#like i also love straightforward girl mode

[youzicha]

Simulacra, Simulation, and Girls' Generation

That take that "anime girls don’t correspond to anything" reminded me of one of my own pet theories, which is that the same is true about Kpop groups.

Groups like Girls' Generation are like the opposite of American singer-songwriters. The singer-songwriter's core value is authenticity. Their songs are taken to be autobiographical, and to be valuable because they are a true description of the emotions that the songwriter felt. The singer-writer must be a single person so we can be sure that nobody has tampered with the depiction before it reaches us. This is Baudrillard's "first order" image, we in the audience should believe that the song is "the reflection of a profound reality".

With the kpop groups, what we enjoy is that the song does not represent any underlying reality. Each music video is the impersonal product of songwriters, producers, choreographers, stylists, video directors, etc. Rather than a spontaneous expression, you can see the moves being developed in the behind-the-scenes dance practice videos. The online discourse emphasizes the role of the entertainment agency (e.g. SM Entertainment): the group members themselves do not have "agency" so we can be confident that their own emotions didn't make it into the love songs they sing.

Let’s look at the music video for Oh! (2010) to see how this plays out. It's like a game of dress-up, showing off two different cheerleader uniforms. Argumate once wrote that Girls' Generation perform "a detailed sequence of dance moves that are very 'sexy', i.e. strongly coded as suggesting sexiness without necessarily being sexy-without-quotes", and I think we can say something similar about cheerleader outfits. They are not there to convey a message or story (and as if to stress the arbitrariness, the last few seconds of the video show the girls dressed in a completely different "strong woman" style, to tease the upcoming next look). Rather, the "sexy cheerleader" is itself a stylized, free-floating signifier to be quoted. "The whole system becomes weightless … an uninterrupted circuit without reference or circumference." (Although I believe it is still possible to overcome the ironic stance.)

So far everything is straightforward, but now consider the lyrics:

Oppa please see me, please look at me It's the first time I talk like this (ha!) I did my hair and I did my makeup too But why is it only you who doesn't know? […] Don't think of me just like a little sister You might regret that after a year

I claim that this also works in the opposite direction to the normal mode of storytelling. When creating a movie or play, the auteur-director starts with an idea or a story, and then casts actors to best represent his vision. Or, if that is not what it in fact took place, it is still the convention the viewer is supposed to apply to interpret the work. But with an idol music video, the starting point is the singer, who already has a fanbase. "Please see me, please look at me"—well, we already were. (This is not the only Girls' Generation song about looking at the idol, by the way, compare e.g. The Boys, which begins "I can tell you're looking at me / I know what you see".)

Given the opposite starting point, the representational function of the lyrics changes correspondingly. Rather than focusing on the new fictional person who emerges ex nihilo, the fan's attention is still on the singer, and the "little sister" character is yet another stock signifier for them to bring out and put on, much like the uniform. The function of the story is erasure: there was in fact a hairdresser and a makeup artist who styled Yuri, but instead we're invited to project a different fantasy over her. The effect is to further stress the unreality of all the symbols involved.

With this in mind, I think one Girls' Generation song has a really interesting concept for the lyrics. In Paparazzi (2012) the idol looks out across the crowds, spots a photographer who is trying to be discreet, and speaks directly to him: "shall I give you a better photo? let's be friendly, after all aren't we allies?"

It re-establishes the inauthenticity and unreality of the idol! As time goes by, pesky reality intrudes. People will follow the individual group members devotedly, and there are paparazzi images of them. Members will capitalize on their fame through individual brand endorsement deals. There is the perennial problem of girl group girls getting boyfriends, jarringly peeking out as an actual human being from behind the illusion. Or in the extreme case they can even use their new independent existence to leave the group.

In Paparazzi, those candid photos are re-imagined as performance. And furthermore, just like in Oh! we are invited to imagine a fictional character speaking directly to us. But in this case the character is superimposed not just over the image from the music video, but also over all the already existing photos. The actual person of the idol is crowded out by the fantasy…

[54bpm]

No. 1 Host♀️ & Maid♂️!

[fckyouiwontdowhatyoutellme]

Okay so seeing that y'all went wild for my silly idea about Sanji having a tattoo motivated me enough to keep writing about it😊 fair warning, it's not beta read and it's been a while since i wrote that much. I hope you enjoy it anyways 🙈 (this part is mostly Zoro being stupid)

The shitty cook has a tattoo. At least Zoro is 99% sure he has one. And not knowing doesn't drive him crazy at all, thank you very much.

He first caught a glimpse of it when the cook changed his clothes shortly after joining their crew. From the corner of his eye and with the cook quickly turning his body away, he first thought it was just another bruise on his ribs but later he thought it looked too perfect to be one. And thus he started his mission of 'Finding out if the shitty Cook has a tattoo and why'. Sure the blond man was no saint but a tattoo still didn't seem to fit someone who almost exclusively wore suits. Maybe it was done in a misguided attempt of rebellion during his teen years? No the lovesick potato peeler was too prissy to do that. Unfortunately he was also really secretive about the tattoo and the fact that it was right on his chest made it very hard to catch another glimpse without having to undress the cook first. Not that Zoro wanted to do that.

He considered asking Luffy or literally anyone else about it, seeing as they were closer to the glorified waiter than he was. Sure they were not exactly best friends or arch nemesis but he still wished they were closer sometimes. Only for the sake of asking the cook about the tattoo of course, nothing more. His mission almost became an obsession over the next weeks, always trying to find a way of getting the cook to loose his shirt or trying to get a glimpse of his chest while he was changing.

He tried "accidentally" spilling some of his food on the Cook's shirt, that earned him a swift kick to the head and a lecture about not wasting food.

He tried slicing the cook's shirt during one of their sparring matches, that earned him some more fierce kicks and a lost fight.

He hoped to see it when they came along an island and Luffy decided they just have a lazy beach day, the cook wore a stupid undershirt and didn't even take it off for swimming.

He tried asking the cook straightforward in a moment of drunk weakness, it earned him a grin and a "Wouldn't you like to know, marimo" in a tone that definetly did not make his insides feel weird.

In another moment of drunk weakness he played with the idea of just walking over to the shitty cook, pinning him against the nearest surface and just ripping open his stupid shirt. That one took some alone time in the bathroom and a cold shower to get rid off.

Why was the cook so secretive about a stupid tattoo? Many people they met had tattoos and proudly displayed them to others. Maybe he tattooed some random girls name on his chest only to be rejected. Zoro huffed out a laugh, no not even the love cook would be that stupid. At least he hoped for it.

The longer his mission went on, the more impatient he grew. It was impossible to get a glimpse of the cook's chest without him immediately going into fight mode because at this point Zoro's only plan was to get off his shirt one way or another. The only option the swordsman never tried was to spy on him while he showered and Zoro was sure he would never sink that low because of the shitty cook. So he still tried to catch a glimpse in any way, even between fights in a desert, in the sky, battling the world government or some warlord. It was no use, the Cook's chest stayed covered in front of his eyes. Only his.

Apparently his friends all had seen the cook's tattoo at some point but nobody told him what it was. They all told him to ask the stupid potato peeler himself if he wanted to know, as it was not their place to tell. He already tried asking once, but the cook never answered. The whole situation kinda hurt, but at least showed him that the cook didn't trust him as much as the others.

It hurt for another reason too. One that Zoro decided to bury deep down the moment he noticed it. The Cook would never like him this way, so it was no use holding on to those feelings.

Unfortunately his mission involved watching the lovesick cook almost 24/7. That's how he learned that the blond sometimes hummed to himself as he cooked, that he had incredible skills with his kitchen knives, that he sometimes played with the chain attatched to his belt when he was nervous and couldn't smoke, that he sometimes cursed in another language (wich was unfairly cute) or spoke said language with Robin or that he often let Chopper and Luffy taste the excess batter if he baked a cake or that he usually ate alone after the crew left the galley, leaning on the ship's wall with closed eyes and a smile on his lips that Zoro never saw before (also unfairly cute). The feelings did not stay buried very long.

But then they got to Sabaody, Kuma happened and in the chaos of it all Zoro forgot about his mission for the first time in months. He never forgot about his feelings though, not even in the years that followed.

Two long years and some more chaos later their crew was finally back on one ship and on their way to the New World. It was easy for Zoro to fall right back into his old dynamic with the shitty cook. Still teasing and bickering at all times, tho it felt like some tiny thing had changed about the cook's behavior. Sure his appearance had also changed and Zoro could have sworn there was something new hidden under the blond man's stupid dress shirt, but the most noticeable thing for him was the way their teasing had changed. At times he swore the cook sounded almost fond while calling him some insult. Even more so when he did in his other language. French as Zoro had learned from Robin. The mysterious smile she gave him upon his question still confused him. He only asked what language she and the cook spoke, not that it had anything to do with trying to understand it. That plan had to be put on the back burner for now as Zoro still had his failing mission of finding out about the nosebleeding shithead's not so secret tattoo. It was almost unfair that everybody else had seen it, except him. The swordsman felt his frustration grow bigger, clawing at his sanity. Did he only imagine it? Was that why nobody told him what it was? No, he was sure he saw a red vaguely round something on the Cook's chest that looked too perfect to be a bruise.

He couldn't think about it for too long though, as the image of dartbrows without his shirt led to very different thoughts. Many of them including the cook with way more exposed skin than just his chest and leading to Zoro sneaking off to take cold showers more often than not. At least that meant less complaining about his apparent smell, mostly from the one person who was responsible. Not that Zoro cared much about that but it was nice.

