#i’ve got more but they’re spoilery

[a-strange-inkling]

ok so i binged demons (sorry abt your ao3 inbox) and afehfjdklajskdod 😭😭😭 i know you said the old haunts universe is more developed so you have more headcanons for it but do you have any for demons that you’d wanna share? 🥺👉👈

Babes, omg thank you so much for reading the whole thing! I actually cried getting all your feedback, it made my whole day, you can spam me whenever you want! I mean it! 🤍

I’m so glad you enjoyed it.

Demons is such a small and contained story, I don’t know if there will be any expansion after it’s finished, but I do have an epilogue planned.

I’d be happy to share a few wee headcanons:

(cw: drugs, mentions of s*cide, character death)

For this story, I wanted to have real world (and in my opinion, scarier) causes for the bad things that happened in Hawkins. I wanted to keep the darker elements, but make them more leveled in reality than monster realm reasons.

Every character who died prior to season four (Barb, Billy, Bob, etc) have died by non supernatural causes, Billy died of an overd*se, Barb a car accident, and so on.

It’s also the same with events like the mall fire, Will going missing, they all happened but not because of the Upside Down.

There is no Upside Down, but El(Jane), Henry and Brenner still exist.

Last chapter, Wayne revealed the talent show did happen, but Chrissy hasn’t realized that boy she met back then was Eddie…yet.

Chrissy doesn’t like to be touched, even before what happened to her, but Eddie’s touch soothes her. A nod to Eddie being the only one to be able to ward off Vecna in canon. He makes her feel safe.

It’s been hinted, but Eddie’s immediate attachment and protectiveness toward Chrissy isn’t just because he’s pined for her from afar for so long, but also because his mom went through a lot of the same things she did and he’s still quite traumatized by the loss of her. He couldn’t protect her from his father, so he’s determined to protect Chrissy from Jason.

🤍

[hiveworks]

Interview with Mad Rupert, author of Sakana

September 2023

Sakana, the story of life and love in a fish market, is coming back from its hiatus soon! The strip comic style webcomic began in 2010 and follows Jiro, Taisei, Yuudai, and Chie as they navigate their relationships and learn to face their feelings. We asked creator Mad Rupert, author of Robber Robert and artist of Bunt!, for an interview to celebrate the series return.

Read Sakana | Shop books & merch | Read more Hiveworks comics

Sakana has been your baby for 13 years. What has the webcomic journey been like for you over the past decade?

It really has been over a decade, hasn’t it! There have certainly been ups and downs, periods where I was updating as much as I could, and also long hiatuses. I feel like webcomics have always been an amazing space to practice my craft and stretch my writing and drawing skills alike. You can kind of do anything you like with webcomics, and oftentimes people come up with wackier, and imho more interesting concepts than if they were beholden to a large publisher. Not that I haven’t made my fair share of traditionally-published comics and graphic novels… but there’s just something so gratifying about coming up with your own wild story and working towards its end on your own time. Webcomics are incredibly tough and time consuming, but also the ultimate form of self expression. 

What is the origin of Sakana? What made you want to tell this story?

Sakana actually started as a class project when I was a junior at the Savannah College of Art and Design. I had been accepted into the Sequential Art department’s yearly Japan trip to study comics and cartooning in Tokyo for a few weeks, and our final project was to create 11 comic strips based off of something that made a strong impact on us during the trip. We had visited the old inner market (now demolished) of the Tsukiji Fish Market at 4am one morning, and it was the most incredible place I’d ever been, so I decided to craft a short story that took place in the market. Beyond the first 11 strips, I decided to continue the story for as long as I could as a way to practice the comic techniques I was learning in class. That was over a decade and 600 strips ago! It really has become the most ambitious project I’ve ever undertaken.

Do you have the ending already written? Do you see a conclusion in sight?

Yes! I’ve always had something at least resembling an end in mind throughout most of the comic’s lifespan. For a long-format comic like SAKANA, I think it’s very important to have a rough ending planned out as early as possible, otherwise it becomes difficult to keep the narrative moving in a satisfying direction, drop little tidbits of plot that will pay off later, or even maintain your enthusiasm for the project. To be clear, the details of Sakana's “end” have changed many times, which is only natural with a very long project like this. But I’ve always kept crucial details the same: basically certain characters in a certain place at a certain time doing certain things (to keep from getting too spoilery haha.) HOW they get there, WHY they’re there, and WHAT exactly they’re doing will ebb and flow as the years go by and I myself get older and older. But having a general sense of the end in mind has kept things moving all this time. The story’s got one more volume to go, and then I’ll be done!

Your hiatus is a result of working on a traditionally published graphic novel, coming in 2024. Is there anything you can tell us about your book?

My new graphic novel is called Bunt! and it’s a collaborative effort between myself and my dear pal, Ngozi Ukazu (author of popular webcomic Check, Please!) Ngozi wrote the book and I drew it, and we’re both really proud of what we’ve made! It’s already available for preorder all over the place and it will officially be out in stores in February 2024. We’re really looking forward to getting out there this fall and winter and spreading the word about it!

You recently successfully completed a Kickstarter for an 18+ comic, Robber Robert, as well. What is it like balancing these different narratives, genres, and mediums of publishing comics?

It’s definitely been a struggle at times to balance everything, and I definitely don’t recommend working on 3 giant projects at the same time! I finally had to admit that I couldn’t do it all at once, which led to me putting Sakana and RR on hiatus to finish Bunt!, and then keeping Sakana on hiatus while I finished up RR. I really burned myself out on comics for a while, and it’s been a huge struggle to get myself back to a good place with my work. Finishing Bunt! and RR Chapter 1 has really helped reenergize me, but I can always feel myself trying to overload my work schedule again and again. It’s my greatest weakness as a professional artist.

What keeps you inspired?

Making something for myself, practicing my craft, and putting my own stories out there are all huge driving forces in my life. Learning to stop overwhelming myself with work has also helped a lot. Looking back on all the art I’ve made and all the different things I’ve tried makes me feel like I can do anything I put my mind to, so long as I give myself the time and space to enjoy the process.

Do you have any webcomic or graphic novel recommendations?

I’m a big fan of anything fantasy or sci-fi, especially if the narrative approaches the fantastical elements in a weird, unique, and kind of gay way haha. My favorite manga is currently Delicious in Dungeon, but I’m also a fan of historical series like Golden Kamuy and Bride’s Story. For webcomics, I love anything by Evan Dahm, like his long-format series Rice Boy and Vattu. As for Hiveworks comics, there’s too many to list individually but my current favorites are Fairmeadow by KP, and Tiger, Tiger by Petra Nordlund. 

Any advice for new readers of Sakana?

I would say…despite its high page count, it’s not that long of a read! The strip format keeps it moving at a pretty quick clip when read all at once (but it certainly didn’t feel like that over the last 13 years updating one page at a time!) I know that the format and the black and white rendering might feel a little dated in the current era of Webtoons and full-color stories, but I’m too stubborn to change now, and I really appreciate anybody giving it a shot! Also, no matter who you are, or how much you dislike him in the beginning, Yuudai will probably be your favorite character.

You can read Sakana for free at sakana-comic.com and print books are available at hivemill.com

[dungeonmessy]

Have you read the final chapter??

Yes I did but I usually reread the newest chapter a few times before giving it a good thought and letting it sit with me and I’ve only read it once so far so I haven’t formed a real opinion. It was a nice little send off :’-) im gonna miss them so so so much. It felt kind of short and to the point which at first I was kind of bummed about, but then again that’s probably because it had been a while since I read the last chapter so it felt so sudden since I wasn’t as familiar with what was going on as I would have been reading it all in one sit. Also I need to reread dungeon meshi again lol…. Spoilery territory incoming but I’m glad they’re gonna be able to stick together (if my memory serves me correctly???) seeing marcille be like “Ok if Falin isn’t revived I’ll be totally cool and fine!! I’ll be okay!! I’ve come to terms with it!! 😑” and then as soon as falin is awake she’s like “ABUWHEUWHUWHAHH I MISSED YOU” was cute. I hope they get gay married and do dark magic in a cave together . also I did notice kabru sticking around for that one panel where laios got food poisoning just to look pissed. Thank you ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Thank you for that . Also falins revival was so cool I liked it being like a big open field she woke up in with just an itty bitty little dragon on her back. Was cute. I like the symbolism there that the little parts of herself left that are still dragony are in the form of a teeny little baby dragon that sits on her shoulder. Okay this is getting too long but ^_^ dungeon meshi forever!! I hope there’s more !! Literally anything I’ll take it!! There’s still so much I wanna see …..

[mercurialskiies]

I need to talk into the void about the stuff i’ve read about Fragile Threads so far (because everyone I follow on the non-blue bird app hasn’t read it yet) since it came to my house early and I need to scream in a way that’s cohesive and also non-spoilery.

I just. I have so many thoughts.

So if you don’t want spoilers please don’t unravel this post.

I’m warning you.

Please do not click the “Keep Reading” tab if you don’t want spoilers.

You cannot hold me accountable otherwise.

Okay, if you’re reading this, I’m assuming you’ve sealed your fate on spoilers.

Good. Cool. We’re on the same page.

It should be noted that, in the five hours I’ve been reading, I just got to like, the second chapter of part three. We devoured two whole parts, which will be my main talking points here.

—————

First thing’s first: I’m desperately awaiting more from Kosika and Tes. I really love their characters so far (more Tes than Kosika, because I’ve only seen that first chapter from her and Tes I’ve seen two). I want to know what it is about Tes’ sister (or, maybe, who her sister is involved with) that has Tes so absolutely terrified. Her character as a whole intrigues me and I’m excited to see how she interacts with everyone down the line (if she does).

Also, bonus points and shout outs to Tes naming her owl Vares. She’s just like me for real.

Second thing’s second: I really LOVE how so far the first nearly 150+ pages are a reunion for characters from Shades (which I think is really welcome if you read the Shades of Magic books first). Seeing Maris and Kell and Lila again was just REALLY nice, and I missed them.

