#(even tho i have so many other gundam animes to finish)

[emiliosandozsequence]

xi has been at the top of my spotify for months

[calcium-chan]

DRAWMEGLE DUMP FROM LIKEFORVER AGO

drawmegle was this weird little website that was like omegle, except for drawing and nominally fewer nazis?? tho at launch that was a bit of an issue lol (idk the creator went on vacation right after advertising or something? oops). i got sucked into it for like a day or two and ended up drawing a bunch of stuff. ive lost some of it because there was this weird glitch that just deleted my drawings before i could save them or anything. OH WELL. thats also the reason some of these are slightly unfinished. im also going to be cropping most of these to just my side, exceptions where its funny, or the other persons art was nice or whatever. just know that these almost all had people on the other side who were also drawing their own thing. also of note, i wont be posting these in order of creation, its mostly arbitrary tbh

this first one is of haru from dorohedodo. i had just finished reading the manga about a month or so prior, and i really loved this character a lot. disregard the amogus or whatever. dorohedoro is really cool and its really special to me now. not a fan of the anime adaption but what the fuck else is new (im sorry if you like the anime, i just didnt like the style very much). Q hayashida is brilliant, and she clearly just really loves women like a lot, thank you miss Q!

next is this silly drawing of knives chau. scott pilgrim takes off had just aired, and i was slightly enamored with knives for a bit, i kin the scott pilgrim girl fucking sue me. i also drew kim, but the drawing deleted and this was the last save i had WAHOOOOOO its so fucking over. scott pilgrim takes off was obviously really really good in my opinion, and its like the perfect way to adapt an original work in my mind. uh shout outs knives or whatever.

oops shitty cowboy bebop drawing. i like this one well enough for how goofy it is. jets fucking face still kinda gets me. i love bebop a ton, but i dont think ive ever drawn the characters despite that. theyre actually a ton of fun to draw, like their shapes are all super varied and they have distinct style about them. very good cast of characters. i didnt even realize or mean to, but i kinda gave spike a fucking granny face, oops

uuuuhthese pissing dogs are really funny, they were fun to draw, and seeing peoples reactions to this one in particular was cool. having even a little bit of ability to draw on sites like this where randos are looking at your work as youre drawing it is always kind of an ego boost. like none of these drawings are really that great, but for the medium im happy with them, and having people show up and go "woah" was always really flattering and it was fun watching the other people draw and interacting with them in some limited capacity.

ggggundam bullshit. i left the other persons side this time because i thought it was kinda funny. i had been rewatching the early part of turn A gundam, and it really reminded me how fucking cool that series is? loran is like top 10 gender non conforming mech pilots (there are a surprising amount honestly). and it always kinda takes me off guard when i watch any gundam because they were just so forward thinking in a nominally "boy" coded genre. shoutouts the fucking gundam staff frfr.

@oretal joined me for these next two!

a lot of the shit in the second drawing is probably totally incomprehensible to like anyone outside of a select group. were both have that like, 3ds era nintendo brain parasite, so a lot of these are just weird obscure game characters or memes, or just straight up OCs. most of these are actually oretals little characters which have kind of entered that inside joke canon of being so ubiquitous between the two of us (and honestly i assume oretals friend group at large) that i kinda forget "glasses girl" isnt a well known character. many such cases. thank you oretal for drawing silly shit with me! i really like your drawing of james and your madotsuki yapping about blunt rotations to uboa. very cool

uuuh quick fire round of stuff i dont like how i drew but want to post anyways. the first one is my irl husband, aki from chainsaw man. i love him a lot, kinda hate this drawing tho, i think it was the first one i did? the second one is basil from omori, im a big fan of little blorbos who peep the horror, and basil is no exception. my friend got me the little vinyl figure of him for my birthday so i end up thinking about him a lot and i doodle him every now and then. very good design. the last one is kiruko from heavenly delusion. i did not have much hype going into the show after my middling feelings on summertime rendering (they were both in the news for being on disney+ for absolutely no reason). i dont remember what got me to watch it, but by the time episode 2 ended i was stuck in big time. i ended up binging the whole series in like one night and it was such a good time. the prototypical calcium show is probably somewhere between heavenly delusion and made in abyss. its a rough watch at times, but if you have this specific brainrot, its probably one of the best in its league tbh.

second to last is this drawing of vriska homestuck. i kept the other side because it was really pretty. im genuinely quite pleased witht his drawing, its not perfect but for what it is i find it visually appealing enough to like it. vriskas design is probably the best in homestuck, at least to me. its been a long time since ive read through homestuck proper, but something about these little shits sticks with you pretty much forever. actual fucking deadly brain parasites you get from dunking your head underwater in an infested pool, dead within days.

