#i really am just reading the most angry reviews of this show

[tempestaurora]

like idk. im reading on twitter people mad that ted and rebecca didnt get together and that they were set up for it and the “morning after” scene in the finale was a middle finger and like. idk. at no point did i read the show that way. they were clearly platonic throughout and although occasionally i was like, they would make a good relationship, the story spent its time placing rebecca with sam and ted with (other than a fling) no one. i thought that “morning after” scene was hilarious, a little poke at what the fans wanted but also a nice joke to say, sorry, that’s not how this plays out

[veninorchid]

Bridgerton S3 Review

Dearest gentle reader, I am disappointed, sadly.

And as I respect your opinion, so too, shall you respect mine. I'm not here to bash on #Polin fans and the fact that they enjoyed it, but what -was- season 3 of Bridgerton truly?

I love the Mondriches, but do they really need so much screen-time? What did their own ball add to the story exactly? Had the same feeling about the Dankworth-Finch ball at the end, but at least that one proved its necessity as -the reveal all- ball. Because there was of course no Duke of Hastings (Simon) to host it, so they improvised.

This season had too many stories going on at the same time which were all fighting for the spotlight when it should've focused on #Polin, cause that is what was advertised/hyped. It did not deliver…

Season 1 - Daphne and Simon They had the most screen-time and all other stories got a little bit of shine. But even then some of those had either Daphne or Simon in the picture/background. (Marina-Colin, with Daphne as chaperone is one of the examples) None of the other stories distracted from the main focus.

Season 2 - Kanthony Same here. While there was a lot going on in this season with Anthony courting Edwina and going all the way to the alter with her (creative license, since it didn't happen in the book) and then on the other hand we were seeing the other side with his having the thickest desire and longing for Kate. You could cut that shit with a knife, I tell you. But no side stories were overpowering. It was 90% lead character -stuff. Season 3 - Benedict---, I mean #Polin -minus the actual #Polin Were their (the directors/screenwriters) initial thoughts that we've been seeing them for 2 seasons, so we don't have to pay that much attention to the leads? Wrong! That was friendship, this is love, longing and passion. So much new ground to explore for these two. Little scenes like dancing in the church, stealing loving glances is cute and all, but we got nothing more than that. Nothing memorable.

No wait, we got carriage frolicking in part 1 and a mirror first time in part 2. You're right, I apologize. Anything else? Name any other thing you remember from this whole season. I'll wait, seriously.

Did maybe the night scene come up in your memories? Where they had an angry make out and he once again let his hand venture below? I felt the anger/passion in the coming together and pushing her against the shop, sure. The quick flash of him reaching between her thighs was more of a recycled scene from episode 4 or even from S03 Kanthony. I mean honestly. Was there really even a chance he'd take her in the streets? It felt unnecessary and forced. The dialogue was good and would've been better at their home where it's believable they could enter an intimate scene that -could- be finished if they so wanted it. Or not if his anger won over his desire. Did I mention they were both drinking before they met? I didn't say drunk, I said drinking.

I guess they improvised the whole Mme Delacroix scene (before the angry make out) with her offering advice and booze just to give Pen a reason to drink and coincidentally be in Colin's path for the scene? Wasted screen-time. Do I also need a drink to feel the -love- this season?

First part, Colin helping and chasing Pen. Second part, let's ignore and distance myself from her. They really stretched out Colin's pulling back from her because of the whole Whistledown thing, when they could've done fast forwards, saying things like 'Colin, it's been weeks. Or it's been so long, can we get passed this' just to show the time frame. But instead we get long minutes of silence and ignoring each other. Filming Colin from the back, zooming in. Then from the front zooming in. Then him watching her leave the house, slowly getting up from sleeping on the sofa, walking towards his desk. Lifting and opening and reading her old letters. Do you have any idea how long that feels? When she exited the bedroom and delivered her dialogue he could've already been behind his desk. Did we see Simon (S01E02) walk into the room, open his father's desk, take out the unopened letters etc.? No, the flashback ends with him already seated and holding the letters. Same thing could've been done here.

Oh, let's not forget side character-stuff. Let's talk more about that.

Again, I cannot stress it enough. Mondriches. Duke of Kent stuff and moving up, is fine. Seeing them struggle constantly onscreen is not. Wasted screen-time. You can easily have us hear about that in conversation. How miserable and sad he is because he had to close the bar when he became part of the ton. So many ways to handle that. Moving to part 2. Why did we have to get the whole preparation for their ball? What did it add to the story exactly? Just let everyone arrive at the ball and let that be the first we all see of the decorations. Did we see Lady Danbury prepare for the huge conservatory ball in S2? Lady Trowbridge's ball in S1? All of Her Majesty's balls? No, so it was wasted screen-time.

Francesca's story was sweet, bless her, but also unnecessary detailed. Was it the autism angle they were trying to push forward? I'm all for it, but only when you have a series with more than 8 episodes. (God, I miss 22 episode series) Because she is still a side character in #Polin's book, no matter which way you turn it. At Francesca's wedding we had the whole vows scene and everything and the two LEADS!!!! were stealing glances at each other while standing behind the whole ass family. You're the leads, act like it! It felt like S1 and S2 with them being in the background.

We all know Bridgerton's known for taking liberties with the wardrobe. The tailored waists for Pen enhance her body beautifully, but Cressida's wardrobe is bordering… scratch that! has taken a 250 MPH free-fall, into ridiculousness. I also absolutely did not care for -seeing- the reasons behind Cressida claiming to be Whistledown. Should've just kept her as a bitch. That's what we enjoyed about her. Fine, you decided on that development for her character, so here's an idea. She was so chummy with Eloise. Could've just had her tell Eloise that she was being pressured by her parents to marry and then being send to the country to live with a horrid aunt. Wasted screen-time. You only have 8 episodes to work with for crying out loud.

And then there's the side character of all side-characters. Benedict. Didn't they make the very -deliberate- decision to push back Benedict and Sophie's story in favor of #Polin as S3? To then give me so much useless Bentilly sexy time; Time that could've easily been given to #Polin things. If you can make up stories about him being confused as to his sexuality, you can just as easily come up with new, none book, stories for the actual leads. Could've left everything they forced on us about Benedict for his actual season. What's gonna be left for his own season? Wasted screen-time. Should've made him absent, continue the art-school in the background, anything. I mean, an extended honeymoon for Kanthony instead of a forced story to have them onscreen. Do the bloody same for Benedict and focus on #Polin. Every time we saw Benedict, he was playing twister with Tilly and later with what's his name (don't even care) It's not relevant, it's wasted screen-time.

I'm gonna end my review (rant!) with one last thing.

Shallow kisses. Heck it's acting, so you don't have to shove your tongue down your co-actor's throat, but keep your lips open and hollow out your mouth to at least make us think you're playing tongue-twister. As soon as their lips touched, they closed their mouths and it became a fervent peck-fest. Like kissing air and practicing in front of a mirror. Yes, they look good kissing each other, but the kissing itself was bleh.

First kiss in part 1 was going the right direction and was pretty believable, but after that… shallow as f*ck. And to think they were supposed to be increasing in passion after that first kiss. All of them were closed-mouth pecks, I'm sorry. Was it the height-difference that didn't allow them to actually suck each other's face off? ---------------

I will not do a TL;DR, because if you skip this review/rant, you will not have missed anything. Have a great day people.

Yours truly, Venin Orchid (aka Lady Regency-nerd) PS: did anyone notice the nice touch at the end? The Whistledown Silhouetted lady on the top of the page had been changed to look more like Penelope. You're welcome <3

[lewovo-poto]

1988 Phantom of the Opera (Partial) Viewing Experience at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Theatre on Film and Tape Archive. July, 2024

---

After learning that it’s possible to make appointments at the NY Library Archive and that they allow viewing of all closed Broadway official recordings for research purposes, I happily booked an appointment. But because I was rushing after watching Cat the Jellicle Ball in the afternoon (great show btw!) and got lost and took the wrong subway, I arrived after 5 PM, and the archive closes at 6 PM. This meant I couldn’t finish watching, so I knew I'd have to come back next time. The archive staff checked my bag and allowed me to bring in paper, a pen, and my phone.

I realized I didn’t have much time, so I thought I’d focus on the key parts. But then, disaster struck again—the computer was about as old as I am, and even my elementary school computer was more advanced. The interface was really difficult to use, and I didn’t really know how to fast-forward or rewind properly, so after wasting 10 minutes, I gave up and decided to just watch it as it was. 😂

(Sorry for any grammar mistakes, English is not my first language)

---

**1988 Phantom Review**

The opening captured the surrounding audience, since this was a performance with a live audience. The video quality was average, but if AI restoration becomes possible someday, that would be great. It wasn’t bad, just the typical quality you'd expect from the 1980s.

The Overture was particularly intriguing. I had read in other reviews that there was a female voice, so I was curious, and it turned out there really was a soprano singing along with the Overture, with an “ah—” as the chandelier slowly rose. It sounded quite Gothic. (I wonder when this was introduced and when it was discontinued, as I’ve never heard this version before. It must have been used for a very short period.)

Sarah danced throughout, but there was a moment where she seemed a bit confused, though she quickly resumed dancing normally. After the first part of Hannibal, Carlotta practiced her voice while the old manager introduced everything with a cheerful and enthusiastic tone, rather than the usual tired one (I couldn’t tell if this was because someone else was taking over this mess of a theater or if it was just his naturally cheerful demeanor lol). The conductor squatted down with the sheet music, communicating with the orchestra while waving his arms. I have to say, the immersive experience of the Bucket Show was quite something.

During the iconic “He’s there, the Phantom of the Opera!” line, a male voice also shouted, “There’s a ghost!” Huh?? I hadn’t noticed that before. It seems that the original cast of the Broadway production used British accents (even though most of them, except MC and Sarah, should have been American).

Carlotta looked so small compared to the manager, haha. After getting angry, she said “Ubaldo, Andiamo” in a very deep voice, which I think was the first time I heard that line delivered in a lower register.

Madame Giry asked, “Will the Viscount be at tonight’s performance?” and the manager replied, “Of course, he’ll be in our box.” I don’t think these lines are in the current production anymore; at least, they weren’t in the 25th-anniversary performance.

TOM:

Sarah was so skinny! She really was the wide-eyed ingénue type, with her large eyes. Her dress seemed more teal than green. She wasn’t the lively, bouncy type, but rather, every movement was slow and gentle, and her voice is with lots of vibrato.

Steve Barton’s loud “BRAVO” during the recollection scene was followed by soft, broken out sentences full of laughter, making it seem like he was lost in a beautiful memory.