Which, speaking of Kell and Lila, holy crap I missed them and their dynamic so much. I do very much love the growth they’ve gone through in the seven years from what I’ve seen. Lila, while she has some of the same traits (knife kleptomaniac), feels like she’s softened a little and Kell, while he has some of his sadboi traits, definitely feels…way more confident. Like, I’m talking LEAGUES more confident.

Plus, seeing them both function as Antari magicians is really cool, because Lila only really “grew” into her powers starting in AGOS. To see her using magic with proficiency is like “Wow”.

It isn’t the same for Kell, who, first and foremost, those flashback scenes to the months/early years after his magic was shattered hurt me so much, dude. Especially because like, magic was the thing he was valued for as part of the crown—his worth always lied in his ability to not just do magic, but wield it with ease and proficiency. He was always looked on as this figure of power.

I don’t blame him for being so afraid and anxious about what that means for his sense of self-worth. Especially considering that most, if not all of his worth, hinged on his ability to do magic.

I did like the little analogy that Lila gives him, though, about the swordsman who learned to use his other hand to fight (implying that Kell can still fight, just with using other things instead of his magic—magic, whether he can use it or not, doesn’t define his worth).

But the other little thing I appreciated is that this, even seven years after the fact, is still something Kell struggles with. Using magic, Antari spells or otherwise, is still a fallback for him when his swords and knives fail. It isn’t something that just goes away.

Some other small things I wanted to note is just I love all of the little callbacks to the first series (Lila and Kell’s little “What was that for?” “For warmth.” exchange had me giggling and kicking my feet. They’re so whipped it’s insane).

Also, this would explain where the ring (in that one snippet that had me literally on the floor) came from. It’s not a wedding ring (like I assumed it was), but it’s a binding ring. Which, is almost kind of like a wedding ring, but without the vows. Plus, the fact that Kell mentions he only wears two for the people he loves most (his girlfriend and his brother) made me 🥺

Some things for these characters never change.

And I’m excited to see the rest of it and meet the newer ones.

[weathertheraine]

I’ve been sitting on this AU for ages but finally caught up on S2 this weekend and got re-inspired to share it!!! I was so excited to see how well a lot of characters worked with the new content :000

If you take nothing else from this: Raeda Ukatake Raeda Ukatake Raeda Ukatake thank you for your time.

Spoilery content and more notes on the AU under the cut!!!

I love the parallels so much of Shoyo being naturally disadvantaged at magic but ‘finding a way to fly’ with glyphs!! And Kageyama learning to recognise what he does as a legitimate form of witchcraft and support him!!

Can’t believe “so you two go to the same school now, that doesn’t change anything!” Is canon

Kagehina Grom Danceeee

Natsu would be V - Shoyo is especially anxious to help her since she’s so young!

Can you believe I assigned the roles for this AU before Willow and Hunter had even interacted? I’m going to be replaying Tsukkiyama “Please, Captain” and “The real Tadashi would never be afraid of me” in my head for a while <3 It’s what they deserve

Yachi’s anxious spirals manifest physically as illusions like Gus’ (like her panic about being murdered or being homeless because she forgot the boys’ names)!!

Yachi as the head of the human appreciation society!

Sidenote: Hinata, Yachi and Yamaguchi as the best friend trio makes me unspeakably happy

As does the recent episodes that would have Tsukishima bonding with Yamayachi too

This is the one AU where I won’t torture Oikawa - he gets to fill the twins’ role, dragging Iwaizumi along when the plot needs two people lol. Oikawa and Kageyama mentorship: Good Ending - not sure if they’d be actual brothers or maybe step-brothers? But there’s some tension but ultimately Oikawa looks out for Tobio.

Nekomata (plus Ukai Sr) is the one who cursed Keishin- his old mentor(s), who initially pushed him to join the Emperor’s Coven thinking it was a safer strategy to be on the inside rather than hunted, and try to make change from there. They ‘cursed’ him by mistake, trying to use a spell to make him stronger because they weren’t confident he could pass the exam to get into the Emperor’s Coven.

Ukai Sr is the one Keishin injured, pushing him into retirement, which Keishin can’t forgive himself for

Tbh Nekomata and Ikkei could be switched around or like share those roles

Asahi initially is living with Ukai and helping where he can because he seems to be the last of his kind and doesn’t have anywhere else to go (and doesn’t know what he is, like King)

Him being a Titan, increasing his loneliness and his anxiousness about his size and power, makes me VERY sad /pos

Kuroo would fill Darius’ role (potentially with Bokuto as Eberwolf or another sympathetic Coven Head)- trying to look out for Kei and push him in the right direction

Akiteru would be a previous Golden Guard! For some reason there would be multiple attempts going at once, and they’ve been told that they’re brothers. The rift between them is because Akiteru “Betrayed the Emperor” (escaped) and is a Traitor and Kei is totally angry about That and not the fact that he left him behind (they will eventually reconnect)

Ittetsu’s Rhapsody. That’s all.

No but really. Ukai and Takeda as a little jock/nerd duo but Ittetsu breaking things off because Keishin won’t be honest about the curse and then leading a little rebel group and god it’s all so good <3 Raeda Ukatake is what originally sparked the idea for the AU

Ukatake True Love Duet

Coach Washijo would fill the role of Belos, with his focus on doing things the Right Way, his resistance to change, his mistrust of things that aren’t what he’s used to, his desire for power and order

Ushijima and Tendou (and potentially the rest of Shiratorizawa) would be high-ranking Coven Scouts, filling the narrative role that Kikimora does. Tendou is mostly sticking around because he wants to be able to use multiple kinds of magic and here he’s been told he’s allowed to. Ushijima is there so he doesn’t have to compromise his abilities. Both would eventually defect.

Kenma has a very different personality to the Collector in the show- it would focus on how BORED he is,, he needs something to entertain him because he’s going stir crazy. “I don’t really care about the draining spell but he said he’d get me out so :/”

There’s definitely stuff I’ve forgotten I have a lot of thoughts about this!!!!!

[beheamothscreamoth]

TWST Characters as the Cast of Les Misérables

So recently, I’ve been getting back into the Les Misérables musical, but I’ve also been having heavy brainrot for Twisted Wonderland,, So, of course, I got the random thought of combining these two fandoms, and for the fun of it, I decided to match characters from TWST with people from Les Mis - Who matches the vibe with this other character the best? Who would be who? This is all incredibly self-indulgent, but what the heck, why not?

You’ll see a few repeated TWST characters under some Les Mis people, but that’s because I think that character would fit them too! If you’re also confused about the question marks, that’s because I’m a little unsure of the TWST character’s placement in that role,, The more question marks, the more unsure I am- Again, I’m mostly basing my choices on pure vibes and delusions-

(Warning: Book 6 and 7 spoilers [There’s a pretty heavy implication for 7 + spoilery vibes, and I basically spoil the premise for 6] below! They’re under the ‘Read More’ section, but still, be careful when proceeding! And of course, I’m essentially spoiling the entirety of Les Misérables, and if you haven’t watched the musical, please do! It’s really good :D)

Jean Valjean:

Lilia Vanrouge

Trey Clover???

Inspector Javert:

Riddle Rosehearts

Rollo Flamme

Fantine:

Lilia Vanrouge???

Malleus’s mother-

I’ll be honest, I’ve debated a lot on who would fit Fantine, but I’ve come up with a lot of mixed results,, What do you guys think?

Cosette:

Malleus Draconia??

Silver

Yuu / MC

Marius Pontmercy:

Yuu / MC

Deuce Spade

Enjolras: 

Ace Trappola?? (It’s mainly because he gives off a lot of main character energy,,)

Sebek Zigvolt???

Silver??

Éponine:

Ace Trappola????

Jack Howl

Epel Felmier???

Monsieur Thénardier:

Ruggie Bucchi

Azul Ashengrotto

Fellow Honest

Madame Thénardier:

Ruggie Bucchie again

Floyd Leech

Jade Leech

Gidel

Gavroche:

Grim

Grantaire:

Cater Diamond (/lh)

Rook Hunt (even for me, this is a WILD reach,,)

Other Thoughts + Random Quotes from the Musical

I definitely feel like Kalim would be the bishop that houses Valjean after he gets out of prison! 

I was a little unsure about Jack's placement as Éponine, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked it? There was something funny about someone with a strong sense of justice living with such scammy people like the Thénardiers- And that moment where Éponine turns on her father, and takes the gunshot to protect Marius? Yeah, Jack betrayed his dorm to do what he thought was right, and I can see him getting in harm’s way to protect the person/people that he loves,,,

I’ll admit, while Azul does fit with the more “scammy” category of Monsieur Thénardier, I have to say, I think he’s a bit too,, “clean,” for him if that makes sense??

I do like the image of all the TWST characters fighting side by side and saving the world,, Technically that already happened in Book 6, but still,,

While I did slap Sebek with the role of Enjolras, a part of me thought that the army officer who sings to the student revolutionaries that they “have no chance at all,” would also fit him, considering Sebek is serving a royal,,

‘Little People,’ but with Grim,,

Okay but why does Deuce kinda match with the pipeline of Valjean so well though. Valjean used to be a prisoner and stole from a bishop, but he became a better man and a mayor. Deuce used to be a delinquent, but he became a better person and aims to be an honour student. Deuce doesn’t really match the old man energy Valjean has, but do you see how deep my delusions go??

Ace/Sebek, to a pining Deuce/Yuu: Who cares about your lonely soul?

Sebek: Diamond, pUT THAT BOTTLE DOWN

Ruggie: At the end of the day you’re another day older, and that’s all you can say for the life of the poor.

Ruggie/Azul: Nothing gets you nothing. Everything has got a little price!

Sebek: You have no friends. [Wow, thanks.]

Grim: This only goes to show what little people can do!

