#What a good world series thus far I thoroughly enjoyed watching while working

[runefactorynonsense]

Melotober - Day 25 - Sword

A work of art...

[bluebellhairpin]

( Notice: OKAY - The pic there says ‘The Hobbit/LOTR’ but for times sake, and my own sanity, there is none listed thus-far (same goes for the ‘other’ category’). Merci for understanding! )

So I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, and I already have a blog for it ( @nemosrepost ) but that doesn’t get too much attention. Thus, here we are! 

(This was a nightmare to get done - it took weeks to get all the links and pics done up in my spare time - I hope you appreciate that.) 

They’re all sorts here, from Medieval Marvel AU’S, to Modern Attack on Titan one shots. They’re all organised via fandom, and I’ve tried my best to link and tag everything properly, but that is a difficult feat, so beware - for some it may not have worked too well.

Like my *actual* masterlist, this will be updated regularly with new fic recs, and even new characters and fandoms as I read them. All fic’s currently listed (as of November 26, 2020) are found on my reblog account. 

I’ve also tried to add in a ‘recommendation summary’ thing of each - so basically just my thoughts on the fic(s). But anyway, have fun browsing, and overall - enjoy! 

(AND also - LMAOOOO - Have fun scrolling lololololol!) - Nemo

( Pre - Warning: I am not tagging anything as NSWF, 18+, or triggering content. However some fics listed do contain such material. Please refer to the warnings or Authors Notes on each Fic before reading. Stay safe guys! I love you! ) 

Bluebellhairpin’s Masterlist 

Bucky Barnes

Knight in Rusty Armour - Medieval / A/B/O AU! Series - by @revengingbarnes Honestly I binged the first eight chapters (+ prologue) in close to one sitting. That was mostly because that was all that was published at the time. It is completed now. I love both these AU’s, and I love Bucky - win, win! 

Flowers Bloom - Soulmate AU! Series - by revengingbarnes  Another great series, and honestly I’m a slut for soulmate au’s, so this author might be coming after my heart - keep up that good work, if you know what I mean. 

The Great Build Up - Modern / Firefighter Au! One Shot - by @thottybarnes  This ones goes from cute, to hot and steamy, to angsty, and back to cute again. A one shot rollercoaster, and I thoroughly enjoyed every word of it. 

Maybe This Time - Mob Au! One Shot - by @propertyofpoeandbucky Okay, so if there’s one thing I like more than an mobster au, it’s adding children into the mix. Something about big bad guys going all soft for this tiny human - and then making them - and that’s called perfection. 

Whatever It Takes - Biker AU! One Shot - by @sgtjbuccky He like’s to be loud, so what. He rides a bike, so what. I what to ride him and his bike, so what. 

(Un-Named) - One Shot - by @softlybarnes  I’ve never liked Bucky’s metal arm more in my entire life. Using it for a baby going through teething? A+ idea. 

Hero, Waiting - Medieval AU! One Shot -  by captain-ariel-barnes Sadly, this fic is unavailable now, and that - obviously - makes me sad. But I’m adding it her anyway because of how much I adored it. The love triangle between Bucky, Reader, and Steve was amazing, and the feelings? Phenomenal. 

Steve Rogers

If Walls Could Talk - One Shot - by propertyofpoeandbucky  I’ll recreate my original comment on this fic - ‘Ouch’. And that’s all I have to say about that. 

The End of the War - College AU! One Shot - by @redgillan There’s nothing quite like a enemies to lovers trope that’s well-written. But then throw in fight club, a jerk date, ice-cream and pizza - just read it. You’ll understand then. 

The Edge of the Water - Mermaid AU! Series - @floatingpetals I have to admit now, I haven’t read all of this yet. But I also have to say, what I have read was fantastic. Mermaids - and Mermen - they just hit different, you know? 

Pseudo Princess - Medieval AU! Series - by @shreddedparchment​ To date, it’s one of the best fics - nay - stories I’ve ever read. I’d dare to say it’s easily the length of a novel, so if you’re up for the long haul, I’d definitely recommend it. It’s worth the wait - trust me. Op obviously put a hella lot of work into it, and it shows. 

Loki Laufeyson

Loki’s Happy Ending - Series (?) - by @gingerwritess  Listen, I have been and forever will be a Loki girl. Nothing will change that. And every scrap of content Theo produces for Loki I will cradle in my palms and keep warm until they’re ready to go out into the world or whatever - point is, read this. 

Just One Quick Glance - One Shot - by @imagines-trashcan  After watching ‘Endgame’, and squealing at every moment Loki appeared on screen, only to not have him show up in the final battle - this was one of my comfort fics. 

thunderstorms. - One Shot - by @tarynkauai Naturally, Loki’s child would inherit his unease of thunderstorms. And naturally, seeing Loki as a dad makes me happy. 

Stitches - One Shot - by @lokibug​  Loki being nice. I like that. We stan. 

Quentin Beck 

The Curveball - One Shot - by @healingchurch​  Listen, this is on here for a reason. I didn’t really like Mysterio ‘cause of what he did to Peter, but hey, some people are good actors, and some write characters acting very well. 

Stephen Strange 

(Un-Named) - Imagine / One Shot - by @archieimagines​ A cocky bastard and a shy Reader, as far as I’m concerned that a one-way ticket straight to my heart. *wink wonk*.

(Un-Named) - One Shot - by @whirlybirbs​  Honestly, there are multiple fics of hers on this list, and that’s because she’s a damn fine writer, and her stories are just that addictive. This one is no different. I was preparing to read more and then it ended. But all good things, right?

Crash and Burn - One Shot - by @lilyswritings​  The angst, and the angst. I cry, you cry, everyone cries. Unfortunately there is only the one part, but much to my personal joy that means I can interpret the after-ending however I want! 

Frank Castle

(Un-Named) - One Shot - by @alexsunmners​ This is just cute okay? I have no other words except this was plain and simply very, very, very nice to read, and that it makes me feel very soft right here on the inside. 

Peter Parker

Super Smooth Genius - One Shot (?) - by whirlybirbs  Back at it again with the cute, awkward, friendly, neighbourhood, Peter Parker. 

Just Don’t - Soulmate AU! One Shot - by @papel-creativo​ What’d I tell you about soulmate au’s? I can’t resist them. And of course Pete being a caring bf with his hero s/o. So nice. 

Ronan the Accuser 

Make You Proud - One Shot - by @kayleighhalliday2203​ This is justifiable because I was going through a Lee Pace faze and I found it and loved it immediately. 

Ultron

(Un-Named) - One Shot / Series - by @snarky-badger​ This I can also justify having read, because (and if you know me then you know) the robot thing ... Doesn’t bother me as much as it should. And I binged all of it on ao3, so. 

Poe Dameron

(Un-Named) - Masterlist - by propertyofpoeandbucky Okay, I know there’s a lot on this list, and it could take you a while to get through it all, but trust me - it’s worth it. Lani likes Poe, and it shows. He’s written so well. 

Dashing - One Shot / Series ? - by whirlybirbs Birbs does it again. She’s got Punchy!Reader, and if there were a legal way to get all of this Poe thing down into a written book, I’d do it. 

You Can See Me? - Modern / Ghost AU! One Shot - by @tintinwrites​ I just this this one’s really cool. And what Poe does for the reader at the end? So sweet! He would totally do that! 

Across the Hall - Modern / Nurse AU! Series - by @starryeyedstories​  It’s cute, it’s fun, it’s got tension, and a little drama - plus a smidge of angst and Corgi!BB-8. If perfection were ever made into a Modern/Nurse au Poe fic - this would be it. 

Deepest, Lightest Secrets - One Shot - by @writefightandflightclub​  It’s got the humour and overall feel  you’d expect to come from something Star Wars related - honestly I had so much fun reading it, and I’ll happily do it again. 

Levi Ackerman

Names for Him & You - One Shot - by @commanderserwin​ Again, op is one of my main sources for fic’s in this area - so there could be quite a few of them listed here. But this one? Cute as heck. 

Levi’s Secret - Modern AU! One Shot - by @theamberwriter​ This one was damn funny in my opinion. Nothing can ever be hidden from Hange for long. 

You Look So Beautiful In White - Modern AU! One Shot - by @alrightberries​ This fic, it carved out my heart, diced it, shoved it in a blender, then made it into an atomic bomb. I - I was not okay. That amount of angst shouldn’t be allowed. Read it. 

Abeille - Modern / Mafia AU! Series - by @ackermans-freedom-inc​ Honestly, this isn’t finished yet but, honestly, I’m not ready for it to finish. The heartache. The betrayal. The child. I can’t even. 

Lights - Modern AU! One Shot - by commanderserwin This was the first fic I ever read of op’s, and I couldn’t believe what I read so I went back and read it again. I can’t tell you how much I love it, or how I feel about it, so just go read for yourself and you’ll know. 

To Build a Home - Modern AU! Series - by @vennilavee​ If you’re a fan of Levi, you must go read this. It’s so detailed, and just so perfect - whenever a new part comes out I have a quick reboot before going to read it. 

Erwin Smith

One of Us - Modern AU! Miniseries - by commanderserwin I’m not going to lie, this one is here because I requested it, but also because I really liked it, and cried while reading it. So there. 

Reiner Braun

Service to the Crown - Medieval AU! Miniseries - by @present-mel​ It should probably be illegal to write Reiner or Medieval au’s this well, and yet here op is writing both. Like, McScuse me, where do you acquire such talent and can I have some? 

Toshinori Yagi

Flirting with All Might - One Shot - by @lemonlordleah-shinzawa-kitten​ Toshi. The great. The hero. The awkward. He’s a blond boy doing what blond boys do even if he’s a little older he’s still part of the crew.

Stitches - Villain AU / Mini Series - by @itsallmightbitch​  Okay, so I said above that I wouldn’t put warnings on these - but this time I have to. Nothing I’ve read in my whole life emmits such an amount of pure horniness - and I love it. 

Godless - Fantasy AU / One Shot - by @pleasantanathema​  Another ‘All Smite’ fic, yes, I know. But god. They’re so good. This one is another real horny one, so if you can’t tell there is a slight theme running here. And - sksksksks - this is actually from the same ‘general area’ as the Reiner fic listed above (Service to the Crown). There was a event. I read everything. 

Keigo Takami

Preening - One Shot - by @shoutaaizawas​ Literally the softest and cutest damned thing I’ve read for Keigo. No, I’m not just ‘saying’ that, it’s genuine. The feelings I get - or lack thereof due to them turning to mush - it too much for words. Honest. 

Seasonal Special - One Shot - by @keiqos​ I’ll say this now and I’ll say it first - any Hawks fics written by op are *chefs kiss*. They’re amazing. Secondly, rut!Hawks is my weakness - this fic is one of such weaknesses. 

Shouto Aizawa

(Un-Named) - Series - by @theamberwriter​ This is *technically* the second part in the series, but it’s the only part I’ve read and goddamnit, I’m in love. Hubby Aizawa. The disappearing Baby-Zawa. 

I Miss You Texts - SMAU - Kuroo Tetsurou, Bokuto Koutarou, Nishinoya Yuu - by @briswriting​ I miss them too. They ain’t dead. I just feel like I haven’t seen them in so long.  

Little Things - Headcanons - Karasuno - by @haikyuudreaming​ Every single one makes me feel so nostalgic, and I feel so much longing. I love. I loose. I pine. I want. And yet I cannot have. I only dream.  

Cheerleader - Headcanons - Karasuno - by @imagine-101​  I want to be their cheerleader. Now I am able to be. Op, many thanks for the feeding. 

Tsukishima Kei

Cherry Wine - Single Parent AU! Series - by @bakugou-jpg​  I’m gonna head out and say that Tsukki was my first favourite Haikyuu character - then I ‘character developed’ but that only went so far as to give me more favorites. But deadass - read this and you won't regret it. 

Ukai Keishin

(Un-Named) - Ballroom/Latin Dancer AU! Headcanons - by @imagine-that-haikyuu​  I know nothing about dancing. Or ballroom dancing. But I do know I’d love to dance with Ukai. So how’s that for ‘middle ground’? 

[popculturebuffet]

Final Space Reviewcaps: The Hidden Light or Beelzbub’s Dad and Death Himself

Welcome back all you happy people! My regular coverage of final space continues as our Team Squad continues to be split up. Team Gary heads to the ruins of France and while HUE lives the dream, Gary finds the architect of his misery might also be the archtetcht of hope when he meets KVN’s creator.  Meanwhile Team Avacato find some friends of some friends... and an old enemy horrifically reborn and just as pants crappingly terrifying as before. Find out whose back, whose just been introduced, and whose resting under the cut!

So once again i’ts time for roll call, as our Team Squad has been split into three groups so Team Gary: Gary, Quinn, KVN, HUE Team Avacato: Avacato, Little Cato, Ash, Fox, Sheryl.  Team Bollo: Bollo, Mooncake

Same as last time and if your wondering why some names are missing from Avacato’s team, we will get to that. And since our three plots are entirely seperated from the start this time...

Team Gary: The Father of Beelzbub is A Moderaltey Tolerable Guy Picking up where we left off, Gary and Quinn gaze at earth though we do find out, naturally, the other half of the team is okay when Avacato buzzes in, confirming he’s alive at least. So with half the team stranded in the depths of final space, Gary’s next idea is naturally to plummet to earth and pick up a ship to pick them up. HUE has some flaws in the plan, i.e. the earth’s gravity field but KVN proves useful for once and helps carry them down to earth, our heroes ending up in Paris. 

We get a fun subplot of HUE thoroughly enjoying his dream of visiting Paris in a body.. even though Paris itself is pretty fucking horrific, littered with floating corpses and with a smokey, unnerving atmosphere. But the contrast works.. what dosen’t is the ships our heroes fine, which are junked, likely due to months of having no mainteince coupled with the destruction brought on by the titans. 

Gary does find something.. his worst nightmare.. a bunker FULL of KVN’s “I always thought i’d die like this”. They thankfully don’t want to kill him, and he finds a dwarf ventrixian whose a fan of his as are the KVN’s. As it turns out they somehow watched all his video logs to Quinn, and the little guy saying Quinn is even more beautful than he imagined lets him live when Quinn shows up. Gary is naturally puzzled why someone would create his worst nightmare, an army of kvns who know his personal details... until we find out who created the bunker: Kevin, the genius scientest who created the KVN’s. 

Naturally Gary has as mature, sensible and calm reaction as you’d expect and he goes to see Kevin’s dad without innocent....

Had you there for zero seconds. No he has a fairly fluid and incredibly well voiced freakout ending in him wanting to burn the place to the ground in cleansing fire. It’s.. actually a very good thing Quinn’s the one who went with him as everyone on the other team except MAYBE Avacato would’ve gone with operation BURN THEM, BURN ALLL OF THEM. 

So while Gary can’t burn them he does go to shoot Kevin’s creator in the head after finding out he’s alive and still in the bunker. And.. he actually is alive. It’s a nice change of pace as in most sci fi stories where we find the robot first the creator is long dead. But no Kevin.. is alive. It takes a bit for him to accept this is really happening due to a combination of Gary’s transmissions..and Nightfall having contacted him to make a ship. I’ts only when he tries throwing something at Quinn does he realize that nope these are real peoples and gladly welcome them for some rest so theyc an go find the ship he made for Nightfall. Relately the one major flaw I have with this episode.. is that it takes Gary and Quinn an embarassingly long time to put two and two together. Gary I get, he’s kind of distracted being caught in a waking nightmare and finding out he needs to rely on the man who ruined 5 years of his life. He’s also Gary. It’s okay. Quinn though, even with months of trauma stuck in a hell dimension.. is still the resonable one and still should’ve figured “Hey maybe the alternate future verison of me who was around back then did this”. The reveal is well done towards the end when it happens.. it’s just very weird it didn’t happen sooner. 

So the couple are FINALLY alone.. for about 5 seconds because Kevin gets into bed with them. And while part of his loopiness is probably the horrifying isolation for the last few months, after all Gary wasn’t exactly the most coherent after his stint in prison, I do feel that at least part of it is just him. It just makes the most sense: the infinity guard massed produced the guys and Kevin was one of their top scientests. He likely didn’t half ass a project of this size or importance.. so it’d make sense that instead the KVN’s suck at their job because the person who made them really dosen’t get humans, or personal space and the KVN’s are simply degraded copies of him. 

We do get a sweet moment with Quinn and Gary before Kevin decides they’ve rested enough time to go. They use the KVN’s to head to belgium, where the ship is, but have to fight Landfish, horrifying monsters that feast on the remains of dead worlds. So we get a fun and tense action sequence as our heroes sorta zipline through the monsters and KVN suprisingly turns out ot be useful twice in one episode. Our heroes make it to the ship, though HUE is down two arms and his self esteem, with Kevin asking why an AI would WANT to put themselves in a garbage bot. HUE admits he just wanted to experince life but it comes at a cost.. which granted the loss of arms seems rushed.. but it’s not like pre-AVA most of his life as a robot was that happy or fufilling so it dosen’t come out of nowhere and the person who MADE it better... is now dead and gone. He has no real reason to stay in the body anymore: He’s tasted life, he’s loved, and he’s lost. 

So naturally he goes back to being the AI on their new ship, which Quinn Dubs the Galaxy 2 because naturally Gary’s name tries too hard and Kevin’s is nonsensical.. though really Galaxy 2 itself just.. isn’t a great name. Seriously call it the purple rain or something. Still it’s a cool looking ship and while i’ll BADLY miss the crimson light as Olan designed a really fucking cool ship there, the Galaxy 2 is none too shabby. So our heroes have there ship, HUE has his old Job back, and we get a sobering scene as Quinn and Gary finallyg et the nightfall thing, and Kevin leaves to go get the portal up and running and he’ll call them.. they don’t have his number but he’ll be in england where the project is so it’s not like they can’t find the crazy man when the time comes. So we end with Team Gary heading off to a huge energy signture to hopefully find someone. Who it is, if it’s even one of our groups, is unknown.. but given the stinger it’s probably Bollo and Mooncake.. but we’llg et to that. First

Team Avacato: FUCK

So on their astroid Sheryl wonders if the plan is to just stand around and wait for Gary. Tribore however.. wants to leave again. Despite being in an edltrich space nightmare, he decides to take some paternety leave and cuts off part of the asteroid to go bond with his son leaving us with five heroes who all quickly get abducted by teleportation. 

Their abductors.. are Arachnitects, the last ones left in final space who intially confuse them as part of of Invictus unholy horde before Little Cato brings up Jeremy, and thus they free them and explain what’s up: as said their the last ones left in final space, the only ones who weren’t slaughtered or escape and try to offer our heroes hope and shelter.. before brutally being slaughtered by telekensisis... and it’s with that... HE has returned. While the trailers made no attempt to hide it and it was blatant from the start of last season he woudl return.. it dosent’ make his return any less chilling or impactful or David Tennant’s performance any less terrifying after being gone for a bit: Lord Commander HAS RETURNED

And make no mistake, hopefully, this is OUR Lord Commander, as he comments on the new additions.. and is GLEEFUL to have new toys to play with. Avacato is naturally horrifed he’s back and tries to just shoot him but that’s as effective as it’s always been, and he simply force lifts all of them, and naturally, being a sadsitic bastard, brings LIttle Cato forward as he wants to know where Mooncake is, though Little Cato makes a valid point: he dosen’t know where Mooncake is and even if he DID he wouldn’t tell him. And.. that’s where this part of the plot ends till next week. I”m fucking terrified. Nice to have David back though. Especially with Ducktales over. And as a side note... it’s notable Ash doesn’t try triggering her powers. Either she can’t and Lord Commander’s even stronger than her, or she just hasn’t yet. Or third horrifying option i’m going with thier powers come from the same source. 

Team Bollo:The Forge

So with Gary hopefully coming to the rescue and the rest of our heroes trapped by a sadistic bastard who will likely gleefully kill at least one of them.. we find out where Bolo went after getting his ass kicked. He surivived.. but clearly needs a leg up.. so naturally for a charcter voiced by Keith David he goes about it in the most badass way imaginable: he has mooncake do the thing on a dwarf star so he can FORGE IT INTO A FUCKING BADASS SPACE SWORD TO SLAY THE TITANS WITH. My.. my body is ready for next week. 

