#I'm pretty sure 90% of Germans have one of these

[the-clintster]

I was reminded today that not everyone knows about one of my favorite ADHD/time blindness helpers.

behold! the magic of the egg timer:

pros:

quick and easy to set (no long setup, no typing, just a twist)

mechanical (no batteries required)

remaining time visible

comes in fun shapes and sizes (add your favorite to this post!!)

cons:

can be loud

can't be attached to your wrist

can only be set to up to 59 minutes

[voluptuarian]

another thing that's weird about adults who make an identity out of reading children's books is what they hold up as representative of the values they find in YA/young reader's fiction. They typically bring up wish fulfillment fantasy, morals and clear cut lessons, adventure stories with mild peril, strong centering on friendship and found family, and stories that make them "feel good" and are extremely light on genuinely challenging themes or ethically dubious situations.

Meanwhile when I was neck-deep in YA as a kid in the 90s and early 2000s this was the kind of stuff I was reading, other kids were reading, and that was winning awards, being highlighted on shelves and recommended by librarians:

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, in which a teenage boy survives a plane crash and is stranded in the Canadian wilderness and forced to survive on his own for months. He is ultimately rescued but is permanently altered by the experience. His navigating the drama of (I believe either currently separating or recently divorced) parents is also a major plot element.

Virtual War by Gloria Skurzynski, where real-life wars have been eradicated and instead are fought virtually, (inspired, if I remember correctly, by the disastrous results of a previous nuclear conflict) by specially chosen champions who are trained in combat strategy from childhood. Throughout, the three child champions are forced to question and push back against what the government has told them is the truth as well as against their own prejudices, including toward one of their own who is considered a "mutant" due to his dwarfism; it also details the grueling hours-long "war" in which the kids watch thousands of little 3D soldiers get blown up and dismembered and leaves them feeling genuine guilt for participating in.

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George, which focuses on a teenage Inuit girl who is orphaned, forced into marriage and sexually assaulted, then runs away and ends up lost in the Arctic and survives by befriending and living with a pack of wolves.

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, in which the heroine lives with her parents on a failing farm as the Dust Bowl is beginning, accidentally sets her pregnant mother on fire resulting in her mother's lingering death and the death of her baby, and the girl herself being permanently maimed, after which she and her father become estranged and she eventually tries to run away.

Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene, which follows a young Jewish American girl on the WWII homefront who befriends (and falls in love with) a German POW, and when he escapes, hides him in her home for months; eventually the prisoner is caught and killed and the girl is sent to prison after being ostracized from the community and disowned by her parents.

The Ramsey Scallop by Francis Temple, where the heroine, engaged since childhood to her current fiance, is sent on a pilgrimage with him as way of working out his trauma from serving in the crusades. Neither of them feels ready to get married and the fiance is dubious about doing much living at all, but they're able to get to know each other and build trust on the road. It's been ages since I read it but I'm pretty sure there's a scene where a hot single guy who helps patch up an injury she sustained then offers to have sex with her, which she decides to turn down.

Music of the Dolphins by Karen Hesse, where a feral child who has been raised by a pod of dolphins is rescued and taken to a center for rehabilitation. The whole thing follows her progress at understanding to how to be human, and eventually her decision to reject it all and go back to her dolphin family.

The Last Book In the Universe by Rodman Philbrick, whose hero is a teenage orphan living in a purposely abandoned dystopia, ostracized by his community for being epileptic, whose only friends are an old man who is the last literate person in the community and a monosyllabic feral child. The split between the have-nots and the haves, who live in sheltered futuristic cities, and discussion of privilege (one of the main characters is a girl from the cities who comes out to do charity work in the dystopian district) are major themes, and violence is a regular occurrence, including toward the finale when the boy's mentor is murdered by a mob while he watches.

(And of course there's Among the Hidden and its sequels by Margaret Peterson Haddix which I never read, but my sister did, and I know at some point a whole bunch of child characters are massacred by the government because it upset my sister so badly she cried.)

And I couldn't forget The Dear America series, which includes:

character who is finishing high school as the Vietnam War begins and watches her social circle split nastily over the issue, lives through classmates and friends getting drafted, and ends up working at a hospital as volunteer where she is assigned to help disabled veterans

character whose mother (and I think siblings), as well as numerous fellow travelers die while traveling alongside her on the Oregon Trail, and later accidentally poisons to death several of her friends after picking a look-alike plant for their dinner; only one survives, who she eventually marries

character who is kidnapped by a local native tribe and eventually adopted, then marries a fellow captive, only for him and other friends and family to be killed when the tribe is attacked by Europeans, putting her into a total crisis of identity and conflicting loyalties

character who is taken from her tribe to be put in residential school, during which she is forcefully acculturated, severely bullied by another classmate, and a childhood friend of hers is accidentally buried alive

multiple books about immigrants in the 1800 and 1900s which highlighted struggles with poverty, cultural pressures, and prejudice; one of them follows a pro-union factory worker who watches as multiple friends die in the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, and another whose father imports her to America at 13 to marry a coal miner

most of these stories emphasize the young protagonist ending up in situations were they are either on their own, or so alienated from the adults around them that they might as well be. The protagonists have to assume the adult duty of taking care of themselves, but also of thinking for themselves and making their own decisions and judgements about their lives and the world.

they are also going through big changes, often ones created by their parent's decisions, and which they frequently dislike or are straight up Bad for them. This contrasts with later, when the protagonists are able to make decisions for themselves-- often this comes through hardship and abandonment, but ultimately allows them to control their narrative going forward.

the setting and events are often harrowing, deeply unpleasant, and put the protagonist and their friends in danger of victimization by forces around them. Obviously this is exciting for kids to read, but it also allows them to see someone their age on their own, entering into Adult situations and taking on that role. It's also a break from the overtly positive or cartoonishly (but usually un-seriously) bad circumstances that dominate younger kids fiction and an introduction to the idea that life is just terrible most of the time, sometimes massively and unbelievably so. (It's going from the early childhood story of Madeline's thrilling adventures escaping forced labor in a factory, to the older kid's or YA story of seeing the protagonist work at one day after day, getting injured, having friends get sick, and then watching a girl's scalp get ripped off by the machine, something which creates not excitement but genuine horror and sympathy.) These plots also allow adolescents a chance to experience Big Emotions (like the ones they're about to fall head-first into themselves) in a stable, safe way. All of this aims to create a bridge from the juvenile reality to the genuine, adult one. Trite moral lessons are dispensed with in favor of allowing the child to go out and start thinking for themselves. And especially in stories like the Dear America books, it allows a look at things that happened in the past that we have, or should learn from, but also allows for a fuller emotional, ethical, and empathetic development.

often the introduction of sex is part of the story, from initial experiences of attraction (and the resulting self-consciousness, jealousy, etc.) but also sometimes actual sexual experience. Especially in the historical stories, marriage is also frequently part of the story-- either again, as a fantasy introduction to adult experiences, or as a realistic detail separating a child's historical experience from current ones and creating a better understanding of the hardships historical people went through.

and most include some form of rejection of prevailing authority and thought. Instead of blindly "doing what your parents tell you to" these protagonists must do what they think is practical or ethical. The boy in Hatchet cannot wait for an authority figure to guide him, he must figure out how to survive entirely on his own, while the kids in Virtual War are old enough to begin questioning the entire structure they've been raised in, and to develop empathy for figures that structure has deemed outsiders; the heroine of Music of the Dolphins decides the entire experience of being in human society is not for her, and returns to living with animals.