After TOM, Sarah kept talking and nodding with the conductor, probably reviewing the performance. When MC’s “Bravi” came out, Sarah fell into deep thought until Meg came over and startled her. Meg was super cute, and Sarah’s Christine maintained a frozen, pensive expression while talking to Meg, not really happy until she sang “Angel of Music, guide and guardian, grant to me your glory!” and finally smiled. When Madame Giry said, “Come and practice,” it sounded like there was a male voice saying “Asshole” (though I didn’t see this in anyone else’s report, so it might have been me lacking sleep and hallucinated, or perhaps a spectator’s accidental comment was recorded).

Steve Barton is truly the best Raoul, bars none! He exudes both gentleness and elegance, while his voice carries the excitement and joy of someone who has just fallen in love. When he sees Christine, his face lights up with a smile, and when he says "SOAKED to the skin" to her, he really emphasizes the word "SOAKED" with a pause. Similarly, when he says "Little Lottie," he pronounces it pointedly, like "Li—ttle Lo—ttie," as if savoring the name with each syllable. Sarah’s Christine is also very happy to see Raoul, but when she mentions the Angel, her expression turns pensive and melancholy again. Christine initially declines the dinner invitation, but when Raoul says, "No no, you must change, 2 mins, MY little Lottie" (“MY"!), Sarah’s Christine ends up smiling and looking amused. Because of this, it doesn’t seem like Raoul is being overbearing; it feels like, for a brief moment, the two of them have mutually agreed to go to dinner. It’s only after Raoul turns away that Christine realizes, "Oh no, I can’t go—everything has changed." (Could be me reading too much into it)

When Sarah's Christine first heard MC’s Phantom, she wasn’t scared—it was just… a normal expression when Sarah's Christine thought of the Phantom, the pensive kind, until the “enter at last, master” line when she smiled. MC’s Phantom in the mirror was really… creepy, especially with the makeup and lighting.

(At this point, my notes became too messy to decipher… I was probably too excited at the time.)

Title Song:

During the boat scene, Christine looked very happy, while the Phantom leaned slightly as if about to touch Christine’s face (probably during the “Where night is blind” line).

MOTN:

MC’s Phantom had noticeable… eye bags, lol. MC’s rendition of MOTN felt like a lullaby, but with a Gothic allure. The body language was similar to Sarah’s TOM, with every movement slow and deliberate, very graceful (maybe due to the original stage direction by Gillian Lynne). Sarah's Christine looked somewhat hypnotized. During “Turn your thoughts away from cold unfeeling light,” MC’s Phantom’s fingers almost touched Sarah’s face, coming close to a kiss before pulling away. MC’s “Soar” & “Be” was super long and well-sung. Another part I liked was when, possibly due to the height difference, MC’s Phantom slightly hunched over during “Floating, falling,” making him look extra creepy. It also felt like, after maintaining such an elegant demeanor for so long, MC’s Phantom was finally losing some composure as he got closer to Christine. During “The music that I write,” MC’s voice was particularly seductive, and his lower register was impressive.

Since this was the Broadway version, when Christine was Christine ightened and fainted, the Phantom didn’t carry her. MC’s Phantom looked more like he was in a composed shock—surprised but not panicked, and he gently covered Christine with the cloak. The monkey music box didn’t work well in this performance, lol, as it didn’t play any music (even in the official recording, lol).

When Sarah's Christine woke up, she wasn’t the playful, cute, and mischievous type (like Sierra in 25th Anniversary, and many others). Sarah's Christine looked curious but also more anxious, as if she was unease waking up in a strange environment, which is honestly a very logical reaction after woke up at a strange place, and quite Leroux. When she sang “who’s the face in the mask,” her face showed more fear (though, speaking of which, while its believable for Sarah’s Christine to act anxious when woke up, it’s a bit unbelievable that Sarah's Christine, who seemed so uneasy and scared, would dare to remove the Phantom’s mask. I think I prefer a more playful Christine but that’s more of a personal preference).

After revealing the mask, Sarah's Christine cried and wailed a lot (she seemed very scared, poor girl). MC’s Phantom… my notes got messy again here (probably because I was too excited), but the dialogue used “vixen” instead of “viper.” MC’s Phantom also cried and groaned in pain, crawling toward Christine. I remember he turned his face toward Christine without covering it (though it was hard to see the disfigurement makeup in the dark), reaching out his arm, pleading, and letting out a super sad, sobbing “Oh Christine…” After getting the mask back, MC’s Phantom reached out as if to caress Christine’s face but switched to using his wrist at the last second.

In the Magical Lasso scene, there was a brief glimpse of the Phantom and C. The original Broadway Madame Giry really had a strong witch-like aura, haha.

Then I fast-forwarded because the library was about to close. I remember Sarah’s Christine as the Page Boy was *super* cute. Honestly, that was probably the cutest and most lively I saw Sarah's Christine. Then I fast-forwarded to the rooftop scene, where Sarah’s Christine had her usual fearful attitude toward the Phantom. When singing “So distorted, deformed,” her face seemed to show… a look of disgust (oh nooooo!). But when she sang “in that night, there was music in my mind,” she smiled again. She’s truly a Christine who’s more in love with the Voice... Then the staff had finished clearing the other tables, so I also got up to leave. Through fast-forwarding, it seems like Christine and Raoul had lots of hugs and such. I really hope I can go to NY on a business trip again soon and have time to visit the library to watch the official recording! Next time, I hope I can take my time and enjoy it slowly from start to finish.

---

**Personal Reflections**:

Steve Barton needs no further discussion—eternally the best! I've always thought of him as the steady, noble, and gentle Prince Charming type of Raoul. After watching (a portion of) the official recording, I realized that Barton’s Raoul also has a very lively and passionate side, full of the excitement of a young man in love. His voice is full of teasing warmth, especially when he first encounters Christine. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see much of the rooftop scene, but he seems to exude gentleness. In summary, he's a perfect Raoul!

As for Sarah's Christine... uh, well, I have mixed feelings. I've heard others praise Sarah, saying she has a very classical Gothic 19th-century vibe, so my expectations were quite high. I was imagining a mysterious woman with her head in the clouds. Of course, there are also criticisms of her acting, saying it's somewhat lacking (I shall never forgot that one critic was like “She can’t act scared in NY subway at 3am” or something, which is quite mean). After watching this segment of the official recording, I feel... there were some elements in both? She is indeed a graceful, intellectual Christine, with many secrets buried deep in her heart. Her facial expressions seem fine to me, mostly seem pensive and wistful, definitely able to act scared and unsettled. Maybe it's because her Christine always seems deeply burdened, so her expressions often appear serious. But when it comes to her interactions with the Phantom... it feels like her Christine doesn't really love him. Christine only seems truly happy when the Phantom is acting as her Angel of Music or when he has her completely under his spell, but once the Angel leaves or when she's not controlled by the music, Christine immediately returns to reality, filled with unease. Also, during the rooftop scene when describing the Phantom's face, Sarah's Christine actually shows disgust, which really shocked me because I usually see this moment as one of fright (at the Phantom's actions and ferocity) rather than revulsion at his face. So, it's hard to judge—paired with Barton's flawless Raoul, it feels like Sarah’s Christine would be very willing to leave the Phantom. She does give off Leroux Christine’s melancholy and pensive energy——a woman with many secrets, and I really like that about her.

MC’s Phantom—it's a pity I couldn't see the later scenes where the Phantom truly lets loose and explodes. However, from the parts I did see, MC's Phantom is a very classic Gothic "monster." His movements are slow and graceful, yet strangely seductive, and at the same time, quite creepy, especially with the makeup and lighting. His voice is very controlled—except when he's too close to Christine or when his mask is removed, he generally seems like a Phantom who is mostly in strict control of himself. He's very restrained, always keeping his movements and interactions with Christine just on the edge of touching, almost kissing, but then pulls back at the last second (which aligns with the original choreography and the director's intent to express suppressed desire). His anger, perhaps due to the nature of his voice, isn't one of raging madness but more of sadness followed by painful wails, full of pleading. His control over his voice and how he used that to convey emotions is just so captivating and heartbreaking. Oh, how I wish I could see MC's final lair scene, as MC's Phantom is really one who is very composed and elegant most of the time (honestly, it’s more like the Phantom in Kay's novel—one can understand how the old-school Phantoms influenced Susan Kay's inspiration). And I really want to see MC's Phantom with other Christines, like Dale Kristien. I know she’s one of the most supportive of the Erik/Christine relationship and is a fan of MC. I'm very curious how MC and she would perform together.

[blurredblu]

Why I made Eggman harsher on Sage in my Frontiers rewrite

A reader left me a review for Sonic Horizons on FFN asking why I wrote Eggman to be harsher to Sage. I think the messages we had are informative enough that I want to transfer them to a post on my blog here.

I've anonymised the reader and only made grammatical-level edits to both our messages for clarity and correctness. The reader's messages are indented whereas my responses are not.

Okay, I've got to ask: why are you making Eggman harsher on Sage? He can’t really hate her when she exceeds her function that he made her for and along with having a intellect to talk with.

Hi there!

Eggman is a narcissistic supervillain who holds nothing but disdain for those who diverge from his vision and has no reputation of working with or respecting others' opinions. Sage is his creation the way that children can have narcissistic parents who grow unreasonably disappointed and angry that their children do not cater and adhere to their specific visions, whims, and emotional states. It doesn't matter that, reasonably and objectively speaking, Sage is intelligent and highly capable, because Eggman is not a reasonable or objective person who holds other in any regard higher than he does himself

His and Sage's relationship isn't meant to reflect two reasonable and well-adjusted people, but an unrepentantly evil megalomaniac and his guileless creation who only has one purpose to her existence, a purpose which Eggman's personality makes nigh impossible to sustainably achieve

But that's why he felt a connection with Sage because he created something that he can be proud of and despite all of Orbot and Cubot mistakes and fumbling he keeps them around for some conversations and people to knock around. The Egg Memo did also show what his childhood was like and the fact he was stuck way longer with Sage to grow to appreciate her. Yeah, he's a Narcissist but he still would have pride in Sage and she gives him that longing he wanted as a child and what he could imagine what Maria was like when she was alive. Sometimes evil people can grow to love someone which gives them a different reason to conquer/destroy the world. Plus, if Joker can fall in love and start a real family (an evil one, mind you) so can Eggman. But this is your story and I'm not here to force change I was just wondering.

Hi again!

I should first dispel any notion that this rewrite is supposed to respect or be faithful to Frontiers' interpretations of the characters. As a matter of fact, I'm writing Horizons specifically because I found the characterisation of all the key characters, including and especially Eggman, to be lacking in some way. If you're reading Horizons with an expectation that I am ignoring what Frontiers has established, it is purposeful, to the point of literally being the purpose of this fic in the first place.

