#I'm also a translator and I rarely read translations of my favorite books bc I'm very picky

[purplebass]

The way the publisher decided to blatantly change the names of the Shades of magic books in Italy is annoying. Adsom became "Magic", Agos became "Legend" and Acol became "Dark"... Huh?! And they also used the old UK covers which aren't my favorites (but they were released a couple of years ago so they didn't have many options).

Tftop hasn't been released yet here but I think they will keep the original name because V sold the rights to another publisher who is known to release books with their original titles/covers and sometimes by including unreleased fan arts that they commissioned to artists, so yeah... I'm curious to see what they do when they publish Tftop. No idea when that will happen because SoM is a relatively niche series in Italy and I wish more people knew about it. It would be amazing if the new publisher buys the rights and re-releases Adsom so more people will know about it because I don't think the original publisher advertised the series properly

Anyway here's Adsom and Agos when I was at the bookshop in front of the train station (because I like to go looking for my favorite books in stores to look at them again okay)

[housewarningparty]

Your turn!

It's halfway through the year! Got any favorite albums/books/tv shows/whatever to recommend?

thanks to you @badwolfwho1 who both asked me!

music:

right off the top i'm gonna recommend 3 pop albums bc i almost never have this many TO recommend. but tei shi's valerie, empress of's for your consideration, and shygirl's club shy EP have all been on constant repeat for me this year.

big year for metal also - in particular crypt sermon, job for a cowboy, darkest hour, gatecreeper, aborted and tzompantli were all incredible. i feel like between seeing them live and the release of cure, this is the first time erra has really clicked for me and i'm loving it.

for post-hardcore i've loved the debut LPs by with sails aheads and your ghost in glass. the EP lonely people by love rarely was on repeat for me for weeks also - really great stuff.

i got heaven by mannequin pussy slaps too. and i also really, really want to recommend you could do it tonight by couch slut - if you love the queasy, depraved noise that chat pile make, you absolutely should be listening to couch slut.

i threw a couple little playlists together to roundup some of my faves:

(extended version here)

honorable mention: as was really apparent from my charts this year, i spent A LOT of time listening to the saosin s/t again. but also got really back into grouper this year - especially her 2021 album shade, which i missed entirely when it came out.

books:

okay for music i focused mostly on 2024 releases but for books i won't be so strict.

shirley jackson: a rather haunted life by ruth franklin was REALLY good and provided a lot of great insight into jackson's work and also just had some really interesting history in it. really enjoyed it.

hit so hard by patty schemel a rock music and addiction memoir by the drummer of Hole. very dark and upsetting at points, but compelling. was very illuminating re: the 90s seattle music scene and the drug culture around it, provided a lot of context and detail to some stuff i thought i already knew about. really great stuff.

penance by eliza clark - this is a fake true crime book that REALLY got under my skin. it's a meta commentary on true crime as a fandom and an industry and the exploitation inherent in it. it's a mirror to make you stare at your own internal biases. it's SO fucking 2014 tumblr. i've gotten like three other people to read it and they all went insane like me. highly recommended.

hex by thomas olde heuvelt - very late to the party on this one but i loved it. translated AND localized from dutch, with very interesting results. almost goofy to start and ends up totally bleak. i adored it.

magic for beginners and white cat, black dog by kelly link - REALLY falling in love with kelly link this year. read these two and currently re-reading stranger things happen and i just adore her style. weird but SO heartfelt, surreal and dreamy, as often horrifying as it is sweet. she's so talented, i'm really excited to read the book of love later this year.

between two fires by christopher buehlman - FINALLY read this and i loved it. absolutely deserves the hype. kinda wild that dark ages horror isn't more of a thing? i re-read buehlman's the blacktongue thief too and really loved it, definitely cemented it as one of my favorite fantasy books. i'm reading the daughters' war now and enjoying it a lot.

i also re-read the golden enclaves by naomi novik and had such a great time with it.

tv shows:

finished my buffy re-watch! been watching a ton of xena with @holdsteady and @nataliving this year too - we just finished s3 and it was insane and i loved it soooo much.

i watched under the bridge and thought it was very good, but i'd recommend people learn a little about the real reena virk case before engaging.

hacks season 3 was INSANE it made me crazy i loved it so much.

haven't watched much tv aside from that!

