#IT'S SO NOT IT IN ENGLISH DUB LIKE MY MAN WHY ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THIS IT BARELY MAKES SENSE 💀💀💀💀

[vally-vall-vall]

Hello, Forgive me for spamming your blog. I saw your pfp was tfp megatron and then realized your blog was as high quality as the pfp. 👌

My ask is whats your fave transformer and from what universe?

Ah, no worries! I'm glad to hear my blog is filled with scrumptious content! About who is my favourite tansformer. Well, it would be easier to answer who isn't my favourite ifbvkdjfv

I'm a TFP girlie through and through. Prime has been my comfort show since like 2011 and I continue to rewatch it year after year even now. I have indulged in other Transformers media, too, most notably the Bay movies, War for Cybertron, Robots in Disguise and the OG series, tho nothing would come even close to my love for TFP. I truly do think this is the best Transformers incarnation in franchise ever created.

About the fav character (aside from the obvious picks like Optimus and Megatron), this is mega hard for me because all of them are so good dfhvbihvfb. I think I could narrow it down to a few, neither is placed higher or lower than the other because I love them all for different reasons.

Ratchet. Absolutely love this grumpy old fart. He's what started my love for the "grumpy character who pretends they don't care but actually care A LOT" character archetype. He's everything I love and nothing I don't, plus I do think that Jeffrey Combs was made to be his VA in a similar way Robert Downey jr. was born to play Iron Man

Starscream. I will be honest, it actually took me some time before I started to like his character instead of just seeing him as an annoying bootlicker. I mean, he's still an annoying bootlicker, but I came to enjoy him! OG Starscream walked so TFP Starscream could run. He's all of his old traits but amplified and made better. His scheeming, cunning nature, inability to shut up to the point the show itself calls him out for it (Operation Bumblebee) but at the same time, he's a pathetic coward. A wet cat of a man, soggy af. I do think if the show came out in recent years that tumblr would have a field day with him. 10/10 I miss Starscreams like him

Smokescreen. This may or may not be a hot take because he's apparently pretty unpopular with the fandom?? At least he was in like 2012-2015 when I was most active in the fandom. I actually really do enjoy his recklessness and immaturity, it makes him feel more like a youngster that's yet to see the horrors of war. I love how quickly he grows throughout the episodes when he comes to realise their fight isn't about personal glory, it's about survival and about doing what is right. 9/10 because I hate the updated painjob he got in season 3

Miko. Also kind of a hot take, since she seems to be the least favourite among the kid trio. I gotta be honest, TFP is the only Transformers incarnation where I actually like the human companions, and Miko I love the most. She's reckless and bold and immature, like any "punk" teenager of her age would be, and I also absolutely adore the bond she has with Bulkhead.

KnockOut. My first ever experience with a character that was so violently queer-coded it rearanged by neural pathways. Loved him since his very first scene. The sass, the execution, his mad doctor persona, obsession with looks, surprisingly scheeming nature, he's just so full of personality. I also love how he's actually canonically married to BreakDown. My only gripe with the character is that I wished he was depicted to mourn BreakDown more instead of, like, just mentioning he's annoyed that he now has nobody to buff him. But also this was a pre-Steven Universe show back when queer characters weren't as prominent in kids media, so I get why it wasn't implimented. I'm still salty about it though

Arcee. Arcee I had to grow to love, and it didn't happen until several years after the show has ended. At the start, I found her to be a deeply unenjoyable character, grumpy and cold and dismissive towards everyone (and especially Jack) and not in the fun way Ratchet was. However, as I aged, I came to realise that she's not just being an asshole, she's grieving. This is one of the key reasons why I love TFP. It tackles serious topics like death and grief very well for an animated kids show that was mostly made to promote a toy brand, and Arcee's character really shines here. I deeply enjoy seeing her come out of her shell after Cliffjumper's death and slowly form a deep loving bond not only with Jack, but with everyone else too. Also how she helps Miko out with her own grief after Bulkhead gets seriously injured. You know what that is? Growth. Nothing but growth and healing for my sassy two-wheeler.

"Funny. At first I never thought I'd get used to Cliff's constant chatter. But now? Now there's nothing louder to me than the silence."

Bro, this sentence is burned into my memory. Forever. It altered my brain chemisty, I swear. Arcee and her grief over Cliff and Tailgate are so well portrayed and it makes one of the best written characters on the show and I will die on this hill!!

[couldeatthatgirlforlunch]

I really loved your scenario of The Justice League AND The Ill reader,Lmao, poor reader they only need a rest.

Anyway, ever since I read the first part I was thinking about the kids, you know, the League Sidekicks, obviously The Reader knows them, due to work (I can really imagine Batman introducing His kids to the Reader to force a bond , And obviously The rest of The League does the same) So I had the headcanon that the reader really likes the children, they talk to them after missions, sometimes they buy them some gifts for their birthdays, they listen to them when they complain about their father figures (Therapist Reader), etc. But at the same time I can imagine The Reader being totally uncomfortable with his parents, so I can't help but think of a scenario in which The Reader is talking to the League kids in a good mood, but the League members walk in. to the room (They obviously saw the Happy Reader, so they want to gain some advantage) And The Reader just turns off, goes into business mode and is curt as always with the league, and when he finishes talking to the league, he goes back to talking to the children and their mood is happy again. Man I would love to see the league's reaction to the obvious reader favoritism

PD:I really love your work, you are amazing

Pd2:If The kids are yandere, ITS UP to you

A Week in Life: Take Your Kid to Work Day

Synopsis: A week in your life where you get a lot of new little friends, even if you know something’s sketchy about it.

Pairing: Yandere!Justice League X Assistant!Gn!Reader; Platonic!Yanderes! Robin (Dick), Superboy (Konner), Miss Martian, Kid Flash (Wally) and Aqualad (Kaldur'ahm)

Tw: A single implication about Hal’s past dub/non con incidente (blink and you miss it); Implied emotional manipulation, I guess? Justice League using kids as a manipulation tactic; A little angst, I think we all hate how Superman treated Conner, so I added that, so technically not a healthy relationship between them here, could be interpreted as Superman manipulating him or Superboy trying too hard to make his bio-dad like him; The kid’s ages are definitely not accurate canon wise, but what is canon anyway? I mixed their personalities and origins from Young Justice (along with their age gap) and for Superboy it was mainly the animated movie Reign of the Supermen; English is not my 1st language.

Word count: 3,3k

Requested? More than once.

Extra notes: Dick is 10, Kaldur'ahm, Conner, Megan and Wally are 13. I wish I knew more about the Wonder Girls to write about one of them, I felt bad for not adding them, but I would’ve felt worse writing for a character I have no idea how to write.

General masterlist | A Day in Life - Series masterlist

— I wasn't aware that there was a Take Your Kid to Work Day on schedule... — You said in a surprised, maybe taken aback, tone, if not a little strangled and sarcastic, even if a little happy. You rubbed your forehead, you knew your hunch was right…

Monday…

You’ve heard the rumors Gotham media was spreading for months now, you even asked Batman if you should prepare the marketing team in case of an emergency, he denied everything.

So why was it that now you were staring at a 10 year old dressed as a traffic light?

— Miss/Mister/Mx (Y/N)... I’m hungry… — Worst of all? The kid was cute.

You smile in a friendly manner.

— Okay, okay. Just give me a second, buddy, I need to talk to your… Dad…?! — You just now realized you didn't know their actual relationship. Batman only told you his name was Robin, that he was his partner, and that he was in the watchtower to observe. You didn't know superheroes accepted 10 year old interns, but whatever. The kid just stared blankly at you, not giving an actual answer to if you got your assumption right.

— Can I go with you? — Robin fiddled with his fingers. So cute. You nodded with a small smile. The kid jumped off his too big chair and ran towards you, surprising you by taking your hand. He had small hands. So cute.

You walked slowly, to accommodate to his height, in the direction of the door to the briefing room, where Batman was talking to John Stewart. This other Green Lantern was a breath of fresh air. The other one (the one who shouldn't be named) was away, working on another district of the universe since that whole… Less-than-consensual situation. You were happy and surprised when the League didn't just brush it off, and even compensated you for it, alongside making him go away. He either agreed to that, or caused the 3rd World War against the Justice League. It was a temporary predicament, but happier nonetheless, since John wasn't obsessed with you, unlike the rest of them, and easy to work with.

You cleared your throat so they would turn to you.

— Does Robin have any restrictions? He said he's hungry so I'm gonna take him to the kitchen. — You said politely. Batman shook his head.

— Just don't give him sugar. He needs to sleep before patrol tonight. — You raised your eyebrows in surprise and nodded your head. Batman looked at the boy. — Behave, chum. — You blinked, Robin nodded solemnly.

As you walked in the direction of the kitchen, the kid showed to be very happy and talkative. You were surprised, considering who his dad was, but it warmed your heart. At least it seemed he wasn't mistreated.

At some point, he let your hand go and started cartwheeling and doing acrobatics all the way there to show off his abilities to you. You gasped and clapped, praising his talent along with other workers from the crew who were passing the hall. You were slightly worried that he would fall and get hurt, but the kid was really confident in what he was doing (but they always are, until they fall).

When you got there, you were impressed that he wasn't even the slightest out of breath.

— Do you have games on your phone? — He asked, sitting down on a table while you rummaged the fridge for some sandwiches or any healthy snack, since you didn't know how his home diet was, but guessing by his build, which was a lot more athletic than kids his age are, he was probably pretty healthy. Son of the Bat.

— Hmm, I have Dress to Impress, Pou and Candy Crush.

— What is Pou? — Your heart panged and you sighed, feeling old.

— When were you born? 2010? — You walked towards him and settled a plate with a sandwich in front of him, before pouring a cup of juice.

— 2014. — Your mouth dropped, speechless. — Wait, so not even Stardew Valley? — You cleared your throat and shook your head, sitting beside him, while he started eating.

— Wait, can I even let you play? Does Batman let you have screen time? — He nodded.

— I have a phone. I just couldn't bring it with me today… He said he would show me around the tower, but he got busy with work… — He deflated a little at the end of the sentence, your heart broke. — Anyway… He told me I could distract myself. I just need your permission. — You bite your lip.

— Okay. How about we go to the recreational room and you can play some videogames while I work from the computer. — Robin nodded eagerly.

— Damn, you can't even play with me? Working sucks. That must be why adults are so boring. — You took a napkin and cleaned some food from his cheek.

— It's not that bad… You can do whatever you want. — He perked up.

— I guess so… — He looked you up and down. You prepared yourself for one of those moments where kids are so blunt that they don't know they could offend someone. — But you're not boring, (Y/N), you're cool. Must be why daddy likes you so much. And he doesn't like no one.

Tuesday…

Wow, what a weird coincidence. Just yesterday Batman brought his kid, and now Martian Manhunter brought his niece.

Miss Martian looked older than Robin, but again, she was a martian, her appearance was shifted to whatever she wanted to look like. All you knew was that she was young and new on Earth.

Right now, she looked very human. She had freckles and auburn hair. The only thing that made her stand out was the green of her skin.

When she presented herself to you, you got startled by her voice in your head, but you and Martian Manhunter softly explained to her that on Earth people didn't communicate through their minds, and it was kinda like an invasion of privacy. Kinda funny hearing him say that, but whatever.

Like Batman the day prior, Martian trusted the girl in your hands. So many coincidences, right?!

— So, honey, how old are you?

— Oh, on my home planet I should be about 39. But converting to Earth years, I’m 13. — She said with a shy but friendly smile, you smiled back.

— You’re pretty young then. How are you settling on Earth? Planning to go to school maybe? — She nodded.

— I just started the school year… I wasn't too sure about that, but my uncle said it would be good to learn human behaviors. — You nodded.

— American school is nice, I recommend you should take part in clubs. And don't feel pressured to make a billion friends. It's better to have one good friend, instead of 10 people you know but can't rely on. — She nodded, biting her lip.

— I already know some of the other sidekicks, I just don't have any civilian friends… I was thinking about joining the cheerleading team. — You gasped, excited.

— Oh, that's really good! I always wanted to join, but was never the sporty type. You’re sweet, I think that already gives you some points. — Her green cheeks got darker.

— You think so?! — Her voice got louder with excitement.

— Of course! Now let me give you some tips about the jocks, honey…

Wednesday…

Today, Flash brought Kid Flash. You haven't met him until now. The sequence of days the older heroes brought in their sidekicks was starting to look weird… But not that weird. Batman said he would give Robin a tour but became unavailable. Manhunter wanted Miss Martian to meet civilian people and have a good role model — you don't know why he decided that that role model should be you, but it made sense, so… —. Flash Said they would spend the day using the lab to experiment some more on Kid Flash’s still recently acquired powers. So. Coincidences, right?

The boy was 13 too, he had messy red hair and green eyes. Flash didn't specify their relationship, but their personalities definitely matched a little. Both a little hyperiperactive and smiley. Although that could be more of a speedster thing, especially the first part.

Like promised, they spent half that day on the lab, occasionally calling you for snack breaks. However, at some point, Flash gave an excuse and left you with the kid.

Huh.

— Sooo, what do you do around here? — Kid Flash asked, spinning around in a chair he found somewhere and rolled to the middle of your office in the blink of an eye. You half-smiled. It was nice not being crowded by those weirdos and being around fresh and youthful people, but it was starting to feel weird.

— I plan schedule appointments, organize team meetings, prepare agendas and itineraries, book meals and travel arrangements, handle record keeping and documentation, and make sure a project stays on budget. — The ginger blinked and stopped spinning.

— Uhh, you went to college for that? — You blinked.

— I did, why? — He chuckled slightly.

— Nothing, it's cool, sounds boring, though. — You nodded.

— What do you want to work with? — He looked to the side, thoughtful for a moment.

— I think I want to be a scientist.

— Oh really?

— Yeah, I like physics, mechanics and a little bit of chemistry. — You smirked.

— Chemistry? Sounds boring. — Kidflash froze for a second, wide-eyed, then relaxed and started laughing loudly. His chuckling prompted you to chuckle alongside him.

He used his feet to push the chair around your table and stopped at your side.

— Hey, can I see how much people get paid here? If I'm gonna be a member of the League one day, might as well optimize time and just work here. — You slapped his hands away when he reached for your computer, he pouted.

— Wouldn't that make it difficult to keep your secret identity hidden?! — Kid Flash stretched his arm, then draped it across your shoulders, you lifted an eyebrow.

— Babe. I'm a superhero. I could change clothes really fast right now and you wouldn't even notice. — You scoffed and lightly pushed him and his chair away.

— A phone booth would be more appropriate for that.

— What's a phone booth?

Thursday…

Superman brought Superboy.

Why the fuck are they doing that, bro?

You didn't even know they were close! Sure, Superboy is Superman and Lex Luthor’s clone, the whole world knew that, and that Superboy took to Superman's side. But they were never seen together, unlike Flash and Kid Flash, or Batman and Robin, for example.

Worst of all? It looked like the mood between them was… Weary. Especially on Superman’s part. Did he not trust Superboy? You could understand that… But look at his puppy sad face!

And not even five minutes later, Superman just flew away, saying something about a hurricane in Texas, AND SUPERBOY STAYED!

The silence was awkward for a few seconds. You thought back to the personality he showed when he was first announced by LexCorp, when Superman was considered dead. He was all over the media (Lex’s marketing team was good) with his charisma and flirty personality. Although he kept the leather jacket, his quietness surprised you.

You cleared your throat.

Superman brought Superboy.

Why the fuck are they doing that, bro?

You didn't even know they were close! Sure, Superboy is Superman and Lex Luthor’s clone, the whole world knew that, and that Superboy took to Superman's side. But they were never seen together, unlike Flash and Kid Flash, or Batman and Robin, for example.

Worst of all? It looked like the mood between them was… Weary. Especially on Superman’s part. Did he not trust Superboy? You could understand that… But look at his puppy sad face!

And not even five minutes later, Superman just flew away, saying something about a hurricane in Texas, AND SUPERBOY STAYED!

The silence was awkward for a few seconds. You thought back to the personality he showed when he was first announced by LexCorp, when Superman was considered dead. He was all over the media (Lex’s marketing team was good) with his charisma and flirty personality. Although he kept the leather jacket, his quietness surprised you.

You cleared your throat.

— So… Are you hungry? Wanna play videogames? — You grimaced slightly. He looked at you again, a little hesitant.

— Uh… I think so? — He blinked. — You guys have videogames here?! — He exclaimed, surprised. You chuckled.

— Oh yeah, for such a serious and stern guy, Batman really invested in the work environment. — You chuckled together, walking towards the recreational area.

You were curious about the earlier weird vibe, but didn't want to prod.

At first, you just let the boy play by himself, just sitting beside him and working while talking, that was until he paused the game between missions and stretched, then looked at you.

— Are you guys involved? — You looked at him with your eyebrows raised.

— You guys…? — He pursed his lips.

— You and Superman. — You grimaced slightly.

— Oh no, he's my boss, and not my type at all. — He nodded, looking pensive.

— He likes you. — You kept a blank expression, waiting for him to continue. — I like you too, so I can imagine why he likes you. — You stared at him, exasperated. He widened his eyes. — Not like that! — He raised his hands to deny. — It's just- I feel comfortable with you. I felt comfortable with some of his friends before, I didn't even know why, but I think it's because half of me is from him. Like I have some things from Lex since I was… Born… — He looked to the ground for a second, pouting lightly. — That's why Superman doesn't like me. — You widened your eyes.

— I'm sure he likes you! — Superboy looked at you like he didn't believe you.

— No, it's okay… He's polite, I guess. And took me in as his family, just not… As his son… More like a brother, or… A cousin… I mean, I can understand, I'm basically a hate baby, created by his biggest enemy to outdo and destroy him… — You shook your head.