OOPS ALL KUMI CHAN! it had to be alien nine, it could only be alien nine. i love alien nine more than i love any of my blood relatives. kumi is literally me, i love this stupid fucking series so much you have no idea.

[tumblezwei]

Randomly selected 10 things I liked this year in no particular order

- Final Fanasy 16

It was good and fun. I haven't gotten the DLC yet tho and probs won't for a while. I have too many games I need to finish atm

- Witch from Mercury season 2

the best gundam series as said by someone who has only watched 2

- One Piece

I'm like, 90% sure that I started seriously getting into it this year. Genuinely so much better than I ever expected it to be

- SSS-Class Revival Hunter

This one's recent. If you're like me and upon reading Solo Leveling thought: "man, I wish this series had literally any type of character development, emotional stakes, characters worth investing into, well-developed worldbuilding, or anything that even remotely resembled an interesting plot" then read this instead.

- Half-Life 2

the Half-Life that's good (said with love)

- Foundryside

good book, will read sequels eventually when my motivation for reading comes back

- Honkai Star Rail

holy shit it's actually been nearly a year since I decided to play this damn game. Live Laugh Love March 7th

- Little Goody Two Shoes

Yuri and horror. That's it that's the post.

- Endo and Kobayashi Live

And I will STAY praising mediocre shoujo adaptations until my dying breath!!!! It was cute, it was fun, it and every other of it's kind deserve the production value of JJK but without the devastating worker exploitation.

- I'm in Love with the Villainess

this goes out to all the yuri anime we got this year and especially this one

[mylittlesparklingshadows]

So i haven't drawn anything decent since my last artwork last sunday, so I shifted my time to watching anime. I recently finished Gundam Thunderbolt. I didn't like both male protagonists but this anime was more into the realistic approach so it's okay I guess. I like this direction, it's more like space opera which I really dig. I then proceeded to watching Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans coz it was frequently mentioned in the comments section while I was watching Thunderbolt. Both animes were released on the same year. Like wow, Sunrise! Too bad I was still adjusting in the corporate world that time haha. Anyways, the mood is a bit lighter than Thunderbolts, and the animation is inconsistent. I particularly don't like the look of Mika coz he looked like he belongs to another anime, like Yugi Oh. But the longer I watched the characters seem to grow on me. I like the camaraderie of the Tekkadan crew. Coz I believe that family isn't all about blood. I'm still plodding on season 1 and I haven't gotten bored so far. I hope it remains that way! I can't count how many series I gave up watching coz it was just no longer interesting.

For other stuff.. I saw these amazing W.i.t.c.h. Fanart on IG and it just makes me wanna read the comics again. I tried it months ago but it slipped out of my mind. I just hate reading comics on my phone, but I don't really have other viable alternatives. I just miss the gang, even tho its mostly out of nostalgia rather than the story. Huhu!

[dariencecelia-blog]

Alright, world, it has been a while since I wrote an anime review in a Christian lens but I absolutely HAD to after finishing Little Witch Academia. I really hope people read my reviews - I’m still growing as a blogger and it would definitely help! Since LWA’s last episode was released today, I’ll put a read more for the sake of spoilers cause we all know everyone despises spoilers.

Also if you want to read my other anime reviews (Tho right now there’s only two, but prepare for more in the future) then please check them out. They will all be on this page! http://dariencecelia.tumblr.com/tagged/darienspeaks

Little Witch Academia was immediately one of my favorites since the movie LWA Enchanted Parade. Friendship, love, belief, faith, magic and all the cheesy stuff = My fave. Now, I won’t go into details about Enchanted Parade since this is a review for the TV series, however, I will say if you haven’t watched it yet and you watched LWA TV series - go watch it! AND if you haven’t watched LWA yet but may be interested - go watch it! The movie is great for getting a feel for all the characters so you can step in and for those who already watched LWA TV series, it is just always great to see more of the characters.

