#and how they visually fit with each others' families more than their own

[fritextramole]

Gossip Girl 2x25 "The Goodbye Gossip Girl" // 3x07 "How to Succeed in Bassness"

[pan-flute-skeleton]

Winter Wonderklok 2023

Welcome to the first ever Winter Wonderklok! A holiday Metalocalypse themed event leading up to Christmas. Twelve days of prompts instead of gifts for your true love. How zazzy is that! You are free to create anything you want. Make art, write stories, put together playlists, design moodboards and overall, take the time to have fun with it. I know this coming out a smidge early, but I want to make sure everyone has time to relax after kloktober, think and create. I made it a point to try and be as broad as possible because I know not everyone celebrates Christmas. Please feel free to adjust to your standards. As a fan creator myself, I do these things for the fun of it and in a way that fits my style. I encourage you all to do the same. Don’t feel like a certain prompt? Do something else entirely! 

There are a few things I would like to clarify and they go as follows:

What do you mean by ‘Rankin Bass?’ Rankin Bass is the production company that produced all of your favorite Christmas movies like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Beautiful puppetry and stop motion pioneers that are cherished to this day. I challenge artists to attempt the style in their own way. Or simply have your character of choice enjoying the specials. However you want to tackle the iconic figures.

What do you mean by ‘Saran wrap ball?’ It’s a type of grab bag game that involves…saran wrap! Who would’ve thought. I will attach a video below for reference on how it’s made and how it’s played. I will say that each house has their own rules so feel free to adjust anything you’d like.

What do you mean by ‘OC Special?’ I am an OC (original character) writer. Many of my friends are too. The few prompts that are labeled ‘OC special’ are meant to encourage use of OCs, interaction with other OCs and even creation of new OCs. I would love for people to take the opportunity to create someone or something new or try something they’ve been meaning to for a while. Challenge yourself! But if that isn’t your style, that’s okay too. If you do not want to use or make an OC, you’re more than welcome to use a canon character of choice instead.

What do you mean by ‘Toys for Tots?’ This is a charity program run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve which distributes toys to children whose families cannot afford to buy them for Christmas. Ongoing for over seventy five years and common enough, but just in case anyone needed a reminder.

I encourage you to use #WinterWonderklok2023 when you post your work. Love keeping things organized. Good luck everyone! Can’t wait to see what you can come up with.

I also want to give a huge shout out to @papabigtoes for all the visuals for Wonderklok. I really could not pull this off without her insane art skills. Thank you a million times over my friend!

Plain text list:

Dec 13 Improvised snowman decoration 

Dec 14 Baking cookies

Dec 15 Hot tub in the snow

Dec 16 Black friday*

Dec 17 Everyone gets socks

Dec 18 Lighting candles

Dec 19 Saran wrap ball

Dec 20 Secret Santa with another character*

Dec 21 Dethfam holiday

Dec 22 Rankin Bass

Dec 23 Homemade gift

Dec 24 Toys for tots*

*=OC Special

[twig-tea]

Love in the Big City TV Series Episodes 7 & 8: Different Flavours of Hope

Like almost everyone else has said, writing about this last part was so difficult. Partially there's so much that was going on, partially I'm afraid to not do this amazing series justice, and partially I'm just not ready to let go. Thanks one last time to @lurkingshan and @bengiyo for putting together the discussion questions and roundup.

I thought it was interesting that this section of the series added Eun Su's proposal fiasco, Yeong's father making an appearance, and the details of Q/Habibi having a wife and child to the material from the book. All of these additions are related to marriages in which the people involved are not happy, whether because they don't fit together and are getting married to stay together (Eun Su), they have another family hidden away (Yeong's father), or they are gay and feel as though they have to cheat in order to get fulfillment (Q). With these examples of all the ways in which marriage can go wrong, ending the series with the main character and all (or most) of his friends single feels much less bleak.

@lurkingshan wrote about how the addition of Eun Su's storyline helped underscore the importance of being authentically ourselves in our relationships, and I was left with the sense at the end of the series that Yeong was ready to show up more as himself than he has at any earlier point in his life.

In the book, the ending hit me harder. Young and Habibi miss the fireworks, and Young wanders into a courtyard of a stranger and cries in the rain; and then we get the flashback to the lantern scene as the final moment. I ended the book thinking Young had started finally feeling his feelings, the first step in being able to move on. I didn't really think he would ever be with Gyu-Ho again, but that he could still find love again and that this time he might be better equipped to keep it, if he kept on that path. But the moment that we're left with, he is still very much in that first stage of processing, and it hurts.

In the series, we get Yeong with the T-aras watching the fireworks, then the lantern scene bleeding back into Yeong and the T-aras, with Yeong's voiceover ruminating about love. Moving from a scene of love and hopelessness to a different kind of love (queer friendship) and hopefulness was a powerful visual end to the series. I think it's significant that he didn't miss the fireworks in this version. We were moved quickly in the series from the despair to the hope, which overall means it was a slightly easier watching experience but I took longer to process my emotions around the ending than I did reading the book.

Speaking of the lantern scene, I go back and forth on the change from "Gyu-Ho" to "love" in the "my only wish" line. On the one hand, Gyu-Ho as Young's only wish was powerful to me because in a way it was selfless; you could read his wish for Gyu-Ho to be not about keeping Gyu-Ho for himself, but for Gyu-Ho to be happy, which is why he makes him go to Shanghai alone. Or, you could read that as self-sabotaging because Young makes sure that he doesn't get to keep the only thing he wished for. On the other hand, in the series, Yeong sees Gyu-Ho and 'love' as interchangable, which is pretty powerful. And his wish being for 'love' means there's more than one way to fulfill it, which fits with the more hopeful tone of the series overall. In the end, I'm glad we have both versions.

The series also felt more hopeful that Gyu-Ho might return. Yeong moving out of Mi Ae's apartment was significant from a moving on perspective, but we still know Gyu-Ho will be returning to Seoul soon (thanks to the bartender) and they must still have each other's numbers and social media accounts. There is definitely more room left open in the series for a second chance. i keep thinking about how Yeong ruminated on the thought that Gyu-Ho never felt like he had a place to make his own, and when he had the chance, Yeong moved into a blank slate and brought as little as he could.

Picking up from that thought about discarding as much as he could, in the series, moreso than in the book, the mattress(es) are a powerful visual metaphor. Gyu-Ho moves his mattress in next to Yeong's, so even when they are living together they aren't quite one, but rather awkwardly sharing space in (as @bengiyo put it, an apartment that was too small). After Gyu-Ho has left for Shanghai, Yeong tosses his mattress, and we see the stain on the sheets that Yeong has been unable to wash out on his own bed--he's still in the mire of his post-breakup depression a year later. His father (who as we recall had a secret family and, once Yeong's mother left him, was absent from Yeong's life) shows up to try to garner favour once Yeong starts winning awards and gives him a mattress, which Yeong unwraps with a one-night stand from the apps, and which turns out to be carcinogenic. He lugs the mattress downstairs and leaves it on the side of the road. Finally, when he moves out, we see him leave his other mattress in the same spot, and move into his new bare condo without any of that old, stained, toxic, ill-fitting baggage.

Lastly, I'm going to call out a visual metaphor that was also in the book but worked so brilliantly in the series: The ceiling fan as a metaphor for Kylie hanging over their heads as Gyu-Ho and Yeong had sex in that cheap hostel without condoms was incredibly powerful. The way the camera was above the fan, so that our visuals were blurred, and we could feel the anxiety hover over what was otherwise a sweet scene? stunning. And it was interesting how the series connected that back to Q/Habibi with his temporary blindness. There's something in there about fear making us blind and not living life to the fullest, but I've already gone on too long and haven't quite figured that thread out yet so I'll stop there.

I was so grateful the novel translation exists, and now I'm even more grateful this adaptation exists. It is so rare for an adaptation to capture so much of what was beloved in the original while adding its own nuances that make it work in the different format. The actors, directors, crew, everyone clearly worked hard on this series, and it came out beautifully. So many tiny details make the visual and audio tapestry of the series so rich, I will definitely be rewatching to find things I missed. It's not a light story, but for so many of us this is closer to our own lives, and sometimes as lonely as a series like this is, it makes me feel less alone to see some of my experiences played out on screen. I cried so hard watching this series, and I am so thankful for the experience.

And thank you to everyone here on tumblr in the litbc book club for making this watching experience that much more powerful and interesting! I have had a fantastic time.

[noangeleither]

yin and yang: carmy and sydney's creative processes + menu planning

what i love about analyzing carmy and sydney is the way they mirror each other. their similarities and differences, and how they have the potential to complement each other well. truly make each other better at this.

this is most evident with the way they approach creating a dish.

sydney's creative process

evidenced by sheridan (s01e05) and sundae (s02e03), sydney is very imaginative when it comes to creating a dish. the editing in these episodes gives us an intimate view of her creative process. recipes often come to her in dreams/daydreams.

sydney gets inspired by her passion for cooking, her family history and her city/world around her (architecture, nature, other restaurants in Chicago). this really fits into sydney's motivations as a chef.

Sydney uses food to make people happy. She likes to take care of people. someone on here explained the significance of sydney wanting exactly one michelin star, which would signify affordable high quality food that normal everyday people have access to. in braciole she mentions to marcus that her dad and her didn't really go out to eat so when they did, they made it count and it was special. she wants to create an experience like that with her own spot (the Bear).

so naturally that is reflected in her food. its not simply a great meal, but a fabric/archive of her culture, history, worldview and entire character.

while sydney has a very imaginative creative process, she often just jots down her ideas in her little notebook(s), for later reflection.

carmy's creative process

carmy has a more tense relationship with cooking. while sydney and carmy are both amazing chefs, carmy seems to be more jaded and detached from his work.

for carmy he grew up in a household where food was a big part of his family. his mom, mikey, and nat can all cook well. he is naturally very great at it. he uses food to be closer to the people he loves. thats why in the face of rejection from his brother, he goes off and becomes one of the best chefs in the country out of spite. why he uses the beef to try and fix his relationship with mikey. why he was so devasted when syd quit and why he started his dream restaurant with her after she came back.

because we dont get an intimate look into carmys psyche when creating a dish, its harder to say but based off his monolouge in braciole (s01e8) and the way he uses food to connect with people he loves rather than having passion for it independently i can surmise that carmy isn't imaginative as sydney. food is more like a math equation (ironic)/a science.

