#but it was to the point where I literally knew every plot point and several lines word for word

[wasserbombe]

hi guess who fell into a Band of Brothers pithole?

[love-byers]

i fear no byler quote will make me more unhinged than:

"You guys think he's okay?"

"He's always weird when he has to go in."

"I don't know. He's quiet today."

"He's always quiet."

"..."

LIKE HOLY FUCK

the amount of depth this scene adds to mike and will's relationship despite only being a few seconds long is INSANE. my film student oomf @reo-bylerwagon has told me that it's a real strategy to find the exact right wording that adds this depth. there's only so many lines and so many scenes, so every last bit has to count towards something.

there is so much here

1. mike being closest to the camera while the others hang back

2. mike's expression being more concerned than the others

3. "you guys think he's okay?"

dustin is worried about his friend, but he's unsure. he seeks out lucas and mike's opinions.

4. "he's always weird when he has to go in."

lucas has noticed that will is noticeably different on days he has to go to the lab. but he reassures dustin. this is expected. will is always a bit off on days he knows he has to go in, because he hates it.

5. "i don't know. he's quiet today."

mike isn't so sure. will isn't acting the way he always does on the lab days. there's something else. he's noticeably quieter. mike suspects that this isn't just because of the lab, that maybe will isn't okay.

6. "he's always quiet."

lucas knew will was acting weird, but he didnt notice any difference in how quiet he was being. will is always quiet. that's just who he is. that's not a factor in his weird behavior, at least to lucas.

will is always quiet. every day. he is a quiet person.

there are several layers here that make it difficult to notice these shifts in will's behavior. he is a naturally quiet person. there is a known explanation for why he acts weird on certain days. and this is one of those days. no one else thought will was outside of his norm.

but still, somehow, mike knew that wasn't it. he noticed that will was acting different even on the day where he ALWAYS acts different. he noticed that will was being slightly quieter than usual even though he is ALWAYS quiet every single day. he knew this was new behavior. he knew there was something else going on.

but he doesn't voice this, he just watches will silently from behind the fence, clearly deep in thought. he's worried.

i'm sorry but why shove it down our throats that mike is more attentive to will than his other friends and clearly cares for him more and wants to protect him just for it to all mean absolutely nothing in the end? he is even more attentive to will than he is to el.

like how are they going to explain mike's behavior? cause like they still have to do that

"will is just his best friend" there's a whole scene in s1 where mike says they're ALL his best friends

"he's known will the longest" he also says he doesn't treat his friends any differently because of how long he's known them

literally what else is there?? is will just his extra special platonic bro soulmate???

ok so will was misled by mike's attentive caring and supportive behavior that was exclusive to him and developed romantic feelings. and mike is like that...just cause. this whole plot was just a tool to help will realize his sexuality and he'll get over mike and mlvn will be endgame.

a few problems with that...

WILL HAS BEEN BULLIED AND ABUSED AND CALLED GAY/GAY SLURS HIS WHOLE LIFE. unfortunately, and fellow queer people will understand, it's easier to come to terms with what you are when it's been spouted in your face your whole life. if wills love for mike was just to help the audience understand that he's gay, what was the point of all the homophobic abuse and hate crimes and all that? just cause? alright. noah has said will realized his feelings for mike "later on" but quickly cut himself off. will realized his FEELINGS, not his sexuality. will wasn't crying in the van because he doesn't want to be gay, or because he's coming to terms with the fact that he's gay. he was crying because he is deeply in love with someone who he thinks will never love him back. this isn't about self acceptance. will has accepted himself. he's accepted what he is. he's accepted his feelings for mike. that's not the problem. that's not why he's hurting. he's hurting because she's he's heartbroken.

like i'm sorry but it's ridiculous to pretend like you don't see how anything besides byler endgame makes 0 sense. bc it really doesn't and you don't even have to be a writer to see it

[siderealcity]

More Dawntrail narrative thoughts, this time about the Golden City. Spoilers below.

There are several layers to the Golden City as a plot device in Dawntrail, and I think they're interesting enough to just unpack them all and look at them.

The first time we hear the term, it's from Hades in Endwalker:

"Tell me, have you been to the ruins beneath the waters of the Bounty? Or the treasure islands beyond the frozen waters of Blindfrost, in Othard's north? The fabled golden cities of the New World? The sacred sites of the forgotten people of the south sea isles?"

It's telling that he groups that with the sacred sites of the south sea isles. The plot later tells us that they are explicitly connected to one another, but why does it call them "citiies," plural? Where's the other one, Hades?

(Also, we haven't yet been to the treasure islands in the north, but every one of those locations in the quote above has to do with cross-rift travel. Every. One. So, that may be something we see again later.)

But apart from their lore and plot significance (and potential foreshadowing), the Golden City is, from the first time we hear of it, a lure. Bait, dangled before an explorer, enticing them to go onward. It is, for lack of a better word, a promise of things to come. In the specific case in Endwalker, it's a promise that your story isn't over yet, there's still more to come. Even though you are, at that moment, standing in front of the amassed dead of countless worlds. Death is not the end, it's the beginning of new life.

The second time we hear the term, it's from Wuk Lamat. Who is, again, using it to entice us to join her. We don't know at that point that her actual title is, in fact, Promise. And that is significant.

It is, likewise, the bait for Krile's involvement in the story. The thing she knew her grandfather had been asked to study, the secret he'd kept out of the records of the Students, the promise of a connection. To the past, to someone she loved who is now gone.

But then there's the Rite of Succession. And it changes the meaning of the plot device entirely.

The Rite is structured to follow the Tulliyolal saga--the journey Gulool Ja Ja undertook, over the course of who knows how many years, to unify the peoples of Tural into a single nation. A journey which notably has nothing to do with the Golden City. To the Turali, it's a fairy tale. It is so detached from the story of Gulool Ja Ja that Koana immediately has to ask if the city being the final goal means his father actually has some proof it exists.

The Rite itself, as Gulool Ja Ja later admits to us, is meant to be instructional for his children. They are not meant to simply find and cross the finish line, they're supposed to be learning how to be the rulers of Tural.

As we complete feats in the rite, we are awarded stories of the Golden City by each of the races in Yok Tural. And they all follow a significant pattern: The Golden City was the literal dream of the Yok Huy. The conquerers of every single people in southern Tural. The stories we are given are the stories shared by colonized people of their oppressors.

The conquest of Yok Tural is mentioned repeatedly. Every group we meet was displaced and enslaved by the giants during their empire, and the ultimate goal of that empire was to find the Golden City--a paradise of eternal life without pain or suffering. It is at this point that the Golden City becomes a warning. It is the promise of self-destruction. Searching for it ultimately toppled the Yok Huy empire and changed the giants forever. It displaced and disrupted numerous cultures and started centuries of war.

It is, ultimately, the reason why Gulool Ja Ja ever had to play the role of peacemaker and unifier in the first place. The divide-and-conquer tactics employed by the Yok Huy created every problem he set out to solve.

Why did he choose to make it the final goal of the Rite of Succession? A place he famously did not find before becoming Dawnservant? Was it, perhaps, as a lesson to his children, his Promises? Especially his son Zoraal Ja who had dreams of empire?

But interestingly, the Golden City was also set forth as the specific goal for Erenville to find by his mother. Cahciua wasn't present in the flashbacks to Galuf and Gulool Ja Ja and Kettenram viewing the gate, but we know that she met them afterward, and had Erenville with her. Was she with them the first time they'd found the gate? I have to think she was. The only people who seem to have known for sure about it, among Gulool Ja Ja's circle of friends and allies, were the explorers. The ones who would have been interested in searching for it purely for the joy of discovery.

I think it's safe to say that for Cahciua, at least at the time that she gives her son his quest, the Golden City is the Almost Impossible Dream. One that can, in fact, be found, but crucially, not alone. The Yok Huy, who searched for it for generations, and crushed everyone around them trying to get inside, had it in their possession all along. But they never even saw the gate. It took Gulool Ja Ja, who had friends to help him, who actually discovered the way in. It is the promise of discovery through love and fellowship, for her only son who was withdrawn and antisocial.

And then we actually find it.

It is not an accident that the way to reach the Golden City is through a cenotaph of lost hope. We literally pass through waters littered with the bodies of children who were never born--promises never fulfilled--to get to its gate.

And it's eating the Yok Huy ruin. The electrope spreads out from the gate like an infection, over-writing the Yok Huy stonework, erasing their culture.

And it's still... oddly beautiful? But in the way a poisonous mushroom is beautiful.

And it's closed. We don't go through it at this point, though we walk right up to the seal on the doorway. Because we're alive.

We're told by Erenville that many people have sought the Golden City, never to return. And of course they didn't.

Because this is the gateway to death.

Zoraal Ja is the first person we actually see go through it. The False Promise. Just to reinforce that this is, in fact, Zoraal Ja's role, Sareel Ja leads him to the gate and hands him the key with a speech that is wholly constructed of the same false platitudes about Zoraal Ja's magical birthright that have driven Zoraal Ja to be this self-destructive and miserable in the first place. And we can see how much the speech upsets Zoraal Ja, who just lost the contest to both his siblings. He knows every word of his inherent greatness and destiny is a lie. Sareel Ja hands him the key, and he grips it like it might be a bludgeon without even looking at it. And the second time Sareel Ja makes a "Resilient Son" speech, Zoraal Ja literally stabs him in the back.

