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#that time i got reincarnated as an evil version of myself
chaos-has-theories · 10 months
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Chloé get's to be a Vriska, as a treat
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skull-pun · 7 months
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A Finn Thought
(SPOILERS FOR AT)
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If Prismo's wishes work the way I think they do then doesn't that mean Farmworld Finn is the original Finn that we followed from Season 1 all the way up until the first episode of Season 5 in which he makes his wish and is then (from how I interrupted it) sent to the universe his wish created.
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Like this is what happened to the Lich right? He wished for the extinction of all life and was then sent to the alternate world that his wish created. We even see him disappear from the Time Room just as Finn and Jake enter.
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So then after Jake's wish fixed everything we basically got an exact copy of Ooo and another identical copy of Finn and we now follow this version of Finn for the rest of the show right? NOPE!
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We're with this new Finn up until Episode 19 of Season 6 when a future version of Finn (through some more Prismo Time Room shenanigans) basically sacrifices the past version in order to save Prismo. This is were I'm kind of starting to confuse myself because these two are basically not really alternate reality versions just past and future selves, but Prismo does refer to Jake's past self as an alternate version so I'm counting it. Also side note this basically means that we lose the original season 1 Jake in this episode as he turns into Prismo leaving the Fionna and Cake Lich as the only character from the original version of Ooo.
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So Sword Finn then turns into Fern but the original Finn is still in Fern being controlled by an evil spider who is then killed by new Finn and Fern but then this means that Fern can't maintain his form and so he (and the second version of Finn) die *deep breath* BUT ITS FINE BECAUSE FERN LEAVES BEHIND A SEED AND TURNS INTO TREE OUTLIVING ALL THE OTHER VERSIONS OF FINN.
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TLDR; Original Finn (Season 1 to 5) was transported to Farmworld, then the new Finn that we were following (Season 5 to 6) is turned into a sword and then Fern and then a tree. So basically, there are a bunch of Finns that we follow throughout the series due to Prismo fuckery. This is all wrong btw but idc it was a shower thought that I just had to get off my chest ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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You can also argue that Puhoy Finn is the Finn created from Jake's wish who basically went on to die in the pillow world and be reincarnated as another version of Finn who then goes on to become a sword BUT THIS POST HAS GONE ON FOR LONG ENOUGH NOW OK BYE
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hyrulean-evalink · 8 months
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Eva's epic Zelda therory omgggg
OKAY SO IM KINDA SLEEP DEPRIVED AND ITS A BIT LATE AND IM HUNGRY ALSO IVE LEGIT NEVER DONE THIS BUT HERE WEEE GOOO
Why I think TotK's past happens BEFORE Skyward Sword
Okay so let's get Goddess Hylia out of the way. I don't believe she's a Goddess in the sense that she was all powerful blah blah blah
Because, really, what did she do ?
Elevate the islands -> Mineru did that. Even with more and bigger islands so... Hylia isn't special
Light and sealing powers -> Rauru and Sonia has light powers too
Built robots -> Which race seems to be extremely skilled in building constructs and give them a near human artificial intelligence ?
Reincarnation -> Spirit power. If Mineru could transfer her soul to a fake body, I don't think it's far fetched that someone with a similar power could voluntarily reincarnate themselves at the cost of their memories (weird, that reminds me of another ritual)
So Hylia was probably a VERY powerful priestess, maybe even a Zonai that made her elevate to the state of a Goddess, and for the reason she wouldn't use the Triforce, Zonais are descendants of the Gods, making them Gods in some way, so technically she would still be forbidden of using it
Okay with that out of the way:
The Master Sword. There is no Master Sword during Rauru's time. If it did exist I THINK Mineru would be aware. But she seems surprised of its existence (I am basing myself on the French version of the game in which she says "It wounded him you say? When our combined powers weren't enough..." and not the trash garbage English version. Sorry English speakers). Anyway, the Master Sword didn't exist, even Ganondorf seemed to be surprised that it would exist.
And also, the sword Hylia created technically wasn't super extraordinary. The sword Hylia left behind is a blade built to be the perfect VESSEL for Divine Power. (Link in SwS had to bathe the blade in the flames of the Golden Goddesses before getting a final blessing of Light, in the start of SwS, the Master Sword really isn't that great, hell it's even mocked for its short blade)
And so I believe Demise is a sort of Calamity situation. Because if the TotK Ganondorf is supposed to come AFTER how could he destroy the Master Sword so easily ?
"Oh but Eva the Master Sword was weakened !" Shut up Billy, the Great Deku Tree specifies that the Master Sword can regenerate and recover the current maximum stength it has and in the memory in which Link gets it back he confirms that the sword is ready to be taken again. It's not the Master Sword that got weakened. It's Ganondorf that was overly powerful.
Back to Skyward Sword, if Hyrule didn't exist, explain Impa, explain the ruins we find. The Temple of Time bears a strange ressemblance to the Ancient Temple in BotW/TotK
"But Eva ! The placement makes no sense !" since when is LoZ making sense with geographical placements.
As to explain why Ganondorf appear in OoT, TP, WW etc... I believe this is a reincarnation of THE Ganondorf. Considered he was raised by Koume and Kotake, evil witches, I believe that when the 100 years mark came for the Gerudos, they made some sort of pact or ritual so that Ganondorf's soul could reincarnate. Because Rauru only managed to seal his body, his soul could still exist (Calamity Ganon) so what if he experimented? He first created a Demon, Demise, except he realized that while it gives him a lot of power, this also makes him vulnerable to other things Then he reincarnated in the flesh, but it also ended up getting killed So in Calamity form he decides to use his raw soul and build himself a body, which failed BUT weakened the seal enough for his true body to be freed. That's the theory and headcanon I keep. Anyway this is all over the place and I probably forgot a lot of details but here's my theory, if you have questions, my asks are open !
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The Time I Got Reincarnated as an Evil Version of Myself by GalahadWilder
HELL YEAH HELL YEAH HELL YEAH
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unseelie-robynx · 2 years
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Right, so I've been getting anons (which i don't get so it's been kinda surreal) and basically the proposition of a Oblivion variant where it's Monkey King who gets the mind control music and somehow goes down a corruption ark and ends up Little Brother-ifying Macaque and then *also* using it on Xiaotian and keeping him as well.
(And that's a bit open as to if it's baby brother or cub, but I kind of like the idea that since Sun Wukong basically raised Macaque anyways in the premise relationship this is spawning from, that Monkey King isn't entirely sure where he stands on what he'd doing with Xiaotian either, but also he decides that the specifics don't matter as much and what does is that he's got Xiaotian safe on FFM with Liu Er and nothing is going to take his family away from him EVER AGAIN)
But mostly I've been thinking about how we would get to a corruption for SWK, and how he would get a version of the music that works on Macaque/Xiaotian. (although since Xiaotian starts off human, that first part had been easy)
I've ended up with some ideas, and since I need to get them out of my system, you all get to deal with them.
Please note that this isn’t trying to stop over what Anon was going for or wanted to explore, because I am still psyched for that and to see what awesomeness they create, but they got my brain juices flowing and I was just jotting down ideas that came to me and it turned into this monstrosity. So, again, not trying to stop on anyone’s toes, I’m just incapable of stopping myself (Also this is a 2 Part post. Because I started writting and didn’t stop and you get 10 points of SWK falling and breaking Macaque here, and then The Other Post is 10 points on Xiaotian and the cannon timeline)
1. SWK stumbles on the music (we hand wave that part) and realizes he can use it to get demons to stop attacking. And since he wants to retire, he is down for this. He starts using it a lot in it's basic function of blasting it and ordering the demon to leave and go home and never do this again. And it works
2. maybe he gets a little bit suspicious as to how well it works, and tests it on some one, learning how much more it's actually doing than just turning demons away. (so now he knows he's in possession of mind control magic)
3. he has some internal crisis about this, but also he doesn't want to come out of the mostly retired state he's in, and he doesn't want to leave everyone completely defenseless if he just stops. So he starts the corruption process with justifying using it to stop bad demons.
4. SWK ends up with a situation where it's not demons that are the problem, it's wicked humans. This is... a problem. Because the way the music is now, it doesn't work on humans, and SWK can clearly see that there are evil humans just as much as there are evil demons, and since he's the hero he should help with *both*.
It's now more modern time (think late 90's ish?), and SWK isn't tech illiterate, (he had a VR set and lots of people HC he made the game Xiaotian played in that episode) so he picks up audio editing and through trial and error finds a music that can work on humans.
because he'd been forced to kill the corrupt humans from the incident above, and SWK hates that he did that. this way is better, because no one gets hurt, and the people he stops can then go on to live better lives. they just need a nudg* in the right direction, like the kind he was given so long ago.
 5. somewhere in all of this, Macaque comes back. And SWK hadn't known about his little brother being resurrected, but reincarnation is a thing, so when he hears a rumor about a six eared being, he thinks it might be that reincarnation and takes off after the rumors.
It's not a reincarnation he finds. And SWK is completely flabbergasted by the sight of his Liu Er (his fur is black instead of the white it used to be, but it was like that when the fought as well and there are more important things to think about, like the fact that his little brother who he killed who's body he buried is ALIVE. The shock of it is enough for Macaque to escape, but now SWK is on a hunt. He lost Liu Er once, he wont loose him again now that he has this second chance.
 6. SWK is basically devoting all his energy into finding his brother. But along the way, with lots on encounters and near misses, he figures out that Macaque is still angry and bitter, still in that mindset that lead to SWK putting him down before the celestials could do something worse. trap him away, make him scream in agony from pain he couldn't stop, break him into pieces, burn him alive, shatter his mind and heart SWK can't let that happen, which means he need to change Liu Er's mind.
And he wrestles with himself over this decision, eventually deciding that it's the only way this is ever going to end. (at least, the only way it ends where his brother is safe and home where he belongs) but this is a huge step from where he was before with using the music, and a skid down the slippery slope he's on
 7. problem is, the music doesn't work on SWK, so he doubts it will work on Liu Er either. So SWK stops looking for his brother and turns his attention to developing something that will work on him. Lots of self testing, and SWK knows he's getting it right when he looses time, and he knows this is reckless and dangerous, but he needs it to work. And, eventually, it does.
 8. Macaque's gotten jumpy by this point, what with the way SWK had suddenly stopped the until then relentless pursuit. It leads him to doing something stupid ie. going to FFM to spy.
He get's caught. Obviously.
But SWK is ecstatic because Liu Er came to him, came home, so deep down he must still want to be home, with him. And SWK wastes no time in forcing headphones on Macaque and starting the music before he can figure out what's going on.
At that point SWK basicaly... 'suggests' all those things he just thought, and also drills it in deep that Macaque want's to be a good person from now on.
 9. initially, that was all SWK was going to do. all he was going to allow himself to do. But Macaque is stubborn and keeps fighting against the music and needing to go under again and again, and SWK can't help but... throw things in, each time. About how things used to be. About how sweet his little brother was. About how much he missed when Liu Er would follow him about and let himself be taken care of.
And little by little, Macaque fades away and little Liu Er takes his place.