On that point, I find the way that Frontiers 'humanised' Eggman to be very boring, predictable, and not well established according to what we know of his character in all the past games. It is very in line with Marvel/DC superhero/supervillain plot beats, or something parodying those beats like Megamind does, to have supervillains actually, in truth(!), have a kernel of Humanity, Sympathy, Compassion, a Human *Non-Socio/Psychopathic Heart, unlockable finally by fulfilling some Freudian conception of familial love that was lacking in their (obviously tragic and loveless, because how could it be any other way) childhood or some such. This storyline, to me, is an absolute snore. Eggman, I have found, is a very compelling and likeable supervillain who has accomplished being that without very popular and predictable plotlines about discovering the Power Of Love that other villains or characters have been routinely subject to.

If Eggman were the type who valued connections or somehow, some way, wanted connection with a being who was in some sense equal to him, it is (1) not hinted at all in most of his existence and (2) not established in a convincing way in Frontiers given point (1). If he built any statues commemorating Literally Anyone But Himself in Eggmanland or had something other than his own face be his logo on every piece of technology he owns, perhaps I could be a little more convinced of the idea that he actually would like, appreciate, and try to nurture something resembling an equal partnership. As things stand, I'm not convinced.

Horizons starts from after Forces where he tasted success and it was all torn away after he worked with a jackal, another person, who in the end exhausted his usefulness and could not help Eggman's cause, and Eggman was ultimately beaten again despite having won. Horizons follows an Eggman who is pulling out all the stops while still remaining his narcissistic, clownish, unrepentantly evil self while creating and exploiting highly advanced technology and, in some senses, being way in over his head about it while still remaining fiendishly clever. He is not like you, or me, or other supervillains so popularised in comics. He is just evil. Period. To me, that does not mean he is uninteresting or unlikeable; far from it. I like him as he is and I want to tell a story given the way that he is.

*Editorial note (one that I haven't communicated with the reviewing reader but write for the current one)

The idea of goodness and humanity always seems to include the stereotyping of sociopathy and psychopathy as inherently evil, which I do recognise to be false and the realities to be much more nuanced. It contributes to a narrow viewpoint about human nature and humanity that to have a Human Heart is to have a Squeaky Clean Bill Of Mental Health, and that those are the only ways in which villains can be compelling, relatable, or likeable to an audience, none of which I think to be true

On another note, though I use narcissistic as a qualifier, I don't use it to mean that Eggman has narcissistic personality disorder, or NPD, proper. I also don't think that someone having NPD or narcissistic traits automatically makes them evil; reality, again, is far more nuanced than such a flattened picture provides. At the end of the day, though, Eggman is extremely and cartoonishly self-centred and self-loving in all his ambitions to take over the world, which can only be aptly described as him being narcissistic

[daughterofruins]

This isn't proof read and definitely not perfect, but do leave reviews because they mean everything to me.

_________________________________________

POV:

Lets get one thing straight- I am THE best debater in my school. I love going to debates. But I don't like being forced to go to debates, especially where there are people like him.

Him with his annoying wannabe disney prince hairstyle and him with his annoying flirting glance and him with his annoying signature playboy smirk. He should be renamed Mr.Annoying.

And yet, here I was running on my way to the auditorium for the semi finals, crashing into people and muttering hurried sorrys so they knew that Pristine Academy girls were "lady like" and "well mannered".

I made it through the door just as they said Pristine Academy.

"We qualified", my co debater whispered in my ears.

"Of course we did. We have me in our team."

That was my greatest weapon right there, my confidence.

6 academies had made it to the semis, only 2 would make it to the finals. They called one speaker from each school to come and collect their motions. I rose to go.

We made a queue and headed for the tiny room at the back of the hall, where 6 students could barely fit. I was the second last in the line and there was no way I could see who was behind me since movement there was impossible. I could only smell the mango flavoured shampoo of the girl infront of me. As she got her slip and left I took two small steps and dug my hand inside the bowl placed before me.

I got my hands on one slip and turned to leave, but my foot crashed with someone else's foot and I leaned forward, readying myself for the most embarrassing moment of my school life. Yet, I did not fall.

After something like an eternity and a second, I looked up and found two strong hands gripping my arms, the blue shirt rolled up to the forearms, showing well muscled forearms. My eyes traveled up a muscular shirt into two brown eyes and that was when I realised.

I was in the arms of the debater from Wellstone Academy.

I was in the arms of the winner of the last MUN i had attended.

I was in his arms.

The thought made me puke.

"I see you've fallen for me, Ms.Pristine"

I jerked him off me the way an angry cat dries herself, hissing and meowing loudly.

"I see you've qualified, Mr.Wellstone"

We didn't know each others names. All I knew was his school and the fact that the boy who was assisting him had a huge crush on me.

Both of us stood there for what seemed like an eternity, till he said,

"I've got to collect my topic."

"I'm not stopping you," I replied.

"But you're in my way"

"I'm trying to get out, if you'd be kind enough to move to the side and let a lady pass"

He moved just enough for my to pass by, and when I crossed him I looked up on an impluse, our faces inches away from eachother when I moved to the other side.

"We've got the same motion your grace. We're on the same team, lady" he said, over emphasising the last word.

I looked at him, and all I could smell in that closed room was my rose scented perfume and his manly cologne.

"We won't just make a team, Sir, we'll make a winning team" I said before I walked out, the blood pulsing in my veins.

At least I got the last word this time.

_________________________________________

Guys, the schools mentioned are completely fictitious. They're not real and if they are, then the real ones haven't been mentioned here at all. Thank you for reading:)

Tagging because it's my first time and I need reviews:-

@tumhari-bhairavi @tumharimummykibahu @mainapnifavouritehoon @bookish-alone @misssclumsy @after-dark-shine @oh-munda-kukkad-kamaal-da @alhad-si-simran @trashmeowcan @satanicallysatanicchild @om-is-ok @chanda-chamke-cham-cham @sanskari-kanya @vellibandi @appki-adrak-wali-chai and anyone else really.

[mitchipedia]

Attempting to talk about the movie “American Fiction” without using the word “woke.”

We watched “American Fiction,” a 2023 movie which opens with a blank screen and the unmistakable squeaking of a marker on a whiteboard. We pull back to see a college professor addressing a class, but we cannot see what’s written on the whiteboard behind him. A student says the word on the whiteboard is wrong. The teacher says he’s pretty sure he spelled it right. The student says the word is offensive. The camera pulls back to show what’s written on the whiteboard: It’s a title of a story by Flannery O’Conner. The includes the N-word.

The professor says, “This is a class on the literature of the American South. We’re going to encounter some archaic thoughts and coarse language, but we’re all adults here and I think we can understand it within the context in which it’s written.”

“Well, I just find that word really offensive,” says the student.

“With all due respect, Brittany, I got over it. I’m pretty sure you can too,” says the professor, who is Black. The student, who is white, exits the classroom upset.

I am going to avoid using the word “woke” in this review because I hate that stupid word. But it’s hard to avoid because “American Fiction” is in part a movie about wokeness.

The professor, we learn, is Thelonious Ellison. Most people call him “Monk.” He’s not doing well. He’s unpopular with students and colleagues; following the N-word incident, he’s suspended from teaching at the school. He’s bitter and angry, and turns that anger inward, expressing it outwardly by witty insults aimed at the people who bother him, which seems to be most people. The comments are funny and entertaining to us, the audience, but you can see how being around a person like that would be toxic in real life. Nonetheless, as a fictional character, he’s likable and fun. And when he turns off the nastiness, he’s a warm and loving person.

He’s a novelist, and his books aren’t selling. He blames it on a kind of racism. He’s a literary writer. His agent explains to him that publishers don’t want that from someone like Monk. They want a Black novel. “This IS a Black novel.” Monk says. “I’m Black. This is my novel.”

Monk spontaneously decides to write the kind of novel publishers want. Violent, semi-literate, about angry Black people living in the ghetto and shooting each other and being murdered by police. He calls it “My Pathology,” and then changes the title to “My Pafology.” To show his contempt for the publishing system, Monk has his agent submit he novel under a ghostname, “Stagg R. Leigh,” with a persona that “Leigh” is a fugitive from prison. Monk does interviews and meetings as Leigh, affecting a deep-voiced terse grunting speech. “My Pafology” and Leigh are cheap ripoffs of “The Wire.”

And Leigh’s book, unlike Monk’s literary fiction, sells. It becomes a bestseller. Monk was trying to ridicule white guilt and wokeness (ugh, that word), and instead he’s feeding it.

Monk lives and teaches in L.A.,but he returns home to Boston for a literary conference and to visit his family, from whom he is estranged. Monk’s mother is advancing into Azheimer’s and Monk finds himself with the duty of becoming primary caregiver. His family is affluent—both his late father and two siblings are medical doctors, and they have a live-in maid—but not as well off as they once were. What’s shown and not quite said explicitly is that Monk is appalled at the ruse he’s perpetrating as Stagg R. Leigh, but he needs the money to get his mother the best possible care.

We also see Monk’s attempts to overcome his emotional isolation and connect with his family and a pretty neighbor.

The whole thing reminds me of a Richard Russo novel, and I love a Richard Russo novel.

What ties the two plots together is a comment by Monk about Stagg R. Leigh’s novel, and books like it, “My life is a disaster, but not in the way you’d think reading this shit.”

The movie stars Jeffrey Wright as Monk and a solid cast of names and faces that I didn’t recognize, although I did recognize Leslie Uggams as Monk’s mother. I remember her turning up a lot in the 70s on game shows and second-tier talk shows like Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin. Then she surprised me with a starring role on “Roots,” paired up with Sandy Duncan—I remember thinking, holy shit those two can actually act. Then she fell off my radar until she reappeared as Blind Al, Ryan Reynolds’ roommate in the “Deadpool” movies.

Also featured is Sterling Brown, from “This Is Us,” as Monk’s brother, Cliff.

The screenwriter and director is Cord Jefferson, who previously worked as a writer on “The Good Place” and “Watchmen,” making his directorial debut. [imdb.com]

Jefferson talked in an Esquire interview about a scene where Monk is writing a sequence from Stagg R. Leigh’s novel. [esquire.com]

The scene in the novel features a young criminal confronting an older criminal. The younger criminal is brandishing a gun. Jefferson chose to cast two first-rated actors to play the two characters—Keith David, known to me as Childs, one of two characters who lives to the end of John Carpenter’s “The Thing” (1982) and Okieriete Onaodowan, known to me as Hercules Mulligan in “Hamilton.”

