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クッキーの魔女 ※2023年頒布物「魔女本」掲載 └再販は行いません。

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Shizuku card edit!!!!! ^^

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「 i want to think a sky

filled with rainbows is beautiful 」

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#me

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gavv drugs thoughts ep 32

italics is oomf

something about the lenses on w and gavv making these sorts of crimes feel differently

spreading jam on my leg

where with w the crimes are always tied to the gaia memory itself so theres always emotional weight and the dealers get dealt with for being dealers

but gavv introduces a disconnect where the people involved with the granute's crimes dont actually matter because the granute dont see humans as anything but an ingredient.

so instead of w's very P.I./mystery approach of "the culprit behind this specific case will Always Be Introduced In The Same Episodes" and thus be related, gavv has these random attacks that may feel less weighty because the culprits genuinely just dont fucking care

and that means in w its inherently a lot easier to empathize with someone involved with a gaia memory case because these are just people dealing with problems. but "people who specifically gather for the cartel and dont really care about the problems they cause along the way" i guess could be 'harder' to get people to empathize with

Even though it doesnt matter and addicts are people regardless and W addresses that ANYWAY

WHY HAS IT TAKEN THIS LONG FOR ANYONE TO THINK ABOUT THIS!! well its cuz the show hasnt let them. Sorry Hanty

the setup just gets me man. even if they weren't the eptiome of angelic little sibling for my traumatic backstory, is the fact that the stomach family is just giving these out to people knowing theyre hyperaddictive that'll drive them to the point of doing anything, which leads to them being kidnapped and experimented on and put the work for no pay other than more snacks. that's just miserable to think about

its not actually like even the people in charge are inherently irredeemable inhuman freaks so saeko and wakana make me want to chew my insides out and thats a good thing. their family situation is realistic and understandable. and yeah you get the final three stomach family members in the company here BECAUSE they were fucked up enough to not care how they affected other people. but crucially it. ironically as theyre granutes. dehumanizes them because it doesnt really show them as having much interiority outside of it -> related to not having as many stomach family segments showing them just dicking around . they can be fucked up and horrible and do other things too

if you have a show thats trying to do the same thing as another show its good to distinguish yourself. its true. but when its about legit actual drugs i do think you have a responsibility to portray that with empathy and not "everyone who does drugs is an evil kidnapping druggie who would do anything for their next hit"

Except the angel baby who died

yeah im definitely not a fan of comel being the only "resistor". too many people struggling are demonized for "why didn't you go get help???" as if its that simple

(i mean the twins imply a lot of part-timers "disappear/flake" very early on but like. given what we all know theyre most likely Super Dead)

we know drugs are addictive. and thats why people have less sympathy for anyone who doesnt. "you should have known better" maybe they did maybe they didnt, maybe they didnt have a choice, maybe it was the only thing that helped, maybe they just made a dumb mistake. doesnt matter. theyre still people

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caught up with gavv. real interesting for the show have shouma willing to work with (and even defend in one case) Drug Kingpin who ordered your mother to be murdered and Mad Scientist who had a situationship with Mad Scientist 2 who tortured your friend and cloned the shit of you, but didn't have a single Part-timer of the Week spared, hm? it's almost as if the benefit of doubt is only extended to people Shouma can use as a means to gain power to enact his desires. And the value of a someone struggling with substance abuse, with nothing to give or use to advance Shouma's goals.........is worthless! :D

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bittersweet

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gavvs lessons:

sweets will make you happy

brush your teeth

its okay to be alive

find people who love you

everyone who does drugs is evil

polish people are evil

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posting this as a reminder for #Later

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one of the best things about uma musume is how all of the horses are kinda weird or dumb in an endearing way. like even the most determined and serious horse will eventually be found somewhere on campus staring at the vending machine looking confused and when you talk to her she'll say "where do these drinks come from? there's no clear sign of entry... could it be divine providence?" or have a training event where she says something like "how do hot dogs survive in the wild with no limbs or eyes? the urge to survive must be strong... i want to get stronger too, like the hot dog." (strength went up!)

