#i do like the wanted poster background though it's pretty neat

[tokiro07]

Was gonna sit down and write my weekly Jump reviews but uhhh

Hey buddy...how ya doin'...

Just uh...gonna watch me type?

You...need a juice box or something?

Oh dear god...

[anewp0tat0]

AAAAHHHHH!! CONSIDER MY SHIT FLIPPED!! THE BLACK BUTLER LIVES! What are your thoughts on the new art style?

BRO I'm with you, flipped like that pancake I managed to throw half out the pan😩 I still can't believe. best Monday every fr.

and ooo thanks for the question, I wanna hear your thoughts after this👀 I've already said a little bit about this in the tags of some other posts, as well as touched on it in my master post of the crew, but I suppose I may give a big final answer(for now, from this teaser).

judging the art alone, not the fact that we get a new anime or anything exciting like that, just the art alone... it's very pretty!

yea this is very pretty. the kid looks great, small and good, and his hair looks feathery and neat, so I approve. I think they nailed his general proportions, I think they'll do a great job at keeping them consistent during episodes! the image to the right does looks a tiny bit like a 3d asset, which is a bit jarring compared to the previous anime style, but I'm flexible towards this change. even if he looks like a video game cutscene character, I usually love cutscenes!!

but here's the drama I'm sure you're here for. yes, unfortunately, there are some wee things that I don't love as much🤏

the first thing, it really doesn't matter and I should shut up about it now... but YOU asked so ajdjfksksk why did they have to shrink sebs jaw cmon my favorite art of him ever was during the Greenwitch arc so don't tell me I'll NEVER be able to see that style of him animated😫 I just like prominent features man. I know he's meant to be pretty but but but....

ah okay. heres the main thing that I think most people may agree with.

these are two screenies of sebster from the teaser. honestly, as ☆luxurious☆ as his lashes are, I'm not a fan of the left image. the airbrush on his hair feels a tad overdone. I love the attention to detail, especially in the one on the right, it shows a lot of love! but there's just something about it that's a bit off for me.

and I think after 24 hours I've finally figured it out: it's the colors.

the realization started to hit me when I saw my favorite edit so far here by @ashxketchum. the colors have been edited to be much more saturated and warm. and I think this is exactly what is missing here.

I even tried my own hand at it, and yea personally, I think slapping a saturation, tint, and just a BIT of contrast on the whole thing can do numbers on it.

already I like it(no I'm not just praising my own work, it's not the best edit out there I did it in 30 secs). I think the reason for this is because the background is very rich in contrast and warm tones, so the characters(particularly sebastian who is all black) stand out when they are muddy and low contrast. I love stylistically when contrast is high, but that's just a personal thing, and I shouldn't hold a studio to those standards.

I tried it for the poster too though, which again I felt was a bit off. official art has never been the most top tear, and the poster is GOOD, the background is awesome and the two peeps looks amazing. but my problem with it was clear once I did another color edit.

(edit on the right)

again, I feel like everything was very muted in the left original, not to mention a tad monochromatic. I really think a kick of contrast and hue could do wonders.

BUT. I know that at the end of the day, it's not a big deal. I don't really care. would it make my day or whole year if they slapped a color filter on it, or continued to work on the color grading of the scenes? probably yea! but my opinion isn't obsolete, and most of all, I look forward to and respect the artists decisions.

so no I'm not "fixing" the art😅😒.

and finally, I think this is awesome:

(I had forgotten but this gif is edited by @kilruas from this post)

GORGEOUS. could it turn some people off cause it's mostly cg? maybe. idc though. gorgeous. gimme some of that beverage.

sorry for the rant, hope it's what you wanted! I think that's everything... I like it 85%!

[hikennosabo]

#tristampparty day 2, episode 2: the running man

day 2 of @tristampparty!! i have less to say about this episode than the first one so hopefully this will be a shorter post than yesterday LOL

iirc this is 98 knives's seiyuu on the radio, right?!!! i am only about halfway through my jp 98 watch and can't recognize him by ear (yet) but i think it's very neat that the original seiyuus have cameos :')

also vash keeping the photo with him What If I Ate Rocks

he is such a kicked puppy of a man

why does roberto say revenge. what does he mean. what does he know. what has he figured out from knowing vash for maybe like a few hours. or is he just throwing that out there without realizing how close he is to the truth. partially, anyway. he didn't guess the savior complex part.

i'm not entirely sure what meryl means by honor...? but money is a pretty normal reason to want a plant, as we've seen and as we'll continue to see.

i like how meryl has a fear of bugs... i can relate lol. i think this character trait comes from the manga when she was kidnapped by zazie and was grossed out? i think here it also serves to reinforce her being sheltered, still unfamiliar with the world at large since worms are everywhere--WAIT HOLD ON.

PAUSE. ZOOM. ENHANCE.

RAI-DEI SPOTTED?!?!??!?! this rewatch is becoming an I Spy game with the wanted posters, jfc.

man i'm so glad i finally downloaded tristamp so i can appreciate the visuals without the crunchiness of streaming video... i can't do the animation justice with just screenshots but i love watching vash scamper around like a... i don't know. he scampers like a cockroach in 98, but this is giving a different vibe. like a... something. like a creature.

i also want to take a second to appreciate how gorgeous the backgrounds are, like,

i loooove the backgrounds, it looks like... maybe a mix of markers and colored pencil... i love the detail and the colors are so pleasing. this is such a gorgeous anime to look at, i don't know how anyone could possibly say it looks bad without them just blindly hating it because it's 3dcg. god i'm getting so distracted looking at the backgrounds that i'm missing the action AND the subtitles LOL

wasn't there a post somewhere that actually calculated how much a bullet is worth based on this information. i don't remember what conclusion it came to. but i'm thinking either food is expensive (tbh, likely) or bullets are inexpensive and vash is just poor (also likely). also it's funny that the dub changed this to donuts. ...where are the donuts at in tristamp anyway...

roberto lmao 😭😭😭😭😭 i guess that's one way to guarantee it doesn't spill

roberto up until this point has acted like meryl is dragging him along unwillingly, but here he's the one telling meryl to get in the car so they can get a move on, lol. yeah yeah we all already know he's actually a softie and that he really cares underneath his aloof demeanor.

which brings us to this scene... i don't want to say that he has vash "all figured out" because obviously he doesn't, but he's got SOME of vash figured out at least. definitely more than meryl atp. he knows vash is running from knives... i wonder how this conversation would have gone if they weren't interrupted.

yeah i don't really have that much to say about this ep, relatively speaking... i don't have any deep thoughts about the nebraskas, they're just comic relief villains anyway, i don't care about them that much, even though tristamp kind of tries to make us care a little bit by the end of this episode...

next episode is gonna be a doozy though. ohohohohohoho.

[lumarys]

new episode THOUGHTS!! (spoilers for ava6 ep. 2 under the cut)

this time it's rygb who are saving orange! most of the time it's the other way around so this is fun to see

green fall into a leadership role pretty easily here, it's honestly pretty cool how characterization is so consistent in this series even though there's no dialogue

the fact that the grey stick couldn't animate with the pencil makes sense (as far as i've seen it's a pretty common headcanon that animating is an orange thing), but they couldn't even move the drawing by pulling at it, which IS sort of weird, because i swear that other characters have done that before

possibly it's a computer-only-unless-you're-orange thing, or maybe only some sticks can do it? i'm pretty sure that the other example i'm thinking of is victim in ava1 so it could be either

victim, to chosen: And For Your Birthday Present, I Am Giving You A New Experience: Getting Your Ass Completely Beat

i don't know if they're still pretending that that might not be victim but that bit with the copies? that's pretty much confirmation

the eel that orange drew seemed to get really scared/angry at the eraser, and given how orange was acting, they couldn't control it...hm. thoughts for later perhaps

oh so victim wants to know how to get to alan. this can only go well for everyone! /s

memory scanner! i don't have too much to say about this but it's neat

orange is TOTALLY not having a crisis after seeing that! nope!! they are SO chill about any revelations that might have come about as a result! not that there WERE any revelations, of course!! hahaha..haha...ha....fuck

victim seemingly ONLY noticed yellow in that shot. i get that the others were only sort of visible and not doing anything computer-related like yellow, but they were still looking that close into the background, so i'm a bit surprised

that's a LOT of wanted posters. like...a lot

and of course rygb get there right after

from what i can tell, they take yellow away, but not red, green, or blue? i think that they're just left lying there. they all must be SO confused about that

victim burning that page...

and then it ends!! so much happened...

[cutepastelstarsalior]

Helluva Boss watch though part 2

Episode 3

Blitzo has an ex, and he also has a sister. 👀

Verosika. That like a weird mashup of Veronica and Vriska….But she was in rehab?

Ok Veroskia’s design is so pretty. But man she and Blitzo do not look like there from the same universe. Made it’s the color palette, or the lineart, it they kind of collide.

Oh, she’s a succubs. Neat.

Loona has a human disguise? Do all Hellhounds have one, or just her? 

Verosika human design is very pretty.

Loona having a crush on Vortex is cute. But man Loona human design is god awful when she’s standing next to Vortex. Her head is too big in some frames, and her anatomy looks off.

Moxxie and Millie team name is M&M, that’s cute.

Oh, Blitzo adopted Loona, who was almost 18 and almost aged out of the orphanage. Interesting choice. I wonder when that decision was made from the pilot to the actual show? Because in the pilot, Loona was just a snarky rude teenager receptionist. Here in the show, she insincure angry teenager.

So human alcohol can make imps drunk, but demon alcohol can make animals into violent mutants monsters..cool.

Vortex has a girlfriend, but it’s cool that he wants to help Loona make some friends!

Scale of 5, I give this a 3. It was just an ok episode.

Episode 4

Ok this version of heaven is very different then the Hazbin heaven. Maybe this is because this show was created when Hazbin was still a pilot? But there a a Cherub version of the Imps. AKA 3 angels trying to save people’s love ones. Ok that a cool premiere! Assassin group vs rescue (?) group!

Oh seems like Blitzo’s sister is his twin! Again, are they human that turn Imp or a hell-born demon?? It’s also cool how in the background they show small but important details. Like in a few episodes ago, they had a bunch of ads and poster of Fizz the clown robot.

Heheh her name is a play on barwire.

There 3 trilionaires in the human world??

Blitzo does have a point, when they kill somebody for hire, the victim gets sent to hell. Why is that? If it’s like a murder and the victim wants revenge that’s understandable. But in this case, the client wanted to kill the guy because he doesn’t want the person to have the inheritance. Why would that make the potential victim be sent to hell? Why would the clients want the people to be in hell anyway? To physically torment them? Like the episode where the teacher wanted to kill the girlfriend, what would she do once the girlfriend is in hell? Kill her again? Torment her?

Idk why, maybe it’s the lighting, or maybe it’s because Blitzo out makeup on, but in this episode he’s like a weird pale pink color then his normal red. I noticed this too with Moxxie in the beach episode. It’s kind of distracting.