Having skipped all the lessons and warnings about the danger of pursuing death and destruction, Zoraal Ja walks through its front door.

And I don't think it's accidental that the dome appears in Xak Tural, even though the gate itself is located in Yak T'el, far to the south. Xak Tural is the land that defeated the Yok Huy advance without a single battle. The unconquerable land. This is the part of Tulliyolal that Gulool Ja Ja didn't have to fix because it was never broken in the first place. They very notably do not live in the segregated societies the people of the south do, because nobody imposed that on them. The towns we see are a mix of races living together, and probably served as the inspiration for Gulool Ja Ja to build Tulliyolal in the first place, differing people pursuing communal and sometimes conflicting interests together. These are the people Zoraal Ja has been rambling about nonsensically, "teaching the value of peace by the misery of war." The ones who don't need Tulliyolal, but merely want to be part of it.

He can make his mark here because his father never did.

When the dome appears over Yyasulani, we, the players, know it's Zoraal Ja's passage through the gate that caused it, but the characters don't learn this until after he's brutally slaughtered people. We players see the sequence of events as: Zoraal Ja, the Promise of Death, walks into the land of death and carries it out with him. But the characters are instead following the trail of death back to the land of the dead. We don't enter Alexandria through the Golden City. Not at first. We enter it through a swathe of destruction and desolation and a storm that never ends. That's our first view of it. The promise of ruin. We do not see the paradise that led the Yok Huy to their doom until after we know that Sphene, like the Yok Huy, is willing to lay waste to the lives around her to have her Golden City.

And then we have the vision.

I don't think it's an accident that the only people who have ever seen anything come out of the gate to the Golden City are the Warrior of Light, Gulool Ja Ja, Kettenram, Galuf, and indirectly Cahciua. All characters who inherently understand that life comes from death and the balance between them is vital. And it's symbolically significant that it's a child who is delivered from the land of the dead. Her parents don't come with her. The dead don't get to return, we get new life instead.

And then we go there. And it looks like Amaurot.

We call it Living Memory, but the resemblance to Amaurot, and the knowledge of what's actually here means that we immediately understand the lie. The Golden City, the cloud, the twelfth level of Everkeep, all of it has always been a false promise. Zoraal Ja, the False Promise, walked into the land of False Promises and became its king.

And Sphene, the Queen of False Promises, has always had the impossible task of keeping the dead alive.

As we make our way through Living Memory, it's notable that what we actually do is remove the beautiful, golden veneer from the land of the dead. The city is still there when we're done with it. We walk back outside through its gate. We do not have the power to remove death any more than we could destroy despair. But we take the lie out of it, we free the stolen life force to become life again. It's now just dead. No more promises of paradise or ruin to fulfill.

[psychic-refugee]

I agree with pretty much everyone that the season was rushed. They had so much going on and just didn’t do any kind of exposition or building of the storyline. Even if they had the normal 10-episode season, I don’t know how they would have done anyone’s storyline justice.

So, even for a Netflix season, it was short and rushed.

I think it could have been a really good season if they had the time to actually tell the story.

Some things I wished they had developed.

The bond between Jennifer and Ben. Or just having a backstory for Jennifer at all. She was literally just there and I felt I knew nothing about her. Marigold made 43 gifted children, did Durango only make Jennifer? If Marigold gives powers, does Durango make them even more ordinary? lol

They could have had a plot where maybe both particles give powers, but when they are in proximity to someone with the opposite particle, their powers get nullified.

If Lila and Five were gonna go Timeline hopping, they could have shown several timelines where Jennifer and Ben keep meeting tragic ends when they meet each other. I would have loved it if they were “Star Crossed Lovers” on steroids where literally every time they meet, they either die or bring about the end of the world.

I wished they played up more the idea that the Umbrella Academy as a unit/existing at all meant doom for the Universe.

Where if Ben and Jennifer don’t meet/die early enough, then Viktor causes the apocalypse. If Viktor doesn’t cause the apocalypse, then it’s Five with his wrecking the timeline to the point it creates a kugleblitz. If Five doesn’t cause it, then show how the others all bring about the doom.

Klaus always awakens too many of the dead and they kill everyone, zombie apocalypse style.

Alison’s ability progresses to the point that anything she says becomes reality, and she inadvertently causes the world to end because she gets pissed and wished “everyone would drop dead” or some other kind of Monkey Paw consequence to a misguided wish.

Diego is blamed for every assassination because of his abilities, and it starts a nuclear war between countries.

Luther gets captured by a shady government entity where they want to use his DNA or recreate Reginald’s serum to create super soldiers, as his powers are the most coveted for a fascist regime. They’re successful and there’s an apocalypse created by world wars.

Instead of Viktor getting two seasons of ending the world and Five and Ben getting one; It should have been a 7-season storyline where they each end the world in their own way and they continuously try to fix it. Season 7 is where it ends with all of them voluntarily being absorbed by the Cleanse because they realize, “It’s me. Hi, I’m the problem it’s me.”

I wish they had gone deeper into Abigail Hargreeves, and not only on her research for Marigold and Durango, but her apparent resentment of being brought back to life. Like, how did she come to the plan of putting the Cleanse in motion? They couldn’t have at least done a montage of the six years between the resurrecting time reset and the beginning of season 4?

It would have been nice to see the dynamic between Reginald and Abigail. Is he so self-centered that he never noticed his wife was plotting to end the universe as they knew it? Was she horrified at the lengths he went to in order to resurrect her? Was he completely different around her? Soft, caring?

Did she try to live a happy life with Reginald, but couldn’t knowing that because Marigold and Durango still existed, that it was only a matter of time before it went to shit?

Was Abigail aware of the broken timeline and the inevitable eternal loop of apocalypse and resets, and that’s why she chose the Cleanse?

Season Four wasn’t finished, IMO, and we really only saw the Wiki version.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hey!

I adore your work, my day gets better every time I see you post a new chapter.

Maybe I'm super late, but I just realized that scene where Louis and Claudia are standing outside while Lestat is telling Antoinette he loves her could not have happened as it was shown. Lestat would have felt them standing there, their heartbeats, felt Louis's presence like Louis felt his in the theater.

Hey!

Ahhhh that makes me so happy, so glad you like! 🥰

:) And yeah, the hotel. One of the many... discrepancies and unlikely events we were told.

I pointed a few discrepancies about Antoinette (and the hotel) out here:

In there is also the link to the "car" post, in which I made the observation that Lestat knew where they were - but Louis and Claudia did not notice him.

Lestat would have felt them, yes. Louis would have, too, but I think Louis always blamed the "liquid feeling" on his own obsession with Lestat, not something actually existing like an obscure vampire bond :) (I'll get into that in my fic still, too :)) - and Claudia likely suppressed hers at that point at least.

I think Louis only was able to realize some aspects of the bond after Madeleine, and then when he knew Lestat was at the theater it clicked into place (to an extent). And his own capabilities were severely weakened by his diet of course :/

Now that we know Louis' tale has been edited the "discrepancies" and mischaracterizations and literal "plot holes" if you will make a lot of sense - it was an attempt to color Louis' story in a certain light, to paint Lestat in a certain light - a light very similar to the one Armand used in his little fanfiction flashback in 2x03.

As such I highly doubt the hotel scene happened like that at all - I think it is far more likely that Louis was either told about it later by Claudia and envisioned it, or it was planted into his mind because of the circumstances and the intent behind the editing.

Hope you'll continue to like dear!!!

[lakeside-paradise]

Every so often, I stop and think about Ryosuke Kira. This guy had more potential. I understand that his kind-hearted personality and selflessness weren't meant to last in Blue Lock, but that means that several characters shouldn't have made it, such as Reo.

I mean, I know how important Reo is as a character, and I know his Ego revolves around Nagi, which literally means that Reo was playing for someone else, Nagi. And yes, he becomes more independent later on, but at the same time, isn't that potential that Kira could have had?

Not only that, we know that Kira does have an Ego of his own. And yes, it's brought out by losing, but if he wasn't introduced as a character who was doomed from the start (come on, we all knew it), his Ego could have meant so much more in later chapters, with his friendship with Isagi (despite his words later on, I still think he did like Isagi) helping to make amazing plays.

There's one problem with that, however, and it's Bachira. Now I'd obviously choose Bachira over Kira any day, that's for certain. But Kira is able to play with more people than Isagi, which is especially shown in his belief that soccer is a sport played with eleven people. He could easily play with more people on Team Z and make a big impact on them.

I truly believe that Isagi didn't completely unleash his full Ego until the Neo Egoist League, and even then, he knows that he can't just play soccer by himself. So, while Kira would have some struggles adapting to the way Blue Lock works and their system of Egoists, I think he would have been able to survive there and make a name for himself at the same time.

Despite starting off in Team Z, Kira had a reputation as the 'Crown Jewel of Japan' and I think if he made it through the Second Selection and his team lost at some point, he'd be chosen for his reputation and his personality. He has a hidden Ego brewing underneath his kindness, but he has the skill and talent to play for other people as well. So I think he would survive well there.

