#it's one of my favourite mangas like I actually am all caught up

[kozachenko]

A Retrospective Analysis on Touhou 17

So it's finally here, and even though I know for a fact that I am not going to be able to get the Keiki drawing done by this time (I'm having trouble with the eyes, for some reason it's always that aspect of drawing her that's difficult for me, I can never really capture the essence of her character no matter what I do) I still wanted to post something about this game today since it's the game's 5 year anniversary. I have a lot of thoughts on it, and my views on the game have changed quite a lot throughout my time being a Touhou fan. This is going to be very long so I'll put the rest under the keep reading tag.

So for some background, Touhou 17 was the first Touhou game I ever played, I got into the series during 2021 shortly after my Hunter X Hunter phase ended (since the manga was still on hiatus at the time) and I remember playing 17 during that time as well. I'm pretty sure that the reason I played it was because of that one nitirushh animation where Keiki disses the animal spirits so hard that they die (still my favourite fan-depection of Keiki tbh, it's just really funny to me) and that set my interest in the game itself. It was also the newest Touhou game at the time and none of the other games interested me as much. Then I actually played the game and at the time I found it insanely fun. I remember feeling so excited playing the stage 1 of the game and thinking to myself "Holy shit I'm actually playing a Touhou game" and having a lot of fun with it. Even though the game itself is the easiest out of all the Touhou games, it was still a challenge for me at the time since I had never played a bullet Hell before. For this reason, the game as a whole struck a chord with me. Funny Touhou animation aside, I don't know if it was because I had only recently gotten out of my Hunter X Hunter phase after finishing the whole 2011 version of the anime and had caught up with the manga during 2020, but maybe some aspect of 17 kinda scratched a similar itch in my brain and it really stuck with me IDK.

As for what I think of the game itself now.... gameplay wise, it could be better, it's still fun but there was so much potential for the game to tell it's story through the medium it chose to present itself in. Why did we not have more similarities between Eika and Keiki's danmaku styles to show their connection? Why did we not have a moment similar to what happened in TD during the final boss fight where Mayumi comes back in to take over during the fight in a last ditch effort to protect Keiki? It's the final boss so go all out! The animal spirits could also be balanced a lot better as well, especially with Youmu becoming incredibly overpowered with the wolf spirit, and visibility is a bit of a problem in this game. Some of the tracks could use a bit more polish too, I commend ZUN for being experimental with his newer tracks but the stage 3 theme and staff roll theme are both kinda eh, and while the boss themes have a lot of good punch to them and can be really good, it still feels like some extra spice could've been added to really make them stand out (which is why I love the theme remixes Saki and Yachie got in Touhou 19). I also wish the Animal Realm got explained better within the lore of the series, mainly because it raises a lot of questions about how Hell was founded and it kinda needlessly complicates things. I would've rather it be introduced as it's own region of Hell rather than being a separate thing entirely that just so happens to be located next to it. I also wish that we got more stuff with this setting that explains how it connects to the rest of the worldbuilding a lot more, I definitely feel like actually having it explained more in the mangas would definitely help to make it feel less convuluted, but unfortunately the closest we're getting are cameos in Lotus Eaters and very brief mentions of the games themselves. I still like the game though, as I've mentioned I do love a lot of the music and I love all the characters we got introduced to in this game. I've been appreciating Eika a lot more recently, I do like Urumi but she's neat and I like her design a lot, Kutaka is a fucking shithead who kept FUCKING UP MY 1CCS IN BOTH 17 AND 17.5 THE FUCKING BITCH- who is very funny and I love seeing more insight into Hell's management. Yachie's great and I find her relationships to the other characters in this game very interesting, Mayumi is awesome and the more I think about her the more I like her, and I love how Saki contrasts Yachie in her strategies. That being she has no strategy and just goes "fuck it, we ball" with no hesitation lmao.

I'm pretty sure you all noticed the absence of one character in particular, that being Keiki. I've made it no secret on this blog that Keiki is my favourite Touhou character, and a lot of that is because of her role as an antagonist in Touhou 17. I always found it really fascinating how ZUN created her as an allegory for AI (I don't know if Apollo just randomly blessed him with the gift of prophecy because MAN does that statement hit harder now more than ever) and the fact that she's portrayed as a very morally grey character in the game itself and Reimu's reaction to her, stating that she can see an "evil aura" in Keiki. I've already talked a lot about Keiki on this blog and I don't know what there is that I haven't said, but I wanted to start off with her because it ties into a big part of why I still find this game's story interesting. That main aspect being it's parallels to Gensokyo and Touhou's overarching them of humanity's relationship with nature.

So to step back from 17 for a second, I feel like we should look at what the Youkai represent in the story. Youkai in Touhou are created from humanity's fear, and back before science was able to properly explain anything, this fear very often manifested into a fear of nature. Natural disasters would end up wiping out villages, dangerous animals would often lurk in forests and end up killing anyone who would go in them. Overall nature isn't very kind to humanity, and humanity knows this. This is why humanity would often try and find reasons as to why these things would happen. This brings us back to the Youkai in Touhou who are the embodiment of the unexplainable. In manga like Forbidden Scrollery and Lotus Eaters, we often see how the humans in the human village are at the mercy of these Youkai, the only reason that they aren't being slaughtered is entirely for their own benefit so they don't run out of resources. The only hope the humans in the village really have is to turn to the gods, another product of man's desire to explain the unexplainable, to potentially save them. The survival of the people in the human village will always be in the hands of beings beyond their comprehension. No matter what, humanity will always be at the mercy of nature.

Coming back to Touhou 17, we can see that the relationship between the human and beast spirits isn't exactly.... pleasant. The beast spirits all see the human spirits as slaves essentially and they gain strength from their torment. The only way that the human spirits are even able to stand a chance against them is to submit themselves to a god and pray for their protection. And even then there's no way in Hell that they're getting out of this situation since the god they're praying to views them the same way as the animal spirits (whether they are aware of it or not).

So if you haven't noticed by my word choice, there are quite a lot of similarities here with the dynamics of the Animal realm and Gensokyo. That's not even mentioning the fact that in both places we have at least 3 different parties fighting over control of the humans, whether it be animal spirits or Youkai. Hell, this race for power in Gensokyo is a plot point in Lotus Eaters and Forbidden Scrollery, so it's not like this is a new concept for the series to explore either.

There's also something to be said about how Keiki and the technology she brings with her are seen as a threat to the order of the animal realm. Throughout human history, humanity's creativity and ingenuity have always been major factors in our survival as a species. We created tools to use the nature around us and make it work to our advantage, we created weapons to more efficiently hunt and find food to survive, and we created art and literature to document our histories and make sense of the world. Going back to 17, Keiki is the epitome of humanity's evolution and creativity and she is the one who responded to the human's cries for salvation. Another thing to think about is that in Gensokyo, the best the villagers are going to get in terms of technology are old computers that are very limited in their use, and even then barely anyone will have any idea how to use them. The reason that Gensokyo even exists in the first place is to preserve the Youkai and Gods that would become forgotten by humanity's technological advancement. In both of these places, technological advancement is seen as a threat to the natural order and must be suppressed at all costs.

Of course in Gensokyo it isn't as extreme as the animal realm. The Kappa, the Tengu, and even gods like Kanako are all quite technologically advanced and/or are introducing new technologies to Gensokyo (those are just the ones I could list off the top of my head, but please tell me if there are more that I forgot). But here's the interesting thing, notice how none of the examples I listed there were humans. The only way for the humans of Gensokyo to have these technologies introduced to them is if the powers that be, nature, let them have those technologies. Going back to the animal realm, even after Keiki is defeated we can see that the beast spirits are still using the technologies she (most likely) introduced, i.e. that one chapter in Lotus Eaters where one of the otter spirits introduced what is essentially a GameBoy to the Kappa and Nitori saying stuff like, "oh yeah the animal realm is actually pretty technologically advanced nowadays" as well as that one story in CoLA where Ran and Yachie deal with the AI Sumireko made. Once again, the only times when the use of technology goes unprotested in this series are when it's kept out of the hands of humans and back into the hands of nature. Even when humans are able to fight back and create their own technology, nature will always win in the end, no matter how hard humanity tries to defeat it. The way Touhou 17 ends is indicative of this, with Keiki being defeated and the Animal Realm returning to it's status quo.

However, Gensokyo has never had this kind of issue before.... or so it may seem. Yes there's never been any technological uprising by the human villagers and with the way things are there most likely never will be, but when you take away the potential for technological advancement from humans then the next best thing would be magic. And when humans in Gensokyo use magic to find a way to gain power and be more than just fodder for the Youkai, they end up being punished. This is most prevalent in Forbidden Scrollery when Reimu kills the fortune teller. I don't think I need to go too in depth about this moment since I already did so in my Forbidden Scrollery review but this once again shows a parallel between Gensokyo and the Animal Realm.

