#not to mention just how much of the worldbuilding and art style and themes are only able to be fully expressed

[13eyond13]

I hate to say it but a lot of the fucked up stuff in Berserk is what makes it good actually

[aalinaaaaaa]

Author Ask Tag

Thank you to @tildeathiwillwrite for the tag <333

—

What is the main lesson of your story? Why did you choose it?

In reference to Obsidian Sapphires (because that’s the wip whose theme and message I’ve fleshed out the most), the core lesson would be to not let ambitions of grandeur, perfection, divinity, etc derail you from the things you have/the people you love, and that even the most seemingly perfect solutions can still cause tragedy. The central identity of Obsidian Sapphires was always in relation to family, personal identity and the Allaitri Chalice was central to Eshani’s goals even from the first ever draft. This draft focuses on the Chalice and its ramifications as a result of it being openly used in society.

What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding?

A lot of it is inspired by my perspective, my experiences, etc. It draws heavily on certain aspects of my home country, and also some of my own thoughts too. For instance, Helindians being maestros at non-alcoholic fruity drinks derived from my own wish fulfillment! I don’t drink, I’ve never had a drop of alcohol in my life.

It also contains a lot of nature, because it’s a direct contrast to how sterile and corporate the real-world is and I think it really helps make the world very aesthetic, very alluring, somewhere that people would get sucked into and never want to leave. A faerie-style honey trap, if you will.

I'm going to give a specific mention of Morilaste, for it takes a certain amount of its inspiration from Italian art and history. This really became apparent after my visit to Milan and Venice, because I was in awe at the art and architecture. The scale, the details, the artistry, everything. Absolutely stunning. I find that when I'm in or near places like cathedrals and other highly grand, artistic structures, it feels otherworldly. I am awestruck that people made these, that people put funding, time and effort into these grand structures, and we get to benefit from the fruits of their artistry hundreds and thousands of years later. (This is why minimalistic, corporate-hellscape buildings of the modern age break my heart)

And it's that sense of otherworldliness that I want to evoke when designing Morilaste, because I want it to capture the aura of divinity that the court's namesake sought for. I want to use the sheer scale of it to encapsulate just how much of a beautiful, deadly trap it is, and how it contrasts and complements the way ordinary Helindians perceive it from the outside, with basically nothing but rumours and stories to rely on.

What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness or help the reader grow as a person?

Alycja’s trying to prove herself to others, reclaim her innocence in the face of those trying to misconstrue her motives. She wants to be loved, she wants to be admired, and her ordeal is coming at a time when she’s at the start of her teenage years, a pivotal time when she is beginning to flesh out her own identity separate from her identity as part of her family. Her arc is one of the most prominent ones in terms of the theme, because her choices threaten a touch of tragedy almost no matter which path she takes. In a sense, it’s a warning to not let others take advantage of you, and also an affirmation that there is a lot of power in one’s own decisions, even in the face of things that are outside of one’s control.

As for Eshani, she’s also trying to prove herself, but more to repair relations with the people she cares about. She knows what she wants, but her arc is about actually confronting the reality of her desires, and her realising that she wasn’t ready yet. This occurs all while balancing the responsibilities of her current place in life, trying to claw her way out without betraying so many people. She carries a lot of guilt, and the message I want to portray through her endeavour is that the past is the past, it cannot be changed, but the next best thing is to do something now, in the present. Dwelling on what could’ve been is what sets her back, and I look forward to the part where her character development fully clicks into place, I think it’s kinda beautiful (and it fits with the theme and her goals :DDD)

How many chapters is your story going to have?

I’ve an estimate of 30, but this could easily change.

Is it fan fiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

Original content, planned to go on my blog :D

When did you start writing?

Wow, it’s been ten, going on eleven years at this stage!

Do you have any words of encouragement for fellow writers of writeblr? What other writers do you follow?

Don’t give up on your ideas! And especially don’t delete them. Stash them away, let them ferment, make sure they’re written down somewhere (and not just on a computer, physical notes are important too). You’ll never know when your ideas may germinate and go full circle. And even if they don’t go anywhere, there’s value even in those ideas just existing. (Side note, people love deleted scenes and snippets!)

I follow so many fantastic, talented, creative writers on here (and I know a decent amount in real life too!), that I would break the tags per post limit so many times over. For the writers that I mention here, consider yourselves tagged for this game, and also here’s an Open Tag for anyone/everyone who wants to answer these <3

@seastarblue @bardic-tales @ominous-faechild @leahnardo-da-veggie @the-ellia-west @vesanal @thebookishkiwi @jev-urisk @cljordan-imperium @ieppiq @angelfevr @gioiaalbanoart @guessillcallitart @thereadingfoz @honeybewrites @oliolioxenfreewrites @theglitchywriterboi @corinneglass @rae-butter @oros-ash3s @mundanemoongirl @scarletteflamerald @midnight-and-his-melodiverse @ceph-the-ghost-writer @flock-from-the-void @tryingtimi @outpost51 @mattresses-and-macaroni @limitlesswritingvoid @agirlandherquill @space-writes @winterandwords @finickyfelix @wintherlywords @druidx @avrablake @inkednotebook @lizardperson @ineedaplacetostay @gaslightwestern @satohqbanana @acertainmoshke @sleepyowlwrites @talesofsorrowandofruin @talesfromaurea @the-golden-comet @bi-focal12 @write-with-will @glassstardust22124 <333

[chaifootsteps]

Studio Anon here, after a while of lurking/doing my own thing. Luckily my emotions are much more in check and I’ve strayed from Viv stuff for a bit to relax and hang out with my loved ones! Coming back and seeing Viv throwing a hissy fit, Raph wanting to look/act like Angel (my goodness-), and somehow people still defending episode four is… really comedic, actually.

Everything is awful but man, somehow it just keeps getting worse!

Anyway, just writing my own general feelings on this and the ideas I had for a rewrite long before everything went to hell. I never really was interested in HH until maybe Helluva Boss’ trailer dropped. I found it strange that HH wasn’t even out yet but somehow this ‘spinoff show’ was already made and posted in the public. I thought it was really weird tho, considering HH is owned by a company now, technically, while HB is sorta just there? I only watched since it’s animation and I felt like I had to support it.

Buuuut the longer I had to stare at HB’s ugly designs (and seeing the new ones for HH) I simply wasn’t interested anymore.

I guess I dodged a bullet because jesus it just gets worse.

I don’t know how, genuinely, Viv is a shit artist and writer? She went to a prestigious art school for as far as I remember and got her shows made and animated. I’m studying myself, and god knows I’d want my stories out there! It’s clear that Viv has some idea of what she wants to do, but that’s the thing-,

All she had were concepts (also publicly displaying her fetishes in the public, which is also its own can of worms).

I know in my right mind I couldn’t send people out to work on my stories since they’re heavily in development- even then my character designs are complicated as shit so I wouldn’t dream of anyone animating. Viv’s style being the way that it is + her general palettes being Just Red makes it hard to focus on or do anything with.

I also don’t know how Viv is able to just show off her rape fantasies out there and I’d rather not talk about it (sex-repulsed and all), but the general lack of focus and priority in gay ships is really disgusting.

So, as a writer, I made a general outline of what I’d make Hazbin Hotel and/or Helluva Boss be about.

Redemption is an easy theme to work on for both. ‘Sins of the father’ as a trope could work too. I’ll just use HH for now, as this post would be lengthy should I cover both.

General worldbuilding; due to Lucifer’s habit of toying with human life, comparing them to nothing more than insects, God punishes him and Lilith (who could’ve been some kind of angel too? I know she’s from a different religion entirely, so let’s say she was a random angel) by sending them to Hell to deal with the worst sinners. He and the princes of hell (how do they not address this in Hazbin?), scorned and disgusted by Heaven, try to be controlling over their own citizens. Mimicking/acting out their anger towards God by playing God in their own rings. They’re evil and horrible leaders. Lilith makes Hell feel like a home for her and Lucifer at least, bearing a daughter to restore some humanity within the Pride ring.

