#Because even if bittersweet they're playing a character and you know...

[theirloveisgross]

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[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

So I read the first 30 or so animorphs many times over. I also read #54 and the Ellimist Chronicles a lot. But the ones in the late 30s through the 50s, I probably only read once or twice. What are the highlight books in that span? The ones that you get excited about in the re-read?

TBH, #36 - #52 really is where the series dips in quality. Continuity gets shaky, Jordan and Rachel especially have out-of-character notes, and some of the plots are After School Special Handled Badly. But. Many excellent books to be had in there. My favorites:

#38: The Arrival One of the less popular books overall, but my favorite Ax story. I love how the andalite Suicide Squad coming to Earth becomes this visceral demonstration of how much better the Animorphs have gotten than even elite andalite fighters, because the Animorphs are just so damn experienced. It also forces Ax to confront his growing discomfort with andalite imperialism while also driving home just how lonely he is as the only member of his species on this entire planet. He wants to go home, but even if home's waiting for him, he's no longer the person who fit in there.

#45: The Revelation Of course I'm a sucker for any book that lets Eva be awesome, but I also really like the pacing and tonal shifts in this one. It goes from light (Marco at dinner with Peter and Nora) to horrifying (Peter almost infested) to bittersweet (Nora infested, Rachel being a true bro) to bleak and disturbing (Visser One's near-death) to almost giddy with tension and humor (stealing the Bug fighter) to horrifying again (Eva not being the sweet person Marco remembers). It feels like the best of Marco's narration, silly and dark all at once.

#49: The Diversion Mostly I like this one for the deep irony in Tobias's and Jake's arcs. Tobias starts out darkly humorous about how he's their least source of worry since he doesn't have any family, while they're all micro-focused on Jake because they plan to evacuate Tom. Tobias ends trying not to pity the now family-less Jake (because he knows how much it sucks to be pitied) as he and his mom and her dog sit on a park bench playing fetch together. It all reverses, in the span of a few hours. And Jake's mistake is what got them there.

#51: The Absolute Another one of my all-time favorite books, because the Marco-Ax-Tobias dynamic is unparalleled. It's a breath of fresh air before the awful bleakness of the endgame, a chance to let the three Animorphs who are actually having an okay time of it have one last wacky adventure set against the backdrop of their friends falling apart around them.

[enbypotat53]

(SPOILERS FOR TNM6!)

Holy fucking shit. Two years of waiting was so worth it. I'm not even kidding I have been sobbing and shaking for the past half an hour.

I have way too many screenshots so I'll try to condense it but FIRST OFF LOOK AT THESE CUTIE PATOOTIES??? Oh my god realising that this was a year onward from the murders was like a knife to the chest; seeing Tophat and Sketchpad living together and ACTUALLY HAPPY FOR ONCE?? AUGHHH I LOVE THEM 💔

I'm not joking when I say I went back and screenshotted almost every scene GPS was in, but I'll include this one when talking about the memories because GPS hiding behind the couch is SO damn cute 💙

And. Oh. Oh my god. My fucking heart. They care SO much about Tophat and Folder, and the new song?? PEAK. Average TNM W. Seeing all of the adorable moments of these three together?? Heals the soul, but it's SO bittersweet knowing they'll never see eachother again. I'm ABSOLUTELY redrawing some of these, they're too cute not to :,3

Okay but THEY ARE SO IN LOVE?? THEY. AJDJFJFJFJ THEY ARE SO IN LOVE. I. WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS. HOW IN LOVE THEY ARE. GOD. PLEASE ALLEN JUST. LET THEM BE HAPPY FOR ONCE. P L E A S E.

"You just.. wouldn't get the full picture. It's the same with memories for me. Would it still be me.. even if I was missing a few bad ones?"

This is.. genuinely such a fantastic line. GPS has always been my favourite character, but.. damn. The idea that even bad memories hold value because they're still memories; still a part of you, and still might contain the people you love most? They're genuinely such a well-written character, and it's plain to see just how much they care for their friends. And they have a point! Memories shape you, good and bad. As much as the bad ones hurt, it can also help to learn from them in order to make more good ones in the future. And it seems Sketchpad and Tophat did just that.

God. Codey's betrayal was definitely forseeable, but it still hurts. The "I'm just following my programming" line gives me similar vibes to Speech Bubble and Spraypaint in a way; everyone has their part to play, even if (in Codey and Binary's case) it's a harmful one. I'm glad they did the right thing in the end, though. And Binary for SURE gives me Airy vibes, I both adore and despise them and to be honest that's EXACTLY what I could've hoped for in an antagonist. They're GREAT.

Wait a sec..

Binary..

OH I GET THE JOKE IT'S BECAUSE GPS IS NONBI-

Oh.

OH.

Hear that sound? That's the sound of me wailing in agony as my heart shatters into a million pieces.

"This is.. really it.. huh?" THEY SOUND SO SCARED?? God this entire episode I wanted to give them a huge hug and a slice of cake and to tell them that everything would be okay, my hEART. This entire scene broke me, the fear in their eyes and voice hurt so much to hear, my BABY HE'S BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH 💔

And just. This. Entire scene. I cannot tell you how fucking PERFECT of an ending this was. The fact that Tophat was the last thing GPS thought of before he died? The happiest moment they could think of was their high school prom dance, spending it with the person they love most? One final memory to end it all, and it was the most important one in their life. I've said this before but god. They're so in love. It's genuinely gutwrenching watching this scene; they're so happy yet this moment is so fleeting. Knowing how temporary it was and how everything ended makes it worse. Tophat moved on, maybe not fully but at least he's happier. GPS on the other hand? They're stuck reliving memories of people they can NEVER see again; people they hurt.

It's bittersweet as hell, and honestly kind of a perfect juxtaposition to the puzzle scene. Then, they relived bad memories, yet still seemed happy. Now, they're re-experiencing a moment that should fill them with joy, and yet...

Nothing lasts forever.

The ending song being a response to Imaginary Friend, too? Perfection. 💙

Thank you, Nightly Manor. Thank you, Allen. This series was fucking phenominal, and the wait was worth every second. My heart is in tatters but good lord I wouldn't have it any other way. Now it's time to redraw some scenes and try not to cry any harder than I already am! :,D 👍💙

[violetjedisylveon]

Grinning Shadow AU Fluffy Headcanon:

In this version of the 'Journey to the West', everyone believed that Macaque died and Wukong wanted to revive him, but Wukong accepts that Macaque is dead... (But the truth is Macaque was brainwashed!)

People have made many adaptions and reboot of Wukong's story, and in some of them Macaque is alive or gets revived, with Wukong and Macaque being BFFs...

There's even a story of Macaque being with Wukong, on the Journey to the West...

Some Wukong Fans theorize that Macaque is alive in canon, but he's the Jade Emperor's Prisoner... (They're not wrong!)

Despite everyone believing that Macaque is dead, many Wukong Fans love Macaque...

Macaque is touched by this... when people learn that Macaque is alive... the world goes insane, but in a fun way! 💖

oh that's fun!

In the original/oldest versions of Jttw, Macaque is said to have died in the havoc in heaven and the journey is also one of Wukong's grief as well as enlightenment.

But like with the real Jttw, people started writing what amounts to fanfic of it very soon after, and so later author's changed some things and played around with their relationship and Macaque's ultimate fate.

In modern times, people generally believe that Macaque died in that battle, but theorists, scholars and historians have their speculations of his true fate, since the ending that storyline in the book is odd and vague.

Macaque is a very popular character, he basically functions as second main character in the the first 7 or so chapters until he dies cause he's with Wukong from minute one. It tells of how bother were formed, how they met, the hijinks they got up together. In the book Macaque is constantly warning Wukong of his hubris, but he's the one who pays the ultimate price for it.

Modern adaptations and reimaginings play around a lot with his character, in the book he's the humbler, less brash and more satisfied with his current power level, so it's a fun dynamic to play with as someone who always wants more, and someone who's satisfied but still supportive of the other. Some have their relationship break off before the heaven attack and Macaque lives!

