#I hope this review isn't a mess to understand!

[impactedfates]

Yapper Boyfriend - Various HSR Boys x GN!Reader

★ Summary: Your boyfriend loves to talk and you love to listen, though sometimes it puts a stop to what you're doing or you can tell it's getting him worked up. So what better why to make sure he's happy then stopping him with a kiss? (TLDR: Shutting your boyfriend up w/ a kiss)

☆ Characters Included (Separate): Argenti , Boothill, Mr Reca, Dr Ratio, Dan Heng + Sunday

★ Genre/Trope: Established Relationship + Romantic + Fluff

☆ Warnings: None

★ Extra: Mr Reca may be OOC (Getting used to his character still) // Sunday may be OOC // Slightly Proof Read // Writing kiss scenes are awkward...

Your beautiful boyfriend Argenti, he was the greenest flag you've ever met. You never minded his yapping and praises for Idrila, that's just how he was. And honestly, seeing him hold a long dead god with such high regard after all this time was admirable.

Though at times, it can interrupt your dates. And that's what was happening now. You were both visiting a planet and stumbled upon a shrine for the very goddess he worships. Immediately, he lets go of your hand and kneels in front of it, he sings his praises to it.

You could only sigh and smile softly as he did so. Though that wasn't the end of the praises you heard, even after walking away. The conversation you were having with your boyfriend slowly turned into him praising Idrila again. You knew why, it was rare to find any followers of Beauty these days let alone find a shrine dedicated to her.

Though, you'd much prefer singing praises to him and how great he was. You didn't mind too much listening. You knew he was passionate about his goddess and who were you to stop him. You couldn't help but admire him. You also couldn't mind just...

"It's just fantastic isn't it my love? Seeing a shrine so well kept for goddess Idrila. It's just-"

You quickly leaned up, kissing him softly on the lips. He was quick to reciprocate, leaning into your touch before you two pulled away.

"I...aha, sorry. Was I going on again my dear?"

"Don't worry, continue. You just looked so passionate about this, I couldn't help myself"

"Those forking, son of a nice ladies!!"

Your lover huffed. Boothill crossed his arms as he grumbled, letting you mess with his hair as he continued to complain. It was understandable, the IPC was incredibly annoying this time around. He wanted to get a drink at the nearby bar but some of the IPC subordinates were there and quickly tried to pick a fight with him.

Causing all of them to be kicked out. He grumbled more as he kept muttering things under his breath. A 'mother forking' here, a few 'shirt bags' there and of course 'fudge heads'

Your hands worked to braid his hair slowly, hoping it would calm him down like the previous times but it seems as though you'd have to use a different tactic.

You leaned his head towards you before quickly planting a kiss on his lips, effectively stopping his next words from coming out. He sat there in surprise, even after you pulled away, he just looked at you before quickly turning away with a chuckle.

"Well I'll be damned...got me there sweetheart"

"Reca-"

"And the camera movement! Why focus on the trees when the drama is happening with the characters!?"

"Rec-"

"Oh and don't get me STARTED on the lighting, like really? That kind of lighting for that kind of scene?"

"...Re-"

"OH AND DID I MENTION-"

You sighed, your attempts at even just soothing your partner's emotions coming to a fail. How could you do anything if he's going to criticize the movie you had just watched. Or was this just spite because you complimented one of the characters? You could only listen as Mr Reca continued his onslaught on the film's cinematography.

God you knew yourself the film was bad. This was meant to be a fun date night as you two cringed at the movies but your boyfriend was getting rather into it. Eventually after 5 minutes of this thorough review, you reach over, putting your hands gently on either side of his face, cupping his cheek. You quickly lean in to kiss him before he could utter another word.

When you pulled away he looked at you stunned for a second before grinning like an idiot. That god damn smile you fell in love with.

"Perfect! Brilliant! You see, THAT is what the lead should've done during that confession scene!"

You couldn't help but let out a laugh as he took your hands into his, as he praised your action, comparing it to the film. You will say though, your plan of stopping his review on the film was a success, even if now he was ranting about how great the "scene" was when you kissed him.

Aeons you only asked one question, you figured your boyfriend would know and now you're stuck listening to Dr Ratio yap about something, that you can't even tell has any correlation to your original question.

It's not that you minded, you loved learning new facts but the problem was...checking the time, if he didn't notice soon Dr Ratio would be late to his next lesson...and while that could be interesting and funny to see.

The oh so strict Dr Ratio late to his lesson. You didn't want that for him. But you didn't know how to stop him, when he gets into a lecture he really gets into it. So how could you...

Ah! You got it.

You stood up and walked towards him, tugging on his shirt so he'd turn his head towards you, you leaned up and kissed him. It was quick and simple before you pulled away.

"I-...what was that for?"

Oho, a blushing and flustered Dr Ratio is so much better then a late Dr Ratio.

"You have a class to attend remember?"

"...[Name], I don't go to school anymore"

"...Darling...you're a teacher"

When those words left your mouth you could see him mentally face palm as he quickly grabbed his items. He muttered out a thank you as he kissed your cheek, checking his phone to see how much more time he had left before rushing to his class.

Now Dan Heng wasn't really a yapper. He often listened to you yapping instead. And on the occasion he would shut you up with a kiss. It always made you flustered, and it wasn't even to really shut you up to be quiet. He just couldn't help himself, you looked so passionate in your topic he couldn't help but lean in to give you some affection before gesturing you to continue.

For once, you wanted to do it to him. To kiss him when he was rambling about something, make him flustered and just motion him to continue. But he wasn't one to easily ramble about something.

You eventually came up with an idea though, it wasn't exactly the best and it didn't exactly involve him rambling but...y'know if it works it works.

You asked him to read out the some of the texts to the databank, like a story book. He blinked at you confused but agreed. He read one, two and another until you finally put your plan into motion, you leaned up to kiss him. He was stunned for a moment as you pulled away.

"...was that your plan all along? To shut me up with a kiss?"

"...maybe"

He let out a small chuckle. Shaking his head in disbelief.

"You're unbelievable, to ask me to read out the data banks just so you could shut me up with a kiss"

You stayed silent for a bit with a blush, realising how silly the plan sounded now.

"...please continue with the databank talk..."

“I’m sorry”

Those words were the first thing uttered out of his mouth when you saw him again. When you opened the door and saw your boyfriend again.

“I’m…so…so sorry”

He repeats, holding your hand as he brings it up to his face. He looks at you, you can tell he’s holding back tears. Aeons you haven’t seen him since…well, the incident with the Charmony festive. You haven’t seen him since he was imprisoned, how he managed to get out?

You didn’t care, your boyfriend was back but…he didn’t look well.

“I-I didn’t…I thought…”

He struggled to get the words out, holding your hand as if you were a delicate doll and one wrong move would break you apart and he’d be alone again.

“…I just wanted the best for everyone…I-I promise…I…I didn’t think…about…all the details…I-I thought what I was doing was right but it wasn’t…aeons…I’ve hurt so many people haven’t I…”

You listened, hearing his apologies just spill out as tears threatened to follow suit. He couldn’t even look you in the eye anymore, he felt too ashamed too. How could he after all that he’s done?

Yet another apology was about to leave his lips until he felt soft ones fall on top of his. He froze, eyes widening in surprise as you kissed him.

How…

How could you…still give him affection? When he finally looked at you, you looked at him so gently, so kindly.

How

How did he deserve that? No he doesn’t deserve that, he doesn’t deserve the way you gently lead him into your house, sit him down and hug him…you’re…happy he’s okay?

He watched you carefully as you went to brew a cup of tea for the both of you…Aeons, he’s so lucky to have you.

Sorry for not uploading in while. Schools hectic and I’m a year away before I have to plan on colleges.

Anyways, I hope you all liked this one ^^

I tried to make sure the “kisses” were done at an appropriate time/scenario if that makes sense

I have another draft in the works so hopefully I’ll get it done eventually

[changingplumbob]

Introductions: Apolline - Part 1

Ciao, welcome to Dating Deanna! I'm Devin Villareal and I will be your host. My younger sister Deanna is hoping the paradise that is Tartosa will set the stage for her to find true love. Without further ado, let's meet today's contestant.

Apolline Odette d'Artagnan

Apolline is in her final leg of studying fashion at Champs Les Sims National Academy of Fine Arts. Snob? That's just a word that people who don't want to understand rich people are individuals use.

Sure she may also be self-absorbed, but if she was totally self obsessed she would have stuck with modelling rather than pouring her efforts in to her designs. And would someone who only cares about themselves really be able to speak four languages? Surely not.

Apolline does have a taste for those finer things in life, and gets slightly squeamish if tasks are avoided and the mess piles up. She balances study alongside jazz, ballet and cheerleading. Will she impress my sister though?

Devin: Buongiorno Apolline. Welcome to the show

Apolline: Bonjour Devin

Devin: Did you apply for the show or did someone do it for you?

Apolline: Well, it's… Complicated. My siblings did start the application, but I ended up consenting, and reviewed the informations written before I sent it. They were rather… Eager

Devin: Does anyone know you'll be on the show?

Apolline: Not that I am aware, no

Devin: Now I have to ask, how are you feeling about meeting Deanna?

