#to save the world. wow. very original

[front-facing-pokemon]

[microwaving-tesilid-argente]

.

[teaboot]

TOP 10 PERSONAL FAVE MOVIES TO WATCH WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE ASS

I don't like movies that stress me out because life is already stressful but I DO love catharsis comedy found family friendship fantasy and violence so here are my top 10 movies and series to have a good time watching

Numbered for convenience but not in any particular order

John Wick 1 and 2: An ordinary man grieving the loss of his wife gets dragged back into his past as a shadowy, invisible world of international killers for hire is slowly revealed to be living among us. A love note to set design, lighting, and choreography. My favourite part is fixating on the symbolism. DO NOT WATCH 3. 4 is okay. DO NOT WATCH 3. There is a dog death in 1 that will make you cry so skip that part if you have to. DO NOT WATCH 3.

The lord of the Rings, all 3, extended edition best watched if you're on the couch with the flu and expect to fall asleep OR if it's your day off and it's raining outside OR if you have like 5 people lounging around in pajamas

Six Underground: Essentially an hour and a half long car commercial music video with found family and a fresher take on acommon plot. Ryan Reynolds essentially writes and directs a Michael Bay movie where 6 independant criminals gather together to overthrow a violent foreign dictatorship. You show up for a dumb heist and walk out ready to build a guillotine. TW for violence, car crashes, chemical warfare, and genocide. A very cathartic ending. Does unfortunately do the whole "vague, impoverished middle-eastern country" thing but the citizens are actually show as human beings which is a nice change of pace and oh wow that's depressing isn't it

The Princess Diaries 1 and 2: A sort-of-a-loser teenage girl, played by a 2001 Annie Hathaway, learns that her late father was a king of a foreign nation and must become a confident and responsible leader for his people. There is a scene in the rain where you will experience emotions. Best watched with snacks. 2 features an enemies-to-lovers type deal with Chris Pine.

Ella Enchanted: A shrek-style semi-musical fantasy romance in which a young woman is cursed at birth to do everything anyone tells her to do. Features several Queen songs and dance numbers sung by Annie Hathaway and that guy who plays the sad dog guy in Hannibal.

Stardust: A huge loser travels from 1800s England (?) to a magical world in order to fetch a fallen star for the insufferable love of his life before she marries a massive douchebag. The huge loser? Charlie Cox. The star? A living person. Also a whole bunch of princes are ALSO looking for them as a race for the throne while discreetly killing each other off. And also a bunch of witches want to eat her so they can be young and sexy. 11/10. I used to watch this 10 minutes at a time on a YouTube channel that posted it in chunks filmed on a digital camera in their living room

The Last Holiday: Queen Latifah, playing someone played by Queen Latifah, has been working an underappreciated minimum wage job for years, living a safe and conservative life trying to lose weight and save money. Then she finds out she has months to live, and decides to finally quit her job and blow it all on one massive luxury holiday vacation complete with five-star dining, making friends and finding love and confidence along the way. It's definitely corny but it makes me so happy thank you Queen Latifah

Zathura: It's the plot to the original Jumanji but in space instead of the rainforest. But listen to me: There's a twist reveal at the end that you need to pretend isn't there. It is vitally important when you get to that part- and you will know what part when it happens- that you pretend it didn't. Otherwise, a fresh and enjoyable adventure for any age!

Redacted cause I haven't seen it in a long time and it may be worse than I remember, gotta rewatch

Bullet Train. You go in expecting a ham-fisted find-the-mcguffin style action comedy and are blindsided by excellent narrative symmetry and genuinely likeable characters. Fresh takes on old themes and creative action sequences. My little brother said "It's good", and he's a man who once sincerely argued that Lord of the Rings could have been better. It's fun and punchy violence with just enough smart stuff to not let your brain get bored

[twilightkitkat]

Hear me out y'all, I've been talking about multiverse shenanigans lately so what if Wade literally became Spiderman?

The TVA sent Wade on a mission to protect the anchor being of another universe, Spiderman. Except... there was a small hiccup. Wade got there right as Spiderman died. He was officially brain-dead, even if his blood was still circulating.

So, naturally, the TVA employee in charge of this universe panicked and fucked things up further. By putting Wade's conscience into Spiderman. Hooray!!

Now time to undo this shit and get back to his universe. Except... that doesn't happen. Because the portal closes and he's stuck here, with his own fucking vegetative state body. While he's in the body of Spiderman. Shit.

Fuck the TVA. And their shitty employees lie to cover their own asses and hide the fact that Wade just replaced the anchor being of another universe.

And Wade... has to pretend to be him, for better or worse. Because the mission was to get this timeline roughly where the Sacred Timeline left off. Or it'd collapse. With him in it.

(Which he thought he could do by saving Spiderman and letting him make the same decisions as he did originally, but noooooo. Now he has to imitate Peter and remember what the hell he did in the Sacred Timeline. Thank God for the fourth wall, because Wade does not share the same decision-making process as this guy.)

And Wade manages. Poorly. Especially when he has to hide his own body in the closet, which is miraculously still breathing.

But he tries! He attends high school for the first time in forever (yikes) and somehow manages to not flunk out, he acclimates himself to Peter's powers, goes web-slinging (with a much better costume, thank you), and talks to all of the right people. He manages all of Peter's tasks while trying not to focus on how much he misses his home and how he wishes Logan were here.

But it's insanely awkward. Especially when the people around him notice how weird he's been acting. Namely Peter's best friend and aunt. (And that's a whole other can of worms that Wade's trying his best to avoid.)

He nearly fucking stabs Flash with his pencil when he made fun of him, only held back by Ned tugging at his arm and asking what was wrong. (He does, however, steal his clothes after gym. Payback.) And he kind of forgets to get with MJ, oopsies! Not his type. (Especially with the whole teenager thing. And the fact that he's already kind of in love with someone. Who he misses incredibly and sometimes wonders if they'll come for him...)

He manages to meet Tony Stark around the same time as Peter and wow this is awkward. Because Wade knows what the Accords are and quite frankly, is very vehemently against them. But he grumbles and reluctantly goes with him. And manages to do a lot more damage than the original Spiderman, huh. Guess his years of experience stacked up well against a literal teenager.

His relationship with Tony would be especially interesting. Because in the original timeline, it was almost paternal. But Wade is not shopping for father figures, especially ones who are around his age and not nearly as experienced, so he manages to laugh it off. (Even if it does feel nice, privately, to be cared for.)

Everything comes to a head when Wade's staring blankly at the board in class, trying to will himself to focus. Until the teacher says a new student is coming in. Wade's been here for a few years now and he's now 18 and it's his senior year. (...It's weird to think he'd actually go to college. And it won't even fucking transfer back home, so it's all for nothing.) Point is, nobody transfers senior year.

So he looks up with vague curiosity to see a younger version of Logan.

What the fuck.

He didn't keep incredibly close tabs on the X-men of this universe (partially out of respect, partially out of fear) but he knew that they were all alive. They were more adamant about wearing masks and "protecting their identity" in this world so there wasn't much information. But apparently, Logan was just as young-looking as in the first X-men movie. Hugh Jackman really was fine, back then.

But what the hell was Logan doing in high school? Even in another universe, it's a central plot point that he's over 200 years old. He just looks young. (Not that Wade is much better, sporting the middle-aged man-turned-teenager look.)

Until Logan's eyes fix on him. He was looking at him with very intense emotion in his eyes, something Wade couldn't exactly name.

Not until he's shoved up against the locker in some shitty corner, claws pressed against his neck as Logan snarls at him and asks where the fuck was Wade and what did he do with him.

And Wade doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. Because, on one hand, this is objectively hilarious and he's really happy to see his Logan had somehow possessed this one. But on the other hand, he kind of isn't immortal right now and he doesn't want to test his luck.

So he manages to spit out the story. And Logan stares at him with shock and then trepidation and then genuine relief and suddenly he's hugging him and clinging to him and burying his face in his neck and oh shit is he crying?

They stay there even as the next bell rings, dropping to the floor and just sitting together.

All goes well until Ned comes looking and finds Wade with Logan leaning against him, head on his shoulder, and holding his hand. And now he has to explain to his aunt, to his best friend, and to his mentor who the fuck Logan was and why he's following him everywhere now. ("Don't worry! Him and I go wayyyyy back, he's been my online friend for years. He just transferred here recently, sorry I forgot to say haha...")

