#anyways this is a year old but its my icon and i realized i never actually put it up here!!

[year2000electronics]

Past the point of no return, no backward glances...

[wrongcaitlyn]

very random question but what do you think is "THE" nico lyric in tyt? like, the one that would go trending in those tiktoks that are just someone lying down sad or stuff (idk if im explaining myself, i mean like this) or like the lyric 90% of angels have tattooed?

also i need you to know that my mind has been occupied w the idea of sadie, alex and nico winning best new artist, best alt album and aoty at the same grammys awards (graveyard, tgw and alex fierro would all be released in time for the same grammys, right? idk im so bad w this stuff) for the past week. (i feel bad for thinking abt nico on a grammys setting but hey he mentioned assisting on chapter 18 and i need him to have a healing positive experience /nf)

OKAY OKAY SO SORRY THAT THIS TOOK SO LONG TO RESPOND BC I HAD TO PROPERLY THINK ABOUT IT THIS IS IMPORTANT

my first instinctual thought is "always an angel, never a god" which i do think is definitely one of THE lyrics. like. everyone knows it. it's everything to the fandom. it's everything to nico. i honestly think that lyric sums up nico's lyricism in general so well like??

but that was only recently released, so im gonna choose a lyric from each album,,, just bc i can

for haunted, the forever underrated album, i think it'd either have to be from long sleeves, the fandom favorite, or for symbolism, "i'm your ghost right now your house is haunted" from i know it won't work. for long sleeves i think it's less so of a standout lyric, more just a standout song, but also "it's been a long time coming" just fits a lot of different scenarios... very healing acceptance sorta vibes

then from doomsday, i don't think there's necessarily a lyric that i feel like a lot of people would get tattooed, but i DO think that this is me trying is like. THE song from that album. i think it's just such an easy song to resonate with, especially in nico's depressed as hell fandom. so this one is less so they have a tattoo of it and more so they have a wallpaper with the quote "i've been having a hard time adjusting, had the shiniest wheels now they're rusting" bc yk that'll always hit hard. and also "you're a flashback in a film reel" which is soooooo

then for future albums... no spoilers okay but im just gonna count them in my head. 2 from nda4. 1 from nda5. 3 from nda6. 6 from nda7.

but final final answer: always an angel, never a god

(also this has me cackling thinking about people who may have gotten tattoos in relation to apollo in the past, and he's just like. wiping all of that from existence. well not LITERALLY but like he's making it very very clear that anyone who supports all his old music is a shithead and so you've got old fans being like shit shit shit)

and then OH MY GOD??sdLFKJSDF THAT WOULD BE SO FUN AGHHSDFJSD you have actually just made me realize that. yes. they will be in the same eligibility period... for some reason i was convinced that graveyard was a year before tgw and alex's self-titled so that's like... WOAH. THEY'RE ACTUALLY COMING SO SOON?? i write down these dates in my outline and im like haha yea that's months away and then like. its actually coming soon. anyway im not entirely sure if alex's will make the cut (as in, i think i may have been planning on him releasing it in fall of 2020, which would be past the eligibility period,,,, but then the thought of them all being nominated for stuff..... god thats so excitingskdljf)

unfortunately i do have some plans for like which albums/people will be winning things, HOWEVER... i will definitely be excited to write the 2021 grammys bc. grammys shenanigans with the iconic trio. love them sm.

[sheisobvious]

some old stuff I found on pinterest (and below interesting things) - Part 1

Picture 1 

“One minute Taylor is busting out lyrics and being adorable in front of the camera, and the next she is like high-fashion model” 

Q: What type of music are you into right now? 

TS: A Late’80s pop. One of my favorite songs is “She Drives Me Crazy”, by Fine Young Cannibals.It was so ahead of its time.  

App she loves – 8MM vintage camera  

TS: “It lets you put a cool, 1960s-style filter on iPhone videos and gives clips a moody grain” 

Picture 2 

COSMOGIRL 2009 

TS: "My newest hobby is going to wal-mart and putting my CD in front of others in the rack. I have no shame in it!" 

Picture 3 

Seventeen Magazine (2008) 

Q: Do you think that he ( the guy from “Should’ve Said No”) secretly likes being named in your songs? TS: Yeah, probably. Those kinds of guys like getting attention – because I mean, what else is he doing? He’s probably with six different girls who don’t know that they’re being played. 

Q: Has he (Drew from “Teardrops on My Guitar”)  contacted you?  

TS: Actually, he showed up in my driveway a couple of months ago, and it was like in the movies where at the end the guy shows up in your driveway, and you have this awesome kiss – except it’s three years too late. I’m like, Why didn’t you do this years ago ?!? He was stranger by then, so I felt like I didn’t know him anymore. 

Q: Do you ever write songs about anyone other than yourself? 

TS: “Tied Together With a Smile” is about a girl I knew my freshman year. She was absolutely Miss Popular, a pageaant girl, and she looked perfect every day! Always had the cutest outfits, always looked teh best at prom. But sometimes when you get a litle closer to people who look that perfect, you realize that they don’t feel perfect.They feel they’re ugly. And that’s what happened with this girl- I became closer friends with her, and one day she confessed that she was bulimic. 

Q: How did that make you feel? 

TS: It was really hard for me to take. But I never want to make someone feel horrible. do not deserve to be treated like that. I try to reason with  them and be calm about it. After a while, I was just like, "You don't need to do that anymore." So I played that song for her, and I said, "Who do you think that's about?" And honestly, I don't think she ever did it after that. 

Q: Have you ever felt bad about the way you look? 

TS: Everybody does! Everybody looks in the mirror and is like, I wonder why her eyes are huge and mine are smaller. But I realized that if you’re lucky enough to be different from everybody else, don’t change. 

Q: Do you ever wonder what it would be like to be someone eise? 

TS: Oh, my gosh, if I were a different person and I could start all over, I would want to be Hayley Williams from Paramore! I think she’s awesome, and their music is amazing. But you know, I love country music more than anything  in the world – I would never change what I do. 

Picture 4 

“I’ve seen a lot of you get new cars”, she joke to those who worked on the album (Fearless)  

Picture 5 

YOU (2009) 

FAVORITE BOOK – Who Will Cry When You Die? By Robin S. Sharma. It’s a self-help but It’s na easy read. Every page has a new thing you can do to show the people you love that they matter to you. It makes you appreciate what you have. I have a lot more good days now that I’ve read that. 

STYLE ICON – Cahrlize Theron. Thank you for saying I look a bit like her – taht makes my whole week. 

