#I got slice of life. I'm already technically in one

[envy-of-the-apple]

Hey!! The ask you answered about some satosaugu fic recommendations kinda made me curious if you got any other fics to recommend. Pretty please? <33 (Also, I love your fics so much, been so fascinated with them ever since I found them. Please keep up the good work <3)

considering op didn't specify which fandom they wanted...I'm gonna go ahead and link every single one of my favorite fics mwahahaha

His Savior (geto suguru x reader)

Takes place right after Suguru kills the village and adopts his daughters. Reader is a non-sorcerer but is still able to weasel into his heart! For now its slice of life, super super cute

The Things that Lie beneath the Sea (Mermaid!OchaIzuKatsu x reader)

Reader is hinted to be recently divorced and decides to spend a year isolated on an island and meets three merpeople that are a bit too interesting. Even though im no longer in the mha fandom, i still go back to see if the author has added any chapters. Really really good! And it has a (sort of) language barrier!

Fight Night (MMA fighter!Sukuna x reader)

Reader gets tangled up with MMA fighter sukuna???? Yum???? it's like 80% smut buuuut the plot and they way they both bond is super cute too!

Zero day (Ghost x reader x Konig)

To avoid jail time, reader joins Task Force 141 as their tech support. Super interesting plot! I don't think it's being updated anymore:( but this is one of my favorite COD fics of all time!!!

Simple Math (Poly! Ghostsoap x Nurse!reader)

Soap and Ghost try to flirt with their oblivious nurse...despite soap being currently hospitalized

Bird Song (Jake sully x human!reader x neytiri)

Reader gets taken hostage by the Na'vi and becomes Neytiri's and Jake's babysitter. Yall its such a cute poly fic iloveitiloveitiloveitsosomuchhhh. Technically not completed but i think it ended perfectly!

Something (just like this) (Izuku x reader)

Reader gets hired to make pro-hero izuku a comic book based on his life and they bond! So so so cuteeeee ahhhhhh!!!!

Undone (Squid Game salesman! Kuroo x reader) (noncon)

Reader catches Kuroo with his latest victim player.

It's a vanasha fic. You already know it's gonna be amazing

Love, Death and Circuits (Android! YoRHa!Gojo x reader)

Reader wakes up ten thousand years in the future where humanity now lives on the moon. It's Android's gojo's first time meeting a human and they learn what happened while the reader was asleep.

THIS is the fic that got me into the nier automata hyperfixation for like three months. You do not need to play the game to understand this. It's a super sweet fic:) Yan gojo is there too as a treat!!!!

The Ostensive Fumblings of Being Human (Connor DBH x reader)

Post revolution. Androids and humans are trying to coexist. Reader is part of an organization to help ease this process along. Connor learns what it's like to fall in love

How many times have i reread this???? I'm not gonna answer that. It's so gorgeous. The author perfectly encapsulates a deviant connor. He's so lost and unsure but the way he keeps moving forward is so inspiring! And the mc and connor's blooming relationship is super cute to see. The world building the author is able to make from Cage's chicken scratch is amazing too! And philosophy!

I have like two thousand more but this is already long enough teehee. if yall read any pls pls pls give the authors a kudos/bookmark/comment!!!!

[porter-pumpkim]

ii posting again!

ngl I hope when we do get more ii we get to focus on some of the less popular or less seen characters

I wanna see salt finally outgrow her code like the others and figure out if she ever even liked oj or the idea she had of him, I want her to actually figure out her relationships beyond what they were in season 1, to realize she hasn't changed while pepper has and has likely been trying to help her change too

I wanna see how soap has changed during her time at the hotel! She seems like she calmed down a lot from her time in season 2, and was even willing to hold tissues hand to help him in the finale when at the start of season 2 she definitely would've left him for dead purely out of crippling germaphobia

speaking of tissues, I wanna see how he's doing! He was already kinda isolated compared to other hotel residents pre finale, tissues is perfectly fine being social and is entirely willing to just casually talk things out or gossip from the looks of it, but nobody even wanted to be near him thanks to the sneezing and major congestion issues, and is now aware he was created as a gross out humor joke, and he genuinly found that devastating in the movie! I mean, his self doubt about his condition genuinly almost killed him in the red line game! I wanna see how he's doing now, if he's actually got decent connections with other guests, if he's still dealing with the self doubt of being made as a literal joke, it's just such a good character building point and I wanna see it!!!

I wanna see how bomb is doing, we haven't seen him since season 1 and the literal end of season 2! I genuinly don't remember much about him aside from he's a gamer, and he has a stutter, he seems like a cool dude and I remember I really liked him when I was a kid watching season 1, it would be fun to see him more! (my memory of season one is really fuzzy im sorry- it was a little too chaotic for me now that I'm older xD )

Hearing more from the cherries could also be cool, I barely remember anything about them besides they liked making paper puppets and i think they were mischievous, I don't think much of them was explored unless I just don't remember, and the whole conjoined yet separate situation is a genuinly inturesting dynamic to explore, we already have yin yang sharing a body, but the cherries technically being separate could add a new detail to the two in one situation

Just

It would be so cool seeing more of characters we don't really see often! Even if it's just a casual slice of life setting it woukd still be so fascinating watching new relationships form and new dynamics between characters who hardly ever interacted on screen before

Plus the situation with almost everyone "knowing" box but literally nobody actually knowing her, all of them competed with and casually lived with her dead body in the room and now there's the situation of her actually existing as a person, none of them know her, not really

IMLOVE CHARACTER DYNAMICS AND WEIRDLY COMPLICATED SOCIAL SITIATIONS! (from an observing perspectuve anyway, actually experiencing em sucks but its so facinating to observe in a story!)

[silvershadow1711]

I'm suddenly stricken by how funny it is that Nova is, unambiguously, the happiest, most hopeful thing I've ever written.

Because yeah- from Ray's perspective, it's a story about overcoming misanthropy and learning to love life and live for yourself...

But running concurrently with that plot, the whole time, Maddie is just like:

This woman is locked in to this suicide pact, and she is genuinely pissed when she thinks Ray went and got himself killed without killing her first.

Let me be clear- she was not upset at the thought of Ray dying; she was upset at the thought of Ray dying without her. Like, how DARE you expect me to continue living this shitty life after I already got hyped up over the thought of dying?

And that doesn't change at the end. She doesn't share Ray's grand revelation that life is awesome, actually; she just kind of... agrees to keep existing with him. Because what else can she do? Her one-way ticket to the quick, painless death she was hoping for just got revoked, and Ray is still a yandere; he wants her alive and with him. The only way to suicide-by-cop with him would be to destroy him mentally and emotionally, and aside from, y'know... loving him and not wanting to hurt him like that, the last time that happened- completely by accident- he tried to burn her alive. Aka, the opposite of a quick, painless death.

Like... does that sound like something someone who is happy they weren't just (technically) murdered would say? So yeah, just like the ending of Binary Star Hero proper, it's really only happy unless you think about it for more than five seconds.

Did... did I accidentally write a fridge horror story while I was trying to write a fluffy, romantic slice-of-life?!

[weekend-whip]

Ninjago Fic Rec Week (2024): Day 4

Prompts: AU/Movieverse/OCs! (Catching Up! I uh skipped Day 3 oop but I've got plenty to offer for this day! Which is...also late...don't look at meeee)

Aus WITH OCs (or as I like to call this list, my own personal indulgence corner. All the AUs/Movieverse stories I've read are ones that get recc'ed a lot already + I myself have already recc'ed them at one point or another, soooo let's throw some pure spotlight onto some OC stories! Even if a lot of it is connected to me to some degree that's irrelevant):

As The Years Pass By: A fic currently in the process of being rewritten/reworked but still chock full of next-gen Dragons Rising goodness! And it stars the one, the only, Jenna and Ethan from @rainofthetwilight!!!! This fic made me fall in love with her characters and I've loved reading/seeing/drawing these two adorable kids ever since!!!!

