#usually my fave characters have like similarities between each other

[linterteatime]

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[alienssstufff]

hiii !! i thought id ask you but if it's too much feel free to ignore...

i really want to get into the... life series i think it's called? or hermitcraft? (tumblr confused me a lot on the names) your art makes it seem very interesting and i've heard so many cool things and seen so many cool fanarts, but im not sure where to start since it seems to be a long series!

it usually helps me a lot when i get some sort of description of the characters in the series to know which ones i should look into to know where to start... so i was wondering if you could ramble a bit about any characters you want from the series!!! i have a big curiosity on grian, they seem very cool !

aaaaaaa

-Life Series has 4 (soon to be 5) seasons: 3rd Life [3L], Last Life [LL], Double Life [DL], Limited Life [LimL]. TLDR goal is to outlive everyone else and be the last person standing.

-Hermitcraft has 9 seasons. You do NOT need to watch every season in chronological order, they all exist as their separate thing.

Hermitcraft doesn't have ' set lore ' either hermits go on there for different reasons do different stuff and stories sprout off of that just *happen* momentarily.

I think watching the Life Series first BEFORE Hermitcraft is a good starting point bc there's less people to keep track of and improv plot happens, making it easier to pick out the faves you like and wish to continue watching on HC. Majority of the ppl in Life Series are on Hermitcraft while others are in Empires. Similar vibe of smp more lore and rules with governing different empires if you like that stuff :] there was also a crossover arc between Empires s2 and Hermitcraft S9 last year which was awesome.

As for Hermitcraft itself bwaaaa, pick any season (personal favourite is Season 7) - ppl rly like Seasons 7 8 and 9 but that's probably cuz they're newer. Current POVs in season 9 I watch: Bdubs, Etho, Scar, Grian, Tango, Beef - occasionally Impulse, Pearl, Zedaph

I did a similar ask on recommended Life Series POVs for each season HERE. Just know that the LAST LIFE ETHO/BDUBS POV compulsory event you MUST watch that at least once.

random Life Series thoughts:

Grian isn't as serious and calculative as he's popularly depicted as in fanon, he has lots of fun always he silly :]! And I think the reason just comes from his competitive approach to each season and his relationships. He treats it as it is: a game and trying to place him in an rp/lore setting makes him come off as such. In reality he's easily tunnel visioned by The Bit (things like gimmick kills, one-off plans) and trying to win and that's completely fine.

That being said I do not believe desertduo (Grian/Scar) are opposites of eachother, they have much in common and just because they are doesn't make their chemistry any less valuable. If you want to talk about opposites SCAB (Scar/Etho) is the way to go. Very apparent in 3L and especially LL: Magic vs Science, Fire vs Ice, wildcards. Scar the lover who tries to be a survivor, Etho the survivor who tries to be a lover. Their tension bleeds into Hermitcraft (see S7) as well and I wish people realised how awesome scab just is guys scab is so awesome u_u

From the architecture down to their fates, Bdubs' builds are the embodiment of his love for the people he aligns himself to each season, there's a reason why he'd rather risk his entire being to protecting places so sacred and I think about that loads. whwhwh I'd talk about it/analyse each build individually because he is my favouriteee but I am shy u///u....

[the-heartstring-chronicles]

For @para-amour and any others looking for P/C fic recs

These are some of my fave fics and authors so far:

Spontaneity by theramblinrose, I love babyfic and this story Spontaneity has one of the most loving and in character birth scenes of a P/C child where they are both present that I've seen to date in fic. You can find it linked below.

Spontaneity by theramblinrose

Then there is Cave Baby by Mighty_Oak_Roots. Basically Beverly watching "her friend and captain" Jean Luc handling an infant in an emergency situation and enjoying both his discomfort and his caring nature towards the baby in equal measure, with some longing for what could be and a cute last scene that definitely is romantic and potential family P/C. It can be accessed at the link below.

Cave Baby by Mighty_Oak_Roots

Now for two novel length fics

I loved Snow Falling Softly by Mackillian. I read it last year and was invested from the start. Without giving too much away, if one likes the plot we have this season with Jack, this is similar but on an extra intense level in terms of emotion, complexity and dynamics. It's set during TNG and It also allows Wesley to react to the storyline and process his own emotions about not being an only child and the circumstances! Highly recommend. It is however over 500 or so pages when downloaded as an epub, so even online, it is an all weekend read, at least. Link is below.

Snow Falling Softly by Mackillian

I had barely started In The Depth of Winter by Mackillian last year when I got pulled away by stuff in another fandom. It is the sequel to Snow Falling Softly. It redoes All Good Things in a way that centers the fallout from Snow Falling Softly. It seems just as good so I am looking forward to finishing it. It is 700 pages in epub though so it may need two full weekends to read. Link can be found below

The Depth of Winter by Mackillian

I am also including this single chapter vignette In Paradisum by Mackillian because it is the sequel to The Depth of Winter. I have not read it yet but skimmed the first few lines and the writing seems on par with the two novels. You need to read them to understand this piece. Link to In Paradisum ready below

In Paradisum by Mackillian

Now for authors from whom I recommend reading everything they've written for the pairing:

I am absolutely loving everything I've read so far written for P/C by pktechgirlus. The style is spot on and very emotional while also at times being humorous and steamy. My favorite so far from this author is the story "Never And Always" but all I've read so far are incredible. Some are semi explicit, some are not (Warning, not all end happily) Here is the link to the author's TNG fics,

pktechgirlus's TNG Fics for P/C

There is also one for them from the Picard era which I love too, you can find that below

Vignette by pktechgirlus

And finally, the author I feel has the most solid, in character grasp on P/C in totality. @ussjellyfish. I adore reading their work because they understand the multi facets and deep humanity that is at the core of P/C. They can both perfectly write P/C playing on the holodeck, or saving each other from certain death even by committing violence in defense of the other or breaking laws/oaths. They keep P/C's love paramount, but also allow for mistakes to be made by each and vulnerability to be shown. Even the way they write physical intimacy between P/C feels like P/C and not "insert couple here" and I usually skip sex scenes now because I've been in so many fandoms that reading those scenes are a dime a dozen , but not those written by USSJellyfish, they actually make me care about seeing these characters enjoy each other.

They have both long novel length fics for P/C that are part of a series. and shorter one shot pieces.

The novel series starts with the fic Fair Trade and is several novel length fics long. I haven't finished the entire series yet but I am enthralled by what I have finished of it.

And some of my favorite shorter fics of theirs for P/C are Kindling and Lifeline, both are hurt/comfort fics of a sort. Kindling is explicit.

As I said though, I recommend reading all of their fics for P/C so I am putting a link that leads to all of their P/C fic below.

USSJellyfish's P/C Fics

(They also write Beverly/Kathryn fic, Beverly/Deanna fic, Riker/ Beverly fic, and other pairings on TNG, Fic for several parings on Discovery, and for several on Voyager including Chakotay/Paris and J/C. so much to read!)

Happy reading everyone, I hope this list was helpful!

[littleblueberryartist]

Hello! I’m relatively new to the genshin fandom and after doing Venti’s story quest I have decided that he is the favorite, but all of the fics I try to find with him he’s usually just a side character, so do you have any recommendations? :)

Sorry if it’s too much to ask you can ignore this if you want

Anon we are shaking hands!!! Venti's story quest really got a lot of people onto the Venti fan train huh XD

Also you're in luck because when ever I hyperfixate on a character I tend to scourer their ao3 tag like a dog digging holes in someone's yard (admittedly I've only begun organizing my bookmarks recently so I may miss a fic but it's fineeee)

Anyway onto the fic recs! (I'll mention the potential quest spoilers since I don't know how far into the game you are)

The Melody of a Gentle Breeze A recent fic I read and one I made art for! Nameless Bard/Venti's friend gets yeeted to the present learns about how the world has changed. I love how he's characterized here and how his relationship with venti is portrayed <3 (admittedly venti isn't the main focus here but you can feel his presence and influence on the fic and I adore that!!!)

Singing to the Mountains, Only My Echoes Sing Back This one is based on the Wings of Shimmering Galaxy (anniversary glider) description! It's about Venti's story and the fic ties it to song and I love it a ton!!!

Pure Sky This one is a lighter one that uses wine as a character study and honestly I love that! Venti and his love for Mond and their love for one another in return my beloved!!!!

Three Evenings Before the End THIS ONE THIS ONE IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE FICS!! It talks about Venti's friend's throughout Mondstadt's history and the whole thing with repeating parallels and how he notices the similarities and differences between his friends throughout the ages,,, o u g h A lot of the stuff in the fic is regarding bits of old mondstadt and aristocratic mond lore that you can find in book, weapon and artifact descriptions in game so it's not quite spoilers. But you might get a little confused regarding the characters if you don't know the jist of mond's history sfdgdfs (the author has the second chapter dedicated to worldbuilding and lore speculations tho which is hella neat!!!!)

