#objectively tho this is like. the best thing i've made this year

[077891st]

Nature Witch

[sizzlingpatrolfox]

You mentioned competition being one of the primary reasons for JK & Tae fans hating/resenting Jimin, and I think you're on to something there.

Jimin was not supposed to be popular. He was supposed to be cute, a good dancer(but not as good as Hobie) and the one who can't sing or write his own music, but tries and oh, isn't that a sweet little Jominie?

Sexy and handsome,? That's Tae's thing. A musical powerhouse? That's the Golden One. Why can't Jimin just remain in his role as BTS #1 cheerleader?

It drives these fans bat-sh*t crazy. The natural order has been abandoned. Their fave has been disrespected. All because Jimin--and the people inwexplixably drawn to him--don't know their place.

Imagine posh spice suddenly doing cartwheels and sporty spice's whole identity and thing that made her "unique" in the group, is not so unique anymore.

This happens in every group, tho. Kpop or not, that characterization is a must when groups are being formed. All members are supposed to have that one thing that makes them different from the rest, and that it will cater to certain people. Even one direction members had a certain moniker that made them "special" within the group. You mentioned some of those things with BTS, and it's true. They might be real traits of the members, but they actually choose what to put forward so other people would remember them by that.

The truth is Jimin never really did that lol 😆 he never really tried to push certain hobbie as his whole identity, or talked about himself in limiting ways. Even with dance, he's always been excellent at it and was doing the hardest parts of BTS choreographies since the beginning, but it wasn't until like 2018 that he actually started talking about dancing in a way that you could tell it meant something really important to him. He didn't even have other members talk that talk for him, the way Hoseok did. All the members, year after year, would talk about Hoseok's dance this or that, but they never mentioned Jimin. Armys didn't even know Jimin is a main dancer too 💀

A lot of them are solo fans of other members, point blank. They might type a little seven and pretend they're not, but they are.

I've talked about this before, but there's always going to be competition when someone else is able to do the same thing you do. Jimin sings and dances. Jungkook sings and dances. Taehyung, well... he sings I guess. All three are maknae line. There's a lot of clashing interests and a lot of space for competition because their areas and "identities" overlap so much. Same with some Jin akgaes that have gotten to drag Jimin over vocals in the past few years; because both sing. If Jin was a dancer, I bet you they would fight about that too.

That's why nobody is fighting over Jimin being a better rapper than Hoseok. No, they argue about fashion and dance -things both of them have in common.

Now, it's 2024 and Jimin sings, dances, writes, produces and composes his own music. He coreographs his own coreographies, he's topped major charts. Everything, literally everything that was expected of, or that armys swore only rapline or other maknae line member could do. Armys will still talk about Yoongi as if he was the only producer in the group like Jimin isn't there, only because it's easier, it's repetitive, it's the story they've been telling for a decade.

As I've said not too long ago (but can't find the post): armys have always been uncomfortable when Jimin showed them they were wrong about him.

"X member is going to have a huge fashion career" - Jimin has objectively had the best deals with fashion so far.

"X member is the most popular in US" - Jimin doing just as good or even better than said member.

Everyone expecting Jungkook and Taehyung to release full albums of 309483 songs written by them - not only none of them did that, but Jimin did it.

This fandom doesn't like their ideas being challenged, and all Jimin has been doing is exactly that. Making them see something that they weren't aware existed, or didn't want to acknowledge. It's even worse because Jimin doing the same things other members do, makes those members seem less special than armys or solos thought they were.

It's also one of the reasons why Jimin was basically pushed out of the makane line by the fandom, as I've mentioned here:

They didn't want more competition for the ones the fandom wrongly thought were supposed to be the "biggest" soloists of the group (taekook). It was all about "wait for taekook's debuts" blah blah blah. Notice how hyung line stans (even those who are allegedly ot7 army) get upset about Jimin being more successful than hyung line, but they don't get upset when taekook do better?

I think one time that it really dawned on me how willingly oblivious armys were, was when this ad was released. I remember tweeting something about why was Jungkook considered the most athletic member in BTS when he has never done stuff like that. That looks athletic to me, at least. Jimin has been doing these flips for a decade and no army has ever pointed it out, have they? It's like "oh Jimin doing another flip, cool". Or worse, not even acknowledging it. If another member, especially Hoseok or Jungkook or Yoongi, had spent a decade doing this, you bet that army would be doing compilations about it every single day. It really made me wonder why has Jimin never been in the center of "the athletic ones in BTS", when he so obviously has always been good.

[balloooonn]

NEW BANNER ! ★ LITTLE PRESENTATION 4 EVERY PONY !

★ DISCLAIMER : I'M NOT THE BEST AT ENGLISH ! SORRY FOR THE BAD GRAMMATIC !

Hi, I'm kotty. I'm 16, chilean and a trans male. He/him! I have a cover / music / animation etc channel, It's in spanish, but I'd love you to watch it.

I just do the things I love the most. The objective of the covers is translating songs to spanish and making them as accurate as possible, mixing it my own essence. It's something I always wanted to do since I was a kid.

You'll se Anjerta Vicaduñez and Alan in almost every video. Together, or separated. They're my ocs, a simple representation of the positive and negative side of things.

ABOUT MY ACCOUNT HERE ON TUMBLR :

I created myself a tumblr for posting fanart of the things I like. Just fanarts, not much else. I don't like posting about my ocs. (Maybe some exceptions in the future, I don't know.)

I've been here for just two years, yet I don't know how to use it fully... LMAO-

★ YOU'LL FIND THIS KIND OF FANDOMS :

• Eddsworld (Mostly neighbors)

• Bugbo

• Don't Hug Me, I'm scared

• Lacey's games

• Papa's canibalia

• Spooky Month

• My little pony

I'm in some more fandoms, but I think I won't upload about them here (I'll uptade this list when I do). Maybe I missed something, but whatever.

I'm tagging the rest of the fandoms in this publication.

Very big fan of Jack Stauber too.

MY PRINCIPAL FANDOM ★ EDDSWORLD AND MY CHILEAN AU PROJECT !

I have a project of Eddsworld in mind since july of 2023. It's an alternative universe of Eddsworld were they are chileans. It's just them being funny together, but in Chile, my country.

Needless to say I don't want to offend anyone with this, It's a parody, and I made this for my own fun, just wanted to share it with the fandom. (Seems like people like it, tho!)

I'll share some of the art I've made until now.

I tend to be very awful at having constancy and perseverance with my own projects, so I don't have advanced it very much. (Yeah, it's a bit abandoned.)

Eddsworld Chile has an account on Tiktok. I post news about the project, animations and other things. I have my own personal account too there.