So what am I trying to say with all of this? I've been bringing up a lot of the similarities that these two places have but similarities can just be chalked up to coincidences that don't mean anything. What I've been trying to say with this whole thing is that the Animal Realm represents an extreme version of Gensokyo, one where every ugly aspect of it is dialed up to 11 and the law of the strong eating the weak rules all. It's a Gensokyo without a spell card system to level the playing field. I do want to say that I don't believe Gensokyo is a grimdark setting, sure some parts about it are bleaker than others, but there are also many good aspects of Gensokyo that I feel like I should bring up. It's a safe-haven for the forgotten, and if we continue viewing the Youkai and Gods from the lens of both of them being allegories for nature, Gensokyo is a place where nature can fluorish outside of humanity's hands. Unlike the Animal Realm, Gensokyo was never established with the intentions of harming people. Nature is both beautiful and terrifying, and where Gensokyo displays the beautiful sides of nature, the Animal Realm displays all the ugly sides of it. Even then, there is some overlap between the two, Gensokyo does have a nastier side to it and the Animal Realm is a place where nature can exist unrestrained by humanity (even if the place is still a shitshow overall). Now that I think about it, this sort of duality between the two realms is kinda fitting for Touhou, and I can't stress enough that when I say that Gensokyo and the Animal Realm have some parallels I am not trying to say Gensokyo is a grimdark dystopia. Hell even going back into the Lotus Eaters manga, the otter spirit that escaped from the Animal Realm even said that Gensokyo was a better place to live.

So yeah, I don't really have any good way to end this aside from saying happy 5 year anniversary Touhou 17. You are a flawed game but god do I still love you. Oh yeah, and if there's anything I missed or any mistakes I made, please correct me/let me know.

[redge]

【OSHI NO KO】 Season 2 Episode 15

When I started consuming this media, I made a Twitter thread while watching Season 1. Now that I caught up with the manga, I'll just put my thoughts here on Tumblr.

The opening song is one of the best parts of this season.

This manga panel made it to anime! 🤣 As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. 🤪

It's so interesting that season 2 has been using this I'll Go With Sweet Today scene for two episodes now. As far as I know, the only time Abiko-sensei mentioned Sweet Today was when she and Kichijouji-sensei made it through a deadline. It's curious.

Himekawa Taiki, all shaved and clean (this sounds wrong but why not HAHA!)

Abiko-sensei, can we have a Tokyo Blade spin-off where Blade falls in love with Tsurugi? If not Abiko-sensei, then Aka-sensei, can we please have that angle for Taiki and Kana? Yes? HAHAHA

Another deviation from the manga (that I actually like haha). As Aqua is watching Kana rehearse, that's when he started thinking of "memories when I was happy". His thought process here was more emphasized compared to the manga.

My favourite OnK character is Arima Kana and it was in this chapter that I thought maybe Kana and Aqua have a chance? Above anything, I just want Arima Kana to be happy. Please Aka-sensei. T_T

Please give this doctor his peace of mind. For everyone's mental health, he needs to calm down and let Aqua be the teenager that he's supposed to be come on Gorou-sensei.

The other side of the fandom hates Kana Arima for liking Aqua even when he is dating someone else like it's a nasty feeling to have and you can actually do something about it. Well, if Kana was that bad of a woman, she would've run to Aqua and assisted him. But she chose to stand by because Akane was there. And why would Kana run to him? Who is she to Aqua, anyway? Heck at this part of the story, she doesn't have any idea what she is to Aqua (even after chapter 150, I am not convinced. Yes, I have trust issues). She's just a girl Aqua entrusted the B-Komachi members with. Right? Even that childhood boast is just her foolish assumption.

Now let's put emotional acting to use. Imagine you're Kana Arima. You have this crush, you see him often, but you can't do anything about it because he has a girlfriend. When you're suffering from jealousy, he'd state that he's just dating for work. Then he makes a "plan to make his partner happy", then he avoids you, then tells you he's protecting you, then tells you he can't help but have fun when he's with you. And after all those things you still don't know what you are to him. 🙃

Why do some people condemn this woman for having this hopeless romantic love for Aqua? If anything, our enemy here should be Aqua. I mean, Ruby says it all, right? ↓

Kidding. I love Aqua, he's just a broken, lost and confused teenager but I love Kana so much more please give this character the happiness she deserves I beg you Akasaka-sensei. T_T

There's something crucial missing from Gotanda-san's "I'd thought for sure that..." that was in the manga. But then, what importance would other characters' thoughts be if we have no clear proof what (who) Aqua is thinking, from his own mouth? So Aqua, when will I know your feelings, my dear child? 😅

Trigger warning for the next screencaps

This was painful but Aqua's monologue before the execution of that Sayahime and Touki scene was 100 times more painful for me. Actually, Aqua having these last memories of Ai as his mother is torture.

The voice actor of Kana posted on Twitter (X) about this scene. Interesting, right?

TL;DR:

Akasaka-sensei, conclude this manga already please 😅

[bish-plz-haha]

Bungo Stray Dogs: my thoughts

So I'm not caught up on the manga (I'm trying). But I caught up on the anime and

HOLY

SHIT

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I actually screamed at the second to last ep.

*Spoilers ahead*

I COULDNT HANDLE CHUUYA - AS A "VAMPIRE" - SHOOTING DAZAI. OH MY GOD.

But everything is okay because that's not the case. But I also watched it in Dub (bc I was trying to cruise through it because its been a hot minute since I've caught up on anime) and DAZAI SAID FUCK AND IM LIVING FOR IT! Chuuya too. I was giggling like a maniac when I heard Chuuya say "You fucked up, detective agency!" Then continue to fuck up the Hunting Dogs.

PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME IS TACHIHARA OKAY?!?!? (I swear I'm reading the manga. This weekend I'm planning on reading it all the way.)

Also, I absolutely loved seeing how the agency was formed. What got me was Yosuno and her ties to the mafia. I literally doubletake-d and screamed "WhaT??" and my family thought I was nuts. Maybe I am. Its fine.

But s5 broke my heart and I'm like, over it. I need some Shin Soukoku fighting together again.

Also, can we talk about Ranpoe??? I absolutely love them, and I think they're now my third favourite ship in the series. Behind SSK and SSKK, of course. I dunno if I could see most of the ships. But, no hate to it if you do ship it because I believe we should ship what we want without judgement (FICTIONAL CHARACTERS MEN! FICTIONAL CHARACTERS!), I absolutely despise Fyozai. I just... no.

Though I do think Fyodor was a very cool character—a little boring—but interesting. Especially with his understanding of Dazai's intellect. Now I think the character with the most depth is Ranpo. Like, man's backstory - the little we know, is quite interesting. It makes me think about a lot.

Also, why is the story character based, not world based, when we know so much more about the world than we do the characters?? Like we know a little about a lot of the characters but know a lot about the world. It's insane. I love character based stories because I feel knowing the characters builds the world.

But the most we know is: Atsushi is an abused orphan; Dazai is an ex mafia member; Kenji is scary; Ranpo is an orphan too who is actually gifted with intellect instead of an ability - though it kind of is an ability; Fukuzawa is an ex assassin; Yosuno hates her ability because she was forced by Mori to keep soldiers alive during the gifted war when they just wanted to die; Kunikida is an ex maths teacher; Chuuya is a human that was experimented on so he's basically part yōkai/ayakashi (Thank you Noragami for introducing me to that delightful word—it's basically a word to describe supernatural beings/creatures and lord knows what Chuuya actually is); Tanizaki is... I don't remember anything specific about him and Naomi...; Tachihara is not a mafia member but rather a military officer sworn to get revenge on Yosuno (she didn't do anything except keep his brother alive - poor babies. She was forced to as well, which, in my opinion, makes it worse); Akutagawa is sick (I swear to god if the series ends without him...); Gin is Akutagawa's sister (HC Gin is enby); Mori was an underground doctor before he slit the previous bosses throat.

Like barely anything about a single character. Just bits and pieces for each. Those are just the main ones I remember.

Anyway~

Goodbye!

OH btdubs! I'm writing a skk au fic/one-shot based off s5 ending but also dead apple. Might post the link here. Idk yet. 🤷‍♂️

[aroacesigma]

hello my name is kai, i use he/him prns, im 17, etc etc you don't need to know much else. please read this before you follow.

NOTE: i reblog a lot of donation posts for palestinian families, since i generally receive a lot of asks about it. if i reblog these posts without tags, it means they are vetted. if they are unvetted but seem reasonable, the reasoning for that will be tagged (e.g. reverse image search is clean). i would appreciate reblogs on these

Usual DNF list (bigots) and also if you ship anything weird (s*lki, th*rki, od*zai, kyouka x atsushi etc.) . Also dni hardcore Loki series or mcu Wanda fans. thats for ur own good im a hater.

shouldve added this earlier but if you are a zionist, think that "both sides have a point", or regularly reblog from zionist blogs, DNI . i cannot truly express how much i despise people like you. free palestine 🇵🇸

note: on the shipping thing, i dont care what your stance on shipping discourse is frankly. i mean dni if you ship adult minor or incest stuff, and that is non negotiable . the ones that doesnt apply to i just hate ok. i mean follow me if you really want ig but ill block you once i realise?

art sideblog: @gratielalovebot (on Instagram too)

stuff i like + tagging system under the cut !!

