#Fantastic concept op

[bmpmp3]

yor ass hurt.

Done

[charmedreincarnation]

My sucess story

Trigger Warning: Abusive, homophobia, mentions of suicide

Hey there, Maya! I just had to take a moment and express my appreciation for all the fantastic posts you put out. I can now confirm, without a shadow of a doubt, that shifting is real, manifesting is real, and so is the void. Our desires and ambitions aren't in vain.

I've been part of the shifting community since 2020 when it exploded on TikTok. It might not matter much, but as a gay man, I rarely saw other guys in the community (though Reddit and Amino have a more diverse crowd). I've always felt more comfortable in women-centric spaces because they tend to be less judgmental.

I never saw success stories from guys, especially the kind I wanted to see - like waking up in a new world, not just manifesting money or a girlfriend (or boyfriend in my case >.<). I've always been spiritual and interested in witchcraft, voodoo, deities, and now manifesting and shifting. But it felt like nothing would let me shift.

Growing up with homophobic and physically abusive parents, struggling with poverty, depression, homelessness, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and more, I began to feel like you could only manifest and shift if your life was okay. I didn't have the luxury of time or safety to practice methods, constantly dealing with noise, verbal abuse, or physical violence.

Then, I read this post

https://www.reddit.com/r/shiftingrealities/comments/14v4lw3/how_to_shift_the_next_time_you_go_to_sleep/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1

It led me to your Tumblr because OP used some of your old posts and talked about the concept of the void. All searched lead to tumblr. A couple of months ago (2.5 ish) after one of the worst days of my life, I went to bed sobbing, trying to block out the noise around me, praying and crying for anything - death, shifting, a new identity...

Everything around me started to fade - it was as if I was being engulfed by a white, serene blanket of nothingness. It was completely silent, and I couldn't see or feel anything. The only thing that seemed to persist was my awareness.

Now, I've read about the void before, but mostly in the context of it being a black, empty space. So, I'm not entirely sure if what I experienced was indeed the void or something altogether different. The concept still baffles me a bit, but I'm learning and growing through these experiences.

Regardless of where I was, my heart was set on reaching my dr.I kept praying and hoping, to wake up in my DR.

I woke up in my Twitch streamer DR! I found myself in a completely unfamiliar yet perfect place. My room was equipped with a high-end PC, top-notch gaming gear, and quaint decor items. Milo, my dog, was there too. I was sharing a mansion in LA with my boyfriend and four other streamers. The house was beyond my imagination, and streaming here was a dream come true. As night fell, my friends and I explored the vibrant LA nightlife, creating lasting memories.

After a week, i can’t lie I almost forgot I had shifted here. Then, I set an intention to shift back into this reality but where I had moved out, lived with my best friend and their supportive parents, mastered shifting and manifesting, had my desired looks, and money came easily to me. And it worked!

Since then, I've been living my best boujee gay life, and I shift all the time. I even created a waiting room where I'm immortal and use it whenever I need a break. I wish I could offer better advice, but like everyone says, there isn't a key to shifting. It's different for everyone. But you can and will shift. You can manifest your dream life. You can and deserve to be happy

Oh my god, I'm so happy for you, love 💕💕. I also completely related to what you felt. I know it can seem like your circumstances are holding you back, but believe me when I say this - that couldn't be further from the truth.

It's that same resilience, and your ability to persist despite the odds, that paved the way to your dream life. There’s nothing, I mean nothing that can stop you. Not wavering, crying, or doubt. Nothing. If you want it, it’s yours.

[littlejuicebox]

Shoutout Sunday

Here I am again with another recommendation list! This one is a bit different from the last, in that these recs are all fics written in third person rather than second person POV. Listed in no particular order. I wanted to include some smaller writers and newer pieces that may have not gained much traction yet!

I know I write a lot of second person POV, and I also enjoy reading this POV. BUT, I do want to encourage people to consider reading both first and third person work as well. 

Some of these pieces are THE most compelling things I’ve ever read. Especially when someone’s OC is involved. Creators put A LOT of love into their OC work. If you like a creator’s second person stuff, I strongly encourage you to read their things written in other POVS… there’s a high chance it’s even better than their second person work, tbh.

All recommendations are below the cut. Happy Reading!

Thrice Before Dawn by @cursedhaglette- This is a smut piece set in Act 1. I promise you all that I thought about this fic for days after I read it. Physically made me blush. Top tier banter and the ending is chef’s kiss. It’s sort of a One Shot but I believe it’s also an ongoing collection/series. 

Starlit Skirts by @wilteddreamsofbaldursgate - This One Shot is the fluffiest fluff to ever fluff. This piece made me tear up. Every piece of Emi’s is divine. Astarion is working on creating Tav’s wedding dress and has been for months. The issue is, it’s requiring constant altering.

Blood in the Mortar by @bardic-inspo (tumblr) / bardic_inspo (AO3) - An AA One Shot that is beautifully written and exceptionally compelling, based on the concept of AA’s love interest being a vampire bride. Her OC Naomi is fantastic! OP hasn’t written smut in over a year and yet she does well, as if it’s her day job. 

Memories of Us by @tallymonster - I maintain this is the only AU longfic I currently read and I adore it. There are a few chapters I am dying to catch up on. This version of Astarion is so interesting, I really like how she works with the concept of a vampire outliving all of his prior friends/contacts. 

Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by @tragedybunny - Bunny is an OG, I’m certain most of you are familiar with her One Shots. She has a huge Masterlist, and surely you can throw a dart and any title it hits will be a win. But this AA series is a new longfic work of hers and I cannot wait to see where she takes it. 

Loose the Arrow by pentuppen (AO3 only, unsure if the tumblr blog is the same person?) - This is the first BG3/Ascended Astarion longfic ever read and I was hooked. It inspired me to start writing myself! This storyline is compelling and the perfect blend of angst/comfort/smut.  I’m not going to give away the plot, but the author’s summary itself is intriguing. Here’s a bit: “One night every year. She is always there waiting and he will always come.”

[protectingtulpas]

So I just got sent that pretty iconic "anti-tulpa" document and I think it's pretty damn funny that a lot of those sources, if you actually READ them, are neutral or even supportive lmfao.

Like for this one? This is straight up pro-, and is just explaining that "tulpamancy" isn't the original concept and that it's based on other practices. Congrats, you're making our fucking point for us!

This next one is pretty interesting also. I wanna highlight some stuff from it, from both the op and comments.

Let's talk about my existence in contrast to some of these statements. The first one is "The biggest, most dangerous form of evil in Buddhist thought is "ego" or self-grasping. If ANY mental phenomena increases your self-cherishing attitudes (self importance, grandiosity, jealousness, craving, hatred, self-loathing, self-absorption etc) it's evil. IF a mental phenomena causes greater flexibility, less attachment, more tranquil emotions, less mental chatter/discursive thinking, increased generosity and compassion toward others, higher mental clarity etc.--that's good." And the second one is "If it increases negative emotions, it's not Dharma. If it decreases negative emotions, it's Dharma." So these are great for some people, but that mentality of not allowing "self-cherishing attitudes" can be EXTREMELY HARMFUL FOR SYSTEMS and ANYONE with self worth issues. A lot of this is contradictory for a lot of people. Something can both decrease negative emotions and make you feel connected to yourself. Nobody has the right to make us feel any less like ourselves - normally you can believe whatever you want for yourself, obviously, but pushing it onto other ppls' lives aint cool. The implication that we're straight up DANGEROUS just for existing is insulting to created systems regardless of whether you're using the word tulpa or not.

The reply to that by @/eeveecraft is great, and this part describes how weird that is in the context of headmates' identities here. "Furthermore, really don't like how you downplayed tulpas as property there, buddy. Tulpas are not property, they are people in every sense of the word, and I don't [give a] flying fuck about whatever complications that for your beliefs. My systemmates are people, full stop. I was already able to tell since you refer to your own systemmates as "imaginary friends," which a lot of tulpas aren't okay with being called that because that implies that they're fake. They are NOT lesser because they're not created by ancient monks or whatever.