I also believe that he would work well with players such as Nagi, Barou, or Shidou. All of them are Egoists who are used to having balls passed to them so they can score. Kira, from what I can tell, is a character who is able to pass the ball to someone else, so long as victory is possible. Not only that, in some aspects, Kira resembles Reo, especially in the way that Reo does everything for Nagi. While potentially mot the best thing in the world, his selflessness would easily get him through, and perhaps even be brought in as a substitute during the U20 game, if he made it that far.

Now, obviously, Kira couldn't have stayed as part of Team Z because there could only be 11 players. But what's an easy solution? Get rid of a character who has no relevance to the plot. There are two potential characters I can think of for that.

The first one is Yudai Imamura. Does anyone even remember that character? He gets sent home during the Second Selection, but I bet no one even knew that because he's so irrelevant. Apparently, his weapon is his speed and technique, but he just wasn't needed. Chigiri had the speed, and Isagi and Bachira had the technique. He never stood out during any of the games and just ceased to exist.

I did consider Asashi Naruhaya but disregarded him because he had relevance in the Secone Selection where he played alongside Barou. He was also considered to be important enough to have a backstory reveal, so we know why he played soccer in the first place and why he needed an Ego to get through.

But my second character that Kira could replace is hopefully unsurprisingly Gurimu Igarashi, or Igaguri. Now listen, it's not that I hate him, because I don't. He's okay as character, but I won't go any further than that. Yes, he has an Ego, but even Isagi said that his Ego wasn't enough to get him through. He was a substitute for the U20 match, but he didn't get used. He's a reserve for Bastard München, but he still hasn't been used. He doesn't have a value, and if that stays the same, he's going home.

While I can see him getting through because he seems to have some relevance to the story, I don't understand or know how it'll happen. I don't think he has any individual talents apart from being able to make other players get a foul when they try to regain the ball. That isn't enough. And besides, if Igaguri was with someone who isn't Shidou and they lost during the Second Selection, the other player, no matter who it was, would get picked instead, just because Igaguri has shown no reason for him to be picked. He doesn't stand out, his Blue Lock ranking is at rock bottom, and his personality isn't even likeable. Apart from the Blue Lock ranking (which Kira wasn't able to build because he was knocked out), Kira had better skills than him, and his impact would have been a lot bigger.

I'm sure the writers and development team have their own reasons, but at the same time, Kira seemed like such a wasted character. His potential could have been huge, and he could have been a more successful character, especially during the Second Selection and the U20 game. As for the Neo Egoist League, I think he'd be drawn to Manshine City, and I think his talents could be shown there easily, and he'd definitely be able to make a name for himself and a value for himself, whether it be as a starting player or a reserve.

I have several problems, though minor, with Blue Lock as a whole, but Kira's wasted potential and wasted Ego (and the breaking and reforming of it) of the one that angers me the most. He was a good character to begin with, and I really did like him (and a lot of people seem to have preferred him over Imamura, Naruhaya, or Igaguri), so why couldn't he be developed? It just bugs me so badly.

[tianasficrecs168]

Kimetsu no Yaiba fic recs

Some of these are juvenile and silly (case in point: "Right here, on my phone", Zenitsu uses flirt: it's super effective!) but I like them.

Also, any reader stuff you see that's on my list is quality - as in, the character that's supposed to be the reader (us) has just enough of a personality that I really just consider this an OC fic with weird pronoun use.

On a completey unrelated note, I'm going to strangle Surveycorpjean specifically. Their fics are so fuckin good omg, I lose my shit every time.

Anyway, you know the drill.

A black dot • means it’s a one-shot

A heart ♡ means it’s focused on Sexy times (it’s pure filth PWP, or like, a plot focused on getting to the porn part lol)

Brackets (…) means it's still being updated/not done/WIP – and I'm paying close attention to it

Esselle: “Fuwafuwa” (Tanjirou/Inosuke) • Inosuke likes it when people tell him he's great at things, because it's true, and they should all acknowledge how powerful he is. But whenever Tanjiro does it, it makes him feel… weird. -- ふ��ふわ (fuwafuwa) can mean several different things: 1. Fluffy; soft. 2. Light and airy. 3. The way Tanjiro makes Inosuke feel.

Perliegrimm: “Tempura” (Tanjirou/Inosuke) • Inosuke’s habit of ranting to Nezuko is one borne out of the available knowledge that she can’t gossip to anyone- thus making her the perfect confidant in aiding (and concealing) his secret feelings for a certain swordsman. At least… That’s what he thinks. (Not that Inosuke necessarily thinks.)

Horae: “The Boy in the Box” (Tanjirou/Zenitsu) Nezuko didn’t think much of the boy sobbing in the road, until he protected Tanjiro. Tanjiro knew Zenitsu was different when he first met him, and couldn’t help but chase the scent peaches and kindness, literally. It’s only fair that he take care of Zenitsu, after he got hurt protecting him, right? Role Reversal AU: Where Nezuko is a demon slayer and Demon!Tanjiro immediately takes an interest in Zenitsu. Takes place from Nezuko and Zenitsu’s meeting to the gang's recovery in the butterfly estate.

Kinyve: “Right here, on my phone” (Tanjirou/Zenitsu) Zenitsu has a magical device that keeps track of his relationships in real life with cute hearts, kind of like an otome game! Wait, why does Tanjirou have bombs? what do the bombs mean does Tanjirou hate him oh fuck Tanjirou hates him wh-

Kinyve: “Lean on” (Tanjirou/Zenitsu) • Zenitsu's about to get a stiff neck if this guy doesn't get a move on.

 Kinyve: “The Transmigration of Kaigaku Inadama” (...) (SI!OC/Rengoku) Kaigaku thought that was it. After jumping off the bridge, he’d be dead. Or at least, he should be. Instead, he woke up staring up at a dazzling blue sky, the sickeningly sweet scent of peaches wafting through his nostrils, and his head on a particularly sturdy rock.

Bonsaiy: “Worship the flame” (Sanemi/Giyuu) •♡ Sanemi encounters a demon with a pesky lust-related Demon Blood Art in the south of Honshu, and heroically exterminates it before it can make prey of anymore innocent humans. This fic is not about that. This fic is about the aftermath, and about Giyuu finally becoming closer to Shinazugawa. Just... not in the way he probably first thought about.

Bonsaiy: “The troposphere in his eyes” (Sanemi/Giyuu) • Shinazugawa Sanemi, Tomioka Giyuu, and approximately 25 cliché fanfiction tropes.

Grenades: - “So full of love (I could barely eat)” (Sanemi/Giyuu) • “...Do you think I’m a bad cook?”  A gust of air pushes its way through Sanemi’s open mouth. “What?”  Tomioka flushes- no, he blushes, ears and cheeks dark- and looks away. “The ohagi. Was it bad?”  Sanemi was expecting Tomioka to kill him, or mock him- but this is so, so much worse.

Bloodsbane: - “Warm Body, Soft Breath” (Tanjirou/Inosuke) “What are you two doing?” “It’s just cuddling, Inosuke.” The strange eyes of the boar mask tilted back in the Kamado siblings’ direction. “What’s cuddling?”

Novashyperion: “There’s Room Here For Two” (Inosuke/Zenitsu) • Inosuke has no sense of personal space, and Zenitsu learns that the hard way. It becomes a lot easier as time goes on. - 3 Times Inosuke used Zenitsu as a bed/pillow, and 1 Time Zenitsu did the same.

Glueskin: “They say there’s good grief” (Sanemi/Giyuu) but how can you tell it from the bad? or, giyuu begins the painstaking process of trying to remember how to be a functional human being.

Favspacetwink: “Peace in your violence” (Sanemi/Giyuu)♡ • “Mmnh - mmnh - mmnh-” “Better keep it down, Tomioka,” Sanemi breathes in his ear. Giyuu groans into the hand covering his mouth. “What did I just fucking say?”

JuniRiceBall: “Rip and tear” (Sanemi/Giyuu)♡ • For a mission, Tomioka Giyuu has to borrow one of Shinazugawa Sanemi's yukatas. Too bad it causes one of them to overheat.

Neoqueenserenity: “Jealous of the Moon” (Sanemi/Giyuu) • "Shinazugawa, I'm not taking your last name unless I'm getting something out of it." Before he realized what he'd said out loud, he noticed the wind pillar's face contort in rage. “WAIT NO THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT—” He ducked on instinct, barely missing the fist aimed for his skull. Or: Giyuu and Sanemi are sent on a mission together to take down a demon who targets brothers, and they pretend to be siblings. It does not go well.

Orenji: “Home is with you” (Sanemi/Giyuu) • Sanemi’s face crumples. “Fuck,” he says, huffing out a short laugh, throwing his head back. “You’re gonna make me cry. I hate you.” “You don’t,” Giyuu says, confidently, fondly. “You love me. Just as much as I love you.” (Giyuu has never believed in fate, but meeting Sanemi again hundreds of years later seems like the Universe is giving them one more shot to get it right.)