Dad!Jay AU by @taddymason: An AU so good I'm still catching up on reading it bit by bit to savor it for longer *-*)9 All the stories in this series are worth the read alone for the accumulation of taddy's character Kaida (a girl who needs no introduction–she's that awesome guys, trust me) but also the eventual father-daughter bond with amnesiac!Jay that is gripping and engaging aaaaall the wall through!!

I Carve This Poem From the Harshest of Storms: Another I'm not caught up with YET (a running theme for this Fic Week, it seems hgfhgfdfgds i'm sorry I'm slow and have a short-attention span). It follow two fascinating peeps in The Administration following The Merge, and without giving too much away, @theartsyswissapple ‘s voices for the characters just POP and make them feel SO real and it's been intriguing to read so far so yeah others should give it a try too!!!

What it Takes for You to See Me: A Spinjitzu bros story with added FSM and Mystake goodness too!!! This is one I've just started reading myself, but you know I love some throwbacks to Wu and Garmadon's past! And the OC here, @marhan-writes-n-draws's Amka, fits into the setting like a glove!!

Honeycomb: Gotta give a shoutout to @miqotepotatoe's Lucy while I'm here too!! Some short, sweet snippets of the Ninja Team's best (and most yellow) cheerleader!! I love her dynamic with everyone, and especially Cole <3

The Space Between Us: A very deep and heart-wrenching introspective into @k1ngtok's characters Lynda and Jamie, Master(s) of Space. It's story about siblings and bonds at its core, but also be mindful of tag of you're looking to dig deeper! (it also takes place in legacyverse technically but that's neither here or there I promise)

Flowery Language Another super funny and endearing story by King following Jesse (hey it's my boy!!) and Antonia on the case to discover who's been leaving flowers in Jesse's locker (spoiler: it's not Cole lmao). It's actually a semi-sequel to this old thing *I* wrote however long ago, but thaaaat's not required reading (though it does help). If you want more of a fix for the Jesse-Antonia duo + more of Jamie, this is the story to read!

Learning to Love (Again): Yet another King fic based in legacyverse (a coincidence), this one kiiiind of takes place during Season 2/Book 3 and follows Jamie on his quest to truly show his friends (Nya, Antonia, Harumi, Jesse, and...Olivia?!) just how much he cares about them through the power of love languages over the course of a week and it is AWESOOOOOOOOME!! Soooo many touching and feel-good moments, mostly soft slice-of-life with teenagers being teenagers, and is a great pick-me up when your soul is feeling sad ;w;)/ I advocate for this one just for the warm soft friendshippy-feelings it gives me alone!!! AAAAAA—

Something About Morning Glories: Jesse (oop there he is again) takes it upon to himself to comfort Jay after the latter finds himself concerned about something following obtaining his True Potential. A duo I desperately want to write more about but can't yet, so this little bit of foundation for their relationship will have to suffice for now ;w;)/

(and if you're still clamoring for more of a certain magic pink fool, there's plenty more where that came from; perhaps there may be a Jesse-Antonia friendship origin story on deck soon, along with maybe some DR stuff~! ...listen there will never be a good chance to self-advertise like this again!! BE YOUR BIGGEST FAN!!! SELF-LOVE BABY!!!! *-*)9 )

In the Company of the Stars: A tale as old as time—a Royal!AU where the fair groundskeeper of a palace's garden (that's the OC) falls head over heels for the prince far out of his league (that's Cole)—except, the prince absolutely likes him back...albeit only as his secret, suave alter-ego. But is that really true—and, more importantly, is there bigger problems to deal with right now???? There's romance, mystery, good food, royal drama, angst, fluff, sabotage, magic, a whole bunch of flowers, Harumi causing chaos on purpose, Skylor throws Chad across a room, Jay goes on a rampage a some point, Kai can't flirt to save his life—the author just needs some fresh motivation to post the darn next chapter already because the ending's gonna be really really good ;V

[hestzhyen]

Chapter 65 Feels Posting

Greetings, dear void. Once again the unexpected has happened and once again I am here to yap about it. Not as much as I could say because the struggle bus is merciless but there's more translation notes than usual I guess.

Rough TL of the editor's notes: Front Page: "斬欲"に負けた久々李!! ["zanyoku" ni maketa Kuguri!!] Kuguri loses to his desire to "slice"!! Technically desire should be in quotes too but it looks silly like that in English. Last Page: 自らと重ね合わせ導いた選択-!! [mizukara to kasane awase michibiita sentaku-!!] A choice that was guided by his own experience-!! God I struggled with this one. But I think I got it right in the end... maybe... don't count on it. I'm just proud I figured out that 導 (michibi, to guide/lead) was the kanji I was looking for in a blurry, pixelated mess.

Anyway, so... damn, what happened, exactly?

Names Extravaganza

We got more names! Since I'm already looking up kanji I may as well do the TLs here.

"Lily Hishaku" is 斗斗 (Toto) which is highly unusual for a name and I don't think it would pass muster in real life. 斗 (to) references the Big Dipper constellation or a sake dipper for the most part; otherwise it has some obscure uses and mostly exists as radical no. 68. I wonder who named her...

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Fun fact about the Hishaku while I'm here I guess since I haven't talked about it before. 毘灼 (Hishaku) is made up of the kanji for "help/assist" (毘, hi) and "miraculous" (灼, shaku). 灼 as a verb has lots of interesting meanings like to burn, to roast/grill, and to be jealous of. Oh and 毘 is part of the kanji that make up the name Bishamonten (毘沙門天), the Japanese version of Vaisravana- the guardian god of Buddhism and Birushana Butsu (毘盧遮那仏), the Vairocana-Buddha who symbolizes all of the observable and conscious world. It doesn't really exist outside that context except for 荼毘 (dabi, "cremation"). Hmm!

I've been basing some of my pet theories about the org around the kanji chosen to name it to some extent, so I figured I may as well note it down after forgetting to for so long.

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Shirakai Itsuo (白廻 逸夫), the master of the White Purity style, is definitely a man at least. 白廻 (shirakai) could be roughly translated as "white game" and 逸夫 (itsuo) could be idle/elusive husband lol. At the very least, shira (白) means "white" and o (夫) means "husband/man". So we know where the name of the school comes from and maybe got some insight into the guy who founded it. But we'll have to meet him to be sure. We got a name, so surely that will happen.

Sengoku Yojirou (戦国 与次郎), the random hotel manager guy, has a pretty manly name.

戦 (sen)- battle, war 国 (goku)- state

Trivia: 戦国 refers to the Sengoku period in Japanese history, a time of civil war and lots of social upheaval. Thanks, Wikipedia! 与 (yo)- bestow, participate in, award 次 (ji)- next, order 郎 (rou)- son

So the overall impression of his name is of a son that was born during a period of war... hm. This one's a toughie for me but I think it could be something along the lines of "the next son born in battle". Don't take me as 100% accurate on that though.

Yes his name contains the same kanji that the Masumi leader uses as his name/codename. It also has the same goku used in "Kokugoku Onsen (State Prison Hot Springs)" where Uruha was staying but that's certainly a coincidence. I don't expect to see this guy again but hey, a name. For a random guy. When we're still calling other characters things like "Bandana" and "Hatshaku" lol.

Blue-Balling Kuguri

My man does not understand that Chihiro is the protagonist of this series.

Poor Kuguri. He just wanted to fight and slice and he got left behind. He's definitely a shameless nerd though, lore dumping about the Iai White Purity style all over the place for us like that.

