#HIKARI IS NOT EVEN MY FAVORITE CHARACTER. FIRST OF ALL

[obae-me]

Hello, and welcome to another installment of niche content containing another mash of my two special interests. Written out of boredom at the airport. Today's edition, fueled with my excitement of being able to go to none other than Miku Expo 2024, I give:

The Brothers As My Favorite Vocaloid Songs!

Yes, I know, please, quell your excitement. I know everyone was waiting for this one. I will take no criticisms or judgments, only enthusiastic additions.

Warning: While nothing stated in this post needs a full content warning, if anyone decides to look up these songs, many songs themselves have plenty of individual warnings, so please search with caution.

Lucifer:

Now, the song I think he'd actually enjoy listening to is Daughter of Evil. It's got tragedy behind it, the song is a bit more classical/waltzy, exactly the kind of thing he likes. However based off his vibes alone, I'm gonna say Honey I'm Home. Mostly because I love Ghost and Pals but also because religious trauma. And I know other people agree with me because I've seen fanart of it.

Mammon:

I think Mammon would listen to Sand Planet. Oo, or Bring it On. Do I have a detailed explanation as to why? Not really in so many words, but it just seems like something he'd listen to, I feel it in my bones. I will not be taking any questions. Now the song I think he embodies? Wildcard. I mean, the whole motif is about playing cards, it's upbeat and fast paced and I love it and I love Kasane Teto even more.

Levi:

I will physically fight anyone who doesn't think Levi listens to Rolling Girl at least once a day (I won't actually fight anyone but I feel very strongly on this matter). It helps him get through hard times but it also makes him cry. Which...same, Levi, same. But if Leviathan were to be a song itself, I'd have to pass it over to Volt Tackle by Deco*27. Pokémon, talking about fighting and struggling at first to capture someone's love? Oo, or Digital Girl. It's got him written all over it. (Or if I want to be sad, give him Anthropophobia)

Satan:

See, Satan is hard because I never know if I envision him listening to heavy metal or if he prefers soft melodies. And, I mean, I know he can like more than one genre at once, but picking THE song I think he'd listen to is hard... but if I'm going off of what I like as well as gut instinct... Abstract Nonsense. Now, selected off his character, I'd have to pick Hikari Yo. It's just very emotional and desperate and the poor demon boi is like that on the inside quite a lot. WAIT or Pathalogical Facade! Oo, lots of options for Good Ol Satan.

Asmo:

Easy, he'd love Gimmie×Gimmie and I don't think I need any further explanation on this opinion. I actually think Asmo would unironically like a lot of vocaloid songs, personally. And as for his songification, I handpick Aishite, Aishite, Aishite. And I know there's a lot of different people's interpretations to this song and everything and people get very... I guess territorial when it comes to this song (at least from specific corners I've seen) but it makes sense to me. It's a really popular song and it's hauntingly beautiful and it's about wanting to be loved and adored and this is MY post so I can say whatever I want about it.

Beel:

Beel is another one that's hard for me to pin down... I think his music taste (joke not intended) is rather eclectic. He probably actually has no real preference other than more upbeat songs to make it easier to work out to. In which case I get to pick whatever I wish. For him I would make him listen to Happy Halloween. I don't care what time of year it is, it's cute and upbeat and about getting treats and it's one of my favorite songs ever. Now one to embody him?... Goodness that's even harder. I would love to say Appetite of a People Pleaser, but Beel's not a people pleaser... I actually don't know! Maybe I am a sham of a fan. I am open to suggestions for my baby Beel.

Belphie:

You know I have to pick Tokyo Teddy Bear. This mans is too edgy not to listen to it all too often. Plus, it's a classic. And, you know I have to make this all even sadder by giving him the song Error. Because I like to make myself cry. And Belphie needs a good cry, let's be honest with ourselves.

I'm also going to add the Distortanist as an honorable mention for unhinged Lesson 16 Belphie.

[metalandmagi]

The Real Anime Awards of 2023 part 2

Every year, I become increasingly disappointed in the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, so I started making my own Anime Award lists THAT ARE FOR THE ACTUAL YEAR IN ANIME! IF CRUNCHYROLL WON'T INCLUDE FALL SHOWS THEN I WILL! I've already done my silly version for 2023, so now it's time for my serious picks. But it's still just for fun, so don't take any of my nominees too seriously or get offended that I didn't include your favorites. Even I can't watch everything.

Full disclosure, I don't include all the same categories that Crunchyroll does (just most of them). These are also only for television shows, so I didn't include any movies (and I really don't watch enough anime movies on a yearly basis to include a movie category).

Anime of the Year

Vinland Saga season 2

Zom 100 Bucket List of the Dead

Oshi no Ko

Frieren Beyond Journey’s End

Pluto

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (I don’t care what MyAnimeList says. It’s made by Science Saru, so I'm counting it.)

Best Continuing Series

Vinland Saga season 2

Dr. Stone New World

Horimiya: The Missing Pieces

Jujutsu Kaisen season 2

Spy x Family season 2

Attack on Titan the final season (just assume I mean the last special from here on out)

Best New Series

Buddy Daddies

Oshi no Ko

Tengoku Daimakyou

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Migi to Dali

Best Animation

Tsurune season 2

Trigun Stampede

Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village arc

My Happy Marriage

Jujutsu Kaisen season 2

Attack on Titan the final season

Best Character Design

Overtake!

Bleach Thousand Year Blood War part 2

Oshi no Ko

Blue Lock cour 2

Tokyo Revengers season 2

Mou Ippon! (Yes I'm 100% serious. I actually respect this show’s character design a lot, considering the artists were able to make realistic, distinct, varied female characters of all shapes and sizes without making them into moe blobs. So that's why this is on here instead of another shounen of the week.)

Best Romance

Tomo-chan Is A Girl

My Love Story With Yamada-kun at Lv999

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts

Skip to Loafer

Insomniacs After School

Horimiya: The Missing Pieces

Best Comedy

Buddy Daddies

Cool Doji Danshi cour 2

Skip to Loafer

My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999

My New Boss is Goofy

The Hundred Girlfriends Who Really Really Really Really Really Love You

Best Action

Trigun Stampede

Demon Slayer Swordsmith Village arc

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

Jujutsu Kaisen season 2

Attack on Titan the final season

Hell’s Paradise

Honorable mention: Bleach Thousand Year Blood War season 2 (sorry, I just wasn’t as impressed with the action in this season, but it still deserves a shout out)

Best Fantasy

To Your Eternity season 2 cour 2 (is it cheating if it's only counting the last cour of the season 😅)

Ousama Ranking: Yuuki no Takarabako

Hell’s Paradise

Mononogatari season 2

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Mushoku Tensei season 2

Honorable mention: Hikari no Ou (I never finished it but the vibe was there.)

Best Drama

Vinland Saga season 2

Oshi no Ko

Pluto

Ooku: The Inner Chambers

Tengoku Daimakyou

Migi and Dali

Honorable mention: Undead Girl Murder Farce- it's more of a mystery than a drama, but I still wanted to include it somewhere.

Best Slice of Life

Horimiya: The Missing Pieces

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible

Cool Doji Danshi cour 2

My New Boss is Goofy

Insomniacs After School

My Clueless First Friend

Best Protagonist

Thorfinn (Vinland Saga season 2)

Mitsumi Iwakura (Skip to Loafer)

Maomao (The Apothecary Diaries)

Arikoto Madenokoji (Ooku: The Inner Chambers)

Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End)

Kouya Madoka (Overtake!)