But it's such a gradual thing, that's happening over years and decades-
(I HC that LMK takes place in the future from our modern time. yes it's Lego but also they have hover-bikes and transforming vehicles and at least the original spider mech wasn't *made* with magic, just used it as a battery, so there's *time* between when SWK can start editing things vs when the show starts of all this. We're hand-waving the exact timeline, just go with it)
-SWK doesn't even realy see the corruption happening. His little brother is safe and happy and wont ever leave him again so things are good. He's the hero after all, he keeps people safe, keeps them happy, helps criminals see the light and be good, and all he wants in return is to be left alone with his little brother in their home. SWK deserves to have his perfect adorably little brother back. He's earned this. And clearly Liu Er is so much happier this way. SWK is the hero, and he knows what’s best.
 10. Time passes, SWK gets used to being able to switch things around in Liu Er's mind whenever he feels like it, and normalizes using the music for everything and anything.
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remembering-angels · 6 months
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My full reincarnation timeline
I shared this on Reddit and I thought I could share my reincarnation timeline on here too if anyone is interested . This is basically a time line of all my past lives from being an angel to human past lives to now a days.
The very first thing my soul remembers is a place almost like heaven, or maybe eden. I remember a vast ocean, spreading endlessly over the horizon, if my soul had an origin, it was at the shores of that ancient ocean. I remember a light, everything felt bigger than the earth, bigger than the solar system, i was one with the universe, with the galaxies. my dreams of that time are always of me in between earth and space, that's where I believe heaven to be, if I could ever put a name to it I would almost say it felt as if I was one of the angels. the angels in my memories tho looked different from the beautiful paintings in churches, some looked inhuman in a way people can't imagine and yet some did look even more beautiful than those paintings. those angels and me being one of them had a mission, it was always to help the universe, and humanity evolve, some have forgotten it tho, and sometimes i myself forget it.
the first reincarnation was maybe around ancient Egypt times is the best i could describe it tho i was in a different country, being on earth is different than being in heaven, on earth, when i first came, in my first reincarnation everything felt so intense, my first reincarnation was in the middle east, in the deserts and hot weather still feel very close to me, my divine siblings reincarnated with me at the time. i remember speaking the ancient language and seeing the beauty of maybe Persian (?) or ancient israel cities, everything felt like an endless dream, at the time i saw tribes at war and empires begin to slightly form.
the second reincarnation was in Europe in the middle ages or the medieval times not sure what its called, i was a lady,i remember hallways illuminated by candlelights and music if I could pinpoint a language it would be old English, there was a man there, my soulmate, i would play around with him a lot, he was older than me ,he had some kind of political standing but i can't remember now what he did. i died from getting shot with an arrow, but i think it was an accident or some kind of battle thing, i remember the arrow piercing my chest area, i remember being carried to the water as my final resting place and waking up on the other side ,seeing the most beautiful moonlight.
from there on my memories are kinda blurry,i can't remember all my reincarnations, i think i had one during ww2 that i can slightly remember but not well enough.
the next very vivid past life i remember is of being a regular girl in 1960's-1970's America, funny enough i went to religious studies, i remember daydreaming a lot, wondering about my soul, my life's purpose, i didn't have a lot of time to figure out my life's purpose since that life was cut short,but if i did have time i would have become a teacher or a researcher or someone who helps others , and i remember making deep connections. the love from that life still follows me here. i was lost in that life a bit and some took advantage of that. i died by the hand of an evil man ,an evil man that took many souls that he shouldn't have. a selfish man.
and i remember leaving my body and walking through a forest ,an endless forest until i found my way back to heaven,or my version of heaven at least, i remember hearing whispers all around me when i reached the other side, the whispers were comforting me, I was stuck as a ghost for some time, looking up the sky at the stars listening to those whispers,and when I got back home to heaven I slept in a field of lovely purple flowers, my divine siblings Keeping watch.
and my reincarnation now. i dont think this is my last, i think i have one more life to live. I am blessed I can remember so much .
well that's it what i remember so far!
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Coming out as a fictionkin and new start
Hi Iam have not been active on here for ages and so I decided to make this post as way share awareness and hopefully find other people who are as one and as new start for me on here. What say may sound crazy to some people and please don’t bully for who Iam and if you do I will block you.
Here a bit at me.
I go by the name Fyra but I also go by my current shift name please(I explained more later the post and I put my current shift’s name as my username )
I am transgender girl who has ADHD and autism.
My pronouns are she/her/them/they
I am fictionkin.
I have been part of the otherkin and fictionkin community for about just over 3 years.
I have strong believe in the supernatural and I believe I reincarnated several times in many different realities.
I am also psychic I can sense supernatural beings,entires and Interdimensional beings.
I also can sense someone personality before they even talk me and I can see peoples aura.
I am very creative person I love drawing, love cosplaying
I am love anime and manga and I very like video games.
When I was little I always felt different and I never truly felt human.
When I diagnosed with Autism I thought that possibly part of the reason I few that.
But I then hear about otherkins about for a interview with otherkins video I few years got me thinking.
That I could be otherkin but I don’t think more about after that.
About around the middle of 2020 I decided to start looking into otherkins and I then discovered fictionkins. Then I realised I was fictionkin as I started awakening my first kin Alissa and it when on for their.
I then decided join a few different otherkin and fictionkin Animos originally out curiosity and to see if I could find anyone who could help me discover if who I was and then over time I awaken more kins.
As I learned more and discovered that I am fictionkin.
I as started awakening my kins and more find about myself.
I started feeling more complicated and happy.
I hope to meet more people who have similar beliefs and possible even kin for the same canon as me.
I hope make some freinds and discover more myself.
I made this post as way of make awareness of otherkin and fictionkins and please feel to ask any questions even in comments or in pms.
I am planning making more posts about my experiences and memories I have of pastlifes.
Anyway I am going on.
Here my My kin list
Sarvente from FNF mod Sarvente’s mid-fight masses
The Girlfriend from Friday night Funkin(possibly the version from Hipno’s lullaby mob)
Alissa (my true self)
Bela Dmittrescu from Resident evil village
Alternate version Lady Dmittrescu from Resident evil village
Donna Beneviento and Angie from Resident evil village
The creepypasa Clockwork
Queen Juno from Grand summoners epic event Story called Knights of Blood: zero.
Ryuko Matoi and Nui Harime from kill la kill
Raphtalia and Filo from rise of the shield hero
dragon kin link to miss kobayashi's dragon maid
Kumoko from I am an spider so what?
Albedo, Shalltear Bloodfallen and Entoma Vasilissa Zeta () from overlord
The Hooked Doll from spooky’s jumpscare Mansion DLC Spookys Dollhouse
18 Reaper nurse from Dark deception chapter 4 Torment therapy
Poppy,Mommy long Legs(aka Experiment 1222/Marie Payne and not canon version similar to version of her show in the gametoons animations),Catbee from Poppy’s playtime
2B,A2 and Simone from NeiR: Automata
Alia the Explorer that live an in reality similar to the world of minecraft and who infected by sculk
Demon that is member of the Superd tribe from mushoku tensei jobless reincarnation
Someone possibly kitsune or angel from supernatural (or just a kitsune in General)
The darkness/Amara from supernatural (not 100% confirmed her as a kin yet but I more confident I do)
Yuira the dullahan
Roxanne Wolf(my soul possessed her Endoskeleton and I was child called Emelia)from Five nights at Freddy’s security beach
Glamrock Mangle from fnaf sb
All the witches of sin(Satella the witch of Envy, Daphne the witch of Gluttony, Minerva the witch of wrath, Echidna the witch of greed, Typhon the witch of pride, Sekment the witch of sloth and Camilla the witch of Lust) and Rem from Re:zero
Fio from NieR:Reincarnation(not 100% sure I kin or possibly Lavania but I feel the connection to him taken her form)
Zero, One, Two, Three, Four and Five from Drakengraud 3(Not fully confirmed One,Two,Three,Four and Five as kins yet but I confident I kin them all not 100% yet)
Kainè from NieR
Paimon , Amber , Sandrone as known as The Puppet and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata(just confirmed her for an unexpected way) and Nilou(basically me to almost to a T) from Genshin Impact
Dust from Re ZombieGirl S sisters(very confusing shifts)
Clara Maria and Esther Winchester(not 100% confirmed as kin yet) from Cuphead(just confirm her as kin)
Sally from Nightmare before Christmas
Emily from Tim Burton The Corpse Bride
Twisted Alice/Alice Angel/Suise Campbell from Bendy and the ink machine/Bendy and the ink machine dark revival. Audrey Drew from Bendy and the Dark Revival (newest conformed kin and I have not 100% confirmed her yet.)
Nikusa from FNF:entity mod and meet Nikusa mod
The Mourning Flowers Witch Natasha from Memento Moir
Monika and Natsuki from Doki Doki Literature Club I have not yet fully confirmed them as kins still kinsinding them as kins)
I will make a post for each of my kins and the experiences and memories I had related to them.
Well see you all in my next post bye for now.
(sorry if this post seems all over the place I edited this post for my Fictionkin Animo bio and I did rush it a bit.)
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lnfopl · 10 months
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What would you think if an evilized villain (maybe a wishmaker-like villain or maybe even a villain that's unrelated to the butterfly miraculous) caused Chloe and Zoe to switch bodies somehow, and nobody fully understands what's going on, so Zoe (in Chloe's body) is taken by Audrey back to New York, despite Zoe desperately trying to explain things. But Chloe enters a fugue state (heavily due to trauma caused by the neglect of her parents) and genuinely thinks she's Zoe, and is even able to recall many of the things Zoe did due to being in Zoe's body. The class thinks “Zoe's” change in behavior is due to the psychological effects of method acting, since “Zoe” is playing Chloe in Astruc's new movie, but they gradually convince “Zoe” to let them help her relearn how to be “herself” again. Meanwhile, in New York, Zoe is trying to get back to Paris, but when she gets there, “Zoe” thinks she’s there to try to hurt Marinette.
Eventually, after listening to “Chloe”, Marinette starts to suspect that “Chloe” might be telling the truth, so she decides that she must test “Chloe” and “Zoe”. She fakes being in danger to see how they react. “Zoe” reacts slightly faster than “Chloe”, so Marinette comes to the conclusion that “Chloe” is lying and that “Chloe” has an evil and manipulative plan. Marinette thinks that “Chloe” must have picked up a few tricks from Lila, because she thinks no version of Chloe could possibly react faster than Zoe when it comes to protecting her.
Soooooo..... I actually read a fic with a similar base of that idea where instead of changing bodies with Zoe, Chloe goes back in time and tries to be better, and Zoe is the only one that kinda believes this. I know it's not the same thing, but I loved that fic, and I think I would love one like that too.
But I'm biased, as I like most Chloe-centered fics.
The fic I mentioned (it's not finished, and I do not know if the author will finish it):
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regarding-stories · 1 year
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Good Isekai anime with unfortunate cringe or worse ("Handyman Saito", "Cautious Hero")
When growing up I had several run-ins with a kind of fantasy fiction that turned out to be my favorite. Somebody gave me a book, I forgot the title, and the story was about a teenage boy transported to another world to become involved in an epic struggle between good and evil. This coincided with several games with similar basic premise - the Ultima series and its clone, Die Dunkle Dimension ("The Dark Dimension"). The beginning of Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny had me immediately hooked by starting off right in the middle of things. You answer the call, enter a magical portal in a stone circle in the woods by moonlight, and soon after rejoining your old friends on the other side you end up being attacked by extremely powerful entities, the Shadowlords, and they cut down a friend. You beat a hasty retreat and then start the game at a hideout in earnest. Talk about a powerful initial scene!