Little pet peeve; I feel like there too much cursing? Like I can toon it out, but still. That and the causal fatphobia, sexism, and slur shaming..😬

Seeing 2 out of the 3 cherubs getting angry and curing, make me wish that when an Angel starts to do that, they start to fall. That the hate and stress corrupt them. It would be so cool to see.

Oh!!!!!! OMG the cherubs accidentally killed the old man, and now can’t be allowed back in heaven!!! Though the little deer girl didn’t actually explain what the rules are? BUT JUSTICE FOR LITTLE GOAT BOY HE DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG HE WASNT STARTING TO GET CORRUPTED. Goat boy is my son now. And I’m taking him as mine now.

Scale out of 5. I give it a 5. I love this episode, it shows a deeper worldbuilding of how heaven and hell operates and how both sides try to get humans on their side.

Episode 5

Ok, so the deal Stolas and Blitzo had was about having casual sex. Thought Blitzo can’t really do his job without the grimoire, but neither can Stolas. So what does it do?

Blitzo’s co-workers are from the ring of Wrath. 👀 interesting.

Yooooooo Millie’s parents!!!! Oooooo a lore episode. Ok so Millie has parents, so I guess Imps are born in hell? Then what’s the difference, the physical differences, between a human turn demon, and an Imp? Maybe it’s the white spots/marked they have??

Moxxie infodumping about war and the history is cute.

Millie moved to Imp City. I guess that’s either the capital of the ring they stay at, or like an area only for Imp???

In Dante’s Infero, Wrath is the 5th circle of hell. There 2 groups of sinner in this circus, those who anger is expressed, and thoese who anger is internal/repressed (sullen). The groups have different punishment. Thoese who express their anger fight one another on the surface/side banks of the Styx, and the repressed are underneath the river Styx, in the swampy mud.

What Vivzie does here is have the Imps play games an annual Pain Game. I’m getting the Imps here are just farmers??

Moxxie feeling insecure about not being physically strong is neat. I like his and Strikers dynamic.

Blitzo having some insecurities is odd, idk if feels way out of left field? But Striker does have a point, why does Blitzo stay or keep going back to Stolas if he needs the book? Can’t he find a different way to get to the human realm?

👀 stolas’s wife hired Striker to kill somebody. My guess it’s Blitzo, since I don’t think She would kill her husband, and especially not tell her plans when they’re at the dinner table.

Score out of 5, I give this a 4.

Episode 6

So the government as been noticing and keeping track of the Imps. 👀. Blitzo and Moxxie were kidnapping and Millie became extremely overprotective and while Loona was concerned. Nice that the girls are going to help.

Moxxie making an extra long and complicated code order, and then laughing at the humans and just being chill, is a bit odd. I’m use to him either being angry, insecure, or being empathetic. So seeing this side of him is new. Also, I feels like Blitzo, Stolas, and Moxxie and the ones that have the most screen time/character development.

“I’m like 5 years older than you”. If Lonna is 18, that means Millie would be 23???? Idk if that’s true or not but if it is….WHAT?????

👀 yoooo higher animation for the hallucinations scenes!!!

Ok, wow. I love this?? Moxxie hallucinations is him and Blitzo dress as phantom of the opera, and Moxxie is questioning his “friendship” with Blitzo. Asking him why he keeps pushing his friends away, why he alienates other with his toxicity. Meanwhile Blitzo is dress in a clown outfit, in the mud, seeing shapes. The hallucinations of Moxxie telling him that Blitzo needs him and that he doesn’t want to be alone. He also hallucinations Striker, Fizz, and his ex. Saying that people resent him. And that he doesn’t understand relationships but also craves it. Moxxie wants to speak his mind and be a better friend to Blitzo.

After they hallucinate, Moxxie tells Blitzo what he said to Moxxie on their first day together. Blitzo also compliments Moxxie and tell him to use his name instead of sir.

This is a sweet bonding between the two. I don’t know how to feel about it though? Like it feels like progress and to make the two characters that fight and argue at lot to finally come together…But at the same time, it feels a bit too soon? I don’t know…

The fight scenes are very good! Lots of camera movements, fluid animation, and fun angles. Thought at some parts when there wasn’t that many characters and it only focused on one person, the space of the room felt too big and the animation felt slow.

“HEY THE ENDO PERIOD WAS BADASS AND YOU KNOW IT” haha nice.

Uno oh spaghetti O….the gang is traps by the two governments agents……and they….cant get out with the book because the room is too dark? Seriously. Guys, there like, 4 of you and 2 of them. You literally massacred a room full of agents…

Oh well, Stolas came and save the day. That little horror scene is neat, I like his monster demon bird form. But also how did he knew what was happening????

Oh…Blitzo kissed Stolas…are they a thing? Just friends with benefits? I don’t ship them so I don’t care. Well, besides Stolas’s cheating.

Dang the government guys have evidence now!!!

Score out of 5. I give this a 3. The fights and hallucinations scenes were cool, but that all that was interesting.

Episode 7

For some reason this episode is title as final but there also an episode 8?????

!!!! Well dang, Blitzo is having a character growth. He acting nicer to Moxxie and Millie. Also, it’s Moxxiea and Millie anniversary! Demons can get married. They’re also going to the Lust ring.

In Dante’s inferno, Lust is the second ring, but the first sin. Sinners are punished by being whipped and hurled around tornado and violent winds. Dante also thinks lust is the least serious sin. Also King Minos is a demon who judge and listens to sinners and send them to their correct circle. Btw, Dante infero hell has 9 circles; Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Hersey, Violence, Fraud, and lastly Treachery.

In the Christian mythology, the seven sins are lust, pride, greed, gluttony, sloth, wrath, and lastly envy.

It’s interesting to see how Viv will combine or different the seven sins vs Dante inferno…

“Boring as fuck monogamy” 👀 Blitzo polyamorous real.

Blitzo asking Stolas out of a date, just to spy on Moxxie and Millie, but then end up actually talking to Stolas, is interesting. I just the having a slow burn from friends with benefits to being an actual couple??

ALEX WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE????

Fizzarolli…..that’s his name….baby why does your name sound like a weird soda or pizza knockoff???

Why does Fizz have robots of him? Also the one at LULU Land made more money entertaining kids than the robots that do sex work. Interesting. Also are all the robots alive??? Are they a hive mind???

Moxxie sing a song he wrote for Millie is cute. To bad fizz and Ozzie interrupt him…Asmodeus is the embodiment of lust. So is he a prince/represent of lust??? Also I heard a few covers of this song…and this is like literally the only sing from this show I enjoy.

Ozzie commenting that Stolas gave up his life, his kid and wife to be with Blitzo. Yeah. Like the dude literally cheated on his wife??? Why is the show trying to make us feel sympathy for Stolas??? Dude a homewreaker.

Aromantic Ozzie. To MEEEE.

“Octavia is with her mother this weekend” 👀 oh they did get a divorce!!! Got for them. Well, like, not. But I’m glad they decided to end it instead of staying together and keep fighting every day. I guess Stolas can now try to be with Blitzo since he and his wife broke up?? But I still think it’s not good..

Scale out of 5. I give it a 2.

[bojackandherb]

Gina

Oh yeah this was from when I told people to ask about my opinions on bjhm characters, right?

Anyway, I liked her :)

The way her dream of singing/theater fell apart made me so sad. But also kinda frustrates me, like, girl, you had one bad audition. The problem I think is she kind of gave up on her dreams too quickly. I think she like. Had always longed to be in theater but didn’t think she could do it. So she went into a different type of acting but like. Sure she sang for fun but I don’t think she ever got voice lessons or anything. So like.

She wasn’t a terrible singer, she has potential, she just could have benefited from more vocal training and such. But the fact she never truly believed she could do it to begin with means she didn’t actually truly work towards it, and when she finally did get an actual opportunity due to Bojack she just. Gave up right away when things didn’t go well on her first try. So it’s very sad but also very frustrating because it’s like nooooo girl it doesn’t have to be this way! Honestly maybe she’s benefit from learning about the growth mindset…

But also like, her giving up so quickly makes sense because like. She had such bad luck in Hollywood for so long that she decided that like. Not caring about stuff and giving up up things quickly and having zero expectations was the way to go to avoid getting hurt. But while those mindsets potentially protected her, they’re also just like, not great mindsets to have overall.

Tbh her and Bojack like, never really seemed like much of a couple to me, it kinda seemed they were both lonely and mainly just needed a friend, and honestly they seemed more just like friends to me for most of their relationship. I like them way better as friends than as a couple, but they did have a few genuinely sweet moments together. Which just makes what happens at the end up of Showstopper all the nore heart wrenching.

Under her cynicism she has a sweet and dorky side that Bojack is surprisingly able to bring out… well, him and the success of the show.

Tbh they never really made sense as a couple to me. Like there’s not really any spark between them, and. The only time they act like an actual couple is the beginning of the showstopper, and like. A lot of the development for their relationship going from “casual friends who tease each other and also bang (but the banging is pretty much just because they’re both lonely and don’t have anything better to do)” to “actual couple” happens offscreen. Like, he accidentally gives Gina the idea that he really does want to date her when he and hollyhock sneak into her house to try to find drugs. And then after he crashes his car she apparently visits him a lot in the hospital and then their relationship actually blossoms into an actual romance I guess. Apparently. But we don’t really see any of it, there’s the time skip and then it’s like “oh they’ve been dating for months now.” Anyway idk how much the show actually wanted us to ship them anyways.

In the end Gina and Bojack’s relationship was just a plot point the writers used to get Bojack to a low enough point that he had no choice but to get help and go to rehab. Now that I think about it the way the show used her might’ve been kinda crappy. But idk

However it was pretty neat how the show explored “people who don’t want to come forward about the abuse/trauma they dealt with in Hollywood and how for some coming forward about it might actually do harm than good” through her.

Her season 6 scenes made me sad… glad she was able to get a part in Kelsey’s movie, though! (Based off of posters we see in the background)

Anyway.

There’s more I could talk about but asjkndkandkwnsman idk how to articulate my thoughts and I’ve already rambled a lot haha

Anyway. Gina is a sweetheart who deserved better

[systematicallycapricious]

I'm a bit late to the party, but I recently got the first volume of the English P4U2 manga!

I am absolutely geeking out over comparing the Jap, Eng, and fan-Eng versions, so if anyone has any pages or panels they want to see side-by-side across the three, let me know and I'll make a post for you! I can't do the entirety of the book of course, but I can do a few pages at least.

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(Below the cut is my initial opinion on the quality of the translation work, some comparisons between various details of the Jap volume and the Eng volume, and some more manga page side-by-sides.)

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As for my impression of the translation work so far... To me, it feels like the translator was trying to preserve more of the original Japanese language/culture than Eng-P4AU chose to? Not in every instance though, as there's definitely cases where vernacular translations are utilized instead of literal. But where more literal translations are favored, the wording can feel a little awkward or OOC in English.