So these books offer harrowing circumstances, protagonists who are isolated literally or through moral or political alignment, and who must learn to live on their own and make decisions for themselves, often in defiance of prevailing attitudes. They usually emphasize finding one's place (even if that place is completely alone and unsupported), fostering understanding and sympathy with others, even with people who are considered "undesirable," who are different, or who have behaved badly to you in the past. And they frequently involve violence, budding sexuality, exploitation and abuse by authority figures/structures, and a heaping helping of death, including the deaths of beloved friends and family members. What is "feel good" and "unchallenging" about that? And like, I can't speak for what YA is bringing to the table now, but these people are overwhelmingly adults, they were reading YA at around the same time I was, I don't think it would be possible for them to have somehow missed the plethora of books with these hallmarks. So where did they get this idea that YA is some land of comfort where no complicated idea can ever reach you? Even Harry Potter is full of them, and we know they read that!

[practicedvmm13fullofpotatoes]

All of sfth's improvized plays described by someone with bad/selective memory (but remembers 90% of the sentences they make up) pt. 4

16) The Cardboard Stegosaurus

Cliff missing his wife and Chip having seizures because something something British and French

17) The Ingredients

Tom pronouncing paella wrong (I'M NOT SURE IF IT'S IN THIS PLAY OR IF I'M MIXING THINGS UP AGAIN) and that one scene with the screams

18) The Excited Chinchilla

Murderous German chinchilla from the WAAR!! because unsnipped chinchillas become evil (I think a political figure was in this play, I just don't remember who it was something like. Teresa?)

19) The Prime Minister's First Day

Something something politics I don't really remember anything from this play that stuck with me

20) The Leftenmost Window

Tom plays an important character I swear, Sam playing the wife who I'm pretty sure is unnamed, Luke playing Egburt and Sally (they're definitely in my top 10 favorite Luke characters), AJ fucking things up /aff

Prev // Next

[mountainashes]

Do you have any UD as adults hcs? (Like middle ageish)

Ooo hi!

Okay, again not rlly strict or clear ones, but I like to think about it. That being said, I'm mostly coming up with it as I go along. I'm just gonna answer this with every character as if nothing bad happened to them so I can include the Washingtons- I hope thats ok, if not I can do a post game one I'm sure all I think abt is this game.

Jess

I like to think she would become a model like she wants to be.

Also maybe an actress in some of Josh's films lol. I think she'd be good at it.

Honestly job wise I think she just does whatever she feels like, she's a very free and funloving person.

She visits Em at her work all the time, they have their lunch together.

She has a german shepard dog.

Ash

Ashley works on her books, which are mostly like crime-mystery type stories.

She often goes over Josh's scripts with him.

She works at a coffee shop in a mall because she just likes the vibe of sitting and writing in a café on her breaks.

She has pet ferrets.

Sam

She works at an animal shelter while also volunteering with conservation charities and stuff.

She's athletic and does runs and stuff for fundraising for charity.

She's hard to make plans with because she's always up to something, always busy. But she makes sure to be free for when the Washingtons host a get-together at the lodge :)

Em

She works assistant manager at a clothing store, and she is in her ELEMENT.

Crochets in her spare time.

Sometimes does hikes with Sam.

Always changing her hairstyle, she's definitely braver when it comes to her style and doing what she wants.

She has a cat.

Beth

Does soundtracks for things, she's very into her music. Often Josh will get her for his films.

She's a music teacher on top of that, just because I think it'd be funny.

She gets really into gardening, grows fruit + veg and uses it when she makes any meals.

That said she also gets into cooking and sometimes hosts dinners with family or friends.

Han

Still into her weird hobbies (bug keeping, doll collecting).

She works with Josh all the time and helps with concept art and stuff. (Shes artsy as well to me).

Spends a lot of time up at Blackwood, works there when it's open. She's a ski instructor.

She also collects bones and feathers and stuff up there.

She joins Sam on a lot of her hikes/runs as well.

Plans and hosts the Feburary lodge hangouts.

Josh

He does film writing/directing, much like his dad.

His movies are much more psychological horror whereas his dad's were more ur slasher-type horror.

He spends pretty much all his free time with his friends and family, his own home is basically abandoned 90% of the time.

Often helps Ashley go over her writing as well.

Him and Jess drive out into the woods at random times to walk and chat, usually trading updates on their friends' lives and stuff.

Mike

Sort of like Jess, he just does whatever.

I can see him working with dogs tbh, maybe with Sam at the shelter. He deals with the larger breeds specifically.

He has a collie dog he goes everywhere with pretty much.

He also likes to show up and bother Em at her work. Lol.

Matt

He becomes a P.E teacher at the same place Beth is a music teacher.

He often goes to Blackwood when Hannah's there and they ski and hike together.

He goes on roadtrips with Ashley and Josh, he's usually driving while they get pictures and stuff for inspiration. They have gotten lost a LOT.

Chris

He does app design, most of his work is from home.

He's often with Josh, and does help with any technical stuff for Josh.

Ashley and Josh like to drag him out into the sun every now and again, because otherwise he would likely happily sit behind a screen all day.

I think I'll leave this now, I hope its ok. Thanks for the ask :D

[doomspiral]

Doom's Movie Rec List

Some of these are bangers, some of these are the worst thing I have ever seen in my life, but I think they are all worth watching and enjoying one way or another. Sometimes the enjoyment is cringe and sometimes its staring at a wall for three hours. <3

The seventh seal (1957)

Classic chess game with Death film, I presume the entire thing is Bergman staring into the soul of the viewer in dead silence until you can read his mind.

The cabinet of Dr. Caligary (1920)

Strange, lurching, I watched this in German without knowing enough to keep up and I believe my confusion added to the experience.

Atomic blonde (2017)

This is my favorite movie. This is the one that I can't stop rewriting in my fics. I can't get the "lies" soliloquy out of my mind. My soul is tied to this fillum. Hot insane woman does a lot of violence, kisses women, beats up a guy who truly deserves it. Iron Curtain Spy Nonsense.

Hackers (1994)

Am I depressing you? Good, watch Hackers to experience child-like wonder and also see a grown man skateboard down a foggy street in the middle of the night to harass the homosexual teenagers (and slim shady) he's beefing with.

The core (2003)

This is not a good movie. But there is a little freak in there named "Rat" who I am obsessed with.

Angel's egg (1985)

This is the kind of movie where you have to not try to figure out what's going on and instead let it take you by the hands, just experience it, just keep your mouth shut and your mind at rest and you can consider the implications afterward when its safe.

Princess mononoke (1997)

I watched this as a child and saw those beasts dissolve into bloody worms and apparently that left a lasting mark on my brain.

Nausicaä of the valley of wind (1984)

I actually read the manga for this one but this is a movie rec list, so please go watch this for the death and rebirth vibes, and some mild foeyay yuri.

Invasion of the body snatchers (1978)

Horror movie that's odd and disturbing and clearly betraying some better dead than red fears, worth it for the horrible despicable freakish noise the guy makes at the end while pointing at the viewer.

Strange days (1995)

Please read up on this before watching it, it revolves around a fictional, then-futuristic critique of the adult film industry, HEAVY focus on the capitalistic dehumanization and devaluing of human life.

Underworld (2003)

Bad asses in leather fighting monsters. Core memory.

Blade (1998)

Bad asses in leather fighting monsters but maybe you need a break from how white this whole movie list is overall. That's okay, I see you, this vampire flick fucks severe.