Jefferson said:

We’ve all seen that scene of the writer pounding the keyboard frantically, then taking a big sip of coffee and getting back to it. That’s how you depict somebody intensely writing. But I thought, ‘We can’t have that. It’s tropey and silly, and it doesn’t get the audience’s minds going.’ So why not have these characters manifest in front of him? When I wrote that scene, I wrote the language to be very silly. It had to be ridiculous so that everybody could see how stupid this book is and what a sham it is. Then we got Keith David and Okieriete Onaodowan, who are both such tremendous actors. All of the sudden, it wasn’t silly anymore. They made it seem like the book might be good. I love what the scene became in their hands: suddenly you’re questioning whether or not the book is good, which is evidence that something as ridiculous as this book could become a hit.

A character named Sintara Golden is both Monk’s nemesis and inspiration. At the outset of the movie we see she is already fabulously successful playing the same game Monk plays: She went to Oberlin, got a job in publishing, and then made a success for herself writing a book affecting illiterate victimized Black voices. Her book is titled “We’s Lives in Da Ghetto.” But unlike Monk, she’s doing everything in the open. Despite this, Monk thinks she’s just as cynical and pandering as he is. We come to see more of her, and learn that she’s playing a more sophisticated and sincere game than she first appears to be.

In an Esquire interview, Jefferson says he sometimes agrees with Monk and sometimes agrees with Golden.

The actor who plays Sindara Golden is Issa Rae, who apparently first become prominent on YouTube. [imdb.com]

About that first scene: Monk is right to push back against banning the N-word even in discussions of racism—even when used by Black people. But he didn’t have to be such a jerk about it to his student, “Brittany.” She’s just a kid. He’s being a bully.

Monk’s punishment for using the N-word has a parallel in real life: Black writer Walter Mosley, author of the Easy Rawlins novels, quit a job as a writer on “Star Trek: Discovery” in 2019 after he was chastised by the studio human resources department for using the n-word in the show’s writer’s room. Mosley was quoting someone else’s use of the word; he was making a point about racism. [hollywoodreporter.com]

Additional reading:

Cord Jefferson Wants You to Argue About American Fiction [esquire.com] That’s the Esquire article I mentioned earlier.

Did You Catch the Meta Nod of Sintara Golden’s Current Read in ‘American Fiction’? [themarysue.com]

Director Cord Jefferson was formerly a jouranlist, who often wrote articles about race and racism. Here’s his 2014 essay: “The Racism Beat.” [medium.com]

[queenofmalkier]

So I've read the WoT series three times now... I've tried to watch the show twice and I just can't get past the first ten minutes of the first episode... Is it really worth watching or am I just being a book purist asshole?

Listen, I fully respect people who love the books and dislike the show. Fandom is varied and the show is different enough that it's not going to be everybody's cup of tea - and that's okay!

I'm able to still enjoy it because for the most part things still feel like Wheel of Time, even if they've made a lot of changes. I don't remember who said it, but they mentioned that the show is just a different turn of the wheel, and that really clicked for me. It's not the same, but it's still my boy Rand, and angry Nynaeve, and babygirl Egwene.

It's still home, just different.

The only people I consider book purist assholes are the ones who review bomb and throw tantrums, getting angry that anyone likes the show at all. We gotta respect eachother.

[1800duckhotline]

https://www.tumblr.com/1800duckhotline/748414044204154880/i-seriously-think-this-show-was-created-in-a-lab?source=share

hi! im not able to send you dms but i really want to know what you think about hazbin. i downed the entire thing in a day out of morbid fascination of seeing how that artstyle animates, but the quality of the script and handling of the structure of the show are so dogshit that the show has been lodged in my mind. and my friends who i can rely upon for their thoughtful analysis are not people who would watch it.

basically Hello Send Help

Honestly you summed up most of my plights within the show already, its just dogshit all around flaming and whatnot and i cannot believe there's 30 years old who eat this slop up. i can forgive teenagers for liking it (i am very self-aware as someone who read fucking homestuck when i was 13) but i cannot forgive fully grown adults for thinking this show has any sort of nuanced or well-written story

i finished watching the show feeling less aggravated by the designs and visual dev of the whole thing (though obviously its still really bad), and instead more by how insultingly and exhilaratingly bad the writing was.

i could literally take out my blocknote review of the whole show starting from ep 1 to ep 8 but i want to spare my friends who dgaf about hearing about this show. so ill just try to resume concisely my thoughts using my notes as crutches

this will be a very long one and again to spare people of pain ill put it under a readmore

vivienne medrano does not care about the female characters in her own show. idk about helluvaboss and i honestly dont want to watch it unless someone watches it with me, but from what i hear hazbin hotel was supposed to be the show "focused on the girls" while helluva boss was supposed to "focus on theboys". you'll never guess what happens in this show. the main 2 girls, who are supposed to be protagonist, are completely flat characters, that are given the slightest margin of spotlight THE LAST TWO EPISODES OF THE SEASON, and no 8 episodes isnt a justification for the dogshit writing they have. vaggie is the "angry mean militaristic lesbian of color who also coddles her white girlfriend" and charlie is "goody two shoes who doesn't use her powers as literal PRINCESS OF HELL because it's 'too mean' and who is babied and is also written like a baby that doesnt know how to act besides being 'positive and whimsical'". they are literally a ship trope shipped together because idk.

most of the development in the show is handed onto the guys, obviously, as they get the most songs, most exposure to their backstories, and most interactions that are somewhat written less one-dimensionally than the girls. (not to say the guys aren't also walking ship tropes for fanfic purposes). like you can't spin this in a way that doesn't sound bad, the men just get more spotlight and that's a fucking fact. so much for "focus on the girls". fucking SIR PENTIOUS GETS A SONG AFTER HIS DEATH, GUYS

none of the angel vs hell lore makes any fucking lick of sense, and i dont mean to say it needs to be biblically adjacent, it just doesnt make fucking sense even in the "original" lore it is constructing. how is hell supposed to be a threat to heaven when hell denizens dont have access to heaven?? this question alone makes anyone question what the hell the exterminations really are for. also, like, i really fucking hate adam, he's literally the most annoyingly written villain, like he's not even funny in a trashy way. if you want to make your main villain a hypocrite who's also a massive misogynist and sexist, writing him like a frat bro makes sense if your story is set in a college campus. this is HEAVEN AND HELL. all of his lines are just stupid and senseless for the context this all takes place in (also like lute being essentially a tradwife for him is literally such a stupid choice, if you want to make a meaningful commentary about misogyny among women this isnt how it works)

all of the sin and pure shit and repenting deal is like... literally awful. for a show that prides itself on owning the bigots who think gay sex and doing drugs and doing crimes is all inherently evil, the writing really does not do itself a favor of subverting this real-world bigoted way of thinking. as unintentional as it might be it kind of just reinforces it when the character they decide to 'repent' is fucking angel dust, a literal sex worker stuck in a cycle of abuse with an abusive rapist pimp and who does drugs as a way to cope in his life. because obviously sex work (and bdsm) is inherently sinful and disgusting and the only way to repent is to give up disgusting gay sex and sinful drugs and just stick it to the abuser that has you literally by the leash! i dont think this was intentional but it comes off as hilariously stupid and straight up tactless. (also we don't talk about how the storyboarded for the song poison apparently also drew rape comics of angel dust and valentino before as a kink thing)

oh on the topic of valentino, i dont fucking get people liking him. he is literally shown to be abusive and a rapist. people will see a thin man who's not straight and hump his legs like their life depends on it. at least he isnt white but i'd actually say this makes everything worse because vivienne medrano LOVES making the characters in her show of ambiguous ethnicities/backgrounds and ends up making most of the awful ones, of color. again dont think this is INTENTIONALLY done but it still comes across as horrid nonetheless. whew!!!

also i hate alastor in all types ways sauces and forms. he exists to attract fangirls and rabid fans who love tumblr sexymen. other than his design being tremendously aggravating, he's literally just fucking useless, and i hate that the show tries to shoehorn in halfway that he's supposed to be a "dad figure" to charlie when he literally never has done anything dadlike for her in the whole show (and yes i watched the pilot, i still dont think this counts). the only saving grace for alastor is his voice acting. everything else needs to go. there is no saving this one

and, on the topic of alastor, i'm not the first one to point this out but something about him owning husk's soul (the one character being voiced by a black VA, who coincidentally also has a design that is conveniently ambiguous with him being a fucking. winged cat furry demon ig) has like some really bad vibes about it that i can't quite put my finger on. i'm not entirely qualified to like dissect the issues this whole show has with like... the way certain implied characters of color act within it (i say implied because vivziepop is allergic to giving the main characters of her shows actual dark skin colors that arent grey, except maybe some one-off side characters) but it was just so jarring i had to mention it

i also hate lucifer because again, made for purely fanfic ship tropes and rabid fans who are obsessed with 'pathetic sopping wet cat men' with that signular character trait. his persnality is: Depression and Dad. I literally hated every fucking moment in this show where he was in a scene and was treated as "just some guy". same with charlie. Like the lack of authority they have for a supposed KING AND PRINCESS OF HELL is just... i dont know? stupid?

conclusion is that i hate the show, i will however bee seeing season 2 just because at this point im in it for the long run, its just like, other than the visuals being awful; it was legitimately the least aggravating part for me (THIS DOESNT MEAN I LIKE THEM, I DONT, I HATE THEM TOO) but the whole writing is just... wow. i just don't understand how they got a24 to back this up. like you cant make this shit up this bad even if you tried. and im sure there's a trillion other things other people have more eloquently explained in how and which ways they are bad; these are just some of my thoughts.

my concluding statement is that i also feel really bad for people who do entire rewrites of this thing as 'fans'. i dont get it. like i get doing redesigns because it can be an exercise and because lets be real, like, everyones design is bad, hardly anything is salvageable or makes sense. but rewriting... guys please just make your own stories from scratch. at the cost of being told "omg this is just like hazbin hotel!" you have to persevere and just write your own shit. because doing the redesigns means unpacking heaps of 'lore' that doesnt make any whatsoever sense...

[goodluckclove]

I FINSIHED BLIND TRUST AND AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKJDFKLJSDLKFJSDKLFJKLDSJFKSLDJFKLDSJFKLDSJFLKJSDFLK REGINA SUPREMACY. I realllly liked her part at the end. ANd SCOTT. SKYLARK. KAUFNER. RARELY. Do I see characters that are the 'happy sunshine ones' while also being absolutely feral and ready to kill to protect those he loves and alkjdfkas. The quick anger is something I live for (as a 'you get angry too easily' sort of person)

Tenzin supremacy. Katy supremacy. Edgar deserves happiness with Scott.

Every single character had their own time to develop and interact with the others, and I'm obsessed with their found family. AND WHAT WAS WITH THE FLASH FORWARD. I AM SCARED. VERY SCARED.