You didn't know what to say, since you didn't know how their dynamic was like.

— H-He brought you here to spend time with you, didn't he? He just had an emergency to take care of… — He looked to the ground and then at you again. He didn't have the heart to tell you that's the first time they ever “hung out”, and that his genius brain clocked hours ago that Superman's plan was to create a connection between you both by orchestrating a connection with you and him. He also didn't want to bad mouth Clark. A part of him always would have hope that Superman would want to be closer to him one day.

Superboy looked at the clock and then at you.

— Don't you have a break? I can hear your stomach, I'm hungry too.

Friday…

This madness has to stop now.

— Nice to meet you, Aqualad. — You nodded at the boy with a small smile. You were a little mesmerized by his exotic appearance. He had brown skin, blonde hair in braids (where are his roots?) and blue eyes. His arms were also covered in tattoos that you knew had something to do with his abilities.

— I was showing him around the Watchtower, but now I have a meeting with Wonder Woman, why don't you two hang out for a while? — Aquaman, always the most obnoxious one. Their intentions were 100% clear now.

Aquaman didn't let you say anything else and left the room with said hero. You heard her murmur something about having to find her own apprentice to bring to the watchtower as soon as possible.

You looked at the boy, not knowing what to say.

— Have you ever been to Atlantis? — He surprised you by speaking first, his tone was gentle, if not a little monotonous, but he looked at you with interest.

— Uhhh, no? I’m not that good of a swimmer and I can't breathe underwater. — Aqualad smirked lightly.

— You wouldn't need to worry about breathing, there are multiple ways for humans to do that, from magic to technology. As for swimming… I'm sure we can find some sort of solution for that, also. And I doubt my king would be opposed to the idea of teaching you. — You nodded slowly. So much for subtly.

— … My vitamin D is low enough as it is, I’d rather stay on land, no offense. — The atlantean opened his mouth to speak but you beat him to it. — Aqualad! Do you like the food here? I've always been curious about your culture’s cuisine…

You kept talking for hours, eventually, Aqualad and you ended up in the training room, he offered to show you a little of his control over water bodies, and you, still a little fascinated over the convivence with superheroes, and this being the second time you met someone from Atlantis, accepted eagerly.

— This is just like H2O… — Kauldur’ahm blinked.

— It is water… — The boy confirmed, hesitantly. You laughed.

— No, no, not water. It's a TV show, it's about mermaids. I guess it isn't exactly accurate, but they can control water, just like you! — He nodded, slowly, contemplating. You looked at your watch, noticing your lunch time was due. You looked at him, shyly. — If you're up for it, we could watch it now… — That seemed to make him perk up a little and he nodded quickly.

— I would like to.

Monday…

— I wasn't aware that there was a Take Your Kid to Work Day on schedule... — You said in a surprised, maybe taken aback, tone, if not a little strangled and sarcastic, even if a little happy. You rubbed your forehead, you knew your hunch was right…

There they were, in the meeting room, all seated around the big roundtable, almost double the number of people who usually sit there.

Now, the food order they made, made sense.

You pushed the food cart forward, one for Flash. You came back and pushed another one, this one for Kid Flash, you ruffled his hair. Then, you walked back and pushed the 3rd food cart around the table, delivering each meal for each hero.

— Steak for Green Lantern. One black coffee for Batman. One meat sandwich and chocolate milk for Robin. — You squeezed his cheek. He smiled brightly at you. — Toast for Martian Manhunter and a slice of strawberry cake for Missy Miss Martian. — As you put the plate in front of her, you whispered that you wanted to know how the cheerleading team was going. She nodded happily. — A burger with fries for Aquaman, a smoothie and salad for Aqualad. Oh, did you change your hair? I like it! — You smiled brightly at the boy and his cheeks burned, he nodded. — Ice cream for Wonder Woman. Another burger and fries for Superman and another for Superboy. I see you followed my advice, your style really matches with those piercings. Tell me how you did it later. — You laughed carelessly and went to the door. — Need me for something more? — Your bosses shook their heads, stunned. You left and closed the door.

— Can't believe you guys actually did it… — John shook his head, disappointed at his teammates.

— I knew it would work. — Batman said, sipping from his drink.

— That's why we stole your idea when we knew about it. — Aquaman chuckled.

— I really need to find a sidekick. — Diana huffed.

Batman turned to Robin.

— You did a good job, chum. — Dick chuckled.

— Yeah, I even asked for a sandwich without the crust. Now (Y/N) think I'm the cutest here. — He smirked smugly. Wally scoffed.

— Yeah, right. She totally doesn't think you're an annoying kid. — The duo stared at each other. — I, for example, made them laugh. — The redhead puffed his chest proudly.

— Are you sure it wasn’t a pity laugh?! — Superboy snorted at Robin’s retort.

— Although Robin might be physically more adorable, and Kid Flash, in his words, made them laugh. (Y/N) and I started a TV show together, my king. — Aquaman nodded at his apprentice’s words.

— You did a good job.

— But (Y/N) actually said they wanted to talk to me later! That usually oficializes human’s friendships! — Megan said, softly.

— They said the same to me, the other day. That I could talk to them whenever I wanted… — Superman looked at Superboy, surprised. He felt awkward praising him, so he just nodded his head and looked away. Superboy pouted slightly.

— Because you told them your sob story, now they think you're a loser. — Conner glared at Dick. — Their physical language showed that they loved me, B! I honestly deserve an Oscar after that performance! They're gonna be ours before you suckers know it!

As a screaming match raised inside the room, the adult heroes looked at each other, lost for words, not only had the kids gotten you roped a bazillion times faster then they could ever dream, but also you were so amazing that they were enamored with you too.

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[doestalker]

stab! | choso kamo

summary: there's a serial killer on the loose, you're invited to a halloween party, what could go wrong? spoiler: everything

ghostface!choso, smut, p in v, dub-con, little to no foreplay (sorry), dacryphilia, blood play, knife play, big dick choso, unprotected sex, a lilttle daddy kink, dirty talk, degradation,, choso puts the hot in psychotic basically.

word count: 2.7k

note: english's not my first language, sorry if there are any mistakes :) ౨ৎ this is a collab with my dear friend @nudijsmos

also on ao3

it was a really, really bad decision - going out to a halloween party when there's a serial killer out there, waiting for his new unsuspecting victim? it was a no brainer.

yet, saying no to your friends was worse than that. and that's why you agreed on attending this party in the first place.

your eyes skimmed over the news playing on your tv. a new victim of the ghostface.

ghostface.

his name was all over the news, the papers, the internet, a ghostly white screaming mask, a black cloak and the thirst for blood.

he had already killed 5 people this month, the police says that he stalks them before he goes after them, just for the thrill of the hunt.

fucking psycopath.

you turned off the tv to finish your make up in peace, only the gentle hum of a lana del rey song playing through your speaker was keeping you company inside your dorm.

you were dressed as an angel. what a cliché.

it was the easiest costume you could think of only using your clothes, a white corset, white fishnets and the tiniest white shorts that didn't even cover up half of your ass cheeks. you just had to buy the halo and the wings to match.

-

the alcohol had already started affecting you. you felt like your brain was spinning inside of your skull as you made your way into the upstairs bathroom of the fraternity hosting the party. the first thing you did upon entering was splash your face with cold water from the faucet, then you looked at your reflection.

your make up had barely smudged - thank you, waterproof make up - and your cheeks were flushed from the alcohol. what a mess, you thought.

the party wasn't so bad, but as you expected from the beginning, your friends ditched you the moment you stepped inside the house. so, there you were, alone, dressed in skimpy clothes, in a place full of drunk college students pretending not to fear the figure in black that could attack them any second. you rolled your eyes at the thought.

however, your critical thoughts about your peers were interrupted when someone entered the same bathroom where you were.

"hey, it's occupied," you said, words slurring, your tongue felt heavy on your mouth.

you looked at the intruder through the mirror's reflection. he was dressed as ghostface. you swallowed hard when you saw that white mask staring at you with his head tilted. it was clear that this was someone with a very twisted sense of humour who had dressed up as the killed from the news, even covered himself in fake blood. still, you couldn't help but feel intimidated by that ghostly figure.

"didn't you hear me? it's occupied," you said again. you were about to turn around when the figure grabbed your hair and forced you back into your original position.

you didn't know what to do, you were shocked at the audacity.

the figure shook his head.

"what? you wanna play psycho killer?" you asked with a crooked smile. maybe it was the remaining alcohol in your system, but you weren't against this roleplay.

the figure nodded.

"can i be the helpless victim?" you joked, your voice innocent and airy, looking at with your best doe eyes.

ghostface nodded again.

his hand, still holding your hair, exerted force until you were bent over the counter, your arched back lifting your half-naked ass higher, the smooth white fabric barely covering it making the masked man loose his composure.

the cold air in the room clashing with your bare skin as he got rid of the minimal clothing covering you, drawing a series of gasps from your trembling throat that sounded like music to the mysterious entity controlling you at its whim. lust filled the air, and both of your breaths were connected by the uncontrollable desire within you about what could happen next. how rough would it be, what would the next move be? despite the fear building up inside your stomach, the wet heat running down your thighs encouraged you to continue.

the tearing sound of your fishnets made you shudder, and the cold touch of his blade sent shivers down your spine. the bastard sliced your underwear. now the only thing protecting your bare pussy from his growing bulge was the fabric of his robe and his jeans. his bulge rubbed slowly against you, so slow it was torturous. the friction sending flashes of pleasure to your lower belly. you didn't want him to stop; his rhythm was lascivious enough to make the black fabric even darker with your juices.

the masked man only let out ragged breaths, although his gaze wasn't noticeable in the mirror that was reflecting the vulgar expressions on your face, inside that hood, he was savouring the obscene angle he had you on, your ass shaped like a heart from his point of view.

his gloved fingers forced their way into your mouth without warning, seeking the lubrication your saliva could provide. the combination of the black leather taste and your frothy saliva tingled your taste buds. there was a certain synchronization with the fake thrusts he made into your mouth and the friction against your cunt.

his left hand grabbed your hair and pulled hard so you could see yourself better when he caressed your pussy lips with his lubed fingers, playing with your folds, feeling how they got wetter with those sweet juices you were leaking. your mouth gaped when you felt his fingers entering your cunt so slowly it was almost cruel, making you lose the little sanity left in you. it didn't take much time until he was drilling his digits inside your gummy walls.

your whimpers were getting louder, but you were sure that the music blasting outside the bathroom was muffling the lewd sounds escaping from your mouth, so you let yourself loosen up, you were getting fingered by a stranger after all, and one dressed up as a serial killer.

the voice modifier inside his mask wasn't picking up his deep sighs, but now it was, morphing his grunts into a robotic voice. he tilted his head again, staring at your face enjoying his fingers abusing your cervix, if only you could see how his eyes darkened.

the thrusts of his fingers stopped after a few minutes, then without warning, he found his way inside you again, this time with his length. you felt your insides burn, not able to take the ridiculous size of his cock, falling apart in front of him.

"look at you, doll. who would've thought that you'd get so turned on being like this," he grunted out of breath, taking your cries as encouragement as he began the abrupt sway of his hips against your ass cheeks.

"i'm gonna show you how you're made for me, how this pussy's only made for my big fucking cock and only for my cock. you filthy little slut."

you weren't used to his moves; any trace of vanilla had disappeared the moment he exercised that cruel power over your figure. your voice was so worn out that you couldn't form a straight answer, limiting yourself to just whine and moan just like he described, like a filthy slut. he was a vulgar and obscene entity that just released your deepest and darkest desires with just the sound of his modified voice and the thrusts of his hips.

your eyelids were starting to feel heavy; you couldn't help but close your eye por a second, which earned you a hard slap on your ass-cheek that would most likely leave a mark. "don't close your eyes. look at yourself. look how much of a whore you're being to a complete stranger. what would your boyfriend say? would he like to know that a killer is filling up his girl?"

you shook your head. "no boyfriend," was the only thing you could manage to reply, your brain beginning to shut down from so much brutality and overstimulation.

"really now? then, nothing could stop me from doing this," he said, and the next thing you felt apart from his big dick inside of you, was the sharp blade on his hand piercing its way into your soft skin. the pain of his weapon cutting on the flesh of your ass mixed with the pleasure of his thrusts, melting your brain away until there was nothing left but your incoherent babbling from those emotions blending together.

his hand caressed the fresh wound before traveling to your chest, pulling down the top of your corset and staining both the fabric and your tits crimson red. the hunting knife went up to your neck and rested on your jugular, his thrusts began to speed up and you thought you could die from the way his tip was bullying your sweet spot.

a subtle bulge started to form on your lower belly, you could see through the mirror how his length reaching places no other dick had explored before.

"fuck, just look at you, you're such a mess," his groans, still robotic and modified, sounded animalistic. "i'm gonna ruin you. gonna make you cum so hard, no one other than me will fuck you this good. there's no dick out there that could abuse you like this."

your head was spinning. you were all over the place. the overstimulation and his dirty talk that sounded like a threat were bubbling up the white heat on your lower abdomen that you were oh so desperate for.

"gonna make you mine, gonna fill you up."

your body was hitting against the cold bathroom counter and your gaze showed both pleasure and fear, despite currently getting the fuck of your life, you were still uncertain of making it out alive.

you watched as his hand grabbed his mask and took off the plastic material that was keeping you from knowing who was fucking you. it wasn't enough to say he was the most attractive man you'd ever seen in your life.

straight, shoulder-length hair, tired eyes surrounded by violet shadows that revealed sleepless nights, and a striking tattoo running across his cheeks and nose bridge. his porcelain-like skin couldn't hide the rosy flush that softened his otherwise sharp and intimidating features.

his lips curled into a crooked smirk when your whines stopped upon seeing his face. "like what you see, angel?"

the deepness of his voice shook you to your core and made you weak in the knees. he didn't give you time to reply the obvious yes! your brain wanted to scream, he just grabbed your hair and pulled you into a filthy kiss, all spit and teeth and fighting tongues. you let out a tiny mewl when his teeth bit hard on your lower lip, so hard it left you with a metalic taste after he broke away from the kiss, only a thin thread of pink-ish saliva connecting your mouths.

"couldn't help myself, just want to devour those lips."

you felt like your insides were being abused by his length like you were just a toy, your belly already feeling full of him even though he was giving you lazy half-thrusts, the few moments when he decided to punish you and thrust in full made you dizzy. through the mirror, you could notice his gaze fixated on the way his cock disappeared into your warm pussy.

his hands hovered over the end of your waist, drawing invisible lines along the curves of your hips, while the most vulgar and purely depraved words were leaving those rosy, plump lips of his. you watched as his eyes rolled back into his skull whenever your pussy clenched and tightened around his cock when something he said was a little too dirty, and the way he trusted back with mouth-watering force made your eyes roll too.

you were 100% sure that the people outside the bathroom were hearing your moans now, but you couldn't help it, you were approaching your long-awaited orgasm, and you felt the white heat on your lower abdomen start to bubble up and send electricity through your nervous system. your walls were hugging his cock so tight, as if your pussy didn't want to let him go now that you were about to cum.

"fuck, look at you, you're practically swallowing me," groaned the stranger.

"'m gonna cum," you whined, furrowing your brows, focusing on getting over the edge of your climax.

he leaned over you, pressing his clothed chest to your back, he was looking into your eyes through the mirror, a wicked smirk on his face.

"yeah? gonna cum on my cock?" he mumbled into your ear, hot breath caressing your ear. when his only answer was a strangled moan, his hand grabbed you by the crown of your hair, the new angle was pushing you even more to the edge. "answer, slut, you gonna come on daddy's cock? you gonna be m'lil whore and let daddy cum inside you?"

you nodded your head, the best you could with his hard grip on your hair. "yeah, daddy, want you t'cum in me, please fill my pussy, daddy," you whimpered, almost sobbed, begging for your release.

"then cum f'me, angel."

that moment didn't take long, a couple more thrusts into you and that was it, his seed was filling you up, and at the same time, yours was coating his length, both fluids mixing inside of you, spilling out and running down your thighs. the proof of your affair staining your shorts and dripping on the floor.

then, the stranger pulled out and, without saying anything, started to zip his jeans and put on the mask again. you stopped him, not even bothering to pull up your shorts.

"what's your name?" you asked.

you didn't want to lose the opportunity of seeing him again, mind-blowing fuck or not, he was beautiful and your still-foggy mind thought he looked familiar. besides, he must go to the same college as you, given it was a frat party.

he just shook his head, a smirk still intact on his handsome face. he put on his mask and softly grabbed your face by the chin.

"ghostface."

you rolled your eyes at his joke. "well, mr. ghostface, will i ever see you again?"

his hand left your chin to travel to the loose strand of hair over your forehead, tucking it back behind your ear. "soon, angel."

and then he left, the silence after the door shut was deafening, your ears ringing and your mind spinning.

you looked at your reflection again, smudged makeup, sweaty and your hair was a mess. you turned and looked at your back through the mirror, your clothes were stained red by the fake blood he had on his cloak. your eyes traveled down to your ass, where he had cut you moments before, your cheeks were red and stained with your blood, but it looked like a superficial cut, nothing too serious.

you couldn't help but notice that he carved a 'c' on your left cheek.

-

when you finally pull yourself together and decide to leave the bathroom, the first thing you encounter is straight out of a horror movie.

a body lies on the floor, a guy slumped against the wall opposite the bathroom door, blood staining his clothes and the wall behind him. you clap a hand over your mouth, fighting the urge to vomit, unable to scream from the sheer shock.

you dash down the stairs to find your friends and alert the frat guys to call the police, but the scene in the living room is even worse.

three bodies are there. one guy and two girls. the girls are seated on the couch, almost as if the killer posed them, their blood turning the cream-colored fabric a deep crimson. the guy lies face down on the floor, his blood pooling around him.

the music continues to play, its upbeat and trendy lyrics mocking the gruesome scene.

you feel sick to your stomach, wanting to puke, cry, and scream, but you can’t. you're frozen on the last step of the stairs.

as you hear a siren in the distance and the house slowly bathes in the blue and red of police lights, your eyes lock onto a sticky note on the front door. you slowly walk over and read it.