I don't read much typical fantasy fiction, really. So consider me both surprised and delighted that a very similar genre is quite popular in Japan, "Isekai." A hero is transported to or reincarnated in another world. The genre has not only developed its own set of tropes, by now it also has spawned its own set of parodies, something that happens late in the lifecycle of a genre of fiction when it has found a wide enough appeal.
So I checked a few lists on the internet, got myself a Crunchyroll subscription, and dug in like at an all-you-can-eat buffet. There's a lot to chose from but I recently found myself watching two shows in particular, Handyman Saitou in another world and Cautious Hero: The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious. Both are parodies and poke quite a bit of fun at the genre, and they're decent or actually great shows most of the time... and then they either involve some really cringy if not outright questionable bits. Sigh.
Handyman Saito
Now this is in general a decent, light-hearted show, mostly consisting of shorts describing many aspects of living in a fantasy world for fun. People know their "level" so this becomes part of their social status, so one scene happens at a sort of dating agency - a business meant to find you a suitable marriage partner. I guess that's a thing in Japan. And the fantasy version is just as unforgiving, apparently, as the real one - you're too old, your level is not particularly high... I guess the equivalent would be a middling salary at middle age. Talk about a status-conscious society! Makes me wonder about Japan, really. But then again, for all its talk of romantic love and finding the right partner, the tendency in the West has increasingly been to avoid uneven social status pairings. Something that was quite common in the 60s and 70s (and maybe necessary due to the prospects of women in society...) has now largely reversed, and most people pick exactly in their own bracket of education and earning. So maybe Japan looks very status-conscious at first, or maybe "we" are just hypocrites about it...?
Anyway, the show has in general a solid, good-natured, silly humor and is relaxing to watch for the most part. Whenever it attempts to tell longer stories, it falls flat, but it slowly adds a bit of detail to its characters and how they fit together, has a little light romance between the tank knight girl and Saitou, and in general helps us see this place through Saitou's eyes, a person without magical talent or fighting skills but handy in many situations.
And then it suddenly dumps sexualized content on you... for laughs? Not always sure. When the knight girl has to take her armor off, there's a comment how big her breasts are. Isn't it great when your friends are like this...? Now, Saitou is never that guy - he's not only decent to a fault, he also has a crush on her. But it was the first time the show felt off to me.
Sometimes it veers between cringy and funny when it reveals that the base of the system of measurement is the... equipment... of a long-dead king. (I admit I had to laugh...) But then there is another dick joke... turning into a blowjob joke... and this scene between two female adventurers with a closeted romance brewing where the cleric... licks... the elf's... wounds...
Come on! I'm watching this show to be amused. Suddenly it's all gone full-on perv fetish. That was stupid. Of course this would also be the part where your parents would walk in on you - if you are a minor or living at home. Explain that one.
In general I enjoy the series. It slowly gives its characters depth. Things played up for laughs are later on motivated, so your understanding of the actions people take shifts. Of course, given the general nature of the show it's yet to be seen if any of these details will matter. I haven't finished yet. Currently it's mostly stuck in a not-very-well executed boss fight that brings various characters together being drawn out for some drama.
Cautious Hero
Now this is generally a well-executed show. It plays on apparently classical Isekai tropes - hero gets called into a world by a god or goddess, then saves the world. So our second protagonist is a somewhat ditzy goddess with good intentions.
The show is smart and actually manages quite well to base its humor - and story - on the single idea that the hero is overly cautious, likes to plan, be prepared, and all of that to a fault. This should get stale fast but somehow it doesn't. We actually learn that in spite of being cold and arrogant, the hero actually seems to be a decent person at heart. His actions betray care where his words don't. In fact, he's outright verbally abusive towards others, also rather paranoid. Part of the appeal is how that is woven into the story. I haven't finished this one as of yet, either.
So this is not just a good show, it's bordering on being a great show. It has great execution, it toys with tropes, drama, twists. This is solid, entertaining craftsmanship. But...
The depiction of women... well, mostly goddesses... and their treatment by the hero is horrible. And any attempts at humor about this are often crude and cringy. There seems to be a thing about bust size between goddesses, and the show is overly full of boob windows and outfits that hide nothing. But I guess that's not uncommon in anime or manga. So that is a problem (sometimes of bizarre proportions), but it's not the main problem.
There is the behavior of the goddesses, for one thing. Okay, the co-protagonist is a bit of naive ditz, and it actually works most of the time quite well. But then there is a goddess who becomes compulsively obsessed with the hero, then there is another that is an outright horndog with absolutely no sense of dignity or sense once she gives in to it. (That scene is just pathetic.) Then there is the goddess who likes to feel up other goddesses - and as our co-protagonist points out, she's basically a harasser. Ha ha. This mixes in with the boob jokes - including a (censored) depiction of what high speed flight does to these skimpy outfits. Are you slapping your thighs yet?
I'm amazed adults dare to write and animate such stuff that you find funny when you are... 13?
Sadly, this is not the end of it. There's a scene where the hero hits a female. Repeatedly. WTF. Now his argument (he's always rational) that she is at fault for killing her own soldiers (while blaming him) through bad judgment and bad leadership is valid. But neither is what follows funny or appropriate. I was dazed watching it, especially as the scene continued. Repeated slaps in the face.
This is a real shame. None of this contributes anything to making the show fun or good or adds to the plot. It could be just as easily removed, leaving behind a really good show. So why the cringe? And why the poor betrayal of women as idiots? Almost all "single" women of eligible age (mostly goddesses, one human) are portrayed as idiots of some shape and form. Female characters can be the butt of a joke like anyone else, but this is one-sided and pretty much all the time crosses over into pure cringe. And the one exception to the cringe rule gets the biggest boobs with the biggest window to display them.
Sigh.
So, I can't really recommend these shows to anyone, in spite of intending to watch especially Cautious Hero to finish. Can we just have anime without such crude jokes and such low behavior? Something that is fun and funny?
Anime makers need to get a clue from what was at the base of this joke from Spinal Tap almost thirty forty (corrected) years ago: Ian Faith : They're not gonna release the album… because they have decided that the cover is sexist.
Nigel Tufnel : Well, so what? What's wrong with bein' sexy? I mean there's no…
Ian Faith : Sex-IST!
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sereinartemishan · 2 years
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Thank you for tagging me @i-got-the-feels ʕっ•ᴥ•ʔっ
I've already done the normal version...so here's the bl version of it!!
BL VERSION
crying in the shower or making out in the shower (I don't like crying long crying scenes with background music unless it's tastefully done like in kp and itsay) // give cute boy line ID or stalk his IG (It's called researching okay?)// share his earbuds or share his closet (please i love partners stealing eachothers' clothes)// manga or manwha // long dangly silver earring (with a jewel please...and thank you. I just imagined a long dangly earring on Us Nititorn....and I need some help here????) or dark leather cuff // time loop or reincarnation // blue engineering smock or red engineering smock // kisses at the beach or kisses in the mountains (not rocky ass mountains...but real snowy mountains that ask for warm cuddly kisses) // cactus or chili plant // fairy lights or spot lighting (why did I immediately remember modc I hate myself) // ghost boyfriend or vampire lover (neither...one is just signing up for being a sobbing mess and the other is just weird I don't want my partner to look at me as a source of food??? I'm prolly traumatized by Red Wine in the Dark Night) // hard sub or soft sub // stray cat or … actually that’s your only option (I want a cat so bad ugh) // Hawaiian shirt or blue shorts // evil ex-girlfriend or predatory fujoshi (none...they're both annoying...although I agree the evil-ex is a little worse) // suit jacket or leather jacket // high school or university // kitchen drama or office drama // forehead kisses or cheek kisses or nose kisses (Yes I added that on my own what about it?🤨) // Viki or GaGaOOLaLa (*laughs in broke*) // Japanese arthouse depth or Korean high concept // pink milk or yakult (daily piyo healthy jiyo yakult!)// censored Chinese BL or trashy Thai pulps // body swap or dead body (Because I like putting myself in misery) // sexy or story // back hugs or lap sitting // piggybacks or cradle carry
No pressure tags~~~ : @red02sworld @27vampyresinhermind and I know she's already tagged but @boysbeloving lmaoo...also whoever else who might wanna do this!
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galahadwilder · 1 year
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The Time I Got Reincarnated as an Evil Version of Myself
Chapter 1: Honey Sweet
My AO3 is linked in my bio.
After Catalyst, Chloé’s life only got better. Now a full-time superhero, she managed to finally make new friends, forging bonds with the other members of her team. She’d repaired her relationships with her father and Sabrina, fallen in love, and welcomed a surprise sister with open arms.
Then she wakes up in a world where none of that happened. Where, after Catalyst, she only got worse, and lonelier, and more and more bitter.
The canon timeline, in fact. Or something close to it.
Chloé is the only one who remembers the other world. Her friends hate her, her relationships are destroyed, even her girlfriend has barely ever spoken to her. But that’s okay. Whether good or evil, Chloé Bourgeois has never—and WILL never—let anything stop her.
~
Honeybee claws her way back to consciousness with a splitting headache.
"Urgh," she groans, feeling her throat seize mid-noise as she tries to fight down a vomit. Might be a concussion. "Anyone..." She winces as the word sends pain spiking through her skull. "Anyone get the license on that Akuma?"
Wow. She really has been spending a lot of time with Adrien lately.
She tries to roll onto her hands, to stand up, when she realizes that something's wrong. The ground—the ground is soft. If she got hit hard enough to get knocked down, she should be either on roof or on the street. Neither of which are soft.
Actually, it feels like she's on a bed.
She shoots upright, then immediately regrets it as her brain hammers on the inside of her eyeballs. "Augh!" she yelps, clutching at her forehead.
Then she realizes that what she's feeling is flesh on flesh. There's no spandex. She's ungloved.
She's not transformed.
Her eyes shoot open, and she once again immediately regrets it as beams of light stab between her fingers straight into her optic nerves. She shrieks, covering her head with her forearms.
Yes, that is definitely a concussion.
She carefully cracks her eyes, trying to regulate the stabbing light as slowly as she can. Still hurts, but less, so she's taking the time to adjust. "Pollen?" she croaks.
There's no response.
Immediately, Chloé throws her eyes open, heedless of the pain. Pollen's not with her? Was she—did—did Hawkmoth get her?
It takes her a moment to adjust, before she realizes that she's in her room. Which, okay, that's not great, because she doesn't remember getting her so she must've blacked out, or maybe died, during the Akuma fight, but on the other hand Zoé probably has Pollen right now so at least the Kwami is safe.
Chloé rolls herself out of bed, groaning again at the throbbing in her head. If the Cure went off, why does she still hurt? It usually knits her back together by now.
She stumbles toward her closet, opens the door, and pulls out her favorite fluffy terrycloth robe. She hopes Zoé is back. She wants to check and make sure her sister—and the Kwami they share—are okay.
She makes her way toward the door to her suite, walking as much with her hands on the wall as with her feet on the floor. Her balance is really gone right now. She should probably get back to bed, rest, but she has to check on Zoé. She's not sure why, but she's starting to get the sinking feeling that something is very, very wrong.
