#a forgettable episode except for a few moments

[soulmates-for-real-tranquility]

S5 Re-watch

Fallen Idols

[myxomat0s1s]

money rock is definitely the most divisive season of schoolhouse rock. chances are you haven't seen it if you don't have the series on dvd or didn't tune into disney to watch, but the people who have seen it seem to hold a similar opinion.

on one hand, there's songs like tax man max and the check's in the mail that are top 10 material for songs in the whole series(which is ironic since they're both the most outdated in the season). a lot of them have very distinct instrumentals that hold an even wider array of instruments than songs of the original series- a good example is the steel pan drum in this for that. they really toy with fun musical genres, such as a bossa nova/elevator music vibe in 7.50 once a week that features a strange but catchy cowbell breakdown, or the showtuney feel of tax man max, or the country twang that adds some nice spice to dollars and sense. they were really willing to stretch their horizions a bit here, and that's also obvious with their experiments with the schoolhouse rock artstyle. you have the ones that stay faithful, like this for that, tyrannosaurus debt, and tax man max, but some slight departures that feel true to the originals yet very fresh. 7.50 once a week and where the money goes are stellar examples of that. the character design is still very shr, but the lines are cleaner and the animation is a little more adventerous due to their slightly bigger budget. becky sue of dollars and sense as well as her animals on the farm are good examples: still obviously schoolhouse rock, but a little more stylized in a different direction. then there's walking on wall street and the check's in the mail, which have extremely distinct animation that barely harkens to old schoolhouse rock. it's choppy, lineweight is played with lots, and character designs take larger departures from the old seasons. and it looks stellar. especially in the latter. everything feels fresh but familiar.

however, it's not without it's drawbacks. there's more forgettable songs than a normal schoolhouse rock season; i watched all the episodes in a big blend when i was little(i owned the dvd, hah) and couldn't tell the difference between old and new shr since i was a dumb lil baby. however, i could hum at least a few motifs or mention at least a couple interesting moments in the animation for every single song in every season. except this one. the only ones i could give you more than one thing on were dollars and sense(obviously, since that one was the big episode of the season), 7.50 once a week, and walking on wall street. and as much as i sing the praises of tax man max, it is the only shr episode i watched when i was younger and as of a month ago, before i rewatched, i could tell you nothing on. gun to my head i could at least remember the tuba opening to where the money goes or the first chorus to the check's in the mail, but i wiped tax man max from my memory. it's just not a sticky season, and i think that just comes down to the fact that it's teaching money. it's literally called money rock. those lessons have to be taught far more straightforward than any of the other subjects. it's very tough stretch it into anything really cool or revolutionary, a problem similar to a few songs in america rock. you can't personify the concept with a character like bill or verb or the prepositions, and you're hard-pressed to be able to twist and morph the concept like in telegraph line or conjunction junction. tyrannosaurus debt does it well enough with equating national debt to a dinosaur monster eating the money, but there's not too much wiggle room. this is little fault of the creators and just comes with the subject matter, however it negatively impacts the season. some instrumentals are also really bland, too. tyrannosaurus debt is a big offender, and while the steel pan drum in this for that is cool for a few seconds, it gets unimpressive quickly. the characters also aren't super memorable. like, i've not seen people putting the caveman from this for that or lester the investor from walking on wall street on a pedestal like lots of other characters(though becky sue and tax man max are icons). sometimes they get a little boring.

in conclusion: i yapped for about 30 minutes? holy crap. this is a long post. anyways, money rock good(but not great). feel free to tell me what you think.

[turtlecat1440]

This might seem out of nowhere, but I want to talk about how much I'm enjoying the new episodes of Doctor Who. But first I have to make a pitstop about how much I dislike the prior three seasons.

For context, I've been watching Doctor Who for about a decade, give or take, I can't actually remember. There have been episodes I loved and stuck with me, and there have been episodes that were forgettable. Both are fine, because the show had a habit of making it's way to something pretty enjoyable eventually. Every season has a few bangers I return to when it pops into my head.

That is, except for the seasons where Chris Chibnall showran. At first I was excited, I wanted to see a new actor's take on the Doctor, and having them be a woman could subvert gender norms and a way I'm not sure has been done before. I'm sure it has somewhere, but I'm not researching for a post I'm making while lounging on my couch.

I don't want to make a broad statement that everything is caused by one person, that would probably be untrue. I went back and looked at what episodes Chibnall had written before he showran, and there were some decent ones. Not many I loved in particular, but that's fine. I also say this as to not lay blame on Jodie Whittaker, or any other specific actors, there were some moments of great acting that fell flat because of the sum of the shows parts.

When I start to notice a show has gotten worse, I first notice without any particular reason. But then I start to look for what changed. The biggest tell, and this is true for many other shows that have fallen off, is the camera work. If suddenly all the shots are bland, shot, reverse-shot, repeat, someone's gotten lazy.

Doctor who also lost so much of its creativity. The solution to the problems in the "Chibnall Era" were always confusing, and relied heavily on an obfuscation of hand-wavy "magic not magic." Rather than giving the viewer the pieces to a puzzle, and then have the Doctor to solve it because they're so clever, writers instead hide the solution, and let the doctor reveal it to us in a monologue. I left almost every episode confused and unsatisfied. I also began drinking with friends while watching because it was so bad.

I have a lot more to say about these three seasons, but I want to get into why I've been enjoying this recent season.

The David Tenant/Catherine Tate specials were an odd change of pace, and were cohesive in their conclusions. There were some odd choices I'm not going to get into, but I love these actors together so much, all sins are forgiven. But the important part is the thesis: the Doctor has been running from their problems for centuries, and needs time to heal emotionally. By outliving the pain of loss, the Doctor has been subduing emotional change, and only returns to old patterns of behavior.

Then the new season actually addresses this thesis. And it has to be said, the Doctor falling in love with Rogue (who is most definitely not a stand in for Captain Jack, we swear) is pretty rad. I loved it, glad it happened. But the Doctor's loss of Rogue, and their immediate movement into carrying on without addressing the pain of loss, only to be held back by Ruby was even better. The Doctor should stop for a few moments and process their pain, not continually avoid it.

Susan's reintroduction could add to this as well, the Doctor's guilt of absence may be addressed. The new themes that are being explored; guilt, loss, and a deliberate and intentional address and change of patterns of behavior is great. Although I might just think this because of my own life experiences.

Also, Ncuti Gatwa has been an incredible actor so far. I also think he's really cute, but that definitely doesn't affect the way I view the show, I am unbiased, as we all know is truly possible. I also can't get over how great is is that the Doctor and Ruby keep changing their outfits for different eras and locations. This is one of my favorite parts, keep giving me more.

[fauxkaren]

Abyss - 6/10

I mean, I didn't HATE it. But like... idk fam. This was kind of a mess? I think the highlight was Park Bo-young as the female lead, Se-yeon. I've enjoyed her in everything I've seen her in and this was not an exception. And there were moments that were really charming and some small aspects that worked but overall?? I just think it didn't really work.

Basic plot: Min, a super rich but not good-looking guy is ditched by his fiancée and is contemplating suicide and then he legit gets knocked off the rooftop by an alien who was zooming about?? Who has a magic marble that can bring people back to life???? And like because he feels bad about accidentally killing Min, he brings him back to life and gives him the marble. Using the marble to revive someone brings them back in the appearance of their soul and it just so happens that Min's soul is super hot. lmao. So yeah he comes back to life as a hottie. So that's the fantasy element of the show. But then there's also the serial killer element. Because Min's best friend, Se-yeon is a beautiful prosecutor who is murdered while investigating a serial killer. So then Min uses his marble to revive her and the rest of the show is solving the case and chasing down the killer.

There were moments where the show worked for me. But also like just some major things that did NOT work. Firstly, lol the logic of the MacGuffin magic marble is just... idk. The rules come up just as it seems like the writers needed to add in some limits or conditions to the magic marble for plot reasons. And the Wise Old Man figure. Like... huh? Who was he? Where did he come from? What is his deal?? Huh????

And then the romance was kinda ... ???? It seems like in the first episode Se-yeon really found Min to be annoying and was not interested in him AT ALL and then like 8 episodes later, she's like "i had a thing for you at points throughout our 20 year friendship" and it's like... did you though? Idk... It really felt like the writers had to retcon things a bit to make the eventual getting together believable and not just like shallow and dumb. Like she was only into him now that he was a stone cold fox. And also idk man... in the early episodes Min def had a whiff of incel about it... idk idk

Another major problem for me was how much the serial killer plot DRAGGGGGGGGGGED. The "twist" was so obvious from like the very first episode. I found myself getting super impatient with the main characters and with the show as a whole while I was waiting for them to just GET ON WITH IT.

In spite of that, there were a few bright spots. Namely, I liked Se-yeon's confidence and her strong personality. I also LOVED any and all moments of female friendship that we got with Se-yeon and Mi-ho and Hee-jin. Other than that though... a pretty forgettable show.

[hotpocketcasserole]

X Files Season One

It's like 1 in the morning and I got work tomorrow so I'm gonna just go ahead and get some thoughts out about the season.

I first watched this in the mid 00's when dvds were becoming more popular. It started with reading the book series at my school library. I couldn't catch them on tv but I could save up my allowance and buy the dvd sets on the military base where my dad worked. They cost so fucking much, I think they were like 90 bucks per season. But I did a paper route and saved up what I could to buy at least three seasons. And I watched the absolute shit out of those dvds. I still got them on my shelf.

My husband and I started watching them again on Hulu and while I do miss the feeling of popping in a dvd, going through the menu and listening to the music and watching the special features that came with it, being able to stream the entire 9 (original) seasons is so convenient. Except when it fucking lags but w/e.

I thought the first season was a little shaky for a few episodes but like a newborn horse it found it's footing very quickly. Mulder and Scully always felt like a natural partnership to me. I never really thought of them as romantic despite it sometimes being hinted or implied. Maybe it's my young gay ass but I thought they were better as two workmates that work well with one another, keeping the other in line. Scully tries to keep Mulder grounded in reality while Mulder encourages Scully to be more open to the possibility of the extraordinary. I'm not gonna rank all the episodes but I will mention a few notable ones. Best episode: S1 E13 - Beyond the Sea

Easily one of the best episodes ever. Scully is given more space to grow as a character, we learn more of her faith and her family, and is a rare episode where Scully plays the believer while Mulder is the skeptic. Brad Dourif is absolutely amazing in every scene he's in. Great Episodes:

S1 E3 / E21 - Squeeze and Tooms Tooms is such a frightening villain. And introduced so early, right after two ufo episodes. The first Monster-of-the-Week. S1 E1 - Pilot Classic episode. Some wooden acting but an absolutely classic pilot episode to jumpstart the series.

Do you think I'm spooky?

S1 E12 - Fire Crowley from Supernatural plays a fantastic villain with pyrokinesis targeting wealthy British families. Terrific episode

S1 E4 - Conduit I loved the part where the sequences of binary numbers that the kid wrote out put together formed the face of the kidnapped woman.

S1 E20 - Darkness Falls I remember reading the book version of this and loving it so much. Like the episodes Ice and Firewalker, Mulder and Scully head out into the wilderness to investigate and are met with forces beyond their understanding. Love those kinds of episodes. In this case, it was glowing gnats that sucked people dry.

S1 E2 - Deep Throat Hey, Seth Green was in this one! Mulder and Scully go hunting for experimental aircrafts and ufos. That's always a fun time. I prefer Monster of the Week episodes generally but the alien subplot is very engaging.