Combined with what we know from the previous chapter about how the Bearers were scouted and chosen, it makes sense that two people who could master such a difficult style were picked to wield Enchanted Blades. RIP Uruha and watch your back, Samura. Because even though he's never had a teacher, Chihiro has his dad's eyes and can mimic stuff he sees.

If he didn't use his sorcery to make the blades, then will we learn what Chihiro's is? Or maybe his sorcery was used to give the blades their unique properties...

So I know there are going to be lots of bad-faith takes about Chihiro having special genetics after this, but that's not the intent here. The phrasing around him "inheriting unique eyes" shouldn't be taken literally; Shiba's line about Chihiro having "Rokuhira's eyes" from chapter 54 didn't come back now to hint that he's got a special bloodline talent or anything. He just learned from the best of the best when it comes to noticing tiny details and adjusting for them on the fly, then applied it to fighting. Chihiro is still closer to Batman than Sasuke okay? At most he just has a knack for it like his dad does. Chihiro is smart and learned some useful skills that he can apply across disciplines. Once again, just like Enten, he's using part of his father's legacy to fight.

What style Chihiro learns could go any which way, but maybe he'll stick with White Purity since we got the name of the guy who founded it and thus will probably meet him at some point. What remains to be seen is who exactly that person is, how they will meet, and what Chihiro can learn in the ~3 days he'll have left after Iori makes her decision. Thankfully they have some breathing room since the Hishaku completely lost track of her.

I'll get you next time, Gadget!

Anyway, congratulations to Chihiro for adding another person who will be obsessed with him to his harem.

Chihiro and Iori's Choice

How convenient.

京屠殺戮ホテル I guess "Kyoto Bloodshed Hotel" in the official translation. How seriously are we supposed to take this? Not at all, I suppose. Especially with the manager's appearance and his manly war-themed name. Seems like the Masumi have made use of this hotel often with how he recognised them though.

And of course we get into some real heartbreak in this ridiculous place.

This guy needed PTSD counseling and lots of therapy.

Samura being guilty AF with the tear-track scars again. I do feel bad for him and I want to know what The Incident was...

There's an interesting nuance in Samura's line in the first bubble that was lost in translation. The Japanese is: あの子は戦争の穢れとは無縁の子だ [anokoha sensou no kegare to wa muen no koda], which was translated well into English. But the secondary meaning of 無縁 (muen) wasn't brought over- it means unrelated/unconnected, but it can also mean "unrelated to the teachings of Buddha/unable to be saved by Buddha". So basically, more religious guilt from Samura here. This dude is very sincere about his beliefs despite how much he struggles with them. He definitely feels inadequate as a Buddhist on top of all the other things he's got going on. Seriously, he's got way too much self-deprecation going on for the whole cast, let alone just one person.

Speaking of reminding us of how guilty everyone's feeling:

Thank goodness he has the Masumi with him.

Chihiro looks so damn exhausted as usual when he's making these vows to keep pushing himself to protect. God. If he's able to mimic an esoteric sword technique after seeing it once and getting a brief description of how it works, why can't he learn some self-care from the Masumi?! But we know the answer: he doesn't think he's allowed to rest because of all the blood on his hands.

Talking to Iori about Samura will at least have him sitting down I guess. Better than nothing. Because Ro is absolutely right in that once the seal's undone, Iori will be a target on both sides. Chihiro's making more work for himself because of his bleeding heart, of course...

Oof ouch my feelings.

Chihiro recognising he could have had a normal life but choosing the time with his dad over everything... he's so empathetic, I love him, I want only the best for him! I just hope he doesn't lose anyone or anything for making these compassionate decisions. Iori's very safe -sincerely doubt the author will kill a defenceless 16/17 year old girl- but the Masumi and Chihiro himself are in a hell of a lot more danger than they already were thanks to this. Can Chihiro really protect Iori from the Hishaku and the Kamunabi? Surely he recognises the potential threats from both sides even if he's letting his emotions take over here.

"I'll do the impossible in one day." - Shounen Protagonist Guy

Maybe! Chihiro wants to become Hakuri's samurai and Iori's protector by learning one of the most rare and difficult sword techniques out there in 24 hours. He can do it because he's That Guy, but damn. That's some resolve he's got.

I like where this is going with Iori, too- she's definitely not going to go back to safety after all her memories are restored. So it's very exciting to consider what will happen next. Also, there will be two people who the Kamunabi will want under their thumbs now- her and Hakuri (when he's healed). No way they will let such valuable people walk free of them... one the daughter that Samura cares for so much (great hostage!) and someone who can transport the blades to or away from them. Very cool stuff.

I'll be waiting a little more to see where the story takes us before drawing conclusive parallels between Iori and Chihiro. I'm also keeping an eye on what happens to Iori after this arc is done. She's gotten a lot of buildup and attention so she's probably going to stick around in some capacity. I just hope it's not as a love interest for the sake of having one... it sucks when a girl gets stuck with the burden of carrying the romantic subplot by themselves and can't do much else. But Hokazono's mostly been great so far so that's something I won't fuss about unless it happens.

Alright dear void, let's sit tight and wait to see what happens. See you next week and do a small gesture of kindness for yourself today.

[pharawee]

🖇️BL WATCHLIST AUGUST

🎬Battle of the Writers - YOUTUBE - I finally had the time to start watching this but I'm not 100% on board yet.

🎬First Note of Love - GAGAOOLALA - I'm only in it for Jame Kasama my beloved and he hasn't popped up yet. :(

🎬Addicted Heroin - Jinloe's remake of Addicted has already garnered some controversy due to one of the actors being underage, but the trailer seems to suggest that they changed much of the tone of the original novel. This currently has no release for inter fans, but I'll keep you updated.

🎬I Saw You in My Dream - GAGAOOLALA - I trust Dee Hup with my life. But also Putter my beloved!

🎬Monster Next Door - WeTV | GAGAOOLALA - After years of third-wheeling and manifesting, Big Thanakorn finally got himself a main role. Thank you Kongthup I owe u my life!

🎬This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans - IQIYI (region-locked) | YOUTUBE - This might be too slice-of-life for me atm.

🎬4 Minutes - VIU - Not sure what to think of this quite yet, especially since I'm fighting for my life every week trying to find the uncut version. I'm also a bit miffed that BOC seems set to typecast Jet as the irredeemable villain. :(

🎬SunsetxVibes - IQIYI - Mos as a naga, Lin hallucinating a whole hook-up, JJ with the best faces... but that's about it.

🖇️CALENDAR (THAI BL ONLY)

🖇️UPCOMING

⭐The Paradise of Thorns - CINEMA - Technically, this is a queer movie and not a BL. Also, this will release in cinemas and on festivals first, so it might be a while before we can watch it.

🖇️FINISHED

🎬The Rebound - GAGAOOLALA - I'm going to miss this show. And I'm going to miss this version of Frank Thanatsaran.

🎬Knock Knock, Boys! - GAGAOOLALA - This show is definitely one of my favourites of 2024.

🎬Century of Love - GAGAOOLALA - I loved everything about this show. Except for the director who can go step on a lego.

➕ MDL | ABOUT | ALL WATCHLISTS | COMMENTARY & NEWS TAG | THAI BL NOVELS | BL INDUSTRY | UPCOMING | SPOOKY BL

[weeb-polls-with-pip]

DUDE PLEASE RECOMMEND YURI MANGA!!!

In all honesty, I have more on my to-read list than I've actually completed, but I can tell you some off the top of my head that I've enjoyed.

- Kakeochi Girl (ENG: Run Away With Me, Girl) CW: domestic abuse, infidelity, pregnancy. It does have a happy ending though! The journey's pretty heavy, but incredibly emotional and interesting. Definitely worth the read.

