#also please tell your totoro story if you want to!

[putschki1969]

2024/06/10 Blog post by Wakana おしゃべりガーデン第10回目‼︎〜みんなのお父さん話と梅雨対策！横須賀ジブリ編その１〜

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Talk Garden Vol.10‼︎〜Stories About Your Father/Rainy Season Precautions! Yokosuka Ghibli Edition Part 1〜

Vol.#10 of Wakana's Talk Garden has been uploaded~😊We have successfully reached a big milestone, the 10 episode mark‼︎ It's all thanks to everyone who always listens and sends submissions…✨I am very grateful�� I would like to continue posting my podcast at a leisurely pace, so please look forward to future episodes‼︎‼︎＼＼\٩( 'ω' )و //／／

One of the topics for this episode was "Measures against the rainy season". Here's my favourite umbrella which I talked about in the podcast☂️💕It's very cute. I want to use it a lot during the upcoming rainy season🙄Someone mentioned in their message that "the air pressure during the rainy season is tough." I feel the same. During this time of year, the air pressure and humidity are likely to make you lose your energy. Don't forget to stay hydrated and it's best to do some light exercises to get through the rainy season in good health! 🥺

And since it is also Father's Day, I wanted everyone submit "Stories about your father" as a second topic for the podcast. By the way, I had completely forgotten, but my father was really into magic 😅He liked to do magic tricks with cars ♧♤♡♢Here is his very own card set. He would always bring out playing cards and perform some tricks wherever he was. He would even do little performances in front of my friends 😂He never let me in on the mechanics behind his tricks but he was definitely really good. Now I really want to see my dad's magic again 😊One day when I get to see him again, I'll ask him to show me~💫

So, for the next episode of "Wakana's Talk Garden" on July 10th, there will be no specific talk topic. You are free to submit anything you want me to talk about or you want to ask me･:*+.(( °ω° ))/.:+ The deadline is June 30th!! Please send your submissions!! ＼＼\٩( 'ω' )و //／ Thank you so much to everyone who sent messages this time!!!

Now, I would like to talk some more about my trip to Yokosuka‼️⛱🏄🌊I already talked about it in my podcast so in this blog post I want to share some photos from the first big part of my trip when I visited the "Toshio Suzuki and Ghibli Exhibition" held at Yokosuka Museum of Art! (I'll post about my experience in Sarushima=Monkey Island in a few days!!) Speaking of Ghibli, some people were curious if I had gone to the Ghibli exhibition so yes, you finally have your answer😊 You are greeted by Chihiro at the entrance. My excitement skyrocketed right from the start😊The curtain leads to an exhibition of 8,800 books displayed in a huge bookshelf. Each book is believed to have influenced Suzuki in some way. Another source of inspiration is his collection of movies which contains a whopping 10,000 films. I was surprised at the number of movies, he must have absorbed so much information from all these works. I want to become a part of the Suzuki family. It's cut off, but at the top of the photo there is Teto's beautifully drawn paw. I also really liked the drawing at the bottom center signed with "Miya-SAN on the Cliff by the Sea". Then I I met Totoro and his friends surrounded by a starry sky♡ I should have taken this photo with an umbrella~😭Here I am looking up at The Bathhouse with Chihiro. While I was there, I imagined Haku getting mad at me and telling me to get back right away because I shouldn't have come! Next I got myself one of Yubaba's fortune telling slips. What an impact😂 You pull out a numbered tag from Yubaba's mouth and then take your fortune slip from the drawer according to the number. It looked like I was trying to floss Yubaba's teeth. I got a half-blessing related to tidying up and becoming clutter-free. Last but not least, I enjoyed the wide and open sky on the rooftop 😂

This time, I bought a file, a letter set, a keychain, and postcards at the souvenir shop 😊 I love the keychain of San's mask😍 I will send one of these postcards to everyone whose messages I've read during the podcast😊 ...And with that my Ghibli story comes to an end. Or not!! Actually, my Ghibli adventure isn't over yet😇 I still have a few Ghibli photos and stories left so I will post a Part 2 some time soon!! I also have a story about a crazy stamp rally that felt like a sports competition😂

All right, I'll leave it at that for today!! Until next time~☆( '▽')/

＊＊＊Wakana＊＊＊

2024/06/07 Instagram post by Wakana 2024/06/09 Intagram post by Wakana

Wakana’s Talk Garden #10

❗This is Fan Club EXCLUSIVE content❗ ❗PERSONAL USE ONLY❗ ❗Do NOT SHARE on other sites❗ ❗Join her FAN CLUB! Check out my detailed TUTORIAL ❗

Episode #10 »»—— CLICK ME 🎁 CLICK ME ——««

・Stories about your father ・Measures against the rainy season

For next month’s episode which is scheduled to air on July 10th, the following topic has been chosen:

・Anything you'd like to ask Wakana/Anything you'd like Wakana to talk about

The submission deadline is 06/30.

[synbiote]

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[k3eia]

Studio Ghibli Movie Recommendations For Beginners.

Some movie recommendations for those who aren't familiar with Ghibli and want to know more about it.

Studio Ghibli has officially become the most favorite in producing comfort movies throughout my life. I wasn’t expecting it at first, that I would find watching these Japanese animated movies such an enjoyable experience. Studio Ghibli has 22 movies in total. As I’d like to claim myself as a Ghibli fan, I have watched more than half of their movies in total. I like how each movie has its own uniqueness; starting from the characters to their universe, which some of them are connected to one another, and the plot! All of them are made beautifully and the style of their animation is aesthetically pleasing. I have some names of the movies to pick as my personal favorite and I would never get tired to re-watch them. Therefore, If you have never watched Studio Ghibli and are interested to check it out, there are some recommendations that are perfect for beginners. 

The first pick I would like to recommend is the iconic My Neighbor Totoro. You may feel familiar with one of the characters since the main guest of this movie, Totoro, is depicted as the mascot of Studio Ghibli. This movie was first released in 1988 and suitable for everyone to watch, especially for kids. My Neighbor Totoro tells the story of two sisters, Satsuki and Mei, who encounter the mystical forest spirit in Mei’s picture book, Totoro. Soon after they befriended the creature, they went on an exciting adventure along with other mythic creatures around their new home. 

Then, there are also their most popular movies, which are Spirited Away (2001), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), and Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (2008). These three would never disappoint for those who wanted to get to know more about Ghibli. Each movie shows their own peculiar story which can make people intrigued to watch. There is this story of Chihiro being taken into the spirit world and made her to work at the bathhouse when her parents are turned into pigs because of their greediness, Sophie who is cursed and met with Howl the witch and his giant moving castle, and a goldfish that later changed form into human after being rescued by a five years old boy named Sosuke, Ponyo. 

Following that, I would like to recommend another movie that is perfect to watch for beginners, which is also my number 1 comfort movie, Whisper of the Heart. This movie is about a young romance between an aspiring writer named Shizuku and the mysterious boy that happened to have read all the books Shizuku borrowed at school’s library. The boy, Amasawa Seiji, is my favorite character. This movie is very comforting to watch as it visualizes youth and it is okay to be consistent with our own pace because not everyone has to be the same. 

To conclude everything that has been mentioned above, there are recommended Studio Ghibli movies that are great for beginners to watch. Starting from the movie My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, and Whisper of the Heart are now available on many streaming platforms especially on Netflix so it is easier to access. They are safe to watch by every age. Thus, other than the movies I have stated, there are other Ghibli movies that may suit your liking and are wonderful to watch. To see the other work I have written, you can click right here. Thank you!

[hitodama89]

This is a friendly reminder to talk about that weird Totoro déjà vu you briefly mentioned in your tags! I'm especially curious because I personally also had a super strange déjà vu moment when I watched Totoro as an adult, almost 20 years after seeing it for the first time lmao

Whaaat the heck, is this like some sort of whole generation-wide thing or what? =D But okay, I’ll start from the beginning with my own story.

So here are the original tags from my reblog-blog for those who don’t follow it or don’t read the tags:

#I watched this movie ((Matilda)) a couple of years ago because hearing people talk about it#gave me the second weirdest movie deja vu ever#the weirdest one was totoro but that’s another story#to this day I’m not sure if I had ever seen this movie before#but what I think happened was that I might’ve read it as a book#when I must’ve been something like 8 or 9#then I never really thought about it ever again#until internet kept bringing it up and it started to emerge from my memory#just enough to give me that really bizarre feeling of familiarity#interesting#also someone remind me to tell the totoro story someday lol

The thing is for as long as I can remember I’ve known Totoro from… Something. When anime started to be a thing in Finland, I never felt like “ooh what is that, it looks interesting” towards Totoro, but more like “oh it’s that thing from years ago”. When I finally actually watched the movie maybe five years ago, I realized that I didn’t have any recollection of the story line at all though - it’s only the creatures I remember. Totoros and especially the Cat bus! But what makes this even weirder is that at some point my brother said he felt the exact same way. So apparently we both have seen SOMETHING about the movie somewhere when we were very little, but not the actual movie itself?

After googling this a bit I found out that Yle actually aired the movie in -95 in Finland, so it is possible that we only saw an advertisement about it or something like that. But then again for example The Lion King was in the theatres already in -94 and I remember that like it was yesterday, so I feel like I should have a clearer memory of Totoro, too, if it was that late when I first found out about it. But I can’t know for sure at this point! It will likely stay as a mystery forever. =‘D

[all-my-love-for-harry]

My shy little boy.

summary: y/n's son is too shy to play with other kids at anne's house.

word count: 2.3k

a/n: we all love some dad!harry. I might use this story again for some more blurbs in the future, if you wanna suggest anything i’d be happy to do it! might write something about the first time artemis met anne and gemma...

you can find more of my shy little boy here

❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁

Y/N wasn't entirely sure about this.

At first, she was excited Harry invited her and her son to his mum's birthday, but then he mentioned all his family would be there and she grew nervous.

One thing was Anne and Gemma, two people Y/N and her son had previously met and loved. Artemis was a very shy boy, and it took him a little bit to bond with Harry's mum and sister, but at the end he did. I mean, how could he not? Anne was completely in awe at him, and treated him like a proper grandchild and Gemma often had lunch with Y/N and Artemis in London and bought him ice cream, it was only fair the little boy warmed up to them.

Now in the other hand, she has never met Harry's extended family before. And while she was not ashamed of being a mother whatsoever, she still wanted the approval of his family, and she didn't know what they would think of Harry dating someone with a child.

The party was holding place in Anne's home, which meant they had to make the three hours ride to Harry's hometown in order to get there. Y/N didn't mind at all, and neither did Artemis.

For being a five year old, he was very calm. Y/N blamed it on his shy personality, and although she loved her shy boy, she couldn't help but worry about him being so reserved.

Harry arrived early at Y/N’s home. She was still running around getting both hers and Artemis’ overnight bags, they planned on staying the weekend with Anne as they haven’t seen her in quite some time. Harry stayed with Artemis, who was coloring a book in the living room.

“That’s quite an impressive robot, mate” he said, sitting down on the floor beside the five year old.

“Thank you, Harry” Always so polite, he was.

“Did your mum told you where we’re going?”

“Yes, we’re going to your mum’s house” Artemis finished the robot he was coloring, putting down the crayon. “I bought her a gift!” he said, standing on his feet to be in Harry’s eye level.

“Did ya?” Harry raised his eyebrows. “What did you bought her?”

“It’s a surprise, for her birthday” he said, blushing. Artemis took one step closer to Harry and wrapped his little arms around his neck. “Sorry I took so long to hug you, I was finishing my robot!”

Harry felt how his heart melted for the little boy in front of him. He hugged him back, wrapping his tattooed arms carefully around him. “It’s okay, buddy”

Before either of them could say anything else, Y/N came into the living room carrying a duffel bag with what Harry supposed was their clothes and toiletries. She also had a ‘my neighbor totoro’ backpack that belonged to Artemis. “I think we’re good to go”

“I’ll put this in the car, love” Harry grabbed the bags she was carrying and made his way out of the house.

They walked out of the house and Artemis waited patiently for Y/N to lock the front door then walked towards the backseat of Harry’s SUV so she could put her son in his car seat.

Ever since Harry and Y/N started dating and he became a permanent thing in the little boy’s life, a car seat on his own car was a must for Harry. He had bought it six months into the relationship, claiming it was tiring to carry the car seat from one car to another every time they wanted to go out, when in reality it was his way to tell Y/N he wasn’t planning on going anywhere and he wanted to be as committed to Artemis as he was with her.

“We’ve got a long trip ahead, mate. Are you ready?” Harry asked once they were all in the car.

“Yes. When we arrive, can I please give Anne her gift?” Artemis asked looking at Y/N.

“Of course, you’ll be the one to deliver the present. You picked it and wrapped it for Anne after all, didn’t you?”

The boy nodded excitingly from the backseat, kicking his little legs back and forth. Harry smiled as he looked at Artemis from the rear-view mirror, loving how much effort he put into choosing a gift for his own mum. He found himself wishing he would call Anne ‘nan’, but he understood they haven’t quite gotten there yet.