“he’s the best bc he didn’t have any of the bullshit”, emotional ties/relationships of any kind. his career esp at EMP were isolating, rigid and cold. he was the best bc he was calculating, precise and competitive. which breeds excellence in his field while straying him further away from love and true passion.

i imagine carmy to be more pragmatic with creating a dish.

but carmy is a creative person at his core and while creating a dish might not be as colorful as when sydney does it. we do know that carmy can draw and visualize his ideas onto paper. "Sistine Chapel" level drawings according to syd.

sydney + carmy - potential true partnership

on my 3rd rewatch, i couldn't help but feel so dissatisfied with their partnership. granted this is on purpose since the show is only 2 seasons in and they are trying to do a slow burn in all aspects, not just romantic.

it really hit me that carmy and sydney have never - at least on screen - created a meal together. in s1, we never see the risotto come to fruition, we just get carmys input but never the finished product. in s2 finally, carmy and Sydney work together now that their dynamic has changed from boss and employee to partners. we get like what? 4 scenes of them creating the menu, and having this amazing professional chemistry but ultimately leads to two failed dishes, which would be ok if they worked together after that. but they dont...

instead for the rest of the season, we see them (mainly Syd) working on the menu separately. the menu is....alright. mainly has carmy written all over it (he has a the seven fishes + cannolis, weird homage to one of the worst nights of his life).

*putting on another pair of shipper goggles to say this makes the whole "you make me better at this" confession, even more mind-boggling bc better at what? you guys haven't even worked together all season. this = life , i rest my case*

in s3 and beyond, im excited for them to truly start working together as partners and actually see them create a dish together.

i want to see how their approaches to creating a dish can help the other.

how sydneys creative process can help carmy

besides the obvious romantic implications of the palette cleanser outing, the potential for them to understand each other on a deeper level in regards to food is something i mourn everyday.

after sydney goes on her trip solo, we see her ride the ferry and just take a look at her surroundings. shes thinking about the food she ate, shes looking at buildings, windows, looking at the snow. all inspiration for a dish.

imagine if carmy was there with her. he would be curious about what she's thinking about, get insight on how she creates and maybe want to learn to see food in a less practical way.

i mean he hadn't drawn in years it seems until he was inspired by sydney and the chaos menu to draw again....now imagine if he didn't ruin the moment by bringing up claire (LMFAO). the point is, sydney naturally sparks creativity and passion in him, even when they aren't together.

i know many people are theorizing that carmy will leave the culinary industry (and i agree most of the time) but i also think sydney is slowly but surely helping him discover/re-discover a passion for cooking. i think that carmy likes that sydney likes to take care of people because subconsciously he knows he does the same thing or has the potential for it (i.e making tiff sprite from scratch when she was experiencing morning sickness). evidenced by fishes (s02e6), care often feels like an obligation (he takes care of drunk donna when shes going through an episode) but it doesnt have to be this way. and now carmy wants to get a star for her....their interests are slowly aligning.

how carmys creative process can help sydney

this isn't as concrete as the one above but i found it interesting thinking about how carmys more pragmatic approach and sydneys idealistic approach can work in tandem.

first scene in pop (s02e5) shows sydney and tina late at night working on the tasting menu. later in the episode we find out that carmy has been pushing back menu planning leaving sydney on her own. she trying an elements concept which is extremly creative and impressive but even tina says, which sydney later agrees, that its a lot for a tasting menu.

im stretching maybe....but based on carmys comment on her risotto from the season before (needs acid) + his practical approach, it seems like he acts like a buffer when sydneys ideas get "a lot".

*in chemistry buffers are solutions added to resist pH changes when acidic and basic components are added*

so if carmy needs to be more creative and sometimes sydneys ambitions gets ahead of her....

sydney is the heart, while carmy is the brain (???)

one cannot work without the other. when they truly come together to create the menu, they both need to learn from one another to elevate the restaurant. not to mention with carmy's italian american roots and syd's Nigerian-Caribbean/southern roots, they have the potential for amazing fusion dishes and real partnership. i and others want the menu to physically reflect both of them.

conclusion

i literally dont know where im going with this. sorta kinda meta but its more like hopes and dreams for next season and me wanting to type my ideas down.

they complement each other well ok? and have potential for a great partnership once they communicate better. i like this part of the definition of yin and yang:  Their interaction is thought to maintain the harmony of the universe and to influence everything within it.

carmy and Sydney are the leaders of the bear, their relationship is foundational to the success of their restauarnt and team, once they work together truly, play to their strengths and weaknesses, then will come true harmony in their universe.

bonus

more sydcarm parallels/similaries/differences/yin yang moments:

carmys gold chain, syds silver earrings

carmys white t-shirts, syds white button ups

carmy is bad at math, syds great with numbers

carmy wasn't really great at school, this is sorta fanon but i can imagine syd excelled in school

both wear birkenstocks (more a chef thing but i still think its cute)

sunshine x grumpy trope but like better...usually the sunshine (syd) is more emotionally vulnerable making a space for grumpy (Carm), but they switch positions. carmy allows sydney to be more emotionally vulnerable often initiating deep conversations, while syd is more closed up/guarded

overall tho i think its cute that they are both shy/emotionally stunted but i do think purely aesthetic wise, sydney has a softer exterior ( doe eyes, colourful scarves, awkward) while carmy is more intimidating (tats, smokes, looks angry all the time)

both fight dirty - i.e their individual fights with richie (review, the bear)

carmy tho is more prone to outbrusts of anger/violence while sydney lets that shit shimmer until she explodes on you

both their passcode being 11111

carmy having dark mode on his phone, syd having light mode in s2

their matching clothes moments earlier in the second season and in bolognese

if theres more, pls comment/reblog, bc i always think of this shit and need more to cry about

fin!

credits: gif 1&2 , gif 3 and gif 4

[onskepa]

Hiiii

Ik you already did human reader x sully kids watching stranger things BUT could we get the same thing with another movie? Or serie?

How about fast & furious??

They being amazed how a hooman (which they know is small, ex: reader, spider, norm) can handle such a machine which is also heavier than a na'vi

Na'vi weigh around 250-300 kg and a car weighs 2 tons

Helloooooooooo! So do not add more to vopey, this request will be its own thing. Also, I havent watched all the movies, I stopped after the 5th movie. HOWEVER! I will use tokyo drift since it is my most favorite movie! So enjoy!

---------------

Niwin

It was a windy day in the vast Omatikaya forest, perfect day and perfect weather for many to fly their ikrans. And the ikrans take full advantage of the winds to master new skills and enjoy the breeze. The sky was fully of ikrans with their riders! 

It is no surprise that many would race against each other. See who is the fastest, and the ikrans would pride themselves at their speeds and their riders humoring their interest. The adrenaline and rush of fun running through their blood. And the sully kids are no different. Well, more specifically lo’ak and jake. Both love riding their ikrans and would race for the fun of it. Each round either wins. 

Neteyam rides his for the simple joy of being in the sky, same with his mother and sisters. However, at night, many stopped to rest. Their ikrans resting back to their mountain and the na’vi gathering to a well deserved meal after a fun day in the skies. However, there was a small genuine question that the sully kids had in their minds all day. 

“What do humans have that makes them go fast?” Lo’ak asked norm one day at the lab. Him and his siblings were curious to know after discussing more last night. So, being lost in his own work, norm looked at lo’ak in confusion. 

“What are you talking about…?” He asks slowly. Trying to give the kids his full attention. But was also confused by the boy’s wording. 

“We have ikrans and pali’s, but ikrans are faster. So, what is ummm…the same for humans?” Lo’ak re-words his question. Norm finally understood, “oooooh. Can't answer that” he replies flatly. He received a loud collective ‘WHAT!?’ from the kids. Norm sighs a bit annoyingly. “Look, go ask niwin. She knows more about that stuff than I do” he suggests. 

Norm turns to call her out from another room. 

“HEY NIWIN!! THE KIDS ARE INTERESTED IN YOUR STUFF!” 

Using one of the bigger rooms of the lab, Niwin inserted a usb to a computer and brought out some holograms. The sully kids make themselves comfortable with pillows and other cushions as they observe the floating transparent objects being shown. 

“Cars are moving objects that humans have been using for over 200 years. And much like technology, they evolve with time. From cute little honkers” Niwin presents as she shows a 1915 ford car. 

“To today, by today I mean 10 years ago since updates are not frequent. Flying self-driving cars that have no wheels and run on hydro gas” niwin then presents a new sleek car with fancy colors and design. 

The sully kids let out sounds telling they are intrigued. “So, how do humans race with them? It doesn't look like you can get on” Kiri asks. Popping another bubble, Niwin extends the car visuals to see inside. 

“We get in, and seats for the capacity of the usual five. But when you have a big family and where logic does not exist, eeeehhh probably 30 people can fit inside. I seen it happen so don't question it” 

A couple more lessons she taught the kids. Letting her expertise show off and give more insight into what automobiles can do. 

“Starting from the 1950’s to 2050, a hundred years of glorious racing, the empire died. Cars were being designed to be safer, more cautious. Nothing wrong with that but it makes taking risks all the better, and all the more harder. Somewhere in the world, everyone had their own style of racing. Their own skills and culture. Racing is the fuel that gives us the rush, the excitement. And one of my personal favorite styles is drifting” 

Lo’ak was quick to raise his hand. “What is drifting?” he asks. 