- Inkya Gyaru demo Ikigaritai! (ENG: Even the Introverted Gals Wanna Get Out There!) This is a slice of life one about two girlfriends who run a subculture club at their school, and their efforts to keep the club (their little paradise) running. It's incredibly funny, and I found both girls very relatable. Their relationship is also so casually sweet. I love how openly they care for each other.

- Kininatteru Hito ga Otoko ja Nakatta (ENG: The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All) Pretty straightforward premise... girl mistakes an attractive music store employee for a guy and develops a crush. Turns out the employee is a girl. They both catch the feelings. Shenanigans ensue. Now, I'm not caught up on this one yet, but I've definitely enjoyed what I have read so far.

- Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou (ENG: I'm in Love With the Villainess) This one got an anime adaptation recently, so you're probably already familiar. I really love villainess-centric isekais though, and this one just has the added cherry-on-top of being an openly queer story (though there are definitely other lesbian villainess stories on my read list!) Anyway, it's a fun time.

Now, these next ones I haven't read for myself yet, but they seem promising:

- Tamen de Gushi (ENG: SQ: Begin W/Your Name!, ALT: Their Story)

- Tsukiatte Agetemo Ii Kana (ENG: How Do We Relationship?)

- Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna (ENG: She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat)

(Also, your obligatory 'read Liar Satsuki' message. It's not technically a girls love manga, but the sapphic subtext is... Very prominent)

[verdemoun]

I'm legitimately thinking about the gang witnessing big events. Bessie was probably there when USSR collapsed. The gang and 9/11. Big advances in queer rights in general (I can definitely see Bill telling someone to turn up the radio after he hears a snippet). Covid, fucking covid. And that's just a few. That must've been wild. I can see some of the newcomers getting overwhelmed - the world has never seemed like this in their first life. There was never so much happening.

(i can also see Lenny fucking thriving; boy loves studying. I can DEFINITELY see him asking Bessie about events she witnessed before anyone arrived.)

I'M SO SORRY THIS WAS EATEN BY DRAFTS PLEASE ENJOY

Side shuffling around the gang living through 9/11 as a non-American who was alive but too busy shoving crayons up my nose to fully understand the devastation from 9/11 from a global perspective I am not going to attempt that But a) it definitely contributed to Arthur's fear of flying b) it was the first time the gang were seriously agitated by Bessie's no guns in the house rule because all the safety they had worked towards finding in modern era was ripped away from them and c) they would have been very bothered by the sheer amount of racism it inspired they did not go through 1899 bigotry just to watch it be born again.

QUEER RIGHTS MY PASSION

The gang were all over that shit they may still have a bit of that 1899 assumes pronouns and don't fully understand some LGBTQIA+ identities but most of them needed a hobby and keeping up to date with how queer rights were being adapted into civil rights was a whole gang affair.

Arthur hot for voting rights Morgan out there accidentally intimidating people to vote for parties that openly supported pro-lgbtqia+ agendas.

The number one thing Isaac never got in trouble from the gang for protesting no matter how much actual legal trouble he got into. He was wearing skirts and dresses to school to protest gendered uniforms, he was punching protestors in the face (maybe a lil trouble for that one but not nearly as much as he probably should have been), vandalizing homophobic signs and billboards he was out fighting.

Arthur picking him up from holding after teen Isaac got caught vandalizing a homophobic billboard and instead of a lecture Isaac gets McDonalds on the way home.

Bill didn't say outright it was to celebrate gay marriage finally being legalized but the day it was confirmed gay marriage was going nation-wide he invited everyone over for the biggest boozy cook-out ever and internalized homophobia be damned my boy can work a grill.

Also poor Bessie having to be the one to explain to the 1899 gang when they timewarped in 1999 that same-sex intercourse was still technically a crime and if anything the laws around it had gotten more explicitly anti-gay since 1899 when every single one of them was a little slice of fruit cake - the absolute riot she had to deal with in her living room.

COVID

Arthur was a nervous wreck. He died of the last plague and is absolutely convinced covid-19 would be his second demise. Comes off as really aggressive about people wearing masks and sanitizing their hands but in private Charles is fully aware he is absolutely terrified. Like paling as the death toll rises Charles having to convince him to turn off the news before he has a meltdown.

Arthur was living lockdown style even before lockdown was announced would not leave the house, sprayed any groceries left at the door with disinfectant, insisted Charles get changed out of outside-contaminated clothes before he walked into the house ect.

Charles had to be a very patient, loving supportive husband. Many bird houses and loafs of bread were made.

The gang very nearly shackled Hosea to the couch because his attitude was 'bah how many epidemics have i survived already' despite being an elderly smoker with pre-existing lung issues.

On his way home the day lockdown was announced Lenny bought as much gym equipment as he could fit in his car and while Sean absolutely went insane not being able to go out and do things he did accidentally get shredded because he would spend hours in the temporary home gym trying to burn energy.

Jack immediately dipped. Grabbed a suitcase and moved into Isaac's because being trapped at home with John, Uncle, Abigail and Addie would have resulted in someone being sent to hospital for grievous bodily injuries.

Kieran thrived. Objectively the peak of his neurodivergent and mental health. No cars? Reduced people in stores? 3ft apart? It was the first time he could leave the house without noise-cancelling headphones (still took them but wore them around his neck in bliss upon realizing how quiet it was). Jumped at the chance to go to the store or drop off things because he loved leaving the house when the world was so much more quiet.

Also little people-watcher knew exactly what things to drop off to just make someone's day a little less bad. Favorite snacks, fidgets, movies they'd love, craft kits. A lot of the gang were really grateful for how well Kieran actually knew them and looked forward to the random texts of presents left at the door-step.

Sulked when restrictions were taken away he was glad the pandemic was considered over but also having to retreat to those supports because outside was too overwhelming again. (i'm projecting)

Micah got covid twice during peak pandemic, was almost hospitalized the first time, and still anti-vac.

[pawseds]

I convinced our Delta Green game master to have a play-by-post (basically text roleplay) section in our game's server and uhhhhh maybe I've been having too much fun with it. Writing is faster than drawing comics, what can I say?

(Long ramble about writing stories below hehe oops)

While we're here! A bit about writing: I like writing! I've written for loger than I've drawn for (because school). I think I'm better at writing than drawing for that reason (I'm more confident at least). I've written short stories. I've written short stories about TTRPG things. I've also written a ~100k word novel by hand for 2 years. While writing it, I had 'writing class' (technically AS/A level Ennglish Language classes). It was the only class I had confidence in and high expectations for.

With those 2 combined, I burnt out pretty quick LOL. Specifically, I had a big perfectionism issue because of the high expectations I had from my teacher and especially myself -- it was the one thing I knew excelled at in school, so I better do it well! After I was done with the novel and A levels, I was supposed to edit the novel. It's been years and I haven't done it yet, and I wouldn't write non-assignment stories (except 2) until now. Writing became more nerverwracking than it was fun, so why would I?

To get back to the PBP thing: I've been in a campaign that was fully PBP. With my mindset being the way it is, hey! This is just one big writing exercise, so I ran along with that and had fun with it. I saw how some players would make their own PBP and essentially monologue/have a scene only with their PC. That was cool to see.

And now, my current Delta Green campaign (tagged 'Helvetia'). Hrothgar (guy in drawing) and his kids were ported over from a previous D&D campaign (the fully PBP one!), so the crew had a very well defined background already. Of course I get tons of drawing ideas for them, except I don't have the time to draw them all (compsci hard). But since the server has a PBP section, I had like 2 weeks to kill between session 0 and 1, and I was bursting with ideas... I made a lot of solo PBPs that were essentially short stories.

