#Don't expect to be doing more reactions because I like the storytelling aspect of my usual writing

[littleeyesofpallas]

I can't get over how hilariously bad possession based horror always is, almost like it's a conscious adherence to codified rules. The subgenre is just that fundamentally stupid that even abstractly it manifests the same stupid holes as if by design. The Christian mindset just cannot even begin to make sense of what a possession even is if not a collection of random pointless cliches just arbitrarily strung together

My kneejerk reaction is to blame it on gullible religious superstition but I don't even know if they carry the success of these things commercially.

But it is just so funny to me the overwhelming consistency of the possessions making absolutely zero sense as internal logic. All the now classic symptoms of demonic possession are just so stupid. The demon and/or the devil gain nothing from any of them. There's always this talk of saving souls or the war between good and evil and yet none of the actions taken by any party functionally forward those goals. And the cringey, taking itself waaay too seriously, reverence with which these things try to feebly immitate the superficial aspects of catholic ritual, but again, with zero logical follow through. They follow the steps but it's never clear what any of the steps actually do or why. It's just gibberish.

I almost hate to give them credit but of all things early Supernatural really did perfect the occult procedural because anytime some little ritualistic niknak was too obscure or esoteric to get ahold of while road tripping across bumblefuck USA they made up reasons more mundane substitutes were acceptable, because they actually attributed some internal logic to those rituals.

There was a one shot manga a while back that had a similar shtick that I really liked; the exorcist monk was kind of a sleezy punk and his sutras were all spoken in a thuggish modern dialect, but the point was that the sutras needed to convey meaning, not just be regurgitated verbatim

And like I said the impulse is to assume this is just Christian blind faith logic applied to storytelling, where nothing makes any sense because you're expected to believe it works because they say it works and question or interrogate absolutely nothing. But again... I don't know that attitude's actually prevalent enough in the audience going into these things to account for why just SO many of these dogshit movies get away with it. Maybe applicable to the writers or directors but even then the audiences should pan this shit.

[hisui-cotton]

Hello! Today's Note is about an anime! One that took me by surprise as I had expected...well I'll talk about it down below. But it really made me feel interested in watching some more anime in a time I was feeling not too crazy about doing so anymore. Which is you know sounds like a lot but it's really something that I contemplate whenever a new isekai comes out. I'm mostly kidding...

But this is a real post about what I found made Apothacary Diaries well worth the watch and hope that you check it out too.

As a historical fiction I love that apothecary diaries feels like something more than just a drama-comedy. It feels a lot like a good shojou manga does. There's good humor, there's some tense moments between characters and there's also a bit of really nice overall storytelling. It in some ways reminds me of Ouran. Where there's just this really nice progression introducing you to all the characters and the pacing between humor and drama is really nicely done and flows in a fairly natural progression. It never feels too forced into the next change of atmosphere. My favorite example of this is probably in episode 4, where not even a whole scene away from when we get some funny expressions from Lady Lihua's ladies in waiting, we also get a super dramatic scene of Maomao chastising them. There's this sense of momentum and change that is brought all the time and even when tensions feel high it doesn't deflate just because there is some humor mixed in. I've noticed this kind of slow in the later episodes but a part of that feels like it's as a result of the climax arriving rather than various directorial issues that usually plague most adaptations.

The story is fairly blunt with the darker topics at times and is definitely interested in being able to present those topics without judgement. It's a story literally about an apothecary who works as a lady in waiting to the concubines of the emperor. The way the characters and story don't shy around certain topics reminds me a lot actually of the way a lot of shojou used to have really sad or dark themes for their cheerful characters to explain how they got to how they were. Mao Mao embodies this a little differently than those characters did but still has those aspects. That's probably why I make the Ouran comparison actually, not because the stories are at all similar but because the characters and storytelling feels familiar. Maomao reminds me a lot of Haru, where both are very a matter of fact in the way they talk about stuff and of their situations. There are things they are genuinely interested in and when it comes to those things they work hard to have time or (in haru's case) be able to afford those things.