Final Thoughts:

This episode was excellent. The premire while not BAD had some issues with pacing and tone, where as this one found the perfect places to inject the series humor.. while keeping the stakes incredibly high and having the chilling return of it’s most terrifying antagonist. and yes tha’t swith the people posseing murder face out there. This episode returned Season 3 to the right track. It also continues to be seralized like season 1.. but I feel at least so far they’ve learned their lesson from Seasons 1 and 2 and combined the two better, having basically one big story, but having the pacing be more on par with Season 2 where things move along at a nice clip and we get more character stuff peppered in. It’s a nice combo. if it’ll hold out I do not know, especaillly with a longer runtime but we’ll see as we go won’t we. For now.. this episode was fucking awesome. 

If you liked this review join my patreon, my current stretch goal is for a darkwing duck episode a month and i’ll be putting up a patreon exclusive review soon for 5 dollar or more patreons so check that out, follow me for more and if there’s any episodes of the show from seasons 1 or 2 you’d like me to cover we can discuss that in my ask box and dm,s only 5 bucks an episode. See you at the next rainbow. 

[morningfears]

Rose Tattoo [Chapter Four]

Rating: PG-13 (Mentions of anxiety, swearing)

Summary: Calum’s sister is in town so while she and Tāne have an aunt/nephew day out, Calum decides to help Stevie (and her dog) accomplish one of the items on her bucket list. And if that accomplishment lets him hold her hand, well, who is he to complain?

Word Count: 6.6k

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Five Series Masterlist

“What are you doing tomorrow?”

Stevie stared down at her cellphone, the seemingly harmless text from Calum unopened but completely visible as a notification at the top of her screen. She’d been staring at it for nearly five minutes, debating leaving it that way and pretending that she didn’t see it as she went on about her day as if nothing had happened, but she’d convinced herself somewhere along the way that that wasn’t an option. The last thing Stevie wanted to do was ignore Calum but, try as she might, she couldn’t bring herself to open the text.

Stevie was hesitant to admit it but she genuinely enjoyed Calum’s company. She felt at ease around him, something she hadn’t felt in a long while, and ghosting him would hurt her just as much as she imagined it would hurt him. However, she didn’t want to play along and give him the wrong impression.

Calum’s text was vague, vague enough that she didn’t know exactly what he wanted, but she could imagine what he was hoping for. Although he clarified - after seeing the panicked look on her face, she was sure - that whatever happened between them would remain unlabeled, she saw it on his face.  She could see it in the way that he looked at her, in the way that he smiled at her, that he wanted something more than friendship. She hadn’t allowed herself to think about it but if she would allow herself to admit it, she would know that she wanted that, too.

In another life, Calum would’ve been the perfect partner for her. He was - at least thus far - everything she had hoped for. However, the timing couldn’t have been worse for her.

Although she couldn’t admit that Calum’s crush on her was not one-sided, she could admit that she wasn’t in the right mental state to attempt to form a committed relationship with anyone. She was barely holding herself together, every day was a struggle just to leave her apartment; she knew that it wouldn’t be fair to place that burden on someone else. And though she had no issue with the fact that Calum was a single father - in fact, she admired him deeply for the love and devotion he clearly held for his son - she knew that she was nowhere near emotionally ready to enter a child’s life.

Stevie tended to distance herself from others in times of crisis. She worried about the effect her mental state would have on them and kept interaction to a bare minimum as to avoid hurting them when she inevitably fell into a depressive spiral and became a shell of herself. She’d hurt plenty of people in that way over her lifetime, had been hurt that way herself a time or two, and she was afraid that Calum would be next. She didn’t want to break such a pure heart, someone who so clearly deserved the world. Calum deserved someone good, someone who could be wholly present, and she knew that that wasn’t her.

Stevie wasn’t prepared to spend time with Calum, to open up to him and have him hand her his heart. She wasn’t prepared to think about anyone other than herself and she knew that was selfish but she’d rather be proactively selfish, prevent anyone from getting too close, than hurt them by pulling away when it was too late.

However, she was selfish in another way. Calum made Stevie feel at ease. When she was with him, her anxiety didn’t feel so suffocating. She didn’t feel like the world was crumbling at her feet. She could see a light, somewhere in the distance, instead of the all encompassing darkness that she’d grown so used to and she desperately wanted to hold onto that feeling. Although she felt that she couldn’t give him what he wanted, she still wanted him in her life.

So, instead of ghosting him the way she knew she should, instead of telling him that she was busy and stopping him in his tracks, she ushered him closer. “I should be writing but I’ll probably end up laying on my couch with Max,” she sent. She stared at the message thread for a moment, contemplating turning off her phone and tossing it into the garbage can beside her desk, before she realized how that sounded. She wasn’t sure that Calum knew she had a dog so she quickly typed a follow-up message. “My dog! Max is my dog.”

She realized, after pressing send, that it might’ve been better in the long run to let Calum think that Max was her boyfriend. However, that selfish desire continued to prick at the forefront of her brain. She didn’t want to push him away and letting him think that the tiny little ball of fluff that terrorized her apartment was her boyfriend was a surefire way to do that.

Calum responded almost immediately. Before Stevie had a chance to even leave the text thread, Calum’s response came through. “Do you and Max want to go on an adventure?”

“That depends,” Stevie typed, her bottom lip lodged between her teeth as she stared down at the device in her hands.  “What’s the adventure?”

“I can’t tell you that. You’ll just have to trust that it’s going to be worth your time,” Calum responded with a smile emoji attached to the end for good measure.

With anyone else, that text would have been met with an instant refusal from Stevie. She didn’t like stepping into any situation blind. She preferred knowing what she was going to encounter, knowing exactly how her day would pan out, and was almost afraid of the unknown. However, she found that she trusted Calum, even if she barely knew him. She couldn’t imagine that he would lead her into a situation that she didn’t want to be in or couldn’t handle, not intentionally, so she agreed.

“Fine. I’ll trust you this time. But if it ends badly, just know that Max is a powerful enemy to have. He can hold a grudge for ages and you don’t want to be on the receiving end of his pouting,” she sent back.

“Consider me thoroughly warned. 10 in the morning? We can meet at that coffee shop and go from there. Wear something comfortable.”

Stevie stared at his text for a moment, curious as to what he had up his sleeve, before she shook her head with a slight incredulous laugh. “That already doesn’t bode well but I’ll see you then,” she sent before exiting the text thread and turning her cellphone face down on her desk.

Stevie leaned back in her chair and rested her head on the headrest. She stared up at the ceiling, wondering what she had just gotten herself into, and could feel a bit of anxiety creeping into the pit of her stomach. It was the good kind of nerves, the ones she got before she started school or whenever she met her friends somewhere new growing up, and it was almost a foreign feeling. She wasn’t sure what was happening to her, why she suddenly felt so giddy, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it as a knock sounded at her office door.

“Writer’s block again?” Noah asked as he entered the office and took a seat at the chair across from Stevie’s desk. He placed his coffee cup on the solid wood before sliding a second cup across to her.

“You’re the reason Calum was at the party, aren’t you?” she asked, completely ignoring his question as she sat up straight in her chair and reached out for the cup of tea in front of her. “You invited him.”

Noah, unsure what Stevie was getting at, nodded slowly. “Yeah. I told you, I want to do a feature on him and Ashton. I figured this would be a good way of getting him comfortable around me. But then he disappeared so…” Noah trailed off, this time glancing at Stevie with a sly smile.

Stevie rolled her eyes at the look Noah gave her. She believed him when he said that his intentions had been pure. She knew that he wanted to feature Ashton and Calum, along with a few other New York based artists, in the magazine and that this was his way of connecting Calum to their world. She knew how Noah thought. If Calum felt that he was a part of their world, if he felt connected to more than just Noah, he would be more willing to open up and agree to the feature. And Stevie imagined that was true. Calum seemed to be the type to do anything for his friends.

She kind of hoped he would agree. Her selfish desire to keep him in her life aside, Calum was talented. She truly believed that he deserved something good and she knew that the shop would experience a boom in inquiries, at least, with the exposure from the article. Stevie didn’t want him to turn into one of those Instagram famous tattoo artists that only cared about the likes - not that she imagined he would - but she did want him to get the recognition he deserved.

“I’ll ask him how he feels about the interview,” she relented, glancing over at Noah who had taken the liberty to place his feet in the chair beside him. “Maybe he’ll be into it.”

Noah, who had been staring at his laptop, glanced at Stevie over the lid of his coffee cup. “You seeing him again?” he asked, a smile quirking his lips as he watched Stevie fidget in her seat. “Where’d you guys run off to the other night, anyway?”

“We just went to get coffee,” Stevie huffed, tossing a paperclip in Noah’s direction before leaning back in her chair once more and lolling her head to the side. “We’re hanging out tomorrow. But just as friends!” she added quickly, shooting Noah a look when he raised his eyebrows and grinned at her.

Noah made a noise of acknowledgment but otherwise said nothing as he began tapping at his keyboard. Stevie rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest as she sank lower in her chair. “What are you doing in my office, other than being annoying?”

“Mark is yelling at the interns and I didn’t want to listen to that or to them talk shit about him when he finished, so, I’m hiding in here to get some work done.” Noah went quiet for a moment, staring at his laptop, before he looked over at Stevie and added, “Maybe you should get some done, too. That way you don’t have anything to worry about while you’re on your date with Calum.”

“It’s not a date! We’re just friends,” Stevie huffed. 

“Sure you are,” Noah hummed, barely hiding his laughter as he did so. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, kid.”

Stevie rolled her eyes at Noah’s comment and pointedly turned her attention back to her own laptop. She stared at her screen, barely seeing the words on the word document she’d been working on, and felt herself begin to get lost in her own thoughts again. Although she meant it, that she and Calum were just friends, a small part of her - one that she refused to acknowledge - desperately wished that she didn’t.

                                                       **********

“Okay, so, tell me everything.”

Calum rolled his eyes as he searched his closet for his green ‘Empathy’ hoodie. He hadn’t seen it in weeks, although he was sure he’d washed it and stashed it somewhere in the depths of his wardrobe, but he wanted to wear it for his date - no, not date, adventure - with Stevie. It was the only solid green item he owned and though he felt cheesy, wearing green just because she loved it, he found himself hoping that she would like it as he made a quiet noise of triumph upon finding it in a pile of unfolded clothes tucked in the corner.

“There’s nothing to tell, Mali,” he mumbled as he emerged from his closet, tugging the green fabric over his head. “I’m just hanging out with a friend today. That’s it,” he said with a shrug as he avoided making eye contact with his sister.

Mali was perched on the foot of his bed, sitting amongst the pillows and blankets Tāne had piled onto the surface for their traditional Friday movie night the night before. Calum could feel her gaze on him, burning a hole into the back of his hoodie, as he searched for the grey beanie he’d taken to wearing. She’d been questioning him since she arrived and though he’d filled her in on the situation with El in advance of her visit - if Calum had to guess, that was likely the reason she’d decided to stop in New York and spend a week with him and Tāne, just so she could be there for the first custody hearing - he hadn’t mentioned Stevie to her. He guessed she’d talked to Ashton, or maybe Luke, and he made a mental note to tell them both to fuck off as he turned to face her once more.

“I don’t buy that,” she laughed as she stood from the bed and crossed the room to adjust the beanie for him. “But if that’s what you need to tell yourself, feel free. Tell me about her, though. Ashton said she’s nice.”

Calum rolled his eyes as Mali confirmed that it was Ashton who had told her about Stevie.  “She is,” Calum confirmed as he stood and allowed Mali to adjust his clothing as she saw fit. “I don’t really know how to describe her,” he confessed after a moment of silence, when Mali began to grow impatient with his lack of an answer. “I know a little bit about her but I don’t know her that well yet. She’s nice and she’s beautiful. She’s talented. I’ve read a few of her articles and she’s a brilliant writer. She’s trying to finish a bucket list her best friend left and she just seems like such a good person but there’s something beneath it all. I want to get to know her and figure out what it is.”

Mali, who hadn’t heard Calum gush about anyone in years, was surprised to hear how much he had to say about this girl. She stared at him, her eyebrows raised, and Calum could feel his face heat as he looked away from her. He hadn’t meant to say all of that, he hadn’t meant to say anything at all, really, but he’d been keeping his thoughts to himself. He didn’t want to encourage Ashton to play matchmaker and he didn’t want to bother Michael who was dealing with a newborn and a packed appointment book. He hadn’t had a chance to sit down with Luke so he felt as if he hadn’t had the chance to get what he was feeling off his chest.

He liked Stevie, more than he cared to admit, and voicing that out loud was mildly terrifying.

“Well, even if you don’t know her that well, you seem to really like what you do know,” Mali commented as she stepped back and shot Calum a genuine smile. “I know that this is hard for you, getting back out there after El, but I’m proud of you, Cal. You’re trying and that’s all you can do.” Mali paused for a beat, watching Calum as he sprayed on a bit of cologne, before she hesitantly asked, “I don’t mean to bring you down before your date, but what are you going to do about El?”

“It’s not a date,” Calum clarified, breathing a heavy sigh as he crossed the room to take a seat on the foot of the bed. Mali followed suit, reaching out to nudge his shoulder as she took a seat beside him. “I don’t know, Mal. I’m trying to be the best dad I can be but I don’t feel like that’s enough. I keep thinking that if I don’t give them a reason to take Tāne away from me, they can’t. But I know how it usually goes. The dad rarely wins. I don’t know if there’s anything I can do now.”

“Don’t say that,” Mali chided, her voice gentle though her words were stern. “You’re a good dad, Cal. Any judge could see that you deserve to keep your son. Anyone who rules in her favor is obviously not fit to be on the bench,” she huffed and Calum laughed at the look on her face as she did. At the sight of Calum’s smile, Mali offered a small smile of her own in return. “Has your lawyer got any ideas?”

“She’s talking about using the paperwork we had drawn up last year as evidence El’s not doing this for the right reasons. She agreed to all the terms verbally, just never signed the papers giving up her rights. That’s the strongest thing we’ve got right now,” Calum answered with a shrug and Mali felt her heart break for her brother.

She hadn’t seen him look so defeated since El left, leaving him alone with a small child and no clue how to care for him on his own. Calum looked exhausted, the dark circles under his eyes evident. She knew that he wasn’t sleeping well and it looked like he wasn’t eating well, either. She knew that the stress of the impending custody battle was taking its toll on him and she hadn’t been surprised to find him curled up in bed with Tāne when she arrived. She knew that he was searching for happiness in the little things, in movie nights with his son and visits to coffee shops with Ashton, so she was more than happy to see Calum preparing for a date - even though he refused to acknowledge that’s what it was.

Calum breathed a heavy sigh but before he could continue speaking, quick footsteps alerted him to his son’s presence. He had barely glanced up when Tāne came running into the room, his pajamas wrinkled and his hair a wild mess of sleep mussed curls atop his head. “Aunt Mali!”

Calum watched with a fond smile as Tāne launched himself into Mali’s arms. “Hey, bub,” Mali cheered with a grin as she wrapped her arms around Tāne and hugged him. “You ready to spend the day together? Just us, no dad to bother us?”

“Yeah,” Tāne cheered, his cheeks pink with excitement as he settled on Mali’s lap. “Can we bake cookies?”

“You’re supposed to wait until I’m gone to ask about the stuff you’re not supposed to do, bub,” Calum reminded him with a laugh as he reached out to tickle his stomach. “Don’t give him too much chocolate, please,” he requested, glancing at Mali, even though he knew he’d return to find them both with stomachaches from ingesting far too many sweets.

“I make no promises,” Mali retorted with a grin, her arms wrapped around Tāne’s torso as she gave him a gentle squeeze. “We’re making our own rules today. The house will still be standing when you return, that’s the only guarantee I give you.”

Calum stared at her, an unamused look on his face, before he breathed a quiet laugh and shook his head in mock exasperation. “What are we going to do with her, huh, bub?” he asked Tāne as he stood from the bed and leaned down to press a kiss to the top of his son’s head. “You guys please try to be good today. I’ll be back in a little while. I love you both.”

“I love you, too, daddy,” Tāne called, a wide grin on his lips as he waved goodbye to Calum.

“Love you, too, Cal,” Mali repeated, her grin matching Tāne’s as she bounced her favorite nephew on her knee.

Calum was glad that Mali was here, that she was the one spending the day with Tāne and that she would be present for the hearing. He was glad that he had a sister like her, that they were close enough to call on one another in times of need, and he felt a little of his anxiety ease as he left his home.

Calum was excited for the day. He knew that this wasn’t a date, that it was just an outing with a potential new friend and her dog, but he felt butterflies in the pit of his stomach that he hadn’t felt in a long while. He hadn’t been on many - any, really - dates since El left. He’d been focused on balancing his son and his career. A partner didn’t exactly fit into his schedule but he always told himself that he’d try to be open to it should the opportunity present itself.

Though he still had his reservations, he knew that his first priority was on ensuring Tāne stay with him and not end up with El, the opportunity had fallen into his lap with Stevie. She was, at least on the surface, everything he wanted. A small part of him was thankful that she didn’t seem interested in anything romantic. This gave him a way to keep her at arm’s length while still getting to know her and easing her into his life. He hoped that by the time the custody battle was over, by the time Tāne was (hopefully) safe in his care, he would know Stevie well enough to know that she would fit perfectly into their lives.

He hoped that by getting to know her now, he could love her later.

As Calum approached the cafe, half expecting to see Stevie waiting out front or just inside the door, he imagined that loving her wouldn’t be very hard at all. She had a way about her, something that made those around her feel at ease, and Calum loved that. He loved how at ease she made him, how simple everything seemed when he was with her, and imagined that loving the big things would come just as naturally.

The vibrations of his cellphone tore Calum out of his thoughts and back to reality. “Running a few minutes late. Max is in a mood,” read a text from Stevie, explaining why she hadn’t beaten him to the coffee shop. He stood near the entrance for a moment, debating, before he decided to step inside and order drinks for the both of them, along with a peanut butter treat for Max.

Less than five minutes later, just as he emerged from the shop with a drink carrier in one hand and a bag with the treat in the other, Stevie rounded the corner. He almost laughed when he saw how similarly they were dressed. She was wearing ripped black mom jeans and a green hoodie, though hers was cropped and neon, with a grey beanie topping it all off. However, he did laugh when he noticed the small white dog tugging her down the street.

“Dude, slow the fuck down,” she huffed, sounding out of breath as she tried to keep pace with the small creature, “first you don’t want to go and now you can’t get there fast enough? Come on.”

“Is Max the one in a mood or was that you?” Calum asked, a slight grin on his lips as he placed the drinks and bag on a table before bending down and offering Max his hand to sniff.

“Max started it,” Stevie explained with a huff, trying to catch her breath as she watched Max lick Calum’s hand. “He didn’t want to get out of bed and refused to walk when we got outside. I had to carry him four blocks. But the second he smelled food, he was trying to jump out of my arms and sprint to it.”

“He knows what he wants,” Calum reasoned with a laugh as he scratched Max’s head before standing and smiling at Stevie. He met her gaze for a brief moment, his eyes shining with amusement and hers narrowed in mock exasperation before he laughed and said, “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Stevie returned with a small smile. She looked like she hadn’t been awake long, Calum could see the marks from her pillow on her cheek and the way her hair was still mussed (maybe that was why she’d chosen the beanie) and he felt his heart warm at the sight. “Can you tell me what today’s adventure is?”

Calum laughed at Stevie’s question and shook his head as he reached out for the tray and bag. “You’ll see when we get there,” he told her as he handed her her latte. “This is for you,” he explained before he handed her the bag, “and this is for Max. I don’t know if you want him to have it now or later so I’ll just give it to you.”

“He’s weird about eating on places that aren’t my kitchen rug so I’ll give it to him when we get home,” she explained as she placed the bag into her backpack before glancing at him. “Thank you. You really didn’t have to get me this or Max a treat.”

“I pulled you guys away from spending the day on your couch,” Calum reasoned with a shrug as he pulled his own drink free from the tray.  “It’s the least I can do. You want to start heading to our destination?”

Although Stevie gave a wary hum, she willingly followed Calum down the sidewalk. The pair of them walked, side by side, as Max happily lead the way. Although he was just as in the dark as Stevie, he was happy to guide them through the busy streets of New York and soak up whatever attention was thrown his way.

“How long have you been in New York?” Calum asked after a few beats of comfortable silence, marked by the pair of them sipping their lattes and taking in the cool morning air.

“About two months. It feels like forever, though,” Stevie answered with a laugh as they waited at a crosswalk. “You’ve been here a while, though, yeah?”

“Mm, a little over six years,” he confirmed as they skirted around a crowd and inched closer to their destination. “Do you miss home?”

