#IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE EPISODES YET BUCKLE UP

[dj-of-the-coven]

trigun 1998 episode simulator

[3 minutes of guitar solo]

Vash the Stampede: hi my name is Vash the Stampede. I am a hunter of Peace chasing the elusive mayfly of Love. all I really want to do is have a sandwich and a morning coffee without getting chased by bandits

some bandit: (gunshot) absolutely not. square up faggot

Vash: rats.

[gunfight]

Vash the Stampede: my name is Vash the stampede. I am a hunter of Peace chasing the elusive mayfly of Love.could I please have a sandwich

Meryl from the Bernardelli Insurace Society: how long are you going to sit on your ass doing nothing but playing games with children and doing chores for the elderly and disabled and looking after lonely youths and cooking dinner for the homeless

Vash: I've been here for like 2 days

Milly Thompson: Hi Vash!

Vash: Hi Milly

[exit left pursued by bounty hunters]

Vash the Stampede: (panting, entering a bar) my name is Vash the stampede.... I am a hunter of Peace chasing the elusive mayfly of Good L*rd what is going on in here

Hostage: mphdsfhapff!!!! mffmpphhf!!!!

Villain of the week: well if it isn't the elusive Vash the Stampede! you see it all started when I was 4 days old and you kicked me like a football and then exploded my parents to death with a laser canon and killed every puppy in a ten ile (translator's note: this is the No Man's Land equivalent of the American Mile) radius

Vash: I don't remember doing that but well I suppose you can shoot me if it'll make you feel better

Side character of the week: Are you insane? Just shoot him instead???

Vash: but my mom told me not to be mean to people

Villain of the week: (still going) And as I am now 47 years old I have finally decided to get my revenge. Say your prayers, Vash the Pisshead

[Wall explodes and reveals a motorcycle with a sexy priest on it]

[sfx: guitar with a hint of electric distortion]

Vash: is that..... Wolfwood?

Meryl who was in the background this whole time: the priest?

Nicholas Dickolas Wolfwood: (brings his fingers up to a pair of luscious lips to grab the cigarette from right between them, taking one more slow inhale before crushing the cherry red underneath his heel)(sensually cocks one of his 8 guns) Are you just gonna let this guy talk down to you like that needle noggin?

Vash: I g-

[guitar riff bumper]

[guitar riff bumper]

Vash: -uess not, since you're here to help now... (slow, warm smile) Wolfwood

Nicholas D. ranged Wolfwood: Vash

Milly who was also in the background this whole time: Hi mr priest man! isn't this lovely, I haven't seen you since the last time you spoke with mr Vash yesterday evening when you were helping him buckle all those silly belts on his pants after he had lost them somehow

Vash: On a cactus

Milly: On a cactus! Oh it must've hurt so terribly; how fortunate that Mr Priest man was there to help you

Wolfwood: Hi Milly

[gunfight]

Villain of the week: ohhhhh curses!!! CURSES!!!! I have spent my whole existence getting ready to fight Vash the Stampede but he's just too good at swallowing all my bullets!!!!!!

Vash the Stampede: my tragic dead mother would be sad if I didn't swallow everyone's bullets so I've trained diligently every morning at digesting gunpowder without dying immediately

Wolfwood: [internally: I can't believe it. All this time I've spent walking the path of darkness, reaching to a pure light that I could never grasp, and yet here is a man who's dedicated his life and his body to the pursuit of Peace. I wish he were a woman so I could fuck him romantic style. I've got a whole plan for it and everything. Whiskey, sunset, a bed with no sand in it, 6 hours. This would be fully and completely possible if only he were a woman. Unfortunately he's not, but I can still think about the what-ifs. platonically of course. Maybe if he got some good dick he'd stop being so annoying. And maybe he'd stop making me rethink my morals. I wonder if the seven drunken handies meant anything to him. Platonically]

Wolfwood: Well anyway it looks like my job is done here

Vash: (teary) Will I see you again?

Wolfwood: I don't know. And besides, whenever I look at you, I'm reminded of everything I hate about myself. You know, it hurts.

[exit Nicholas D. Wolfwood pursued by repressed homosexual desires and immense catholic guilt]

Vash the Stanned Peat: (looking out the window like a widow whose husband was killed in action) Nicholas... D... Wolfwood.......

Meryl who was in the background that entire time, yes, the whole time: shut the fuck up already

Vash: when will it be my turn Meryl. When

[roll credits]

[weiila]

About posturing in Helluva Boss

I made a joke post a few days ago about Satan being an angry crier and that's why he needs Yogirt, but I'm only half joking.

A very prominent theme in Helluva Boss is characters putting up a facade of toughness and strength when they're actually close to a meltdown or trying to fake it until they make it and being terrified of being found out.

Blitz is the prime example of course, because he's the main character - his anger and insults hide a very caring and desperately lonely interior.

Fizz is very much the same, a loudmouth who truly believed he could not be loved without earning it, and for years played the role of the sassy jester while in constant fear of losing everything he had worked so hard for.

Loona had to pretend to be a savage, violent beast in the pound to protect herself, but broke down the second she thought nobody was looking. She still has trouble showing Blitz she does care (until Mastermind).

Ozzie is very different when he's working - which is how he's introduced in Ozzie's - compared to how he is in private, which we see later on in Oops.

Millie is an unstoppable murder machine at work but a sweetheart as soon as she can clock out (and sometimes during work as well).

Bee MIGHT be the most honest character we've seen that has been on screen for more than one episode, but there are probably more layers to her as well. I'd say Striker too, BUT he tries so hard to be cool yet can't keep his head on straight when things go bad.

For a minor character, look at Crimson. He seems like this scary, imposing mob boss, but he buckles the second he's out of subordinates and Millie heads towards him. He manages to play it cool as he surrenders Moxxie, but there's zero resistance despite what he's painted himself as. Oh yes, Crimson has absolutely killed people, but if he was half the badass he pretends to be then he'd at least try do deal with Millie himself. But he doesn't. Most likely he can't fight for shit and has only managed to take out people weaker than him or with tricks. Without his underlings he's got nothing.

Now Hell as presented as very much a dog-eat-dog place, so them putting on this air is absolutely a way to survive.

And then there's Satan.

Satan created a whole species to specifically be obedient. Why? Because it makes him feel superior.

Satan flat out lies about being the first ruler of Hell, but Lucifer isn't around to correct him. Would he say that if Lucifer was? Probably not. But he says it because he knows nobody present dares to correct him. (This was vague in the episode with Ozzie and Bee just looking annoyed but confirmed by Viv in case you haven't seen that tweet being reposted.)

I have zero doubt that this dude has self-confidence as sturdy as a gnat. He can't handle being questioned or called out or worse of all, have his power being doubted.

And about Yogirt: Satan can't even keep his own Sin under control - he needs a support demon to do that. None of the other Sins we've spent time with, including Lucifer, are ruled by the Sin they represent - not even Mammon. Even if Mammon is absolutely greedy, he's enjoying himself and more importantly he can control himself and realize when to back off without needing outside help. Satan cannot do that. He needs a lil' dude to flutter up to talk about him about breathing and gemstones, or he loses it.

Every Sin, plus Charlie and Ars Goetia, transform when they get angry, and it seems like it's involuntary to a large degree (angels also seem to have this issue). I believe that the Satan we saw in Mastermind is actually his full demon rage form, BUT he desperately wants everyone to think that's his casual form (and that you wouldn't like him when he's angry!). If he lost his temper too much, it would become obvious that he doesn't change to become even scarier and then everyone would know that the imposing, godlike dragon man isn't what he really is.

My humble conclusion, dear reader:

Satan is nothing but a master fraudster, the ultimate faker-till-you-make-it and he's scared spitless of losing that image. Satan is the weakest Sin because he's controlled by his Sin instead of the other way around, but over millenia he's managed to con everyone into thinking he's the biggest badass in the land.

... except possibly Belphegor since she must have been the one to assign Yogirt to him. Keep a few eyes on that sheep, people. She knows things.

Anyway Satan is probably on the road to having a breakdown of epic proportions because Blitz is about to become his worst nightmare and it'll be glorious.

[realtalk127]

alright fuck it. i can't sleep and i need to talk about this scene from the last episode of critical role.

because holy shit if this ain't some of the best rp – nay, storytelling in general – that i've ever seen. (buckle up, it ain't gonna be short.)

laudna: i made you a doll. because dolls are for children. and you're a child.

the way she says this is not nice! it's biting, it's snarky. she definitely seems to mean it as an insult – and she probably does! – at first. but laudna's idea of a child is much more expansive than just a cheep insult, as she makes clear shortly.

then ashton's response: i've never had a doll before. this is the nicest thing anyone's ever given me.

i don't know if this reaction melts laudna a little (if it does, she doesn't show it visibly), or maybe she was already coming to the conversation with a more nuanced definition of 'child', but either way, the conversation shifts immediately – and the next two sentences clarify where they're both coming from here.

laudna: i like children. // ashton: i don't.

she likes children! and we knew this, of course. marisha, the god of intentional rp showed us this within the first few moments of laudna's screen-time way back in episode 1. but still! it's worth repeating. despite the bite of her initial comment to ashton, she doesn't necessarily mean it as an insult. i don't know that we could entirely call it a compliment, given the context, but at the very least, i think she intended it as a point of connection.

after all, our data re: Laudna And Kids is not limited to that one scene from episode 1. there's also the parallel scene that mirrors it (with a happier ending) back in episode 38, when laudna first visits the sun tree after her resurrection. we also know (via a 4sd episode that i don't care to dig up right now) that laudna had another friend before imogen, who was a little girl.

and i think it's that little girl that's the most important piece here. we don't know anything about that story except that she exists, but i'm willing to read between the lines and make an assumption that laudna – on average – has better luck getting children to be kind to her (when they've not yet been taught to be cruel) than with adults. there is an innocence there that laudna needs! she needs people who haven't been hardened by assumptions and pre-judgements and all that bullshit. for laudna there is safety – both emotional and literal physical safety – in a childlike perspective.

ALL THAT TO SAY: laudna's associations with childhood are, generally, positive. for a variety of reasons.

but!

ashton's are NOT.

ashton's childhood sucked. from the jump. he was a part of a shitty cult that he barely remembers, and after that they were in an ophanage. their associations with childhood are overwhelmingly negative, and likely associated with feelings of helplessness and loneliness.

whether or not laudna intended that original comment ('you're a child') as an insult, we can pretty safely assume ashton took it as one.

they continue:

ashton: they're awful. // laudna: they're not.