"Like, seriously: "They would be considered "as real as you and me," with their own likes and dislikes etc," because apparently, modern tulpas don't have likes and dislikes and their hosts just see them as delusions? Say that to my tulpa, Arcanus who adores coffee while the smell makes me nauseous, say that to my systemmates who switch with me and have their own hobbies. Also, tulpas are more than just personalities. They have their own experiences, skills, preferences, dreams, memories, thoughts, a person is more than just their personality, and I thought a "licensed psychotherapist" would know that, especially if they have systemmates of their own." Make sure to read the full comment tho cuz it's a good takedown, it's not just about that it goes thru the entire thing.

SO! If anybody actually wants a well-studied paper outlining everything, check out Tracking the Tulpa: Exploring the "Tibetan" Origins of a Contemporary Paranormal Idea by Natasha L. Mikles and Joseph P. Laycock. It goes into a lot more of an accurate and in-depth history on the subject, and the bibliography ACTUALLY shows where things come from.

All that document showed us was that Buddhists are a wide community with a variety of different people with different skill levels, understandings, and opinions. And that we need to ditch the fantastical, impossible representation of the tulpa in supernatural media because that's ACTIVELY harming people. Which is what we want to show people! So congrats!

[irregularcollapse]

hi i think i saw in the tags of a post that you would like to talk about damen in relation to the romantic hero. please do talk about damen

i love your storiea a lot btw

YES okay yesssss ALRIGHT thank you so much for prompting me. I get nervous about just making analysis posts without someone asking me something, because I feel like people aren't interested in what I have to say. But that doesn't matter, thank you for asking, anon!

So I say some things about Damen as a romantic hero in this post here but I really wanted to elaborate. Just to be clear, I'm not saying Romantic hero (literary archetype), but romantic hero as in, hero in the romance genre; a type of love interest.

The first thing to pick apart is the genre of the trilogy. In terms of genre, they are definitively (despite what some people say) romance books. Specifically, they are what we call open door romances, being that sexual content appears on page (as opposed to closed door romances, in which sexual content is allusive or happens off page). The political/war plot points do not negate them being romances, and they aren't 'better' than other romances because of the external plot. I feel like there's a lot of defensiveness about these books being 'not just romances,' but honestly, backhanded compliments like that reveal nothing but a lack of genre awareness. But that's another rant lmfao ignore that.

The really interesting thing is that the narrative setup has the markers of erotica, as opposed to romance. The distinction is really important in terms of genre function and categorisation. Erotica is concerned with telling a story that focuses on sexual themes; romance centres on the development of a romantic relationship between two people. Book 1 of the trilogy is largely constructed and developed as an exploration/indulgence of slave kink for the gratification of the reader. This recent post beautifully explains a concept which the OP has coined a fantastic term for: when the kink which the story is indulging is not acknowledged by the characters. OP marks the distinction between diegetic (for the characters) and non-diegetic (for the readers) kink and BDSM, borrowing terms typically used for music in film: to reiterate, Book 1 functions largely as slave kink erotica for the gratification of the reader. It isn't an endorsement of actual historical Greek/Roman slavery; it's erotica written for adults who know how to distinguish between fantasy and reality and that kinks aren't a reflection of a person's morals. It's play, and the characters are all dolls putting on a scene for the reader's enjoyment.

But the books don't—can't—stay within those genre confines, and it's because of Damen. He's quite simply too dimensional.

The first way that Damen contravenes the genre is that he introduces the notion of consent (to clarify, consent has little to no function in non-diegetic erotica). He tries to contain his internal horror as he witnesses the staged rape performed by pets for the courtiers; he argues for the Akielon slaves, on the grounds that mistreating them is an abuse of the consent they have given. Damen's personal morals and worldview serve to expose what makes the entertainments and performance of kink in Vere so grotesque: the consent is forced, or coerced. There is no true choice. It is Damen's morality, this deep-rooted concern for the acquiescence and pleasure of both (all) participants in sex, that shift the genre which Damen exists in from erotica to romance. It is Damen's morality which gives the seduction legs to play out across three books (each book clocking in at under 80k, for perspective).

So we are firmly in the (open door) romance genre, and it's because of Damen. Damen is the Main Character, which means the other role that needs to be filled is the Love Interest. Something key to remember about the romance genre and its history is that it is predominantly heterosexual, and it is predominantly female-focused. The genre also, crucially, serves fantasy fulfillment. It is a uniquely escapist genre in a way that no other genre is, because escapism is the primary intention of a romance book. This is also why so many famed or recognisable romance books feature that "I'm just a girl" protagonist: she's plain, she's not exceptional, she doesn't know she's beautiful, she has been waiting for the right guy, she's got hidden potential—she could be the reader, right? She could be any reader within the target demographic. The real reason why, historically, people were reading romance books was for the Love Interest.

The LI is (or perhaps it's more accurate to say 'was') more often than not an archetype of appealing masculinity. He would doubtlessly be physically imposing—other men simply can't compare—but would only use his power to defend or pleasure the MC. He would be focused on her satisfaction, would be willing to sacrifice everything for her, would see her in a way that no one else would or could. He would court her, but make his intent clear, and be overcome with sexual desire for her (but of course, deferential to her pleasure as well). If he uses force, she likes it because she trusts him, and she has likely had traumatic experiences with other men that he is careful of. Prior to him, she was trapped; through loving her, he frees her.

Does it all sound a bit familiar?

I said in the other post that Damen assumes the role of "romancer," making Laurent the "romancee." In a typical romance novel structure, the reader would be putting themselves into Laurent's position, the character who the romancer/Love Interest's attention is directed towards. We see the romancer/romancee dynamic play out in the way that Damen "makes love" to Laurent with words, saying all the romantic things which come to him; in the way he leaps to Laurent's physical defense, particularly when Laurent's physical autonomy is compromised; in the way he always checks for comfort and consent in a way that Laurent is able to respond to. Even though their first sexual encounter is technically initiated by Laurent, it is only due to Damen's ongoing courtship (although that scene almost warrants a whole other long-winded post oh my god).

This is all what makes Damen such a singular and compelling main character: not only does he force the genre of his story to change, but he transforms the role that he should archetypically play as the MC. He also, however, transforms the role of the romantic hero, once again because of how dimensional he is. I pick apart that dimensionality a bit in this post, but his layers and humanity and everything that go into making Damen a sympathetic character are what makes him such a good romantic hero, which in itself is sort of a paradox: he carries self doubt, and is decidedly not the hypermasculine brute which he is perceived to be, and as such is a more nuanced and rounded character than the typical romance book LI has been historically. He functions as a deliberate subversion of those tropes, and it is his roles as both MC and romantic hero that allow the readers to see the ways in which Laurent also deliberately subverts the romance tropes within which his character fits.

It is very interesting to me to think about one thematic angle of the books being "shades of grey," as in, a directive to resist black-and-white thinking and to dig deeper into motivation and reason. I've said elsewhere that this is the lesson that Laurent learns just as much as it is the lesson which Damen learns, and applies just as much on a structural level: the reader is invited to recognise the tropes and archetypes which they may find familiar from other erotica and other romance fiction, but they are then positioned to dig deeper and see what lies underneath those initial impressions.

I think I'll have to leave it there, because my eyes are getting blurry and my brain is getting really foggy, and I've sort of lost my train of thought so I really hope this makes some sort of sense lmao. But if there's anything else you want to ask, or anything you need me to clarify, please reach out again! As you can see, I have a lot to say about Damen's character <3

(But also, please read my current WIP a storm that took everything because it is all about being in Damen's head and what's going on in there I love him to bits)

[adobe-outdesign]

Can you do a moehog review? I feel loke they are one of those forgotten pets that don't get a lot of attention

Moehogs are one of those pets that pretty much just fall into the "regular animal" category, along with pets like the Lupe and the Mynci. In this case, they're more-or-less warthogs, with the only real differences being a mohawk-style mane and a few stripes. Their name would imply that the mohawk is supposed to be their main feature, but it's so small and non-descript that it really doesn't make them stand out at all. I would've loved to see the Moehog actually rocking a super tall mohawk, really leaning into that punk look to help it stand out a bit more.

One thing that I really do like about Moehogs though is their expression. I don't know why, but they always just seemed so chill and happy compared to other Neopets. They would 100% ask you how your day went and genuinely want to know the details.

Color-wise, the default Moehog has an orange mane, which looks a bit out-of-place (though less so on the yellow one). I feel like the mane either needed to be black to match the hooves and stripes, or have all three be a darker version of the base color.