Pinkichor: “Comfort of a Storm” (Tanjirou/Zenitsu) • Zenitsu’s entire body seemed to drop like he was exhausted without the will to take another step. “Tanjiro...doesn’t your blanket smell good enough? It’s certainly less weird.” Tanjiro wrapped his arms around Zenitsu, shaking his head, pulling cloth with the movement. “This is better.” Zenitsu tried his very best to walk forward with Tanjiro affectionately attached to his back, but Tanjiro picked up his feet when Zenitsu did, and the only thing he succeeded in was bringing Tanjiro to his chosen futon.

Frogsterz: “To be special” (Tanjirou/Inosuke) • “Shut up!” Inosuke wants to scream, but then he realises Tanjirou absolutely must not wake up and settles for a death hiss, hands curling against his sides. Stupid thinking stupid foresight stupid— “I don’t think about those kinds of things! They’re a waste of time! And pack means family!" “Well a pack doesn’t have to be blood-related, I don’t think,” Zenitsu flops onto the grass and stares at the sky. “I think having someone to love would be a very nice thing to have, you know. The whole—not being alone thing, not being given up on thing.” (Or, Inosuke is special to Tanjirou. Tanjirou is special to Inosuke. They've really got to work on their communication.)

 Frogsterz: “Christ, just hold still” (Sanemi/Reader) There are many things that after a year of being in the Demon Slayer medical corps you’ve gotten used to. The stench of ash and blood in the air. The sight of half-eaten, half-chewed bodies strewn across the floor. Applying tourniquets, lopping off limbs when they’ve been beyond saving, patching up the lightly and the grievously injured. You can handle just about anything now. But this? This asshole who keeps running away from you and your attempts to stop him from fucking bleeding out in a forest? He really pisses you off.

Kenmagoesblep: “Human manners 101” (Tanjirou/Zenitsu/Inosuke) • Being an uneducated feral boy, Inosuke gets thrown off, confused and overwhelmed over the smallest, stupidest things. It’s really embarrassing. So, while they’re not obliged to do any of this, Tanjiro and Zenitsu have this nonverbal agreement that they’d do their best to teach Inosuke some basic human knowledge. Building pillow forts, however, doesn't qualify as such, yet here they are.

StrawBunni: - “Zenitsu uses flirt: it's super effective!” (Tanjirou/Zenitsu/Inosuke) Sensing that the conversation is done, Zenitsu pushes away from the door and continues heading towards the roof, thinking through what he just heard. Flirting to get what you want, huh? Would that actually work for someone like him too? or High School AU where Zenitsu decides to try and use flirting to get Inosuke and Tanjiro to follow the dress code and ends up with two boyfriends instead, which for some reason he didn’t see coming.

Redyarns: - “Acoustics” (Zenitsu/Tanjirou) • “Well,” Zenitsu sighed, finishing the wrap and tucking it with a good pull. He needed to thank his Gramps for teaching him how to treat minor wounds. “Be more careful, okay? You’re the best one out of all of us, we can’t lose you to a minor demon.” “I love you,” Tanjirou said, and it came out breathy, like he hadn’t meant to say it. Zenitsu snorted and gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Love you too,” he said sarcastically. “Huh?” Tanjirou said. “I love you too?” Zenitsu repeated slowly, now getting confused when Tanjirou���s sound became sour with disappointment. “Uh, right? We’re friends? We are friends, right?” He said, suddenly nervous. “Yes, of course we are,” Tanjirou said immediately, and though there was still that sharp twang of sourness in his sound, at least he was smiling. Weird. *** Five times Tanjirou confessed and one time Zenitsu got it.

Kagshina: “Ignite” (Tanjirou/Zenitsu/Inosuke) • Inosuke’s chest clenches without explanation. Whatever this feeling is, he doesn’t like it. Tanjiro’s not supposed to cry. Tanjiro’s supposed to be strong, like him. He punches Zenitsu’s shoulder. “Why the hell is Tanjiro crying?! That’s supposed to be your thing!” (In which Inosuke witnesses affection and there’s lots of crying.)

xtwilightzx (blackidyll): “Daybreak” (Tanjirou/Giyuu) • Giyuu is asleep on his side, head turned towards Tanjirou, close enough that Tanjirou would barely need to stretch to touch him. Tanjirou just looks— —and the wonder sets in slowly, like dawn gradually seeping colour into the darkness of the night.

Surveycorpjean: “Killer Downpour” (Inosuke/Tanjirou/Zenitsu) Once again, the world feels so small, and Tanjirou’s heart feels so big.

[the-gayest-show]

Elena of Avalor Watch: The Finale, Coronation Day!

(pre watch thoughts: holy cow i can't believe im here this is THE moment i've been waiting for! this thing is a literal feature film what the FUCK. i can't wait to get into the game. this is gonna be SOOOOOOOOOOO FIRE. esteban and crew are bound to show up i KNOW it.)

@drzone, you wanted to see this :D

[spoilers + long ass rant ahead!]

what. the FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

emotional damage from watching a disney junior finale was not on my 2025 bingo card....... brb im listening to every song in the coronation day album and uh. thinking thoughts. having flashbacks. thinking more thoughts.

Whilst watching the movie, I knew I wanted to make this post, thus I did some minor liveblogging on my notes app on my phone. This leaves me several interesting contention points in which to talk about.

They put an INSANE amount of musical numbers in this movie.

What was it, 5 songs? Six? I attempted to count but lost count because I was too entangled in the plot. All the songs are great. Bro. When they played Never Too Late AND IT WAS AN ELENA AND ESTEBAN DUET!?!?!?!! GOD. Was fucking cheering. That was so awesome. The ending and beginning songs were so great and nice endings and intros to the "episode" (I will refer to this as a movie from now on because this shit was 1hr and 15mins that's literally a full length feature film to me).

Also in the Shades' musical number, poor Esteban. My guy was just suffering. Poor thing.

My one singular issue is that it was either my computer's speakers or poor mixing but I could barely hear the voices in the song over the loud instrumental in some songs. It sounds a bit better on Spotify so maybe it was just that. Kinda ruined the song immersion experience but I can live with that I suppose.

The Plot Part 1: The Shades

The Shades of Awesome (formerly The Shadows of the Night) are, in fact, quite awesome. Now THIS is an antagonistic force if I ever saw one (like seriously this is the ultimate Big Bad that's bigger than Shuriki, Ash was just Shuriki Lite tbh and not as interesting, despite what the show attempts to do, which is have her be a "one up" force). There's an electric power guy, a guy who can turn people into animals using fireball esque powers, a guy who can control emotions and shit (and has a fire design to boot), and the girl who can slow down time.

I absolutely ADORED emotion guy's design. I LOVE the concept of his face switching both physically and in color depending on emotions. I find this so interesting because the emotion colors look like Elena's emotion colors?? Why is that? I wonder if there's a universal emotion magic out there and both of them (Elena and emotion guy) have access to its control.

Time girlie was the most plot relevant, which I suppose makes sense, although to me, it feels odd that there even was a most plot relevant one. I got the feeling that the Shades would ALL work together in unison as some kind of force because I felt like they were a group or something but it seemed while they have their own goals, the movie portrays them as slightly "less important" or "more defeatable" which to me felt a bit odd. They should've had a multitude moment. But in terms of how the plot flowed, the time one was a bigger threat by default because she plays with a pretty strong force. Like if there's a time person, where's the death power, or the life power? Disney Jr doesn't have the balls to give us Death personified, I suppose, maybe it was meant to be left up to peak Dreamworks movie Puss in Boots: The Last Wish after all...

The Plot Part 2: Elena + Ash in the Spirit World

I'm glad the show acknowledges Elena was actively committing a dick move by NOT going after Ash, WHO BY THE WAY WAS CHANTING A SPELL(!!!!!!), and going after Esteban!!! I was so mad about that. Elena, seriously? But anyways.

Elena and Ash being trapped in the spirit world (the dark side specifically) was.... interesting. Was NOT expecting that. "Journeys to the Spirit World" BITCH SHE IS TRAPPED IN THERE SHE DIDN'T ASK TO BE THERE!!!!

Bobo jumpscare! What are you doing here my guy. He was a fun addition though. My initial writeup for this was "BOBO??? BITCH WHAT?????? YOU'RE IN THIS TOO????" but he didn't disappoint!

The Grand Macaw we get introduced to literally shocked me. He looks WAYYYYYYY too chill about ruling this place. If you told me he ruled the good side of the Spirit World I'd probably believe you. But I guess his selfishness is what got him there. Not the personality OR design I was expecting. Crazy. But he's interesting! "He doesn't mean what he says and doesn't say what he means." What an interesting line! Because at first I thought this referred to "No Rules" somehow but it ACTUALLY referred to the Lower side and Higher side. Macaw has an INSANE control of the crowd, he lowers his hand and the crowd immediately shuts up. This is some god tier audience control. I almost wanted to see the off on off on sound of the crowd (would've been so satisfying to my autistic ass).

He's so Unserious too. How do we get back to Avalor? We play fucking OLABALL. OLABALL.

Turns out the way out is to LOSE. Ok, that's such a fire concept. I love how Ash's defeat is so mediocre because despite trying to build her up as a threat, she fucking wins an Olaball game and is Spirit Worlded forever. That is so goofy. Goofiest sendoff in this show. Shuriki had a more dramatic one, with the whole canonical murder via Scepter of Light scene, but this was just funny.