As he pulled from the drive way he remembered when he first introduced Artemis to Anne and Gemma, the little boy would call the first Mrs. Twist and the second Miss. He thought it was the cutest thing in the world, and Artemis continued to do it a couple more times before Anne convinced him it was okay to call her by her name.

He couldn’t help but smile at the memory, it felt like a lifetime ago when in reality it has only been a year and a half since he started dating Y/N.

“What are you smiling about?” she said, a smile on her own starting to form in her face.

“Do you remember what little monkey here used to call mum?” his accent grew ticker, making Y/N go heart eyes with the way her son’s personal nickname from him rolled out of his tongue.

“Mhm, Mrs. Twist” she giggled, looking back at Artemis who was now watching a movie on Y/N phone. He was wearing some wireless headphones on his head, preventing him from listening to the couple’s conversation. “Took him a while to make him call her Anne”

“Mum’s really excited to see you two” Harry said. “So is Gemma and everyone else”

“The rest of your family knows we’re dating?”

“Well, they have internet, my love” he chuckled. “Also, mum doesn’t stop talking about the lovely lady i’m with”

“You’re right, I am lovely” she smiled innocently at him. Harry rolled his eyes playfully before grabbing one of her hand to place a kiss on her knuckles.

The rest of the ride went smoothly. They only had to make a quick stop because Artemis needed to go to the bathroom, but they still made it to Holmes Chapel in time. As soon as Harry parked the car, he went out of it and went to get Artemis.

“We’re here, monkey” He said, getting him out of the car seat and scooping him in his arms. “I’ll come get the bags later, love” he said to Y/N, who was getting Artemis’ backpack out of the car along with her own purse and Anne’s gift.

“They’ll be some more people aside from Anne and Gemma, baby. Remember that we need to be polite” Y/N said as they walked towards Anne’s doorway.

“Yes, mummy” The five year old nodded, pushing his little glasses up his nose. Harry squeezed him to his chest, knowing the confidence he now had with just being with her mum and him was going to pretty much disappear when they crossed the door and people who he didn’t know were going to look at him.

“And who do we have here?” Gemma opened the door, offering them a big smile. “I’m so glad you made it, guys”

As they stepped in the house, Gemma embraced the two adults quickly before taking the little boy from Harry’s arms and into hers. “I missed you loads, Artemis”

“I missed you too, Gemma. I bought a gift for your mum” he said, giving her a toothy smile.

“She’s gonna love it” she turned to Y/N and Harry. “Everyone’s outside, mum’s at-”

“The birthday girl!” Harry exclaimed as his mum exited the kitchen. He took her in his arms, hugging her tightly before placing a kiss on her head. “Happy birthday, mum”

“Oh, thank you so much, my dear” Anne kissed his cheek.

“Anne!” Artemis asked Gemma to put him down then ran towards the older woman. “Happy birthday!” he said, hugging her legs.

“Goodness, every time I see you, you only get bigger and bigger” she gasped.

“I bought you a gift!” He said, the same sentence he’s been telling over and over again. You see, he was really excited for it. “Mummy, can I give Anne her gift?”

“There you go, baby” Y/N handed him the carefully wrapped gift, stepping closer to where they were standing to greet Anne as well.

“It’s so good to see you, dear” Anne said.

Artemis handed Anne her gift, placing his hands behind his back once she took it, a sign he was nervous. Anne sensed how badly he wanted her to open the box, so she did so. It was a beautiful bracelet with four charms on it.

“It has four cats because you have four cats” he explained shyly.

“Oh my god, I love it so much!” she said, bending down to his level to give him another hug. “Thank you so much”

Their little bubble was broken when one of Harry’s relatives entered the house, calling for Anne. They decided to step out of the house and into the backyard where everyone else was having fun.

There were a couple of kids running around, and Artemis held onto Y/N’s hand as they walked. Harry introduced them to a couple of his cousins and aunts, and Y/N tried to hold the conversation while the little boy was hiding behind her legs.

“He’s a little shy” she would say, caressing his soft hair with one hand.

Someone called Harry and asked him to help grilling lunch, and that’s how Y/N ended sitting beside Gemma in a table with a couple of more people and Artemis on her lap.

“You don’t wanna go play with the kids, kiddo?” Gemma asked him after a while. Artemis looked over the other kids and noticed they were older than him.

“No, thank you. I wanna stay with mummy”

One woman was asking Y/N how Harry and she met and how long they’ve been together, and that’s how she found herself in a conversation with the elder women in the table, occasionally looking at Harry from the corner of her eye. He looked so cute over there; he had rolled up the sleeves of her button-up shirt and was laughing at something one of the other men had said.

“Mummy, can I go with Harry?” Artemis whispered at his mother after some other time.

“Yeah, want me to go too?” he shook his head, jumping off of her lap. Y/N observed him walk towards Harry.

He tugged his slacks, getting his attention. “Hello there, monkey. Got bored?”

Artemis shook his head again. “Wanted to see what you’re doing” Harry took him in his arms again, holding him with one arm and continue cooking the food with the other.

“I’m cooking the sausages and the beef so everybody can eat. Are you hungry? Do you want to eat?”

“A little and yes, please”

“Mm’kay… what do you want? A hotdog? A burger?”

“Can I have just the sausage?” Harry raised an eyebrow at him.

“Just that?” He received a nod from the boy in his arms. “I’ll give you two, if you’re still hungry you can always come back to me, alright?”

Putting Artemis back on the floor, he plated two sausages for him then added some mustard on the side, knowing he does not like ketchup.

“Aiden, can you take over for me? My kid’s hungry” he didn’t notice as those words rolled out of his tongue, too busy walking back to the table Y/N was.

“You’re back” she said, watching how Harry took a seat next to her and placed Artemis on his lap.

“Lad was hungry” he said, giving her a quick peck on the lips. “Are you? I can make us some food”

“I’m good right now, thank you baby” Harry handed her the plate so she could cut Artemis’ food, blowing at it a little so it would cool off faster.

Y/N placed her head on Harry’s shoulder as they watched him eat. After he finished, Harry thought he would hop off his lap and go run around with the rest, but he stayed right there.

It was pointless to ask him to go on his own to play with kids he didn’t know, but Harry did not want him to stay sit all afternoon. “Hey, wanna play with me?”

Artemis nodded shyly and off they went. They started playing tag in alone, Harry purposefully running slower so Artemis could catch him every time. They were having fun, the two of them were giggling and running around. Ten minutes later, two girls approached them and asked them if they could play too.

“He’s so good with him” one of Harry’s aunt said to Y/N.

“He’s the best”

Harry put a hand on Artemis’ shoulder, introducing him to his two young cousins and explaining he was a little shy but would love to play with them. And that’s how Harry ended chasing around the entire group of kids for a solid hour. Artemis seemed more relaxed and even started talking with the first two girls who joined them.

Harry was happy he was able to help overcome his shyness, even if it was just a little bit.

At the end of the day Artemis was tired and wanted to sleep, but Y/N couldn’t be happier he had fun and played with other kids. As they were walking upstairs with the sleeping boy in Y/N’s arms, she looked at Harry and smiled at him.

“Thank you for today”

“For what?”

“For helping him make friends”

He shook his head. “No need. I know he’s social, he just needs a little push” he shrugged. They changed and went to bed, Artemis squeezed between them.

“Called him my kid, today” he said, almost afraid. He was laying on his side, facing Y/N. “Wish he was mine, Y/N” he confessed, voice barely above a whisper.

She smiled at him lovingly, extending one of her arms so she could touch his cheek. Harry leaned into his touch, moving his face to kiss her palm. She felt like she would cry of happiness right there.

“Baby, he’s already yours”

[not-poignant]

Hi Pia! Are you watching anything cool or playing any cool video games lately? I'm kind of curious to know what you do in your downtime!

Hallo!

Oooo, I don't know if any of this stuff is cool lmao, but I can definitely answer.

I've been watching a lot of Law & Order: SVU lately even though it's total copaganda, it's still one of my comfort shows when I'm doing a lot of artwork and stuff, because they tell you everything that's happening so you rarely need to look up, lol.

I'm also rewatching Blue Period and Buzzfeed Unsolved with my roommate, which has been fun. We do that like once or twice a week at the moment, since a lot of the time I'm working at night, or we're both doing our own thing.

I've also been rewatching a lot of Studio Ghibli films! It started by accident because I wanted to watch My Neighbour Totoro with my mum, and then I just watched a bunch more, and I finished Ponyo on a Cliff only yesterday (which I think is a very underrated Ghibli film).

I'm going to be starting Heartstopper soon, as well as Vox Machina, and I need to catch up on Demon Slayer and some other things. But believe it or not, writing actually eats up so much of my time that I rarely have the energy to watch new shows or movies, or play new games. It's one of those catch 22s that writing means I barely have time to read or engage in this stuff.

In terms of video games, I've been playing Cozy Grove, which is a really lovely game and nice to chill to. And I've been playing Elden Grove, which is not at all nice to chill to, and I mostly just die a lot and then try and over-level and then die a lot more. (Don't ask me how far I am, I'm not out of Limgrave yet.) I play an astrologer, because I tried initially playing a warrior and that was hilariously terrifying. At least the game isn't crashing my computer anymore (they patched through a fix).

On my phone, I've been playing Zen Koi 2, after like years of not playing it at all??? I kept it on my phone because I thought 'what the hell I might pick it up again' in like 2018, and now here I am in 2022 after four years, playing it again. It's an extremely chill game where you level up koi into dragons, and you earn different patterned koi, and there are seasonal koi. You can't die or be injured, and you mostly swim around a pond eating little bugs. I love it. Phone games are hugely underrated I find (please check out Boba Story!)

[the-bjd-community-confess]

Dear 'Anime Bad' Anon: I Want To Help I pity your situation, so please have a list of weebshit that isn't moeified, or wherein the cutesy art-style serves a greater purpose. (Note: though they won't be soft marshmallow uguuuu, they may still have issues in other ways. Some may have aged badly with regards to how society views or portrays groups or beliefs, some may have upsetting content and dark themes, and some may simply not be to your taste. Note: Anime is a genre, not a monolith, and the disparaging stereotype that it's all cute girls uwuing over their brother s-s-senpai!!! is as much of a disservice as saying all western movies are just vapid cash grab superhero movie sequels with no inegrity or thought put into them. There are indeed a lot of superhero movies, but they're not all identical schlock (megamind vs venom vs kick-ass),  but even more than that, there is a wealth of creative endeavor just beyond the veil of Marvel's cape: just as there are plenty of good anime if you dig past the isekai high school harem wish fulfillment genre that no one wants to keep making but people keep making because it prints money to a very small demographic of the animation equivalent of a mobile game whale thereby allowing this frankly quite-small industry to work on engaging and worthwhile series where the budget permits, Regardless,)

Mushi-shi: -Pros: gorgeous animation, tranquil vibes, episodic stories so you can cram in an episode between classes or on your lunch break. highly recommended by the literal-who typing this out. -Cons: some themes or stories may cause emotional distress, learning to tell apart Urushibara Yuki's characters is a learning curve.

Baccano-Pros: meticulously-researched 20s-and-30s-era mafia violence with a hint of the supernatural, as a treat, told anachronistically with flair and jazz music. practically made to be binge-watched. the novels are finally getting translated into english as well. -Cons: lots of characters to keep track of, fair bit of blood and violence, some scenes or themes may be upsetting, lots of jumping around between different time periods. See Also: Durarara, another series by Ryōgo Narita with a ton of characters and a plot with more threads an overpriced sheet.

Cowboy Bebop-Pros: incredibly well-regarded, space bounty hunters are cool, episodic series that slowly takes on a plot towards the end, fantastic animation, scoring, and even dub work.  -Cons: some scenes or themes may be uncomfortable, some parts have not aged quite so well, the smart doll version of the main character is ugly, you're gonna carry that weight.

Trigun-Pros: starts lighthearted, develops an increasingly investing plot as the series goes along. fictional westerns are cool. this world is made of love and peace -Cons: some scenes or themes may be upsetting, and probably will be. gun violence is naturally present, but that ain't all of it.

Hellsing (standard or Ultimate. or Abridged)Pros: vampires killing nazis. the original adaptation isn't bad, the second adaptation (ultimate) is generally viewed as an improvement. abridged is a youtube parody version that was so popular the voice actors reference it in convention interviews.Cons: a Lot of violence, even trending to the gorey side of things. Uncomfortable Themes Everywhere, but it's a horror-tinged action series about killing nazis, so that's to be expected. 

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood-Pros: while the original anime was quite good, the second iteration is a large improvement. does to alchemy what naruto does to ninjas: It's Basically Battle Magic. the plot starts on a strong note and doesn't let up from there. -Cons: there are distressing scenes and themes that may or may not be tolerable to the viewer. there are moments of cheesecake and even an occasional joke or a moeblob here and there, and it's not all doom and all gloom all the time, but this doesn't detract from the abject horror-despair that comes to permeate this series as it progresses. finally understand why people on the internet respond so negatively to the name 'nina'! 

