#ngl I was expecting the quality of my old work

[cbmagus49]

🎄Happy Holidays everybody ^^🎄

[thel0v3hashira143]

❝ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐀 𝐂𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐄! ❞

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ yuuji megumi gojo nanami n choso ☆ how jjk men act when they have a crush on you!

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⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ fem!reader, black coded but anyone can read

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ notes: ahhh the comeback post!! let's just say my old works were...less than coherent. but im here and ready to slay the day after 2-ish years!! take these crumbs while i try and find my footing again. stay hot lovies 🎀🎀

yuuji itadori 🌸

my babyyy (sob sob) yuuji would def try to impress you with his athleticism, bc girls like that stuff right? (gojo told him that...save him)

he frequently challenges you to friendly competitions when sparring to showing off his skills.

he def let's you get quite a few hits on him and he may even let you win from time to time (seeing your smile makes getting knocked on his ass worth it)

he might act a bit bashful, but he's straightforward. he knows he has a crush on you so why would he hide it?

expect nice gestures like him wanting to carry things for you, buying you food, watching all your fav movies, ect.

speaking of which, movie hangouts!!!

every friday usually you, megumi, nobara, and yuuji all get together and watch a movie

buuuttt if he's feeling especially brave he'll invite you to his dorm to watch the newest movie in your favorite series! (yes, he keeps track of when they come out)

he loves that it becomes y'alls thing and he loves it even more when you lay your head on his shoulder and doze off <;33

he also gives hella compliments cause something in my gut says his love language is words of affirmation.

anticipate many "isn't [name] just the coolest?" or "you look great today [name]!"

im telling you he could never run out of nice things to say to you, whether it be about your looks or personality

as soon as he realizes he likes you he takes down those pin up girl posters in his dorm

he also obviously thinks you're more beautiful than jennifer lawrence argue wit ur mama

he is also obviously a personality over looks guy so dont act surprised if you see him looking at you with a lovesick grin if he catches you doing something kind for someone

expect him to confess his feelings sooner rather than later

"yeah, why wouldn't i have a crush on [name]? shes beautiful and badass! but don't tell her, okay?"

megumi fushiguro 🌸

megumi, unlike yuuji is quite reserved, even with his friends

honestly gives no indication that he likes you at all 💀💀 he stares at you pretty intensely at first (to admire your beauty) but quickly catches on that you think its weird..

once you two get closer though, megumi would frequently express his crush through small gestures

he strikes me as a reader so i can see him recommending his favorite books to you or even lending you some of his.

you two exchange books often and he highlights quotes that remind him of you

i can also see book shop hangouts where you two sit and read together in some small bookshop he found in the city.

(he's just admiring you read)

he's not a huge compliment/affirmation guy but quality time is a big one for him

whether it be on missions, sparring, or out with the rest of the first year's, he enjoys any time he can have with you.

megumi is also very protective but like...subtly

he secretly watches out for you during missions, making sure you're safe without drawing attention to it

he'll insist you two split up but send one of his divine dogs to accompany you to wherever you go.

even when you're out and about in tokyo he always likes to stay close to you. he follows you around (not in a creepy way more like a lost puppy way)

follows you into stores you like even if he has absolutely no interest.

all in all he's just a shy guy who's whipped for you <3

"i enjoy spending time with you. a lot."

teen!satoru gojo 🌸

gojo...you bastard...(affectionate)

erm ngl i can def see him being a bully to you at first...

not like a bully bully but he def teases you a lot and it gets under your skin sometimes. (you hate him)

but in reality hes jus a spoiled litte rich boy in love.

once he realizes his feelings he still pokes fun at you sometimes, but tones it down hard and turns on his charm.

gojo's approach is confident and playful. he teases you, always with a charming grin, creating a dynamic that keeps things lighthearted and enjoyable.

he'll find excuses to spend time with you, whether it's offering to train together

unlike yuuji he doesn't care if he likes you this son of a gun will NOT let you win istg

it's like he's trying to rile you up, saying ridiculously cheesy one liners as he dodges all your attacks.

"thats the best you got? oh [name], we'll never get to be together if i keep beating you!"

one thing he does enjoy doing with you however, are snack runs.

gojo is a big back in disguise with too much money to spend so you already knows most of that goes towards food.

he has a huge sweet tooth so i can see you guys browsing multiple sweets shops in the city. if he sees you even look at something for too long he'll buy 10 of them.

every trip you guys both leave with full bellies and full hearts <3

gojo wants to be around you, and he makes sure it's fun for you both

his confession is likely to be straightforward. ccompanied by his trademark smile and his sparkling blue eyes peeking from his shades.

"you know, i've been thinking... i'm kind of into you. what do you say we make things a bit more interesting?"

teen!kento nanami 🌸

my emo boy ❤️‍🩹

nanami, with his composed demeanor, expresses his feelings (though you were unsure if he even had any) through thoughtful actions.

he remembers every. single. detail. of anything you say to him.

your favorite attist dropped an album today? he already bought you the cd/vinyl. you never got a chance to go to the store to get your favorite snack? he went 2 days ago.

he revels in the fact that he knows so much about yousnd the surprised look on your face gets him every time.

(haibara claims he's seen nanami smile at you multiple times but he vehemently denies it.)

despite his serious appearance, he'll occasionally crack dry jokes when it's just the two of you

look at that man and tell me he doesn't have a dry sense of humor 😭😭

you help him to relax and he feels he can truly be himself around you. when you two are alone its like hes showing a different side to his personality.

like megumi, i can see quality time being a big thing for him since attending jujutsu high leaves him quite busy

hes also not a huge talker so whenever you two do spend time together its probably somewhere intimate like your dorm or the library.

no words, just vibes. which he appreciates since he's around a bunch of yipper yappers all day.

nanami's confession is understated but sincere.

"i appreciate the time we spend together. it's made me realize there's something more i feel..."

choso kamo 🌸

my babyyyy no. 2 (i need him biblically)

let's get one thing straight tho. choso is a curse. in my opinion curses have no idea of love in a healthy, positive way so let's just say bb is confused.

he obviously knows what love is. he loves his brothers but he doesnt wanna kiss them...and cuddle them...

he goes to yuuji for advice (was it a bad idea? perhaps.)

"bro you totally have a crush on [name]!"

"a crush?"

after some further investigation hes pretty much got the gist of it.

one thing he becomes quite fond of doing is giving you small gifts from his missions.

these aren't typic gifts persay, like food, clothing or jewelry but more like knickknacks such as shells or rocks.

these tokens become a way for him to express what words might fail to convey.

i headcannon choso likes nature documentaries and after seeing that penguins mate for life by gifting a rock to their mate he's hooked.

idk but i also feel like he's very touchy.

he always has an eye on you in public and ik he does the thing where he guides u with his hand on the small of your back or he locks pinkies with you UGHHHH

with him being protective, he also subtly keeps an eye on you during missions.

he's not one to voice his concern directly but prefers to ensure your safety from the danger.

choso's confession might catch you off guard, but it's filled with honesty and sincerity.

"i've found myself caring about you more than I expected. it's strange..."

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⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ omg i actually really like this...(watch me hate it in a week) but reqs are open!! i have 1 or 2 more pieces planned to get me in the swing of things but take this before then. love y'all!!

𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐲 ♡

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𝙧𝙚𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚!

𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙡0𝙫3𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙖143 2024

[fategoflatass]

My Winter 2024 Watchlist & Opinions

The feared time has come. After avoiding this post like the plague, I finally put myself to write my pretty unnecessary thoughts on this season that's departing next week or so.

Admittely, it wasn't that big of a deal, but that might be because the bigger titles will come out the following season? (Should I also make a post about that?)

Anyway, let's get started!

Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu 2nd Season

Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life // ☆☆☆☆

CW: cringey teenagers

Here, we one again get to follow our favorite middle school duo—the edgy boy and the gluttony in human form—as they grow up and find out just how complicated being a teen can be. Awkwardness, idiots and cutsie romance ensured!

This series is just so damn adorable, man! And awkward, holy fuck it can be awkward. But being a teenager is, in big part, going through the cringiest phases possible to cleanse the karma of a lifetime, so is that a bad quality or an amazing depiction of real life?

Anyway, my guys are back and I can't explain just how happy I am about it! I'm usually not that fond of school romances since, well, they tend to be too immature for what I'm currently looking for. This was made especially obvious since I began watching more and more series centered around adult characters.

But this series is quite different—they're immature, yes, but it's not as annoying as they tend to be. You know why? Because they found out about this thing called communication. Yes, they're not the greatests at it, but at least they're trying!

I've been thinking on checking the manga out, although I haven't decided yet. If anyone here has read it/is up to date, should I get into it or wait until next season comes out?

BUCCHIGIRI?!

Action, Supernatural // ☆☆

CW: big ammounts of cringe

Arajin Tomoshibi's reunion with his old pal Matakara Asamine takes an unexpected turn when they stumble into a brawl with the toughest guys in town. And just when you thought things couldn't get weirder, a colossal genie decides to drop in. Brace yourself for the ultimate showdown. It's the clash of the cool and the magical!

(Yes, I stole the summary from AniList. Couldn't bother to write something down for this one).

This series comes from Utsumi Hiroko—the same woman who worked on Free! and Banana Fish, the mind behind SK8; one of my biggest comfort shows. And honestly, it shows!

Because BUCCHIGIRI?! is an amalgamation of all her previous ones.

You have the childhood friend pair composed of the Gentle Giant™ (who's quite literally Makoto 2.0, personality and appareance wise) and a dude who has only one goal in life—for Haru, it was to swim free style. For Arajin, is to get laid. And no, I'm not kidding.

Then you get the delinquents (I refuse to call them gangs. They remind me too much to the Tokyo Revengers guys, and I despise that show) and their corresponding leaders—the fruity freak (who I love, ngl) with the obssesive, brocon little sister (who I despise, ngl), the big ass bitch whose age's unknown but seems too old to be hanging around teens, and later on we get a guy who reminds me a lot of Jamil from Twisted Wonderland only that he's utterly pathetic, a professional crybaby and, overall, unbearable—entirely different from my totally cool and more than respectable guy.

There's not much to say about the rest of the cast since they're forgettable to a fault, having little to not charisma. Expect for the skirt guy, he's neat.

When it comes to the supernatural side of things, ugh. The dude who follows Arajin around is exasperating and so cringey I tend to skip fowards when I know a joke—the joke, the only thing he knows besides fighting—is coming.

Speaking of which, the fight scenes are cool, MAPPA doing their best as always. I just wish they would beat up Arajin more often (and that he didn't have to scream his primal urges every time he's going for a punch).

And, for fuck's sake, don't get me started on Arajin. He's the worst protagonist this woman has ever come out with—zero charisma, a total asshole, a terrible friend, and a guy who'd make you want to die if he ever got a crush on you.

I'll cut it here since it's getting too long and I don't wanna get into spoiler territory (in case anyone cares about that), but yeah. I don't recommend, at all. Go watch her other shows instead.

Dungeon Meshi

Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy // ☆☆☆¾

CW: blood, death, violence

While exploring a dungeon, the adventurer Laios and his party are confronted by and lose against a red dragon—they're left without money, provisions and Laios' sister. But not everything is lost, since they can still save her while the creature digests its food. The problem is, they can't fight with an empty stomach!

The best show of the season, hands down. Not like it had much competition to begin with, but anyway.

When I first heard about the show's plot, I admit it, it didn't call me at all. But certain someone (*cough* @arataka-reigen *cough*) convinced me to give it a try. And here we are!

Honestly, I haven't had a laugh like this with an anime in so long! Not only because of the jokes, but the characters are perfectly designed for the viewer to laugh with and, most importantly, at them. I actually have the theory that they're the ones responsible for the BUCCHIGIRI?! cast's lack of charisma. I mean, they had to steal it from somewhere—is too much!

From what I know, more characters are yet to appear (I saw a catgirl and, as a cat lover, I just gotta see the catgirl) and the story gets darker with time (in case episode eleven wasn't enough hint for you).

I can't wait to see what this story has to offer next!

Gekai Elise

Comedy, Fantasy, Romance // ☆☆½

CW: tracheotomies without gloves

In seek of redemption, Takamoto Aoi becomes a doctor to help those who she would've either mistreated or ignored in her past life. Sadly, she gets involved in a plane crash and dies—only to wake up as her past self, ten years before her demise! She'll now look to become a surgeon once again, in the hopes of changing her fate.

If I had to describe it with one word, it would be meh.

The characters, the plot, the romance—it's all pretty average. A wet piece of cardboard is way more interesting than the entire cast and the story put together. The love story is whatever, not engaging enough to get me interested on their scenes.