Fright night (1985, 2011)

The first movie is pretty campy (fun) but the remake dug into my actual stressors and fears and scared the lights from my eyes for a day or two. Welcome... to FrrrighT NighT.

Dracula (1931, 1992)

First movie is a classic, this is thee one with the guy crawling around like a lizard and there's armadillos for no reason. The 90's version has no business being as deranged as it is and for this it is a core personality trait movie.

Fast&furious: Tokyo drift (2006)

Not sure I would say this is peak cinema but it's a racing movie that falls in line with the F&F tradition of being clearly in love with the entire premise, location, and cast. Rent free.

Drive (2011)

I like this movie because it is not about the guy getting the girl, it is about doing the right thing every single time because that's what it takes to be a real human bean. being. whichever. I was so obnoxious about this movie when I watched it with my now-ex gf that I wish I could siphon the memory of it out of her brain, because I kept pointing at actors I knew.

Green room (2015)

This is the best punk parable I can think of. Litany against not reading the room, litany against being the hero when there's no one to save, litany against thinking shared trauma is gonna get you any pussy.

Lords of chaos (2018)

I'm obsessed with the band Mayhem there is no other explanation.

There will be blood (2007)

WILD WEST TOXIC YAOI. I'm not apologizing for this summary and I'm not elaborating.

Butch Cassidy and the sundance kid (1969)

I don't know. I watched this in the wee hours of the morning with my best friend and actually cried about it. Doomed criminals and a famous final stand.

Saw (2004)

I used to watch Saw movies when I lived in the trailer park while hiding from my family in a neighbor's place so I don't know if these movies are good or if I needed to watch tortureporn to relax bcs the roof leaked on my bed when it rained? But I think everyone should at least watch the first movie or how are you going to play any games?

Chernobyl diaries (2012)

I walked out of this movie shaking head to toe and couldn't think about anything else for months. I don't think I'd be as scared now but I can't say if that's because I'm not 16 anymore. Warning against going into a dangerous situation with a guy you met off Craigslist.

Constantine (2005)

Demon hoards, evil angels, catholic bullshit, 9/10.

The neverending story (1984)

Well after all that let's reinstate some whimsy into our souls again bcs this is the Jim Henson Power Hour. This one is just a solid entry point into "puppets are fun and practical effects are my best friend".

The dark crystal (1982)

My babysitters put this on for me as a bed-time story when I was five (5) years old and I do not believe I slept, I think they regretted this and had to tell my parents what they did. But now I will never stop making Skeksis noises at people I love.

Labyrinth (1986)

Y'know the phenomenon of alt teens and preteens dating young adult men who are total and complete losers, including actual band members? It's not that this pre-dates any of that, but I believe it does a good job representing it through the lens of a modern fairy tale. Like when you watch this you have to realize this is wish fulfillment for people who want to be Sarah because their age-gap goth boyfriend in the real world is a manipulative disappointment.

Pacific rim (2013)

Love letter to the mecha and kaiju genre(s). Makes no sense, compels me though.

Eurotrip (2004)

This is the movie "Scotty doesn't know" is from. Some high schoolers fuck off to Europe and have the most misadventure possible. It's somehow exactly the kind of cringe humor you would expect from the 00's without being cruel or overly disgusting. I used to watch a lot of really bad 00's comedies and this is a good one I promise. Scussie.

Hamlet (1996)

Personality point, I think this is the best version on film because the guy actually looks like how I envisioned Hamlet. Ignore your girl! Avenge your dad!

Advantageous (2015)

This movie goes in on the connection between race and class in a sci-fi future where you can change the former through predatory, dangerous cosmetic surgery.

Gravity (2013)

This is my go-to movie when I need to sob like a sick little baby. Space travel as a metaphor for motherhood, spaceships as the womb, scientists are the babies who left their babies back on earth. It's about what you give up in the name of fulfilling your human urge for the unknown.

All clear on the western front (2022)

Thee anti-war fillum. Very well done. I never recovered from one of the final scenes to the point I wrote a final paper on it. Without spoiling it, the Ending gave me the feeling of when you're a kid and you want to go play, but you're grounded and you fall asleep listening to your friends outside in the street. I hope this sentence ruins your life if you watch this movie.

Inglorious basterds (2009)

They lock some nazis in a theatre and set them on fire, good cinema.

Shadow dancer (2012)

Domhnall Gleeson in one of his classically pathetic twink roles but its about British imperial violence and Irish reactionary violence.

Logan (2017)

Good art film, a story about dementia, legacies, and why putting children in cages is fucking evil.

The batman (2022)

Weird art film, next question.

Joker (2019)

I do not care about the opinions of straight men who watch things uncritically, this is a good movie because of the depictions of poverty in the US. I don't believe this needed to be about the DC Joker this should have been a standalone art film about a mime.

Dragonheart (1996)

Medieval era dragon nonsense, I will never be convinced this is a bad movie.

Sleeping beauty (1959)

Personality trait was rooting for the dragon.

Snow dogs (2002)

I'm not defending this one it stands on its own, please watch this movie if you wanna see Cuba Gooding Jr. bite a husky's ear so it'll stop ruining his life.

Luck of the irish (2001)

This movie is genuinely so bad I have considered it some kind of hate crime since the day it came out, because I watched this the day it was a direct-to-TV movie. I think I was too young to feel insulted but I was deeply, deeply bemused.

Black swan (2010)

There is a woman inside her and she is trying to crash the plane. Can I get away with calling this foe-yay yuri also? I'm going to.

I, tonya (2017)

Sufjan Stevens' song "Tonya Harding in Eb major" makes me so unreasonably emotional, so one day I watched this movie and then the film of the 1988 Calgary Olympics in the living room while all of my housemates had to sneak around in the dark. This is just a solid movie about ambition, betrayal, abuse, tragedy, and having to get over it and move on because you're not dead yet.

Phantom of the opera (2004)

Whatever was going on in Labyrinth, this is the adult version. Weird man in a sewer possessing a soprano. I think there's some gender happening here but it gets a little lost under the love(?) triangle.

A knights tale (2001)

Just go watch some more medieval nonsense, it's good for you, its fun.

White chicks (2004)

I'm not defending this choice, it's a good movie. "You were thinking it" "Yeah but you said it" there are some phrases you could use to see if I had been replaced with a body double and this is one of them.

Heathers (1988)

Ouughhgh ough oh. Personality trait. Watched this because I kept listening to the musical soundtrack, love both but agree the themes are much tighter in the movie. This is just a fun schlock to tell teens life is stupid and difficult and bad things will happen, so don't abandon your friends.

Priscilla queen of the desert (1994)

Classic homo fillum, if you wonder why I write Gilbert Like That it's partially because of the mean little fruit from this movie. It's about the Aussie drag scene and who belongs in the queer community.

300 (2006)

I'm not sure that I would call this a "good" movie, but it's a classic as far as I'm concerned. This is the "THIS IS SPARTA" movie.

The foreigner (2017)

I actually don't remember the plot of this one too solidly but the suspense and action were solid, and I enjoyed the setup. Good for if you wanna be really pissed off for two hours.

Conan the barbarian (1982)

Look at me. Look into my eyes. You're going to watch this movie. You're going to think about the wheel of pain and you're going to go wow, this is so stupid. Don't look away I'm not done. You're going to watch this movie and then you're going to get a couple of paper towel tubes and find someone to beat the shit out of each other with the tubes.