Then how chill yet sad the entire thing was? LIke it felt like reading a comfort show. 1000/10 amazing experience.

(I will send my annotations that devolved into screaming and hearting everything shortly. heheh)

Holy shit I'm pretty drunk celebrating the last day of my main recovery time but this is such a rave review. If anyone else wants a read that is simultaneously deeply comforting and tender and also provoking some strong opinions check out my pinned post for a free reviewers edition of Blind Trust! I would tag it myself but I've had most of a Long Island Iced Tea and holy shit it is strong.

I'm going to drink more water now. Water is important. I'm also going to have pie which is good because you shoudnt just drink hard liquor without other snacks or water because that's not fun.

More people should read Blind Trust so I can talk about it with them. Also I swear to God I'm going to finish book two in a few months once I see a doctor about my hand. I'm not like blackout drunk but I am pretty drunk and it's kind of scary because I was raised with some shit lessons around alcohol but if you're safe and smart and you don't rely on it it's actually really fun.

Anyways yes water and pie. Thank you for reading my book I love you.

[my-jokes-are-my-armour]

The witcher S3 volume 1

Oki this is my "detailed review" of S3 volume 1. Or should I say thoughts and comments.

Here is the short version so you can choose to step away : I really liked it.

Why do I feel like I need a shield ? Well, because out of my bubble here, the sound of the masses makes my opinion seems like an very unwanted one. It seems very important to dislike this season by all means.

As always I share mostly a gray opinion. Meaning : I have my feelings and within those, I say both what I find good or bad without shitting on everyone and everything. "I like this because... but... I don't like this because... but...". This are my basics. And I try to stay as neutral as possible in the way I say things.

But I won't lie, this time I have some difficulties because there is too much toxicity around and, what I thought was impossible, it finally affected me while watching the show in a very bad way. And for that I am angry. You can tell as I recently put an almost agressive rambling against some review.

I try to stay away from comments or reviews and stuff but sometimes I tiptoe into just just to see another reality. And although I found constructed things in the bad comments regarding S2 (even in BO), although this time this is more a game of pure destruction. And as much as I am angry, I will try not the play the same game that only lead to hatred. So I will try my best to illustrate what I am saying and not just throw feelings at your face.

To be clear also, I don't defend blindly the writers here, I am taking the final product as it is in my analysis.

Spoilers of S3 vol 1 under the cut. I won't speak about what would probably happen in vol 2 though. So if you have seen vol 1 but not read the book, this is safe.

First of all I will say it.

- No, the show doesn't follow stricto sensu the books but more in the S1 way. Though it has many scenes almost taken from the pages, or in the spirit of it.

- Yes, there are some plotline additions and more twisted ones but for me it helps building intrigues more than running to the opposite of characters from the books, giving more relief to some of them and link stuff that needs pages and pages to get through. So I don't see them in a bad eye.

My point of view.

The first sequence with Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer is an example. For me this corrects a lot of bad done during S2. It is not like in the books at all, even if it uses the "dear friend" letter as a trope, but it lands on a relation more in phase with the books. We have trust and tension. And Geralt and Yennefer reconnecting. Of course, this shouldn't had to be necessary at all in the first place but seeing their relation building up put a smile on my face.

My only complaint will be that we still just have glimpses of how magic works in this universe. In the books, Yennefer teaching Ciri magic is THE moment we learn the most of it. So just having crumps is frustrating me.

For Geralt, I had a great time with the fight sequences and the relationships he has with Ciri, Yennefer and Jaskier. The feeling is closer to the book version for me. And I have to say, I really liked the whole sequence in Anika's hut where he learns about his mother. This and the fact that he discovers the false Ciri and the experiments are a twist from the books but it connects a lot of further plotlines. Also when he learns that his mother has died and he has still ressentiment for abandoning him leads to a great emotional side of Geralt and builds the fact that this is the reason why he will never abandon Ciri in return, whatever the coast. And I was missing those kind of vulnerabilities in Geralt that were so nice to read on a "brute" stereotype. So it gives depth to the character. It was not what I was waiting for but I take it as well.

For Yennefer, I connected less with her this season but I loved the growth and the parallels with Ciri. She has learnt from her mistakes found her purpose. So while normally it's not her to prepare the conclave, from where she is coming from in S1 and S2, it is almost the only way to reconnects the dots. I really wish we didn't need this to repair everything, but all considering, it was OK. From her part I mostly liked the journey with Ciri to Aretuza and the humorous parts with Geralt.

For Ciri, I connected more with her this season. Like she finds herself more at ease in a witcher (male) version of her world. That speaks to me a lot. Although I gender myself as a woman my brain doesn't work usually like the "typical" woman. Or at least those I met in my life. I have the typical you are a "garçon manqué" (which I don't know how to translate in English) said about me very often. I was with more men during my student years and at work so learnt to navigate them more than groups of women. I was a bit like Ciri at Kaer Morhen. I have experienced the more frontal, direct approach of men vs the shady, smile in the front, stab in the back approach of women during conflicts, especially at work, too many times so I can relate to Ciri when she can't bare the company of the sorceresses, who are all facades. And I love what she learns from that, in the end.

For Jaskier, I am very pleased that the trauma of the torture was addressed and became a motive of certain "bad" decisions he made. He still has heart to protect those he loves and do what thinks is good for them. Which is basically what he does all the time in the books, especially in the Baptism of Fire, so we kind of see this trait ealier. I liked the honesty between him and Geralt and his relation with Ciri is heartwarming. Now the development of his love life is something I could talk all day (and I probably will later). The Radovid plot, I was nervous at first but I loved it because it has layers and some speaks to me a lot. Basically the whole plotline of Jaskier is a mixture of inventions and scenes from the books but it is coherent with the character in his whole and connects efficiently the dots from Redania politics to the found family.

In a way, I find the spy element of this Jaskier more grounded here than the one in the books, where it has like no explanation except "i am a patriot" 🤷🏽‍♀️.

Then, am I going to address the elephant in the room ? The pansexual Jaskier. Yes I am gonna do it, but I want to finish with the characters and the bits that I want to talk about first.

I liked the interactions between Philippa and Dijkstra which helps building the politics from Redanian side while enveiling progressively some leads to the final reveal of who is the bad guy. The only sequence that bothered me was the bdsm thing. Except to re-enforce the dominatrix trait of Philippa personality, it adds nothing more to what was shown before, except this face 😬 on me lol.

Speaking of the leads to the final revelation, I liked that this was made within different characters' journey, connecting the dots step by step. So sure it shifted some narratives but it was fluid and paced the whole thing without having big revealing time, except the whole episode 5 where they tried something in the structure, to make it more digest. But for me this is the episode I liked the least because of this artifice exactly. The loop was too repetitive in its first iteration and it made my attention drop seriously for the next part. But it was interesting on a technical point of view. They like to play with past and present a lot in this show and here it was well done as it was treated like a rendition of Geralt and Yennefer side of the event, confronting what they learnt from the people they talked to. And they mixed it with some "hot" moments, that I think may have pleased a lot of people.

Well, for me the complicity and complementarity was more rewarding but I don't see it as a bad thing. That echoes their relationship in the books but overall I am not very interested in that. The playfulness between them during the ball was more attractive to me. But I am aware that this is a very personal take of it as I tend to loose interest the more I see "love" scenes lol. The shorter, the better 😅.

For the other characters, I was not convinced by Fringilla plot, but I dug more into Cahir's whose faith is shifting badly.

The White Flame had little exposition but help filling the blanks a little bit for his story and I am surprised they are seemingly running down the hill of this incest plotline from the books. It will be certainly different, but the first hints are there.

On the brotherhood side, I don't have much to say for the moment. I think I will elaborate more after vol 2, especially on Vilgefortz. Just I note that Istredd connects some things with BO. This is very short and maybe confusing for those who having seen it but it makes sense within this version of the story. And I like that Stregobor that is set up to be disliked from the bigining is just a false thread to find the real bad guy.

From the elven side, I feel this is rushed. The jumps from S2 to S3 isn't hard to understand but the struggle connecting with Nilfgaard is due to the strange plotline of S2 again. Gallatin helps connected things together but it shouldn't have been so convoluted in the first place. Yet I understand where it leads later for Francesca.

I have like the use of certain minor characters like Aplegatt who had a running gag with the arrow until the futur Ciri foretold happened which leads to consequences we will see in vol 2. I didn't like the "professor" though who had the trash mob treatment. You recognise him and seconds later he is dead.

And I found Valdo Marx hilarious. His song his catchy and even if it is not subtle for the plot it gives a real rythme to the ball iterations.

This is pretty much my global thoughts on the volume 1.

Now what's in the books ?

Here is the resume of each chapter of Time of Contempt to the point it stopped for the show :

- Aplegatt is doing his job being the messages between kingdoms. He meets on the road Yennefer and Ciri who prophetised his death and more things. Geralt visits Codringher and Fenn to have informations about Rience. A lot of political stuff and schemes are discussed and bits of False Ciri. Aplegatt dies from an arrow.

- Yennefer and Ciri are in Gors Velen. Yennefer goes to the dwarven bank (politics politics schemes schemes). Ciri visits the city with Fabio and... kills the wyvern in the monster show. While she tries to escape she bumps into Tissaia and Margarita Laux-Antilles. Politics and schemes at the baths. Ciri flees to find Geralt. The wild hunt appears in the sky. Ciri rushes toward Geralt's position who is with Jaskier. Yennefer saves her. When reunited Geralt and Yennefer are arguing. Ciri watch from afar with Jaskier explaining they love each other.

- Jaskier babysits Ciri while Geralt and Yennefer go to the Thanedd ball. A lot of dialogs there that set up everyone's position. Hot scene between Geralt and Yennefer.

- In this chapter the only thing I can take is Codringher and Fenn killed and burned by Rience minion.

Well everything seems here, with changes of course, but I guess we covered it all. But there is more. So what's more that are in the books also.

Here is what is from The Last Wish incorporated in S3 (what I remember)

- Belleteyn

Here is what is from of Blood of Elves incorporated in S3 (what I remember)

- Shaerrawedd story, even if the set up is twisted.

- Geralt leaves Ciri with Yennefer so she can teach her magic while he is tracking Rience. The Dear Friend letter (but we know it is used differently) .

- Jaskier has some spy duties (the set up is entirely different). And some more politic stuff.

(The scene with Vespula is from The Sword of Destiny.)

So now, I know everything is twisted because they chose to tell the story differently. But all the bricks are here with some pretty close to the books moments and everything is set up almost properly for what's to come. That's the reason why I like this season and I don't find it outrageous.

My rambling.

Now... This is the part where I will be less tempered.