NOW, we're getting into the meat of it. where before they were dancing around a metaphor, it becomes immediately clear what's really being talked about here. ashton is saying 'i'm awful', and laudna is emphatically saying 'no you're not.'

which! first of all, is so insanely generous of her. after what ashton just put her through less than 24 hours ago, laudna has every reason to affirm ashton's assertion that they are, in fact, awful. but she doesn't. ashton knows this, which is why he amends his original statement:

ashton: they can be.

they're saying: perhaps i can concede that i am not always awful, but let's at least agree that sometimes (like specificaly, oh, i don't know, LAST NIGHT) i can be.

laudna: you should remember what it's like to be one.

ashton: i do. it wasn't great.

the LAYERS, y'all. the LAYERS. the important thing here is that it's all in the context of that first comment: you're a child. which is, critically, a statement made in the context of ashton's decisions the previous night. they're talking in generalities here, but they're mostly talking about last night.

so!

when laudna says they should remember what it's like to be one [a child], she also means: you were a child last night, but not in a cool, whimsical way, just in a shitty, immature way. AND! when ashton says they remember, and that it wasn't great, they're saying they know they fucked up last night, but all they know of childhood is an overwhelming helplessness, how can that possibly be spun to a positive?

and this, really, is the crux of their two differing worldviews. these two have a lot in common – much has been said about that in game and out – but this point is where they split. laudna has survived, by embracing her childlike nature (admittedly, to a fault, at times). how to keep from being hurt? just keep everything fun and whimsical! nothing to worry about here, it's all just a silly little game! and she has also needed people who share that perspective. people who are willing to take her at face value and without any of the negative assumptions and prejudices they may have picked up along the way.

ashton, on the other hand survived by growing up immediately. they got through their own shitty childhood by becoming an adult (or acting like one anyway) as quickly as possible and STAYING that way. ashton needs to have a tough exterior (there's the made-of-stone thing again) to feel safe. (admittedly, from an audience perspective, this veneer is basically see-through. but ashton doesn't necessarily know this. they're trying their best. so from their perspective, the tough guy thing is Working.)

laudna: you should find more joy in your inner child.

she's saying two things here:

(1) you can be soft and be safe. those can co-exist, aND!

(2) i need you to be soft for me to be safe. when you have this false tough exterior, it hurts people. it hurts (hurt) me.

which is certainly a resonant metaphor to play with for the literal ROCK GUY who just got literally MELTED into LAVA 12 hours prior.

ANYWAY- that's what i've got for now on this scene. i'll probably never stop thinking about it, and there's even more good shit from later on in the scene when they talk about the doll, but that's it for now.

[sukunaspinkyfinger]

ꜱᴛʀᴇᴇᴛ ʀᴀᴄᴇʀ! ᴄʜᴏꜱᴏ x ꜰ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

ᴀ/ɴ: ᴀ ꜱʜᴏʀᴛ ꜱᴛʀᴇᴇᴛʀᴀᴄᴇʀ!ᴄʜᴏꜱᴏ x ꜰᴇᴍ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ꜰɪᴄ, ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ꜱᴏᴜɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀᴅ ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴀᴛɪɴ 𓆩♡𓆪

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: ɪᴍᴘʟɪᴇᴅ ɴꜱꜰᴡ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴇʀʏ ᴇɴᴅ, ʙᴀʀᴇʟʏ ᴘʀᴏᴏꜰʀᴇᴀᴅ

ᴀʀᴛ ᴄʀᴇᴅɪᴛꜱ: @ᴀꜰꜰᴇᴄᴛʙɪᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴏɴ ᴛᴡ

needless to say, your blood starts pumping from the excitement the moment you arrive at the bustling scene alongside your good friends, Yuji and Nobara. you remind yourself to thank Yuji for inviting you to his brother's race the second you notice the endless row of tuned-up, pretty cars. even though you have little to no knowledge regarding cars, lately you've been taking an interest thanks to your tiktok algorithm and of course, the massive crush you have on Yuji's brother, Choso. 

"oh, you guys are finally here." he stands up after thoroughly checking everything before the race begins and greets you with a slightly indifferent tone, then flashes you a friendly smile as he fiddles with the zipper of his beloved racing jacket. 

while Choso exchanges a couple of words with his younger brother, you fail to notice the way his dark orbs refuse to leave your awe-like expression as you examine his beloved crimson ride. the way your delicate finger traces along the fresh coat of paint could perhaps send another car fanatic into a raging episode, not him though. his hearts swells with pride, just the way it always does whenever you hang out with him in his garage instead of studying with Yuji and Nobara.

"i just realized." Nobara suddenly blurts out then turns to Yuji with a mischievous grin, acting like she doesn't notice the crushing tension between you and Choso. "i'm kinda thirsty, he-he. Yuji, let's go."

"Wha'? C'mon, the race starts in like, five minutes! I asked you on the bus if you need something from--"

as she drags the boy away, the two of you are finally left alone. you think of a way to strike up a conversation but thankfully he beats you to it. "d'you like it? i installed some new lights and got some new seat covers. come, check it out." he flashes you a proud grin as he invites you to sit on the passenger seat. although it's nothing you haven't seen before, you gladly take place beside him as you take in the intoxicating smell of faux leather, gasoline and his signature cologne.

"i dunno much about the lights but you made it look really nice inside, 'm not surprised, tho." you turn to him slowly as you fiddle with the end of your skirt and gift with with an impressed smile. choso leans back in his seat and sighs, then suddenly tugs a stray strand of hair behind your ear making your heart and panties flutter.

"oh yeah? i can teach you, if you'd like." he purrs sweetly as he takes a sip from his water bottle. "hey, wanna ride with me? i could use a lucky charm like you."

you feel the inevitable blush creeping on your cheeks as choso leans over to your side, inches away from your face to help you buckle up for the upcoming race. 

"hold on tight." he chuckles as he turns the key in the ignition, earning a majestic roar from his ride.

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

even though it's clear choso is going to be the first at the finish line, his handsome face remains serious while he flicks and grips the steering wheel like his life depends on it. you remain calm, though the way he makes sure you aren't scared by holding your thigh every time he makes a sharp turn makes it insanely hard not to scream and ruin his seat on the spot. 

moments later, his tires blaze through the finish line making him the champion of this season's racing competition, as expected. he quickly hops out of the car before the fans could get to him and takes you by your waist, sealing his victory with a deep kiss as he wraps you in his jacket. although it takes you by surprise, you gladly accept his gentle yet passionate touches as his fiery tongue continues to make love to your own. your head spins while you grasp for air, cheeks burning from his strong arm that keeps you close and safe due to the wild crowd surrounding you. 

after claiming his rightfully earned cup, Choso gives a brief interview while you wait for him patiently, leaning on the side of his car. 

little do you know, he's readying himself for the second race of the night and you better believe he's going to win that too.

[animebw]

Seasonal Reflection: Summer 2024 Anime

In my experience, summer tends to be the weakest season for anime basically every year. Not entirely sure why: maybe everyone saves the biggest shows for spring and fall, so the space between gets stuck with the also-rans? Whatever the case, as long as I've been covering anime, summer has reliably been the season with the most disappointments and the least true gems. Except for this year. My god, except for this year. In defiance of the trend, summer 2024 has been absolutely stuffed with exciting anime, so many shows that delighted me in unexpected ways. I'm truly stunned by how many shows I watched that felt like nothing else I've seen before. Anime isn't just coasting through this summer on good enough; it's experimenting, pushing the boundaries, evolving the capabilities of visual storytelling in this medium. Maybe it's not an all-timer season, but it feels fresh in a way I haven't felt in quite some time. And even though the two best shows haven't quite finished yet (Monogatari Off/Monster and the back half of My Hero Academia's seventh season), there's more than enough for me to recommend you a full course of worthwhile anime. So let's buckle down and sort through the shows I watched this season to figure out which ones are worth your time and which ones should be discarded without a second thought.

(And if you see one show conspicuously missing from this list, don't worry- it's just around the corner...)

My Deer Friend Nokotan: Dropped at 7 Episodes

Normally I save discussion of the shows I dropped for brief snippets at the end of my seasonal wrap-ups. But this time, I got far enough into a couple shows before realizing they sucked that I figured I should let you know upfront so you don't get suckered into wasting your time like I did. Because I care about you. So if you were as excited by the batshit crazy meme marketing surrounding My Deer Friend Nokotan as I was, then you should know the actual show completely fails to live up to that bonkers energy. Oh, it certainly tries, but in execution, all the "lol so random" comedy and forced fourth-wall breaks makes it come off like a tryhard reddit troll so irony-poisoned they've forgotten what makes actual people laugh. And that's before it drops a godawful siscon imouto in the second episode, and all the jokes centered around humiliating the protagonist for being a virgin... god, I stuck with this piece of crap way longer than it deserved. If you want an actual hilarious slapstick comedy with batshit off-the-walls energy, just go track down Nichijou and experience the single funniest television show this side of Gintama. You'll have a much better time.

Sengoku Youko: Thousandfold Chaos Arc: Dropped at 7 Episodes

Man, Satoshi Mizukami is turning out to be the most overrated cult artist out there, huh? Sure, I liked Planet With a lot, but between this and the faults in Biscuit Hammer that you couldn't blame on the shitty production, all the beloved works his fans rave about like they're Shakespeare-level literature have completely dropped the ball. And I was excited for Sengoku Youko! The first season was pretty good! And the second season has a really interesting timeskip that reorients the story around a new protagonist and shakes up the kinds of ideas it can play with! But all that's let down thanks to one of the worst written female co-protagonists I've seen in a long time. God, Tsukiko is the worst. She's introduced as the strongest swordsman in her village, but all she does on screen is lose, get captured, act subservient to all the men around her, get captured again, and fall instantly in love with the guy who bisects her father in half. But don't worry, just wait until she's all grown up! Then we can add in gross sexual assault comedy complete with boob jiggles! Wow, what a mature and life-changing treatise on the human condition! Yeah, eat me. This is sexist garbage plain and simple, and there's too much good anime to waste time on the ones that can't clear the astronomically low bar of not being degrading to women.

ATRI: My Dear Moments: 3.5/10

There is so much I wish I could like about Atri. Its vision of a post-climate disaster world rebuilding from rising sea levels feels like the Studio Key/Ghibli crossover I've been dreaming of for ages. And it pulls at so many interesting threads; the meaning of community, the purpose of progress, disability, transhumanism, all wrapped up in a suitably sappy emotional package. And none of that matters. Because it's all secondary to the true purpose of this anime: justifying a romance between a near-adult and a robot girl who doesn't read any older than ten, complete with writing than infantilizes and sexualizes her at the same time. Because god forbid any of this high-concept melodrama be allowed to stand without making you feel like you should be put on a watchlist for engaging with it. Luckily, most of those worldbuilding philosophical ideas also pretty much fall apart by the end, so at least you don't have to feel conflicted about skipping this one wholesale. Christ, I miss Jun Maeda more every day.