Best Antagonist

Eisuke Nikaido (Tsurune season 2)

Canute (Vinland Saga season 2)

Millions Knives (Trigun Stampede)

Taiju (Tokyo Revengers season 2)

Ibara (Dr. Stone New World part 2)

Reiko Ichijou (Migi to Dali)

Honorable mention: *SPOILERS* The Bureau of Traditional Music (Mononogatari season 2). These guys were squad goals, not gonna lie.

Best Boy

Vash the Stampede (Trigun Stampede)

Every Single Boy from Cool Doji Danshi cour 2- THEY’RE ALL GOOD BOYS OKAY!?

Sousuke Shima (Skip to Loafer)

Taiyou Takada (My Clueless First Friend)

Einar (Vinland Saga)- Yes Einar instead of Snake. Snake is a lovable antihero, but Einar is best boy material

Yukichi (The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today)

Best Girl

Tomo (Tomo-chan Is A Girl)

Runa Shirakawa (You Were Experienced, I Was Not: Our Dating Story)

Kana Arima (Oshi no Ko)

Amit (Niehime to Kemono no Ou)

Akane Kinoshita (My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999)

Mitsuri Kanroji (Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village arc)

Best Score

Trigun Stampede

Vinland Saga season 2

Insomniacs After School

Bleach Thousand Year Blood War part 2

Jujutsu Kaisen season 2

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Best OP (yes there are 8 nominations, I couldn't decide 😭)

Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 (“Specialz” King Gnu)- I really think this season’s OPs should be taken as a pair, but when it comes down to which OP will stand the test of time, I think this one will be more iconic.

Vinland Saga season 2 OP2 (“Paradox” Survive Said the Prophet)

Oshi no Ko (“Idol” YOASOBI)

High Card (“Trickster” Five New Old)

Hell’s Paradise (“Work” Millennium Parade)

Tengoku Daimakyou (“Innocent Arrogance” BiSH)

Bleach Thousand Year Blood War part 2 (“Stars” w.o.d.)

The Legendary Hero is Dead (“Shinda” Masayoshi Ōishi)

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (“Song of the Dead” Kana-Boon)

Honorable mention: Link Click season 2 (honestly this is probably the best OP of the year, but since the show isn’t Japanese, I have to exclude it 😣)

Best ED

Tengoku Daimakyou (“Dare mo Kare mo Doko mo Nani mo Shiranai” ASOBI Doumei)

Oshi no Ko (“Mephisto” Ziyoou-vachi)

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (“Anytime Anywhere” milet)

Dr. Stone New World part 2 (“Suki ni Shinayo” Anly)

Spy x Family season 2 (“Todome no Ichigeki” Vaundy ft. Cory Wong)

Migi to Dali (“Skyline” Nulbarich)

Best VA Performance Japanese

Uemura, Yuuto As Thorfinn (Vinland Saga season 2)

Takahashi, Rei as Tomo (Tomo-chan is a Girl)

Satao, Gen as Ganta Nakami (Insomniacs After School) His laugh is so pure and genuine, I could listen to it forever!

Inoue, Marina as Armin Arlert (Attack on Titan the final season)

Tanezaki, Atsumi as Anya Forger (Spy Family season 2)

Nakamura, Yuuichi as Satoru Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen season 2)

So there you have it! My picks for the real anime awards of 2023. Like I said, don't take this seriously at all, it's just something fun I like to put together every year. I always try not to nominate the same things, but it's easy to end up playing favorites. It's so hard to try to include a variety!

[puddle-nerd]

Ollo… I’m Riley and welcome to my blog!

(Please, let me know if any of the links don’t work and I’ll fix them ASAP.)

First things first, this is a 🔞NSFW / MDNI🔞 blog

Just in case it needs to be spelled out:  Not Suitable for Work / Minors Do Not Interact so don’t read this if you’re underage or at work… Most of my posts will be written for adult audiences and the characters will either be of age already or they will be aged up. I’ll make sure to mark my works properly with warnings and labels so:

CONTINUE  AT  YOUR  OWN RISK.  THANKS

Right now, I currently only have works for our favorite James Cameron big blue aliens, specifically for Luna’s Kinktober, Neteyamsyawntu’s Avatar12DaysofKinkmas, and Crybabies-heart’s 14 Days of Love and a couple of requests but I’ll eventually expand out into more original works and into other fandoms. So, if you don’t like the Na’vi, keep on scrolling. (I’ll update this as I add to it.)

This post is so you can navigate my blog a lot easier. I’ll have links to all of my lists and individual works that I may add and to my different reblogs that I think you might enjoy too. Please don’t post my works as your own – I do not consent to this. Please don’t post my works on other sites, even if it’s meant as a translation – AGAIN, I do not consent to this.

My Masterlist for Luna’s Kinktober 2023

My Masterlist for Neteyamsyawntu’s Avatar 12 Days of Kinkmas

My Masterlist for Crybabies-heart’s 14 Days of Love

𖥸 · ─────── · 𖥸 · ─────── · 𖥸

If you’re looking for something specific within the individual posts, I made a genre key to help you find what you might be looking for better:

Angst – ✂️

Character D3ath (Detailed) – ☠️

Character D3ath (Mentioned) – 👻

Friendship  – 🌻

Romantic – 💘

$mut – 🔥

Viol3nc3 – 🧨

Request:  jakesullywhore:  Avatar (Cameron Movies) Fandom – You’ll Do (Dark Jake Sully/Human Reader) 🧨☠️👻✂️🔥

Request: jakesullywhore: Avatar (Cameron Movies) Fandom – The Price of Silence (Dark Jake Sully/Human Reader) ✂️🔥

Request: thatonepansexual2000: Avatar (Camerona Movies Fandom - Our Sweet Paysyul (A/B/O verse JakexreaderxNeytiri) 🌻💘🔥

Request: ana-maria456913: Avatar (Cameron Movies Fandom - Jealousy Can Be a Wild Thing (Tonowari/Ronal) 🌻✂️💘

Writing Prompt > bethanythemartian > a short story about a daycare worker when the end of the world is announced

moribundanchor > an image for MIDSÖMMER (one of the best psychological horror movies, in my opinion)

euninieboo > a beautifully drawn friends to lovers comic

typhlonectes > image of a very, very cool Mountaineer’s axe

outpastthemoat > ATLA personal opinion about dear, old Uncle Iroh

cruelgay > “shipping” Shuntaro Chishiya and Kuina Hikari, lol

chishiyashoodie > Nijirou’s message about taking a break

chishiyashoodie > my very loud opinion as to why America SHOULDN’T remake Alice in Borderland

emergencybitch > PSA about the upcoming Polin scenes in Bridgerton Season 3

newhologram > one of my all-time favorite scenes in ATWOW (don’t get me wrong I love Ao’nung but when he gets punched? *chef’s kiss*)

eyweveng > her MUST READ ‘Knife Kink’ submission for Luna’s Kinktober

oakbuggy > her NSFW art depicting Ao’nung. Makes a girl drool

Writing Prompt > rabbityfrogs > a short story about a morally gray villain putting the “hero” in their place

dontlistentothemmoose > the moon is stuck in a time loop short story

yourstrulybluelover > her MUST READ Lo’ak/Reader heat fic (trust me, it made me melt it was so hot)

oakbuggy > her NSFW art depicting Lo’ak. My knees are weak!

artsofmetamoor > their must read comic depicting Spider’s adoption as a baby into a loving Na’vi family

artsofmetamoor > their continued depictions of Spider’s adoption into a loving Na’vi family

artsofmetamoor > their sneak peak into the Avatar/W.I.T.C.H. crossover universe when Spider was adopted as a baby into a loving Na’vi family

neteyamssyulang > her Na’vi dictionary (not all of it is canon so proceed at your own risk)

oakbuggy > the artistic rendition of pandoraslxna's steamy Neteyam x female human reader x So’lek that has me absolutely drooling

Jakexneytiri > do we think Jake ever had flings before Neytiri? (And the debate that followed)

hoechloin > DC version of “you and me and your friend Steve” featuring Lois, Clark, AND Superman

[shihalyfie]

Do you think Daisuke/Davis is a underrated goggle head because his bad personality in English Dub version?

