#i'm quite impressed with the quality tbh

[nachosncheezies]

In defense of late-canon x files (including the revivals)

I was thinking about this poll after I commented on it, and I kinda want to be brave and say more.

Short answer to the poll's question before I go any further: If you're a new fan and a sensitive sort who thinks you'll struggle with your blorbos Really Going Through It and you really need a happy ending, I suggest you stop at the end of season 8. Do not pass go, do not look at spoilers. Disregard this post entirely, close the internet, and go look at something that makes you happy. (Also fuck every part of society that characterizes sensitivity as inherently weak and bad and some kind of personal failing, you are valid.)

That said, "quality" as a concept is entirely subjective, and the question of whether or not there's a decline in quality for any story is wholly subjective, too. In the case of x files? I'm not convinced there is a decline. I am going to be upfront that I haven't yet watched past season 8, though I am almost completely spoiled on events after that - and the reason I haven't watched yet is not because of how I know events are going to unfold, but simply because I don't want it to end!!! Ohh, the tension between "I CAN'T WAIT!!!" and "Nooo don't be over D:"

When I first came to txf fandom on tumblr and gradually became spoiled about what happens in late canon though, I was often left uncomfortable and tbh kinda queasy about it. As I said in my comment on the poll, the hate for especially the revival and IWTB, or to a lesser extent even seasons 8 & 9, is very well documented. But! There are other takes to be found here on tumblr if you figure out where to look, and my feelings have changed!

The thing is, I have yet to find myself in any fandom where there isn't a vocal subset of fans who dislike the story after a certain point. I am not joking when I say that no one hates the things they love as passionately as sci-fi and fantasy fans. In my experience, it often hinges on the extent to which a viewer has strong notions on where they would like the characters to end up. In particular with series where shipping is a dominant component for the bulk of a fandom, I have almost universally found that there comes some turning point in the story where "let them be happy you cowards" is the dominant view, and things that compromise the attainment of a degree of romantic stability and/or domesticity are, to many fans, annoying at best and despicable at worst. But! As one tagset on the linked poll said:

and I think for any fandom, that last tag especially is so so so important. (I think that's harder for people watching a weekly series live, bc you have so much time to analyze and speculate and dream before the next breadcrumb drops, but I digress.)

So why am I saying this and how do I apply it to x files? Well, I eventually found that there are also a subset of fans who find redeeming things right up to the very end and actually quite like the whole thing! The things that I had seen people rage and ventpost so much about honestly never quite sounded to me as "out of character" or "untrue to the story" etc as those same ventposts made them sound. And I've discovered I'm not the only one who felt that way. Do I love that the spooky squad had to go through all of those things? No, those poor guys D: Life is hard and they have been through so much trauma. But do those events and their choices make sense to me in light of everything that came before? Yes! And I honestly can't wait to see them fight to overcome those things, breaking, healing, always learning, always growing, always getting better.

So if you're wondering "where does it go wrong"... well, I'm a completionist, as many people who've answered that post are, but also my personal opinion is that I don't think it does go wrong. If you're new and interested in exploring why I've gone from "vaguely queasy" to "excited" about the whole thing, or want to maybe balance out the impressions you're getting about the later seasons before deciding whether or not you want to see the whole thing, I'll put a few blog names in the comments.

Final admission: even once I started feeling a little more confident in the possibility that "actually ok maybe I'm not crazy, maybe this all kind of is in character and does make sense", there was one big plot point that I was NOT looking forward to and I thought I would never be comfortable about. In hindsight, I think my discomfort came from the negative responses being SO seemingly universal that I hadn't stopped to let myself truly consider other possible interpretations on that point. (I mean my initial instinct when I first read about it was, why are we mad about this?? CSM is literally the most unreliable narrator in history???? it's obviously fake news?????? this must be either a fever dream someone's having or it's a misdirection ploy against whatever shadowy forces might still be lurking?????????????? but for whatever reason I guess I had halfway written that off.) Happily, just last month there's a new post-s11 novel out, and although reviews for the book as a whole are mixed, it seems to have laid the groundwork for resolving that plot issue in a way I think most fans would be broadly happy with. If you're interested in being spoiled about that and seeing how, I recommend searching #perihelion on @agent-troi who liveblogged reading it with receipts, scroll back chronological-style to the first post on the subject and see how it unfolded. (And never forget that Dana Katherine Scully is the queen of denial as a coping mechanism lol)

Everyone's mileage will vary. Each person can feel however they want! But for anyone new, I wanted you to know that the very many ventposts you might be seeing are not all there is to this show or its fandom. Some of us love it despite - or even because of - all the things that went "wrong". I think we just don't talk about it as much.

[ben-learns-smth]

first months as a (substitute/supportive) teacher - some thoughts (an incomplete list)

autumn holidays start on friday, so I thought I'd write down some thoughts on my experience of the last 2-ish months. I definitely have some growing and learning to do, it shows that I'm only half-trained for this

surprisingly I enjoy working with the smallest (grade 1/2) the most. it's partially that (unless they need me for substitute lessons) I spend the most time in that class and have gotten to know the pupils quite well. I know the routines of the class and I got into a great rhythm with the main teacher

the pupils are opening up a lot more about their interests and their lives, striking up conversations with me when they see me in the yard during break. I'm glad that I don't seem like a stranger to them anymore!

substitute lessons without tasks prepared by the teacher are more draining than I expected them to be. I also lack skills for coming up with substitute lessons for my subjects (let alone other subjects) bc I have very little experience of what they're already supposed to know/be able to do. especially in english lessons it's hard to find an appropriate level

being the only visibly and out trans nonbinary teacher is exhausting. I'm looking forward to the day when I've given substitute lessons in every class so I can stop explaining myself. I don't mind explaining queer topics to children and it's important to have those conversations but I'm the only one having them bc I have to, bc my genderqueer appearance raises questions and if it doesn't introducing myself as mr./mx. does.

related to that I'm excited to work with another colleague on a diversity concept for the school that focuses on queerness. our main objective will be to raise awareness in teachers and students