Also wait. What is this "tiger hawk" and how does it just send everyone to the dark side? Like Zopilote was eaten, fox guy was eaten.... so like. Is this some kind of death trap creature? Is the sending to the dark side vs light side determined by levels of evilness inside you? Now THAT would be cool if that's true.

The Plot Part 3: Esteban's No Good, Very Bad Day (+ Forgiveness Arc)

Esteban has NO idea what he is doing. Given control of 4 very powerful beings who (claim) will bend under his command, he fucking decides to be king right on the spot. Bro had to think!!! They literally interrogated him for that info because that kinda came out of nowhere. We also got this shit in season 1 initially when he first thought about it, so it's not totally out of nowhere. It's just that I haven't seen him express this in 2 seasons (unless I am forgetting an episode).

I find it so interesting that the Shades double crossed him and he didn't even know it. I suppose trusting villains is like. His thing. His fatal error. He cannot stop trusting them to uphold his standards for some reason. He really does keep making the same mistake over and over again. Once with Shuriki, twice with Ash + Co, THRICE with these all-powerful Awesomes. God, you are pathetic! (/aff)

There is a ever so minor personality switch I sense in which he's MORE protective over Elena than usual. Maybe he finally knows the deep shit he's dug himself into and is trying to at least save them but that's interesting to me.

When Esteban goes to take over the kingdom (bro that speech was giving Cedric I'm sorry. I know they ain't the same character but that scene in particular sure felt when he started yapping about taking the throne and being respected and heard... literally Cedric.), Franciso (who i've been accidentally referring to as Abuelo regardless of relation) asks Esteban why he's doing this and now THIS is basically what I've been wanting to hear!!! What bullshit did he think went wrong to the point where this was necessary!!

Turns out it is Being Listened To.

Which is kind of... odd? Like I get the pattern of "you rightfully warn you beloveds that danger is near and they do not listen and you are inevitably RIGHT" sucks ass but I don't understand? I don't understand why this leads to his "villain" arc. When the Shades call him a villain, he's like "I'm not a villain" SO WHAT DOES THAT MAKE YOU???

Bro, you were feeling up for kingdom takeover literally 5 seconds ago. Get real. This further confirms a thought I'd had in a previous post where I claimed even HE didn't know what side he was on.

This is true, as Esteban would say.

During the absolute banger of a song sequence Never Too Late, he laments about this whole... realization in a way in which he KNOWS he fucked up and knows he's not gonna be able to take it back. Well, it's... something. Like. I don't know how to feel because when I think back to his other actions, in which he proceeded to do several "wrong" things, it makes sense, I guess, but the opinion's mixed. Yeah, my guy, you are NOT gonna be able to take back what you've done, and you know this. Thank God.

I also think this contradicts the whole "I felt like an outcast!" speech he gave the Council before he was exiled. But here's my interpretation of events:

- Esteban did not feel HEARD, and that was his main issue, but over time, this spiraled into "I have been an outcast and nobody loves me". I believe that's just a mental process. It's not rational thinking, but Esteban using rational thinking was disregarded ages ago, so it's okay.

- In the Mother's day episode, this is basically confirmed. We get flashbacks to Esteban's childhood and life, and we're shown something significantly different from what we've been told: a relatively happy childhood. In flashbacks where we thought it was going to lead to Esteban being left out, even subtly, but it's revealed he wasn't. Lucia even has a 1 on 1 moment!!! That's the polar opposite of being an outcast I fear.

- Might be a stretch, but could the grief of Esteban losing his parents have led to resentment, even if it wasn't rational? Like. The way he was jealous/emotional over the random kid and his mom. I wonder if this same idea applies to when he saw Elena and her family. They lived together, after all. He seemed to me to be a closed off/hesitant to share his feelings kind of kid, so maybe this led to some mental hate brewing despite the love given to him.

-

Also here's a bit: When Luisa (I think that's her name, i also keep calling her abuela), tells Esteban that taking over the kingdom will let him be listened to, but he won't be loved or respected, not truly, that was so interesting to me.

Because it's true.

I feel like the AU episode where Elena wasn't queen had that shown to us: He was king, ruler of Avalor, but at what cost? Everyone is afraid of him. If anyone spoke evil of him, they went straight to the dungeon. No one had freedom to do anything. I wonder if this was actually his intention when normal Esteban said he wanted to be king. Was this what he was going to do to his people? Enslave them in jobs they don't like and rig the rules? Maybe if he was a bit more evil and fucked up inside (or gave into his delusions of respect and greatness).

-

Esteban's forgiveness scene was fucking BONKERS. My jaw DROPPED when they actually had him in stone for a second and Elena was crying over him. This show was SUPPOSED to be on Disney Channel I could just feel it.

But it proved one thing to me: He was still absolutely determined to protect his family. Somehow, despite the 7 layers of delusion that gave him the idea that his family outcasted him and that becoming king will somehow make that better, he is ever so determined to protect them. Like he perked up, immediately transported to Elena, and fucking STOOD THERE, AND TOOK THE MAGIC BULLET. HE FROZE HIMSELF IN STONE. Brother I'm sorry that's an insane sacrifice, more than your weak ass "stop!" you've been saying to Ash has ever done.

The biggest question of all: Do I believe Esteban deserves Elena's forgiveness? My answer is... kinda? Like I think the way I see it, the forgiveness is mainly not for his actions (which girl I would not forgive him for either), but for something deeper. I do not know how to describe this at all but the gist is, I don't think the show was forgiving his actions, but rather acknowledging the development he has had that has given Elena the notion that Esteban was ready to change.

Like if anything convinces you that a man is ready to leave villainy once and for all, it's freezing himself permanently to save your ass. That's how I see it.

Can be traced back to Victor and Carla's "forgiveness" moment. They prove they're on Elena's side, not by begging for their actions to be rescinded, but by showing her that they've changed. I don't think their actions are forgivable either, but I think the point of forgiveness in this series is about the individual proving they are removed from their past and becoming a better version of themselves.

Proven by when Elena says "We may not be able to change the past, but if we can change ourselves, we have the power to change the future."

THAT. THAT!!! Is the shit I'm getting at. This is why Esteban was forgiven. And I think I believe in THAT forgiveness more than I do that anyone of the antagonist's actions as doings are forgiven along with the person.

Im realizing that the movie and especially the show as a whole are getting at the point that actions make a person, but it's like points in time. It's the past, it's up to you to change your future and decide who you want to be, and take appropriate actions that, despite never making up for previous ones, show change in mindset. Forgiveness of actions doesn't come with forgiveness of person, not automatically anyway.

But enough with this sappy shit XD.

-

I LOVE the visuals for the whole forgiveness scene by the way. Absolutely LIVE for this blue ass lighting showing a complete change in tone (is the fact that the lighting inside the castle is still bright mean something? Can it imply that Esteban was trapped in his little world of nicety and pretending he was in the right, and only now got out of it?), and just nice looking scenes generally. Esteban having tears when he was saying "I'm sorry"..... bro..... wild.....

I love how now Esteban can just use Elena's Scepter because he's got the magic inside him!! That's so neat and also vice versa with the stick!!!! God i love magic lore.

Them transporting themselves to the spirit world! Wait so the implication is that there is a radius limit on Esteban's magic? Even if he gets good? I mean that makes sense it took a toll on BOTH parties to even get there and back.

Also, we literally never get to see more Esteban powers like dawg we get it, you can teleport yourself. WHAT ELSE?????? WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO???? WHAT FUCKING SHIT DO YOU NOT KNOW ABOUT????!?!

The Plot Part 4: The Coronation Event

Goddammit Elena, your dress is SOOOO COOL!!!! That shit high key was so fucking awesome. Loved the ceremony and shit.

(Did not like Sofia and Co's redesigns. James is a fucking roblox avatar and their faces look weird. They spent the budget for Elena's pretty dress but at what cost to beloved IP Sofia the First...)

The roles she gives everyone!!!

Naomi is Chancellor! Now that I was not expecting! Because to me, I assumed Esteban was going to be Chancellor again, but I suppose that's one thing you lose by having done [insert ginormous masterpost i do not have]. The elenaomi shipper in me sobbed for joy. Deadass Kingdom Yuri. To me.

General Gabe!!! I didn't even know there was a General role, but congrats man! You deserve it!

Master Wizard Mateo!!! Oh my gosh I actually have a small bit about this because like. This makes his character development go full circle. Like he was told by Alacazar that he had to be his own master wizard, and there is he, master wizarding! He's gotten the title he looked up to Alacazar for!!!

Royal Inventor Isa!!!! Now girl, that's so sweet 🥺🥺 She really deserves it, though I question whether she's a tad bit too young for such a role, but honestly I love it!! Truly the sisters of all time <333

Miscellaneous Points I Dedicate Here

- Isabel proving she can stand on her own is such a neat plot point, and one that's been steadily building! I love how they made the episode with Quita Moz relevant to this!! They had her display bravery!! Honestly Quita Moz, great job man, your odd maze worked! And also ingenuity lessons from that other episode!!!

- Mateo's basement is actually relevant and being used for its true purpose: a hideaway for when mfs take over your kingdom!!

- The little crown adjustment at the end was such a nice intro callback!!!!!