“You guys like watching movies?”

“What is prom? What is with the damages? Why do they all look like adults rather than teens?” Kiri asks question after question. Nothing wrong with that since they seem to be valid questions. 

“And why in an area that is clearly forbidden?” Neteyam adds on. 

They were currently in the scene where the teen idiots race against each other on a construction sight with already built roads. 

“Much like lo’ak, they are attracted to anything forbidden and do the exact opposite of what it's being told. Being blind by choice, am I right lo’ak?” Niwin teases. Lo’ak blushes a bit in embarrassment but he doesn't deny nor confirm. Everyone pretty much knew the answer to her question. 

“Anyhow, the good parts will come soon” 

And sooner did it come. From an “American” setting to a Japanese setting. And much like Sean in the movie, the sully kids had a massive culture shock when Japan came into view. The language, how people looked, the style of everything. Now the movie has definitely gotten a lot more interesting for the siblings. And Niwin was happy they go to feel what she felt during the first time. 

“Amazing huh? That is how I felt when I saw the movie for the first time. Best feeling ever-”

“Yeah yeah shush” Lo’ak hushed Niwin as he grabbed a handful of popcorn. Niwin gasped at that but didn't say much. Shoving a handful of popcorn down her throat, Niwin watches silently. 

Showing Sean struggling to fit into a new school, with a new language to learn, and new customs to be aware of. The sully kids can relate to that. Being a place that is unfamiliar to what they know. And oh how they know it deeply well. 

“I am getting some serious deja’blue with this whole…..change” Lo’ak comments. Everyone nodded in agreement. 

“Nothing wrong with change, sometimes it can be a good thing,” Niwin replies. 

Shrugging it off, they watch more until Twinkie shows up in the scene. Offering some stuff to sean until the driving wheel is taken focus. And this only leads to better parts.

The Song began to play, and there the scene opens to a whole world of race cars. Different colors, different glam. Twinkie was showing Sean a new side of what it is like to race cars. Chilling really. What else is there to see or know about? Apparently a lot more. 

Hoods of the cars are being opened to show how the inside mechanics word, all so shiny and complex looking. Yet very eye-catching. Everything was truly captivating for the kids. 

“So those….those are race cars?” Neteyam asks, never leaving the screen. 

Niwin couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction. 

“Those were the glory days” was all she said. 

People were dancing in the center of the giant gathering. Dancing and enjoying the vibes with an odd choice of music. But it looked fun nonetheless. And kiri was starting to get the feeling of the beat. 

“Would you dance with them?” Tuk asks to kiri. The older sister shook her head. “No, good thing I won't,” Kiri replied.

Neela came to view, a pretty girl with a quick tongue. Having a little word play with sean, but quickly the scene changed to show an intimidating guy. 

“And here comes the baddie of the story” Lo’ak says a bit loudly, throwing his hands up in a dramatic way. Kiri rolls her eyes as she throws a pillow at him. “And louder skxawng?”. 

The scene was quick from light to seriousness. 

“Guess he just can't stay quiet,” Kiri adds as Sean challenges DK. 

“One of his best quirks, don't be silenced but roar out like a mindless donkey,” Niwin says. 

 For lo’ak, Sean was someone he saw himself in. Reckless yet won't be held down by others and being told how to behave. To live in the moment, and to live for the thrill. That is something lo’ak can understand. 

The big leader, DK, “Drift King” seemed like an intimidating guy. Reeks of cockyness and too much confidence. Yet is the master of his own craft. So when Sean decides to challenge the drift king, things did not go his way. 

“His smile kind of creeps me out,” Tuk says. 

Sean and DK agreed to do a race. As Han volunteered to lend his car to Sean, everyone was leaning forward to see what would happen next. 

Tiwkie leads Sean to an upper floor to show him where the car is. But as the elevator door opened, in a perfect moment, it showed two cars swerving, tires screeching against the concret. Almost like sliding sideways. The sounds echoing the facility. And much like Sean, the sully kids were locked in focus. No sound coming out of them. 

Who will win, who will lose?

“I predicted he would lose!” Tuk raised her hand as she claimed her ‘future’. Sean lost in a humiliating way. DK was able to avoid walls, people, and other vehicles effortlessly. While Sean damaged literally everything in his path. And damaging a car that was not his. 

“And this begins what is called the training arc” Niwin comments. 

And true to it, Sean began to learn from Han how to drift while also trying to balance his new life in Japan. The two fishermen who speak as they know something is going on during Sean's drift training. And Neela’s past and her connection with DK. 

“Wait, what is a Yakuza?” Tuk asks when the reveal of Takashi’s relationship to the underground crime syndicate. “A very bad guy. I ain't going over that yakuza stuff. Too long and I dont think your parents would like it if I explained it” Niwin replies. Already on her fifth snack. 

“Do you ever just…..not eat?” Kiri asks, slightly annoyed. 

“Nope” 

From Han’s embezzlement of taking the criminals money, to betrayal and to wrecking so many lives. Takashi held a gun to Han's head, things were getting really serious. Tiwnkie made a distraction for everyone to get out. Han, Sean and neela made it to their cars and drove off. Takashi and his little sidekick follow closely. 

From there, it led to so much chaos. Driving through the streets, doing their best to avoid the citizens, there was a lot of drifting. To not hit any car so far was impressive until the short tempered sidekicked crashed into a couple of cars. No one stayed to see the outcome. Not even takashi. While it looked like he looked back to see the wreck, he didn't stop. His need to get after those who are trying to make him look like a fool. 

From those scenes, the sully kids were cheering for the good guys. Hoping they all would live through. Sadly, not all. 

“NO!!! NO WHY HIM!?” tuk and neteyam screamed in shock to see han crashing and flipping his car. And to explode from the gas leaking. Dread was what the siblings felt. Han was a pretty cool character. And his death would never numb away. Niwin frowns at having to see his death over and over again. But of course the frown goes away knowing what happens in the later movies. 

“Oh he is so DEAD!” lo’ak screams, getting more and more pissed of at takashi and how far he was willing to go. 

“Sean better kick his ass or something. Han did not deserve to die. Why do the good guys always die” tuk complains, Crossing her arms. Kiri rubs her shoulder to comfort her. “Soon he will get what he deserves”.

Kiri couldn't be more right. A deal was made, Takashi’s uncle entered the frame again. And all was on the table. Takashi and Sean would race against each other on the mountain that was common to drift on. And to add more stakes, it would be at night. Where vision is more needed It was literally a life or death race. 

Everyone was cheering for sean, lo’ak going at it at the top of his lungs. Hoping to see his favorite character win. To see takashi be humiliated. Everyone outside of the room were wondering what the hell was going on but nobody cared enough. 

The sully gets were getting to amped as the racing scene went on. They felt like they were seeing it first hand. Feeling the adrenaline go through them, the excitement getting a bit carried away. Oh it was thrilling. 

“Come on, come on!! YES!! YES HE WON!!” lo’ak screamed. Releasing happy noises as his tail swishes. Neteyam spun tuk around in happiness. Kiri mostly stood out of the way so as to not get hit, but she was just as happy. 

The movie ended and the end credits rolled up. It was over. 

“Wow…..that was just……AMAZING!!” Lo’ak shouted. Feeling pumped to ride his ikran and see if he can replicate those same moves. Tuk was trying her best to sing along to the drift song but only mumbled words under her breath.  

“That was amazing, though it kinda seems sad that those racing days are over” Neteyam says. The movie made it look fun, racing at high speeds. 

“Hey, who said it was over?” Niwin asks. The kids stopped to look at her. With a playful smirk and a swing of her keychain, she asks “you guys wanna ride?”

Aaaaaaaaaand that is it for this one! Had to re-watch the movie to get down some important parts. But I hope you all liked it, until next time! See ya!

-------

Niwin = fast, quickly, rapidly

[frayed-at-the-seams]

My top BL dramas with sex scenes.

Basically my fave sex scenes and why.

- Unknown.

Starting slow. Real slow burn found family drama but when they get together, the scenes are sexy. It’s all about consent, it’s between two people who love each other and it’s a real build up of what has been years of pining. Not a full sex scene, it almost gets there, but what we see is amazing.

The couple itself is really sweet and the plot is well paced and slow burn is burning. The drama as a whole was great and I loved how the characters grew and developed.

However, drama has violence, child homelessness, drug addiction, child abuse, gang violence, and kidnapping.

Available on Viki or KissKH.

- Blueming.

This drama was lovely. With a real lovely slow burn romance that builds to an artistically filmed sex scene. While you don’t see much, just silhouette, you know what they’re doing. It’s intimate and so loving and more of an art scene than just sex. That’s one of the things I love about this drama. There is a real sense of intimacy and love between the characters. If you want to film a sex scene that doesn’t detract from the plot, then this is how you do it. It fit so well and was so visually aesthetic that it was my favourite part of the drama.

Available on KissKH and Bilibili.

- The Eighth sense.

Another beautifully shot scene. This one was intimate and fun and loving. The two characters laughing and just enjoying being by themselves without any pressures. It establishes a real bond and love between them that persists through later struggles in the show.

The scene is filmed beautifully too. The camera placement and cinematography makes it more than just a sex scene. It ties it all in with the character development and the plot, giving it a real intimate and unique feel to it.

One of my fave shows of all time.

Available on Viki, and KissKH.

- Between Us.

The side story to Until We Meet Again but about the second couple from that show, Between is about Win and Team. The drama is more about overcoming ptsd and trauma with love and support. There is one sex scene that fades to black before the proper scene but there’s enough shown that I have included it in this list.

The filming of this drama was engaging and worked with the characters. The plot focused more on the developing relationship of the characters and their own personal growth in response to their relationship than it did on any physical aspect to it. It is a wholesome drama that can be watched without having watched the first drama.