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I'm gonna write the episode 5 thoughtpost and then we're gonna finally do the OP/ED analysis + plus a bunch of other reoccuring symbolism i notice but keep failing to mention.

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a pit bull is like a cinder block that loves you

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Click here to

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Commission for @pocketartist151 !♡

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In the 60th discussion about "The Summer Hikaru Died's author considers it to be a youth horror with queer elements rather than a BL and whether that's a good thing or not", I saw someone mention that while BL comes with the expectation that BL = romance-focused, yuri does not have the same expectation as it commonly accepted by both the community, its creators and researchers that works about intimate relationships within female friendship, sisterhood and anything in-between (as long its between two women) can be considered yuri........even though most people today use it to primarily refer to romantic relationships between women.

I, of course, have known that for quite a while, but seeing this in the context the argument about TSHD makes me think about:

If yuri is such a broad category, doesn't that mean pretty much everything with a predominately female cast w/ rich character dynamics is yuri (/j that's awesome)

I think its very rare, if not impossible for a work featuring an intimate but non-romantic dynamic between women to be officially tagged as yuri these days, which is really due to "what creators and audiences want to see out of the genre" and "Marketing Optimization really doesn't like Grey Zones." And while many yuri readers do read works like these and enjoy them, calling these works "yuri" may lead to scrutiny by other himes......its tough.....

In terms of the argument "Does not wanting your book to be labeled as BL (or GL) imply some sort of complex about your work and the genre", is like. very silly. I consider both terms (not yuri, but GL) to be pretty much the equivalent to the "Romance" genre in terms of marketing. By labeling your work as such, you are promising romantic development to be the core of the work. There are tons of things that are not considered to be apart of the romance genre that some sort of developing/existing romance going on when it comes to straight pairings, after all. While I think the labels are important as they are niche/marglinzed content to help readers who desire it to be found, I'm not sure why works with lgbt+ protagonists cannot be treated the same, one day.

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Shatter. (ave mujica #4 thoughts)

The world of Ave Mujica is no more.

Powerless.

I fucking love this shot. Especially in contrast to the overhead shot during the argument in #3. Only Sakiko is trying to hold onto her vision of AveMuji, while the others are enjoying the "new" direction theyre taking with the band, moving forward in their careers. Even Uika, Sakiko stan #1, impiles that she enjoys the Mujica of the now, albeit in a passive way to not offend her dear Sakiko.

It's obvious that Sakiko since Episode 1 has increasingly been losing control of AveMuji's "world", depsite her best efforts to keep things moving in line with her vision. Unlike in Crychic, whose tender hearts were dazzled by Sakiko's kindness and charisma, Sakiko has always held little power over the other AveMuji members. They are not dolls after all, these are real girls with real dreams, real goals, real emotions. You can't bark orders at them and expect them to fall in line. And I feel like the way Mortis seemingly took control of the situation for a little bit really emphasizes maybe she'd garner more respect if she actually was willing to negotiate/be a bit more friendlier even a little with her bandmates, perhaps collaborate a bit more on the world they intended to create..... But we all know that's not gonna happen, because AveMuji is Sakiko's dream. A selfish, childish wish to transcend her suffering, to save herself and no one else. But naturally, that kind of wish has dire consequences......

Her selfishness had a hand to cause Mutsumi to go dormant, perhaps never to return. Her stubborn idealism caused Ave Mujica to spiral out of her hands. Her worthless pride caused her to reject the hands that reached out to her. In seeking power as the Author, the only thing she could write that came to pass is their end.

The New Girl

Mortis is such a bundle of intrigue! I don't think she's intended to be a child alter (as in, younger than Mutsumi), but it seems like she hasn't fronted in a long ass time, most likely for a much younger Mutsumi's appearances in the entertainment world, which affects her way of speaking and her perception of how social interactions are supposed to work.