The Moehog has basically remained completely unchanged via conversion except for a few shading tweaks and the odd decision to move the back foreleg up.

Favorite Colours:

Halloween: I'm not usually that big on the Halloween pets that look like they're just wearing costumes, but the UC/styled Halloween Moehog is absolutely fantastic. Not only is the Dr. Sloth concept great, but the post and expression are all fantastic, as is the dull green, black ,and red palette.

The converted version is... okay, I guess, but you should be able to see the inside of the cloak from this angle, especially because the loss of it results in the color palette losing the much-needed red. Also, the far right eye is really jacked up for some reason.

Darigan: The converted Darigan Moehog is honestly really boring and it wouldn't even be on this list if not for the fact that the UC/styled version absolutely slaps. The body shape has been adjusted to make it look far more bulky and threatening, and there are some really nice tweaks there as well, such as making the mane run all the way down the body to the tail, adding stripes to the legs to match the ones on the back, and changing the ear shape. I'm not usually big on the more muted-looking Darigan pets, but it works well for the Moehog given the warthog inspiration.

Island: The island Moehog really goes the extra mile all around. The white, tan, and green palette looks very nice and is complimented by a op of red with the flowers. I love how the usual stripes are seamlessly integrated directly into the tan markings, and how the grass skirt and bracelets match the green mane—not to mention things like the shell necklace and earrings, which didn't need to be included but are much appreciated. By far the best detail are the tusks, which have a super subtle carved look to them.

BONUS: The chocolate Moehog has banana tusks and this delights me. That is all.

[animereviewsbykyranskye]

My current top 15 Anime and why

Because why the fuck not. I'm doing top 15 so that I have some variety behind it. Otherwise I would just be gushing non stop XD

Apparently numbers go big now - AND THEY GO SMALLER IF YOU TRY TO TYPE IN THE SAME LINE AS THEM???

comparison:

15

15 -

DA HECK????

(Edit: I was going to colour all the numbers because I wanted a rainbow. WHY THE FUCK FOR THEY CHANGE TO SMALL WHEN YOU COLOUR THEM??????)

Guess the titles of the anime get a small heading. Anyways. Onto the actual list!

15

Technoroid OVERMIND

Ayo. Starting out with a really random one. So if anyone were to look at my Anilist then they might be a bit confused. I decided I'd keep movies out of here as well as anything I haven't specifically finished. Also takt op. Destiny needs a re evaluation.

Anyways. This premise is so sick and I feel like they managed it really well. The characters were all really fun and the music was fantastic which is honestly the most important thing about Idol shows. I really like idol shows but often struggle with the stupid drama in them that just leads to seasons upon seasons that didn't need to happen or wouldn't actually happen.

In this they're just androids. The fantasy twist works so well for the genre and I honestly don't know why it isn't done more often. This way they can bullshit the drama and it actually makes sense.

Honestly my favourite character was Kite. He was great and his voice always gave me shivers. Especially his piece in the closing. Damn.

I don't want to go into full reviews with this, rather just gushing about things I like and stuff. I really don't think this got the recognition it deserves - probably because of it's deviation from the norm - but it would be cool to get some sort of sequel.

(Edit: There's a manga releasing apparently. Imma check that out.)

14

UniteUp!

Continuing on with the trend of idol animes apparently. UniteUp! was so good. As I mentioned in my Reviews while I watch of the show, it felt so grounded and real that other idol shows just don't seem to capture. These were all real people with real problems dealing with real life.

I also like how we had such a large cast of characters but it never really felt overwhelming as they focused on group dynamics and specific individuals rather than trying to cram every single person into their own arcs.

Once again the music was fantastic and by god was this show pretty gay. Honestly I don't know what the sentiments of others are, but the Anela duo definitely weren't straight and neither were Akira and Daiki. That bath scene says it all.

Anyways. If you want a fun time with a really solid idol anime, please check it out. I saw earlier that we're getting a season two soon. I am so looking forward to it.

13

Trigun Stampede

Damn! I don't even know what to really say about this one. The visuals are absolutely stunning - there is no doubt about that. The score and the characters are excellent. And how dare they leave us on that cliff hanger.

I have absolutely no history with this story and still need to watch and read the originally but I am really looking forward to seeing how the story adapts between the three.

You can ask my partner. I've already said we're watching everything trigun related as soon as we are done with our current show.

I'm really looking forward to season two. And especially seeing how this all pans out. Apparently there will be tears according to the fandom. Concern.

12

Re-main

Damn this show came out of nowhere for me. I watched it quite awhile ago and have been meaning to rewatch it again.

The premise is definitely a sports anime but honestly so different. All because of one thing. The fact that he is an amnesiac is such a fascinating concept to work with - especially with how he was before (trying not to spoil - can't remember when this comes up in the anime)

And then the ending?? Damn. They seriously set up that cliff hanger and I really hope this show gets a sequel.

I really can't say too much about it without giving away some spoilers but damn does it change up the formula and do it so fucking well.

11

Given

Given is great. Such a pure but heartbreaking portrayal of love on one side with such conflicting but also nurturing views on the other. Having the different realtionships throughout this is really well done how they all bounce off of each other. Especially when they entertwine it with the music.

As it is said. That is how they communicate - through the music.

I'm busy catching up with the manga and really hope the anime continues with it.

Also the fucking is just fucking gorgeous. It has no write to hit you that hard.

Also - something else that shouldn't be allowed to hit you that hard. Damn Mafuyu has had a difficult past. We love how he learns to heal and grow with Uenoyama at his side.

Anyways, moving on.

10

Bakuten!!

Okay. Who said a sports anime could be this pretty.

I love the art style and the music throughout all of this. I love the portayal and the evolution of these character - seriously all their arcs are great. The interactions of the team is so tangible and real.

I watch a lot of sports anime and I often struggle with some of the drama used within the sports - it feels like the only thing that ever fuels the story is the matches. Whereas in Bakuten - the character seriously fuel the story. You can understand their motivations much more than just - I want to play this sport and be the best!

I also feel like they really captured everything really well in the movie. The whole concept of wanting to sore is great and really well executed.

I also love the interactions they have with the other team. It's not just a once off competition or practice match that they face each other. We actually get tangible characters for the whole team and see how much they two teams are similar to one another. It's a very healthy rivalry that isn't normally this expanded on in sports anime.

9

Sasaki and Miyano

Yesssssss. These two are just absolutely amazing. Their whole story arc and relationship is just tooth rottingly sweet. They bounce off of each other so well.

And I love the fact of how slow the actual story is. They meet at the start of Miyanos first year (from what I know - I still need to read the novels) and sasaki's second and they only end up confessing just before graduation happens. It really plays out well and is so healthy.

There is no problematic elements like in so many BL stories which is such a breath of fresh air. And the fact that sasaki is very specific about making sure to maintain boundaries to ensure that miyano is comfortable is also excellent.

On a slightly different note - I still need to see the Hirano and Kagiura movie. Been dying to watch it. I've been keeping up to date with both manga and both of these stories are amazing. I love the dichotomy of the two stories and how they are coming to their own realisations of their feelings in honestly very different ways.

I also recently watched the dub of the anime due to some videos on tiktok. Fucking hell it is absolutely hilarious. Kellen Goff as Sasaki has no reason for being that good. Seriously. Damn.

8

Link Click

On a completely different note. Damn this one makes you questions your own morals and reality as you know it.

I really don't want to get into this one much as I do believe watching it blind is the best way to go.

The art style is fantastic and that opening hits like a truck it is so good. The characters just click (pun not intended) and you just understand their motivations and don't know which side to side with most of the time. It brings about such high moral dilemmas that will seriously mess with your brain sometimes and there is one episode that will likely make you cry.

Anyways. Season 2 has just started airing and I am so ready for it.

7

Buddy Daddies

Why did a show about two queer platonic dudes who adopt a child while beings assassins hit so damn hard.

The show jumps between episodes with backstory and episodes with them just being good dads and it is balanced so well. This anime won't end up getting a sequel most likely with how it ended but damn I wouldn't say no to one.

Rei is my favourite character and I relate to him far too much. His interactions with the world are so fascinating and his whole arc with Miri is honestly some of the best media I've seen.

I absolutely loved watching this show weekly and it always brightened up my day when I realised a new episode would be up.