I'll make a channel on YouTube for it soon.

★ EDDSWORLD CHILE ACCOUNT:

★ MY OWN ACCOUNT:

- I have to say that making this AU changed my life in a way I didn't think it would. That's something personal I've been thinking lately.

Despite everything bad that has been happening in my personal life, this was a very big comfort, and it only made me take a lot of inspiration for everything I want to do when we talk about art and music.

That's all! Consider watching my channel if you like Sodikken or Jack Stauber. Bye ;p

THANKS 4 WATCHING ★ HAVE A [Nice Day] ! ONLY FOR 4,99$ !

[mdverse]

md's fun silly little top 10(ish) arts of the 2023!*

*pretend there's a fun cute doodled banner here (i was going to make one earlier and then i forgor)

doing a lil recap of my top 10 15 (it was supposed to be 10 and i could not narrow it down oops) best(? this is subjective as fuck i guess it's more like my personal faves) drawings of the year! *the crowd cheers* (it’s me I’m the crowd)

15: paradise by the dashboard light! i hate to rank her so low bc i spent ages on her but it seems i don't love the result that much anymore so :/ a for effort for me tho this was ambitious

14: cheer girl loml <33 not my best art technically by far but i went way out of my comfort zone for the background and the art style (for no good reason really) (i just wanted to do a comic book thing bc superhero vibes or whatever) (it did not come out the way i was hoping it would bc i think i got too frustrated) and we simply must acknowledge that. atog did things to me that i cannot explain

13: barbie meme brittana! not my best britt but truly sooo fun to work on. there's nothing quite like finding a fun rendering process and then never using it again (i don't even remember how i coloured this but i like it)

12: cowboy barbie brittana <3 they look good, they're about to kiss, cute outfits, pretty sunset, probably went overboard with the rim lighting, what's not to love? a banger, i think

11: i say a little prayer! i think the background is. questionable at best. but this is still really fun! i think i got possessed when i got to the uniforms bc goddamn they look good

10: klaine?? on this blog???? almost unheard of lmao i truly did not think i would like this one as much as i did. i'd consider ranking it higher if i wasn't constantly Unwell over brittana but again, i'm biased, and no one here should be surprised about that

9: pre-wedding kiss my beloved! with how insane i've been over this kiss it could perhaps be higher. i am gnawing on my desk as we speak i'm not even sitting at a desk rn

8: rutherchang x black swan!! ohhh u guys i don't talk about this one enough i think it's so pretty i don't even remember how i did the colours for it but rhgfdkngd?? love her, love pushing the glee x bts agenda, if any of u gifmakers are interested in making a mike chang x black swan lyric gifset i will love u forever

7: colour wheel challenge! busted my whole tiddies and ass for this one fellas. labour of love etc etc i think staring at the bright colours for so long made my eyesight worse and i'm ok with that

6: mistletoe brittana <33 easily the best instalment of this series by a long shot! recency bias (and also just. regular bias) made me rank her much higher originally but technically she is not the most intricate piece so she must sit down here

5: prom queen kurt! dare i say a girlslay on my behalf? i think i dare. every time i see it i think i should do more glosters (glee posters) and then i don't. i could tho they would be really cool (source: dude trust me)

4: churro kiss redraw!!! genuinely Not Sane over this! never have been, never will be! redraws are like crack to me and so is this kiss

3: furtana!! i neglected them for far too long this year but if neglecting them results in art like this i may have to do it again

2: heart kiss <3 if we're being really honest and vulnerable in the chat tonight i think this is technically my best of the brittana kiss screencap redraw things i've done this year? which i did not see coming but i guess practice means refining the process etc etc so. it makes sense ig. mwah to them <3

1: black or white gcv animation <3 it's not what i would call my best drawing (bc it's, yknow, not just one drawing) but it is what i would call the product of a very obsessive thought and some frantic art sessions. objectively it's the coolest thing i've done this year so it deserves the top spot. i'm proud of it i hope to glanimate more next year. also this isn't art but it's a relevant post that i still stand by months later

[bat-luun]

(tags via @encryptidarchivist)

YESSSSS i love him very much hes my darling beloved!!! <33

(ramble below cut cuz this got so long oh my god lmao - cw: suicide mention)

The tma oc is actually an au version of 'Pai Rite' (he/she)! He's player character i made while co-DMing a Call of Cthulhu campaign. He's originally from 1982 Chicago and about 28 years old. Her og lore and backstory and what played out in the campaign is rather complicated so imma leave it out. (tho i'd happy to rant about it lol-)

For the tma version: She uses her full name more often than just her nickname/chosen name; Joshua 'Pyrite' Kerr (he/she). She was born in 1978 in LA, moved to England in 1997, and died 2010 at age 32.

She is marked by both The Vast and The Spiral! (in the same way Martin is a mix of The Eye and The Lonely)

Pyrite has a rocky relationship with his parents from the start, his father was killed/taken by The Vast when Pyrite was only 17. His mother was killed by The Spiral, which triggered Pyrites leave to England to study mathematics at the King's Collage in London.

(Idk if it would really work all that well in canon but I've taken The Vast in a less 'real' direction? Like making it less of a place of endless mist or whatever but making it more like a concept?) Pyrite's father was a mathematician and investigating/trying to figure out more of the pi number. The horror of the uncomprehendable powered my the Fear drove him to insanity and eventually suicide, leaving his family suddenly and without a word.

Her mother, turning even more hyper religious than before, turned to pseudoscience as a way to cope with the grief (buying crystals and crafted religious symbols/spells to protect her, and doing other low-key paranoid superstitious stuff).

She eventually got her hands on some colorful (sea)glass shards which she hung by the windows to catch the light and "ward off evil".

The glass is an artifact of The Spiral! It slowly multiplies in numbers in the given location, and starts changing colors/patterns of objects within it's line of sight (though the owner is the only one who can see it's effects).

The longer the artifact is a set location and affecting it's victim, the more intense the distortions get (pottery/dishes "melting" or changing shape, entire rooms becoming mirrored, objects switching places with each other, glass clinking sounds being heard from every room, ...). Eventually it moves from inanimate objects to people in the victims life.

Pyrite's hair got turned a purple/pink as a cause of the artifact. Panicked, Pyrite's mother took a hammer to the glass, breaking it untill there was nothing left but dust. Pyrite found her body later that day as it was being taken away by paramedics. He moved away after that, taking a single glass shard as a keepsake to remember her by, having no idea of it's effects.

He went on to study mathematics in London and found his fathers research notes, going down the same cursed rabbit hole he did.