Ok now back to review for the LWA TV series. The story starts out with our main character - Akko Kagari. Ever since she was a little girl, she always loved and adored a great witch named Chariot - or her stage name Shining Chariot. She would go around the world and hold amazing plays of magic. Akko had the chance to go to one and since then, fueled her desire and love to become a witch - despite being just a normal human with no magical ancestry. Despite the odds, she believed with all her heart that she could.

Fast forward into her teens and she is finally going to the school she always wanted to go to - that’s right Luna Nova Academy, a school for witches. However, her first day didn’t go as planned. She had to overcome the problem of not being able to get into this portal that leads to the school because she has no magic and can’t fly. She eventually meets two witches named Lotte and Sucy who “help” her get in. Tho it is more like they had to out of sympathy. Anyways, something goes wrong (Akko brings some pickled plums that somehow messes with the magic of the portal) and they end up going to Arcturus Forrest - a forbidden forest that is highly dangerous. This is where she goes through some challenges but, receives the Shiny Rod which is the same Rod that Shiny Chariot once had. This right here is what changes the story and pulls the viewer. However, as I sit here watching with my Christian heart, I see it as how every first encounter with God is. You have an idea of where you want your life to go, but suddenly God sends you through this ridiculously hard time but in the midst of it, offers an opportunity for you to go on a journey that leads not only to him but your own personal growth. 

Of course, Akko takes the rod with great excitement, seeing that this is the wand of the witch she has admired for as long as she can remember. But the story progresses from here. She goes through many challenges, and things don’t really go her way. She often gets into trouble and messes, but she always brings her friends Lotte and Sucy along. They follow because of this allure Akko has. Her charm - but mostly it has to do with her believing heart. Which really, that’s what I see in my own journey as a Christian. I follow my heart and chase after God. I get into all kind sort troubles and messes, but I have friends following me - why? I like to believe it is because they can sense something warm about me. My own believing heart, and with that - the holy spirit. Now the holy spirit isn’t brought up in a lot of churches (which I really think it should) but to sum it up without ridiculously long sermons and Christian jargon, the holy spirit is like our magic. We believe with our hearts and go on a journey with God, and he awakens the holy spirit sleeping inside of us. With that, we are able to do miracles such as healings, prophecies, hearing God’s voice and even exorcism. (Tho scary movies over emphasize it - it doesn’t get that bad usually).

Continuing on with LWA, Akko gets worst luck - getting the worst chores, the smallest straw in a certain traditional festival. She and her group (of course it is Lotte and Sucy) have to be “sacrifices” by tradition. Despite how much all of this sounds like it sucks, Akko sees it through a different lens, She takes her situation, she takes who she is, she takes her beliefs and turns it into an outcome no one could foresee. For example, the festival where by tradition Akko and her group “has” to be “sacrifices” for a sad monster, instead Akko see’s it and says “Why don’t we just make her happy?” From here, everyone around her jumps into action. Using what they are good at to make this possible. Akko just believes and stays positive - which is what she is best at but it is also what fuels everyone else. At this point, a teacher named Ursula Sensei has become Akko’s personal mentor. (Best mom award pls) She goes into research about this sad monster. Well, they come up with a good plan and put it into action - except everything doesn’t go as planned. Which honestly is what being with God is like. Plan all you want, God is going to diverge something in it. But that’s what makes it fun - how boring would life be if you planned and knew everything that was going to happen? Not to mention the lack of growth and experience. Everything was going as planned until it didn’t. Until the monster wasn’t pleased with their show they worked so hard on. The monster ate her (which the whole crowd was pleased with because - this is what the “sacrifice” is supposed to do).

 She ends up reaching down into the monster's heart, and speaking life to the monster. Speaking love. She cleaned up the darkness in the monster's heart, and the monster turned into a beautiful princess, who was able to be free from her curse. Who was finally able to move on. This is a beautiful example of how Christians are SUPPOSED to reach out to people. Not judging, not no damn signs and yelling in people's face. Gosh, I hate it when people do that and then call themselves Christian. Did you read Jesus doing that? No. Jesus is our examples, we go to the people who are hurt the most and be there for them. Love on them. Don’t try to push the word onto people. Just love. If they ask what makes us strong or etc, then you can say “Jesus”. From there, it is up to that person if they want the conversation to go deeper or not. Then at one point, you’ll be able to hit their heart and heal using the holy spirit to set them free.  But that is basically what Akko did here. 