BEAUTY PRODUCTS – My favourite lip colour is Dragon Girl by Nars;l realy like Armani make-up and there's a perfume that l get when ľ'm in the UK called Midnight Rain by La Prairie. And I love Jo Malone candles. 

I: As ever, she sounds too good to be true . It might be one reason why. If we're being honest what eveyone realy wants to see is Taylor Swit being a litte bit naughty. Surely the teetotal Pollyanna façade must have cracks? Anyway, wouldn’t a bit of teenage rebellion be healthy? 

TS: “I've been given the freedom to do whatever I want. I'm 19 –if want to storm out of the house and go to a club and get drunk and take my clothes off and run naked through Nashville, I can do that. I just really would rather not. I's as simple as that. It's not like I’ve been beaten down by some corporation that's forcing me to always behave myself - l just naturally do. Sometimes people are fascinated by the fact that I don't care about partying. almost to the point where they think it's weird.l think when we get to the point where it's strange for you to not be stumbing around high on something at 19, t's a warped world.” 

Picture 6 

PEOPLE, 2009 

Q: You just gave a $250,000 donation to schools you had previously attended or worked with. Why schools? 

TS: The schools that I went to and the amazing people I got to learn from relly turned me into who I am, and I wanted to give back. 

Q:If you’ve done all this by the time you turned 20, what do you want to do bu the time you turn 30? 

TS:I think I’d like to have made a couple more albums that I’m really proud of. I’d like to have a house. I’m not the kid the girl who makes a goal for herself of getting married or starting a family. I’ve never really put a timeline on those sorts of things. So I don’t have any personal goals by the time I’m 30. 

(midnight rain vibe)

Picture 7 

Q: What would you say is your biggest love “don’t” ? 

TS: No one wants to be with someone who desperately needs them. You should want the other person and love him, but you shouldn’t need him. If you depend on him for your happiness, that’s not good ,because what will you do when it ends? 

Picture 8 

TIGER BEAT  

I CALLED THIS ALBUM RED BECAUSE.. “all the different emotions written about on this album, they’re all about the tumultuous, crazy, insane, intense, semitoxic relationships that I’ve experienced in the last two years. In my mind, all of those emotions are red.” 

(I think this is the first time I see her referring to this relationship as toxic before 2022)

Picture 9 

BOP 2012 

Taylor Swift looks down at the floor as she talks about the songs on her new album, Red (it comes out October 22). "They're sad, if I'm being honest,"she confesses. Tay's big blue eyes get a little teary as she thinks about her life right now.In the last two years. Tay says she's felt "all of those emotions, travels around spanning from intense love,intense the workd with frustration, jealousy and confusion." She also admits. "There's been this earth-shattering. not recent, but absolute crash-and-bum neartbreak." 

(in this interview they are weird about her parents divorce)

[aashiyancha]

Puffbun Progress:

- Rewrote the skeleton

- First chapter first written draft made

-2nd chapter started(ish)

-went to webtoon to empty out the old canvas only to realize I was posting those updates using a different email that I legit have no memory of. 2020 was a fever dream guys what happened D:

- I'm gonna have to change the name of the comic since whoever the heck Cha Yammy (I still remember why I gave myself that name funny story haha but everything else forgotten) was is now in the void never to return. Guess that's something else to think about. Wasn't a huge fan of the name sweet hero puffbun to start anyways...

-I also started working on a new cover doodle for the icon! Thought id also show the different cover doodles i had over my attempts at posting this comic. First one was somewhere 2018 ish? 2nd 2020 ish and 3rd is this year's cover (2024)

I went a little crazy with the blending layers on that 3rd one. Since its prob gonna be the cover ill put a better version of it below.

((I swear Pb gets more baby and Ellie gets more depressed every time i draw them))

[aaronpaceluvbot]

risky risky wiggy wiggy

summary: you acquire an adorable baby photo of tom- you put it in your phone case! 

wc: 770 words

before you read: title doesn’t really relate to the fic... (a silly title for a silly fic), not proofread, inspired by this movie i watched, gender neutral reader - i dont think any pronouns are used at all for reader , i’m still trying to get comfortable with writing Affection (i had to look away while writing some of this), if i missed anything lmk!! 

a/n: i can write about people that aren’t aaron?? now that’s a shocker...  

You went over to his house to hang out with him, but his mother called the both of you down to the living room. “I found some of Tom's old baby photos!” she says cheerily and hands you a photo album and walks off. Tom groans in embarrassment as you flip through them, pointing out the particularly humiliating ones. It wasn’t anything you hadn’t seen before, but his reactions never got old. 

“Look!” you say, laughing as you point to a picture of a younger Tom making a face while wearing a little tuxedo. He sighs and wraps an arm around you as he tries to get a closer look at it. “What were you even wearing the tuxedo for anyways?” You ask him, handing him the picture. 

“Probably a wedding of some sort. I was my family’s go-to ring bearer for years!” He says, flicking his hand towards you, as if he were showing you a ring. You laugh and he gives you a look. “What? It’s true!” 

“I’m not laughing at that! I’m laughing at you!” You say, covering your mouth with your hand to try and hide your laughter. 

“Sure you aren’t!” He says, about to tickle you. You grab his hands and start trying to get him away. You were cornered and you only had one way to escape. You started doing the thing that all little siblings do. You started kicking. He immediately got off of you and started laughing at you. 

“But seriously, that picture of you is definitely my favorite,” you say, calming down and turning to look at him. He was beaming as you said this.

—

After asking Tom’s mom, she let you keep the picture, claiming that she had many of him in suits, giving one away wouldn’t hurt - plus she trusted you to keep it safe. You slipped the little picture away into your phone case for safekeeping. You slip your phone into your pocket and get ready to head back to your house. You go to tell Tom that you’re leaving, but you decide against it and decide to just sleep over at his house.

You both argue over what movie to watch as you’re cuddled together under the very comfy blankets. “I think we should just flip a coin,” you say, pulling out your phone instead of hunting down a coin. He nods and immediately claims tails. You click on the little coin icon and let the machine do its thing. It lands on tails.

Tom’s busy scrolling on his own phone and you look at him until he looks back at you. “Was it heads or tails?”

“Tails,” you say, shrugging. You hand him the remote and put your phone down in your lap and try to bundle yourself up in the blankets. As he tries to find the movie he wanted to watch, you scoot closer to him and lean your head on his shoulder and he wraps his free arm around you. He looks at you and realizes that as you were bundling yourself up in the blankets, you somehow managed to steal all of them.

“Hey! Stop being a blanket thief!” He says, pouting and grabbing some of them. 

