#and while yen is the main character and will be talked about the most

[cartoon-buffoon]

Saw someone I followed doing this so I might as well also do it praying to all the gods they don't see this and get mad I copied them anyways time for:

TOON BUFFOON'S AUs

(feel free to inquire or ask about ANY part of these AU's as I love talking about them and most if not all of these WILL end up as a fanfiction story and I have plans for all of these)

Misery loves Company

Basic info: Misery loves Company features a version of Euthanasia Rabbit from FNF's Wednesdays' Infidelity and an OC based on that one Felix game over image aka: HET. Both Euthanasia Rabbit and HET have original written lore that is connected for this AU and although Euthanasia Rabbit's story of him losing Ortensia and being in a depression is similar how it happened is more detailed and kinda the main focus of this AU. That and Het and Euthanasia's absolute boiling hatred for each other that kinda gets resolved? Not really? Idk it's complex.

Summary: Oswald and Felix used to be "friends" until one day Felix went off the deep end leading to a conflict that sent both of them spiraling. The only saving grace Oswald has was his wife who one day died. Both donned new names for different reasons, both bitter at the other for the conflict that started everything they one day meet again in a forest where Felix (now named Het) intends to kill Oswald (now named Euthanasia). This doesn't go as planned however and ultimately leads to Het ending up on his 9th and final life. Due to the fight they call a temporary truce but they still absolutely hate each other and do everything in the power to make sure the other dies because they firmly believe the other was responsible for all the misery they faced. From their perspectives at least

Blood & Ink

Basic info: An Epic Mickey AU inspired by Gravity Fall's Weirdmageddon and Infamous Second Son. This AU features Oswald fighting against four powerful creatures called "Terrors" who—unlike Toons who are made of paint and can be dissolved by thinner—Terrors are made of ink and use blood as a power source. The terrors themselves are also famous rubberhose horror characters as I like them and they belong in this AU, the Terrors are specifically: Bendy/The Ink Demon, Trevor Henderson's Cartoon Cat and Cartoon Dog, and Skitzo the 1920s killer bear. There's also the 5th Terror being the only good one who is from Skitzo's cartoons being named "The Little Dog". The way Oswald fights them is with powers he gets and he's gotta solve the mess he made because he awoke the Terrors.

Summary: Wasteland is in ruins, despite everything him and his brother went through that mouse had abandoned Ozzy leaving him to deal with wasteland slowly crumbling. Not wanting his world to vanish or be destroyed he inlisted the mad doc's help in order to temporally escape wasteland and meet with Yen Sid who offers him info of creatures who could save his world. Unfortunately this entire thing goes haywire and Oswald is brutally killed by the Terrors he woke up only to be brought back, this time with new powers as a result of his paint getting combined with ink. Oswald now must get a hold of his powers as he tries to stop the sadistic creatures who took over his world in such a short time while also struggling with the mouse who popped back in.

Toon & The murder toon trio

Basic info: Personal OC insert AU featuring my OC Toon who is an amorphous blob of ink who takes on the appearance of a crappily made cartoon character because he finds it appealing. While exploring the area he woke up in he awakes the murder toon trio which is the Cartoon Cat, Cartoon Dog, and Skitzo. This AU is more or less a hectic slice of life thing where Toon tries to maintain a sense of normalcy whilst the three constantly try to drag him along to perform "pranks" or just murder people.

Summary: there is no real summary for this, Toon just gets bullied a lot by the three however the three actually do hold some affinity for him. Due to Toon awaking them the murder toons cannot stray too far away from him and Toon can regenerate so they can't kill him so their all kinda stuck together. They build a weird sorta bond of friendship and relying on each other, heck there's also a sort of love drama going on because Toon is a moron who falls for Skitzo and the Cartoon Dog desperately tries to tell him not to date someone named straight up "Skitzo".

[r1-jw-lover]

HULLO!!!!! :P

rank your top five fav ships from the john wick series !! :3

Hi, thank you for the ask. Just wanna put a disclaimer that my first venture into the JW fandom was through the fourth film, so my ranking list will be heavily biased on that movie.

John x Caine

It's not even one year since JW4 is out and John/Caine is already on the top ten most written ships on AO3 within the John Wick fandom.

This pairing has just the right amount of bittersweetness and melancholy for me, and putting it on top of the actors' chemistry, the gay divorced vibes, the bickering, friends to reluctant enemies, the parallels, being each other's mirror, their deep trust, understanding and care for one another, you get my number one JW ship on this list.

The friendship between John & Caine is definitely one of the most developed and convincing out of all the friends John Wick had in the series, and in spite of the circumstances forcing them to be pitted against each other, they still managed to find comfort in the other's presence regardless, and I think that in itself is beautiful.

2. Koji x John x Caine

You know what else is better than putting Keanu Reeves and Donnie Yen together in the same movie? Putting Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen AND Hiroyuki Sanada together in the same movie.

You have already seen the incredible fanart [1, 2, 3] by the wonderful @ibahibut. They are THE old men yaoi of the recent decade of cinema, period.

The dynamics between the three of them are immaculate. Not only you have John & Caine (explanation above), John & Koji are very supportive of each other, and Koji & Caine have both the closeness and the inevitable tragicness that undercurrents their brotherhood.

All in all, I desperately need a prequel series of this trio.

3. John x Helen

It's the only canon romantic relationship in the series so it has to be on the list. Other than the fact that one of them is dead, I think that John/Helen is incredibly sweet, which make the heartaches even more painful.

John's grief for Helen's passing is one of the main driving forces for the character throughout the series. His almost religious love and devotion to his wife is all the more apparent given that Helen is the reason John had fought to stay alive for as long as four movies.

At the end of the day, John only wished to die not as the Baba Yaga but as a loving husband, finally succumbing to his wounds with Helen being his last thought before dying. (TAT)

4. Akira x Mia

Gosh, I love my lesbian rarepair too much. I initially shipped them merely for the shits and giggles (i.e. Akira getting back at Caine by dating his daughter lol), but then I also come to realise their potential as a pairing story-wise.

Outside of the obvious enemies to/and lovers vibes, I could imagine both Akira and Mia inheriting a lot of angst from their respective "father problems" that they must resolve between each other. Will Akira ever tell Mia about her plan to kill Caine? Will Mia ever understand Akira's revenge against her father? Will Mia decide to step into the fold of assassins because of Akira? Will Akira leave the High Table to be with Mia like how John did for Helen?

As a conclusion... Gosh, I love my lesbian rarepair too much.

5. Marquis x Wuxia DJ

The funniest and best crack ship ever made up in the John Wick fandom, and there's just the two of us, hahahaha. They give off high-school exes who are so, so fashionable and serve cunt while talking shit about the other behind each other's backs.

It's number five on my list because it's that good.

Honorable mention: Cassian x Gianna

Before the fourth movie is released, Cassian & Gianna is the only pairing I could see happening in the background. Cassian's loyalty to Gianna even after she died is very touching, and Gianna seemed very appreciative of it from the short interaction they have in JW2.

[yennefer-x-tissaia]

Am I the only one who was a little sad that we didn't saw Yennefer really fighting in the last episodes? I mean I really LOVE that running scene when she was on her way to Tissaia (girl literally ran through fire for her) after she goes back to Aretuza. But I I would've really liked it to saw her using her powers. Especially after Sodden where she burned half of nilfgaards army and still protects Tissaia. I also kinda hoped and begged to see her using fire magic again but they never talked about that again

I can only answer this personally (as in, me, @thegirl20) and I don't think I felt short-changed in terms of Yennefer's magic. We know what Yen can do - we've seen it. She can also seemingly heal wounds that baffle both Triss and the Brokilon forest waters. We're in no doubt of Yennefer's powers.

I will say that, in general, I have always been a little bit annoyed that we don't really know what the 'rules' of magic are, other than that there's a give and take and that not controlling it has consequences.