Yes. No question about it. Well, okay, if there is room for question, it's more that I don't think "underrated" is the right way to put it because I think a good chunk of complaints about American English dub Davis are entirely legitimate, it's just that the "the dub didn't change much" fallacy means that most people don't realize this isn't how he was written in Japanese, that this isn't the character a lot of people (read: anyone working from the Japanese version or most non-English dubs) are referring to when they talk about Daisuke, and, most importantly, that future 02-based material (including the upcoming movie) is not going to be based on what the American English dub did with him.

Of course, this kind of thing is very subjective. But in the last ten or so years that I've seen people become increasingly aware of the Japanese version, I've seen so much of the phenomenon where people who disliked (or even despised) him from the American English dub found him to be one of their favorite characters (if not favorite character) upon watching it in Japanese. This happens with such high frequency that you'd have to be in denial to pretend that this isn't a real thing, and it's probably the disparity I've seen the most with any Digimon character.

Here's the thing, though: I don't think it's a bad thing for a character to be rude or arrogant, in the sense that characters who are human will have human flaws. In terms of sheer rudeness, I like characters from other franchises who are far worse punks than American English dub Davis ever was. The problem is that Daisuke is written with a character arc that's premised on him having always been open-minded from day one (with his real problem being assertiveness and emotional resolve rather than him ever having been condescending or rude), and American English dub Davis's writing does not fit inside that framework. So when you have a character who's constantly dunking on everyone around him, and nobody ever addresses this and instead starts talking about how friendly he is in the second half of the series, it's hard to believe, because it just feels like "this entitled jerk is a really nice guy we swear" is being shoved in your face whether you agree with it or not.

In terms of my personal story with Davis and Daisuke, for me, the major dealbreaker was the way Davis treated Kari. Even now, it rubs me the wrong way; it's creepy, invasive, and entitled, and the fact that it's treated like a "boys will be boys" thing and Kari is expected to just put up with it does not go over well with me as a girl who's experienced way too much harassment in my life (and the sentiment has only gotten worse over the years). So it was pretty shocking to flip over to the Japanese version and find that he was no worse than an immature puppy who arguably respects women the most in the cast (and certainly more so than Taichi does, even). I've even seen quite a few Japanese fans call him their first crush or ideal man...but anyway, point is, I'm also pretty sure that was a dealbreaker for quite a few others too (especially anyone else who's gotten that kind of harassment), and people really do not talk enough about how important that difference in nuance is. Because if he has a crush on Hikari/Kari and is immature about it, it's all the same thing, right?

It's really not.

[alpaca-clouds]

(The concept of) Canon is like an Onion

It has layers.

Okay, I just gotta be the fandom elder here, because there is a thing that is kinda bugging me. And that is the tendency of especially younger fans of stuff to point at all sorts of suplementary material (artbooks, interviews with creators/actors, articles in magazines and what not) and go: "See, my interpretation of this and that is totally canon!"

And the thing is that... it is a bit more complicated than that. Because what is and isn't canon... Well, it is something people argue about a lot. But the general thing is, basically this. Canonicity can have multiple levels - and the top level of it is basically just the text itself.

Like, older fans of the Star Wars Fandom might still remember Lucas' five (or was it even six?) levels of canon. And those were just based on actual stories. It had become a necessity back then just based on the fact that a lot of the extended universe stuff was at times contradictory - even with the stuff that Lucas himself had done. So according to Lucas, the main canon was just the stuff he had been a part of creating. And then there were levels of things going from "most canon" to "least canon" basically.

But yeah, generally speaking: Canon is the information given within a story itself. You can argue about additional story material maybe being canon (like tie in novels to a movie, for example), but generally even those are not... necessarily canon to the main-thing itself.

I know that these days there is this big thing happening of creators just being very, very accessible to fans. So, the temptation is big to tweet or mail or comment on a twitch of your favorite media's creator/your favorite character's actor/whatever and be like: "I have this theory/analysis. Am I right?" Which is... fine. But you also have to keep in mind that stuff that people privately say is not necessarily authoritatively.

As some of the followers of this blog might know: My OG fandom is Digimon. And boy howdy, can I tell you stories about Digimon's "Word of God". Because... look people, if it is not a book, there is not a singular creator. And the people who were in charge of Digimon, had at times very, very differing ideas from each other.

With Digimon Adventure/02 I interviewed several of the writers. And guess what: I at times got opposing opinions from them. And those opinions were also differing from what the producer and the director said in official interviews and sublementary materials (like artbooks or the novelization).

Two examples are Sora's age and Hikari's crest. Sora is shown to have her birthday in movie 2, which is set in March. Given how Japanese school law works, this would make her 10 during the events of Digimon Adventure and 13 during DIgimon Adventure 02 (because the cut-off date is April 1st). According to Reiko Yoshida, who wrote that movie, this is true. According to the producer, however, no actually the movie is set in April, she is 11 during the events of the first season. And the other fun one: What does Hikari's crest of "light" actually mean. We asked five different people involved and got five different answers.

And the big thing is, that you cannot assume that someone, who is engaging with media, does also engage with ALL THE INTERVIEWS and FOLLOW EVERYONE INVOLVED ON SOCIAL MEDIA. Because most people don't.

I see this happening a lot especially in regards to people interpreting the canonicity of ships - and character sexuality.

Let me use an example where I totally agree with the person in question: Isaac from Castlevania. According to his voice actor Isaac is queer. I totally absolutely read the character this way, no question. But... technically it is never confirmed in the text. So if you come away from it not reading him this way, yeah, that is totally understandable. You do not need to know everything every voice actor said.

And if stuff within the actually story itself is kept vague, you cannot just go and say: "Person XY who also was involved in creating media X said this, so this is the only correct opinion." Because if the text does not confirm it, it is not necessarily "canon" and either interpretation is valid.

And if there is multiple entries as source material, also try to think of what people will usually think of, when you say "Fandom X".

Like, to get back at my own fandoms: Yeah, no, most people will not know about the novelization of Digimon Adventure. Most people will also not have played the Wonderswan games (that also at times outright contradict the primary text in form of the anime). Or with Pirates of the Caribbean: Most fans have never read any of the tie-in novels. Heck, most people do not even know they exist. Meanwhile, also a ton of people do not consider movies 4 and 5 canonical to the Gore Verbinski trilogy, given that again those movies outright contradict some of the stuff stated in the trilogy.

