#Typically I start with 11s first season I feel like it's a good start

[transgayhawkeyepierce]

When acting as a Doctor Who guide for someone, what and in what order do you typically have someone watch it?

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

11:53 ー GOJOU SATORU. even after all this time, the sun never says to the earth, “you owe me”. look what happens with a love like that. It lights the whole sky.

“Satoru,” as if he can already sense your complaints, the white-haired tree hugs you tighter. Despite yourself, you can’t help the laughter that bubbles from your lips. “It’s too hot to be like this.”

“No it isn’t,” comes the expected reply. “This is, like, the perfect temperature for a Sunset Bird morning.”

It isn’t and you both know it. Still, the boy you’ve known since you were 8 continues to plasters himself to you like a koala. “Moms are gonna freak if they know you’re here.”

“Freakouts stopped when we were 13,” Satoru mumbles into your shoulder.

You finally accept your defeat with a sigh.

Freakouts did stop when you were 13 and sneaking into your room became habit for the boy next door.

Complete with the lack of shame Satoru’s always possessed, however, he had no qualms marching himself downstairs the following morning to get a glass of orange juice. To say your mothers had heart attacks that day is an understatement. Yet despite the scolding that followed, Satoru was unperturbed. As such, Pamela and Noelani [Last] are unperturbed when they wake to Satoru walking around like he’s lived in this house all his life. In some ways, he might as well have.

Your lips quirk into a smile despite the heat, “you’re so annoying.”

“Nah, you love me,” Satoru snorts and you can feel him grinning.

Luckily for Satoru, the sentiment is true.

You’ve always loved him even when he was at his most obnoxious. Even if initially your friendship only started due to close proximities. You were 8 and he was going to turn 8 later in December and his father, desperate to get his son with a terrible attitude some new friends, offered you $20 to be his friend.

It’s a funny tale to look back on.

Befriending the prodigal son of the Gojous took a fair bit of effort on your part, effort and forced proximity, but you’re happy that things ended up this way. The clingy koala laying in your bed is a far cry from the aloof brat you remember. No $20s were required ーpartially because you had run off screaming about stranger danger, partially because Satoru was Satoru and that was more than enough compensation for your time and effort.

Even if I could do without the additional sweat, though.

You wait a few more minutes before you finally force yourself into a seated position, Satoru complaining all the while. “Come on, we need to get up!”

Satoru whines even as his stomach growls, “can’t we just ask Liz to bring us up something?”

“Liz has already fled Casa de [Last], remember?” She’d left the afternoon before for her return flight back to New York. She'd left the coop first and even if it's sad to think about, Liz did have a life outside of Sunset Bird. A different life and different friends but there's comfort in knowing you're still Liz's baby sibling no matter what happens. “And I’m pretty sure moms aren’t cookin’ because it’s hotter than the devil’s asshole today. So come on,” you pat his cheek once, twice. “Get your ass on up, rich boy.”

“Oh,” Satoru opens his eyes with a pout, blue eyes squinting in his dismay. He’d have to leave the volcano nest you called a bed if he wanted to eat after all. “And the other rich kid in the room can’t call me a rich kid. Our parents are in the same country club.”

“I prefer the term,” you wave your hands gracefully. “Middle-class.” Your family is certainly comfortable but to compare their comfort to the riches of the Gojou family is ridiculous. You know Satoru’s poking is good-humored fun, however.

“Still in the country club though,” Satoru snorts with a lazy grin but he’s in an upright position.

Breakfast is typically a serious affair in your household regardless of the season.

Your mothers spared no expense at making spreads that accommodated everyone’s dietary needs and preferences. When Satoru became added to the mix due to your impromptu sleepovers, it was no different. Still, not even the power of your mothers can fully withstand the heat of mid-summer so it’s every man for himself this morning.

You find yourself not minding it much as you go to the bathroom, Satoru trailing not too far behind with a yawn.

It’s crazy how much ‘Satoru Gojou’ is in your house, you realize as you brush your teeth.

He’s everywhere.

His clothes litter the floor of your room, the kitchen cabinets contain his favorite plates and cups, he’s even in a few of the framed photos scattered across your house. First day school photos, the times you’ve gone trick-or-treating, but most importantly the summers. Because everything happens in summer in Sunset Bird.

It’s the season you met and it’s the season Satoru became yours. The summer he moved in, the summer you celebrated your birthday at the park. You’re pretty sure your moms even snapped a picture of the two of you with Liz before she took off on her flight because of course he tagged along to the airport.

You glance at Satoru as you both brush your teeth. He’s lazy but efficient at it, leaning against the wall as his mind drifts to who knows where. Even the toothbrush he is using to clean his already perfect teeth is one of many your mothers have bought him over the years. 

“Well, if he’s going to be here so often we might as well be prepared,” Ma shook her head with a laugh the first time they him bought one.

Mom placed her hands on her hips more bemused than dismayed, “it would certainly save the boy the trip to just brush ‘em at our place instead of heading all the way back home, wouldn’t it?”

As such, Satoru always had a toothbrush of his own to find in your family’s bathroom. Sky blue, like his eyes. Your mothers were cheesy like that and yet you can’t imagine his toothbrush being any other color. It’s the color you reach for whenever it’s time to buy a replacement and your parents have dragged you to help with the grocery shopping.

“He’s a jerk but his dad says he has no friends so I’ll play with him anyway,” you recall 8 year old you telling your moms the first night you met him. You wonder what little you would think about how things have turned out for you now. Would they be surprised? Pleased? You aren’t able to continue your guessing game when Satoru takes notice of your staring.

“What,” he grins, completely disregarding the foam on his cheeks and lips. He’s matured a fair amount since the summer you were 8 and 7 but there’s still some boy in him. You hope that childlike innocence he has never dies.

“Nothing,” you chuckle.

“It’s clearly something,” you can’t resist his impish grin even if you try to.

“I was just thinking how I hope we get to spend more summers together,” you finally relent with a sound of nostalgia mixed with knowing. It seems a little silly to hope for more summers when you’re quite sure those future summers are guaranteed. “But I’m pretty sure I’m stuck with you for the long haul. Not that I want it any other way.”

He might have been born in late fall but summer is the season that suits Satoru Gojou best, you think as you watch his face morph from surprise to a smile that matches the sun. Yeah, summer is perfect for us. Your smile is one that’s as soft as you feel for the boy you’ve grown up with. You love him more than you can express, that’s an unwavering truth. Even with that unwavering truth, unfortunately, you still hold up a hand the moment he leans forward with his lips puckered.

“Um,” white eyebrows suddenly quirk downwards as Satoru frowns in shocked displeasure. “Excuse me?”

“I am not kissing you with toothpaste foam all over our mouths,” you push your boyfriend’s face away with a snort. You laugh even harder at how Satoru’s face contorts dramatically into one of mock horror and betrayal.

“Why not it’s clean!”

You rinse and wipe your mouth with a snort, barely dodging his attempt to land one on you again. “Satoru, hurry up so we can go eat.”

Satoru crosses his arms, far too serious for the subject matter at hand, “I’m not eating without my good morning kiss.”

“The good morning kiss can be obtained once you wash your face off, you dork!”

Happy (early) birthday to my buddy @hash-slinging-slasher-trash! I recently got them into the Our Life franchise just in time for their birthday and I had to capitalize on that with a JJK x Our Life AU. Everyone's happy and the angstiest thing you have to deal with is a certain someone realizing they didn't get their good morning kiss. Godspeed to you, my friend. It took so much effort not to post this early lmao but here you go! Sorry readers if your birthday is not in the summer/spring, this is very much catered to my friend who is a June baby.

Is June 15 technically summer? No, but it's 5 days off from the equinox and in California, spring is just early summer so- anyways, your girl couldn't wait 3 more days apparently.

[brucebocchi]

Ranking every new anime I watched in 2023, Pt. 2: #20-11

hey, i just started a ko-fi for my writing and possible other creative outlets. this post will also be available there, so please check it out and consider tipping/donating as i'm currently between jobs. the tumblr version of part 1 can be found here.

Let's get right into it.

20. Helck

I watched Helck’s first season for its entire half-year run, and I'm honestly still not sure how I feel about it. I’d heard amazing things from people who’d read the manga, and it had a hot start, but the pacing slowed to such a crawl after a while that it kind of felt like they stretched out the story just so they could make another season.

Helck, an enormous and impossibly jolly human warrior, enters a tournament to decide the successor to the throne of the recently-slain Demon King. Demons and humans had been at war for some time, so Vermilio, an adorably fiery elite lord of the castle, is naturally wary of him. Helck is naturally powerful, talented, and affable, so he easily breezes his way through the tournament in hilarious fashion, despite Vermilio’s best efforts at sabotage. Before the finals can take place, though, an immortal army sent by the human forces arrive to attack the demon realm, and Helck and Vermilio are teleported to the far edge of the realm.

The season largely covers Helck and Vermilio’s trek back to the demon kingdom, as well as the demons’ struggles against the mysterious warriors as they attempt to figure out just what the hell the humans are plotting.  Vermilio remains leery of Helck, regardless of all he’s done for her, but it becomes further evident that Helck is harboring a very dark past, and eventually we get a lengthy arc where he sits down and explains it to Vermilio in flashback. There is, as you’d expect, plenty of tragedy there, and you’d like to see it resolved, but things just seem to keep getting worse.

There are powerful messages in there about toxic positivity and fighting the urge to shoulder one’s burdens alone, but they don’t become fully apparent until late in the season. Everything until then, at least after the teleportation, is… fine. I had higher hopes for this one, but it just feels like it’s missing something, and I can’t put my finger on what. It looks fine, the voice acting is good (the GOAT Katsuyuki Konishi is typically very good as Helck), the action is decent, it’s all… fine. The pacing just feels glacial at times, to the point where if I hadn’t been watching it weekly I might have bounced off of it.

Of course, the season ended with what appears to be the endgame on the horizon, so for all I know there’s still a lot more to come, but the story beats feel so familiar that I get the feeling it could be resolved with, like, a movie. I hope I’m wrong, because there are clearly some major emotional payoffs yet to come, and I’m still curious to see how it gets there. I may have to pick up the manga to find out if it’ll be worth any more of my time.

19. Urusei Yatsura (2022), second cour

Fresh off of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure’s possible series finale, David Production’s modern take on Rumiko Takahashi’s legendary comedy manga hummed along nicely into 2023. The cast continues to expand as the new version introduces characters like Ten, Ryunosuke, and Tobimaro to further raise the level of shenanigans inherent to Urusei Yatsura.

Lum Invader has been a sex symbol for pretty much as long as anime has had sex symbols, but the reboot’s second cour focuses a bit more on the side of her personality that makes her so iconic, and which I consider essential to several of my favorite female anime characters: Lum’s kind of a psychotic asshole. Her schemes to wring more attention and affection out of Ataru border on sociopathic at times, and she’s honestly so real for that. Her mortal frenemy, Ran, was introduced close to the end of the first cour, and there is still no shortage of sabotage attempts in the second, but we quickly come to learn that Ran’s undying vendetta is mostly because Lum has been a selfish, lying piece of shit since they were kids. God bless her.

Ataru continues to not be much better, serial philanderer that he is, as he continues to be surrounded by other hot crazy ladies who aren’t his not-fiancee. Mendo’s younger sister, Ryoko, is a real highlight in the 2023 run as a result of her escalating penchant for Looney Tunes-esque slapstick violence. The settings of Ataru’s and Lum’s respective worlds take more focus as well, between Ataru’s high school hijinks and Ten’s galactic mail-order mishaps, and the two often collide in hilarious fashion.

