#Im not familiar with the series or character so I hope I did them justice!!

[prettymediocrewizard]

⚡🐉⚡

[fipindustries]

this is a feast! This is a veritable banquet! So often i starve for criticism but i shall famish no longer! This is the one and sole reason why i create art! Lets sink my teeth on this!

First of all, thank you very very much, this is all ive ever wanted and it makes me so happy to see someone really interacting with my work, specially in this depth and with something that is as near and dear to my heart as jennyffer. You have joined @not-terezi-pyrope in the olympus of people who have put this much work into it.

Second, lets take a look at all you say...

You don’t really go this hard ever again in the series! Both the shooting and Jennyffer’s primal scream are unique to this episode in their tonal intensity.

There was one planned episode where i was planning to do that again but i cut it out first because i was ready to finish the series and i didnt have the time or the energy to stretch it any longer and also because it felt very meanspirited, it was about visiting jennys geandpa on her dad's side. Things go really bad.

I hope that isn’t an unwelcome criticism.

Not at all! I always appreciate constructive criticism and in this case i was already aware of it. The biggest struggle through this show has been to find a good microphone and a good recording space for each episode, on top of tge fact that i am entirely ignorant about audio engineering. So audio tends to be tge thing that suffers more in this show and it would be the primary thing that i would fix if i had a budget to work with

I’m also just weirdly fascinated by Mean Girls, so I love the attention you give them here.

See there is something fascinating here on multiple levels because i also find the mean girl archetype fascinating and fun to play with, but i am doubtful of how "true to life" it is. To me the type of character was always more akin to a hollywood monster than a true to life experience. I went to a school that used to be boys only, so we would only have like two girl students for every thirty boys. So mean girl cliques just did not exist at my school, im much more intimatly familiar with the type of bullying you see on ep 3 with the rugbiers.

But also on top of that i dont know how much kids encounter that now a days, it seems that bullying has changed a lot at schools with the new generations and characters like "the jock" or "the queen bee" have mutated and become a bit outdated in the same way that the greaser style "bad boy" with a black leather jacket and a pompadour was an outdated stereotype in our childhood.

Because of this i became hesitant to keep including them and replaced them with the kind of ostracism in ep 7, more couched social justice language. I did have a funny ongoing gag planned with them where every episode they show up for whatever reason one wpuld be taken out (we get to see that in the credits of ep 4 where jenny nearly snaps the neck of one pf the girls) and a new one would have to become the new ashley until there was only one left and she would admit theyre nonbinary and decide to stop bullying jenny. Sadly it couldnt be.

I think it makes your work a lot more real that you’re willing and able to illustrate the transphobic worldview as a fact of life among many people and the background cultural default in society

Yes! thank you! I always find stories that dont do this unbearably saccarine. (Although sometimes i can totally be in the mood for that). And the fact that it is presented as this backround noise radiation is also important to me. One goal i had in jennyffer was to explore transphobia in all the different ways it manifests, from the openly cruel of ep1 to the subtly annoying of ep 7 to the cloyingly dishonest of ep 4, to the dissmisively insensitive of ep 9.

I can only imagine how many references I’m missing

oh buddy if you only knew, eps 5 and 9 areprobably the two singularly densest episodes in terms of ammount of obscure references i include. Ep 5 for transgirl culture in general (did you noticed i put bayes formula in felix' laptop?) And ep 9 for 4chan culture, which probably contain the two most impenetrable jokes in the show "i always thought you were a little onions" and "i gotta fart super bad"

On top of that a gag i have going on with peter is that he is a fan of super niche nerdy stuff like sparks or julia ecklar, and so every time we see his room i cram it with references to movies or boardgames.

you have a great sense of comedic layering. It’s also a good example of something I haven’t articulated yet, which is that your comedic style is ultra sharp and punchy.

Aw thank you so much! Im glad to know this, i dont always have the chance to get a clear view of where my strengths lie or what it is exactly that im doing because so much of it relies on intuitions of what seems funny to me, so getting a better understanding of what is it that makes me stand out is very useful. Im quick and punchy apparetnly! Well, is like mark twain said "brevity [...] is wit" ( this is a simpsons joke)

Also i like to think im good at the unstated and subtle humor, for example the fact that peter's parents are black even though peter is white (we never explore this in the series but peter is not adopted, he is just a genetic anomaly)

“Oh no! I haven’t been checking to see if I’m writing ‘Jennyffer’ with two Fs!” I was like “Did Fip do that just to catch people who aren’t paying close attention?”

The reason why jennyffer's name is written like that is purely due to search engine optimization, i wanted to give her an atypical spelling so its easier to recognize and for it to stand out as its own brand

Jennyffer gets the wind taken out of her sails over the crotch bulge in her bathing suit and how it is making other people uncomfortable, and, instead of fighting or being an asshole about it, she is defeated and retreats.