[ohwell-itsme-but-danganronpa]

[NSFW AU] Forest god Shuichi, bounty hunter Kokichi

Bunny: i didn't think Too deeply on it but basically. roaming bounty hunter kokichi + monster shuuichi kokichi gets in over his head :)c probably vine tentacles involved, because i like those [a little bit later] forest cryptid shuuichi…mmm good stuff the people who hired kokichi to kill him are maybe Not Great they kept fucking with his home it's not his fault he had to dissolve them like a pitcher plant can i add seed ovi

Me: Yes Do it

Bunny: they think kokichi's dead bc he doesn't come out of the woods SNDKHBJJFG

Me: He lives there now Becomes a planter, the way he's full of seedlings

Bunny: he does leave sometimes to take care of business but mostly. happy vine time his feet rarely touch the ground anymore. shuuichi spoils him

Me: Oh? Carries him around or keeps him in bed?

Bunny: i think mostly literally holds him up in his vines shuuichi is the forest, to some extent …does he have a bed, actually?? MAYBE THAT'S WHY KOKICHI HAS TO LEAVE SNDBJFJG u get kidnapped by a hot cryptid and he doesn't even have a house smh

Me: Mossy nest

Bunny: mossy nest could also work!!! comfy little cave

Hina: Is Shuichi a plant?

Bunny: shuuichi is a cryptid/monster that's like. the avatar of a forest? its spirit, but also its guardian

Hina: So do plants grow in him?

Me: I think in this case the seeds have to go Become airborne as seeds do Find some soil to settle into

Bunny: also, airborne??? what do you mean by that bc i can not be seeing the same image you are

Me: I don't have access to translator now but I mean like When the stuff from trees just fly off and people have allergies to that

Bunny: okay yeah i did understand we were having different ideas of the size of these seeds i'm pretty sure

Me: I assumed that they're tiny and in a huge quantity Seeds just suggest that idea

Bunny: they do!! however i usually go for Very Large bc it's fun to me

Me: Like. I thought of tiny orchidea seeds, bc orchideas are cursed with those so I was made to read about that once See, that was fitting in the mer au, but if Shuichi IS the forest then it makes sense he'd have A Lot

Bunny: ooohh that's true but how would that Feel

Me: Grainy cum Not dry tho Just textured Like chia seeds in a drink But more density [everyone disliked that, idk why]

Beez: in my head shuichi just looks like millennial tree

Me: In my he has like a gown with moss covered vines and flowers holding it together Flowers in his hair too, maybe elfish ears, probably lil antlers

Apollo: Okay but if Shuichi is the forest, does he have eyes everywhere? Like he sees everyone coming to destroy his home/him then sees a cute hunter and goes You. You're gonna be mine now.

Bunny: yes, yes he does :) kokichi never stood a chance :) i can't believe this was started over me liking swordkichi a little Too much [design from the official anthology]

Apollo: Imagine just walking into the forest to get rid of a creature but the whole ass FOREST decides you're its pet/partner or whatever now

Bunny: he was gonna melt him into bone soup but he sensed a pure heart and pretty face ok

Apollo: No need to live pay check to pay check when the forest is constantly fucking and breeding you

Dra: Damn does he do that [melt someone] to anyone else when Kokichi can see

Bunny: not when he can see he's very big, he can take care of forest-killers and his favorite pet simultaneously

Me: Feeding his favorite human handpicked berries and honey

Apollo: He's made him a little flower crown that won't die and is making sure he only eats the best things possible

Me: Tries to feed him bugs too, to get him some protein, never again, lesson learned