And then it just devolves into everyone being vaguely shocked as Logan and Wade act super affectionate while trying to figure out how the hell to escape the timeline. Not that Wade doesn't appreciate not being in pain constantly, but he kinda has a life back there. And yeah, these people are attached to him (and he's started to care too) but they don't really know him. They just know he suddenly became a master in fighting and insanely competent (and kind of fucking crazy) one night after getting a concussion. Hell, Mr. Stark only met him in the suit for the first half of their relationship because Wade was wayyy better at keeping his identity a secret than Peter.

It'd just be interesting to see how canon would diverge and how the characters would react to Logan suddenly coming in and insisting on being a fucking guard dog at all times. Everyone is vaguely concerned and thinks that "Peter" is in a toxic relationship where the other party is demanding until they see how reciprocal it is. (And what the hell?) And how they seem to get each other and make odd references and somehow share the same edgy humor brand.

[greenfiend]

Mike and Will’s love will save Hawkins

Everything, and I mean everything has been leading up to this point.

Let me explain how the power of gay love will save the day…

#doorgate or #gategate

🚪🍑❤️ + 🔑🍆⚡️

TW: mentions of sex and brief mention of CSA

If you’d like to read this with a soundtrack:

So it’s been a while since I made posts about Lover’s Lake… and to be honest I thought aspects of my theory were kind of silly (but of course who cares this is just for fun). But now I’m back and more confident than ever that Lover’s Lake will be an incredibly important location for ST5, especially for Mike and Will.

To begin, let’s start with the physics set up within the show. Why physics you say? We are talking about the love of two gay nerds afterall (one of them named after a famous theoretical physicist)… of course physics is involved!

Way back in season 1, Mr. Clarke helpfully taught us how to create a doorway between two worlds. This doorway would require a massive amount of energy… “more than humans are currently capable of creating”. I appreciate the subtle hint of a possibility that one day humans could create that level of energy.

In season 2 we have Steve helpfully explain to us this alternate electricity exists. He also related it to a storm and then distinguished it from a regular electromagnetic field.

Now, interestingly enough within the book titled The Montauk Project: Experiments in Time (the conspiracy which inspired Stranger Things so much that it was originally titled Montauk), there is a mention of this type of energy as well:

“Reich was known in part for his discovery of “orgone” energy, which is orgasmic or life energy. His experiments revealed orgone energy to be distinctly different from ordinary electromagnetic energy.”

So to sum it up so far, we have learned:

1. In order to create a doorway, a massive amount of energy is required.

2. There’s an alternate form of energy known as “orgone” energy “like a sexual electricity”.

Okay. Now unto season 3…

So, season 3 had the Russians attempt to “open the gate”/door once again after it was closed back in season 2.

Back in 1984, the Russians manage to get the door slightly open but it keeps closing. The Russian working on the project begs for “more time”, shortly after (like right after the opening credits) we hear the line “just a little more time could open closing doors” from the song playing while shown a picture of Mike. Later on, we have Will claim he’s “not going to fall in love” and then the song plays “love that is new to you, you open up the door”.

We also get this association for Mike. Mike is the one who could open closing doors, in other words he is "the key".

Okay wait lets go back to the science here!

The Russians have "the key" which is said to "emit a great energy" so much so that it can "open a doorway between worlds". Alexei also mentions how the location of where the key goes matters, it is "half of the equation". They chose Hawkins because, the gate has already opened there. (I talk more about the implications of that here). In case you haven't figured it out yet, Mike is "the key", and Hawkins = Will (remember, Hawkins is not the same without him).

Mr. Clarke is back again with some more science! In this scene, he actually associates an Electromagnetic Field with two people! Implying that two people can create their own Electromagnetic Field. But of course Clarke-Byers' field is stable because there is no sexual electricity between them.

So…

We have Mike referred to as "the key". The key can create a doorway with the right location. Hawkins is the right location and Will is implied to be “Hawkins”.

Two people can create their own Electromagnetic Field.

Okay wow, are you guys still with me here?

These friends are indeed electric…

The very first one was way back in season 2. Mike placed his hand on top of Will’s and right after we cut to Will’s drawing. Look closely… there’s lightning! ⚡️ It’s “sexual electricity”!

In season 3, the electricity only grew between but simultaneously so did the subtlety of it all. They held hands in the movie theatre. Yes yes they did! That’s why we are shown a movie playing with hands popping out! This is what “triggered” Will (manifesting as a reminder of the shadow monster…). But most importantly… this is how the power went back on in Hawkins.

In season 4, it’s arguably even more subtle… but the clues are still present! Mike and Will lock eyes while the electricity flickers. Then we have the final scene which shows us a cloud resembling a heart above them with lightning! Heart with lightning… keep this in mind for later. We also have a very tiny “Live Mike” poster on Mike’s bulletin board… the association with Mike and lightning/electricity is clear…

Even in the marketing, the lightning is very much present. Notice specifically the lightning with the heart in the first picture…

Doors that keep closing…

The show constantly makes references to closing/opening doors. The gates opening are an aspect of this too! I have good reason to believe that this all leads back to Will.

I go over the door symbolism in this post but I’ll give a brief summary:

So far each time the gates have opened within the show, they have opened without Will’s consent. Now, I mean this on multiple levels. I mean this as the closet door- as people keep opening it by insinuating his sexuality. I also mean this in a more deeply tragic way. Child sexual abuse… to be blunt. This is why he’s desperate to keep all the doors and gates shut… even if it kills him. It’s a reality that forever haunts him, worse than any monster imaginable.

Will has such deep trauma that it manifests as monsters within the show. This is why I believe Will has been struggling far more than we are shown explicitly. In case you’re unaware, during the 80s and prior, there was a deeply homophobic belief perpetrated by society that gay people (specifically gay men) were predators. As a victim, Will is terrified of becoming a predator… becoming “the monster”. He’s frightened of himself.

I believe that… Will has been “pushing [Mike] away” far more than we know. He is desperately in love with Mike, yes, but the hatred he has for himself is far greater at this point in the show.

He needs to learn to love and accept himself despite all that he has been through. He needs to know that he is not a monster, and that his love and sexuality can be a beautiful thing. He needs to do this independently of Mike. Mike will be the key to his door when he’s ready.

To sum up everything thus far: doorways/gates require A LOT of energy, sexual electricity is a form of energy, and Will is associated with doors and Mike with keys. Got it?

The Russian Code

You may have already seen my post on this but it’s *very* relevant here so I’ll summarize (read the post for more depth):

The week is long because Mike and Will will be separated. Emotions affect time afterall.

The silver cat feeds the “silver cat” is a gate/doorway. Mike and Will are both associated with being a “snack” because they feed it sexual electricity thus causing it to open!

When blue meets yellow in the west. Mike will be stuck in the “East”/the UD, then return to the “West”/right side up to meet Will.

A trip to China sounds nice, if you tread lightly. “China” is on the other side of the “silver cat” doorway. Mike and Will will reach a new world through this doorway.

Again, if you think I’m reaching, please check out this post as I outline the clues in much more depth.

Opening multiple doors

As mentioned earlier, Mike is the key to opening Will’s door. This has multiple meanings:

Figuratively: Will’s closet door. Mike is struggling with his sexuality as well, but he will likely accept himself first, and inspire Will to follow.

Sexually: Will will open himself up sexually to Mike. They will have an intimate scene. I’m positive of this now.

Supernaturally: A portal door/gate to another world.

He’s truly the key to his heart…

What I theorize will happen…

So based on all the clues I’ve outlined (plus more) I will break down how everything will likely happen (leading up to the climax):

Mike confronts Will about the painting. Now, I truly believe Mike already knows that the painting and speech was all Will. He knows Will well. Will downplays the significance of the painting though making us (the audience) believe that he’s not actually still in love with Mike. (This could be why Noah now views Will’s love for Mike as a spoiler 🤔).

Will continues to push Mike away but more explicitly. Mike is frustrated. Tensions are high! Mike is “banished” to the UD, as well as nearly half of our main cast. They reunite with Max.

Will is devastated that Mike is gone. Will then faces severe homophobia and cruel accusations made his way (likely connected to those who went missing). Without Mike, he falls apart. The insecurities around his sexuality reach a boiling point for him. This will be represented by the US military closing off all the gates, separating half of our main characters from each other.

Will finds a letter from Mike. We (the audience) will realize (if we are paying attention) that Mike loves Will through the reveal of the “Love, Mike” written at the end. Will will not realize/believe it, but he is given the courage to fight on.