She did become an avatar for The Spiral later on as the artifact went on to distort any research notes Pyrite made/found beyond recognition, essentially 'winning' and making her a Spiral avatar. Pyrite died in 2010 after Gertrude and Michael stopped the great twisting. Died mad and dazed and out of breath, trying to keep her grip on the only thing that was left of her mother, the destruction of the ritual making her take her own life.

me and my best friend(one of the other co-DMs) did art of Pai Rite and his gay boyfriend Revemine for valentines day!! :D

(also tagging @horrid-mothlegs for if you want more info for when our tma ocs can hang out >:])

[vintagelacerosette]

Tag game Tuesday/picrew catch up!

Oh how I've missed doing these! Thank you so much to these sweetpeas who tagged me to do these tag games/picrew. Lyle @milkovetti Michelle @michellemisfit Bri @y0itsbri Evie @energievie Julia @juliakayyy Georgia @iansw0rld Kat @mybrainismelted Nosho @creepkinginc Cross @crossmydna Willow @ian-galagher Lyds @ardent-fox Vey @look-i-love-u Molly @deathclassic Jay @surviving-maybe 💕

💟Name: Myn/Shermyn

#️⃣Age: 27

🗺️Location: Sydney

🧥Do you own a robe? Describe it. Yeah a pink silky with lace trim one my older sister gifted me as my maid of honour gift 🥰

☕️Do you have a favorite mug? Describe it. Why yes! It's one of my prized possessions! My Gallacrafts mug I made art with the darling & talented Ling @lingy910y

🧣Do you have a favorite blanket? Describe it. You know I don't think I do & that's tragic 😔

🍵Coffee or Tea? Tea

↳🔥🧊Hot or Cold? Cold it's been so damn humid & dry in Sydney rn 😓

🧦Fuzzy socks or Wool socks? Wool

🧤Gloves or Mittens? Gloves but the fingerless kind so I can scroll/read fics on my phone lol

🔥Fireplace or Campfire? Fireplace

🌞🌜Sun or Moon? Both baby! They work in tandem to give us life ☀️🌙

🍬Chocolate candy or Sugar candy? Sugar 🍭

🥐Sweet Pastry or Savory Pastry? Sweet

🎃Peppermint or Pumpkin Spice? Peppermint. I haven't had pumpkin spice before

🛏️Go to bed early or Wake up early? Wake up early but i don't sleep early to make the happen 🥲

🥣Cold cereal in milk or Hot oatmeal? Cold cereal in milk I especially love the sweet ones. American cereal certainly hit the spot with their cinnamon toast crunch or lucky charms 🤤

🍞Potatoes or Bread? 🥔

And Finally…

🚬 Gallagher or Milkovich? It'll have to be MIlkovich even tho objectively the are more terrible ones than good. But to be fair the great stole my fucking heart 💖

Picrew

Which character from any media would you like to have as a father? 

I think Johnny Rose from Schitt's Creek would be a funny dad plus loaded 🤣

If money, laws, time, and effort were no object, what animal would you want to have?

I'd love an otter omfg they're so damn cute 😭

What is your Chinese takeout order? 

Sweet & sour pork & spinch noodle with wild mushrooms.

What's your favorite emoji?

🥹 I'm particularly fond of this one bc it's the marvelling of beauty for me

Would you rather have a library, greenhouse, or home theater in your house?

I think greenhouse. I think would be so soothing & I feel like I need more plants in my life hahaha

What childhood tv show do you think of the most fondly?

Cardcaptor Sakura 🌸

What was your tumblr like when you first joined?

I joined 2012 it was so aesthetic & I wished be one of those vintage aesthetic blogs hence my tumblr name lmao. I kinda got confused & scared how to use it so i stopped for 2 years. So i missed out all the fun drama i guess lol. Then I started using it as like a scrapbook of things I liked hahah

What clothing style do you love but don't feel compelled to replicate yourself?

50s but I feel that would be such an effort to pull off

If you were plopped into a fictional world, which one would you know the layout of the best?

Pokemon but like in the switch games. I've been playing too much instead of sleeping lmao

What is your favourite piece of art? 

Idk if I have a favourite but one that impacted me in high school was a piece called 'Atomic: full of love, full of wonder' by Nike Savvas. Funny thing is that I got to see it in person may 2 or 3 years after seeing it in a high school text book & having to do essays on it. It was by complete accident & I had no idea see was displaying her work in our national art gallery. It was magic to see a piece irl after studying it 🥰

Do you have a water bottle? what does it look like?

My bestie jusr got me this steel pink hello kitty tumblr that was a collab with a bubble tea shop! I love it I take it to work 💖

What fanfic trope is a quiet fave?

I think time travel with younger selves meeting their older selve & seeing how they fot their happy ending 🥰

Do you carry a daily bag? what does it look like? what's the weirdest thing in it?

Yeah a carry bag for work. It's this tote bag another bestie got me for my last birthday. It's really cute. It's pink & mint green with a cluster of cute things like teddy bear.

If you had to ship Mickey with another Gallagher, who would it be?

Respectfully no ❤️

What is a fanfic trope you didn't expect to like and then very much did?

I'd say mafia au especially bc of the amazing fic by Kay/Shamelessquestions, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Ian Gallagher.

Do you think s11 Mickey can still carry s11 Ian?

He sure could! He's our swol lil man

Look at them guns!!

Who got custody of the killing bat when they sold the house?

I kind have this tie between Fiona getting it or it being passed to Liam & Franny to keep the legacy going

Not tagging any bc I'm late but if you see this & you want to go ahead starlight 🩷

[tacky-optic]

OK so i've been in this fandom for well over a year now (since the end of october, ew) and zenigata is still my favorite. so after all this time, i'm finally slapping down some of my thoughts about the version of the loud angry rectangle that runs around in my brain and this nightmare of a franchise in general. as a new year treat.

most of these have actually been in my notes since february or march, made as semi-sporadic thoughts while i trudged through the series. i wonder if it's obvious what installment i was watching/had in mind for each of these, lol. anyway i found these at the bottom of my lupin notes folder back in october, plopped them here, then forgot about them again, oops.

but they're here now! at the very end of 2023! under the cut! you can even read them, if you want!

zenigata is selfish. there is a genuine drive to help people and do what's right, but pursuing lupin specifically? 100% an ego thing. zenigata pursues lupin (the world's greatest criminal) because he feels like he's obligated to (as the greatest cop (and not that he necessarily thinks this about himself presently, but subconsciously)). it stopped purely being 'the right thing to do' after the amount of chases hit double digits -- probably even earlier than that.

so what does he really want to achieve here? who knows, because he sure as hell doesn't lololol.

but seriously tho. it's probably simple human connection. or acknowledgement. he's always operated on a different level from everyone else, likely to the point of boredom and/or unfulfillment, so once he comes across someone that might operate on a level higher than him, of course he gets obsessed. game recognizes game and it's liberating.

