#wouldn't recommend anyone to watch it for the actual plot though

[paviastrashyrings]

yaoi please . idc who just yaoi please

Well allow me to preface this by clarifying that this is a x reader blog, and due to you not caring who, this is perfect real estate for me to write about Horropedia. I just got him to insight 2 and I am very happy with his alternate appearance.

So join me now, dear readers, in a sweet dream of our favorite Nerdy nerd.

Spending a night in with Horropedia

He invited you to a "horror movie watch party", and by party he meant you and him and the others that he invited that wouldn't show.

He never really did mind the others not showing, horror movies were not everyones cup of tea, but you showed up?

Oh, hes over the moon. "Wow! you even brought snacks for us" he would invite you in with a big doofy smile, taking the bag of snacks you brought in so that he could lay them out in a nice container with different sections so none of the flavors or seasonings mixed. Instead of a grand party, there lay a pillow fort on the floor in front of his T.V with a stack of classics queued up for the marathon.

He is collected to the naked eye, calm and polite, but inside? Shaking with pure joy, especially if you listen to his open plot dissections of the movies he laid out.

He wanted you to choose, even if he's watched all of them already, and of course he'd give a recommendation of what to watch.

If you had a favorite? Hes more than happy to watch it with you, but be ready for discourse on scenes he was either impressed by or not impressed with.

He would never discourage you for liking a movie that was not of his tastes, he knows better than anyone what that feels like and would never wish that upon you let alone be the cause of it.

Engage him in polite discourse or rant about the lore of a horror franchise you like and he'll listen and join in, overjoyed to have found a conversation partner that actually enjoys horror too.

Now dear readers, for a sweeter dream, Romance with our beloved nerd.

He is not really a physical touch person to begin, preferring quality time over touch to build trust and comfort.

Laughing with you and sharing snacks with you in the pillow fort over the course of a few movie nights had made him warm up to the idea.

He would be the first to ask if he could initiate physical touch first, wanting to initiate it for his own comfort but allowing it to be a choice.

"Can you give me your hand for a moment?" he would ask, and if you gave him your hand he'd smile and hold it gently in his.

The type of person to draw gentle patterns into your palm, non-repetitive motions to avoid discomfort. He never let his fingers linger on the same spot of your palm for too long.

If you wish to initiate physical touch first, please spare him the same courtesy of asking, allow him to prepare himself to be touched even if it is for a moment.

Holding hands beneath the blanket, reaching over to play with his hair, just small touches and soft laughter; hushed voices whispering "shh! its my favorite part.."

You wondered for a moment how he thought he could fit more than two people in the pillow forts he made.

In reality, he only counted on you coming, hoping that you always did. He would never admit it though <3.

Yet another soft end to a sweet dream, dear readers. Now it is time to close your eyes, breathe in deep, and relish the feeling of freedom in the time that you find rest. I will wait till you find me once more, and then again we shall dream.

Until then, signed yours truly

Moon.

[trivalentlinks]

Why I love Benoit Blanc (Knives Out, Glass Onion (which is very good and I recommend watching!))

(and why I think he's fundamentally different from the standard whodunnit detectives)

non-spoilery upshot: He's kinder, and more importantly, more dedicated to directing his intellect at being kind. Also, he is more willing to let others shine and take centre-stage.

[Heavy spoilers for both Knives Out and Glass Onion. Major plot points for both movies are spoiled. The ending of Knives Out is explained in detail.]

[This can be read without watching either movie, but both movies are big on twists and turns, so I wouldn't recommend spoiling them for yourself if you haven't seen them and intend to.]

I've seen some reviews say that the detective, Benoit Blanc is just like the standard whodunnit detective, if a little funnier, and I must disagree. I mean I love detective stories, and I love all the standard whodunnit detectives, Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Columbo, Miss Marple, Miss Fisher, etc, especially Sherlock Holmes and Miss Marple who were instrumental in my learning to enjoy reading as a kid, but Benoit Blanc stands out to me in a lot of ways, many of which Glass Onion really highlighted.

For one thing, Benoit Blanc goes out of his way to reassure and comfort the victim or the scared bystander or anyone who needs it. I mean, all the standard whodunnit detectives do, too, (Holmes's kindness was a large part of what made me fall in the love with the character the first time I read the short stories as a kid) but Benoit is good at it. Like he's brilliant, they all are, but you really get the sense that he's directing that intellect to making sure that he says what the victim needs to hear.

In the case of Knives Out, for example, a wealthy, obnoxious guy had managed to trick a nurse into believing that she had given his grandfather the wrong vial of medication and thus killed him, but it turned out that the bad guy had used a syringe to switch the meds to try to get her to give him the wrong one to begin with, so she had in fact given him the right medication all along.

(She had given him the medication, then looked at the vial and realized that it was wrong, and decided that she had killed him. He (the grandfather) then tried to cover for her by theatrically committing suicide.)

When Benoit explains to everyone that the bad guy had switched the medication, the nurse says, "So when I accidentally switched the medications, I actually gave him the right one."

To which Benoit could have just agreed and moved on, but he makes a point to say "You gave him the right one, yes, but not accidentally."

He then explains that she gave him the right one because she is a good nurse. He shows her that even with the labels taped over, she could tell which one was right because there's a slight difference between the tensions and viscosities of the liquids, because she's done it a hundred times, because she's a good nurse.

Benoit then tells her, with tears in his eyes, that if the grandfather had listened to her and called for an ambulance when she realized that she'd given him the medication from the wrong vial, instead of trying to cover for her, he'd be alive.

And just. He didn't have to go that hard. I'm not convinced that Poirot, Columbo, Marple, Fisher, or even Holmes would have gone the extra mile in this way. They might have explained that she knew because of the tension and viscosity, that she knew because she's done it a hundred times, but they wouldn't have paused and made sure she was them when they added, "You knew because you are a good nurse."

With Glass Onion, it works a bit differently; Helen is also scared and a bit lost for a lot of the movie, but she has no reason to feel guilty about her sister's death. Instead her overwhelming feeling about it is justified rage.

This one is interesting, because initially, Benoit doesn't quite know what to do with Helen's anger, though even at the start he subtly helps her channel it into bravery when she's scared and unsure. But by the end, he has seen and listened and observed enough to know exactly how to help her work with all that fire inside her.

Which leads me into another thing I love about Benoit that sets him apart from other detectives: the way he includes the victim. Most detectives just listen to what the victim has to say about the crime, and then go off and investigate on their own or with their friends, only informing the client of the results at the end, but Benoit goes out of his way to ensure that Helen is included in every aspect of the investigation.

And, of course, in the end, he passes her a glass of liquid courage and a little something else and encourages Helen to get her own vengeance in a show that would please anyone's inner pyromaniac, allowing her to have the spectacularly satisfying ending that she gets to tell him about later.

And that makes Benoit Blanc fundamentally different from Poirot, Marple, Fisher, or Holmes, who are always the ones centre stage for the satisfying ending.

And one final point regarding the review I read that said that Benoit was similar if a little funnier: I actually don't think Benoit Blanc is necessarily that much funnier than other whodunnit detectives. The movies overall are funnier, since they're definitely comedies, but Poirot, Columbo, Marple, Holmes (in the original and all the adaptations) and especially Fisher can be pretty funny at times.

But the humour surrounding Benoit Blanc is different from the other detectives in that it's never really at the expense of anyone other than Benoit himself. Holmes, Columbo, Marple and Fisher are often funny because they're biting, whereas that's not really what Benoit's about. The humour is more about his being lovably bumbling with the accent and the swimsuit and the setting off the ridiculous smoke detector and then hilariously failing at hiding the cigarette, etc.

And I love that for him.

Love the humour, love the kindness, love the humility, love the willingness to cede the stage for the final satisfying ending.

-

PS: I also love that Benoit Blanc is canonically queer and living with his partner, who the director says "And there’s nobody in the world I can imagine in bringing me more joy for Benoit Blanc to be with." And Daniel Craig says "No spoilers [but] who wouldn’t want to live with that person?" [source] Love this for him, too, but I'm not sure this sets him apart from the other detectives; Miss Fisher is canonically queer and Sherlock Holmes is canonically queer in several adaptations, I think.

[thewertsearch]

Ask Comp 25/8

Aw, thank you! Sometimes I actually think I overdo it a little - that my dives are a little too deep. This is how I consume media IRL, though, so if nothing else, it's authentic.

The Battlefield is definitely growing. The spatial warping makes it hard to measure how much it's growing, so it could definitely be exponential, especially if we keep adding higher dimensions.

As for how Jack matches up against Bec - Jack is definitely smarter, but he's also a lot more vulnerable, since losing the Ring will render him powerless. He'd have to be incredibly careful in a fight, especially against someone just as fast as he is.

I still think Bec has the edge, but his victory is far from guaranteed. I totally understand why Jade wouldn't want to risk it.

Imagine what Eridan would have said to a 'lowly greenblood' like Jade.

Yeah, there's no way trolls have therapy.

I hate to say it, but the Alternian version of therapy is probably moirallegiance. You're supposed to rely on this one person to keep you emotionally stable - and if you're not outgoing or charismatic enough to find a moirail, you don't even have that.

Of course, this system has nothing in common with the relationship dynamics of any culture on Earth. We really dodged a bullet there!

Gamzee really leans into the 'court jester' aspect of being a bard. He doesn't take anything seriously, nor is he expected to do so - he's just off to the side, dancing.

Yeah, my prediction is that Vriska is going to use him.

If she can manipulate Tavros into trying to control Jack, she might actually be able to remove his Ring. I speculated that she might use some sort of cheat to gain an advantage in their fight, and I think we may have found it.

He casually controls Becsprite later on, so I don't think he needs their goals to align.

As for why Bec didn't try to save Jade - I think he knew instinctually that someone was going to make him save her, so he didn't need to do it manually. That's Alpha, baby!

I can't tell if I've reached the controversial part, to be honest. Was there discourse about whether Tavros had done anything wrong?

Personally, I think it's hard to argue that he didn't, but other characters have done much worse - and in much more ambiguous scenarios, too.

Lord English is coming, send help plz

Thank you! It's kind of funny actually - I know that Homestuck's irregular update schedule used to drive people mad, but I'm reading it at a similar pace, with similar irregularities, and it really has been a chill experience on my end.

Maybe it's because I'm not participating in the fandom the way live readers were, and therefore, I'm not subject to the weapons-grade hiatus brain that Cat has war stories about.

