#This girl has impostor syndrome SO bad. So so so bad.

[waffliesinyoface]

So, me and friends are watching My Next Life As A Villainess, AKA, Bakarina

this idiot.

Anyways. I read the manga way back in the day, but I never actually finished it! And I never watched the anime either. But it's good!! Shocking, I know.

ANYWAYS. This probably isn't new analysis by any stretch of the imagination, but!!! Let's talk about THEMES. Because I noticed something that a fair amount of characters have in common!

So, if you look at, uh, basically all of the love interests? (with the exception of Geordo, who may or may not be evil, I don't remember, and Nicol, who I don't really know much about yet) almost all of them are like "oh no, im not actually a likeable person, im irredeemable trash!!" ie: Keith did a bit of murder, Mary has an abusive family and is secluded and lonely, Alan had a sickly childhood and constantly compares himself to his brother, Sophia thinks shes a freak of nature for being albino, etc.

And then, Katarina comes along and is like "Hey!! No!!!! You're cool and good and loveable!!!! I like [x] thing about you!!!!!!" and they basically immediately fall for her because how could you not, she's so earnest.

ANYWAYS, HERE'S THE KICKER: Katarina is also just like that!!! She's silly and, well, kind of an idiot, so she doesn't exactly angst about it but she is convinced that she is irredeemable trash who will be exiled and/or killed by her own family, because That's The Plot. She has spent the last 7 years of her life convinced her family and spouse are willing to turn on her because she's unlovable

So, like, a major theme of the silly isekai story about being an Otome game villain is!!! that you are worthy of love!!! and the people around you do genuinely care about you, as a person!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[pepprs]

lmaooooo i think i need to quit teaching forever and also bury myself in a hole. lol

[piracytheorist]

Idk I just really like that Twilight's reaction to being told "Your wife used to be a prostitute!" is to go like

and proceed to say how honourable and worthy of respect her dedication, self-sacrifice and mental fortitude are, and how we're shown he actually means that.

And then my girl Yor sees his reaction and hears his words and for the first time in her life she goes like "This is a man who literally just met me and has no connection to me yet he not only understands my position, he's also willing to bring himself out there and have my back when other people have free bait to judge me" and like damn how important that was to her, to have someone (who doesn't owe his survival to her like Yuri does) actually see her and respect her choices and have the absolute BEST of faiths in her. Like, what Camilla says there has the societal power to make her look like a pariah. Yet this dude comes over and without knowing anything about her, he vouches for her and immediately assumes her reasons were noble and altruistic. And though he doesn't know what profession he's actually vouching for, he's completely right in his assumption about her intentions, and considering how easily the general public judges sex workers, it's no surprise this support gives Yor the courage to believe Loid will understand her and won't think bad of her if she ever disappears on them due to her work, because he's open-minded enough for his first and immediate assumption about her is that she has good intentions.

And I just wanna SCREAM because she has absolutely no idea how little he will judge her about her assassin gig. She already considers herself lucky she's come across someone who is compassionate enough to think the best out of someone who works in a profession that is not considered "morally acceptable" by the public. But she has no idea the actual jackpot she's hit, because his own profession is far more dark and sinister yet he still has the kindness and empathy in his heart to understand people who do the same as he does.

Like, that's it with her character, isn't it? She sacrificed her own youth and morality to help Yuri grow up and be educated, and that caused him to idolize her, and because he was the only family she had left, she has been desperate to not cause any of her ties with him to break. But it also caused her impostor syndrome, and she had no confidence in any of her abilities aside from killing and cleaning up after her work, because she lives in a misogynistic society that is suspicious of unmarried women (like, that judgment alone, considering unmarried men don't experience such scrutiny, can be enough to damage a woman's psyche) and because she has been working under a man cruel enough to hire orphaned teenagers as assassins and nearly kill them in tests of their abilities ever since she was a teenager. For her it was either "I'm either perfect in something or I'm completely useless and I deserve people's judgment". Because if Yuri sees she doesn't have the perfect record, she thinks he will be horrified and she'll lose the ties to her last remaining family. And she will think she deserved that. If her killing skills waver in the slightest, she will be killed, either by enemies or by the Shopkeeper doing his little "tests". And she will think she deserved that. And if she doesn't abide by the society's expectations, she will at best be judged and mocked (for not cooking at home) and at worst get arrested (for being suspected as a spy). And she will think she deserved that.

Yet again, this stranger comes along, is told she's worked a socially shameful profession, knows she's shy and with so few connections that she can't even find someone to act as her pretend boyfriend for a party, and he supports her. And then he finds out how socially unskilled she is, how terrible she is at cooking, how she can't even pretend to kiss him for their mutual benefit, how she has the tendency to get so drunk she accidentally kicks him unconscious... And those things that she considers fatal flaws of her, he says are parts of her that she doesn't need to pretend don't exist. That's who she is, and there's nothing to fix, and she can just accept them without feeling bad or ashamed of it, that pretending she's someone else, someone perfect, will only make her miserable and exhausted.

And like... fuck. How can she not feel glad she got to marry that guy?

And how much will her heart break when she finds out he's a spy and will immediately doubt all the supportive words he's told her? And how astonishing will it be when she finds out that he actually meant pretty much everything he's told her, and that he really resonates with her and believes in her?