So Pride, at least, is less threatening now that Lucifer has a daughter.

The other princes could then ‘rightfully’ call out Lucifer’s behavior, maybe serving as some antagonists for Charlie as she tries to convince them to bring their sinners in for redemption.

So TLDR; the princes and Lucifer have internal problems that Charlie would try and resolve somewhat since she believes in redemption.

Going off to the main story, Charlie is told of Heaven being evil and awful for what they’ve done to her parents and believes it until she meets V (or Ex-Overlord Vaggie in this rewrite). V was recently cast out of the other Vs and was maybe slated to die in the extermination until Charlie unknowingly saved her from her fate. Maybe we could even get a hint of V being an angel/exterminator before with one hesitating to kill her off. The two talk and when Charlie mentions Heaven being an ass, V could tell Charlie about Heaven being good, eventually causing Charlie to start thinking about redemption, and start the hotel.

V is given more thought in the story as Charlie’s love interest and the gateway to her learning more about the two sides. Charlie is so used to Hell being the way that it is that she never considered redemption until she hears and talks to V more. The two try and kickstart some sort of redemption but V is hesitant in getting redeemed and asks that, since Charlie is the princess of hell, they could ask Lucifer for a sinner or two to redeem.

Very loose from here, but after some talk, Lucifer gives them a rundown hotel to make their own, the Vs find out and gets Lust Sinner Angel down to take them out, but is charmed by the idea of redemption. Nifty, Alastor, Husk, and Sir Pentious are all from different rings and it takes Charlie a lot to convince the princes and to try and reconnect them to Lucifer, who seems to be caught off guard with how much Charlie is willing to give this a shot. Lilith on the other hand gets suspicious of V, which could lead to Lilith exposing V of being an exterminator and, “Messing with our daughter’s head so she’ll get killed in the next extermination!”

So drama with the parents, the princes, and struggles with redemption.

It all crashes down on Charlie and the Hazbin crew as they’ve began to grow closer on one another, V especially. The other princes could then be more empathetic (they aren’t as prideful as Lucifer, and Lucifer might love his wife more than his kid tbh) and try to reconnect with Lucifer in the same way Charlie connects to the other ring sinners.

Slowly but surely, the crew better themselves, and before the next extermination, the Angel Gabriel (ain’t he the whole Angel with the flaming sword?) flies down to see Charlie doing her best. Drama here, tension there, V is the first to get ‘redeemed’. Uh oh, angst!

V, after all this time, doesn’t want to be redeemed if that means she can’t stay with Charlie, which is why she was hesitant. Lucifer and the sins come in, try to kill Gabriel or something and there’s signs of a war, but Charlie stands her ground and tries to find some way to get both sides to work together on something, at least.

So. Purgatory.

I haven’t been mentioning Lilith much but she very much loves her daughter, and having enough pride in her (Charlie) ideals to make things better, to give people a chance at redemption, reminds her of her angel days. That peaceful life.

So she agrees.

The Hazbin crew get to work with her in purgatory, V gets to be all happy and cute with Charlie, and everyone learns to try and be better.

There. That shouldn’t be too hard. Maybe a little complicated but those are my surface thoughts. What do you and the others think?

[crguang]

omg I’ve been wondering what ptn was…after reading it was a game it caught my attention. I’ve never heard of it before but seems interestinggg, I’d love to know more abt it from someone (you) who def knows more of it. should i download it 👀

THE ANSWER IS ALWAYS YES. to anyone reading this that havent yet tried out path to nowhere, download it and thank me later. it's for the sapphics, trust me... you won't find better writing wise, art wise, creative wise like im totally biased but i jus tlove games with such extensive worldbuilding that its super easy to create ocs or stories within the game, no matter how dark they may be, and have them fit perfectly with the overall vibe of the game. it's a gold mine for ppl who love making ocs (like me), there are just so many possibilities!!!!!! it's amazing.

onto the game itself though, the premise is basically that you, as a player, wake up as the 13th Chief of an organization called the minos bureau of crisis control (MBCC) which serves as a jail for people called Sinners, who have obtained special abilities through mania corruption. the concept may sound abstract but like i mentioned in another ask, you can just see "mania" as a tangible sickness that draws on humans' negative emotions and it's super deadly (and can be found anywhere) so there are quite a few organizations whose purpose is to fight against it. so as the chief, you have the very unique power of being able to control Sinners through "the shackles", whose origins are hinted at and further explained as you progress through the story. Discity (the capital of this world if you will) is a place full of elitism, corruption, social inequities, discrimination, gang violence--- its a whole mess. Sinners are kinda seen as sub-humans and are ostracized by society, treated as violent freaks who others should be scared, and the chief basically changes that prejudiced perception that most people have on Sinners by seeing past these stereotypes and giving them a safe place to live in should they need one. it's a long process but it's part of what makes chief such a great character, they have so much personality that pretty much everyone sees them as their own character and not a self-insert atp. im rambling sorry fksfbk but i swear the writing is so good. the story handles heavy themes yet the do it delicately and in a way that feels so satisfying at the end. i think they conclude heir characters' arcs really well so you're not often left wanting when it comes to characterization/character development. im typing this on my laptop so i dont have access to my photo gallery rn, but if you want me to post some of y favorites CGs to show how ptn's art style looks like in game, just ask !!! i have quite a few in my camera roll

ptn's a tower of defense game, it's not turn based and it takes some time to get used to all the different mechanics. the combat is a core mechanic though, you cant progress through the story chapters without fighting at least one battle (some chapters have no battles but most do), so i would say to be a little patient on that front. i swear it gets fun once you have the hang of it. personally i find the drop rate for Sinners really good even if it seems like 180 hypercubes for one pull is a lot, the probability overall of getting a S-rank is higher than like hyv games so its less discouraging. building characters can take some time and can be a pain in the ass but it's so worth it when you start clearing levels easily...

i dont really know how to present this game without repeating myself lol, if yall have specific questions im always happy to answer them but tldr is always gonna be: DOWNLOAD THE GAMEEEEEEEE

[wolfstarshipping]

I’m in a reading slump, do you have any good fics that you can recommend me?

Hi, thanks for asking lovely anon! I've thought about this and I have several different approaches on how to answer your ask, so this'll be a longer list, I hope you find something you like!

First category: Texting Fics!

I love text fics because they're usually very fast-paced and easy to read, so I think they might be a good way to combat a reading slump!

You could either go with the iconic Text Talk by merlywhirls (141.250 words), a boarding school AU with a home-schooled, chronically ill Remus, a true classic and the fic that started the whole wolfstar texting fic trend back in the day!

Or, one of my personal favorites from the same era for purely nostalgic reasons, aesthetic: trash boys by Emaly/merlywhirls (89.473 words, everyone is super queer, strong chosen family vibes, with an HIV positive Remus and genderqueer Sirius).

Or if you want a modern text fic classic, there's always Staying Strangers by 3amAndCounting (319.368 words, university AU, this is one of those fics I've reread a couple of times already, just because I love it so much, especially the texting in the beginning).

Snow In June by BrigidFaye (25.561 words) is a magical AU set in the US that also has some texting elements, even though it's not as text-heavy as the fics mentioned above, but the worldbuilding and the setting is wonderful, and lumberjack Remus is everything I ever needed in my life!