Even still, it's a pretty cohesive reading experience, in my opinion.

Also, they translated "Plume of Dusk" correctly, which is a relief. I was worried that some of the technical lore terms might get bungled by literal translations, lol. Conversely, while I'm glad that they didn't preserve Jap-Teddie's "-kuma" habit, and happy that they included a few bear puns in accordance to Eng-Teddie's speech habits, I do lament the low quantity and diversity of bear puns in Teddie's speech overall. Maybe there just wasn't a lot of good places for those in this volume though, so I'll have to see going forth.

Oh- and I noticed that some of the background signs and text got translations as well, which I think is really neat. (I don't read enough manga to know if that's just a standard feature of manga translations though, lol.)

Granted, this is just my first-read first impression, and I don't know enough Japanese to know if some lines may be translated less accurately or not. Plus, I tend to be on the lenient side when judging the quality of creative works. So please refer to other opinions as well if you're trying to decide the quality of the translation for yourself!

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Fun fact: the Eng version was printed bigger than the Jap version (at least for the Jap volumes I have; no clue if they printed those at multiple sizes).

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Also something cool about the Eng version is that it comes with the same color illustrations as the Jap version had, just sized-up. The exclusive edition also comes with a bonus fold-out poster of the original volume cover!

The end-of-volume artist/editor comic was included as well! I'm personally very glad to finally know what this comic says. My respect for Rokuro-san and Sakamaguro-san (the fish) as creatives has grown even further.

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Here's a few other page comparisons too because I found them interesting. xP

(If you wanna see the fan-Eng in higher quality than the screengrabs I used, you can find it on Mangadex [here].)

[kokorolinkrun]

Why the poster for "Dick Figures: The Movie" is so good

Okay, I've done enough Meguca-posting for the time being. It's time to analyse Dick Figures stuff again!

INTRODUCTION

As all of us probably know, the early 2010s web series "Dick Figures" had a movie that was released back in 2013 (almost ten years ago now, yeesh...) simply called "Dick Figures: The Movie".

I'm sure all of us already know by now, but for those who don't: Funded through Kickstarter, the movie focuses on Red and Blue as they go on a quest to find the Great Sword of Destiny so Blue will be able to get the perfect gift for Pink's birthday.

I've already done some posts related to the movie in the past, but I want to focus on one specific thing today: The poster.

Now, I honestly always really liked this poster: The layout, the vibe, the colours, the characters' expressions/poses, the shading, everything. It just fills me with some form of strange emotion that I can't describe.

That said, though... I've been thinking it through lately, so I decided to try and break this poster down to figure out just why it's so great - which is exactly want I want to talk about today!

CHARACTERS

When you look at the poster, the first thing you notice are the characters - and for good reason. Not only do they look at their best here, but each pose and expression fits their personalites just about perfectly!

Red has a cocky open smile while looking like he's about ready to fight, his pose itself showing he's basically a master at kung-fu.

Blue, on the other hand, looks more determined as he holds the Great Sword of Destiny, his pose seeming more calm.

Lord Tourettes is his usual, bubbly self with a bright smile on his face, kind of looks like he's leaping a bit.

Pink is looking up at Blue, showing that they're both boyfriend and girlfriend. She's also holding the sacred lotus from the end of the movie.

Stacy, similarly, is looking up at Red, showing that they're also boyfriend and girlfriend. However, she's holding alcohol (both in bottle and can form), showing that she and Red are also...y'know.

Broseph, of course, is just showing off and flexing his non-existent muscles. What more can I say?

Captain Crookygrin is doing a salute, showing that he's a pilot.

Mr. Dingleberry is just Mr. Dingleberry. Not much to say here.

In the background, the Takagami demon ninjas seem to be closing in, all of them having different poses.

At the very front of all of them, peeping up from the logo is the Raccoon. He's basically the one that helped initiate Red and Blue's quest, so it only makes sense for him to be where he is.

BACKGROUND

At the very back, we can see the map from the movie that Red and Blue use during their quest, which takes up the whole background.

Alongside that, there's also fire in the background, which basically fits the whole Dick Figures vibe perfectly - as well as being weirdly reminiscent of the poster for the South Park movie (which makes sense, since they're both animated movies aimed at adults. But that doesn't stop many younger people from enjoying them anyways, so...):

Finally, there's homages to the three locations Red and Blue end up in during their quest: The mountain (where they find the handle of the sword) represents Japan, the Eiffel Tower (where they find the blade of the sword) obviously represents France, and the ground itself seems to represent the mountain behind Red and Blue's hometown (where the gem of the sword is hidden).

Also, I noticed something pretty cool a few days back: On Red's side of the poster, there seems to be blue lighting - while on Blue's side of it, there's red lighting. I find that really neat!

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, this poster is raw as all heck. It's probably one of my all-time favourite movie posters, right up there with the posters for Madoka Magica Rebellion (which actually came out the same year this movie did, coincidentally enough) and Sonic 2 (I honestly really like all three main posters, but I had to choose only one):

Honestly, it's just absolutely insane how much detail went into this poster, especially since it's for a movie about literal stick figures of all things. Then again... Putting my last two analyses related to the movie in mind, I shouldn't really be surprised.

Even despite the fact most of the characters are just coloured stick figures (alongside the fact all of the backgrounds in the actual movie are just shades of grey), you can just tell the people working on the movie put a lot of effort into it: From the animation itself, to the backgrounds, to how the characters are fleshed out from the original web-series, to even the music. Both Ed Skudder and Zack Keller were absolutely determined on making something that the fans would adore, and it payed off big-time.

[lorz-ix]

Time for another "I was bored this summer so I binged an entire horror series" post

As with the Saw one, I'll keep my thoughts on each entry as brief as possible, since these tend to take a while to write. Also trying to avoid spoiling stuff as much as I can, since that would ruin the point of making recommendations.

The Purge (2013)

When discussing this series, this is pretty much the only one people broadly tolerate. The premise is very easy to understand: the very conservative US government has instituted a "yearly national holiday" during which all crime, with a few extreme exceptions, is made legal for 12 hours. The subtext isn't subtle at all, it's obvious that the government is using this event as a scapegoat to avoid addressing broader social issues. Violent crime is supposedly kept under control because people "relieve their violent feelings" once a year, they don't have to care about poor people and welfare since they're massacred during every purge, as the primary targets of the violence.

It's a very clear satire of how conservatives turn a blind eye to these issues in real life, how they justify violence when it benefits them and the gun lobby, how they're classist as hell, how this classism manifests as racism since it disproportionately affects minorities. You might think the messaging isn't that smart, but I think it's neat, and it's used as pretty cool background for a decent thriller here.

The Purge: Anarchy (2014)

Extremely simple. Do you think you would enjoy some worldbuilding after watching the previous movie? Do you care about the plot of the movie itself, "lore" aside, being super generic? Do you want the political messaging to get even more explicit? Then you might enjoy this.

I really mean it, it's a very nothing movie unless you're the kind of fan who cares about questions being answered rather than following an interesting story.

A nugget of worldbuilding I really like though? The government knows most people don't want to go out there and kill each other or commit crimes for fun, so they manufacture violent incidents to make it look like the purge works. Really makes you think...

The Purge: Election Year (2016)

Hmmmmmm I wonder if the year this came out and that subtitle are related...

A slightly more interesting affair than Anarchy, they at least have some strong stakes in this story. We mainly follow an opposition candidate to the presidency who's rising in popularity and wants to get rid of the purge. We understand that the holiday, despite everything, is very unpopular, but the current government will enlist the help of neo-nazis to get rid of the opposition. The satire is reaching new levels of unsubtlety and I honestly kinda love it.

What I don't love is the implication that winning an election is all it takes to get rid of the problem, along with other milquetoast soy latte liberal takes. Black liberation groups are generally painted in a positive light in the series, but it feels somewhat dishonest when the savior is a white girlboss. Truly a very 2016 movie.

The First Purge (2018)

That first teaser poster was somehow even more 2016 than the previous flick, holy Jesus Christ this is very funny.

I feel pretty much the same as I did with Anarchy. Generic flick, focuses a lot on disadvantaged, african american communities, makes very similar points to the ones we saw before. If again, the "lore" is your thing, this prequel might be of interest, otherwise you can skip it.

The Forever Purge (2021)

Shit, finally something interesting, I thought. This story starts off in a previously unseen setting, a southern town. We get to see the prejudiced relationships between mexican immigrants and wealthy white americans. The premise said "the purgers want to keep the massacre going after it's over", so I thought it meant "banning the purge didn't work", which is the point I wanted to see. But no, we learn very early on that the original party simply won the elections and re-instated the holiday, which is a way more underwhelming way of getting there. The purgers simply don't want the holiday to be over after 12 hours, and somehow things devolve into an uncontrollable nation-wide riot.

Is it more interesting and a bit scarier than most previous entries? Yeah, a bit. Does it bring new possibilities to the table? Yes, sure. Are the added analogies for immigration in this franchise's universe kinda neat? I guess. Does that make for a good movie? Not really. It's, once again, rather generic and forgettable once the actual conflict fully explodes. I really do like these for what they try to say and how explicitly they do so. I wish more movies had these levels of ridiculous, yet more or less adequate political satire.

The Purge (TV series, season 1, 2018)

10 episodes, lads. They're 1 hour long each. Watching this thing would take you longer than all of the movies combined, and let me tell ya, it's not worth it.

Starts off promising enough, it shows us more insight into the religious cults that grew around the purge for example, and that's properly disturbing, but after a while the story stops being intriguing. You quickly realize you're watching another generic bunch of characters go through a mostly forgettable series of perils. Yet again, an interesting world did not make for an interesting story in the slightest. These things aren't even that awful, they're just painfully bland.

The Purge (TV series, season 2, 2019)

Just like S1, it's 10 episodes and they're all one hour long. But thank god, finally this time they had a set of ideas that felt worth watching.

For the first and only time, the story focuses on what happens after the purge is over. How people get traumatized by the violent events. How pro-purge nutjobs eat up and spread propaganda all year round. What happens if shocking acts of violence do happen outside of those 12 hours? What happens if someone tries to kill you during the purge and they fail? How do you cope with the idea that someone wants you dead and no one would do a thing about it because it would have been legal and normal to kill you?

I think that focus on trauma and how the purge affects the psychology of every single person makes for some actually compelling characters for once. Finally, we get a story where we're not completely sure of what will happen next. It's probably not that great in the grand scheme of things, but god dammit, they finally made something remotely worthwhile with this franchise.

[keepthyfaithandthylight]

Reincarnation au

It will be quite long, and this is only part one. For @fructidor hope you like it so far, if not that’s completely ok.

Monday, August 14th, 5:15 a.m. Would that cursed alarm clock just shut up already?