Will spends time with his mother and friends who express to him how much they love him unconditionally. As he starts to slowly accept himself, the gates slowly show signs of opening up.

After a long week of separation, on one fateful stormy night, Mike finds a way to escape the UD through watergate and Will is there to retrieve him. Will is likely not alone, he’s with the “right side up” crew on a boat trying to save those in the UD. Only Mike is able to get through the gate… (possibly through radio communication with Will, they create enough electricity for the gate to open).

Mike and Will are soaking wet and Mike is injured, thus he and Will make their way to Reefer Rick’s Lakeside House. They have to remove their shirts, and the sexual tension is through the roof. Will tends to his wounds and sparks fly. Mike reveals just how deeply in love he is with Will and how much it pains him that Will has been so closed off. Will turns away- not wanting to hear it at first, thinking he doesn’t deserve it. He doesn’t deserve Mike’s love.

Tears start pouring down Mike’s face as he continues to tell Will that he’s done with hiding, and he’s done with pretending that he isn’t in love with Will. Will stops, finally starting to believe Mike’s words. Mike, thinking that his words still aren’t getting through to Will, turns and starts walking away. Will calls Mike’s name, Mike swiftly turns his head. He says “I love you too” while in tears, walking towards Mike. He then kisses him ever so passionately! Mike is taken aback with wide eyes for a brief moment then is quick to shut his eyes, grab onto Will for dear life and reciprocates the kiss very enthusiastically. They go horizontal on the bed, Mike on top.

While they are making love enough sexual energy is created for thunder to erupt and lightning. One giant lightning strike hits right in the centre of Lover’s Lake into watergate and opening it up completely! The (heart shaped) lake is literally a broken heart resuscitated by electricity. The water from the lake is parted right in the middle (think Moses parting the sea… or perhaps… like a surfer boy?) making it possible for everyone to walk out easily from the gate. It opens it up SO much that everyone trapped there escapes. They’re all freed!

The sun rises, the storm clears, and of course- there’s a giant rainbow. Will and Mike wake up and smile more brightly than ever as they recall the events of the night prior. They walk out hand in hand and head towards the end of the rainbow. They find a new gate hidden behind watergate and descent into it together. It’s fairyland. They then agree to start their own party, just the two of them.

Fairyland/Feywild

Credit to @byler-alarmist and their post for bringing my attention to this very likely possibility.

The Feywild was a place of unrestrained and awe-inspiring natural beauty. The plane is always bathed in twilight of the setting (or perhaps rising) sun, with lanterns and fireflies providing additional, haunting lights. Visitors to the plane found that all sensations, both sensory and emotional, were heightened. Smells were stronger, colors were more vivid, and sounds were clearer, but at the same time shadows were darker and impulses were harder to control. x

Feywild is a location in DnD just like Shadowfell (which likely represents the UD).

What better way to represent love and acceptance than a beautiful green realm full of light? I assume that it will resemble the real world, just like the UD. I’m also guessing that Mike and Will will find the remnants of the old Creel house and rebuild it as their own castle/fortress. (Credit to @thestrangestthing89 for this beautiful idea.)

Rewriting History

After WWII, the alliance between the East (USSR) and West (US, England etc) dissolved and then began The Cold War. Leading to Russia and the US essentially becoming enemies. They viewed each other as a major threat to their safety. They also were in major competition with each other, specifically regarding space exploration. Each nation wanting to be the first to reach the Moon.

Germany was a nation that ended up being “split” into the East and West. The Berlin Wall divided the two sections. The song “Heroes” by David Bowie is about lovers separated by the Berlin Wall. In 1989, the wall fell and Germany was no longer divided.

Where am I getting at with this? Well, I believe that Stranger Things is both majorly referencing this conflict, and rewriting history. Let me explain. I think that the scenes with the Russians are representative of Mike’s struggles. He feels as though he has no choice but to conform- not unlike those who live under communism. We see he is slowly escaping this mindset, however, as we watch some of the Russian characters rebel against their government.

Yes that means- the US government represents Will’s struggles. They view El as a monster that needs to be contained/removed. This is exactly how they viewed gay people during the AIDS crisis. We see resistance there as well though… through Owens.

In Stranger Things, the gates are the Berlin Wall. Once they open up again (properly… with Will’s consent), the division between the nations will cease. The war will come to an end.

Instead of one nation “winning” the space race, Stranger Things will end with both “Russia” and “America” reaching a new world together- as Mike and Will.

All you need is love

This is the whole message of the show. So many times we let fear and hatred take over us but we must always remember… we can choose love. In a world full of division, we can choose inclusion. We can choose to extend understanding and patience to others who are different or who may hold differing beliefs. It’s all up to you. You hold the power. It’s your choice. Choose wisely.

[maxdibert]

@petals2fish sorry but your friend block me so i can't answer properly your post but i want to say some things about your statement:

And basically are here:

A classist excuse that ignores the social and economic conditions of a person in a situation of vulnerability and danger of social exclusion. You blatantly disregard all the material conditions surrounding a person from an extremely poor environment with no family support, only to find themselves in a school environment where they are constantly persecuted and harassed. You also overlook what it means to be embraced by a specific group of people promising to help them out of the misery if they follow them. Basically, you disregard all the international analyses and statistics linking young people at risk of exclusion as prime targets for sectarian and far-right political groups precisely because of their social conditions. But well, one can overcome classism too, especially when one reads books and not just fanfics and Tumblr posts.

The only Weasley he openly dislikes is Harry’s friend, nothing to do with the rest of the Weasleys, honestly. And despite not having money, the Weasleys are still pure-blood, which means they maintain a superior status over him in the wizarding world. Blood status in the wizarding world has clear parallels with the concept of classical European aristocracy, and in Europe, you can be completely broke, but if you're an aristocrat, you’ll always be considered socially above those who aren’t, even if they’re wealthier. So if you’re trying to establish some kind of power dynamic between the Weasleys and Severus, honestly, you’re going about it the wrong way. You should put a little more effort into understanding how structural class differences work in certain societies rather than pushing a neoliberal, American-centric perspective.

And yes, obviously, he distanced himself from his poor origins because they reminded him of being marginalized, excluded, and abused at home—just like many people from the same social background do as a response to trauma. It’s also true that he served and gave his life for "the good guys," who always treated him like absolute shit, always distrusted him, humiliated him, and marginalized him, while he turned his back on those who, at the very least, treated him with some degree of sympathy “for the greater good.” And I think you’re deliberately and conveniently ignoring this.

On another note, I don’t understand why Severus should have any intention of saving the life of a guy who stripped him against his will in front of the entire school, publicly suffocated him, and made his life hell for seven years. A pure-blood guy, from an important family, disgustingly rich, with far more social and financial power than he ever had. Like, I wouldn’t expect anyone to save their abuser’s life—I’d actually ask for them to be tortured until they begged for their own death. I don’t know what kind of utopian fantasy world you live in where you can hold it against someone that they don’t give a single shit whether the person who abused, humiliated, and traumatized them for life lives or dies. Some of the nonsense you lot come out with is just... wow.

Yes, Snape had self-hatred and internalized classism. And failing to understand where that comes from, failing to recognize how power structures operate when it comes to vulnerable people at high risk of social exclusion—who are pushed by their environment into becoming prime targets for grooming and brainwashing—is classist. But that’s not internalized classism; that’s overt classism. It’s looking at everything from a morally superior stance shaped by a society incapable of empathizing with or comprehending how certain sectarian groups operate and how they primarily target vulnerable youth for radicalization. It’s pretending to ignore how drug cartels recruit underprivileged children and teenagers to work for them, how nationalist terrorist groups focus on young people to indoctrinate them, how religious cults prey on kids with troubled homes or social environments to manipulate them more easily. It’s refusing to see beyond your privileged nose and your complete lack of real-life experience with people who’ve actually faced serious problems, choosing instead to spew moralistic monologues without having the slightest clue how the world actually works.

[wendigovertigo]

Magia Exedra Info: Kamihama Magia Union Information (all in JP, translated by Google Translate and mistranslations corrected)

Iroha Tamaki

CV: Momo Asakura

A magical girl who came to Kamihama City to find out the truth behind a mysterious dream. She has a kind personality and is often overly considerate. She is not familiar with the latest trends and is awkward with smartphones. She is usually reserved, but shows her inner strength when it matters most.

“The warmth in my chest when I thought of my sister felt real.”