What I would've liked is if they went on and changed the affections names for something more fantasy-ish or that has to do with the world in which they live in—I highly doubt these people knew about the existence of Dr. James Parkinson, so why would they name a disease after him? That sorta thing, you know?

But anyways, basic ass story with basic ass characters, and I'm a fool for having given it a chance.

And if I may ask, where the hell is the lamp?!

HIGH CARD Season 2

Action, Fantasy // ☆☆½

CW: cultural appropiation (?), blood, some violence

The High Card team keeps on fighting to mantain peace in the city, all meanwhile some of its members are still dealing with past consequences. But when new trouble surrounding the cards surges, they have to get to work to save the day once again!

Look, if the summary ain't shit is mainly because this show has me so uninspired. The only reason why I didn't steal it from AniList is because it doesn't have one.

In case anyone wonders why I'm still watching this show, same. I guess season one wasn't that bad for me to go and drop it, so I decided to give it a second chance. Do I regret it? Mmh, kinda.

To be honest, it's not entirely bad. I mean, it's certainly worst than its predecessor, but it had an interesting section that had me paying a little more attention than usual for like, two episodes or so. And then it lost me again.

The section I'm talking about is around episodes five to seven, where—and spoiling as little as I can—things get rather dramatic. It felt like a cry for help disguised as character growth that did nothing, absolutely nothing, to the characters themselves. They could've skipped those episodes and it would've been business as usual.

In the first two episodes we get introduced to his superhero-like guy who loves spitting random words in Spanish and, no, he's not even Hispanic. Then, he proceeded to not appear for the rest of the season. At least for now, we're currently in episode ten. But even if he were to appear once again, I don't think there's enough time to develop him or create a plot surrounding his cringey ass.

Also, and this might be petty as hell: they never explain why the cards look like the poker ones? I mean, they shared the lore behind them, yet that didn't explain this? How did they come out with the cards' and combination's names if they're supposed to not be poker related?

Hime-sama, "Goumon" no Jikan desu

Comedy, Fantasy // ☆☆¼

CW: none

Amidst the war between their kingdoms, the Princess is captured and imprisoned by the demons alongside her mythical sword and companion, Excalibur. It all seems grim for these two but, when the time comes around, the demons' torture methods seem a bit... gourmet?

I came into this show solely because of the trailer. What can I say? It looked nice. And to be honest, the entires series does.

These type of shows don't tend to be my cup of tea, but I thought it could turn out to be something similar to Maou-jou de Oyasumi—something that doesn't catch me at first, yet its second half leaves me wanting some more of those charismatic characters (Twilight my beloved).

The problem here is that God, it's repetitive. This series has one sole formula and will repeat it till the end of times, with barely some exceptions.

As LunarEquinox would put it, "it not her being tortured, it's you being tortured by repitition".

Kyuujitsu no Warumono-san

Comedy, Slice of Life // ☆☆☆½

CW: none

Planet Earth and its habitants are in danger; they've become the main target of an evil intergalactic organization who seeks to rule the world! The Rangers do everything in their power to defend the citizens from the General—but today's his day off.

Another fluffly, non plot-centric series. But this one I'm quite fond of.

I guess it's because I really like the «gap moe» concept? The difference between the protagonist's intimidating and powerful look at work and his casual, awkward and panda-obsessed self once he's home it's pretty adorable. It's like he goes from being a lion to one of those long ass domestic cats who'd let you hold him if close enough—only that I think he's supposed to be a lizard(?) of some sorts.

But it's not only him; you also get to see his coworkers with are all very formidable, and even the Rangers themselves. Red having no sense of orientation whatsoever is too relatable, I hate it here.

Not much to say, really. It's just a show about a long ass dude on a trenchcoat whose (most probably, undiagnosed) autism gets him to buy anything panda-related. If he were to become the ruler of the new world, I wouldn't oppose to it.

Loop 7-kaime no Akuyaku Reijou wa, Moto Tekikoku de Jiyuu Kimamana Hanayome Seikatsu wo Mankitsu Suru

Fantasy, Romance // ☆☆☆¾

CW: violence, mentions of war

Rishe Irmgard Weitzner, a duke's daughter, has lived many lives—and it's not a saying. For the past few decades, she's been trapped in a timeloop where her engagement gets called off at age fifteen and, from then fowards, she's decided to go down different paths. A merchant, a doctor, a maid—whatever called her attention. Is in her seventh time she become subject of the affections of infamous crown prince, Arnold Hein—the very same man who'd killed her in one of her past lives as a knight. When he asks Rishe to become his wife, she decides to utilize her every skill to avoid the upcoming war.

This one's different from the others, in the sense that I wasn't there when the first episode premiered. I guess it hadn't caught my attention (and the way they colored the hairs looked so bad to me at times, and still does). But again, certain someone began posting about it and I couldn't help myself.

I found this series to be a tad more interesting than the average female public-centric fantasy series. They actually cared to build an appealing plot with its politics and all, while also giving us an attractive main couple whose chemistry is quite nice. I like it when the characters banter, they go back and forth a little bit, but still show feelings for each other—is entertaining, isn't it?

While it's not my favorite series from this season, I do find it highly recommendable—independently of whether you're already into this type of shows or you'd like to give them a try.

Majo to Yajuu

Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy // ☆☆

CW: violence, blood

A guy carrying a coffin alongside his companion appear in a town, searching for the witch who cursed her and fighting some others in the meantime.

I love dark fantasy stories, so when I stumbled upon this show it grabbed my attention almost immediately. The whole concept of wiches, curses and different types of magic has always been a concept I quite enjoy. When it's well done, that is.

What Majo to Yajuu brings to the table is an uninspired series that unapologetically grabs concepts from other stories similar in concept, and doesn't even try to do anything new with them. The magic system is has is so average and uninteresting, and the same happens with the different conflicts that surround the main plot.

And even when it is supposed to have a more mature tone, there are times where they spoon feed you basic information as if you were too stupid to comprehend the intricacies of something you've seen multiple times—not even in other places, but in the same show, even the same episode.

The characters are heavily boring, the main duo being the most salvable of all. They do have some chemistry, but it's just not enough.

Anyways, just another letdown.

Metallic Rouge

Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi // ☆½

CW: violence

In a future where humankind coexists with androids called Neans, a group of them known as the Immortal Nine rises to cause havoc in society. Rouge, a Nean, alongside investigator Naomi are tasked with going all the way to Mars to stop them.

Also known as Bones' 25th Anniversary project, Metallic Rouge arrived to put many interesting question on the table—question that have been talked about multiple times in movies and series revolving androids and robots, yet is always cool to see what different authors have to say about the matter.

Sadly, the way they decide to manage the story is quite futile when it comes to enjoyment. That is, they decided to take the "show, don't tell" narrative route—something we've seen in series like Tengoku Daimakyou, and damn if it worked there. The thing is that this narration style is rather complicated, and can't be saved if done wrong.

Well, guess what happened?

Whether it's the scripwriters' fault or not, I've no idea. The only thing I know for sure is that they fucked up. The give you little to no information, which doesn't help the viewer to try solving the mystery by themselves nor succeeds at keeping them engaged. The only thing attractive enough are the fight scenes, but they become more are more scarse as the episodes go on. Is then when the staff realizes they messed things up, and as a result you get episode nine—a huge ass info dump, with twists that no one would've been able to guess since they hadn't given us enough hints to even get a hunch of what could be going on.

An absolute mess and a masterful class on how not to do things.

Ninja Kamui

Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi // ☆☆☆¾

CW: death, fire, blood, violence

Higan is a retired ninja who lives in hiding with his family in rural America. One night, assassins from his former organization end up slaughtering both his wife and son due to him breaking their ancient code. Now seeking for revenge, Higan goes back to his old ways in the means to make them pay.

This one is such a wild ride! From the same director who worked on Jujutsu Kaisen's first season, we get an action-packed revenge series.

Yes, it might not be the most original or complex plot of all times, yet that's not its main focus. What it is its main focus are the fight scenes which are absolutely amazing, so fluid and entertaining. You won't be able to take your eyes from the screen!

Even then, the characters are compelling enough for you to either root for them or hope for the hero to end their lives once and for all.

This series is an absolute banger and no one should sleep on it!

Ore dake Level Up na Ken

Action, Adventure, Fantasy // ☆☆½

CW: death, violence, blood, edgelords

After being slaughtered by monsters in a dungeon that was far from matching his rank, Jinwoo, or "the weakest Hunter of all" as called by many others, wakes up only to find out he now that the "System" by his side. This program that only he can see will help him do the impossible—level up.

So here we are, huh.

The biggest anime this season, and it's a fucking power fantasy with extra steps. I swear to God...

Jinwoo is a boring ass piece of wet cardboard, which is meant for the viewer to find it easier to self-insert as him. Those around him are either beings with no personality at all, default mean guys, or the love interest that just has to be there to tell us just how cool and attractive the protagonist has become—not like we needed her for that, since everyone is a simp for that guy for some hell of a reason—and to be saved because she'd be dead without him.

The only thing worth your time would be the action scenes, but since they depend so much on the viewer's hype, and that mainly comes from those who root for the protagonist, it just doesn't work on me.

This shit's boring, man.

Yubisaki to Renren

Romance, Slice of Life // ☆☆☆½

CW: ableism

Yuki is just your average college student who struggles with classes as one does. One day, she gets helped in the train by an upperclassman named Itsuomi. That's when he finds out that she's actually deaf.

One of the most hyped up series from this season, and for good reasons. Not only is a shoujo—sadly, this series don't tend to get anime adaptations as often as their counterparts—, but is a rather well known one.

To the surprise of no one, this is one fluffy series! The characters are all charismatic and sweet, some more than others, and their personalities and struggles feel very human.

The romance is adorable, although I have it hard to not see Itsuomi as someone who's trying to complete a dating speedrun—might be my demi ass, but they've known each other for like, what, two to three months? And they're already dating?

Yuki's deafness is touched upon with such respect, except for when Oushi opens his fucking mouth. I don't know if it's him or the author themself who sugarcoats his ableism as if it came from sheer worry for her future, but saying deaf people should stay at home is in no way a cool thing to say or think. I doubt he'll stay like this forever, but warning you just in case it results uncomfortable for someone.

To end on a more positive note, I love the fact that they center so much around the character's lip movements! It just feels right for the themes that the series touches upon.

Yuuki Bakuhatsu Bang Bravern

Action, Comedy, Mecha // ☆☆☆½

CW: violence, war, torture (it's just one scene)

In a world where the military utilizes mechas as weapons, Oahu island, where both the Japanese and American troops are located at the moment, gets attacked by an unknown, intergalatic enemy. They'll now have to join forces to defend the planet.

I think it was Mother's Basement's video that convinced me to give this show a chance and, honestly? I don't quite regret it. After all, I like parodies and mechas, so why not combine both?

Given, I haven't watched every mecha anime there is out there—and with that, I mean that I've yet to watch Gundam which I think was a major inspiration for this one series. But even if you haven't watched it either, that doesn't mean you won't get to enjoy it.

It does make references to the genre's different tropes, yeah, but it serves as a standalone. The comedy works even if it's your first mecha series since some scenes are just so absurd.

The characters are cool, each and every one of them having enough charisma for you to be able to remember them through the entire season. They all have enough chemistry with each other to make their bonds belieable.

With time, the series starts leaving the comedy aspect aside and gets more centered around its actual plot—although the laughs never truly leave. And it actually works, which I admit surprised me a bit.

A series curious enough I think you should give it a chance.

[lickthehilt]

SCRAPPED Blade x Reader Drabble

a/n: okay so i had this idea in the back burner of my mind but no matter how much i tried to nail the opening paragraphs, i just couldn't. instead of letting this idea die with my creativity for this prompt, i decided to just post it so theres no thing on my part where im stressed about getting it perfect. i might rework it but ngl im at a stalemate with this. im starting to get wordy but its because im tired hee hee.

summary: your business in traditional portrait painting amongst the planet's digital developments is situated in a quaint alleyway. you get all sorts of customers, mostly old and all claiming an eye for art, but one day you get a customer-- more like a pest-- that lingers by your storefront.

none of the drafts are finished ^^

FIRST DRAFT:

There’s a ghost haunting your windows. Well, haunting the outside of your windows. You started to notice a few decades ago, thinking nothing of the lingering shadow. Maybe it was a cat. It probably was a cat, right? There’s plenty of cats in this area in particular, especially in your little alleyway where your shop is tucked away.

This little planet has a thing with cats. Small and big, fat and thin, long or short-haired. It’s unlike your home planet— ship— as your home town had more of a thing for dogs. You think.