This was something very important for me in the way i write jenny, she's an asshole but shes not needlesly aggro all the time to everyone for no reason, she only attacks after being attacked. She gets disarmed by 'politeness' and 'civility'. She knows how to handle bullies but she doesnt know how to handle niceness, shes ok with people seeing her as a jerk or a brute but she doesnt want to look like the bad guy. This separates her from characters like eric cartman or dr house with whom she has so much in common otherwise.

Also, “Episode 10, Part 1,” lolol. Beware scope creep! 😂

Ah

Ha ha

Coming from you i know the dark omen that warning is. But worry not, the ammount of scope that has creeped on has been a calculated ammount. I know exactly how much bigger and how much more ambitious i wanted to make this story. Parts 1-4 have been carefully delineated and circumscribed and i would say im around three months away from finishing all of them in one fell swoop which has fallen well into the deadline i gave myself when i started this final episode.

So yeah! I have some other stuff to say but ill leave that to discord. Once more thank you so much for tjis effort you put into enjoying my little show

Notes on my Watch-Through of Jennyffer by F.I.P. Industries

This week I watched the animated webseries Jennyffer, by @fipindustries / Amanda Avila. It’s a short series about an assholeish trans girl in high school, just living life in our silly world. You can watch it on YouTube!

TL;DR: This series is funny, witty, edgy, delightfully absurdist, and full of visual richness, gags, and allusions despite the minimalist style of the drawing and animation. Jennyffer grew on me as I watched it and I definitely think it’s worth the hour or so runtime. There are nine episodes averaging about 4 minutes apiece, plus a few small bonuses.

Fip is a friend of mine so I wrote down my thoughts as I was watching, but I am posting them here (with her approval) in the hope that folks happen to get intrigued and decide to go check it out. I’ve adapted my notes a little bit to make them easier for you to read, but for the most part these are extemporaneous notes speaking directly to Fip.

Indented (“ ---> “) comments are written after I watched the entire series and went back to review my notes.

“TUMBLR PEEPS / TP” comments are additional comments I’ve written for you lovely people on this huggable hellsite. I’ll also give you my overall review and recommendations at the end.

* This post contains spoilers for Jennyffer.

Title Sequence

Very fun! :3

TUMBLR PEEPS: Not very useful for you, I know. Fip is both an illustrator and an animator, and I think this title sequence sets the tone for what she’s aiming for with the series. There’s always a moment of disorientation when stepping into the world of an artist whose style you’re unfamiliar with, but if you hang on it begins to make sense soon enough.

Ep. 1

I appreciate subtle touch of “Panoptic” High School, with the round building, etc. TP: This series is full of background references. It’s one of my favorite things about it.

Lol @ the identical 😮 faces on the pack of Mean Girls in the background.

Wasn’t expecting the confrontation to escalate that hard! 😮😂

----> You don’t really go this hard ever again in the series! Both the shooting and Jennyffer’s primal scream are unique to this episode in their tonal intensity. 

LOL @ the Mean Girls actually turning into a pack of feral monsters when their leader falls; unmasked at last!

---> This is a candidate for my favorite single joke in the series just because of how economically and absurdly it encapsulates so much about this trope.

I appreciate that Ashley admitted defeat; that’s cathartic because this (almost) never happens in real life.

TUMBLR PEEPS: When I watched this episode, it came across to me as uneven on the audiovisual production values. Things like Fip’s audio recording setup not being as good as the guest star’s, sound levels being a little imbalanced, etc. I would encourage you not to be scared off by that! Although it doesn’t completely go away over the series, it does improve a lot, and in any case it doesn’t interfere with the storytelling or worldbuilding basically at all. I wanted to lampshade this because I know some people nope out of a series if the production values aren’t AAA. Give this one a chance!

Ep. 2

I appreciate that Mom is trying her best.

---> To build on this point, I appreciate that it’s true to life for many trans kids whose parents are willing to accept them when they come out, but don’t really know “how.”

TUMBLR PEEPS: That’s my only note for the entire episode, lol. This episode is probably my least favorite in the series. Fip’s style of humor is very much old-school Simpsons in that it keeps dropping joke after joke; so you’re always smiling because even if one joke doesn’t land there’s another one coming up in a few seconds. This episode is different in that it’s basically one joke that gets hit over and over again. And since it’s a joke that doesn’t land for me, it’s kind of forgettable. (When I was preparing this post for Tumblr I was like "Why did I only write one sentence for Episode 2?" And then I went back and realized why as soon as I saw the thumbnail.) This is my most negative criticism of the entire series. In my opinion, things get significantly better from here!

Ep. 3

RIP his Gains 🤣🤣🤣

Lol, and they still win the big cup! 💪🎀

---> I appreciate the continuity on these jock girls later in the series.