he's most likely used to "it's only a matter of time" and not much else, so i bet the realization that "it's gonna be tough to catch this guy, isn't it?" was exhilarating because he NEVER had to think that before. and honestly, good for him. he seemed to have been a different sort of miserable before, but at least this new version allows for some bouts of genuine enjoyment.

he had to have said "because i'm the only one who can" at LEAST once, right? which is true! he is the only one who can. that's why lupin keeps him around. zenigata is the single legitimate threat that lupin hadn't managed to get rid of/ sway to his side and that amuses him to no end. he really likes that stubborn old man. he's great.

it's obvious that his skills would be far more useful and impactful on literally any other criminal case, yet he ACTIVELY CHOOSES to allocate his time to chasing after someone who simply can't be caught. and what's even worse is that he IS the only person who can catch him, maybe even end it all for good, but it's reached a point where he simply doesn't WANT to, solely because the chase is THAT entertaining/enriching/compelling to him. calling it a compulsion is great, actually. he's obsessed, doomed by the narrative, consumed by his ideals, etc. etc, and he's completely trapped by cartoon logic. i doubt he knows anything else.

the dark infatuation is great and all, don't get me wrong, but i really enjoy those bouts where he kinda just exists. he's living his best life, candidly enjoying what's going on around him or the (comparatively) simpler aspects of his job, and all that stuff up top becomes irrelevant, at least for a little while. i don't think he's wholly doomed, per se, just that we won't be seeing an "after" for him in any official capacity. because again, cartoon logic. he's got a role to fill, even if it's an objectively shit one -- but he makes do, and the fact that he is allowed to do other things is enough for me.

y'know, in hindsight, i think the live-action show impacted how i view this guy the most. i really do believe he doesn't have to be defined by his role in lupin's story. at heart he's a chaser, a dreamer. he keeps trying, over and over, and despite everything, he hopes. if he was none of those things he wouldn't even be after lupin in the first place, or lupin would never recognize him as his true rival.

....maybe i'll actually manage to finish some of the wips i have about all that stuff one of these days, lol.

as far as other media goes: parts 1, 2 and 4, tokyo crisis, ep 0: first contact, g vs r, and fuma are all pretty high up there, too. maybe a smidge of koike if i'm feeling particularly angsty, but until zeni's title movie comes out i wouldn't put too much weight on that one.

i'd be remiss to talk about the guy's most popular pairing, right? i mean, i gotta. it's lowkey kinda wild how luzeni never fascinated me to a point where i'd feel compelled to write or draw much of anything for them. they're like, all the worst aspects of fujilup/jiglup smashed together lmao. THAT'S INSANE, THEY'RE INSANE TOGETHER AND IT'S SO GOOD. but nah, jigzeni. we'll, uh.... we'll leave that for later.

my guess is it's because the fandom satiated any itch for luzeni that would've been there otherwise, like, right off the bat. the fics alone are so incredible to me and have greatly impacted how i see zeni in their own right. i should really re-read some of them. and maybe you should too, so--

LIST JUMPSCARE!! i read all of these (and more!!) this year!! and yes, they all involve zenigata!! i don't half-ass this obsession, just like zeni lmao. just be mindful of ratings and tags, ofc. explicits are red but the rest is reader's discretion. and if by the incredibly slim chance any of the writers of these see this, thank you for sharing your works, they're really friggin cool B)

Knave of Diamonds/Thoughts May Dim/Under Your Hat

In The Margins Of Another Life

Sunrise, Sunset

Judo in the Schwarzwald

unsaid/lucky strike/cold hands

The Language of Flowers

With Enemies Like These/All Along The Watchtower/Fair Game

Friends Don't Let Friends Diss The Chef

Fates Entwined

The Many Deaths of Kōichi Zenigata

mean luzeni series/Secondhand Vanity

Disreputable Company

Smother Your Sorrow

Kintsugi/how to hit on Zenigata and not actually hit him

pour déplacer un autre/My Dear Icarus

Fifty-Two, No Longer Counting

Smoke and Moonlight/Off the Record

this doesn't even scratch the surface, hah. i think i might like to read but i can't be entirely sure.

my favorite part of this fandom is probably how moldable all of the characters are; you can pick and choose from so many different types of media and sculpt the finer details however you want, but at their cores the character's fundamentals still shine through. it's how we get those fics and fanarts and even text posts like these going on about headcanons. this cast feels like people that've taken on lives of their own outside of their (frankly problematic) source material and that's super neat.

so at the end of the day, there really is no definitive version of zenigata, or any of the others for that matter; just a handful of constants. all of those bits and pieces from up top are a part of my zeni, in one way or another -- but i like a dozen other zenigatas too, even ones that might go against those points. he's definitely been my favorite for a straight year for a reason. maybe one of these days i'll figure out how to actually finish a story all on my lonesome and you'll be able to see my version of him in action ;)

so that's that, i guess. here's to another year.... and hopefully more lupin content, lol. i might not trust tms but i trust the fandom. it's a small but strong and good one and i'm glad to be part of it, even if it isn't in the most active capacity.

anyway pls keep drawing zeni like twice the size of everyone else lmao. tms are cowards for giving him stick arms like lupin >:((

[ilaiyayaya]

It's crazy how enjoyable writing is when you're doing it of your own volition, about a subject you enjoy, at your own pace, with no actual obligations associated with it. I've always heard people that do creative writing regularly as a hobby say this, but it really is true how much schools absolutely fail at both teaching writing skills, but also giving kids the motivation to actually want to write. Like turns out writing is actually really fun and creatively satisfying when you're not required to write a long essay about a topic that you could not care less about. Like I've known this for a while, for a couple years now I've made it a habit to write down notes when I'm experiencing some kind of media that I really enjoy and then I usually write down a short little review or just my thoughts about it afterwards, but recently it's become like, extremely obvious how much I enjoy the process and how much I fucking hated writing in school. I remember anytime I had to write any kind of opinion piece I felt like I just had to write the most basic thing imaginable, following whatever stance had the most solid evidence, even if I didn't actually agree with it at all, and to get a good grade that literally was what I needed to do. Now tho, now I can just write 5 paragraphs about how I think Shinki is the objective best Touhou character despite having barely any existing solid personality or information about them, and like actually enjoy writing those 5 paragraphs that are really just me repeating "I like her :)" with different vocabulary over and over. And the best part is like, who's gonna judge me? the random guy on the internet? I'll fight that guy, and I'll win, and then they'll have to say sorry and then sign my petition to get a Shinki fumo made. This applies to all artforms btw, they're all fun and cool when you're not being graded/paid based on it's "objective" quality and aren't making them for something/someone else that you do not give a fuck about at all.