They also play around with their relationship to the point where some adaptations have a similar effect or read on their relationship as Granada Holmes does for Sherlock and Watson. My friend described it(Holmes and Watson) as something that if you're straight or homophobic, you won't pick up on, but if you're gay then you absolutely pick up on it, sort of a if you know you know kind of thing happens with them.

But other adaptions are just all but explicitly saying they're gay because there is a subtext in this version of the book in their interaction with each other.

Some scholars of Jttw do theorize that the real Six Eared Macaque is actually alive somewhere, probably the celestial realm, but there's no way to get proof of that cause Jade Emperor doesn't want people to know about his monkey, it's better if he's believed dead.

Either way Macaque lives on in the hearts and minds of mortals, it's a bittersweet thing for Wukong, he gets to see all these different versions of him have the same ending no matter what, and sometimes he sees better ones, stories where Macaque never dies. Those ones he holds onto tight.

Sometimes he wishes the og Jttw had been able to be more explicit with his relationship to Macaque, then he could have his daughters in the story as his daughters. It would have been painful to see them die again in every adaptation, but there could also have been stories of what never was, a happy tale for his family.

Jttw does have an equivalent to them, a pair of unnamed monkey demon cubs who have an oddly detailed death for being random unnamed characters. Scholars speculate about who they really are and the ones that are speculating "mates" as Wukong and Macaque's relationship speculate the monkey cubs either literally or symbolically represent children Wukong lost. They are painfully close to the truth.

Macaque is definitely surprised by how much people like him and just how popular he is, it's flattering after so long of such negative experiences to be perceived so positively.

People loose their minds finding out he was alive, and gay with Wukong, this whole time, so many scholars are finally vindicated.

This was a fun bit of fluff, especially since I am working on chapter 2 and oh boy I am setting Wukong up to get his heart absolutely destroyed, he's so happy and excited at the thought of getting to have his mate back, it's gonna be devastating.

I love it.

Thanks for asking!

Grinning Shadow AU Masterpost

[buckybarnesss]

you know i've probably checked out almost every band of brothers reaction on youtube and in the comments i usually see at least one of two threads about the pacific. some encourage watching it and others either warn it's more intense than band of brothers or discourage it all together with a "it's not as good".

the most common explanation given as to why some consider the pacific to not be as "good" as band of brothers is that people find the narrative style of band of brothers easier to follow which i can see to an extent but they really aren't that different.

i consider the two shows to be companions to each other. you can watch them as stand alone shows for sure but the experience of them together enriches the other.

what i really think the issue is isn't about quality or narrative or violence or intensity ---

the real issue is western (usually americans lbr) audiences are more familiar with the european theater of war. specifically the western front of the war.

i mean, let's face it post-war pop culture in america has been obsessed with it. there's always been significant focus on the german regime, on the invasion of normandy, the battle of the bulge and so on. on eisenhower and patten and roosevelt and churchill.

the european theater is something that americans find easier to understand. the cultural traditions are similar, the warfare is more understandable to us. it's the focus of our historical educations. it's a more cut and dry good guy versus bad guy scenario that people can digest. many americans have ancestral roots in europe.

comparatively the pacific theater isn't as well known to the lay person. the warfare wasn't as traditionally european, the japanese didn't surrender and had a different concept of what was honorable, they had different cultural traditions, the language barrier was far more steep.

in the pacific the japanese are often a faceless foe that are treated like vermin. treated like rats in holes that need to be exterminated rather than an enemy to be fought. they try to combat this image with john basilone's speech in iwo jima however the image of a buck toothed cartoon dreamed up by "some asshole on madison avenue" is deeply engrained in the consciousness of the public decades later.

there are no significant japanese characters that get the same treatment as say the two german officers in points. there are no grand speeches of brotherhood or honorable offer of their sidearms with their surrender. there's no singing of christmas carols. there's no scene like the one in day of days were malarkey meets an american fighting for the germans and the audience has to sit with that.

while i think it's a purposeful story choice to keep the japanese that way to highlight how they were perceived by the marines it doesn't play into what audiences expect or are comfortable with.

comfort has a lot to do with the reception of the shows i believe. the pacific makes people uncomfortable in a way band of brothers didn't. the pacific spends a significant amount of time at the end showing the struggle that returning veterans had adjusting to being civilians again. it's a bittersweet ending where the audience has to see the trauma. john basilone dies and it's his widow lena that has to go visit his grieving family, snafu doesn't say goodbye to eugene and disappears into new orleans, the girl at the college asks eugene if the marine corps taught him any skills and his irritated response is that they taught him how to kill. we see eugene listless, haunted and breakdown when attempting to hunt because he doesn't want to shoot anything ever again. though it ends on a hopeful note it's emotionally heavy. no celebratory baseball scene here.

also one last little thing i think makes a difference to viewers even if they don't realize it:

the veteran interviews.

with band of brothers they are automatically part of the episode but with the pacific some platforms don't show them as they're optional. also by the time the pacific was done there were a lot less alive veterans to participate. robert leckie and eugene sledge had been gone for a decade by the time of the show. even though they left behind a wealth of information with their memoirs and interviews many people who watch are not gonna seek that out. which is a shame.

idk man i just think if you watch band of brothers and enjoyed it than you should give the pacific a shot because together they tell a more complete story.

[runespoor7]

I mean obviously I’m am going to ask you about chengxian, for the ask meme

What made you ship it?

It was the most interesting relationship in the book. I'm a sucker for childhood friends with broken promises, for grief, for misunderstandings over loyalty and love, and for relationships whose resolution in canon is bittersweet.

It still took some time and effort before I started really shipping it. I was theoretically open to shipping it but I hadn't yet read fics that really sold me on it (this was in 2019, I think). Then as an experiment I put a WWX-inspired character in the setting I was GMing for the JC and JYL NPC stand-ins to have him to play off of. Turned out I did ship them.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

😬

*wide, helpless, expansive gesture*

It's never simple with them. It's always fraught. They love one another but they also resent one another. Hunting demonic cultivators is about WWX still maybe being alive. Maybe JC can bring himself to kill WWX this time, or maybe he can find a way to bring WWX back home and forgive him. WWX promises to be with JC but he ends up promising that he won't stay ("like my father served your father") but he didn't mean it with an end. the mess that is the fraughtness of WWX's liminal space when it comes to his social rank.

love hurts, what hurts is love.

the fact that the one 'leading' is WWX, not JC, going against the accepted social order. (tbh, if that wasn't the case, I probably wouldn't be into the ship.) it paints such a picture of WWX being so charismatic, and JC being so taken with him, that JC falls into being WWX's sidekick. no wonder YZY was awful about it.

JC keeping Chenqing like a mad dog and keeping Lotus Pier WWX-safe. I. god. JC rating WWX's attention >>>>>>>>>>>>> JC's self-respect every time, in every way. Amazing.

it's incredible to me how WWX asks JYL about love in a scene framed in a manner to make it subtextually point in the direction of LWJ (it's mdzs; the canon pair in mdzs is wgxn; there are no - explicit - love triangles in mdzs; and yet even WWX's original crush on LWJ is, uh. informed by JC and how WWX is with JC and the fact that LWJ is New and Not The Son of WWX's Benefactor. this is normal.), where it's apparent that WWX is scared of being in love because it changes how you act, it's a limit, it's a cage, you're limiting yourself for someone else - and then WWX does something for JC that is everything he was scared of.

and it does ruin him! it's terrible! so his romance with LWJ is everything his feelings for JC weren't. He's not the one doing the protecting. LWJ doesn't question him. There are no expectations of anything, no discussions of the future, no thoughts of society. LWJ is just such a comfort, just a good thing WWX gets because he wants it. Also LWJ isn't emotionally taxing af (this is a big one). (WWX kinda ends up YZY-ing himself at the end of the book but I'm not thinking about that.)