Suicide Squad Isekai: 4/10

So this feels like it should've ended up either way better or way worse than it did. I mean, an unholy amalgamation of anime's absolute worst subgenre with the laughingstock of mainstream Western comics, written by the author of Re:Zero of all people? This should've either been a trainwreck of apocalyptic proportions or somehow wrapped back around to being an genuine lightning-in-a-bottle masterpiece. Or both! But instead, it's just sort of... there. It exists. It's DC supervillains transported to an isekai world to fight other DC supervillains and fuck around with fantasy nonsense, and I can barely think of anything else to talk about. I guess the isekai world itself is a lot more creative than the usual Dragon Quest knockoff? Character banter's alright? But it feels like all the effort here went into a very select assortment of things that the creators actually cared about- Harley's character design, a handful of genuinely awesome fight scenes- and everything else was just left flailing by the wayside with the laziest and least interesting execution, on a story and production level alike. You're better off just looking up clips of the best fight scenes on Youtube or wherever and giving the rest a pass.

Sakuna of Rice and Ruin: 4.5/10

This is one of those frustrating shows that doesn't really do anything wrong, but never manages to amount to more than that. It's a solid little tale about an immature young harvest goddess banished to an island somewhere in Heaven to learn maturity by growing rice, coming to terms with her grief for her lost parents and coming to respect the mortals who worship her along the way. And every stop of that character journey makes sense, with the progression from brash, arrogant hothead to mature, kind protector never feeling rushed or shortchanged. But ultimately, I think Sakuna just skews to young to be of interest. It's too basic in its moralizing and messages, as well-handled as they are, always taking the simplest and most obvious story route to get where it's going as if it assumes this is your first time watching anime and it doesn't have to try to be more complex than that. Well, there's that one weird episode where aliens randomly show up for a minute and are never addressed again, but that's not the good kind of complexity. I guess if you've got young kids, this is a perfectly fine show to put on for them; they might even get a lot out of it! But if you're over the age of, like, seven, you can get everything it offers better elsewhere.

Bye Bye Earth: 5/10

I've been staring at the screen for minutes trying to figure out how to properly describe Bye Bye Earth. But no matter what, nothing I come up with feels adequate to capture just how much of an incomprehensible fever dream this show is. The best way I can think to describe it is "Show Don't Tell" taken to its absolute extreme, a fantasy world where almost nothing is explained in clear terms and none of your preconceptions can be taken for granted. Swords that grow from roots, a city split into good and evil, battles that play out like giant orchestral processions, gender-shifting mermaids, elder gods that forbid travel between countries, girls hatching from eggs, an army of spiritual emptiness, plants that are more like animals than vegetation, so many insane and unique concepts that are treated as if they're commonplace facts any layperson would know. It feels like a show beamed in from an alternate dimension where the world's basic logic just does not function in the same way ours does, as if all these wild worldbuilding ideas are as familiar and universal as the sun in the sky and the moon at night. Does that make it a good show? A bad show? I honestly don't think it matters. All I know is that as utterly inscrutable as Bye Bye Earth is, I was glued to the screen every week wondering what demented sights it would show me next. At least until the penultimate episode had an astonishingly horrible rape scene that ended the whole affair with a black, bitter taste in my mouth.

Spice and Wolf (2nd Cours): 5/10

Good news, everyone: new Spice and Wolf is finally out of the material already covered by the first show and onto the new stuff! It only took nineteen goddamn episodes, but there's finally a reason for this new adaptation to exist beyond poorly regurgitating the timeless stories already covered back in 2008! Was it worth it? Honestly, jury's still out. The one new arc we get at the end of this season is a solid Spice and Wolf entry with all the slow-simmering romantic tension and well-realized economic conflict that makes this story so enduring. But considering how much time we wasted getting here, I still can't shake the feeling that this whole endeavor has been the most pointless remake in the history of anime. It would've been a much better idea to pick up were the original show left off and jump right into the new material rather than waste a whole season repeating what's already been done. So who knows, maybe I'll feel different once season 2 rolls around and we actually get all that new, previously unadapted story this remake supposedly exists to cover. I hope it's good! But I'll probably still recommend skipping all but the last six episodes of this season, cause even at its best, it just doesn't hold a candle to the original's sense of lived-in atmosphere and subtle majesty. Just go watch the original, it's still a classic and deserves to be celebrated on its own terms.

Dead Dead Demons Dededededestruction: 6/10

Okay, look: is this a good show? Absolutely. Should you watch it? No, you should not. Why? Because after the penultimate episode, I cracked and read the manga, and it's just better in every conceivable way. Better artwork, better pacing, more detail that provides critical thematic and emotional context for most of the big political machinations, and a sheer mastery of the form that this mostly straightforward adaptation just can't measure up to. Whatever criticisms I have of Inio Asano as a writer, there's just no one else who can use the medium of manga in such heartbreaking, evocative ways. Even the moments I liked most from this show become so much more spectacular under his guiding pen. But most importantly? For some unfathomable reason, this adaptation takes one of the manga's penultimate arcs- a huge, paradigm-shifting flashback that completely recontextualizes the entire story in explosive and jaw-dropping ways- and shoves it close to the very beginning. It's one of the single most baffling choices I've ever seen in adaptation, completely robbing the arc of its context and ruining the impact it was originally intended to have. For that reason alone, I can't possibly recommend watching Dededede over reading the manga. And at least that way, you can totally skip the disappointing final volume that feels like a half-baked sequel pitch cut short halfway through development!

Mayonaka Punch: 6.5/10

Do you guys remember Ya Boi Kongming? That show from a few years back that somehow took the premise of "3rd century Chinese war strategist becomes a modern pop idol's manager" and turned it into a genuinely wonderful time? Well, the same writer and director have reunited for the first original work- and it's about cringefail lesbian vampire Youtubers. If I have not already sold you on Mayonaka Punch from that description alone, I'm afraid you're a lost cause. This is the most delightfully chaotic show of the season, buoyed by an endlessly dynamic cast of losers, misfits and morons who put the "suck" in "bloodsucker" in all the best ways. But even moreso than the constantly creative ways it finds to mash vampires and Youtube together, what's most impressive about Mayonaka Punch is how damn well it understands the influencer age. More than any other anime I've watched, it really gets the intricacies of the content grind, parasocial relationships, toxic comments, cancel mobs, and the thousands of contradictions that underline the simple desire to create something awesome and share it with millions worldwide. Because this team is simply that damn good at exploring the full, genuine ramifications of even the most insane premise imaginable. Sadly, its emotional moments aren't nearly as strong as Kongming's (save for one truly tearjerking episode in the first half), and the ending feels like a half-conclusion trying to keep things open for a sequel. So here's hoping we get a season 2 at some point that tightens up the screenwriting and lets this show blossom into its full potential.

Twilight Out of Focus: 6.5/10

There are two things anime desperately needs more of: good BL romance, and couples that actually explore sex in their relationships. Luckily, Twilight Out of Focus is here to give us both at the same time, three times over. This is a sweet, sensual anthology series about three gay couples that develop in the same high school film club over the course of a couple years, each one refreshingly different in personality and what aspects of film-making the story explores with them. I do wish it dived a little deeper into the more technical aspects of the craft at times, but that's not really where its focus lies (heh). It's more about how the various characters interact with film-making than the art itself, and what those interactions say about them as people and parts of a couple. And with evocative direction, charming voice acting, and a clever script that packs a lot of development into twelve episodes without feeling overstuffed, it's more than effective in its goals. Just be aware the first arc tackles some heavy topics like abuse and pedophilia, so watch tactically if those are sensitive or triggering subjects for you. They're handled well, to be clear, but just be prepared.

Days With My Stepsister: 6.5/10

I'm of the firm opinion that you can make a good story out of anything. Doesn't matter how tawdry, trashy, lowbrow, juvenile, or inherently distasteful the subject matter; with the right execution, any starting point can be shaped into something wonderful. Or maybe that's just what I'm telling myself to justify how the show about step-siblings falling in love ended up one of the most captivating anime I watched all season. But can you blame me? I don't know what kind of wizardry first-time director Souta Ueno pulled, but it's clear he understood exactly what can make a story like this so compelling, and he delivered that vision with some of the most immersive, mesmerising, and downright poetic cinematic storytelling in TV anime. Cinematography that sinks you into the characters' feelings like a stone plunging into an abyssal pool, symbolism that makes even the most basic lines of dialogue bleed with unspoken nuance, fuck, even the sound mixing feels like it's communicating hidden depths beyond the simple words on the page or development of the plot. It's a tour-de-force powerhouse of directoral talent that left me in awe every week, even as the side characters fall victim to much tropier writing and the inevitability of the oncoming incest romance makes the back half buckle with discomfort. I'd be hard-pressed to call Days With My Stepsister a masterpiece, but it is absolutely an achievement worth celebrating, and I look forward to seeing where Ueno takes his talents next.

Too Many Losing Heroines: 7/10

You know that feeling when you watch a show and it makes you mad not because it's bad, but because it doesn't seen to trust how good it is? That's the feeling I got over and over again watching Too Many Losing Heroines. It's bogged down by the kind of tasteless, degrading fanservice you usually see in bottom-tier light novels, written by authors who know they're crap and try to paper over their mistakes with accidental pervert scenes. It's the kind of desperation that screams of a show shooting for the lowest common denominator because it knows it has nothing of actual substance to offer. Except Too Many Losing Heroines is actually really fucking good and doesn't need these scenes at all? It's blisteringly funny, outrageously silly, often tasteless in actual fun ways, and a genuinely sincere exploration of the many forms romantic rejection can take and how people process it. I'm not kidding, this show almost made me cry at multiple points with how it embraces the power of friendship in the face of adolescent angst. So why do we still have these stupid fucking boob jiggles and accidental gropings that contribute nothing except making it infinitely harder for me to recommend this to normal people? Why does so much anime just not trust itself on its own merits when it has something truly worthwhile to offer?

Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary: 7/10

Like many anime fans, I have struggled to accept the cruel reality that Hyouka is likely never getting another season. KyoAni almost never returns to a series after leaving it dormant for this long, and with the director's tragic death in the 2019 arson attack, I doubt the surviving staff who knew him would want to take on such a heavy burden (before you ask, Dragon Maid season 2 was already in production before Takemoto passed). So if you've been missing author Honebu Yonezawa's penchant for meta-commentary mysteries as much as I have, then good news, here's another one of his works adapted to animation! Just don't expect it to be as warm and comforting as Hyouko, because whereas that show was all about the joy of seeking the extraordinary within the ordinary, Shoshimin is equally obsessed with the consequences of it. It's the story of two viciously abnormal high school students who know the way they interact with the world is alienating them from it, but just can't stop themselves from enabling each other's thirst to puzzle and out-think and understand. It's like watching two serial killers struggling to assimilate into normal society, except their only weapons are their intellect and their biggest victims are their own ability to feel at home in the so-called "ordinary" world they constantly find excuses to shut the door on. This is, hands down, one of the most fascinating series of 2024, and while its unhurried pace might be a bore for some people, if you've got the patience to let the vibes sink into you, I can't recommend it enough.

The Elusive Samurai: 7/10

There are moments watching The Elusive Samurai when you will swear it's the most beautiful work of animation every produced. Stunning moving backgrounds, jaw-dropping stylistic flourishes that bend the rules of reality, so much fluid detail and shifting perspectives, insane and mind-twisting editing choices... I can't count how many times this show left me staring dumstruck for minutes on end as it piled on moment after moment of the most striking visual artistry I've seen all year. It doesn't manage that level of consistency throughout its run, sadly; there are definitely moments where you feel the shortcuts taken, especially whenever the garish CGI horses are on screen. But there's enough of that brilliance that even if the story was complete garbage, I would still recommend checking this show out for its animation alone. Luckily, the story's pretty good too! It's a bizarre genre-blending historical meta comedy epic that's sort of similar to Gintama in tone, except it's more shooting to sucker-punch you with the most extreme juxtaposition of stupid comedy and gruesome, horrific violence imaginable. It's a tonal whiplash that does not always work, but it manages to weave a shockingly lovable tale of a runaway heir to the throne seeking to rebuild his kingdom not through violence, but through well, elusiveness and choosing the pursuit of life over the glory of death. Add a cast of charming sidekicks and some of the most comically loathsome bad guys in recent memory and you've got a recipe for a very good time. Now please let the cute halberd girl do more stuff in season 2. It's what the people deserve.

Senpai is an Otokonoko: 7.5/10

Love triangles are a trope I've struggled with for as long as I can remember. Most times it pops up in a story, I feel my skin crawling back into my bones trying to escape the cringe. So how do you get a love triangle I don't just love, but actively root for all three possible outcomes? Well, placing it at the heart of a queer coming-of-age story with a trio of kids grappling with self-loathing and the desire for acceptance certainly helps. Doubly so when that story is executed with as much love, understanding, and joy as Senpai is an Otokonoko. What seems like a fraught premise at first- a girl confesses to her female classmate before finding out she's actually a cross-dressing boy- quickly evolves into a genuine exploration of Japan's queer identity, from the stigma of being seen as gay to the struggle to understand one's own gender identity, to even asexuality! And it's always handled with genuine affection for the people at hand, seeking to uplift queer experiences and prove that no one, no matter how "different," is deserving of a place to belong in this great big world. The production values may be modest and a little too reliant on chibi cut-in gags, but out of all summer's offerings, this is the show that spoke to me the most, and I can't wait for the recently announced movie finale to bring Aoi, Makoto and Ryuji's story to a close.

Dropped:

Tower of God Season 2- Dropped at 2 episodes for being a butt-ugly downgrade of the first season with all the same writing problems.

Narenare: Cheer For You- Dropped at 2 episodes for being utterly vapid.

The Magical Girl and Evil Lieutenant Used to be Arch-Enemies- Dropped at 2 episodes for having the dullest submissive doll of a protagonist.

[delopsia]

If Outer Range's characters truly are loosely based on the Greek Gods, then Royal is Chronos, Cecelia is Rhea, Rhett is Zeus, and Maria is Hera.

Let me explain.

The moment Outer Range's season one starts, we open up with a stormy shot of Royal and his horse, Tilly, riding in a dark field with Trevor's body.

Voiced over the shot is Royal speaking to the audience, "You know anything about a Greek god called Chronos? He carried a sickle. He used it to cut a hole. A tear in the cosmos, between heaven and earth, to separate this world from the next. To separate the known from the unknown."

Immediately, we establish a link to Greek Mythology, and this is repeated later in the episode when Autumn catches Royal throwing Trevor into the hole. Through season one, we learn that Royal has used the hole to time travel on three occasions.

To escape the shame of accidentally killing his father

When Autumn pushes him into the hole

And when he jumped back in after the hole transported him three years into the future.

Through this, it's somewhat implied that Royal is Chronos. He doesn't carry a sickle yet, but he is deeply linked to this hole; he's the only one aware of its presence aside from Wayne. The hole is consistently there when he needs it. To escape his father's death. To hide Trevor's body. To show him what will happen in three years, if he does not change fate. And it deliberately returns him to the exact time period he just left.

But that isn't the only thing.

I've seen a lot of debate on whether Cronus, God of the Harvest, and Chronos, God of Time, are the same entity. For this interpretation, I'm arguing that Royal is based on both because he shares characteristics of both of them. For simplicity's sake, I'm just going to keep saying "Chronos" since that's how they spell it in the show's official subtitles.

Royal is depicted as a cattle rancher; he's a harvester of some fashion. In art, Chronus is often depicted with a gray beard, and I find it fun that Royal happens to share this feature. Is it exact? No, but its a detail in common.

Now here's where I get to the big thing. When Royal was nine and jumped through the hole, it brought him to "present time" as we'll call it, where he was taken in by the Abbott's as their own, and lived along side Cecelia, who he later married. Technically speaking, Cecelia was Royal's adoptive sister.

What did Chronos do? He married his sister, Rhea, the goddess of the Earth. Establishing Royal as Chronos and Cecelia as Rhea.

Now that I've laid that groundwork let me get to something nifty.

Rhett is Zeus.

Here is a photo shared by Amazon Prime on their Instagram.

This photo originates from the S1E2 scene when Royal reveals what happened after Autumn pushed him into the hole (refresher: he traveled roughly three years into the future). As pictured below, it's the same outfit.

You're probably wondering what the hell an outfit is supposed to tell us. Well, I'll show you. The belt buckle.

Here's his S1 buckle compared to the one in the future.

S1:

Future:

We can assume that this is the buckle Rhett earns during episode 8, after he wins the Amelia County Rodeo Finals. It's a huge tradition that bull riders win buckles, and they wear these literal trophies with pride. With how Rhett has been chasing this dream for a decade, we can assume he's going to wear the ever-living hell out of that buckle.

But do you see that on his buckle? That, my friend, is a lightning bolt.

Who is the God of Lightning? Zeus. The lightning bolt (or thunderbolt) was his most iconic weapon.

But we can't draw from that, no no no. I have something else.

In S1E1, we are introduced to the fact that Rhett sleeps around a lot, a trait Zeus is infamous for. Who haven't they slept with? Until his childhood crush, Maria comes back into town, and he's still just as crazy about her, despite her never reciprocating his advances (until now) and telling him (in Spanish) that she doesn't usually go out with men like him.

Similarly, Zeus was enchanted by Hera, the Goddess of Marriage. (Haha, get it, Maria...Marriage...similar words...I'll stop) but she didn't want a damn thing to do with him. But as the story goes, both Maria and Hera come around and agree to be with them.

Which establishes Rhett as Zeus and Maria as Hera.

Edit: I remembered another detail, Zeus and Rhett are both the youngest sons!

I don't have a solid standing on this portion, but Perry reminds me a bit of Poseidon.

Poseidon was angry with Odysseus for blinding his son, Polyphemus. While Perry doesn't have a son, he does have a daughter, Amy. Who was "blinded" by her past and became Autumn. It's a stretch, but I wanted to share the thought lmao.

This...does partially concern me about how Rhett's relationship with Maria may be depicted in season two, but you know what? I am ✨brilliant✨at sticking my head in the sand.

[tropicalcryptid]

New friend, I have a query. Where should I start with FMA? The manga, '03, or FMAB?

Aaah! Friend! You come into my blog, asking me to have opinions about FMA? I may actually die of joy! :D

Ok so full disclosure, I haven't seen 03 yet. I watched FMAB first and now I'm working my way through the manga. From that experience, I can say that 1) FMAB is straight-up one of the best and most complete stories (anime or otherwise) I've ever seen, 2) I have been obsessed with it ever since, and 3) I whole-heartedly recommend starting with FMAB.

I loved FMAB so much I've been buying and reading the manga to get the "full" story. FMAB is generally considered an excellent adaptation, but of course there are plenty of little moments which didn't make it into the anime. I'm enjoying it a lot, but I'm not a huge manga/comics reader so I'm glad I watched the anime first, I feel like I'm appreciating the manga more this way.

I do intend to watch 03 eventually. My best friend is an 03 fan but hasn't seen Brotherhood, and we're kind of in a detente trying to get the other one to convert first lol. I personally think FMAB is the best way to start, though, if only because it's the author's intended story.

Also, this wasn't part of your question, but the English dub of FMAB (assuming you don't speak Japanese) is FABULOUS, in case you weren't sure what language to watch it in. Even the hardcore sub stans like the FMAB dub.

Also if you do watch FMAB first, keep in mind that its only real "flaw" is that the first couple of episodes are kind of rushed and can be confusing. It was made with the intention that you kind of already know the story. (Unfortunately you can't just watch the beginning of 03 and then switch; my understanding is that the stories diverge very quickly). It gets better REAL fast though. Buckle up, I literally cannot recommend FMAB enough, it's so so SO good! I'm excited for you!! You should post updates / thoughts as you watch it, I hope you love it!

[toujokaname]

Evanescent / Episode 1

Characters: Rinne, Kohaku, HiMERU, Niki, Nagisa  

"...Hello there. I'm Nagigon ♪"

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[ Read on my site for a better viewing experience using Ois~su ♪ ]

Season: Spring

Location: Abandoned Mine

Days later, in an abandoned mine deep in the mountains.

Rinne: "Emergency project! Chase Nagigon, the mythical giant creature!"

"So, here we are at the abandoned mine! Today, us Crazy:B are off in search of the legendary creature, Nagigon!"

Kohaku: ...What the heck's this? Feels like somethin' a washed-up internet streamer would come up with...

Rinne-han said he had a weird yet foolproof plan to solve our dire situation, but is this really the solution he meant...?