Now this isn't to say you should just watch Ouran if you want to watch Apothacary. It's a very different story and is much snappier than Ouran even at times. If you like the elements of Ouran's storytelling, and are wanting a strong, but not literally strong, female protagonist, I'd really recommend Apothecary! Honestly I was not planning on watching it. Even when a lot of the stuff going around of it was really good looking, I was worried that the hype for it was over blown. That somehow there was one really good scene like 5 or 6 episodes in, but that the rest of it would be kind of meh. Most people recommend shows being like “just wait till episode X, then it gets really good” but Apothacary got me from the start. It was so good and in many ways, I just want more. I've even considered picking up the light novel over the manga to see how much I can see of the anime in the light novel. I've gotten one other light novel recently and it really reads like an anime. The characters attitudes and reactions feel very anime even without the animations to go with it. So I'm rather curious to see how something so popular feels to read compared to watch. The only reason I don't want to check the manga as well is becuase I've considered that I need to give some written stories another go and light novels feel like they're just similar enough in genre to be that for me.

Now I'm gonna talk about a couple of the finer details like story or animation, so if you don't want spoilers that's all I've got for you. Just know it's great, it's worth the watch and it won't waste your time!

So the thing that sort if hooked me from the start of the story is Maomao. As she says by the end of the episode, her sense of justice is what brings her to act as she does. I think in a lot of ways this makes her both very outspoken but she also knows how to hold back, or more specifically ‘when’. Being as the show is a capturing of her diary, a lot of her thoughts and actions are explained as they happen or as she thought them through. That said there's no like…writing in the diary. I almost forgot that was what the show was about until several episodes in what a date change and the seasons turned. It felt like a noting of small events that happened. It didn't break my feeling of immersion though, rather it felt nice to be invested enough to simply go with the flow that the show naturally established.

Everything is generally told from Maomao's perspective, there are a few times other characters get to be the focus for dramatics but Maomao's thoughts push through a lot of the events that occur and hold the most attention. This also allows us the chance to see some of her memories in a way she'd naturally remember them. Sometimes it's just the quick thought of a time someone told her something, like when the women of the brothel told her about things men enjoy and she shared that with Lihue. The way she remembers it has this hard set incomplete underlighting, and there's this sense of a nice bit of tactile memory of the girls playing with her hair while having the conversation. The show also makes great use of lighting by the way. That scene I mentioned looks like that because of the way the lighting plays off everything compared to the cut just before of her in the well lit pavilion. There are other times where characters are illuminated in a manner that feels dramatic and yet more real for it. The lighting in episode 3, where a concubine catches qualities of sleep walking, is a perfect example of what I mean. There's really great backlighting when Concubine Fuyou is dancing across the wall, when she's leaving and finally when she and her lover are together. There's excellent blues at night that feel cold yet beautiful and then harsh lightings in tense times and soft blowouts of light in others. It’s one of those bits of animation you tend not to notice if it’s not totally outstanding or adding something deeper to the atmosphere.

Out of all 11 episodes out at this time, I’d say this 11th is the only one that felt a little disappointing. It felt story rushed and like we didn’t get to really know Ah-Doh the way we did a lot of the other concubines, even if it was second hand in most cases. She gets a little conversation by the end but is likly not to be seen beyond this (I assume as I haven’t seen the manga nor light novel) so it doesn’t feel as powerful as it could have. The way others talk about her is still impressive, it just hasn’t given the feeling that she got to share herself as much as she could have. By that I mean we hear about Ah-Dou from everyone else and when she gets a chance to talk to Maomao, we learn just enough about to start feeling like we understand why those around her are so in love with her as a person. Certain aspects hinted at make me feel like it’s not the only time we’ll see her again but it’s just as likely, as i said, that she could never be seen again due to the nature of writing and development at times. Sometimes a character can only exist for a portion of the plot in order to introduce the main character to a different aspect of the story and it’s sad that is what Ah-Dou felt like. What they did give her wasn’t bad though and although the episode feels rushed to resolve the plot, it’s still highly emotional.