'soon.' it said.

[actuallyjustabiscuit]

So as someone who is very fond of the Latin American dub of certain Disney movies, I wanted to check out TADC in Spanish…

…and found some interesting dialogue changes.

Now changes in translation is not unheard of when dubbing something that was written in a different language, of course. This is usually done to help make the lip movements look more natural, but also because some jokes or expressions can hit different depending on the language.

And I think that’s really neat

So I wanna share some of these differences that I spotted from episode 3 🙂

“And Zooble returns to normal.”

“I’m already nor[mal]…”

So the original joke Jax makes in English is “And Zooble turns straight.” which Zooble then clarifies that their limbs just straighten out when they hold their breath.

But I think the change to Zooble getting defensive over their appearance (or just taking offense at the implication that they’re abnormal) makes the fact that they hate their body hit a lot harder.

“Bubble has those?”

This is referring to Bubble having feelings, which is certainly a good question.

It’s sounds like an insult, but I’d find it funnier if Zooble’s curiosity was sincere.

“Excuse me, could you repeat that? I don’t speak Lovecraftian.”

C’mon, we were all thinking this angel looked a little too much like an eldritch abomination.

“And Pomni, every time she comes back from one we lose a little more of her”

…this…really puts Pomni’s experience in the Circus into perspective.

It also makes me wonder how much Zooble is projecting here.

“Please, stay dead.”

Not much different from the original but I love that she says “porfis” instead of “por favor” because using the abbreviated version makes her sound cuter.

“Congratulations, my honey mariachi rockers (?)”

…I don’t even know…

My personal favorite dialogue change because Caine is basically saying “And that’s the end!” but instead of referring to a story (which is usually the context for which this phrase is used) he’s referring to his adventures.

I just thinks it’s fun how they essentially made Caine rhyme like a Dr. Suess character.

So…this…

I’m gonna try to explain why this scene hit me so much harder in Spanish. Again, it’s not that different from the original where Kinger says “In this world, the worst thing you can do is make someone think they’re not wanted or loved”

But here, it sounds almost...poetic? Melodic? My point is that he’s rhyming here, and I’m almost certain that it was intentional.

Like…directly translating this into English would not do this subtle change justice. Or vice versa! Directly translating the English version to Spanish would not hold the same aesthetically pleasing delivery.

And that’s another thing!

I want to give a quick shout out to the amazing voice actors that lent their talent for the Spanish dub of TADC.

Especially, Rodo Balderas (Caine), Maureen Herman (Zooble) and Elliot Leguizamo (Kinger), because WOW their performances in this episode was peak.

Elliot make Kinger so goofy. Like really goofy. Then when we get to the point where he talks about Queenie his voice gets so soft. You can feel how much he loves and misses her. Seriously, the range on this man!

Anyway, yeah, watching the show in Spanish definitely gives another enjoyable experience.

[peasant-player]

I watched the war of the rohirrim!

And I have thoughts spoilers under the cut + some crappy doodles ❤️

Man that Oliphant was nightmare fuel.

I never thought I would be scared of elephants but here I am.

The watcher was kinda adorable!

Here some doodles xD

Wulf is now forever a raccoonTM in my head.

What a pathetic man.

Whoever said Hera is a Mary sue needs to check their brain OR the definition of Mary Sue.

For God sake her first real kill was with the help of her horse and a pitchfork while laying down being terrified.

I do like that she used the "death" Sentence in her amazing show off against the racoonTM because that what Rohans warrior use to say while riding into battle!

I disapprove about her daily clothing choice. White boots and shirt? Really? That poor laundry lady!

Now to the more important part that I need to say:

I loved Targg and the shield maiden Owlyn so much. I want a healing fix it and I ship them.

Did they had any interactions with each other. No. But that's not gonna stop hopefully anyone!

He was a really good general with great moral compass! He would have spared Hama and the small folk. Now let me get this quick~ out of the system:

I loved his clothing and I mean he got just stabbed once(1)time he could survive that! (Helm got shot with arrows like 6 times and was fist fighting people while being very depressed in a snowstorm like a week after that)

Let there be some loyal wild men safe Targg from the battle field and then he heals but doesn't know what to do with his life and then he meets hera and olwyn and he tags along because he respects her and he has nothing better to do. They could go on a adventure together.

Or idk let him see that the raccoon man is crazy earlier and safe hama for negotiations or whatever and he helps Rohan idk I read fics with much worse unrealistic premise and it still worked great!

Here have a little comic

So let's talk about Helm hammerhand!

What a legend. No really I'm gonna draw him standing heroics with his tits out and his hammer holding into the sky.

He would approve.

I laughed out loud that he kinda froze to death and suddenly had his hammer in his hand!

He punched a ogre/orc to death! Sauron and the Balrog should be thankful that he does not have access to thermo leggings and the blood of the Numenorian because he would have punched them all straight into the void!!

He would have throw the ring into the fire because he has no use of such nonsense!

And Haleth !! The silm Haleth would have approved of him!!!

So cool,so hot and even his death was kinda cool, very quick but so heroic.

The twink bard hama got used up to show that the raccoonTM is a terrible war lord and a super pathetic man. Kinda sad and underwhelming. Good part to start a fix it fic!

And wulf Ach wulf man idk what to say I will say that the German dub gave him a better and deeper voice then the English voice so that was nice! I had some feeling for him when his father died and he got choked out by helm but he really went all out to become very pathetic.

I hope there are some good fics that work on his very odd characteristics

I'm gonna draw him once being even much more pathetic but I need to confess he is rather bland next to Targg or Frealaf!!

Frealaf ❤️ God he is SO handsome and so cool in the rescue and he got that calm vibe about him.

He makes a great King.

I loved his clothing so much in general the clothing was great!! (Except the white pants/boot from hera!!)

Very beautiful and I can't wait to see more close up pics!! It was of course alot of fantasy style belts and fur but I do not mind that!

Then the very funny siege machine.

In all earnestly if the wild men are so good at building stuff and hauling around ridiculous amount of woods then they missed their opportunity to become middle earth's greatest engineers!!

Builders!

Wood cutters!

Why fighting around and eating scraps if you could become middle earth's best architect??

And what the hell did the poor drum player did wrong that he got a free yeeting into the atmosphere???

At least he was dedicated to play his drum until his end I guess?

But I loved the skull masks! Hehe very easy way to draw some hot wild men ~

That's my thoughts I did not went into much details about what could have been better or what is not really like in the books. I'm just glad that there is another great addition to the Tolkien fandom!!

[eruhamster]

i genuinely feel like chinese media suffers from the localization teams usually doing literal bare minimum thinking. like beyond the fact that its by the grace of god that for tgcf they actually bothered translating stuff like 'the god-pleasing crown prince' and 'crimson rain sought flower' instead of doing the mdzs shit of just expecting english speakers to remember that lan wangji, lan zhan, and hanguang-jun are all the same person, and how even though we were blessed with an actual translation it was still piss-poor and too literal and would have worked better as proper titles like 'the seeker of flowers in the crimson rain' (a mouthful but so is crimson rain sought flower to begin with)

but im still hung up on shit like how it's somehow a huge, weird problem that gege/ergege is a common pet name in danmei.

like it really isnt that hard. it really isnt.

just have them say brother in the same way that historical period pieces have been doing it as a way to say 'comrade' for ages

just keep the fucking word gege/ergege even in dubs, just have them say it like anime still use terms like 'sensei' and 'senpai'

use an actual equivalent instead of just dropping. it is not like this does not exist in fucking english. if it feels so fucking weird to have san lang say bro, why the hell can't he just say cousin or something. people use cousin the same way that gege gets used all the damn time, if its fine in the bear its fine in tgcf

just fucking pick one. itll work.

thank you for coming to my needlessly aggressive ted talk

[edit: i swear to anyone who does not believe that cousin is used so flippantly that it is. you can google it. it is used the same way that uncle and auntie ARE ALREADY USED into tgcf. i already used the example of it being used that way in The Bear. bruh please. and if you have no problem with 'his elderliness' and yet you're hung up on 'cousin' or 'brother' then you've got a problem because if you used 'his elderliness' irl even to a 90yo man you WILL be slapped. if you can turn your brain off for one you can turn your brain off for the other

and please fire some braincells, hanguang-jun is a title and should be translated and not doing so only causes confusion to english speakers. i am not saying to translate lan zhan/lan wangji. im talking about hanguang-jun, which has no reason to not be translated.]

[i-guess-im-into-this-now]

The Apothecary Diaries

S1E24 First Watch

Here's where I watch The Apothecary Diaries for the first time and give my thoughts, analysis, predictions, and occasionally I stumble into a joke.

If you want to start at the beginning:

Episode 1

My character/locations cheat sheet:

Master Shishou - Lady Loulan's father

Suirei: court lady who tried to assassinate Jinshi

Final episode of season one let's go!

Lakan: Fengxian. I wanted to be with the daughter we (she)* left behind. That was my only wish.

*There is a mismatch of the words being spoken in English dub and the English subtitles.

Oh does he think Fengxian is dead? Shit. Do I need to retract some of the mean shit I said about him last time?

We see Lakan sitting in the brothel staring at the dried rose that Maomao left for him, and the severed fingers that he treasures. He's thinking of seeing Maomao as a child

Lakan: It's natural for her to hate me, but I still wanted her close by.

So he did try to come and claim Maomao at some point. And why couldn't he? Did the ladies at Verdigris House prevent him from taking her? Did Luomen? Did Lakan ultimately decide he couldn't raise this little girl for some other reason?

Lakan: But that despicable man. I'll never forgive him for placing his hand on my daughter's shoulder three times during our match.

First of all, we are still seeing these creepy game-piece-headed nightmares in this episode. When will it end?

Second of all, I didn't notice that Jinshi was touching Maomao in the last episode. I'm fairly certain it was not shown, which to me indicates that it happened but Maomao didn't take notice of it. Is casual touch so commonplace that it doesn't warrant notice, or was she so focused on the game that it was irrelevant.

Lastly, WTH Lakan? Wasn't he the one cracking jokes about Jinshi and Maomao last episode? And, can no one in this show read the fricking room? Obviously, there is something happening between these two. I suppose Lakan has an excuse with his face blindness, but honestly I expected better from him.

Lakan: The question is how do I exact my revenge?

Well Lakan, I think you'll have to choose between your two goals of having Maomao close by and exacting revenge on Jinshi, because those two goals are in opposition. If Lakan ever wants to have a relationship with Maomao, he will have to leave Jinshi alone, because Maomao is not going to tolerate Lakan screwing with her man employer.

Granny comes to talk to Lakan about picking a courtesan. I had this all wrong apparently. I thought Maomao was intending for him to take care of her mother. It seems he can pick any courtesan that he wants.

Lakan approaches Meimei, who says she would be glad to accept, though her body language says otherwise. She opens the doors to the courtyard where Fengxian can be heard singing. Granny is not happy, but Lakan takes off running towards the sound.

Lakan: A withered flower still retains it's beauty. If that was suppose to be a message... it can't be!

So he didn't know Fengxian was alive then? Which means I can't blame him for not stepping forward to care for her in the past.

Lakan runs, frantic, to where the singing is coming from. He enters Fengxian's room. She's turned away looking out the window, but she's singing a song that Lakan can't forget. And he's stunned. Like seeing a ghost. He's staring at a woman he thought was dead. A single tear falls down his face.

Ah shit. That's some good drama right there.

Lakan picks Fengxian. He'll pay any amount. Granny can't believe this. She's not happy. It doesn't make sense. Did she forget about the history between these two?

And what was granny's role in all of this anyway? Did she give Lakan the impression that Fengxian was dead? Why would she do that? Couldn't granny have taken advantage of Lakan's interest in Fengxian and sold off the otherwise worthless Fengxian? My guess is that Fengxian hated Lakan so much at that point, that Granny thought she needed to protect her from going to him. She's not as avaricious as she would make herself seem.

Fengxian is spacing out. To get her attention, Lakan places some Go pieces in her hand. When she finally turns to him, he asks her to play a game with him, then full on ugly cries.

It's a beautiful moment. After all the problems that kept these two apart, they are finally reunited.

They play on the bed, without a board, but it seems that at least this part of Fengxian's mind remains, because she's making cleaver moves. Lakan reminisces about how they used to play and credits Fengxian for Maomao's strengths. Does she deserve that credit...

Meimei is overwhelmed. She cries. She blames Granny for keeping these two apart.

Lakan says he will buy Fengxian's contract, and when he sees her he sees her as she was in her prime. Beautiful, without the bandages or the disease, or the any of the changes that time has wrought. Does he see her this way because of his love for her, or because of his face blindness?

I wonder how much of Fengxian's mind remains. How much does she understand about what is happening? How much, if at all can she consent to this? Perhaps that is Granny's concern as well. For someone so out of their mind, and at the end of their life, I can't see what Lakan's presence can do to benefit Fengxian. Perhaps he improves her legacy, by giving her tale a nicer ending, but as far as her experience of it goes... he's too late.

This is all for Lakan's benefit. He is reunited with the woman he loved, he get's to finally buy out her contract like he wanted to so many years ago. He gets to erase some of his regrets, correct some of his miscalculations. It's a redemption for him, though a selfish one since he is the only one who benefits from it. Arguably, Verdigris House benefits as well, but he sure as hell ain't doing this for them. I could listen to an argument that he is doing this in part because he believe Maomao wants him to, but primarily, I think this is all for himself.

(I'm sorry Lakan fans. I will try harder on the rewatch to unearth some love for your dude)

Maomao is returning from the Verdigris House with ray-of-sunshine, Basan! They oversee Lady Loulan and her father conversing, and Basan calls the two of them snakes. Maomao, rightly, thinks that's a pretty dangerous thing to say. She doesn't want to lose her head just because Basan can't keep his nasty opinions to himself. And though Maomao always avoids gossip, I very much want to know what Basan knows about Lady Loulan and Master Shishou.

Maomao is dead tired, she has been working her ass off for the last month to grow those roses for the Garden Party, and now she just wants to sleep, but Basan informs her that Jinshi wants to see her first.

Jinshi: You must be tired. Maomao: Not really.

Why lie about this? My guess is that Maomao doesn't want anyone to fuss over her. Her wellbeing isn't important anyway, so why mention how she feels?

But Suiren does worry over Maomao, mentioning how much weight she's lost since the last time she saw her. Good. I'm glad to see this more obvious show of care for Maomao. I really just want everyone to love on this girl and take care of her.

Oh and she's "Xiaomao" to Suiren now too. ❤️She gets a nice big meal and is told to eat up.

Jinshi wants to know what the deal is with Maomao and her dad. Maomao explains that she doesn't hate Lakan.

Maomao: Afterall, I would not even be here if he weren't able to land his shot so to say. ... No courtesan bears a child if she doesn't want one.

And that makes a lot of sense actually. Maomao explains how women can prevent pregnancy, abort unwanted pregnancies, predict their fertility... it all points to the conclusion that Fengxian wanted to use Lakan to get pregnant.

Last episode we saw how Fengxian's plan all came crashing down by unforeseen circumstances. In her rage she cut off both her own finger as well as that of her infant.

Maomao explains to Jinshi about Lakan's face blindness. Jinshi, who has no issues with empathy, thinks that's unfortunate. Luomen was the one who told Maomao about Lakan's condition, and he also thinks the condition is quite sad. I wonder if Maomao knows that Luomen is Lakan's uncle? Maomao thinks that Lakan's obsession with her comes from the fact that she is one of the very few people whom Lakan can recognize.

Jinshi has kept a large vase of the blue roses that Maomao grew for him, because he's in love with her they were just going to be thrown out otherwise, and Maomao reflects while looking at them. She wonders if her meaning was clear enough when she sent the withered rose to Lakan.

She claims again that she doesn't hate Lakan. She's grateful to have been born and have been raised by Luomen. Jinshi pushes back, recalling her intense reaction when Lakan's name came up before.

Maomao: No offense, but you've got a lot to learn Master Jinshi.

You don't know me. Yet.

Maomao is also grateful that Lakan helped her interrupt the ceremony that would have killed Jinshi.

Maomao: It's like he had a feeling something bad was going to happen too.

Gee, almost like he knew somethin about it, or had figured it out already?

Maomao explains that Lakan doesn't need evidence to form his conclusions. He can pick up on subtleties that aren't even conscious, to use gut feelings that are rarely wrong. Maomao regrets that Lakan can't be depended on to actually act on these feelings. She believes she could have stopped Suirei from escaping if Lakan had gotten involved earlier and she would now have the secret resurrection drug that Suirei hinted at.

Maomao is jealous of Lakan. Luomen praises Lakan without caveats, something she can only wish for. Friends. I know you all think I'm too hard on Luomen, and it's probably true. And I feel compelled to say that I don't hate him or even dislike him. I know Maomao loves Luomen and he's done all he can for her. But she's still hurt by his lack of praise. It's had an effect on her emotional and psychological development.

Maomao warns Jinshi not to underestimate Lakan.

Gaoshun adds that no father wants to be disliked by their children. Okay Gaoshun, are you projecting here? Some dads are dicks, and absolutely deserve to be disliked whether they like it or not. Does Gaoshun worry that his children don't like him? Is it because Basan is his son? He really shouldn't take Basan's pissy attitude personally, he's like that with everyone!