(anime only here, don't spoil me for the manga)

[whocaresstillthelouvre]

get to know your moots

Thank you for the tags @ace-turned-confused, @beefrobeefcal, @sp00kymulderr --- what's the origin of your blog title?: Escaping reality one run-on sentence at a time. Easy. I use run-on sentences in the fiction I write to escape reality. 🫡

OTP(s) + shipname: Idk. Like, Gordon Brittas and Laura? So I guess like.. Laurdon? Arthur Morgan and Sadie Adler? Me and Pedro Pascal. Maldro, if you will.

favorite color: Orange. A very specific orange too. Tangerine Tease. Pantone #17-1349 Do I know that # by heart? Of course I do.

favorite game: The Sims, Red Dead Redemption 2, Assassins Creed Valhalla, the noises that Balatro makes when my husband plays it.

song stuck in your head: "Never Run Away" by Kurt Vile.

weirdest habit/trait?: Too much self reflection here. Maybe the way I say certain words? Breb, birb, chippies. Or like do I just mention I'm freakishly good at multiplication? People make fun of how high pitched my sneezes are. I also will run a mile to avoid a moth. (besides @mothandpidgeon)

hobbies: Writing, baseball, cooking, losing the PS5 media remote.

if you work, what's your profession?: I'll just paste my normal Mallory tagline. I sell toys for a living, that should tell you enough.

if you could have any job you wish what would it be?: Probably like the secret girlfriend/wife of a 49 year old Chilean born actor. Or interior designer. Sometimes I dream of going back to school for it.

something you're good at: Tossing something in the air and catching it over and over. Losing the PS5 media remote.

something you're bad at: Not feeling overwhelmed by laundry. Not losing the PS5 media remote.

something you love: When I find the PS5 media remote quickly.

something you could talk about for hours off the cuff: Baseball, my favorite music, Jimmy Stewart, Disney World.

something you hate: MOTHS (sans @mothandpidgeon), weird 70's fabric that's itchy, Freddy Krueger, the lack of Martian Manhunter in DC properties.

something you collect: Lapel pins, action figures, tchotchkes, cool picture frames, Joey Votto cards. I own four Disney Cuddleez (Wicket, Grogu, Figment, Donald) I think that's a lot for a woman in her 30's.

something you forget: To leave my car sunglasses in the car.

what's your love language?: My Scottish ass is definitely not answering physical touch. Acts of service and giving/receiving gifts.

favorite movie/show: 28 Days Later/Anything Smosh has done the past few years.

favorite food: Sandwiches. Your girl loves mayo.

favorite animal: Otters, birbs, quokkas, cats (though my husband is allergic to them), Schnauzers.

what were you like as a child?: So many of my toddler photos include me, mouth wide open, sans pants... lookin' like a terror. Though, my parents say I was very well behaved (until teenagedom) sooooo I guess wacky but within the rules allowed.

favorite subject at school?: English, history and art. I really loved earth science.

least favorite subject?: Math once algebra entered my life.

what's your best character trait?: Good question. I think I've very good at reading people and adjusting myself to help to improve their mood. I'm incredibly empathetic.

what's your worst character trait?: Impostor syndrome. Being incredibly empathetic.

if you could change any detail of your day right now what would it be?:

if you could travel in time who would you like to meet?: Groucho Marx and Marquis de Lafayette. I think they'd get along WONDERFULLY.

recommend one of your favorite fanfics (spread the love!): I think about The Road Not Taken by @guiltyasdave often. It's so gorgeous and haunts me in the best way possible.

No Pressure Tags: @ohheypedrito, @mothandpidgeon, @schnarfer, @devineconjuring, @secretelephanttattoo @sawymredfox, @almostfoxglove, @maggiemayhemnj, @yourcoolauntie, @yopossum @hellfire-state-of-mind, @justagalwhowrites, @thelightsandtheroses, @bitchesuntitled, @jennaispunk

[barbsgirlfriend]

Velvet & Veneer headcanons

Genre: Headcanons

Fandom: Trolls

Warnings: none!

Pairing: a little bit of Veneer x Kid Ritz

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Veneer 🌟

Bro is a bitch 😭

Veneer is mean just like Velvet but in a more sophisticated way. She’s straight up mean and he’s more of the fake mean. He’ll pretend to like you then talk shit about you behind your back.

BOY KISSER!! GAY?! LIKES MEN??

Veneer is bisexual but has a preference for guys. He also might have a crush on the Bop on Top interviewer. 🤭

He’s very sensitive

He’s a very emotional person. No matter what, his feelings control him. However, Veneer’s better at managing it than Velvet. Did someone just insult him? He’s pissed off. Did someone just hug him? He’s very happy.

Veneer can bust some moves bro 🤯

He isn’t really that much into singing. Veneer only agreed to become a pop star because his sister wanted to. Veneer is much more into dance. He took ballet and jazz dance classes when he was younger and loved dancing ever since.

He struggles with impostor syndrome

Now, Veneer is… okay at singing and dancing. He struggles with his self image when performing and is scared of disappointing Velvet.

Veneer has veneers 🤓☝️

He was doing something stupid with Velvet when he was younger and fell. He knocked some of his teeth out and damaged some others. So he had to get veneers and dental implants. He also has a small gap in his front teeth.

Fashionista who???

Veneer only wants to look good. He makes sure all his clothing is presentable and expensive. Veneer pretty much picks out the outfits he and his sister wear. He isn’t that good with hair and makeup though :(

Velvet 🌟

Nice when you get to know them friend

Most people think she’s a bitch (which she is) but she can be extremely caring for her close friends and family. Veneer prob says: “oh she’s actually nice you just gotta get to know her”

Lives on caffeine

Velvet CANNOT survive without some caffeine in her system. She likes to get espressos from Starbucks. She’ll sometimes drink Red Bulls, but only when she’s performing.

She’s one of the girls 😍

Velvet likes women. And that is that

Velvet’s on the spectrum

She was diagnosed with high functioning autism when she was like twelve. Velvet struggles with empathy and understanding other’s emotions. She’s also very mean as a way to protect herself.

Expert song writer

She might not be good at singing songs… but she’s excellent at writing them! Velvet wrote some songs that the other famous Mount Rageons sang.

Emotional af

It doesn’t take much to make her snap. Velvet gets teary eyed when she’s angry and yells. She also gives really bad silent treatment. The reason she ran away when the trolls were yelling about her kidnapping BroZone is because she runs away from her problems instead of facing them head on.

