#I WANNA LIVE I HAVEN'T BECOME AN ANIMATOR YET

[tapakah0]

*death grip*

[whencartoonsruletheworld]

ok so fun amanda the adventurer stuff i wanted to talk about:

i think amanda's been in the tapes for 20 years exactly. we were putting it at 22 because the first tape has a 2001 copyright on the show, BUT the tape of rebecca signing papers was dated to 2002. i will bet you that 2001 is when the live-action show started, this all went down in 2002, and 2003 is when they put her in the tapes, making the 2023 setting a round 20 years

in case y'all don't know-- i haven't seen anyone make this mistake yet but just to be sure-- it seems that riley is a they/them. they're referred to as "they" in the second game steam description AND by amanda herself– when the monster tries to attack, she uses "they" to refer to riley. she knows who riley is at this point as we know from the nightlight tape, so it's not the generic "they." i think we got an enby protag! also makes you wonder if riley's supposed to be the Knight in the story, but there's another option i discuss later

i think we're forgetting what the meatman does. cause like. yeah it's probably the surgeon who put her under or at the very least heavily associated with him. but also we got the butcher ending in the first game for a reason. anyone who goes into amanda's world becomes meat. i'll bet you that they go in and become animals, which the butcher then feeds to the demon(s).

i might wanna pen this as a theory vid, but it might be too short? but i think there's a secret third party in this conspiracy. we've got hameln, summoning demons, and the anti-hameln librarian club, trying to free rebecca. BUT we ALSO know that someone told joanne to destroy the tapes, which was apparently against what kate wanted to do. THEN someone burnt down kate's house in order to destroy the tapes, something hameln would not want to do. in the orange tape, kate also refers to a mysterious "they" who got her the original tapes, who might be the person secretly filming rebecca. if kate's "they" and joanne's "they" are the same person, it seems like they're playing both hameln AND the kensdale team. i wonder if this "they" might've been the player in the demos– where amanda was more evil and their sole goal was to burn the tapes

[helluvabossrewrite45]

GhostF*ckers and Why I fell out of interest for Helluva Boss - End of Helluva Boss Rewrites

Lately I have fell out of interest with the show for a long while but watching 'GhostF*ckers' just further confirms that I do not care for this story anymore. The Stolitz plotline was loathsome, the execution of the conflict between Millie and Blitzo felt too hollow and tbh, felt more like something from a kid show than an adult show to me. Millie, while it's nice that they attempted to give her more character, it's still a bit disappointing that she's still serves to support Blitzo throughout the episode and the most damaging of the writing is: Time. This episode was just bad at managing it's time that despite being 30 minutes, the conflict felt rushed and too fast-paced. Instead of letting itself breathe in order for the audience to immerse themselves in it before the final payoff, helluva instead rushes straight to finishing it. Thus, resulting how this show lost me. And I'm getting the feeling that the show will continue to lose me further and further that it will become unwatchable (and this episode was already unwatchable to an extent.) so because of that, this would be the end of Helluva Boss Rewrites. I'm glad people like my rewrites and I'm sorry that it won't be around anymore. I cannot force myself to rewrite scenes that I do not care about, scenes from a show and story that strays me away from it further. It wouldn't just affect me, but also my writing because how can your rewrites not fall on a decline eventually like this show's writing if you can't be interested in it any longer? I figure that I should inform all of you now rather than do it later.

I wouldn't do any rewrites for this show anymore although I would like to post about my own writing and stories exclusive to helluva if anyone is interested (maybe even stories inspired by helluva to an extent) idk from here or another account though.

To send off this end of rewrites, I would like to reccommend shows that are either adult shows, indie shows or resemble helluva boss to an extent. While I haven't kept up with much media with my forgetfulness and education, I still have a list that I hope you'd be interested:

Black Lagoon - A businessman got kidnapped by a gang of pirates and now after being written off dead by his boss, he joins the gang and their escapades. If you like action especially with guns, this show is definitely for you. It has an interesting premise, great action scenes and has interesting conflicts so far. I haven't completed the series yet but so far, it's pretty good.

Arcane - I know it's a popular recommendation for adult animated media but it is REALLY good in how it's written with fantastic animation plus s2 just came out this month. Give it a watch. Plus caitlyn x vi are a well-written version of social class that stolitz failed to acknowledged or try to do.

Michiko and Hatchin - A woman attempts to find her lover with a young girl, Hatchin, she took from her adopted home as she's the daughter of her lover. If you had issues with how helluva writes women, this show would be great for you as it not only aims at adult women but the women characters themselves are developed rawly throughout the show. It's a very underated anime, I recommend giving it a watch.

TADC (The amazing digital circus) - Another popular recommendation but it's a dark comedy that manages to balance it's comedic and emotional moments well alongside having a clear identity that works for itself.

Smiling friends - If you want an office animated adult comedy, this one would be great for you too. While it's not a dark comedy, it's absurdist comedy is still hilarious to watch and both seasons are relatively short for you to complete.

I wanna eat your guts/Shockwave animation - IWEYG is an animated show of 18 year old high schoolers who tried to explore their lives as teens and legal adults at the same time during the 2000s. It's not out yet but the premise and artstyle resembles 90s cartoons which could be appealing if your interested (like me). Even if it's not, Shockwave animation is an upcoming indie animated studio that's already got a couple of projects under their belt. Please go visit their website and support them whenever you can. There might be projects you would be interested in.

I also apologise for not answering anons or asks. It's partially due to forgetfullness and school life. If you like to send me any complaints regarding helluva or rewrite ideas, I would try to answer back when I can but keep in mind that I'm currently busy with my education so it would take a lot more longer.

[powerpolyculeshowdown]

Do you have recommendations for shows/books/whatever with canon/basically canon polyamory?

ok the only media w officially canon polyam i personally consumed are Iron Widow and Hades.

Iron Widow is a mecha scifi/chinese fantasy book, it has pacific rim mechanics, so it takes 2 ppl to pilot the mecha but its more dystopian in that the pilot (male) usually drains the life force of his concubine (female). the mc has a guy shes interested in from the start but she pushes him aside to seek her goals to become a concubine pilot (theres a very good reason for this but i dont wanna give too much away) ends up being forced to work w the most dangerous pilot (spoilers hes actually a misunderstood sweetheart and i love him), her first love somehow finds his way back into her life so he can be their ally and its very clear from the first time he meets the other guy that this bitch is bi af. At one point he literslly saves their lives and i wont elaborate on that cause again spoilers but someone mentioned it in a propaganda ask. They canonically fall in live w each other and start dating. Please look up the trigger warnings first cause theres some heavy subjects addressed in this book. The book itself has trigger warnings listed at the start so if u find it at a book store u can check them this was too.

Hades is a roguelike videogame w dating sim mechanics (ish) -you give gifts to characters to learn more about them, and theres two romance options but you can romance both at once, they're both aware of and okay with it, hinting that they mightve had a past even before zagreus was born (its greek gods one is death incarnate the other is one of the furies, they've basically existed since forever)

From the submissions I got:

ive been told Leverage is like the korrasami of polyam, as in they were as polyam as they could be in a show from 2010, so it sounds like its canon but not explicit because they couldnt get away with that.

The girls from Amphibia are apparently in a similar situation, heavily implied canon, someone told me it was confirmed by people who worked on the show, but i dont think its explicitly stated.

The Kane Chronicles apparently also has canon polyam, although its 2 bodies, cause I think one of them has a god in him or something? I never read the books, but I was told Sadie (i think thats her name? The girl) is in love w both of them, and kinda dating both too i think?

I dont know if Singing in the Rain is canon but theres that kiss gif that got prrtty popular on tumblr where kathy kisses one of the guys then the other, so it looks canon? or at least implied canon?

Sense8 as some people have mentioned has 1 officially confirmed to be canon throuple, 1 that has a lot of hints to confirm but a lot of ppl see it as a gay couple w a very supportive friend ig and someone else said in general because of the plot u could kind of see the 8 of them as a big polycule, although that one isnt canon

HoneyWorks/Heroine Tarumono is one of those songs turned novel turned anime. i dont think its confirmed canon but theres a lot of stuff pointing to the possibility, you mightve see @non-fantasy telling me about them in a few asks. im obsessed and ive yet to watch anything

Penumbra Podcast: Second Citadel has Rilla/Sir Damien/Lord Arum, i also haven't listened to this one but a lot of people told me rilla and damien were in a pre-established relstionship, both got crushed on lord arum separately, talked about it and worked things out to now be a canon polycule

im She-Ra (netflix) theres a trio that is implied to be a polycule at the end, a lot of ppl called them canon in the notes but i dont personally ember it being confirmed? i am very forgetful tho. It's Rogelio/Kyle/Lonnie, unfortunately they lost the prelim round

I believe people submitted some others that were canon but im very forgetful so i cant remember right now

[dragonitepaw]

Hi! I love your super paper Mario AU, could you tell us more about it?