Dear Your Holiness by @mollymarymarie (142.264 words) is a priest AU and band AU, with a bit of texting, though this one is also already kind of moving into the next category of fics mentioned below. Obviously the whole catholic priest theme is not going to be for everybody, but if you think you might enjoy that, I highly recommend it, it's so, so good! And if you don't think you'll enjoy the themes of this fic, check out literally any other fic by mollymarymarie, I think at this point I've read almost all of them and enjoyed every single one I read immensely!!

Alright, so now the next category is fics with plots that will get you out of any reading slump:

I've recently become obsessed with @lynxindisguise's fics, so I'd also recommend checking out all of them, but since I've mostly recommended longer fics on this list so far, I'll go with a shorter one: in the dark, there is discovery (11.796 words) is a wonderful pirate AU that you can easily read in one evening, and it has beautiful world building, Remus Lupin as a seamonster and my new favorite trope - there was only one hammock.

Let Me Get What I Want (This Time) by Sierra_Sitruc (69.878 words) is a plot-driven and amazing fix-it-fic, that I keep thinking about even months after I've read it, and that had me stay awake at ungodly hours just because I couldn't put it down and wanted to know how it ended!

The Bent by @ebp-brain (40.257 words) is an incredible fic about queer lives, politics and art, oppression and resistance, so if any of those things sound like something you'd enjoy I highly recommend reading it, I always love earlybloomingparentheses' writing, it's so, so beautiful and powerful!

take me as i am (48.494 words) has one of the most unique settings I've ever read - it features Sirius as an (adorable) sleep demon, who is supposed to give Remus nightmares, and I also love the way this fic depicts various mental illnesses.

In saccharine by moonymoment (26.447 words) Sirius is a ghost haunting Remus's apartment, and this is another one of those fics I keep thinking about because it was just so so good.

full moon twofold by renaissance (12,031 words) is a Gothic-romance style AU and an incredible take on the question "what if Remus never went to Hogwarts?".

And now maybe a few shorter fics:

The first rec in this category is not even a specific fic but just a tumblr account: @wolfstarmicrofic, if you scroll through their blog you'll find lots and lots of really short fics which might just be what you need to get back into reading!

In You, I Count Stars by @wolfpants (1.540 words) is a wonderful hogwarts-era oneshot set in the Astronomy Tower with a pining Sirius.

It's Cold Outside by Remustrash (1.788 words) is a very fluffy and cosy there-was-only-one-bed fic, featuring the most oblivious of all oblivious puppies!

June, and Other Natural Disasters by montparnasse (5.524 words) is a beautifully written fic that made me feel all the feels and has great summer vibes!

Okay and the last category is fics with A+ vibes that'll make you forget all about your reading slump:

The Long Way Home by @hollyivydruzy (177.337 words) is a university AU and the kind of fic I didn't want to ever end, because the characters felt so incredibly real, and it's so easy to get completely immersed and lost in their wonderful, chaotic world and follow along on all their university adventures.

this desperate in love by drowsyanddazed (20.776 words) is a very cute high school AU, and reading it felt like watching a coming of age / teen movie in the best kind of way!

wading in waist-high water by @colgatebluemintygel (82.060 words) is a Great British Bake-Off AU that features Remus as a contestant and and Sirius as a host who's thirsting after Remus, and I just love the whole setting and atmosphere of the fic, as well as the writing! And this fic's Arthur Weasley needs to be protected at all costs, I love him a lot!

A Brief History of Dragons by @eyra (23.488 words) is an incredibly cosy and wonderful modern AU set in Cornwall, I absolutely ADORE Remus in this fic and love the way his and Sirius's relationship slowly develops, this fic has such a special place in my heart.

Alright I think I could keep going and add to this list forever but I'll stop now, let me know if you read any of these, and I hope they'll end your reading slump! x

[sancta-seraphina]

Can yo u talk about some of the changes please? Just curious! but only if their not too spoilery

Hi anon,

I want to start this by saying I really did love the old 2019 version of Holiest. I think it's better now, but I loved that original version.

Actually, the longevity of the project is something a lot of people might not know about, so I wouldn't mind commenting on that, but after I answer the question.

About the chapters themselves:

One of the immediate changes for previous readers is that the entirety of the first chapter has been rewritten. It is much longer.

Chapters 2 through 5 have been reworked to accommodate for the removal of some characters (a separate topic).

Chapters 6, 7, and 8... I decided I didn't like, so those have been rewritten too. The content itself stayed the same. I just didn't like the writing, I felt it no longer reflected my writing style. I kept some things where I could suffer them, though. They also have some sparkly new scenes, which I will talk about below.

Chapter 9 is currently planned to be the same, however, I may just decide that I hate it. In which case, it will suffer the same fate as 6, 7, and 8 (same content, just rewritten).

As mentioned, a huge change was the removal of some of the characters who were, in my opinion, complicating and distracting from the story. This also included reducing the number of POVs (some scenes were simply rewritten to be from a different POV). Currently we have Lucifer as the main POV of the story for obvious reasons, with other scenes from the POV of Beelzebub, Jehoel, and newly, Metatron. The only thing that upsets me about this is that those characters who were removed were female, and my cast does not satisfy me in terms of having a lot of female characters.

Metatron is another significant change. Previously, he was only in three (3) scenes in the entire story, because I didn't actually need him until the last chapters despite him being so important (unlike The Harrowing, where he has a prominent role, Lord save us). But Metatron became really popular on my instagram, so I decided to work in more scenes with him and also to write from his POV [which you can get a preview of in today's excerpt].

The plot? Is the same. The worldbuilding? Also the same.

The map? I'm ignoring it (by which I mean procrastinating), BUT I've also made additional maps for the novel that can be previewed on my [patreon]. The illustrations? Uh, are not going to be the same and I'm kicking myself for it.

The method of publication? Totally different, it's no longer free—it's going to be a physical book now.

Anyways I hope that answered your question without spoiling too much.

The other thing that I wanted to discuss is the longevity of the project.

Although I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself right now to get the novel back out there, Holiest is nothing new, both to my long-term followers (hello to anyone who knew me in grad school or earlier, and also to all those who re-followed me upon changing blogs), and also to my life in general. It didn't have a name until 2016 or 2017 (I forget which), but my main character, yes I'm talking about Lucifer, literally dates back to 2007 and I still have my first drawing of him with that timestamp. Maybe I'll be brave enough to share it one day.

And the story has always had the same themes, even from its beginning days in '07, '08, and '09: with a heavy emphasis on mental illness/psychosis (of the devil in particular), angels in Hell, and Revelation-inspired visions/hallucinations.

As mentioned, the novel itself was completed in 2018 (I did not write during college/grad school due to lack of time, and I graduated in 2015. I do have endless artworks of the characters from throughout my time in college) and I began publishing in August of 2019. Also my patreon itself dates back to 2017.

But I like to take my time when creating, don't outsource my illustrations to others (please understand how much time art takes), and I am a company dancer in a ballet. So yes, it has been over five years now since first putting it online.

Anyways, although it's been updated, it is not changing in terms of what it is, it has been here for a VERY long time (which others can attest to), and it is also NOT going away.

[cptn-m]

One Piece chapter 1132 review

What a weird month and a bit it's been. The double two-week breaks with a single chapter in the middle was weirdly discombobulating, making it feel like it's been longer than it really has since the last chapter. I feel bad for Oda, falling ill right after the research break, when he seemed like he was coming back with a second wind. But we're back now, and it's worth the wait for the proper introduction to Elbaph following the arc's fakeout prologue.

The main thrust of this chapter is the two groups of Strawhats resolving their previous plot threads and converging in one place to get the real story started, but that doesn't mean Oda doesn't find time to set up a few mysteries and build up the figures who will influence the story to come. The opening scene introduces Collun (can't believe the scanlations actually went with Colon for the name; Collun is better, but I would probably have used the classic Japanese L/R switcharoo to make him Coron or something similar) reinforces Shanks's presence and the weight he carries in this land. I'm glad to see Shanks was hyping up Luffy to Collun - easing some of the cynical theories about whether Shanks really cares about these kids he's inspiring around the world or if he's using them in some undefined way - and I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of interactions the two will have.