Poor Kanaya - she really knows how to pick 'em. Rose is definitely less stressful to crush on than Vriska, though.

I recently saw this quote for the first time in a while. Excited to learn which of the comic's several thousand plot points it's referencing.

@spyril4132 asked: i have seen this in my youtube recommendations and must now share [s] descend but with silvagunner's high quality nuclear rip - YouTube

Legitimately amazing, and perfectly timed.

For anyone doesn't know about Silvagunner, please take a dip down this rabbit hole.

I do wonder how she's getting physical details about the Sun. Isn't it, like, fully outside of conventional reality?

Maybe the Sun is physically real, despite being in an unreal location. Technically, that's also the case with sessions.

I do like the 'music player' metaphor from an earlier ask. You don't necessarily have to use discs - a cassette player is also a good choice, or maybe an older variety of music box.

If you want to stretch the symbolism a little, your Time Player could wield something really kooky, like an iPod Nano, MIDI keyboard, or analog radio.

(Sally the Time Player would wield Rhythm Heaven for the Nintendo DS.)

It's been years since I've watched Primer, actually. I remember enjoying it, but I don't recall enough to give a proper review. Rewatch time!

Yeah, the rules for Captcha codes are all over the place. This example implies that they hold the general idea of an object, without any 'corruption' - but when John's Ghost Dad poster was defaced, its code did change.

The implication, I guess, is that defacing a poster counts as changing its nature, but spilling oil on a pogo ride does not. It's weird.

It is odd that it's marketed as a beta. Sburb and Sgrub seem almost identical, the latter's bifurcated session notwithstanding.

The human session failed, yes - but it failed due to manipulation, sabotage, and a generous helping of terrible luck. If Gamzee prototyped one of his clown posters, Jack's regicide could just as easily have happened in Sgrub.

All that said - when it comes to software development, I'd trust Sollux over Grandpa any day. If one of those games is more stable, it's Sgrub.

Alright, that one's actually pretty great lmao

[stormflower8]

read the comic for the first time

so, bear in mind that I read the comic AFTER I watched the movie. so, yes, I am biased. very much so. sorry LMAO

SPOILERS FOR BOTH THE MOVIE AND THE NOVEL BELOW!!

that being said, here are my thoughts!

storytelling:

I feel like I could TELL it was written originally on tumblr. the plot just felt like it wasn't planned at all, and like the story was built on vibes alone

it kinda felt almost- rushed? like, it very very much FELT like a webcomic, and though it wasn't that bad a feeling, it was strange for a hard copy

that being said, I think I ruined it for myself a little cause I read it all way too fast. sneaking chapters in the middle of precalc may not have been my best decision. characters:

ballister definitely was more Villainous

he demonstrated a more malicious intelligence which was cool!

meanwhile in the movie he's so all over the place and just a dumb gay man which is equally a vibe imo

still cared a lot about ambrosius

this is also true vice versa

it's like that scene in the movie were ambrosius is like "I'll hunt down ballister" but he did that to protect him, while in the novel ballister is all "if anyone will kill ambrosius, it'll be me" but he also did that to protect him

ambrosius was so dumb I wanted to punch him /pos

"let's fight because that is my job!" sir get your silly ass hair out of here

I'm kidding I am not going to diss The Hair

kinda living for the more complex and messy goldenheart. love the soft vibes of the movie though. both are good alternatives.

nimona was standard grade nimona. no surprises. different genre of trauma, but still our nimona

in terms of character design, movie has gotta win for me.

this being said, I am south asian and VERY partial towards ballister's design

and east asian ambrosius is absolutely amazing

but The Hair. ambrosius's hair was awesome in the book. I wouldn't say the movie "nerfed" it or "ruined" it, I just think it's different and ties into his backstory better

and realistically, a knight wouldn't have very long hair and if they did, they'd have to tie it back

I'm biased for asians what can I say plot:

what do you MEAN ballister technically killed nimona??? what the HELL???

really liked the ending though

I feel like ambrosius didn't redeem himself as well as he should've considering his blEW UP BALLISTER'S ARM

I actually assumed that goldenheart would be pre-established in the novel like it was in the movie and was shocked when it turned out to just be implied overall? I liked the movie better! but I'm also biased as hell and I saw the movie first and I sped through the novel, and I already had most of it spoiled for me LMAO that being said, the novel was AWESOME and I actually loaned it from a friend and I'm considering buying a copy for myself! great book, would absolutely recommend to everyone -Storm

[slashingdisneypasta]

Dorothy Must Die!Scarecrow x TinMan'sSecond-In-Command!Fem!Reader || Drabble

Plot: You're in love with the Tin Man, but he's in love with Dorothy. And the Scarecrow???... well... he's mean.

Warnings: Stitches, blood, unrequited love, Possessive behaviour.

This is a version of the The Wizard of Oz's Scarecrow from Danielle Paige's Dorothy Must Die series, in which he becomes a crafty, Frankensteinian mad scientist while the Tin Man is a love sick nightmare and the 'Cowardly' Lion is a blood thirsty monster. I definitely recommend checking it out if you like TWoOz (Including the book and the sequel movie).

Sitting on the Scarecrow's work bench with your wrist in his grasp, trying to ignore the sting that came from stitches (if anyone in Oz new how to sew, it was him), you felt just... the most miserable you've ever felt. Completely hurt. And grim.

"... he's never going to love me back, is he?" You ask rhetorically, for you already know the answer.

The Scarecrow, sitting in a wooden chair focused on your cut forearm (An accident the Tin Man left behind, reacting startled when you attempted to help him up off the ground where Queen Dorothy shoved him. She'd said whoops, but only he believed she didn't actually mean to do it. He was going for her delicate hand, after all), 'tuts'. "No, he he isn't."

You sigh. "I didn't really need an answer."

"Mhm, I know."

Here you look down and settle the glorified canvas bag with a frustrated, annoyed, cross look for his complete lack of empathy, and he just shrugs. Soulless button eyes as black as coal and blank as oblivion looking back at you. "Sorry. Was that rude?"

... he knows perfectly well that he's rude, so you just look away again; showing him a cold shoulder.

All the brains in the world wouldn't get him back what he's lost- his heart. It seemed they all lost something that one of the others coveted when they went to see that wizard. He gained the brain he so desired but he used to be kind, you hear. And now he's not. Contrary-wise, the Tin man got his heart but he seems... to have lost all courage. He's a punching bag for his love. And the Lion?? You hear he's courageous and formidable but is he smart enough to use that for good? You assume the answer to that is a no, considering the state of things here in Oz...

Below you the Scarecrow sighs, and flicks your hand onto your lap; finished. "I hope that's the last slice I stitch up for you this week. Learn to stop reaching for that tin for brains love struck puppy, Y/N. Lose enough blood from those knives he has for fingers these days, and you won't be so easy to fix." As he talks he gets up and shows his back to you, heading to flip through some of his current research (whatever horrible frankensteinian mockery of science his head has been full of recently. You shudder to think what it could be. You noticed syringes lying about... and you'd rather not ask.). Only talking to you absent-mindedly.

... he, of all Oz's people, knows its not that easy. You're in love with the Tin Man, and you'll never stop trying to help him. Ideally you'd make him see that Dorothy just hurts him... but you had to stop, that. It just broke your heart, watching him be so blind. So instead you'll help him up when he falls, you'll carry a can of heavy oil that hurts your hands all day just in case he needs it, you'll repeat his orders to his armies until tour voice goes hoarse-- and as his second in command, you have plenty of oppertunity to do all of this, hence why you're here being attended to by the Scarecrow so often. You don't have a choice in any of it though; you're in love. You suffer through it all, for love.

Even if that love is just a heavy ache in your chest that gets worse whenever you see him with her. You hate her so much; Dorothy. She ruined this land, and she ruined Tin.

And you hate that the Scarecrow always acts like you can just turn all this off. Like you're doing this to yourself on purpose. (Why would you do that??)

Instead of having that fight with him (again) though, you huff and hop off the bench. "Thank you for the stitches- I'm going back to work."

"Mhm, yeah, have fun with that."

With an eye roll, holding your wrist and rolling a thumb over the tight and precise, surgical stitches, you turn to leave the dank rooms that Scarecrow calls his. They're less like bed chambers and more like a basement laboratory, and you rather to spend as little time as possible here.

But before you can get too far, you're surprised to be grabbed by rough feeling gloves and drawn backwards. "Gah!- "

The Scarecrows fingers dig into an older wound, from earlier in the week, but he doesn't seem to care. "Wait a minute."

Didn't he turn away from you?? "No, I'm busy. I have work to do." You snap stubbornly, trying to slip your arm away from him but the Scarecrow is misleadingly strong.

"Don't care. Anyway- " He's tall, though not as tall as the Tin Man and certainly not as tall as he was strung up in the corn fields, but you still have to bend your neck back to see his disconcerting, still face. "Let me give you some advice- after all, I am the smartest being in all of Oz." He's serious, but there's always a twinge of smug pride when he works that into a conversation.

Sighing, you stop fighting him and stand still. Your blood is seeping out from the stitches he sewed into your skin earlier in the week and into his own 'skin', the fabric keeping his stuffings on the inside, but you just Stop. And listen. The sooner he gets done talking, gets finished making whatever point he was set on, the sooner that you can go clean yourself up. "... what?"

"Forget old Tin."

Immediately your jaw drops. "What are you talking about???"

"It's never going to happen with that old watering can. It's illogical for you to harbour feelings for him."

"I know it's not logical, but- "

The Scarecrow is uninterested in your 'but' evidently, because he cuts you off pointedly and goes on. "You need to set your sights on someone more attainable for you." He speaks carefully ans sternly, as if speaking to a very dumb child. "Y/N, you're a very... appealing, young lady. I have the utmost faith that you can find someone willing to have you."

... you do not like the sound of the Scarecrow complimenting you. He sounds sinister; you feel the hair on the back of your neck stand up. "-Um, yes, well-- I'll keep that in mind. Thank you- "

He sighs, and you get the feeling by the irritated tone in his voice that if he could- he'd roll his eyes at you. "You're dimmer then a box of broken bulbs." At that you open your mouth immediately in outrage to curse at him- but he raises a cloth finger and silences you before you've even said anything nasty. "What I'm saying, is- maybe you should be setting your sights on someone who sees you. Sees you, and recognises the wonderful fascinating creature that you are. The Woodman, charming as he may be," Something in Scare's tone suggests that he himself doesn't see it, that he rather thinks that Tin is a ridiculous fool, but he's acknowledging Tin's charms for your sake anyway. "... doesn't notice. Will never, notice."