Yachiyo Nanami

CV: Sora Amamiya

A veteran magical girl who has been fighting witches in Kamihama City for seven years. She is well versed in information about Kamihama City and magical girls. She keeps her distance from other magical girls and keeps a life of “rumors” occuring in Kamihama City.

“I won’t suffer anymore… I will take with me the feelings they left behind.”

Tsuruno Yui

CV: Shina Natsukawa

A lively and reckless magical girl. She has great respect for her grandfather who led her family to prosperity and her noble and distinguished history. However, she is currently struggling to somehow retrieve the fallen Yui family, and in order to do so, she aims to become the strongest magical girl.

“Wow! This is me at my strongest! Yes!”

Felicia Mitsuki

CV: Ayane Sakura

A lively, headstrong, and free-spirited magical girl. She hates witches with all her heart, as they are the murderers of her parents and for that reason, she works as a “mercenary” and fights witches all over Kamihama. Her wild way of speaking is influenced by battle manga for boys (shonen). However, she is kind-hearted and loves animals.

“It’s my turn as a mercenary! I’ll give them a good thumping!”

Sana Futaba

CV: Yui Ogura

A magical girl who always thinks negatively. Rejected by her family and those around her, she has no confidence in herself at all, but she is kind to others and obedient to those who need her, and when she trusts someone, she will always quietly stay by their side.

“I hate not being able to overcome my past self… That’s why I’m going to break out of my shell…!”

(Momoko, Rena and Kaede are confirmed, making this post subject of change)

Ren Isuzu

CV: Yuka Ozaki

A magical girl who has been shy since she was little and has difficulty talking to people. She was isolated and struggled to survive, pushing herself into a corner, but then she discovered the world of magical girls and was able to pull herself out of rock bottom. She has grown mentally, but she still has timid moments.

“I’ve decided to live in this world…!”

Momoko Togame

CV: Mikako Komatsu

She is a big sister type magical girl who saves the novice magical girls when they are in trouble. She is sandwiched between two brothers and she has a straightforward and boyish personality. However, she actually likes cute things such as stuffed toys. She is also a fan of female idols.

“I won’t let bad timing get the better of me. From now on, I’ll take my chances!”

Rena Minami

CV: Ishihara Natsuori

A clumsy magical girl who can’t express her feeling honestly. She usually hides her lack of confidence behind a headstrong attitude, so she is easily misunderstood when you first get to know her. In contrast to her cold attitude, she has a sweet tooth. Her hobby is chasing female idols.

“Don’t hold me back, I’ll finish this in a matter of seconds!”

Kaede Akino

CV: Ayaka Ohashi

A very timid and anxious magical girl. However, she is kind and caring towards her friends, and will face difficulties for the sake of her team members. She loves nature, including animals, plants and insects, and is devoted to gardening at home. Also, one of her hobbies is crane games, although she is not very good at them.

“Because there’s something I want to protect, I’ve become a little stronger… Yes, I’ll continue to do my best at my own pace…!”

(Origin of pictures came from Magia Exedra’s official JP X/Twitter account.)

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

i just came by this post and i had to address it.

wow. that is a controversial take. and an objectively incorrect one.

i'll just preface this by saying that i'm not satisfied with arcane's finale either. i think it completely went against its own message in the end, and a lot of the arcs were resolved poorly.

but this take is still wild. let me break it down one by one:

there's nothing wrong with the "power of love/friendship" trope. the only problem is that

1. spop entirely focuses on romantic relationships. fuck familial relationships, fuck platonic relationships, the only thing that matters is romance.

2. most of the ships are either forced with no prior buildup or straight-up toxic.

horde prime as a whole was a poorly written villain who was only introduced because catra and hordak were "redeemed". that alone makes the entire finale weak, because horde prime is not as much of a threat as catra was. he's just a placeholder.

i'm convinced that the only reason they introduced the failsafe and the heart of etheria was because horde prime wasn't intimidating enough to keep the audience captivated.

mara convincing adora to stay alive would have been a touching scene if the message wasn't that adora should date her abusive sister.

i'm sorry, did we watch the same show? because how the fuck can you say that catra is no longer abusive after her redemption after watching all of this???

oh yeah, catra pushing adora to the ground and guilt tripping her for trying to save the world wasn't abusive at all. catra constantly screaming at adora for the smallest reasons isn't abusive, that's just catra's little quirk! /s

you would have to be blind to watch all of these instances of catra continuing to abuse adora, and still think that she has changed.

caitlyn hit vi with her rifle, yes, and I'm not going to defend that at all. i agree that it was completely unwarranted, regardless of her reasons. but caitlyn's actions are nothing compared to catra's.

you can love or hate caitvi, i literally don't care. but you can't hate caitvi for being "toxic" while acting like c//a is a healthy ship.

“catra ceased all intentions of being enemies with adora & glimmer and learned to love & fight for etheria”

oh yeah, that's why she kept taking jabs at the princesses and bragging about how many times she has defeated them. that's why she never apologized to glimmer for killing her mother, or to mermista for colonizing her kingdom. oh wait, mermista was very conveniently chipped so that poor catra wouldn't have to deal with all that, right?

let's be real, the only reason catra sided with adora was because she literally had no other choice. she was backed into a corner. she wanted to work for horde prime but since he was willing to throw her out, and the original horde was in shambles, catra's only choice was to join the rebellion. she does not care for the princesses or for etheria.

“catradora never had a power imbalance and fought pretty equally”

this just made me laugh. did this person even watch the show? catra had power over adora 90% of the time.

there were very few instances where adora had power over catra and usually in those instances, catra would attack adora in some way to bring her beneath her.

again, i have my complaints with caitvi. i don't think it's a perfect ship and i'm not going to defend the shitty parts of it. but catra has literally used every single type of abuse on adora - physical violence, emotional manipulation, gaslighting, guilt tripping, kidnapping, attempted murder, victim blaming - and y'all still think that caitvi is worse? be fucking for real.

five seasons isn't enough screentime to wrap up arcs in a satisfactory manner? come on. spop had plenty of time, the writers just didn't plan everything out. they absolutely did not make the most of what they had to work with.

they had 5 whole seasons and still decided to shove catra's redemption arc into the final one, completely rushing it and for what? so that adora had someone to smooch?

the conflict between glimmer and adora could also have been handled better. it was a complex situation, especially considering how catra and shadow weaver was the ones driving them apart. it shouldn't have been solved with a simple “i'm sorry, everything was my fault” and “lol it's okay we good now” like???

again, i'm dissatisfied with arcane's ending. i think a lot of the character arcs were sabotaged and there was too much going on in general.

but i don't think anything can compare to the character assassination in s5 of spop. everyone magically forgot about catra's crimes and forgave her; capable characters were suddenly incompetent and foolish so that catra could shine; and adora, who had completely moved on from catra, was now once again catra's doormat.

you can criticize arcane if you want but this post was just stupid. spop's final season was just as bad, if not worse than arcane. at least arcane managed to write a believable redemption arc for jinx within those 9 episodes - something spop couldn't do with five whole seasons.

[coraniaid]

I know it's never going to happen, but it sure would be nice if people in the Buffy fandom could shut about how much they hate Kennedy. We get it, you're boring and predictable and have poor taste. But why not just ... keep it to yourself? Why assume everybody scrolling the tags wants to read your bad takes?

You don't even have anything original to say.

"Oh, but the writers rushed Willow into a new relationship too soon; Willow would never--"

I'm sorry, but are we talking about Willow Rosenberg, the girl who tried to encourage Buffy back into "date mode" because "love is nice" not only weeks after Buffy's ex-boyfriend had lost his soul, but while he was still actively terrorizing her and trying to kill her friends? The girl who tried to set Buffy up with a new boyfriend, because "you're ready now", just days after Buffy got back from months spent hiding out alone in a strange city while grieving over having to send that same ex-boyfriend to hell to save the world? Who -- after said ex came back from hell and then broke up with her -- then pushed her to try to date the first person who seemed interested in her in college, no matter how reluctant Buffy told her she was and how little either of them knew about him? That's the Willow we're talking about? That's the girl you think wouldn't rush into a new relationship?