“I’m not!” You say, trying to defend yourself.

“Are too!” He says, sticking his tongue out at you. You playfully roll your eyes at him and hand some of them over which he accepts gratefully. While he untangles the blankets, he finds your phone and something about it catches his eye. He blushes as he realizes that you have his baby photo in your phone case. You notice him staring at your phone.

“Oh! So that’s where it went!” You say, about to grab it from him when he moves it away. He’s examining it further.

“How’d this get in here?” He asks, handing you back your phone. You give him a confused look and then he taps the picture in your phone case. Oh.

“Your mom let me keep it when I asked and I was gonna keep it here.” It was your turn to be flustered as he just held you closer. “Do you want it back? Because if you do, I can just give it back to you now-”

“No, no it’s fine! I want you to keep it anyways! That’s the best photo of me to ever exist!” He says proudly. You let out a laugh. 

“Why?” You ask, looking at him with stars in your eyes.

“Because it’s your favorite!” 

He was gonna be the death of you, but you gladly accepted that as you snuggled up closer to him. 

[sudoscience]

So. I've finished the first Ace Attorney game for the first time, or as I like to call it, "Brady Violations: The Video Game". I'm not a lawyer, but I'm pretty most of those cases should have ended in mistrials. Seriously, they prosecution is like, "Yes, I know the witness's testimony exonerates the defendant. That's why I explicitly instructed them not to testify about that." Like, you can't just do that!

And is discovery just... not a thing in that court? I have a right to know what evidence the state is planning to present against my client. To that end, why am I, a defense attorney, personally investigating crime scenes? The only lawyers I know are not criminal lawyers, but I'm pretty sure that's not normal. Also, what happened to "reasonable doubt"? The judge is always like, "Hmmm, yes, that is a reasonable doubt. But can you decisively prove they're innocent? Also, where am I again?" Excuse me, the burden of proof is on the prosecution. I don't have to prove my clients are innocent; you have to prove they're guilty. Of course, cross-examining a parrot also wouldn't fly in a real court, so obviously some suspension of disbelief is necessary here.

Oh, and how could I forget the most unrealistic aspect: the idea that Miles Edgeworth, a 24-year-old prosecutor, is making a lot of money? (Hold it! His dad's a lawyer, too, and a darn good one at that. There's probably a trust fund involved there. Never mind, then.)

(Yes, I know it's actually satirizing the Japanese legal system, but I have to compare it to what I know, and that's the US legal system, which, I've already established, I don't actually know that well. The only reason I know what a Brady violation is is because of Serial. Don't @ me, okay? Unless you're a real lawyer, in which case, you may @ me. I don't think I've said this here before, but I used to (and kinda still do) want to be a paralegal.)

Anyway, I never knew a visual novel could be so fun. I mean, the visual novel-ness of DDLC was, like, the main thing I didn't like about it, so I wasn't expecting to like Ace Attorney as much as I did. Though, to be fair, it is a little bit clunky in some places. Mostly just when a case has a lot of places to go. Like, "Gourd Lake Entrance > Move > Gourd Lake Beach > Move > Gourd Lake Woods > Move > Gourd Lake Beach > Move > Gourd Lake Entrance > Move > Criminal Affairs Department". I can see why they programmed it like that instead of listing every possible location every time, but couldn't they have just made it a map instead of a series of menus?

And how'd they manage to make the 5th case take almost as long as the other 4 cases combined? But I've gone on long enough. Despite this appearing to be mostly complaints, Ace Attorney is a really fun game. It might still be on sale on the Nintendo eStore, too. (Oh, never mind. It's not. But it's still only $30 for 3 games.) Go play it if you haven't. Unless you're a real lawyer; you might have an aneurysm or something.

(I realize this isn't exactly a ringing endorsement, but if I didn't enjoy the game, I wouldn't be talking so much about it. Anyway, two other positives I haven't mentioned: the soundtrack is iconic, and the game is overall pretty hilarious, but its serious moments are also impactful. Definitely the hardest I've laughed at a game in a while.)

[saintofdaggers]

top 10 movies I've watched this year (so far!)

cinema my beloved artistic medium <3 I'm not counting rewatches, so here are some of my new faves.

Saw: but of course. masterfully made and intense as hell, amazing characters, some iconic lines, one of the most endings ever written. careful: may induce immediate and massive brainrot.

Saw V: one of the best (and gayest) in the franchise. criminally underrated. people with taste know exactly what I'm talking about.

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944): old movies are a LOT less boring and tame than some people would think. an almost perfect insane black comedy with impeccable acting and some truly unhinged jokes. Cary Grant and Peter Lorre were such icons in this.

Angel Dust: liminal-spacey urban isolation, obsession, a dreamlike murder mystery that gets more and more unhinged the deeper we go. one of the most hypnotically beautiful psychological horror movies I've ever seen.

A Nightmare on Elm Street: a true classic. adore the set design, the soundtrack, the scares. new favorite final girl just dropped.

Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary: an Expressionist silent film adaptation of a ballet adaptation of Dracula. insanely beautiful and beautifully insane.

Don't Look Now: another classic I should have checked out much sooner. tense, eerie, unsettling, heartbreaking. the color red has never been scarier. it literally gave me a nightmare!!

A Dark Song: a minimalist occult character study about grief, selfishness and flawed people making each other worse. an absolutely beautiful obscure Irish slow-burn horror that I adore to pieces (I also think that jarring ending was thematically perfect for the story, but that's just me).

Let the Corpses Tan: one of the most stylish horny movies I've ever seen! hypnotically colorful, visually rich, and the sound editing is shiver-inducing. this might be the kinkiest neo-western thriller ever (I realize that's a pretty narrow category anyway, but this movie dominates it for sure).

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace: an absolutely deranged masterpiece. genuinely one of the funniest parodies I've ever seen, and so magnificently tasteless. my sides were aching by the time I was done.

+ short films: My House Walk-Through (fucking terrifying!!!), Meshes of the Afternoon (symbolic cinema at its finest, and so beautifully eerie), AM1200 (stylish, terse, scary as hell), The Black Tower (what does it mean? what does it all mean??)