The more time he spent pursuing his mission, the more clumsy he got in his attempts to get the cook shirtless. To add to Zoro's embarrassment the cook caught on to him, although not entirely. The swordsman still refused to admit his full body shudder after another fruitless effort to get the potato peeler shirtless. This time the cook had fought back, leaning in close to whisper "If you want to see me shirtless so bad, go ask like a good boy" with an audible smirk. That threw Zoro off for the rest of the week. He still wouldn't ask the cook, that would mean admitting defeat. And so he tried it his usual way again and again and again.

Until he had enough. Enough of his own increasingly stupid ideas, enough of his friends asking what the hell his problem was, enough of the cook's teasing that bordered on flirting by now. Since when was that bastard into guys? Not that Zoro was complaining but it only added to the chaos swirling in his mind. He needed to get his thoughts back on track if he wanted to get answers. So he hid himself in the crows nest, the repetitive movements of his training getting rid of all the juvenile ideas in his head. He trained all day until there were only two thoughts left.

1. Find out if the cook has a tattoo once and for all

2. Find out if the cook is into guys

Zoro decided to get both answers at the same time when he saw the cook approaching the bathroom. He quickly made his way down from the crows nest, thanking whatever gods that it was late and most of the crew in their respective rooms. With a few confident strides he made his way to the bathroom, finding the door unlocked. Taking a deep breath he opened it and stepped inside right as he heard water rushing. This was it. He did the one thing he never thought he'd do. The pervy cook must have rubbed off on him. He muttered a silent curse at the image his mind conjured upon his thought and instead focused on toeing off his boots as quiet as possible.

With one last deep breath the swordsman finally stepped into the bathroom, eyes trained on the cook that stood under shower spray with his back towards the intruder. Zoro quickly crossed the last bit of distance between them, not caring if his clothes got soaked. He didn't hear the literal squeak escaping the cook as he spun him around, carefully yet firmly pinning his hands above his head. He didn't care for the fact that he was very much within reach of his deadly legs. He didn't care for the fact that the man infront of him was naked. No, all he did care for was right there. Zoro didn't imagine it. The shitty lovesick excuse of a cook had a tattoo and it did things to him.

It was right over his heart, red and black contrasting against his pale skin.

A rose and underneath...no. fucking. way.

Zoro first thought he imagined it or that it was part of the rose, but no. Right underneath it were four letters, a name.

'Sora'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay so that's all for now, but don't worry I am actively working on a part 2 because I had a loooot of ideas for Sanji's tattoos. Yes plural🤭. If you're curious you can listen to 'Rose Tattoo' by Dropkick Murphys because that song heavily inspired the entire thing. Maybe you can guess what else he has a tattoo for~😊

[crushedsweets]

SUCKER suckerrrr snap out of it by arctic monkeys is sooo ninakate suckerr trust

i'm so ill. my hands shake and crack as i imagine ninakate living out their life. give me a moment to process. as per usual, im writing this as if i was planning out a one-shot song-fic.

someone remind me to do this with kill the director eventually

ok to begin. the song is from kates perspective to nina.. im imagining its after theyve had their weird little 'meaningless' kisses. IN THIS STORY, SHE KINDA LINGERS BACK TO JEFF ON AND OFF... also this is mostly sad theres barely a good ending im sorry im sorry im sorry im sorry im sorry im sorry im sorry

nina is well integrated into the kate, clocky, toby, EJ friend group by this point. but every time she spends a few weeks trying to "work things out" with jeff, she's completely off in her own world. she withdraws from her friends, half cuz she's so focused on 'fixing' the doomed relationship and half cuz she's so embarrassed that she keeps going back and i think that shit is SOUL CRUSHING to kate. she hasn't had feelings for someone since . . . lauren . . . and she finally gets fragments of romance again, only for nina to constantly wander off after leading her on. also heavy on the 'fell in love, or near enough' cuz what nina and jeff has is not love 'i gotta tell you the truth' its eating kate alive. she doesnt really talk emotions and she never tells people what to do, but she just wants to scream bro.

i think toby, clocky, and ej have already exhausted themselves telling nina to give it up. EJ has tried gentle pieces of advice, clocky has bickered back and forth, and toby has outright screamed at nina to STOP GOING BACK TO HIM. and none of it did anything. but kate doesnt tell people what to do. the most she would do is raise a brow at nina and sigh and shake her head. i think this would eventually be a good bonding moment for kate and toby, where she confides in him about feeling like she missed her shot. toby tells her that she's never gonna 'miss her shot' ... especially w a girl as messy as nina...cuz evidently jeff did all that and still didnt miss HIS shot. LMFAO... but he'd encourage kate to get her shit together and just talk to nina about it. and for some reason nobody listens to tobys damn advice so kate just sits and waits.

ok this is just very straightforward. kate is constantly mulling over it and pissed and sad and bummed out. (oddly enough, tobys relieved to see her stressing over crushes instead of like.... being torn apart from the inside by a cryptic entity)

'it sounds like settling' down or givin' up, but it don't sound much like you, girl' OK i think this line works for kate AND nina.

toby would be saying something like this to kate. its kind of warped, cuz i think when kates in the chaser mode, she does not give up. she is persistent and she attacks with a goal. he's watched the chaser run to the brink of exhaustion, to the point where kate was bed ridden afterwards. SO WHY WOULD SHE GIVE UP ON SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS A GIRL ?!?!?!

and in turn, kate would be thinking this towards nina. settling down doesnt seem like nina. giving up is also not like nina cuz she is also quite persistent until feelings fade... which frustrates kate cuz she gets stuck in this loop of 'even if she were to leave jeff, why would she settle for me? why would she stay with me? there's no point in getting deeper into this'

kate would eventually have to snap, as stories go. grabbing nina and confessing, going on about how fucking dumb nina is being. honestly, kate would probably accidentally choke out things she heard from EJ, clocky, and toby all scolding nina... which would either upset nina, or feel like a full circle moment where FINALLYYYYY all the shit that she's been told all this time has come together. and finally she can be like oh.... this is really embarrassing for me...... also oh my god wait

the idea of kate writing nina a letter. oh my god. wait. GUSY WAIT FUCK KATE WRITING NINA A LETTER WAIT FUCK FUCKKKKKKKKKKKK KATE WRITES HER A LETTER THATS CANON NOW IM SORRY IM SORRY IMSORRY

[shadowqnights]

Do you have any like thoughts on or headcannons for MCD Travis?

its funny cause i haven't really gotten around to him in any rewrite stuff yet except for like. AUs where he's a part of the guardboys(tm). so this may be brief but here's my rewrite thoughts so Far on travis.

i feel like most people like sticking with the canon of travis being socially awkward because of his isolation. like yeah. i'm a big fan. social cues are lost on him and his more confident/flirting behaviours are from copying books (even the most extreme or fantastical ones). unspoken social rules are the devil to him. this boy was born to yap his head off.

[clashes most with katelyn and garroth at first because of this BUT finds common ground with them later thanks to his studies.]

speaking of his studies hoo boy hello my freak scientist. let him learn! loves getting his hands dirty and doing experiments. no qualms about going to hold bugs and rolling around in the dirt to try and Figure Shit Out. he's a cartographer, in his spare time he's trying to fully map out gal'ruk. he loooves to read, just you wait until he gets his hands on actual up-to-date books and becomes kenmur and emmalyn's bestie. that's kind of where his common ground with katelyn and garroth comes from because they're all fascinated with history to a degree and Can like . sustain a convo with Just pure infodumping. but garroth's a bit of an academic snob sometimes vs travis is a bit of a freak scientist so.. clash...

in a similar vein god travis journals like a teenage girl trying to get her life back together. he notes down everything. he's interested in biology and geology in particular. he will draw and write about everything he sees, and later begins noting down a Lot of human behaviour to understand it better. even to an invasive degree, since he's incredibly perceptive. what he lacks in social cue knowledge he makes up for in pure Vibe Checks and straightforwardness. he will just say exactly what he's feeling.

emotionally he gets along best with laurance and aph, then later katelyn. also kenmur. he and garroth still have some shit to work through. he and laur start off trying to kill each other a little bit and then become besties. i still have to work on his demon mode but it will happen . hoenstly even though he would tire aaron out, they would probably have a mad good chat about divine grudges and demons. younger dante and travis would probably relate a lot to each other.

he's a little bit odd in the way of like . you know the trope where a character is like. isolated alone in the wilderness and is just. having conversations with animals. that's travis. he's just chatting casually with the island critters a lot , if only to have Some company. but he does genuinely also have a really good bond with the wildlife on gal'ruk. i imagine him with a snake companion.

carries knives and a polearm of some sort as his weapons. despite being like a good fighter and like a core of his life on gal'ruk is literally 'guarding' by technicality, he's not really that big on fighting. he's capable , but similar to aaron he would NEVER think of himself as a guard figure. they're more like . freelancing out of necessity.

i think those are like the Main things ive thought about but again like barely scratching the surface cause i haven't really got to him in rewrite yet. but i will one day. sorry i have a funny way of typing casually in a janky way that my brain would say it irl happy to explain anything further if it doesn't make sense. tee hee

[anewkindofme]

So I know you’ve talked about if Stefan was a girl in the past, which has made me think about what if Marcel was a girl? I don’t know if you’ve talked about this yet or not, but I’ve always found the concept interesting. Like would they have met the same way? Would klaus be even more possessive- similar to how he is with Rebekah? Would he be similar to how he is with Hope? The girl wouldn’t have gone to fight in the war so how would that change their dynamic? I honestly have so many ideas - but I don’t want to bug you with all of them but I would love to hear your opinion on this! <3

First off, you're not bothering me at all and I'd love to hear your ideas!

I think he'd probably find her the same way, to be honest. Being whipped by that asshole and Marcella standing up for herself. Except, I don't think it'd be Klaus seeing himself in her, it'd be him seeing Rebekah getting whipped by Mikael. Which I do believe had to have happened a few times. So, he steps in, kills the asshole and basically adopts her on the spot.