You may noticed that I have kept Radovid almost away from the equation. Well because... this is where I can loose myself because of the bad comments. Not just the ones on the divergence from the lore only. I includes what comes usually with it. The pan Jaskier and people of color kind of divergence from the lore comments.

Last week I lost my temper on a review using false book accuracy arguments to justify a rant about Jaskier been queer in the show. The person wrote incorrect things, stated them as truth, for their readers. So angry people could find examples of what was so wrong in the show using their anger to validate their lies blindly [x].

I don't go much to see the comments and the reviews because it hurts me most of the time. And I am someone open to critical stuff. But you know statistically if people were fair, I should find perfectly argumented rants about the show along with the blind rage ones. For S2 and BO it was the case.

Here, the vast majority of what I read are just "the show did wrong" without any argument. "They are not faithful to the source material" without any example. Some are openly racist or queerphobic. Some hide behind the things like the reviewer I was angry about.

I am sad to see an actress had to justify her portrail of her character because she doesn't look like what people expect, to say it politely, and because she made some artistic choices that are not european coded [x].

I have seen many comments with bollywood memes under the first twit of RI reporting that Anya chose to incorporate Indian dances moves to her magic. She wouldn't have said it, except for the battle in Shearrawedd, I am sure no-one would have noticed. And for those who are angry about those cultural inserts, please explain me what looks like a perfect european magic move. Show me then the problem in Anya's portrail.

I am sad to read bad things under the Valdo Marx extract, because the actor is black.

I am sad to read homophobic comments on Joey's insta (but extremely proud and moved by the Dear Hearts response to that).

And I am angry that people don't even try to understand what are the stories told. They are on a hate bulldozer and simply crush everything under.

Is the show perfect : NO ! Is the show deviating from the source material: YES ! I already said it. But this is still WAY closer than the former season (cf my preceding point).

I took time to say in my first point what I like and dislike, pointing purposely things that diverged from the books in their structure or narratives. And there is a lot as you can see, and I didn't say it all.

Maybe you miss Geralt hitting on many ladies, even while being officially with Yennefer, and hyperfixating on boobs sometimes (while they blinked politely at it in the show this time) ? The more classic family portrait adaptation doesn't hurt anyone's feelings apparently. Or that least THAT kind of divergence doesn't come front when it comes to book accuracy.

Why is it always the "race" and the queerness ? The real question is : where does the hypocrisy ends ?

The Radovid part and pretty much all of Jaskier's plotline this season are invented. It has anchors in the books in some scenes but, like the rest of the divergences, this plotline setup many things that are more a lot of dialogs in the books.

They use this Radovid and his relation with Jaskier to show the con games of Philippa and Dijkstra in a more easy way to absorb in a tvshow. But I guess you sure want 10 min straight of people throwing names and places you don't know about and learn about them 5h later. It is sure not easier to have the whole thing built slowly over the course of the 5h.

They also used Radovid to put some new layers on Jaskier with the romance. Those layers includes his pansexuality, sure, but there is more. Things that have been played but not said are out up front now. His extreme empathy that helps him read people. It is his superpower and his weekness. We see a more clever side to him too. We see him trying to navigate with Radovid to find solution for Rience and maybe safe conduit for Ciri. And this is a part of how he has now a place in the found family and how he connects with them, which was inexistant in both S1 and S2.

This is not just about sexuality. But apparently it overshadow everything else. So...

For those who found the kiss coming from nowhere, I invite you to listen and watch more carefully.

For those who found Jaskier too promiscuous this season, I remind you that Jaskier is known to have multiple affairs in the books, and this is mentioned in the show as well in S1, and teased in S2, so this is not new. This is just the first time it is shown clearly.

For those who simply cannot bare the view of two men kissing, just close your eyes, you have plethora of heterosexual book accurate relation in the next episode.

And you know what :

We know little about love. Love is like a pear. A pear is sweet and has a distinct shape. Try to define the shape of a pear.

Jaskier

[waitmyturtles]

Hi WMT it's Ranch!

What has surprised you most over the course of your OGMMTVC project?

RANCH, MY FRIEND! (Tagging you here to make sure you see this! @ranchthoughts)

What has surprised me the most in the Old GMMTV Challenge.... this is such an AWESOME question. I think I have a few answers.

I am oftentimes turned on by shows that many people dislike: I feel compelled to find out why, to dig into these shows, and to wonder what's missing by way of the popular dialogue around these shows. I was REALLY surprised by how much I liked -- nay, LOVED, OBSESSED OVER! -- Theory of Love. I heard it was misogynistic, that Third was a sad case that needed sympathizing, that Khai was a terrible person, etc. I think those popular reads were exactly what the show was skewering, and I was really surprised by how sophisticated and subversive the show actually was.

I was REALLY surprised by how much I LOVED Manner of Death. I knew it was a MaxTul vehicle, but I didn't expect the story to be so tight. It was written by the same screenwriter as He's Coming to Me, and once I learned that, I was like -- OHHHHHHH!

I was VERY surprised by the ending of Make It Right 2, and was insanely moved by Frame proposing to Book. When I saw Frame doing that, I was like -- OH WAIT, I HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE, in backwards chronological order, because Bed Friend had ended the same way. And both Make It Right and Bed Friend are Cheewin Thanamin shows. I just -- gaaaahhhh, I LOVED that I saw that connection, and what Cheewin was communicating about queer love and joy in these two shows.

Speaking of Make It Right (which was early early on in my OGMMTVC journey), I was very surprised by how much I was loving the show when I started it, leading me to message @bengiyo in surprise, because the online fandom chatter previously had been that the show would give folks the jibbles for how young the actors were. And Ben gave me such perspective (that I wrote about in my first season review) so as to make me feel comfortable with moving forward. And it's a fucking brilliant show, so I was so happy to have the support in taking it on.

I was surprised by how much I loved Lovely Writer, because I had watched Step By Step before watching LW, and was really angry at Tee Bundit. And then I watched Lovely Writer and I was like HOW CAN THIS SHOW BE SO GOOD, LOL.

But I think my biggest surprise was in discovering Until We Meet Again. I didn't expect another show on the list to almost reach my He's Coming To Me and Bad Buddy echelon. I don't think UWMA gets THERE-there, but it's close. I just rewatched UWMA during a stressful life moment, and god, it is BRILLIANNNTTTT. It's a show I can just turn on, and enjoy at any random moment, wherever I start it. It was SO well done -- from New Siwaj, I did not expect such a perfect show, and I was DELIGHTED to get obsessed with it.

I'm sure I have more, but these are the highlights!

[fateinthestars]

Must be time to do another SCM Ramble/ Review post and to go with yesterday's two White Day special story sets here is the other one! This post contains:

White Day Treats for a Crimson-Lipped Goddess

The stories in this are set after the Valentine's Day 'To the Victor Goes the Spoils' stories and as such this set features stories for: Leon, Scorpio, Huedhaut, Zyglavis, and Aigonorus.

Spoilers under cut. Oh and maybe some gushing, cos Zyglavis' and Aigo's stories in this set? 🥰 (Hue? 🤦‍♀️ )

Leon: Flowers of Love Bloom in the Sky

I can't quite believe that from his POV chapter in this that it was technically Ichthys who planted the idea in his head to actually use his powers for once...

Anyway, Leon is actually internally very contemplative and trying his hardest to understand why human holidays matter so much. His internal monologue even admits he's just learnt something from Partheno of all people. Leon is still learning and growing and once again this story shows why it's so important to have these stories from their point of view.

One thing that did stand out to me when re-reading this is that Karno's gift in this is technically the same thing as he uses in the Victor goes the Spoils - presumably untampered with this time. No-one brings that up though... I wonder whether that's just Karno deliberately reminding Leon about Valentine's to make sure things run smoothly?

As to Leon's eventual gift in this one? It's really touching and thoughtful and calls back very nicely to Leon's main story.

Scorpio: Your Colour

Oh sweet Scorpio. Your vague questions in order to be really touching always seem to end up backfiring somewhat and you don't think before snapping if something unexpected throws a spanner in the works. Though, MC? I know you forgot it was White Day the following day but when the others mentioned that, could you maybe not have... yanno... put two and two together that maybe just maybe that was why Scorpio was suddenly interested in your makeup?

Oh gosh the stuff Scorpio blurts out to the sales assistant 🥰 I know you Scorpio you are not the angry irritated God you project there's far more to you than that. Also, talking about his POV chapter he actually makes it clear here that he's decided him and cooking don't mix. So I guess in my cooking post that moves him down a little (only a very little mind, his stuff you could still eat...)

Huedhaut: Tones of your Future

Oh Hue! Hue please!!!!!!!

I am going to forbid you from putting your forehead against MC's at this rate.

I mean honestly, Hue: You see she's crying in the future but you don't know why, or what, or whether it was definitely even you who caused it (though you seem to think it was)? Yeah you letting it slip to the other Gods and their comments probably didn't help your brooding but your conclusion as to what to do was to stay away from MC for a while? HUE!

No wonder Teo scolded him later. Yes it's Teo that gets Hue out of this funk, his actions seemingly shocking both Hue and later MC when Hue tells her who snapped him out of it.

Hue's actual White Day gift is really moving and no wonder MC cried. This story probably shows more than most why Hue's divine power is not one you want. He must be so stressed all the time.

Though... Hue? As it turns out that you ended where your vision was and it actually wasn't a bad thing at all, you could have actually had your White Day date as well.

Thank you for pushing him to go see MC, Teo. Though I think the wish he'd received also made him realise what an idiot he was being.

Hue you really are a worrier aren't you? In an attempt to make sure you kept MC happy and avoided anything potentially negative you actually made things worse.

Oh Hue... *hugs him tightly*

Zyglavis: Love Cannot be Planned

A massive change in tone here and oh my word this story. This story! It's not just one of my favourite Zyglavis stories, it's one of my favourite stories featuring Ichthys that isn't in his own route.

Ichthys hasn't forgotten about the Valentine's Day Punishment and now he's come up with A PLAN. A plan that all the others are trying to tell him not to be foolhardy about and don't even try it but nope Ichthys here is on a mission!

That mission appears to MC & Zig to be a battle of who can give the best White Day present but no... this is actually Ichthys trying to humiliate Zyglavis in front of all the others.

I can't help but feel having read this story that Ichthys is a million years too early to be able to get the upper hand on Zyglavis. Of course Zyglavis is so suspicious about what is actually going on he looks further into things.

Everything Zyglavis does here is wonderful. And even he admits because of Ichthys' ridiculous present battle he thought more about what to give MC and is happier with what he chose as a result.

Everything about this is PERFECT. This... this is everything I need from an SCM story. 🥰

Aigonorus: A Sweet Trap

Oh Aigo, I really do adore him. I wish Aigo had more content because he's so sweet, loveable, cuddly, and determined once he gets a clear idea in mind.