[Mod: many more recs/reviews under the break, worth reading for those who like more obscure anime and animation]

Grave of the Fireflies-Pros: you will remember how to cry. it's a good reminder that one country's 'triumphs' often come at the expense of another country's people.  -Cons: this movie is incredibly dark, do not watch if you are in a bad headspace. see also: Barefoot Gen, a similar tale but this time from the perspective of an actual survivor from Hiroshima.

Michiko to Hatchin-Pros: an actually diverse cast of characters tangled up in a messy and very humanizing story, interspersed with Shinichiro Watanabe's particular flare for adventure. -Cons: some scenes or themes are very likely to be distressing. can be tricky to find, too.

Mo no no Ke (not the ghibli movie, though it is also quite good.) -Pros: incredibly unique art style and pacing that draws heavily from japanese theatre traditions, every screenshot is wallpaper-worthy. -Cons: may cause motion sickness. it is a psychological horror series, and one that does not need blood, nor gore, to cause visceral emotional response in the viewer. scenes and themes will be distressing- as really, that's the point.

Tokyo Godfathers-Pros: a transwoman, a (self-identified) homeless bum, and a runaway teen girl find a newborn in the baby on christmas. incredibly wholesome, somehow, and grounded in reality, with wonderful animation from the tragically late satoshi kon. -Cons: it is grounded in realism, and sometimes, people are dicks. mild transphobia warning, too, but in-universe- the transwoman herself is portrayed with kindness and allowed to be her own (wonderful!!!) person. still, viewer be mindful.

Kino no Tabi (the first series is my preferred, the second is shinier but lacks emotional impact- in my onion.) -Pros: mostly episodic, very unique series that can be gritty where it counts and kind where it matters. -Cons: some scenes or themes might be disturbing. finding it's not easy, either, and unfortunately, i don't think the novels are being translated right now, either.

Spice and Wolf-Pros: it's mostly about economics. there are shenanigans, a harvest god, and a slowly burgeoning romance, sure, but it's still mostly about economics. -Cons: there are moments of cheesecake and comedy, and moments that may cause distress to the viewer. it may or may not be to your taste.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica-Cons: yeah i know, it's moeblobs.  -Pros: you're gonna watch 'em die, though, in case that may interest you. it's quite a good subversion of the magical girl genre overall. somehow volks hasn't made an MDD of anyone from the series and i will never understand how that didn't happen.

Wolf Children: Ame to Yuki-Pros: watch a family grow together as a newly-single mother does her best to raise her twin children after the tragic loss of their father.  -Cons: keep tissues handy. certain scenes or themes may be uncomfortable.

Lupin III (Red Jacket, Ghibli, and the new 3D animation are all A+) pros: heist comedy elevated to an art form before half (or more!) of the people reading this were born. the english dubbed series that used to air on adult swim is a treat. cons: this franchise started in THE SIXTIES, so naturally, some shit has not aged well. certain series (fujiko mine) are darker than others in themes and material. the 3d movie that released recently is an excellent starting point.

Samurai Champloo-Pros: breakdancing samurai, a fascinating roster of characters, and a superb soundtrack by the tragically passed Nujabes. -Cons: it was made in the weird era of the transition from analog to digital animation and so the /series master/ was animated at a painfully low resolution, so even if there's a bluray out there (I haven't looked,) it will be an upscale, which doesn't always look the best. as well, there are scenes and themes that may make the viewer uncomfortable here and there.

The Works of Studio Ghibli Oh, I'm sorry, Ponyo too suffused with childhood wonder for you? My Neighbor Totoro not depressing enough?  In addition to the infamous Grave of the Fireflies, Studio Ghibli has made a wealth of movies that aren't aimed squarely at the kodomo (children's) sector. -Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: climate change existential dread, the movie -Castle in the Sky: government obsession with obtaining weapons of mass destruction destroys everything beautiful, the movie -Pom Poko: human-caused deforestation and urbanization is destroying the natural world and all that live in it, the movie -Princess Mononoke: industrialization will be the death of everything beautiful in the world, the movie, with a side of sometimes everyone (and no one) is the villain when everyone is simply trying to survive -Howl's Moving Castle: The Physical Manifestation of Depression is a Liquid Ooze, the Movie, also War Is Bad It's not all depressing, but let it never be said that Hayao Miyazaki was subtle. Whisper of the Heart is a good coming-of-age story, Kiki's Delivery Service is a classic, Tales from Earthsea is divisive among fans of Ursula K. Le Guin but I personally liked it. From one studio alone there is a wealth of opportunities.

And that's really the point. These are just some from the top of my head. There are so very many options outside of the cute-girls-doing-cute-things genre that I couldn't list them all if I was here for a week. Or as Madoka Magica so ruthlessly showcases, even series that appear a certain way on the surface might not be what you bargained for once you look into them! These are all (I think) mostly older, mainstream-appeal series that should be easy to track down, too -- there are all kinds of singular animations like The Diary of Tortov Roddle, crowdfunded experiments like KICK-HEART, Masterpiece World Theatre renditions of classic (western) novels that never get talked about, films like A Silent Voice that confront social issues- and of course, series like Rozen Maiden that helped popularize this very hobby!

There is literally an ocean of content to explore from Japanese creators alone, and it opens up even more if you look into works from other parts of Asia- just look at how popular manwha have become, or Chinese animations like Leafie, a Hen Into the Wild! It's a genre unto itself, with all the breadth of content and inter-industry problems that come with it, and without any of the respect that similar art forms have been granted over the years. The way an entire culture's art form is often disparaged, disregarded, and belittled- and by extension, the way most of Asia's animated endeavors are often rolled up into that reductive dismissal along with anime and manga- is honestly Not Great, and there is absolutely a thread of xenophobia that runs through it. The industry has so very many problems (low wages, poor training, overwork of everyone ever, archaic financial modules, the exclusivity and breadth of merchandising necessary to turn a profit and how it leads to consumer burnout and disconnection over time, and yes, the way minors are portrayed not just in anime, but in Japanese media in general- and how much of that is actually bad (some of it is indeed,) and how much if it is cultural difference (I've heard people call the scene where the family in Totoro bathe together problematic because of the nudity, but I've also only heard people say that from the West)

-- none of the actual problems affecting the people who produce this medium are gonna improve when the general response to "animators frequently have to live at home to survive" is "that's what happens when you're a weeb."  It's 5am and I'm gonna point out the problems in the narrative around how we discuss this genre of entertainment because it's important, damn you! Regardless, thank you for coming to my unasked for and overlong TED talk about animation on a doll collecting drama blog, feel free to call me a pathetic weeb etcetera on your way out- but while you do so, might I suggest you also go watch a choice animated series! My current go-to is Bofuri, which is a cute-girls-doing-cute-things moefied isekai series that I refuse to apologize for watching. Be free. (The battle scenes are great and it captures the feeling of learning to play a new MMO with your friends better than most video-game-based anime I've seen in a long, long time. does anyone even still remember .hack? how about serial experiments lain...?)

~Anonymous

[finoalcielo]

KAI-CHAN RADIO ⑤

☆ JUL 21, 2021☆

KAI: They competed for the fun~! YOU: Leisure activities, huh? Summer is full of it. And so, KAI: Kai-chan Radio! YOU: will also include Haduki You! See in you a moment���

☆ KAI-CHAN RADIO IS A CASUAL RADIO ☆

KAI: Let's talk tonight♪ About our summer vacation activities! YOU: I started off extremely excited for it, but, I don't think I'll be able to go to the August's activities. Like the Lantern Festival dance, mountains, swimming pool, or even a little trip to the sea. Is that all?

KAI: Ah? Really? YOU: I'll be at home. Helping my parents. KAI: Oh right. The temple. YOU: Yup. Obon is the busiest time of the year. So, I have to travel with my family. KAI: Ooh. YOU: I've never really had much complaints about it. KAI: Ah, I see. YOU: Yeah, since I understood it ever since I was a child.

YOU: It felt a bit nice to see my parents relying on me for some things. I went exploring deeper into the mountains with Tooru (2nd oldest brother) once. And, when we returned later than usual, Sou (oldest brother) scolded us. We mess around a lot every day. KAI: Oh, Haduki brothers. You guys haven't changed at all (www)

YOU: I only remembered when I started talking. Still, I travelled about 2, 3 times. Near Takachiho and Hokkaido. And my memories from that time is a bit weird. Like, I remember the soft serve ice cream being delicious or the sea urchins being terrible (I like it now though) (www) KAI: Memories from long ago are really like that. Food being more important than famous places!

KAI: I also remember the souvenirs I bought on the way rather than the destination. It was a metal keychain with a dragon entwined around a sword. YOU: I knew you'd speak about it (www). Wasn't it the one where it had a lot of crystals or stone stuck to it? (wwww) KAI: I still have it (ww)

YOU: You still have it?! Wow (www) KAI: I use it for my car key. YOU: Extremely distracting... (www) KAI: Ah, anyways, about my leisure activities! I went to a lot of places, but have I told you about the year when my father rented a minibus to go on a family vacation? YOU: Minibus?! KAI: We are a big family (6 siblings). YOU: Ah.

KAI: My father did his best to get a license to drive our big family. YOU: Fuduki papa is amazing. KAI: I got one too. Let's all go~? YOU: The Fuduki family is amazing. KAI: The destination was for Tokyo's Disneyland! It was for a day, but if we include the sightseeing at the town on the way back, then it was 5 days in total? It was awesome. YOU: Sounds fun!

KAI: Maybe I remember this because it was during the time I enjoyed travelling? But anyways, in about two years, the Fuduki family once again travelled in the minibus! At that time, we travelled to Shikoku. YOU: Oh~ It takes a while to reach there, right? KAI: It took us a week to reach. YOU: Lots of driving (www).

KAI: No, at that time, the truck driver's cousin or I sometimes took over driving. On those days, my father would drink beer with his morning, evening and night meals. YOU: Fuduki papa (www) I get your feelings (www) KAI: It's a memory of my summer vacation activity, which was more fun than the destination itself ♪

KAI: And so, that was the Kai-chan Radio "Summer Vacation Activities" Edition! YOU: And then is... ah, right. Want to take some messages from people? I know it's late in the night, but if anyone is awake and has some messages for us, we'll accept them! KAI: Questions, messages, anything is fine~!

It's so hot that I feel like melting... Please give me an idea to cool down! = = YOU: I know! Turn on the cooler. KAI: A pragmatic answer (www) YOU: It's not good to put up with the heat ~ KAI: That's true. YOU: Watch out for heat stroke!

Thank you for sharing your stories. If you could travel now, where would you go...? = = YOU: It's really hot, so I want to take a dive in the sea. KAI: I'll be next to him! YOU & KAI: We want to go to the sea~~~!!! HARU: Didn't you go there the other day? (laughs)

Kai-san, You-san, thank you...! The final exam is about to start, so please give me some encouragement... = = YOU: Studying this late? Woah! We'll be cheering for you to do well! KAI: I'll support you with (my heart's) pompoms~ Hooray~ Hooray~ Study well!! YOU: A fun summer is waiting for you after the test!

Kai-kun! I have a glittering bow keychain, so let's compete against each other!!? (laughs) = = KAI: A fellow friend!!! Then, I'll be the second player!! Bring it on!! YOU: Exactly how will you fight (www)

Hello! I'd like to hear about any recent small incidents that occurred around Procella members! = = YOU: Yoru's glasses got deformed by the heat (www) KAI: He accidentally left it on the bonnet of our travel bus, it got deformed slightly after about 2 hours. (www)

24 hours a day isn't enough. What do you think? = = KAI: I guess it's slightly not enough? If you sleep while thinking, "Stay tuned for Kai tomorrow!", then you'll be excited. YOU: Don't get excited before going to bed (ww)

You-kun! Please do something with Aoi-kun!!!!!!! (I'm greedy) = = YOU: I like your greediness~ Yosh, let's do it now. Aoi-chan. AOI: Eeh?! YOU: I caught the retreating Aoi-chan. AOI: I-I got caught! KAI: Now, how do you want to do this?! YOU: What should we do? Aoi-chan. AOI: EHHHH?!

→ AOI: L-L-Let's peel it off! T/N: Aoi was trying to say "Look that way" (あっち向いてホイで lit. atchi muite hoi de) but ended up saying "Let's peel it off" (あっち剥いてホイで lit. atchi muite hoi de). Both have the same pronunciation, just different meanings.

→ AOI: What a terrible typo!!!

→ AOI: I meant 'Look that way'!! YOU & KAI: (wwwww) AOI: I was really flustered and when I thought I deleted it, I actually sent it instead. I meant 'Look that way'!!!~~~~~ You!!! Kai-san, geez!!! YOU & KAI: (wwww)

#Aoi won by default.

This is for a questionnaire, but what was doing your homework like? Did you fill in what you knew on the day you got it and left the rest blank and asked a friend for help, or leave some empty in the first week and finish the rest later? = = KAI: I did half in the first week, and the remaining in the last week.

