#but this event is just so unique so I'm definitely gonna enjoy it while it lasts

[diamantspitzhacke]

Man, I feel like I'm gonna miss purgatory when it's over.

I'm having so much fun with this event right now. The competitive aspect ist so entertaining to watch, the lore potential is insane, the way we got so many new interesting character dynamics between people that usually don't interact with each other as often. It's just so intense all the time but in a fun way, at least for me.

I don't know, I just think it's an amzing event, the admins really outdid themselves.

[h0nkch0c0late]

ahhh stop ur gen v fics are too good. Maybe could you write abt reader having some sort of like super scream powers and they’re dating Jordan

You're too nice, anon 😭😭🫶🫶 also when you said super scream powers I immediately thought of the girl from Danger Force so that's kinda funny.

Scream Queen

Jordan Lee x Reader

SUMMARY: you've always hated your powers. Sonic screaming to you wasn't as cool as being able to teleport or moving things with your mind. To Jordan, your powers were amazing.

WARNINGS: swearing, a very supportive gushy Jordan.

-------------------------------------------

You felt like out of everyone, your powers were the most boring.

Now, to the normal human eye, your powers were awesome as fuck. With just a scream you could knock someone against a wall or paralyze people by making their eardrums bleed.

Jordan, although not a normal human being, absolutely adored your powers. It was one of the many things that made you unique. Not to mention it was fun watching you throw Rufus around when duelling for one of your classes.

The only problem was that your powers absolutely fucked with your throat afterwards and you would go hours without talking just to make yourself feel better, that or Jordan would stick you in their bed and make you lay there so they could take care of you.

And today was one of those days.

-----------------------------------------------------

"Jordan, babe, really I'm fine." You tell her, voice scratchy, trying to lift yourself from her bed.

She gave you a knowing look before pushing you back down, "you are definitely not fine, I can hear it. Now just lay there and wait." They demanded.

You sighed before clearing your throat, flinching at the pain that shot through your body at the action.

"Where the fuck are you gonna get the tea anyway?" You ask, regretting your choice of speaking as your throat felt like sandpaper.

Jordan smirks, "I have my ways. Now just lay there, do not move or speak while I go grab it." They retorted before rushing out of their dorm door.

You huffed, crossing your arms as you waited.

And while you waited, you thought about the events that had lead you to that moment.

Rufus had been his usual, creepy dickish self, and had chosen you as the main target that day.

Unfortunately for you, Jordan wasn't at your side to save you, so you had to save yourself.

So, as Rufus continually tried to get into your pants (more so you into his), saying things such as "I'm much better than Jordan" and comments about how his dick was bigger and better, you had just about enough.

Turning to him, and screaming as loud as you could, sending waves at the boy so loud that it had began to make his eardrums bleed. He had fallen to the ground paralyzed, his eyes frozen wide.

You smirked at him being defenseless as you rubbed your now-sore throat, just in time for Jordan to find you, ans that's how you ended up in his room for the millionth time.

They were fine with taking care of you, after all it was part of the job description of being your partner, and all.

In fact they absolutely loved it, because it meant that they're attention was on you and only you. And she loved those moments where it was just the two of you.

------------------------------------

Jordan came back shortly with a mug of tea in her hand, sweetened with mostly honey to the point where you couldn't tell what flavour the tea was.

Your favourite.

It also meant endless Jordan snuggles so you weren't much of a complainer when it came to that.

It was the fact that you constantly needed care. Yes, it was only a sore throat, but Jordan continuously refused to tell you what her sore throat remedy was BECAUSE she wanted to take care of you.

"Be careful, it's hot." They warned as they handed you the mug, then climbed into the bed with you.

"Yes, yes, I know. I'm careful." You reply hoarsly before taking a sip of the drink, enjoying the feeling of the tea going down.

Jordan turned their body towards you, wrapping one arm around your torso and the other to entangle their fingers in your hair, kissing your shoulder as they snuggled close to you.

"You're too nice to me." You tell them as you take another sip of your tea, one of your fingers circling the rim of the cup as an unconscious fidget.

"Please, im the perfect amount of nice. You're just not used to this much attention, which I get." She noted, resting her head on your shoulder.

You rested the mug against your legs as you leaned your head against their's.

Jordan was right, you weren't used to all the attention.

Your parents had always been distant with you, making your nanny or a made take care of you whenever you got sick or when you used your powers because they were too busy living their own lives to take care of you.

And even then, those who did take care of you were absolutely terrified of you and your powers.

So when you had met Jordan, and first got into the relationship, the immediate switch of having no one to having someone was a big step.

"I love you, Jordan." You said after a moment of comfortable silence, your cup of tea half finished as you put it on your bedside table.

"I love you too." They replied, pulling you closer to them as you wrapped your arms around their waist.

Even during the times you hated your powers, Jordan somehow managed to make you love them.

-------------------------------------------------------

BOO another Jordan fic for you thirsty gentlebitches <3

[avatarofwar]

i saw you talk about wolf a few times from sekiro and was wondering if you'd want to share more of your thoughts on him or sekiro as a whole, the game really interests me compared to other dark souls games so i wanted to ask

sorry for the late reply but oh boy do I have thoughts abt wolf. trying not to spoil the game, so I'm gonna refrain from talking about the story. might go into just restating known things about the game, but I'd much rather play it safe and not spoil the story

before going to that. the game is very much different from dark souls (setting wise, while taking place in a fictional country it is in a historical setting. I cannot comment on the setting properly bc I don't know much about the time period, however), most notably in the combat (primarily shifting from a dodge-centric playstyle to a parry-centric playstyle (significantly easier than dark souls/elden ring parrying, however), with dodges having significantly shorter i-frames and being very unreliable for dodging attacks). it's very different but something I really enjoy, even if I'm not as good as I am at typical soulsborne combat. it's really fun when you get the hang of it, and while I might not be The Best at it (which is mostly bc of how different it is from soulsborne games, so ofc I'm not as good at is as I am at the other fromsoft games I've played), it's something I can still enjoy

a huge thing about sekiro is the difference in how the story is told. in soulsborne games the story is something you have to figure out; progressing through the main path doesn't give you enough to piece everything together if you don't read any lore. with sekiro, however, the story is significantly more obvious, on account of the playable character having unique ties to the world and its characters, rather than going the soulsborne route of being one of many people (wording hard, but the chosen undead for example is no one special, just one of many undead trying to link the flame). it's a very different method of storytelling, but is still something really good. for as much as I adore having to actively hunt down lore and story in soulsborne games, it's also great experiencing story through natural game progression

wolf is also canonically disabled (loses his left arm at the start of the game) and has a really fucking cool prosthetic that is a whole part of the combat system (even though I personally keep forgetting to use it). so good for him. he deserves a prosthetic that can have deadly weaponry attached to it. like a mini-flamethrower. he deserves a mini-flamethrower, as a treat.

putting the wolf thoughts beneath a read more because this is getting long and I might spoil some stuff (mostly relationship with another character, I'll try to refrain from story spoilers. also spoilers in general, but there might be some), and he has definitely become a blorbo (additionally, content warning for abuse)

first of all. wolf makes me want to throw myself off a cliff and I mean this in the most positive way ever. he is great and I love him but man he needs so much fucking therapy and he doesn't even realise it (therapy probably doesn't exist in that time period, but besides the point). he is very much traumatised and has been heavily shaped by it and doesn't even know it.

prior to the events of the game (I forgot how long ago it was) he was orphaned by war and got taken in by owl, a shinobi and also a piece of fucking garbage. owl raises wolf to be a shinobi under the iron code, with the number one rule being loyalty to his father (owl), with his master (kuro, the divine heir) a close second (and also to give his life for his master if necessary. which is also a whole other thing to get into).

owl is very explicitly abusive. he raises wolf as a tool rather than a person, and that upbringing severely affects wolf as a character - he is an incredibly capable shinobi, but lacks any skills other than that; he does not know how to be a proper person, he is a loyal wolf, but he does not know how to be anything other than that. hell, without spoiling too much about the context, there is a cutscene in which owl actively attempts to guilt trip wolf, going as far as using fake tears (saying anything specific is very spoilery. this isn't even the only horrid thing he's done, but I'm trying to refrain from too many spoilers).

wolf canonically does not value himself without anyone to serve (we see this at the beginning of the game, as events prior to the start of the game not yet known about leads him to believe he has no one to serve, and thus no purpose, so he isolates himself from the world in a well for 3 years). while he does have compassion for others (most notable example being concern over victims of dragonrot), he starts off the game driven primarily by duty. he is loyal to a fault, willing to do anything for kuro, but also valuing his service to kuro more than himself (cannot remember the exact wording, but when kuro expresses concern for how many times wolf has died for him, wolf states that it does not matter as it was in service to him).

there's also the fact that wolf canonically eats uncooked rice and genuinely doesn't know - as a fully grown adult - you are supposed to cook it, which is... genuinely something awful if you truly think about it and what more it implies about his upbringing especially considering it's one of the most basic things you could learn how to make (just... says a lot about owl if you seriously think about it).

he is a loyal wolf, but he doesn't know how to be more than that. he doesn't know how to just... exist for himself, to be his own person separate of his duty and he doesn't even recognise just how fucked up it is, because how could he, when he was shaped into this as a child, when his own father wanted him to be nothing more than a tool to use.

I could say a lot more about his relationships with other characters (that are actually good people) and how it just. makes me lose my mind, but this post is almost 1k words. so, simply put, kuro genuinely caring about him makes me so fucking emotional, especially bc of owl; his father might be horrible and an abuser, he might not know how to be more than he was raised, but at the very least he can serve someone who actively cares about him and his wellbeing.

[tumblezwei]

I'm glad to see your enjoying HSR, I love Genshin but Honkai has always been way been more effective at being cohesive at utilizing its MCs and storybeats. I've always had an issue with how despite the game giving you the option to choose Lumine or Aether as the MC its apparent that all the supplementary content for the game and everything else has Aether preset as the default MC compare this to HSR where it feels the same regardless of which MF you choose and only thing that's different is slight gameplay adjustments really and some other small details. But you can tell the devs really tried to make them both different. Idk but I can't help but feel this way

Yeah I definitely agree lmao

I do remember seeing a lot of frustration at how Lumine is almost completely ignored in the game's marketing and side content. But I also think that in general the Trailblazer has been given more of a character than the Traveler. Aside from having a voice, they interact with their environment in unique ways that aren't always up to player choice, they're dialogue is consistently either helpful or fucking weird, and the story has already taken more strides setting them up as an Important Character with Mysterious Circumstances than Genshin ever did with the Traveler in my time playing.