I still struggle to find an appropriate mix between being strict and being fun. with some classes it works well, with others I need to be stricter than I'd like to be, with others I need to ease off a bit.

schools are incredibly gendered spaces and while I obviously knew that it still caught me off guard (and tbh I think it's having an influence on my habits which I Don't Like At All). everything is very clearly divided into boys and girls. I'm generally good with gender neutral language, but compared to my first weeks I jump to use gendered terms much quicker now (example: saying "the girl in the red jumper" instead of a neutral version when I don't know their names yet), including when I talk about myself which feels weird

good quality sleep is so important. being a teacher is super demanding, especially in some more chaotic classes and showing up with only a few hours of sleep is Not It

being able to remember names really well really fast is a super power and I'm grateful I can do that every time I meet a new class for a substitute lesson. the kids are impressed (teachers too), but most importantly it creates a different atmosphere in the classroom. (it's also easier to remind them of class rules when they need it)

so far, the past months have confirmed what I've been thinking for a while: teaching is something I could do, but I'm less sure if it's what I want to do in the long run. so even though I wasn't able to start deaf studies this winter I'm sticking to my plan: try out deaf studies for a year (starting next autumn) and work on the side, then decide if a) I keep going like that to do the full deaf studies b.a. b) I pause deaf studies to do my teacher training and then evaluate again or c) I do my teacher training and pick up uni classes for fun after

[sanityshorror]

Yandere Julius loves Killian… I love it.

Oh my God I'm so sorry this turned into a very long ramble about Killian and Julius' relationship 😭 but if you bring up their relationship to me, there is a strong likelihood I will wind up rambling about their relationship as I did here😭😭

Julius is absolutely head over heels in love with Killian and obsessed with him, yes. However, Julius really isn't 'yandere' at all (I know many people write yandere HCs of him and I'm totally fine with with that - but given I'm his creator I really only speak on canon). SOOO...

The reason he wound up slitting Killian's throat had nothing to with...well, anything tbh. Julius still isn't sure what drove him to do that. He was very intoxicated (a lot of liquor and cocaine), far past his general breaking point, and Julius has quite the temper with a strong tendency to over react to the extreme (he will either not care and not react at all or over react to an unfathomable level - there's no in between with him).

Killian accidentally broke a glass and the broken glass was the straw that broke the camels back for Julius. Killian had always known that Julius would be the death of him in one manner or other, and Killian was perfectly content with that. He says that he would have been very disappointed and pissed if Julius hadn't been the one to take him out.

Most of all, Killian is (and Julius is, too) very glad that Julius did kill him because if Julius hadn't murdered Killian, then Killian and Julius' souls would not have become intertwined in a higher dimension after their deaths, and Killian would not have become an immortal demon with Julius either.

They are both very happy that things happened the way they did, as now they literally will be together for eternity and they have a truly unbreakable bond now due to their souls now being intertwined (which isn't something that could ever be undone).

They definitely have a much less toxic relationship in present day as demons. Their relationship as humans was such an utter wreck but they have been in love basically their whole lives.Killian and Julius were childhood best friends. Julius was 4 and Killian was 7 when they met, and they both instantly became extremely attached to each other and excessively codependent.

Killian was 8 when he developed a crush on Julius - he realized he had a crush on Julius after eating a worm to try to impress him (and then tried to violently throw himself in the closet, as Killian really struggled with accepting his orientation - pan - for a long time. [I would love to share all about killian's struggles with coming to terms that he also loves ween0rs - so feel free to send an ask!]

Julius didn't realize he was gay and in love until a few months after he turned 13. He very much had a subconscious crush on Killian for a good while before realizing it. Julius did recognize prior as it would have been impossible not to, that the way felt and thought about Killian, as well the way Killian made him feel was very different and exclusive to Killian.

However Julius, despite his very severe childhood trauma (of every kind you can think of), he still was very innocent in many, many ways and didn't even understand what crushes were.

Things slowly started to turn from platonic, then into innocent childhood crushes, as they got to their teens, the crushes turned into much, much more serious, very strong and overwhelming feelings and such - obviously given they were both teenage boys at that point, the way they thought of each other was no longer all that innocent.

Julius was 13 and Killian was 15. This was the same time their relationship started to slowly very quality become increasingly romantic. It was undeniable where things were headed and how they felt despite them both huffing copium about how they felt for each other. When Julius was 17 and Killian was 19, they both finally accepted the reality of their relationship after finally kissing each other for the first time (they could not stop kissing after that).

They wound up doing the do for the time when Julius was 18 and Killian was 20. Having sex with each other for the first time definitely brought them only cheer and resulted in their attachment intensifying 100x. It was Julius's first time, and with the man that he had already been in love with and lusting after for the past five years, so it's not really surprising that Julius had a lot of emotions from it both during, after, and still does. Killian, on the other hand, already had very, very extensive sexual experiences with more women than he can remember. However Julius was the first man Killian was wet, and Killian had already been so in love with Julius (and only Julius). Killian was not ready nor expecting it to be just as emotional of an experience for him as it was for Julius.

Now, while Julius is very obsessed with Killian and attached to him and all "mine mine mine," there's a huge factor that completely excludes Julius from being in a "yandere" category: Julius is not bothered by the fact Killian still sleeps around with countless women. Julius actually agreed it was fine when they got into a relationship. He knows the way Killian thinks of women, treats women, and knows that Killian only uses women for sex - that if it wasn't for Julius, Killian would be single. Killian is very, very emotionally faithful to Julius, however - and Julius is very upset by Killian having sex with other men or masc aligned, which is why Killian only does his fucking aroundwith women and fem aligned.