So, where I felt short-changed in this episode is that I finally got to see Tissaia do some proper big magic. She called Alzur's thunder. Ciri referred to it as a spell of last resort. It looked impressive. It sapped Tissaia's chaos and turned her hair white. But the main characters who had to survive the scene did so fairly easily. Francesca threw up a magical shield which withstood Tissaia's magic with seemingly no effort. Whereas when Tissaia threw up a shield in her 'You won't take Aretuza' moment, the archers shot dimeritium arrows through it without any problem. We had been told in that same episode that Tissaia was the 'most powerful of mages' but I really don't think that was apparent.

If Yen could burn half an army to death in 1.08, I wanted Tissaia's magic to be even bigger, more destructive, genuinely awesome.

And it kinda wasn't. And that makes me sad. That we saw Tissaia not only duped by Vilgefortz, but overpowered fairly easily by mages who shouldn't have been able to come close to her level. And yes, you could explain it away this way or that way, but I'm afraid you will not convince me that I saw the most powerful of mages put up a convincing fight.

Yen's fire magic in the season 1 finale was awe-inspiring - and it worked. Not only did she slow down the army, she did so while keeping Tissaia safe. I feel like Tissaia should have been allowed a big moment like that and I don't think she got it.

[fangirleaconmigo]

I find it interesting that in post-S2 fanfics Yennefer and Jaskier get a lot of sympathetic trauma-bond/catharsis type fic, while Geralt's trauma is pretty much ignored. He went through so many emotionally devastating events, while only being allowed to suppress rather than actually deal with his feelings so he can "be strong for Ciri." He went through all that loss and betrayal with nobody stepping up to support or comfort him. Yet fandom still wants to obsess over making him an emotional punching bag for breaking Jaskier's heart. Poor dude is way overdue for an emotional breakdown.

Hmmmmm, since you specifically put this in my ask box, should I assume this is in reference to my current post-S2 fic from Yen’s POV exploring her trauma? The Yennskier one? It’s my second one about Yen’s trauma post S2 from her perspective so maybe I’m part of your motivation for that complaint idk.

Starting with Yen (since you mentioned her) If you’re looking objectively at the numbers of fics created, she is not receiving more attention than Geralt. She appears in about 10k fics to Geralt’s 30k fics. And I would guess that she is a supporting character vs a main character in most of those.

I don’t say that as a criticism. I write more Geralt as well.

I’m just saying that as a statement of fact.

And for all the talk of Yennskier, the number of the fics for them on AO3 is still about 5% of what is there for Geraskier.

Sometimes just because you see something on your dash repeatedly doesn’t mean it’s representative the majority. Sometimes you are just following a few people who talk about it a lot. Or something annoys you so you feel like it’s everywhere. It’s like when you have a sore thumb all it does it hit doorways.

The fic I linked (just like my other Yen POV fics) is getting a tiny tiny fraction of the hits of my other fics get. I’m doing it out of sheer love that’s it.

But yeah ofc I agree with you about Geralt S2. That man can’t catch a break. And no one seems to be supporting him. It was heartbreaking to see the people who were supposed to love him turn on him.

But then again this is love-Geralt-of-Rivia-24-7-central over on fangirleaconmigo 😅 I don’t see any of this as a contest. They’re all traumatized and doing their best. I find them all fascinating and depending on the day, I could be writing about any of them.

[seraphirism]

🐈‍⬛anon is here!!

Well, I would love to pull gacha but I'm too broke for it, I have only like 19k of butterflies? Sadly, I don't have an opportunity to buy butterflies (if I could've, I would've bought voiced episodes... but sadly I can't follow my dreams...) but probably I will pull gacha anyway and have some ugly ahh shoes like every time I try to trick my luck.

As for the type— yeah, calm and gentle ones are really a good type, I'm a sucker for those who are kind to me and are like 'you can depend on me☺️'. I instantly turn into that one meme where a werewolf is ripping apart his shirt. Maaan, to be honest I was a Teddy fan when the Villa butlers were added to our Barbie Dream House crew BC he's soooooo sweet and cheerful and and and— *got shot* ehem anyway, I'm sorry, I'm rumbling. Have a good day Sol!! And yeah, it's a pity we can't add friends in aknk bc honestly? that would be very fun and nice. I hardly have anyone to discuss my devil boys with so it would be cool to have some friends in the fandom.

exactly, I have like 4k butterfly diamonds now 😭 like it’s almost funny. while aknk isn’t a pay to play game (like at all), it is a very pay to get the cards kinda game. like almost all Japanese fans (who’s fan content I consume voraciously on twitter) pull on the guaranteed (paid) banners of their favourite characters events. it’s almost useless going for the normal gacha unless you’ve saved up a heck lot.

while I do feel the compulsion to spend money on the gacha, it’s hella expensive for me when I convert Japanese yen to my country’s currency 😭 I felt the most tempted when I saw that we had to pay to unlock the voiced main story chapters; like damn, I love story content that’s completely voiced. aknk already has a very strong voice actor cast—don’t tempt me (T-T)

before I started replaying in June of this year, I was kinda apprehensive about the villa butlers (I knew nothing about them). I thought I wouldn’t like them as much as I liked the original cast of butlers. then for funsies (before reading the 2.5 update), I thought I’d consume some casual Teddy content…

and then I had a miss jackson moment (yes, from the meme). next thing you know, within minutes i had read 2 of his initial card stories.

like I remember showing one of his scenes to my sister (where he’s holding a mop in his hand), dressed in sports wear and that my friend changed my brain chemistry; my sister said that he was the most babygirl guy she had seen in a long while.

like I want to take him out on dates. no, he’s not my butler—he’s my girlfriend ✨💗💅

the recent stories have almost made me forgot that he’s not a lil cute swordsman nerd—he’s been through hell and back 😭 his past has been brushed over but I don’t think it’s completely over. i think more nitty gritty stuff will come out; you can see it subtly in how obsessed he is with becoming better and stronger, more reliable in the eyes of Aruji and the rest.

ahem—see I blabber a lot when I get the opportunity to do so (๑>◡<๑)!

yes, I don’t have many people to talk to either about aknk 😭 tumblr is still a blessing where we do have some fans active. I hope some of the fan content creators from twitter migrate to tumblr 🙏 tumblr is way too comfortable for me; twitter is kinda intimidating (^_^)

also, I can’t believe it’s October already. the year went by so fast〜we’ll be having a Halloween event and then in December we’re going to have the anniversary event (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) I can’t wait for it!

have a lovely day, 🐈‍⬛–anon! also, have you checked out some of the homescreen interactions of Bellen and Shiro? man, Shiro’s conversations with the butlers are so entertaining, while Bellen on the other hand is living up to his title of the older brother of all time ✨

[adamwatchesmovies]

Ocean's Twelve (2004)

Making Ocean’s Twelve must’ve been a blast. You can tell the actors were certainly having a good time. Too bad the fun can't extend to the audience as well. This film thinks it’s so clever, so funny. All I want to do is punch it in its smart little face.

Set three years after Ocean’s Eleven, Terry Benedict (Andy García) has located the Ocean's crew and demands they return his money - with interest. Fearful for their lives, the group schemes to pull a few quick jobs to pay him back but their efforts are hindered by the master thief “The Night Fox”. He agrees to help Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his friends out of their jam if they can best his legendary skills.

Immediately, the film is in trouble. Either Danny and his friends will succeed in their mission and pay back Benedict - which will make us unhappy because we don't like him - or they will fail and the villain will have them all killed - which will make us unhappy because we like them. The only possible way to avoid audience disappointment would be for the scoundrels to somehow steal from the man - again - and beat him so decisively that he gives up trying to get his revenge. Unfortunately, that’s what the first movie was about so you know it’s not going to happen.