And now I'm gonna talk more bc you opened the flood gates

With Genshin my main problem was always the presentation of it's story. Like, I've seen the lore videos, I've seen the theories and the backstories and the pretty 2D cutscenes, but imo the presence of deep lore doesn't constitute a well written narrative. If the way I'm learning all of this story is through walls of unvoiced dialogue where two characters stand opposite of one another, or through missable collectables, or through timed events that I missed or didn't know were important, then I'm not gonna have a good time lol.

I get so annoyed when I see people saying "Genshin's story is actually good if you pay attention." Like, sorry I'm on my hundredth dialogue box with this nobody NPC who's been running in circles explaining some conflict that I got the gist of 20 sentences ago and I started skipping through.

And while HSR has some of those same issues, they're not as pervasive and spliced up between far greater chunks of genuinely good story and character building. The dialogue is quicker, flows naturally, and almost always voiced (and voiced incredibly well). The quests feel tighter, and the story definitely feels more focused. Every character we meet (sans like, Pela, lmao) are solid, well-defined, and contribute the story that they're in in a meaningful way. Every character feels like they exist for a reason within the story and not just to pad out the roster.

Now, to be fair, I have only just finished Belabog, so my opinion may change in the next segment or it may even change as the game gets more story updates and I'm left disappointment. I actually have no doubts that as the story progresses we're gonna get more fluff characters that don't really add anything because above anything else, a gacha's gonna gacha. But I hope at least I'll still be able to enjoy the story we're getting bc I genuinely think it's great.

Also, if you like Genshin and disagree with everything I said that's fine lol. You enjoy your thing, I'm not gonna stop you.

[theogonies]

♡ BLIND DATE MATCHUP FOR @silas-sullivan ♡

THE DATE

you'll be meeting your blind date at an amusement park! (or a state fair, carnival, whatever's accessible to ya). i won't lie i knew who i was gonna pair you with almost immediately but when you said you tend to reflect back people's energy i was like. oh no. because if i sent you two to a coffee shop you'd probably manage to burn it down. it's not that i want you to be distracted from each other but i don't want to send y'all somewhere that'll put a damper on your energy. go be forces of chaos together if you so please

THE PAIRING

for your blind date, i've paired you with luffy!

it's hard to feel nervous on a date with luffy. he wants to try everything with you--carnival rides, snacks, games, maybe even causing a bit of trouble--and he moves so quickly from one thing to another that it's easy to forget any anxiety you might be feeling. even if it takes you a while to open up and get comfortable, he wouldn't be bothered--luffy's a good read of people and as long as he senses that you can match his passion, he's perfectly willing to give you all the time it takes (and to carry the conversation until then).

it doesn't hurt that he's so self-assured, either. while he's quick to decide whether he likes someone (and i'm sure he'd like you--you're adventurous, passionate, open about your feelings, you have a unique style--everything he looks for in a person!) and vocal about his own feelings, he's not the type to put a lot of pressure on first dates. for now, all he wants and expects is a fun time and a chance to get to know someone new.

just watch out for the carnival games, because once you start winning each other prizes, you won't be able to stop. hand luffy a lil present and he'd be like :o and run off to master the game himself so he could give you something in return. if you saw each other for a second date he'd definitely show up with something from his hoard, chosen just for you, and at some point it'd just become a game of passing back and forth whatever knick knacks you find that make you think of each other. gift giving is the pirate's love language.

i leave you with a final warning: luffy gets caught up in the event of the moment. this includes dates. the venue closing is just an opportunity to find new adventures together elsewhere! put your foot down when you're ready to go home or be prepared to keep moving until you drop, because once luffy considers you one of his people, nothing's gonna distract him.

THE PLAYLIST

(my first impulse and probably the more popular choice was to give luffy a lot of high energy dancey music. but the more i thought about it the more i thought something softer but still upbeat, maybe a little hippy fit him best. it's the kinds of things i can imagine him listening to when he was first setting out to sea :3)

thank u so much for your patience! i've been lagging behind but i hope that you had a happy valentine's day and that you enjoyed this lil drabble ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

[nono-bunny]

I tried watching the 2009 K-drama of Boys Over Flowers, but unfortunately by the fourth episode I decided to drop it because it just felt like a bad attempt at recreating the 2005 J-drama while also attempting and failing to create a new backstory for Tsukushi. I tried to write a post about why exactly I didn't like it, actually, but I shelved it because honestly, it was difficult to put into words why everything about it felt so wrong, but like. It did, and I dropped it

Anyway, I went on to try the other HYD adaptation on Netflix, which is the 2018 Chinese Meteor Garden. Going into it, I mostly just knew it was gonna kinda write out the bullying thing, and also that apparently Yoko Kamio really likes that version in particular anyway? So like, I didn't really know what to expect... But ngl, I was not expecting to like and respect it as much as I do

First of all!!! It is undoubtedly the adaptation with the most true-to-manga version of events, which. While I actually really enjoy the weird timeline mashup of the J-drama, after reading the manga I definitely really did wish to see a version that didn't cut out Kazuya and Kinsan, among other things, but yeah honestly I just really wanted to see these two lmao

It also??? Does a fantastic job at creating new things (they might have been in the OG Meteor Garden but I didn't watch that so,,) and adapting to the weird censorship around the instigating events of the story in a way that's genuinely so fun, while also managing to find ways to keep the characterizations of the characters that very easily could've been lost when taking out the whole malicious and violent nature of the F4. It does GREAT character work in general!! Li Zhen being a Makiko-turned-Sakurako as opposed to just erasing Makiko (which I still find hilarious considering the manga literally acknowledges that) by introducing Sakurako in her place is such a unique and fantastic solution to get around the bullying again while giving her a new, sympathetic motivation that feels much more in tune with this less extravagant (as in, making it just slightly less about the class disparity lol) version of the story, and!! As much as I love Sakurako, I feel like I appreciate Li Zhen just as much for like,, losing herself over her jealousy, and coming out of the whole ordeal as a much more confident person who's able to be a better, more proactive friend. Their motives and backgrounds are different, but the results end up roughly the same, and! I'm fine with, heck, I actually rather like Li Zhen not being the cackling narcissistic love rival (as much as that's probably like, my favorite trope), it works well for the story and she's portrayed really well by her actress!

Also, as expected, I love Qinghe, he's my boy!!! God fr I simply do not understand why Kazuya is only a part of the Meteor Garden adaptations of the story, he's so fucking great and it's heartbreaking that he got taken out of most of the adaptations when you can see how much he adds to the dynamic. Like, fr, Kazuya and Tsukasa competing over fishing is so iconic, it's such a dumb, joyous thing they do, like, peak of what "boys will be boys" should be, and!!! As expected it's SUCH a fun thing to see adapted

Kazuya being the loveable loser comic relief added so fucking much to the manga, because like, fr, both of the versions that I've seen that cut him are infinitely more depressing to watch!! He's so important to preserving the emotional balance of the story, not to mention how much better the story feels when Tsukushi DOES have an actual, genuine friend that goes to Eitoku with her. J-drama Tsukushi hangs out with Yuki and Okami A LOT to make up for the lack of any supportive people in her school life outside of F4, and without Kazuya around, ultimately, Tsukushi is definitely less close to the F4 than she is in the manga where his hijinks allow them to genuinely become friends, and the K-drama just didn't have any fun(ny) characters to replace him and it made it so difficult to watch!!! But Qinghe is such a bro, he's just as fun as I expected him to be if not *more*, and! Him being included makes such a huge positive difference

So far, the K-drama is obviously my least favorite adaptation, but I'm genuinely having trouble deciding whether I like the Japanese or Chinese one better, because both offer very different things and I actually love both!! The Japanese version is definitely like,,, the easier version for me to connect to, just because I already know the character names, and the jokes and most of the plot is consistent with the tone of the manga because it's the same setting (my very basic knowledge of Japanese definitely helps too lmao), but. The Chinese version is more fun to watch by virtue of being less depressing (fr, Kazuya makes ALL the difference), which also in a way makes it easy to get invested in it

Overall I'm actually very happy with what I've seen from Meteor Garden so far (I'm about halfway through it rn), and it's great to have another version of the story to cycle through because HYD has very quickly become one of my comfort media

[scarabiaa]

OCs in a Haunted House

ITS SPOOKY SEASON, YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS??? SPOOKY OCS anyways enjoy bc. I'm making them as stuff I've said in a haunted house that they'd probably say too and what they'd do (except ivy, she only gets a quote, and yes, let us pretend this takes place in universal studios for the jokes)

Lumi:

"I get that he wanted to be evil or whatever with his hotel and he killed people, but come on, be original. At least summon Satan."

Is the one everyone holds on to since she's the one that shows no fear

While she shows no fear, it doesn't mean she isn't scared; she's terrified but she does not show it

Sees the villains of this book series roaming around and immediately drags her friends to take pictures of them

Those pictures are posted on her empty Magicam, along with other pictures of her friends (her new wallpaper is one of her, Iris, and Meditrina posing at the camera while the Package Trio is behind them, screaming and covering their eyes)

She buys one of the really sweet drinks from the book series section and she immediately winces at how sweet it is

Passes the drink on to Valkyrie since she has a slight sweet tooth

For food, she orders a chicken sandwich and an Acid Pie Shake (immediately regrets it and gives it to Ignis)

Hates the escalators, they take forever

WILL take Miles with her next time and she's taking Allen too, she thinks that with his collection of knives, he could make some friends inside of this place

Lumi, texting Allen: I'm taking you to this event where you can make friends and meet the love of your life.

(When she says "love of your life", she means one of the stiltwalkers.)

Meditrina:

"I do not need an umbrella or poncho, it's too expensive, I'd rather die."

Grips onto Lumi like she'll get lost (which she does and Ignis panics trying to find her)

She's having the time of her life screaming at the top of her lungs and she always comes out of the houses laughing

The flower in her hair changes constantly because she's either laughing or screaming

She's the kind of person that, once they're all in the haunted hoise, gets impatient when the line isn't moving

Meditrina: MOVE IT, LOSER, SOME OF US WANT TO GET SCARED RIGHT NOW

She likes the rides they went on before (she got so wet from one of the water rides and Iris was cackling because she warned her)

She's the one that knows her stuff when it comes to Latin food so she definitely gets a bunch of it

A worse judge than Gordon Ramsey, she sits there and goes, "This tortilla is drier than my texts with (insert person she hates from middle school)."