- The credits!!! I watched the entire damn credits because of bloody fireworks, but oh I loved it so!

- When Victor and Carla point their Tamboritas at Ash during the sea battle, Ash is all like, "How could you point that at me? Your máma?" Which is just bonkers for her to say. She claims she loves them more than anything, but if you did, you wouldn't have frozen your husband in stone and left, now would you? And you would've saved Victor when given the chance instead of thirsting for power for 5 seconds. But you didn't. You stopped being a good mother figure right there for me. Hey, at least when Victor and Carla were walking home in the snowstorm from season 2 and Carla got hurt, Victor was fucking carrying her home AND trudging her through the storm. That's dedication. Love truly transcends evil fr.

Forcing Carla to blast Ash was wild. She was hesitant and I get it, it's her mother, but Victor gave no shits and went for it. Hell yeah. We love this father-daughter crew. Literally best duo <3

Overall this was THE most awesomest Disney Jr show I've witnessed. This was totally supposed to be Disney Channel but okkkkk whatever they say 🙄

- Finale was nicely paced. Truth.

I would totally do this again tbh like I'd rewatch if I could.

Finale was peak 100/10. That was an Experience.

[kyurilin]

2: Do you plan each chapter ahead or write as you go?

26: Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

2. Do you plan each chapter ahead or write as you go?

There is a severe lack of planning in my fanfic writing with the exception of the Shabby AU ideas and mostly since I don't write in chapters UNLESS I decide to post it early to gain interest (ie Stray and Love Is Just Like That, Sometimes) I really don't even know where chapters are gonna end. Mic's BS Life is FAMOUS for not having been planned at all with exception for the ending, while Crumbled Rooftops actually has an outline. Stray is MOSTLY unplanned and was a Follow The Vibes type thing with some talking it over with Shabby to nail down plot points I wanted to get down. Ironically the lack of planning is why stray chapter 3 has hardly gone anywhere as of yet but I also like not planning so that I can follow the vibes and figure out if something works naturally or not as opposed to stressing over how something SHOULD be going (crumbled rooftops chapter 5 suffered from this strongly since I knew what I wanted to do but several iterations didn't feel right).

26. Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

I gotta say Present Mic's Totally Bullshit Life in EVERY sense of the word wild. It started from Aizawa's POV but I wasn't used to writing him yet and switched it to Mic's. Then that vibed so well that almost 4 years ago TO THE DAY I knocked out every bit of the beginning up until Mic and Aizawa meet up again for the first time in years in the span of a few hours. By January/February of 2021 I had until the AWARDS CEREMONY done (and that's about 48k into the story!). This story was not intended to be posted- I was solely writing it for myself as a fun little thing because I'd fallen really hard into MHA and wanted to write it. Stray and a villain au for an OC from Mic's BS Life were started between the time I started this and when I hit the 48k mark. I wasn't interacting with the fandom at all at this point beyond obsessively reading erasermic fic, so my first real foray into interacting with anyone was to join an erasermic discord. Met @purekesseltrash, told them I loved their Rooftop Necromancy fics, formed a friendship, revealed my still in progress story and Bellsa convinced me I HAD to finish it and post it.

It took me till May to finish it (had to cut a smut scene because I wasn't comfortable posting it as is), figured out how to end it, then knocked out the HAPPIEST ending the week my great aunt iris passed because I needed something to distract me (Aunt iris was one of the most iconic people in my life and I looked up to her very much so writing my silly fanfic was a very welcome distraction). Almost posted the story from a McDonald's drive thru.

Even more wild is that this fic STILL gets comments and kudos. I literally just got a new comment yesterday. So many comments have told me that they stayed up all night reading it. @shabby-blog was commisioned by Bellsa to do fanart for it and now me and shabby are buddies because of that. I've been writing since I was 13 but not until I posted this story did I have a story that was a real 'hit'. And LITERALLY all because after consuming all of Vigilantes and as much erasermic fanfic as I could read and the entire anime and manga at the time in 2021 I looked at Mic and Aizawa's friendship and went "okay but what about the two of them healing from the loss of Oboro together and actually showing how it affected them and their friendship".

I owe it nearly entirely to the single panel in vigilantes where Mic tells midnight to call him Mic instead of his name, and now here I am 4 years later (3 and a half since posting) still hearing from people that they love how I wrote the characters growing over the course of the story and that it means a lot to them. Which is something I never expected to see in a comment on a fic I wrote.

[princess-dirt]

Dan Da Dan is going to be a complete paradigm shift in Shonen manga/anime.

TL:DR ~ Shonen was too slow, then it was too fast and never slowed down, Dan Da Dan let itself slow down, and it's the biggest anime of the season.

For the longest time, Shonen anime was dominated by long-running manga with extended fights, long often drawn out training arcs. This alongside filler made the anime adaptations of shonen manga to be comically long and often painfully slow. This paired with Jump Magazine often pressuring their successful mangaka to write a series as long as possible while dumping dozens of mangaka less than 10 chapters into their run led to intense burnout for some authors and diminished product for others.

Naruto spent 50% of its run time in a long boring war. Kishimoto brought back literally every character from the grave to pad the run time. This intense bloat eventually led to several twist villains at the end, each meaning less than the other. Bleach kept reusing the same plot line with diminishing returns.

Then the Big 3 all but ended in the mid-2010s, and there was this insane vacuum of content alongside anime studios dying one after the other. Until My Hero season 1 dropped. Ik it's not exactly the most popular anime ever or even the best of its generation, but MHA saved shonen anime. The seasonal format, alongside the constant and quick pace of the action and story beats, literally changed how shonen anime were adapted. Black Clover and Boruto became the outliers and essentially misfits with boruto suffering from being 95% filler.

MHA was big. Each season was more popular than the one before it. Season 3 airing when tik tok was the single biggest app in the world and cosplays were becoming massive on it. It was a perfect storm. From MHA came other seasonal shonen, none bigger than Demon Slayer. Suddenly, a wave of fast-paced high action shonen started coming out and then soon airing. Look at the most popular shows of each of the last 6 years, and you'll see at least one seasonal shonen in the top 3. There was a real discussion online in the mid-2010s if shonen would accept the seasonal anime format that had become the norm for airing more than a decade ago or continue with long-running series.

We got our answer. MHA then Demon Slayer were proof the landscape of shonen manga had changed completely. There were seasonal shonen shows like Kuroko who were massively popular inside Japan, but it didn't change much.

Also, the advent of streaming services was also big. Suddenly, anime was more accessible than ever. Everyone had watched Attack on Titan by that point. But it was the streaming contracts that really saved the anime industry. Suddenly, these studios no longer had to rely on ads, blu-ray, and merch sales to fund their anime. Now, they could get these lump sums every year to license out their shows.

Another tangent, but the real indicator that anime had survived the mid-2010s and was on the up was Your Name. The single biggest movie from Japan at the time. My mom went and saw it when I told her about it. An anime original movie was successful in US theaters.

Shonen manga/anime eventually got to the point where slice of life moments were barely any more than gags or one to two chapter things in between arcs. The plot and action was just constant with no break to let us experience characters or their dynamics outside of serious situations. Jujutsu Kaisen is the clearest example of this issue. While super hyped in both of its seasons, one of the best episodes of season 2 was the one where nothing insane happened, where our main cast hung out like teenagers.

This type of atmosphere ends in the next episode, where it is then nearly non-stop drama and action the entire show. This can be fine, but a lot of people have turned on the manga for reasons relating to characters dying. They will die, and readers will reflect on them and realize they never really knew the character outside fighting.

I love every manga/anime I've mentioned. I think they are all great, but it's clear, at least to me, that shonen has almost over corrected itself in terms of pacing. MHA got backlash for having a calm mini school festival arc because some fans had become conditioned to expect nonstop plot beats and action. These manga and shows in pursuit of faster pacing speed ran character development and depth. So many side characters in these shows will get cast off or stay one note. Limited screen time means some characters get more time than others.

But seeing Dan Da Dan focus on this teen romance equally to the main plot has been so refreshing. Seeing each of the two leads sit and worry and overthink. Seeing them be awkward with each other and casually talking, it's all just so fun to watch. It feels like the mangaka themselves doesn't feel pressured to skip over stuff in favor of moving the plot along faster.

This, combined with the other biggest show of the year, Frieren, convinces me that anime will begin to slow down once again. Frieren wasn't supposed to blow up. It was not supposed to be as big as it was. It's a classic high fantasy where the big adventure ended 80 years ago. It's about an immortal elf walking around this world with her new party, and there really isn't much else happening in the grand scheme of things. It's a show where the characters often just find a place to stay and then stay there often not doing much of note.

It just speaks to the confidence of the writer to be able to stick their cast in a room and just have them talk. Tensura (the slime isekai) did a similar thing where season 3 spent about 40% of its runtime focused on characters sitting around a table talking about politics of this fantasy world. The anime could've just skipped the cabin scenes in Freiren, and they could've condensed all of the talks in Tensura, but the original writers and the studio writers recognized not doing that, was in service to the overall story and characters.

I think and hope anime studios and mangaka will see the reaction to Dan Da Dan and come away knowing that you don't need to always be going a mile a minute.