Now, on the other hand, Killian forbids Julius from having sexual activities with anyone who isn't him. Nearly every man that Julius did decide to mess around with is very much dead now - either done by Killian or Julius, himself, to prove to Killian he doesn't actually want anyone else, he just wanted attention and felt like Killian wasn't giving him enough, or to make Killian jealous and angry all because Julius wanted extra rough sex

In conclusion:

Julius and Killian have a very...wonky... relationship, yeah. But they're very in love and their entire relationship in all aspects is consensual. Even physically fighting each other or being toxic little shits - they both want and enjoy the rollercoaster of it all. Sometimes they will physically fight each other for fun out of sheer boredom, like it's an MMA match, as if they're in a ring with mfs watching like

But they both are so so so absolutely in love, infatuated with, obsessed with, attached to, and would do another for each other. 💖

Anyway, here's some ship art I've drawn, unfortunately all old stuff but I'm very tired and just picked the first files I had of ship art on my phone 😭 the first two are when they were humans. The third is current day, fourth is them getting married as demons, fifth is chibis of them, and the final, very old sketch is Killian picking Julius up and Julius pretending to be annoyed, he's even funnier when you know Julius is 6'2 without his boots, and 6'5 in them - he's not remotely short but Killian is a giant tank😭

[earthtooz]

omgomg hi i literally love every single thing u post esp the dr ratio content we r getting recently (we are being ABSOLUTELY FED and i'm FERAL for ur characterisation of him)

if u dont mind sharing do u have any tips for new bloggers(?) tumblr writers(?) to grow platforms 😔😔 i myself have posted a couple of things but they aren't gaining much traction 😔

first of all, thank yew anon!! 🙆🏻‍♀️🙆🏻‍♀️ much love, i’m very happy that you’re enjoying my dr ratio content because tbh… it’s not going to stop HAHAH he is here to stay.

second of all, i’ve been here for almost three years so i hope i have some good tips to share 😔 they are below the cut !!

everything on this list is targeted at gaining traction with likes and reblogs rather than focusing on your writing!! pls keep that in mind ;o

1. blog layouts and post layouts.

generally speaking, if a reader is scrolling through the tags, the first impression they get of your fic is how neatly it is laid out. a more aesthetically pleasing layout is always going to capture someone’s attention, regardless of the story.

take a scroll through the tags and maybe find inspiration (don’t steal layouts!) as to how some writers have arranged theirs. normally it incorporates a cute banner/picture with a/n’s or warnings.

also, this may just be personal taste, but don’t post your fic in small text. small text fics are the ones i get turned off the most because i… don’t want my eyes to hurt 😔😔 simple as that 😔😔 even if the synopsis sounds great, i want to see your story in full, not in tiny!!

2. write broader and more cliché tropes at first

i just wanted to reiterate again, this post is not to help you improve your writing quality (bc mine is still ass lol). from when i was still starting out on tumblr and trying to get a following, i think i focused quite a bit on writing tropes that i know everyone will enjoy.

these generally are like the cliché ones, like hurt/comfort, sleeping on the couch, being clingy or whatever, just fluffy stories that you find everywhere.

for example, in 2021, i wrote jujutsu kaisen headcanons of you sleeping on the couch and like… that fic is still getting notes to this day (to my chagrin). so the more cliché, or fluffier, the stories you write, the better.

(MINORS LOOK AWAY, as an sfw writer, i wont sit here and act like people don’t enjoy nsfw though, so if you’re capable of doing so AND OF AGE, then why not try your hand 🤣🤣)

3. long fics and stories that take a lot of effort

despite how many short blurbs you may see in the tags on tumblr, a lot of people do enjoy long fics (me included!). people love their long fics with classic tropes interwoven throughout.

ofc, use the tags as they are the medium that you’ll be guaranteed interaction! i don’t think i need to tell anyone that anymore LUL

but these tips are the ones i have conjured off the top of my head. whether or not you choose to listen is completely up to you, but i wholeheartedly believe rule 1 is one to follow, no matter what. rule 2 is a great one to implement, and rule 3 is just bc i love reading long fics, as with a lot of other readers!

i hope this post has been helpful even just slightly :) thank you for your ask, anon! and i wish you much luck for your writing journey 🍀

[daily-ghostly-goobs]

I don't know shit about CeVio to dump admittedly so we're skipping it, so UTAU is a free engine with user made voices. It's also abandonware since 2012 and is the sort of program where you need a lot of QoL plugins unless you want to have a miserable time with it. And while I could get into it far more than the following will it would sound unnecessarily mean and to anyone who works with it I love you, but yes it's that bad. If the programs old enough you have to change your computer local just for it to run properly on an english computer and you can't have more than one track at a time, it's that bad.

(There is a program called OpenUTAU that aims to be able to use a lot of the stylistic legacy plugins of UTAU while having a lot of QoL stuff be default but I've heard a variety of complaints some I don't understand and some I do. I respect the issues with messing with old plugins to get them to work, but I've also heard about how the envelopes of the tracks save being awful is one of the big complaints? Straight up not I'm techy enough to know what that means or why its bad)

Kasane Teto is the flagship, but she actually got an official high quality bank with SynthV. Apart from her it's probably Defoko or Utane Uta- but there's literally hundred of banks made by people out there.

Though speaking of synthV lot of things have partnered with synthV actually :)

Like, you'd be impressed! GUMI also has a synthV, she isn't exclusive to vocaloid! Stardust used to be but isn't now, and is also a synthV! Rosa was a Cevio only I think, and now isn't. Kafu is suspended indefinitely for synthV bank but they were *gonna*, Moca's come over just last week from VOICEPEAK, and in future Miki and Hiyama Kiyoteru are coming over from vocaloid :)

(it's not even unique for utau, Yamine Renri is also a synthv and has been for quite some time)

This turned out to be about synthV again. It wasn't supposed to be. here is a UTAU bank song with Kasane Teto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4llHpe3WlFw and SynthV Teto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGS6_rFsAe4

Neither of them are really "popular" songs but this is my rant and I can link what I want to. This also concludes this ask chain, because from here everything gets significantly more obscure and tbh if you wanna know you'll fine 'em eventually.