-and there's the Scarecrow's blunt honesty again that you dont particularly like. Your heart plummets, though you know its only the truth."... that sounds good and simple, Scarecrow, but... " Finally, you slip your arm away from him. "I don't know anyone who thinks that of me." You shrug, then walk off again.

...

...

...

Just as you're reaching for the door, you're grabbed and thrust against the nearest smoke damaged wall. The Scarecrow's canvas, stitched face rears in close to yours- the yellow straw hair that sticks out from under his hat almost scratching your forehead. He sighs deeply, feigning a controlled exterior when you can feel how frustrated and angry he is in how tight he has you pinned to the wall. "... me, Y/N. I'm talking about me.

"... Now listen. You're going to forget about dumb old Woody, and focus on me for a change. Do you comprehend that??"

[slayerkitty]

BL/QL Ask game : The Ugly, the Bad and the Worst

Thanks to @clara-maybe-ontheroad and @twig-tea for tagging me!

The categories are :

Worst soundtrack / weirdest song choice in a BL: Oh man. Um. It might be the song that plays at the beginning of Wedding Plan, during Prapai and Sky's wedding, Battle of the Hymn Republic.

Most cringe-inducing line (cute): "Do you like grilled fish?" Pharm to Dean in UWMA, after they almost kissed, while standing in an aquarium.

Most cringe-inducing line (actually bad): "Keep looking at me like that and I'll kiss you til you drop," Wat to Tine, 2Gether. This line wouldn't be nearly so cringe-y or bad if said kissing had actually happened. It could've been hot. Instead it ends up feeling silly.

Most stupid decision made by a character: Pharm's grandfather/Korn's father keeping the loaded gun Korn and In used on themselves in what looks like a cookie tin-like box on his bookshelf for 30 years where anyone (*ahem* Pharm *ahem*) could find it.

Worst plot line: Chains of Heart - Din as Lue kills the man who tried to kill him and Ken years ago and instead of having a conversation with Ken about why he took on a new identity and pretended to be dead, etc, HE JUST LEAVES AND THEY NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN.

The most problematic show you've watched: Tharntype.

A show people love but you find bad: Tharntype.

A show people find bad but you will defend: Bed Friend. For all it's issues, it's themes around trauma, sex and mental health were amazingly well done.

A show that is just objectively bad but you enjoyed it: Unforgotten Night. It's awful. It's also campy and unpredictable in places and there's a m/m/m threesome, so...

A bad show that you kept watching because you were intrigued/fascinated: Chains of Heart. Something about it hooked me though it's not a well done show, lol. Plus it spawned our Chains of Confusion weekly chats, which I loved.

A bad show that you kept watching because you were horny: Why R U? It turned into a fanservice sexfest toward the end (thanks, Covid) but I can't even be mad because Zee and Saint went for it and I respect that.

A bad show that you kept watching because of that one character: Dinosaur Love. I watched for the chemistry between the mains and Chalarm.

A bad show that you would still recommend: Ummm... this is complicated because I think it would depend on who was asking. If it's a show with tropes I know the person asking would like, I would maybe recommend it with the caveat that it's bad, LOL.

The character that ruined a show the most: Pluern-Plang from Together With Me. Oh, I don't even know where to start with her. Also, Dr Bright, same show. UGH.

Most awful character that you hated: Uea's mother in Bed Friend. I actively wanted her to die and that is just not who I am.

Most awful character that you loved: Vegas, KinnPorsche. Oh, I have complicated feelings about him but overall I loved his character for just being evil and unapologetic.

A character that wasn't awful but that you just don't like: I couldn't think of an answer for this, LOL.

A hero that should have been a villain: Joke, Hidden Agenda. He should have been a stalker.

A morally bad character you're into: Literally every character in KinnPorsche, pretty much. I love them all. Morals? Those characters don't know her.

A morally bad character you're not into and you wish people would stop being into: I also couldn't think of an answer for this one. One will probably come to me later, LOL.

The show that disappointed you the most: Hidden Agenda. I am still feeling that burn. Chains of Heart also goes here. I still like both of them, I just had higher hopes for more.

The Worst Show of Them All Because of Your Own Reasons: Tharntype.

[eveindtub]

i know we're tired by now, but i have one take on only friends characters that i think we might be overlooking because of our own personal attachments (to them AND the actors).

you might have heard before of mirror/parallel characters (if you haven't, i'd recommend the read about it because it's very interesting) and whether it's the writers' purpose or not, i think we have these in the main six.

"Parallel characters, also known as mirror characters, are characters who share many similarities with each other. These similarities can be related to the characters' personalities, backgrounds, or motivations. By having so much in common, they are then able to highlight the differences between their decisions. The characters complement each other while revealing truths about each other that would otherwise have been difficult to spot."

my two cents on who is mirroring who in only friends is:

top - ray

mew - sand

boston - nick

if you leave favouritism at the door and pay real attention to these characters' background and personalities you'll see they're actually very similar, but they're moving on different directions because of, obviously, their different realities, surroundings, etc. what makes us, us.

top and ray are both rich kids with a sad past, and apparently problems with their parents, who ended up turning to drugs as a coping mechanism; both used to getting what they want, when they want and not taking a no for an answer. and funnily enough, maybe that's why they both despise each other (and fell for mew). i think these two are the most obvious mirror and it's what makes funnier to watch how different are the fandom's reactions for their actions every week. they're pretty much the same font, in different notebooks.

mew and sand are also easy to notice: quiet guys that are mostly worried about doing their own things and not messing with anyone's business; both very vocal about their needs and intentions and the only ones who seem to know how to draw and not to cross a line. the fact they end up getting involved with top and ray draws another interesting mirror: we can see two pairs with people that are pretty similar, but with very different routes.

it's almost like saying: hey, look at a&b and now look at c&d - this is what a&b could've been, under these circumstances - with different choices.

for boston and nick, i feel like it's more of a reach, but you can see they also have their similarities or they wouldn't have hit from the start (like let's be for real, that was insanity). i see them as the only ones that could understand each other, to the point that boston might not even think nick bugging his car was creepy (just be pissed bc it was behind his back). but then again, boston wears his insanity proudly while nick is more reserved: still, deep down they're very alike (in nick's own words, he's also nasty).

on another note, we have the public view on all of this: you just don't see them reacting with the same fervor about the similarities of the characters. for example, top has been painted as a red flag for doing things ray has as well - but ray is a lonely guy who needs love and care; not top. meanwhile, sand have been clapped as the most unproblematic character, but mew is definitely plotting something behind his good guy act. on boston and nick, there's just not much discourse even tho boston is pretty much the drama, so i'll leave it at that, but i think we took longer to judge nick for his actions, since he is quieter.

there's a quote that says:

"It is funny how different mirrors reveal different aspects, it must be like people you meet, you get to prefer the ones who show an image of you that you like." — Alain Bremond-Torrent

which i see like: even though these characters are very much alike, people keep picking this or that side because of their own perspectives on life, which don't necessarily means this or that character is in the wrong or is better than the other, but some interpretations have been muddled because of their own traits (or preferences?).

back to my first point, i don't know if the writers intended to make them like this on purpose, but the weekly discourse is showing how the reactions on very sensitive topics are just not the same if you just switch the character (or may i say, the actor?), to what i believe is one of the reasons behind writing mirror characters.

but the conclusion is, none of these characters are blank pages and they all have their wrongs. it doesn't make them villains or protagonists - they're all just parallel lines going through this mess and i wish we, as viewers, could be more impartial when judging those actions. when something is wrong, it is, no matter the one behind it. so let's stop witch-hunting some while patting the head of others.

[gibbearish]

it is with a heavy heart that i must announce. the five nights at freddy's movie was really good

sorry for how much of a behemoth this post is im fnaf autism just bear with me also i can't keep my thoughts straight for the life of me so this will be a bumpy ride. as an additional note i got very lucky and had literally 0 spoilers whatsoever for this movie, i haven't even seen the trailer

so first of all: i thought all the changes they made to the plot to make it work for a movie were good decisions, altho some of them did take a minute to actually feel like good changes lmao. once i thought about em a bit more though they made sense.

one of the things i really liked was that they also did include a lot of the things i wanted them to, or more specifically things that you're like "you literally can't have a fnaf movie without these, it just wouldn't be right", like we got mike schmidt, we got fucking VANESSA??? altho she might be in the trailer so that might not be the same reveal for yall as it was for me but still. they heavily alluded to vanny? (altho that's a part i'm kinda sad abt is they didn't /actually/ include vanny, vanessa just makes an offhand comment about how she "wouldn't be much help" if she was around afton and then. comes to help anyways and doesnt have any issues? lame they shouldve had him hypnotise her and then she fought her way out to help mike and abby. or alternatively they couldve used the family restructuring to make vanny be a result of afton giving vanessa osdd-2, like thats kinda functionally what he does with the mask anyways but this would make it more obvious).

also swinging back to changes they made that i liked!! VANESSA AFTON?? like this is the one that took me a while to get used to bc it feels like such a cliche from an outside perspective but it also kind of Super Isn't considering what the original plot is? like all the family restructuring they did makes pretty good sense to me, i do think it loses a bit of the weight having michael be Just Some Guy Whose Brother Happened To Be Kidnapped By Afton Forever Ago and now coincidentally has this weird guy offering him a job as a night guard, but also the og lore. absolutely would not fit into a movie lmao. so i like that they kept the characters everyone wanted around while also rearranging it to keep the spirit of "learning about all of this for the first time through the eyes of a security guard" you get from playing the games. it's fun for people who don't know the lore because it's easy to follow and it's fun for people who /do/ know the lore because they can pull apart all the differences.

oh right back to things they included that i wanted them to. we gotttt chica's cupcake murdering people, we got FUCKING MATPAT? SAYING THE ITS JUST A THEORY LINE? SOUNDING THRILLED OFF HIS ASS TO BE THERE??? i dont like the man and his opinions vis a vis addressing nonbinary characters but. goddamn was that a funny cameo. why couldnt you include markiplier too you fucking cowards. who said that. anyways. oh we kind of tangentially have a canon name for crying child? aka garrett? like idk this one could go either way because like. yeah he's mike's younger brother that died tragically and scarred him for life, makes sense that theyd be the same character in function but also it is technically a different family so who knows.