But yes, they would have a much different relationship. Again, Klaus saw nothing but himself in Marcel and so badly wanted to right the wrongs of Mikael. Whereas, I do think he wanted to break the abusive cycle when it came to Hope (and would the same for Marcella), but I also feel it was almost his way of trying to make up how he was with Rebekah. He was protective but when it came to things Hope wanted to do, he was supportive. She wanted to dabble in witchcraft? Safely, he allowed it. He indulged her love of art. Yes, he went into typical protective daddy mode with boys but he let her have that sweet moment with Landon. He did abandon her (which, I could write several essays on how fucked up it is that basically all of the family did, including Hayley but that's not what you asked lmao), but he truly thought with her best interest and not his.

But...Hope got the Klaus that went through centuries of growth. She got the dad that Marcel should've had. But, in the 1800s...he was not this man.

I think he would've been how he was with Rebekah, but knock it up to about 100 because Marcella would be human. I think he'd try to keep her sheltered as much as possible. She would not be allowed to leave the house alone. She'd always have to have an escort. If she merely thought about being with a boy, that boy would be dead.

He'd indulge her, there's no doubt about that. She'd have everything her heart desires. She's his sweet, precious princess. He wouldn't treat her as a warrior at all. Rather, just a fragile doll. It'd take time for her to see that she wasn't delicate.

As you said, she couldn't join the war as a soldier but she could've served as a nurse. I see her turning soldiers before they died as a way to save them. Kind of like the female version of Carlisle Cullen. And when Klaus found out...he'd be pissed.

I don't think he ever stopped looking at any of his kids like children. Even when he and Marcel had their rivalry, it's clear he (and Elijah) viewed him as a petulant little prince throwing a temper tantrum because he's mad at his daddy and uncle. And once again, I think it'd double with Marcella with Klaus not taking her seriously. I think the MIkaelson family overall is "above their time" when it comes to gender roles, sexuality, etc. That being said, Klaus holds some extremely sexist ideals. He says he supports women doing what they love and says they are warriors in their own right...but then he tries to step in and control things, even in a loving way. Like, he knows Rebekah can fend for herself but also thinks "She's my baby sister, she needs more protecting than my brothers". So, I think he'd do the same with Marcella. Even when she was a vampire, he'd think "This is my baby, no way in hell!"

Though, I think Marcella would be more straightforward than Marcel was when it came to defying Klaus. Marcel had to elaborately fake his death. I see Marcella snapping and daring Klaus to dagger her like he has his family. Or compel her to follow his every move. Really bait him into an argument. I don't think Klaus ever struck young Marcel (outside spanking him), but I do think there was that slight fear that he'd do it. Whereas, I don't think Marcella would have that fear. She'd call his bluff and threaten to run away.

And this is where I see it diverging. He does dagger Marcella. He keeps her in a coffin for 80 years because he will not lose his little girl. When Elijah undaggers the rest of his siblings, he undaggers his niece as well.

And I think having his daughter would be what pushed Klaus to try to be better. Especially when she wants very little to do with him. Eventually, she takes off for New Orleans. Klaus follows her. But The Originals would be about them, along with the rest of the family rebuilding that bond. Because as possessive as Klaus was, he was a loving father and Marcella just wants her dad back. She just can't have it be how it was before.

Marcella (Gerard) Mikaelson, as portrayed by Sierra McClain

[lunas-otome-blog]

Luna's Review: Jack Jeanne

Official Summary:

Kisa is about to give up her dream of becoming an actor when she is given the opportunity to enroll at the prestigious all boys Univeil Drama School that she has always admired and dreamed of attending. She is granted admission with two rigid conditions: be chosen as the lead in the final performance and hide her identity as a girl!

Competition at the school is fierce and the rivalry is real! Will Kisa be able to forge powerful bonds with her all-male classmates while competing against them?

Will she be cast as the lead in the final performance at the end of the year all while keeping her secret?

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Luna's Thoughts (Spoiler Free)

I don't particularly like rhythm games or stat building games — I'm more of a straightforward visual novel kinda girl. But I chose to play Jack Jeanne because I read a glowing recommendation on another game blog.

I admit, I struggled with this game at the beginning. The impetus for the protagonist joining an all-boys school was, in my opinion, too fast, poorly explained and lazily written, and I feared the whole game would feel that way.

But I was pleasantly surprised as the plot unfolded. Subtly charming, Jack Jeanne is a rare otoge that doesn't feel the need for epic events or contrived details. The straightforward plot follows the protagonist through a full school year during which she become confident in her skills as an actor, charms her fellow classmates and works toward her ultimate goal of catching up to her brother.

Once I got used to a few things, I found myself enjoying this game immensely. The character development is slow, natural and gorgeous. Every main character gets at least one satisfying arc, including the protagonist. The cast is complex and enjoyable — even the side characters are pretty well fleshed out. And I cannot believe how many side characters get full sprites, cgs and sometimes even character arcs themselves. Fitting to a game about theater, Jack Jeanne features a true ensemble cast.

This is a pretty unusual otoge, as the majority of the plot is common route, with some special scenes mixed in depending on who your affection is highest with. You don't get into a "route" until pretty close to the end of the game. When you do, though, the final performance is highly customized based on your love interest character.

The first time I heard the songs in this game, I didn't think much of them. During my second playthrough, I caught myself humming a few. After the third time, I downloaded the whole playlist onto my phone lol. Some of them are absolute BANGERS. I didn't particularly enjoy the rhythm games, but I acknowledge that's just a personal preference. The game does not penalize you for playing on super easy mode — thank god — so that's what I did most of the time. Even hard mode is pretty easy for the most part.

The game arcs are broken up into sections depending on what play/musical is being performed. Jack Jeanne does a great job of showing you rehearsal scenes without completely giving away everything about the story, so you still get to enjoy the play yourself during the performance. And every sprite gets a new, gorgeous costume for EVERY play. It made me genuinely excited to get to that portion of the game each time.

I do want to talk about the art in this game. The cgs are lovely, but tend to feel ethereal as they are painterly and many lack backgrounds, creating the illusion that the characters are floating in space. I liked them but they are a different art style than the sprites, which felt inconsistent. Add to that a rather adorable cel-shade chibi style, which is used for the stat-building scenes, and you have three completely different art styles used for this game. I'd have preferred some consistency.

I also wish Kisa had a sprite on screen, because we don't get to see what she looks like except in cgs. It's a bummer because she's so cute~

Other than that, all my other complaints have to do with the format of the game. Due to the nature of it being a stat builder, the pacing of the relationship pursuit feels off. You get these really lovely occasional heartwarming scenes with the character you're pursuing when they're triggered, but then they're not acknowledged in the next scene. It interrupts the flow of the plot. But if you're used to stat builders, this will probably not be a problem for you.

Gripes aside, Jack Jeanne is a thoughtful, delicate and delightful look into a group of students doing their best to advance their skills and follow their dreams. I highly recommend checking it out.

Here are a few spoiler-free tips of things I wish I knew before I started the game that will help you through it if you decide to play:

As this game is SUPER LONG and mostly common route, you'll be doing a lot of skipping after your first playthrough. Unfortunately, as there are lots of scenes that are gently customized based on your love interest, you can't just leave it skipping for long intervals. I recommend finding something else to do while you're skipping and just keep an eye on the game so you can breeze through the common portion.

You don't have to start at the beginning every time. For the first two performances, try to maintain equal affection and stat levels for each romanceable character before summer break, and then save. You can use this as a flexible save file and pursue your character of choice from here.

When you're ready to aim for a route, only take lessons in that character's stat until you get to level 30. It will take almost the entire rest of the game. Only see that character during days off until you max out affection. If your character isn't available during days off, go to Mona Star School and raise their stat. You need to get to level 30 to unlock a special post-game scene for each character.

"Weekend with Ion" is just a way to get extra rhythm game practice and you don't have to do it.

If you're playing the game right (IE not failing the stats or rhythm games), there aren't any "bad" choices; just choices that give you affection points for certain characters. When you get onto a specific route, choices are just flavor. Feel free to pick different things each time and see what happens.

Please find below my thoughts on the protagonist and each romanceable character in the order I pursued them. Don't read sections marked with spoilers if you want to avoid them!

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(Spoilers) Kisa Tachibana (protagonist)

Kisa Tachibana is one of the best otoge protagonists I've ever played. I have a lot to say on her, so I'll get the bad out of the way first.

I was a little disappointed with Kisa's writing at the beginning. We know she looks up to her brother Tsuki and wants to be an actor like him, but she's given up on even going to high school because she needs to support her family. But the opportunity for her to attend Univeil comes up so quickly that her struggle and longing are not really fleshed out.

We also don't get an explanation on why her brother was allowed to go to a (seemingly expensive) drama school, nor why he isn't using his success to send money back to the family. In fact, the game just casually mentions Tsuki has vanished without a trace, and nobody seems that concerned about it. Kisa is sad but doesn't seem to question where he is or what he's doing, and nobody asks her about it, even after figuring out she's related to him. And no, this is never addressed, even at the end of the game.

Anyway, onto the good.

Kisa is an amazing otoge protagonist. She goes through not just one, but many character arcs, learning from and responding to her classmates (and even other classes) and becoming not just a better actor but also a better friend and teammate. Unlike a lot of otome game protags, Kisa doesn't get a lot of down time to reconcile her thoughts. Instead, you're left to largely understand her thinking and feelings through dialogue, making her feel less like the game's protagonist and more like a regular character. I didn't like this at first but I came to appreciate it as the game went on.

Every character teaches Kisa something about herself and something about acting. She learns how to feel comfortable in the spotlight, but she also learns it's just as important to prop up other actors. And she gets to go through different arcs depending on her romance choice.

