yeah I think it would. Junko wouldn't have killed her if it didn't give her despair.

Love that Mukuro didn't even know about them going to Hope's Peak.

Once again Junko is the brains of the operation.

Love the friendship between Ryota and Twogami.

And it makes sense why Ryota is so focused and why he spends all his time on his talent.

It's all he had growing up he has to make it.

Has to.

Annnd Ryota passed out.

Poor guy.

Twogami, my dude there are better and easier ways to get someone to help you.

Rather than just grabbing Mikan and dragging her away.

Poor Mikan.

So Twogami realised he was struggling and got him to stay with him.

That's sweet.

Probably wasn't the best idea given it enabled him to overwork himself so much.

But still sweet.

I'm sad we don't get to know his name but I guess that's the point.

I like to think if he had one, Ryota knew it.

... AHHHH MAKOTO!!!

My boyyy!!

I didn't think we'd see him in the despair arc, or at least this early but here we are.

Oh Makoto, look at how happy and not traumatised he is.

Savour this moment.

His little pep talk to himself.

Annnd Junko's here narrating about her plan and drawing Monokuma.

Imagine telling her the random kid before her is the one who's gonna defeat her.

"Who knows maybe fate will drop someone into my lap."

Oh it will... And there he is.

Hi Hajime.

And incase we didn't know if already, Juzo's verbal and physical best down of Hajime was the final nail in the coffin and why he agreed to do the project.

Fuck you Juzo.

"You'll be fine."

... No... No he won't.

#danganronpa 3: the end of hope's peak high school #Danganronpa #ryota mitarai #byakuya twogami #makoto naegi #junko enoshima #mukuro ikusaba #long post

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littleblueberryartist · 1 year

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Sometimes I think about the venti getting shot doodles I've never posted and it's like something something this world runs in a loop something something history rhymes but doesn't repeat and what a cruel fucking joke it would be for it this to be how he dies too

But then I also think about Venti who is the wind itself, who is not bound by human anatomy, who does not have a human heart. I think about him pulling out those arrows and turning to face the culprit, wind leaking out of the wound and face alight with fury because this is a cruel cruel joke indeed.

#genshin impact #venti #aqua's ramblings #today on hints of doodles you will never see (maybe)

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snom-pixelates · 1 year

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The latest c!sam lore proved to me that Sam Bucket very well COULD be a body of c!sam, just not in the a way i originally thought. I used to think Sam Bucket was the c!Sam body that got trapped with the Egg and had to eat his own flesh, but the other Sam Bucket streams put a wrench in that idea by stating that Sam Bucket found the Egg before c!Bad did, and by saying he'd previously sacrificed a different group of people to it.

I thought, okay, clearly this is a different guy from a long time ago who's just kinda weird. No c!sam relation at all, this is just some other guy, and him having all of these similarities to c!Sam is mostly coincidence.

But now with the recent c!sam lore, I think the "Sam Bucket is one of c!sam's bodies" headcanon holds some water again.

c!sam is so many copies down that he no longer remembers his OG body and memories. Meaning it's entirely possible there were other bodies and memories he forgot, too.

it kind of explains the Fran and Francis' names being so similar thing, plus Sam Bucket being as obsessed with bringing Francis back to life as c!sam is obsessed with keeping Fran safe. The Sam Bucket storyline feels like a glimpse into an alternate version of c!sam where he DID lose Fran, and it shows what desperate measures c!sam would likely turn to if his closest companion ever died.

This could also be why c!sam was immediately so terrified of the Egg and calls it "creepy bad juju" when he first lays eyes on it, because he's already lived a life where he's been corrupted by it and sacrificed all his friends to it. He might not remember living Sam Bucket's life, but the fear trigger, the trauma, is still there several incarnations down the line.

It also explains why c!sam and Sam Bucket are said to look exactly alike and why they share a name. It's possible c!sam goes by a different name every incarnation to keep people off his "sam's immortal" trail. Maybe Sam "Bucket" is the name he chose for that vessel. Either that or Sam Bucket chose that name later to differentiate himself from the other Sams. Not sure.

