#I'm trying to at least watch more movies and current media so I'm in the know Ig

[burned-lariat]

I love my trend of watching two movies on select home flights. The last time I did it, I watched Lady Bird and Love, Simon. I enjoyed both.

This time, I watched The Whale and Bodies Bodies Bodies and...hmm.

The Whale

I'll get this out of the way: Brendan Fraser EARNED that damn award. EARNED IT. His performance was fantastic. Close second to Hong Chau (Liz the nurse). Otherwise, there wasn't much to engage with. The plot was fairly non-existent (I think we were watching this man just kill himself, and thus, it was the "plot"). I was constantly gaslit to think Ellie was worth investment, especially by Charlie, though it's debatable on whether or not he's meant to be listened to (considering how he was never shown to be a liar, seems like his take was meant to be correct). You could've done without Thomas - he was unneeded. I get it's based on a play, but you mean to tell me that the script writer and Aronofsky couldn't toy with certain elements more?

I also think the movie was too short to do what the staff wanted it to do. I saw I was about 80 minutes in, and almost nothing had happened. Nothing progressed the "plot" beyond Charlie's eating disorder as he marched further and further, and this "reconnection" with Ellie was on an infinite loop that was very unearned at the end of the film. I think there could've been something there with having characters like Ellie and Thomas craft deeper empathy upon seeing Charlie's plight, where Ellie understands that her father's decisions are not on a black-and-white binary and Thomas steps out of the fanaticism circle (plus it gives the character more relevance). Liz worked just fine in her role, and she was a high point story-wise. Same with the ex-wife, though her only being in one sequence and having their past all dumped in a lone monologue really is a bummer. Fraser and Chau were great, but the rest couldn't get there.

6/10.

Bodies Bodies Bodies

About 20 mins in, when someone described the BBB game, I realized I'm just basically watching an IRL game of Among Us go wrong and had to hunker down. I actually did find myself quite bored down the stretch, mostly between deaths, because there was just a bunch of walking around and dead air during the hurricane. Each of the characters had the depth of a puddle, even for the characters that were meant to have more than that (like Bee and Sophie). The acting was hit or miss - I think Stenberg was the best of the bunch, Davidson was fine for his limited time, Sennott swung between great and flat, and everyone else was just kind of dull. I didn't care about them. There was nothing to engage with. I don't need to like you, I need to engage with you, and if I can't get that, then it's a wash because I stop caring.

I also think this film suffered from being too short, and I'd actually argue that Bee isn't needed. You could still have the plot work without the end twist (it was dumb!!) and having Sophie as the sole lead, where her return after rehab and the subsequent playing of the game outs all the drama. Speaking of drama, much of these characters' histories were told to me. I want to see it, not be told it. Why not have people mention a memory or flinch on a trigger over behavior instead of dialogue dumps of content (which I'll get to) and constantly saying "oh we're longtime besties!!" every other sentence?

Speaking of, good God did this movie just spill the details of the group's qualms practically unprovoked. We didn't get to see it in nuanced performances or context clues via presence and scenery and dialogue: we got EXPOSITION DUMPS. Jordan's beef about Sophie? Teased for a scene or two in the very beginning, left out to dry for a while, and then dumped en masse when she squared off with Bee and Sophie. Max and David beefing over Emma? Two mini conversations about it with no clues teasing such (like if the idea is that they wanna dangle Max as the red herring, they could leave inside jokes or teases that point in his direction like making David's injuries around the black eye). Max doesn't show up at all until the very last scene, so what was the point of him even being brought up or included? What is the point of everyone dying if the plot unravels to not be a campy murder mystery after all? That's not fun!

If this was meant to lampoon Gen Z/Tik Tok culture and how people like the group bastardize mental health language & AAVE, it did not come across that way to me. It came off as those stereotypes playing Among Us But You Actually Die (and even then it's a stretch considering the ending).

4/10.

[ckret2]

How do you have the willpower to not consume content from any of your other fandoms? I always get pulled in and out of the same ones and it stops me from getting projects done but I get so bored! Teach me your ways!

So the downside of ADHD is that it takes a ridiculously high amount of effort to push yourself to do things—even things you want to do and like doing—unless you put even more effort upfront into making it convenient for yourself.

But the upside is, if you know this about yourself, and if there's media you want to not be consuming, you just...... don't do anything to make it convenient to consume.

I don't have Amazon Prime. All I have to do is not bother to get Amazon Prime (easy!!) and not bother to hunt out a way to watch Hazbin some other way (also easy!!) and bam, I've got a 100% success rate of not watching it.

Do you know how many Transformers series I'm currently behind on? I sure don't! Because I haven't put the effort into looking it up! I can't be assed! There's like, at least three I think! Don't tell me, I'm not currently interested in finding out!! It would take work for me to figure it out; I can just go "work?? Naaah. Not doing that."

You can resist temptation by just being too lazy to pursue it! Make that ADHD work for YOU!

Caution: if you can't get yourself to put effort into doing anything that brings you pleasure, that's either Pretty Serious Depression or it's gonna cause Pretty Serious Depression and it's not good. However. If you master the art of ADHD, you can save up the effort you didn't put into distractions, and use it to put effort into different activities that also make you happy.

Last year I picked up a podcast about cults. It's all right. But because I'm already listening to it and spotify keeps pushing it to the top of my screen, when I need a low-effort audio distraction, it's easier for me to default to putting on the podcast about cults than it would be for me to, say, dig up The Magnus Protocol to start it. And bam! Now I'm doing more research that'll help me write about a cult leader, for free, by listening to a podcast I'm not at risk of hyperfixating on!

Part of avoiding breaking your own hyperfixation is figuring out what media you enjoy, but don't hyperfixate on. Because you still need to, like, have fun. That's why you wanna watch The Things You Like, because it's fun. If you're not having fun you'll wanna go watch The Things You Like, and rightly so. So you've gotta make sure you're having enough fun with things you don't hyperfixate on.

Like, I know that when I watch Columbo or read Poirot, I find the detectives charming while I'm observing them, and then almost as soon as the mystery is over I stop thinking about them. They aren't the kind of characters that latch into my brain. I know they won't become blorbos. So I'm safe there. I know I enjoy horror movies but 99% of the time totally forget who the characters are, like if there's 2 white guys and 2 white girls it is guaranteed I won't be able to tell them apart, so they're safe to watch, I'm not gonna hyperfixate on them. I know that I enjoy nonfiction/educational books & podcasts, but I only hyperfixate on fiction, so it's safe for me to pick up nonfiction. If it's nonfiction that's somehow thematically relevant to whatever I'm currently hyperfixated on, it even helps feed the current hyperfixation.

And those are my "protect your hyperfixation" lifehacks.

On the other hand, if you, anon, don't personally have ADHD, then I can't help you. idk how people with executive function function.

Final advice: if you know you keep falling in and out of the same 3 or 4 fandoms, maybe try writing a crossover fic about all 3 or 4 fandoms at once. That way it won't matter which one you're currently into. You win no matter what. I've never actually tried this, don't trust this advice.

[mlmmetalhead]

Closeted Ethan hcs.

Male reader

sfw & nsfw (divided)

A/n: what was supposed to be a couple of hcs turned into a story of sorts, with headcanons following. This is a mess, but I hope you'll enjoy it.

FEM ALIGNED DNI

SFW

He never really as much though of not being straight.

It's more like he never really was attracted to any girls, but got into a relationship or two because of peer pressure. It never worked out in the end, of course. The girls were never satisfied with what he was able to give them.

He felt guilty, really, he did. Didn't know what was wrong, tried to watch some of those pick up gurus on social media, but all the advice seemed pointless.

He did have crushes on boys throughout his life, but never knew they were crushes. Everyone feels like that sometimes, right?

And then he met Y/n.

A cute, selfless, interesting to talk to guy. He was also pretty open about his sexuality, and Ethan supported him!

They weren't best friends per se, but they hung out a lot when the group was together, and enjoyed talking to to each other.

The time they spent together felt great. Even if it wasn't anything crazy, just going to get coffee or something, Ethan always felt amazing in those moments, no matter how short they were.

It was only when Y/n got a boyfriend, something changed.

Jim. An another film major. Arrogant, loud, self-centred, oh, why did Y/n even choose someone like him? They didn't belong together at all!

And the worst thing is, whenever they went somewhere with the group, that annoying guy started going with them!

Everyone seemed to like him a lot. Ethan couldn't understand it even if he tried. There was absolutely nothing to like about him!

So Landry almost stopped hanging out with his friends, at least when Y/n and Jim were there.

The theme came up at a movie party at Sam and Tara's. Y/n and his boyfriend already left, to which Ethan breathed out in relief.

"Why do you hate their relationship so much?" Tara turned to him, eating what was left of the popcorn.

"What? I don't hate it! It's... I don't care. They can do whatever they want." Landry crossed his arms on his chest in defence.

"He suddenly became homophobic when Y/n actually got a boyfriend." Anika giggled.

"Nah, more like he's jealous." Mindy chimed in.

"What? Don't be ridiculous, I'm not jealous!" Ethan almost shouted with offence clearly painted on his features.

"Oooh, you totally are!" Tara laughed.

"Okay, you're being irrational here. Who am I even jealous of? Y/n? Why would I be?"

"You're not jealous of Y/n, you're jealous because of him!" Mindy exclaimed.

Ethan opened his mouth to respond, but found his words stuck in his throat. He sat there for a minute, and then got up to leave.

"I need to think this through." He explained, putting his jacket on.

"The closet is made out of glass!" Anika shouted when the door closed behind him.

That took a LONG time thinking through. I mean not like a day or two, but more like a couple of months.

Through all this time Ethan made an effort to shield himself from any interactions with L/n. He didn't need more sexuality crisis then what was going on currently.