Ruggie: It’s a world where the dogs eat the dogs, where they kill for the bones in the street... I raise my eyes to see the heavens, and only the moon looks down. The harvest moon shines down!

Riddle: I am the law, and the law is not mocked!

Rollo: And if you fall as Lucifer fell, you fall in flames. And so it must be, for so it is written on the doorway to paradise - that those who falter and those who fall must pay the price.

Malleus: How strange, this feeling that my life’s begun at last. This change - can people really fall in love so fast? ...What’s the matter with you, Malleus? Have you been too much on your own? So many things unclear, so many things unknown...

Lilia: Dear Malleus, you’re such a lonely child. How pensive, how sad you seem to me. Believe me, if it were in my power, I’d fill each passing hour! How quiet it must be, I can see, with only me for company.

Yuu / MC: Get out before the trouble starts. Get out Ace, you might get shot!

Ace: I’ve got you worried now, I have! That shows you like me quite a lot!

Yuu/Deuce: As for you, take this too! *PUNCHES AZUL/RUGGIE AND THROWS MONEY AT HIM* God forgive us the things that we do!

Ruggie: Paris at my feet, Paris in the dust. And here’s me breaking bread with the upper crust!

[cookinguptales]

less than 24 hours before 4.08 premieres and I’ve still seen zero promo for it online... no teaser trailer, no full trailer, no tweets... it’s got an incredibly vague imdb summary, too... and afaik, it’s the only episode we have that doesn’t even have suspected leaks...

why the heck is this episode of all episodes the one they’re protecting like fort knox??? makes me fucking nervous. 

my initial suspicion is that this really will be a full episode of Go Flip Yourself and that’s why they have zero non-spoilery footage, but maybe it’s more than that...?

I’m nervous, y’all!

[daffi-990]

Hi Daffi!!!

Tell me about your Fantasy AU!!!

Ahhh Fantasy AU .. my beloved .. that I really need to spend more time on 🥲

The summary for it is:

23 yr old Buck lives with his adoptive father, Bobby, in Los Angeles. One day his life is turned upside down when he’s attacked in the street by what he can only describe as a monster. He’s saved by an attractive stranger named Eddie, who apparently knows Bobby and claims they’re in danger.

He also claims Buck is a powerful mage from another world, and is prophesied to save it from an evil that has plagued it for the last 30 years.

I’ve written small bits and pieces of it, most of it spoilery haha

BUT!!

Your ask actually encouraged me to write the beginning of it! So here is something I whipped up this afternoon in the notes app of my phone ☺️

Buck has lived in LA his whole life and still isn’t used to how suffocating the city can feel. Most of the time he’s okay, happy to explore the city and partake of its nightlife now that he’s old enough to do so, but sometimes the city feels like a cage that he’s trapped in, far away from home. Which is ridiculous because LA is home. Except lately it doesn’t feel like it. The only place Buck is able to find some semblance of peace is out on the trails. When he’s out here away from the hustle and bustle of city life, he feels like he can breathe. The kind of breath that’s deep and expands your lungs to their full capacity. He feels alive out here among the tress, the soft sounds of nature a gentle melody that has the restlessness in his bones quieting down to a dull thrum. It’s why he tries to get out here as often as he can.

Bobby likes to come out here too, in fact the two of them used to come out here together every weekend and camp. They’d eat s’mores and gaze at the stars and spar with the swords Bobby owns. Buck still has no idea where he got them, but they’re the real deal. It took Buck a while to build up the strength to wield one, but once he did he adapted to its weight pretty quickly, favouring the heavy weapon over his foil and sabre.

Bobby had gotten him into fencing at a young age and Buck had instantly loved it. It was a positive outlet for him to work off his excess energy, plus it made him feel like Aragorn from Lord of the Rings. Along with fencing, Buck also learnt hand to hand combat through a mixed variety of martial arts, boxing and MMA being his favourite.

Bobby liked to test his skills on their camping trips, and despite being much older than Buck, the man could hold his own. It’s only been the last few years that Buck’s been able to beat him, and that’s probably because of the extra MMA lessons he’s been able to get with his staff discount at the gym.

Buck misses those weekends. They haven’t had one in a couple months now due to Buck’s new job. He has this weekend off though so maybe they can come out here again.

Buck checks his watch for the time. It’s almost 4pm which means he needs to start heading home to get ready for his shift at 6pm. He likes working the night shift at the gym, it’s usually pretty quiet with only the regulars coming in so Buck has a lot of free time to workout himself or just relax after he’s done all his usual jobs. Most of the time he just chills out behind the front desk and watches YouTube videos which almost always results in a YouTube spiral that sees him five videos deep into the subject of how to make your own cheese or something.

Thank you for the ask and the unintentional inspiration haha 😘

wip tag game list

[pluckysidekick]

The week started out with more of a whimper but ended with a bang from the ND set this week. As often happens, we got a few choice items on Friday as they wound down their week of 16 hour days. The headliner was Kennedy’s Twitter post, captioned “Happy Friday y’all,” that appeared and then disappeared, but not before it was captured and reposted a gazillion times:

Can’t stop staring at this one. Some eagle eyed fans noted that it looks like they’re sitting in a booth at the Claw, and that Alex and Kennedy are wearing the same wardrobe as in Kennedy’s equally frenzy-making post from last week from the Icarus Hall set. It was quickly proposed and rejected that Alex was wearing the sunglasses from Ace’s apt. set. I suspect neither of their sunglasses are actual wardrobe and they’re having fun with us, but who knows?

Kennedy was very helpful (jk) with her enigmatic posts responding to fans:

It’s impressive how much chaos can be created with one mostly blacked out Nace photo that appeared for 20 minutes, so job well done. Kennedy did assure us that she knows how important Ace’s earring is to us.

Speaking of the Claw, filming this week on Episode 7, directed by former AD Adrian Deipold, continued from last week and seemed to center on the Claw set as many of the crew members posted from there, including a few that indicated at least some filming was at the location vs. the studio built set.

Back to the cast, Leah gave us an adorable hair look with shades of Wheezie from “Dragon Tales,” while Larry was back in the saddle on Friday and gave us an equally adorable video of Scott who didn’t quite know what episode he was filming 😂. It seems Larry is shooting both more scenes from Episode 6 (which he directed a few weeks ago) and Episode 8.

Two other tidbits: a glimpse of the HB Police Department set from Friday, and a lime green VW Bug from Tuesday, both courtesy of applebananapear. Dying to know whose car that is - Bess, maybe?

I did want to address the fact that a few spoilery things were shared in Discord this week. I’ve thought about it and decided that I want to keep this blog to sm posts from the cast and crew vs. things that weren’t intended to be public yet. I personally enjoy following the fabulous cast and crew and all the glimpses of production they share with us, but I really don’t want to be spoiled for plot points, especially if they weren’t shared by production folks who know how to walk the NDA line. Hopefully you understand as that’s my plan going forward. I hope you enjoy these little glimpses of the show that still keep us guessing.

One last thing - a shameless plug for The Space Between, my Season 4 spec fic. My intention is to give us all the feels and wish fulfillment we’re looking for in S4 while we wait. Chapter 9, posted this week, has some choice moments for Ace, Ryan (!), and Nancy as well as the rest of the crew as they attend a fancy fundraiser for the Youth Center at Icarus Hall. Ace in a suit, check!! Also, sassy ghosts…

[nattikay]

I went to see the Avatar theatrical re-release today!! I’d never actually seen it in theaters before; I was only 13 when it originally came out and my siblings all younger, so while my dad did see it with his buddies at the time the rest of us didn’t watch it until later on our home tv. So it was very cool to see it on the big screen with the 3D glasses and all--which are a little awkward for me cuz I wear regular glasses too but everyone always talks up the 3D effects in this movie so I figured I should take the opportunity haha. The effect definitely added a lot of depth! 

It felt a little awkward to go by myself--I had to repeatedly remind myself that, yes, actually, I am an adult and therefore I am allowed to just go do these things of my own accord whenever I want--but it still felt a little weird. ^^; But I invited my brother to go, he wasn’t interested, and the rest of the fam is currently out of town, and I really wanted to go, so I bit the bullet and shoved the awkward down and went anyways! Decided to bring Toothless along to be my buddy. After all, we can agree that a thanator is baaaascially just a big flightless alien Night Fury, right?? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

This was also the first time I’ve actually sat down and watched the whole movie since I started learning Na’vi. My vocabulary is still too small to have understood everything (and it doesn’t help that some of the actors definitely mispronounce some of the words oof lol), but I was still able to catch bits and pieces, including some of the non-subtitled lines, so that felt really cool!! :D 

There’s a pizza place just across the way from the theater too (they’re both at the local outdoor mall), so I went there for dinner. It was delicious! Overall just a pretty good day for me ^^

They also showed a preview scene for Way of Water during the credits. The rest of this post is brief but a bit spoilery so I’m putting it under a cut:

From what I’ve gathered in the Kelutral discord server, there are apparently at least two different preview scenes, and which one you get depends on the theater. 

I got the one with Lo’ak and the tulkun. It was very exciting to see! The 3D with the water looked absolutely insane someone get the thalassophobia guy from YouTube in on this stat lol

Apparently the other preview scene had a lot more characters in it so I’m mildly disappointed I didn’t get to see that one, cuz I’d really like to see more of the new peeps! Nevertheless, based on this clip Lo’ak seems like an absolute sweetheart and my feels are gonna explode come December (which can’t come soon enough!!) ;w;

[honourablejester]

I’m enjoying the solo play adventure book thing right now, after trying Wolves of Langston by Obvious Mimic, so I found an article on their site with recs for other solo 5e adventures, and on the strength of that I picked up Eight Petals Argent by Wraith Wright Productions. I’ve just finished running through the 1st book with a baby lvl 1 twilight cleric.

