#imo the watch books are......quite a bit better

[kingjasnah]

What do you dislike so much about era 2 of Mistborn? Besides Wax being one of the most 2D characters of Brandon’s recent work?

its just not for me! i will admit it IS partly wax....though ive come around on him just because i think that anyone who has had that much shit happen to him has a lot of potential to get really interesting. i mean i like wayne. i like melaan. i like marasi in certain situations and steris is one of the best things to happen to the entire series. wax is just like...the 2012 jumped out you could swap him for any protag with a trenchcoat from any urban fantasy novel of that time and there would be no difference.

mostly i think era 2 has some really cool ideas and visuals but the messaging doesnt compare to era 1 at ALL. the fight scenes are mostly good its just like i cant be sustained on gunslinger vibes and revolving anti-metalborn bullet chambers when the rest of the story reeks of 2012 liberalism. the last time i read shadows of self (probably my fave of the three currently out) i was banging my head against the wall at the "of course workers should fight to get paid but rioting is BAD" section (it doesnt help that i had just reread the discworld watch books at the same time if u know u know). i literally feel like everything that was cool about era 2 has been twisted into ok cool but what if we were a cop about it. there's portraying realistic politics.....and then theres being a cop about it. if wax goes full villain era i take back almost everything ive ever said about him but for now. sorry :/

[let-us-cultivate-our-garden]

Any thoughts on the TOH pitch bible and pilot episode that were leaked? Anything you thought it was better than in the final product, or that the final product improved on?

Here is the pilot episode along with a lot of other Disney shows for those that missed it.

And the pitch bible

There were quite a few things I liked about the pilot better: the biggest being that Luz is actually bullied for her interests instead of pulling dangerous stunts that just make her look bad. Also, there's actual bigotry against humans in the Boiling Isles! Luz has to wear a disguise when sneaking into witch school! Lilith is more of a threat in this pilot than she was in the show! Luz and Eda feel more natural in the pilot; Eda still proclaims herself as the most powerful witch in the isles but it's obviously her ego talking while it's taken more seriously in the show. It feels like it's having more fun with itself instead of having an air of self importance.

A few things the actual show did better: Luz entering the Demon Realm. In the pilot, she just stumbles into it after trying to return Amity's passport (who is still a witch just attending a human high school for some reason). Luz trying to get her book back from Owlbert and being led directly to Eda works better for her character and the themes of the show. Also, in the pilot, Eda could just easily conjure a door to the human realm, which lowers the stakes a bit.

As for the pitch bible, it certainly is ambitious with how its world is set up: beta Belos was called Obron and was a councilor to the real ruler of the world, Emperor Pupa, who is currently in larval form and only its councilor's can understand what it's saying. Naturally, Obron is the real power behind the throne and plans on invading the human realm by possessing the Titan's body and he apparently needs a human soul to do that...

Yeah, I can see why this was simplified in the final version.

I do like some of the designs in the pitch bible better. For example, here's Willow, a.k.a. Paulina:

Here's Tibbles:

And lastly, even though everyone says this is beta Hunter, look me in the eyes and tell me that's not Baby Philip "Kill All Witches" Wittebane:

Come on, red outfit, blue eyes, hatred of witches, really hundreds of years old, the FREAKIN' DAGGER/SWORD.

That's a proto-Philip who was split into 3 characters, he's not simply beta Hunter.

Overall, both the pitch bible and the pilot are a mixed bag; the pitch bible has some overly ambitious ideas that (thankfully) became more grounded, but it also has more interesting character designs. The pilot has a lot going on in a mere 20 minutes but it's more fun to watch imo simply because it's not taking itself too seriously.

Despite all of these what-ifs, a show is only as good as how well it carries out its ideas. Toh has a lot of creativity and compelling concepts but its biggest struggle was always in its execution.

(P.S. any accusations that Disney made Dana add Hexside are now null and void because both the pitch bible and pilot had Lilith as the Headmaster of Amity's magic school)

[roguestorm]

How To Start Reading Marvel Comics

Okay, so let's say you're a fan of the Marvel movies or games or you just saw Spider-Verse and you want to know how to start reading comics. Hi, welcome! This is one method of getting into comics; it is not the only one. We're going to be heavily relying on digital comics for this one, so if you prefer reading on paper, this might not be for you.

Step One: Pick a Character

This should be easy! Pick a character whose comics you want to read. It doesn't have to be your favorite character of all time; it just needs to be a character you're interested in getting to know a little better. A character is going to work better for this particular method than a team will, although there are plenty of team reading guides if you really want them.

Let's say, for the sake of example, that you just watched the Moon Knight Disney+ series and you want to read some stuff about Moon Knight.

Step Two: Find a Reading List

The very technically advanced way to do this is to Google "[Character] Reading List" or "[Character] Recommended Reading." For Moon Knight, Marvel has an official one that pops up right away.

The official ones are good places to start, but IMO, the best ones are usually from tumblr or Reddit. Comic fans can be very intense, but we also know more about the material than anyone, including Marvel. :) Here's one for Moon Knight.)

Step Three: Understanding the Reading List

Comic names are formatted one of two ways. You might see someone say Moon Knight (vol 7) or Moon Knight (2014). These refer to the same series of comics. They mean that the title of the series is Moon Knight, that it is the 7th series published under that title, and that it started publication in 2014. Moon Knight (vol 1) is Moon Knight (1980), because it's the first run of comics called Moon Knight and it started publication in 1980.

So, how do you know? That's where the wiki comes in. marvel.fandom.com is my best friend. So, when you type "Moon Knight vol 7" into the search bar, it brings up this page. See how it says (2014-2015) at the top? That's how you know that Moon Knight (vol 7) is Moon Knight (2014).

Step Four: Accessing Comics

Now we have to get the comics. We have a number of options:

For digital comics:

Buying digital comics. You can do this on Amazon or Marvel.com. However, this gets expensive real fast - for example, Moon Knight (1980) has 38 issues, and each of those costs $1.99. That's almost $80, just for volume 1.

Marvel Unlimited subscription. This is not a bad deal TBH. It's $10 a month, and they have quite an extensive catalogue. The only problem is that the site takes forever to load and is not easily searchable. Usually, I'll type into Google the name of the exact comic I want to access (e.g. "Moon Knight (1980) #1") and then click on the marvel.com link that comes up.

Piracy. This is the easiest and cheapest option, and thus the most popular. I'm not going to link any sites, but ask a friend or Google and you'll find one easily enough.

Physical comics are also an option, but they are more complicated. Groups of issues are collected in trade paperback collections, but finding which collections contain which issues can be a bit more of a hassle. And then buying those collections can get pricey very quickly.

If you like physical comics and have a public library card, I'd recommend checking out what they have on their shelves. On a Marvel comic, you want to look at the back cover, usually in the lower right-hand corner, and it will tell you which issues are in the comic (e.g. "Collects Moon Knight (2014) #1-6"). You might find some things that were on your reading list, or you might find some comics you'd never have read otherwise. A lot of public libraries (at least in the US) have a larger comic book collection than you'd expect.

Step Five: Have Fun and Be Yourself!

The most important thing to remember is that you are supposed to be having fun. There might be some frustration if you're not used to reading visual media (I know I wasn't), but it should overall be fun. If a comic feels like a slog, you don't have to read it! Maybe you and the person who made the reading list just have different taste. Try a different comic. Try a different character.

Also, remember that it's okay to be confused. You might be jumping around a little bit and so you might not know everything that's going on. This is kind of the perpetual state of reading comics. If you want to double-check the wiki or ask your friendly neighborhood comics blogger, that's totally fine.