It didn't quite hit me until some time ago, but the PBPs actually made me enjoy writing again -- enjoy it a lot more, in fact! I think the format of Discord threads and messages removed most perfectionism tendencies I had. I just had to fire the story away, message by message. It didn't have to be amazing, and it was fun! (Also I really don't know how to shut up with them LOL)

I'll definitely be cleaning these PBPs up and posting them here as stories. Some of them are just silly, fun, slice-of-life character sketches. (These were the stories I wrote after my novel... and yes, they were about my other set of Delta Green characters LMAO) (and I've posted them here under pawsedswrite btw!) But some I see as legitamite short stories that I would edit more heavily and present as a short story. They were the kinds I could see myself writing on a document rather than on Discord.

Well, I lied. 'I would edit' is false. I have already edited one, because I spent like 5-6h writing this one PBP (oops) instead of writing the draft for my short story class/elective (oops 2). I joked to my two friends saying that I could just submit it as my assignment. Apparently, they both really liked it and said the dialogued slapped. So I did!

I procrastinated like hell on it though, because I was very nervous to go back into the PBP with an axe to edit it. Being in a writing class where nearly everyone else has been formally studying writing for some years kinda puts some pressure on ya!

Like the last assignment (which I'll post here after editing), I had a lot of worries. But the feedback and grade I got from my last assignment, the peer review I got from the current one, and also the support from those two friends (shoutout @katastrofish <3) made me feel more confident in myself. And also the fact that I had a lot of fun editing the PBP!

Uhhh this ramble was way longer than expected LMFAO if you've made it this far, damn, thanks for reading! If you also write or have similar experiences, feel free to share em. And have a good day!

(bonus POV editing)

[pynkhues]

Did I misread your tags or did you recently see The Apprentice? If so, do you mind sharing your thoughts both on the film and on Jeremy Strong’s performance (or just the performances generally)? I’ve heard mixed things on the film but as a succession fan I’m always rooting for Jeremy haha

Ah! You didn't misread, I saw it last night!

And yeah, mmm. I'm still making my mind up on the film overall? I'm really glad I saw it and I think Ali Abbasi is a very technically skilled director and one who had a clear vision for the film. He plays around a lot with different styles, so there are points where it looks and feels very slick, but also times where it feels like you're really watching home movies or a reality show or a news feature from the late 70s/early 80s which does a lot of impressive work in terms of both embedding you in the era and foreshadowing other parts of Trump's life. It's a really cool technique, and works really well in letting this slice of Trump's life (because it really is a slice that literally begins with him meeting Roy Cohn and ends with Cohn's death) still feel like a part of a whole without getting bogged down in the familiar pitfalls of a biopic.

Jeremy's really incredible in it, and I mean, some of the reviews have already said this, but his ability to find the humanity in morally bankrupt, soulless men and embed that in his performances continues to be pretty unmatched. Roy Cohn is depicted as unequivocally evil in the film, but his downfall and death is shockingly affecting, and a lot of that comes down to Jeremy's performance. I actually think one of the most interesting themes the film explored too was Cohn's sexuality and his relative openness with being gay, yet his absolute willingness to weaponise other people's sexuality and actively harm the gay community. I don't think we actually get that many depictions in film of the 'fuck you, I got mine' minority leader, and the film does a really good job of depicting that with Jeremy's Cohn.

The depiction of Trump though is probably what I have an overall issue with (and, of course, the timing of the film's release). It does show him to ultimately be a pathetic husk of a man with a nose for opportunity who only really succeeds due to his father's money and Cohn's guidance, but I don't know. That might be the man Trump is, but it doesn't really make for a compelling film? I think a part of my issue is probably with Sebastian Stan's performance. I generally like him as an actor, and I think he does a really good job of capturing Trump's mannerisms and evolving into his way of speaking, but I kind of got the feeling that he didn't understand Trump, which left the performance feeling kind of shallow? It was especially stark against Jeremy's performance because like I said, he was able to depict Cohn as the monster he was while still finding a thread of humanity to hold to which made me still loathe him, but also left me feeling like I understood him.

I think the film's approach to Trump was that there's really nothing to him, which begs the question of why make a movie about him at all? The timing of course implies something, however you want to read it, but I don't know. I don't think Maria Bakalova had much to work with in playing Ivana either (although I think she did the best she could with what she got), but yeah, I think perhaps a stronger actor could've done more in the role of Trump, but I also think the movie wanted him to come across as pretty empty, so - - yes. I'm still making my mind up, haha.

[whoiskt]

Grad School Q4 - Week 1

All my classes are on Mondays and Wednesdays, so maybe I'll bring this back for Friday summaries.

Here's a Lloyd sketch that might become part of my business card. Working on that right now among many things!

I wasn't really ready to go back to school but rarely in my life have I ever felt that after summer break. This quarter is all required classes, which isn't the most fun but I'll get by okay. Plus, all the classes are pretty much back to back, which gives me such flashbacks to high school, since I'm just in the one building all day.

Anyways, I'm currently kind of nervous because to complete my MFA by the end of summer 2025, I need to go up for review this quarter. But it's required that I have taken 45 credit hours of 700 level courses. Unfortunately, 10 of my 45 credit hours are 500 level courses, so I am technically not eligible. But, since the thesis class is only taught once a year in the winter quarter, missing this milestone would mean pushing my graduation to 2026, which I cannot do, not spiritually and definitely not financially. So, I am asking for an exception to be made, and that is TBD. Because I have a lot riding on this, so I am really very nervous for the answer. We shall see.

I guess worst comes to worst I can switch to an MA. Let's be real... I am not professor material, anyways.

But to get to my week in review: My first class is a writing class. I got excited because I imagined I could do a Lloyd Void spin-off as my main project for this class, one that is geocentric in the sense it would follow my character Earth as a slice of life comedy before the events of LV. However, for this class we were sorted into short groups, and they prefered my sailors and music idea (the one I have been writing as a movie) and I might choose that. I am stuck with the ending, and maybe working that out in the class (since the class is only writing a measly 20 pages) is a fine use of my time as well.

My second class is a studio, and I am making LLOYD VOID KEY ART for the PITCH! This honestly is the most scary thing, because I have to make 9 whole completed illustrations in 10 weeks, and I think my current record for completed illustrations in 10 weeks is something like 4, with some VERY lazy bgs, which I am not allowed here, so wish me luck.

Finally, my last class is something something coloring? Honestly not fully sure but day 1 we had A LOT of hw already due for class 2. (we also had to color a page of a comic but I am not showing that here)

The artist is Lois van Baarle. THIS IS NOT MY ARTWORK I JUST COLORED IT:

Unexpectedly my prof said, "This is very well-done, perhaps even once of the best versions of this I've ever seen." I was shook. I have been studying color all year, trying to get better, but I never expected such a compliment.

I want to get better at reflective lighting still but I have definitely been feeling more confident in palette choices, at least.

Anyways, that's all for now, definitely more artwork to show you next week, bye!

[formulaorange]

2023 Spring Anime

This season looks whack. There's so many notable series, there's definitely something for everyone this season. Of course starting off with the big ones:

Demon Slayer Season 3 - The Swordsmith Village Arc

Attack on Titan: The Final Season The Final Chapters

Dr Stone Season 3

While those all look amazing and all:

Bocchi is back baby!!!

Season 2 of Ranking of Kings is back this season. Their story telling is top tier and if you didnt' check out the first season, now is the time to do so.

All these amazing new seasons to look forward to, but this season doesn't stop there, the new series set to debut look absolutely killer too:

Hell's Paradise gets it's anime release, produced by MAPPA of course. This is definitely my most anticipated for the season.