You have a great sense for comedic layering of different jokes operating on different wavelengths happening close together or even at the same time. (That’s more of a sense from everything I’ve seen so far than just this specific episode, but it stood out to me when Jennyffer’s friend Peter gets his lights punched out just as a side gag.)

---> I originally wrote “when Jennyffer’s friend gets his lights punched out…” here because I couldn’t make out Peter’s name whenever you first introduced it. I am hard of hearing and the audio mixing, especially in the earlier episodes, is a little low at points. One frequent constructive criticism I have for people is to make sure that dialogue is sharp / non-mumbly on the soundtrack, otherwise people like me get lost, especially with names and proper nouns.

---> (I hope that isn’t an unwelcome criticism. A friend of mine just started a new podcast, and he had this same issue on his soundtrack. He got so upset when I gave him this feedback, because of course the reasons we do things are often not closely connected to the things we do, and I realized too late that he was doing this podcast for validation and self-empowerment, so it turned out that he wasn’t in the mood for constructive feedback at all. But that's about the only kind of substantive feedback I know how to offer. So I hope you understand my intent isn’t to shoot down your work; I’d just like to be able to hear it better. You got better with this as the series went on, but I think there’s still room for improvement.)

Ep. 4

That is some Grade A, all-natural, free-range School Counseling for sure. I have a hard time dealing with this shit in the media (including in this comic) because I’m already rubbed so raw at the dysfunction of systems (in this case the healthcare system) that are supposed to help (and which I very much want to support in principle) and I just don’t have much resiliency left to deal even with fictional accounts of it.

I think the Mean Girls are my favorite background part of this series so far. They come across as (tragically) true-to-life, and your depiction of them is just utterly unapologetic. Going so hard on that is what makes it work.

---> I’m also just weirdly fascinated by Mean Girls, so I love the attention you give them here. I guess they live in a tonal space that’s fairly close down the block to the tonalities of the types of female characters I tend to like to write. Don’t get me wrong, I still want to push Mean Girls off a cliff when they’re actually Being Mean, but in terms of the “vibe” there’s something I find compelling about it.

I think it makes your work a lot more real that you’re willing and able to illustrate the transphobic worldview as a fact of life among many people and the background cultural default in society, with all of the transphobic jokes and wrong pronouns etc. that this entails. I see a lot of queer artists choose not to do so, probably in some cases because they can’t (see my comment above about not having much resilience myself to put up with systemic dysfunction in fiction). The willingness and ability to be able to do this is the difference between art that is capable of also being subversively realistic (among its other qualities) versus art that is limited to being escapist or revisionist. It’s always empowering to be able to depict “the enemy,” in whatever guise they might take.

I’d never heard of Hannah Daigle, but since the Credits told me I need to go look up Satina, I looked it up, and wow! Going by her subscriber count, that’s a pretty big get!

3’44” This isn’t even half the true power of high school students and their superability to befoul school bathrooms. 😭😭😭

Ep. 5

For a minute there it seemed like things were going well. Too well. One thing about a series this ruthlessly cynical is that the expectation that “Nothing Good Will Happen and Nothing Good That Does Happen Can Be Kept” sets expectations for the other shoe to drop (indeed, many an other shoe).

3’15” Just the one cat ear up as she’s leaning in and talking secretively…great attention to detail! This is something I often notice with illustrators who get into animation (as opposed to artists who go directly into animation). So many details in virtually every frame! Both in support of the story and simply there for environmental embellishment. (Like the rose that hasn’t bloomed yet.) I can only imagine how many references I’m missing! TP: Seriously, I love the depth of subtle background references in this series!! I’m not calling out most of them in these notes, but they’re a constant presence in the background of the story.

She [the tutor] got there! Yep. As soon as it occurred to me to notice that the rose hadn’t bloomed yet, I knew how this one was ending. 😏

Ep. 6

* breaks computer *

MOM: "You know you don’t have to break your computer every time I come into your room, right?"

🤔🤔🤔

But seriously, that’s what I’m talking about when I say you have a great sense of comedic layering. It’s also a good example of something I haven’t articulated yet, which is that your comedic style is ultra sharp and punchy. It’s so economical, so efficient! It goes really hard with minimalist support, and, in my experience with other creators’ work, that only works for people who have a genuine gift for being funny. I think this is one of your strongest suits as a potential entertainment creator, and you could potentially develop it as a possible pathway to get noticed / get bigger.

---> This is a skill I could only dream of. I’d like to think I have a good sense of humor and can be funny not infrequently, but I need way more words to do it than you do, and my efforts are rarely as clean.

Lol, Jennyffer is the true master of the schoolyard. I appreciate the continuity from Episode 3. TP: When I was writing my notes during my watch-through, this is the comment where I realized “Oh no! I haven’t been checking to see if I’m writing ‘Jennyffer’ with two Fs!” I was like “Did Fip do that just to catch people who aren’t paying close attention?” And I figured, probably not! But I went back and made sure I got all my spellings right, and corrected a previous erroneous instance of it, and tried not to mess it up again going forward. I hate to get names wrong, especially when it’s the title of the goddamn series, lol.