DAY 253 - ‘GOLDENGATE’/‘BURN IT DOWN’ (Click for better quality)

Well, this chain of explanations definitely was informative! It’s really clear that you are quite knowledgeable on this type of stuff, it was fun reading through these asks. :p

[mejomonster]

Some of my favorite (recent-ish) Thai bl were:

Bad Buddy: if I'm going to recommend any coming of age romcom college set bl it's this one. The way it uses so many staple tropes in a fresh way, Ohm and Nanon are great actors and really bring a whole other level of energy, the actual conflict in the story is very realistic and heavy and a real topic I think a lot of young adults deal with regarding their families and expectations. So it's mostly romantic comedy, but the heavy moments resonate so that it doesn't really feel unrealistic. It's very high brightness overly kind of fantastical rather than real in presentation and tropes used (quite common in fluff bl like 2gether and My School President and Theory of Love etc), but the chemistry of the leads feels executed very realistically and again the actual delivery of tropes and conflicts feels very grounded in a way. Highly recommended to most peoples tastes tbh (and special mention to My School President, while it was a little Too fluffy for my tastes, it also did a balance of romcom and a grounded heart to the conflicts which I think is part of why it had such big appeal, along with really solid leads that are going to be bringing a lot to any project they work on in the future)

Never Let Me Go: THE action bl as of recently. Gave me everything I could ask, from the leads in The Gifted Graduation bringing their acting game with roles that let them truly show off what they can do, to a high body count of murders and action scenes, mafia sons falling in love with people oh so different from them, a batman esque lead, rich boy falls for poor bodyguard whipping boy trope but also Not quite because the show Really wants to comment on class issues and inequality and makes sure the audience gets the point (a core issue in the relationship is how to be equals given who they are), and a reference to the quote about soulmates that Xena Warrior Princess also uses. It also has Chimon. It's also aesthetically pleasing af. Idk what to tell you, I love when Jojo directs something and this Gave me WAY more than I thought I could get. I'm happy to say that in the post Not Me world we are seeing more action romance bls, not just romcom/fluff ones (though there's always plenty of those too). I personally am eagerly hoping this trend continues and we keep getting at least a few action romance bls a year like this one, Kinnporshe, Manner of Death, Not Me. I've started Laws of Attraction and that's looking similarly promising. (And while I highly recommend Not Me the series, one of my top shows PERIOD... I'm only listing newer shows than that right now).

The Eclipse: this show was exactly what I'd hope it would deliver, and more frankly (because I was hoping for at minimum the Blacklist quality and at max dream hopes The Gifted quality). Well it delivered closer to The Gifted. Politically heavy, really well done in that regard from the overt to the subtle, amazing entire ensemble cast (even the side actors are strong actors that have been in other things), Khaotung and First are both particularly amazing (Khaotung impresses me no matter what role he's given frankly). Aesthetically it's exactly what you'd hope if your hopes like mine were The Gifted but only real evil people no mutants, and explicitly gayer. If you perhaps are willing to have a high school setting, but very much do Not want fluff dominant story and instead a tense mystery with at least half the characters already out and proud queer people (but still some of the cute romance tropes executed a bit less fluffily) then this may be your jam.

Moonlight Chicken: if you'd like multigenerational queer stories, centering on a family slice of life realism piece, this show is <3. The second main pairing is the same actors from My School President and I think they really shine here where the romance relies less on tropes and the dialogue is more realistic so the intensity of scenes really leans on actors. I love their characters in this and they stole the show for me. The first main pairing is messy and adult, with adult problems (like actual ones not just romantic drama: like raising a nephew, running a store, working for a company that's destroying your lovers neighborhood). But also not actually that messy, I'd say in terms of messy it's for the most part wholesome and soft. If you liked 1000 Stars (I did) then this shows realistic slice of life feel will be comfortable and homey, and the amount of skinship in this show is less conservative for even more of a cozy natural feeling.

And the one I'm most anticipating coming out: Only Friends. Khaotung and First lead it, so I'm basically certain the main story will be absolute gold (since I eat up every role they play their acting is just <3 like dude I watched the Shipper for First okay and 5555 Never too Late for Khaotung which was an Amazing show btw). Now.. Only Friends is directed by Jojo (yay for me) and in theory it IS going to be as messy as it looks (and it looks at least as messy as Friendzone). So if Moonlight Chicken is too fluffy and tame for you, then you might want this show on your radar. I think it is slated for August but I'm not sure as I try not to get too hype for things until theyre out so I avoid most news.

[elizabethkitley]

re the scoring record comment u made idk how many points juju had this year in comparison to Caitlin’s freshman season but last season they had like zero structure and schemes and it was the juju show with a hannah side show going on just attacking the basket. with Kiki coming and Talia I don’t think juju will have as much of a load as she did this year but I might be wrong! Monika always scored a lot and then McKenna’s 3pt shot was even more accurate for a time I think? Iowa just in general had a crazy scoring offense. records are made to be broken anyways but I really wonder how long it will stand

i'm pretty sure juju broke the freshman record but we have to consider that caitlin started her first year in the middle of covid and couldn't play alot of games due to that (which makes her overall record more impressive tbh)

yep! i love juju but she had to do most of the dirty work last year, but with them having the #1 recruiting class & quality transfers coming in i expect her usage rate & pts avg to go down quite a bit. it's not the same situation as caitlin...she had very capable teammates ofc but she too had to do alot of the dirty work for her team, difference is she was the main part of the offense for 4 straight yrs & wasnt on any sort of superteam

juju also plays a more physical style of basketball which is great for getting to the line more but she gets gassed really quick compared to caitlin as a result

[shizukais]

Hi....If you don't mind, can I ask, what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

Hi! Thank you for asking ❤️ On general (no specific order):

Coraline, Neil Gaiman (book)

I read it for the first time in elementary school. I completely fell in love with the story. I was young and I remember being quite impressed with it (for a children's book, it's quite shocking huh). Years later I reread the book and felt again as if I was reading it for the first time. It's been my favorite book for a long time. I always read it every now and then.

Friends (TV series)

My comfort show. I watch it at any time to have fun or just pass the time. I've watched it so many times that I know almost everything about this series. I can talk about it for hours or write a 10,000-word thesis about it.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle (manga)

My favorite manga of my collection. My little paper treasure, as I like to call it. I really like this story, it has everything I enjoy in a piece of media (fantasy, mystery, plot twists, angst, well-developted characters, etc). I really wanted to erase my memories and read it as if it were the first time again. It is breathtaking.