It’s a much different experience to Wolves of Langston, much more of a dungeon crawl (well, two dungeon crawls), and with much more note-keeping in the form of a play journal (I actually enjoyed that aspect, but I’m a note-keeping sort of girl). I can now say I’ve had the following (hopefully non-spoilery) experiences:

Got thoroughly lost in the dungeon, not because I didn’t have a map or didn’t understand the map, but because I was looking for a specific thing for a puzzle and couldn’t bloody find it. Which would be fine, except the dungeon is timed (there’s a deadline to hand in the macguffin).

Forgot completely about the Aid spell that had been cast on me (I noted it in the journal but NOT on my actual character sheet, so I never noted the extra HP), meaning I ran that dungeon with 5HP less than intended. I didn’t die, but I spent a significant portion of it with 2HP to my name.

Because you go straight from the dungeon to a chase with only a brief stop by a healer in between, and she only has one spell slot for you, I had to choose between getting a disease removed or getting HP back, and since the disease capped my HP, I chose to get it removed. Which meant I spent that entire chase scene, in which our gang’s glorious leader makes several questionable decisions, with 2HP. Stop doing silly things! If someone sneezes on me, I’m toast! I absolutely cannot get in a fight right now!

By the time all of that is sorted out and we can head home for the first long rest in this adventure, I get the reminder that the Aid spell has run out. You know. The one I forgot. So I’m standing there going … that would have been a really good thing to have remembered before now. Given that it would have added half again to my lifespan down there.

I didn’t get anyone else killed either, which I was a lot more concerned about.

Level 1 characters have no spell slots. Well, no, I had two spell slots. For the whole dungeon, plus the chase scene. I blew one in a panic while trapped with an enemy somewhere flammable (I wanted it dead fast before environmental things started happening) and the second on a mini-boss monster. Which was why, despite playing a cleric, I couldn’t heal myself. If you play this with a spellcaster, be aware that you get one long rest for two dungeons over the course of the book, so pack damage cantrips and/or a good old fashioned clobbering stick. And nab any healing potions provided. After the long rest, I lost a spell slot healing someone else before even getting to the next mission, so I did the second dungeon with exactly one spell slot.

(The second dungeon also has one little puzzle/obstacle that reminded me so much of a particular scene from the Neverending Story. You’ll know it when you come across it. It tickled me pink, once I was sure I wasn’t going to die of it)

The whole adventure is very much about resource management. The most agonising thing is that both dungeons are timed, because they’re missions to get specific objects, and the mission-giver gives you a deadline. So you are constantly weighing the need to explore vs the time it will take to explore. I actually came out with very little loot, because I was so paranoid about time. But you also have to explore, because you’re looking for puzzle pieces and quest items and what have you, so it’s a delicate balancing act.

You are level 1 for this whole book, and you do quite a bit during it. It is definitely a lot of fun. Probably more so if you’re at least comfortable with note-taking and minding your resources. But this book was definitely a very involved couple of evenings playing through, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Might try it on a non-caster and see how that goes. You kinda do want some decent mental stats for a lot of the puzzles, though, so as tempted as I am to try it with a barbarian, that might stall out some. Though, that could be the challenge …

Good book! Going to look at book 2 of the series now!

(And yes, my first instinct on making a character, pretty much every time, is to make a cleric. I should probably branch out a bit. I just like clerics)

[deadlything]

Finished HOFAS! Final (spoilery) thoughts:

The first 75% of the book was… Not Good, pacing wise. There were several times while reading it that I thought my Kindle was glitching out and turning too many pages at once, because the POV shifts were just so jarring. Tharion and Ithan’s POV dragged — Tharion only became interesting once he married Sathia, Ithan never became interesting at all. Things did pick up closer to the final battle, I finished the last 15% in a breeze.

Speaking of Sathia, we only saw a tiny bit of her earth magic but it seems really cool. I hope we get plenty more of it in Tharion’s book.

I was a little disappointed with Ruhn and Lidia? And I really hate to say it, because they were the two characters I was most excited to see. Their story feels done now, and I was hoping for more of a slow burn with them in this book and then more focus put onto them in a book later down the line. As it stands, it feels like we zoomed through their story.

LOVED getting Lidia’s Galathynius ancestry revealed, though. Love love love any crumb of Aelin. Her sons and their parents are cute; wish we’d seen more of them, but… Overall it just felt like there wasn’t enough time to do her complete justice.

Ruhn killing the Autumn King? We love to see it.

Bryce and Hunt were fine. No notes, nothing I would really change. I always feel really mild about them. They’re always just… fine.

All of the Prythian stuff was great! Nesta and Bryce were so fun together. I ate up every moment we got with Azriel. I was honestly really surprised that he got Truth-Teller back, I was expecting that Bryce would keep it. And giving the Starsword to Nesta? And the pegasuses coming back to life at the end? Feels so good to be a Valkyrie girlie. 🗡️🌊🏔️

I’d been seeing some random theories that Ember was somehow shady leading up to HOFAS, so I’m so glad she’s just A Good Mom, even across worlds. Her and Nesta were so good. (Stone Mother is about Ember, it’s not a ship song, please let that rest.)

Nesta and Azriel’s relationship is amazing. The scene after the Mask is just. Chef’s kiss.

It was nice to see that Isaiah will be leading the angels! I’ve been hoping since HOEAB that he would. I hope that concluding Bryce and Hunt’s story doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of him. I’m weirdly attached to him, I just enjoy him. So glad that Hunt got rid of his halo, too.

I was in tears when Bryce saw the Pack of Devils in the afterlife, but then LEHABAH??? I was in shambles. I had to put the book down for a minute and walk it off.

Nice to break the “female character loses her powers at the end” curse by giving Bryce one last level-up at the end. Wish Hypaxia had been given something to do beyond work in a lab again and fail at the necromancy she’s supposedly one of the best in the world at.

[mmvalentine]

Lover Like Me pt 7 | Feysand

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 ** Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 LET THE DRAMA COMMENCE. See tags for CWs it's a bit spoilery.

I’ve never been much of a club person myself, and as soon as we step into Rita’s, the pounding music and claustrophobic press of bodies reminds me why. Still, I am constantly reeling at how much everyone keeps doing for me- am actually pushing down the discomfort it brings on what feels like a daily basis- and so I’m more than happy to do things they want to do, even if I really don’t.

I follow close behind Rhys while we order drinks and locate Azriel and Cassian.  I’m holding onto one of Rhys’s belt loops because I’m quite sure if I don’t the crowd will swallow me whole. When Mor produces shots, I down mine quickly and chase it with a gulp of my scotch and soda.

“Hell yeah!” Cassian exclaims, and drinks his, too.

“To Feyre and sold paintings,” Azriel says, and Mor and Rhys raise their tiny glasses to that.

“Alright, alright,” Mor says, waving her hands. “Are we all supposed to hang out together all night or am I allowed to wander off and talk to pretty girls?”

“You can wander,” I tell her with a laugh. “Thank you for being here.” She kisses me on the cheek before she goes.

“Come on Cassian," she says, "I’m pretty sure I saw a set of straight/ gay twins on the way in.” Cassian frowns.

“How do you know-”

“I know…”

I lose their voices quickly, and when I turn back Azriel, too, has melted into the crowd.

“And you?” I tease Rhys. “Tempted to try your luck out there?”

“And leave you to fend for yourself?” Rhys asks, in mock indignance.

“I’m perfectly capable on my own.”

“You’re miserable here," he argues, eyebrows raised.

“How would you know?”

“You were drinking before we could toast your own success.”

I sigh, caught out. “I’ve never really liked clubs,” I admit.

“What is it?” he asks. “The noise? The crowd? The lights?”

“The dancing,” I confess.

“The dancing?” he repeats.

“Yeah I just… I don’t like dancing. I don’t really know how, I just feel so awkward out there.”

Rhys cocks his head at me. “What if you’re dancing with someone else?”

“Well that’s worse, then they’re just looking at me flailing around.”

“That’s not-” Rhys cuts himself off. “If I can make it non-painful, would you dance with me?”

“How are you going to making it non-painful? I think you underestimate my lack of grace.”

“Will you trust me?” He holds out his hand.

And I do. I trust him, even though I should know better; I should have learnt my lesson by now that beautiful men who whisk you away and promise you a better life are not worth trusting. Even though it feels like waiting to fall, waiting for the ground to hit me, I find that I do trust Rhys and the home he has made in Velaris. Maybe it’s because Rhys’s friends are lovely, and they trust him, and that makes it feel safer. Or maybe it’s because I want to trust him, want so badly for the world to be a better place than it has seemed so far. Either way, I finish my drink, put my hand in his, and pretend I’m just talking about dancing.

As we slide between moving bodies and find space before the DJ, I feel my heartrate pick up. Anxious, I’m always anxious when I have to dance in front of people. My mother used to tell me that I take myself too seriously, and it’s true that I don’t like feeling like a fool.

“Put your arms around my neck,” Rhys tells me. I do so, shy as my wrists land on his shoulders, and he looks right at me. “Trust me,” he says again, and before I can reply that I do, his hands slide over my hips.

The shock of his touch has my cheeks burning. We're so close I can feel his breath on my neck, and I swear I get a little dizzy in that instant. I drop my gaze, a Latin pop song is suddenly very loud in my ears, and I don’t know what to do with my feet. “I’ve got you,” Rhys murmurs, and with a light tug he’s holding me tight against him as he starts to move. Just a gentle rock, at first, his hips moving with the rhythm and me, pulled with him.

“Okay?” he asks, and I try to loosen up and let him move me. Try to follow his feet, and wonder how he knows where to step. I nod, and Rhys smiles. This close, it’s so lovely that I have to smile back. The noise of the club is dies right down, the crowd barely there. How can I notice anyone else when Rhys is right here? I'm distracted enough that I don't think so hard about where I'm going, and Rhys moves us a little more. I'm lined up all the way down his front, against the hard wall of his torso, and I can feel the warmth of him through my pale satin shirt as we move little sharper, a little deeper into the music, and oh my gods I’m doing it. I’m dancing, and actually this is fun. I relax a little, and put my teeth on my lip to stop myself grinning like an idiot.