[ninthprime]

severance 2x05 thoughts (spoilers)

i had kind of wanted the state of PE to be some sort of warped hudson valley/NJ area, because i’m familiar with and fond of a lot of the areas in which this show was filmed (i work a heavy travel job where my assigned territory happens to include most of them). but the mentions of grand rapids and milwaukee this season and the use of “wreck of the edmund fitzgerald” are increasingly convincing me of the theory that PE is what us americans know as michigan’s upper peninsula. i saw it proposed in a reddit comment ages ago, but it feels far more viable now. it’s snowy, full of trees, and very isolated- basically exactly what the town of kier is. (play some sufjan, you cowards!)

one thing i’ve grown to really appreciate over the course of this season so far is its dedication to simplicity- or more specifically, not overcomplicating things. occam’s razor if you will, as devon referenced in the second episode. consistently, i’ve seen viewers glom onto specific details and extensive theories when the actual answer is far more simple and straightforward. they’re gonna show dylan a fake family? nope, he meets his actual wife. burt and irving knew each other as outies? nah, their romance was entirely organic. how did all the outies agree to the ORTBO and leave afterward? it literally doesn’t matter! the best example of all to me is milchick’s storyline this season- i had wondered after the premiere if milchick was being purposefully messed with as part of some scheme, but it turns out he’s dealing with corporate racism, and that is far more resonant and relevant to what this show is commenting on than any sort of mystery box. this isn’t a show concerned with justification and details for every little plot point: this is a show concerned with its themes and ideas about personhood and social structures over pretty much anything else, and it’s willing to throw out the small shit for that. i keep seeing people try to connect every little detail in their theories and i think, frankly, we should be looking to downsize. the lives of these people are what matters, not that every single plot point is explained twice over.

with that in mind, despite the fact that i thought burt might be reintegrated just a few episodes ago, i’m now wondering if he’s completely genuine- or at the very least, not hostile as many people are speculating. the actual plot point we’re meant to focus on here is whether or not “love transcends severance” in burt and irving’s case, and what that tells us thematically for the story and about their outies as characters. the show is still being very restrictive about outie irving and what his deal is; my prediction is that the complication of the dinner might involve him self-sabotaging a potential new bond with burt and fields because he’s operating on such heavy suspicion of anything lumon related. (that or fields just isn’t happy with this situation which, frankly, is completely understandable.)

the ricken and devon storyline this season intrigues me because i see very little speculation on where it’s leading. i had assumed that ricken may have written the dieter story in 2x04 because of apple releasing the excerpt from the you you are before the episode premiered- basically a way of priming the viewer for that realization. but i think it would have been mentioned this week if that were the case. it certainly seems to be a “capitalism consumes even criticism of itself” story. (this show is funded and produced by apple and the writers seem to be aware of the layers of that, lol)

surprised i haven’t seen fellow theorizers focus on drummond briefly calling jame “father” yet. i think the most likely answer is that members of the figurative lumon cult just call jame “father” in general, but there’s a part of me that wonders if that indicates a certain amount of privilege by drummond- is this a sort of “beloved servant/assistant is adopted into the family” situation? it would explain a lot about helena if she knows she’s only the heir by her bloodline, and there are other “heirs” that jame likes and trusts a lot more.

mild trailer spoilers: there’s a shot of helly that seems to show her holding irving’s drawing of the exports hall elevator, so i suspect dylan and helly are going to bond over irving’s death and mark’s behavior (which is understandable to us and unclear to them) and dylan is going to let her in on what irving left behind- and maybe on the situation with gretchen, too. i would love to see the two of them investigating together. imagine them trying to explain the helena situation to O&D or MN.

at the beginning of this season, one of my remaining questions was “why does O&D need to be severed?” cool to see that answered, with the revelation that they make materials for the mysterious exports hall floor. i enjoyed seeing that elizabeth appears to have taken burt’s old position as one of the people allowed to roam the halls. and despite all the speculation about fields, my suspicion is that the guy picking up the materials is actually the “oswald” burt mentioned in season 1.

after 2x01 i made a joke about how there should be a compilation of wild milchick lines that tramell tillman delivers with absolute seriousness. i did not realize how unbelievably true that would be. there’s like five an episode

[bisexualfemalemess]

*HSMTMTS SEASON 4 SPOILERS*

Question; Is it already appropriate to stop putting a spoiler warning on my posts? lmao

Anyway, Let’s talk about 4x05 specifically, Ricky’s line “Last summer, I was terrified, when I realized i had real feelings for gina.”

Because maybe this will put the pw/rini fans down and help them accept that rina is and was supposed to be endgame no matter what happened with liv and josh. Also, I’ve literally never seen anyone talk about this and maybe i’m just exaggerating lmao.

I think Ricky could have just as easily said something along the lines of “when i realized i had feelings/ when i realized i developed real feelings for gina” but he didn’t. Because he knew he liked Gina from the moment she kissed his cheek in that orange bug after homecoming, we’ve seen them flirt and we’ve seen him shoot a shot several episodes after that and I don’t know about you but i don’t give a spin hug to my friends. He stopped pursuing Nini as soon as gina came into the picture and that’s a fact, they didn’t bring the rickyxnini couple storyline back until after Gina moved, he didn’t actively pursue nini until Gina told him to stop calling and even then he kept texting her and we see him distracted throughout the next episode, the almost kiss didn’t happen until after Gina had replied and told him they were leaving early, only once he knew gina was completely out of the picture, did he go back to nini. He said it himself, he reverted back to his old self because he didn’t have gina in his life anymore and when gina told him she wouldn’t quit on them if she wasn’t moving away he genuinely looked upset about it as well. In episode 1 of season 2 at Ashlyn’s new years even party, that boy did a Triple Take when gina went to get a root-beer, the feelings were still there, they were just buried because he didn’t think he would see Gina again when he made his confession to Nini so he held on to what he used to know and who he used to be, because we all know that ricky bowen is not good with change. Now, in episode three of the season, the iconic valentines episode, The way he looks at her, the way his voice softens while talking to her, his line “I think you’ll get yours too.” After gina told him that every girl likes a sweet gesture, THE NEXT SCENE BEING THE CHOCOLATES, the fact that ricky got messages from nini and gina only seconds apart but he only looked onto his face once gina’s message came on, all of these things hint towards ricky’s feelings, even in 2x04 when Nini came to surprise the group in the bomb shelter, Ricky and Gina looked like they just got caught cheating even though all they did was talk and laugh. Last point, Episode five and six, He was in awe of gina when she was dancing (gina porter effect) and only went to gina for advice on nini because she had helped him the previous two times when he hadn’t even actually asked for advice in 2x04 and 2x03, The boy probably thought she was trying to get over him. In the next episode even though she had already tried to break off contact with him, he still asked to partner up with her and smiled at her when she looked at him while saying she doesn’t know what her heart desires. Even during Ashlyn’s retention of home we see ricky look at gina when he comes back in. RICHARD BOWEN HAS ALWAYS HAD FEELINGS FOR GINA PORTER, THE SEASON 3 PLOT LINE WAS NOT RANDOM OR CAME OUT OF NOWHERE. Ricky just finally realized what he could’ve had if gina didn’t move away once he lost it. RINA WAS ALWAYS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN AND BE ENDGAME. THEY DIDNT COME OUT OF NOWHERE OR ONLY HAPPENED BECAUSE OLIVIA LEFT. Because, fact-check Season 2 was filmed before the drivers-license drama, they did not break them up because things between liv and josh got tense. Your ship was not supposed to be endgame.

(In tomorrows post i will rant about the people who say that rina copied rini and portwells scenes And that gina is the new nini because literally where?)

[kranagok0]

Louise, the photographer and possible cosplayer (that last one is a head-canon of mine)

Okay, let's talk about Louise and why I feel that the character was not explored more when she could have appeared more times in the last chapters of the series.

I mean, I mean, look at this character and tell me he doesn't deserve more prominence. In this last season I saw quite a few interesting characters and nothing was delved into about them. I mean, I loved the series and its ending was also glorious, but I would have liked to see in more depth each and every one of the characters that they included from one moment to the next.

Anders? I bet they only put it in to give Hilda a reason to go back to Tofoten to investigate (plus we were already making a lot of theories about who Hilda's father was and they wanted to clarify that point).

Astrid's neighbor? This guy seemed to know something, I don't know what but it was like he knew more than he should. It was as if they had wanted to include it in the plot but in the end they didn't have time to do that whole process.

And I have several more, characters from other seasons and so on, but let's return to the main topic. We will talk about this in another post that I am preparing.

As I was saying, Louise feels like a character with the potential (or at least for me) to create a problem big enough to make an extra chapter or season of the series. In other words, everyone in the trio of young adventurers is literally involved in causing chaos and some kind of incident that could have escalated simply by being themselves.

David is a perfect example. The boy literally collects rocks and takes them home. We all know what incident was involved so I'll skip the details and say this: the boy was able to go to prison.

Frida is not far behind, no sir, of course not. This girl was determined to raise the dead for a book, a damned book that not even the filthy ghosts had. It caused a fight between the city's nisse at the Sparrow Scout meeting place (of course it was to help Hilda, but let's leave that aside for now). And I may not know much about witchcraft, but breaking into the witches' tower (and private areas of the library) is certainly something to talk about.