One Piece (anime)

Despite having seen Naruto first, One Piece is somehow more memorable for me. Whether due to its long duration or the complexity of the character/world build, One Piece is a remarkable work that I always talk about when talking about favorites.

Shinya Shokudo (manga, TV series)

Talking about Shinya Shokudo is not easy. Whether it's the manga or the TV series, it touches me on several levels. A feeling of nostalgia for something I didn't experience, coziness and tranquility. There are few media that bring me such nice feelings. It's simple but touching. Even though I have zero kitchen skills, I love seeing Master cooking different dishes and the customers telling their unique stories.

Hajime no Ippo (anime, manga)

It's a lifetime series, published since long before I was born. I've been reading it for so many years already! I always say I need to see its ending before I die. It's something that I simply have as a goal in life lol Seeing Ippo reaching the end of his story. (Mori sensei please be healthy, okay?)

World Trigger (anime, manga)

Amazing story, amazing characters, amazing world building. Everything about World Trigger is amazing to me. I'm a big fan of science fiction and World Trigger delivers everything and much more. The only sad thing about it is the very slow pace for the story to progress, but we have to be grateful that even with health problems, Ashihara sensei keeps going. I'll always support him and wish to see the end of WT someday.

Supernatural (TV series)

I watched it for the first time when I was a kid and it scared the hell out of me. Ever since then I've been watching SPN from time to time. I love the cheap drama and the quirky stories. Although, for me the quality of the series has deteriorated a lot over the seasons and I don't understand the fandom tbh. But that's another topic I guess.

Tokyo Revengers (manga)

Tokyo Revengers started as an obsession and has remained as a favorite. Time travel stories are always a must-read / must-watch for me and TR knows what they're doing with it. I love protagonists who at the beginning are nothing, but over time manage to develop into someone better in order to achieve their goals. Also, Mikey has become a very imporant character for me, I can say that in the end, he was pretty much the reason why I read the whole thing.

*I didn't include movies because I would need a whole list to fit all of them, there are so many that I would like to mention.

**Honorable mentions: mushishi, natsume yuujinchou, link click, nge, golden kamuy, pandora hearts, yu yu hakusho, dorohedoro, hxh, naruto, bsd, clamp's works, junji ito's works.

[kurizeria]

I came up with an OC who's a dark mage who lost one of his legs in the most ironic way possible, but I don't have a name for him yet? Any ideas? Also, how did you get the inspiration for your OC Ateris?

Hmmm that's somewhat difficult since the only characters from Evenere we have for naming reference is Fareeda and Ponmalar. From just those two though, it seems like it isn't particularly strict or specific! I don't know the story of his missing leg, but maybe you could seek out some kind of name that has a meaning akin to "(in pursuit of) greatness" since I get the impression that he faces quite a bit of challenges along the way? Although if he doesn't have many aspirations, that name might also be a bit of irony since he probably wouldn't really be an achiever, hrmmm... In any case, quite a few canon characters have names with meanings that are significant to them, their personality, their story, and/or their future in some way, so maybe there are a few things you could figure out on a deeper level as the creator of the character. Personally I enjoy using this site to find names since you can search for name meanings as well! I saw the picture of your OC that you tagged me in and he looks really cool!! I don't know if you plan to do anything with this info, but Evenere is coincidentally known for beautifully crafted prostheses, so he's in the right place!

For Ateris, I based him largely on one of my other comfort OCs from a different fandom (Ateris' human form would probably be a near spitting image of him tbh lmaoo), so even now he still has heavy roots there albeit with his own unique qualities. Also, I loved the idea of a startouch elf based on a black hole or dying star who would ultimately endure or has endured many hardships. Early on in the TDP OC fandom space, it seemed like in general making startouch elves based on specific kinds of stars (black hole, white dwarf, red giant, etc) was a phase and yes I miss seeing more of them cries-- Since he had dark elements to him, I also was originally tying in a spider aesthetic to him to add to the more unsettling vibe despite his beauty. His original design shows it a little bit, but in the end the only thing that remains in his current design are the diamonds on his face that somewhat appear as if they are extra eyes. Likewise, despite the initial edge I went with him, he gradually the much gentler entity he is today through a very big overhaul of his character over the years. But for the TL;DR, I really liked the edgy black hole aesthetic and the rest of his character came later. I'm a very "appearance first, story later" kind of oc maker heehoo

[lorei-writes]

Hi Lorei! If you haven’t already filled all of your weekend party slots, I’d loooove to play along too!

5 of my positive qualities include my empathy, my loyalty, my ability to ~go with the flow~, my willingness to try new things, aaaaand to toot my own horn a bit my leadership abilities!

5 of my negative qualities tho would def be that I can be a little shallow at times, I’m a bit of a perfectionist, I can definitely hold a grudge, I look down on myself too much at times, and I’m quite stubborn lmaoo.

Some of my likes would definitely be the color pink, baking, shopping, sweets, and treating myself (fun lil drinks and getting my nails or hair done from time to time hehe). My dislikes include mopping, bugs, rainy weather (storms are cool tho), and bitter food or drinks!

A huuuuge pet peeve of mine is knuckle cracking. It drives me up the wall lol. Another one is like, when people refuse to learn or adapt!! It’s so frustrating, especially when you’re just trying to help.

Some relationship deal breakers for me would def include a dislike/hatred of cats (because my boy goes wherever I do lol), an unwillingness to compromise, or someone who didn’t speak up for me in my defense when I’m not around—even worse, when I am around.

I’m not really sure I have any wildcards tbh!! I’m just me and I like to think I’m pretty open and expressive, but selectively: so whoever I’m with would probably find me pretty easy to read and understand once they take a bit to get to know me.

I’m very excited to see who you think I could mesh well with, you always put a lot of thought into your choices for party games and it makes me so happy ❤️❤️❤️

Andy! Hi, hi!