She says that she's taking Esteban with her next time, they're gonna be the cool cousins of the family going to a horror event and coming out of it traumatized

But #BetterThanYou is great for the Magicam

(Oh my God, she's been infected by Cater)

Gale:

Directly at an actor that scared the crap out of him: "MOTHERFUCKER"

SCREAMS at the top of his lungs

Literally mutters under his breath, "If they keep asking for our bracelets, I swear to God I'm going to pay so they know our names and we don't have to show our bracelets."

Lumi has to explain that the bracelets let the people know that they paid for the Halloween event and Gale's going :D again

He's not picky about where he wants to go, he's been to some of these events back in his home world but never with such a large group of friends

He has to be stopped from using his Unique Magic to see what's ahead of them but he still searches online to prepare himself for what's ahead (he says that he needs to be prepared just in case)

To not be scared, he goes along with the scare actors; there was one time where one of the scare actors was behind a mask before he peeled off the mask and slowly tilted his head at Gale, Gale, out of terror, did the exact same thing so the actor wouldn't jump out at him

He can hear some people whispering about his eyes and how they're cool contacts, even though he isn't wearing any contacts

He orders grilled cheese because he is basic and knows what he likes; he just dips it in the tomato sauce that Ignis brought with him since the tomato sauce slaps

Ignis:

"I only know who Optimus Prime and Bumblebee are--BUMBLEBEE SAVED US? Hey 😏"

Restrains Gale from using his Unique Magic to see what's ahead of them because it's not fun that way

Definitely flirts slightly with the cashiers to get some free stuff (by the end of the night, he's given fake numbers to a bunch of people and gotten a bunch of plushies for his friends)

Screams when he feels a chainsaw near him and jumps into Navin's arms, who goes :|

Complains about walking but if any of the girls are tired, he's immediately carrying them on his back so that they can rest

Turns into a tiny dragon to sit on Astro's shoulder on one ride, regrets it immediately when the ride is going super fast and he's holding on for dear life

He gets grilled cheese, just like Gale, only he has tomato sauce that he made that is better than anything

When he gets tired, he just gets into Meditrina's backpack but by accident, he was put into a locker and panicked the entire time while the others were on the ride, so he sent a text to the group chat

Ignis: SNED HLPE IM DRGUN STCKU NI LOCKER

Gale: Anyways so

No longer becomes a dragon after that, he has learned his lesson the hard way (and does not talk to Medi for a whole ten minutes because she's laughing so hard at him)

Iris:

"If this dinosaur eats me, tell my cousin I hate [him]. Just kidding, don't tell [him] anything and leave [him] in suspense."

Studies the animatronics of everything and internally seethes because she wants to create this someday and she's kicking stuff, saying that if she got the chance, she could design an entire park on her own

The creator of a machine that glamors stuff; the stuff Medi and Ignis brought should've been confiscated by security by with Iris's invention, they were able to sneak in a whole picnic

She does get scared easily and screams very loudly before cursing heavily, no child should be near her and she is gripping Val and Onyx's hands for dear life

Hates waiting more than anything and instead of having Colette pay, she just creates something necessary for them to get little passes to get ahead of the line (shout out to Titus for hacking and getting the passes)

The food there is decent and she gets some sweet stuff, even though her friends tell her to get actual food (she does not listen)

That night, she cannot sleep (even though that's common for her)

Drinks a lot of coffee too and she's so funny in the mazes because she's saying all sorts of things that are out of pocket in mazes, but it's all because she wants to go to the next house, knowing full well the lines are packed

She hates lines. She's impatient. What a good duo!

Promises herself that she'll take Merrill next time just to see if he can handle everything

Navin:

"NO, I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE--wait, I'm [19]. I DON'T EVEN HAVE MY DRIVER'S LICENSE YET!"

Fanboying over the actors and the prosthetics and the lights

(He's just too scared and won't admit it)

Sorry, Colette, but Navin is grabbing Titus's hand because 1.) He's short 2.) He's terrified 3.) He doesn't know where he's going

He actually gets lost in a haunted house; cue the entire group realizing once they get out that he's still inside and they are absolutely panicking

By the time he's outside, they're all back inside trying to find him

He gets stuck on a ride and it's hilarious to the others because it's his first time there so Navin goes along with the joke

"Hey, I didn't know us being stuck was part of the ride!"

"Oh yeah, it's my favorite part."

Although he tells the others to eat actual good and fusses over them like a mother, he's a hypocrite because he only gets churros

Meditrina is shoving food into his hands, there is no way their toy poodle is going to collapse in the rain

Navin asks, "Do you think I could be a scare actor?"

Ignis, like the idiot he is, goes, "If gnomes were the theme for next year, yeah."

Navin prays on Ignis's downfall

He's also really simple with his food, he just gets pizza and that's it, he's not picky at all and follows the others around wherever they want to go

Blanca:

"I either scared the actor or the actor was flirting with me. I think it's the former. I'm gonna be a scare actor!"

Her butterflies latch onto her hair and since they're constantly moving, people compliment her on her "costume" but she's so confused because she's not wearing a costume ?? What ??

When it inevitably starts raining, she immediately buys a poncho with pockets inside so that the butterflies don't get wet

She buys cotton candy, having never tried it before and she really does like it!

Of course, she screams too; yes, she likes horror but she will also scream here

Goes first into the scariest house and she's super excited about it, even leading some of them and holding their hands

She buys the chicken caesar salad, only, she lets Meditrina put all her spices in it because Meditrina always brings like a box of tiny spices (Blanca trusts her, the food is always good)

She's the person that stays on the outside of the group as a sacrifice and in one of the mazes, she made eye contact with an actor and she did NOT let the eye contact go until he let go first out of fear that this guy would go chasing after her

She immediately gets jumpscared right afterwards

There is one house she wants to go to, but unfortunately it was closed, so she makes a plan in her head to take other students with her next to around, including Malleus and her brother

Colette:

"Why the hell is this place full of kids, don't you all have homework to do?"

Buys everything for her friends, no, they can't look at something for more than a minute because she's paying for them

She's the one that buys their food, their plushies, anything that they want, it's theirs

Not surprisingly, she's been to that park before, just not during Halloween so she's really having fun

Pretends not to be scared but is super jumpy and accidentally punched Iris one time when Iris tried to scare her

She also glares at the little kids all the time

She went with the girls to one ride while the boys went onto another ride: she had the time of her life and it was such a cute photo that it's now her lockscreen

The food there is decent to her, she'll buy it because her friends all like it; she's dainty about her food too, so she'll pick the ones that don't seem like they'll give her a sugar rush

Makes fun of couples behind their backs and it's a running joke between all of them where someone has taken a picture of Colette making a disgusted face in front of a couple (it seems like they're taking pictures of Colette, but overall, it's of the couple AND Colette)

In her fear in the houses, she says stuff like, "God, if you're chasing me that bad, at least take me on a date first" and the scare actor just leaves trying not to laugh

Titus:

After not being scared by jumpscares but by hanging fruits with heads in them: "HOLY SHIT, WHAT IS THAT?"

He and Colette are the ones making faces behind couples' backs, being disgusted by them as though they aren't in a relationship

Onyx: You two are literally dating-

Titus: Yeah, except we're not like that.

Yes, he is holding a lot of his friends' hands and they're all crowding to him so that they don't get separated and they can hang onto him

Titus once hit his head on accident on the doorframe and he pretended to be fine, but he literally had to sit down because he swore up and down that he saw the ghost of the hotel owner (it was the ghost of the hotel owner, but it was actually an actor well hidden)

Carries Navin on his shoulders and it's hilarious because Navin pretends he hates it, but he's having so much fun on Titus's shoulders

Titus: I can let you get off-

Navin: NO.

He likes the Harry Potter ride, they all just had the unfortunate experience of getting stuck and he was so sarcastic about it, like, "Oh wow, I didn't know this was part of the ride, Ignis."

"Yeah, it's my favorite part."

"I think I'll come back for more of this."

He has won plushies for everyone, he's strangely good at the arcade games

Astro:

"These guys are higher than a kite, but at least they're vibing."

Screams at the sight of the guides, they have cloaks and glowsticks and these guys scare Astro more than the scare actors

Also screams at the sight of his friends, specifically Val, he loves teasing her and he screams at the sight of her

Astro: Oh, Val! I didn't know you were a scare actor for the clown house!

Val:

He thinks he's hilarious and the Package Trio's giggles affirm that (they are also laughing when Valkyrie is chasing him)

Astro, of course, tries to flirt with everyone.

Does it work? Sometimes, but most of the time, the scare actors are there like :| bro ong you get no bitches

(Someone took a video and the other three of his idol group are RUINING him on Magical Twitter, no one slanders him more than they do)

He does not stay still in maze lines, he's vibing to the music or he's playing a game on his phone; most of the time, he's playing Heads Up on his phone with the others

Makes so many friends in the lines ?? It's crazy because they all think he's dressed up and he has a costume, but it's just his regular demon form, so no one even guesses it's him as Astro

He likes anything and everything from that place, although the others have to stop him because he'd get a lot of sweets and that's a REALLY bad pairing

Valkyrie:

"If you're going to kill me, not the head, please."

She's enjoying it here, having never been here before and she wasn't aware that people liked being scared for fun so this was a brand new experience for her

To her own surprise, she was the only one in the group to be stopped by one of the "monsters" and she was given a flower from this monster before he immediately sprinted away to find a new victim

Gale: Why's Val pulling entire monsters?!

Ignis: Because she's better than all of us, I guess.

She goes to sleep thinking about that interaction

There's this event that's just special effects that she wanted to see and then she saw the wait time and said, "Let us move on and venture to get nourishment."

She's simple and gets a sandwich, she likes the sandwiches there

Also, she REALLY likes the escalators. There's like four of them to get from the top of the park to the very bottom and she finds that more fun than any of the rides

Does not take pictures and if a ride takes a picture of her, she's super photogenic

Buys stuff that has to do with traveling, she looks like an entire tourist when she literally lives near there

The one person that everyone hangs onto; by the end of the night, she's literally carrying all of the others in her arms and it's an entire pile on top of her as she takes them around

Onyx:

"Listen. When I said I wasn't scared of La Llorona, that did not mean that I am going to go knocking at her door. I am intelligent, not scared."