Event Horizon I THINK ABOUT THIS EVERY SINGLE DAY Not really spoilers but it does talk about the Cataclysm and destruction of Khaenri'ah + speculations(?) though a convo between Venti and Dain (The guy that narrates the character miscellanies and who first appears in game in Bough Keeper: Dainsleif and later on in subsequent archon quests)

The Archons (soldier, poet, king ANOTHER FAVE OF MINE! This one's a series about Venti and his interactions with the other archons!! I love how it shows the more serious side of him that others may not see along with his usual silly whimsy <3 Of course, since each fic talks about the archons we meet in each nation, spoilers for all the archon quests so far!

The Springtimes You Never Saw Okay this one's longer than the ones I've recommended so far (my ADHD fucks with my attention span so I tend to stick to one-shots for the most part) but it's so good!!!! I know I say that about all the fics here lmao but I do genuinely adore this fic. It's a canon divergent AU where Dvalin never gets poisoned during the fight with Durin 500 years ago and it's such a good character study of my boyyyyy Also while the fic is tagged xiaoven it's queerplatonic and the pairing doesn't take center stage (not that into shipping in general lol so I tend to prefer fics without ships or with them not as the main focus)

[purlturtle]

Romance Tropes Bracket, Sweet Sixteen

In this round, we have:

Blue: Bodyguard vs. Workplace, and Second Chances vs. Nanny/Governess

Yellow: Mistaken Identity vs. Only One Bed, and Kissing Lessons vs. Forced Proximity

Red: Grumpy/Sunshine vs. Just To Get It Out Of Our System, and Holiday Romance vs. Soulmates

Green: Marriage of Convenience vs. Friends to Lovers, and Sworn Off Love vs. Supernatural

Find out tomorrow who's getting ahead! Tell me who your favorites are!

Under the Readmore I'll tell you why all of these won out against their opponents, and I'll link a few fics in which I've used these tropes!

Blue

Bodyguard was up against Love Triangle - and that was an easy choice. I don't GET love triangles; my first impulse will always be "porque no los dos? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯" and most stories don't deliver that. It just doesn't grip me if someone feels themself drawn to two and "has to make a decision". (Am I poly? Probably. Am I happily married? Definitely. Anything else is between me and my wife. :D) (Have I been thinking for some time about a Bering and Wells Bodyguard fic? Most certainly.)

Workplace was up against High School: not quite that easy, especially since I wrote a High School fic myself! In the end it won out because (a) a lot more of my stories qualify as workplace stories and (b) there is just a lot more variation that's possible with a workplace story vs. a high school story. People can have so many different jobs, after all, which can inform the story!

Second Chances defeated Made A Promise (90s style) very easily - first of all, promises don't really hold my interest, especially when they are treated as set in stone for all eternity no matter how much the circumstances and/or persons involved might have changed. Second, and much more importantly: second chances are The Best. Let's face it, we all mess up, and sometimes incredibly badly. And you can do so much with that, narratively! It can move the plot, it can show the characters' character, it makes them change and grow, it is a fantastic source of conflict AND resolution! Top Tier, honestly (and a lot of my stories are that; most obviously the Strata/Commutata duology)

Nanny/Governess beat out Sibling's Best Friend only narrowly, because "employer/employee who's charged to care for employer's kids" is dynamic I just like ever so slightly better than "someone who's been hanging around our house since forever and teased me when I was a kid and ganged up on me with my sibling and now I ~like~ them". Just, nah. Both of them are pretty low on the list, though.

Yellow

Mistaken Identity *easily* vanquished Age Gap; I've never really been a fan of the latter. I like my protagonists to be in a similar place in their lives (which is also, by the way, why "Person A's first queer relationship, but Person B has been out for decades" doesn't grip me at all; at least not if the story focuses *entirely* on Person B helping Person A navigate this situation). I'd *MUCH* rather read Mistaken Identity Shenanigans!

There could only ever be one winner in the Only One Bed vs. Love Potion/Aphrodisiac fight: the latter is fun for a smut fic, but we're talking romance here, and I'd rather that does not start with overruling someone's agency. Although I have to confess I did write that 😅 (47K words of it, even! With not even all that much smut in it!) But nothing beats "there's only one bed" as a trope to get two characters physically, intimately close to each other!

Kissing Lessons won over Amnesia, even though I wrote a Tumblr fragment about the latter! But the thing is: that is fan fic about two characters we already know, so it hits hard; amnesia as a trope usually means that Person A starts out amnesiac or is only introduced with very broad strokes, and that just doesn't grip me. Whereas Kissing Lessons is something that I have done myself, so... *grins*

Forced Proximity also easily defeated Secretly A Celeb/Royal - one of my absolute faves, and thoroughly explored in my Road Trip Series linked above (Strata/Commutata). In all seriousness, though: Only One Bed is Forced Proximity too, just one specific instance of it, so that's a bit unfair - especially since the Green sector has yet another one (Snowed In)! But yeah, faced with this, what's a celeb or, sheesh, a *royal* (insert dripping snark here)...

This is getting so long that I'm gonna put the other two sectors in a reblog 😅

[dootznbootz]

A favorite type of ship dynamic? And one you don't like? (the type that would put you off reading or watching the story for example)

Thank you so much, Dear Anon. This was super fun and I got really introspective with it. It'll be long and all over the place lol

Disclaimer: If any of my notps or least favorite ship dynamics are ones you enjoy or even have irl, please know that this is not to shame anyone in any way. I'm just talking about my stupid opinions. Just because I'm explaining why something isn't my cup of tea doesn't mean you have to spit out said tea or feel bad about enjoying it.

I'll be upfront and mention how I'm asexual so that REALLY affects how I view shipping and romance as a whole. As for my notps and ships I don't vibe with I believe are deeply affected by that.

Honestly? For me to like a ship, all they gotta do is be a bit silly/chaotic and absolutely fucking devoted to each other. I would go as far as to say a possible mutual obsession lol.

For my FAVORITES though, Usually it's the CIRCUMSTANCES they go through that really makes me "click" with them though. I like a good balance of silly and dark. As I can vibe with MANY relationship dynamics but if they went through some very neat and compelling shit??? Or just how many of their decisions are deeply rooted in how much they care for one another??? ughhhh I love that. I think it's cause I'm often bursting with love and affection for people in general so I just love exploring that in media as well.

And I won't lie, I like nonhuman aspects as neurodivergent feels 🥹 Also cool as fuck

I also tend to gravitate to ships that give at least semi-aspec vibes.

I like being gay about smart women. I go feral at the sight of Penelope, Lucy, and Zelda.

All three have the "guy being from less prosperous place/standing, Woman being of "high class" with the guy ending up being "worthy" in some way anyway. (Link is the Chosen Hero, Natsu is technically a prince/demon, Odysseus' name is literally part of the title) so there's probably something there.

I'll go into specifics on similarities and things I love about my main ships (OdyPen, NaLu, ZeLink) at the end :D as I get silly.

Now for the bitterness of Notps bit before getting silly with comparing my faves:

One huge one I genuinely have a hard time understanding is "These two are hot! It would be even hotter if they fucked! I ship them!". If a ship needs to have sex or physical attraction, to exist or that's the ONLY appeal about it then that's an immediate no for me. To me, JUST ME, sex is a horrible foundation to start a relationship on as I don't understand it. I often times forget sex exists so I do not understand the whole "wouldn't it be hot?" part of shipping. I'm a "Wouldn't it be cute/funny/wild?" person lol. Ships only become "hot" AFTER I see the relationship between them. Sex can (and often is) be a part of a ship (I mean, OdyPen has a canonical child) but if it's the first "building block" or the "foundation", I'm out. To me, that's like building an upsidedown pyramid.⯆It's going to fall over and there will be bricks and destruction. (One of my big ships is in an anime with a shitton of fanservice. I fucking hate it but that's just... the world they're in. Not necessarily because of what THEY do. And the dynamic is just that fucking good that I can just grimace through it.)

That goes hand in hand with "Ohhhh so much tension!" and then perceiving that as romantic? Like if you're mad, you're mad. If you hate them, you hate them. For complex reasons? Yeah, but I really don't like seeing a character be genuinely mean to another with only SMALL moments of "nice" in between. I've seen enough of that irl and I'm so tired. Shipping is supposed to be FUN, not stressful. There's bickering and natural fights but there are some ships where they're literally PURPOSEFULLY hurting one another and I can't stand it personally. Most of my visceral notps are because there is a "I'm hurting you, I'm enjoying it/don't care". There can be tension/bullying (not teasing) for like, one or two episodes for me to care for a ship but if it goes longer than that and/or never resolved, that's not a ship, that's a dynamic.

Exploring toxicity as a character dynamic and how it affects characters??? SURE! I even do that! :D But to see that in a romantic light? No. Not for me. No thank you. Please separate them. They will kill each other and one will end up scarred for life in order to still be in character.

also the "I must completely change this character for the ship to work". For an AU? Sure! For the canon stuff? No. I don't like to cut up an already neat puzzle piece in order to "smooth them down" so that it can fit with a completely different puzzle. If the puzzle pieces never have a fit? That's okay! :D

I think a lot of it is because I'm a weirdo who is like "Let's make this world as fantastical as possible and make the RELATIONSHIPS grounded in reality as possible. I get silly with it sometimes but there will always be some grounded reason that I can pull from 'canon' to justify it. lol".