Willow has always invested a huge amount of her self-worth in being worthy of love and being able to be loved by others, and she's always assumed that everyone else does the same. That's who she is. We're talking about the girl who ran off to cry when she realized the friend she'd been crushing on for years was dating somebody she didn't like because "it means you'd rather be with somebody you hate than be with me". The girl who only finally got over said crush when she started dating somebody new. Who was so upset when he left her too, years later, that she attracted the attention of a vengeance demon who told her she had "pain that pierces dimensional walls"; and who only really got over that when she met Tara. Who later describes her relationship with Tara as "the only thing" she had going for her. All the way back in Season 1, the first episode that ever focused on Willow was about her attracting the romantic attention of a demon obsessed with wanting its followers to love and worship it. Wanting to be loved is, arguably, the most consistent character trait Willow has ever had.

And look: Willow tortured and killed the man who murdered Tara; she came close to ending the world rather than living in it without her; when she comes back to Sunnydale months later, still mourning, she makes a point of visiting Tara's grave. She's twenty-one years old. It's not moving too fast for her to want to be part of a relationship again; it's the only way somebody like Willow can really stop being unhappy and find some measure of peace and emotional stability. Do you really want Willow to end the show miserable and single and mourning? Do you think that shows more respect towards Tara?

"Oh, but Kennedy is so different from Tara, surely Willow would never--"

We don't know what Willow's type is! Before Season 7, Tara is the only woman we ever see Willow show the slightest bit of interest in! And, again, Willow is twenty one years old. She met Tara when they were both teenagers. Are you still exclusively interested in the type of person you were attracted to when you were a teenager?

Tara is different enough from Oz, who was different enough from Xander, that I think it's safe to guess that Willow's romantic taste is broader than you might think. And the one thing that Kennedy does have in common with Tara (and with Oz before her) is that she is very, very obviously into Willow as soon as they meet. That's what we know about Willow's type: she falls for people who are, on sight, transfixed by Willow.

"Oh, but Kennedy treats Buffy so disrepectfully, she--"

Wow. A teenage girl not showing proper reverence to an older, more experienced person who -- without consulting her about it -- positions themselves as some sort of unelected authority figure? Oh, yes, I can see why fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer would hate somebody like that. That's nothing like anybody we've seen on the show before.

Why should Kennedy like Buffy? Why should she respect her? She doesn't know her! Anything she's heard about Buffy Summers before Season 7 she'd have heard from the Watchers, who have no reason to be honest or favorable about her. When she gets to Sunnydale she gets to live in Buffy's crowded, cramped house, and train in her garden all day, and listen to speeches by somebody who tells her she's probably going to die soon and will probably deserve it. Somebody who doesn't make any effort to get to know her or bond with her as a person. Somebody who mocks girls like her for being driven to suicide (girls who are, in Buffy's words, "weak" and "idiots"), who sleeps with vampires and is friends with demons and comes up with plans that get the other Potentials -- Kennedy's friends, girls Kennedy herself feels responsible for (just like Buffy would if their positions were reversed!) -- seriously hurt or even killed. What does Buffy ever do to earn Kennedy's respect?

Don't get me wrong, most of Buffy's friends treat her pretty terribly this season [this is not a comment about Buffy's friends as much as it is about the quality of the writing this season]. But while Dawn or Willow or Xander helping to kick Buffy out of her own house is appalling and ungrateful and out of character, when Kennedy does it it makes sense. Buffy hasn't ever treated Kennedy as a friend, so why would she magically become one?

"Oh, but Kennedy is so rich and entitled and bossy, she--"

You're a hypothetical Buffy fan on Tumblr. I know if I look I will find posts talking about how much you like Season 1 Cordelia Chase. I'm just saying that maybe this isn't a route you want to go down.

"Oh, but Kennedy's just in the season too much, I wanted more focus on the original--"

This season does try to juggle too many characters, and it would be better if it spent more time examining Buffy's relationship with Willow and Xander and Giles. But the way you achieve that is by downplaying Andrew Wells (a lot), cutting out a lot of the more forgettable Potentials, entirely getting rid of Caleb [the actual worst Buffy character, for the record] and throwing out the awful time-wasting subplots around Spike's hypnotic trigger and the non-mystery of Giles obviously not being the First. It's not by reducing the amount of screen time Kennedy or Robin Wood get, because they are the new characters this season should actually be about.

"Oh, but-"

No, enough. I'm sick of it.

[kerubimcrepin]

LIVEREAD: WAKFU, THE GREAT WAVE [TOME 2, Chapter 8 part 1]

Wow no way i didnt know that. Nice anime eyes btw ghsjdhgdf.

He's so smug it makes me crazy. Genuinely, it makes me insane. God. "Kerub and I"... they make me sick. He's so proud of living with his dadsonthing for 600 years.

Heartbreaking: kerubim infected him with being a hoarder.

What the HELL are these flying books bro.

WHAT.

IS THIS THE ORIGINAL BOOKWALKER

So smug... dude.

This manga confirms joris as the twelvian equivalent of A. lost media wiki; B. the fuckers that hoard lost media and never release it (choose the one that you think applies)

What's next? Wikipedia editor Joris?

God fucking dammit. Btw I swear I didn't write the wikipedia remark on purpose. I hadn't reread this manga in months.

A likely thing for a guy who based his entire identity around living with two demigods to say.

TAP TAP :)

WHY DO YOU HAVE THIS TO BEGIN WITH!!!!!

Joris likes cartography truthers stay winning.

AGAIN WHY THE HELL DO YOU HAVE THIS. DONT GIVE US THIS CHILL EXPRESSION.

Of course they'd have secret passages... inside the secret library inside the secret portal. And of course this thing is only fit for Kerubim and Joris. Atcham please crash out.

BJSDHFKBJHDKFJHDLFLBJKLDSJKLDGDFMT

This really puts into perspective just how tiny he is... Trying to draw canon typical Joris is enough torture that I gave up ages ago.

He's able to cast fire! Once again, insane shit I added to my fics turns out not to be out of the realm of possibility. Thank god.

HE LITERALLY HAS NO CLOSE FRIENDS EXCEPT KERUBIM AND ATCHAM. FUCKING RIP BOZO.

Statuette of khan! Self explanatory why he'd have this.

A painting of Asalar. Maybe to keep record of how his enemy looks like?

Down from it, we see baby Joris's drawing of what he thought his parents might look like... Not a painting of Jahash or Julith, just his own ocs. I think it's cute that this place, that seems to be pretty important to him, doesn't have his actual parents. It's not like he knew them well. Idk, it's a neat detail that says something about Joris's feelings on them in a subtle way.

Saving the best and juiciest for last, we have Zabelle. When this comic first came out, multiple crepinjurgenites had mini-freakouts that Tot might have gone actually off the rails insane and might be giving Joris a love interest. Which would be bad given Tot's trackrecord with romance writing. And also Joris's whole shtick.

However, I am very happy to announce they... REMOVED A (likely) IOP (Zabel) and made him into a sexy dragon lady queen. No fucking way. If they also don't give her an ex-husband/a dead husband/a far away husband/a son/a boyfriend... I don't know what would happen to the world, if that were to happen.

I approve of this. I don't know what to think about the anime style (might be fun! might be bad! can't be worse than bestiale!) but it does have actually nice looking female characters. which is already a glow up from bestiale and s4.

I'm expecting fanart of Bechamel the Catgirl and Zabelle making out at my desk by midday, mister! Not because this is in-character or makes any sense. I just like to sexualize and objectify women.

Joris being a newborn when this happened explains a lot about the timeline of events.

[nodding sagely] the fucking yass twins.

This too, I foresaw. Joris has similar opinions but understands the shitfucked reality of Yugo's life.

VBSDFKBSDFOIGUOSDFIJGSFJGIDSKLFHGKDLF

whatever you say cute.

I choose not to comment on the lore retcon nightmares going on here because I dont car anymore.

oh my god his grabbablle waist

[regulusrules]

Yo, I saw your post about orientalism in relation to the "hollywood middle-east" tiktok!

How can a rando and university dropout get into and learn more about? Any literature or other content to recommend?

Hi!! Wow, you have no idea how you just pressed a button. I'll unleash 5+ years on you. And I'll even add for you open-sourced works that you can access as much as I can!

1. Videos

I often find this is the best medium nowadays to learn anything! I'll share with you some of the best that deal with the topic in different frames

• This is a video of Edward Said talking about his book, Orientalism. Said is the Palestinian- American critic who first introduced the term Orientalism, and is the father of postcolonial studies as a critical literary theory. In this book, you’ll find an in-depth analysis of the concept and a deconstruction of western stereotypes. It’s very simple and he explains everything in a very easy manner.