She also has to learn how to perform as a Jack (male character) and struggles with this in a way that felt natural. She even ends up overcorrecting and finds it hard to go back to playing a woman.

My absolute favorite arc of hers is when she decides she has to embrace her femininity in order to make a show a success. This, to me, is the culmination of the whole game, as Kisa decides to risk being discovered in order to help her classmates shine. Of course, if you play all the routes, you realize she actually isn't doing a great job of hiding her gender at all lol. But fortunately she's endeared herself to her classmates so much that they don't mind.

Overall, 10/10 otoge protagonist.

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(Spoilers) Kai Mutsumi

I chose to play Kai's route first, because tbh I thought his sprite was ugly and I wanted to get it out of the way lol. I did warm up to it eventually. And I regret playing his route first because Kai is an utter cutie patootie and I fell hard for him.

He tells you really early on that he only sees himself as a way to highlight the Al Jeanne (female lead). So his character arc is about him acknowledging that he also wants the spotlight, and Kisa helps him by highlighting him.

Though Kai is usually quiet, contemplative and reserved, once he and Kisa have acknowledged their feelings for one another, he starts getting jealous, both of Fumi (as a rival) and of Tsuki-nii (as Kisa's inspiration.) It's heartbreaking but really satisfying to learn that Kai feels emotions just as intensely as everyone else but didn't know where to direct them. I love him so much!

Kai also gives you one of the only laugh-out-loud moments of the game during the common route. I won't spoil it but it involves a certain weasel in the forest.

Kai's is one of the more intense routes, so I would perhaps save it for a bit later if you're wanting to get the lighter stuff out of the way first.

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(Spoilers) Suzu Orimaki

Suzu is the genki character of the game, and the senpais make fun of his dancing at the beginning, so I thought the running gag would be that he sucks. But I was pleasantly surprised. Suzu is shown to be committed, a good actor and surprisingly quick with memorizing his lines, though he does make some stupid mistakes throughout. I adored him as the Sleepless King.

Suzu's route is the one I would call the most generic as far as otoges go. A lot of his route is him struggling with his feelings for Kisa. He starts to like her before he's sure she's a girl, and once he knows for sure, he has a really hard time hiding his feelings. To his credit, he also discovers Kisa is a girl on his own, showing he's smarter than we're led to believe.

If you wanted something more nuanced, maybe Suzu's not the character for you, but I really enjoyed it. The more a character struggles with their feelings, the better, imho lol. The cutest scene is after Kisa gives him sweets for valentines day, and he just can't handle how happy is is. You can't help but love Suzu!

You do actually get a lot of character growth as far as acting goes in Suzu's route — just not with Suzu himself. It's Kamiya — one of the side characters, who fanboys over the amazing Tanakamigi, one of Kisa's rivals in a different class — who gets to experience his own arc this time. While it doesn't feel totally resolved in the end, it was nice to see the game highlight some other characters as a result of the decisions Kisa has made.

I also really loved Mare-chan's little arc, as he learns to appreciate standing on stage with his brother. Actually, all the first years are highlighted in this route, which was fun.

Unlike Kai's route, Suzu doesn't confess to Kisa until the very end of his route — but it's very sweet when he does. Overall, Suzu's route felt like a very normal otoge route, but not in a bad way. He's very kind and protective of Kisa. It's hard not to like him.

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(Spoilers) Soshiro Yonaga

Sou shows obvious signs of being into Kisa, even during the common route, so I figured I'd get a nice little bit of angst in his route. I normally play the childhood friend route closer to the end, but while I really enjoyed Sou's role and growth in the common route, he was such a little jealous bitch in Suzu's route (lol) that I decided to play him next. He pissed me off so much haha. I thought it would be over when he punches Suzu after Suzu discovers Kisa is a girl — something like a send-off to his rival, knowing he can't compete. But he proceeds to be whiny and annoying throughout all the rest of Suzu's route, and this made me want to get his route out of the way.

Sou on his own route is a lot better. He actually impressed me with how straightforward he is. He's the first character (that I played) who confirms he is properly dating Kisa on his route, and his confession was really brave, direct and passionate. It's sad to think that he loves Kisa in every route but won't tell her. He even followed Tsuki to Univeil just to see her again T_T

I was very excited to see we'd be getting some Momonashi context in this route, because he's easily the most mysterious character in the game. You never really understand his motivations, and he always hides his thoughts with a smile. It excited me that he was chosen to be Amber's Al Jeanne this time around, and he is every bit as dark and horrifying as I wanted.

This is also the first route (I played) in which Kisa does not get the lead role by default. I nearly had a heart attack and thought I failed the route because it was so different from Kai's and Suzu's routes. Rest assured, this is what's supposed to happen and it all works out ok. Mitsuki's subtle understanding of the things going on around him is also critical in this route.

But back to Sou. He actually goes through a few different arcs in his own route. While I thought it ultimately ended up ok, I would have liked to see the version of Sou infected with Momonshi's darkness for a little longer. He's only there for a little bit before Suzu's anger snaps him out of it. The back-and-forth of Sou's route felt a little disjointed, and in some places too similar to his plot during the common route.

But ultimately I was very proud of him when he pumps up the crowd during the final performance. Sou comes a long way and his route ends with the promise that there's more to come. Good for you, Sou-chan!

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(Spoilers) Mitsuki Shirota

Mitsuki is the standoffish character, so he's the only romanceable character who is outwardly rude to you at the beginning of the game. I sometimes have trouble with this sort of character, so I was a little worried about him. But I didn't need to be — ultimately, he became one of my favorites.

Mitsuki is the most observant character in the game. He notices subtle changes and tells Neji to back off when he's putting too much pressure on people. And he's the first to tell Kisa he'll accept her no matter what. Mitsuki is so important to making this game work.

He knows he's good at singing, but when he's put in a starring role, he crumbles under the pressure. Obviously Kisa helps him stand up again, but it was really gratifying to know his aggression comes from a place of fear.

While learning to enjoy the spotlight is part of his common route arc, doing a Mitsuki playthrough really adds to this, as you learn how much Kisa's secrecy is weighing on him. He knows something's up right away, and as he comes to trust and admire Kisa, he begins feeling sad that she doesn't trust him enough to unload on him. There's a particularly poignant scene where he undresses in front of her — something we know he's afraid to do for anyone else. Mitsuki's cutscenes really emphasize his words to Kisa on stage as Rukiora and Chikachina, roles that parallel their own experiences.

I will say that, like Mitsuki himself, his route is very subtle as he quietly influences those around him. You don't get a lot of Amber students in this one, as his focus is more on the second years of Rhodonite and Onyx. He quietly fires them up, and it's so sweet to see how the second years, previously in the shadow of Tsuki Tachibana, become determined to do their best because of Mitsuki.

My only gripe for this route was that we didn't get any more Mitsuki background. His mother appears in a really intense cutscene toward the beginning of the game, so you know he's got family stuff going on, but we never really get any more elaboration on that.

Anyway, I love this boyee so much and I just want to give him a hug.

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(Spoilers) Sarafumi Takashina

Honestly, I shipped Fumi with Kai more than with Kisa. They had such a nice and supportive relationship.

Fumi is calm, confident and pretty. He tells Kisa he likes her early in the game. He's a mysterious character under a lot of pressure, but you wouldn't know it unless you participate in his cutscenes. If you pay attention, you'll notice he gives nearly everyone nicknames.

Fumi's main game arc involves him growing complacent with the theater because nobody can match him. It's up to Kisa (with help from Sou) to fire him up again.

I tend to have trouble with flirty characters, but Fumi is so confident and kind that I liked him quite a bit. Because he's so aware of his own skills, I was wondering what his next arc would be in his route. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's Kisa who gets to experience the most growth in Fumi's route as she struggles with the pressure of working alongside Quartz's star.

While perhaps not as dramatic as some of the other routes, Fumi and Kisa work together to understand each other, both on stage and off, and do their best to become suitable partners for one another. Fumi is also grooming Kisa to be the next star of Quartz, so there's a bittersweet dynamic of passing the baton here, too.

There weren't any dramatic twists and turns, but Fumi's route felt natural and gentle. It was a good conclusion for these two. He's also the only character other than Sou who confirms he's dating Kisa by the end of the route, which I appreciated.

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(Spoilers) Neji Kokuto

Neji is the least serious character in the game acting-wise. He's silly and jokes around, and never gives himself a huge role in any of his own plays. But he's ultimately the one pulling the strings, and he seems to have an extremely good grasp on every character's strengths and weaknesses. He's also the only character who doesn't get his own arc in the common route.

However, I was disappointed with some of his cutscenes during the common route. While I appreciate that he deals with the deep trauma of losing his father with humor and spontaneity, I thought it was an oversimplification for him to say he's afraid of women. The resulting scenes don't feel serious enough and it didn't feel natural that Kisa would fall for him.

If he were simply afraid of falling in love, which is what ultimately led his father (allegedly) to losing his creative flow, I could understand that a bit more. But to have him attend an all-boy's school just because he feels like all women are a risk seemed like a strange move for a game that has been really inclusive about gender so far. It felt very off-putting for Neji, who often puts himself into a female role, to fear women.

But once he realizes Kisa is a girl — once he realizes he knew it all along and was trying to block it from his mind — the tone becomes very dark and sad. My heart was pounding as I felt the weeks go by with no script for the final performance. It was thrilling simply because I didn't know what to expect. It's so different from the other routes.

But I wish Neji was able to express his emotions a bit more. In the end, even as he was contemplating throwing himself into the sea, he wasn't able to be completely serious. I would have appreciated a scene where his walls fully break down, in which he's able to fully embrace Kisa as a woman and appreciate the weight of his own feelings.

I also never felt like Crowley, the character Neji plays in the final performance, was suited to be a main character. He never opens up or shows any weakness. He's just a silly guy and didn't feel like the lead at any point.