But it is totally possible that Sam Bucket is a c!sam who lost most of his mind to the Egg and now only remembers a select few things, like Francis, his name, and his task to contain the Egg and make sure it doesn't escape and hurt anybody else. The tragedy is, just like c!sam with c!dream, Sam Bucket fails his task. The Egg DOES escape. just like c!dream escapes. A "history doesn't repeat itself but it rhymes" type of deal.

I personally think Sam Bucket is a sliver of c!Sam's consciousness that continues to haunt that body. Sam Bucket is not quiet a ghost, but he's similar to one. He's a fragment, an echo of a past life.

With that in mind, I also think Sam Bucket teleporting around the server might not be him actually teleporting via, like, magic or ghostly powers or anything. I think it might be that Sam Bucket has his own stasis chambers around the server, just like the ones c!sam has.

#sam bucket #awesamdude #dsmp #snom's rambles #there might be some things i forgot about Sam Bucket #totally possible there's holes in this theory i don't remember everything cc!bad and cc!sam said about mr. bucket #like. he's a ghost and not a ghost? did they say he was invisible sometimes??#ehh lemme know cause i think this theory is cool #please talk to me about Sam Bucket and c!sam body theories pretty please

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sage-is-in-fact-very-tired · 26 days

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hey chat not to make ari bareting them worse - but ominous bane argued and fought among eachother a lot didn't they? didn't Centross shoot down Icarus' ideas? there was a lot of infighting, like Icarus just said. history doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme.

#sherbertquake56 #icarus morningstar #fable smp #fsmp #a tag to help find my own posts

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blackjackkent · 4 months

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Our camp areas are getting quite elaborate.

Seems like we have new companion conversations in the new area, too - we've got one with Jaheira, at least.

Hector comments to Jaheira that he doesn't know much about her, and she laughs. "That speaks well of your taste. I've heard my share of bad ballads about things I never did. If you have questions, ask - just don't expect my answers to rhyme."

"Is it true you've fought the Dead Three before?"

"It was Bhaal alone we faced in our time. And bad as that was, he had no elder brain for a lapdog then. Help won't come from the history books, or from any old tales I can spin you. This is your story to write." She grins. "There - have I fulfilled my role as your wise and wizened elder?"

This is fun for a number of reasons - Hector is a big history nerd, so the comment about not looking to the past for answers feels particularly pointed towards him. Also Jaheira is just great.

(One of the sassy options here is "Please - you're only one of those things," which is great.)

"You seem reluctant to discuss the past," Hector says.

"What need, when it seems so intent on repeating itself," Jaheira says dryly. "But... stay this apocalypse, and I'll let you read my journals. Promise."

Again, this feels deliberately calibrated towards Hector's status as a history nerd. I think his head almost explodes with excitement. XD

Hector also had the option here to ask her about her history with illithids, and her answer was interesting: "More than I would like. In my youth, I was a brief - and very much unwilling - member of a colony's hivemind. I felt the way they think, saw the world as they do. Foul unnatural creatures, who find the foulness in us and twist it to their will."

Is this a reference to something in BG1/BG2 that I'm not remembering? I can't remember Caden and Co. actually getting absorbed into a hivemind. Possibly it's in reference to this quest where they got captured by mind flayers for a weird gladiatorial situation, and had to steal their blood, but they were never actually part of the hivemind there that I can recall. 🤔

Anyway, she went on to point out that she didn't even need to tell Hector all this because, given his parasite, he probably knows more about it that she does.

"My mind is my own," Hector answers. "I plan to keep it that way."

"I believe you," Jaheira says. "You remind me of another I knew, marked by forces beyond their control. The gods can grant power or strip it away, but so long as your will remains, you have the only weapon you need."