Law abiding citizen (2009)

I don't know I think watching this movie changed my brain chemistry in very special ways. Guy fucking loses it and becomes a problem for his local community by kidnapping and torturing people who killed his family. Cathartic and vile.

Black dog (1998)

:D DO YOU WANNA WATCH AN ACTION MOVIE ABOUT AN 18-WHEELER?

The hunt for red october (1990)

Almost forgot this one. Lithuanian Submariner off the shits, goes rogue, I'm not sure what accent Sean Connery is going for, I get the impression he just showed up to gigs and did whatever he wanted.

[boring-horror-enjoyer]

Oddity: A 90-Minute Benchmark

Here is the thing with scary movies: I will always, always pick a 90-minute horror first. There are some good films that are long, but think of some really popular ones: Blair Witch Project, Saw, Texas Chainsaw Massacre... not necessarily my favorites, but they all clock in around the 90-minute mark and get the job done. Oddity is precisely what you should receive from an hour and a half investment of your time. It's a good mix of the occult, "the creeps", and tasteful jumpscares. it actually gave me one of my biggest scares from a movie in recent memory. I'm not trying to glaze the film, it was just one scene that really got me. I have a sincere fear of masks.

I've been learning German in my free time (Freizeit!) and can confidently say: Ich mag diesen Horrorfilm :)

Enough time has passed from release that I don't mind giving spoilers, so read ahead at your own risk.

I thought it was very cute of them to pay homage to Caveat in the sister's oddity shop. Caveat was also decent, and I think that if you liked it you'll be sure to like Oddity. Thinking now, they parallel in a lot of ways.

I very much loved the role of the twin sister. I loved that she was consistently one step ahead and gave you someone to root for to the end. I also like that she was not infallible, and met an end on her own terms. As someone with only sisters, her death really touched me.

I also sincerely, sincerely enjoyed the use of silence. Silence is such an overlooked aspect in horror movies, usually it's shrill warnings in the score that tell you something is happening. The absence (or low level) of noise gave way to a lot more tension in the chest, a lot more wonder as to what would happen next. Just a fantastic utilization of that negative space.

I feel like I encounter a lot of "good for her" movies. This was a "good for her" movie twice over, with Darcy having her closure before her passing and the girlfriend (Yana) finally having some fucking sense and leaving.

Let's talk annoyances.

The introductory plot made not a lot of sense. The couple bought basically an old-timey castle and only used.... 1/4 of it? You can chalk it up to the renovation part of the subplot but like... after having this place over a year, all you've done is put in a half-done kitchen (that we can't see), a very modern looking bathroom (in your stone, old-as-shit house), a bed and a couch? Whatever. It's not a huge deal but did annoy me.

What annoyed me more, actually, was the girlfriend moving in to this house apparently very quickly after his ex-wife was murdered there. Please, please, please give more background to the decision if you're going to have a character do something fucking stupid like that. She had an apartment nearby. It doesn't make any sense for her to live in the murder castle.

The way some of these characters were written... so rude? I mean, you find out later (or guess pretty early on!) why the husband was a prick, but the girlfriend was fucking insanely rude. The entitlement in some of her lines was wholly unnecessary, you didn't need to do much at all for the audience to dislike the girlfriend. You already start out disliking her. It was too much for me.

Ted (the husband) deserved worse. I liked the wit of Darcy in his demise, but wish it was in line with Ivan's punishment. Ted deserved much worse and I was so frustrated with the lack of description of HOW people die when they ring the bell. It was slightly annoying to be left wanting like that.

Score was great, tone was solid, the mood could've used more thought as said above with the character dialogue. Overall, solid 7.75 out of 10. I would watch this again, and once more I say this is what to expect from a 90-minute movie.

[chibivesicle]

Current manga[ish] reading list in no particular order

Neighborhood Story (Gokinjo Monogatari) by Ai Yawaza - I now own up to volume 3 of the English release of the manga. The four volume set is based on what I believe was the 10th Anniversary reprint of the manga in Japan. The French edition also follows the four book format but I think the German sticks to the original seven. I have the original tankobon editions for volumes 1-3 where when you line them up, it creates a long dinner table with the entire cast.

I read the entire manga in the early 2010s via scans and had spent the late 90s to that point praying for an official release after Paradise Kiss was printed by Tokyopop. The series was old enough that in the late 90s early 2000s no one was out there doing the line by line translations that I used to use to read manga. I read all of Wish that way with the original manga and the speech bubble guide. e.g. page 12 panel 5 Overall impressions - this was a white whale for me - I likely bought the original manga when I was sixteen or seventeen based on the art style alone. I would say it falls into your standard dramatic shoujo manga with high school students but the lives of ones in counter-culture, outside the norms of usual expectations. When I read the scans I enjoyed it and while it was nothing mind blowing it is a rewarding read. The various individuals sporting alternative fashions is one of my favorite aspects of it. You have a MC who leans mostly towards mod style (Twiggy from the 1960s) with a strong vintage twist, punk, lolita, generic 90s alternative dude, preppy and your designer brand girl.

I look forward to getting volume 4 and completing the set, just it will be likely 28 years later than I would have wanted. The Rose of Versailles by Riyoko Ikeda - I sprung hard for the recent English hardcover editions. One of my friends lent me her roommates 2 volume tankobon set of this series in 2000, but it too lacked a good translation to find online and read along to it. I watched the anime in 2014 and bought the DVD box set. Of course, I couldn't say no to this classic shoujo manga. I'm through the first three volumes and slowly working my way through it. Seeing that I already watched the anime, nothing in it is overall surprising.

I have noticed that early on the level of gay is pretty high and this current "twist" of Andre getting closer to Oscar is much stronger than I felt in the anime. The entire loss of Rosalie and her fawning over Oscar was a disappointment, also toned down in the anime. There is a lot more questioning with Oscar's character as to who she is, what she desires and how to fit into her world. I really wish it pressed those questions more but alas, I'm really starting to feel the Oscar x Andre pressure ramping up. In the anime I felt like it sort of came out of nowhere and in the manga it is more like - okay Rosalie's crush was cute but real adult relationships need a man. lols. Even with my different opinion on the manga compared to the anime, I cannot stress how owning such a fundamental manga series is. I don't think I'll ever attempt a meta on this - more than enough already exists about this with how long it has been around. Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama - An impulse purchase at The Comic Swap on Allen Street. I'm pretty sure some of the individual volumes of X and other early 2000s manga were on the shelf when I was in university.

I'd heard some good murmurs about this manga and a friend kept recommending it. I can't explain how blown away I was this series. The art style is amazing with little use of screen tones and the emphasis on line art. With the author's previous work for DC and Marvel it shows but in all the good ways as far a composition and again that line art. And we haven't even gotten to the story itself! I have read through volume 3 and the pacing is excellent. It doesn't info dump how magic works and the world building is natural and unforced. It already has brought up great questions about who controls knowledge, disability vs accommodation, dealing with trauma, what is your purpose in life/goals. It has the right amount of whimsy that you feel cozy but at the same time you know when shit is serious.

What I feel the most is that Witch Hat Atelier is intentional with everything in it. It is a carefully constructed story and comes together naturally with a good balance of young pupils and adults. And the character designs! Oh my goodness, I love them all.