Sometimes it's the fandom that will ruin it COMPLETELY for me. I could tolerate it before, but now it's blocked because it makes me so mad. Especially when they make shit up about one character to justify "hating" them. They don't have to be your favorites, but at least tag it right! I've also noticed a pattern of just hating female characters because of it. If you hate Lucy Heartfilia or say some bullshit about how she's whiny or weak, Natsu and I would like to have a word with you. I swear on fuck if you're all bent up outta shape because Zelda, a 17 year old in most games, is a bit of a mess at some points, I'll start my own yiga clan of assassins just to take you out. I've thankfully only seen ONE bullshit for Penelope but holy fuck. shut up.

Okay, got the bitterness outta me so now let's have some fun.

*opens briefcase and presents the "special bonded pairs of Mad"*

Time to ramble about my sillies.

I mentioned before about how most of their decisions are very much centered around each other or even what they do for one another.

Zelink: Lil hard to explain as I enjoy all incarnations (Though OoT and Botw/TotK are probably my faves) but in all games, regardless, they are intertwined. They protect one another and fight for one another. I love the dynamic of commoner and royalty as that's very juicy. "I don't care what people say, I love you."

Nalu: Intelligent heiress runs away from home to escape an arranged marriage and where her father only sees her as an object. She meets lil shit dragon man demon and her life is absolutely changed and she changes so many of the lives around her. Lucy is the main character, she just is. It's not Natsu. Fight me. Lucy literally gets BURNED when she was saving him. Not letting go despite that it was hurting her. She rewrote his grimoire to save him. Many people see/saw him as a monster but he never will be one to her. Natsu uproots a fucking TREE and sends it down the river outside her house so she could see it's "once a year blossoms" as she was too sick to go. He is her biggest cheerleader. Even when he doesn't understand why she's so excited about something, he does it happily because he cares. She is what helps him become friends with others. (poor guy was too "weird") Her "dying" is what unlocked E.N.D. She's what brings him back constantly. They are best friends, (also yeah, demon dragon man still being loved despite how strange he is? yes please)

Odypen: Holy shit. He looks over the most beautiful woman in the world to marry her, racing her father for her. She leaves her more "prosperous" home in order to live with him on his "rock". The entire Odyssey and Iliad is him fighting to get back to HER. He will never give up. Goddesses are nothing compared to her. He respects and adores her so much, to the point where he is placing himself, his wants and needs, beneath her own. And she will never give up on him. She stalls and never wants to be with any other even if he is dead. No other man is like him. She will protect their son, putting herself in harm's way so he has a home to come back to because he makes Ithaca her home. :'D (Water Wife being seen with heart eyes despite how strange she is and "better" opportunities? Man so fucking traumatized and "ruined" is still "her Joy" regardless? YES! YES PLEASE!)

I just fucking realized that fucking trees are important to them all xD Rainbow sakura for Nalu, Deku Tree for Zelink, and Treebed for Odypen.

All are silly in their own way. All will ALWAYS choose their "person". Odypen is definitely the most morally gray and the oldest lol (Though I do think Natsu would be like "you killed 108 people for her? Rad." It's just that FairyTail is "no deaths allowed") Penelope would be impressed by Lucy's tricks into getting things but then Lucy would be like "what?" as soon as she hears about the other shit Penelope's done. Link is horrified by Odysseus' warcrimes, and Odysseus gives him shit for "killing more than he has" and Link tries to defend himself by saying that they were monsters, not people. Penelope would catch frogs for Zelda. Zelda and Lucy would share books while Penelope would be like Wtf is a book?. Penelope and Natsu would be like "You got sharp teeth too?!" Odypen and Zelink would probably have a lot to talk about with "gods have affected our lives". Odysseus would be impressed by Natsu's property damage. Natsu would be so excited about the dragons in LoZ and think Zelda having been one is cool af (not knowing that it's a touchy subject)

Ugh, I'm getting so so silly. I love them all. They are so special.

Funny thing too? Gruvia (from Fairy Tail) and Menelaus and Helen (From the Epic Cycle) are both ships that are often intertwined with "my main" and both have the "quiet man and chatty woman" dynamic and I find that funny.

[juvellita]

My Next Life As a Villainess (Hamefura)

So I remember watching this like 2 years ago briefly, and thought it was an interesting concept: The otome fan getting recarinated as a villain in her fave otome game, but tht 'villain' end up becoming heroine bc it's her and she doesnt want any doom ending (and her dense personality).

At that time, I really didnt think much of it. But recently I rewatched (bc I have been hardcore bingeing on all wholesome shoujo animes), and I ABSOLUTELY FELL IN LOVE WITH HOW MUCH GERALD LOVES KATARINA! Or more specifically just Gerald.

FYI for ppl who never seen the anime: Gerald/Geordo is Katarina's fiance, or it was originally decided between their families. Over time tho, Gerald falls hard for Katarina, while Katarina is too dense and doesn't know this.

Yes, I know everyone in the show loves Katarina and rivals for her love but I just love Gerald. This is why:

The spinoff named "The Pirate Who Summons Trouble", published by Idea Factory and Otomate, is a short love romance story/game released on Nintendo Switch (is a otome novel basically).

In tht spinoff, you can play each of the characters route, similar to other otome games.

I saw a translated version on youtube for Gerald/Geordo since I do not own Switch, but GAWD. HE REALLY WILL DO ANYTHING TO PROTECT KATARINA.

To go further with my argument, I even searched for their manga to read beyond season 2 of anime (sadly I couldnt find more of main storyline since manga is still ongoing) and I found one spinoff story that anime didnt broadcast. Here, Prince Geordo and Mary (hardcore Katarina supporter) tries to confront this girl, named Marsha, who tried to hurt Katarina due to her delusion of how Marsha herself is the one who should have been with Geordo, not Katarina. And I ABSOLUTELY LOVE HOW GEORDO handled this situation. This is from Chapter 49 of Hamefura(spoilers below):

(Katarina is not on the panel bc shes sleeping while this was all happening). The girl with flower on hair is Mary, and shes a big Katarina fan and wants to be with her.

This just really shows how far Gerald will go for Katarina much to her not having any idea about this 😂. And it's so obvious he wants to spoil her by buying and giving things she wants (bc he at some point sends her gift every single day). But Katarina is too dense to even know☠.

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

I just saw a lot ppl not liking geordo bc they think hes clingy and pushy, which I can see why. But everyone needs to understand that Katarina is extremely dense and usually pushes her feelings bc she is too concentrated on not getting doom ending (this is way more evident in manga and short visual game, but less in anime). If it's not your cup of tea, then so be it, but I hope people dont completely classify him as 'clingy and not respectful of her space'.

More importantly tho, it's just an OTOME

[anghraine]

Jyn and Cassian?

Hah, I got this right before queuing a Jyn/Cassian gifset, and I was just slightly revising (>_>) a chapter of Jyn/Cassian fic. I do indeed ship it.

1- What made you ship it?

It sounded like my kind of thing from before the movie even came out, but the reality of the tension between them, the underlying (and later overlying!) rapport, and the mixture of very profound, mirrored(heh) similarities/parallels with high-contrast oppositions is pure distilled brain candy for me. They overreact very quickly given the circumstances (they both jeopardize themselves for each other in situations where there is zero practical need to!), which is always fun, and they're always drawing physically near to each other (there's the justly beloved elevator scene, though the circling and leaning in the "welcome home" scene is my personal favorite), which is also extremely fun. :D

There's the whole concept of them as people who have been denied homes by the Empire and find it in each other, without rejection of the very important allegiances and ties they do have. And they're very pretty, haha. Also, I enjoy (for a certain value of enjoy) that their dynamic is quite blatantly romantic IMO but the way it's cut short through an almost random act of Imperial cruelty is ... it's awful but it also a) makes sense and b) makes me feel even more about them. They deserved so much better. :(

2- What are you favorite things about this ship?

That mixture of close parallels and sharp contrasts + tension/rapport + UST you could cut with a knife are probably my favorites, honestly. I don't want my faves to be too similar, but I like parallels a lot and I don't like losing sight of the ways in which paralleled people are similar, which is a fine line to walk that Rogue One walked extremely well.

In that, it reminds me a lot of my ship of ultimate destiny, book!Darcy/Elizabeth, where they don't have to be basically the same—and aren't—to have a strong and important fundamental affinity that ultimately pulls them together.

3- Is there an unpopular opinion you have on the ship?

Many, as usual! I dislike the hyper-sexualization of Cassian with all my soul—it's not something I care for in general and I often imagine my faves as grey-ace, but it is something I stick to more stubbornly with him as a reaction to the sexy Latino stereotypes with a character who gave zero indication of having them is pretty gross to me.

I think Jyn was more justified in the circumstances of the Eadu fight and that Cassian was more correct, which basically ensured my annoyance at every conceivable iteration of discourse around the fight.

Also, in AU-land, I'm agnostic (as usual :P) on them having children. I don't think they're likely to have unplanned children, but I can see planned pregnancy or adoptions once the galaxy is more stable. I can also see them not choosing that and having full lives regardless. The likelihood of it just depends on the scenario and the writing for me, really.