“Sometimes,” Stevie answered with a shrug as she kept her gaze on Max. “I miss the food, mostly. I haven’t found a good Cajun place in New York yet. And the way I didn’t really have an accent there but I have one here. Also, people look at you funny if you use manners here. I said yes ma’am to this woman in a shop, she had to be at least fifty, and she got so offended that I was calling her old. Like, no, I’m not calling you old, I’m just being polite.”

Stevie huffed at the end of her rant and Calum laughed as he watched her roll her eyes at the encounter she recalled. This was a moment he enjoyed, seeing her with her guard somewhat down and so animated as she described her feelings about living in New York. These were the moments he felt that he was seeing the real Stevie, not the front she put on or the smile she wore. The emotion was real and she wore it well.

“What about you?” she asked, pulling him back to the moment. He looked over and saw that she was glancing at him from the corner of her eye, her gaze curious as she attempted to pay attention to both him and Max.

“Yeah,” Calum nodded, a wistful smile on his lips as he held onto his now lukewarm latte. “I miss it a lot. I love New York, don’t get me wrong, but I’d love to go home someday. Everything was easier there, more relaxed.” He paused for a moment before he added, “I miss my family, too. My sister’s a musician, she’s in town for a show now. She and Tāne are having their own day and pretty much kicked me out of the house,” Calum explained with a laugh as he glanced over at Stevie once more. “I get to see her more often than my parents but I still miss being at home with them all.”

“Family means a lot to you, huh?” she asked, her expression unreadable as she returned her full attention to Max and attempted to keep him from bothering another small dog sitting outside a cafe.

Calum nodded. Family meant more to him than almost anything else - and he counted his friends, the guys, as his family just as much as his son or his sister - and he would do anything for them. They were one of the biggest pieces of his heart and he didn’t know where he’d be without each of them.

“What about you?” Calum asked after a momentary lull in conversation. “Any siblings?”

Stevie hesitated for a moment before she shook her head. “Nope.” Her tone was clipped and Calum could see that there was more to her answer than a simple no but he didn’t want to pry. He knew that there was a lot about Stevie he didn’t know, there was a lot she was keeping hidden from him, but he hoped that in time, she would trust him enough to reveal her secrets.

Instead of continuing that line of questioning, Calum asked, “How long have you had Max? You guys seem like you know one another pretty well.”

“Two years,” Stevie answered with a small smile as she glanced at the ball of fluff bouncing along ahead of them. “He’s my best boy and I love him a lot. He drives me insane sometimes, he likes to sleep on top of my head like a fucking cat, but I would trade him for anything. The little monster,” she huffed as she watched him stop to sniff a lamppost. “Do you have any pets?”

“No,” Calum answered with a sigh. “I want one and so does Tāne, we both love dogs, but between his schedule and mine, I don’t really have time to take care of one and it wouldn’t be fair to get a dog we couldn’t care for.”

Stevie nodded in understanding as she glanced over at Calum. “I get it. If you guys ever just want to borrow a little dog with a big personality for a day, Max loves kids,” she offered with a laugh.

“I think Tāne would love that. I’ll just have to make sure there aren’t any markers around or you’ll end up with a dog that matches your hair.”

“I think Max could go for a new do, honestly,” Stevie shrugged, grinning at the mental image of her dog returning to her with green fur. “He’d let him. Max is literally the most chill dog on the planet. Sometimes he’s a little diva, wanting everything his way, but he’s a good boy.”

As Stevie and Calum talked about Max, about how she adopted him from a shelter in south Mississippi just before he was due to be put down and how she never imagined she could love a pet as much as she loved him, neither of them noticed their destination fast approaching. Calum guided her through the streets she wasn’t yet familiar with, ushering Max along almost subconsciously, and he was glad that the weather was mild enough for them to wander the streets without freezing or sweating.

It was comfortable, walking along with Stevie as if this was a normal part of their day, and he wondered what they must look like to passersby. They wore nearly identical sweatshirts, each in shades of green, with matching beanies and black jeans. They looked like one of those couples that attempted to coordinate outfits, even if they were neither a couple nor attempting to coordinate, and Calum liked thinking that others would get that impression of them.

It made him feel better for wanting it to be reality.

However, Calum imagined that Stevie’s comfort would end soon as they approached their destination for the day; The Empire State Building. He knew that this was one item on her - Angela’s - bucket list that she was terrified to accomplish and he hoped that having a hand to hold would make things easier for her. He’d wondered if he was overstepping by dragging her through the city, to the one destination he knew she was terrified to go, but he reminded himself that she’d been terrified of getting a tattoo and she’d accomplished that for her friend.

If he could make the process of mourning, what he imagined her completing the bucket list was, any easier, he was going to.

“Okay, so, now that we’re almost there, I think I can tell you what we’re doing,” Calum said, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. “I wanted to help you cross off another item on your list.”

“I don’t think you’d let me bring Max to roller derby and we’re not that close to Central Park. So, I’m guessing it’s the Empire State Building,” Stevie breathed, her voice shaking just a bit as Calum imagined she was dreading being so high up.

“Yeah. I figured you wouldn’t want to do this one alone,” he pointed out with a shrug as he shoved his hands into his pockets, now free of the latte. “We don’t have to, if you don’t want to. I just thought it’d make it easier for you.”

Stevie was quiet for a moment, staring at the entrance to the building across the street. Calum could tell that she was nervous, just as she had been the day he met her, but he could see her steeling herself to complete the task. She was there, right across the street, and she needed to cross off another item.

“Thank you,” she nodded, finally turning her head to look at him. “You’re right, I didn’t want to do this alone. I appreciate this.”

Calum didn’t know how to respond to her gratitude so instead of speaking, he gave her a smile he hoped would convey his emotions and gestured for her to follow him across the street. They were both silent as they made their way inside, Stevie holding Max in her arms and Calum standing closer than he imagined he should as they boarded the elevator to the observation deck. He could see the way she tapped her foot and patted Max’s side anxiously, her movements giving away her panic as she watched the elevator climb higher and higher. 

Without really thinking too m much about it, Calum reached out and grabbed her free hand.

Stevie paused, blinking in surprise, and Calum almost pulled his hand away but before he could, she laced her fingers through his and squeezed. He glanced down at their intertwined hands, her pale, unmarked hand a stark contrast in his ink-covered one but it was nice. It felt normal, like this was where they belonged, and he returned the gesture with a squeeze of his own as the elevator doors chimed and began to open.

Calum let Stevie lead the way to the edge of the deck. He didn’t want to push her faster than she wanted to go, he just wanted to support her. They lingered near the center for a moment, her breathing deeply and clutching Calum’s hand, before they slowly approached the side to look out at the city.

The view was just as beautiful as Calum remembered and, if the gasp Stevie emitted was anything to go on, he believed she felt the same way. Everything looked so small from so high up, one of the biggest cities in the world was reduced to a child’s miniature, and Calum always felt grounded when looking out at this view. Stevie continued to clutch his hand, her nails digging into his skin, but she kept her eyes on the view.

Calum didn’t want to ruin the moment so he remained silent as they stood there, staring out at the city. He could see her bite her bottom lip out of the corner of his eye and when he turned his head to face her, he could see the unshed tears lining her lashes. It was another moment of peace for her, a moment that she needed, and he was glad that he could give it to her as he gently squeezed her hand once more.

They spent nearly thirty minutes there, just looking out at the city and watching life pass them by, before they took the same journey down the elevator and back out onto the street. Although Stevie returned Max to the ground, letting her furry best friend return to sniffing every object in the city, her hand remained in Calum’s as they began their walk back to the cafe.

“Thank you for this,” Stevie said, after they walked several blocks in silence. She looked over at him, a sincere smile on her lips as she met his gaze. “I knew I had to do that sooner or later but having someone with me made it easier.”

“Any time,” Calum answered. And he truly meant it. Although he never meant for Stevie to become such a big part of his life, although he was telling the truth when he told Mali that he didn’t really know her that well, he found himself eager to usher her into his life. He wanted to get to know her. He wanted to make her a part of the family he cared so much for. He wanted her to be happy and he wanted to be the one to make her happy.

He wanted her.

And as they approached the cafe, their time together nearly over, Calum told her as much. “Would you want to hang out again sometime?” he asked, his tone hopeful as he gently squeezed her hand. “It doesn’t have to be crossing off another bucket list item or a date or anything. I meant it when I said I wanted to get to know you.”

“I think I’d prefer hanging out without facing another fear,” she answered with a laugh as they stopped by the cafe and stepped out of the way on the sidewalk. “I’ll be honest,” she began, her voice quiet as she stared down at her feet, “I haven’t made many friends since I’ve been in New York and today was nice. I don’t…” She trailed off, seemingly searching for right words, and Calum waited patiently as she cobbled together the right sentence. “I don’t know if a relationship is right for me, not right now, but I really would like to hang out with you again.”

Although Calum was somewhat disappointed, he respected where she stood and he was grateful that she was being so honest with him about her feelings. He wanted whatever she would give him, though, and if he had to wait until she was ready, he would.

“That’s okay,” he nodded, meaning it wholeheartedly. “Whatever you want this to be, that’s fine with me. As long as I get to see you again.”

Stevie smiled, a barely there quirk of her lips, and squeezed Calum’s hand once more before she untangled their fingers and nodded. “You’re a good person, Calum Hood. You know that?” When he shrugged, not at all convinced he was as good as she imagined he was, she breathed a quiet laugh and shook her head. “I’ll see you later, Calum. Thank you.”

Calum watched as Stevie and Max melted into the crowd of New Yorkers, bustling down the busy sidewalks. He watched until the neon green of her hoodie was no longer visible and, when he knew that she was gone, turned to head home himself. 

__________________________________________________________

Author’s Note: I’m aware that dogs can’t go into the Empire State Building unless they’re service dogs. But this is fiction so let me live on this one detail. I slept past eight this morning which was nice. Also I’m done with my thesis until I get edits from my advisor and then I have 24 hours to edit it and get it to my committee and then I’ll be done forever so that’s terrifying. Also, I love feedback so please let me know how you feel about Stevie and Cal??????

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First Impressions: Kirakira Pretty Cure a la Mode

By: Casea Mhtar | @madamekrow

As a fan of Mahou Shoujo, I’ve had my eye on the longstanding Pretty Cure series for quite a while. However, I couldn’t jump into this colorful franchise because it was only available on illegal streaming services. As a Neutral Good, that doesn’t sit well with me. My only other option would be Glitter Force on Netflix, for which I have heard many complaints about the dubbing. So, I decided to forgo that as well. It wasn’t until fairly recently that Crunchyroll has started adding their dubs for Healin’ Good Pretty Cure (their most current season) and Kirakira Pretty Cure a la Mode that I am finally able to hop right in! I mean, yeah, Crunchyroll had the very first season already, but I’m picky, and I didn’t want to start with that one. Not only that but if I had watched it when I first wanted to get into this franchise, I’d have to wait years before legally watching more seasons! (And why would I sentence myself to such a horrible fate?!) Frivolous complaints aside, I now have my chance to start this series exactly where I wanted to in the first place: Kirakira Pretty Cure a la Mode!!

What Should You Expect?

I’m seven episodes in, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it! First and foremost, PreCure (short for Pretty Cure) is generally aimed toward a demographic of 4 to 7-year-old girls; however, there is a loyal fanbase of adults who watch the show and buy the merchandise (much like My Little Pony). All this to say that it is obviously a show for young girls, so you won’t be seeing the same kind of content you might find in a Shonen, for instance. It’s all just good wholesome fun, perfect for a brightly colored distraction from the darkness of the real world. With that in mind, the animation exceeded my expectations, which were relatively low to begin with, and there’s a wide array of expressions. There were definitely some moments that had me bust out laughing because of their attention to detail during well-timed comedic moments. I certainly have my gripes, but I’m rather at peace with them considering I was well aware of potential issues going into the series--those issues being with the villains and the combat.

PreCure, as a whole, is a monster-of-the-week kind of show, but as far as I understand, there is usually an overarching big-bad working behind the scenes throughout the season in these kinds of shows. There are a total of 49 episodes in this particular season, so the main villain will probably appear at some point. As of right now, the monsters in each episode are painfully convenient and, thus far, the fights feel somewhat lazy as they shoot out ropes made of cream to bind the enemy in each episode with little struggle. I’ve heard other PreCure seasons have excelled in both of these things, so I understand that each one will have their own pros and cons. But again I’m only 7 episodes in; there’s plenty of room for spectacle and splendor to go! Besides, these minor complaints really don’t amount to much since this show has exceeded my expectations overall, allowing me to look past the blemishes and simply enjoy the show. With all of that said, let’s address the pink magical-girl in the room...

Tokyo Mew Mew

I know, I know, I was thinking the exact same thing I'm assuming you're thinking right now. I too had an accusatory tone in my head as I thought, "Is that a Tokyo Mew Mew rip off?" The answer is, "Well of course not!" Otherwise, they would've legally been taken down, like, yesterday. Even so, there are some similarities. While not outright plagiarism, the show will remind you of Tokyo Mew Mew, either because of the designs or color schemes. But honestly, those reminders begin to dissipate as the shows' respective stories begin to diverge. You will soon realize that PreCure is entirely doing their own thing with the whole food-mixed with animal themes. In fact, they lean into the animal side of things far more than Tokyo Mew Mew, and it's enjoyable to see these ideas played out. Sure, both groups have a pink, strawberry girl as their leader. But, if you were to look past that, you'll see that these two characters, much like the series themselves, are entirely different from each other. So if you're a fan of Tokyo Mew Mew and you were rolling your eyes and brushing PreCure a la Mode aside for that reason alone, I'd say give it a shot!

With All of That Out of The Way,

Let’s talk about why I really like this season of PreCure: I love a good sweets motif, and I am absolutely infatuated with the character designs of this show. Moreover, the food looks so good that I want to eat it. Going in, I knew that the food would look okay, but boy did they not disappoint! In the second episode, they make pudding (the jiggly kind, not the plastic cup variety) and let me tell you... when that pudding plopped and wobbled onto the plate, I felt it. 

I think though that what I really enjoy is the show's overall message. This show is all about coming together with your friends and putting your heart and soul into your creations, adding those little personal touches that your stomach will indifferently digest with the rest of it. I know that the idea of friendship and coming together is a staple feature of the genre, but this show feels like it's taken a refreshing look at that idea. 

As the person watching, I feel like the show's intention is to make watchers the recipient of feeling special and loved for who you are and what you like. I appreciate that the characters aren't masters of their crafts in many regards yet, but evens though they might not be the best and they make multiple failed attempts, they remain determined. These girls are driven by the power of friendship and the sweet times they spend together, as well as their own passions. That right there is precisely why I will continue watching Kirakira PreCure a la Mode. In fact, that's why I'm a fan of the Mahou Shoujo in general--To be reminded of the pure joy a wonderful friendship can bring!! 🧡 To feel that pillowy-ticklishness I get in my heart when I think of the ones I hold dear. 

Something as simple as friendship, just like that extra whipped cream on your favorite treat, can make all the difference in life! 🎂🧡

[heathered-beinn]

BTS American Hustle Life Ep8

Episode 7 recap:

It started with a basketball game; Tony, Jungkook, Jimin, and J-Hope VS Nate, Suga, V, and Jin. Tony’s team won by a point and the punishment was Nate’s team had to buy ice cream for everyone. The next day BTS were dragged out of their beds and sent away to experience ‘working for a living’. RM and Suga joined housekeeping in a hotel, Jimin and Jungkook went to an airfield where they had to clean workshops and planes, Suga, V, and Jin ended up on a yacht and had to clean, polish, and varnish it ready for an event. At the working day they got ‘paid’ and Tony told them they were going to use the money to buy food for people on Skid Row.

While the end was a really good lesson in ‘giving back’ the rest of the episode was not so good viewing. IMO they really wasted an opportunity by not telling BTS that they were going to work – if they had they probably wouldn’t have treated it like a game. If they had taken it more seriously then it would really have put the “earning money” and “giving back” aspects into proper perspective. But it was what is was.

Anyway on to the final episode!

So BTS are getting dragged out of bed again. Did they get any decent sleep this trip? Poor V – he’s been the hardest to get out of bed each time lol.

So their last challenge is to create the best hip hop performance they can using their learned skills.

As a band they set to work on their lyrics for regulate – I’m pretty sure they don’t normally work on lyrics altogether – too many cooks spoil the broth etc - so this maybe made it harder for them. LMAO at V who wanted to include an audience aspect with, “I say V, you say The Best” and RM saying if they weren’t on camera he would have cussed him. LOL the sass and confidence of JK putting a hand across his hyung’s (Suga’s) mouth.

So Suga and RM are in charge (by rights of earning the most money last ep). Suga gives Jin and J-Hope the task of printing hand-outs, while Jimin, V, and Jungkook (the Maknae Line!) are to hand them out and promote the show.

Lol at Jungkook’s method of handing out flyers

Why do I think these were the worst three to promote anything *crying with laughter emoji*. Haha V ends up being shyer than Jungkook.

In fact, Jungkook does rather well with the promotion!

I like the little bit of behind the scenes where they clap to indicate the cameras are rolling. Jungkook really got into it lol. They clearly did other promotion for the show (and relied on their already established international fans?) because I’m calling it out that that amount of people were not the skills of Jimin, V, and, Jungkook on the street lol.

I wonder how nervous BTS really felt about shows at this point. It’s 2014 and they’ve played in quite a few shows at this point and I think been on TV? They have even been to Japan. So they were new but not that new? No doubt there will always be some nerves ahead of a show, it’s only natural, but there’s a difference between feeling antsy and feeling ill. I wonder who out of all the band had the worst nerves and who had the least nerves and why. Questions questions.

So this is really my first time seeing them perform on stage, concert style. I’ve never been much of a fan of rap but I actually quite enjoyed their music – they have some great choruses that you can’t help singing along to. What else can I say? They are well styled. Their performance is polished. Everyone sings confidently. Suga is really good at rapping. Their dancing is on point. They are a great band and it is clear why they made it.

I’m impressed at Jungkook’s stage presence – he’s confident and one of the lead vocals despite being quite shy behind the scenes. Also, I noted Jimin has some versatility to his voice! I thought he was mainly the “high vocal” of the group but I saw one bit in that concert where he had a strong middle range. I’d be interested to see him rapping.

Regulate: Turned out pretty nicely, guys! The dance challenge: Ah ha ha ha actually it was quite fun to watch. I be the audience were like ????? though lol

RM and Jimin killed their bboying. RM needs extra kudos for his efforts.

LOL, Jin and J-Hope tried with their beatboxing – lovely of Fraahz to join them on stage.

OMG Suga, V, and Jungkook’s ‘Oh Happy Day’ was great! It was polished and Jungkook, what a marvellous tone you have – he made all the notes, just cracking!!! <3

All in all, it’s clear the lads have a lot of fun on stage and it’s lovely to see their confidence shine. “Same love” was, again, polished and full of high energy, and so was “No More Dream”, it’s easy to see why BTS made it so big. They have great stage presence, their music is interesting, their performances are energetic, their personalities are fun and engaging, they all seem to really care about each other and are not afraid to show affection (which is a wonderful Korean charm), they work hard, they are polite and friendly, and they seem to have a lot of fun which means we have a lot of fun. They tick pretty much every box for success – well deserved success.

So it’s the last day and they are all packing up. They say some really nice things to Tony and Nate. It’s clear they all got on well and that the two gentlemen made it easier for the band to enjoy their time. Perhaps RM was the most honest when he said there was a lot of hardwork. I think there probably was – more than the camera showed. There was probably some home sickness in the mix as well - 21 days in a foreign country and not able to speak the language must have been quite hard.

 Overall Series Musings.

 I’m not going to lie, there were some seriously cringy moments in this series and a lot of episodes I wouldn’t care to re-watch because of that. However, there were some absolutely magical moments too and some comedy gold. We got to see more of the lads’ personalities and they are thoroughly delightful; all seven of them are fun, playful, affectionate, decent, energetic, interesting, polite, charming, sassy, talented yet beautifully flawed, awkward and just perfectly human. The list is really endless, and I know I’ve fallen even more in love with them because of it. I can certainly see why they won the world over.

Things I have learned and/or observed about the members thus far: Jin is not a natural dancer but if he’s motivated – like when he didn’t want to let J-Hope down – he will work his butt off and his hard work really shows in the end. He’s quite awkward at times and that spills into some of his craft. We learned he had been working towards a career in acting before BTS and that he has a brother who is into hip hop. As the band is so busy he hasn’t even seen the families’ new house. His role in BTS at this point seems to be a bit of parent figure for the younger members.

