#but this little sequence was cute without context

[martyrbat]

faces – batman: legends of the dark knight #29

[ID: a three panel sequence of Batman. In all of them, he's drawn in very low detail with none of his features showing. In the first photo he's hunkered down in surprise at the sound of a loud wail. He thinks, bewildered, ‘A... Baby?!!’ In the second photo he's quickly approaching the supposed infant and in the third he's starting to reach out to comfort the crying child. END ID]

[monstersandmaw]

My love letter to Scar and Lex from AVP

aka 'why AVP is definitely a love story XD'

(I was talking to someone about this yesterday who is definitely not a monsterfucker, and they were not convinced by my take on AVP at all XD. I think this is definitely a monsterfucker spin on the movie)

_

her expression when she's peeking through the wall and watching him go through his scarring ritual is curious, not fearful

he's obviously curious about her too, and doesn't attack, letting her say her piece before deciding what to do about her

she's the one who calls him friend first :) (admittedly, it's in an 'enemy of my enemy' context, but hey)

he could kill her here, but hesitates a long time:

He's clearly torn about letting her come with him, but when he sees her looking at him like this, he can't help but want to assist her:

He does not have time to waste hacking a xenomorph to bits, let alone giving Lex Xeno Biology: 101, but he does it all the same, and he even makes a little joke to lighten the situation

He cobbles together some gear to keep her safe:

His plucky human goes first into the danger ahead, but he's there, guarding her back. Plus, he's taller so he can see ahead too:

He lets her take care of her friend and doesn't butcher him to get at the parasite/hatchling/chestburster. Instead he waits for her to leave, then catches the thing and destroys it (so as not to upset her further?):

Even in the heart of the hatchery, where time is 100% of the essence, he pauses yet again to explain the self-destruct feature on his vambrace to her: (10/10 for communication, Scar)

Yautja can run way faster than humans, but he stays half a pace behind her for the entire escape sequence:

Tell me this isn't the face of a man in wonder at the person before him:

And Lex isn't exactly... unaffected... oof

Then he waits for her to nod her consent, and does a really tidy job of marking her as a Blooded, and his concentration is to the max!! (his little purr after he's finished is so cute too). The he bows in respect to her. She may be human, but she's his equal as a warrior.

After Lex has saved his life and injured (and seriously pissed off) the Alien Queen, and while she's tearing the place to bits to get at Lex, Scar does the most Extra™ spin attack to draw her attention away from Lex, lodging his combistick right through her face. Bad. Ass!

Then while Lex gets away, he roars and flares his mandibles in a challenge at the Queen, which gives Lex the opportunity she needs to pick up the chain, and the two of them haul on it together and work seamlessly. They clearly understand each other without the need for words, or ego. This is very much a Team Effort:

He protecc:

Bonus Alien vs Predator shot :)

This heartbreaking scene, where he feels like he's trying to tell her something (in the novel, he apparently says 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' in her voice...)

Lex seems genuinely grief-stricken when he dies:

I wonder how long she stayed there like that before the Ancient's ship showed up?

Lex' final expression:

In short, this definitely is an inter-species love story and you can pry that theory from my cold, dead little claws :).

Also why did he have to die??? T.T

[vampireistic]

chapter 45 nb spoilers（╹◡╹）♡

well this chapter was certainly…special, in some ways. of course we had the “beel eating too much cliché” but despite this chapter sounding like it was supposed to be very “beel centric” (since you know…this was HIS exam), it really ended up just being a showcase of satan, and i kind of enjoyed it that way.

the wording and this entire sequence was very interesting; satan has quite literally done nothing to warrant him going off to cool down apart from maybe some subsequent guilt that he’s putting the one he loves in danger but, once again, that’s not necessarily his fault as it is the sponsor’s who organised this test. the question is why? why does satan feel so sensitive to the point he initiates affection with MC (something that you know, quite rarely ever happens regardless of the character).

then again, it is a dangerous situation so you can just boil it down to mere fear that he could lose MC somehow and be unable to protect them (woo foreshadowing…)

and well…he’s not entirely wrong here? as we’ve seen, past!MC teaches him how to be “gentle” by introducing him to cats and their feisty yet loving nature (once you get them to trust you at least), it’s that reason that helps him become much more tolerable and less destructive especially in regards to his brothers — this is the same case in the original timeline except they didn’t introduce him to cats, just unconditional love and patience.

in a way, that’s keeping him “safe”. safe from his self-destructive tendencies, safe from letting everything bother him till it manifests into him being hyper-violent and aggressive, safe to become what he wants. but regardless of the cute nostalgia, it’s still a rather odd thing to say..? perhaps he’s just reminiscing, but given the context of the situation, this is a little surprising coming from someone who’s a little more reserved.

hey, solmare — why has MC nearly fallen off of something two times in a row now? once again, there’s intent behind every little detail, this clearly isn’t just a way to give diavolo more screen time or to show that he finished first, there’s more to it. this made me think back to this one theory i read that the reason MC keeps repeatedly landing on satan after using. teleportation spell, is because they’re somehow intertwined.

MC is the only one with a connection to lilith, while satan is the only one with a connection lucifer — and perhaps somehow that’s something that makes their fates cross paths, and that’s what this chapter is trying to show.

beside that, the two times we’ve now nearly died is a clear indicator; we fucked up somehow. it may just be coincidence, but it really is highly unlikely this was just a random implement. even if it was, it still does show a very important thing; MC is very vulnerable. almost too vulnerable to the point it’s a little worrying, that time they spent in the past has clearly affected them.

we’ve seen previously that simeon has been struggling a lot more with his recently acclaimed humanity, he feels a little more sluggish and out of place, which is for sure warranted given the fact he’s lost the one thing he’s always had and has been forced into a position of powerlessness, but even so, it does feel like there’s something more happening behind the scenes that would make simeon act in such a way.

it still hasn’t been properly addressed whether simeon is technically classified as a human or just an angel without actual angelic properties, but even so, this change must be costing a lot of physical and mental energy for simeon — and yet he’s choosing to face through it alone.

[crystaleclipse10]

Dragons Rising Season 2 part 2 teaser breakdown

my thoughts and feelings regarding the DR s2 part 2 trailer. I have not watched any external analysis. this is pure unfiltered me

it might be a long one especially with pictures lol

ig? spoilers below

So we start off strong with Beatrix punching someone or something. Given the red landscape, I'm thinking it's Lloyd in his vision. So that's great. Very interesting that they keep bringing her up in the visions but we haven't seen her yet. Maybe she'll show up in the Tournament?

And may I just say that Source Dragon looks beautiful! Still in Lloyd's vision. The crown she's wearing is glowing and that might be significant. Could be showing her powers? Whatever those are. Fire or Motion would be my guess.