[dymond-dynamo]

ok, just finished rereading the Scott Pilgrim comic, and I can pretty confidently say that the show is easily my favorite version. there's a lot to like about the comic (it's def better than the movie, as much as I enjoy that too), but it really shot itself in the foot by removing the exes so quickly. and this isn't even me being on my Roxie bullshit (altho it's not not that, she really gets so little in the comic. you know she didn't actually have a proper backstory until the show??), all of the exes are such strong characters and letting them flourish is definitely one of the show's biggest strengths

there are two things that I'd kinda forgotten about with the comic that are very good, which I hope to see more of if they keep the show going:

1. just the passage of time. the comic takes place over the course of more than a year, and you can feel it in the way character dynamics grow and change, especially Scott and Ramona. they really feel like people who have actually been together for a while by the end, which is something the movie definitely never accomplishes (and the show couldn't if it wanted to, just by the nature of the thing). I really like that about it, and I understand that that's harder to do in a movie timeframe, but you absolutely could do something with it across multiple seasons of a show, so here's hoping

2. Envy. Envy honestly gets so fucking shafted in both the movie and the show compared to the comic. and considering the whole thesis of the show seems to be giving characters more depth, it's weird to not include it when it was already there (and it's not like there's nothing there to expand on, there's plenty there to build and expand). the best explanation I can come up with is that Envy's story is tied up with Scott, not Ramona, so with him being basically out of the show there wasn't a good opportunity. I'd love to see her get more in a potential second season tho. I'm so curious about the fight that broke her and Scott up, and obvi I can live my life without ever knowing, I've made it this far, but if we're adding things to characters anyway we might as well

I'd also really like to see Lisa in the show. she's a bit of a weird case, because she doesn't actually *do* all that much, she's mostly just there as an object in other characters' arcs. but I like her, and I think they could have a lot of fun with her if they want, especially with the exes as characters

soooo... yeah! imo show > comic > movie (but they're all worth consuming at least once). I never beat the game tbh. I know people like it, but I'm very much not about old-school beat em ups honestly

[rocksanddeadflowers]

hello, mechanisms enjoyer. who is your favourite mechanism. what is your favourite album. what is your favourite song. do you have a favourite mechanisms photo.

Oh!!! The mechs ask person!!! Hello!!! Yay I like answering questions that let me ramble thank you

It's literally impossible for me to pick a favorite anything but for the mechs specifically I think I have a special soft spot for Brian and Jonny, as well as the prison mechs. I will honestly obsess over one at random just rotating them BUT I find Brian and Ivy relatable and stupidly loveable. Raphaella's vocal range is very similar to mine and I'm always down with mad scientist types. Marius is just so fun to write and he's just like,,,,, idk he's got such a fun demeanor. Jonny memorizes and recites large pieces of script in a way I can relate to (because autism) but mainly aside from his overall Jonny-ness, it's the New Texas thing. I grew up in Texas and I like projecting a lot of southern culture onto to, mostly the cool stuff that makes me homesick (which is also why I love Lyfrassir bc I can project a lot of my Norse Mythology info and pagan lifestyle onto them, but they're not technically a mech so)

Clearly my favorite album is The Bifrost Incident, mainly because Norse Mythology was one of my biggest special interests for years (it still is btw I'm just not as deep anymore). Also after the disappointment of the Loki series, getting into The Mechanisms was just awesome. I will say tho that even if TBI is objectively my favorite, I listen to HNOC the most lmao.

Very hard to pick a favorite song bc I'm obsessed with like .... almost all of them. So my 'favorite' isn't necessarily which song I think is the best, but it's Rose Red. I have many feelings about that song. OUAT(IS) was my first album (literally at that point my only info about The Mechs was someone's post about "Jonny Sim's - you know the TMA guy - stupid and embarrassing uni band" so here i was looking for a giggle actually) i was laying in bed in the middle of the night listening. IMMEDIATELY enraptured by it (it's not stupid and embarrassing how did that person come to the conclusion is this because I'm a theatre kid) and the gasp I let out at Rose Red!! Because most of the songs I didn't really recognize except Pump Shanty really, but Rose Red was a song close to my heart!! It was an old choir warm up, and one of my favorites bc it was the only one we did that wasn't silly and dumb, but straight up sounded ethereal man!! It was just super nostalgic. So after King Cole that song went on loop for a while. Cut to months later when I finally listened to DTTM, yeah anyway that version made me cry. Lot of feels <3

I have many favorite pics!!!! I posted one of my favorite Brian pics ever somewhere on my Tumblr but here's a couple pics I've been rotating a lot recently:

Also here's the favorite Brian pic

Think about him a lot <3

[seerofmike]

oops its been a while since i've done a longer post abt apex lore but the way they're writing octane right now is really bugging me

so between the new chapter of this season's quest and The Perfect Son i've seen enough of the newer writers' version of octane to say that i don't think they know how to write him in text quests very well?

i'm not gonna lie and say octane was some hidden genius but he also wasn't Objectively Stupid, either. he's a dumbass, but to me that's different from being stupid. like he was well-meaning but impulsive, he was rash but there were semblances of good ideas in that brain of his that could have been Great ideas if he thought about 'em a little more. now he just says stupid things for the sake of... comedy? and not even in the awkward "oops i accidentally said smth dumb" way mirage used to do, just plain "this man was born yesterday" levels of stupidity.

if you compare this chapter to how he was written in the Family Business SFTO or the season 7 and season 9 comics, there's a stark difference. and this was a minor problem in earlier text quests too, but not as bad. he's always been his best in animations and commissioned comics and i think seeing him visually acting out (or voicing) what they're writing him to say makes them realize how he looks and they dial it back.

and it really sucks because i LIKE the *theoretical* direction they're taking octane right now. him getting worse before he gets better and being okay with torres's actions to an extent because he's incredibly selfish and torres in turn worsening his absolute worst traits. that's very interesting and i like it!! especially when this new chapter demonstrated that like octane, torres is also very manipulative and he clearly gets it from him.

but it's hard to take him or his actions seriously when they have him acting like this. it actually HURTS what they want to do with him. remember when octane was emotionally intelligent? emotionally intelligent enough that he was able to tell lifeline was upset and comforted her multiple times after her parents did awful stuff but ALSO emotionally intelligent enough to be shitty and manipulative and guilt-trippy? he wasn't an Empath(tm), but he at least picked up on cues like that and knew how to use that to his advantage. in this new chapter octane is as dense as a brick in regards to how seer's feeling and i can't see This octane smart enough to be as shitty and manipulative the way he used to be and it makes the parallels between him and torres fall flat on their face.

apex seems to have a problem with flanderization of "comedic" characters in general. mirage got turned into a bumbling idiot jackass for a couple of seasons and it was one of the things that made me hate his character. joke's on the writers tho. i've invested too much time into octane for 4 whole years to have him be torn away from me the same way 😤

[sofipitch]

I feel so betrayed by the show, tbh. I've been so positive about it and talked many of my friends into watching it (I even got a friend to read IWTV in anticipation for the show) and.... I'm just so upset after episode 5. There were a few things I was disappointed with before this, but I could live with them:

(1) AMC!Louis being so much younger than Lestat; I've always liked that they're only 5 or so years apart and both so young at the start of IWTV.