Slowly, Max rubbed the sleep from his bleary eyes and forced himself to his feet, immediately being met with the frigid floor. Why can’t we simply have carpet, it’s so much more warm to wake up to..

He fumbled around for a moment in search of his glasses, before blinking his eyes into focus once he had found them and put them on.

“Wonderful, now I won’t go out with my shirt on backwards.” He commented to himself, before rummaging through his closet.

“Max, hurry up! I don’t want to be late for my first day of school!” Shouted Augustin from down the hall.

“You say that each year, but within a week I’m dragging you out of bed by your ankles!” Retorted the elder, sliding the sweater over his head.

Ironically enough, once Max had finished getting ready, his brother was still standing in the bathroom in his pajamas, brushing his teeth.

“Really..” began the elder, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

“What?” Asked Augustin with a mouthful of toothpaste, seeming offended.

“And here I thought you didn’t want to be late.” Max watched as his brother rolled his eyes before retreating to his room. Walking downstairs, his first instinct was to make a beeline for the coffee machine. He could tell already he was going to need the caffeine to get through the day. “Are you finally ready..?” He asked, upon hearing his brother descend the stairs.

“Whatever.” Came the response, the footsteps already walking to the door. Slowly, Max followed, standing to his feet while still holding his cup of coffee in one hand, keys in the other. Augustin had already marched himself out the door, and was waiting rather impatiently by the car, a look of annoyance across his face. Once he saw Max unlock the car, he practically threw the door open and fell in, ignoring as his brother sighed tiredly before he himself got in.

“Could you please try not to rip the car door off every morning..?” He asked quietly, before starting the car. “Why are you so mad, anyway?”

“Because every single year now you leave and I’m stuck at home with our sister.” Answered Augustin, crossing his arms over his chest and turning to look out the window. Max sighed once more, driving down the road.

“I’ll be back for the holidays. I always am, aren’t I?” He asked, only being answered by silence. Once they reached a red light, he took a sip of his coffee, trying to remove the exhaustion which weighed his very bones.

***

“I’ll see you in a few months, do try to stay out of trouble while I’m away!” Max called from the window, watching as his brother walked down the sidewalk. With one last heavy breath and swig of coffee, he prepared himself for his slightly longer drive ahead. Sometimes he wondered why he ever came home for the summer, but he would always have to remind himself that in most cases he was the glue holding their entire family together. Charlotte was working two, sometimes three jobs to support both herself and Augustin, who was trying to finish up school and getting into a bit of trouble. Max was in a bit of a similar situation, though he was simply trying to get his degree. This would be his last year before he finally graduated.

The sun rose in the sky as he drove along the highway, music playing softly in the background. Every once in a while he would take a sip of coffee to ward off the sleep which seemed to tug at him mercilessly. At long last, the campus came into view with its imposing architecture, it looked more like a cluster of medieval cathedrals than a college campus. He parked his car and watched as the students crowded in the school yard, signing up for clubs and some trying to figure out where they were even supposed to go. With one last swig of coffee, he got out and grabbed his things before making his way to his most familiar place. The dorms.

He had shared a dorm with his closest friend Camille since his first year there, they had known each other prior to going to college and Max had felt more comfortable sharing a room with someone he knew well. To his utmost dismay, however, Camille had switched schools over the summer. To be closer to his fiancé, he had said. Max understood, of course, but he was nervous now. Alone in a sea of other young adults, none of which he knew well, he was quite honestly terrified. He downed another swig of coffee before marching up the stairs, wandering down the hall before at last standing before his old familiar door.

Well, I do have to unpack. Again.

With a heavy sigh, he pushed the door open. Some of his more permanent decorations remained, such as pictures he had hung on the wall, and lamps, things of the likes, but Camille’s side was sterile and empty. Bland. Void of any character. With another, almost unneeded sigh, he walked over to his bed and slowly shrugged off his bags full of clothes, placing his laptop bag on his bed. He could not afford for his laptop to break again. Wiping his eyes, he stood in silence for a moment. He would miss the familiarity of his friend, after all they had bonded almost instantly upon first meeting, almost as if they had known each other long, long ago. He shrugged off the thought just as he had his bags, before leaning down and grabbing one of the aforementioned parcels and unpacking. Darting back and forth from bag to drawer, he eventually had his clothes set up for what would be the coming months until once more he returned home for a few weeks.

How lonely it felt in that small dorm room. How lonely indeed.

The silence seemed to eat away at him as he laid on his old bed, staring at the wall.

I will be alright, he and I will keep in touch. After all, it isn’t like he left for no reason at all-

Then, the door opened as someone else tumbled in, though he wasn’t sure if it was a mountain of bags suddenly animated or someone who just decided to pack way too much stuff.

“Um-“ Began Max, with hesitance and anxiety, and the other person looked up.

“And to think I thought that I was early..” they said to themselves, dragging the bags through the door.

“That’s um.. quite a bit of stuff you have there. Are you moving in or something?” Max joked, watching as one bag got stuck in the door, his new roommate tugging at it with what appeared to be a majority of his body weight.

“More or less- oof-“ Max raised an eyebrow as the bag finally broke free, sending its opponent stumbling back a few steps.

“You certainly travel light, don’t you.” He chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. Hopefully this person had a sense of humor.

“Well, considering the fact that I have been living out of my car for the past few months, and obviously I can’t leave my stuff in my car..” they began, before dragging their bags over to what was now their side of the room.

“Living out of your car..?!” Max practically exclaimed, in surprise, eyes wide as he leaned forward.

“Yeah. Complicated situation, don’t want to talk about it.” Answered the other, and Max took a moment to observe them. They were quite tall, though everyone was tall compared to Max, who stood at approximately 5’3”, had long brown hair, and that was about all that Max could tell from what he had seen so far, aside from them fighting with their bags. He watched as they dumped their stuff onto what was now their bed, before taking what was his last swig of coffee. He frowned at the cup in his hand, before setting it aside on his table. “Do you happen to have any tape?” His new roommate suddenly asked, as they stretched a poster up on the wall.

“Oh- uh.. I think I do, give me one second..” Max replied, before sliding off of his bed and rummaging around in his desk, pulling out a roll of scotch tape. “I do, here.” He handed the plastic tape container to the other, who quickly took it.

“Thanks.”

Max wasn’t really sure he liked the tension that suddenly filled his dorm. It was not something he was accustomed to, at least when Camille had been there. He was brought from his thoughts once more as the sound of books falling on top of one another filled the air.

“That’s.. a lot of books-“ he commented, nervously.

“Well, like I said. I can’t keep my belongings in my car.” Responded the other, coldly. Max nodded hesitantly, before deciding in his mind to simply mind his own business and go back to staring at the wall, missing his former roommate. After what Max assumed had been an hour, the sound of bags being dumped finally stopped, and he noticed the bags had simply been pushed beneath the bed. One wasn’t even entirely empty. Max decided to try to clear the tension a little.

“I’m Maximilien, but most everyone calls me Max.” He began, cautiously, and for the first time the entire morning his roommate looked at him.

“Like Maximilien Robespierre?” They asked, and Max chuckled.

“I suppose you could put it that way.” He answered, slightly amused. He could not help but smile, he had never been compared to someone like that before.

“Cool, I’m Antoine.”

At least I have a name for him now?

“That’s.. actually a really neat name, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone named ‘Antoine’ before.” Max said, absentmindedly, staring at the ceiling.

“Yeah, at least I didn’t have to worry about sharing a name with anyone way back in elementary and middle school.” Replied the other with a shrug.

“I certainly dealt with plenty of that.” Max chuckled, lightly, with a nod. “So.. what are you majoring in?” He asked, sitting up attentively.

“Music, mostly.” Antoine replied with a shrug once more, staring at his hands. “Nothing really uncommon or interesting.”

“Well, I’m sure there’s at least some interesting classes?” Max insisted, earning yet another shrug.

“I suppose. Art history seems like it would be pretty interesting.” His face lit up as the other said that.

“Oh it is.” Max grinned, and Antoine raised an eyebrow at him in doubt.

“You seem.. overjoyed at the fact that that’s on my schedule-“ he commented, and Max chuckled once more, this time with more mischief.

“I am, it’s one of my favorite classes. When do you have it?” The latter asked with a warm smile, and Antoine looked up in thought.

“Um.. tomorrow at 8 am, I think?” He answered, looking over at Max.

“Ironically enough I have it at the same time.” Max smiled, and Antoine nodded slowly, his brown hair falling in front of his face for a moment.

“Well there’s one thing we have in common so far.” He replied, and Max could only smile wider. The more time went on, the air became more comfortable, much like it had with Camille. Some strange feeling of familiarity, Max couldn’t quite place what it was, but he was certainly not complaining, it had been a while since he had been able to sit in comfortable silence with another person, or have a warm conversation. It was something he missed, and he was glad to have it once more, even if only for a little while.

[lexpressobean]

Parent/Teacher Night

In which Shikamaru steps in as Mirai's guardian to help her complete her unofficial assignment of the night and subsequently suffers from nostalgia induced shock from unforeseen circumstances.

**Modern AU, Mild Swearing, late 20-something adults who simply care about the same 10-year-old kid lol

Edit: Now available on AO3 too!

•••

Shikamaru had gladly accepted Kurenai's request for him to attend Parent-Teacher night with Mirai in her absence. It had been his day off after all, and he hadn't planned anything anyway. Plus, it'd only take, what, half an hour at most back and forth? Maybe he could even treat Mirai to dinner, just 'cause it had been a while. Normally, Kurenai would have skipped it all together due to her schedule, just this one time, but apparently Mirai's teacher was offering extra credit to the students as an incentive for them to have their parents come. And Mirai was very adamant that she shouldn't waste such an opportunity. Not for this teacher.

Shikamaru wondered what seemed to make this teacher so special to Mirai anyway. When he asked, Mirai seemed confused.

"You don't know, Shikamaru?"

"... Well, it's not like I've met the teacher either Mirai. But this teacher must be really good at their job if you like them that much already."

Mirai gave him a gleeful grin, "Watch, you'll see!"

And see he did.

Shikamaru wasn't expecting to run into such a classicaly "tall, dark, and handsome" form in the classroom. He certainly wasn't expecting that man to BE the teacher.

"Shino-sensei!" Mirai called, running over to greet him.

And at that, something froze Shikamaru in place. Something almost urgent... Wait... Shino? Shino... Why did that name sound familiar...?

The teacher turned just in time to take her glomp's impact with a deep, "OOF!" into his abdomen, and Shikamaru got distracted by the sound of his voice. Wow, deep... but then Shikamaru noticed his glasses misaligned in the process, and Shikamaru then realized they were... sunglasses? Indoors? Ha, this guy... Shikamaru wasn't necessarily gonna dock him points for that. But the only other person Shikamaru remembers doing that unironically was-

...

... Oh wait...

Oh... Wait.

OH. OH, HOLY SHIT!?

WAIT, THAT'S SHINO!? AS IN "SHINO ABURAME" SHINO!?!?!?