The shadow is nothing but another part of your routine. An imaginary friend that remains invisible, a loose hair dangling from your hairline, a hangnail. It's just there.

So one day you're gazing into the direction of the haunted window and expect to see the feline orbs of amber, yellow or green. You pause when you don't.

His gaze is like a stamp branded into your skull; red, like the colour of peppers and ketchup. Rubies and you think you’ve seen a flower in that exact shade. Your heart staccatos under his shadowed gaze to the beat of a skipped stone before it sinks. Your stomach sinks.

When you blink, his visage is gone.

The door bell tinkles as the door swings open. She looks like one of your paintings: hair the colour of finely aged wine and dehydrated pink roses. You like the sound of her heels as she clack, clack, clacks into your store, thumbing at picture frames and—

“May I?” Her finger teases the sheet that you had pulled over your work-in-progress side project. From where you sit by your main easel, by your canvas, you can see the unfinished carvings made into the stone slab that made the torso. A pattern you could, would, never get right from memory.

“It’s not finished.” Your jaw clenches at the way her finger inches the cloth a bit higher.

“I don’t mind.”

A wave of heat blushes your ears, mouth twitching. “I think… I do mind, though.”

“Do you?” When she looks at you, you cower away. She chuckles, crossing her arms. “Kafka,” sticking out a coy hand, she inches towards you. You shy your hand towards her, briefly pausing to wipe your palms against your apron. “I’m here to collect.”

“Collect?”

“A commission.”

“Oh.” The holographic computer flickers to life as you sit back on your wheeled chair to scoot towards your desk and away from your painting. “It’s under Kafka?” Sliding your fingers to scroll through your orders, you pause. “Oh yeah, yeah. One minute.”

When you head into the back room, your heart sighs. It’s quieter back here. Not like it was much loud in the main room, but the quality of air, the atmosphere, is just different.

Your paintings are tucked away, pre-wrapped with clear film and half packaged. On the tables scattered around the room are figurines, sculptures of things, people, animals.

People don’t really commission old-style portraits anymore; too much time and material. Why wait days and weeks for a single picture when you can easily capture one through digital lens?

Adventuring further into the room, behind a dressing panel, is your most prized possession: a diorama. It’s a distant memory. You made this long ago, centuries amongst the stars, and after living for so long you can hardly remember the finer details. Are the bumps that made up their little noses replicating the real life subject accurately? Or is it a placeholder for something that you couldn’t replicate? What exactly was this scene and is it meant to be happy or sad?

There’s a blurry vagueness to it, lost intentions through the simplification of art. The whole thing is meant to move, too. But the key was lost to time, or just lost. When you pried the buildings away from the base, a system of gears are the canvas to dust builds the foundation.

You find Kafka's painting in one of the slots in the back corner of the room, already packaged neatly in a zipped folder.

"Everything alright back there?" Her voice rings closer as she peaks into the back room. "My, my. Is that the painting?" Her pleasant smile is still plastered onto her face as she motions forward.

"Stop!" Instantly you bite your lip, clearing your throat. "Uh, I mean. It's okay. I'm coming out."

She hums.

"Oh, is this room restricted from the public?"

Normally no, but, "Yes... something like that." She echoes you. Her gaze wonders, flickering from the dingy light hanging from above, to where your body blocks the entrance cradled by your dressing panel.

SECOND DRAFT:

There’s a ghost haunting your frosted windows. It lingers and spooks your customers, who glance back as they patter into your studio. They never complain though, well outwardly to you, only taking glances to the figure as you converse with them.

It never harms or interacts with you and whenever you tried to go outside to confront it, it disappears. Leaving trinkets for it does nothing as it never touches them, and food sometimes (on the very, very rare occasion) gets eaten. So you leave it be. The shadow is nothing but another part of your routine. An imaginary friend that remains invisible, a loose hair dangling from your hairline, a hangnail. It's just there.

Well, one day you're gazing into the direction of the faceless thing and pause.

His gaze is like a stamp branded into your skull; red, like the colour of peppers and ketchup. Rubies and you think you’ve seen a flower in that exact shade. Your heart staccatos under his shadowed gaze to the beat of a skipped stone before it sinks. Your stomach sinks.

When you blink, his visage is gone.

The door bell tinkles as the door swings open. She looks like one of your paintings: hair the colour of finely aged wine and dehydrated pink roses. You like the sound of her heels as she clack into your store, thumbing at picture frames and—

“May I?” Her finger teases the sheet that you had pulled over your work-in-progress side project. From where you sit by your main easel, by your canvas, you can see the unfinished carvings made into the stone slab that made the torso. A pattern you could, would, never get right from memory.

“It’s not finished.” Your jaw clenches at the way her finger inches the cloth a bit higher.

“I don’t mind.”

A wave of heat blushes your ears, mouth twitching. “… I do mind, though.”

“Do you?” When she looks at you, you cower away. She chuckles, crossing her arms. “Kafka,” sticking out a coy hand, she inches towards you. You shy your hand towards her, briefly pausing to wipe your palms against your apron. “I’m here to collect.”

“Collect?”

“A commission.”

“Oh.” The holographic computer flickers to life as you sit back on your wheeled chair to scoot towards your desk and away from your painting. “It’s under Kafka?” Sliding your fingers to scroll through your orders, you pause. “Oh yeah, yeah. One minute.”

When you head into the back room, your heart sighs. It’s quieter back here. Not like it was much loud in the main room, but the quality of air, the atmosphere, is just different. Your paintings are tucked away, pre-wrapped with clear film and half packaged. On the tables scattered around the room are figurines, sculptures of things, people, animals.

It's only a brief break before you're hauling the medium-sized painting back to her.

FINAL DRAFT START:

The ghost came to you in a dream. You could hear the distinct ticking of the clock, the beats as it swung side-to-side from your living room.  An itch bloomed from your scalp, in which you patted with flexed out fingers; the beating against your head almost jogged the memory of your dream back to the forefront of your mind as it faded into the crevices of your thought. Your sheets pooled by your hips, a shiver tickling your spine as you wiggled to get out of bed.

Padding downstairs, you pushed through your filed sketchbooks before pulling one out and sitting by your desk.

[losersroom]

twenty questions for fic writers

tagged by @tetrapod7! thanks man, this was a fun one.

1. how many works do you have on ao3? 17 on my current account. there's more on my old one and obviously that doesn't count everything i published on other platforms (livejournal, ff.net) in the ancient days, lol

2. what's your total ao3 wordcount? again just on the wolfspider account, 168,153. i cant tell if that feels low or high to me

3. what fandoms do you write for? right now, just wild hrpf. in the past it's been mostly anime and various cartoons.

4. top five fics by kudos: i'm hitting the skip button on this because like. wrt my own work i think it's not a very good metric of EITHER how popular those stories actually were OR the quality of them; they're mostly the TUA ones and im chalking that up to that fandom being Huge when i was active. my most kudos'd fic of all time is still how much was mine to keep, though, and i think that one holds up.

5. do you respond to comments? i try to now. i went through a long phase of not engaging with comments due to Social Anxiety and also being kind of fed up with the hyper-combative culture in the fandoms i was in. like i wanted to just yeet my work out there and be done with it. in hrpf fandom i'm actually interested in the community aspect though so ive been trying to get over myself and respond as best i can.

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? the brodsfabes time loop fic, hands down. it's weird because as a reader i am um. not very into unhappy endings or unconsummated angst but every once in a while when i'm writing i'll get into a Mood and write something viscerally upsetting. anyway that one was pretty clearly me processing some grief that was happening in my real life, lol.

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? probably entangled, from my spiderverse days. ngl i kind of hate it now though so let's move on from this. i think most of my fic has happy or at least ambiguously-positive endings, though.

8. do you get hate on fics? only one time ever and it was someone complaining that a ship i tagged for wasn't present in the story after One Chapter so. we're discounting that one. i've been pretty lucky!

9. do you write smut? yeah. my relationship with writing pornography ebbs and flows, like. sometimes i'll be really into it but sometimes i'll just stick a sex scene into a story where i feel like it's the least interesting thing that happens because people expect it and aren't going to read a romance that isn't leading up to that. i'm a horrible pervert and building up to a sex scene is an easy way to give your story a climax (...in multiple senses of the word) though so. why not.

10. craziest crossover: i don't write crossovers but if i did it would be the insane one ive been thinking about lately where the minnesota wild are stuck in the dungeon from dungeon meshi

11. have you ever had a fic stolen? not to a degree that i can prove it but part of the reason i left TUA fandom was somebody, in my opinion, ripped off large chunks of one of my fics and did just enough massaging of the language to make it defensible as Not Plagiarism. ruined the whole experience for me though.

12. have you ever had a fic translated? no, i think that would be one of the highest honors i could receive as a writer though. i wish i knew enough of a second language to translate my own work, but i'm still at like a kindergarten level in japanese so that will. Not happen.

13. have you ever co-written a fic before? tried to once with someone i am no longer friends with, it was a disaster. never gonna do that again. i am just too much of a control freak to relinquish any amount of creative decisionmaking i think.

14. all time favorite ship? don't have one! i tend to like hyperfixate on one ship for anywhere from one month to a year and a half and then when the brain juice runs out im Done and i never want to think about this concept again. im giving check please jackparse a point for being a ship i can read about post-fixation without getting bored but other than that. right now it's 725, in the future, who can say.

15. what's a wip you want to finish but never will? [stares at my overflowing gdocs draft folder. stares at the camera] i do not see it

16. what are your writing strengths? i like my prose, most of the time, and i think i'm pretty good at descriptive writing and like, internal character voice. sometimes i can accidentally stumble into excellent pacing

17. what are your writing weaknesses? INTENTIONALLY good pacing. writing dialogue that sounds like a human said it and not a sitcom character. i'm decent at line-by-line editing but awful at structural editing. recently ive become aware that i tend to subconsciously reuse certain plot beats a lot.

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language? like anything else, there's a way to do this that's fine and interesting and a way to do it that's insultingly terrible and it all depends on intent and execution. like if you're peppering in phrases in a second language just to show off that a character Is Foreign, don't do that. try to do it in a way that's realistic for how people talk. do it purposefully, i suppose

19. first fandom you wrote in? god dude i do NOT remember this was literally 21 years ago but probably either naruto or fullmetal alchemist.

20. favorite fic you've written? probably one of the unpublishable ones tbh. or the time loop one again. honestly i really like all my hrpf work, ive been putting out some bangers lately. it's nice to feel like ive been growing as an ~artist~ or whatever.

[dirtyoldmanhole]

gunter/corrin S support analyzing time >:)

(i actually forgot to post this lol)

last revelation liveblog ~ like the A-support it's another long one!

like most Fire Emblem supports, the C-B-A supports tend to be platonic or at least plausibly platonic, and then the S-support is the romantic paired ending.

because these two are freak nasty special(tm), their last A-support ended with corrin calling him her "father figure" ... which is especially hilarious when you know what's coming up here, heh.

they start with another game of catch ~

............... l m a o at his sprite only smiling at the last line. pffttt. pfttttt. yeah there is 0 chance that he means that totally wholesomely. (actually, jokes aside if i remember right, that was 100% another one of those lines that started dinging my kink radar)

Anyway, they continue with the catch session, and it ends pretty much how you'd expect it to.

Corrin: Oh, I remember this deal. You always used this when I was refusing to study or train… Gunter: Exactly. I'll throw more and more difficult passes, and you have to catch them. We can work out some reward later if you catch them all, but I doubt you will.

(excuse you, snarky bastard :P)

Corrin: That sounds like fun to me. Let's do it! Gunter: I imagine you'll have no trouble with a normal throw, so… try and catch…this! Corrin: What the—You threw it straight up! Gunter: And with the sun overhead, you'll have a bit of trouble, I bet… Corrin: I think I… Awwww! It got away from me… Gunter: Hahaha. That one always got you. You haven't changed a bit. Corrin: I can't believe I didn't remember that trick. You used it so often, too…

devious old man hunting for the tea >:D

(ngl i love that he takes so much set-up to ask that question versus just asking her cold turkey. it gives a feeling that he's -for all of his years of experience-nervous as a teenaged boy, and there's a very tragic bitterness underneath the implications.

since the thing is- he's not expecting this to go anywhere. he's expecting her to name somebody else, and hoping that by "knowing" that corrin's set on somebody else, she's unavailable to his deepest wishes. it's... easier to tell the heart that, to let go.)

tangentially, something else i unironically love about their relationship is that in most other corrin ships, she's the active party by default of being the main character (and the player being able to choose who they want to romance).

here though: the mentor/mentee (among others) power tilt sharply flavors it in his direction. i don't think there's another Fates ship that has this vibe (Yukimura, maybe, given he helped raise her early on? but Corrin has less memories there.) gunter's not afraid to lead, and what's real interesting is that corrin leans into it. given the sheer confusion, terror, and everything going on in the games-i think corrin seizes onto that strength and protection like an anchor.

wait for it…. wait for it……

:')

go get him, baby.