Creeping into hallway is easy enough, at least. Her balance is coming back, the vertigo is retreating. She crosses, light-footed, to her sister's door and knocks. Gently, because ow. Sounds are ow.
For a moment, there's no response, and Chloé feels her heart leap into her throat. Then, finally, she hears Zoé's voice: "Who is it?"
"Chloé," Chloé calls back, her throat rasping.
"...Oh," Zoé says. "What do you want?"
"Just checking on you," Chloé says. "Is—" She swallows. "Is Pollen with you? She wasn't in my room when I woke up."
She hears absolute silence from the room, then the sound of her sister's feet padding across the floor. Zoé throws the door open, wearing her favorite yellow-trimmed black silk pajamas—but the glare on her face is significantly less familiar.
"That's not funny, Chlo," Zoé snaps.
Chloé blinks. "I... wasn't... trying to be?" she says.
"Well, good, 'cause you failed," Zoé says. "I can't even tell what you were trying to do." She crosses her arms and leans against the doorway, scowling. "Why in God's name would I have—like, were you accusing me of working with Monarch? Because I have tried to be a good sister, but there's some things—"
"What?" Chloé says. "I just—" She blinks, swallows. "I just wanted to know if you two were okay."
Zoé straightens, stares at her, confusion written in her wide eyes. "I—what?"
Chloé starts to feel her neck heat. "Did... did I say something wrong?" she says.
"You never ask if I'm okay," Zoé says. She reaches out her palm, placing it on Chloé's forehead. "Are you feeling sick or something?"
Chloé leans into her hand, her eyes fluttering closed. "I think I have a concussion," she mutters.
"...How?" Zoe asks, pulling her hand back (causing Chloé to whine at the loss of contact). "Did you fall off the bed or something?"
Chloé shakes her head. "Took an Akuma to the face," she says. "I just wanted to make sure you picked up Pollen after I detransformed."
Zoé's face grows clouded with concern. "Chloé," she says, "you... haven't been Queen Bee for, like, a year."
"I mean, duh?" Chloé says. "I told you, I had to change my hero name to protect my identity." She's starting to wonder if Zoé is okay, now. Does she not remember?
Zoé's face twists back into a scowl. "Oh, now you're telling me that you were Vesperia?" she snaps. "Real funny, Chloé. I'll see you at school." Then she slams the door.
Chloé blinks. Of... of course she wasn't saying that, Zoé is Vesperia. What has her sister so angry?
~
Getting ready for the day is been unexpectedly difficult. All of her favorite outfits are missing—in the wash, probably—so she’s stuck with a bunch she doesn’t remember buying. Probably from Daddy. The only lip gloss she’s able to find is that white one she’d stopped wearing months ago when she realized how much it made her look like she was about to demand to speak to someone’s manager—i.e., her mother. (She’d had a full-blown dissociative episode over that one. No way in hell is she touching that particular lip gloss anymore.) She decides that it’s probably a hair down kind of day, though her yellow hoodie seems to be missing so she can’t go full comfy, which is slightly grating.
Zoé doesn't wait for her to walk to school together the way she usually does. Something's really wrong—Chloé must have pissed her off really badly. The worst part is, she has no idea what she even said. She keeps replaying the conversation they had in her mind, trying to figure out what happened, what had triggered Zoé this badly, but she can't. She's stuck on one thing.
Zoé had mentioned someone—or something—called Monarch. She’d talked about them like they were some kind of new villain, almost with a sense of… paranoia? It’s unsettling, a little bit. Chloé can’t help wondering how much, exactly, happened while she was unconscious. Or dead, or whatever.
It’s been a year and she’s still not quite used to thinking that.
She wanders into class holding a tray full of coffees, each of which she’s marked with the animal symbol of one of her friends as a bit of an inside joke—and also to keep them straight, because god forbid she accidentally give Marinette “black coffee or death” Dupain-Cheng some of Adrien’s cream-and-sugar monstrosity.
”Morning, guys,” she says, removing the cardboard cups from her tray and placing them in front of Adrien and Nino. “Coffee’s up.”
The entire classroom falls silent at once, and suddenly everyone’s eyes are on her, pressing on her with the weight of confusion and judgment. Nino and Alya, in particular, seem more baffled than anything else—but Adrien… Adrien seems angry.
”Was… it not my turn?” Chloé says, weakly. Did she do something? Why is everyone so pissed at her today?
“Your turn for what?” Alya says, confused, before she turns her cup and sees what Chloé drew on it. Her face draws tight. “Oh. Thanks. Very funny, Chloé.”
”What?” Nino says. “What did she…?”
Alya points at his cup. “Turtle shell.”
“Oh.” Nino turns a glare on Chloé. “Asshole.”
Chloé’s heart leaps up into her throat, and she swears she can’t breathe. “I—what?” she gasps. “I wasn’t—I didn’t—” What is happening?
Adrien’s face is white as a sheet, now. He’s staring at his cup like he’s been struck dead. She’s not even sure he’s breathing.
”I—I—” Chloé’s starting to feel overwhelmed. Hopeless. Everything’s going wrong today and she has no idea why and oh no, she’s gonna get Akumatized, she has to get out of here before she hurts somebody.
”Scuse me!” she yelps, body-slamming back out the classroom door and dashing toward the second-floor bathrooms.
~
The charm Marinette gave her is the wrong color.
It’s such a weird thing to fixate on, what with everything happening right now, but focusing on that is helping Chloé keep calm. She hasn’t heard the flap of butterfly wings yet, so it seems to be working?
Either way. The Anti-Akuma charm is the wrong color. It’s… yellow. The same yellow as her uniform. Which would’ve made sense for any number of her Akuma forms, except that the one that Marinette specifically gave her the charm for, she had been dressed in a way that was patterned on Ryuuko’s costume, not any of Chloé’s—red, with black and gold accents. This is not her charm.
She hears the door to the bathroom open, and immediately she’s on alert. There are any number of people she doesn’t want to see right now, and if any of them—
“Chloé? Are you… sitting on the floor?”
Oh thank Kwami. That’s Marinette’s voice.
”Sorry,” Chloé mumbles, barely keeping the tears out of her voice. “Trying not to get Akumatized.” She barely looks up as her friend’s pink capris enter her field of vision, though she does hold up the Anti-Akuma charm. “Charm seems to be working okay.”
”That’s goo—wait.” Marinette seems to dither, stuck between going to Chloé and entering the bathroom stall. “I thought that was a gift from your mom?”
“What? No, you gave me this,” Chloé says, then coughs out a single laugh. “Only thing Audrey ever gave me was mommy issues.”
”I… don’t know what you’re talking about?” Marinette says, unconvincingly.
That makes Chloé look up, meeting her friend’s eyes in confusion. ”Nobody else is here, Mari,” she says. “It’s just us.”
Marinette takes a step back.
Chloé blinks. “What is with everyone today?” she says.
”I don’t… know?” Marinette says.
Chloé sighs, staring back down at the tiled floor. “Did Pollen stay the night at your place? I couldn’t find her this morning and Zoé wouldn’t talk to me.”
Marinette is silent for an uncomfortable amount of time. “Who’s…” she croaks. “Who’s Pollen?”
”Oh, come on!” Chloé snaps, slamming a fist into the tiled floor. “Don’t tell me you forgot. Kwami of Subjugation? Looks like a tiny humanoid bee?”
"You—!" Marinette says, and Chloé is surprised to hear the wetness in her voice. She looks up to see Marinette's reddened face, eyes shining with tears that she's clearly trying to hold back. "Why—why would I—know where—where—where—where—where—"
Oh, no. Chloé knows this look. Something just triggered Marinette, badly, and though she has no idea what, Chloé can't just let her best friend spiral. She reaches behind her and pulls herself up on the sink, staggering into Marinette and sweeping her into a hug. "Hey," she says, pressing her palms against Marinette's back, pulling her in close. "We'll find her, okay? She's—"
The she feels the sink crack against the base of her spine before she even registers that Marinette has shoved her. She slips, pinwheeling, back to the ground, plastic dust raining down onto her head, barely even aware of her own body—the impact drove all the breath, and all the thoughts, clean out of her.
"Don't—don't touch me," Marinette whispers from the floor across from her, shaking, eyes wide. She's thrown herself across the bathroom, too, tripped backward onto her butt. "Don't touch—don't... you..."
Chloé, stunned, looks at her own hands, the dust on them, the deep red scrapes where rough plastic friction burned her skin. She can't feel them yet, but she's going to in less than a minute, and they look... they look painful. Part of her, the ragged, nasty part, the part of her that is her mother, wants to leap up, scream, throw Marinette against a wall, storm into the principal's office and demand she be expelled. She wants to take out the pain of the last few hours on everyone else, because it's always been easier to vent it than feel it.
But more than that, more than anything, she just wants her goddamn teddy bear.
It takes her a moment to realize that she's crying, because it takes her a moment to remember to breathe, but when the breath comes it comes hard and ragged. "I'm—I'm—s-s-sorry," she sobs. "J-j-just want—want—wanted to... to... help."
Marinette looks at her like she's grown a second head.
Chloé, heedless of the scrapes and the dust, buries her face in her hands and finally feels whatever inside of her was still holding together collapse.
Then she hears a very familiar voice in her head. The one she still has nightmares about.
Hello, Princess Solitaire, Hawkmoth says.
@emma-d-klutz @generalluxun @naresar @ninepostsstuff @grotesquewombat @erisluna35 @oblivionhold @all-peristeronic @chaos-has-theories @into-september @claws-and-bee-stings @279ital @drawing2cope
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emma-d-klutz · 1 year
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What would you think if an evilized villain(maybe a wishmaker-like villain or maybe even a villain that's unrelated to the butterfly miraculous) caused Chloe and Zoe to switch bodies somehow, and nobody fully understands what's going on, so Zoe(in Chloe's body) is taken by Audrey back to New York, despite Zoe desperately trying to explain things. But Chloe enters a fugue state(heavily due to trauma caused by the neglect of her parents) and genuinely thinks she's Zoe, and is even able to recall some of the things Zoe did due to being in Zoe's body. The class thinks "Zoe's" change in behavior is due to the psychological effects of method acting, since "Zoe" is playing Chloe in Astruc's new movie, but they gradually convince "Zoe" to let them help her relearn how to be "herself" again. Meanwhile, in New York, Zoe is trying to get back to Paris, but when she gets there, “Zoe” thinks she’s there to try to hurt people.
Anon, I suspect you have mixed me up with @galahadwilder. We are mutuals, and I am on their taglist for their ongoing -and updating in quick succession recently- fic, The Time I Got Reincarnated as an Evil Version of Myself, so I can kinda see how you'd get those wires crossed. I'm guessing you've been reading that and wanted to give this hypothetical to that author, and not to me, who posts about MLB pretty rarely in comparison to other things and has written narry an MLB fic nor a popular meta post. Well, this is as best as I can guess. If you really did mean it for me, then 1. sorry my bad and 2. double sorry because I don't think I have ever watched a Zoe episode
It sounds like a wild idea, though! You should totally run with it (if you want to). Chloe looking at herself placed in front of her and deciding she's a villain to be feared and condemned is *muah* what high concept angst.
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dangermousie · 3 years
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2020 End of Year Post - kdrama edition
You can find my 2020 cdrama post here: dangermousie.tumblr.com/post/638449659546845184/2020-end-of-year-post-cdrama-edition
This is only going to cover kdramas that aired in 2020; if it originally aired another year, it’s not on this list.