I have rewatched this a few times.

Available on YouTube and Bilibili.

- Love in the air.

This drama is split in two. The first half is the main couple, a typical top and sub bottom type. The second half is a Dom bottom with a pleaser top. Both couples’ chemistry is on fire and their scenes are very sexy. (I was so surprised by their scenes the first time I watched it. I was not expecting them to be so explicit).

But other than the scenes the drama itself deals with some good character development. Especially with the second couple where it explores a character with SA trauma and his subsequent trust issues.

For a drama that at first looks seems cliche and full of tropes (which it is) it actually explores them while also making some of it quite easy to watch. It doesn’t lessen the darkness of some scenes but it doesn’t overly explore it either. The viewers know what goes on without having to see the scenes in full detail. I liked this style of filming though a few of the sex scenes were no necessary to the plot.

Available on Viki, YouTube (but censored) and KissKH.

- Only Friends.

I am building up to the messy dramas slowly.

This drama though. This one is for the ones who love soap operas. There’s cheating, betrayal, sex in weird places, recording and taping without consent, alcohol and drug abuse, fist fights, and manipulation.

Basically a group of friends get caught in the messiest drama ever. There’s lots of sex and lots of character development, not always for the better. There’s three main ‘couples’ and they are all involved with each other in a messy way.

Let’s just say that watching this weekly was like watching a bit of a train wreck and seeing who are the survivors.

Well acted, very well filmed but chaotic as hell. It will make you laugh, make you angry and might even make you cry.

In all of it the lesbians are the least dramatic characters.

Available on KissKH and Bilibili.

- 4 Minutes.

If you thought the drama above was messy, this was worse but in a different way.

This drama has you second guessing everything. With a complicated slightly sci-fi plot line, the sex scenes as used more to show power and influence and control between characters than they are to show romance.

There’s so much going on with the viewer guessing character motivations and plots that the sex scenes get pushed to the side quickly. They’re there, and very explicit (especially the first one) but plot wise they are nothing more than a basic shock or display factor.

Either way, those actors did a good job. I had trouble watching them cause they felt too explicit.

Also especially here for Bible having a bottom era.

The show was well filmed too, even if I was confused by everything half the time.

Despite the confusion and the ending with way too many unanswered questions, I did really enjoy the show and the sex scenes did make sense in the plot. They were also filmed really well and I loved the lighting.

Available on KissKH.

- Kinnporsche.

Came out before 4minutes but with Bible playing a top character this time (the duality of this man). This show I both love and hate. Open ending, too many side plots that weren’t explained, lots of unanswered questions. Every relationship was toxic in some way. Anyway, I loved it. Great lighting, well filmed and stylised. Amazing acting.

Though the sex scenes, especially between Kinn and Porsche, were too frequent and in too many weird places. (They’re exhibitionists. You gather that after the first time). They were well done scenes.

However, this drama is not for the faint of heart. There’s dubious consent, freaky kinks, kidnapping, bdsm (between Vegas and Pete and there was no communication during it but it was such a well filmed scene), manipulation, violence, death, torture, kidnapping, and abuse.

This drama was definitely for the depraved. (Me and others like me).

We’re never going to get a season 2 and I am so sad about that.

Available on Viki, and KissKH.

Here you go you depraved souls. I mostly watch dramas for the plot. I can’t help it when dramas like KP happen to have sex as their plot.

Oh well.

Enjoy.

[corvuschronicles]

finally gonna make a post better explaining my real fake psychic shawn spencer au so this might be a long one bc in the past it was mostly rambles as i came up with ideas and trying to make them fit together

i am in the process of actually writing a fic for this and it’s looking like it may be the first part of a 3 part series, below the cut are a lot more details to give context to my au

okay! couple of important things for the overarching universe:

the supernatural exists! though the population is not as prominent as it once was, so the supernatural world learned to adapt and stay hidden, basically for every 20 claims of something supernatural only one is real, and obviously some cities have higher populations compared to others

because of the dwindling population of the supernatural and the growing population of the mundane, it is expected that both would intermingle, so it is actually a lot more common than you’d expect for people to have supernatural bloodlines, though it is often insignificant enough that it doesn’t matter. sometimes that is not the case. sometimes people are born into still active bloodlines so they grow up in that world and sometimes people never know that they even had supernatural blood, let alone that the supernatural exists. sometimes, even though someone’s bloodline may be dormant (and they are or are not aware of the supernatural) unforeseen circumstances can sort of jumpstart said bloodline

with or without knowing it, people with supernatural abilities or bloodlines tend to gravitate to each other

there are few rules that the supernatural community follows, the most important being to not expose themselves to the mundane

within the supernatural community there are different categories; creatures/those with creature blood (vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters), those with abilities (psychics, druids, witches), sentries (those tasked with keeping the supernatural hidden, and hunters (mundanes who became aware and choose to fight it)

explaining the name, real fake psychic:

when he first started working for the SBPD shawn faked being a psychic to avoid arrest

after season 4, shawn has an encounter with the supernatural that essentially gives him real psychic abilities

he keeps up his fake psychic charade because he can’t really say ‘hey guys i was faking it before but guess what? it’s real now!’

now i will go a little into some of the changes/headcanon/general facts of some characters in my au, starting with the main man

shawn:

he’s mexican! this is not central to the story really but it’s my headcanon so i will work it in because i can

somewhere down the line there is maybe some kind of long forgotten supernatural family member, meaning shawn has supernatural blood

the combination of his childhood and eidetic memory and genius is all him but it definitely gets a small push from his possible bloodline, especially in how he visualizes

after The Incident™️ shawn gets real psychic abilities, at first it’s vague and he doesn’t know what’s happening, but then things get too weird and even he can’t ignore it

true psychics are rare, a lot of people only have some aspects (like divination, clairaudience, etc) but of course, shawn ends up with more than the usual

his abilities, especially at the beginning and when they develop more, are rather painful because he is receiving so much more input now, leading to headaches at least

shawn getting real powers is the catalyst to those around him awakening as well, and now that he and the others are aware of the supernatural, it seems to be more present than they realized

gus:

he’s an amplifier

his ability is kind of a paradox, on its own it doesn’t do much because it is mostly dormant outside giving him the supersniffer, but once shawn awakens it causes a ripple effect, they are now in the supernatural world and as a result gus in turn awakens as well

he can amplify his and other’s abilities; this helps shawn because gus can help him focus on certain visions or to make sense of some things he sees, this makes shawn claim that his is now literally magic head

it is a paradox because without shawn’s powers gus’ wouldn’t have come through and gotten stronger, but he also helps shawn’s get stronger, it’s a loop

gus gets the dormant bloodline from both his parents

shawn is not the only one gus helps

juliet:

she is an empath

she is naturally an empathetic person but once she awakens it gives her more of an understanding that she never had before

juliet gets her bloodline from her mother’s side

once they all figure it out, juliet can also help shawn in a different way, as she can now feel the emotions coming through his visions

gus is able to help juliet develop her abilities more, and she develops a type of danger sense, which comes in handy in their job

her bloodline is weaker so she’s not the strongest empath, and her prolonged exposure to a shield made it harder for her abilities to develop as well

carlton

he is a nullifier

lassie’s ability is that he is essentially immune to the supernatural to a point, things like curses, jinxes, telepathy, etc do not work at all or barely affect him, most physical attacks would still work because he is still human (like poisons or tactile telepathy)

however, this also affects positive things such as blessings or good luck charms

his ability is like an aura around him, meaning that those close around him may be affected as well, such as o’hara who, as his partner, is often exposed and it put a hamper on her own abilities

shawn is also affected, but in a good way; the constant bombarding of psychic readings stop when he touches lassiter, and even just being around him can ease the headaches

this is eventual shassie

unlike the others, lassie is an anomaly, he has no actual supernatural bloodline, he is the first in his (recent) line

henry

he is a non-believing, non-aware, mundane person

he notices shawn acting stranger than usual, he also avoids coming to the house more than usual

he has his own Incident™️ in which he witnesses something that shows shawn is now telling the truth when he says he’s psychic

madeleine

is a whitexican; not exactly relevant other than the fact if goes with my mexican shawn headcanon

it is her side that had the supernatural bloodline

just like her son, if she were to awaken she would probably develop some minor abilities, most likely clairaudience

SBPD

for the most part, unaware of the supernatural

anyone born into or active in the supernatural community stays away from the police as they tend to live outside mundane laws and prefer to police their own

few key players in charge of or above the police may be aware or are a part of the community

the fact that a psychic and friends with abilities work for the police becomes controversial

chief vick is unaware but someone close to her is not

if anyone wants to add anything or simply ask questions or talk about feel free to do so! i love talking about real psychic shawn <3

[whateverisbeautiful]

♥️ Ranking Richonne

#10: The Grand Introduction (S3E06)

✨Top 10! ✨From here on out, we’re in truly iconic territory when it comes to the Richonne scenes on this list. And, of course, this absolutely unforgettable s3 moment right here is as iconic as they come. 🤩 I adore that this is where it all began. Where Richonne really was born. This is one of the most significant Richonne moments because it's the very first one. And what a special first one it was. It's only fitting for Rick and Michonne's epic love story to begin with such an epic introduction...

I'll always appreciate that this is one of the most heightened and important meetings of two characters in the whole TWD series. And it’s fitting because it establishes right from the jump that Rick and Michonne would become very very important to each other.

It’s so sweet that in such a precious familial moment between Rick, Carl, and Judith that’s the exact moment when the matriarch of the Grimes family arrives.

And I always love how, despite several people around, it’s Rick who spots Michonne from super far away and walks over on his own.

It feels like the universe’s own, "It’s for you" moment. 😌

As Michonne walks up to the fence, resiliently finding the prison and making it there despite being injured, I love that it’s Rick who walks toward her as though summoned by Cupid himself, cuz it shows those magnets started kicking in immediately.