Suga is quite nervous of woman – like unexpectedly so – worse than Jungkook! I don’t know why this surprised me so much. Does this nervousness around women mean anything? No. Not on it’s own. I’ve just filed it away in my brain in case there is anything else that might connect to it at a later date. Anyway, what else did we learn about Suga? He’s a hard worker and a kind of ‘just gets on with it’ guy. He has a nice affinity with the younger ones, which was a little absent in previous series. This time he spent a lot of time with V and Jungkook and he was pretty soft and indulgent of them. It was lovely to see. His roles in the band are lead rapper and a song writer.  

J-Hope is a literal ball of sunshine. He is also a seriously talented dancer and I was a little taken aback that the band considered him their strongest dancer – that never came across in Carpool Karaoke. He admitted that as a trainee he had felt quite remote from the band as everyone else was a rapper, although I wonder if this was before Jimin joined? J-Hope is really quite talented all round – doing really well with all the challenges – except basketball. His roles in the band are lead dancer and the positivity/glue guy.

RM was RM. I don’t feel we learned as much about him as we did the others. Don’t get me wrong, he was front and centre but I didn’t feel we got to go too deep with him – either that or we’ve learned a lot about him already and there was little new. What did come across is that he is under a lot of pressure and that he cares what other’s think of him. He also wants to care less about what others think of him. His role is still as leader of the band.

Jimin is simply a lovable little ball of energy and laughter. Supposedly he has a temper but even when he’s ‘supposedly mad’ he is laughing about it. It’s hard to talk that seriously. Even the tutor, Tony, fell a little in love with Chim Chim. What else did we learn about Jimin? Well he was definitely calmer than in previous series – although he was still plenty loud. What really came through is that he is a hard worker and can knuckle down. His role is main dancer, high vocals, and comic relief.

V is… a lot of things. He’s overly affectionate at times, wonderfully weird, very random, a little spacey, not always the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to certain things, surprising shy in some situations, and a bit of a sensitive soul. Quite frankly I have a real soft spot for this goofball. His role is a little less obvious but I’m thinking low vocals, face of the band, and the mystery guy.

Jungkook, the maknae, is growing – both literally (I swear he grew several inches between ep1 and ep8 alone and is constantly hungry) and figuratively (his personality is blossoming). He has come out of his shell somewhat – still shy (and nervous of woman) at times – but also surprisingly brave in other situations and growing quite sassy. I think he is more comfortable behind the camera rather in front of it and I hope he gets the chance to be creative with that in the future. His role is main vocalist.

Band relations:      

Some of the musings I made in previous series have been proven right while there are many that I perhaps read too much into. We really started to see the inner friendships more in this series so that has helped put behaviours into better perspective. I think J-Hope and Jin are really tight, they spent a lot of time together and had an ease of two people that had known each other for years. They clearly have a close brotherly bond and it’s just lovely to see. Suga, to my surprise, spent a lot of time with the younger ones in this series and he really indulged them. In fact, he did a great job looking after them and played on their level in a way that made it easy to forget he is their hyung. My new observation for him is that he maybe doesn’t care too much for convention? He is unapologetically him and that’s that, which I take my hat off to. RM and Jimin made a surprisingly great unit – RM is really good with Jimin, even if his (lack) of dancing skills frustrates the younger one at times. RM respects everyone and he gives people time, which I think Jimin needs? Also, I think they get on particularly well because they are quite similar in work ethics and principles. Towards the end we saw Jimin partnered with Jungkook. I can’t put my finger yet on a proper description for their bond. They are certainly comfortable around each other – and get on well and hang out a lot - but they don’t have the same ‘brotherly vibe’ as say RM and Jimin. Jungkook also treats Jimin more like he’s the same age as him. I wouldn’t say he’s disrespectful but there is a lot of teasing and a noticeable lack of honorific behaviour. I also can’t explain why but their bond has not got the same feel as Jungkook’s and V’s relationship, in which Jungkook also treats V as though they are the same age. However, there is a notable warm brotherly vibe between V and Jungkook and certainly more obvious respect from Jungkook’s side. I don’t know... Maybe it’s just the way the programme was edited or maybe I’m talking out my *** I just get frustrated when I can’t explain something. I suppose it didn’t help that Carpool Karaoke didn’t show much of their individual bonds in later life. I guess I’ll find out as we go along whether Jimin and Jungkook have a really close but unique bond or whether they are secret enemies lol.

 ******************************************************************************

The next programme on my list is BTS Go! According to Wiki, this seems to be from 2014 too. However, I recently came across the existence of the BTS Youtube channel where they have hundreds of videos from backstage dating back to 2013! What I think I will do is watch and muse over BTS Go first and then watch all the videos up to the end of 2014 on their Youtube account and then muse over what I see there and what I’ve seen in the tv programmes so far. I expect their personalities and bonds are more candid in the behind the scenes videos so I’m looking forward to seeing those in particular.      

[hangonimevolving]

Week 12-ish at home

Hello all!  Here in Florida, many aspects of quarantine life are purportedly starting to change “out there,” in the world.  In-house restaurant dining, salons, and misc businesses opened up a few weeks ago.  And this week, on June 1st, even more businesses began normal operations - children’s day cares, for example.  The beaches have opened.  Public parks are open, although there are restrictions on playground equipment, etc.  Most businesses have certain rules and restrictions in place, e.g. social distancing and mask usage.  But yep, they’re open.

However, our family is NOT :)  We have decided to act like nothing’s changed, at least for now - we would like to observe and see how things go “out there,” if the virus stays at a plateau in terms of numbers infected, etc., or if there is an upsurge.  If there is an upsurge, we are concerned with seeing how severe or widespread it might get.  In short - its too early for us.  We have too many factors to consider in terms of immune issues, family members with multiple risk factors, etc.  So, we continue on, living and learning within our own family unit.  And thankfully for us - this is not a huge deal.  Sure, we have our moments where we wish we could do regular things, like go hang around at a mall or a movie theater, or go visit a public playground.  Oh, how we miss eating out.  We REALLY miss seeing friends and having playdates - that part is hard.  But - its okay.  It won’t be forever.

So what are we doing these days?

I made air plant terrarium globes, and hung them around our breakfast area:

Vev participated in the virtual science fair through school, with his experiment on liquids, viscosity, and cohesion.  We tested out water, soda water, and oil.  I think he learned a good amount in the process!

We were excited when the U.S. Navy Blue Angels did a flyover in the South Florida region - and we got a killer view of the fighter jets as they zoomed over our backyard!!!

(Okay, I realize this picture isn’t that impressive - the Blue Angels are those series of dots on the blue part of the sky, surrounded by clouds.  But trust me, watching them tear across the sky in that formation was awesome).

There’s been more pancake art...

We attended a really touching event a few weeks back - a five-year-old boy in our community is undergoing treatment for a terminal brain tumor.  The entire community banded together, and threw him a socially-distanced celebration: a birthday parade comprised of fully-restored vintage cars and fancy, souped up muscle cars and vehicles.  It was an awesome, meaningful, and poignant event.

On April 30th, I finally faced the reality that quarantine snacking was getting the better of me.  I knew I had to make a change.  So I went keto on May 1st, and kept it up for 30 days.  It was honestly super hard.  But I pulled through.  There was a lot of eating like this.....

ramen soup with shirataki noodles

and.... basically just a ton of omelets.

I need to write an entire post - more like, a continuing series of posts - about how IN LOVE I am with my new Cricut Maker.  I am OBSESSED with this marvelous contraption, and have thoroughly been enjoying my time with it while at home.  I have made a couple of things thus far, and I can’t wait to show them to you.  But by way of a teaser - here are some koala and panda-themed sleep masks I made for the kids....

And here is a little bandana bib I made for Pixel, who actually seemed to enjoy wearing it!

Pixel acquired a new perch in our home.  For some reason, out of all the myriad cat beds we have bought her (memory foam, regular foam, fuzzy plush material, microfiber, etc.), her preferred toys and beds are all the ones made of corrugated cardboard. I have never quite understood why she’s so crazy about it - it looks, to my meager human eye, like a hard, cheap, NOT warm and fuzzy place to hang out.  But, she’s crazy about it.  So, I recently bought her this.

Based on the fact that she’s hardly moved from this spot in a month, except to eat 11 billion times a day - I’d say I have gotten my $12 worth already.

On the topics of cats, and crafting - my good friend Y had been telling me about her kitty and how he’s become the “loyal coworker,” since she and her family are all telecommuting these days for their jobs.  Apparently, Shams the cat perches on her cardiologist father’s desk, and oversees his daily rounds using telemedicine apps to check on his patients.  I decided to make Shams an appropriate coworker type outfit.  And again, yet another cat has surprised us by happily wearing the ridiculous outfits we humans are making for them!

What a handsome gentleman :)

What else.... ah, so Mother’s Day came along, with its customary breakfast in bed for yours truly, delivered by some other handsome gentlemen I know.

Dr. Spouse elected to disregard my keto diet, and prepare me a tasty meal of refined carbs - which I hungrily guzzled in appreciation.

Last but not least, for this post anyway - I ran my first “virtual race,” which is this deal where you pay a registration fee and are sent a race bib, shirt, and medal, but its sort of an honor system where you run the race/distance and then post to social media if you wish.  I ran a race called the “Crush Corona 5K”.  The experience of virtual racing was great.  My actual run on that day was surprisingly rough!  I left my house way later than my ordinary running time, and it was an extraordinarily hot day... I totally overheated, and between being carb-starved on the keto diet and also seriously premenstrual (sorry, TMI) - I was really glad when the run was done.  Oh well!  The proceeds of my race benefitted a good cause - a fund for healthcare and essential workers who have been on the front lines of the Coronavirus pandemic.  And bigger picture, I dedicated my race to my “Run Buchandi Run” race series which has been raising funds for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.  I also ran in memory of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, and the missions of the #blacklivesmatter movement to end systemic racism generally, and police brutality against African Americans specifically.  

Multiple missions and causes, same heart.  They all overlap after all - we are all connected humans, and despite this, minorities in this country are not appreciated for being essential to our society, are also at higher risk of most health conditions, and have to live in fear of unjust targeting by law enforcement and other systems.  I believe it’s possible for us to make our personal efforts in the service of building awareness of this entire network of issues.  My heart - and my legs! - worked in service of this.

[eduardomeneses]

Faves of 2018: Anime contd.

My reflections on the last set of shows I enjoyed from 2018: 

1. Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These - To my understanding, this is a remake of the anime that aired in the 80’s - 90’s, and covers the first volume of the original novel, and I’m glad this is how it’s being presented. As to be expected, the show is clean and crisp, none of the animation being disregarded. This space opera is full of politics and intergalactic military strategy. The main characters are quite captivating and the writing is smart all around. The show has a clever way of jumping between the conflicts and politics that happen on both the battlefield and each respective federations territory. The anime is incredibly tight and concise, this first season consisting of just 12 episodes, but it is among the best produced packages to release this year. A highlight of the year that I can’t wait to see more from, and a show I’d recommend to anyone looking for an anime with a little more substance.

2. Megalo Box - an anime that restored that feeling. With just 13 episodes, Megalo Box did an amazing job of showcasing the rise of underdog boxer within a world that refused to recognize him. Very much the typical underdog story, akin to Rocky or any other sports film/anime, the familiarity of Megalo Box does nothing but boost how enjoyable it was in a summer season that didn’t have much going on. The show had an old school vibe, coming through in the plot, the characters, and the art direction. The cast is incredibly charismatic and each episode left me thirsty for more. I have got to say that I’m a sucker for these kinds of shows, and it delivered on all fronts. Like the main character, this show is relentless, but paced well with thoroughly profound writing. Something about the true nature of humans lies in the anime and it is certainly a genuine article as one of my favorites I’ve had the pleasure to watch.

3. Persona 5 The Animation - Unaware of the game that acts as the anime’s source material and the universe the show comes from, I’d have to say I really did enjoy the strangeness in Persona 5. Some of the sequences and animation were a bit offbeat, but in a charming way. At times it felt like watching a cut scene within a game. The anime really delivered with the plot and it pulled me deeper and deeper into its world, which I was fine with, even with not knowing where it would take me. There are plenty of tricks and deceits that are a part of the storyline that makes it a captivating watch. It feels as if the show breaks the fourth wall at times to really mess with the viewer. The art is clean, nothing revolutionary, but the anime continued to turn in on itself which made each week surprising. I have to say that some of the pacing threw me off, especially around the 3/4 mark, in the stretch between episodes 17-20, but it picked up well and I’m very eager to see how the cliffhanger is resolved.

4. Food Wars: Shokugeki No Souma SZN 4 - Continuing its reign as the gold standard for food in anime, Shokugeki no Souma is here again to amaze and flex its mastery of the culinary. There aren’t enough words to be said about how beautifully composed the anime is. It is faithful to the source material and adds dynamism and even more excitement to all the events and dishes served. I won’t keep you for too long, harping on how much I love this anime, but it is among my favorite of all time. It is pure entertainment and the perfect balance of sensuality, beauty, and comedy. Elite.

5. Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online - an offshoot of the Sword Art Online universe and arguably the strongest among the other series in the franchise, SAO Alternative: Gun Gale online, is fun, plain and simple. Existing within the SAO universe, GGO is able to surpass its counterparts because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. I was unsure of what to expect, with this anime, considering I’m not a fan of the original SAO series at all, but I’m glad I stuck around for all of GGO. It does so much with very little, electing to make the characters and overall story very lean. The motivations and ambitions are clear for everyone we are introduced to and the main focus of the show exists as a tournament between teams looking to win the battle royale. GGO does itself a great service by not trying to muddy the story with deep, complex real world actualities and commits to the virtual game world, making for an exciting sequence of events that unravel over 24 episodes. The anime operates as the most fun and enjoyable stream of FPS gameplay anyone could ask for, with genuinely likable characters, and that places it leagues above its predecessors.

6. Attack on Titan SZN 3 - Attack on Titan takes my vote for most improved thus far. Now airing in smaller, 12 episode seasons, Attack on Titan has figured out how to pace itself in a way that follows the source material and makes the events as interesting as possible. The first season suffered a bit in that it dragged for stretches while trying to build up the overall narrative. The journey has proved to be worth all the trouble because the past two seasons have been exceptional. Season 3 finds us mining much more of the human factor within the Attack on Titan universe, and although the show is addressing much more of the politics and personal dramas, it’s provided in digestible doses. With the 12 episodes, we are given a well-balanced plot that touches on every positive aspect of the show while being concise with the points that feel more laborious. What I also found interesting is the turning point this season proved for several characters, so now there is much more to look forward to in the ways the entire cast will develop as they dive deeper into the murky waters of the titan infested, human manipulated world they inhabit.

7. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind - Most Certainly bizarre and the most cohesive series in the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure universe, Golden Wind delights with its charm and eccentricities and I hope it continues the course it is running. Anyone new to the JoJo universe doesn’t need to go back and watch previous seasons to enjoy Golden Wind, but it may help overcome some of the strange stylistic choices the anime takes. The show, like the previous seasons, is full of character, color, and life, and like previous seasons also a bit grotesque, maybe not the right word, but the first one that comes to mind. The story is interesting and the Italian setting makes it even more captivating. If taken not too seriously, the show is well executed and a carnival for the eye. There are enough interesting characters thus far, and I”m eager to see where the show takes them over the next 20+ episodes.

8. SSSS.Gridman - Another Studio Trigger production, another beauty to debut this year. A modern animated adaptation of the early 90’s live action series, SSSS.Gridman is a super stylized, sophisticated anime about a giant robot that fights of giant monsters, what’s not to like? The anime is the glossiest rendition of the robot vs monster genre that slowly unravels to reveal ambitions to investigate the human condition. What was first something simply fun to watch, has transformed, like the protagonist of the show, into something much more complex. The show has done a good job of taking a seemingly childish setup and adding layers to it. With the show on a few episodes away from the finale, I find it to be one of the most satisfying 12 episode anime to come out of 2018.

9. Banana Fish - Fitting that the heaviest anime of the year is about to end just as the year is wrapping up. Thousands of words would be needed to fully unpack all that Banana Fish has addressed in its 23 episodes thus far, and with one to go, it will continue to build upon the sturdy foundation it started laying out when it premiered at the beginning of July. Banana Fish is a brutal, realist take on crime, drugs, sexuality, and desire. It never pulls any punches and is a winding tale that has turned on itself many times already. There is a coating of sadness that wraps every aspect of the show and succeeds in being able to pull at the audience at every event. I’ll have to revisit this anime after it ends and I’ve had more time to reflect because it truly has an extraordinary amount working for it.

[marginalgloss]

the shaded hollows

‘To persons standing alone on a hill during a clear midnight such as this, the roll of the world eastward is almost a palpable movement. The sensation may be caused by the panoramic glide of the stars past earthly objects, which is perceptible in a few minutes of stillness, or by the better outlook upon space that a hill affords, or by the wind, or by the solitude; but whatever be its origin, the impression of riding along is vivid and abiding. The poetry of motion is a phrase much in use, and to enjoy the epic form of that gratification it is necessary to stand on a hill at a small hour of the night, and, having first expanded with a sense of difference from the mass of civilised mankind, who are dreamwrapt and disregardful of all such proceedings at this time, long and quietly watch your stately progress through the stars. After such a nocturnal reconnoitre it is hard to get back to earth, and to believe that the consciousness of such majestic speeding is derived from a tiny human frame.’

I read another Thomas Hardy novel, not long after my first. I can’t be entirely sure why — I liked The Mayor of Casterbridge quite a bit, but it wasn’t the kind of book that instantly promotes its author to a top ranking in my mind. I think it might suffice to say that I enjoyed the feeling of reading it more than I thought it was an exceptional novel. I’ve now read Far From the Madding Crowd, however, which has probably cured me of my past notion, because I enjoyed it a good deal less. 

The plot is, like most over-encumbered stories, best summarised quickly. Bathsheba Everdeen is a local woman who has come into the ownership of her own farm; Gabriel Oak is a well-read young shepherd with ambitions towards independence; Boldwood is a wealthy local farmer. After certain misunderstandings and outpourings a love triangle of sorts emerges between these three, and is interrupted by the shameless figure of Captain Troy, a dashing and not infrequently ridiculous officer in the army. Bathsheba falls for Troy, but he is cruel and stupid, and he has secrets that threaten to destroy them both. 

It is a book of fine moments that barely cohere as a single narrative. I suppose it works best considered in the context of how it was originally published: as an episodic drama, not unlike a modern TV series. In that way the stark tonal shifts and shapeless plot seem to make a kind of sense. I don’t call it ‘shapeless’ only to denigrate it — I mean it only in the sense that it has no direction, drive, or symmetry. It wanders; there is no hero and heroine, really, and there is certainly no quest, no particular beginning or end to the tale told here. It might end with a marriage but it is hardly a romantic one, even though this book is somehow celebrated as a love story. 

A certain sense of plotlessness, or pointlessness, is certainly part of the point, as when Captain Troy comes to realise that he is perhaps not the protagonist of his own life:

‘He had not minded the peculiarities of his birth, the vicissitudes of his life, the meteor-like uncertainty of all that related to him, because these appertained to the hero of his story, without whom there would have been no story at all for him; and it seemed to be only in the nature of things that matters would right themselves at some proper date and wind up well. This very morning the illusion completed its disappearance, and, as it were, all of a sudden, Troy hated himself. The suddenness was probably more apparent than real. A coral reef which just comes short of the ocean surface is no more to the horizon than if it had never been begun, and the mere finishing stroke is what often appears to create an event which has long been potentially an accomplished thing.’

Some of this book is barely readable. It is too long, and the last fifth or so goes off the rails entirely. It is frequently boring: there are winding sections of dialogue here which add next to nothing to the story. Bathsheba is a compelling figure haunted by a dismal spectre of authorial misogyny, while Gabriel Oak’s goodness is creaking in its contrivance. He is allowed to be both worldly and wise, to be smart and self-sufficient, and to cap it all, a human being in need of affection; Bathsheba cannot have half as much as he without floundering, always hampered by some weakness conveniently assigned to her gender.