HiMERU: —Fufu. That line sounds somewhat familiar.

You said something similar during the initial rehearsal for JoyLife, Oukawa.

Kohaku: Even your JoyLife was the same. You got so serious 'bout it, yet what you delivered was such a letdown...

Rinne: Oi, oi. Kohaku-chan, you've really gotten quite high and mighty, haven'tcha...?

What happened to the Kohaku-chan who used to say he'd take any job just to rack up experience?

Kohaku: You were the one sayin' we had to be picky about the jobs we take. And besides, things're different now.

Crazy:B's in high demand, so surely there were some better gigs out there?

Rinne: Nah. That's only true for you and Merumeru. The public's focusing on PBB, not Crazy:B.

HiMERU: Hm. In other words, the work for Crazy:B's four members remains unchanged?

Rinne: That's right. Niki and I are only seen as evil pests meddling with you two.

Niki: Nahaha. Thanks to that, I've been able to focus on my cooking job lately, and it's been awesome!

And with Rinne-kun off sulking somewhere, I got to work in peace. No interruptions, no chaos ♪

I wouldn't mind staying like this forev... Hey, Rinne-kun, quit holding onto my clothes! You're not gonna suplex me again, are you?!

Kohaku: Niki-han, you really just never learn...

I do understand your situation, Rinne-han. But I still don't get how this show's a solution to the problem...

Rinne: Well, as you pointed out, there's pretty much nothing deep or complicated here.

It's just a typical Crazy:B-style project to ruffle some feathers with the public's interest in PBB.

Wasn't I spending most of my free time tryna wreck the happy little lovefest you two had going?

Niki: Waugh... That's such a scummy thing to admit.

Rinne: Shuddup! This project's just a way to pass the time, forcing work outta Vice Prez Glasses-kun.

Kohaku: I see. So that's why it's so half-baked. I feel a bit sorry for the deputy director now...

HiMERU: He probably buckled under Amagi's insistence and threw together a project on the fly.

Kohaku: But seriously, what's with this "Nagigon" thing? Ain't it usually somethin' like a tsuchinoko[1] or what have ya?

And it's real strange that Nagigon sounds so close to Nagisa-han's name.

???: ...You picked up on that quickly.

Nagisa: ...Hello there. I'm Nagigon ♪

Kohaku: Hold on, it really was Nagisa-han!

You ain't even gonna wear a costume or nothin'? You're not honestly plannin' to appear lookin' like that, are ya?

Nagisa: ...No. We have various costumes prepared. A deep-sea octopus, a lion, a kaiju... I'll cater to everyone's preferences.

Kohaku: You haven't decided yet, huh. That's real sloppy...

HiMERU: —Still, to have Ran-san come for a project like this... It's hard to believe the deputy director gave the go-ahead.

Or does he have some hidden agenda behind this proposal?

Nagisa: ...That's not it. It's probably just to vent out his frustrations.

...Lately, I've been going behind Ibara's back, showing up on variety shows and acting on my own accord. I suppose it's accurate to say that his patience has finally snapped.

Kohaku: Is that really somethin' to say with a smile on your face...?

Nagisa: ...Hehe. It seems we've become close enough for Ibara to lash out at me, so that makes me happy.

...But more importantly than that. What kind of sound do you all think a Nagigon would make?

Kohaku: Nagisa-han, you're awful particular 'bout details. You don't need to go that far for such a pointless project! ♪

HiMERU: —It seems like you're having quite a lot of fun today, Oukawa. You're more energetic than usual.

Kohaku: Mm? Really? I don't notice it much myself, so I can't rightly say.

But yeah, I've been gettin' real sick of only doin' PBB gigs lately. Even if this project's ridiculous, it feels more enjoyable ♪

HiMERU: .........

Niki: Huh? Rinne-kun, I think the staff over there's looking for you?

Rinne: Ah? What's going on? They look real stressed. Something go sideways?

Kohaku: Huh? They're cancelin' the filmin'? Just like that? The weather don't even seem to have taken a sudden turn for the worse...

HiMERU: —So that's it. It appears that information about the filming here has leaked to the outside.

Upon learning about it, several fans gathered at the base of the mountain to protest against PBB being assigned dangerous work, causing a bit of an uproar.

Kohaku: What the heck's that?! I mean, it's bad enough that info got leaked in the first place, but...!

But it's up to us to decide what kinda work we do!

Rinne: ...This is the sign of impending doom after hitting the jackpot, Kohaku-chan.

We... Well, more specifically, you and Merumeru, have been forced into a position where fans dictate your work.

Kohaku: Fans dictatin' our work...?

Rinne: PBB fans enjoy watching you two living peacefully and happily.

No one wants to see Crazy:B going on dangerous adventures in abandoned mines, not like the kinda stuff we used to do.

On the contrary, some blind, overprotective fans must be thinking like this:

"They're being forced to deal with those two bothersome Crazy:B members, taking on dangerous work they never asked for."

"Poor Kohaku-kun, we need to stop this immediately. We must protect him..." Somethin' like that.

Kohaku: Haah...? That's such unnecessary meddlin'! I chose to take this job!

Rinne: But the world don't see it that way. With PBB in the spotlight, Kohaku-chan's seen as a cute idol living a peaceful life.

That's the role society's expecting from you now, and the label that's been stuck on you.

Kohaku: .........

Rinne: Anyway. With so many fans crawling outta the woodwork, it'll be tough to keep filming.

Nagisa: ...Mhm. I've contacted Ibara. It'd be wise to withdraw for the time being.

Rinne: Them's the breaks. Kohaku-chan, stuff like this is bound to keep happening from here on out.

I was late to catch on as well, but just like I suspected, things have gone horribly wrong.

[ ☆ ]

The tsuchinoko is a snake-like creature from Japanese folklore.

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[firefly--bright]

laal ishq.

[English - red love. ]

a blooming hearts extra!

jean kirstein x gender neutral!reader

inspired by this song and the new episode. scroll to the end for the symbolisms ;)

warnings : heavy angst, grief, violence and gunshots/wounds. (should be expected at this point) new episode/manga spoilers!!!! i haven't watched the new ep yet (I'm not ready) so it's more based on the manga chapter 132 so read at your own risk!

a/n: i love this song so much it's a Hindi/Bollywood song (back when Bollywood made actually good songs) and i listened to this so much and there's so much symbolism in it that i had to write something angsty :) anyway! i also have exams coming up in like a week so this might be the last fic i post for a while. enjoy!

taglist : @mrsnobodynobody , @a10vely-yutazen .

✿ main masterlist is in pinned navigation! ✿ enter my taglist ✿ fic playlist ✿ fic pinterest board ✿ comments/reblogs/likes are deeply appreciated!! ✿

--

you heard the gunshot far before you felt it; the final bell. you wondered if all the authors of the books you'd read as a cadet - the ones where the main character gets tragically shot or stabbed only to be healed again inexplicably - had ever been here before. had ever felt death like this, face to face.

death, shockingly, didn't grin menacingly at you like you thought it would. it didn't look over you (not any less than it already had been since the moment you'd joined the scouts), making you feel small and guilty and regretful.

this death; the one you faced with your eyes blown wide and a diminishing heartbeat, felt more like an embrace. in a flash, you caught dark brown eyes and a freckled face looking at you with the same look you've seen a hundred times before. in a flash, a picture of a brown haired girl with her mouth opened wide as if she were about to say something came before you.

it went away before you could grasp it.

but the pain, the blinding hot sensation aimed right at your heart, felt like it would last for eternity. the shape the bullet had cut out might have been a small fracture but it felt like the widest puncture, straight through the organs you had memorized the names of during your cadet days. the inside of your body lined itself up with flames even if you weren't on fire.

is this how sasha felt? her forever smiling face and warm touches did not deserve this pain, you thought. then again, none of your friends did.

in a foolish way, you were glad it was you and none of the others that were left. they were far too important for that. they would have much more of an impact than you would.

the blood dyed your shirt and in a moment of desperation, your hands clambered up to your chest to stop the wound from bleeding out. it was stupid to think that your feeble hands could help this, but you had to try.

(for him.)

you shuddered out a breath, your vision was getting cloudy. you didn't know how you were still standing up-right. you couldn't feel your legs or the way your knees stumbled or the way your hands shook fervently. spots appeared in the corner of your eyes as you looked around, trying to say something.

what would you say? what could you say?

when you've been running away from death for so long, who were you to stop fate with simple words or even desperate pleadings?

your ears were ringing but you could still hear the shouts; your friends scattered across the port as the workers busied themselves trying to weld the fuel tank shut. floch was in a worse condition than you and you wondered if he was still speaking, even after all of this. you wondered if anyone was looking, if anyone noticed your state. even if they did, the sounds of the terrifying footsteps and the tremble of the ground kept them busy.

you whispered out "jean" the best you could without your soul giving out completely, your staggering voice getting lost with the shaking of the earth. barely feeling your knees buckle, you decided this was it.

you would give victory to the death that had chased you for a long time. the death that you pushed aside that day the walls fell, the death that you swung past the day you saved jean and armin from their own fate. countless times, you had fought the cold touch without even realising it's icy breath.

maybe the worst part was that you were still hoping. you had already strapped in your ODM gear like you had done so many times before, hoping this one would be the last time you'd have to resort to violence. you could almost laugh at that thought if it hadn't hurt so much to breathe. you were so fully prepared to fight, to resolve, to hope for better days ahead after all of this. maybe that was your flaw - no matter how much jean convinced you otherwise. it always had been, your head had always been elsewhere, dreaming of a better place while your body carried out its own fight.

you let out a sigh. there was no light that sasha told you about - one of the many tales her grandmother had narrated to her. there was nothing to follow, nowhere to go. you eyes fluttered shut when even the dimness became to bright for you to handle.

flochs incoherent babbling was almost inaudible and jean had to resort to reading his lips rather than try to hear anything. he felt like he was running out of time. hange said something about not being able to give up, and in all honesty, jean wanted to clog up his ears again and close his eyes to hope the same way you did. hope that eren would atleast listen and stop this, hope that after this you'd spend your days together, hope that one day, his friends would share a meal without thinking about war.

his hand wandered to it's left without even thinking, hoping to find yours to link itself with.

jeans brows furrowed when he felt nothing but cold air greet him.

you were right there, weren't you? on his left like you always had been?

he knew you couldn't be lost. you'd be too adamant to help out all the workers instead of view the rumbling from afar, away from all the shouting. you were never one for being lost in violent thoughts, always pushing yourself headfirst with any and all work you could get your hands on as a way of distracting yourself.

jean looked around infront of him, scanning the place. hange followed his confusion.