And Hilda….. Well���…:

[Insert crimes against humanity meme]

Now look at Louise. He is without a doubt a bread of god. AND IT HAS NOT CAUSED THE POSSIBLE ANNIHILATION OF A CITY!

We urgently need this child to cause some trouble immediately. I don't know what to do, I just want it to get into the friend dynamic of 'we're not solving the problem, we're making a bigger one that will make you forget about the original problem.'

We need ideas people, and this is where we all come in. I mean, I'm not forcing them. I am only politely demanding that you create some extra information about Louise to be clearer about the personality of this new member of the trio of friends. Seriously, I want (need) more things from this character.

There's so much to do with this character and they just didn't use almost any of it in the series. So help me help them help me to help this character help him help me to help them help me and…. Okay, I've already lost even myself in this. But I get my point across.

So I await your comments, I would like to know what head-canon you have about the photographer boy. Mine is that he cosplays, and I would love to see him try to integrate Hilda, David and Frida into cosplaying (I once saw an image of David as Baldur from God of War and I was fascinated).

So that's all from me. I send you greetings and don't forget to comment on your ideas. Now I'm going to write more of that post about the things that were missing when investigating characters in the series. bye

[kitkatt0430]

Iris West-Allen for the character ask game 👀

How I feel about this character

I think she's awesome. We really get to watch her grow over the course of the series and watching her truly discover herself as a leader and hero in her own right is really wonderful to see. While she occasionally has powers here and there, she's a great example of a badass normal and proves that a powered character (Barry) doesn't need a powered love interest in order to be in love with someone who is every bit their equal. Iris is no damsel in distress; she's going to try to find a way to save herself every time.

That said, I wish her agency was more consistently her own. Her plots often get co-opted to serve other character's plots (most often Barry, but it's also been done for Allegra which was just weird...) which puts a lot of her achievements in the background or sub-plot area instead of centering them the way she deserves.

(The fact that she goes from student to journalist with no graduation in between is really frustrating. She's Barry's best friend and yet he's never shown as being super excited to attend her graduation and celebrate her achievement of a Masters degree??? S1, asleep at the wheel right there...)

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Barry, Eddie, Cisco, Caitlin, Lisa, Leonard (more for ColdWestAllen than for ColdWest on it's own though), Ralph (but again more for ElongatedWestAllen than DibnyWest itself), Linda, Laurel, Sara...

Probably more tbh, she's very shippable

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Barry again, I kind of prefer the platonic ship for them because of how their dynamic in S1/S2 is (though obviously the romantic ship grew on me...)

Cisco, Caitlin, Frost, Allegra, Kamilla, Linda, Ralph...

Everyone wants to be besties with her, okay? :D

My unpopular opinion about this character

The show does a terrible job of establishing Iris' feelings for Barry as romantic in the first several seasons.

In season one especially there is so much of other characters telling her how they think she feels, but every time she establishes what her feelings are for him are... those feelings are platonic. Aside from the cheating kiss that was the worst decision ever made by the show runners (and made kinda creepy given how it's been romanticized by later seasons) and was a heat of the moment thing that happened after yet another character (Linda) was telling Iris 'I think you're in love with him based on your stated as platonic, sibling-like behavior with him'.

Basically every 'shippy' moment I've seen pointed out for the first two seasons fits entirely with Iris' stated platonic feelings and can really only be interpreted as romantic interest if her stated feelings are ignored. (Especially Joe trying to get Iris to say she wouldn't have dated Eddie if she knew Barry liked her; way to take what she was just saying out of context despite the context having literally just been established. >_<) Iris is the one living in her own head, I wish other characters would respect that she knows what her emotions are better than they do.

This essentially leads to the problem where when Iris and Barry get together it feels less like it's happening because Iris is in love with Barry and more because everyone and their time-line reading AI has told her she marries Barry. And since trying to deviate from that got Eddie killed, what choice does she really have? She loves Barry, but is she in love with him? It's painfully unclear for quite some time and the show itself doesn't even acknowledge this problem until (briefly) in S9.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I wish she'd been looped in on Barry being the Flash from the start. Locking her out of the loop 'for her protection' only ever put her in more danger than she'd have been in if she'd been kept aware of what was actually going on.

[voluptuarian]

1, 4, 5, 14, 25

Song of the year? I have never had a year theme song before but no question, no hesitation, 2024 is the year of Nottamun Town (Fairport Convention vers). Literally every week some new stupid bizarro thing happens and I just resignedly hit play on this bitch like, "well at least it's not just me."

Movie of the year? Og Nosferatu I guess? It was the first movie I watched this year and one I'd wanted to see for long time, and thematically it balances well with having watched the new one to finish the year off.

TV show of the year? Fallout! (Honestly hard to believe that happened this year, it feels like forever ago.) I binged that very quickly and intensely and also really enjoyed it.

Favorite book you read this year? Already answered ;)

Did you create any characters (in games, art, or writing) this year? I didn't make many new characters this year, just mostly spent it wrangling the ones I already had (thank god, frankly) but I did finally come up with a successful love interest(s) for my miserable noir pi character. Since development is still at a fairly basic stage and they're a set, I'll just throw both of them in together. They're a married couple in late 40s New York City, Eve and Neville Dorrian, very young and charismatic (described them to my sister as "Nick and Nora Charles but middle class"). I think they own and run some kind of business together and end up having to hire my pi, Kit, to resolve a problem with it, and both end up so charmed by him and (his own unadmitted interest in them) that they seduce him and eventually end up in a permanent and very happy menage a trois with him. I don't know much about plot for their story overall bc they won't get introduced until fairly far ahead of where I am in plotting, but several tragically unsuccessful romances in his past are important to Kit's character and I knew him ending up in a real relationship was going to be integral to his development, allowing him to confront some personal issues he'd been basically running from, as well as find a comfortable place for himself in the world, so I'd been trying to resolve that arc ahead of time for awhile. I'll enjoy getting to this point in actual planning tho.

[the-owl-house-takes]

https://www.tumblr.com/the-owl-house-takes/739902025110814720/httpswwwtumblrcomthe-owl-house-takes73915284?source=share

Okay man, I will let you in on a little secret, from one severely traumatized person to someone else. Luz is traumatized, this made her do bad things. On the scale of bad reactions to trauma Luz is taking it like a fucking CHAMP. She got used and manipulated and that's bound to make someone feel gross and slimy, especially KNOWING as much as Luz knows about how what she did helped someone so EVIL. Should she have been honest? Yes. But also you dense motherfucker, that was probably the LEAST BAD THING she could have DONE in reaction to this trauma.

For a few years, starting when I was 11, some of the most horrific shit you could imagine was happening to me. No details because. You know. Not the place, I don't get the option to throw this under a read more. When I was 13 I did the "right thing" and turned in the person hurting me. But where I lived didn't have good therapists, I already had bipolar (diagnosed in 1st grade, yes for real) and it was getting worse. I would become extremely hostile and easy to set off. I broke aluminum brooms on people's backs. I stabbed people with pencils in high school. I literally missed the start of class to find out where a kid who stole some food from me in the previous class was so I walked into his class and SCREAMED AT HIM. Someone stole my MP3 and I had a meltdown for the entire duration of choir screaming at everyone to give it back because it was extremely unlikely that someone came in the private choir hallway to take my puny outdated MP3. I was a huge fucking piece of shit and I work every day to better myself from who I was in high school. The other day I had someone who knew me in high school come up to me and APOLOGIZE. I was constantly being bullied. I told him I genuinely didn't even remember what he said because it was over 10 years ago now, but told him to pass on to a few of the people I stabbed that I'm sorry. He still bought me a drink because he felt so bad. But I also felt bad. Yeah the only people who can forgive me are the people I've hurt, so I actually don't want to fucking hear your opinion on it.

The other characters in the show are actually emotionally intelligent and understand that even if what Luz did was bad they know she has proven to them that she cares about them and was only afraid of losing them. Speaking as someone who has not a single childhood friend from being the weirdest kid in SPED every year and moving just as frequently, I can absolutely understand the fear of losing the only friends you have and becoming ALONE again.

If this is how you react to any fucking "misbehavior" by someone so hurt then I would rather never hear another thing you have to say. Traumatized children are going through fucking enough.

When I was 10 I jumped off a swingset and landed funny on my arm. I told my mom's boyfriend and he said it was fine. I wore slings I made myself out of paper towels for a month because it hurt to let my arm hang down. Now sometimes when I lift heavy things or sleep on it wrong my arm hurts a bit. I had it x-ray'd a few years back and the bones were only very slightly deformed. Untreated breaks can end much MUCH worse. But when my arm hurts now I don't blame my fucking arm, I blame my mom's shitty boyfriend for not taking me to the fucking hospital (he never told my mom either).

So anyways Luz did a bad thing but she could have literally done a billion things so much worse and her friends forgiving her is not bad writing it's because they LOVE HER, and I don't know why there's so much fucking discourse on this specific topic, the people she hurt forgave her, your opinion is not relevant to this plot point because she didn't hurt you specifically. So sorry anon, that Luz Noceda lied to you specifically and hurt your feelings so bad. It's framed as a bad thing in the show even tf is wrong with you.

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