The Apothecary Diaries by Natsu Hyuuga - Can't skip my gal Mao Mao. I mean I cosplayed as her back in April because how frequently do you get a pragmatic female lead with deadpan humor and is a scientist who likes plants? I also watched the first season of the anime loving every moment of it and how it really shines with its focus on women navigating a world not made to really benefit them. I decided to read the original light novel instead of the manga based on the light novel. I think by time I finish volume 2 I will have caught up to season 1 and hopefully, pull ahead of the eventual second season which comes in 2025, I think.

Out of all the titles, this one is likely my biggest guilty pleasure as a plant biologist; Mao Mao as a character has a lot of common scientist traits which make her very relatable and fun to see in any sort of media. Her obliviousness to certain things not because she doesn't have an eye for details but because she can't be bothered is realistic but rarely given to a female character in most forms of media regardless of cultural context.

Will I dive into the rest of these series for a meta? I'm honestly not sure. I may do a "quick" review of Gokinjo Monogatari when I complete volume 4 but it isn't the sort of manga that feeds into deep critical analysis. It is a coming of age story about artistic kids and looks cool.

I'd likely be more inclined to tackle Witch Hat Atelier but sometimes I just want to read something and not deep dive into it even if it intellectually feeds my curiosity. My current plan is to catch up on the manga and I'm relying on my county library to read volumes 4-13. If I really like it, I'll probably become a sucker and buy it at some point but I need to be a little more mindful of my manga purchases for the sake of my overflowing bookshelves. I took one of those surveys about how much manga you own and I wasn't expecting to clock in at almost 200 volumes when I've given away/sold/donated them from time to time.

I've got some thoughts on Kekkai Sensen but I'm waiting for the next chapter to drop since it ended on a cliff hanger with that plot twist where the "Count" from previous statements in the manga was not some old frumpy classic Dracula like Blood Breed but instead in a teenage form as Edgar. I liked the twist since I was suspicious of his character but didn't think he might have been the true mastermind of things. But we'd be lazy readers if we'd forgotten that Blood Breeds can easily shapeshift as demonstrated with Girika and Tonio. I will always give her ultimate cougar cred testing out her boy toy before committing to making him a Blood Breed instead of snacking on him.

[tf2heritageposts]

you have probably been asked this before and if so I am dumb and stupid but why do you play tf2? what introduced you to the game

i'm chill with answering it again

alright so, there used to be(or still is, no idea) a channel called ethgoesboom back in like 2017ish, who basically did roleplay lets plays where he pretended to be FNAF characters playing various games like fnaf fangames or anything that was popular at the time really(like i am bread). do note this was WAY before ucn where they actually got canon voices

anyways, one day, he made a video where he pretended to be multiple fnaf characters playing tf2(i'm pretty sure freddy was playing engie), and we watched it and went "oh this looks fun!", and we made a steam account that has been lost to time and downloaded it on our mom's laptop.

it took a bit to download, but we eventually got on and queued up for a match, and i'm like 90% sure we picked spy but we didn't do anything because the voice chat scared us so much that we closed the game and deleted it, and then went and watched markiplier or something

now this story is gonna take a quick timeskip to 2020, where we are on youtube, and we spy a comic dub staring who we now know as medic, and we watch it. it was this video, and we ended up confused why this strange vaugely german man had a baby baboon and was going to kill it for its organs. we forgot about it and kept scrolling

one year later, in 2021, we were bored on steam and decided to check for any good free games. we see TF2 high on the charts, and we remember we heard it was a pretty good game, so we downloaded it and we've been hooked since

[fitzrove]

I noticed your tags on the "bad localisation"-post and now I must know the lore... the Finnish translator of Elisabeth didn't speak German???

Hehe, I'm glad you asked!!

Mind you, this production happened when I was a small child, so all I have is second-hand knowledge from the internet (and an audio recording). Also, I may have exaggerated for comedic effect in my original tags lol, I don't know if he genuinely didn't speak it. However...

The guy who translated the Finnish Elisabeth was a very famous (prolific, if nothing else) theatre director and musical translator, starting his career in the late 60s already with a wildly popular production of Hair. Elisabeth seems to be among the only German-language shows he ever worked on - most of it was translations from English and French. ngl I also sort of hate his musical translations from English LMAO - because of how prolific he was, they still haunt the Finnish musical scene today... One big one he did is Cabaret back in the 90s, and a theatre that put a big fancy production on in 2020 actually redid all of the songs and only kept his dialogue because the translation was so clunky lmao. But I once went to the library to dig up his original lyrics to the title song and omg they suck, I wrote better ones in two minutes because I needed a Finnish version quickly ahshshsh. So already, it's a bit of a bad sign - this man is not a translator by profession or training, he's a director who started out doing it for practical purposes, and has a pretty broad set of languages he works in.

But then again - maybe it wouldn't have been a problem, especially since he had such extensive experience. In fact, Elisabeth was the last translation he ever did before passing away rather shortly after (of old age), so maybe I shouldn't be too harsh on him... However, the fact remains that the translation, just as lyrics, is pretty terrible and nonsensical sjjsjsjd.

My initial comment was actually largely inspired by this blog post by someone who actually saw the prod live (from onenightintheatre on blogspot), quote:

It sounded like the translator hadn't really understood German, because many lines sounded like someone had taken a dictionary, looked up the most important words of the sentence and then written a whole new sentence(-ish) based on those words. An example that remained etched in my mind: ("Eine Kaiserin muss glänzen"; Finnish, the Finnish translation in English, and the original German text) Countess Esterházy: Suunne aukaiskaa! ("Open your mouth!") (Öffnen Sie den Mund!) Sophie: Keltaiset ei olla saa! ("[Teeth] may not be yellow!") (Die sind zu gelb, das darf nicht sein!) Elisabeth: Tammalla saa! ("Mare's [teeth] may!") (Bin ich ein Pferd?) So... Instead of asking why they're treating her like a horse, Elisabeth thinks she is a horse and can therefore have yellow teeth? Oddly, "Bellaria" was significantly better translated than rest of the musical and actually sounded beautiful and made sense. There were also factual errors, like Rudolf complaining to Elisabeth that he must get married, when at that point of the story he had, in fact, been married for several years. The translator passed away half a year after the derniere, though, so maybe he wasn't at his best anymore when he did the translation.

As for me, I don't know the Finnish translation by heart, but some of my favourite songs (well, mostly Schatten 2) which I do know by heart also had the ball dropped on them... in that song, Rudolf complains that the court is wasting money on parties (woah good job working in the "dancing around the golden calf" metaphor, I'm sure the original author didn't mean it metaphorically to go with the pied piper thing, he meant literal dancing - though I guess this is accidentally accurate to irl rudolf and his ranty pamphlet on the idle nobility xD) and it's just quite clunky and repetitive overall without getting the main point across too well. Which is such a pity! I mean, translations are hard, but Kunze's work has since been translated into Finnish well, with the references and thematic messages intact, it's not impossible. So in a way, I think this one is a case of someone well-established in the industry getting the job because he happened to be there and have an extensive track record, not because he actually had the skills to make the best possible translation...

Ahsdhsfhfs so yeah. There's no proof that he didn't speak German, but it's my personal theory. Also, according to a few sources, Kunze himself hated this translation......