WWX's utter toxicity toward JC. not a iota of respect for either JC or JC's boundaries to be found, except when convenient for WWX.

they both really, really believe that WWX is better than JC in every way. it's very cool

look. i'm a simple person. arrogant genius jerk/grumpy dutiful tsundere otp.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I love the joke that chengxian isn't incest but both of them wish it were, but I think the only time one of them wished they were brothers was JC when he decided to sacrifice himself for WWX and he was lying in bed making morbid jokes. At least sacrificing yourself for your brother who is the better cultivator and can lead the sect would be simple. Forgivable. Good.

I also think they might grow to think of one another as brothers at some point post-canon, that's a sort of reconciliation that might happen, but to me it's key that during canon they don't know what they are to one another, they just know they're scarily, terrifyingly important, and there's no word for what they are to one another.

JC refused shixiong-shidi (in a shocking reversal of their normal dynamic, I think he forgot he did that and spent roughly two decades feeling insecure and weird that WWX doesn't call him shidi) and they can be nothing else, socially speaking. The love that dare not speak its name, if you would. And at that same time post-canon they could also decide that what they're to each other is that WWX used to be in love with JC, and maybe JC still is, and they're not brothers. Or maybe both! The point is, the definition of their relationship is uncharted waters and they never thought of each other as 'brothers' (much less called each other that).

2) WWX is incredibly bitter and resentful of giving his core to JC and that colors everything he thinks and says about JC afterwards, including after he's returned to life. Basically, he gave, and gave, and gave, and felt there was no gratitude, and he's unable to live the life he wanted, unable to reap the promises life made him, and JC isn't any more agreeable or tractable than before (less so, in fact!). It's not fair.

[bloedewir]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

There's some post-game thoughts I can mark as spoiler ones. Read only if you finished the game.

I love the game. Really. The grand finale was magnificent, the main plot idea is painfully touching and I adore the heavy weight of sorrow I bear after I finished the game. The best kind of bittersweet grief of possible.

However it doesn't mean the game is flawless. There's some stuff I didn't get at all.

Why there's no option to ask Solas about the Forgotten Ones? Like, hello, you have an encyclopedia of elven lore in your head, can't you ask a few optional questions about weird ancient guy you've met during the journey? Nadas Dirthalen? (Or it's because da5 is going to be about new dwarven and/or qunari lore and Forgotten Ones/Executors?)

You also can't say anything about the murals.. which is kinda strange. Why didn't Rook comment those mind-blowing revelations? For Harding, at least?

Evanuris. Solas' story is beautifully written, Mythal' story was also revealed more than before (even if she's in all 4 games) so we get to know her better. But Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain? Fine, forget other evanuris.. but the spectacular duo? Spirits and demons are kinda the same, like two sides of a coin. Solas is Wisdom and Pride, Mythal is Benevolence and Retribution (as Morrigan said). Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain are just.. bad? They're blighted and corrupted now but what about the past? Where's the duality of their personalities? No chance for redemption now because they don't want or need it, I get the idea, but the story itself? I wish there would be more about them. We do have something on Ghilan'nain tho, like: she created hallas but can't create them any longer and she has a full control over the Blight as if it's modeling clay (+ some Bellara' thoughts on a matter of "navigation" and "healing" and path Ghilan'nain chose for the People). But Elgar'nan? He likes tyranny. And he still had his hair. Uhm.. ┐⁠(⁠ ⁠∵⁠ ⁠)⁠┌

Romances. Can't say much because I didn't try all of them but Neve's and Lucanis'.. uhm. It doesn't feel like a written romance, y'know? Just a bonus lines so you doesn't have to feel lonely or whatever. Characters are on their own and don't have connection with Rook till the very end. There's no impact and Rook is, ironically, just an enjoyable side benefit™ but nothing more. Comparing to datv romance situation solavellan romance is hot as hell and full of content. And it says a lot.

Inquisitor. I do like how their absence was explained... yet Lavellan was robbed. I don't want to see a cringe Fade therapy session with Solas telling his tragic lovestory to a random stranger (Rook) and whining about just how much he misses his gorgeous wife (and I'm solavellan). But adding a few tiny details? The bare minimum: take the dai tarot card and place it on the wall in a music room. That already could've been much better. (mods mods mods 🤞🤞🤞).

Dialogue timing and triggers. I suspect dialogues are cool but I can't know for sure. In my first playthrough I didn't even know Davrin and Lucanis are not a big fans of each other before the Weisshaupt quest because I didn't hear it. DATV locations are much smaller than it was in DAI, so you just don't get the chance to hear those dialogues unless you find a trigger point and just stay there waiting to play all lines.

Some of that is not a tragedy and, theoretically, could be improved by magnificent people creating mods. But sometimes datv seems kinda unfinished like there's a missing puzzle pieces as if content was cut out with no replacement.

Despite some questionable moments and a bit of criticism I love this game regardless. It's dark and atmospheric, absolutely beautiful and mesmerizing. And analysis of Regret? Choices and consequences, acceptance, struggling, desperation, guilt..? The work Bioware did deserves to be highly appreciated. The final left me in tears, sobbing and grieving, and heartbroken - that's all I ever wanted of Dragon Age 💜

[lost-inanotherlife]

What's on the TV?

Part ONE

As you know, I've gone totally INSANE after watching this scene. I can't stop thinking about it, it doesn't want to let me go so I'm gonna make it everybody's problem and I'll start yapping about it.

First, however, let me make two things clear:

1. I secretly don't give full credit to the writers for having written this great scene because I don't think they wrote it having in mind what EYE have in mind. The way I see it, the writers wrote this scene specifically to start priming Juliet for self-sacrifice and I'm NOT okay with that. What I mean is that for the writers Juliet is not a subject in this scene, she has "value" as a character only because she supports Sawyer's story. Why do I know this? Because you can't write a female character like Juliet (a woman abucted and taken as prisoner for years) talking about how "playing house" time is over for her and Sawyer because she watched... Jack and Kate coming out of Jack's house? Jack and Kate? Of "Jack and Kate Who Tried Played House and Failed Sooooo Badly" fame? The same Jack and Kate who are actively faking their identies and performing being someone else both literally and metaphorically (these two are not mentally okay but more on this later)? More importantly, we're talking about the same Kate who "played house" with Kevin by playing Monica? Juliet KNOWS what performing looks like, what it means, how it feels. And Kate KNOWS it as well. They have been performing for so, sooooo long. But the writers clearly don't know what this means, otherwise they would've shown us that they feel at least guilty about the misogyny in the storyline they've decided to carry on (the love triangle/square). I know they're in bad faith because what's missing here is the mirror-scene where Kate spies on Juliet and Sawyer from her house. This would tell me that what's at stake here is not the love of a man but the illusion of safety, of "making it work", the illusion of "the right choice": "I could've left but I didn't, I ended up trapping myself here but it was for the best, wasn't it?". Except, it was NOT. It's still very bittersweet and sexist but AT LEAST this would show that the writers know as well. Alas, that's not the case.

2. Having said that, the scene is still great and I still have to credit them for its greatness because this is what happens when your story has solid foundations. And LOST's got them so even when they fuck up their own characters it's still worth watching. This doesn't excuse the misogyny, let's all be clear, but I just want to say that the characters are still compelling enough for us to keep watching. And that's because of what was done with them before.

So, let's start.

"What's on the TV?" is a decidedly loaded thing to say in the context of LOST season 5. Let's see why.

First of all, TVs in the Dharma initiative are not for fun, okay? They're used to spy on people, to betray people (Juliet in "The Cost of Living" will always be famous to me), to manipulate people, to control people. In other words, TVs are weapons. And what do these TVs show? Well, I'd say that in a meta-way they show some sort of reality TV programme, aka people watching people doing things. But, you see, the thing is that reality TV is not really "reality TV": there's always a filter in the form of the authors, the cuts, the editing etc. You never really see "reality TV" because... it's still TV, it's still performance.