[paunchsalazar]

when i was around 12 a friend and i really got into shipping renge and nekozawa senpai. Almost a decade later ive remembered it and looked into it again and im surprised theres still hardly any content about the idea online. you seem more connected to the ouran + ouran manga fandoms than me- is this just a teenage delusion that no one else shared, is there a ship name that i never googled, do people just not like renge and not ship her with anyone, is there something in the manga that counteracts this, idk what are your thoughts? its been in my mind a lot lately as i go back to nostalgic properties and nowadays when i think of ouran fanworks i think of your comics so thats why i sent this your way. hope you have a nice day!

honestly, I wasn't super up on the fandom lore for many many many years, so who am I to say!! but I haven't really seen much about those two! They are both funny and intense and Renge loves a dramatic character with secret depth! I could see it! And he is quite dashing under that hood lol. (Personally, I always thought Nekozawa had a bit of a crush on Tamaki, but that he might have to work up to going out in the light before he would be ready for a relationship with anyone)

I've definitely seen a few ships with Renge - her and Haruhi the most? (maybe just me but I was always curious about Renge crossing paths with the Lobelia girls lol! they are all very passionate, only about different things! but especially with her love for iconic archetypes, I feel like there's more overlap than they realize)

anyway, I feel like with any piece of media shipping trends form in different ways and vary a lot with something as old as Ouran, people are drawn to different things for their own reasons, but reading on in the manga only made me like both Renge and Nekozawa more!! and with the bonus chapters (Mei and Kasanoda end up together!!) I feel like it's left open for a lot of characters to potentially get together.

[mega-queerdrill]

did you recently change your url/icon?? i know i recognize ur bio but i can’t for the life of me remember 💀

Url is the same its always been, thatmemeingfish, but I realized I'm a lesbian and not bi, so I had to swap that good old bi flag Charlotte from Madoka Magica icon for something new and accurate, also deciding to include genderqueer, which isnt as new for me but I haven't had anything really anywhere advertising that.

That said, I will still defend bi/pan/omni people with a giant hammer, and frankly people with any queer label, including seemingly contradictory or "bad" labels. Queer discourse will break apart our community and assuming the worst about someone's gender/sexual label is a quick way to let those who hate us win. Don't tolerate bigots but don't become one just because you equate an entire gender/sexual identity with a some form of bigotry/seemingly personal slight. Exclusionism is reactionary, don't be reactionary. Equating an entire queer identity with bigots who try and claim that identity for their movement is why I for years wouldn't allow myself to think about whether or not I really had any true attraction to men and could only think about the rampant terfs, bi/pan/omniphobes and other bigots I personally had contact with in the lesbian community, which only harmed me in the long run. Bisexuals, bi lesbians, aspec people, trans people, polyam people, neopronouns, xenogenders and anything else I'm missing will never be the problem. The real problem lies with terfs, men who chase women who for any reason are not interested, people cheating on their partners and any others who ever use queer language to hide behind and excuse bad behavior and bigotry. They are the issue, never the identities or people who have those identities.

Anyways Beedrill is my favorite pokemon, I'm a genderqueer butch lesbian, fuck yeah new icon.

[magical-illune]

I just realized that I’ve done something very silly!  I named myself Magical Illune, but I never talked about what magical girl anime I like!

I’ll talk about it right now, then.  I love all kinds of magical girl anime, from the light to the dark.  I know that some people think that dark magical girl anime are Bad And Wrong, but I have to disagree.  Yes, some dark magical girl anime are crappy, but not all of them.  But that’s not what this post is about.

Anyway, here are some magical girl anime that I like!

1. Pretty Cure/Precure

Who could talk about magical girl anime without mentioning Precure?  It’s a magical girl megaseries from Toei Animation.  Each season (with the exceptions of Max Heart and GoGo, which are sequels to other seasons) is its own continuity, with its own setting and characters.  While the seasons do share some similar elements, each season has its own themes that make it stand out.  There are funny moments, awesome moments, emotional moments...  It’s awesome!  Each season is about 45-50 episodes long, and there are 19 seasons as of right now.  Yes, the series is still ongoing!  And the fights aren’t just about magical attacks - they usually have a ton of punches and kicks!  I like all the seasons, but my favorite is Fresh, with Smile being a close second. Two seasons, Smile and Doki Doki, were dubbed as Glitter Force, but we don’t talk about that.

2. Nurse Angel Ririka SOS

This one is kind of obscure, but I love it anyway.  This anime is from 1995.  It’s about a ten-year-old girl named Ririka who is given a nurse cap as a birthday present by her crush, Kanou.  It is soon revealed that the cap is a magical item that can transform Ririka into the legendary guardian known as Nurse Angel.  Ririka winds up having to fight the evil forces of Dark Joker, who laid waste to Kanou’s home planet (yes, he’s an alien, albeit a human one) and have now turned their sights toward Earth.  The series has a healing theme and some memorable aspects, such as Ririka having a limited power source that she must find more of.  Also, there’s Dewey.  

Just look at him!  He is the best character in the entire show.  No, I am not taking criticism.  Anyway, although the anime still has that 1990s cheesiness to it, it gets surprisingly dark for a show aimed at young girls.  That may be why it didn’t sell enough toys and wound up being cancelled.  Still, the creators managed to bring the show to a conclusion at 35 episodes.

3. Puella Magi Madoka Magica

This anime was released in 2011, and it’s the one responsible for a slew of dark magical girl anime and manga in the years that followed.  Some of them were good, others were not, but I’ll get into that later.  Without spoiling too much, I can tell you that unlike the previous two entries, Madoka is definitely not for kids.  It’s quite dark, with a storyline that explores the consequences of its magical system.  While it’s not the first dark magical girl anime, it’s undoubtedly the most popular.  The soundtrack is beautiful, the animation is (mostly) beautiful...  I really recommend this anime!

4. Sailor Moon

Ah, a classic!  This anime has two versions - the 90s anime, and the ongoing remake (known as Crystal) that follows the manga more faithfully.  I like both!  This is probably the most iconic magical girl anime among English speakers, so you probably know the basic details, but I’ll explain it anyway.  The story begins when Usagi, a rather annoying crybaby, is given a mysterious brooch that she can use to transform into the magical warrior known as Sailor Moon.  She is tasked with fighting various bad guys, assembling her team of planet-themed magical girls, and finding the missing princess of the moon (whose identity is rather obvious).  Along the way, she is frequently aided by the mysterious Tuxedo Mask (yes, his outfit is as silly as it sounds).  The 90s anime is generally more lighthearted and has quite a bit of filler, but I like it a lot - it’s got this nostalgic charm to it, you know?  Crystal is also great, though it has less episodes.  I’ve also been reading the original manga, and it’s awesome!  There’s even a two-volume manga focusing on Sailor Venus’s adventures before meeting up with the other Sailor Guardians - it’s called Codename: Sailor V and I highly recommend it.  Actually, I highly recommend all of this franchise!