And then I adore that there’s almost this unspoken passionate energy behind this scene as Rick and Michonne lock eyes for the first time and stare at each other from across the fence.

But it's so much more than a meet cute. It's utterly grand. This is the moment that kicked off the love story to top all love stories so of course it’s uniquely special. #historic

Having watched separate stories from Rick dealing with hardship at the prison and Michonne dealing with issues at Woodbury,  I love that this is the moment their stories finally join.

They finally get a major win because they found each other. Rick and Michonne's lives collide here and then only become more and more one.

I love that Michonne is here holding formula for Judith, the baby who will become her daughter. I've written before that I feel like part of what might have helped spur her to go to the prison is knowing there was a baby in there that needed that formula.

And it's great how from the literal moment she arrives Michonne is already being majorly helpful to Rick. She's brought his baby the sustenance she needs to live and then later has intel about Glenn and Maggie's whereabouts.

And I like that she stays fearlessly standing in between the walkers as they make eye contact through the fence. It lets Rick know this woman is special and brave. I've always felt the visual is a beautiful illustration of the living being found among the dead & love being found among loss. 

Rick had been having an episode of understandably losing it prior and was finally able to emerge from the darkness for a moment and hold Judith. And it's just precious to think that Rick first holds his daughter on the same day and in the same moment that he meets his wife and Judith’s mom.

It's poetic also when you know that Michonne and Judith are the two ladies he will later go on to declare as his ultimate choice, even after years apart from them. Warms my heart to no end. 😭

The way he walks over, the way Rick and Michonne seem to be taking each other in like “this is different.” You can’t tell me after these stare-downs that these two weren’t going to love each other eventually.

The innate draw and attraction were instant, and I love that we got to witness this love story from the literal first moment Rick and Michonne so passionately laid eyes on each other. 

This is the final beat of the episode cuz the end beat of an episode typically emphasizes something important that launches the story forward. And this introduction between Rick and Michonne would do just that, not only for the following episode but for the rest of the series. It changed the whole game. 💯

This scene is a powerful meeting between two tethered strangers destined to be tethered soulmates. And it's an extremely meaningful meeting as well because, from this point on, Rick and Michonne's journey to falling in love and building a whole life together would begin. Just life-changing in every way.

And I’ll add 3.07 to this too, because that’s when we get more of their interaction after their deep stares. I love that Michonne's future son and bestie Carl is the first one to ask about helping her and that he and Rick save her. It's like the first unofficial Grimes Family 2.0 moment. 🥰

Michonne even gets to demonstrate her resilient ability as she fights off those walkers before the pain from her gun wound takes over. And I bet Rick had to somewhat recognize the fight in her as the same fight in him. 

Then, after a quite thorough inspection to see if she's been bit, Rick easily carries Michonne over his shoulder to bring her into the prison, which...

It's giving a little romantic to me idk. 😋 And it just hit me that Rick picks up his daughter and his wife for the first time that day.

Inside the prison, they get her water and all that, and Rick introduces himself and asks her for her name, but Michonne won’t tell him. Understandably, cuz Sis had been through it at Woodbury with their crazy leader.

And y’all, I love this whole exchange, especially in retrospect, because it shows there was a fire between Rick and Michonne from the word go. 🔥

Rick and Michonne's whole first time in front of each other feels electric and passionate. Like even just from their movement alone in this scene, there's something magnetic.

I love that we’re witnessing two fierce fighters who have truly met their match. We're also witnessing the first of many times Rick and Michonne get publicly wrapped up in their Richonne bubble. 😌

It's interesting that the first thing Michonne ever says to Rick is, "I didn’t ask for your help." Because you'd think the first line was gonna be...

But fr, it ends up being pretty ironic that that's the first thing Michonne says to Rick because they both will help each other so much that it completely changes their lives for the better. And Rick tells her, "Can’t let you leave," which will also remain true forever. 😋 Cuz Michonne's never leaving that man's heart.

(Side note: Also, I realized there's significance in Rick saying "can't let you leave" because it's another thing that lets Michonne know Rick is different and better than the Governor. Where the Governor tried to act like people could come and go from Woodbury when they really couldn't, Rick is just honest and straightforward with it by saying they can't let her leave until they assess the situation, which is almost more reassuring for her to see him being upfront about it.)

So while I'm not in the camp of thinking they were in love at first sight, I do think Rick and Michonne were intrinsically drawn to each other at first sight and there was something special between them right there at that fence that would soon bloom into love. And if the current Rick were asked about this initial meeting with Michonne, I low-key feel he'd be like...

With their iconic grand introduction, Rick and Michonne truly changed each other's lives and ours. (oh and also the entrancement started from the jump too.⬇)

And while Rick and Michonne aren’t overly trusting of one another yet, I appreciate Rick’s willingness to help her out, offering to tend to her wound and all that.

As a screenwriter, I have this belief that when a story is right it almost wants to tell itself, as it organically flows in a certain direction. And then that's when as a writer you follow the story's lead and help sculpt that natural direction. So while the TWD writers didn't know for certain that Rick and Michonne would be a romantic pair in their first two episodes together...the story knew.

The way their introduction plays out in this personal yet grand sweeping way, with the two locking eyes and looking at each other not just with desperation or skepticism but with this underlying passionate intrigue as though the person they're looking at is both fascinating and familiar - Richonne's romance really was written in the stars right here, even before it was more intentionally planted in Clear.

It's a love story that was longing to be told. And I'll forever celebrate that Scott, Andy, and Danai listened to what the story was so clearly saying, and then sculpted the best love story I've ever seen.

Their whole meeting is just an introduction to remember and everything about Richonne's first moments together shouts...

Watching it back is even sweeter when you have the knowledge that on the other side of that fence, Rick and Michonne are looking at their soulmate, the person they will raise children with, have a child together, the person they will fall head over heels in love with.

Their lives joined forever on this day, and these two wouldn’t be the same without each other, so thank goodness for this unforgettable moment bringing Rick and Michonne iconically together. 😌🙌🏾

[treethymes]

In my landmark analysis of The Wind Rises, I interpreted the film in terms of Miyazaki working through his feelings on his life’s work—perhaps regret and shame thinking of all the sacrifices from others it took to bring his work to fruition, to pursue his desires and ideals; his ideas on what “beauty” is and perhaps how glad he is that it exists/is created in spite of all the suffering that may be attached to it. I did not talk about the relatively more straightforward ways of reading the film, which is of course about Japan during World War II: Miyazaki reflecting on the factors that drive history, what it means to live through, to be embedded in—and to look back on—so much violence; Miyazaki reckoning with his own family’s role in the imperialist war effort as well as his lifelong infatuation with the aesthetics of military machinery. Considering these modes of interpretation together yields a portrait of a man and his art—Where does it come from? What does it value? Where does it want to go? As such, The Wind Rises is arguably a very rich and fitting swan song. And yet, with its grounded, adult perspective on the war, the film also sticks out like a sore thumb in Miyazaki’s oeuvre and maybe always sat uncomfortably as a conclusion to it.

For those who feel that way, The Boy and the Heron should come as a welcome addition to Miyazaki’s filmography. It is, after all, a return to fantasy adventure with a child protagonist—something that feels, at least more so than a quasi-biopic of an aircraft engineer does, like quintessential Miyazaki. But crucially for our purposes, the film is not just a return to a familiar form (often quite literally a sum of everything that came before it), it is an extension of and second half to The Wind Rises. Through the lens of my interpretation of The Wind Rises, The Boy and the Heron is like an inversion of The Wind Rises in that it foregrounds the concerns with artistry and legacy while keeping the war in the background and frame of the narrative.

Two scenes in The Boy and the Heron in particular reminded me of The Wind Rises. First is the scene of the dying pelican, which visually recalls the scene of the ill man in Princess Mononoke but in terms of the content of the dialogue reminds me more of the scene in The Wind Rises of the children turning down Jiro’s offer of castella cake. It is a reflection on poverty, pride, and survival. In the context of these films, we are led to consider specifically the condition of the Japanese people, the things they were driven to do, and are left to draw our own conclusions with regard to the nuances.

The other scene, of course, is the brief moment of Mahito looking at the windshields his father brings to the house and remarking on how beautiful they are. This scene embeds in The Boy and the Heron Miyazaki’s preoccupation with the aesthetic allure of aircraft originally designed for warfare, a contradiction between beauty and violence that is mirrored in the dream world that Mahito ultimately decides to reject.

In the dream world in The Boy and the Heron, there are so many echoes of past Miyazaki and Ghibli films it is deafening. Seemingly contrary to Jiro’s solemn resignation to the world of pyramids, Mahito rejects the dream world he’s inherited and ventures to build something new in the real world. But I’m not sure they are so far removed from each other. They are complimentary views of the same object (Miyazaki’s legacy), one from his own perspective and one from the perspective he hopes for future generations to take—one of not overly attaching themselves to some old fool’s dreams. In The Wind Rises, perhaps Miyazaki tries to celebrate his life’s work without celebrating it. In The Boy and the Heron, he gives us the greatest hits slideshow we wanted and then some—a celebration of the joys and tribulations of the creative act he so compulsively pursued—but not without gesturing to us nonetheless to peer beyond the curtain.

[gatoraid]

Anime recs for The Radiant Emperor enjoyers

I was watching the new Ooku anime on Netflix some weeks ago and I thought it hit that ”court drama dealing with gender roles and making me cry” spot that He Who Drowned the World has been occupying in my heart lately (even if it engages with some of these themes very differently).

Somehow that got me thinking about other anime that might align with the vibes and themes in The Radiant Emperor book series and eventually came up with this list.

Some of those themes include gender roles, queerness, disability, politics, oppression, rebellion, revenge, impossible and messy relationships and tragedy. Darker themes like war, violence, sexual assault etc are also often present. Please lmk if you agree or disagree with these choices and feel free to add more!