If you would like further thoughts on this one then check the Reviews while I watch on it for more chaos.

6

No Game No Life

So. This was the first ever anime that I ever watched. It was a random recomendation from a friend. Look at where we are today.

This show is honestly just so fun. The characters are silly and the whole plot is just absolute chaos. I really enjoy the games aspect and how it was all incorporated into the world.

I can't even really say much about it. It is just a guilty pleasure of mine and will always hold a special place in my heart.

Also. Please can it just get a second season already.

5

Assassination Classroom

So. Unlike everything else on the list - this one I only finished really recently. My partner and I were watching it together. And to put it out there straight away. I cried. That ending was far too emotional.

I really enjoyed the humour throughout the whole thing as well as the constant underlying dread of the whole situation.

They also really played out Koro-senseis backstory really well. The teasing to it was excellent. I must say though that one of the twists seriously came out of left field. Like damn.

I've just recently bought the boxset and am reading through the manga. Once again. It's absolutely amazing.

Also the openings of them all jumping are absolutely fucking hilarious and you can't tell me otherwise.

If you want to know what officially sold me on the show was just in the first episode. (Note we watched in dub)

Don't ask me why but I found this to be the most hilarious thing ever. The absurdity and the line delivery was magnificent. I annoy my partner by quoting it atleast once a day.

4

Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan

Speaking of comedies. This show has no right to be this good. The absudist dead pan comedy in the middle of whats meant to be a TV show is such a random premise but just works so well.

Due to the nature of the show, the characters are extremely relateable. I especially love Kumatani and Kikaku.

If your on the same side of anime tiktok that I am then you have definitely seen/heard snippets of the dub.

I think this was the first anime that I originally watched in sub and then tried it in dub and actually enjoyed it. (I often find that whatever I originally watched it in is the only one I can watch it in - it's very difficult for me to change it)

The voice acting on both sides just works perfectly for the show. And that final episode and how they did it was the best thing ever.

Please just give it a try.

3

Angel Beats

Okay. Time for a hard hitter. This comedy like assassintaion classroom is fucking excellent but will make you cry, like damn.

In complete and utter contrast to No game no life, this was the second anime I had ever watched. I had found a video that gave some suggestions and thought I would give this one a try. When I say it destoryed me, I mean it literally. I constantly think about the end of this and I absolutely love revisiting it.

The twist and turns along the way are fascinating and I love how each one alters the characters and the narrative. Each of the characters feel unique - even the lesser developed side characters - with fascinating and complex backstories.

The whole thing just makes you question your own place in life.

2

Moriarty the Patriot

Another one I just randomly tried because I saw a video on tiktok. The first episode immediately pulled me in. I thought it was just going to be some simple detective story (At the time I didn't know much about Sherlock Holmes and who Moriaty was so I didn't have any of that to guide me into this story.) But nope.

I keep saying this but in this one I really mean it. The characters are built so well. The dichotomy between William and Sherlock - as the fandom would probably agree - is just amazing. How they bounce off of each other - i don't even know how to really descirbe it.

Honestly just go watch it.

And if you enjoyed the anime - please go check out the manga too. If the anime was done well - then the manga is done to lamost perfection.

This show was what got me into reading and then eventually buying manga. I now have every single one that is out.

1

Yuri!!! on ICE

Did I make the title gay? Yes.

Okayyyyy. This is just going to be me going on about how much I love this show. Bare with me.

So I was in an anime watching slump just before I picked up this show. I had been seeing some videos popping up talking about it and decided to give it a try (this was in 2020)

I immediately fell in love with this show. Literally everything about it. I ended up rewatching it three times over the course of a week. It got to a point where I was so upset that there wasn't more content for it that I just cried for half a day. (Ask my partner - it was chaos)

This show is the reason I now read fanfiction - all because I found a way to technically have more content for it.

This show holds such an important place in my heart that I sincerely cannot express it properly.

If you've never watched it - go give it a try. It would mean a lot - and hopefully one day we might get a season two.

----

Thanks for reading, if you managed to get to this point. I find it interesting how my explanations managed to slowly get shorter throughout the list as I just started becoming more emotional than factual.

I hope you enjoyed it and maybe grabbed a recommendation or two. If you'd like to know more or hear me ramble on more about anything in particular then please let me know.

[thenamesblurrito]

assorted Transformers fics to rec (part two!)

first list here! have more fics i missed the first time or discovered since then or were recommended to me by others! if you decide to read these, i recommend leaving a comment if you can to encourage the writers and show some love! 🥰 note: the ones marked with * were ones i read a long time ago and did not reread before adding them to this list, so i am going off the good vibes in my memory

An Act of Revenge for Crimes Uncommitted

canon soup, incomplete, AO3. young Orion Pax wakes up mutilated, empurata'd, and his assailants punished him for the crimes of one Optimus Prime. ooooo this is kind of heartwrenching, truly intriguing and unjust and mmmmm drama. time travel, gore, mind the tags here, a fascinating look at a bad timeline! some of the functionism stuff in here actually helped inspire my own functionist setup in SNAP

Blackout and Reboot

canon soup, complete multichap, AO3. amnesia was not on the table when Thundercracker agreed to go undercover as a human. giant robot aliens weren't on the table when Marissa took it upon herself to help the weirdest guy she'd ever met. it's a match made in heaven. i love this fic okay it's got some fantastic wth moments and TC being TC and Marissa being awesome and just. i like it. the writing could use some technical polish but the action and plot concept are good, and the fun alien/human interactions are my jam. has a sequel i haven't read

Canonfodder*

TFP, incomplete, Spacebattles. a series of harrowing updates from a poor hapless nobody isekai'd into the body of a Vehicon on dead Cybertron, and all the nonsense that spirals from there. i like this one, the pacing can get a lil jagged and the technical skill of the writing is a bit off but that's often the nature of these forum fics, i didn't mind it. definitely love the inclusion of Kup, and space video games, and the limited but interesting choices the protag can make when presented with such a dismal situation makes for a very compelling, journal-style story. if you don't know how to navigate forum fics like this, just use the links in the first post to skip to each snippet

Catching Feelings

TFA, oneshot with sequel, AO3. Bumblebee and Charlie are clearly a Thing, so what's Optimus doing thinking about her so much? honestly i just like this ship concept especially in a TFA context, it's very cute and awwwww poor Op, sorry you're experiencing emotions!

Commonality and Misunderstandings

canon soup, incomplete, AO3. a collection of scenes showing just how humans and mecha can figure each other out, no matter how wide the cross-cultural divide. this is cute! i like the human OCs and the shenanigans. talks about gender perceptions, has some mech-preg mentions, and hits some good emotional moments

the consequences of being a vehicle on Earth - even if only as a part-timer

TFA, oneshot, AO3. out of everyone who has to deal with the legality of autonomous sentient vehicles, it's Fanzone. dear god, save him. a very funny little read that honestly addresses some things i constantly wonder about re: driving laws and the bots. nothing more tortuous than the DMV!

Curious Thing, Isn't It?

vaguely G1, oneshot, AO3. the Ark crew, freshly crashed on Earth and uncomprehending of English, discover one of the tiny squishy native inhabitants. a very cute little scene, i love the variety of reactions and how they treat the kid they found

A Fourth to Remember

G1, oneshot, AO3. it's the 4th of July, and Wheeljack has taken it upon himself to make a fireworks show. lovely little story of his typical nonsense taken large-scale, and some interesting culture collision too!

The Great Space Opera

IDW/TFP crossover, incomplete, AO3. Brainstorm does a whoopsie and uh oh, is that Team Prime in the Lost Light? only a little bit written but VERY fun and i love the mindbending reactions of Ratchet meeting Ratchet. the whole premise is just. mwah

Introduction to Cybertronian Biomechanics

canon soup, incomplete, AO3. a small collection of medical essays and articles detailing a breakdown of anatomy. really fascinating, very coherent explanation that manages to condense canon and fanon into something understandable, perhaps even plausible!

Liberty Island's Decisive Battle: Godzilla vs Trypticon!