Moving on, she attracted so much more people. Everywhere she went people were drawn to her. Which is what happens when you believe in yourself. She attracts people who would be so unexpected. Introverts, extroverts, high class, low class, humans, politics, witches - you name it. People bumped into her, somehow affected by her, and then believed in not only her but also themselves. Which really, that’s what happens. Honestly, being a Christian, where I go, I just am honest and be truthful believing in myself and the holy spirit inside me that Jesus awakened, and people come. People grow and change and it is beautiful.

In the end, she has a group of 7 witches who go with her to defeat a missile, a being filled with hatred whose mission is to spread hatred, war, and anger around the world. Which really, that’s what the enemy does in real life. The enemy being Satan. The interesting thing is in the Bible, 7 is the number that resembles God and is the most brought up and reoccurring number in the Bible. It appears 700 or more times in the Bible. Anyways, All 7 of these girls have become close, all being changed by Akko in their lives. They all used their powers to boost Akko and Dianne (was once a “rival” but eventually they had a mutual understanding after Akko helped influence her to go after what Dianne herself believes in and not what people want for her)). to their highest potential. All saying reassuring words to boost their faith.

 Then, they were super close to the missile monster but their magic was slowly starting to fade. This is when Professor Croix (who was the “enemy” in the story but then saw the light. This is also the pivotal point where she finally realized that a believing heart is the source of a witches magic). So then, she hacked and broadcasted the live stream of Akko and Dianne. This then, caused the world to start cheering them on and believing in them. This is also relevant in Christianity - or at least the way I see it. The more who believe, the more the body of Christ becomes complete. Kinda like Power Rangers when they come together and make the big Megazord or in Gundam when they all come together and make a bigger - Gundam. They become stronger and the love and trust fuel them. Just like in Christianity.

At this point in LWA, the politics and government try to take control. They shoot missiles too but the missile monster just splits and dodges what the fly at it and would shoot back ten times more at them. This is kind of like when people who don’t have the holy spirit, try to fight against forces of darkness. They don’t have that magic that can actually fight against it. But, when Akko and Dianne merge their magic together and start fighting this missile monster, the missile monster starts throwing more dangerous attacks. This is because the missile monster sees them as a threat and is throwing it’s best shots. Just like when you fight the powers of darkness with the holy spirit, Satan or some demons will jump in because they are threatened.

 In LWA, Akko and Dianne kept fighting and believing, everyone in the world believed and even the politics and government began to believe. Akko and Dianne released the big shot and turned the missile monster into a beautiful way to spread love and magic all around the world. To touch everyone’s hearts. In all their fighting, not once was it as a result of destruction, but move resulted in changing darkness into light, into something beautiful. 

Just like in Christianity. We, or at least I believe, that people's most darkest moments can be turned into beauty and light to share with others. To inspire and boost people. In the end of LWA, families were given a second chance at bonding (Andrew and his father (politics/gov)), people believed again and it was all so beautiful. The Shiny Rod also went back into the stars, but magic stayed with Akko as in the end, she was finally able to fly (Which was something she was unable to do the whole story because she needed more magic). 

All in all, that was my review of Little Witch Academy through a Christian lens. In the summer season, I will start writing reviews for anime on an episode basis instead of a complete review. I think it is easier that way and I can go into more details. There was so much more I wanted to write (not like I wrote a lot in this one post ha...hahaha...) but I would have to make it into several posts. Which would mean rewatching everything again. Then again, with LWA going onto Netflix (Which you all should watch! Support LWA!) I may end up doing that. I may or may not write individual episode reviews. We’ll see. Well, until next time, ciao!

If you want to read my other reviews, which really is only one so far. That was for Binan Koukou Chikyuu bouei-bu love! BUT in the future, there will be more! It will be all on this page: http://dariencecelia.tumblr.com/tagged/darienspeaks

Please check it out! Well, until next time, Ciao!