→ YOU: I want to say that I finished it early in August... but I ended up frantically doing it towards the end (www) KAI: I can imagine that ~~ While Yoru did his patiently, right? YOU: Yup. Isn't that right? YORU: Yes. Ah, I also did the Radio calisthenics properly! Radio Calisthenics = a short exercise routine broadcast daily on Japan's national radio, streamed on YouTube, followed in parks and schools every day – sometimes several times a day – by all generations of Japanese people

It's been hot lately, but please tell us if you have a story that chilled you to your bones. = = KAI: Shun turned bright red and got a fever. YOU: He got one after frantically trying to decide the thumbnail for his Hajime-san video collection. KAI: He looked really happy when I putting the cooling patch on. YOU: His fever also came down almost immediately. YOU & KAI: We ate curry together.

Hi!! Starting from today, we'll be having the 4 day holiday, so will you all be working??? Are there any jobs you have with other members of the agency??? = = KAI: Hi~! Tomorrow will be a visual shooting with the theme of intelligence♪ YOU: It's not a job, but the day after tomorrow, I'll talk with Takaaki-san and Roa-san about an independent dance lesson along with a few more people. The 4 day holiday they're talking about is Marine Day, which lasts from Jul 22 - Jul 25 in Japan.

Is it okay to eat ice-cream at this time?! = = KAI: We've already eaten it (sparkles) YOU: Recently, my favorite one is... the Shi●kuma ice cream KAI: The melon flavour! This year, for some reason, the melon flavor is in demand. YOU: You can buy it at a convenience store ~ He's referring to the Shirokuma Ice Cream which is a shaved ice dessert topped with ice cream and condensed milk.

Please tell us what you had for dinner today! = = KAI: Pork shogayaki​. I really like it. Especially when its with White Rice. YOU: I get you.

Have you been interacted with the Gravi members lately? Please tell us if there's anything interesting👓✨ = = KAI: Oh, that emoji means Haru! Haru~ HARU: I was waiting so long to be called. YOU: You appeared so quickly (www) HARU: Something interesting... Ah, let's play Look that way! YOU: Is it popular in Gravi? (ww)

#Haru won and was satisfied when he left.

I'm busy and tired lately, so please leave a good luck charm please!! I love you!!! = = KAI: I love you too!! YOU: Me too! The is the best good luck charm you can believe in! We love you, support you, so please do your best!! KAI: I wish you a happy summer!

It's summer!!!!!! Did you have anything of a summer vibe that you ate?? = = KAI: Corn!!!!! Grilled Corn!!! YOU: Recently, Procella has this trend of using the Bato Mayo Soy Sauce with various things.

Is Maze slowly molting??! = = YOU: ......Maze? Are you molting? I've never cleaned them up. MAGELLAN: Que! (I forgot) KAI: He's always like fluffy. Maybe it's because he's an Demon World Penguin? Next time, let us touch you~

Speaking of summer vacation, I remember watching movies at movie theaters or on TV when I was in elementary school! Do you have a favorite movie when you were little? = = KAI: Back to the Fu●re that was rebroadcasted on TV! I feel like that's a classic one. YOU: There's also Toto●. KAI: Ah, there's that too! The child in the middle has my colors! Kai is referring to Back to the Future and I believe You is referring to My Neighbor Totoro.

We can't drink outside, but have you been drinking at home?? = = YOU: The senior group sometimes drink on the balcony~ KAI: Only sometimes~ I don't drink a lot (laughs). And what about the middle group? YOU: We don't really drink much? Instead, we eat food.

KAI: That was all for the replies~! YOU: Thank you for your messages despite it being midnight! KAI: I was going to introduce the October's CD but it's so late now, so I'll do it tomorrow! YOU: If you're going to do it tomorrow, then just call in the people themselves. KAI: Ah, true. Anyways, this is all for today's corner!

KAI: It was Kai-chan Radio, Summer Vacation Activity Edition~! YOU: Thank you for listening to us! Ah, Kai, let's say that. KAI: That? YOU (whispers unintelligently to Kai) KAI: Uhhh.. KAI & YOU: Dream well? KAI: .... YOU: .... KAI: I'm kind of embarassed. YOU: Why? (www)

#Kai-chan Radio #Thank you

✧If you like my work, then please consider supporting me here. Thank you~!

[asmywhimseytakesme]

As promised, here is a list of my favorite tropes in fiction. I may continue to refine this over time.

Note, I am not pulling these from a website, I’m writing these up myself. There may be a page on tv tropes for all or most of these, but I’m trying to articulate to myself what I like and why I like it, so I’m naming my own tropes and writing descriptions that are specific to my own taste. I’m also including a short list of examples for each.

Needless to say, if you know of a book or show that includes some of these tropes (the more the better) and it isn’t mentioned here—PLEASE TELL ME. And of course, these are just my preferences and opinions—if you disagree, that’s fine, we just don’t like the same things 😁

These are organized loosely by category—character tropes, relationship tropes, and plot tropes.

Under a cut so people who aren’t that interested in my specific tastes don’t have to scroll forever.

Character Tropes

Mastermind—

An extremely clever and competent character who reads people, pulls strings, and often has a grand scheme the other characters are unaware of. Usually a good guy (at least my favorites tend to be), but doesn’t have to be.

Eugenides (Queens Thief), Miles Vorkosigan (Vorkosigan Saga), Peaceable Sherwood (the Sherwood Ring), Lord Peter Wimsey (the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries) Sir Percy Blakeney (the Scarlet Pimpernel), Sherlock Holmes

Note: all the above examples are male characters, but I don’t consider this a gender specific trope. I would love recommendations of female characters who fit this trope.

Not Just A Soldier / Not Just A Mom

I originally had these listed as two tropes, and then realized that they were just inverses of each other. They each have to do with fulfilling gender stereotypes in some ways, while subverting or transcending them in others.

For a male character in the genres I read, Not Just A Soldier is typically a fighter of some kind, and really good at it. Basically, on the surface he appears to be a very Masculine Male Manly Man. But! It turns out he is also just a really nice guy. And not only that—he’s smart, and he’s good with kids!

On the flip side, Not Just a Mom seems at first glance to be your typical motherly feminine character. But! That isn’t her entire personality! She also has a (not particularly feminine) career and hobbies outside of parenting, and she is confident and competent doing those things—AND (this is important) those non-mothering things she is good at are essential to the plot. (This tends to be less of an issue that needs to be specified with male characters, grumblegrumble.)

So on both sides, we have a character who is fulfilling gender stereotypes on one hand, but subverting them on the other.

Not Just A Soldier examples: Costis (Queen's Thief), Din Djarin (the Mandalorian), Cazaril (the Curse of Chalion), Uncle Iroh (ATLA)

Not Just A Mom examples: Hera Syndulla (Star Wars Rebels), Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan and Ekaterin Vorsoisson Vorkosigan (Vorkosigan Saga), Katara (ATLA)

Adventurous Parent

A parent who continues to be cool and have adventures and stay involved in the plot even after becoming a parent (a GOOD parent, of course).

Din Djarin (The Mandalorian), Dr Mensah (Murderbot Diaries), Hera Syndulla (Star Wars Rebels—-we’ll see if this holds true now that she actually has her own biological child?? Assuming she’ll show up in future Star Wars projects—I’m hoping to see her in the Ahsoka series🤞)

Reluctant Ruler

It seems like many bad guys would kill to be king—and many good guys would really, REALLY rather not be in charge, thanks. But when a good guy is forced by circumstances beyond their control into becoming a ruler, and they decide that they might as well try to do a good job at it, and then THEY ACTUALLY DO—this trip has my whole heart.

Maia Drazar (The Goblin Emperor—this book is basically the perfect example of this trope and I love it SO MUCH), Eugenides (Queen’s Thief), Sophos (Queens Thief), Aral Vorkosigan (Vorkosigan Saga), And hopefully Din Djarin in Mandalorian season 3? OH PLEASE YES I NEED THIS.

Broken, but loved

The name basically says it—these are characters who believed themselves broken, heartless, and unlovable, but others chose to love them anyway. It’s important to note that they are NOT “saved by love”, but they do CHOOSE to try and be better because of love.

This trope just GETS ME EVERY TIME GUYS. It makes my heart hurt in the most joyful way.

Murderbot (Murderbot Diaries), Attolia (Queens Thief), Zuko (ATLA), Medraut (the Winter Prince)

Friend Indeed

This is a simple one—a character who befriends someone who is in the middle of a difficult situation, when it would be much easier to just keep their distance.

Ratthi (Murderbot Diaries), Csevet (The Goblin Emperor), Kuill (the Mandalorian)

Magic Schmagic

The character in a fantastical story who can’t do magic, doesn’t know about magic, and doesn’t WANT to. They just wanna carry on being their own non magical, mundane selves and we love them for it.

Sokka (ATLA), Din Djarin (the Mandalorian), Digger (Digger), Gideon (Gideon the Ninth)

Relationship tropes:

Found Family

Ok, this is a popular one so don’t think I need to explain it. Since these often involve large groups of characters, I’m just going to list a few of my favorite pieces of media where this trope features prominently.

Star Wars Rebels, the Mandalorian, Digger, Murderbot Diaries

Reluctant Friendship

Where two characters are thrown together and one or both doesn’t particularly want to be friends with the other, but as they move through the adventure together they gradually come to like each other and form a friendship.

I also love the romance side of this trope but I’m just as happy to read about a platonic relationship.

Ben and Nathaniel (This Was Our Pact), Kaidu and Rat (The Nameless City), Kamet and Costis (Queen’s Thief), Digger and Shadowchild (Digger),

Magical Animal Sidekick

A character who forms a deep personal bond with a magical creature. It doesn’t have to be an actual creature—in a sci-fi setting this could also be a sentient robot or ship.

Temeraire and Laurence (His Majesty’s Dragon), Ani and Falada (Goose Girl), Murderbot and Art (Murderbot Diaries), Ezra and the Loth Wolves (Star Wars Rebels)

Prose/plot tropes:

It’s Complicated

Related to the Mastermind character trope, the distinction here is that this is a plot that wasn’t manipulated by a single character intentionally, rather it’s a complex series of interactions and misunderstandings that are all revealed to be interconnected in the end.

The Court Jester, Howl’s Moving Castle, To Say Nothing of the Dog, Digger

Sarcastic, Witty, and/or Colloquial narration

The name says it all. I usually prefer this in 1st person, but it can be fun in 3rd person too. In 3rd person it might be the narrator who is witty, or it might just be the main character's thoughts that are witty as related by the narrator.

1st person— The Thief, Murderbot, Digger, Dragonhaven

3rd person—Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Gideon the Ninth

Written For You

First person narratives are interesting and tricky because there is the question of WHY narrator is telling the story, and who they intend it for. I love first person stories where the narrative is specifically addressed to a person or group, which adds a level of meaning to the story. This isn’t the same as a story told in diaries or letters (though that can be fun too).

The Thief and A Conspiracy of Kings, the Winter Prince, All Systems Red, Dragonhaven

The juxtaposition of Magic and Mundane

I deeply love stories that mix magical things with mundane details of life in a deliberate way. I feel this makes real life feel a bit more magical, and helps magic feel a bit more real. This juxtaposition can be a central idea of the plot, or might simply be present in the way a narrator describes things.

This may be my favorite trope of all, come to think of it (though there are a lot of great ones listed above, so maybe I shouldn’t start naming favorites…) most of my own story ideas center on this idea to one degree or another.

Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Howl’s Moving Castle, His Majesty’s Dragon, Digger, Hilda, Queens Thief, Dragonhaven

Tropes I would like to see less of: prophecies, hereditary magic, a Chosen One, Soul Mates, fate/destiny. Yes, many of the stories I love involve these tropes, they’re hard to get away from in the genres I prefer to read. These tropes are Iess exciting to me first off because they’re done so often, but there’s a bigger reason I’d like to see less of them, which has to do with characters agency. I’m much more interested in a story that is about a character who CHOOSES to do the right thing, not because they were Chosen, but because they CHOOSE themselves to do the right thing. In the same vein, characters who CHOOSE to build and maintain a relationship are so much more interesting and, frankly, romantic to me than people who are just meant for each other BECAUSE FATE OK. Just.... no. People making tough choices because it’s the right thing to do makes for a much better story (aim my opinion) than people who do the right thing because DESTINY. So the overall theme here is, more character agency! (And as I said above—if you disagree, that’s fine! This is just me listing my preferences and opinions.)

If you read all that—wow! To all those who made it this far, thanks, and if you have any book/show recommendations that involve these tropes, please tell me about them!!

[putschki1969]

2024/03/30 Blog post by Wakana ジブリをうたうコンサート〜全私が泣いた日〜

❗This is Fan Club EXCLUSIVE content❗ ❗PERSONAL USE ONLY❗ ❗Do NOT SHARE on other sites❗ ❗Join her FAN CLUB! Check out my detailed TUTORIAL ❗

“Ghibli wo Utau” Concert~A Night Of Tears~

“Ghibli wo Utau” Concert ~ Produced by Satoshi Takebe was held on March 27th (*'▽'*) It still feels like a dream to be able to perform at a tribute concert for my all-time favourite Studio Ghibli works. Today I will be sharing plenty of photos from that concert! It was held at Tokyo International Forum Hall A✨ The screen at the back shows famous scenes from each work. When I was singing, I believe they showed San and Moro in the background 😍 (I was facing the audience the whole time so I couldn't see them...)