That first stringer chord was great. Then I stopped noticing the next few. Then the ones after that actively grated on me. I get what you were going for (I think), but it didn’t work for me.

That confrontation with Dad went surprisingly well!! I was prepared for (and about halfway-expecting) this conversation with Peter’s dad to go in a much darker direction. <3

Interlude

0’39” That Whale is TOO CUTE omg :3333

---> Seriously, that Whale is the cutest friggin’ whale on the planet. Too wholesome for this world; too pure! <3333

Happy Birthday, Jennyffer! So sweet. I think it’s important for cynical works to have moments like these. I mean, that’s just my opinion, but it really humanizes the work, I think, which makes it easier to connect with and perceive as “real” in the sense of reflecting reality as opposed to being a purely stylized fiction.

TUMBLR PEEPS: I just want to emphasize that point. If you’re writing a work that’s heavily cynical, I would suggest that, unless you’re going for a very specific stylistic effect, a few moments of wholesomeness here and there, where you’re willing to let characters care about things and not get punished for it, is really important to adding depth to the story and humanizing the people in it.

Ep. 7

1’09” “No, that’s not how that works.” 😂 The deadpan here (and really through the whole series on this same joke) is so good. This kind of straight-man (figuratively speaking of course) reaction to an insane world is pure 😒😒😒, and 😒 is one of my favorite forms of absurdism. TP: This is in reference to a joke about how cis people sometimes misgender trans people because they just flat-out do not understand gender or queerness.

Also, can I just say, I’ve been noticing it for a few episodes, and I have no clue what it’s called, if it’s called anything, but I absolutely love Jennyffer’s ridiculously high and short ponytail. I wish we saw this hairstyle more in real life, because I always love it when I see it, but in American culture anyway it’s usually played as a joke / a sign of somebody who isn’t being serious. Then again, maybe that’s exactly the point with Jennyffer wearing it; I could see that being a decision she’d make. So maybe its mockédness and unpopularity are exactly why I get to see it here?! 🤔

2’40” lol, I am delight. TP: You’re a rotter, Mister Grinch…

That ending! 🤣 Yep. Jennyffer is chaotic neutral for sure, and a USDA Prime goofball.

---> I think this was the tipping point where I basically started liking Jennyffer as a character and identifying with her / rooting for her to succeed. It often takes time for characters to build on me, especially cynical assholes. (I have a hard time with cynicism despite having devolved into a cynic myself from my many years of woe.) And coming around on Jennyffer basically meant this was the point where I came around on the whole series. I certainly hadn’t disliked it at any point, but I originally came to watch it because you had recommended it to me and as a friend I wanted to check out your work, and not because I was actively seeking it out for its own sake. But now I think I can say I like it on its own merits.

A personal anecdote: In this episode, there is a moment where Jennyffer gets the wind taken out of her sails over the crotch bulge in her bathing suit and how it is making other people uncomfortable, and, instead of fighting or being an asshole about it, she is defeated and retreats. A very rare moment for her in the entire series, and thus a potent illustration of how humiliating it can be to be the target of bigotry. I love the creative decision that was made to play it this way. I can sort of relate to this issue in my own way. When I was a kid I never swam in public without a t-shirt on, because, for me, my attraction to fat is a sexual orientation which has been with me my whole life, even before I adolesced and understood it as a “sexual” thing. So as a kid I was always super sensitive to being perceived as fat. And I had a big ol’ round belly my whole life, not even because I was actually overweight as a kid (I mostly wasn't) but because I’m just shaped that way. I am convex at all weights. And I was very embarrassed about it! So, in my childhood memory, public pools were always a minefield of me trying to have fun versus trying not to be humiliated. Also, I couldn’t swim until I was like 12 or something, so that was embarrassing too, and I tried to fake it by splashing around in the 4’ zone.

Ep. 8

1’43” Glam!! Even cynical dystopic trans girls aren’t immune from the siren song of the shutter and flashbulb! That jacket is sweet, too! I love that look.

This is the second time you had a chance to completely change the tonality of the series into something way darker because of a scary father figure, and this time I genuinely didn’t know what would happen. But I’m glad it turned out this way, not only because it’s totally one of the many different reactions that are true-to-life among real-world parents but which don’t get highlighted as often as the more awful scenarios, but also because I just really struggle with grimdark stuff and I kinda just want everyone in this series to turn out okay. <3

Also: John Jingleheimer, eh? (Jennyffer Jingleheimer, lolol!) So, if Peter’s dad is named Jacob Schmitz, then I totally see what you’ve done. I’m pretty sure their family name is Schmitz (right??), but I don’t remember what episode(s) I got that from. I went back and watched Ep. 6 but his name is not mentioned. I personally appreciate all the J names in Jennyffer’s family. 😏

Stingers at the end of episodes really suit this series’ style! I found myself explicitly missing them in the beginning of the series. I’m glad they found their way to you.