I still adore the look of this one. Character models have been cleaned up and simplified to a sort of retro-modern look while still being instantly recognizable to anyone already familiar with them. Everything is awash in an eye-popping Day-Glo color palette. Backgrounds and pop-in gags are often adorned with Ben Day dots to maintain the retro comic look. This doesn’t quite look like the manga, nor does it resemble the original 80s anime, but this is unmistakably a Rumiko Takahashi product. It almost looks like it could have come out at any point in time.

I’m only holding this back in the rankings because it’s the weaker half of a season that straddled the end of 2022 and the start of 2023, but the season as a whole is excellent. It is an essential watch for fans of comedy anime, especially considering so many tried-and-true anime gags effectively originated with Urusei Yatsura (it’s worth mentioning that Lum is largely considered the first-ever tsundere in anime and manga). Season 2 is imminent and I cannot fucking wait. Maybe I’ll even read the manga.

18. Tomo-chan is a Girl!

This is basically Monthly Girls’ No-jock-i-kun. Very simple premise: Tomboyish high schooler gets the hots for her childhood friend who is dense as fuck and forgets most of the time that she’s even a girl. Hilarity ensues and romance progresses glacially.

The voice performances are what really carry this one. Rie Takahashi is golden as the titular Tomo Aizawa, and this was the first entry in an MVP-caliber resume for her in 2023 that was so stacked that I still haven’t gotten to her best role yet. Rina Hidaka nails the conniving, misanthropic nature of Misuzu Gundo in a far cry from her turn as Emul the bunny in Shangri-La Frontier later in the year. The American-born idol Sally Amaki is a revelation as the airheaded gaijin Carol Olston, whom she also voices in the English dub. Even Carol’s mom speaks broken Japanese with a noticeable American accent, which is one of my favorite gags in the whole show.

Outside of the voice acting, nothing is particularly special about this show. Which is fine! There's nothing wrong with a solid 7/10 romcom; junk food is still food. It’s cute, it’s funny, it hits all the right beats, but nothing particularly stands out. Misuzu and eventually Carol give Tomo advice to try to woo her bestie Jun, while Misuzu is usually also playing Jun against that same advice so that it usually works and backfires at the same time. It’s all a game, and she plays both sides so she can always come out on top.

If I have a complaint about this show, it’s that it just… ends. I went back and read the manga, and unfortunately that issue is not the anime’s fault. If anything, it did a phenomenal job of fitting eight volumes of a 4-koma into a single season, and that’s always how it was supposed to go. I watched and read a ton of slice-of-life romance anime and manga this year, as it turns out, and the ones that really hit for me are usually the ones that take their time with the central relationship once it actually starts, rather than treat that big event as the climax, or worse, the finale of the story. Stuff like Kaguya-sama, Horimiya, Sweat and Soap, and even Wotakoi (though I have my own problems with that one) treat their central relationships as a step, not the goal.  At the same time, for plenty of others, the fun is in the chase, and they just run out of time, and Tomo-chan is the latter. We got what we wanted, and we had fun getting there. Sometimes that’s all you need.

Also good god, Tomo’s mom. The second those genes kicked in for Tomo, Jun was doomed.

17. The Eminence in Shadow, second cour and season 2

The Eminence in Shadow is the smartest piece of stupid media I've seen in a minute. It so perfectly skewers dime-a-dozen chuunibyo isekai trash while still cannonballing into a McDuckian swimming pool of the stuff. It nearly overwhelms you with lore; the series abounds with rich backstories, centuries-old power struggles, palace intrigue, shadowy conspiracies, the artificially accelerated march of progress, long-simmering revenge plots, looming economic catastrophe, and love dodecahedrons. And the most compelling thing about all of it is that none of it fucking matters.

Cid Kagenou spent his teenage years in modern Japan trying to become the coolest badass dark antihero who ever lived, but he quickly reaches his limits in our boring normal world so he rides the isekai truck into a world with actual, like, magic and shit. He spends his new childhood leveling up and rescuing elf girls, all the while regaling them with his “wisdom” in the form of a bunch of horseshit he made up based on all the light novels he used to read. Turns out that he’s entirely too genre savvy; this new world is apparently so contrived that every single thing he told them ended up entirely true.

So now Cid’s a teenager by day and shadowy vigilante by night (under the apt moniker “Shadow”), with an underground legion of hot deadly babes at his disinterested beck and call. All he genuinely cares about is looking and acting like the coolest motherfucker a socially inept 12 year old boy can think of, and in his downtime actively trying to be a forgettable mob character. And I do mean that that is all he cares about; when I say none of the wheels within wheels happening in the background actually matter, I mean that Cid is completely and totally unaware of any of it. 

Anything he does or says to drive the plot is either incidental or accidental. He spouts off some nonsense he heard in a video game once, and his cadre of elf baddies and beastgirls takes it as gospel en route to exposing a millennium-old conspiracy. He parrots a really cool line he heard ten minutes ago and a beautiful woman he just saved takes it as inspiration to turn her life around. It’s kind of like in Mashle, funnily enough; where Mash will go “I don’t know what’s going on, but you were being mean to my friend so I’m gonna beat the shit out of you,” Cid is more like “No clue what this is about, but that’s a really badass looking villain, so I’m gonna say some epic shit and do a big explosion.” And then he fucks off to go eat a burger or something, not knowing or caring that he just unraveled a prophesied master plot to destroy the global power balance.

The episodes that aired in 2023 largely revolve around the lovely Princess Rose, smitten with both Cid and Shadow (not knowing they’re the same guy), pledging fealty to Shadow Garden after failing to foil a coup d’etat. At the same time as her training, Cid is busy with a vampire something-or-other and then tries to make some coin for himself by teaming up with an assassin hellbent on revenge to create a credit crisis. The conspiracy later drags Rose back into the palace, where Cid sees a new opportunity. Every single one of these things has very specific reasons for happening, and everyone involved has a rich backstory and clear motivations to carry out their parts of the ever-evolving plots.

But that’s not why you’re here. You’re here to watch a bunch of hot ladies and a guy in a black cloak with one glowing red eye do some sick action stunts to bad guys with silly names, and this show delivers that in spades. This feels like a throwback in the best and worst ways. The Eminence in Shadow is stupid, and it is brilliant.

16. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, season 2

Mushoku Tensei is a tough anime to talk about. On one hand, it is one of the most gorgeous anime series ever put on television: Almost consistently movie-quality sakuga, lush background art, and a breathtaking score come together to form an immersive world unlike many I’ve seen in any medium. On the other, it forces some very unpleasant conversations about reincarnation in anime, particularly ones like this where a grown man is reincarnated as a child while retaining his mental age and is surrounded by potential love interests closer in age to his new body. What doesn’t help is that in his previous life in our world, the man who would reincarnate as Rudeus Greyrat was a socially isolated hentai addict, and much of his journey centers around him unlearning those proclivities in unfortunate and often damaging ways. If you can handle that, Mushoku Tensei is a rewarding watch, but if that’s beyond the pale to you, I don't blame you in the slightest.

However, even if you’ve been able to stomach all of the questionable shit in the first season, I'm sorry to say that the second season’s first cour doesn’t do much for the “bro I promise he gets better bro” crowd. The first cour covers the Quagmire and Academy arcs, which follow Rudeus’ struggle with being effectively abandoned by the only person to show him any physical affection in either life. The knock-on effect sees him retreating into an antisocial shell and developing, and I am deadly serious here, a seemingly incurable case of erectile dysfunction.

The first few episodes surround Rudeus growing into a young man, making a name for himself as a wandering adventurer in hopes that talk of his name will spread to his missing family and friends. At the urging of the god with a direct line to him (still unexplained), he enrolls in a magic university to investigate the calamity that flung his loved ones to the corners of the realm. There he finds an old friend in the figure-obsessed young prince who saved his life in the previous season, a girl from his previous world who seems to have also been transported to this one, and most crucially, his old childhood friend Sylphiette, hiding in plain sight with new hair and a sick pair of shades as a retainer to a scheming princess enrolled in the school.

Mushoku Tensei's initial season was at its best in its quieter moments, and those abound in season 2’s first cour. It's really lovely seeing him connect once again with Sylphie purely for who she is, even though for all Rudy knows he’s talking to a twinky dude named Fitz who makes him feel weird things. We get our amazing action animation early on, and things settle down quite a bit from there as Rudeus navigates all of these interpersonal relationships, old and (seemingly) new.

And while, yes, this version of Rudeus is a far cry from the drooling, grinning pervert he was in his first ten years of reincarnation, his improvement as a human being is not a straight line. He unfortunately takes more steps backwards than forward. The things he says in a drunken rage about his party member Sara (who inadvertently revealed his ED) are awful and undeserved, he literally ties up and gropes a pair of beast girls from his class (he has apparent reasons for both of those things, but come on), and he “frees” a young dwarven slave to take on as an apprentice. That last one seems admirable on its face, but uh. He went with the flow in a god damned slave market and still paid a slaver.  

I'm not excusing those things, nor absolving Rudeus as a character; I'm simply saying they happen this season. Mushoku Tensei, for better or for worse, depicts gnarly subject matter as it is while neither glorifying it nor moralizing about it. It trusts you to make your own judgments, and if your verdict is “I can’t watch this show,” that is perfectly valid. If you can stomach watching through its worst moments and compartmentalize the uncomfortable aspects of it, Mushoku Tensei remains one of the best-looking and -sounding pieces of animation out there, and the part of its second season that aired in 2023 has an exceptional emotional payoff. Otherwise, I'll be talking about Frieren much later.

15. Spy x Family, season 2

The most succinct praise I can give season 2 is also the most backhanded: Well, it’s more Spy x Family.

I want to be clear that there is no shade inherent to that comment; the first season of Spy x Family was excellent! It was a stylish, beautifully animated, appropriately hilarious adaptation of a fantastic manga that did it justice in almost every regard; the second season didn’t need to move heaven and earth to try to one-up it. It wasn’t broken, so Wit and CloverWorks didn’t fix it. It’s still the blend of domestic slice-of-life hijinks, tense cold-war intrigue, and heart-pounding action it’s always been. Even the production music is largely the same, and that’s not a complaint, because SxF’s production music fuckin' slaps.

A lot of anime-onlys rightfully complained that Yor’s plot relevance seemed to fall off a cliff in the back half of season 1, so they have been eating GOOD this time out, as season 2’s (ostensible) first cour puts her directly in the spotlight. The Yor Cour, if you will. The season opened on a hilariously spot-on adaptation of my favorite Yor-centric chapter of the manga (the “bullet in the ass” one) and quickly moved on to a nearly perfect interpretation of the cruise arc that sees her protecting a government asset from a legion of assassins. 

If you wanted to see more of Yor in her second life as the contract killer, Thorn Princess, this season was a meal and a half for you. Having her beset on all sides by an eccentric rogues’ gallery, with Anya fully aware and trying her damnedest to keep Loid from finding out what’s actually going on, is Spy x Family at its best. The tension constantly ramps up as the ship approaches its target, and Anya’s attempts at distracting Loid usually go sideways because, well, she’s Anya. Blood splatters, laughs are had, and Loid continues to struggle with both fatherhood and acting like his growing affection for his ragtag “fake” family is just “for the mission.” 