So "What's on the TV?" also indicates "what are you watching?" or "what fiction/performance/accurately created programme to cater to your desires to sell you stuff are you watching?". To put it simply: what are they selling and what are you buying?

Juliet watching "TV" then means that Juliet is buying into the fantasy Jack and Kate are performing. I can't stress enough the fact that she cannot know that that is a fantasy because she doesn't have the same bigger picture that we, the audience of the "real" TV have, but Kate and Jack are as much performing as she is. So Juliet watching Kate and Jack is not Juliet watching TV but it's Juliet watching herself into a mirror. While Juliet locked herself in to "play house", Kate has locked herself out to do the same thing (and I could draw a paralle with Juliet and Jack as the Heroes but I won't because I want to talk about Juliet and Kate, full stop).

So Kate coming back to the island and acting as the snake in the Garden of Eden and "ruin" Juliet and Sawyer's little play-pretend doesn't actually make that much sense now. Unfortunately, Juliet was her own snake when she bought into the illusion that she could indeed "play house" on the island and that would be enough for her. Please notice that I'm not saying that she's at fault, but I am saying that Juliet's relationship with being in life-long captivity is never really explored.

On a narrative level, it actually makes sense that she cannot leave the island because she has formed a morbid Stockholm syndrome-type of bond with it. This is interesting. This is character with nuances and a complex, rich and controversial interiority. I mean, before getting abducted, Juliet was still working under her own ex-husband, ffs! She still has his surname! This was a huge part of her character back in season 3! There is so much talk about Jack as "Man of Science" but what about Juliet as "Woman of Science"? She first-hand knows what it means to live and work in an enviroment that doesn't respect her, that actually debases her. I mean, this was the reason she LEFT and followed Richard!!! Because she's an extremely intelligent woman who was taken for granted and whose labor was EXPLOITED by her ex-husband! But she was also the woman who did experiments on the sly! She knows how to play the game! It doesn't mean the game is fair because it's not, the game is very much rigged, but it does mean that there's so much more to Juliet "playing house" than her love for a man. Performance for Juliet is also a weapon. Just like the TVs are. In this light, Juliet using the TV in S3 to reveal her "real" self and tell Jack about her plan to murder Ben is sooooo much more delicious, isn't it?

[ladyelizabethraven]

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 thoughts

Spoilers maybe?

I admit, I've been looking forward to this game ever since I've seen a demo here. I love the combos that reminded me of the Legend of Dragoon addition system and the general atmosphere of the world. Broke my "Wait for sale" rule and bought it on day 1. Had to scour the Nexus mods just to get the frame rates up and just make my Dodge / Parry inputs work. And generally enjoyed the first half of the game. I can sympathise with the plight of the people of Lumiere and their desperate struggle to kill the Paintress and build a better future for those who come after. I love the surreal world and the colorful denizens of that world. Life is good, hell yeah.

But unfortunately, by end of Act 2, that's where I feel the cracks are starting to show.

While technical wise, there is much to be desired like better Pictos sorting according to effect, Lumina Loadout sets, putting markers on maps, the weapon upgrading being semi-useless, story - related combat being too easy because you can actually over level in this game, or maybe a better beastiary and codex book, there is something that rubs me the wrong way most.

Act 3

While the themes of "grief and letting go" is not exactly a bad thing, the way they put it in the final act is a whiplash for me. It's like I'm seeing a sequel to the story instead of the culmination of all the threads we have seen in the past few hours. I don't know if this is just the writers wanting to "subvert expectations". It felt like, "I have no idea how to make this pretty straightforward story nuanced so we're pulling something off our ass to force the players in making a tragic binary choice."

And honestly? It tasted as bad as the RGB ending choice of Mass Effect 3.

Don't get me wrong. I am not against tragic/ bittersweet endings. I think the endings of Red Dead Redemption 1 & 2, Nier and Nier: Automata, or maybe even the ending of FFX are wonderful. But the thing here is that, these fall in the themes of the story they're trying to tell.

I didn't see that in the final decision you have to make in COE33.

While there can be stories that pull off twists, I notice that these still fall in the general premise and themes established in the very beginning of of the story. A good twist, in my opinion, is the thing that makes you say, "Huh, yeah I haven't noticed that. The hints are all there!" not, "Huh what the fuck just happened?"

Let's say, for example, Metaphor:Refantazio. In your first playthrough, you may not notice how the rest of the resistance members don't seem to recognize your character even if Gallica says that you're a member of the resistance. When the truth comes out, you'll be like "Ooohhh..." and the good part is, it is not as far fetched within the story's established elements. The twist simply recontextualizes what you've seen in the past, not overwrite it.

But that's not what I felt in COE33.

When the story suddenly shifted from the struggle of Lumiere and her people to "Actually these people are make believe people made by a grieving mother with god like powers. Their story isn't as important as the grieving family with alleged mental problems. So we'll shift the focus to that." And that's what grinds my gears.

That's also why I completely understand why some people choose Maelle's ending despite it looking like Alicia is turning to Aline 2.0. Not because staying in fantasy is better, it's because we've invested most of hours finding and reading the journals of the expeditioners, see the actual effects of the Gommage and the Fracture, and playing the game in the eyes of the expedition members who have hopes, dreams, and motivations. Gustave, Lune, and Sciel have been affected by this phenomenon and we can't help but feel for their plight and go through the game to see whether they'll see this through. While sure this twist explains why Maelle felt out of place in Lumiere, but the general theme of the story can be classified as finding family, banding together in times of chaos, and establishing legacy for those who come after. The grief is there, sure, but it is rather used to push forward not... Not whatever the ending wants to portray.

The worst part here is that Lune and Sciel doesn't seem to have any opinions or reactions in this great revelation. And they just gave Verso the dirty look if you happen to choose Verso's ending of just nuking everything (you know, the very ending that we're trying to stop a few hours ago?). It's kinda weird as if the game is ultimately saying either:

Verso ending - the characters you've invested your time and energy to don't matter because they aren't real. Get out, get therapy, and touch some grass.

Maelle ending - Fantasy is a crutch and if you use it to cope, you'll eventually get addicted in your own personal theater.

And somehow, it's just the Desessendre family, the one we've actually met past half of the story, and nothing about the original themes and conflicts. About finding strength through bonds or setting up a legacy for the future generations because fate can be cruel and can snuff out your life at any moment? Nope. None of that matters.

It's quite disappointing because Real!Verso's death can actually create a bridge from the tragedy to the original themes we've faced at the start of the game. How can Maelle / Alicia honor the ones who had become her brother (Gustave & Real!Verso)? Note that it doesn't have to be a happily ever after. It can be bittersweet as a great sacrifice has to be made to achieve what they want. Maybe the rules of the canvas require Alicia's soul to be bound to the canvas as the interior has been damaged enough that in order to repair it, certain sacrifices has to be made. Doesn't matter how it looks like as long as it grows from the original themes established.

So that's it for now. While I can say that this game is great, I cannot just say that it's a masterpiece as of now. Hopefully Sandfall will expand more of the story later on and try to smoothen out the story.

[ghoulfuckersincorporated]

Thoughts on the Fallout 3 Intro (and Some on the Fallout 4 Intro, Too):

Cut added due to length.

If I'm 100% honest, the opening minutes of Fallout 3 weren't as bad as the reputation it's garnered over the years lead me to believe it would be.

I'd argue the main problems with the intro are the length and the ham-fistedness of it. You don't need to literally show the player being born and their mother dying of cardiac arrest during said birth to make them feel empathy for/connection to the character backstory "my mother passed away when I was born, but my dad and I are very close even if he's quite busy". Fallout 3 needed more/better shorthand for the story elements it was trying to portray.

Personally, I think making the whole series of events playable was a mistake. Making me play boring stuff doesn't automatically make me more invested in it simply because you made me play through it instead of turning it into a cutscene or something. There are ways to show Butch's inner conflict/Amata's struggle for independence from her dad and acceptance from her peers/the Overseer's potential as a villain-type without basically smooshing your face into it and holding it there for several minutes too long until you can't breathe.