• How Islam Saved Western Civilization. A more than brilliant lecture by Professor Roy Casagranda. This, in my opinion, is one of the best lectures that gives credit to this great civilization, and takes you on a journey to understand where did it all start from.

• What’s better than a well-researched, general overview Crash Course about Islam by John Green? This is not necessarily on orientalism but for people to know more about the fundamental basis of Islam and its pillars. I love the whole playlist that they have done about the religion, so definitely refer to it if you're looking to understand more about the historical background! Also, I can’t possibly mention this Crash Course series without mentioning ... ↓

• The Medieval Islamicate World. Arguably my favourite CC video of all times. Hank Green gives you a great thorough depiction of the Islamic civilization when it rose. He also discusses the scientific and literary advancements that happened in that age, which most people have no clue about! And honestly, just his excitement while explaining the astrolabe. These two truly enlightened so many people with the videos they've made. Thanks, @sizzlingsandwichperfection-blog

2. Documentaries

• This is an AMAZING documentary called Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Villifies A People by the genius American media critic Jack Shaheen. He literally analysed more than 1000 movies and handpicked some to showcase the terribly false stereotypes in western depiction of Arab/Muslim cultures. It's the best way to go into the subject, because you'll find him analysing works you're familiar with like Aladdin and all sorts.

• Spain’s Islamic Legacy. I cannot let this opportunity go to waste since one of my main scopes is studying feminist Andalusian history. There are literal gems to be known about this period of time, when religious coexistence is documented to have actually existed. This documentary offers a needed break from eurocentric perspectives, a great bird-view of the Islamic civilization in Europe and its remaining legacy (that western history tries so hard to erase).

• When the Moors Ruled in Europe. This is one of the richest documentaries that covers most of the veiled history of Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain). Bettany Hughes discusses some of the prominent rulers, the brilliance of architecture in the Arab Muslim world, their originality and contributions to poetry and music, their innovative inventions and scientific development, and lastly, La Reconquista; the eventual fall and erasure of this grand civilization by western rulers.

3. Books

• Rethinking Orientalism by Reina Lewis. Lewis brilliantly breaks the prevailing stereotype of the “Harem”, yk, this stupid thought westerns projected about arab women being shut inside one room, not allowed to go anywhere from it, enslaved and without liberty, just left there for the sexual desires of the male figures, subjugated and silenced. It's a great read because it also takes the account of five different women living in the middle east.

• Nocturnal Poetics by Ferial Ghazoul. A great comparative text to understand the influence and outreach of The Thousand and One Nights. She applies a modern critical methodology to explore this classic literary masterpiece.

• The Question of Palestine by Edward Said. Since it's absolutely relevant, this is a great book if you're looking to understand more about the Palestinian situation and a great way to actually see the perspective of Palestinians themselves, not what we think they think.

• Arab-American Women's Writing and Performance by S.S. Sabry. One of my favourite feminist dealings with the idea of the orient and how western depictions demeaned arab women by objectifying them and degrading them to objects of sexual desire, like Scheherazade's characterization: how she was made into a sensual seducer, but not the literate, brilliantly smart woman of wisdom she was in the eastern retellings. The book also discusses the idea of identity and people who live on the hyphen (between two cultures), which is a very crucial aspect to understand arabs who are born/living in western countries.

• The Story of the Moors in Spain by Stanley Lane-Poole. This is a great book if you're trying to understand the influence of Islamic culture on Europe. It debunks this idea that Muslims are senseless, barbaric people who needed "civilizing" and instead showcases their brilliant civilization that was much advanced than any of Europe in the time Europe was labelled by the Dark Ages. (btw, did you know that arabic was the language of knowledge at that time? Because anyone who was looking to study advanced sciences, maths, philosophy, astronomy etc, had to know arabic because arabic-speaking countries were the center of knowledge and scientific advancements. Insane, right!)

• Convivencia and Medieval Spain. This is a collection of essays that delve further into the idea of “Convivencia”, which is what we call for religious coexistence. There's one essay in particular that's great called Were Women Part of Convivencia? which debunks all false western stereotypical images of women being less in Islamic belief. It also highlights how arab women have always been extremely cultured and literate. (They practiced medicine, studied their desired subjects, were writers of poetry and prose when women in Europe couldn't even keep their surnames when they married.)

4. Novels / Epistolaries

• Granada by Radwa Ashour. This is one of my favourite novels of all time, because Ashour brilliantly showcases Andalusian history and documents the injustices and massacres that happened to Muslims then. It covers the cultural erasure of Granada, and is also a story of human connection and beautiful family dynamics that utterly touches your soul.

• Dreams of Trespass by Fatma Mernissi. This is wonderful short read written in autobiographical form. It deconstructs the idea of the Harem in a postcolonial feminist lens of the French colonization of Morocco.

• Scheherazade Goes West by Fatma Mernissi. Mernissi brilliantly showcases the sexualisation of female figures by western depictions. It's very telling, really, and a very important reference to understand how the west often depicts middle-eastern women by boxing them into either the erotic, sensual beings or the oppressed, black-veiled beings. It helps you understand the actual real image of arab women out there (who are not just muslims btw; christian, jew, atheist, etc women do exist, and they do count).

• Letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. This is a feminist travel epistolary of a British woman which covers the misconceptions that western people, specifically male travelers, had recorded and transmitted about the religion, traditions and treatment of women in Constantinople, Turkey. It is also a very insightful sapphic text that explores her own engagement with women there, which debunks the idea that there are no queer people in the middle east.

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

With all of these, you'll get an insight about the real arab / islamic world. Not the one of fanaticism and barbarity that is often mediated, but the actual one that is based on the fundamental essences of peace, love, and acceptance.

[stellaspectral]

Sun Killer (chapter 11)

💙 ROTTMNT Leonardo/Female Reader ★ Donatello/Female Reader 💜

You’re not entirely positive if Shelldon’s joking or not. “Plasma cannons?” “You bet!” he affirms. “But no worries. Donnie has added your unique bio-signature and facial recognition data to the ‘Authorized Personnel - Level 3 Access’ whitelist. This means you have a 98.7% chance of not being instantly incinerated, bisected, or encased in immobilizing goo upon entry!” “Wow. Lucky me.”

Rating: Mature

Tags: Reader-Insert, Female Reader, Angst, Slow Burn, Human/Turtle Relationships (TMNT), Aged-Up Character(s), Post-Movie: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2022), Canon-Typical Violence, The Turtles Have PTSD (TMNT), Neurodivergent Reader, Hurt/Comfort, Abusive Parents, Religious Trauma, Anti-Religious Sentiment, Minor Original Character(s), Drama, References to Drugs, Autistic Donatello (TMNT), Nightmares, Drinking, Vomiting, Hangover, No Turtlecest (TMNT), Eventual Romance, Not Poly, Hidden City (TMNT), Mystic Powers (TMNT), Loss of Parent(s), Grief/Mourning, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Summary: In a way, moving to New York was your attempt at starting over.

But you didn’t expect to be entangled with the very heroes who had saved the world from total catastrophe. Even less so could you have predicted being thrust into the heart of a dangerous conspiracy that may become more personal than you ever thought possible.

💖 Read on AO3 💖

[goldensunset]

post-postgame semi-concluding rambles!

i've been liveblogging, talking my head off and everyone's ears off about pokémon mystery dungeon: explorers of sky for a month now. i really do intend to keep playing just for funsies and do the side stuff even though the story is over. but like.... i might as well now write something like a conclusion now that the story is in fact over. where do i even start.......... man. Augh.