Outside of the cruise, season 2 maintains the series’ usual episodic pace, which can be a little jarring before and after the cruise arc, but that’s SxF for you. Shit can pop off at unexpected moments, and having read ahead in the manga, I’m excited to see the next time that happens. For now, though, things can feel kinda static from time to time, but the Forger family and the extended cast are always pleasant to just hang out with for a while.

And now to wait for the movie to come out in the west.

14. Undead Unluck

Up until this past Winter season, I primed myself on a lot of the more-hyped anime by reading the manga ahead of time. I knew that Undead Unluck is one of the bigger Shonen Jump manga out there, but this debut kind of crept up on me. I went in blind, got drawn in by the premise, and then got quickly overwhelmed with a wild amount of lore.

Fuuko, a young woman seemingly afflicted with a curse, is saddled with a brash, enormous man who cannot die after he foils her suicide attempt and is then himself grievously injured. Don’t worry, he got better. It turns out that he’s roughly 200 years old and has a completely cracked healing factor, while she brings terrible misfortune to anyone who touches her skin. They are both Negators, people with the ability to reverse or ignore the laws of nature: Fuuko’s ability is Unluck, causing tragedy for those close to her, while the man is Undead, exactly what it says on the tin. The man, who cannot remember his own name, believes their meeting to be kismet: If she can bring death to her loved ones, he vows to woo her so she can deliver the death he’s sought for so long. I promise this is a comedy.

Fuuko and Andy (whom she named as shorthand for the Japanese pronunciation of “undead”) foil a series of assassination attempts by other Negators, and take their spots as part of the Union eliminating threats to the universe. They team with an eclectic group, whom we’re still getting to know as of the end of the first cour, as they trot the globe to complete quests given to them by a mysterious (and seemingly nefarious) talking book lest the universe incur penalties for their failure.

The power system among Negators is one of the most inventive I've seen, with each one able to cancel out a specific element of the natural order of the world, and it’s a blast learning how each new one works. Andy in particular is wild; because he can regenerate himself so quickly, his weapon of specialty is his own body, never hesitating to use his own fingertips as bullets and his own gushing blood as a propulsion mechanism. He also has no compunction towards taking on the worst of Fuuko’s Unluck ability, often sacrificing himself to get hit by lightning or falling debris to deal damage to an enemy. Every new Negator power introduced adds a new wrinkle to the way this world works and the different shapes its action can take. Others can freeze matter into suspended animation, force people to act opposite their own intentions, or even subvert someone’s entire belief system. I cannot wait to see what else is in store.

The first cour’s pacing is a little off, and Andy's behavior towards Fuuko in the first couple episodes is nothing short of gross (I promise that eases up), but you can see the show finding its footing as it goes on. Shonen Jump series don’t last for nearly 200 chapters and counting by accident, and I'm excited to see where this goes.

13. NieR: Automata Ver. 1.1a

Those of us who played Yoko Taro’s 2017 masterpiece approached the announcement of an anime adaptation with some trepidation: So much of what made Nier Automata so outstanding and so beloved is that much of the delivery of its narrative is inherent to the fact that it’s a video game. How can a video game known for pushing against the fourth wall of the unique elements of its very medium be faithfully adapted as an anime?

The choice of studio was also concerning: Though A-1 has produced a ridiculous number of excellent series (and some aggressively mid ones that were nonetheless very successful), its track record with video game adaptations has been far less than stellar. The latter three films in the Persona 3 adaptations were solid if uneven, and the Valkyria Chronicles anime seems to have been well-received, but the same can’t be said of A-1’s takes on Ace Attorney, Persona 4 Golden, or Persona 5. Regardless, Yoko himself was heavily involved in the anime’s production, so if they could keep on budget and schedule, Nier Automata would have a fighting chance.

And while there indeed ended up being massive and likely unpredictable production delays, I'd say they’ve done almost as good of a job as they could have so far. While the first cour mainly covers Automata’s A and B routes, it does much more than just play that part of the story straight; it also takes the time to incorporate other elements of the Nier canon. A surprising amount of time is dedicated to the canon introduced in the YoRHa stage play (and by extension the Pearl Harbor Descent Record manga); Lily and the android resistance are woven directly into the narrative far beyond the vague overtures the game makes in their direction. Ver 1.1a also ties the history of the original Nier into the story at unexpected and intriguing (and in my case, tear inducing) moments. 

Unfortunately, it’s still too soon to assess this series in its entirety. While too many people who played Nier Automata stopped after route A or B, there is still much more of this story to come. There was some very sloppy CGI integration in the first episode when it aired, but far from enough to put me off the series. For now, it’s a treat for Nier fans, but I’m not sure whether I can recommend it yet to people who are unfamiliar with the source material.

Until the anime is completed, go play Nier Automata. It’s one of my favorite games of all time.

12. Kaguya-sama: Love is War -The First Kiss That Never Ends-

This was a late 2022 theatrical release, but it didn’t see western release until this year and was split into a four-episode mini-season for streaming, so I'm counting it for this year. You can deal with it.

I got completely obsessed with Kaguya-sama early this year, and in record time. I binged the anime and the manga in the span of a couple weeks and irreversibly fell in love. I say with no reservation that it is the best romantic comedy, in any medium, of the 21st century. It nails both the romance and the comedy in equal measure; the characters are perfectly realized right down to the supporting cast, the dynamics between them are carefully considered and consistent with their personalities regardless of circumstance, and every emotional and comedic beat hits exactly as it’s meant to. There is a constant momentum moving the greater plot along, even in the smaller moments, and seismic shifts take over before you’ve even noticed they’re happening.

It’s rare for romcom manga adaptations to stay on the air long enough to actually reach the romantic payoff, and Kaguya-sama fucking nailed it in season 3. Well, we’re pretty sure it did; the central conceit of the psycho-romantic warfare between Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane is that they’re both chronic overthinkers and won’t accept any romantic undertones or overtures in any form but an explicit confession. So while the finish to season 3 is everything we wanted as an audience, these two dorks still sense a margin for error. Regardless, that would have been a perfectly acceptable place to end the anime.

HOWEVER, the Ice Queen Kaguya arc that follows in the manga is iconic, and A-1 was absolutely right to adapt it. Although Shirogane is ready to move forward with the relationship that (he’s pretty sure) they’ve both wanted for a long time, Kaguya has a crisis of personality and inadvertently reverts to the dead-eyed, emotionally walled-off version of herself he’d initially met, well before either of them had realized they’d fallen in love with one another. The interstitial omake preceding this arc in the manga has Aka Akasaka warning the reader that in order to counteract the massive emotional payoff that just happened, the ensuing chapters would get very, very silly.

And of course, hijinks do indeed ensue; this is Kaguya-sama, after all. But before you realize it, the story is neck deep in Jungian psychology as self-doubt begins to plague Kaguya and Miyuki and they struggle with the faces they think they need to put on for the other and whether their “real” selves even deserve to be loved by the person they idolize. It gets heavy! I cried every time I watched it! And that first time was in a damn movie theater!

I’m much more comfortable appraising First Kiss as a mini-season than as a movie, because frankly, it doesn’t work as a movie. The animation, while maintaining the series’ standard of excellence, isn’t a single degree better than what aired on television, which can be disappointing upon a visit to the theater. The pacing is also off for a feature film; the common knock upon theatrical release was that it felt like four episodes stitched together (it even has the omake-style interludes between scenes, like the show). The arc also focuses very heavily on Kaguya and Miyuki specifically, so the ensemble cast I mentioned earlier does have to take a backseat. Splitting this up for streaming and televised release was the right move here.

Season 3 would have been a very good ending for this series if it never got picked up for the movie. If it doesn’t get picked up for a proper fourth season, this is the perfect place for it to end. The manga has now been adapted up to just past the halfway point, and the next best stopping point would have to wait until a possible, like, fifth season. And that arc in question, while it does have some iconic moments, is very uneven. If this is all we’re getting, we’ve gotten plenty already, and I am satisfied.

If you've watched the first three seasons of Kaguya-sama, you owe it to yourself to watch The First Kiss That Never Ends. It is nearly everything you could ask for. Also, read the manga if you haven’t already. It’s genuinely one of my favorite things I've ever read.

11. The Apothecary Diaries

This one is basically House M.D. set in the Ming Dynasty, and it fucks.

Maomao, an apothecary raised in a pleasure district near the palace of a fictional East Asian empire, is shanghaied (pun intended) into menial work in said palace. She hears tell of a supposed curse plaguing the emperor’s newborn children and the concubines that birthed them, quickly deduces that it may be poisoning, and discreetly leaves a message for the ailing new mothers. She’s found out by an impossibly beautiful young administrator named Jinshi, who quickly deduces that she’s one of the few literate peons in the rear palace, and he puts her to work in the pavilion of the concubine that heeded her advice.

With her knowledge of, resistance to, and slightly masochistic infatuation with various poisons, Maomao slots right in as an attendant and poison tester to one of the emperor’s embattled concubines. Often at Jinshi’s urging (even though she immediately gets the ick at his habitual flirting), Maomao finds herself investigating deaths, mysterious ailments, and strange behaviors, on top of the foreign world of palace politics. Though she’s a deeply jaded person who only seems to care for her special interests, Maomao is incredibly perceptive and often able to suss out the finer details others miss.

Surprisingly, this one is a really breezy watch, and much funnier than you might expect. For all its lush environs, slowly-mounting intrigue, and often stunning cinematography, The Apothecary Diaries isn’t afraid to get a little silly with it. The dialogue is snappy, quick gags abound in a familiar single-panel chibi style you wouldn’t expect in a setting like this, and Komi-esque cat ears spontaneously pop up from Maomao's head whenever her interest is piqued. Interactions between Maomao and Jinshi are always a hoot, and you can pretty quickly figure out where it’s going, although Maomao can’t because she’s still pretty sure Jinshi is a eunuch.

As she does in virtually every role in her dozen-plus years as a seiyuu, Aoi Yuuki crushes it in the starring role. She really nails the disaffected cynicism that animates most of Maomao’s internal monologue and sarcastic dialogue, as well as her hair-trigger glee when presented with her personal interests in food and drink, medicinal herbs, and of course, poison. Yuuki is an indispensable element in ensemble casts like One Punch Man, Persona 5, Nier Automata, Wotakoi, and the aforementioned KamiKatsu (as well as others I don’t plan on watching like My Hero Academia, Rent-a-Girlfriend, and The Seven Deadly Sins), so it’s especially nice to hear her in a spotlight role outside of the odd Madoka Magica, spider isekai, or Cyberpunk Edgerunners.

There are a handful of anime on this list that will be continuing or returning in January, and second only to my #1 anime this year, this is the one I’m most excited to see more of. At time of writing, the show appears to be shifting in a new direction, and I’m hoping to see it take less of an episodic pace.

Part 3 is on the way! I'm going to split my top ten into two more posts, because I ended up writing... a lot more than I'd expected.

[yuurikatsukienthusiast]

Let's talk about episode 11

I have SO many feelings about this episode for so many different reasons. So much happens, and it's hard to encompass everything into words, but I'll be damned if I don't try.

Starting off strong, let's talk about Yuuri's short program and the score he received on it.

I may have been the only one to notice this, but Yuuri's short program at the GPF in Barcelona was not given the usual amount of attention that it was at previous competitions. In regards to both animation and the commentary we usually get during the performances. A lot of it seemed rushed, almost like there was not as much time spent on it. Most of the focus was on Yuuri's second attempted quad flip, which he touched down for.

Yuuri received a score of 97.83 on this performance.