And yet there are moments of startling brilliance here. The gap between Hardy at his worst and at his best is perhaps greater than in any other author I know. His descriptive writing, whether it touches the consciousness of his characters or the landscape of Wessex, is frequently stunning. There’s a startling beauty in his throwaway lines, like the description of Bathsheba’s hair, ‘…black in the shaded hollows of its mass’. The range of his style is remarkable: at times he comes across as an early literary impressionist, at others an even earlier modernist. One could take a quirky little passage like this and transplant it directly into Ulysses with no adjusting: 

‘We turn our attention to the left-hand characteristics; which were flatness in respect of the river, verticality in respect of the wall behind it, and darkness as to both. These features made up the mass. If anything could be darker than the sky, it was the wall, and if any thing could be gloomier than the wall it was the river beneath. The indistinct summit of the facade was notched and pronged by chimneys here and there, and upon its face were faintly signified the oblong shapes of windows, though only in the upper part. Below, down to the water's edge, the flat was unbroken by hole or projection.’

At times there is almost a surfeit of style. The omniscient narrator’s mannerisms are occasionally overbearing in their verbosity. The sudden dashes between high and low registers of language seem intended to mimic Shakespeare, in their quality of making a dramatic address to the reader that iterates as it explains. Sometimes this works, and sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it is pleasantly droll, as when the narrator describes the fate of a dog who drove a quantity of sheep to their demise through over-enthusiastic chasing:

‘George’s son had done his work so thoroughly that he was considered too good a workman to live, and was, in fact, taken and tragically shot at twelve o'clock that same day—another instance of the untoward fate which so often attends dogs and other philosophers who follow out a train of reasoning to its logical conclusion, and attempt perfectly consistent conduct in a world made up so largely of compromise.’

Sometimes the only way to explain something is to really explain it, and so when Hardy puts on his lecturer’s hat and taps his lectern, you have to listen. The writing in the passage below is airy, abstracted, distant, and it could even be called emotionally detached by today’s standards, but the shape of the syllables and the cascading sub-clauses have a rhythm that suggests an intellect possessed by a greater music — precisely how Boldwood feels:

‘The great aids to idealisation in love were present here: occasional observation of her from a distance, and the absence of social intercourse with her—visual familiarity, oral strangeness. The smaller human elements were kept out of sight; the pettinesses that enter so largely into all earthly living and doing were disguised by the accident of lover and loved-one not being on visiting terms; and there was hardly awakened a thought in Boldwood that sorry household realities appertained to her, or that she, like all others, had moments of commonplace, when to be least plainly seen was to be most prettily remembered. Thus a mild sort of apotheosis took place in his fancy, whilst she still lived and breathed within his own horizon, a troubled creature like himself.’

And yet sometimes I still think Hardy is at his best when he hits you like a bullet: 

‘When Bathsheba's figure shone upon the farmer's eyes it lighted him up as the moon lights up a great tower.’

[keepyourpantsongohan]

Ayesha Liveblogs Free! S1-S2

Good lord there are really only five English VAs huh 

I appreciate the level of existential dread it takes to sit in a bathtub in a bathing suit 

Apron designers I have some questions!!! Firstly: Whomst?

“Anything has magical properties if you believe hard enough” I love Nagisa

“What can I say, I’m a romantic” so what I’m gathering is that Haru and Rin were small and in love with each other

Update from one minute later: Angry with each other now, I guess? 

That’s right Haru you wear that swimsuit all day!!! But wash it bc that’s not a breathable fabric trust me you’re asking for trouble 

“You only live once so do what you want” Dghdfjghjkhkjdf I can’t believe that Amakata’s contribution to this disciplinary lecture amounts to “yolo”

Makoto really knows how to get Haru to do things he doesn’t want to do all he’s gotta do is whisper “pool” and there he is

“What is wrong with you” I hope that Haru continues to strip to reveal his swimsuit no matter where they are throughout this anime. The doctor’s office. A dog park. The mall. Pls let this be a trope

What the shit is this Arabian nights outro this is a Japanese high school swim anime lmao

There’s a joke to be made about the visual metaphor of Haru needing to quench his thirst in the ending but I’ll refrain 

How do their teachers keep finding out about their trespassing who is telling on these boys

What is Ms. Amakata’s previous job what kind of swim job could possibly be inappropriate to talk about at school

Omg Kou is so thirsty for swim boys and while I can’t really relate I appreciate her enthusiasm 

HARU’S STRIPPING AT THE FISH STORE THEY REALLY COMMITTED TO THE “I’LL SWIM ANYWHERE” TROPE I LOVE IT

“I promised myself that I’d never wear a swimsuit again” omg she was a swimsuit model

So Haru quit swimming because Rin is a sore loser? Suspect and lame

“No, come back, you’ll die!” Makoto is truly the highlight of this show and the friend Haru needs

Haru pls I’m weeping

Amakata: They might approve your request [if you win a swimming competition] 

Haru, already taking off his clothes: LET’S GET TO WORK

“He’s just like us! He’s a guy, but he’s got a girly name!” What kind of dumbass logic for deciding who joins your swim team Nagisa lmao 

“You talk about Haru a lot” Hahaha it’s bad form to bring up other people you admire when you’re flirting Nagisa, Rei is Offended™

Ffdhkdshfkhfkj he hasn’t gotten in the water yet but I’m pretty sure Rei can’t fucking swim

“That would’ve meant admitting defeat, and I’m not adept at that” okay I love Rei too this ensemble cast is so funny

Rei’s so cute omg his small and betrayed “but why” when he can’t float

Is it truly an anime without a rivalry-friendship with blatant homoerotic overtones

Oh wow that’s a weird thing for Rin’s sister to have to watch lmao

“Let the water guide you” “Could you try to be less abstract about this” I’m giggling at Haru just throwing out platitudes and hoping one sticks

“I’ll have you know that I have the constitution of a samurai” Rei you are by far the best part of this show so far

Wait a hot minute what in the hell happened in the ocean why do you have to say it like that Haru

Really if any Haru’s relationships are going to err on the side of romantic it should probably be with Makoto because they’re like actually friends and support each other lmao

I don’t know what’s wilder about this scene Makoto using his trauma to convince Haru to swim relay or the Gaze™ that follows

“You’d be the newlywed couple that gets killed in the first five minutes” HMMMM newlywed couple huh

This episode is soooo cute I love the boys bonding together in starlight

Wow was Rin’s problem with Haru just latent daddy issues all along I completely misread this situation

WAIT WAS RIN’S DAD ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO DIED ON THE FISHERMAN’S BOAT

“It’s hard to explain, that’s just the way they are” “What’s that supposed to mean” people are gay, Rei

Why do the people on this show have such weird interpersonal relationships do you really need to hold Rin’s ankles for this conversation, Aiichiro

Regardless of her thirst Kou is really the best manager they could ask for

 “I will relish destroying you” okay calm down Swimsuit Sasuke

“This victory means I never have to swim with you again. Ever” were you not the one constantly harassing Haru for competitions???? What’s your problem Rin!!!

Haru looking at Mako like swimming has meaning again I don’t care if this is friendship or romance THAT’S LOVE BITCH

“It’s not that easy in real life huh” a weirdly realistic turn of events

Honestly Haru what a mood I never want anyone to contact me either

God could Mako and Haru’s relationship stop being the cutest in the world? This sleeping in the hallway for Haru to come home will not stand! Thanks

“Why is an amateur like that swimming with them?” BECAUSE THEY’RE NICE AND LIKE EACH OTHER, RIN

THEY WON!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I LOVE THEM

“That’s what you’re supposed to say if you arrive early for a date” IWATOBI SWIM TEAM DOUBLE DATE CONFIRMED (as if the outfits were not confirmation enough)

Gfgkfugkfg Rei is so put out Nagisa will not acknowledge his “exsquidsite” pun

This Rin/Haru/Mako dynamic could not be more like Ex-Boyfriend vs. New Boyfriend I’m wheezing 

“Hah, I’m a ninja” REI YOU’RE SO STUPID I LOVE YOU

“I hope he’s okay” Aiichiro is a better pal that Rin deserves this is such a one-sided friendship lmao

AW REI FEELS LEFT OUT OF THE MEMORIES POOR GUY

Is Rei gonna go pick a fight with Rin because I’d kind of be up for that

“I wanted to know what your feelings are towards Haru” Dad Mode Activated you will not hurt Rei’s buddies

“Don’t get in the way. If you do, I will never forgive you,” damn Rei!!! You’re not even his friend but those words packed a wallop

I like that each of these swim team boys has a friend whom they are closest to it’s nice and balanced

“Every single member of this team is irreplacable” LOVE AND SUPPORT!

I can’t tell if Rin invited Rei out to this ominous night meeting as overture of friendship or as a threat

Aiichiro get a new friend!!! You don’t deserve to be treated this way

AHHHHHHHHHHH REI YOU’RE SO GOOD “I feel the exact same way” you empathetic sweetheart <3 

WOW I do NOT approve of this Rin treats everyone like garbage for twelve straight episodes and then they reward this garbage behaviour by giving up Rei’s spot on the team just so Rin can enjoy swimming again??? Boooooo he doesn’t even go to your school

These fuckin flower petals FIND YOURSELF A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP HARU

“Come on Matsuoka!” AGAIN, way better friend than Rin deserves 

LET REI IN THE GROUP HUG HE’S THE BEST ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Well I’m thoroughly confused” ME TOO AMAKATA!!!! HOW DID THIS SOLVE ANYTHING 

Ten seconds into this second series and Mako continues to prove he’s The Best by cuddling cats to keep them warm

“You look good” “Stop patronizing me, damn it!” Rei and Nagisa’s relationship is also really a highlight of this show

“Rin’s far from the obvious choice for Mikoshiba’s replacement” that’s valid Rei, Rin has had a lot of trouble with the concept of being a team player thus far in his Samezuka career

“Just when you thought it was safe to cosplay” it is never safe to cosplay. Just ask all those Sasukes who got arrested

LMAO AT THIS DUMBASS STRIP SHOW IN FRONT OF THEIR SCHOOL

“My triceps are guaranteed to drive you out of your mind” I’M SCREAMIN THESE YOUTHS ARE AN EMBARRASSMENT TO SOCIETY

“You really gotta stop calling me sir, just drop it okay” “Yes s-eugokay” Beautiful voice acting. Iconic

Oh god please don’t give Haru another rival one was really enough

I never thought I’d say this but that was the most wholesome kidnapping in the world

Rin saying “Life after graduation” in the same tone as one might say “Life after death” is honestly a mood

Sosuke’s only had about five seconds of screen time but I’m gonna guess he’s Rin’s Australian ex-boyfriend

Update: Just his homie from elementary school I guess that’s fair

“So this is what a nationally-ranked swimmer’s build looks like” Aiichiro pls could you check Sosuke out with a little more subtlety 

“He’s the type of rival you can become obsessed with” AHHHHH Rin has been #calledout I think I like Sosuke

Okay you’re allowed to just be friends I’m just saying that runs on the beach in the moonlight are not always the most platonic activity, Haru and Makoto 

Omg Mako’s siblings love Rei I love it!!!!!

FDdkfhkdjhf I was certain Mikoshiba’s little brother would also have the hots for Kou but it’s still funny 

You go Kou judging the muscle contest live your dream

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay out of Rin’s way” Wow Sosuke that was a HARD 180 chill tf out

Omf I can’t believe it took me this long to realize that Aiichiro and Rin were roommates and it wasn’t just Aiichiro showing up in Rin’s room every night like “hey”

“Preferably ones with wonderful muscles and tight washboard abs!” “Yeah!!” Iwatobi Swim Club pls

Does this mean that the Makoto and Haru go on midnight runs bc Haru is slow as all hell on land lmao

YEAH REI’S TRACK EXPERTISE BECOMING RELEVANT AYYYYY

Omg Nagisa nudging Rei’s shoulder is fucking adorable ahhhhhh

Rei’s plans: Being sad about your personal inadequacies (what a mood)

“Do you really think I’d be dumb enough to fall prey to something so preposterously illogical as love” CALLING IT RIGHT NOW REI’S GONNA FALL IN LOVE

Lmao @ Momo checking out Rin’s cleavage this is truly the weird “all siblings have the same taste in crushes” universe

“I THINK HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN REI’S BOYFRIEND” Okay 1) This is stupid but the part of me that actually wants these shows to have a diverse spectrum of sexuality is lured in thanks I hate it, and 2) How dare you Rei’s boyfriend is Nagisa

[Makoto voice] This is a swimtervention 

AHHHHHHH EVERYBODY LOVES REI (AS THEY SHOULD)

I bet Rei’s going to train in his time off because he wants to catch to the boys <3 

Update: He’s getting Rin to teach him finally some helpful friendship times from Rin!!!! Good job

“Which do you think I’d look more swole in” omg who wrote this dialogue

Pls Sosuke don’t use this childhood joke debt as an excuse to be like “Don’t hang out with your old homies anymore”

“I need to sit on it for a little longer, that’s all”

Sosuke, internally, probably: Kiss me

“I want you to think of me as part of your team” FINALLY SOME OPEN AND HONEST COMMUNICATION ABOUT YOUR EMOTIONS

Woo woo positive character development for Rin prioritizing friendship over competition this is such a nice turn

Uh oh why is Nagisa lying about his motives for camping has he been kicked out of his house for stripping in public

I grow more and more concerned for Nagisa with every scene

“We said no and we meant it” I can’t believe that Makoto and Haru are Nagisa’s new parents wow 

Well we know who the good cop parent is, Makoto had a conversation with Nagisa and exactly one (1) second later was convinced they had to rescue him

Update from 30 seconds later: I spoke too soon he got Haru too “I’ve decided to let him stay with me” THESE NERDS

But why do you have to unbutton your shirt a little in order to negotiate Rei

“Studying became like some kind of torture” that’s depression honey

This soft glowing light while Rei tells Nagisa to follow his dreams is so sweet but also jdhkjfhkdjh what if his parents are just mean 

These boys are the definition of ride or die they’re in this empty ass pool area still trying to hide their friend behind their backs what absolute best boys are these

“Haru” “I’m sneaky” CUTE!!!! Also good call on not calling mum but on calling Trusted Adult instead

“You can’t quit. I won’t let you” AHHHH THAT’S LOVE!!! REI <3

The matching swimsuit pose god every moment of this show kills me

“We’re a team! If we can’t do it together what’s the point?” WOW I CAN’T BELIEVE MAKOTO AND HARU HAVE BEEN A TEAM LITERALLY SINCE THEY WERE BABIES! PICK UP THE PHONE AND SMELL THE HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP

“Here, dolphin’s yours” Oh!!! Makoto has also been selfless since birth he just wants Haru to be happy but Haru just wants him to be happy too 😭😭😭😭😭😭

I also like this Matsuoka siblings bonding this is what I wanted from the beginning tbh

Aiichiro you superstitious little nerd

“I want to know what it feels like to kick your ass” what a hard swerve Makoto pls 

“Congratulations, between the two of us you’re still the best in the water, how awesome is that?” “Hah, you’re so weird” I’ve never seen someone so excited to lose Makoto is truly the best boy I love this relationship 

Aw is Makoto jealous of Haru’s relationship with Rin? I 100% buy it but baby!!! You are so good there’s no need to worry

I’m so proud of the Iwatobi boys for qualifying for regionals and also I bet this means that the Samezuka boys will win relay

Update from an ep later: I was correct

“Don’t limit yourself kid” are you not... the same age as him Sosuke???

Working theory is that Makoto wants Haru to care about being scouted so they can go to the same school together and swim there

“I wonder what Haru wants to do after graduation” be a mermaid 

Sosuke really needs to get in touch with his emotions good grief

“But I am sure about one thing, I love it and I don’t want to stop” in all seriousness do people intentionally write these relationships as romantically-charged or is that just something that happens? Like this 100% reads as an allegory for discovering your sexuality

Ahhhh Makoto helping the babies I know I’ve said this a million times in the past few episodes but he’s the best boy

“I haven’t thought about [Kisumi] in who knows how long” Wow does everyone in this show have an ex-boyfriend who suddenly pops up to stir up drama bc it sure seems like it

There’s probably some symbolism in Haru handing off of a boxed lunch 

“But isn’t it... scary?” “Only til it’s not” Oh my goooood I love this swim teaching arc I love Makoto I just!!! HE’S THE BEST

Ahhhh Haru bringing Makoto’s siblings to see him at work this is disgustingly domestic and I love it 

“If he’s competing at the regional level I’m guessing that means they fixed [Sosuke’s shoulder]!” Wow Kisumi was truly just here to inspire some drama omg

Ffgkdfjjkhg this elevator stand-off it’s the Battle of Rin’s Overly Intimate Swim Partners

Oh no Haru is having an anxiety attack yikes but I get it

HARU NO AHHH THIS SUCKS COMPETITIVE SPORTS ARE SO UPSETTING 

Man this was a real traumatizing episode what the fuck Free! You lulled me into a false sense of security how dare you

“We don’t do things for each other. That’s just how we are” Ddfksdjhfkjhfd even Baby Sosuke had a lot of true processing how a friendship should work wow

“I trust him implicitly, he’ll be here” idk homies Haru’s sort of in the middle of an Anxiety Episode those don’t usually go well

“I realize it’s over for me. But before I go, I want swim the best damn relay I can. With you. Today.” Wow Sosuke finally connects with his emotions and proves himself as Good Boyfriend Material in one swing

Is it really a swim meet if Rin doesn’t have a dramatic outdoor confession of feelings with a former rival 

Samezuka you’re adorable but also a health hazard where’s your adult

MY BOYS MADE IT TO NATIONALS I’M GONNA CRY

“Look at Sosuke, being a big cheese ball” CHARACTER GROWTH

“I think I finally found what I was looking for” “Took you long enough” okay this seriously reads like an allegory for coming to terms with your sexuality Sosuke I have so many thoughts

Amakata is such a good teacher she won’t let Haru be slandered

I’m glad the boys are getting some acknowledgement but poor Haru 

“You never hear someone talk about their last summer” TITLE REFERENCE

Wooooooow Sosuke’s really here to tell Haru to keep going just for Rin’s sake this is almost the opposite of their first confrontation but it’s still   about how much Sosuke cares about Rin what kind of single-minded boyfriend antics 

“Why the hell are you so hung up on Rin” LOVE, HARU, LOVE!!

Haru methinks Makoto was about to make an important declaration quit evading your friend/future (she said, hypocritically)

[Makoto voice] Swimtervention: The Sequel

YES MAKOTO GO HELP HARU YOU KNOW HIM BEST

“Why don’t you understand that we love you” AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MAKOTO #1 BOY MOST IN TOUCH WITH HIS EMOTIONS BEST FRIEND GOOD BOYFRIEND MATERIAL BUT ALSO JUST A WONDERFUL BOY WHO WANTS HARU HAPPY

Okay okay I’m not trying to project romance onto this narrative (that’s a lie I’ve been sold on romance for a while) but like.... fireworks!!! Fireworks going off in the background while they stand in front of each other in silhouette PICK UP THE PHONE ANIMATORS

“You and Makoto had a falling out, huh?” Omg not only does Rin pinpoint Haru’s problem right away he’s also making a direct parallel to him and Sosuke’s relationship my kinda amicable exes 

“It was our first fight” I’M WHEEZING THIS IS LIKE THAT EPISODE OF FRIENDS WHERE CHANDLER EXPERIENCES FIGHTING IN A RELATIONSHIP FOR THE FIRST TIME AND HE’S LIKE ‘GUESS WE’RE BROKEN UP’ AND MONICA’S LIKE ‘???? NO?’

Am I supposed to read little Rin telling his host family that Haru had eyes that look like the ocean in a platonic way because.... buddy

God I love Rin’s Australian family they’re so sweet and understanding

Ddfalsfjdskljf EXPLAIN THIS!!!

Russell: So mate, got a girlfriend back home?

Rin: Eummm, long story, or not actually [awkward laughter]

BED SHARING TROPES OH MY GOD!! THEY ARE LEANING INTO THIS PSEUDO-ROMCOM ANGLE EXCEPT THEY’VE BOTH GOT OTHER DUDES IN THEIR LIVES LMAO WHAT WOULD MAKOTO AND SOSUKE THINK

Rin and Haru don’t even wear the same style of swimsuit so lol @ Rin bringing a different suit across the world specifically to make Haru swim in it 

OMG HARU JUST DISCOVERED HIS DREAM I LOVE IT

Aw are Haru and Makoto going to end up separated bc of their different dreams because I’m gonna be very upset

I’m so touched by Makoto’s dream of helping children even if Makoto can’t fully be in the next season because it’s a Haru-centric show I still love him so much 4ever

Hahaha at them recapping the whole show I guess they didn’t know that there would be a third season

“C’mon you two, no more tears” what sweet sobbing boys you’re pulling at my heartstrings 

“We’ll always be a team” HECK YEAH YOU WILL

Yay for Rei getting his own swim hallucination!!!! That’s my boy

Maybe the real swimtervention was inside Haru’s heart all along  😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

THEY WON AND HARU’S CRYING HE’S FINALLY LEARNING TO EXPRESS FEELINGS 1000/10 WOULD RECOMMEND 

I knew Nitori would be captain but I’m still so happy for him!!! Baby!!!