[tough-n-dumb]

#1 kanej pls. preferably pre-book 1 or even show verse but whatever works best!

thank you!! your wish is my command :) set pre-book 1 (i did change the phrasing of the prompt just a little bit just to fit the flow better, imo) i'm sorry it took a couple days to get to this. i had a difficult time deciding on what exactly i wanted to write and this is not quite the fluff i thought it was gonna be lol. hope you enjoy it anyway!

1. “Oh my God. You’re in love with her.” (Kanej)

(Content warning: references to Inej's time at the Menagerie)

The front door to the Slat slammed open and Kaz quickly ushered Jesper and Inej inside—the latter hanging onto the former for support and limping from a deep and bloody gash in her thigh.

"Get her upstairs—"

"Kaz, I'm fine—"

"Should we get—"

All three of their voices, speaking at once, were drowned out by a bellow from the first floor office and the man within it.

“Brekker!" Haskell shouted. "Get your ass in here!”

Kaz shot Jesper a hard and uncompromising look. "Upstairs. Now," he hissed under his breath. The two of them disappeared into the stairwell with quick nods. He didn't miss the way Inej's face contorted in pain; how a slight whine left her lips as she took halting steps forward.

Kaz stepped into Haskell’s office, barely held together restraint kept in every movement. Haskell was not as committed to this show of will.

"Would you like to tell me why the hell the stadwatch was here tearing apart the Slat not one bell ago? What did you do you little skiv?"

"I didn't do anything," Kaz grit out. "I told you we didn't have enough manpower to do this job the right way but you said—"

"Oh, don't try to put words in my mouth."

Kaz took a deep breath and folded his hands over the head of his cane. "Sir," he began, the formality sickly on his tongue, "if I may. This job was set up to go wrong from the start. We're lucky no one took a harder hit. That we didn’t lose anyone.”

When we had first seen Inej stumbling down the alley and coated in blood, he wasn't so sure that would be the case. Even in the dim glow of the street lamps he could see the ashen cast to her face. She’d been moments from dropping before Jesper careened around the corner and scooped her up into his arms, motioning frantically for Kaz to start running.

"The Wraith took a pretty serious hit."

Haskell perked up at that. "She's fine though, yes? I spent a lot of kruge on her and I expect to get my money's worth."

“Yes,” Kaz said too quickly, too confidently. But gnawing fear—fear he hated—settled deep within him. “That remains to be seen,” he corrected. And if she isn’t, I’ll have your head on a pike outside the Exchange.

“Good. Though if she ever can’t work as a spider anymore, at least we know she can make us money on her back,” Haskell said with a wink.

Maybe it was the sting of the Dime Lions and the stadwatch officers they'd paid off getting the drop on them tonight. Or maybe it was the way Jesper had been able to help Inej when he couldn't; when he could only stand there useless, shaking at the thought of another person he lov— he valued losing their life to his folly. But Haskell's words—useless garble he could usually tune out—broke a dam within Kaz.

“If you ever,” he spat viciously, “imply you’ll send her back to a pleasure house again, I’ll make you watch as I feed your shriveled cock and balls to the nearest pack of rats.”

Haskell’s face went slack, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. But it was quickly replaced by a dawning realization that lit up his eyes, clarity replacing the cloudiness of perpetual drink. He looked gleeful.

"Ghezen, boy! You're in love with her, aren't you?" Haskell laughed heartily, slapping a hand on his thigh. "Of course Dirtyhands would fall for his whore. Though I didn’t think you’d have it in you.” His smile was wide and grotesque, a suggestive eyebrow raised on his sweat slicked brow. The room seemed to narrow, the shadows gaining sharper contrast. Haskell continued chuckling to himself.

"She isn't mine and she isn't a whore.” The rasp of Kaz’s voice hid the way it rattled with anger. “She's one of your crew, a Dreg, and I caution you to remember that." It took everything within Kaz to keep his breathing level; his tone stern but placid. He sculpted his face into a wall of impassivity but his blood boiled and churned. If he didn't leave Haskell's office soon, his fist might accidentally find a target in the man before him.

"If it makes you feel any better, I think she's sweet on you too. Though it's always hard to tell with those girls, especially Heleen's. She trains them so well, you know."

Kaz let his cane clatter to the ground and lunged at Haskell—one hand planted firmly on the desk and the other wrapped around his cheap, gaudy tie—and tugged until the older man was half-sprawled on the desk.

"Are you sure this is a conversation you want to have?" He yanked on the tie harder and Haskell made a choked, gurgling noise. "Because I can assure you it'll end with you losing a hell of a lot more blood than Inej has tonight."

Kaz released him with a hard shove, the jarring momentum sending Haskell tumbling backward in his chair and crashing to the ground. Kaz didn't wait for a response, just grabbed his cane from the floor and shoved the door open hard, the hinges groaning with force.

A handful of Dregs stood statue-still in the common room, eyes bulging. He saw Pim open his mouth to say something before Anika promptly smacked him upside the head and pulled him and Rotty away.

The trudge up the stairs was long and laborious, his breath coming in hard pants that weren't entirely from the climb and his aching leg. He paused on the third floor landing outside of Inej's room and heard gentle murmuring coming from the other side of the door. Jesper said something he couldn't catch, and Inej let out a tinkling laugh that made Kaz's heart jump.

He stood frozen, tempted to knock—tempted to burst into her room and see with his own eyes that she was okay, that she forgave him for the night's errors. He didn't.

what's the job and what went wrong? idk! just go with it! thanks for reading! again, this is pretty different than what i initially planned and it's still a bit rough, but i hope it was still a satisfying read!

fic prompt meme

[wishingstarinajar]

I know, I know I'm a scratched record

But I'm dying to hear your thoughts on the Wakfu finale when you get to it!

I just finished watching it and it's uuh... hmm. I read people saying the finale was "satisfactory" but I am not fully on board with that sentiment.

Too much left unanswered, not enough wrapped up, too rushed to get to the end.

I know the Waven game is a continuation of sorts, it takes place decades after Wakfu's conclusion so that game might hold some answers or closure, buuuuttt... I'm not interested enough in the game to play and find out. I guess I've grown a bit tired of the whole cross-media info/lore some franchises love to do (like Blizzard and covering important info across the Warcraft games, books and short stories).

Wakfu season 4 obviously has an open ending, no matter that it is the final season, so who knows what might follow. I'm just a little saddened that the story picked up a little too late this season but the animation, particularly during action scenes, was pretty great... when not using the same static images of characters xDD They loved that a little too much but I understand the budget wasn't that big so I can't really fault Ankama for it.

Did I like this season? Mmmyyeeaaah, it's a mixed bag. Better than season 3 but not better than the first two seasons or even the OVA episodes. Glad it exists but I don't feel super satisfied with its conclusion.

HEAVY SPOILERS ahead, so be mindful but gonna share some thoughts:

Seeing Joris play a bigger part in the second half of the 4th season, and him vibing with Adamaï made me very giddy and happy. Love that for them, hope they become good friends. And thank fek neither of them died. RIP, Qilby, Armand and Brakmar (maybe?). The guys who needed to redeem themselves got their chance, at least.

Goddess Eliatrope was a big disappointment and an unlikeable character but I guess that was kind of the point...? Angry that she totally ignored Chibi and Grougal, like what the fuck even? Didn't even show a hint of acknowledgment towards them. What if they wanted to meet mom, huh?? And what even happened to Baltazar and Glip, who were in Emrub with the same kids that were asleep in Goddess Eliatrope's belly? What did she do with them?

But hey, at least my headcanon that the Sadida and Eliatropes will combine into a single kingdom/people (which I also wrote about in my Rebirth fic) actually happening was pretty satisfying x'D It even has Wakfu-infused trees, om nom nom.