(Anyway, I hope you like my silly headcanons! I’ll try to make more soon)

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

I adore your takes, it’s like the realist I’ll ever get to baku getting any sort of accountability.

But it makes me so mad that there are so many characters that have their actions so easily dismissed when those actions are notably awful.

Mineta is basically the only character that fanfic writers consistently put in his place. And it’s good, it’s great even, because many of his actions are gross.

I have a bone to pick with a lot of A-1 for ignoring or blowing off all of the red flags that both Bakugou and Mineta wave around. Ignoring how much of a bully Bakugou is to Izuku and how perverted Mineta is with the girls, could be an easy fix… Bakugou and Izuku’s friends actively keep them apart, and the boys actively protect their female classmates from Mineta. Done

But honestly the Dadzawa tag on ao3 is bigger than the “inko is a good mom” or “dadmight” tags, and how?! How?! Dadmight is RIGHT there being his dadly self and they chose the guy who is a few words from losing any trust his students ever have in him.

And then there’s Shinso. Who didn’t even ask before he brainwashed Ojiro and causes Ojiro to not feel like he passed on his own merit. And then fanfic turn Ojiro into a quirkist to excuse Shinso’s actions.

Who then goes on to basically pull a Angst Olympics and say that all those flashy quirks did nothing to get their seats in 1A, a thin noodle kid talking to a kid who got swoll from 11 months of hardcore workout about not trying? Like not just about Izuku, but half of A1 (at least) are dealing with self esteem and impostor syndrome issues already about being in their course, compounded by Aizawa treating them like a burden and then not only does Shinso claim they didn’t do any work to get there, but then Aizawa puts more effort into his training that he ever did for them.

Like Hori’s world building is a solid A but his character creation is an D-

This is a huge problem with Hori’s storytelling. Characters who should be called out or held accountable for their actions aren’t. In fact, most of them are coddled. Tenya’s the only real example of someone doing something bad that has him being held accountable for his actions and learning.

[pumpkinsy0]

Autistic cherry hcs pleek :3 + any other mental illness’ + neurodiversity you can see her have if you have any in mind. basically just a deep dive on her psyche but also autistic cherry #real

im ngl i barely rlly think about her so my thoughts may change but aye,,,lemme cook,,,

yknow i could actually see cherry havingg 3 major things, anxiety, imposter syndrome, and seasonal depression

BUT FIRST THE AUTISM!!!

when it comes to cherry, theres two ways u can see it, either she gets diagnosed as a kid or she doesnt, and since i feel like i would be going down the same rabbit whole as before talking about her not being diagnosed, ill just say she is!!!

she was diagnosed as a kid and her parents dont look too highly on anything that goes against the norm, anything that “makes them look bad” they want to have the perfect life and the perfect daughter, so they just tell her to “act normal”. cherry had basically been masking her wholleeee life, partially bc shes forced by society and her parents, part bc she wants to. any yknow what??? she does a damn good job of it!! when it comes to her stims, theyre things ppl write off, clicking a pen, her humming, and her chewing gum is just her trying to keep it together when shes overstimulated.

is her autism something shes open about??? nope, i dont think so, nobody outside her immediate family rlly knows about it and she would like it to stay that way cause she doesnt want to be knows as “the girl w that condition” she wants to be seen as herself, yknow??? i dont think thats something she grows up to rlly accept about herself either, the ppl around her never taught her how to accept it, so it would b very hard for her to do it on her own</33

when it comes to her special interest btw, i can totally see her like french history!! especially when it comes to the fashion (specifically rocco i would think) and the revolution, i cant explain it, she just gives off the vibe. maybe its bc i hc her as half french??? perchance????? POINT IS, shes super into it!!! she has some old letters from past family members from france around that time she looks at allllll the time, its like her prized possesion

when it comes to cherrys anxiety, its comes from a multitude of things, ive already mentioned the societal pressure shes under so i wont go into that, but what also runs along w her anxiety is her impostor syndrome!! cherry is a girl who genuinely wants to work for what shes got, she doesnt want it handed to her on a silver plater. but she never knows 100% if shes actually working hard for something and got it all by herself bc of her own skills or if she was just pushed to the top for being a pretty soc. and it was only worse when shes in hs, bc all shes known as is a result of her family being popular in town and or her being a cheerleader, noticed mainly bc of her looks, both r superficial reasons. she has no room to show who she truly is and thats suffocating to her, making her question if the relationships around her r genuine, she will lowkey quiz ppl close to her about herself to see if they really listen to her and the only two ppl who passed was marcia and bob

nowwww w the seasonal depression to b fair, she did get better. she got depression, got TECHNICALLY better, and now shes got seasonal depression. not much i can say for this part tbh and thats bc a lot of ppl think she isnt depressed. she keeps on pushing like eveythings ok just to get ppl off her back so they ask no questions, but when shes alone, she clings onto this sweater of bobs and his cologne and wishes he was there. she keeps pushing for his sake though, she knows he wouldnt wanna see her all down in the dumps, no many how many times hes upset her.

[tomwambsgans]

tom's got that impostor syndrome masculinity where he's so insecure about it bc he knows deep down there's something missing from him that keeps him from living up to what's expected from him as a man. he finds comfort in immersing himself in the 1% because there's a whole different script for men there, like you're allowed a certain degree of what the working and middle class would consider Effeminacy when it's purely a matter of money, but that's a cloak that can only work in short bursts bc he's not actually the type of rich that he wants to be, he's self-built fake-it-till-you-make-it corporate rich, and so he still gets his manhood checked quite often by both those around him in the corporate world and also the silver spoon crowd that he's infiltrated.