It’s been a pretty lackluster kdrama year. There are probably only 5 kdramas I truly loved and only three of them I was really obsessed over. Better luck in 2021!
DRAMAS WATCHED
(In order of liking from least to most as opposed to pure quality; I am including if I’ve seen enough to make up my mind; yes I realize that’s inaccurate, but that’s my list)
42 Born Again - so bad, so incoherent, so insane, I have no idea why the leads signed up for it (and unlike some of the other watchers, I think it was awful from the very start.) There is literally nothing about this drama that makes sense.
41 Love with Flaws - a bunch of people who should be tried under the Geneva Convention.
40 Sweet Munchies - Jung Il Woo proves his inability to pick a functional script.
39 Meow the Secret Boy - if you ever wanted to bang a cat, this drama is for you. Not being a furry, however...
38 Do Do Sol Sol La Sol - I lost braincells just typing out this title.
37 When I Was the Most Beautiful - the only way it’s not the dumbest, most pointless melo of 2020 is because Born Again considerately came out the same year.
36 Woman of 9.9 Billion - if you want to watch an artsy French movie about miserable people, but only badly made, boy do I have a drama for you.
35 Lies after Lies - screams after screams.
34 Backstreet Rookie - people were up in arms about various problematic plots. I am a survivor of many plots much more problematic but even I couldn’t survive how utterly boring and annoying this drama was and how utterly irritating the leads were. This has taken Ji Chang Wook off my top favorites into “should I even check his latest Lovestruck in the City? Probably not” territory almost single-handedly (Melt Me helped, to be fair.)
33 Men Are Men - boring is boring.
32 Dinner Mate - two beautiful boring people eat out a lot.
31 Was It Love - no it wasn’t.
30 Alice - Joo Won in the shower can make up for a multitude of sins but not plot nonsense of such magnitude. When you find yourself thinking it would be better if he hooked up with the alternate universe version of his mother because at least then something entertaining would happen, you know it’s bad.
29 More than Friends - started out OK, then made me hate basically everyone and kept going.
28 Start-Up - honestly, it’s probably more decent than its place here, but the toxic and batshit fandom for it (the worst this year) made me feel like breaking out in hives any time it’s even mentioned.
27 The Spies who Loved Me - how to take a good cast and waste it.
26 Private Lives - it was good but it never took off with its concept and spent more time on the incoherent plot than the OTP which was its one strength. It’s a decent drama but coming after Heartless City and My Beautiful Bride from the same writer, it’s a disappointment.
25 Record of Youth - as high as it is due to Park Bo Gum hard carrying this entire awful drama on his shoulders and doing it so well I finished it. Alas, while he is in one drama (and that drama is great), the rest of the characters and the entirety of the script are a pointless useless mess.
24 Do You Like Brahms - excellent first third, mediocre middle, and terrible last third. I don’t know what musical term applies to this? Diminuendo, I think.
23 I’ll Go to You When the Weather is Nice - nice and mellow but nothing much happens.
22 Forest - mainly for Park Hae Jin’s excellent and frequently naked bod.
21 The Ballot - I didn’t love it as much as everyone did but it was well-made.
20 Hyena - more romance and less weird law stuff would make it better.
19 365 Repeat the Year - surprisingly solid.
18 The Game Towards Zero - see 365.
17 When My Love Blooms - very old fashioned, very lovely.
16 Chocolate - also very old fashioned and very lovely but also with Yoon Kye Sang performing medical procedures bleeding and shirtless. MMM.
15 (tie) Secret Royal Inspector - a fun if run of the mill sageuk.
15 Find Me In Your Memory - best melo this year.
14 Mystic Pop Up Bar - surprisingly good even though I wasn’t planning to check it out.
13 Where Your Eyes Linger - came out of nowhere but was tender and hopeful and lovely.
12 Itaewon Class - Park Seo Joon hard carries a drama that is already excellent. Love it.
11 Psychopath Diary - Yoon Shi Yoon is such a treat in a hilarious, cynical, dark comedy.
10 Kairos - more like ouroboros.
9 Queen Love and War - in a year where sageuks are very rare, this was solid and surprisingly moving and shippy.
8 The King Eternal Monarch - people didn’t like it but I did. It’s no masterpiece and both the leads and the writers have better dramas, but it was a lovely romantic fairy tale for me.
7 Mr. Queen - sharp, hilarious, and some of my favorite actors.
6 Psycho But It’s OK - healing, sharp cinematography and even sharper chemistry.
5 Crash Landing on You - the last ep pissed me off so much this drama is dead to me but I loved it so much until then I can’t place it lower in good conscience.
4 Train - who knew I would go this hard for an OCN drama or that OCN would do romance so well? But this time-travel mystery romance is just incredible and I shipped the OTP and rooted for the characters and loved every last bit of it.
3 Run On - this is the drama Record of Youth wanted to be but failed. Smart and lived in, you feel like you are peeking at real people, but also even four episodes in, I am so invested in the main characters separately and together, and care for them so much, it’s a little frightening.
1 (tie) Tale of the Nine Tailed - my perfect fantasy romance. I liked it better than Goblin, yeah I said it.
1 Flower of Evil - all the tropes I love in one incredible package. I would rewatch episodes waiting for new ones trying to puzzle the story and to stay withdrawal but it works just as well on rewatch. Lee Jun Ki brings his trademark tortured intensity and for once, both his leading lady and his script back him up and are worthy of that. It’s perfect.
FAVORITE DRAMA
It’s a tie between Tale of the Nine Tailed and Flower of Evil but if I had to pick just one, FoE, because it had me seriously obsessed and guessing about the protagonist and gave me the narrative tropes I love so much and an OTP that statisfied all my hurt/comfort kinks and then some.
WORST DRAMA
Born Again - honestly, this is so bonkers it almost becomes good but alas...
FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER
Do Hyun Soo/Baek Hee Sung, Flower of Evil - he is so messed up, so on edge, so traumatized. Yet capable of so much warmth and caring even as he himself doesn’t realize his humanity. FoE is basically a story of a man pushed and punished by the world for his entire life who, because of one woman, finds a safe place and peace and slowly comes to life without realizing it, and watching his desperation to keep this small bit of normalcy is so heartbreaking and exciting all at once. Plus, you start the drama thinking he’s a psychopathic serial killer and end it (if you are me) thinking he must be protected at all costs and if anyone even looks at him wrong they must suffer, and that’s quite a change!
FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER
Nam Ji Ah, Tale of the Nine Tailed - she is so funny and tough and smart and loving and amazing that I will totally buy that a literal demi-god will do anything and everything for her and love her for literal eternity.
NEEDS TO BE MURDERED
Dad in Record of Youth - yes in a year with serial killers and supernatural demons, I picked a normal character from a mediocre drama. It’s his everyday awfulness to his family that hits so hard and I am sad he never got his comeuppance.
FAVORITE SHIP
Ji Ah x Yeon - a fearless reporter and an immortal demi-god who’s been hoping for his human beloved to reincarnate. A really rare set-up where the OTP is equally ride or die, so compatible and completely BAMF. I got why he waited for her for that long and then fell in love with her all over again. Perfection.
Runner up: Flower of Evil - he is so messed up he literally does not believe he is capable of love or empathy, but he falls in love with her anyway and so utterly she permeates his entire life. She is tough as nails and only believes what she sees and is the sole person who believes in him against the world. She loves him but he needs her. She needs him but he loves her. They are amazing.
FAVORITE SECONDARY OTP
Seo Dan x Gu Seung Jun, Crash Landing on You, North Korean x Conman were so good I shipped them harder than the main OTP and the end of that storyline pissed me off so much I dumped the drama and didn’t finish it for months (and it’s still dead to me.)
NOTP
Record of Youth - it started out and they didn’t have much chemistry but the dialogues were interesting and I thought the chemistry would grow. It didn’t and deteriorated, their dialogues became boring and relationship had zero development (about as much as the supposed female lead.) I think we were supposed to feel bad they broke up and they were going for a bittersweet open ending, instead I found myself happy about the break up of two incompatible, chemistry-less people and hoping for the love of God they never get back together.
FAVORITE SCENE
Yeon and the bridge of knives, Tale of the Nine Tailed - Yeon choosing to undergo the creeptastic bridge of knives for a chance to save Ji Ah, who at that point he is not aware is the reincarnation of his Joseon love because, as he says, he doesn’t care if she is or isn’t, it just would be more horrible to have her die than to undergo the horrific torture he is undergoing, and then the sequence with his catching her, her weeping over him and the fact that she is the original Joseon girl revealed and all the bandaging and his watching her sleep and all that loveliness, is everything for yours truly.
Runner up: Hyun Soo having that break-down at the cliff at the end of ep 15 of Flower of Evil as Ji Won desperately tries to convince him she is alive and he finally stumbles to her.
Runner runner up (it’s my list, I will do what I want): Do Won preparing to blow his brains out to give a chance to Seo Kyung to live in Train.
BIGGEST CRUSH
Seon-Gyeom, Run On. Yeah, I know. Im Siwan is tiny, delicate featured and has a runner’s build, none of which are things that normally appeal to me. But his character is so odd, so honest, so unflinching in pursuing what he thinks is right, so incapable of self-pity despite plenty of reasons for it, and so ridiculously attractive when he smiles, I don’t even care.
BEST SCENE STEALER CHARACTER
Kim Bum, TotNT - I started out being annoyed by him and ended up looking forward to his scenes and being distraught by his ending.
NEEDS A SEQUEL
Honestly, none. I was fine with all the endings. I wouldn’t mind seeing post-end life of Tale of the Nine Tailed characters or the OTP settling into their literal new world in Train, but I am good.
TROPE THAT NEEDS TO DIE
Time jump that solves all the problems off screen or alternatively years pass and everyone is frozen - something that kdramas need to learn and need to learn badly. See Record of Youth, Brahms and Start Up.
FAVORITE TROPE WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF
Men who are ride or die for their OTP - this was a great year for this - the male leads of four of my five dramas were beyond anything on that scale (only exception is Run On because it’s still too early to tell there.) Yes PLEASE.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
This was a banner year for that what with Start Up, Do You Like Brahms, Record of Youth, and Private Lives all starting out well and nosediving off the cliff but winner is Crash Landing on You. I loved it so much for bulk of its run but the last episode pissed me off so much I deleted all my files and called it a day.
BIGGEST GOOD SURPRISE
Flower of Evil - I had no expectations of this drama and wasn’t even planning on watching it despite liking both the lead actors because yet another “look at evil serial killer be evil” drama with no romance was not my thing. Luckily someone convinced me there might be some romance and I peeked curiously. Honestly, their promo campaign was the most misleading and dumbest thing ever.
Runner up Psycho but it’s OK - I have never liked Kim Soo Hyun in anything before and the drama premise seemed WTF but it was shockingly good and KSH totally blew me away.
Hardest Working Lead
Yoon Shi Yoon - he starred in two (!!!) dramas in 2020 playing three characters and not only were both these dramas awesome in a lackluster year, but if it wasn’t for the fact that I knew it was the same actor and the fact that the characters shared a face, I would have never believed that they were played by the same actor. So good!