A little frustrated with Necroworld (not the same Necroworld from the Transformers: Lost Light comics) because it's supposed to be a different planet in some other universe but it had dofus (dragon eggs) and races of the Twelve like Sadida, Sram and Sacrier. It was pretty confusing... Imo, it should have been something similar to The Upside Down (Stranger Things), or an alternate version of the world of Twelve rather than a completely separate place. But eh...

Why did nobody care about the state Inglorium was in, or that the Gods have disappeared? That bothered me so so so soooo much during the first two episodes; nobody non-Eliatrope or non-demigod cared that their God/Goddess was... well... gone. Aside from God Iop, where are they?? Hated the disinterest, hated the silence around it. Guess that's a mystery that will be unraveled in some other media.

Yugo grew tall and handsome and I'm not afraid to say it. Happy for him, though him suddenly growing so quickly was a bit silly. I figured there would be a time skip to justify his 'growth' that we saw in promotional images and teasers. Won't complain though, he deserved to finally be in a body that reflects his actual age, it took him long enough!

"Bootleg Alys" from the Dofus movie made a cameo in episode 11 which made me snerk. (I noticed a few more background characters from the movie that were re-used in episode 11.)

And that's all I have to say, at least here on Tumblr. It was quite a ride.

A big thanks Ankama and all the Kickbackers that made it possible; this show had its ups and downs over the past decade but it was enjoyable and loved. It still holds a special place in my heart and I will keep a tiny eye out for more Krozmos stuff in the future (like Welsh & Shedar, gimme!!).

[crossedsabers10s]

Do you have any hc about Damon's season 1 powers? I'm especially interested in shapeshifter!damon. The whole concept is quite fun to imagine. Also why do you think he has these extra powers? Personally after the whole lily thing I like to imagine that Damon is an untrained heretic. Also a scenario where hos powers would be revealed to scooby gang and/or the mikaelsons.

okay, okay so. Prepare for a short essay. (Sorry)

Intro!! So, in the Vampire Diaries books, vampires have Powers (capital letter and all) that feature things like weather manipulation, shapeshifting, flying, elemental control, telepathy, I think they can see auras or sense other vampire's Power. The books and the show are only like barely related. A lot was changed to make the show. (The Salvatores' ages, for one--they'd been Renaissance era men who'd killed each other in a duel over, you guessed it, Katherine. A ton of characters had personality changes (show Bonnie is better, imo), and book Caroline was an antagonist, plus Jeremy straight up didn't exist, Elena had a v young sister. So on, so forth, everything ended up super different.)

The show started off a (teeny) bit closer to the source material, but sharply diverged, including getting rid of the Powers thing. Something about it being too supernatural???? in the vampire show??? idk might have to fact check me on that one think I read it somewhere random.

But, as we know, it's heavily implied, and outright stated in some cases in early S1 that Show!Damon has access to some kind of power. Controlling the weather, controlling animals (perhaps shapeshifting, but maybe just a connection), and a long distance kind of hypnosis.

What we know about it:

In episode 1, a crow is seen following Elena around. It shows up multiple times. In the car with Bonnie, at the graveyard, when she goes to the Salvatore House for the first time. The crow heralds Damon's reappearance to his brother. Stefan says, "Crow's a bit much-" which implies this is a Thing that he knows about. Damon replies, "Wait until you see what I can do with fog."

The very first scene Damon is in, the opening with the couple on the way back from some concert (i think) it's foggy. They mention something about it that implies it shouldn't be foggy, or that it wasn't previously. Like, "What's with all the fog?" At the graveyard, Elena sees a crow, then it starts becoming much more foggy.

Bonnie, at some point, touches Elena and says she sees a crow, some fog, and a man.

It's foggy when Vicki is attacked.

So. We've established those two things. Moving on.

There's that one scene where Damon is locked up and long distance compels Caroline to free him--i think after calling the crow into his cell and eating it to gain that strength? maybe--it's heavily implied because he fed on her they have a connection he can use to influence her mind without direct compulsion.

I'm sure there's other examples, but I can only watch so much of S1 at a time.

OKAY!! now that that's been established, time for the fun headcanon stuff.

Firstly, I also love shapeshifting!Damon! Tis good fun and it lets me project gender envy i mean it's a great metaphor about vampires being inhuman!! Yes! That! Nothing else ahahahahaha. Something something, predator's perspective, something something instincts. In the book Damon could turn into a large crow and a wolf. Highkey wish they'd kept the crow thing as more than just the occasional motif. It could have been so much fun!! Crow minions!!! Crow friends!!!! Crows bothering the fuck out of people he wants to annoy!!!!! Damon trades shinies and food for things!! Somehow always has a snack on him. Crow drama??? Just casually mentions weird lil bird rivalries. Crows are Smart! They are super social!!! They hold grudges!! They absolutely have Drama on par with Mystic Falls. It could also be played for angst; Katherine announces her return with with a bunch of bird corpses in the Boarding House. Damon, who is unsympathetic to human deaths could be visibly upset by this!! Also nicely plays into the 'likes animals but pretends he doesn't bc it's a weakness' thing.

Comes home and there is feathers in his hair, nearly blending in. Except, on closer look, they're positioned oddly, like they'd been growing from him instead of just settling there. Then he brushes them off or shakes his head and they fall away. Maybe Stefan notices he's a bit more prone to tilting his head at things to get a better looks. Is a bit more easily distracted/more prone to notice shiny things.

A crow follows Elena around and maybe she makes friends with it. Or a crow comes across Stefan having some angst fest in the forest and bothers him into a better mood.

I like the heretic thing!!! I also just think the Salvatore bloodline is magic charged bc it's a doppelganger line!! They've got Silas germs!! Maybe Damon is a little bit more psychic than he should be. Maybe his compulsions require less effort and his dream-walking is better than vampires twice his age!!! Mild telekinesis would also fit in with early S1 nonsense! moving doors to creep Elena out!

As for his powers being revealed... I mean. Suddenly he's more valuable to the Originals? Not as much as Elena was, but there would prob be more recruitment efforts than in canon. Plus, Kol would be more interested in him as more than a batting target. Klaus and Elijah may press the 'saved ur life thing' more. Hm... I guess it would depend on when in the show? Early seasons and it just makes him more a threat. Stefan maybe assuming he did something to a witch??? Later in the seasons and if he develops those powers it's fun to imagine him having to learn to use/control them + having to deal with increased need for blood to fuel them. If it was a matter of him keeping them secret, I'm sure the Drama will manifest with 'how could you not tell me!!' and so on and so forth. Technically speaking, I imagine it'd be put in the same place as Jeremy's medium powers. Brought up when needed. not entirely sure, may think on it later

[wanderersrest]

Wanderer's Rest Presents: An Abbreviated History of Mecha

So... I decided today that I'm going to start writing a series of posts based on the history of mecha. Not just mecha anime, but mecha as a concept in fiction. See, it should come as no surprise to anyone who reads this blog that I love mecha. I am also aware that there are a lot of misinformed takes fueled by halfwits like Gigguk that the genre is "dead," and while I am aware that mecha as a genre is not the biggest genre in 2024 as it was in the 80's or the 90's, I do know that the idea that the genre is "dead" is, like Gigguk's podcast and Gigguk himself, trash.

What I aim to do with this series is highlight the rather long history of the genre, as mecha is about as old as modern manga. This is inspired by the fact that the mecha genre is both really old and really massive. And in case you're wondering, this is inspired by Professor Otaku's complete history of mecha series. There are just a couple of differences:

Unlike Professor Otaku, I like G Gundam. That means that I'm a cool person and definitely not petty.

Also unlike Professor Otaku, I want to give the series that I mention in these posts a fair shake, even if I don't like them. I'm not going to watch every series mention here (as even watching every series I plan on listing would be insanity), but I do want people to be aware that they exist.

As hinted at above, I don't plan on covering every single series out there. The sheer amount of just mecha anime is already too much for one person to watch through.