Apolline: It's just an introduction. I may not be the most approachable, but I ultimately think it's not that relevant. This isn't a business interview, first impressions shouldn't be a determining factor

Devin: I quite agree! Let's get you to my sister. Through the doors when you're ready. Break a leg

Apolline: Merci beaucoup

[this-is-krikkit]

this pic and the groupchat of the snk vets in a roommates AU no one asked for (probably the same AU i wrote here actually), on a random thursday:

hange: *sends the pic with no message attached* *goes offline*

levi: four eyes NO and it's 1am where the fuck even are you

mike has reacted "♥️" to hange's shared media

mike: four eyes YES

nana: yikes don't call them that you weirdo only levi does (not that that isn't weird btw) (but no one's ready for that conversation 👀)

nana has reacted "♥️" to hange's shared media

mike: i had to for the joke you drama queen

levi: your joke wasn't funny. @ hange pick up your goddamn phone or i swear to god

mike: you all suck at least my bro @ erwin will back me up for sure

erwin: Actually Mike, i second Levi's review of your humor. But I concur with your and Nanaba's assessment on that table; we absolutely need it for the flat. Count me in as another heart shaped reaction if you will. Kind Regards, Erwin Smith

nana: remember when i said you text like my Dad? i take it back, even he knows how to react to other messages by now

mike: yeah @ erwin stop signing your texts challenge 2kWHEN???? istg i feel attacked every time you speak on here

erwin: If you feel attacked by my correct use of language, I think I have a better understanding of your English grades last semester. Erwin Smith

nana: SAVAGE ??? did that big noise come from your room, @ mike? you okay buddy?

mike: i'm never gonna be okay again with friends like you motherfuckers who even needs enemies

levi: @ hange i'm giving you one more chance to reply before i call moblit and tell him you've gone missing

hange: HEY GUYS NO WORIRES ANND NO NEED TO CALL MY ABBY BORTHER I AM VERRY WELL!! DONT XALL HIM PLZ!! V FUNNY MIKE BTW 😂😂😂

levi: where the fuck are you and why all caps

mike: @ hange i love you boo

hange: ONLY ONEE FTEE HAND OOP

levi: @ mike stop enabling them @ hange currently dialing mob

hange: don't!!! i'm fine see!!! just needed a sec!!

levi: WHERE are you?

hange: ... i will answer that IF someone can provide decent trunk space and strong arms to help mine out right now 😁😁

nana has reacted "💪" to hange's message

mike has reacted "🍉" to hange's message

levi has reacted "😤" to hange's message

erwin: Hurray! Nanaba and I and our combined arms will be right there in the minimal amount of time needed to reach your current location as soon as you've sent it on here. Excited Regards, Ermin Smith. PS: Levi, but as you well know, this is a democratic shared living agreement. You were outvoted on the matter. "Sorry, not sorry," as Nanaba insists I add.

hange has shared a location

levi: i accept it but i'm not going to help.

mike: and we respect that honey making space in the living room for the 🍉 table as we speak! sure hope i don't break anything fragile or make a mess in the process........

levi: i hate all of you, and @ mike i hate you the most.

hange has reacted "😂" to levi's message

nana has reacted "🫂" to levi's message

mike has reacted "😘" to levi's message

erwin has reacted "🍆" to levi's message

mike: ????????

levi: can someone tell @ mike to stop fucking pretending to faint every time he has Emotions neighbors gonna think we're getting robbed again with how heavy he falls each time

mike: i'm FLOORED leave me alone!! get it?

hange has reacted "😂" to mike's message

hange: fr tho, @ erwin wtf?

nana: (he's driving, couldn't help myself) on our way to you and our new table @ hange!

hange: yay!

mike: yay!

levi: fucking hell.

[kairiscorner]

i'm stuck with you. — miguel o'hara x reader pt. 1 (college dorm mates au)

summary: the only good thing about having this cocky asshole as your dorm mate is for help at the one subject you abhor and had hoped to avoid: math. even art students can't catch a break from it, it seems. ah, well, the only good thing is your tutor's... free, for the most part... until he asks you for something in return.

pairing: college dorm mate!miguel o'hara x gn!college dorm mate!reader

genre: fluffy <333 a little suggestive though in one bit, but mostly fluff !!

word count: 1,481

authors' note: OK I HAVE PUT THIS OFF FOR TOO LONG, I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS LIL TIDBIT I HAVE TO SPARE ATE @binibinileonara !!! (hindi naemphasize yung art student si reader pero this was what i had in mind ,,,,,)

(reblogs are greatly appreciated, it helps get my content out there! if you guys like what you see, please reblog it too <:D)

you really hated having to do this; if you could only either be the smartest person in the world and do the math in a matter of seconds or obliterate math as a whole since it was a subject you found boring, or useless–or both. you grumbled as you stared at the incoherent symbols and operations in front of you, hoping that through this staring, the right answers would magically come to you. but alas, such a miracle did not happen, and you've spent 15 minutes straight staring at it getting even more confounded on what to do. you sighed as the door to your dorm opened, and coming into the room was your absolute ass of a dorm mate–miguel o'hara.

seeing you slumped over on your desk made him raise an eyebrow out of curiosity. "what are you moping about?" he asked you as he took a sip from the coffee he bought earlier, with your eyes narrowing up at him at his coffee. "didn't think to get me one when i've been pulling all-nighters all week?" you asked him with irritation in your voice as miguel merely sipped louder and shrugged. "didn't ask me to get you any." "that's because every time i ask you, you never get me any!" you complained as miguel peered over at the math assignment you had and chuckled. "oh, basic." he muttered under his breath as you looked over your shoulder in embarrassment, your face flustered as miguel had just called the horrible, incomprehensible mess of letters, numbers, and symbols 'basic'?

you huffed as miguel sat down next to you and set his coffee aside. "y'need any help?" he asked you with a monotonous, uninterested voice as he took a pencil and the assignment into his own hands. "you wouldn't understand this." "oh i beg to differ." he said as he got to work on the solutions, pulling up a scientific calculator and pressing away at the keys, slightly enjoying solving your math assignment for you as you watched in utter envy at his big, fat brain getting to work while yours is shriveling up and dying at the math you couldn't even begin to understand. he chuckled to himself again as he kept solving it, with you peering over at him as he kept writing down answers and tapped away at the calculator's keys, with you feeling so lost at what he was doing.

"that's my homework you've got there." you reminded him as he kept solving it non-stop. "and it's my brain doing the work for your poor, pitiful self that can't even understand pre-calculus." he said as he put the pencil down and reviewed his answers, muttering to himself as he read it over, doing the operations backwards to double check the answers.

he took the paper full of solutions away with him as he was about to leave the dorm. you scrambled out of your seat and rushed over to him, unsure if you were about to beg him for the answer sheet or grovel at his feet for them. "wait!" you exclaimed as you jumped out of your seat and onto your feet. he turned around to look at you, the answer sheet still in his hand. "what? it's your homework, isn't it? sounded like you didn't want me to do it, so here, i'm giving you want you wanted." he said as he looked at you from underneath his glasses, smirking to himself ever so smugly as you pouted up at him, your eyebrows knitting together in frustration.

you took in a deep breath and brought your shoulders down, trying to loosen up as you exhaled and looked up at his smug, shit-eating grin with all the calmness you could muster. "miguel..." you began, trying to keep your cool as miguel leaned down to hear you better. "sorry, tiny, can't hear your little ant voice, speak up." he teased you as you grumbled under your breath. you inhaled and exhaled again, trying to keep yourself focused on asking him for that damn answer sheet. "miguel, can you please... give me those answers for my math assignment." you pleaded him in a louder voice. "huh? sorry, you sound like a little cockroach right now, speak up, please." he said as he leaned down nearer to your face as you grumbled again. "please, give me the answers for the math assignment. i won't ask for anything more." "huuuuuh? speak up, couldn't hear you." " i said give me the answers for the math assignment, you cocky motherfu–" "oh, okay, here." he said as he handed you the folded up paper.

you reached out to take it, but miguel quickly yanked it away from you, with his smirk widening as you seemed so desperate for the answers... that you'd probably do anything for them. he chuckled as he shook his head. "how cute, but you gotta work for this, y'know? i'm not as generous as you think i am, chiquita." he said as he found your pouting and angry face just so irresistibly cute.

you stamped your foot and kept pleading, while also insulting, him–much to his amusement. he couldn't take it anymore, you were far too cute for him to say no to. "alright, alright, fine, chiquita, i'll hand it over, wouldn't wanna fry your cute, empty little brain, no?" he teased as he handed it to you, but pulled away again as you sighed exasperatedly. "but again... y'gotta work for it." he said as he took your seat and gently placed his hands on your waist. you shuddered as he pulled you close to him, his nose nearly touching yours as you looked down at him, and he looked up at you with more of a smile than a smirk or cocky grin like earlier.

despite you acting all angry and defiant towards miguel, you didn't pull away from him–you instead felt yourself submitting to his touch and leaning further against his chest. your breathing slowed and your defiant gestures ceased as you felt miguel's breath hot against your cheek. "so... what do you think of me?" he asked you with a smirk as you pouted up at him. "if it wasn't obvious already, you're an asshole who's full of himself." he chuckled at your honest observation. "okay, true, true... but not even the least bit handsome to you?" he asked you in a softer, sweeter voice. you remained silent, searching for the right words you wanted to utter right then and there, but all that you could answer would give away how you didn't see him as just your annoying dorm mate.

the fluster in your face got even worse as he tucked away a stray strand of hair behind your ear and murmured that you looked so beautiful. "i wouldn't mind doing your homework for you all the time, really... you know me well enough, i'm a little weak for you." he said with a chuckle as you felt flustered at his flattery. "just get on with it, so i can–" your lips had stopped moving to speak, and instead, they moved to messily lock lips with his as he leaned over and pressed his soft, supple lips against your own. you didn't pull away, you gave yourself into the kiss until miguel had pulled away and pressed his forehead against yours. "all you had to do... was admit you like me. but i guess i had it all wrong, maybe... i had to admit it first, but whatever." he muttered as he handed you the paper full of solutions. you forgot that was the reason you went through all this trouble of begging him and letting him touch you.

you tried to act tough, telling him he should've asked you first if he could kiss you, with him nodding and apologizing about his extreme boldness right then and there. "not my most gentlemanly moment." "as if you even are a gentleman." you said as you leaned against him still, with him raising his eyebrows in confusion. "you... wanna stay on me?" he asked you as you sighed. "you started it, now you reap what you sow, asshole." you said in a fake irritated snap as miguel chuckled. "okay, um... can i hold you again this time?" he asked in a whisper as you nodded. "finally, you figured out how to ask before you take." you said as you felt a little more flustered at the thought of him having kissed you earlier, him letting all his bare emotions out on you. he may be a cocky, arrogant smartass... but you had to admit, you were kind of waiting for him to make the first move; at least now, he was being just a bit nicer to you. you could get used to him doing your homework for you, in exchange for a few kisses from you.

tags !! @miguelswifey04 @binibinileonara @k4tsu3 @luvstarrstruck @fictarian @yuridopted0 @arachnoia @hisachuu @wreakingmarveloushavok @ophanimgold @melovetitties @popeheywardssecretgf

[phantomdialogue]

˗ˏˋ. ݁₊ ✶ ˖ 𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟏𝟑 𝐛𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐥𝐨𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐡 - 𝟒.𝟓/𝟓 ☆ . ݁ ˖ˎˊ˗

boys of tommen book one

premise: shannon lynch has dealt with bullying her whole life which leads her to the front steps of tommen college after the christmas break. johnny kavanagh is dead set on joining ireland's international rugby team after years of training and hard work. but when he kicks a ball straight into the back of shannon's head by accident on her first day, both of their lives may change forever.

couple: johnny kavanagh and shannon lynch

tropes: sports romance, high school age romance, friends to lovers, found family, slow burn, grumpy/sunshine ish

CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING!! - includes themes such as physical and verbal abuse (familial and not), bullying, sexual harassment, and more.

available on kindle unlimited

review below!