8))))))))

so there's meta posts elsewhere on gunter's sheer guarded quality romantically elsewhere in the My Room lines. the man straight up apologizes for kissing corrin, versus some of the other characters which are a lot more sexually forward.

which is really interesting to compare and contrast to his JP supports where he actually blurts his confession to her without the careful prompting; he's much more forward there to some degree.

honestly, it's a really sad? the man doesn't even have the luxury of a true "yes, you" from her.

Kamui: Eh!? W-what kind of question is that… Gunther: A promise is a promise. Please answer the question. Kamui: Y-yeah, all right… I don’t have anyone like that… Gunther: I see. Then, what about someone like me? Kamui: W-what? Gunther: You are the only woman that I have loved. Kamui: Huh? G-Gunther-san? Gunther: I intended to carry that thought with me to the grave… but it seems I wasn’t able to keep my feelings towards you under control…. I feel more clear-headed now. So, Kamui-sama. Please reject my offer. I will be able to be at peace after being rejected. Someday, you will find a good man to be with. For me, being able to confess my feelings is enough.

this is one of the biggest reasons I read Revelation with a one-sided longstanding (romantic) pining from his side; so many weird little camera angle decisions suddenly make sense, and apparently there was a paired ending between them that WAS coded in there sometime in development but got axed partway through.

(god, can you imagine what that would have been like? How cool would it have been to have a conversation similar to Jill in FE9 where you can actually have the enemy recruit her, and then you have to recruit her back only if she has an A-support with somebody. Imagine only being able to rescue Gunter back if you had a A or S support.)

anyway I don't know how much of that is cultural versus treehouse trying to "soften" any consent issues (bruh, it's already freak nasty :P) vs something else i'm not taking into consideration. not going to go as far to say he's a different character, but it does give a wildly different flavor to the S-support.

(i also feel like i need to post the link to the obligatory analysis essay on the "you are the only woman I have loved." line which is. ironically. a lie.)

anyway, back to the EN version:

;___;

here, he apologizes again. god, the guilt and the shame that he's working through... it's all very carefully deniable and worded, but they both know exactly what they're talking about.

Corrin: Gunter, you should throw the ball again. Gunter: Excuse me, milady? Corrin: If I don't catch it, you'll have to ask something of me again… And I can guess that it will be "Can we be together?"

;________________;

(she knows her old man so, so well.)

Gunter: Corrin… Corrin: It's all or nothing, Gunter! You'd better throw that ball really high! Gunter: Very well. This ball may well touch the sun before it comes back! Gunter: I think you missed that one on purpose, but I suppose I have to ask now; Will you please… marry me?

;A;;;;;;

[bisluthq]

I think I’m sort of in the middle? Taylor knows the amount of hate her exes get when she does these things, it’s not like she’s unaware of her “power”. So in situations like this, and other stuff like the Ginny and Georgia tweet, it does feel like she wants her fans to actively hate on people. But at the same time, she’s built her whole career on sharing her experiences with people and that’s why people relate so much to her. She’s dialed that back so much since the earlier days, she doesn’t do the secret messages anymore. I saw a video the other day showing that debut had “to all the boys who thought they could break my heart, guess what? Here are 14 songs written about you. HA.”. She’s not doing that anymore, probably because she’s a 34 year old woman, but still. She’s clearly dialed that back and it doesn’t look like she’s actively trying to attack anyone. I don’t know where the line is between sharing your story and sending your fans to undeservingly attack your ex. I would also like to add that people exaggerated how good Joe was, he had to be the best at literally everything. If Joe didn’t complain about that, he can’t complain about people making him out to be worse than he actually is. It also makes sense that when Taylor put him on such a high pedestal (again, higher than he should’ve probably been), and then fans put him on an even higher one (Taylor mentioned many problems even in the good songs that I feel fans ignored), that the fall from it would be even bigger. Fans talk about him as if he betrayed them. They’re mad at him because they thought he was perfect and, since Taylor can do no wrong, they have to blame him for anything and everything that could have gone wrong. I think Taylor is at fault for making her fan base what it is, but she also couldn’t have possible known, as a petty 16 year old, that it would ever come to this. So idk, there are some things she might be able to do, but I don’t think they would help that much

I agree with literally EVERYTHING you’ve said (except that there are things she can do bc idk what those would be lol). The reason I was personally so invested in T/J is the songs NEVER made him - or her - out to be perfect and it felt like such a real relationship that was so wonderfully open to us. She made it very clear IN THE SONGS that he’s moody, that he gets cold sometimes and pulls away, that he can be a little sanctimonious and that he can be a little flirtatious with other girls but it never goes further than that. That’s all in the lyrics. And those aren’t great qualities but like come on, you’re never gonna find someone perfect and for 6.5 years-ish it worked. She also made it clear that she’s moody and temperamental and overreacts to shit, that she wants to be acknowledged for the goddess that she is (which imo she is but like I see why when you’re living with her you wouldn’t necessarily feel that way every day), that she takes a lot of things super personally, that she’s petty and a lil basic and that she’s got a whole host of other issues. That’s ALL like FROM HER LYRICS. That’s WHY I was invested in that relationship. Because it was the first time I heard an artist in real time speak through something that was weird and complex and flawed but obviously beautiful??? And I did kinda feel like a friend lol ngl because she shared so much. It almost felt like my friend K’s relationship (the one that kinda set me up with my now bf like she introduced us not expecting a romantic connection but lol neither were we - she was just like “I know you two would have fun together because you’re so similar”) where I constantly think they’re about to break up but I also wouldn’t be shocked if they outlast my bf and me because we… have our own cockroaches in our heads and shit lol and we’re both very temperamental people and like we say this is forever (hence the bracelets) but like what is forever lol yk? He’s tried forever before and failed and I’m personally not willing to commit to that.

fans chose to ignore the lyrics and focus on her telling sessioners he’s the perfect boyfriend which like… should remind fans that sessioners aren’t her friends lol. No one is perfect. She wasn’t claiming he is in the music - which imo is very honest from her POV and that’s why *I* love her. She obviously wasn’t going around claiming that to her friends (“I talk shit with my friends”). But like when she met with randoms wtf else do you want her to say??? Do you meet random people and tell them like “my partner is ok for the most part like I’ll stay but he/she pisses me off sometimes”?

as for connecting all this to teen Taylor idk what you expect lol like do u want a teenage girl to like… not hate her exes??? Especially ones who cheated on her (Samx6) or who moved on really quick (not domestic violence Drew)?? Like obvi she was pissed off and she didn’t expect it to get to… this when she was lol.

but yeah I agree with your thesis and like idk Swifties are weird and if you listen to the music and like apply it to your life she makes the best music in the world imo. I’m not as invested in T/TK as T/J yet because I don’t have the music. It’s the music that really makes me love her. If you don’t love her music or don’t understand it and just like harass her exes like that’s ok the internet is a wild place go ahead but idk if you’re a fan of the music/artist or you’re just a weird person on the internet (of whom there are many).

[delivish]

fic year in review

i have written 75,313 words this year, not counting the 20k+ in the two chapters i've added to ypiac since i started working on it again.

i started writing consistently in april/may, after not doing any creative writing for 6 or 7 years — it often felt like an uphill battle, but to say i'm super proud of picking this up again is an understatement. :')

one thing i want to focus on is putting out a lot more complete, polished stories. i have very much always been a "vibes first" person when it comes to writing and find meticulous planning and outlining very, very tedious. but on the flip side, i often find myself running out of steam on things that would have turned out much better if i had only taken the time to do ~some~ planning.

this, unfortunately, is the case with this vampire fic; while i still really enjoy the concept, the execution is lacking, imo. D: i didn't want to delete it, so i added to my 'crapolaeldel' collection — basically, a personal graveyard of fics that, for whatever reason, were either poorly done and will eventually be rewritten, or i never intend to finish and i'm tossing a rose over their graves. fortunately, there's only the vampire fic and one ancient clyde/butters thing i'm keeping for sentimental reasons in the collection, and i plan to keep it that way. sorry to everyone who read and liked that vampire fic!! D: good news is, i can and will do better. i'm already working on remixing the vampire/monster fic, because, well, if you're gonna write some monsterfucking, why half-ass it? :P

i have a list of upcoming fics on my pinned post. in an effort to get better quality things rolling, i'm going to be writing a bunch in advance, which will — hopefully — translate to more regular updates once these fics are ready to be posted. at least, that's the plan xD I get excited to share stuff, ngl

mostly, just feeling super grateful to have rediscovered a hobby i enjoyed so much. here's to a productive, non-writer's blocked year!!

oh, and here's the summary for the new Monster Fic™:

The year is 1926, and in a world where monsters and magic are as common as the air we breathe, rookie “paranormal exterminator” Leopold “Butters” Stotch, along with allies new and old, soon find themselves in a race against time to save the world against an enemy no one ever expected.

until next time!! :D

[waywardstation]

What’s your opinion about the final episode of Hisuian Snow? (Have you also seen the artworks seen in the Japanese/Korean ending? They’re soooo cool and beautiful!!)

The final episode reminded me how much I appreciate and enjoyed Cyllene in the game! I was verrry suspicious of her at first but once she showed how caring she actually is beneath the cool exterior I felt bad for ever doubting her.

Also Ingo 🤝 Cyllene having some to a lot of parental feelings towards protag.

ngl I would be so happy to have her show up in a fic at some point as well. Showing her strict but still caring side to Akari and maybe Ingo and Cyllene interacting… but don’t mind me.

I LOVED the final episode of Hisuian Snow!!

Review below!

It checked off a lot of things I predicted and hoped to see!

Alec going to the space time rifts

Zorua (now a Zoroark) saving him from the alpha Garchomp

Zoroark keeping Alec’s mask and returning it (even though I wanted to see this, I didn’t expect this to happen at all. I’m glad it did!)

AND PLA CHARACTER APPEARANCES!!

Look as a Zisu enjoyer I was LIVING; I was so happy to see her appearing in so many scenes!! I really do love Zisu so it made my day!! And CYLLENE! I loved her in this episode, the VA they got for her was perfect!

And of course Cyllene holding her future-companion abra!! So cute!!

The whole episode was fantastically done.

The visuals were stunning as well, and I expected nothing less seeing as how beautiful the first two episodes were. That fight between the Alpha Garchomp and the Ambomasnow parents was one of my favorite segments from the whole series. The animation was so high-quality and detailed! I would not be surprised if they rotoscoped over an animated cgi model for the Garchomp. Lovely work, it made for a terrifying monster.

Seeing Cyllene show such care for Alec was great; no wonder she became the captain! Loved seeing her leadership skills in this short. Haha your comparison with Ingo is my favorite Anon.

Overall, I appreciated the ending. Alec’s relationship with his father has strengthened in many ways, and the future of Jubilife is obviously bright.

And I loved the shiny hisuian handful fox mask that Alec’s father made for him at the end, I’ve already redeemed it in my copy of PLA! I don’t wear the masks but they are very pretty.

The short made me question the timeline a little bit more though. Jubilife is only two years old, and Cyllene does not seem to be captain yet, so it’s just at the beginning it seems, before the PLA protag even comes. I was wrong about that!

But the artwork in the credits show Irida and Adaman younger. Adaman seems to be even younger than Irida, so perhaps these are from different times, and are just personal snapshots of them.

But yes, as I’ve already seemed to answer, I have seen the credits artworks!! They’re all so sweet!! Laventon and Cyllene’s are my favorite!

I do wish we saw more of the wardens. I was really hoping to see something more about Ingo’s predicament haha. But we got an image of Palina and Mai!

Overall, fantastic episode, fantastic series. Loved every second of it and I will be rewatching it a lot!!