Now, I'm not a genius at figure skating. I only know what I know from Yuri on Ice, but doesn't the inclusion of a quad flip, especially in the second half of the program, boost the score?

Not to mention that Yuuri, as far as we know, skated a very clean program with very few to no mistakes other than when he touched down on the quad flip (which, as mentioned before, already boosts his score for even being included at all). When there are mistakes in a performance, they're typically addressed, and they're mentioned by the commentators or the performers inner monologue.

But there was no indication of anything actually being wrong with Yuuri's short program.

If anything, Oda and Morooka were all but singing Yuuri's praise during his performance, and seemed almost surprised to see that Yuuri hadn't scored higher.

So let's back track for a moment.

Yuuri skated a clean program.

There were no mistakes mentioned in any of the commentary made throughout his performance.

He added a freaking quad flip into the second half of the program, despite touching down.

When taking all of this into consideration, Yuuri's score makes absolutely no sense.

Previously, at other competitions, Yuuri's short program had received a personal best of 106, and that was without the quad flip. He had been consistently beating his PB every time he skated On Love: Eros. So for his score to jump so far backwards after skating a nearly perfect performance makes absolutely no sense.

They completely underscored him.

And I understand why they did it, but that doesn't mean I can't be pissed about it. Especially because of the way they underscored him.

They underscored Yuuri's short program to give Yurio the chance to break Victor's world record. And then they tried to make up for it by having Yuuri break Victor's world record during his free skate, only for him to lose because of how high Yurio's SP score was.

If Yuuri had scored just half a point higher on his SP, he would've won.

Now, I am very aware of why Yurio was the one who won. And I'm glad he did.

(well...sort of. Maybe I'd feel better about it if we had actually gotten a season 2...)

But if they were going to have Yuuri lose, they could've at least made it make sense as to why he lost. They could've easily had Yuuri make a few more mistakes because of his nerves, or even addressed the fact that he got screwed over, and it would've made much more sense. But leaving it completely unacknowledged makes it seem like he was underscored without any good reason.

I really hope I'm making sense here, because if I'm not, I'll cry.

Anyway, I digress. Moving on!

Now, let's address the events that followed Yuuri's SP score. More specifically, Victor's behavior for the rest of the night.

This has been a detail about the show that has bothered me since my first watch through. Let me explain.

After Yuuri's short program, when they receive his score at the kiss and cry, Victor asks himself what Yuuri needs from him, and wonders what he can do for him right then and there. It's a sweet moment of Victor being the concerned fiance we all know and love. It's obvious here that hes grown from his mistakes at the Cup of China, and has learned to be more mindful of Yuuri's emotions.

However, given this context, Victor's behavior throughout the rest of the performances completely backtracks all of that progress.

We all know that Victor isn't the most emotionally intelligent. He can be pretty tone deaf when it comes to emotions, and he tends to be a bit insensitive. But when he and Yuuri have their moment together in the parking garage at the Cup of China, he quickly learns that in order to truly be there for Yuuri, he has to learn how to support him through his anxiety, even if it means dealing with the discomfort that may come with seeing his lover so distraught.

Since then, Victor had done everything in his power to make sure he was supporting Yuuri as much as possible. An example of this is in episode 10, when it's shown to us that Victor has truly started understanding what Yuuri needs from him when he's dealing with anxiety by inner monologuing about watching over him.

And as mentioned before, he has a similar moment to this at the kiss and cry after Yuuri's gpf sp performance. This, again, being a major show of progress when it comes to Victor's character development.

But as mentioned before (again...), as soon as that progress is made, it's immediately reversed again just minutes later.

When Yurio kicks them out of the kiss and cry and takes the ice, there's a brief moment of tension between Victor and Yuuri when they find each other again after being separated for a brief period of time between performances.

Victor is shown intensely watching Yurio skate from a balcony (?) up in the stands. When Yuuri walks up the stairs and calls out to him, he freezes upon seeing Victor's expression.

This is a tense moment for a reason, and it holds a lot more weight to it than a lot of the fandom acknowledges.

This brief, but almost intimidating interaction between the two is over within seconds, but it sends Yuuri into a silent spiral of anxiety.

After Yuuri makes his presence known to Victor, and Victor urges them to find some seats to watch the rest of the programs, it's now Chris's time to take the ice.

The commentators mention Victor and Chris's friendly rivalry, and question how Victor must be feeling to watch Chris from the stands as a coach rather than a competitor. This sparks Yuuri's concern once more.

He begins to connect Victor's behavior from before, when he caught him watching Yurio skate, and right then, as he watches Chris skate. Whatever connection he silently drew between the two moments only seemed to cause him more stress.

So as Yuuri is silently spiraling next to him due to being outscored by both Chris and Otabek, Victor is completely ignoring him in favor of rubbing salt into the wound further by encouraging the other skaters more than his own.

It is obvious that Victor's complete lack of awareness of Yuuri's growing anxiety in these moments is having a significant negative impact on Yuuri's self confidence.

There is a clear conclusion we can draw here based on these interactions.

Seeing Victor react the way he did to Yurio's, Chris's, and Otabek's performances, led him to believe that Victor was disappointed in him and his score.

And while we know this isn't true, what other conclusion could Yuuri have come up with?

And it is probably because of this that Yuuri decided to bring up his retirement to Victor that night. He probably assumed that because of Victor's supposed disappointment, and his obvious longing to be back out on the ice himself, that he'd want to quit anyway.

At least, that's how I personally interpreted these moments. But regardless of how they're interpreted, there's a much bigger message behind them that's much less ambiguous.

And that message is that Victor still has a lot of work to do with his emotional and self awareness issues.

I love Victor to death, but he's not flawless. And episode 11 is a perfect example of that. He loves Yuuri so much, and he would never do anything to intentionally hurt him or tear him down. But he lacks self awareness, and it often leads to his true intentions being misinterpreted.

There's a lot more to say about what Victor's obviously unfinished character development says about what the plans for the show were, and how they connect and contrast the plans for Yuuri's character, but I'll save that for a different post.

All in all, this episode was incredibly frustrating to watch

Between Yuuri being underscored on his short program, and Victor being Victor, it was hard for me to not talk about it.

And let me know if you agree or disagree with any of this. I'm genuinely curious to know what other's thoughts and feelings on this episode were. Because I know that there's still much more about this episode that I could ramble about.

[marshallpupfan]

How did season 10 of Paw Patrol do with Marshall? You know how you said that season 9 treated Marshall badly and season 7 restricted him so I'm just wondering what were your thoughts about season 10 and did season 10 do good to Marshall or not? How was season 10 doing to Marshall?

Right off the bat, I'll say it was an improvement over season 9. There were times it felt like he got some legit good moments, not to mention a few surprises here and there.

POSITIVES~

I quite liked Marshall's role in Jungle Pups, especially during "Pups Save the Big, Big Animals". I'm glad this subseries finally gave him plenty of focus, especially after Aqua Pups. To be honest, some of the things he did even felt like a breath of fresh air, especially for this franchise! Jungle Pups was easily a highlight of season 10, imo.

The biggest surprise, however, was during "Pups vs. the Hum-Flectors". Ultimate Fire Rescue aside, I'm glad it allowed Marshall to put out some fires in the TV series again! This is such a game changer for PAW Patrol, as we might finally start seeing more now! Thanks to a leaked image, we know the second subseries of season 11 is "FIRE RESCUE", and given that the cartoon's finally willing to show fires again, I think it has the potential to be really exciting!

We also got many cute moments here and there, including a rather unexpected one between him and Chase. I'm always glad to see them hang out and show off their big friendship, especially in the wake of that interview with the Spin Master president and her silly claim.

NEGATIVES~

Now, while season 10 was better to Marshall than 9... overall, it still wasn't THAT good to him, sadly.

I'm glad he found use in that Mighty Pups episodes, but it was basically a rehash of a prior season 6 mission, just on a bigger scale. Harold Humdinger was even the villain trying to freeze things again. They should've thought up something more original.

While I think Hum-Flectors was good, and I'm grateful it broke the "no fire" rule in the TV series... I just wish it was more ultimate. I'm always glad to see Marshall's UFR gear & firetruck, but the mission could've easily been solved with his regular equipment. This also makes me worry they'll only use fire for special occasions, no matter how big or small they are. I'd like to see regular missions involve fires. too.

And then, there's the part that still feels like a slap to the face to all Marshall fans; having Alex get stuck up in a tree, and Ryder calling Skye to save him. Again, her harness cable quite literally passed through solid branches to make sure she succeeded. This never would've happened in the earlier seasons. It's easily one of the stupidest moments to ever be written in PAW Patrol.

Rescue Wheels, sadly, hasn't been good to Marshall. Still better than Aqua Pups, but not by much. You give Marshall a new, big-wheeled firetruck, and the first task you give him is something meager like washing graffiti off walls? The second episode at least had him use his ladder to save two people, but something happened to stop him from succeeding completely. Spoiler; the next one, "Rescue Wheels: Pups Save the Spelunkers", does the same thing. I hate seeing stuff like this, especially given how the franchise treats Marshall nowadays. It's like the writers are afraid of letting him succeed too much or something.

As for his other moments this season... I can't remember that many of them now. You've got stuff like Marshall interacting with that newborn lizard, which was cute and all... but I keep hoping to see him shine more during missions, and we still don't get that too much... typically in favor of Skye, Skye, and more Skye (her saving Alex from the tree like I mentioned earlier is proof of that). Then again, it's not like he's the only one inflicted by this, really. But yeah, outside of Jungle Pups, the positives I mentioned above, and a few other things like Boomer... season 10's just a shoulder shrug to me.

This is another one of those times I wish I could be more positive, and I'm sorry if anyone's getting tired of me being like this. Again, season 10 was a step up from season 9 for Marshall, just... not by much. I still think he deserves way better than what he's getting, and I'm hoping season 11 will give us just that. Breaking the no fire rule might accomplish this? I'm not bursting with confidence, but who knows.

[avorbl]

Avor's Watchlist

I spent most of the last 24 hours rescuing my PC by connecting and configuring a new hard drive, which has put me a bit behind on the series’ I wanted to finish this week.

Currently Airing

4 Minutes 4/8 It currently presents itself like I am watching the fixit fic alongside the source material and I am enjoying it.

Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko 7/8 The last two episodes were so uncomfortable and made no sense in how they handled Hiroko

Battle of the Writers 3/12 Silly pretty pictures

Blue Canvas of Youthful Days 2/12 This looked like it could be a solid Chinese University BL with all the alienation and abandonment typical of the genre

Cosmetic Playlover 4/8 Story overall moves too fast but also in-episode arcs feel miscalibrated alot of space is given to the setup and not much to the resolution

First Note of Love 2/12 I am hoping for more chemistry between the leads next time. They both look interesting

I Hear the Sunspot 8/12 Apparently the plot was moving to fast after EP6 because they made Maya the only active character in EP7 and that was very jarring

With You I Bloom 11/20

Mr Mitsuyas Planned Feeding 4/10 Slowly but surely the relationship develops. Acting and story are great the badly done seasonal changes are as funny as they are distracting though

Seoul Blues 1/8 Sukfilm has this very narrow interest in their queer stories. But they find more angles to look at it.

Sugar Dog Life 2/10

Takara’s Treasure 7/11 It gets better with each episode.