Aligned/Godzilla crossover, oneshot, AO3. when Trypticon is resurrected by dark energon and heads towards New York, Fowler remembers a certain other giant lizard monster that might be able to help. Rescue Bots cameo, Miko gets to speak Japanese, Godzilla is awesome, this is just the fic ever

Malto Family Search & Rescue

ES, oneshot, AO3. a Decepticon named Thundercracker shows up at the Malto home in the middle of the night to beg a vital favor: help find his lost dog! SUCH a cute and good and wonderful little fic that fits right in to canon!! i love TC and i love the Malto family interactions and just. oogh lovely little fic. has sequels that i am saving for a rainy day pick me up

marriages of convenience (and the inconvenience of explaining them)

IDW, oneshot, AO3. Minimus is a widower. this fun fact is dropped rather unceremoniously. the painful awkwardness is marvelously in character, there are feelings and funnies and an uncomfortably heartfelt discussion about this matter-of-fact revelation that manages to characterize each of them so well, especially Minimus

Murder Mystery Night

IDW, oneshot, AO3. it's NIGHTBEAT'S NIGHT, BABY! lovely little mystery following around the Lost Light's greatest detective when a fun game night is abruptly shut down by a real actual murder! can Nightbeat find the killer in time?

nothing is more sacred than any other thing

vaguely G1, oneshot, AO3. Skyfire is a nerdy scientist with nerdy friends, which means most shenanigans surrounding him are nerdy. very cute and fun little fic about friends and mushrooms and Starscream being duped! first in a series of oneshots that i haven't gotten around to reading yet but look equally lovely

Objectification

G1, oneshot, AO3. a human and a Cybertronian have very different opinions on who exactly the victim is in an oversexualized music video. stupid funny and good, just the way i like it! last line kills me

Optimus Prime is Destined to Die!!

canon soup AU, incomplete, AO3. poor little Orion is isekai'd into a Cybertronian fantasy light novel as one of the soon-to-die forgettable side characters: the cold prince Optimus Prime. supposed to be MegOp but that hasn't really shown up yet. fantastic premise i leapt at immediately, with interesting royal politics and classic isekai tropey vibes. it's a little slow in places from a lot of (warranted!) purple prose introspection, but i find it cool enough to read through and follow poor Orion adjusting to his new existence!

Return Me to the Stars

TFA AU, incomplete, AO3. when a near-dead little Prime is picked up by the Nemesis, it sparks a lot of shenanigans, mysteries, and interesting political developments, all thanks to Optimus being Optimus. i really love the way this fic is developing, with a terrified Autobot in enemy territory doing the best he can, an expanded cast of Decepticons, a lot of fun worldbuilding, and very engaging and dynamic interactions. features a good bit of whump for our tough lil Prime. tagged as MegOP which is still slowly developing, pretty realistically taking their time to find some kind of even footing without breaking their characterization which i greatly appreciate! the writing itself could use some spellchecking but the plot and pacing are very engaging nonetheless

Scaredy-Car

G1, oneshot, AO3. i love a good comedic misunderstanding and boy the assumptions people are making about Breakdown are WHOOF. kinda cracky, a smidgeon dirty, and just the right amount of loserness that is the entirety of the Decepticon army

The Season of the Smallest Stars

sorta IDW/Stardew Valley crossover?, incomplete, AO3. you weren't expecting a small troop of adorable little robots to help you with your farmwork. a very soft cute little fic, i love it!!! never played SV but it's easy enough to follow along anyway, and i love the cute beeping Lost Light bots helping out our farmer

Second Star From Morning

technically IDW, incomplete, AO3. only a little bit written but SELF INSERT BABYYYYYYYYY gotta love it when your protagonists are aware that this is in fact a fictional character! the panic, the questions, the wahuh?? captivating premise, i hope the author comes back to it someday

Skywarp And The Wonders Of The Unnatural World

G1, oneshot, AO3. their summary sums it up best: "The Elite Trine have a very serious and mature debate on the existence of mythical creatures." extremely funny to me, i LOVE when they're stupid and petty and catty and silly!! Skywarp is so dumb i love him so much

Small Problems*

G1, ongoing series, AO3. average human Crystal finds some shrunken Autobots lost in the big city, and her life only gets weirder from there. an OC-centric series that--spoilers for later in the series--may have been one of the original "human turned into Transformer" fics! the whole series goes from sweet and funny to heartwrenching and angsty, with a lot of in between. i love the OC and sympathize with the horrible things she ends up going through, and also the heights to which she rises! slowburn Prowl/OC, with a bit of love triangle with Jazz in there too (funfact this was the second ever piece of media in which i encountered Blurr)

Sparkless

TFP, incomplete, AO3. a Vehicon left behind finds itself fixed up by a human, and might just gain some personhood along the way. a VERY sweet little story oogh i love this Vehicon!! poor thing i want to give them hot chocolate and a blankie. it's a lovely story with an intriguing premise

Stop Me*

TFP, incomplete (but with over 200 chapters), FFN. Starscream nearly dies at the claws of the Predacons... and then he's alive again, in the past, as if none of that ever happened. a rather (in?)famous fic in the fandom, i've found, although when i first read it i didn't know that. a very interesting take on a Starscream redemption AU, paired with some fascinating outlier power moments! a little bit wooby about Screamer (maybe a lot wooby?), a lot of whump, a lot of emotion, maybe some hints of StarOP idk if that's become an actual ship since i last checked. ymmv on this one depending on your Starscream opinions but i was hooked for the whole time for sure! i need to catch up, it's technically still updating. also the author has another, shorter, complete Starscream redemption fic which i also enjoyed, check that out too

A Streetcar Named Traitor

G1, oneshot, AO3. Megatron doesn't take Starscream's defection well and Optimus has had enough. very stupid, very funny, makes me cackle as Megsy gets dunked on

Sudden Active Development... I certainly feel SAD at the moment*

TFP, incomplete, Spacebattles. another isekai forum fic, this time somebody gets dropped into the body of Nemesis Prime and has to deal with running around as an Optimus lookalike! i like the misunderstandings and the process of adapting to a strange new body. some stilted dialogue, and it gets a little weird about gender perception but i can gloss over that. ramps up with more canon characters, a sprinkling of OCs, and completely taking canon off the rails within the last few posts! this one has threadmarks for easy navigation

Turning Points*

vaguely G1 AU, incomplete, FFN. Prowl was one of the most brilliant tacticians among the Decepticons, and then they destroyed his home. it's gonna be a long climb into the good graces of the Autobots for this defector. an absolutely fantastic character driven piece with a brilliant premise, i love how Prowl is written. and the politics of defecting and dealing with a security hazard, mmmmm good!

An Uneasy Partnership*

sorta G1/Armada/canon soup?, ongoing series, FFN. Alexis keeps an unruly Starscream in her barn. this can only go well. this series is WILD, it escalates and gets worse and then better and then worse again, you root for Screamer and then you hate him, poor Alexis is on a constant horrid rollercoaster but hey, (spoilers), she gets a cool robot body and also a tyrant king boyfriend out of it??? but man is it a long, manipulative, whumpy road to get there. the powerplays and emotional turmoil in their dynamic just keep going and it's fascinating, although probably not for you if you don't like bad power imbalances. it's the end of the world as we know it and whatever comes on the other end is going to be only as good as you make of it. i think this series may also be sort of (in)famous in the fandom? idk i don't pay attention that well

Untitled

IDW, drabble, tumblr. in an unexpected meetcute, Minimus finds himself rescuing Rung. honestly it's just a quick little concept of a conversation but it has captivated me and i'm obsessed with it

[dude1818]

Anime Year in Review

Last year I made a silly post ranking the three shows I happened to watch. This year, I got way more into anime (and manga), so let's do it properly this time

Revue Starlight* - Easy top star spot. This anime was flawless. I watched it twice this year and will be watching it again. The story, the animation, the music were all impeccable. The music, oh my god; I listen to the soundtrack every day. Some of my other favorites on this list I'd only recommend based on your personal tastes, but this show should be watched by everyone. (The sequel and spin-offs, not so much. They all use the revues in a way that completely undermines the premise of the main series)

Heavenly Delusion - So fucking good. Second on this list, but I think it's the best show that came out this year. Deeply traumatic, but in such a satisfying way. The horror elements were so brutal and so well done, and I love that the man-eating monsters were the least gruesome part of the show. If it wasn't for the stinker of the ice monster episode, I think this could've been my favorite anime