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 311: Hand Gun

Previously on BnHA: Horikoshi was all “thinkin’ about dropping in some woke analogies of the very real and very presently relevant issue of racial profiling idk what do you guys think” and then shrugged and did it without waiting for an answer, and ngl it was a bit sudden, but I’m here for it. All Might was all “DEKU YOU NEED TO EAT” and Deku was all “OKAY” and took his hero bento and went to go stand dramatically on a tower in the rain whilst having some highly anticipated Vestige flashbacks. OFA II was all, “sup, I guess I’m not Kacchan... OR AM I,” and ngl I think he is?? Alternate universes anybody?? Hello??? But anyway, so OFA the First a.k.a. Yoichi was all “remember that time you guys rescued me from my evil brother and Two took my hand and we Had A Moment?”, and Two and Three were all “ahh yeah good times”, and it was very nice and very, very gay. The chapter ended with it being very unclear if Two and Three have actually lent their power to Deku yet or not lmao. Y’all need to get your shit together dudes.

Today on BnHA: Horikoshi is all “what if I gave a random bad guy a fucking tommy gun that shoots nails” and jesus christ calm down son. The Hawksquad, a.k.a. SQUAWK as per @hotchocolatier​, are all “time to drive aimlessly around town acting like Deku has a restraining order on us because that’s literally the best plan to combat the League we could come up with,” and I have no further comment. Hawks is all “idk about you guys but I want to know more about AFO and Tomura’s whole deal” and I can’t remember the last time I identified so strongly with one of these characters. All Might is all, “[EXPLODES???]”, and the chapter ends with that mysterious hot girl from the Tartarus breakout being all “HELLO I CAN TURN INTO A GUN AND I LITERALLY DON’T GIVE A FUCK” and (1) WOW, and (2) IT’S TRUE, SHE CAN, AND SHE REALLY DOESN’T. GODDAMN.

(ETA: so this wholly escaped my notice on the first go, and also has nothing to do with the chapter itself, but I only just realized that this chapter was scanlated by a new group, TCB Scans. they actually did a very good job, and I’m curious if they’ve found a new RAW provider, because the quality this week is actually crazy good in comparison to what we’ve been dealing with for the past few months. I’m gonna have to get caught up on what exactly happened here lol.)

so what will it be this week? more Vestige antics? more of Sad Nomad Deku standing on buildings and pretending like he’s some cool aloof antihero, as if he could fool us when we all know his hero backpack is secretly stuffed full with his nerd diaries and the remnants of all the hero bentos that All Might keeps giving him?? or, just putting it out there, just a crazy thought, but you don’t suppose we might actually cut back to U.A.? mmm. side-eyes emoji

maaaaaan I’m starting to get tired of this trend of beginning chapters by dropping in on random power-tripping civilians and/or Shindou lol. just once can we get a chapter that opens with someone I actually give a fuck about

oh at least Endeavor is here

A WHAT SUPPORT ITEM!??! HOLY SHIT DDLKJSLFKJL

lol somehow that’s more terrifying than bullets for me?? like I’m fully aware that bullets will fuck you up way worse and that in real life nail guns probably don’t work like this AT ALL and only have a range of like... hold up let me just google... up to 100 to 150 m/s and distances of up to 500m wait WHAT

okay wait. hold up. like I was expecting google to tell me nail guns only shoot a few feet at most, and instead the first search result is some CDC blog article that’s “dispelling” the “””myth””” -- please note my repeated sarcastic quotation marks -- that nail guns can fire 1400 feet per second, by explaining that actually they can fire anywhere from 315 ft/sec to 1,295 ft/sec, and that “it is in the pneumatic nail gun user’s best interest to handle these tools as if they were a firearm despite having a lower velocity” dlkjdslkjflkl

SO THAT SCENE IN IRON MAN 3 WHERE TONY RAIDS A HOME DEPOT AND BUYS A BUNCH OF RANDOM TOOLS AND SHIT AND GOES ON TO STAGE A ONE-MAN INVASION OF AN INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST’S FLORIDA MANSION HQ IS ACTUALLY TRUE. YOU’RE TELLING ME THAT THE FILM “HOME ALONE” IS ACTUALLY A DOCUMENTARY. “the Discovery Channel television program “Mythbusters” compared the penetration capacity of an airborne projectile shot from a pneumatic framing nail gun to that of a 9mm hand gun” HELLO YES AND A MERRY “WHAT THE FUCK” TO YOU AS WELL

anyway, so. there’s apparently a reason why the Number One hero, who can burn people with the intensity of a sun going supernova, is hiding here behind this concrete support column making frowny faces. nope. nuh uh. he ain’t about that. I don’t blame you buddy

so now he’s barrel rolling out of his hiding place and setting this dude THE FUCK ON FIRE because HELL NO. BAD ENOUGH I HAD TO WATCH THAT FUCKING MUSHROOM EPISODE LAST WEEK! YOU TAKE THAT SHIT SOMEWHERE ELSE

LOL look at his face

I know the context is actually him being all “I know I’m responsible for basically everything that happened and so that’s why I’m so grim and serious about this mission to set things right piece by piece,” but in my mind this pissed-off face is 100% all because this dude tried to shoot his eye out with a nail gun. look at that. you made him go full flame face again. beard and all. protecting his face so that it can hopefully melt any stray nails that get too close. nope nope nope

good lord. so what’s up next. let me guess the guy fighting Best Jeanist has like an atomic chainsaw or some shit

lol nope we’re just cutting back to Hawks and Jeanist chilling in the Jesla after they’ve wrapped things up

Jeanist has got some serious Groot energy you guys jesus christ he’s like 12 feet tall

oh snap someone threw a pipe at him now

today is just the chapter of Endeavor being assaulted by random DIY tools I guess

I mean, I get why they’re pissed at him obviously; I would be too lol. but tbh I also don’t really understand the “get out of here we don’t want your help” attitude that all of these people suddenly seem to have?? like it if were me, I would be fucking DEMANDING for him and the other heroes to be working round the clock to fix their stupid mess. I mean who else is gonna do it?? it’s their mess, I sure don’t want to be the one to clean it up instead. anyways but whatever lol

oh shit?

so they haven’t dropped the whole “OFA secret potentially gets revealed to the world” thing yet after all. that makes sense I suppose, it did seem like that whole thing wound up playing out a bit too easily

anyway so yeah

the locals are definitely none too happy. well at least Dabi’s got something to be cheerful about I guess

so now we’re cutting to the interior of the Jesla and they’re chitchatting about the current investigation

oh wow this actually makes a bit of sense now. so there was a reason they were keeping their distance from Deku

please note that even in this abstract Endeavor’s-Mental-Image-Of-Him panel, Deku’s eyes still don’t have the light in them anymore :( my poor son

also ftr I still think using Deku as bait in this particular sense is the shittiest idea ever ngl. like sure, let’s let the sixteen-year-old run around battling miscellaneous escaped prison convicts while we stay several kilometers away ON PURPOSE despite the fact that you’re using him as bait to draw out the Big Bad, who just a reminder can destroy anything with a mere touch and who you were all basically helpless against. what exactly are you all planning to do if Tomura or one of the other League VIPs actually shows up to retrieve him?? are you even keeping tabs on him at all in real time?? jesus

(ETA: well that escalated quickly lol.)

Horikoshi is all of a sudden dropping whole pages of exposition here and I can’t be bothered to summarize this lol so just,

a big fat YES to what Jeanist said, though. that’s why imo they would have been better off laying a trap at U.A. rather than just wandering around out in the open. I assume they’re trying to cut their potential losses because U.A. is full of students (and civilians), but those students also happen to be more capable than pretty much anyone else in the manga at this point. and tbh they’re already in life-threatening danger regardless of how things play out from here on, so they might as well at least try to use the few advantages they have right now. U.A. is almost certainly going to come under siege at some point anyway, so they might as well prepare for it

lol I don’t think I’m explaining this very well because I don’t have the patience right now to break it down point by point like it really ought to be, so for now I’ll just say that imo “U.A. siege” stands a good chance of being the eventual endgame even now, and so this whole “Deku runs around being bait” arc is really just killing time until then lol. like and subscribe for more rambling nonsensical takes such as this. maybe next time I’ll even put it all into one single sentence for maximum meandering senior citizen rant value

well it’s nice that they’re finally talking about all of this I guess

we readers have known all of this for months now but this confirms the heroes are finally caught up. ALSO, Hawks is so fucking smart, as always. kinda wonder if things would have played out differently if All Might had let him in on the secret a bit earlier. probably that’s why Horikoshi made damn sure they didn’t find out until after the War arc lol

OH MY GOD YOOOOOO HAWKS OUT HERE ASKING THE REAL QUESTIONS

“anyone else wondering why AFO bothered to raise Tomura as his fake heir for fifteen years when he was secretly planning on taking over his body the whole time” YES, [raises hand] lmao Hawks where the hell were you when I was debating this “AFO is the final villain and Tomura is just his pawn” thing on multiple occasions over the past several years lol

lmao seeing them debate the metaphysics of OFA and all of its mystical bullshit is seriously surreal you guys

JEANIST HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT MY META TAG I HAVE WRITTEN SO MANY ESSAYS. I ACTUALLY WAS PLANNING ON WRITING ANOTHER ESSAY ABOUT THE THING THAT I’M PRETTY SURE HAWKS IS ABOUT TO BRING UP, BUT I NEVER GOT AROUND TO IT WHOOPS, BUT MAYBE I WILL NOW LOL LET’S SEE HOW IT GOES

yes!!

WHICH AFO FUCKING ENSURED HE WOULD BE BY LITERALLY PLANNING OUT EVERY LAST DETAIL OF HIS FAMILY TRAGEDY, FROM SECRETLY GIVING TENKO THE QUIRK TO MAKING SURE NO CIVILIANS OR HEROES WOULD HELP HIM UNTIL AFO FINALLY STEPPED IN. I’M 1000% CONVINCED THIS IS THE CASE YOU GUYS. NOT JUST BECAUSE I’M NOT A FAN OF “THE WORLD IS A FUNDAMENTALLY SHITTY PLACE, ACTUALLY” TAKES BECAUSE MISTER ROGERS TOLD ME TO ALWAYS LOOK FOR THE HELPERS, BUT ALSO BECAUSE IT LITERALLY JUST DOESN’T MAKE A LICK OF SENSE OTHERWISE. THEIR ENTIRE HOUSE CAVED IN FFS, YOU’RE TELLING ME NONE OF THE NEIGHBORS FUCKING OVERHEARD THAT SHIT AND WENT “UMMMMMMMMM” AND WENT TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON?? “DIDN’T THERE USED TO BE A HOUSE HERE, AND LIKE A WHOLE FAMILY, AND SHIT?”

LIKE I’M SORRY, BUT IT’S ONE THING TO SAY IT’S REALISTIC THAT NOT A SINGLE PERSON WOULD ATTEMPT TO HELP THE WANDERING TRAUMATIZED CHILD AFTERWARDS (WHICH I DISAGREE WITH AS WELL BUT AT LEAST THAT’S MORE SUBJECTIVE), AND IT’S A WHOLE OTHER THING TO ARGUE THAT IT’S REALISTIC THAT NO ONE WOULD BE FUCKING NOSY. LIKE THAT’S A WHOLE DIFFERENT LEVEL OF “THAT’S NOT HOW ANY OF THIS WORKS” ENTIRELY LOL. anyway tl;dr AFO is a piece of shit and Tomura’s entire worldview is based on a magnificently intricate and savagely cruel lie more at 11

anyway so after all that ranting it looks like that wasn’t even what Hawks was talking about after all lol. I just went off for absolutely no reason lol oh well. instead it seems that Hawks is suggesting that Tomura’s carefully cultivated hatred might not yet have actually reached “can defeat OFA” levels even after all of that trauma. interesting!

don’t mind me, I’m just sitting here while my brain furiously scrambles to put together all the parallels between Hawks and Tomura that it never noticed before until exactly this second. like I’m not even sure that was the intent here at all (I need to check out another translation or two lol), but regardless my mind decided that now would be the perfect time to make the connection between these two twenty-somethings who both had horrific childhoods and spent years being molded by their respective manipulative guardians, and developed eerily similar “laugh at everything because what else can you do” coping mechanisms to deal with it all hmmmmm

anyway so they were talking more about their strategy, but now all of a sudden Jeanist’s phone is beeping??