"See?" Rhys says in my ear. "Not so bad right?"

Rhys steps back from me suddenly. Before I can be alarmed, he turns me round, catches me with my back against his chest. I laugh as I land, I sway in his arms and his fingers splay across my hip so he can keep us moving.

"I think this is cheating," I say.

"Nonsense, you're a wonderful dancer."

He curls around me, my hands land on the arm that’s folded over my waist and I lean into him. I can’t help it, it’s so delicious and he doesn’t seem to mind. It’s seamless, it’s easy when he’s doing all the work. I still feel like I’m clumsy on my feet, that my hips don’t move smoothly like his do, but this is the first time that I understand why people like this. When I feel the cold tip of Rhys’s nose on my shoulder, I break out in goosebumps.

He spins me back around and this time he’s holding my right hand, elbow loose as his steps nudge me back and then forward. I'm about to ask him where he learned to dance, but when I meet his eyes the question dies in my throat. The way he's looking at me... it's almost more than I can handle. He leans his forehead against mine, and I'm breathless. I close my eyes, try to remember how to work my lungs.

Rhys pulls back, and when I open them again he's grinning at me. So I grin back and keep dancing with him, and when he twirls and recatches me I just feel so happy. I’m warm like whiskey, and I am so acutely aware of every place our bodies touch. At the hips, and at our hands, and where his fingers press into my lower back. I’m glad of the excuse of the dance, and my inexperience, to cling tighter to him, savour the moment. The crowd sighs, and the liquor spins in my head.

“You’re kind of amazing, do you know that?” I tell him. I don't know when I got so brave.

“I’m not the one who just sold thousands of dollars worth of art,” he says back, white teeth flashing in the coloured lights. I shake my head.

“You just… you are though,” I say. Rhys gives me a strange look, that I can’t quite comprehend.

The song ends and as the next one begins, faster and more electronic than the last one, but we're still standing still. I don't want to leave his arms, not right now and hell, maybe not ever. Is this okay? I think. Am I allowed to like this? To want this? I feel the stroke of his thumb in the small of my back, even though we've stopped dancing. I find myself staring at his lips, they way they're slightly parted, and my fingers have found the edge of his collar at the back of his neck.

Rhys looks as if he is about to say something, when suddenly Mor appears beside us.

"You guys!" she shouts over the music.

"You," Rhys responds, less enthusiastically.

"Are you just dancing with each other?"

"What's wrong with each other?" I ask.

"You're supposed to be meeting your new lover," she tells me.

"My who now?"

"Anyone!" Mor says. "What about Tarquin? He's cute, and he's into you!"

Rhys snorts. "You can do much better than him, Feyre darling."

"A lover like you?" I tease.

His gaze snaps back to mine then, an unexpected intensity in his eyes.

“No,” he says. Snarls it, so angry that I am shocked.

Hurt, actually. Is the idea so repulsive to him?

As quickly as it had come, it vanishes. He looks away, and when he speaks his voice is light again.

"A lover nothing like me, if I can help it."

"Here here," Mor mutters, and scans the crowd as if she could pluck a suitor from the writhing mob.

Rhys's words ring in my ears, but I can't think about it right now. Not here, where it's so loud I can barely process my own thoughts. Rhys's hands are still on my waist, but I slip out.

“Do you want another drink?” I yell.

“Sure,” Rhys shouts back. “I’ll come with you.”

“No, you stay,” I tell him. “Dance without a weird hanger-on-er.”

“You’re not a hanger-on-er,” Rhys grins, but he steps back and starts dancing with Mor anyway, and I watch them for just a second before I head toward the bar.

“Two scotch and sodas please,” I tell the bartender, and while he’s making them up I lean against the counter top and turn Rhys's words over in my head.

A lover nothing like me.

I can't think about this.

Since I've moved into Velaris I think it's been fairly obvious that he's my favourite. I just thought maybe I was becoming his favourite, too. Is that stupid? Why would he like me better than his childhood friends, his family? Why would he like me like that?

A lover nothing like me.

I can't think about this.

I try to shove it away, to take back out later when I'm alone and sitting in the quiet. I'm wondering whether it will be weird now if I go back out there and keep dancing with Rhys, when my phone buzzes in my pocket.

I pull it out, and feel a flash of guilt when I see Tarquin’s name. In all honesty, I had forgotten we were supposed to meet him here.

Tarquin: We just arrived, are you guys here?

I bite my lip, and text back. I really should have put more effort in for the person who made this whole night happen.

Feyre: Yeah, I’m just at the bar!

I pay for my drinks and take a sip, supposing I should wait for Tarquin to find me before heading back to Rhys. I scan the room and don’t see him, although it’s dark enough that I’m not sure I’d recognise him unless he were fairly close.

“Feyre.”

I spin, expecting to see umber skin and gold jewellery. The smile is already half way formed. But it’s not him.

It’s Tamlin.

I have a drink in each hand and a frozen expression on my face. In the throb of the music, I hadn't recognised his voice.

I’d like to say that a million thoughts run through my head in that second, but embarrassingly, it’s just blank. I cannot think of one single thing to say, I have no words or even emotion except for shock. My brain tries to reconcile here, this club, the people who brought me; with him, the past, a life I had thought I’d left behind, but was clearly so very close behind me still.

“Tamlin,” I whisper.

“Oh so you haven’t got amnesia,” he says lightly. “Then it’s strange you’ve forgotten you’re mine.”

That’s all he says before his hand grips my elbow and I’m being dragged through the room. The drinks slosh out of their short glasses and it’s only the icy cold splash on my hands that prompts me to set them down on a tall table as I’m pulled along.

“Tamlin stop,” I say, and my voice comes out stronger than I thought it would. “I don’t want to go with you.”

But he’s so much bigger than me, and I trip along in his wake. I think, at least we’re in public. At least he can’t do anything to me while there are witnesses.

But then he shoulders open a side door and my heart drops into my stomach.

I try this time, really try to twist out of his grip. I fall to the floor, trying to surprise him with the shift in weight. I try to grab onto the frame of the door, I try prying his fingers off my elbow.

It doesn’t work.

Tamlin hauls me out into the alley and slings me against the wall. I shrink back, ashamed that I do but my body is so afraid of him.

“How did you find me?” I breathe.

“You forget Feyre,” he says, mockingly, “that I am very well connected. When your little painting sold, it went instantly onto the Instagram of an art dealer who worked for my father. Tagged the location and everything. All I had to do was pretend to be a fan and ask where around the gallery where I might be able to find you. It didn’t take long. A prick named Eris told me.

“And then I saw the painting in person and I thought, that looks awfully familiar. Looks like something that was in my house last time I checked. So it seems someone is a thief as well as a little slut.”

“You can’t steal what’s already yours,” I retort.

“Which is why you’ll be coming home with me without a fuss,” Tamlin replies smoothly.

“I’m. Not. Yours,” I growl.

“The fuck you’re not. My car’s parked out the front. Now walk.”

“No.”

“I said walk.” And this time something hard and very cold presses into my belly. I look down to see a gleaming silver pistol between us, and that’s it.

It’s over.

Just like that, the life that was just starting to crystallise around me blows away like gun smoke and it’s not that I shouldn’t have trusted Rhys, it’s that I shouldn’t have trusted any of this. That it would last. That it would be stronger that Tamlin.

I think that some people who spend time with bad people become very hard and untrusting. They don’t let anyone in and they don’t love. I’ve had the opposite reaction, somehow. After my parents died, after my sisters were awful, after Tamlin started to change, all I wanted was to be loved. All I wanted was to believe in goodness and for things to get better and I wish… I wish now that I was that first kind. The cold, untouchable kind. Better too discerning than not discerning enough, no?

I close my eyes against the tears that spring up, but Tamlin knows. He can see it in my face.

“See,” he croons. “You can be reasoned with after all.”

The pistol moves, now that he knows he has me, and I turn to walk with him. What else can I do?

I take all of one step when a dark figure steps into the alley behind us, and then Rhys is here. Rhys is here.

Rhys is here and there’s no witty one liners or taunts, there’s just his shadow in my peripheral vision and then the incredibly loud crack of two hits. Fast, one after the other. And it takes me a full minute to process what has just happened- Rhys has punched Tamlin square in the face as he���s turned, and then kicked the pistol out of his hand. Before Tamlin can recover, Rhys has scooped up the gun, emptied the bullets and tipped the pistol into the nearby dumpster with a frown of distaste. And only now that Tamlin has been disarmed do the words come.

"Are you alright?" he says to me. Cross over in three steps. Voice low and urgent, eyes searching. I nod, and wonder if I'm going into shock. His fingers lift my chin and he's looking me over.

“Rhysand you shit,” Tamlin spits.

“Tamlin, you fucking coward.” Rhys rounds on Tamlin, and his face twists with fury.

“You know, you’ve always been a bully but now you can’t keep a woman around so you threaten her with a gun. I didn’t think my opinion of you could get any lower but here we are.”

Tamlin laughs. “What are you going to do, Rhysand? Lecture me about violence and then hit me again? This is why no one ever takes you seriously.”

Rhys ignores the jibe. “What’ll it take to get this through your head?” he asks instead. “She. Doesn’t. Want. You. So just leave her alone.”

“She doesn’t know what she wants,” Tamlin says.

“She is standing right here,” I hiss. “And what I want is to never see you again. Please. Please. Leave me alone.” My voice breaks on it, and I don’t care that I’m begging.

“No.” Then he lunges, reaches for me, and Rhys steps in.

The fight breaks out now, really and truly this time, and oh it is awful. The sound of knuckles against bone and soft tissue is a sickening, wet thud that won’t stop coming. I go to call for help, ring Cassian or Mor or the police, but I’m trying to use my phone with one eye on the fight and my hands are shaking so badly. I don’t understand this male thing, this bloody and snarling tangle. I feel so painfully helpless, as the dial tone in my ear rings and rings, but I don’t dare run to find anyone. It’s like if I’m not here to witness it, anything, anything could happen, the worst could happen and if I stay then at least… at least… but this is where logic fails me, I don’t know what I’d be good for but at least Cassian is picking up now.