But alas, he was pulled out to a party by Chad, of course he was. No words could convince the guy to let him stay.

"You've been alone rotting by yourself for the longest time, we need to find you at least someone!"

And that's how he got here. Sitting in someone's backyard with music blasting from the house. He was lucky no one was shagging here, that's for sure.

"Hey E! Didn't know you were here, too!"

With dread spreading through his chest, Ethan looked up to see the very guy he was trying to avoid this whole time smiling at him, just walked out of the house.

"Yeah. I didn't want to come." Landry looked away, trying to look like the bushes were the most interesting thing in the world.

"...hey, I'm sorry, okay? Can- can you tell me what happened, please? What did I do?" Y/n's sorry voice rang in the cool spring air, making Landry's heart almost stop.

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, everything was great, we had chemistry or something, and then you suddenly just... Stop talking to me. Without an explanation or anything. What happened, E? I really... I really liked what we had, y'know? I want to try and bring that back."

A silence fell upon the two as Ethan tried to think of a plausible answer.

"You didn't do anything, it's a me problem. I still like you, Y/n."

L/n smiled faintly. "Well, what's the problem then? Maybe I can help you... Figure it out?"

Landry shifted in his place, awkwardly coughing in his fist, as faint red dust covered his cheeks. "Isn't your boyfriend gonna be worried about where you are? Maybe you should check on him."

"Who, Jim? Oh, we broke up a couple of weeks ago."

"Really?" Shit, that sounded a lot more enthusiastic then Ethan was ready for

"Yeah, I don't even know why, his initiative."

"Oh, I'm..." Landry tried to compose himself, and not let the for some reason wildly beating heart take over, "I'm so... Really sorry, Y/n. That must've been awful."

L/n shrugged at that. "I got over it pretty quickly. We didn't exactly have a deep connection or anything like that."

Ethan couldn't stop his hands from fidgeting when he finally got the courage to open his mouth. "Okay, I will tell you what my problem is, if you promise not to laugh! Or tell anyone!"

"I promise." Y/n had a serious expression on his face, despite the slight smile still lingering on his lips.

Landry took a deep breath before continuing: "I think... I might... I might prefer boys over girls."

An another round of silence ensued, making Ethan sweat from nervousness.

"Oh dude that's... That's awesome. I'm so happy for you." Y/n took him in for a hug, leaving Ethan startled for a moment. "Sorry for being so selfish but did you... Did you realize because of me?"

Landry gulped. "I... Possibly? I don't know how I feel about you, but when you were with Jim I felt... Weird."

"There's only one way to find out."

"Wh- what do you mean, exactly?" Ethan could feel a mix of worry and excitement creep up his back again.

"I think you know what I mean." Y/n said in a low voice, leaning closer to his face. "Kiss me, man."

That didn't take much convincing.

The kiss felt sweet and a little awkward, Ethan wasn't a very experienced kisser, but all he lacked was made up by Y/n.

After that party, they started talking again, with more sweet talk implemented.

The word 'boyfriends' scared Landry a little, and even if everyone around them called them just that, he didn't want to use it.

But Y/n didn't mind, he understood the stress the poor boy was going through and didn't want to double down on it.

So they were just friends.

Friends who are far more affectionate with each other.

Friends who stay at each other's dorms and sleep in each other's beds, cuddled up.

Friends who have no problem kissing each other when they're in private.

Yeah, that type of friends.

Ethan was insanely nervous about coming out to others, especially his family.

So most likely, it was L/n who brought the news over to the others when they both were ready.

Luckily, everyone in the group was super supportive of Y/n's and Ethan's relationship when they finally told everyone. But his family still stays in the shadows.

He wants to be affectionate everywhere, but he's also nervous. So no PDA in public.

But when it's alone time? Oh boy, he won't calm down, because his boyfriend is now his bed and his stuffed toy for hugging and kissing.

The boy is painfully touchstarved, and his partner quickly learns that.

Dates are never a problem, even if it's just a quick meetup in-between lectures, Ethan remembers that. I think he keeps a box of different stuff other people will consider junk, but for him, it's memories of the dates with Y/n.

He also sometimes wish he could draw, just so that he could draw pictures of his boyfriend.

Ethan's love language is mostly gifts and quality time. He never was able to really put his feelings into words, so little trinkets will do.

He almost behaves like a cat, leaving it on his boyfriend's bed or putting it with a little note in his bag, for the life of him, he can't just give presents normally.

NSFW

Actually, it has been long before he came out when Ethan started jerking off to gay porn.

He never really wanted to think why it turned him on so much, it just did and he didn't give it much thought, as long as it felt good.

He never experimented with pleasuring himself anally, but he couldn't picture himself being on top.

Here's the truth: Ethan's not just a virgin, a turbovirgin. He came in his pants the first couple of times he and Y/n made out.

He's so extremely loud, his boyfriend may need to gag him, as he moans at the smallest bit of touch.

Even though it will take a while before he would be able to get to penetration, sucking cock quickly became one of, if not the favourite bedroom activity.

He could drop on his knees anywhere any time if it was needed, and he always drooled a lot, providing enough lube.

It's possible he has an oral fixation at this point, but no matter the cause: he's great at taking it in his mouth, isn't this what matters?

His thighs are super sensitive, every time L/n's hands brush over them, even if it's not intentionally, Landry can hardly contain a moan.

He isn't into anything crazy in particular, but later he discovers his love towards overstimulation.

There's just something so satisfying in being pounded and played with again and again, hardly staying conscious while being covered in spit, sweat and other possible bodily fluids.

As we established, he's a bottom. At first, it was a little hard, but the second Y/n's cock hit Ethan's prostate for the first time, all the worries were gone.

Absolutely loves being taken, feeling helpless and soft while his sweet spot is being driven into.

His moans during intercourse resemble a girl's pretty good, so Y/n's and Ethan's neighbours still didn't get any questions.

If he's a little more eager, loves sitting on his boyfriend's lap or riding him, being in somewhat of control.

His lips always get so swollen and red by the time they finish since he bites them so much.

Hides any marks were thoroughly because he doesn't want to be embarrassed, but he does have a secret fantasy of just parading his lover's marks on his body freely, letting everyone know he's taken.

[transgenderteensurvivalguide]

my dysphoria has been very bad recently and i have found it very difficult to do things like showering, changing and sleeping especially. ive been over wearing my binder a lot because i find it very difficult to bring myself to take it off, and i keep wearing it for 30+ hours at a time which i know is bad but i currently have no other alternative and not wearing one feels worse than the pain i get by overwearing. i hate wearing sports bras and ive run out of transtape, i have ordered more but it probably won’t be coming for another couple of weeks. i don’t know what to do because i don’t want to damage my body severely, is there anything else i can do?

Lee says:

As you know, wearing a binder for extended periods can lead to severe health issues, including respiratory problems, rib fractures, and skin conditions.

When you feel like doing something that's harming you physically is your only option to cope because your dysphoria is that intense, you should look into getting a therapist.

Frequently binding for 30+ hours isn't a sustainable option and finding alternative coping strategies will be easier with professional help to help you deal with what you're doing through.

Two posts that might help with your specific questions are Staying clean and coping with shower-related dysphoria and Dysphoria when you have to sleep and those two posts really cover most of what I have to say on those subjects so I won't reinvent the wheel by typing the same thing but I encourage you to read both links.

Apart from that, in the next couple of weeks as you wait for your TransTape to arrive (And start the process of seeking a therapist!) here are some strategies you can try doing:

1. Layered Clothing:

Wearing loose, layered clothing can help obscure the chest area. Consider wearing baggy shirts, jackets, or vests to help reduce the visibility of your chest.

Luckily it's fall time (at least here in the East Coast) so it's starting to get a little bit cooler, some days, and I wear a sweater (at work) or sweatshirt (when at home) like 100% of the time just because I'm always cold and it's also an Autistic sensory friendly thing for me too.

See more: Body neutrality

2. Distraction Techniques:

Engage in activities that take your mind off your dysphoria. This could be reading, drawing, journaling, listening to music, watching movies or TV, or any other hobby or activity that you enjoy and find absorbing.

Engage in self-care activities that actually make you feel good about yourself, not just doomscrolling social media. And for those times when you are on social media, if you're currently following anyone who makes you stressed/unhappy, stop following them. It's your feed and you're in charge!

But if you find that it's hard to do the necessary activities of everyday living because you find yourself spending most of your time engaging in distraction techniques, and you're falling behind on homework/work, that's another sign that you need additional support from a mental health professional.

3. Grounding Techniques:

Practicing mindfulness can help you stay present and reduce distressing thoughts, but the kind of nebulous meditation stuff never worked well for my ADHD brain.

Guided meditation

15 meditation tips

How to do progressive muscle relaxation

Body scan relaxation exercise

Mindfulness skills and worksheets masterpost

Imagery

Imagery self-help

Relaxation

Relaxation audio

Safe-place visualization

I found specific things like grounding exercises, like the "5-4-3-2-1" technique (identifying five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste), can help divert your attention from dysphoric feelings if you're having a Moment. This type of strategy is useful when you start to notice yourself spiraling to try and re-center yourself.

Soothing grounding exercise

Physical grounding exercise

Mental grounding exercise

Grounding techniques

How to make a grounding box

Grounding exercises

How to ground and center

4. Stay connected:

Connect with in-person and/or online LGBTQ+ support groups who understand what you're going through. Sharing your feelings and hearing from others who have similar experiences can be comforting and it can help you to learn new coping strategies and things to try.

In general, avoiding isolation is important. Join a club or volunteer for something, join a sports team, hang out with your friends, etc. Just don't stay alone in your room. Get out of the house if you can, or invite people over or have video calls or phone calls if aren't up to being out and about. Just stay in contact with people.