he's emasculated at every turn, in many ways this being his own fault because the masculinity that's being stripped from him is overtly a performance to begin with. ntm he occasionally does it explicitly to himself simply so that he's taken the chance away from others. in simpler words, self-deprecating jokes. but they're also self-identifying in nature with how often he jokes about himself being a woman and gets some comfort from essentially relieving himself of the burden of having something to live up to. all girls here! bad news about my hymen! meanwhile we also see how deeply he doesn't truly feel this to be the case - how his insecurity about being actually seen as womanly runs so deep that he turns on shiv basically automatically when she becomes his boss. how he lashes out at the guy in the compliment tunnel for saying he's full of grace. how much shame he has in being called infertile. how his idea of celebration after being told he's not going to prison is to go absolutely animal, to destroy greg's office and literally pound his chest in this herculean, warrior's display of masculinity. but it's not a display, is it? who is he performing to but greg? it's for himself, because that's who he is. he wants to feel like a man and he can only do so in privacy. or next to greg.

of course his attempts to gain this ontological security about his manhood were in vain so long as he remained on a middle rung of the corporate ladder, a clumsy interloper among the roys, etc. it's not that i think what he needed all along was to be in The Chair or even that he's totally fine now with no self-journeying left to do but rather that now the path to really having greg is shorter than ever. and THAT'S what he needs. this whole time really if he'd just ever figured that he had to stop pursuing heterosexual masculinity, he'd have found that other men like him, specifically greg, would be the thing that actually makes him feel like a man.

[4ever2000lover]

Hi hi, can I ask Magnolia please! Thank you, bye!

🙌🏽 - what accomplishments is she most proud of?

🫣- what’s her biggest regret?

🥀 - what’s her biggest heartbreak?

🚬- any bad habits or how is her mental health?

Heyy, thanks for ask 🥹💕

🙌🏾 - Of all her victories, the one she is most proud of is having graduated from Hogwarts! It was her dream since she was a child to study there and she had to go through a lot to get what she wanted. Oh, and she is also very proud of the friends she made during this period :)

🫣 - Oh, your know, she had a lot of this too! Well, one of her biggest regrets was having encouraged Sebastian's paranoias too much during the search for the relic, resulting in Solomon's death (something she blames herself for). She also regrets a lot having given Anne hope about finding a cure, and she did it more thinking about Sebastian than Anne.

She regrets having deluded a sweet boy who liked her very much because she has impostor syndrome and was perturbed so much by her own feelings about Sebastian (and be disturbed by him, literally) In the end, she ended up breaking the poor boy's heart and even more her own heart (in this one I'll have to say that she was wrong)

🫣 PLUS 🫣 She regrets (but shouldn't) having had a “🔞 relationship” with Sebastian. But that's only because she's a young girl living in the 19th century and these things are very complicated...

🥀- Liam Callahan - Chen. And she was the one who break up with him because she didn’t loved him, but was pretty sure that he would make her really happy if she had stayed with him and that scared her (again, impostor syndrome) and, the most sadly, the Professor Fig’s death. He was like a father to her and his death was something that changed her forever.

🚬- Her mental healthy is so FREAKING messed up! Really! (But she ended well, don’t worry)

And she had some bad habits, nothing too much horrific tho. One of her most explicit bad habits is that she has a habit of biting her nails a lot. She does this when she's nervous or anxious and, well, considering what happens to her/us in the game... yes, she's always biting her nails.

[1moreff-creator]

Happy birthday to Min Jeung, the Ultimate Student!

As you may have noticed by my blog name and pfp, I relate to this girl more than what is probably considered healthy. I wanted to show appreciation by talking about her a bit in a half-baked character analysis, and explaining why I find her so amazing!

-Despite being the Ultimate Student, and by her own admission having dedicated her entire life to her talent, she isn't just a souless studying machine. She still makes time to participate in various school clubs and even has a procrastination problem. She is outright offended when Xander insinuates she must have no friends because of her talent. In this, she just like me fr.

-Despite excelling in academics, she has grown to dislike and resent the education system for the seemingly endless amount of information it forces its students to memorize without actually learning anything of value. In this, she just like me fr. Additionally, this fuels her surprisingly interesting dynamic with Xander, one which I may have to cover in another post. Wouldn't want you getting distracted from my post about the birthday girl with thoughts of the pretty British boy.

-Her studious nature has developed into an unrelenting curiosity for the most random shit you can imagine. One of her favorite pastimes is, after all, browsing W*******a articles. Because of this, her knowledge seems to know no rhyme or reason, as she is both perfectly capable of explaining the entire process of baking a cake down to the molecular level, while also not knowing anything about milk beyond how good it tastes. Yes, this is mostly based on that one joke, but in case you can't tell, there's not much info we have to analyse her character with and I'm also sort of projecting really hard. In this, she just like me fr.

-One of these peculiar curiosities are insects and other critters. She decorates cookies with centipedes, collects insects, and her character profile states she likes tarantulas (not an insect, but you know). I chose to believe this means she is a Ghost & Pals fan, and yes that's me projecting again. I, too, am obssessed with funky little animals, so in this, she just like me fr.

-She dislikes children. Based.

-She is kind and patient and maybe a little gay, helping Unnamed Classmate study for a test they are clearly not ready for. Although she can get exasperated by the other's laizzes faire approach to studying, she still puts up with it for her friend. In this, she just like me fr.

-She suffers from pretty bad impostor syndrome, not considering herself on the same level as other Ultimates because of the way she was accepted in. She seems comfortable hanging out with them, but deep down doesn't believe she deserves it. In this, she... isn't like me fr, thankfully. Dodged that trauma.

-Her impostor syndrome is only exacerbated by the fact she doesn't believe she was the highest scoring of the Ultimate Contest for Eminent Students, just the one that best fit the ideal of "Ultimate Student". She sees that as a badge of shame, as she considers herself neither the smartest nor the most knowledgeable from those who took the test. Especially if her secret is the one about poisoning the competition, as many believe. This highlights the needless competitiveness of the school system, where even the students doing well can sometimes feel insufficient or dissapointed if they are not the absolute top of their class, or they don't perform perfectly at every opportunity. ...she just like me fr-

-She feels uncertain of her future, as being the Ultimate Student does not seem to guarantee any kind of future success, nor does it help her narrow down what she wants to do in the future. This is a great representation of a common fear and worry of top students, who worry having so much of their life be defined by their excellence in academics will mean they won't know what to do with themselves once they stop studying. Well, I say it's common, but maybe it's just Min and I, because in this she just like me fr. I assure you, I am fine.