Apollo: LOOK HE'S USED TO KILLING HUMANS NOT TAKING CARE OF THEM. THERE'S BOUND TO BE A LEARNING CURVE

Bunny: kokichi is half-awake and being lazily fucked so he only realizes when he feels a leg wiggle against his lips IF ONLY THERE WAS BOOKS ON HUMAN CARE he's Struggling i jusg think. kokichi being suspended above the forest floor, strange smooth vines stuffed in every hole large enough, dizzily wondering what theyre pumping into him he's having a very blissed out time kokichi accidentally cuts his hand after gripping onto shuuichi's antlers and shuuichi is HORRIFIED he's pretty sure kokichi is Actually Dying

Apollo: He's never seen blood and Kokichi is currently too blissed out to notice that he's bleeding

Bunny: IN HIS EXPERIENCE HUMANS ARE FUCKEASY TO KILL OK HE JUST DROPS THE GROUND OUT FROM UNDER EM A LITTLE AND THEY EXPLODE he should probably have a much more intimate knowledge of death than this being a forest god but. it's funny

Apollo: Okay but Kokichi accidentally gags when his mouth is being fucked and Shuichi freaks out at that because does that mean he did something bad???? Kokichi seemed to like it though??? He's hopeless at caring for his little human but he's trying his best

Bunny: im imagining their first meeting,, maybe shuuichi's forest is extremely sheltered and humans have only recently started trying to "develop" it.. kokichi shrieking and swinging his sword around while vines hoist him higher and higher they start stripping him and he thinks he's about to die but they just end up poking around curiously wherever they can reach, trying to figure him out

Apollo: Shuichi that's not how you properly get a boyfriend smh

Bunny: he doesn;t know that!! he IS the forest there's nothing for him outside of it

Apollo: Shuichi appears but is absolutely zero help because he also starts poking Kokichi in curiosity

Bunny: he thinks shuuichi is there to help but no, he just wanted to feel kokichi's interesting textures more clearly the human makes cute noises when he pokes him there :D

Beez: would that mean cutting it down hurts him. .. . .

Bunny: yes sometimes death is a natural part of the forest lifecycle but you can't cut him all the way down and expect him to live

Beez: yeah i imagined if it happened naturally he would be fine but if there was smth interfering he would Feel it

Apollo: Kokichi tries to kick him and Shu just pouts because he doesn't know how to respond. He's just interested in this cutie

Bunny: kokichi tries to bite him and gets a vine stuffed in his mouth

Me: This is where verbal communication ought to step in

Bunny: when does verbal communication ever work when kokichi's involved /j

Apollo: This isn't how Kokichi wanted to be seen in front of a hot forest spirit damn it. He couldn't even flirt before getting naked /j

Kai: Human try developing Shuichi's forest and Kokichi is just "AW HELL NAH THAT GUY FUCKED ME TOO GOOD FOR YOU TO UP AND KILL HIM!"

Apollo: "We hired you to kill that guy!" "HE GAVE ME THE BEST FUCKING NIGHT OF MY LIFE! HOW AM I MEANT TO KILL HIM AFTER THAT????"

Bunny: maybe the fantasy seeds he has kokichi incubate are replacements for the killed trees OOO

Dra: I'm sorry but my mind just went to that fucking bird (there is a type of tree that doesn't grow unless the bird eats the seeds first)

Me: Yeah, the forest grown since Kokichi came around

Me: I was thinking something a lil more lovey dovey when you said he stayes in the forest

Bunny: it's lovey-dovey once they get past the Poking phase. shuuichi is very curious and has literally no idea what boundaries are maybe kokichi offers him a deal,,,like 'u can keep touching me wherever as long as you promise to stop eating people'. he does not have his sword and has literally no way to enforce this and is also currently wiggling toward shuuichi's hand but it's fine he's a very serious business man shuuichi is very diligent about aftercare even though he has no idea what that is and tries to feed him a bug he goes "well some of the animals like this" and pulls kokichi into his lap to start petting him humans need protein he's pretty sure he's doing his best