This time, I chose a dress inspired by San from Princess Mononoke 👗 It was so cute ♡ Here I am together with Mr. Satoshi Takebe who is literally a super-human, he was hosting the whole event, taking charge of the MCs, performed on the piano and he also arranged all the songs for this concert😂😂It's amazing😂 When I was asked to sing ``Princess Mononoke'' for the album, I remember that at first I jumped up and down with joy but then I quickly started to feel anxious, wondering whether I would be able to do a good job... However, when I saw Takebe-san and everyone involved in the production working so incredibly hard to make a good album, I swore to myself that I would give my very best and work as hard as I could. I am grateful to Takebe-san for always believing in me and never giving up on me! ! Takebe-san, thank you very much for your hard work! ! ･:*+.\(( °ω° ))/.:+

This was my first time collaborating with Leo Ieiri! I got to sing “Itsumo Nando Demo” together with her, it was so much fun 😊 She was a very kind and wonderful person...😳✨ We actually have something in common, we are both Sagittariuses from Fukuoka, that made me happy 😊 I hope to see you again✨

And here I am with Shigeru Kishida from “Quruli”! We had our picture taken while I got to hold my personal Totoro😂 During the concert, I watched most of the artists' performances from the stage side wings, Kishida-san's story was particularly funny 😂 It seems like Takebe-san tends to call him "Shige-chan" 😂 So cute 😂 Not only his performance of “My Neighbor Totoro” but also “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” was amazing!

I also had a photo taken together with Kaela Kimura! She is too cute~~🥺💕 I felt the audience get even more excited during Kaela's "Rouge's Message"😊 She is a very powerful and charming performer😍

I brought a lot of my Ghibli mascots with me that day, actually, everything except Tet was a gift from my fans 😂 All of you really know and understand me...😭✨Thank you😭✨ (Totoro and his friends on the right, Acorn and Kurosuke are matryoshka dolls. Ashitaka and Kodama are finger puppets, and Totoro on the left is a pouch!)

The Totoro cream puffs provided by the catering service were super cute! (It doesn't even look out of place when lined up side by side with all of my mascots!)

I really enjoyed reflecting on that special day with lots of photos! I was among the first ones to perform so I actually wanted to tell all of you in advance that you should make sure to arrive in time 😂 And then when I stood on stage, I immediately started looking for familiar faces in the audience😂

It was my first time standing on stage with so many artists since I became a solo artist so I was a little nervous... I sang while thinking of all of you, believing that my botanical friends were definitely there in among the many gathered fans! 😂 Thank you to everyone who came and everyone who supported me...😭✨ I was beyond thrilled to be able to participate in a concert that allowed me to be so involved with Ghibli's music! The concert will be streamed on U-NEXT on May 18th, so please look forward to it ＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／

Also, the submission deadline for the next "Talk Garden" episode is tomorrow! This time's theme is "Something I Want to Ask Wakana/Something I Want Wakana to Talk About"! 😊 Please send it here ↓↓ https://wakana-fc.jp/answers/botanical_oshaberi_8/new

Finally, here are some fun photos~☆ YAY! ! (I'm floating in the air)

Until next time~☆( *'▽'*)/

＊＊＊Wakana＊＊＊

Wakana to Perform at Everyday's Omatsuri

Wakana will appear at "AirTrip Presents Everyday's Omatsuri 2024" featuring a variety of amazing artists, held every day from July 3rd to July 15th! Wakana will be performing as part of a two-man live together with RYTHEM on July 13th, starting at 19:00. Please look forward to it! ! (Source)

《Performance overview》 Title: “AirTrip presents Everyday's Omatsuri 2024” Date and time:July 13, 2024 Open 18:30 / Start 19:00 Venue: Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse Performers: RYTHEM・Wakana Ticket type: Luxury seats 7,000 yen / Premium seats 6,500 yen / General seats 6,000 yen Official site: http://omatsuridays.jp/ Advanced ticket lottery for FC members of Botanical Land has started! ! 【Application period】4/1～4/8 【Results】4/12～ 【Payment period】4/12～4/14

[shoichee]

Good day, dear! \(^*^)/ 

So, as I promised, there is my KnB matchup request Thank you so much for doing this for me too!~ 

Appearance: I look cute and younger than my age. I’m slim, medium tall (about 165 sm. and 47 kg. plus-minus), with small arms and feet like a child’s. I’ve long soft blond hair (you saw the picture), blue eyes, dimples. 

Habits: I’ve really rich gamut of facial expressions and gestures; touch my hair; smile a lot.

Hobbies: horse riding, foreign languages, dancing, chess, self-care (like beauty salons, care cosmetic, healthy diet and stuff), walking, watching anime/dorama/serials, listening to music. 

Likes: my parents, my pets, my friends, people who likes me, animals and nature, cute things (like Totoro, Minions, Snoopy, cute bottles and cups etc) and places, warm places and warm weather, anime, Japan, music, children, sweets, farinaceous food, berries, tea, delicious food.

Dislikes: meat, spicy food, cold weather, people who hates me, being tired or sick, alcohol, cigarets, people who swearing a lot, when I’m forced to do something, uncomfortable places and people, dirt and debris, mean things.

You already know a little about me, so there are some random facts about me and my personality:

- I’m straight female, I want a male matchup, please.

- INFJ and Cancer.

- I hate cold weather. I get hypothermia very quickly. I feel really bad in these moments. My hands stay cold in any weather. 

- I’m very well-mannered and intelligent. I never swear. But some people find me boring, because I don’t drink alcohol (I’m able to drink, but never a lot) and dislike clubs and stuff. 

- I’ve a lot of knowledges about Russian museums, concert halls, architecture etc, because I have been to many excursions and concerts of my parents (they’re the musicians). 

- I like teasing my friends, I also very bright, charming and artistic and tell funny stories well. Always stand out from the crowd.

- I always take care of my health and appearance. I’ve my own healthy diet, drink a lot of water etc.

- I’m very caring. I love take care of my friends. I always support and comfort them, help them if they’re sick. I also quite empathic, so I can understand a lot even if people don’t tell me about it. 

- I can be strange sometimes. Like I love sea monsters, or I can suddenly stop because I saw interesting bird, or I’m still sleeping on bed linen with minions, or I don’t listen to people sometimes because I dream about something.

- I’m a teacher, so I get along with children well. I'm patient, calm, responsible, mature, bossy sometimes, have a loud voice if I want it, know how to act in any situation and not afraid of many things like blood, insects etc because of this.

- I look like person who live in own pink world without problems. I’m usually cheerful and optimistic. 

- I’m always neat and smell well.

- I don’t eat a lot usually. But I like sweets a lot. I eat sweets every day, because my brain stops working without it. Besides, I can eat really A LOT when I’ve cheat meal.

- I always accept people the way they are. 

- I feel tired often. I also quite lazy.

- My favourite brand of clothes is Tommy Hilfiger and Lacoste.

Love you a lot!~ Please, ask me in DM, if you want to know something extra)

OMG YOU HAVE DIMPLES TOO? dimple gang rise up together <3 without further ado, I hope you’ll love this matchup~

Best Matchup. . .

Akashi Seijuro

INFJs are almost alike as INTJs with a distinct difference of F (Feeling) vs. T (Thinking), meaning that you two have different ways to approach and express the same shared values

in other words, this can provide some contrast that can balance each other out while still having lots of common ground, personality-wise

when he first met you, your striking appearance was what caught his eye… after all, foreigners in Japan are quite rare, even though this fact was slowly changing in his current generation

Akashi is someone who easily sticks out even despite his average height; he has always had his own atmosphere and presence that easily attracted the attention of both locals and foreigners alike

but it looks like you’re attracting your own crowd of stares and gawks

in a way, your small statute and your soft, childlike features fondly reminds him of Kuroko, and perhaps his curiosity encourages him to tactfully learn more about you without you ever realizing it

he’d have no trouble approaching you, albeit in a polite, gentlemanly way, and he’d kindly ask where you were from, and if you were willing to answer it, you would

Akashi would be very surprised to see how well-adapted you were to the language, not expecting fluency like that

at his mild surprise, you laugh, smiling and running your fingers through strands, and your dimples peek through… and guess what? he’s further surprised seeing them, since they’re also a quite uncommon feature

and they totally make you look much more kinder (despite the fact you already looked so approachable to begin with)

the next time you two would meet would probably be at somewhere music-related, whether it would be the school’s practice rooms, a public performance that you two happened to coincidentally attend, or being in a music store somewhere (where Akashi was there to probably rehair his bow or buy new strings, and you had to stop by for an errand with your parents or just wanted to browse the shop out of fondness)

THIS is when things really hit off between the two of you, and as soon as both of you learn that you’re entrenched in the world of music—whether it be romantic, classical, or contemporary—the place is suddenly filled up by hushed, lively chatter by you two

“Akashi-san, what type of music do you listen to?” you peer over to him, excited for the opportunity to get to know him

“I play the piano and violin myself, actually,” he would muse, finding your own smile quite infectious that he can’t help smiling a little too

“Then surely you’ve played compositions by Russian composers before?” you would ask giddily, never failing to smile and fiddle with your hair

“Of course,” he’d chuckle, amused at your sudden enthusiasm. “Who hasn’t heard of talented people such as Tchaikovsky? His works of Swan Lake and The Nutcracker are so poignantly written, it would be more surprising if someone did not recognize his works.”

your face does slightly fall, since you were aware that the average person knew only about the most famous composer and not necessarily the other Russian composers, even if they were just as talented

but Akashi Seijuro was no ordinary man

“However,” he continues. “I personally find Rimsky-Korsakov’s third movement of Scheherezade to be something I always find myself returning to play again frequently as of late.”

he’s a little startled (though his face was still relatively calm) seeing the sparkles in your eyes and the admiration you had for him

pretty soon, you’re asking him tons of stuff about what he knows about Russian music, and Akashi easily answers them all, seeing this as a subtle challenge for himself to remember what he’s learned over the years

you soon transitioned into history and trivia about concert halls, and even about other Russian architecture… and lo and behold, there’s only so much that Akashi knows until he graciously admits “defeat” with an amused curl of his mouth

“It seems that there’s still much for me to learn, hm?”

“Oh! I’m sorry…! I realized I strayed far from the original topic…”

“There’s no need to apologize,” he would reassure you. “I had quite a lot of fun hearing you talk about your culture. You remind me of a close friend that I know of, actually.”

“Is that in a good way?”

but he would only give you a hint of a playful gaze from his feline eyes before cryptically replying, “It’s the way the two of you would carry yourselves.”

you two would probably meet up “coincidentally” again a few more times before you’d probably one day asked to hear him play… he’s truly touched that you’re so interested in his hobbies

when he invites you to his manor as a friend, you carry yourself like you actually lived here before… that certainly was a different side than the enthusiastic one you showed him when you spoke with him the last time

he was at first nervous about the prospect of bringing you over to his home, with his father being quite strict and can be intimidating to most, but you seem to pick up on the fact that his home was a different atmosphere

he couldn’t really risk bringing his instruments outside, since they’re quite… expensive, to put it lightly, and not to mention, where would he play without interrupting anyone and without getting interruptions himself?

so that was why he eventually came to the conclusion of inviting you over… and if he was being honest, he wanted to let you into in and see a glimpse of his personal life

the way you introduce yourself to the other staff and housekeepers eased his worries, knowing that his father won’t nitpick about your manners or behavior if he ever saw you around

to his relief, his father wasn’t at home today anyways

after listening a few short solos from Akashi, you pulled out a few recommendations of pieces Akashi could add into his repertoire

and he’d probably ask why you were so interested in music, and you would reply that your parents were a huge inspiration to you (since they were both musicians)

you’d probably spend the entire day at his place, exploring his home with Akashi giving you a tour around and making sure you didn’t end up lost

imagine his excitement when you discover his chess set on a desk and turn to ask him to play a round

*cue you two play endless rounds of chess for the rest of the afternoon*

“Oh, Akashi-san,” you would say, after packing up the chess pieces and board and putting it back on the shelf before turning back to him. “Do you mind if I walk around in your… backyard? Though I’m not sure if I’m allowed there and all—”

“There’s no need to be hesitant,” Akashi smiles. “I’ll accompany you there. A break outside would be nice.”

and after half an hour of walking and casually chatting, you’d notice the stables and a brilliant white horse inside

“You own a horse?”

“Is that so strange?”

“Well, I’m not surprised, considering the grandness of the property and all… but it’s beautiful.”

“Yes,” he’d chuckle in agreement. “He’s quite the sight, isn’t he? Would you like to ride Yukimaru? Ah, and don’t worry, I’ll be right with you to make sure nothing happens if you’re afraid of that.”