Okay That's Cool, Wanderer. But What's a Mecha?

Good question, actually. Pop culture often defines mecha as being giant robots that are usually piloted by someone. And while that is correct, it is still a narrow definition. It cuts out a lot of influential works that don't quite fit the mold. Things like Astro Boy, Space Battleship Yamato, and Magic Knight Rayearth are series that are worth talking about when it comes to mecha even if they don't quite fit right in with the rest of the canon (and from here on out, I will be saying canon as opposed to genre due to the fact that canon can mean "a collection or list of sacred books accepted as genuine"). And to me, those series are just as worth mentioning as things like Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, and Mobile Suit Gundam. And in case you're wondering, yes, I will venture a little bit into video games and tabletop games. So sit tight Battletech fans, I'll eventually get to you.

Some Transparency Required

I do think, before I start working on this series proper, I should be transparent about things. After all, I am human. I have my own preferences and biases, and I feel it would be disingenuous of me to not disclose this before I started running through all of these shows. For transparency's sake, I will disclose the biases I know that I have. I don't know if I will cover every single one, but I will certainly try to.

My favorite mecha series are Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Patlabor, The King of Braves GaoGaiGar, Magic Knight Rayearth, and Gun x Sword among others.

My least favorite mecha series are New Mobile Report Gundam Wing (both the TV series and Endless Waltz), 86: Eighty Six (no 86 fans, your series isn't special because it's gritty. Iron-Blooded Orphans did everything you were doing but better IMO), and Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (Mostly thanks to the second season).

Due to how fans often use the series as a means of talking down Japanese-styled mecha, I may have a tendency to be a bit more dismissive towards Battletech.

I actually prefer Prince of Darkness over the original Martian Successor Nadesico. As for GaoGaiGar, I prefer the original series over GaoGaiGar FINAL. I do like regular Nadesico and GGG FINAL as well though, just not as much. This shouldn't be surprising if people remember that this is similar to my tastes relating to Patlabor.

I have not watched Gundam SEED. So if you're expecting me to dunk on it, I probably won't. Likewise, if you're expecting me to say that it's underrated... I also won't say that.

Likewise, I haven't watched a single Ryousuke Takahashi mecha series, nor have I watched either Macross or Giant Robo. I'll get to it one day though, I promise.

I love the idea that Attack on Titan and Ratatouille are mecha shows.

Due to my past of being a contrarian teenager as well as dipshits on Reddit constantly overhyping everything, I tend to be averse to the more popular shows.

I'm also more skeptical of the "Not Like the Other Girl" shows like Evangelion, Code Geass, Gurren Lagann, and 86.

There is a non-zero chance that I will sneak Gintama into this somehow.

But those should be most of my biases out of the way. I hope you'll join me on this long journey. If you're worried about my Gintama post, don't be. I'm still working on it, but I do think it's going to be a bit different from the rest of my posts.

[chaosandwolves]

Ok my thoughts on s2 of Shadow and Bone

What I liked:

The first four eps were the strongest imo

I loved how they incorporated the crows into this

The costumes!!! (hello Jesper)

Most of the fight choreos since they were perfectly fitted to the character (actually didn't like the choreo in ep6 though)

Tolya and Tamar (thank you queer gods)

Genya

Genya and David

Ben Barnes was outstanding and so fun to watch

I liked the pace up until the last 3 eps

Mal as Stormhond? I dig it

They kinda speed ran Kanej but it was still well made and we got the "I'll have you without your armor" quote

WESPER (seriously they were the cutest ever and had such great chemistry)

Wylan (I KNEW Jack would be perfect but actually watching him being the perfect Wylan was amazing)

Jesper

What I didn't like

I'm mighty pissed about David. Given how important he was for Nikolai in the books and that we didn't even get the relationship between him and Genya properly. There was no need to kill him off so early. I'm really pissed about that (I feel like it's Eskel all over again although we at least got a few scenes with him)

Though I loved Tolya and Tamar I think they didn't quite manage to explain their role in all of this and why they're doing what they do so they seemed a bit randomly placed at times

I didn't like that they sidelined Zoya and that she wasn't with Genya and Nikolai. Obviously they've changed Nikolai's and Alina's story now but man we didn't really get to see any of what makes her Zoya. I mean they hinted that they'll still give her the storyline with that bee but yeah

Like 5 minutes in total of Matthias... Like what was that?

Pekka Rollins now ruling Hellgate - and probably more- kind of negates what Kaz did to him. If it all ends up with Kaz destroying him after all, I'll be happy but that way they really took away from the importance of what Kaz did. It was all he worked for why he is who he is... So I'm like... Yeah they either need to fix this (which I think they'll do or at least they'll revisit this story) or they absolutely built and destroyed that storyline in one go

I'm really not the person who's like "but in the books" or "the books were better" cause these are different mediums, different ways of storytelling and different ppl working on it.

I'm not sure what I think of Alina's storyline now. And which way this will go. I guess they did that to keep her on the show and I sure as hell hope Ben will make a return as well. But I was very... Ok.... When that happened cause it's actually an integral part of who she is that she's NOT drunk on the power in the end and doesn't turn into a person like the Darkling.

I'm gonna be mighty pissed if next season we finally get more Matthias but then he's killed off.

Yeah. I mean finally s3 will be the Crows season.

Also I think even though they upped their gane with Kaz, I think he still could've been more brutal... More Kaz

I hope next season there is more brilliant scheming. Cause imo we haven't really seen Kaz' brilliance yet.

Ok I'm done

[aurorawest]

Reading update

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers - 3.75/5 stars

I hate myself a little bit for using this word to describe this book, but it's a meditation on modern (western) culture, the drumbeat of living a purposeful life, and, imo, the millennial condition.

It also, separately from that, made me think of the song 'New Constellations' by Ryn Weaver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13EX7qGdUGI

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles - 5/5 stars

This book features Gareth Inglis, a member of the gentry whose father shipped him off to his uncle when his mother died. Gareth never saw or heard from his father (who remarried and had another child) again, and no one knew he existed because his father was a piece of human garbage. Which meant I couldn't stop thinking about my former father-in-law, who had two sons from his first marriage whom he, as far as I could tell, never had any contact with after remarrying and having another child. Life imitates art?

Anyway, it's KJ Charles, so you pretty much can't go wrong. I saw someone refer to this as enemies-to-lovers and realized my toxic trait is railing against people who want to apply enemies-to-lovers to everything. Spoiler alert, this is not enemies-to-lovers. But it is lovely, and includes Gareth and Joss Doomsday (a smuggler) bonding over beetles.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by SA Chakraborty - 4.5/5 stars

It was no Daevabad Trilogy, but then again, I remember finishing City of Brass and being like, yeah, it was fine, I'll probably pick up the sequel at some point. It wasn't until Kingdom of Copper that I grew to really love the series, so I'm hoping the same happens with this. This book was a lot of fun, and the fact that all the characters were middle-aged was pretty delightful. I'm definitely excited to see where this series goes.

The Long Run by James Acker - 5/5 stars

Excellent YA book about two lonely jocks in New Jersey.

Feel the Fire by Annabeth Albert - 3.75/5 stars

His Accidental Cowboy by AM Arthur - 4/5 stars

Brida by Paul Coelho - 1/5 stars

One of the reviews for this book on Storygraph says it 'aged like milk' and I can't put it better than that. This is a soul mate AU where souls undergo cell division, essentially, and your soul mate is from your same base soul from before the soul split in half. Okay, great. Oh but wait, the soul always divides into male and female. And your soul mate is always someone of the opposite sex, even though that doesn't make sense because as souls divide again and again, that means there are a lot of people out there who came from the same original soul as you. Also, witchcraft? Also also, even though the book is called Brida and is ostensibly about the title character, her whole journey was really just to serve the unnamed male character, the Magus. This isn't implicit either, it's completely explicit. At the end it's like, 'sometimes young women come along to show men the way' (I'm paraphrasing but...not much).