AND NOW WE’RE CUTTING AWAY TO ALL MIGHT AND HIS MIGHTMOBILE DAMMIT so that means the call to Jeanist was actually something important then!! WAS IT BAKUGOU OMG. DOES YOUR INTERN WANT A WORD FFFKLFSJK please it’s been so long I just need a little crumb or two to tide me over lmao have mercy

anyway so All Might’s following the GPS tracking device he’s apparently got planted on Deku (which in my conspiracy headcanons he’s actually had for a long time now, like since before DvK2 lol because HOW ELSE WOULD HAVE HAVE KNOWN THAT THEY WERE FIGHTING EACH OTHER IN GROUND BETA, PEOPLE) and thinking angsty thoughts about Deku’s sucky life

AND NOW ALL MIGHT’S PHONE IS RINGING TOO?? BAKUGOU HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE YOU CALLING. “WHERE ARE YOU HIDING THE NERD GODDAMMIT”

OMG

lol is he under attack or is he just finally giving All Might the slip like we all know he SECRETLY PLANNED TO ALL ALONG oh my poor dumb angstmuffin

OMG AHHHHHHH WHAT

DID ALL MIGHT JUST FUCKING DIE LMAO NO OF COURSE NOT, BUT WHAT

WHAT IS HAPPENING OMG

THE FUCK IS THAT. AT LEAST IT’S NOT A NAIL

OH IT’S A SPEAKER!! OMG DID THEY TAKE ALL MIGHT HOSTAGE

“THEY’RE HERE” WELP, TIME TO SEE JUST HOW SHITTY THIS SHITTY PLAN REALLY IS LOL

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

SHE!!!!

omg. AND OVERHAUL JUST CHILLING THERE IN THE BACKGROUND ALL “WHAT DO YOU EVEN WANT ME TO DO I’VE GOT NO FUCKING ARMS” YEAH GOOD RIDDANCE LOL

DOES THIS GIRL HAVE ONE GIANT LEG OR WHAT, LIKE WHAT’S THE DEAL HERE

-- HOLD UP WAIT, THE GUN IS HER ARM, HOLY SHIT SHE CAN TURN INTO A GUN -- OKAY HOLD UP BECAUSE I NEED TO SAY THAT IN BIGGER TEXT BECAUSE !!!!

YOU GUYS, THE COOL TARTARUS GIRL IS BACK AND HER QUIRK IS “CAN TURN INTO A FUCKING GUN.” THIS IS NOT A DRILL!! MY BEST GIRL MT. GUN IS FINALLY BACK ON THE SCENE WITH HER QUIRK “CAN DO ANYTHING A GUN CAN DO.” “I HEARD Y’ALL WENT AND NAMED ONE OF YOUR HEROES ‘GUNHEAD’ EVEN THOUGH HIS HEAD ISN’T EVEN A GUN, LIKE WTF IS UP WITH THAT LET ME SHOW YOU HOW IT’S DONE” DANG OKAY

lmao only fifteen pages this week, and STILL NO KACCHAN (THEN WHO WAS PHONE!!!), but man I don’t even care because finally we’ve got a cliffhanger that’s actually deserving of being a cliffhanger! hot dog. okay then

[pinkasrenzo]

Mid-year book freak out tag

Finally have some time to do this! Thanks @bloody-wonder for the tag💕

1. Best books you’ve read so far in 2022? The Raven Cycle books by Maggie Stiefvater, they just got me. I read them back-to-back in a week or so and they have everything I love in a book, the prose was great and totally fit the overall vibe with that kind of Night Vale-ish feel to it, sort of eerie but also cosy? Can totally see this series becoming a comfort read. All the characters have a special place in my heart and I wasn’t expecting to love all of them so much, I usually have one or two faves but I just, love all the gang and I love how they all love each other and their friendship and just. I love them. So much. Also well planned plot, mysteries where everything is connected and you can see the puzzle forming and everything clicking together, old European folklore (specifically old kings waiting to be woken)?? Sign me the fuck up. I need more. Also I had to get them in hardback and oh they're pretty.

Also, We Both Laughed in Pleasure the diaries of Lou Sullivan, it was incredibly good and moving and so happy? joyful? usually trans memoirs are always sad and bitter, especially when it's about someone living during the AIDS crisis, but this was just so full of joy, specifically joy in being trans and queer and even when it was sad there was always something comforting or hopeful. I'd recommend this to every trans man or transmasc out there (and anyone else really) cause there's so much anger and sadness out there that reading about how good it can be to just get to live your life is, something I've never seen in trans lit and it's just, it warms my heart reading about Lou's life.

2. Best sequels you’ve read so far in 2022? Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey probably. It started out different than the other books, had a broader focus and was a bit confusing at first as a choice but it worked out in the end and it helped in making sense of how it all came together so I appreciated it. Also seeing how the Roci crew story came to its end and how much they’ve all grown and changed since the beginning hit right in the feels. Lletting go of them made me emotional ngl and I’ll definitely re-read the whole series at some point but I couldn’t have asked for a better finale ( even with all the heartbreak and angst and tears it was just. Great.).

3. New releases you haven’t read yet, but want to? Book of Night by Holly Black, the plot is extremely intriguing and looks slightly darker? than her other books so I'm very curious how's it going to be. She's also one of my favorite authors and she's not disappointed yet so I'm trusting her to deliver some Quality.

4. Most anticipated release for second half of 2022? I know Greywaren is coming out in October so I'm waiting for it to get the whole trilogy and get more from TRC universe and I! Am! So! Hype! I don't even have a clue what it's about I just want more of anything TRC kjhgjhk

5. Biggest disappointment? Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg probably. I was expecting heists and some good "be gay do crime" vibes given that it's based on an irl master thief and while it did deliver on the gay it didn't deliver on the crime at all. It was kinda boring? and unnecessarily long and drawn out in some parts, way too focused on the romance (and didn't even develop it properly?) and not enough on the plot, and given that it's a story-within-a-story kind of book with conspiracies and plotting and Big Mysteries tm... it was just Not It. It also kinda read more like an academic text rather than a fiction book, which I get the fictional author is an academic but there are better ways to go about it imo.

6. Biggest surprise? Lou Sullivan's diaries for all the best reasons. I said how joyful it is, but it's also not the usual narrative. His life was messy and his gender journey even more so and I don't think I've ever read something so relatable, like honestly ever. He didn't always know, he didn't write about dysphoria or being trapped in the wrong body or whatever, all his discoveries about himself are always marked by happiness and how right he feels, and how he just loves being a man, loving men and I don't think there's enough lit (gay and/or trans) that focuses on that, the happiness of being trans and gay. I started this book expecting it to be sad (cause, you know, AIDS) but I came out of it feeling happy and with all the negativity often going around trans spaces (specifically gay trans men spaces) it's,,, nice, really nice. I didn't know how much I needed this book until I read it, and I'm so incredibly happy I did.

7. Favorite new authors? I didn't read any book from a new author that made it into my faves yet? I really liked The Singing Hills Cycle by Nghi Vo but I wouldn't say it's fave material, just really good and definitely worth a read. We'll see if second half of 2022 will deliver more :')

8. Newest favorite character? Can I say the Gangsey? Definitely the gang from TRC, I love them all to bits they're my children I'm adopting all of them and Chainsaw and that's that nobody touches them I will protect them with my life.

9. Newest fictional crush? I do am very gay for Jacob Reckless (Reckless by Cornelia Funke) but that's nothing new, it's been going on for years I'm a lost cause at this point smh

10. Book that made you cry? We Are Okay by Nina LaCour made me tear up quite a bit, the way it deals with grief and the importance of solitude and growing up and figuring yourself out it's just *chef's kiss* and the way it's written it's like a warm hug from a friend in front of a fireplace and it's so comforting to read and while the title may seem misleading at first (they are Not Okay) by the end I was left with this cosy feeling that yeah maybe they will be okay after all, and even if life can be a mess sometimes it'll all work out in the end.

Also TRC (specifically the end) but that's just cause I was deep in the feels tm

11. Book that made you happy? Again, Lou Sullivan's diaries <3 queer joy is the best joy.

Also Fairy Oak - Il destino di una fata by Elisabetta Gnone came out this year and it's sort of an extra content collection for my favorite kids series and even if it's been 20? years since I read the series as a kid I still love coming back to the magic and the world in these books and getting to know these tiny little extra details about all the characters and the village I'll never grow tired of it.

12. Favorite book adaptation you saw this year? Haven't read the book but The Handmaiden was so unhinged and chaotic and Great and I loved it, can't believe it took me this long to watch it oh was it good. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was also great, both as an adaptation and as a mini-series, almost as chaotic and unhinged, definitely creepy and unsettling, also the fx were just *chef's kiss* so good. Great vibes all around no complaining here.

Also honourable mention to The Magicians for still making a mess of me on this rewatch.

13. Favorite review you’ve written this year? Bold of you to assume I write reviews.

14. Most beautiful cover? The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon has The Most Beautiful cover I've seen in a while, truly stunning, the colours the dragon, the style is just. Wow.

Also not as stunning but TRC has some truly gorgeous covers seeing them all lined up on the shelf is hhhhhh so. nice.

15. What books do you need to read by the end of the year? I still have A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara in my TBR and I plan on reading this summer but am waiting for my beloved kobo to come back from maintenance. I'm also curious about The Secret History by Donna Tartt after seeing so much of it on my dash, and I wanted to read more quality dark academia so ig it's the perfect book to start with jhjkj. I'm also planning on finally reading Coraline by Neil Gaiman and then I have Le Otto Montagne by Paolo Cognetti which I know absolutely nothing about cause it was a surprise gift from a friend but they promised gay and wilderness and mountains and the cover looks so pretty and winter-y so I'm def hype to read.

I'm tagging @pollyna @bismuth-209 @abramminyard @maybemountains @theblackswanuniverse if you want to do it ^^

[iamnmbr3]

I know you're not happy with the show but making things up is really damaging your reputation. The show is not a failure; it's the biggest launch of any disney+ show so far with the highest ratings. The first trailer has so many views because it's 7 months old, compared to the first episode being out a week and a half. The CGI doesn't look like it was done by a two year old (seriously lmao??). The tesseract looks dull because it powers down once in the TVA. Stop pretending Loki was mind controlled when Marvel confirmed in his character bio that he was emotionally influenced by the scepter. Bucky was mind controlled. Selvig and Hawkeye were mind controlled. Loki was influenced like Banner and the others were by the sceptre when they were around it on the helicarrier. Please consider that care has been taken to make Loki more multifaceted in this show, not OOC - he's just got more emotion and character to him now and feels to me and a lot of others, more like a living, breathing person who is struggling in the immediate aftermath of being shown the most traumatic recap of his life. I'm really sorry you're not happy with him, but his emotional core and inner heartbreak is being treated with love and respect by the show.

Hahahahahahahahhaha oh my god anon this was a funny read. Ngl usually when ppl come clowning in my inbox with incoherent rants I just delete it. But this was some quality clowning. This was just too funny to not share with everyone. So I’m gonna go line by line here.

“I know you're not happy with the show but making things up is really damaging your reputation.”

I’m gonna be real with you anon. This makes me sad because I will never write anything this funny. This made me laugh out loud. My reputation? My reputation?!?! I run a blog on Tumblr dot com. No reputation can recover from that. Also as to making things up? Uh. Where??? Just because you don’t like what I have to say doesn’t mean it’s made up. However with that kind of attitude I think you have a bright future ahead of you working in PR for the GOP. They love people who talk like you.

“The show is not a failure; it's the biggest launch of any disney+ show so far with the highest ratings.”

Ok I literally just talked about that HERE. But let me add a few more points here for your convenience. First of all, Disney+ hasn’t actually been doing that great. In fact Disney’s stock recently fell precisely because Diseny+ has underperformed. It missed growth expectations and none of the shows have attracted that big of an audience. Loki had MASSIVELY more interest than either WandaVision or TFATWS and yet it only drew 890K households for the premier - just barely more than either of those shows got. There haven’t been any numbers released for the episodes after the premier but given how boring and unfunny and uninteresting the premier was, I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of viewers, especially more casual ones, didn’t come back for more.

“The first trailer has so many views because it's 7 months old, compared to the first episode being out a week and a half.”

Incorrect. Trailers get most of their views in the first week, and the vast majority in the first 2 weeks. Indeed, they get the most engagement in the first DAY usually and then it starts slowing. The early trailer that got 18 million views got most of that very quickly and then has grown extremely slowly ever since. The more recent trailers are not tracking to get anywhere near than engagement. Why? Because interest is dropping. Now maybe people just aren’t as interested in the trailers because they’re just happy to watch the actual show now or because they loved the first trailers so much that they decided to watch the show just based on that and didn't want to spoil themselves watching later trailers. Who knows. I certainly have my theories though.

"The CGI doesn't look like it was done by a two year old (seriously lmao??)."

Actually I said the posters looked like they were done by a 2 year old. Most of the CGI looks like cheap made-for-tv effects done by an underpaid and under qualified adult. But go off I guess. Also don’t even try to defend those badly photoshopped posters to me. I have eyes. I could argue with you but a picture is worth a thousand words. And just. Look at this thing! This is real. It’s so bad but it’s real. Who wants this?