Overall, I see what they were going for and the struggles they would've had trying to achieve it, and I can appreciate both. I definitely entered the game proper with some nice, sentimental moments under my belt. I saved Butch's mom (a very surreal-feeling interaction because of the way it was staged and voice acted) and he was grateful and gave me his jacket, a nice peek at him having some potential development away from "intentionally meat-headed and unsympathetic bully". I chose not to kill the Overseer because he wasn't directly attacking me, and so Amata and I had a brief, but sort of bittersweet moment of saying goodbye before security showed up and ran me off. Developing the Lone Wanderer's connection with Amata probably worked better than anything else they were shooting for.

Don't get me wrong, though: there was plenty of stuff that was just dumb, too. The birth and toddler scenes were completely asinine and could've been cut easily. I unironically thought that the Revelations quote on the wall in the apartment was a joke from one of the mods I'd installed or something (between the on-the-noseness of it and the incredibly goofy font), but all of the sudden the dad was talking to me about it and how much my dead mother loved it...and I just started cackling. Hilarious. Very "I know writers who use subtext and they're all cowards"-coded. James is also too much of a blank slate to develop the sort of attachment the writers clearly want you to have to him before he runs off on you; Liam Neeson's warm voice performance is the most likable thing about him. Well, that and him being unnecessarily sexy...

The birthday party scene had quite literally no reason for existing other than to give you the Pip-Boy, and that could've been done at any other time. It doesn't even really succeed in villainizing the Overseer except for making him seem a little weird. The next time you have conflict with the man, he's trying to have you killed, so this doesn't work in my eyes. At the very least, the scene didn't need to be so long; with the foresight of knowing that many of the people who attended the party will be dead before I leave Vault 101, some by my hand, it comes across as a cheap way to endear you to a bunch of flat, lifeless characters whose only identity is having a name assigned to them.

The entire aftermath of your dad's escape takes the pace from feeling too slow to too fast. Yes, it pretty effectively manages to give you that feeling of "What do you mean my dad's gone???", but it mostly comes from confusion and not from any feeling of disbelief or worry. And I know the Overseer is supposed to be seen as this incredibly unreasonable person, but the reaction of everyone else just going along with his murderous attitude doesn't track to me. This is especially so if it's true that James and the Lone Wanderer weren't even born in Vault 101, so people have come and gone before. People reacted like the world was ending, and only one person was willing to spare the life of a nineteen year old they've known almost their whole life.

I dunno why they didn't just have 101 be equipped with a G.E.C.K and have James steal it when he leaves or something. Or maybe have him be forced to kill someone in self-defense when he tries to leave. That would have at least made everyone's severe, panicky reaction, and animosity towards his abandoned child make more sense.

Over the course of the whole thing, there was just a whole lot of "telling" instead of "showing", and when they were "showing", it was more like "punching you in the face with it". It feels very much like the writers and devs sort of don't expect their players to be smart enough to pick up on what they're trying to do, so the whole thing has a mild air of condescension to it. I mean, they're literally treating you like a baby who doesn't know how to walk or hit "interact" to open a gate.

In terms of whether Fallout 3 manages to have a "better" opening than Fallout 4, I'm not sure I'd fully agree with that idea, myself. I think I see them more as openings of comparative strength that also have an equal number of glaring, but different, fatal weaknesses. The two games really could have benefited from sharing some ideas back and forth (you know, if that were temporally possible for the Fallout 3 team). 3's concept for its intro is solid, but it's limited, and it's shakily executed. I see what they were going for, and I see why they struggled, but I can't really envision it being a ton better without a complete rework. Fallout 4's opening, I would argue, has more original ideas at its bedrock, and more potential at that, but it similarly fails to bring any of that potential to fruition. It also saddles itself with some really shitty story choices that hamper many players right off the bat. No one wants to go looking for that damn baby!

4's setup has a hundred and one issues of its own (ha), many of them equally significant in scope, but I'd argue the biggest one is the whole "Shaun" of it all. I would think that it'd be easier to get the average player off the street to care about their in-game dad than any in-game baby, even if you tell them that the baby is theirs. Everyone technically has a dad, regardless of whether or not you have a relationship with them, so they have at least some sort of emotion to tap into regarding that personal connection. Not everyone has or has had a baby, and one as young as Shaun also has almost no discernible personality, so it's not like you can give him a few cute or snappy lines of dialogue to endear you to him. Very telling that the writers make you fail to feel more than mild concern as you're stuck helplessly watching someone murder your spouse and kidnap your kid. It's about as emotionally resonant as watching someone steal a baby doll.

I wrote a whole post about how when I play Fallout 4 as Nora, I can't help but imagine her feeling free and not choosing to even look for her son. They really do fail to make you care much at all about him or Nate, so I always just sort of wander off and start building houses, fucking ghouls, etc. I definitely agree with the original anon that Fallout 3 ultimately does a better job of making you care about your in-game family through its opening game play. Cogsworth cares about the whereabouts of that baby about a million times more than I do.

In terms of the pacing, neither game exactly has the edge. Fallout 4's intro feels long as well, and has plenty of moments that could've been cut or replaced with something more substantial, but it also has noticeable "lag" in the timing between interactions with NPCs, which is obviously intended to give you time to explore your home and look out the windows before you exchange dialogue and/or make progress. Like the intro for 3, this isn't such an issue on a first playthrough, when you don't have as much reference for the events that are about to unfold. However, on a repeat playthrough, it gives the intro a stilted, almost alien quality, as none of the conversations or interactions feel like they happen naturally. I know this is more of a problem with the storytelling format than the game itself, but it feels awkwardly paced nonetheless. Too much time is wasted staring at Shaun swaddled in his crib, talking to Codsworth about nothing, exchanging pleasantries with your spouse that do nothing to make you feel any actual connection to them.

I really like the Vault-Tec rep, but the interaction where he comes to your door to sign you up for your spot in Vault 111 is too long, poorly placed, and comes off pretty dumb/way too coincidental. Granted, I did just see a billboard in Fallout 3 still advertising Vaults that literally said "It's never too late!", but that's not really true, is it? When you leave Vault 101, there are skeletons on the ground along with signs demanding/begging to be let in. A whole community sprung up comprised of people who didn't make it into Vault 101. You see another group of people begging to be let into 111, the Vault-Tec rep included, only to find them largely vaporized when you come back outside.

There were plenty of people for whom it was "too late". That's kind of the whole thing, right? So, the idea that you can sign up for a Vault half a block away like five minutes before the bombs hit is kind of tough for me to swallow, especially when the TV show established that spots in the Vaults are costly (which would make sense, as there's a limited supply and also Vault-Tec would still want to be raking in cash) even if they do often come with unseemly strings attached. Remember, Barb Howard wasn't content to let Cooper just pay for a spot for their family. She insisted they be in one of the "good ones".

All that considered, though, I still think the Fallout 4 intro has a lot of strengths and a lot of potential. I think starting the game before the bombs fell, even if it's only what feels like a few minutes beforehand, is a really cool idea that gives us a taste of Pre-War life that we aren't typically given by the Fallout franchise. The moment when the newscaster starts to read off the notice that the bombings have begun could be real stomach-dropper, but the way they transition into the action feels awkward and kind of flat. Seeing your neighbors fleeing their homes, passing people at the gate who you know will be dead in minutes because, unlike you, they have no place to go, could have been a great way to pile on to the guilt you'd feel about surviving when your spouse is murdered. I'm kind of obsessing over how I'd rework this intro right now, but I'm still trying to decide if my ideas are any better than the game's.

I fully admit that I might be prioritizing "good potential with shitty execution" over "okay potential with okay execution" when it comes to Fallout 4, and maybe my opinion will change by the time I finish Fallout 3, but at the end of the day, I wouldn't necessarily be able to choose between the two for the title of "Best Intro".

Looking forward to exploring more of the game.

[momentomori24]

please share some of your wolfgang thoughts they're always so interesting!