Lloyd has a little close-up shot with him looking pretty worried. Could be in the vision still and I'm guessing it is given the red shading around his face. So yay another confusing/angsty Lloyd vision! That's what we're here for!

We get a good look at the Tournament place! Idk if it's a palace or what. (again, haven't watched any other reviews.) But it's very big and colorful. The little TV in the background shows Lloyd doing something, probably fighting.

Whoever this guy is, ringing a bell. Could be the start/stop of fights, that would be my guess. No idea who that is but he'll likely be significant and say some lines.

KAIIII! Kai in the Netherspace! Still in his Climber Suit and I'm glad. We've seen people change outfits when they probably shouldn't have so I'm glad they didn't (yet) with Kai. He goes through an upside-door and walks into a room with at least three of the Forbidden Five! They're all facing to the right with their heads bowed. One of them is glowing and might be sitting on a chair or throne. There's no waaaaaay that'll EVER be significant (can ya hear the sarcasm??). I can't WAIT to see how they're gonna deal with him in there cause there's no way Kai won't get into a fight. I hope if he does it's to protect Bonzle. He's the big bro ever <3

GROUP SHOT! Wyldfyre looks tamer with her new hair lol. And Cole's back with the group YAS! LLOYD IN HIS MASTER OUTFIT FINALLY! And all the suits look so cool. Riyu in the back—I wonder if he's competing or what cause idk how they're gonna deal with a dragon who apparently has a lot of potential, given the Source Dragon of Energy last season. Also Arin and Sora being excited is so wholesome cause they're just kids. Meanwhile the others (minus Wyldfyre) have already been in a tournament...

Back in the Realm of Madness! But uhhh why is the Dragon Matriarch from Season 1 there?? And she looks injured. Reunion with her and Riyu. I hope she's okay.

Wylfyre being Wyldfyre...she might be defending someone given her expression and the wall of fire.

Sora killing it at the obstacle course (part of the fights maybe or training—not sure yet).

The same guy who let the Ninja into the Tournament is on a hover device holding a phone on a selfie stick, so I'm gonna guess he's the announcer for the fights or social media watching them.

Arin and Sora shot with the background doing that thing (idk what it's called lol) when they learn something shocking. Probably with epic music cause it's Ninjago. Without much context I have no idea what the revelation is but I sure can't wait to find out.

Cinder with...fire??? It looks like Wyldfyre's Heat. Idk. Is that was smoke is supposed to look like?? I don't remember that at all from last season. If he can use Heat then Fy is in trouble.

Sora racing through the undergrounds with a little dragon coming up beside her. I have to say it looks very cute. Not sure who it is or why Sora is down there but they could be helping each other escape or smth (idk if you all have a better idea lmk).

Master Lloyd (hehe) fighting someone at night. I'm hoping it's not part of the normal Tournament but it's getting caught doing smth at night cause that's more fun imo. In that whole sequence he's only playing defense—just blocking attacks—and not trying to land a hit of his own. It would be crazy if he's fighting Jay. That would give a reason for no offense. Also the attacker's outfit is new.

Jiro and Zanth fighting Imperium guards! They could be with Beatrix since Imperium stopped fighting dragons. I wouldn't be surprised if there were still guards loyal to the ex-empress.

GEO!!!!

We've been here before... Hopefully Fy has a better time (though she gets blasted back by Cinder using Shatterspin in the video soooo idk). If Cinder is using Shatterspin, the Gong of Shattering and a wolf mask are readily available for him.

Sora gets trapped by spears. She's got a new weapon too, more like a staff, glowing with her color. Did she make it? I hope so.

Lloyd gets snatched by a dragon. Still in his Climber Suit so probably ep 11 or 12. He's falling but it doesn't rly look like he's worried about it? More like a controlled glide. Also yeah that's Heatwave. So happy he's finally getting more screentime.

The Source Dragon of Motion! She looks awesome! ... That's the Monastery of Spinjitzu below. Holy Creation she is HUGE! I'm guessing this happens at the end of the season.

Sooo that's the teaser. I am so very normal about this.

I'm curious why they didn't add more of Kai in the Netherspace. It could be more of a secret thing like how they hid Jay so far in the series by not putting him in ANY trailers or promo clips. Lots of mystery surrounding him. PLEASE let him fight the Forbidden Five at some point!!

If anyone reading this has more information, please don't share it because I don't want spoilers other than what has been officially released by LEGO.

Ik it's not too in-depth for an analysis but hey it's all based purely on what's in the video so spoiler-free! Hopefully the paused moments help. It's so fast I had to rewatch at 0.25x speed TWICE.

Season 2 part 2 coming in October!

I should add a link. https://youtu.be/D494MQMV34k?feature=shared

[kajaono]

Part 1: Benedicts arc - How season 3 fixed a major issue of season 1

Because I hit the desktop picture limit this meta will be posted in two parts. (you can find part 2 here)

If you watch season 3 as a standalone season Benedicts coming out arc might feel rushed and without any build up. But if you look closer it is actually a really beautiful way of fixing a huge issue of season 1. Stick with me here.

Part 1: The very first trailer and the failure of season 1

When the very first trailer for Bridgerton season 1 dropped it included this short snippet:

Its part of a bigger sequence, containing a lot of people having sex, showing that Bridgerton is "different" then other period shows. Interesting here: all other sex scene shown in the trailer are straight, only this one here, showing Benedict, half undressed, in the middle of an orgy, is queer. So the very first time we see Benedict he is immediately connected to something queer. Many people even thought it is Benedict who is having sex with another man here, saying: "Ah that makes sense that they would make Benedict queer. It fits his characters." (remeber: we didn't knew the context of those two snippets yet)

So this was the expectation many people (me included) started into season 1.

Entering the picture: Lord Granville. Who already enters the show in episode 3. A cute artist who is clearly gay and starts hitting on Benedict.... i mean introduces him into the artist world.

A world that - from the beginning onwards - is strongly connected to lust.

And Benedict likes what he sees.

But what so interesting here. While Benedicts focus is clearly on the naked women in this moment, Lord Granvilles focus is clearly on Benedict.

And the show also plays with other romantic tropes, like the hidden meeting during night times, nervously looking around if someone will see him:

All of this raising your expectation that a queer love story is happening here.

And now, the orgy:

the scene opens with a lot of people having wild sex with eachother. From a modern POV it would just be normal if there are also a few queer people involved here

But nope, you don't see any queer people until!

Benedict is looking for a comfy place to make out with his female partner and discovers what is hidden behind closed doors. Queer people do exists, hidden in the shadows, but they exist. And men can sleep with men.

Shocked by the discovery that his new artist friend is gay (who could have guess?!/s) Benedict closes the door. He doesn't snitch but you can clearly see that he is in shock.

And here starts the huge failure of season 1 imo.