review:

wow... i wasn't expecting to be so hooked on this so fast. even just 50 pages in, it had its claws in me and wasn't letting go for the next 600ish pages. it's a long read but it doesn't feel long either. even the 40 minute long chapters went by so fast. this book is put in the young adult section of the store but i think that's solely based on how easy of a read it is. it very much so does NOT have themes that are young adult. it's a heavy book with some darker themes, and a far amount of sexual content honestly even without smut, and i know the second book and the ones after that will just continue to get heavier.

johnny kavanagh... the boy you are. i loved johnny. i'm pretty sure if you don't love johnny, something is wrong. he really just embodies that typical sports guy with a soft spot but i related to him on so many different levels. he's deeply determined to achieve his goals and puts everything aside to do just that. he really knows what he wants and what he thinks he has to do to achieve that and he goes at it full force. and then shannon comes into the picture and messes with his head and plans and he is just deeply understandable in all of internal angst. he's already scared because he's sporting an injury and now he's sporting a crazy crush and he doesn't know what to do about it. i think that it's really interesting to read about how he handles it all and what his thought process is and when you keep in mind that he's only seventeen, it's honestly so understandable.

i loved shannon as well. she is a deeply fractured and hurt character and getting to watch her grow to be comfortable with the other characters while still holding her walls up was so interesting and i was so invested with her the whole time. she's one of those characters that you just want to hug and tell it's okay to. she has so many layers to her that are so interesting to read about because she's been through so much and is still going through so much. i love her relationship with johnny, of course, but something that i really hope we see more of going forward is her relationship with gibsie. i feel like she already has that deep brotherly bond with her brother, joey, but that is founded more so in their shared trauma, that to get to see her grow into this sibling bond with gibsie that is more on the humorous playing around side was something so healing. she has those moments with joey but there is a heaviness to them that isn't there with gibsie and i love that so much that i hope we get to see more.

honestly i wasn't entirely sure what i was getting myself into with this book but i'm really really happy i read it. i can't wait to read the rest and get my heart ripped out because i know that's coming and it's going to hit so hard.

q & a:

are they endgame? - this is one question that i don't think i can quite answer yet. my gut says yes but we've got a very heavy second book ahead that will really solidify my answer to that. so we will wait on the determination of endgame status but currently my gut answer is yes even though they are just teenagers still.

did i cringe? - i'm american... this is set in ireland in 2005. admittedly, some of the slang and banter did make me cringe a little. it's also a high school age romance i'm not going to hold back the fact that i did cringe a few times at the teenagers. i think it's not anything that deters from the book though. the cringing i did do leaned towards the endearing side as well because it's just this found family of teenagers who are all dealing with some heavy stuff and humor is definitely something that some of them, and this book, falls back on. but even with cringing, it felt natural for the book and the characters. it wasn't the kind of cringing that was from something that was wrong.

favorite part? - i love the found family aspect in this. i love how close knit our main characters are with our side characters. johnny is an only child but he really is just brothers from another mother with gibsie. if you've seen teen wolf then you'll know what i mean when i say that johnny and gibsie really are another version of scott and stiles. and even beyond johnny and gibsie, we see hughie and katie and patrick and claire and even lizzie a bit all join together to be this second family to shannon that she really needs. it's so heart warming and such a light air in the middle of all of these traumatic experiences you read through and i loved it so much and hope we get more of it going forward. my gut wants to put the slowburn in the least favorite part section but i really cant. it's such a pivotal part of this book and of johnny and shannon's characters that i have to praise it. it makes so much sense for them individually that even when it takes over 500 pages to make true progress, it feels natural. it's not something that is played out just to make the book longer. with shannon's trauma and johnny's career, it makes sense that it takes them so long to come together and i really loved it even if i was a bit in agony from the length haha.

least favorite part? - i really don't know if i can choose something. i know there is something because i feel confident in not quite rating this 5 stars but i can't place my finger on it. perhaps it's the focus on johnny so much in this book but i can tell from the ending that this book is more johnny's book and i think the next one will be more of shannon's book so even that isn't something that i have a real problem with. i don't know... it's hard to place what i think should be different because even with whatever faults it has, i think it has a lot of reasoning for each of those that makes sense.

favorite quotes (some spoilers here, of course, but minimal):

It mattered that she mattered when no one ever mattered to me before.

I remembered the way he had taken care of me. How he had stayed with me until my mother came. The way he had touched me with big dirty, gentle hands. How he talked to me like he wanted to hear what I had to say. And then listened to my rambling like it was important to him.

Shannon Lynch utterly disarmed me.

You could love this girl your whole life, the crazy thought persisted inside my brain over and over, if you just let yourself.

“I’m going to hug you,” Johnny whispered in my ear. “Tell me if that’s not okay.”

Instead, I nestled my cheek against his side and closed my eyes, allowing myself to drift off to sleep without an ounce of fear in my heart because it couldn’t exist inside of me, not when this boy had his arm around me.

I was completely fucking clueless, armed and ready to go to war for a girl I didn’t know, against an enemy no one would tell me about.

“She’s always been your Shannon.”

“She makes my heart go, like, whoa.�� “Is that right?” he mused. “So bad, Da.” I sighed. “Boom, boom, fucking boom.” I shook my head. “All the time.”

[gamerdog1]

Gangsta Anime Review

We all know the feeling of 'crunch'. Maybe its a school assignment that's due tomorrow, or a dinner that needs to be served in an hour. That feeling of dread, knowing that your creation needs more time and care, but won't get it because the clock is ticking, and a myriad of other factors. And in the end, the final product is okay, sure, but it could've been better, had it more time to flourish.

Gangsta, based on the manga of it's same name, is a 2015 anime by studio Manglobe, about a pair of mercenaries in a city of crime and debauchery, who clean up the messes that others can't handle. While the series has lofty expectations for itself, by the end of it's 12 episode run, it's clear that the anime could've been something special, if it wasn't such a rush job.

Gangsta's first and most glaring issue is it's desire to cram as much as it can into it's runtime. Like some other anime I've written about before, the series has an extensive lore, which it struggles to fit into such a short series in a meaningful way. At first, it seems pretty normal, but with side-plots about an amnesiac sex worker, a kid who works as a doctor, four warring crime families and their internal dramas, serial killers, and superhumans, it starts to get really crowded real fast.

That's not to say the story is by any means bad. In fact, many of the sub-plots and themes this anime touches on are quite interesting, like PTSD and xenophobia. The issue lies in it all happening at once, leaving little time for audiences like me to breathe, to understand what's going on, but most importantly, to care.

Any caring that audiences like me could be having is spread so thinly between the hundreds of characters and goings-on, that it's easy to just check out. I found myself doing other things while watching this anime,( which isn't very often, since I like to focus fully on the shows I'm watching), putting it on in the background while I knit or draw. The whole time, hoping that there'd be some big revelation that would shock me back into paying full attention, but it never came.

Its a shame, because the characters in this series are probably the best part of it. Worick and Nicolas, the main duo, have a fun dynamic, one that initially drew me into this series. They share a bond that goes deeper than the current plot, which gets revealed over the course of the series, and helps them feel like they actually want to work together.

There's also Alex, a sex worker whose boss is killed by the main duo, and works for them for the rest of the series. Most of the time, she feels like a bystander to the plot, only coming in to get endangered and needing saving, but her own conflicts give her a bit more time to develop. Still, what few connections she has to the plot never allow her to solve them, either being taken care of by the main characters, or never resolved at all. There was potential, to make her as important to the plot and involved in it as her male friends, but it seems this series was more concerned with jokes about her breasts than character development.

Where Alex fails as a compelling female character, there's Loretta, the teenage leader of a local mob family. Her story of inheriting her father's role, (while it is about as developed as nearly every other side story in this show), intrigued me, and makes me wish she had her own separate story. In a city of nightclubs and scantily-dressed women, she commands respect in a masculine way, taking charge over men who would otherwise belittle her, simply because of her gender. She is probably my favorite character.

Beyond characters, this anime is notable because of it's portrayal of disability. The main duo, Worick and Nicolas, are both disabled, (one having only one working eye, the other is deaf). In a setting as gritty as this, one might think that they'd be treated as lesser, but they're probably the most competent guys around. Most characters are pretty accommodating, and the series talks a lot about how disability affects the main duo.

The series never tries to 'fix' them in any way (like some others might), but instead shows how they (though far moreso Nicolas than Worick) deal with their disability. Nicolas uses Japanese Sign Language throughout the series, something which is taken in stride by his cohorts without many questions. Worick's missing eye is barely mentioned by other characters, but ties in heavily with his backstory, as well as Nicolas'. The duo's disabilities a part of them, but rarely hinder them, showing a surprisingly good portrayal for a series this intent on being gritty.

But in the end, this series is still a cramped story with way too much going on in way too short of a runtime. Maybe if Manglobe hadn't gone bankrupt, there would be a multi-season run of this anime, with enough time to fully explore it's characters and conflicts. With such a positive portrayal of deafness, its a shame that it never got it's time to fully bloom.

6/10

[thevoicefromanotherworld]

"I WANT TO TAKE YOU SOMEWHERE"

There aren't enough stories about this great character, so here's my contribution.

(likes and reblogs are appreciated so that this story reaches more people who are obsessed with Wyatt Bose like me)

@themareverine Here it is, bub ☺

I hope you like it!

Wyatt Bose was a dangerous man. She knew it, everyone knew it. The confidence with which he moved around the office where he worked did not go unnoticed by any of the employees, especially by her, who lately had her eyes on him more than necessary.

On one of those occasions he caught her looking, but instead of looking away as if nothing had happened, he smiled half-heartedly before disappearing down the hallway he had come from.

Alana was gathering the papers from her office table to go home, when she heard a couple of knocks on the door.

She looked up and there he was, in his black two-piece suit, the red tie perfectly placed around his neck, and the knot executed with delicacy and care.

His hair was combed as usual, not a hair out of place, as if everyone had a predetermined place on their head from which they could not move.

She did not understand how he managed it. That is, she arrived at the office well combed and made up, and five minutes later her hair was a mess and her makeup was smudged. The perfection of that man was beyond her understanding.

-Hello - she greeted, nodding at the papers she still had to collect - Are you leaving?

-Yes, it's already after twelve - she said - I still have to catch two trains to get home and the last one leaves at two in the morning - she continued collecting under his watchful eye -

-That means you have an hour free, right? - he raised an eyebrow, she nodded unconvinced -

-I suppose so - she answered looking at him out of the corner of her eye - Do you need anything?

The double meaning of the question made the skin all over her body stand on end. The young businesswoman put the last paper in her bag and pushed her chair back into the table, before looking at him again.

-Actually, I need you to review my accounts if it's not too much trouble - she said with a friendly smile - there may have been movements that I have not been informed of

-Forgive me for the indiscretion - she murmured looking at him attentively - But isn't that a job for your accountant?

-I fired him

-Why?