5. Yuki Yuna is a Hero

This one is another dark magical girl series a la Madoka.  Basically, three hundred years ago, a virus killed off most of humanity, except for those living on the island of Shikoku (a real place, might I add), who were protected by the Shinju - an amalgamation of gods in the form of a tree.  Shikoku is at peace now, and it is run by the Taisha, a religious organization dedicated to serving the Shinju.  The eponymous Yuna is a member of the Hero Club, a school club that does volunteer work for the community.  However, it is soon revealed that the Hero Club is more literal than that - the girls have actually been enlisted to transform into Heroes and fight the mysterious Vertex that threaten the Shinju.  Though the battles take place in a spiritual realm, the damage that that world takes affects the real world, and if even one Vertex reaches the Shinju, the entire world will be destroyed.  The first season has some elements that I don’t like, especially considering the representation of disabled people, and there’s quite a bit of fanservice, but I still like the show.  It has three seasons, and the second season is my personal favorite.  There are also some prequel/interquel light novels, but I haven’t read those yet.  Overall, Yuki Yuna is an interesting watch for its take on religion and child soldiers.

Okay, now you know of five magical girl anime that I like.  I also enjoyed Uta~Kata, but for some reason the GIF thingy isn’t working right now, so I’ll just say that it’s good, albeit fanservicey.

I’ve also watched quite a bit of the original 2000s Tokyo Mew Mew, but to be honest, I find it a bit mediocre.  I especially don’t like those two guys who run the cafe - it seems like they’re just using the girls.  Still, I’ll finish it, and then I’ll watch the reboot and hope that it’s better.

Now, some dark magical girl anime are good, but others are not.  After watching Day Break Illusion, I determined that it was one of the latter.  Though the premise sounded interesting, it was not well executed, and it got quite creepy near the end - and not in a good way.

There are also some magical girl anime that I refuse to watch - Magical Girl Site, Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka, Prisma Illya, and any ecchi or hentai works.

There are other magical girl anime that I haven’t finished yet.  I’ll give my opinions on them once I’m done.  I’m also hoping to read some more magical girl manga, especially the ones that haven’t been adapted into anime yet.  Any suggestions?

All in all, I really enjoy the magical girl genre, and I hope to add to it someday.

[loveclub24]

About You

I’ve realized the only way I can get myself to actually write is by using this blog (I mean... let’s hope it works. It’s working today at the very least, so I’ll take it.) So, from now on, I’m going to use this as my personal journal. I don’t think anyone will ever even read this blog, which honestly is the point, because I’m going to be baring my soul. I realize that the last few years, I haven’t done enough self-reflection - as in, not much journaling, writing, reflecting, etc. Or at least reflecting in the way that I usually would. I really want to try to change that and maybe “blogging” will help me. 

Earlier today, my therapist told me that tonight I should light a candle and do a little bit of journaling, so I’m going to try doing that now. I lit one of my pumpkin candles that is truly at the end of its life, and I’m sitting in my cozy living room with string lights on on a rainy day. It really is a perfect scene. I have my headphones on, listening to the 1975, which is actually the inspiration for the title of this post. 

Something I’ve been really reflecting on lately is that it has been almost 10 years of being a die-hard 75 fan. I was freshly 18 when I started listening to their Self-Titled album, and now I’m ~almost~ 27 years old. God, that is so crazy to type. My 18 year old self would think that I’m old as fuck, but that's the funny thing about growing up - isn’t it. 27 is not nearly as old as you think its going to feel when you’re a teenager. Anyways, Being Funny in a Foreign Language (BFIAFL) came out a few weeks ago, and I’ve truly been in such a nostalgic tizzy ever since. I can’t stop listening to the goddamn band, and I can’t stop thinking about how much I’ve grown as a person since I started listening to them. 

About You, one of the songs from BFIAFL that seems to be a favorite for hardcore 75 fans, is an answer to Robbers, one of the most iconic songs from self-titled era. The moment I discovered this (as in, read it on the genius notes on Spotify when I first listened to the album), I about lost my fucking mind because I knew I was about to go on a deep dive into “The Tumblr Era” that we’ve so affectionally called 2014-ish. Robbers is about a toxic relationship, a Bonnie and Clyde sort of story. It’s that kind of relationship that is easy to idolize in our younger years - we want the highs, the lows, the pain, the strife - and we want to romanticize it all. That is Robbers - its about a relationship that isn’t healthy, it doesn’t work, but it is ~aesthetic~ as fuck. And honestly, I’m not even a person who was super into romanticizing those kind of relationships in my younger years. I definitely had my fair share of them, but I think I knew what I was looking for - which was stability, slow, soft love. But still, there is something about our youth that makes us prone to a special yearning for the chaos (and perhaps, this yearning always lingers with us even in our adult year, i.e. now....). 

But, all to say, when I first listened to About You, I was focusing on this concept of it being a response to Robbers. Do you think I have forgotten about you? Matty sings repeatedly throughout the song. I miss you on the train / I miss you in the morning / I never know what to think about (I think about you). It is simple to take this fucking gorgeous song, About You, and see it within the confines of this relationship - how this person has never forgotten about this relationship. Even though it didn’t work, it still holds so much significance to this person. No, they have not forgotten about it. God... even that, just fucking hurt me when I first listened to it. I pictured myself being 17 again, and pictured each person I’d loved, lost, hated, fucked, throughout the past decade of my life and how each of these people were a part of my story, apart of my life, no matter how small. I know a place / it’s somewhere I go when I need to remember your face. It’s this simple reassurance of no, I have not forgotten about you and I still think about you sometimes. 

But what is truly beautiful about this song is that it is not a resolution, it’s not a perfect ending of the story of two lovers who keep missing each other. It is almost an acceptance, a raw, real one, of the fact that this relationship can’t work, and these two lovers aren’t meant to be. It may slightly romanticize this time in life, but the resolution of this song is that even if they won’t ever be together, they still haven’t forgotten about that person, that relationship, that friendship (whatever it may be) and they acknowledge the impact it made on their life (for better, for worse, for apathy, for chaos... whatever). And sometimes, that is enough closure in itself. 

However, a few more listens of this song later, I realized that the real significance of this song laid far beyond the confines of understanding it in terms of the “relationship” story that was being told. This song was a love letter to the fans, a love letter to the people that have grown up with this band, a love letter to each person who listens to it. Do you think I have forgotten about you? I instantly pictured myself - 18 years old - after having had my heart absolutely shattered by my high school boyfriend. I remember listening to self-titled in my car, eating fray, feeling so heartbroken yet so excited that I had found a record that resonated with me in a way so wholly that this one did. I remember graduating high school, I remember the summer before college, I remember going on late night drives with my best friends, I remember moving across the country for college and making new friends. This song isn’t just about remembering a dysfunctional relationship that was romanticized at the time, it was about remembering the person I was at the time and how I am still that person. God, when I realized that, I sobbed for so long. 