“The alley,” I gasp. “They’re fighting, I didn’t know what to do, come quick.”

“Which door?” Cassian says, and his words are short and sharp.

“Side door nearest the bar. Do I call the police?”

“No. They’ll side with Tamlin, they always do.”

“Okay. Just.. just hurry Cassian.”

“I’m almost there.”

And then the call disconnects, and I’m just left there staring and useless while Rhys and Tamlin make each other bleed.

I can’t tell who is winning, whose punches are landing. Everything is just a mess and there’s a part of me that wonders if I should try get between them, if I should try pull them apart. Another part of me is quite sure that if Tamlin has no qualms about sticking a gun in my stomach, I’m not a likely barrier to further injury.

Cassian, Azriel and Mor burst through the door at that moment, and I sag against the wall with relief. They shoulder their way into the fight, and haul the two apart. Azriel pushes Rhys behind the three of them, and Tamlin stumbles back, wiping blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.

“If it isn’t Rhys’s little friends come to save him,” Tamlin taunts. “What the hell are you doing here, Morrigan? Still trying to be one of the big boys?”

“Shut up Tamlin, I’ve beat your ass before,” Mor says, sounding bored. I’m instantly so impressed.

Tamlin’s eyes cloud over, and he bares his teeth.

“You’re on the wrong side,” he says, and the laughter is gone from his voice. “All of you. Protecting a fucking criminal.”

“I told you, I can’t steal my own paintings,” I say. I swear, the adrenalin is making me babble, I don’t know why I’m even talking. But Tamlin smiles a dark smile.

“Not you, sugar,” he says. “This one.” He looks at Rhys. “I have a restraining order, you may recall. One that you are now in violation of.”

And I’ll never know how he does it, but at that moment there’s a bleat of sirens and a police car is blocking the entrance of the alley. They’re coming toward us now and unbelievably, pulling Rhys into handcuffs. I try to catch his eyes but his face is impassive and selfishly, I want him to reassure me.

"You have the right to remain silent."

I blanche.

“Feyre, did you call the police?” Cassian, eyes wide. I shake my head, back and forth trying to make it make sense.

"No, I…"

“Anything you can say can be used against you in court.”

“Feyre did you call them?”

“No, you said not to, so I didn’t!”

“You have the right to talk to a lawyer for advice. You have the right to have a lawyer with you during questioning.”

“Rhys, Rhys are you alright?” Mor now, calling over the shoulder of the police woman. He finally looks up, and he looks much calmer than I feel.

“Who the hell called the police?” Azriel says.

“If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you.”

“Rhys, I’m sorry.” I’m truly panicking now, but it’s the only thing I can think to say. “I’m so, so sorry.”

At this he meets my eyes, and it's a sad, half smile that he gives me. "It's okay," he says.

“If you decide to answer questions now without a lawyer present, you have the right to stop answering at any time.”

Rhys is still holding my gaze. "It's okay," he murmurs again. "Stick with Mor. I'll be just fine."

And then the officer pushes down on his head and he's bundled into the car and the world blurs.

***

MASTERLIST

TAGLIST: @ghostlyrose2 @highladysith @stardelia @feysand-loml @tillyrubes10 @ratabrasileira @live-the-fangirl-life @maybekindasortaace @annejulianneh111 @thebonecarver @rowaelinismyotp @loosingdreams @pitrsattabhaadmeinjao @achernarlight @swankii-art-teacher @sjmships @courtofjurdan @teddytdr @positivewitch @thalia-2-rose @darling-archeron @rapunzel1523 @fairchildjace @hopefulacademia @story-scribbler @fandomstalker27 @realbookloverproblems @dealfea @s-tormwitch @cretaceous-therapod @whenyadoesntcutit @scatterbrainedgirl @whoever-you-choose-to-love @endlessdaydream @themoonthestarsthesuriel @rarephloxes @timesconvert @mis-lil-red @alerialumina

[bergeronprocess]

My 2023 In Anime

Ah, 2023. What a year! According to my Anime Planet custom 2023 list, I watched 20 anime this year. A couple of them I haven’t finished yet and a couple of them are DNF. As the year dwindles down to its final days, I’m gonna take a look back at what anime I watched in 2023. Beware of spoilery discussion for all of the tagged shows.

Sorted by season and then in the order they appear on my list.

Winter 2023

Nijiyon Animation: Nijigasaki is my favorite flavor of Love Live (it’s the first one I watched, I like the characters a lot, the songs are great and there’s literally a girl also named Emma in the cast) and so I will never say no to more Niji. Cute fun bite-sized episodes. There was even a touching farewell to Tomori Kusunoki as Setsuna. I just saw that they’re going to do a second season, so I’m looking forward to that.

The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague: Holy crap, this show was a pretty little nothingburger. Literally NOTHING happened aside from the characters becoming friends. The two leads didn’t even kiss?!?! I wanted to see how they might handle that - the idea of people who are imbued with yokai powers is a neat one, but oof. This was unsatisfying.

UniteUp!: My dark horse favorite of the season, a bishonen idol show that dealt with some of the more realistic/uglier aspects of fame and the idol industry specifically. There were some production delays (that’s the story of 2023 across the industry, isn't it?) but I actually really enjoyed how they handled those - they showed these neat behind the scenes episodes with the voice actors. I love behind the scenes. The characters have a lot of heart, the songs were really good and the dancing looked excellent too. I think this is getting a second season too? If so, I’m thrilled to spend more time in this world.

Handyman Saitou in Another World: I actually watched an isekai! Holy shit! But it wasn’t one of those lazy paint-by-numbers isekai shows that are just a dime a dozen. I like how it showed Saitou using his skills (undervalued in our world) to get stuff done in the high fantasy world he found himself in after a Truck-kun situation. There WAS a bit too much fanservice for my liking - I’m a sports fan, so I’m used to that “oof, as a cis woman I am NOT the target demo here” feeling lol, but still - and I feel like they did a few too many “he’s dead! But not really because magic!” fake-outs. But hey! Ai Fairouz was in the cast here! I like her!

Buddy Daddies: OHHH did I enjoy this one. Great music, I love Kazuki and Rei, you could tell there was someone on the staff who is a gearhead based on how they portrayed cars, Miri is great, lol at how they overcome bureaucracy crime-style…Tumblr loved this one and with good reason. Also I definitely ship those two guys lol. The one downside is I feel like they kinda fridged Kazuki’s wife and Miri’s mom. They could’ve done a bit better by their adult female characters. I do still get the opening song stuck in my head now and again, though.

Soaring Sky/Hirogaru Sky Precure: Folks, this is the year I got Precurepilled. I tried Delicious Party last year but bounced off of it after episode 1 - it just didn’t hit for me somehow - but this one GOT ME! This is still ongoing and will be through the end of January (50 episodes y’all!), so I can’t speak with finality about it, but so far so good. The first boy Cure! The first adult Cure! She drives a Hummer for some reason lol! I think Mashiro is my favorite! It’s been so much fun to theorize about the story (I was SO wrong about Yoyo being Sora’s hero from her childhood, ha…) and watch it unfold. I do think they waited a bit too long to bring in the Kaiserin storyline, but hey, we’ll get a few more episodes to wrap everything up, right? As for Wonderful Precure, I don’t know lol the concept isn’t getting me hyped up, but I will at least watch episode 1 and go from there.

Spring 2023

Kira Kira Precure A La Mode: Still the only Precure season I’ve completed to date lol. This one was so much fun. I love sweets and baking, so I had great fun here, sometimes even shouting at the TV to try to help Ichika with her doomed bakes when she inevitably forgot baking powder or whatever. When I realized that Ciel had literally been in the opening credits since episode 1, that blew my mind lol. I DO wish they would’ve just let Julio become the first boy Cure, but hey, he walked so Cure Wing could fly. Himari is baby and Akira/Yukari is Haruka/Michiru for the 2010s. Aoi’s band made some good music. The very last scene was very sweet. Both ending songs are total earworms. Good stuff.

Skip and Loafer: This show is SO FREAKING CUTE. I just love these goofballs. I love how Nao-chan is able to just be herself and is not subjected to transphobia all the time. Mitsumi is adorable and also extremely relatable. I liked this one so much that I’ve started to read the manga, picking up where the anime left off. (2023 is also the year that Atlanta got a Kinokuniya location, which is very exciting for me, though maybe less so for my credit card lmao.) Season 2 pls? I would love to spend more time here.

Gundam The Witch from Mercury Season 2: Damn, this show needed at least one more season. Preferably two more. I was fully expecting 50 episodes like what Gundam Wing got lol. It needed more time to breathe, to show us more about the other characters (Lilique my beloved!) and to flesh out the big story. But alas, this is not a perfect world, and what we got was still pretty damn good, and also Sulemio married. That’s my interpretation. That's everyone's interpretation, isn't it?

Star Twinkle Precure: I’m still working on this one, but I FREAKING LOVE IT. The day-glo 80s aesthetic is right up my damn alley, I adore the transformation sequences, we get dark-skinned biracial representation with Cure Soleil, I enjoy reading the horoscopes at the end of each episode (my Japanese is at about a preschool level, so it’s great that everything has furigana lol), there’s space stuff AAAAAND this season has my very favorite Precure song ever. One of the only two so far to be in a minor key, folks, it’s PaPePiPu Romantic time.

I now have a new goal: sing this bad boy at karaoke someday. Pew pew! Pew pew pew!

Summer 2023

Yohane the Parhelion: I enjoyed Love Live Sunshine a lot, but phew, this didn’t do it for me. I feel like it would’ve been better as a 3 or 4 episode OVA (ONA these days I guess), but just didn’t have enough story for a full 13 episode season. My mom is fond of saying “just okay”...like, it wasn’t amazing, but it wasn’t awful either. Yohane the Parhelion is just okay. Please just watch Sunshine instead if you want to be introduced to these characters. Sunshine is so much better.