Meimei sends a package with a beautiful shawl and news from the brothel. She hopes that Maomao will dance for her when she is bought out. Maomao actually picks up the shawl and spins around with a soft sigh. Does Maomao enjoy dancing? Something she picked up at the brothel perhaps?

Maomao seems inspired by the gift. She sits down in front of her makeup and a beautiful outfit that is on a rack in her room.

Cut to Jinshi watching the sunset. Is the sunset just a transition to a night scene or is it symbolic of closure in the story? We are coming to the end of not just this episode but this entire season, so a sunset is certainly appropriate.

Maomao stands atop the wall of the palace, dressed in her finery, looking out to the bright city beyond. We get a glimpse of Maomao's yet unhealed leg, her freckles, her lovely courtesan's dress, her beauty. An amalgamation of all the different parts that make up Maomao. She is here to dance, as Meimei suggested. Here on the same wall where two other women have stood earlier in the season with drastically different results.

The show revisits a recurring theme from throughout the season: for women who live in a cage there are only two ways out, freedom or death.

First we had seen the concubine who danced atop the wall as she waited for her lover to return and secure her release. Freedom.

Later we saw the servant girl who plunged into the moat to end her life. Death.

And now Maomao, who often walks the line between the two. Over the course of this season we've seen her struggle with both. When the servant girl died, we heard suicidal ideation from Maomao. We've also seen her ingest deadly poison. Always flirting with death, not sure if she should welcome it or fight against it.

And freedom. We've seen her at the crossroads of her life, with decisions ahead of her. Particularly, with whether she should remain in the Pleasure District or return to the Rear Palace. And Maomao struggled with freedom, caught by indecision.

In this moment, under the stars, she doesn't have to think. She's feeling. A deviation from her usual modus operandi. Perhaps with Meimei's letter she can let go of some of the turmoil from her past. Fengxian is with Lakan now, that knot that has finally been undone. Her sisters in Verdigris House are safe and happy for the moment, with hope for each of their futures. Maomao is in the Rear Palace to watch over Lady Gyokuyou and the ladies of the Jade Pavilion. And Jinshi is safe, after both an attempt on his life by Suirei and an attempt on his reputation from Lakan. So for the moment the people Maomao loves are safe, and she can stand on top of a wall and dance under the stars and just feel.

Of course the practical reason behind it is that she's practicing to make sure she remembers the steps. Meimei asked her to dance for her after all.

And Jinshi is here. It's the end of the final episode. I'd be disappointed if he didn't show up.

She's so surprised to see him, she nearly falls off the roof. Maomao... I know you are an anime girl but isn't that a little cliché...

No matter, it offers Jinshi a chance to catch her. He always will.

Jinshi: I got a report about another weird woman who was climbing up the outer wall.

It's a recurring problem in this palace.

Jinshi: You're always causing me trouble.

And you fricking love it. Shut up.

Maomao was recognized by the guard that saw her go up the wall, and the guard was wise enough to go directly to Jinshi. Of course Jinshi came himself.

Maomao explains that in the Pleasure District, that when a courtesan is bought out that it is customary for the others to dance in her honor. Ahh, so she's dancing for her mother then.

That Lakan has bought a courtesan is big news in the Pleasure District, and even in the palace. The number of lamps on the street, as well as the number of banquet days, indicate that a courtesan of the highest status was bought out, though the public never sees her. We get a glimpse of Fengxian in red. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe red is the color of wedding garments. I'm not sure if that's intentional here or not. But in any case, no one, not even me, can mistake Lakan's grand romantic gesture in treating Fengxian with so much respect.

Jinshi questions who Lakan may have bought out at the Verdigris House, and Maomao plays dumb, which is not fooling Jinshi.

Jinshi: Just who did the strategist buy out any way? Maomao: What? As if I should know. Jinshi: Yes. Without a doubt. Maomao: No matter how beautiful she is, she would never be a match for you. Jinshi: That didn't answer my question.

She doesn't want to say. And he's not going to push her. She tries to deflect, and he lets her. He once again is asking her to open up to him, and she is still saying not yet. But Jinshi never gives up on Maomao. He will simply let her have her secrets for now. But he's so steadfast in his pursuit of Maomao that the audience can have no doubt that he will continue to try.

Fengxian won't last long. She's in the end stages of her disease. Maomao reflects on how her birth affected the reputation of Verdigris House. No one spoke to Maomao about who her mother was, because Grams tried to protect that information, but Maomao discovered it anyway. Prideful Fengxian couldn't recover from the shame of her failed plans, her loss of reputation, and she always chased Maomao away. Maomao claims that none of it matters to her. She's just happy being Luomen's daughter. I don't believe she's so unaffected, but that's an issue for a future season!

Maomao's macabre fun facts are not in fact fun for Jinshi, as she explains that you can cut off the tip of your finger and that it will grow back. I'm glad she didn't lose this part of her that was taken by one parent to curse the other. Instead it grew back. She may be scarred from the experience but she is whole. A metaphor.

When Maomao collapses, Jinshi demands to know what's wrong to which Maomao rambles off a list of horrifying truths. Maomao's leg wound won't heal. It has opened up again. She didn't notice it because she has a high pain tolerance. Probably due to all the drugs she's taken. No problem, she can just plop down and stitch it right back up.

NO. That's not happening. Jinshi has fucking had it with this girl. He then picks her up and leaps. off. the. wall. It was a little hot. I'm so used to Jinshi simping and being generally uncool, that I get caught off guard when he's actually being hot. Maomao does too. Especially since he switches to a princess carry.

Maomao gets deadly serious for a moment. She stares Jinshi in the eyes, touches his face and leans in. Jinshi is thinking this is it. It's finally happening. Only for Maomao to ask if she can now have the ox bezoar. Is she trying to provoke him? She gets headbutted for that one. I'm typically against physical violence, but I have to say, this seems justified. Maomao is happy about it too, because now she knows she's dealing with the real Jinshi.

Lady Gyokuyou pays for premium so she gets front row access to her favorite romcom. Jinshi has come to see Maomao. This final interaction is just basically this whole show in a nutshell. The ladies of the Jade Pavilion are teasing Maomao, because they love her, and they know her boyfriend totally platonic employer is watching. Jinshi says something interesting has come up and he thought of Maomao, which of course peaks her curiosity. We don't get to hear what Jinshi wanted to ask of Maomao, but we get the impression that things will carry on much as they have been until we can see these beloved characters again.

The storytellers promise us a second season. So yay!

Thanks to the like 10 people who enjoyed this blog. It was very fun for me to write. Your comments, likes and reblogs gave me life.

I loved getting to know these characters and trying to get inside their heads. The characters are so well written, and the plot is so big and juicy. There seems to be no end to the layers of the story. It's truly fantastic.

The Apothecary Diaries is a new favorite of mine now, and since I've made it to the end of this season, I'm looking forward to not having to scroll past JinMao content on my feed to avoid spoilers!

I haven't decided if I should hold out for more of the show and continue to watch it with fresh eyes like I did for this blog, or if I should just jump into the light novels or manga. Does anyone know, are both of those things complete with a good English translation?

This won't be my last content for The Apothecary Diaries. I'm known to compulsively shit post in the fandoms I follow, so I'm sure I won't be able to resist doing that. But, perhaps once I've had some time to think on this I will have some more meta analysis to offer. I do plan to rewatch the entire season. Though I won't reblog to this degree, I may jump back in the comments on some of these blogs and add some new insights.

If you like this kind of thing and want me to do it for another one of your favorites let me know! My recommendations box is ever open. I love any kind of engaging story, in any format, and am happy (unable to stop myself) to post about it on the internet! Just tell me what you love and where to start.

Until then I guess I'm into this now.

To start at the beginning:

Episode 1

[korshrimpski]

WHAT CHAOS: Jordan Spence has the NHL's most interesting backstory

my favourite moments from this podcast [Youtube] [Spotify]

First of all they open the podcast like this: "You are the only player from Manly, Australia. Do you feel pressure being the NHL's only Manly man?"

One of the big reasons why the spence family moved to canada was too see what jordan could do playing hockey at a higher level because Japan's big sports is baseball (which he used to play) so hockey was kinda in the background

Spenny mentions how he got into hockey because his dad used to play it growing up. And he also explains where his passion for hockey outgrew baseball is when he would go visit Prince Edward Island in the Spring to play Spring hockey tournaments.

Jordan talks about youth hockey in Japan and how he played people older than him and when he moved to P.E.I people would ask him if there was even hockey in Japan, which was a very common question.

The host asked, "Have you ever crossed paths with Aito Iguchi?" who is a very popular japanese player and used to make hockey content on youtube. And this is another common question spenny is asked (btw the answer is no, he has never skated with him)

They asked if spenny ever had to do early morning training in japan and spenny didn't have any morning practices and the host find that wild

SPENNY TRIVIA #1: he had to travel an hour to go to his team in Japan

There is apparently a lot of Canadian hockey players that live in japan to play pro there so spenny found it cool growing up focusing on their skills and all that (ik i'm terrible at writing and explaining things, please forgive me)

He was not a chirper when he was younger

Part 1 of my favourite part of the podcast: context; when spenny moved to canada he didn't know english. And something that helped him understand english he asked his teammates "what are some bad words i can say" and in return he would teach them bad Japanese swear words

Part 2 of my favourite part of the podcast: when spenny was first trying to learn english he would speak in 3rd person and to quote, "so i would be like, 'oh Jordan hungry' or like, 'Jordan go to bed.'" LIKE?!? that isfucking beautiful i love it so much

then the host actually makes a funny joke saying that it's devastating spenny's english progressed from there because it would be intimidating if he said something like, "Jordan dropping 'em."

they ask about him being trilingual and this is his reaction (please he's so funny)

14. He would like to think he is trilingual but he kinda isn't? Like he can speak japanese and english.

15. But with french he would like it to be known that when Phillip Danault speaks french to him he can understand it, he just finds it tough speaking french.

16. he picked up french because of school and in the Q a lot of people speak french and when he was traded to Val-d'Or (north quebec),everyone spoke french so he had to learn.

17. he called phillip danault 'the man' twice because they were talking about how he was so popular in quebec and montreal

18. he also found it funny that people would speak french in front of them thinking they won't understand it but spenny would (i wish they delved into this more but sadly they didn't)

19. he found the australia experience very awesome and mentions how a lot of content was around him and how that was cool. But at the same time it was weird for him because he doesn't really feel connected to australia because he was only there for a year and a half and has no memory of it, so he felt like an imposter being called australian (I an australian dub the, Jordan Spence, to be a honorary aussie)

20. spenny wishes he had an aussie accent and him saying this made me feel very powerful like yes.... hehehe we are amazing.. hehe

21. then one of the host says, "Imagine if you were out their still having not finished learning English also speaking in an Australian accent." spenny cuts in and says, "third person as well." then the host continues, "third person as well... but doing like 'Jordan hungry' in australian accent, man you'd be, you'd have outrageous endorsement deals." | Like i'm so sorry i found this so funny because now i'm imagining spenny with a mangled aussie accent saying "jordan dropping 'em" and its beautiful 😭😭

22. then spenny does an... okay ish aussie accent. Idk it sounds the same as all the other non-aussies saying "good 'ay mate"

23. QUINTON BYFIELD MENTION 🗣️ (context: the host mentions how spenny learn qb was german through their podcast)

24. also this moment, "I had no clue (context: qb was part german). And you know, I'm really close with him... You know we hang out all the time." Like physically i am well, emotionally my heart has swollen 2 times

25. then they move onto talking about fantasy football and i'm sorry i don't understand fantasy football (i simply cannot comprehend NFL, so this bits going to be with the things i do understand) which is: qb and spenny have been team owners together for the past two year and so far their top guy isn't doing well

26. "whats [qb] like as a buddy?" 27. "he's such a goofball, it's actually crazy." JORDAN SPENCE DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW UNWELL YOU JUST MAKE ME "he's such a goofball" SPENNY AAHAHAHHA

28. hold on the answer continues, "He's such a goofball, it's actually crazy. It's funny for me you know, cause like I know how he is around the boys and like a great guy like he loves fooling around with the guys, you know pranking guys, joking around. And then you'll be- I'll be beside him, he'll just be doing the media and he's like dead serious. And it's like so funny to me cause like that's pretty much the only time he's serious is if he's doing something for the media or obviously when he's playing. So like he's you know, everyone loves him and he's a great player and you know, i'm, we hang out all the time and it's a lot of fun but it's, that's like on of the biggest thing that's kinda funny is the only time he's serious is like when he's playing hockey really." LIKE YES SPENNY!! ramble about your bestie (he's like me fr i will talk about my friends all day long)

29. One time qb and spenny were spotted on an ebike together and the host ask if doubling up on an ebike is a regular occurance and spenny says, "um yeah i think." and the host is like me fr saying, "fuck yeah." to the info

30. they ask about halloween and if spenny and qb have a couples costume planned and they don't. and spenny explains last years costume and how quinton suggested it and how it was very last minute.

31. also spenny is wearing a mets hat but he's not a mets fan he's just a fan of cool hats

32. then they start talking about baseball... i do not understand baseball either,, sorry. I'll try my best for this bit.

33. spenny likes baseball but doesn't have any teams and he usually watchs games for japanese players. and he would love to mention shohei ohtani

34. they ask him his relationship with drew doughty because spenny's family dog is named after hi. Because growing up jordan didn't really root for any team he mainly had players (his top 3 players were, Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang and Drew Doughty (doughty being his fav))

35. spenny calls drew a "goofball" in his rant about how cool drew doughty is and can i just say i love spenny describing people as goofballs

36. after the draft he is asked a questionnaire and one of the questions is "do you have a pet if so what is their name" and jordan was sitting there like "shit this is going to look so bad, because people might think i just got the dog and named it doughty." like my man was stressing

37. but it wasn't until 2 years ago when drew actually found out about the dog because spenny's roommate alex turcotte (a little tidbit: alex and spenny have been roomates for the past 3-4 years) and jordan is pretty sure turkey is the one that told dewey and dewey just starts laughing (thank you turkey for your service to the cause of embarrassing spenny)

38. Now spenny doesn't think to much about the dog being named after drew but when that happened he was so embarrassed

anyways hope you all enjoyed my incoherent rambles :3

[hunterbunter3000]

HIIII SO i have an ask

PLEASR MORE ABOUT THE WOMB TATTO WITH 141 IM OBSESSED 😭😭❤️

EHEHEH SINCE YOU ASKED SO NICELYYYY

Sweetheart gets more comfortable around her team that she wears shorter shirts now. She still wears long sleeves though, they haven't unlocked the tattoo sleeves she has LOL (I'm drawing all the tattoos she has and I can't WAIT TO SHOW YALL)

But she shows off her✨️ ICONIC✨️ yummy, womb tattoo constantly. Sometimes, even when she's training, she'll wear a compression shirt that she cuts. (Rookies don't know what to feel lol)

Soap dubs it his tattoo, Sud's Tattoo as he calls it, because he can't get enough of it. And he has to wrestle off Roach and König when he lays on it

Soap: BACK AFF YE FOOLS THIS IS MY TATTOO

Sweetheart, laying on the couch: Soap--

König: IT IS NOT YOURS GET OFF OF HER

Roach, stomping his feet: 😠 🥾💥🥾💥🥾💥

Soap: ROACH SHUT TH' FUCK UP YE TWO ALWAYS GET TAE DO THIS

Sweetheart, stressed: what the hell is happening--

Soap REALLY likes the tattoo 💀as I said, he's obsessed with it (like you, kiame HA) Everytime Sweets comes out with a cropped shirt, he fucking ZOOMS to the tattoo and just snuggles his cheek against it

Soap, smiling and sighing: Good morningggg~! I missed you, Bonnie.

Sweetheart: Are you talkin' to me or my tattoo?

Soap, opening his eyes:

Soap: uhm

He DEFINITELY talks to it sometimes

Soap: And how are YOU doing today, Bonnie?

Sweetheart, smiling: I'm doing good thank you- why is your face on my tattoo.

Soap: Because... I was talking to Bonnie...

Sweetheart:

Sweetheart, kinda offended: AM I NOT BONNIE ANYMORE??

Soap: UHM

I mean he just loves it so much. Seeing such a sexy design on rich, golden brown skin so low on a wonderful body... it's enchanting. He's not the only one who thinks that. He argues with Ghost alot on who likes it more, but they always agree when they team up on Sweetheart.

18+ MDNI

"Ghost, please..."

Ghost hums on her soft pussy, tongue swirling on her chubby lips. He kisses and sucks on them, thin strings of saliva connected to his chin and mouth. "Please what, love?" He eyes her as his fingers spread her open and glides his tongue slowly up, all the way to her pulsing clit and making her jolt. Soap groans on her skin, kissing each detail on her womb tattoo. "Y'need to speak up, St. Can't know what to do if ye'r tae wheesht." His hands travel up her sides, caressing and scratching her skin. Marking it as his.

Ghost sighs. "In English, Mactavish." He's getting tired of not understanding what the Scottish man is saying half the time. Soap grumbles, lips still attached to her tummy. "Simon..." Sweetheart whines out, hips squirming and eyes prickling with tears. The two men chuckle, knowing what she wants but not giving it to her quickly enough. Ghost reigns himself back, the lust and desire getting too hot for him when she whined out his name like that. He wanted to fuck her right then and there, but not yet.

"Say what you need, Sweetheart." Ghost mumbles, his tone low and caring. Hungry. His thumb does small circles on her clit, making her yelp, back arching off the bed and thighs squeezing Ghost's head to which he loves it. "Please! Please let me cum! I need-- I need it, please!" Sweetheart wails, overwhelming tears flow down her cheeks as her hand buries in Soap's hair and pulls. Soap's broken moan was heard by both of them, but his lips would not leave her tattoo. Teeth nibbling on the black ink, tongue sliding up to her bellybutton. He comes up for air finally, a lazy smile on his face. "Since we both agreed on liking this," his hand smooths over his tattoo on her body. "Beautiful piece of art, Lt., I think it's time we gave our Sweetheart what she deserves, aye?" Ghost grunts as he comes up from her legs and places a kiss on the tattoo, causing Sweetheart to mewl. "I think it is, Mactavish." Ghost says, both his and Soap's eyes turn dark and starved.