Sometimes, when I get caught up in the mundanity of every day life, I forget who I was when I was 18. Who I was when I went to a music festival for the first time and danced with my friends and felt pure joy; who I was when realized I was going to college and that everything was going to change. So, thank you to the 1975 for growing with me for the past (almost) 10 years of my life and for making music that I’ve been able to connect with in a way I never imagined I would. Thanks for witnessing all my fuck-ups, triumphs - the good, the bad, the ugly. Your music was there for all of it, and thank you for writing an album that is such an ode to our years together. I hadn’t actively thought about my teenage self for so long, and now I’m going to make an effort to remember her as often as I can. She had no idea what was in store for her - college, heartbreak, a pandemic, insomnia, jobs that caused her to lose herself, love, the best friends in the whole world, the best family in the whole world. I’m so grateful for it all. 

Also, one thing I want to add. Sometimes I feel slightly embarrassed about how much of a fangirl I am about this band, and have cringed at myself a few times even while writing this just now. But, I just want to reiterate for myself that being passionate is amazing, and so much fun. I’ve really felt a renewed sense of passion and enjoyment in the past few weeks during this 1975 heavy phase in my life. So here am I to say FUCK what everyone thinks... I’m going to write about how much I love this motherfucking band if I want to. 

[projecthipster]

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky)

The book, not the movie, so I will not put Logan Lerman in the header image.

“I’m going to write it down because maybe if I do I won’t have to think about it. And I won’t get upset.”

Dear Friend,

I’d like to think back to July 2022. I’d lazily started writing Project Hipster reviews here and there, and reading books based on what the lists threw at me, though I wouldn’t realize that a Tumblr sideblog was the right venue for them (is it? I still don’t know) until next year when I posted the praise of Franny and Zooey that kicked off this blog. Sort of. It’s never really been fully kicked. 

Anyway, I was reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower as part of my aimless attempt at reading agreed-upon “hipster books,” and I was enjoying it. It’s a thin little book, so it fit like mustache wax on a barista into the laptop pocket of my backpack. I’d just started doing the city bike tours that I’m still doing now, and I’d taken a pretty young Parisian English teacher around town on a sunny Canada Day. We’d had a good time and so we agreed to meet up again for lunch the next day - Perks still tucked into that laptop pocket for train reading. 

I met her at a classic barbeque joint on McIntyre, in that block with the old bank that’s now the Irish pub, and the baptist church, and the street art of the flowers in the alley, and that row of condemned buildings that used to have a bubble machine in one of the windows until it was discovered that the bubbles were coming out of a fentanyl distribution centre. You know the block. The barbeque joint hosts punk and metal shows in the evening, but we were there for lunch. Waiting for food, we got to talking about books. I wanted to know what books were good for studying French. She said, read Camus. I did. That’ll be a post here soon. I wanted to know, what books do you use to teach English to French teenagers? There’s one we read last semester because it has lots of meaning but simple language, she said. It’s called The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Have you heard of it?

Zip-open went the laptop pocket!

All this is to say, there’s something simple but universal in Perks, something that transcends its semi-autobiographical adolescent rooting in early 90s suburban Pittsburgh. Stephen Chbosky is no believer in universalism in storytelling, that supposed root of relatability, the creation of a blank slate. To try to make anyone’s story feel like everyone’s story is the surest way, after all, to make it feel like no one’s story. So, Perks is inseparable from its pre-hipster, car-centric, football-obsessed, conservatively entrenched baseline. I say baseline because one of the ways protagonist Charlie evolves is in breaking out of this mainstream dullness. There’s little anger in that breaking away, though. Charlie doesn’t feel like so many Hipster Novel protagonists, listless in suburbia and longing for some great perhaps. Instead his finite existence is so sheltering that he doesn’t seem to ever ponder alternative ways until other characters bring them before him. That’s not to say there’s no sense of breaking free. As Charlie rides into the city in a old pickup truck with his older friends playing a mixtape after his first party, in the early first iteration of the most iconic scene, the one you know from the movie, even the sentences of his guarded epistles break out of sentence-verb-object and grow to infinity, as he himself declares, “I feel infinite.” From then on the doorways looking to infinity reveal themselves slowly. There’s a lot of contrast for most of this slim school year chronicle between Charlie’s family life, trauma-wracked and sullen but rarely so dramatic as to feel like it has to be in focus, and his life with his friends, who reveal the worlds of indie music, gay camp, and sometimes unhappy experiments with drugs. Like I said, the cultural references aren’t subtle. There are mentions aplenty of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Fleetwood Mac, Nirvana, Nick Drake, and again and again The Smiths. Then there’s Bill the English teacher, who plays that English Teacher in a YA Novel role of the literary mentor, a bit of the older author guiding his own memory-avatar of his younger self towards the bookish present future. This is a way of dropping books that Chbosky likes, or that might have influenced the book in some way. Lots of these are also landmark Hipster Books that I’m due to review sooner or later on this blog: On the Road, The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Separate Peace. I’d be scared of the cultural monolith that those books represent, but I’ve already passed the first great monolith, one of my favourite books of all time, as it is Bill’s, and Charlie’s, and very obviously Chbosky’s. I’m talking about The Catcher in the Rye of course. It’s a little funny to read Charlie talking about reading Catcher over and over, when he’s telling a novel in exactly Holden Caulfield’s narrative voice. I mean that. I really do. It’s those sort of insistent short sentences at the ends of paragraphs, and all the “kind of”s.

Of course Charlie is absolutely no Holden, which is what keeps Perks from being a Catcher retread. Chbosky’s experiment seems to be telling Holden’s story if instead of lashing out at the world in bitter irony, the trauma-battered youth retreated inwards to isolation while maintaining his unshakable empathy and kindness. That’s the meaning of the title. What are the perks of being a wallflower? Well, they’re that from the sidelines, you can see what goes on between people and understand them, without getting hurt. There’s no need to develop Holden’s prickly shell of ankylosaurus armour over the heart if you blend into the wallpaper enough to never be noticed. 

Of course, being a wallflower forever doesn’t make for a very good story. The story here, while like Catcher it also digs back into the source of Charlie’s childhood trauma, buried under all its layers of denial and justification, also follows his journey to try to “participate.” The text hits on something special when it reminisces on the soulful importance of meandering conversations in late-night fast food restaurants.