It's very interesting how she pulls statements from people Mutsumi have encountered prior (mainly Sakiko), and how she ends up resolving the conflict at the end of #3, while failing to fix the crisis in #4. Mortis is a natural-born entertainer, she can say and do whatever to match the desires of the people around her. (And it's not hard to see how and why she developed this skill) Mortis may have a role that defines her (she is the protector of the system, so she'll protect their shared interests (Mutsumi's wellbeing -> the continuation of Avemuji)) but in reality......isn't her identity as frail as Mutsumi's? Nyamu suggests Mortis shouldn't be tied down to AveMuji, that she has the talent to pave her own path, and Mortis reacts with childish bewilderment. She interprets it, the idea of living a life "separate" from Mutsumi's interests, as a mean thing to suggest. I hope they build on that! In general I'm interested to see what happens after Mortis loses the place that is her purpose.

The Mortis-Sakiko dynamic is also very juicy. Sakiko is terrifed of this girl, as if she's some vengeful ghost risen from Mutsumi's "corpse" come to curse her for her wrongs. Mortis very openly dislikes Sakiko, but has to keep her close and her health in mind, because she's still a very dear friend of Mutsumi's, and Mutsumi's participation in AveMuji is to stop Sakiko from spiraling. There's a lot of potenial here.

The Fall.

The dreams Sakiko weaves are ultimately "crushed" by reality. Mortis being here and not Mutsumi means they don't have their second guitarist. Sakiko attempts to reject suggestions because they dont fit her idea of a band (guitar "lipsync", hiring another vocalist), and is ultimately Going Through It because Mutsumi is gone Nyamu aptly tears into her for acting like a spoiled child. They are not a group of plucky teens preforming at a livehouse, they're rising celebrites on a national tour. There are thousands of people who will be affected by this decision, and to turn your back on them as an professional is nonsensical.

Something must give. They're locked at a standstill. The only way out and continue Ave Mujica, in any form, is to get rid of what's holding them back. Nyamu propositions Sakiko to quit, but she's too overwhelmed to do or say anything. Then she asks if we're kicking Mortis out. And I think it's very interesting that even though Umiri literally suggested they hire a sub, she doesn't say anything. As her statement to Taki impiled earlier, she's already accepted that Ave Mujica's light was going to be extishungsed soon, so she detaches herself from the situation. Uika tries to play mediator but ultimately since she's too passive and too pro-Sakiko, she falls silent. Nyamu takes action, but its a little rash herself (quitting) If it seems familiar, these are the common ways the AveMuji girls deal with approach of reality. But this time, we get to see how a new girl responds!

Mortis tried her best by giving everyone what they wanted. She gave Nyamu more oppturnites, she practically gave Sakiko away to Uika to take care of, she reassured Umiri that this could be not just a fleeting job, but a home. In the end, Mortis is as childish and selfish as Sakiko is, she doesn't seem to understand what is at stake, only focusing on what Mustumi needs. The writing is on the wall, but Mortis can't read for shit. She can't convince anyone to change their minds by appealing to their emotions, so she throws a tantrum. That final scream is fucking haunting, I am eagerly looking forward to what Mortis does next.

Assorted Thoughts:

In line with rain being reality pouring down as a symbol in AveMyGo, it's so much fun that 1) the rain starts when Sakiko realizes what she's done to Mutsumi and goes all the way into the disbandment announcement. and 2) Uika comes to shield Sakiko from it and literally asks Sakiko to not worry about it because it'll let up soon. Hmmmmm? How interesting.

I love Taki and Umiri's friendship. It's cute that they imply Umiri went and talked about the argument in #3 with Taki...for advice? because she was asked how things were going? Either way, I like that a lot.

Nyamu's actual accent is sooooooo cute. She could've easily been the heroine if we shifted the angle of the story ever sooo slightly.

I like how they establish really quickly that is not some Jekyll and Hyde nonsense. Mortis is a good kid doing her best, and she's been with Mutsumi for a long time. I imagine they'll be a moment akin to MyGo taking an entire lengths of an episode to go "By the way. Did you know Tomori is autistic." but with Mutsumi/Mortis's DID.

I called her a bunch of shit in this post but do know. I love Sakiko and everything they're doing with her. She is so much fun to watch.