Apollo: Throws touch starved Kokichi into this /j

Bunny: funny you say that :)c the implications of kokichi being a wandering bounty hunter are that he has nowhere to go Home to, yeah? would also explain why he stays in the forest,,,

Apollo: Kokichi really went from being alone and living paycheck to paycheck to being taken care of by the forest itself

Kai: "I got no home but the willow maid fucked me good and hard so i think i like it here"

Bunny: kokichi is like 'stop it i'm not a pet >:(' and shuuichi is like b̶̀̌ȗ̶̏t̷̅̈ ̷̏̚ḯ̷̋ ̵͒̀c̵̃an ̵̓̏s̵͐͠m̷̃͑e̷̎͝l̸̂͗l̸̀ that ̚i̸͗t mak̷̃̎e̶s you ̷̅̚h̵͑̒ä̸͠p̵̎̂p̴̢̆y̵?

Kai: does Kokichi ever repay ;) him

Bunny: yes frequently

Kai: can a forest get off?

Bunny: nnnnot…really? at least in my interpretation he enjoys seeing kokichi happy maybe he finally decides to manifest himself some genitals to see what all this fuss is about NSDJBHSHDGJ

Kai: does he at least smooch Shuichi?

Bunny: YES shuuichi tells him that he is not a baby bird and does not need to be fed. then he tells him to do it again because it felt nice

Apollo: I'm crying because imagine if he made his dick real big because he's not sure what a good size is meant to be

Bunny: kokichi is munching grapes and watching him like no…a little bigger…little smaller…move that a little bit to the left…

Kai: peppers his face in kisses and Shuichi has no clue what he's doing but makes the correct assumption that it's a human sign of affection sorta like wolf licks and accepts it

Bunny: he does it back very clumsily it's too hard and knocks kokichi over (shuuichi vc) ẁ̷͑h̶̎͑a̵͂́ṫ̸͘ ̷̟̈i̶͌͆s̷̉ th̆e̷̽̕ ̵̑̾p̵͑̏o̶͒̕ǐ̷͠nt of t̶͋̚h̸is? ̛i̴̛ have ̓̔ă̵͝l̴̈́̿ṙ̵̐e̸̚̚ạ̸̈dy reprodụ̸͛c̶̛̃ȅ̶̈́d̸̆̕ ̸͐throug̃͠h̸̖̏ ̴you,̿ i do n̸͝͝ò̶̓t̵̂̽ ̴̒́n̴͛̈́e̵͌͊e̴d mammalī̴͘a̴͂̀n̷̾̈́ ̶̔͘feature̷͘͠ṡ̷̆-̴͑

Apollo: Okay but how long would it take for Kokichi to be able to understand him or can he understand him off the bat?

Bunny: he can understand him, he just rarely speaks and his voice is unnerving and layered like all the trees are speaking at once :D and the trees are DOWN TO FUCK- im gonna say there's no elk in his forest. just so kokichi doesn't have to hear his partner make the elk honk

Kai: he's better at birdcalls anyways why can i see him taking Kokichi's clothes off when they meet cause he doesn't understand clothes and thinks the human just got caught in something weird what buisness does a forest spirit have wearing clothes anyways

Apollo: Kokichi trying to explain that he sorta needs clothes and Shuichi does that little head tilt that dogs do because he just doesn't understand

Bunny: i think part of the reason he keeps kokichi is because of how INTERESTING he is. he's making offended noises about shuuichi taking him out of his strange false-skin one second and the next he smells like pleasure because shuuichi touched his chest NOT THE HEAD TILT…. with those antlers bro'd probably knock something over

Apollo: Shu can use magic right? Can he make it that Kokichi is no longer human (at least fully) cause humans don't last forever you know?

Kai: connect him to the forest become one with the moss

Bunny: yes, but it takes kokichi several decades to realize time is Weird okay. he was too busy getting fucked all the time to realize he wasn't aging- he could've ASKED about the mysterious green goo shuuichi was pumping into him it's his own fault really now there's TWO scary forest spirits, good job morons

Kai: what made Kokichi finally realize?