🧍‍♀️🧍‍♀️ ANYWAY

YEAH EVERYONE STILL LIKES IT LMAO

[theheirofthesharingan]

Okay, sorry if this was asked before but I'm curious and I'd really like to learn more. You've mentioned in a couple of posts now that Itachi wasn't retconned. Could you please elaborate further?

Hey! No, this wasn't asked before. I was thinking of making a separate post for this, but procrastination is evil. So, I am one of the 'Itachi was meant to be a good guy/was not evil/had more to him than he let on' people. Watching the anime, it was the feeling that there was more to him. His reveal was along the lines of devastation and shocking for me than surprise. Detailed post is below the cut.

First thing first.

This was Itachi's first look that Kishimoto had planned.

Itachi was originally conceived as the leader of Konoha's Special Assassination and Tactical Squad called the "Anbu", dubbed the Itachi Squad (イタチ隊, Itachi-tai), which would have been a 70-man group divided into four teams, specializing in assassination and other illicit operations. However, this idea was scrapped in favour of the current Itachi working for the Akatsuki.

The above paragraph is from Itachi's wikipedia that cites a couple of interviews as sources. People can't be too blind in their delusion to think the author who wrote the story had no idea what he was writing.

Next is the Naruto Databook that has some fishy things if we look closely. In the first glance it's not very obvious, but after learning the truth it seems very much obvious.

It says, "the ones who know the reason of its downfall are very small". Go back to Obito's words about only four people being aware of the reason of the clan's downfall.

Additionally, Itachi carried out 134 B-Rank missions. Zero A Rank. And one S-Rank. The S rank mission being the Uchiha massacre. It's very fishy that he was given one s rank mission without any A tank mission. Suspicious? We know later on why.

It's also interesting because the first databook was published in 2002 and Itachi first appeared in 2003. If his twist wasn't planned from the beginning this databook is very telling.

Since I mentioned how he looked, here's him in Sasuke's flashbacks for the first time.

He looks far from evil or sadistic. You want to know who enjoys killing for fun? Hidan. Itachi, on the other hand, on the day of the massacre itself, looks miserable and lost.

In chapter 7, he in a haze-like manner he talks about crying. In many English translations it's translated as 'he made me cry' and in many it's this. It's very, very vague, but his statement is complimented by Sakura's question, to which he still responds in the similar way 'My..' Maybe he was trying to say 'My brother', but he instead finishes his speech with 'my goal is to take revenge' etc., Since it's still very early so it might not be the strongest evidence, but a few chapters later in chapter 27, during their fight against Haku, when Sasuke awakens his Sharingan, he has two tomoe in his right eye.

Yes, he might have awakened it this way, but it also suggests that maybe already had his Sharingan and that's why this is 'asymmetrical' awakening? In the later chapters we find out he actually did have his Sharingan he awakened after the massacre.

This flashbacks in chapter 127 most firmly establishes Itachi's twist. The tilted head-protector. Sasuke remembers it vaguely, but he has no recollection of Itachi crying that night, because his mind is still hazy from the "truth" Itachi wanted him to believe. We know later on the significance of this scene.

There are three moments before Itachi was even introduced that give away what we see right after his truth reveal and connect to the chapter 403.

The 'Itachi was retconned' camp also uses 'Itachi was meant to be older (than 13) but Kishi made him younger later on' as an excuse to justify their retcon bullshit.

Kakashi, in chapter 142, states Itachi was 13 when he was made the Anbu captain.

Itachi graduated when he was just seven. Sasuke is the same age as Itachi was when he graduated from the Academy. Itachi is 17 at the time of his first appearance and Sasuke is 12. It is enough to tell lies were spread about Itachi. We, obviously, learn later on why.

Some more obvious hints were his interaction with Asuma, Kurenai, and Kakashi.

The criminal infamous for annihilating one of the strongest clans refuses to indulge in fight?

He also asks Kisame to keep things low key and not get too much attention. That's an excuse. He's not here to wage war. Yes, later on he does ask Kisame to go ahead. But that's because he's a spy. He cannot let Danzo know he dropped his guard. One single mistake from his side that could unearth the truth of the massacre and Danzo would lay hands on Sasuke. Plus, while he's strong, his opponents aren't just fragile saplings who couldn't stand any blow he or Kisame cast. He knew reinforcements would be on the way.

Kakashi also wonders why Itachi didn't just kill him. Again, yes, the torture was brutal, but they're ninja who are meant to do and endure cruel things. Itachi had to look like he was a menacing criminal reputed to have killed the Uchiha singlehandedly.

So, he completely avoids fighting Asuma and Kuernai, takes on only Kakashi because he's strong and can take it, also has Sharingan. But he completely refuses to go against Jiraiya. Jiraiya may or may not be stronger than him. Maybe they were equal. However, recalling Obito's words again: Itachi devoted himself to fighting Sasuke to death.

Two conclusions come from this:

He didn't want to fight Jiraiya because it would result in a massive bloodbath and killing a leaf Shinobi is out of question for him. He's not a coward. He just doesn't want to fight him.

As we know from later on, he wanted to fight and die at Sasuke's hands only. Killing a Konoha Shinobi or dying at the hands of someone that isn't Sasuke isn't a part of his plan.

This can also be tracked further when Kisame captures the Four Tails.

Kisame most likely knew about Itachi's illness, knew Itachi wanted to die at Sasuke's hands. The reason Itachi didn't fight Jiraiya and Rōshi was most likely the same.

Kisame comments on Itachi's 'lingering affection' towards the village. The Akatsuki pairings' dynamics are quite opposite. Deidara and Sasori love art but have differing opinions on eternal vs explosive. Hidan and Kakuzu represent religion vs materialism (money). And Itachi and Kisame represent treachery vs loyalty. Itachi isn't loyal to Akatsuki, Kisame is.

They also wonder why is Itachi taking the matter of kidnapping Naruto so lightly. He could have done it very easily. We know now that that wasn't his intent and his objective to visit the village was something else.

As popular as 'Itachi knocked on the door before kidnapping Naruto' meme is, the truth is, he wasn't there to kidnap him at all. Replace Itachi with Kisame alone for a moment. Knock on the door? No, sir. Naruto would be half-dead. Or replace him with Hidan and Kakuzu. They're sadistic bastards and would have damaged Naruto in the worst possible way.

Furthermore, when you think of it, he revealed 'Akatsuki are after jinchuriki' years prior to the Akatsuki even began collecting the tailed beasts. It was a message he left because it was important. His job in the Akatsuki wasn't to "pass on the info to the village." It was to keep tabs on them so they don't attack Konoha.

After the massacre, Sasuke's unwavering faith in Itachi despite being put in Tsukuyomi. At first it doesn't seem too much, but we later discover that Itachi used to be a kind and gentle boy. So this bit isn't just Sasuke is blind, but also that Itachi was a kind child before the tragedy happened.

Sasuke's flashbacks in chapter 220 also hint towards Itachi being trapped in the politics of the village/clan. Fugaku is speaking to his own son but the discussion is so intense that he has to activate his Sharingan to convey the message to Itachi.

These are the flashbacks from the chapter #221 that further shed light on Itachi being a spy.

He's the "pipeline between the clan and the village" - a spy. Later Obito says Itachi was callously used for his devotion towards the village, this is an example of his clan doing this to him.

This is Itachi right after being accused of Shisui's murder. He looks in grief, while also processing the news. Once the narrative delves deep into Itachi's story (through Sasuke's eyes) in VOTE1, he continues to look miserable, lost, in pain, and in dire need of help. And once we begin to see more of him before his death, he is quite human. But again, Kishimoto had his whole story figured out by that time, knew what he was to do with Itachi's arc and Sasuke's future there.

In the chapter 224 (during the battle between Sasuke and Naruto), the flashback goes to this moment: Itachi tells Sasuke that he'd be one of the three people to awaken Mangekyo.

This connects to the chapter 385 when Sasuke vs Itachi happens. Sasuke asks him about the third person who had the MS.

_______________

Kishimoto isn't a terrible writer because some people choose to ignore what's written right there or cannot accept happened. Usually the deniers of this are those who question his morality. His morality is never the subject of the debate because Itachi isn't exonerated for his crimes. He's a part of a world that's cruel and violent and his actions align with it very much. The ones who "praise" him have their own bias, and that gives him nothing in return. Characters in fiction always, I mean, always respond to the information based on their morality. When Hashirama praises Itachi, it's because he grew up in the warring era and lost all his family. He learns there's this kid who chose a path with the least damage but at the cost of his life, he's a good Shinobi. Hiruzen also has his bias as well as his guilt. Naruto's praise for Itachi is not only because of stopping a war, but also for loving Sasuke. No one other than Sasuke sees him as a person whether anyone likes him or hates him. He's praised by other Shinobi for doing things that are expected from a Shinobi.

Either way, at the end of the day, Itachi himself doesn't see himself who is worth forgiving, worth loving, worth being remembered. That's his whole arc.

Some things above in the post I took from this thread. Some information I ommited from it, so feel free to go through it, please.

[multifandom-onigiri]

Ok I’m going to rip off the bandage and talk about the age gap discourse surrounding DarkMilk

I’m going to preface this with a few disclaimers

1. The post is mainly going to center around Dark Choco as a character because there is (unsurprisingly) more to be said about Dark Choco Cookie from what I’ve gathered. (Edit: There was a lot more to be said.)

2. This post isn’t here to force you to change your interpretation or have your take away from this post as “I have to see Dark Choco as this age” or “DarkMilk’s age gap is [insert said range]”. Rather, it’s me presenting an interpretation with an analysis of the game. But nothing about their ages is explicitly confirmed or denied so I could be wrong. You could be wrong too. None of us are the writers.

3. Around half of this post relies on analyzing the Korean names of Dark Choco and Milk. As seen in my pinned post, I’m not Korean so I ran this post through with a mutual who is. That being said, that doesn’t mean this post is immediately 100% right so please correct this post if needed. (To the mutual in question, thank you so much for the help I really mean it.)

A while ago, I found a tweet and then a conversation under it between two users about young prince dark choco’s age based on his name is written in Korean: 어린 왕자.

It’s stated as such on the wiki for Cookie Run Ovenbreak (italicized because we’ll get to this in a bit) but here’s a screenshot in game

There’s two things to note with 어린 왕자

1) 어리다 means young but significantly so (as in the age of the person numerically is small, and thus they can be easily recognized as a child).

2) 어린 왕자 is apparently also the official Korean title for the book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Named as such for the young boy dubbed as the little prince and also yeah I’ve never read this book… else I’d have a segment in this post in speculating why this is the case)

Out of curiosity (and also because I hate missing or getting info wrong), I checked the Cookie Run (for Ovenbreak) wiki to confirm that’s how Young Prince was written. And then I rewatched the CRK Dark Mode cutscenes.

Turns out they changed the way they refer to Young Prince Dark Choco: 어린 왕자 다크초코 쿠키-> 젊은 시절의 다크초코 쿠키

Notable changes are:

1) For starters, 젊은 시절의 다크초코 쿠키 directly translates to “Dark Choco Cookie of Youth”. Note that the word prince was added in the English localization and is not included in the original text.

2) 젊다 is a different word that also means young. Specifically, it refers to being young in thought or action. However, it’s not the same type of young (think like how you would treat a baby/toddler vs. how you’d treat an older teen. With a baby, they’ve just started living and thus know very little about how things and people work. It’s cute at times and annoying at other times. On the other hand, teenagers are still children but they’ve lived much longer than babies, so you expect them to be more mature/responsible than a 5 year old). Also unlike 어리다, 젊다 can be used to describe anyone that’s younger than you and doesn’t really suggest a certain age range because it depends on the speaker and the person they’re referring to.

The big question that can be taken away from this is:

1) Why the change from 어리다 -> 젊다 ?

Disclaimer: I’m not Devsisters so I can really only make guesses but here’s the take we ended up with.

The writers for CRK realized that using the word 어리다 ended up making Young Prince Dark Choco seem younger than he should be, and that 젊다 was a more reasonable choice to properly depict Dark Choco’s age.

Something interesting that was brought up in addition to this point while this section was being checked over is that 어린 왕자 다크초코 쿠키 makes Young Prince Dark Choco sound like he’s a naive little boy who doesn’t know anything about the world because he is too young while 젊은 시절의 다크초코 쿠키 makes him sound like he’s a proper aged man who went through lots of things to obtain many achievements.

I’d also like to point out that they also haven’t changed the way they refer to Young Prince Dark Choco in CROB. It’s still 어린 왕자 다크초코 쿠키 (and I took the screenshot yesterday as of writing this to double check). And both CRK and CROB are treated as mainline games (but probably alternate universes) that are no more canon than the other.

If you ask me what this possibly means, I really don’t have an answer LOL

“So if they aged Young Prince Dark Choco up in CRK, how much older is he supposed to be compared to? Is it possible they aged him up to be an adult?”

The answer to these questions can be found on a specific post posted on March 25th, 2022 by @ gingerbrave_dev on instagram (and @ GingerBrave_Dev on twitter). Gingerbrave_dev is one of the official Cookie Run accounts.

It’s a collage of 4 pictures that depict Dark Choco Cookie growing up. The caption on both Instagram and Twitter is the same which reads as follows:

The important thing here is that Young Prince Dark Choco is *included* in this collage which is said by an official Cookie Run account to be a depiction of his childhood.

Meaning that it’s more likely that if there’s a possible cutoff for Young Prince Dark Choco’s age, the oldest Young Prince Dark Choco could be is 18. (The age range for adolescence, the last stage of child development, is between 13 - 18). But because they include Young Prince Dark Choco in this post, I personally think that Young Prince Dark Choco isn’t meant to be an adult overall.

(Ok quick edit: Adolescence is apparently the transitionary stage between childhood and adulthood but tbh I’m not sure if most people sit down and double check that every exact piece of info aligns with the correct word and definition when designing a character).

And that’s pretty much all I have on official statements and canon that directly (not really) talks about Young Prince Dark Choco’s age.

However, I want to shift the focus from discussing directly about what his age is to why I personally read Young Prince Dark Choco more as a teenager.

When I first saw Young Prince Dark Choco back in 2019, what stuck out to me was the stark contrast between this past version of Dark Choco and his current self. Young Prince Dark Choco is so much more hopeful and driven compared to his current self. He exudes a lot more confidence based on his lines and his main goal in CROB is to save his kingdom by gaining more power. We get the implications from how pessimistic current Dark Choco is that his own actions (obtaining the Strawberry Jam sword) leads to his kingdom’s downfall and he regrets those actions from his past.

For me, that was how I originally concluded he was a teenager. And honestly, I never really reflected about the actual reasoning until we started having this discourse 2 years later because the headcanon just seemed really natural to me.

Fast forward to January/February 2021 with the release of Cookie Run Kingdom, which ended up giving us a lot more lore on Dark Choco. There are two things that are relevant to my proposition of Dark Choco being a teenager.

1) The CRK Artbook

First released during the game’s release, it contains concept art of the world building and the characters (playable characters at the start of the game + ancients + legendaries), who get their own page or two to themselves.

I’m pulling this image off the internet because the one thing that stands out to me and that is also relevant to what we’re talking about is that the current Dark Choco presents more similarly to when he was a child (they’re both quiet and hold serious expressions on their faces).

Meaning that Young Prince Dark Choco is confirmed to not be Dark Choco’s original personality (for lack of better words. I don’t know how to word this better). And seeing Dark Choco and Dark Cacao standing next to each other, you can see how much they resemble each other. Like father, like son.

So the question is: why is Young Prince Dark Choco’s demeanor completely different from when he was younger?

Personally, I think the answer is much more simple than one might think: Young prince Dark Choco was a teenager. More specifically (and this is how I’ll segueway into the next section), Young Prince Dark Choco was an earnest teenager prince who began to question and challenge the traditions/structure of the Dark Cacao Kingdom and of his father.

2) Dark Choco, Dark Cacao, and the Generational Divide that Drives Them Apart

The release of Dark Mode would bring both a lot more long-awaited lore for Dark Choco, and also Dark Cacao Cookie, who piqued people’s interest especially since he is Dark Choco’s father.

The most significant moments happen through the magic-induced flashbacks Dark Choco is forced to relive through, where Young Prince Dark Choco interacts with multiple people. This includes his Dark Cacao, who is the only person to have two separate flashbacks.

The first flashback is a conversation between Dark Choco and Dark Cacao which will be posted below:

What Dark Choco says here stands out to me: “Our Kingdom is in need of change…! We can’t keep hiding behind our walls!

The Dark Cacao Kingdom’s walls is a major subject of Chapters 13 and 14, as one of the main conflicts in that chapter is between the people and Dark Cacao. The villagers outside the kingdom’s walls have been struggling with food shortages and attacks from wild animals. They’ve been trying to contact the king for help but Affogato intercepts and closes the door on them before they can. Meanwhile, most of the resources are being used on maintaining the kingdom’s walls, which causes a change in the portion of the food Dark Cacao’s subjects are receiving. Affogato takes advantages of this to try to cause dissent among Dark Cacao’s court, which was his original plan until the Cookies of Darkness show up.

What’s revealed about why Dark Cacao spends so much time and resources on maintaining the kingdom’s walls is that the walls serve as a safeguard against the Licorice monsters in the Licorice Sea from overtaking the land and eventually the entire world. We get to see a great example of this as Licorice Cookie summons a gigantic Licorice Monster that proceeds to break down a significant portion of the walls.