Ahh, I'm sorry it took me so long to get to this. I certainly underestimated how busy summer can be :'D Oh well. Let's get right to this! And thank you so much, I'm trying my best, hehe >:)

From thoughts diary...

Some relationship deal breakers for me would def include a dislike/hatred of cats

Lady. Of. High. CULTURE.

--

Hmm... The firs impression I got was that you may enjoy a bit more of a... glamorous life? Some love stories are rather quiet, steady -- there aren't any major highs, but there aren't any major lows either, life goes on at a slow pace, things hardly change. It isn't that I think you wouldn't want some sort of stability, of course, but that you may enjoy a bit more variety on top of the sense of security.

The second impression I got was that you'd enjoy a "challenge" of some sort, something that could be exciting, stimulating, be it emotionally or intellectually. A character to butt heads with, although playfully so. Somebody with strong personality, so that they wouldn't be easily overshadowed -- so, possibly, it could be stubborn against stubborn.

Loyal. Perhaps actions over words? Hmm... Not sure on that. However, I imagine that no matter what the situation, it'd be good if they had your back -- even if you got on their nerves in any way.

Perhaps somebody with a tendency to spoil others a little bit? Hm?

+Smarts would be appreciated. Quick thinking, wits.

Suggested characters: Nobunaga (IkeSen), Mitsuhide (IkeSen), Clavis (IkePri), Silvio (IkePri; maybe? I'm still reading his route, but I could see some banter possibilities and such... It would at least be fairly entertaining to watch, that's for sure), Leonardo (IkeVamp), Comte (IkeVamp; maybe?)

Weekend Party

[sweetmastermind]

What makes someone Lilith dominant? I can't figure if I have this because I agree with it all.. and I have never felt so understood by something lmao, how many Lilith aspects would I need because there's quite a few and they aspect my some majors.. like I have Lilith aspecting north node, sun, mars, Jupiter, Chiron and the biggest one is my ascendant that it squares. My Lilith also aspects a lot of other asteroids and it makes me uncomfortable how relatable Lilith dominant chart descriptions were to mine. What else could cause a Lilith dominant chart effect?? I heard Lilith squaring asc already is so intense it can mess up a chart and I have that.. so maybe idk tbh lmao. Please help and can you also tell me what these aspects could do to me etc??

Here it is:

Lilith square Asc

Lilith square North Node

Lilith square Chiron

Lilith trine Mars

Lilith trine Sun

Lilith opposite Jupiter

(I have lots of asteroids that trine my Lilith except Eris that squares it.. whatever that means lmao 🤣 I'm new to this.. excuse me and thank you big time 🖤)

Hi! first things first I don't know a lot about astrology, so it's going to be my take on what I understand about it 😊​

So, to know what is the "X dominant" of your chart you have to search for a calculator that gives you the percentage of each planet, the first and bigger percentage is going to be the dominant planet/asteroid of your chart. Every calculator calculates differently, having a lot of aspects doesn't necessarily mean that the planet or asteroid is the dominant one (from personal experience with my chart I can tell you that 😌​)

I tried different calculators but I think the best one, that it feels like this was it, is from Walter Pullen. You can calculate it on Astro.com (Extended Chart Selection - Pullen/Astrolog -> simple chart delineation by Walter pullen (don't forget to include Lilith)-> then you scroll down to a chart with the planets/asteroid and the percentage)

This is how is where you are going to find the info about which is your chart dominant (this is from my chart: the biggest percentage at 96.3% is pluto, so in my case, I'm pluto dominant. Next in percentage is Uranus, and the Sun, so I believed that these three are the ones that really shine when you meet me)

So moving on to Lilith, Lilith on the chart represent in a rough way, a dark side, something we want to hide, the "scandalous". When you have a lot of aspects, especially if they are tense, the energy feels more like in your face, and we notice it more.

Having Lilith square asc (as someone that have that aspect too), gives you an intense presence, a lot of people say that the ascendent is the first thing people notice about you, so the first impression of the harsh aspect of Lilith is quite shocking and intense. And intensity is not for everyone.

Since you have this asteroid aspecting a big part of your big 6 and your NN, the qualities of Lilith are more present. For me, she is something we need to work on to be more comfortable in our own skin, and I think is something big in your chart in the sense of its energy is recurring daily or for the most part (only the part of Lilith, the whole chart can indicate other things, but from this perspective). What makes me believe that can be a "sore spot" is that is aspecting your Chiron that is the wound be carried and we need to find a way to soot it, and your north node that takes part in the lesson we have for this lifetime.

The possibility of you being Lilith dominant is there, and if it is not the case, is still prominent because of the aspects and what is aspecting in your chart, you are going to feel its energy. Whatever the case, lilith is part of us, and there is nothing wrong 😉​

That was long, but I hope it makes sense and can help you in this chart discovery 🖤​

[complexhaystack]

I feel quite conflicted about Inside Man... I genuinely wanted to like it. On one hand, Stanley Tucci and David Tennant were stellar as usual. On the other hand, and oh it's a big one, every single character is either very annoying or detestable in some way. (OK maybe Dillon is a welcome comedic presence, but it's established he's a serial killer and cannibal)

The show appears to try expounding on themes of grey morality, that ordinary people can become criminals and murderers if they meet the right targets. While this is an interesting angle to explore, the characters are really difficult to like.

- Harry the vicar: oh man where to start. His terrible choices, one after another, claims to be self-sacrificial, but ultimately is self-centred. He wants to protect his not-too-bright seeming verger who is revealed to be a pedophile - but is mean and manipulative towards him, with the only goal in mind to use him to further his own ends. He doesn't seem to feel remorse towards the man's suicide or how tortured he seems. From start to end, there wasn't any desire to help this guy. Harry assumes he's doing some noble action by assuming responsibility for the drive - when this neither helps the man with his tendencies nor helps any of the children on the drive. And the way he justifies his actions towards Janice as protecting his family is again steeped in self-righteous, self-serving pity. Basically, the way he tries to solve every problem is to say "twas' me!" - which tries to place himself at a higher plane of morality (self-sacrifice) instead of taking true accountability (realising he does have a choice in what he is actively doing or not doing to Janice, Edgar and his family).