Dororo (2019)

Historical fantasy based on Osamu Tezuka’s manga classic from the 1960s.

An orphan who hides her gender in order to survive meets a young man who fights demons to claim back his body parts that his father traded away in a demonic pact. There’s tons of pain and tough moral questions and complicated family relationships, and the way Hyakkimaru deals with having lost and then slowly regaining parts of himself is super interesting.

24 episodes. Stream on Prime Video, Hidive

The Heike Story (2022)

Retelling of the historical epic Heike monogatari through the eyes of an orphan girl who gains the ability to see supernatural things after her father’s passing. Inevitability of fate, the impermanence of all existence, praying for your loved ones’ happiness in the next life, all of these things are beautifully woven in this visually stunning story. The story also hits different when you know that Heike monogatari was traditionally performed by blind musicians and singers.

11 episodes. Stream on Cruncyroll, Apple TV

Inu-oh (2022)

Historical fantasy. Two outcasts find each other and change the history with their music in this story that also pays respect to the Heike monogatari’s origin as a singing tradition. Focus on things like identity, disability, nonconformity, ghosts. Yes, the ghosts part is important. Also, the gender expressions and the bond between the two main characters is something I’ve seen a lot of queer/trans ppl relate to and Inu-oh is voiced by none other than the trans icon Avu-chan.

Movie. Stream on Hulu

Ōoku: The Inner Chambers (2023)

Alternate history where most men in Japan have been wiped out by a mysterious disease. Very much a court drama centered in the Tokugawa shogun’s residence where men serve the woman shogun as concubines (and sometimes have relationships with each other). Also, one of the main characters is a monk who ends up giving up his vows! Based on Fumi Yoshinaga’s acclaimed manga that has also been adapted to various live action movies and drama series.

10 episodes. Stream on Netflix

Toward the Terra (2007)

Scifi classic with two main characters who are at the opposing sides but feel inexplicably connected. There’s just so many insane relationships and emotions here, I still have not recovered from the ”I want to kill you but I will also protect you with my own life” thing…… Based on the 1970s manga by Keiko Takemiya. Not to be confused with the movie from 1980.

24 episodes. Available on DVD

Devilman Crybaby (2018)

Apocalyptic fantasy with demons and stuff. Based on the classic 1970s manga by Go Nagai.

I don’t even know how to describe the story, it’s just the tragedy, the queer yearning, the ”I killed the one I loved and then it was too late”, the ”things will get bad and then they will get worse” vibe that I think is very fitting. This one has the most extreme violent and sexual content out of the series on this list.

10 episodes. Stream on Netflix

Banana Fish (2018)

Gang wars, mystery drugs and complicated emotions set in New York. Based on the iconic 1980s manga by Akemi Yoshida. Deals heavily with trauma and CSA.

You guessed right, this one is also a tragedy. If you love Ouyang and/or Baoxiang, you’re probably going to love Lee Yut-Lung. That’s all I’m going to say.

24 episodes. Stream on Amazon Prime

[djsherriff-responses]

Nit picky and quick edits because I don’t think Melinoe suits being a dirty blonde. I think her design is good, just has some small elements that make it weaker compared to her brother

(I only watched play through when the game came out so I may get some details wrong, but this is just opinion more than anything else)

The heterochromia eyes work for Zagreus and his story as he’s meant to be first and foremost the Prince of the underworld , who is trying to escape being under his father’s domain and get a place among the Olympians. Him having such a strong resemblance to his father Hades is a visual reminder of how Zagreus is essentially living in his father’s shadow, feeling doomed to be a reflection of his father instead of his own person. Zagreus having one green eye however hints to his own personhood separate from his father , a hopeful little bit of a spark of a colour connected to nature and life in a design that’s otherwise death and hellfire. It also helps visually connect him to the narrative mystery surrounding his mother and her situation in the game

But for Melinoe? Her family is captured by grandpa Chronos and she’s been studying witch craft to one day take back her Underworld kingdom and reunite with her family. The moon symbolism fits this , and her ghost arm along with the heavy use of teal for magic effects suits this , but I don’t see how her being a blonde Zagreus fits all that besides to make her look related to him , and even then they could’ve taken advantage of Demeter being her grandmother and given her features separate from her brother

I know it’s only the beta that’s out and the full game is far from finished, but I can’t help but feel like the design team couldn’t figure out a way to make an interesting design that conveys her being related to Zagreus and went “fuck it, we’ll swap the eye colour placement and give her Persephone’s hair colour”

makes me wonder what’ll happen if Persephone had a third child

To me , it’s especially obvious when you see her colour palette is orange and teal , much more vibrant than Zagreus’. Zagreus having a limited palette of reds and black makes his green eye more visually interesting and makes you think “uh, what an odd detail., while for Melinoe her clothing palette being orange and teal , her two different eye colour of red and green , and her being blonde, makes her colours fighting for dominance and less coherent

“But they’re siblings!” And these two are meant to be twins

The team is more than capable of making siblings be different from each other

[animehouse-moe]

Spy x Family OP3: Kura Kura

Okay, there's a lot of stuff that I'm unfamiliar with in terms of proper names and terms with this opening, but it's just so damn cool that I have to talk about it. Building on the styles of the first two openings, it brings a sense of familiarity that's completely outshone by the incredibly creative approach that OP3 brings with it.

Yes, it's the best Spy x Family opening even though the new season isn't out yet. That's what Masaaki Yuasa gets you (go check out the Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken OP)

Alright so first off, the opening cut of our characters. I love everything about it. The energy, the perspective, the color design. It's all super great, and the icing on the cake is the punchy animation that accentuates and exaggerates the movements of the characters.

Also, the music really is just a perfect match. I'm not a big Ado fan myself, but this is just an impeccable choice.

Anyways, right away the opening sets the tone for the very unique approach to animation. Quite smooth, but very snappy at times, if I were to explain it. I'm not doing a frame by frame to check or anything, but they're certainly hanging on quite a few sequences before squeezing others in or making large movements between frames. Just look at how each of the characters joins the sequence, there's actually a good deal of movement hidden in the appearance.

Though I think my favorite part from this sequence is the simplicity in wiping the characters when a new one appears. Given the style of movement and the "blink and you'll miss it" speed of it, it brings the addition to the viewer's attention and immediately while adding a good deal of unique feel.

And then there's this follow up piece. There's not much to it in terms of importance or anything but I love it. It's an extension of the dot matrix background and using it to place color on top of a dull background is very fun (also the rainbow at the top).

I think one of the things that felt absent from both prior OPs was a sense of "wow factor" in how they displayed Yor (and Loid). OP2 brings us a Yor assassin cut, but it feels more pretty and fleeting than exciting and energetic, as expected given the tone of it. Anyways, I'm very happy to see them able to explore the energy of each in this opening.

Also, the way that Yor's spike wipes the frame to introduce Loid? I love it. It's such a chaotic opening that you can easily miss simple things like transitions that can get lost in all the information. Another side note, I really like that Loid only appears when he fires his gun. Just a fun little trick that falls into place alongside other examples of wiping the frame in the opening.

Of course, Anya (and bond) gets their own splash cut like this. Really like how it places Anya on her own stage as it steps away from the style used for Loid and Yor and uses "environment" (read: speech bubbles) to convey her ability and its cons. And another very interesting detail (there's no end to them)! The use that dot matrix style to swap Anya and Bond out between each other. Super easy to miss, but it's there as one of those transitions that you can easily miss.

Wiping the frame, I can't think of a better name for it but it's something that's well loved with the direction of this OP. Just following these cuts we get another of our fearless family, but we see a different trick used. Also, really love the idea of it being framed as circus that Anya runs, so accurate to children and especially Anya.

Anyways, the idea is actually a lack of animation. Crazy, but given the style of animation through these cuts with the focus on snappy and exaggerated movements, it fits right in and looks really interesting. Furthermore (yes, there's still more), the use of visual sound effects (which say: 'Kankakeinai', most likely meant to be 'Kankeinai' as that's what's said by Ado at this point in the song.) is a great way to bridge the gap from Anya's previous cut to this one.

Oh, I should have mentioned it, but that same text-usage matching the song appears in the previous Anya and Bond cuts too.

Alright, next cut but also one (a little) further down the line: water animation. Lovely stuff. It's not realistic like what you'd see in the ending for My One-Hit Kill Sister, but has a lot of heart in it nonetheless, aiming to blend with the OP rather than make a statement about its quality.

Man, I almost forgot that there's a sequence in reverse in the OP. It's just that crazy. I've shown enough gifs of stuff so I'll spare the trouble (and save it for later) by just sharing a still. It's well animated, obviously, but aside from it being in reverse, there's just one detail to make note of: the dot matrix. It appears as an airplane for just a split second as a way to begin dissolving it from the frame (though it can be hard to make out because Tumblr compression). A very sneaky and subtle way to continue on with the direction established from the start.

There's lots of tricks in this OP, isn't there? I suppose it's rather similar to the Anya circus one, but slightly different. Keeping in line with the near impossibly hectic style of animation in the opening, we see frame-by-frame cuts alongside some of the best animated sequences. It helps keep that balance, you know? Where we give up on sharpness with some of the faster and more fluid movements, we make up with via these rougher ones.

Also, would it really be Masaaki Yuasa without some freakishly well animated cuts? Animating cars can already be a challenge in the first place, but not only do we see one heavily featured here, we see it spinning around wildly with characters in it. It's a crazy feat that only madmen like Masaaki would attempt.

Anyways, don't you dare underestimate Yuasa's insanity. He made people animate a reflection in a teapot. For like a 3 second cut. No, really, he did. Look at this ridiculously pointless detail.

Okay okay, it's time to wind down a little bit. The wonderfully creative perspective of the OP. It's mostly the cars, but on the more simple sub-to-plane cut it's featured in a more subtle sense just to add something to it, you know? Just to give viewers something a little more interesting to look at.