Zom 100: I watched the first episode of this and then didn’t bother with the rest. DNF. Sorry to hear about the production troubles - that’s especially ironic for this show.

Fall 2023

MF Ghost: The other DNF for me. Watched 3 episodes, heard they were about to introduce a character who is obsessed with 17-year-old girls, noped the hell outta there. Wasn’t impressed with the 3 episodes either. I love Initial D - we named our cat Hachi because she’s black and white just like the Hachiroku - but MF Ghost just had no heart or soul. The Toyota 86 was lovingly rendered but I hated the ugly black motion lines they added when it was moving. The race they showed was dreadfully boring, the worldbuilding felt extremely unrealistic and oooh did I HATE that “outfit” they put our underage race queen in, if you can even call that an outfit.

Overtake: Of the two car racing shows this season, Overtake absolutely wins. It looks great, it introduces F4 racing to the audience very well (there’s some show, there’s some tell, a good blend) and the characters have more heart in their pinky fingernails than the entire cast of MF Ghost combined. There’s a very real and affecting subplot about PTSD, realistic discussion of just how much racing costs for an amateur team and plenty of men being unafraid to feel their feelings and cry it out. Overtake is definitely on the top of the podium. It hasn’t gotten anywhere near the love it deserves - ANN didn’t do weekly reviews of it and Anime Feminist was hyperfocused on the lack of female characters (valid! But not a dealbreaker to me!) - so I hope that people discover it later.

Shy: Thank goodness this is getting a season 2 because we spent literally a quarter of the season focused on the Pepesha and her mother subplot. That could’ve been tightened up a bit - ANN’s review mentions how Amarariruku’s villain speeches tend to be very circular, which is exactly how I felt seeing Lenya explain herself for what felt like the 50th time over - and I was genuinely looking at the episode count like “uhh??!?” before the season 2 news came out. So other than that part being a bit too drawn out, though, this is a very interesting show with a cool concept (Teru experiences Personal Growth! We are so proud of her!) and I’m interested in seeing where it goes from here. Will we meet the USA’s hero next season? I kinda want to see who that might be.

My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer: Ai Fairouz is in the cast of this one too, so maybe she’s just what needs to be present for me to watch an isekai/high fantasy show? I did enjoy this one, even though the action scenes were a little bit lacking, perhaps above the skill level of the animators. They did do lovely watercolor-like scenery shots, though. The characters are charming (Belgrieve, total DILF, also giving us disability representation) and the opening song is a bop. They did leave the door open for a season 2 - for example, the question of Ange’s parentage was never answered, although it is VERY heavily implied that she is also a demon. I mean, the little demon kid Belgrieve takes in at the end literally looks exactly like her, for crying out loud.

Spy x Family Season 2: Haven’t finished this one yet - I want to watch it with my husband because he also likes it and we’ve just had a lot of stuff going on! We have watched 4 episodes, which means we’ve watched a bunch of one-off side stories basically lol. He even remarked at some point that the episodes felt weird. I was like “Well, because they’re only side stories!” From what I have read, it sounds like things are about to pick up plot-wise, so we gotta just make some time to catch up soon lol. 

Power of Hope/Kibou no Chikara Otona Precure 23: I have not seen ANY of the Precure series that have characters appearing here, so I came in fresh. This was enjoyable! I was originally bummed that we didn’t get to see them transform as adults, but the age reversion to transform was done for big story reasons and made perfect sense in that context. The episode that showed how the town was devastated by firebombing in World War II was deeply affecting - war is hell, no wonder Bell was changed by it - and it was great to see Cure Black and Cure White turn up. It reminded me of all the companions coming together at the end of Doctor Who season 4. Total fan catnip, I love it. I have not seen Mahotsukai Precure either, so I’ll be going into their sequel fresh too. (Is that what was being teased at the very very end of episode 12? Yeah probably lol)

16bit Sensation Another Layer: My winner for best show of this season. As you may have gathered from my mention of Doctor Who just now, I like time travel stories, so “Listen, Konoha Akisato has come unstuck in time” appealed to me right away. This show also genuinely taught me things about computer game development. I have a deepened respect for PC-98 game art (I follow such accounts on here now lol), which would surely make Mamoru smile. Plus, I like how it has a core message of “You can be a woman who works on erotic video games and that is not weird or perverted. Follow your dreams!” Toya does, after all - I would have loved to see her team up with Konoha and it sucks that she was being manipulated by the evil company. The show did take a turn for the Matrix-y in the fourth quarter, and I do feel episode 13 was a bit rushed (Konoha opens Comic Party and then is just immediately back in 2023? She and Mamoru explain how they told everyone about being time travelers instead of us getting to see that reaction?), but dammit, I teared up at the very end anyway. What a show!

Magic User’s Club OVA: I remember renting videotapes of this from Blockbuster way back in the day, but I didn’t remember much about the show itself, so I decided to watch it again after seeing this AnimeBackWhen video about it. It’s so fun and charming! And Ikuko Itou designed the characters and Junichi Satou is the director - a bit of a Sailor Moon reunion lol. (Fun fact I learned just now is Chiaki J. Konaka did the screenplay. This is very very different from his work on Serial Experiments Lain.) I’m not done with it yet. The opening song is a big ole bop!

2024 goals:

Finish Star Twinkle Precure

Watch Gunbuster (another "I rented it from Blockbuster during the Clinton administration" story - I bought Discotek's new Blu-Ray of it, just haven't cracked it open yet lol)

Continue to enjoy seasonal anime!

[couldbebetterforsure]

Still slowly (VERY slowly 😭) making progress on replaying Fire Emblem Engage so I can get back to the point I was at before my save got deleted and continue my liveblog. As I’m doing that I decided it had been too long since I enjoyed an otome game so I have also been playing Jack Jeanne!

It’s funny when I first heard the news of Jack Jeanne being localized it actually didn’t catch my attention. But like a week ago I saw a random post about it praising it and then I looked it up and saw it was getting a TON of praise. I also looked up some non-spoilery art and info and thought the style looked gorgeous and liked the bits of story and gameplay I found. So I said fuck it and bought it like four days ago.

And WOW I am happy I did!!!!!

First off, the art in this game is BEAUTIFUL! Sui Ishida, the writer and artist for Tokyo Ghoul, is responsible not only for the gorgeous art and character designs but also did a bunch of other stuff for this game (even writing the lyrics for the songs which is incredible). Seriously the amount of time I spend just staring at CGs is nuts, they’re all so incredible whether they’re comedic or dramatic. The character designs are all so wonderful too and so expressive!

The music is so incredible too! The background tracks are great and fitting for the situations. So far I only just finished the Newcomers’ Performance so the only vocal songs I’ve heard so far are the main theme Jack & Jeanne of Quartz, and the two songs for The Sleepless King: Fortune Color is Crystal and Beyond the Plane Tree. Bruh….I never skip the main theme that’s how good it is. And it’s sung in character by the heroine and the six LIs. I went and bought the mp3 for it I’ve been obsessing over it that much. Fortune Color is Crystal was not what I expected considering the nature of the play it’s in but it’s so catchy! And holy fucking shit Beyond the Plane Tree is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard, the harmonies in it are so 😭😭😭😭 I’m playing this game blind (with a spoiler free guide) so I haven’t listened ahead to the other songs but I was so impressed by these three that not only did I buy the mp3 for the main theme I ordered the vocal collection since the other songs aren’t available for mp3 download.

The story is definitely interesting me so far. Like I said I’ve only just finished the Newcomers Performance so I’m not that far in the story but it managed to hook me in entirely despite the seemingly simple sounding premise of “heroine disguised herself as a boy to attend all boys academy”. I’m actually surprised by how many times so far I actually forgot our heroine is supposed to be in disguise 😂😂😂 Not because the game doesn’t use the premise properly but more because there’s so much shit going on!!! And it slowly introduces new characters and plot points so that I’m always eager to see what happens next. Especially in terms of the plays (oh yeah this takes place in a theater school sorry I forgot to bring that up)! With this first play I was excited to see who was cast in what roles, the plot of it, watching the rehearsals, and seeing it all come together in the end in spectacular fashion! I like the stat raising element, nothing complex or luck based about it so it’s not aggravating. I’m totally in love with the rhythm game aspect, though it means whenever we get to the actual plays I’m more focused on getting a top score than watching the video of the performance. But that’s what the gallery is for right? The interesting thing about this game from what I hear is that, unlike typical otome games, Jack Jeanne is like 80% common route. Like while you make choices that earn affection and can pick who you hang out with, the LI specific routes don’t come in until WAAAAAY later. I thought I would mind since I generally prefer more romance in my otome (sounds silly but people who play otome games probably understand what I mean) but so far I don’t care because the story is just that enjoyable (and it’s not like there’s no moments at all).