See more: Motivating yourself to socialize

5. Set Alarms:

Consider setting alarms or reminders to take off your binder and give your body a break. Even short breaks can help reduce the risk of injury.

Here are some links that may help in general:

9 strategies for dealing with body dysphoria

How do I deal with dysphoria?

20 Small Things To Do When Gender Dysphoria Gets You Down

25 Things I Do To Make My Body Dysphoria Feel Smaller and Quieter

More on coping with dysphoria

Dealing with dysphoria

A post with suggestions for coping with dysphoria

Take care of your mental health

8 tips for managing dysphoria and mental health

A coping tip

Disablity-friendly dysphoria tips

Dysphoria that prevents you from leaving the house/doing activities of daily living

Your feelings are valid, and it's essential to find ways to manage your dysphoria that prioritize your health and well-being. There isn't a secret dysphoria cure I can share with you, to be frank it just sucks sometimes and there's not a lot to do about it but you gotta find a way to cope and keep going and stay safe.

Eventually it gets better-- you either find a way to cope more effectively and manage the dysphoria and/or time just passes and you grow older and eventually find a way to access surgery, but either way you will eventually become an adult who is managing life somehow and overall doin' okay and yeah there's hope at the end of the tunnel so please keep going!

You deserve care, support, and understanding, even if your family isn't able to provide that right now. And again, apart from the two links that I started the response with, the main advice I have is that you should ask to speak with a therapist (even if you are closeted and don't tell your fam that it's gender/binding/dysphoria related) and just let them know that you're struggling with your mental health in general.

Please reach out for help if you need it, and consider seeking medical attention if you experience severe pain or discomfort from binding. Good luck!!

As some of you may have noticed, our blog has been around for a decade or so and some links may be broken because we're all busy etc so pls let me know if something is wonky in a post I'm trying to link to!

Followers, any advice for anon?

[gigglesandfreckles-hp]

thank you @annabtg for the tag! xx

three ships: it's funny because usually romantic ships are what i'm least interested in within media...jily is literally my one exception and i'm obviously feral for them. i'll try reading anything at least once though! i'm just usually more interested in the complexities of familial and platonic relationships.

first ship: same answer...james/lily

last song: back to december by taylor swift (for...a...fic-related...reason)

last movie: coco

currently reading: the small and the mighty by sharon mcmahon

currently watching: the only thing ever on the television at our home is sport. baseball and football, most of the time, with a sprinkling of american football and basketball. i work in education, so i don't have an attention span for dramatic shows or immature comedies honestly. which probably makes me boring...but i'll stick with my comfort sport programmes.

currently eating: it's 10pm so i've just finished a cuppa tea and need ot resist the urge to make another or i'll be using the toilet all night, ha!

currently craving: the edible cookie dough bites from crumbl cookie! and for my toddler to get over her 'can i sleep in youuuuuur bed mummy?' phase 🥲

Tagging: anyone who hasn't done this and would like to! (i've seen a lot of these curculating, so don't want to risk being redundant in tagging specifics xx)

[solarwynd]

https://www.tumblr.com/solarwynd/765358565733072896/i-feel-a-bit-burnt-out-on-big-pop-songs-nowadays?source=share

Sorry this isn't really Jimin related but I was thinking about this today. Caveat I know there's a lot of great music and talented musicians who are doing cool stuff around but my gripe is that we're getting less and less mainstream exposure to it and all my points are specifically about how exposed the gp is to it, not people who are deep in a particular genre or the indie scene

For one thing the alt pop, rock, edm, britpop and punk genre has totally shrunk in on itself in the mainstream compared to about a decade or two ago. Hip hop and rap have generally expanded to sort of replace that void but this year has been disappointing I think? Is it just me? Apart from the KL - Drake beef in the summer ofc. I'm glad Latin music, afrobeats and kpop is getting bigger but it's also centered on a few big names imo, rather than being full fledged established genres. I'm no expert but that's my layman assessment. Countrys getting bigger but I dislike country so this is bad news for me 😭

But also do you remember when tv series used to try to promote artists? Sure they'd play some current radio hits or oldies and it still happens once in a while like running up that hill with stranger things but we used to get 22 episodes with at least a few indie songs playing in the past. Now that series are getting shorter and shorter, it's had this unexpected side effect of limiting that kind of exposure. Also does anyone feel mainstream movie soundtracks are getting worse too? I think it's cause most of them are marvel Disney movies and they're pretty barren from a soundscape pov. Using Justin Timberlake's bye bye bye during the Deadpool opening scene? Some of the most uninspired shit I've seen in a while.

Even the films that released as musicals this year - all of them are recycling songs from their original theatrical productions like wicked or mean girls or they don't have any new songs at all like joker folie a deux. I don't know if it's because I aged out of watching them, but it also feels like Disney channel used to have more music in general for their teen audience - high school musical movies, camp rock, victorious, Hannah Montana, descendants - need to ask some kids if they still have shows or movies like these still. Again I don't know if I aged out of this either but Disney also used to just release more animated movies with original music right? Not just releasing lion king and Mulan or whatever again with the same songs slightly tweaked with new singers. Also this is apropos of nothing but remember when glee was a thing 😭

But even as TV and movies were getting less musically diverse, I feel like in the late 2010s and around the pandemic, Tiktok, Snapchat, social media in general was taking its place and exposing people to new music. The problem is that music labels quickly caught on and nowadays tiktok is also the same roster of top 40 hits as radio with influencers being paid to dance to a song or tiktok being paid so-called heating deals to promote certain songs. Same thing with Spotify. Spotify has always had paid playlists but the way they push the same songs over and over again now is crazy.

Anyway I sound like old man yells at clouds so I'm going to stop griping and start actively seeking out new music outside what's trending. I was just curious if other people also feel this narrowing or if it's just me

This is such a good assessment and I agree with you.

[yuusishi]

Hmmm. Could I request Ace, Cater and Jamil with an s/o who's a stage magician but does actual magic?

. . . FOR MY NEXT TRICK!

pairings : Ace Trappola, Cater Diamond, Jamil Viper x gn!reader (sep.)

genre : fluff

cws/tws : none

a/n : I'm currently going through a Black Butler phase hashtag help. Also I made this generally s/o who’s a stage magician cuz I didn’t really understand the “but does actual magic” part

Ace Trappola !!

Your number 1 hypeman, but sneakily (sometimes).

He goes to all of your performances, using them as motivation to get all of his homework and studies done to make it to the venue in time.

Loves all your performances. You’d tease him that he was so focused on it earlier, but he’d say he wasn’t as if he wasn’t completely in a trance by the flashiness and the clever tricks you pulled.

Ace already loves doing card tricks, what more if his partner is a whole magician? He’d ask to teach him some simple magic tricks to brag about to his brother.

Speaking of his brother, Ace would send videos of your performances every time he went to one and gush about how cool it looked in person, leading to his brother making fun of him (affectionately) for being such a simp for his little partner.

If you ever perform at NRC itself, he would NOT shut up to the rest of the first years to join him to watch. All of them either joined in to support you (Deuce, Jack, Epel) or just to get Ace to shut up (Sebek).

He’d be in the audience silently screaming to himself “That’s my s/o!!”.

He'd buy all your merch (that he can afford) but keep it somewhere hidden because he knows he'll get the teasing of a lifetime if you or his brother found out about it.

Cater Diamond

Your number 1 hypeman, but extremely obvious.

He has an entire highlight on his Magicam account full of pictures and videos that he took when he attends your performances.

Secretly manages a fan account of you, he tries to use filter combinations that doesn’t look too similar to his usual style on his main to not make it obvious it's him.

Possibly even made edits for that account.

Even if you weren’t a performer you’d still be all over his Magicam story, he’s there with you before and after your time on stage to congratulate and praise you.

Another one that buys all your merch, but he posts it on his social media accounts and keeps them somewhere in his room (possibly his nightstand).

He'd love to be part of your performances too!! Especially using Split Card for disappearance acts or tricks that will make it look like you cloned him.

(He hopes people from NRC aren't there, that would just spoil the act if they know his UM!!)

He'd try to learn little magic tricks from Ace to play with you a little, you end up trying to one up each other sometimes.

Jamil Viper !!

He doesn't really have the time to attend every single one of your performances like the other two, but tries to spare little time to attend them at least twice a month, maybe 3 if he's lucky.

Kalim would buy your merch for him since he couldn't always go to your performances, resulting in Jamil accepting them but very embarrassed.

It's worse if you or any other dorm members are there to see it.

He'd probably keep the merch on his nightstand too or has a dedicated drawer for it inside his dorm room. Generally somewhere not extremely obvious (minus the nightstand option).

Honestly he's incredibly impressed you managed to make a name for yourself with something very uncommon like being a stage magician, especially at your age. Actors like Vil aren't unusual since movies and series are still big, but stage magic are usually just things for children.

He’d also help you prepare for your next performance if you have any!! But clothing and grooming are as far as he can get, you wouldn’t want to spoil the act for him, would you?

Just like Cater, he’d also be with you before and after the performance if he gets to attend, congratulating you on yet another successful show.

[hsvh-hp]

Hi! Thanks for all the responses -- I hadn't realized how many chapters I'd gotten through since your last round until I saw the emails lmao

I was wondering, in regards to this:

And omg, I totally feel you on being a trans person in the HP fandom. It's very weird how my tumblr dash is set up. I have mutuals still from old fandoms who are queer, and I feel so ostracized from them at times when they toe the line of 'anybody in the HP fandom supports JKR, you're a bad person if you're still engaging with it'. I'll spare you the essay on why I disagree with that, but oddly the safest place I feel on the internet as a trans person is in the HP fandom. Which is weird at face value, I suppose, given what JKR is doing, but we really are separate from her. I've yet to see substantial evidence that fandom, which is infamous for generating zero revenue, is floating trans peoples' demise. It's just a thought crime, I guess.

if you would, perhaps, not spare me the essay? lol

I feel the same sort of ostracization which is especially frustrating when I am in such "thought crimes are fake!" circles, and I'm interested in your perspective, if you want to give it!