Waaaah Im glad you like it 🥹 i havent got too much on it as of right now but I have plans to develop it more once ive finished my uni project !!

as right now though here are some of the details/character roles:

Mario - Kirby Luigi - Bandee Bowser - Dedede Peach - either Tiff/Fumu (from the anime) or potentially Adeleine I haven't decided on that yet, originally i went straight for Fumu but i got a comment saying Adeleine would be a great fit too !! it all depends on whether i wanna include anime characters or not

Count Bleck - Meta Knight Tippi/Timpani - Galacta Knight (its their love story bc metagala forever 🫶) Nastasia - Sailor Dee O'chunks - Mace Knight Mimi - Javelin (the other meta-knights would be present too but have less of a role in the story as those 3)

Dimentio - Marx ^^^ originally i was gonna have vul as dimentio as i wanted all of count bleck's minions to be the meta-knights, but it also makes sense for the one non meta-knight character to be the one to betray them and marx just fits perfectly thematically >:)

as a little extra Merlon would be Morpho Knight which is my explanation for why Galacta Knight appears as a pixl butterfly, Morpho having the butterfly motif is my justification for the sense around galacta being their own butterfly that isnt just the morpho butterfly :)

okay now with characters done with,, the general narrative is the same destroying the world after galacta/tippi is "gone" but more fit around the ancients and heroes of yore lore being the driving point for meta and galacta meeting and forming a bond which then leads to the events of the game:

Meta's family (the tribe of darkness) were responsible for trying to end the world before using the dark prophecy (to make their own world and have the power to govern it) - meta being younger at this time had no say in what happened, Nightmare is the head of the family and the one who attempting to end the world (but thats not too important as nightmare plays no role in the main story anyways its just context).

The heroes of Yore (which includes Galacta as the hero of heart going off of my own personal hcs) were the ones to stop the family and strike some sort of deal that prevented them from using the dark prognosticus, saying if they were to try such a thing again then the heroes would be less merciful and banish the entire tribe away, knowing the heroes were more than powerful enough to live up to their threat the nightmare gave in, and the dark prognosticus was hidden away by the heroes to prevent the dark prophecy from being initiated once again.

Years down the line (much like in the original story) meta ends up getting injured and galacta comes across him, nursing him back to health. Meta didnt know about the heroes of yore and their threat to the family so wasnt aware of who galacta was, vice verca with galacta they werent aware meta was part of the tribe of darkness at the time. the two bond and eventually fall in love <3

Eventually nightmare finds out about and becomes enraged about his son and the enemy in such a relationship. He scolds meta and tells him not to go near Galacta again as the heroes 'ruined everything for them' and 'befriending them will only ever bring trouble to their family' in attempt to protect his son from them. however, meta doesn't listen as he's head over heels in love with Galacta at this point. In retaliation, Nightmare uses all of his magic to produce a strong spell to seal Galacta away in a crystal, in a far off dimension so Galacta and meta cannot meet again, as a way of protecting Meta and stopping any trouble from coming to their family.

Like in the original, Meta becomes devastated but enraged by the loss of Galacta, thinking they're dead and not seeing worth in a world without them. finding minions through the meta-knights and tracking down the dark prognosticus, Meta decides to bring about the dark prophecy and spawn the void, starting the beginning of the end.

Morpho comes across the crystal with galacta sealed within it. The amount of power needed to unseal them is a lot, and so Morpho not being powerful enough by themself, inwardly uses galactas life force alongside their own magical ability to unseal them, though this results in galacta becoming very weak and in order to save them, Morpho turns them into a pixl, and like tippi in the original story galacta loses all memory of who they were before being a pixl.

--

thats the main stuff i have for now which when looking over it,, is quite a bit 😅 there are still some aspects i need to adjust/change, the main one being the formation of the chaos heart bc if i have tiff/adeleine in peach's role i am not having them get forcefully married to king dedede 💀 for obvious reasons

^^ my initial thoughts are just having the chaos heart form from meta's pain and emotions, we will see i will be developing and thinking about it more once i have the free time :)

Thank you for the ask and I hope this was interesting to read :00

[mochamoth]

samarina magical girl headcanons?

I have a few headcanons so far and the whole plot is kinda done! Uhh sorry this is a bit of a rant in advance! Feel free to just skip to the headcanons, the order doesn't matter too much (also mild spoilers for the canon gamee!!)

Backstory:

So this takes place sometime in the early 2000s, not modern but also not the canon 1940s time era. The backstories are pretty much the same except the Ninth Circle has an even sharper eye on Samarie. At some point Marina catches Samarie stalking her and gives her a talking to. But, after several apologies and begging from Samarie, Marina decided to get to know her a lil better. They slowly become friends overtime until some plot stuff happens and they die. I don't have a solid idea yet but I was thinking what if the Ninth Circle was more of a lab than a "school". Still a cult but y'know the vibes are a bit different. They catch the two running away and threaten to shoot Marina if she doesn't turn Samarie back in. Marina refuses, they shoot, Samarie takes the shot for her but unfortunately they just shoot Marina anyways afterwards.

Somewhat luckily Samarie was close enough with the Gods to make some sorta deal with Rher specifically (for arguments sake let's pretend in this au Rher is still semi close with humans). Marina and her would be allowed to live and be resurrected, in exchange for.. Well idk yet. I was thinking something to do with Moonscorching. Maybe every night they turn, or every few days, full moon, you know something like that.

So they're brought back to life, but both have MUCH stronger magic. Not only that but Samarie doesn't feel as sick as she used to be. The two later on realize they're stereotypical ✨️magical girls✨️ and fight against "villains" ig. The villains would be actual enemies from the games. Uhh I might add other characters to this au later on, but for now it's just my own little corny ship indulgent au so yeah!

(Sorry for any grammar errors I am tired lol)

Actual Headcanons:

Samarie uses a Star themed staff while Marina uses a Moon themed staff. I just thought it fit their souls aesthetic wise!

Samarie has extremely powerful magic, but is a terrible fighter. She's clumsy, messy, and a nervous wreck. Marina is a bit weaker magic-wise, but is wayy better in combat. She's more confident, focused, and skilled.

I think it'd be funny as shit to make Black Kalev their little sidekick.

They're constantly saving eachother. Usually it's Marina saving Samarie, but if Marina is in danger Samarie fucking kicks ass. She's still a crazy girl after all.

They have more stereotypical sparkly magic cuz.. Well magical girl. But they can still use other canon spells. It's just less convenient.

Their staffs will transform when they do. When they're not in their combat fits the staffs both turn into crystals. Both wear them around their necks like necklaces.

They can't use the gifted magic without the staffs. Basically they're witches in a way.

They do flirt on the battlefield cuz that's romantic imo. It's more Marina flirting and Samarie being a gay mess but that still counts!

In this au they're not dating (yet). Samarie obviously has a massive crush (or obsession) with Marina, and again after becoming friends Marina develops a crush back on her.

This has nothing, and I mean NOTHING to do with the au, Samarie has autism. I didn't know where else I'd share that hc so taking my chance rn.

Samarie still isn't used to the outfit change. Especially Marina's outfit (she is a lesbian disaster).

They rest and cuddle together after long battles. It'd be cute okay?

I might add more later (in which case I will post), and yes this is out of character. Sorry abt that. Uhh also I've never seen a magical girl anime. Like ever! I want to. I really wanna watch a few, just haven't gotten around to it.

[oh-my-may]

LET'S TALK GENSHIN AND REMURIA AND ARLECCHINO BEFORE I FORGET AND WE'RE ALREADY IN SECOND HALF OF THE PATCH WHY DOES TIME FLY WHEN YOU'RE AN ADULT

I'm gonna start the post with a few paragraphs I wrote just a few days after the patch went live:

So I finished the first Remuria world quest - it was beautiful. And really not as long as I first expected it to be. I probably could have finished it on the first day if I wouldn't have been as tired as I was

First of all the new map is beautiful. You'd think after 3? patches of map expansions where we already got underwater stuff it would feel repetetive but somehow it looks and feels different and refreshing. Maybe because majority of the map are caves where you can walk normally or they're ruins... idk.