And then there’s the characters. I like when MCs are voiced and I’m especially glad Kisa is voiced since this is a story about theater. I really like her so far she’s sweet and a hard worker, I can’t wait to see how she grows as both an actor and a person! I love her standing up to Otori and doubling down on seeking assistance and working together during practice. And I love how sweet and bell-like her voice is! Suzu (to the surprise of no one because I’m Miss Predictable) is my fave. Sweetheart, earnest, energetic, puppy in human form? Yeah that’s a LI tailor made for Willow! I love how much he has already grown as an actor from how robotic he sounded when he first practiced his lines to his PHENOMENAL performance for his first time on stage in The Sleepless King (which by the way how did my boy Suzu not win any award for that performance?!?!?! This game is rigged😡). And bruh I nearly fucked up both rhythm game segments for the Newcomers Performance because of how blindsided I was by how beautiful his singing voice is (don’t know why I was so shocked I know his VA is incredible). Sou is so soft and sweet so far and I can already see some hints for where his story might go (possibly about him not standing out as much?). I like that he’s in the know about Kisa and I do love me some childhood friend romances! Mitsuki makes me laugh with his tsundereness but I love how compared to typical tsundere characters he’s more softspoken and doesn’t go heavy handed on it. Negi is so funny so far I really enjoy whenever he’s onscreen talking a mile a minute or causing his own little brand of chaos. Kai seems super kind and I love that he seems like an animal expert, I wanna know more about him. And Fumi is just super cool to me, his design to his voice to his personality. I really love this Quartz squad, they’re so lovable and have such enjoyable dynamics with each other! Regarding side characters I’m only just beginning to know some, and I know there are a ton I have yet to meet, but I really like the ones I’ve met so far. They’re either kind, funny, a mix of both, or have yet to really display any trait that makes me feel one way or another. The only side character I have strong feelings towards as of where I am now in the game is Otori. And even then I find him enjoyably annoying. He’s talented and knows it, but he’s also an annoying dick and I enjoy proving him wrong. Also he’s hilarious without ever meaning to be, which keeps me from being too annoyed at him.

Anyways yeah that’s my ramble about Jack Jeanne so far! There’s probably a ton I missed or forgot but I just wanted to gush for a moment about this great game! I’m having so much fun so far and can’t wait to see what the rest of the game is gonna bring. I’m at the very start of June so it’s the Summer Performance next!

[feuqueerfire]

June 2023 Movies/Shows Wrap-Up

A little monthly (spoilery!) wrap-up of all the shows, movies, and shorts I’ve watched or am watching in June 2023, general thoughts, and ranking of them all.

Recommendation of the month: I Go To School Not By Bus and We Are Gamily just cause they’re not as well known.

Ranking

The Devil Judge

Bloodhounds = The Eighth Sense

Our Skyy 2 = From Now On, Showtime! = I Go To School Not By Bus = We Are Gamily

Average Rating: 6.07/10 - D: so low this month

MDL Updates - Added to Watchlist:

A section because I’m curious about how many shows I decide to add to my Watch List a month and also the ratio of watching them:adding them.

My Name (2021): in some r/kdramarecommendations after finishing the devil judge

Bad Guys (2014): from this r/kdramarecommendations for heroes and villains who are both crazy

Bloodhounds (2023): It just released today (dropped all episodes on Netflix) and people are saying it has good action + fun bromance and is enjoyable, so I’ll watch it

Addicted Heroin (2016): idk it’s just one of the early BLs (from China no less, though there’s no proper ending I’m pretty sure) and people say there SA and isn’t healthy, so I’ll watch it when I’m in that mood 

Some More (2018): I finished watching I Go To School Not By Bus and searched up tiktoks for it and kept coming across ones for this instead. I suppose it’s a trade-off; watch one short, add another. though i did have this on my radar already since it’s by Strongberry.

To Watch List At Start Of Month: 54

To Watch List At End Of Month: 49

Removed from To Watch List:

Removing these on June 30 because now that I’m getting into kpop as well, my interest in watching dramas isn’t as high and I know I’m probably not gonna get to these. 

180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us (2022) - if I watch it, I might like it but I probably won’t end up watching

GAP (2022) - man I was really looking forward to this but ik people say it’s overdramatic and messy by the end and I don’t feel like it

Merry Queer (2022) - this has been on the list for a while but I always just skip it lol

Rak Diao (2022) - I almost started this multiple times but never ended up actually watching it, so I probably just won’t

Watching On-Air

Our Skyy 2 

Country: Thailand

Release Dates: Apr 19, 2023 - June 8, 2023

Watch Via: GMMTV YT (free)

Watch Dates: Apr 22 - June 8, 2023

Rating: 6/10 [based on (6.5 + 5.5 + 6 + 5.5 + 6.5 + 6.5 + 6.5)/7 NLMG = MSP = BBSxATOTS > Eclipse > SIMM = Vice Versa]

Bad Buddy: Cute and fun and I love PatPran, so I wish there was a bit more of them than there actually was. It got boring toward the middle when they were separated and kept getting lost in the forest but I like them so much and also the tidbits of InkPa were great.

ATOTS: I do not care about these people. [6.5/10 for the last 2 weeks]

tags: our skyy 2, bad buddy

Also Appears In: Our Skyy 2 Live Blogging, April 2023 Wrap-Up, May 2023 Wrap-Up

Completely Watched

The Devil Judge (2021)

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Jul 3, 2021 - Aug 22, 2021

Watch Via: Viki (free)

Watch Dates: June 1 - 5, 2023

Rating: 7.5/10 7/10  [Jan 25, 2024 Update: Decreased by 0.5 stars when rerating my top shows: 7.5 -> 7]

Overall Impression: Cool concept with the live court, I liked how it played with the viewers and the in-show audience. Ji Sung was a great actor to play Yohan, he's beautiful, he's charming, he's intimidating, he can play both arrogant and cute. Seonah my beloved, she was so clever and cunning and forward thinking and fearless, yet with hints of loneliness and care for young girls, she was a great villain ah <3 Gaon was fine to be honest, I think people were frustrated by him but I felt like his inability to trust Yohan made sense considering Yohan's a sick bastard and people who he trusted more distrust Yohan. I wish the girls Judge Oh and Suhyeon were given more depth and utility because they were very flat characters who had some usage sometimes but were often just out of the loop and had little impact on the narrative. Seonah x Yohan sicko dynamic is so good I love it so much. Suhyeon x Gaon could have really been bodyguard gf x princess bf but alas, they had like a day together after kissing lol. Yohan and Gaon were so homoerotic, like wow no kiss. I loved Yohan, Elijah, and Gaon so much. I'm heartbroken that in the end, Gaon is all alone without these 2, with a dead best friend and a traitor of a mentor being a judge in a system that's just as corrupt.

tags: the devil judge

Live Blogging: The Devil Judge Live Blogging

Bloodhounds

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Jun 9, 2023

Watch Via: Netflix, so :>

Watch Dates: June 10 - 13, 2023

Rating: 6.5/10

Overall Impression: Good enough, especially the heart of episode 6 but not something I'll be thinking about at all. The characters didn't resonate a whole lot, this focused a lot on just fighting scenes (more than like strategizing, being clever, etc, which is usually what I'm a fan of), the defeat of the villains wasn't really satisfying at all - especially with how cruel episode 6 went down. Also, I don’t ship Geonwoo and Woojin, sadly.

tags: bloodhounds

Live Blogging: Bloodhounds Live Blogging

From Now On, Showtime!

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Apr 23, 2022 - Jun 12, 2022

Watch Via: Viki (paid, so :>)

Watch Dates: June 14 - 18, 2023

Rating: 6/10

Overall Impression: Funny and comedic with likable characters (even rancid characters like Yeji were charming to me). Nothing too deep, though it had some touching moments. Too much dramatic romance in the second half, I don't care about their royal/shaman past life tragedy and I think that made it kinda meh for me in the latter half.

tags: from now on showtime

Live Blogging: From Now On Showtime Live Blogging

The Eighth Sense

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Mar 29, 2023 - Apr 26, 2023

Watch Via: Viki (paid, so :>)

Watch Dates: June 20 - 22, 2023

Rating: 6.5/10

Overall Impression: It was interesting and I think the show had a good grasp on characters and relationship dynamics and progression. I liked that there were friendships each character had and that they existed outside of just this relationship; even some of the friends existed outside of just being a friend, like Yonnwon was a whole human. The female friends were great, Yoonwon is a treasure and I liked how Aeri was so sweet but so mean sometimes, a very clever city girl type. Also, the tension and cute moments between Jihyun and Jaewon (esp in ep 6 and 10) were great. I think it's a good show that's done well but right now, it's not taking up much brain space and it also didn't make me viscerally feel anything.

tags: the eighth sense

Live Blogging: The Eighth Sense Live Blogging

I Go to School Not by Bus

Country: Hong Kong

Release Dates: 2015

Watch Via: GagaOolala (free)

Watch Dates: June 24, 2023

Rating: 6/10

Overall Impression: Man, I came across this short because of this tiktok of the bathroom kiss which haunted me, such a good edit, but the actual scene T.T This reminds me of Your Name Engraved Herein with the school boys who are plagued by homophobia at school, though interestingly, one of the characters was out to everybody from the beginning here. The homophobic teachers and the weird shouty fangirls who outed them and obsessed over them were sooo dislikeable and took up too much time in this 35-minute video. It was cute, it was sad, it had the indie vibes that so many of these queer shorts have. The ending wasn’t necessarily happy but it wasn’t tragic, at least - though I feel like that specific scene was lower quality than the rest of the show in terms of production and acting.

Well fuck, I accidentally got into watching Boys Love Boys Planet podcast recap of all 12 episodes, then didn’t know the group at all but kinda felt like I did, then ended up actually watching some content and now I’ve reblogged 2 things, have been going through the reddit r/zerobaseone posts from the beginning (since it started just 2 months ago), am watching content, started my content index, the whole thing bruh. So my watching is gonna take a huge hit I can tell + my dreams of starting to read books again is a wisp now

We Are Gamily (2017)

Country: Taiwan

Release Dates: Jul 1, 2017

Watch Via: Youtube ;> 

Watch Dates: June 28 - 30 2023

Rating: 6/10

Overall Impression: Another gay-lesbian marriage after Badhaai Do with overbearing family, though this one is mostly mothers. I think the interactions are funny and how certain pairs agree and then agree with the other pair. I think the fact that the mother pretended to have pancreatic cancer which killed their father but nobody called her out on it kinda soured me though, I think I would’ve been even more touched if that wasn’t there. The ending was sweet and touching, though a bit sudden. The romance between the women was a bit too sudden like y’all barely know each other but it kinda feels like the opposite journey as in Badhaai Do where the man got a new bf lol. Anyway, pretty good.

I should prune my MDL to-watch list, especially since I’m gonna be watching stuff less frequently now.