First at all we discover it is in fact NOT Benedict who is having sex with a man, so the season 1 trailer was in fact just queerbaiting. Benedict then turns around and has sex with two women instead. Something that is still considered scandalous, but not as scandalous as him sleeping with another man:

After Beneidct discovers Lord Granville and his boyfriend having sex, Benedict isn't disgusted, no, actually he is really open minded and still enjoys being around Lord Granville. His wife makes a joke, and you can see Benedict likes this little innuendo

The moment he starts to panic is when Lord Granville wants to introduce him to his boyfriend.

He panics and runs away. After that Lord Granville and his wife look at each other, sad. Like they hoped Benedict would understand. Wow I wonder what they wanted to imply here!

You think its over? HA! No! The queer storyline is coming back once again to haunt Benedict. Benedict walks up to Lord Granville and wants to talk about queer topics:

And now comes the most powerful, and most beautiful... and most pointless scene:

Why pointless you may ask? Because this scene leads nowhere. While Benedict is clearly moved by it, the queer storyline is immeditaly droped after that scene.

My theory was always that this was already a Sophie easter egg, showing how it will take courage for him to love a bastard... but come on... why a queer storyline as a mirror? It feels like the author said: "Yeah it is queer, we weren't lying about that. But it is not Benedict who happens to be queer."

But that doesn't change the fact that Benedicts whole season 1 arc is strongly connected to queerness and disocvering what is going behind closed doors.

That makes season 2 even more disappointing. Because the queer arc is not picked up again, actually completly ignored. Like it never happened.

Read how season 3 fixes that in part 2, here

[loz-furbies]

Maple

There's not a lot to Maple but I like her, so let's have a few words about her too.

Design

Maple has a recognisable "little witch" design, though pretty "un-cute" for an anime witch girl. Like sure she's a cute anime girl but this kind of simple and shapeless ankle length dress isn't exactly what we see on characters that are designed to be marketable for their charming appearance, and the makeup is pretty extreme as well. And while I'm a fan of cute designs, a practical design like this is alright too. Though the dress does conflict with her face somewhat, based on the dress alone I'd think that she's a character who doesn't care about appearances, but she also wears jewelry and heavy makeup which points to the opposite direction. I do like her face a lot, the sort of caked on makeup is very memorable and gives her a lot of personality, but I wish she had clothes to match. Or alternatively you could base her entire look on the fact that she isn't interested in how she looks and designed the face to match, even without the makeup her mouth and eyebrows would be striking enough.

Character

Maple is a witch apprentice with a self-assured personality. If you lose to her in a minigame she'll mock you and laugh at you, and if you win she'll grumble how she'll remember this. But I think she also enjoys bumping into Link, since eventually she'll initiate the minigame with an excited "We meet again. You know the drill!".

She is a part of the games' trading sequence which reveals a softer side of her. She wants the item "touching book", cries a little upon reading it, actually thanks Link and gives something in return. And the end credits of Ages gives her a cute little tsundere moment when she first flies past Nayru's music session but then slowly sneaks closer to listen.

Role in the story

Maple has nothing to do with the main story and instead occasionally appears to offer a short minigame. If you bump into her, some of both her and Link's belongings will be scattered across the screen, and then it's a race to pick up as much stuff as you can. I like this because it's a nice change of pace, the game is quick, and you can also just ignore her if you don't feel up to the challenge. And story-wise I think it's just nice to see a familiar face pop up every now and then.

Relationships

Maple has no notable relationships to speak of. She mentions her grandmother, the Great Witch Syrup, a couple times, such as that Syrup will be mad about the dropped items, or was "mean" and took away Maple's picture book, or didn't compliment Maple for making her first magical Oar, whatever that is. So it's always in a negative context, so if you wanted to write an angsty fanfic about Maple you could take this as a strained relationship. But honestly to me it rather comes across as Maple just being a little bratty and nagging about a teacher she perceives as annoying for disciplining her at all.

With Link I like to think that she develops a kind of a friendly rivalry type relationship with playful banter that she won't admit. In general it's nice to have a character who isn't 100% the player's friend and admirer around.

[squarebracket-trickster]

It tells young writers a cute little catchphrase without being on their level and explaining it to them. It tells you things you need to know for EDITING and doesn't specify it isn't for DRAFTING. Then people have to both unlearn it despite it being kinda true, and then relearn it in the contexts it was actually made for

Anyway so im sending this message in medias res

Advice pieces are tools you can use to achieve a certain effect. they aren't a formula for making writing "good". What makes writing "good" is whether right tools were used in the right way to achieve the effect the writer desired. The only way to know which tools work when is to write a bunch of stuff first that isn't working and then try different things to improve it.

start your story at the latest possible moment while still having everything make sense, so your readers won't get bored.

make sure your world feels immersive and lived-in.

start in the middle of the plot and fill in the missing information later.

start after the inciting incident and leave the readers to piece it together.

start your story with an important scene rather than boring exposition.

start your story in the middle of an action scene to hook the reader.

etc. etc.

and these are really things that don't matter in a first draft (or first pass of a scene in your first draft) unless you are someone for whom editing line-by-line as you go actually works for (i.e. not me), and they may actually be holding you back from finishing a draft because you have it in your head it has to go a certain way.

"Then people have to both unlearn it despite it being kinda true, and then relearn it in the contexts it was actually made for." Well put.

I'm gonna respond to this ask in greg too, but using the non-linear sequence of events version.

yeah, I completely agree. You need have experience writing before you can understand how to properly use most writing advice.

Like, "start your story in greg" can mean soooo many different things. it can mean: all the thing I've said above.

I didn't write the post in greg. but I edited it to be this way.

[madlyn5ever]

A list of which version of the HSM/Camp Rock/HSMTMTS songs I think are the best:

Can I have This Dance: HSMTMTS, it’s just how Gina and Ricky sing it, and the choreographed dance they stayed up all night making. They make me actually want to vom!t, stop being cute.

All In This Together: HSM. The HSMTMTS version is them doing a play so the HSM one is much bigger and cooler choreography/set wise.

High School Musical: I perfer the dance of the original on the field but I perfer the song in HSMTMTS.

Night To Remember: again, perfer the sequence in HSM but I love the “don’t know what a corsage is” dance line in HSMTMTS, when everyone is in the petticoats and stuff and the song is just better in HSMTMTS.

Breaking Free: it’s a tie, but when Ricky comes in and replaces EJ It’s just one of the best musical moments of the series so I think they get a leg up for that but also the Troy and Gabriella audition moment with him in his basketball uniform and her in the lab coat is great too, so. Tie.

Fabulous: Sharpay in HSM for sure. No contest, but I did love that Carlos choreographed a whole dance seemingly in one morning just for Corbin Bleu.