Sure, I’ll offer my perspective on it! This is probably best broken down into bullet points:

1. JKR was already a billionaire before she came out as a TERF.

There is nothing in the world that will change this status. Even if every single person currently engaging with her various IPs immediately dropped them, JKR would still have a billion plus dollars to drop on anti-trans movements and whatever. A billion dollars is immensely difficult to picture. The easiest way is to think like this: if you make $50,000 a year, the equivalent of her dropping $75,000 the other day is you spending $3.75. How often do you spend 0.0075% of your income and give it any thought? JKR’s wealth is not directly tied to ‘levels of fandom engagement’.

Which leads to…

2. Boycotts don’t work.

Sorry. They don’t. Not against someone this politically powerful. If they did, the flood of people out of the HP fandom in 2020 would have had a measurable effect. What did have a measurable effect? People not going to watch the Fantastic Beast movies (because they were hot trash lmao). Not giving JKR any more money works in the sense that it cripples her future projects, but it has zero effect on what’s already in her purse.

Also, think of boycotts this way: wasn’t it hilarious watching conservatives try to boycott the Barbie movie, Nike, Bud Light, and whatever else they’ve systematically locked on to? But so then why do progressives/the left/whoever think it’s going to work the other way? Like with Hogwarts Legacy? Just don’t interact with the media, dude. And if you do, pirate it.

3. Fandom is not mainstream. I have never seen any data to substantiate that participating in a fandom directly correlates to dollars for the IP. Copyright literally prevents that from happening. To bring up to popular saying, “there is no ethical consumption under capitalism”, fandom exists outside of capitalism—for me, at least, as a fan fiction writer. This is a hobby to me. I have never seen a red cent for any of the hours of work I’ve put into my fics.

And I can probably guarantee that no one has stumbled upon Harry Potter through me, lol. They didn’t read one of my fics and go, ‘you know, I should check out what source material this is coming from’. Harry Potter is so well-known that there’s no way they came in blind.

Also, the TERF discourse is very much an online thing. I work retail irl and I’ve had conversations with customers who’ll say “you know, I really don’t get all this hubbub against trans people” but are too boomer to be anything more than tangentially aware that Harry Potter is a Thing. Like, ‘oh yeah, my kids read those books when they were coming out, but I never bothered’. One of my employees bought a set of the HP books because they were on a wicked deal at Costco, and when we were discussing it I told her that while I still enjoyed HP, I wasn’t comfortable giving JKR more money because she’s extremely transphobic and donates a lot of money to anti-trans causes. My employee was horrified and said that had she known that, she wouldn’t have bought the books. Lots of people just don’t know!

Which takes me to…

4. This type of online activism isn’t effective.

I’m talking specifically about being anti-Harry Potter or anti-JKR. Falling into those two categories does not automatically make you pro-trans. This was pretty blatantly obvious back when the books were being burned for promoting witchcraft. As far as fighting for trans peoples’ rights, screaming until you’re blue in the face about how anybody who engages with Harry Potter is a traitor and JKR BAD is wasting time better spent doing something productive - something that could actually benefit trans people rather than…I don’t know…virtue signalling that their blog or twitter account is a safe space?

5. I personally do not feel welcomed or vouched for by these people.

Listen, I’m going to break myself down into all my stupid little categories. I’m trans. Autistic. Intersex. Aromantic. Asexual. Basically, all the things that people love to try and cast out of the queer community, whether that means they’re trying to split LGBTQIA+ at the T or Q.

The anti-Harry Potter stuff, as far as attacking the fandom, feels like the latest strain of purity politics to me. As I’ve laid out above, abandoning HP will not right the wrongs of JKR in any measurable or tangible way. Boycotts don’t work. Fandom does not feed JKR’s coffers, and destroying the fandom will not cripple her. There are trans people inside the HP fandom, and what of us? Are we traitors? Are we not ‘really’ trans, because obviously we don’t care about the current political climate? Are we just confused and need to be enlightened as to what harm we’re doing? Where have I heard this rhetoric before?

One small thing, tangentially related:

6. I don’t care what JKR says about how engaging with Harry Potter tells her about who her ‘supporters’ are.

Seriously? She’s a lying dirtbag, and I’m just supposed to take her word on this? This is the one thing she just so happens to be right about?

When she started spouting TERF shit, I was really saddened by the writers who, upon leaving the fandom, also deleted their works in protest. Seeing as the majority of the HP fandom is queer, I’m sure that JKR was very pleased with the amount of queer media erasure that occurred. Why did we do that for her?

7. I believe JKR actually seethes and malds over the prospect of her fandom being queer and producing queer content.

As a writer, there’s a special kind of pain that comes from someone not quite interpreting your work the way you would have wanted them to. What do you think JKR’s first reaction was when she first learned about the Harry/Draco ship? The Draco/Hermione ship? If she didn’t live in a stone castle, I bet she would’ve punched a hole in the wall.

So, yeah. Transing and gaying all of her characters is a pretty nice way to get to her in a way that she can’t legally or financially retaliate. Every time she screams ‘WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?!’ at the queer people in her fandom, a trans person’s crops are watered.

8. The HP setting is very welcoming to trans people.

Potions exist that can change your body. Enough said.

That the Harry Potter books never really says anything specifically about trans people (NOTE: obviously JKR’s prejudices even back then showed through, but this isn’t about that) leaves the question on the table. Obviously trans people exist in the Harry Potter setting, because they exist everywhere. So, how did they never get any page time?

Well, who says they didn’t? In a setting where potions exist to change your body, trans people are just…people. I don’t even think that they would have a marginalized identity because gender dysphoria would be something very easily treated. Think of it like someone who takes medication for blood pressure. They need the medication, it’s life-saving, and while there isn’t a magical pill to ‘cure’ high blood pressure, it can be managed. The magical world revels in being strange. Why would being trans, while being considered strange here in the ‘Muggle’ world, be anything other than normal there? Why can’t it be?

And then there are Metamorphmagi. People who can literally change themselves at will! If that isn’t a trans person’s dream, I don’t know what is. I would personally love the option of being the biggest, hairiest dude with a dick so big an erection would make me black out, and then ultra femme and delicate the next.

Last on this point, Harry never notes anyone specifically trans in the text (NOTE: touching on things like the physical descriptions of Rita Skeeter and Marge Dursley, JKR tends to do the ugly=bad person thing. Although she describes Rita and Marge as mannish in appearance, they aren’t trans characters. They’re women that JKR wants to frame as bad people. Like I said above, this is JKR’s prejudice showing through). If Harry never notes anyone as specifically trans, that probably means that it’s impossible to tell at face value. The same as blood pressure medication, to return to that analogy. How do you know someone is on them? They tell you. You see the pill bottle and happen to know what that medication is for. They complain about side effects. They complain about the symptoms that led them going to the doctor in the first place.

9. Queer HP fandom content can potentially be how a Harry Potter fan realizes that they’re queer (or that queer people are just regular folks).

Hey, the first one happened to me!

If someone comes into the Harry Potter fandom unaware of JKR’s politics - maybe they were gifted the books for their birthday or happened to catch the movies on TV - it’s good actually that this person doesn’t fall right into an echo chamber of JKR’s politics. I’ll be happily here to correct her record in a way that isn’t shaming or policing them.

Anyway, I think that’s everything lol. To summarize:

- The HP Fandom is a neutral setting. Engaging with it doesn’t help JKR, and not engaging with it doesn’t help trans people. Just don’t spend money on official HP merch.

- If you want to be a pro-trans activist or trans political ally, please just ignore JKR and put all your focus on the real world.

- There are trans people in the HP fandom who are left feeling awkward and uncomfortable due to virtue signalling.

- Generating queer HP content is good, actually.

[stars-tonight]

Hi! I love all the matchups you’ve been doing and I would love to get one if you don’t mind Ꮚ^ꈊ^Ꮚ, thank you so much!!

✩ Long matchup; romantic

✩ Any pronouns, male preference but also okay with a female pairing!

✩ Ideal partner: Level-headed/patient, someone I’m able to rely on and who can be mature and calm when needed while still knowing when to let loose and be goofy sometimes, and also someone who is willing to rely on others when they need it too. Understanding, someone who is non-judgmental and open-minded, especially with any sensitive or personal topics. Someone who is willing to try out new experiences and meet new people. Lowkey want someone who can match whatever vibe I currently got going on lol.

✩ I would say I lean into being introverted quite a bit, I like to keep to myself mostly but if the people and vibes in a situation are right then I’ll feel comfortable with being more talkative and active in whatever is going on. I can be a bit stubborn(?) or passionate about the things that I care about, especially if I also have a certain goal in mind towards them. Massive overthinker and generally very anxious in unfamiliar settings lol, but willing to try new things and meet new people.

✩ My main hobby is art, I spend a lot of my time drawing on my tablet making characters or drawing fanart of media that I enjoy. My other hobbies include playing video games (things like minecraft, breath of the wild, animal crossing, etc), writing, and collecting figurines of characters from media that I like (anime, movies, etc)!

✩ Love languages: I like to give acts of service, gifts, or quality time and I like to receive physical touch or quality time

✩ Ideal date: something quiet and chill like going to a coffee shop, cat cafe, or museum

✩ Other: My MBTI is INFP, I’m an Aries, I love to wear gothic fashion and jewelry (similar to misa amane’s style in death note), and my favorite colors are purple or dark green.