What I am catching up on

Boytoy 5/13 Feels like an early BL

Like Love 2/15 I need to catch up Chinese Bls

Love in the Air 11/13 Someone explain to me why this is one show and not two

The Double 31/40

The Founder of Diabolism Donghua Season 1 4/15 I’m trying it out but if the other two seasons are harder to find I will probably not be inclined to search for them

The Princess Royal 19/40 the royal aspect of this couple makes this weaker than The Double

Unstoppable High Kick 21/167 Its fun but I cannot imagine watching more than two episodes a week

Word of Honor 13/36

Finished in the last two weeks

Bad Guy 06.08.24 8/10 Another short series where Sukfilm examines the struggle between societal pressure and being true to your own desire.

Century of Love 08.08.24 7,5/10 A good core idea and story, music was a bit off and had few odd choices esp in ep 9

Knock Knock, Boys! 08.08.24 9/10 At bit slow at the start. A light hearted show that was suprisingly earnest in its potrayal of queer life

Meet You at the Blossom 15.08.24 7,5/10 Failed to maintain the comedic balance it set out with. Otherwise the Chinese costume BL it seemed to be from the start.

My Sweet Mobster 17.08.24 7/10 It had some good points on rehabilitation but overall standard fare with some lengths

Dropped in the last two weeks

Bad Guy 8/50 11.08.24 -/10

[drake-walker-appreciation]

Drake's Birthday Celebration!

We have set Drake's birthday celebration for August and hope you'll join us with fics, drabbles, artwork and more! Special thanks to @aussiegurl1234 for the graphic!

The event will take place from August 1st through August 12th of 2023.

RULES:

All mediums accepted! Fanfiction, fan art, mood boards, HC's, whatever you've got!

Must be themed/centered around Drake's birthday and present him positively.

You must tag @drake-walker-appreciation

The deadline is 11:59 p.m. CST on August 12th, 2023.

A couple of important points:

The event is in August, but you may place his birthday in whatever month you HC it is!

Throwbacks featuring Drake's birthday are more than welcome!

Please reach out to this blog, @angelasscribbles or @karahalloway with any questions or suggestions!

We know his birthday, much like most of the PB timeline is nebulous so for anyone interested, here's the thought process about its placement, under the cut:

I think it’s common knowledge that PB’s timeline is total crap.

MC is told that the social season is a “few months” long, but if you follow the actual time stops given in the stoy…. “the next day…”, “a few days later…” etc, then the timeline is two and half weeks-ish. It’s like day 11 by time stops when MC is told that the season is “more than half over” despite the season being several months long. The Apple Blossom Festival is immediately after this, and Drake’s birthday happens during it.

We obviously can’t depend on anything about this timeline to tell us when his birthday falls.

Instead, we can look at the timeline that the actual social season in England follows. There is ample proof that plenty of the details of how royalty and the social season work in TRR are based on England, so this feels like a good option.

Besides, they left us no choice but to figure it out on our own, so any method you chose to use is valid since this is fiction. I personally did a deep dive into the social season in England both historically and in modern times.

The social season is four months long, starting in early April and ending on the Twelfth of August aka the start of the shooting season.

Applewood and the Apple Blossom Festival happen just before the Beaumont Bash, which is canonically the last official event of the social season. Therefore, I place the bash in the first half of August. MC drives from the festival events at Applewood directly to Ramsford so we can assume those activities take place at the end of July or beginning of August.

The next clue comes with the very title of this festival: Apple Blossom Festival. It’s not a harvest festival, so it doesn’t take place in the fall. (Apples are typically harvested in the last week of August and September, some even later, which is after the social season concludes at any rate.)

Apples blossom from early spring to late summer depending on the variety of apple. Most blossom in April or May but since the festival takes place at the end of the season, we have to assume that the Cordonian Ruby is a late-blooming variety. A very late blooming variety. (This is possible because when they bloom has more to do with the temperature of the region than the time of year. Since there was skiing and ice skating in April, we can assume it stays cold there well into spring.)

In conclusion, based on all of the above, I feel confident that Drake’s birthday falls somewhere at the end of July or in the first half of August.

That said, I’m not here to gatekeep anyone's HC’s so with that in mind, even though the event is in August, you may place Drake’s birthday whenever you like in your story. Put it in February, put it in October. The important part is that you have fun with it. That’s it.

Happy writing!

[leadhoovesies]

Finished My Dress-up Darling.

Ho-ly CRAP! What an amazing anime. It's a bit hard for me to put down my feelings about the whole thing. It hasn't caused me to bawl my eyes out like other things I watched recently, but it wasn't meant to. Its goal seems to be to give warm happy feelings and it succeeded. I am amazed that only one season is out so far. This is the first time that I'm heavily thinking of getting the manga just to see more.

I'll start with the animation. In a word, it's gorgeous. The lighting. The blur. The camera angles. The tiny details. The animation changes for each anime Marin wants to cosplay as. It's all so beautiful. I am blown away by the quality of work they put on here. That being said, I can see why a second season is taking a while.

I'll follow up with the audio, which I haven't really paid much attention to in other shows I've recently watched. The music in this is perfect. It's never bombastic or overwhelming. It lingers in the background adding a bit of flavor in every scene. Almost always warm and pleasant. Cozy. Snuggly.

I watched the dub. The localization is perfect. The voice actors did an amazing job.

Next I'll touch on the story. Dress-up Darling's Story didn't hit me as hard as my other recent watches. That's definitely not a negative. The story is, like the music, warm, cozy, and snuggly. It's safe. There's no intense conflict here. It's all about the developing feelings and relationship between two different yet similar people.

I was surprised at the amount of risqué scenes we got. That might push away some viewers, but honestly they did it mostly tastefully in my opinion.

It gets a bit intense, especially by episode 11. However, it makes sense in the story. It makes sense in their relationship. It's more romantic and cute than provocative. That being said, it being more romantic and intimate had a stronger effect on me, personally. Certainly got my heart racing and my face warm. I constantly had to pause the thing to compose myself.

Speaking of relationships. Marin and Gojo's is really good. Gojo is instantly attracted to Marin. I mean, of course he would be, but because of that he doesn't realize that his feelings for her are more than just his physical attraction towards her. Being sheltered for his entire life means he never really had the opportunity to explore these emotions. He keeps his distance because he thinks his reaction towards her might be disrespectful.

Marin on the other hand likes to tease Gojo. She recognizes Gojo is super awkward and enjoys messing with him a bit. However, she quickly develops real feelings towards him, realizes them right away, and ACCEPTS them. We don't get the typical "Oh no! I can't be in love! No!" denial that's common in these kinds of things. It's not absent. She has this reaction for like 5 minutes before she accepts that she REALLY loves the guy.

What's amazing is... they don't let this overwhelm their personalities. Gojo's world doesn't revolve around Marin. He isn't obsessed or constantly worrying about her. Same with Marin. She doesn't turn into some lovesick person. I'm especially happy with how she's written since she knows she likes Gojo, but it doesn't change how she acts around him very much. She even spends time away from him from time to time, and Gojo spends time away from her too and it's no big deal. Sure there's times they get into excitable situations, but for the most part they're normal towards each other, and those situations happen nearly organically. It's such a nice change of pace from shows where the protagonists are downright obsessed with each other.

Marin's personality is so good. She's a bit extra, but endearing and you always know she means well. It makes sense that she is comfortable with cosplaying and showing some skin considering her part-time work. She's just casual about it, but she has her own limits.

Marin's casual attitude clashes well with Gojo's reserved attitude. It sets up really cute sequences between the two of them. I love how focused Gojo can be. He's so passionate about what he does that he can get in the zone and forget how awkward he is. His heart is so pure! And, amazingly, it doesn't make him bland at all... or he's so bland that he's interesting. I'm glad that they keep him grounded too.

A criticism I have about the story, is that background characters don't get enough play. Nowa, especially. Maybe she gets more time in the manga. Maybe she'll get more time in season 2, but you see her like twice and don't get to know her. Juju and Shinju get like 2 or 3 episodes and disappear. I know we have to focus on Gojo and Marin, but it feels like we missed out on getting to know others more.

Another criticism is how they backed off from the school life aspect. In episode 1 and 2 specifically, we see that there's social hierarchy bullshit in the school. People take advantage of Gojo's doormat personality. People gossip about Gojo and Marin because Gojo is the designated weirdo loner... that disappears. We see them hanging out at school, but we stop seeing any consequence of their friendship rippling through the school social hierarchy thing.

In a way, it's pleasant not to deal with that... but why introduce that with no payoff? I guess it sort of works, because it ends with Marin herself saying, "(who cares if they think we're going out?) Why DON'T we go out!?" And this is before she realizes she has feelings for him.

I'm biased because this show feels taylor made (hehe) for me. A guy with an uncommon interest having a hard time making friends. A guy insanely passionate about perfecting his art. A guy finding validation. All of these mattered more to me than him finding love. The most important line in this show, to me, was, "I appreciate you." I didn't really cry in this show... but I'm getting teary eyed thinking of that line right now.To be appreciated for what you can offer. It's a hell of a thing

[a-d-nox]

🍾 POP 🍾

hi! im k and i would like to participate in your game. my goal to lose weight during the next year. thank you

clocking no. 15

remember to be kind to your body! you deserve both health and happiness.

start of 2025 -> 4.4 - be on the look out for 4s or quads 11:11, 4:44, the emperor card, 4 weeks (a month), etc. you might feel a bit unlucky at the start of the year maybe you are constantly dropping your phone? or maybe the winter season (4 seasons) is not typically when you feel your best. but the start of the new year I feel as though you might feeling a bit more stabilized and structured than you typically do. make sure you are thinking practicality as the start of the new year is generally a tough time for people all around especially in terms of money after the holiday season. also speaking of 4s perhaps you have been wanting a 4-legged friend - its a good time for you to get one per the cards. pets are the best companions people can ask for - if you have a pet spend more time with them! on another note it is time for you to go back to creature comforts... when things feel wobbly this can be what grounds you (the comforts you have). and reminder if things feel uncertain it is not you, it is the circumstance. give things time (a month) and it will sort itself out.

end of 2024 -> 1.4 - this year seems like it was one where you learned how to be yourself more than ever before. you learned to trust your instincts first and foremost. otherwise it might indicate that you have lost touch with yourself near the end - its time to find and trust yourself once more. reflect on who you are, what makes you you, what your beliefs are, etc.

what's changing for you in 2025 -> 4.1 - there is that inner work stuff again. seems like you need to reconnect with who you are. be gentle with yourself - you are on your way to becoming your best self so just be patient along the way. you might have to do some shadow work in the mean time but that's not too big of a deal.

the work you will have to do -> 9.2 - you are going to have to look at things differently than you currently do. you are going to have to be really kind to yourself - level set. not everything will be an easy as you want them to be this coming year - don't cry because it didn't happen, cry for the things that did.

-a.d.

[geographerdose]

Celestial Screenshots Destined for Fame, Pt. 11: Anthony Bourdain

Not a professional astrologer—lowkey spitballing here, doing my own casual and intuitive “analysis” of celeb charts. ⭐️

I was sitting here, feeling behind in life, while I laid on the couch watching No Reservations 👀,

And I was thinking… how old was Anthony Bourdain when season 1 was released in 2005?

49

How old was he when he published his first book in 1995?

39

He got the book advance from Random House in 1990 at the age of 34.

This first book was not successful.

Neither was his second.

In 1998, he became an executive chef.

42

Then in 2000, his book Kitchen Confidential was released and it became a New York Times bestseller.

44

In 2002, the Food Network offered him his own show A Cook’s Tour that ran until 2003. (note to self: find this)

46

What did you say? It got me curious about the MC in his natal chart?