I couldn't help but draw parallels between Remuria and HSR's Penacony tho, especially look-wise, the talk of a dreamscape and the theme of music. Especially now after finishing Penacony 2.2 I can't help but feel the two are very similar in certain aspects... the motive of Harmony and Song and Peace and saving a people and Gods? Also the way Remuria looks is so similar to certain things in Penacony? I already said rhis in my post on HSR, this is absolutely no hate whatsoever. I reckon there's only so much you can do with these motives? It's interesting how differently it looks in both games tho.

So yeah, Remuria is beautiful. The music is an out of body experience and encapsulates the whole thing perfectly. I haven't explored all of the map yet, but I like the new mechanisms a lot. The floating books look so cool and just generally the significance of music through it all... *sigh* it's so enjoyable.

So far for Remuria... i definitely missed a few things I wanted to say but it's been like 2 weeks since I played this and I definitely forgot something haha

AS FOR ARLECCHINO THO

First of all she's broken omg. It is kind lf annoying that it'll take weeks to max out her talents, rn for me she's sitting at crowned NA and skill and burst are level 7 each. But she still hits for like over 50k with each normal attack when she has a bond of life. Don't even get me started on her with Yelan MY GOD.

Okay with that out of the way let me talk about her story quest. First of all I find it very intriguing that hyv gave up on the usual pattern of having the second weekly boss for a nation be tied to the Archon and their respective second story quest (besides Mond ig)... i mean yeah Fontaine's archon situatipn is very peculiar but technically Neuvilette has taken over the role for now, right? Neither him nor Furina getting a second story quest makes me think Neuvi's probably gonna get his way later because it'll be HUGE. Again I wanna say that lore wise Neuvi is my fav character... HES JUST SO FNDNDBDN. And Furina is probably gonna get a pretty "random" one at one point kinda like Yoimiya did or Cyno... like its gonna be a good quest but it'a gonna be random. ANYWAY

I wonder how much different I would habe perceived the quest if I hadn't watched the Animated Short about Arlecchino that they put on Youtube... like it's her whole backstory? I could see where the quest was going right from the beginning because of it... that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, tho

Childe's little surprise cameo made me so happy c: MY BOY. He's alive snd well AND IN FONTAINE. Let me remind ypu we last officially saw him in the last Atchon quest gwtting yeeted into a black hole by Skirk. Then it was mentioned at the end that he was being treated and sent gome to Snezhnaya. Well...

The whole cryptic talk between Arle and Childe was quite interesting... so this project by the Fatui, right? (Forgot the name rn bc it's been a few days since I played the quest) Is it fonna be significant for Natlans story? What does it entail?? THE TEASE NNNNGNNGHH

I wonder if at some point in the game we're actually gonna see Lyney become the new head of House of the Hearth. Like... it's mentioned quite a lot in his story as well as in everything that has tp do with the House and Sröecchino herself... I wonder 🤔

Throughout the story I was reminded that one of the first things we heard about her (Childes voiceline that came out in like??? 3.0 or so???). It was that she would turn her back on and betray the Harbingers (AND THE TSARISTA) without second thought. She even says this herself in her voicelines. I just wonder what her ultimate goal is? To free herself from the curse? Which btw they tell us nothing about in the story. Story is all about the House and its inner workings and Arle's feelings about it and plans for the future (which I love btw but still not quite understand)... we also casually get told that Arle is not even that old??? Like the whole thing with Crucabena is so recent that Freminet remembers her???? Amd Arle was maybe a Teenager when she killed her so like??? She's only around 10 years older than the kids????

So how come she's a descendant from Khaenri'ah? I don't know if I read somewhere abput it or if its a rumor but not confirmed or if its said in her personal story which I haven't read yet but... she'a from the crimson moon dynasty? Or has some ties to it? And her curse is definitely related to it BUT WHAT IS HER CURSE EXACTLY. WHY DOES SHE HAVE IT. If she's only in maybe her late 20s she couldn't have been an actual Khaenriahn citizen (same as Kaeya and he still gives me the same headache thinking about this) so how does it all tie together in the end?? Does it have to do with the God of time maybe??? (Nevermind if this is talked about in her personal story in her profile I haven't read that yet)

So yeah... the fight woth her was so cool. The animation??? I saw people get upset about the fact that Traveler couldn't beat her but I actually love that?? Like... She'a #4 of the Harbingers and has some curse probably tied to Khaenriah and she KILLED A HARBINGER WHEN SHE WAS A TEENAGER??? Traveler nlt being this almighty MC makes them so much mlre likeable like yeah... they are obv far from having their actual power back? It took us ... how many times to fight Shuki No Kami before we could defeat it in the final try to learn all the patterns? The game wants to tell us that there's much more powerful enemies in Teyvat and rhis is only the beginning. Let me tell you yeah we beat Signora but it was Raiden who killed her... it was Zhongli who subdued Azhdaha. We only healed Apep with Nahidas help. Traveler has never been able to easily defeat these big enemies, they always had help. Yeah they have been getting stronger, they've been getting access to more elements but the bis enemies are just getting stronger and bigger too... I wonder where that will lead. Maybe the twins are only gonna get their true power bavk once they're united... ANYWAY

Her weekly boss fight is cool too. Using different mechanisms again, with the whole Bond of Life thing and all. She does this one attack in her second phase that I just... can't get behind tho. Someone always has to be the victim, THE SACRIFICE, to get me through haha. Idk how to dodge or avoid that attack. The one where she floats above the arena and then these bombs? Idk? Come down and basically crash down on the whole arena and I haven't found a spot where you can aboid getting hit and therefore killed immediately idk.

So yeah that's all for now. Very excited to play Cyno's second story quest. Heard only good things so far about it, which is good because I really didn't like his first one 💀 probably gonna get around to play it one of these days. Same as with the rest of Remuria exploration, gonna need mlre Clorinde funds :3

(Gonna add screenshots later, it's been so long that the ones I took aren't saved in the PS App anymore 💀)

[kidresearcherindigo]

'Sup; name's Indigo! I'm 17, I'm a They, and I'm also a student at Naranja-Uva! Originally I'm from Unova, though! And I lived in Galar for like a year before moving to Paldea. Been in Paldea for about a year now?

I had a rotomblr for a while, but I mostly just lurked. Figured I might give socializing a try!

I'm like. One of the champions? But it's literally no big deal I don't even like to battle unless it's with friends.

I really like Pokémon Biology; I wanna become a Pokémon Biologist someday. I have three close friends; I won't namedrop them because that's rude to do without permission, but you're probably gonna hear about 'em a lot; we call ourselves the ✨️ Sandwich Squad! ✨️ (ok, only two of us call it that, but shhhhhh)

I got a full team team of Pokémon, and they are:

Luna - (Unovan) Zoroark; the one in my picture. She moved to Paldea with me!

Yuki - (hisuian) Zoroark; don't ask how I got her it's complicated. Also moved to Paldea with me!

Ember - Skelidirge; got him as a Fuecoco when I enrolled in the academy

Loaf - Daschbun; We met before I beat my first gym badge as a fidough

Doc - Hypno; he constantly tries to hypnotize me, but the insomnia's just too strong lol

Magnolia - Ampharos; just happy to be a part of something like all the time.

I also got this robot Cyclizar named Miraidon? Doesn't go by any nicknames officially but I call them Salami Monster sometimes as a joke. They're super smart though!

Also I have exactly one (1) weird talent and that's that I can talk to Zoruas/Zoroarks in their language. Only them though; I'm still working on learning how to talk to other Pokemon.

Anyway I'm probably just gonna talk about school, and pokemon like everyone else. Just boring shit. Maybe make a meme or two, we'll see how it goes!

//ooc under cut

Everything's on; M!A is on but lightweight

No NSFW

ic hate is fine

This character's lore is connected to @profchamomile and by extension @porygon-supremacy and @anomaly-sanctum (but you won't see interactions with the latter two for a while). I run all of those blogs.

I run @paradox-destroyer as well but the lore for that is separate (they do share a gliscord server together though)

Canon's a combination of games, anime and whatever else. As far as the SV story goes, it's post main story and pre expansions. Also the ruinous treasures haven't been unlocked yet.

This blog is primarily low stakes. Might get up to drama stakes down the line but at this moment those plots will be between my own characters only (with other characters being portrayed via fics. If anyone WANTS plot involvement feel free to ask me!

[akimeowk]

Siren Goddess Reader Hcs

Y'all voted for this, sorry if it's bad

I don't write fanfiction often lol

Fem reader because i specified goddess and i don't think i'd be good at gender neutral

Warnings: some stalking, mentions of kidnapping, mentions of selling people, mentions of drowning

Enjoy!