...

W H A T ! ?

"Ah... Mirai, hello. I thought you and your mother weren't coming. I told you it's okay, sometimes people can't come."

"Shikamaru came with me! I didn't want to miss the extra credit!"

"Shikamaru?"

"He's technically my godfather, so it counts, right?"

Shino stayed quiet for a moment and looked over towards the doorway where Shikamaru was still standing. As he recognized Shikamaru, Shino straightened up, gave a brief wave and... a smile?

Shikamaru was dumbfounded. Just a minute ago, he would've simply held up an open hand in response as he subtley and respectfully checked him out. Seriously, how could he not? But, now the movement of Shino's wave snapped him out of his thoughts and Shikamaru probably waved more than really needed to acknowledge the teacher. And he cursed at himself inwardly as soon as Shino looked back to Mirai. Was he blushing? It was feeling kinda hot in the classroom all of a sudden...!

"Alright Mirai, thank-you for coming, but for now please wait your turn, okay?"

"Alright!" Mirai walked back to Shikamaru, smiling widely proud of herself.

From far away, he could hear Shino's voice, "Sorry for the interruption. You see-"

"Surprise, Shikamaru!"

Mirai knew. This whole time. And the more he thought about it, Shikamaru at one point knew too. He just... simply forgot... Wow, what a thing to forget. Damn it, why didn't Shikamaru ask more questions earlier? Why didn't she just tell Shikamaru? Hell, why didn't KURENAI tell Shikamaru!?

"Yeah, I guess you're right..."

As Mirai led Shikamaru around the classroom, he started to try and recall more about Shino. It was all coming to him, slowly but surely. And if what he recalled was correct, this neat and organized classroom definitely would scream Shino. It was decorated with the typical posters meant to be both fun and helpful, and colorful and eye catching. Shikamaru even recognized many of the books in the shelves, though most he never actually read any of them. But there were traces of decorations here and there that were definitely conscious choices. Namely pictures of worms in apples, ladybugs, ants and bees symbolizing teamwork, things like that. Shino was a fan of bugs afterall.

Then Shikamaru found some board games and noted shogi was among them. He was tempted for a split second to pull it out and challenge Mirai to a game, but thought better of it. But what Mirai was most eager to show Shikamaru was her seat. Or rather, what was nearly right next to her seat.

In a terrarium, no doubt from Shino's collection if Kiba told him the truth, held a black and white worm. Except the worm had these orange like eye markings all along either side if it, and black dots in each eye shape... Shikamaru thought it looked kinda goth for a bug.

"We all decided to name it Daidai! Shino-sensei says this one will turn into a moth. Before Daidai, we had a catepillar we all named Marugao, because it's head was so big! But when he became a butterfly, he was so pretty, he almost shimmered!"

As Mirai gushed about how she got to sit next to Daidai, Shikamaru stole a glance at Shino once more. He was still making rounds, and it looked like no one else had come into the classroom either. Hm, looks like they were gonna be last.

Sunglasses had always hid Shino's eyes, ever since they were kids. Shikamaru couldn't quite recall if they were actually prescription or not, but up to this point, they had always been a constant. Otherwise... his former classmate really was virtually unrecognizable. And now that he thought about it, Shikamaru recalled that Shino had graduated from university with a teaching degree some years back, but this information had only been secondhand from Kiba on social media. Shikamaru wasn't even sure if Shino had social media...

Meanwhile, Shikamaru had barely been back in town for still less than a year. It wasn't his fault if he didn't know Shino's business. Medical school was gruelling, and anesthesia was no joke.

But still... Shikamaru had been expecting something similar from Shino. Maybe not a medical doctor, but a doctorate? Hadn't he been in the Environmental Club in high school? He seemed like he would've been very interested in the natural sciences, and definitely had the means... It was just kind if odd. He was an academic star that was always competing with both Ino and Sakura for top of the class as far as he could remember. And those ladies had gone to school to become a Pediatric Psychiatrist and Pediatric Surgeon respectively too. They were all a smart bunch, no doubt about that.

Yet, Shino had always been... different too. He had looked like a troublemaker with the beanies he wore, and his messy, nearly kinky curls always managed to find a way to stick out in the back. And he always had baggy looking clothing on in layers during any kind of weather. Plus he had a bad case of RBF Syndrome too, which would alarm a few others because he was always so good at blending into the background, yet when noticed, he looked like the kind of guy that would mess you up for just breathing funny. He had always been taller than most too, that probably didn't help.

But he wasn't a bad kid at all. Not like Naruto and Kiba anyway. Acording to Kiba, Shino's loner tendencies were due to simple shyness. And he would know, as Kiba and Shino seemed to grow close after they opted to join the Environmental Club separately in high school, which happened to be run by Kurenai-sensei. And that's all Shikamaru really knew, because when Kiba would come out and about Shino hardly ever came. Kiba could be pushy, which is how Shikamaru suspected the pair became friends in the first place, but apparently not enough to enjoy a party or things like that together outside of school... Maybe once or twice? Not even at Naruto's insistence could make him a regular, as Naruto was... an "unofficial" member of the Environment Club. Meaning he'd just crash the club's outings when they did plant specific activities. Naruto had a green thumb after all.

Actually, it always seemed like Kiba and Naruto were those extroverts that had the habit of adopting introvert friends so to speak. Funnily enough, their respective adoptees had already known each other too. But Sasuke was even LESS friendlier than Shino, and even Shino seemed annoyed with him, one of those rare times he let his thoughts show in his expression...

But today, in the yellowish glow of the classroom lights... something was definitely different. From his smoothed out hair tied up into modern bun on his hatless head and his open, light duty trenchcoat that really... accentuated his very... broad, adult figure... It was most definitely different... but the most dynamic change of all had to be that Shikamaru had never seen Shino so soft in the face before. Behind those shades, he looked... relaxed, and when he spoke, it sounded so... nice? Definitely not a bad thing at all...

And suddenly there was a hand in front of Shikamaru's face.

"-kamru...Shikamaru?"

"HUH!? What?"

... Oh... Hell, he spaced out.

"... Shikamaru, are you okay? Busy day at work at the hospital maybe?"

HUH!? How did Shino know that? "Uh! Yeah, kinda..." he shook his head, "Well no, that's not it, today was actually my day off. I worked yesterday. Still a little out of it looks like," he added with a casual chuckle. At least he hoped he sounded casual.

Shino frowned, eyebrows knit into concern. Ah man, how embarrassing! Had Shikamaru been caught starting with a dopey look on his face?

"... I'm sorry, maybe extra credit was a bad idea this time around. Mirai is so dutiful, I didn't mean for anyone to be dragged here."

"What? No way, I wasn't dragged here. Mirai is my Goddaughter, Shino, so I'm perfectly ready to be informed about her progress. I agreed to come, it's no big deal."

The now teacher looked at Shikamaru with a slight head tilt to the right... And then another small smile. Wow, he really had to stop doing that!

"Well, all in all, Mirai is actually doing very well. She already excels in her studies and is easily one of our most engaged and top students at this time. She's still young, but she shows a lot of scholarly promise."

"Ah, I see. Do... do you see any areas in need of improvement?"

"Well, there's always room for improvement of course. But in Mirai's case..."

Shino looked over at Mirai who was at the snack table. She had walked over to get a couple of cookies and was seemingly cornered by a classmate into a chat.

"... I think, she could benefit from some encouragement to be more social."

"More social?"

Shikamaru followed Shino's gaze and saw Mirai talking to her classmate, her expression showing patience more than anything... It looked like the other little girl was chatting up a storm.

"Don't misunderstand, she's definitely a team player and is very respectful. However, her maturity level is above many of her classmates. As a result, she tends to prefer to study on her own..."

Well, that rang a bell. Shikamaru could've sworn that Shino was the same way back then. But Mirai didn't resemble Shino at all.

"Is she quiet?" Shikamaru asked.

"Oh, no, thankfully she's still quite engaged. If anything, sometimes she may overthink things. I've noted she's a bit of a perfectionist, and so is actually a little slower on average during tests, but she's an avid question asker too. If she just had some more confidence in her self and would... relax a little more, I think it'd be good for her. She's still a kid after all, she should feel allowed to act like one."

That was a strange thing to say... Did Mirai... not feel okay?

"... She's Kurenai-sensei's daughter, so I try not to favor her. It's kind of hard when she used to ride on my shoulders during reunions and things like that though."

Shino gives a small, warm smile in Mirai's direction. And Shikamaru is kind of touched. Despite the shades, his fondness for Mirai is so obvious. It makes Shikamaru glad to know she has Shino to come to during school time. At least that was something....

Then, Shino turned back to Shikamaru, who was TOTALLY not staring just now.

"But it's necessary. She's... too comfortable with me... If earlier didn't make that obvious."

Shikamaru did have it in his mind to scold Mirai about that, but that was a talk for later. More private.

"I had meant to bring this up with Kurenai, but Mirai also... has had a habit of staying in the classroom during lunch and recess. I've had to move to the teacher's lounge during just to get her outside..."

"What? Really?"

Shino nodded, eyebrows knitted and a smile that showed a regretful sympathy.

"... I wonder what that could be about..."

"I suppose some kids find it hard to socialize, but she needs a more... balanced perception of boundries. In no time, she'll have her own mother for a teacher too. Otherwise, she's generally doing pretty well."

Shit. Shino was thinking way ahead, Kurenai was a high school teacher. But... he was right, this couldn't be allowed to go on.

"Shikamaru?"

"Hm? Yes?"

"Did you have any more questions?"

"Uh... No, I... don't think so. But, even though I'm sure you don't have to be asked, please, continue to take care of her."

Shino perked up a little at that before smiling at Shikamaru again! It made it hard to stare him in the face, "Of course."

... Damn... Was Shino's smile... always this cute?

"Shikamaru! I brought you a cookie."

"Oh, thank-you."

"Did you want one too Buggy... I mean... Shino... sensei?"

"... Buggy?" Shikamaru repeated.

"... Ah, Sensei I'm sorry, I did it again...!"

Shino pat Mirai's head, and gave a small chuckle even. Shikamaru was all ears, "It's okay Mirai, I'm know you're trying. No offense taken."

"I really am, I promise!" she assured, "So did you want one?"

"No thank-you Mirai, it's for the guests. You go ahead."

"Okay, sensei."

Shikamaru couldn't help it. He just had to say something.

"Hey Shino."

"Yes?"

"You must be pretty suited to teaching."

"Oh? What makes you sat that?"

"I mean... It's been a while. Actually it's been a long time, but... well, I don't think I've ever seen you quite like this before..."

"Pardon?"

"I dunno, you just seem... Very much in your element here. I'm glad the whole instructor thing really worked out. You've been here for a few years already, haven't you?

"Oh... Thank-you, Shikamaru... And yes, I have. I appreciate that."