Ocean's Twelve can’t even figure out what to do with its characters. The problem is that although we sort of got a vibe that they got along, we never really believed the people rounded up by Danny were friends. It was pretty clear that at the end of the first movie, they were going their separate ways. Maybe some of them would keep in contact but no one was ringing up “The Amazing” Yen (Shaobo Qin) to see how he was doing. Like many others, he was hired to fulfill a role in a con and nothing more… but he was in the first movie so he has to come back again. How does the screenplay by George Nolfi use him? It shoves Yen into a bag and then accidentally ships him off to the wrong country so he can be “in the movie” but off-screen as much as possible.

Forget Twelve. This movie only has a few important characters. There’s Danny and Rusty (Brad Pitt), Danny’s wife Tess (Julia Roberts) and Rusty’s old flame, Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Then, you have the villains with Vincent Cassel as The Night Fox and Andy García. Everyone else could’ve been condensed into one or two people. Similarly, the plot could’ve been thinned a lot. As is, there are so many twists and turns it’ll make your head spin. In another heist film, that would've been good but so many revelations are then revealed to be completely useless by the final scene it makes you feel like you wasted your time. In this instance, the main plan is so dumb you know director Steven Soderbergh is trying to pull a fast one on you and you don’t buy it for a second.

The most infuriating scene is also the unfunniest. The crew's target is the Fabergé Imperial Coronation Egg (quite the step down from a vault full of money if you ask me) so they recruit Tess (who is the twelfth member of the team) to help. Their plan? Capitalize on the running joke that she “sorta” looks like Julia Roberts by distracting the people in the museum while the others steal the egg. Not terribly clever, this gag also breaks one of the unspoken rules of filmmaking. The audience promises to ignore the fact that we know these are actors on-stage as long as the movie doesn’t draw attention to it and pretends the story is set in a world other than ours, “Last Action Hero”-style. As Oceans Twelve does this whole “I don’t look that much like her”, “Oh no! There’s Bruce Willis! Now I have to pretend like I know what he’s talking about” thing, you make a mental promise to hate the film no matter what it does later.

The worst part of Ocean’s Eleven” was the hint at a sequel right at the very end because deep down, you knew the magic couldn’t be replicated, that only the most convoluted of scenarios could bring these people together again. Ocean’s Twelve proves that so thoroughly it’ll make you wish the actors would all retire. (April 28, 2022)

[tanenigiri]

Review #31: Hirano and Kagiura (Volume 1)

Japanese title: 平野と鍵浦 (Hirano to Kagiura)

Story and art: Shou Harusono

English publisher: Yen Press

Number of volumes: 1 in English, 3 in Japanese (ongoing)

Miyano knew what he was talking about.

(This review contains story spoilers.)

One fairly common trope among the manga I’ve read so far - and in romance works in general - is the side couple. These two characters’ dynamic is usually teased with winks and nudges in the background of the main story before blossoming into something more. Sometimes they just remain in the background with their futures open for the readers to fill, like Umino and Takenaka by the end of Dekoboko Bittersweet Days. Other times they get a whole arc dedicated to them where their dynamic is treated as the main couple - think Haruki and Akihiko in the later volumes of Given.

And then other times, and what is possibly the best outcome of them all, they get their own series.

One of the earliest gags we see in Sasaki and Miyano is how Miyano keeps on insisting that one of his senpais, Hirano, shares a much deeper connection with his dorm roommate than what he’s letting on. This is initially played as an extension of Miyano’s fudanshi tendencies, and Hirano is visibly annoyed whenever his kouhai brings this up. We then find out from the extra chapters in later volumes that Miyano was right on the money - except Hirano himself hasn’t realized it yet.

That’s the dynamic that Hirano and Kagiura explores, and right off the bat I’m amazed at both the similarities and contrasts these two couples have. There’s, of course, the senpai-kouhai relationship that’s evolving into something more, but the younger of the two being the one pursuing the elder in this series makes the dynamic quite different. While I don’t think one is better than the other, it makes for a great parallel to see how Sasaki’s advances differ from Kagiura’s pining - and how Miyano’s confusion differs from Hirano’s cluelessness.

But “cluelessness” is a bit too harsh in describing Hirano’s predicament, in my opinion. We get a pretty clear sense that Hirano hasn’t had any prior romantic experience, and I'd like to think he doesn't he have any idea what to think of romance at all, and this is something even Miyano didn’t have to deal with. Not only has he been overly exposed to romance thanks to his manga, but he also had a prior crush in Makimura that also showed him its pitfalls.

We don’t get where Kagiura stands in the prior romance department yet this early on, but what we do get is how he compares his relationship with Hirano with that of his parents. That’s the first time I came across that comparison among the manga I’ve read - which is both surprising and not that surprising, considering that most of these stories have distant parents as a plot device - and I think that’s also why I was taken aback that Kagiura’s first instinct in processing his feelings toward Hirano is that he wants to marry him. Without even touching on the fact that Japan isn’t as open to same-sex marriages as other countries, there’s a certain eagerness in Kagiura that makes you want to root for him but, at the same time, also makes you worry for him.

And that’s where Kagiura’s best friend and the first new character that this side-series introduces - Niibashi - stands as well in the middle of this first volume. Kagiura’s dynamic with Niibashi is initially introduced as quite comedic - Niibashi has to contend with Kagiura’s endless pining for his roommate, and he is not that enthusiastic about how a majority of all of their conversations revolve around Hirano.

But in the third chapter, which sees Kagiura missing Hirano while the latter is on a school trip, we see Niibashi also taking the role of an advice-giver. We know from previous chapters that Niibashi’s been privy to pretty much everything that’s happened between Hirano and Kagiura - though, of course, everything he’s been told has been with Kagiura’s twist - but even then, Niibashi rightfully surmises that Kagiura’s thoughts about how his relationship with Hirano should progress is quite hasty, and he takes it upon himself to steer Kagiura toward a more realistic direction in dealing with his feelings.

Unfortunately, we also see from this exchange that Niibashi can be quite blunt with his advice, as he tells Kagiura that he might have become too overly reliant on his roommate. This makes Kagiura worry, and Niibashi does recognize afterward that he might’ve been too hard on his best friend, but a timely call from Hirano puts the basketball player at ease. This even leads Kagiura to admit that while he does rely on his roommate more than usual, he doesn’t necessarily see it as a bad thing.

And who could blame Kagiura, really, especially with how much Hirano dotes on him. The very next chapter sees Hirano wanting to make sure Kagiura gets a good gift for his birthday - which just so happens to fall on Christmas day - and not only does Hirano give him a basketball-themed alarm clock as a “fake” present (and we know how meaningful this is to both of them, considering a lot of their dynamic was built on Hirano waking Kagiura up in the mornings), he even gets him tickets to see a basketball game.

Now, there’s something to be said about how Hirano doesn’t realize that what he’s doing is above and beyond what friends - let alone roommates - would do for each other, and how he’s unintentionally leading Kagiura on. But at the same time, you can’t really take that against him as, once again, Hirano has no prior experience with this kind of relationship. He’s going into this whole situation with his roommate completely clueless with what to do, and while he’s hitting the right marks, he may be hitting them way too well.

And that’s where this volume ends: Kagiura is overwhelmed by just how much affection he’s feeling for Hirano that he ends up voicing it out, but it - of course - goes over Hirano’s head. It gives Kagiura the resolve to voice his intentions out much clearer next time - which could only mean fun times ahead.

Random thoughts that I couldn’t fit elsewhere:

Absolutely love how this series integrates both Sasaki and MIyano in the background. I don’t think I mentioned it above, but this volume takes place very early on in their story - there’s a timeline in the back of the manga that helpfully tells us that this entire volume happens just right after the school incident where Miyano first met Sasaki. So to see how they act individually is a treat - it’s nice to know that Miyano’s suspicions about Hirano’s roommate has been consistent from the start haha.

One other character that gets a slightly different role here is Hanzawa, who is also staying in the same dorms as Hirano and Kagiura. True to his character in the other series, he is quite observant with the relationships of the people around him, and as early as his very first appearance, he already sees something brewing between the titular characters. This leads to a really funny dynamic between him and Hirano as he plays an even bigger role as a matchmaker here, considering that he’s also the resident advisor of their dorm.