-He was not efficient at his job - he pointed at her raising his eyebrows - you are - he specified - I want you to be my new accountant

She swallowed hard nervously before putting a lock of hair behind her ear

-And what about my job as an editor? - she questioned - I can't leave it, I have clients under my charge…

-You won't - he interrupted delicately - you will continue with your job, in addition to working as my accountant - she whispered smiling - I will pay you for overtime

She thought about it for a few moments. In reality it wouldn't hurt to get some more money. After all, he promised his nephews that he would take them to Disneyland for Christmas. You nodded firmly, he returned the gesture in the same way.

-Okay –you said- I accept

-Great –he celebrated taking a paper and a pen out of the briefcase he was carrying in his hand-

He entered the room, closed the door and sat down in the chair in front of his desk. He gestured towards her.

-Please, sit down –he asked, she did as he asked-

-This is your new contract –he explained handing it to her- in which it specifies what your duties will be from now on, as well as explaining in detail that you will not leave your old duties, but that new ones will be added –he leaned back in the chair, while taking out a cigarette and a lighter from the inside pocket of his suit jacket- Do you mind if I smoke?

-No, go ahead, she said, as she began to read the contract.

He offered her one, but she nodded to let him know she didn't smoke. He nodded and looked out at the view of the city through the glass windows of the office, while Alana read the contract in front of her. She glanced at him a couple of times.

There in the shadows, with his ethereal profile outlined against the soft moonlight, he looked like an angel.

Or a devil dressed like one.

He noticed her looking at him and looked away, as she quickly returned her gaze to the paper. She took the pen between her fingers and signed on the dotted line below the text.

-It's done - he said, taking the paper and putting it in his briefcase - there's no turning back - he murmured, the way he said it made her senses go on alert -

He watched her carefully, while exhaling the smoke from the cigarette.

-Do you have plans for tomorrow night? - he asked, she quickly shook her head, faster than she would have liked, she didn't want to seem desperate -

The truth is that she didn't have much of a social life, so the fact of going out with a person like Wyatt, was something that made her nervous and excited in equal parts.

-No - she murmured timidly before adding - Why?

-I want to take you somewhere - he said - Is nine o'clock on Saturday okay with you?

-Okay - he nodded - but you don't know where I live. How are you going to…?

-Your address - he intervened - is on the papers that "You just signed," she said, smiling amusedly as she stood up. "I won't keep you any longer. I know you have two trains to catch," she reminded him, and the fact that he remembered what she had told him made her heart ache in her chest. "See you on Saturday," she said, crushing out her cigarette in the ashtray on her desk. "See you on Saturday," she replied, watching him leave.

[naoko-world]

My opinion on the Percy Jackson tv show season 1!

So I watched season one of the Percy Jackson tv show as it was released and now here is time for a quick review!

Sorry I wanted to finish this drawing before, hope you like it! (To be honest i didn't draw the drawing on the shirts, I just used what was used on the Disney store, but I draw the rest.) You can see it on my Instagram too, without the review

SPOILER WARNING

I'll start my review of season one by talking about...

The characters

Well, first I wanna say I like how the three main characters are being portrayed here ! Percy is a very loving and kind character while Annabeth is a smart girl desperately looking for recognition from her mother. As for Grover, he's a kind and clumsy satyr who really likes Percy and it shows. Basically these three characters love and trust each other and it's incredibly obvious ! Even Annabeth and Percy, who start their relationship by not being that much trusting in each other. I really like how their quest improve their relationship !

What I love too is how the adults are shown, especially Sally and Poseidon. Sally, who was shown as a perfect mother in the book, became a woman who is doing her best to raise her son in the series and I find it so interesting ! The book is in Percy's point of view so it's obvious that he would see her that way, but the tv series isn't exclusively from his point of view so it can show her turning desperate because she don't know how to effectively protect her son. I can say I really like her scene with Poseidon too, that was so touching!

Just a word about Gabe, who is way less clearly abusive. A lot of people thought it was a problem, that he was too nice, but I thought it made him even more scary because if he's not physically violent against Sally, he's still clearly psychologically abusive. Though it seems like Sally is able to manage him a bit.

Just remember that abuse isn't always physical, that you can be abusive without hitting anyone.

The gods

I can say I like how the gods that appears in this first season are portrayed!

Dionysus is so manipulative and bitter, I love it! Even if we never say it in the series (from memory), it's obvious that he doesn't want to take care of the demigods, and I love it!

Ares is wonderfully portrayed as a being who has a real passion for the war ! For example, we see him having fun on Twitter and, later, Grover succeed to convince him to talk to him by talking about less-known wars. He also has that wonderful vibe of "don't mess with me or I'm going to beat you to death".

We don't see Hephaestus a lot but again you feel it's someone confident who is a very skilled blacksmith.

I love that as soon as we meet Hades he's very welcoming and behaving in a very "I don't care about what's happening with my brothers" way. He just want to protect the underworld and, again, it's obvious.

Zeus is incredibly intimidating which, again, I love so strongly ! I can understand why no one would stand to him.

Finally, Poseidon is a very loving dad who can't do much for his son but is trying when he can try. I also love how, at the end, he ends up standing to Zeus to protect Percy. Then the very awkward interaction he has with him because the didn't talk much, Poseidon was mostly absent, but he still love him.

The adaptation

Now, of course I'll talk about the adaptation. And I'll start this part by a very personal story: how I discovered Percy Jackson.

I started my discovery with the movies. Actually with the first one only, I didn't want to watch the second one because I didn't understand why it would have a sequel. I thought it was enjoyable, though very cliche, but far from the best movies. As I didn't know the original story I thought it must have been an adaptation of a very average book series who must have gotten a bit of success and has been adapted because Hollywood didn't have any idea anymore.

Then I finally read the books because a friend insisted it was good, and Internet was talking about how it was full of representations... And now I hate the movies ! Because I considered we could have gotten incredible movies out of the books ! But we didn't...

Honestly I'm not angry that the tv series made so many changes. Because it wasn't exactly my problem with the movies. My problem was it made changes that didn't make any sense, transformed the story into something very cliche and sexist, and wasn't respectful of the mythology when the book was.

I'll only give one example that angers me a lot: Grover's case.

In the book Grover is a very sweet, kind, brave and goofy character who love his friends and even more his girlfriend Juniper! He's very likeable, and a good protector for the demigods he's in charge of.

In the movie he's not likeable at all. He's a goofy character and likes Percy but he isn't sweet and only think about girls... Like you have a scene where he decides to stay with Persephone because she's hot... He clearly isn't sacrificing himself at all. Overall I don't think he's likeable, I thought he was kinda useless and annoying.

In the tv series... He's kinda goofy but not too much, and he's sweet, kind and brave. More than that, he's considerate and I actually like that he's clearly intelligent in this show because he lived longer than Percy and Annabeth. He's not entirely faithful to his book counterpart but the changes make sense and he's still very likeable and I want to hug him so hard !

For now, I'll conclude there. I'll probably rewatch it and make a new review later but I don't want to say I'll surely do it so I won't have pressure. That first season wasn't perfect but it was pretty enjoyable and I can't wait seeing what they're doing next. To be fair, The lightning thief wasn't the best book of the series so I understand it wasn't as fun as the last books.

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

Ep. 14 "Flash Strike" Review

Wow this is way late. First off, I loved the animation and it looked genuinely real at times. TBB is to date the best looking animated show (not counting the "Tales" shorts). Those jungle shots were stunning. And the music! The music in the beginning was epic and it got my heart racing.

Spoilers below just in case

Rampart is just the gift that keeps on giving. Seriously, what was that scream? I was dying laughing 😂. He once again provides the comedy in these dire hours. However, his conversation with Crosshair was intense. I've already covered it, but basically: Rampart doesn't understand how some people can change. And ofc he was the one to mess everything up. Classic Rampart. Also, please Cross, you don't have to prove anything to Rampart. I get you're concerned that the man vanished, but the loser can take care of himself.

I did love watching the brothers fight side by side as usual. When Wrecker got thrown by the dryax, my heart melted when Cross and Hunter immediately went over to help him up. Also, y'all notice that the slice went all the way to Wrecker's skin? That was chilling. I hope Wrecker will be ok. I did love Crosshair's convo with Wrecker. Yes, he's scared and internally having several mental breakdowns, but he's doing it for Omega. He loves her more than anything. When he says he "owes her," it's his way of telling Wrecker that. Cross has never been one to be openly emotional about things. His actions show where his heart truly lies.

Omega was incredible this episode. Her "they found me... my brothers" just hit the spot. She knows that they will always come for her and will fight through hell and back for her. That's the level of love and trust she has with them. Also shoutout for her leadership skills and sneaking skills. Omega has grown so much and the impact of her brothers on her is so noticeable. You know the moment she sees the Zillo, she's got a plan cooking.

Hemlock isn't an idiot? Villain being competent? Well, that's both satisfying and scary.

ECHO!!!! Sweet Echo back at it, serving us with peak Arc Trooper content. Seriously, I love him so much! I also love how he now looks like Fives and the rest of his OG squad. The last Domino is carrying the banner with pride (he's fine relax 🙃). His convo with Emerie was golden. He's come so far since reciting the reg handbook back to his brothers word-by-word. There is so much meaning behind Echo telling Emerie that following orders blindly isn't the right thing to do. It might be Emerie's job, but it's putting the lives of others at stake. It's wrong. And having it be Echo who tells her that is so important. Crosshair fits better as Rampart's narrative foil due to the imperial past and prison sessions. But Echo being Emerie's narrative foil is incredible. Echo is such a beautiful person inside and out. He better make it out alive.

Anyways, I can't wait to cry with y'all on Wednesday. See you then!

[mewkwota]

Hewwwoo!! I hope ya don’t mind me asking ya in the character ask thang!

Megaman Volnutt!

Oh hello--!! Oh no. Why would you do this to me?

Send Me a Character

And I will tell you my:

First impression Oh neat, another Mega Man. He very much reminds me of LEGOs. Personally I never understood the appeal of Legends but I knew people liked it a lot. The first time I checked out some playthroughs I was falling asleep so the little details became a blur to me, but I think that's because watching a game that big of a scale rather than engaging directly will make it feel more long-winded.

But I recognize Volnutt from various crossovers.

Additionally, I was confused as to what his name was. His name is Volnutt? Oh then where does Trigger come from? Is that a localization thing? What are all these other titles?

*This one did not pay attention*

Volnutt looks very sweet and charming, and I can see him being a little cheeky. But I didn't know much of him beyond that.

However I think his voice in Legends 2 is cute and nostalgic. I like Sailor Moon.

Impression now "I don't know what you are (and I think that's fascinating)." But the answer is right ther-- No it isn't. That's not a Carbon.