I did like how Neji ultimately decides to move forward, even being unable to write. But of course, at the end, Neji is suddenly able to write again. I knew it was coming, but it was a rather convenient ending.

Ultimately, I felt Neji's route was the least successful. I wish he got more growth in his own route. I did love him proposing to Kisa at the end though. It felt very in keeping with his character.

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(Spoilers) Kisa Route

This is the route you get if you choose not to spend Christmas Eve with anyone, and it's the closest this game gets to a true ending.

Boy, does it deliver. It ties in all the themes from the game into a really strong ending, where every character feels valuable and Kisa gets to lead Quartz to a strong finish. We also finally get an explanation for the title of the game, as Kisa takes on a special role — neither male nor female, just the protagonist who everyone falls in love with.

A fantastic final route for a fantastic game!

[honeyblockm]

25,12,15

25. Have you ever upset yourself with your own writing?

yes. many times. writing process typically swings between getting really emo about the characters and going full sickos mode about it all. things that I would call upsetting would probably be all of I speak as one about to die. mmm tragedy. and the torture scenes in NO SAFE PLACE. especially the part about Lazar. Um. Crumbling like a wet cookie? turns out writing torture deals psychic damage to me, who knew. other fics have been sad for me and lived in my brain for a while but i would not call them upsetting on the same level.

12. Do you have a playlist for your current WIP(s)? Share it!

I don't have playlists for my current WIPs. I haven't really gotten into the habit, though I totally should, but usually my character/relationship playlists serve the same function. Anyways I did make one for the cquackity / karlnapity & cdream slasher wedding fic that is currently. not being worked on at all. it is. entirely made up of songs from Bleed Out and MCR songs.

15. How do you come up with titles for your fics/chapters?

I use a lot of song lyrics! A lot of mountain goats lyrics. 13 out of my 32 works use tmg lyrics for titles. I look for songs that I feel like match the vibe or theme of the fic. The Mountain Goats have many songs with many themes. Otherwise I like using lines from the source text, if the fic in question was inspired by or was an au of something. Silver Dollar is from Arguing with the Ghost of Peter Laughner About His Coney Island Baby Review by TMG. because like. Dead guy. Elegy. gestures vaguely. put on your chairman mao coat because it pleases me to have that as a title and because commandante can be about dream and sapnap actually, if you look at it from the angle i'm standing at. Harlem Roulette can be about fundy and q, etc etc.

Everything Now As Day is a line from the Menelaiad by John Barth and WE ALL THINK YOU'RE A GRAND GIRL is a line from Antigonick by Anne Carson. I speak as one about to die is from Anne Carson's translation of Agamemnon. Kassandra says it :) you don't have to love it is a line from CM Punk's snake promo. left pining for transience is a line from the deeply wonderful Fiona Lu's poem Turing Test. dawn and mourning dove grey and turning from the plow are both lines from a song from the webcomic Sword Interval by Ben Fleuter, since both those fics exist in the SI au. The chapter titles for dawn and mourning dove grey are the names of the entries in the apocalypse log that reveals the circumstances of the worldbuilding and sets the stage for the final arc of the webcomic.

Titles that aren't direct references to something are still made with consideration to the fic itself. sometimes a fic is big enough 2 warrant a very simple and encompassing title as The Death Poem. The fox who traveled to the end of the world is called that bc I was trying very hard to emulate the style of the fairy tales and fables I read growing up, and those are like. Decently straightforward and referring 2 fundy as a fox emphasizes his trickster-ness. NO SAFE PLACE and BED [DIS]ASSEMBLY are like that because i appreciate all caps quite a lot, maybe an ill-advised amount. also sometimes its just the vibes. the vibes call for all caps.

before we cut to Alexandria is. hm. Well I can't recall atm the exact leaps in my thought process but the general gist is that it's a study of a very specific and liminal period of cabinetduo's relationship, set between the larger and Historical events of the election and the red festival and nov16, and Alexandria is this big important city and it's also a place that gets kind of famously destroyed a little but this isn't yet about Alexandria/L'Manberg. The poem doesn't even leave the White House. I also know it was inspired somehow by tmg's album Songs for Pierre Chuvin.

Journeying Into the Center of the Earth To Retrieve Your Dead Ex Boyfriend because that is what the fic is about and though it is not an instruction manual it is still a detailing of a process. and also because the concept was inspired by Carmen Maria Machado's Help Me Follow My Sister Into the Land of the Dead

[7ndipity]

Hoping to participate in the shipping game for a friend :)

Physical Appearance: Racially ambiguous to some but overall asian-passing. She is very ethnically diverse (I’m talking asian, latin, and african ancestry) and because of this she has very big, long and coiled hair (like 4a/4b-ish) but she normally wears it styled. Her figure is pear-ish (maybe even hourglass) and slim-thick(?) she is busty but she works out alot so she is in the more medium sized category. Round face with high cheekbones, full lips, and sharp (cat-ish) eyes, aswell as freckles all over. She is a bit intimidating before you know her well as she has a RBF and carries herself in a way that exudes confidence; but in reality she is nice.

Hobbies: She likes anything that allows her to be creative. She makes music (writing and producing), paints, bakes, dances, figure skates, etc. She has alot of hobbies as she loves to try new things. She is a self titled car nerd; she could probably name anything you asked about vintage cars and loves going to car auctions and buying old cars to fix up and resell. Overall she is very much a nerd who loves typical things like reading (she read like 110 books last year). And alot stuff she reads about is regarding deep philosophical topics and discussing topics like feminism, politics, sociology, morality, etc. She also loves fashion and has designed some really nice accessories and clothing as a form of expression in the past.

Personality: She has always kinda naturally been a leader and when she feels confident in something people just follow after her lead (I attribute this to her being a older sibling and practically raising her younger ones). She’s a great friend to get advice from as although she is very unserious most of the time she automatically turns into mama-bear mode if any of us (us being the girls in our friend group) expresses that our feelings are hurt. She has a very YOLO mindset and is the type of friend that takes stuff for the team like asking guys for their number or confronting someone without a care in the world. She is very straightforward and speaks her mind. She is never afraid to advocate for herself or other people when she feels they are being treated badly. She can honestly be very out of pocket sometimes because she just says stuff so bluntly (in a humorous way). She has a sarcastic and (a light) dark sense of humor. She is positive and easy to talk to and vibe with. I would describe her as a mixture of extrovert as introvert because like all other introverts her social battery drains and sometimes she just wants to sit and observe. She recounted her first impression of me just by observing my behavior prior to being friends and she was spot on. She is just naturally good at reading people and this helps her to not get entangled with shady people. But on the other hand whenever she meets a new group of people she effortlessly puts herself out there and asks questions trying to get to know them and make new acquaintances.

Other facts: She speaks like 5-7 different languages and plays like 4 different instruments. She has been experimenting with music since she was like 13 and dancing since she was 4-5 (contemporary and ballet) and from there upgraded to competitive figure skating. She is very drawn to nature so she likes camping and hiking and loves almost all animals (hates bugs). Her favorite members are Jhope and Jin as they remind her of our close friends.

I would ship your friend with Namjoon, Yoongi and Hobi! I think they all would all love how diverse her interests and skills are, and her caring, confident nature! Yoongi and Namjoon especially would be soo drawn to her passion for music, and Hobi would absolutely love someone with a history in dance!

Namjoon of course would be drawn to her intelligence, and would love having a partner who could teach him new things.

Personality wise, she reminds me a lot of Yoongi, so I think they’d understand each other really well(plus, he seems to know a bit about old cars, so I think he’d really be into the fact that she fixes up old cars)

Hobi would be so drawn to her energy and passion, and I really think he would find her super gorgeous!

Hope this was okay💜

[houseoracastle]

[THE DISILLUSIONED]. Please welcome HANK MACGILLIVRAY (HE/HIM) to Huntsville, WV. They are a 45-year-old RESIDENT who lives in TOWN. You may see them around working as a REALLY TERRIBLE COP. Poor unfortunate soul. We’ll see if they survive. 

—IN CHARACTER

Name: Hank Macgillivray Age: 45 Birthday: January 18 Hometown: Huntsville Length of time in Huntsville: 45 years Occupation: Shitty Cop (the best kind of cop tho)

ABOUT

i will add to this here and there depending on the day tyvm

hank was raised by scottish immigrants who didn't fuck around. he's got three siblings, one older and two younger. they were all kept very much in line by a cold and detached father who smacked them around when needed, and a strict housewife mother who was never afraid to say 'you just wait until your father gets home'.

in other words, his upbringing was pretty traditional and straightforward. he was taught to be polite, and he was taught to be the best picture of masculinity and all-american boy he could be.

hank worked out. hank flirted with girls. he played football. he went on dates where he held doors open and pulled chairs out and made sure his female counterparts didn't lift a finger or spend a dime. he met a girl, fell in love, went through several break ups and make ups throughout high school, and was eventually heartbroken when she decided to go to college out of state.

he thought about following her, but his dad's health was declining when he graduated high school. so he stayed nearby, deciding to go through the steps towards becoming a cop mainly because he knew it was a career he'd be good in. following rules was a strength of his, as was getting others to fall in line. it was his stature, mainly, but also his don't-fuck-with-me demeanor (when he wasn't telling stupid jokes and overall being a giant goofball).

hank actually was a really good cop. for a really long time.

when his high school sweetheart finished college, she came back home. they got together again, and this time they seemed like they were gonna last. he proposed to her, they got married, and a year later she got pregnant.

as soon as he saw the first ultrasound, just a little blob on a screen, hank was in dad-mode. he couldn't wait. he was in love with the heartbeat, and he was so in awe of his wife for being able to bring them such a gift. to bring him such a gift.

halley came into the world, and hank was pretty sure he'd never loved anyone or anything quite as much in his entire life, and he probably never would again. his wife didn't take to being a parent quite as easily.

she bailed pretty soon after, leaving hank and halley alone. it sucked, it made hank pretty depressed, but he kept it together. he relied on help from his mom with the baby, or from friends around town.

so hank struggled, but he made shit work. he would've done anything for halley, which sometimes included discipline and structure and routine, but always made time for stupid jokes and fun activities. hank was the dad that wore tiaras and makeup if his daughter asked him to look fancy for a tea party. he let his daughter paint his nails, and he didn't even wash it off after. he just went to work with chipping pink fingernails.

he dated, sure, but not much. it was difficult to imagine anybody being good enough to introduce to his child, so what was really the point of getting too involved with anyone?

then the paradox. not a great time for everyone, but hank tried to stay okay. he was happy to have his daughter, and he did everything in his power to keep her safe. he kept going to work, kept being a freaking awesome cop, kept providing for himself and his kid, etc.

and then he saw someone else who had followed all the rules get torn apart by horrifying forest creatures of the night. and shit changed for hank.

yeah, violence is bad. and like he will definitely get involved with major crime-y shit happening in town. but when he sees a couple of dumbasses getting in a fight? or he watches some kid shove candy in their pockets? he will look the other way. because there is a lot of bad shit going on in huntsville, and who is he to judge how other people cope with that?

oh and he 100% eats his feelings.