Bad Episodes:

S1 E5 - Jersey Devil A boring episode. Spoilers, it was a feral woman who lived in the woods.

S1 E7 - Ghost in the Machine I used to like this episode as a kid but now it's just kinda cheesy. The AI would have been just slightly more believable if they didn't make it say "Program Deleted" after killing a dude.

S1 E9 - Space Boooooooring.

The Worst Episode: S1 E14 - Yeah, that one There really isn't much to talk about with this one. It's pretty transphobic. And the ending was awful. Like, it implied that they were aliens or something? I'm more than happy to write this off as non canon.

Anyway, my husband and I are now a few episodes into season two. Season one is a classic. It has some hit and miss moments, some very forgettable episodes, but it also helped establish the characters and really set the tone for the series. I can tell right off the bat that the success of this series led to a higher budget for season two and a lot more risky moments.

Season one will always have a special place in my heart for just how nostalgic it is.

[mr-and-mr-diaz]

will people end up abandoning and not make content for buddie if they don't become canon endgame?

If we follow the history of other fandoms with disappointed ships then yes, many, if not most, will. For every fandom however, there is a small group that didn’t care if they became canon to begin with, making them impossible to disappoint. Likely that group will keep creating content, but the buddie fandom would shrink significantly and as a result, the 9-1-1 fandom. It’s pretty traceable in most fandoms that once the biggest ship in a fandom is let down, the show loses a lot of fans, which means a lot of views, and that’s usually twilight for the show unless they have really strong storylines or characters/ character dynamics to keep casual viewers engaged (a good example of this is Hook and Swan in Once Upon a Time, it revived the OUAT fandom spectacularly).

Right now, in my opinion, 9-1-1 doesn’t have that—in 6A, with few exceptions, the episode plots have been forgettable, we’ve been cheated out of countless strong character moments that were teased but never happened, and I think the dynamic between the characters has never been weaker or less engaging.

I believe pretty strongly that the buddie shippers are inflating 9-1-1’s numbers right now, without them 6A would have the numbers to accurately reflect it’s performance—average to poor. I really hope that 9-1-1 first of all improves its writing but I also hope they give buddie a chance, it could be beautiful.

For transparency’s sake, I am one of the fans who will likely drop 9-1-1 if I become convinced that buddie isn’t happening. Coupled with that “ick” feeling of being led along with no payout (I was one of those readers who chucked Little Women across the room when out of nowhere Jo turns Teddy down—say what you will about how the films handled it, but the book set up one payoff and one payoff only and DID NOT DELIVER. Don’t get me wrong, plot twist is cute, but only if you set the ground for it so that it’s “OH!” instead of “EH?!”) I have no patience for being led along and like I said at the moment with the current quality of the writing 9-1-1 has little else to retain me. 6B is going to be a BIG decider of whether or not I stick with it. I guess we’ll see 😊

[somuchbetterthanthat]

Fixing season 5, some thoughts: The statements

Lots of things I don’t like in season 5, but one I tend to forget to talk about are the statements. Honestly because while I like the statements, I always loved TMA the most for the bigger plot and the characters. However, so many statements and stories are vivid in my head in the first seasons. Season 1 especially they’re basically all 'famous’ at this point. The core of TMA.

In season 5, like lots of people have said, the problem is that it’s all so nightmarish and “dreamlike” that it doesn’t... Stick. One nightmare leads to the rest, none of them (apart Jordan and Salesa and Rosie and Annabelle, for obvious reasons) are linked to the plot of the season, and while some of them are genuinely really enjoyable on the moment, they’re honestly forgettable.

Which is sad! and... expected. But here is an idea that I think might work, assuming we’re keeping 40 episodes, and assuming season 5 is 1. fixing the world (but all the different options we could find) 2. Giving all the characters a bow to their final arc 3. Soft ending tragedy.

Season 5 began just as it has, except it’s empathize a bit more -- not just one episode -- that while Jon DOES feels guilty, that he’s ridden with guilt and hates enjoying this and wants to fix this, he doesn’t manage to see people as fully people anymore, except Martin. Not in a “they’re food” way, but rather in a “every face and fear bleeds together and feel nice, and those are not individuals so much as they’re The Humans and I need to help Them” if that makes sense.

So Martin tries to talk to them, and Jon goes “they can’t hear you, they’re trapped”. You’ve got some of those surreal, dreamlike statements, gorgeous and beautiful to the ear, that we love just like Jon, but no characters sticking out from them...

Except slowly, over the course of the season, it shifts. (gonna try and explain under the cut. This. is going to be very long i’m sorry.) 

1) I feel it feels very fitting that the very 'real’ statement of the season is a statement about Jon, except it’s narrated from the point of view of the house. Mind you I had never thought about it before I decided to discuss the statements, but it gives an excellent, beautiful starting point to a season-long arc about the statements, that would culminate (and here i’m stealing the idea of @cuttoothed , who as ever has the most brilliant ideas) a statement about Jon, from Jon, entirely about his feelings as he sees them. In my opinion, it would work best if it was separated from other events finale (Like, say, mag 39/40 were, you know? Let the finale be messy and with no statement, and have the “last” statement be in another episode where we can cry about Jonathan Sims). But in any case, we start the season with Jon from a monstrous point of view, and we end it with Jon at his most emotional and human. 

2) Coming back to the statements givers. So we have a few of those surreal, gorgeous statements that feel dreamlike, that leaves a sense of unease but don’t let us grab at the statement givers, because that’s how the Eye sees it, and so how Jon sees it. Yes, sometimes we have names, we have the fear, but it’s not about the people, not anymore, but about what the domains gets out of them. Every episode or so, Martin will try to engage, and when Jon goes “they’re not --” Martin gets all bicker stubborn about it, and goes “well maybe i like talking to them all the same, Jon. Maybe you should try it huh”. and Jon laughs his fond laugh, but doesn’t seem to consider it. And then Not-Sasha happens.

3) Waving away the smiting arc a sec, although we’re assuming here it’ll stay, sort of. So the Not-Sasha happens, but when they move to another domain, or as they have a moment of pause, instead of the Gertrude’s statement, Jon starts to say he feels,, odd. Like he should be giving a statement, but nobody’s here, they’re in between domains, and it hurts more than it has before, and he doesn’t know why -- and so Martin panics, and asks him to tell him, or ask a question about “is this about not!sasha?” and wouldn’t you know it? Jon starts talking. First short paragraphs, about random people, like before, all normal humans beings, nothing that seems related to fear AT ALL. But then the name crop up.  The mother. Graham. And then. Sasha. We have a statement of Sasha, through Jon, of her most normal life; the horror comes not from the statement, not from a nightmare or the fear, but of what we know. Jon is telling the mundane stories of people who were lost. of someone he and martin lost. “An echo”.

4) Now, I don’t remember the order of the episodes so you’ll have to excuse me if this is not in order: Jon doesn’t get a statement after Jude. Because he already had it. He dismisses it as her being a monster, and Martin and him have more things to deal through anyway. He does get a statement from Jared, though, and, like many other avatars before him, we get that Jared was just. A guy. A guy who felt so bad in his own skin, that when he got the power to change things, he decided to help other people too, in the most horrific way. (Okay that implies that he didn’t give a proper statement to jon before hand, but. shh). THIS leads to Jon telling martin “actually this feels much worse than i thought, i don’t want to”. MEANWHILE, the statements that were so broad at the beginning of the season are starting to narrow down. We’re only following one person through their nightmare now. 

5) Amidst that, you’ve got Martin episode, of course, and you’ve got THE FRANCIS EPISODE. Note that this one is exceedingly important for 1. all the Jons parallels 2. Jon/the web an the hand it’s got on him and never released. It’s a big deal. it stays exactly the same. But anyway, and then Basira comes in. Now. In the spirit of what we said about statements: the Hunt statement might start as a random chase, but it distinctly becomes Trevor’s statement at least in the middle of it. This man we’ve heard so much of is now a terrified prey. Following that, we insist on the fact that Basira’s nightmare is chasing Daisy and realizing all the hurt she’s caused and how she stood there and watched. Jon accidentally (or not so accidentally) pulling a statement out of her. She’s furious as hell -- but we’ve got her whole pov, properly. She and Jon argue, Jon insists she won’t find daisy until she confronts it all and he was trying to help. The next statement is of one of Daisy’s victims, except something odds happens -- the statement giver seems to /wake up/ and /directly asks Basira for help/. She can’t, not really -- but she can kill Daisy, and ends this. cue grief, her leaving again. 

6) Callum’s episode is about Callum. Martin and Jon can still argue there, I think it’s fitting. But callum’s episode is about him and his terror. In the following statements, it seems as if more and more statements givers are /aware of Jon/ in the corner of their eyes. Maybe another wakes up, briefly. And anyway, so forth and so on, with more and more parallels, more and more proximity, until they get to a beholding domain, and they talk about the man watching them. The statement giver says “why are you watching me?” desperately. “WHy are you watching me, why, why?” and Jon starts to sob, and you understand that, just like in the web domain with francis, he could easily get trapped. It’s the fear of Jonathan Sims, right now. He says he’s sorry, he can’t stop, he can’t make it /stop/ and it ends with a hug from Martin and Martin getting him out of there. 

7) and then they reach the panopticon; jon get JONAH’s statement, but it’s a little bit about Jonah, and a lot about Jon already. The interview lines, they say together, still happen exactly as they should. The rest would have to be all changed because the whole plotlines towards the end are, mmh, less and less possible to keep “as is” but the point is, at the end of his journey, Jon is finally able to talk about himself, to deal with his own emotions. We’ve rehumanized the whole world, and we get Jon’s pov of what it MEANS to him. Why he’s made the choice he’s made /because/ of all those people. The end. 

(i feel like, if we get sasha, we should also get throughout echoes of Tim, Gerry, Gertrude, Agnes, etc. but less easy to neatly fit them rn). 

... Anyway, those are my disorganized thoughts on how we could fix the statement problem of season 5. Might do a series with all the other stuff I would change personally gjijtgi i don’t know; This was fun. I wasn’t at all procrastinating another thing I need to do, of course not.

EDIT I FORGOT MY MOST IMPORTANT POINT: THE STATEMENTS BEGAN AFTER A WHILE NOT ONLY TO BE WE FOLLOW ONLY ONE PERSON, BUT TO BE TOLD IN THE FIRST PERSON POV AGAIN, WITH ‘I’ STATEMENT AND ALL

[moiloru]

Haikyu!! Review! (Seasons One through Four)

Hello! Today is anime review day, and this is one I've been waiting to do for months now: Haikyu!! I began watching this anime last December, but since the fourth season had not been dubbed yet, I preferred to wait until it had finished airing to make this review. Now, with four seasons' worth of content, I think it's about time I talked about one of my favorite animes.

First off, some basic facts. Haikyu!! is an anime about volleyball, as you might already know. It's extremely popular after all, and rightfully so. You actually don't need to know anything about volleyball to fully enjoy this anime, as everything is explained very well and you will have no trouble understanding every small rule. Then, while this anime obviously focuses on sports, it focuses just as much on comedy, and boy oh boy did this anime make me laugh. There are also some more casual school moments, even if they tend to disappear after Season One.

Now, this anime isn't completed yet, but you'll have plenty of content to watch: Seasons One, Two, and Four each are twenty-five episodes long, while Season Three adds another thirteen episodes onto the pile. And if that's not enough for you, there are also some OVAs you can find, even if those weren't dubbed.