One day I decided to look back at Volnutt's story because I remained confused up to this day. I now understand the appeal of his series' atmosphere and story to others, it's just hard to put to words.

That said, what I was mostly trying to understand was the presence of these two names, Volnutt and Trigger. It went WAY over my head that the latter was a name he used to go by. I had an inkling of understanding as to the setting and what Elysium was, but the details of everything structured around it weren't quite clear yet.

So once I reviewed everything again, the little hunch in my mind started to grow. Did I read all that right? Am I seeing this correctly? You're just like those other guys that can do this or that?

It was a joke at first, but then it got worse. Wonderfully worse.

I've found myself very immersed in my exploration of Volnutt's identiti(es). Just how organic, or non-organic are you? I don't know. What were you really like back then? I don't know. Can we see it? No. Though I appear to cry over his lack of concrete definition, I actually welcome it wholeheartedly. Sometimes things just can't be entirely understood, that doesn't mean there's something wrong with it.

And you got all this from a silly 3D-game about exploring? I guess so.

Favorite moment To simply put it, seeing Volnutt in a little apron thing was very cute.

Actually. Do you know what really got me to consider looking more into Volnutt's background? There's this really old sketch from Mr. Ariga where he gave Volnutt this soft look in his eyes. I've always seen Volnutt as being so peppy and adventurous given the genre of his game, so I wondered why that expression?

Idea for a story I'll leave the painful ideas over there. *violently shoves them into Data's noggin*

Anyways, I can't believe I forgot for a moment that Volnutt and Shion Uzuki have met before. They've both been put into positions leading to an uncertain future, with something from "their" pasts acting as a point of conflict. I'm not sure how willing either of them would open up about that, but I thought it'd be interesting brainstorming material.

Unpopular opinion Everything I say about this kid always get me hit with a mallet.

Favorite relationship I don't have a favorite(?), but there's something quite lovely about the relation between Trigger and The Master. We don't see very much of it, but you can tell what was there must've meant a lot.

It makes you wonder. What things did they talk about? Why did Trigger in particular click so well with The Master? Was he just more curious or more open than the others? Again, it's a mystery.

Favorite headcanon Volnutt would take out a body part just to mess with people. No that doesn't mean you can just yank off his leg yourself, I'm sure he has to manually detach it first.

[blind0raven]

Warning: I am so so so sorry to all my followers cause yes it is a rant about the Disney movie "Wish" :) I am like years years late on this fucking mess but I was waiting for it to be on Disney plus to finally witness it with my own eyes how awful this movie is despite the many reviews saying so

Sooo... I finally saw Disney's movie "Wish" :)...

I hate it, I hate it SO MUCH, I hate this soulless no identity piece of shit that can't even be a product for the 100th years celebration as well :)

The story is trash

The dialogue is trash

The pacing makes no sense and just awful

The COLOR PALETTE feels like it should have been switched or better implimented

And I have watched and heard reviews about the movie and how bad and lackluster it is, and now I can understand why...

I watched this piece of shit with a friend, and we both hate it. I don't even know where to start...

I think where I can start is just... the actual ending scene of the grandpa playing "When you wish upon a star" that leads into the Disney Castle scene? That should have been THE BEGINNING of this movie, with him starting off and narrating the beginning of the movie before it leads to the actual events and such.

Sticking to basically the song still, I know or remember that this movie was suppose to be like the origin of the song? or the act of wishing upon a star??? The movie didn't even do it well either!

The implications of wishing on a star and not entirely relying on that star to do all the work should have been more implemented. Basically since the people of the kingdom give their wishes to King Magnifico, and rely on HIM to grant their wishes when they could do it themselves. It just feels like a cult, relying on Magnifico and just settling to not have the drive to make your own dreams work and just accepting that "oh well maybe another day" without doing the work!

THIS ISN'T ENTIRELY NEW!!! THIS WAS BETTER DONE IN PRINCESS AND THE FROG!!!!

And touching upon the reliance, the dependency and complete trust of King Magnifico that they don't question what he is doing. It would make sense to the adults in the kingdom and those who already gave their wishes cause well...

Life in the kingdom is happy and well, their lives are already great. Why should they want more???

But to the young ones, people like Asha who still HAVE their wish. They're full of hope and determinations, they still have that want, that desire, that life in them to want to pursue more than they already have!

Someone already probably made this statement, but still. That could have been it!!!

And it could have been what King Magnifico takes away when he takes a person's wish! Their dream, their hope, their drive to explore! If King Magnifico has the people's absolute trust and dependency, he has absolute control over everyone, taking away their dream squashes any chance that someone will break away and lead to a revolution if they discover he's lying to them.

Also just... make it better shown who still has their wishes and who doesn't!!!

Just slight alterations

Those who still have their wishes are fine: their colors are still bright, they're more lively and energetic

Those who have already gave their wishes to the king: their colors are a bit pale or duller, not too much but still, also have a slight drowsy appearance. Help emphasize that these people are empty, they're missing something but not entirely

Those who's wishes are entirely destroyed: Dull, and hopeless. Darker than those who gave their wishes away, as they believe themselves to have no hope

Instead of telling us, the slight implementation that something is off!!! LIKE THAT EPISODE OF MLP FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC OF STARLIGHT'S CULT VILLAGE OH MY GOD I JUST REALIZED IT!!!!

But not too much that its worrying, this is why the kingdom's blue palette plays in to help hide it!

This is my main problem, I still have others but this is already too long that I'll just list em off

The Queen should have been evil as well, we should have had our lovey evil couple that was in the concepts

Star boy! I will not forgive that we have been robbed of a romance between the Star boy and Asha either DISNEY!!!!

Fuck off with all those 7 friends, cut it down to maybe 3 (preferably the Glasses girl, the short Grumpy one, and the big eepy boy. I know they have names but FUCK THEM HAVING 7 PEOPLE)

The goat should not have talked, that's it

More show of the star's magic instead of JUST MAKING ANIMALS TALK!!! GIVE US MORE MAGIC SHOWCASE OH MY GOD!!!

Make King Magnifico more unhinged at the end since he's losing control, let him go full evil instead of what the fuck they did

Asha would have been better written as possibly Magnifico and Amaya's daughter, the evil couple who loves control are training their daughter to be like them and succeed since Asha pretty much is selfish since she wants to be Magnifico's assistant only for her own benefit

FUCK. OFF. WITH THE PREVIOUS DISNEY MOVIE EASTER EGGS WITH HOW THEY ARE DONE IN THIS MOVIE OH MY GOD.

ALSO FUCK OFF WITH HOW THEY SHOWCASE PREVIOUS DISNEY MOVIES AT THE END CREDITS THAT IS NOT WHAT SHOULD BE SHOWCASED THERE

TOO. MUCH. SINGING If I am saying this for a Disney Movie then it is bad. THERE IS TOO. MUCH. SINGING AND MUSIC HAPPENING IN THIS MOVIE

And lastly imma end with this. I agree with my friend

King Magnifico is a dumb name, he choose a better name for him that works best

El Magnifico and Majestic King Marcelino!

[electronickingdomfox]

"Vulcan's Glory" review

Hey look! It's SNW's Spock... in the 80's!

Novel from 1989, by Dorothy C. Fontana. This author is better known as the writer of several TOS episodes, like "Journey to Babel", and as the producer for TAS. Given these credentials, I expected more from this novel. But it turned out to be one of the worst I've recently read.

The plot (or rather, the several mini-plots) were pretty dull, and the slow pace isn't helping. The writing style is so meandering and flowery, that it takes forever to move from point A to point B. (Some spoilers ahead): Set in the Pike era, shortly after Spock arrives at the Enterprise, the main story concerns a legendary emerald revered in Vulcan, the titular "Vulcan's Glory". The gem is easily found in the first chapters, after being presumed lost for a long time. But soon thereafter, an assassin kills a couple of scientists aboard the Enterprise, using a Vulcan killing technique (rehashed plot from "Journey to Babel") and steals the emerald. The murder mystery lacks any tension, and I found the identity and motives of the culprit really contrived (also, it presents a backstory that completely messes up Spock's unique identity as a Vulcan-human hybrid). Apart from this, Pike has his own adventure in the planet of Arete, which has no connection at all with the murder mystery. The civilization of Arete is yet another generic ancient society, divided into townspeople, nomads and outcasts (mutants, in this case). After a nuclear holocaust, they somehow have forgotten any previous technology, and Pike's mission is to check whether communication and trading between the different groups proceeds smoothly. This mission is quickly forgotten in favor of a story about two teenagers in love, who have run from home and now need to be rescued. Again, I found the whole thing pretty boring and predictable. Finally, the novel shoehorns Scotty into Pike's Enterprise, but his only role is brewing moonshine in the engine room, with no concern for sanitary measures (or the proper use of the engines, by the way). Apparently, you can distill liquor the same way you brew tea, as people is already consuming the thing a few hours after the distillery is set up... This subplot was so unnecessary, that I guess it was just included to increase the page count.

Now the characters... I gotta admit, I'm not a fan of the Pike era. But I wasn't particularly interested in Robert April (the previous captain) either, and yet Diane Carey's Final Frontier made me love the characters. This time, however, I can't say I care more for this crew after reading the book. Pike and Dr. Boyce seem like mere sketches for Kirk and McCoy. This may have been understandable in the pilot episode, but here I hoped they'd get a bit more of a personality of their own. In fact, I'd say that Pike was much more his own character in "The Cage". Number One gets a bit more development, but in general, she's simply a cold, perfect woman, created through genetic engineering (you know, the same kind of eugenicist stuff that Khan gets criticized for). And then there's young Spock... His personality in the first chapters is alright. But then the story makes him develop a pulpy romance with a Vulcan woman from the crew, and I simply can't buy the whole thing. Regardless of whether you believe that Spock ever loved T'Pring or not, he was committed enough to his betrothal in "Amok Time" to divert the ship and honor his engagement. He didn't just take the first person available to get him out of pon farr. Less than a marriage but more than a betrothal, indeed. Yet here, he's ready to ditch T'Pring for the first woman that makes a pass at him. Certainly, Spock describes the affair as "true love", and "the only woman he will ever love" yadda, yadda... But let's be honest, they just had a couple of quickies, nothing more. Add to this Spock's unrestrained and vengeful behavior in the last chapters, shouting things like "You bastard!" at the villain (no, for real), and I was left wondering who was this guy.