Those are the few things I really wanted to make significant note of with detail of spoilery parts. I think if you’re thinking it’s just a historical romance, you’re not giving it enough credit. Theres is some really wonderful character writing, humor, and drama wrapped up in Apothacary Diaries and the anime has done a great job making me realize that. So I really wish you the best in starting the show if you do. Sorry I don’t have a way to wrap this up more that saying, “yeah it’s great and pretty check it out” but thats really all I’ve got! It’s a show that seems to speak for itself.

[absentcaryatid]

ATEEZ Reaction to Your Chest Being Uneven

A gender neutral fanfic by AbsentCaryatid

The reader has been hiding from their romantic partner the fact that their chest is more developed on one side than the other. I present one way the members of ATEEZ might react. This is not smut but instead written to be reassuring from someone who has the experience of visible asymmetry and it has never been an issue.

432 words, Content note: some are lightly suggestive but still rated safe for all tumblr using ages

~

Hongjoong would deliver a chaste kiss above each side when you confess your anxiety about being uneven to him. Hongjoong then would promptly fall asleep on your chest and much later wake up, happy to be there no matter how great your disparity.

Seonghwa would insist he is not with you for your body but for your personality. “No matter what, I still I think you are perfect just as you are.” As you stare into his flawless eyes, you understand completely.

Yunho would respect your emotional impact from being lopsided. “I am not going to tell you how to feel about your chest and will support you if you wish to have cosmetic reduction on one side or enlargement on the other. Please know though, that I find your appearance charming. You don't love me any less for my uneven smile and I feel exactly the same way about you.”

Yeosang would be over the moon and have a lot to say. “You are warning me because you are going to let me see your chest? How could I have any complaints about that step in our relationship?” Ever the scientist, Yeosang would also be a researcher and come back to you with facts. “Now that I have read up on the subject, I learned it is common to be asymmetrical. Estimates vary, but one doctor cited 90% of people with developed breasts have at least a 15-20% difference in volume, and truly if your measurement is precise enough nobody is actually identical. A mismatch can happen to any gender if muscles get a regular workout on one side more than the other. The difference may be more noticeable on you than others, but it is very normal and nothing to feel bad about.”

San would pointedly tell you some of his stuffed animals are small and others are large, but they are all equally loved and worth cuddling.

Mingi would have nothing to say if you draw it to his attention, merely joyfully diving back in to shower you with snuggly affection. Despite wanting to be supportive, Mingi would probably never even notice the size difference between sides of your chest.

Woooyoung's delighted and overly loud proclamation that a variety pack is a plus would be overheard by the whole dorm. Then comes the shared laughter as he discovers, “Look at this. I can make my hand look big or small depending which side I hold it over!”

Jongho would be warmly reassuring with the confirmation, “I love everything about you. How could I not love your chest as well?”

~

Masterlist of stories

[serpenteve]

So I ship Darklina, but I actually...don't hate Mal? Sure, he was a dick sometimes (so is the Darkling, in different ways), but he was also like 17 or 18 right? And, to me, he'd changed by Ruin and Rising. He went through a lot of character growth. He's not my favorite character by any means. He's probably one of my least favorite, simply because of how boring he is, and I think him and Alina would have been better off as friends or siblings for a platonic familial type thing. But he's also a teenager. That doesn't give him an excuse for being a dick but I feel like from what I've seen from Darklina stans (and what I myself have done in the past) is we hold him to such a high standard but we excuse everything the Darkling does. Yes, he's the villain, but he's also a love interest, which means he does need to be somewhat held accountable. I love the Darkling, he's my boy, and he makes Mal look like a piece of cardboard in comparison, but if we're able to love a centuries old villain and forgive his mistakes, shouldn't Mal at least get some grace? Heroes are allowed to mess up, especially teenage ones. Hell, when I was 17 I was a wreck. It just feels weird to write off everything a centuries old man does but tear apart everything a teenager does, you know?