“I’m honored! I would love to…!”

and that decided your plans for the rest of the evening

when he helps you climb onto the saddle, Akashi immediately speaks to try to soothe any nerves you might have…

“He’s gentle and good with other people, so there’s no need to be nervous—”

and then you start trotting away with Yukimaru before he could even finish, clearly caught off guard by the fact that you were actually experienced in horse riding

he’s WHIPPED for you from that point on

and honestly, his heart kind of pounds faster when you look at home with his horse and the field around you, especially when you look like you’re at ease and enjoying yourself

are we surprised that you two would end up dating soon after that? nope

it’s just two classy people sharing the same hobbies, it’s BOUND to happen

you were aware of Akashi’s inner turmoil, even if he never brings it up, especially when you would notice his slight tenseness in hearing about his father

thus, you wanted to try to introduce him to your own parents, in hope of showing him the love and care he never had in his childhood in a long time (not since his mother passed away anyways)

it first started as a question of perhaps playing with your parents as a trio for a bonding activity, and after some encouragement and consideration he does agree

THIS IS SO SOFT?? AKASHI PLAYING ALONG WITH YOUR PARENTS

your parents would love him?? he’s so well-mannered and intelligent and would probably learn enough Russian by now to speak it relatively well

he has you to thank for teaching him the language though

when you two decide on dates, choices can range from going to quaint cafes and quiet restaurants to try all the foods you’ve been craving to try, to going to picnics to enjoy the fresh air and nature around you while enjoying delicious food, and to going to different local museums and exhibits to learn about each other’s cultures and music… THESE ARE ALL SO CUTE OMG

with every single date, Akashi would easily take note and remember your favorite foods and tell his staff to make those for you whenever you stop by his place

when he finally trusts you enough to tell you, Akashi appreciates the fact that you’re so understanding of his turmoil and his past “other self”

you’re not sure how, but you were deemed “passable” and “acceptable” by Akashi’s father when he glances at you… maybe it was a combination of your put-together appearance (that could be good for the company image), mild mannerisms, and the fact that you actually remind him of his late wife

Akashi usually quietly watches you teach the children from the doorway or at least from a distance that won’t disrupt anyone, and just like how his father noticed, you remind Akashi of his own mother

he just admires you so much, especially when you look like you have control of the situation most of the time

plus, the fact that you also maintain your own health and self-care brings him relief that he doesn’t have to worry about you as much

in this way, both of you can have your own independence with your own separate careers

when he’s busy, he’d ALWAYS send you little gifts and souvenirs of the cutest merchandises and franchises… cups? plushies? you name it

and after learning of your favorite brands (especially in clothes), he sends you various clothing that he knows will be useful, convenient, and also stylish for you

he even takes care to send you gloves and scarves, knowing fully well of your aversion to the cold (he gets it, he lives in Kyoto, where it’s always warm)

whenever he’s with you, he’s always holding your hands with his own and puffing hot air into them to warm them up

remember how Akashi is easily amused by a lot of things? yeah, well, he’s still getting a silent chuckle out of the fact that you still touch your hair a lot or just stare off into space whenever you’re in you’re daydreaming or just stop randomly to look at a particular bird nearby

life isn’t boring when you’re around, but at the same time, your spontaneity wasn’t too extreme to the point that it would overwhelm him (so it’d be a perfect balance)

where you look like you’re in your own little world, being optimistic and cheerful, Akashi easily counteracts this with his calculative, more realistic nature (again, referring to the MBTI of F vs. T)

whenever someone tries to bother you or force you to do something, he’s always there to send them off with a cool gaze or a few words that would send them running away, and likewise, Akashi would rarely be the type to force you to do anything

you, meanwhile, teach Akashi how to live a little, always introducing him to various shows and dramas for your indoor dates whenever there’s a bad weather day or just whenever the two of you are feeling tired and lazy

he’s... sort of alarmed at the intake of sweets you’d have at certain days even despite knowing that you have your own health maintained

“Isn’t this your 4th package, (y/n)? I think that’s quite enough.”

“But Sei, I can’t live without a bit of sugar… even though I know you’re sweet yourself,” you tease, nudging his arm with your own elbow, “a little extra sugar intake through these wouldn’t hurt. Don’t worry, I’ll lay off of these for a while and go back to taking care of myself after today.”

when Akashi introduces you to the GoMs, all of them just sweatdrop because you’re just another mother-hen like Akashi LOL you’re always making sure they’re okay and taken care of (Aomine and Murasakibara sigh at the prospect of having another “motherly figure” hassling them to ditch their bad habits)

but cue Murasakibara’s surprise when he finds out about your sweet cravings and cheat meal days (let’s just say he’ll now listen to you even more than Akashi… and if Akashi doesn’t agree with him or is too busy for advice, he’ll turn to you instead)

CUTEST THING AKASHI DOES WHEN HE KISSES YOU is that whenever he brings his hands up to cup your cheeks, he’d say something or compliment you to make you smile (if you weren’t already smiling) and then gently thumb over those dimples before kissing you

[maulie-dyke]

A Small Lumberjanes Fic

So, I was thinking about the headcanon I sent to @luminouslu about Jo’s past, and I made myself sad. Thus, I wrote a fic. I’m not new with The Lumberjanes, but I am not the most confident with my writing of the girls, so this is the first time I’m posting a fic for this fandom. (I have 3 others in the works now!) I swear the flashbacks are supposed to be in italics on mobile why does Tumblr hate me.

Fic under the cut:

It had been six years. Six years that included some interesting revelations, from Jo coming out to her dads as trans three moths before camp, to said camp, which she was currently being allowed to leave for two days with the rest of her cabin. Sitting in a seat in Ripley’s family’s van, she stared out the window and remembered.

Mothers’ Day, 2014.

Climbing out of Uncle Alan’s car, she she watched as April, surprisingly carefully for a seven-year-old, pulled a box out of the passenger seat. Reaching behind her best friend, she grabbed the vase of flowers and envelope still on the seat, and nested them into her arms, along with her lunchbox from school.

“Come on, Alex! You’re so sloooooow!” April shouted from the steps.

“I’m coming!” she replied, climbing the few stairs leading to the front doors of Group Health Central Hospital.

Following April inside, she reached the receptionist desk and grinned.

“Hi, Ms Betty, how are you?” The greying receptionist smiled at her words, an odd expression on her face (She would later find out Betty thought she was adorable).

“Hello, Alex, April. Here to visit your mother, Alex?”

At Jo’s nod, Betty reached for a clipboard and a pen.

“Since it’s regulation, you still have to give me your names, first and last, please,”

Looking at April, a silent understanding passed between them.

April spoke up, “April Burnett, ma’am.”

Following April, she added, “Alexander Sakiyaki. Do you need it spelled?”

“You’re here every week Alex, I think I know how to spell your name.” Betty made that weird expression again as she filled out the paper in her clipboard, “You can go on back, you know the way.”

Laughing, she raced April through the halls to her mother’s room. Reaching the door, they stopped to catch their breaths and compose themselves before knocking on the thick white door.

“Come in!” a voice, a bit rough, but still musical, called.

While April walked in calmly, with a bit of bounce in her step, Jo ran in full speed and jumped to hug the woman sitting in the armchair by the window.

“Mama!” she shouted, laughing as she was peppered in kisses.

“Alex, April, hello darlings!”

April waved, a grin splitting across her face. “Hi Aunt Kyoko! Happy mother’s day!”

Scoffing, Kyoko opened her arms more, bringing April into her hug as well.

From her place tucked into her mother’s side, Jo spoke up, “We brought you some things!” Sitting up, she grabbed the flower vase and card from April, and presented them to Kyoko with a flourish, at the same time as April with the box.

“Thank you, darlings!” Opening the card, a pile of glitter fell on the Asian woman’s lap to reveal the classic slogan of the holiday. After reading the card and admiring the flowers, she opened the box.

“Look! They’re cookies! We decorated them ourselves!” April pointed at the cookies, half covered in glitter and mermaid scale like designs, one with a shaky Japanese character written on it, and one, pristine, almost perfect flower. “Uncles James and Leo did that one.”

“They’re wonderful!” Kyoko said. Dropping her voice to a whisper, she added, “To be honest, I like yours the best.”

April and Jo beamed.

“How did you and Papa get married?” Jo asked, out of the blue.

“Let me tell you a story.”

April and Jo sat expectantly at Kyoko’s feet, star struck as she began her story.

“Many years ago, at a museum in Paris, was my first ever art show as a professional. I was bored out of my skull, having to talk to so many stuffy business people. Then, I met a man who was charming, funny, nice, and incredibly good looking. I asked him out to lunch, and he complied. At said lunch, I confessed to him that my parents (who were pretty famous business people in Japan, at the time) were expecting me to marry a nice, rich MAN so I could continue the Sakiyaki familial line. I continued with the fact that, as a lesbian woman, I had no plan to do so. The man laughed, and added in he was gay, with a partner back in America. We quickly became friends, so when my parents pressured me into getting married, I married him, with consent from his boyfriend. A year later, I had a baby, a small boy with a head full of hair and very long fingers, that we named Alexander Hiroki Sakiyaki. Then, we got divorced so your Papa could marry Dad, but we still lived together because we were best friends, like you two. The end.”

After a few moments of silence, April blurted out, “You went to Paris? Did you meet Emilie Agreste, the famous actress?”

About an hour later, Kyoko was teaching April how to draw while Jo worked on a project.

Hearing a small bang, then an ouch, Kyoko looked at her child.

“Alex, love, what are you doing?”

“No! You can’t see yet, It‘s a surprise!” Jo leaned over her project, glaring at her mother. “You’ll get to see when you come home! When is that gonna be?”

“Saturday, love. The doctors say I’ll be well enough to go home then!”

Cheering, April and Jo jumped up, bouncing around the room in a hug.

“Mama’s coming home on Saturday!” was all anyone passing by heard.

Two days Later, 2014

It had been a nice day, sunny and not too warm, to get prepared for Kyoko’s move back to the house. Leo and James cleaned and redecorated her bedroom while Jo ran around finishing her project for her mother.

Nice until the phone rang, at least.

Jo watched silently as Leo answered the phone.

“Hello? Yes, this is him. Oh...oh my god.” her heart froze as the normally so composed man’s hand went to his mouth and tears filled his eyes. “Yes, I’ll tell him. And Alan and April, they deserve to know too. Email me the papers and I can send them to you.” hanging up the phone, her father just stood there, hand over his mouth. Sighing, he bent down to Jo’s level and took her hand.

“There’s no easy way to say this, but mama won’t be coming home this Saturday, or any Saturday.”

“Friday?” Jo asked, her heart still frozen.

“No. She’ll be coming home never, love.”

Her eyes widening, Jo dropped her Papa’s hand and walked to the door in a sort of daze. “Nope, nope, nope, nope...”

Now halfway down the long driveway, she startled when her dad picked her straight up off the ground.

“I’m so sorry, buddy.”

She buried her face in her dad’s suit jacket and cried.

Present Day

“Jo! Jo! Jo! Jo!”

A voice broke her out of her thoughts. Ripley’s voice, presumably, as the small girl bounced in the seat behind her.

“Where are we going? Is it somewhere fun? Is it-” The blue haired ball of energy was cut off by Jen, who had placed a hand over Ripley’s mouth.

“Why don’t you leave Jo alone, Ripley? The place we’re going is not fun, it means a lot to Jo.” Jo looked at Jen, then, silently thanking her. “Also, we’re here.”

Once the Roanokes, Jen, and Ripley’s parents were out of the van, Jo started down the familiar path that she had walked on this day for the past six years. Her dads falling into step with her, with April holding her hand tightly, Jo spoke up.

“It’s my mom’s birthday. I want you to meet her.”

“If we’re meeting here, why are we in a graveyard?” Ripley had broken free from her mother’s grasp, and was now bounding along behind Jo.

She heard Mal and Molly go to shush the 12-year-old, but waved them off.

“We’re in a graveyard because she died a few years ago. When I was seven.” she looked down after her statement, kicking at rocks on the path as a silence fell over the group.

“We’re here.”

Her mum’s grave wasn’t anything fancy, just her name, years she lived, and an engraving of her favourite flower on a basic stone tombstone.

After a few moments of silence as the rest of the Roanokes digested this information, Molly spoke up.

“I bet she was amazing.”

“She was. She would have liked you guys.”

“She taught me how to draw, how to be a good investigator, and how to use a sword. She was the greatest.” Jo sniffed, fighting back tears as April grabbed her hand and guided her to sit down in front of the tombstone.

“I bet, wherever she is now, she’s smiling at you, glad her beautiful daughter has such good friends.” her dad said, placing a hand on her shoulder (the most he could do, with all the Roanokes hugging Jo at the same time).

Tears freely dripping down her face now, Jo nodded slightly.

Maybe it wasn’t okay. But it would be.

//END//

A few things explained for clarity:

The idea behind Jo’s mom being said to go home on one day but not doing so was shamelessly taken from My Neighbor Totoro.

This is in the same universe as Miraculous Ladybug, but only because I don’t know of any famous french people besides musicians.

This was completely un-beta’d, so if there are any mistakes they are all mine.

I based the years off of this present year, hence Jo’s mom dying when she was seven, in 2014. Jo in this fic is 13, as one of the writers for Lumberjanes has stated the only one with a concrete age is Ripley (12), but all the other girls are somewhere in between 12-14. 

Jo’s deadname is entirely headcanon.

Thanks for reading my long, rambling thoughts!