He doesn't really flinch a lot in haunted houses, he's not scared by them as much as everyone else is

When the girls and the boys separated and he went with the boys, he, at the request of Colette, recorded everything that went on in the haunted house; cue the boys (except for him) screaming at the top of their lungs

He goes along with it because his friends drag him out, but unfortunately, his inventor was too good at her job, so now he can see the jumpscares and where people are

(Iris obviously fixes it when she realizes and she takes out her pocket toolkit so that he's as scared as the rest of them; it works)

Goes into the Llorona maze with the others, and at seeing Meditrina actually freeze up, Onyx is going, "Aw, hell no-"

Gale: COME ONNN IT'S NOT THAT BAD

(It was that bad)

He's very happy with his food, he's adorable because he's actually kicking his feet as he eats his cotton candy

Poor boy does not trust any of the stiltwalkers, he's gripping onto whoever is next to him and their hand, their hand might be a little sprained after this

Onyx: OH JEEZ, OH MY GOD, THEY'RE RUNNING, THEY'RE SPRINTING

Astro: See, that'd be great and all if it wasn't for you literally CRUSHING MY HAND-

Ivy:

"I am not waiting a long ass line for some pizza fries inspired by the Weeknd."

[a-complete-catalogue]

what's your process when you make minecraft skins? how do you come up with ideas? what programs or sites do you use? how do you simplify details into easily communicable shapes? skin making is like an arcane art huge kudos to skin artists

hiiii anon!

im gonna put my whole answer under the readmore since i have very many words to say so hope u enjoy!

ok so i mainly make skins for events and such, which are usually based off of creators' existing skins. usually i'll just give them silly outfits in their team color, but i've been trying to give them somewhat of an overlying theme as well.

(note: i am somewhat retired from event skinmaking? meaning i havent made any in a whiiiiile but i could come back to it at some point? we shall see.)

here's the skins i'm probably most proud of. I wanted to do some kind of cyberpunk-style outfits using their team color (lime), while also trying to get better at incorporating a color palette.

having a color palette to pick base colors from is soooo helpful, it allows you to have a bunch of complimentary accents that really blend well together. whether you make your own color palettes, use generators online (paletton.com is my favorite), or use palettes that others have already made (lospec.com has some cool ones), they definitely help bring the skin to life.

i've also done a few custom skins for friends, starting from scratch. for those, i usually ask them to give me a few references of what they're looking for: real-life outfits, hairstyles, general style of skin, etc.

for both team skins and custom commissions, references are your best friend! i have a pinterest board full of various clothing items/outfits that i might translate into skin form in the future.

(side note: people often don't realize skin making is a type of art too. please don't use skins others have created, recolor them, and try to pass them off as your own work. looking at other skins for general inspo, cool! but straight up copying large portions of a skin and claiming it as your own... not cool. just don't.)

one of the hardest parts about making skins is definitely getting all of the little details across. since you have so few pixels to work with, it is pretty easy for the artist to have one design in their brain and for others to have different ideas about how the cubito would look in 4k.

for me personally, i don't worry too much about getting all the details perfect, as i think the different interpretations are what make minecraft skins so unique! (and, at least for me, seeing any art of someone's interpretation of the skins i've made is the best compliment i could ever receive!) :D

this is the program i use, blockbench! (blockbench.net) it's so much easier to use then the basic skin editor you find on many minecraft skin websites. plus you can create custom models or textures as well! its not just for skin making.

important features:

ability to work on multiple skins at once! makes creating team skins much easier

color palette importer

pixel grid that turns on and off

copy and paste elements to different layers of the skin

posing the skin to see how it looks when players are running vs standing vs sitting, etc.

toggling specific elements/layers on and off

different lighting options!

and a ton more things that i don't even know how to use!

very cool program 10/10 highly recommend!

ok that's enough yapping from me lol. thank u for the ask anon, hope this helps! :D

[kiatheinsomniac]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐍𝐄'𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇-𝐔𝐏!*˚ .♡⋆ˊˎ -

𓆩♡𓆪 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄!

❝oh my, hello ! how are u? I don't know how this actually works but I'm gonna try this, I'm here to volunteer for the valentine's day event(?), I hope this is the right way to do it and if it's not, please ignore this message😅 alrighty enough rambling for me, I'm Lari, this is a nickname btw I love nicknamesss hehe, well, I'm 18 years old and I'm a Brazilian girl! So im fascinated in a lot of stuff, I love ocean so oceanography, marine biology, oceanology are like my bestest one, I love photography as well I'm not a big fan of posting my own pics, I actually like taking pictures of others and seeing it later :) I used to be a writer and a poet but I got too shy and stopped doing it, now I only write rarely when I need to get feelings out yk? Oh, I forgot to tell but I'm a lesbian, also, the fandom I would love it to be kny, resident evil village, Castlevania too! you can choose one or idk , I don't mind that much.. My personality is quite hard to tell, i'm quite a introvert and shy, and my mbti is INFJ! I have a wild past of being really agressive or having short temper but tbh I don't think that is the definition of me lately, I can be pretty calm but I can be mean if it's needed and I'm not afraid of people... Although all of that, I'm a cry baby lmao I'm not a person to have friends easy and I don't trust no one but i can be more extrovert with more introvert people and I tend to smile many times mostly when I don't know what to say or just whatever lol I'm into a artist side, I can paint too but it's not my big trait, I play a lot of games but I'm not the time to love the gun games, I loveee farming stuff, like Stardew Valley, Coral Island and that stuff, love it! I guess that's it hun, this is my first time doing it so I don't know if I did right.. Well, wishing u the happiest valentine's day and hope you don't have much trouble doing this request😅 byee!❞ anon

ੈ♡˳ 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐄!

♡ Bela is really fascinated by how much you know about the ocean and he loves your photography! She's never left the village before so you're like a fountain of knowledge about the outside world to her. You're an INFJ and she's an INTJ so the two of you have a similar love and thirst for learning and what you know about a whole aquatic world she's never seen before really gets her hooked on you.

♡ she likes that you're calm but can be mean when needed. You're not a disturbance to her enjoyed quiet and you're not a pushover either; they're traits that she really admires about you. Being the oldest of triplets, she really values calm and quiet.

♡ she doesn't mind that you can cry a lot too. Again, being the eldest, she's used to having to help people and look out for her little sisters. So, it's almost instinctual to her to take you into her arms and hush you and rub your back, shoulders and head as you cry. She'll give off a fly or two to do little tricks and twirls for you to try and amuse a smile back onto your face.

ੈ♡˳ 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐈𝐓 𝐀 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄?

♡ Bela puts together a painting date in the atelier. She knows how creative and artistic you are and so she wants to give you a chance to let that out around her. She also encourages you to try your hand at making and painting teacups with her! She'd absolutely love to be able to drink her (blood-infused) tea from a cup that reminds her of you.

♡ considering how much you love farming games, she tells you all about Castle Dimitrescu's vineyards while you paint together. She's going to be the one to inherit it because she's the oldest and most responsible so she'd quite passionate about it. She tells you all about the different grapes and how they can be influenced and what makes Sanguis Virginis unique (other than the blood, of course, it does actually have wine in it too).

♡ she'll take you to the castle library in the evening too and have the maids serve dinner for the two of you there. She's like you in the sense that she doesn't really trust anyone, considering the village she's grown up in, but she does want to show you that she's opening up to you and she does this through touch: brushing her hand against yours, sitting close to you while you read, leaning her head on your shoulder, etc.

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒: it's been far too long since I've been able to write about any of the Dimitrescu girlies

missed the match-up event? try ships instead! ☾ ⋆ ﾟlike my work? why not: ∘ buy me a coffee? ∘ comms. ∘ taglist ∘ follow/reblog

[thedaveandkimmershow]

Because of all the moving parts surrounding our move back to the house, we chose not to celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day on the actual day in favor of preserving some semblance of mental and physical health. We even had to skip passed Valentine's Day in February for related reasons on top of which was the aftermath of the death of Kimmer's uncle at the top of the year as well as her efforts to take care of her aunt both from a distance and in person during monthly trips to California.

So. Mother's Day. Father's Day. Valentine's Day.

Now, one of the permissions we afford each other in our family is to move events out of the way if they prove too overwhelming in context. And this year definitely put a little more full court press on us.

That doesn't mean, however, that we don't do make-ups. It only means that on occasion we don't celebrate a holiday or holidays when everyone else does. This year, of course, is unique in the number of holidays we temporarily set aside but, as of today, we're gaining back some ground. In this case: Father's Day. I woke up to Father's Day this morning.

Now, I knew it was coming. I just didn't know what it was gonna look like.

Chocolate, it turns out.

Chocolate is what it ended up looking like. Chocolate is how it started. Basically, hot chocolate and chocolate truffles for breakfast. Which I'm completely okay with.

We actually had breakfast right out front where Kimmer most recently created this space to lounge, relax, hang out, flatline, bask in the sunshine, enjoy the moment.

This is definitely gonna be a thing in this new time back at our old house.

The major plot twist of the day was a stop into the Lynnwood Ezell's to score some of their massively tasty chicken accompanied by delicious rolls. A rare treat, indeed. We stopped in on our way down to Cap Hill where we joined Linzy at her place for our finger lickin' lunch plus episode eight of Daisy Jones and The Six before heading down to South Lake Union and Tapster where the self-imposed rule was to move from seat to seat with every new round.

By the way my favorite round was the one where I mixed a Blackberry Kombucha with a Belgian Red, a mixture that smoothed out some of the initial bite of the Kombucha (believe it or not) while increasing the berry-ness.

Huzzah!

Afterward, we piled into the photo booth Tapster keeps onsite for what I believe will be our official end of the year family portrait, a series of three photographs of us being, well, us. 😁😁😁

After that, we indulged a walk to the MOHAI end of Lake Union to imagine the prospect of an ice cream cruise but settling for a photo op of the historic wooden boats anchored there as well as a bit of simple hanging out at the end of the pier.

In the end, it wound up being a lovely, quite normal, summer's day. I don't know why I put such a premium on "normal"... well, I guess I do. I guess we all do.

We know what it's like to be deprived of it. We know what it's like to not have it. We know what it's like to wonder if we'll ever have it again.

That's just the facts in the ground.

So it is, and will always be, this experience we'll cherish now more than ever.

Normal.

And yeah. It was a fantastic Father's Day.

☺️❤️❤️❤️

[dongcena]

Cable Television WAS Awesome

How would it feel if everything was suddenly given to you?

Know that I'm grateful of the internet existing as it is, giving me access to plenty of things I don't think I could ever get or know without it. On the other hand, there was something about having a television, eventually with more than just the public access channels that I feel shouldn't be thrown away. And if I'm ever gonna indulge in a giant nostalgia trip, then it oughta be one that defined a part of me. SO LET'S GO BACK!