One of the impressive things about this anime is how consistent it is. Like, there are no lows from Episode One of Season One all the way until Episode Twenty-Five of Season Four (with maybe one exception). The writers have found a way to always keep the plot moving with some interesting matches and plot twists, and it makes the story enjoyable all throughout. Honestly, I was bluffed by how good the first few episodes were, since animes do tend to take a couple of episodes to truly get going.

The matches in this anime are a piece of art, and I'm not exaggerating this one bit. Of course, the final match of every season is always the highlight, but even training games are made interesting. They're very unpredictable and I didn't find them to be repetitive even once.

It might seem obvious, but you need good animation to make a good anime. The art style of this anime is really pretty with some vibrant colors and beautiful scenes. I noticed they might have changed it up a bit in Season Four, but it's just different, not worse. As for the music, a few of the themes are amazing, as are all the openings.

Now, I can't talk about Haikyu!! without mentioning the characters. As you'll see in the tierlist down below, most of them are forgettable, but that's because there are so many! And honestly, even if you forget the characters who aren't the stars of their respective teams, they're still mostly great and don't disappoint when they do appear.

As for the main cast... it's probably the best I've seen in anime so far. The protagonist is just a bundle of joy, as are all of his teammates, coaches, and team managers. The stars on the opposing teams are all super interesting, and the few other important characters who don't appear in matches are also really cool! It's amazing they could nail so many characters!

The dynamics between the different players and teams are on-point, and you get the feeling that they grow closer together as the episodes (and the seasons) pass. I mentioned similar things in my Kuroko no Basketball review, but the rivalries in this anime are captivating, and they build up the hype in a way that makes you want to see more.

Overall, I don't think I need to tell you to watch this anime. It's one of the best I've got to watch so far, and I don't regret a single minute. It has some of my favorite characters, favorite ships, and favorite moments. Now, maybe it's pointless for me to say it as many people have already watched it, but if you haven't already, please do not miss out.

Below are the tierlists for characters and ships! Thank you for reading!

(Please note that some important characters from Season Four aren't included because the original tierlist hasn't been updated yet.)

(Link: https://tiermaker.com/create/haikyu-tier-list-character-132477)

(Link: https://tiermaker.com/create/haikyu-ships-ft-rarepairs-2-electric-boogaloo-1081401)

[pollylynn]

Title: Do You Like Piña Coladas? WC: 900 Episode: 47 Seconds (4 x 19)

Early on, he had Jameson Rook make a remarkably stupid mistake.

In the very first book, before Nikki Heat had even succumbed to his charms, courtesy of tequila and the romance of a blackout, Jameson Rook had made a grave miscalculation and tried to save her from the job. He had pounded hard enough on the observation-room side of the one-way mirror to rattle the glass, his fury roused by the lewd comments of some mountain of a suspect. He had positively roared back at the repugnant waste of skin and in so doing, he had achieved nothing, save a stint as the object of Nikki’s fury on the grounds that, one, he had disrupted her interview, and two, some unholy combination of gall and stupidity had led him to conclude that she was in need of his services as a white knight.

He’s always told himself that the incident was born of nothing more than a commonplace authorial trick. He’d done his own share of celebrating too volubly the lameness of Calvin Creason's alibi for the murder of a man whom Creason had just as volubly hated on in public. Later on, he’d pounded on the glass with all his might to inform the good detective, who certainly needed no one to inform her, under the circumstances, that their mystery woman must have been Lee Wax.

Both transgressions were minor, he has long told himself, pointedly not cringing at the memory. Both were utterly forgettable. Surely everyone in the world not blessed with his eidetic memory for humiliating moments had long forgotten them. So, as writers do, he had rolled them into one and jazzed it up with a little twofer revelation: The reader learned a little something about Rook’s character and the seriousness of his feelings for Nikki. That, he has long told himself, is all there has ever been to Jameson Rook’s early-days mistake.

But he is not Jameson Rook. He has never, beyond the innate authorial need to play provocateur, had the temptation to ask her what a nice girl like her is doing in a miserable job like this. He has never wanted to save her from the work.

Until today.

Today, he is overwhelmed by the work. Because there isn’t just one victim whose life they have to pick apart, whose loved ones and left-behinds they have to face with no answers—seemingly with even a path to answers, because they are being hamstrung by jurisdictional games. He feels like he is drowning in the banal details shared by every single soul in the endless parade of witnesses they have to interview, and he knows—he knows—that there is no such thing as a banal detail given what every single soul has been through. He is overwhelmed, because here it is for every one of their five victims—a random, wayward event, utterly devoid of meaning. He is overwhelmed in general.

And he is overwhelmed in specific, because how many times can the two of them live through this? He sees her gag as they make their way into the morgue and the smell hits them—charred flesh and har and clothing. He sees her, an absolute stoic, actually react, and he knows that for her, as for him, that stench transports her back to her own apartment in flames, to his hand holding hers tight with seconds to go before a dirty bomb annihilated not only them but who knew how much of their beloved city. For her, as for him, it transports her back to the bank, just a few months ago.

He is not proud of how he behaves early on. He is not proud that he stole away to the observation room—stole away to the safety of that sturdy glass—to hear the story of the woman who went to the top of the Empire State Building as a wife and entered the twelfth precinct as a widow. He is mortified when she finds him where he’s retreated even further than that to cower in the break room, which stands somehow empty in the middle of this unending chaos. He is mortified when he learns that he’s left her to go solo with the family of the mother of two who’s among their victims.

He has withdrawn. He has opted out of the chaos and horror when she cannot. Except she can. There’s a grasping darkness in his soul tonight and it howls deep within him. It roars that of course she fucking can escape, and he can be the one to break her out.

You good? she asks him softly. It should be gruff. It’s two words from their well-worn repertoire of short hand. But it’s soft today. It is an extraordinary measure of empathy she has reserved for him, despite every horrible thing she is dealing with.

He feels a dangerous kinship with stupid, early-days Jameson Rook. He feels a damned near overwhelming need to ask her what a nice girl like her is doing in a miserable job like this. He feels a damned near overwhelming need to put the spurs to his pale steed, to snatch her up with one strong arm around her waist and settle her in the saddle in front of him.

He is drowning in the need to take her away from all this.

A/N: My cowardice in minimizing estrangemet stories is too without morphousness to deserve a piña colada, which I would not drink.

images via homeofthenutty

[spiltscribbles]

The One With The Soulmate

~Notes: Hiya loves! This is a one shot from my The One With The Marauders series and I’m just moving it here to Tumblr<3 

.-

Send ME A Friends Episode/Storyline  |  A Reblog Means The World!!

.-

“You are seriously insatiable tonight,” Remus rebukes, swatting Sirius’s hand away from where he was eagerly grabbing at his arse for another round of fun, positively delicious, bloody remarkable, mind-blowing fun. God Sirius thanks every deity above that he fell in love with such a secretive, little wildcat.

“Oi, wasn’t the whole purpose of this getting married shtick so we could do that whenever we please?” Sirius harrumphs, flopping back on their bed, starfished out as he watches his ridiculously beautiful husband dropping his towel to the floor and digging through their shared drawer for a new pair of pants. He really tries his damndest to not focus on how the dying evening light filters through their room’s open window, bathing Remus in this resplendent, almost heavenly glow, turning the tips of his eyelashes as golden as his hair and caressing the dips and valleys of his lithe muscles, accentuating the smattering of freckles on his thighs and the dimples he’s got on the small of his back. God Sirius can’t take his eyes off of him for even a moment. “Because if not I reckon I can sue for false advertising.”

Remus only sniffs at him, affecting a lofty air as he pulls on the green, turtle net sweater that Sirius especially likes on him for how it brings out the amber flecks in Remus’s emerald eyes and how it hugs his physique in the exact right breath to show off how bloody good looking he is. “We did that right when you came home from the firm, and then again in the shower less than five minutes ago. Don’t tell me it was that forgettable?” He asks with a pointed hiking of the brow.

“Never my lovely little croissant,” Sirius contends hurriedly, popping up from his lounging position to snatch for Remus’s boney wrists, and dragging the shorter man down to sit in his still very naked lap. “You are the best shag and handsomest fellow and—“ Remus claps his hand over Sirius’s mouth, probably trying to come off stern, but Sirius could totally catch the way the corner of his lips begin to flinch upwards— he’s endeared and Sirius knows it.

“Enough of that bollocks, else I’ll get a cavity.”

“But my beautiful crumpet, I want to sing your praises,” Sirius pouts mockingly, kisses the tip of his nose, while one of his well built arms slings around Remus’s slender waste, with his free hand slowly crawling up his inner thigh, thwarted nearly immediately by Remus standing up in a huff. 

“Like a bloody mutt.” He scolds.

“Only for you my delightfully delectable cabbage,” Sirius leers, finally standing up and taking the proffered slacks so to get ready for this little soiree Lily’s law firm is holding for their fiftieth anniversary.

“When do you reckon these awful nicknames will drop off?”

“You’re the one who said you like it when I speak French at you,” Sirius goads, smacking Remus’s pert arse as he struts into their master-bath.

“Oi, when it’s spoken in the ruddy language, and not some awful accent you’ve conjured up.” Remus counters moodily before he grabs for one of the colognes on their vanity, and Sirius only smiles privately to himself, so beyond besotted with him that it’s getting detrimental for his health, exhibit A being how he very nearly squirts his aftershave right into his eyes.

But God Remus is so worth it.

 .-

 The ballroom of the swanky, Mayfair hotel is dressed up in all the opulence that should be expected for a soiree made up of the throng of stuffy, stuck up solicitors that are present. Sirius is not impressed in the slightest, even if he can work the room for one of these parties as effortlessly as breathing thanks to his upbringing as the son of a Lorde and Countess; though he still hates the ambiance of it all, so much so that it makes his skin crawl to this day, but he promised to be here and at least Remus is right besides him, with Sirius’s hand in his back pocket and hazel eyes flickering to him every few minutes or so, as if attuned to Sirius and all his mercurial moods.

God he loves him.

“Alice and I have been shagging non stop,” Frank says, which works well enough to bring Sirius’s attention away from wanting to drag Remus behind the champaign fountain so to have his wicked way with him, and back to the conversation they’re all having; even if that means that instead of looking passive, Sirius is sneering over at Frank.

“Dacorum man.”

Frank apologizes, beyond glum. “We just don’t know what to do. The doctors say that we shouldn’t have this much difficulty with it, but we just checked before coming and still, nothing.”

“I’m sorry mate, that’s awful.” Remus tells him, and Dorcas nods along, but Sirius just rolls his eyes.

“We’re not even thirty yet for fuck’s sake,” he tells him. “Maybe ’s a sign for you both to stop trying to ruin your lives with a baby.”

“Shut it Sirius,” Dorcas hisses, kicking at his ankle hard enough to make him wince.

“Ouch, hey! I’m just saying, a kid’s a lot of responsibility, and commitment.”

“I’ve been with Alice since we were seventeen Black,” Frank tells him hotly . “I think I’m already properly committed.”

“Then what’s the point of the kid!”

Frank raises his brows, floundering with no words as if he just could not comprehend Sirius and all his Sirius-ness, which is fair, the only two people who’s been able to do as much turned out being his brother, (James), and his lover, (Remus)… Speaking of which…

“I’m sorry he’s acting like such an arse Frank, he doesn’t mean it.” the sandy blonde says cooly, giving Sirius one of his looks that he usually keeps designated for his more rowdy students. “Do you.”