Stick to the Status Quo: specifically the rehearsal version in HSMTMTS, because it’s just so many amazing vocals without a cluttered back track drowning them out. not that it does it a lot but hearing the vocals with just a piano makes them stand out so much more in my opinion. Maybe I’m just a piano lover at heart and that’s my bias.

But Stick To The Status Quo is maybe one of my favorite songs of the series and the movies combined.

It’s On (Camp Rock): vocally, HSMTMTS wins because I think the point was it was more about singing. But we have Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers in Camp Rock and Visually it’s better because the flash mob is much bigger. They had drum and guitar sequences where the characters were holding actual instruments (which obviously wasn’t the point of the color war competition, but it’s a point in Camp rocks favor) and they had more space to do it whereas HSMTMTS tied themselves to one specific area and while it was cool, and I liked it, it wasn’t as good as Camp Rock.

Although some of the camp rock flash mob is a little disconnected literally because they used all of the big space they had, and they separated camp rock and camp star for individual group dances in separate areas in certain parts. But it’s definitely cooler overall.

Wouldn’t Change a Thing: okay, listen, I love that the HSMTMTS version is more upbeat, but there’s some things that are just.. not it. First of all, it’s a song about two lovers being in different headspace’s while trying to save the camp, but they wouldn’t change anything bc they love each other. And Jet and Maddox are siblings (“JET AND MADDOX ARE SIBLINGS?!”).

So while I get that that’s their childhood movie, and lots of the lyrics do apply out of context, I gotta take some points away for that. But Saylor, Adrian, Frankie, and Joe have amazing voices so extra points for that (the camp rock cast has great voices too but I feel like I can tell more in HSMTMTS idk)

Also, they change the line from “just wanna let my music play” to “I just wanna watch the game” which, is one of those adjusted lines that kind of bothers me. Camp Rock gets points because it was Shane and Mitchies big lovers rift song moment of CR2. And they weren’t having siblings sing a romantic relationship song bc, obviously, Mitchie and Shane aren’t related (thank. god.).

This Is Me: both. They’re both so good and Liamani’s vocals are everything, and the HSMTMTS scene had everyone in white in a black space with lights on them but, Demi Lovato. And the fact that the song in CR was Mitchie’s big thing that she wrote and it was the big song of the movie (right?)

Bop To The Top: obviously the vocals in HSMTMTS are amazing, but we don’t get enough, and the original with Sharpay and Ryan is great. However, I raise you, Suite Life of Zack and Cody Maddie and London version.

Start Of Something New: Nini version. Enough said.

You Are The Music In Me: HSMTMTS drama club piano version. But I also haven’t heard the original in a long time so who knows. But I think it’s the HSMTMTS version.

Bet On It: Ricky singing in Big Reds room doing jumps and summer salts, Ricky apparently singing it in the car to Nini all the way to Ashlyn’s, just Ricky singing Bet On It the whole first half of season 2. But Zac Efron and his basketball thing is great cinematically.

Getcha’Head In The Game: HSM. Just because Zac Efron really feels like a guy who has to choose between basketball and theatre and in HSMTMTS it’s just a play about HSM, but in the movie it’s not a play and Troy is actually in a basketball game singing and I find that hilarious. “My heads in the game but my hearts in the song”

Now Or Never: The audition scene in HSMTMTS is my favorite so I’m gonna give it to HSMTMTS, but in context of the plot of HSM I’m gonna give points to them for Basketball and stuff.

I just love the sequence of everyone in HSMTMTS running down the hall to get to miss Jenns audition. So I guess HSMTMTS wins.

And an honorable mention that wasn’t in the show that I think should have been: We Rock (Camp Rock)

It’s probably my favorite Camp Rock song mostly because of the way they sing it and the way the melody goes. I feel like it would’ve been a great addition either in season 3 because it was camp, or in season four but they change all the camp rock lines to like, just the we rock parts or to something close enough. But I get that the shows about HSM so they had to finish it with the big HSM song.

(I know this isn’t all of them but looking up both of these movies plus the show and comparing them in three separate tabs was getting annoying and I didn’t think to write them down when I started this so, this is all I did.)

[piracytheorist]

I might do something crazy and ask of any of my followers who are willing to do that to send me non-spoilery screenshots from sxf manga chapters I haven't read.

Now, what do I mean non-spoilery?

The image below is from chapter six, but it's an example of a "spoiler" moment.

We see Yor, Anya, and possibly Loid under the speech bubble. Their clothes are visible (and specific for Yor, since she doesn't wear this combo every day), the dialogue is visible and also important. If you showed it to someone who hasn't read up to that part, it would reveal stuff they weren't supposed to know.

Now, from the exactly previous panel, an example of a "non-spoilery" moment:

We only see Twilight, who wears his usual suit and says something that cannot be pinned to a specific moment or happening. Which means that if you showed this screenshot to someone who hasn't read that part, they wouldn't be able to make any assumptions about what is happening or when.

Even less spoilery is something like this

It's too vague to reveal anything other than Twilight being in shock. We don't see his clothes, nor any speech bubbles, nor the environment, so there is absolutely no context. If the person you show this to doesn't know what's happening, they'll have no chance of guessing what made him so shocked.

In fact, if I hadn't read that chapter, I wouldn't have been able to guess why his face is like that.

Another example of a "spoiler":

We see Loid in very specific clothes, we see the penguin plushie, and can infer that the small hand at the side is Anya's. Not a big spoiler, because it's just the introduction of the plushie, but a spoiler nonetheless.

Now, if you cut and crop this panel:

All we see is that Loid is holding something that looks big. He's wearing one of his usual hats and the cropping is vague enough to hide most details - like the fact that he's not wearing a collared shirt like he usually does. We see one of the penguin's flippers but honestly, without context, I don't think I'd be able to guess that what Loid is holding is just a huge penguin plushie. And considering that this moment is cute and wholesome, if I had seen that cropped panel before actually seeing the scene, it would come as a pleasant surprise that "Oh! That was a huge plushie for Anya! Cute!"

Another example:

Knowing Twilight's habits, before watching the episode I could easily assume he freaked out because of sudden proximity to Yor, who is also visibly drunk, by the way. Spoiler. Let's crop.

A little less revealing, as it's not visible who Twilight is looking at. However, this tie is a little specific. The moment I'd see him with a striped tie in the show

I'd be like wait I know what will happen. Bit of spoiler. Let's edit.

The tie is just a tiny visible, but there are other things happening in the picture that unless I spend a good amount of time analyzing it I won't be able to make the connection until the moment actually happens on my screen. Good.

Imaginings are considered spoilers.

This may be in Nightfall's imagination, but I'd have no way of knowing that, so my mind (especially since I like whump) would immediately go "HE GOT HURT AND IT WAS NOT YOR WHO TOOK CARE OF HIM" and then be disappointed because it was only an imagination and also never appeared in the anime which I'll never forgive them for 😤

However, from the same panel, this

Is not a spoiler, as it's not revealing of anything. It's still Nightfall's imagination but it gives me nothing but amusement.