[linawritestwst]

Wait,are your match-ups still ongoing.If yes,I would be happy if you could do one for me.No pressure though.Do it only if you want to.

So about me...I am generally a very quiet person( not shy tho). I don't talk that much and am pretty straightforward so I come off as cold and serious girl but when I feel comfortable around someone,I get really energetic. I love joking around. I usually prefer staying inside but I also love adventure sports or any high adrenaline activity.Am touch-starved.Quick learner . Perfectionist tendencies.Eldest daughter syndrome lol. I am a pacifist but can get into real protective mode if somebody insults people close to me. I have weird habits and am sort of a nerd. Bad vision. 5'5 height. I have a lot of interests.Main hobby is drawing.In a relationship,perfectionist partners are a big no no for me.

Also,I forgot to mention earlier but I love your writing.Thank you💖

thank you, i'm glad you like my writing! <3 i hope you like this matchup too!

the character that i think would be a good partner for you is..

kalim al-asim!

i'll explain why i chose him:

this guy is very energetic and extroverted, but he would make sure you're comfortable and not overwhelmed. just let him know if he's a bit too loud right now, okay? it may sound surprising, but he can be more quiet, if you want. if you feel safe and comfortable enough to show your more open and outgoing side, he will be so happy! he loves to see your smile and he loves to hear you talk, he wishes you could show that side of yours a little more often, but he's still very patient with you.

oh, you're touch-starved? don't worry, with a boyfriend like kalim you will never become touch-starved again. he's very affectionate, gives you a lot of hugs and kisses and he basically runs to you every time he sees you. you just make him so!! happy!! he finds you learning things quickly so impressive too! you're so smart, he's so proud of you!! oh, and he may not find your eldest daughter syndrome that relatable at first, but he has many, many younger siblings, so he can actually kinda understand why you feel that way later.

kalim doesn't find your "weird" habits that weird at all! he thinks they make you even more cute actually! also, come on, all people have at least one weird habit, you don't have to be ashamed of that. and again, don't worry, if you don't want a partner who's a perfectionist, kalim is not like that at all. he's very chill and he doesn't push himself too hard and he also makes sure you don't force yourself to do everything perfectly. you deserve to take breaks too, okay?

[billerak]

Chapter 24 mesh (part 1)

There's too much gay at the end so no way a single post is gonna do it.

Ok so the whole setup for Minori's confession happens and she does it, and yeah, it's what you'd expect.

But... Is it really what you'd expect?

Think about it. Wouldn't it make more sense for her to confess to Taiga here? Maybe. Maybe coming out of the closet is not in the table right now. She probably doesn't even know she's in there.

Regardless, she says she's in love with Ryuji. She says she's been in love with him from the start which is... Probably bullshit? Like, she definitely started seeing him better in episode 9/10, but prior to that she had not much of a reason to like him as far as we understand.

I fucking hate(love) this because it perfectly encapsulates how much of a hypocrite she still is.

WHY ARE YOU STILL GIVING RYUJI TO TAIGA, THEN. WHY NOT MAKE YOUR MOVE. The reason is clear, though. She alreayd knows Ryuji likes Taiga so there's little point in complicating matters further.

But I think it just goes to show her resolve is nowhere near as strong as she makes it out to be. She's, once again, wearing a mask for Taiga's sake.

And she says this to Ryuji. Basically being like "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" and like, she's not exactly wrong, but it's this very thinking that later leads to her meltdown.

So she just makes sure, one last time, putting all cards on the table. And she tells Ryuji to go after what he can see. Love. Something only he can see, right now. Something Minori can't, so she doesn't want to focus on it...

But that's fucking bullshit.

She doesn't want to give up romance or stop chasing after it. Look at her, taking this secondary prize in this hellhole of a relationship. I've said this before, but Minori is the only character that doesn't really get closure. I'll prove it later anyways but jesus, poor girl.

What follows is some Taiga/Ryuji things with their mothers but, in all honesty, there's not really much for me to unpack there. Like... what's happening is pretty straightforward and I have nothing to say about it.

And then, we have Ami having a similar exchange.

But whereas Minori was just making sure, Ami doesn't need to make sure of anything. Yet, here she is, insisting.

Why? Well, because she values honesty. The most consisten character trait for Ami, through all the show, is her need for others to be honest with her. She hates it when they lie, when she asks simple questions and they avoid them.

Here, as it's all coming to a close, she wants that confirmation. She wants, for once, for Ryuji to be honest with her.

Just once.

And maybe, then, that'll give her closure too.

So he relents.

And finally, she's satisfied.

Then Minori, bi disaster that she is, GOES COMPLETELY AGAINST HER WORD AND GIVES UP ON HER FUCKING LIFE SAVINGS FOR HER TWO CRUSHES.

WHAT THE FUCK.

Of course, this just goes to show she was bullshitting earlier. Putting on an act for her crushes to stop worrying about her. And the worst part is that she fucking succeeds, for once.

So Ami's like "Alright here let me give you my beach house." Her sacrifice is lesser than that of Minori, but... I wonder if she's doing it because she doesn't want them to waste Minori's savings in hotels.

Of course it coudl just be because she's being nice. Which she is. I'm overanalyzing and using my shipping brain here. Which I don't need because some gay shit is about to follow.

Also Yusaku is here. He exists. He is definitely a character of Toradora.

ON TO GAYNESS

Minori self-invites, and Ami enters Bi Panic mode. BUT TAIGA COMES IN TO SAVE THE DAY. SHE'S SUCH AN ALLY FR FR

Seriously, how am I meant to read it as anything other than romantic subtext...

WHEN AMI REACTS BY BLUSHING LIKE THIS

And she's like "i'm not gay, leave my house"

but this was just for funsies let's get to the meat of this scene

in part 2

[vesperadreamer]

Pathfinder 1e V D&D 5e: CLASSES

Okay, I love both, each for their own reasons, D&D has WARLOCKS, which are just flavorful children waiting to be expanded upon. Like, you can write ANYTHING you want about how you became a warlock, or even what happened when you DID become a warlock. Maybe becoming a warlock required a large sacrifice to appease your patron, maybe an entire household, servants and all were sacrificed. Maybe the patron came to you in a dream, maybe they gave you a ritual to transform your body and are your lover. SO MUCH FUCKING FLAVOUR SO MANY QUESTIONS AND POSSIBILITIES. 5e is also MASSIVELY easy, nothing complicated, all straightforward, its meant to be good for beginners, which I love to this day and still enjoy when I can. Pathfinder, however, has MASSIVE variety, you've got the magus spellblade, the jetstream SAMurai (I'm sorry for the pun), the flexible fighter, the oracle that lost their sight, the alchemist that makes aphrodisiacs (Had to get the horni in there), the summoner with their monster girl waifu, the bipolar vigilante, the kineticist which i swear is into some cultured shit, and the mesmerist for those who like hypnosis, mind control, brain washing, and starting a cult. In pthfinder, you also have ARCHETYPES, which I GUESS, you can call subtypes of classes, but archetypes normally change, alter or replace a feature a class has, an example with mesmerist, my favorite fucking class, is cult master. "Insidious Personality" of cult master replaces "Consummate Liar" so instead of getting half your level as a bonus to bluff checks, you instead get it to diplomacy checks, theoretically, this can be good if you're looking to convince people to join your cult. On the topic of mesmerist, I have so many builds with it, same with Warlock builds for 5e, so many characters based around an idea AND I AM FUCKING LOVING THEM ALL. I will die for my warlocks, and die for my mesmerists, Both 5e and pathfinder 1e are good, both have good spots and allow for different things, do I however have a preference for one over the other? It depends on what I'm looking for at the time. Both are equal in HORNI mode.

[allthemusic]

Week ending: 1st September

A new school year begins, and we have two songs, both promising-looking. One's by an artist we've seen before recently, the other by an artist who (excitingly) I've never even heard of! And it's a woman! We've had quite a long run of men for the last few weeks, so it's nice to get a female voice in there.

Indian Love Call - Slim Whitman (peaked at Number 7)

The name and artist both say "Western theme" to me. I did enjoy Rose Marie, though, and "Indian Love Call" definitely doesn't rule out more of the same kind of vibe, with lots of yodelling and general romantic softness, rather than heartbreak and recriminations. It's an evocative title, and I feel like Slim is more than capable of doing it justice.