This went straight to my give away pile, and I hated it so much that the rest of my Coelho books joined it (except The Alchemist).

Enlightened by Joanna Chambers - 5/5 stars

Or, For The Love Of God Please Give David Lauriston And Murdo Balfour A Break, And Preferably A Happy Ending.

They got one, btw.

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao - DNF

Honestly, the Mad Libs YA title should have warned me off of this one, but I always give my Illumicrate books a try. Cartoonish villains and protagonists I find myself liking less the more we get to know them. The prose is quite good but not enough to make up for the character deficiencies.

Solomon's Crown by Natasha Siegel - 5/5 stars

Blurbed by no less than Tamora Pierce (Song of the Lioness supremacy!), Rainbow Rowell, Freya Marske, and CS Pacat. Did I go into this book with insanely high expectations? Yes. Did it mostly meet them? Yes! If you're a Captive Prince fan, this one's for you.

Siegel tells us up front, before the book even starts, that it's a romance and not historically accurate. So don't go into this expecting a historically accurate love story between King Richard of England and King Philip of France. It is, however, a gorgeous romance. The world-building is top notch. Even if it's not totally accurate to the High Middle Ages, it feels accurate, if that makes sense? Siegel really captures the feeling of being in a different world. Lush writing, amazing sexual/romantic tension, lovely sad boys. Highly, highly recommend.

Daniel Cabot Puts Down Roots by Cat Sebastian - 4.75/5 stars

I docked .25 stars because it bugged me that they didn't move in together at the end. Idk, just felt too 'look, I'm subverting romance conventions!' Still good, obviously.

Like Real People Do by EL Massey - 4/5 stars

A very wholesome and low stakes hockey romance. I found myself often thinking that the interactions of the men on the hockey teams seemed unrealistic, but it was charming and sweet enough that I didn't care.

The book reads like fanfiction, which is because it was fanfiction—but it's in a mostly good way, not a bad way (*cough* All The Way Happy *cough*). Apparently the original version was Check, Please! fanfiction, which I am vaguely familiar with as a thing that exists. Apparently it's a web comic? Anyway, I enjoyed the book enough to pick up the sequel.

[poorlittleyaoyao]

Closing out the tl;dr Volume 2 thoughts, now the post of Things That I Liked/Found Interesting! This one is also not rebloggable for the same reasons: it's not a review, it's just personal opinions.

Bullet point version!

-Yi City slaps. A-Qing is a fabulous character and her perspective--as a commoner with zero prior knowledge or interest in the cultivation world--is a breath of fresh air.

-Jin Ling is the best boy and I love him.

-I wish the whole book was about WWX being a chaotic middle school teacher because that's where he's at his best.