"where's poppy?" he asked, only to be met with a half-hearted shrugged from the leader.

"sir!" he heard someone shout, a terrified shriek following the sound.

jean stood before he could even think, head whipping around to find the sight.

a pool of blood surrounding a previously white shirt, and gear that could only belong to one of the nine wearing them. the hand his fingers were desperately searching for was now drenched in red.

jeans head whirred with questions. his heart felt like it was burning, a sensation that was new to him. his leg moved him before he could make sense of anything happening.

your struggled breaths met his ears with an ache, and something in his chest shook with so much force, he felt like he would collapse if it weren't for the heavy machinery clinging to his body.

it was only when the soles of his feet touched the blood that jean felt like he couldn't breathe.

a string of curses left his mouth before he could even stop it, and the years spent trying to be a good leader went into the drain as the strong, honest and passionate section commander collapsed next to his lover's body with a clambering breath and shaking hands.

he felt his knees as they hit the ground, the blood - your blood - staining through his pants.

he didn't care about the stains or the status or the stares of everyone around him. you were on the ground in the way that he only had nightmares about; nightmares that you woke him up from, comforting him until his fear subsided.

your eyes are almost closed, he notes, and he wants to slap himself when his brain thinks of how long you laid like this waiting for him.

he didn't waste another second scooping you gently into his arms. you groan weakly as his forearms flex, and he tried not to let the string of curses fall from his mouth. he was pretty sure he was uttering them anyway. he had a bad habit of cursing, a habit you laughed at whenever he did. he cursed incoherently after you first kissed him. he'd remember that laugh forever.

your head nestles in the crook of his arm as he holds on to you and the bitter hope he refuses to let go of. your eyelashes flutter, and he brings his hand up to your wound, cursing his palms as they shake with force.

"no, no, no, no, no, no. please. please." are all the words that can come out of his mouth as he touches his warm forehead against your cooling one.

"it's okay." they croaked out. "we'll meet again."

jean could hear their hope. their usual honeyed tones had lost their light but they still held on to that one last string of bright dreams.

and despite himself, jean smiles. he breathes out shakily onto their paling skin.

jean didn't know if their friends knew about this. jean didn't know if hange was alright, if their promise of protecting them was fulfilled till their last breath. all the loss that occurred in the matter of seconds made jean feel trapped inside a small box, one that only you could pull him out of.

your noses were touching. jean left a kiss to your mouth, fleeting but with all the love he had stored through the years. he adjusted your head so your lips could graze his chest one last time.

a promise, he hoped. his heart would find yours again and love it just the same if not more.

the last time he saw your face was one he refused to remember. he refused to remember your closed eyes and shuddered final breath and pale skin. your body was left on the ground with no real grave to mark it, no-one to remember your body except the years he spent memorizing it.

he was aware of Connie's crumbling presence as both of them boarded the flying boat. the actions jean made in order to get that machine flying were only half registered by his brain. the boat rattled as they sat in silence.

"where... where's (y/n)?" Armin asked. jean flinched for the first time in years.

his face was not tear stricken yet. as much as he wanted to, he could not collapse. no matter how hard his bones begged him to rest, his mind ran rampant and his heart refused to slow down.

the question, however, finally broke him.

his vision blurred as silent tears flowed down his cheeks. his chest felt like it was giving up, collapsing onto itself, and the rattling of the flying boat felt like mere background noise when he clamped his ears with his palms. the underside of his nails was caked in your blood and the thought itself make him shut his eyes tighter than before.

if his friends spoke, he didn't hear it. Mikasa and Connie's presence next to him felt overshadowed by his all consuming guilt.

he wasn't there. he didn't notice your fall before you touched the ground, hell, he wasn't even looking at you when floch shot everything in his blurring vision. jean should've been there, in your place. jean should have been there to spend atleast a few more moments with you.

were you with them now? marco, sasha, and all the other cadets you had befriended while jean stayed stuck in his ways as a teenager? did marco greet you with open arms and sasha greet you with a kiss on the cheek?

he tried to convince himself you were resting now, finally. he tried to tell himself that you were fine, that your friends and fallen comrades would embrace you into the afterlife. but he couldn't.

you were happiest with him, and selfishly, he wanted you here.

that's how it was supposed to be. you promised a large house uphill with two cats and your warm laughter, while he would read the sunday paper and drink his cooled down tea and eat his sugared toast. his mother would visit you on the longer weekends and you promised you'd learn all his favourite dishes - ones he knew you'd like too.

he had a plan. his future was built around you and for you.

what was he supposed to build his future around now? an empty apartment with the lack of a floral perfume in the air with no decor whatsoever? with no-one to make it a home?

Connie's hand rested on his back as jean clutched his head, resting his elbows on his knees.

he knew this was far from over but he craved so badly for it to be done with.

he heard something being spoken to him. Mikasas voice wavered when she spoke, something she had never done before. Armin lost hope before even knowing the answer to his previous question, and Connie's hand had never felt so distant. jean's own guilt outweighed even reiners, and Levi sat in his own silence as he witnessed the fall of two of the people that meant the most to him.

jean felt everything slip away from his grasp. he wished his mother had prepared him for this, but he knew all the training and learning in the world wouldn't stop him from feeling the way he was right now. he knew that even if he did know the outcome of your life, the way it ended right before his eyes, he'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

he'd love you with all his unshakable might as he's loved you once before and maybe even lifetimes before this. maybe even universes beyond this cruel one.

his eyes opened with a start. his nightmares had been few and far in between, a rare occurence that his body no longer knew how to deal with.

his heart hammered in his chest as he clasped a hand over it, no longer bloodied, no longer as calloused or scarred. the soft weight on his shoulder made him look down in the dim of the night lamp in your shared room.

you laid there, eyes closed prettily, a little drool slipping past your lips. his breathing was still erratic, but you didn't seem to mind it much as you cuddled up to him. your arms wound around his chest, determined to engulf his frame with futile and sleepy efforts.

and despite himself, jean smiled.

you were alive. breathing and warm and clad in his shirt, alive. you didn't need to know about his nightmare, not until a couple days atleast, when it would slip out in conversation. you'd grow incredibly concerned, asking him to wake you up if it ever happened again so you could help him through it. he would shake his head, rolling his eyes and tell you not to baby him to which you'd respond with a slap to his arm.

for now, though, he pushed the thought of his nightmare aside. pressing a kiss to your forehead, he ducked down to kiss the tip of your nose as well.

your lips twitched in your sleep and jean smiled wider.

he finally gave in to the rest his bones so dearly craved.

he woke up the next day fully awake, to the scent of warm tea and sweet toast.

--

extra a/n! : okay so this song literally translates to what hues love is. it calls love anguished and flawed and i thought it would be very fitting for jean and poppy because after poppy's death, that's how jean felt about love. he thought it was futile, that even after all his efforts in the next life, it would result to the same outcome. the colour of love (laal - red) to me meant the colour of poppies and the blood staining them, and also the love that takes place in Jean's heart in the next universe - the one that he has stored only for you. there's a verse in the song where it basically states that the singer is contemplating whether to grab the moon and change the darkness of the night to the brightness of the day and he made his lover his enemy because he couldn't handle the love that he felt for them. (i haven't seen the movie from which the song is from but this is solely my interpretation) so i wanted to end it with a nightmare-ish sequence where jean wakes up and even if he used to hate nights after poppy died because the bed would be too empty, he loved the nights he spends with you now. the love runs too deep for him to ignore and be your enemy instead, so he (unlike the song) chooses to embrace it with you.

and then there's also a repetition where the singer just says "my name is love, your name is love" over and over again and i just think its what jean feels about you that you are love itself etc etc :)

hope you guys enjoyed this!!!!

[angelhummel]

Welcome to the Every Rachel Berry Outfit season 3 round up! It's been a long time coming but it's finally here. And this is also the longest style summary yet, so buckle up! Brought to you as always by the me, AngelHummel

Season 3 gives Rachel 192 new looks. She has the most outfit changes in Michael and Goodbye with 14 outfits each. While Pot O Gold and Nationals are tied for the least amount of outfits, with a mere 3 each. This is also the fewest outfits featured in any episode overall

While Rachel's style matures this season, it also gets a lot more samey. Gone are her animal sweaters, and gone is the variety in her silhouette. These days, dresses are her best friend.

Though she's never been a big fan of pants, that article of clothing is all but eliminated from her wardrobe this season. She's gone from 23 in season one, to 16 in season two, to 11 in season three. And the majority of those are either workout clothes, or pajamas. She also wears a pair for a coordinated group number (something else that is lacking in s3), and a pair as part of her Saturday Night Fever suit. Her only real pants outfit features a pair of shorts - soon to be a staple of Rachel's wardrobe - seen at the very end of the season

Pants weren't the only thing Rachel decided were restricting her legs too much this year. Knee high socks and tights' stocks plummeted this year thanks to Rachel leaving her legs bare more often than not. But of course these signature accessories haven't vanished completely. This season, Rachel sported...

25 pairs of knee socks. Okay, still a lot, but we've cut back from s1's 38 pairs

18 pairs of tights. Again, sounds like a lot, but compared to last season's 45 count...

13 pairs of ankle socks. She was trying something new but must've decided they weren't for her, as they don't appear after the halfway point of the season

As for accessories that have all but been wiped out, the headband fans were starving this season

We see Rachel sporting headband a pitiful 6 times - and one of them was Tina as Rachel! She wears two stretchy headbands to hold her hair back, once during dodgeball and once while in the shower. Then all the girls wear headbands in 3x14's competition. The only real headbands we see her wear are both in 3x22. An homage to her fashion roots, before she can branch out and find new styles

The 2011-2012 school year was a real "Say Something" Hat Year for McKinley, and Rachel was no exception. In addition to her headbands, she also wore 9 hats, along with flowers, bows, blue streaks, a welder's mask, and several other fun accessories for a total of 25 head based accessories

Most memorable of all? A wedding veil, a prom queen tiara, and a graduation cap. Landmark accessories, all of them.

And the final lost staple of Rachel's old wardrobe? Plaid skirts. She only wore two this season. But plaid made an appearance a total of 9 times, popping up in her outerwear and dresses more often. She also featured hearts a handful of times, and even a few florals this season

But the patterns that featured most in her wardrobe this season?

Stripes, which appeared 21 times, and...

Polka dots! Which appeared 24 times.