Some silly Wolfgang ideas that are definitely not canon and absolutely just my own fanfiction but I cling to them anyway:

• I feel like the reason Wolfgang's name is, well, fucking Wolfgang, is a reference to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The composer/pionist. The reason I think this is not only because I headcanon Wolfie as German/Japanese, but because of the piano parallels. In his Echo art where see smol Wolfgang playing piano with his now very dead mother, and I like the idea of them bonding through music in the abusive household they were stuck in. A headcanon I have is that his mum actually wanted Wolfgang to be a musician as a career when he grew up, however when she died he doubled-down on following in her footsteps and becoming a lawyer (man that sure sounds tragically familiar), sacrificing his youth and childhood and everything that came with it like hobbies and friends and socialising. I imagine he didn't have as much time to play piano due to the lack of free time after going to college, so while I think Wolfgang would still be really fucking good at piano despite that (i can see him being expected to perform for an audience while living with his father), he finds himself unable to play the song his mum and him used to play together correctly. To add insult to injury, I feel like he wouldn't fully remember what the song sounded like either since he last heard it as a child, so he's left stuck and horrified that he can't even honour her memory properly.

Sprinkling in some Wolfgrace because I haven't moved on from that Wolfgrace piano chibi art-- In a normal school au scenario, I like to think of them hanging out a lot and Grace randomly catching him playing and encouraging him to continue while she listens on. Grace would probably snicker at first over how upset he acts about apparently not getting all the keys correctly-- thinking he's just being melodramatic cuz she doesn't hear anything wrong with the song at all-- but would start getting worried at how seriously distressed he grows over it. I feel like this could lead to a heartfelt discussing where he talks a bit about his mum and opens up more about his insecurities surrounding her that he never really shares otherwise. I can see Grace remaining quiet for a bit before asking him to play something for her again and when he says that he doesn't think he'd be any good she counters with something like "I don't care about that. I just wanna listen to you play" (also cheekily adding something like "i think you're pretty fucking good, for the record").  Just thinking soft Madire thoughts where they bond over the soft and clumsy melody of a forgotten song and bittersweet memories while create new ones together.

• Tying back to this, I once brought up the subject of Wolfgang tattoos and if he were to have one, what kind he would have. I imagine he would maybe have musical notes around his arms or somewhere he could easily trace his fingers on. Just a reminder of his life purpose and who he continues to thrive for and everything he had lost along the way to get so far. Also like younger Wolfgang getting one as a form of rebellion. This is kinda important to me cuz like, Wolfgang didn't have a choice in being the spitting image of his dad, nor any control as a child in a household ruled by a man like him. But that tattoo? That would be a choice about his body and appearance he made all on his own (someone on discord suggested a tramp stamp and in my heart he should). He'd be super flustered about it cuz he's the last person to actually have a tattoo so he just keeps it covered forever XD

• I feel like Wolfgang should have heels (and black leather gloves!!). Literally. Like what the fuck are his actual shoes.

LOOK AT THESE THINGS 💀 THEY'RE SO SILLY. I know they make perfect sense for his character and all (and he deserves to wear silly shoes), but they nerfed him so bad when it comes to his fuckass shoes specifically. There's no way he wears these things to work or in the courtroom, so I imagine outside of the killing game he saunters around in leather heeled boots the way God intended (a buddy of mine made some art about that here and here!). If you want a character reason for this I believe that he wears those heeled boots during work or meetings just for an extra boost in confidence while with friends he wears his silly shoes to be as short as possible cuz being so tall in comparison to them makes him feel kinda guilty. And insecure. Constantly having to look down on everyone around him. Possibly coming off as intimidating by towering all the time. A discord mate of mine said something about how would be afraid of Wolfgang IRL cuz of how stupid tall he is and how short they are in comparison, and I wonder if that's something he deals with outside of the game too (especially considering how he already looks Like That his height might just add to his insecurities and resentment of his own appearance).

• Last headcanon to end off but if Wolfgang had a twin they would be the shortest mf of all time because he would eat all their growth development in the womb amen

[hardworkandguts]

Weekly Catch-up #1

So, let's see how this works. It's the start of a new season and I have put maybe too many shows on the list to check if they're interesting or not. I'll be experimenting with the format to see how can I make this work. Pretty sure next time I won't be so wordy because I can skip explaining the premise. Or even writing at all, there's weeks where there isn't much to say and once again, I'm not going to do recaps.

(next week)

What was on?

Kowloon Generic Romance

(ep 1,2) One of the shows that caught my eye early on, a (checks title) romance anime set in the Kowloon Walled City that was never demolished between two co-workers at a real estate company. Reiko Kujirai loves new experiences, while Hajime Kudou prefers things as they are. One day she finds herself falling for him, and later finds a photo of them... in celebration of their engagement. It looks quite good, and for so much talk about nostalgia, it does have a certain retro touch to it, almost like a 90s OVA that was lost to time. Judging from the initial two episodes, between the visuals, the intriguing world and the plot mysteries, it's the frontrunner for best show of this spring.

Witch Watch

(ep1, 2) Maybe it's becayse how much I like Kiki's Delivery Service (and maybe I should do a post on it), but the concept of "new witch graduated and must now deal with the outside world" kind of draws me in, that's how I ended up watching Flying Witch, a show I still think of occasionally. Witch Watch however is very much a romcom about Nico Wakatsuki, a witch who ended her training in the witches holy land and is now back in regular society, and picked her childhood friend Morihito Otogi as her familiar, as he's from a long line of Oni. It's looking great if you want something quite silly, her general clumsiness and not knowing the details of spells doing a lot for it. Best joke, the spell to make things lighter she later discovers when used on people turns them into airheads. Then later, they discover things get heavier to compensate, and I'm not going to spoil the joke the episode ends on. Second episode has them going to school, and Morihito's attempt at keeping her identity under wraps doesn't get past her introduction in the first day. I think this is going to be fun, even more knowing it will stay with us until Fall.

Your Forma

(ep1, 2) Right, who's been playing too much Deus Ex before doing their designs for in-brain HUDs? Am I complaining? No, I kinda want to play that game. From the first two episodes, it starts as a murder mystery where Harold, the android partner of Echika Hieda, an investigator capable of diving into said brain implants and also doesn't like robots, is found to be a suspect as he's one of the three models that look like the suspect. It's a bit hard to tell where it's going by now beyond the resolution leading to some tension between the leads, but it's also a bit of a tired scenario by now: brain implants, androids breaking Asimov's laws (no sorry, the Laws of Respect), and I'm sure we're getting into if they have rights in no time. While it has good ideas visually, I've found character design and backgrounds a bit uninspiring, and the story... Yeah, I feel I've been here before. It's distributed by Remow, so check if it's available in your area on YouTube.

Summer Pockets

(ep1) Had this as a "maybe" because the story of a boy who uses his Summer break to help sort his departed grandmother travel memorabilia at her place in a small rural island and clear his head after some swimming related incident and meets four different girls reminds me of a trend many years ago of shows that were technically very pretty, very slow paced and mostly focused on the low drama of the mundane and human emotion, where the main character and the rest of the cast help each other out with their own problems and limitations, as the gentle music plays over the cicadas, maybe with some supernatural element, and then finished on some sort of bittersweet nothing of an ending because the important was the growth along the way or something like that, and... I'm not sure if I'm in for that ride. First episode really didn't do much to quiet that feeling, and since Spring 2025 seems loaded, I'm giving it three episodes to do it. At least it has two things going for it - it looks pretty and unlike Tasokare Hotel I can at least go to the Play Store and see the game it is based on.

Gundam Paper Jam In Tray

(ep 1) So, this comes just days after (finally) watching both Gundam 0079 and Zeta Gundam, and decided to watch it based on my fresh knowledge of maybe 5% of the whole franchise. It's set on a different timeline from the original show where Char Aznable steals the Gundam and leads Zeon to victory, then disappears. It's hard to say that much about it, as the first episode was a bit messy and tried to push too many ideas at once without really giving enough attention to any, but it looks pretty good and should be at least mildly entertaining should it work out a pace at which to tell a story.