-Had some surprising and mixed feelings about JGY and NMJ, both separately and together.

~~~~

-YI CITY YI CITY YI CITY. WHAT A BANGER OF AN ARC. I enjoyed it in the drama (fun fact! I watched Yi City for the first time while very drunk, immediately after watching the Eurovision broadcast. do not do this!), but oh man, it is a BLAST in the novel! Worth the price of book purchase on its own, IMO.

What makes it better? A-Qing, mostly. She's got so much PERSONALITY--she's as brash, she's childish, she's extremely clever, she's unscrupulous in little things but tries her best to do the right thing where it counts, her survival instinct is at odds with her fierce devotion towards her first friend. She's a fully- realized character centering her own arc; yeah, she bears witness to the Songxuexiao tragedy, but it's her reactions that take priority. Since this canon generally isn't that interested in its handful of female characters, I was pleasantly surprised by how much Yi City in the novel was A-Qing's story first and foremost. (IMO, this is a rare case of a female character being less developed in the drama. XY, SL, and XXC make their drama appearances well before Yi City, so we've already developed opinions of them; A-Qing as the newcomer is more an audience avatar rather than an active agent.)

A-Qing's perspective also provides a welcome contrast to what we get elsewhere in the story. She's at the bottom of the social ladder. She's not a cultivator. She doesn't know XY's backstory as a demonic cultivation prodigy recruited by the most powerful clan, she doesn't know SL and XXC's backstory behind the little bits they share with her, and it doesn't make a difference to her. She cares about them as her friend, her friend's friend, and the sus guy who ruined everything, and that's enough to make the tragedy matter.

I also appreciated how her lack of cultivation world knowledge isn't seen as as a shortcoming. When A-Qing fails to pick up on something, WWX's reaction is always some flavor of HHHHH OH GOD OH NO THERE'S NO WAY SHE COULD REASONABLY KNOW THIS BUT HHHHHH THIS IS VERY BAD. He even praises her instincts when her intuition leads her to make practical choices! It made me want to sic WWX on the ASOIAF dudebros who hurl vitriol at 11-year-old Sansa Stark for not somehow psychically inferring information that was actively concealed from her. (It also makes WWX's patronizing attitude towards QS later on even more galling, because it's like, I know you're capable of understanding that not everyone knows what you know, WWX! I just saw you do it!)

-Another fun thing about Novel Yi City was that WWX got to actually do badass demonic cultivation shit. The part where he animates the paper effigies to go fight corpses for him? SUCH FUN. I was going "HELL YEAH! BADASS!" right along with the juniors.

-Or rather, right along with most of the juniors, because I quite liked all the content with JL! He's super annoying! He is the best boy! He loves his uncles! He is capable of change and growth! This is how I know that foreshadowing or indicating a character's emotional responses without spoilers is possible: every time demonic cultivation is presented in a non-negative context, JL is visibly uncomfortable. It's a nice touch, clearly telegraphing "JL has baggage about his parents' deaths that are going to complicate things for WWX once his identity is revealed."

(Relatedly, I also was like ☹️ at WN's quiet sadness when he overhears JL yelling and figures out who he is--identifying him, specifically, as "Miss Jiang's son." Ahhh! AHHH!. Sure would be cool if we could see this kind of thing from WWX himself!)

-I know I dragged WWX quite a bit, but the other great thing about Yi City is seeing WWX in Chaotic Middle School Teacher Mode. ("Congratulations! You just got poisoned!" and LQR's desperate attempts at revising his seating chart are the two most relatable moments in this entire novel to me.) If the story was centered on WWX and LWJ falling in love while leading a monster-hunting Montessori, I would read the shit out of that.

-Man. So like. JGY. Everybody says that he's way more sympathetic in the novel, because the novel makes clear that he's good at his job and includes all the lore about his past that the drama largely omits. Finding out that filial piety to his mother was his core motivator is what elevated him from "cherished garbage man tailor-made to appeal to me" to "garbage man about whom I am fully unwell," so I was super excited about this new and improved version of my son with all the pathos left in.

And... sorry, lads, but Novel JGY does not do it for me the way Drama JGY does, and contemplating why he does not do it for me has been interesting. I think what it boils down to is that by the time we meet him, the narration primes us to view him with suspicion. We are told several positive things about him, but what we are shown--what we actually see him do--is neutral to negative. The first time we actually see him outside of Customer Service Mode, he's gaslighting and threatening QS. That scene makes my skin crawl, and the only reason I can come back from it in the drama is that I already have an attachment to him; it's like how watching the title character of Macbeth spiral through Acts I-III mean I can still sympathize with him in Act V even after the brutal murder of Macduff's family in Act IV. Hitting me with the QS scene right out the gate and going "people were real shitty to him tho" after the fact is akin to starting Macbeth with the Macduffs' deaths and then being like "Macbeth had hella PTSD tho": it's not going to recontextualize anything enough to get me fully on board, especially since the injured parties in this case had nothing to do with his suffering.

-I liked Novel Da-ge more than expected, mostly because I was expecting to hate him so so SO much. I liked getting to see him being a normal-ish man for that one singular scene when 3zun are all together before MY tries to join his father. NMJ's good-natured exasperation as he passed NHS's purposely-forgotten saber to LXC was such a heartbreaking contrast to his violent rage when he destroys NHS's stuff, and really drove home how his saber sickness had him fucked up. Similarly, his easy trust of MY and his willingness to let MY leave to seek his fortune is WILD given how he''s going to spend the rest of the flashback in "bitch eating crackers" mode about everything JGY does and aggressively attempting to control him.

-MY killing the commander in this context was silly. In the drama, I get it! It comes off as a genuinely impulsive action. Here? Literally how is that going to accomplish your goals, bud? NMJ's response to it is also silly, because he tells MY that he won't be executed if his story about plagiarism is true, and like. NMJ. How is he going to prove it. You literally were JUST about to kill him yourself after hearing the story. What is happening. Where is my tearful divorce.

-I cannot emphasize enough how much I prefer the drama's Nieyao dynamic. The decision to have MY be in a trusted position at the Unclean Realm for a substantial amount of time adds sooooo much personal investment to everything that unfolds that appeals to my desire for mess. The novel is just a guy going "I CAN FIX HIM!!!" about his shady former coworker and yelling at him while the guy they both dated is like "awww c'mon guys be nice :("

[wingedshadowfan]

some basic ya/fantasy/romance tropes that fourth wing took a spin on, imo (spoilers)

-weak and dainty female character trope - while violet is physically smaller, weaker and gets injured easily, we find it's due to a disability she was born with and there are two main ways she goes about this: she trains hard to become stronger, wherever that's possible, and also uses disability aid (because isn't that what Tairn's saddle is? the shorter daggers too, to some extent) which i think is so important and much better than her refusing that aid/never getting it in the first place, she takes no shit from characters who look at her like there's something wrong with her but she also knows her own body and its limitations

-the demsel in distress female character trope (similar to the one above) - because of her physical disadvantage and her lack of preparation for the riders quadrant, violet gets saved/protected by others in many situations and even gets accused of "hiding behind strong men", but as the book - and her training - goes on, she begins to stand her ground more and more, earning herself the nickname "violence" and making up for any physical shortcomings with intelligence, stubbornness and fervor, hard work, skill and good character (the reason why tairn and andarna both chose her, the former giving her a crazy op signet), so much so that she ends up single-handedly offing the guy who accused her of not being able to defend herself

-the enemies to lovers trope - unpopular take but violet and xaden were never truly enemies! despite it being marketed that way. at least not on xaden's part - his dad didn't kill brennan and he's known this (him responding with "hardly" when she said they were even when they first met at parapet), we don't know if he knows this but while lilith did "catch" his dad, she was against forcing the rebellion children to watch the executions too. so violet basically started off as a nuisance to him (she was never strong enough to be a problem - he thought the parapet would end her for him if need be), after watching her for a while - seeing the mismatched boots, her collecting berries, flinging the daggers, choosing to keep his secret, poisoning people, defying all odds - he even made sure the other marked ones wouldn't try to kill her either, which he easily could've just stood aside and let happen, because she became interesting to him, again through intelligence, skill and kindness, and the (mutual) interest and attraction developed into feelings; on her part it was a bit more difficult because she knew less and felt like everyone was out to get her, her most trusted people had warned her about him so she naturally kept thinking he hated her and wanted her dead - but other than him moving her squad to fourth wing on parapet day he'd made no moves indicating he wanted to harm her and had consistently been helping her instead; they never hated each other personally because they didn't know each other and when they really got to know each other, they just found respect and admiration for the other

-the good guy/bad guy/good girl love triangle (though it's usually more of an angle or a choice the girl needs to make) - in the very very beginning i was rooting for dain because i love childhood friends to lovers and i thought running from the riders quadrant could be a turn the plot takes for violet, i also personally didn't see myself finding a guy who wanted me dead all that sexy (even less considering his dad killed my brother), especially when he's apparently a cold blooded murderer, emotionally unavailable and generally quite threatening, but i am well aware there's a specific demographic who would eat the dark moody ripped bad guy up and leave the "boring" soft cute nice good guy childhood friend in the dust - that's a trope i despise and i'm so glad that here a) violet fully acknowledges, despite being physically attracted to xaden, that he's toxic and she shouldn't like him because he can't meet her emotional needs. and i don't remember characters from other books with this trope being so delightfully intelligent and self-aware (which is important because otherwise you're basically selling young girls the idea that this is okay and that unavailable, dangerous, messy men are hot and you can fix them - violet doesn't even try to fix him, she sets a firm boundary and forces him to fix himself and get his shit together if he wants her!) and b) it turns out xaden and dain's roles are actually reversed, with dain being much more toxic, manipulative, hypocritical and crossing boundaries he shouldn't be, while xaden is more supportive, attentive and caring, protective but not coddling, and while he's not ready to admit a lot of things to himself just yet, he's got some self awareness going for him too and he's sworn to do better (so rare in such books)