What I am trying to say: Canonicity is, if anything, a spectrum, not a binary. So for the love of all the gods, please stop the entire: "Well, the guy who did the storyboards for three of the scenes in this show agrees with me, so I am right," stuff. I know it is tempting (believe me, I KNOW). But... If it is not in the text, other interpretations are valid.

Also, headcanons are always valid. Always.

[droshawoluv]

Moments I love from Digimon Adventure (1999) - [5/?]

🌆 R e s o l v e 🌆

Hello, this is my favorite chapter ever. So the whole ep. is the moment I love.

Is it the aesthetic given by a different iconic Director?

the ambient sounds where you can hear your Summer crickets?

the nostalgic and melancholic feeling that this gives you without even knowing why?

the feeling that something is not really ok?

the back and forth of Taichi trying also to figure out what is real and what is going on?

the revelation that is still the same day?

Hikari, my 2nd favorite character being here and kinda creepy with her knowledge?

the protagonist I love showing he's a great brother who loves his sister (a personal biase there as fraternal love is something I got emotional about) ?

the way that all around Taichi feels more mature in this episode being at home and caring about his sister and Digimon partner?

the music that always put you in the mood even if there's a big dinosaur attacking your city (which granted, it's such an amazing piece of music that even featured in the freakin entrance of the OLYMPIC TORCH AT TOKYO 2020 OPENING CEREMONY WHAT)?

the ending part where you can see the tension of the siblings watching Digimons no one can, and an Agumon that shows that rookies can be snappy and good in hands of a nice episode Director?

the whole ending with first Agumon saying goodbye, and Hikari trying to stop Taichi in a heartbreaking moment that probably made me cry %90 of the times with that music?

The understanding that this is the first time in the show that one of the destined children decided by himself to be in the Digital World, instead of being forced to be there?

the resolution that it implies a turning point to Taichi, to be back to do what he must do?

Maybe a little bit of everything.

Previous posts: [1] [2] [3] [4]

[gascon-en-exil]

A Very Belated Octopath Traveler II Ranking

I had an anon asking me about Octopath Traveler II story rankings a few weeks ago. I'd been wanting to do one of those for a long time now, but between all my other projects I haven't really had the time. I can however throw together a quick summation. If there's any interest in longer versions I might be persuaded to explore that...but when I say "long" I really do mean it. Most of my notes at the moment go on for paragraphs for almost every traveler.

#8 Ochette

Knockoff Pokémon. Kind of shapeless thanks to the nonlinearity. Brings up heavy themes but can't really explore them in part because the beastlings are just handled weirdly. The villain only existing offscreen sucks.

#7 Hikari

Literally the standard Fire Emblem plot, only it doesn't work in the Octopath format because of geographic isolation and the travelers being handled oddly as a group like always. Has some pacing issues especially in Chapter 4 with its massive cutscene dump. Was pretty much exactly what I expected from start to finish.

#6 Throné

Fantastic opening and even better midgame, then dives off a cliff at the end because it has to escalate to the Final Story. Overall story can't accommodate such a bittersweet ending so it just kind of...doesn't. Still earns points for how it handles familial abuse and the perpetuation of the cycle of violence.

#5 Partitio

Man's dads get divorced, so he starts an industrial revolution to get them back together. Is as awesomely ridiculous as that sounds, and is enhanced by various unique stylistic flourishes. Succeeds as long as you don't try to bring any serious economic or political themes into it. Also extremely gay homosocial all around, soured only by the token female character...and not remotely in the way you'd expect based on how I'm describing it.

#4 Agnea

A low-stakes, feel-good romp that's exactly what you think it's going to be, and is wonderful at it. Begins leaning on the fourth wall in amusing ways by the end, and although it's also weirdly leashed to the Final Story it goes over better than it does with Throné's or Partitio's stories. Primrose was my favorite from the first game, and while the tone of this one is completely different I'm surprisingly okay with that.

#3 Temenos

A bit lazy doing another story with a Sherlock Holmes-esque approach to mystery when the first game already did one, but the stakes are higher from the start and Temenos is also doing most of the heavy lifting building to the Final Story. Crick provides some much-needed emotional stakes, even including his ultimate fate. Gets a bit lost in its own plot twists at one point, but that's mostly a minor nitpick.

#2 Osvald

Opening is constraining and atmospheric in just the right way. Appropriately dramatic at all the right points with a delightfully hammy villain, and pivots from revenge to the Power of Love adequately enough so as not to feel too cheesy. Spaces out its multiple flashback sequences much better than Hikari's story. It and #1 are actually helped by being narrative cul-de-sacs relative to the Final Story.

#1 Castti

Does pretty much everything the other stories do right. Deftly handles an amnesia plot with clever presentation and a strong supporting cast. Healeaks is devastating, the villain is hammy but also sympathetic (his turn being offscreen is the weakest note of the whole thing), and Castti is a solid presence throughout even if she never really stands out much to me as a character. Ending is satisfying but still allowed to feel melancholy, and it doesn't lead to mood whiplash like Throné's does.

[viridiave]

8path2 demo first impressions like less than a week before the full release because I am. So bored.

It's mostly spoiler-free! Mostly!

Ochette - My starter! I relate to her a lot in terms of atmosphere and physique (because I too am small and brown and from an island country)! Mechanically, she's my favorite traveler because of just how much they've buffed the Hunter job - like?? You are just never going to run out of stuff??? For breaking and healing??? Her story's a little slow-starting for now and I'm keeping a close eye on it in case uh - some unsavory things happen. Culturally.

Castti - Out of all the stories, I look forward to playing hers the most. Castti was my second Chapter 1, and my god is it a wild ride. I also just love Castti as a character - like? She's nice without being too motherly or demure? Her personality has darker undertones to it that isn't immediately obvious but it's clear to us that she's ultimately a model apothecary that has a heart of gold??? She's steeped in so much mystery and I'm dying to know more about her

Throne - I was absolutely not expecting much out of Throne. I will admit that Therion's story tempered my expectations a bit - but her story came swinging out of the woodwork being so distinguishable from Therion's that it made me care about her so much like?? I want so badly to see her be free. Her Chapter 1 set the scene for her circumstances and personality so well that it made me attached to her gjdjfjf also her recruitment is S-tier 10/10 Throne is a dog person

Osvald - Man I was actually most excited for Osvald's tale when the trailers first dropped - and while it's still amazing in my eyes, I feel like the other Chapter 1's just whisked me away a lot better than if I just started with him like how I initially planned. That said, I am extremely happy about getting to play as a canonical DILF whose first chapter is a freakin prison break :DDDD

The amount of worldbuilding it establishes is also refreshing like - I just screamed when they explained that he was the only prisoner there with a muzzle and I want so badly to examine the implications of that.

Partitio - Partitio's Chapter 1 made me shed tears. I was not fucking ready. I was not READY for the way they handled his story - it was a refreshing and hard-hitting portrayal of commerce and it does so much for his character like??? There's too much that I can say about Partitio's well-founded optimism and circumstances and personality but I'd be here for hours and I would not be fucking past the scene where he asks his dad to pretend that there was meat in the stew. I love Partitio so goddamn much.