Last but not least, this novel has a certain, annoying sexism going on, and this is almost the 90's not the 60's. All women get cliche descriptions upon being introduced, which focus on their physical attributes and little more. T'Pring is villanized as a dirty cheater (yet Spock's no better, as seen before). Amanda is particularly submissive towards Sarek (compare with Diane Duane's far better portrayal in Spock's World). Pike and Number One are starting a romantic relationship at the end, because God forbids a female first officer is just doing her job. It seems that Vulcan males can break their engagement at any point (but Vulcan women would still need to invoke the kal-if-fee, with all that entails). And then there's the story of a Vulcan woman who, after being raped by a man, was seen as a disgrace and shame for her family, and banished from the planet! (this in the "most logical" culture of the Federation). But don't you worry, the narrative still manages to villanize this woman as well... Sigh.

Spirk Meter: 0/10. First, Kirk isn't even there. Second, Spock is super-ultra-heterosexual. Third, D. C. Fontana disliked K/S to begin with, to nobody's surprise.

[pseudowho]

Hello Haitch! Hope you are doing well.

Last year during summer, I was diagnosed with PCOS (i had gotten it checked because i hadnt had my period in like 3 months) and since i was just 17, the doctor asked me to maintain a proper lifestyle and see till November and said that if it wasnt fixed by then, i had to do a checkup again. But i'd gotten my period by august so i never reached out again.

but this year (im 18 now), the last time id gotten my period was in april so it's been 6 months now. im gonna go to the doctor again later this month. but here's the thing— last year, i went to a gyno abroad because women's healthcare isnt the best in my country. but this year, its not possible for me to go abroad right now so im gonna have to work with a gyno from here.

now i have a feeling that theyll put me on pills and while i agree thats the easy way to fix this, im worried itll mess things up for the long run. the lifestyle the first gyno asked me to follow is a little difficult for me to get into since she'd asked me to exercise plenty and im a full time alevel student and it gets hard for me to maintain a proper routine like that. i also struggle with binge eating which i've heard comes with having pcos (im not sure if this is true tho).

so in one hand, i feel like it's easier to just start taking pills but then again it has so many side effects i don't know what to do right now.

Lots to unpack here.

CW/TW: PCOS, medical discussion, endocrine disorders, diabetes, hypothyroidism, weight management, medication management

Firstly, PCOS is often diagnosed based on vague criteria; lots of doctors flippantly diagnose it based on a volume of loose criteria. If you have an increasing number of these criteria, then yes, the chances are you have PCOS. However, it's often erroneously diagnosed without proper diagnostic procedures such as scans, bloods, and a full review of your longer term health history.

That being said, being on the pill doesn't 'cure' PCOS, it can simply manage the symptom of irregular periods. There's flimsy evidence on the pill's ability to manage/prevent weight gain and the development of other disorders that are associated with PCOS.

While weight loss is often harder for women with PCOS, especially if you have associated conditions such as an under active thyroid, it's not impossible.

Your lifetime chances of developing Diabetes are significantly higher with PCOS, and this chance goes up again if you struggle with increased body weight. PCOS and appetite changes like binge eating have been associated with each other, too.

So you'll only know if managing your weight and eating habits make a difference with your PCOS, when you've actually tried them to the absolute best of your ability. If you are at an increased ideal weight, losing weight can be very effective to manage and reduce the symptoms of PCOS.

Of the many, many thousands of women I've looked after, I'm sorry to say that those with PCOS who are very pro-active with managing their weight, perhaps taking medications as advised by their doctor (the pill and Metformin are the most common ones I see), and exercising regularly, are those who have the highest chance of being 'healthy' (though I do not use the term 'healthy' lightly).

Ultimately, PCOS is one of those things that just happens and isn't your fault. I also have an endocrine disorder that makes it very easy for me to gain weight and very difficult for me to lose it, so I absolutely understand the situation yours in right now.

But, what do you do with this information? Do you say, "I am X, Y and Z because of my PCOS" and leave it at that? Or do you say "I suffer with X, Y and Z because of my PCOS, so I make life choices to reduce the impact of my PCOS by 1, 2 and 3".

So my advice is this: PCOS may be the hand you've been dealt, but your lifestyle choices can massively improve the chances of you reducing its impact on your long-term health. I'm not blaming you, or acting like healthy eating, exercise and medication decisions are easy; they are not. Please recall I'm in a similar boat, and I'm not one to blame women for their complex health conditions.

I could talk all day about PCOS but this is my best attempt to summarise it for you.

It's really hard making tough life choices to manage the hand you've been dealt. I fully understand. I've gotten better at it as I've gotten older. @mrhaitch makes similar big decisions, because he has two diabetic parents and one diabetic siblings, so he takes care of his health to a brilliant degree, to try to give himself the best chance of not developing diabetes himself.

☝️ me being your hype man

Love,

-- Haitch xxx

[itscharh]

Hey @marvelentertainment what makes you think strobes make a good movie? I would've paid to see New World Order but your trailer editing, VFX and marketing departments have made it so I can't. (Don't worry I also blame the producers)

I most likely won't even be able to watch it on streaming seeing as I barely made it through the trailer. How did that pass the Harding Test? Or do you simply not care anymore? ( I understand that you're a major corporation so it's easy for you not to.)

People with photosensitivity make up 5-20% of the population, and while those numbers may seem small to you now, add them to your dwindling popularity, super hero fatigue, and desperate hope that this film changes the tides of box office reviews. It may start to seem like this subsect of the population is not as small as we appear. And for the record we talk. We tell each other what is safe to see and what isn't. There are communities that review films from 20+ years ago, so when trying to find something to watch on streaming, we have reliable sources.

Right now I'm telling you that your movie looks dangerous, it looks like it could send someone to the ER during a screening. It looks like people losing hope not regaining it, as they're hooked up to an EEG waiting to find out how drastically Captain America has changed their lives. I'm telling @moviehealthcommunity to flag this film trailer immediately because I nearly had a seizure sitting on my couch excited for a new chapter of the MCU.

Instead I'm mad that studios are still doing this after the mess that Venom (2018) and Incredibles 2 (2018) were. Disney had their sticky hands in both and has learned nothing within six years. In fact, the Pixar trailer for Elio is also completely unwatchable and that's for children. Feel free to search up febrile epilepsy. I have more to say but a relentless headache from my brain over firing is taking over.

Goodnight. I hope you change the damn trailer at the very least.

[fategoflatass]

My Fall 2023 Watchlist & Opinions

Welcome to the comeback of my reviews that no one expected! But hey, I think this would be a nice practice for me to develop my writing skills and my critical thinking (?).

Take in consideration this post will be long because #unemployed, so everything will be under the cut.

Ready or not (I sure am not), here I go!

Atarashii Joushi wa Dotennen

Comedy, Slice of Life // ☆☆☆¾

After an atrocious experience with an abusive boss, Momose decides to switch workplaces. Used to such a toxic environment, he never expected his new superior to be so goofy!

The most wholesome show you'll find this season, and one of the most I've seen in general!

The work environment is pretty much paradise, each and every character being the living representation of the sweetest and most tender cotton candy you'll be able to find.

While the comedy mostly relies on Shirosaki's sillyness, it never gets old. Alongside the laughs, you'll find yourself aww-ing to many, many scenes.

Also, the series is conscious of the way people takes it (no, this is not a BL) and dedicates some scenes to it by giving different double meaning scenarios (they're all wholesome, no need to worry about that). Just a heads up, in case you're not into this kind of thing.

Want to know more? There's a canonical bisexual character in it! And here I was thinking that we didn't exist for Japan.

Totally recommend for those gloomy days, or even when you just need to shut off your brain.

Dr. STONE: NEW WORLD Part 2

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi // ☆☆☆☆

No summary due to spoilers.

I don't think there's much I can say about this one? I mean, unless I want to spoil someone, and I'm not a spoiler kind of person so...

For those curious about my experience, I'm enjoying myself very much! I decided to give it a try since my best friend loves it, and I liked it so much I quickly got up to date with it.

Now, do I understand every single thing they talk about? Hell nah, do you know how many times I failed chemistry and physics?!

But besides that, this show is a pretty wild and fun ride. And not only the previous parts, but also this one! Again, don't feel like making spoilers but the quality hasn't lacked not even a little bit. The characters are still as charismatic and funny as they've always been, and the plot keeps getting more and more interesting as it progresses.

Only thing I can say without explicitly spoiling anything: one of these days, Gen will end up messing with the wrong people. Can't tell you what tells me that, but he's messy enough for me to be unable to think otherwise.

Hametsu no Oukoku

Action, Drama, Fantasy // ☆☆

Once benerated due to their wisdom, witches are now being hunted down by humans who accuse them of impeding the progress of civilization. Adonis, a human raised by a witch, swears revenge against those who took his mentor from him.

CW: instances of extreme violence, forced non-sexual public partial nudity

Yes, I watched this one. Yes, it's an edgy one. No, it's not fun.

As someone who's always down to anything that has to do with fantasy, magic and supernatural beings, as well as being able to enjoy the trashiest things in life, I had some hope in the plot. Not in the way that it might be actually good, but in the way that it could be so bad I could get some laughs out of it. Sadly, this series takes itself quite seriously.

Which wouldn't be a problem if it weren't because it isn't even that good. The characters are plain, the episodes feel longer than they should, and there are times where you can see it go all over the top.

A pet peeve I have is when certain abilities/powers have ridiculous names, and this show does that to a tee by giving them some of the dumbest/edgiest (not exclusionary) names I've seen in a while.

"Do they even have to do with what each witch's magic is supposed to be?" I ask to the void in utter confusion.

"Absolutely not, but doesn't it sound rad?!" an easily impressed twelve-year-old exclaims from the grades.

Anyway, wouldn't recommend this show to anyone unless you're looking for an edgy power fantasy where characters die in gruesome ways not even five minutes after being introduced, magic type and all.

Also, can someone explain to me what does it mean to have "Natural Law" magic?

Hikikomari Kyuuketsuki no Monmon

Action, Comedy, Fantasy // ☆☆¼

After three years of becoming a total shut-in, Komari wakes up to find out she's the newest Commander in the Mulnite Imperial Army! Although she's descendant of a pretty powerful vampire family, she's rather inept when it comes to magic, even finding blood disgusting. Will her, alonside her maid, be able to make her path to success, or is failure awaiting for her around the corner?

Damn, this one took its sweet time to take off, only to crash and burn because the method was so cliché and overused.

The first three to four episodes are boring and not interesting at all, characters are bland as a wet piece of cardboard and the comedy excels at falling flat.

(Mild spoilers ahead, because I couldn't care less about this one)

And now you mean to tell me your seemlingly powerless main character is actually OP, only that under hypnosis? I didn't need to be a hound to be able to smell that crap from miles away, now did I?

But let's leave that aside to talk about Vil, A.K.A Male Gaze 101. I understand why she's attached to the protagonist, don't get me wrong, but did she need to sexually harass the protagonist or...? Also, how could I forget about the time where she almost forced Komari to pee herself in front of her!