“When you decide not to be done, I’ll be waiting” Rin has seen the most character growth of anyone on this show good for him!!

“Why you gotta say my name like that, it sounds weird” I keep telling you that is the sound of love, Harukaaaa <3

I LOVE EVERY PART OF THIS MONTAGE THE FLOWER PETALS THE “I’M IN COLLEGE NOW” GLASSES ON MAKOTO THE DREAMS COMING TRUE

WAIT ARE HARU AND MAKOTO GOING TO COLLEGE TOGETHER I LOVE IT 

I SAID IT BEFORE BUT YOU WIN THIS TIME, SPORTS ANIME. YOU GOT ME. YOU GOT ME REAL GOOD.

[julz321]

The Vice of Positivity in Fandoms

(Warning Voltron Season 7 spoilers)

There’s not doubt that there is a lot of negativity in the world and we need more nice people in the world. However, depending on the situation, positivity can, in fact, do more damage than good in situations that does not call for it. Sure it can be useful to temper negativity, but again only when appropriate. And not all negativity is bad.

Optimism can indeed dilute you into thinking things are ok and nothing needs changing. While there are those people who worry over nothing, the way we determine if something is worth worrying about is dependent on how thoroughly and accurately you look at the details. Also a level of experience in social issues helps too. 

I can understand a fandom’s desire to keep things light and positive and avoid conflict, we all wanna just relax and enjoy our shared interests. Heck that’s why I enjoy conventions. However, pretending like nothing is wrong can allow disaster to hit when we least expect it. Many fandoms are oblivious to the fact that there are pedophiles or alt-right people in their midst and never question it, or reflexively label it as “drama” or ignorantly label everyone as equally in the wrong. This is very counter-productive and trying to plead for the moral high ground and tell people to do better is useless so long as they continue to pretend as if nothing is wrong. 

Enter Voltron’s controversial season 7. While, yes, Voltron fans can indeed be insufferable when their ships aren’t confirmed, it would be very counter-productive to lump them and show’s critics in the same boat. It’s like saying the people who criticized the Titans trailer as just as bad as the people who harassed the actors of the show.

(Minor spoilers for those who have not seen it but it’s been a week so I think we’re good)

For those who don’t know, the Voltron creative team revealed that one of their main characters, Shiro, to be gay and that they were going to tell this story in season 7. Long story short, this did not end up being the case. The dialogue between Adam and Shiro were too vague (parents had to explain to their kids that the two were in a relationship) to the point where you could mistaken them as just roommates, Adam was killed (so no hope exploring things there), and while Shiro looks upon the plack honoring Adam and the many others who died defending Earth all he has to say is “I’m sorry.” Not even an “I love you” and thus adding onto the vagueness of  Shiro and Adam’s relationship.  Many critics saw to this as a let down and many fans were rightfully upset. While this display isn’t as infuriating as the Lefu from the live action Beauty and the Beast movie, it is still infuriating none the less. The writers say they were all for LGBT representation but then failed to properly deliver and have received a hailstorm of criticism.  Sure, it may be “some” representation and it’s “better than nothing” but if it’s barely anything then you can’t all this “progress.” It’s like saying “I got a raise” and it’s wonderful, only to find out you only got 10 cents. 

Steven Universe is able to do better in terms of LGBT representation and yet their best couple is locked inside a fusion most of the time. Shiro being the LGBT version of Steve Rogers would have been a great step in the right direction, but the creators decided to keep it vague, which makes it very underwhelming at best and frustrating at worst. And all it would have take is clear confirmation, on screen, not by word of the creators, about Shiro’s relationship or sexual orientation. One “I love you” would have solved this, or at least tempered it.

This is just one out of many criticism with season 7, the gloomy tone, the stalling, among other writing flaws with the season. But needless to say, season 7 deserved it’s low rating.

Now how does this relate into positivity being a problem (even though season 7 could have used more positivity)? 

To those with experience in the Voltron fandom, shipping is a common practice just like in any fandom. However, sometimes these shippers can take it too far and proceed to harass the actors and creative team. However, while I will chastise geeks for engaging in such behavior and, I agree, harassing the creators is a problem, see the Star Wars fandom, it’s unwise to mix harassment with criticism. 

While bugging the crew about ships the fandom wanted so much is a very petty thing, pointing out very significant and legit problems with your show is something every creator is going to have to deal with. Criticism, especially legit and valid criticism, is in no way harassment. Sure not every show is gonna be perfect, however, that thought terminating platitude breeds complacency and creates the illusion that you don’t have to improve at all. If anything it cultivates more problems from right under your noses, such as ignorance. There is no shortage of fans who still believe Voltron season 7 was great and while they are within their right to like something, It’s infuriating when they try to stiffling something that would be more beneficial than just undeserved praise.

It’s clear that the common fan has no experience with writing or social issues, sometimes both. See the creator’s last project known as the Legend of Korra, where that show was considered “smart” for a kids show, however, had the teenager’s understanding of politics. But since the series “mentions” these issues and saw “parallels” to real world issues the common fan incorrectly comes to the conclusion that it must be good. Pretty much in the same vein as DC fans thinking dark and edgy means that is must be a work of art. A good writer, or someone well versed in LGBT issues would spot these problems, the vagueness and the wasted opportunity at real representation, almost immediately. But the common fan is so undiscerning that all they see is people arguing, but never consider why. I promise you, you’ll find no shortage of fans who are quick to try and sweep this type of “drama” under the rug, label critics as “insufferable” and are “forcing their opinions,” and rally people to “be better” while championing the quality of a show when little quality was even there. And those kind of actions lead people in fandom down the road of ignorance and stunts improvement. It warps how fandoms think by putting up a veil of false positivity or positivity that is unnecessary. 

And before someone tries to chime in with another thought terminating platitude, yes creators have every right to produce something how they want whenever they want and they don’t have to conform to people’s standards. However, in the same string of logic, everyone has the right to their opinion, even if it’s wrong, however people are still allowed to use that same freedom of speech to respond with criticism or a counter argument. And as creators working for a company and profess themselves to be professional, then listening to criticism is something you have to learn how to do and get used to in order to grow. Not listen to every criticism, since not every critic is a good one, but you’ll never find out what that sounds like unless you get out a pen and paper and start taking notes. Filter out the bad comments from the ones that are good and will help you. Like when someone says they haven’t watched your video and claim they know you’re wrong. 

And before someone says “oh but you’ll discourage them,” if Michael Bay can keep making terrible movies and still deal with harsh reviews, or even DC for that matter, then you have no excuse. Even Marvel writers are dealing with harassment from fans who don’t like the level of representation in their comics but those very same writers are committing to it despite the level of BS that gets thrown their way. Any creator who will be hurt by legit criticism will get hurt by any criticism that isn’t soft and simpering and if that is the case then you have no place being in a professional work environment.  Tone policing or applying positivity in a situation that does not need it and furthering geek culture to stay within its ignorant bubble of ignorance and  privilege is how you make matters worse the next time this comes around. No, amount of pleading to moral high ground or trying to “act like the better person” is not gonna make a problem go away. Understanding the details and listening to criticism is something that a moderately smart person should be capable of doing. Saying that critics who know what they’re talking about are just as bad as the fans who harass the creative team spits in the face of wisdom.  To summarize, being positive is ok when it’s needed, but putting it into a situation that does not call for it is you being one of those “nice people” who hate fighting, label every bit of conflict as drama, never quite understands why people are arguing, and is ultimately condescending while waxing poetic on a moral high ground about how fans criticizing a show is the same this as harassing them over ships. Criticism is needed in order for creators to grow and it takes a pro to understand the legit comments and the ones you can safely delete. LGBT representation is important so don’t say you’re all for it but then chicken out at the last minute when your competition can do even better. The only issue with criticism is not that it may sound harsh. but whether or not it’s correct and helps you to grow. 

P.S. I still love my gay space daddy as much as I love big pink, gay space rock mom. Although I’m very sure the people here just skimmed it and didn’t bother reading this article in detail. See how it hurts to be condescending? 

[furederiko]

This is the LAST post for December, meaning it's also the FINAL post for the year. Anything special to publish in the conclusive day of 2017? NOPE. Just this... uhmmm, random ramblings. Ahahaha...

My internet went down completely for around 2 weeks since December 13th. The unexpected 'incident' (I apparently has burned my modem *sigh*) made me switched into my creative side and did genuine FUN non-internet related things instead. And I got all caught up by it... that I practically did NOT prepare anything for Tumblr.

Had a Random-News-Digest prepared for mid-December, but ditched it completely because the content would be highly outdated now. Wanted to do my monthly recap-view for "Kamen Rider Build", but haven't finished it so it'll have to wait until next month. The only thing I could pull off was the recap-views for "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" last 2 episodes of the year. Though to be honest, that amazing show was part of my 'offline fun' as well. So yeah, unlike last year, there is no TOP 10 list this year. Didn't even publish anything for Christmas, because I completely FORGOT about it! LOL... (^^;)

Anyways, to make up for all of that, I've written a rough 'RECAP' of what went through my life this year. Entertainment-wise, of course, and not all but just some of the highlights. In list form! Why? Because I feel like it *grins*. Here goes nothing...

Movies, Oh movies...

- Watched even less movies on the theatre this year, and opted to wait several releases on home video. Only went to see the big guns, thus there isn't any disappointment. - Surprisingly, I loved the live action "Beauty and the Beast" more than the animated original. Dan Stevens' solo number "Evermore" is stuck in my head ever since. - Haven't seen "Coco", and really want to. Here's hoping the home video will be released soon. I guess I should see "Cars 3" first, huh? - "Dunkirk" was magnificent. War movie is usually not my forte, so I'm pleasantly surprised that Christopher Nolan managed to make me enjoy one. Was it the short duration, the all-out jerks of the army, or the non-stop intensity? Don't know. But if there's at least one thing I've gained from it: I disliked Harry Styles ever more now. No kidding. Poor French soldier... - I'm a visual guy so when I saw a disturbing scene, it usually stayed on my head for a good while. That bloody scene after the bomb explosion on "Stronger", for example? *sigh*. I hope Jake Gyllenhall receives an Oscar nomination for his work on this movie. - "Death Note" and "Ghost in the Shell"? Enjoyed the first one more, but both deserved better. - Tom Cruise's "The Mummy" was mediocre, but I'm among the minority who actually want to see more of Universal's Dark Universe. Even if just to see more of Russell Crowe going Jekyll. Charlie Hunnam's "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" was the movie's kindred spirit, while "Kong: Skull Island" was the opposite. Kong will be meeting Godzilla in the coming years! - Comic book adaptations were generally top notch. Naturally the three Marvel Studios' releases; "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2", "Spider-Man: Homecoming", and "Thor: Ragnarok"; would be my top picks. Don't ask me to choose which one is the best though! All three were amazing and marvelous in their own unique ways, so I'd gladly rank them in the same spot just to be fair. - I admit, "Logan" and "Wonder Woman" were great too, but I didn't like them as much as everyone else on the planet. Not sure why, I guess... none of them was my cup of tea? Let's just say, there were problems on each of them that I couldn't quite tolerate and it reduced my overall impression on them. - Don't ask about "Justice League". I'll wait until I can borrow a copy when it's out on home video. Not wasting my money on a poorly reviewed DC Films. For now, "The LEGO Batman Movie" remains to be the best DC release of the year. - "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" was just NOT as good as the prequel. It was fun, but it felt like it's repetitive yet also missing something and trying too much.

Show Must Go On...

- Just realized that I've seen MORE TV series this year! Both the currently in broadcast, or titles from previouse years like "Westworld". Oh WOW... - Both Marvel's "Iron Fist" and Marvel's "The Defenders" were genuine duds. Both TV series were underwhelming and disappointing, that I have lost any urge to see Marvel's "The Punisher". - Haven't seen Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." 5th season as well, because I haven't been feeling it. Though that will change in the near future because I'm itching to see its 5th episode. Hey, my boy Fitz and Hunter are the star of that episode, right? THAT I just have to see! I wonder if seeing that episode would be enough to convince me to watch the previous four episodes... - Currently following Marvel's "Runaways", though this 1st season might be my first and last. Don't know why, but not feeling it either. I think CW's "Riverdale" was a more watchable show, and even that one have been dropped after Season 1. LOL. I guess teenage soap-opera is just NOT my thing. - The 5th and final season of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" was kind of... all over the place too. This show should've ended with Season 3, if you ask me. It had a bittersweet ending, akin to "Samurai Jack". But it also did not ended gracefully, and far less enjoyable to follow. - "Stranger Things" Season 2 was amazing. It had a somewhat different vibe compared to the 1st one, but equally enjoyable to watch. Poor characters whose name starts with 'B'... - I think the 3rd and 4th Seasons of "Voltron Legendary Defender" were initially meant to be one unit. The show's first two seasons were impressive, but these latter two were... okay? I don't know why, but it felt like it has waned a bit. - "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" was somewhat similar. I had great time with Season 1 and 2, but Season 3 was a bit... uneven. Many of the jokes didn't quite hit, and some of the story development started feeling like a recycled trick. Still, I would love to see a 4th Season, and hopefully with better improvements. - Was expecting "Big Hero 6: The Series" to be as amazing as the Oscar-winning movie... but alas that didn't seem to be the case. Didn't quite enjoy the 2-episodes premiere as much as I wanted to. A complete opposite to "DuckTales", that hit all the right notes. The sole complaint I have about this reboot/remake, is that Scrooge McDuck's adventure isn't airing new episodes on a weekly basis! Aaaaargggh, the long wait is making me angry. - If you haven't seen "Thunderbirds Are Go", then what are you waiting for? I feel the 2nd Season had more and more amazing moments, to the point that I hope Season 3 will come sooner than later. - Comedies are taking my leisure time now! Have been following Seth McFarlane's "The Orville". It was mediocre to good, and desperately in need of improvements (hopefully in Season 2). Yet I keep going back and see it. Is it the star power of its guest stars? - Adam Scott and Craig Robinson's "Ghosted" is on my top priority watch. Sure, the quality has reduced a bit since the pilot, but the supernatural agents aren't going anytime soon from my house. - The same with Kevin Finn! Great goodness, I have only started watching "Kevin Probably Saves the World" since early this month (the benefit of NOT getting preoccupied by the internet LOL), but I'm already regretting why I didn't start sooner. Now I honestly can't wait to see more! Kevin is such an adorkable, likeable, and surprisingly relatable quirky lead. The kind of guy I would totally love to be best friends with in real life. Really though, the show is infectuous with its acts of kindness, heartwarming with its pleasant vibes, and also surprisingly engaging through its personal conflicts. If you hear me giggling, laughing out loud, or sobbing lately, you can probably thank Kevin, his guardian Angel, family, and friends for that! Seriously...

A Spoonful of Anime and Toku

- Turns out, "Kekkai Sensen & Beyond" wasn't the sequel that I expected to be. It's... 'different' than the first season. But when you get to see what the other members of Libra (even the team's butler) are doing in their daily lives, should one even be complaining? In the end it was indeed as amazing and fun ride as the first season, even if lead protagonist Leonardo Watch took a back seat most of the season. I'm already crossing my fingers to see more adventure of the team. But it likely won't happen in the near future, huh? Bummer... - "Ballroom e Youkoso" was a peculiar dance. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half, but after Tatara changed partner things got... hectic and irritating to follow? It was still good, but a rather uneven show if you ask me for honest impression. At the very least, it wasn't a wasted opportunity like "Kabuki-bu!" was. - "Houseki no Kuni" was of similar situation. Its animation was gorgeous, story was peculiarly engaging, and world building was great. But there were episodes that were undeniably better than the rest, and I didn't quite like how it ended. I guess that finale was teasing for more seasons? Hmmm... - It's been years since I follow a Pretty Cure series, and "Kira Kira Precure A La Mode" wet my appetite and got me back to the game. Unfortunately, while the design was interesting, and the sweets angle was neat, the story was somewhat weak. I have lost my initial enthusiasm after the first half, but I still watch it because it's going to end pretty soon. Not quite expecting a mindblowing finale though, especially if the animation quality is any indication. A common problem of TOEI Animation. Remember "Sekaisuru KADO"? - Dang it, what an impressive year it has been with Super Sentai. "Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger" was kind of dull and boring last year, but had a great ending this year. And it was quickly followed by something even better. Yes, another show that has dragged me on a pleasant roller coaster ride is none other than TOEI's "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger". Since its premiere run on February, until its Christmas episode that wrapped up its 2017 run, I haven't been disappointed once with the series. Yes, I had an issue with the spin-off series of V-Cinema "Episode of Stinger", but that didn't count as the broadcast lineup. Though it's painful for me to soon say goodbye to this amazing season, I hope its last month will be memorable and a blast. Particularly because I'm currently having second thoughts about the 2018 season... - Just like its weekly storyline, "Kamen Rider Build" is still moving me back and forth. I'm honestly on the verge of dropping it completely, but I guess I'm going to check out several episodes from the next "Kamen Rider Wars" arc. I kind of feel it takes too long to get to this point when it could've been done earlier, but who am I to argue, right?

Name of the Game

- "Nintendo Switch" was a hit! Ever since its release on March 2017, the buzz and hype for this hybrid console only continue to increase. I wonder if I will be able to purchase one next year? Perhaps, just in time for the next Pokemon gen? - Speaking of Pokemon, the addition of Generation III from Hoenn region has made me go out and explore "Pokemon GO" again. The whole Raid Battle system and Niantic's handling of the Legendary Pokemon had disappointed so bad that I was close to give up on this App. Thankfully, now I have a horde of new reason to walk around the neighborhood. Problem is, can the same premise work in the long run? Niantic really need to consider new social features that enables players to engage with one another. - "Street Fighter V" had a weird set of DLC characters this year. The 2nd Season contained mostly new characters, that was a hit or miss with fans. Thankfully, things seem to be picking up next year with the Arcade Edition. Not just because my man Cody Travers is all dandy clean and returning to the game, of course. Question is, will I be able to play the game eventhough I don't have any plans to pick up a PS4? *giggles*. - I also haven't been able to play "Persona 5" due to the exact reason. LOL. Thankfully, "Persona 5 the Animation" has been announced to air next year. Sure, I'm a bit skeptical with the fact that A-1 Pictures and not Production I.G. will be doing the animation, but at least this will be my way of enjoying the game... WITHOUT actually playing it. - LEVEL-5 should do more of that worldwide Puzzle Quest! That was meant to be a prelude or some sort to "Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and The Millionaires' Conspiracy", but I think the game developer should learn by now that it could work as a stand alone project. It made people come together in surprising way, and attracted fans to come back everyday to check out the new worldwide puzzle. Real FUN!

Oookaaay, that went A LOT longer than I expected. And I'm 100% sure that there are items that completely slipped my mind. As of writing this line, it's only just a few hours before the year ends! Aaaaarggggh *grumble*. Gotta publish this one soon then!

With that said, 2017 has been a difficult and challenging year. Particularly to a very discriminative and straight-out evil political atmosphere. One that allowed people to show their true despicable nature and selfishly trampled others for it. Last year I did say that "There's so many reasons to be hopeful about 2017", but reality had spoken differently as it turned out there were plenty more to discourage us throughout the year. Many people have even lost their fate in humanity this year.

But you know what? I'm going to say the same thing this day as well. There are SOOO many reasons to be hopeful about 2018. I don't know if it's because I'm currently caught up in the holiday spirit, or because I've been feeling extra thankful and blessed this month. One thing I can openly attest, is that things DO GET BETTER. So don't ever lose hope, and keep fighting the good fight in the name of just and goodness. I'm being lazy right now, so I'm just going to copy and paste my own words from last year: "Life can sometimes be hard, but all we need to do is stay strong, stay high spirited, and more importantly, keep moving forward! Happiness and blessings will surely find its way, in ways you might not imagine!".