Agnea - Agnea's story is what I'd describe as a lighter Partitio - and I say this in that this was the second-closest time that this game was able to make me cry. I went into this expecting a light story about a girl who wants to make everyone smile, and I got it - but the way they went about it endeared me to Agnea so much that I unironically would bawl if I think about how sweet and earnest she is. I want to see her succeed so bad and my god the full release really can't come any closer huh :'''DDDD

Temenos - I did not expect to like Temenos this much. But then I played his chapter and it begins with THAT and I just - his story is going to make me scream. It already did actually - multiple times, whether it be because Crick is dying of the gay or because of the things it does to my Catholic Guilt?? I feel like I'll end up relating to Temenos the most out of the 8 just because of that angle of doubt it shines on religion even if I do feel like the insurgents are too heavy-handed.

Hikari - Oh Hikari gods bless you. He is precious and I mean this completely as in he is so full of love for his people and that just broke me. He embodies the spirit of 'these are my dear, beloved people. They are mine, and I love them all so much.' and I am a goddamn sucker for it. And he's not without intrigue outside of that either like??? The mystery behind the curse of the Ku Clan??? It mechanically being integrated as his Latent Power and how the voice acting reflects that??? God why is this game so good at this and why is the 24th so far away

[smokestarrules]

I saw you watched revue starlight!!! I rarely found anyone watching them so allow me to be excited for a while. Tell me, which revue is your favourite? And which girls is your favourite? Do you have a favourite revue song too?

How could you make me choose? The entire show is so good, and if we're counting Gekijōban, then it gets even harder.

The easiest question: Favorite character? Karen. It's very close between her and Hikari, though. She definitely was Not my favorite character when watched the show for the first time, but over the years she's become the easy fav. Karen deserves all the love ever.

Favorite song: From the movie, it's Super Star Spectacle; what an absolute rollercoaster (or train ride?) of a song. Heartbreak, rebirth, renewal, determination; it's a tune for rivals, for lovers, for winning and losing and ending and it's so fucking good. For the show, it's probably either Hanasaka Uta or Star Divine Finale, the former being a fucking banger and the latter is just fun. Love that Claudine specifically just gets an entire verse to herself to preach about Maya. There is Zero reason, girl.

Favorite Revue: ...I have no idea. Claudine and Maya's from the movie is insane, but I have a huge soft spot for Medalsuzdalpanic as well... I cannot choose, sorry. Literally every single Revue in the movie is peak cinema. From the show... I really like Nana's against Hikari's. The visual callback of the stage to Hikari losing her brilliance in London is super cool, and it's just a really good fight. But it'd be close against Mahiru vs Karen and Karen vs Maya. This is hard.

[sweet-hearts-and-destiny-knots]

Stumbled on your AU and it sounds SO COOL, the female protags often get sidelined and I really loved reading about them here! :D I was Immediately expecting Hikari to be full of ghosts or a time traveler with the comment about her way of speaking and bearing and it's so cool! ALSO man,,,I love protags being older than base game lets them be,,,,I love to see it

Question about your Hikari specifically; from what I can tell as Akari she is still in Hisui. Will she ever be able to make her way home? Or is it like a concurrent, conflicting timeline thing? I hope this doesn't sound mean dxfcgv I'm just really interested in how they work out in story!

Also if it IS a fall and then return, did she know the other protags prior? Does it change how she interacts with them? REALLY love that Leaf is as nonverbal as Red, that's something I really enjoy about Red that I like to see for her as well! Esp since Leaf Green was the first game I owned (borrowed my cousin's Blue for One [1] car ride but yeah) so I am especially attached to her as the protag. ;w; Green I am sure has no idea how to handle her sincere congratulations because that MAN he is....he sure is. XD

LOVE TO SEE SOME LOVE FOR FEARSOME POKEMON YOU GO KOTONEEEEE so so glad you still have Kris present as well, very attached to her dxfcvgbn

Me handshake Haruka I too want every single pokedoll in existence, what is her favorite pokedoll she has? Is there a story behind it? Has she ever learned how to make her own? Also LOVE to see a sea shantier, heck yeah. Does she have a favorite shanty? Or favorite vibe of shanty I guess dxcfvbghn LOVE that Touka suplexes Boldores, has she always had that strength or did she have to slowly run a gauntlet of suplexing Pokemon until she got there? Did she ever suplex a train- I saw you're a fan of ferriswheelshipping and I enjoy that your Touko and N both share the desire to protect innocents, is it maybe something they bond over?

I feel Mei's clumsiness on a deep level because I swear I run into things every DAY, at least she has someone to keep her from getting hurt too badly. XD I really like that she's both doing Pokemon things and looking for her prince; in a lot of media I feel like one is often sidelined for the other, and it's nice to see what looks like it'll be a healthy mix! Also I have to ask, do her Enamorus attempts end in success or catastrophe? Who has she most famously [or infamously] gotten together?

Love what you've done with Serena as well! Does she ever Rhyhorn race herself?

AND WE LOVE A GHOSTY PRANKSTER as someone who just Absorbs behaviors from those around me I really really enjoy the thought of someone doing that with ghost Pokemon. And love the callback to the hex maniac line heheheheheeee

RIP GLORIA YOU ARE NEVER GONNA RECOVER FROM THAT ONE OH NOOOOOOO but love the use of valiant bcus it's not used enough and it also like. Paints a picture. Like in a crisis, this Gloria would stare it down and do everything to avert it, and I really like that.

I've barely even touched Paldea szdxcfvg so I know nothing about it BUT love a straight A scholar, and I love Juliana's naming scheme too! Does she have any favorite courses? Any specific part of Pokemon research she may enjoy?

ANYWAY THIS GOT. REALLY LONG. I'M SORRY. But I also gotta ask my favorite question for any Pokeoc/Pokeau, which is what is everyone's favorite Pokemon type and why is it Bug type

FEEL FREE to not answer all my rambles sdfxcggvh I know it's a lot, but I really love what I saw on the protags page and I wanted to know more! :D

I agree that the protagonists are prone to being sidelined; it's been a steadily increasing occurrence ever since character customization was introduced to the series. That's actually one of several reasons why I began this blog!

These girls are so very important to me.

Now, to address your Hikari-related question: Hikari, or rather Akari, is determined to return to her time, reunite with her companions (both human and Pokémon), and continue striking terror into the hearts of challengers as Sinnoh's ruthless Champion. But she may tempt a boy into following her home, though...

And yes! Akari has in fact met the other protagonists prior to being sent to the Hisuian era! The narration of the story I'm currently writing even mentions a few of the other girls, showing that she does indeed know them, and well enough to apparently be familiar with some of their various quirks.

All of them meet one another sometime shortly after the events of Black 2 and White 2, at the World Tournament in Driftveil City. It's sort of similar to that scene in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, a collective realization of "You're like me...(!!)"

But about Hikari's/Akari's manner of speech. This is something I'm struggling with somewhat, since I'm afraid that what's written in her character profile may be misleading. I'm aiming to give her an elegant way of speaking, but this is more meant to allude to her not sounding unusual at all when she's swept away to Hisui - which ironically only makes her seem even more suspicious to those like Kamado.

My decision for Leaf to also be mostly nonverbal was partly because it sounded interesting to write, but also because I wanted to try a different approach with a silent character - normally they're depicted as shy or standoffish, but Leaf isn't either. She's as vibrant as can be, and loves to interact with people.

Kotone's team isn't set in stone yet, but aside from Eva, her Typhlosion, she has a Gyarados (Carmen), and I would love to give her a Tyranitar too! All three quite fearsome!

And Kris taking the role of Kotone's friendly rival - I dislike adapting characters out, I want to give a role to everyone, especially the first female protagonist in the series. Even though she's the friendly rival, Kris is intended to be just as tough of a challenge as Silver - she has the starter weak to Kotone's, which is a Chikorita, but she very quickly covers her partner's weakness.