umm what else. oh this doesnt rlly fall into either category i just really liked it, the intro sequence for all the animatronics? showing what they can /really/ do with the breaking and entering dudes?? that was such a cool sequence i really liked the whole thing honestly. chica being introduced in the kitchen and the dude finding the cupcake then looking back and it's gone? bonnie in the supply closet? foxysprint??? AND FREDDY!! THE BITE!!! in case anyones reading this before watching the movie so they know what to expect: youll know when this moment is coming and if youre watching it at home with friends i HIGHLY recommend having the "was that the bite of 87" clip ready to play right after, they WILL lose their shit. i had it queued up from the very beginning of the movie cause i was like. they can't not include it /somehow/, it's the fnaf movie there has to be A Bite. and sure enough. oh also it's not at the same time but the golden freddy reveal is really good too, they did a good job of setting it up so even if youre already aware of golden freddy conceptually you still go "oh freddy's here? i mean i guess that makes sense he's the leader and all. or wait what happened to his eye why's he only got one? oh. oh i see. ohohohohohohohoho" 100/10. also very funny that they just straight up. MURDER THE AUNT? AND SHE NEVER GETS MENTIONED AGAIN SHE JUST IS DEAD??? the kid isnt like. hey what happened to aunt jane?? i get none of them liked her and with good reason but youd think at least one of em would be like "damn she sucked but she didnt deserve that, rip jane"

oh and the springlocks of course the springlocks. like as soon as we saw aftons name in the cast list we all knew he was gonna get springlocked, it's such a cherished memory for so many of us and there's no way in hell The Fnaf Movie™ wouldnt include afton getting springlocked, they just legally can't leave that out. and they do it pretty well too like yeah if you know what's gonna happen you can see it coming way ahead of time and it's kind of a slow crawl to get there but like. idk i think it still works pretty well. i don't personally like how long the actual springlocking itself took, i think they couldve milked that a little bit less cause i was under the impression that if one springlock failed they All Would Instantaneously And Your Flesh Body Will Become Occupied By A Full Endoskeleton. but no we just get very slow rib beartrap. w/e though still cool and again the leadup to it was really good even knowing exactly how it would end, like just the really slow shuffling of the animatronics towards him? like yeah it's slow and kinda tedious but its also like. theres literally nothing you can do, youre surrounded and defenseless and theyre infinitely faster and stronger than you and now they remember that you killed them. and you just have to sit there and watch them slowly slowly get closer all while trying to talk your way out of it knowing youre fucked. 10/10 they did that part well

oh and that also falls under changes i liked, i liked that instead of "afton tries to escape intangible ghosts by getting into old decrepit suit which then fails and kills him" it was "afton was already in the suit to do murders in and has brainwashed the bots to follow him" wait omg point postponed i just realized that part is from security breach. i thought vanessa was the only thing they brought over from that i didnt even notice that they werent doing the theyre-attacking-all-adults-indiscriminately thing goddamn. omg wait and the fact that the restaurants already closed in this one, it really is just a blend of all the games huh. scott do you see how much more coherent your plot couldve been if there wasnt So much going on. anyways. back to what i was saying. instead of "afton tries to escape intangible ghosts by getting into old decrepit suit which then fails and kills him" it was "afton was already in the suit to do murders in and brainwashed the ghosts into thinking he was their friend so they would help him do murders while possessing the robots. then they get their memories back and the robots turn on him and.. i think deliberately? set off the springlocks, or were just aiming to regular kill him and the springlocks failing was a happy accident? then the robots drag him away as they keep slowly one by one collapsing into him", like the first one made a lot of sense for the game and the timeline and the second one just feels right for this too. it's still his hubris that kills him, still his springlocks, it's just in one version the hubris is "trusting his springlock design to still work after however many years" and in the other its "thinking he has conplete control over the ghosts he killed", plus the ghosts finally get a bit more direct participation in his death than in the other version lol.

one change i did not like. forced het romance. like i dunno i guess im happy for them, both of those characters have certainly earned happy endings by this point so its nice they can get something cutesy. but also. like cmon man it's vanessa and mike do we have to do this she just got stabbed stop holding her hand

oh also this change wasnt really good or bad i just thought it was funny, vanessas a full on cop now? like i get they prolly just dont wanna have two security guards or something but i mean. it wouldve been really easy to just say she was the day shift guard? thatd explain why she had more information on the bots and the place's history than him, why she's always Around, it wouldve even flowed into the vanessa afton reveal pretty well too because like. yeah obviously a guy doing murders would want his main security guard to be someone he trusts and who better than his theoretically brainwashed daughter yknow? as it was she just kinda Showed Up Knowing Stuff And Ignoring Questions and later afton's like "you were supposed to be keeping an eye on him" but like of course Mike was getting dodgy about the weirdo cop loitering nearby for no reason, thats sus as hell lmao. vs "experienced security guard here to show you the ropes" he would have a much easier time trusting that she actually did have his best interests at heart. idk it just seemed like a weird change to me lmao

ummm oh my roommate pointed out the fact that when they tried to springlock abby the suit they were aiming for looked suspiciously like circus baby and abby and baby are anagrams so thats fun. it's hard to tell though if shes intended to be a rework of elizabeth or if vanessa's filling that role now. cause like on the one hand, michael's younger sister whose name is v close to baby, on the other hand, vanessa is afton's daughter. so idk i feel like it could go either way. if abby's elizabeth i guess that negates the thing about garret maybe being crying child's name bc then theyd prolly just be keeping mike's name the same. w/e

oh my god i completely forgot when i was talking about changes to the afton springlock thing, they had him deliberately put his mask on after the other springlocks started releasing and say the "i always come back" line, i thought that was an excellent touch. like he's actively dying a horrific death and is like. no no. im not leaving this bot. this shit is going to suck ass no matter what so i might as well do all i can to ENSURE my soul gets locked in this fuckin thing, go on stab me in the brain lets do this. i will however also say that having him say "i always come back"... before he's even come back the first time? is a little bit weird, i know thats another one of the "we have to include this in the fnaf movie" things so im not mad but just in the moment it def flows a bit weird. like mf you don't even have one example of that yet much less several to be saying "always" about

OH AND THE BIGGEST ONE. THE ANIMATRONICS. theyre so good. like im so glad they went all in on that, i think they probably knew that if there was one single thing they had to get absolutely 100% right to avoid a fan uprising it was those and by god did they deliver, theyre so big and so unsettling and so fun. chica's wink at abby was the best part of the movie no questions asked. or alternatively bonnie falling over after they built the fort. like theyre all just so good. OH MY GOD OR IN CHICA'S INTRODUCTION SEQUENCE WHERE YOU CAN SEE HER JUST. SCOOTING BY THROUGH THE VENT?? THAT WAS THE FUNNIEST THING OF ALL TIME HELLO???

god. but yeah i was honestly expecting it to be a lot worse than it was. also this mike is a bad brother/dad figure. but i guess in the games he also kind of is the pinnacle of bad brother so i mean it couldve been a lot worse. theres definitely some rough parts, i mightve mentioned this already but i felt like a few of the dramatic pause things were a bit too drawn out, like i said the springlocks locking is one good example of that but another that i REALLY found slow was like. in the opening we watch a guy get turbomurdered by the swirly blade mask and it takes. way longer than i feel like was necessary. also unnecessary: a jumpcut a second from scared eyes to swirly blades to hands fumbling and repeating during that. oh another thing that was weird to me, why was mike so insistent on sleeping specifically at night? to the point of deliberately sleeping on the job? like i get he wanted to revisit the kidnapping dream but like. presumably he could dream just as well during the day, no? done his night shift then once it was up rolled out a sleeping bag for a quick powernap before heading home? idk that just felt. forced to me

more random things, i am sad we didnt get a whiff of henry emily (my fringe theory was that their twist to change it from the games was they were gonna make henry be evil, rip to that idea) or the puppet/charlie, and kinda sad they changed the kid possessing golden freddy to be a boy like. we love cassidy and her Undying Rage Towards Afton's Soul smh why would you get rid of her. also loved balloon boy, kinda wish mangle had gotten like a similar level appearance but thats w/e. oh also while i did appreciate the low gore level there were also a few times where it was a bit weird how minor the injuries the dead people had were. like this man just had his face put in a blender mask and he just has like. some forehead gashes or whatever? he should look like someone stirred up jello

anyways with that gross thought i think i am out of things to say about the movie for now. if anyone else watched it already and somehow read all of this blease tell me your thoughts

[choiliner]

Alright, so about the whole Made In Abyss situation, I shared some of my opinions here, but I've been looking into it more closely so I could finally make up my mind about it. I don't really stan any of the idols involved in this controversy except for Soobin, so he's the one I'll be talking about, but I guess some of this might be applicable to those who only mentioned watching the anime.

I'm putting this under a read more bc it's long as fuck but anyway. I'll probably repeat myself a lot but I'm just trying to organize my thoughts. If you plan on coming for my head please read the full thing first.

First of all, once again, the whole "he said he does NOT recommend it" argument is not valid for me at all. As I've said before, just the fact that he mentioned it as something he was enjoying at the time is enough of a recommendation to most fans. Let's stop using that as an argument.

I watched an interesting deep dive about the anime where she talks about the controversial content, and I also took the time to read some long comments people left under that video. From what I've gathered, most of the problematic content is used in a way to make you see it as wrong and fucked up, much like other pieces of media have done multiple times before. The biggest problem is the use of children in those scenarios. Even though it's for shock value, it seems to be something that most of the people who enjoyed MiA have a big problem with.

It also seems that 99.99% of the people who have enjoyed it, enjoyed it for the world building and the main plot (the main character going into the abyss to look for her mother). I've watched/read some reviews (not linking them bc they're in Portuguese) and most people only really talk about these aspects, and how scary some parts are. When the problematic parts are mentioned, it's to complain that they aren't necessary and shouldn't be there. They acknowledge it's problematic and make it clear they're uncomfortable with that. It's a general consensus that people didn't like the problematic parts and they agree that they should've been removed. I got the same type of reaction/opinion from my friend's friends who watched the anime in question.

I've seen multiple people saying the Korean version of the anime is heavily censored to remove all the pedophiliac content. I've seen multiple (Korean) people saying they've watched it and it had none of those things that are being brought to light. I've seen people claiming that many of the things that are being brought up are actually from the original manga and the movie (which allegedly wasn't even aired in SK). Reportedly the 15+ rated version was being aired (and highly popular) in SK at the time. And to be honest, like I said in previous posts, if you remove all the problematic parts and you enjoy scary stories, then the anime sounds like a great option to watch.