Which is why we need urban planning that re-emphasizes the affordable third space. But that’s another essay.

Love always,

Your Hipster Archivist

I give this Hipster book four bonus English class essays out of five.

Project Hipster is a futile and disorganized attempt to dive into the world of things that the internet has at some point claimed "are hipster," mostly through ListChallenges search results.

This review comes from the fourteenth list, The BBC and Goodreads Declare: "If You Score 20+ on This Quiz You Qualify as a Hipster."

Yeah, the name of the list is longwinded this time around. I like that it lists the sources for this declaration though. I’m glad to know that this is a book that Goodreads, the website where Fifty Shades of Grey is rated higher than Moby Dick, doesn’t just say but DECLARES is For Hipsters. I trust the BBC though, if only because I still like Doctor Who.

Up next: some movie or another from a list clearly made by someone English. Most likely more Tarantino.

Stay deck.

[teeto-peteto]

Anyway. Fun question for you, besides the Ruined King squad, are there any champions that you just cannot get sick of? Like, they could show up and you’d be “hell yeah, this just got even better!”

Sorry if that’s a strange question. By the way, one of my upcoming judgment chapters has a character that I think you’ll like.

OOH do not ask that we could be here for hours...

Im as fond with Bandle City as i am with Bilgewater. I just hate the way Riot wrote yordle lore and logic that i just flipped the table and gave up rambling about it.

My first ever league interaction was knowing about Teemo and he's my baby and i dont care what ugly personality people say about him... he's my cute little fella. My second ever league interaction was reading about his lore and seeing that there was kind of a fling between him and Tristana. I started shipping them i made fanart i made fanfic when i was a 12 y/o. And i still love them with all my heart! Rumble being there just spices things up and as a 12 y/o fanfic writer i made it very dramatic to the point of involuntary comedy.

I adore Lulu and Pix, she's the champion i have more points with. She's iconic! I'd be dissapointed if they ever changed her visual appereance. I know most people think her model looks outdated and icky... BUT she gives this manic pixie dream girl look and i adore her, i love her chubby face with a lot of eye separation and those BIG ol eyes... I love Pix looking like a stick figure with butterfly/fairy wings. I will admit she looked lovely in the LOR expansion cinematic. I love her in all shape and form.

I also like Veigar... Like, can relate to the thing of being tortured psycologically and physically by a bigger dude and then once you're out of it be like 'well, today i feel like setting the world on fire <3'. Overall i adore most of yordle champions, i just dont like how Riot updated their lore a couple of years ago it made me loose interest in what they had to say inside game.

Gwen! I dont know if that counts as a Ruined King champion... her little doll appears on a random corner but i like her! I was one of those poeple begging Riot to make her more doll-likely. But being completely honest, i love her human switching to tiny funny doll power. She's cheerful she's adorable she's iconic and she is the moment.

KLED i know i said i love most of the yordles but KLED he's my baby i love Kled and Skaarl they are so iconic. In game is a delight to play it made me keep my emotions on line when i was on a very rough moment. The thrill of mounting on Skaarl at 10HP and saving your ass or getting a kill.... Its great. I also love his (OLD) lore (they fucked up again making an update a couple years ago) and his short story is SO funny and emotive. I came to realize that i really like him because he reminds me of my grandpa... and my parents always say i look a lot like him cause im always grumpy and mad at something...

OK there's a lot of champions i actually like a lot im going to resume it in one line rants. Janna, sadly sexualized and outdated but she's like a Soraka but more sassy, loved her LOR look makes her look exactly like that. Karma, she's iconic, she's very pretty, not much people pay attention to her and i never actually sat down to read about her BUT im interested. Twitch, he's a rat. Jhin, he's iconic. Lillia, teheehee silly fawn girl peeposhy. Ivern, he's like my mom when she's on a good mood. MILIO he's a BABY and HE IS MY BABY i love him very much. Blitzcrank. He's silly. Kog Maw cause he's also silly. Nautilus, my husbando best friend. Renata, iconic and sapphic.

[nataliaphantomhivesblog]

Corruption & Trust

Stormbringer and bsd spoilers in general ahead so read at your own risk!!

So in this post I will be listing all the times Chuuya used corruption and all the times Dazai was there to stop it. I will also go into depth as to why Chuuya trusts Dazai when it comes to having to use corruption and I will also emphazise on Dazai's care and how he takes corruption seriously.

1. First time using corruption: Stormbringer

Chuuya and Dazai's age: 16 yrs old

"Isn't it an unpleasant sight, Chuuya."

It was a young boy. This young boy casually caught hold of Chuuya's arm and lifted it up. With this movement, the gravitational field which had occured around them disappered immediatly. As well as Chuuya’s agony.

"Y...You..."

"You can't even die gracefully can you?" the young boy said in a raspy voice as he heaved Chuuya on his shoulders. He set off to walk.

Alright so this was the first time Chuuya's corruption was ever activated, after Dazai nullifies it and carries Chuuya on his back, he drops him off outside the bar were Chuuya's friends lay dead. He took him there instead of taking him directly to the port mafia quarters.

Why did he do that exactly? If Dazai doesn't care for Chuuya, then why did he give Chuuya the opportunity to pay farewell to his dying friends?

It's actually sort of funny because I don't really think Dazai really realizes or accepts that he feels a certain connection with Chuuya and therefore looks after him.

2. Second time using Corruption: Stormbringer

Chuuya and Dazai's age: 16 yrs old (obviously, its still the same light novel lol)

After losing his strength, Chuuya drifted in the air for a few seconds, then lost the black wings on his back and slowly fell.

Dazai caught his body.

From the spot where Dazai touched, the nulification skill was activated.

The self-contradictory skill that supports the energy of the singular point receded, and the output of the singular point decreased. Eventually, it converged and the "gate" closed. The red imprints disappeared from Chuya's whole body. Eventually, the gravitational field disappeared and the complete silence was restored.

“Good job, Chuuya." Dazai chuckled, looking at Chuuya he was holding in his arms. "I forgot to bring my ink pen, so I'll spare you from having your face scribbled."

As much as it looks like this is from a fanfiction, I can assure you that it's an actual passage from stormbringer.

I can't really say much except the fact that Dazai is being extremely soft here.

And this was the conversation Dazai and Chuuya shared beforehand:

"There is one problem." Dazai cut off his sentence hesitantly. "It has nothing to do with the sucess rate of the plan. It is a matter we have to overcome in the end but... It may require some time to decide."