-She didn't mean to kill Xander. How tragic, for someone whose entire life was defined by the pressure to never make a mistake, to never fail and especially not fail that Contest for Eminent Students, who was promised a bright future if she only gave up her present and her past to a souless system that does not truly care about her; to have that future ripped out from her, just because of one mistake. She only wanted to save Teruko...

-Fukc Danganronap asdkanej I wil why did this happen why she was so great and smart and I loved her and fuak's sake why why why. She's the first killer death that hurt me the most, by far, and her hug with Teruko actually fucking destroyed me aaaaahhhh-

-I love DRDT so much, and thank it for being able to live up to its name and giving me the despair I crave. Although Min's death made me sad, it made me sad in the good way, and I thoroughly enjoyed her character as long as she lasted. She may be the best written first chapter death I've ever seen! :D

Now please let Veronika live past chapter 3-

Anyways, thanks for reading, and happy birthday to Min Jeung! I will go cry now.

Bonus: Here's just a few songs that remind me of her. You may not be able to tell, but I like Vocaloid.

+Abnormality Dancin' Girl by Guchiry

+Lost One's Weeping by Neru

+Aishite by Kikuo

+Entomologists by Ghost & Pals

+Star of the Show by Ghost & Pals

+Pathological Facade by Ghost & Pals

+Appetite of a People-Pleaser by, guess who, Ghost & Pals

+Marionette by KIRA

+Meltdown by iroha(sasaki)

And of course,

+Happy Birthday!

[bullet-prooflove]

Chicago Fire Season 11 - First Watch

I think I'm near the end and it has tugged all the heart strings.

Herrmann and Cindy's situaton has had me in tears, seeing his face when she walked into Molly's dressed up was just beautiful.

Joe's very real discussion with Stella about impostor syndrome was on point and very viseral.

Sam's response to the trauma he suffered during the shooting ep is just heartbreaking, he's giving up so much to make that kid feel safe.

Ritter's response to Herrmann crying in the equipment room was tremendous.

Stella being a complete bad ass in every situation has me girl crushing.

Violet and Sylvie have been annoying me all season as all they seem to do is talk about boys. Gallo is just a non entity for me.

How much did I love Kylie putting her footdown with the cuts she had to make and Mouch, my darling Mouch is perfect as always.

[deltaengineering]

Spring Anime 2024: A Wizard is never late

Shuumatsu Train Doko e Iku (Train to the End of the World)

If you want a reason for why this post is woefully late, it’s this show: since we’re going in ascending order of quality here, it must come first, yet I have a hard time saying anything about it. I suppose I can start with the most obvious problem: I will probably watch your original anime, but I do that to get away from light novel levels of insufferable dialogue. Yet this one definitely goes with the NisioisiN school of writing, which is to say, talk a lot first, then figure out a point at your convenience. This definitely doesn’t endear the show to me and makes it mildly annoying right from the start, but it could still be salvageable - but then Shuumatsu Train just turns out to be not particularly good at any of its selling points. For a weird show it’s not weird enough. For a comedy it’s not funny enough. For a character drama the characters are too superficial. For a profound allegory, it's much too vague. And even though the parts are hardly stellar, the result somehow still ends up as less than the sum of them. It‘s not a total write-off since at least there is some ambition here, but I really can’t say that being more meaningful than not at all is enough of a payoff for something that is mostly just basic attempts at wacky humor presented in an annoying fashion. 4/10

Yuru Camp S3

So, speaking of ambition. My last contact with Yuru Camp was me getting very mad at S2‘s incessant products and services shilling. Admittedly S3 turns this down to an acceptable level, but that only makes the deeper issue more apparent: Yuru Camp is and has always been astonishingly vapid, and three seasons and a movie in all the vibes in the world can no longer make up for it. I won’t even complain that the show is no longer about camping in any meaningful capacity (since I never cared and at least the local-tourism-and-food lane we‘re in now doesn’t require purchase of specialized gear), but godammit if personality-free blobs looking at small footbridges for three episodes didn’t kill my enthusiasm for any of this mush. It‘s still broadly inoffensive, but at this point I feel like I’ve thoroughly exhausted anything this show is ever willing to offer. And Yama no Susume shows that you can have all the theoretical positives of a Yuru Camp with compelling enough characters, so there’s really no excuse. 5/10

Yoru no Kurage wa Oyogenai (Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night)

I don’t know where this recent trend of cute but reasonably serious girl band anime came from (I would like to think MyGO, but more likely it‘s Bocchi the Rock + the most blatantly obvious and viable way to improve on Bocchi). But here is Jellyfish and uh… it certainly makes an attempt. The first impression is very positive, since Doga Kobo provides pleasant visuals (per usual), but it quickly becomes apparent that it’s the writing that is really holding this one back. It’s not even bad ideas or a lack of ideas, since the concepts this show wants to tackle are generally quite good. But pretty much every execution on those plot ideas is botched in some way, be it by resolving them in a stupidly simple way (impostor syndrome? just do your best!) or by just having a character read out their character arc really dramatically. A bunch of plot points don't even make sense when you look at them in context of the ostensibly real world this show takes place in, and the ending is a massive nothingburger. It's all stuff that's barely passable when something like Love Live does it, but in something that aims higher it seems like a first draft at best and more likely just extremely amateurish. One can only wonder if you gave such a concept to a seasoned veteran like Jukki Hanada... 6/10