"Soobin said once he watched 18+ rated animes, therefore he was DEFINITELY watching the original version": I don't think that's something you can claim for sure. 18+ doesn't always mean sexual, too. Plus, apparently even the 19+ rated version of the anime is censored in SK to remove the problematic parts?? So idk.

Even if he were watching the 19+ version, like I said, I haven't seen anyone who enjoyed the anime and DIDN'T have a problem with those problematic parts. Everyone seems weirded out by it. Plus, from what I've gathered, the more """subtle""" problematic parts are things you only really notice if you're watching it critically.

What's getting to me the most is: 1) He mentioned it over a YEAR ago, and somehow NOBODY cared about it at the time. It was only brought to light NOW, and it's only now that people are seeing a problem with it and pointing out what's wrong with the source material — something that went over everyone's heads at the time. Wouldn't anyone point this out earlier? 2) Would he honestly come out and say he's enjoying the anime on a livestream to thousands of watchers if he were watching the original version with all the gross CP stuff? Being an idol (and the leader of one of the most prominent groups we have in 4th gen, under one of the biggest kpop agencies), he's usually very cautious with what he can and cannot say. We've seen it before, and that's enough for me to think it's most likely not the case.

"Nobody should be promoting the work of a pedophile", yes, you're right, I agree with you 100% there!!! But I don't personally run a background check on the creators of every single piece of media I consume, and most people don't either. I don't know jack about the writers of most of the stuff I've watched. I highly doubt he'd go researching the background of the writers of everything he watches, so I don't think it's fair to hold this against anyone as an argument to cancel them.

I'm all for holding our favs accountable, I think it's important to call them out. I've unstanned people before because of problematic behaviors that made me feel like they didn't deserve the time I was putting into them, things that made me feel disgusted by them. But most of us have watched shows/movies with problematic themes, and it doesn't mean we condone them in real life. Of course, there's a limit and I wouldn't support someone actively enjoying basically CP, but considering everything I've said above, I genuinely don't think that's the case. In my head it doesn't make sense at all for me to think he'd just be like "heyyy I like borderline CP content it's so interesting <3", considering how much BigHit/HYBE is always up their asses when it comes to maintaining a good image.

On the other hand, I still think he shouldn't have mentioned it. As he said it himself, it's disturbing (which is what that word translated as "provocative" meant), so even without all the CP stuff it's still not something he should've mentioned by name to an audience of mostly young fans, a majority of which are very impressionable. It's even worse if he was watching the 19+ version even if it's still allegedly censored in SK. If I remember correctly, he has mentioned animes without mentioning their names before (or maybe that was just once? I'm not sure), so he could've just done that.

However, I personally don't think there's enough reason for me to unstan him, at least for the time being. After doing research for hours on end and doing my best to think logically and objectively, it doesn't make sense for me to do that.

Of course, you are entitled to stop liking a celebrity for whatever reason, or even for no reason at all. It's your right, there's nothing wrong with it, and please don't let ANYONE tell you otherwise!!! But if you decide to unstan, please let's be level-headed about this and not go around throwing people under the bus without knowing the full story. You can call people out and dislike them without being disrespectful towards others. And please don't go around calling people pedophiles, that is a VERY heavy word that shouldn't be thrown around so lightly.

I did my research and I'm still reading/watching stuff about it, and I think it's important for everyone to do the same rather than jumping on an extremist bandwagon (be it to defend or to condemn anyone). Your opinion is always valid as long as it is yours, not someone else's. I'm just sharing mine, and you have a right to disagree if you want to, but let's all be civil about this, alright?

You're free to mute Soobin's tag or even unfollow me, if you want. I'll keep him out of my blog for a few more days, probably, considering how fresh all of this still is.

[hifumihime]

Not sure anyone will read/care about this but I need a spot to vent about this whole "Idols "recommending" Made in Abyss" thing that's currently trending on twitter because I feel like I'm losing my mind (also I have no one else to talk about this).

So, one tweet from an unverified account posted that several idols were out here promoting and recommending the manga/anime Made in Abyss to their fans... and like... that's not at all what happened? One of them mentioned in a live off hand that he was going to watch it (along with a list of other shows), but stated he probably wouldn't finish them because he was currently touring. He apparently has never brought it up again. Another had a volume on the floor in the corner of a photo he took on his instagram story. He has also never talked about it before or since.

I have not read or watched Made in Abyss, but I follow several anime accounts online and basically every single person was recommending this show when it came out in 2017. It's still highly regarded in the anime community. I have never seen a single person ever speak about the "sexual" moments in it. I was curious and decided to read the first 3 chapters and... yeah, there's one part right in chapter 1 that has a pretty gross illustration of the child protagonist, which I'm not going to go into more detail here because it did make me extremely uncomfortable. I will note that apparently the South Korean version of the manga/anime is heavily censored and also rated mature, but I've not seen what the censoring in question looks like, so I don't know how much they could have read/watched that in, say, the North American/Japanese versions.

My overall opinion, after sleeping on this, is that calling these idols predators or worse is an extreme over-exaggeration. I'm not surprised people are saying this because the tendency for fandoms to overreact and be the morality police are worse than ever before, but if we're really cancelling these people for reading "problematic" fiction/dead dove content, then I'd be right alongside them.

From my physical manga collection alone, I can name three series I own that would get me cancelled:

After the Rain: protagonist, a high school girl, falls in love with an older man (mid-40s?) who serves her at a family diner. She starts working there, and they develop a friendship. Spoiler: nothing happens between them

Cardcaptor Sakura: pretty well known magical girl series so I won't go into the plot, but like.... looking back on it, there were a TON of age-gap romances in here, one of which being a teacher and an elementary school student. I remember being in elementary school and reading it for the first time and being weirded out by it. Spoiler: nothing happens here either (though I have not read the clear card sequel series)

Daytime Shooting Star: Romance with a love triangle between her teacher (wow I'm realizing I read a lot of age gap/teacher/student stuff) and a classmate. Spoiler: she doesn't end up with her teacher!!

I can think of a ton of other non-anime related examples of "problematic"/dark fiction that I love too: Game of Thrones, Last of Us, House of Leaves, My Dark Vanessa.... One of the best books I've read last year was about a cannibal. I guess to twitter, I am also a cannibal?

I think the unfortunate reality of being an anime fan is that basically 80% of the shit out there has "problematic" elements to it, or as I like to call it, "anime bullshit". And I think a lot of kpop fans have not actually watched anime or read manga and aren't aware of this.

You're allowed to feel uncomfortable with fiction. You're allowed to be weirded out that an idol likes a dark manga that has children as the main protagonists, where awful things happen to them. But at the same time, people are allowed to read dark content as well and that does NOT make them pedos, abusers, etc. That is a horrible accusation to make against someone, especially with no proof other than the fact that they may or may not own a volume of an extremely popular manga series. I really feel like the internet as a whole does not realize that words have meaning, and accusing someone of such vile behavior because of the fiction they may or may not read is just... insane. It's insane behavior. Please go outside.

Anyway if you read all of this, congrats. I'm basically word vomiting this all out at 6 am because I'm bad at sleeping. Would love to hear anyone else's thoughts on the matter honestly!

[mejomonster]

Mysterious Lotus Casebook, ep 2:

So I really like Joseph zengs character. He gets better at acting each show i see him in. I love Fangs personality

Fang really did follow this doctor to his tiny mobile house and said You're Having me at Dinner, I brought drinks, work with me, drink with me whether you like it or not, my shifu is like xianyu and my uncle was the guy he died for (that lianhua is relentlessly still searching for the body of). ;-;

Fang also said your cooking sucks, my case here was kept private so fuck you help me More, also I can't actually pay Even though I'm used to being a rich bitch, I hero worshipped li xianyu, I saved your life TWICE DUDE do what I say (you can tell he's used to getting his little way uvu), and "I ran from an arranged marriage I'm not made for politics feel bad for me, i was made to bring justice to the world and make a name for myself~" and li lianhua hit him back with the "-.- I couldn't give a shit about your sob story or anyone's, I'm not looking to be heroic I'm just trying to mind my business dude."

He saved li lianhua twice that's so fucking funny to me. So like, I had a running count once of How Many Times wu xie swooned in dmbj dramas (lmao you can guess how BIG that list got) and how many times xiaoge saved him (if you guess once per episode that's probably the rough average). So it is. Particularly funny to me that wu xies actor is now the guy chronically saving another damsel. I hope fang saves li lianhua at least once per episode! Fuck it, I love twice per episode why not continue that! I want li lianhua falling in his arms repeatedly, nonstop, to the point its expected. I would very much enjoy that trope (and letting Joseph zengs character get to be the savior in said trope more uvu)

It's also funny cause wu xie was a prickly kitten of a damsel in distress. Whereas li lianhua is adamantly acting like he was NEVER about to die in the first place. There's mm... there's probably character details in there... something to be said about li lianhua not afraid of dying, or emotionally heavy enough he wouldn't mind getting to after 10 years of not dying from a poison when he Should Have and a mortal wound when he Should Have. Idk about other people, but when I got really chronically sick and I was in the ER almost dying a lot for months. Mm. It got to a point where I was like why can't my body just hit me all at once and let me live or die like when I got appendicitis, why does it have to be hurting me slowly and I just have to bear it and it's slow enough I have to get up and fight it every day and it may never end. And it's like I dunno, I see in li lianhua the ghosts of those kind of feelings. Maybe. We'll see I guess if it gets that emotionally heavy. Back to the point though, I find his character interesting and different than sifeng (which again I really appreciate lol)

I just. I love Joseph zengs character in this

I like the episode structures so far??? It feels like 2 parters, which helps to break up watching. And it seems it cheapened out on wasting time on some scenes in order to spend more time on case plots, which I think is a good choice

My gay rating? Not as gay (yet) as Word of Honor or Lord Critical World. Though reminding me of both shows. (Lord Critical World is WILD BTW and full of dmbj actors so I highly recommend it for a Weird Time). It is however striking me as having the potential to have as shippy vibes (at minimum) as Ultimate Note. Which I mean. I'm optimistic I guess?

Anyone else beyond refreshed to see a real dog instead of a cgi animal in one of these shows?

I'm curious how closely this follows the novel. Because I'm quite liking the show. If the novel is Just as good or better, I'll definitely be checking out the novel.