And also this next one... because I'm going to be saying more or less the same kind of statements anyway: "Thanks to those who have been reading my blog all year long. I know I haven't spent much time (or any) to address you one by one, and heck, I might not even know you're there. But please know that I'll always be grateful for your presence, your time, kindness, and more importantly patience to walk through my long and sometimes pointless ramblings. What you've been doing means a lot for me, and I hope what I've been posting has and will somehow benefit back to you in return.". 2017 ends in just a few hours away, so let's enter and stride through 2018 with a hopeful and brave heart, the biggest and earnest smiles, the most sincere love and compassion for others regardless of their religion, race, or skin color. More importantly, let's make 2018 a year that we can be proud of. Where we take a stand for what's right and good! Where we become better human being than we are this year!

SEE YOU TOMORROW IN 2018!!!

[kitsunesbooks]

Re:Creators: My Favorite Anime of Spring 2017

As a writer who happens to dabble in the realms of philosophy, often do questions arise that entertain me for hours on end. I’ve sometimes found myself asking what it would be like to see my characters face to face. I’ve wondered what they would think of me, would we get along or would they all hate me for pitting them against such harsh environments and situations? It’s funny to think about things like this because I’m sure everyday people wonder what they would do if they met their god. It’s just that in this instance, I represent the god, as prideful and cocky as that sounds. Nevertheless, it’s been my belief for awhile now that an artist is the closest thing that humanity has come to becoming gods. Through art, and especially story telling, entire worlds can come into existence. This is the kind of subject material that Re: Creators tackles.

Re: Creators is for all intents and purposes, an isekai story. Isekai being that very prevalent anime trope/sub genre of story where the main character gets trapped in a fantasy world. However, to keep things somewhat fresh, the fantasy world comes into our world, or at least a version of our world. Within Re:Creators, characters from anime, manga, and videogames somehow make their way out into the real world and engage in kickass battles and debates on metaphysics. So if you know anything about me from the articles I’ve written, then you’ve figured out that I am 100% in on this show. The action and meat of the plot is great and all but it's all the metaphysics and mechanics of this universe that keep me thoroughly entertained. The conversations that occur between “creations” and “creators” are in depth and thought provoking. In a way, this anime is some bizarre form of wish fulfillment because I am actually getting theoretical answers to my questions.

The beauty of Re:Creators is how it takes characters who, for all intents and purposes, fit into strict archetypes and then slowly bends them to conform to our world’s rules. While using archetypes as a basis for character development is nothing new to storytelling, Re:Creators more or less bends the archetypes themselves through the small tidbits of character development shown throughout the series. One of the best characters in the entire show thus far is Magical Slayer Mamika. Mamika is a magical girl from what essentially is knock off Sailor Moon. As an added bonus, her design is heavily reminiscent of Madoka from Madoka Magica, which sort of helps to further cement her development and almost poke fun at a certain trope. Mamika basically tears apart the idea that injecting some “realism” into a magical girl story is in someway nuanced. While Madoka gets credit for making it work, it has opened the floodgates for a ton of really bad, edgy magical girl stories that are honestly hot garbage. Mamika however is more based in actual reality as opposed to realism. The first instance we see of Mamika is her fight with another “creation,” Selesia. Mamika recklessly goes all out and unleashes some devastating magic on her opponent with complete disregard to her surroundings. If this were any other character in any other show, she would be written off as just an asshole or a generic “sadist” character. However, when Mamika realizes that rules of our world conflict with her own, it shocks her. She came from a children’s magical girl show. Basically a Saturday morning cartoon. There isn’t any blood in her world and morality is all black and white for the most part. It is a simplistic world with little thought put into it and Mamika’s first interaction in our world is incredibly evident of that.

That first battle Mamika experiences is what sets her character arc into motion and has pretty much made her one of the best characters in the series thus far. Her eventual turnaround was very well paced and written and I hope we get to see just as much inventive and clever writing for all of our cast members. Mamika goes through a rampant sequence of development during the more recent episodes. We see that she still clings to her sense of morals but also shows that she is even willing to go against her own friends when they are doing something wrong. Mamika wants nothing more than peace, which makes sense given her source material. However, instead of Mamika’s judgement being simple minded as it would be in any magical girl show, or the plot focusing on how depressing her situation is, we see her learn and adapt. Her sense of justice doesn’t waver and instead adapts to the morals of our own world as she fights to protect both sides. All she wants is for the fighting to stop and for no one to be killed, and when she finally makes up her mind on what side to take, her actions have that much more weight behind them. Being the type of character she is, she shows everyone kindness, even the villains of this story, especially given they don’t match the archetypes of villains in a typical kid’s show. To Mamika, the villains of Re:Creators aren’t villains at all, they are just people who want to do bad things with good intentions. I could go on and on about Mamika’s character arc, but you are more than likely better off checking out the video Mother’s Basement put out on Re:Creators. Geoff does a, MUCH, better job at analyzing these characters than I do. Nevertheless, Mamika gives you just a taste of the kind of meta story Re:Creators is and honestly it is a hot contender for anime of the season if it hits the right notes.

One thing I can talk about that hasn’t been mentioned before is yet another intriguing character. With our Military Uniform Princess taking the role of main villain it was hard to think that the show would introduce an even greater threat, but it did. Magane Chikujoin is a villain character from a series in Re:Creators world called Yoru Mado Kiroku. Judging by how she acts and behaves as well as her abilities I pegged her as coming from a straight up horror series or maybe even a battle seinen with darker and more mature themes than your typical shonen series. She has a very clever ability that protects her almost indefinitely and she is a complete liar, so much so that she get’s a kick out of it. Lying is her weapon and she uses it to devastating effect. Magane is honestly a terrifying character due to her incredible ability as well as her contrasting schoool girl attitude. She is definitely much more of a villain than the Military Uniform Princess and there some big reasons why. Her knack for telling lies has gotten her involved with every major character in the series. She has a variety of strings she can pull, and while we saw her latest machination get foiled by the heroes’ raw determination and will, it is clear that Magane is willing to say ANYTHING to get what she wants. Compared to Mamika who has undergone a dramatic shift in her archetype, Magane’s archetype has only grown more rotten. She now finds herself in a world where she can do anything she wants without having her fellow characters get in the way. Bringing her to the real world was essentially the equivalent of unchaining a feral beast. Magane is shaping up to be the series’ true villain and it shows. The events of the latest episode proved her to be much more powerful than we anticipated, and with her acknowledgement of zero restraints she becomes that much more dangerous. Magane isn’t just a simple sadistic villain, she is a self-aware villain. She is aware of the existence of her world and ours. Not only that, but the way she behaves makes the viewer think that she might be aware of the world outside the screen, because Re: Creators is still an anime. It doesn’t exist in our world outside of that medium, yet there are several moments where Magane is talking directly to the camera and it seems more like she is talking to us, the viewer. There is one scene in Episode 9 that really hammers this home where she begins talking to herself, yet she is staring straight at us. Not only that, but the things she says are inquisitive and it’s almost like she is trying to convince us, the viewers, that she told the truth, when in reality she bent it. It is that one thing that adds so much more gravity to a character like this and it is incredibly intense.

I could probably talk about this show forever, but I want to leave some of these characters as a surprise for those of you who intend to give the series a shot. This is an anime that is clearly aimed at artists. Whether you draw, animate, or just write, this series was made to be watched by you. The questions and conversations posed by Re:Creators can easily be applied to your own work, and through that it provides perspective. It makes us question the content we create. It makes us wonder just exactly how our characters would truly feel in the situations we put them in. It also makes us question the level of detail we give our worlds. There are so many minor and major details across this series that resonate with me immensely. Because of that, it has become one of favorites of this season, if not this entire year. If you are an artist, I urge you to watch this show. You will not be disappointed, and I’m sure you’ll come away from it with a renewed view on your work. Hope you enjoyed the article.

[howsit-going-toend]

What Do YOU Want? Pt. 5

A Kwon Jiyong series ft. Kim Jiwon

Genre: Angst/Fluff

Word count: 3,000

Summary: The most important person in the world to you can appear most often when you least expect it. But through everything, you can’t forget about you and your own happiness. Who are you happy with? Who is the best for you?

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 ... Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10

(A/N: Wow, jeez, ok this came out a lot longer than the others, but I hope you still enjoy it!)

If someone had told you 3 years ago that you would be where you are now, you would have laughed your ass off. If they said that you would give up the biggest opportunity that has ever been given to you, while Jiyong went on tour across the globe for concerts and fan meetings without a single returned phone call, you would have continued to laugh in their face.

But here you were, and there he was; enjoying his life without you and a work environment where he no longer has to worry about seeing the face of the girl who walked out on him.

After seeing Jiyong that day and allowing your hopes to get the best of you, you were convinced it would be a long way down. But you surprised yourself. Getting out of YG proved to be far more relieving to your mental health than you thought it would. It didn’t take long for you to get out of the metaphorical pit of sadness once you found yourself learning to thoroughly enjoy life again.

You began offering hip hop classes at your studio in Seoul and felt immense pride at the rate that they filled up. People of all ages and backgrounds flocked to your studio; all wanting to learn under YG’s former chief choreographer.

There was no greater sight to you; watching everyone dance along to moves you’d choreographed as they each made it their own. For the first time in nearly a year, you showed up to work every day with a massive smile on your face, knowing there was no specific style to imbed in anyone’s minds anymore, but to instead encourage individuality.

You found further solace in the moments you got to spend with Bobby, B.I., Jinhwan, and Mino. The five of you met up at least once a week for dinner, drinks, and to get a chance to just forget about anything and everything that had plagued your minds with stress. You looked forward to the moments you all could just sit around and be human for a while.

And so, life went on.

“To you guys! For being the only men in my life that have truly kept me going the past few months. For that, I thank you. And I love you.” You were about five shots into the night and toasting a sixth with the boys, when it was quite clear the alcohol was starting to affect you.

Has it really been months?

Your gaze wandered to a calendar above the bar that showed May in big letters. You squinted, trying to see what days’ boxes had already been crossed out.

“Well, Y/N, is drunk.” Jinhwan laughed, while you snapped back to reality and hit his shoulder in response.

“Yah! No I’m not! You know what? I take it back. To Bobby, B.I., and Mino.” You rose the full shot glass above your head again, this time with a sassy look in Jinhwan’s direction and tossed it back. The other three boys laughed at his expense and drank with you.

“Don’t deny it! You just get so sappy when you’re drunk, admit it!” Jinhwan had his pointer finger extended accusingly in your direction, as he looked at the other boys for assistance.

“He’s not wrong.” “Yeah, Y/N and Bobby both get super sappy and cuddly when they drink.” B.I. and Mino aided in throwing you under the bus while you laughed and hid your face that had flushed bright pink.

It was all too true. With enough alcohol in your system, you would let absolutely everyone around you know just how much they meant to you; usually followed by a lot of hugging. After drinking enough times together, it was clear that Bobby was the same way. The two of you would often end up clinging to each other in a lazy heap on a couch or chair by the end of the night, which the other boys seemed to find hilarious.

“You’re just jealous you’re not as lovable!” Bobby, who had started feeling pretty good himself, put his arm over your shoulder while you both leaned your heads together with big cheesy grins in the others’ direction.

“Yeah, that’s it…” B.I.’s sarcasm could be smelt across the table, while everyone chimed in with booze-induced laughter.

The night continued, just as fun and stress relieving as any other. The five of you just sat around a table, telling stories and playing random drinking games. Time flew by and before any of you knew it, the last call from the bar had signaled an end to your night of fun. Your stomach hurt from the amount of laughter you’d done all night, but felt relief in knowing you were coherent enough to get yourself home.

“I don’t know if you should be driving, Y/N.” Bobby hadn’t let go of your hand the entire walk from the bar to the parking garage down the street. You laughed at this, because it appeared he was more buzzed than you thought and thus required your hand for balance.

“I’m fine, Bobby, I promise! You guys get home safe now, all right?” You reached up and pinched one of his cheeks before you let go of his hand while he squeezed his eyes shut and groaned like an embarrassed child.

“Yah! Fine! Text me when you get home though, ok?” He pointed a finger towards your face and squinted his eyes like a scolding parent. You saluted him in agreement and gave his hand over to B.I. to take your spot in keeping him upright.

You gave each of the other boys a hug goodbye while you walked to your car. There was always a huge smile on your face that wouldn’t leave until the following morning when you hung out with those guys and you relished in it. Once inside, you cruised down the street towards your apartment; music blaring through your mediocre sound system.

You ascended your stairs with ease, mentally patting yourself on the back for being able to drink all night and still manage to drive home and get to the doorstep nearly sober. Once you’d gotten inside, you immediately threw yourself in bed and let out a contented sigh. There was no fighting your heavy eyelids as you drifted into unconsciousness; that same grin still lingering on your face. It had been quite a while since you last felt this good.

You woke the next morning immediately feeling victorious for not having a hangover. You reached for your phone to text Bobby to brag, but stopped yourself once you noticed a surprising amount of notifications coming from Instagram.

You had a relatively popular page since your name was well known in the states and especially in Korea after Jiyong had made your relationship public a year and a half ago. You’d been bombarded with swarms of his fans tagging you in posts and comments about him ever since.

Recently, for obvious reasons, you’d begun to ignore the app entirely so you didn’t see the content behind the mass of notifications anymore. However, today showed a significantly higher number than when you caught a glance yesterday, which immediately sent chills up your spine. With your guard completely up, you opened Instagram to see what was going on.

You regretted the decision almost instantly.

There in your main feed, in nearly a hundred tags, and in majority of the suggested posts, were pictures of Jiyong from some fashion magazine. But he wasn’t alone. Your face contorted in confusion and angst as you read a few of the captions.

“G Dragon plays Nana Komatsu’s sweetheart for #Nylon Japan’s May issue. Out now!”

“GD and Nana play convincing lovers in Nylon magazine’s most recent issue.”

“BigBang’s G Dragon cozies up to Nana Komatsu in #NylonJapan’s newest issue!”

You and Jiyong used to get a kick out of reading such headlines to each other every morning. “Wow, jagi, I didn’t realize you’d gone on all these secret romantic dates with Dara in Seoul when the two of us were definitely in Paris that week. How could you!” “No! Forgive me, jagi! It’s not what it looks like! I literally had no idea!” The two of you would harp; both of your voices dripping in sarcasm while you couldn’t contain the giggles. 

Most headlines were ridiculous, especially when they stemmed from a picture of him simply within the vicinity of a girl. Any other sort of modeling shoots or reports designed to assume his love life would have been easily written off in your mind.

But there was something about the way he was holding this girl that had your skin crawling.

Google was pulled up on your phone in seconds as you proceeded with an online search thorough enough to find out everything there was to know about whoever the hell she was. It appeared she was an actress and model from Japan. And God, was she beautiful.

You unknowingly held your breath the entire time as you scrolled past every picture from their photoshoot. They looked too good together and you hated how much it bothered you.

“I was very nervous to shoot with a person I admire. It felt like a dream to have GD next to me, and when I saluted him saying ‘This is like a dream’, he replied ‘This is a dream,’ making me smile in spite of my nervousness. I thought of it as a special photoshoot sent from God to celebrate my 20th birthday and did the shooting inscribing the cuts (shots) one by one in my heart.” Great, so she was nearly a year younger than you too. Her comment on working with him had you nauseous by the very first sentence. But it was Jiyong’s statement that really did you in.

“I had previously met a still innocent Komatsu Nana, but this year I was happy to meet a more adult Komatsu Nana. I think she’s a person full of different kinds of charms. Since our tour had just ended the previous day, I thought the photoshoot would be really tiring, but thanks to her, it became a fun shoot.”

As you reread his words about this girl once more, tears started flowing down your cheeks without a warning. With a frustrated throw of a pillow across the room, you took a deep breath. It was too damn early in the day for this.

Well, what did you expect? He couldn’t tell you why he needed you to stay and now he’s showing everyone how fine he is without you. God, why do you have to care this much? It was over months ago and he’s the one who stopped trying. HE stopped showing any effort at wanting to make things right between the two of you. You had finally just started to feel like you had moved on...but you weren’t ready to see him actually move on to someone else.

While you did your best to control any sobs trying to escape, you were startled when the sound of a phone ringing filled the silent room. Bobby’s name appeared on your screen and you felt yourself slightly panic as you tried to sniff away all traces of sadness before answering.

“I might have passed out but that doesn’t make it any less uncool when you don’t text me that you made it home, you punk!” Bobby exclaimed, though his groggy voice let you know he had also just woken up.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I fell asleep as soon as I got inside. I was going to text you.” You did the best you could to prevent your voice from shaking.

“Sure you did! Well, hey, I had fun as always and am down to hang later today if you want. I’ve got the day off!”

“Sure. I have off too.” He took a pause before replying and you knew then that you had been caught.

“Are you all right, Y/N? You seem sad or something. Hungover maybe?”

You sniffed as the tears fought their way back to your eyes before you could answer. “I’m fine. Honestly!”

“Yeah, ok, that’s bull. Make yourself decent because I’m on my way.”

“What? Bobby, I’m fine! You don’t have to do that for me, I…”

“Tough. You have no choice. I’ll be there in ten.” He’d cut you off and hung up the phone before you could protest. But despite your words and the tears that had rolled down your cheeks, you found yourself smiling as you got out of bed to get dressed.

He arrived ten minutes later, just as he’d said, and you got up from your couch to answer the door at a snail’s pace; using every last possible second to control the overwhelming emotions the morning had thrust on you. Bobby walked right in, put his hands gently on your shoulders and lowered his head to look you in the eye.

“Y/N. What’s wrong?” His serious tone managed to get a giggle out of you, though you knew it wasn’t his intention.

“Yah! Don’t laugh at me, I’m trying to comfort you!” He furrowed his brows in light frustration, which only made you start to laugh more. You covered your mouth with the back of your hand and found yourself unable to stop giggling as he folded his arms across his chest in a pout, waiting for you to finish.

“I’m. I’m sorry, Bobby, I. just. I just don’t really want to talk about it right now. Can you just hang out with me and we can talk about anything else?” You managed to control your laughter halfway through your request, as he nodded in acknowledgement, cracking a smile.

“Yeah, that’s cool! But tell me at any time if you want to talk about anything, ok? I just want to do anything I can to help.” Damn, it had been a long time since you’d heard anyone tell you that. “But hey, now’s the perfect time for me to tell you the new plan the boys and I have come up with!”

“Oooh yes, yes, tell me, what is it?” You smiled as the two of you plopped down on the couch.

“We’re planning on covering Exid’s Up & Down at our upcoming concerts in Japan and…we wanted to come to your studio and see if you’d help us get the dance moves down.” He tried to be nonchalant about the request and avoid eye contact, but failed the second he got a glimpse of how excited it made you.

“WHAT! Hell yeah! Are you kidding? Is this for real? Because I am so down, oh my god! This is going to be so perfect!” You were bouncing in your seat, with the world’s second biggest smile on your face; the first belonging to Bobby who was absolutely beaming as he watched you get more and more excited at the news. You couldn’t contain your happiness with the thought of working with your boys again and your mind was flooding with ideas.

“Of course it’s for real! We knew you’d be stoked.”

“Ahhh I’m more than stoked, I don’t even know how to describe this! You don’t know how happy that just made me!” You leaned forward and pulled him into a hug, shaking him back and forth with excitement, while he laughed at you.

“Aish, you’re such a dork about this kind of thing” he teased, while you sat back in your spot on the couch; the two of you exchanging similar facial expressions and sticking your tongues out at each other.

Bobby had once again succeeded at brightening your day. You don’t know how he did it but being around him seemed to always make you forget all your worries and stresses. It was almost like everything melted away as the meaning of sadness took on an alien form.

You spent the rest of the day just hanging out with each other and talking about all kinds of random topics as the hours flew by. You grabbed food around lunch and later again at dinner time; jamming out in the car on the way there with the stereo in Bobby’s car on high. He was the only person you knew you could genuinely dance with; however the hell you felt like moving. No matter how stupid others probably thought the two of you looked, neither of you ever cared. By the time it got late and you parted ways, you’d completely forgotten about why the day had started off so horribly.

A week later, you found yourself lounging on your couch, surrounded by small takeout boxes of the dinner you’d treated yourself to with B.I., Jinhwan and Bobby. You’d all met up to discuss when they’d stop by your studio to go over Exid’s choreography and ended up stuffing your faces. Each of you shared a good laugh at how hilarious it was that Yang would have no idea you’d be helping them. You’d gotten word that the man had replaced your position less than a week after you told him you wanted to quit so a little scheming behind his back didn’t strike a chord with anyone’s conscience.