[craig-f-tucker]

Gonna write my top 5 favorite episodes outside of s5, but first! honorable mention to real orangins, a delightful season 5 episode in which Robin describes his own version of the Teen Titans backstory with a wonderful mix of story humor and of course, lovely art, the switches between art styles ttg does on occasion is always great as they pick such nice other styles! I enjoy how each one represented their character, and I appreciated robins effort to make the characters all in character in a way that felt accurate to them. Pretty much every joke in this episode landed, and the jokes all utilized the characters known traits greatly, you can def tell Robin knows his friends very well. Usually what you expect from a Robin story is lies- starfire being in love with him, the team all listening to him right away and respecting him, etc, but this story was somehow both vaguely flattering to Robin while also being very consistent with the characters real personality’s in a way I really enjoyed. As a whole this episode had good story, good jokes, and most importantly utilized my favorite aspect of the show, the characters, fantastically! I love any episode that highlights the characters themselves, so each having their own dedicated section here was obviously going to be very enjoyable for me.

This episode would be on the top 5, I just want this to be a seasons 1-4 top 5 since I’m not done with season 5

Rest under cut cus I gotta stop spamming the ttg tag with long posts lol!

5. Campfire stories: I enjoy this episode for very similar reasons to real orangins (you will see this in my number 4 pick as well because it’s a trope I enjoy in ttg, but not in the top 3), the reasoning being mainly the individual focus on the characters. In this episode, the titans are going camping, and struggling to get the others excited about it, Robin suggests campfire stories which, much to his shock, excites the other titans! This episode goes between each of the titans telling their own campfire story, each shown in a different art style meant to match the character and their story. The stories all delve into the individual characters personal minds and help represent their own lives, interests, and fears. This is pretty on the nose because this is a kids show, but it’s still something I really enjoyed! All of the stories had their own charm and fun to them, and the scenes between the stories also had their own great comedy to them, so as a whole it was just an episode I absolutely loved!

4. Dreams: just like campfire stories, this episode involves a section for each Titan to have a smaller story, but this time, in the form of their dreams! Once again, a very fun delve into each of their psyche, and of course lovely jokes and style! Starfires pet silkie’s dream definitely elevates this episode to the strength it has, but literally the whole thing is delightful! I also enjoyed getting to see their sleeping positions lol, very varied and of course, specific to their personalities, because yeah can not emphasize enough I just really enjoy this shows characters /lh.

3. Animals. It’s just a word!: im a pet regression and kin, next question- I kid I kid, I mean that’s def the main reason sgdhshfjgk but it is a good episode in concept and writing! In this episode, the teen titans chastise beast boy for not being able to control his animal urges, but then, due to severe injuries, the titans get a blood transfusion from beastboy, giving them the ability to turn into animals! With some of beast boys biology they gain a better understanding of beast boys feelings (YES. Bb is my fave fuck you they shouldn’t be mean to him ever /j/aff) and also dog Robin, cat starfire, parrot cyborg, and fish raven my beloved. The ability to shapeshift unfortunately wears off as their bodies heal, but they still feel and act like those animals they were to a pretty significant extent, despite still being humans and talking and stuff. Once again: I am otherkin and a regressor, do I even need to further explain why I like this one? Anyways yeah they do silly shenanigans, starfire knocks cups off the counter, they flush raven down the toilet cus she “died” (she was taking a nap fish mode just made her look dead as hell), bb teaches them how to act human when you got that funky fresh animal dna, lots of fun stuff. Anyways raven is fine she just became a super strong mutant in the sewers and she saved the day in the end. As a whole, I just found this episode cute, when I explain this episode I kinda feel like it sounds weird but I do not particularly care. Some of the humor is eh because it’s a beast boy centric episode, but hehe animals go brrr

2. The Cape: DUDE I FUCKING LOVE THIS EPISODE. ITS SO GOOD. The whole thing is just using footage from the first episode of the original teen titans show but dubbing it over and it’s so funny dude sob they literally make it so stupid man, the reason it’s called the cape is because they make the whole argument plot about how Robin has a cape and thinks they’re cool and cyborg doesn’t like it’s just. It’s a really good episode trust me bro it’s so dumb /pos

1. Caged Tiger: this is a very fun of the mill episode but I’m biased cus it was one of the first episodes that i just loved like, every second of it. Just a typical fun episode of ttg, and that’s what’s great abt it. I enjoyed the shenanigans with the boys being trapped in the titan elevator, they’re the best and their part of the episode was fucking delightful, and I love loved doctor light in this episode, it was so nice seeing him just talk abt his life and stuff and hang with the girls, their part of the episode was just so lovely and enjoyable to watch! As a whole it’s just a personal fav of mine, that’s all! ^v^

[sepublic]

hihi this is a general purpose one from the oc and creators ask game feel free to narrow it down to ur faves (which i know we arent supposed to have but come on now) or from ur oc canon as a whole !!

C) Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story?

Applying this question to my OC canon as a whole... Not really? My OCs are usually made in response to the story bringing up a role that suddenly needs filling. So for example, Lloyd and the other kids need a teacher at Arkley's, particularly one they can actually relate to, one who's genuinely concerned for them? In other words, that one nice teacher that everybody likes and remembers? Well, I fill in that spot and from there create Trexdis, throwing in character concepts and ideas that I've had floating about, and have always wanted to incorporate into something, before working from there.

In essence; The story needs a character, be it to flesh out a group, and/or provide a certain function/relationship to our characters. To serve as a piece of world building, because surely someone has to be in charge of this, etc. And from there, I look across a vast collection of bare-bones ideas and concepts for characters I have floating around; Stuff like a certain aesthetic, an unusual power I've wanted to toy around with... The basic structure of a backstory that informs their personality and motives, their mentality in life, that sort of thing.

Each concept doesn't have to be its own individual character, either; It's better if I combine a few to add more facets to an OC, while avoiding a crowded quantity over quality situation. Certain personalities and backstories are often devised from pieces of media I've liked, and wanted to try my own spin/take on...

For example, the Ensemble! I've always enjoyed the trope of the villains employing a mercenary that ends up working with them full-time, so what if the good guys did that instead? So I need at least one mercenary. And I was fascinated by the idea of a 'human' whose brain was actually a computer, essentially making them a robot in a meat suit, a natural reverse to the cyborg when it comes to the flesh-machine interface.

But what if we took that a step further? What if there were multiple robots in meat suits... And they were all synced? Because I like the idea of a singular mind spread out across multiple bodies, whom are more like different limbs than their own individuals, despite appearing as such. Robots are well-equipped to pull that off, and I have one operating a human body... So I mash them into a singular concept. From there I take this nebulous idea for an OC floating around, and then I use it to fill that 'mercenary working for the protagonists' role.

Lycan, Breda, Gene? It's because there needs to be a roster of actual students at Arkley's. Salazar? Started off as a necessary leader to the pre-existing Techno League (with an O, not an A). When I initially worked with the idea of various students being the children of big bad villains of notoriety, I needed a parent for Gene. Salazar already existed and I could make some similarities between him and Gene... And this aspect has since carried over.

Then there's groups like the Escapees or the Arkley Alumni; A fairly open sandbox for me to mess around with (the latter especially), and add any number of weirdoes, who manifest from concepts that are still unused. Organizing the Escapees felt fairly natural to me, and with Arkley's Alumni, there's a lot of empty space for me to fill in and create a new character from if I ever feel the need to.

If there's one OC whom I do struggle with, it's one I haven't properly introduced you guys to; His name is Shogaken, he's got this pretty bombastic, villainous personality, an evil warlord, that kind of thing. He initially started off as a canon character from another piece of media I was making an overly elaborate fanfic for (which is what the GEverse started off as), and I got attached to him and his design, the lore I fleshed out, etc. I basically re-characterized an 'interpretation' into an entirely different character.

So when I made the GEverse its own thing, I realized I could fully embrace this fact, and renamed him Shogaken as the beginning of the differentiation process, making this character my own. However, since I'm no longer wrapping the GEverse around the skeleton of another pre-existing storyline, I have the freedom to do whatever I want... Which means Shogaken's role is also liable to change.

And he started off as the ruler of the Underworld; But in a story where I get to decide everything, I'm not sure if I want the overseer of the afterlife to be so grounded and irresponsible. But I could make it work, so I'm trying different ideas out. Sometimes I don't want to force things, I just let time pass by, allow new influences to soak in, before I find inspiration.

And I guess there IS Beturos, who is another old OC of mine. He started off as a villain, and unlike Azayle or Magmint, I never made him an Escapee for some reason, when that idea came around... So I just haphazardly stuck him in somewhere. But now that the GEverse is no longer a fanfic/retelling, that means a lot of characters and roles from that original media are gone, left empty to be filled out; So I'll probably find something for Beturos there. Give him some justice, and probably some interactions with Azayle and Magmint, like old times. Maybe I'll just make him another Arkley's Alumnus...

Every now and then, I do come up with an idea for a character that I just want to do, independently of an established role; And if there isn't another pre-existing niche/character to attach this to, well, I don't usually struggle to build a new place for them. The story is already fairly open, and part of the premise is a big world with all sorts of weirdoes and their strange stories mucking about, so it doesn't take me too much to fit them in...