Before i get into reader and freminet, i feel like some info about my ideas on sirens should be shared

Sirens come in the following three forms:

Shallow water:

These are the smallest sirens. They tend to stick near the surface and around islands, often have tanner skin. They feast on small fish and land animals. They closely resemble mermaids, except with sharp teeth to eat meat.

Open water:

These ones are longer than shallow water sirens. They swim in to deeper waters and don't go near land often. A little more blue in skin tone than shallow sirens. They swim way more than shallow sirens, so they have more fins to help them swim quickly. The fastest of the sirens, they hunt larger fish.

Deep water:

These sirens are HUGE. Because they live in the depths of the ocean, they can grow to extreme lengths. They don't often go to the surface, because of this their skin is unnatural shades of blue. They often have claws. They don't chase their prey, they evolved to swim at consistent speeds for longer distances. Their color allows them to blend in, stalking their prey silently.

Y/n is most like a Deep water siren, however she's not actually a specific kind of siren. She's technically a mix of all three.

Also some backstory

Y/n was friends with Egeria (hydro archon) before the archon war. The sirens used to all live in the dark sea, but frequent hunting caused them to seek shelter in Fontaine.

When the archon war began, Y/n knew she wasn't strong enough to become an archon. But she couldn't allow her daughters to die. So she asked for help from Egeria.

Egeria agreed to help, and sealed off a large underwater cavern so that only Y/n could allow people to enter and exit. The sirens all hid, and haven't been seen since.

But even queens surrounded by their children get lonely, so Y/n finally decided to take a trip into Fontaine.

Freminet just wanted to go for a beachside walk. He didn't expect to come back with a clingy fish lady.

How Y/n and Freminet met:

Y/n had been seen by some people in her half siren form, and they were trying to capture her to sell her. She was perfectly capable of defending herself, and was about to, but Freminet stepped in, thinking she was in danger.

Freminet had recognized her from an old fairytale.

One about hideous monsters disguised as beautiful sea women that lure sailors to their deaths. She fit the description of them, except the tail. He thought that maybe the fairytale had some truth, and that she was an endangered species, hence why he decided to help her.

In awe of how a human could care enough about a creature like her to fight his own kind, she decided "he's adorable. He's mine now."

She fully planned on keeping him in her domain, but when she picked him up and started walking away, he freaked out (he thought he was gonna be eaten), and convinced her to let him go home.

They ran into each other by "coincidence" (Y/n stalked him until the perfect time to reveal herself) later and had an actual chat. Freminet learned that no, she didn't plan on eating him. Y/n learned that it's actually morally wrong to stalk people and very creepy, along with what kidnapping is.

Human customs are so strange.

Y/n is already infatuated with him right away, but Freminet doesn't quite like her like that yet. At most its a simple "she's really interesting, i wanna get to know her better" kind of thing.

Though that starts to change as Y/n makes an effort to court him with sea related gifts and cute dates.

Also, she can carry him.

I think he'd just swoon over a lady who can literally sweep him off of his feet.

He's always trying to be strong for other people, he needs someone to be strong for him so he can lower his guard for once.

And who better than a giant sea goddess who's head over heels for him?

He'd have a wonderful time in her domain.

So many sirens... if only the looks they were giving him weren't ones of hunger and bloodlust...

At least the caverns are gorgeous.

He wouldn't be able to explore her domain on his own for a while. Too many sirens that have been deprived of their favorite food for too long.

Once they start to understand how attached their queen is to this human, they back off.

Back to Y/n being in Fontaine

Freminet (obviously) can't stay in the caverns forever. So he has to leave for long periods of time.

But without her favorite human to occupy her, Y/n quickly finds that the caverns are too boring.

The sirens are all big girls. They can handle themselves! At least until Y/n gets back.

Of course, she has to go about it differently than last time (Freminet banned her from exiting the caverns without him unless she disguised herself.) She forgot that sirens are nothing but a myth to humans now, so showing up in her semi-siren form will only attract unwanted attention.

The solution? Human form!!!

I think it'd be funny if her human form was a little bit shorter than Freminet. Amongst other sirens she's HUGE. But if she was scaled down like other sirens, nope. Below average length. Which is why her human form is on the shorter side.

The sirens find it hilarious. Y/n, not so much.

Of course we can't forget about our favorite twins (wonderful transition i know), Lyney and Lynette!

As funny as the whole iCarly smoothie scene is, i don't think they'd meet Y/n in her semi-siren form or her full siren form right away.

The house of hearth is in the middle of fontaine, Y/n is NOT sneaking past that many people.

Freminet also wanted to wait a bit before letting his siblings meet her. Y/n isn't exactly... caught up on human culture.

After a month of dating though, the twins get suspicious of all the "walks" late at night that he's been taking.

They immediately figure out he's been going on dates with someone, just haven't figured out who.

At this point, Freminet deems Y/n educated enough on modern Fontaine to only be slightly strange.

So the twins finally meet her in her human form.

But they know something is off.

It's uncanny valley for them. She looks human, acts human, talks human, but you just get that feeling that something isn't right.

Freminet doesn't seem to notice their discomfort. Or maybe he does, and he's just praying that the months worth of lessons he gave Y/n didn't go in one ear and out there other.

Lyney puts up a front. He doesn't trust Y/n one bit. But he doesn't have any reason to start a commotion. So he acts friendly and observes for now.

Lynette i think would be a bit conflicted.

She's like Lyney in the sense that she doesn't trust Y/n. However, Freminet is smiling and chatting happily with somone who isnt from the house of hearth or the traveler. He's opening up to someone without the help of his siblings.

She decides that as long as Y/n doesn't hurt Freminet, then there's no issue with her being human or not.

It's still gonna take some work for them to fully trust her.

They'd find out shortly afterwards that Y/n is a siren.

Lyney, wanting to learn more about this strange girl who just showed up one day, suggests that they follow her home.

Lynette finds it ridiculous at first, but she can't help but be curious as well.

So they follow Y/n and Freminet from a far.

I honestly don't think they'd be that surprised when they see Y/n shift into her half-siren form.

"You mean the random girl who's never been seen around fontaine before, has no records of existing EVER and has a strange fascination with trying to drown fishermen, is a siren? How shocking. :|"

Like, they're not surprised that she's not human. But the siren thing? A little shocking. Actually, Freminet spends 80% of his days in the water diving. So maybe they shouldn't be that surprised.

Y/n knew Lyney and Lynette were following them. She doesn't care. She may not be able to win in the Archon war, but she damn sure can keep two human magicians silent.

Unfortunately, now things are awkward. Lyney and Lynette know that their brother is dating a sea monster. Y/n is too smug for her own good.

Freminet is struggling. How did he get into this mess?

Whenever Freminet leaves to hang out with Y/n, Lyney tells him to "not let her eat him alive"

Most people think it's a joke. Freminet knows it's genuine advice.

--------------------------------------------------------

I think i'm running out of ideas.

Lyney and Lynette finding out that Y/n is a goddess would have to wait for another day

Feel free to request some things if you have any ideas! I think i'll only write for Freminet for now though

Thank you for reading and have a lovely day!!

[sneezemonster15]

So I have been bedridden due to some health issues and I have been watching stuff. I took a break from watching films and series and started watching anime. Started with some comfort anime and then looked for stuff I hadn't watched yet. Tried watching Jojo's bizarre adventures but I just can't seem to get into it. It is just too loud and scrapes on my nerves. Neon Genesis Evangelion was a captivating watch, although was heavy and a bit difficult to follow. Also what the fuck was that ending? So I watched Spy Family next, and now I am patiently waiting for the next season. Anya is a pumpkin pie and I think I have a mild crush on Yor. Hihi. The way of the house husband was okay, but I think imma watch it further mostly for the voice acting. Kotaro Lives Alone is also kinda nice when you just wanna relax and not use your head too much. A lot of themes get repetitive in anime and manga, especially loneliness, trauma and tragic childhood. Sigh. But I am navigating through.

Now I am watching My Hero Academia. I remember getting asks about it, fans asking if Deku and Bakugou have a romantic relationship like SNS. I am only down ten episodes but I haven't gotten that sense from their relationship or their characters. They have a rival dynamic and perhaps they will become friends going forward, but that's all it seems like. Deku seems like he is quite into girls, given how he responds to Uraraka. And Bakugou just seems like a bully who is too full of himself and wants to feel superior to others, especially Deku whom he doesn't think deserves to be a hero. The way the plot has been set up, looks like he is going to eat the humble pie in future courtesy Deku, which will probably lead to his resolution and Deku will overcome his insecurities, make some friends and become a confident hero. That's how it seems to be set up.

Anyway, if I think it is going the SNS way, I will write about it.