"Stop pretending Loki was mind controlled when Marvel confirmed in his character bio that he was emotionally influenced by the scepter.Bucky was mind controlled. Selvig and Hawkeye were mind controlled. Loki was influenced like Banner and the others were by the sceptre when they were around it on the helicarrier"

That’s mind control lmao. The scepter was magically influencing his mind. Do you think emotions come from our feet or something?! (And that’s not even getting into the torture and conditioning he underwent or the fact that the Other had his claws in Loki’s mind and was hurting and threatening him in addition to the mind control). Also why do you think it’s appropriate to come on my blog like this and make these sorts of demands? This is my fandom blog that I run for fun. I can engage however I want. You need to learn to cope with that. If you enjoy the show that’s great. Go enjoy it. Don’t tell other people what to think. That’s not appropriate, reasonable, or healthy. If you find yourself truly unable to cope with strangers having different opinions from you about a tv show based on a comic book I definitely suggest you seek help from a professional.

"Please consider that care has been taken to make Loki more multifaceted in this show, not OOC - he's just got more emotion and character to him now and feels to me and a lot of others, more like a living, breathing person who is struggling in the immediate aftermath of being shown the most traumatic recap of his life."

I don’t see any evidence at all of care being put into the show. The writing and storytelling is incredibly sloppy. It gets even the most basic things wrong - like Loki’s speaking style or the fact that he wasn’t young in the 70s or that he speaks the Allspeak not English or his skin tone or hair length or the fact that Jotun!Loki should’ve had ridges on his skin. The head writer and story creator also is openly disdainful of Loki and talks about how he’s a “shithead” and “proper and pompous” and how he needs to be put in a situation where he has to stop “blaming” Odin and Thor for all his problems. He shows no understanding of Loki’s character or care for it. Maybe care was put into the show and they just messed up but I don’t see evidence of that. There’s certainly no way you could know that for a fact unless you are involved in the production in which case you are a biased source who has an ulterior motive for silencing critics of the show.

Also TV!Loki doesn’t feel like a real person to me at all. He feels like a caricature. He doesn’t act like Loki or do or say the things he would or even stand like he would. Look how Loki behaved when being interrogated by Natasha or when being berated by Odin. Loki is someone who puts on a performance as a sword and a shield. TV!Loki is a stupid clown.

"I'm really sorry you're not happy with him, but his emotional core and inner heartbreak is being treated with love and respect by the show."

No it’s not. It’s being turned into a punchline. The “humor” in the show derives entirely from invalidating Loki’s feelings and retconning his motivations and humiliating and mocking and denigrating him and turning him into a literal punching bag. The show robs the character of all dignity and seriousness and makes a mockery of him and the fans he meant so much to. And for what? The humor isn’t even funny.

[miss-ingno]

Ao3 Tag Game

T1I was tagged by @amethystinawrites! Thank you, friend :D

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Currently 161 total, 62 of which are locked (so you only see 99 if you’re not logged in)

2. What is your total AO3 word count?

As of Oct 25, 2021 I have 898,020 words posted on Ao3.

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

108 works for RTAH RPF, my old main fandom

9 for Guardian (镇魂) which is my current fandom, so expect that number to go up

7 for MCU (including a Jurassic World crossover)

6 for Critical Role (campaign 1 and 2)

6 for Yu-Gi-Oh! (tho most of them are archived from my FFnet days)

5 Dragon Age: Inquisition and 3 Dragon Age II fics

4 for Lazer Team (a RT movie)

4 in Disney’s Descendants (I really should finish the Juma blind date fic)

2 in Harry Potter (both archived from FFnet, a drabble collection + a YGO! crossover)

1 in Assassin’s Creed (the only one I was proud enough to crosspost from FFnet to Ao3 when I made my account, the other archiving happened later :’D)

1 for Leverage (a small OT3 thingie)

1 for Sense8

1 unfinished WIP for The Untamed, which really, I need to get back to

1 Teen Wolf one (never watched the show but read all the fic lol)

1 in Stargate SG-1 (which is a Critical Role crossover, not a pure one)

a very short and unfinished Naruto fic

also a handful of DnD ficlets and 2 stories set in Vigilante2890, a sci-fi comic that doesn’t have a fandom tag (yet) so it’s under Original Work in the drop down menu

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Partners in Crime

Blindfold

The Dwight Timing

Take No Prisoners (Take No Shit)

Just Let Me Know If You Want It (It’s Strictly Physical)

The first 4 are all from RTAH days and contain Mr. Persona Non Grata so I hope I’ll get popular work in other fandoms to dethrone them some day 😅 I’m still proud of my writing - but also Prisoner is my oldest and first in that fandom and doesn’t stand up to my current level of quality/scrutiny RIP but it was also the first time I a) hit 30k in a fic and b) finished a chaptered WIP

Strictly Physical, on the other hand, holds up well enough and honestly kinda sad I didn’t stick around DAII/Fenders fandom for longer because those two were one hell of a ship :D

5. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes! For one, getting comments leaves me super excited and I want to give that feeling back. For another, I love engaging with readers/my stories/others’ stories, so I also appreciate it when an author replies to my comments, thus I do it, too.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Ohhh hm. I tend to go for happy or at least hopeful endings, so let me think.

Eternal Eclipse ends on something of a bittersweet note - it’s hopeful, but the lovers aren’t reunited, and grievances are aired but not necessarily comforted? I tried for soft (I really wanted a happy ending) but decided I should do that in a sequel, which I’m now not gonna write, so :’) we’re stuck with this ending I guess.

And Blood Alone Remains has a different ending for each character because I was playing with the characters all being at a different point in their arcs. So the last scene ends with someone just starting their second act, and another character being thrown in danger, while the main character’s story is more or less wrapped up, but her love interest’s is at a low point...? (I really really loved this concept ngl)

7. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve ever written?

Yes! “Craziest” is probably the very short MCU/RTAH thing I did, but the one I’m most proud of is definitely the SG-1/Critical Role fic (Pike and Grog meeting the SG-1 team!)

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I tend to receive more generalized anon hate on tumblr, but I’ve gotten a couple questionable comments before. Which I only recall vaguely because I went ahead and pretty much deleted immediately, so I can’t even say what they were about in hindsight. So I guess deleting them worked to delete them from my brain? :’)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yep! All kinds, kinky shit, whatever I’m in the mood for or is fascinating to me. I’m super into a/b/o and d/s stuff, in particular. I’ve got a heat!fic I’m nearly done with that’ll go up soon, and a roleplay cop/arrested scene that’s about halfway done. Kink negotiations are also always fun ngl

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I’m aware of! But I’ve had a fic “inspire” another very closely before where in hindsight, I kinda wish I’d reacted more strongly, but I didn’t want to offend, and there were differences, it wasn’t straight up plagiarism? Idk that’s always a hard case in fandom.

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! With the lovely @itskaysno <3 And I’m pretty much always down for collabs! ...if I have the time lol. There’s been a couple writers I was planning to work together with, but then we moved on to different fandoms or life didn’t sync up for long enough to work it out sadly </3

12. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Right now, I’m stuck in Weilan hell and not leaving, because it’s cozy and warm down here, okay.

13. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

That would be Yu-Gi-Oh! My very first fics were in German on animexx way back when. I started in YGO! roleplay forums, and then wanted a story to continue where my RP partner dropped out, so I rewrote the whole thing

14. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I’m really proud of how Dark Stars, Burning Hearts turned out ngl

and it’s probably cheating if it’s a WIP, but I have great hopes for the Arranged Marriage AU and I’m living for the bits I’ve already written 👀 this is how the war is won is also up there, and I’m looking forward to finishing it (hopefully soon) so I can share!

*takes a deep breath* *rubs hands* Alright! Tagging @itskaysno @ganglylimbs @shadeofazmeinya @sorcererinslytherin @sailorbryant @kahnah23 @midwintersong @fornhaus @elenothar @sasamelons @bird-armadda @buriedbybooks @uy8hg @ishipallthings and anyone else who wants to play!

[aphrodite-would-be-proud]

I just read the Erwin date scenarios and it’s so hood AGH could you please do one for armin? Plz 😚

You read my mind👀 ngl I think about Armin each time I write something for Erwin, despite them being alike i like to compare the differences and think they have different tastes and love languages.

Erwin strikes me a more act of services and gift giving guy while Armin would definitely go for words of affirmation and quality time.

Type of dates with Armin PT.1 {pt.2 in masterlist}

{ Armin x reader | tw: none | fluff, romance | modern }

{ "in bloom" by Abbott Fuller Graves 1859–1936 }

Ideal dates : these are dates he plans up ahead, makes sure they go smoothly and you're both are having fun. He really looks forward to these dates, they're like an event for him. He saves them up for important occasions like your anniversary, valentine's day, birthday, etc.

1. Spending a full day on the beach: when i say a full day I mean it, he's driving you there really early in the morning while you're struggling to stay awake in the passenger seat. He doesn't even need coffee he's running on 100% pure determination and will.

You'd arrive before anyone there, to get the best spot of course. It's close enough to the sea that you can feel the humidity of the water in the air, yet far enough from the rest of the beach that other people won't bother you.

He'd understand if you were too sleepy to help him set things up, he'd just kiss your forehead before letting you go back to sleep, promising he'll get you something to drink when the stores open.

You wake up to the smell of your favourite hot drink, just around 8am. The sun is up and the air is refreshing, you can hear the quiet chatter of people far away just arriving here. You sip your drink as Armin guides you to the small comfortable space he made, proudly showing off his work.

Please praise him and give him a kiss on the cheek, he will melt.

The rest of the day is spent with you two swimming lazily in the water, feeling the warm sunlight on your skin. Collecting whatever pretty seashell you see, using some to decorate the sandcastle Armin built with you. He takes a pictures of you at seemingly random moments, he promises to show you when he devolps them later.

You help him dry his hair afterwards, he take you to get ice cream. Despite getting you one too, he still ends up sharing his own with you, and if you're up for seconds he'd happily oblige.

When night falls and the people began leaving, the waves of the ocean get a little higher, wind turning colder. Don't worry, Armin thought about that, that's why he brought blankets.

He'd wrap you both in the same one, even holding you close to him, it's for warmth he says and yet he seems like he was looking forward for this. You help him in making a small bonfire, he brought marshmallows.

The rest of the night is spent with you laying against him while huddled in a blanket, looking at the heavens above and the constellation of the stars.

He takes your hand in his, guiding your finger to where polaris is. "It never changes" he says "no matter what" and from that star, he guides you through the formation of the little dipper.

Just right under it, directly under the polaris, begins the big dipper, a close replica to its little sister.

You spend hours like this, looking at the stars as new formations come and go with the time. You were early enough to catch Aries as it was leaving, pleiades, the seven sisters shining brightly next to it.

And just after midnight it was Sirius turn to say goodbye. That's when both of you decided to call it a night, he hugged you close to him, you could feel his heartbeat slowing down, he was oh so warm and tasted just like chocolate and marshmallows when you kissed goodnight.

2. Going on an adventure and trying new things: Armin has the need to try new things and gain new experiences, despite being someone who prefers small groups of friends and getting lost in a book than socialising. It's something that's been a part of him since he was a child, he wants to experience what the world has to offer and won't say no despite how utterly terrifying it can be to him.

And he wants to have those experiences with you, to share his love for the unknown with you, to see your reactions and share his own thoughts. The only thing that's better than going on adventures to him is going on adventures with you.

An adventure could be anything really, it could be going diving underwater or going to that creepy looking supermarket that never closes, you never know. An adventure is an adventure after all. The possibilities are endless.

So don't be surprised when he asks for you to go with him sky diving for his birthday despite knowing how terrfied he is of heights and how even a carnaval ride can make him sick.

Good or bad he doesn't care, he just wants to try and learn everything. He's full of curiosity and surprises that you'd never get bored, although a good thing about him is that he never is unprepared.

Yes he will take you on seemingly dangerous adventures but know that he really deeply thought about this before hand and is prepared for all the different scenarios that could happen, he likes the unknown but he's smart and cautious on how to approche it.

Not to mention that a single adventure can leave him satisfied for a long time before craving a new rush, probably once or twice a year. Just frequent enough to be something to look forward to but not too frequent that it becomes boring or too repetitive, he manages to keep that balance and walk on that thin line.

3. Hot air ballon ride: just imagine, it's early autumn, the weather is just right to wear those cozy yet good looking clothes, the earth seems like it's turning slower than usual as the trees change colours.

Around sunrise or sunset, both of you are high up in the air, the sun clearly in view with the golden clouds surrounding it. The world managing to look so small yet so vast at the same time.