Stuff i actually talk about on here:

bsd (too much) especially sigma (far too much) , manga and anime

on that note my favourite characters are sigma, dazai, chuuya, nikolai and oda, and my favourite ships are sigzai, skk and fyolai (last one is on thin fucking ice after 109)

have i mentioned i love sigma . i really love sigma . he is everything to me .

once again . on that note i literally do not shut up about my favourite headcanon of sigma being transmasc , so if you dont like that maybe dont

marvel comics (especially wanda and also the xmen though im not particularly caught up right now)

my faves in that is really just wanda i love her dearly . this is not a safe space for mcu wanda stans you will be blocked on sight . this is however a safe space for people who love the gratiela fancast bc shes the best actually

yknow what i know this is stuff i like but just a warning while i am currently fixated on bsd if someone gets me started on how much i hate that godamn loki show i will go on a rant . i hate it . so much . so so so much .

i dont talk about it much but i need everyone to know that i loveeee agents of shield

tag system:

[character/ship] - general stuff about said character/ship

[character/ship] fanart - i feel like this is obvious

[media] / [media] fanart - if theres too many characters im not bothered to tag , or if the post is general

ramblings - my original posts . its all bullshit . most of its rambling about which characters i think are trans . repetitively .

asks - also self explanatory

[username] - if youve sent me an ask and i answered it on web , xkit tagged it with your username

save - stuff that was important enough to save for later or fanart that i particularly liked

[m34gs]

Please tell us about your favourite Blue Exorcist ships and why!

Hi friend, thank you so much for this ask! I really find a lot of Blue Exorcist ships very fun, and I am a multishipper at heart, so this may end up being a bit of a longer post...ahahaha, but I promise to stick to my faves. (I have a lot of faves, mwahahahaha). There will be spoilers, but I'm not talking about anything that goes beyond Season 3 of the anime, so if you're caught up to that, then you should be ok.

BonRin:

Have to start off with the big one, my main ship in the series. It's just so fun. They have such a good chemistry, whether you read them as a ship or not, these two are so interesting. I love the way they are at once opposites and the same. Bon and Rin have the same kind of stubbornness, the same desire to do good, and similar hotheaded vibes; and I love that for them. At the same time, Bon has more patience with studying, learning, and waiting for orders, where Rin tends to leap without looking, but shows patience and understanding toward demons (partially because he is one but I also like to believe that it is part of his character to try and understand others because he wants so desperately to be understood by someone).

I know it wasn't all that popular with a lot of fans, but I actually did love the original ending to Season 1, the one that did not follow the manga. Seeing Bon grab Rin into a hug and tell him off for trying to do things on his own just made my little heart warm so much! So, yeah. I've been shipping them for so many years at this point, it feels so natural to me. And really, I just love the dynamic of idiots in love. I mean, Rin can be so oblivious, and Bon tries to act like he's better but we all know he can be just as dumb at times haha.

Izumo/Shiemi:

My girls! Agh!!!! I love them so much. My sweet, sweet girls. What I love about them is their entire dynamic. Shiemi is such a sweet, kindhearted, open girl. She tries so hard not only to make friends, but to see the good in everyone. Izumo, on the other hand, is more guarded, with a stormy attitude hiding her tender heart. One of my favourite ship dynamics ever is the Grumpy One loves the Sunshine Beam, and honestly that is so them. Izumo does care; it's there in the way she's scared when Shiemi tries to save her from the Impure King, it's in her grumpy attitude when she begrudgingly goes along with anything the other students suggest; because let's face it: if she really didn't want to be around them, she would not see them outside the classroom. (Tsundere Izumo = canon)

I just think there's so much between these two, and they have a definite impact on each other. Something I love about relationships is when characters grow together and change. Izumo has the potential to bring out Shiemi's bravery and push her to be more decisive. Shiemi has the potential to soften Izumo's snarl and get her to lighten up a little bit. They would be so so so good for each other and that's part of why I ship them.

Shima/Izumo:

Now, some of you may be thinking: but Meags??? You just said you ship Shiemi and Izumo???? And you are correct. I am a multishipper. I have multiple ships and sometimes several different ones for the same character. I happen to like Shima and Izumo. Why? Because I find them interesting. Also, Izumo has two hands...though I have yet to write her as polyamorous.

Where I like Izumo's grumpy nature as a contrast for Shiemi's kindness, and I think Shiemi's brightness softens Izumo a bit; I like Shima's goofiness making Izumo irritated. Because what is as good as Grumpy One and Sunshine Beam? Grumpy One and The Silly One. Makes me so happy. Also, I absolutely love Shima's secrets and how he's not as much of an idiot as he allows people to think. Don't get me wrong, he's still an idiot, but with the side of him that feels this pressure and legacy from his family, and the way he decides to join the Illuminati and act as a spy to them...I just love that there's more to his character than just being a girl-crazy silly guy. I think, too, that he and Izumo would be able to understand each other a little bit. He knows she acts grumpy to hide her more sensitive heart. He does it too; acting silly to deflect situations and hide things from people he cares about. I think they could be a really interesting pairing. That's why when I don't write Shiemi with Izumo, I like to write Shima with Izumo. (also Izumo would 10/10 be able to kill bugs for him; and I 100% believe she also threatens him with beetles if he is annoying her too much. Lovingly, of course.)

Amaimon/Shiemi:

Because Yes. Ok, ok, mainly this one stems from how Amaimon basically fights with Rin over Shiemi and all that. There is other stuff, too, that fuels this ship in my brain, but I won't get into that because it would be spoilers for some stuff.

But know this: I am a *sucker* for Unhinged Killer has a Soft Spot for Sunshine Beam. That's my main theme with Amaimon and Shiemi when I ship them, mostly because of how he tried to kidnap her when they were doing the training camp on the mountain (I think that was season 1 still; it's been a while and sometimes the first 2 seasons blur together for me). Was he canonically soft with her? Not exactly...but let me have this. I haven't really written them as a ship (I tend to give them more of a sibling-like-childhood-friends dynamic usually when I write them) but I do love seeing art and reading them as a pairing. Honestly, I love most ships with either of these two in it.

Sei/Rin:

Had to bring this one in. For those of you unfamiliar with Sei Godaiin, he is the normal human Rin befriends in season 3 (and in the manga) who becomes able to see demons. Rin goes through tasks for Mephisto in order to procure eye drops to allow Sei to stop seeing the demons. I absolutely adore Sei, and I love the way Rin befriends him in the manga. I do think they have a very interesting relationship, and it's that glimpse for Rin of what life could be if he was a normal boy. When Sei sees Rin's world, he's absolutely terrified, and it serves as a cruel reminder of how Rin will never be fully normal, and will never actually have a normal life.

Personally, I love them both so very much. I feel the anime did not quite do justice to the relationship they had in the manga and stuff, but I get that they can't keep everything. So, I just hold it in a special place in my heart. Some of you might be saying "But Meags? didn't Sei end up hurting Rin's feelings in the manga? Because he couldn't deal with the demon side of him?" Yes. Yes he did, and that part was sort of but not really touched on in the anime. Isn't that some delicious angst to throw into a relationship? Mwahahahaha. But, also, I think that if he had more time to process it, and more time to get to know Rin beforehand, he would have become an inseparable friend for Rin. It's that aspect of not so much enemies to lovers, but instead the slowburn build of trust that overcomes a great obstacle...I love that sort of thing. Anyway; I don't really write Sei/Rin at this point, though I have a fic with past-Sei/Rin in it. I do have a couple ideas for them that are on the backburner, as always, but unfortunately I am incapable of writing everything I want to immediately and at once (the curse of writing).

There you go, my favourite Blue Exorcist ships. Of course, I have many more ships in this series that I do enjoy; but if I talked about every single one, we would be here all night and I actually do have to work tomorrow (day shift...) lol. So, instead, I picked a few of my faves to talk about :D. Hope you enjoyed! I would love to hear about your favourite Blue Exorcist ships as well, if you have an opinion on them that you would like to share!

[coldflasher]

5, 15, 27?

5. Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?

For this fandom I don't think so, but other fandoms yes. I am a known and vocal destiel hater partly because I hate castiel but also because I think the spn fandom is so obnoxious about the ship (sorry destiel-shipping mutuals i don't mean you, but i have seen things...) Also I will come to hate ships from shows I've never even seen if the fandom is annoying/vocal enough. 911 fandom, i'm sorry, but i do not wanna see those firefighters ever again.

tbf that fandom seems to have calmed down lately, or maybe i just unfollowed or muted the people who post it excessively, but there was no escaping them for a while

15. Unpopular opinion about the manga/show?

Season 4 of The Flash was actually really good. Most of you quit watching too early and didn't give that season a chance!! The huge ableism issues with Devoe aside, that arc was actually really compelling and ngl I find it frustrating that for YEARS we were like "PLEASE give us a non-speedster big bad!" and they finally did and everyone was like "no :) " and refused to watch it

Devoe was scary!! He was more than a match for Barry without being a speedster which I thought is what we all wanted! Plus season 4 is actually the funniest season. I hadn't seen it since it aired because the fandom had me convinced it was bad and then when me and my friend watched it we were CRYING during the first few episodes because the comedy beats were so impeccable.

Season 4 also had so many fantastic character beats for Barry, amazing conflict, CONSEQUENCES FOR HIS ACTIONS!! He literally got suspended from work because he was "harrassing" Devoe and broke into his house and it was SO interesting to see him face actual repercussions for letting Flash stuff bleed into his personal life! It gave us the prison arc! It gave us GOOD HAIR!

The actual downward spiral of the show began in season 5. Nora I love you but... that season had a lot of rough spots. Season 6 was also good! Now season 7 onwards deserves all the flack it gets but I maintain the show was still good way past the first 2-3 seasons that are held up as gospel and some of you are missing out on some actually really good television.