Similarly, flashbacks and dream sequences are spoilers. What I mostly want is faces and expressions. They can be as expressive as possible but must not reveal anything.

It goes without saying that panels with characters who haven't appeared in the anime yet are considered spoilers, as do panels with characters who appear very rarely. If, for example, Master Swan reappears, a panel that includes him will have me warned about it, and I don't want to know if something like that will happen. In fact, aside from the four Forgers (Bond included) the only characters I'd be interested in seeing "new" panels of would be the Handler, maybe Franky too.

So... yeah. That's kind of a lot to ask so I'll understand if no-one does it, lol. But I thought, just in case someone is interested enough to do this, crop screenshots and censor any spoilery parts and dialogue (I won't mind censoring at all, in fact it's encouraged XD) and send them to me WITHOUT telling me when they happen... and yeah they can be from any chapter, from earlier ones to later ones. I have read up to chapter 38 and I've also read the last chapter from the third volume (you know the one XD) so you can go wild from that point on, as long as nothing suggests when they happen.

I am very serious when I say I don't want to be spoiled. This invitation is only for anyone who is absolutely willing to edit the screenshots enough to hide any revealing details; I won't be mad if no-one does it, and I won't be mad if some do while close mutuals don't. So only do it if you're willing to do all the necessary editing. I also know that new chapters are posted every two weeks, so if you send me panels every two weeks I will unfortunately make the assumption that they're all from the same new chapter, and I don't wanna know when each panel is from. I understand it's a lot to ask, so it's a mere invitation, not a request or a demand. The lengths I'll go to in order to not read the manga XD

[stobinesque]

wigwag for wip wednesday!!! 🥰🥰🥰

Thank you!!

I got a lot of asks for these, and I'm gonna try to clear out most of my asks before heading to bed, but I'm also too lazy to link to things so even though everything I'm posting technically happens in sequence I'm trying to post bits that mostly make sense without immediate context. (I will number them, though!)

1/5 (nsft/w below the cut)

Steve doesn’t realize he’s been holding his breath until Paul’s wide palm is wrapped around him, and all the air stuck in his chest bursts out in a cracking moan. “You’re such a cute little handful, princess,” Paul says as he jacks his hand up the—admittedly scant—length of Steve’s cock. There’s a demeaning edge to his voice that makes Steve squeeze his eyes shut against the onslaught of heat that rushes through him.

[ohkaranetsmkor-blog]

The Little Mermaid Ramble w Spoilers Below

Loved loved loved like 8.5/10 loved and I am a picky gal. Got a couple of spoilery thoughts so only read if you have seen the film. There are spoilers to this film even though you basically know what happens so just read this when you’ve seen it ok!!!!

- The opening with the waves was stunning, gorgeous, omg like out of a David Attenborough documentary or something it got me straight in.

- Wanted to see what happened to Ariel’s mum low key... show don’t tell ya know. Same with Eric, I wish we got to see him as a baby or something I just would have liked to have seen IT rather than a monologue.

- In terms of Halle and Jonah’s chemistry I AM SOLD on the romance but just wish they had a couple more scenes together, especially at the end cause they kiss once and then *cut* they married. Even that final shot, I wanted just a little more.

- New songs are great and all the reprises of POYW are heartbreaking oml Halle you really are an Angel/Mermaid with a siren call that voice is impeccable.

- Scuttlebutt was a lot better in context I must admit, but eh I wouldn’t say I love loved it but glad that it fit with the rest of the songs. 

- Wild Uncharted Waters I like as a song but was I the only one who felt Jonah was overacting just a *tadddd*. Like dude was hunched over and running up and down WHICH IS FINE before you haters come for me, but it just sometimes felt a bit overdone and didn’t match with the lip syncing. Speaking of lip syncing, couple times where Jonah was so obviously lip syncing and it just didn’t fit. But ehh it’s minor so I’ll let it pass.

- The whole scene when Ariel first sees Prince Eric and finds out how similar they are/facing the same problems. To me it just showed how much they’re meant to be together. The whole shipwreck scene in general was AMAZING, probably my favourite moment of the film. The part that sold me was when Ariel helped Max get on the lifeboat what a perfect addition and just shows how loving Ariel’s heart is.

- I really loved the plot change that Ursula put a spell on Ariel so she wouldn’t remember the three days to get a kiss requirement. Thought it was super inventive and made for some great scenes where Ariel and Eric could just be together without Ariel being burdened with trying to kiss him. It meant their scenes and the chemistry felt so organic and less forced. 

- The whole Kiss the Girl sequence and Eric finding out Ariel’s name was soo cute ahhhhh. It was perfect!!! Not to mention their library meet cute that whole scene was adorable. Give these two a sequel for the love of god pls so I can see them together again!!!

- And Grimsby you Cupid matchmaker I see what you doin kicking that ring away and I fully support it

- Jodi Benson’s little cameo on the beach was perfect. So so sooo cute

- Ik I’m going back and forth but I loved Ariel’s interactions with her older sisters. They actually felt like older sisters because of it and Ariel is totally the youngest its giving youngest sib in the family.

- The best change they made was Ariel saving the day though. It honestly makes no sense in the original that Eric kills Ursula. Having Ariel do it was so much more gratifying cause you see all she’s learned from watching Eric and being on land. Ya Princess Ariel is a SMART CAPABLE BOSS of a Princess in the best way and I’m here for it. Not a Mary Sue, just some good writing okk

- Eric coming back to shore and letting Ariel’s blue dress go was all the feels. Wish it was just a bit longer rather than a cut to black, just felt a bit off or as if it needed a scene where the two can visually see how separate their worlds are. Kinda wish there were more moments were Eric saw Ariel as a mermaid, it just would have driven that longing and theme of a forbidden romance a bit harder.

- But... Max coming back with Ariel *chefs kiss*. So romantic and so cute. Again wish it was longer so FANFICTION WRITERS I NEED YALL TO SAVE ME WITH SOME FLUFF OK???

- The send off with Triton and all the mermaids coming ashore was so touching, a perfect ending. I just wish the final shot was a little better done, perhaps a shot of Ariel and Eric’s faces sailing into the sunset of a new adventure rather than a wide shot of them rolling on the waves. Don’t get me wrong it was fine, nothing bad, just wish it was a lil different you know.

- My final note is not a note on the film but more so a theory... since they never showed us how Ariel’s mum passed away but HEAVILY implied it had something to do with humans, is it in the slightest bit possible Ariel’s mum saved Eric from a shipwreck when he was a baby? Like how does a helpless orphaned baby survive a shipwreck without someone saving him? Idk, I could be going down a desperate rabbit whole here but maybe sequel in the future? I’d be down... but for now imma say this for the billionth time I BEG AND PRAY FOR FANFICTION PLS.