Alright, last cut I promise. I was very surprised, and equally impressed, to see this skydive sequence as a single cut. I thought for sure it was going to be split, but keeping it in one piece was a great decision.

And that's all I think I will chat about, because if I don't call it quits somewhere I'll never stop. Seriously, that's just how full and dense this opening is. For instance, just look at the bottom left image from the gallery above, Anya's drinking tea all fancy like. Crazy little detail that you wouldn't see unless you paused the opening. And this is full of that kind of stuff alongside the incredible and distinct direction and style of Yuasa. It's a gold mine of creativity and expression that only the man himself would be able to pull off, and I love it. Best Spy x Family opening and another to add to the list of incredible OPs this year.

[angelthefirst1]

Rick's story from season 1 and Beth's missing filming spoilers from season 5. Are they the same? The answer is Yes!

Looking back at the old filming spoilers from season 5 was a great reminder to me, that much funny business went on during filming at the time.

Many fans were EXTREMELY, even obsessively invested in finding out spoilers for season 5. The huge uptick in interest for spoilers was in large part because of what happened at the end of season 4.

We saw Daryl lose the girl that he (let's be honest) fell in love with.

The ship wars began and both those that loved Beth and Daryl, and those that hated them (the darkness) were obsessed with finding out what was going to happen.

Many fans spent hours at the filing locations just to catch a glimpse of who was there and what was happening.

You can read about the unseen Beth filming spoilers here. And all credit to @bethgreeneishopeunseen for the original sources and archives of these spoilers.

Now we don't know exactly what went on and what was really filmed or not but, I remember following the filming spoilers during that time and then seeing what eventuated onto our screens. Mostly what we saw onscreen matched the filming spoilers extremely accurately.

Except for these spoilers revolving around Beth. So it's really odd overall, and I do think the fans who wrote about these spoilers were actually correct in what they saw filmed, but it was never designed to be seen in season 5.

Looking back at Rick's story and knowing now how they repeat everything, even down to the smallest detail...

It inspired me to look again into Rick from season 1 and how those missing spoilers, and Beth footage could be connected to Rick's season 1 story.

It makes more sense now, than it ever did back then.

So I will go through and compare Rick season 1, to the missing filming spoilers to see if they fit together.

I was quite surprised by what I found...

Firstly, we obviously saw this scene repeated already. 👇

After the hospital, Rick makes his way home on a red bicycle, which he leaves out the front of his house before running into the house, to see if his family is there.

The first missing footage of interest to me, that lines up with Rick's season 1 story, are the houses that Beth was supposedly seen filming at.

The white house and the brick house next door to each other...

Almost all the season 5 characters were seen filming at these locations and 15 eye witnesses say they saw Beth, but no one was able to get a photo as she was hidden as best as possible, and rushed inside very quickly.

If they are repeating Rick's story, which they are, then it's no surprise they picked a house that's visually similar to Rick's own home from season 1. The pillars, the steps, the incline up to the house, the front porch, the window and door placement, and the railings. This is Ricks house. But it's got more Brick.

Beth's brick house made me laugh here, because brick is a combination of Beth and Rick, sorry 😂 anyway...

Rick leaves the red bike out the front of the house, but at Beth's brick house there is the red car with the Sheriff star on the wheel left out the front.

After Rick realises his family is gone, he gets hit in the head by Duane, and Morgan takes him to a neighbors house.

Beth's missing spoilers said that both the two neighboring houses were used in the filming and as i have said in past posts, there will be a convergence of signs when Beth (Jesus) returns. You can read more about how the convergence works here

They are converging Rick's story and all the imagery around it, and that is what is shown in the missing spoilers, everything we saw from season 1 together. Let me explain more below.

I found it interesting there is the visual similarity to the interiors of Beth's houses and the house that Morgan takes Rick to.

Rick wakes in a room with floral wallpaper and decorative hanging light fixtures and white trim.

Now, the black and white picture above, is actually the interior of Beth's White House. Floral wall paper and hanging light fixtures with white trim.

The other house with brick (Beth's brick house), its interior has a very similar paint colour and similar floorboards to the neighboring house Morgan takes Rick to.

While Beth's white house exterior, matches Rick's white exterior house.

So we see two houses in the missing spoilers that combined show the two houses Rick went to in season 1, his own white house and a neighbors house.

But the missing spoilers show one more house was filmed at, and that was this house 👇

A yellow house 🏠 💛 with black roof and black trim.

It's funny because the first picture in this collage below, is the exterior of the neighbors house that Morgan takes Rick to.

Both yellow with black.

This is not a coincidence...

Outside the yellow house is bike and a red car! Convergence, inversion, infinity.

Now, what's even funnier is the spoilers' state that the male seen walking with Tara, was playing the role of a character named "Andrew" Rick/Andrew.

The houses do seem to be repeating Rick's story, and this made me sure the spoilers are actually correct.

But there's more to look at.

Once Rick recovers in the yellow house, he goes back to the police station he worked at to get weapons.

Now I can't help but realise that when Rick was in the hospital, we saw the combination of a hospital plus police officers (Rick and Shane) just like Grady.

Rick goes back to his old police station (aka Grady). Does that mean Beth will go back to Grady? Who knows, but there are other missing spoilers from the hospital that indicated she might have.

Once Rick gets weapons from the station, he drives off in a police car.

One of the spoilers also said Beth was seen driving away from Grady in a police car. Rick was leaving the police station to find his family. Was Beth doing the same? or does she go back to get medical attention or weapons?

Now continuing on with Ricks story, he eventually ends up in Atlanta (Grady for Beth), where he leaves Merle on the roof.

We know Merle cuts his own hand off and goes missing. Daryl was absent at the time and when he found out he was furious and devastated.

I believe this scenario will be repeated with Beth. Merle becomes Beth disappearing with her arm in a cast. You could say her cast, 'hand-cuffs' the wrist.

What if Beth has her cast removed and Daryl finds it, questioning who removed it, and that leads him to try and track Beth down, even if he still thinks she is dead.

Merle steals a van in season 1, and they lose track of him, we don't see or hear about him for a very long time.

We see Rick find his family back at the quarry camp and Lori asks Rick if he wants his wedding ring back, he says yes, and she gives it to him.

Now, follow me here for a second.

What I just talked about above regarding Merle, his hand, him going missing, and the Lori and Rick's reunion with wedding rings, is a convergence of the signs of season 1, all summed up with these behind the scenes photos or clues, that Norman posted at the time of the missing filming spoilers.

The bloody hand with what looks like cut marks where Merle cut his hand off, and the combination of marriage and wedding ring symbolism. Nicotero and Norman are 'brother's'...

Now back in season one Lori takes her wedding ring off when she sleeps with Shane, because she thinks Rick is dead (till death do us part)

While Daryl finds only Merle's hand in season one, it seems these hints about the missing spoilers point to Daryl finding Beth's cast but losing the love of his life. Divorced.

Knowing how they repeat everything, and how Daryl takes Merle's hand when he finds it (same as taking someones hand in marriage), eventually he will ask Beth to marry him, but I think that will be later on not immediately.

We know Merle shows up again around the time when Andrea does, this is interesting to me because, next year we are going to see Rick (Daryl's brother) back in The one's who live, and we will get season two of Daryl Dixon -The book of Carol, which is really the book of Beth.

Andrea/Merle + Beth/Rick showing up at around the same time. hmm.

The last thing I want to discuss is the retirement home missing filming spoilers...

Beth was apparently seen filming at what was thought to be a retirement home.

Now, was it definitely a retirement home? We can't be sure, but it really would make sense, why?

Because Rick went to a "retirement home" in season 1.

Now, to start with Rick doesn't know it's a retirement home, he goes there to trade people. Glenn who was taken, for one of their group.

This is Rick's version of Grady.

Rick in order to get Glenn back, Rick is willing to shoot the place up in a gun fight if he has to.

Now you will notice at Beth's houses, the red car and the brick house have undergone a massive shoot out, with bullet holes everywhere. Was someone trying to get Beth back and did shoot the place up? I would say yes!

The leader of the other group in season 1, wants Rick's guns and wants the trade to include the guns as well as his man.

Rick declines, saying the guns are his. So the leader threatens to feed Glenn to his ferocious dogs, he says to Rick "I'm going to chop up your boy, feed him to my dogs, three of the evilest, nastiest, meanest bitches you ever saw. Picked em up from Satan at a yard sale".

Now the filming spoilers also indicate that a dog was filming at Beth's houses. A Rottweiler named Ozzy, and his doghouse is located in the yard (yard sale) of the Brick house.

The owner of Ozzy said the dog had two scenes in season 5, but he was never seen onscreen.

And a sign placed out the front of the brick house said "Beware of dog".

Now the dogs in Rick's story were not really very scary...

The leader of the group gave a very long-winded, over the top, scary caution about how dangerous his dogs were.

In the missing filming spoilers, the sign with 'Beware the dog" seems to have 'the dog' crossed out. Kind of removing the warning, like it's not a threat.

But If Ozzy did indeed have a part in these missing scenes, which it looks like he did. Then the low key warning on the sign, combined with the over the top warning from season one about how mean the dogs were, when they actually weren't.

Points to Ozzy being extremely vicious.

There's actually a lot more i could add, but this is way to long already.

The overall point of looking back at this, is to show the missing spoilers are all too similar to Rick's story to be a coincidence.

We will eventually see them, and it seems to be right around the corner.

One last thing, the episode where Rick gets a reunion with his family is in 103, and it's called, Tell it to the frogs.

Frogs is another way of talking about the french or french people. Linking a big reunion to France...

