#ENJOYING THIS IMMENSELY SO FAR

[leatherbounded]

As blood flows through and invigorates the body, so faith flows through and invigorates the soul.

Madeleine Roux, from The Nine Eyes of Lucien

[egophiliac]

still ruminating over Lost In the Book With Spooky Skeletons Part 1, so here's a selection of some of my favorite little bits! (...some more loosely paraphrased than others) (I just feel like Idia has no room to criticize in general, okay)

anyway, I'm sure we're just going to have a fun time celebrating Halloween and nothing bad is going to happen whatsoever! :)

[preacherboyd]

MASH | 3x07 Check-Up

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

So, I started watching Link Click...

[spiritoast]

long overdue last specter liveblog highlight reel

london life bonus below the cut

[fyodcrs]

★ Kamonohashi Ron ★ Kamonohashi Ron no Kindan Suiri E02 ★

[datastate]

I've always been really intrigued by the contrast between his social mask and the obvious signs of... what should I call it, dishevelment? The more you find out of his character or take a close look. One thing being that his haircut is a bit uneven and seems roughly pushed away from his face in his sprite, both in flashbacks and in the main game. I find the same contrast interesting in Mishima too, especially since in-universe he seems to have a harder time being perceived as put-together or reliable until one gets to know him despite, in my perception, trying very hard to keep up a "responsible" image to people in the same way. <- rambling because it remembered that it likes YTTD

[ @prizefigures ]

yes!!! it's so interesting to me - you see them both try very hard to keep up an (effortless) act that would poise them as, well, reliable people! as you said. despite them both still being very supportive and compassionate people beneath the appearances they put on, neither of them really seem to recognize that as worthwhile (or at least, not as typically palatable, which especially applies in kazumi's case despite his best efforts :[ poor fellow...)

i actually spoke the other day on how these two's speech patterns in particular were almost... the inverse? of one another as well, which plays into what you mentioned here too. all sorts of things help them form their social masks...

kai does seem to speak very straightforwardly in his mind - with some silly similes to spice it up ("kai, your mood is as unusual as the autumn sky"). but aloud, even though he's concise, he will usually softens his words with phrases like 'may, might, perhaps' or preface with questions to reaffirm what he's been told before he actually approaches an answer/response. he's rarely brazen unless he believes there's danger (the only times you'd even see him raise his voice in-game is when he's trying to get sara's attention, at the threat of death) - he tries to keep himself composed for the most part!

but like you said, as you learn about kai or get closer to him (ytts is really good for this), you do start to see the cracks begin to show. he's still very much learning how to... be a person, not just an extension of asunaro. it's what contributes to that subtle disarray, because you see the him wear his asunaro uniform (which he couldn't discard, because it still feels to be an intrinsic part of him despite years spent with the chidouins), contrasted with the apron (which he wouldn't discard, for it is cherished). and while he's clearly grown to accept and even enjoy having long hair now, he hasn't yet learned how to take care of it.

it really is interesting seeing these small signs of him still piecing together what his life, who 'kai', could be! and when people like kazumi, reko, nao dig a bit deeper because they want to know kai, they see more of those uncertainties that he learned to mask. it's really touching seeing the moment where kazumi begins to unveil him in a very kind way and kai ends up asking him to stop, because it's such a large step in trust that kai wasn't prepared for...

that scene always hits me :'] yours are hands filled with affection toward another... ahhh.

& then you see what kai does for kazumi in return too... because, despite the occasional 'you really are a bit [intense] aren't you' -- it isn't necessarily a bad thing! just an energy that kai wouldn't usually match, but is nonetheless unique to kazumi himself. and for that, kai insists to him that perfection isn't what he should be seeking out, but rather he should concentrate his efforts foremost on his skills and passions; hone in on what only he can and present that to the world irregardless of people's more superficial reactions toward his appearance or how he presents it. which is really what kazumi needed to hear, considering he started out the event with:

I wish I were a truly fine teacher, the kind who could answer any question I'm asked… Right now… it feels like I'm just barely managing to teach art and how to study…

which, getting back to how they phrase things... for kazumi, you can see the shift of how he phrases things when spoken aloud, highly influenced due to his career as a teacher. people will always be looking to him for answers, and he tries his best to provide them with confidence so they will 1) take his words to heart, but also 2) consider him reliable. because he wants to be able to support other people, and he's clearly very compassionate. even his questions are typically directed to hear out the other person's perspective. if he doesn't know something, he will of course need to ask, but typically he still prefers framing himself as someone who is knowledgeable. where even in that, he implicitly emphasizes the importance of listening to others to make sense of the world.

while he doesn't exactly try to completely conceal his past or his mistakes, because he understands he still needs to utilize them to connect with students to reassure them that he understands (like with nao), he is still disappointed if it seems that this is... all that someone sees within him. you see this especially with sara commenting that he's a good liar, along with how frantic he gets over the cigar/cigarette issue, that he feels he has a duty to uphold being a responsible teacher. but it's especially interesting seeing that even with people like kai and keiji prodding at him for this, he still typically denies himself that indulgence before other adults.

that reluctance is actually partially what has brought me to believe that he's a recovering addict. so alongside the teacher persona, which he easily grasps onto to excuse this, he could even be using that to kind of. conceal himself behind too. with keiji, and implied with nao, you see him mention how time is the only thing which helped him heal from the mistakes of his past -- and it could very well be that the solution he found at the end of that, to become a teacher, is the thing that truly pulled him out of that. perhaps privately, he still seems to associate himself as irresponsible when he doesn't have the weight of being a mentor. which is what leads him toward boasting such confidence, using white lies (i do feel like, bc of this, it was particularly significant for him to admit how much he still didn't know to kai), and doubting himself...