Sirius glares at him before looking back at Frank and nodding stiffly. “Sorry mate, you and Flores would be marvelous parents, I’m just being prickish.”

“Nothing knew then,” Frank says, but it’s coupled with an amiable grin so Sirius knows he’s off the hook.

“Right, well why don’t I make it up to you by grabbing you a drink? Yeah?”

“See if they’ve got an iced white?”

“Me too Black,” Dorcas scoffs, doesn’t even bother to look at him to make the command.

“Righto,” Sirius claps Frank’s shoulder with a friendly squeeze, winking at Dorcas and glancing over at Remus before he goes. “Vodka tonic?”

“With lemon please.”

Sirius nods, still pecks him on the lips even if they’re sorta in a fight, as if Sirius could ever stay away for too long.

.-

By the grace of God, the open bar is mostly vacant, except for a familiar head of messy hair he’s considered family for over half his life.

“All right Prongs?”

James pivots around, drinks already in hand and grinning at the sight of him. “Wow, didn’t even recognize you for a tick there Pads, you don’t even have your hand plastered to Moony’s bum!.”

Sirius smirks, tossing him a covert two finger salute as he saddles up besides him and orders the round of drinks. “What can I say Prongsy, the cheeky bugger made me vow to have it there constantly, can’t just jilt my bloke like that, can I?”

James grimaces with a roll of the eyes, and Sirius’s far accustomed to that look of exasperation from him by now. “You’re a mutt.”

“Would you believe you aren’t the first person to say that to me within the last hour?”

“God save our poor Moony.”

“Oh God doesn’t have to worry, I’m taking care of him just fine.”

“Are you being gross about my best friend,” Lily asks as she struts up towards them, looking like an absolute diamond, even if her nose is wrinkled indelicately.

“Aren’t I always in your opinion?” Sirius asks cheekily, trying to balance the four drinks in his grasp before she just rolls her eyes and grabs the flutes of wine for Frank and Dorcas.

“Your impossible prat-ness aside, I actually think you being all grossly territorial over Remus tonight is actually a good thing.”

“THat’s a first,” James says, but Sirius can only glare, suspicious.

“Why’s that? Oi! Don’t tell me that absolute plonker Dearborn is here!”

“Oh God no,” Lily startles, shaking her head as if the thought was too insane to even fathom. “’S just the firm’s just hired this new bloke and I’m really quite positive that he’s Rem’s soulmate.”

“Lily! Don’t say that!” James balks, glancing over at Sirius worriedly, but he in turn only laughs at the magnitude of the statement.

“Jesus, Evans, didn’t think you believed in that ridiculous shite?”

“’S not ridiculous Sirius! And yeah, ‘course I do, like James and I are definitely soulmates.” She twists slightly so to kiss the curve of James’s jaw, making him go a bit blotchy. Poor git’s wrapped around her littlest finger.

“And what? You reckon Remus and I are just here to kill some time?”

“No, don’t be a pillock,” Lily reproves. “’s just he’s his soulmate is all.”

Okay, Sirius’s amusement has officially given way to irritation, and he twists his head so to scowl down at her as they make their way to the others. “Alright Evans, explain yourself then, yeah? Tell me how he’s Moony’s supposed soulmate.

“Well he’s French.”

“I speak French.”

“He’s got amazing, blonde hair.”

“I’ve got amazing, black hair.”

“He majored in literature just like Remus.” Lily says airily, knowing that Sirius can’t match that being an architect himself.

“Well— I read all that snotty shite Remus asks me too.” He huffs, and Lily answers with a shrug to her delicate shoulders.

“Fine then, I’m wrong. You’ve got nothing to worry bout.”

She struts off to their little lump of friends as if to cut the conversation off completely, and Sirius is perfectly find with that. She’s acting off her bloody rocker. But, if Sirius stands closer to Remus than usual for the rest of the night, or if he ends up kissing his temple whenever he feels like someone is watching them, or if he glares at one of the blokes working catering after deigning to offer Remus an empanada— Well that’s Sirius’s business and his alone. He’s not intimidated by this soulmate shite, for fuck’s sake. It’s not like he’s trying to stave off the bastard or something. He does all of that simply because Remus is his husband now, and he loves getting to show that off to all onlookers, even the ones who may or may not be Remus’s soulmate.

 .-

 “We’ve got dinner with Reggie and his latest girlfriend tonight,” Remus tells Sirius the following Tuesday, tossing the scarf his mother had gifted him last Christmas— with a matching one for Sirius— over his shoulder as they stroll around to the front of the Three Broomsticks for their morning coffees, hands linked and the early winter snow catching in both sets of their lashes. 

And God does Sirius love the sound of that, of their schedules overlapping, becoming one almost. Loves the idea that where ever one goes the other follows. Sirius knows that they’ve both have their demons, from Sirius’s neglect and emotional abuse as a child— occasionally sprinkled with a good smack or two if his mother was particularly fuming. To Remus’s complex of never feeling like he can ever be enough, and the way Lyall had acted for years after Remus had come out to his parents as gay, coupled with his multiple hospital visits as a lad until they finally figured out his lupus diagnosis. But they’re better, so much fucking better now. Plenty of the credit going to the remarkable group of friends whom they’ve picked up along the way, but another huge chunk was finding one another, and Sirius knows it in his bones. Knows that there couldn’t be anyone else for him, and sure he knows Remus sometimes deserves more, deserves better— But he’s chosen him, he’s chosen Sirius. He loves Sirius. And it’s remarkable and unbelievable and amazing, and Sirius holds onto the sensation of it with hungry piety.

“Love? Did you hear that?”

Sirius jolts back to the moment, and smiles softly down at him, kissing the corner of Remus’s mouth in penance. “Yes, of course gorgeous. I didn’t forget, I’ll be home early and maybe we can have a lie down before leaving if you’ve finished grading those papers?”

Remus’s laugh right then is like the most splendid instrument Sirius has ever heard, light and magical and warm as a bonfire. “Try to be good and maybe.” He tells him with a cold fingered tapping of his nose before he flounces off to the main counter to order for them.

Sirius doesn’t know how long he stares after him instead of grabbing the gang’s typical seats up front, but is startled when he hear’s a choked out noise coming from behind him and sees Lily, panic faced and eyes wandering frantically.

“Oi, what’s squirming up your arse Evans.” He asks her suspiciously, thick brows furrowed.

“I didn’t know you guys would be here,” she explains so quickly that her words begin to crash into one another. “Oh bloody hell, the one time I have a late start!”

She stomps her foot and Sirius shoots her a fully fledged glower. “What is making you so damn barmy for Christ’s sake.”

Lily parts her lips, but no noise comes out, because right then someone follows her indoors, a very familiar someone if only based off of descriptions. A very tall, very blonde, very smiley looking someone.

Sirius hates him right on sight.

“I’m sorry I took so long at that shop Lily, my mother loves these, how do you say, snow globes?” The stranger says, shaking one for emphasis with Big Ben set in the center.

“Ridiculous tourist trinkets is more like it,” Sirius practically snarls, which earns him a confused look by the blonde and a tired one by Lily.

“Right then, well Sirius this’s Thomas Martin, Thomas this is Sirius Black.”

“Lupin-Black now, ta Lils.”

“Oh,” Thomas says, blue eyes blinking wearily. “Nice to meet you, ah, Sirius.” He extends his hand, and when Sirius shakes it he makes sure to feel the bloke’s bones crushing together, just so he understands who exactly he’s speaking with.

The French arse eventually pulls away, pinning Sirius with a one eyed squint as he curls and stretches his fingers.

“Oh God,” Lily groans, leading them to their spot and depositing herself onto the sofa with absolute exasperation, and Sirius only continues to glare at Thomas as he sits besides her, growing stiffer once Remus returns.

“Oh, hiya Lils,” he smiles, handing Sirius his drink before flickering his gaze to the fucking Frenchman.

“‘lo love, this’s the newest hire at the firm, Thomas. Thomas, this’s my best mate, Remus.” She introduces quickly, the fucking trader.

“Remus?” Thomas asks, dimpling down at Sirius’s fucking husband with bright eyes. And Sirius has to curl his fists so not to punch him right in the sodding face, only growing angrier when Remus chuckles and ducks his head, like he was nervous by him! Like he thought he was in fact very good looking and very charming and his damn soulmate.

“Yeah, blame that on my mum, she was big into the classics.”

Thomas’s grin widens even more and Sirius feels the pulse on his neck beginning to throb. “No, it’s very charming. My Grandfather was very, erm, focussed on those studies as well? Begged my parents to name me Enkidu. They thankfully refused.”

Remus laughs fully now, and Sirius wants to a punch a wall. It took him literal months to make Remus laugh like that— genuine and glimmering and gorgeous. “Lucky bloke. Though I do have to admit that Gilgamesh is a favorite of mine, I think I’ve read the epic twenty times over.”

“Oh mine too,” the fucking Frenchman says, stepping closer to Remus and now in front of Sirius fully, gambling bravely that Sirius wouldn’t try to cap him right here. “If you ask me however, I do believe that he and Enkidu are more than just, friends.” His eyes flicker down to Remus’s lips for a split second and when he looks back up his face is positively leering.

Sirius sees red.

“God, so nice to finally talk to someone who gets it, the professors I work under are usually so painfully heteronormative that it’s crippling.” Remus tells him, smiling kindly.

“Oh, I’m the furthest away from that, I assure you.”

He winks! He fucking winks! Sirius swears to God! He sees the bastard winking at his husband! His fucking husband! What the bloody hell does he think that platinum band on Remus’s finger matching Sirius’s own is suppose to represent! Holy shit!

“I’d love to read anything you have on the subject, most things translated to French are a bit clunky.”

He’s trying to ask him out! Right here! Right in front of Sirius! Sirius is going to strangle his snail swallowing neck! Thankfully, Lily must sense his inner turmoil because she interjects their conversation right then, asking Thomas to grab her a jasmine tea.

“Oh yes of course,” he nods congenially, rounding back on Remus before he leaves. “Would you like a pastry? On me.”

Is he trying to ask Remus to eat it off of him? What the hell! It took nearly a year of them fucking for Sirius to get Remus to bring food in the bedroom, to get to watch Remus lick the chocolate syrup off his cock. And what? Does he think he’s even got a chance so quickly!

“Oh, that’s sweet,” Remus grins and a part of Sirius dies on the inside. “But I’ll come tag along, yeah? I love talking about this stuff and Sirius absolutely hates this ancient rubbish.”

“I do not! I think these dead blokes are very interesting,” he harrumphs, heated, with pouting lips and crossed arms. But Remus only tosses back his head with uninhibited laughter in response, which makes the fucking Frenchman beam that bit brighter.

“After you,” he says with a swish of the hand.

Sirius is going to be tried for murder, and he’s not even sorry about it.

“’s okay love,” Lily reassures him, patting his head dotingly. “We’ll find you someone new.”

“I hate you Evans!”

“Don’t blame the messenger!”

Sirius is about to tell her just how much he does exactly that, but then he catches on the fucking Frenchman putting his hand over Remus’s to prevent him from sliding over his card and all the fight leaves him in an instant.

 .-

 Sirius ended up not even going to the on sight location for the latest project he’s heading at the firm. He instead spent the bulk of the morning and part of the afternoon grinding his teeth as Remus spoke and barbed and giggled with the fucking Frenchman, like he was enjoying himself. And it was torture, watching the way they naturally clicked and got on— Literal fucking torture.