(2) Daniel being aged up so much—the actor is killing it but I doubt we'll see anything resembling Devil's Minion on screen.

(3) And what probably bothered me the most before ep 5: Lestat and Claudia's dynamic. He seems to barely tolerate her and only for Louis's sake. Like, that's supposed to be his daughter that he dotes on... from what we've seen it doesn't look to me like he has any personal affection for her at all or her for him. They're roommates that sometimes get fast food together.

But now? My faith in the show has been broken and I'm really starting to doubt if I even want to keep watching. I'll probably finish out this season and keep tabs on it over the hiatus and during S2 but... idek man I'm just SAD.

Yeah I agree. There were a few things I was just "whatever" on and giving the show the benefit of the doubt. Like I'm not super attached to Daniel and wasn't sure we'd make it far enough for QOTD so like whatever. The loustat age difference I wasn't crazy about but I didn't find it morally objectable, it's really common in vampire media to have a hundreds of years old bf. Like that's Armand and Daniel's dynamic and I like them as a couple.

The Lestat Claudia dynamic is a biggie to me tho. I think it was kind of always more tragic that Lestat was trying his best to be a good dad but because of his hairpin triggers due to trauma, withholding info bc of some stupid promise, and the way he made her it was always doomed. Like isn't that more tragic, that the love was real but the relationship failed anyways?

I thought the scenes in ep 4 where fine and in character with the exception of Lestat being called Uncle, which I took as a time period thing. But now having heard what Lestat says about Claudia in ep 5 and he isn't even concerned for her, doesn't want her back... It's horrible and if RJ said this Lestat is based on all the books he should go back to the scene in Claudia's diary for QOTD where Lestat gets on his knees and reassures Claudoa that he loves her and doesn't see her as a doll. That's the real dadstat

[dapper-nahrwhale]

if youre planning to watch riverdale because you like the comics i suggest not because they are very very different.

Thanks for the suggestion but. Well, it is a little too late. You see I have actually seen some of it before. I watched a few seasons of it a few years after it initially came out, then immediately forgot everything about it, like this was way back in 2019 or 2020, long before I even got into the archie comics and other various shows and started this whole thing of watching and reading every single archie comics and adaptation I can possibly find.

(Oh boy this is going to be a long one huh.)

And one consistent thing I've found in my journey is that archie comics, adaptations, and spinoffs, is that it's a mixed bag of quality. And theres always so much going on in them all the time. You've got some good ones, some bad ones, some in between, and the really strange ones.

And boy howdy has there been some strange ones. The 19 issue 70s spire christian archie comics. There was a 2 part collaboration with Barack Obama and Sara Palin in 2010 for some reason. A sharknado crossover in 2015. A live action Archie's tv pilot in 1964 that never really went anywhere for good reason. Many more low budget early 90s live action films. The controversial end to the life with archie 2010 series, wherein we follow parallel universes where archie marries veronica and archie marries betty, and both have the exact same ending: archie gets shot and dies.

Its wild. WILD.

And riverdale as a show fits into that sort of nonsense... surprisingly well tbh. Yes, there things I dislike about the show diverging from the comics and it taking itself way to seriously, but I cannot deny the fact that riverdale does fit with just how bonkers the rest of the archie comics and shows get, no matter how much it differs from those comics and shows.

TDLR (I go into more depth as of why under the cut) riverdale is a fascinating archie adaptation and I need to watch it soon. adaptations that are different than the source material can still hold value. There has never been an entirely accurate archie adaptation because even the comics themselves are inconsistent with each other. But the one thing every single archie comics, show, movie, adaptation has in common is that they're always always just kind of dumb and ridiculous. Can't be an archie adaptation without that. And I'm on a quest to watch and read every adaptation so I kind of am going to watch riverdale regardless.

And I'm not entirely sure of my opinion on the comics is anything more than neutral at best really.

I havent read enough of the old ones to form an opinion on them yet. I cant say I really like all the comics, some sure but. Like the real early stuff, from the 40s and 50s, can be sort of hard to read. As always, the early Archie's do not stand up to the test of time it seems. And some really weird choices made in the 70s. The sabrina the teenage witch and the josie and the pussycats spinoff comics are pretty interesting tho.

I'd say the very cream of the crop (for me so far) is the post 2015 complete rehaul of the series as a whole, in a fresh light. Definitely worth reading the road to riverdale volumes, the archie volumes, and the jughead volumes (I'm biased what can I say), even though they have absolutely nothing to do with the show riverdale itself, or even the storylines in the earlier archie comics. Their it's own thing entirely.

And truthfully, I don't actually mind how different of an adaptation something is. I think a darker, more drama focused tone is a fine thing for an adaptation. In theory. Like afterlife with archie comics started in 2013 where zombies take over the town. Because in practice with the riverdale show, oh boy. The issues I have are real. Like, ok its objectively a kind of ridiculous show that I just can't take seriously. It sure is entertaining to watch it crash and burn though. But. Thing is, I just straight up don't even remember anything that happened in it, went in one ear out the other. So it's going to be a surprise for me either way once I get around to it.

Anyways, an adaptation being inaccurate from the source material but still good (howls moving castle, who framed roger rabbit) and being badly written but still enjoyment can be found in it (the black cauldron), and being a somewhat accurate adaptation but still unbearable (the live action avatar the last airbender and percy jackson movies) are all separate things. And riverdale falls into it's own separate category all together, where it is not an accurate adaptation by any means, where the enjoyment of it is entirely dependent on the individual, where it does genuinely bring up some interesting things and compelling plot points, but at the cost of character assasination, plot inconsistencies, and alot of really really awkward dialogue. And thing is, that's just how most shows are anyways. I don't think any archie show is fully good or fully bad, they're all a mixed bag.

Where as in the past there have been adaptations of archie that dont follow the plots or characterizations of the comics as much, but still keep more of the tone of the comics, Archie's weird mysteries 1999, and there have been some that follow the comics somewhat, but change up the tone to be something else entirely, the new Archie's show 1987, and it really just depends on the writers.