Followed by MASHLE. While I had fun with the manga, I ultimately couldn't get past the art style. The anime should complete the picture for me and this will definitely be one of the top comedy series this season.

Lastly for the big name debut series: Oshi no Ko

This series takes a second to get into but it's taken the manga world by storm and has already gotten its english translations with only 11 japanese releases so far. The story is definitely worth sticking around for and will likely be one if not the top show of the season.

Additional continuing series:

Golden Kamuy S4

Edens Zero S2

The Ancient Magus' Bride S2

KonoSuba - Spin Off Series

As for some lesser known series, I've gone through this seasons' release schedule and filtered through the trailers to pick out the ones that might be worth watching... I honestly wasn't expecting for there to be so many. So like I said, there's definitely something for everyone this season.

Heavenly Delusion

I'm such a sucker for adventure series, throw in sci-fi and I'm hooked. While this definitely gives me Made in Abyss and Promised Neverland vibes, I'm not sure it'll be on the same level.

So far episode 1 looks absolutely amazing. Post-apocalyptic world with the contrast of the two stories, one of kids inside a sanctuary with little outside world knowledge and the kids that live and survive outside. Definitely worth watching.

A Galaxy Next Door

I'm surprised this is even being aired already. I swear the english volumes for the manga just released earlier this year. I've heard mixed things about the series but I think this'll be worth checking out.

Skip to Loafer

I've heard so much about this series and it's honestly got the golden trio of tags. It's a Slice of life comedy romance and the style and characters are so cute. I'll definitely be giving this a full watch through.

Insomniacs after School

This kind of looks like an irl version of Call of the Night but after watching the trailers a bit more it still looks like a lot of fun. It's about these two students who're unable to sleep and what they do when they stay up. They end up joining the astronomy club and overall it looks like it'll be a really pretty and relaxing series.

Dead Mount Death Play

Most manga collectors will have heard of this series. It's supposed to be quite a decent thriller/supernatural series. While I haven't had a chance to read through it, I think it's about time we got another good supernatural show. I'll definitely be checking it out.

Magical Destroyers

This straight up looks like utter chaos. Whether that's good or not I guess we'll find out. It's under the mahou shoujo tag?? but it's about a radical group that is trying to eliminate the otaku culture from Japan. This guy "Otaku Hero" stands up and tries to stop them. It sounds wild and kind of looks like a passion project. I'll give it 3 episodes.

My Home Hero

This is straight up a western drama movie. Similar vibes to Taken this guy kills his daughters yakuza boyfriend and gets caught up in the criminal underground. It's definitely a new trope for anime so I'll be giving it 5 episodes.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury S2

While technically this is a continuation of a series, I feel like many people didn't watch the first half unless they were already into gundam. I never grew up with it and truthfully I just lumped it in with transformers so I never checked it out.

Lots of people have been saying that this reboot it really solid and a good way to get into the series. After watching the trailer I totally understand, the characters all look great and the story looks like a solid sci-fi series. I'll definitely be watching to catch up to the new releases.

Yuri Is My Job

I've head of this series all over the place in the manga world and I know it's one of the more popular shoujo ai. Essentially it seems the plot is that these 2 girls end up working together at a themed cafe and start falling for each other. I don't really have any interest in shoujo ai series (frankly i just started getting into romance series in general) so I'll give it 3 episodes and see how it goes.

The Dangers in My Heart

This is one of those - unlikely mc's gets attention from the pretty love interest. After watching the first episode I can say it definitely isn't the same as the others. The girl is super weird and I like his commentary of all the shit he does. Pretty fun and worth a try at least.

Loving Yamada at Lv999

This looks like a fun lighthearted romance. I'll give it 5 episodes.

Otaku Elf

Pretty much as the title says it's about an Otaku Elf. I think this hoenstly looks like a fun series and as long as you're not looking for more plot, it'll be a good time.

Blue Orchestra

While I think a decent number of people will like the series, I know for sure I'll drop it due to the cgi. I just feel that CGI isn't at the stage where it feels natural enough with the rest of the animations and it really takes away from my watching experience.

My god. I had no clue they redid this but I'll 100% be watching this now lol. They rebooted Tokyo Mew Mew.

This was one of the first anime I watched growing up.

The second season is airing this season - Tokyo Mew Mew New S2

in case anyone else grew up watching it and wats to catch up.

And of course, the isekais.

We've now evolved from just the standard isekais to isekais with a twist.

I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, too.

I'll give it 3 episodes but unsurprisingly I don't think i'll stick with it.

The Legendary Hero is Dead!

This looks a little different from the ususal, I'll give it 3 episodes.

Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion

This is a full send fantasy shoujo romance and I thought I had had enough of the royal isekai trope but apparently not. The cheese of the romance has sucked me in again with the pretty animations to top it off. I'll be giving it a good 3 episodes.

The Ecchi series for the season:

KamiKatsu: Working for God in a Godless World

This honestly looks like fun but I've had my fair share of this kind of show. This is a fantasy ecchi isekai comedy. I'll still give it 3 episodes.

Megami no Cafe Terrace

Frankly I have no interest in ecchi harem series like this but the quality looks decent so I've added it here for those who want something to watch along those lines this season.

[amalgamgooze]

the enigma of (art) blend modes, and how doing brain research taught me how to better utilize them

(DISCLAIMER--I'm not actually going in-depth on different blend modes; there's other resources for that sort of thing! Rather, I'm just planning on talking about how they've been captivating to me in the past.)

I've been working with digital art programs for quite some time now, mostly for my game development pursuits, but also more recently just for fun.

Whatever program I'm using, be it Aseprite, Krita, or Paint.net, there's always this goofy little feature referred to as "blend modes". Really, all it refers to is how new colors should be made when two colors overlap on an image--particularly from different layers.

Back when I was young and naive, those layer blend modes hardly did more than just exist. Maybe I'd pull down that drop-down menu and switch around the modes every once in a while, but this was never used to help me during the creation process.

There's something about starting to use a new art program and getting overwhelmed by all the buttons on the UI. Of course, it takes time to master those menus, but when you do, it's nothing short of rewarding.

Which brings me to one of the most interesting programs I've worked with: Fiji.

Fiji isn't an art program--it's anything but. Instead, it's open source image processing software, designed for life science related analyses.

I've had the (mis)fortune of becoming acquainted with this software through my internship. When it was introduced to me last year, it was... overwhelming, to say the least.

This is what it looks like when you open it:

Not too overwhelming yet, right? Wrong. Here's what the dropdown menu for "Analyze" looks like.

(I like how it starts with normal sounding words, before devolving into things like "Helmholtz Analysis" and "Multi Kymograph".)

If any of you are already super-mega-brain-nerds and know how to utilize all of these options, then good for you, I suppose. For the vast majority of the people who are unacquainted with neuroscience (such as myself), however, this is INCREDIBLY daunting to navigate. Imagine something just as confusing as this for the other menus.

Hell, even just importing imaging data proves labyrinthine:

Okay. I'm done fussing over how convoluted Fiji's menus are.

I've worked with them for long enough to understand them a little better, though I still couldn't tell you what half the buttons do.

...like most of the art programs I use.

Yes, I've used Paint.NET since, like, 2018. No, I still have no idea what the "Clone Stamp" button does.

(by the way, if you're still using Paint.NET yourself for art, 1. what are you doing, and 2. Krita is much better for what I needed from an art program, so I might recommend trying that out if Paint.NET is getting on your nerves!)

Anyway, loading imaging data into Fiji usually gives you a video you can pan through. Most imaging data usually either represents a z-series, t-series, or both.

A z-series is imaging done on several layers of the subject's brain at a single time point, to create a 3D stack of images with time substituting for the depth into the brain.