[golvio]

I’ve been digesting the video essay Orientalism & the Gerudo over the past couple of days. The first half of the video is a basic, consolidated summary of arguments I’ve seen people make about SWANA representation and Black representation regarding the Gerudo that also includes more academic sources to try to explain to newcomers or people unfamiliar with the term “Orientalism” where these points came from. I’m hoping this opens up some discussions across the wider fandom.

My only criticism is that, sometimes, the points can meander a bit between each other without clear boundaries between which talking point is which, leading to occasional moments of “Huh? How did we get here?” or “Wait, what about that other point you just made?” However, I think that’s a symptom of there being just so much to talk about regarding the broader umbrella topic that this video is trying to cover that it’s hard to know when/how to fit stuff in. You could make a whole essay about only how Arab men are depicted as aggressively misogynistic threats menacing Arab women to justify modern imperialist invasions of the Middle East by Western powers and how that ties in to the way Nintendo refuses to show Ganon having a more humanized, complex relationship with his own people. Even after a whole hour it feels like we’ve only just scratched the surface.

However, I also don’t think this “meandering” is necessarily negative because it sometimes ended up leading to great points that I hadn’t considered before. For example, I was initially confused about why the essay started focusing on Rauru and the plot of TotK after the halfway point, but it ended up not just being a useful example of how Japan reproduces Western tropes from pop cultural influences for fans who weren’t quite convinced about the essay’s arguments in the first half because they assumed Japan was in a cultural vacuum where racism doesn’t exist, but also gave me a totally new perspective about Rauru’s character beyond my initial Shintoist reading of his role as a divine ancestor that legitimized the royal family’s rule.

Rauru and Mineru’s designs and backstory borrow visual and literary tropes from depictions of indigenous peoples in American media to legitimize him as “indigenous to Hyrule” and therefore an important founding figure in its revised origin myth, but these tropes reproduced without awareness of their original cultural context also serve to “unperson” him as a character within the story. He’s sequestered into a distant past where he can’t really interact with characters in the present, not even truly “owning” the kingdom he founded, which instead passes to the Hylians, who coopted his legacy of unification for their own ends but completely forgot about him. He and his sister are treated more like “resources” for Link/the player to take advantage of to achieve their goals than characters in their own right. And, emotionally, the Zonai siblings are so distanced from the main cast and each other by being treated more like concepts of “nativeness” than people in their own right that their own descendant feels like a stranger visiting an exotic land instead of long-lost family reconnecting with her roots.

Like…it’s a really clever way to introduce two equally complex points that people should keep in mind when examining the Gerudo. First, that you can’t really treat Japan’s depictions as the exact same as Western depictions, because while Japan isn’t “the West,” it has its own complicated history with racism and imperialism born out of the “pan-Asian” nationalism of the early 20th century. At the same time, Japan doesn’t exist in a hermetically sealed cultural vacuum totally isolated from Western influences that makes Japanese creators incapable of learning about cultural nuances regarding racism, despite what fashy weebs personally invested in the myth of Japan being a magical exotic fairyland where “woke” doesn’t exist want you to believe.

I hope this video essay inspires other people to look into this topic further and maybe contribute their own works to the discussion.

[fanbun]

Time for me to talk about Hazbin Hotel now that season 1 has ended!

I’d like to start off by saying I enjoyed watching the show. It is a visual delight that introduces some much-needed variety to the western adult animation space. Charlie and Vaggie as main characters hooked me even way back when I watched the pilot on YouTube. And although many of the songs caught me off guard in the episodes themselves, I kept going back to listen to them for days afterward.

But in all honesty, when it comes to writing, season 1 is a structural mess that wants to do as much as it can in 8 episodes rather than narrow its focus to what is most important for a first season. Yes, of course this is subjective to an extent, but the lightning-fast pacing the show quickly adopts is a common complaint even among the most hardcore fans. It is glaringly obvious that major plot points and character development are rushed because Vivienne did not want to compromise her vision to fit neatly into the number of episodes given to her.

Sure, I agree that 8 episodes a season shouldn’t be the norm but I don’t think the quality of a show is doomed to suffer because of that. Choices were made by the writers to include characters and scenes that could have easily been saved for a later date or even cut entirely. Season 1 didn’t even have to end with a climactic battle between heaven and hell, as first seasons are usually meant to introduce characters and provoke further intrigue that can be expanded upon later. But as it turns out the almighty cool factor demanded a war to end season 1 and that’s what we got.

This is something I’ve noticed often while watching Hazbin. The spectacle of engaging designs, captivating animation sequences and catchy songs quite literally steal the show. This “cool factor” will almost make you forget that many of the main characters have hardly spoken to each other outside of a few brief jokes here and there.

Hazbin wants to be cool and it wants to have an expansive cast of characters to make the world-building feel fleshed out. But this doesn’t exactly work when we’ve hardly gotten to know a character before moving on to the next one who seems far less relevant to the main selling point of the hotel that the first season is SUPPOSED to be establishing.

And here’s where a HUGE issue with the pacing comes in and that’s how fast we see sinners at the hotel get better. It doesn’t feel like 6 months have passed in the show since there is barely an indication of the passage of time, and we also don’t get to see much struggle to change from those staying at the hotel. Both Sir Pentious and Angel Dust are given their own character development episodes, but in my opinion a single episode for each is not enough to feel like the development was realistic and earned. Directly afterward we see them immediately improved and acting as if they have become close family with those staying at the hotel.

It was jarring to watch since I felt like I was missing the context for when all of the characters bonded to the extent of being that close. The only characters I saw bonding in a way that felt real were Angel Dust and Husk, and even though episode 4 was terrific for showing Angel’s struggles and how the hotel serves as his support network, it made me desperately crave more genuine moments like it.

I especially wanted more genuine moments between Charlie and Vaggie since they experienced an upset in their relationship towards the tail end of the season. And unfortunately the last two episodes didn’t satisfy me since the two talked more with other characters I wasn’t interested in than with each other. It’s a shame that Alastor often steals their spotlight, and from what I’ve heard season 2 is going to be more about Alastor and the Vees too. This worries me, as it seems Vivienne is showing favoritism for the supporting cast over the main characters.

Still, I will definitely be checking out season 2 when it’s released to see if there have been any improvements. And even if there aren’t, it’ll be a fun show to turn my brain off to. I see the show’s existence as a net positive for the animation industry despite the issues I have with it.

[prezine]

Announcing: PreZine, a fanzine for the Precure series!

Hello, tumblr!

I don't wanna waste anyone's time, so I'll cut to the chase: I'm trying to put together a Precure fanzine with community contribution. You can find a submission form here, with plenty of detail about what I'm looking for. If you want more detail, keep reading.

My name's Nick, and I'm a huge fan of the Precure series. Each season varies in quality—there are some I love almost completely, some that disappointed me immensely, and a lot somewhere in between. I've watched on my own, introduced friends and family to the show, have the soundtracks on my phone to listen to, I've bought figures and other merch while visiting Japan... I like it a lot.

I've never actually interacted much with the fandom, though. I'm awkward when it comes to joining new communities, and tend to lurk more than I actively contribute. Recently, though, I had an idea. See, I love analyzing things I like. And things I don't like. And Precure is full of both of those things. I've also been mildly interested in webzine culture and the idea of creating some of my own. The writing is fun, and I've wanted to get better at layout work, so doing a little Precure fanzine could be quite a lot of fun!

But... it's not really "interacting" with the community if I'm just writing my own thoughts and throwing them at you, telling you to read them. I'd rather get folks involved! Details can be found further down, but the gist of what I'm doing here is that I want to gather volunteers for a free fanzine I'll be publishing. It might wind up being a single issue, or keep going for some time—we'll just have to see how things go. The zine will be freely available and not behind a paywall, but I will have a ko-fi set up to take donations. Proceeds will go towards paying contributors first, before I touch any part of them. I don't expect a high volume of donations or anything, but whatever I do get I want to go towards the continued success of the project, and that means making an attempt to fairly compensate those who contribute.

To that end, any contribution—whether it be an article, piece of visual media (art, cosplay, etc.), or something else I decide would be a good fit—will provisionally be worth $50. If we get enough donations on Ko-fi to fully pay those tabs, then they will be fully paid. If we get less, then each month I'll divvy up the money based on percentages of contribution, up until (hopefully) all contributors are fully paid.

To be clear, once again: the zine will be completely free, and I have no budget for this at the moment, so any and all payment will be dependent on folks donating us money. I strongly desire to pay every contributor, but at the time being it's best to view this as a volunteer passion project with payment as a distant possibility.

Now, what are we looking for? Well, all of the information below will also be found on the linked form for submission pitches, but...

Articles

I've already written first drafts of two articles, which I've linked as samples down below. What you write doesn't have to be in the same style or vein as mine, but at least that can give you a bit of an idea of what's guaranteed to be included already. Currently, what I'm looking for specifically are:

Characters that have influenced you

Musical analysis

Original Precure fiction

If you have ideas for things not on this list, you can also pitch those within the form.

Visual Media

I have no art at the moment. As this is a zine about a property I do not own, I am absolutely going to avoid using official art. I can decorate with other images I have the rights to, but to give it that actual Precure aesthetic, having visual media submissions would help a lot.

For the time being, I'm looking for:

Drawings

Cosplay photos

As with the articles, you can also pitch stuff not on this list.

Graphic Design

This isn't on the form, but if you've got any graphic design experience... well, you can see by looking at our Twitter or the avatar for this blog that graphic design isn't my passion. I think I do okay when it comes to layouts, but covers/avatars/timeline pics... not so much. PM me, here or on Twitter, if you wanna take a crack at addressing any of our graphic design needs. You will be compensated for your time in the same way as all other contributors.

So, if you're interested in contributing, here is the submission form once again. You can also check out my two samples, found here. They will be edited, so this isn't their final form, but they are roughly what I'm contributing in terms of writing.

And lastly, our Ko-fi can be found here.

If you have any questions I haven't addressed here or in the form, ask away!