Likes: lamb biryani (my beloved), rainy days, watching horror movies, and goth/rock/R&B music

Dislikes: summer heat, loud areas, and pickles

headcanons

🥛 suga is an ambivert and has two sides to him

🥛 the responsible mama side

🥛 and the wild little child side

🥛 with that being said, he can be patient, mature, and calm, but also goofy

🥛 and he's also willing to try new things, meet new people

🥛 he's just a rather chill guy who can go with the flow and match your energy levels

🥛 although i can say with confidence that i think suga would be completely non judgemental and open minded when it comes to personal topics

🥛 he'd make sure to do his research too so if you or anyone else he knew was ever struggling he would be well prepared and know how to help them and care for them

🥛 suga can be really passionate about his work or activities, such as when he spent all night coming up with hand signals for plays to run

🥛 suga strikes me as a pretty artistic guy; he at least has an appreciation for art and literature

🥛 he's not the best at drawing but he'll always admire and praise your work

🥛 and if he played video games it'd probably be a cozy game like animal crossing

🥛 i think he likes seeing people's hobbies and seeing the passion others have for what they do

🥛 so he'd love to see how much you love art! it comes off really endearing and charming

🥛 he likes to spend a lot of time with you; you could just be doing your own thing next to each other, but what's important is that you're together

🥛 and suga suits chill dates really well

🥛 can you imagine him surrounded by fluffy cats 🥺

runner up for you was kuroo tetsurō!

A/N: hi! i'm sorry about the long wait, but i hope you liked your matchup!

[in-my-loki-feels]

11, 16, and 17 for the fic writer asks!

11. Link your three favorite fics right now.

I originally thought this was a request for fic recs, but all the questions in the game are about your own writing so I guess that's what it means? (Imma do both.😁)

Three favorite fics of my own right now: Beg Me For It, Let Me See You, Feelin Nauti

Three current favs by others: Kneel for Me, Rein Me In, wait for me at the bottom (a Thanzag rec for you!)

16. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

My god, so many. At least 7, but I could be forgetting some. I don't think I've had this many ideas tumbling in my head since the AC2 days. 😆

I have one idea for the President Loki + Don AU where Loki would not only get to take on a female form, but also goes head-to-head with Don's ex-wife (which sounds way more dramatic than it is). I keep setting it aside because it feels like a lesser plot point in that AU and I'd probably be writing it to indulge myself more than others.

17. What do you do when writing becomes difficult? (maybe a lack of inspiration or writers block)

Perfect timing for this question as the wip I'm currently working on is making writing feel VERY difficult right now. If I'm totally blocked or I can't figure out what's wrong with a story/it just doesn't feel right, the first thing I should do is step away and see if the next step comes to me naturally, instead of trying to force it. However, I rarely follow that advice because I'm a clown.

The next step is to reach out for help. Either a beta reader in fandom, or my bestie whose also been my writing buddy for many, many years. No matter the fandom or subject, we can turn to each other, and since she has no emotional investment in the characters, sometimes she can see the problem more clearly.

If it's a lack of inspiration, then I usually seek out some new media to consume. One of my favorite pieces of writing advice is: if you want to be a writer, you need to read a lot and write a lot. Reading, watching a TV show or movie, or listening to new music activates my brain and usually leads to new ideas.

Thank you for the ask! <3

[ro994art]

A very specific nitpick I have with 'Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate'

I don't do text posts here very often. This feels odd, let's just get on with it.

I was originally going to write down a full-on review expressing my utter disappointment and disgust dislike towards the horrible and cheap "sequel" to my favorite Dreamworks movie, Megamind. A sequel which, by now, we all know was nothing but a glorified extended pilot for a Peacock series that I have not watched, but it honestly looks just as mediocre, so I have no current plans to.

Hoooowever, I have since seen many reviews of this "movie", most of which have been able to express my feelings and thoughts pretty well. So it felt like I didn't have much else to contribute to the discourse.

Except for one thing that I have not seen anyone talk about (or maybe they have talked about it and I just haven't seen it), and it was one of the things that bothered me most about the film. So this post's entire purpose is to publicly point it out.

No, I'm not talking about Keiko herself (although yes, she was my least favorite character and completely ruined the movie and this franchise for me thanks for asking). It's more the purpose of her character.

You see, and allow me to put my cranky old lady pants for just a moment, I believe most people have been able to guess that the entire reason this character was put into the movie was to be a target audience insert. So the 8 to 12 year-olds watching can go "Hey! This character is around my age and has the same interest as me! I'll keep watching for her!" (Do no ask me how well that's going because I personally do not find the excecution of it all that great, but I digress). And although, as a more mature viewer and long-time follower of the franchise, this does feel a bit annoying, having this kind of character when you're trying to appeal to a new audience is, technically speaking, not a bad thing in itself. And when executed well, this can totally work.

But here's the problem.

It makes no sense for a character like this to form part of Megamind's story.

You see, my friends, for those of you who have not seen this movie (which, for your own good, I sincerely hope is the majority of people who are reading this), "Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate" is VERY explicitly supposed to take place two days after the events of the first movie.

Just two days.

This is explicitly said at least two or three times in the first act of the movie alone (I value my sanity too much to rewatch the film to double-check that fact, but I'm fairly confident in that).

If you all remember, the masterpiece known as the original Megamind movie came out in 2010. Therefore, the most logical thing to assume is that the events of the film itself also take place in 2010, if not before that, right? It's never explicitly stated, but since there is nothing that confirms or denies this, I think it's the default assumption we as an audience should make.

Now, I did not own my first cellphone until the year 2012 when I turned 13 (don't make fun of me for that fact), so, correct me if I'm wrong. But I don't think in 2010, we were seeing thing such as:

Smartphones like the one Keiko has throughout the film,

People using said smartphones to make livestreams in which people leave likes and comments in real time,

Kids who are content creators gaining half a million subscribers in TWO LITERAL DAYS (I cannot stress this enough) by getting information and newsflashes from goodness-knows-where,

App equivalents to TikTok and Instagram with as much popularity as we saw in this,

And overall, just social media getting the same treatment and functioning the same in 2010 as it does in 2024.

I mean yes, in 2010, things such as the ones I listed above were probably beginning to take popularity and to become a thing. But they surely weren't as well-established as they're being presented to us in Megamind "2".

This cheapquel "sequel" is suppossed to be only two days after the first one, and yet, everything that revolves around THIS KID'S existence suggests to us that we're in the 2020's era of internet, influencers, and social media. Heck, the earliest I could buy any of this believably happening is like, 2018. 2015 as a stretch.

We went from 2010 to (at least) 2015 in two stinkin' days.

No sense whatsoever.

Logically speaking, there's no way TikTok Childstar Keiko was even born in the year the first Megamind took place. Like, her birth year is 2011 at the earliest, and you can't convince me otherwise. Why do you even exist two days after Megamind was renowned as the hero of Metrocity? Please go back to the womb.

(That got personal, sorry. This kid gets too much on my nerves)

"Well, TECHNICALLY since it's never stated when the first Megamind took place, nothing's stopping them from making it so that it's been 2024 all along"

If that seriously does not sound like gaslighting your audience in order to force "hip" references that resonate with the kids watching almost a decade and a half after the original film came out to you, then I don't know what does. I don't even care if "you're not suppossed to think too hard about it" (which is a lame excuse for lazy writing btw), just watching both movies back-to-back, the tonal differences and any chronological references just clash way too much for me to buy this as a legitimate follow-up taking place in the same universe, same city, and even same week.

So yes, "Megamind vs The Doom Syndicate" sucks, and the inclusion of this character and this anachronistic plotline, for me, is a huge reason why. It's insulting to the audience and a clearly desperate attempt to appeal to a new generation of kids that frankly, if Megamind had gotten a genuinely good sequel, they would've liked it all the same, even if it didn't include a 12-year-old TikTok influencer with a half-baked personality and forced role in the story. Because seriously, don't even get me STARTED on how forced her joining the gang felt, holy crap. 😓 But that's a tangent for another day. Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe I'll just leave this meme here and move on.

This was, of course, only one of many flaws this movie had, but I feel like other people have ranted enough about how the writing, character portrayals, poor animation, bad humor, and lame attempts at world-building did the original Megamind dirty.

Here's hoping one day Dreamworks wakes up, thinks smart, and decides to give us the Megamind 2 we deserve, so we can all happily toss this... project, into the realm of non-canon media, where it belongs.

[cy-cyborg]

So I sent you an ask before your tumblr got deleted and I’m assuming the ask got deleted too. Basically, when I was watching Nimona I thought Ballistar got his prosthetic too quickly after his amputation. But I don’t actually know how long it takes for an amputation to heal, or to build up the strength needed to use a prosthetic. Also I would have liked to see him learn to use his prosthetic instead of using it perfectly from the beginning. But I’m not an amputee. Are my impressions of this accurate?

Yeah, I'm really sorry about that (also that it took me a little while to answer this time too!), I'm pretty sure my answer was actually the next post in my queue 😅.

So I haven't seen Nimona (I really want to, but I don't currently have Netflix lol) so I can only answer generally, but the healing time is different depending on what you mean by healed. If you mean just the wound healing, that takes a few weeks, usually 2-4 weeks. If you mean able to wear a prosthetic, for leg amps, that's usually 6-8 weeks, but I think it might be shorter for arm amputees since they aren't weight bearing through their stumps. Im not 100% sure, though. To fully heal (the swelling in the stump goes down, general pain settles, etc) can take a year or more, but most people will be back to their normal lives long before that, though. As for building up strength to use the prosthetic, that's really variable. Some people take to their prosthetics REALLY quickly, others take a while. The type of amputation is a big factor, but lots of other little things go into it too. Ballistar is an above-elbow amputee right? As I understand it, those kinds of prosthetics are quite difficult to use, both due to the strength needed and due to them not being super intuitive.