- Grieff the Sherlock-type prisoner - initially his intelligence to solve various crimes seemed quite intriguing. But actually some reveals were not quite the "genius" resolutions the showrunners might hope to present, some being quite lame and others seemingly just too coincidental. Nonetheless his final manoeuvre was quite a clever one, and he did have some thoughtful quotes.

- Janice the captive: I'm guessing we're supposed to be sympathetic towards her as the audience and also find her wit impressive. Tbh she seemed very annoying. Had she not flown to conclusions at the start, and perhaps if she used her wit to lay out some evidence Harry and fam could have shared with her to convince her that the drive was not theirs - instead of playing mind games with Harry and wife (which were also pretty lame... they never amounted to anything)... Maybe this fiasco wouldn't have taken place. Her certainty in her own intelligence, just like all the other annoying characters in this show including Harry and Grieff, makes it hard to sympathise with her.

- Mary the wife - er, not helping. How sociopathic are both husband and wife for the wife to be pretty much okay with what Harry is doing? Sure she lets out a couple of f bombs, but very quickly conceptualises Janice's presence as a practical matter to resolve - and is the first to think of murder.

- Beth the journalist - I'm also not sure if we're supposed to be sympathetic to this character. She is harassed at first in a train (which... honestly seems ooc after we get to know her supposedly more feisty side later). Later she is all edgy and bitter towards her interview target Grieff - wow, is that good journalism? And this was before Grieff gave her a moral challenge, which she... Very quickly gave up on her so called friend Janice. Beth seems irritable and tsk-ing at everything that comes her way, and there's no genuine quality why Grieff the posited genius takes a keen interest in her. She seems no more than an irritable immature adult who runs about on other people's wills, having no real opinion of her own. If that's the showrunners' idea of a feisty independent woman, they've failed terribly.

The only normal seeming character is the son Ben, who generally seems to react the most normally to this entirely blown-out-of-proportion situation. And his final action appears to be much more well explained by his poisoning.

I don't know if the showrunners hoped to show all these juxtapositions of morality, but the tone seems inconsistent at best. It seems to hope to posit everyone is a murderer in the right place and time, but the characters already start off being so dislikable, so there's not much leeway for empathy towards them making a slippery slope of erroneous choices.

The show might have been better off called "Hysterics" (since everyone reacted pretty hysterically) or "Bad Faith", since there was hardly any faith or trust any of the characters had in each other.

I presume we may get to see a sequel since we do not know why Grieff murdered his wife, but the only thing that might draw me back is Stanley Tucci's acting (possibly David Tennant may be out of the picture... Or his protégé...).

The prevailing emotion after watching this is... 😬 Haha.

[repurposedmeatlocker]

31, 32, 27 and 60 for the movie ask!!!!

27. Top 5 actors AHHHH ughhh this is going to drive me nuts because I'm going to forget so many people ugh ok um. In no order: 1. James Stewart 2. Chadwick Boseman 3. Al Pacino 4. Robert Redford 5. Steven Yeun

31. Movie your parent showed you I wanted to choose from something recent, but suddenly realized they haven't had the chance to specifically show me a lot of movies this past year. Mostly it has been me showing them movies. Maybe now that it is the summer I can find some time to let them show me some films 'cause they are film buffs like me and they have a whole list of things they want me to see. The last film my mom showed me was Farewell My Concubine (1993) in an uncut theatrical re-screening. It was really good and beautifully shot. I'd recommend it if you like Chinese cinema and tragic homosexuals.

32. Last movie you watched Tbh I have been watching a lot of shorts this year (specifically animation) for school. The last one I saw was called All Nothing or Tout rien (1978) by Frédérick Back. You can find it here it is quite lovely. No, but the real answer, as far as movies go, is fucking Barnyard (2006). Had the impulsive urge to rewatch it for the first time since I was a kid. Such an odd film. Idk what else to say about it. Biggie Cheese 4 life.

60. Most visually stunning movie you've seen It is hard to settle on a singular answer because I feel like a lot of movies that I would consider "visually stunning" are so for different reasons. On a "spectacle" level, I found Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) really impressive. Just for the way it was able to manipulate its environment and the way it used its editing tricks and campy visuals within the storytelling. Especially for such a big blockbuster. I usually expect that kind of stuff nowadays for more "low-key" features. On a "general" level. As in, left me god-smacked despite it not being a traditionally "flashy" film, I would say The Shining (1980). The ambiance and environment built in that setting is so good and so impeccable. The fact that people still are trying to understand and break it down is amazing. On a "aesthetic" level. I want to add Chungking Express (1994). I just found it to be such a beautiful film in its simplicity and replication of an ethereal quality of being in a dream. Those blurry, flaring lenses really don't leave you after you see it for the first time.

[crehador]

brother crab’s 2023 seasonals in review: spring

ough this is the season that's making me go with an anime of the season + runner-up format from here on out lol there is simply no way to choose just one

watched 17 this season and the top 2 are...

i'll get to oshi no ko later hold your horses

though i did have to think about it for a bit, skip to loafer takes anime of the season for me with tengoku daimakyou coming as a very close runner-up! both felt like exceptional adaptations to me (though currently i'm still anime only for both)

tengoku had some downright gorgeous animation, and skip to loafer was just... perfect tbh

so obviously the elephant in the room is oshi no ko which i'm sure will be an easy anime of the season (if not anime of the year) pick for many, and i'm not not picking it just to be contrary

i think the movie-length first ep was of course brilliant, and it was movie-quality as well. so based just on that, it would have been a strong contender for my anime of the season. and the rest of the season was great too! the quality certainly didn't flag

it just wasn't as compelling to me overall, and spring season as a whole was incredibly strong. competition too stiff don't at me

