#yap warning

[yurisorcerer]

Dude.

Rarely am I left at an active loss for words by an anime. Yet, I think this is the third or fourth time Oshi no Ko has done that to me.

I'll try explaining anyway. The opening part of this episode takes the form of an unbroken excerpt of the Tokyo Blade stage play. Those first couple of minutes are pretty incredible on their own, leaving the entire actual plot of Oshi no Ko itself in the margins to express a clear love for this completely fictional shonen manga and this equally fictional adaptation of it. In doing so, Oshi no Ko, and everyone working on it, express love for the shonen anime as an art form and a worthwhile format. (And, indeed, for 2.5D plays as well.) Their pastiche is pretty damn fantastic. I won't go so far as to say that I'd rather be watching Tokyo Blade than a lot of *actual* shonen anime airing right now (Elusive Samurai has been great, after all), but the series makes a very good case for it as a compelling piece of art. Also, in having Oshi no Ko's characters portray *Tokyo Blade's* characters so well, it makes a compelling case for them, too. Kana is utterly enchanting as the hot-blooded Tsurugi, even when she's quelled by being bested in combat, and everyone else here puts in a great performance, too. One of Oshi no Ko's great magic tricks is making you think about how well the characters are acting, as though these were actual people.

Which leads us nicely into Oshi no Ko's actual greatest accomplishment this week. Getting You, The Viewer to shed tears over Melt.

Yeah, Melt. Remember Melt? Introduced in the first season as an actor in the Sweet Today TV drama, there instantly pigeonholed as a good-looking but talentless piece of cast filler. Melt has had a pretty compelling supporting arc in the second season, and it comes to a head here during a scene in the play where his character fights the character played by Sakuya. Sakuya, for his part, is a relatively recent addition to our cast, and has been previously introduced as a frivolous womanizer who likes to pick on Melt because Melt is a bad actor. In a sense, he's Melt's foil, being someone just as handsome but who's had to work harder to get where he is. The two's clash is thus both very literal but also very much a struggle for the audience's approval, and I don't just mean the audience watching the stage play.

During his part of the episode, Melt's on-stage performance is cut with backstory. In a sense, this is cheating. Obviously, we the audience would have sympathized with Melt much more from the beginning if it were made obvious to us from the start that Melt's general lack of drive is the result of a lifetime of people fucking him over just because he's pretty. At one point, mentioned in passing as though Melt himself doesn't want to dwell on it, he even mentions that he was taken advantage of when he was younger. A heartbreaking and sadly true-to-life detail that really recontextualizes a few things about the character.

Nonetheless, this is not an episode meant to make us *feel bad for* Melt. Honestly, there was already room to do that if you were so inclined. Instead, it's meant to explain where the inner reservoir of conviction he draws on here comes from. Melt's key scene in the play is a minute or two long at most, but over the course of the last several months, and at Aqua's advice, he's been pouring his entire heart and soul, blood, sweat, tears, and sleepless nights, into this *one* moment.

Aqua's advice also raises an interesting point. If everyone in the audience already thinks of Melt as a poor actor---and certainly, that seems to be the case---he can use that to his advantage. if they're underestimating him, they're set up to be surprised, and that is precisely what happens during the episode's climactic scene. Struck down, Melt's character scrambles to his feet and makes a heroic last stand against his enemy, summoning a magnetism that no one knew he had. This blindsides everybody; Sakuya, Tokyo Blade mangaka Abiko, the Sweet Today author who's also watching in the stands, the rest of the cast, the rest of the audience, and also, you know, the rest of the audience.

Again, part of the magic here is that Aqua's advice doesn't just explain Melt's methods in-universe, it explains *how he's been written up to this point to get us to be surprised as well.* This is the kind of thing you can only pull off if you're both very confident and incredibly talented at understanding how stories work; a magic trick that seems to explain itself as it's being performed, only for that damn rabbit to pop out the hat anyway, to your and everyone's complete surprise. Akasaka Aka's done it again, god damn it.

It should go without saying that this applies to the entire Doga Kobo team working on this series as well. There is absolutely nothing in their back catalogue that could've prepared anyone for how well they'd handle Oshi no Ko, and this is visually one of their best episode's yet, as Melt's sudden surge in charisma is presented as a swirled, painted acid trip. In the audience, Abiko bounces with enthusiasm that someone truly understands her work. In the audience, another mangaka cries. He is chasing after the one thing he's been missing up to this point, depicted literally as it happens figuratively; star power. When he seizes it, he shines like a supernova.

[twyrineslut]

on my annual replay of classic rn and im still amazed how expressive the in-dialogue animations are, theres so much personality to them its a shame 2 went with mostly blank stares

[surrealbirthdaycake]

I'm not gonna lie, this project was tough to get through. It took about 28 hours. (that I could remember to track, anyway...)

I started with a Choly Knight Arcanine plush pattern that I scaled up to be EXTRA huggable. (Around 130%, I think?)