i am not even exaggerating when i say this is one of the most well-written stories i have ever personally experienced. like tailor made to tug at my heartstrings and mess with me. utterly amazing concept and executed practically flawlessly. i don't even know the last time a piece of media made me cry quite so much. i get emotional very easily as i'm sure is obvious across all my fandoms, i get attached to fictional worlds easily, most things i love make me tear up at least a bit from time to time. but there are not a lot of things that have ever had me full on weeping, especially not on multiple occasions... not that i can concretely remember. this was like on par with like. 'the type of book you read during your fundamental preteen development years that wrecks you' type of emotions

i am so glad i finally got around to playing this game after like... about a year and a half of people on here asking me to? i always said 'someday, but i'm busy right now'. i figured it would be good because you people were utterly rabid about it and wouldn't leave me alone, and i trusted you. but i was quite honestly blown away i didn't think it would go nearly as hard as it did... i genuinely cannot believe this is a pokémon spinoff of all things this is like an original rpg to me. i don't even know how to process that reality. like oh you all were not kidding. this hits different...... i don't really believe in ranking my favorite games (other than the absolute top 2) because every game means something different to me and i can obsess over everything easily and it would feel like disrespectful to my own heart to sort them. plus like there are so many different sub-categories to rank each thing by so like some games are better in some regards but not others etc. but like. obviously. this has definitely struck my heart forever and again the pure quality of the writing makes it objectively praiseworthy

but i won't say 'oh i wish i had played it sooner!' because i firmly believe there is a time and a place for every new experience. and that time and place was now, having finally graduated college, entering a new part of life. i'll remember the experience for years to come. it makes me so happy that there are so many good things in my life that i only first got into as an adult because i can keep creating wonderful memories my entire life. like i don't have to be a kid to get passionate about it or start forming nostalgia. it's really important to me to experience new joy and beauty periodically throughout life so i can look back at every time period with a degree of happiness. and wow what a good choice this one was for this particular point in my life. also just like... something this high-quality and emotionally intense was probably best saved for a point in my life in which i didn't have to either study or work lol. might have decimated me. i mean it would have been great to play it during the school year too, as i have played many other pokémon games that shook me up and got me through some rough and stressful moments. but to associate something this good with an irl time period that's relatively carefree and happy i think is really nice... idk this is all just diary ramblings lol not really related to the game. but it's a part of my experience and i take the decision to start a new video game at a certain point in time very seriously because i know it will be important to me years later

uhmmm i don't have any poetic concluding words. peace out. or stay tuned if you want to see me slowly work toward being really bad at random postgame stuff but those following updates will not be as interesting likely. unless you're a gameplay fiend specifically. but i am considering myself officially done. i am in post-postgame now. this also means you can send me content now about this game since it isn't spoilers now. also i gotta decide how to tag it (person who is insane about tagging). in conclusion HHHHOW are you people sane and normal this was so so so good and heartbreaking and beautiful

[katzkinder]

Doing some Christmas rereading and I’m at chapter 123, Winner, and wow I love that Jeje fires at Misono just enough to chase him outside of the AOE of Pygmalion and how the subchant is almost certainly about his feelings regarding Mikuni’s self blame over the death of his mother. “The original false murder accusation” ugh ugh uuuugh he’s so in love, he’s SO in love with Mikuni and Kiriko both, he will do anything for the sake of his new god up to and including committing the most heinous acts that fly in the face of any noble and loving god. Even the priests Pygmalion summons are in prayer as they hang the guilty and the symbolism is soooo good.

And the panel of lawless reaching for Licht while they’re being hanged hello??? It’s just so. It’s so small and so quick but it’s so pertinent to his character as Greed, because even while choking he can’t help but reach for what he wants the most and what he wants the most is to save Licht.

Also??? Nicco is so fucking cool and he has so much guts, pulling off a trick like that using his own blood to give it legitimacy.

This is a fight that really shows the difference between Mikuni and Nicco as tacticians. Shuuhei mentions that Mikuni isn’t the type to leave the most important parts to other people, while Nicco left the most important shot to Sigurd, trusting that Jeje would be too distracted by the rest of them to notice Sigurd getting into position AND misleading him on the number of shots they had left

And then Nicco correcting Il to “our victory” 😭 I love him so much he loves his family so much!!

Servamp has a very consistent and obvious through line that man is not an island. That in order to accomplish things, you have to rely on others and connect with them.

That there is nothing you can do all on your own, and that if you rely solely on yourself, you will lose against those who go with both conviction and faith in others. Mahiru starts the story trying to do everything by himself, taking over the jobs no one else wants to do. He’s also initially very selfish in his relationship with Kuro, and ultimately it leads to losing the ability to speak with his partner. Lust Arc resolves with Misono’s declaration that because he is no longer alone, he has nothing to be afraid of. Greed arc ends with Lawlicht coming to an understanding with one another and Lawless and Kuro no longer wallowing alone in their grief, instead sharing their burdens and taking the hands offered to them. Tsubaki loses himself when he is no longer relying on his subclass, instead abusing his body and his power all by his lonesome.

Mikuni loses control of his mirror world every time Mahiru and Kuro make contact with each other and team up. No matter how good he is at using his pieces, he cannot win by himself.

He will always be thwarted by the little prince who tamed a fox.

He will always be defeated by love

[rikeijo]

Today's translation #1001

Yuri!!! on FESTIVAL

Part 1.

Yuuri: En~'ya en~'ya! Ah, so nostalgic! I haven't been on a festival for a long time!

Victor: Amazing! Wow, so this is Hasetsu-kun-chi?

Y: Victor, 'Hasetsu Kunchi'. If you say 'Hasetsu-kun-chi' it sounds like you mean 'Hasetsu-kun's place'. On Kyushu, 'kunchi' means 'festival'. [It's a joke about Japanese language intonation]

V: Yuuri, Yuuri!! Look, look! A lot of sumo wrestlers there!

Y: They are not sumo wrestlers. They wear 'fundoshi'. Fundoshi is well... How to explain it? You can say, it's an official costume for a festival. Hasetsu Kunchi style is a happi worn over white underwear.

V: Woah! I like fundoshi!

Y: Ughh…

V: Something's wrong?

Y: No, it's just… Hangover.

V: Hahaha, you were amazing last night! I've never thought you would do something like that…

Y: Have I done something again…?

V: You don't remember? Last night, you know? You…

Y: Stop, stop, stop! Don't tell me. Sometimes not knowing makes you a happier person.

Y: "Hasetsu Exihibition ~Onsen on ICE~ Victor with Friends" was a huge success, but I drank too much, again… Well, as usual, but… Huh? Speaking about that… Where are 'with friends'?

Yurio: Waaaaa! So fucking cool!!

Y: Yurio!

Yurio: So-so fucking cool, Hasetsu-kun-chi!!!

Y: What you just said means 'Hasetsu-kun's place is really cool'.

V: What kind of festival Hasetsu Kunchi is?

Y: It's a festival to thank for harvests.

V: So it's a harvest festival!

Yurio: Oi! What's that over there?! Looks like those vehicles in Mad Max: Fury Road!!!

Y: Those are called 'hikiyama', it's a dashi… Ah, I have no idea… How I should explain this to foreigners...?

Yurio: So fucking cool!

Y: Hikiyama have various shapes, and each one has a story behind it!

V: Is that enormous squid over there that men ride on also a hikiyama?

Y: Yes, that one is called 'Ankoku Ika Aramitama'

Yurio: Ankoku… Ika… Aramitama… Dark… Squid… Wild… Heart.

Y: It's an old story, but the Squid tried to destroy the whole world once.

Yurio: A squid...? How could a squid possibly destroy the whole world!? Can a squid destroy the whole world?!

Y: It sprayed everything with it's squid darkness ink.

Yurio: For real!? A fucking cool squid!

Y: They say that this is the origin of Hasetsu Kunchi - to calm the Squid down, people sung and danced, trying to appeal, appeal and appeal to the Squid to calm it down, and that's how they saved the world. Well, it's like a story for kids.

V: Wow! Saving the world by appealing to a squid sounds very innovative! Maybe we should make it your new Short Program, Yuuri? This year it will be a squid dance in fundoshi!

Y: Squid dance in fundoshi would get me expelled from the skating world on top of getting minus points.

Yurio: Squid dance in fundoshi? Isn't that what shit-faced Shitcutlet [Kusokatsu] was doing last night? Together with his dad…

Y: I don't want to be a human any longer…

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

<Chris' monologue>

En~'ya en~'ya!

So this is Hasetsu Kunchi, yeah? I love festivals! Woah! Traditional Japanese Thong! Exciting! It has the potential to make the ice all wet… I came all the way here to visit Hasetsu, so it seems to be worth trying on… Where can I try it on? Let's ask that man over there, wearing Traditional Japanese Thong.

Ah, excuse me? I want to be your… your… fundoshi. When it's okay for you? [He wanted to say: I want to put on your fundoshi. Is it alright?]

Oh, he seems surprised… That caused quite a stir… Probably my Japanese wasn't right.

If that's the case, let's show them this… [shows a picture in a Japanese book] yes!! I wanna try... fundoshi!! Ah, he got it now! Yes, the same! Ah! Now is the time, when I can put the fundoshi on… Ah! So this is fundoshi… Freedom and danger combined together… I pretty like it.

Oh? Are you going to let me climb on this Kabuto shrine? Is it really okay? Woah! Fantastic!