Bunny: would be funny if some humans came through and he realized his clothes were WILDLY out of fashion now bc remember this all started from an outfit

Bunny: hey do you think shuuichi has to be taught what holes are okay like does he go ok mouth makes him happy. ass makes him happy. time to try the urethra- IT WAS AN APPROPRIATELY-SIZED VINE HE DOESN'T KNOW WHY KOKICHI IS SCREAMING!!!!!!

Beez: are u saying he tried to stick it in his ears or smth a NOOOOOO

Bunny: he tries this too but kokichi thinks he's being silly and laughs it off mistake

Kai: god help him

Bunny: god just tried to stick a vine in his dick

Kai: Shuichi finds out it doesn't feel good going in the dick, but the dick going into something sure does

Apollo: Does Shuichi switch between parts or does he just have both at the same time?

Bunny: shuuichi is smooth like a barbie doll

Kai: both is more badass he either has both or none, there is no inbetween

Bunny: he grows whatever kokichi is interested in that day, if they're having face-to-face sex actually both might add to the 'divine' feeling like. he Is life to some extent.. maybe shuuichi eventually lets some people move in,,, just be respectful to the earth and leave offerings of human food with neat textures on the shrine and you'll be alright he's grown strangely fond of humans lately! imagine that

Apollo: Everyone remembers the stories of the forest killing people but nope. Forest dude is calm as long as you're respectful and leave little snacks

Bunny: just…don't seek an audience with him. he'll probably grant you whatever you ask, but is it really worth him having a squirming man in his lap the whole time…?? shuuichi doesn't see the problem

Apollo: Does Kokichi still look 100% human or does he have more fae like features now? (I dunno how to explain it lmao)

Bunny: i think he slowly gains them over the years never as much as shuuichi. but enough to be a little unnerving,, he wanders the villages vaguely unnerving everyone around

Apollo: He would though. He just walks away and everyone rushes into their houses because that's the forest's like boyfriend? Husband? Queen? Theyr'e not sure but they know not to mess with him

Bunny: he brings back lost children

Apollo: He has enough common sense to put on at least a skirt when he leaves the house only Shu gets to see him 100% naked

Bunny: he's wearing the same fucking clothes from several hundred years ago they don't age either, don't question it

Apollo: That would sorta suit the forest spirit vibe though

Bunny: it really does! he's killing it by shoving the offerings into his mouth like a goblin though

Kai: dude dressed in ancient samuri clothes who's rumored to be the spouce of the foreset spirit walks into town-

Apollo: He brings his sword around as well despite not needing it. It's badass okay? It's just annoying trying to return these lost kids to their parents while they're trying to mess with the sword He's sorta missed human food okay

Bunny: they ask him to teach them

Beez: what if he gets a new sword that sorta wraps around his wrist n whenever he wants to bring it out it uncurls

Apollo: He saves the kid of like a rich family and finds a shiny new magic sword among the offerings He sends a bird with a thank you note to their house and the village realizes that they don't just have to offer food. Kokichi also likes shiny stuff People start to think Kokichi is like a crow so whenever he comes to the village, he's wearing new shiny stuff they left for him

Bunny: that cave is about to get So Crowded that's why he walks so weird…he's got bird feets….. definitely……..

Apollo: Kokichi plays along with it and Shu says fuck it and like magics some wings for him because he finds it cute that everyone is calling him a crow

Bunny: (chanting) wing sex, wing sex, wing sex-

[halflingkima]

End of the Year Reading Check-in

This year has been............... rough, reading-wise so I thought I'd use another booktube tag to do an overview and recenter myself for the rest of the year before I have to round stuff up for my favorites.

1. Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

Unfortunately, and against tradition in an odd way, there is. I preordered Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun. I started reading it at some point in the spring (summer maybe?). I LOVED it. I loved it so much. I loved it in a way that made my heart ache. And then I started spiraling: best case, it was gonna end and the book would be over. worst case, it would disappoint me somehow before the end (especially with the hints being laid for the 3rd act conflict). So I put it down to take a little break, calm down, etc. And I never picked it back up. And I have been kicking myself every damn day since.

Also my 24 in 24 is not looking too hot :// (Only have 13 down).

2. Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

No?? I'm blatantly ignoring that it's autumn. It's still like..... april in my head. If I don't think about it it's not happening :))

3. Is there a new release you're still waiting for?

Funny this question is on here bc I rarely every preorder, but I just got the email that it shipped yesterday :D It's the rerelease of Pansies by Alexis Hall, which I have already read and is my least favorite in the series so far BUT it'll be pretty :)) and match the other ones :))

That aside, I don't pay attention to publishing dates, but rather when my library gets stuff. That being said, I am still waiting for Intermezzo by Sally Rooney. And also Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Xiao, but aren't we all.

4. What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

THREE?? I think I have like, 30. Uhh let's say of the ones I'm staring at right now...

Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall

One for my Enemy by Olivie Blake

5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?

Yeah for sure if the reason I put Here We Go Again down is anything to go off of. And uhh storygraph tells me I've only had nine 5 stars this year (NINE?? jesus christ). By god I HOPE there's still a chance I find a favorite.

6. Have you already started making reading plans for 2025?

bitch i'm still struggling with my reading plans for 2024!! (ie: no lmao)

And now an overview of my yearly reading challenges thus far

From my 24 in 24, I still need to read:

White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi (unlikely)

The Child Thief by Brom (unlikely)

Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism by Kristen Ghodsee (unlikely)

Wordslut by Amanda Montell (unlikely)

There You Are by Mathea Morais

Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree (unlikely)

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall

10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall

Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjeh Brenyah (unlikely)

The Pallbearers Club by Paul Tremblay

In pure luck, I'm up to day in my Year in Aeldia challenge for the magical readathon but the next months are gonna put me to the test

November: an epic fantasy (recs welcome)

December: a weapon on the cover (recs also welcome)

And to finish the magical readathon sidequest For Real (tho i've just been progressing like i did it lol) I need

a translated book (recs welcome)

Return to the Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz

Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz (since its a series lol)

So in conclusion. I have at least 18 books to read before the end of the year. And none of them are the 12 library books I have out or the two holds currently awaiting me :)))

[triviareads]

I read The Rules of Scoundrels series after reading an ask somebody sent you and was thoroughly amused because of the inclusion of Turkey and a Turkish man and I was taken aback because I rarely find Turkish (or even Turkic in general) characters in books I read. The Turkish man's name being inaccurate and Nick's Turkish nickname being very questionable was super funny. (Durukhan is not and has never been a Turkish name and bulan,which is Nick's nickname in the East means "the one who finds",not hunter and it would not be used as a cool nickname lol) If Rock's actual name was supposed to be a last name it's even funnier bc we didn't have last names/family names back then. The one city name that gets mentioned (Ankara) is accurate tho 💀(Vaguely talking about the entire country instead of talking about the specific locations inside the country seems to be a thing in HR when it comes to non Western countries) At least the guy was actually charming and sweet and that was nice bc I braced myself for the barbarian brute stereotype and nobody made any comments about "how the Turks are" so,it's a win,I guess? 😁 (I did cringe at the speech about how dance is more sensual in the East,especially in India and how the dude can't teach the girl about the things he learned there bc they are things good English ladies don't learn 🙄) The book wasn't even about the Turkish man (Whose name I can't acknowledge without laughing) but I was on guard from beginning to end everytime he showed up. I was like "Oh??? 👀 Tell me more about what's going on with Rock and his kind eyes 🗣🗣"

First, genuinely thank you because I learnt a lot while reading this, and it was also very funny. It's been over two years since I read Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord by Sarah MacLean and it admittedly wasn't one of my favorites.