Be me, kindergarten, a time where the internet wasn't a figment in my mind. I was enthralled with PBS Kids. That was a time where I actually wanted to wake up in the mornings because I would be treated to Between the Lions, Arthur, Cyberchase, Mister Rogers, Dragon Tales, George Shrinks, Sagwa. The early 2000s were a great time as there was a ton of stuff premiering as there was shows already existing like the Nicktoons and I didn't care if there were reruns or new episodes, there wasn't any concern over whether a show ended or began, I enjoyed basically everything. I wasn't fixated on television, I had my legos, drawings, and plushie animals to play with, my best friend was in the neighborhood to where I'd go to occasionally for a sleepover or hang out with others. It was a nice time of just ignorance where TV was just another part of being a kid. Then we get to the more intermediate phase where cable was in the house.

I didn't have Nickelodeon when I first watched Spongebob. We had a rented DVD that had some select episodes and I would watch that just as religiously as I did some of the movies my mom had on her shelf. As a child you're rarely aware when something like a cable box is introduced in your home, you just let curiosity lead the way. I wasn't expecting when or how I was able to watch Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Discovery Kids, upon other channels that weren't paywalled, it just happened. And it was where I got into WWE wrestling before it got bad, other channels in their prime like MTV and IFC, film channels like HBO, Starz, and Cinemax, and it's especially where I got into cartoons more.

I'll admit here the 2000s were the best era for animation where we got the most stylishly different shows. It didn't matter who or where the creator came from, you could just appreciate the unique touch each cartoon had. All the while that variety was broadcasted every day on top of commercials that were sometimes funny and memorable when they didn't feel like waiting hours between episodes. There wasn't any favoritism with the programming, it seriously felt like every show got their time to shine. Spongebob was definitely the top dog of Nick, but it never felt noticeably egregious where the Nicktoons channel felt less like a dumping ground and the "Spongebob Standard" wasn't as prominent. And for that time, things felt different. I look back at particular premieres of shows or events and I don't know exactly, but I felt more motivated?

I was no top student but I gave a shit when it "mattered"

Whether it was a Spongebob marathon leading to a premiering tv special or wondering what was to happen with Friday Night Smackdown, it was like I actually worked to get to those moments. Maybe it's because school and homework was more abundant at the time, but I wanted to make sure I got to see what I wanted to see without any distraction or obstacles. Actual hype was there in getting to see a TV special event because you were unsure if you could see it again and there was that fear of missing out. Again, I had that feeling of actually WANTING to get up out of bed. I wasn't obsessed with having or seeing every new thing that was coming out, but it was a joy to hang with my friends talking and memeing about the shows we watched, especially the newest of episodes. It was fun quoting the early episodes of Adventure Time and Regular Show, Spongebob, Family Guy, cable gave me a notable joy upon everything else where it wasn't an obsessive part of my life, but I was grateful for just being able to see things that would define my interests.

When I tell you me and my friends busted a nut over this one promo upon the couple others for Adventure Time

They say TV would rot your brain but honestly it was hard to consider that practically. I doubt TV gave somebody everything they wanted 24/7 unless they were open-minded enough to willfully see anything and couldn't do much else. Otherwise, there were times where I neither watched CN, Nick, Disney, and would go do something different. Channel chasing was less a feverish ordeal, more an irregular moment when going out wasn't ideal. And when I got into manga and exercising around middle school, it never felt like television was as much a major part of my life despite still enjoying morning cartoons and video on demand at the time.

Then again, things come to an end

In the early time of High School, as the price of having cable was getting too much to keep, we've had to resort to only having internet which meant the only way to anything was either streaming services, pirate services, or just go to Youtube. This is where I say overtime the magic of watching tv lost its luster. The question at the start is something I indirectly always ask myself when it comes to the current era of entertainment and the viewing experience. With Netflix upon the plentiful other services, with pirating sites overcoming that basically letting you watch whatever you feel like at whenever time, how fulfilling does it feel anymore?

Aside the fact that streaming has basically remade television with extra steps?

Television adhered to a schedule while offering something new or different every time, it felt like a necessary restriction to make your experience digestible. Commercials actually did its job by giving you a break. DVDs were where you could actually binge a show you love after a season was over after the weekly premieres were over. Now with ad free binging, it's grown to be a hapless past time where a show that would've lasted a few months can come and go in the matter of a weekend. Meanwhile, it's become more lucky for some creators to get any attention with how scattershot studios can be with promoting. And with access to everything you wanna watch past or future that easily, it's difficult to care when it feels like you're basically given all the time in the world, even when you have other responsibilities. I'm sure others can make the energy and time, but for me it's hard to be in the mood to watch anything when I'm too aware of the idea.

It's hard to explain but while we can say TV did the thinking for us, I believe it was better than making sure every moment either did or didn't matter. It certainly had less of a trap on you than social media where it can not only make you co-dependent in terms of getting that dopamine hit with likes and reblogs, but callous that it's an easier way to make you feel like somebody; the unintentional expectation of you to be actively imaginative or non-existent. TV was something you could just enjoy like anything else and if you felt a day didn't have anything on, you could move on to elsewhere. I don't mean to be "internet is evil", but to me less was more. And while television from what I've seen hasn't changed, the feeling doesn't feel there anymore now that streaming has basically taken over.

But I'll never forget those days. Not just the finales and premieres of shows, specials, and programming blocks, but the feeling of being able to watch them in a more traditional way. I don't believe it's wrong, despite the continuing future, to return to simpler times in some cases. Cable TV felt like just as good an escapism as anything else I had as a child, and I'm glad I got to enjoy it for as long as I could. Again, I won't damn those who prefer streaming over cable, I just faintly wishing these future generations could see what I saw.

[ae0nx]

FRUITS BASKET S3 EPISODE 8 RECAP AKA THE KYORU CHRONICLES PART 2 (plus a quick recap of eps 3-7)

aaaaaaAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!! I gotta get it out of me otherwise I won't be able to concentrate on work and I will be scrolling through the tag till the day I die. Everything from episode 3 of Season 3 literally hit me like an avalanche - literally cos I marathoned 3-7 over the weekend which I wouldn't advise unless you want an accelerated heartbeat - and I'm starting to realise... maybe I just wasn't ready for season 3. Despite asking for it, haha. Not gonna put as many screencaps for this one cos tumblr editing bay be trippin and I just don't have time nor emotional energy to be fighting with the picture uploads, sorry lol

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Episodes 3 - 7

I spoke before about how (despite my feelings about the characters) the English dub VAs for Akito and Shigure pair up really well audibly. And I think I feel the same way about both Yuki and Machi's English VAs! They both have the same soft spoken yet scratchy element to their voices almost like they are holding slightly back. Although, I'd argue that Yuki has been losing the element of slightly holding back as the anime has gone on which I wonder if the same would be included for Machi's performance?

I really like the presentation of Machi's trauma through her family's expectations to be perfect and how physical it is? How Yuki kind of encourages her to let it out in a healthy way? (Btw the whole chalk breaking scene in the meeting was SO FUCKING SMOOTH. YUKI IS A NERD BUT HE IS SO EFFORTLESSLY COOL A LOT OF THE TIME)

The age gap between Isuzu and Haru for sure isn't the worst age gap in this anime/manga but it's still a bit... hmm...

Episode 4:

In all seriousness, I know Akito deserves some sympathy but it doesn't change the fact that I still see her as a villain. Hurt people hurt people but it doesn't mean they should get away with it, I was honestly pleased Haru got that big confrontation with Akito to tell her WHAT'S WHAT but it was also somewhat... merciful?

Hiro's growth has been so beautiful to see, him realising there are bigger things than him from the event with Rin to his relationship with Kisa to then the birth of his little sister.

Kureno choosing to get his hands a little dirtier and paying the ultimate price for it (as far as we know so far in the anime lol) was great, he is the moon side of Tohru's sunshine.

Shigure... I still don't really get him and Akito's relationship. It's clear he's waiting for Akito to grow the fuck up but at the same time he's not creating an environment for her to grow and develop. He's decided to go with the 'tough love' route which I'm still deciding whether I like it or not tbh. Sometimes it feels necessary, at other times it feels shitty. I respect that he knows he's a scumbag and I don't deny that there are people out there who take revelry in the fact that they are awful but at the same time, him remaining unchanging despite everything feels... unrealistic. But considering throughout this story he doesn't seem affected by trauma, it's understandable, I guess?

Also... that scene where Shigure ponders about whether he should've been with Tohru is THE creepiest creeper shit he's EVER done in this series. No. 🙅🏾‍♀️

Momiji is best bunny boi regardless of how tall and 'manly' he becomes. 🐰His scene with Akito was so authentically him and he really did that shit. We love him. <3

I love the way that the curse breaking should (on surface) be a happy event considering all the trauma the zodiac went through because of it but it's presented mostly as loss as well as happiness. It's the realness of getting out of a bad relationship

Shigure basically laying it out to Tohru how Kyo means nothing in a very taunting way was an excellently painful scene and I choose violence. It was heartbreaking seeing how worthless they all saw Kyo compared to how Tohru saw him but... by this point I was just living in the pain so 🤷🏾‍♀️

The story visually showing how Isuzu is more willing to be soft after her whole ordeal through her fashion choices (e.g. the pastels, the cardigans) was really nice. And Haru being happy about Isuzu making friends with Tohru was cute!

It was nice we saw that Kazuma was still wary about whether Tohru loved Kyo for the right reasons, you'd assume after everything Kazuma would love Tohru as a match for Kyo but he's so emotionally intelligent and also just a protective Dad! Yay, good parenting!

Tohru's confession to loving Kyo was amazing however I still adore Kyo's confession a little bit more. Just a bit. Lol. However, if you add the moment later in episode 8 it trumps it completely. Ethereal goddess.

Kyo and Tohru's grandfather having a scene together was great and nice

Now that I think about it, I wish there was more a visual link in the story between Tohru adapting her speech to imitate her Dad and Momiji adopting his Mum's German accent. Albeit for slightly different reasons, it just adds to the unique connection Tohru and Momiji have. In short, I'm seeing this ship with my third eye now. I get it lol

I don't wanna screencap the scene where Kyo is haunted by both his deceased mother and deceased Kyoko and potentially deceased Tohru because it's the stuff of nightmares. But, it was a wonderfully done scene. You definitely understand fully and clearly why Kyo buried all of that trauma under his hatred for Yuki (I CAN'T WAIT FOR EPISODE 9, YOU GUISE!)