This time Shino GRINNED. And Shikamaru suddenly was very aware of his... jawline... uh...

"Y-Yeah, of course! Well, I'm sure there's other parents you need to talk to..."

"Right, that is true." A couple more stragglers had come in.

"But here, hold on a sec," Shikamaru pulled out his phone, "I don't think we've ever traded information before. Wanna trade now? I'll send you a text back."

"Oh," Shino was a bit surprised, "Um. Okay, sure."

After getting his number, Shikamaru sent a text and could hear one of Shino's pockets vibrate.

"There, all set! Thanks for talking with me, Shino."

"Thank-you for coming. And if you're not terribly busy, I trust you will be the one to come when Kurenai-sensei is unavailable?"

"Yes. Yes, that'll be the plan," Shikamaru decided right then and there.

"Alright, thank-you Shikamaru."

"No, thank-you. C'mon Mirai, let's go. Goodbye, Shino.

"Bye Shino-sensei!"

"Goodbye."

-

"Shikamaru! Can we go eat something? I'm starving!"

"What do you want?"

"Yakisoba!!"

"Haha, alright, sure."

Mirai gave Shikamaru a sudden and huge hug.

"Whoa, what's up?"

"I'm just so happy you came, Shikamaru! So thank-you!" she beamed.

It tugged on Shikamaru's heartstrings a bit. She really had missed him, huh? "You don't have to thank me, Mirai, but your welcome anyway. C'mon, let's go."

"It was nice that you and Shino-sensei got to see each other again too, don't you think?"

"Uh, yeah, it was quite the surprise. But a welcomed one."

Hmmm... It looks like Kurenai was gonna have to be unavailable for the next few parent-teacher nights....

••

I kept tweaking it and tweaking it until I decided to simply stop. So sorry for any grammar or syntax errors, but I just needed to get this out of my system haha

[rosaliepostsstuff]

Chapter 5 - Of Halloween and Fred’s bluntness

series masterlist

tags:  @weasleysbees ; @gloryekaterina​ ; @thatguppienamedbae​ ; @sagittarius-flowerchild​​; @hufflepuff5972​ ; @pandaxnienke​ ;  @izzyyy-1

if you’d like to be added/removed, send a DM or an ask

warnings: swearing, sexual references, mentions of food and eating, alcohol consumption word count: 1749 a/n: This might’ve been the most fun to write chapter yet. Surprise in form of diving into George’s mind for a chapter! a/n 2: I planned out and published the chapter titles in advance on purpose, as a little teaser, so you could try to figure out what the plot could be and I cannot express enough how excited I am for the next one 

If you have any feedback, please let me know!

 —————⑤—————

 George woke up from blissful sleep to be met with a dull headache. He went to reach and open the curtain of his four-poster, rubbing his face in the process and winced immediately, reminding himself of previous day’s events.

He lay back on the pillow, his bottom lip throbbing slightly.

He brought his fingers to the swollen lip, touching it carefully, thinking back to how your fingers would brush over it delicately as you tended to him last evening. You were too good for him.

Fred’s heavy groan, signalling his wake up, distracted George from going down the same path again as last night when his thoughts went spiralling, going over and over the short conversation you had right afterwards, until he passed out and fell asleep.

He stretched in his bed and lazily got up, ready to start the day.

—————⑤—————

 They walked down the spiralled steps quickly, on their way to grab lunch, as it was way past time for breakfast. George slipped into the common room and saw you waiting at the table, writing something in your small notebook. You looked up soon enough and your eyes lit up when they met his, you slammed shut the notebook and slipped it into your bag.

“Hi there,” you waved to the three boys, walking up to them. Your gaze travelled to George’s lip and he noticed concern flood your eyes right away. You truly looked like an angel, smiling like that.

“How’s it feel?” you asked, twisting your face a bit and pointing at his mouth once you started walking. “Alright,” he answered, nodding, “it seems to be healing well, whatever you rubbed in it must’ve helped,” he smiled. “Ah see, magic,” you said, smugly, trying to appear mysterious. “Pure love,” Fred exclaimed, walking in the front, “and just the right amount of spit,” he added, turning to you for a moment, making the rest of you laugh.

 “Have you managed to finish your costumes?” You asked enthusiastically, before bringing a forkful into your mouth. “Yup,” George replied, clearly proud of himself. “We’re gonna look absolutely wicked, I’m so glad we agreed on this,”  Lee stated, and you smiled wider at the boys.

“Are you doing any make-up?” Fred asked. You bit your lip in thought, “Dunno… I mean, they’re cartoons, I don’t think they wear make-up..? But maybe…why?” “If you’re wearing make-up, and we’re not” Fred gestured between himself and George, “then we won’t be matching anymore,” he reasoned. “True. I could come over and we’d do it together, I could help you out. Might be fun. George..?” you asked, checking if he had any objections. “I’m cool,” he said, shrugging.

 George was lying in bed, in his outfit, waiting. Lee was putting on some finishing touches to his costume and Fred was still in his boxers and socks. Five minutes before the appointed time, they heard your signature knock on the door.

You walked in and upon seeing Fred’s ‘too-close-to-naked’ butt turned to you, twisted your face and gagged as a hello. “You’re early, sunshine,” Fred said cheekily, walking behind his bed and pulled back the curtain to get dressed behind it. George took a moment to notice how cute you looked in your costume. “On time, five minutes early,” you countered and went to sit down on George’s bed.

You gave him an appraising look, scanning him from head to toe and he felt a strong urge to pull his skirt down, making you chuckle. “Nice legs,” you winked. “I’d argue,” Fred declared, raising one of his own legs tantalizingly from behind the curtain.

“What’s up with your face?” Lee gave you a puzzled sort of look, only now turning to you properly.

Now that George thought about it, it did look a bit weird.

“I prepped my face and did my foundation, I’ll do the rest once I know what those two want me to do to their faces,” you said.

Yes, yes now that would explain it.

You opened your makeup bag and pulled some stuff George had no clue about. He’s never actually seen you do your makeup. At school, if you’re wearing any, he always saw you already in it. The only opportunity would be perhaps while you’re staying at the Burrow, but then you rarely bother wearing makeup.

Fred insisted on being your subject first. He wasn’t a very good one, though. Rather impatient and very mobile, restless, earning himself a few smacks on the shoulder from you.

Then it was George’s turn. He sat on the bed, facing you, and you shifted to sit as close as possible, to make your job easier. He felt your breath on his face as you scanned it carefully, then you got to work.

It came to his attention he rarely got to see your face from this perspective. Right in front of his eyes, and so close. All of your facial features, so familiar to him, he got to know even better.

“George…” you scolded him gently. “What?” he asked, genuinely confused. Were you talking about something and he wasn’t listening? No, he’d have noticed, he was staring at your lips. “Don’t move away! I can’t do it precisely when you lean back and I have to reach like that.” “I’m not leaning back,” George denied. “You’re leaning back, mate,” Fred pointed out and George realised he was, in fact, involuntarily leaning further back every time your face got closer.

He straightened his back once again and this time your face got pushed away like it was the same magnetic pole as his.

“You’re getting circles under your eyes,” he went to distract you, “you keep staying up lately.” You sighed softly, like you always do when he calls you out on something, but you know he’s right. “I don’t think I’ll have to anymore. Or not much longer, so I’ll get better with my sleep,” you explained. “And are you finally going to tell me what is it, that you were doing?” he asked accusingly. These past few weeks you kept brushing him off with ‘I’ll tell you soon enough’. “Better yet,” you smirked mischievously, “I might show you today if we leave before the sunset. It won’t be as impressive in the dark,” you stated, making the three boys’ curiosity peak.

You carefully put on some finishing touches on George’s lips, careful of the cut. “Voila!” you exclaimed, pulling away to admire your work.

Fred looked at his brother with a frown, then glanced at himself in a mirror. “You did a wonky job on my eyes!” he said, pointing his finger. “Uhh- you did a wonky job staying still,” you replied, grabbing all the necessary products to finish your makeup in front of a mirror. The boys found watching you do it surprisingly satisfying.

 “Oh, and Julie’s coming over later so I’ll be hanging out with her,” Fred noted as the four of you left their dorm. “Congratulations,” George said sarcastically and Fred gave him a look. “So what?” “So, you know what hanging out means. I need you out of the room,” Fred replied, accentuating the last part.

George groaned. He knew he’d be tired after going out and the prospect of not being able to get back to his room for Merlin knows how long was not welcome, but he didn’t argue.

“Oh come on, Merlin knows you should get laid. You’d relax a little,” Fred stated (Lee snorted in the background) and George glared at him, feeling betrayed. Fred looked at your surprised face, “and you too. Both of you, actually,” he added, waving his finger between George and you. (Lee crouched down to avoid collapsing from laughing so hard.)

You and George stared at him with your jaws dropped, mortified. “Oh, my sweet little beans, I didn’t say you have to get laid with each other!” Fred clasped his hands dramatically, “…necessarily,” he added with a sweet, mischievous smile.

George smacked his brother across the head. You started laughing, partly as a defensive reaction, partly because of Lee’s contagious laughter.

 —————⑤—————

 On your way to Hogsmeade, you went off-course a little. You led the boys towards one of the outer sides of the castle, near the clocktower courtyard and a path leading to the lake. Once you were out in the open, it was hard to miss – a huge, windowless, wall, and on it-

“Pink toad can suck a butt?” Lee read out loud. “What is that?!” Fred questioned in disbelief. You crossed your arms on your chest proudly, “Moss graffiti. Alicia and I did this,” you explained gazing once again at your masterpiece. George looked at the writing in amusement, “And you did all this-“ “In the cover of the night, yeah,” you replied before he could finish. “They’ll never catch me,” you whispered theatrically. “It was worth losing a little sleep. It’s so stupid it’s hilarious.”

 —————⑤—————

 By the time you stepped through the gate of Hogsmeade, George’s legs were pretty cold and he concluded that in this temperature a little wind between the legs doesn’t seem so great after all. Looking down at his pink dress, he silently thanked himself for giving in to you when you told him to wear tights because he would’ve felt really stupid right about now.

He looked to his left and could see your wide grin as you bit your bottom lip in excitement, looking around all the decorations. With a little help of magic, your hair was now the exact same shade as Bubbles’, tied in two neat pigtails. Dressed in a very similar dress as his, but blue, you clutched your stuffed octopus to your chest.

You made sure to take a group photo as a souvenir for the future and then commenced your Halloween celebrations. Trick or treating with lots of tricks and playing games, you got complimented on your group-coordinated outfits every now and then. Butterbeer was flowing, candy was consumed and memories were made.

That evening George was thankful as ever for your company in the common room while his twin occupied the dorm.

With most of your energy drained, legs falling out and bellies full of unhealthy snacks, you lay on the couch in front of the fire, talking nonsense.

As both of you grew more sleepy and the pauses in your conversation grew longer, he got lost in his thoughts. Perhaps his brother was right. Perhaps he should just get laid.