[eegasleega-will-change-this-l8r]

Sooo I wasn't planning on doing this post just yet and I don't have a good digital drawing of her yet, but

Ana!!

So my take on her is very different from how I think most people imagine her, I wanted to go in a different direction that made her more than just the girl one/ninten's girlfriend/nicher Paula and she's become one of my favorite characters to play around with ^^

Design details and a giant wall of text detailing her character and story below :3

So like the entirety of my interpretation of Ana stems from one thing

That face

T_T

Very prominent eyebrows (Invasion From the Unknown actually mentions the same thing!!! the illustrations don't show it though and there's not really any other similarities between that version and mine), mouth usually spread in a frown, she's not a happy person Pink dress with a white collar and frill at the bottom, pink hat with a black band (or maybe cream with a red/pink band? i might play around with that idk), red shoes and white stockings She almost always wears her hat when she's out, having to leave it behind in Reindeer was very frustrating but she knew she'd get it back eventually at least (And yeah, she's fat. Her sprite doesn't look fat, I haven't seen other designs that make her fat, I didn't really take inspiration from her model because I hate it and it's not really fat either, I just wanted there to be a fat girl who's not, like, a mean-spirited joke, and since MOTHER's sprites are suuuper vague I decided to take advantage of it and design the characters however I wanted. thank god i'm on tumblr and not posting these to reddit or something, they'd crucify me)

Now her character!

Basically, Ana is grumpy and sour Constantly

You can contrast that with Ninten's 24/7 positivity

In general, I see the world of MOTHER 1 being very bleak and gloomy, with Ninten being the sole exception who helps bring light to the places and people whose souls are being crushed by the weight of everything Ana's sort of the final boss of repressed emotions and pessimism for Ninten to tackle (besides the actual final boss, who completely blows anyone else's emotional repression out of the water - I have a Giygas post in my drafts but I honestly have too much to say about him, I need to trim it down ><) It alllllll plays into the themes I wanna play with in my M1 interpretation :3

So Ana was a young girl living with her mother and father in Snowman's local chapel. Even before the Invasion she was pretty well-known for not being particularly upbeat. She was super reserved, pretty much never smiled, and preferred reading and praying to other people's company. She got some of it from her father, who was a priest and raised her to value proper behaviour and following God or whatever, but she's also just kinda like that. Her mother was much warmer, loving her daughter and never judging her for being less outgoing than the other kids, and Ana was always happiest curled up with her next to the fire, listening to a story.

Oh, and of course she's psychic, powerfully so. Bad news if you tick her off. Her family regards it as a miracle from God. She's a little clairvoyant, but not enough to know exactly what the future holds. Just short little confusing snippets and hints of what to do and expect.

One day, everything suddenly changed. The town was hit by an earthquake, everything was covered in darkness, the animals on the outskirts of town went berserk, and people went missing. The sounds and the shaking jolted Ana awake, and she ran down the hall hoping to be comforted by her mother. Opened the door, standing there with a candle, staring at the empty bed and a shattered window.

Ana buried her feelings and set out to try and find her mother (her father just stayed home and prayed, never leaving the chapel), but the monsters and creatures that had appeared were too strong for her alone, and she could only get as far as Reindeer before she had to turn back. But she heard a little voice in her head that told her to leave her hat behind, and she knew that whoever returned it to her would be the person she had to follow to rescue her mother. She waited impatiently back at her home, praying with her father, obsessively reading the news (similar disappearances all over the country, especially in Easter, interesting), and hoping that the hero, "Ninten," would show up soon.

Eventually, after FAR longer than she was happy with, he showed up and. Is this really the hero? This is just some bucktoothed kid and his geeky friend. She shoved down her frustrations along with everything else (at the very least she appreciated finally having her hat back) and told him that she needed to join him. He's happy to meet her of course because he's Ninten ("New friend!" "We are not friends.") And so the trio gets to set off on their journey!

In the completely wrong direction. Why are we stopping in Halloween.

For some reason, Ninten doesn't seem overly concerned about the fate of the world. He and his stupid friend just keep goofing off and hunting for these useless melodies. This isn't a scavenger hunt. The world is gonna be destroyed. She's furious, but she bottles it up. This is the person who's apparently fated to save Earth, so she has to stay with him, no matter how annoying he is or how much time he wastes.

So Ana spends the whole journey getting progressively more ticked off as they keep getting distracted by the hunt for the melodies. Ninten's shenanigans and his relentlessly positive attitude continue to get on her nerves, and she refuses to engage with them. This is a SERIOUS mission, and she's not gonna stoop to their foolish level, even if she has to stick with them.

So I'll be able to get more into the fight among the group when Teddy joins when I do his post, but short story is that Ana is against Lloyd staying. If they're actually gonna see this mission through to its end, someone strong like Teddy's gonna be far more useful, and they've wasted far too much time to let Lloyd slow them down. Her anger's really starting to boil over at this point. They've been together for ages, and they've barely gotten any closer to saving the world.

This all finally comes to a head on the Mountain (I love the Mountain, everything happens on the Mountain). Ninten's starting to lose his cool as the stress of their journey starts getting heavier and heavier, having to leave Lloyd was incredibly painful, and he's angry with her for not having their backs. She snaps that they aren't friends, they're just allies on the same mission, and they can't afford to waste time goofing off and making pals, and the fight gets more and more heated until everything Ana's been holding in finally bursts free.

She's terrified, and she's been terrified ever since her mother disappeared, and she doesn't know if they can really win or if she'll ever see her mother again, and having to just stay bottled up while they just wandered around seemingly not doing anything has been awful, and infuriating, and she can't stop herself from crying anymore.

Ninten quiets down and lets her have what she needs for a few minutes before he tries to comfort her. He didn't realize she was keeping all this inside, and he feels horrible that she was dealing with this the entire time. Once her tears die down, he rests his hand on her and assures her that they're gonna save her mother, and everyone else, too. He doesn't know how, and he's terrified sometimes too, but he also knows that for whatever reason, they need the melodies if they want to win. He apologizes for just ignoring all her feelings for the entire journey, and tells her that even though she's been so firm about not liking them, he doesn't want her to be alone. She can tell him anything, she doesn't need to keep everything to herself. That's what being friends is about, right?

So this is huge for both of them, and it's when Ana finally starts to warm up. She finally sees that it's good to be open and have friends, and that they'll be stronger for it if they're close. And, as they climb further up the Mountain and continue being friends, she starts to realize some muuuuch more uncomfortable feelings, too. Of course she pushes them down at first, but when they reach the cabin, they're alone together, and who knows if she'll have another chance to open up like this, she comes out and asks Ninten to dance.

I flip-flop a lot on whether Ninten actually feels mutually about her (you can choose yes or no when she asks if you like her back, I don't think Ninten's really ready to figure that stuff out for himself), but goddd I love this scene so much, for such a simple, clunky game, its tender moments hit so hard ;-;

So by the end of the story, Ana's reunited with her mother, she finally has friends that she loves and cares about, she's discovered new things about herself, and she's developed a new sense of hope and brightness for the future. A happy ending :)

So that's my version of Ana, I think she's very different from every other version I've seen of her so it's not like I'll ever see content for her that'll really speak to me unfortunately, but I love her and I love thinking about her dynamic with the other characters ^^

[halfbit]

Im struggling to find ur lore amongst the chaos could u tag me in it please??

I wanted to read what u got since u seem to like mine a lot, i wanna show u the same support u gave me ^^

ahh LMAO ofc!! i have a complicated relationship with organization but i'm trying :'D i'll send it your way

in the mean time, here's part of something that i haven't publicly shared anywhere yet? it's a work in progress since i want the final version to include illustrations (which aren't done yet) but this segment is more or less ready. ＿＿＿＿

the information in this paper is based on the works of kanohen haeto, often dubbed "the father of modern folklore", whose books such as heas komin living legends and yaga senka night secrets have shared the stories of our past with a new generation. his academic works are also some of the most comprehensive collections of written folklore of our era. we would also like to thank ayaten omiwa[1] for her wonderful and striking illustrations accompanying this article. the goal of this project is to examine the roles and characteristics of animals and animal figures in the traditional folk culture of the southern continent, we will not be going into (most of) the world myths and tales of the gods, instead, these are the first stories we told, and some still tell, to our children. they are our fables and our warnings, our answers and our bedtime stories. at the end of this, the reader will have just scratched the surface of these tales, but that will still be a success. tens of thousands of history, lessons, and memories of tens of thousands of our ancestors cannot be held in the hands of a single work. even kanohen haeto cannot write down what has been forgotten before he could hear it. this is just a small catalyst, but perhaps it will serve to make a new generation ask what has been forgotten, and to preserve what is still remembered before it is lost all the same.