[regallibellbright]

Well, I promised this, so I’ll do it without any real occasion

I want to preface the photosets that are about to ensue with some context.

Episodes 45 and 46 of the original Sailor Moon anime are the finale of the first season - the originally-planned finale, before its popularity produced another four seasons. It’s the climactic showdown between Sailor Moon and the Sailor Guardians against Queen Beryl and Metalia, the force she’s been serving all season. Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Moon’s love interest, has been brainwashed into serving Beryl. Everyone remembers their past lives as Moon Princess Serenity (Sailor Moon), her chosen guardians, and Prince Endymion (Tuxedo Mask,) Serenity’s lover and Beryl’s fiance. The entrance to Beryl’s Dark Kingdom is an Arctic location known as D-Point, guarded by a group of her underlings known as the DD Girls. They’re notable, as a group, for killing the team.

Yeah, if you’ve never seen it before, the first season of Sailor Moon ends in a total party kill. Everyone dies. Sailor Moon and her friends get better, and are resurrected without memories of their superheroic identities (until next season), but that doesn’t mean we don’t spend 35 minutes between episodes 45 and 46 watching the characters die.

It is an absolutely iconic climax, using the team’s individual strengths to give them all at least a small triumph before they go down in episode 45. The ending sequence where Sailor Moon defeats Beryl gives us an iconic shot of the Inner Senshi. The animation throughout is stunning. Sailor Moon’s usual voice actress was unfortunately recovering from an illness, but the rest of the team and her fill-in all give their absolute best for this.

Fast forward to 2015, when Bandai Namco made a match-3 mobile game called Sailor Moon Drops, adapting arcs of the original 90s anime (generally, as opposed to the manga, which diverged a lot.) As you can guess from a match-3 mobile game, it doesn’t have a ton of animations or extra models or backgrounds for things that aren’t the main characters.

You might ask, what does this cute little game do, then, when we reach the final battle of season one?

Adapt it totally straight. This, my friends, is Sailor Moon Drops’ Chibi D-Point. We’re gonna have FUN.

[protagonistheavy]

Continuing my D&D mood lately, I finally got around to watching the D&D movie, Honor Among Thieves. I wasn't especially hyped for this film, but was curious after reviews turned out surprisingly positive. Well I'm happy to have watched it, because while it wasn't revolutionary film by any means, it was a really fun romp and adventure from beginning to end.

Though admittedly I do know SOME of the Forgotten Realms universe, I applaud Honor Among Thieves for having strong and followable world building. For as much wild shit happens in this movie, it's commendable how much of it manages to feel consistent and understandable, especially with regards to magic and the few factions relevant to the plot. Just enough is explained to the audience without overloading them or becoming a distraction, it's a very fluid film that doesn't get slowed down by its own context.

I really loved the action sequences, especially when magic gets involved. Seeing two spellcasters go at it felt exciting, it really captured the feeling of two incredible powerful but squishy forces throwing powerful magics at each other. The druid wild shape sequences were really lively too, I loved that scene from when she spies on Forge and Sofina and has to escape the city by transforming into all forms of animals -- feels like you could hear the DM asking for a long list of skill checks. The non-magical action bits were also serviceable with fun choreography, but I really wished the two elements had blended together better. One of my biggest complaints is that there's so little teamwork between the party members, most of them just take turns 1v1ing an enemy if they don't just handle a situation by themselves. I would have loved to see more combinations; the final fight comes close, but I would have preferred another action scene elsewhere that felt more like one party versus another party. I guess you could also say the combat doesn't really "feel" like normal D&D, but as a film adaptation, it's fun.

Oh of course I loved Holga pretty much from the start. All of the characters were decently charming, but god is Holga good. I guess I just wish her character arc was a little more involved, but there's already a lot the movie is trying to fit in.

That does remind me though that an unfortunate aspect of the story is that so, so much of the hero's scheming relies on one magical item -- an item that comes up super conveniently, and then proceeds to carry most of the sequences later on. I admit it's a little cute how they end up getting the Hither-Tither staff, how Holga took it a long time ago thinking it was a walking stick...... but yeah that's mighty convenient for the exact situation they end up in. It wouldn't be so bad if that one staff wasn't so critical for almost every other obstacle the heroes face.

I guess lastly there's the comedy of the film, which was passable overall. Some gags were not that funny, but it's made-up for with other jokes that are still making me grin half a day later. Some of the humor is especially D&D-y, and with the right deliveries, it really works out. I like when the party members bicker with each other exactly like actual D&D groups, with characters suggesting dumb plans, asking why they can't just "magic" a solution, or how some spells/effects are represented. There's a little bit of that "well THAT just happened" snark, but not enough to be too annoying.

A movie like this could have been soooo much worse, so the fact it was genuinely entertaining is an achievement I think. Lovable characters with classic dynamics, exciting plot twists with escalating stakes, and generally just a well-paced story that constantly keeps you enthralled with adventure. It's definitely succeeded in making me even more interested in the Forgotten Realms lore, so good job in that department.

[ick25]

Rockman.EXE, fanservice? Part 3

Fanservice is defined as something added in a media specifically to please the fans, often sexual in nature, OFTEN, so people forget that there are other forms of fan service, for instance, Rockman’s cute relationship with his Netto-kun!

THIS IS OUT OF CONTEXT!

Anyway, people seem to want more Rockman butt...I mean, interesting art styles from the Rockman.EXE anime, specifically the first season. Maybe this time we will be able to solve the true meaning behind Rockman’s close ups.

Starting off with episode 22, there seems to be some favoritism for Rockman’s entrance at the start of the N-1 Finals. Blues arrives at the battlefield with an aerial shot while Rockman appears with a semi close up from bellow.

Either this is a recycled pose they used for Netto when he emerged from the floor of the arena, or the animators wanted us to focus more on Rockman for some reason, hmmm...

Found a butt shot!

Something I really like from this episode is the fighting animation, the way they animate Rockman and Blues when fighting with their swords is really cool. It shows how both Navis are actually build for fighting and have the moves to prove it! This gives intensity to the battle.

Also, the program advance animation returns in this episode, this time with some shadows.

Have I mentioned that I love this sequence?

We jump to episode 25 because Rockman literally gets deleted at the end of episode 22 and we spent 2 entire episodes without seeing his booty. T T

First, lets give the fans some shipping material!

Why does he have to carry him like that?

Not sure what’s going on here, are those his pecs or his nipples? Because those edges are a little too sharp.

Butt shot!

I love the use of shadows in this episode. The art style depicts Rockman as thin but with hints of musculature, we don’t see pecs but we can tell that he is physically fit.