Bro, if I were to know this was an omorashi hentai wannabe I wouldn't have given it a chance.

Anyways, if you're into any of the things I've mentioned previously, then enjoy yourself. This anime's definitely not for me.

Kamierabi

Action, Drama, Psychological, Supernatural // ☆½

A group of high schoolers see themselves forced to fight each other to death for the coveted title of God. Who will emerge victorious and claim their godly throne?

You have no right to ask that in the summary when you spoil the results in the first minutes of the first episode.

Let's be honest, if anyone is talking about this series is because Yoko Taro's name served as free promo. But did you know he's credited, not for the story, but for the concept of it? Big yikes, huh?

If you are a three-episode-rule kind of person, I assure you won't be needing that for this anime. One episode is enough torture, trust me.

The first minute is there to make sure you understand this story is different, is mature. There are no friendships, no love interests, only tons of suffering and betrayals. You know, what people back in 2011 probably went for when Mirai Nikki first aired.

Characters are not only boring as hell, but their designs are nothing to die for, heavely based on their assigned colors because you'll be forgetting their names the minute after they get introduced.

Fun fact: If you pay enough attention, you'll be able to see their phone cases' designs. Not only they look ugly, but they also spoil their so secretive abilities!

Speaking of character design, did you know the one in charge of it didn't even bother to create background character's templates? They all look like gray extraterrestrial things trying to pass as human beings, their never changing facial expressions being the cherry on top. This might be one edgy way of showing they don't matter to the main story, but it just feels super lazy. Also, this... artistic choice is just another spoiler, since everyone who has some sort of relevance has an established design. But oh well.

Fun fact: Every single one of these NPCs are gray, expect for a couple of them in episode six who are red and blue. One of them is the bad guy, can you guess who?

In summary, this show is utter trash. Wouldn't recommend unless you're as messed up as I am and like to watch crappy productions.

Kamonohashi Ron no Kindan Suiri

Drama, Mystery // ☆☆☆¾

When police office Totomaru is assigned to a serial killer case, he turns to Kamonohashi Ron for help—a once considered genius who, after a fatal mistake, got himself expelled from the top detective training academy and was forbidden to become one.

This is your classic detective show with the more normal character having to learn how to deal with the more eccentric one who's always really good at deducing. And I love it.

Yeah, it might be a copycat of other series with the same dynamics (like many other mystery anime), but they're all still dear to my heart. I just love them, man!

Every case they've introduced until now have been interesting and fun. It's been entertainting trying to think by myself what happened, who might be the culprit, how did they do it and why. As always, it's especially cool when you get close enough or, even better, when you were in the right. Serotonin kicks like those are always appreciated.

The dynamic between the protagonists is also really fun, Ron's shenanigans never getting old. Totomaru might not be having the time of his life, but I sure am!

If you're a fan of these kind of shows, then I totally recommend! If you're tired of the same scheme over and over again, maybe not so much. Would be nice if you'd give it a try, though!

Kanojo mo Kanojo Season 2

Comedy, Ecchi, Romance, Slice of Life // ☆☆☆¼

After their hot springs trip, Naoya continues his relationships with both Saki and Nagisa. Alongside Milika and Shino, they embark on a summer vacation full of romance with a fireworks festival, camping, and Okinawa. Chaos ensured.

There are not many series that touch upon polyamory which saddens me to a fault. The closest to this concept would be harem series, but a polyamorous relationship should never be a competition to see which whom does your "shared partner" choose to spend the rest of their life with.

While KanoKano isn't the best representation of this type of relationships (Saki often feeling like she's competing against Nagisa), it's not a bad series? Or, at least, not that bad. Rather decent, actually.

It's not boring, although it isn't the most entertaining series either. If I had to decide between KanoKano and any other series that touches upon polyamory (even if they do it with the tip of a stick, miles apart of the concept), I would probably go for Hamefura's canonical (albeit not in the way I would like it to be) Katarina fan club.

I just feel something's... wrong, you know. I get Naoya loves them both and that, in theory, both of them understand that, but I can't help feeling uncomfortable when Saki mentions this supposed competition the girls have (and the way they treat polyamory as "two timing" when that would imply it wasn't consensual?).

Besides that, it's a decent series to watch whenever you're bored. Not a masterpiece, but is not like it's trying to be one.

UPDATE: Rating has been lowered to ☆ as of 11/10/23. Visit the reblog section for more.

Kimi no Koto ga Dai Dai Dai Dai Daisuki na 100-nin no Kanojo

Comedy, Romance // ☆☆☆☆

Rentarou has been rejected a total of 100 times throught his entire life. Is when he visits a shrine and prays for better luck when he meets the God of Love. He reveals to Rentarou that he'll get to date 100 women in the foreseeable future. The catch is, once he meets them they must happily love each other. Otherwise, they'll die. What will be of Rentarou and his 100 girlfriends during high school?

He has arrived. The man, the legend. The harem protagonist of all harem protagonists.

Rentarou Aijou has arrived, and he's here to make you and your wife part of his loveable and excessively numerous family.

As I mentioned when talking about KanoKano, I've been looking for series that touch upon polyamory. And if you're like me, then you've just hit the jackpot!

While I'm conscious 100Kano is a parody of harem series and was never meant to be taken seriously, the way none of these girls are competing for the protagonist's exclusive love is refreshing. They're actually a pretty big family, always supportive of each other and down to give each other a hand or two (or twenty, if needed). They'll do anything they can to make their boyfriend the happiest man alive, and so will he with them.

There're no favoritisms whatsoever. Such concept as "the first one to arrive gets to win" does not exist in his agenda. In Rentarou (and every single one of his girlfriends)'s mind, everyone wins because everyone is his favorite.

An excellent series to watch by yourself or with your pals in case you're looking for something silly and easy to digest.

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto

Drama, Mystery // ☆☆☆☆¼

CW: infant death, classism, self-harm, kidnapping

Maomao lived a peaceful life with her apothecary father. Until one day, she’s sold as a lowly servant to the emperor’s palace. When rumours about imperial heirs falling ill surfaces, she puts her knowledge in medicinal herbs and poison to good use and finds a cure. It's then when she catches the eye of Jinshi, a handsome palace official who promotes her. The series follows Maomao as she solves numerous mysteries.

I can't explain just how excited I was for this one. As I said before, I love mysteries, but I also really like historical series. So when you mix both genres, you get characters who try to solve various cases with only the means they had yesterday.

Besides the art being drop dead gorgeous (alongside every single lady who makes an appearance in the story), the story is engaging and so much fun. The episodes are already a bit shorter than usual (albeit not for much, it's just me being petty), but the way everything develops makes it feel like they last no more than five minutes.

And Maomao—God Maomao! She's one of the best female main characters I've seen as of recently. She's not lacking personality—she actually has way too much, and I love that. She's so clever and capable at what she does, I bet it'd be so much fun to just stare at her as she picks different herbs or just stays still for hours, trapped in her thoughts.

I'm a sucker for good relationship dynamics and the one between Maomao and Jinshi is just *chef's kiss* exquisit. The way he's constantly trying to seduce her and she just stares at him in apathy or disgust (bonus for when she brushes off the places where he'd placed his hand on) are golden. I also love how what started as teasing and doubt about the other's true intentions morphs into genuine interest and maybe, just maybe, a tiny itty crush.

A pretty strong contestant for anime of the year, in my opinion.

Megumi no Daigo: Kyuukoku no Orange

Action, Drama // ☆☆☆½

The series follows three young firefighters who share the same goal—becoming members of the special rescue corps known as "Orange". We'll follow them from their early training days to the day they face the crisis that'll push Japan at the brink of collapsing.

I don't know about you, but I've never seen a series focused on firefighters. Yes, I know about Promare and Fire Force, but those aren't "real" firefighters, if you know what I mean.

Where's their daily life at the station, their training—just everything that comes with being one of them? I don't want flashy fight scenes against angsty twinks, I want to see people getting rescued from collapsed buildings and cats getting saved from trees.

Along with interesting characters and tense situations, all these making it difficult for you to not empatize with, Megumi no Daigo is here to bring us a peek on how the real deal is—with both the good, the bad and the ugly.

This anime is confirmed to be the prequel to a movie released in the 90's, so there's even more content in case you're interested!

Migi to Dali

Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Slice of Life // ☆☆☆

Twin brothers Migi and Dali pretend to be the Sonoyama's adoptive son, Hitori, in order to find out the truth behind their mother's death.

CW: (prepare your bingo cards) *inhales* forced non-sexual infantilization, forced partial nudity, forced non-sexual pet play, bullying, implied murder, classism, forced eating, non-sexual groping, surveillance, invasion of privacy, kidnapping and imprisonment. ~95% of these happen to a minor, so yeah.

While the main focus of the first two episodes was the comedy (it's still present in the rest of the series, just not as much), I didn't find it especially hilarious? It does give off Sakamoto vibes at times, but it never makes me laugh as much as the author's previous work did.

The mystery is still there, thought, and that's what keeps me coming back. The suspense surronding the twins' mother's passing is engaging, you genuinely want to find out what happened there and how the place where they've moved and its habitants are involved in the case.

Now, as I mentioned before this anime is disturbing and thus can be highly triggering for some. So please beware before giving it a chance.

Overtake!

Drama, Sports // ☆☆☆¾

Kouya is a professional photographer who, due to past circumstances, gave up his passion for taking pictures of people. But his fate changes the day he meets Komaki Motors, a family-run shop that regularly competes in F4 along with their only racer, Haruka.

CW: implied death (car accident)

Sports anime of the season, let's go! This time, about car racing. Never watched an anime like this one before, although I know Initial D is out there. I just haven't watched it... yet.

To be honest, I didn't expect to connect with the characters to this level. I got hooked to the story from day one and has been like that ever since.

The story is fun, the races will have you at the edge of your seat while cheering for your favorite team.

Because yes, I think the rival team can also be cheered on! Maybe their main face might not be the bestest guy, but Toshiki does deserve everything in this world and so much more.

And when it comes to the drama, it never comes out as over the top. Every single reason for them thinking, responding or acting the way they do makes total sense given their past ciscumstances.

Speaking of the characters, everyone here has enough personality to be separated from the rest: Haruka's overachieving and at times harsh demeanor makes a good contrast with Koutaro's more calm and playful behavior. And while Satsuki's charismatic, conceited and women-loving persona might be a pain for many, Toshiki serves as a good companion with his serious and ambitions being. And I could mention the adults, but I think you catch my vibe.

I so recommend this one!

Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou desu Season 2

Fantasy, Romance, Slice of Life // ☆☆☆½

We follow Sei, an office worker in her twenties who was suddenly summoned to another world as a "Saint". Taking advantage of her natural love of plants, she started working at a medicinal plant research institute. We also get to meet Albert Hawke, with whom she's more than friends but less than lovers.