7’06” The happiest we’ve ever seen her, 😂! 💖 (Give or take the birthday episode.) I just wrote that same moment in Galaxy Federal a few nights ago. (Cherry’s parents get her a spazer after she sneaks out one time and is gone all night.)

I appreciate the clearer-to-read credits at the end as the series has gone on. I had decided in the early episodes that I wasn’t going to criticize the original cursive because I kind of hate it that we live in a world where we can’t have nice / bespoke / Weird things because people always want something easier / more convenient / more accessible (I’m still upset they killed the big clock a block away from my apartment, whose chimes had been a charming part of living here; I’m sure it was because of “noise” complaints). So, since they weren't a content accessibility issue the way, say, the sound levels were at the start of the series, I was actually rooting for your cursive credits to never give up! Let the people struggle to read them! Long live the glory of the impenetrable! It would be very much in Jennyffer’s spirit for her credits to be totally unreadable if she were to make an animated series herself. Oh well! With legible credits I win and lose at the same time.

Ep. 9

Love the comment at 6’57” (from somebody who had written that your series is doing work to advance trans acceptance in society). I think there’s some truth to that, too. A lot of people can only come around on issues of acceptance by being introduced to it through the humor of this sort. More medicinal / academic / intellectual approaches don’t work on them at all.

April Fool’s

Caramelldansen!! A Desert Bus classic. I watch this every year! They’re both doing it right. Lol, Jennyffer is the best; it’s like Fate has put her in this skit so she has to do the dance, and she hates it, but she also secretly loves it.

I love seeing them in color.

Also, “Episode 10, Part 1,” lolol. Beware scope creep! 😂

Final Thoughts

Like I said in the TL;DR, this series is funny, witty, edgy, delightfully absurdist, and visually rich. It packs a lot into a small space.

Fip is freakishly smart, has a lot of insight and perspective to offer as an artist, executes on her concepts well, and has a distinctive style all her own. This, together with her artistic talents, makes her art very approachable, very easy to enjoy once you settle into it. On a more personal note, Fip has been the most supportive person I know here on Tumblr. I am inexpressibly grateful for the work she has done to try and boost my own art, and it is an honor to have the chance to offer something like that to her in return. She works hard to get her work noticed without being spammy about it, and deserves more attention than she gets, so I hope at least one (and preferably more than one!) person reads my notes here and checks out her work. It’s very important for small artists to support each other, and moreover it’s an honor to support a friend.

Go check out Jennyffer! I went into it with an open mind and no expectations, and I enjoyed the ride, and came away liking the series. You can also see more of Fip’s art on her alt account, @unbeknownsttomen.

[ajwamiju-archives]

Congratulations on your new milestone! Im very proud of you and in the future, there will be more to come. Im using this account because i cant use the ask feature in my account (sugar-corner) I wanted to join your event if thats okay?

Im an ambivert, some people describe me as a little too honest and a hot head at times. If i get comfortable with a person i treat them like family. My favorite food is chicken skin, favorite color is yellow, my hobbies are journaling, writing and reading. I love collecting stationery. My pronouns are she/her. My favorite writing prompt is friends to lovers or childhood friends to lovers, i just cant get enough of it. Is it okay if i ask the outcome to be fluff? I feel very uncomfortable around guys like terushima, but anything is fine!

I dont know if this is enough? Thank you for letting me ask you!

Hi! Thank you so much for joining! 

Of course it’s okay, and I think you’ve given me plenty to work with!

I hope the person I pair you with as well as the one-shot I’ve written satisfies you and does the character justice! It was so fun working with a more slice of life genre (since, well, I don’t write a lot of fluffy slice of life stories) and working with this character (hope he’s not too ooc) bc as soon as I read your ask, my mind immediately went to this person. So again, I hope you enjoy the one-shot!

And remember, stay hydrated and healthy!

“Are you still working on that short series you said you’d post to your blog?”

The familiar smooth and calm voice causes you to peel your attention away from the computer in front of you. Where the paragraph you’d been working on stops abruptly, waiting to be completed, yet you’re absolutely out of ideas, and you don’t know why or how to continue it. Akaashi leans down behind you and skims through the last few paragraphs you’d written, humming every few seconds as he tries to understand the direction of the part you’ve written.

“Keiji-kun, you really have to stop appearing abruptly in my room like that.” You sigh, scooting a bit so he can read more comfortably.

“But I did knock on your door, I also said I’m coming in.” He says, gluing his eyes to the screen, narrowing it slightly as he reads through the words.