So from what we read in chapters 13 and 14, we can conclude that the walls is very necessary in protecting the Dark Cacao Kingdom and the Licorice Monsters are nothing to be laughed at. They’re formidable enemies.

It’s very likely from the way that the walls are Dark Cacao’s #1 priority rather than directly addressing whatever is happening with the villages outside the walls that Dark Cacao probably has had previous firsthand experience with the Licorice Monsters and consider them that much of a serious threat.

From the way Young Prince Dark Choco talks to Dark Cacao in the flashback, it sounds like he doesn’t share the same perspective as Dark Cacao.

This is why I think Young Prince Dark Choco being a teenager is a major factor into this difference of perspective.

The thing about teenagers is that during that stage of life, they are going through a lot or at least they think they’re going through a lot because that’s when puberty starts to kick in and the hormones start jumping over the place.

They start questioning their identity. Who they are, what they want to be, what their role is in society. They’re trying to figure out how to be their own person.

They can start questioning the rules. Why am I doing [insert here] ? Why doesn’t Mom and Dad let me do this and that? Why do I have to do this? And because of this, they can become defiant and challenge authority and even what they previously just accepted as fact.

Because of this, teenagers take risks and can make bad or stupid decisions all the time. They end up clashing more with their parents because their parents recognize that their kid will regret what they’re doing later due to the consequences their kid will have to face (and possibly even due to firsthand experience when they themselves were teenagers).

I think all of this applies to this particular flashback.

a) Questioning

Young Prince Dark Choco argues that the kingdom, and by extension, the way Dark Cacao runs it needs to change. He describes kingdom’s walls not as defense, but as a means to hide, which frames the amount of time that the people of the Dark Cacao Kingdom have been living behind as a sign of fear/cowardice. This is also in response to Dark Cacao telling him that he’s still young and has a lot to learn. The flashback seems to throw us, the reader, right into the middle of the conversation without any previous context but with Dark Choco’s response, I think the conversation they were having is overall related to Young Prince Dark Choco’s response.

b) Identity

Something to keep in mind that every person is unique and how they grow up is largely influenced by their environment (the family and friends around them, their socioeconomic status, etc).

Young Prince Dark Choco is not your average human being Cookie. He is the son of Dark Cacao, who is the one of the most powerful cookies in the entire cast outside of the legendaries and the dragons, a warrior known for his abnormal strength (the sword he uses takes 3 regular cookies to carry it) and heroic deeds (like splitting the White and Black Dragon which is treated like a legendary tale), and due to all of the previous, an esteemed king beloved by all of his subjects.

By being the son of Dark Cacao and therefore, the prince of the Dark Cacao Kingdom, Young Prince Dark Choco had a whole legacy to live up to. And although we know Young Prince Dark Choco ends up not being able to live to that legacy due to the Strawberry Jam Sword, we do know from other characters that Dark Choco at that time was doing really well.

Note that if Caramel Arrow, the First Watcher, says that Dark Choco Cookie taught her how to use the bow, then that means that he is most likely also exemplary not with just swordsmanship but also archery as well.

Also don’t forget about how Dark Choco saves the Milk Village from a pack of cream wolves, which leaves a great impression on the Milk Cookie we know.

For the most part, I think Young Prince Dark Choco cares about the people and the kingdom he lives in. He seems very earnest in wanting to help his kingdom from what can be seen in his costume lines in CROB.

But I also think there’s one more underlying possibility behind Young Prince Dark Choco’s character: Young Prince Dark Choco wants to be a hero like his own father because he wants his father’s approval.

In Chapter 14. Dark Choco and Dark Cacao have a very heated conversation right before they try to kill each other. In this conversation, Dark Choco talks about the grievances he’s held against his father over the many years since he was banished. One of the grievances that he mentions is about how he wishes his father cared about him more.

(Note: There’s been issues with the ENG dub for Ch 13 and 14 where the localization makes Dark Choco come off as harsher and more insensitive (so to speak) even if it’s not accurate to the original text.

For the first screenshot, a more accurate translation would be “Ever since I was little, you didn’t give me anything sweet and treated me harshly. We were not even close as father and son like other people.”

Second screenshot is fine.)

This is later acknowledged by Dark Cacao himself as who says after they finish their heated conversation, fight, and finish their sword fight with Dark Cacao defeating Dark Choco: “It is clear as day now… My life’s greatest regret is that I never gave you enough… love”. (And this acknowledgment and really the confrontations leading up to the acknowledgment is the key to Dark Choco finally being able to break away from the sword, but that’s an analysis for another day).

There’s also these illustrations from the art book that stand out to me in this regard (and also makes me depressed). The first illustration showcases young Dark Choco walking behind his father and in his shadow. It actually gets redrawn in a different perspective in the collage of Dark Choco’s childhood I showed earlier, where it adds the detail of young Dark Choco tugging at Dark Cacao’s cloak. In the second illustration, Dark Choco is holding onto the Strawberry Jam sword and staring down at Dark Cacao, who is seated and bent over.

The thing that stays consistent is that Dark Cacao’s back is turned towards him, and I think this represents both this distance in their relationship and Dark Choco’s inability to ever connect with Dark Cacao very well.

I think the combination of his accomplishments during this part of his life and his desire to be closer to his father and gain his approval causes Dark Choco to start both overestimating his abilities and coming to the wrong conclusions. And I don’t necessarily mean this as “Dark Choco became arrogant” because even Dark Cacao says it himself: “What a bright and responsible child he was… Kind, humble…”

But I do believe the reason Young Prince Dark Choco’s costume lines in CROB and the monologue Dark Choco gives after he decides to quit working for Dark Enchantress talks about power and how he was looking for it is because Young Prince Dark Choco wrongly assumed that the kingdom’s problems were a result of not having enough power and then concluded that he could solve those issues if he found a way to become more powerful.

And with what I talked about earlier about how Dark Cacao most likely considers the Licorice Monsters a serious threat that can’t instead just be simply dealt and done with, there’s a chance that Dark Choco not only overestimates his own abilities but also underestimates how powerful and dangerous the Licorice Monsters are because he’s likely never had any firsthand experience with them in his lifetime unlike Dark Cacao.

And my guess is that Dark Cacao noticed this and tried to advise Dark Choco against this conclusion, and that’s what at the root of the first flashback between Young Prince Dark Choco and Dark Cacao.

3) Defiance

Unfortunately, the last two sections I’ve just talked about ends up leading to what we know ends up happening to Dark Choco. He does not listen to Dark Cacao. He finds the Strawberry Jam Sword, believing that it’ll give him the power he needs to solve his problems. Instead he falls prey to what the sword whispers to him, and this results in slashing his father in the chest. This results in Dark Cacao banishing Dark Choco from entering the Dark Cacao Kingdom.

TDLR for this section: The difference in the years of experience between Dark Choco and Dark Cacao causes a major clash between them on how to tackle the Dark Cacao Kingdom’s current issues. Out of both an earnest desire to help the Kingdom he grew up in and the people he grew up with and cares about and a desire to gain his father’s approval by striving to be the type of hero his father is, Dark Choco looks for the Strawberry Sword and falls victim to its powers, which heavily damages the relationship between father and son all the way until Chapter 14 of CRK.

You’ve probably reached this part still absorbing a bunch of information and speculation I’ve thrown at you. Unfortunately, I still have to talk about Milk so yes the post somehow still isn’t over. Luckily or unluckily (depending on how you interpret it), there’s a lot less stuff I can really say about his age, and there won’t be a very extensive character analysis like there is with Dark Choco because Milk Cookie does not have nearly the amount of lore or dedicated writing as Dark Choco does.

Milk in the Dark Mode flashbacks in CRK is referred to as 우유 일족의 어린 쿠키 which translates to Young Cookie of the Milk Tribe. As you can see, the word 어리다 is used to refer to Milk, indicating that Milk Cookie was definitely a child. He’s nowhere close to being an adult.

Unlike with Dark Choco, there really aren’t any other details in his backstory that really suggest a certain age range. The most prominent characteristics about Milk Cookie is that he is strongly attached to his beliefs, and within those beliefs is the belief that Dark Choco is an infallible hero that stems from what happened in the past. The root of that belief is admiration, and admiration… isn’t an age-specific trait. You can look up to many types of people and have role models at any point of your life.

I think really the one thing that does get indicated is that Milk is undeniably younger than Dark Choco.

The first image is the concept art for Milk Cookie that was released around Milk Cookie’s release (I assume. I didn’t see this until 2-3 years later). The second image is from the background of Milk’s doctor costume’s gacha art in CROB.

I think that stands out to me the most is that after staring at it, both of these share a pretty similar height gap between them. However, the second photo makes both of them seem taller especially Milk because of Dark Choco’s legs, which are almost half of his body, gets cut off by the photo. The first image also makes Dark Choco seem a lot bigger because of how it’s sketched out (the shoulder pads and cloak end up making Dark Choco look a lot bigger than he actually is in general LOL).

If you asked me to try to gauge the age gap between these two photos, the only thing I’d tell you really is that there’s no way it’s a 10-15 year age gap; height gap is way too short for that. But I can’t tell you a definitive guess because I’m going to be honest: Cookie Run does not do a great job telling you the ages of characters and just leaves it up to the reader to interpret themselves. There’s not really a standard for what a teenager looks like in Cookie Run, and I feel like that’s the reason why people in this fandom really sort characters into either children or adults. It’s because of this that I also think that nobody in the fandom really knows how to determine that themselves, or else I wouldn’t have written a whole analysis on why I think it’s actually reasonable to see Dark Choco as a teenager in this post. (And there’s also a few other characters that have also gone through age discourse but I don’t want to even touch that right now at all LOL).

(Edit at 12:22 pm because I feel like I need to add this: It’s not the fandom’s fault for not being able to determine ages. It’s solely on Devsisters alone because if the writers aren’t clear, then it’s much harder for the fandom to agree upon anything.)

I also think that realistically you can’t really… come up with an infallible standard for how tall a person is supposed to be at a certain age because people grow up differently depending on multiple factors. People of the same age group aren’t all the same height or weight in real life.

And it’s even more difficult to tell literally anything if the writers refuse to actually confirm anything clearly and instead use vague descriptive terms.

That being said, I can’t actually point at you and say you’re wrong because of what age gap you give to Milk and Dark Choco because as I said in the beginning of this post, I don’t know anything. I also think it does go both ways though, and less people should stop acting like their interpretation has been completely canonized.

But at the end of the day, we’ll keep reading the same stories from the same franchise and interpret how we want to. I HC DarkMilk with a two year age gap. You don’t have to agree (and I bet a lot of people don’t LOL). And that’s okay.

If you ask me whether I’ll make another post talking about this topic, the answer is an absolute resounding no because I think this is the most in-depth I could possibly be about this topic to the point this is definitely my longest post ever. I don’t think there is anything else I can say.

If you liked this analysis, you don’t need to do anything. If you’re extremely tired from reading this, this is the most understandable reaction to this post, and I hope you have a good day.

[natsuki208]

Commander Erwin Smith - he’s… alright I guess.

Before you scroll away, let me explain why I’m not as hyped around Erwin Smith as the rest of the fandom.

Even when I started watching the original anime four years ago, I barely even thought about this guy. I definitely don’t mean that in a bad way, however, there’s not much about his personality that stands out to me unlike the other veterans.

We have the lone-wolf clean freak Levi, the loony scientist Hange and hey, even Miche I liked more and he’s barely in the show (which should’ve been more) but all I remembered of Erwin is that he’s the commander of the Scouts… that’s it.

Okay, he likes to gamble with his tactical decisions, that’s okay. He has a bond with Nile, which was never brought back up again in S4. And he had a dream to prove his father’s theory was correct, which he was so close yet so far to get to. So you see, it can be very hit or miss with me personally.

Side note: Actually, I’ve seen a lot of fan projects which give Erwin some weird quirk like the other veterans that I can remember liking; much more than canon Erwin at least (especially A Slap on Titan)

I will give him this - overtime I grew attached to his voice acting performance ,cause it’s phenomenal! (talking about the English dub, sorry) Michael did a fantastic job during Erwin’s outstanding speeches, from when Erwin got his arm bitten off, to of course the suicidal charge in S3. He really brings out the raw emotions the commander was feeling in those moments.

In conclusion, before Erwin fans get me, the man is just ‘meh’ to me outside of the great voice acting. He rarely crosses my mind when I want to draw fanart or write fics unlike many other AOT characters. Sometimes I wish he was given a slight extra part to his personality than just being the strict, smart commander throughout his story.

Oh well, I guess that’s what happens when your boldness is bigger than your eyebrows.

[lady-of-ocs]

i'm gonna strangle miya atsumu fr fr

So it's been a hot sec since I made a post about my Haikyuu watching experience. So long, in fact, that I now only have three episodes left of the season. Which means I'm almost done with the show (I'll be watching the dumpster battle movie again after, but GOD). I'm a tad emotional. That being said, I have a lot to cover! So I'll just jump right into it. Please excuse my many screenshots and my gushing and rambling about volleyball boys.

I have several reasons why I want to kick Miya Atsumu but him and his goddamn theme song when he goes up to serve (plus the silencing hand gesture) are a big one. Cocky motherfucker I WILL GET YOU.

Also the fact that they'll sort of recap at the beginning of the next episode so I HAVE TO LIVE THROUGH HINATA JUMPING AND NOT HITTING THE BALL TWICE. Me watching it like mama mia, here we go again-

Also I was delighted to realize that Suna's English VA is also the English VA for Langa (Sk8 the Infinity - yes, I'm going to keep bringing up that show because it holds a special place in my heart). It took me hearing him and his internal monologues a couple times, and then I confirmed it with the wikis, but I was like I KNEW IT WAS YOU!!!!

As some of you may have read, I didn't know that 1. this Inarizaki game would take up the rest of the season, and 2. Karasuno ultimately loses against Hoshiumi's team and does not win nationals. I don't know why I was under the impression that they won the whole thing, but the knowledge that they didn't sort of took me out for about a day.

Every time I see Miya Atsumu I flip him off through my screen. I'm only half joking (I don't do it every time I see him, but I do it every time he annoys me).

Inarizaki's crowd is so GRRRRR. Like, they're loud and obnoxious, they booed the opposing team's servers (to quote myself from my google doc: eat shit and die <3), and they also BOO THEIR OWN PLAYERS. I DIDN'T KNOW I COULD FEEL BAD FOR INARIZAKI UNTIL THAT FIRST YEAR PINCH SERVER CAME UP AND THEN GOT BOOED AFTER KARASUNO SCORED. I DON'T EVEN KNOW THE GUY'S NAME BUT I WAS LIKE "I WILL FIGHT YOU FOR THIS BOY???? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE????"

I gushed about her a lot already but KANOKA??? I LOVE her analysis of Tanaka and all the flashbacks about the two of them as kids. I'm going to start a fight over her.

I WAS WAITING FOR SAEKO AND SHE DID APPEAR. LET'S FUCKING GO SAEKO!!!!! Low key she was my favorite Tanaka for a second. Such a good big sis.

They've done this a lot, but I really like the little moments where it cuts away from the game to show other characters' perspectives. And sometimes those characters give me an analysis of something and I learn more about volleyball. I loved when we got to see Akaashi breaking down Kageyama's serves, for example! And after the Nekoma game, both Kenma and Kuroo did some breakdowns of the game. I even enjoy listening to Daishou! But that's because even if I don't like Daishou on his own, I really like him and Mika! I like listening to him explain things to her, and she always listens and does her best to understand because volleyball is important to her boyfriend!

Half of my notes are just me screaming, but I liked these bullet points that were pretty much back to back: "Miya Atsumu and his bitch ass serves" "ATSUMU YOU BITCH" "I don't like this. I don't like this at all. I don't like the Miya twins talking to each other like that. Fucking Miyas" "FUCK YOU MIYA TWINS" "The Miya quick is mad impressive but I HATE THEM. I HATE THESE MOTHERFUCKERS" "I love Aran though. Fuck the Miya twins, Aran's my man"

SPEAKING OF ARAN. I was so confused because I was like "it sounds like they're calling him Alan???" AND APPARENTLY IN THE ENGLISH DUB THEY ARE CALLING HIM ALAN. Fuck that, I like Aran. I've been calling him Aran this whole time and I'm not going to stop just because the English dub says so.

Why do I prefer Osamu? Osamu literally was (internally) like "see actually I don't trust this bitch" ABOUT HIS OWN TWIN BROTHER. AND THAT IS SO FUCKING FUNNY. I hate 'em but I love 'em. The Miya twins sure are something.

I don't remember the context for this one but: "This man" (????) talking about Kagehina: they have a connection Me: That's gay

OH GIRL DO NOT INSULT TANAKA WITH KANOKA AROUND. DRILL A HOLE IN THEIR HEADS WITH YOUR EYES BAE

Okay I LOVE watching Tsukki spike. He's so tall and Kageyama tosses the ball up higher which forces him to jump super high and I just LOVE LOVE LOVE.

Okay, I swear there was one episode where everyone just looked so funky and weird. I love taking screenshots of cool moments (or just when I'm gushing in my notes about "x character is so awesome" or "y character is so handsome look at him!") but I was just off put by one episode. Like, the art style changed in season 4, but there's one episode that I was like "I truly hate how this looks."

“Are you scared of that tiny little blocker?” “Like hell I’m scared!” And then Hinata being like “do you mean that?! 🥺” and Osamu’s “well yeah." A solid interaction. 10/10 no notes. Osamu is truly my favorite twin

I was really wondering who the worst blocker to deal with was when Hinata was talking about him, and I didn't recognize the voice. BUT THEN-

IT'S MATTSUN!!!! Of course it's Mattsun! Obviously! I saw them and got so excited. I was like OH MY GOD IT'S THEMMMMMM!!!! They're on a date <3 No because girl I LOVE Matsuhana. They delight me. I have a folder for them in my Haikyuu Pinterest folder.