The real problem is deciding if I'm satisfied with that, or want to do something more/different, after all. And sometimes I'll debate giving a certain personality/backstory to this character, or that one, if I could just do both and make them different enough through some other means to justify it, etc. And when it comes to more intricate storylines... Right now, I’m taking it slow and easy, no rush. A lot of good ideas have come to me after finding new influences and inspirations. But that’s more a question of what they’ll do in canon, rather than their place in canon.

[iamacolor]

I do think Sol was also ready/did risk her life and safety for him multiple times in different ways, even at first she wasn't concerned with what happened to her but always put saving him first and then later she risked her life to catch the killer to save him (and herself) it just wasn't as overt as him literally saying he is willing to die for her and then do in it lmfao. I just don't watch dramas from the perspective of oh this fictional character is so amazing I wish I had a guy like him (perfectly fine way to watch things) but more from the "I want to see two fake people crazy about each other" perspective so this thing romance shows do where the guy is very often so much more devoted and just more everything annoys me as hell.

she really risked it all multiple times!! she just refused to exist in a world where he wasn't or where his safety wasn't secured and she let that guide her - but since sunjae is a character that had to die several times so he had to die for her at least once lol it's like everytime he dies and she tries to change things they made his death worse because everytime she's more entangled with him and more willing to risk it all for him and so it hurts more and then leads to the last sacrifice of their entire relationship (I'm still heartbroken when I think about her walking away from him even if i know they end up reuniting lol)

but same I'm really not looking for a y/n moment lol so I'm often feeling like "okay so when is it her turn. when is it her turn to do that, to be like that". I do feel like it's kind of evolving - the fact that sol remains the only time traveler, that sunjae isn't the one that saves the day or reverse it all etc is actually proof of that because they could easily have gone down the road of he kills the bad guy or he travels back in time in her place etc and taken that story away from sol but instead she remains the full lead of the show and therefore her love remains the main force of the story even if the story requires her to have more restraint for most of it. I've watched dramas where the man being more proactive at romance leads to his family drama or tragic backstory to just take over the entire show by the end while the fl is like 😊...

thinking about this in dramas I've previously watched and some of my faves tend to break away from that. like just between lovers where the leads have a very interesting dynamic in that regard and she very much chases him around at some point and is like I love you so I'm staying and you better take care of yourself or I will ! and when they're just starting to get closer she gets drunk and she's like I like men who eat carrots while he's eating a carrot right in front of her. also extraordinary attorney woo where he very much has wonderful swoony moments but she's super proactive and actually acts with him the way men usually act with women once she realises she likes him (carrying his heavy stuffs, pulling out his chair or even researching things to do on dates), and she very much desires him and is attracted to him (the camera follows her gaze) and although she doesn't like all types of physical contact she either initiates or tries them with him and they have one of the greatest kiss scenes ever or also a good day to be a dog which is a little bit more like lovely runner in terms of tone and genres (and actually now that I think about it has quite a lot of similarities lol except they're already grown up and it's regeneration and curses not time travel but there's a memory thing, and many shenanigans to break a curse also the mother is the same actress I think) and once they're both into each they're both very into each other and very ridiculous about it but the fl actually gets to do all these cool things for the ml and has some swoony moments too (she literally writes and directs a shadow performance for him) especially while she helps him get over his fear of dogs and she fantasizes about him and they have to date in secret and they're both really bad at that so you really feel like they're equally gone on each other etc and she's also more of a comedic element than him (in part because of the curse but not just that) so to see two fake people crazy about each other that's a nice one. and they also have one of the greatest kiss scenes ever. I absolutely love haena and now I want to rewatch (and if you haven't seen these shows yet I recommend them!)

[kleinstar]

how did u get into this series? 👀 what's ur fav dynamic, and your fav character (probably apart from eiden)?

ASK ME ABOUT NU:C (NOT ACCEPTING)

Let's see... I'm like half convinced I saw a picture of Edmonds really stupid uniform (sorry nuc i cant take it seriously) in twitter which is when I took notice of it but I dont think I downloaded the game then... I faintly recall being like oh he which was Olivine like 'oh he looks nice' but didn't expect to really get into the game at all but boom Eiden drew me in pretty much immediately lol. Liked him from the start. Storywise speaking i think first chapter that i liked a lot was kuya's but i think the story didn't grab me until Garu's weirdly enough bc the dude's my least fave lol, Dante's chapter even more though.

Faves....Aside Eiden, Rei was just introduced but he's already a fave of mine, the pretty aloof personality (for now! he only met Eiden) paired with obvious underlying issues (reasons still a mystery) that he's got. Has a bit complicated relationship with sex where he seems to treat it more as a tool to achieve goals (get magical items etc, study essense... ) than something fun (to the point where he'll even go through unpleasant stuff for it) where its easy to see how Eiden will fit into that ! He's like this ....researcher type but his personality is very different from the usual archetype s so it's interesting for sure - ALSO FATHER IS REALLY CUTE It's still pretty interesting to see how it'll develop, I'm glad the main story's taking it's time with him bc i think nuc does a bit better when it slows things down rather than crams it up into one thing for sure. 'I've seen people complain about nothing happening these chapters but its like...time, atmosphere settling, wish the game did this more often. It doesn't work with events bc limited story space and all. His intimacy stories also expand on him pretty nice.

Kuya is other fave because apparently i like resident bastards but yeah, mr-im bored bc long life which is also why it's hard to open up. Youkai and humans also have a difficult relationship, have had for a long time so Eiden's attempts in patching things up piss him off a lot but also bring him that element of surprise he so enjoys when things dont go the way he expects - hope makes it painful when it goes wrong after all. I also like his dynamic with Eiden a lot - which is really just Eiden kinda trying to please him with best of his efforts. He finds it amusing ofc and with recent developments he even seems to like it when eiden just does his own thing - not that he'd admit - eiden 'owes' him so much now since he's let him close. He calls him a toy, it's amusing how he tries so much and brings so many surprises right.... It's cute dynamic.

Those two are pretty much faves but dynamicwise close come Dante, Quincy Olivine and Blade tho! I'm not running introduction on them though.

Dynamicswise... With Dante it's that fun bickering with Eiden but also the differences that flare things up, finding bridge between them and so on, I love his Kleinmas event intimacy story a lot. Also Olivine's got that fun serene horny vibes but also really calm, cute and sincere moments that also feel really fresh, I also love how he's just " : )" when eiden just horny stuff. It's actually cute.

Quincy too though, similar as with Kuya but also differently he's grown tired of the long life he's had but Eiden's opened him up and stuff. Also different (but not completely different) to kuya he likes when Eiden does his own thing, likes it when he's selfish too which balances out great since Eiden's very people pleaser type so that nice chill moments just work out very cute too.

I also like Eiden's dynamics with morvay though lmao fellow hornies exchanging tips with each other and stuff, it's fun.

[theultimatefanficwriter]

My Ships!

Hey guys! So currently it's late at night and I wanna write something to help me sleep. So here I am on my phone quickly writing out all my ships down so you guys can see what a loser I am lol.

Now feel free to discuss your opinions, but dont start any ship wars or bash anyone's ships, alright? Cool! So here we go! Each ship will have a short explanation as to why I ship it. And they are in order from favorite to least, though my least favorite is still one I like.

Ishimondo-This is my biggest comfort ship. I love enemies to lovers so much and these two idiots are just...such a beautiful tragedy.

Saimota-Can someone say bromance? Like please they were flirting so hard it hurts. They are dating your honor.

Saimatsu-Please the way she was able to motivate him? Even after death she helped him improve. They had such chemistry from the very beginning.

SakurAoi-Yeah yeah Sakura has a bf whatever. But they technically werent dating yet cause they were waiting til Kenshiro got well. So...LES GO LESBIANS! Hina was about to commit murder suicide for her boo. Literally lovers.

HaruKaito-So even besides the fact Maki straight up confesses, I disagree with people saying they dont have chemistry. They're adorable and Kaito opens her up to people. This ship is adorable af.

Tokomaru-Similair to Kaito and Maki! Komaru helped Toko be a better person! Like I hated Toko at first, but after UDG, shes a top tier favorite. This ship is too cute.

Soudam-Again I love enemies to lovers. Idgaf if they never show romantic interest in each other shut up. They're beautiful bastards, both of them.

Fuyupeko-...do...do I really need to explain? Just play the second chapter again lol.

Hinanami-Im not a big fan of Hajime. In fact hes my least fave protag. But I think the way they interact and the way he is around Chiaki is too fucking cute.

Sondam-They had the more obvious chemistry in the game, and I love Sonia with Gundham. They fit each perfectly, having similar interests. Plus how sad she was when he died? 😭

Kiiruma-Ok so they're a perfect fit right? Kiibo was one of the only ones to even care when Miu died, and Miu seemed to care about Kiibo. Yeah because she could upgrade him, but I feel theres more there!

Naihiro-Now this is a rare pair. I think the two of them are very cute and soft boys, so they relate to each other. Theyd be a very sweet couple.

Akanidai-Nekomaru literally died to protect Akane, and took two bazookas to the chest for her. They were inseparable. Case closed. They cute.

Daiyakure-Another rarepair. It's hard to ship Hiro with people cause you'll get hit with the "hes 21 and they're underage" argument. But with Daiya Oowada, you can say hey, fuck you! Theres literally no interactions between them. It's almost a crack ship. But I love it more than I should.