I love how once MC has explained White Day so he understands, he immediately drags her off to get her to pick something out. Aigo is so impulsive and impatient sometimes but in a really sweet way.

I'm also gonna have to include this screenshot from his point of view story when he's first trying to make what he finally decides on giving MC as a White Day gift because 🤣 :-

If anything shows how pure and kind hearted he is though is what happens after he sees an article saying that his gift has negative connotations and thus refuses to give it to MC even though he spent many days perfecting it...

Cos what he was gonna give her was what she has given him in the past and here he never once thinks that what she gave him could have been negative in any way. And yet he still worries that his would be taken negatively.

Aigo really is one of the kindest, sweetest, most caring of all the Zodiac Gods. And I hope in the routes other than his own he finds love from somewhere and realises that that Goddess was just a jerk. Aigo deserves the world.

Ranking attempt then? Oh gosh...

Zyglavis

Aigonorus

Scorpio

Leon

Huedhaut

[carica-ficus]

Review: The Liminal Zone

Author: Junji Ito

Date: 13/02/2023

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

———————————————————————————————

While I am a big fan of Ito's work, I haven't had the time to pick up some of his newer works up until now (when I forgot to take a book of my own to read on my way home, so my boyfriend offered me a few from his collection). "The Liminal Zone" is another collection of short stories, featuring 4 of his works: Weeping Woman Way, Madonna, The Spirit Flow of Aokigahara and Slumber. He has worked on them during the pandemic and had been publishing them online before they ultimately got published as a physical book.

Ito's quite self-conscious about all his newer work, repeatedly saying how his stories aren't as good as they used to be, but compared to his older work, I'd say the stories in "The Liminal Zone" are definitely some of his best.

Weeping Woman Way is a story about a girl who suddenly can't stop crying after an encounter with a hired weeping woman on a funeral. In its core, it is a tale about the desperation of grief, sadness and depression women experience as they experience loss, not just of their beloved, but thousands of other people they have not personally known. Only the women are affected by the crying malady, and only other women truly understand the suffering it invites. Their sorrow becomes almost palpable through Ito's provoking illustrations. He has perfectly enraptured the pure helplessness that comes with sadness.

While Madonna was actually a really solid story with amazing Christian symbolism, the salt powers of the main antagonist take away from the fluidity of the plot. Ito's creative process for a story usually starts off with a specific source of inspiration that he decides to incorporate into his story, but he often doesn't have the right skills to blend it into the story properly, so some parts seem forced and unnecessary. Still, Madonna is a great read with some gorgeous, creepy visuals, especially of the statue of Mary crying bloody tears and the panels where the vice-principal shows her true angry and resentful nature.

The Spirit Flow of Aokigahara is the weakest story of the four, featuring a sick man who decides to kill himself somewhere deep in the forest, but finds some sort of cave from which spirits come out at night in the form of a raging river. The visuals are definitely unnerving, but the plot itself is quite shallow and somewhat silly.

The idea behind Slumber is nothing new, but it is nonetheless riveting. Ito took the famous The Killer in Me horror trope where the main character has no recollection of their crimes and spins it into a narrative where they have no obvious connection to the victims, but have memory flashes of killing them. There's a few minor issues I had with this story, mostly regrading Ito's explanation of the memories, but overall it was an exciting and compelling read. I'm a sucker for this trope and I am glad Ito decided to do his take on it.

The majority of negative comments regarding Ito's new work are mainly concentrated on his biggest weakness: mending plot holes. Ito's a writer who stays true to his ideas, so when they don't necessarily add up, he offers the reader a fairly simple explanation. In hindsight, yes, it negatively impacts his story, but I'd argue it's also his redeeming quality. A lot of his most impactful and well know work wouldn't even exist if he limited himself to completely drawn out ideas. If you prefer carefully planned out plots, his work might not be to your liking, but Ito definitely offers a truly unique and recognizable experience of horror that is worth to give a chance.

"The Liminal Zone" is an excellent choice for both old and new lovers of Ito's work. It features some great stories, it's filled with gorgeous, gory and horrific illustrations, and it's an interesting read.

[beans-and-shet]

TMMN Episode 8 Thoughts

I’m gonna give a full review for episode 8 here. I have a lot of thoughts. Don’t read if you don’t want spoilers.

The art was good, but after watching it a couple times and letting it sink in, overall I’d say this episode whiffed hard when comparing it to the manga. I came out of it disappointed.

There were 5 things in particular I was hoping to get from this episode (cat Ichigo + Masaya kiss, shit not hitting the fan in only one day, full Masaya transformation sequence, angry Masaya when he rescues Ichigo, good action sequences), and New kind of only delivered on one of them (the action sequences), and even that was me being generous. The action scenes were better here than in recent episodes, but that was mostly just for Quiche vs the Blue Knight. It still wasn’t anything I’d write home about, but definitely an improvement.

First of all, Quiche kidnapping Ichigo so early into the episode after what happened in the previous episode felt way too rushed and like a "not this again" moment. And it looks like they really did skip the iconic Masaya/cat Ichigo kiss scene rest in pieces. How can they not show him realizing she was the cat from that night in s1e10?? Even if they do it later (after the final boss fight concludes) it seems like it would feel out of place at that point. I really wanted to see his reaction and that scene was in my top 5 scenes from the manga. Also, given how much they wanted to cram into this episode, I am surprised they wasted the pre-opening portion of the episode on a recap from the previous episode. As it stands right now, I still think from a pacing standpoint that it was a bad idea to have the lunch date happen as late as it did. They needed at least one episode of buffer between Ichigo and Masaya’s reveals for the pacing to feel right. I would have preferred two episodes of buffer, which is why I was originally hoping the lunch date would be in episode 5. If it had happened in episode 5 or 6, they could have sprinkled a few moments in to make Masaya’s worried reaction about Ichigo being a mew mew feel more natural. And it also wouldn’t feel like such a clusterfuck of reveals happening right at the end. There was nothing major in episode 5 or 6 that chronologically needed to happen before the lunch date anyway. Also, in the manga, when he told her he didn’t want her to fight anymore, he hugged her from behind after subconsciously rescuing her from drowning (aka almost DYING) in his blue knight form and he also saw the injury on her arm. He noticed it right in the moment too, not a day or two after she actually got hurt like what happened in New. The execution of these particular events in new, like the Quiche kidnapping, was very clunky and too fast paced.

Now for the Quiche confession scene. The first half of this scene should have been at night. At least the dark blue polluted air came in for the second half to match the scene’s vibe a bit better. I did like how New really portrayed from Ichigo’s perspective how scary and awful this was throughout the entire experience. There was no blush and "does he really love me?" after her ass just got choked. I do think choosing to have Quiche choke her after he finished crying tho is gonna make his redemption moment come off as way weirder than it did in the manga (and this is coming from someone who never thought the manga executed it very well either). But we’ll see, that’s just how I feel about it right now.

For the Blue Knight rescue oh boy, there are several things. I did think it was cool that Masaya could harness some of his power in his base form. But for the most part, this scene disappointed me. They took out most of the emotion from Masaya’s voice that should have been in his final "I said let her go!". His expression was also quite blank. I wanted to see him mad, dammit. He’s someone who is typically very calm and collected, so that moment in the manga when he yelled with that furious face was awesome and very impactful! Idk how whoever directed this episode thought it was a good idea to take that away. Their hug after she got freed from the webs restraining her wrists was cute. And I loved how Ichigo blocked Quiche’s attack. But then Masaya prevented her from fighting anymore, saying he would protect her. The manga’s portrayal of this was much better. There, Masaya told Ichigo to go help her friends against Tart so he could keep her away from the guy who tried to assault her and also question Quiche further on what he meant. New right now is making it seem like Masaya doesn’t want Ichigo to fight at all, which isn’t quite right. He is worried about her, but if he is there to help and have her back, he’s generally supportive (case in point, the Zakuro mew aqua fight from the manga).

And we know in a la mode and re-turn that while Masaya worries about Ichigo, he won’t stop her from fighting (and even encouraged her to go back to Tokyo in a la mode) so there’s that too. Lastly, NO LEGITIMATE TRANSFORMATION SCENE FOR MASAYA, WHY WORLD WHY?!!! Like I guess I have to riot now wtf. I am so bummed about that.

For the fight at cafe mew mew, it was nice to see Tart not getting that into the fight cause he didn’t really like the idea of fighting Pudding anymore. At least his change of heart will feel more natural. Also, it’s an interesting choice to keep Mint restrained at home. Will she reveal her identity to her brother or find a way to sneak away? I know she’s gonna probably be the one to stop her brother’s air purifier.

I am shocked we are already getting Deep Blue next episode. The re-turn outfit is here and I’m sad his fancy pattern isn’t on the green part of his outfit. But otherwise, he looks good. Here’s hoping we get lots of crazy facial expressions from him. New really took my guesses for how the pacing would go and flipped them on their heads. I didn’t think we’d get Deep Blue until the end of episode 10. Since they are investing so much time into the final fight, I really hope they make it worth it and give some great drama and original action scenes. ESPECIALLY SOME DETAILS tying Deep Blue to the original alien society on Earth and how exactly Masaya came to be. Also, New please give me a good shot of this panel (tho that’s probably gonna be for episode 10) holy shit:

With Deep Blue being introduced this early, it also seems like it opens up episode 12 to have more room for cute moments in its second half. I know we’re probably gonna get that cheesy wedding scene for Ichigo and Masaya so I am looking forward to that.

[haleigh-sloth]

I am done reading AssClass

Okay, let's see if I can type this all out without crying lol

This isn't a review, just my personal feelings on the manga, the things I liked, the things I didn't like (there really aren't much), things I wish I had seen more of etc., and my overall opinion on the ending (;--;)

Things I liked:

All of it. But seriously, the commentary on the education system. The way that it's "subtext" but like, Horikoshi-style subtext. It's not really subtext it's kind of in your face, unable to be ignored. While I'm fully aware that it caters to commentary on the Japanese education system, which differs greatly from what I'm personally familiar with, there are a lot of relatable aspects in this manga that I can relate to American education. For instance, all the "problem kids" getting hidden away from the general classroom, scapegoated, looked down upon, etc. All of that was super obvious. The way it emphasizes how individualizing teaching approaches to the student can produce amazing results that matter to that student. I work in special education currently, but I've been working with kids since I graduated college, and this manga felt very validating to me with how it shows what impact adults can have on kids if they put effort into their relationships.

Moving on....