“I respect what you do,” my ass.

Your stomach was absolutely filled to capacity at this point in the night and all you could do was lay there, staring at your TV in defeat. Your heart was otherwise entirely content, knowing that in just one week’s time you would be reunited with the rest of the members of iKon.

You were in the middle of readjusting your blankets amongst the Styrofoam boxes when you felt the couch vibrate.

“God damnit.” You muttered to yourself while you sifted through the cushions and blankets, trying to find where your phone had disappeared to. You found it just in time for the last few rings and quickly turned it over to check the ID of the caller.

Your heart skipped a beat as your eyes met Jiyong’s name on your screen. You froze, unintentionally allowing the call to be missed. You stared at it, waiting to see if a voicemail would be left and silently praying to the universe that there wouldn’t be.

The sudden vibration caught you off guard as his name appeared once again in another attempted call. You calmed your racing heart with a deep breath as you brought the phone closer to your face.

With one quick movement, you tapped the left icon on the screen and ignored the call.

[ttshieronym]

Chinese review of To the Stars, Translated

I came across this Chinese review of To the Stars and decided to translate it. It’s an interesting look into how another culture perceives this fanfic we all love, and I hope you enjoy it! (User submission)

—– [Special Discussion] European/American Madoka Fanfic “To The Stars” ——

by New Moon Light (Yuèchū zhào)

Source: http://bbs.saraba1st.com/2b/thread-1124803-1-1.html

> The Buddha said: In sharing a good text, there is great merit.

> Lead in: Kyubey once said mankind will one day reach to the stars, but they never said what we will find there.

From the very first sentence, To the Stars hints at its prime directive. This will be an epic about mankind’s voyage among the stars. While even now as we remain bounded by the force of gravity, sailing the cosmos has always bespoke the hearts of men.

Honestly speaking, Gen Urobuchi’s original setting was sparse. Details are spotty of the world view of within Madoka universe, even the Incubator’s role within it are poorly defined. From this vagueness, To the Stars took over a sparse backdrop and develop this world into its own.

The story began at Mitakihara, the start of it all. The main character is Shizuki Ryouko, a last name that jostles ones memory. From this humble beginning the narrative unfolds into thrilling suspense. From here on out, it’s really a world of author’s own.

Ryouko is a high school student, her parents work at a research lab, and she has a grandpa looking too young of his age. At breakfast the parents chat about grocery shopping - no - of food allocations.

With this scenery of everyday life as foundation, the narrative backdrop unfolds. This is a materially abundant world that perfected distribution of wealth. Societal makeup, politics, military, technology unfold for the audience as the story progresses. Each intricate detail are thoroughly thought out. Here, this fanfiction has set itself apart from the original franchise.

Just two pages in, a member of the original Magica Quintet stepped into the scene. Who else? The tall, elegant, with unparalleled grace, Generalissmo Mami Tomoe herself! In this world, Mami has become the font of wisdom and stability, the pinnacle of magical girls, and the atlas pillar of magical girl society.

Mami’s position atop the military hierarchy unveiled another truth of this world: magical girls have completely submersed themselves into civil society as a force to be reckoned with. Soon we realized that four hundred years have passed since events of the TV series. In those four long centuries, events of legendary proportions occurred, a historical backdrop both rich and weighty.

With Mami’s arrival, the wheels of fate began to turn.

From here, Ryouko encountered Wraiths, awoken to her potential, and became disciple of Mami and Kyouko. From there on out the story blew wide open and held nothing back.

’m going to avoid spoiling further, as this is a reading recommendation. What happens next, I’ll leave it to as an exercise to the readers.

Instead, indulge me as I dive into some of specifics strength of this epic.

—– 1) Elaboration and Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence —-

The story features a rich cast of AI characters. With their superhuman intelligence and personality, the author had carefully considered their function within the story.

As practice, all ship construction came with accompanying AIs, yet these same AI will one day have to face eventual retirement. Leaving the front line, away from the the glory of war and never to return, these AIs need hobbies if they’re to cope in civil society. As result, warships tend to play with firearms in their free times (as expected, liking fire arms is a moe-quality for shipgirls).

Latter in the story, Ryouko’s combat AI, the newest model of biological TacCom, had this to say to Ryouko,

“I was thinking, if the Goddess of Magical Girls truly exist, then you get to go to heaven, but I could only rot here as a lump of meat. How unfair is that?”

Ryouko had no response. It was a question too difficult to answer for a mere a high school girl.

—– 2) Fantastical and Sophisticated Space Warfare ——

Warfare is this story’s most important narrative backdrop, and the space warfare in it are realistic, intrinsic, mesmerizing.

Rivaling humans are a race of an intelligent squid-like aliens, with scientific capabilities far exceeding human imagination.

The joint defense of New Athens was a massive-scale battle that cemented human-magical girl relationship. With squid forces devastating the human military, humanity was on the brink of defeat, a force of hundred-thousand magical girls mobilized by the magical goirl association suddenly charging to the front line. With great personal sacrifice they turned the tide of battle, pulled victory from the jaws of defeat for mankind. A feat of battlefield that would echo the history books, yet this was far from the highlight within the story. After the magical girl force subsumes into the human military apparatus, the newly commissioned magical girls are accessorized with high tech weaponry, and begun joint combat operations with human forces. From shielding and decoys for soul gems, to operational tactics for rescuing magical girls on the brink of death, to how magical girls of each types can fight in combined arms with drones and human infantry.

There’s a space chase scene between alien fighters and troop transport, and it was a magical girl platoon that engaged in 3-dimensional decapitating strike of the enemy forces. Magic has even become incorporated into the overall strategic command of human forces, talk about breathtaking!

Remarkable is the extend of the authorship’s thoughts into how future technology and science would change the nature of warfare. Massive laser cannons that is standard trope in space operas was not his vision. We saw that in his treatment of obtuse nature of faster-than-light ship warfare. We also saw this in the exquisite settings of exotic colony worlds locale. In short, the set piece battles alone are well worth the price of admission.

—– 3) Economic and Social Dynamics of a Space Faring Society —–

When speaking of a futuristic communist society, one’s imagination easily veer towards some kind of “Big Brother Watching You” narrative. Yet this novel paints a picture of a society with on-demand distribution and labor division that’s credible. Locally, people are free to chose their career, and the society will provide for the allocations as ones’ family requires. Choosing a valued career will be matched with a greater allocation. Even a recluse can secure a basic standard of living.

Of course in wartime, soldiers and magical girls receive a variety of privileged and generous stipends above civilians. Ultimately, they’re putting their lives on the line for the greater good. An wartime economy has inevitable shortfalls, but a basic standard of living could be maintained.

Colonial worlds on the other hand maintain an economy that harkens back to a more capitalistic era. Ultimately, in those far-flung world, resources and production have their limitations, and yet to reach such an abundance of surplus. The translation thus far has only briefly touched upon these colonial worlds, but future development would likely put them in greater focus.

Socially, nations have disappeared, and instead a ruling body took guidance of the society’s advancement, with highly advanced AIs taking part in crucial areas of the government. Aggregate intelligence has eliminated corruption from society, and placed the talents of individuals into posts most appropriate for their skillsets. The ruling body operates optimally, and the society is highly efficient. Of course, even with such advancement, the challenge of war had a deteriorating effect. Chalk that up to confronting an even more advanced enemy, with an even higher level of technological and scientific advancement.

Politics wasn’t a focal point in this work, but some subtle commentary could be gleamed. Is such a society truly good? That’s up to you to decide.

Worth bringing up here is magical girl’s role within this society. They recognize magical girl as an enormous asset for the military, and their powers potential a great threat, thus government and military took the position of general appeasement. They took initiative to integrate magical girls into the social leadership, with Mami as part of the Military command and Yuma as representative of the magical girls. The magical girl community as a whole are a power block in the greater society.

Because of the warfare, recruiting magical girls have become an open effort in this society, with Kyubey engaged actively in the recruitment effort. An recruitment effort that’s nothing less than a propaganda drive to enlist child soldiers became official government policy. For a hero of justice like Mami, as part of the military apparatus, to take part in such efforts to trick girls into the battle field - there’s a certain level of irony.

—-

4) Mahou Shoujo Youkai —-

The magical girl society is a top power block in this universe. The development of Mahou Shoujo Youkai (MSY) began as a guild form of several magical girl teams in Mitakihara, with Mami, Kyouko, and Homura’s team as its cornerstone. To cope with financial and wraith hunt shortfalls, these magical girls joined forces and established a carrier company. From there, it gradually grew in size, wealth, and powerful using the inherent advantages of magical girls. With careful stewardship, the company quickly grew and ultimately become the future center of the magical girl community. The development of this organization was full of mysterious, intrigue, power, and blood. Even a hero of justice like Mami find some sacrifices as inevitable. From blurps about the history and culture of MSY, the readership slowly gleam the tip of the iceberg of this society. Such intricate storytelling is a great strength of this work, somehow turning this rather incredible organization into something believable.

In one side story, a man searching for his missing beloved would suddenly find himself in midst of the original cast’s campaign to quash the Japanese underworld!

—- 5) The Era of Intersection between Science and Magic —-

Set four hundred years after the events of the TV series, technology has become highly advanced. Of course, many of the technologies we dreamt of remain beyond grasp, but mankind has already advanced far up into tech tree: Faster-than-Light travel, eradication of diseases, anti-gravity, perfection of cloning (considered unethical, but a necessary vice in-Universe), high fidelity virtual reality, internal health monitor chips, nano machines of all kinds, but of course the most fascinating are the AIs (which we have already covered).

Even more novel is the integration between the magical and the scientific for magical girls. To fight aliens, magical girls no longer just relied on frail human bodies and magical weaponry, but became a full-fledged combat forces with all the advanced military hardware. The military created all sorts of battle-harden equipment to augment the magical girl’s existing abilities, from decoy robots for soul gems, to specialist rifles for magical girl in close combat, to automated grief cube distribution bots. Additionally, magical girls are well supported by troops, infantry, and drones of all kinds.

—- 6) Extension of the Magical System —-

This work filled the gaps that was lacking of the magical system in the original work. Take wishes, for example, they now grant the true desire of qualified magical girls. Even when the magical girl was unable to verbalize her intent, Kyubey was able to grasp it mentally and faithfully implementing it. As result, Homura’s original wish was able to cross the timeline and maintain its power.

In other areas, it clarifies what happen to the Soul Gem after destruction of the body. In this work, it’s made explicit that the Soul Gem can revives as the original person so long a sufficiently substitute body exists. As result, soul gems are to be rescued whenever possible, to avoid unnecessary loss in valuable magical girls lives. As for the mechanics of resurrection, I’ll leave it unspoiled here.

—- 7) Distinctive Characterization —-

Of the original cast, the Ultimate Madoka roaming in space and Sayaka had already passed, but the remaining three members each plays important roles in the story. Generalissimo Mami remained forever alone, but also has become the pinnacle figurehead of the magical girl community, and an important commander of the war effort. From her position, the reader gets an understanding of strategic operations of the military high-command, as well as bits and pieces of history from vicissitudes of her memory. Yet despite her high regard, incessant nightmares plagued her, showing that fragile girl we knew still remain.

More complicated was Kyouko. She became a pope-like figure, one that also enjoy playing with young girls’ heartstrings… But this doesn’t mean she lost those convictions of her past. The Cult of Hope she created has become the pillar of emotional support for the magical girls in the military, perhaps an appropriate “new faith for a new age”. The hunt of her past, and her passion for blue-haired girls, placed her in a loving yet despicable role.

Other characters are charming in their own right. Oriko also plays an important role. The destruction of her and her organization was a central mystery within the story. The multi-talented Yuma has now become an inscrutable political actor.

Other notable characters like the historian Clarisse van Rossum and other magical girls are charming in their own ways.

But the most important is the main character Ryouko. She’s a riddle and a clue, from her point-of-view we come grips with this world. But she’s also stubborn and independent, hardheaded pursuing her own lofty goals. Her denseness with interpersonal relationships, and how her fallout and slowly reconciliation with her family, all these were portrayed vividly.

Of course, what matters for a story is the story itself, and this work has twists and turns a plenty, which here I will refrain from spoiling.

Even without the magical girl elements, this is a science fiction worthy of reading in its own right. In my humble opinion, the magnificent setting and intricate story telling has set To the Stars apart from the original series, a work that stands on its own.

[andhumanslovedstories]

What I’ve Read (Books 1-6)

in the name of 1) public accountability to actually read 150 books in 2017 and 2) to remember what the hell I read, I’m recapping/reviewing the books I finish.

The Paying Guests, Sarah Waters

Circle of Magic: Sandry’s Book, Tamora Pierce

Circle of Magic: Daja’s Book, Tamora Pierce

Flawed, Cecelia Ahern

The Treasure Map of Boys, E. Lockhart

Real Live Boyfriends, E. Lockhart 

Fiction: The Paying Guests, by Sarah Waters (1/02/2017)

Waters was on my radar for years (which is the cultured way of saying, “In high I used to watch clips of kissing scenes from her tv adaptations to Feel Things”) but I didn’t read her until last year. I expected an eat-your-vegetables-this-is-good-for-you type of literature with beautiful prose and a turgid plot where women exchange meaningful glances of a love they dare not speak, for they’ve only heard gayness whispered about if they’ve heard anything at all. Instead, I got hardcore bonetown. I got high drama, intrigue, suspense, communities of openly queer women in historical time periods, and just. so. much. boning. the. hell. down. The Paying Guests continues the trend of baroque drama lesbians, this time in the 1920s when a genteel but newly poor mother and her spinster daughter must take in a young couple as lodgers. I’d recommend Tipping the Velvet as your intro to Waters’ wet and wild work, but The Paying Guests is a solid romance turned crime novel, as Frances and Lillian fall in love and struggle against Victorian, Edwardian, and Jazz Age expectations of what a women should be. Also murder. They struggle against some murder too, which does cut into the deeply literary boning. 

Fiction: Circle of Magic: Sandry’s Book and Circle of Magic: Daja’s Books, by Tamora Pierce (1/04, 1/10)

Are there cliques in the Tamora Pierce fandom? Are there Tortall versus Circle of Magic kids? If there aren’t, let’s start them now, because I was always a Tortall kid. (Except Daine, who I never like. Sorry, Daine. It’s nothing personal, mostly because I can’t remember why.) But I did read the Circle of Magic books, specifically because in eighth grade someone told me there was a gay romance in The Will of the Empress, a later book in the universe. (Me reading over this post so far: “I did not realize the extent to which I was always super gay.”) Since I’ve decided I want to reread Empress, I’ve likewise decided to haphazardly reread the earlier books as well. In December of last year I read Tris’s Book, the second in the series. This January, I read Sandry (book one) and Daja (book three).

Sandry’s Book unfortunately isn’t a strong start to the series. The necessary assembling of all the characters lasts the first half of the book, the magic feels likewise over introduced and underdeveloped, and Sandry has little emphasis in the book named after her. I wish I could talk more in detail about this book, but looking back on it from two months later, I can’t remember much of anything except Sandry’s introduction (locked in a tower while everyone around her dies of illness, which is one of those backstories my disclaimer-adult-ass-in-no-way-the-intended-audience-age self thinks is wasted on junior fiction when you can hardly linger on the horror; maybe the YA The Circle Opens series deals more with that).

Daja’s Book improves the series thus far, mostly thanks to Daja. She’s always been my favorite of the original circle, a reserved, strong, hardworking grieving girl with metal and fire magic, who is excommunicated and shunned by her people who consider her bad luck after she is the sole survivor of her family’s shipwreck. She’s also black. Did I mention she is black? Because the book does, a lot, a weird amount, in places you really wouldn’t think it was necessary. Like, “‘Let’s talk about magic,’ said the black girl whose name we definitely know.” But that dubious choice aside (and I don’t remember it being present in later books in the series I’ve read), everything about Daja is my favorite part of this first series. Daja mourns the loss of her family through disaster and the loss of her people through custom while building a new family with her fellow mages and trying to reconcile that she would not be able to do the work she loves, blacksmithing, if she hadn’t been cast out.

If you’re interested in the characters (who are very good, they do develop well) or the magic (which I came to love, and felt organic and unique thanks to a combination of Pierce’s emphasis on hard, unglamorous labor as the basis of her heroes’ lives and the elemental astral projection that the mages do in this world), and if you, like me, don’t enjoy junior fiction, I’d recommend starting with The Circle Opens series instead. The books in this universe are connected but standalone, and it’s easy to jump in wherever. (I’m still gonna read somewhat in order before I get to The Will of the Empress, though. It’s who I am.)

  Fiction: Flawed, by Cecelia Ahern (1/13)

There are books that, before I returned them to the library, I want to slap a sticker on the front that says, “Warning: this book is fine but it is also secretly the first book in a series. Beware the ending.” The most recent such book, Flawed, is a YA dystopia where separate from the legal court is the Flawed court, which with absolute power can judge you defective as a person. Once deemed Flawed, you are branded in a symbolically suitable location as befits your crime, publically shamed, unable to assemble with other Flawed in large groups, shunned, hated, subject to a curfew, subject to constant surveillance, forever. Celestine North, who was named by her parents with the knowledge she would be the hero of a YA dystopian novel, dates the son of the court’s high judge and supports the system unquestioningly until she sees a Flawed man dying on the bus in front of her with no one willing to help. Her intercession sends her to the Flawed court herself, and gets her in a girl on fire situation as she inadvertently becomes the figurehead of a revolution much bigger and older than her. With Flawed as the first book in the series, its limited viewpoint feels myopic, determined to keep Celestine’s point of view relatively narrow. She suffers thoroughly and compellingly throughout the book, but when it ended on a cliffhanger, I couldn’t see myself waiting eagerly to see what happened next.  

Plus, the book has an unfortunate case of YA Bad Boy Syndrome, i.e. there is a troubled, scowling teenage boy who dominates a disproportionate amount of narrative focus as compared to his narrative interest. In contrast, the most compelling relationship in the book, that of Celestine who always supported the system until she saw evidence of its abuse and her sister who rails against the system but stays quiet in the face of the same abuse that makes Celestine act, is introduced as a central element and then gets minimal page time. Kill your darlings, authors. Cut the bad boys.

Fiction: The Treasure Map of Boys and Real Live Boyfriends, by E. Lockhart (1/12, 1/13)

E. Lockhart writes the most exquisitely uncomfortable YA. When I read Dramarama—a title, by the way, I only picked up because I already trusted the author—I spent so much time wincing that it read the book twice as slow as normal because not only did I recognize the characters, I both didn’t like them and utterly understood them. It was agony, but very specific “creative kids from a small town who go to a theater camp, discover they might have been friends by default, discover they might not be as talented as they think, discover that everything good changes and there’s nothing you can do about it” kind of way. The Ruby Oliver books (of which The Treasure Map of Boys and Real Live Boyfriends are books three and four) are similarly specific in their discomfort, except the discomfort lasts for four books instead of one.

I say discomfort instead of something like awkward because awkward implies a kind of charm, and while plenty of the characters in the books are charming and the writing is charming and many of the ideas are charming (too charming even, occasionally bordering twee), the situations of the books aren’t charming. They just kinda suck. These books aren’t a slog through misery and woe, not by a long shot, but they offer few if any pat resolutions. The characters hurt each other on accident and on purpose, and while some get better and trying not to, they don’t stop. Friendships end and it’s kinda everyone’s fault. Relationships are continually undercut by flaws that never go away, or even get addressed. Ruby is accused by her former best friend of trying to steal her boyfriend (who used to be Ruby’s boyfriend) and Ruby didn’t try to except she sorta did, or she at least wanted to, or she flirted back with him when she knew he was dating someone else, or the whole idea of “stealing” someone is ridiculous because you can’t steal a person, except Ruby’s best friend did kinda steal Ruby’s boyfriend. Even when characters are in the right, they don’t always act their best. Ruby never gets the apologies I spent the books hoping she’d get, and she never changes in the ways I hoped she’d change. But she is in a better place when the books end than when they began, and she is a better person too. It’s just that she still kinda sucks sometimes, and so does everyone around her. 

While I struggled now and then with the preciousness of the writing style, the characters provoked a satisfying frustration that made me read all four books in two weeks. If you’ve never read anything by E. Lockhart, I’d recommend The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks as your first, since it’s got a complete story in one book as opposed to the Ruby Oliver books which are more episodic, but this is a satisfying series if you’re looking for slice of life, low plot, nuanced relationship explorations that are zippy as hell to read.