There's wonderful art and a fantastic sense of worldbuilding whimsy in some of the big moments this week, starting with the ride up the rainbow bridge. The sudden vertical turn makes me think back to the journey to Skypiea, and I can't wait to see what the full colour manga does with the glowing light of the bridge when it catches up to here in a few years. One Piece is beautiful in black and white, but this is a spread that feels made for colour.

As Luffy's group reunite, it's curious to see that Luffy's talk with Loki ended with a deal. When we last saw them, it seemed like the mention of Shanks had soured the conversation, but now they've come to some kind of accord. The fact that Oda is playing it off so secretively makes me think it's not going to be as simple as just getting the key to free him like he asked before. Loki may have offered an alternative, or Luffy may have changed the terms. Sticking in a pin in this one for later.

Rodo's unceremonious and unserious dispatch comes well deserved. Probably not the last we've seen of him - almost definitely not if the theme of the arc is going to be competing sun god candidates. I don't think Rodo has the raw charisma to be the Buggy of the Nika lineup though.

And the centerpiece - the thing that makes it all worth the wait - the "welcome to Elbaph" spread. The detail! The scale! The spirit of adventure is very, very much alive in this one. The one analytical angle I can think to take here is a comparison to Rodo's diorama. Bigstein Castle provides an obvious matching landmark, but nothing else quite matches. The style of the houses doesn't feel as reflective of the viking-style houses of the real giants, the trunk of Yggdrasil is placed different relative to the castle and the town in the real world, and the diorama has no indication of the gaps and waterfalls down to the underworld layer - save maybe for recreating the bridge. I'd be surprised if anything Nami learned studying the map of the diorama manages to be relevant to the real version here.

A Louis Arnot callback mixes nostalgia with what's new, as well as providing an ominous warning. How much of the arc are we going to have to get through before we find out why he'd say that? But the real treat here is the hint that the dude who was with Crocus in the cover story could finally be getting revealed! Man I've waited a long time for that. And yes, I got my hopes up and got burned once already at the start of Onigashima when the shadows on Izo's kimono looked like the stripes on the guy's cloak, but this time it feels a lot more certain. I'm ready to be hurt again.

As good as all this has been, I don't dare hope for this momentum to continue. There's at least one more chapter coming, which is great, but then a difficult regiment of Christmas/New Years' breaks to wade through before the series can settle back into any kind of a normal rhythm. Just bad timing, but we've survived it every other year up til now, and we'll do it again.

[goldenteaset]

What would you say was your favorite event of the year?

Thanks anon! I'm glad to say it's a tough one this year. :D

In a category of its own: Heart of the Sun, because its themes kept popping up in every single event this year, it was great: Grief, the high cost of attaining power, loneliness, what "love" is and how it can be used against you... I really like the cool ways they changed up the presentation of things, too, like POV shots or depth of field.

After that, though...man, this was a great year for story events. I'm actually struggling to choose! The Last Sumo Warrior made me appreciate sumo for the storied martial art it is, The Dark Singularity was both fun and heartfelt (aka a summer event besides The Maydays and Sincerely, Your Dearest Friend that I actually liked), Our Style and Our Substance gave me all the fashion worldbuilding my id could want and Lamouralla aka The Princess of Fashion and Carbonara, Monscian was just straight up exciting and tense, BTTP made me literally laugh out loud...

But the two that are neck-and-neck for me are Lone Wolf's Passing, What Reeks and Burns and The Lion Stirs. Under the cut because I went feral again! XD;

WRaB is an absolute winner of "a mystery/being in the head of a character who's going insane" combo that immediately hooked me once I realized what was happening. The only downside is that I can't say much about it without giving the game away. ^^; If the other two I mentioned didn't exist, this one would win hands down. It's also not tied to any previous event stories, per se, so it's a good intro to what GBF can offer, I think.

Lone Wolf's Passing is similar in that regard. Sevastien was already interesting as a character (he runs a spy ring that also operates as a soup kitchen, how could I not like him), but with his backstory revealed he got even better. The romance between him and his wife was so good I genuinely forgot about her having already passed away and was horrified by how that happened. Speaking of, I may not have enjoyed the antagonist, per se (especially after WRaB's), but he got the job done and was very enjoyable to smack around. XD; Also, Bridgette and Cordelia got to be relevant again!

And then there's The Lion Stirs, which made me go absolutely feral and still does, oh my god. Oh my god. I don't like to call myself a "Dragon Knights fan" even though I do like them a lot, because really I'm a fan of Vane, Arthur, Mordred and Merlin, and the storyline surrounding them. So of course the one that's basically The Hibergrief Kingdom Variety Hour is the one I love the most. I started losing my mind when horse SFX of all things started up and pretty much didn't stop the whole way through. XD; Vane got to be serious! Sir Kay is finally here, and a really great take on him to boot!

And Merlin! Merlin oh you miserable catboy you were everything I wanted and so much more. I'm beyond excited for more of him and Mordred together, they're going to be either a force to be reckoned with or the most miserable people in Wales, and either way it'll be SO MUCH fun.

...Actually, maybe Our Style and Our Substance should be higher? I keep going back and forth on that. Hmm. Anyway, those are my favorites for this year! :D

[yurisorcerer]

That was really good!

Gosh, I have many thoughts, but I'm not sure how well I'll be able to articulate them given that I'm kind of tired at the moment.

So, my main love here is for the characters. I think people tend to sell Dungeon Meshi on its worldbuilding and I do get that (it's very complex and is quite well thought-out), but the characters are what really grabbed me. I don't think there was a single member of the main cast I didn't love. Laios is such a delightfully weird monster manual fanboy and I 100% agree with the people who say he feels neurodivergent and that this feels intentional. Senshi is awesome and it's very funny how the manga is extremely horny for him. Chilchuk brings a profound Divorced Dad energy to the cast that I think is great for bouncing off of the other characters. Izutsumi is interesting by how she contrasts with the earlier party members, I want to think about her role in the story more. I think she was kind of meant to give us an "outcast's perspective" of sorts? I think she's good at being that, but I feel like having blown through most of the manga in a few days may have hampered my appreciation of some of the more subtle aspects of her character.

Marcille, though, is my favorite; as someone who is also a really fussy eater and just kind of tightly-wound in general I found her really relatable. She's also super, super, super pretty and cute but we don't need to get into that right now. I cannot be the first person to point out how, when she becomes the dungeon lord, her behavior starts feeling extremely manic, right? I suffer from delusional episodes that include very difficult to ignore intrusive thoughts, and I thought the whole bit she went into about how being the dungeon lord feels felt very familiar in that respect, and it really hit home for me.

(On the flip side, having your desires eaten by the demon seems similar to depression. I've been there, too.)

Other stuff! I like the whole overarching theme of eating both in the literal sense and as a general metaphor for going through one's life. In the very last chapter Marcille says something to the effect of, perhaps this journey was to teach us to accept death, and I don't think that's necessarily the entirety of what the series is going for, but that's part of it definitely. There's a whole circle of life thing going on here. The manga is very....sensory? Lots of focus on taste of course but also scent and feeling. Lots of really strong imagery along those lines throughout the entirety of it.

I set the worldbuilding aside earlier but it is super neat actually, also. I still don't love the general conceits of a western-style fantasy setup, but I think this is honestly about as well as it's possible to do this material. Everyone has a motivation for their actions that feels inspired by experience and history rather than just Dwarves Do X and Elves Do Y and so on. There's a LITTLE of that, but not nearly as much as is typical for this kind of thing. In particular, I liked the orcs. Their usage as a symbol is perhaps somewhat fraught (I'm not the person to make that call either way), but it felt like it was coming from a good place and they're just treated so much better here than comparable people in other media, idk. It felt nice to me.