(everyone has permission to get mad at me for not picking idol as my op of the season later in this post tho)

this season's sequels were demon slayer, kaguya-sama, and birdie wing

GOLF YURI CAME BACK WITH A BANG i appreciate so much about birdie wing, aoi openly pining for eve (literally whining that she hasn't gotten a kiss) and also the story wrapping up quite nicely

kaguya-sama was also... good, i think? this season was not to memorable to me actually hold on was this even a new season? while typing this i just remembered i think it was a movie lol

well in any case despite my bias for the golf girls i gotta give sequel of the season to demon slayer solely for my boy GENYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

quickfire thoughts on everything else i watched:

jigokuraku felt like a pretty good adaptation, pretty and fun, and of course to me the most important thing is phew the cast is stacked. BRAZAS (AZA BROTHERS) PLEASE SURVIVE

mashle same as above, also felt like a pretty good adaptation, but in all honesty didn't captivate me much

yamada-kun to lv999 no koi wo suru was fucking adorable and i distinctly remember having thoughts and feelings about it but i have since forgotten. what those thoughts and feelings were lol

dead mount death play i'll get more into later after s2 finishes airing this season (fall) but the short version is damn strong start that just keeps getting stronger

my home hero was... fine... i actually like the premise, the mystery, the suspense, and especially the mom (kickass mom!!) but the fact that the manga is, what, over twenty volumes long already? and still ongoing? makes me feel kind of... wary... because this does not seem like a premise that should be stretched out that long

yuusha ga shinda! was... occasionally... i guess... funny... but it's not my... what's that saying? it's not my favorite hentai of pennywise or whatever. however asanuma was here so fine. i watched it

mahou shoujo magical destroyers looked like it could've been an anime of the season contender, and did have some incredible animation in there, but pretty much fell flat on its face to me. it tried to do a lot and made a mess of itself imo, not Terrible but didn't impress me

ao no orchestra started this season and went on for two cours, and thank fucking god it's over. this was DULL to me. the upperclassmen were a bit more interesting, but the kids at the center of the story were all just. not. very interesting at all. unfortunately asanuma was here as well so lmao

kawaisugi crisis was cute! easy for a cat anime to be cute. not one of the top cat anime i would recommend just for cuteness factor, but still fun enough to watch

opus.colors was hilariously trashy and gay, enjoyed it very much lol

the marginal service was... also bad BUT potentially enjoyable if you like a shitty 80s scifi b-movie. personally i fucking LOVED this (as is probably obvious from the fact that there are currently... 10 fics on ao3 and i wrote... 6 of them lmao)

these quickfire thoughts are not very quick at all are they

anyway onto the op and ed of the season (here's where you can get mad at me)

so yes idol is very good i know i know but honestly i have bad taste so i'm giving op of the season to SHINDA! from yes that's right yuusha ga shinda! the shitty ecchi of the season

i simply cannot resist a silly masayoshi oishi banger i can't

ED OF THE SEASON HOWEVER does go to oshi no ko's mephisto i also cannot resist an avu-chan banger

and to end with. i guess blorbo of the season and ship of the season. i can't believe this but they're both from the marginal service that blond twink from east dakota had a fucking grip on me... stokesraider REAL

[foul-milk]

I am actually impressed by Mercedes merch tbh, I got a couple GR hoodies last year and they are uber comfy⭐️

so glad you also like the pieces that you got!🩷they're good quality considering it's merch and not an actual clothing line.

my one issue is that it's so expensive😭 and the prices are based on western european and us american prices and wages, which is especially high for someone like me, who has a non-western amount of income. (average yearly income in hungary is about one third of a western one) so i'm super grateful that my parents got me my cap, but i really can't see myself buying any other merch for quite sometime lol.

and i really feel for the fans who can't buy anything because their wages just can't afford western prices. i wish merc would make smaller pieces of merch, like keychains or small accessories that would be cheaper, so people with lower income can also get something team related for themselves.🙁 but i guess f1 has always been an expensive sport, and that goes for being a fan as well.😕

[yeonjuins]

YOU'RE PRECIOUS PLSSSS <3 i'm not doing too great this week as christmas is a very hard time for me but i'm okay <33 I HOPE YOU ARE DOING AMAZING. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOUUUUUU ❤️💕💗 i hope 2023 treats you amazingly and if it doesn't, i'm gonna kick its ass 🥰

YOU ARE SO WELCOMEEEE, i'm such a fangirl for ur creations honestly 🥺 SOOOOO BEAUTIFUL AND SOOOO COOL ❤️

nothing new with me HOWEVER, my manager told me that quite a few times this year, i have been at the top of the stats 🥺🥺🥺🥺 i always think i am not good enough for my job, so hearing that, made me so 🥰😭 i actually cried tbh........ aaaa, i hope you enjoy the break you have !!

it is, thank u 💗 i can have like 8272 tabs open and photoshop is still SUPER fast ❤️ i love ittttt 💕 ooooh, that sounds SUPER SWEET i love sounds like that, i love listening to wooden keyboard asmr 😭

(slightly lengthy response!)

hev !!! i'm so sorry to hear that my love ): sometimes the holidays seasons are hard to go through but i'm proud of you for making it past and being here now <3 i hope 2023 treats you kindly and gently my love and likewise, i'll dropkick it if it doesn't <3

WHAAA thank you for liking my creations sm (": if this is in response to me posting my yj set, i'm glad you liked it ! i acc started it quite a while ago during the school term but i just never had the time to actually work on it... since the winter break rolled around, i dedicated my time to finishing it and i'm quite proud of the end result (:< i wasn't expecting for it to do as well as it did but i'm glad, really !

OMG CONGRATULATIONS THATS AMAZING !! being at the top of the stats is acc so impressive i really don't know how people do such things... and please ): don't sell yourself short my love, you are doing amazing and you deserve your hard work to be acknowledged and appreciated !!

PAAHHHA speaking of my keyboard, i'm actually thinking of changing the switches to change up how it sounds ! i was talking to a friend about the switches they have and they sound so . so high quality and just . (in the keyboard community they call it: thocky which is thick and chonky PAHAHHA but it also just makes like a thock(?) noise !) i'm hoping sometime around my bday i can buy them and switch them out (:<

once again, happie new year my love and i hope the rest of your day goes amazing <3 giving you a kith