Sirius is still fuming as they sit in front of his younger brother and his newest bird, a pretty girl named Amal, who’s just graduated from a posh, fashion institute in the north of France. And Christ it’s like he’s being bombarded with the idea of that country all day.

“God that must’ve been such a wonderful experience,” Remus says, smiling as she leans forwards with a grin, speaking louder over the chatter of the busy sushi joint they had all agreed upon.

“Oh yes, the cuisine was simply unmatched, even if I did end up missing London, being home and all. Though I’m afraid my French is seriously dwindling compared to my English and Arabic now.”

“You should ask Reggie to practice with you, I know I love it when Sirius speaks the language.” He winks right then, making Amal crow with laughter and Regulus roll his eyes fondly. But Sirius stays peeved off with his hinged jaw, absolutely seething.

“Bet my hopeless brother recites poetry to you and everything, rose in his mouth and all.”

Remus laughs and Sirius suddenly has the horrid image of the fucking Frenchman doing as much outside the window to their bedroom, and is furious all over again.

“Well Reggie, Remus here does fancy all things French, foods and wines and blokes and just the whole lot.”

“Well good, we have something in common,” Amal snickers, lacing her hand through Regulus’s own over the tabletop. Sirius and Remus haven’t held hands since the waitress brought out their drinks, and remembering as much makes Sirius take a swig of his ail, hating everything.

“Yes well, you can say it’s Remus’s soulmate, France I mean.” He says, words beginning to slur. “He’s meant for French food and wines and blokes, innit true love? You’d prefer a French bloke?”

Amal frowns and Regulus pins him with a one eyed squint, befuddled. But Sirius only gathers his wits about him when Remus clammers noisily out his chair and tugs on his arm to follow suit.

“Reg order us the specials yeah? And a round of spring rolls,” he instructs, words clipped, and a small dent peeking out between his brows, like it does when he’s especially annoyed. “C’mon Sirius we need to talk.”

“But that’d be awfully rude,” Sirius retorts, already hates the flat, fuming tone Remus is speaking with, and feels good and properly nervous for the impending argument.

“They have one another, ’s fine. Now let’s go.”

Sirius concedes and pretends it doesn’t feel like he’s being lead to the gallows.

.-

“All right prick,” Remus huffs, rounding on Sirius right after he locks the door to the single user loo. “What has gotten you in such a bloody awful mood.”

Sirius sniffs, arms crossed against his chest and his head tilted imperiously. “I’m peachy.”

“You’ve been acting like an arse ever since we had coffee with Lily,” Remus counters, reproving.

“Actually love, if you didn’t notice, Lily left about halfway through you and the blonde’s little clucking session.”

Remus furrows his brows now, pillowy lips pinched and looking lost as hell. “You’re angry because Lily left for work?”

“Oh for bloody hell Remus!” Sirius erupts, tossing his arms in the air. “I’m angry because you met your ruddy soulmate and now you’re going to ride off into the sunset with’m and read French poetry together while eating cheese and bread and talking about highbrow shit like Aeneid!”

Remus startles backwards, long lashes flapping and mouth gaped open. “Oh Christ, you’ve gone absolutely barmy. You’re mad.”

“You’re not helping.”

“I feel like I should call someone about my husband going bloody mental.”

“I repeat. Not. Helping.”

“What in hell has convinced you that this random bloke is my soulmate?” Remus asks, back to being patient as ever.

“Lily!” Sirius shouts. “She told me that you and the fucking Frenchman are soulmates! And she’s right okay! She’s bloody spot on.”

Remus rolls back his entire head now, groaning out, “You are such an idiot.”

“Real nice Moons,” Sirius frowns, doesn’t even know how to feel now, the anger seeping out of him the longer he’s standing besides Remus, leaving an awful, clawing abandonment in its wake.

“Did you ever once think to ask me what I think of the damn concept of soulmates? Hmm?” He asks, single brow hiked with pure condescension.

And oh.

Sirius is stuck for a minute there, doesn’t see an out to the question. “Well…. Erm—“

“Well if you had asked, like a normal sodding bloke! I wold’ve told you that I married you because I know your my soulmate you arse! And it isn’t because of some ridiculous notion of stardust or providence or whatever else. It’s because we grew together, and we fight for one another, and even when you’re being a complete prick or we’re arguing like mad you’re the only one I want. Only person I can ever see myself with, the only person I want to try this hard for. The only fucking person I ever want to call my husband! My partner! lover!”

“Oh.” Sirius breathes out, all his fears being strangled by the conviction embedded into Remus’s words. 

And it’s like all of Sirius’s insides melt, like all the adoration and love and reverence he holds for Remus is pooling in his stomach and threatening to pour out his every orifice. And God he can’t even inhale, only scrambles to lock his hands around Remus’s cheeks and press his head against Remus’s own.

“Yeah? You really think that.”

“Hell, I thought the wedding and all would’ve made that clear.”

Sirius chuckles, only lightly, his thumb dragging beneath Remus’s eye tenderly. “God I love you, so endlessly. Please forgive me for being an idiot?”

“Yeah, I suppose I’ll keep you around,” Remus teases, bouncing on the balls of his feet to kiss Sirius’s nose and lock his arms around his neck, and the sensation of it— them knotted into one another— could never be replicated in a thousand years, not like this, not like them. 

.-

Other Wolfstar One Shots  |  Send Me A Prompt

[traitor-boyfriend]

Jakovasaurs

★ Do I like this episode? Why or why not?

this episode of one of few, like pip, that i very rarely revisit bc i just... don't like it! several weeks ago i saw it for the first time in years and it mostly left me with a "oh, that's why" reaction about why i don't like it. early south park episodes for me, much like current seasons, tend to be very hit or miss; whereas in my opinion early south park is much more consistently 'hit' this is a definite miss.

it was only recently actually i found out the inspiration for this episode was trey parker's reaction to the character of jar jar binks in the prequel star wars movies, and that definitely provides context for why jakov is simply such an annoying character if it's a parody of jar jar. i was simply too young when i saw this episode the first time to make that connection, but watching as an adult there's seemingly little overt nods to the fact it is indeed a parody that the running joke just falls flat without a clear reference point to keep in mind and i think it's probably one that went over other peoples' heads as well at initial airing.

or maybe it didn't, i don't know, i was a toddler. regardless, the character just isn't funny enough to withstand the irritation for my taste.

★ Favorite moment?

i do really like that everyone finds the character annoying except for cartman -- cartman as a mouthpiece for the lowest common denominator of american pop culture consumption is something i appreciate, especially within the context of early seasons cartman where he himself is something of the annoying, shrill gag character of the show

★ Least favorite moment?

when joon joon gives birth and the babies are popping out all over the place like ping pong balls

★ Do I have an unpopular opinion about this episode? What is it?

my unpopular opinion might be that it sucks lol, i'm not sure what the general opinion is of this episode as a lot of the more minor early episodes in the scope of south park are a bit forgotten and not mentioned often

★ Something I would change?

this episode might have been saved by jakov's appearance being altered to resemble the character of jar jar in a more obvious way, or by simply toning down the annoyance eeeever so slightly. or, by eliminating the character earlier in the episode and leaving more room for the town's snide reactions to them. i think there's enough of that in there that the episode isn't totally unsalvageable, but i think trey shot himself in the foot going all out to create a character equally annoying as it makes the episode a slog to watch. even having seen it not that long ago, it's so forgettable that the finer points are eclipsed by nothing but jakov, not unlike the prequels and jar jar's prevalence. well, actually. trey might have just succeeded in that regard?

★ Rating out of 5?

1/5

★ Anything else I want to say about this episode?

i do miss when dr. mephesto was something of a recurring character in early south park; i'd like to see him again sparingly as i think his value isn't strong enough to warrant constant revisiting but every other season or so an appearance from him to really amp up and add to the surrealist nature of south park's environment in a science fiction manner is fun. his role in the plot of the second game was very exciting for me and i hope this is something of a harbinger of his return.

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

(Accidental 150 Follower Special) IOTA's Top 10 Worst Episodes of Miraculous Ladybug (Part 1)

If you saw one of my earlier posts, an anon asked what my favorite and least favorite episodes of Miraculous Ladybug were. So, I decided to make a little list explaining the best and worst this show has to offer.

A few quick ground rules here. I'm not going to list any episodes I had previously talked about in some of my other posts. This includes “Kung Food”, “Animaestro”, “Syren”, “Reflekdoll”, “Chameleon”, and most of the episodes relating to Chloe's “damnation arc” that Astruc planned since he first created the character (“Despair Bear”, “Queen Wasp”, “Malediktator” and “Battle of the Miraculous”). Also, I'm not counting the specials, mainly because aren't listed as episodes, and because I don't want to talk about them.

Other than that, anything goes, so let's get things started with the worst list.

These are the Top 10 Worst Episodes of Miraculous Ladybug (in my personal opinion because your opinion is also valid)

#10: Stormy Weather 2

“Stormy Weather” was the very first episode of the show, and it really made a good impression on new viewers. So naturally, when it was announced that Stormy Weather would return, fans were excited. Then when the episode aired, Hawkmoth gave her even more powers, including the power to create a volcano big enough to potentially knock the planet out of orbit when it erupts. So Ladybug and Cat Noir have no choice but to stop the villain once again.

What does this plot lead to?

Yep, this episode is nothing more than a clip show. I understand that clip shows and bottle episodes are a necessary evil, but why would you set up something this awesome with a fan-favorite Akuma like Stormy Weather, and then not even bother to show it?

This episode is yet another attempt at showing that the show totally has character development. The whole reason Aurore is Akumatized into Stormy Weather again is because Chloe says that people can't change because Astruc (who was one of the four people writing this episode) is determined to make you hate this teenage girl more than the main villain of the show.

So of course, everyone spends most of the episode talking about how much they've changed, which is represented through clips of past episodes that do a horrible job at actually conveying any development.

According to Marinette, Adrien has “become a friend she can talk to about anything, except when it comes to her feelings for him”. Ah yes, you can tell they're friends by the fact that they barely hang out together, much less share a conversation because the writers are going to drag out the whole “Marinette stammering in front of Adrien” until they get tired of it. So basically, never.

All Alya and Nino talk about is how Ladybug helped them become a couple, and become superheroes, even though neither of those are actually related to character development. Though that is a fitting metaphor for the way both of their personalities have basically devolved to “the couple”.

Chloe talks about how nicer she's gotten, while footage of her doing awful things is played. I wonder who wrote that part in...

Even Ladybug and Cat Noir talk about how much they've grown and how stronger they've gotten, as opposed to focusing on STOPPING ANOTHER ICE AGE FROM HAPPENING. How can Hawkmoth even think this will get him the Miraculous? Yeah, sure I guess he can get them from the frozen corpses of our heroes, but what then? He still doomed humanity, and I don't think he can reverse the damage like Ladybug.

Towards the end, the clip show becomes slightly interesting, as Adrien mentions an unsigned card he got for Valentine's Day in “Dark Cupid”, and how similar the handwriting looks to Marinette's.

Does this lead to Adrien figuring out Marinette has feelings for him? Is the sky bright red? Both of these questions have the same answer.

Yeah, out of nowhere, Adrien just mentions Luka, who wasn't mentioned at all in this episode, and immediately thinks Marinette is in love with him. And that's how the episode ends.

I put this at the bottom of the list because I don't think it's completely fair to judge clip shows, but even some clip shows at least try to put in some effort and justify the clips, like what The Legend of Korra and some seasons of Power Rangers did. And the fact that the whole point of the episode is a poor excuse to claim that there's character development in the show only makes it even more infuriating.