2020 DRAMAS I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT I MOST WANT TO WATCH
None. Covid Year gave me PLENTY of time
BEST NON-2020 DRAMA I’VE WATCHED IN 2020
My Beautiful Bride and Deserving of the Name - I was obsessed with both of them and honestly, they were much better than the bulk of 2020 kdramas I watched.
MOST ANTICIPATED IN 2021
The Moon That Rises in the Day, Hong Chun Gi, Joseon Exorcist, Island,  Frightening Cohabitation, Snowdrop.
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carewyncromwell · 3 years
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“There's somethin' in the wind, I can feel it blowin' in: It's comin' in softly on the wings of a bomb... There's somethin' in the wind, I can feel it blowin' in: It's comin' in hotly and it's comin' in strong... Lately I've been thinkin' it's just someone else's job to care -- Who am I to sympathize when no one gave a damn? I've been thinkin' it's just someone else's job to care -- Who am I to wanna try?  But change is a powerful thing...people are powerful beings...”
~“Change” by Lana Del Rey
x~x~x~x
I was totally inspired by this rockin’ coat and decided to draw some Reincarnation-AU!Batticus, specifically during the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince. (Grim’s look is very slightly based on this -- because Atticus @cursebreakerfarrier​​​ is the OG Academia fashion icon. 🥰💙)
At this point in Bat and Grim’s second lives as Robert Bellamy and Atticus Lestrange, the two seventh-year Ravenclaws (and, the following year, Ravenclaw alumni) have solved the mystery of their past lives and are now roommates sharing a dinky little flat in London. Atticus has miraculously landed an internship at the Ministry of Magic, specifically in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, while Robert’s an apprentice at the apothecary in Diagon Alley over winter, spring, and summer break to earn enough money to help pay the rent. 
When Cedric Diggory died in their sixth year, though, Bat was thoroughly unconvinced by the Ministry’s cover-story that it was a tragic “accident,” and -- upon colliding with Dolores Umbridge at Hogwarts in their seventh year -- was pretty soundly convinced that the Ministry was covering things up. Grim, for his part, had his misgivings about the Ministry’s version of events, but being the Lawful Good person he was, he had a bit more trouble expressing those doubts, especially now that he was on the way to joining the Department of Magical Law Enforcement himself. Sensing Grim’s inner conflict on the matter and not wanting to put him in the position where he’d have to choose between his friendship with Bat or his family and future, Bat made the decision to not tell Grim when he -- despite his intense personal dislike and distrust of Albus Dumbledore -- nonetheless chose to join the Order of the Phoenix. After all, in all of his lives, Bat is a soldier, and he couldn’t in good conscience not fight back against Voldemort and the Death Eaters, just as he did against Grindelwald so many years ago. 
From the start, however, Grim got a bad feeling Bat was keeping something from him. In early January 1996, while on an assignment with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Grim ended up coming across Bat, who was likewise on an assignment for the Order in hooded black robes with white trim not unlike his old British Redcoat uniform and a high turtleneck-like collar that hid the lower half of his face. Even if he was very anxious and didn’t understand what was going on at all, Grim covertly covered Bat as he fled before the Aurors could discover him and -- upon rushing back to their apartment -- helped Bat with the injuries he’d sustained. It was only that that Bat finally came clean to Grim about his alignment...and he also, having just been made aware of the Azkaban break-out, offered to leave their apartment to Grim and move out. 
“My alignment with Potter and Dumbledore already endangers your livelihood. But if your family’s out on the streets now, then that means Voldemort has gotten strong enough that soon he’ll be bold enough to act out in the open. And once that happens...well, then it’ll be open season on Muggle-borns like me. Your ancestry protects you, Grim -- your family name would protect you from people like Him. Associating with mine would put you in the cross-hairs -- ”
But, of course, Grim stubbornly shot this down. 
“You seem to have forgotten that in our previous lives, you already tried to ward me off from helping you once by talking about how dangerous it’d be for me. And trust me, you’re no more persuasive in making me abandon you now than you were then.”
“This is different -- ”
“Perhaps it is, but the result is not. I am not going to kick you out -- nor am I leaving you.”
“Grim, if things get worse, I won’t be able to protect you from the Death Eaters -- ”
“ -- then it’s a good thing I’m more than capable of protecting myself!”
“I know you are -- but they’ll try to force you to join them or die, Grim. At least if you distance yourself from me, you might be able to slip under the radar -- not draw so much attention. If you’re with me, then they’ll target you just as fiercely.”
“Well, then, we’ll just have to fight them off together, won’t we?”
“Grim...”
“Bat...I already lost you once. I do not intend to lose you again. ...You...mean far too much to me. You must know that.”
“...I do. ...I do know...Atticus.”
The occasion was one of the few times Bat has ever been serious enough to call Grim by his full name. It was also followed by one of the two men’s very first kisses, and one of their deepest.
As the War went on, Bat would continue to go on covert, mysterious missions for the Order, often coming back to his and Grim’s apartment nursing wounds that Grim would help him patch up with healing potions and spells. One particular injury, which left an array of terrible vein scars down Bat’s arm, had been the result of a Dark curse chucked at him by Atticus’s relative Rodolphus Lestrange. Meanwhile Atticus would do his best to help Bat how he could through his work at the Ministry, both under Fudge and even more so under Rufus Scrimgeour. Although one worked within the law and the other often worked outside of it, they both had the same goal in mind -- to fight evil however they could, in the hopes of circumventing the Death Eaters’ growing thirst for control over the Wizarding World. 
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hopeaterart · 3 years
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Evil Ozpin AU: Dinner with a bird
Context: Ozpin and Salem more or less swap place, it's a bit complicated. This fic is here to explain how it happened by way of Ozpin monologuing to a (still on Salem's side at the time) Qrow. There's some hints of Ozqrow in there. Like, you're definitely supposed get Vibes. For those unaware: here's my Evil/Swap!Ozpin.
"So... You're Salem's latest pawn." Qrow scowled, eyes narrowing at the monster sitting from across him. How he'd ended up sitting at the same table as Ozpin, also widely known as 'the Wizard', was a blur in his memory, and granted, not that great a story.
Went on a mission for Salem to find his base of operation, with the only info being that it was somewhere in the forests of Sanus. Had to go alone because Tai and Raven had their hands full with Yang and a pregnant Summer. Got caught by Ozpin's latest apprentice- a blond woman about his age with the ironic name of 'Goodwitch'. Letting himself be captured in order to get taken to Ozpin.
One trip to an old monastery latter, he was now separated from Harbringer, had Aura-suppressing manacles on his wrists (thankfully with no chains), and was sitting in front of the Wizard himself. They were on some kind of balcony with only a small table between themselves, and there was a plate on the table with bread on it that neither were touching.
"And you're the guy who's trying to burn down Remnant." He bit back. Ozpin sighed, silver eyelashes fluttering as he narrowed his eyes.
"Is that what my traitorous ex-wife told you?" Ozpin asks, smiling like a predator about to eat it's prey when Qrow's eyes widened in confusion. "I mean- she's not wrong, but Salem isn't exactly the hero of our tale."
"Wh- your ex-wife!?" Qrow exclaimed, before gritting his teeth. "You're lying." He accused Ozpin, who didn't even flinch at the accusation.
"So she didn't tell you." He observed. "Oh, what am I talking about? Of course she'd keep that hidden, that self-righteous hag." Ozpin hissed as he took one of the small bread. "Doesn't want to acknowledge me being a thing is her fault, after all." He opened his mouth, momentarily exposing too-sharp canines as he bit the bread in half. He stared in Qrow's eyes as he chewed, before swallowing. "It's garlic bread. An entrée before the main dish, if you will. I'm not going to poison you, erm... Qrow Branwen, is it?"
Qrow grit his teeth. "And I should believe you, because?"
"Sheer pragmatism on my part, really. We're eating the same food, and I am not interested in poisoning myself." Ozpin explained, shrugging as he finished eating the bread he had in hand. "'Poison damage' is not really the kind of pain I like."
Qrow raised an eyebrow at that. He'd heard stories of Ozpin letting anything and everything hurt him with ecstasy written all over his face, but hearing what seemed like confirmation was a bit... much. "Uh... so what's the deal? Why are you having me eat here with you instead of- oh, I dunno, locking me in some kind of torture dungeon?"
"Wouldn't you like to know, pretty bird?" Qrow averts his eyes at that, his gaze landing on the plate of bread as his cheeks warm up. He hesitantly took one of the bread, shoving it in his mouth and chewing quickly.
He took another one, eating slower and actually savoring it this time as Ozpin turns to look at the scenery. The forest stretches beyond the horizon, any traces of Grimm hidden from sight. Qrow's not fooled, he knows the monastery probably hides a few nasty surprises. The marble-skinned weirdo in front of him is proof enough.
Credit where credit is due, whoever cooked this is a damn good cook. "Who made this?" He asks as he takes another bread. "Didn't expect you to have a five-star chief."
It was Ozpin's turn to be caught off-guard. "I'm... glad you like my cooking." What. Qrow stared at his third half-eaten bread. "Oh, don't be a baby. I have literal centuries of experience behind me, and my cycle of immortality is different from Salem's. Since I need sustenance, might as well be good at it."
"Still not entirely convinced you're not poisoning me." Qrow noted.
Ozpin groaned in exasperation. "If I wanted to kill you, there's a myriad of ways that would be easier and less-headache inducing than this." Ozpin snapped as he got up and started walking away. Qrow turned to look at him as he went behind his chair, before going rigid as cold fingers dug into his shoulders. "Stay there. I'm getting the side and main courses."
Ozpin left the balcony in a puff of smoke, and Qrow let out a breath he didn't knew he was holding. He reached inside his jacket, relieved to see his Scroll was still there. Only for his mood to immediately crash when he realized that this part of Vale didn't get reception.
"Trying to call for help, are you?" Qrow whirled around, scowling when he saw Goodwitch. "I'm telling you now, it's not gonna work. Ozpin has taken precautions."
"What, precautions against modern tech!?" Qrow snapped, getting up as his chair rattled. He didn't care if Goodwitch had one of the most powerful Semblances he'd ever seen while he couldn't even activate his Aura right now. He brought misfortune wherever he went, made sense his shit Semblance would turn against him one day. "Does the guy think we still live in the Dark Ages?"
Goodwitch bristled. "Why, you insufferable- Ozpin is trying to offer you a chance to redeem yourself from working with Salem, and you're squandering it for-"
"Glynda." Both stilled as Ozpin came into view. There was a disappointed frown on his face. "That's no way to treat guests."
"But sir-"
"No buts, young lady." Ozpin reprimanded, waving his fingers as floating plates, glasses and a bottle of something came into view. "Help me with putting on the table, will you?" He asked Glynda, who nodded and took the two plates with food on them to put on the table. "Sit back down, Qrow."
"Don't call me that." The huntsman hissed even as he sat back down. He glared at his plate, which had fish and some kind of salad and... something else in it. He raised his head slightly as the bottle landed on the table, Ozpin dismissing Glynda with a 'thank you' before sitting back down. He pointed at the weird stuff. "What is that?"
"Oysters." Ozpin told him. "I opened them earlier, they're all good. Do you know how to eat them?" Qrow shook his head. "Alright, so first you need to loosen them up..." Qrow followed Ozpin's instructions, pulling a face after eating his first one. Ozpin frowned. "Don't like it?"