Why, yes, it did:

Alright, alright, alriiiiight

Here we have the MC in Taurus at 0 degrees

Ruler of the MC is Venus in Gemini 28 degrees

Conjunct the Sun in Cancer 3 degrees ☀️⭐️

And co-present with Mercury in Gemini 12 degrees

🫒Can we just unload these four things for a second? Taurus talks about food and it’s with the planet of communication but not only that it has the ruler on its side in the eleventh house of groups/house of Good Spirit. No wonder he became a food influencer/writer and chef.

🫒I noticed there is a superior square from Mars in Pisces to Venus and the Sun since Venus actually falls under the beams of the Sun but Mars doesn’t. Mars has the upper hand and is capable of doing the most damage here in addition to being under the beams which is typically seen as negative.

🫒It’s shy by one degree and I think that saves his career because obviously he has had a very successful career. Actually Mars is the only planet not as harmed being under the beams so maybe the Sun conjunct Venus forms this “body” that Mars’ rays strike as one instead of two bodies. Idk that’s probably not how it works, lol, I’m just spitballing here. But I think that in a strange way the Sun-Mars situation, despite how bad it looks, somehow is actually fortunate for Venus (and thus his MC/career).

🫒But no the Suns influence too I feel can kind of show some false starts in regards to the first two books not doing so good then the third one becoming a bestseller. There’s something here with that bc I think Al Pacino and the king of R&B had similar experiences.

🫒The trine to MC’s ruler by the Fama asteroid def ups the fame factor too 😎

🫒Oh shit— do you see how Venus is opposing his North Node?? Talk about great things in regards to career since Venus rules his MC

ALSO I think there’s reception happening there, even if it’s not a planet — energy of the MC is that of the Venus variety simply being in Taurus, that which Venus rules💫

🫒Also like idk I just find it funny that like the Fortuna asteroid is squaring the Fortune lot 😆 seems fortunate 🥴

🫒Wow there’s a lot going on in regards to that MC

🫒Let’s back up for a minute. He has a day chart so Mars is going to do the most damage and it actually has the upper hand in his chart. And with it maltreating the ruler of his MC, it definitely was not an instant road to success for him but nonetheless he wound up becoming a massive influencer and trailblazer with his unique insight and authenticity.

🫒That Sun conjunction is not surprising given his massive fame but it’s still cool to see it poking out as confirmation as it has in so many charts of celebs before.

🫒Okay so my whole point at looking at his chart was to see if he had Saturn influence based on traditional markers of success, like publishing a book or getting your own show— coming later I life. I am sure he had many other successes, more important successes, at many different ages as I know he struggled with addiction but I guess I was coming into this from an ego-based perspective of “I haven’t achieved this by my age yet” and sort of like beating myself up about it.

🫒And then I just got lost in reading his chart.

🫒⭐️But yes there is Saturn influence— a very loose sign-based opposition to his MC. I think this accounts for like the later age in traditional markers of success. Basically trying to make myself feel better and that there’s still time for me to reach traditional markers of success.

🫒Honestly, for him, maybe it was best that he achieved fame and great success later in life as he did struggle with addiction and could have potentially lost it all due to that but because he went through that and healed it before becoming very successful, he was able to withstand good grace and longevity in his fame and success. ⭐️

He was so hot. 🥹🥹🥹

[piesofcherry]

Man y’all really did say gondel had fans on BB twitter and I was like ‘what? Cause I didn’t see them in my feed’ until tonight. Suddenly it’s ‘I’m rooting for anyone black’ and people ask including gondel and people really be defending him. And others are crossing a line by trying to frame the other houseguests as being racist when they really aren’t. Most seasons race is a serious issue in the show, but it hasn’t been this season. In the past I was someone who typically rooted for anyone who was a minority (the few they had back in the day) & those working with them. But now they have increased diversity and the only people left are minorities, and Bowie Jane (who is Australian which is just random), and Cam (who is awful). Matt is deaf, Blue is Korean, Jag is Indian, Cory is Jewish, America is Latina, Meme, Felicia, Cirie, & Cirie’s Son (gondel) are Black. That’s it. That’s all 11 houseguests. And Cam would have been evicted if it weren’t for the twist along with gondel. Which would have left only Bowie Jane as the non-minority.

People use hyperbolic language all the time in the big brother house when describing a previous conversation with a houseguest they aren’t working with. It isn’t that deep. Every houseguest who has ever played has talked about how intense the emotions are in there so it makes sense. And once gondel and Cam are gone for real for real, I’m cool with however it goes. Sure I’m still favoring Cory, America, & Jag trio but I do lowkey love Meme & Felicia too. And even though Blue is a recruit, once gondel leaves, her game should improve and I could see myself even pulling for her. I like Cirie, but she is clearly playing for her son and he is not it. Once he does leave and she plays on her own and it giving it her all, I could seriously root for her too cause I liked her with Izzy, but she could also just throw in the towel because she is getting burnt out with it being 50+ days already. She’s not used to this timeline and she is starting to really voice that.

I guess I just wanted to vent and share my thoughts cause I was tired of seeing Cory & America slander trying to paint them as bad people. Like if you aren’t rooting for them, that’s fine, you do you. There’s no need to take it further than that. As someone who has been around the BB community long enough, I feel like I have seen serious things that needed to be addressed over the years, some were, some weren’t. Shoot, CBS acts like BB15 doesn’t exist with how bad it was. When something needs to be addressed, we do a pretty good job collectively agreeing on it as a community online (at least the areas online I’m apart of, which is nice). (Like gondel and the r-word or the expelled houseguest the first week). So yeah, that’s just my thoughts. And yeah I’ve watched Big Brother forever.

[foreigndistance]

I love S.E.M an insane amount. (a reflection)

“If it weren’t for S.E.M, would I even be here right now?”

Okay, correction: “If I didn’t meet S.E.M again through a random Google search a few years ago, would I even be here right now?”

Let’s turn back the clock for a moment. I got into 2D fictional idols through Love Live! back in mid-2017 with me first watching the School Idol Project anime on a whim. Timeskip to months later in October and I went through Sunshine!! Season 2 when it was airing, and I remembered vaguely hearing things about THE IDOLM@STER back then. I had a loose idea about SideM’s existence through clips from the anime (which was airing on that same season) along with IDOLiSH7 and Tsukipro – both fellow male idol series that I also encountered. Neither did I pay closer attention to these nor was I into male idols though.

Here’s this bit from a previous lovemail from a few years ago: I wasn’t fully open about my interests towards others. I feared that nobody would understand what I enjoy, especially if it isn't as well-known as what a typical person would know. Before becoming an idol fan, I was more into magical girl anime, tokusatsu, and Western animation in general – all of which are niche interests in their own right.

Skip to 2019. By that point, I was already into IM@S by that point, albeit focusing more on 765Pro and Million Live’s activities via Theater Days. In January, I started Shiny Colors and LIVE ON ST@GE! for the first time, and both had uh – let’s just say, “unique” ways of handling non-rhythm game-like mechanics. (I haven't touched the older console games yet.) I was more of a casual fan of the two branches (compared to 765) and I was more focused on my high school life, which hadn’t started crumbling down just yet. I didn’t stay with the two games as much as Mirishita.

My first starter idol in MStage was Ryo, mainly because of his connection with the console games. Touma and Ryo’s connections to 765Pro immediately made them my initial favorite idols in SideM, but three men clad in pink and silver spandex caught my attention: S.E.M. The unit’s concept of a trio of ex-teachers becoming idols to motivate and inspire students to study and follow their dreams struck me. I regretted not starting off with any of the members, so I left my original MStage account, opting to return with a S.E.M starter idol when I gave it a second chance.

I chose Rui as my new starter idol in April 2019, but I didn’t really have a no. 1 favorite idol by then. I read a few of whatever was translated and listened to some of the songs; but I was more focused on Mirishita and acted more casually towards the other branches.

But on a more personal note, I was starting to go through some… mixed feelings in my personal life.

My boyfriend and I broke up after 11 months, had to give up taking part in a club I’ve been involved in for the past 2 years by then, and constantly got annoyed at some teachers’ way of doing things which affected my enjoyment of the subjects I studied for… And on top of that, it was starting to feel more lonely as I saw friend groups I knew split apart for a moment and I would feel unwanted at times when my close friends aren’t around.

It was getting lonely. Being with the school newspaper team felt most like home when our meetings happened, but it wasn’t enough.

(Don’t worry, I’m okay now and my friends – including my ex – are currently on good terms.)

December 4, 2019. The router at home was having internet problems and I couldn’t properly play the Mirishita event at the time, “Hitomi no Naka no Sirius”. I was at home since we didn’t have to go to school because of a holiday. I don’t fully remember what led to me messing around on my two phones – but for some reason, I typed “S.E.M” onto Google search on a whim and found their work again. It was clear that I was bored by that point, so I started reading their magazines and event stories again to pass the time.

Seeing S.E.M and the relationship within the trio… reminded me of home. What appealed to me about them wasn’t just their “silly” reason for becoming idols in the first place or their entire concept (which is already something you don’t see in other mixed media idol/music franchises often), it was the relationship between three grown men (who were colleagues from the same workplace they left) getting into the entertainment industry just to inspire and motivate others to follow their dreams and, of course, study. School had a strong importance for most of my life where I could show my true self without feeling restricted by my family’s presence. Seeing them… made me smile.

I started rambling about them – especially Jiro, who initially became my favorite among the trio back then – to my best friend. The brainrot slowly took over. I was already sure that all three of them were here to stay this time. The brainrot made me reinstall MStage and return to my account, and I started playing the original Mobage with my beginner-level Japanese knowledge.

As I started talking more about that trio of ex-teachers with her, I realized how insecure I really was about my interests; too shy to talk to random strangers online as well. At that time, it felt like that had to change. I created my present-day Twitter account in early 2020. That was originally dedicated to my interests (and eventually became my main account) and I started talking in English-speaking IM@S servers more often. I’ve made friends with people from around the world and from my own home country. I even started posting some of my own art on there and would try to start posting on other social media platforms over the years. It was nerve-wracking, but perhaps it made me feel a little less lonely compared to before, looking back.

When I left another fandom (which was related to IRL idols) in early 2020, I made a pledge to myself that no matter how bad the branch’s situation gets, I would stay with the boys until the end. Of all the media I have ever touched, none would come close as to what THE IDOLM@STER SideM would ever bring me into on a very personal level. Its message and theme of starting over again at any age resonated with me, and it hits hard especially as I grew older. I’ve met many Producers of varying branches over the last 3-4 years, have taken part in several fan community projects – including running entire Twitter accounts and fan wikis and Discord servers – and helped me learn some skills along the way.

As for my tantous in IM@S itself? Michio Hazama (and by extension, S.E.M as whole) would overtake everyone, of course.  Entering 2020, I had to rank the New Year’s Michio event in LIVE ON ST@GE! right after I just returned to it, then my first S.E.M-focused event since I started the Mobage was a Michio rank. The first artwork I posted on Twitter publicly was his New Year event SR for his birthday.

Of all the tantous I’ve met, none could reach the same personal level of love, care, and interest I have for them as much as him. (Even if a certain Cinderella Girl came to challenge that notion.) I remembered one of my types being a quiet, serious guy with glasses. His silent passion and strict (yet caring) demeanor towards his pupils, the way he wants to see them succeed from an educator’s point of view, and his moments with the cast – especially with his unitmates and Producer – brought me immense warmth.