Oh my God, this is only Number 10...

#9: Oblivio

While I already talked about “Cat Blanc”, this episode shares a similar theme as that episode: Giving viewers what they've wanted for three seasons, Marinette and Adrien finally learning each other's identity and starting a romantic relationship... only for the reset button to be once again slammed, making the entire episode pointless.

The only difference is that unlike in “Cat Blanc”, where there was an actual love confession that made sense, here, Marinette and Adrien find out the other's identity when they get their memories wiped by the Akuma of the week, Oblivio.

From then on, it's just fanservice. Instead of actually developing the relationship between Marinette and Adrien, the writers just decide to cram an entire episode worth of Adrienette content into a single episode just to tide fans over. Marinette and Adrien seriously fall in love despite only knowing each other for like, an hour at most. And the fact that the writers undo all the romantic progress of the episode makes it come across as pointless.

But the ending is what really cements this episode's spot on the list. As soon as Oblivio is defeated, Alya takes a picture of Ladybug and Cat Noir kissing without their consent and then rubs it in Ladybug's face.

Even though Ladybug doesn't know the circumstances (she has no memory of the events of the episode), this was still an invasion of her privacy, and she looks horrified by the picture that Alya is obviously going to post on her blog.

And of course, Cat Noir is more than happy to see it, ignoring how Ladybug feels and claims that they'd make a great couple. Because everyone knows good couples are formed by someone gaslighting the other into going out with them.

But wait, it gets better! In the next scene, we learn that Alya and Nino were akumatized into Oblivio... because they were caught in an embarrassing situation by their peers.

Alya: Remember when we visited Montparnasse Tower? Well, we went and hid to play Super Penguino, but Ms. Bustier caught us, and...

Nino: And you guys made fun of us for playing that game, saying it wasn't our age and all.

Alya: We were totally embarrassed at getting caught.

This was my thought process when I first heard Alya and Nino's explanation.

How can Alya claim to take a compromising picture of Ladybug, ignore how she feels, and not realize the similarity from when she and Nino were akumatized? This is what completely killed Alya for me in canon. This was the point where I couldn't care less if Marinette was friends with her or not. Sure, there are still fanfics, but those actually portray her with some kind of conscious. So to summarize, Fanon Alya is awesome, but I hope Canon Alya's 4G plan runs out.

This episode is just forgettable, but the ending made things worse. Apart from, I guess the action scenes and some funny jokes, this episode has no redeeming qualities. Like, literally the best thing to come from this episode was @miraculouscontent​‘s LadyBugOut AU, as it actually addressed the hypocrisy of Alya's character, among other problematic aspects of the show.

#8: Oni-Chan

Just a heads up, most of the episodes on this list are from Season 3. Just want to give you an idea of what to expect.

This episode is about Lila tricking Adrien into helping with her homework, when she is only doing it to get closer to Adrien. Marinette tries to spy on the two and stop Lila from hurting Adrien... even though she knows Adrien is aware that Lila is a liar, and is visibly uncomfortable around her.

And because the episode spends so much time on Marinette following Adrien and Lila, the buildup to Kagami getting akumatized is incredibly rushed. Seriously, she gets a single line of dialogue before she gets akumatized, and the motive is ridiculous too. Lila sends a picture of her forcing a kiss on Adrien, and Kagami immediately bursts into tears at the sight of it.

But wait, it gets better! When Kagami is akumatized into Oni-Chan (the writers know that's a term used for males in Japan, right?), she turns into a psycho hellbent on killing Lila because “Adrien doesn't deserve her”. Most of her dialogue is her saying how much she loves Adrien, making her come across as, for lack of a better word, a yandere.

This episode just destroys Kagami's character, making her as unlikable as Katie Killjoy in the process. If it wasn't for “Ikari Gozen” actually treating her like a human being (obviously Astruc's planned character development from the beginning), I'd completely hate her.

It also shows how much of an evil genius Lila is, as she has the brilliant idea to convince Oni-Chan to kill the only person capable of saving her from the Akuma's wrath. And this somehow gives Hawkmoth the idea to forge an alliance with Lila. It's also another reason why I believe in Darwinism.

This episode is low on the list because it does have a few redeeming qualities, like Lila facing consequences for lying, however brief they may be, and it has a great character moment with Adrien realizing on his own how terrible Lila really is, a far cry from what he was like in “Chameleon”.

Other than that, it's pretty bad, and still deserves a spot on this list.

#7: Antibug

HA! I said MOST of the episodes involving Chloe's “Damnation Arc” wouldn't be on this list, but not ALL OF THEM, so this one counts! Take that, convoluted rules I made up for some reason!

What was I talking about again? Oh right, “Antibug”. Oh crap, “Antibug”...

This is one of of several episodes in Miraculous Ladybug that really should have been a two-parter. It tries to be daring and includes two Akumas in one episode, but both of them are poorly executed.

An invisibly entity starts harassing Chloe, so Ladybug and Cat Noir start an investigation. It turns out to be Chloe's lackey Sabrina, who was akumatized after a falling out between the two. Well, I say “falling out” lightly, because what actually happened was that Chloe and Sabrina were cosplaying as Ladybug and Cat Noir, Chloe pretended to be the real deal while crashing an interview with Jagged Stone before Sabrina accidentally blew her cover, causing Chloe to be humiliated on TV and end her “friendship” with Sabrina.

Ladybug learns this from Chloe's butler, while Chloe never mentions the incident. So when Ladybug and Cat Noir engage the Akuma, Ladybug ignores Chloe's advice on where the corrupted object, naturally not trusting her judgment. And this is portrayed as a bad thing.

This episode is the start of a long-running trend in Miraculous Ladybug: Marinette needing to learn a lesson, while Adrien/Cat Noir is the one to help teach that lesson.

Chloe did nothing to help, only made things worse, and lied about why Sabrina got akumatized. It's kind of obvious why Ladybug wouldn't trust her word. The whole point of The Boy Who Cried Wolf wasn't to trust the liar after all.

But if that was all the episode did, it wouldn't be on the list, because now, the narrative wants to make the audience feel bad for Chloe before she gets akumatized into Antibug... who is just a lazy palette swap because new character models are expensive.

This part of the episode isn't nearly as bad as the first half, but like “Oni-Chan”, Chloe's akumatization is incredibly rushed, and we don't really get a chance to sympathize with her before she goes full Antibug.

Even Antibug herself isn't that interesting of a villain. The whole idea of an evil doppelganger is that they're a perfect match for the hero, but we only see Ladybug and Antibug fight for a few seconds, while Cat Noir does most of the fighting with her while Marinette's Kwami recharges. I like that Ladybug and Cat Noir show their teamwork to defeat Antibug, but I feel it would have been more interesting to see Ladybug and Antibug duke it out before Cat Noir helps turn the tide.

Again, this episode really needed to be a two-parter to better expand on the story presented here, because it had a really interesting premise. I'd personally read the version of “Antibug” in @justanotherpersonsuniverse​‘s “The Adventures of Panthera Noire” (an AU fanfic where shy girl Juleka gets the Cat Miraculous instead of Adrien). Not only does it have two separate chapters for Vanisher and Antibug, it also does a good job of setting Chloe on an actual redemption arc, unlike Astruc's “damnation arc”.

#6: The Puppeteer 2

As much as I've ragged on Adrien/Cat Noir in some of my other posts (and will continue to do so in this list), that doesn't mean I think Marinette has problems too, and this episode is a prime example.

Marinette and Adrien go to a wax statue museum with their friends (and Manon), but because of a poor choice of words by Nino, Adrien thinks that Marinette hates him. So he does something that everyone loves, practical jokes.

Adrien seriously thinks that pranking Marinette will improve her opinion of him. Even the prank is ridiculous, pretending to be a wax statue to make her laugh. And it leads to... Oh God... This is easily the contender for one of the worst moments in the entire show. Marinette goes up to the statue and... gets close to it. Yes, we, the audience know that this isn't a statue, but putting that aside, just look at what Marinette does to the “statue” (AUTHOR’S NOTE: I made a gif from the episode, but it wouldn’t go through, so I recommend you check out the episode and watch the statue scene for yourself if you don’t value your sanity). Even Adrien, as dense as he can be, is a little unsettled by what Marinette does.

If the scene was about Marinette talking about her feelings for Adrien, I'd be more lenient on it, but this? This is just uncomfortable to watch.

Even the dialogue makes Marinette sound incredibly creepy.

Marinette: Wow... it looks so... real. The wax is nearly as hot as skin. It even smells exactly like him...! Oh, beautiful statue of Adrien, your wax is so soft! Your yak hair is silky. Your eyes are so green. Oh, shall I be a statue, too! Everything would be so much easier. Why haven't we been molded together in the plaster of destiny? Marble to marble, wax lips against wax lips, entwined for eternity...

I think Gilbert Gottfried said it best.

This scene alone put this episode on the list, and the Akuma doesn't make it better. I really liked “The Puppeteer”, and I thought her ability to control past Akuma victims was incredibly fun to watch. And when she returns to take control of the wax statues of past Akumas they... don't use their powers (with the exception), and serve as cannon fodder for Ladybug and Cat Noir to plow through, making the return of the villain very underwhelming.

Even the end where Adrien tells Marinette that he is in love with someone and only sees her as a friend. This should devastate Marinette, but in the next scene, thanks to some fortune cookie nonsense from Tikki, she's still unsure about her relationship with Adrien, and that's how the episode ends. Seriously. Because just need to keep the status quo consistent, right? It's not like Marinette doubting her crush on Adrien and worrying that she's just wasted her time would have been interesting to see, right? Play that happy ending theme already!

Of all the episodes on this list, this is the one I was dreading talking about the most because of some of the moments here. And yet, there are still episodes that are worse than this one...

Here’s Part 2

[popcornandgreenolives]

bling empire

Series Review (Season 1)

IMDb Summary: Follow LA's wildly wealthy Asian and Asian American fun seekers as they go all out with fabulous parties, glamour and drama in this reality series.

This is another one of those series’ that I got sucked into watching since it got a lot of Joe-Exotic-like hype during the quarantine. 

I went into this one thinking that this was going to be like Crazy Rich Asians IRL, but it ended up being more like another Rich Kids of Beverly Hills - except that some of these people seem to have been thrown together rather than having been lifelong friends. I thought it was a pretty entertaining while I was watching it, but it didn’t get me invested enough that found it to be forgettable soon afterwards. Despite the fact that I as an Asian American appreciated seeing Asians being represented in Hollywood, I found very few of the scenarios and none of the people - even the “poor guy” - to be relatable in any way. 

I’d tune in for a Season 2 if I happen to come across it and I happen to not be binging anything at that moment, but I’m not like sitting on the edge of my chair waiting for it.

Random thoughts:

Why does Kane have his shoe rack in his living room? (Fun fact: I met Kane at a boba shop in LA this past July 4th. He was super nice.)

Why is Christine always provoking people with necklaces? She’s so annoying.

Kim Lee looks like an Asian Kylie Jenner. I’m curious about her DJ career.

Anna seems like the most down to earth despite being that wealthy. I loved how she said she didn’t care about buying things for Kevin, and that it’s people’s character that she cares about.

The penis pump incident was dumb.

Kevin got super creepy with Kelly especially at the salsa dance date. WYD Kevin. Your looks can only take you so far. You are being creepy.

Kelly really needs to leave Andrew and Andrew needs anger management and intensive therapy. That dude is scary AF.