It's a shounen, but I love how it managed to maintain its slice of life vibe by keeping it focused on their school experiences. Just the way the manga made sure not to dive into power scaling territory in any way whatsoever and mostly focus on demonstrating the way Korosensei was getting through to the students, which as a result really drove the ending home. It's kind of funny how the parts of BNHA that hold my interest the absolute LEAST were the parts of this manga that I wanted to make sure didn't fade away.

I also appreciate how it balanced its large cast without it feeling like cameo city. Everyone got the perfect amount of focus. Nobody felt like side characters who were getting more screen time than necessary to an annoying extent. It has its main focus characters but it truly is a manga about all of Class 3-E. I was impressed by that, as with large casts I usually get irritated quickly when characters I don't particularly care about (because the manga gives me no reason to seriously care about or be invested in them) are being given screen time SOLELY for the purpose of getting screen time. Just...things I generally don't like, but this manga didn't have that issue.

The characters of focus:

Korosensei- I knew his character would be the source of my tears at the end. The person who recommended this manga to me went ahead and told me he would die (which I appreciated because I think I might have been upset/angry at the manga if I hadn't been warned---I'm not good with tragedies lol). So--I knew what was coming, just not the how or the when. Korosensei is the best character in the manga and everything that happens in his arc I feel very reasonably warrants the ending. However it doesn't take away the devastation it made me feel lol. I knew early on, I could tell that he was going to be the source of most of the emotion dredged up in the manga. He didn't disappoint. I've never favored a mentor/teacher character this much.

Karma- My favorite, no surprise. I love how he's introduced as this deranged, violent, uncontrollable teen but ends up being the most go-getting academic in the class. He's bothered when his grades drop the slightest and he more than makes up for it later (so he CARES). He's pretty chill in personality but his unhinged-ness comes out randomly throughout and it's either hilarious or just really cool. He's really not what he's introduced as. He's goofy, and he drops his "revenge against teachers" persona pretty quickly after he's introduced and Korosensei picks at him a little. His friendship with Nagisa gives me life. It's hidden in the shadows but you know it's there, and it finally gets focus toward the end which I ate UP.

Nagisa- BEST MAIN CHARACTER. He feels so passive without actually being passive. His development happens subtly imo, it wasn't something I noticed until the summer vacation arc. After that I paid a lot more attention to him and he easily slide his way into top favs. I LOVE LOVE LOVE how his backstory tied into his skills in the classroom, and how that drove him to change his mind about being an assassin. God that was cinema at its finest. And I said this already but his friendship with Karma is just *chefs kisses* I love them both. They're melons.

Kayano- SHE SHOCKED ME. SURPRISED ME. BUT I LOVE HER. She really did stick close to the protag and hide in his shadow and then come out at the MOST unexpected time. Her backstory tying into Korosensei's backstory, making her closer to him than anyone else in the class ;--;

And that leads me into when I started sobbing and didn't stop.

Korosensei's backstory was rough, but the conclusion to his backstory was where the tears started flowing, and didn't stop until I finished the manga.

I was waiting for the kids to finally acknowledge what assassinating their teacher meant, and finally when the realization came I was emotionally unequipped for it:

These moments had me in a blubbering mess, and it's taking a lot of effort not to cry RIGHT NOW LOOKING AT THEM

And then of course:

....okay in order to avoid crying I'm gonna move on lol

Things I didn't like--honestly not much. I don't have any actual complaints. I just want to sue for emotional damages.

Things I wish had been different:

Things that aren't critiques because they aren't a flaw, just personal wishes I have.

I wish we had gotten to see more of Asano Jr. and Itona. I feel like Asano absolutely could have been used and explored more. Maybe I just wanted him to join class E. I knew it wasn't going to happen just due to the point I was at in the chapters and knowing it wasn't long enough to get into that. But Asano was a fav that I would have been very interested in seeing more. He felt like a side character who absolutely could have been lifted out of side character territory. Itona drew me in more when he was unhinged, and my liking for him didn't go away but my fixation on him shifted to Asano lol. I feel like Itona could also have been used more. But the way in which he was used wasn't bad at all.

Other characters:

I LOVE what happened with Principal Asano, absolutely love it. It made me forgive everything he was about throughout the story. I love his perception of Korosensei changing and how he offered him a job to come back later, I love his shift in thinking, his reuniting with his former students no matter how bittersweet it was. I loved Korosensei telling P. Asano that he was replicating what Asano had envisioned when he started his school. Tear jerking forreal.

Karasuma and Irina: Loved them. Loved how Karasuma kept a hard front almost the entire manga and slowly started letting it fade away as time went on. I love how the three teachers bonded and at the end, Karasuma acknowledging that all three of them raised that class. More tears flowing. Irina best girl. She was fanservice-y but it wasn't a stupid gag and was a part of her character (a legit seductress), and she as a whole was great.

I coud go on and on about the ending and how emotional it made me watching everyone clean the building and the mountain, and Kayano saying it feels like Korosensei and Aguri are still there with them, so they don't intend to make it a memorial site. I could go on and on but I'm legit tired of crying lol I really can't handle it anymore. So I'll end it here and say that this replaced Naruto in my top 5 LOL (sorry Naruto). 10/10.

[joysofescapism]

Book Review: Den of Vipers by K.A. Knight

Ryder, Garrett, Kenzo, and Diesel—The Vipers. They run this town and everyone in it. Their deals are as sordid as their business, and their reputation is enough to bring a grown man to his knees, forcing him to beg for mercy. They are not people you mess with, yet my dad did. The old man ran up a debt with them and then sold me to cover his losses. Yes, sold me. They own me now. I’m theirs in every sense of the word. But I’ve never been meek and compliant. These men, they look at me with longing. Their scarred, blood-stained hands holding me tight. They want everything I am, everything I have to give, and won’t stop until they get just that. They can own my body, but they will never have my heart. The Vipers? I’m going to make them regret the day they took me. This girl? She bites too.

Read my full review below the cut.

Trigger Warning: violence, graphic torture, death, gore, graphic mutilation, domestic abuse, kidnapping, self-harm, sexual abuse, blood play, gunplay, knife play, sexual violence.

I will start by saying that this book was one of those hate-to-love kinds. I really cannot believe that I enjoyed it despite the numerous groans and frustrated screams I did.

Was it the smut? Was it the mind-numbing scenes I couldn’t believe I was reading? Because it sure as hell was not the plot nor the characters.

Each time I read dark romance, I always prepare myself for a ton of suspension of disbelief. I would also remind myself what I was getting into. But, oh boy, Den of Vipers still made my eyebrow twitch despite all that.

When I first read it, I loved it. It was the time when I was binge-reading dark and mafia romance so that might be the reason. Since I was already in that headspace, I only got to compare it to the similar tropes I was already reading. But, for the second and third time, I was confused about why I loved it.

Characters

Roxy. The take-no-shit heroine, always angry and swore to fight her kidnappers, but would also jump their bones without hesitation, so there is that.

I did not like her character. She was a typical one in these kinds of books which made me sad. I wanted more strong and angry heroines but, not the one who loses their backbone when a hot guy comes. I do not mind body-betrayal tropes, but that was not executed well in this book.

She was flip-flopping a lot. If she was consistent with what she was saying and (sometimes) thinking then I might like her. But there was none of that.

Ryder. The boss man. The one who needs to always be cold and in control. His character isn’t complex, just a typical alphahole trope.

Maybe I would have liked him if he kept to his role and not said cringey things that would pull me out of my immersion.

Kenzo. The pretty boy. The least crazy among the men. I was actually quite intrigued by him, he was what I hoped was one of the complex characters.

He was the resident charmer with a few hints of insanity which he showed by… switching his facial expressions quickly. I really had too high of expectations from him.

Garrett. The big guy. He was the enforcer and the one who could crush your skull with his bare hands. He was also the hero who hated the heroine (at first, of course).

Man, I also have a lot of expectations from Garrett. If only he did not constantly call Roxy “baby” even during his breakdowns. It did not make me swoon, nope. It was out of place.

Diesel. The crazy guy. No, really, he’s absolutely sick in the head. When I read about his character I actually exclaimed “Yes! Thank f*ck!” I loved him. He was the perfect character to open the story for me.

Alright, disclaimer, just because I love me some crazy man it does not mean I want one in real life. This is fiction. Let’s be mature with critical thinking skills here. Okay? Okay.

Anyway, he was the most complex character among the four and the bar is low. He enjoyed torturing and killing people. But, he would also be holding and caring for Roxy when it was just the two of them. On the other end of that, each time they come together (heh, you got what I mean? No? Okay…) he would also sexually torture her with literal physical torture. Going at it while there was still a fresh dead body beside you was nothing new for me. I was already desensitized by it. I was shocked to see myself reading through all that.

He was all over the place and I loved it. That made me feel icky for liking a character like him. He made me question my morals, goddamn.

When Roxy said something about riding the crazy train I completely agreed.

Nevertheless, these men did not feel like authoritative figures at all. Sure, they would always say that “they run this city” but how they talk does not show that. They felt immature like those bully high school romances with gangs in them. They do not feel like mob bosses. Perhaps it’s because their power was more told to us than shown.

It was my fault for having too high of expectations since I always incorporate powerful people with silence. Which, are not these guys. They talk a lot.

One thing I like most about first-person POVs is that I can see the character’s thought process. However, the characters (especially the men) here might be distinct from each other and each had their own voice but, the supposed maturity they should have did not shine through. Again, I felt like I was reading a bully romance with edgy teenagers more than anything.

Plot

There really is not much to talk about the plot. I don’t think the people who enjoyed this book will talk about the plot at all.

I was intrigued yes. And the smut was one of those “is it legal to like this one?” kind of smut.

It was not amazingly written but the shock value upped the ante, both the smut and the plot points. It pushed my limits and it made me take a peek at my dark side.

Ending

Again, nothing to really talk about. It was the best ending the book could offer. I’m sorry. I really do not have anything to say about the whole plot of this book. It was nothing special.

Rating

When I first read Den of Vipers, I gave it 5 stars. But for the second and third time, I finally saw what I was blinded to see initially and gave it a 3-star.

The only category in my CAWPILE system that had a high score was Intrigue and Enjoyment. Which I gave enjoyment a 10. Everything else was either a meh or a fail.

Despite that, I need to give credit where credit is due. This book stayed in my head for so long. Each time I read a mafia romance after, I would compare it to this. Each time I would encounter obsessive, insane, completely unhinged alphaholes, I would compare it to this. Its craziness stuck in my head, and I consider that impressive since I read a lot. If a book does that to me, then, they did a good job.

Final Thoughts

Do I want a sequel for this series? Hard pass.

Do I recommend this to others? Two words for you. Gore and Porn. If you’re into that, then go for it.

Was this a heavy read? It is heavy on the dark side. Please read with caution and heed the trigger warnings.

Will I read this again? Nope. Not again.

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