XO,

Nath

[wakaoujisenhime]

(Tilli 1)Hello! Can I ask KnB matchup for 200 event with Akashi (KnB) please? I’m pretty, cute, slim, medium tall (165 sm.), with small arms and feet like a child’s. I’ve long wavy blond hair, blue eyes, neat sharp facial features, dimples. I’m bright, charming, cheerful, smart, calm, kind, balanced, charismatic, self-sufficient, with dignity. I’ve a good sense of humor, tell funny stories well and I can mock someone. I can be really cute when I’m happy.

...I’m good talker, but I’m a good listener and adviser. Personal comfort is most important to me. I’ve an atmosphere of comfort around me, I can support and comfort, find the right words and I care about people like mom, so next to me calmly as at home with mother. I’ve a good intuition. I don’t love risk. I’m tactful, neat, punctual, responsible. I’m lazy sometimes. I’m dreamy and sometimes I down out of the clouds. I’m smart, talented and I learn quickly. (2) I easily find common with people, but I’m closed, keep all my feelings and experiences in myself and need time alone. I get a lot of envy from girls, so I’m a bit of a lonely person. I can get cold and arrogant if I don’t like a person. I love children, nature and animals. Love cute things like Snoopy, Minions, Totoro etc. Favorite food: sweet, berries and tea. Hobbies: chess, dancing, horse riding, foreign languages, self-care, movies, music. (3)

——

A/N: So, I’ve added all parts of your request above (just so you know)! You’re my very first matchup attempt, so I hope that you’ll like it and that I haven’t failed you/betrayed your expectations, just in case that I have, though, make sure to tell me and I’ll try my luck once again! (❁°͈▵°͈) Please enjoy!

Tags: KnB matchups ✅  SFW ✅  fluff ✅

━━━━☆ ━━━━☆ ━━━━☆

↬ Akashi Seijuro

on one summer day, he just wanted to open the door to the gym and let some fresh air in and that’s when he first saw you

you, on the other hand, missed him, since you were just walking, completely lost in your thoughts

your beautiful long and wavy blond hair was a perfect fit for your facial features and those in combination with your petite, yet gentle body type were making you look like a straight out elf from a fairytale

his first impression of you was now engraved into his memory

since then he started spotting you way more often

sometimes he’d see you playing chess on your own, the peaceful expression that adorned your face made anyone who watched you (even him) calm

on some other days, Akashi saw you with a small group of other people, figuring that these were perhaps your friends or classmates

the way you calmly listened to one of them, who appeared to be quite upset about something, astounded him

but he was left more impressed by the fact of how you managed to give advise and reassure that peer of yours

your choice of words had been so fitting that they almost made him think that the two of you had somehow prepared that talk beforehand, only to play it out in front of him, but he quickly dropped that idea as he the genuine and cute smile you made when one of the others told a motherly joke about you

Akashi thought that this was all there was to find out about you, but oh boy was he wrong

as customary in Japanese schools, the 100 best results of the exams are always being displayed on a board near the main entrance, and as usual, the name of the captain was on first place, he’d usually just pass by the horde of students, but as soon as he saw those familiar golden locks, he just had to stop

he tried to eavesdrop and find out which rank you were and when he heard something about you being in the top five, it seriously made his heart throb

.

after all, he’s witnessed and heard from you the idea that you were the perfect match for him entered his mind...and once that thought was there, there was no way for it to leave

so with the help of his absolute calculations, he started orchestrating a series of ‘coincidental’ meetings, just so he could grow closer to you

you, on the other hand, weren’t stupid and knew after the third meeting or so that he planning them beforehand

why stop him?

spending time with the rumored perfectionist Akashi was quite refreshing and appeasing to your mind

at first, you were quite surprised, and a tad reserved since all you had heard about that man in front of you were only bad rumors

as time passed, you gradually grew closer and closer thanks to your similar interests and character traits, but also because you were completing each other on a level no one could compete with

you were the safe haven he needed, accepting all of his flaws and even finding the best in them was something he thought impossible...but not for you

the positive energy that was surrounding and originating from you was one that even rivaled the sun rays, and it always succeeded in making even his worst days one of the best

Akashi, on the other hand, was the presence you thought unneeded in your life

you seemed like an almost perfect human and that, of course, gained a lot of negative attention

jealous girls and spiteful remarks were something you had sadly gotten used to, but now that Akashi was there - always ready to stand by your side - he managed to at least tame some of the worst and most persistent cases

.

the way he confessed to you was perhaps the best day of your life

Akashi invited you to go horseback riding together since he had claimed to now a perfect spot a nature-lover like yourself would absolutely adore

you agreed of course

the two of you rode almost the entire afternoon breaks included until you reached a summit from where you could see the whole city

just as the sun was setting, you felt how Akashi gently took hold of your hand

the gesture caught you entirely off guard and caused you to turn towards him with slightly widened eyes

“A-Akashi..?”

even though his eyes weren’t looking at you, the question he asked next, was meant for none other than your ears

“Would you make me the happiest man alive and become my girlfriend?”

[nightshadedawn]

Persona 5: Royal playthrough pt2

I love the fact that you can talk to individuals in safe rooms and they'll have something to say about the thing you just did.

Is it just me or are Yusuke's safe room animations different?

I can't help but imagine that one guy who does "What You Favorite Ship from [Show] Says about You"

Ryuji/Joker - You're always a slut for dumb blondes that can dominate you in the bedroom.

Ann/Joker - You're always a slut for dumb blondes who can dominate you in the bedroom... AND you're hetrosexual.

Ann/Joker/Ryuji - One day you decided what's better then one dumb blond that can dominate you? TWO dumb blondes that can dominate you.

But also- "What's better than one dumbass bisexual? THREE dumbass bisexual."

And I couldn't help thinking it: Makoto/Joker- "You think that a strong female character is a one who punches and shoots things instead of a well written one."

There is only one braincell between Ann, Joker, and Ryuji, and Joker usually has it.

I saw Akechi in a clip and shouted THAT BASTARD

I usually play when no one else is up but my brother is up and gives me weird looks whenever I growl at the TV

I am growling at Makoto, for context

Walked to school with Ryuji. It was awesome.

Rethinking my "I'm okay with Kasumi" POV

I need more Ann in my life. I wanna walk under an umbrella with Ann and be super stupid romantic.

Ann and Ryuji were at the Captain Kidd thing in my Thieves den, and she called Captain Kidd cute, inadvertantly calling Ryuji cute, and I was so sure he was about to blush.

Ryuji be defending me against Makoto. "My friend here's an upstanding guy." Nice.

...Makoto's a fucking bitch.

Morgana keeps calling her sharp, but most of the stuff is just like... bitch, you keep walking into this stuff. It's like the shittiest mystery ever. And no one's gonna let down their guard with your upfrotn questions.

...Morgana has watched anime, I do not take critisism.

"Morgana... TRAAAAANSFORM!" seems like an in universe Featherman thing.

Also, I think that Morgana turning into a bus is a reference to 'Totoro' and the orange cat bus?

Ryuji climbing up from to sit with his boyfriend is literally adorable.

...I'm going to ram Morgana into all the walls, just because he doesn't want me to.

...Butler Joker has a monocule and I CAN'T.

Joker's Christmas outfit amuses me. Ryuji's is the best. The part of me that is attracted to Ann for her personality says her outfit is too sexualized, but the part that likes he body...

Morgana freaking out about Jose complimenting Ann and Ann loving it is just... great, with me having the knowledge that I am going to date her.

If you haven't play as cat Morgana in the Thieves Den what the fuck are you doing with yourself. This is the cutest shit I have ever, ever seen. I have never squealed so much in... at least the last month.

"You two seem pretty close," Makoto says. Bitch, I'd marry her if that were an option.

...Ryuji be calling be a pacifist, but I'm just like... hun... no.

OH COME ON. Ann and Ryuji get to fall for snacks but the first time I try Ann gives me dirty looks?

Honestly, going through the story, I think it's characters like Yusuke and Haru who have it the worst. Their fathers/father-figures betrayed them and used them for their own personal gains. And even Haru had it easier, because she was legitimately her father's daughter and an adult. She inherited everything after he died. What did Yusuke get? A schoolarship to Kosei he had earned by his own merits and severe trauma.

HOSTAGE SITUATIONS HAPPEN AS EARLY AS MADARAME'S PALACE!? I've only have to deal with it once, with Ann in the Holy Grail thing. I think some Black Ooze took her hostage, but that was my first playthrough! Now Ryuji's been taken hostage by Ame-no-uzume. :,(

SHE CALLED HIM MY PARTNER. P4 FLASHBACKS.

...I- I- My life for Ryuji's? I- Yeah. Battlewise, bad plan. But- But my boy-

THE BITCH DOES NOT GET TO PLEAD FOR HER LIFE AFTER THREANING RYUJI

Aw, Ryuji leveled up. :)

...Will Seeds look like demonic potatoes. Yummy.

I like that Palace Ruler Alertness doesn't go up as much as in vanilla.

Ryuji really is the kind of person to pick at anything, isn't he? Walls, scabs, loose thred, peeling paint.

The way Joker runs looks so weird from a distance.

The little whispering shit near the Will Seeds is so fucking creepy, not gonna lie.

5/22 and I'm slamming Madarame into the ground!

I can't STOP SEEING MATHEW MERCER EVERY TIME YUSUKE TALKS. I heard it and now I can't unhear it. I only knew him as the DM in Critical Role and now I'm fuuuuuucked.

...Yusuke really does have the most tragic backstory. Never knew his dad, mom died when he was a kid, and was raised by a bastard who used him for his own selfish gains. The others at least knew their parents for a time. Yusuke's been an orphan basically his entire life...

AAAAAAnd then Ryuji ruined it by complaining baout black coffee (not that I blame him, yuck)

"We have too many dude..." I say, and Yusuke looks so innocent when he offers to dress as a woman. I would support this notion! I have seen his outfit in the dancing game! Allow me this, Atlus!

...Morgana is so full of himself.

You can't have Ann, cat! She's already taken!

So... Morgana makes comentary about me saving even when I'm... not taking forever on the save screen? Weird.

Igor paused when asked about the man in the black mask. Proof early on that he knew something! (We all know that he did, but there's proof now, hindsight and all)

Joker has dry humor. That, or no one else has a sense or humor in this game. Either way, I love picking on Morgana.

Why does telling Ann 'I love you' during her confiant route only give you a +2? Because, like, I really do...

Anyways, did you know that out of all the datable options, Ann is the one you can say that to the most?

Opperation Maidwatch is so awkward.

...I really need a comic where Ann dresses the boys off based off that one event with her, Mishima, Ryuji, and Joker.

Where's the logic in there being an event in the middle of a palace run that, you know, eats into palace run time? Not that I need it, but still.

Every time I go on a date with Ryuji, I get super happy.

...Can this game PLEASE let me have at least nuetral responses to the redheaed first year? I'm- I don't LIKE HER. It's the them trying to make Makoto the prefered love interest all over again. Not having it, mates.

Ryuji, you try to be a punk, but you're so judgemental of everyone's outfits. Can't fool me, pretty boy.

...This entire clean up thing really bothers me. Like, it's literally useless. I don't think you can do anything after it, and COME ON. What else are people using this time for unless it's preping for palaces?

Ryuji is a Good Boy and it's literally just the preceeding reputation that kills it.

Maruki is still a meme. Literally that one meme where the guy throws sparkles everywhere.

Fuck off, Yoshizawa, I wanna go find my datemates and go home. I don't wanna eat soup with you.

"I drive without a liscene too." "Even *I* can tell you're joking." Bitch, if you've SEEN what I do in the Metaverse...

...This makes me worried for how they've shoehorned her Awakening into this... I hope it's during Kaneshiro's Palace. That'll make it more bearable.

...Can I not do her social link, or is it story built? 'Cause if I don't have to, I don't want to. But then again... I should probably do it to be a completionest.

Well, I'm sorry Sae, but I wouldn't call a TEENAGER an expert in anything. You also sound too soft. Aren't you still trying to hound him?

The who 'I am Thou' thing sounds so broken and sad for Faith. I don't like this.

I almost wanna bet real money on Tycoon so Yusuke can have some money for food.

Ryuji's just looking at me all wide eyed after I win another game of Tycoon and is like "Shoulda figured." so I'm just sitting here like... Yeah, I'm pretty good at this. I take it seriously even when it's not a serious game.

Anyway, onto Kaneshiro! And fucking Makoto...

[letterboxd]

Pixar’s Picks: Family Films.

You’re stuck inside, saving the world. So we asked a group of award-winning Pixar filmmakers to help self-isolating families plan the very best movie nights (and days, and nights, and days…). And we talked to children’s film specialist Nicola Marshall about the beauty of movies made for kids, especially now.

Children deserve to watch great films, but kids are famously honest viewers. They’ll tell you instantly when they don’t like something. And when they do, it pays off: in Academy Awards (this year, for Hair Love and Toy Story 4), in stone-cold cash (as Box Office Mojo’s Top Box Office Grosses by G-rating confirms), and in precious family memories.