[septic-dr-schneep]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks for the tag, @sneakyfox55 :D This should be fun!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

It says 894 but I've anonymized some older/lower quality fics so those aren't accounted for in the public number. Including those, it's 1045!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

At the moment it's 1,760,756!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The big ones have been Tolkien, Transformers, JSE and Markiplier, Undertale and Marvel!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Locks To Fit The Keys The Little Things Out of Suffering Come Strong Souls Tell Me Where It Hurts In All But Name

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Feedback is love, feedback is life! Comments fuel me to keep creating :D There are some I wasn't able to respond to at the time because I was too busy/tired/ill/etc. but I do my best to get to as many as I can!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Wrong Turn, Dying Light and Last Words come to mind because they all involve everyone dying horribly. Sorry...

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Retrouvailles is just a ball of warm and fuzzy family feelings <3

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have on a couple of occasions, usually because someone didn't like my characterization or I declined to write ships that made me uncomfortable.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I gave it a try back in the day before I figured out I was ace and sex-repulsed. Since then I've sworn off it :'D

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I do! My Fran Bow + Undertale crossover is one of my favorites but the weirdest one was probably The Hobbit + Doctor Who XD

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. I have seen another writer use my OCs without crediting me but when I brought it up, they were apologetic so it was resolved cordially.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have, I just can't remember which one it was at the moment asfjks

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, I have, with a couple of different roleplay partners. It's been a while though; I've found I prefer art collabs over writing collabs.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I don't know if I have an all-time favorite; I usually prefer platonic, QPRs and familial dynamics. Grillby/Muffet and Eowyn/Faramir come to mind, though; they're adorable!

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Just yesterday I was feeling guilty for the umpteenth time over leaving the tenth (and arguably most important) part of The Pacemakers series unfinished. I posted what I had of it so my readers could know how it would have gone but still...

16. What are your writing strengths?

I like to think I'm pretty good at detailing high-intensity emotions and the effects they have on the characters so the readers can feel them too.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Actually finishing longer fics :'D I have a terrible track record of cliffhanger WIPs and trust me, it frustrates me just as much as it does my readers. I'm not sure how to remedy it, unfortunately.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I've done it here and there with Dr. Schneeplestein's German and it's a lot of fun! Since I'm not fluent I have to be sparing with it, though; it'd suck to overestimate what I know and end up mistranslating something.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I think I wrote something for the 90s TMNT movies? That was before I knew it was even called fanfiction or that there were websites for posting them XD

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

That's such a hard question! I don't know if I could ever pick a #1 without second-guessing it later but In All But Name is pretty far up there <3

No pressure tag for @jacky-rubou! Have fun!

[daughterofhecata]

2, 3, 6 and 25 for Hugenay? (And maybe for Milo if you want (cause I'm obsessed 🙈))

[character ask game]

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

Victor: On one hand, I'm admittedly a sucker for the whole gentleman thief thing, but on the other hand, I also do love the tension that comes from the original episodes vs the german episodes/translations, because uh. he *does* make people almost crash their cars on more than one occasion. And also, "no violence" or not, he's still manipulative af and I do love that.

Milo: Almost everything??? I love how kind he can be and how appreciative of people (that moment in Time Bomb where he says to Alex "I think you're worth listening to. I always thought so" lives in my heart) and how protective he gets (both of Rick, esp in Murder Book, and also of Alex - that one scene in Survival of the Fittest is A Lot). And honestly, I may have my problems with Kellerman in some regards, but I will always be grateful that he decided some time in the fucking 80's to just. write a crime novel series prominently featuring a queer cop.

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

Victor: I don't think have a least favourite thing? I'm probably supposed to mention the Brittany thing but, I genuinely think that was pretty fucked up but also very interesting. He can be absolutely awful and I love that.

Milo: that part in Over the Edge, idk if you remember, where he goes on a tangent about murders in the queer community/scene, that shit was uncomfortable as fuck. Also the newer books sometimes have him make weird digs at "PC culture" which. ugh.

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

Victor: Probably nothing. Nothing canonical at least. Fanon/head canon wise an interest in literature, I guess. (And a disinterest in romance, if we're reading that into his interactions with Vivienne in Mord unter Palmen xD)

Milo: Gay? 😄 Also, always make sure to tip at restaurants etc? (even if I can't afford the same level of tips) And *also* interest in literature, he did study it after all.

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

Victor: Well. I heard Mr Claudius say "Hugenay kann. Der ist so raffiniert, dass er es kann" when I was approximately eight years old and I've been in love with him ever since. I *am* however making an effort to acknowledge his less gentlemanly sides lately.

Milo: Genuinely do not remember my first impression, I picked up one of the later books as a teen on a whim and it initially didn't leave a bigger lasting impression than other crime novels I liked, I didn't really think deeply about it. Nowadays, Milo is absolutely one of the most important fictional characters for me, because I sincerely don't know if there is *anything* like him, a cop in a mostly mid long running crime novel series who just so happens to be gay. 90% of the time it has no bearing on the story really, he just *is* gay. And that means a lot to me.

[bubblesandgutz]

Every Record I Own - Day 779: Various artists Plot

The first record I ever played on was the first Botch 7", released in part by a straight edge guy named Wally Young who had just gotten out of the military. Wally had been stationed in Germany, and when he returned to the states he came back with a small distro of German hardcore records. The more traditional-sounding German hardcore stuff wasn't my thing (Nations On Fire seemed to be one of the bigger German hardcore bands of the time, and I couldn't manage to get into 'em). But Wally also had the Acme 7", and that record blew my mind. It was so savage---a bulldozer of Slayer-inspired leads and crushing riffs.

It was that new era of German hardcore that I found exciting. And perhaps the best document of that particular scene was this compilation LP released as a benefit for a German hardcore zine called Plot. I have no idea if the Plot zine ever really took off, and I'm not sure if their lone venture into releasing music was particularly successful (though Thou did make a t-shirt featuring the same woodblock print from this album cover), but as far as I'm concerned, this is one of the best hardcore compilations of the '90s.

It's got a few artists I've mentioned here in the past, like Acme, Dawnbreed, Luzifers Mob and Golgatha. It's also got Acme-affiliated grind band Systral, the violin-backed Cwill, arty hardcore staples Ambush (who would briefly feature Tom Rusnak of Rorschach / Kiss It Goodbye on bass), the Great American Steak Religion-affiliated metal-core outfit Mine, and a host of other interesting forward-thinking hardcore bands. The big curveball is the final track by Bohren. The name and song didn't mean much to me until the early 2000s, when they began releasing music under the name Bohren & Der Club of Gore. Though the Bohren track on this comp was a pretty mellow affair compared to the other songs, it still bore more of a resemblance to underground rock music than the dark, glacial-paced minimalist jazz they would become famous for. So if nothing else, this is a pretty interesting artifact of their modest beginnings.

Ultimately, the whole comp is a scorcher. Aside from Acme and Bohren, these bands may not have gone on to garner the kind of cult following many of their stateside peers attained, but that just means these bands are even more underground and mysterious, right?

[steviesbicrisis]

Rules: post 10 of your favourite comfort movies then tag 10 people.

I was tagged by my bestie @hairstevington

Bestie thank you for the tag but also this is so hard!! I've procrastinating making this cause I always rewatch the same 3 movies for comfort lmao

Howl's Moving Castle - this is THE movie for me. I watch it when I'm sick, when I'm lonely, when I'm happy, when I miss it, just UGH best movie ever??? Also the reason why I'm single is cause Howl does not exist irl

Pride and Prejudice - bestie up there had to watch it with me cause it's such an iconic movie she had to see it. I know this movie by heart and yet every time I finish watching it I wanna put it back on again.

Mamma Mia - I'm a sucker for musicals and I don't know if it's my favorite but it's the one I rewatch the most for sure!!