"Texture's weird." Ozpin hummed, before taking the bottle and popping the cork off and pouring Qrow a glass.
"It's champagne. Laurent-Poirier. Goes well with oysters, use it to wash them down." Qrow nodded, taking the flute and taking a small sip. "Not a fan of alcohol?"
"Opposite, actually." He started, remembering how his father got after too many bears. "Runs in the family." Ozpin thankfully didn't push the subject, simply turning toward his own plate and taking a bite of his salad.
The two ate in silence for a while. Ozpin opened his mouth again as Qrow tried his second oyster. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Does it matter if I say no?"
"No, but you don't have to answer it." Qrow nodded. "How did you end up working for Salem? I thought the Branwen were a bandit tribe from Mistral?"
Qrow hissed in between his teeth. "I... me and Raven, we... Our parents, they- urgh. Look, all that matters is: we're not going back, and we're never going back."
"Raven..." Ozpin seemed deep in thoughts, as if he was trying to remember something. "That's your sister, right?"
"Yeah." Something occurred to Qrow. "Say, the whole reincarnating wizard thing. You used to be, like, a regular, not-Grimm person, right?"
"That's one way of putting it, but yes." Ozpin answered. "I used to be mortal."
"Did you have siblings? Before the whole..." Qrow made a vague gesture in the other's general direction. Ozpin stilled at that, a faraway look on his face.
"No, none by blood. I grew up in the mountains with only my parents before obtaining my powers." He answered. "I... did have someone I considered my sister, but I was already well into becoming what I am now when I met her." The look on Ozpin's face was absolutely miserable. "Salem killing her pushed me over the edge."
"... Ah." Qrow took a sip of his champagne. "That sucks. Sorry for your loss."
Ozpin waved a hand. "I- it's fine. You're not the one who blasted her with magic for the crime of trying to help me stay me." He quickly ate an oyster, seemingly cheering up. "Anyway, my turn to ask you a question!"
Qrow snorted despite himself. "What is this, 21 questions?"
"My crush is no one, if you're wondering." Ozpin joked, before straightening in his chair. "What did Salem tell you about me?"
Qrow shrugged as he cut some of his fish. "You want to burn down Remnant. You can do magic. Whoever you reincarnate in dies the moment you come into the picture. You started the whole thing with Salem. And she doesn't know how to stop your cycle."
Ozpin hummed. "I see. Your turn."
"How... much of what I told you do you agree with?" Between the ex-wife comment and the very real grief he had when talking about his sister, it was clear had a different version of the events. Besides, the monster Salem had described to him wouldn't simply sit him down to talk.
Ozpin hummed, a piece of fish on his fork as he waved it in the air. "I do want to do some burning, but it's more 'everything Salem ever worked for' than Remnant. Come on, Qrow, I live here. And I'm stuck here." He ate his fish. "If I really wanted to destroy Remnant, I'd simply use the Relics."
He hummed. "Yeah, that's fair- wait. You know where the Relics are!?" The amount of people that were on wild goose chases to find them... And this whole time, Salem's sworn enemy could get to them the moment he decided to stop playing around.
"Of course I know where they are. I'm the one who hid them in the first place." Ozpin noted. "Can't have Salem blowing up my body with the Sword again... urgh, retrieving it and the Lamp was such a pain!" Qrow numbly nodded. "Anyway, you wanted to know about my magic?"
"Uh-" Ozpin snapped his fingers, whisps of green and gold rising from them as pitch black eyes burst into green flames. Like a Maiden's. "Oh shit!"
Ozpin smiled as the magic faded, Qrow numbly realizing there were brown irises somewhere in those pools of tar. "I can. And unlike Salem, I'm willing to share."
"You- you're the guy who created the Maidens!?" The fairytale explaining their origin spoke of an old, cruel magician, who took four sisters under his wing and taught them how to use magic.
"Ah, yes." Ozpin spoke with fondness. "The first Maidens. They reminded me of the first daughters I had, and they were so very loyal to me... loyalty deserves to be rewarded, don't you think?"
Qrow frowned. "Is that why they keep turning against Salem when she finds them first? Something to do with your magic?"
"What- no!" Ozpin exclaimed, clearly offended. He then frowned in confusion. "I think. If it is a thing, then it wasn't intentional." A pause as Ozpin downs his flute, before pouring himself more champagne. "Anyway, my reincarnations..."
Qrow raised an eyebrow as Ozpin downed more champagne. "Sensitive point?"
"More angry about Salem being right on this one. Or..." He chuckled. "Was right. I proved her wrong, in this life. Ozma isn't in control anymore."
"There's literally nothing in what you just said that's reassuring." Qrow noted, Ozpin smiling at him as he finished his salad. "Who's Ozma?"
"The name of the first soul in the cycle." Ozpin told him. "He used to absorb whoever he reincarnated in into himself the moment he was in their bodies, but his soul weakened over time, and it took more and more time and efforts to absorb them. By the time he reached me, it him almost twenty years for our souls to fuse, and then..."
"... you're the one who absorbed him." Qrow finished. He frowned. If Ozma's soul was driven by anger at being betrayed by the woman he loved, then... "Holy shit, what did Salem do for you to hate her that much!?"
"What would you do," Ozpin started. "If you wanted to live, but someone wanted you dead? Because you know of something you couldn't care less about that could destroy her life? What would you think if someone thought of you as nothing less than the latest stain on her self-inflated ego? Proof that she's just human, if not worse than that?"
Qrow frowned at that. Was that how Ozpin saw the conflict? But nevertheless, he knew the answer to that question. It wasn't one he was happy with, but... "I'd kill her before she killed me."
"Good answer. And the answer to who started our conflict: as far as I'm concerned, it's all. Her. Fault." The two finished their plates in silence after that, Ozpin first and spending the next few minutes watching Qrow.
They stared at each other for a while. "Uh. All that fancy stuff, and no dessert?" Qrow joked. The tiniest bit of relief struck him as the corners of Ozpin's eyes crinkled.
"Now, you're speaking my language!" The pale-skinned man clapped his hand, and Qrow nearly jumped out of his skin when a Grimm came out of the shadows.
It was unlike any Qrow had seen before. A glossy sphere with bone shards on it's lower half, floating with an array of thin tentacles trailing under it. There was an ominous light coming from into the sphere, even if it wasn't really visible in this light.
It was also green instead of red, which meant Ozpin had created the fucking thing. Black smoke rose up from under the plates at a wave of the Wizard's hands, handing them to the Grimm. "Bring these to the kitchen, and bring back the dessert. It's on the pastry cart." The Grimm simply took the pile of plates and floated back in the darkness of the inside.
Qrow inhaled sharply. "What the fuck was that-"
"Seer Grimm. I've put enchantments all over the place so we don't end up getting detected by the CCT, but I need a way to communicate with my followers when they're away." Ozpin explained with a shrug of his shoulders as he poured himself yet another glass of champagne. Qrow stared at him. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I'm pretty sure most of my bodily fluids have been replaced by Grimm sludge, it takes an insane amount of alcohol for me to get drunk."
"Yikes." That word alone could describe at least half of what Qrow had learned about Ozpin today.
"Want a refill?" Qrow looked at what Ozpin was pointing at. His own flute, now empty. He nodded, letting the wizard pour him a second glass. Ozpin got up from the table after that, his glass in hand as he leaned on the balcony, back to the Huntsman. "Anyway, there's still one part of your question I haven't answered yet."
Qrow frowned, before remembering. "Is there a way to stop your cycle of reincarnation?"
If he had seen the manic smile on Ozpin's face, Qrow would've been scared for life. "Nope~. There was, but Salem would've had to die, and she was unwilling to. And now, the only way to get rid of me has been made useless."
"What do you mean by that...?"
Before Qrow could get his answer, the Seer Grimm was back, pushing a tray with a plate that had a mountain of what looked like chocolate truffles on it. Ozpin turned around, snapping his fingers as he did so. The Seer rotated, floating toward Ozpin as the wizard reached a hand out, caressing the smooth surface. He looked at the Grimm warmly, before turning those same eyes on Qrow, making something in his chest flutter. "Slit my throat open."
One of the Grimm's tentacle morphed into a blade, and faster than Qrow could see, Ozpin's throat was opened with a gush of tar-like blood. Ozpin gurgled, more of the black sludge coming out of his mouth as he took a few steps back, before falling backwards over the edge of the balcony. Qrow's better nature took the better of him as he rushed out of his chair, rushing to try and catch the wizard. "OZPIN!"
... Only for the man to raise into the air, eyes ablaze as a gentle breeze carried him. Ozpin laughed awkwardly as the other man stared at him in shock. "Were you scared for me?" Qrow took a step back as what he realized was a nothing less than a living god touched down on the balustrade. "Don't worry, there's no need to! I know it's always a bit scary when I take risks like that, but I assure you: there's no need to, since I-"
"Can't die." Qrow finished, realization hitting him like a ton of bricks. "You can't die."
Ozpin frowned sympathetically at him as he sat down on the balustrade, looking up at Qrow. "She didn't tell you, did she?"
His answer came in the way Qrow crumpled to the ground, breathing harshly as if he was trying to refrain himself from crying. "No one wanted me-" He started in between gasps, Ozpin frowning as he came to kneel down next to him. "I gave my life to her because she gave me a place where- where I belonged-" He continued, letting the other man manhandle him into a hug. "I thought I was finally- finally-"
"Doing some good?" Ozpin finished for him. That opened the floodgates, Qrow burying his face in Ozpin's chest as he sobbed. Ozpin gently carded a hand through his hair, resting is lips on the top of his head. "You poor thing..." He muttered. "I'm afraid meeting Salem was the worst luck of your life."
Qrow continued crying, not noticing Ozpin manhandling him further until he was sitting in Ozpin's former chair. The wizard had his back turned to him, taking the plate with the truffles. "What are you...?"
Ozpin turned toward him, a kind smile on his face. "After everything you learned today, you must be exhausted. I just want to make you feel a bit better, is all." He came to sit on the table, plate next to him. He picked the truffle at the top, bringing it to Qrow's mouth. "Open."
Qrow nodded, opening his mouth and letting Ozpin handfeed him sweets, the wizard occasionally cradling his face or petting his hair. Ozpin smiled, picking up Qrow's discarded glass of champagne and sipping on it as the other leaned in his hand.
I win this time, dear~
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Comparing Adaptations
‘Kay so I went on one of my whims again and did something stupid. Couple weeks or so ago, I wasn’t really in the mood to watch anime so I opened up Netflix and watched a Cdrama that I wanted to watch for a while now.
That Cdrama was ‘The Untamed’ which, prior to me watching it and doing said whim, I thought was just your typical historic Cdrama. Oh boy I was wrong. As I was watching it, I was thinking to myself, “This show’s really selling itself off as BL.” Which, I found out after finishing it was because it is BL. Hah...and that was just the start of it.
As I was doing my ‘Post-show research,’ I found out that it was based of a novel, called ‘Mo Dao Zu Shi’or as translated by the people on the internet as ‘Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation.’ Said novel had 2 more adaptations along with ‘The Untamed’ which were a manhua and a donghua. So me being me, I decided to watch the donghua adaptation and read both the og novel and manhua.
So how I went through this was...
The Untamed (2019)
The Donghua aka Anime I guess
The Manhua which I read while having class (such a responsible student aren’t I)
The original novel
All hail this person who has too much free time on her hands.