I think part of it is like... Coldflash besties, I love all of you, but The Flash was never Len's show. He was never a main character. And I think sometimes we get a bit caught up in acting like it was more Coldflash-centric than it was and like it was no longer worth watching as soon as Len wasn't in it. I get for some people (including me!) that the ship was a major part of enjoying the show but like. That was never the goal of the show. It was never trying to do that or tell that story, or even really focus on Len at all outside of a very minor big bad of the week role, and we do it a disservice by acting as if that ship was all the show had to offer, you know?

Some of my favourite episodes actually happened in the later seasons and I'd love to be able to share my love for those episodes and analyze them the same way we analyze the same 30 seconds of coldflash interactions but half of you wouldn't even know what I was talking about :( I could do it anyway and I still do, see my rant from the other day about Caitlin's s8 mad scientist necromancer arc, but it feels like shouting into the void sometimes... sigh

27. Least shippable character?

Hmm I'm tempted to say Caitlin. They put that woman in so many relationships and they were all soooo boring. Tbf I do quite like her and Ronnie (snowstorm?) but other than that... her and Jay? Boring. Her and Julian. Boring AND nonsensical considering he had such an issue with metahumans. Then there was that weird arc in season 8 where she goes on like 2 dates with a random dude and she's like "I want to tell him about Team Flash because I see a future with him and want him to be a part of my life" and then like one or two eps later she goes "nvm" and just dumps him. It was so funny. But all these relationships except with Ronnie were meh at best and by the final few seasons she was so detached from everyone anyway, they really didn't know what to do with her after Cisco left and instead of trying to have her bond more with the new characters they just shrugged and had her stand in the corner and do nothing

I have attempted to ship her with Iris in the past but it's hard work cos they gave us NOTHING. I wasn't sure if Danielle's acting was the issue and it was because she didn't have good chemistry with her love interests but I have no issue shipping Frost with people so? Idk what it is.

Kamilla is another one, which is ironic because her only purpose was to be Cisco's girlfriend but girl had no personality whatsoever, i'm sorry, she deserved better.

[ciaossu-imagines]

So I’m finally responding since you said not to send anything while you were finishing off your old requests and then I forgot so now finally I’ll send in a response to your admin chatter. Here I honestly have no idea what to say about the series apart from the fact that I’m glad I found it. It’s so fun and interesting and I’m looking forward to seeing what more the author has planned. And so true to what you’re saying about the manga and I really love it for that and wished that all anime also paced things like that. So yeah, same.  

Cool. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts when the time comes. And sure thing. Thank you. And I see. If I remember correctly, my friend also mentioned the Undertaker but I can’t remember anymore what exactly she said. Thank you so much. That’s really sweet of you to say. It did take me some time to remember the names and sometimes I still have to look up where I know them from so there’s that as well. Or I’ll do what you do and look up the character, then the voice actor’s page and then see whether I’ve heard them somewhere else.

Honestly same. Like I used to send so many messages to my friend because I’d want to share any kind of exciting news or fun pictures with her but she told me it was quite overwhelming so I always wait until she’s responded and then I’ll add the new stuff on. Though sometimes there are images that I feel like I need to send and then I do, hoping she doesn’t mind. I’ll use a recent example. To celebrate the Haikyuu!! movie release, the author of the manga released a special chapter and I got to see some of my favourite boys grown up and it was so nice and beautiful that I just had to send it to her. A part of the scene also kind of had to do with something we were talking about before so there’s that as well. And now it lives rent free in my mind so yay to that 😅 Though literally I am happy about it. I can’t say much more since I don’t want to give anything away but just know I’ve been blessed. Though I’ll also say beautiful smile, beautiful man. And it’s concerning the character I recently info dumped to you about. And I feel the same way about long replies so truly is a win-win here. You didn’t disappoint and I don’t think you ever could. And I’m looking forward to reading your Ever Young story and anything you post on AO3.

I hope you got your radio silence and that things are going well.

Yeah, this bitch caught up in pretty much a week 😅 And thank you so much for saying all that 😭

Yeah, really. And that information should be, especially since it’s info about the patient themselves. Oh gods. That’s so much. I see. I’m also kinda jealous of people who don’t have to wear glasses since I’ll be in my house and someone will tell me to look at something on the TV and I’ll have to go really close to it or will have to tell the other person to wait while I grab my glasses from my room. Even though, yeah, I got my glasses a few years later than you.

Oh that sounds so cool. And thank you. Though it’s more like that since I always finish my stories in Word before I post them, all I have to do afterwards is copy and paste the chapters afterwards one by one so it’s nice to listen to music while doing that routine thing. And I’m actually one of those people who can’t listen to music while writing since I want to be able to fully concentrate on my ideas and what I’m writing. Sine I do tend to let the music take up most of my brainspace while listening to it. And that’s nice 😃 It’s really cool that you have specific playlists like that. For me it’s just a whole bunch of songs that I like all together. Though I don’t add all songs that I like anymore since my mind is used to those songs and I like it that way.

C

Hey there! It’s nice to see you back in the inbox and thank you so, so much for waiting for me to finish off everything and open the box up again. I love seeing the response and getting to talk to you, especially since like I mentioned, I’m still waiting to finish catching up  on Servamp to finish up my dm replies to you – got sidetracked with a lot of things, haha. I love the fact that you’re enjoying the series so much! It really is an absolutely amazing story, the characters are engaging and fun, and I’ve always said that Servamp is almost criminally underrated. I’m going to be happy if I can introduce even one more person to the series, honestly!

I look forward to sharing my thoughts and then talking all kinds of things out with you when I get the opportunity! I’m busy at the moment building a solid queue here on the blog (after the event, I had 150 actual requests and, like I said I would, I used all the unrequested prompts for all my fandoms, so I have a little over 500 posts to write and queue…should have plenty to keep the blog going for the next three or four months, even if I bump the queue up past 1 a day and I’ll have a shit ton more time for chatting and writing passion projects that way, though that means you guys see unrequested headcanons and fics quite often sorry) but I’m so looking forward to taking the time to not only write, but read and watch things again! I have decided to go manga for Black Butler, just because I can breeze through a couple hundred chapters in two days so it’s quicker for me to get caught up. I’m hoping it’ll live up to how good everyone keeps telling me it’s gotten! Aww, that’s awesome! And I have to do the look up to see where I know them from not just with voices I recognize but actors and actresses all the time too because I’m terrible at names! I think it’s so cool that you put the time and effort into remembering voice actors like that because yeah, they definitely deserve fans and all the respect!

I’m horrible for not sending messages until I know I have everything I want to say out so I can sometimes hoard messages for a good couple days or a week so my replies can get overboard! And I’m sure your friend has so much fun, getting the add on messages and pictures because I know when you do that in our messages, I always love it! That’s so exciting about Haikyuu! movie release getting that special chapter! Was it an interesting and good chapter? Did the boys you saw grown up look like you figured they would as adults? Were their lives what you thought they would be? I’m curious as to your reaction to it all! I’m glad to hear I don’t disappoint and thank you so much for saying that 😊 I look forward to sharing but the delinquent! Shouhei story will definitely be coming out first. The Ever Young is so dear to my heart that I want it perfect and several chapters to be finished before I post them.

As far as radio silence, it did get better. I got one ask after that outside of the box being open, but it calmed down a lot, both for dm’s and for the ask box. I really appreciate everyone giving me that time and space and being so patient and supportive of me while I work on things both on and off the blog. I really do consider myself super lucky to have such amazing readers! And you did get caught up really quickly! I have thirty more chapters to read before I’m completely caught up on Servamp, and my manga app updated Nanbaka to chapter 355 so I think that will be the next one I work on getting caught up on after Servamp!

And yes! A lot of people don’t know this but at least here in Canada, a patient can legally request a copy of their medical file and history from any of their doctors at any point and the doctor has to comply. It’s just a little known thing and most of the time, patients aren’t really kept up to date on their information, which bothers me greatly. And I am so jealous of people who don’t have to wear glasses. Not only can they easily see, but it’s annoying to have your glasses fog up when you wear a mask, something I’ve had to do at work since I came down with a bad cold. Mask and medical grade non-latex gloves for 7-8 hours a day…not fun, but at least it keeps people safe and healthy.

And that is cool to learn! I’ve been wondering, since I haven’t messed around with it yet, how the formatting of stories goes on AO3, so it’s good to know I won’t have to mess around with a lot of formatting or html codes to post stories on there, if you can use copy and paste! I completely get that – everyone’s different and I know some people simply cannot concentrate on their writing if there’s music or a lot of noise around. I need the background noise because all the little sounds bother me in complete silence and throw me off – dripping taps, the click of the baseboard, the hum of the refrigerator, the sounds of the neighbours and things like that. I love the way you worded that by the way, that your mind is used to those songs because I know the exact feeling you mean and it’s a pleasant-unpleasant feeling all at once haha.

[mushiemadarame]

↳ watch & rewatch drama list

@khaotunq tagged me, my sweet sweet bestie 💖

currently (actively) watching

609 Bedtime Story - technically on pause until I manage to find both final episodes. I was impressed at first and then it kind of lost me as it went on but I gotta know how it ends.

A Boss and A Babe - I hate this show's title but I love how surprising the second episode was for me. Wasn't super excited about it at first because most of the shows I've given up on halfway were by the same director but after episode two, I'm cautiously optimistic.

A Man Who Defies The World of BL - enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would! It's not my favourite, but I'm very curious about how it'll end now.