Tonari no Youkai-san

Tonari no Youkai-san started out as a rather simple show that I really liked: a mostly but not exclusively lighthearted depiction of a world where Youkai are real and the weird situations that can create, with likeable characters carrying it along. But then it became apparent that what it really wants to do is back-to-back KEY-style sadpiano scenarios. While those aren't bad in moderate amounts, the fact that every scenario now had to be about some heartbreaking backstory no matter what quickly became rather tiring. And then, if it wasn't apparent enough that this show was writing itself into the weeds, it capped the season off with a completely bizarre sci-fi multiverse action arc where everyone dies (very sad!) but then comes back alive because power of friendship beats entropy or something. Well, at least I prefer laughing at this nonsense to being annoyed at contrived tearjerkers, I suppose. I wouldn't call it quality though. 6/10

Dungeon Meshi (Delicious in Dungeon)

When the Dungeon Meshi started, I just didn't get it. The hyperbole around this show (mostly coming from manga fans, I think) was clearly not befitting a very mediocre gimmick anime where even the gimmick had been done better elsewhere multiple times. I do have to admit that as it went on, I could start to see where people were coming from: Once the cooking dies down a bit, the characters start to develop a bit and it finds its pace, Dungeon Meshi's "default mode" is an entertaining adventure anime with some nice characters, decent humor and engaging action. So far so good. However, I'll still call the show merely above average because it's in its default mode less often than you'd think. Every time I started to like something, Dungeon Meshi immediately had to head off in some random other direction that I don't care for: The cooking I did not care for in the beginning becomes vestigial but never stops taking up airtime nonetheless. The nerdy exposition about dungeon mechanics should not merit more than a footnote in a splatbook, but never stops taking up a lot of airtime nonetheless (it's also a painful reminder of the "worldbuilding over narrative" nonsense that I hate, but Dungeon Meshi isn't the worst offender here so I'll let it slide). The show expects me to care about other, far less interesting parties after I just barely mustered up enough enthusiasm to see Chilchuck as more than a spare Marcille when Marcille can't play the tsukkomi herself. Falin turns into a tragic zombie chicken. They adopt an annoying cat. It goes on and on and I'm not thrilled. I will admit though that I will likely still watch the sequel, mostly because Trigger really does a fantastic job with this adaptation on all levels, which at the very least manages to keep it watchable even in the doldrums. I just wish the source material was more consistent. 6/10

Kaiju No. 8

Every season there's some random anime that isn't particularly great, but still competent enough to merit a watch. It's usually some light comedy like Torture Princess, but every once in a while it's something else. This season it's Isekai QC, but in spring it was something even less likely: Kaiju #8, a Jump-brand premium shounen. Yeah, that's a surprise. It just doesn't do anything particularly wrong, apart from the genre staples that it must do wrong: The pacing is bad, but just regular bad. The tone is all over the place, but just regular all over the place. The protagonist isn't as good as he first seems, but not as bad as he could be either. It starts out as "less miserable Attack on Titan where people shoot at huge monsters with guns at shounen powerlevel efficiency", which is extremely awkward, but eventually it settles into a more standard "hit bad guy with sick special attacks" groove, which isn't exactly exciting but at least clearly something the show wants to be. In short, nothing special but the bullshit does not exceed the maximum level I will tolerate as the price of entry to epic dudes epically fighting in an epic fashion. There always is a point with these where you have to ruthlessly cut your losses, but it did not reach it in its first season when the average genremate reaches it within the first episode. That's... something. 6/10

Nijiyon S2

I wasn't even going to write about this because what is there to say about Nijiyon, except that Nijiyon is that rare mini spinoff that actually gets better and starts to outshine the main show at points. Half the time. The other half is still very basic and very arbitrary 4koma hijinks, but an improvement is an improvement. 6/10

Bartender: Glass of God

Why did they make a second Bartender anime in 2024? I can't answer this conclusively but I will say that if Suntory didn't pay for at least half of this production, they got something for free. With that out of the way, the most interesting thing I can say about Bartender is how it compares to Gin & Sonic '06. The old one was certainly ambitious, but in a rather obvious way: Treating the Bartender mystique as somthing close to supernatural and presenting it in a very abstract and stagey way. This is great when it works, but just as often merely comes off as extremely pretentious. The new one... just doesn't do any of that. It's a very straightforward, simple story with actual characters and stuff. It's workable enough with some stronger and some weaker episodes, and even though it does not even attempt to reach the highs of the old one, it doesn't sniff its own farts and does its best to avoid the old man machismo stank that faintly polluted the first adaptation. So I will actually call it better in some ways, maybe even on average, but it still can't compete with a show that had a better reason to exist than to get you excited for Yamazaki whiskey. 6/10

Euphonium S3

I've had my ups and downs with Yoof, and I will say that while some nags remain, I am satisfied with how it managed to (hopefully) wrap up. In fact, S3 might be the best the show has ever been. We were never going to get the cartoonish and quite frankly more entertaining presentation of S1 back, but for what it's worth, S3 takes the overcooked presentation and histrionic character writing of S2 and brings them down to a palatable level, and that makes it at least worth thinking about. Another big point in its favor is that it's now finally truly the Kumiko show, and not just the Kumiko stumbles into other people's drama show. Cast additions like Kanade and Mayu are prety great as well so yeah, I had a good time. Really my biggest complaint is that S3 might actually be a little too good at character drama, because at one point it seemed it was on the verge of starting to question a few of its core assumptions. I never expected it to have doubts over whether letting your school club control your entire existence is in fact a good thing, but ideas like Reina actually being as insane as she comes across and that Taki actually being as terrible as a teacher as he comes across seemed extremely promising. But nah, of course Kumiko just had to be honest with herself, that solved all the problems and then the show just coasted to the most predictable ending imaginable. Euphonium always seemed like it could be way better with a bit more risk-taking, but this was a particularly disappointing moment for the show to be itself. Anyway, if you just expect Euphoinum you're getting the good Euphonium here. 7/10