If Akito is a villain, Ren is the final boss. Although, with her type of villainy... I feel like I can kind of enjoy a bit more. She reminds me of a Greek God in the ways she master manipulates people and her desperation for control and power (I just read 'Mythos' by Stephen Fry, it's a great read lol)

It lowkey feels like every female character who's comfortable in expressing their sexuality in this story is punished in some way for it... this is an incomplete thought

Shigure as a child feeling like they should all be pitied is so... mature... I feel like I need more of an explanation for why Shigure is the way he is

Akito's ego death with Kureno? Amazing. I loved that she was at least aware enough to realise how Kureno had been coddling her all this time but again... doesn't excuse her crimes

But anyways...

EPISODE 8

Honestly? I really don't have much to say about this episode besides 3-5 points I wanna get out of my head. It's not a bad thing at all, it's just that there's still a lot left to play out from this 'arc' and this season in general that I wanna complete my thoughts on.

But I'll start with this:

Lol, isn't it funny?! Isn't it heart-wrenchingly funny how the relationship between Kyo and Tohru has kinda reverted back to how they were at the start of the series? The coldness of Kyo at the beginning of this episode (and throughout) was a bit of a gut punch considering all the light and fluffy moments that we've gotten between the two since the True Form arc.

Talking about the True Form arc, I feel like this episode is somewhat a repeat of the same emotions, same trials of the True Form arc. Kyo still 'runs away like he always has' but this time we get him being the most honest and confrontational with his own emotions and trauma than he ever has been during the course of this whole story. While trusting someone (Tohru specifically) for the first time with the whole truth of his story! He always seems to move one step forward and then three steps backwards and while it's a tad bit frustrating, it feels very... real. I'll probably complete my feelings how this arc reflects the True Form arc when we finish this section of the story in future episode(s).

Considering the fact that 80% of this episode is Jerry Jewell monologuing as Kyo and I never got bored really just sells his performance. Kyo was being incredibly cold this episode and yet the range of emotions through his performance made it feel understandable enough for you to empathise with it.

BrattyKid!Kyo to lighten the mood 😹I still wish he and Hiro had more of a relationship, I feel like they could have taught each other a lot. Well... mostly Kyo teaching Hiro tbh

Kyo rejecting Kyoka for her honesty and kindness and then later rejecting Tohru? Oh... kid...

Wow, I felt so good about that whole episode of Kid!Yuki helping Kid!Tohru get home and then it's slightly soured knowing KID!KYO was running about the streets alllll night into the morning?!?! I really did feel Kyo's frustration at not getting that win to actually do something right. And the irony of that being linked to him being unable to save Kyoka from the oncoming car?

Honestly, I don't know what my feelings are on Kyo being unable to save Kyoka. I don't even know what my feelings are on Tohru pretty much pushing that aside in favour of her feelings for Kyo. It's... complicated and I've been mulling it over in my head for the last 10+ years hahah However, if I was in Tohru's position I think I'd eventually come to a point where it feels like it's too late to really do anything about how bad I'd feel about it. Kyo's intentions weren't horrid, if anything he was just being a scared kid and he's allowed to be that. I just wish Tohru had a bit more time to evaluate it but considering she knew her mother well and assumes that wouldn't have been the full scope of what she had said, I don't have much of a problem with it in general

Lol, I love when Tohru gets a 'FUCK YOU, I LOVE YOU' moment with Kyo. 😂Another reflected scene from the True Form arc... only thing is that this time... it doesn't quite work. 😕

(Again, I love how all of these reflections are resolved in later occurences in response to the duality but I'll get to it next week when it shows hopefully)

Laura Bailey only had a few sentences in this episode but she killed it as always. Comparing her performance in 2001 to now is just... growth!

Ok, so Yuki automatically gets Best Boi in this episode for meddling and chasing after KYO of all people. Showing how he's personally done with hating Kyo. Realising Kyo is pretty much the only person who'll make his mother happy. I think he also lowkey wants to understand Kyo? But, we'll get to that next week.

....Oh yeah, Akito is there.

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In total, I liked this episode even though it has me anxious for the next one. We finally get the full picture of why Kyo is the way he is! Ahhhh - a weight off all our chests, I'm sure. I kinda don't like that they put the ending theme at the end of these episodes - the joyfulness doesn't really match up with the intense theme? But, that's just a minor gripe. And hey, maybe they just want the audience to know... it's all gonna be okay :)

See you next week!!!

[littlekingbergara]

10, 14, & 38 for your books !! :)

10. what book was better than you expected it to be?

who i was with her by nita tyndall. i don't super love a closeted protag and a lot of the conflict in the book revolved around her being closeted so i wasn't really sure if it would do it for me. but this book, oh my god. when i started reading it i had to stop like nine pages in and just cry for 20 minutes. the death of corrine's girlfriend while she was in the closet added such a unique and gut-wrenching angle to her grief that she couldn't share with anyone. then when i could pick it back up again a few weeks later (right after a baddd breakup lmao) i read the last 300 pages in one go and had another good cry in public.

14. what was the best book you read?

they can't kill us until they kill us by hanif abdurraqib! it's a collection of essays about abdurraqib's experiences in different music scenes throughout his life, also connecting the artists and scenes to events like his mother's death, gun violence, relationships, gentrification, etc. my friend recommended it to me and i thoroughly enjoyed every essay, even the ones i didn't know anything about before reading. i adore abdurraqib's way of writing and when i have time i'd love to read more of his work. two of the essays in particular have really stuck with me: "there is a picture of michael jackson kissing whitney houston on the cheek," and "death becomes you: my chemical romance and ten years of the black parade." talking about them now makes me want to re-read them but i left my book in my dorm when i came home for break.

38. who's your favorite main character of this year?

tough because i mostly read non-fiction this year so i'm gonna have to go with a re-read: alex claremont-diaz from red, white, and royal blue by casey mcquiston. disaster bisexual poli-sci major who starts an international incident because he has a crush on a boy. definitely a reason i went back and re-read it.

[mittensmorgul]

This talk of the early seasons gives me another question: do you think the demons were trying to break John in hell? Like, were they trying to break the first seal with John a couple years before Dean? Or do you think breaking Dean was the original plan all along? (I'm aware the writers wouldn't have known about the seals while writing John being in hell seasons 1/2. I'm concerned about the Watsonian perspective here.) Thanks for your wisdom btw, I love your perspective on this stuff 😬

Hi there! First off, thanks! I do my best, and I’m glad you’re enjoying it :D

Second, wheee! Watsonian perspective is what I care most about, so I’ll stick to that. Well, mostly… the one thing I feel I do need to bring up is the timeline of s2, which I would suggest falls roughly over the span of time during which it airs– that’s to say that 2.01 (where John dies) and 2.22 (where John pops out of Hell and gives the assist in killing Azazel) are approximately eight to eleven months apart, depending on which theory of the timeline you subscribe to.

We know that 2.22 takes place immediately after the events of 2.21, which we have a concrete date for– Dean sells his soul on May 2, 2007. According to the Superwiki, John was killed by Azazel on July 19, 2006, but that’s a guess based on the date listed on the heart monitor of the girl who dies in the hospital in 2.01. And we all know how… timey-wimey those sorts of props can be, and I’m uncomfortable making definitive timeline estimates based on just those things. But for the purposes of this post, we’ll assume the range of potential timeline for 2.01 runs between late July and late September 2006 (since 2.01 aired on September 28, 2006, and often without other concrete dates, we assume canon runs approximately parallel to our real time).

So, John was in Hell for somewhere between 8 and 10 months, approximately, of canon standard time. But what do we really know about that time he spent in Hell?

We know DEAN’S experience in Hell, where he was being specifically worked over to the point of breaking. We know that his four months (actually more like four and a half– from May 2, 2008 through his resurrection date of September 18, 2008), but that it actually felt more like 40 years to him.

I need to stress this specifically, because the fandom assumption has always been “well, this is just what time is like uniformly throughout Hell, and not a targeted, concentrated experience catered specifically to accelerating Dean’s progression to surrender and pick up the blade himself, in fulfillment of the prophecy.”

I… always assumed that Dean’s experience was unique in Hell, and that– based on every other glimpse we’ve seen of Hell– Time runs… pretty much like normal Earth time there. Think of Crowley’s meeting with Cas in 6.20, in Hell’s waiting line. Or 11.09-11.10 (where we see more of Hell than ever before– both Crowley’s “dining room” there, several passageways, and the “stage cage” in Limbo), where time in Hell parallels exactly the characters who are still on Earth. While waiting for Dean and then Cas to arrive, for example, Sam only spends about half an hour with Lucifer in the cage alone, and Crowley and Rowena only spend the same amount of in-show time there as it takes for Dean and Cas to arrive, respectively. Finally, we have 8.19, wherein we know Sam had exactly 24 hours to break into Hell, retrieve Bobby, and escape to be picked up by the reaper who never arrived because Crowley was killed. Sam’s time “in Hell” exactly paralleled Dean’s time on Earth, as well as “purgatory time,” which we know runs approximately parallel to Earth Time after Dean spent “about a year” there.

So the logical conclusion is that “Hell Time” is malleable, but that Dean’s experience there was… unique. According to the prophecy they were ALL trying to bring about, Dean was put on the Break-The-Righteous-Man-Speed-Run plan. And I do believe this was a highly specific circumstance, and that Dean’s “Hell Time Dilation” was specific to his time in Hell, and not a universal blanket statement on how time works in Hell in general.

So… I postulate that John only spent those 8-10 months in “normal time” in Hell. And despite Alastair’s taunts in 4.16:

Alastair: John Winchester. Made a good name for himself. A hundred years. After each session, I’d make him the same offer I made you. I’d put down my blade if he picked one up.Dean: Just give me the demon’s name, Alastair.Alastair: But he said nein each and every time. Oh, damned if I couldn’t break him. Pulled out all the stops, but John, he was, well, made of something unique. The stuff of heroes. And then came Dean. Dean Winchester. I thought I was up against it again. But daddy’s little girl, he broke. He broke in thirty. Oh, just not the man your daddy wanted you to be, huh, Dean?

Because JOHN WAS NEVER THE ONE THAT NEEDED TO BREAK. But Alastair was intimately familiar with Dean’s experience, intimately familiar with how to HURT DEAN SPECIFICALLY, and this was an excellent try. But John… was NEVER the righteous man who needed to break, according to the prophecy. It ALWAYS had to be Dean. So… why would John have been tortured that way?