Naekure-Another Hiro ship, but this one can be justified by saying they start dating after they escape the game and they know they're both adults. I think Makoto would be a decent balance to Hiro's...everything.

Togakure-Same logic as with Makoto as to when they get together. Byakuya would be able to deal with his idiot enough to calm him down slightly. Plus it would be a funny contrast.

Ishikure-Ok now this is a bit harder to explain. I see it more as they were dating before the mind wipe, and in survivor aus theyd date again. I just think Hiro being the only one to care about him after ch 2 is sweet and that the two would be cute.

Hagekureon-Same reasoning as with Taka;Hiro and Leon were dating before the game and/or they date in survivor aus. I think the two idiots together would be an interesting combo, like with Ishimondo.

Naegami-Finally, back to well known ships!😅 So Byakuya clearly cares for Makoto even if he tries to hide it. He'd be a good partner to Makoto, if not a bit tsundereish.

Kuzusouda-Fuyuhiko was like the only one to try to curb Kazuichi's simping, and they have a nice friendship in the anime(from what I've seen and heard, havent seen all of it😅)so I think Fuyu would be able to help Kaz accept himself.

Asakure-Once again, getting together after game. My friend put it as "the two idiots getting together. Its cute." And hes not wrong lol Despite Hina being slightly smarter and the fact she bullied Hiro a bit in game, I can see them working off each other nicely.

Goshi-Firstly I just love the striking difference in their heights. It's funny as hell to me lmao. But secondly I think Gonta's sincereness and kindness could eventually break through to Ryoma and help him realize he isnt unlovable, and he is worth something.

Twobuki-I just think Ibuki's constant praise and lowkey flirting with Twogami is adorable, especially given his...size. Usually people would make a character like that completely unlovable, so the fact she was seen doting on him so much is adorable.

BandAid-Now I normally dont ship killers and victims. It just doesnt feel right to me. But given Mikan was more or less brainwashed into doing it, i kinda give this ship a pass. Plus i think Ibuki could help her be more confident in herself and stop letting others use her.

Soapies-I dont really like either of these characters, thus why its last on the list, but I think Mahiru is the only one who could "tame" Hiyoko, for lack of a better word. She could help her stop being a bully and actually open up to others. Plus they both care a lot about each other. It's cute. Its sweet.

So that's my list! It might grow, and if it does I'll reblog this post to add onto it! Feel free to give your opinions on it, but remember: no ship wars!

Alright imma go pass out now! Good night guys! Lol

[softinkshadows]

Shingeki no Kyojin Astrology: sun-moon-rising combinations

I was looking around tumblr for detailed astrology speculations of my fave anime characters, but there aren't that many! Being q well-versed in astro myself, i thought why not do my own version (very spoiler-free, don’t worry)! I followed the birth dates given by isayama:

Eren Jaeger - Aries sun, Scorpio moon, Cancer rising Aside from the fact that he can be hotheaded and impulsive, Eren's feelings of vengeance run deep and explosive. Remember that time he was chained to the bed after the attack on trost, and his eyes were wild with the need to violently eradicate all titans? He's so tenacious and emotionally stubborn too (a Scorp moon trait) to the point of being closed off from everyone else, especially towards the end where he seems to take the weight of the world's burden on his own shoulders. And all for the sake of protecting his community and ensuring the safety of his friends for the rest of their lives. His comrades and family are his motivation. This is his Cancer rising steering his life.

Mikasa Ackerman - Aries sun, Aquarius moon, Aries rising "Look that moody brat is running off on her own again." Mikasa is similar to Eren in her impulsiveness and determination, but different in two ways- what they aim to protect and their extent of fearlessness. Eren is aware of his own weaknesses and helplessness, but Mikasa's amazing physical prowess makes her act without any hesitation at all. She's hella fierce and driven to keep herself in shape too, doing all those sit-ups and chopping firewood post-injury. I think she deserves a double Aries! An Aries rising means a Libra descendant too, which is reflected her whole-hearted devotion in her close partnerships (Eren and Armin). Her aquarius moon really shines thru with her stoic independence, focus and perseverance.

Armin Arlet - Scorpio sun, Virgo moon, Pisces rising He's the brain of the 104th cadet corps, and is second to Erwin in terms of strategy! An intelligent planner with low self-esteem often found second guessing his own analytical abilities, Armin is a true blue Virgo moon. His emotional self stands out the most from the main three protagonists - Eren & Mikasa mostly express anger and desperation, whereas Armin is usually shrouded in fear and worry. He's a very soft bb, hence the Pisces rising, not to mention he gets so dreamy imagining the sea, the vast plains, and the magical world beyond the walled universe he knows. A spiritually-attuned and curious explorer :")

Levi Ackerman - Capricorn sun, Scorpio moon, Virgo rising Levi is such a complex person, thanks to Isayama's brilliance. Like many Cap suns, Levi is authoritative, cold and incredibly savage. That's not to say he doesn't feel anything either. Levi is an evolved Scorp moon (maybe even moon in 11th house) because his feelings are never for himself, but he hurts so much for others - you can tell every death hits him so hard, but he doesn't show this to anyone else. He also exudes this quietly intimidating aura of natural competence, a common characteristic of this sun-moon combo. He can take things personally as well (re: height issues) but it never snowballs into more than passing irritation. The turbulence of his emotions and habit for violence is balanced out by his earthy Virgo rising, which is emotionally subdued, quite thin and delicate in physique, and super neurotic and nitpicky when it comes to cleanliness and health. Cap, Virgo and Scorp are some of the most guarded signs, and a combi of all 3 are hellish. You can tell this poor beautiful man is always caught between feeling and thinking, between maintaining his humanity and forsaking it.

Erwin Smith - Libra sun, Capricorn moon, Leo rising In another life, Erwin Smith would be the damn CEO of a global conglomerate because he oozes so much charisma. Hell if charisma were energy Erwin Smith would be its prime, eternally renewable source. His stature alone is so commanding, and I find some strong Leonine traits in his thickset physique, strong eyebrows, beautiful hair, and that way he shouted in full glory atop wall Rose in that one episode to the cheering masses below. He might be a Libra sun, diplomatic in political affairs, but his Capricorn moon is what drives his decisions. Cap moon has a rep for being cold and unemotional, but i believe they are way more than that! Cap moons rarely boast about their long list of achievements, instead looking forward to the next goal. They struggle with emotional expression, and are super driven and disciplined. Erwin is capable of making the hardest decisions, putting aside emotions to strive for an abstract ideal, and this is to be expected of the commander who takes on the role of the devil.

Hange Zoe - Virgo sun, Sagittarius moon, Gemini rising All hail our favourite mad scientist!! Hange is such a breath of fresh air in the Survey Corps, balancing out the heaviness of missions with their wacky tales of titan research and experimentation. Their penchant for study and higher knowledge is typical of a Sagittarius moon, who is drawn to advanced academic study and spiritual truths. It's also a lighthearted and optimistic sign, true to Hange's upbeat personality. The Virgo in them contributes to their sheer intelligence and obsessiveness with research subjects. We also know they LOVE to talk, and once Eren asks Hange about experiments, they cannot stop (Gemini governs communication). Virgo, Sag and Gemini are the most intellectual signs, and because they are mutuable Hange tends to follow orders rather than give them, making it difficult to adapt to their new role towards the end of the series. Mutable signs also means rapidly-changing emotional states, and a whole lot of chaos, which suits our beloved squad leader.

Jean Kirstein - Aries sun, Virgo moon, Taurus rising Our third Aries on the list ohmygod. The snk universe is full of feisty hotheads. Jean is always seen clashing with Eren, fuelled by Eren's closeness with Mikasa and his own adorable jealousy. I mean, they had a full on fist fight right after dinner in the mess hall, although everything went downhill after the first few punches. Our first impression of Jean during his cadet days is coloured by his desire to work in the interior, and this favour for material safety and wealth is perhaps common to a Taurus rising. Also, Taurus is ruled by Venus, planet of beauty and harmony, and thus often figures in the charts of artists. If you've seen Jean's drawing skills in that special episode, you'll know that his artistic abilities are the finest we have seen, exceeding even that of isayama himself. Jean's strong principles such as being averse to killing people and oftentimes cynical nature, is also characteristic of the moral and cautious Virgo moon.

Sasha Braus - Leo sun, Gemini moon, Taurus rising Not all Leos are showmans. Sasha is the type of Leo who displays more of the quirky, unabrashed personality suited to her opposite sister sign Aquarius. Authority doesn't exist when food comes into play, as we see when she breaks potato with Shadis and later steals a slab of meat from the officer's warehouse. Unlike the visual artistry that Jean possesses with his Taurus rising, Sasha's Taurus centers around her love for food, and hell she can have fiery determination for it (rmb the wild night she mistook Jean's hand for meat?). I love that both of them were pitted with each other in that cooking special episode. I considered placing her as a Taurus moon, but Taurus moons are usually steadier and classier in emotion, whereas Sasha is often breezy, gets nervous and chaotic, with stellar intuition, making her likely a Gemini moon.