Rachel's wardrobe also featured 26 costumes this season, including matching group number outfits, themed looks, and all her potential Maria outfits

And of course it wouldn't be an outfit review if we didn't quantify the colors of her wonderful wardrobe. Have to appreciate them now because New York definitely bleaches out her rainbow a little. But for now...

Rachel rocked every color under the sun this season, but some much more than others. While some people, like myself, might associate her strongly with the color pink, that didn't even crack the top 5 this season

Honorable mentions this season are grey and pink, featured heavily in 16 and 17 outfits, respectively

Fifth place with 20 looks is Navy

Fourth place with 23 looks is Blue

Third place with 30 looks is Red

Second place with 41 looks is White

And in First place with a total of 52 looks is classic Black

And finally, to close out this extra long review, we will conclude with a visual list of my Top 10 Favorite Rachel Outfits of the season

[saltysuicune]

I don't like Evolution so far...

You know, I've been watching evolution and I gotta say... I don't like i so far, at least not the start I'm at ep 16. People keep hyping it up as the greatest season ever but I feel like it's just blind fanatism for Free and Silas. I made a whole ass thread on Twitter about why I don't like it, but I still want to share my thoughts here, so buckle up people.

Also like, please remember I've only gotten to when they go to México, so I can't take into account any kind of character moments or character development that happens after that 'cause I obviously haven't seen any of that yet unless I got spoiled.

It's actually a single very simple issue, but it bothers me a lot 'cause this wasn't a problem in season 1, or at least it wasn't so big; I feel they misuse so much of their time, like, let me explain. They had like 15 episodes of a whole arc, to introduce around 12 new characters and I don't even know who half of them are supposed to be (counting only the guys back at BC Sol).

Season one had also 15 eps of the first arc, but around numeber 5 you already know the basics about every big player in that arc and even most side characters. Those being the main 6, plus Hoji, Orochi, Xander, and both Valt and Daigo's families.

Wakiya and Daigo had more impact in this arc than most of the new characters on Valt’s side, I care more for the French team than the new supposed deuteragonists. Why do you make so many new characters if you won’t do shit with almost any of them? How do you make me care more about the secondary characters more than the main gang?.

Most of these eps were incredibly boring to me because they just got rid of the thing I loved so much about season one, every character had something that made them different from the rest or a reason to care about them, but during this arc most characters are "literally who"s.

Like, I might for example not care about Zac or Ukio that much, but I have friends who do. But Honey? Django? I don’t know a single person who even remembers them. And there was no improvement to anything else from Season 1, so there’s nothing to make up for this issue.

They should have actually taken the time to introduce everyone and show you just who they are. Who’s Django for example? Because right now he’s literally just a walking stereotype, not even a character, give me a reason to care about the fact he’s leaving. Stan got incredibly upset when that happened, clearly it was supposed to be an important thing, specially looking at how much it changed Stan's own character into an abrasive and resentful shit stain of a guy for a while.

Like I said, I think they should use the first few episodes to properly introduce Valt’s new friends. Show Django and Stan’s supposed friendship and how they were supposed to be among the strongest bladers besides Free, show me Valt befriending the new people, show them Honey interacting with her sister, HOW does she not have any chemistry with HER SISTER. Just make them feel like actual characters instead of replacing already loved and established characters with boring different nationality versions of themselves.

THEN you bring the plot. They don’t even need that many eps, they’ve clearly proved they can give them that treatment with just one, look at Cuza or Gashem, for example. They established them perfectly, why can't they do that with the characters you're supposed to see every episode? The story would be so much better if they made you actually care about these people, but they just didn't.

So many moments in the later half of these few first eps would be vastly improved, the few times someone decided to leave, that one time everyone got mad at Valt and Rantaro after meeting with Daigo, Silas rejoining, the little conversations Kris and Trad often have.

I just wanna care about whatever is happening, like I did in season 1. Kris and Ange's conversation in that one ep, Kit following Valt to the royal's place, everything Free did, those are great examples, I needed more of that, just give me character moments, tell me who these people are, please, I wanna care.

[softchouli]

What's your favorite trope to write or to read in a THG fanfic?

For writer, if you can convert one of your fanfics to become original writing, what is it? Why do you pick it?

For reader, if you can make a live-action adaptation of your favorite fanfic, what would it be? Why?

Thank you :)

@curiousnonny

Helloo 🌼 @curiousnonny and thank you!!

That would be fluff, with them just living domestic lives regardless if it is in canon or some alternative universe. 

oooh, you're so kind for cogitating me as such 🥹 I'm a writer in the same way a potato is a battery, it just works in specific situations. But *holds gently* that tiny thing about Everlark sharing a bed, I just love to put into words the feelings of warm intimacy.

And okay I feel kinda guilty answering this one because I haven't read much yet, even though I keep collecting every piece of recommendation that comes my way. But judging by the headcanons I've seen around here I just know I'll need to buckle up.

But that could be any scenario that explores and develops more of the character's point of view throughout and after the war, making it possible for readers to understand why they do what they do. I'd trade something very important to me (and replaceable) for it to become a 14-episode series with a little sprinkle of canon divergence where Finnick lives with his babies (plural!) in a house by the sea just like the one Ponyo has. 

[thelastbraincellofthehive]

Well, I'm watching volume 3 and honestly I have so many thoughts about it I'm gonna make a first half and second half post. Buckle up because y'all now this is a wild ride! Also buckle up because this is were I start having some very controversial opinions lol.s

The show was airing the first half of this volume when I first got into it (it was somehow because of some amazing Ever After High fanart lol I still remember) so actually, Yang and Mercury's fight was my first experienced hiatus, you can imagine my distress lol.

Every volume the list of women who could step on me grows. But honestly, Winter is on top of that list. It's like they created her with all my weaknesses in mind...

The vytal festival fights are hilarious lol as the kids said, It was nice to see them all fight in a controlled and friendly enviroment instead of fighting actual murderers.

Yatsu and Coco and that poor team in the chapter 1 flashback did fight actual murderers tho, RIP to them (?

It's brawl in the family will forever be one of my favorite episodes lol Winter and Qrow simply steal the show everytime they're on the screen!

Also, I get other ships with the characters and understand why people doesn't like Snowbird... But I've had many people who don't watch the show watch that fight scene and the general consensus is always that they were flirting. That's the most sexual tension I've seen in this show, and we've had actual romantic partners interacting more than once lol

Anyways I ship Snowbird/Qrowin...

Subject change. Remember that scene when Mercury goes to tell Cinder he saw Qrow? At the end Cinder tells he and Emmerald to 'go to their rooms' ...but arem't they supposedly sharing a room since they're partners? Beacon teams all share a room so I don't get why they wouldn't lol.

I wish we could've seen more of Ciel Soleil, honestly, she was such a cutie lol. Kinda hoping She's brought back someday. If you are a fanfic writer and haven't tried to use Ciel as something like Penny's awkward and superserious bodyward in an AU, you should think about It, girl has potential!

"If you were one of my men I'd have you shot!" "if I were one of your men I'd shot myself" still one of the most iconic and epic moments in the series lol Go Qrow!!

Neon!!! God I loved Neon in this volume lol that girl is insuferable! She's also GayAF, I know It.

I'm the one is such a banger of a song! Top 3 of the volume, easily. Also, that fight is awesome, I adore seeing all the clues for what happened next now that, you know, I know what happened next lol.

Velvet worried about Coco <3 let these two be girlfriends!!

Winter fighting Qrow because he was drunk it's so painful after we learn about her family life. Trauma is a bitch.

Also, can I just say that I miss Willow? I knew I was gonna love her, but it was even more than I was expecting, I hope we get more Willow soon.

That scene in Ozpin's office when Ironwood looks at Oz, Glynda and Qrow before sighing and leaving is so telling of where his story was going. He was part of a team, yet he felt like it was him against the world. It's sad how much the others tried to show him their trust, but he was so into his fear that he couldn't see it.

I know this is a very controversial topic for the whole FNDM and that it was disproved multiple times, but I'll never get why would it be so bad if Ruby was Qrow's daughter. The signs are all there, It would make so much sense, and I don't feel it would've taken anything from the story. Alas, it wasn't meant to be*shrugs*

Penny tackling Ruby to the ground as a greeting is tradition <3 also she's always looking back at Ruby with the biggest smile on her face before leaving <3 God Penny is the most adorable girl I've ever seen. And my Nuts and Dolts shipping heart is so happy<3 and sad

Seeing Weiss and Winter interact always warms and breaks my heart at the same time, it's so obvious there's a lot of love there, but half of the time they don't really know how to show it. Again, trauma is a bitch.

Yang, baby </3 my heart breaks for you everytime I watch chapter 6. Honestly, I never fully forgave Mercury after that lol.

Pyrrha. Deserved. Better. Say it with me Rooster teeth!!!! God the whole vault scene is painful.

Also, Glynda: "We're still the same headmasters and teachers you knew the day you arrived to Beacon" Pyrrha: "This is literally the first time I met half the people here!"

Yes, I'm using dumb humor to deal with trauma

I lowkey ship WeissxFlynt honestly... Flynt's cool, I want more Flynt please.

But my imposible otp for Weiss still hasn't been introduced. If you follow me you know who I'm talking about and I'm willing to die on that hill. RT I'll forgive you for literally everything aside the v8 finally if you make them canon. Literally!!

You only get off the hook for v8 if you give me Nuts and Dolts.

I stan my point that Ironwood was hoping to have Penny eventually become a maiden and that's why she exist in the first place. I'm guessing the whole thing with the virus made him reconsider and that's why he turned to Winter later? Maybe?

Anyways, I still can't believe this is the tame half of the volume. I guess time to keep going and get my heart rip apart again. Good talk guys!

[voidedparts]

As penance for my crimes, which include reblogging spoilers that you cannot click and stealing your socks, I offer this:

[You are handed a small card. It reads: Free Ramble Coupon.]

You are now permitted to infodump about something- right here, right now :)

Alright you heard him. Buckle up because I'm about to nerd out regarding the first episode of the Sandman on netflix. (Also, spoiler warning, if that's needed <3)

This episode is beautiful. I'm gonna start with that. There are so many shots that are just so beautiful. Shout out to the cinematographer because they did a great job. Not only is it beautiful visually (and it follows the comic!) the monologue by Dream at the beginning is so so so good. His voice is exactly correct. It's got that deep, sort of rumble-y buzz. It's otherworldly, it communicates he's not human, and establishes the world very nicely. THE SHOT WITH JESSAMY AS THE LANDSCAPE SHIFTS TO THE DREAMING! ITS SO COOL! ITS SO PRETTY! ITS SO PERFECT! Its subtle too, so at first you don't notice it, but then you're like "Wait a second!"