Anyways, as it says on the tin, I’ll be comparing the 4 adaptations/versions of the story and see what changes between them as well as the pros and cons. (Wow I sound so professional)
Some background of myself just to avoid confusion
I am not a mega hardcore Fujoshi. I don’t really enjoy reading smut, nor am I old enough to do so bear that in mind
I have 7 years worth of Chinese lessons under my belt which means I barely understand a thing and that I can get some of the jokes like how Wei Ying’s sword is called ‘Sui Bien’ and it’s funnier to hear in Chinese. In other words, compared to like actual Chinese people who live in China, I pretty much have the knowledge of a 10 year old.
The versions of the Manhua and Novel that I read were translated in English so somethings might have been lost in translation.
I have a bit of a goldfish brain so forgive me if I wrote something wrong or forgot the name of a certain character, most likely I will look it up to correct it but if I don’t...well sorry.
I am writing my opinions on each version as I finish them, so if they don’t link up to the original that’s the reasoning behind it.
All of these are my opinions and thoughts on the story. You are not entitled to follow them if you disagree. I personally believe that everyone has a voice of their own and they should use it. (Even though I don’t half of the time.)
Slight Spoiler Warning
I will be breaking down some of the scenes and characters for my comparisons so please keep that in mind.
The Untamed (2019)
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As this was my first exposure to the story, I didn’t know what to expect. I loved everything about it except for the fact that literally half of the show was spent in the past, building context for what was happening in the present.
The characters were lovable and all had distict personalities, especially Wei Ying and Lan Zhan which I guess makes sense since they’re the main characters (their actors are also cute and have good chemistry.) Speaking of characters, Yanli has a more forward role in the story here compared to the other versions. The way certain characters were introduced was different too. Since it’s live action, it’s also harder to show things like extreme blushing and such so it makes Lan Zhan look very stoic and way more unexpressive here than in the other versions.
The soundtrack is nice to listen to, especially with the 2 mains singing the theme song together it’s so cute and gives it another meaning in itself. Although, I do wonder how that poor bamboo flute Wei Ying made in like 2 mins plays decent sounding music. Chen Qing(is this the name of it?), the flute he uses after his trip to the Burial Grounds has the same sound quality as that bamboo flute which is just, “how???”
They took out most of the extreme BL!!! I feel like that is the biggest difference between this version and all the rest. I know they did that to appeal to more people but it does remove some of the context to things. That doesn’t mean the moments that were kept in weren’t cute though. It did make the pair look more plantonic than romantic.
As for the story itself, as a story on its own, it’s nice, as an adaptation that’s where the line gets blurry but it leans more towards the good side. They did indeed change some things, made them work better with the medium than if they didn’t.
An example I can place is the mask. Where the other versions used white make up with oddly placed red circles around the eyes, this one used a mask instead. I agree with the choice they made, seeing as they removed the fact that Mo Xuanyu was homosexual and so the make up wouldn’t make sense. It also looks nicer than what I imagined what could’ve happened with they kept with the make up. They do make a reference to this in the show when Jin Ling and Wei Ying have a conversation in Carp Tower. “You’ve seen my face right?” “How do I know? Your face is always caked in make up or covered by that mask.”
Another issue I had which I’ll touch on later was the first episode—I had no idea what was going on for those 40 minutes of screentime.
Donghua
As of writing this post, season 3 of this has yet to come out.
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My first reaction to this was “Man, the animation’s pretty, and they made Wei Ying look scarier.” Watching stuff at 12 in the morning isn’t the best thing but that’s what I do.
Anywho, this version made Wei Ying really attracted to going down the path of ‘evil’ compared to the other versions. I don’t really understand why they made this change...but they did so we have to deal with that. And his eyes glow red!! It makes him look scary and cool at the same time. I love it!!
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The transitions between certain events were a bit weird to say the least. For example, at the end of episode 2/3 Wei Ying gets forcibly dragged into the Cloud Recesses and the episode ends there. By the next episode, we’re 16/23/13 however many years in the past. This makes it really confusing for someone who hasn’t watched or read any other version of the story. It definitely made me confused and I already finished one.
While ‘The Untamed’ told us everything in one long flashback, the donghua broke it up into small chunks placed whenever information was needed. I don’t think that was a good idea, but then I also think it was a better decision than what they did for the Cdrama. As I watched this adaptation, I found myself confused from time to time because what happened in the prior episode didn’t always match what happened in the current episode like I mentioned earlier.
As for the artstyle, personally, I think some of the characters look similar minus the hair. However, I do like the little ways they made Lan Zhan express his feelings towards Wei Ying.
Speaking of which, when I first saw them together in this version in the forest near the Goddess Temple, I had to do a bit of a double take because of the height difference which wasn’t so evident in ‘The Untamed’. I soon found out that Lan Zhan was taller than Wei Ying before and after he gets reincarnated(?) Prior, it was just a small gap of 2cm which later turned to 6cm after possessing Mo Xuanyu.
I didn’t notice their height gaps while watching ‘The Untamed’ because Wei Ying’s actor, Xiao Zhan, is taller than Lan Zhan’s actor, Wang Yi Bo by about 2 inches which is like 5 cm? and so they had to do some weird thing with platforms to make Xiao Zhan look shorter in comparison.
Soundtrack wise, I personally think that ‘The Untamed’ was better in that sense. Where it had an amazing souding flute, this one had minor earrape in a nutshell.
This version made itself, in my eyes look more like a historical fighting anime as opposed to the BL vibes I was getting from ‘The Untamed’ and the other versions. They added a lot of action scenes and made the mystery more interesting for me. Along with this, the overall look and feel of this made it seem like it came from a completely different source material.
Manhua
Small FYI, as of writing this post the Manhua is at 147 Chapters.
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(I should’ve kept up the trend and got a screenshot from that scene in the Manhua but I didn’t so here we are with gay rabbits.)
As your local internet friend who reads more manga than normal books nowadays, I enjoyed reading the manhua and finished it in a couple days.
Compared to the first 2 versions here, these last 2 are both things that you have to read to get through, albeit one has pictures and one doesn’t.
While normally, one would read silently, I like listening to music while I do. And seeing as the OST of ‘The Untamed’ sounds really nice, I listened to it while reading both the manhua and novel when I could.
This one brought out the BL elements that were missing from the first 2. They gave Wei Ying and Lan Zhan a lot of kissing or just straight up affectionate scenes which I think ties in with the general theming of the original novel more.
As this one is probably the closest of the adaptations to the original, it’s the least confusing to read, although that might’ve been influenced by my experiencing the story for the third time at this point. I say that, however, there were many story elements that weren’t present in either one prior to this.
Examples this can be seen with their collecting of body parts that belonged to the former Nie Sect Leader. In ‘The Untamed’ they find the sword spirit which guides them through the rest of the story. In the Donghua adaptation, they get the arm, but also get the head of the the Jin with the hundred holes curse which was an original addition. Here, they get the arm from Mo Manor, find the other one then find the torso and so on before finding the head in Jin GuangYao’s possession.
The flashbacks in this version were also executed really well, in my opinion, as it doesn’t feel super confusing while reading it and it gives just enough information to help the events unfold. It also gives us a chance to see how much of an ass(sorry) Wei Ying was when he was the Yiling Patriach from his own perspective as well as give us a moment of WangXian in the middle of all that chaos.
Novel
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Here’s a picture of gay rabbits for everyone.
At this point, I was switching between the novel and the Manhua to read whichever one I wanted at any given time which might have blurred my sense of what belonged in each one so I’ll try my best to make sure.
Since this one is the original source material, it was clear from the get go that this will be the one with the least confusing version of events and the most amount of detail.
I was surprised on how close the manhua and ‘The Untamed’ was to the novel. Although, the former condensed the mystery to fit within the timeframe while the latter hasn’t finished just yet.
Personally, I like this author, and will probably read more of her works further down the line. Even though the version I read was in english, I still could feel the meaning behind certain aspects which I think shows her skill as an author.
The novel clearly shows the mischief that goes through Wei Ying’s head and their gradual (I say gradual but I think Lan Zhan just snapped) change of attitudes towards each other.
Arc One- Mo Manor
Past here I’ll break down the first arc of each one because I think all of them did it in relatively different ways. Be warned for spoilers if you haven’t watched or read all of them.
The Untamed (2019)
Out of all of these versions, this one definitely had me scratching my head in confusion the most even after watching it a second time once I finished the entire show.
As the only version that had the curse issued at the start as a moving factor of the story as well as the Yin Iron which was specifically made for this version, it didn’t explain enough at the start.
There were many things I could say were wrong about this beginning, from starting at a flashback to not properly introducing us to our characters but the biggest problem in my mind was the lack of explanation at the present.
Like I mentioned, starting at a flashback is a terrible idea as it gives the viewer high expectations only for it to be crushed the second it ends. Here, it shows a small portion of the battle at the Nightless City without much context then it quickly changes to 16 years later with a seemingly random group of people.
Another issue is the amount of useless characters who were introduced. In the other versions, there were only 2 Lan disciples who were given names and were introduced properly while here there were more than I want to count. Add to that the one telling stories about the YiLing Patriarch and the weird guy walking around with a flag, and you got yourself total confusion.
Donghua
This one was slightly less confusing to watch. As it starts with a clip of Wei Ying commanding corpses which matches the overall feel of the donghua. The rumors that he died stretched over the time skip and we meet this version of Mo Xuanyu who is caked with make up, whether or not he was a cut-sleeve (gay) in this version, I forgot.
It fully explains the curse and instead of having a couple of Lan disciples just standing there watching, we get to focus on the 2 important ones, Lan Sizhui and Lan JiYing. It gives us a slightly deeper insight into Wei Ying’s mind, as he states ‘you got the wrong one,’ just after being reincarnated, indicating that he isn’t as vicious as painted by the first few minutes of the show. Like the other versions, they also show how he considers the cons of using his demonic abilities and that Sizhui would probably tell on him to Lan Zhan, meaning that Sizhui was a keen, observant young man.
Manhua and the Novel
As for the introductions, these two were very similar. Both have the rumors of the Yiling Patriarch across the screen as we get further down the story and meet our main character.
It gets the details from the Donghua adaptation and mixes it with more information to create a more detailed account of what was happening, also making this Wei Ying seem smarter compared to his counterparts in other versions. He also hesitates more on showing his abilities, knowing that he’s going to be caught if he does.
Final Thoughts
As of writing this, I’m only halfway through the novel but it covers the portion until where the manhua is currently at. I would finish reading it before posting this but it would take too long and probably make this post even longer than it currently is, which isn’t such a good idea. If I had much more patience and effort I would really like to break down each arc and their differences from one another but I can’t be bothered right now. (Sorry)
I can safely say that in terms of adaptations, ‘The Untamed’ is relatively close to the novel, albeit a very condensed version. As flashback filled as it is, it wasn’t very confusing to watch past the first two episodes.
The Donghua adaptation takes several liberties, going more of an action oriented route instead of the calmer more, I wouldn’t say love but character oriented novel.
The manhua is definitely the closest to the novel, so if you really don’t want to read a lot of words, and I mean a lot of words, then go ahead and read it.
What else do I have to say...if you’re new to the story, welcome, if you’re a veteran who’s been here longer than me, sorry for taking up space on your feed. And congrats for making it to the end.
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