.............

countless species of birds have called saonkaya and our neighboring nations home throughout history, but some have left more of a mark than others on our tales. the most significant may be the seika, the name of a sea bird that centers many of our fables. the exact bird being spoken of has been forgotten, but common assumption is that the folklore seika is likely an aralik or naeseika based on the limited physical descriptions we have. the seika of folklore though is not so much a species as it is an individual, with a history and relationships of its own which makes it a bit of an unusual starting point. however the seika still shares some common characteristics with other birds in folk tales, for instance, often acting as the troublemaker, or in more charitable representations, the stubborn youth. that may be why the seika and other birds are so popular in children's stories, they are quite relatable to the rambunctious children they serve as lessons for. in one of the seika and betkai folktales, seika's red tail, the story centres on the seika's stubborn and impulsive nature, and the consequences of its lack of caution or preparation. when seika gets speared by a iseluba while diving into its hunting waters, the seika is so blind to its mistake that it does not even realize it has been injured until it lands on the betkai. seeing how seika's tail has turned red, it is only betkai who asks, "have you been hurt?" and the seika gives the quintessential seika answer, "if i am, it is not enough to matter." other birds, in folklore often cousins or family of seika, are usually not as extreme in their temper, but they are still reliably reckless. in the tale of taipha and the silver pond, she is so taken with her reflection that she does not warn the other creatures of the pond's danger. instead she lashes out when they plummet down for disturbing her, but does not stop them from drowning. in another variation of the tale, she becomes so incensed by the continuous interruptions that she kills every fish in the pond so that it will only have value to her.

when not contributing to destruction, in some instances birds may serve as guides, as in the black desert and the songbird, a saonkayan folktale in which a tallo guides a fisherman's daughter to a desert where each grain of sand is a precious gem. this has likely given various songbirds in saonkaya their unique association as good omens of fortune or wealth. this is less common though in pre-saonkayan stories, in the case of the little bird that turns lakes red, the titular bird is instead an omen of plague and other illness. when birds are part of a pair or ensemble of animals, they tend to be selfish and cruel instigators that often cause their own downfall, such as in the chain of betkai, where seika steals betkai's shining chain, refusing to give it back even when betkai loses his fur and claws. they are usually not particularly bright though, betkai is able to get his chain back by telling the humans where seika nests, and seika is unable to fly away fast enough with the heavy chain in its claws. still, they refuse to drop it, and it makes them easy prey. in a similar role, a baral poisons the tree it nests in so that other birds won't make it their home, and then wails to all who fly past when the poison takes their own hatchlings. however, birds are not the only creatures that fly the southern skies, and the distinctions are significant in folklore especially. the henmao has shared several stories with its brothers in flight, usually acting as an opposing force, though often not a benevolent one. in the story of the feather banquet the henmao, irritated at the incessant noise of a kakaun wedding procession, descends upon it in a feast of anger. they also show up in the henmao and the keman, where the henmao has to face a creature with even more explosive anger than it, the henmao does not seem to be a creature of pure anger though. in fact, unlike the seika, it is often risk-aware, it simply does not care as long as it thinks it can survive the retaliation. in this story the henmao ends up bringing in a third party, a young mouse, to negotiate between it and the keman. they reach a mutual agreement, and eat the mouse to seal the deal.

a more agreeable flying beast would be the untaolo, which was said to aid the hero tasuma as her wings in her battle against a wyrm, and even in less intense stories the untaolo is often a symbol of loyalty. it can fly away freely, and yet it will always return to those who have good will. there is even an old proverb, "if an untaolo turns tail to the king, you best follow." in some stories, untaolo may be associated with death, although not as a bringer. in the traditional funeral rites of some communities, especially in saira and ramoon, there is often a verse that asks for an untaolo to guide the deceased across the river of the gods.[2] another that shares the untaolo's associations with death, but not its reverence, would be the cuural, in greater myths cuural have been servants of the spirits of death, and it was bad luck to see one, especially during travels. cuural were said to steal away the health and life of people who had been unharmed or well, because they were always in competition with eachother to bring more people to their lords. since cuural travel in packs and are opportunistic feeders, including scavenging on corpses, they also got a reputation for making a feast out of the fallen in battlefields. their fiercesome faces likely aided their poor reputations, and in recent times, there have been some attempts at legislation to criminalize the excessive and ecologically unnecessary culling of their population, but none have come to fruition, and sightings get rarer by the year. perhaps one day we will only remember them by their roles in these old stories. most people would rejoice. ending this segment on an interesting example, there is a particular story that has recently had a wave of retellings, but the original is the bakotamu's daughter. the bakotamu was said to be a close relative of betkai, and shared betkai's ability to shapeshift into a person, but was often much more willing to do so, and there are many stories of it changing into a person for many years to live among humans. because of its close association with human affairs, the bakotamu has been characterized with many different traits throughout history. it is sometimes benevolent, but it can be equally vindictive, there are just as many ways to beckon a bakotamu as there are to expel it. the bakotamu in the bakotamu's daughter is an anxious and stubborn example, and they are famously very concerned by the matters and opinions of gods. they cause a great deal of suffering for their daughter due to their inability to accept her existence, and are ultimately left to anguish on their actions for time eternal. this story is often said to be why the bakotamu's face is forever streaked with tears. whenever wrong is being done, the bakotamu finds reason to cry for it, even if they have done it to themselves. because of this, they are often a comedic victim and villain in their own folktales, and children will be told not to cry unless they're a bakotamu at times. this has been a brief but broad sample of birds and other beasts of flight in folklore and fable. in the next segment, we will cover land beasts, from above and below ground. they are often the other half of a pair in a story, alongside the prior introduced birds, so we will now begin to be able to compare a more complete picture of animal dynamics as characters in our traditional stories.

footnotes 1. art created by me, damnit↩︎ 2. if someone is not particularly well-liked, the untaolo may still be invoked, but may be asked to leave them to drown instead↩︎

[nevadalanii]

Anemo 5(question mark)??

so uhh, I really really REALLY wanna make an au where Venti, Xiao, Scara, Kazuha, and Heizou meet and become buddies.

Venti's a high school weeb with no friends who gets bullied. He used to live with his friend but he died(a reference to the nameless bard), so he lives alone. He is always up to date on the latest anime and manga chapters. He knows a ton of popular Vocaloid AND Utau songs(as well as the more obscure ones) and he is a DIEHARD fan of Hatsune Miku. But all the fandom trivia aside, his constant bullying and isolation from others robbed him of not only any chance of getting a girlfriend, but any chance at getting any friends. Ever. Because let's be honest: most anime fanatics are neck beards, why should he be any different?

Xiao's a teacher's pet/straight-A student/mr. perfect/ WHATEVER THE FUCK and he lives with Zhongli(who is his dad in this au). Still haven't thought of how to add the deaths/disappearances other 4 yakshas in this au, but we'll deal with that later. He has a generally good home life, but his admirers + his teachers put IMMENSE pressure on him to get all A's. Nobody sees it yet, but he's slowly cracking under all that pressure. But he can't let them see that, right After all, you've gotta keep your cool when you're Mr. Perfect.

Kazuha's the handsome soccer guy who's best buddies with Itto and Gorou. He's the hot jock who seems like he would willingly beat the shit out of you, but he's actually a super sweet dude who dreams of being a famous singer. This is because he and Tomo wanted to be a famous singing duo. They loved Vocaloid to death and always sang their songs during karaoke night. Unfortunately, Tomo died in a car accident 2 years prior to the au's events. After his death, Kazu's parents wanted him to ditch his dream and do sports, and he couldn't bear to see his parents in pain.

Heizou is the ladies' man/class clown who, despite being EXTREMELY popular with the girls, has absolutely zero actual friends. Most of the girls who pine for him hardly even know his last name, let alone his personality. They just see the show he puts on for others. They see the guy who flirts with the gals and sticks it to the teachers. They don't see the truth. They don't see the pain. I'm willing to bet that they hardly notice that the bandages on his body keep multiplying.

Scaramouche is...well, hardly anyone knows all that much about him. He mostly keeps to himself, sitting on the rooftop and doodling. Most people are afraid of him, and for good reason. Anyone who dares approach him is given the death glare of the century. He has severe trust issues and saying that he doesn't particularly like his classmates would be a SEVERE understatement. Which is why it comes as such a shock that Venti, the most bullied kid in school, would approach him, and CONTINUE to approach him day after day. Don't get me wrong, he doesn't see that as an honor. He just thinks Venti is deranged. Because who would walk up and try to talk to the scary monster that everyone else runs away from?

let me know if you like this idea, and gimme some feedback!! tysm!!