I am l...doubting it's intentional, but li lianhua's whole Setup feels VERY modern ordinary man, despite the wuxia setting and him being The Best Heroic Swordsman ever 10 years prior (and the Miracle Medicine Man/smart liar now). Despite the very belonging to this genre Character Setup, cheng yi plays him like a modern ordinary 35 year old, and a lot of character Details just strike as. Very relatable. Having a dog you share dinner with, living in a small mobile home (ultimately), having your own little garden (and budget being tight), trying to learn how to cook because you have to make good food for Yourself, lying to protect yourself in a shady environment (rather than playing Brazen Hero who picks a fight like one expects in this kind of shows hero type), been sick a long time and in no way in their prime anymore (even though he's relatable to me thats also lol just generally relatable to anyone who's aged and realized they can't be The Best at sports anymore or something), focused on people he loves now and being roughly fair instead of Saving the World (a very relatable goal and one I feel like a lot of people gravitate toward as they age: you don't always keep believing you personally will be a superstar or billionaire or save the planet on your own, and while it's awesome if you still do, you also start realizing you're satisfied to also just make sure your loved ones are supported and your local neighborhood has a food pantry you support and you get invested in what you can do today right now everyday to help in little ways).

[idleglowingpixels]

Okay so, I watched the Miraculous Ladybug movie...

Originally I wasn't going to because the show was such a massive disappointment (mainly Seasons 4 and 5), and I mentally put my foot down saying I wasn't gonna consume anymore official content from the franchise. But morbid curiosity be damned, my God, it was probably everything I could have asked for from a movie for the franchise.

(Spoilers Ahead)

I'm gonna start with my critiques, with a lack of chronology, only so I can save the good parts for the end. I have a lot of nice things to say and I wanna end the post on a good note!

They really could've spent the time it took for Tikki and Marinette's song for the kwamis to explain the powers to Marinette and Adrien (and, in turn, the audience that might not know about/haven't seen the series). I love that song, and I thoroughly enjoyed Tikki's more sassy mentor-like position she takes in the movie, but I do feel that the powers are a bit difficult to understand if you're a newcomer to the show.

The fact Plagg, my favorite character from the series, got dumbed down to a fart joke made me so upset. It felt a lot like when Plagg got dumbed down to purely cheese puns and poor writing, he didn't feel as significant to Adrien's side of the story as Tikki was to Marinette's. RIP Plagg with nuance. :') To be completely honest, I think Plagg was really the only downgrade in characterization here though.

Did anyone else notice Nooroo had a different English VA in the movie??? I heard it and was like "WAIT YOU'RE NOT BEN DISKIN NOOOOO" haha. In fact it made me TERRIFIED they replaced Tikki and Plagg too, but I'm so happy they didn't. I don't hate the new voice tho! It does fit the character, but definitely leaned too grown-up and feminine sounding for me. I got too used to the squeaky, scared little baby voice Ben gave him. (EDIT: I actually really like the new voice lowkey, I think it's just as good as Ben but I do miss Ben for sure haha)

Obviously, the pacing had to heavily rely on montages throughout to move the story along due to the 90-minute runtime. I think of all children's film franchises to deserve a trilogy, this was the one, especially because of its international and overlapping appeal between its target audience and older fans. If we got the 3-act structure of this film evenly divided between 3 separate movies, it would've had much more time to flesh out the current cast of characters and narrative they were trying to tell. It's definitely the movie's biggest fault in my opinion, but I think fans of the series who have a baseline knowledge of the plot at the very least will enjoy the movie (unless they don't like musicals, I suppose).

I thought the best way to describe what it felt like watching boils down to "if someone took the series and wrote it into a 10k-to-20k-word oneshot fic." And I mean this affectionately, but with most fanfiction, generally you'd have pre-established knowledge of the world and how it works. The movie kind of goes off the assumption you have a baseline knowledge, so I wouldn't recommend it as a starting point for the show (tho I'd NEVER recommend the actual show to anyone), if only because it's so jarringly different in terms of their powers and characters. You'd only be setting up your poor friends for disappointment. :'D

The songs were fun, they're nothing crazy, but they're adorable. My only complaint for the songs is Marinette's singing VA being different than her speaking VA, another common complaint I've shared with others. Her singing VA is a wonderful singer, don't get me wrong, but Christina Vee/Valenzuela is such a talented singer and I would've loved to hear her sing for Marinette. I know Bryce wasn't singing for Adrien either, but his singing VA sounded similar enough that it wasn't as bothersome.

Okay, the best parts, let's go:

Now, admittedly, the story is rushed to hell and back. As a writer, I can't understate that. But what I can give the writing props for, unlike the show, is having its narrative not get overblown and out-of-focus. By the end of the series, there's so many characters and micro-arcs to keep track of -- Kagami's friendship with Lila, Luka's awareness of Ladybug & Chat Noir's identities, Alix being forced out of the picture at the start of Season 5, the ZagHeroes and Fae from the two specials that aired between S3 & S4, the fact I could go on should speak volumes enough -- that the actual story of the show crumbles beneath the weight of it all.

The movie condenses this narrative, and in doing so, it sets up the main characters of this film and what's looking like the next film, should this movie succeed. The main focus is on Marinette, Adrien and his father Gabriel, all of whom are well-known as the main heroes and villain of the series respectively. Through their stories, we somehow have that "vintage era" Miraculous charm that the first season or two of the show had, and also gave an ACTUALLY GOOD AND SATISFYING CONCLUSION TO THE STORY -- Sorry, I got sidetracked, we'll get back to that point later.

We also have Alya, Nino, Chloe and Nathalie, all in the movie BUT as a minor focus. The trio of kids get a bit more screentime than Nathalie, but they're present just enough to imply that they'll be important for the next film (Which I assume will have a return of Rena Rouge, Carapace, Queen Bee and Mayura respectively).

The animation, the big selling point of this film for most people, is incredible. Even seeing leaks before the movie dropped, you could tell this thing had cost big bucks for its animation. Apparently it was one of France's highest-budget animated films? It was gorgeous, I don't have much complaints with it, the style they were going for was just eye candy animation. Everyone's designs got elevated in this style, I think the only criticism I have for that is that Alya's hairstyle could've been changed to reflect the volume it has in the show, it looks a bit too thin and flat for my liking. But I guess that's just personal preference.

Master Fu! He's back, and he's a cooky AND wise old man! I was ecstatic to see him back. Once he was written out of the show in S3's finale, the show hasn't felt the same tbh. Idk why, but I didn't realized I missed him as much as I did until seeing him at the start of the movie. XD

No sentimonster bullshit shenanigans, THANK GOD. I really like the concept of senti-people, but good lord, the show's story was overly complex as it was, the movie didn't need to go making it worse. (Note, I got nothing against the theories! I just can't stand how the show executed that aspect of the plotline. It's awfully vague for absolutely no reason and screams that it was shoe-horned into the plot around mid-S3 for fan interest. The show only suffers from the inclusion of implications for the theories.)

And I'm SO HAPPY they gave Adrien some motherfucking agency. That scene where his father walks down the stairs looking disheveled af, demanding Adrien listen to him only for Adrien to say he doesn't have a father or that he lost his father a long time ago?!? Amazing. Bare minimum shit, yes, but it was executed so well. And him being an angsty teen, drowning out his solitude through music, and getting a bit of an ego through his Chat Noir persona? When I tell you this movie feels like a fanfic (affectionately), I mean it. It feels like the writers were actually competent enough to understand how to make a character 3-dimensional.

Same goes for Marinette. As much as I miss Rose, Juleka, Mylene and Alix being her friends, I think having Marinette start as a loner with no friends made her parallel with Adrien's feelings of isolation. Her arc of gaining her confidence and befriending Alya, Nino and Adrien, while Adrien's arc focuses on his grief and learning to open up to others again, was a nice contrast. And both of them actually felt equally important, which was probably the best part for me. (Side-tangent; If they introduce Kitty Section into a possible next film (which would make sense since they're a band and this movie is a musical adaptation), Marinette could befriend the old friend squad through the band. Maybe they could even be manipulated by Mayura in the next movie, and we could get a 5v5 battle between the Miraculous 5 and Rose, Juleka, Mylene, Luka and Ivan's amoks...? Just an idea I thought of on the spot.)

I didn't hate any of the songs, and the general consensus I've seen is that Hawk Moth's villainous song in the midst of the film was the best one (an opinion of which I agree, I had watched this with my cousin and we both agreed to start the song over after listening to it the first time, and it was the only song we did that to on our viewing). It also made the transformation into becoming Hawk Moth truly feel like a Jeckyll and Hyde style situation for Gabriel, like Hawk Moth was the alter-ego he could use to let his grief consume him and drive him mad. I'm a sucker for Jeckyll and Hyde tropes, and while it might've been intended, that's how I'm interpreting it. It was honestly a great change, and I joked that the top hat during the song made Hawk Moth officially a Tumblr sexyman lmao.

The 3-way reveal. WE GOT THE 3-WAY REVEAL. NO PREACHY, TIME-WASTING REVERSALS, NO BULLSHITTING FROM ASTRUC. WE ACTUALLY GOT THE 3-WAY REVEAL BETWEEN LADYBUG, CHAT NOIR AND HAWK MOTH. And it was just as fucking fantastic as the show ABSOLUTELY SHOULD HAVE made it. There was NO EXCUSES for the show's ending for Gabriel/Hawk Moth to be as atrocious as it was, nor for Adrien to be completely fucking absent and not have an identity reveal -- and I refuse to let anyone say executive meddling was the reason for it. Jeremy Zag was Astruc's executive, and clearly with the movie being his passion project, Zag cares enough about the franchise that he wouldn't prevent Astruc from writing a good story. But Astruc is a horrible writer, whose faults really began to shine the more tone-deaf and preachy his writing of the show got. Istg, half of the episode's "lessons" was just Astruc venting his frustrations against fans who had valid criticism of the writing. But goddamn, it's gotta be real embarrassing for Astruc to have his own franchise/story made and written better for a 90-minute film by his colleague than he could write with 5 seasons and over 100 episodes...Yikes. XD

When I tell you some parts of the movie -- the kwamis having a bit more agency themselves (Nooroo popping out of the brooch was so cute!!! :'D), the characters in general, Gabriel's story (tho it could've used more GabeNath imo lol), the focus on the characters while also having some engaging & wild battles, the long-awaited identity reveal, the masquerade ball trope -- felt like aspects the series just completely didn't have or vastly underutilized, it's insane. The difference between the film and series is like night and day.