The eyes were a custom shape (that were REALLY difficult to place even somewhat even) and his ears are just scaled up from Choly Knight's Wolf Link plush, because yknow. Wolf ears. I switched out the belly panel to an ivory color to mimic a sea turtle shell, like the character. Each line on the belly was a backstitch, all done by hand. I originally considered doing those by machine, but I'm not confident they would have been very even, as my machine moves FAST. I sorta regret the contrasting thread on the face and paws, since it REALLY sticks out. I was hoping it would be more subtle than it was.

Definitely the hardest part for me was the shell. I drafted it myself. I ended up making a practice shell out of scrap fabric (not pictured) and had to redo the outer shell part because it was uneven (and it STILL WAS.) Placing the hexagons was frustrating as well, as getting them even was a TASK.

I really underestimated how much work it would take. My main issue, especially with the plushes I make, is that I want SO DESPERATELY for them to look factory done. Crisp embroidery lines, symmetry, even seams. But unfortunately I'm only human, and even with the aid of machinery I can only go so far. I gotta learn to let my art be as it is and not try to brute force my way into what I envisioned, because I only exhaust and disappoint myself.

I don't wanna sit here and just complain about the process. I'm really touched and grateful that anyone liked my work enough to commission me, and it was a birthday gift for a mutual friend. Parts of it were really satisfying, and I got to challenge myself in ways I normally wouldn't with a project (I've never used iron on interfacing, for example.)

But I do have to acknowledge that I also learned some things the hard way about my process, and hopefully I'll learn to be kinder to myself in the future.

[whitneysumbrella]

(This is fun. I'm new to the fandom so I didn't know this used to be a thing. My Charlie is different from the dance teacher. Hope this is good!)

The short girl smiled up at Whitney, her green hoodie getting soaked in the rain.

"Look what I have." Charlie whispered before pulling out a hand rolled joint. It's thin and unfiltered. "What first hit?" Charlie offered while giving Whitney a big cheesy smile.

Whitney watched with a raised brow as the girl stepped closer, instinctively raising the umbrella in-between the two. He glanced in near disbelief, letting out a pleasant hum of surprise for a split second.

"Didn't take you to be the type," he replied, holding up his lighter for a moment in thought. "Sure."

The bully leaned closer, bending down to the smaller girl's height. Holding the umbrella in one hand, he raised his lighter to the joint to let the flame coat the tip. Letting a moment of suspense pass, he flicked his lighter back into his pocket, before twirling the joint within his fingertips.

He didn't break away from Charlie, inhaling against it before tilting up the girl's chin, his thumb sliding against her lips to part the two. He quickly released the smoke, blowing it against her lips, shot gunning it back to her.

The bully had other things in mind.

[dykekarkat]

there's something about neil and the ease with which he withstands torture but is fully undone by simple pleasure. 2 weeks in the nest that he can barely remember but his refusal to bend to riko and tetsuji is Easy for him. not even the slightest temptation to sign their contract because pain is something so easily endured. neil kisses andrew and it is the worst thing and best thing that ever happens to him. his father and lola and his mother trained him to endure a million different kinds of pain to survive but it's andrew kissing him that neil decides to die for. he has noo defenses against andrew's touch it breaks him down in a way all the pain and torture was never able to do. makes you think huh.

[acesluvrxx]

NO ONE TALKS ABOUT HIM.

ughh him at 40 is so MMMFHGGFHUJVKUVIFHKDJDSLK the way we're growing old together :3 WE DO IT EVEN WHEN HIS BUSH HAIRS TURN GRAY or idk maybe i really REALLY like him with stubble BUT?? HES HOT WITH STUBBLE LIKE IM SNIFFING THE SCREEN SO HARD UGHH I CAN SMELL HIS MERA MERA

[thegreatcrowdragon]

I’m very disappointed we don’t ever get more on how Metal sonic and Shadow interact with each other outside of Archie comics (which is noncanon) and the sonic rivals stuff, which by the way is so painfully cute the way Shadow just seems to get metal in a way nobody else really does (“Metal sonic, are you okay?” no response “I’ll take that as a yes.” with a smile on his face) it’s really just giving a semi-nonverbal interacting with a non-verbal autistic person and I love it

In a way they do have a lot in common with how they were treated mostly as weapons and while Shadow could break away from that identity, Metal physically could not even if he wanted to (which I believe in a way he does, even with the reprogramming)

Anyway watch this video, specifically the ending bit it is SO romantic

[crayola-critter]

mobility aid / disability agere moodboard

not intended to be romanticizing or infantilizing, comment if you are uncomfortable with anything here and ill fix it. - middle pic by rainbowredcrayon

[xxacidrain39xx]

happy pride mcrmy! i know the worlds perception of queerness and especially transness is scary right now, but we’ll get through it all!! queer people have always existed and aren’t going anywhere, no matter how much bigots try to erase us.

from a gay emo loser to (probably) another, i promise it’ll get better. i promise we’ll be able to live as our true selves.

never, ever let them take the light behind your eyes, okay?