Season two arrived and I have yet to rewatch the first one, although I think it might be a little too late for that.

Don't go into it expecting a wonderful series because it is not (or, at least, it isn't for me). It's a pretty neat feel good series, but definitely nothing out of the ordinary. Just nice people living their lives.

Sei and Albert's relationship is as wholesome as always, I appreciate them taking their time and not rushing into making things official. It feels, I don't know... adult.

There's literally not much I can say about this one other than I would recommend for those who are looking for a nice and relaxing shoujo.

Shangri-La Frontier

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi // ☆☆☆¾

Rakuro is a "crap-game hunter"—a strong aficionado to clearing buggy and just straight up bad titles that aren't even compatible with the now more frequently used VR technology. The game he's chosen to tackle next is the widely aclaimed "Shangri-La Frontier" that counts with thirty million players and counting. Little did he know this decision would change his fate alongside with many other players he meets along the way!

I can barely count the times I had this much fun while watching a series, and I can count even less the occasions where a gaming-inspired anime made me feel this great!

I've found myself dumbfounded so many times at just how detailed Shangri-La Frontier is. It's obvious there was research behind it, the author's a straight up legend for dedicating so much time and passion to something others would've easily disregarded as another basic, boring ass medieval-inspired MMORPG.

The level of character customization (you can even modify their origins like ‼), the many monsters you find along the way, and tons of easter eggs that players have yet to find in their entirety! It's my first time saying this when it comes to gaming-centered anime, but holy hell I wished this game existed IRL!

And honestly, I identify with Rakuro a bit too much when it comes to enjoying crap. In his case, are bad games. In mine, bad anime. I would love to have a chat with him and share our experiences and disgraces that come with this harsh hobby.

SHY

Action, Drama // ☆☆☆½

When we needed them the most, they appeared! As we were on the brink of World War Three, individuals with superpowers appeared all around the planet with the only mission to mantain peace. They would eventually become symbols of their nations, their presence being enough to lower the crime rates. Teru, most known as Shy, is Japan's heroine. When a mysterious and menacing association called Amalareiks surfaces, Shy must join forces with her fellow superheroes to stop their plans, all while dealing with her shyness and, overall, her teenage life.

CW: violence, death, self hatred, intrusive thoughts

Would it be cool to call it the more mature version of Boku no Hero Academia?

I had the manga for this series on my pending list for a while and when I saw an anime adaptation was coming out, not gonna lie, I got quite excited.

Now, I have to admit it's not one of my favorite series this season. It might be the pacing that sometimes gives me the feeling the episodes are, although just a little bit, longer than they actually are.

I love the concept and how it's executed, I really like the characters and the setting in which they're established. The drama they all have feels realistic and you can easily empathise with them. In my case, Teru's constant conflict with herself hit a little bit too close to home.

I would recommend it to those who're looking for a more mature series while also wanting to watch shounen-esque scenarios.

Sousou no Frieren

Adventure, Drama, Fantasy // ☆☆☆☆½

The adventure's over. The Demon King has successfully been defeated and thus Frieren and her fellow adventurers make their way back home. Now a highly regarded mage, she goes back to her slow-paced life only to realize years later, while attending Himmel's funeral, how short human's life expectancy is when compared with her own near inmortality. Frieren then makes the decision to begin a new adventure in the search of new absurd spells and friends alongside whom she expects to understand what life means to them and just how impactful can be what she perceives as nothing more than an instant.

CW: death, grief, mild violence

Oh Lord, this one's painful. I've no idea how they managed to do it, but they got me attached to the hero's party so quickly and so deeply this crap had already scarred me on episode one.

This story's gorgeous, I don't think I have to explain myself on that. Besides the more than stunning art, animation and music that acompannies us during the entirety of Frieren's self-discovery adventure, the slow pace and quiet moments are quite the delight.

The characters we meet along the way are also fantastic, written with such love, thought and care behind you'll fall for them in no time.

I truly don't want to talk much about it since I think this is an experience that one must live for themselves, but trust me when I tell you this is something you'll never forget.

SPY×FAMILY Season 2

Action, Comedy, Slice of Life, Supernatural // ☆☆☆☆

The same as season one, only that now the family's heading on a cruise ship expedition!

I don't think there's much I can say about this one? The second season's been giving the same vibes I got from the first one, so a wholesome, found family-centered comedic slice of life about three persons who don't know each other at all and do their best so that situation never changes.

Anya keeps on being the chaotic menace she has been from day one, Yor is still one of the best mothers ever alongside a woman I would never dare look for a fight against, and Loid keeps on repeating his more than iconic mantra as he unsuspectingly falls asleep while dreaming about certain woman surrounded by a zillion flowers.

But, you know, anything for the mission.

When it comes to the upcoming arc, I'm excited for seeing Yor at work! Been dying to get anything like this, and I'm so glad my prayers have been heard.

Undead Unluck

Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Supernatural // ☆☆☆¾

All Fuuko wants is a passionate romance like the one in her favorite shoujo manga. Sadly, her Unluck ability deems this dream impossible. But that anguish will have to wait because Andy, someone with the Undead ability, takes her as his test subject to see if, thanks to her misfortune, he can finally rest in peace. It seems peace has never been an option, though, because certain secret organization has begun chasing after them.

CW: not-quite-concenting groping

If I took my sweet time to start watching this series was mainly because, for some hell of a reason, it gave me big Mashle vibes. Don't ask, I just thought the comedy would be similar. And since my humble opinion on Harry Potter 2.0 is that it has its humour stuck up its ass, you might understand I gave an olympic jump over Undead Unluck.

But then I decided to give it a chance and man, Mashle would never!

Not the funniest series I've watched, but I appreciate the multiple laughs it gave me.

Now, what I do not appreciate are the various groping scenes. If Fuuko were to consent all of those, then cool. Who am I to judge whatever two consenting adults (Fuuko's 20+, right?) do with their lives and bodies? The thing is, not every groping is consented by her, especially at the beggining. So yeah, beware of that.

Putting that aside, the characters are pretty cool and so much fun to see fighting or just interacting with each other. The ability system the series has is rather interesting, would love to learn more about it.

Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou

Comedy, Fantasy, Romance // ☆☆☆½

We've heard this story before: girl reincarnates into her favorite otome game and, since she knows her way down every route, she gets to win over her favorite bachelor. Only that, this time, it might not be as predictable. After all, who knows what's truly inside Rae Taylor's mind? Claire François for sure doesn't, especially now that she's going after her—the game's villainess!

CW: discussions of homophobia, classism, rae can be creepy at times

In the words of @arataka-reigen, “This anime is like if Maria from Hamefura was the one who got isekai'd and then fell in love with OG Katarina”. Couldn't say it better, pal.

While this series is not one of my favorites this season, the characters not going right down my alley and the pacing not being the best, I truly appreciate the cafeteria scene. I've never seen such a discussion over diverse sexualities adn homophobia in an anime before, and I can only clap to that.

And not only that, but it seems like it's going down a rather... interesting path. I mean, the whole classism that's present during the series, the "commoner" students' complains, the game's title being "Revolution"... I smell something nice.

Yuzuki-san Chi no Yon Kyoudai

Comedy, Drama, Slice of life // ☆☆☆¾

From the day the Yuzuki brothers lost both their parents, Hayato never stopped taking care of his little siblings, making sure all their needs are met and nothing's lacking. They share tears, laughter, and a specially unbreakeable bond.

I've no idea what might be the reason, but all these stories about family (whether related by blood or not being quite irrelevant) alongside the others where they include and/or center around pets are my weakness.

The four brothers feel like actual humans beings, their dramatic and joyful moments in life will definitely take you for a ride althought, admitely, it might not be the most intense one.

Hayato would do literally anything for his family and, honestly, same. Both Mikoto, Minato, and Gakuto are downright adorable and would love to pinch every single one of those cheeks like there's no tomorrow.

If a cutsie family-center slice of life it's what you're looking for, look no further. But if what you want is a drama in general, then I would recommend Frieren first.

If you reached the end, thank you so much for reading! I literally stayed up til 2 AM to finish writing this (and I didn't even include the titles I dropped), so yeah. Highly appreciate!

[dreamxsimx]

Little announcement + lil unpopular opinions about The Sims

Hi guys ^^,

Im kinda on phase where i got things to do irl but also has tones ts2 cc's ideas in mind, im also replaying the sims 2 console ports (only the base game ones) and also Urbz.

I already played a few of them a while ago but want to play back to share a review and what i think about each of them when i'll finish them ( that was my small annoucement lmao ).

Now let's get to the unpopular opinions.

1 ) Not all packs are necessary (to me) :

I think that you can have a lot of fun without having all the expansions , i don't have all the packs in ts2 and i have so much fun , i think you also have to be delulu and use your imagination but tbh packs like Nightlife, University , Open for business and Seasons are enough for you to have a good game, same as ts3 i had the best experience with only 3 expansion packs.

2 ) Portals shouldn't be mistaken as spinoffs :

This might be only me who sees it that way but i don't consider a game console versions as "spin offs" but more of a different version of an individual game so when someone calls ts2 on psp a "spin off" it's kinda weird to me cause this isn't what a spin off is to me.

Spin offs games to me are individual games who's the same family as their original versions but have different names , aesthethic, options and stories but still have their original game's signature like Urbz, Mysims , Bustin out and more.

Franchises on console are just portals of the original pc version who have different contents based on different console systems.

3 ) I don't like what EA is doing with The Sims but sometimes i understand them not listening to simmers :

I'm not defending the mess they're doing however sometimes looking at some of their amazing previous projects that never came to light due to the public's bad opinions i do understand some reasons.

Around the 00's The Sims team was at it's highest when it comes to creativity and a lot of people slept on some of their creative works like Urbz which was a game that was so ahead of it's time but sadly had low sells and was called "repetitive" by a gaming site critic which i tbh thought the game was actually very fluid when it comes to contents.

Because of this a sequel of it that could've possibly be about nightclubs and could've have kids in it got cancelled.

The team was giving people authenticity and a big part of people weren't here for it now some people are begging for this to be back but if people didn't slept on it back at it's release maybe creativity from EA would've still been around.

I still have hope that one day the team will get back to authenticity after people will stop give them too much cashes and after they'll realize that what's "trendy" isn't always what people want.

Btw when i say "a lot" i'm not trying to make generalization i don't mean everyone, a lot of people also did like creative contents in the past from the team but a lot of people prefer what's realistic and neutral over what's authenthic and goofy.

Ups that was long sorry but if you took your time to read of this thank you so much <3

Btw thanks to the people who followed me it means a lot <3