All The Liquors - Korea?!?! What is happening!!! I love how different this is so far, can't wait to see where it goes.

Bed Friend - this one came out of left field. I was NOT expecting it to go the places it's been going but I am not complaining, holy shit!

Chains of Heart - I understand nothing, I never know what's going on, I absolutely love it. I want it to stick the landing so bad.

Jack o'Frost - I love amnesia storylines, what can I say. Also it's intriguing so far.

Love Syndrome - Jesus Christ. Jesus Fucking Christ. I love garbage.

Midnight Museum - been LOOOOVING the early 2000s supernatural teen show vibes. Gun Atthaphan is always a win as far as I'm concerned and I'm doubly here for the queer vibes.

Once Again - also technically on pause. I took a break halfway 'cause I found out it doesn't have a super happy ending. Will finish it eventually.

Our Dating Sim - AAAAAHH!!!! just AAAAAAAAAAAAAHH! South Korean BLs have burned me so often right at the end, but I wanna believe in this one 'cause the mutual thing going on with neither (or more likely just one) of them not knowing has captivated me.

Past-Senger - too early to comment on quality, but I do love the premise! Let's hope it doesn't crash and burn.

The End of The World With You - why do I keep getting surprised by Japan putting out banger after banger is a mystery. I've been bracing for the emotional devastation of the finale for like five episodes. Can't wait to sob!

The Promise - this show inspires so much faith in me. I wanna believe in it, I wanna give it a million chances, and it hasn't disappointed me this far even though it hasn't been special either.

Tin Tem Jai - I don't want to be rude about it but this is bad. I don't know why I'm still watching.

As you can see, I'm watching an embarrassing amount of BLs at any given time.

rewatching

Love Mechanics

Not Me

Theory of Love

I don't really do rewatches but these three I'm always kind of in the middle of rewatching. And also,

KinnPorsche - I started a rewatch recently and I'm very very slowly working through it.

looking forward to

A Shoulder to Cry On - I saved this ages ago, I don't remember why but I'm excited all the same!

Cherry Magic (Thai version) - the one TayNew show I've seen I hated but somehow I'm unbelievably attached to them so this is exciting to me. Plus, I actually think Thailand could elevate this story which, for me, as far as the show is concerned, wasn't great.

Cooking Crush - I cried when they announced this 'cause I thought I'd missed my window to watch a new OffGun show as it aired. OFFGUN! OFFGUN! OFFGUN!

Last Twilight - I thought Vice Versa was a waste of the JimmySea chemistry, but I wanna believe in this one.

Laws of Attraction - I couldn't get through TSWL because it was too soap opera-y for me, but I heard wonderful things and this immediately caught my eye when I saw JamFilm would be working together again!

Middleman's Love - I was infinitely more excited when it was a Mii2 show but Yim has impressed me so much so far in Bed Friend that I'm looking forward to it again!

Only Friends - do I even need to say anything?? I think this is my most anticipated one this year, yes probably even more than Wuju Bakery.

Our Dining Table - I loved the manga this is adapted from so I'm excited.

Transplant - I believe this will come out eventually. I will believe it 'till my dying day.

Why R U - I loved the Thai version so I'm really curious about what Korea will do with it!

Wuju Bakery - the premise is so ridiculous to me but JeffCode so grhgarhagraghrahgarhgraghgrahgrah

TAGGING: @jeronnamo, @poisoneevie, @dirtygermi, @notme-rainbowfart, @nattawinlove :)

[creamsickle-writes]

for the ask meme: one piece, zosan and sanji!

This ended up being really long but here we go:

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my:

Favorite character: Zoro or Ace! It’s really hard to pick which one is my all time favorite.

Least Favorite character: Tashigi really grinds my gears. She is just so annoying to me. Like, she is always involved in shit she doesn't need to be involved in and she has this audacity like- But for my obvious dislike, I hate Akainu because of what he did to my husband (and he just seems like a jerk)

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): Okay so I really like ZoSan and that was one of the first ships I had for the series. I recently started liking LawLu; their dynamic is just really cute and I love the way Law is rapidly aging just by being near him lmao. Usopp and Kaya is very cute and hopefully endgame! Franky and Robin are always great but I've recently come across Robin and Jinbe and honestly I love both so much (I'll just count those two ships as one because Robin literally has infinite hands to hold). And I guess for my last ship: Zoro and Nami. While I don't ship it as much as I used to when I first started watching, I love that Zoro allows himself to be bossed around by her. Something about him being whipped and submissive towards her is so appealing

Character I find most attractive: Ace is without a doubt the most attractive character to me. Like his longer hair, long nose, and muscular build is just ughhhh <3

Character I would marry: Okay, this is hard but Law is probably the guy I would realistically go for. He's super handsome and I love how grumpy and dorky he is. Like yes darling, tell me about your superhero hyperfixation and lift my arm while explaining to me where every muscle and tendon is located.

Character I would be best friends with: Nami, Usopp, and Robin. We have weekly tea spilling sessions and pick out each other's outfits.

a random thought: I really need to get caught up

An unpopular opinion: I feel like the pacing in the anime can be really bad. I remember watching Fishman Island and wanting to pull my hair out. Why did we need a flashback that lasted like three episodes??? I read the manga for one arc and the pacing was MUCH better.

my canon OTP: I don't think there are any ships that are canon that I particularly enjoy (at least not where I am right now)

Non-canon OTP: ZoSan obvs

most badass character: It's really hard to pick just one but the first character that came to mind was Robin. I remember before I first saw her, my ex asked me if I could have a devil fruit, what would its ability be, and I was explaining what was essentially her power haha I think her devil fruit is really cool and allows for some amazing attacks and moments. Also, she's so strong having dealt with everything that has happened to her. She's complex and mysterious but still a kind-hearted character and for that reason I think she's so badass.

pairing I am not a fan of: Tashigi and Zoro. God, I cannot stand that ship and every day I hope and pray it never becomes canon.

character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): Sanji. I lament what he used to be so bad. I was rewatching One Piece with someone else and when they first introduced Sanji he actually seemed like he was pulling women. Of course, I love that it was revealed he's actually a pathetic loser boy but I don't like how they handled that aspect of him post-timeskip. Before it was like, "Oh, he's so pathetic, I love him so much" and now it's like "Ugh, he's such a creep, this is not the man I fell in love with"

favourite friendship: Usopp and Nami for sure. I want to be their third bestie so badddd

character I want to adopt or be adopted by: Chopper!!! He's so sweet I want nothing more than to take care of him.

002 | send me a ship and I will tell you:

when of if I started shipping it: I really don't remember when exactly I started shipping Zosan? BUT I remember when they started fighting with each other about the dinosaurs they caught for dinner and kinda staring at them like "y'all are having a literal dick measuring contest rn like-" And I think that interaction sort of got the gears turning

my thoughts: I love the "I hate you but not really" dynamic between them. It's obvious they care about each other so much but are both too tough to really say it outright.

What makes me happy about them: Okay I saw this online from another source but their connection to the number three. Zoro's three swords, his earrings, and Sanji's name, and the fact that he's associated with three as well. It's like a weird thread of destiny sort of thing that I love.

What makes me sad about them: That they both throw themselves in harm's way so often.

things done in fanfic that annoys me: I think people being very strict about one or the other being the top/bottom. I feel like they switch things around pretty often tbh

things I look for in fanfic: Internalized homophobia Sanji with openly queer Zoro lmao Like, Zoro who is out and has been out since they met and Sanji being weird about it. But as he starts falling for Zoro, he tries so hard to push it down before finally accepting that being attracted to men doesn't make him any less manly.

My kinks: I love Zoro breaking Sanji. It kinda goes hand in hand with the internalized homophobia but Sanji thinking that sex with a man will never be as good as sex with a woman but when he finally does it, it blows his mind. Zoro gives the best blowjobs and his jaw never gets tired because of all his sword training so when he sucks the soul out of Sanji and doesn't stop even after he cums, Sanji's like "yeah, okay, this is fucking amazing" Same with him taking things up his ass or letting Zoro eat him out. He thinks it's disgusting or unsanitary but when Zoro's tongue gets to work and he finds his prostate, he changes his tune very quickly. The next time Zoro goes to eat his ass, he teases Sanji, saying that it's awfully interesting that he's not protesting this time (which Sanji responds with "shut up before I kick you in the face"). Uh, okay, that's not really a kink but more of a dynamic I guess? Okay, kink: Sanji locks his thighs around Zoro's head one of the first times he goes down on him. The time after that, he asks Sanji to do it again. I also love the idea of Zoro lowkey being a masochist and wanting Sanji to choke him while he rides ughhh

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Man, idk if there's anyone else I'd want for Sanji BUT with Zoro, I really like that girl from Wano: Kiku? I've seen so much fanart of them and they seem really cute.

My happily ever after for them: Them getting married with Zoro giving Sanji one of his earrings to use as a ring (I saw fanart of this once and my heart couldn't take it). Sanji owns a restaurant and Zoro never stops training but definitely stops in the restaurant for lunch (and when he doesn't, Sanji nags him when he brings his lunch out to the training grounds nearby for him)

003 | Give me a character & I will tell you

How I feel about this character: I always say to my friends: I love him but I hate him. Like, he is so amazing but sometimes he does shit and I want to strangle him so bad.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Zoro I think is the only person I really ship Sanji with

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Either Luffy and Sanji or Robin and Sanji. These are mostly due to spoilers I've seen online but Luffy calling to him in Whole Cake Island and him calling out to Robin for help both really caught my attention and made me enjoy their relationships more.