Call of the Night* - Adored this show. Yes it's a celebration of the hedonism of vampires, but it's so earnest and down-to-earth with it that it feels so good to watch that I did it twice (sub and dub). I also got into the manga, which is sadly wrapping up next month, but hopefully that prompts an announcement about season 2

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End - Super chill show, which is a great way to wind down the week. It's such a cool concept too, following the adventurer after the adventure is over. It's just a reflection on life and I love it

The Witch from Mercury (cour 2) - Given that I run a sideblog just for this show, it might be surprising that it's so low on my list, but the second cour was a lot weaker than the first. Not nearly enough of Suletta and Miorine interacting, and way too much chaff following Guel's B-plot. I've said it before, but I think the worst part of this Gundam show is that it's a Gundam show. A+ epilogue though, and Suletta is still my favorite character this year

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off - I enjoyed the original comic and the live action movie. I didn't realize this new adaption was really a sequel, but it ended up being a great way to bring the old story to the modern decade. (Two decades later isn't much, but it was very of-its-time)

Spy x Family (cour 2) - Very fun show. Following several viewpoint characters means the individual episodes might be hit-or-miss (as much as I love Anya, the episodes at the school are relatively bland), but the overall package was sweet and enjoyable

Nimona - Another comic I really enjoyed. The movie was strong, although it cut a lot of parts out that I thought were important to the original story

The Orbital Children - Directed by the same person who directed one of my long-time favorites (Dennou Coil), the first two acts of this really felt like a modern update. Stunning visuals, great sci-fi, thrilling adventure. Went totally off the deep in the third act, though

Joshiraku* - As the characters pointed out, adapting a manga that takes entirely inside the green room of a stand-up comedy club is an odd choice. It was off-the-charts hilarious, though. Considering some of the scripts were entirely pun-based, it must've been an immense amount of work to translate, but they absolutely pulled it off

Oshi no Ko - The only reason I watched this show was because the OP was such a banger. (Several fantastic anime songs by YOASOBI this year, and Idol is easily my favorite.) The first, feature-length episode was incredible and I literally cried at the end. If it was a stand-alone movie, it would be a couple of spots higher on this list. The rest of the show was fine, but not really what I was here for. I'll probably still watch season 2 though

Arknights: Prelude to Dawn* - I bounced off the gacha game immediately, but the worldbuilding and character designs seemed cool, so I wanted to give the anime adaptation a chance. The plot was very thin but serviceable enough. At least it looked nice to watch.

The Magical Revolution of ... - Not typing that whole thing out. It was a cute show. The yuri stuff was nice, but I wish for a show about a magical inventor, there was a non-zero amount of magical inventing shown on screen

* indicates the show aired prior to 2023

A lot of shows I really loved this year. Looking forward to next year, the anime I'm most hyped for is obviously Dungeon Meshi. It looks like it's going to be incredible. The second season of Arcane is also scheduled to come out late next year, which is also very exciting. Technically Frieren has a second cour in January, but they're airing both cours as basically a single 24-episode season, so that doesn't really count

For older shows I mean to catch up on, YouTube has recced me clips of probably every single joke from K-On!, and it's really grown on me. Definitely going to watch that soon. I'm also in the mood to watch Bocchi the Rock! again. I should also make myself watch the first couple episodes of PMMM. Nothing I've seen on Tumblr has grabbed me for that one, but it's right in the middle of some of the other shows I was gushing about here and it would be dumb not to try it

[beanghostprincess]

Ohhhh dark princess beanghost deliverer of all that good good Sanuso, deliver upon us your forbidden and darkest knowledge of transfem!Usopp!Sanuso. Is she in lesbians with transfem Sanji? Are they T4T transfemxtransmasc? Did cis, Bi guy Sanji manage to find the only woman in the OP universe who finds him charming (and it just happens to be the first one that he truly and honestly actually falls in love so deeply with in a way none of his crushes ever even compared to because of course Usopp is beautiful and sexy but she’s also silly and KIND and smart and his best friend and he cannot shut up about her? ) Please please tell us what you think I want some more transfem Usopp in my life

You ask, I deliver and share my knowledge. Don't use this fantastic and dark, magical information for the evil.

Okay, so I absolutely love all of these ideas for Transfem!Usopp and Sanuso. My favorite probably is them being lesbians and dating because if you can make a ship sapphic, do it. Always. It's the best thing you can do to a ship. Turn them into women. Makes it 100% better. Probably saying this because I am a lesbian myself and I love sapphic couples. But yes.

So, I actually love the whole Cis guy Sanji falling for Transfem!Usopp, but I'm gonna mix both ideas because I am a genius and I just had a revelation.

Usopp comes out as a trans girl to the crew when they find each other at Sabaody after two years. Everyone accepts her, of course, and Nami couldn't be happier to have her in the girls' room now (they're so best friends I love them). Sanji, after his time at Momoiro Island, takes it well. As well as he can take it, of course, having in mind that he still doesn't understand the whole concept of being trans yet (he feels such fury and hatred towards it... Why would that be, I wonder). He still feels weird around it, but when it's Usopp the one to say she's a girl... It's different, now. Sanji starts to understand everything better.

It's not like Usopp changes that much, after that. Her hair is longer and she still keeps it messy or in a low ponytail. Her clothes are basically the same, but now with a bit more of femininity to them. Sanji doesn't know how to put it, but the way she moves and speaks and dresses now is a bit different, yet completely the same. Perhaps it's just him. Perhaps seeing her as a woman has changed him, even if Usopp hasn't changed much. Whatever- Sanji has everything under control (or so he says) because, even if Usopp is a girl, she's still his best friend. They're best friends. They established that two years ago and it still remains a true fact.

Usopp does get the gentleman treatment from Sanji, of course. She might be his best friend but she's still a girl (a very, very beautiful girl with a wonderful brain and looks and voice and-) and the cook can't hold back from literally throwing up hearts and bleeding everywhere whenever he sees her. The sniper (who may or may not have the hugest crush on Sanji) appreciates this gesture, thinking at first that it's just Sanji's way of telling her that she accepts her. She thinks that he's faking all of this. At first, of course. Because then it becomes genuine and constant and she kind of understands how Nami feels, because damn the guy is annoying most of the time. But also, well- Usopp loves being loved by him, even if it's in the same way for every other girl he meets.

The things is... Sanji doesn't feel like he's the same with other girls. He acts like that with them because that's how a man should treat a woman (worshipping her completely), but he does all of this for Usopp because, well, that's his best friend. His sniper. And the way she makes him feel is something he has never actually experienced before. Sanji realizes, then, while their relationship keeps growing (holding hands, stargazing together, hidden smiles, obvious blushes, nervous laughter, all their moments alone...) that it's not only the fact that he's probably in love with Usopp (wow, surprising, right?) but... He kind of wants to be like her?

Sanji puts the thought aside, though. Love is more important. Love. Whatever he feels for Usopp. He has never, ever experienced this before, unlike what most people might think. And it's driving him crazy. Because what is he supposed to do when the love he feels is too much to not show it and too scary to make Usopp know? So burying his feelings deep down with the hope they'll disappear soon is the answer to everything! (Don't do this, Sanji is just stupid).

But of course, the feelings don't go away. He just falls even more and more and more for her. From the way she laughs to the way she talks excitedly about her new creations. And she's the same Usopp he used to know, just a bit different and, well, happier. More confident. Way sexier now that she acts more freely. Sanji can't handle this. Especially when it comes hand in hand with the poisonous sensation that he tries hard to keep at bay. The envy. The longing. The wanting to be free, like that. Sanji dreams a lot about the dress he used to wear back at Momoiro. It felt good on his skin. Something felt good on his skin for once.

Whatever. It doesn't have to mean antyhing. He's just in love with Usopp, that can accept it. And wanting to be like the girls he constantly cherishes isn't that weird. He had his moment in Punk Hazard with Nami's body, right? It isn't- It isn't weird.

Then Whole Cake Island happens, and everything starts crumbling down around him. First of all because he's gonna end up getting married to a girl he doesn't even know, leaving the real love of his life behind. And second, because he's starting to realize some stuff he didn't want to admit before- But being so close to men. To the men who hurt him. Thinking so much about the way he loved his mom... How much Reiju says he looks like her and how little bothered he is by that, in fact wanting to look more and more like her. Long hair. Long eyelashes. Beautiful, beautiful woman.