Overall, it wasn't the best-written movie, but it's EXACTLY what I assume most Miraculous fans desperately craved from the show that crumbled its quality in its hands, spat on it, threw it in a garbage bin and lit it on fire. I genuinely saw parts of this movie that paralleled the rewrite fic I wanna write for the series soon (THE CAT IN ADRIEN'S ROOM WHEN HE FINDS THE RING BRUH), and unlike the series, which inspired me by how bad it was, the movie had a few parts that were so well-written that it inspired me to write scenes as good as those (THE FUCKIN PART WITH LADYBUG SAYING "I need to go..." AND THE DESPERATION IN CHAT'S "...Don't...").

I feel similar after-the-fact as I did with the Super Mario Bros Movie -- imperfect, but satisfactory to pre-established fans of the franchise. If anyone you know ever wants to give the franchise a chance, I'd honestly exclusively recommend this movie, and maybe S1-S2. A solid 8/10, only having a high ranking because of how much fun and entertaining this film was to me, a fan since around S2's airing.

[monstrouslyobsessed]

still working on a thing and ima try and throw up another concept or hc later today tomorrow~now ima answer some asks < 3

tw: n'sfw subjects, kink talks, pregnancy(-related) mentions

What blogs and writers(ones that do dark romance stuff) do you recommend? —anonymous

i get this question a lot tbh, i should think about adding to faq, but uhhhhh, depends on what you're looking for. original or fandom? most of my mutuals, friends, and writers i liked/found write genshin, jojo, and other popular fandoms.

if original works only, i haven't found many, no, and tumblr ain't great with their rec feed (99% time they're fandom only).

@dear-yandere (she's not active, but i love her works sm) made a post you can look through! linky link

Favorite kinks to write in your opinion? —anonymous

uhm, i'm sure you can tell with most of my works lol but ig i can explain why i like a certain few. rest tho, i just like them lol

pregnancy / pregnancy sex / oviposition, im actually a touch tokophobic irl, but in writing, its not so much on for children (they're cute though) but because it's the near-total loss of control over one's body, if that makes sense. as its my thing to write the darling losing control to their possessive spouse, pregnancy is one of my go to.

monster dick(s), because we could use some variety in our d's lol human d's is good too though ofc

stomach bulge / cumflation, p similar to pregnancy in some ways, the darling loses the sense of losing their body to the other. (pseudo?) body destruction, really.

size differences, because i want to be picked up and be carried sometimes

yeah, most of the kinks i listed here had to do with the loss of control.

YES I CAN U BACK DEAR 💕💕💕💕 —anonymous

that was painful;; so glad to be back!! 💕

Yoo have you seen the movie called the descent? If you have, what do u think of the monsters!! —anonymous

uhmmmm, the name didn't ring a bell...google time!

oh waittttt, i vaguely remembered this one. this was based on dante's inferno, wasnt it? after checking the monsters, yes hi.

i prefer they'd bathe first though lol but i'd be down for them! pretty simplistic in design, reminded me of buffy the vampire slayer's vampires, actually! think buffy was one of the earliest monsters i can remember really liking as a wee lad.

So, have you read the Neonomicon? I saw it on one of your posts. I actually read the thing online and I immediately fell in love with the Deep One too despite the noncon. Is that weird? —anonymous

are you referring to the one i did where the darling had to watch the world burn in the palm of cthulhu?

thats the only one i can recall of ever doing, but on reading the neonomicon, no! you're talking about the comic series one? i don't generally read american comics because of how weird they organized their issues, but if its not long and good, then i'll be happy to check it out!

and nah, not weird at all imo. humans are drawn to things we simply don't understand, and as long as you are not harming yourself or anyone else, its fine to indulge. we all find appeals in certain things others don't and that's perfectly normal. most of the monsters i liked as a kid were actually violent and murderous so.....yeah. im literally one of the last people who should judge you , dear nonnie.

just know that youre far from being alone though! heck you'll find many n'sfw artworks and other contents of the deep ones and other monsters if you know where to look.

Dude I've been binging all your pyramid head works and I love them sm!! Would u be writing more for him in the future? —anonymous

mmmaybe? like i do have a couple of ideas, but nothing too concrete. one idea involved the reader being, well, the mother of monsters and the butcher would probably become more monstrous over time because of the silent hill related plot reasons. thing is, the reader wouldn't know there were changes at all, being too addicted to the butcher's to pay attention. I'm being very vague on this one because...idk how to communicate the story yet, if at all.

the other one might involve incest though, because of the monsters the reader birthed cooperating with the butcher, under the god's order. this one is just...a concept more than anything though because tentacles are fun.

otherwise, its just straight pron with the butcher. I'm glad you liked him tho! &lt;3

now to work on things...inbox is always open tho~!

[crazyworldofemmamarie]

Day 16 of Rammstein's Countdown to Halloween

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006, dir. Scott Glosserman)

Plot: A film crew follows and films seemingly innocent Leslie Vernon as he he works towards become a classic horror slasher like the ones before him.

In this unique mockumentary (hope to God I spelt that right) styled film, slashers like Freddy Kruger, Jason Voorhees and all them co exist in the same universe as are viewed almost like historical figures which is interesting number one. Usually, I feel that it's hard to get such a multiverse of characters cause you wanna make sure you keep facts straight and even have consistency with those characters. However, with this film, that's not even a problem at all cause instead of dealing with a story that involves those characters they narrowed it down to one who lives within that world and you can do a lot with that.

Leslie Vernon is an interesting character both as a 'normal ' guy and even as a slasher. Unlike most slashers, who either have famous one liners or don't talk at all, or are these superhuman and whatnot, Leslie is just basically a nerd. He is full of personality that just bounces off the wall and there's not really a moment where he tries to be creepy or weird towards anyone around him, he's very natural and composed, yet strangely complex.

The actor behind Leslie, Nathan Baesel absolutely killed it in this movie and he definitely stole the show. Such an underrated performer.

I also really like him as a certain focus piece for the film because they use his character as another way to put us in the eyes of a slasher/killer. Now to be fair, this film is done gor the most part, in a documentary style, usually most slashers literally puts you in that point of view/through their eyes. This does it in a way where they spinning the genre on its head, poking fun at certain aspects that made the slasher genre what it is.

The chemistry between the actors are wonderful and actually really touching.

The story is well written, it's practically a twist at every turn within itself.

The costuming for Leslie's slasher look is totally killer, simple yet effective.

I love the fact we have legends like Robert Englund and Kane Hodder that were part of this project.

The references that are made to other classics were absolutely great and I was blown away when they referred to Billy Lenz from Black Christmas and even used him as a character (though he changed his name to Eugene) I just thought that was great.

I also love the shots in this film and I really like how it goes from documentary to an actual slasher thriller for the last act if the film.

The Talking Heads song choice was just perfect. Psycho Killer just fits so well (I am a huge Talking Heads fan to be honest.)

This is a really fun watch and for anyone who hasn't seen it, I highly recommend and maybe one day we will get a sequel. Totally wouldn't mind!

[itsfujoshibitch]

Recommendation dump #1

*18+ content!!

Papa Datte, Shitai: I'm a Father, But I Want to Do it.

Category: Series/ Movie (Depends on where you watch)

Asumi Kouya is a fourth-year college student who works as a housekeeper. Kouya starts working for single father Naruse Keiichi, and a relationship develops between the two.

Mori no Kuma-san Toumin-chuu: Caressing the Nipples of My Hibernating Bear

Category: Series/ Movie (Depends on where you watch)

Nowa the bear lives in the forest and adopts a puppy named Airi. Before going into hibernation, Nowa was worried that Airi wouldn't wean. A few months after starting his hibernation, Nowa wakes up with a pleasant sensation from Airi, now an adult looking dog, licking his nipple saying, "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Sensitive Por**graph

Category: OVA

For four young men, love and intimacy are in the air, even though they may not be aware of it. Sensitive Pornograph holds within it two tales of sexual romance for two different couples of men. The first is a tale between two manga artists, Seiji Yamada and Sono Hanasaki. Both are familiar with each other's work, though upon meeting each other, Seiji is shocked to find out that Sono is actually a man, ten years his senior. Love quickly blossoms between the two, but will soon be tested when Seiji begins to hear rumors about Sono's past sexual exploits.

In the second tale, Koji Ueno is a part-time pet sitter, hired to take care of a rabbit named Aki for a new client. To Koji's complete surprise though, not only is there no rabbit in the house, but the only thing in the apartment is a bound and gagged man in the closet who says that he is Aki. More troubling than this is that Aki informs Koji that they are both in danger of upsetting the client, and the only way for Koji to get out safely is for them to make love together.

Two stories, four men, and the one emotion of love that unites them all in the new twists their lives have taken.

These are essentially *orn with plot, they don't have much substance to them though, they focus more on the... aesthetics. This "Recommendation" is more of just information, I'm letting you guys know these exists and are available for anyone who is interested. Be warned though these are very explicit.

[kimbapisnotsushi]

Hi....Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite anime (can be series or movies) or top 10 favorite manga? And why do you love them? Also, what are your top 5 (or top 7) favorite moments from any anime (can be series or movies) or manga that you loved?

Sorry if I ask too much, feel free if you want to answer both of my questions or just pick either one......Thanks....

aaaahh no i'm so honored to be asked something like this!! these are REALLY hard questions tho LMAO like holy shit i STRUGGLED. i ended up choosing the series/moments that left me with the greatest emotional impact or were really formative during my younger years. this turned into a really long and wordy post so uhhh sorry about that, I would have added more pics but they couldn't all be the same size so i gave up LMAO. Anyways let's get into it!!

TOP 10 ANIMANGA SERIES/MOVIES (in no particular order)

I. HAIKYUU!!

I wouldn't be much of a Haikyuu!! fan if this wasn't number one on the list (even though I said they were in no particular order, haha). With how the anime adaptation is coming along, I do absolutely recommend reading the manga. Aside from the fact that the art is just gorgeous, I love how Furudate puts so much care into the characters and story. The symbolism and poetic one-liners that have no business being in a sports manga are fucking fantastic, the development is great, everyone gets a happy and fulfilling ending, and it all wraps up like an emotional sucker punch to the stomach. I also LOVE that there's so much canon material for fans to play around with, and that there's so much left to the imagination. Haikyuu!! really is just a master class in storytelling and a total dream to analyze.

II. THE NIGHT BEYOND THE TRICORNERED WINDOW

Okay, I lied earlier. I just HAD to put this one second. (I swear after this the order doesn't matter!) It has an anime series and live-action movie adaptation, which I haven't watched, but I've heard that they don't really do the manga justice. Now, I wouldn't really recommend this one to kids, which I guess can be pretty broad or specific based on your definition? Strictly speaking there aren't any NSFW explicit scenes - nobody even gets naked at any point nor is it the hated ecchi style with random underwear/breast shots or whatever - but the two main characters are pretty euphemistic in, say, the first quarter or so of the series.