In saying all this though, unless its a focal point of the story or its a very grounded/realistic setting, I'm personally pretty lenient with most sci-fi/fantasy in this regards. We definatly need more media - even fantasy and sci-fi that shows that side of being an amputee or at least puts in effort to acknowledge it, but I think stories that lean a bit more into the fantasy side of things have their place too, especially in stories like Nimona where the focus seems to be elsewhere. This isn't to say you shouldn't try to include the realistic rep where you can, but you have to find a balance between realism and the tone your story has. Some stories really would benefit from the more grounded/realistic depictions that show everything, others might only need a brief mention. It depends on the story, and it's really hard to say where Nimona lies on that spectrum without having actually seen it, but from the little I have seen, I feel like it falls on the "brief mention" side of things since it already has so much going on.

I'm going to use How to Train Your Dragon as an example of what I'm trying to say, just becuase I know the first movie got a lot of critisism from amputees for having hiccup literally get up and start walking the moment he woke up after loosing his leg, but I think it lands in a similar area of the spectrum I'm talking about. HTTYD is one of those movies where having the more realistic approach wouldn't have really fit with the tone or pacing, but it would have benifited from a little more than what we got. Not much though, since we kind of already got it with toothless anyway. In my opinion, all it needed was a slight tweak to that ending scene and it would have been perfect (in my opinion). Personally, I would have made Hiccup (without a prosthetic) sit on toothless's back when they went out the door for the first time. The scene plays out almost exactly the same, and you get the symbolic framing the directors wanted, while acknowledging that walking so soon after a burn amputation is not going to happen. Gobber gives Hiccup the tail, saddle and his new leg in the bundle, which allows them to keep the "That bit's my handiwork, with a little hiccup flair thrown in. Think it'll do?" line. Hiccup can instead hold the leg in his hand and say "I might make a few adjustments" - everyone laughs and then it cuts to the end scene with them all flying with the implication some time has passed the same as in the real film. It's a small tweak, but I do think that's all it really needed.

So yeah, While its great to have more realistic representation in your stories, you got to work within the tone your story has. There's no "one size fits all" way to approach it. Again though, I could be wrong about where Nimona would fall here, I know it does tackle heavy subjects in regards to trans representation and discrimination, so maybe it could have made it work. I'll probably talk more about it once I actually see the movie though!

[thecurioustale]

My Incredible Expanding List of "High Priority" Creative Works to Read / Watch / Play / Etc. 😰

(No spoilers of any kind in this outburst.)

My To-Read / To-Watch / To-Listen list is where media go to die the long and quiet death of entropy and ice. 😓

Some people, it's like they can read a book a week, or watch a movie a day, or get through a whole TV series every month, or whatever. Not just for a short season, but regularly and indefinitely. It's an integrated part of their lifestyle.

Inconceivable!!

For me it is wildly hard to get around to starting media that I genuinely do want to get to. The reason why is a topic for another day, but I just want to marvel publicly with you at the absurdity of my Current Efforts. All of the following are assigned High Priority:

My sister got me a Nintendo Switch for my birthday this year, and included with it both of the new mainline Zelda games (Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom) as well as Pokémon Legends: Arceus. The Pokémon game is my latest Actually Doing It effort; I actually began playing it last week. I told myself that I would absolutely play at least one of these games because I can't have my sister getting me a present that expensive and then me not doing anything with it. And I will say that I am enjoying the game as much as I could have hoped! It's a very pleasant escapist fantasy with very low mental overhead, which my stressed-out, brain-fog-addled self sorely needs.

I would also like to replay the original Life Is Strange (Season 1) ahead of the upcoming sequel with Max Caulfield in it, as well as the prequel and the other two mainline Life Is Strange games. And I bought the entire Life Is Strange comic as it was coming out, and want to read it all the way through when the actual game is fresh in my memory.

Now that I have a Switch I want to get and play Metroid Dread, because I've been avoiding spoilers for it all this time and I would like to stop doing that, and I would also really like to have a new Metroid gameplay experience.

I asked my friend and number one fan Fip for a recommendation of suggested reading to learn more about Incan and pre-Incan Quechua-speaking peoples so that I could better characterize aspects of Cherry's character in Galaxy Federal. She recommended The Saga of the Borderlands. I've bought a used copy of the first book, The Days of the Deer, and it is literally the top book on my Pile of Books by my bed. I've even committed to trying to read the two other books in the trilogy in Spanish (since there is no English translation) if I enjoy the first one.

Fip herself has a number of works that I have been itching to read for quite some time, both out of artistic solidarity as a fellow artist and also because I'm just genuinely interested in what kinds of things a person who likes my work would create with their work.

I have long wanted to read Almost Nowhere ever since another online friend of mine, nostalgebraist, finished writing it, but I told myself that I would read his earlier work Floornight first and so they're both on my List. I'm actually kind of afraid to read these because his work The Northern Caves was heavily inspiring for me with regard to the Galaxy Federal Inaugural Novel and my fear is that I'm going to read these other works and discover heavy serendipitous overlap, just because I think he and I sometimes tend to have quite similar ideas (albeit thinking about them differently).

Another friend's mom recommended a book to me that my dad recommended like 20 years ago, The Map that Changed the World. This is another book that I've already bought, again used, and it is sitting right under The Days of the Deer in the Pile beside my bed. (And is the only other unread book in said Pile; the others are The Lord of the Rings, which I managed to finally reread a number of months ago, and my own book Tokens of Zeal: Words from a Vanished Age.) I am really looking forward to pleasantly surprising my friend's mom with word that I've read this book, and it would be a nice homage to Dad to finally read it as well.

I've been trying to complete my "Grand Tour of the Virus Comix Online Empire"—i.e., all the online works by Winston Rowntree—for like three years now. As part of this tour I've been sending him detailed notes, but it's been so long since my peopleWatching watchthrough that I'm going to have to rewatch it to compose notes. (I didn't think to start sending him notes until I got to the old Captain Estar webcomic.) I "rushed" my Captain Estar notes when I learned that he was doing a rebooted novelization of the same premise, which became Shirley Estar Goes to Heaven and which I highly recommend you read. There's a new peopleWatching season coming out in a year or two so now I want to expedite that, but I also have to go through all of Subnormality (the best webcomic of all time) and various other works of his.

This is all just the stuff at the highest level of priority for me to get to. There are, like, three more tiers below this—all of them longer. And I'm prolly gonna be playing Pokémon Arceus for months, because I am taking my sweet time with it. (I don't get to play video games nearly as often as I would like to, and this one is a really cathartic end-of-day treat, which is proving especially helpful because of the health problems that are making it difficult for me to get to sleep sometimes.) Oh lord and I haven't even touched on any YouTube videos or music works! 😰

And then, of course, there is my own creative work also pressing for my time.

I just find it maddening and ludicrous and comical and tragic all at once that I am so slow at both consuming and creating work.

I am molasses in January. 😭😭😭 How do y'all do it?!!

Actually, I don't know if I would truly want to consume a high amount of choice media on the regular. I know this sounds melodramatic, but, whenever some consumer activity competes for my extremely limited leisure time, I'm like "I have to finish writing as many of my books as possible before I die," and I really mean it. And I also have a kind of tainted image of people who spend all their time consuming media due to the fact that my abusive mom spent most of her time watching TV and reading books when I was a kid. That worked its way into me as a worldview that "You have to do more than just consume; you have to do something with the energy that comes from digesting the things you consume." Which I realize isn't objectively true...but it also kinda totally aesthetically is true, at least if you're an artist or have the soul of an artist, which I grant most people are not and do not.

[discluded]

I am trying to take P*nd's words with a pinch of salt and you have to leave room for understanding with translations but this whole it's not a Y movie think....is really doing a disservice to not only to his own argument by labeling Y movies/series as limiting/ bad but also seems insensitive towards his own actor's work who worked hard to show a nuanced relationship that had very real emotions for the characters who were as open as the characters felt they could have in that setting. It kinda feels like we are back to square one with everyone fighting about whether this movie will have romance and whether MA will be each other's love interest (which from the way the actors played in seems very much present only for the director to come out and say they are not a couple)

Hi!!!

Okay, your skepticism and criticism is valid, but I think there is a little more context as well. Let's take a look at Mile's speech from yesterday at SF Cinema.

I’m going to make a speech*… that actually, to be straightforward, Thai films have lots of potential, but it’s a shame that the proportion of Thai films that people should come see is only about 10% of all** (the films being shown)… 10 in 100 is very little na krub. I want to increase the proportion to like 50%, 70%, 80% if it’s possible… right? And most importantly, Man Suang is a film that I believe everyone can watch. When everyone can watch it, some might be curious as to… take it this way, the comments from the behind (the scene) to me said that ‘It’s at least worth watching it’ and they feel that ,hey, they profit from the happiness of some moment in the film and that’s all, krub. So I want people to spread (the news) word of mouth. If you want someone to be happy while watching a movie, show lots of love to Man Suang, and most importantly, I thank everyone who came by and I feel like they are the voice (of promoting this film). I’m making a speech very seriously na… many voices that help talk, help present in social media, really thank you, and please show lots of love to Man Suang na krub, thank you krub. [translation] *Mile making a joke about how he's always talking like a politician, and also referencing the current political climate in Thailand **Mile referring to the issue of the major cinemas in Thailand not showing local films but only blockbuster films causing Thai films to not make money and subsequently lose their funding

A little more context: the two major distributors of films in Thailand are SF Cinema and Major Group, along with a smaller group of independent Thai cinemas. Usually one of SF Cinema and Major Group will show Thai films, but not both. In terms of Man Suang promo, the Thai fans themselves said it was rare and good work that the team got both film distributors to show Man Suang while still being a smaller/new company, and that the independent theatres also agreed to show it. I believe that's partly what the Man Suang Roadshow is meant to do, because they know that their own presence will draw fans to theatres.