Perhaps, he should get over himself.

[dracothedeatheatingcupcake-ao3]

Random Knife Post (kinda Danganronpa related, ha)

Oh my god, guys. 

So! Backstory. My family and I decided to do a family outing today and went to this nice place with a bunch of cool shops and things. One of the shops there was a knife shop, and while I’m not super into blades, I do have an appreciation for well crafted knives and swords, as any woman does. So I decided to go browsing and see what selection they had. I’ve been to this store before a few times and they always have some nice looking blades, so it’s always worth a look at least.

Now, I had not been intending to buy anything, since I don’t really need any knives and I don’t really collect them, though I do own a sword. However, I stopped dead when I saw that the shop had these super cool looking switchblade knives that, when folded, looked like motorcycles. And my first thought when seeing these knives was....”Oh my God, this is SO MONDO” (and yes, that was legit my first thought. I am a nerd.) 

I still hadn’t intended on buying any of the knives, to be honest. I just thought I’d take a picture and share it with y’all later, being all “ha look at these cool Mondo Knives!!!” But one of the knives in particular really caught my eye. And after I left the store and wandered a bit, I was like...... “you know, Katie, if you don’t buy this knife now, you know you will regret it later...” so......

I went back and bought the knife. 

😂😂😂😂

I don’t regret it! It wasn’t super expensive and it looks so cool!!! Sometimes it’s nice to be an adult, ha. ^-^ I’ll share some pictures below a read more if anyone wants to see it, both alone and with me holding it. I also have some bonus pics of the sword I mentioned before, so if anyone likes blade you can see that too, ha. 

Also, y’all wanna know the best part of all of this?? I was actually wearing my Danganronpa ensemble shirt that I bought from Hot Topic a few weeks ago today. Ha.

(Click the read more if you want to see the pictures! :-D )

Alright, so here’s a picture of all the knives that I initially took. There were four designs in total, though the one I bought was the one that's second from the bottom, which is a dragon.

Personally, I think Mondo would like the one above the one I bought, since it looks like a regular motorcycle, but I like to think he’d also really like any of these knives, ha. And given his belt, I think he’d really like my knife too. Oh, and if anyone is curious, I think the top one is an eagle, though you can’t see it too well here. I didn’t like that one that much so I didn’t focus on it, ha. 

Here are some pics of me showing that I am Totally a woman who should be trusted with a knife. :-) 

A wider shot so you can see my shirt too, ha. Fun fact: when my brother took this picture, he suggested I hold the knife up to Sayaka on my shirt, to be “true to the game.” I decided against that idea 😂

Here are some close up shots!!! I had this cool holographic gold poster paper I use for a background to some pics, and I thought it looked nice with the knife, ha. Fun fact: I’ve never owned a switchblade knife and was concerned when I couldn’t get the knife to retract after fully extending it once I got home. It took me a couple minutes to realize it had a little switch that kept it open when it’s open, ha. Also! The knife has a little mini light on it and the “seat” of the motorcycle is the button. I didn’t look at the knife before buying it (I totally was gonna buy it no matter what, duh) so it was def a surprise to find! 

Another thing I didn’t know before buying it was that the blade has a cool design of two people racing on motorcycles etched on both sides!!! It’s so cool!!!

Finally, here is where I’m gonna keep my knife! Right next to the little Mondo doll I made a few weeks ago but never posted pictures of since he’s not very well made, ha. But I love him regardless. 

Oh, and the sword behind it, by the way, is actually Sting from The Hobbit and LOTR! I found it for cheap at a local Renaissance Faire several years ago and HAD to have it. They’re supposed to have the faire again this year and if they have Orcrist, I’m gonna get that too. They had it the last time but it was a lot more expensive than Sting, since it’s a full sized sword, but I Really want it. Again, I’m not super into blades, but like... come ON. 😂😂

Bonus:

Just for fun, here are some pics my brother took of me playing dead in a coffin display they had near the knife shop, as well as me frowning at my brother because he is Annoying, as all older brothers are. You can see my shirt pretty well here, ha. Which, by the way, I got at least 3 compliments on today! And I got a couple the last few times I’ve worn it, and even had one dude strike up a brief  conversation about Danganronpa with me when I wore it the first time. I didn’t know so many people liked this game/anime where I live! 

Bonus bonus:

Oh! I found the pictures I took of Sting when I bought it, so if anyone was curious, here’s what it looks like. I apparently bought it in November of 2018. Nice to know. 

~

Anyway!!! I hope y’all liked the knife and bonus pics, ha. One last thing: I now really, REALLY want to draw Mondo holding my knife, OMG. Like... this is a Thing I need. I may draw a rough sketch tomorrow if I find the time, since I don’t have anything for graduate school due. Let me know if anyone else would want to see this, or if I’m alone in my Need. 😂😂

Also, I know this post was long, but I’m super excited about my new knife! I doubt I’ll never use it, but it’s still neat. And if I do ever need a switch blade, at least I’ll have one...... aha. Thanks for reading! ^-^

[survey--s]

108.

What was the best thing to happen to you this week?   I got the weekend off and I had a week of pretty much perfect weather. Plus, all the dogs were excellently behaved too! Where do you put your keys when you get home?   They go in the back door as I generally go straight there to let the dog out. Do you prefer hot coffee or iced coffee?   Hot coffee in winter, iced coffee in the summer months. What's your phone background picture?   It’s a purple nebula that I found on the internet. If you could move to any country, what would it be?   Canada or Australia.

Have you ever seen a snake in the wild?   Yes, on holiday in Italy. What's your favourite movie from the 80s?   The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink. Do you have any posters, paintings or other artwork on your walls?   Yeah, some photographs and prints. There are no posters, though. What would your dream wedding be like?   I wanted to get married on a beach but the weather around here is way too unpredictable for that shit, lol. We had a simple registry office wedding and then went out for afternoon tea. It was lovely :) Would you ever take a trip to space if given the chance?   Yes! I would absolutely LOVE to experience all that. Sadly, I very much doubt it will ever happen. How do you cope with anxiety?   I used to take medication but nowadays I make sure I get plenty of sleep and exercise, and make sure I take time to myself everyday too. Are you expecting any phone calls or emails?   Nope, not today. What's the weather like in your part of the world right now?   Cold, grey and cloudy. A typical January weekend, really. What was the last takeout food you ate?   We had chippy for dinner a couple of weeks ago. Who makes you laugh the most?   My husband. Do you know anyone with the same middle name as you?   Sure. Catherine is a fairly common middle name. What did you have done the last time you saw a dentist?   Nothing - I just had a clean and a check-up. I’ve never really had any issues with my teeth beyond impacted wisdom teeth. What does a successful relationship look like to you?   I think depends entirely on the couple - everyone has different ideas about what they want a relationship to be like, after all. What do you like to put on your baked potato?   Cheese, butter and sour cream. Tuna mayonnaise can be good too, or baked beans. What field of science interests you the most?   Psychology.   What's the closest shop or restaurant to your house?   A dog grooming salon called Wags. Do you have any family that live in another country?   Yes, the only family I have in this country are my parents. What colour is your couch?   Gray.   Do you know how to care for plants and keep them alive?   I know how to, but I’m not very good as I just don’t have very much interest in it, I guess. It’s just not something that interests me. What was the most memorable birthday you've had?   I don’t know how old I was, but the one where I went to Rollerbury is the one that stands out the most, or the gym/trampolining party at the leisure centre. Would you rather go to the beach or the mountains?   The beach, but I live surrounded by both.   What do you do for work?   I run my own dog-walking and pet-sitting business. I also sell natural dog treats as a side-line. Have you ever been to see the circus?   Yeah, several times. I love the circus so long as it only involves people, not animals.  Are there any words that you hate or make you cringe?   Sure. What is the best house you've ever lived in?   This one as it’s ours. What was the first CD you ever bought?   2 Become 1 by the Spice Girls. Do you look in the mirror before you leave the house?   Yeah, I always check to make sure there’s no food round my mouth and to make sure my hair is reasonably neat and tidy. What's the most unusual thing you've ever eaten?   Zebra pizza, maybe. It was surprisingly good! Have you ever seen someone quit their job in a dramatic way?   Nope. What movie reminds you of your childhood?   The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Land Before Time, Fern Gully, Matilda. Do you know why your parents named you what they did?   They decided that if I was a girl, my dad would pick the name and he just liked Nicola, I suppose. There’s no emotional connection behind it. Do you have any bills that need to be paid?   Yeah, my tax bill is due on Friday. What do you like to dip your fries in?   Mayonnaise, ketchup or BBQ sauce. Is your house clean or messy right now?   It’s clean. I always keep it clean - mess really stresses me out, lol. I’ve never understood people who can leave dirty dishes and mess everywhere. What was the last email you received?   It was just an advert from Fat Face, I think. Do you know someone who speaks without a filter?   Yes.   Are you in any social groups?   I don’t do being social. How many hours of sleep did you get last night?   About nine hours. Do you believe in alternate universes?   Yes. Whose house did you last visit?   Uh, for work I was at Ruth’s house on Friday. What games do you play on your smart phone?   Klondike, Bingo Blitz and MarioRun. Have you ever been to Los Angeles?   No, I’ve never been anywhere in America. What was the first concert you ever went to?   Spice Girls at Wembley. Do you know anyone who is colourblind?   My granddad was colourblind. What's your favourite season and why?   Autumn - the colours, the scents, the clothing, the cosiness. Are you the youngest, middle or eldest child in your family?   None of the above - I’m am an only child. If you had to make something for a potluck, what would you make?   Uh, potato salad, maybe. What kinds of decorations do you put up at Halloween?   None. I didn’t realise decorating for all these holidays was a “thing” until I read it online, lol. Maybe it’s an American trend. How many tabs do you have open right now? Four, including this one. What's something you've been meaning to do but keep putting off?   I need to make up three treat boxes tonight. What's the first thing you check on your phone at the start of the day?   The time, then my notifications, then I tend to open Facebook. Have you ever flown a kite?   Yes. Why does this question keep coming up all the time at the moment? Who was your favourite music artist when you were 16?   Death Cab for Cutie, Regina Spektor, Dashboard Confessional, Imogen Heap, Laura Marling etc. What are three things you usually always have in your fridge? Milk, fresh fruit juice, cheese.

[watchinglikeafangirl]

Second Chance - color scheme

So, here's the analysis as promised. Now I've written all my exams and my mind is free and empty, so I have enough space to fill with stuff about asian shows - especially BLs. In this post, I'm probably reading way too much between the lines and some things probably don't have a deeper meaning but who cares?

Second Chance was not a very exciting show and some parts were boring. Honestly, if there wouldn't've been the talk about loneliness whilst staring up to the nightsky, I probably wouldn't've watched it weekly. This dialogue just hit different. And this show has a few scenes, that just hit different.