Mulan - I would put a lot of the Disney classics in this list honestly, but Mulan has the perfect combo of amazing songs + badass main character + funny/upbeat moments

You've Got Mail - my mum raised me with 90s romcoms, This is the one we've rewatched the most so it has a special place in my heart, but anything from When Harry Met Sally to Pretty Woman could be on this list

Ruby Red - Okay this is a guilty pleasure. Listen, I don't have my hopes up when there's a European movie (German in this case), especially a fantasy one. Usually, they don't have a big budget and it's okay but... this trilogy?? it's actually pretty good. And I love it. Leave me alone.

Your Name - This movie has my favorite soundtrack EVER! Just listening to Sparkle gives me internal peace. I cannot recommend this enough.

The Empire Strikes Back - my favorite Star Wars movie. I do the rewatch just to get to this one. My OTP saying one of the most iconic love confessions ever? sign me uuuup

The Proposal - remember what I said about being raised with 90s romcoms? the shift to 2000s romcoms was just natural. Had to happen. Also, I love Sandra Bullock.

Spy Kids - honestly I'm running out of ideas but I love Spy kids and I know it's probably very fun and silly to rewatch it as an adult.

There's probably movies I missed and I will remember 5 minutes after posting this. I just watch too many movies, and have a shitty memory <3

I'll tag people but feel free to ignore if you don't wanna do it, and I you see this and you wanna do it but I didn't tag you, please do it anyways!!

@robbie-verse @palmviolet @stevesnailbat @stevesbipanic @eddiemunsons-missingnipple @gatergirl @grtwdsmwhr @corrodedbisexual @chaoskieee @scoops-stevie

[heartstringsduet]

Oversharing

I was tagged by @chaotictarlos @carlos-in-glasses @welcometololaland @alltheprettyplaces ONE: Are you named after anyone? I'm actually nearly named after my mom. My dad insisted but her nickname was Michelle and she didn't really want me to be called that and steal it from her. Oops? Dad won?

TWO: When was the last time you cried? Sunday.

THREE: Do you have kids? No and getting closer to 90% of not wanting any and if then probably adopted.

FOUR: Do you use sarcasm a lot? Not a lot but not opposed to it.

FIVE: What sports have you played/do you play? When I was 10, I tried to join a gymnastics class. At the very first lesson the teacher pulled me aside and told me I wasn't good enough to join because my body wasn't made for it (aka not bendy enough). Yeah. That motivated me a LOT. Hates PE always though. Why fucking grade that? Only now in my twenties do i feel like sports can be fun. I'm still not good at any though.

SIX: What’s the first thing you notice about people? If their face is kind.

SEVEN: What’s your eye colour? Grey-blue.

EIGHT: Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings. (though that question is weird. Sad endings would have made a better comparison no? Anyway.)

NINE: Any special talents? Not to brag but I'm the clumsiest person you'll meet. Bella Swan? You've got nothing on me, babe. If I don't die in the weirdest stupidest way possible I'll have let myself down. Pretty sure my friends would like to put me in bubble wrap.

TEN: Where were you born? The capital that Berliners live in because Berliners are people not donuts.

ELEVEN: What are your hobbies? Writing, drawing/painting, embroidery, cooking, going on walks, being a hobby therapist, biking, watching silly reality tv, dancing (only Just Dance, don't think I go back on my statement on sports earlier), singing, photography.

TWELVE: Do you have any pets? No. But throwing myself on the pets friends or family have if they're cuddly.

THIRTEEN: How tall are you? 163 cm. A tiny square.

FOURTEEN: Favourite subject in school? English, German, Math, biology

FIFTEEN: Dream job? I don't dream of labor. (but also, someone pay me for my writing and art pls.) I tag @herefortarlos @strandnreyes @miidnightraiin @actual-sleeping-beauty @wtfuckevenknows

[caressthosecheekbones]

Bestie (in the spirit of reviving Tumblr ask culture), I was listening to Ohne Dich (Schlaf Ich Heut Nacht Nicht Ein) again the other day. Any other song recs you want to share with me and anyone else who likewise appreciates your excellent taste in music? <3

Sarah, this ask is so lovely, I've been staring at it for hours now. First I felt like Oh, I don't know Any Music At All. But then I went on an hour long treasure hunt and had a lot of fun composing this list for you and anyone who might appreciate German Music or even only feels in the mood to give it a try. <3 Thank you so, so much. <3 So in the spirit of Ohne Dich (Schlaf Ich Heut Nacht Nicht Ein): here's a (not anymore) small list of my favourite german songs, most of which have actually accompanied me since my childhood. <3 (In no particular order but with youtube links you can click bc some of these videos are just pure Gold.)

1. Reinhard May - Über den Wolken (live is the only way to listen to this song. I cannot not cry when I listen to it.) 2. Blümchen - Nur geträumt (sorry for the whiplash) 3. Die Prinzen - Alles nur geklaut (I've loved this since I it came out when I was seven. Actually I've just found the music video and they're copying motherfucking Queen's I Want To Break Free Look (amongst others) which I never knew and now I'm crying?!??!!! &lt;333333) 4. Echt - Du trägst keine Liebe in Dir (I was a bit in love with the singer guy lololol also I didn't know until now the video was kinda interesting for the time.) 5. Die Ärzte - Männer sind Schweine (surely a statement and big hit at the time) 6. Die Toten Hosen - Alles aus Liebe (it felt wrong not to include one of their songs (⊙_⊙;) 7. Die Ärzte - Schrei nach Liebe (arguably the most important title on this list) 8. Tic Tac Toe - Ich find' dich scheisse (partly very misogynistic, normal at the time and branded as "girl power" but it was so refreshing for a young girl to see/hear this and feeling validated in expressing negative emotions instead of being all girly, fun, cute and positive all the time) 9. Matthias Reim - Verdammt, ich lieb Dich (um. I have no explanation.)

10. Lucy Electric (whom I've just now learned is actually spelled Lucilectric wtf lmao) - Mädchen (another "girl power" song, but rather ironic I think now. Well. Probably one of my first girl crushes I had as a kid, I just realised.) 11. Fettes Brot - Emmanuela (I wanted to put "Jein" by them but omg I've never seen the video. Brown facing as "Mexicans" that's so embarassing... shout out to "Schwule Mädchen" - Gay Girls - by them though which is to be found here) 12. Pur - Abenteuerland (Crying. 90s german kitsch my beloved. Shoot me I guess.) (here is a sneaky sneak title of a party compilation during which I always shout and cry when it comes on lmao) 13. Oli P. - Flugzeuge in meinem Bauch (He used to be one of our prettiest TV boys at the time and the song is still played today. It's a cover. Which is better than the original in my opinion lmao) 14. Die Ärzte - Junge (I cannot put less Ärzte on this list which was supposed to be ten titles long. They're just. (One Of) The Best German Music Has To Offer. also: tw g*re for the video. Not the lyrics.) (okay lemme sneak another one of them in, its just so good and tw depression in a great way) 15. Ben & Gim - Engel (what a visual snäck <3 still think he's super pretty, christ. I loved that song and lived it when I was sixteen. <3 wanted to get wings tattooed on my back ahahahha the video is absolute bullshit and must have cost about 9€. good for them.) 16. Die Prinzen - Küssen verboten (hah! its THEM again! &lt;3 they've been my main german song influence when I was in primary school.) 17.) Wise Guys - Wo der Pfeffer wächst (this is clearly the most obscure title on this list. They're a local a capella band which I grew up listening to. Survived my first break up listening to this on repeat lololollll) 18. Bodo Wartke - Da muss er durch (okay, maybe this one is the weirdest one though. Poor amphibian.) 19. Peter Fox - Schwarz zu blau (almost forgot the song which contains my favourite lyric in German Lyric History since Freude Schöner Götterfunken: "Ich seh' die Ratten sich sattfressen im Schatten der Dönerläden." LOVE THIS SONG!!!) 20. AnnenMayKantereit - Oft gefragt (super melancholic and hurtful memories connected to this band & song. I know them personally but cannot go into details.)