Uchuujin MuuMuu

(ep 1) the description - a socially anxious college freshman has to share her apartment with a space cat who's trying to rediscover technology lost to his people - was enough to get a "yeah, maybe" out of me, and while I didn't expect the edutainment parts of it, it may elevate how bizarre everything is. So, the race MuuMuu belongs to blew up their own planet in the middle of a war, but not before killing all scientists and smart cats, so by exclusion, MuuMuu is an idiot, and is now disassembling home appliances trying to figure out how they work, and let's be honest, if cats could do that, I'm sure they would. Unfortunately for him, while Sakurako can search things on her phone, she can't exactly explain how they work, either, which also serves as a comment on how very little we know of things we use every day. I think I'll stick to it, it has the potential to get really weird.

Apothecary Diaries

(ep 2.14) So, after making everyone think about "frogs", it was time for the fan service episode, which opened the way for a new mystery in the imperial palace Maomao has the opportunity to solve. It's not a particularly difficult one for her, but still provided another insight on how Jinshi protects the order in the rear palace, so it was dealt in half an episode. For the second half, it keeps moving towards the finale as Jinshi and Gaoshun discuss when to bring her inside his other (possibly even bigger IYKWIM) secret that she kind of figured out already, but tries not to think about too much.

Food For The Soul

The first show I added to this season "must check" list, it's another cute girls doing cute things, based on the greatest Japanese tradition of showing food, in the same week I watched Wakakozake, so what could go wrong. Well, it *could* be boring, but within the first minutes there's a character trying to pass a bribe to a university clerk to let her start a club with less than 4 members. Gremlin. Yes. At the end we know the main purpose Shinon had to create the club was to have a place to hang out, shattering the dreams Mako had of cooking and going to restaurants together. If it turns out to be group Wakakozake, it's a winner.

Mono Weekend Animation

Right, from one club to another, now the stories of two girls who joined the photo club in their first year of high school, and now are running it. Or, trying to, as Satsuki misses her senpai who graduated and is now in fetal position under the table and An mostly followed her into the club for reasons. Then they meet a mangaka who was burned out after finishing her last work and forgot to send them a camera, and needs inspiration for a new work, and finds the adventures of the two girls just the thing. This is both another cute girls doing cute things anime, with a hint of hobby anime, as you can guess, photography and video. Sure, why not (extends the spring posting window to three weeks).

'Tis Time For "Torture", Princess

(#266) Ah, one of the things this series does best, introducing new characters and making a mockery of expectations immediately, this time the Hell Lord's older brother, who obviously looks as menacing, but is also as considerate as him. Do I want to see this animated in the second season? Yes.

In other news:

Makeine was confirmed for a second season. Kind of surprised but happy with it.

The movie version of Rose of Versailles gets an April 30th release date and English dub, on Netflix (via).

City The Animation by Arawi Keiichi gets a trailer, should be one of my favourites for the Summer season, already hinting it will have some of the "didn't need to go this hard" animation of Nichijou.

Also getting a new trailer, the new Ghost In The Shell adaptation by Science SARU scheduled for next year. It's apparently not following the tone set by the 1995 movie adaptation, but closer to the occasionally goofier source material, which will certainly be a big point of contention for those who see the Oshii version as the standard Major.

Questions?

Anonymous didn't ask, but sent re: Guild Receptionist:

Its funny because the Guild Receptionist anime completely botched the novel because the novel actually has really good pacing and the anime basically deleted half the novel cast off just so they could give Jade more screen time. The first volume goes into depth about why there are bosses and the ancients, also they cut off so many key elements that it feels weird and empty

Ooooh, that really explains a lot why it feels off and a bit all over the place. Really a missed opportunity on what's a cool concept but at least now I know it's an adaptation problem.

[hyog-blog]

The Story of Pearl Girl (ep. 35 - ep. 40) [end of series][spoilers]

Out of all the show's tropes, this one did it for me - knowing that you will die soon, for sure, and spending your last days with the person you love the most, cherishing each and every bit of it. This was just heart-wrenching to watch, mostly due to Liu Yuning's and Zhao Lusi's stellar acting. I mean the TORMENT is not just real, it's almost unbearable, but also, somehow, you can feel so much love and appreciation and, actually, light during those last days of Yan Zijin.

Probably because of his attitude. Like, it hurts, more than anything, but there's also one more hour you can spend with the woman you love, and then a whole day, and maybe one day more. Isn't that all that we could really ask for? The most precious moments line up like pearls to form a beautiful necklace. But then, eventually, everything fades away, both good and bad.

Of course, she knew he was poisoned. With her level of intelligence, I'd be surprised if she didn't. The fall of the bad guys was a bit meh, I mean, yes, that's what Yan Zijing was killing himself for, but in the end, that was not what truly mattered. But his family's name did get cleared, so he achieved his life's mission. Alas, he didn't have the time to enjoy the ordinary, simple pleasure of a life surrounded by the people you love and care about. it's kind of a happy ending for Yan Zijing, but with a very dramatic twist, which was obvious from the start, no one even tried to hide it. The poison was there, I just hoped for some ridiculous miraculous last-minute saving. Which didn't happen, but like with most things in life - we get some good stuff, we get some bad stuff, it's a mix.

I can see how ep. 40 could inspire a few depressions out there, but the message is still surprisingly hopeful. Justice prevailed, the bad guys got what they deserved, and the good guys, well, they took whatever happiness came their way, just like we do in real life. Su Muzhe did become the free-spirited trader she always dreamed of being, traveling far and wide just like Yan Zijing did. Cui Shijiu rose from the ashes and finally got her shit together XD Becoming a smart and cool girl we knew she could be, but for some reason, it just wasn't happening.

I have to admit there was a moment between Su Muzhe and Cui Shijiu, when our girl called the other one zhiji and all that wine-drinking was happening. I mean, I could totally see things going more than a little bit queer if the show wanted to go there. With all those powerful female characters, it would have totally worked. It was a lovely hint, though, which I enjoyed immensely :D

I need to go and watch some kittens now XD And remember there's more to life than torturous romance and people in love who can't be with each other. Still, I appreciate this show very, very much. I ended up loving every bit of it, surprisingly. It's very realistic in many aspects, maybe less so in others, but when put together, everything works great. Zhao Lusi's and Liu Yuning's acting is just 5 stars, they are both seriously amazing actors and their chemistry in both happiness and suffering and everything in between is truly top-notch.

I can see how this show might not be everyone's cup of tea, but we're all different, so it's okay. But I'm happy I watched it and that it was made, and I wish ZL and LYN much happiness and more great roles in the future.

Yep, he doesn't know it yet, but she knows already. And you can see it by the way she treats him, just playing along to keep the illusion of happiness going. They're such a bittersweet couple.

And not Kang Ju working as a model for female jewelry))) That moment just made me giggle, he's such a cutie))

Everyone posing for a family portrait. I almost thought they were foreshadowing another one of Li Kui's attacks that would kill half of the cast, but I was wrong. It was just a sweet happy moment shared between friends and co-workers.

And not Kang Ju asking whether he's actually so pretty in real life, too XD

More heartbreaking moments hide behind the seemingly happy surface. You can literally see it in her eyes that she already knows everything.

Some girl-to-girl romance, happily celebrating the fall of the Zheng family. All smiles and cutesy talk. Effortlessly qeer-ish.

Then back to the emotional torment of being unable to say goodbye to each other. YZJ cooking for her continuously to show his love. And Su Muzhe asking Yan Zijing not to leave, finally showing her true feelings. Pure 100% heartbreak.