He thinks about Usopp a lot, there, when he feels trapped. About her smile and her eyes and her voice and her outfits that are not feminine at all and yet still feel meant to be worn by a woman. He thinks about the way he loves her, so deeply and unconditionally and both physically and emotionally. He thinks about wanting to share that experience of freedom with her, and thinks that- Well. Sometimes- Sometimes he thinks about dresses. And make up. And how being called a princess would still hurt but would hurt only because of the meaning behind of the word and not because of the word itself. And Reiju tells him about it. About their mom and that the way he acts isn't because of being weak, but human. And then she mentions that well, of course she has empathy, she's a girl. And Sanji wonders if it's, maybe and just maybe, the same for him.

Her.

Yeah. That feels good enough.

She realizes suddenly, everything she had been bottling up, making her heart explode into a million pieces. Then the pieces are all put together by Luffy, who's the first to know. Sanji tells him about wanting- About maybe being a woman. Luffy only smiles and says that he likes the way Sanji smiles when she pronounces the word. That those are great news, even, because Sanji would never hurt a woman, and all of this (running away and forcing Luffy to leave her alone) is hurting her. So she has to come back to the crew for a woman to be happy. It doesn't make any sense, but Sanji cries anyway.

So, stuff happens. Sanji has a lot of time to think. And then they get to Wano. It's not the best time to come out, honestly, but she has to do it or else they will probably end up burnt to death by a big ass dragon before she can actually be herself fully. She doesn't have the guts to tell Usopp privately, even if she wants her to be at least the second one to know, so she tells the whole crew (and Torao, for some reason, because he's always there). She doesn't stop looking at Usopp's eyes, though. For something like... Acceptance? Support? Understanding? Love? Sanji isn't sure, but it makes talking about this easier.

Once again, everyone accepts it, of course. Zoro makes a joke about her just wanting to be in the girls room, and she doesn't even have to kick her because Robin is the one to smack him in the head without her extra arm being noticed right away. It's not a huge change because they can't do much now, but Kinemon gives her a proper kimono for her. She feels... So pretty.

Usopp tells her she looks pretty, so happy and joyful and proud of Sanji it makes the cook melt under her gaze. She notices a bit of blush, too, on her best friend's face, so she takes her to a private place to talk things out. To actually talk things out.

Sanji confesses that her new self is basically thanks to Usopp, and so she thanks her with a shy smile and a laugh. And Usopp hugs her. Tight. It almost makes them both cry. And Sanji doesn't really know why it happens or how it happens or- Or even when, but Usopp kisses her. And she moves away as quickly as she leaned in, starting to mutter anxious words under her breath and apologizing for using this moment to confess, but she just couldn't go into such dangerous adventure without making Sanji know first.

The weight on Sanji's shoulders disappears, and the urge to kiss Usopp back becomes stronger than anything else.

Long story short, because it's nighttime and I work tomorrow morning: Sanji and Usopp move to the girls' room, which means work for Franky to make it wider. Sanji is more femme fatale while Usopp goes more for a nerdy, messy vibe. And they start dating, of course, and become the most annoying sapphic couple in this ship. Also, Sanji grows her hair long for her mom and Usopp loves to help her taking care of it. If they call Ivankov or not for a lil bit of help with her bodies, that's up to you, but I like the thought of Sanji wanting to change her whole body (except her killer thighs grrr) and Usopp like, wanting boobs but not too big and also still keeping the lower parts bc, and I quote: "Why would you want something that's harder to pee with?" and even Nami would agree.

They're the cheesiest and clingiest most beautiful couple ever. Live laugh love transfem Sanuso.

[brucewaynehater101]

i remember you asking for batfam hcs and that i sent one.

absolutely forgot what it was though… lol

anyways; how are you op in this fine friday

No worries about the hc ~

I'm doing pretty alright. Have you played the Arkham Knight game? Someone told me I had to complete all the riddles for the "true ending," and I'm about ready to shake the Riddler until all the question marks fall off of him.

There's 243 riddles, and he spends the entire time mocking you :(

There's some cool hidden ones, though! The scenery is absolutely gorgeous, and the concept art it sometimes unlocks is fantastic. I wonder if they sell some of them as posters.

Anyways, how are you doing? The sun isn't even up where I'm at, but I figure we have a wee bit of a time difference.

[tiredtief]

Just now saw your response to my addition on the bedtime abolition post, which now has reblogs turned off, and I just wanted to thank you for your fantastic addition. The beehive example is spot on. There's a time and place for natural consequences, but they have to be reasonable. A skinned knee is reasonable. Attacked by a swarm of bees is not. You get it. If only more people did 🤦🏻‍♀️

It has reblogs turned off now? lmfaooo OP's a coward

Thank you though! Glad you agree. I personally have zero interest in having kids for a variety of reasons but for some reason am constantly getting 'gentle parenting' stuff recommended to me on Instagram and such, and it's genuinely infuriating to watch people just not be parents to their children in the name of concepts like 'freedom' and 'validation'. It's not right to scream at and berate your children or lock them away from things, but that doesn't equate to just letting them do whatever either. Your kids rely on you as their first and most consistent teacher, it's your responsibility as a parent to - you know - parent them. Letting your kids destroy their health because 'oh they need to learn that themselves' is unreasonable.

[kicktwine]

So how was stormblood? I know it's very hit or miss for people, so what're your thoughts?

I understand why it’s hit or miss! It — to get to the point i would be straight up lying if I said I was an unbiased consumer because I’m not, I’m a coastal American mid 20s rando with a Lot of very current cultural baggage around concepts like patriotism and freedom. And Hamilton references. It all has a sweet and strong and very anti-occupation message (along with themes I very much enjoy dissecting like the constant assertion that it Doesn’t Have To Be This Way, or the expansion into You may not understand this person but you must be able to accept them,) but when combined with Stormblood’s shakier coherence in writing and dialogue and pacing, it comes off as A Bit Off. to me. And I think it missed ever so slightly just due to how it was all structured and set up with the characters we have and motivations we have because the stuff OUTSIDE or Adjacent to the main story, despite how out of place it could feel, was structured great!! Like the Kojin and the Ananta trial and the Kugane mishaps and trying to murder Zenos twice and the ghost ship. Could the main structure have come across very well yes absolutely! It does it on and off it succeeds in there often! But sometimes it doesn’t. I can see a lot of where concepts were promised and not fully delivered, pacing was a bit off, things just happened without really belonging there (despite how much I loved Susano, he could have been better structured. same with many instances and also I feel like the unethical science should have been MORE IMPORTANT THAN IT — maybe it comes back. Who is that scientist.), sometimes dialogue felt somewhat canned. I feel like in a consequences-heavy expansion, many things just didn’t have important consequences, which was very strange

HOWEVER! I cannot give the new gameplay features abd dungeons any crap they are all SO GOOD. And so PRETTYYYYY. And there were so many solo duties that ruled! Every dungeon in this expansion was like whoa this is a PLACE im in you know what I mean??? I’m in a place that’s big and there’s people and there’s NEW MECHANICS and active time maneuvers (??!!!!!!!) and unique fights! I can jump on the roofs in Kugane! And, mind you, when the dialogue was good, it was good. Lyse has a fantastic voice actor. Alisaie is my favorite girl elf creature in thw world. Estinien is like the best p- the guy ever. also m’naago is my new friend. The tower was a great part of sb to me despite my singular gripe. I think Zenos’— I know it’s controversial to some people because he does assume your wol to be a bit more murderous than some people would prefer their characters be and doesn’t take no for an answer, but his um speech did something to my brain a little bit

ON that note the ending was very fast?????? Or like — not FAST, but I wasn’t expecting Zenos or Shinryu to go down in one fight. Two co-op fights, right next to each other. I kind of wanted to beat him up myself. And when Zenos was so impossible to beat before. I was expecting both of them to be WAY harder. Though Shinryu is a COOL fight I’d do the royal menagerie again in a second. I was kind of expecting a three stage trial? Like Nidhogg? I love going into space hiiii big dragon where were you this whole time… u were shafted… but u could not be suffered to live so. Maybe if we’d gotten an instance of fighting the dragon alone after beating the trial?? Could have been Themes. I don’t know

anyways no I can’t quite pin it down, but I’ve said it before I think they had the outline for the story and then built it and went oh this is too much and not enough at the same time and got stuck writing the whole thing after getting stuck in the story they already had. A COMMENDABLE job for getting turned around like that, way better than a lot of video games stories out there, good gameplay and areas that didn’t feel too empty. glances at coerthas falcons nest area. I think the ways they did the exploration thing was good, having us venture further into occupied territory etc, but so much exploration stuff felt oneoff and not there to do much for someone who has been skipping almost all of the side content except stuff I’ve been told is good. It almost felt like they were Trying New Stuff a lot, and some of it succeeded some of it failed. Such is trying stuff!! Such is trying to imitate what you had while making something new and exciting! And I can’t fault them for that

so like — putting aside the fact that I haven’t done post-sb which is like missing 40% of the Thing according to past expansions and my thoughts very well might change, i would 100% do the fights again, maybe watch some cutscenes, but I don’t think I’d NG+ this one. where is that lady selling buuz it is a CRIME i did not get to have any buuz let me buy one yoshi p

[astralfrontier]

I think I've figured out what I don't like about Star Trek Discovery. But to explain it, I have to talk about what I do like, and where I am - which is midway through Season 2.