Skipping ahead a bit because I can, basically there's this gentleman who goes to this big house to see "The Magus", who is an occultist trying capture Death.

This guy brings a book which the magus needs to perform the spell.

Meanwhile we see Dream in the waking world in pursuit of the rogue nightmare the Corinthian, who is killing people! When Dream shows up there's a nice dialogue between the two bathed in the yellow headlights of a car, and just as the Corinthian is disintegrating into sand, Dream is summoned by the occultist!

This shot is super pretty with the blues and golds. It also looks like sand or dust!

This is nearly a direct recreation of an image from the comics, which is so striking and beautiful. It's one of my favorite shots from this episode!

So they steal all his stuff, straight up robs him, takes his clothes and everything. Also up to this point, we haven't seen Dream's face yet! which is very interesting.

Anyway with Dream captured, some sleeping people won't wake up, which does a lot of damage to the Dreaming and the waking world.

Corinthian shows up, the opportunist he is, to tell tell the magus how to make sure Dream doesn't escape by building a glass sphere around him to contain his physical form. This is such an interesting sort of prison, and it makes for some very pretty visuals.

(I'm going to talk about shots with the sphere a lot, it's so pretty. I mean look at them!)

Anyway when the magus comes to ask Dream for things, when he says "I know who you are, Dream of the Endless," Dream opens an eye. This is another of my favorite shots

He looks very not human here, the glow in the eye in think contributes to that. (Its hard to see in the gif but its there) All through the one sided conversation as the magus talks at Dream, they cut back to this shot, unmoving, unspeaking, unblinking. There's a cold, sharp anger in his gaze.

Only when the magus leaves and his young son is still standing there does Dream lift his head to look at the boy.

Like come on, this is one of those shots.

Here's another, when the magus' son (older now, time has passed) goes down to "watch Dream" while they wait for the real guards to show up.

So Alex (the magus' son) is feeling bad that they have had Dream trapped all this time, and is apologizing for his father's actions, and Dream is just sort of regarding him with this expression that reads (to me) as "foolish human, you have no idea what damage your father has caused humanity and my realm. If you were actually sorry you would free me and return my tools."

Alex even confesses that he would let him out if he could, which causes this almost imperceptible change in Dream's expression, almost like hope? But then the magus catches Alex. :(

Rararra, the magus is all irate at Alex, Jessamy shows up at the window (having evaded death since Dream's capture), and the magus is like "alright, Alex, you shoot the bird."

Now it's a rescue mission. Jessamy manages to sneak into the house and starts a fire using one of the magus' matches. All this time I'm so sure Dream can sense what Jessamy is trying to do and for the first time I think he has hope that he can escape.

The fire causes the guards to go upstairs, so Jessamy can fly down into the cellar to where Dream is.

And now for the most awful scene I've ever witnessed (in a good way). I'm not including a gif because its a little gorey.

Basically Jessamy is pecking at the glass, Dream is looking at her, there is hope, the music is swelling...

and bang. Blood. Everywhere. Jessamy is dead. There is silence. Dream looks like he's in shock. It's sort of the first time we see him display such a strong emotion. There's blood all over the sphere.

And when Alex goes to pick up the bird carcass, we see Dream's expression.

There are tears in his eyes, but there is also an anger, below the surface, a disgust almost. I don't think he really hated his captors prior to this, I think it was more like an annoyance, and inconvenience, and irritation, but not hatred.

After this though, he is so upset. We can tell, but it is a cold, pointed, razor sharp anger, frigid and deadly.

There is actually something to be said about the sphere being the cause of so much death, because later on Alex accidentally kills his father because he hit his head on the glass too hard. Very interesting point.

in the same scene as when the magus dies, there's this cool shot of Alex reaching out to Dream, as if to be like "enough is enough". Faintly, muffled, you can hear the guards go "don't do it! He'll kill us!" And then breaking through the muffled sound "what would your father say?" And that snaps Alex out of it.

(I've run out of gif slots on mobile at this point noooo, it'll have to be images only.)

So Alex doesn't let him go. He says "I need to think" but he doesn't do anything about it.

(Also the magus' mistress steals Dreams tools from the safe they were kept in, and runs away.)

Alex takes his new lover Paul to see Dream and beg that if they let him out that he will not kill them. Very cool shot. I love the layering.

Dream tells us via monologue that he could not forgive them for murdering his raven, which is why he could not promise not to harm them. :(

Time passes and now Alex and Paul are much, much older.

Alex is like, "All I wanted was to be rid of you rararara." And Paul is like, "Come dear, lets get you to bed." and has a wheelchair for him. This is important because it is Paul who actually allows Dream his freedom, via scuffing the binding circle that was keeping Dream prisoner with the wheel of the wheelchair.

He even sort of stops and looks back at Dream with this resigned, knowing look.

Dream leaks into the dream of one of the security guards, tricks him into shooting the glass and shattering it.

This is such a good shot by the way.

All part of the plan baby.

He blows sand into the faces of the guards, making them fall asleep, and then escapes through a glowing blue and white portal back into the world of dreams in a shot that is a mirror of an image from the comic.

Before he can go home though, he goes into the dream of Alex, and gives him a little heart attack.

I love all the blue hues associated with Dream. It's hard to see in some of the gifs but a lot of the scenes in the sphere have a blue and gold hue.

Dream gives Alex the gift of eternal slumber, and then returns to the Dreaming, but he doesn't have his tools (the helm, the sand, and the ruby), which leads into the arcs of future episodes.

So yeah! That's me talking about how much I love the visuals of the first episode of the Sandman. This is a great show, though it is rated MA for good reason (looks at episode five in horror).

Thanks to Taiga for sponsoring my ramble. I'd love to do more ramblings like this in the future!

[cyberpunkboytoy]

anime recs that will get me emotionally invested please 🙏

oh shit oh fuck, uhhhh

"Oshi no Ko" immediately had me hooked; the first episode is literally the length of a movie, so buckle in for that, but oh my god. Oh my god. Rearranged my fucking molecules. It goes through like 5 different genres over the course of that set up. You won't know where it's going. It'll be weird at first, but trust me. Trust me. It's worth it. I'm a changed man.

"Princess Tutu" of course must be mentioned. It starts out like a classic 'monster of the week'-type magical girl show, but then it subverts All That Shit and becomes incredible. There's a reason the fandom is still going strong despite the last episode having aired in 2003. (Also, someone has been making a really cool fanmade sequel)

"Romantic Killer" is a fairly recent one that totally exceeded my expectations. You think it's going to be a silly romcom, and instead it slowly becomes a psychosexual thriller. The ending is INTENSE. The writing is wildly good. Highly recommend.

"Baccano" is great if you like gore, nonlinear storytelling, and large ensemble casts of characters. It's kinda hard to understand timeline-wise the first go through but it's gripping regardless.

And to get the basics out of the way, in case you haven't seen them yet, there's of course Mob Psycho 100, My Hero Academia, and Spy x Family (the last is more a comedy than 'emotionally gripping', but it's still very good and gets you attached to the characters so I'm counting it)

[aimfor-theheart]

ooh, i'd love to hear more about your opinions on trigun once i make it through both properties! but for the moment -pulls up a chair and sits down- okay buckle up cielo

i guess to start, i do agree even without seeing the remake yet, 90s anime have a certain charm to them that modern anime just doesn't have! beautiful art style, animation, intricate backgrounds and unique designs etc

unfortunately, i dont have the love for space westerns that you do, and i think that bit me in the butt in terms of engagement at first LOL i skimmed through the first 4 episodes before something about episode 5 kinda hit me and i forced myself to sit through all 4 episodes again properly. the most slowest of plot burns. im dying, im begging for scraps. (episodic episodes, my hell, my nemesis)

BUT what really tides me over is the characters!! vash as the forefront, is of course, the most soggiest man i've ever met. he's so goofy and the show loves to use him physical slapstick humor (which can be a bit much for me) but it sharply contrasts his more serious moments. hes also very intelligent?? like he's so silly but also highly competent when the situation calls for it, and also very observant. he's a funny lil guy. but also he's fucked up i bet.

like sometimes there are just such juicy little nuggets of characterization when characters actually talk to each other that i just have to sigh and follow the trail and see where it leads me

there's a moment between wolfwood and vash that just stops me in my tracks because it's so. humanizing and quiet and Good. Vash watches Wolfwood do an act of genuine kindness when at first he appeared as some lackadaisical, salespriest and vash just smiles watching it and wolfwood immediately clocks him and says he's surprised vash /could/ grin so genuinely, because the rest of the time his smiles are so empty behind the eyes. Vash is a person who hides a lot of pain and struggle behind a veneer of cheer.

ALSO, about Wolfwood!!! yes okay, i have to say, i've SEEN the wolfwood in stampede and im so mad. they gave him a nose job!!! i hate that, i love his big ol honker!!! bring it back

okay i have to end it here or i'll go on forever, overall, i wouldn't personally have gravitated towards trigun by myself, BUT i am having fun, i love the characters, and im desperate for more plot

was so happy to see your ask with more of your thoughts 💕

okay that's fair!! space westerns are very Niche in some ways. and also episodic storytelling is like...a dead artform atp lol. i feel like we haven't seen it in awhile!! i personally have a sense of nostalgia for it and actually really enjoy it! i watched cowboy bebop recently too and...i think it just reminded me of how good episodic storytelling can be. but i get it can be slow!! esp nowadays when we're used to almost cinematic/film storytelling? i feel like tv shows now are like really long movies just broken up a little. cowboy bebop took me a second to get into too because i also was like....oh episodic storytelling you slowpoke.

but god yes THE CHARACTERS. vash especially. what an incredible main character. i love his lil slogan ab himself lol a stoic peaceful gunslinger searching for the allusive mayfly of love or whatever it is. he's just wonderful to watch!! and honestly i really love meryl too. i like this iteration where shes got a bit more sass and bite than the new one. i get her motivations have changed between og and the new one so her attitude might too but. i really like og meryl right now.

and that moment between wolfwood and vash is such a good one!! honestly they have a lot of really wonderful interactions. really enjoyed the interactions between wolfwood and millie too. i think part of the reason i love and miss episodic storytelling/tv shows is because it allows a little more room for character/relationship building, you know? i think the og does a really nice job of it.

new wolfwood they just....kinda botched. especially in the appearance department. give him his nose!! don't make him look so pretty!! wtf is that outfit!!

well thank you for your thoughts friend!! and im glad you are enjoying trigun!!! you'll have to update me on your thoughts as you continue to watch!!