I’ve already read many of the other future chapters at this point (up to the 18th as of the time of writing), and all they’ve done is reinforce how interesting, funny, and frustrating Hirano and Kagiura’s dynamic is. I think the only descriptor that does it justice is “chaotic” at this point. As much as I wanted to get into it in my review above, I think I’ll save my thoughts on those for another review.

Thanks for reading! You can read my reviews of Sasaki and Miyano here. When I decided that I want to write more reviews, I knew that this was gonna be the first one I wanted to get out. Not only are Hirano and Kagiura two incredibly interesting characters, but it was easy to get back into the groove with them.

I’ll post my next review covering another title in about a week, so I hope you look forward to it!

[nickslays05]

A Place Further Than the Universe

Hello again! Just finished watching another anime called "A Place Further Than the Universe" and it was amazing. It was one of those shows that I never thought I would watch because I prefer action shows and movies rather than more tranquil and slower shows such as this one. Though it isn't a show I would regularly watch, I thoroughly enjoyed this show. Starting off with a girl that had dreams of doing things she's never done before in high school and ending with her not only achieving these dreams but making new friends along the way. I will say that as Haber stated, in order to escape capitalism, you would need to distance yourself from society. This is what the girls did, though it may not have been for capitalism specifically, it still has the same meaning. The main issue in their story came from money. Shirase felt she had to earn more money to help fund the trip due to monetary issues. This is one of the few ways that capitalism was shown in the show. Due to money issues, they were almost incapable of attending the trip/ the trip even happening.

While watching the show I would say that I loved the dynamic when one person has a dream and other people want to put down that dream or make that person feel smaller because of it. That is why I would say that I loved Shirase Kobuchizawa. Her character showed how persistence wins especially when you have a heartfelt reason. In her case, she wanted to find her mother, and for three years she worked hard enough to not only gain one million yen but also manage to get on a trip that she technically shouldn't be on. Her drive to want to find her mother was truly inspiring to me and potentially to others.

I will say, however, that even if others disagree, I truly enjoyed Mari Tamaki because her and I share similar interests. In the sense that, she wanted to achieve certain things before high school ended. I had the same dreams and goals. Especially due to the fact that I didn't have a freshman year, so I already felt behind. So, I went out and did things I didn't do before. Now, I may not have gone to Antarctica, but I did venture out and met new people that I still call my friend.

Now, I don't have much to say about Hinata, other than the fact that I think she's the coolest out of all of them, but I will talk about how Yuzuki Shiraishis' life connects to other child actors worldwide. In her situation, she had to deal with a controlling mother who wanted her daughter to rise to fame. She booked roles rather than getting friends. She even talked about when she finally decided to get "friends", they would rather just use her for a photo and then decline all offers to hang out with her. I felt the most bad for her because she's just like other child actors worldwide that have to endure the same lives. They miss out on childlike things for the sake of entertainment. I am glad that she was able to meet her group of people who don't use her and want to spend time with her.

Overall, this was an amazing show and I am glad I got to watch it!

My favorite scene in the show. I love cinematic scenes and this truly appealed to my eyes.

[richs-japan-tabi]

Independent Excursion: Media Reflection

I chose The Tatami Galaxy, written by Tomihiko Morimi, as my media representation of Japan. The anime, adapted from the novel of the same name, is centered around Kyoto University. However, many other notable locations in Kyoto are also featured. I decided to go to some of these locations.

The first location I visited was the Shimogamo Shrine. This shrine is featured at the beginning of the first episode for its hidden ramen cart nearby, Cat Ramen. Unfortunately, the existence of this ramen cart is fiction. However, I still thought it would be fun to visit the shrine. The surrounding area of the shrine was beautiful, with thick woods arching over paved walkways.

Next, I visited Demachiyanagi Station. Being close to where the protagonist lives, the station is explicitly mentioned in the anime. While there wasn't much to see there, I ate some ramen in honor of Cat Ramen. I got the lunch set for only 1,000 yen and as you can see in the photo below, it was enormous. I highly recommend Kamomachi Ramen in Kyoto if you're in town.

After finishing eating, I embarked on the Kyoto University Clock Tower. Being a vital part of the anime's plot, it was a unique experience seeing it in person. I will elaborate further in the reflection portion, but I found it an incredible experience to see a scene from a piece of media in real life.

Finally, I ended the day with the most significant location, the Kamogawa Delta, featured in one of the anime's most memorable scenes. As Master Higuchi plays his iconic song here, the night sky is lit up in awe-inspiring fashion. Seeing this location in person made me feel a new connection to it. As one of the anime's most emotional scenes, it gave the location a weird nostalgic feeling.

Reflection

The Tatami Galaxy is a coming-of-age story of a student trying to find the perfect college life. The main protagonist is unnamed, with the name "me" in English. Every time that Watashi has doubts about his college life, he is transported into a world where he is in a different "circle." Circles are social-oriented clubs in Japanese schools, similar to many American clubs. Each time he begins a different life, the Kyoto University Clock Tower begins winding.

The Kyoto University Clock Tower looked very similar to the anime. However, I couldn't help but feel there was a difference between the anime and the real-life campus. It may be due to when I went, but it seemed much quieter. Perhaps to emphasize Watashi's perceived importance of campus life, the anime uses a variety of different colors and camera shots to make it seem more active than reality. However, this might be because of the time I went or that I wasn't allowed to explore the campus.

Another main character to mention is Master Higuchi, an eighth-year senior who lives in the same dorm as Watashi, the protagonist. Higuchi is always seen wearing a yukata and claims to be a god, passing on "wisdom" to his disciple Watashi. While his claims of being a god are seemingly absurd, his personality is beloved by many. Furthermore, the author often purposefully makes it unclear whether or not his claim of being a god is true. Who else would allow Watashi to transport to parallel universes?

One of the anime's most infamous scenes is Higuchi playing a song on the Kamogawa Delta, where the Takano and Kamo Rivers meet. Traveling to this site, there was some slippage between reality and the anime depiction. Firstly, in the anime, Higuchi is the only one in the Kamogawa Delta, making it seem like a majestic place fitting of Higuchi's mysterious character. However, traveling to this site, it becomes immediately apparent that it is a heavily traveled tourist destination. I even asked someone to take my picture there in Japanese, and they turned out to be Chinese!

Higuchi's song lyrics are seemingly nonsensical on first listen, talking about a triangle, a circle, and a square. However, they perfectly represent human's desire to be perfect. Throughout the anime, Watashi is so focused on achieving the perfect campus life that he forgets about the opportunity "dangling right in front of him," repeatedly foreshadowed by the fortune teller. When he finally forgets about his perfect campus life, he notices what he must do: ask out his crush.

Higuchi's song perfectly suits Kyoto's natural beauty. The Kamogawa Delta was a place where I could be mindful of the world around me. Sitting on the same rocks as Higuchi, I was reminded that it is sometimes important to forget about the ends of our ambitions and focus on what is in front of us now.

[chrissmou]

My December Books

Happy New Year, everyone, but we have the latest month of the previous one to talk about the books I have read, from fairy tale retellings to biographies and young romances in between. I have read 10 books in the past month so let’s discuss them. I will leave the link in Goodreads for you to check them out if you like:

The Elite (The Selection #2) (Kiera Cass): It was a good book but not as good as the first in the series it built in the world-building and the characters started to complicate themselves. I liked the risks made by the protagonist in the end and the protagonist. The society in the book seems a bit unfair and I don’t really that it hasn’t changed since it started. Overall, it was a fun read to start month.

Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman (Lucy Worsley): I loved the documentary accompanying this amazing read. Lucy is the most amazing narrator in subjects like this and while the documentary is amazing the book has its downsides. It has passages in it that are amazing but when we go in the descriptive parts it needs something more. I loved the different approach in the amnesia story as Lucy is a historian, she went to scientists and asked their opinions without sending mixed messages. I loved how she tried to understand Agatha as a person from her birth to her death and beyond.