I genuinely dont know if theres ever been an entirely accurate archie adaptation, even with how all the comics and shows do have some sort of consistency, whether it be character traits, the places and people in town, plotlines. But theres also the fact that they had so many people making and writing archie comics and various spinoffs all at once, that there is going to be discrepancy between even the comics themselves. Theres no real one accurate archie. Theres how it started out, and how it has changed, evolved, and morphed over time and decades, into an amalgamation of 80 some years worth of recognizable characters and places and plotlines. And riverdale is just one of many bizarre choices in the long and strange history that is archie.

And it's like the last part of my journey, you know. I don't think I can stop even if I wanted to, I'm in too deep now. I gotta know it all. Everything. The good, the bad, the questionable.

(Quick sidebar but also. Theres this live action movie called the archies coming out on Netflix soon, and it looks really interesting, set in 1960s india. I don't know till I see it if it's good, but that alone sounds like an adaptation worth watching, even if it isnt so accurate to the source material, it certainly has the tone of the 1960s shows and comics down it seems.)

Oops! Didnt mean to make this response this long, riverdale is a fascinating mixed bag of just everything to me. I have a lot of thoughts about archie adaptations as always.

Anyways thank you for the ask anon! I'll take any excuse to talk about archie adaptations.

[risu5waffles]

Ope means TEN in the Midwest

It does not, but it's 4.30 in the morning here, so cut me some slack.

We talked about this one last week, but it's still pretty nifty now, so that's good.

These two are in sequence, wiv a promised third that unfortunately never materialized; but Welcome feels a lot more like a proof of concept, where Heart is the real shebang. i'd played Heart way back in the way back, and, like many things that struck me hard and i fell in love wiv, i came back to play it many, many times while never actually digging into the rest of Trindall's levels. i guess that worked out, since we could play Lightbringer completely fresh for the review show, but it is a little embarrassing all the same. At any rate, the idea of having the whole level rotate, and parts playing different depending on the current angle of rotation, is so cool, and i don't think i've seen anyone else really go to that well again. The fact that this was all done in LBP1 makes it all the more impressive. It would be years from first playing that i'd actually get to the secret dev room, and let me tell you socks were knocked off. One of the nice side effects of the lack of actual logic tools in LBP1 is everything has to exist somewhere visible in the level, so you could actually show the moving parts. The moving parts here, although i know there are levels wiv more complex set-ups, are really quite impressive.

Ehhhh... i don't know what so impressed me about this level when i played it back for the old review show that i would have given it a Green Circle when at best it's a mid-tier Yellow Square. i mean, the crabs are definitely cute, i don't want to take that away from it, but the level is, ultimately, just ok.

This is a cute little one, if maybe a bit chonkier than it really ought to be to hold interest playing by yourself. i kind of feel like the flat light blue background doesn't really serve it well, given the poppier presentation in the build and objects; tho' i'm not entirely sure if any of the backgrounds available when it was made would have been a better fit. i don't know, it just feels like it's floating in space a bit. i did really like the creator showing up periodically through the level to give commentary, tho'; that was really cute.

i think you can actually see the point where i realized if i had it on infinite checkpoint, i was never actually going to be able to get to the scoreboard. Ope. Otherwise, this is just your deeply average bomb survival level. At least it wasn't 9/11 themed.

i really, really wound up liking this one. There's so much mechanical motion going on, and that always trips my trigger. This is one where i feel like the limitations imposed by LBP1 really help, because i could see the idea getting really over-elaborate wiv the movement tools added in LBP2. And it looks so clean. A lot of LBP1 levels, they have a certain kludginess to them that you learn to overlook, and sometimes that lack of polish can be its own charm point, but Tony's levels have a certain crispness to them that really makes them stand out. One weird thing, when i came to play this one, i'd had a heart on it already, but no mark that we'd even touched it once, like no silver SackThing that'd indicate we'd played, but not completed? i think it might have been on a stream where the servers were being particularly wonky, because i remember feeling like i'd given it a go and recently.

We talked about this one Friday. It's still a lot.

In Trindall's Heart of the Flip-Side dev room, they talked about being inspired by one of tony2k7's levels, but there was just this and a Tetris one up on their moon, and... actually, now that i think of it, they were both pubbed after Flip-side, so the inspiration couldn't have come from here. Maybe there's some level tony2k7 took down and never repubbed. If so, it's lost now, unless they ever come back to it. That's a big reason why i wanted to do this series in the first place. This level here is fine. It's definitely fine.

This one's alright, i guess. The gear vehicles were kind of cool, and it was funny you could walk behind the level right to the scoreboard. it's just a deeply ugly level that's a little more difficult to traverse than it needs to be for what it's doing. Plus, there are numerous places you can softlock the level if things don't fall right, or get blown up in an unexpected way, and that's never great, especially if you've already devoted a chunk of time to it. The grabbable rocket section was cute, tho' the way the player sensor fades into the steel material of the back wall makes it really hard to tell what you're supposed to be doing to get it to work. Eh... the level's fine. Not the worst i've played of the genre. No collector, tho'; that's a definite disappointment.

------------------------------

So, that's our TEN. Some real good ones in there, a couple that are ok. Nothing that's really awful, and that's always nice. i got to hustle my buns now; it's Tuesday, and i am, unfortunately, contractually obligated to do a Capitalism if i want to keep these plush digs.

[smol-grey-tea]

I've been listening to a lot of the Nameless soundtracks recently and all of the music is so pretty and beautiful, but listening to it all made it more apparent how sad of a game it is. Don't get me wrong, I love the game so very much, but the most apparent emotion it makes you feel, in my opinion, isn't happiness, but sadness. The music definitely emphasises this, soooo I wanted to rank the top 5 songs in the soundtrack on how sad or just generally pretty or sad they are! :3

At number 5, and yes I am definitely biased, is honestly Red's piano theme. The usual guitar tune is such a good depiction of his character that feels very upbeat and happy, but that slower piano rendition makes it that much more emotional and heartfelt and is perfect for the scenes it's used in.