The color scheme is not extremely thought out - it's not ITSAY after all - but there are some colors which are often used in certain scenes. All the couples have a signature color which, I think, is very nice. Paper and Fah are blue, Chris and Jeno are yellow and Near and M are brown. Before I'm getting started, be prepared that I'm not going to talk about Near and M at all because I really don't care about them and didn't watch their scenes properly. I was invested in the other stories but theirs was like...weird, boring and not the best acting. Near had always the same facial expression and M somehow freaked me out a bit, I don't know why.

Paper and Fah

Anyway, let's start with the main couple of this show whose scenes always contain the color blue or at least white - sometimes both.

First, let's talk about the color scheme of the scene that kept me watching: when Fah is staring at the nightsky and Paper keeps him company to make him feel less lonely. Not only did the talk feel special to me (exepct for Paper's flirting) but the colors underline this special feeling. Yellow, red, blue and green are there and each color symbolizes certain feelings which adjust to the atmosphere. These two sit on the field when it's already dark, but where they are sitting the ground is yellow, portraying the positivity and happiness they feel when they are around each other. Red stands for love, no more words needed. The dark blue could only be there to show that it's dark around them, or it is supposed to show a certain feeling of isolation and loneliness which Fah felt before, but doesn't any more because Paper showed up. Like Paper is driving these negative feelings out of Fah's head. Nearly, every scene has a green meadow or plants in the background and it just shows growth because it's a coming-of-age show.

Later this episode, Paper and Fah are playing Jenga and compare the size of hands - they manage to make this a very cute and innocent scene. Here, Paper wears a white shirt that says "dream". He feels so good, he feels like he's in a dream because we know he's not sure about his feelings. He feels true and loves this feeling but doesn't act on it. It's a dream.

In episode 2, not many memorable interactions take place but we get one very important scene. Paper and Fah have a fight and make up during a drive on Fah's motorcycle. During that scene, the background is yellow, but it's a dirty yellow. Paper is afraid to touch Fah and they just sit distantly on this motorcycle. But after a moment, he gives in and hugs Fah from behind. His head is resting on Fah's shoulder and now, the street lights are mirrored in their helmets and they smile. The whole screen lights up and I believe this is a really beautiful metaphor.

And then of course, the kiss happens. This scene is interesting as well because first, Paper's shirt says "today is a good day" and Fah's shirt says "it's not easy but, it's worth it". These lines just reflect their feelings pretty accurate. Second, Paper's shirt is white, but the lines are written in blue and Fah's shirt is blue but the lines are written in white. They complete each other which is why the rejection afterwards is so painful. Fah even shows he feels like his heart has been ripped out by touching his chest. I noticed, when Fah is crying after Paper leaves, his room is all blue except for the spot where Paper used to sit. There, the ground is brown but this warm color doesn't reach Fah.

Then, Fah has an accident at the end of episode 4 and is in the hospital. Paper is really devastated and I believe, the color Fah wears in the hospital is chosen very well because he is not wearing blue. In fact, his shirt is more like a light mint green or turqoise. Compared to his usual piercing blue, it seems like like he is fading. Well, not fading because he's not dying, but he's not concious, he's not there and this is shown through this very light color. And when Fah wakes up, Paper's shirt says "flowers need time to bloom" which is just underlining the personal growth he went through during the last days and that he is now comfortable to act on his feeling.

During the prom, Paper is dressed in black, like he's attendening a funeral. But this does fit somehow because he is kind of grieving over the fact that Fah can't be there next to him. But then, of course, Fah shows up all dressed in white. White symbolizes heaven and Fah is Paper's heaven (that sounds so cheesy, I'm sorry). He brings light into Papers life. The kiss they share shows they sorted things out entirely because now, Paper kisses Fah first unlike the first time when Fah was kissing Paper. And they look each other in the eyes afterwards, unlike the first kiss when they were evading each others looks.

Chris and Jeno

Let's continue with the side couple that gained more and more screen time throughout this show. They had a few ups and downs as well and let me say, I was surprised they are such good actors. In TharnType their roles were a joke and so much wasted potential because it was awful to watch. It's not their fault, they were instructed to act like this but it was horrible. But not here. Their story and acting is really good and I like it a lot.

Chris and Jeno definetely have the color yellow and sometimes black - or both - as their signature. What is beautiful to observe is the way Chris attaches to this color. Jeno's backpack and phonecase are yellow and the more time they spend with each other, the more do Chris' clothes contain this color. This is a great metaphor to show how much he tries to understand Jeno and be the one he needs.

This metaphor is already visible in the second episode when Jeno goes to the boxing club. Chris wears a black shirt. It's used as a neutral color, I guess, because Jeno doesn't really know Chris then. The second time we see them together, Chris wears the exact same shirt but now it's yellow because he likes Jeno and is openly hitting on him.

Later that day, Chris takes Jeno home and they talk in front of Jeno's house. Chris wants to come in but Jeno doesn't let him. The screen is devided into two parts here. Jeno's house looks pretty neat and symmetrical. It's white and brown. On the side where Chris is standing, he has the street in the background. There's a lot of yellow light because of the street lights and the plants are in a very bright green. It's like Chris is the "wild" one who will make Jeno's life a bit more exciting. Green is of course also meant as renewal and growth and when Chris is actually inside because Jeno's mom invites him in, there are also a few plants around them.

This amout of green is also there whenever they walk outside the boxing club. They always walk through this wildly green hedge.

In episode 4 the color of their clothes repeats itself when Chris invites Jeno on a date Jeno wears black and his blanket is black exept for his phone case which is yellow and Chris outside wears a shirt in stripes the same colors (black and yellow).

But then, things are messed up and Chris scares Jeno away.

But in episode 5, they make up because Chris apologizes in a very sincere way. The lighting in this scene is interesting. The library is dark and you can see the dark blue at the end of the corridor, but where they are sitting, the lighting is very bright to let them stand out. Plus they wear white shirts. White is purity and honesty. And, they are surrounded by wodden shelfs, like they are coming "down to earth", especially Chris who was very euphoric about his feelings and now realizes he did something wrong. That he didn't even listen to Jeno nor tried to understand him.

In episode 6, we feel that things have changed. They both show their feelings. I was dying when I noticed Jeno is wearing Chris' shirt during the fight...

They take things next level when Chris eats dinner with Jeno's family. They all say, Jeno never brings anybody home, so he must be a special someone which shows again that Chris' feelings are returned. Here, Jeno's sister wears a shirt saying "good things take time" to reflect on the journey they went on. They grew together and the kiss at the prom just felt like a next step on that journey. It didn't feel like everything was aiming at that very kiss and it also didn't seem as important. Unlike Paper and Fah's kiss which had a deeper meaning to both of them because they were friends for a very long time before. Chris and Jeno in comparison knew it was always going to be like this and knew their feelings for each other for a long time.

Conclusion

Sadly, Second Chance wasn't very long and it didn't have a new story or something but at least, it didn't try to be new or different. But it was different after all, I can't describe it. It is a very cute show that made me feel very single and sad that I didn't have a high school love...

But even though there doesn't seem to be much depth, you can see and feel that people behind the scenes were carefully thinking about what their rooms should look like and what clothes they should wear. The "Call me by your name"-poster in Fah's room killed me after Paper and Fah's kiss because Paper let go of Fah's hand whilst Elliot leans on Oliver in the background. Honestly, I was dead and nearly cried.

I like the idea very much that each coupe has a signature color or colors. It's what ITSAY did and it carries a special feeling.

And, the characters weren't fulfilling clichés. Yes, Jeno is the shy one. He hid his face after the kiss... but he defended Arthur on his own. He had his closure without Chris' help. He didn't even need Chris to be there. Talking about Arthur, his cry at the prom raised a very big question mark. Why did they come up with the loneliness and pain he has inside in the last 20mins? Do they want to make a spin-off? If not, then why?

What I mean with cliches are the awful stereotypes of "top" and "bottom" which none of the couples fulfill, thankfully. They are all equal and none of them is domiant over the other. In fact, Chris tries it and it doesn't work at all.

This show is one of the few BLs that has a nice intro song, so I never skipped it. I love this song, exactly my thing. It is not catchy or fast or anything, but it's very nice. Nit like the Lovely Writer song that just annoys me whenever I hear it.

Anyway, this text is too long, sorry. I'm just practicing my English here and don't know what to do with my life at the moment.

[lovebugcody]

i went through and watched all 39 songs from Eurovision 2021 and decided to make a list (in no particular order) of my faves/the ones i will absolutely be listening to again (i also included links!).

i also just wanted to say i enjoyed all the songs! every country had great songs and artists! (i googled everyone when i used pronouns, but if i got them wrong please tell me!)

Dark Side by Blind Channel (Finland) (these guys all looked like they were having a great time performing this song. will definitely listen to more of their music, rock? metal? bit of both? a banger either way)

Zitti E Buoni by Måneskin (Italy) (this and the song above are the two songs that i would have to say are my favourites. this song is so very punk. i don't know any italian but this song slaps so i do not need to. and anyone who knows me won't be surprised by this statement, but the bassist is so very hot)

I Don't Feel Hate by Jendrik (Germany) (very vibey, mv was very gay, and looked like a great time. also "tap break")

Maps by Lesley Roy (Ireland) (another good vibey song, also so much Irish scenery in the mv, such a pretty country)

El Diablo by Elena Tsagrinou (Cyprus) (i swear i've heard this song before??? flash warning for the mv)

Russian Women by Manizha (Russia) (i don't speak a word of russian but i love her vibe and her energy and i can definitely see myself dancing in the kitchen to this song. also i started typing this halfway through the song and moved it up to a fave mid-typing)

Embers by James Newman (United Kingdom) (pretty uk countryside, banging brass accompaniment)

10 years by Daði og Gagnamagniðv (Iceland) (to be fair... i am a fan. if you've somehow never heard of them, at least watch this one. their music is great and the mv's are always really neat)

Set Me Free by Eden Alene (Israel) (she's very pretty, her voice is amazing, the song has good vibes)

honourable mentions (songs that blew me away but aren't my vibe enough to frequently relisten)

Karma by Anxhela Peristeri (Albania) (her voice!! the mv!! the clarinette solos?! slight flash warning for the mv)

Amnesia by ROXEN (Romania) (she. oh my god she is stunning and i am once again reminded how gay i am. her voice is also incredible. the only reason it isn't above is it feels like an inspirational poster in song form sometimes)

Birth of A New Age by Jeangu Macrooy (The Netherlands) (his voice literally stunned me when the song started. i paused and just stared for a moment. holy shit his voice!!)

Amen by Vincent Bueno (Austria) (his voice! his cheekbones! okay song but his voice makes it. vincent is very pretty though)

Voices by Tusse (Sweden) (oh my god his voice and his fit and the song and the choreo!!)

Je Me Casse by Destiny (Malta) (very jazzy, the mv is a lot of fun, and all of her outfits are stunning! and the background dancers once again reminding me just how gay i am)