My unpopular opinion about this character: Idk if this is unpopular but I really don't think the post-timeskip art style (at least in the anime?) is really doing him any favors. Why they make his neck so fucking thick lmao???

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I wish we addressed his crossdressing era more post-timeskip. Like you mean to tell me we saw him enjoy crossdressing and then as soon as he left the island it's as though it never happened? Nuh uh, put that man in a dress, have him crossdress for an infiltration mission and have him make a comment to himself about how he lowkey misses it.

my het ship: Ummmm idk if I really have a het ship for Sanji now that I think about it? In my heart he just never stops striking out with women.

my fem/slash ship: ZoSan all the way babey

my OTP: ZoSan yet again haha

my OT3: Hrm, I love the dynamic of Zoro/Sanji/Nami. Like, Sanji being there to cater to all of Nami's needs as she milks him of his money while she goes to Zoro for her sexual needs. Something, something, making Sanji a cuck again.

my cross over ship: I don't really think about crossovers

my kink: Long time readers will know I love Sanji getting cucked; it's one of my favorite situations to write him in. I also just love writing him as a sobbing, whimpering mess but that doesn't stop me from also writing him as a dom who lowkey has a daddy kink and loves spoiling his little prince/princess.

a head cannon fact: I feel like Sanji loves to sing while he cooks whether its humming a little tune or full on singing when nobody's around.

my gender bend: Okay I have a very specific image in mind @ thechrissymourns on TikTok does female cosplays of so many One Piece characters and I really like her Sanji (though her Zoro where she wears his hair as a bob is my favorite interpretation of them all) I think she's changed up some of her cosplays, but I love the idea of fem!Sanji with long hair. And my idea of fem!Sanji definitely wears that harness that the cosplayer I mention wears. Plus, my fem!Sanji most definitely wears a pencil skirt (made with a stretchy material of course so she can still kick), thigh highs with garters, and black heels. Yeah, she definitely can run in heels and will stab you with them

[kimium]

For the ask game: 7, 17, 21, 25!

(From this ask HERE)

Thank you so much for this ask, friend! I'm so excited to answer this!

Remember everyone: this is all subjective and just my opinion. You can disagree with me; that's fine.

7. What character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because of how the fandom acts about them?

I cannot stand how fandom views Camilla from Fire Emblem Fates.

Before I get into this however, I want to clarify that I do NOT hate Camilla at all. In fact, I quite like her. With that out of the way, let's get to my thoughts.

Camilla loves her family with all her heart and soul. They're the most important people to Camilla and she'll do anything to protect them. Many of Camilla's fears are rooted in the fear of those she loves leaving her behind. In Birthright and Revelations, Camilla is devastated by Corrin's "defection" and that soul-crushing weight of her fear becoming reality makes me feel so much for Camilla.

This fear is also shown in Camilla's supports with Selena, where she explicitly tells Selena to "not leave her". I'm certain there are other supports.

Yes, I am aware that Camilla in turn to having her fears become reality does suggest or actually act violently, but cut the woman some slack, especially in Birthright where her family is literally being torn apart from the inside out. Also, her country is going to war.

However, I've found that some of fandom has distilled Camilla's personality into my least favourite mature female trope of "Ara, ara you poor thing. Let me hug you to my Very Well Endowed Bosom so fans can fantasize about being pushed up to my chest too. If you try to escape me you're being naughty and need to be punished, tee-hee-hee".

Which, brings me to another point: Camilla is more than just her very well endowed chest. I know the series shoves it into our faces in both Fates and Heroes, but she has more depth than just being there for fanservice.

17. There should be more of this type of fic/art.

Uh, I'm not too sure what to say for this one. In general I like all types of fanart and fanfiction for series. I don't think there is a specific type I want to see in particular.

However, if we want a series I want to see more fanart/fic/attention for I will keep singing my praises for To Your Eternity. It's a fantastic series with such depth to the characters and story telling and I want more to watch and appreciate it.

21. Part of canon you think is overhyped.

Again, not too sure what this question means, so I'm reading it as "a particular part of a series that's overhyped either by the narrative or the fanbase".

-I found Chainsaw Man a bit overhyped for my tastes. Don't get me wrong: I think the art is beautiful, the animation breath-taking, and the character designs fun. That, however, is where my enjoyment of the series sort of fades. I enjoyed the anime and I'm decently caught up in the manga, but the series never hit me emotionally the way other shonen series in the past have. Sorry, everyone. I wish this wasn't the case but I just enjoy it generally.

-Sometimes I think tournament arcs in anime can be overhyped by series. Please do NOT get me wrong. My favourite tournament arc is the Dark Tournament in Yu Yu Hakusho and that series was one of the first pioneers of the trope.

However, over the years some series try to change it up by having an "interruption" to the tournament and sometimes I feel that invalidates the entire build up to the arc in the first place. I also think that allows the writers to chicken out of showing who would actually win.

25. Common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing.

I am so sick of reading about people arguing over ships. Look, people can ship who they want. They're all fictional characters anyways. Even if it's a ship that you REALLY dislike, there is no reason to attach anyone over it. If you don't like a ship and you see someone else like it, ignore them and move on.

[lionheart-giddings]

I'm sorry, but ever since you revealed that you're replaying corpse party for the season, I have got to send you an ask about it cause I've ever met anyone else irl who has actually played the game too fgdjdkdhdjd

Which version are you playing? The 2016 steam release with all the og rpg maker art and the bonus episodes? The 2010 psp release with the updated art but issue of not being able to 100% the name tags because of the 'what moron goes in to investigate the women's washroom when a demonic school dimension is currently is the process of collapsing?!' bug? The 3ds version with the updated art AND bonus episodes AND lack of name tag bug?

Have you ever watched the ova anime series as bloody and graphic as it is? What about the manga? Have you read that? Who's your fav character? Least fav? Favourite chapter? Fav song? Did you ever play the other games in the series or only the first (and the best let's be real)?

(I'm sorry for all the questions btw. I was hyper obsessed with this series like 8 years ago and it still clearly holds a special place in my heart fhdjdkdjdhd so as an apology here's a pic of two very gay girls that live on my shelf)

AHHHHH IM SO HAPPY YOU ASKED ABT THIS

its so nice that someone else i know has played it!!!

as for which one I'm playing, it's the 2021 rerelease!

i never actually got to play the og game growing up because i never had a pc

so i was stuck watching playthroughs for the longest time </3

i honestly cannot remember which version it was that i grew up watching. it was in the early 2010s, so it was probably the psp version! and those glitches aajhdhrjsjsjaj. it sounds so frustrating!! i had no idea they were bugged like that

corpse party has a special place in my heart because i started off roleplaying it by rping in the comment section of youtube vids as ayumi 😭

as for the anime series i did end up watching it! definitely younger than i should have been doing so but i liked it!! except i was really bummed about how it had the bad end if i remember correctly?? i was(still am) a hardcore ayushiki shipper and was so sad they did yoshiki like that </3

and i have actually read the manga! or at least part of it. i just have the first volume but really wanna get the rest. i just got so caught up in dorohedoro that i ended up splurging on all the books for that instead.

ayumi hands down is my fave. i know shes a motherfucker and fucked everything up, but thats honestly why i like her. i also just love that shes a horror aficionado but is by far the biggest pussy out of everyone. her duality <3

as for least fave itd have to be morishige. he's just such a fucking creep and the studious anime boy act is annoying af.

ill have to get back to you on fave chapter because my memory is really rusty and ive only made it back up to chap 4!

same goes for song. im also just the kinda person who doesnt really recognize soundtracks that well 😭

i do remember watching a lot of visual novel gameplay and book of shadows, but i do not remember anything about them because it was so fucking long ago!

AND PLEASE DONT FEELSORRY FOR BEING EXCITED ABOUT THIS IM GENUINELY HAPPY TO HAVE FOUND SOMEONE THIS EXCITED ABOUT IT!!