Not to mention, if John HAD been literally strapped to Alastair’s table, tortured constantly for his entire time in Hell, then how the heck did he manage to sneak out the Hellgate in 2.22? Like… think about it for a second.

The demons who escaped were essentially “in the right place at the right time,” because the one demon Azazel was trying to let out– which we won’t learn until 4.22– was Lilith.

We assume that the other demons who managed to sneak through before the gates were slammed shut happened to be Lilith-adjacent– such as Ruby (who knew Lilith’s whole plan from the start), and other demons who were already loyal to Lilith (such as Casey from 3.04, and Tammi from 3.09, and eventually all the demons Lilith surrounded herself with in 3.12 and 3.16).

And yet… out strolled John Winchester. Because Hell literally didn’t need him anymore. Dean had already made his deal. The clock was ticking on the guy they ACTUALLY needed. And heck if that doesn’t parallel exactly what Zachariah said to Adam in 5.18:

ZACHARIAH: Hey, don’t get me wrong. You’ve been a hell of a sport, really. Good stuff. But the thing is, you’re not so much the “chosen one” as you are…a clammy scrap of bait.ADAM: No…but what about the stuff that you said? I’m supposed to fight the devil.ZACHARIAH: Mmm, not so much. Hey, if it’s any consolation, you happen to be the illegitimate half-brother of the guy we do care about. That’s not bad, is it?ADAM: So you lied…about everything.ZACHARIAH: We didn’t lie. We just avoided certain truths to manipulate you. 

Because that’s the thing with this show– Heaven and Hell are pretty much the same. Sam goals, same methods, same objectives, just with a different set of aesthetics, a different interior decorator if you will.

If John had actually been tortured the way Alastair claimed in 4.16, would he have just been at liberty to conveniently stroll through the gate in 2.22? Would he have even been able to leave at all? Would he have looked so fresh as a daisy? I mean

Looks pretty good for a dude just strolled outta hell, you know? Not even the least bit demon-y, right? And we know it takes a heck of a lot less time than a century for a human soul to be demonized in Hell… So everything else– aside from Alastair’s statement to Dean in 4.16, which was a deliberately targeted barb specifically said to make Dean doubt himself while he was actively torturing the demon who’d tortured HIM for four decades and therefore HIGHLY suspect in context of the rest of canon– would suggest that John had been basically stashed in Hell’s Cold Storage for about 8 months while the demons were meticulously arranging circumstances on Earth to set up the events of 2.21-2.22, luring Dean into selling his soul for Sam, and Azazel getting the Devil’s Gate opened to let Lilith escape.

Because strangely enough, I believe the Crossroads Demon in 2.08 more than I trust Alastair in 4.16:

DEAN: Can you bring him back? My dad?DEMON: Of course I can. Just as he was. Your dad would live a long and natural life, like he was meant to. That’s a promise.DEAN: What about me?DEMON: I could give you ten years. Ten long good years with him. That’s a lifetime. The family can be together again. John, Dean, Sammy. The Winchester boys all reunited. (she advances towards him) Look. Your dad’s supposed to be alive. You’re supposed to be dead. So we’ll just set things straight, put things back in their natural order. And you get ten extra years on top. That’s a bonus.

John was never the one they actually wanted. John was never going to work as the Righteous Man, or as Michael’s True Vessel for the purposes of the specific prophecies of the Apocalypse. As Gabriel once said in 5.08:

GABRIEL: You sorry sons of bitches. Why do you think you two are the vessels? Think about it. Michael, the big brother, loyal to an absent father, and Lucifer, the little brother, rebellious of Daddy’s plan. You were born to this, boys. It’s your destiny! It was always you! As it is in heaven, so it must be on earth. One brother has to kill the other.DEAN: What the hell are you saying?GABRIEL: Why do you think I’ve always taken such an interest in you? Because from the moment Dad flipped on the lights around here, we knew it was all gonna end with you. Always.

So… no, I think John’s tenure in Hell was probably a boring (compared to Dean’s) few months spent adjacent to Lilith so she could keep an eye on him in case Dean did take some sort of demon deal to trade his life back for John’s before they were scheduled to.

And finally, a bit of a Doylist justification for all of that: I don’t think any of this was planned back when s2 was being written. I don’t think they’d considered the later retcon of s4 and Dean’s “forty years” in Hell while writing s2. I don’t think they’d thought any of this was part of some larger prophecy of the Apocalypse yet. None of that came about until 4.01, because there had NEVER been any intent to introduce Angels or Heaven into the cosmology of that universe until that point anyway. So… they made the most out of what they had already stated canonically, and left it to us to make the most sense out of it. And this ^^ is my best, least plot-holey, most canon-compliant theory based on the entirety of canon. :)

[harusha]

Hey so I'm debating buy the new fire emblem and i was wondering to get yoyr opinion on it?? This is the first one I'm gonna get or would get of the fire emblem franchise. Do you think its a game that is worth buying?? What are some downsides?? What about upsides?? If I play as a female can I have the option to marry whichever girl I want or is it only a selected few??

I think it’s worth buying! It’s a fantastic addition to the FE series. However, where it excels, it excels, but when it’s lukewarm, it’s really lukewarm imo. You can marry 5 potential woman as F!Byleth (Edelgard, Rhea, Sothis, Mercedes, and Dorothea). If you choose to buy the game, don’t listen to people and play whichever route interests you; there is no “ideal” order to play them in

For me, the pros are

Characters- the characters really benefited from all that Fire Emblem: Heroes Gacha money. Due to the higher production value, all the characters have more supports (ie. more characterization) and feel really well-rounded overall. Unlike the previous entry, Fates, there are rarely any “superfluous” or “useless” character supports.

Setting- The setting has a lot of history imo, and you’ll learn about Fodlan as you progress through each route.

Routes- Both a pro and a con imo, but I’ll just list it here. The routes give a lot of replayability, and cross-house supports even more if you wanna complete the logbook. However, the routes also created a rather “incoherent” at times narrative for each route. It’s like...why didn’t this organization intervene after their appearance in the Blue Lions route? What happened to this character after their disappearance? It’s like they saved content so all the routes could be “unique,” but at the cost of making the routes’ stories questionable at times. As much flak as Fates gets, it did much better on this front than FE3H imo. While Hoshido, Nohr, and 3rd path all have their questionable decisions, they at least felt self-contained enough to where I wasn’t scratching my head trying to figure out who approved this.

Story-I’m told the story is really good so I’ll just put it here. Imo, the story isn’t the greatest imo, but it’s definitely up there for FE. For me, the incoherence caused by the route splits is what’s making not enjoy it as much. And the refusal to seriously approach the outcomes that you could expect from the endings (ie. they’re all rather happy overall imo). But this is also a heavy personal taste thing. 

Limited Free Roam on maps-Minor thing but it really adds immersion. It’s kinda wonky to use, however.

On Cons,

Poor gameplay- I might get knifed for this one, but I found FE3H’s gameplay to be drab after the glamour wears off. The maps are frequently reused in their own routes and between routes with few changes to terrain. It creates a repetitive experience at times unless you keep upping the difficulty. There’s good chapters ofc like a particular one in the post-skip. It’s better than Echoes of Valentia’s maps imo, but that’s not high praise considering Valentia is a faithful remake (and its OG version didn’t exactly have great maps). Not as fun as Shin Monsho no Nazo’s, Conquest’s, etc. maps for me. Also put everyone on a mount or suffer in this game because this game is where movement counts (just like FE4).

Poor Gameplay (again) but in relation to classes- The class system is wonky. Some classes don’t have upgrades, others are sidegrades, and some don’t have a coherent pathway to follow (ex. early-game fliers).

Underutilized mechanics and archaic character development method- FE3H may have excellent characters, but you have to seek out their development. This wouldn’t be a problem if the game had more cutscenes/required events for characters pre-skip, but as it is, it makes it to where their (potential) deaths in postskip don’t have impact. That is killer in a game where it emphasizes the brutality of war and killing your students (and thus your bond with them).. It’s particularly noteworthy because this game uses a calendar system, but there are barely any meaningful events on it. They could have certainly attached more events in there, AND had supports for you to seek out. Basically give development to characters outside of your chosen house, and allow you to seek and recruit them if you liked what you saw. Requiring the player to play badly (ie. spread out time for people they aren’t gonna recruit) so they can feel the full impact of their decisions is poor design imo.

Poor LGBT+ options for M!Byleth-Not as noteworthy (and also subjective) since you want to  play F!Byleth who gets five gay options but I thought I’d mention it anyway, but 2 out of 3 of M!Byleth’s are actual gaybait (ie. you marry a woman or end up alone) and the new one is free DLC which wouldn’t be “bad” if he wasn’t route locked. It kinda stings because outside of 2 options, all of F!Byleth’s aren’t locked. Also, she gets a lord romance and M!Byleth doesn’t.

Attack animations-Minor again, but for a Switch game, the attack animations are pretty bad imo, but most 3d (and 3ds) titles for the series are that way imo. There’s just nothing as exciting as the GBA animations were.

Overall, fantastic game, but I wouldn’t call it perfect or even the “best” FE game (which is a hefty and subjective title; personally, my favorite is Shin Monsho no Nazo). The story is certainly up there with the Jugdral duology and Tellius, but I wouldn’t say it outpaces them in that department. And on gameplay, it isn’t great, but it isn’t the worst. What makes the game, however, is the characters, setting, and the fact that none of the routes are purely ideal. It’s no SMT on that front, but it’s a very good try on Nintendo’s part. 

Sorry for the late reply as well. I had to type this up, and I went to go make beans with toast before this since I was kinda hungry.

[cyanwings]

i'm sorry you aren't feeling good, my bean! 33, 20, 18, 2, and 1

@jimmy-valmer

It’s okay! I mean, it sucks big time cause I feel like a truck ran over me from the body aches but I’ve handled worse. I’m a WARRIOR!!!

ON TO THE MIGHTY MEMESS~!!!

ANIME QUESTIONS MEME - Accepting!

1. best anime you’ve watched

So for the record, I’m excluding “Avatar: The Last Airbender” & (2003) “Teen Titans” shows cause people consider them animes when they’re only anime influenced so they’re out. But, this is SO hard! It’s like picking my children, it just feels impossible to do! Though, if I HAD to pick just one, it would have to be…… ( 2003) Kino’s Journey!

Why? Well, let’s ride right into the world of “Kino’s Journey” or in it’s original title “Kino no Tabi.”

“ The world is not beautiful, there fore it is.”