First, Michael Burnham, herself, is a good character. She's confident, talented, driven, capable of making mistakes (and makes a very big one at the opening of the show), but also capable of taking big risks and coming out on top. She admits when she's wrong, but she's not afraid to tell other people when they are. For the most part, she's the sort of character we're told Starfleet wants to have as officers.

Second, she's surrounded by interesting oddballs. Stamets is a wonderful academic who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, and he's got a loving and tender relationship which is a fucking rarity in Starfleet. Tilly is like a visitor from a more mature Lower Decks. And so on. It's really Michael's show, but she's got a good crew around her - some of whom can give her orders.

Third, the ship's concept is really neat. It's a combination flying science labs and black-ops project, like Half-Life's Black Mesa in space.

So I'm still watching the show, because I feel all this potential there, but I sometimes wrestle with it. And here's why.

Every plotline has to orbit Michael Burnham. Most recently, she takes a mentally tortured Vulcan to a planet for help and the point of being on that planet, seemingly, is to just tell her a story about what happened, then see some exposition. That trip could have just happened, she could look angsty while specialists do their work, and then there's a scene of truth if not reconciliation.

But this isn't an isolated case. Just over and over, the writing pushes her to the center of the action. She's got personal connections to every single thing that matters. Some hypothetical time traveler could apparently screw up the Federation for centuries just by messing with her timeline a tiny bit.

The times when this doesn't happen - like when it's Stamets, not her, in a time loop - are so delicious, because she's smart and clever and has this out of context problem thrown at her repeatedly, and she prevails. It's episodes like this that convince me Burnham is a good character independent of the spotlight the writers seem intent on locking onto her 24/7.

(This is also my problem with Voyager - some of the characters there are good, some are meh, a few are fantastic, but MY GOD the writing is like a vampire that just sucks the enjoyment out of watching it)

The show is having wild hate-sex with TOS-era canon. The show really, really wants to remind you that it's the immediate prequel to TOS. Like look, here's Captain Pike, here's Spock, there's the Enterprise, but we're also going to drop this multiversal mushroom network on you out of NOWHERE, we're going to a lot of stuff with Klingons, we're just doing all this wild shit.

I'm glad they're swinging for the fences though. The Sphere is probably the most impactful encounter they have in Season 2 in terms of its story impacts, and it's just such a wonderful TOS-era thing. There's this big weird object in space, there's literally nothing like it anywhere else, it's dangerous but not malicious, we're going to pit Federation ingenuity against the puzzle it represents, and we're going to have a good outcome if we're lucky.

The show sure likes to sleep on its ensemble. I love Saru and Stamets and Tilly, but I wish we'd heard more about that weird cyborg lady, Airiam, who's on the bridge before she's under it. They dropped TIG NOTARO on us as a sassy engineer, give her more love. Detmer clearly has a ton of emotion she's processing. I want to see her actress, Emily Coutts, in more stuff. It feels like they almost put in too many characters and then shone spotlight on the same few all the time, and then would pull others from their back pocket for moments of drama.

All of these things are why I'm looking forward to Season 3, where it seems the writers hit the reset button on a lot of this and are trying something new. I don't know if it'll be a better new, but it'll solve the problems Season 1-2 have given me. And I want to see what Strange New Worlds does.

[proosh]

post the meta op - @ludwigbeilschmidts (and tag me pls)

As requested, @ludwigbeilschmidts;

So it took me a bit to figure this out, but I've decided to approach this as a general analysis and brief overview from my perspective so you're going to have to forgive me for being a bit rambling lmao

(Cw for discussions of historical gender and misogyny)

One of the things that struck me when doing research that Prussia was, as a nation, pretty weird in its concept of gender. I’ll mostly be focusing on Frederican Prussia here because that has the most meat to chew on and is what I’m most familiar with:

Interpreting Gil as a trans dude (so much as the concept can be applied to an early modern context) puts him in such an interesting position re: the toxic hypermasculine chauvinism of the martial culture of Prussia, and especially the contemporary standards of manhood. Masculinity was a performance and a duty, and within Fritz’ personal circle it was explicitly homosocial, homoerotic, and homosexual — Fritz himself was a raging misogynist to the point he managed to alienate and offend potential allies into turning against him by being a crude and often cruel chauvinist.

It's an interesting point to note that FW1 (Fritz' father) and his brand of extremely austere, no-frills-attached masculinity was, as similar to "modern" misogyny as it is, an aberration for the time. In the 1700s masculinity was - at least in aristocratic circles - very much typified by "effete" homosociality, high levels of personal grooming and pomp, and a personal cultivation of interest in high arts and culture.

It’s that “performance” of masculinity that interests me re: HWS Prussia, and even if he were a cis man I do believe he would be operating under a sense of gender identity that would be foreign and register as “queer” to the modern reader. He’s a soldier so he performs his duty as is expected of him, and I feel like that echoes into the other elements of his identity: gender and sexuality.

Which brings me back to my preference for interpreting him as a trans man within the the context of what he represents and why I find it narratively fascinating and fulfilling — What does this mean for him? Where does Gilbert begin and end within the performance of duty and manhood of his nation? Does he find familiarity within the “effete”, homosocial structure of Frederican era masculinity, or does he prefer the later, stricter gendered lines? He knows he’s not a woman, but what makes him a man?

There’s something to be said about the contrast between the homoerotic manhood of the Enlightenment Era and the homosexual scandals of Imperial Germany but this post has gotten long enough already and I don’t think I’ve really said anything much at all in the first place.

There’s really so much to consider and I didn’t even touch on the neurotic and bizarre gendered fanaticism of the Knights (@makwandis would be a fantastic person to ask about this!), or the recurring Cassandras within Prussian folklore, the interpersonal dynamic of being Ludwig's creator (father, mother, brother), or the delirious genderfuck of the Weimar Republic. Maybe those posts will be written at a later date if people are interested.

Thank you so so so much for the ask, I hope I’ve managed to give you something to chew on, this is really one of my favourite topics ❤️

[maareyas]

So is Halley’s abilities somewhat like time dilation? Just that i got reminded of how increased gravity can slow down time. Its one of einsteins theories if im not wrong.

Oh also i like to think what the storm reverses is spacetime (that is, when i wanna get sciencey) which isnt the same as time itself. So this distinction you’ve made isnt too out there I don’t think.

I don’t think halley’s abilities are op for r1999, but if you’re still on the fence about it why not look at it from a different angle and see which one you prefer? So like same concept but different ways to do it, i find it helps when coming up with abilities. (its actually happening to me rn as i make ocs for this anime im watching)

it IS (supposed to be) time dilation but. I wasn't sure if I was being any accurate about it :''''D

full disclaimer: physics is my weakest subject right after biochemistry, so when I went to do research on time dilation and the Theory of Relativity in general, I could barely understand alkjlkaslkjalsd so I didn't use the term "time dilation". But yeah, Halley's powers were intended to be space-time manipulation, specifically. (though maybe working more fantastically than in real life)

what angle do you mean? <:3c (also i am grabbing you through your screen. tell me about your ocs n o w )