Oh, yeah, we start straight away with a yodelling "ooOOOOooo" going up and down. I think this is meant to sound "Indian" (aka Native American) which is probably insulting in many ways, but it is certainly a striking way to start out a song.

Actually, between that and the strummy guitar and weird yowling steel guitar, you've got a delightfully weird soundscape. It's country-tinged, but in a particularly odd, lo-fi way that you wouldn't be hugely surprised to find in some modern and slightly folksy indie track. I think the slight feedback from the mic Slim's singing into on the highest notes maybe feeds into that, too. Either way, it's very distinctive. I can only imagine this drifting out of a radio in 1955.

The lyrics are pretty straightforward, all about how the singer is calling to win over his love. Lots of questioning: When I'm calling you / Will you answer too? Slim's yodelling out into the void and hoping his lover responds in kind. Fair enough.

Interestingly, it's from the same operetta that Rose-Marie was from, which was all about a French Canadian girl who falls for a miner. No "Indian" characters in sight, but apparently this comes from an overture section that sets the scene, and is supposedly referring to a myth about indigenous Canadians calling down from the hills into the valleys to attract the girls they wished to marry. I'm not finding any sources for this, and given that the operetta was from 1924, I suspect that this is of dubious veracity, but it gives an excuse for some pretty cool yodelling, I guess. Of its time, though, for sure.

Ooh, Wikipedia tells me this was used in Wes Anderson's Asteroid City, and yeah, I can see Wes Anderson enjoying the vibe of this particular version. It's weird, and striking, and very much a janky, whimsical artefact from a specific time and place. I need to watch that film, at some point - I almost went when it was in cinemas, but Barbie was also playing. A film whose music will not be showing up for much, much longer!

The Breeze and I - Caterina Valente (5)

Caterina Valente has an excitingly non-British-sounding name, is my first thought, and a bit of research does indeed tell me that she is a multilingual Italian-French star, so that's kind of cool! I'm hoping for a bit of European charm - writing this not too long after Eurovision, I feel like that's not too much to ask!

The opening is certainly full-on and jazzy, with all its trumpets, and then we settle into an extravagant Spanish-sounding flamenco opening, all strummy guitar and Caterina singing a very dramatic, melismatic "la la la la-ah-ah-ah" opening. I could be in deepest Andalucia, right now. Even better, it's followed by some dramatic castanets and fast clapping, and some tumbling, shrill strings. This is camp as heck, and I am here for its energy.

And then, almost as suddenly as it started, it slips into another mode, all clave rhythms and cha-cha-cha muted brass, as Caterina sings about how The breeze and I are saying with a sigh / That you no longer care. Basically, Caterina's love has fallen out of love with her, and her and the wind are in agreement about how sad this is. There's a lot of poetic imagery here, all about how their loved seemed constant as the moon, but is left Ending in a strange, mournful tune. It's again very dramatic and lavish.

Still, you get the sense that this song is less about the specific lyrics and more about the spectacle of it all, hence a break in the middle of it all where Caterina just goes ham on a load of "ooooooooh" notes, singing spectrally high and sliding between the notes in a particularly eerie, echoey way. It's not actually a far cry from the higher-pitched bits of Slim's song, so perhaps high notes were just the thing, this week.

When I mentioned Eurovision, I didn't really expect too much, but genuinely, I reckon this could do reasonably well as a modern Eurovision song, with only a few updates to suit it to modern tastes. And to be fair, the song was originally a massive hit, by the look of things, and was covered by a bunch of people. The internation flavour maybe also comes from its origins - originally a song from Cuban composter Ernesto Lecuona's Suite Andalucía, it was both Latin-influenced and had some deliberate Andalucian vibes, though it was an American who adapted the originally Spanish lyrics into English. So there's that classic Eurovision mix, you know?

Well, neither of those songs were boring. I'm not 100% I liked either of them, but they sure weren't boring, and despite being entirely different songs, they did share a bit of a vibe, with the high-pitched singing and the attempts at an "exotic" kind of style.

Favourite song of the bunch: The Breeze and I

[ohcanadashop]

The Top 6 Women's White T-Shirts || OhCanadaShop

The option becomes more challenging the more basic the article of clothing is, particularly if you're looking for a plain white T-shirt. Not only should it fit you flawlessly and appear effortless, but it should also last for a very long time even after being paired with almost everything in your closet. The sheer variety of white T-shirts available, though, might be overwhelming.

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Short-Sleeved U Crew-Neck T-Shirt for Women

For less money than Buck Mason's, Uniqlo's U Crew is a great option if you like a heavyweight shirt. Although it's harder to tuck in or style because of the thicker material, I like that my bra won't be visible. Meg Vázquez, creative director at Splice, agrees and points out that while being thicker, it isn't so heavy that it makes you feel like "you're wearing a weighted blanket." The fit also aids because it hugs your body loosely without becoming clingy. And unlike a handful of the other t-shirts on our list, this one is available in a bright, pure white.

Women's Hanes Nano T-shirt

A straightforward Hanes T-shirt will do the trick, despite not being the most elegant garment available. Jo Rosenthal, a writer, and artist, claims to have "mastered the art of buying and wearing a white T-shirt" because she wears them almost exclusively. Despite having a few higher-end tees in her wardrobe, she maintains that Hanes is always a good choice. The shirts are available in a wide range of sizes, fit nicely, and have the ideal medium weight. Additionally, they are inexpensive enough to purchase extras in case one goes through too many spaghetti dinners. For cheap bulk purchases of boys' T-shirts, experts also recommended Gildan and Fruit of the Loom in case you want to look around.

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[controlaltdelete-my-existence]

List of ✨directorial decisions✨ HxH 1999 is insane for (hunter exam edition):

Episode 1:

- Baby Gon Baby Gon Baby Gon (and Konta)

- okay this is in-line with the manga but still: Mito hates Ging so much that she first lied about Gon’s parents dying in a car crash, then retracted that and told Gon to his face that Ging abandoned him, then admitted at the end of the episode that she forced Ging into a custody battle which. Is objectively the strangest scenario I can imagine.

Episode 2:

- Leorio stops Gon from getting kidnapped (by someone implied to be a child tr*fficker) in episode 2 like HWAT?

- Holy shit the knife he uses during the hunter exam is the same one he took from the kidnapper wow

- Also Gon then spends the rest of the episode following him around and being a Disney Princess so like. Good for him.

- Kurapika is just hanging around most of the episode giving off Main Character Vibes and nothing else.

Episode 3:

- 1999 Kurapika design is just *chef’s kiss*

- Seeing Kurapika now as opposed to Yorknew and Dark Continent hits me like a truck

Episode 4:

- Nothing much this episode except Kurapika adopting Gon and being so passive aggressive it’s funny

- Leorio threatening to beat up/kill an old women is… off putting

- They named the eavesdropper “Matthew” and made him even more of a douche.

Episode 5:

- I’m still confused about the needle mark lol. Like how did Leorio see it under all that fur? At least this version gives him more to do during the Kiriko escapade.

- Alright the fist bump between Kurapika and Leorio is cute

Episode 6:

- Killugon height difference my beloved

- KILLUA’S TINY SHORTS

- Gon asks Killua’s name and age first, when in the manga it was vice versa

- Hisoka having a high, playful voice as opposed to his usual moan-tone is strange to say the least

- Tonpa is even uglier than usual

Episode 7:

- Not only is 1999 pushing the gay agenda it is also pushing the Leorio agenda.

- Killua brought bombs to exam because why wouldn’t he

- “Kurapika would you stop looking at me like that”

Episode 8:

- *People getting brutally slaughtered by wildlife*

Kurapika: My goodness

- Hisoka’s first murder spree <3

Episode 9:

- One thing I do appreciate about the 1999 version is the additional focus on the side characters. Comedy like that between Hanzo and Pokkle during the Second Phase helps the world feel more alive and the characters more engaging.

- Hisoka catching fish.png

- Not Killua and Hisoka making the same dish 😭 Hisoka pouting by the river also deserves a mention

Episode 10:

- Gon is so nice like wow.

- I like Menchi! High-strung cooks are pretty normal from what I understand.

Episode 11:

- Tonpa continues to be an annoying dick, though he’s more useless than anything.

- Gon and Killua bonding!

- Killua is such a cocky little shit and Gon is polite even when making trouble and I love that for them

- The girl with a grudge against the Zoldycks is just. Laughable compared to what we know about them later. She’s lucky she ran into Killua out of the bunch.

Episode 12:

- Gon is straightforward and mischievous. Killua is calculating but cocky. It’s a great dynamic that evolves with the show.

- Idk if this is controversial or not but like,, Killua’s assassin mode is cool. Despite the history that comes with it. I like slightly unhinged!Killua a bit more even if soft!Killua is most people’s favorite.

- I love Gon’s hair physics in 1999. IMO It’s too tall in 2011 (most of the time) but 1999 has a nice balance of springyness and length.

- Killua’s character art is so good. I’m in love with the soft spikiness

- Ah yes, the Hunter exam. The time where Gon’s tendency to push himself to the absolute limit in order to demonstrate his worth as a person was just rearing its head and not as utterly self-destructive as it would later become.

- Not Kurapika throwing Leorio under the bus (Menchi) 💀✋

Episode 13:

- Trick Tower my beloathed. On one hand, character interactions and cute dynamics (Kurapika pushing Leorio). On the other, Tonpa and Leorio’s challenge with the prisoners.

- The expressions when Tonpa surrenders 😭

- “Gon is a sociopath” “Hisoka is a psychopath” incorrect and tired. TONPA is fucking crazy like Jesus Christ have you heard this guy monologue?