Regarding the naming conventions and translation errors, it isn't new from what I've seen within the genre. One of the bigger fuck-ups I've noted previously was the Bridgerton show choosing to give Kate the "Indian" name "Kathani", a name which isn't actually a name anyone gives their child in real life. Then there's the smaller nickname mess in Scarlett Scott's Earl of Every Sin in which the hero has the "dastardly" Spanish nickname "El Corazon Oscuro" which means "The Dark Heart" but the actual nickname in Spanish sounds more funny than menacing. Like, "El Oscuro" alone would have been a little better. So I totally get how an author not from this culture would a) create an inaccurate name with no meaning when the meaning of the name is very important in many Eastern cultures and b) give a white man a ridiculous nickname that's basically a translation error.

Also LOL regarding the dance thing, I don't know what kind of dancing Nick is talking about but the reason he'd be unable to teach the heroine how to dance that way is more likely because it requires years of intensive study, not because it's "sensual" or "improper" or some fetishizing bullshit.

That being said, I'm glad the author managed to avoid the worst stereotypes about men from Turkey (or the East or Asia in general) and I'm glad you enjoyed!

[redxblueihateloveyou]

You know it's always really funny to me when mhs say that had it not been for swimming Haru and Rin would've never become friends bc I'm like, that's how relationships work???? You initially connect bc of something you have in common and go from there???? In that case you can also apply it to mh bc if Haru and Makoto had not been neighbors since they were young they probably would've never become friends either, but nobody wants to mention that bc then their argument crumbles lol

Anyways, your blog is literally the best and your rh (and general) takes are always so nice to read

I'm... same, I just do not understand what’s new about this? Like my mom and dad met while they were both working at school, if I started talking with a guy cause he told me that he liked my chibi Akashi bag and anime, is this not allowed? This in no way means that that’s all we like about each other or smth, this means this one thing brought us together.

This is the reason why I dislike mh fans so much. Because the majority of them instead of posting some canon facts and truthful arguments, they either twist some words into something unrecognizable, either try to change a rh moment into mh. I just always thought ppl ship things for what they are, not what they are not...

And the main problem in this happening and the error in their equation is Haru. Cause they’re trying so hard to sew him into that but with everything he says and do he constantly falls off and they end up with mako-haha. It’s like they say that Makoto is the reason that Haru walks into his future, which is hilarious tbh, and the next movie airs and what do you know Haru is yelling at Rin’s face how “he only walks towards the future and wants it bc of him”, they say that s2 relay teams are what they truly want which everyone knows ain’t true and boom drama airs and Haru and Rin are talking how it’s not the same if they’re not together on the team. They air all the birthday stories and oh no, Rin is special again. I remember how they were running around after that frfr! episode, where Rin tries to make Haru laugh and Makoto says he actually already heard it before and turns out it was kid Haru’s evil laugh in his sleep at school. Like what is so special about that? And how is this mh related? Haru was cutely laughing watching Rin sleep and just reading his text.. that’s yeah, that’s the reason to fuss.

Their problem is always Haru, he never fits their mh plan like ever. But do they listen to him? No. Because we have a moment IN THE ANIME, where Haru says “RIN, I WANT TO BE LIKE YOU, TOO.” meaning he wants to be as brave/daring/passionate, etc. cause Rin represents freedom for him. Okay, I’d get why some needed me to post an arguments list for “Rin doesn’t like Haru only for his swimming”, which is still hilarious to me, but okay, he does have a kink in books about Haru moving in the water and goes about it for several pages, but with Haru this is actually not the case. 

I don’t know if anyone noticed it, but swimming is not what attracts Haru the most about Rin and never was. It’s his character and state of mind and the way he makes him feel aka free. It doesn’t matter what they do, like whether they eat their rolls or draw new years fortunes. Haru said his whole body is on fire just when he looks at Rin and he doesn’t even notice how he starts smiling when Rin talks to him. It’s just the way he makes him feel. And swimming has nothing to do with that. Sorry, guys lmao.