AND YOU SEIKO AND NAOMI FIGS ARE ADORABLE they should have been end game,,

[bmpmp3]

I READ a lot of different manga recently and i WANNA talk about em :)

SO LIKE i ADORE stories about the entertainment industry like music actors celebrity whatever i LOVE IT so oshi no ko had been on my to-read list for like a bajillion years now BUT queen bee doing the ending song for the anime (MEPHISTO!!!! LISTEN TO IT!!!!!!!!!! ITS SO GOOOOOOD!!!! LISTEN TO EVERY QUEEN BEE ALBUM RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!! the opening is good too) finally pushed me to read it (not watch it sorry... normally the anison industry has this symbiotic relationship between the songs and the shows where the show makes people get interested in the musicians and vice versa but as a person who cannot watch a single episode of a show ever (jk.....probably) I only ever check out the manga and osts HJKFJFDHKDSLS its kinda cool that the first episode is like a movie length adaptation of the first volume of the manga though from what i can tell) AND its very good!!

i did NAHT expect the reincarnation stuff (all i knew was it was a manga about an idol who has kids in secret) but theres some glimmers of interesting concepts touched on with that (kinda like half way between the modern isekai “i just am the person i was before i died just in a different body” and the 90s shoujo manga style “im mostly the new born person but there is the remnants of someone else in here”, it hasnt touched on it That Much but what they brought up is interesting, like that kid has simultaneously been alive for over 50 years and also is incredibly 15 years old hjkfdsjhfds) but it’s a showbiz mystery thriller with so much tonal whiplash OF COURSE i’d like it those are like. my favourite genres hjkfddsjklfd

so far ive been digging it. OR... well i’ve caught up and the last third has been. a little odd? i know i just said i love my tonal whiplash but it feels a little like its going really fast but also like. dropping some plot threads and character arcs that i was kind of hoping they would go back into? it’s still ongoing though, it could easily bring stuff back and turn around. im assuming this is a symptom of the weekly release schedule? 99% of the manga i read is monthly or occasionally volume at a time so im not as familiar with the structure. is the author like. okay. i know they take breaks but man. i could feel it with the arcs about the manga authors. salutes

that does remind me though. this isnt a manga ive read Recently (i first read it like a year or two ago) but recently i finally was able to collect all volumes of penguin revolution (VERY DIFFICULT FEAT for some reason all the volumes were cheap as hell except people kept listing volume 6 for like hundreds of dollars and i was like. its not worth that. i was finally able to find one for like under 15 bucks after like a year but MAN) and its interesting that like oshi no ko felt like. the slightly bloodier penguin revolution. penguin revolution with more blood and less acting magic hallucination little girls (actually what was that one little girl who showed up for a chapter....maybe they both have equal amounts LOL) JK JK they’re probably not very similar ones an award winning 2020s era seinen and the others a weekly shoujo from the mid to late 10s that was cut off short and while well rated, largely forgotten (not to me...to me its Everything) so they got different things going on  its just little blonde boys and their mother situations put me in the mind of penguin revolution...i should reread it again...

ALSO before i started that i read sweat and soap and um. first of all. that man is a little freak <3 second of all ITS REALLY GOOD its a really nice and sweet story about a couple navigating their relationship, the first chapters are a little clunky (i think the author mentioned it was a one shot that unexpectedly got picked up for a full series so thats why the first chapter is a little fast lol) THIRD OF ALL the depiction of bullying and how it can affect one later in life even as an adult was Very well done like especially how the bullies themselves may have completely moved on, thinking nothing of it even while it still consumes you, real ass shit for a manga about a little freak who sniffs <3 also just a very funny and fun manga with pretty great characters. if i ever get physical copies some of those book covers are gonna be. hard to explain

speaking of real ass shit before that i also borrowed sand chronicles from my library (<3 my local library it has so much manga for some reason!!!!) and that was ALSO 99% really really good as like a decade long coming of age character study about this girl and her trauma and how she attempts to navigate it, very realistic in a lot of ways, i mean it was heightened in classic 2000s shoujo ways but so many of the characters had me going like damn. i feel like i know these people jfkdshfds its good!!! EXCEPT. why’d they make that one guy marry his cousin. 99% good and 1% girl why. oh well, im still glad i read it, sometimes i find that something that does most things fantastically and one thing really bad has a lot of value as someone who loves media analysis LOL

OH and i havent finished this one yet, but seeing that little red bespectacled blonde twink and his 2018-ass undercut reminded me that i’d been meaning to read trigun, i watched the original anime when i was like 10 but all i remember is like. the opening theme guitars. something about plants. love and peace SO this is basically a new experience hjkFjdskdjfkds its good so far! I’ve only read like 3 chapters but i like it! i wish i could watch the new show too (i love that style of 3d animation) but as i said before. watching a show is. a monumental task. maybe someday

ANYWAY this has been BEEBEEPBEEBEEEBEEBEEP (news jingle) things i have read in the past couple months thank u and good night

[mimuranda]

What is happening to shonen?

23/09/2022

Ok guys so if you have seen my least post, you know I've been consuming a lot of anime recently, and mostly of that anime is shonen because well, it is my favourite gender among all the anime. So as I LOVED tokyo revengers, I did something I usually don't ever do, that is looking for the manga and I am currently reading it.

And I am not liking the latest arc. I am seriously starting to think it should have ended already, despite my love for the story and the characters. The main character should understand that not everybody can be saved.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

So ok. You did it. You saved the girl you are in love with, you managed to get engaged with her, saved her brother, Chifuyu and like 95% of your friends...you managed to avoid not only one aweful future but most of all the terrible consequences of ToMan turning into an evil actually adult crime mafia and everybody not only is happy but also evolved and moved on....and the only person you lost is Mikey, that also evolved but, dramatically enough, never was truly a good person, never wanted to leave the dark path of deliquence and will be there forever. Even Draken says so! It was heartbreaking but logic and it should have been kept like that.

Instead we have...I don't know exactly what we have....

I also caught up with Boku No Hero Academia and srl, I am seeying the exact same problem. So you have this amazing story, powers, characters (with real evolution, despite the cliches of shonen being displayed since the beginning) and NOW....it has been like 1000 chapters since any real things actually happening. Deku is stucked. The villains are not villains anymore, there are too much stories going on....and the only real plot progress we have is... well, let's talk about the last chapters of BNHA.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

So, I really, really love Bakugo. Yes, he is cliche, yes he is clearly the author's fav and all... but he is a very well constructed character that was NOT perfect and that made OH SO MANY MISTAKES and that was CHANGING and lord I loved his redemption arc (and yes I ship BKDK but that doesn't mean I want to be their relationship forced or whatever, I already found Deku's obsession over him a bit problematic so to be a shipper does not mean I want something bad written, that is for my own fandom consumption). So I was LOVING what was being done...and then he died.

And yes, it hurt, and yes, I did not want that, but I kinda enjoyed it. Why? Because 1. it was unexpected 2. It was a real hero death 3. there was consequences to be ahead

I wanted to see Deku reaction.

I wanted to see the students grief. I found Bakugo had still lots to do and he was still on his path to evolve, but yet, it was a good turning in events, and, if bound to accept his death, then it was an AMAZING death. Including the heaven all might's card passage and all.

AND WHAT HAPPENED?

Literally 1 chapter or 2 later, he is resurrected. WHAT THE FUCK.

Kōhei Horikoshi, if you don't want to kill him, don't do it. If you want to make us think he is dead because he is injured and disappeared but then turns out he is still alive, I am ok. Typical, but I enjoy the idea. BUT WHEN YOU HEART EXPLODED, YOU ARE DEAD.

This resurrection was shit. Firstly, forced resurrections are a lack of respect for the character and the reader. Secondly, what was all that for? What about Deku's teased reaction, if he is still alive? (and by the way Izuku is taking his time to fucking arrive). Thirdly, could it be more forced? Like seriously the convenient guy that turns into a heart was there? What the fuck.

I am very frustated with this manga. I already found the pace SO SLOW - first thought it was an anime thing, but then discovered the manga's pace is even slowler - but was enjoying it a lot. And then.... I am really starting to dread that, just as Tokyo Revengers, this last arc is going to be unnecessarily long and lame. And what about the Todoroky family story that was pure gold and seems to have been forgotten for the sake of endless new villains and never ending new substories?

I do not know. I am extremely disappointed, and I am sure I am not the first thinking like this. Still want to keep reading, but seriously, what is happening to shonen?

[liaroflesbos]

Book ask game cribbed from @sixth-light

1) Last book I read:

Last thing I've finished was the collection Queer Little Monsters edited by David Ly and Daniel Zomparelli. It was definitely enjoyable, some good weird shit in there that I'm still mulling over. I particularly like Hiromi Goto's short story, "And The Moon Spun Round Like a Top"

2) A book I recommend:

Oh, probably The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Adison if you haven't read it. I have read it.... so much.

3) A book that I couldn’t put down:

Hmmmm I actually do this a couple times a year, where I keep reading until I finish. I'm pretty sure I did it mostly recently with Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez, a book I really super enjoyed.

4) A book I’ve read twice (or more)

I'm constantly rereading and relistening to things, especially because I have space for it while I work at my job. Right now I'm relistening to Seasparrow by Kristin Cashore, the most recent of her Seven Kingdoms books... which I think the series has a new name now that there are like 11/12 kingdoms lol

5) A book on my TBR

The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez. I heard he's an underated author and I'm psyched to check him out!

6) A book I’ve put down

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dosteovesky. I'll finish it one day, it was just long and giving me a headache

7) A book on my wish list

What's the difference between a TBR and a wishlist? If it's something I wished I owned, I would like to buy Textual Poachers. I keep looking in used bookstores to find fan studies texts after I got Enterprising Women at one, but so far no luck.

8) A favourite book from childhood

Well, the first fic I wrote was for the Charlie Bone series, which I read A Lot. Oh, I also loved this book called True Talents by David Lubar? Both of them very much about kids how had some special talents but were still caught in the grindstone of hostile adult institutions.

9) A book you would give a friend

Also agree with sixth-light--all book gifts are heavily personalized for the person I'm giving it to, that's the joy of a book gift: an attempt to discern exactly what they might like and to find it. That being said, I might go with Howl's Moving Castle or maybe Swordheart

10) The most books you own by a single author

I would say I don't own very many books right now, but it's getting up there again. Not a lot by the same author though. Not counting comics (probably I have the most Chuck Dixon? I have a lot of 90s Batman stuff), it's probably manga from Jun Mochizuki, between Pandora Hearts and Vanitas.