Gabriel needs to calm down about having another kid (But being from the Asian culture, I also get that it’s the family that is pressuring them.. ugh).

Kevin and Kane really should not have gone to look for Kelly’s dad. I guess they were trying to be good firends, but that was so inappropriate and not their place.

Did Cherie really propose to her boyfriend? IN PUBLIC… eep.

Are they hinting at Kevin and Kim? After all of the other episodes of him chasing relentlessly after Kelly this seemed sorta random.

[sz-amare]

7. My Top 15 Anime List

I have watched a lot of anime in the past four years, but one thing that gives me great enjoyment is ranking my top anime. Here I will rank my top 15 favorite anime, along with some honorable mentions that couldn’t make it. However, I won’t be going too in-depth on the analyses; I just want to give you a general idea of why the particular anime is where it is on my list. In general, I rank my anime depending on a combination of factors: 1) how brilliant I find the anime to be written, 2) if the themes resonate with me, 3) if it is categorized in my favorite genres, and 4) my general enjoyment level. Anyway, to the list.

 Number 15

One Punch Man

When I first watched One Punch Man, it seemed nothing more than a mindless comedy anime. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed it and laughed a lot, but I found it to be forgettable. But one day, I heard that the genre of One Punch Man was seinen, which made no sense to me. It had no dark and mature themes, and as I mentioned, it was nothing more than a senseless comedy. But then one day, on a whim, I watched One Punch Man again. And I REALLY enjoyed it. I still laughed a lot, but something felt different to me this time. I actually felt like I had a deep connection with each of the characters. The story seemed to be more structured and enjoyable this time, and finally, I could actually see the themes that One Punch Man was trying to explore. It made sudden sense to me that One Punch Man is indeed a seinen and that it had a lot more to it than on the surface. Of course, the difference in experience is because of my new understanding of anime and the experience I gained.

Number 14

Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple

Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple is probably one of the most unknown, underappreciated, and underrated anime on this list. Someone recommended it to me, and I had never heard of it, so I assumed it was a mediocre anime. But when I watched it, I had so much fun which I hadn’t felt in many months. It is a training shōnen anime where the main character tries to learn martial arts. That is all I want to say for now because I don’t want to spoil anything, so go watch it. I highly recommend it.

Number 13

A Place Further than the Universe

I don’t see many people talking much about A Place Further than the Universe. But, I must say, it is absolutely phenomenal. It is, hands down, the most inspiring anime in existence. The basic premise is a high school girl wanting to do something significant in her high school life. I won’t say anymore because, again, I don’t want to spoil this anime, and I recommend you check it out if you need inspiration in your life. Let me just say that it is now an aspiring goal of mine to visit Antarctica.

Number 12

Plastic Memories

I made a whole analysis on the previous post so go check it out. But for a quick recap, the life lesson I learned from Plastic Memories has permanently changed my behavior for the better. I found it to be the saddest anime I have ever watched.

 Number 11

Steins; Gate

Once again, I have already made an analysis on Steins; Gate, but this time I only covered the first episode. I also ranked Steins; Gate a 10/10 so that must mean that the rest of this list must contain masterpieces. But to be honest, that is not really the case. You see, to me, even if I consider something a masterpiece, the enjoyment factor plays the most significant role in ranking high on my list. For example, I found Death Note to be brilliant, but I really struggled to enjoy it and therefore, it is not ranked that highly. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed Steins; Gate, but I just enjoyed the rest of these anime way more. Anyway, if you want to see why I loved Steins; Gate so much and why I find it so brilliant, check out blog post 4.

Number 10

Berserk (Manga)

Almost everything I found In Berserk is brilliant (except its adaptations, that’s gas station toilet). Guts is a 10/10 protagonist, Griffith is a 10/10 antagonist, the cast is a 10/10, the story is a 10/10, AND THE ART!!! Holy shit!!! I can actually picture an entire museum dedicated to each panel of Berserk.

 Again, the only reason this anime is not any higher is simply because I enjoyed the others on this list so much more. However, I am yet to review any analyses on it so there is a possibility that it will bump-up several places higher when I truly understand the brilliance behind it. Great read though!

Number 9

Haikyuu

I LOVE Haikyuu. Each season gets progressively better and better. It has a lot of controversy around it because of its fan base and because it’s a sports anime. But to be honest, I find Haikyuu to be a better shōnen than My Hero Academia, Black Clover, Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, and most other modern shōnen anime. It has its amazing moments, its cast is amazing, the character development is amazing, the themes are amazing, and the antagonists are amazing. I am not bluffing when I say that the antagonists in a Volleyball anime are better than the antagonists in many shōnen anime (I’m going to develop haters before I can even develop fans). I plan on making an essay on what most shōnen strive for yet fail to achieve, and Haikyuu somehow delivers.

Number 8

Oregairu

Best romance. Hands down. Oregairu, or SNAFU, or My Teen Rom-Com is Not What I Expected (yes, so many titles) is a masterpiece in its own right. If you are a guy and you watched Oregairu, don’t act like you didn’t imitate Hachiman a couple times. He is a beautiful protagonist, which most of us guys relate to. His inner monologues result in us treating them as gospel. The sub-text is confusing as fuck, but end up making sense in all sorts of ways once decoded. Yukino is best girl, but man I love Yuigahama almost just as much. The general enjoyment I got out of Oregairu is so far through the roof that I once forced myself to stop watching it so that I could savor the show a little more. It is a little difficult to get into at first, but you will most likely end up enjoying it.

Number 7

Re Zero

This is the most recent addition to the list. I often don’t add anything new to my list; I just switch the places between some of them. But ever since season 2, Re Zero jumped significantly in rank. It is the best anime of 2020 (including sequels), and I enjoyed each episode to the max. I was considering adding Re Zero to my top 10 since the first half of the second season finished, but I was a bit hesitant because I am easily affected by recency bias. But my love for Re Zero would just not die down: my love for it grows after each episode airs. It is the only anime on this list that I watched weekly other than One Piece. I actually prefer watching a series I love weekly rather than binging it all, except for One Piece, pacing is constipation (slow and painful). Other than the vast enjoyment I got out of Re Zero, the main reason it made it to this list is because of the light novel comparisons I watch. Aninews is my favorite source. He compares the episode to the light novels, mentioning what was left out and further describing the emotions and thoughts of the characters. He tends to release the “Cut Content” videos a week after the episode airs, but the content and quality are incomparable. I found the videos to be so amazing I am basically just as excited for the weekly videos as the Re Zero episodes themselves. If you love Re Zero, the Cut Content series is a must watch.

The fantastic details and emotions the light novels are able to portray are stunning. I decided to read the light novels recently, but the only issue is that I am very short on time. But for each novel I complete, I will release a post on it.

Number 6

Mob Psycho

Although I said I found Haikyuu to be better than most modern shōnen, Mob Psycho is hands down the king. Its quality far surpasses all modern shōnen and a lot of older generation shōnen too. Funny thing is, I believe Mob Psycho’s primary genre is slice of life, not shōnen. I also believe it to be the best take on an overpowered protagonist. One of my favorite things is that Mob, who is the strongest esper we have seen, seems to be so weak. That is exactly how he should be portrayed; he is still a child with mental challenges that he is constantly trying to overcome. The themes that Mob Psycho explores are some of my favorites. The animation is a bit weird at first, but after watching it, you suddenly realize how brilliant it is.

(Honorable Mentions)

Attack on Titan

I am going to get a lot of hate for not including this in my top 5, let alone my top 15. Attack on Titan is still releasing episodes, so that opinion may change soon but let me be clear about one thing: Attack on Titan is a masterpiece. It is absolute greatness. The hype and enjoyment I get out of Attack on Titan are out of this world. But, a) the enjoyment feels a bit short-lived for me personally. It is a fantastic week after airing, but I tend to forget about it the next. b) Attack on Titan is simply not my type of show. Again, I do love Attack on Titan. Again, it is a masterpiece. And again, it may bump up a bit after a few episodes release, but as of now, Attack on Titan isn’t in my top 15.

(Honorable Mentions)

No Game No Life

Similar to One Punch Man, I thought No Game No Life was an anime for senseless fun and enjoyment. But then I watched the movie. The movie is canon to the light novels, but it is irrelevant to the plot and only contributes to the understanding of the world. However, since I watched that movie, I felt the world of No Game No Life to be more realistic. Of course, a world where games resolve all sorts of conflicts like war is ridiculous. But after watching the movie, that ridiculousness somehow turned to reality. The world of No Game No Life became fascinating to me, and what seemed like dumb games began to turn into political machinations.

(Honorable Mention)

Magi & Yona of the Dawn

All I have to say about these two anime is that they seemed to be very fascinating premises and concepts, but the anime sadly stops for both. I am considering reading the manga for both of them sometime soon, so this list may change once I do.

Number 5

Hunter x Hunter

If you like shōnen, I don’t see why you would hate Hiatus x Hai—I mean Hunter x Hunter. The only thing it slightly lacks is a strong main cast, which many people like anyway. Otherwise, absolute perfection. They have most of the best villains in all of anime: Hisoka, Chrollo, Meruem… How can you not love Meruem? And the way he parallels with Gon but in the opposite direction: just perfection. The arcs are hard to rank because they are all perfection in their own right. The best power system in anime is nothing short but perfection. If it weren’t for the Hiatus, it would be ranked fourth. I doubt it would scratch my top three.

Number 4

Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood

I know I kept saying perfection when talking about Hunter x Hunter, but I actually believe that Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the perfect series (Note: I am not saying that no one can love it and that it has to be your #1; obviously there are preferences. I’m merely saying that it perfectly crafts what it is trying to portray). The only two arguments you can bring is that the beginning is weak. But if you watch the 03 version, there are no issues whatsoever, in my eyes. Keep in mind, when I say it is the best, I mean from a narrative standpoint. Yes, the animation isn’t the greatest, and the gags are kind of bad, but from a general narrative standpoint, it is the best writing I have ever seen. The plot was brilliant and well-crafted. The world is beautifully bound by their power system: alchemy. The philosophical discussions and themes it explores always have you thinking. The characters are very likable and are all top tier characters. The mysteries keep you in a cycle of confusion and excitement. Since I love science and chemistry, alchemy was so fascinating to me. This show is definitely well-deserving of the number one rank in My Anime List.

Number 3

Kill la Kill

After listing a lot of the best anime/manga with the best stories and narratives, I can see why someone would be upset that I brought up Kill la Kill. This one is certainly the odd one out. However, remember me mentioning that the enjoyment factor is the biggest decision maker in my list placement? Kill la Kill gave me the most enjoyment out of all the anime on this list, even more significant than the obvious #1. I didn’t find anything to be all that brilliant in Kill la Kill, and I can completely understand if someone hated this particular show. But there was something about Kill la Kill that made me feel nostalgic in a weird way. It also gave me one of the weirdest yet most immense feeling of satisfaction I have ever felt. I love Kill la Kill.

Number 2

Konosuba

           Okay yeah, this one is also the odd one out, but it is a little more acceptable. I find Konosuba to be the best comedy anime of all time. Not necessarily because it is the funniest anime (I think it is the funniest but comedy is subjective), but instead because, unlike most comedies, like Nichijo, the characters in Konosuba are absolutely brilliant. Kazuma is one of my favorite characters of all time, Megumi is best girl, but I still love both Darkness and Aqua. Their interactions are absolutely entertaining on both a comedic scale and a general enjoyment scale. Their assholeish-type relationship reflects my relationship with my friends (we are complete assholes to each other, but we also love one another).