But I also understand the Mal hate and I don't expect people to love him (I don't even love him lmao). I just wanted to see if some Darklinas are more open towards Mal because I understand most Darklinas hate his guts (understandably so).

Sorry for the long ask. What are your thoughts on Mal?

I don't think all Darklinas hate Mal but a lot of people who hated a number of things in the books happen to be Darklinas. If you hate the book romance, then you're more likely to criticize other aspects of the storytelling like the plot and writing choices.

I definitely think people's perception of Mal hinges on whether they feel like he redeemed himself in Ruin & Rising and/or whether or not they were exposed to the fandom discourse and reactions surrounding the characters. For example, if you read the Grisha trilogy after seeing people endlessly simp for the Darkling and talk about Mal like he's the Worst Character Ever™️, then probably you will think book!Mal really isn't that bad and people excuse the Darkling's actions despite him like.........destroying an entire town for funsies and terrorizing Alina across the country 😂

The whole Mal vs Darkling debate originally arose out of audience expectations. Mal was presented as a heroic love interest while the Darkling was basically a false romantic lead turned villain who Alina kinda still had the hots for but had to heroically resist lest she become seduced to the dark side. The Darkling wants to control and exploit Alina and will stop at nothing to do so. Therefore, we expect Mal to embody the opposite of this: support Alina in doing what she wants and not treat her like a trophy he's entitled to. Instead, Bardugo---perhaps unintentionally---set the opposite in motion.

I actually really don't mind Mal in Shadow & Bone. Yeah, he was kind of an ass to Alina at parts, but he apologized and helped her get the stag and most of his faults can be overlooked as dumb teenage boy things. The problem arose in Siege & Storm when Mal grew entitled, possessive and emasculated because Alina had this power he did not and Alina had this great destiny that didn't revolve around him. Regardless of what Bardugo intended with this lover's quarrel, many readers interpreted this as Mal wanting Alina to be weak and dependent on him. And now, when readers look back at his more annoying traits in Shadow & Bone that initially didn't bother us that much, it holds more sinister implications. It wasn't that Mal and Alina were drifting apart, it was that Mal doesn't care about Alina until someone else cares about her and then he realizes "oh shit! my biggest fangirl that i took for granted has been taken away and has a life of her own??? unacceptable!!11". This combined with the Grisha being coded as any marginalized group and Mal's bigotry towards Alina and then her ending where she lost her powers so the author could pair her with Mal also left some.................IMPLICATIONS 👀

And listen, it would be one thing if I was the *only* reader who was whining about how Mal's character drives me up the wall......but like literally 3/4 of the fandom hated his ass because Bardugo accidentally made him toxic in a very *familiar* way that the Darkling's toxicity is not---at least for that part of the fandom. And this clash between reader expectations and what was actually on the page is what gave rise to a lot of Mal hate. You mentioned that readers hold Mal to a higher standard than the Darkling and that's true. But it's also because Mal is supposed to be a hero, not a villain. The expectations we had for the Darkling were literally on the floor after he decided to randomly massacre Novokribrisk. Whereas Mal being toxic in exactly the same way a chauvinistic garbage IRL man would be toxic was way too much for some readers and we just ended up shipping Alina with the Darkling out of pure spite. Especially when said villain is saying things like "I've seen what you truly are and I've never turned away? Can he stay the same?" or "He’s otkazat’sya. He can never hope to understand your power, and if he did, he’d only come to fear you."

ALSO, I'm a big believer that the reason the Darklina shippers grew in number is directly because the Darkling and Alina are never in a romantic relationship. The failed and wasted potential was indeed a huge draw, but the fact that we never got to see what their canon relationship would be like allowed us to fantasize about an ideal situation in which the Darkling comes to the error of his ways and learns to treat Alina as an equal. The quotes I mentioned above are up for interpretation. He says he will never turn away and that he would be able to understand Alina's power...........but he also proved that he isn't above using her as a weapon without regard for what she wants. Because we never get to see the Darkling and Alina in a real romantic relationship, we can now choose to interpret that line seriously in fanworks, regardless of whatever the hell Bardugo intended with it.