Connie Springer - Taurus sun, Cancer moon, Gemini rising Although not much attention is paid to Connie's growth, his character development reminds me a lot of Aang from ATLA. Cheery and happy-go-lucky at first, before the incident with his mother made him more prone to feelings of anger and vengeance, especially near the later chapters. His strong protective bond with his mother is what compels me to say he is a Cancer moon, which is a moon sign that is very homebody and drawn to family and traditions. His goofy self and him referring to Sasha as "his twin" puts him as the spunky Gemini rising, another sign he shares with her.

Reiner Braun - Leo sun, Pisces moon, Capricorn rising Aside from his natural leader personality (Leonine), Reiner likes to take on the persona of the big brother of the group. His outward stoicism, decisiveness and task-oriented nature is typical of a Cap rising, who is often serious and solemn in appearance. He reminds me of that Cap rising workaholic who does his best in a corporate organization, working 9 to 5 plus overtime as it fulfills his sense of purpose. Beyond his stoic facade reveals a more troubled personality. Like a Pisces moon, Reiner is impressionable, and it's difficult to tell if his emotions and personalities are his own, wavering and absorbing traits from those around him. His internal war with his identity and the ensuing fatigue characterises him during the second half of the series.

Annie Leonhart - Aries sun, Aquarius moon, Virgo rising Annie is the kind of Aries that is so motivated to achieve her goals that everything else is sidelined, including her own emotions. She's quite ruthless in chasing her objectives, and her composure, focus and endurance is highlighted with an Aquarius moon. I'm guessing she has a 4th house influence somewhere because of her motivations to go home to her father and lead a normal life. I find the daintiness and delicateness of her features similar to Levi, who is also a Virgo rising. The Virgo effect also registers as a brutal, unfiltered honesty (also seen in Levi), and Annie doesn't hesitate to speak the truth about her own or her opponent's capabilities.

Other characters which I won't go into much detail about:

Bertholdt Hoover - Capricorn sun, Virgo moon, Pisces rising Bertholdt is quiet with an unobtrusive personality. His lack of supposed iniative and aggression can perhaps be attributed to the mutuability of Virgo and Pisces, which goes with the flow instead of charging forward. He keeps his feelings to himself, but reacts when the people he wants to protect are threatened.

Historia Reiss - Capricorn sun, Libra moon, Cancer rising Historia initially lives for the sake of others (esp Ymir), and is more co-dependent than many of her other squadmates. She also tends to put up a front of pleasantness, afraid of disappointing or offending people. She has a strong tie to family, and a profound sense of duty.

Ymir - Aquarius sun, Pisces moon, Aries rising Ymir is extremely astute when it comes to evaluating human behaviour. The religiosity of her background is also usually found in this sun-moon combination, which tends to attract paths of strong spirituality. She also has a bold and noble sacrificial streak for the sake of her companions.

Zeke Jaeger - Leo sun, Capricorn moon, Scorpio rising A headstrong, intelligent and radical character. In a way similar to Erwin in his ruthlessness, but emotionally darker and much more sinisterly private.

Kenny Ackerman - Aquarius sun, Sagittarius moon

Rod Reiss - Virgo sun, Libra moon

Dot Pixis - Virgo sun, Sagittarius moon

Hannes - Capricorn sun, Taurus moon

[drivingsideways]

Melo is My Nature Review

Well, as usual, I’m late to the party! I picked up 2019′s Melo is my Nature/ Be Melodramatic with some trepidation since I was (am!) still smarting a bit from the disappointment that’s Hospital Playlist S2, and I wasn’t quite ready for another. 

I’m so glad I gave it a chance! While it isn’t a “perfect” series- in the nature of the world *sigh*- its combination of quirky, clever, self-aware humour and heartfelt performances won me over from the first episode. 

More thoughts under the cut (along with some spoilers)

I’m very fond of ensemble dramas that love their characters, and “Melo is my Nature” does that very well. Perhaps a little too well, to the point that you feel the writers letting themselves be more than a little indulgent during the middle stretch of the episodes. But I can’t complain too much, because yes, I know the feeling!  “Side characters” that refuse to stay in the lane and take over the narrative are also my favourites, as a writer and a viewer. I loved, loved, loved Lee Joo-bin as the flighty-but-amazingly-smart Lee So-min; that felt like such a delightful  clap-back against the prevailing sentiment that often goes against young, successful women and the ridiculous levels of expectations of them, in how they need to perform gender and  femininity and smartness. I loved that (like Emma! There’s a lot of Jane in this series!) the writers managed to make her likeable even though they never disregard her flaws or its consequences.

 Another performance/ character that I totally adored was Baek Ji-won as Jeong Hye-jeong, the industry maven who may be (?) a nod to Kim Eun-sook, I suppose! I was afraid at some point that they’d just trash her character, by making her a little too ridiculous in an unkind way, but I found some of the loveliest scenes involved her- like the one where she tells Jin-joo to do the work, but not be too successful. In the end, there was a love and fondness for her, a genuine empathy, that really was core to what made this show so successful. 

Shout out also to two of the weirdest characters I’ve watched, but thoroughly loved- Heo Joon-seok as Director Dong-gi & Lee Ji-min as Nutritionist (?) Da-mi. I absolutely adored that the only wedding in this series is between these two, and they do it in a completely predictably-unusual way. 

Re: the “main” characters, I loved all of them without exception, though some more than the others :) One of the things I love about the show is how real and present the three female leads feel; they feel like whole, entire people rather than caricatures of them, even when the show reaches almost unusual levels of quirky. I love that a through-line of the narrative is how important women’s labour is- to themselves. The work they do, which is acknowledged as a part of their identity rather than just something they do to pay bills (though of course there’s acknowledgement of that aspect too!),  their hunger to do it well and for it to matter- all of that is portrayed in a way that’s charming  but still taken very seriously. And the way you know that its taken seriously is in the things they focus on- how Oh Jin-joo struggles to write alone, and how Han-joo’s learning to be someone’s mentor while struggling with her own insecurities, and how lost Eun-jung feels, when work which was supposed to give her purpose fails her in a time of crisis, and how unmoored she feels without it. 

Re: the romance- I’m someone predisposed to dislike heterosexual romance, especially at the present moment, so it’s always with a great deal of hesitation that I start watching shows that I know have a large romance component. It’s always a bit of a coin toss for me whether the show will end up making me hate the romance or just about tolerate it. I rarely expect to *like * it.  So “Melo is my Nature” was a pleasant surprise!  This is  one of the few series where I felt the writers put in the work to sell the “main romance” of the show. You get to know the Oh Jin-joo and Beom-soo in sharply etched sketches before they move into the romance part (with a lot of tongue-in-cheek meta humour about the formulaic nature of tv romances). I genuinely felt that thrill of  “oh this could go platonic or romantic and I would like either” slowly ease into “oh my god these two are MEANT TO BE”, because the Romance is clearly in the all the ways they are NOT meant to be, but also, very, very definitely are. DELICIOUS. Just my cup of Jane Austen in a different context/ time.

Through most of the show though, my heart was divided between two characters- Jeon Yeo-bin’s stellar Eun-jung and Han Ji-eun’s pitch perfect Han-joo. Jeon Yeo-bin brought edginess, dark humour and a deep, almost- inconsolable grief to Eun-jung. Some of the stand out scenes of the entire series are hers: the moment where she watches herself on video talking to an imaginary person, and the moment she breaks down in front of the psych after talking about her mother. Watching this show, it really felt like- oh, she’s a star. Consider me sold on her for life (though, no, I will not watch Vincenzo unless there’s a Hong Cha-young supercut out there, in which case, please put it in my eyeballs now)

Han Ji-eun, imho, actually pulled off the toughest performance, because I think Han-joo’s strength of character is so often concealed by her “silliness” (in a similar vein to So-min’s), and that often makes her someone you’d overlook or not take seriously.  But god, she broke my heart, from the scene in the first episode where she’s sitting alone at a table after a rough day and watching her horrible ex live his best life to the hilarious and excruciating  “Oppa” scene, to the one where her kid is quite unconsciously cruel to her in the way kids can be. I was disappointed in the way they dropped the “reveal” about whom she’s dating in the last episode- not that I wanted her to be in an romance with Jae-hoon, god, NO- but it felt quite clunky.  This is one of the two complaints I have with the show. 

The second one is that starting from the middle, episodes began to noticeably feel like scenes/ sketches spliced together. Each scene is, within itself, perfectly written and performed, but the seams between the stories began to show. I felt one of the main reasons was that Eun-jung’s trauma tonally felt like it belonged in another show, but instead it had to get stitched into the mostly happy/ frothy storylines of the other characters. Sure, we had Hae-joon and his girlfriend’s terrible relationship, but the show had an easier time integrating that by way of Han-joo.

That said, I love how clever this show is! I love that it loves its own cleverness and can’t resist the urge to show it off- from all the meta references, in-universe jokes, and oh, that entire episode devoted to farting, complete with a song about it,  which I think maybe my fave episode of the series. A great look at the place of performance in intimate relationships (and how the women bear the burden of it more than the men), but coming at it from a place of compassion and humour rather than anger. Love that choice, for the show and us! 