It's been a nice, although a bit hectic ride 💖

[theyluvlyss]

𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭, 𝐬𝐨...

anyways😃...

slight disclaimer of sorts, I'm not at all trying to play the "I'm better than you" comparison game, nor am I trying to come off as a bitch lmao I just have thoughts all of the time and this blog is damn near my only outlet. not to mention, this blog barely receives, like 5% of them anyways (so count yourselves lucky🤨🫵🏽).

do y'all ever just think about the fact that - in whatever fandoms you're in - you're probably one of a group of, maybe even in just a handful,, or possibly part of just a couple,,, maybe the one and only,,,, shifter in that fandom?

and if so, does it ever come to mind that because you are a shifter and because you're probably shifting for whatever "character" you're shifting for, that you love them infinitely more than the average person indulging in that fandom you're in?

'cause I think about that all of the time. like... all of the time.

like, what do you mean no one will ever never ever possibly love *insert one of my s/o's and/or best friends* more than me? it's a bittersweet feeling, too, because I feel all alone in my love for that significant other/best friend/comfort person. but at the same time, maybe that's for the best because idk if I'm the jealous type or not, and I'd hate to become a person who can't indulge in content of the comfort person I love bc my jealousy is holding me back.

but anyways, not the point, I just...

WHAT DO YOU MEAN I LOVE *insert my comfort people here* INFINITELY MORE THAN THE OTHERS THAT CLAIM TO LOVE THEM all because of the simple fact that I shift for that person and they don't? again, not saying it's a bad thing or that I'm sitting here trying to one-up somebody or play the comparison game, I'm just genuinely baffled because listen...

I bet there's someone right now going on tiktok or insta or even on here rn being all, "oh I love this "character" so much and I just wish I could be with them, but all I can do is post my edits and my fanfics and my hdcns, oh, woe is me, pouty-pout-pout🥺" and it's like biTCHYOUCAN, YOU LITERALLY C A N BUT THE CHANCES OF YOU BELIEVING ME ABOUT SHIFTING ARE SO SLIM SO WHAT'S EVEN THE POINT👹⁉️

I just gotta sit here like, "I know something you don't😗 ... I know something you will never knowww😙."

AND THEN (this is where the asshole in me jumps out a lil' bit) WHETHER OR NOT YOU DO TELL THEM DON'T EVEN MATTER, at least not to me, because I'ma still just sit there and be like, "I actually love them more than you, though, because I've been LITERALLY shifting my awareness/consciousness for them for like, five years now, so🙂." like I promise you, that's like ... the ultimate form of loving a "character". to not only see them past being a fictional thing, but to see them as a person, a REAL person, and just because they aren't real here doesn't mean shit bc I love them in EVERY reality I'm in and that they're in, real or not.

can you even say the same🤨?

you can post fanedits of them all day and change your user to "so-and-so's wife" all you want, but I'm the one that's hopping realities and putting a ring on that finger💀💅🏽.

😀 ... sorry, sorry, I literally said I wasn't gonna do that and act a fool lmfao I just get cocky sometimes, but Y'ALL KNOW WHAT I MEAN/AM TRYNA GET AT, like-

or shit, maybe you don't, but if not, then ig this post isn't for you lmao, because I totally understand that not everyone loves the same way as one another and/or as I do. like, my love has never once been a "casual" thing. if I love someone or something, it's intense, and ig to others, can come off as obsessive *not in a unhealthy way dw lol*, whereas others, they say "oh I really love this thing✨️." and that's it, no underlying feralness or passion to it, so...yah, idrk or rmbr where I was going with this, I just have a constant stream of thoughts and rambles so...

lol bye, more fics comin' soon♡.

[chasing-posts]

As much as I love Victor, I think some people are right about him dying in the season finale alone, being the right choice.

But more than that, I think it could have been REALLY big and climatic. If I could redo it, I would have Victor feeling guilty because it was he who started the whole timeline thing off because he destroyed the world. In season 2, he almost did so again and Ben's soul had to die/ be destroyed to stop him. Then in season three, he accidentally caused the grandfathers paradox by leaving Harlan with some of his powers. Then later he allows Allison change the world again in the hotel.

Now honestly, there is A LOT about this season that needs to change to make this next idea work. But how I would end it is as such:

- After Victor meets Abrigail, a scene should be added where she wither insists on giving the violin to him as a gift, or she manages to convince him to play together with her, and when he goes away with Reginald, Abigail gifts it to him before they leave.

- After all else fails and the siblings plan to sacrifice themselves and are waiting in the mansion for death, Victor leaves briefly to "go to the bathroom". And while the rest are talking he grabs the violin and starts playing when he walks back in.

- He never got to actually play in front of them before... so he wants them to hear his performance one last time before they're erased. Think of it as his Titanic moment.

- When he hears Ben's giant Footsteps approach...then it's time to put his plan into action and he steals his siblings miracles. Using the same "keep them attatched with strings trick" he used in season one, mixed with miracle sucking ability he got from season two. He doesn't have to physically touch them anymore because his violin amplifies his powers, and it lets him do more now that they had time to build up.

- The fam tries to stop them but he puts a wall between himself and the sibs, as Ben/ Jennifer tears off the roof. Then it's a battle between two giants, Ben and Victor.

-Victor plays the violin as Ben starts to wrap him up, and they have a moment that parallels the last moment with Ben in season 2. Victor talking to Ben one on one. Or maybe Jennifer is there too. But they talk. About the old Ben and now him. about how he regrets being unable to save him or reach him. Maybe Ben talks about never feeling like a part of the family because he had the Sparrows, nd Victor's like "I know how you feel. I never felt like a part of the family either... but we were."

-I dunno something deep

- It ends in one last explosion where Bennifer and Victor take out each other. And create an explosion. Or some sort of white hole. Victor is strong enough to destroy the moon so he should be strong enough to destroy Bennifer if he has a proper build up. Even if he has to take himself out as well.

In the end most of the siblings get to survive... but they are left with regret and have to pick up the pieces. That or the world does reset one last time, but sibs 1-5 (and Lila) survive where 6 and 7 end up erased, but they get to go together.

Its still sad and bittersweet... but some major character beats could at least come out of it and it could create a fitting character arc for Victor in particular.

[fuck-you-upmusicbracket]

Goodbye to a World (Porter Robinson)

Thank you, I'll say goodbye now/Though its the end of the world, don't blame yourself/And if its true, I will surround you and give life to a world/That's our own

"The feeling of it is. like someone dying, or otherwise leaving someone. and they don't want to leave them alone, but they have to go. and they don't want the person to be sad, they want them to live! and live happily! but it just reminds me of losing someone close to you and that feeling. it's bittersweet, almost. feeling glad that you got to know them, and sad that they're gone."

Poll Runner: So effing beautiful with headphones! The beginning ramp up sounds like you're in a cave filled with different coloured lights all swirling around you, getting more and more beautiful with every note- I couldn't phrase this more coherently if I tried. Oh yeah, and the lyrics are super sad.

Raine's Rhapsody (The Owl House)

"This song takes multiple forms, multiple names throughout the show. It first appears as Eda's song for her then-partner Raine, the song she wrote for them as lovestruck teenagers... before they broke up, their lives being driven apart by life circumstances, chronic illness and shame, and the corrupt government cult. It then later appears as Eda's Requiem, the song she plays in their attempted suicide play to take out said corrupt government cult; Raine stops this when they realize Eda was using this as a method of running from her loved ones again, as she did with them. The "Fucked Me Up" part of this is the song's final true appearance. Raine whistling it, broken and defeated, expecting to meet their death. They whistle it, remembering the woman they loved, believing this to be their last moments."

Poll Runner: I want to elabourate so bad, but the submitter just absolutely nails it. This scene is BEAUTIFUL. Two characters who care so much about each other but can't bring themselves to say so, deciding to sacrifice themselves because they think they have nothing left. Raine's character drives me INSANE in how prepared they are to give everything to their cause, INCLUDING the woman they love... I'll stop before this becomes an owl house post, but trust me, however sad this song sounds without context, it is EVEN BETTER with context. WATCH THE OWL HOUSE IT WAS AN INTERNATIONAL TREASURE!!!!!!