[the-yuri-librarian]

Hi..... if you don't mind, can I ask, your top 10 (or top 7) favorite GL media (can be books/ manga/manhwa/baihe/ anime/movies/tv series)? And why you love them? Thanks if you want to answer....

I don't mind at all! In fact, putting together a top ten has been on my to do list for a while but I haven't done it yet because it seems real daunting. But, I'll try my best here. Spoiler alert, my #1 spot is a tie. I love both titles and I can't pick between them:

1a. Pulse (manhwa):

Premise: Mel is an expert surgeon at an esteemed hospital, and she is happy with where she is in her life. Her work is fulfilling, she has tons of sex, and everything seems to be generally going her way. But, she has no real emotional connections. Mel believes that love is a foolish game, so instead of dating with any real seriousness, she chooses to bounce from hook up to hook up. But, that all changes when Mel meets Lynn. Lynn has a fatal heart condition and desperately needs a transplant. But, she wants Mel to be the one to perform the surgery. As Lynn entangles herself in Mel's life, the stone of Mel's heart begins to crack....

Why I love it: the story in Pulse is incredible. Mel's character arc is perfectly developed, and her backstory is very interesting when you finally get there (she's also very hot lol). Lynn is equally well developed, fighting for her life while also contemplating it's value. The ups and downs of their relationship is gripping, and the ending left me in tears. I do think there is a pretty major flaw in the story near the end, but I won't get into it here as I plan on doing a review after I reread it in February. CW: sexual assault. It is a bit of an age gap but not a huge one. Also this is very spicy

1b. Love Thy Neighbor (manhwa):

Premise: Doyeon seems to be perfect. She has a large group of friends, a perfect GPA, and is sailing through med school with ease. But, she has one problem: her neighbor keeps her up at night. Whether it is debt collectors pounding on the door at all hours of the day, or the neighbor crying into the night while the TV plays, Doyeon can't get any sleep. Eventually, the debt collectors get physically aggressive, and Doyeon has no choice but to pull her neighbor into her apartment to save her. The neighbor, a woman named Jin Joo, ends up staying at Doyeon's apartment for her own safety. This is all fine and well, but why is Doyeon starting to have sex dreams about her?

Why I love it: so, three things here right up front: 1. there is also an age gap in this story (which I think is a coincidence), 2. It is very spicy and 3. it is incredibly toxic (to the point that consent between the two characters becomes murky) and not for the faint of heart. With all that out of the way: I love this story. Doyeon is so incredibly interesting as a character (and might be a genuine sociopath); all she wants to do is be loved unconditionally and she never gets it and that internal tension is incredible. The plot is also very dramatic, and it makes it HARD to put it down (also I've read through season 1 like 3 times in 4 months). I literally count the days between chapter releases. I didn't think I would enjoy a psychological drama so much but this one really knocks it out of the park. This drama has the effect of, murky consent aside, making the sex scenes electric. They are so well written, carrying significant narrative weight while also being genuinely very hot. There is this constant battle for control between our romantic leads that leaks into their sex, and it's just chef's kiss. I cannot stress enough how much I love this story. Season 2 just started releasing a couple weeks ago so now is an excellent time to jump on board. (PSA: if anyone my mutuals or followers starts reading this PLEASE send your live reactions to my DMs I will love you forever I wanna talk to someone about this story so bad)

3. Qualia the Purple (manga)

Premise: [Redacted]

Why I love it: so this is by far the weirdest love story I have ever read, and it is terribly sad. How far would you go to save the person you love most? The lengths Yukari wuld go to save her love are endless, and her desperation is what makes this tale worth reading. I really don't want to say too much here because this story is best experienced knowing as little about is as possible before you start reading it (also why I didn't include a premise). As a heads up: this story is deeply philosophical and may make you cry. Be sure to read the afterword

4. Nevermore (webtoon)

Premise: Lenore and Annabel Lee both wake up on a distant shore with no memories of who they are. Chased by bizarre spirits, they flea until they stumble upon Nevermore Academy. Here, they are told that they are dead, and that they are here to compete for a second chance at life. Also, they can turn into ghosts with superpowers. As they being to move through the trials, it becomes increasingly clear that their previous lives were deeply tied together. But the question remains: what are they to each other?

Why I love it: the real allure to this story is the mystery. Who is Lenore? Who is Annabel Lee? What is the truth behind Nevermore Academy? The list of questions is never-ending. Also, Lenore is an incredibly charming protagonist, whose quick wit and determination makes it impossible to not cheer for her. The is also inspired heavily by Edgar Allen Poe's work and the gothic literary tradition (and aesthetic). In fact, Lenore's name, as well as Nevemore Academy's name, comes from the poem "The Raven," and Annabel Lee is named after the famous poem of the same name. Coincidentally, both this story and the poem "Annabel Lee" take place "in a kingdom by the sea." As a literature nerd, this is a HUGE plus for me. Especially recommend this story for those who like to try and figure out what's going on before the characters do (so, if you were in the red string brigade while The Magnus Archives was airing this is a must read)

5. Her Tales of Shim Chong (manhwa)

Premise: This manhwa is a historical, girls' love retelling of classic Korean novel The Tale of Shim Chong. It tells the story of Shim Chong, a beggar who is desperately trying to make ends meet to feed her and her blind father, and the soon-to-be second Madame Jang, who has been sold into marrying the Chancellor to give her family a better position. After a chance encounter, they build a friendship -- and eventually more -- that transcends class boundaries. But not everyone is happy with the Chancellor's new wife, and Chong's presence is far from welcome in the royal palace. When the Chancellor falls into a mysterious coma after the wedding night, his children make plans to oust Madam Jang, and it may be up to Shim Chong to save not only their relationship, but their lives.

Why I love it: I think the premise of this story is so so romantic; it drives me crazy. Madame Jang is essentially trapped by the narrative, and Shim Chong is the only one who is able and willing to break her out. The premise creates the perfect setting to critique not only the historical politics of Korea, but also the treatment of women within Korean culture (disclaimer: I am far from an expert here but I think the theme is very prevalent). It is also probably the only yuri I've read so far that would qualify as magical realism, which ties in to the folktale setting with ease. There is not a lot of physical affection in this story, but when it's there, it's so sweet I can't help but swoon. If you like historical fiction, I would recommend starting here out of everything on this list (or start with the next entry).

6. Goodbye, My Rose Garden (manga)

Premise: Hanako is a Japanese woman who has come to England in search of her favorite author. In the meantime, she looks for work as a maid and is eventually hired by a noblewoman named Alice. But, Alice has an unbelievable request for Hanako: she wants Hanako to kill her. Hanako immediately begins trying to find out why Alice wants to throw away her life, and as she does she finds a hidden side of the noblewoman kept deep under wraps...

Why I love it: this story is so romantic, and tense, and dramatic that it has become critically acclaimed - and for good reason. The depiction of historical views on homosexuality are really well done and is juxtaposed well next to Hanako's sapphic awakening. I really think that this yuri is a must read, not just because of the romance, but because of the historical perspectives portrayed within. I wish I could say more but it's been a while since I've read it, and I plan on rereading it and posting a review sometime within the first half of this year

7. Mage & Demon Queen (webtoon)

Premise: In a world where demons and humans are at constant war, Malori has survived childhood and become a powerful mage..... because she is totally in love with the Demon Queen, Velverosa. In fact, Malori would do anything to spend time with her, and she means anything. Day after day Malori climbs the Demon Queen's tower to try and win her heart, and day after day she is defeated. Will the Demon Queen ever love her? Or, will Velverosa be slain before their relationship has time to blossom?

Why I love it: ONE OF THE ROMANTIC LEADS IN THIS STORY IS A TRANS WOMAN (it's Vel lol). But also: this is by far the funniest yuri I have ever read. Whether is is on the cheesy side or the genuinely hilarious side, the humor in this story is baked all the way through, giving it an adorable charm. Additionally, Vel's slow decent into love is so fucking adorable that I often find myself going back to reread her confession; it's just so sweet. If you like a wholesome, light hearted story, or are a big fan of RPGs or isekais (it's not one but it's close enough), then you MUST give this a read. I'm afraid Webtoons.com is putting it behind a paywall soon (against it's creator's wishes), but you may be able to find it else where possibly.

8. Sunstone (American comic)

Premise: in this erotic romcom, Lisa is a writer and, more importantly, a submissive. Ally is a well-experienced programmer and considers herself a dominatrix. They have one thing in common: they have never done BDSM in real life. One day, they meet in a virtual chat room and become fast friends. This friendship evolves as they begin exchanging DMs, and eventually they decide to meet up. They hit it off just as well in person as they do online, and their one time sexual encounter becomes much more, changing their lives forever.