- Everytime I watch the manacles drop from the prisoner’s hands I always wonder how they avoid their toes being smushed

Episode 14:

- The candle trick challenge always cracks me up. Kurapika and Killua supporting Gon’s decision until they hear his reasoning 💀

- The sound effects they use for character movements KILLS ME. When Majitani cracks his knuckles it’s like a pile of rocks falling down. When he flexed it’s like rubber. I hate it sm even if I love everything else.

- The Scarlet Eyes in 1999 are the shit fr

- Cuarpickt’s ethics strike back

Episode 15:

- Leorio doing cool shit 😳

- “Kurapika, I’ve dealt with the consequences of your pride.” “Leorio…” PLEASE

- Hisoka and Illumi playing cards 😈

- Another shout-out for the little character interactions in 1999, I love them sm

Episode 16:

- Leorio doing uncool shit

- I don’t wanna talk about it

- I will say I like her design a lot better than 2011

- Killua taking the serial killer’s heart here is objectively cooler

Episode 17:

- I LOVE THE TRICK TOWER MONTAGE LMAO

- It’s amazing how much I want to fucking kill Tonpa. Exquisite feelings of hatred.

- Gon suggesting breaking through the wall is like. Defining character moment to me.

- RIP to Killua’s skateboard :(

- Kurapika’s fondness for Gon in this arc is so underrated

Episode 18, 19, & 20:

- YAS BEST FILLER ARC

- So many good character interactions. So many.

- ENGLAND IS CONFIRMED TO EXIST IN HXH?!!

- The ICONIC “what is going on in this hunter x hunter clip” response comment is from these episodes

- Illumi just indulges himself as Gittarackur huh

- The Kurta artifact :(

- LEOPIKA AGENDA IS REAL

- Gon and Killua put their beds together like a sleepover 😭

- Killua head pat Gon (also the ass smack in Heaven’s Arena… I think he’s just more physically affectionate in this version).

- Everyone working together really makes the next phase hit worse/better.

- My god even TONPA got something to do

- The music here was so good. Not that it usually isnt, but like wow

- LEOPIKA AGENDA IS STRONG WITH THIS ONE. Kurapika refuses to give the order to move despite everyone relying on him because he can’t bring himself to leave Leorio. Like holy shit the bait is real.

- POKKLE AND PONZU WERE SO GOOD 😭

- Captain Kurapika!

- Leorio and Gon take turns being unconscious and saving each other

- Not Killua lIterally SENSING Gon coming back up 😭

- Hisoka and Illumi stand around being useless for most of Phase 3.5 which is hilarious but ultimately save the day. I wonder if Illumi took his needles out as a teaser for manga readers or if he just. Couldn’t see well with them in.

Episode 21:

- Zevil Island time YIKES

- The second the announcement is made Hisoka already has murder in his eyes

- The sheer hatred between Leorio and Tonpa kills me

- Gon drew smiley faces on all of his practice dummies 😢

- He covered the hooks on the fishing rod so he wouldn’t hurt the birds 😭 I love him sm

- PLEASE HE HAS A LITTLE NIGHTLIGHT. I WANT TO ADOPT HIM SO BADLY

Episode 22:

- The only time the rubber skin sfx work for me is when Illumi is taking out his needles

- Alright I may get burned at the stake but I personally love the dub voices for everyone except Gon. Which is really sad, because if his voice sounded anything remotely similar to how it did in both 1999 and 2011 subbed (and maybe 2011 dubbed, though that’s a stretch) I would definitely watch 1999 dubbed all the way through.

- Illumi’s outfit and color scheme is kinda fire though.

Episode 23:

- Kurapika and Leorio fucking around on the forest floor

- Hisoka’s bloodlust run SENDS me

- Who else but Kurapika would negotiate with Hisoka on his own terms?

- The amazing soundtrack strikes again. I get chills when he begins to finally unsheathe his blades. Also Leorio pulling his out of his pocket like it’s gonna be a fucking knife fight lmao

- Hisoka practically creaming his pants while Gon is Right There is nothing new, but uh. This is first instance of it in the show so it deserves a mention.

- Bit of a rant here about Gon and HxH in relation to other shounen: https://bit.ly/3phcBB5

- I remember the Hisoka murder run being so terrifying as a kid 😭

- God Hisoka smiling at Gon after Gon took his badge is just so… eugh.

- Gon got the Leorio Uppercut Special. Talk about humiliating.

- Not the slurping noise when he licks the blood 🤢

Episode 24:

- Just an episode of Gon trying to recover after having his confidence broken. They didn’t shy away from the aftermath, which I’m grateful for. Really shows how much it damaged his pride and affected him. Gon has to think about why he came here, deal with homesickness amongst the most challenging days of his life, and somehow nurse himself back to health while barely being able to move.

- On another note: Baby Gon!

- Killua being adorable

- THE EXPRESSION ART ON HANZO LMAO

- Actually 1999 Hanzo is great I was so disappointed to see what he was in comparison in 2011

Episode 25:

- Gon’s absolute zero self-worth manifesting as a “I need to overcompensate when I’ve fucked up or else I’m worth nothing” rearing it’s head in the form of poisonous reptiles 💀

- Why tf Kurapika and Leorio always staring at each other like yeah Leopika agenda but also chill tf out

- I still wanna know how tf Gon carried three whole ass adults by himself. How does he do his strength training.

Episode 26:

- HAHA I LOVE THIS PART

- Expression art in 1999 is another level. The reactions when they think they’ve figured it out as a written exam are so fucking funny

- Kurapika’s theme is so nice. It’s kind of lonely, but also comforting.

- Kurapika and Gon’s conversation about Zevil Island is such a good moment that helps define their relationship

- Hanzo, Pokkle and Leorio “studying”

- Idiot trio asking HISOKA of all people for help

- Are you joking 😭 Not Leopika watching Killua and Gon play together my god the found family is real

Episode 27:

- Kurapika v Hisoka is great

- Horror-soka face strikes again. I know I praised the expressions but Yikes

- Leorio went from pleading with Kurapika to lose so he wouldn’t have to face Hisoka to not caring about that and just worrying endlessly the entire match. I love him

- I fuck w/ Kurapika

- Gon jumps into Leorio’s arms when Kurapika wins like holy shit that’s adorable (and then Leorio puts him on his shoulders like what a dad moment)

- Ok so interestingly, after Kurapika wins, he admits to Leorio that he should have surrendered. When Gon prepared to face Hanzo, he says, “I have to follow Kurapika’s lead and become the second to pass.” This can mean two things: one, he simply wants to pass, similarly to Kurapika. And/or it could also mean he’ll follow Kurapika’s lead by refusing to give up despite the danger, focusing on the goal of passing the exam. There are so many parallels between them GOD. At this point I just want them to call each other in the manga and just Talk (I know it won’t happen but still 😭)

Episode 28:

- At the beginning of the match, the proctors (namely Menchi) make it a point to talk about how outmatched Gon is, yet within a minute they’re all cheering for him and yelling at Hanzo for taking things too far.

- The sheer brutality of this version tops 2011 100%. I don’t think it’s controversial to say that 2011 sped through the Hunter Exam, which is unfortunate since a lot of impact was lost. This fight was hit particularly hard by that.

- The lighting, the choreography, the direction. All of it was phenomenal here.

- “If he keeps going, he’ll destroy himself,” said Cuararpickt, king of the hypocrites

- Kurapika and Leorio worrying about Gon 😭 Not to mention Killua going feral next to them

- Zevil Island really was a serious blow to his pride. Gon lets himself get beat to shit so his opponent will acknowledge him as worthy. He’s desperate to be ‘seen’. I love him sm but he’s genuinely unhinged (and it only gets worse). Fuck Ging, man.

- Kurapika says as much a second later oops

- HANZO IS ONLY 18???

- Gon is so fucking funny I love him. “Um no thank you I don’t want my legs chopped off. Can we keep brainstorming?”

- So when Hanzo asks, “Why won’t you give up?” Gon says, “I’m looking for my dad. And I feel like if I give up now, I’ll never see him again.” This isn’t ‘Ging will get so far ahead I’ll never catch up.’ This is ‘If I give up now, I’ll never be able to face myself or Ging.’ He reminds me of me when I was 12 :/

Episode 29:

- Killua’s face at Leorio and Kurapika 💀

- It’s an interesting decision for Togashi to do the rest of the battles in recap. I suppose it speeds things up.

- Gon sensed what had happened Killua right before Satotz said it, similarly to how Killua sensed Gon during the Treasure/Battleship phase. 1999 really like that kind of stuff haha

- The lighting, again, is fantastic. This time for Killua v Gittarackur (Illumi).

- The organ music is certainly… something

- Illumi’s color scheme here is better than the greens imo

- I forgot how hard Illumi projects onto/abuses Killua. Its difficult to watch.

- The animation on Killua’s face is incredible. You can see every micro expression as he tries to stand his ground :(

- Very nice visual effect here. Killua’s eyes are somewhat teal and rather dark in this version, as opposed to the bright blue of 2011. When Illumi defeats him, black bleeds onto the screen and Killua’s eyes are so dark they match Illumi.

- Hikari Ga Mienai plays when Killua kills Bodero :(

- Gon confronting Illumi is just short of cathartic.

Episode 31:

- THE LEGENDARY FALL OF 99

- The Hunter Exam after party looks kind of fun tbh

- Illumi when Hisoka catches him trying to kill Gon: ⚫️ 👄 ⚫️

- When they search the internet Togashi seems to imply that ‘cyberspace’ is coming from a human brain directly? Or is at least powered by one?

- Leorio: Gon wants his dad? We’ll find his dad *starts typing furiously*

- *Hisoka does something weird* *Illumi looks straight faced into the camera*

- LEOPIKA 1999 AGENDA IS REAL

- the final scene made me think of that radio drama where Leorio was like “yes Kurapika and I are like newlyweds and Gon is our child”. Unreasonably wholesome

END OF ARC

In conclusion stan the producers for clear skin