Armin is wearing his favourite sweater and scarf combo, he's holding your hand in his pocket to keep it warm. It's just you and him isolated from the rest of the world like other people dont exist anymore, and strangely he's okay with that, at peace even.

He brings a camera and captures how the sun reflects in your eyes, how the chilly air makes you rub your hands together for warmth and how utterly breathtaking you look.

Beautiful, gorgeous even, these are the only thoughts in his mind at that moment.

And so Armin made a promise to himself that in the far future, when he wants to be even closer to you, to vow his life to yours, he'd propose on a hot air balloon.

But as much as he likes staying up in the air with you being his angel, the process of booking a ride is much more complicated and time consuming than he originally thought. Meaning he doesn't get to enjoy these rare heavenly moments as he wants to.

He needs to make reservations in advance, not to mention how important it is to choose a trustworthy company. Lastly how rides depend on the weather conditions, needing to reschedule if the weather takes a turn to the worse.

4. Visiting the aquarium or planetarium: he's just a boy with oceans for eyes and stars in his smile, can you really blame him for gravitating towards these places? Or for diving too deep in knowledge about the sky above and sea below?

Whenever the weather is too harsh for a beach trip or the sky is too cloudy for a stargazing night, these two places are his to go backups.

He's memorised the place like the back of his hand, no need for a map. Want to see the shark tanks and how they're doing? He'll take you there and introduce to them and the silly nicknames he gave them. Or how about saying hello to the dolphins who'll show off some moves just for your attention, or maybe you miss seeing the adorable penguins wobble around?

He knows endless facts about each fish kind, he makes it seem so fascinating and the way he phrases the information and coats them in milk and honey makes it impossible for you not to engage.

You both could have a slow with few words spoken walk and it still be as interesting, he'd even make special playlists to listen to while walking around and sharing his earphones.

Meanwhile at the planetarium, sometimes in the early mornings you'd run into kids just arriving for their school trip. Racing each other to the solar system panel and looking in amazement when the stars show begins. You and Armin have a nostalgic feeling when watching them, yet when you look at each other you remember how good it feels like to be grown and have someone special.

You never could get bored of seeing the stars, especially not with Armin.

5. Trying a new kind of art: one time you asked him what does he think the meaning of art is, what even is art?

"Art is communication" he said.

Armin has a deep love and appreciation for all kind of art, from classic oil canvas paintings to old greek sculptures. He doesn't pick a side, he likes both the modren and classic.

Music is art, writing is art and even making pottery is a form of art too. He wants to experience it, not for a need to acolmplish something or to rival Shakespeare, but for a need to communicate his emotions in a more subtle and personal way.

Like a secret language only he can decipher the meaning of, after all he was the one to create it.

Whenever he tries a new form of art, his usual fear of failure and absurdly high expectations actually go out the window. There isn't good and bad art, there's just different levels of communication and different styles.

So to him, the act of bringing you both some watercolours and cotton papers to paint on for a date is incredibly intimate, that's his true feelings and emotions he's showing you. But don't worry, he isn't here to take the whole thing seriously, he's actually playful and mellow most of the time.

Or maybe he'd like to make pottery with you, an excuse to put his hands around yours while sitting intimately close, maybe even give your shoulder a couple kisses while you shape the vase you agreed on making.

The next day, you find the finished vase near the window with a sunflower arrangements inside.

It also could be you two sitting next to each other, working together on a page of an adult colouring book or maybe to each one his own book. He'd hog the color blue most of the time so watch out, and don't lend him yours because he will hog it too.

Or maybe as a fun past time, you'd both attempt to make poetry, expect you're getting more and more drunk on the fruit flavoured beer he brought with him. You had fun laughing while reading what you came up with the next morning.

6. Going fruit picking in summer: it's his favourite way to celebrate the arrival of his favourite season, wear something light, pack some lemonade and go enjoy what mother nature has to offer.

You two would walk around in the fields, he's wearing a straw hat to block the sun, he thinks it looks better on you. Both of you looking at the fruits waiting to be picked, choosing the really unique shaped ones, the colourful ones and the especially delicious looking ones.

You might meet some small friends along the way, like a couple ladybugs that were crawling up Armin's arm. Two butterflies dancing in the air and even a frog that's taking a walk from its lake home nearby.

Going home that day with baskets full of different fruits waiting for your use, Armin and you discuss all the different ways you could use them for, like making delicious smoothies, or maybe saving them for baking a pie or cake. Maybe cutting them in small bites and covering them with different kinds of chocolate, maybe just making a fruits salad to enjoy while Armin reads you a book

Or maybe, maybe just washing them and eating them raw. Yeah that option sounds the most appealing after a day of walking through fields in the sun.

He'd feed you some, push them against your lips and smile when your eyes subtly light up at the sweet taste....maybe a kiss after so he could taste it too?

[rinnepegger]

for the matchup event! Obey me please💕

Fave music genre: i listen to all kinds but spotify wrapped tells me my #1 is pop rock

Childhood memory:

When i was about 8 our class had a sleepover at school. The best part was a game of “whole school hide and seek” which is pretty self explanatory- we were allowed to hide absolutely anywhere in the school. I had the biggest fattest juiciest crush on one of the boys and we hid together for most of the rounds. For one round we hid in the staff room under a table in the back corner that was covered by a cloth so we were completely hidden. There was loads of junk under that table and we sat facing each other holding hands to balance (highlight of my little 8 year old life). Anyway we ended up confessing that we had lil crushes on each other as we were sat there and he asked if we could kiss. Little me was like HELL YES SIR and we leaned in..... and at that very moment a spider dropped down between us. i freaked out and ended up whacking the spider onto his face and i dived out from under that table so fast because i H A T E spiders. One of the kids who was now a seeker also walked into the staff room at that moment and saw me on the floor panicking and i got caught in the game of hide and seek on top of being cockblocked by a spider🥲

i’m a dog person (but i like cats too).

General qualities of someone I’d like: hard working, passionate about what they do, someone i can have intelligent conversations with but also act really stupid with, supportive. Honestly I like someone a little hard to get, i like the chase (that’s my toxic trait lmao).

I attended a Christian Co-Ed primary school if that counts?

I sleep with 3 pillows - 2 under my head and hugging the other one. I roll about in my sleep tho so the third one always ends up on the floor :)

Thank you🥰

YAYY thanks for participating in the event!!#!+!# I cannot believe your 8yesrold self MISSED THE OPPORTUNITY TO KIISS HUM????? HRLLO???? But whatever I bet now you're hyperfixated on dating games because you missed out on all the action LOL but here's your matchup!

I match you with... (🥁 🥁 🥁 🥁)

Solomon!!#!!

Yes! Solomon! The immortal unhinged somewhat absolutely insane man!

Solomon doesn't necessarily have a life goal since he's immortal, but that's besides the point; he loves what he does and will do anything to drag you into his mess.

He loves teaching you about alchemy and potions, and won't hesitate to offer his help whenever it seems like you need it.

On the other hand, I'm very much confident that he can have conversations as stupid as possible; at times he can get absolutely insane and borderline unhinged, but hey! That adds to his charm right?

He's entirely open to listening about you and your current interests, and is more than willing to indulge you in anything you'd like

If he's only able to spend a tiny fraction of his life with you, he's gonna make it count and do his best to ensure that both of you are at your absolute happiest when together !

He's into sporadic, last minute dates, but he does enjoy the occasional fancy restaurant visits. Maybe consider pissing Lucifer off? Sounds pretty fun to me ngl.

Solomon is into physical affection, always having an arm wrapped around your waist; occasionally hugging you from behind when you least expect it as well. However if you appear to be uncomfortable, he'd be more than willing to discuss your boundaries.

Prior to dating, he won't lie when he says that he noticed that you may have a tinyyy crush on him. He might act oblivious and hard to get, occasionally putting you two in a compromising position.

He likes drawing out exciting reactions from you, or anyone in general. He's a tease, especially to you when he found that he had a growing crush on you. However, he'll leave how the relationship unfolds up to you. He doesn't plan on confessing before you; what's so bad about toying with you for just a while more?

[tellywoodtrash]

TT, what are your overall thoughts on QH 2.0? I really liked Kabhi chemistry and funny/romantic portions of the show, but the plot was kinda predictable. What did you feel bout it? Have a good weekend!

Hi hi anon! 🤗🤗🤗

Lol, achcha hua you sent in this ask, coz I was meaning to make a post about it anyway. 😊😊😊

Man, I quiiiite liked the show. I didn’t expect to like it as much; esp. coz these reboot thingys never really work for me, usually the characters are just there (literally) in name, with absolutely none of the things we loved about them in the original. But this series did a really good job of bringing back everything we loved about Zoya and Asad; and even made it better (Asad is not a perpetually angry asshole this time, just merely withdrawn and exasperated, but fully in control of his emotions. Except when it came to his feelings for Zoya.............. He was fully driven by his heart there and *siiiiiiiiigh* ngl, it got me a lil swoony. 🥰🥰🥰) The callbacks with the scenes/dialogues and character quirks were suchhhhh a delight, it really was like our same old characters, just set in an alternate universe. Also, bringing back Dilshad/Tamaatar was just such a balm to my heart. I wish we’d seen Asad interact with them more though. Oh well, that’s for S2, I guess! (Also crossing fingers for finally getting my recommended dose of “Ammi, woh BECHAARI nahi hai!!!!!!” then, coz honestly.............. It’s literally my favt. part of the show.)

I found where the show falters is the whole.............. Spy thing. Like....... It’s kinda ridiculous to think of, imagine the govt. recruiting Virat Kohli or Mary Kom or any other eminent sportsperson of the country as a spy and sending them on full-on dangerous missions, lol. Kuch Bhi. Every time Mandira Bedi showed up on the screen I was rolling my eyes coz this whole angle was just tooooooo far fetched. Also you’re right about it being predictable as hell; it’s coz they literally gave it all away in the trailer. It would have definitely packed more of a punch if we just saw unexplained shots of WHY Mandira Bedi is keeping track of Asad/Zoya until they revealed that he’s a trained spy at the midpoint.

Another thing I wasn’t toooooo keen about was the randomness of some of the characters thrown in. Like, Zoya’s parents and Sana (MY FAVE!!! MY ACTUAL FAVE!!!!!!!! PLS GIVE ME MORE SANA I LOVE HER SO MUCH!!!!) and Zoheb/Anika and all work; even Salman and his irritating family/gunde, and the annoying Phupi contributed to the plot properly, but why was the cast so bloated with so many randos on Asad’s side? Like what was the point of bringing back Rashid and that whole plot point of him leaving Dilshad for Shireen (whom we saw for LITERALLY ONE SECOND)??? Ayaan toh phir bhi theek, he had a purpose to serve towards the end (not too much, but thank god, kuch toh dikhaaya; the fact that Najma turned to him when she couldn’t reach Asad and he just readily showed up willing to do what he did, lol..... I loved it.) but like...... That ex girlfriend plot??? Kyun? So ainvayi. It served no real purpose (other than one callback in the last ep ka car scene where Zoya asks him about the ring.) They even brought back the actor who played Farhan (Imran’s brother/Nikhat’s haraami husband) and I was like oh, yeh BHI hai iss plot mein, but he was just there to be a chamcha to Mandira Bedi? Hein? Why cast this dude specifically and confuse us if he had nothing to do with the character from the show?? Isse achcha toh you shoulda brought Vikram back as Imran and have him be the secret Pakistani spy.

So yeah overall, I’d give the show an 8 out of 10, maybe even an 8.5? The aesthetics and production quality and stunts and everything were on point and executed really well. The title track is awesomeeeeeeeeeeee and I’ve been humming it ever since I saw the trailer. The acting and chemistry toh was evident from the trailer itself, and it delivered splendidly. Everyone here knows that I’m not really a KSG fan, but honestly no one else can play the character of Asad like he does and have THIS level chemistry with SJ. Everything I hated about his character in the original was done away with and I really was able to wholeheartedly ship the couple. Surbhi toh........ Kya hi kehna; Zoya is a role she fully inhabits and I’m just so glad to see one of my absolute favt. Tellywood FLs return, and that too in perfect form!!!!!! And the fact that it was on the web and we finally got one of our Tellywood OTPs kissing for realz? I’m ecstatic, lol. 🤪🤪🤪 So yeah, on the whole, I really liked the show, it was a good binge watch for me (who’s been away from Tellywood for the past few weeks, and esp. anything of QUALITY..........) I’m so glad S2 has been confirmed, I hope we get it within the year (max by this time next year) coz I really need to know how that cliffhanger resolves and how their relationship progresses!!!!!!!!