“Okay, fine. That’s on me,” you huff as you turn your attention back to your computer. “But anyway, yes. I just seem stuck on this part and I don’t know what direction to take this to without making it awkward.”

Akaahi hums in understanding and nods. “What are you trying to make the characters do here?” He asks, scrolling further up.

“Well, I was thinking of hinting the childhood friend’s crush on the protagonist without making it seem obvious, you know? I guess any scene would work, I just… don’t exactly know what scene to do.”

“I think I see what’s making the scene and in turn the next scenes feel stiff. Since this is told from a third person, limited to the protagonist point of view, why not make it something they usually do? Make it something the protagonist thinks is normal since they do it all the time but make the readers think there’s something in between them.”

You groan and lean back on your chair, pouting at Akaashi’s explanation. “Like what? What is subtle enough for the protagonist but obvious enough for the readers?”

“Them studying together? Sharing a plate of food? Just mundane, everyday things, really, or a thing they do together that you’ve established earlier in the story.”

You blink twice at your open document before looking up, meeting Akaashi’s deep, dark blue eyes. You look back down and focus on the story you’re writing, trying to beat down the warmth starting to spread across your cheeks. “I guess one of those could work, I’m still unsure though… do you mind proof-reading it when it’s done?” You ask as you start deleting a few of the paragraphs to start replacing them.

“Of course. Anyway, I came here to drop some chicken skin my mum made earlier today, don’t forget to share it with your family.” Akaashi says and pats your head before exiting the room.

You stare back at your document and bury your face in your hands, feeling the warmth spread to your whole face. It’s unfair, it really is. You’ve known Akaashi since you moved to the neighbourhood as a child, you can remember him as someone who wasn’t exactly attractive as a child, but The Gods decided to do him a massive favour once he hit puberty that even you— his closest, oldest friend— developed a crush on him.

Yes, Akaashi was nice and smart before, helping you proof-read your stories or bring you chicken skin whenever he sees you having a bad day. He was always able to diffuse your anger before it gets out of hand or remind you when your words may seem a bit harsh to someone. But when his voice dropped a few pitches lower and was able to overcome his teenage acne (curse him for barely having it), it was what pushed you off the cliff, tumbling down as your feelings for him grew. At the end of the day however, you’re just his childhood friend, and as cliché as it sounds, you don’t think you’ll be able to confess to him like every other people’s reason for not confessing to their childhood friends, you’re scared to make things awkward with him.

It’s a fickle thing to be in and it can go wrong in so many ways, but you still crave for something more from him than just platonic love, evident by the story you’re writing or the number of entries in your journal about him (with a disguised name of course, can’t have him accidentally reading it and seeing his name blatantly written in there, you’re sure he can guess it’s him from the details you wrote about him though…). One that is inspired by your dilemma and hopefully as a medium to pour out your feelings. Of course, you made it different from your current situation, only slight similarities since Akaashi frequently proof-reads your works, including this one. But with how perceptive he is, you’re slightly worried he’d see the similarities and connect the dots.

You decide that’s enough wallowing on your (most probably) hopeless love life with Akaashi, which ended before it can even start. You start working on the story once more with renewed determination since you’ve reminded yourself that you’re nearing the end of the story where the protagonist is going to get confessed to by her childhood friend.

You finish the story in a record of two days before quickly sending it to Akaashi, getting a few pointers on where things could be changed. With his help, two revisions are enough to be deemed perfect for posting, with him standing by your side during the release of the first chapter to your blog.

“Congratulations [Name]-chan, I’m sure this story will do well with your audience.” He says as he watches the chapter get uploaded, patting your head with a smile.

“Thanks, Keiji-kun, really needed to hear that.” You nod, logging off from your computer.

“Now that you’ve finished with the story, don’t forget to study for your exams. It’s coming next week after all.”

“I know, I know. I have to have my grades up if I want to get into a good university to pursue my dream job.” You grumble with a pout.

Akaashi laughs and smiles down at you, placing the hand that was on our head to your shoulder, making him stand much closer to you. “Anyway, who’s the story about?”

You stiffen in your seat and shake your head quickly. “What are you talking about? It’s about no one in particular… I’m just a sucker for childhood friends to lovers or friends to lovers in general!” You sputter, putting a small distance between yourself and your tall childhood friend.

“Are you sure?” He asks, leaning down to see eye-to-eye with you. “I just felt like the childhood friend character is a bit similar to me, so I thought I’d ask.”

You bite the inside of your lip and look down, no doubt the blush on your whole face is now noticeable to him. “Alright… okay you got me… I may have… took some inspiration from you.” You admit, gripping the hem of your shirt tightly in hopes it will ease the pounding of your heart.

Akaashi’s smile widens a small fraction as he leans in and places a soft kiss to your lips, raising a hand to softly rub your cheek before pulling away. “It’s not exactly a confession under the sakura tree on graduation day like in the story, but I just feel like waiting for graduation is a bit too long.”