Haruka doesn't exactly play favorites with her Poké Dolls; each is a valuable member of her plushie family! She freaks out if even one is unaccounted for. About her sea shanties, she does have a few she's fond of, like 'Paldean Ladies', and one that you may be familiar with that goes something like,

"O'er across the ocean's tide Rays of sunshine far and wide Wingull they sing of cheerful things, in circles passing by!"

Not a sea shanty, but she also enjoys singing 'Rainbow Connection'.

Touko's strength is tied to her passion to protect the innocent! It all began when she was young - she would beat up anyone that bullied Bianca or her "baby brother" Touya. Her having Pokémon now doesn't really stop her from pummeling people (or trying to), though-

She and N, while they're connected on wanting to protect innocents, throughout the events of Black and White, they constantly butt heads on the best method to do that. Touko also calls him "geek boy" after hearing him speak math one time.

Mei's most notable attempt at playing Enamorus... well, I'm certain if you think about it long enough, you'll figure it out!

Serena enjoys Rhyhorn riding more as a recreational activity rather than something to seriously pursue. It's more like Rhyhorn strolling when she's on the back of one.

Mizuki is meant to be this girl in FireRed and LeafGreen!

Another reason she admires Leaf is because she didn't even so much as flinch when she and her Ghost-type pal pranked her. Her eyes just widened in surprise, no scream as expected!

As for Gloria's past crush, Hop is a good boy and lets sleeping Yamper lie. But her big brother Victor... "But Leon, you CAN'T go! I LOOOOVE you!" And he carries on until she has to slap him-

Juliana doesn't have a favorite class because she loves everything about her academic experience. But Director Clavell is her favorite member of the staff.

Everyone's preferred type? Well, I wouldn't say anybody has one since their teams are relatively balanced. Haruka and Kotone show appreciation for Bug-types, though!

This response has gotten rather lengthy as well, but thank you for showing such interest in Sisterhood!

[thatlittlemouse]

Shipper tag game

tagged by @lunanoc 🫶@tatchling 🫶@tiesanjiaoshenanigans🫶

What ship were you completely obsessed with when you were a teenager, but now you don't care about anymore?

First of all, I got into fandom in my 20s, so anything I was into in my teens was not at obsession level

Which ship would you consider your first one?

???????????????????????????? sudden flash of being really excited about the pink haired girl and that bad guy in tokyo mew mew. deep seated memories of being into takeru/hikari in digimon adventure 2. gambit/rogue from the xmen cartoon oh my god

Your first fanfic was about which couple?

I don't write so read: idk if doujinshi counts here, but the first ship I really started consuming fan content for was ginhiji (gintama)

Do you remember the first couple you saw fanart of?

There's no way I remember that..... scrolling deviantart or whatever, who knows what I saw 😭

Have you ever gotten into ship discourse?

I try to avoid discourse, so no. I get mad at people with bad takes, block, move on

Did you use to have any NOTP or have one currently?

There was this one niche yukio (ao no exorcist) ship that bothered me a lot, but I'm not in that fandom anymore and even if I saw it I wouldn't be as bothered. Otherwise, none currently. I just have meh-TPs

Who were the couple in the last fanfic you read?

heihua ✨✨✨

Currently, do you have any OTPs?

From dmbj I'm actively into heihua, less actively into pingxie, neither of them really at the highest brainrot levels. I think fondly of some of my other ships every once in a while

Is there any couple that, to this day, you are extremely mad about not getting together?

uhhhh nothing comes to mind. No wait, queliot (the magicians) lmao

Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they are kind of interesting?

🤔🤔 I don't think so, I either get the vibe right away or I don't. I can get a better understanding of why people ship them, but that won't make me ship them

Do you have any ship that, in the past, would've been considered normal but now you would be cancelled over?

uuuhhh yukishura maybe? even years back people were pointing out the age difference and I know, I know, but their dynamic is still nice even if I probably don't ship them like that anymore. xuexiao isn't from "the past" and it's been cancel worthy from the start lmao

What is your favorite crack ship?

I don't have crack ships, I'm too canon obsessed

What is the couple you read the most fanfics about?

Might be louis/lestat, I only read the books a few years ago and I had to do so much archeology for them!

What do most of your ships usually have in common?

Time to call myself out 💁‍♀️ I like more than one type of dynamic, but there are some elements that a lot of my ships have in common if I put them side by side: it's the "whatever souls are made of, yours and mine are the same (sometimes derogatory)" type of dynamic. I love characters that are complicated and think they're unlovable until they find someone that's Kind Of Like Them. It's even better when on the surface they seem very different, but they can tell they're the same. And the reaction of the two might be to be wary of each other, to antagonize each other, to clown each other, to take refuge in each other. Could be the premise of good enemies to lovers ships, but I usually like lower stakes. ginhiji (gintaka also), buckynat, wenzhou, heihua etc different flavors but I think they have this common thread

I haven't found something clear in common about ships that don't fit the above

What you absolutely hate in a ship?

There are romance tropes I dislike, fandom tropes I dislike, maybe I'm too tired to think of things that annoy me right now even though there are many

tagging @bahrmp3 @middayfiddler @verycharismaticdragon @adamantineheart if it sounds like something fun to you

[otakween]

Digimon Adventure Drama CD 1 (Character Song + Mini Drama 1)

I almost forgot about drama CDs! Digimon has a whole bunch of them, it turns out. Looks like I get to cling onto the Adventure cast for a little bit longer. This CD is a combination of very short drama bits and character image songs, as the name suggests. It feels a bit on the short side but I guess that's because it's only part one ;)

Download link

SOS! Grade 5 Class A

Translation here

A very silly story about Taichi and Sora fighting a potato digimon (Jagamon) during home ec class. Very esoteric references to 1970s anime are made.

I liked that this was just Taichi and Sora. I know that was probably more of a budgeting thing, but one-on-one moments (even dumb ones like this) are important to me.

There's something icky about Taichi commanding Agumon to digivolve just for his amusement...poor little guy

Favorite part of this was all of the meta jokes about this being an audio drama. For example, when they introduce Jagamon the narrator's like "well...we can't show you what he looks like, but he looks like a potato just trust me bro"

I had to look up who Ikkyuu-san was. At least the one Japanese commenter on the YouTube video understood the reference lol.

Image Song 1 - Turn Courage Into Wings (Yagami Taichi)

Translation here

A somewhat generic, but very Taichi song. (When it comes down to it, Taichi is a pretty generic shounen guy). Of course it focuses on courage because that's Taichi's thing.

At first the "you" mentioned in song was supposed to be a romantic interest and then I realized he could be singing platonically to Agumon or Yamato. I like the Agumon option best, that's really cute.

Takeuchi Sora's Fluttering Yellow Card

This was less of a drama and more of a little radio DJ-like snippet featuring Sora and Piyomon. Sora's VA is apparently a DJ IRL so this was an in-joke.

Mimi asks Sora where her hat came from and she just say "I don't know!" lolwut. I'm not sure if this segment is supposed to be in character or in some sort of weird "behind-the-scenes" world where the characters are aware they're in an anime. Seems like the latter.