A Taste for Love (Jeniffer Yen): This is the second time I read this amazing modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and I loved it. It was my favorite book I read in 2021 when I was reading my second dissertation and it was my letdown book. I loved the characters especially the two protagonists Liza and James as they are the heart of the book. I love the subtle way that has the Jane Austen references, too. Also, the descriptions of the Asian and European desserts and foods it has in it.

Love, Decoded (Jeniffer Yen): Imagine combining Emma, programming, and Gossip Girl in one universe this is then the book for you. I loved it as I am a coder at heart and I love the protagonist, the slow burn, and the other characters surrounding the story. I loved the New York setting and that her aunt has a matchmaking business which the protagonist writes a database for and program to help with the matchmaking. It is an amazing read in the same universe as Taste for Love, as Gigi, the protagonist, is the little sister of James the protagonist from the last one. It also has glimpses of his life in Texas with Liza.

Just Another Love Song (Kerry Winfrey): I liked this second chance between a country star and his high school sweetheart. The little kid in this one is sweet and the book is really funny especially the squirrel scene between the protagonists and all the main kids in the book. I loved the art and the descriptions of the scenery in this one too. I enjoyed the descriptions of the festival too. They were happy and entertaining with lots of fun.

Forever Inn Love (Freedom Valley #5) (Erin Branscom): The fifth book in the Freedom Valley Series is one of the best and I loved it. It is a second chance romance between the new mechanic, ex-military, and the new doctor in town. They are high school sweethearts and best friends who never forget one another. This little town is amazing to go back to as you see how the previous couples do in the scenes in the café or the Inn and have an idea of what about the next book in the series. It is worth a read with a good plot and relatable characters.

Santa’s Baby (Cantal Roome): That was a funny romance with all the typical misunderstandings you expect from one. Let’s start with the fact that when the two protagonists met, the woman was dressed as a bride and the male was as a Santa for a company Christmas party. The other is that he has a sex toy factory and he is a billionaire. His parents are the worst and the main enemy of the story. She has a younger sister who burns everything and a younger brother who knows how to stop her baby from crying. There is a funny reveal for the shop and the scene about a policeman doing shots at a webbing bachelor party.

The Unlucky Prince (Once Upon A Prince #1) (Deborah Grace White): A Prince and the Frog Retelling that missed the mark in both world-building and the magic in it. It was the first in a series I currently reading but a retelling I was excited about as it has the potential to be good. The only good thing I can remember is that I liked the character of both the protagonists especially the female and how good she was at negotiating treaties with the merchants of the city.

The Beggar Prince (Once Upon A Prince #2) (Kate Stradling): I loved this retelling of King Thrushbeard as it had great chemistry between the protagonists. I liked that the female has a disability that doesn’t allow her to recognize the protagonist with his beggar cloches and from an arranged marriage to one that they love each other but have got to know one another when they were beggars and have to work for everything. I also liked that it was only from the prince's point of view.

The Golden Prince (Once Upon A Prince #3) (Alice Ivinya): A retelling of Rapunzel is amazing. I loved the Hero and the heroine, especially his idiotic behavior when they first met and the fact that the protagonist is amazing in everything, brave, and a little bit manipulative too. I loved the magic and the background story in this one. I liked that it has a good world-building in the story and the mythology in it is amazing. It is worth a read.

[masternest]

Game Self Insert: Kieran

I was introduced to this kind of writing prompt from a friend so I wanted to properly take it on. Essentially, it's a series of questions that are posed to learn more about your self insert that you'd have for a particular game. I wanted to do this for an OC that I have called Kieran for the game Witcher 3. He was made to be in and around that universe but going through what I'd written for him in the past, I realized that I wanted to make some changes to him along with all my other OC's as I went through trying to rescue them lol so below is what I've written with that in mind just for me to use as future reference once I solidify the changes that I'll make with him. So enjoy ^^

1. What are the basics of your self insert? name, date of birth, height, etc.?

I only want to cover at this point all the important basics to give a general idea of how he looks to help you visualize. His full name is Kieran Fleming and he's about 5'10 in height with a slightly muscular build though you wouldn't be able to tell right away from the clothes he typically wears which is mainly robes for the most part yet it's quite functional as he's mostly running away from authorities. In a nutshell, he's a sorcerer who uses his talents for thievery. He has what I'd describe as black medium length hair while sporting a goatee and mustache.

2. When in canon does your self insert come in? Do you have a scene in mind for your entrance?

I've always imagined him to be someone that you can find in Oxenfurt at one of the inns there. He'd probably be sitting there alone on one of the tables and if you talk to him, there would be a quest that you can activate. His quest would involve something along the lines of burning down the Redanian ship that the leader of the Conclave of Mages would have as he is against everything that Redania is doing.

3. How do the other characters generally feel about your self insert?

It would probably be quite mixed depending on which character you're talking about. If it's Yen or Triss, they'd probably be okay with him but maybe not okay with his methods. Actually now that I think about it, if they knew more about him, they probably wouldn't like him for different reasons even though he wouldn't want them to hate him. He'd most likely have a lot of beef with Dijkstra but as per the character he'd probably get along well the most would Dandelion and Zoltan aside from Geralt. He would be frightened by Regis due to him reading up about vampires during his studies at Ban Ard Academy. It would be a case of too much information that causes him to develop his fear of vampires. This in turn would amuse Regis to no end I'd imagine and would probably cause some hilarious situations with those two.

4. Would you be considered a main character, side character, villain, or something else?

Definitely a side character. This is Geralt's game and it's not his style anyway to steal the spotlight.

5. Does your self insert have any special powers or abilities?

Yes he does. He studied magic at the school of Ban Ard being magically inclined. However, his training was cut short as he left the school to go searching for his parents. So in terms of his power level, he wouldn't be even close to being as strong as Yen or Triss but he'd know basic magic spells. He did have an inclination to more stealthy spells that would help him get out of a bind as needed.

6. Does your self insert have any pets?

Nope. It wouldn't be a good idea for him anyway as he's always moving and on the run from the law.

7. Would any other characters (besides your f/o) have a crush on your self insert?

As far as main characters and side characters in the game, I don't think so. He is a ladies man though so he'd be the one trying to flirt and woo the women that he meets.

8. What is your self insert's orientation?

Heterosexual

9. Who are your self insert's closest friends?

That depends I guess. I'd think that him being in the story would be something that is really determinant on having Geralt meet him. If the player doesn't trigger the quest, then Kieran will never know Geralt or any of the other characters. With that said, he wouldn't have any. He's a very solitary person as he doesn't trust easily and wouldn't want anyone dealing with his problems anyway. However, if the player does meet Geralt, then he would probably be the closest friend that he would have.

10. How do the other characters feel about your self insert and f/o's relationship?

I'm not sure what f/o stands for honestly so I'm going to assume that's Geralt. At the start, any new character that interacts with Kieran would definitely be hesitant for Geralt trusting him but over time, I'd imagine that he would be accepted as part of the group.

11. What kind of outfit(s) does your self insert wear?

Typically, he enjoys wearing his signature purple robes that allow for free form movement. But other than that, he tries to stay fashionable when the occasion calls for it. Being a mage, he can easily change his clothes and he readily changes to outfits of even soldiers if it best suits him to get past unnoticed.

12. How would the fandom view your character?

I'm not sure. As his origin is definitely unique compared to other mages or witches in the game. Another thing to note is that he's not sterile compared to most magic users which is rare in itself. Although whether any child that he would sire would be normal remains to be seen. How he got his magic was from his parents who were magically inclined and trained. They didn't expect a pregnancy so he's kind of a miracle child in that sense. Oh and he's technically a twin so there's that as well. How others in the fandom would take that, I'm not so sure but I'd imagine that it would probably be quite mixed.

13. Does your self insert have any information about their family?

Yes as he was raised by them during his childhood. However, as for his story, he would be on an almost never ending quest looking for them as they disappear by mysterious circumstances.