Your eyes are wide before averting them bashfully, placing the back of your hand in front of your lips. “Of course you of all people noticed who the story’s based off of.” You mumble.

Akaashi laughs and once again, you find his hand softly going through the strands of your hair. “You’re not exactly that subtle with writing the characters’ personalities.”

“No, you’re just too perceptive for my own good.” You shoot back, taking Akaashi’s hand from your head to hold it in yours instead.

“Well, I think it did us good in the end. So, how about a date after exams end?” He asks.

Your lips form a soft smile as you gaze at your intertwined hands, feeling all soft and fuzzy inside from what had just transpired mere minutes ago. “That sounds nice.” You answer, hopeful of the shift of your relationship with your dearest childhood friend.

Join the match-up + one-shot event here!

[fligshaag]

im going to ramble for a sec, get ready y'all

i feel like im in the minority that enjoyed 3below more than Trollhunters. Not that i don't love Trollhunters, i do! It was the first show and I love the cast to bits, but unlike many in the fandom I didn't really relate to the characters that much. Like yeah, Jim's nervousness is relatable at times, but he wasn't super relatable to me. Even Claire, the hispanic character that's a total badass and who I enjoy a lot, didn't relate to me that much. I remember when i first finished Trollhunters i was nervous to start 3below since i didn't know what to expect or if it would do the cast I came to love justice. I already liked Aja and Krel from their first appearance in trollhunters, so I would have some familiar faces going into 3below, but the jump from this fantasy setting to the sci-fi setting scared me lil bit. But after a week i finally caved in and watched 3below, and holy shit I fucking loved it, looking back I feel dumb for putting it off for so long.

Aja and Krel are currently the most relatable characters in this series for me, like y'all, i cried tears for these kids, and that was like the second time i cried because of a tv show. The focus on the experiences immigrants have to go through, and how Aja and Krel have to adjust to this new environment, feeling like they don't belong and all that shit made me burst into fucking tears. Im a immigrant that moved to the us when i was a child, so to see some of the stuff that i had to endure happen to Aja and especially Krel broke my fucking heart. Not to say that since Aja and Krel, especially Krel, are latino coded, me being the dumbass latino that i am, i definitely latched unto them and projected myself unto them, godbless

They also have a good sibling dynamic that makes me soft,, 😔❤️ i just love them a lot, and if i were to put down all my feelings and thoughts about 3below then this will just be completely uncomprehensable. I definitely feel like 3below should've had another season, like Trollhunters had 3 seasons (or like 4 since im pretty sure the whole arc with Angor Rot was supposed to be it's own season), like there was so much that they could have explored, especially with the extra-terrestrial stuff, like Seklos and Gaylen. Im hoping they explain that in wizards, but who knows. Also, while both shows didn't have the preferred endings ( jim gets turned into a troll, and has to leave everything behind, while Aja and Krel lose their parents and end up separating in the end), 3below's ending didn't end up leaving a sour taste in my mouth like Trollhunters did ( i don't hate troll!jim but the way he came to be a troll left me bitter and uncomfortable for some reason, also i will forever hate merlin).

Im excited for wizards, but I'm trying not to have any big expectations of the show, since I don't want to hype something up in my head just to be disappointed when it doesn't happen. Not that I expect wizards to underperform and waste my time, I know that I will enjoy wizards, and only a few things that are unlikely to happen would lessen my enjoyment of the show. Im just going into wizards no thoughts, head empty. No theories so I can go completely blind. I've found that viewing something through a theorist lense just makes me more nervous for some reason lmao, not that I don't enjoy a good theory from time to time. Good thing I know nothing about Arthuriana lol

If you for some reason read all of this, tell me, what is your favorite show of this series and why

[kuriquinn]

Hi Quinn, me again! I'm interested to know if you've ever read/watched any titles below: - Akatsuki no Yona - Banana Fish - Kimetsu no Yaiba - Young Justice - Gargoyles - Avatar Legend of Korra - Dragon Prince - Inuyasha (BTW, sequel is coming) I like the female portrait of those series and Im curious if you are familiar with them. In Banana Fish, I like how the relationship is natural and human, not played for fujoshi pleasure. So, if you haven't, please consider unsolicited suggestions.

I’ve followed Young Justice (actually, I blame Young Justice, along with random Batfam tumblr posts for my sinking into the DC fandom) and both love it and hate it for the way it’s played with canon. There could be so much more Batfam interaction tho...

Gargoyles was soooo long ago for me. Like, to the point where I remember being in elementary school and we all watched it and would play it on the playground lol. I barely remember the story, but I remember I liked it. 

I liked Avatar when it started, but when I found out Zuko/Katara would never be a thing, I stopped watching. Which is too bad because Katara was a bad-ass, but I’ve tried three more times to watch it in spite of how I know it will end and I can’t get into it. *shrug* Can’t force everything. 