THEY MAKE ME FEEL SO MANY EMOTIONS. ASANOYA FOREVER BABY

My eyes light up every time Asahi does something well (on purpose or not)

So, at first I was so delighted by Tsukki's laugh (it's fueling my life force actually) BUT THEN I STARTED NOTICING EVERYONE ELSE AND I WAS LIKE ?????? ENNOSHITA WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOUR EYE. WHAT’S WRONG WITH EVERYONE’S EYES???

HINATA WAS SO EXCITED TO SERVE AND THEN HE GOT SWAPPED OUT WITH YAMAGUCHI OH BLESS HIS LITTLE GINGER HEART

Okay, speaking of Yamaguchi and his serves. I got so nervous for him when I noticed his reset point had been blocked. I was like "how are we going to fix this? Oh my god poor Tadashi!" I figured if there was some Tsukkiyama moment where he focused on Tsukki or something to calm himself down, I'd have heard about it and seen screenshots and analyses about it, but I did secretly hope. But what Shimada did was hella wholesome and I was like AWWWWW Ain't no way that Tadashi heard him from that distance but it's okay. It's plot magic <3

I got confused because the episode started with Tanaka talking to Kanoka again but it was just like. A flashback I guess. TANAKA WAS ALL GIGGLY OVER HER YET DIDN’T WANNA DATE HER. I RESPECT HIS DEDICATION TO KIYOKO BUT ALSO GIRL SHE DON’T WANT YOU RIGHT NOW. THERE’S A PERFECTLY SWEET, NICE GIRL IN FRONT OF YOU. TANAKA WAKE UP

“You played like an ace!” “Thanks” “yeah well, that’s his job” TSUKKI CAN I HAVE AN ASANOYA MOMENT IN PEACE THANK YOU

Okay, so the whole mini arc of Tanaka really struggling and getting targeted by Atsumu's serves was a whole thing for me. He's such an under appreciated character and he works so hard. And I love Noya but he totally stole that receive from Tanaka. I don't think he meant to but, from what I could tell, Tanaka had that receive. Inarizaki was playing mind games with him and I was just like "STOP BULLYING MY BOY FOR TWO SECONDS." This feeling was only furthered when we cut to Bokuto and he gave us the insight of "That's enough to make a guy feel like he's doing everything wrong." WHICH. THANKS FOR THE INSIGHT INTO A SPIKER'S MIND, BO. I BECAME VERY CONCERNED FOR TANAKA. But as a side note, that helped me understand Bokuto a bit better as well!

This man would intimidate the hell out of me irl but HE SURE IS HOT

I'M NOT RELIGIOUS BUT I'D LIKE TO THANK GOD FOR THE FLASHBACKS OF FIRST YEAR TANAKA AND THE THIRD YEARS AS SECOND YEARS. I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

EVERYONE SHUT UP WHILE I CRY OVER THEM

i love these motherfuckers so much

Tanaka shaving his head and Suga immediately being like “let me touch it!” followed by the sounds of Suga actually rubbing Tanaka’s head is why Suga is my love

I love how much faith in Tanaka everyone has. It’s really wholesome

So this bit confused me because it’s the old animation style, so clearly it must’ve been in the show in the past three seasons, but I don’t remember it at all P.S. hello my beloved Asahi and your old man bun ❤️✨❤️❤️❤️✨✨✨ I miss you baby (it’s gotta be from season 1 if his hair is like that??)

THE WAY I GASPED AND SAID TSUKKI REALLY LOUD. MY SWEET SALTY TALL GOLDEN FRENCH FRY OF A BOY THIS IS NOT WHAT TANAKA NEEDS AND GOD. THE WAY TANAKA JUST DROPPED HIS HANDS. IT HURT SO MUCH AGHHHH TSUKKI YOU ARE SUCH A BASTARD (I love him but he's a bitch)

And the Bokuaka fans go wild!

I’m so grateful for Hinata being such an uplifting boy. He’s gonna hype up Tanaka again (and even Tsukki can appreciate that). Someone insert me into this show right now because I need to give Tanaka a hug

LOOK HOW EXCITED EVERYONE IS. LOOK AT SAEKO GETTING EMOTIONAL. I’M GONNA GET EMOTIONAL. TANAKA WITH HIS FUCKING CUT SHOT (is that what that's called????) OH M Y G OD

I love Kanoka actually and I love her friendship with Tanaka and I wish that they got together because oh my god they’d be so cute

Me seeing Kuroo in the mini preview for the next episode: gasp mi amor?

We interrupt this Inarizaki-Karasuno game for what I like to call the Nekoma & KuroKen duo episodes. I liked these a lot and I have way too many screenshots of Kuroo either looking at Kenma so SO fondly/lovingly or with that same expression while thinking about Kenma. SO.

Find you a man who looks at you the way Kuroo looks when he’s talking about Kenma

The fact that Kuroo is a reason why Kenma keeps playing. Not the sole reason, but it’s sweet how much he cares (even if he’s being a cat about it and not showing how much that is)

Kenma: *Says goodnight and goes up the stairs* Me: goodnight my sweet prince *blows a kiss at the screen*

Baby KuroKen!

And also the fact that Kuroo must have a key to Kenma's house because how the hell could he have gotten in otherwise. Also Kenma's just like me fr fr

I love when Yaku and Kuroo use smart shit to insult each other. They’re both significantly smarter than I am because I didn't get ANY of that

“There’s only one way to defeat Nekoma: take out the brain.” I love that Kenma is just now known as the brain. He’s so smart. I love him so very much

KENMA IMAGINING FUN AND FUNKY SCENERY TO ENTERTAIN HIMSELF WHILE HE RUNS HE’S JUST LIKE ME FR FR I also started laughing so much when he was tired in the middle of lifting weights. I FEEL YOU KENMA. SQUATS ARE EXHAUSTING ESPECIALLY WITH WEIGHTS

ALSO KUROO TELLING HIM TO PLAY NICE WITH THE OTHERS. BABY ARE YOU HIS BEST FRIEND OR HIS MOM

I like this too much to not include it: Ah, Yamamoto Take-trying-so-hard. Love him

YAMAMOTO PULLED A HINATA AND COLLIDED WITH AN UPPERCLASSMAN (Kuroo). OH HONEY I’M SO SORRY

Someone help that frightened cat please

In case anyone was wondering, Fukunaga became one of my favorite Nekoma players from this episode alone. The way he deescalated the situation by THROWING A BUCKET OF WATER ON THEM BOTH. CACKLING. I LOVE THIS BOY.

I also didn't know that this flashback was when Kenma told Fukunaga he was funny, but it was really cute. I hear Fukunaga is a comedian in the future and that makes me very happy.

LOOK AT HOW THIS MOTHERFUCKER LOOKS AT KENMA AND TELL ME HE ISN’T IN LOVE I FUCKING DARE YOU

“You can call me Tora if you want” AW TORAAAAAAA And the immediate cut to Kenma calling him Tora!

I really said “get it Taketoraaaaaa” and then he served it directly into the net

Kenma is more capable than he’s given credit for, honestly. And he’s very smart! I love listening to him talk strategy

He’s so sexy I hate him (no I don’t)

Tora having this big internal monologue about Kenma is actually really beautiful. Kenma finishes what he starts no matter how much he might dislike or even hate it. And that’s beautiful and admirable

“But I’m not good…We are, together.” KENMA YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE ME CRY

Obviously I knew that Nekoma would win because I’ve seen garbage battle but OH THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL. KENMA I’M SO PROUD OF YOU. FUKUNAGA YOU ARE THE MVP

Kenma needs to sleep for at least 12 hours after this. I’m so proud of him, though

Kenma getting defensive over the fact that he actually cares about his teammates enough to push himself and work hard is such a Kenma thing and I love him. He's literally a cat in human form. He'd hate me for it but I just want to squish him (affectionately). Also, Tora being so touched that Kenma tried. I love it here

Mama Kuroo strikes again. Telling his boyfriend to have a banana because he’s low on carbohydrates

And then Kuroo looking back at Kenma with the same look (you know the one at this point). Meanwhile I'm just screaming at my phone HE’S DOING THE DAMN LOOK AGAIN YOU STOP THAT RIGHT NOW

THEY’RE WATCHING KARASUNO!!! And that was a beautiful kill, Hinata!

Get your hand off your hip you cunty motherfucker

And back to our regularly scheduled match: WAIT IT’S EPISODE 19 THAT MEANS I ONLY HAVE 7 EPISODES LEFT OH NO

Not it opening on Miya Atsumu and his theme song and me being like “oh not this shit again”

FIRST KENMA’S THE TARGET AND NOW IT’S NISHINOYA- LEAVE MY SHORT KINGS ALONE Also, Kenma was able to strategize around that fact and I’m trying to decide if Nishinoya is smart enough to also do that or if he’ll just sort of adapt

The fact that they’re messing up Nishinoya to fuck up the rest of the team GRRRR MIYA ATSUMU WHEN I CATCH YOU

Everyone is so tense and I’m right there with them. I know Karasuno wins and I DON’T KNOW HOW (to be fair, the boys did not win this second set)

If Asahi gives Nishinoya a rousing pep talk my little Asanoya heart will exit the atmosphere. It will absolutely SOAR

TANAKA WALKING UP TO HIM ONLY FOR NOYA TO DROP AND DO PUSH UPS ISN’T AS SHIP INSPIRING BUT I FUCKING CACKLED WHEN HE DID IT It was a little less funny when I realized he was doing it to keep calm and also punish himself. But when he first did it I was like "PFFFT NISHINOYA"

How can Atsumu be so childlike in terms of his awe of other players and the game, yet such a massive dick at the same time

Do I like seeing the twins succeed? Not exactly. But I do like seeing Osamu and Suna work together! Yes, I like Sunaosa as well. I can't find nearly enough content for them, actually (just read a really good fic for them yesterday, though. I'm a sucker for friends to lovers, WHAT CAN I SAY)

HOLY SHIT. I GOT SO EXCITED ABOUT TSUKKI BLOCKING AND THEN SUNA GOT IT PAST HIM AND I DON’T KNOW HOW TO FEEL

Hey fucker I’m gonna need you to shut up before I kiss you

He’s telling Tsukki that he’s a fantastic blocker what kind of mind games is this man playing AND TSUKKI SAID “sure jackass” AS SUNA WALKED AWAY. ALL THE FACE KISSES FOR TSUKKI I LOVE YOU HON

Are you telling me Suna can spike past Tsukki because he’s a tilty bastard with a strong core?

“The better the blockers are, the easier it is for Suna to control them.” Oh. So he meant it when he told Tsukki he was a good blocker, but it was like. Secretly him giving away that he’s making it easier by being good

Loved the cut to Kenma and Kuroo talking about Suna, and Kenma understanding what was happening and prompting Kuroo to think so that he'd get it too.

Aran is so fucking powerful and I want to dislike him but I simply can’t

Me at this point in the episode: Also you know who I miss? Kita. Where’s Kita? Because he’s sure as hell not on the court

I ALREADY MENTIONED IT BUT I REMEMBER GASPING IN UTTER SHOCK AND HORROR WHEN I REALIZED THAT THE INARIZAKI CROWD WAS BOOING THEIR OWN PLAYER. SEND HELP FOR THAT LITTLE FIRST YEAR PLEASE

I love how I could recognize who was serving because Kageyama’s the only one who does the little ball twirl. Which, I could be wrong, but does Oikawa do the same thing? Did he pick that spin up from Oikawa?

I said give them hell, Tobio AND HELL HE DID GIVE

Hinata is the walking Kageyama instruction manual and that delights me

This was just another moment on the bench until I noticed Kageyama holding his hands like he’s still got a volleyball in them and I got really endeared to him

I muttered “murder, Tobio, MURDER” to myself aloud and HE MURDERED AGAIN LETS GO MY SON

“Well shit” I AM DELIGHTED THAT WAS SO BAD Also thank you Daman Mills I know you’re gay but I’d at least like to hug you for this amazing performance

Miya twins arguing and then mama Aran smacking Atsumu. Beauty at its finest

Me at this point in the episode: Oh fuck here comes Kita

Duuuude Kita’s good what kind of drugs is he on to make him think he isn’t

The fact that Kita didn’t get to play properly until THIS YEAR is kind of soul crushing. And heartbreaking

There’s a softness to Aran and Kita that I cannot describe. Maybe that thought process will change but I like them already and I’ve only seen this one flashback of them Okay yeah this is soft as hell. Kita’s words helping Aran focus? This is beautiful

Besties who judge together stay together <3

KITA CARES SO MUCH. I’M OVER HERE MAKING THE SAME FACES AND WHIMPER NOISES AS ATSUMU AS SOON AS I SEE THAT KITA LEFT HIM FOOD

Kita crying because he was made captain- STOP I’M EMOTIONAL

You google romance and this scene pops up fr fr ARAN MAKING KITA LAUGH- STOP IT

Kita has the face of an angel but HE AIN’T (just kidding he is)

Asahi's not great at pep talks but the fact that he's trying his best is so sweet. I love this man

I LOVE WHEN ASAHI DOES A THING AND THESE TWO ARE JUST SO HAPPY/PROUD

AND THE WAY NOYA SMILES AT HIM GADKJF:LSDJFLSKDJFLSDKJF:LSKDJFL:SKJ I FUCKING LOVE ASANOYA

Asahi and Noya: having a moment Kageyama: hold on let me make it about me for a sec (I say this with all the affection we love a boy who can't read social cues)

I feel like they reuse that Atsumu walking up to serve and silencing the music bit. Like, it’s been the same thing three times now. It’s fine. If he’s repetitive about it then it makes sense

Kita is so smart and he knows his teammates so well. I can’t even just call him the Miya whisperer because he’s like that with EVERYONE

“Oh yeah, this is what fear feels like” THE FACT THAT HE FORGOT IS SUCH A NISHINOYA THING

Thank you Daishou for that absolutely delightful lesson in volleyball rotations! I knew a bit of that but learned something new as well! And I love that Mika gets it and listens to him and he gets excited when she understands! I’m not a Daishou fan but I sure am a Daishou and Mika fan!

“Uh oh, looks like I just stole your big, important job.” TSUKKIIIIIII I’M CACKLING

Suna: monologuing about going up against amazing blockers

me: TENDOUUUUUUUU

Great serve by Daichi! And then I swear to god he received it with his shoulder or something

Tsukki and Suna: having their intense stare down Me in the background: FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FI-

Me watching Kinoshita go up to serve: h- hey. Doesn’t he fuck up? Ohhhhh nooooo :( he didn’t fuck up, he just didn’t get his service ace I feel bad for Kinoshita, honestly. He’s trying his best but can’t quite reach the same level as the others

Noya: talking about being scared of everything when he was a kid Me: oh. so like Asahi now

Nishinoya is over here opening up about his fears and meanwhile Tsukishima and Yamaguchi are trying to crack the code of what he's talking about (it doesn’t mean anything babes he was just afraid)

DAMN IT CUT AND NOW ATSUMU IS SERVING AGAIN I HATE THIS BITCH (and I’m only half joking)

BABY NOYA HAS MY WHOLE HEART SOMEONE HOLD ME

Why does Noya freezing in fear kind of break my heart a little? Oh right, because he’s never afraid of anything like this

HE DID IT!! HE DID AN OVERHAND RECEIVE!!!

Now kiss <3

Oh now we get baby Miya twin flashbacks? Eh…I’ll stay for Aran

Aran has had to deal with the twins since GRADE 5. THIS MAN IS A THIRD YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL NOW. ASSUMING IT’S THE SAME GRADE SYSTEM AS THE U.S. THAT MEANS 7 FUCKING YEARS OF THE MIYA TWINS

And now, a small ramble section about the Miya twins: So they’ve always been like this. In a way. But they definitely cared more obviously when they were little THERE’S THE MIYA ATSUMU I KNOW AND WANT TO STRANGLE /hj Ahhh Osamu claiming he’s going to be the nice twin. But does he maintain that? I dunno babe! HE’S SO MEAN TO HIS OWN TWIN BROTHER HOLY SHIT GET HIS ASS OSAMU It’s kind of sweet how they do actually like. Make each other better and push each other with their competitiveness. And they (Atsumu mostly) say mean shit but they’re still brothers and they care. They don’t apologize, but they don’t need to Sigh. They really do care. Hate them. Kinda. Atsumu is still a fucking ass though

Atsumu is genuinely such a good setter and it's SO ANNOYING

“He’s the picture perfect setter.” “Yeah?” They just. Kuroo pays close attention to everything Kenma says. Prompts him to hear more Kenma going on about all the things he’s not able to do and Kuroo is just like “babe I know”

“I’m glad we made it here.” KAGEYAMA YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE ME FUCKING CRY

A saga of me in the past 24 hours: I’m so frustrated THE DAMN SITE WILL NOT LOAD THE NEXT EPISODE PLEASE I HAVE FOUR FUCKING EPISODES LEFT TO WATCH GOOD MORNING IT WORKS NOW

Inarizaki I’m going to need you to stop making me like you

The way I actually get invested and cuss when something happens in the game. I’m not even a sports fan babe

I don’t think I’ve ever noticed that the crowd calls him Tsukki instead of Tsukishima. Which I guess makes sense because it’s a long name. But still. I bet he hates it

First of all: great receive by Asahi. Second of all: YOU DID NOT JUST CALL TANAKA A “CHEAP COPY OF BOKUTO.” DO YOU WANT TO FIGHT BITCH

OH I HATE THOSE TWINS (no I don’t but DAMN THEY’RE SUCH TOUGH, ANNOYING OPPONENTS)

And once again I am confused about Asahi’s name because THE WIKI SAYS IT’S HIS GIVEN NAME BUT THEN IT USUALLY SAYS THE NAMES THE WAY THEY’D BE SAID IN ENGLISH IN THE ENGLISH DUB AND THE ANNOUNCER CALLED HIM AZUMANE ASAHI SO I’M CONFUZZLED

OOOOOH ATSUMU HIT THE NET THANK YOU VOLLEYBALL GOD

Hinata is back in the game! When do I get to see my boy receive fr fr (foreshadowing)

WHAT DID TANAKA ASK KAGEYAMA TO DO THOUGH

Ohhhhhhh Atsumu I am going to GET YOU

Did we need the prolonged leg shot with the jazzy music for Atsumu? No we did not.