The art! The art is fucking gorgeous, like, if I wanted to get someone to read this manga this is one of the things I'd mention. The entire dungeon feels so wonderfully lived-in and ancient. You can practically feel the stonework in some panels. (Sidebar here! The anime is really good at capturing this, do watch the anime it's fantastic.)

Some other random stray thoughts:

-The circumstances she gets it in obviously suck, but Marcille's dungeon lord outfit honestly serves hard and everyone should get off her case about it.

-I ended up liking the captain of the Canaries a lot more than I thought I would. He's just an interesting character all around.

-I also really love Sissel / Thistle / apparently how you romanize this is a source of some contention. I feel sooooo bad for the guy. He just wanted to keep everyone safe! It's not his fault that his idea of keeping everyone safe ended up being influenced by a lion-headed demon from outside of reality and corrupted into a suffocating hellscape for those same people! OK maybe it's a little his fault

-I like the diversity in appearances across the characters. This is a thing I wish more manga did this well.

-Laios' kingly titles in the final chapter, RANKED from MOST to LEAST badass: 1. Laios of the Three Heads (based as fuck, makes people ask questions when they hear about you in a history book several centuries down the line), 2. The Demon-Eater (badass and very specific) 3. The Vegetable-Armored (basically gets the same reaction as #1, but with a more comedic lean) 4. Demon King Laios (this honestly seems pretty disingenuous but it is dope) 5. The Dragon-Slayer (very generic, also not even the most impressive part of what he did) 6. The Lord of the Dungeon (Crusader Kings 2 auto-generated-ass name) 7. Pervy Tallman (this sounds like a bad comedian)

-I want to kiss Marcille on the lips

-who said that

-haha I wouldn't mind the Canaries coming to arrest me am I right fellow lesbians

-who said that (part 2)

anyway yeah really good manga highly recommended. I'm not sure if it's a (get out the scare quotes folks) "Personal Favorite" per se, but it might become one over time. Usually such things take a bit to settle with me. The fact that I have any interest in reading it again is a good sign, though. 90% of the time when I'm done with media I'm fine with never revisiting it again. Dungeon Meshi I would very much like to revisit, both in the form of the anime that's airing right now and also I think I'd like to re-read the manga in a few years when I'm at a different place in my life to see what I think of it a little farther down the line. I liked it a lot, and I think it will stick with me.

[rjcopeseethemald]

WIP Questionnaire ±1

To be honest, I keep looking for these as an excuse to talk about my work

This one I got from @illarian-rambling, I wasn't tagged in her post but I accepted the open invitation However, since this is how my mind works, I'll turn this into a game. Updated Rules: 1. Answer as few or as many of the following questions as you'd like! 2. In passing the tag along to others, you can add one question of your own, or replace an existing question.

1. What was the first part of your wip that you created?

The magic system. It took years for the idea to finally click in my head, too. It started when I watched the Terrible Writing Advice on Myths, Legends, and Gods; JP just had to challenge me with "A pantheon of the Periodic Table would be way too big". So I said "Alright, bet", but the idea still wasn't there. Then, I finally began watching ATLA and Breaking Bad (very late to both parties), and then my brain went: "What if... chemistrybending?"

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

Probably a more light-hearted version of "Can You Hear The Music" from Oppenheimer.

3. Who are your favourite characters you've made? Why?

Hydrogen, Admiral Wright, and Miilo Saba. Hydrogen is the Elemental of their namesake atom, and I attempted to write them as wholesome and eccentric. I would liken them to a much older and wiser version of the Collector from The Owl House. They also wield a flaming shortsword, and can turn invisible (since hydrogen gas is invisible by default). Admiral Wright is the main antagonist of volume one. She was the first woman (and still only one of two) to be fully commissioned in the Lodinican Republic Navy, and is otherwise known as its toughest commander. Her backstory is a commentary on how simply letting marginalized people into unchanged power structures doesn't change their marginalizing nature. Miilo Saba is the older cousin of the twins Lia and Lioko, and he's the captain of an anarchist smuggler ship. He's mostly light-hearted and laid-back, except in a situation where there's no messing around, in which case he can become deadly serious. Why? To be honest, I picked these three because they were the most engaging for me to write.

4. What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

Likely the animated ones I've mentioned before: ATLA (Legend of Korra included) and The Owl House, plus other animated shows like Steven Universe. The book will include illustrations a la The Chronicles of Narnia, except in an art style that would easily translate to 2-D animation.

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

Holding myself to the standards of good writing. In particular, character writing and depth of worldbuilding.

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

I have sea wyverns, which are about twice as big as an albatross; landback tortoises, which are somewhat of a grounded take on the mythological giant turtle/tortoise trope; and more minor appearances like torpedo-fish (fish that can swim up to 80 knots in short bursts) and taransis, cat-sized Lucas-the-Spiders.

7. How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

The equivalent era to our world is the 1910s-early 1920s. There are ocean liners, trains, and horses, and the occasional airship, while cars are still rather new.

8. What part of your wip are you working on rn?

I am almost done, thank God. I'm planning to take spring quarter off from community college to finish it.

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?

The novelty of its magical premises and take on the fantasy genre. Perhaps its politics, too, but those are more of a background thing.

10. What are your hopes for your wip?

I hope it's as original as I claim it to be! A pipe dream of mine is that the complete series financially sustains me, but I'll just retire to a commune upstate if that doesn't happen.

I will add a question 11: What pieces of media have been the most inspiring to you for this WIP? Passing this along to @serotoninshift, @kaylinalexanderbooks, and @she-who-fights-and-writes if any of you all are interested!

Blanks below:

What was the first part of your wip that you created?

If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

Who are your favourite characters you've made? Why?

What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

What part of your wip are you working on rn?

What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?

What are your hopes for your wip?

What pieces of media have been the most inspiring to you for this WIP?

[thescrapbookingscientist]

Bimonthly Media Roundup

- Kaiju No 8 (Anime) - Binged this on a whim and honestly it was a lot more wholesome and engaging than I thought it would be? I like that the majority of the characters are adults and act like it, people were pretty reasonable in how they approached issues and the team building aspect was very cute. I like the protags Kaiju form though given the weird body transformations we saw he was capable of I wish he would do something more interesting in fights than just punching really hard. Then again the fights clearly aren't the focus of the series and just serve the purpose of cooperation/character building which I guess is fine. The way the characters quip at eachother was pretty fun, I'd say the whole cast was likable though not super well developed at this point given how many we were given in just the first season. Shinomiya and Hoshina were the standouts given they had interesting designs, personalities, and fighting styles. The pacing was a little quick but it did mean that interesting things were always happening so I can't complain too much, though personally I think it's a missed opportunity that they moved away from the "Kaiju clean up job" as that some pretty interesting worldbuilding, even if they did keep Kafka's experience relevant. Honestly I'd recommend it, this was a good time - Will be watching Season 2 for sure.

- Pluto (Anime) - Pluto was an interesting little mini series about a murder mystery surrounding the deaths of the worlds most advanced AI. It was overall pretty good, it had a really solid middle chunk where tension was kept high, it never underestimated it's audience and trusted them to put pieces together, and characters felt very grounded and human. The ending was a little messy though, as certain plot beats felt pretty out of place for what was otherwise a very tightly written anti-war story. I don't really feel like talking about it beyond that as I don't have any interesting input, sometimes you just watch something and go. Yup that was good, I agree with it's themes. And that's the whole of it. Gesicht was cool, I feel bad for the little baby robot, I have no idea why sensing emotions is considered a robot ability, and the piano saga in episode One was probably my favorite single arc of the show.

- Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Dukes Mansion (Anime) - Didn't really have another entry for this week so I guess I'll mention this anime that my sister and I dropped pretty early on. I like the Villain/Villainess genre as a whole given it frequently uses one of my favorite tropes of "Using knowledge of the future to change the present for the better" as well as the "having to work your way up from the bottom" trope, but I've read enough to be a bit picky about the ones I keep up with and unfortunately Raelina didn't end up grabbing me, at least not in the first 5 episodes. I like the art style and the protagonists design overall as well as the idea of her being the first death to kick off a mystery novel rather than the standard dating sim plotline, but my main issue was just how un-interesting the plot, characters, and interactions have been thus far. The love interest especially seems very 'cookie cutter snarky pretty boy shoujo male' and I can't remember a single notable interaction or anything that stood out as being a memorable visual or interesting lore or anything, it was just kind of boring.

- Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime) - I know I said previously that this show is truly a mixed bag with a lot of glaring flaws, and I stand by that, but I'd be lying if I said that I haven't been obsessed with it for the past month. Yes the worldbuilding and combat system are wack, and the show too frequently takes a tell-don't show approach with relationships and plot beats, but there is some genuinely engaging stuff in here - The entire hidden inventory arc, the sisyphisian cycle of curses constantly reforming as long as human hatred exists, the idea of being a god being a deeply in humanizing experience, the good humored moments of levity when the characters actually get to hang out, it's not nothing. What I'm saying is I could fix it okay? Give Jujutsu Kaisen to me. Also I'm pretty sure I'm experiencing what the kids call gender envy whenever I see Suguru, I adore his design, I need to look like that. Also also, both of Season Two's OPs are straight bangers.

- To Your Eternity (Anime) - I'll talk more about this next time as we've barely scraped the surface, but for now I'll say this is a truly unique and emotional story that unfortunately has the worst auto generated subtitles ever. Like it's so bad it takes you out of the show. The OP gets translated as Pig Blood, Pig Blood, the phrases are usually incorrect, and the names get changed each time to things like Google or Pierre. Please crunchyroll why do you hate us.

- House (TV) - Ah yes my favorite anime, House MD. Decided to watch this in between anime binges, and as expected revisiting it is a mixed bag. The medical mysteries and overall format are still very well done, a lot of the clinic scenes are still pretty funny, the characters all play off eachother well, and in general it stays engaging throughout its run-time which I can't say for a lot of 45 minute TV episodes. That being said House as a character can be....a lot. It's fine to have asshole protagonists and I don't really prescribe to the idea that media has to contain only morally upright material or otherwise punish moral wrongdoing in the narrative, but as a viewer I'm uninterested in media where it feels like the writers are actively disdainful towards (usually liberal) ideas or groups of people and trying to scold them into accepting 'the correct' viewpoint and House as a show can occasionally toe that line. To be fair it's usually not too bad, the show depicts positive wlw relationships pretty early on, characters will rightfully call House out when he's being a dick, Cuddy is a fun character that gets to one up House occasionally, and while the writing can be pretentious it's not usually mean spirited. It's a good enough show in every other respect that I still find myself enjoying it, but I can see how the tired narrative of "obnoxious white guy is a rude jerk that can do whatever he wants without being fired because he's just that much smarter and better than everyone else" is a hard sell to new viewers in 2024.

- The S Classes That I Raised (Webcomic) - Been seeing some discourse around Riette and while I do get it, Must a woman always be "a good person" and "redeemed by the narrative"? Is it not enough to be a butch hottie who is also a Dragon? I support women's wrongs.

- One Piece (Manga) - 27 years of One Piece apparently. Maybe it will end on the 30th anniversary? We shall see.

- Genshin Impact (Video Game) - The origami Event world is cute, I love collecting the figures and the little dragon design. Also excited to get Kirara.

Listening To: Good Luck Babe by Chappell Roan, Two Birds by Regina Spektor, Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter, All In by 6FU, Crazy cover by Walk of the Earth, SPECIALZ by King Gnu, Ao No Sumika by Tatsuya Kitani, Princess of China by Coldplay, Lay All Your Love On Me by ABBA, Boys by Lizzo, Walking in Memphis by Marc Cohn, Jesus He Knows Me cover by Ghost, Tongues and Teeth by The Crane Wives

[luckycheesefoodie321]

Here’s the thing. Pokémon is a franchise beast. It’s, in many ways, transcended beyond “anime” (a Japanese product) and has become an international property. Pokémon is just as fundamental to Western Pop Culture as it is to Japanese. Games, movies, cards, plushies, global recognition where everyone and your grandma know who pikachu is.

Which is why you have to judge it purely by the anime itself is flawed in that while there are through lines like Ash wanting to become a Pokémon master, and recurring characters and flashbacks to past story beats, it is nowhere near as cohesive and closely tied as One Piece. And I personally think it’s a true shame they didn’t allow Ash to physically grow up as time went on. I understand that the intent was to make Pokémon timeless to be picked up by anyone of any age at any time (which I know given I teach 5yo’s who have watched the tv show and adore it), but I think it could’ve become so much richer in story if they had allowed to see how far Ash had actually come.

One Piece, while internationally recognised by anime fans and even casual consumers, cannot be considered anywhere near as big a juggernaut in terms of franchising, subsidiary products etc. HOWEVER if you look purely at the anime/manga, like I said, the storytelling in One Piece outclasses Pokémon by a mile.

The cohesive storyline, the clear tie-ins to previous arcs and their long lasting impacts on future arcs, the worldbuilding, foreshadowing and payoffs are so well written that you cannot hope to compare. Pokémon, while universally appealing and having hit some deeper themes throughout its story, is ultimately targeted at younger audiences. One Piece very much sits in that teen-young adult range but as you continue to watch, the story and themes grow with you, as they get darker and more complex and explore more controversial topics while still maintaining an upbeat adventure style and comedy.

Not to mention you get a true sense of time passing in One Piece. You see the characters grow and develop new skills. You see them physically change (albeit in some cases it was purely an art style change). You get to see people from their hometowns looking at their growth. You get actual scales to judge their progress through the bounties.

Seeing as this is an anime poll, I would have to vote OP. But really you’re comparing a tropical storm to a snow storm. Both just as powerful but in different ways.

Ultimate Anime Tournament: Round 4, Matchup 2

[fancy-rock-dove]

Chapter Head Art for Maybe Sprout Wings (Full set)

I have had just, So Much Fun working on these. This story really is built on such a great concept, and with such fantastic worldbuilding, and with action so thoroughly in tune with its themes that it really does reward digging into. @moorishflower's writing kills me in the best of ways (and in the sleep deprivation kind of ways but I have no regrets), and designing them was a great time. And on top of that, everyone here has been just, so lovely, so I'm very excited to post the full set of chapter head illustrations!

Stylistic consistency continues to elude me, but hopefully these look like a matched enough set regardless. Cursive titles are the chapter titles, block print is my own title for the illustration. Just for fun, and in tribute to the (probably truly unhinged) amount of time I spent thinking about Symbolism while making these, I'm including one selected Fun Fact relevant to my thoughts on some part of each of these at the bottom of this post in case that interests anyone!

Ch 1: Baobabs are some of the oldest living flowering plants on the planet and can live up to two millennia. I have a lot of feelings about the sheer volume of life these trees can contain (both spatially and in time) and what that means for how we look at them.

Ch 2: If Abel were looking to avoid anachronism, he could still absolutely have left out books that were machine-printed with moveable type, but they'd probably have to have been in Chinese or Korean, from somewhere that had already widely adopted the technology by the 14th century.

Ch 3: Homer's works contain what is believed to be the first written mention of apples in Ancient Greece. Its writing is about as many centuries removed from the events of the Odyssey as the events of this chapter are from the first recorded mention of apples in England.