I think @rain-hat mentioned in a comment here or twitter that Melo feels like a part of a triangle of shows along with Run On and Search : WWW.  I’m inclined to swap out Run On for Rookie Historian, or huh, maybe change the triangle for a quadrangle? Rookie Historian dares to imagine a past where our protagonist is (mostly) unshackled by the patriarchy and in the “modern” ending to its main heterosexual romance, reminds us that people have always found ways to find joy and thrive outside the rigid bounds of society. Search: WWW goes about it in the opposite direction- placing us in a present/future where the patriarchy doesn’t  and hasn’t ever mattered. Melo, I think, doesn’t quite do that, but in common with both these shows, it refuses to focus on the trauma of living under such structural violence, and instead talks about how we all (irrespective of gender) can find a way to remain unbroken by it. And while both Search:WWW and Melo do well at queer-platonic relationships as an alternate to the heterosexual project, it’s Run On, I think, which goes furthest there- firstly because though ostensibly structured around a het romance, that romance turns out to be falling in love with yourself/ loving yourself;  secondly because it’s most explicitly queer in the choices that the characters make and the lives that they choose for themselves- Min-joo & May are each others darlings and will be for life, Yeong-hwa and Ki Seon-gyeom are allowed a tenderness in their friendship that feels like an explicit repudiation of toxic masculinity, and of course, you have May being asexual, but not aromantic, and Goh Ye-jun’s whole arc of accepting himself as a gay man, and finding acceptance of that identity from others. 

Anyway! tl;dr would recommend (and have recommended!) Melo is my Nature to anyone fond of women, clever story telling and also ridiculously happy songs.

[mimiri22-6]

Let's do this. One last time.

Ducktales 2017. I didn't think I was ready for the end, but the finale was too perfect to be sad nor angry.

There's so much to say-too much to say...and I'm going to try my best to say all of it.

EVERYONE IS HERE!! ENDGAME WHO?! DUCKTALES!!!!!

Seeing Webby and Scrooge interactions now, after watching this once, is just-They're So Soft! AND everything is just-AH I love it. It's so weird, but when is the family tree not screwy(also, Webby=Scrooge's clone? Webby=female? Trans Scrooge=Cannon?! I think Fucking So!)

Aaaaaaannd that's all we get from Gladstone and Fethry. If there's one thing I wish was in this episode more it would be more cousin interactions and Daisy. Though, Daisy not being too into it makes sense. Loved what we got of her tho. At least we got a little bit of them this episode, it was already pretty character packed

Well...Launchpad is only half wrong.

Oh wow. Oh Wow, I love this dynamic between LP, Drake, and Fenton...ot4? because I refuse to leave Gandra out. I love how Drake doesn't know about Fenton and Gizmo while it seems like everyone else in the world does. Still, LP/Drake and Gandra/Fenton some of my faves. So good

OH YEAH! Even the other 2 Caballeros are here!!

And the last adventure STARTS

I find it Fantastic how Dewey and Launchpad will probably die thinking F.O.W.L used the last level of a videogame as their secret layer layout

*sigh* This is why I avoid previews and wish I was better at avoiding theories from after those previews. I would have been more surprised and probably would have enjoyed this ep even more if I had Nothing to expect. But the theories were right. Tho, I did not expect how (or should I say Who) Webby was cloned from...though also I was spoiled by that when I was looking for the ep. Some ass used "Scrooge is Webby's dad" as a video title. I didn't think it was real, but I was wrong.

Awwww. Don has such a soft spot for kids

I love Lena and her development.

...*sigh* ok. "you've already got sisters" with this line, I am obligated to drop the Webby/Lena ship. I'm sorry, but it's one of my many rules for being ok with a ship. If the characters Ever say, even just once as an afterthought, they see each other as siblings or something similar, I will see them as that. It's why I've never been ok and have been uncomfortable with Shiro/Keith since Keith saved Shiro from...his clones...huh. So, from now on, I'm going to be Very uncomfortable with anything Weblena...even though the thought of them in the future was cute

HOW does a show about building ottomans have plot???

I wasn't sure how to feel about the clones All throughout this

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO HUEY JUST FIRST NAMED BEAKLEY!!!!!

GOLDIE AND DAISY ARE ON THE BOARD!!! SCORE!!

Oooooh. That picture of Webby's parents...is fake. It's like some picture Beakley took off the internet.

I saw a post saying how Della had to convince Donald to go on one last adventure and how she had to watch him almost die, but she really Didn't. She helped him pack and she was ready to let Donald go on his adventure("but Daisy's my adventure" They are too damn cute for their own damn good. I love them. donsy for the win), but an actual Crisis came up and he had to stay. Donald nearly dying by void was not Della's fault and if I see any more posts about how she roped Donald into a death mission, I will go up a wall and break a neck on my way down

Man, it's weird hearing this and knowing that Webby's parents don't exist

Wow! Beakley just knocked out Scrooge! Damn!

Oooh! The girls are fighting

...Woah. I just realized, the blood and brain of Scrooge McDuck and the training of Bentina Beakley. Webby is even more of a beast than we knew.

IS THAT DEVELOPMENT I HEAR!!! YOU KEEP THOSE KIDS BEHIND? YOU LOSE!!! GOOD DAY SIR!

Pepper. Just Pepper. She seems like one of your parent's nice coworkers that brings you brownies and pinches your cheeks

"Look after your brother." YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I JUST WANNA-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DADRO YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! IT IS OFICIALLY BOYD GEARLOSE NOW!! YEEEEE!!!!

I also really like that you can't tell which Gyro is telling that to

God, I Fucking Love the concept that is Manny. He's one of those things that if someone asked you about him outside of the fandom, you wouldn't even know where to start. It's absolutely FanFuckingTastic. He's the most magical thing in the universe? Fuck Yes, give that to me Now!

HE SPEAKS!!!!!!(I couldn't place his voice actor, but I when I looked him up I realized recognized him for Glossaryck from SVTFOE)

(Edit: Just found out that the scene with Manny was a Gargoyles ref. Nice!)

Once again, I love everything about LP, Drake, and Fenton

And then Lena Died

Aww, they both have such soft spots for children

LUDWIG VON DRAKE?!?!!!?! WHAT THE FUCK?!

(that had to be a different font because really, what the fuck)

He really did just say he was too busy to die. This duck is too powerful

(I really just don't have too much to say between all of this. I just love all of it)

Woo! Louie with the motivation!

Pft-how both of them are singing? Love to see it...wait, we don't see Don Karnage after this...DID HE DIE IN THAT CRASH?! DID DEWEY COMMIT HIS FIRST MURDER?!

"Welcome home, April." I hate you.

Of course he dabs

"he was like this when we found him." Nice to know Gos knows what to do in the event that she kills someone

Oh that's horrendous. I hate that

"Now, let's get down to business." TO DEF[get's shot]

Why is Manny like actually the best?

God, Drake and LP really are two halves of a whole idiot huh? They're soulmates, your honor

"I. Am." "Not alone in this." That was so sweet, but also JUST TELL HIM!!

And now Glom is dead

Oh, that's a lot of mind control

"Even by our standards, this is a weird day." Couldn't say it better, Lena

"How do you think Della found out about the Spear of Selene?" OH, YOU MOTHERFU

"Oh, Bradford, how villainous." DAMN! HE REALLY DID JUST DO THAT, HUH?!

"MOOOM!" "NOOO!" OH NO, MY HEART! IT FUNCTIONS!

"Do you know how replaceable clones are?" Oh yeah, that's right. You're probably not the og Gyro

Man, we don't ever have Von Drake for long but I always love him

Those lights are really only there for dramatic effect, aren't they?

...Close enough.

Launchpad moment! Yeah!!!

HEY! I just noticed. While wearing the suit, Launchpad didn't crash...idk what to do with this info

The fine print is usually good to read...we people just don't do it apparently

"...your most trusted ally?" *picks Donald* Wow. That's right there with the feels ain't it

"it's not worth the risk." Fuck, I love them

Oh that sounds so weird. Scrooge has never been a dad, always Uncle. So Weird

And Gandra, Gyro, and Von Drake are dead. There is a Body Count this episode

"Donald Duck." "Uncle Scrooge." I SEE YOU! I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE! AND I LOVE IT!

Hehe. From Bitchford to bird brain.

EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS ENDING SCENE IS THE BEST!

Beakley thinking she's no longer accepted? Nah, she was granny first and foremost

ANOTHER FENRA KISS?! DON'T MIND IF I DO!

DADRO AND GOSALYN AND DRAKE?! LOVING IT!

MORE FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS?! WOO!

DONALD IMMEDIATELY ADOPTING JUNE AND MAY?! ONLY THE BEST FROM HIM!!!!

PROTECTIVE SCROOGE?! YOU DON'T SEE ME COMPLAINING!

"We're smarter" "We're tougher" "We're sharper" And we'll earn our way square." AH-I'M GOING DOWN LIKE THE SUNCHASER, GUYS

AND THE END CREDITS WILL NEVER BE MATCHED!!!!!

I don't know what else to say.

This show was amazing from beginning to end. I may not have cried, but I didn't need to cry. It wasn't sad and there was nothing bittersweet about it. Just pure perfection, just like the rest of the show.

Perfectly Preen, not a fether out of place.

Goodnight Ducktales, you were perfect