Girls Band Cry

So, about that "Hanada writing Jellyfish" quip I made earlier? What if that actually happened, in the same season no less? Yeah, these two shows are shockingly similar but unlike Jellyfsh, Girls Band Cry does things right... for the most part. You need to get used to the somewhat janky CG animation, but you're getting some great expressiveness in the deal so that's no problem. You'll also have to put up with Hanada's trademark yuribaiting, a pretty weak ending (as if these two shows didn't already copy each other's homework enough) and music that is much too obvously coming from the Vocaloid camp for my liking. Apart from that, GBC is very good. Not quite as good as MyGO (which has even better character dynamics and I still can't get past how shockingly high its quality is for a franchise anime), but it's really close. So close in fact that I don't even feel like pointing out in detail why GBC is good, because it really is MyGO again: Very flawed yet likeable girls try to get their mental in order while swinging between goofy and depressed and occasionally making music. It's not complicated, but when the character writing delivers (i.e., by seasoned pros like Yuniko Ayana or Jukki Hanada), it just works. If this is a trend now, I'll gladly take it. 8/10

[obsessedwithceleste]

You already know i had to do one

Im around 5’8, with wavy brown hair. I have sort of caramel like highlights. slightly curvy, dimples (IDFK BAHAHA)

My style really varies. It mainly fluctuates between modern grunge- ish (think baggy jeans, docs, mesh tops, smudged eyeliner) to ‘i have a trust fund’ (very scandi style). Lots of trench coats and dramatic blouses aswell.

I’m very very blunt. I get told by everyone i seem like a bitch because i have a rbf, and i’m passive aggressive. When i get to know people well and i open up, i become friendly, and my love language is bullying.

That being said, I am confrontational. I won’t hesitate to make situations awkward if somethings wrong, and will cause a fight if it’s necessary

If you asked someone who didn’t know me to describe me they’d say rude, blunt and unapproachable but if you ask my friend they’d say funny, unserious and caring. Like, my outside appearance is far from who i really am.

Forced to be a cunt but born to wear pretty sundresses and pick tulips 😔😔😔

Nerd. 300% a nerd. Always revising, massive impostor syndrome, can never know enough. Huge over achiever and always working for the best (even if it takes its toll on me.)

Love playing the piano. I’m super into philosophy and read abt it on the daily.

On the inside i am a huge softie. I love physical contact, it’s a big thing for me. A hopeless romantic but i don’t really show it.

Cat person. Favourite colour is deep red.

My music taste is mainly Jeff Buckley, TLSP, cocteau twins, elliot smith (peak male manipulator music)

I love doting on people. I need it to be reciprocated at times but my way of showing my love to someone is by doting on them!

I can’t think of anything else really, aside from the fact that i’m super sexy and really cool

I CANT WAIT BEGEHEHE

"i’m super sexy and really cool" - I love this for you sm

Pairing: Mattheo Riddle

Mattheo is the definition of golden retriever puppy disguised as a Doberman. Cool, edgy, snarky, but secretly a huge softy. (Someone please give this boy a hug).

He's also the most emotionally constipated of all the Slytherin boys. None of them are good with emotions, but Mattheo has it the worst. Love just isn't something that's ever been displayed in his life so it's quite foreign to him.

When Mattheo first met you, he was intrigued. Usually girls just giggled and flirted with him. But you were willing to go toe to toe with him, and it took him aback. He probably spent weeks watching from a far in quite admiration, not quite able to get a read on you.

When he finally works up the courage to talk to you, he's shocked by how well you both get on. You're able to stand your ground against him with ease, and even push right back.

He loves your fierce bluntness, your confidence, and your willingness to go to war for people you care about.

He also doesn’t open up to people easily, but your soft side and love for physical affection crack him right open.

He'll never admit it, but he loves that he's the only one that gets to see your soft romantic side.

Speaking of affection, this boy needs someone to dote on him. He’s eating out of the palm of your hand for a crumb of attention and learns how to dote on you right back. (He likes leaving you silly notes in your text books, but will vehemently deny it when confronted about it)

This boy is an absolute slut for physical affection though. He has his hands on you at all times whether it be a hand in your pocket, on your waist, an arm wrapped securely around you, he will not leave you alone.

When he learns that you play the piano, he asks you to teach him because he wants an excuse to spend time with you. He's extraordinarily bad. But he like listening to you play and would sit there with you for hours if you asked him to.

He also likes having your full, undivided attention, often poking and prodding you while you study because he thinks it’s just so funny when you’re cross. (He loves your grumpy face)

Some might find your constant bickering to be concerning, but you keep each other on your toes.

The first time Mattheo is fully convinced that he might just be in love with you is when you snap back at a group of students who are talking their usual shit. Normally Mattheo would beat them to a pulp, but this time he’s the one holding you and your biting words back.

He thinks you’ve never looked more beautiful btw.

After that incident, you both go back to his dorm. He's not really sure what to say. No one has ever really gone out on a limb for him. Showed that they cared. All he knows is that one minute you were ranting about "how bloody ignorant" some people can be, and the next he had you wrapped in his arms with his lips on yours.

Once it's official, he can't wait to make sure everyone knows that you're his. He's wildly overprotective, but never lets you see it because he doesn't want you to feel smothered. (He knows you could beat his ass)

He makes sure you're at every one of his quidditch games wearing his jumper, or his jersey, or his thick Slytherin scarf. He likes to show off for you. His favorite thing though, are the post game make-out sessions under the stands.

He also has a nasty habit of sneaking into your dorm room after hours for a quick (or not so quick) late night cuddle.

The boy is disgustingly obsessed with you and does everything in his power to make sure you, and everyone else knows it. He didn't grow up feeling loved, and wants to make certain that it's not something you'll ever feel.