14. What hobbies does your self insert have?

He loves to read. He is always trying to inquire on ways to increase his magical fortitude by practicing so that would also be a hobby of his I guess. Aside from stealing though he tries to steal from the evil rich as much as he can.

15. How does your self insert play a role in the plot of the story? Do they help directly defeat the villain, support the heroes, etc.?

He's definitely not a main character. If anything, you could probably go through the whole game without ever encountering him. But if you do trigger his quest and finish his questline, I'd imagine that he'd play a semi-important role. He'd definitely be there with Geralt at the defense of Kaer Morhen. And maybe play a more important role in helping Geralt towards the end because of it.

16. Freebie! Name a fact about your self insert you want everyone to know.

When he was ten, before he got sent to Ban Ard, he was just a regular kid who lived on the road with his family. His twin sister had passed away and this caused him to accidentally cast Necromancy in an attempt to help her. However, because he had no knowledge whatsoever of magic, his hands blackened and scarred permanently. Because of this, he almost always can be seen wearing gloves to hide this from others.

[shazzeaslightnovels]

Sword Oratoria 14

Author: Fujino Omori

Illustrator: Kiyotaka Haimura

Label: GA Bunko

Release Date: 14 March 2023

My Score: 4/5

English Release: This series is currently being released in English by Yen-Press under the title of Is it Wrong to Try to Pick up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria.

This volume opens with the news that Finn, Gareth, and Riveria have reached level 7 together at last. There’s a big celebration at the Familia home and the three of them and Loki reminisce about the past. This volume is essentially a flashblack volume as we learn about how the Loki Familia got it’s start.

I thought this was a great breather volume in a series that desperately needs more breather volumes. It was fun seeing younger versions of the trio and how they have changed since then. Riveria has changed the most. Rather than being a ‘mother’ in this volume, she’s more of a ‘daughter’. We meet her as she desperately wants to escape her forrest and see the world but her father, the king, forbids it. Her best friend, Aina, acts as her ‘mother’ and is the ‘mother’ that Riveria will become. Aina is such a weird character because she seems like she’s such an important part of Riveria’s life but I don’t think Riveria has once mentioned her prior to this volume. I guess it makes sense when you consider that Riveria wouldn’t talk about her past much to the younger characters who tend to take on the POVs of this series but it made their relationship harder to invest in and care about. But, due to something I’m going to talk about in a little bit, I do think Aina was one of the more interesting inclusions in this volume.

Overall, I thought this was a good volume and I enjoyed reading it but I’m not sure that it was necessary. I don’t think it really added much to the characters, aside from maybe Riveria, and it didn’t seem to contribute anything to the plot, aside from the levelling up of the trio, which could have happened in any volume, and maybe something with Aina. Still, this was a fun, breezy volume that’s worth the read for any Danmachi fan.

Now, Aina. So this volume came out in two editions in Japan: the normal edition, which featured younger versions of the characters on the cover, and the special edition, which featured the trio in their present age and contained a special short story. I like this series enough that I splurged on the special edition and I’m glad I did because the short story provides additional context for Aina’s existance and gives her story more closure. Given that these short stories aren’t usually included in the English release, I thought I’d go ahead and summarise the important bits here so click away if you want to avoid SPOILERS.

SPOILERS START

So, Aina escaped the forest with Riveria and ends up travelling with the burgeoning Loki Familia for years while they get stronger and make their way to Orario. She forms friendships with Finn and Gareth but never joins the Loki Familia and we know she’s not with them in the present day so what happened to her? Annoyingly, the main volume doesn’t answer that question but the short story does.

It reveals that Aina’s health steadily declined after leaving the forest and it gets to a point where she can no longer journey with them. Riveria leaves her behind in a village where she will be safe and swears to find a cure for Aina’s illness so that they can travel together again. Years pass. Aina has a daughter - a half-elf with brown hair called Eina. She tells a young Eina about Riveria as she waits for Riveria to fulfill her promise.

This reveal made me want to reread all of the volumes in the series to see whether Eina ever mentioned Riveria. I think she might of? I’m almost positive that Riveria has never mentioned Eina but I wonder... The reveal makes Aina’s inclusion in this volume make a lot more sense and it’s about the only thing in this volume that I could see having a pay-off in a future volume. I hope it does.

It’s a shame this short story is only included in the limited edition beause it really elevates the story and gives it more weight and a better conclusion. Hopefully, it gets included in the English release.

SPOILERS END

I wish I could say that I am once again caught up with this series but the first Shouhenshuu (? I think this is how it’s romanized but It’s a short story collection) volume was just released and I’m obviously going to have to read it soon.

[bamf-jaskier]

Hello ! So i know you've talked about racism in the witcher fandom before and i have a question. When reading fics i am struck by the fact that very little fics portray Triss as a woman of color, as she appears in the show and an overwhelming amount portray her as a red head. So my question is this: is it racism or just a general dislike of the show and another sign that fans seem to think that the witcher 3 is the best ?

It’s racism. I am not going to sugarcoat it or say it’s because fans just “prefer” game Triss. They prefer her because of their implicit bias. There is a post about choosing to right in the Netflix Verse but keep Game Triss Here. If there is a fic that is set in the Netflix Verse and uses Jaskier instead of Dandelion, describes Geralt with no beard and as, well, Henry Cavill, and even sometimes, if you are lucky, uses Anya Chalotra as Yennefer but then uses Game Triss? That is making the specific choice to exclude a black character which if most of the fic is set in the Netflix verse, that is a very specific choice rooted in racism, whether on accident or on purpose.

While the game was popular, the fandom didn’t rise-up or become mainstream on Tumblr until the tv show came out. If you want evidence of that, just go look at Tumblr’s 2020 review. They had an entire section for The Witcher, it was #13 on the top 20 things tagged on Tumblr in 2020, Geraskier was the 4th most popular ship out of 100 (Yenralt didn’t even make the list), Jaskier was the 3rd most popular character, Geralt was the 5th, Yennefer was the 24th (yeah there’s a problem here too). 

And if you want even MORE evidence of this, here’s tumblr’s year in review for 2019 JUST for video games, not even overall things or fandom. The Witcher isn’t even in the top 50. It also wasn’t on Tumblr year in review in 2018, 2017, or 2016. Before 2020, The Witcher never made it into these lists, the tv show made the fandom we see now. 

As well let’s look at some of the fanfiction stats from AO3. 11,805 out of 21,208, aka 56% of Witcher fanfiction is explicitly tagged as the Netflix series. However, I know that many fans like to just use The Witcher - All Media Types tag and not the show one (I know I use that) so let’s look at timeline as well. 18,900 out of 21,208, aka 89% of ALL Witcher fanfiction was written after the show was released. Even if you have tried your gosh-darn best to avoid it, the trope and fandom from the Netflix series have seeped into most people’s perception of The Witcher. So again, re-stating my point, using all the Netflix characters in fanfiction BUT Triss, is anti-blackness, plain and simple. 

And a lot of fans online have used the excuse, they aren’t racist, they just don’t think she looks like the character. They say things like “it’s the same thing people said when Daniel Craig was cast as James Bond”...but it’s not. When you say a Black woman doesn’t “look right” for a role you are saying black people have no place in your story. Re-evaluate yourself when you makes those comments and think about the company you are keeping. Because you are keeping company with literal racists who use the same phrases and have the same opinions as you. 

A post about some of the backlash actor’s faced here: 

Here’s an article about the harassment 

Now a Reddit thread about Triss would look better with straight hair

More Reddit 

But “Oh” you say, that’s just specific to Reddit, Tumblr would NEVER be racist. 

Well here’s a fun collection of posts!

An Artist who draws Racist Caricatures of Triss 

A post about how people refuse to talk about fandom racism

How fandom racism isn’t just fiction vs reality

A post about shipping trends being racist (and people harassing OP in the chat)

blank-slate characters and the racial bias they deal with

Specifically a post about Yenralt and Racism (think about those Tumblr ranking while reading this...)