I knew he would become my favorite idol within the branch as time went on, but he eventually won me over the most within the entire franchise. A serious man in glasses is an archetype you would often see, but seeing a teacher figure want the best for his students and his unit, as well as being passionate about his work and not being overly loud about it drives me insane.

——————————————————————————————

Fast forward to 2022. When GROWING STARS had its 1st anniversary campaign, the vibes I got from the online surroundings at the time didn’t settle well with me. Honestly, I was very disappointed with the execution of the anniversary campaign itself, although I tried to keep myself in tact. There was a lingering feeling that what is now a core aspect of myself about to break down once again, especially seeing how some Producers I met through SideM had (understandably) either left or took a break for better, greener pastures. I found myself turning towards a certain pair of adult ladies from another production to help me go through my short break from SideM at the time, but still kept in touch with IM@S by that point. As I thought about the other idols (who are over 20 y/o) I would eventually produce – especially when it comes to that pair of ladies – I thought to myself that what if SideM helped rewire my taste.

And now, with the advent of the last remaining SideM game’s impending, terribly received, and horribly executed shutdown and with Bandai Namco having revealed its future plans through a roadmap... I’m lost and unsure where to go. It’s like I KNOW where to go, but don’t know how to go further despite the circumstances. I even gave a large “sigh” towards the announcement before I’d write the GROWING STARS shutdown notice itself onto the SideM ENG Twitter.

It took me a few days to write up my full response towards the shutdown announcement up to the point where I was writing it in the middle of my trip days after the stream. Before that, I had left several disappointed tweets which eventually became hit tweet after hit tweet.

I’ve been into IM@S as a Producer for 5 years by this point. I didn’t want to celebrate it like this.

Despite everything though, I told myself that I wouldn’t leave. I did say that I would still keep in touch with IM@S, and I can’t deny the impact that it has left towards me and how I saw my IM@S tantou roster (which has grown since I became S.E.M’s Producer.) I’ve had moments where I questioned my worth as a P over the past few years. I've seen others’ achievements when I’m still trying to get my foot into learning Japanese up to this day. I've seen other Producers, same tantou or otherwise, rank high in the games when points ranking was still a thing while I’ve never been able to get past the Top 1000 event points ranking for a S.E.M/Michio-focused event. And I may probably never will.

However...

If it weren’t for the people I’ve met, the characters I’ve met, and the Producers I’ve met and would encounter... I often have my lonely days and would feel gloomy over things for no particular reason (and I still do), but I wouldn’t trade my own experiences with different friend groups I’ve made for the world.

I want to reach as high as I can to beat my past Top 100 success in Mirishita, even if it’s through my actions in a game I’ve yet to reach that same level. For as long as I’m allowed to produce my tantou units through whatever games they have left.

I want to continue supporting the idols I’ve met, and the two units I’ll continue to produce. Taking care of a pair of drinking buddies who are over 20 and a trio of ex-teachers doesn’t sound too bad.

I love S.E.M an insane amount. I love Michio an even more insane amount.

Because I wouldn’t be here without them. And maybe I wouldn't have gotten that first push to do all of what I’ve done without them.

[linewire]

🏎️💨 THE FORMULA 1 TAG GAME! 🏎️💨:

thank you for tagging me @wisteria-wisteria <3 (holding your hand in the liminal space that is the asian timezone on tumblr)

1. Who or what got you into F1?

This fic by greenstuff on ao3. Such a good fic, so good that it made me look into F1 more so I could understand it better. Then I watched the first season of DTS and got WAY too attached to Max because I love a villain. After I started reading Lestappen fics, I knew I was in this thing for the long haul.

2. Who was the very first F1 driver you supported? Do you support them now? Have your opinions on them differed or stayed the same since then?

I was a Red Bull girlie from the start because of that fic, and I guess I was a Danny fan for a couple minutes before Max appeared on screen.

Still a Red Bull girlie but not so much a Daniel fan anymore.

3. Who’s your current favourite F1 driver?

Max and Charles. Max slightly more but not by much. Hoping, praying, manifesting an actual championship battle between them, like idc who wins, I just need to see them fighting like they're always meant to.

Truly do not hate any other driver, just mostly indifferent to a lot of them.

4. Is there a driver pairing or pairings you support? What made you attracted to that pairing in the first place?

Lestappen is my ride or die. For all the typical reasons. *Insert that Mr Knightley quote about how if I loved them less, I might be able to talk about them more.*

5. Do your parents, siblings or relatives have a favourite team and/or favourite driver(s)?

My dad's a Schumacher girl, like as in he only watched F1 for him then stopped when he left. I sorta got him back into it because I started talking to him about my interest. My mom and my step dad are Mercedes/Hamilton fans, though I think she only likes him because he also has a bulldog.

6. Do you have any favourite races? Are there any that stand out to you the most?

Monaco 23 was the first race I watched live so that holds a special place in my heart. Singapore 23 and Mexico 23 also stand out to me because those are the ones I watched live with my friends uwu.

7. Do you have a favourite circuit? Can be from the past or from the current calendar.

Honestly, kinda basic but I do like Monaco even though its place on the calendar is kinda contentious. Purely for aesthetics, not necessarily for the race quality. Hopefully Charles can win it before it gets taken off the calendar (though idk if that's gonna happen).

Still trying to learn what my actual fav is for quality of races, though. All the classic non street circuits are good for that I guess.

8. Have you ever been to an F1 race in real life? Feel free to tell us your experience going to one if you like.

I live in a country where the nearest track is a whole plane flight away so no. I don't even know if I'd like to go because the footage I've seen from races looks kinda underwhelming LMAO. Though I wouldn't say no if someone invited me. Especially if it's to Monaco or Zandvoort.

This completely doesn't count but the old place where my step dad worked was one of McLaren's sponsors back in the day and got tickets to Sepang. I just thought it was a cool story.

9. Have you ever met an F1 driver in real life?

No and thank god. I couldn't bare to look Max Verstappen or Charles Leclerc in the eye after writing them fucking nasty for all of you. I think I'd pass out if I was in the same room as Max though, like my body would just shut down.

10. Do you have a favourite F1 car? If so, what is it?

He <3

I also like the old Marlboro liveries and I think tobacco companies should be allowed to sponsor teams just so we can get cunty liveries. Like can you imagine a Red Bull Marlboro Blue sponsorship?

11. Do you have a favourite one win wonder?

Oscar? Does winning a sprint count?

12. Do you have any favourite quotes from the F1 world? This can either be inspirational or hilarious.

Max has some great one liners, like "Maybe God is with Hamilton but he is not god," and that thing about sucking on an egg (king of duality <3). I also really like the quote of Charles talking about how his grandmother would sew little crosses on his race suits.

Tagging anyone that wants to participate but specifically @carronyaflowers @itshoneywhatever and @amarynas

[adultswim2021]

Robot Chicken #66: “Tell My Mom” | January 4, 2009 - 11:30PM | S04E05

This one has a wide array of jokes that I mostly don’t care for. I will discuss two sketches because I really need to not be writing about this show so much. You don’t need me saying (for demonstration purposes only) “There’s one where the Hungry Hungry Hippos barf… hmmm, check please!”.

Okay, the first sketch is one that once made an informal list of worst sketches I’d ever seen. It’s Joey Fatone on a stage with an easel, which he is using for visual aid for a sketch he’s pitching to the Robot Chicken show. It’s supposed to be a lame idea. But, it's not satisfyingly lame, if you get my drift. It feels like a sketch for babies or something. Like, even with the intended irony level, it feels like it’s rated freaking G! I need some PG-13 stuff, STAT. 

The other sketch I want to highlight is the B-Team, which pisses me off. There are a number of sketches on Robot Chicken that remind me of ideas I had in high school. This one does, but I remember it as an idea that I rejected for being too easy and dumb. An off-brand A-Team called The B-Team? Who on Earth hasn’t thought of that premise. I did like the punchline where they attempt to build a thing and just give themselves carbon monoxide poisoning while in a locked garage. Admittedly, this one grated on me more for the fact that it was highlighted in the promo for the episode, like they were PROUD OF IT. NASTY!

EPHEMERA CORNER:

King of the Hill (January 1st, 2009 - 10:00PM)

Starting with the episode "Westie Side Story", for some reason (that's like episode 6), Adult Swim began airing King of the Hill at 10PM. On Monday December 29th (mere days before this), Adult Swim weekdays expanded into 10PM. That slot was quickly filled with a pair of King of the Hill episodes, which I'd argue is a pretty good transitional show from Cartoon Network into the stankier Adult Swim.

Do any of you remember seeing an interview from some respected anime guy, who was asked what his favorite cartoon of all time was and he got mildly bashful and said it was King of the Hill, and that he considered it a masterpiece? I can't find it, but I swear I read that once. Anyway, I agree with that guy. King of the Hill is wonderful. It's "post-classic" years are still very solid.

This is also a show that I badly need to rewatch. I haven't on-purpose watched this show in over a decade, maybe.

The Adult Swim run was also welcome because I remember the DVD releases had halted at this point, so seasons 7 onward were not available to own. This is one of the last shows I remember "collecting" by recording the missing seasons on DVD-R.

I don't remember if they started right away, but King of the Hill typically aired with special bumpers that seemed like more typical sponorship bumpers; "King of the Hill is brought to you by" but then they'd name a fictional business or organization from the show itself.

I respect King of the Hill and consider it fun.

MAIL BAG:

Shameful story: In high school a funny friend of mine was passing around an exquisite corpse-style drawing for fun. One of the things he drew was a little fish with a funny deadpan expression. I added what I thought was a brilliant idea i'd just had: a little speaker plugged into this fish's brain broadcasting his thoughts (a little speech bubble portrayed him saying "oh no.") I was so proud. Then some time later I sat down and re-watched Fire Ant for the first time in a while. Oh, right. Fuck!

Who among us hasn't stolen from Space Ghost? I am certain I did the same shit. Space Ghost, Mystery Science Theater, and Kids in the Hall were probably the shows I cribbed from the most. Also cartoons stealing from each other is just such a rampant thing I feel like it's basically a non-issue. I forgive you for your crime, I'm nice!

[cgetbrmj]

What to expect from Cgetbrmj

(besides posting at random times)

Not that I think anyone will really read this or care but I need a lil place to store the scheduled fic ideas and separate them from the scrapped fic ideas

Get ready for a lot of writing that nobody will probably read lol!

THERE'S A LOT OF TALKING IN HERE

the Evolution series - tlou

fic #9 is only just under 1000 words right now and very much still in the planning stage, and every fic AFTER that is currently still sitting in the 13k word doc of planning

There are around 30ish chapters that I had planned out a while ago, give or take, so if any of you like that series, I wouldn't stress about it being ditched lol

Also in tlou were two separate one shots that I had written at the start of the year, when the show's first episode came out and I liked both of them but I feel like they're both too ooc to post so I never bothered editing them but 🤷

I'd also planned another mini series for tlou that had four chapters, all sort of centered around silver lake/aftermath/healing but with a littles are known/classification au to it - which I do still like and plan on fixing up at some stage

The Walking Dead

firstly, covering the fics in the Daryl's acting weird series

Always A Losing Game has 2 chapters left - both with a loose plan but not a lot of actual writing finished for them

There was a one shot that was in the works for a bit - something short and sweet from Michonne's perspective during the night that This takes place that I never finished

After the events of Always A Losing Game I don't have any full fics written for the beginning of the Alexandria era (aka season 5b and season 6) just snippets and ideas and concepts that I'd written down that I need to go and sort through and somehow make sense of

after that weird brief section where I have nothing written for some reason lol, there's 8 fics that are all planned/at least partially written in a coherent fic form and ready to be edited all set between the latter half of season 6-season 9

There's also a bunch of ideas and concepts for fics Post Rick set in this series that I need to also sort through

The Dandelions series... If there is literally anyone out there who liked it, I'm so sorry for posting two fics and then never talking about it again. Still love the concept here!! Even if I hate the writing in the fics!! Trying to get the motivation to actually edit the other fics in the series. There's another 5 fics in the series yet to be posted, all kind of written but not edited. One of those fics includes the fix it version of my OWN FIC lol, with a good ending where Alden lives at the end of it, if anyone's interested. I love Alden so much and I think that that love should override how much I hate my own writing here and convince me to finish what I started lmao

The Stubbornness Series, my beloved. My true underdog I feel. I love this series very passionately for someone that typically doesn't like their own writing after like a month of having it posted.