*trumpet fanfare* Caden reference! :D

I hope Jaheira goes and hangs out with him after this is all over and tells him about all the adventures. c: But I also hope he stays right where he is in Faenya-Dail with Aerie having zero more adventures. XD

#bjk plays baldur's gate 3 #hector carlisle #caden of candlekeep

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melonthesprigatito · 2 years

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Melon Writes a Rhyme and Reason Centric Word Girl Episode

Season 9 Episode: ??? "Rhyme on a Dime"

Words of the Day: Protective, Sentimental

The episode starts with the Villains having a friendly team building competition, a footrace, with fabulous prizes stolen from an antique store, such as rare jewelry, fancy art, and… a really old, ratty looking penguin plushie, for the people who came in 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Super powers are legal for the race so Reason is super convinced that Rhyme is going to win, because duh, super speed.

Except, just before she reaches the finish line, Rhyme screeches to a halt and lets two people go ahead of her (The Learnerer, who copied her super speed, and Ms. Question on her flying question mark surfboard), then steps over the finish line.

Reason's all confused because "you had this, why would you throw the race?????" but Rhyme is like "YAAAAY! I came third! NOW IT'S TIME TO GET THE BIRD" and makes a beeline for the third place prize, the penguin and is too busy hugging it to listen to him. She happily shows it to him and says "Look, it's Pengy Wengy! :'D" and suddenly a lightbulb goes on in his head.

Suddenly, Word Girl shows up to reclaim the stolen antique store goods and The Learnerer and Ms. Question are forced to give up their prizes. And both of them are really grumpy about it. The Learnerer complains because he just wanted to get some fancy jewelery by winning-ing that race and Ms Question is irritated that she has to give up her fancy art pieces because now what's she gonna use to decorate her lair??? But they give up their loot without much of a fight because it's Villain Karaoke tonight and they'd rather not miss out on it because they had to go to jail. You know, priorities.

Except, Rhyme is oddly distraught/hysterical when Word Girl tries to take the penguin back. She's even abandoned her rhyming verbal tic which is a whole factory of red flags, and Reason is oddly protective of Rhyme and the penguin so Word Girl reads the room and stops fighting them to ask what's wrong, because clearly there's more to this situation than meets the eye.

Word Girl: "What's the matter? You're acting awfully protective over that ratty looking penguin plush!"

Captain Huggyface: *confused monkey screech*

Word Girl: (Word Defining Music starting up): "Oh, protective means when someone wants to keep something safe from harm, like how Rhyme is putting up a huge fight to keep that... really worthless looking penguin plush safe. For some reason."

Rhyme: "Are you serious...?! I think that monkey is delirious."

Reason: "Yeah, she's right. How does he not know what the word "protective" means??? You're BOTH superheroes! Being protective is in your job description!"

Word Girl: "ALL RIGHT ALL RIGHT! That's enough! Now could you please explain what the problem is?!"

So Reason takes Word Girl aside because he doesn't want Rhyme to hear and tells Word Girl a story from their childhood (cue flashback scene) Rhyme saved up her pocket money and bought this adorable penguin plush when she was a child that she called Pengy Wengy and it was the only nice thing that she had.

Except, a bunch of her bullies stole Pengy Wengy and destroyed it by throwing it in a wood chipper while she watched and she it scarred her for life. The penguin plushie from the antique store is the exact same type of penguin that Pengy Wengy was, so Rhyme feels like she's been reunited with him after all these years. And Word Girl trying to take Pengy Wengy V.2 back is an awful lot like history repeating itself because it reminds her of the bullies taking the original Pengy Wengy away, hence why Rhyme is so upset.

So Word Girl thinks about it for a moment because yes, it would be mean of her to take Pengy Wengy 2: Electric Boogaloo back, but, well, it's still stolen. She kinda has to return him. Buuuuut, (and she says this super loudly because Rhyme was just about to freeze her solid and run for it before she said it) what if they brought Pengy Wengy 2 back and just bought him legally? That way Rhyme could own it legitimately?

Reason is immediately like "What, no. We're bad guys. We don't do things the legal way. What, do you wanna make us lose our street cred or something?" But Rhyme is like "REASON NO-" and starts shaking some sense into him (and I mean that literally, she picks him off the ground and shakes him) because this is PENGY WENGY we're talking about here. Would he rather sit in jail, miss out on reclaiming her long lost childhood treasured possession and risk breaking his best friend's heart for all eternity????