On the other hand, a t-series is imaging done (usually) on a single layer of the brain throughout several time points. (Data I've worked with has ranged from 15-minute-long t-series to 100-minute-long t-series.) This again creates a 3D stack, though this time, time represents, well, time. (This is how most video is stored--even if the video itself is 2-dimensional, you're still "technically" viewing 2D slices of a 3D stack--though only super-nerds call video 3D.)

A zt-series can also be imaged by making several z-series over time, which can be processed into a 4D video. (Usually, though, the slices have to be processed through software to order them properly.)

Last year, I worked with zt-series a lot. This year, however, I've got easier work--I'm just working with t-series this time, to analyze calcium activity.

They're nicer to work with, to say the least. I've worked on automating the collection of calcium activity data by comparing the minimum and maximum values of each pixel throughout the whole t-series in order to determine where there's potentially calcium activity happening.

...in fact, once you get an image of the minimum and maximum values of each pixel across the whole t-series, you then work with those images as layers and use different functions to extract a mask that shows only potential calcium activity regions.

...

So it's adjacent to blend modes in a way.

Specifically the "Multiply" and "Divide" modes.

...

It's a bit of a stretch, of course, but working with these black-and-white images has helped me better grasp what's going on under the cover when I use those same blend modes for art.

Of course, I'm not using them masterfully yet. Really, I'm just using them to add blocky-ish shading to translucent objects.

...I'd show an example, but I can't find any pictures right now.

...

Sorry about the tangent.

I just feel like somehow this contributes to the intimate interconnectivity of everything.

Art and brain research being related on a software level.

[procrastinatorproject]

Bed Rest (Seven) for the WIP ask game, please. Also, if you want to talk about the other Bed Rest fics, too.

Seven's installment literally consist of only this handful of sentences so far:

“I understand that your xB physiology renders you much more resilient than humans, and I’m willing to give you a lot of leeway, but I draw the line at exposure to hard vacuum. You’re coming to sickbay with me right now.” Seven arched her eyebrow and drew a rasping breath. “Deactivate —” “No,” Emil said calmly. “You’re on medical lockout from all computer systems and will remain so until I give you a clean bill of health. Now, will you come downstairs voluntarily? Or will I have to ask Ms Musiker to drag you?”

I do like it quite a bit :D But haven't managed to do all the writing that needs to go around it yet.

As for the other Bed Rest fics... When I started writing them, it was just Soji, then I had an idea for Raffi, then Ian, Rios... and eventually, it settled in my brain as "one day, this series will have a story of Emil telling people to lie the fuck down already for every major and a whole lot of minor characters from Star Trek: La Sirena" 😅

We'll see how far I get. The one I wrote for Picard doesn't actually fit the description as well as I'd like it to, and I should probably just post it as a short slice of life standalone (it's basically done and I find it pretty funny, if I say so myself).

And the Agnes WIP that is still technically labelled "bed rest" also veered into a different direction (much more emotional angst and post-Borg-trauma, less the sickfic vibe I'm going for with the rest of the series). So I might turn that into a standalone at some point, though it would involve having to acknowledge season 2 happenings, even in a strongly altered form...

BUT! A while ago, @regionalpancake pointed out that probably a bunch of OC stories in my "never to be pulished" folder would only need very minor rewrites to work for Agnes (and for readers who haven't spent the last four years in my brain and thus don't know the reams and reams of intricate worldbuilding that underly the Private Stories). And I think that assessment is very accurate for the fic currently titled "Check up", which also has some holo bits in it that I just... adore so much! And want to share with the world! Like...

Emil nodded. “Your fever has gone up in the last few hours.” Her eyes went wide. “I thought the meds would help with that?” The EMH tilted his head and his expression turned slightly admonishing. “They are helping. They’re supporting your body’s immune system in fighting off the virus. Which inevitably involves a certain level of fever.” He lowered his scanner and frowned. “Honestly, you’re nearly as bad as the captain with his impatience. Healing takes time. The human body isn’t a machine where you can replace a broken part and everything just runs smoothly again straight away.” “Well now.” Over at the table, Ian leaned back in his chair and tucked his hands under his arms. “A repair is rarely done with a simple replacement. There’s always adjustments that need to happen afterwards and usually a lot of recalibration to —” “Yes, thank you Ian,” Emil said curtly without turning around, “I was speaking metaphorically.” “I’m just saying that if you want the repair done properly, you can’t just shove a new part in place and call it a day. There are a lot of protocols and follow-ups that need to happen.” “Actually, that makes the metaphor better, don’t you think?” Enoch mused. “Even with a machine, repairs take time and don’t lead to instantaneous improvement.” Ian leaned towards the ENH. “Yes, but he said the human body wasn’t like a machine, so he got the metaphor exactly backwards.” Emil rolled his eyes as the two holograms at the table started to argue over whether an accidentally good metaphor was still good if it was deployed incorrectly. Behind them, Emmet was leisurely swapping cards from his hand for better ones from the discard pile.

So that one is probably gonna be Agnes's installment (eventually).

Beyond that, who knows? There are still a few crew members (organic, cybernetic, and holographic) that need to have a moment with their snarky ship's physician! And one of these days, I will finally get over myself and edit the two paragraphs that have thus far kept me from posting Rios's part of the series 😅

I really enjoy the bed rest stories, though. I will never get enough of Emil being an exasperated, snarky, but ultimately really kind and competent doctor! And since there aren't as many stories of that out there in the wild as I'd like, I guess I'll just have to keep writing them myself XD

---

(I'm still very happy to answer questions or post snippets of the many things in my WIP folder :D Here's the original list of titles if you want to see what's available!

[animehouse-moe]

Skip And Loafer Episode 1: Sparkling Fresh

So, this is one of those series that I've been meaning to read for ages, and the anime just snuck up on me, leaving me with no actual knowledge of how things are supposed to go. That said, I'm thoroughly impressed with this first episode, and have lots to dive into.

I think the first thing that stands out is the color design, which (those that follow kViN on Twitter probably already know) is a strong penchant of the director's. They very much lean into pastels and, for lack of a better term softer and flatter colors. By no means is it a DIY!! style palette though, it's got much more saturation to it, but just not near as much contrast or highlights. And what I find most interesting about that is that the color designer, Yuuko Kobari, is arguably most known for those aggressive and strong palettes. They did the color design for series like Great Pretender and Redline, so you wouldn't really think that they'd be so at home with such a passive color palette.

But, they nailed it in just about the same way that Kotomi Deai did the direction of this episode. It's largely a quintessential high school slice of life, but just the right mix of creativity and expectation subversion.

Take, for example, the scene of the students getting dressed. We don't know who they are at that point in time, but such care is placed in how they go about things to help associated them with someone down the road. How they do their tie up, or fretting over having their skirt adjusted just the right way, or fluttering about excitedly in your room before your first day of school. It helps express so many different things without relying on the archetype or association of a character to do so. Plus, it just looks straight up beautiful, P.A is pulling a Cloverworks (and even a MAPPA?) with the clothing sakuga.

So how about something more oriented towards story? I'm certain I've droned on long enough in one go about the technical side. So, like I mentioned with the direction, Skip and Loafer as a story also thrives on that creativity and expectation subversion. Setting up for stereotypical pieces and skits, but either finding ways to reinvent them, or dancing past them. And in that, they create something that remains way more "in the moment".

Running barefoot to school to make it to your entrance ceremony just in time or a sudden change of pace to get home early to go to school tomorrow, these "in the moment" pieces give it a much more organic feeling. You're not left with characters stewing it over in a monologue or taking 3 episodes to make their impact. They think, and then they act, plain and simple.