[roalinda]

i find it strange -James alone called a bully yet people leave out - Sirius was there too! They did swm together, they both were entertainted by cruelty! We know little about the prank, but maybe that was (bad, out of hand) joined descision. Yet James is singled out as bully and max Sirius should do is grovel for the prank [which imo is not something he'd do]. tl;dr, broad fandom makes James darker and Sirius lighter while prongsfoot shippers often do opposite, and this amazes me XD

Hello anon,

I am sorry for the late reply. I was a bit sick, so I was on and off on tumblr. 

If I want to be completely honest, I don't know much about how James is portrayed outside prongsfoot fandom because I usually don't go near other pairings when it comes to him, unless it is Jily or Jilypad. The way he is HCed as an stupid himbo in other fandoms bothers me, because in canon he is one of the brightest students along with Sirius. Same goes for Sirius, viewing him as a brainless bimbo in some fandoms makes my blood boil, so I prefer to stay in my small prongsfoot corner, thus I lack knowledge about the way James' darkness is portrayed in anything minus prongsfoot. But here are my thoughts on prongsfoot if you are interested. ♡ 

James and Sirius both are purebloods. One is spoiled with whatever his heart desires and the other is blessed with too much sass and class. Everyone thought that they were the height of cool ( in Lupin's exact words) in their school days. I find it strange to only call James a bully, because you are right anon, Sirius was involved in that scene as well. 

Personally, I think it is because there are three books for the reader to know Sirius and just a bunch of pages to know James. It is absolutely unfair to judge James by a single memory. But unfortunately, a lot of people just judge James based on that, only focusing on him being an arrogant bully. In Sirius' case there are other books, so we can see that he is arrogant and cruel, yet has many other positive characteristics as well. In James' case we either have the negative arrogant toerag picture frame or the positive hero worship unless one starts to read the whole seven books and just focus on small clues about him.

As for entertainment by cruelty, I think putting it this way would be better. 

James started it to entertain Sirius, Sirius joined in and then the whole crowd were entertained. ( not discussing the morality or cause and effect here. )

Students all around had turned to watch. Some of them had gotten to their feet and were edging nearer to watch. Some looked apprehensive, others entertained. ( HP and OOTP, page 643 )

Even Lily:

Lily, whose furious expression had twitched for an instant as though she was going to smile, said, "Let him down!" (HP and OOTP, page 648)

It doesn't mean that James started it for the crowd or Lily, it was started for Sirius and naturally it contained showing off for him and in front of the whole school, amusing Sirius by indulging him in bullying Snape. 

What I am saying isn't that Sirius and James were saints, I am saying that most of the crowd there were enablers. Even Lily was amused for an instant, so clearly she is no saint as well. 

There is also one other thing. When Harry asks Sirius about this, here is his answer.

"I'm not proud of it," said Sirius quickly. (HP and OOTP, page 670)

Sirius Black, the man who is described as haughty and arrogant more than N times in the books, says he is not proud of what he had done. Of course, he would rather go back to Azkaban than to say it into Snape's face but admitting it to Harry is something. Point is he has been given the chance to express this because he is older and alive, something that James didn't have the chance to, so people assume that he never grew out of it.

So, yes, I think only calling James a bully and leaving Sirius out is stealing his glory, they are quite a double act after all. 

The prank though, as you said, we don't know much about, at least not that much to be able to put the complete blame on either side. But I don't think it was a joint decision at all. James and Sirius tend to even each other out, so in situations when Sirius is rash James is not and vice versa, so here when Sirius was impulsive, James saving Snape is not odd to me. It was for protecting the marauders' secrets as well, sure, but believe me if it was a joint decision Snape would have been already dead, because Sirius and James planned their pranks with cruelty like you said. But there are different types of cruelty and planning to dump someone in front of a werewolf is different from public humiliation.

Prongsfoot fandom in general tends to sway to a darker Sirius and a lighter James mostly because Sirius belongs to the Black family with their famous ego and wrath and how it is explicitly mentioned in the books that James hated dark arts. But a lot of prongsfoot authors make them equally morally grey, not shying away from their faults which personally I find really intriguing. I think one of the reasons that prongsfoot is not everyone's cup of tea is precisely this. Neither character is portrayed as a saint or the sacrificial lamb or the other's keeper or a casanova. ( ok, Sirius is a casanova but that was not the point. ) The point is, they are what they are. Maybe a writer views one of them darker than the other but they usually try not to sway too far and create some alien out of JP or SB. 

I can rant about this for the whole day, I need to stop myself before this gets out of hand.

Thank you for the ask. ♡

[cloud-based-and-rainpilled]

Horrible opinion time ™, but honestly, season 2 of Good Omens really clinched it for me as a show to come back to (tl;dr at the bottom sorry essay post)

Overall season one is much better imo (higher stakes, better structured, more sarcastic and self aware, better set pieces, etc. Also I have a personal preference for the ensemble aspect of the show/presumably the book,) and of course this comes from it being a very good book. A lot of book to screen adaptations are awful but it's always good when the author has some kind of creative input

However, when I saw Every-- or more specifically, the rabid fandom (and author) reaction to Every-- I went from vague interest in watching GO to actively wanting to watch it, and then doing so. I still firmly believe Amazon did that shit on purpose and whoopsie it worked lol

So while overall I think season two is a bit more muddled and the stakes are far lower, the shift from macro issues being the primary conflict in season one with the Apocalypse (apparently the book is very much focused on this plot and the romantic aspects of ineffable husbands were bass-boosted in the series,) the micro interpersonal conflicts in season two are very compelling in a different way

Good Omens 1 was wrapped in a neat bow; it felt sweet, but because a lot of the ensemble aspect was cut, the ending with Adam didn't really quite hit the punch it needed imo (Real "You have no power over me!" Labyrinth moment, except not as cool.) Body switching was a fist pump in the air moment, but with that wine toast and the birds chirping, it felt over. I'd have thought back on it as, "Oh, that show! That was cute, maybe I'll watch it again someday."

But that fuckin cliffhanger and Crowley and Aziraphale's absolute despair really brings out the angst and conflict I love from media. Succession (yes I am still Succession brained, sorry) has plenty of money moves, but all the important psychologically devastating/funny aspects come from the characters' (and actors') interactions

People are upset about leaving on conflict but-- why? Conflict in a story is what makes it move. It's the only thing that motivates an actor or a character (thanks acting method, you will always be annoying as fuck) Their separation now emphasizes the truly terrible ambiguity of good and evil in Heaven and Hell and could possibly take it into a more philosophical and metaphysical direction that-- while may have existed in the book-- didn't really exist prominently in the first season

I know people overall want a beautiful resolution for ineffable husbands but you know what? I'll take the pining! I'll take the misery! When it's all wrapped up, the imagination stops. When there's always something looming, there's always something to come back to

tl;dr Aziraphale & Crowley failmarriage is so frustrating and has so much potential to explore deeper philosophical and psychological themes and y'all're cowards if you're mad lmao (no one really is tho tbh)

[davyjoneslockr]

Narancia for the character game! Or, if someone else beat me to Nara, Coco Jumbo

(For this ask game)

First impression: Okay so fun fact, my partner is a huge Narancia fan, and has been since before we met (which was actually because of JJBA lol, but I digress), so before I got to Vento Aureo, I already knew quite a bit about him from their infodumping. So I went into it kinda biased, but I did really like him from the start. I thought he was cute and fun and was a good silly childish character to balance out all the depressing shit happening elsewhere.

Impression now: Hhhhhhhhh. Love this little dude. I think he’s the second-best written character in that part (behind Bucciarati) and he occupies so much of my brain at all times you have no idea. He’s cute and silly, but not innocent, and his whole story really emphasizes the tragedy of VA. I like that, on a level only comparable to Giorno, he exercises a ton of agency – not only in getting on the boat, but by disobeying Bucciarati’s orders to leave Passione alone and go home. People don’t talk enough about how, unlike the others, Narancia actually had the chance to live a normal life, but didn’t take it. Narancia effectively ruined his own life for the sake of companionship. Augh. And I sobbed so hard over his death. Still do every time I watch it. Whatever. Fantastic character I adore him

Favorite moment: That scene where he’s in the turtle with Trish, and, even though she’s trying to hide her feelings, he reads her perfectly and lays everything out in a way that shocks even her. Even though there’s a lot of jokes about Narancia’s book smarts, he’s really fucking emotionally intelligent – more than anyone else in the gang, I’d say, easily – and that’s super important. It’s the reason he was able to get on the boat when Fugo wasn’t. There’s a few moments in Purple Haze Feedback, in flashbacks, where Narancia holds the fact that he’s older over Fugo’s head, and jokingly equates age with superiority and experience or whatever. But the truth is, he actually is wiser and understands the world better than Fugo (or, really, anyone else). Genuinely love that so much.