But where to turn when you need a quality watchlist of family films? When you want a guaranteed banger that the whole family will love, or when you want to move your child to next-level-cinephile status with a choice that will floor them? The answer, to us at least, is obvious: Pixar to the rescue!

We asked a group of the renowned studio’s directors and story artists—the people behind WALL·E, Finding Nemo, Inside Out, Bao, La Luna, The Good Dinosaur, Purl, Cars 3, Toy Story 4 and more—to show up in your hour of need, and show up they have, with personal recommendations that we’ve split into three Letterboxd lists: All Ages, 7 to 12 Years and 12 Years and Over.

From two-minute shorts to the entire Harry Potter collection, there’s something for every viewing window. From Charlie Chaplin to Greta Gerwig, the films cover a century of cinema; and from slapstick to horror, a multitude of genres.

Our filmmakers were remarkably restrained, nominating more Studio Ghibli films than Pixar movies, though they collectively agreed that Toy Story should most definitely be there. So we’ll say it for them: please explore all the films of our contributing filmmakers: Angus MacLane, Domee Shi, Kristen Lester, Daniel Chong, Peter Sohn, Valerie LaPointe, Brian Fee, Enrico Casarosa and Andrew Stanton. Thanks, you wonderful people.

Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ (1988).

Since many of us at Letterboxd HQ are grateful parents, this feels like a good moment to reflect on the enormous importance of ‘family’ films—so we pulled in our friend Nicola Marshall for a chat. She’s the founder of the Square Eyes film foundation, a curator of children’s film festival content, and a friend of the Henson family (not long ago, she created a live show with The Muppets and Flight of the Conchords’ Bret McKenzie).

Like most of us, Nicola is currently in self-isolation, after the hasty wrap-up of the 23rd annual New York International Children’s Film Festival (of which she is an advisory board member).

We’re living in an extraordinary time. How do movies help kids work out what’s going on in and around their lives? Nicola Marshall: Films are an essential way to unpack big feelings during big times. Like all of us, kids are expressing, and suppressing, all kinds of emotions right now, and are sponges for absorbing the emotions of the adults around them. Using a familiar medium to help unpack all we’re feeling, no matter how old we are, feels like a great plan to me. Art always supports processing and groundedness in uncertain times.

What’s your overall impression of the choices made by our Pixar friends for these lists? These are brilliant, eclectic selections—what superb curators these remarkable Pixar creators are, right? An excellent mix of films made for young audiences, and titles bound to appeal to them.

I’m thrilled to see, alongside some beautiful surprises and unknown gems, a lot of long-time personal favorites (Ernest & Celestine, Millions, Ponyo, The Muppet Movie, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Red Balloon, My Neighbor Totoro, The Kid, Gerald McBoing-Boing, Wallace & Gromit, Modern Times, The Iron Giant, The Phantom Tollbooth, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Yellow Submarine, Bicycle Thieves, Megan Follows as Anne of Green Gables… they go on!).

While the lists lean heavily on a canon of western-produced films, there are some terrific international cinema choices in the mix here (The World of Us, Good Morning), and a bunch of lesser-known historic titles I’m super eager to check out (Preston Sturges marathon, here I come!).

Yasujirō Ozu’s ‘Good Morning’ (1959).

Some of the Pixar directors included horror films—Get Out, It—and some Hitchcock thrillers in their 12 Years and Over lists. These selections are for older teenagers, clearly. What are your thoughts on the role of scares in kids’ viewing experiences? I’ve always been interested in the psychology of frightening films. Personally I’m too much of a big scaredy-cat for horror to be a genre that generally works for me (self-censorship all the way!), but there are a whole bunch of people out there who really love a good freak-out; kiddos included.

As a kid I think you’re always testing and readjusting your limits on where your fear boundaries are. One of the highly anticipated and super popular NYICFF collections each year is 'Heebie Jeebies’—short films that go out of their way to freak and fright. Kids (and the adults who attend alongside them) adore this collection and the expectation of being spooked.

I think humans love experiencing extreme feelings in small doses, to feel alive, whether we have big sensation-seeking personalities or not—and seeing something terrifying on screen has a certain safety to it. I also think scary films in collectively tricky times offer catharsis and adrenal release, and give us permission to scream long and loud, when that’s all we really feel like doing!

The New York International Children’s Film Festival wrapped up suddenly as the coronavirus pandemic began its march into the United States, but you did manage to screen much of the program. Other film festivals weren’t so fortunate. Would you like to take a small moment to celebrate the main takeaways of this year’s fest? NYICFF was so lucky to share three of the planned four collective viewing weekends, just ahead of a swift city-wide shutdown. I’m a tad biased, but I really do feel you only have to look to NYICFF’s annual programming to get a genuine sense of the state of the world for young people globally; the issues they face and what themes are currently resonating.

Our programming director Maria-Christina Villaseñor consistently curates a remarkable selection of films that speak to the experience of young people, valuing their views and voices, always insightful, and never condescending.

This year saw a number of films—feature and short—that depicted stories of kids determined to make a difference and taking self-guided steps into activism and action. My faith in our future is pretty darn solid right now thanks to the optimism and commitment of these kids—and the filmmakers giving voice to young audiences and speaking to big themes and shared cross-cultural truths.

Nicola Marshall.

What can the rest of the movie industry learn from all-ages creators and studios? I wish that there was greater wider-industry acknowledgement of the massive contributions that content for family and kids audiences make in terms of moving the overall film industry forward, both artistically and societally. As well as showing us fresh, meaningful and authentic ways to tell stories, the genuine commitment to diversity and inclusion in this space is meaningful, often to the point where it feels completely natural, unforced and expected in content for this audience, rather than some kind of box-ticking effort.

What do you think this pandemic will offer the storytellers of the future? I think we will come out of this time ready to offer stories with even greater connectedness and empathy. I think our collective slowing will allow, if we let it, an incredible development incubator. How we make our way through this uncertain time as adults and work through our relationship with fear and the unknown will hugely resonate with the kids we’re sharing our lives with. I think we can use art and story and myth and expression and feeling to navigate us all through.

For all those hunkered down with small people, what better time to share your favorite screen stories, and discover new films together. What we chose to watch and to share and to rewatch; to talk about and unpack our feelings around and distract ourselves with through this weird, big time will make a real difference to the kids in our lives, and their innate imaginative-storyteller selves, now and future.

Finally, what are your favorite Pixar movies? Pixar has always excelled at making incredible films with grown-up sensibilities squarely aimed at young audiences—truly cross-generational cinema, my very favorite kind. I love WALL·E for its seamless mix of art and heart, Brave for its representation of girl-strength, and Inside Out for exploring the shared humanness of feeling things deeply, and for reassuring us how valid and essential sadness is.

Related content

Pixar’s short films ranked according to Letterboxd community ratings.

Our 2018 interview with ‘Paddington’ and ‘Paddington 2’ director Paul King.

[meme-trash-queen]

anime, book, and movie recommendations for everyone’s coronation

Hi, I thought that this would be a good time since everyone is off from school or quarantined I would make a list of some good books and anime and movies to help bide the time until everything is good again. also, I know animal crossing just came out so people will be playing that but I know some people can’t afford the game or even want to play it so.

movies: next-gen (Netflix film), birdbox(Netflix film), coco, love Simon, bohemian rhapsody, venom, spiderman-into the spider-verse, jack, and the cuckoo clock heart, spirited away, howl’s moving castle, Ponyo, summer wars, the girl who leaped through time, princess Mononoke, my neighbor Totoro, the secret world of Arrietty, kiki’s delivery service, Coraline, the nightmare before Christmas, corpse bride, sleepy hollow (live-action with Jhonny Depp), Frankenweenie, 9, James and the giant peach, Kubo and the two strings, paranorman, monster house, the how to train your dragon trilogy, Atlantis the lost empire, meet the Robinsons, chicken little, hardcore henry, the gallows, the mist, I am legend, chappie, the hunger games trilogy, hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, the village, heathers, Godzilla (2014), kong: skull island, 10 Cloverfield lane, hairspray, Jumanji, Jumanji: Welcome to the jungle, ghostbusters (2018 and the original movies), san andreas, astro boy, the road to el darodo (animeted movie), zathura, leap!, gaurdian brothers, the book of life, pom poko, the greatest showman, detective pikachu, Klaus (netflix film), preditor (2018 and the original), clover field, 10-cloverfield lane, shutter island, aladdin (live action), my hero academia: 2 heros, my hero academia: hero’s rising, promare, venom, the garden of words, akira, and battleship 

those are only a handful of movies I have to recommend. some can be found on Netflix or Hulu but if anyone wants to know where to watch some of the others then send a message and let me know and I will help out. now from the anime. most of the anime I am recommending is mainstream but not all of them and most can be found on Netflix and Hulu. This is because I cannot afford other means to watch anime and the last time I watched anime on kiss anime my computer got a virus. also, a lot of the anime that I get recommended is mainstream. My cousin watches as well so I tend to watch with them a lot. I try and watch other anime as well but just because someone considers an anime mainstream doesn't mean it is bad.

anime: kill la kill, children of the whales, Durarara!!, sword art online (the Japanese version), Gurren Lagann, Jojo's bizarre adventure, haikyu!!, blue exorcist, full metal alchemist brotherhood, cells at work, death note, Ouran highschool host club, the disastrous life of Saiki k., one punch man, black butler, aggretsuko, neon genesis Evangelion, devilman crybaby, anohana, beastars, carol and Tuesday, rilakkuma and Kaoru (I know this isn’t anime), the devil is a part-timer, amagi brilliant park, black butler: book of circus, blue exorcist Kyoto saga, danganronpa: the animation, demon slayer, Durarara!!x2, fire force, future diary, high school of the dead, school live, love live, monster Musume, my hero academia, the promised neverland, sailor moon, sailor moon crystal, seraph of the end, terror in resonance, tiger and bunny, double decker Doug and Kirill, Tokyo Ghoul, Tokyo magnitude 8.0, another, and yona of the dawn, robihachi

once again these are only a handful and most can be found on either hulu or netflix. now for the books, I will split the books into two categories. manga and novels. so here they are.

books: milk and honey by rupi khar, go ask Alice by anonymous, my neighbor Totoro by tagiro Kubo, will Grayson, Will Grayson by david leviathan and jhon green, jays journal by anonymous, letting ana go by anonymous, lucy in the sky by anonymous, red scarf girl by Ji-li Jiang, 13 reasons why by jay asher, the hunger games trilogy, everything, everything by Nicola Yoon, the sun and her flowers by rupi khar, the mist by Stephan king, stop pretending by Sonya sones, the princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace, the witch doesn’t burn in this one by Amanda Lovelace, life as we knew it by Susan peffer, Simon vs the Homosapien Agenda by Becky albertalli, Kafka on the Shore by Haruki marukami, carry on by Rainbow Rowell, howl’s moving castle by Diana Wynne Jones, October sky by homer hickem jr, the book of david by anonymous, paper towns by jhon green, me, earl, and the dying girl by Jesse Andrews, the help by Kathryn Stockett, stranger than fanfiction by chris colfer, bird box by josh malerman, a long way down by jason Reynolds, 1Q84 by haruki marukami, wayward son by rainbow rowell, good omens by terry pratchet and niel gaiman, breaking baily by anonomous, deep and dark and dangerous by mary downing Hahn, wait till helen comes by mary downing hahn, scary stories to tell in the dark the complete collection by alvin schwartz, and the hunger games trilogy by susan collins

manga: another by kakito and akani, 5 centemeters per-second by makoto shinkai and yukiko seike, orange by ichigo takano, doubt by yoshiki tonogai, limit by keika suenobou, tokyo undead by tsukasa saimura, the flowers of evil by shuzo oshimi, shiver by junji ito, fragments of horror by junji ito, tohyo game by g.o., chiro, and tatsushiko, junji ito’s cat diary: yon and mo bt junji ito, disilving classroom by junji ito, magical girl apocalypse by kentaro sato, gyo. by Junji ito, Uzumaki by Junji ito, Tomi by Junji ito, ibitsu by kazuto okada, Shibuya goldfish by Aoi hiroumi, orange future by Ichigo Takano, Frankenstein by Junji ito, smashed by Junji ito, the princess and the dressmaker by Jen wang (this is a graphic novel but this post is already really long so here it is), the bride was a boy by chii, the garden of words by Makoto Shinkai, strawberry panic by Sakurako kimino, go for it Nakamura by syundei, judge by tonogai Yoshiko, I hear the sunspot by Yuki fumino, I hear the sunspot theory of happiness by Yuki fumino, I married my parents just to shut my parents up by Kodama Naoko, I want to eat your pancreas by yoru sumino and idumi Kirihara, no longer human by Junji ito (original story by Osama dazai), and dark metro by Tokyo calen and yoshiken

these are all of my recommendations for a fun coronacation. also, please take all of the necessary safety and sanitary precautions and stay safe. while I do support a lot of things that normal Christians don’t I am one and am praying for everyone’s safety. even if you don’t believe in God that is ok. I respect your beliefs and you have every right to not believe. No matter what I am keeping everyone in my thoughts and prayers. please stay safe and clean everyone.

p.s. keep the carona memes coming!