Ch 4: An ink quill is definitely more aesthetic, but graphite had actually been discovered in England and pencils invented in the decades prior to Shakespeare's first writings. It's entirely possible he could've been jotting down quick notes with a pencil like any stagehand today.

Ch 5: Though Corinthian style architecture is named for the Greek city of Corinth, with which it's associated, its inventor Callimachus is actually thought to be Athenian. The spiny, curling acanthus leaves used in its motifs are generally associated with long life, immortality, and rebirth. Go figure.

Ch 6: Symbolically, clovers are a sign that others are thinking of you. They're associated with good fortune, and apparently also male energy, and seen as a sign of protection. Excellent Fiddler's Green groundcover here.

Ch 7: Three-masted, fully-rigged ships became common in Europe by the 16th or 17th centuries during the Age of Sail because the extra space for sails became more necessary with the increase in open-ocean voyages. Making them the go-to type of vessel for both trade and exploration.

Ch 8: The simple but effective design of drop spindles is largely unchanged from their first documented use in the first century CE. there's evidence of their use for spinning (making a single, stronger thread from many disparate fibers) dating back at least to the advent of agriculture, some 10,000 years ago. Definitely what I picture Clotho using.

Ch 9: The fractal, branching structures of roots, lightning, and Lichtenberg figures are all self-similar: you can get much closer and they'll still appear very similar or identical to the way they were at a distance.

Ch 10: The throne room scenes of Sandman were shot in Guildford Cathedral. The Dreaming's Castle was intentionally designed to be a mashup of a whole ton of architectural styles, but the facade and throne room definitely feel gothic or neo-gothic. It's been a classic for centuries and the gothic-style window is definitely the kind I picture Hob's room having, at least on days the castle's feeling a bit fancy.

Ch 11: The item at the front left there is a weaving shuttle. According to Artemidorus, while dreaming of most kinds of looms indicates that you should expect rest, dreaming of a warp-weighted loom -- the kind which was common in bronze-age Greece and enables multiple people to work together on the weaving -- indicates an upcoming journey.

Ch 12: I feel like I've already talked about the symbolism of this one elsewhere, so for this one, instead of a fact, a comment (that I found fun): The binding circle in this only shows up in areas covered by the puddle of the Dreaming Sea, the means by which the nature of the "gilded ring" was elucidated. :)

Ch 13: Greek ships often had eyes on their bow, which among other things, was intended to imbue them with some will and ability to avoid obstacles. The Argo famously had eyes and also some innate awareness/intelligence, and could actually speak to the crew.

Ch 14: While Calliope, muse of epic poetry and eloquence (and the one invoked at the beginning of the Odyssey) is associated with a book, scroll, or tablet, Erato, muse of romantic poetry and love stories, is depicted in crowns of rose and myrtle. My title for this one was very nearly just (Invocation pt. ii). Also, I have a headcanon that Dream has only seen very bad performances of the Odysseyif ( he's seen any at all) since antiquity. Any show that literally begins by calling his ex is something he's not gonna stay for unless he's really sure she won't actually show up.

Whew! thanks to anyone who actually read to the end of my rambling here! Clearly this whole story has been really, really fun to just turn over in my mind. Cool stuff just keeps falling out of it! Since I would literally be two photos under Tumblr's limit on this post otherwise, how about a couple bonus alternate versions at the end here? Because why not?? I added some red accents to a couple of these for fun, and though it doesn't fit the for the chapter headings, I do think it looks cool!

[pippenpaddlopsicopolisthethird]

Top 5 anime you think are criminally underrated!

This is a really good question, and it was VERY difficult to keep myself to only 5. These are all anime that I think deserve a much wider viewership! (Plus five more!)

I ended up spending waaayyyy longer on this than I thought, I can’t imagine how much I would have written if you’d said top 10. I can literally talk about anime forever. Here’s some I wholeheartedly recommend.

1. Shojo Kageki Revue Starlight (Action, drama, romance)

This is my newest love, as of yesterday, when I binged the whole thing. The best way I can describe it is by mashing up other anime. Take Revolutionary Girl Utena, iron out about three layers of metaphor, and trim off all of the dark themes related to the Rose Bride. Then throw it in a blender with Madoka Magica and Love Live!, add half a cup of Gay Concentrate, and serve up the result: A character-driven drama about girls at a performing arts school, who settle their differences in magical-girl-fantasy duels styled as impossibly gorgeous theatrical stage-combat musical numbers. Beyond the flash and high concept, there’s a well-written cast, solid emotional core, and really engaging plot.

2. The Eccentric Family (Drama, comedy)

This show is my favorite genre of fantasy; mythical creatures living in the modern world, right under humans’ noses. In this series, humans only know tanuki as the cute little raccoon-dogs, but tanuki are really sentient shapeshifters whose goals are to outsmart the humans who live in the cities, pester the tengu who rule the heavens, live a life of freedom and trickery, and not end up on the inside of a hunter’s trap. The story follows a family of a mother and four sons whose widely-respected father was killed to end up in a human’s hot pot, as they try to enjoy their lives, live up to his imposing reputation, and unravel the increasingly suspicious circumstances of his death.

I have called this one “deceptively light-hearted” when describing it. My friend got halfway through the first season and came back to me with the verdict, “consider me fucking deceived.” This show has weight and does not pull its emotional punches, but neither does it ever stumble into becoming grimdark. Its worldbuilding is solid and the characters are all fantastically developed. Plus I wrote a whole post about one of the main antagonists(?) who I hadn’t even mentioned here.

3. Dennou Coil (Mystery, sci-fi)

Dennou Coil is a masterclass in worldbuilding, in my opinion. It’s a near-future sci-fi world, basically if Google Glass had taken off and become as common as cell phones are today. Many people don’t see the real world, they see the virtual textures of the world as they’re rendered through the glasses. Kids in one city have learned to mess around with codes, collecting tradeable fragments that break off the edges where the system glitches, chasing viruses that hide in pockets of obselete code in abandoned areas of the city where the software doesn’t get updated often. They spend their time after school saving virtual pets from being accidentally deleted by the city’s antivirus, trading tall tales about kids who get caught by the antivirus and get their glasses bricked, and spinning urban legends about ghosts waiting just behind anything that’s visibly rendered, waiting to steal kids when they least expect it. Every detail they introduce is critical to laying the foundation for the mystery that forms the show’s plot.

Everything about this world feels real in a way I’ve never seen in a sci-fi anime. It’s all grounded in a clear understanding of programming, and lives by show-don’t-tell. The stakes aren’t life-and-death; the kids tagging glitches like graffiti to distract the city’s antivirus software are only at risk of ruining their glasses, at least at first. The plot and escalation is perfectly-paced, and the mystery is so satisfying to piece together as it unfolds.

4. ID:Invaded (Sci-fi, action, thriller, murder mystery)

This show is like Psycho-Pass meets Silence of the Lambs. To catch a serial killer, you need to think like a killer, and nobody does that better than killers. A contraption called an “id well” can manifest an uncaught killer’s unconscious mind as a bizarre, unique, deadly terrain driven by stream-of-consciousness, and convicted murderers turned “detectives” dive into these wells to try to solve the mystery each well presents and discern the identity of other killers before they can strike again.

This show is a tightly-written, perfectly paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller. The two layers of mysteries inside and outside of the wells balance high-octane, big-screen action with tight, tense realism. Plus the soundtrack is an absolute banger.