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

Yuuri: Where is everyone? Even Yurio disappeared…

Victor: It's so interesting how Hasetsu Kunchi has so many types of hikiyamas. How many is there?

Y: Let me think… In total, there is 14. They say that in the past there were 15 of them, but one is gone now. The one that disappeared is 'Ame no Chihoko-nushi Ogami'.

V: Chihoko…?!

Y: ...nushi Ogami. If I remember correctly it's a deity that has a power over good harvest, marriage, harmonious family life and love.

V: ...is it a female deity?

Y: Nope, Ame no Chihoko-nushi Ogami doesn't have a gender. It's a deity that gives love to all living beings and it's called the highest of all deities.

V: Why did it disappear?

Y: It was long ago, so what exactly happened is unknown… Some say that it burned in a fire that broke out, some say that Ankoku Ika Aramitama killed it. The legend has it that when the world is once again filled to the brim with love, it will come back to us.

V: Love, hmm?

Y: Ah Victor, look! A hikiyama comes this way! That one is Shuten-dōji and kabuto helmet hikiyama… Wait, what is that? …isn't it like... wet? Who's over there, on top of it...?

V: Oh look at it, it's topped by an Eros, that I've seen somewhere before!

Y: Extreme Eros is oozing from it…! Isn't it… Chris?! He's getting lifted up, on top of the helmet. It's a difficult position, with pose change… He wants to get level 4 for that!

Chris: Oh? Isn't it Victor and Yuuri over there?

Y: Stop getting down from portable shrines in slow-motion triple salchows.

Chris: How do you like it? My Traditional Japanese Thong?

Y: How to put it... It really stands out, because Chris is the only one with a body of an athlete… in other words, Chris' Eros is impressive…

Chris: I'm thinking about making it my costume for next season.

Y: I think it's against the rules and will cost you 15 points deduction.

Chris: Ah, right... So what about an exhibition program? I can skate with Victor, as a pair…

V: Good idea! Fundoshi Bomb!

Chis: I and Victor will make the ice all wet with our Fundoshi Bomb.

Y: No, no, no, no. I absolutely don't allow for this to happen. Making ice wet isn't a good idea!

V: We also should join Chris and change to Hasetsu Kunchi style, Yuri? We are on a Festival right now! It's boring if there are people who don't participate… Participating in a festival is a very meaningful thing to do. Yuuuri... Yuuuri…!

Y: Even if you show me this cute face of yours, the answer is still no. I think I told you that I have a hangover and I don't feel that good?

Victor＆Chis: En~'ya! En~ya!

Y: I'm not changing to Kunchi style, absolutely not! Absolutely I'm not changing.

[Note: That's the first part out of three! The next parts will come in the near future~✨

Can you guess why Yuuri doesn't want to change to fundoshi?

It's transcribed by me from you know where hihi🤫 I highly recommend listening to it, especially to Chris... It's ultra funny.

✨✨Watashi wa... Anata no... Anata no... Fundoshi... ni... naritai.✨✨]

[soupdrinkinglincoln]

Hey guys. I watched the episode. I didn’t know anything going into it besides the two Ranis teaser that they showed and the still showing Conrad with a book named ‘Doctor Who’, and that was enough to intrigue me. So, with that prelude, let’s begin.

-The opening two scenes were absolutely fascinating. I can only really assume that the Rani acting so much like the Toymaker was intentional, with her German phraseology and her usage of the wish power being very akin to his state of play, but I don’t know entirely what to make of that. I’ll say now that, for this episode alone, I actually did my homework. I watched Mark of the Rani, which allows me to say in full honesty, that I still have absolutely no idea if she’s in character or not. I do fear that they may have dropped the ball, simply because her usage of the powers of gods feels very oppositional to her unshaken belief in science, and because I can’t really say that I feel the episode wouldn’t have worked if the person behind the plot was The Master- save of course for that one small thing at the end. It did remind me of ‘The End of Time’ a little, but to be frank I’m not sure that we saw enough of the Ranis being themselves for me to say anything for concrete yet.

-The second scene was when I really knew something was up. With John and Belinda Smith, a happy married couple, with a daughter, who was Poppy. That was off. Because of the relationship the pair have in the Tardis, because of the domestic life, because of Poppy’s very presence there after the whole mystery surrounding her, and frankly because of Doc 15 snogging any woman at all. Originally, I definitely thought the crux of this all would be that this world was built from the Doctor’s wish, a la ‘I’ve never had a life like that’. But I like how that was proven false, with everything still making sense. This is the world from the point of view of a character we know to be a massive incel. Of course the Doctor is married to Belinda; the god of the world has ‘very traditional’ views on marriage and homosexuality is outlawed. Of course the only thing a single, childless woman can do is sit and contemplate. Of course the people that rejected the new god a very long time ago are a type of company that’s often seen as scummy. Of course the disabled are basically invisible. Of course it’s all so fragile.

-Ruby is once again having the worst day of her life because this is like the third or fourth time or something she’s gone through a reality where everyone hates her. As far as running themes go, wow, what an unfortunate one to be stuck in. Having the episode put so much focus on her makes sense, because the episode is about Conrad, and those two are intertwined. Does make me look stupid for claiming that episode would have been part of a side series otherwise but I didn’t realise he’d be back for this finale so, live and learn I guess. I think that her and Shirley’s side of the story was important to have in there, even if just to explore the world beyond what we’re seeing with John Smith.

-The baby, Desiderium. That was a new name, which I thought was a good thing. The Pantheon is sort of a mix between brand new characters and very old ones, and a lot of the ones we’ve seen are new ones. Maestro, the much beloved Lux Imperator. The Toymaker is one of the very old ones, but it’s a new version of him and you don’t have to have watched the old episodes to know everything about him. Sutekh, too, was a new version of the character to where I didn’t feel the need really to have to go back and watch Pyramids of Mars to know about him. The Rani was a little different, with her being a Time Lady, and so I felt that I wanted to know who she was to see where this incarnation would take her. But with little Desiderium, I was satisfied, because this finale was about the Rani. It was her return after so many years, people were clamouring to see her again, and now she’s back. The episode didn’t need the baby to be some other super old villain to take away from her being back. And then she resurrected Omega.

-Okay, let’s discuss the ending. It was fantastic to see Rogue again, loved having him back. I found it very clever how they used the Doctor’s tendency to doubt against him, and how they used exposition as a weapon. I liked the exploration of queerness through the Doctor and Rogue’s relationship, and it left me very excited for next week to see what comes next. But… okay it’s transcript time.

Once more, I have to umm and aah about this regarding the Rani. From my own homework doing, and from what I’ve seen others say, the vibe seems to be ‘they were all childhood friends but it’s like the three of them are in a group together in science class and the Rani is actually trying to focus on her experiment whilst the Doctor and the Master are chasing each other around trying to stab each other with compasses as their way of flirting’. What I’m trying to say is that this feels like a Master line. But it couldn’t be the Master, because the very last thing we saw the Master do was burn Gallifrey to the ground and kill absolutely everyone there, so it needed to be somebody else that then went and resurrected the very first Time Lord and creator of them all. Yeah, I will also be going into next week trying to figure out what the fuck is going on there with him and with the Timeless Child and with Tecteun. I will not be going back and watching all of the Omega episodes, even if it would give me more context for what will come. Considering Big Russ told us that everything will change with Gallifrey’s history once more, it doesn’t feel too important to do so anyway.

In conclusion, I wish for nobody to get me wrong. I enjoyed the episode greatly. And yet, it worried me slightly. Because to me, the finale could have been about the Rani and her special magic baby and her nefarious deeds and the Doctor stopping her. I didn’t feel like it needed Omega to come back on top of that. It worries me because I love seeing the Pantheon, and it’s new members, and it’s older members and how they fit in. Bringing Sutekh back, evolved from an Osiran into a true member of the Pantheon by the time stream, is neat. Revealing that the Toymaker was a part of that crowd, is neat. But if they bring in Omega, and the Black Guardian, and the White Guardian, and the Valeyard, and Morbius, and Hastur the Unspeakable on top of all that, I feel like it’s gonna end up like The Ultimate Showdown in here. They barely skirted by that happening for me with the Story Gods, but I am not going to waste my time preaching apocalyptism before I’ve even seen what comes next at the end of this series. Here’s to Poppy being explained and the Timeless Child being poked at and fiddled with once more. I’ll see you guys there.