Not only that but from the comedy focused anime that I have watched, the plot in this one is actually delightful. The Konosuba movie is my favorite movie of all time, right after A Silent Voice.

Number 1

One Piece

If you read a couple of my previous posts or recognized my profile picture, you probably knew that One Piece is my favorite anime of all time. My love for One Piece is so extensive that I would rather forget all my experiences with anime than forget my experience with One Piece. One Piece inspired me and changed my life. Not in the typical way where I learned a life lesson from the story like Plastic Memories, but simply because I found the writing to be so brilliant. So it was more that Eiichiro Oda, the author of One Piece, inspired me. The characters are the best I have ever seen, the villains are well crafted, the world-building is literally the best in all of fiction, the build-up is fascinating, the questions from the mysteries somehow keep piling over, the symbolism fleshes out aspects of the anime even more, the backstories make characters more relatable and understandable, the general dynamic flow of the world feels like reality, the themes it explores are great learning experiences, the originality never ends, the hype moments keep you energetic for more, the foreshadowing is so phenomenal to the extent where it shouldn’t exist, and the general planning of the story makes it obvious how amazing of an author Eiichiro Oda is.

This series has been airing weekly for nearly 22 years now, the manga for 25. How in the world is Oda able to create this monster of a story, planning certain elements a decade or two in advance? This is brilliance. This is beauty in writing. And I want nothing more than to create a masterpiece of my own.

Final Notes

Emotional, I know. I believe my list here is a bit diverse in terms of genre: shōnen, seinen, romance, comedy, sports, slice-of-life, and mystery. I think it’s a great thing to widen your horizons a bit by exploring various types of genres. Anyway, there are many anime I haven’t watched that could easily replace and dethrone some of the anime on this list. I plan on watching and reading Hajime no Ippo, Gintama, Vagabond, Oyasumi Pun Pun, I”s, etc. I heard these anime/manga are considered the best for their respective genres by many people, and I will probably finish reading and watching these anime/manga in about six months. So I will make a top 15 anime list once again around that time.

If you have any questions or you want to discuss something, feel free to ask in the “Ask Me Anything” tab on my Tumblr page.

[robiinjason]

What are your favorite and least favorite ttg eps. i need food

OH WORM? talking about ttg is fun so i am happy to provide OKAY SO

Favorite TTG Episode - tbh my answer will probably be different on this one at any given time because I don’t really have One favorite ttg episode, partly cause there’s So Many and partly cause I have assorted favorites for different reasons (such as being particularly hilarious, having cute moments, having a fun artstyle switch or having an interesting premise, so whenever asked i’ll talk about a favorite I feel like talking about. 

THAT SAID (is a two-parter cheating) right now I’m gonna go with the two-parter Flashback (S4E48&49)! 

I have a bit of a soft spot for this one cause it was among the first few episodes I watched before I started watching the show in order and I had a great time with it. Origin episodes are fun and it was entertaining to see how this version of the Titans came to be, and it has plenty of funny moments imo!

But ALSO this is a delightful episode if you enjoy Looking Too Hard into things that aren’t meant to be looked too hard into. While Teen Titans (2003) actively shows you how this team is also a close group of friends and like a family, Teen Titans Go! generally spends more time showing them being mean to each other much more often than having fuzzy wuzzy moments - which means if you still want to see this ruder and wackier version of the Titans as Found Family (like me!) it’s gonna require a lot more mental gymnastics on your end.

Under the cut because I went ham and WILL show you my mental gymnastics on how They Really Do Care About Each Other

Like, if you look at some of the other episodes where Robin is acting overly authoritarian and the Titans temporarily leave the team or get a different leader or just complain about his leadership, it can give off the impression that Robin was the one who shoved them all into the team and declared himself the leader. 

EXCEPT here it turns out it wasn’t quite like that! They get annoyed with Robin often because of overexposure since they live with him and he's A Lot, but when the team was formed it wasn't Robin who forced them to join his team: they were the ones who quite literally found him in the garbage and went, “We want THIS GUY to be our leader!” 

For some context, Robin held tryouts to form a team and these guys plus the Titans East and Kid Flash took part in it. However, the soon-to-be-Titans kept driving Robin up the wall until he eventually lost it, screamed at them and dismissed all four of them. To the ones who remained he went “okay you guys are on the team! :)”

Until Kid Flash proceeded to crush his dreams by going “hey this guy has a real temper, raise your hand if we should kick him out and I should be the leader” and all of them raised their hands. As he was still a pushover and not feral - yes, there was a point in Teen Titans Go when Robin was not yet feral -, though Robin was clearly unhappy with this development, he didn’t fight it.

And so, Robin was out of a team and lost his tower.

After Robin got kicked out of his own tower, the previously disqualified Titans found him living in the garbage like "yes I got kicked out of my team and tower! this is fine! It's not a big deal please stop talking about it!" (this Was Not fine) and they got pissed on his behalf. Then they were like, “we all got kicked out, WE should be a team!” and challenged Kid Flash to get back the tower, even though Robin didn’t want them to. 

They then proceeded to give Robin an updated look and went are you tired of being nice? Don’t you just wanna go apeshit? And tired of being nice Robin was, so apeshit he went, which made them go "now THAT'S leader material" 

By the way they lost the challenge but Robin was no longer nice so he broke Kid Flash's leg, kicked them out and took back the tower 

My point is that the Titans may complain about Robin being Like That but before them he was just a pushover with a lot of issues and repressed rage and They were the ones who enabled him to be unhinged. Robin's like "you guys bring out the worst in me >:(" but they're like "your worst brings out the best in us :D" and I for one appreciate this delightful bunch of clown misfits who found a weird little family in each other

The movie backs me up on this which is nice :’)

Least Favorite TTG Episode - i’m gonna say,,,, Más y Menos (S1E48). I don’t mind the So Bizarre It’s Funny episodes bc they’re fun to bring up at random in conversations and i tend to just forget the ones of the Nasty but Forgettable variety, and I am of course used to the Titans (and most characters tbh) having a meaner streak than in, say, the 2003 cartoon. 

BUT while in general the Titans being jerks to each other can be funny, since all of them have Clown Moments and they’re all equal (Robin is their leader but he’s also a little dude with no powers and they could put him in the dirt if they really wanted, tho he’s also capable of beating them up when going apeshit), Robin’s treatment of Más y Menos here just feels,,,, overly mean?? 

It feels like an actual teacher discriminating between students who didn’t do anything wrong and making them feel bad for no reason and i Don’t Like it 😔 Robin being an asshole to his friends and peers who are also assholes sometimes can be entertaining, but him doing so with innocent younger heroes he’s mentoring I Do Not vibe with

On the bright side Más y Menos are super cute. Love them

[lonelier-version-of-you]

Those last few scenes alone made that genuinely one of the best episodes of Holby City I have seen in a long time. You could make a valid argument that it’s the best episode from this whole year (any other year I would’ve considered it “good but not particularly great”, but compared to the quality of other episodes this year, tonight was by far so much better). I didn’t catch who wrote it, but whoever it was, they’re incredible.

It was the contrast between the joy and fun when everyone finally arrived at Jeongsoo’s F2 party, with the horrible tragedy of Eli finding out Amelia is ill again. Jeongsoo being sad because he thought his colleagues didn’t care about him, then happy when they did turn up to celebrate with him after all; Eli being overjoyed when he thought Amelia was finally pregnant, only to be devastated when he found out her tumour was back.

Now that was very good, very Holby writing. The contrast between tragedy-turned-joy and joy-turned-tragedy. It was excellent.

Onto discussing the rest of the episode, which was otherwise “decent but forgettable” (seriously, it was the last few scenes that saved the episode for me)...

So. Oliver Valentine’s pride gets in his way once again. He knows he can’t actually carry on as a doctor. Nevermind the effects of his brain injury, he’s also suffering PTSD so bad he’s losing time. And during at least some of this time he’s losing, he’s lashing out. With just the brain injury, it’s realistically quite unlikely to say the least that he’d be a surgeon again, but he could have moved on to some other career. But it’s quite clear now that he’s not mentally well enough to be holding a job at all at the moment, really.

But he won’t let that stop him, even though he knows what a terrible idea all of this is, it seems. He nearly opened up to Henrik about it, but then Henrik proceeded to completely misread the situation and assume Ollie and Maisie had simply had a bad breakup. And Ollie couldn’t bring himself to interrupt and try again to explain what really happened. So here we are.

(As a sidenote, the Holby writers are lucky Henrik is autistic, because with any other character - well, except our other autistic fave, Eli - that would have felt like a bit of a contrived misunderstanding. But Henrik genuinely does struggle that much at reading social situations, so it works with him.)

I feel sorry for both Ollie and Maisie, really. It sounds like Ollie likely isn’t completely lucid during this time he’s losing, and isn’t lashing out on purpose. But that doesn’t erase how horrible and traumatic it was for Maisie when he hit her, either. It’s just a very sad situation for both of them.

However, what I can’t sympathise with is Ollie’s decision to keep trying to pursue a surgical career again when he knows he’s a liability and needs to work on his trauma before anything else. What the hell are you thinking, Ollie. (Having said that, I find Ollie so interesting precisely because he is, frankly, often a rather unsympathetic selfish asshole. So this doesn’t mean I’m not an Ollie fan anymore, if anyone was thinking that. I find him a very good character, but I disapprove of a number of his life choices.)

Also - James Anderson was incredible tonight. Like, he’s been slotting back into the show really easily but tonight was such a standout performance.

Also also, I don’t know if this was intentional, but I liked how Ollie and Maisie wore pretty much the exact same outfit.

Now I shall move on to Amelia and Eli, one of my favourite Holby couples. I just. God. This storyline is so sad and my heart has broken for both of them.

Eli is an incredibly good character. If there’s one thing that makes me sad about Holby ending, it’s that we won’t get more time with him. And Amelia is lovely, too, and Lucy Briggs-Owen plays her very well. She and Davood Ghadami have so much screen chemistry, and the writing makes Eli and Amelia feel even more like a real couple.

So you can imagine how sad I am that Amelia is almost certainly getting fridged. I just want her and Eli to be happy.

Those final scenes with the both of them really stood out. Davood and Lucy both knocked those scenes right out of the park, they were utterly heartbreaking to watch. I just. Eli misreading Amelia’s words and thinking the thing she had to tell him was that she was pregnant... his heartbreak when he realised her tumour was back... it physically hurt to watch, I nearly cried. :( Why can’t Holby just let them both be happy? Why can’t we have one happy couple on this show?

At least Jeongsoo got to be happy tonight. It warmed my heart when everyone turned up to his party after all. He’s just such a friendly and compassionate man and he deserves happiness, ok. Also, it was nice to see Chan Woo Lim being given some proper acting to do, as I feel like Jeongsoo has been sidelined quite a bit compared to Josh since they both arrived.

(Speaking of Josh, he didn’t get many scenes tonight, but the ones he did get made me very sad. It’s sadly realistic that he has to wait so long for any kind of help. :( Trieve Blackwood-Cambridge was incredible, as always.)

Max accidentally inviting Kylie to live with her made me laugh. It’s probably a good thing for Louis that he and Kylie ended up deciding against living with Max anyway... that would’ve led to a lot of awkwardness for him.

Also, not relevant to anything, but is it just me or was Henrik looking great tonight? The outfit they picked for him just really suited him (if you’ll pardon the pun). I loved it.