The episode also introduces the Style Change, which gives Rockman a transformation scene, nothing really stands out unless you count the side butt close up near the end.

That V shape line on his lower back reminds of something... Nah, I’m probably thinking too much, I guess it just looks cool.

Want more shipping material?

Tell me that, as a girl, you are not jealous of Roll right now! Unless you ship them, I feel NettoXRock have more chemistry, but this is cute too. Rockman blushing also counts as fanservice.

Speaking of fanservice, beach episodes are also a favorite in animes because you get to see the characters wearing all types of swimwear, well, sorry to disappoint you but we don’t get that in this episode unless you’re into Meiru wearing her swimsuit, and if that’s the case, you need help.

No, the beach episodes for this anime only exist for the human characters, mainly the women, but Navis get to keep their pureness for all we get are these adorable images of them wearing beach items like Rockman with googles.

Why would a Navi need to wear swimming googles? I don’t care, this is too cute!

Episode 26 gives us more Rockman cuteness by showing us he has a weakness, his fear of ghosts!

Granted, it doesn’t play an important factor in the episode, but seeing Rockman hide in his PET like this puts a smile in my face, it’s cute and funny.

We see Rockman blushing again in episode 27.

Roll approves that Rockman finds Aki-chan cute... For now.

The fanservice in this beach episode is heavier because we get close ups and pan shots of Mariko-sensei, Saloma and Miyuki, and Madoi in bikinis. The rest of the episode shows them along with the other the female characters ( and the boys) dressed in Aki’s signature outfit. Many say this episode did not air because of Meiru and Yaito dressed as Aki for the entire episode, but I think it was probably because of Netto, Dekao and Tohru crossdressing as her as well, since we get an uncomfortable shot of Dekao imitating Aki’s pose.

Poor Gutsman, but we get an embarrassed Rockman, worried about his Netop’s future life choices.

Enough of this Aki dress up, the real highlight in this episode is that bulky Rockman is back! And the first thing we get is this strange perspective shot of Rockman being caught by a Spooky virus, who is strong enough to lift Rockman in the air with its tongue? O.O

Rockman also shows impressive upper body strength.

Gutsman and Iceman are sent to help Rockman, this distracts the virus long enough for Rockman to show us his pecs, I mean, more upper body strength.

It is also impressive how he holds that position for so long.

Wait, so Rockman is fit because he does sit-ups?

Implying that Navis need to exercise regularly, this would make sense, but we will have to find out another time.

[himmelheim]

Grab a cup and get comfortable cuz I have THOUGHTS:

Things I liked about Halo (TV) (Keep in mind we only have 1 episode. It's way too early for me to form a full opinion):

Sound effects from the game.

WORT WORT WORT

Natural Formation

Chief behind the wall waiting for his shields to recharge. Like, that's The Halo Experience.

That Pablo didn't imitate Steve. It may sound a bit too Mandalorian-y, but this is a different universe Chief so I'm ok with it. (Like, I have TWO Chiefs now. Life's good mate).

Action sequence at the start.

The fact that this is a separate timeline. I don't have to worry about writers ruining other mediums now (IF it goes wrong) so without that worry it's much easier to have fun. Smart move from Paramount after the SW Sequel fiasco.

Keyes/Halsey drama. Sign me up.

Silver Team. Sure, they're not Blue Team, but I like them already. Besides, Vannak gives me Sev/Paz vibes, so that's a plus.

Mjolnir Armor. You need to modify it irl because of stunt scenes and there's no way around that, so taking that into account; It was perfect imo. Also can't believe ppl are complaining about his footstep sound - it sounds fine, dude. At this point you're just nitpicking.

Pablo's acting. He's doing great considering the material he's been given.

Halsey. She's different, but in-timeline context I like this take on her SO FAR.

Things that could've been better/I'm not sure about:

Helmet scene. I don't mind a helmet scene at all because it's not like Spartans are (Children of the Watch) Mandos; but I think it was waaay to soon. Wait until ep 3 at least.

Miranda Keyes. It's way too soon to see where they'll take her, but she is a really different character.

Chief's humor. Sure, he is not main timeline Chief, and we got a glimpse with the bolts-microchips line, but I need the game sarcasm back, it's just too Chief. Hope they put it in the upcoming episodes. I mean, remember the crash scene with Cortana? He definitely had the BIGGEST shit eating grin under the helmet. You know John is a prankster at heart.

The weapons sounds. Should have been the same from the games - they would fit well and they are already using the game sfx for everything else, so...

The Covenant girl. I suppose the covenant keep her as nothing more than a forerunner relic opener, but...eeeeeh. Too soon to judge, but I don't vibe with this.

Captain Keyes. I don't mind the actor being black at all (Jesus, people). My only criticism is that he was, uhm pretty different from the games in terms of personality. That may not be a bad thing (?) but we'll see where this goes. Acting was great, however.

Timeline's pretty wonky, since this is before the Fall of the Reach but with elements from after that event. It's quite weird. But, considering that, I don't mind Chief's face being young and not-scarred. It's just fine.

Could use more game music. I get there are some disagreements with the composer (I think?) but ffs Microsoft just pay they guy or whatever and get back in route.

Cortana thing...it's way too early to judge for me, but it gives out weird vibes. Idk. Also, Halsey's relationship with the Spartans. Not... bad, per se, but weird.

Things I Did Not Like:

Kwan. Christ I'm trying to be empathetic but God she's annoying, and, much worse, pretty stupid. "Independence for Madrigal" where everyone is dead and am pretty sure nobody's visiting. "I can tell the other colonists the Spartans did it" ahahaha yeah you do that; the Covenant wipes out the entirety of humanity, then what? Hope you enjoy being the sole survivor a g a i n.

Good on the actress for working with that script tho.

Episode 1 with Chief running away with her is too much like Mando running away with Grogu, and even tho media was inevitably going to compare Halo TV to Mando, I really hope they aren't going down that route, it's just not going to work when Mando did it better. Also, Grogu is at least a cute little alien, Kwan's hair is a crime against humanity, poor girl.

Gun doesn't work for the insurrectionists but the moment Chief picks it takes down 3 aliens per second. He pulls the trigger harder, I suppose.

The UNSC being written like ONI. Like UNSC is authoritarian and shady, but no as much as ONI. Also, neither is stupid, which is literally what Parangosky was when she turned killing Kwan into this Super Important thing. Real Parangosky would just put her in a cell if she doesn't wanna collab until she cools down or smthing like that. Also, contemplating attacking Chief, omg.

Even UNSC in games was pissed whenever Chief said no, but they wouldn't dream of antagonising their best soldier. It get this is related to TV UNSC being much more controlling over Spartans than Game UNSC, (something I also didn't like, Spartans need a long leash to be creative like supersoldiers should be, game UNSC got that). At least she was smart enough to realize stopping him would take everything she's got.