Let’s start with the story, which tells of the journey of a traveler named Kino and their motorcycle, Hermes, while they visit a long range of countries as they meet different people along the way. The actual fact is: there isn’t one solid story but 12 short stories that link together not by episode order but by events. And yet the fact that each one of this stories manages to give a deeper meaning than the whole plots from many animes amazes me till no end! Kino finds herself in the midst of these societies - some of which have downright appalling practices. Each episode approaches a theme of society, like censoring, violence, communication problems, right or wrong, the ability some people have to bite the hand that just feds them, and so on. And every time I watch each one, I found myself enjoying this series more than I should have.  

As Kino travels throughout the world and becomes acquainted with the people who inhabit it, it becomes clear that each of her encounters is essentially a separate journey into the labyrinth that is the human psyche to explore one of the many elements that make it up. The issues touched upon in the series ranges from the tendencies of humans to blindly believe in prophecies to the consequences of not having a self-conscious.

There is a wide range of characters as expected from an anime that tells about travels all over the world. While some of them are forgettable, some of them also stay in your mind. Although it is clear that neither Kino nor Hermes is the main focus of the series, together they play an essential role in its series. 

In terms of being a likeable character, Kino has become my favorite anime character ever! They inspire me in so many ways and I’m always glued to the screen every time their role comes into play. Although they appear apathetic at first, they’re a caring and understanding person. Kino travels through different countries to experience their customs and understand the citizens, but they never stay longer than three days, as they’re afraid of settling down, and would decrease of being a traveler. They’re also intelligent, skillful, extremely wise for someone so young and still as unpredictable as a teen could be. Though not fond of killing, they will do so if necessary without feeling remorse. Especially, towards those who attack them or the innocent. Kino has truly become one of the most unique characters I’ve ever seen.

Hermes, Kino’s talking motorcycle, acts as the perfect companion to his owner. Not only are his conversations with Kino very enjoyable to listen to due to the his humour, the series also allows for further exploration on his character. I won’t lie that I found it odd that we were suppose to just roll with the fact that he speaks but as the show grows over time, you do learn to accept it and that’s not the most unusual thing you’ll be seeing in the series either. He’s also the closest thing that Kino has to a friend and it just makes their relationship heartwarming a lot of the time. In addition, considering the theme of the series is the nature of humanity, his presence as a non-human makes their discussions even more interesting. You have no idea if he’s truly real or just in Kino’s head. But, whatever the case may be, he’s a fun character to journey with!

The dub is honestly one of the best that I’ve heard and I’m usually REALLY picky when it comes to English audio in anime. It was done at A.D.V films, which are the people responsible for other great dubs like “Princess Tutu”, and they do an AMAZING job!

Kelli Collins voicing Kino was the highlight of the entire dub! Her acting glues you into her role to her character and you’re just amazed of how well she fits the Kino. Especially, giving the young traveler a sense of maturity to such a young teen. It’s a shame she hasn’t been active since then and didn’t return for the reboot of the series. ( Even though it was a disaster so maybe it was for the best. ) Kino’s voice actress succeeds as the perfect person to voice such a outstanding character and how she brings her to life. I honestly can’t even picture anyone else to play the role but her. Hermes on the other hand is a hit or miss with viewers. Cynthia Martinez voicing Hermes comes off with a cartoonish boyish voice who I could definitely see annoying it’s viewers.  But to me? It honestly works! The way Hermes asks certain questions and their responses makes sense that they act childish or ask very out-looking questions of the situations at hand. Not not say he’s immature. He’s actually the voice of reason but, Cynthia shows great promise with the role. And you’ll see why once you go into this series head on.

Overall this series holds a special place in my heart. It doesn’t have that nasty fan service or anything too over the top like a Shōnen show but, it helped me get a better understanding on how humanity works and even thinks at times. In life, we don’t know which path to take but that’s the journey of it. You just get up and travel to find out what’s up ahead for you. To see the world for what it is with all it’s good and bad parts. Kino searches for life’s answers, life’s questions, and the interpretations connected to them. Destination is a state of mind; Drift along for the ride~!

2. worst anime you’ve watched

Oh gawd, this is just torture! Just when I think I can finally be rid of trash like this I have to go back and look in the bin again lmao

Let’s see…. I think I would have to say…. “ Master of Martial Hearts.” Why didn’t I say the famous “School Days?” I could but I wanted to do a different hate this time since this one made me beyond pissed off! “School Days” at least had the main lead get what’s coming to him cause we all know the douche bad deserved what was coming to him so I was fine with the insane out come. But this? HELL NO!

I found this series out by amazing reviewer, JesuOtaku, back when Youtube was starting to get popular and I always agreed with her reviews. I’m SO glad I saw her review first before stumbling upon this nasty series. First, we got under aged girls, and women in general, getting their clothes completely ripped apart as they fight one another cause why not? Screw plot! And it’s just an endless scenes of just wtf??!! I didn’t watch the series but I saw enough of it through her long review. AND…what pissed me off the most is the ending. Dear gawd! THE ENDING! This series only has 5 episodes but once you check out the last one? It deserves two middle fingers straight at it cause F*CK THIS SERIES!! No seriously, don’t even check it cause it’s just horrible. Just awful!! It’s just the worst anime to me and always will be!

    18. favorite villain

This is gonna sound strange but I instantly KNEW who my favorite villain was gonna be and I couldn’t be more ready! When there’s a great hero there’s also a great villain. Out of the horrible characters did I choose? Johan from (2004) “Monster.”

“ There’s nothing special about being born. Not a thing. Most of the universe is just death, nothing more. In this universe of ours, the birth of a new life on some corner of our planet is nothing but a tiny, insignificant flash. Death is a normal thing. So why live? ”

–Johan

The story focuses on Kenzo Tenma, a young Japanese doctor working at the Eisler Memorial Hospital during in Germany the 80′s. He is a very skilled highly brain surgeon. However, Tenma grows increasingly dissatisfied with the political bias of the hospital for treating it’s patients, and seizes his chance to change things after a strange massacre brings the twins Johan and Anna Liebert into his hospital.

Johan has a gunshot wound to the head and Anna keeps muttering about killing. Tenma decides to operate on Johan instead of a politician who arrived afterwards. Johan is saved, but the politician dies. After this Tenma loses his social standing, lost his promotion, basically everything, and not soon after that the twins escape. The top heads of the hospital are found dead the same night the twins escape. Tenma is then promoted to chef of surgeon.

After that the story advances to nine years later. A known criminal is found on the street, hit by a car. He comes under the care of Dr. Tenma, who observes him muttering about a “Monster.” Tenma extends his kindness to that criminal, and thus the criminal begins to open up to his doctor.

Following his trail to the construction site of a half finished building near the hospital, Tenma finds the man. The man, who has developed a sort of doctor-patient friendship with Dr. Tenma, warns him against coming closer, and pleads with him to run away. Tenma refuses, however, and the identity of the man holding the gun pointed at the criminal in the abandoned parking garage is revealed to be the boy whose life Tenma had saved nine years ago - Johan Liebert. Johan shoots the criminal, tells Tenma that he could never kill the man who had saved his life, and then walks off into the night while Tenma is still too shocked to stop him. I’m not gonna spoil anymore to the plot cause it’ll ruin the experience but WOW! What a series!

On the surface, Johan is a well-mannered, charismatic and compassionate young man. He possesses a favorable of traits and can easily overwhelm individuals with his seemingly flawless nature, as others describes him as being not of this world. This makes it easy for him to make new allies and manipulate them into doing various deeds for him. With such skill in creating this facade of perfection and pureness, Johan can hide his true motives with ease.

Johan delivers destruction and suffering to those who happen to fall prey to his schemes. Johan exhibits psychopathic tendencies. For example, most of his murders, both in childhood and adulthood, have been premeditated and calculated.

Johan often shows a complete disregard for life by pointing to his forehead, inviting Dr. Tenma to shoot him.

He also has a tendency to make his victims experience the worst possible loss and suffering rather than actually killing them himself;

Everyone NEEDS to check out “ Monster ” cause it does not disappoint! Even just check out just for it’s villain and the amazing english dub! Trust me, it’ll be one incredible wild ride!

  20. favorite costume/character design:

My girl, Mina Ashido from “My Hero Academia” / “Boku no Hero Academia”!

“The old you’s not going anywhere with that emo look on your face! If you overcome that gloomy self of yours… let me know. Or else I’ll start spreading rumors about high school debut man.”

—

Mina Ashido

    33. most underrated anime in your opinion

Since I already talked about “ Kino’s Journey�� & “ Monster”, I’ll decide another great underrated anime people need to see and that’s “ Princess Tutu.”

“ May those who follow their fate be granted happiness; may those who defy it be granted glory.“ - Miss Edel

In a fairy tale come to life, the clumsy, out-going, and gentle Ahiru (“Duck” in the English Dub) seems like an unlikely protagonist. In reality, Ahiru is just as magical as the talking cats and crocodiles that inhabit her town—for Ahiru really is a duck! Transformed by the mysterious Drosselmeyer into a human girl, Ahiru soon learns the reason for her existence. Using her magical egg-shaped pendant, Ahiru can transform into Princess Tutu—a beautiful and talented ballet dancer whose dances relieve people of the turmoil in their hearts. With her newfound ability, Ahiru accepts the challenge of collecting the lost shards of her prince’s heart, for long ago he had shattered it in order to seal an evil raven away for all eternity.

Princess Tutu is a tale of heroes and their struggle against fate. Their beliefs, their feelings, and ultimately their actions will determine whether this fairy tale can reach its "happily ever after.”

The title may seem off putting to a lot since it sounds like some girly anime but don’t judge a book by it’s cover~! This series has so much going for it and it’s honestly just outstanding! It may be predictable at the beginning ( Had the same trouble with the first season of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” ) but, it becomes something you just never expected; A complex and tragedy story.

You honestly feel for every single one of these characters once their parts are given into play. And the fact that they use real classical music that compliments the dance scenes so well done. You feel the dramatic effect once our main leads come into the spotlight. The intense just rises from the music and for the dubbing too. I said back in my “Kino’s Journey” part of the ask that this was dubbed by A.D.V. Films and it’s one of my favorites ever! It’s not just one or two actors that shine, every single person portrays their characters with flying colors. I was just amazed of how incredibly well done they did!

I could go on and on about the characters but they’re all such a surprise that I rather not spoil it. This is genuinely a heartwarming show to experience for yourself. Classical music, beautifully choreographed dances, and memorable characters make for an experience worth having in all of Princess Tutu’s world. A modern fairy tale for the ages.