Image Song 2 - Tomorrow I'll Be...(Takeuchi Sora)

Translation here

Damn, Sora's song was pretty dark. It did have a tinge of hopefulness, but mostly it sounded like she was singing about depression/existentialism being temporary. Kind of like a "this too shall pass" song. :(

She sings about how she feels like she has no one to fight for and has lost sight of her dreams. This fits in with that one arc where she despaired over "love" being her crest because it didn't suit her. I think we all know that feeling of being lonely in a crowd, even a crowd of friends. This song helped me appreciate Sora's character a little more.

Joe's Singer Debut!? (Parts 1 & 2)

I like how these skits introduce the character image songs, that's a really cute idea. These characters aren't singers in-universe (except for Mimi), so I guess they wanted to give context for why they're singing haha.

Part 1 is Gomamon suggesting songs for Joe to sing and performing little samples. Very cute. (Of course, he can't really sing well lol, but that adds to the charm).

Part 2 is the studio rep explaining that the next drama CD will be about a love triangle between Mimi, Koushiro, and Hikari. That sounds like a terrible idea. No chemistry between either pair if you ask me...Maybe that's the joke though.

Image Song 3 - There's Another Me (Kido Jou)

Translation here

This song was all about Joe facing and overcoming his insecurities and fear of risks. He talks about how you'll never grow if you completely avoid pain of any kind. Honestly, a pretty inspirational song for kids out there. I can definitely relate to Joe's timidity. I'm always avoiding getting out of my comfort zone which has held me back in some ways.

[hayannoran]

DA02:TB WAS AMAZING!! Personally, I enjoyed it WAY more than Last Evo Kizuna, and that's really saying something since I think about DA:LEK a lot. I'll be talking about spoilers and my thoughts down under the readmore line!

Okay, so I'll start off with the one thing I somewhat dislike first before getting to positives and just gushing about details: I didn't really like the fact that the digivices dissolved. That's it, really. This is mostly because I'm a bit worried about how travel between the human world and the digital world would work, now. (Also, maybe this is just my Miyakari brainrot, but I was thinking about how this would make it harder for Hikari to visit Miyako... it's ok, my lore brain comes before any kind of shipping brain, but I'm a little bit sad.) Personally, I'm just headcanoning for fun that they eventually can just. Go into digital screens persona-4-style since I think that would be goofy, but that's probably not going to happen lol.

On Rui: I was really pleasantly surprised at how he's written!! Honestly, I felt his frusturation; honestly, I was a bit peeved at what Hikari said to him when he first told the 02 team about the time he broke his digivice due to what Ukkomon did, because even though I agreed with her on what she was saying, I felt like she was ignoring his point of view and his understandable grief. (People aren't perfect when responding to other people's trauma all the time though, so I don't mind from a story perspective.)

I really liked Ukkomon's weird eldritch tentacle form. The tree branches make me think that it's probably Yggsdrasil that Ukkomon has contact with? Since they didn't specify what Ukkomon's connection is, I really hope they explore it more in the future with more episodes, or maybe even another animated series. (Though, maybe a movie would be better for the sake of a more polished end result? Idk, more digimon content is always welcome to me.)

The one scene of Daiken baiting was kinda funny but a little sad since yknow it's queerbait and we know it won't happen canonically due to the epilogue 😭 and the directors doubled down on the epilogue in interviews so we know its not happening... I remember clearly seeing Daisuke blush, but I think Ken was largely unaffected, which, if that blush is anything other than embarrassment, has some slightly sad one-sided connotations. (I'm a Bi Daisuke truther. Maybe I'm delusional. Who cares it's for fun)

This is just a small detail, but I noticed that Silphymon's voice (in the dub at least) (I watch sub usually but the only viewings near my area for both today and tomorrow were dub viewings) was just Tailmon's voice and had none of Hawkmon's voice, which was kinda interesting? It doesn't matter much, it just stuck out to me. I thought it was kinda funny.

I do wish the 02 cast interacted with each other a bit more, but I'm not nearly as bitter about that as I thought I would be, since Rui was a main character I enjoyed. If there's more digimon media in the future that riffs off of this movie, I *would* like it if the 02 cast got more focus, but Rui is a welcome addition to me. (I hope they all get to meet Wallace again at some point... that would be really fun [said by a person who has Hurricane Touchdown as their favorite movie])

Overall, I thought the movie was really good. It had a few other issues, and as someone who's used to the sub I found that the dub voices weren't *entirely* my favorite (except Rui, Rui's performance was excellent), but they didn't bother me as much as I thought they would, making for an amazing experience imo. Review sites I've looked at put it at a B, but for my personal opinion, it's one of the best pieces of digimon media in a LONG time. I'd recommend that you watch it yourself to form your own opinions though (if you haven't watched it and are still reading this for some reason hah) since that's what really matters.

[ngtskynebula]

Fic ask game: 3, 4, 19, & 20!

Oh! Hi! 👋☺️

3. What is your absolute favorite kind of fic to write?

I'm a hopeless romantic and fluffy enthusiast, so: slowburn romance and its hurt/comfort aspect. I love working out the fluffy counterparts of all angsty moments, especially mundane, domestic scenes 🥺💘

I have a deep relationship with loneliness and, at times, not feeling at home with my own family, so I work these themes in my writing. I haven't got my Happy For Now ending yet, so I bestow it on my characters.

I tend to write high fantasy, and sometimes I do write only angst, but the first isn't mandatory and the latter is rare. I do like gen-fic, but haven't got great plot ideas to work it into a fanfic, making most of my fics romantic ones.

4. Are there any other fic writers you admire? If so, who and why?

I've got my Grand Chase ficwriters squad, but the three other parties don't use Tumblr 👁..👁 They're Dips, Meddy and Hikari, known in the tight-knit gctwt circle.

Other than them, I only ever read Seventeen fanfiction, and I could name a few writers whose writing I'm in love with: dandelion_shua, shuanime, badge, wtfkovah (I think they've abandoned their longfic... everybody's moved on, but I'm still here 😭), darlingshua, natigail (I've reread their longfic so many times and commented on them so many times, AO3 is tired of notificating my spamming), tohubohu (current favourite author and human being), and, at last, authormin. All of them on AO3.

(So many joshushushu writers! I'm sensing a pattern...)

As to why... I just... I don't really know? I guess I could highlight shuanime, badge, wtfkovah and tohubohu — they're marvellous writers, I love their projects and writing styles sooooo much. I want to write as greatly in English as they do, one day. I'd read their groceries lists, should they ever publish it. I'm serious.

19. Why did you start writing?

When I was 12 years old, I had this colleague called Vitória that showed me an interesting website where I could read free stories: Social Spirit. Gringos probably won't recognize, it's a brazilian site; almost all br fic readers know about it, though.

I read many fics, thinking it was official stories about my favourite mangás, and then I discovered my profile also had a text editor and publishing options.

And the rest is herstory.

20. 4 sentences from your work that you’re proud of.

My laptop isn't around and I don't write on the cellphone 😭 But, to be honest, I can't even recall the last time I've written, so I guess I couldn't answer this anyway or another... 🤡

Thank you so much for the ask! That was lovely, and much fun! 🤗

[shihalyfie]

Is there even a way to keep developing the 02 cast as characters post-Kizuna? It seems rather hard to do, without having them fall back to previous mistakes, since they've already learned a lot of lessons. Takeru and Hikari might still need to perfect their "assertiveness" if you really squint (a.k.a. being open about their issues etc) but then again, it still feels like retreading an old problem... that was already addressed and pretty much resolved within 02 itself. I do trust the writing team on handling the new movie since Kizuna was awesome, but I'm still curious. Where to go from here?