I get it's a TV show limitation, but I'm just too used to Chief towering over everyone like, even more. This is more me talking minor stuff than a real critique, but I had to say it.

All in all, I'm liking the show a lot so far.

[tanenigiri]

Review #6: Dekoboko Sugar Days

Japanese title: 凸凹シュガーデイズ (Dekoboko Sugar Days)

Story and art: Atsuko Yusen

English publisher: Tokyopop

Number of volumes: 2 (complete)

A sweet story with some surprisingly salty characterization.

(This review contains story spoilers.)

It’s pretty obvious considering all the series I’ve covered so far (and the ones I have lined up), but I’m very much drawn to quiet stories with heavy internal conflicts. Instead of big action sequences or impressive displays of magical abilities, I’m a huge sucker for well-done emotional breakdowns, conversations of both the heartbreaking and heartwarming kind, and those scenes where all that’s happening physically is a stare or a hug, but you know there are a lot of things left unsaid between the two characters. Even if it gets to the point where the scenes start to resemble each other, I still eat those stories up like candy.

So it was funny going into Dekoboko Sugar Days and suddenly getting none of that emotional gut-punch - or, at least, very little. Granted, I did expect this to be a lot more light-hearted when I read the title and the blurb, but I still went for it since it seemed like a cute story to the tune of Sasaki and Miyano, and if I’m lucky I could get an Our Dining Table out of it. After all, “dekoboko” roughly translates to “bumpiness” or “unevenness,” so I figured with a term like that in the title, there has to be more to the story than meets the eye.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. This story follows high school students Yuujirou and Rui, who pretty much share the typical grumpy kid + cinnamon roll childhood friends dynamic except for one noteworthy distinction - Yuujirou’s height is 165 cm (a bit below 5’5”), while Rui’s is 186 cm (a bit above 6’1”). We very quickly find out that this is a point of insecurity for Yuujirou, both in general and in the specific context of Rui, as an incident in their childhood placed Yuujirou as Rui’s “protector” in both of their eyes - and Rui as a crush in Yuujirou’s.

Naturally, I found myself drawn to Yuujirou’s internal conflict, as it’s one of those types of insecurities that seem superficial at face value but can affect a person quite heavily. But after reading the story, I realized that I became more fascinated not with how this affected Yuujirou on a personal level - though it was still interesting to see that side of his character play out - but how the story presented it and dealt with it. Since this story is a lot more light-hearted than the plots I’m used to, I was surprised to see that even if this insecurity was something weighing heavily in Yuujirou’s mind, Dekoboko Sugar Days still treated it with the same humor and carefree vibe that carries throughout the whole manga.

At first, I found it a bit of a waste - there’s a lot that the story can do with Yuujirou’s height complex, and there’s so much potential for those emotionally heavy scenes that feed my soul. But after rereading it, I do think that the story made the best call in treating it the way it did. Not only was it able to present a pretty serious topic without breaking its humorous vibe, but it also became a good way to highlight that this issue is, at the end of the day, much bigger in Yuujirou’s mind than it actually is.

And the story points this out pretty early on - Yuujirou’s close friend and classmate, Umino, remarks that Yuujirou would have an easy time getting together with a girl if he wanted to, and Chapter 2 confirms this with Yuujirou impressing a bunch of girls while he’s in judo training. I also found it interesting that the story chose to withhold the whole judo captain detail until this point when the perspective shifts to Rui’s, as it once again highlights that Yuujirou’s height complex is making him think much too lowly on himself when he actually has a lot going for him.

This is also when we begin to find out that Yuujirou’s feelings aren’t as one-sided as he believes, though Rui does need some external forces to help him realize it. True to his musings that Yuujirou is a lot more popular with the ladies than what his protector thinks of himself, Rui finds out from his own close friend and classmate, Takenaka, that Yuujirou is beginning to spend more time with a first-year girl. There’s a really interesting tidbit in this part of the story where Rui acknowledges Yuujirou’s height complex, saying that his protector looks much better with the girl as she is shorter than Yuujirou. Me being me, I wish the story explored this a bit more, but I’m already happy with how Rui recognizes that his protector’s insecurities are serious - a stark contrast to how Umino laughs it off (though with good intentions).

The story eventually leads to a funny sequence where the main pair simultaneously admit to themselves, and subsequently to their respective classmates, that they’re in love with the other. I found how the manga initially presents this as vertical halves of the same page with intersecting thought bubbles a really great stylistic choice, and part of me hoped that it would’ve continued for longer, though I guess the novelty would’ve faded if it ran for more than a dozen pages. It eventually culminates in a heartfelt confession, though it’s of course injected with the story’s over-the-top humor.

While there’s a part of the “over-the-top”-ness of the story that I can do without - the physical gags, for one - I do think that, overall, it adds to the unique charm of Dekoboko Sugar Days. It might not seem like it’s taking its characters seriously, but at several times in the story, that’s exactly what it calls for - looking at the situation through a mostly humorous lens. The fact that it still delivers a heartwarming story along the way is a testament to how it can balance all these ingredients quite nicely.

Random thoughts I couldn’t fit elsewhere:

I should mention that Takenaka does have a crush on Rui, and while I thought this was gonna go down a love triangle route, he does recognize how much Rui cares for Yuujirou, and it’s even implied that he’s the one who gives Rui the confidence to confess to Yuujirou. I like how the story didn’t end up with the two fighting over Rui, and of course, it’s made better when Umino gets in the picture (which I will absolutely talk about when I get around to reviewing the sequel).

Speaking of which, Umino hands down has the best lines in the story. Not only does he get a pretty funny and honestly quite insightful meta joke at the start, but he also reads Yuujirou like a book near the end. It’s nice how he really has Yuujirou’s - and later on Takenaka’s - backs, and Yuujirou should really consider himself lucky for having such an open-minded and observant friend.

The bits leading up to the story’s more graphic scenes in the end show some interesting hints of insecurity and awkwardness between the main couple as well. It’s to be expected, of course, as neither Yuujirou nor Rui are shown to have experience with any kind of relationship prior to this, but once again the story tackles these insecurities with an interesting mix of hilarity and sincerity that’s nice to see. I also found it hilarious that the bonus chapter dealt with the completely opposite problem of what the final chapter deals with.

(Also this is one of the best pieces of afterword art I’ve seen. 10/10.)

Thanks for reading! I found Dekoboko Sugar Days to be a nice change of pace to all the other manga I’ve read so far, and while I still find myself liking the emotionally heavy stories more, it’s good to read something that’s set to make you laugh instead of cry once in a while. I do have a review lined up for its sequel later in the month, and from its English title alone - Dekoboko Bittersweet Days - it’s not gonna be as saccharine as this one.