Pairing that with the characters, who are by far the driving force, the flow of the episode is outstanding. Mitsumi might have snapped at Shima on the train earlier, but it's all washed away in the events of the day, neither thinks anything of it and instead reflect on how wonderful their first day was.

They chatter back in forth, get happy when seeing one another, and overall exemplify what they're going for as characters. Of course, that doesn't mean they're boxed in as their archetypes by any means. Shima is spacy and in with the popular crowd, but he has no issues with bein considerate or acting for his own sake. And Mitsumi may be a country bumpkin at heart, but her ability and will allows her to walk comfortably among her metropolitan peers as she recites her speech from memory or is the first to reach out to her classmates.

It produces something that feels incredibly organic without giving up on the parts that everyone guiltily enjoys so much from these youthful stories. The rose colored glasses are allowed to remain, but they are incredibly faint in comparison to some other pairs out there. There's awkwardness, oddity, and all manner of weird, but none of it gets in the way of allowing it to all be incredibly endearing. Not to repeat myself or talk in circles, but this sort of "wonderful reality" is only possible because of the characters, they all have something up with them, something that might not be considered a "perfect" trait. Something that allows them to be normal, so that outside of performances and perception, they can exist on a deeper level that allows things to stay just close enough to the ground.

Would I say it's the perfect high school slice of life anime? I mean, we're only one episode in so I'd never go that far, but I would say it's setting out to conquer a somewhat similar goal to Akebi's Sailor Uniform (though . That is, it wants to provide something beautiful and warm that shows the process of someone, who might be socially anxious or awkward, getting to enjoy their new station in life to the fullest. Getting to make friends and take part in all the things they dreamed of and make plenty of memories along the way.

[waffliesinyoface]

Games I Done Played in 2023

Putting this under a readmore because it is Long.

-Scarlet/Violet - on the cusp of 2022/2023 but it sort of counts? Especially with the DLC only just coming out this year. Anyways. its good. Professor Sada my beloved evil milf. RIP to violet players who got Turo instead.

-Atelier Ryza 1 - went in knowing nothing about it! And then i went feral because its a really fucking good game with themes and good characters and a lively town full of people that you care about. One of my favorite moments is when Agatha, head of the town guard, looks at Ryza and goes "geez, where did that knucklehead kid who was always messing around go? you've really grown up, huh Ryza?" ITS SO GOOD. Also Ryza is the ADHD fucking icon we deserve. Cannot focus on things she doesn't care about. Perpetually messy room. Kind of an airhead. Finds one (1) thing that she actually likes (alchemy) and then hyperfocuses on it exclusively.

-Atelier Ryza 2 - this game has the mass effect 2 problem where it's coming off the heels of a really great first story but then very early on you realize the main plot is actually a bit shit. Ryza 1 is a story about the inherent destructive nature of colonialism and how that will come back to bite you in the ass. Ryza 2 is about having a sick cat. They try to do something interesting with the optional backstory for each of the areas but then they don't tie it to the main quest at all? THAT SAID: while the main plot is shit, it does the other thing that ME2 does, in that all of the character sidequests are incredible. Klaudia in Ryza 1 is just like. The kind of casual fanservice gay that pops up in slice-of-life anime, so I brushed it off. Klaudia in Ryza 2 is having sad tearful confessions in the rain. I got fucking yuri brainworms from this game. Her arc culminates in Ryza making her a ""friendship"" necklace made from extremely precious metals. It's basically solid gold and has a heart design. Its beautiful. #JustHeterosexualThingsToDoWithYourBestie

-Atelier Ryza 3 - okay i will be honest i still have not finished this. You know how it is. I like that its more open world but also I dont know that it needed to be open world. The writing seems to be better than 2 but not quite as good as 1. I DO like that the beginning lets you see Ryza in her home town, and she's gone from the local troublemaker to Someone In Authority. She's an important and respected member of the community and a schoolteacher now, and now she can argue with the council that they're being a bunch of dickheads with their heads in the ground and people actually listen to her instead of telling her to shut up. Thats such good character development, I'm so proud of her.

-Fire Emblem Engage: went in expecting it to be awakening, to the point that I explicitly bought a physical copy for the purposes of being able to return it if it was shit. Then after playing for a bit i was like "wait a minute, is this just awakening again but actually good?" and THEN i was like "oh no this game fucking rips ass actually, hell yeah". One of, if not THE best fire emblem game. It would be an excellent choice for new players but it's also an anniversary game and so most of the cool callbacks and stuff kinda fall flat if you're not ALREADY a fan.

-Mahoyo: technically a VN, not a game. Also technically I did not finish. Need to get back to it. Aoko Aozaki is my blorbo and I love her. If you like Nasuverse stuff you owe it to yourself to get it.

-SAO Hollow Realization - its an SAO game so it is bad but it is far less bad than i thought it would be. Relationship mechanic is skeevy and I dislike that you need to do it to upgrade party equipment. I killed a hard boss early on and got a sword that immediately broke the difficulty curve which honestly fits how SAO rolls lmao. The fact that you can customize your character but they're still actually kirito is. weird. Buuut it meant I could make Kirito into a girl, which she deserves, the fucking egg. Also Argo's outfit is a travesty, and I will hunt the character designer for sport.

-Tears of the Kingdom - better than BotW plot wise, but didn't fix enough of the core issues. Please can we have a Ganondorf who even approaches the heights attained by Wind Waker. The character designers put so much work into him and making him imposing yet kingly, and then the writers went "uh, he's evil because he's evil? stop overthinking it, dummies." The bossfights are all peak though. Yes even the stupid octopus who is weak to roombas. Lightning Temple was my favorite because I love ancient egyptian iconography and light puzzles. Also the boss is actually challenging if you go there early.

-Armored Core VI - i literally decided to pre-order it like 5 minutes before it came out. And then I came to the realization that actually giant robots fuck hardcore. This is responsible for me getting really into Gundam. I have like 16 gunpla built with 4 more still in boxes and 3 more preordered for 2024. Yes, it infected me that bad. Also Cinder Carla IS my mom and I love her. Burning the planet and solar system is the good ending because she says so.

-Disgaea 7 - disgaea is BACK babey. ...okay I haven't finished this one either but after the travesty that was 6 im giving this a gold star. I love that the protagonist is an idiot weeb catgirl, and i love that the antagonist is literally just Demon Commodore Perry. Nippon Ichi please bring back the kitsune class from 5 please and thankyou.

-Mice Tea - i literally just got this so i've only done one ending but its fun, and good. Drink tea, become a mouse. Get horny about it. Happens to the best of us.

-Touhou 19 - i THINK the full english translation is done now, so thats good. Ran Yakumo is playable and im so happy. It's a shame the netplay is uh. Um. Non-existent. Because coding netplay is hard.

-Lunar Silver Star Story - once again, i still need to finish this. It's a really really good JRPG!! "What if we used the PS1 disc size to have anime cutscenes for important moments and character introductions" fucking genius and i love you. Listen to Wind's Nocturne right now.

-PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo - do you like VNs? Do you like mystery novels with horror elements? Do you like creepy things like curses and ghosts? Do you like really fucking good music? If you answered yes to any of those questions, please get this game. There's like one or two puzzles that were really obtuse on release but i think the game's been updated to provide better hints, so that's nice.

-Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life - my favorite harvest moon game as a child with a fresh coat of paint, some really nice QoL updates, and its gay now. You can be gay. I can finally get lesbian married to Nami and we can have an adorable precious daughter who turns me into Maes Hughes whenever Im in the same room as her. I named her Ruby because A: red hair, B: Nami loves cool shit you find in the digsite like precious minerals, and C: Lou (the innkeeper) was named Ruby in the original version of A Wonderful Life, and she's BASICALLY Nami's mom. Wait this review turned into me gushing about my adorable daughter again...