[obfuscobble]

Passerby here - in regards to Fate/Grand Order, the reason they don't explain stuff in detail is because they kind of already did? The Fuyuki prologue in the actual mobile game is a longer, more in-depth tutorial, while the anime is an hour-long film. They can't do EVERYTHING in the short time slot they have. Also, the "explanation on Servants" thing is something repeated in every adaption and spinoff and just gets very redundant after a while, so it getting cut is understandable.

Also, arguing that they HAVE to explain EVERYTHING for newbies within the short 1 hour time slot for the F/GO anime is nonsensical considering the setting of Fuyuki - everything and everyone in Fuyuki (such as the statue Medusa Lancer destroys) only has significance if you’re familiar with Fate/stay night proper, and explaining EVERYTHING would waste time, especially since the premise of “Chaldea has no idea what originally happened in Fuyuki” makes explanation impossible anyway. Basically, you’re treating the Fate/Grand Order anime like some sort of standalone story, when in reality it’s more like the Rogue One to Fate/stay night’s mainline Star Wars, or the Fantastic Beasts to Harry Potter. Even if it’s a spinoff, demanding that it explain everything all over again is pointless and would detract from the plot given the very limited timespan, especially when the premise IS so heavily based in past installments. I hope you understand my points here.

I perfectly understand your points, but please keep in mind that you are making the exact same points as your predecessor which I have already rebuffed politely by reiterating my points of debate.  I thank you for trying to state this case in more detail again, but my counter points remain solid and admittedly mired in my initial reactions to the material.  The strength of my initial negative reactions is what prompted me to write my post, and upon re-view of the film, my problems with its structure, choreography, and colour design remain.

If I may attempt to restate your points, trying hard not to make a strawman : 1. there’s more info on everything in the game, 2. there’s more explanation of everything in the rest of the Nasuverse media, 3. this is for fans who already know everything and trying to explain too much in a short one hour featurette would be wasteful, 4. this should absolutely not be viewed in a standalone manner.

1. there’s more info on everything in the gameI understand this.  But the movie was, as I was approaching it, supposed to get me pumped to play the game had I not already done so.  It did not.

2. there’s more explanation of everything in the rest of the Nasuverse mediaI understand this.  But it doesn’t defend against bad story structure.

3. this is for fans who already know everything and trying to explain too much in a short one hour featurette would be wastefulI contend this.  Allow me to voice my contention in two manners, one polite, and one rude.Politely: Fans who enjoy this are absolutely deserving of their enjoyment, and as a fan placation vehicle this movie is certainly fantastic.  I do not want to rid anyone of their enjoyment of this featurette.  People should hold on to their joy where they can find it. : )  However, I still believe that a shortened running length was not truly a bar to cut out all explanation.  I’m not expecting someone to dump typemoon.wikia.com onscreen.  I was simply stating that within the world that the movie itself created with a protagonist who knows nothing and a fresh new aspect of the Nasuverse being presented, that a tiiiny bit more explanation would have been completely natural to present within the storytelling framework of the brand new setting.  To fully explain Servant structure and the history of Fuyuki is not necessary.  To explain more about Chaldaea and how it interacts with these structures is highly desirable.  That Fuyuki is a mystery to Chaldaea is absolutely fine and a good mystery to hook the audience.  That Chaldaea remains a complete mystery to the audience, apart from clichés that the audience can place upon it through inference, is unforgivable.Rudely: yeah I get it they made a pretty movie out of your waifus look at your waifus in good animation happy new year nasufans here’s a tv special to sell more nasushit including 5000 yen dvds but it’s worth it because WOW YOUR WAIFU she’s moving and going UGUU this is such a CATHARTIC pandering MOMENT you can’t wait to heal her with YOUR MAGIC RITUAL YA KNOW WHAT IM SAYIN[* “your waifu“ in this case referring to the fandom at large, not you specifically, holdharmonysacred, as I do not wish to make assumptions about you.]