[acenestuff]

spoilers for anime onlys. i find it so crazy that mika's character journey follows her realisation that people don't only care about appearances (in the beginning we can clearly see her being envious of murashige and dismissive of mitsumi, because she doesn't really regard mitsumi as being in the same 'league' as her) and we can see how her character accepts that and the fact that it all peaks when her insecurity gets the best of her and she feels like. she has nothing!!! she is not effortlessly beautiful and she is not subconsciously kind, these are all aspects that she Has to actively try in order to 'get right' in her mind. and she thinks that because it doesn't come naturally to her, it's all worth less, she's worth less. the fact that she developed a crush on shima, not because shima really was her type, but because shima saw right through her fakeness, saw Her. and in doing so, she found reassurance (i can't disappoint him by being a bad person because he knows i'm a bad person). how it all comes back to her terrible relationship with herself and her huge impostor syndrome.

what i'm trying to say is that mika is just a girl. and that she's so human in the way she's written and how every little moment of her builds up to the huge reveal that she's just terribly insecure and believes that no one will want her as She is. and that is an experience so relatable to so many people and it's so comforting to see her begin to better her relationship with herself as the story goes on.

[imthebest-ever]

Why I think Leo is the girl ever:

(this is in regards to the Egg Poll going on right now)

1) most Leos have had to take on an almost motherly role to care for her brothers at a young age:

this might not seem like much of a reason, but Leo has had to take on traditionally feminine roles, such as being a caretaker for her siblings, to the extent of being called a mother jokingly multiple times in the 2012 and 2003 series. 

2) she exhibits an array of traditionally feminine traits

this is not to say that men don’t show these traits, but the nurture, sensitivity, sweetness, supportiveness, empathy, etc. that Leo shows throughout most iterations, even when hidden under thick layers of ego and sarcasm, are usually seem as feminine

3) she implies multiple times, mainly in 2k12 and rise, that she wishes to be more feminine

let’s take for example the s2 ROTTMNT episode: Bad Hair Day; in which Leo seems particularly saddened about being excluded from activities seen as feminine (eg: having a spa day). hair in this episode can be seen as an allegory for femininity, here’s a basic rundown of the episode:

Leo sees advertisement of beautiful woman with luscious flowing hair & imagines self in her place > is then excluded from literal gatekept community for lacking certain arbitrary superficial features > goes on to seek artificial enhancenents > attains euphoria and acceptance > develops impostor syndrome > is ostracized & eventually persecuted for nonconformity despite making every effort above and beyond the average person to remold self to the status quo

that’s so fucking trans bro…

also?? in the 2012 series she says she wishes she was a character from her favorite show, which just so happens to be a woman, like, all the time

4) 2012 Leo never had the chance to do anything for herself, much less have a moment of self discovery amidst the literal apocalypse,

now, it would be easier to argue in her favor if there was a singular moment one could point at to just say “TRANS”, however, she never got the chance to explore her identity outside of being a leader.

all throughout the show, she was simply put in that place, without ever having a moment to think about anything that wasn’t their plan for the next mission, or how to save the Earth from an alien invasion, or how to rescue her friends and family from a psychotic Italian guy,

point is: she (and her family) never got the chance to explore anything outside of heroism and their career as ninja. we never got the chance to see how their personalities and identities would develop if they really had the chance to just be teenagers

with all this being said: GO VOTE LEO!!! THE @egg-poll IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW, GO GO GO!!!

[bluntblade]

10 Fandoms, 10 Characters, 10 Tags

Thank you to @sinvulkt for the tag :D Let's go...

Rey (Star Wars Sequels)

Rey is at this stage by some way the character I've spilled the most ink over, specifically a post-TLJ Rey Nobody. I love her curiosity, her loyalty and that core of wounded anger. I want her to be happy and kick baddies in the head.

2. Ikrie (Horizon: Forbidden West)

Shape a woman out of abandonment issues and give her a spear. With so little screentime, she's such a fully-formed character, tough yet vulnerable, flitting between rambunctious and melancholy, and "I never cared about the Werak" cuts me to the bone each time.

3. Shiban Khan (The Horus Heresy)

Broken down and built back up, two or three times over. It's heartbreaking to see how he falls into bitterness over the course of the Heresy, and then glorious to see him rise again and become one of his Legion's greatest heroes.

4. Barristan Selmy (A Song of Ice and Fire)

It's fascinating to watch a character shaking off decades of swallowed doubts, forced to evolve by events. If we ever get The Winds of Winter, I hope his progression continues.

5. Keeve Trennis (Star Wars: The High Republic)

Adorable, great haircut, bold and passionate yet warring with impostor syndrome. Also swears like a Corellian kriffing docker, and she has a neat splitting saberstaff. What's not to love?

6. Theoden (The Lord of the Rings)

It still amazes me upon rewatching The Two Towers that Bernard Hill doesn't just walk off with the whole film, his performance is so magnificent. I don't think there's really anything I can add which hasn't been said already.

7. Caitlyn Kirramen (Arcane)

Lawful good, beginning to realise just how how questionable the good of the law she serves is. Her evolving dynamic with Vi is great, she's tougher than those around her expect and of course, she's so very very pretty.

8. Stephen Maturin (Master and Commander)

A canny spy who is nonetheless perpetually baffled and exasperated by the nautical world he has inveigled himself into. Also a thorough nerd.

9. Mahit Dzmare & Three Seagrass (A Memory Called Empire & A Desolation Called Peace)

Cheating a little in part because I couldn't find a solo pic of Mahit that wasn't AI-generated and also because I love them so very much, your honour. These little bundles of anxiety and constant second-guessing, pitched into events far more massive and momentous than anything either had imagined. And they have moments of intimacy to eat rocks for.

10. Yrica Quell (Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron)

You can fit so much guilt and conflict in this bad girl. Quell has arguably the most fascinating "Imperial defector" arc in all the Star Wars media I've read, as she undergoes this evolving moral struggle across her trilogy.

No-pressure tagging @mehoymalloy, @foibles-fables, @meg-noel-art, @dino-trash-kieran, @iron-shrike, @retrob0t, @fancyfrey, @tremendouskoalachild, @robo-dino-puppy and @lilypuffsw