Honestly, my personal hope is that the 02 cast is just window dressing and that the movie is really about Rui with the 02 characters as supporting cast. The reason I want to believe this is that the director, Taguchi Tomohisa, has said multiple times to almost meme levels that Hurricane Touchdown is his favorite Digimon movie ever, but he's also stated that his favorite human character is Daisuke. That means he basically recognizes to some degree that the 02 characters can actually shine really well when they're supporting cast and not mains; Hurricane Touchdown is really about Wallace, but that doesn't stop it from having one of the best Daisuke moments in the franchise.

Considering that the advertising has been putting a huge focus on Rui to the point he was the first thing they revealed, and they even got Ogata Megumi of all people to voice him, I'm still really crossing my fingers that my hunch is right.

The way I put it is, I don't really feel like I need to see more of the actual 02 characters all that much. There was a lovely 50-episode anime called Digimon Adventure 02 about them; as you say, I think that's more than enough! And it's not even against 02's themes for them to be portrayed more in support roles; it's a series about relationships more than it is about the individual person, so the idea of putting their ability to support others to the test is always welcome.

[frogiwi]

HELLO AGAIN TOP 5 ANIME OPS AND EDS FROM YOU AS WELL PLEASE

HELLO CRAB thanks to scrolling through my OST playlist and messaging what i'd include as i went, this shouldn't require as much thought now LOL

extremely long so proceed under the readmore!

OPs:

re:re: by asian kung-fu generation - erased

i mean. this op ruined my life. erased was such a beautiful show that took me on a journey i wasn't expecting and it's my favorite time travel related story ever. i was so moved by it and i was devastated when the op changed because of [spoilers]. the show has a crazy ending but it was thrilling and parts of it were the most anxious i can recall an anime ever making me. what a gift honestly this op makes me tear up whenever i hear it

2. bloody stream by coda - jojo part 2 ed

OK so i was torn between this, sono chi no kioku, and fighting gold, but ultimately this won bc part 2 is my favorite of the three and i love and miss the cgi openings so much so fighting gold's visuals got disqualified. i fucking LOVE this op i linked the version with the extra sound effects but the visuals are all just so fun and i love joseph and caesar so much and coda is brilliant and this song is just a fucking party and FUCK YEAH

3. cry baby by offical hige dandism - tokyo revengers op 1

oh my god i almost forgot to put this one in. i had bnha op 2 peace sign in this list at first and then i was like I FORGOR. anyways cry baby is an incredible fucking op that was part of why i got hooked to tokyo revengers. i have a lot of complicated feelings about this series but overall it still means a lot to me and has been the most involved i've been in a fandom, and it is definitely special to me even after everything. i think this song has a wonderful energy to it that gives me such a strong impression of takemichi and toman and the whole theme of fighting on for a brighter future and the visuals are simple but extremely effective and beautiful. they do a great job at portraying takemichi's struggles. i love u crybaby hero. i love this song dearly

4. hikari are by burnout syndromes - haikyuu op 5 (shiratorizawa arc)

this one is here for a lot of reasons. this arc is one of my favorite parts of haikyuu because of what it means for karasuno to win and go to nationals, but also for my fav character tsukki to finally have his Moment where he gets hooked on volleyball by being able to block ushijima,,, AND the shot of ushijima pushing hinata and tsukki down when the karasuno senpais daichi, asahi, and tanaka come to their rescue and support them to push ushijima back.... there's just so much significance to this season AND in terms of this op itself, the song is so beautiful and the visual where hinata jumps and turns into the crow diving makes me tear up every time (and did again when i rewatched it for this kgjsdg) and i just. i really love it a lot

5. jikai yokoku by tatsuya kitani - sentai daishikkaku

i too am going to include this bc omfg what a fucking banger of a song and the visuals are incredible. both the lyrics and the visuals convey the repeating cycle fighter d is in and his struggle to break free and fight back and i LOVE the parts of the song sung in children's voices because it ties even more into the sentai theme and the words themselves are JUST. ITS SO GOOD WATCH SENTAI DAISHIKKAKU IM SO GLAD I SUCCUMBED TO CRAB'S PROPAGANDA

EDs:

first death by tk from ling tosite sigure - chainsaw man ed 8

this ending ruined my fucking life. ok so i read chainsaw man over a year before the anime aired and like it was good but it was confusing and so i didn't think about it much after that. BUT THE ANIME DID SUCH AN INCREDIBLE JOB i suddenly cared about it so much. the effort that was put into creating a different ed for each episode is remarkable and they're literally all incredible songs with incredible animation and i truly would put all of them on this list. but first death wins because episode 8 ruined me and then this ed singlehandedly made me fall in love with himeno and akihime. i suddenly saw the beauty and tragedy in their relationship and codependency and i was enamored by how the last few episodes of the anime felt like a love letter to himeno. she deserves it. ed 9 (deep down by aimer) is also beloved but this one makes me crazy. seeing aki and himeno at the gravesite where they met, and sharing a smoke, and fighting together perfectly coordinated, and aki at the gravesite alone after her death.... it's so cinematic and a story on it's own and it's just so lovely. i think the song is also very csm and the energy of it is unmatched

2. el canto del colibri by mabanua - megalobox op 2

i was pretty torn as to whether to put the first op, kakatte koi yo by NakamuraEmi, or this one, but i ultimately went with this one because it is a true reflection of the core of this series and i think it being in spanish is a great bridge to the characters of season 2 (it is amazing to watch something where brown characters aren't of an ambiguous minority race; the culture is deeply intrinsic to the themes of this season and it's so special). i don't want to get too in detail and spoil anything but i went into megalobox expecting a regular sports anime and got out of it so much more than that, and it truly touched me. i listen to the entire ost by mabanua often, and it comforts me a lot.

3. datte atashi no hero by LiSA - bnha ed 3

ok this one is just the best bnha ending ever and the official bakudeku anthem of all time, and the fantasy au being animated will NEVER be forgotten. this song is such a joy to listen to and it being about deku's feelings toward bakugou is truly amazing. i love all the details in the visuals and i would love to see more eds like this honestly where the characters are just put into a little AU. it's just really good!!!

4. hunting for your dream by galneryus - hxh ed 2 (yorknew arc)

ok i had to find a version of this with the lead in during the last few moments of the episode bc that was always badass. anyways yorknew arc changed me and i became a deranged beast about chrollo and chrollopika for months. hands down my favorite part of hxh, and i just love the energy of this ed. there is nothing really special about the visuals but i still rly love when it goes through all the phantom troupe members and mostly i am just fond of the memories of this time

5. future fish by style five - free ed 2

dammit ok i put the first ed splash free here at first but i rewatched them both and changed my mind. i watched free rly late compared to like everyone else (2019 i think???) but oh my god i would put every ed on here LOL especially this one and splash free. i love the outfits and "story" of splash free but this one is even MORE fun with all the different profession outfits and the guys just being sillygoofy and oh my god its so cute i miss them so much I NEED TO REWATCH FREE RIGHT NOW

(i have to give honorary number 6 to hyori ittai by yuzu (hxh ed 5) because even tho chimera ant arc was difficult to get through at times, i love this song a lot and the visuals of the gungi pieces especially with gon and killua fuck me up. the ending of this arc with meruem and komugi destroyed me and i cried like a fucking baby)