So Reason changes his tune and is like "NEVER MIND, THAT SOUNDS REASONABLE, I'M ALL FOR THIS PLAN LETS GO-" And Rhyme is just relieved that she doesn't have to re-experience childhood trauma.

Word Girl leaves the stolen loot back, and takes Rhyme and Reason to the antique store. They find Pengy Wengy again and Reason checks the price tag as Rhyme flicks through her peanut butter and jelly themed wallet. She has… $10! Exactly the amount she spent on the original Pengy Wengy! Surely that'll be enough to afford-

Reason: "TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS?! Who in the right mind would think that $200 is a reasonable price for a plush toy?!"

In the background, Mr Big runs by with a massive wad of cash with Leslie following behind him, pushing a shopping cart filled to the brim with cuddly bunny plushies.

Mr Big: "Come on, Leslie! I need to buy these cuddly, squishy, fuzzy wuzzy bunny plushies worth over $1000! I sure hope I'm not contradicting anyone right now!"

Leslie, completely deadpan: "I don't think you are, sir."

Reason: "That doesn't count! He's rich!"

Rhyme has an "Oh well, we tried" attitude and is about to steal Pengy Wengy and bail, but Word Girl hastily catches her by the collar. It's fine, they can still buy the penguin, they just need to find a way to earn $200.

Rhyme's first suggestion is to rob a bank.

Word Girl: "No."

Reason suggests that why don't they become street musicians? He knows how to play guitar. Rhyme can sing. And he's seen people throw money into street musicians hats before! So Word Girl agrees because yeah, that sounds like a perfect and totally not illegal idea! What could possibly go wrong?

Oh god, so many things go wrong. It was NOT a good idea. Reason may have been overestimating their skills a little. Reason is terrible at playing guitar. His notes make people's ear drums shrivel up. He sounds like what would happen if you smashed a guitar with a baseball bat and threw it down a flight of stairs.

Rhyme may be able to write an okay-ish song because she can come up with good rhyming lyrics, but she absolutely cannot sing a melody to save her life. She sounds like someone stood on the toes of a cat that was playing the bag pipes for a group of screeching pterodactyls. She hits a high note and accidentally triggers her frost breath, freezing a bunch of bystanders.

Word Girl faints because it's too much for her super hearing. It's so bad that the Narrator starts begging them to shut up. The crowd is literally throwing money at them to get them to STOP performing. Rhyme and Reason high five each other, because from their perspective it worked! They got cash! Both are completely oblivious to the fact that they committed a sin against music.

But it's not enough, so plan 2 is Lemonade Stand of Evil. Word Girl suggests that maybe they should take the "of Evil" part away from the sign, but Reason insists that it'll draw people in because adding an adjective worked for that burger place (a Happy Meal joke.) Plus, Rhyme is great at using her frost breath to make chilled drinks. Word Girl questions if that's sanitary or not because doesn't her frost breath come out of her mouth...? Rhyme ignores her and starts beating up the lemons to squeeze their juice out.

And it does work. For a while. It starts drawing in all sorts of supervillains who love Evil Lemonade. It turns out that the bad guys are WAAAAAY more eager to get lemonade than they had anticipated, especially after the foot race earlier. They are all pushing and shoving to get some and waving dollar bills in the air:

The Whammer: "WHERE'S THE WHAMMING LEMONADE??? YEEAAAAAHHH!!!!"

Lady Redundant Woman: "I am parched, thirsty and liquid deprived!"

Dr Two Brains: "Are you selling cheese with it?"

Ms Question: "Is it vegan?"

Reason: "Yes, Ms Question. I don't think there are any animal products in water, sugar and lemons."

Unfortunately that plan dies out real quick when Victoria Best rolls into town and opens up a "The BEST Lemonade Stand of Evil" right next to them and they lose all their customers.

Plan 3: the most NEFARIOUS plan of all: looking between the sofa cushions! There's bound to be some money there!

Word Girl thinks, this is just sad. Suddenly the Narrator pipes in and says he found a whole load of money in his sofa. A bag of money drops out of the sky, directly onto Word Girl, knocking her out. Reason asks him where did he get all that money??? And the Narrator replies that his brother is a sports newscaster so he is loaded with dough.