(Hiyakawa borrows power from Mikado and when that happens the feelings mirror the pleasure of intercourse, to put it bluntly, but that's not something that actually ever happens. Mostly we, the audience, just see Mikado get red and flustered, although Hiyakawa says/does shit to go along with it sometimes. It gets milder -> nonexistent as the plot progresses because that's not really the focus of the story.

Also, if you're sensitive to dubious consent then this probably isn't for you, since a big part of Hiyakawa's arc is learning how to be less fucked-up than he is and he often uses Mikado's power while Mikado tells him to wait or slow down - not because he wants to hurt Mikado or make him suffer, but because Hiyakawa just genuinely doesn't know that it's the wrong thing to do due to his upbringing. I won't go into why for spoiler reasons, but it becomes really clear by the end of the story. For those of you who are willing to look, I'm going to show a couple pics of this in action down below - otherwise, please skip over it and just scroll down to the parenthesis.

I wasn't really expecting to to go as in-depth as I did about this, and I do love this series, but I also want to give fair warning since the way the dialogue and Mikado's expressions are depicted give off a very real sense of urgency that I would hate for anyone to be caught off guard/be triggered by. I'd love to talk more about it if anyone wants to ask, but I've already diverged enough from the original question.

I don't want you thinking that they have an imbalanced toxic relationship in which Hiyakawa has all the power and Mikado is subservient to him, though, because that's not what it is either. Mikado has always been his own person, and Hiyakawa never tries to control him in any way besides from his own misunderstanding of consent. They help each other on equal grounds, but apparently the anime does a terrible job of showing that.

END )

So, why do I love this series? Well, it's modern paranormal/supernatural, which I'm a HUGE fan of. Apparently Gege Akutami (Jujutsu Kaisen author) named it as one of their own favorites, and once you read it you can really see a LOT of similarities. There's a character just like Okkotsu in that they've done REALLY shitty things and don't know whether they deserve to live or not. There's also a lot of learning how to be brave when you've been running scared your entire life and taking back your own control/power through it. And, other than the heavy stuff, it's actually quite funny. There was one moment I wasn't expecting where I actually laughed out loud.

Also, the characters are really compelling! Aside from everything I said about Hiyakawa earlier, he's one of those nonsensical types who says the most ridiculous things with the utmost sincerity and with a straight face. Mikado acts as his opposite - he easily freaks out and is very expressive. Also, the villain? Like holy SHIT. I could go on about them forever. Like. Holy fucking shit. Top-tier how they handled the boss battle because hoooolyyyyyy shiiiiiiit. But I don't want to spoil, so I'll leave it at that.

Also, the background stories for the characters - once you get to them - will break your heart. Yamashita draws really simply, sure, but they have such a powerful way with storytelling that the emotions just hit you like a brick through the window.

Mostly, though, it is a story about healing, and I'm a sucker when a bunch of people who need to heal in different ways because of the same thing all come together and help each other. I can also guarantee a happy ending, so look forward to that!

III. SNOW WHITE WITH THE RED HAIR

Oh, how I love this series. I know the anime hasn't adapted to its current point, so I def encourage you to read the manga even though it's not complete yet either (and I started in like middle school LMAO). Shirayuki was honestly such a huge role model for me growing up - she was smart and pretty and determined and, even when she wasn't so sure of herself, she always wanted to do the right thing. All the characters in the main squad are so lovely and feel like a real family altogether, and I adore every single one of them. It's sweet and romantic and nails nonmagical fantasy worlds right on the head, and I'd LOVE for more people to get on board with it.

(If you need more convincing, there's pirates and festivals and assassins and a character to love for every single person out there. I know Kiki and Mitsuhide are enough to cause a crisis.)

IV. BOYS RUN THE RIOT

OKAY Y'ALL. LISTEN UP. YOU WANT MORE LOUD AND PROUD QUEER REP IN MANGA?? HERE'S YOUR QUEER REP COME AND GET IT.

It doesn't have an anime adaptation so you can't really watch anything and be done with it, but there's only four volumes so it's easy to collect. it's a story about a transgender teenage boy named Ryo who expresses himself through fashion and GOD I love everything about this series. Jin is the BEST ally. It feels like such a warm hug to see something so proudly represented in manga. ALSO Boys Run the Riot started as a prototype one-shot that the author entered into a contest, and in THAT one of the first characters prototype-Ryo comes out to actually reveals to him that he's Korean!! He kept it hidden and changed his name to protect his identity!! Do you know how fucking REAL Keito Gaku was for that!! Like there is a whoooole conversation to be had about that topic but that is not for now!!

Anyways yes Boys Run the Riot makes you want to cheer and scream when everything comes together in the end because it felt like an uphill battle you were holding your breath through the entire time and I LOVE that they get a hopeful ending. Give it a try, I'm BEGGING.

V. CARDCAPTOR SAKURA

Okay, I'm going to be honest: this is pretty much the only series that has a manga AND an anime in which I've only ever seen the anime. I hear it does a pretty good job of adapting, though, so I'm not too concerned about it. (I do plan on reading the manga to catch up to the Clear Card arc.) I'll also admit upfront that since CCS is a kids' series, there were quite a few problems in it that I didn't realize until I was much older and went back to it.

I like that Sakura feels like a very real protagonist. She was scared and wimpy quite often, and as a kid it was really empowering to watch her develop into someone confident of herself and her abilities. She's got such a great supporting crew behind her, too! I especially loved that CLAMP brought in Syaoran and Meilin from Hong Kong - even nowadays, a lot of non-Japanese foreigner animanga characters fall into the American or European category.

Also, Yuki and Touya. Just do it for them. Seriously. You can watch CCS for them and ignore everything else.

Mostly CCS, for me, was fun and magical and a great escape for a little kid who wanted to get lost in a world not too far from their own. Also, it's got that 90s-drawn aesthetic we all know and love.

VI. PLAY IT COOL, GUYS!

Honestly, I love all of Kokone Nata's works so far. She's one of the more modern authors who got picked up on Pixiv, and I'm really looking forward to seeing where she's going. Play It Cool, Guys! is one of my favorites. It's actually a manga in color, and Kokone Nata utilizes it beautifully. She has so many fun characters and makes normal, everyday life seem so bright and fun. And not to sound like a main character, but I'm also a very clumsy, accident-prone person, so it's really nice to be able to see the crew do everything that I do and do their best to overcome them.

I also love how naturally their relationships develop. Like, seriously - how would a high school kid, two entirely separate and totally opposite college students, a late-20s office employee, and a semi-famous author all fall in together?? Everything is up to fate but Kokone Nata has a way of never making it feel forced. It's not at all unreasonable to bump into each other at the bookstore or in the park - especially when we see that they actually DO interact as strangers first who all happen to hang out/live near each other, and they just drift closer when they finally recognize each other. It's so subtle but so amazing to watch in action.

Also, it's very soothing and fluffy and healing and you absolutely do not have to put the amount of analysis I do into it LMAO, so if you ever need a pick-me-up I absolutely encourage this series or any of Kokone Nata's works!

VII. POKÉMON

Yeah, yeah I know. But I couldn't not include another childhood fave!! It was one of the very first I watched and Ash is honestly such a great protagonist and role model for younger kids. Sure, he can be an annoying brat in the ten-year-old way, but he takes losing like a champ and he always tries to do what's right. He was incredibly selfless, kind, and considerate for a character of that age and growing up alongside that really taught me a lot about what I wanted to put out into the world. Watching any episode just makes me feel comforted and like I'm paying an old friend a visit and it will always be in my favorites list. Plus the dub actually has some HILARIOUS lines LMAO.

Also, the Special Adventures manga series by Hidenori Kusaka is a total gem and was my first introduction to fandom, so if you're a Pokémon fan who hasn't read it then I really encourage you to check it out!

(I would like to make a note that I got stuck after this and was kind of fishing around in my head for the last three LMAO)

VII. HIBI CHOUCHOU

This one is one of my favorite high school romance series - it's sweet and fluffy and might be a little cheesy, but the characters are all so lovely and you can't help but want to cheer them on! The plot is kind of ridiculous when you first start it - "all guys instantly fall in love with the super pretty MC who hates the attention and has been declared 'unattainable' because of her distant attitude towards them and ends up falling for the one guy who didn't act crazy-in-love with her from the start" - but it's really heartwarming to see the growth Suiren and Taichi go through. I also really love Taichi because he feels so different and refreshing from a lot of high school romance manga male lead/love interests that I've seen. (Maybe because of the glasses? I can't name any other male lead/love interest with glasses LMAO.) It's such a gentle series and feels like a warm hug, and watching two quiet people find their way together really did wonders for shy high school me.

IX. FADED FIRST LOVE

Oh gosh, this one is SUCH a gem! You know how sometimes people want representation as a sweet story that's not about an identity crisis but just having fun and in love? That's what Faded First Love feels like. It's genuinely funny and sweet, and while Aoki DOES encounter a couple homophobic problems here and there, it's mostly lighthearted and nothing he can't handle with the help of his friends. He and Iida are both learning and doing their best, and it's one of the series I go back to whenever I want a pick-me-up.

X. JUJUTSU KAISEN

I did say before that I was a huge fan of mixing paranormal phenomena with modern settings, and Jujutsu Kaisen is a great example of that. It's crazy how much thought was put into the technical aspects of that world - every time I think about Gojo explaining to Itadori how to channel cursed energy, it makes my head hurt. The monster designs are so creative and the characters are all such a great bunch. I tear up whenever I remember Miwa listening to Mechamaru's voice recording on the plane. What really nailed it as a Top 10 for me was JJK Volume 0, because hooolyyy shiiiit. Okkotsu's growth was FANTASTIC to watch and I LOVE how confident he is now and how he follows the philosophy of "the people I care about care about you" when it comes to Itadori.

So that's it!! God, that was hard. I hope you enjoyed, and for anyone else reading it I hope this encourages you to pick up one or the other!!

Honorary mentions to: Promare, Kimi ni Todoke, From Up on Poppy Hill, Our Not-So-Lonely Planet Travel Guide, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, and tbh I'd list more but that would take forever LMAO

This is already a really long post so I'll reblog or make a part two with my fave moments, I'll let you know!

thanks all <333