Remember, one facet of soft power includes making domestic products more appealing to citizens compared to imports, which sounds like a major issue for Thai cinema right now. If Man Suang can revitalize interest in Thai cinema beyond just their film too, I think MileApo will have achieved some of their goal with this project.

But back to your overall comment, one of the challenges of BL/Y series is that it's still stigmatized as a genre.

I'm wondering now if people thought Mile's acting was bad because they primed themselves to think that actors doing BL/QL series were bad at acting :/ And oftentimes, the skills to get into one of these positions isn't very high, which is why some actors will use it as stepping stone in their career in Thailand, and why so many solo fans expected Mile and Apo to part ways as an acting pair after the success of their first project because they feel like MA "relegated" themselves to doing a BL series. There is still a lot of stigma against LGBTQ people in Thailand, even though it's one of the more progressive Asian countries.

So Pond, as the Exec Producer, Director, and owner of BOC is between a rock and a hard place. They both want to reduce stigma of queer storytelling but also promote Thai cinema. Also, calling back again to this:

I don't think most people think of CMBYN as a BL. In fact, it, alongside Carol, are considered one of the best romantic dramas* of all time. (*mostly western/english films) And that's without the qualification of queer romantic drama, etc. etc.

So I'm going to give Pond a little bit of a break here. Also, this user also reminded me Man Suang was supposed to be three hours long? I thought I hallucinated Apo said that, so we gotta wonder what happened to 1/3rd of the film. I hope the director's cut makes it to streaming like the way La Forte did

[starlitcorgi]

Hi......If you don't mind, can I ask, what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

Hmmm 🤔 my favs are always changing but at the moment.

1. Gokurakugai: Alma is a precious cinnamon roll who loves his mentor Miss Tao like a sister. I really love their platonic relationship and the fact that Alma is incredibly emotionally balanced. Like he's not this typical macho guy. Probably because he's surrounded by strong female role models. It's really refreshing for Shonen and I really hope it gets an anime series because I think it has the potential to be as big as JJK and Demon Slayer.

2. Jujutsu Kaisen: I love Yuuji as a ML and I'm usually a side character gal. So it's great to actually like the lead character. I've noticed in this current generation of Manga and Anime that our Male Leads are becoming much more well rounded and likeable. I love Yuuji's strength and his resilience, he definitely deserves all the love and hugs. I also of course love Gojo and I kind of hope Mappa deviates from the manga in regards to his fate because man that hurt.

3. Demon Slayer: I read the manga start to finish and loved every minute of it. The anime series is just as good. I love all of the characters in this in their own rights. From the protagonist to the villains for me at least the author got everything right. It's Shonen at its best. To be able to make your audience love Rengoku in such a short time is an amazing feat. To care so much that you feel as devastated as Tanjiro to me the Mugen train arc is a masterclass in story telling. It's sad that the series will be coming to an end soon but I think for me this will always be in my top 5.

4. Ghost in the Shell: This is the movie that started my love of anime/manga. It's a cinematic masterpiece and everyone should watch it at least once. It was well ahead of its time and it's not surprising that it inspired the Matrix.

5. Hells Paradise: I love the manga and the anime. Gabimaru is so relatable to me, I think we share the same sarcastic and apathetic nature lol. I love it as well because it gave us one of the best disabled characters in current manga generation. Shion is an epic character for the disabled community, being partially blind myself it's nice to be represented you know? And he's not full of loathing or self pity, he embraces his blindness and uses it to his advantage. He's funny, kind, strong and handsome. He never questions Sagiri's competence, he doesn't try to send her of to the kitchen like his colleagues. He recognises her talent and encourages her to achieve her goals. In short Shion needs to be protected at all costs.

6. Chainsaw Man: when I first saw this pop up on Shonen Jump I didn't have high hopes. It seemed like a crack series but this is exactly why you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. I love this series even though it hurts me 😭. Denji is a typical hormonal teen, power is a ball of chaos and Aki is just trying to keep everything together. Plus Angel 😇 is one of my fav characters of all time maybe because he reminds me of my daughter lol.

7. Elfen Lied: this is another classic anime the violence is on par with AOT but once you get past that you have this heart wrenching story. Lucy is a monster created by her environment and the abuse she suffered. This is also one of the most beautifully animated series of all time. The art is phenomenal.

8. Solo Leveling: I fell in love with the Manwha and was so excited when it got picked up for a series. I'm loving the anime so far, though I'm two episodes behind. Due to my sight loss I have to wait for the English dub but dubs have gotten way better than when I first started watching anime in the early 2000's. I love Jinwoo's tenacity and the fact that he just cuts through the villains. He never really worries about whether that makes him a bad person. Sometimes you just want to see bad people get what's coming to them. Plus this has some of the most epic fight scenes, I can't wait to see them animated.

9. Tokyo Ghoul: I spent most of Tokyo Ghoul crying ugly tears 😭. Ken Keneki has one of the most heartbreaking storylines in all of anime. It's just painful to read/watch Gege definitely took a leaf out of the Tokyo ghoul book when writing JJK. Yet still I couldn't put it down, I'm a sucker for punishment. It's a great mix of characters as well, I love that we see goth culture mixed in there as well. You do get those Crow vibes the way it's so gothic in inspiration and the art work is stunning. I think the only illustrator that tops it is Yuta Sano.

10. Attack on Titan: AOT has been deemed controversial because of it's fascist themes. However I think it's only problematic if you think Eren is the hero in this story. I actually really can't stand Eren, it's pretty obvious that he's been radicalised by his experiences early on. The foreshadowing is strong with him you know he's not going to turn out well from the start. The real protagonists for me are Armin, Levi and Hange. Like these three are definitely trying to save their comrades and people. Whereas Mikasa is constantly having to save Eren and Eren jumps to mass genocide pretty quick. Levi almost feels like he's representing the audience with his snarky commentary. I also love Levi and Hanges platonic friendship. They really get each other and their banter is a joy to watch especially in the first season.

[infriga]

I watched the live action One Piece because of you and your excitement over it and I really loved it, so thank you! Wondering if you have suggestions of where to go next? Read the manga or watch the anime? It honestly seems a bit overwhelming, so not sure where to start.

That's awesome! I love inspiring people to try One Piece, it's a really fun ride! It's always great seeing new fans coming in to enjoy the series! 🤗

I wanted to be as informative and thorough as I could for anyone wondering about this, so this might be long, but I'll provide a summarized version to start then include the long version under a readmore if you want more info in order to decide. Sorry if it gets a bit rambling lol.

So the answer to the "anime or manga" question is not necessarily complicated, but it is a little more nuanced than some fans will lead you to believe (a lot of manga-only elitists have a hate boner for the anime to a degree that imo isn't warranted) . There are a few major factors.

Summarized version:

1) this one's obvious, but bears saying; if you prefer manga, go with the manga, if you prefer anime, go with the anime. If you like both, go with both, unless you only want to consume one. Some people tend to gravitate towards one over another, and that's fine.

2) if you're interested in consuming both, I recommend starting with the anime, then going to the manga after, to avoid tainting your experience with the anime by comparing it to the manga all the time. If you only want to consume one, stick to the manga, because it is the better version. If you're on the fence or haven't decided yet, start with the manga then decide if you want to also try the anime later.

3) if you want to consume the anime, then determine how much of the original experience you want to be retained. There's not many filler episodes, but they do exist, and there are watch lists that explain which episodes to skip if you don't want to watch them. Otherwise obviously the manga is the true original and is the best version of the story. The anime isn't terrible, I still enjoy it, but it does have its flaws compared to the manga. That said, it does also have some benefits you can't get from the manga such as the top notch voice acting (at least in Japanese) and incredible soundtrack. Also the animation in Wano has been sending One Piece fans to the emergency room with priapism lately so do with that what you will.

4) determine how much time you're willing to invest. The manga is going to be the fastest way to consume the series, but there is a fan edited version of the anime that speeds up the pacing to match the manga, and thus takes a lot less time to catch up on. You can also read the manga then look up your favourite scenes in the anime as a supplement without investing into watching the whole anime, either shorter or longer version. The only thing to keep in mind is don't ever skip any canon arcs, you WILL regret it later. Oda never forgets.

Where to watch/read:

If you want help finding a good place to read or watch the series, for free or otherwise, let me know and I can provide some links! I can also provide recommendations for which movies to watch and when if anyone is interested in those, or even just OP fanfic recs if there's a market for that lol.

Now, for:

The long version (oh god I'm so sorry this got so long I am incapable of talking about this topic succinctly):

1) what type of media do you prefer and have an easier time consuming? Comic or animation?

I have an anime only friend who struggles with reading comics for some reason (he can read books just fine, but he struggles with comics and he doesn't know why), but he loves the anime, and is even currently rewatching it so we can catch up on watching Wano together since that arc is ending soon and we like to wait and binge entire arcs instead of watching weekly. If you prefer one over another, then whichever that is, is fine fine to go with. If you don't have a preference, then your next factor is:

2) do you want to only consume one, or are you open to consuming both?

I read the manga and watch the anime. I get a slightly different experience from both, I prefer the art and pacing of the manga, but I love the voice acting and music of the anime, and some moments just hit harder for me in the anime. I haven't cried very often reading the manga, but I have cried quite a bit more watching the anime when seeing the same scenes, like full on sobbing at some points ngl. It's not that I think the moments are done better in the anime or that they're not just as sad, but I have an easier time crying when seeing something in motion with sound for some reason. I rarely ever cry when reading books or comics. It happens, but not as easily or as often. Also while the animation throughout most of the series is middling (not bad but not amazing) for most of the series, aside from major fights, the most recent arcs have seen a huge upgrade in regards to the animation, WCI to some extent but especially Wano. The animators have just been going HAM on the animation during Wano. Like, it's all but impossible to find good examples without spoilers because of just, how many spoilers there are at that point in the story, but I'll at least show Luffy being pretty lol:

That said, the anime isn't without its flaws, but I'll get to that in a bit.