Did they seriously just erase this moment, when Rin writes how he wants swim as fast as Haru in his letter, but Haru looks at the sky and he has this kaleidoscope of Rin’s pic in his mind and what he says next is "Rin, I want to be like you, too.” 

And he means what he says. It’s not about the swimming truly, he admires the fact that Rin follows his dreams with such passionate determination. Mind the fact that moments of Rin that flash before his eyes in this moment a) when Rin openly gushes about Haru’s swimming in front of everyone; b) when he yells in front of the whole class that if he wants a relay with Haru, he will bloody get it; c) his swimming; d) when he tells Haru that he’s a sight he never saw before he’s gonna show him the sight he’s never seen before. It’s about how what Rin wants, Rin fights for until he gets it. Haru is in love with his passion, always was, always will be.

Haru doesn’t want to “swim like Rin” although they did compliment each other by saying “I find your strength amazing” “but I find your stamina amazing”, and Haru always drools about the power behind Rin’s strokes, but Haru swims in his own beautiful way. And while he adores the way Rin swims, that’s still not his favorite thing about Rin and never was. Every time he talks about Rin it’s always about his personality and surprisingly... it’s rarely about swimming. When he thinks about Rin it’s always stuff like... how he is so colorful and intense and full of life and passionate about his dreams and how he stands out among everyone else to him, not about his swimming skills. 

So this argument is dumb AF tbh. I’m like.. yeah, and Lan Zhan loves Wei Ying for his demonic cultivation skills. Not because of his strong character, daring heart and his incredible ability to tick him off and light his cold ass on fire.

P.S. Seriously tho this is the first shipping base I see who just always for some reason does this stupid thing with finding a crumb and actively trying to make it into a bread but then realise it’s realistically impossible so they just replace it with a plastic one and pretend it’s real. This in fact makes your ship ridiculous. You can’t try to push the line that Rin is abusive (thats still lol) and how Makoto is better for Haru, since Rin did everything to make Haru reach his dream and made him happy and he’s the only one who can help Haru, when he feels down like in s2 and then with Albert and etc. Makoto can’t. It’s the truth, just let it go. I know there are not much positives sides in mh relationships to be honest in my opinion, but there are still some (?). Why not base your arguments on truth? Like at least it’s gonna be mh, not some imaginary thing. Either love mh for mh or don’t. Like yeah, Haru doesn’t resiprocate, but maybe one-sided stuff is your kink, ok, explore this, fine, but don’t try to make Haru into somebody else. Then it’s not your ship anymore.

It’s just funny to me like that Rin here writes poems about Haru and openly flirts with him in restaurants and plans their future together and I don’t even need to exagerate anything, it’s just how it really is and meanwhile mh is like “remember how 7 years ago Utsumi said that Rin and Haru wouldn’t be friends if it wasn’t for swimming, so mh is the shit”.. like I’m sorry, but I think I’m allowed to laugh at this. Sometimes you just have to let it go, seriously. Or at least like idk think before you post (and I know that it has like 3 retweets and no one cares, but still 3 ppl agreed and it reached me somehow, so..). My policy is when I create posts about my ships is validation. Like my last Rinharu facts youtube post got 5K likes, I didn’t post my thoughts, just their moments and at the end I specifically said “I have links/translations to all of this, so name thing you want to read, I’ll link you” and I linked everyone whatever they wanted. 

This is how you tell ppl a story of why you love this ship and make them fall in love with it, too. Not by making up lies about what’s not there and twisting someone’s words (like this person wrote “thats what she really meant *adds complete nonsense*). And I know mh do not have any of this stuff that rh have, but if you really ship mh, find something real and go from there. Seriously, it’s better if you have smth small, but real, than a huge lie.

Also I still think ship is about two people, not just one. Why mh don’t want to listen to anything Haru says or wants like at all? That’s just sad. 

P.P.S. Thanks for liking my blog, this makes me so happy <3<3<3