The Narrator starts grumbling about his brother and Reason goes back to ignoring him when he discovers… Yes! They did it! 200 smackeroos! Earned legally! Rhyme starts crying ice cube tears of joy and she immediately grabs Reason and Word Girl (who's only just recovered from the knockout blow) and runs full speed back to the antique store.

Except… When Rhyme proudly places Pengy Wengy on the counter and gives the shop keeper the money… He refuses to sell it to her. Rhyme is stunned because they're trying to get the penguin the legal way, she's doing the same thing an ordinary citizen would do. Exchanging money for goods. So why?!

Word Girl: "Is it because you think the money is stolen? It's not! I was with them all day, so I can vouch for them! That money was collected through legal methods, I made sure of it!"

Shopkeeper: "Look, I don't care where the money came from, I'm not selling ANYTHING to THOSE two goons."

Word Girl: "But that item has a huge sentimental value to Rhyme! She'll be heartbroken if she can't get it back!"

Shopkeeper: 😐

Word Girl: "What?"

Shopkeeper: "So you're just gonna confuse me with weird made up words, huh?"

Word Girl: "Huh? No". (Word Defining Music starting up again) "Sentimental is a feeling of looking back fondly on something, like an old plush toy from your childhood! Which is exactly why Rhyme wants that penguin plush because it reminds her of a plush toy she lost a long time ago!"

But the shopkeeper still refuses, saying that it's store policy. He knows that they're evil and he can refuse to serve rotten criminals if he wants to. Now get out of this store before he calls security. Or, even better, before he calls Word Girl. Hey, she's already here so it's more convenient.

So they all get kicked out, and Word Girl hastily says that maybe she can talk some sense into him, but Rhyme gets upset. Really. Upset. And she does what she normally does when she's upset: take out her frustration by causing chaos with her powers. So Word Girl has to fight her AND Reason (who's joined in on the chaos this time, he's kicking cars and tripping people. He's not great at causing chaos, but he's trying)

Word Girl defeats them and takes them to jail. Rhyme starts crying about how unfair it is after all their hard word and this time Word Girl agrees with her. That shop keeper guy was really mean. Besides, it was admirable of them for trying to go on the straight and narrow for once.

A few hours later, when Rhyme has been sobbing in her jail cell with Reason for a little while, the Warden shows up and says they have a visitor. Word Girl appears with her hands behind her back, and when asked what she's doing here, Captain Huggyface pulls out Pengy Wengy from under her cape, wrapped in a pink bow and a label that says "For Rhyme"

Rhyme and Reason are both stunned and ask how she got it. Word Girl admits that she managed to convince the shop keeper to trade Pengy Wengy for a key to the city. She has, like, 40 of them so she's not going to miss one. Rhyme breaks down in happy tears again and says "Thank you! Thank you!" over and over again while hugging Pengy Wengy and Reason is like "You're not so bad for a superhero. :)"

Word Girl: "Hey, since you tried to do things the legal way for once, maybe you should consider becoming good guys for real!"

Rhyme: "NO WAY, JOSE!"

Reason: "Not a chance."

Word Girl: "Alright, fine. Sheesh! :/ "

The episode ends with The Narrator narrating that the day was saved and a girl was reunited with her long lost item of sentimental value all thanks to Word Girl!

Honestly, Rhyme and Reason needed more episodes so I'm doing my duty for this fandom by writing one for them.

#word girl rhyme and reason #wordgirl rhyme #wordgirl reason #wordgirl villains #wordgirl headcanons #melon's ramblings #I had more fun writing this than I should have #I wish we actually did get Season 9 so we could have seen more of Rhyme and Reason :(#I like Word Girl and the villains being friendly to each other #its cute #Rhyme and Reason being shocked that Word Girl is actually being nice to them #they're like #I thought we were enemies????#Why are you helping us????#me incorporating my Rhyme Loves Penguins headcanon into an episode #The plushie is called Pengy Wengy because those two words rhyme with each other #episode title is a pun on the phrase Rhymes On A Dime because it's about Rhyme raising money

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