YESSSSS DAICHIIIIII!!! HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT THAT WAS MAGNIFICENT TSUKKI SHUTTING SHIT DOWN LET'S GO

Atsumu is selfish and does not listen to calls for claiming the ball. That was a cool set though

I KNEW THAT WAS THE THING. FUCKING TWINS

HINATA’S GONNA DO IT!!!! HE’S GONNA RECEIVE THE BALL

LOOK AT EVERYONE’S SHOCKED, AMAZED FACES

I think that’s the most shock/awe I’ve ever seen on Tsukki’s face

THIS IS SO INTENSE AND IT IS NOT THE TIME FOR THE FUCKING SITE TO BE BUFFERING AND SHIT

I AM EMOTIONAL

Oh for fuCK’S SAKE

Oh so their spirits have been shattered. I hate this

HUMAN SUNSHINE HINATA HEALING ALL SADNESS AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH GOD BLESS THIS BOY I’m so glad I get to see them laugh before the episode is over because if it ended with them in depresso mode I would’ve been thinking about it all day

Hinata is so proud of the marks on his arms from where the ball hit with his receive and he's just so CUTE. I love him. He's a wonderful protagonist

HINATA FUELING HIS TEAMMATES WOOOOOOOO

Aaaaand that's it. That is definitely the longest post I've ever made. So sorry. Thank you for sticking around to read it all <3

I guess I'll post about the last three episodes later this week. I'll make a separate post for the movie at a later date. Once I finish all of it, I'd like to really throw myself into art for my ocs and this show (and more shows, if possible). So stay tuned for that, I guess!

[nanomooselet]

Episode Two: The Running Man

It's odd how little gets said about this ep, considering it's the most direct homage the earlier anime adaptation - but maybe that might be why? Since, as I said, this was my entry into the story, to me it felt out of place. It seemed like it was doing all it could to distract from how the previous ep concluded.

With hindsight, I think that's the idea.

The opening with the radio! I'm so weirdly fond of it. Yeah it's a flashback, but it shows Vash in a private moment without his mask; a glimpse of his secrets. He's not wearing his coat, so you get a look at how broad his shoulders are; he's also handling the tools to maintain his gun skilfully for someone who claims he's not a fighter. As he's contemplating the crash - he was there, obviously, and he has the photo of him, Rem and Nai still - the radio host says without the Plants, our ancestors would have died out long ago. How long ago? Long enough that Vash likely shouldn't still look such a gosh darn pretty boy? Yet it slips by.

(I do not understand the complaints that Stampede had no mystery.)

This is the episode where he's most committed to the bit of being cute but sort of hapless and silly, too, so the contrast is dramatic. I don't think he was actually expecting Meryl and Roberto to clear his name all at once, but I do think he was hoping, I don't know, maybe they'd believe him from the first. But nothing's ever that easy for my boy. I gotta say, Vash, optimism has its limits. Your story is that you're being framed by your previously unknown identical twin brother. You know it's true, I know it's true, but you might have had an easier time with some, I don't know… evidence? It's not surprising the reporters are sceptical.

Oh god, I'm so sorry, do you want a hug or -

(By the way, this means Knives told everyone it wasn't him, it was a one-armed man.)

He's being melodramatic, but I suspect also more sincere than what comes across - which is the whole reason he exaggerates, of course. (What? No, I'm not talking from experience. I have never, ever done this. Never ever in A MILLION YEARS have I exaggerated to obfuscate my sincerity.) The angle changes to show his face, and it's pretty clear how genuinely exhausted and upset even the thought of Knives makes him. Though it is still pretty funny that Meryl just isn't having it.

Also funny: Meryl versus the Worms, round one. Worms 1, Meryl 0.

Roberto greeting Tonis is really cute. He's a grump, but he's never an asshole to kids.

Ahhhh Tonis gives Vash his bugs and Vash pats his head and then he moves to take his hand away Tonis grabs it so he'll keep doing it and then when Rosa tells Tonis to leave Vash look dismayed and waves goodbye and it is so cute and IT IS SO SAD.

Because Rosa loves her son, wants him healthy and happy and safe, wants him shielded from the violence of the world and from decisions like pulling a gun on the hero of your town who's been nothing but good to you, better than you deserve - and yet we saw Rosa come to the decision that she would do this last episode. Right about... here. See the way she moves from standing in front of him, almost protectively, to beside him, clearing the way? By the look on her face, she doesn't want to. Vash proved himself yet again afterwards, saved the town without hesitation the moment it was endangered at great risk to himself. He's a good man, a friend, someone she trusts. But it's not him Rosa's thinking of now. It's not even the town. It's Tonis.

I have to say, Roberto doesn't look shocked or concerned. He just wearily sets down his mug and raises his hands, expression unchanged. Meanwhile Meryl's turned into a cartoon.

Vash understands. He didn't fight back against the MPs. He didn't instigate the duel. It's because of him that this is necessary. That just doesn't mean he's going to make it easy for them.

Ah, that old Stampede special: the undignified leg-spread landing.

Man the English dub is good, but it's this episode I started to realise how good. It's incredibly funny. "The furious fists of the Nebraska Family challenge you to a duel!" "Felt the fury right there!" "Money! Come back!" "I hope you like pancakes, because you're going to become one!"

There's one translation I'm not sold on, though, and it's Nebraska declaring "Power is justice! Power is truth!" I had the same problem in Persona 5 Royal when I played it and the characters kept going on about how they'll "prove our justice". It sounds so awkward.

From what I can tell, the word they're using translates more clearly to "moral rightness" or "righteousness", and the score title for Stampede renders what Nebraska says better: might is right. He's advocating Social Darwinism, basically. It's the natural order of the world: the strong deserve to flourish, the weak deserve to perish.

Nebraska: I hate cowards like you! This whole planet is fighting for survival! Anyone who runs is bound to die like a sorry loser! But you, Stampede! How dare you?! / You coward! I despise waste-of-life cream puffs like you! You have to fight tooth and nail to survive in this world! If those who can't hack it run away and die like chickens, then so be it! But you? I expected more, Stampede!

Vash: You might be right that I'm too timid. But is that such a terrible thing? Is fighting everything head-on so important? Even if it gets someone killed? / Okay, I may not be the bravest, but what's so terrible about being a little timid? Is fighting head-on always right? It risks lives, and for what?

Nebraska: Weapons… are made for fighting! Do you get it now?! There's no future for those who don't fight! / I might as well, huh? It's what the damn thing's made for! That'll show ya! Any snivelling slug too scared to fight must die!

Vash: Come on, can you back off? I really don't want to fight anyone. / Can you guys cool it for a second? I'm really not in the mood for violence.

Nebraska: That's the attitude that pisses me off! / When the world ends, will it ask if you're in the mood?

It's kinda funny that Nebraska keeps going on about it, though, because he also keeps demanding accommodation for his son's weakness. If he was really committed he'd rely only on himself instead of endangering Gofsef. And yet oddly enough, it's the hypocrisy which saves him, because it's how Rosa realises how much they have in common. He loves Gofsef, just like she loves Tonis, and Vash forgives them both.

Enjoy the subtle gag of Meryl mirroring her "parents'" expressions, BTW.

Nabraska judging the townspeople for drinking before 5:00PM as if he didn't just destroy half the place trying to steal their only power source.

Gofsef being creeped out by Tonis's Worm buddies.

And Roberto visibly tuning out as Meryl tells him off.

I think the reason this feels like it's all happening so fast is because this is the place where an episode of the older adaptation would end, leaving some implied time to pass before the next crisis. But this isn't twenty-six self-contained episodes, it's twelve instalments of one story. The running man must continue to run, because it was never humans he was running from.

And I didn't realise this until now, but the drone in Vash's room? It's looking for him, or his things. It doesn't find either.

When it doesn't...

E.G. launches his assault, though the drones had been patrolling since the previous night. Vash was about to leave when he heard the scream from the diner and rushed back to help. And so he stayed long enough for E.G.'s master to arrive in person.

Whatever happened in Jeneora Rock, it seems it was necessary for Vash to witness it, so E.G. had instructions to keep him in place.

So E.G.'s cyborg enhancements look like a bear trap.

Of course.

[ichigos]

What are some of your favorite episodes of the 2002 anime?

GOOD QUESTION!!! Immaculate even...

There truly are so many good episodes of Tokyo Mew Mew. I'll share some of my favorites under the cut. (Mew Mew Power mention in here too because I won't ever shut up about the English dub).

These will be in order of episode numbers! *cracks knuckles*

I feel that I am not the best with explaining ~why~ I am a fan of something and think my vocabulary is lacking (that is what I get for not reading huh 😔) -- so I'll mainly post screenshots and go: *point* "I like that!" or just type whatever thoughts come to mind when I think about the episodes.

Episode 10 and 11

Grouped together because these go hand-in-hand. These are the episodes where the girls find the final member of their team, Zakuro Fujiwara. She has no intention of joining them in episode 10 (lone wolf ™) but does swing around and joins the girls in episode 11.

Sorry to Mint but the animation when she has her soul crushed is amazing.

Mew Mew Power is especially funny for this scene because the 4Kids dub made Renee (aka Zakuro) say: "I don't need you guys, you're all freaks!" GIRL! What do you mean? You're one too. 🤨

Episode 12

THE TREE EPISODE!!!! Kishigo battle angst.

Aoyama also has so many "standing man emoji" moments in this series and they make me chuckle. The part of the episode where he sees Ichigo as a Mew Mew for the first time (and it's so early on in the series too!!) will never not be a "🧍🏻‍♂️" moment to me.

Episode 18 and 19

Pretty much every two part episode is one of my favorites. These two are no exception. Blue Knight vs Kisshu fight scene.

Episode 21

Mint goes rogue. We see Zakuro do this throughout the series but to see another Mew do the same is all the more refreshing. This is also the closest thing I'll ever get to an "evil" mew mew (a magical girl trope I think about often, and one I wish happened in TMM..) so I like the episodes where they go against (or away I guess) from the rest of the team for that reason.

Episode 25 and 26

Tokyo Tower! Poison moth!! Someone save us!!!

Not only because of the animation but just in general... episode 25 has one of my MOST favorite scenes in the entire series. There is this part where Kisshu is laughing in Ichigos face after the Blue Knight makes his exit. Kisshu is basically like 'ya'll are so cooked!' and it gets extremely quiet when Ichigo says "I won't let you" for the first time and all we hear is the rain in the background.

Ichigo is always standing up for herself in TMM (a quality that I lack in real life, lol) and I think that is why I appreciate/look up to her character so much.

Goose bumps whenever I watch this scene (yes in MMP too).

Episode 35

Soft side of Zakuro. Episode 35 was great for chill Zak moments. She saw herself a lot in this kid.

Everyone and their dog talks about when Zakuro punches Kisshu in the face. I remember watching this part a lot when I was younger and it's definitely a great moment for sure. I love Kisshu but I do like when he gets his shit rocked too.

It's cringe to get your face punched in by a wolfgirl. =/

Episode 37 and 38

Christmas episodes!! + This part specifically.

The whole alien vs human talks in these episodes. 👍👍

Ichigo was filled with so much emotion during this part. Go girl!!

Episode 39

Emo Kishigo angst truthers ™, this episode was made specifically for us. The way this one had an absolute CLUTCH on me. I have watched it an ungodly amount of times.

Dude needs medical attention immediately but he is bleeding out on the rooftops brooding instead, nice.

I love poking fun at Kisshu but the rooftop scene is actually so sad to me. AND.. YA'LL.. THE OST DURING THIS PART?! HELLO!! (x) This track is on repeat in my brain and it never stops.

(I also really like that screencap of Pie going "Tokyo Mew Mew, Die!")

Episode 40

Pudding was my favorite mew growing up so episode 40 makes it as apart of one of my favorites for sure.

I appreciate all of the girls, and while Pudding is not my favorite character from the series today, she is literally the connection between how I met some of good online (and now also irl) friends, LOL.

*points to this video a friend made for me 16 years ago*

Episode 42 and 43

Who let him strike that bisexual pose in the church anyways?

(ALSO ^^^)

Episode 45

If you are a Kishigo truther then I do not need to explain this one. Again, I watched this one an ungodly amount of times. Unhinged.

(Because tonight will be the night that I will fall for yoooou🎶)

Episode 48

More unhinged Kisshu. He has a really insane good laugh in this episode.

Episode 49

BOY HOWDY do I love Pie in this episode. Kisshu talks about not relying on//betraying Deep Blue (basically their Jesus in the series) and Pie CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT HE IS HEARING. He is a loyal to DB and he is pissed about it.

After all they've been through together on their planet and earth.... this conversation ends so cold with Pie going "The next time we meet, we might be enemies..." and when Tart leaves with Kisshu, even he is conflicted.

Episode 50, 51 and 52

Just grouping the last 3 together. We are introduced to the Big Cheese (Deep Blue) in these final episodes.

(The father, the son and the holy spirit respectively.)

Episode 51 has some of the best animation.

(Me during this part and screaming PIE SMILED AT LETTUCE!!!!!!11!!)

I am running out of brain power and the limit of screencaps that I can add to a post so I will end this here tonight.

Watch Tokyo Mew Mew 2002.

[brainbuffering]

Anime/Donghua 2024 Wrap-Up!

 This was a great year for women in Anime! More and more series by female creators are making it into people’s all time favourites. From Apothecary Diaries to Delicious in Dungeon to A Sign of Affection, it’s been great to see so many women making huge successes! I also don’t think we’ve seen so many series gracing people’s top 10s that have so effortlessly passed the Bechdel-Wallace test! Frieren: Beyond Journey's End and Dandadan both featured main female characters who talked with their fellow named female co-stars about things other than men! 

Whilst obviously passing the Bechdel Test is not the be and end all for feminism, given how many beloved series have absolutely failed to pass this basic test, it’s certainly something to be celebrate! Heck, if the test was to all be about Lesbians being able to see themselves in media, then look no further than the flood of Falin X Marcille art, meta, edits, and fanfic that’s been all over my feeds. 

For me, personally, I was delighted to see the Female Centric arcs of Blue Exorcist getting animated at long last, showing why the manga sucked me in to begin with! We got an actually good traitor reveal that felt like an actual betrayal of trust, and fantastic development for a character who had previously been just another Tsuendere. Even as Izumo has her agency taken away as part of the narrative, Katou-sensei gives it back to her at every opportunity to ensure that this is her story and her arc. And that shone through in the anime too! Even with the tiny budget, she was still the one given the biggest moments. 

Heaven Official’s Blessing, A Sign of Affection, and Cherry Magic? 30 Years of Virginity can Make you a Wizard?! were all fantastic non-heteronormative romances that shone in their own unique ways! Heaven Official's Blessing had some of the best dubbing I've seen all year with so many side splitting jokes and swoon worthy sentences! Cherry Magic perfectly caputred the heart and humour of the series and I was especially excited to hear Kurosawa's internal song monologues. A Sign of Affections blew me away with its beautiful animation, in particular the care taken in animating the sign language. Which were all perfectly encapsulated in its elegant opening:

There were plenty of other series out this year that were just made of pure fun. Vampire Dormitory and Demon Prince of Momochi House both had me binge-reading their mangas. Mr Villian’s Day Off was the perfect slice of life comedy for these dark days. Sasaki and Peeps was an unexpected reverse-isekai X salary-man X evil-magical-girl mix up directed by Mirai Minato. The dub was great too, with Tyeson Reinhart perfectly encapsulating the exhausted middle aged man who just wants to have an easy life, and Erin Nicole Lundquist showing their incredible range as both a stoic, power magician… and an adorable little birb. Plus I loved both the original Japanese Gag of hiring a bunch of actors called Sasaki for the background characters, and the English Dub matching it with a bunch of Chris-es!

There were also a lot of great films that came out in the UK this year! Blue Giant was a great way to start the year, with the music being so good I felt like I was at an actual concert. It was followed by Spy X Family: Code White which had everything a weeb to ask for: MILFs with knives, DILFs with shirt sleeves rolled up, Cute Dogs, and the most beautifully animated poop joke ever put on screen. Look Back Short got brought to UK Cinemas, and was just as good as I thought it would be! Although I would have liked to see it dubbed because I think some of the subtitle choices took away some of the emotional impact felt in the manga. My favourite by far though was the Lord of the Rings Anime, War of the Rohirrim. It hasn’t been performing as well in cinemas as I would have liked, and I’m disappointed by the lack of merchandise available for it. But it was definitely a series made with me in mind specifically! With epic fight scenes, sword lesbians, horises, and an Incel getting his just desserts. It’s definitely the film I’m gonna be recommending the MOST out of this year! 

Overall, I had a great time this year. Whilst some seasons were definitely more jam-packed than others, there was still always at least SOMETHING I wanted to watch! I had my favourites, sure. But whilst I’m sure that at some point this anime bubble is gonna burst again as it did back in the 2000s, I’m happy to be enjoying all the great art currently being made!