5. Ping Pong the Animation (drama, sports)

Imagine if I told you that there was a show that, in 11 episodes, unpacked how patterns of relationships are repeated across generations, how the tradeoff between talent, practice, and who you are outside of your achievements can scar the spirits of kids, and what it feels like to wrestle with the tension between your core understanding of yourself and how others expect you to be. Imagine if I told you that every major character goes through massive restructurings of their fundamental sense of self and how they see others, and that every single arc comes to a well-rounded and satisfying end. Imagine if the animation style pushed the limits of both realism and absurdity, landing somewhere between rotoscoping and caricature, pushing the impact of action and stretching the character’s expressiveness without betraying faces that are animated like real human people. Imagine that it had a dub so fantastic that it sits next to Baccano and Cowboy Bebop in my mind, shows where the cast threw themselves into their roles with their whole hearts.

Now imagine that I told you that this story is told in the context of high schoolers playing ping pong, and that it’s arguably the best show I’ve ever seen. Go watch this show.

[latestagejenga]

Why Casino Cups Is a SUBVERSIVE MASTERPIECE

a character who has never met his biological parents and doesn’t give A SHIT, doesn’t have romantic subplot and is possibly aroace which is great representation (Cuphead)

a character that DOES want to meet his biological parents but has motives that actually make sense with his character, is very nice but has deep seated character flaws that drive him through his internal conflict (Mugman)

neither of these “never met their parents” cases have the cliche dramatic“I CaN neVEr BE a FuLFiLleD aNd cOmPLEte PerSOn uNLesS I knOW WhO gAvE BirTH tO mEEeeEe!” motive

the Devil and King Dice aren’t one-dimensional bad guys. They have done bad things but are far from irredeemable as characters and can’t really be pegged as hero or villain. They have heavy backstories, understandable motives, and even good intentions sometimes.

I’ve seen so many Cuphead fanfics that (given that the game takes place in the 1930s) make the characters and/or undertones sexist and homophobic to make it “historically accurate” but Casino Cups just throws all that bull shtick straight out the window. A character’s gender is never made relevant or even mentioned outside of other characters using their pronouns and it is bursting with queer representation which I am so freakin grateful for.

the themes it deals with about death and moving on in life are so unique and thought provoking for a Cuphead au. I have never seen anyone make this take on the cups and their relationship with the potion, especially not with Mugman.

the lore is an absolute GOLD MINE. All Bright’s theories and headcannons about why the isle is so full of magical creatures and people with crazy powers is so intuitive that even the tiniest details from the game like light shining out of the Devil’s neck or King Dice’s green eye animations can spout rich and in-depth backstory and something new and interesting about the characters or the worldbuilding that had never even crossed my mind before. It makes these characters and the world that they live in so fun to learn about as I read the comic and always leaves me wanting more of these looney tuney byatches.

just the right amount of shipping. Not too much, not too little. Just the right amount of shipping. Just the right amount of shipping. JUST👏THE👏RIGHT👏AMOUNT👏OF👏SHIPPING

i of course have to mention Bright’s BEAUTIFUL art style. Honestly when I first saw their drawings of the cups I was a tad bit skeptical of how different they looked from their original designs in the game, but overtime I’ve grown to adore how grown up they look and their sick color schemes and card aesthetics.

I love this series so freakin much and I’m so proud of what it’s grown into and how far this religious toon town has come over the years. I can’t wait to see more now that Camodiel is taking the reigns. Remember to pack your tea, coffee, and just a little bit of whiskey and look out for soul collecting demons! I’ll see you at the casino!

[saessenach]

Hi! For the ask thing, top 5 missmungoe's fics and top 5 One Piece villains?

Love your art!

Hi, nonnie!!

I'm afraid it's been a minute since I've been up to date with One Piece, so both questions will be more or less based around @missmungoe and her incredible, swashbuckling Odyssey-retelling (although let's be real, Odysseus could never) honest-to-god multi-verse Shanties 😊

Top 5 OP Villains

1. Blackbeard (love him, love the parallels to Luffy and Shanks, love his ominous intro and the way he's thematically relevant to a T)

2. Akainu (love to hate him, he is terrible, I hope he gets w r e c k e d, and that whoever takes him down has a marvellous time while at it)

3. That one guy from Film Gold bc he was hella compelling and he had style, but I forget his name. He was extra gaudy and that wins points from me

4. Gold Lion Shiki (I think??? From Strong World, because the last few films have been really good - worldbuilding-wise and narratively speaking, and it's been fun to dip my toes back into the story without having to tackle several hundred chapters)

5. TBH I've only rewatched properly up until Arabasta, so the villains I have Opinions on are Arlong, Croc, Captain Kuro and mayyyybe Rob Lucci and his gang, but I have no idea what's happened with them since, if they've gotten their own arcs like Buggy, or whether we're friends with them or not, so I'll leave it at that.

(An honorary mention to the slavemonger Celestial Dragon from the latest chapter of Mnemosyne, because he was awful, incredibly well-written and made me want to hurl my phone against the wall)

(So now onto the fun part)

Top 5 missmungoe fics

1. Heed the Siren's Call and Sailor's Folly (technically cheating as they are separate stories, yes, but when I reread one, I also immediately reread the other, so imo, it's only fair. Siren was a favourite I first read years ago on ff.net while it was being written, and which I happened across again in 2017 on ao3, and it's never been the same!! When I say it's life-changing literature, I mean it, because how many stories can claim to grow up and change right alongside you? I just have a lot of love for it, and I am this 🤏 close to taking a bookbinding class and having my way with it)

2. Penelope (the amount of times I've read and reread this is truly embarrassing, and that number has more digits than I care to admit - but I am a sucker for weddings which tell tradition to f right off, tiny brides giving voice to their anger at the world and bridegrooms smitten straight out of their ugly ass sandals. This is my comfort read.)

3. Mnemosyne (is the herculean, show-stopping, incredible slow-burn of my dreams and just - wow, it literally takes Oda's worldbuilding and makes it immeasurably richer and better. If for nothing else, then read it for Hancock and her friendship to Makino, for the INTRICACY given to the Amazons, for the way it breathes life into every single place the cast visits, and ties in over-arching themes from canon with details so fucking brilliant, you just sort of stare dumbly at your screen because of course they should be there. There are so many different POVs, and so many intersecting threads that make up this huge-ass tapestry I am continuously in awe of, because it's not just the HEART-ACHE INDUCING marvel of a love story, it's the Red-Hair crew's shenanigans, and the Straw-Hats' incapacity to stay put, it's Rowan's adventure, it's Hancock and her people getting the quality writing they DESERVE, it's the ASL reunion which made me cry, and a found family which spans oceans and realms of existence and everything in-between)

4. Andromeda Unbound (the SWASHBUCKLING UNDERCOVER EXTRAVAGANZA! The one where everyone and their mother separately shows up to crash Shanks' execution, complete with narrow misses, over-the-top banquets, Leverage heist music and so many good reunions. A big, fat and incredibly Extra(tm) middle-finger to propriety and saintly lawful systems, and just, so much fun to read)

5. Time for the ties lol - I still can't believe the Unspeakable 30 year fic and the subsequent AU in which Shanks crashes Makino's wedding are a thing, but I just love that miniseries a lot. Somewhere on this spot are also Moon and Her Maiden (for being ridiculously atmospheric), Bind me to the Tide (uhh, the coolest and also most painful soulmate AU for them, with Makino being very much against her intended, Shanks dealing with period cramps from Hell and just overall being Very Good for my Heart) and, of course Peony and Silver (ROGER. Shakky sweeping Rayleigh off his feet. ROGER. More over-arching themes, as usual. Have I mentioned, perhaps, ROGER? Just to be safe.)

Oh, and an honourable mention for Charybdis as it single-handedly (😌) dragged me out of the biggest art-block I've ever had, and I've rarely cried this much when reading fic.

Hope these answers are satisfying, nonnie!! Thank you for the lovely compliment, and for giving me an opportunity to gush about one of my favourite series ♡