BONUS: Wir sind Helden - Nur ein Wort (A FAV 4EVER. I'm 99,99% sure I recommended this already but it HAS to be on this list. Love the Bob Dylan homage) Thank you, betsie, again for this ask. It was a pleasure. If you or anyone even remotely interested in doing something similar would tag me I'd be super happy! Love music, love experiencing new songs through recommendations! <3 Take care, mwah! <3 PS.: I'm So Sorry the links are all fucked! But there should be one possibility to click in every single title + test. The more I touch and try to fix them the worse it gets apparently. TT.TT Sorry.

[superman--yoosung]

hi your matchups say they're still open, i hope this it okkk!! i'm 🐇

• i have no preference towards gender but i don't like super masculine characters

• i don't really use pronouns but she/her, ver/vers, it/its are ok. fem presenting but with androgynous swag. beautiful in a girlprince way

• adult character from genshin! only recently turned 18 though haha. no tighnari or childe pls!

• i loove fashion (designing it, studying it, wearing it), idols, rabbits and deer, sewing outfits + plush dolls and creaching around at night. i haate loud, messy people and lots of textures (i'm autistic). i hate the sunlight! terrified of dogs IRL but i'd be a collie or black german shepherd.

• i'm mostly quiet (INTP), i have no control over my tone/filter so i get people saying they thought i hate them/i look angry a lot. air-headed, very low attention-span and "bimbo" tier. clumsy most of time/i dont look at what im doing. i love acting valley girl or like a malnourished bimbo (idk). i'm like a dog with the personality of a cat. beliefs.. don't be a freak idk .. don't kill ppl and i will be judgmental if i don't like your vibes.

• i think i'd have electro vision just because i get it a lot on quizzes. i also connect to it the most aesthetically. id love a sword and id have a vv elegant/pretty fighting style ..

• personal flaw erm there's zero connection between my brain and mouth so i can't really communicate much of my real feelings (esp affection). i also struggle to connect with ppl!! i'm mostly disconnected 90% of the time so it's very hard to truly love (romantically or platonically) someone for me!

• i'm 162cm... vampire to the extreme i'm 100% a vampire if im in genshin.. very strict on skincare and how i look (sensitivity issues). OR half-deer.. or half-rabbit.. My personal aesthetic is ouji/lolita, victorian/gothic themes of Black Butler and The girl from the other side.. Dark fantasy/dark academia.. LOL

i'm TERRIBLE at giving affection and words of affirmation. i love words of affirmation though and i realllly jus want someone equally as love with me/if not more

Hello 🐇, nice to meet you!! Your matchup was challenging because I kept doubting my choices, thinking, "Wouldn't this or that character's design be a texture/sensory nightmare, though??" which is a really silly thing for me to get caught up in, of all the many factors involved. (But in my defense, all the characters have SO MUCH going on in their outfits haha!!)

Your matchup is.............................

KAZUHA !!

Meeting under the cloak of darkness once or twice could merely be considered coincidence... By the fifth time, however, Kazuha was certain: it was fate that continued to bring the two of you together.

To those unfamiliar with the elusive duo, a relationship such as yours might seem threadbare - after all, since you only made your appearance when the moon was at its highest, and Kazuha drifted from place to place like a leaf in the wind, it seemed unlikely that you would ever cross paths in important ways. But you both knew differently. Naturally, even the smallest of actions, a singular drop in a pool of water, becomes a ripple whose rings inevitably grow in meaningful ways.

This is how Kazuha views your relationship: subtle, and all the more beautiful for it.

Fun details:

It will not take too many meetings for Kazuha to find you endearing. He's observant, so the nuances of your interactions will linger in his mind long after you've left. He'll enjoy learning about you and your mannerisms! He will always be respectful of your boundaries, too - and with his sharp mind, he can often tell if you're bothered without you having to verbalize it. (He'll ask, anyways, though, just to be sure.)

Kazuha admires your abilities and passion in subjects you enjoy. Many of the evenings you spend beneath the moonlight or on cloudy days are filled with discussions that jump from topic to topic, sharing your interests with one another. Kazuha is an eager listener, so feel free to share your passions to your heart's content! He will remember most every word. But when you're feeling quiet or have nothing to share, he can fill the silence with his charming words - though quiet companionship is also enough, too.

Of course, he knows how clumsy you can be, but as long as he's around, the wind will keep you steady on your feet. If you're comfortable with physical touch, he'll reach out to balance you, or let you hold onto him. If not, he'll do his best to verbally warn you of any uneven terrain or obstacles in your path you haven't noticed.

You two are THE definition of elegance in battle. Kazuha can swirl your electro abilities, making potent reactions. And as sword users, you can both keep your skills sharp by practicing together!

If you ever give Kazuha one of your creations, it will almost instantly become one of his most treasured posessions. He will do his best to keep it safe from harm on his journeys - though the wear and tear clothing might get from constant use is, in a way, a sign of how much he loves it. (Please forgive him if the clothes or plushies do see some light damage, though; the mercenary life is not always kind.)

Once you've become closer, Kazuha will bring you gifts from his travels. They're mostly small things that remind him of you: a carving of a rabbit, some medicine for your most recent clumsy tumble's resulting scratches, a paper umbrella from Liyue to help block out the sun. Whatever he sees that he thinks would interest you or that you might find use for in your day-to-day life, he'll get. If you dislike any of them, he takes no offense to that, either - he'll quietly store the details of what you disliked about it in his mind for reference the next time he gets you something.

You want words of affirmation? Oh, boy, does he provide! It's actually rarer for him to not slip a compliment or reassurance into your conversations. He'll take any chance he can to remind you of how much he treasures your company, and should you decide to pursue a romantic relationship with him, how much he delights in giving you affection (and being the recipient of yours, in whatever ways you deign to give it.)

He will write the most stunning of poems with you in mind, string dozens of haikus together with your name as inspiration. And, in the quiet company of only you and the moon, he'll whisper words of devotion, of loyalty and hope.

Kazuha, if asked to point to the one thing he loves most about you, will laugh at the inquiry, shaking his head. How can one point to a cloud in the sky and call it superior to the others around it? Kazuha thinks all of the things that make you unique are inseparably what he loves you for. To ask him to pick one is to ask the impossible of him. Still, if it was you who pressed him for an answer, he might relent, and tell you this: your very presence, right here beside him under the nighttime tapestry of midnight blue and flickering stars, gives him a sense of belonging, makes him think that - yes - there are things far greater than a life of wandering... and they can all be found within the depths of your eyes.

~~I feel like many writers default to Albedo when someone mentions difficulty expressing emotions, and while I do love him for you too (for other reasons), I thought Kazuha would be better with words of affirmation and understanding what you may leave unspoken. I almost went with Rosaria or Yelan, also, as you both could be creatures of the night together (lol), but I hope this matchup is satisfactory!