For number 4, I chose Café Banjul's theme. It brings a really calm atmosphere to the place, especially with the harp and piano. The light tinkling sounds remind me of the sound of a teaspoon stirring in a little teacup. It kind of sounds sad tho for a reason I can't quite place. Maybe the majority of the sadness I feel from the game might just come from the fact I first played it 6 years ago so it reminds me of the past? But this song specifically, it reminds me kind of of a homesickness for cute little cafés like that one that I went to when I was young but will probably never go again

For number 3, I chose the theme for the game itself, If I Could, sung by I think Tei and Red's voice actors?? Tho I swear for the life of me I cannot hear Red's voice in this at all altho I can definitely hear it in his character ending song. But this song's lyrics itself are emotional and very relevant to the game's story as well. I think having Tei sing it is a good idea for it, and it's the sort of song that makes me wish I could speak Korean cuz it just makes me want to belt it at the top of my lungs, like all the other Cheritz games' themes. Also idk if this is totally correct, but I swear I can hear a leitmotif of Red's guitar theme in there?? Fr, just makes it sadder

In 2nd place is Secret, the theme that plays in the start menu. This theme isn't just sad itself, but I think it's even sadder that it's the 1st thing you hear immediately after an ending so as soon as you hear it you're already feeling sadness from the bittersweetness and/or fuckery that you've just experienced. I honestly hate endings so much, I think it's the saddest thing in the world, I'd give anything for things never to end, so this song has a lot of emotions in it for me.

My number 1 saddest Nameless song definitely has to be What's Your Name?, which plays at the end of the 2nd secret ending. It's such a good song to end such a good game. A really big part of Nameless is the nostalgia of it that's so deeply interwoven into the game's story. The 2 saddest things in the world are unquestionably endings and empathy for inanimate objects. You have no idea how many emotions inanimate objects give me. Nameless does such a good job of humanising these tiny little lifeless inhuman things and making them so, so emotional. The story of Nameless, the character, is something that can make anyone teary-eyed, calling back to their childhood and their memories of toys and dolls they've left behind. The music video as well that goes with this song, highlighting all the concept art for the characters, also brings out the nostalgia and sadness of it all too.

I'm listening to this song rn as I write this so I will have to finish this post quickly before I cry or something 😂 but really, I think What's Your Name does such a good job of finishing off a really perfect game. And then as soon as this song's over when you finish the game, you hear Secret again as you're brought back to the start menu. This game has no right to go this hard.

I really really don't exaggerate when I say this is the best game I've ever played and might ever play. It's at least definitely the best Cheritz game. First of all, the format of the game is easy to play and quickly get the hang of, the story is engaging, hilarious and sad in such a perfect way. The characters are so intriguing, each of them feeling so real and beautiful, the main character being so relatable and the 5 romanceable boys having such rich stories. The music is ethereal and the art is gorgeous.

I really cannot recommend this game enough, I will love it for ever and ever. I am so glad that this game exists in my life.

[hyohaehyuk]

It's Pride Month and i want to post this before the month ends 🙃 Almost a year ago i found an old OOR interview where Taka might had come out as bi.

Now about Takeru i found some interesting interview that make me wondering if he is not gay/queer too.

Actor Takeru Sato (30) appeared on the TBS variety show "Sakurai Ariyoshi THE Yakai" broadcast on January 23rd, 2020. Looking back on his first date, he revealed how shy he was when he was a student.

According to information provided by a friend from junior high school, Sato was always at the top of his class and had outstanding athletic ability. However, he was "terrible at love." On his first date, while riding his bike to the date's destination, he started pedaling at full speed for some reason. He left the girl behind and went home.

Looking back on that time, Sato explained, "I just couldn't bear being alone with a woman in the city... I'm really sorry, but I ran away. I was so embarrassed," and apologized, "I'm so sorry that I caused her so much trauma."

Sato continued, "I never fell in love or got carried away with love during my school days. My romantic feelings for women were all directed towards the two-dimensional world." When Wakako Shimazaki asked, "What do you like about the two-dimensional world? It's not human," Sato reflexively turned around and said, "Eh, but!" The studio was filled with laughter at Sato's unexpected reaction.

On the show, Sato said, "I didn't think that the object of my heart's desire had to be a human," and introduced Amatsuka Megumi, the heroine of the manga "Tenshi na konamaiki" (Cheeky Angel) as his "favorite woman" from his school days. As the crowd exclaimed, "Eh?", Sato revealed that he was crazy about her, saying, "Even though it was my first love..."

Besides the fact that he run away from a date with a girl (lol) the interesting thing here is that, according with wiki (bc i didn't read the manga) Amatsuka Megumi is tomboy that always get into fights and have a secret: she used to be a boy."

From other place "Megumi is a nine-year old kid who, after saving a sorceror from getting beat-up by some punks, as thanks was given a magic book with a demon inside. His wish to become the "manliest man on Earth" is misinterpretted as the "womanliest woman on Earth" and he is transformed into a girl. Out of fury she throws the book into a river. Six years later, Megumi may still have the body of a girl but behaves like a guy and is only interested in fighting and martial arts. Megumi dreamed of the day when she can return to being a man by finding the book again."

I dont know if she turned back into a boy tho.

Even Takeru views about marriage are weird. It really feels that he is forced himself into that idea to fit in society norms rather than him really wanting to get married

From this video around 8:33 (transcriptions from here)

"I've been saying this for a long time, but marriage isn't something you do alone, it's something you do together, so do you have the desire to get married when you don't have a partner? Even if you ask me that, there is no way to answer.

If you keep saying things like that, you'll never get married. I think that if I don't decide to get married at some point, I won't, or rather, won't be able to do it even when I'm 40 or 50, and that's becoming a reality. So now I've declared that I'll get married by 35. I really want to do that. I'll try my best.

On the other hand, if I can't do it by 35, I probably won't be able to do it for a while until I'm 45 or something"

He even uses a fortune teller to telling me when he should get married like he mentioned in the Bokura no Jidai interview. At least here he is acknowledging that marriage is a thing made by 2 people (him and his partner, not him and the fortune teller)

Still on topic of marriage there is interesting convo in the Miura Shohei, Shirota yu, Takeru Sato and Taka youtube live.

Around 51:24, Miura says that Takeru, Taka and Yu are all equality the most difficult to get married. Taka and Yu are unbeliever at that and Taka even say that Takeru is the most difficulted one. Takeru says that he believes Yu is the one cabable of doing it but him and Taka cant.

Taka complains but then says "can't we do it?"

Takeru: "No, it's impossible"

Then Miura mentioned that Taka said before to him that he would when all OOR members got married and now that Toru is married he could do it anytime. Taka said "if there is the right person" and then Takeru start laughing and Taka asked why he is laughing. Then the convo start to be about Takeru.

Taka: Takeru is the most special among the four of us. Unlike us, maybe it will develop in other directions...

Takeru: Everyone is different

Taka: Although everyone is different...

Takeru: I think the next one it will be Yu.

(proceeds to talk about why he think Yu should get married and that he is suitable to start a family)

Takeru: This person (Taka) case is a little different (from Yu case). He have such a strong personality.

Miura: He values his music more/this is music is the most important.

Taka: No, No. That's not truth. I think my own life is more important than anything else.