Why I love it: this comic features probably the most realistic depiction of a BDSM relationship - and BDSM sex - that I have ever seen. The characters are complicated, and messy, and so human that you can't helped but be sucked into their lives. It also features one of the most romantic confessions I have ever experience in yuri. Just top notch writing from top to bottom, while also treating the subject matter with dignity and care. The writer has a lot of experience with BDSM in real life, and it really shows with the way the series treats consent, safe words, and after care. If you've never read this story, you need to change that asap. You're really missing out.

9. Whisper me a love song (manga)

Premise: On her first day of high school, Himari watches a band play at the opening ceremony, where she immediately "falls in love" with the lead singer. The next day, she runs into that singer, Yori, and tells her so. Yori's response is unexpected: she says, "I love you, too." Quickly, and awkwardly, Himari realizes that her platonic feelings are being met with Yori's romantic feelings. As their friendship develops, she begins to wonder: what does it mean to love someone?

Why I love it: I really love music, especially rock and punk music, so a romance story based around a musician is automatically going to appeal to me and this one is no exception. Himari's struggle with her sexuality feels so real, and Yori's determination to win Himari's heart naturally compels her internal conflict forward until she has to decide. This manga is so so so cute, especially considering Himari's puppy dog like energy, and this story is almost guaranteed to make you swoon. It is ongoing and getting an anime this year, so please read it and support the official release!

10. Bloom into You (manga)

Premise: Bloom into You tells the story of high school freshman Yuu, as she discovers herself and tries to gain an understanding of "love," which all of her friends seem enamored with. She has never had someone who felt special to her in that way, though she desperately wants to. This all changes when she meets sophomore Nanami, who has also never fallen in love. As they get to know each other, Nanami begins to fall in love with Yuu, though Yuu does not understand why. At the same time, Yuu thinks her chest may be starting to flutter, a feeling that she has longed for but still does not understand...

Why I love it: so there was no way that this wasn't making the list, right? It is the standard for high school yuri, and for good reason. Yuu and Nanami are perfect for each other, and Yuu's slow decent into love is incredible to watch. If you have never read yuri and you want to know where to start, the answer is right here. It is, in fact, required reading. If I were to teach a semester long university class on yuri (a fantasy situation I think about alot), this would be the first story I would assign. The romantic tension is mesmerizing, the supporting cast is top tier, and the ending is immensely satisfying. There is also ace/aro representation, arguably in the main character and canonically in the supporting cast. I am currently doing a live blog/analysis of Bloom into You if you want to follow along with me, though I am very behind on it (I swear I'm gonna continue it, and I'm sorry to my followers :( the new year has not been kind to me lol).

I have done reviews and analysis of some of these series, and have borrowed summaries from those posts. I am linking those down below in case you haven't read them. However, if you read the Qualia the Purple review before reading the manga I will find you:

Her Tales of Shim Chong Review

Qualia the Purple Review

Bloom into You Ch. 1 Analysis

Bloom into You Ch. 2 Analysis

Edit: I just realized that you asked for girls lov books too, so I guess that is going to have to be a separate post....

[shinsou-rii]

ANIMAL NOISES - nishimura riki

summary! you remember the mornings when you and niki would have fun together, mornings are horrible now. maybe they would be better with him back, but that's wishful thinking isn't it?

warnings! none.

authors note! welcome to the last fic in the series!! i'm so happy that i finally managed to stick to my writing fully and not give up halfway through,, thank you for reading !! if you haven't yet, then check out the other fics on the series masterlist!

It was yet another day where you had no clue what to do. This wasn’t new to you, in fact it was practically a daily occurrence. 

It was like the mornings had become even scarier than the dark, and that was saying something. 

It was even the same on school days, hating the morning so much that there was just no energy to wake up and catch the correct trains. The attendance ladies always ready to mark your lates were just loving you at this point - it was never a surprise to them seeing you drag yourself into their office to get marked in, it would probably be more of a surprise to them if you were on time for once.

You knew it was bad to be doing this everyday but it was a part of your routine now, anything to avoid the dread of the mornings. 

Maybe it was because you missed him. Nishimura Riki.

He used to be one of the only reasons to get up in the mornings.

You could still remember it vividly, after every sleepover - waking up in the morning could never have been more fun than with him around.

You remember the jokes and the laughs shared, playing around and making silly noises just being so innocent and carefree. It was all great before you grew up. Yes, you were getting too old to be acting like that.

Or at least that’s what he had said to you when the sleepovers stopped and he slowly drifted away.

You could feel him leaving, even though he never directly said it to you. After having your sleepovers cut down to zero, you tried to call in the mornings instead - just wishing to hear his voice. Wishing that maybe he would still want to goof around a little.

But no, you stopped that because he was a bore. He wouldn’t entertain any childish nonsense or anything alike and that’s when you realised maybe it was time to get over it and grow up.

But you missed it.

You missed the mornings you had spent together.

Put that behind you though, remember? you’re getting too old for it.

Even if all it was that you wanted was him to hold.

taglist: @wanna-live-yn-life @hoonieeverse @belovedxiao

[katyspersonal]

do u have any opinion on what separates good media and bad media? less to do with quality and more to do with like, messages n themes n stuff

Honestly, it is a hard question for me, because separating quality and themes is not something I usually do... For example, almost all modern media falls for "good message, awful quality", especially TV shows and movies. You know, the usual: they claim to deliver messages about equality, acceptance, women being self-sufficient human beings and not just "mothers and wives", corruption of authority, mature approach in relationship, all that.... but because corporations are lazy fucks that only want your money and promotion by wars on Twitter instead of actually making the world better, they hire the most mediocre (if not outright talentless) people to act, do awful bland writing disconnected from how real humans speak and feel abundant with plot holes more than a sieve, and don't get me started on assasinating the pre-existing characters.

I haven't named any piece of media, but you must have thought of some, be it a reboot or a new project, right? I do not believe that representation, important messages and alike automatically absolve the creators from responcibility to put in effort and do their best. "Good intention, bad media" is real and deadly- hell, all bad delivery of good intention does is just feeds into people's confirmation bias: people who were already apprehensive of said "good messages and themes" only start hating them more after being fed awful quality media and/or having their beloved classic media being turned into low-effort trash, and people who already had these "good messages and themes" internalized just get a "confirmation" that everyone in [insert gender/race/age category/etc] are violently -ist or -phobic for reacting poorly. The media that never changed anyone's mind to the better, nor raised questions that cause an actual thought resonance but only made everyone angrier, despite "good messages and themes".... isn't it bad media?

To get more subjective and personal, I strongly lean towards media that teaches complexity of things and people. Media that draws very clean defition of what people are good and what people are bad won't do anything for people in my opinion: it feeds into confirmation bias at best, makes people angrier at worst. Media that teaches people that absolutely everyone is capable of becoming bad, that all "monsters" you wanna kill were once people just like you, and that the quest of giving them a second chance despite potentially being bitten in the ass by those that are beyond saving is hard but worthy? That's gold for me. Themes of kindness, caring about other people and realising we all are idiots that live on this earth and that healing damaged people is better than throwing them away are my favourite, but this message will be kinda bad if lacking nuance and highlighting the risks! Because destroying yourself is just as bad as destroying others!

I'll say that you are asking a wrong guy about this though, because I am not very well-versed in "media analysis", especially not in the way Westerners go about it (that is a standard in the internets by now). I know Bloodborne is a very good media with very good messages: that messing with the ways to transcend humanity beyond its current "animalistic" state will lead to committing atrocities that ironically trace back to this "animalism", that fighting monsters too vigorously will make you a monster yet some of them are dangerous enough to be killed, that usually sworn enemies are not that different (deadly drinking game: count the similarities between Cainhurst and Healing Church)... heck, even my favourite "all the monsters you hate were people just like you once" is here! :D Very humane themes that provide some direction towards the good, whereas showing existencial horror and the depth of pessimism and evil in fullest!

___________________

Alright, I hope that I did make my point understandable? It is not something I can explain very clearly because, again, I am not familiar with "media literacy" as Western kids know it and just go with my own intuition and approach of my own culture. In short, I think bad and good media are defined by what they give to this world, and we live in the bad times where even poor quality of the product can ensure the media will only give something bad! But that aside, bad media is media that lacks nuance, propaganda of "burning all the witches" is bad but so is propaganda of naive optimism and self-destructive patience that can be dangerous in real life!