Idea for a story: Hopping on the pre-canon train again, but I really want to write about the period after Bucciarati sends him back home to return to school, up to the point where he goes behind his back and joins the gang. Unlike everyone else, he didn’t have Bucciarati to guide him towards Polpo, nor did he likely know what a stand was before his initiation. He had to figure all that out by himself and go into it blind. I don’t see enough fanwork about that, and it’s a shame, because I think there’s a lot of really interesting stuff to theorize about there.

Unpopular opinion: Hate hate HATE it when people treat him like a toddler. Like I said, he’s not innocent, and while he can be a bit childish, the infantilization he gets from the fandom is a bit much. Every time I see someone claim he should’ve been younger than Fugo, I’m like. NO. THATS THE POINT. LIKE I SAID HE’S OLDER AND WISER AND MORE MATURE AND THAT’S IMPORTANT. Also I feel like it’s weird how people constantly portray him like a child and rag on his intelligence when it seems likely that he has a learning disorder but we’re not ready for that conversation are we.

Favorite relationship: Ohh boy where do I start. Romantically I obviously adore Naramis and I really like Naratrish as well. Friends to lovers who act as each other’s solace from the horrors of their daily life + two sides of the same coin who naturally seem to understand each other but have to work to see where their own self projection ends and the other begins. Both fantastic dynamics imo. And his relationship with Fugo drives me insane oh my goddd. They’re exes they’re best friends they hurt each other constantly they love each other so deeply they know each other so well they’ll never be able to fully understand each other. They’re soulmates but not in a romantic sense just in two people who wouldn’t be complete had the other not occupied a space in their life. Etc.

Favorite headcanon: HIS SKIRT WAS HIS MOM’S AND HE TOOK IT WHEN HE RAN AWAY FOR GOOD also when he’s older because he lives to be older shhhh he gets a little growth spurt and ends up just barely taller than Fugo smiles. Autistic ADHD icon as well :]

[5ungchan]

not really a request, i just wanted to know the creative process behind you writing all of your fics. i love your style of writing sm, how do you chose the right words or come up with the ideas that you do :)

omg hello! thank you for stopping by. this is very sweet of you to say. it's a huge confidence booster and i will take your comment to heart <3!!

the creative process behind the ideas that i come up with, typically stem from a certain emotion i want to evoke. i'd like to consider myself a very observant individual (given my experience working with psychiatric patients and being in a hospital setting with geriatric (palliative), dementia patients & the ED most evenings.)

so when you look at someone who's an idol, especially when their identities are quite manufactured, it gives you some leeway with how you want to proceed with them as a character. a lot of people like to follow each other on how they perceive a member, but my advice would be to do it your way. take a look at the member, not when they're talking, but when they're standing off to the side during a video or interview. it shows you a bit of how they are when they're not actively "acting" their "personas" in front of the camera. obviously don't take this too seriously, we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. but it is for the sake of writing fiction, which isn't real.

from there, think about their personality and how you could twist that into pure, raw emotion. if someone's constantly happy, imagine how they could be when they're alone. sometimes the happiest, loudest people can be the most quiet and mentally conflicted (in terms of dealing with stress, sadness and those conflicting emotions) individuals when no one's watching.

i like to include something that personally makes me open up emotionally. that being said don’t be shy to explore topics that can be difficult to talk about openly! emotions are crazy bro. if there's something that hits you differently in terms of romance, etc. for example: you have a hard time loving others because you don't even love yourself. it can be sort've fleshed out into a bunch of small one-liners. and yes, i mean literal one-liners: just a sentence.

for example: "i just want to be happy."

a sentence like that shows (imo) the emotional decay and struggle that someone could be facing alone. it's a sentence that could be said with sarcasm, dripping with dark humour, or it could be a sentence of someone speaking their emotional thoughts aloud for the first time. i personally like to take the latter, the angst route is my favourite. especially since human emotions are so complex and very hard to navigate so there really isn't a wrong answer when writing.

from there you can expand. how do you want the character to proceed? are they going to be talking more, who are they talking to, etc. i personally like to add in a bit of the mise-en-scène (yes i throw this word around A LOT, but it's my favourite and something i always consider when writing.) adding in how the character feels emotionally, where they are and if that environment contributes to how they feel (for better or for worse) is important to describe and really flesh out the scene!

in continuation to the example:

“i just want to be happy…”

sungchan hears the way her breath falters, a slight crackle of static can be heard from the other side of the phone. the shuffling and shifting of bedsheets, blankets make themselves known, and he just knows she's drowning within her emotions. he doesn't push it, nor does he say anything. the silence continues to drone on for a few moments. allowing you to regain your composure, one that he knows you're struggling to keep pieced together.

it's almost as though he can picture your bottom lip quivering. a desperate attempt at silencing your emotions. feelings that had lingered far too long within the confinements of your mind. ones that had begun to seep past the windows of your soul, dripping down your cheeks like rain on a glass pane.

a sniffle rings through the phone, followed by a soft gasp. the way your breath re-introduces itself into the phone makes his heart stop. you'd been holding it all in. even something as simple as your breathing, was presented shyly to him. no matter how many times you'd shown your vulnerable emotions to him, you still felt afraid. afraid that he'd judge you, that he'd leave you behind.

but he hasn't and he won't. at least it's something that he's beginning to have a hard time convincing himself about. it's a scenario he's grown to know all too well. one where you're laying in that bed of yours, unable to sleep with your eyes focused on the plain, white ceiling above. it's a place you never leave. not unless, you find yourself sprawled out naked in his. at least then, you'd never be crying. the self-loathing had only ever commenced when you were alone.

anyways yeah I wrote that on a whim so obviously not the best (it's ass) but blah blah blah i also recommend never stopping with the first draft. look back on the paragraphs and re-write them directly under the first copy but allow yourself to filter out through some words, adding in new ones.

i almost always rewrite a story everytime I review it until I’m happy with the final copy! i personally enjoy using imagery (i'm not that good at it, but it's fun) it's also important to find your own tone, your own voice because that will distinctly make your work stand out from others because of how you are telling the story to your viewers! so yeah for myself when I write: IF IM HURTING MY GOAL IS TO MAKE YOU HURT WITH ME LETS CRY TOGETHER. then we can connect and discuss our emotions afterwards, maybe kiss, jk. unless? lmao jk.

final note: write for yourself. the best works come from what you’re personally content with and enjoy reading. people will find you this way and they’ll stick with you! your confidence can be a learning journey that other viewers can feed off of! energy is important! good luck!

[toomanyopinionss]

My thoughts while watching…

It was a ✨trainwreck✨.

But… I didn’t mind it.

I’ve read the book, but i knew going into this that I had to separate the two works because then i’d end up pissed and irritated. I think it was a good call? the movie definitely leaves out a lot of the good juicy stuff from the books, but it’s got its own strengths.

Let’s get into it:

Agatha’s a good character. I think they might have missed the mark with her personality a bit though, cause she was the pettiest b!tch in the books. But i guess it works better with the movie’s vibe. and sofia wylie is actually gorgeous, i love her

Sophie was freaking perfect. i loved her character, miss sophia anne acted her ass off, and it paid off. Her character was better in the movie, imo. Don’t get me wrong, i loved sophie in the books, but they basically removed everything i didn’t like about her in the books out. so yes, love it.

Tedros was better than the book Tedros, but the bar was so low. it’s not that i didn’t like him, it’s just that the only times i really enjoyed him on screen was when he was with sophie or agatha. he had chemistry with both, i guess but his personality needed work. wanting “a girl that’s different from the rest” is not a personality trait netflix.

JUSTICE FOR GREGOR. that shit pissed me off!!! that man made me laugh more than everyone else, and they just killed him off for what 🤨

rafal is hot. his motivations were kind of confusing, but he fine so i gave him a pass

Lesso, Dovey, and Anemone were the best characters in the movie. there i said it. i guess getting older (i’m like 19 but whatever) means enjoying the adults in these movies more than them ratchet kids.

Ok, now the movie itself. If u had read the books before hand, it was maybe a lil disappointing, but over all it was pretty ok. if not, it was a little confusing.

that reverse uno ms. sophie served with the prom at the end of the movie was such a SERVE in the books. in the movie, i felt it was less impactful, which sucked.

The movie was over two hours long, but it still felt like it was missing so much of the story. I think this type of story requires a show. It needed more time to marinate.

I liked the relationship between agatha and sophie here. it didn’t feel forced, which was nice. the changes they made to the beginning of the story did wanders for their relationship, i think.

the side characters were good. unsurprisingly the ones at the school of evil were better by far. but i needed more of them. i loved hester, anadil, dot, and hort in the books. i feel like i barely got to see them :(

Lastly, am i the only one who thought the movie was a lil… heteronormative? Although Sophie and Agatha aren’t a couple in the books, there was always a… romantic undertone when it came to them. Maybe it’s just me, maybe i’m grasping here, but I needed a bit more gay 🤷🏾‍♀️

overall: 7/10. maybe 7.5 if u squint

P.S. Netflix needs to stop using these, quite frankly tired tracks for these movies. who else is lowkey sick of hearing olivia rodrigo or billie eilish every time a character decides to be a girl boss??? there are so many other perfectly good songs to use.

P.P.S. charlize come home the kids miss you.