 Dragon Prince is AWESOME! Like, I have yet to find anything about it that I dislike, it’s just...ticked all the boxes! (I was a little iffy on the major romance subplot because it felt a little forced before, but by the end I was like, okay, that’s kinda cute). I absolutely LOVE Aanya she gives like zero fucks and will not be intimidated by pretentious adults. And I’m so desperate for Claudia to get a clue, because she’s this bad-ass, quirky character and she’s just...ugh...her father did a number on her and she deserves better. And Soren! Soren needs hugs, and protection and some himbo-loving troublemaker (guy/girl/whatever!) that will love him and defend him from people taking advantage of his feelings forever!

Inuyasha was my gateway manga. It’s the thing that started me collecting manga again, and eventually discovering Naruto lol. I had to stop following the manga and series for a while because it was taking too long to get anywhere, but when I came back after a couple of years everything turned out how I hoped it would :) And hell YES I can’t wait for the sequel (if only to find out who’s the mother of Sesshomaru’s daughters

I have not seen any of the others, but I will definitely add them to my ever-growing list of stuff I need to check out :)

[crimsonknight004-blog]

Not sure if youve said anything about it yet, but what are your thoughts on the new cyborg009 thats hit Netflix? I havent seen it yet, but im super curious.

I haven’t stated my thoughts on it yet! I’m on episode 11 right now, so I’m not sure how it’s all going to turn out but I’ll give you my thoughts on it so far (which may or may not be coherent, since a part of me is still just freaking out about there being a new series. Also I’m hungry).

First things first, I usually always pick dub over sub, so I’ll be basing my thoughts on that. I’ll try to keep it spoiler free!

Honestly, I really like it so far. I’m still not a big fan of the 3DCG or more realistic style for the cyborgs, but I think this is a big improvement over RE. Sometimes their movements are stiff and I wish their expressions were more varied at times, but I can forgive just about any animation quirks so long as I like the story.

I think what I’ve been enjoying the most out of it (besides the fact that it’s new Cyborg content) is the soundtrack, which has been phenomenal so far. I think I have said how much I like A.I. am Human, but the ending track is great as well (I saw a comment comparing it to reggaeton, and now I can’t unhear it). The scores throughout really give me an ‘01 feel, to be honest; I’m not sure if they took direct inspiration from the 2001 OST, but I’m thinking they did since I’ve been picking up some familiar sounds.

I also feel like the characters have been very on point and kept true to themselves, and the small interactions between them have been a lot of fun. This is easily my favorite take on 007, for instance; Ben Diskin doling out dry wit is always a delight. I would like to see more character moments, but I do understand that this was a three part OVA broken up into multiple parts, so there probably wasn’t as much room for that as there would’ve been in an actual series (and I just love character interactions so I’d probably want more even if the whole series was just the team shooting the breeze over coffee). All of the cyborgs have had something to do so far and have had some great moments (though I think I’ll always wish that Pyunma had more screentime, poor guy can never catch a break). Jet, Albert, and Geronimo have had moments that I’m particularly proud of so far.

One thing I can say I disliked, and this may be a minor spoiler, is the hinting towards a romantic relationship between Albert and Lucy Davenport. Tbh I expected it, but there wasn’t any development between them so it felt very out of left-field; if a certain scene from the manga had been adapted, then I would’ve been more okay with it.

As for the plot, it feels like a mesh of Cyborg 009 and X-Men, with a dash of Young Justice (the Blessed remind me quite a bit of the Light). Which I’m all for, since those are like my favorite franchises. I feel like the villains’ motivation is interesting, and each member of the Blessed is a pretty formidable foe on their own. Igarashi (whom GB called Iggy at one point and now I’ll probably always call him that) is quickly becoming one of my favorite supporting characters the cyborgs have ever had, I really hope nothing happens to him and I just want him to be okay forever.

Something that I haven’t enjoyed is the language, but I know that’s not a bother to most people. One of the first draws I had to the '01 series was the fact that the dub, aside from one or two occasions, was pretty much devoid of swearing. It’s just personal preference, and I know it’s been apart of Cyborg 009 from the early manga days, but trying to dodge all of the swears has been a pain this time around.

It’s a treat for anyone already familiar with the franchise, but it probably wouldn’t mean as much to a newcomer, something which has been true for most of the recent Cyborg iterations. This is something that I don’t mind personally, but I kind of worry that it being not-so-new-viewer-friendly will hamper the already slight possibility of it being picked up as a Netflix regular.

So right now the stakes are high, questions need to be answered, and I’m sort of worried that things won’t turn out alright. It’s been a fun ride so far, and it’s given me new ways to look at these different versions of characters that I already love so much. It’s definitely not perfect, but it’s great fun, and it’s always nice to see these guys doing something new while still feeling like their old selves.

Also, I apologize for…rambling. :x