[noctiva]

Ok but Toby cumming in you even if your not certain the birth control will work. (Having iud issues right now) Like not being able to control himself and holding you down a bit and just apologizing the whole time - 🌧

ok. I might be fucked in the head. but this is very hot.

just imagining his hands pinning your hips to the bed, hopelessly rutting into you as he gasps against your shoulder. “F-Fuck- Fuck, I’m sorry- I can’t-“ His breath hot and heavy against your skin, his face scrunched up as he sinks himself in deep - his body going rigid as he spills into you. “M’sorry- f-fuck, baby- I-“

Rolling his hips in deep even after that warmth blooms within you, fucking it even further into you - his entire body trembling as his nails bite into your skin. “S-Sorry- I- Oh god.”

[twyrineslut]

Okay chat im running a panel at a local con about DIY ita bags and i have the opportunity to make an extremely nichebag as a demonstration

[surrealbirthdaycake]

Here she is

[skyarly]

As someone whose favorite pokemon character is Gary... Paul's Ash's best rival, no competition.

Don't get it twisted, Gary's a great character, it's always a good time when he's on screen because his whole thing is that he's a massive prick. And his dynamic with Ash is one of the best in the series, it's just not good as a rival dynamic.

For starters, he's just never around that much. Gary just pops in every now and then to say "haha hey loser how's it going, still better than you see ya" and that's it. And see that would be great, (and it is), but except for the 10 badges scene it's never about how skilled he is as a trainer. Gary almost exclusively just flaunts his wealth and that's it, it's not about Gary being a better pokemon trainer than Ash, it's about Gary being more rich and popular than Ash.

This is of course fixed in Johto, Gary goes through his character arc and starts showing Ash he's a better pokemon trainer instead of Professor Oak needing to tell Ash that. The problem is Gary is never there for most of Johto.

And also the thing with rivals is they should be on mostly equal footing, there should be some competition, and for most of the original series Gary being comically better than Ash is like his entire thing.

His appearance in journeys as Goh's rival doesn't help this. Gary is recontextualized a bit in journeys as someone who thinks the best way to help people reach their potential is through tough love basically, nagging at their insecurities so they want to spite him and improve. This is really good characterization, but it makes him more of a really good mentor character than a rival character.

Like I said, Gary's a great character! The way he goes about motivating people is genuinely fascinating and that's why he's my favorite! But the dynamic is that of someone who knows everything better than someone else, that's a mentor.

Now compare this to Paul. Paul's beliefs are the antithesis to like, the main idea of pokemon. He doesn't care for things like being friends with his pokemon, he gets the strongest pokemon he finds and if it's not strong enough it's out. These beliefs aren't actually very special on their own, this is just Giovanni's whole prerogative.

What makes Paul's ways work, is unlike Giovanni or any other run if the mill villain character, Paul isn't villainized. His way of raising pokemon has legitimate validity given to it, because it works. Ash battles Paul over and over and the closest he came to winning until the league was their first battle's tie. What's more is none of Paul's pokemon except Chimchar ever seem to have any issues with the way Paul trains them.

This puts Ash's ideals about how pokemon should be trained into SERIOUS question. Paul's existence actually asks if the way Ash, and by extension the entire series was right in the way you're supposed to treat pokemon. Paul is sort of like baby's first deconstruction.

Even though Paul never loses to Ash, he's way more equal with Ash than Gary. They've been to all the same regions, fought all the same gyms (looking at you 7 unidentifiable badges in Gary's badge case) and both fought the battle frontier, though only Ash won.

Paul doesn't know anything Ash doesn't, Paul isn't doing anything BETTER than Ash. Paul is Ash's opposite not his superior, which I believe makes him the perfect rival.

[24601orwhatever]

KYLE ADAMS AS GRANTAIRE

📷 @bikinibottomdayz

[cosmicarsenic]

if tthis gets 200 notes i will aask my mmom for a binder ^_^

[thegreatcrowdragon]

Metonic is not sonadow before shadow exist like they're not even comparable at all because for one: shadow is able to live and grow out of being sonic's faker, metal sonic straight up cannot at all since he is literally created to be copy of sonic, also two: shadow dislikes sonic but he's able to be civil with sonic and respect him, metal sonic absolutely hates sonic where he is violent on sight to sonic and never ever respects sonic (loathsome copy and all that), final three: which pair got an adaptation where the writers decide the two are straight up soulmates that can feel/think the same thing?

Tbh I wish they never gave the mind link thing to mecha sonic 😔 like it’s never going to be brought up again and it’s WAY more interesting with metal.

Arguably Metal can get along with Sonic, as evidenced by the tail end of the metal virus saga, however this was at the instruction of eggman (though I did read a really cute fic where Metal actually makes an effort to be nice to Sonic after he calls him a one-note jerk) and it appears that this hatred is so hardcoded into him that it almost overrides the “obey eggman” thing.

Considering he had that slight realization in the special when he touched the metal virus goop, there IS a possibility they could pull another Neo where he breaks free of his coding again and potentially becomes his own person