Another post about people refusing to talk about fandom racism

I just gave a few examples but look through the blogs of anyone whose been talking about fandom racism and you will see so many posts and examples. 

The Witcher fandom has a racism problem. It’s not just Yennefer or shipping Yenralt. It extends to how the fandom treats Netflix Triss as I have talked about here, it extends to how there’s practically no content or more specifically, engagement for characters of color. It’s about how the fandom keeps pushing POC out to the point where people I love are leaving the fandom because they aren’t welcome here. 

If you aren’t willing to listen to POC when they tell you something is racist, when they tell you something is wrong. Fuck off. 

I encourage everyone if they haven’t to read the article Who Actually Gets to “Escape” Into Fandom?

[mephinomaly]

[TL] Ensembukubu Stars!! Welcome to WOLFes!!!!!/Part 2

(April Fool's Day Event 2022)

Directory

Part 1

Part 2 (You are here!)

Umm, don't give your character depth during an April Fool's Day event!

Hinata: Uwaaa, there's so many doggies!

Yuuta: It's kinda what you'd expect considering it only happens once every one hundred years

Koga: Guys looks! That vendin' machine's sellin' dog treats 100 yen a piece!

Mao: Are you...actually going to eat one?

Rei: Shh! It's about to start

WOLF KING: Welcome, every wolf. The long-awaited "WOLFes" will finally begin!

Are you ready! Now, let us make an oath to the full moon...!

Wolves: Owoooooo!

Owoooooo!

Yap yap yap ♪

Yuuta: Awwe, they're like chihuahuas! How cute~♪

Wolves: Wait a second! We can smell humans!

Wolves: Humans, you say...!?

Wolves: (General commotion)[1]

Hinata: Uhh, is something... wrong...?

Wolves: (Encircling them)[2]

Mao: Agh, we're surrounded!

Koga: Hey, ain't this way different from what you said earlier?!

Rei: How amusing. It did say it was fine on the eventpage

WOLF KING: Halt, it was I that invited them here

Wolves: Wo-Wolf King..?!

Humans are untrustworthy...Prove that you're lone wolves!

Rei: It's okay...

Koga: O-Oi. Are you okay Sakuma-senpai!?

Mao: Do you have an idea, Sakuma-senpai?

Rei: Yes. Leave it to me

Firstly, if you look up the word "lone" in the dictionary..

You will find that "loneliness" means someone who does not participate in group activities and refuses to partake in this earthly society. They are ambitious and shoulder their burdens by themselves

The most important part is the word “human”

Originally, it was a word to describe humans thus the term “lone wolf” means the same as a "lone human"

In other words, as long as it is written in the dictionary, this will not be changed… Well, I will have a problem on my hands if you didn’t understand my explanation. Do you all understand?

Mao: H-he's playing devil's advocate..!

Wolves: You are still not lone wolves!

Rei: Shall I continue with my story?

The premise of being human is a part of "loneliness", thus the very essence of being a "lone wolf" is a human one. As mentioned above, being a "lone wolf" is not dissimilar to the human concept of it

You ask is if we are "lone wolves", well... isn't loneliness a human concept? Or something to the same effect?

Therefore, the notion that humans are similar to wolves has been fully established

Wolves: That’s preposterous!

Rei: Well, isn't "loneliness" a human concept to start with? Are you asking who is truly wearing a mask of loneliness?

Do you need me to explain further? Or do you all understand? If you still don't know what I'm saying, raise your hand~! I can do this until morning ♪

Wolves: Okay, okay! We get it. Jeez…

Rei: Well, if you say so, it’s time for a live concert ☆

Mao: Is that really the best idea when it's so... tense?

WOLF KING: I did not think you would bring along Koga. Sakuma Rei…

Rei: It’s been a while, Wolf King… One cannot remain silent when your name is mentioned. Evenmore so if "WOLFes" is mentioned too...

Hinata: Umm, don't give your character depth during an April Fool's Day event!

Yuuta: This has absolutely nothing to do with the main story!

Koga: Guys, they're about to announce the winner!

Wolf: Now that every lone wolf has performed, it is time to announce the victor!

Koga: If you win, it means you're a true lone wolf! But true loneliness means you gotta be lonely all the time. It's a lifestyle!

Sometimes lonely people get together just to show off their power

These guys are definitely lone wolves!!

Rei: ... (Places his hand on Koga’s head)

Koga: Sakuma-senpai, tsk- you're not lookin' at a dog, right?

Don't say anythin'...

Rei: ... (Smiles)

Wolf: The winner is…… the miracle band “D’z” by DAIKICHI AND LEON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![3]

It says "ざわざわ" which is onomatopoeia for like, loads of people talking and making noise

It says "ぐるるる" and "ぐるぐる" means to go around in circles, to spin etc, and in this case, the wolves are encircling them

Daikichi is Subaru's pet dog, and Leon is Koga's

[twistedtummies2]