11) A nonfiction book you own

Just yesterday I bought Black Superheroes, Milestone Comics, and their Fans by Jeffrey A Brown at the used bookstore. I'm excited to try it!

12) what are you currently reading

I switch between a couple formats of books at once depending on where I am and what I'm doing. Right now I'm reading on ebook Hearts of Atlantis by Stephen King, listening to Doppleganger by Naomi Klein on audiobook, and reading the collection Broken Stars translated and edited by Ken Liu on the trains and such. Oh, also trying to finish Bacchus Volume 1

13) what are you planning on reading next?

Oh, my book club book for next month is School for Good Mothers--the theme was Philly. I have Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino out on ebook right now, and next time I head to the library I want Akira Volume 2.

[amoveablejake]

The Sequel

20th Century Boys and Belgium.

In June of 2022, after literal years of delays and waiting my chosen brother (well, I say chosen, but I don’t think there was really any choice about it) and I finally made our way to Norway. We had been dreaming and talking about going to Norway for many, many years and to get there, after all that time didn’t quite feel real. Tomorrow, we will be heading off to Belgium, a trip that has not had quite the same amount of time in the run up. Strangely though, it also doesn’t feel real which I think because it has come around quite quickly. Well, quickly in comparison. We first discussed Belgium at the tail end of last year, then we booked it in February and now here we are, one year on from our first voyage and about to embark on a second. Last time around we stayed in one city, Oslo, and explored its streets so much so that we became very familiar with them and by the time we left knew exactly which routes we wanted to take. This time around we are visiting three cities, a tri-force of Belgium and each one on paper at least seems to be rather different. At this time of writing, I’m not sure which city will be my favourite, I have different expectations for each one and I am looking forward to seeing how they meet those expectations and if they surpass them which I have a funny old feeling that they will. 

I have very briefly visited Belgium before. Twice actually. Back in 2019 on a road trip on the way out we stopped in Bruges for a couple of hours and then on the way back in Antwerp again for only a few hours. Whilst that trip feels like a long time ago, memories of Bruges and Antwerp still often play in my mind because even though I was in each city for only a little bit I did rather like both of them. I will be returning to both cities to spend proper time in each and to see how they fare when I get to spend more time in them, I am hoping even better than those initial impressions from four years ago. The other city to round off the trilogy that I will be visiting is Brussels. And with Brussels, I’m not too sure what to expect. It is a capital city and I am thinking that it may be a little more cosmopolitan and busy but from what I’ve read about it, it seems to have another charm to it something that makes it different to its other European capital city competitors. I am looking forward to seeing what it is like for myself. This time tomorrow, provided all goes to plan, I should be there, and would have dropped off the bags at the first accommodation ready to step out into the oh so warm sun and try some traditional Belgian food. So, waffles and chips. I can deal with that. 

The day before a trip can sometimes feel a little odd as it is caught in a bit of an inbetween state. As I am all packed and ready to go, there was nothing else for me to tick off my trip list today so it has really been a normal Sunday with some excursions and seeing new places with tomorrow out of my mind. The trip has been especially out of my mind as I started to read the fifth volume of my beloved ‘20th Century Boys’. When I first started to read the seminal manga series, I really did not expect for it to have the impact it has and I am oh so relieved that there are more printings off it now as for a while there it looked like I was out of luck and wouldn’t be able to complete the journey. As it stands, I am still quite  a way off that finish line which is good because I want to spend as much time with the characters as I can but its bad because well, I won’t be getting any real answers for quite some time. It is the sort of storytelling that it so good at bringing you into the world that you end up thinking as if you are really a part of it. I feel almost nostalgic for Japan during the eras that the story is set and whilst I have never set foot in Japan,  the series has made me feel like I have and it is that connection with this ongoing narrative that keeps me coming back and on the edge of my seat. I suppose I am hoping that Belgium will keep me occupied so it will keep me busy and my thoughts away from the fact that I will be missing valuable ‘20th Century Boys’ reading time so you know, Belgium, no pressure. QBT trip two, here we go. 

-Jake, a man who will have a very early start tomorrow, 04/06/2023 

[m34gs]

What are your top 5 favourite platonic relationships in fiction?

Hi friend!!! Thank you for this ask! I'm so excited for this!!!!!! I had to do some errands earlier so I couldn't answer until now, and then when I had time I got so excited I just had to make myself a cup of tea first! So I shall sip my tea as I answer. Prepare for a Ramble. LOL. As usual, I will be listing this from Fifth to First, with my Top Favourite being last. Also, this list is gonna be HIGHLY subjective. :D Warning for potential spoilers ahead!

5th: Bokuto and Hinata, from Haikyuu!! What I like about this relationship is their dynamic. Hinata is enthusiastic and easily excited and Very Energetic. He's like a mini-Bokuto. And Bokuto loves that. Hinata looks up to him and even decides to become his 'disciple'. I love that Hinata continuously cheers for his senpai, and that Bokuto immediately is like "hell yeah! That's my disciple!!" It's very endearing. It's a very wholesome relationship. The reason it is lower on my list is that while I really love it, I also really really really enjoy the (non-canon) potential darker side of this platonic relationship...I have so far written and posted one fanfic where Bokuto kidnaps Shouyou in a bit of a platonic yandere way, and I really really can't let go of that idea to be honest. It's like an itch in my brain. So, if I get back to feeling like writing and posting more for Haikyuu, I may post more Bokuto tormenting Shouyou. :D

4th: Milly and Meryl from Trigun (1998). I absolutely love these two ladies. They kick ass, support each other, and bring me so much joy. Meryl and Milly work for an insurance company, chasing after Vash the Stampede because of the immense damages he caused in a past fight. They are both strong women, in different ways, and they work so well together. Meryl is the one in charge, but she's very high-strung and sometimes loses sight of things outside of work. Milly comes across as airheaded, and she is physically very strong (her gun is 98kg). She's kind and positive and makes a lot of jokes. Where Meryl gives the orders and keeps them on the right track, Milly is the one who reminds Meryl to stop and smell the flowers once in a while. They're amazing girls and they work very hard. I just really love how they encourage each other, listen to each other, and work together so well.

3rd: In third place is Rin Okumura and Izumo Kamiki, from Blue Exorcist. I actually am fond of most platonic relationships involving Izumo because she is such a tsundere and it's really fun and cute to watch her go through trying to act all prickly when she has become actually fond of her fellow exwires. I chose her and Rin, though, because I think this was one of the bigger turning points for Rin. (Spoilers for Kyoto Arc ahead! If you're caught up on the anime, then no worries!)

On the way to Kyoto, Izumo is the only one who approaches and sits next to Rin. And when he asks if she was afraid, as they now know he is the son of Satan, she responds that shouldn't matter. Sure, he's related to a demon, but Izumo points out that lots of Exorcists are. He just happens to be related to Satan. It's the way she is the first one to treat him as a normal classmate after the reveal...the way she also calls out their other classmates for being cowardly when they found out...it screams Friendship. She may pretend she's aloof most of the time, but she really does care, and this is one of my absolute favourite interactions that shows it. In return, Rin is a very caring and eager person. He definitely appreciates Izumo's actions, and it really shows in parts of the manga (of which I will not speak more since I don't want to spoil things for you!).

2nd: Swindler and Courier from Akudama Drive take the second spot! I think their relationship is really interesting. In my opinion, Courier has a bit of an older brother vibe, which immediately makes me very happy. In the show, I think the scene that cemented their relationship in my eyes was the part where they're trapped in the same scenario replaying over and over in their heads. They're trapped in the same scenario: back at the Takoyaki stand. To me, that emphasizes how much they really impacted each other. I also think by the end of the show they have a lot of trust and loyalty to each other. Swindler and Courier had to know. They Had to know that they weren't making it out alive if they tried to save Brother and Sister. There was no storyline where they would get out of that situation safe and sound. But they still did it, and they did it together. That loyalty and devotion doesn't just happen between everyone. I truly believe they had a special connection and friendship by the end, even if they didn't get to enjoy it for long.

1st: My top favourite is: Natsume and Nyanko-sensei from Natsume Yuujinchou (Natsume's Book of Friends). I just really adore the friendship between these two. Nyanko-sensei, aka Madara, comes across at first as a prickly tsundere with a very proud attitude. He's also a yokai. Natsume is a lonely orphan human who is able to see Yokai. At the start, their relationship is built on a mutually beneficial agreement: Natsume has a Book of Friends from his deceased grandmother which holds the names of yokai she defeated in fights. With their names, he can control them. Madara wants to get his paws on that book. The book makes Natsume a target for yokai who want their names back, or who want to control other yokai, as well as humans who would use the book to control all the yokai in it. Basically, they start as Madara agreeing to be Natsume's body-guard and in exchange Natsume will leave the book to Madara when he passes. But, as Natsume spends more and more time around Madara, they both grow attached. This is how we get lovely lines like "Don't eat my prey" from Madara when rescuing Natsume from other yokai, or situations where Madara is wailing like a child as Natsume returns names from the book to yokai, but actually doing nothing to stop Natsume. I adore them so much, because as Madara softens up, Natsume also opens up and learns how to make and have friends and family. They grow together. It's a really beautiful relationship.

There you have it! My current Top Five Favourite platonic relationships in media! (this is subject to change, of course, as I continue to consume new media, lol). Hope you enjoyed these answers, friend! I had fun writing this for you :D