There's another 4 one shots that need to be edited and a fic that needs to be split into 3 parts, I'm still unsure if they'll be chapters or all standalone - tell me what you like reading more lol

The first 4 are

Daryl staying up late to wait for Rick to come back from watch

season 11 finale/rosita's death

rough/restless night with lots of comfort and cg!Rick and Michonne

Michonne finding Daryl directly after the bridge in season 9

The other is about Daryl finally returning to Alexandria in season 9, with Lydia, Henry, and Connie - where him and Michonne have lots of angst and trauma talk- try and fix their problems and help each other/try and get Daryl to go into headspace-go to the kingdom-heads on pikes- getting back to Alexandria- snowball fight

It has around 6000 words right now, and I'll be honest I was so close to dropping it and trying to rewrite it (it being the first part of the three) It came out SUPER angsty, even for me, and I felt like I couldn't make any of it work, hence why it didn't get posted on my bday, but maybe I was stressed because I was so busy at the time idk. I need to reread it and see what I can do

James Bond

the further down the rabbit hole, the nicher it gets lol

There's around 12 fics I have written that need to be edited before they're posted here, most of them were made last year and are just snippets, but I still like the concepts and want to finish them at some point

Too many concepts to do dot points for plots here, so if anyone really wants more info, which I kinda doubt lol, feel free to ask for more <3

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

WOah, that one came out of nowhere, right? Well what if I told you that I binge watched the 3 captain america movies and this show purely to take notes, and my GOD did I do some serious note taking, last year? The year before, I think? Definitely the year before. So that I could create this story about previous cg!steve L!bucky that was angsty and fun and then turn it gradually into cg!sam?? Would you believe me? Because I honestly don't think I've ever brought it up before lol. Anyway that was something that I did do. And wrote for. And now I have a planned storyline and snippets of writing and absolutely no idea whether or not I should do anything with it

Now the fun miscellaneous fics

There's one rpf (real person fic) that I wrote purely for my own enjoyment and comfort and author projecting needs - written for a show that I can't believe I would ever write agere for but anyway. I loved it, will probably never post it?

There's a couple other misc fics that I'm always on the fence about posting or not so

one of them is also an agere littles are known/classification au of Mission Impossible of all things, since I rewatched the new movie so much and brought back the hyperfixation once again.

There's also another MI fic I wrote that I genuinely really loved and want to post that ISN'T agere??????? What?? From me??

So that's that. Those are the main fics waiting to be edited and fixed up and posted as of right now. These are the ones I plan on not giving up on. If anyone is interested in any of them and want to talk about any of them, I'm always excited to talk about my fics! And always excited to hear if someone likes my fics! Don't be shy!

I know no one will probably read this but this will probably be good for my brain to sort out my shit with these fics and stop confusing myself with the fics that I'm scrapping lol

[wonderlandleighleigh]

77 Thoughts While Rewatching Supernatural 11x04: Baby

Let’s gooooooo!

1. There are, thankfully, behind the scenes photos of Jensen in those shorts. But we were robbed of Dean in his “It’s a free bunker” daisy dukes.

2. But the conceit of this episode is so great. I remember watching it for the first time and being floored and how personal it felt.

3.And the little details we see in the car that we know are there. The army man. The initials and the leggos. Just. Ugh. The great thing about having a show run this long is that there’s so much history to draw from.

4. Guitar Man playin.

5. I love that Sam just pitches in with washing Baby. Like it’s a normal thing they do together. Maybe Cas helps sometimes too.

6. And the transition from Dean spraying down the car to the rain. So good. Dangit.

7. It’s 21 hours from Lebanon, Kansas to Oregon. I always forget how long the distances they go are, because the show condenses the drives. But holy fuck that is so long.

8. LOL Sam and his smoothies. “Where’s the rest of the beer?!” Hahahaha it’s such a typical little brother move, and even Sam’s face reads “oh shit big brother mad.”

9. I love how protective they are of Cas. They really do both love him. They want him to heal.

10. Cas just cruising through Netflix. You know that at some point Dean snuck into Sam’s room and fucked with his Netflix algorithm.

11. I love this scene at the Roadhouse. “Actually she never texted me back.” For as handsome and adorable as Dean is, he’s still such a doof, and you know what? Sometimes potential romantic interests just ghost him.

12. The time lapse here is brilliant. It keeps us in the car, but also, like... we don’t need to see them hookin’ up. That’s personal.

13. “Mistakes were made. Mhm.”

14. HOW DID SAM FIT IN THE BACK SEAT WITH THAT WOMAN?! HE IS SO TALL! SHE DOES NOT LOOK SHORT! WHAT THE FUCK IS THE IMPALA A SEX TARDIS?

15. “Don’t Night Moves me.” I love this part. And! Night Moves appears in two of my favorite shows: This, and The OC.

16. And any time we get to hear Dean sing is a great time. He CAN sing. He pretends he can’t for various reasons, but he so can.

17. The montage is great, too, of them in the car. Just livin.

18. Again, having such a long run means we get to see these life moments that are just wonderful. Between the blood and the tragedy. They eat burgers in teh car and sing songs. They drive. 

19. “We got tonight, who needs tomorrow?” I feel like Dean would make a great D and D bard, you know?

20. And this conversation they have about that Apple Pie life is good, too. That Sam would still like it. That’s Dean’s...just not sure it’s for him. He tried it once, and it blew up in his face. Add to that that he has Cas now. So...

21. I need to talk to you about this Judy Collins song. It was, according to Dream!John, one of Mary’s favorite songs, and it just...feels right. One of the only things that bummed me out about The Winchesters was that we didn’t get a callback to this song in the show.

“I would follow him right down The toughest road I know  Someday soon Goin’ with him someday”

22. It’s such a great departure from the harder classic rock that winds up in the show as being very much John’s music. We get something softer that’s Mary’s. Something that maybe the boys took comfort in when their father would put it on, knowing it was something she loved.

23. ROBBIE JUDY COLLINS CALLBACK WHEN! ROBBIE! ROBBIE PLEASE!

24. But also Matt Cohen really is amazing as a younger John Winchester. He really channels Jeffrey Dean Morgan in a tender way here. I love it.

25. Sam’s face. He’s so freaked out. Like.

26. Hey season 11! Before Jared stopped trying and started phoning it in! We love to see it.

27. “When has death ever stopped a Winchester.” oh John. You have no idea.

28. “You played your part.” Poor Sam. John was so checked out. The level of neglect both Sam and Dean suffered is really extreme.

29.The lack of music here with just the sounds of the road and the car is really great here. So tense.

30. Another great conversation between these two. I think because Dean is such a goof sometimes, it’s easy to discount his big brotherness. Sam is constantly playing the straight man. Here, we get to see Dean do some big time big brothering.

31. I love the lighting, here too. It would be easy to have it be super dark, but it’s great that they use street lights to illuminate everything.

32. LOL Dean and Sam keeping secrets. after a while, that was kind of the whole show, wasn’t it? Just Dean and Sam not telling each other shit and hurting each other like dummies.

33. “I read.” HE DOES! Way back in season 4, Sam found a Vonnegut in his bag.

34. There’s a SPN official novel called Nevermore where Dean does not know who Edgar Allen Poe is, and upon reading that I was so much, I never tried to read it again. Fuck you, Dean knows his lit. He plays dumb, he’s not actually dumb.

35. Dean’s dream about John hits me hard now, after The Winchesters season 1 finale, because in that universe that Dean futzed with? That dream could now be a reality.

36. “Perfect landing, Son.”

37. Sam dreaming about Mary is a whole thing, too. Of that person he can’t remember. Ouch.

38. That overhead shot of them is so great. Love it.

39. Werepire! oh Dean.

40. Meatman cometh.

41. The minor freakout over valet parking lol.

42. But with good reason.

43. But also girl me too. Let’s be real, who wouldn’t? It’s a great car. And this is a great moment.

44. She was definitely doing donuts. I love it.

45. Dean would shit himself if he knew.

46. This entire scene is so good. But also, I love Dean and Cas here.

47. LOL step away from the Netflix.

48. Dean, stop trying to make fetch happen, bud.

49. Poor Cas, talking to himself, thinking he’s helping. But again, it keeps us in the car.

50. But this whole scene is so great.

51. Poor Dean missed him saying werepire.

52. I love this fight scene so much. It’s played for laughs and it works so well. It is so gory.

53. “It turns out I did shoot the deputy.” I need you to know that I SCREAMED when he said this, because it’s an add-on from a joke made in SEASON 3. 3! THEY WRAPPED THAT JOKE EIGHT YEARS LATER! Again, it’s the benefits of a show that goes this long.

54. Poor Cas. Just...having to sit on the phone while carnage happens on the other end.

55. The windshield wiper. Dean is so unfazed.

56. Poor cooler. It went from beer and smoothies to a monster head.

57. Again, Dean is so not bothered by any of this. It’s just another day, and it makes it so much funnier. Like he knows it’s gross, but like. It’s just another workday.

58. I’m not sure about these extreme closeups. It’s a lot.

59. “What bench?” oh Cas. <3

60. Sam getting distracted with the fiirty and Dean getting jumped. Again.

61. HEAD IN A BOX.

62. They just left that head in the backseat with a woman he thought was like a full blown human. Because they’re that desensitized. Head in a box. “Yeah? And?”

63. “You do anything for your family.” Oh boy.

64. Sam just not noticing a damn thing.

65. Dean face down in the back seat, sees the Hello Kitty bag: “How did...I don’t wanna know.”

66. The monsters are scared.

67. Dean’s in a tough spot here, and he’s just rolling his eyes at this monster monologueing. It’s part “Are you fucking kidding me with this shit? I can’t believe I let this happen, why am I so dumb?” and part “Bitch do you know what I am? Get wrecked.”

68. Poor Baby. God she is beat up.

69. this inside/outside the car fight is great too. I love that we don’t need to see like a big full fight scene. It’s so cramped and so cool.

70. Fucking decapitated with the car door that is fucking brutal.

71. “Oh baby I’m so sorry.” Yeah dude your car is fucked.

72. Both Dean and Baby. So fucked up.

73. Jensen learned that car move on his lunch break. Talented bastard.

74. Sam also looking messed up.

75. “Would you mind starting tomorrow?” Oh Sam.

76. And we end on Night Moves as the boys and Baby limp on home.

77. Truly, one of my all time favorite episodes of this show. Shot so cleverly, with great character moments and glimpse at what’s going on with the larger season-long plot. Love it.