i do wonder how difficult the start of the school years always seems to be for him in this case. even if he knows it simply takes a while for the students to understand who he tries to be, it must be so stressful/demoralizing to bear that at the start of every year. but he does get back into the rhythm of things! he's very good with people... probably one of the most socially-adept people, up there with joe's skills.

it's funny that, even after going on about all this. i wouldn't consider either of them to be necessarily... insecure people. more than anything, i'd say that they're just. uncertain, and are scared to admit that. for kai, being uncertain is to proclaim that he isn't fully living, isn't cherishing that gift granted to him. for kazumi, it means admitting that for all he says, he doesn't have an answer for himself as to whether or not he can really accomplish what he's dedicated his life to after fumbling with it for much longer than the average person. they're both trying to understand where they go from here after practically... rebuilding themselves from the ground up. (kai with asunaro, of course; kazumi with the whole. ego death lol)

but when they look upon each other, they're still. very kind. and they offer what they believe the other wants or needs. there's a lot of trust between them, because they're trying to show that... it's safe to let those masks fall aside; that doing so won't mean losing the respect and love they'd want to harbor, things that feel as though they're at risk if they can't keep up appearances. but having that comfort with each other is really... special :']

[crehador]

brother crab's fall 2024 first impressions: maou 2099

i think i forgot to make a post after the first ep because my first impressions of it were just. not that deep. i do remember going in with zero expectations and thinking hey this is actually better and more interesting than what i'd imagined! but it still wasn't That interesting

HOWEVER

SECOND EPISODE ELEVATED EVERYTHING

first of all peak bishounen demon lord design here. nothing revolutionary but a solid classic. 10/10 no notes

and like okay so the premise of a ye olden fantasy times demon lord being defeated then resurrected into a far future sci-fi world sounded really fun with the potential to be super funny. it made me think of paripi koumei which was basically incredible

the first ep was a little higher on the drama than the humor imo, but the second ep? second ep, the humor really hit

i'm absolutely loving the demon lord's extremely loyal, faithful follower who worked for centuries to resurrect him and is also his number one simp. like this poor girl almost got outed as a demon king otome doujinshi otaku. right in front of her demon king

demon lord's job hunt and the outcome of it is also just. i won't even spoil it because. hilarious. truly

the worldbuilding is also reasonably interesting, i think that was one of the things that impressed me most in the first episode

overall, really pleasantly surprised by this one and looking forward to more!

[plutoeniy]

acotar is a fated mates alpha werewolf story for people who don't want to get shunned for reading a fated mates alpha werewolf story

[firelise]

please tell me its tymes turn to time jump please

[baura-bear]

staring at the AI-less whumptober prompts absolutely terrified for what @noxexistant and @i-didnt-do-1t have in store for the rest of the month :D

[otomedetective]

ok so as a Bad Ending Enjoyer™ i think picking up Virche Evermore was the best decision I've ever made because ohmygod this shit is GOOD and I'm going insane over it

[kaleidoskuls]

vee constantly going "can i borrow your friend" is so funny bc my brother in christ that is a human being

[lu-sn]

lu, I didn't know you watched my school president until I saw you comment on a post. Please tell me if you have Thoughts™️ about the show. Because mine is just 😩🥺😭💗

HI MILKTEA I SURE DO HAVE THOUGHTS

so here's the thing, okay. MSP hits every BL trope that i'm so tired of. school setting, main character plays guitar and sings, main character is in a band, band is trying to win A Very Important Competition. love interest is So Charmed by the main character and his one-of-a-kind guitar playing but cannot reveal his crush, gasp, so instead they antagonize each other.

so many BLs fit this? like, all of them??? did i just describe the plot of 2gether? do you really need to watch the 2930730472037th thinly-veiled 2gether remake?

(answer: yes.)

because some genius scriptwriter finally did it right. MSP isn't just a grab bag of tropes and caricatures duct-taped together. it's not just banking on hot actors and smoulders to carry a flimsy story.

it's about a kid, and his friends, and their small but precious dream. it's about a kid looking for understanding and connection, finding it in the most unexpected person, and then doing everything possible to make that person happy. it's about kids and their moms, and what it means to watch your kid grow up, and what it means to grow and change with them. god, it's about FRIENDSHIP, so much goofy stupid lovable friendship. it's about reaching for dreams and failing to grab hold of them and having no regrets anyway.

it's so genuine.

and fuck!!! it's funny!!!!! IT'S SO FUNNY. literally every single gag landed. when they first panned to that chinzilla plushie on the altar i busted a lung laughing. props to the cast and crew for just nailing the comedic delivery and timing.

good pacing, good writing, great characters with complex needs and wants. and fourth and gemini are a fantastic lead pair, they're strong actors and they're so effortlessly comfortable with each other on screen and they're a straight shot of serotonin 🥹🥹🥹 I WOULD KILL FOR THEM

cough. anyway. tl;dr i loved it 😩🥺😭💗 it's in my top five BLs for sure, if not top three. everyone should watch it immediately. this has been a PSA.

[godblooded]

i just wanna sleep. i just wanna have interests again. i just wanna actually enjoy myself.

[youngpettyqueen]

I thought I recognized one of the dudes in Come Along Home so I looked up the episode and apparently its considered one of the worst in DS9 and im not through the episode yet but idk man I think making a bunch of grown adults do hopscotch and sing a nursery rhyme to get through a room in a death game is really funny and iconic