If you do want to consume both, then personally I recommend watching the anime first. I find people who read the manga first are more prone to comparing everything in the anime to the manga and wanting things to fit 1:1, which I think puts the anime at a disadvantage and makes people a bit more hypercritical of it. But ultimately this is up to you. Maybe you don't know yet if you'll try both, in which case the manga is probably better because it's the version that, by its nature, is the best version, and will give you the original experience, and you can decide later whether you want to supplement that with the anime as well.

If you only want to consume 1, at least mainly, then the next factor is:

3) How much of the original experience do you want to stick to?

The One Piece anime doesn't have nearly as many filler arcs/episodes as other long running shounens have had in the past, and past Enies Lobby there's almost no filler arcs whatsoever, aside from the rare 2-5 episode arcs, usually ones that advertise the movies that came out not long after they aired. But there are some full filler arcs earlier in the anime, and the general consensus is that most are pretty meh. Not horrid, but nothing special, and many of them ended up accidentally contradicting canon when new information about the world or certain in-world systems came out later. There are watch guides for skipping these widely available, and most OP fans do recommend watching the G8 filler arc because it's viewed as the only one that is on par with, or at least close to, canon content. I enjoy it myself as well personally.

That said, one of my biggest gripes about the anime, especially after sabaody up until Wano, is how it takes Odas more mild level of sexualization in comparison and dials it up to 1000. At its worst it has taken scenes where a female character is introduced with a full body shot and a name/title card in the manga, and turned it into a scene where the camera zooms in on her boobs, thighs, waist, butt, and then slowly pans up her body starting from the feet, including boi-oing noises or weird many sound effects with each zoom in shot. It also increased the boobs sizes and decreased the waist sizes constantly, put a lot more effort and attention into boobs jiggles than was necessary, and at least one point they even blatantly zoomed in on Nami's boobs bouncing isolated on the screen while she was running for absolutely NO reason. Oda doesn't do this in the manga. He doesn't introduce women in bits and pieces focusing on their body parts in an oggling manner, he doesn't put their boobs front and centre unless it's maybe by accident because of necessary framing. Even when he has sexy shots of women, they're usually full body shots that also even manage to serve as establishing shots most of the time. I also often get the feeling that a lot of it is also him being aware of his target audience in Japan, which is teenage boys. You can see a lot of how his approach adjusted when he has a different audience in mind in the Live action, not only regarding stuff like diversity (which WAS present in the original, their real life equivalent ethnicities have been said to be diverse for a long time, but Oda himself, as much as I love him, only has one skin tone marker in his whole house apparently and he uses it for every single character in colourspreads and covers, including the characters that are supposed to be black, and the anime isn't much better on that front, so it's nice to really see the proof of the diversity visually in the live action in a way that doesn't come across as clearly in the anime or manga), but also in regards to adjusting shounen tropes to better fit a live action setting. You can see in a lot of his SBS answers that he takes his target audience and what he wanted to see as a young boy into account a lot even if he might otherwise explore different tropes or depictions or structures in a different medium or genre.

BUT the anime does have its flaws. I won't pretend that Oda doesn't draw his female characters sexier as the series goes on, and while he also does with the men (Zoro canonically has the biggest bust size on the crew according to Oda lmao) it's not to the same degree as the women. This is especially concentrated around Nami, possibly because Oda's wife is a Nami cosplayer and iirc he met her while she was cosplaying Nami. It's the most overt in certain later arcs, but not too present in earlier arcs up to, say, Sabaody. But, while he does draw the women sexier, he's not... Idk the right terminology to use but he doesn't employ an oggling pov towards the women very often. Not never, but compared to the manga you relatively rarely get much particular purposeful focus on body parts like boobs or ass, there's also never any panty shots (seriously, not a single one in the entire series). That's not so say that the series is always perfect in this sense, but rather that's to compare it to the anime. And while there are some things One Piece doesn't do perfectly sometimes, there are also a lot of things it definitely gets right about how the women are written as complex multifaceted people with conflicts and motivations just as deep and diverse and complicated as the men. They mostly just look extra seggsy sometimes, at least the main ones do. And YMMV, but personally I'm okay with some sexiness, so long as it doesn't compromise the characters story and personality and doesn't go overboard to the point of being softcore porn, which Oda doesn't do in the manga. And I also don't like how often criticism of sexiness turns into shaming any clothing that shows more skin. There's a difference between disliking fanservice and going full conservative prude.

Now from what I've seen this has gotten significantly better in Wano in the anime, probably because Oda himself purposefully played down even his own horniness during Wano because of the focus on traditional Japanese aesthetics and dress. Idk if it will get bad again after Wano, but a lot has changed regarding the way the anime is animated and directed since the last time it was bad, so hopefully not. But this can be a significant barrier to the anime for some people. If that's the case, then I definitely recommend the manga. It's the original, and in comparison it is practically chaste. It's not prevalent throughout the entire anime, it's mostly bad for the stretch from Fishman Island to the end of WCI, which consists of 3 big arcs and 2 smaller in-between arcs, but improves significantly in Wano, and isn't too bad in arcs before Fishman Island. Still more egregious than the manga, but not to the same degree. So it's possible you can tolerate it for that stretch since there are still lots of good moments in the anime in these arcs too. Though I'll note that there's quite a bit of censorship in the anime compared to the manga, Zeff eating his own leg for example, while included in the live action, was not included in the anime. Instead he lost it when it got caught in some ship debris while he was rescuing Sanji from drowning. Stuff like gore and blood are also tones down a lot. The live action honestly isn't any more gory than the manga is, even at the beginning. There's even less blood in the live action, the wound Zoro got from Mihawk was nastayyyy in the manga. Bro nearly got bisected fr.

Though I will say that I think one thing that helps make the more sexualized aspects of the series feel more balanced and a lot less center stage is that Luffy himself, the main character, is completely and totally 1000% gender blind. He's not blind to stuff like masculinity or femininity, but he's blind to whether masculinity or femininity is something that is only applicable to men or women. He likes plenty of manly things, there's a gag about him not wanting frills on his shirt because he doesn't think they're manly and he doesn't like that, but he doesn't think that it makes a man less of a man if he wears a frilly shirt, and he's not opposed to wearing other clothes that might be more feminine coded like his fuckin cute li'l dress thing in Egghead, or the literal dress he wears proudly for all of 3 seconds in Film Gold lmao. There are plenty of men in the series who wear frilly shirts. There are also men who wear makeup, wear pink, crossdress, etc. Luffy could not give less of a shit what men, or women, wear. He does not discriminate between women and men in how he treats them in any way shape or form, his awareness of gender expression is limited entirely in how he personally expresses *his* idea of *his* gender. If a woman pisses him off he'll beat them up just as easily as he will a dude. If a trans man says they identify as a man, he'll refer to them as a man, even if they have a more feminine appearance, and vice versa. He does not blink an eye at non-binary/genderfluid/queer characters, etc. That's one of my favourite things about his character, in part because I'm aroace and identify with him and his gender blindness a lot (among other things, he is an aroace icon for a reason lmao), but also because it's nice to have a 100% gender blind character as the main pov throughout the series.

Then there's the final factor, which is

4) How much time are you willing to spend?

The anime is undoubtedly the longer time investment. Which can be good or bad depending on your view. I know when I caught up sometime after episode 505, I was devastated at not having any more episodes to watch. I started out thinking "this will take me forever and I probably won't finish it", then shifted to "damn those 100 episodes went by fast, but that's okay, I still have 400 episodes left" to "200 episodes already? Well I'm not even halfway yet, that's fine" to "300... Oh God I'm already more than halfway" to "400!? Where are they all going?? Why aren't there more?!?" to "well I HAVE to read the manga now because I can't stand to wait for the episodes to come out weekly" then I banged out the rest of the series in the manga in a few days like I was a drug addict trying to hide my stash from the police by snorting it all at once. So to some, the length can be a blessing rather than a curse lmao. But if you are worried about length, the manga is a lot easier to go through without taking months and months to catch up, unless you take your time reading it. There is a fan edited version of the anime called One Pace, which takes out all the filler and adjusts the pacing to be closer to the manga, which might also be an option if you want to watch the anime but still want a less exhaustive itinerary to watch. They. Might even edit out a bunch of the excess sexual shots and editing in the anime though I haven't watched it myself to determine that. The main issue is that One Pace hasn't completed every single arc, but it is an option for watching the arcs it does have. I know Dressrosa is one of the longest arcs and might benefit from some trimming. I also recommend, if you choose the anime, to watch episodes in batches rather than weekly. While the pacing of the manga is quite a bit faster, so it lends itself to weekly updates better, the anime does suffer from being watched weekly. I've always binged arcs all together and I find that improves the experience a lot.

Aside from that, you can also always just read the manga then only look up and watch particular scenes you wanna see in the anime to get the experience with the voice acting and music and animation, without having to invest as much extra time into it. I may not be a dedicated anime hater, but I do agree that the manga is undoubtedly superior to it as a whole, so while I don't think there's anything wrong with being anime only, if you are open to both, but only want to choose one to consume, it's the manga all the way. You only have to start at chapter 1 and go from there. Or episode 1 for the anime.

I hope this helped, and wasn't too confusing or overwhelming. I know how daunting the series can be to get into so I wanted to try and be comprehensive and objective, and provide some approachable options for people new to the series by explaining some pros and cons of each approach.