Moriarty the Patriot - Second Season English Dub

I just realized that, even though I shared my thoughts on the first season Dub of “Moriarty the  Patriot,” I never shared my thoughts on the second season! Time to correct that mistake. As far as the returning cast go in Season 2, most of the are, I feel, on about the same level as before. The ones who I thought were better than the originals (like Aaron Dismuke) I see no reason to go back on, and the ones who I thought were good but ultimately not AS good as the originals (like Caleb Yen) did not necessarily do much to make me change my mind. There was, however, one key exception: Theo Devaney as Sherlock Holmes. I’m not sure if it’s because I grew more used to Devaney’s voice, or if it’s because of what happens in Season 2 and how much more of Holmes we see in it, but Devaney is now tied with Makoto Furukawa (the original voice for Sherlock) for supremacy. Both of them bring very different elements to the table, but still play the character just right. The main thing that sets them apart for me isn’t so much the performances but more the writing itself. Holmes in the English Dub feels slightly more traditional than the Holmes in the Japanese original. In the Japanese version, Holmes’ lingo is littered with anachronisms, and he’s generally more casual and blunt. Devaney’s Holmes talks more like how you’d IMAGINE Sherlock Holmes to talk, so to speak, but he’s still playing basically the same character. In other words: the Japanese version is a more unique interpretation, on the whole, but Devaney’s Holmes is one I can almost imagine if I read the actual Conan Doyle stories. Like, his is a voice I can now say I would imagine when reading the original books, and it would not be unfitting. Being the big Holmes buff I am, it becomes more difficult to choose which I like more. Now, let’s move on to the newcomers. I’m going to be a right old git and start with two that I think are problematic. First up, Natalie Van Sistine as Irene Adler and James Bonde. The problem with Sistine is very simple: as Irene Adler, she’s absolutely perfect. That is exactly the voice I would imagine Irene having, and I actually prefer her to the Japanese version in that role. BUT, once Adler becomes James Bonde - or when she masquerades as a man a the masked ball - I simply cannot buy for a second that anyone would hear that voice and not at least raise questions about the gender. That voice is clearly the voice of a woman’s, and while I know what Bonde is meant to represent and act as in this universe…let’s face it people, the actual physical situation is basically a Mulan story, and I don’t buy that anyone else would buy the disguise. The voice actress in the Japanese version, in my opinion, did a much better job differentiating the two characters, and you could legitimately forgive and believe Bonde to be the man he is. In this one, she/he sounds exactly the same in both parts, and it’s really hard to swallow, at least in my opinion. Maybe others feel differently. A character of lesser note with a slightly similar problem is Harry, one of Milverton’s goons, voiced by Ciaran Strange. Harry…sounds like a girl. There is no other way to put it, he sounds like a girl. I have listened to his scenes over and over to try and convince myself otherwise, and it just doesn’t work. If I didn’t know the voice actor was a male, I would never guess it, and the same goes for the character. Evidently, Strange is actually a transgender, and his voice still has a great deal of femininity to it. There’s nothing wrong with that, but Harry in the Japanese dub has a much rougher, vicious sort of voice; he not only sounds male, he sounds like the psychopathic thug he is meant to be. Strange’s vocal work makes him sound, at best, like a twisted child, and I don’t think that works quite as well for this demented mercenary character. It’s not even that he does a bad job with the acting, per say, it’s just that the quality of the voice, in my opinion, does not match the character or the design. The same goes for Van Sistine as Adler/Bonde. In direct contrast to both of them, the best newcomer, in my opinion, is Kayleigh McKee as Charles Augustus Milverton. McKee is evidently also transgender, but their voice is much more fitting for Milverton’s character. It is masculine-sounding, yet it has a light, slithering quality, befitting this snakish fiend. I hate to say “Milverton is a delight,” because…well…it’s Milverton, and “delight” is hardly a suitable word for him, but that’s also the best word I can come up with. MTP’s take on the character is probably my favorite, partially because it’s the only time I’ve come anywhere close to liking the guy (in a “love to hate” way, mind you) in any rendition, and McKee’s wonderfully evil vocals and performance are definitely on par with the original, if not surpassing them. The only thing I’d say the original has over McKee is the original is funnier, for lack of a better way of putting it: when Milverton meets his defeat, there’s a bit of humor to the scene in the original version, courtesy of the scoundrel’s reactions. Much of that humor feels lost in the Dub. I’m not sure if that’s really the actor’s fault, however, so take that as you will. Jack Renfield, as played by Bruce DuBose, is generally on par with the original. I literally have one - AND ONLY ONE - nitpicking complaint about his Jack the Ripper: the laugh. In the scene where Renfield masquerades as the serial killer that has stolen his name, he lets out this maniacal laugh that’s meant to send chills into the hearts of those below. In the original, the laugh is raw, visceral, wild, and truly unhinged; I always got the feeling, with that laugh and his overall demeanor during that sequence, we were getting a hint of what the Ripper was like on the battlefield years ago. It’s a laugh you can believe striking terror into one’s heart. In the dub…I swear he’s doing the old-fashioned “bua ha ha ha” laugh, almost MAKING FUN of the whole situation, which, to me, doesn’t read as well: it’s more humorous than legitimately terrifying. I suppose neither is an invalid way of doing it, but I prefer the original. But hey, if that’s the ONLY issue I have? He’s clearly doing a good job. XD The rest of the cast are about the same as ever. The child characters still usually don’t sound like children (except one), which at times is a bit odd, and the more minor players do a good job with what they are given, generally, but don’t necessarily go beyond the call of duty. My overall opinion of the English Dub for “Moriarty the Patriot” is what it was before: this is a good dub, but not a great one. Some voices surpass the original performers, others never come close to their level, and a few are about the same, it’s really just a matter of linguistics then. Generally speaking, I prefer the Subbed version: it’s just more consistent in its quality, where even the actors I don’t like AS much as the English versions are still pretty darn good, and there are no strange inconsistencies from character to character. You can believe everyone is the age and gender they are supposed to be, at all times. The Dub has its moments, but it also has more flaws. Still, if someone wanted to watch the Dub for any specific reason, I wouldn’t tell them no, and if they decided to watch it instead of the Sub, I suppose I wouldn’t be upset about that. Having finally seen the OVA episodes, I await to see that time - if ever - when those get dubbed. Once that is done (if it is done), I suppose that will mean the true end of the Moriarty anime. Thank goodness the manga is still ongoing…but that’s another story.

[maliro-t]

witcher season 3 part 1: cabbagegate

I’m gonna talk about way more book specifics than normal in this season because. Well one it actually is so far one of the closest to text seasons we’ve had imo. But also two uhhhh I fucking love this book!!!!

- I feel like the first thing I have to do is forgive the show for cutting the Temple of Melitele stuff last season because they definitely did their due diligence to make up for lost time with Yen and Ciri

- Absolutely loved the way the reintegrated the Dear Friend letters in the first episode! It was slightly ridiculous for Geralt and Yen to just be. passing notes while together bc Geralt was giving her the silent treatment, but it was just as endearing the original, and very in character.

- Never underestimate Yennefer of Vengerberg’s ability to say the most romantic shit you’ve ever heard

- I have to shoutout Cassie Clare and Graham McTavish for killing it as my favorite freaks. They are So Good and it is SO FUN to watch Phil and Djikstra properly go to work this season.

-It also was really fun and interesting to approach Thanned already knowing so much of their game-- they keep the climax under wraps, as they should, but it’s neat to go in having spent so much time watching them move chess pieces already.

- Can I get a Wahoo for bisexual Jaskier too (and for Joey Batey who remains just Brilliant)?! Hugh Skinner has been great in everything I’ve seen him in and this is certainly no exception.

- Nah but I have been especially in my feels about the time Ciri and Jaskier are getting to spend with each other, which is so sweet, and rarely seen with much detail in the text.

- ALSO very in my feelings about Cahir! I love him in the books already (despite some obviously uncomfortable things) but the way they have taken the time to flesh him out these past three seasons (which is starting to meet up with the actual text again now) has been a real highlight of the show for me and remains so. Plus he’s just phenomenally performed.

- So thrilled that they played that wyvern scene in episode 3 basically Beat For Beat off the page (plus some extra foreshadowing? we’ll see), and straight into that Aretuza bath scene after, as written-- EXCEPT THEY SKIPPEDTHE PART WHERE CIRI WAS ALMOST ARRESTED FOR A DOG MURDER SHE DIDN’T COMMIT 😭 a tragic loss. still. was so excited watching it

- Ok but now the main event

- ALL IS NOT 👏👏 AS IT SEEMS 👏👏

- I mean, come on. COME ON. 

- Episode 5 was such a love letter to that chapter. Like, truly more than I could have expected. I was teary in the first twenty seconds when I realized they had formatted the entire banquet as anecdotes that Yen and Geralt tell each other in the aftermath of the party; a frame which originally only existed for the Vilgefortz conversation. Thanned is a chapter about the politics and the plot and the social minefield, but above all that (and especially for Geralt) it’s a chapter about how much these two love each other and how fragile that is with everything else around them. That framing is SO gorgeous in the book, with this perfect contrast of scheming and complete tenderness, and they went out of their way to preserve it. Grateful and impressed.

- No bagpipes but COME ON!!!!!!!!

😭 I was weepy for real. Some of my favorite dialogue.

- It’s also clear they had SO much fun playing around with a non-linear timeline of events, which, as a viewer, so did I! I did have like three or four moments because of that though where I was like “Damn they’re really just cutting that whole conversation huh 😔” only to be proven wrong every single time lol

- To that point, the amount that DID make the cut is honestly shocking to me, like, from illusory caviar to Geralt looking at Sabrina’s tits. God bless.

- The Big Three Thanned moments for me are ofc 1) Dijkstra 2) Philippa 3) Vilgefortz, and on the whole I do think they captured the spirit of those conversations well (although there were things I was missing, ofc). Overall, everyone was just less pretentious I think lol which, for time, I get. Dijkstra’s was the most oversimplified if only in its relative lack of subtlety and charm and tentacles and olives, but he got to show off his chops with the head-in-chest scene with Radovid before the ball so I don’t feel like he’s being done a disservice.

- OH and gotta give a shoutout to the Keira pregnancy line. I’m saluting them fr for keeping that in. It’s actually so much funnier for her to say it to YENNEFER

- To address cabbagegate. 😔 ALAS, ALACK, there was no Geralt of Rivia cabbage moment because they cut Vilgefortz’s philosophy lecture. But they did honor that exchange ALMOST word for word with the “Speak in simpler terms Dijkstra. Don’t forget you’re talking to a commoner” moment. Fine. Okay. MORE BASIC. Doesn’t involve vegetables. Doesn't involve Geralt sassing Vilgefortz, just Dijkstra. Doesn’t involve dunking on philosophy. But I will allow it. Clearly, they tried to get it in there.

- What a cut off. I am having a goddamn blast.

organizing a bunch of witcher thoughts since i just finished the series!

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