4. this should absolutely not be viewed in a standalone manner.You bring up a comparison of Fate/ Grand Order to Rogue One and Fantastic Beasts.  Here is where I very much would like to make more comparisons, as I have seen those movies and their attendant series as well!  However, first it is important to keep in mind that whether one chooses to view a film as a standalone vehicle or as a chapter of a larger narrative is up to the individual viewer.  Yet, ask any good author or script editor and they will tell you that the internal story of a feature should hold itself as a standalone story with good arc structure.  While it’s true that Grand Order had a proper arc structure (problem, mysterious anomaly; action, fight to stop anomaly; resolution, bad guy temporarily wins, time to steel ourselves to do this again), I feel that it failed to present a story that an outsider could care about.

Honestly, Rogue One also failed to impress me as a standalone vehicle.  It was infinitely more pandering than Grand Order, although at least it didn’t leave too many questions unanswered.  Largely, it had more running time to establish its world, which Grand Order did not have.  What Rogue One had in common with Grand Order was a dearth of likeable protagonists.   At least the motivations of Rogue One’s antagonists are clear though, unlike R.E.O. Lev’s.

Fantastic Beasts actually worked as a standalone film.  Parts of it that connected directly to the Potter storyline [erhem, Grindelwald] were frankly its worst aspects.  Yet apart from that, the movie clearly established through its action and a bit of exposition the stakes of its world.  There are wizards and magical beasts and non-wizards, the wizards try to hide from the non-wizards, never the twin shall meet, and in America magical beasts are not allowed to run free in non-wizard areas.  The audience doesn’t have to know about rulings of the wizengamot or the history of wizarding in America to appreciate these in-story rules.  Magic is shown throughout the movie, and major magical plot points like the obscurial are explained, though not exactly perfectly.  But a bully attempt is made.  One can watch Fantastic Beasts without knowledge of the Potterverse and still follow its structure while appreciating its characters who are presented with definite emotional ties and stakes in the movie.  It’s not an outstanding movie, but it does very well to establish the basics of its world.

On the other hand, I maintain that Fate/ Grand Order failed to firmly establish the very basic internal rules that its world runs by either through exposition or onscreen action, preferring to hint at them, and that its characters were flat, especially the main character who could have been replaced with a soggy cardboard cutout for all it would have mattered. 

I understand that the main character of this movie is supposed to be an audience insert surrogate, and a standin for an in-game protagonist, but that’s honestly no excuse for having him be void of emotional reaction to anything in the world around him except Mash.  Mash is hurt?  Oh noes, she’s pretty and talked to me so I guess we’re dating and now I’m upset.  I’ve been transported to some techno-magic base? Oh well.  Everyone else here has died en masse?  Oh well.  Now I’m in the past and things are attacking me?  Oh well.  That girl just died? Oh well.  The guy who was nice to me turns out to be evil and he has some weird plan to do with wiping out the entire human race?  OH WELL.  I’m not asking for him to scream or anything, but the most proactive action he took in the entire movie to move the plot forward was to hold Mash’s hand in her climactic battle, and even then he did so blandly, not even a “ganbatte” or a “You mean a lot to me so don’t give up.”  Every other scene where he took an action, he had stumbled into that place or been pushed there by other characters or the plot at large.  The guy fell asleep during the one scene that would have explained shit to him and therefore us.  How are we supposed to like him as a protagonist?

In conclusion, I do indeed understand the points you laid out in your asks, but feel that I have previously responded to most of them.  Of the new concerns you bring up, my previous complaints about Fate/ Grand Order still hold sway.  And yet, I do not at all wish to say that people should feel bad for liking Fate/ Grand Order.  My stance is that I did not enjoy it, and it failed the rubric by which I was watching it.  You state that my rubric is flawed, and that is a fair enough criticism.  Please continue to enjoy the Fate/ universe and the Grand Order game.  I hope they all bring you lots of continued enjoyment in the coming year!