"What's with you?" Chuuya raised his eyebrows at Dazai. "Stop dramatizing it. Just hurry up and say it."

"I said earlier about this control spell to open the 'gate' that is used to reset the command inside Chuuya, right?" Dazai spoke with a strangely restrained voice. "If we use that, the logs of the command formula that were written in the past will be erased. That means...even if the memory erasure was used on Chuuya in the past, the traces of that will be erased as well."

"What?"

"I told you before right? the memory erasure command. The only way we can confirm if Chuuya is human or not is to check the history to see if the memory erasure command was ever used. It means..." Dazai looked at Chuuya with eyes that he had never looked at him before. Those eyes were serious. "If we use that control spell, the method to confirm if Chuuya is an artificial personality created by a string of code, or just a normal human being, will be lost. For good."

The time had stopped.

Chuuya opened his eyes and looked towards Dazai but his eyes were not seeing anything. The wind blew between the two of them. Even so, Chuuya did not blink.

"Verlaine became like that because he was tormented by the curse that he was not human. That only is enough of a big problem. The matter of being human or not." Dazai looked at his pocket watch, gave it a glance and continued. "I can delay the time until the plan starts for about two minutes. I will send an order for my men to wait... You can think about it alone for a while. Cuz I guess its hard for you to collect your thoughts with me around."

Having said so, Dazai turned away and walked down the stairs, leaving Chuuya alone.

Dazai fixated in his pocket watch. Two more minutes. Too short for a life decision. But he couldn't afford more than that.

Inside Dazai's head, he was planning a procedure to swith to an alternative plan in case Chuuya refused, at a tremendous speed.

After this exchange, Chuuya does decide on using corruption. I have talked about this section on a previous post of mine, and I just love it so much. For starters, I think this conversation that these two shared is very important to their characters.

For Chuuya, it shows us how undeniably selfless he is. He would rather save the people of Yokahama instead of finding out something that meant a lot to him. He sacrificed his own desires to save the people he cares about.

For Dazai its a completely different story, in this exchange Dazai was able to openly express genuine concern for his partner. He also understands the gravity of the decision Chuuya has to take and therefore leaves the decision up to him.

Third time using corruption: Dragon's Head Conflict

Chuuya and Dazai' s age: 16 yrs old

During this one, Chuuya demands to know where his friends are, and Shibusawa says all six of them killed themselves after being caught. Enraged, Chuuya activates Corruption which ultimatley ended the 88 day conflict.

There isn't much to say about Dazai and Chuuya here since there isn't really an aftermath on this occasion but I bealive this picture is enough.

Before reading the DA manga, I genuienly thought that the only time Chuuya ever rested on Dazai's lap was when they were 22 but this proved me wrong.

I mean this is a minimal thing to point out but if Dazai disregarded Chuuya he would've just left him there, right? But instead he remained with Chuuya and allowed him to rest on his lap, in the picture you can also see he is putting Chuuya's hat back on. It's such a simple gesture but it shows us how caring Dazai can be when it comes to Chuuya using corruption.

Fourth time using corruption: Lovecraft Battle, Double Black reunion

Chuuya and Dazai's age: 22 yrs old

This is personally one of my favorite times in which Chuuya uses corruption. The fact that these two had not been working together for 4 years yet they still managed to not only accomplish their mission, but mantain their trust for one another.

I find what Chuuya says here extremely ironic because if anything, the choice has always been up to him. Dazai always uses corruption as a last-resort trick and its always Chuuya who makes the final decision of using it or not, even in a life or death situation Dazai won't take it upon himself to force Chuuya to make the decision if they will be using it or not, and hes always willing to come up with an alternative plan in case Chuuya refuses. (an example of this is when Chuuya used corruption for the 2nd time in SB).

I think the reason as to why Dazai takes corruption extremely seriously is because during stormbringer he was the first person to even see Chuuya use corruption and also the person who understood how corruption will always be sort of like a burden to Chuuya, since it was thanks to corruption that his "am I human?" question stayed unanswered.

He knows how it feels to struggle with your own humanity and he doesn't want for Chuuya (who he literally sees as human), to hold that inner conflict with himself because of corruption.

Anyways, Chuuya decides to go through corruption trusting that Dazai will be there to nullify it.

And of course, Dazai does nullify it.

And after Dazai nullifies corruption, we get this very touching moment between both of them.

This is the first time Chuuya openly admits to trusting Dazai, although it was always evident that he trusts him, I just love how open he is being here.

Also the light punch he gives to Dazai's chest is such a sweet gesture, I see it as a silent way for Chuuya to say "I trust you because after all this time I still see you as my partner."

Dazai's smile in that small pannel is one of the most genuine expression we have gotten out of him. What he says is also a very sweet, I love that he calls him partner. The fact that these two are literally in rival organizations yet Dazai still calls him partner, it shows us that even after all these years he still can't help but see him the same way as he has always done.

Actually in Japanese he calls him "Aibou" and from my understanding, when you use the term Aibou it's for someone who you consider yourself to be close with. It means "partner" like in english but it holds a deeper meaning. If Dazai used the word "nakama" it would have been a very diffrent story since it means partner as well but it isn't used for someone you share a significant connection with. Asagiri's play with words here says a lot.

Fifth time using corruption: Dead Apple

Chuuya and Dazai's age: 22yrs old.

Of course I have to talk about one of the most iconic moments in the history of Soukoku.

Chuuya uses corruption to save Dazai, even if Ango says that he's dead for sure. Something I find very intresting here though is that Chuuya screams for Dazai while he is on corruption, he is obviously not supposed to be self concious about the whole situation, while on Corruption clearly he is not supposed to be in sane state of mind, as we all here know, Chuuya loses control and does not have the track of reality while under his own ability but this time, while using corruption, the one and only thing that was on his mind was "Dazai."

It wasn't only Chuuya who entrusted his life to Dazai, Dazai too entrusted his life in Chuuya's hands. When Dazai came up with this plan, he was more than certain that Chuuya was going to save him. And I think a tumblr blog pointed this out but when Chuuya uses curroption, he cannot control his strength, but when he had to punch Dazai he did it lightly, which is strange considering he was using curroption and it would've made a lot more sence if Dazai ended up decapitated due to being punched by a literal god. Dazai had to have faith in the fact that Chuuya will somehow be able to control corruption, even if its just a little bit.

Afterwards when Chuuya manages to rescue Dazai, Dazai gently touches his cheek to nullify corruption and greets him with, "You used Corruption believing in me? I am so touched I could cry." Chuuya groans, and replies that yes he did, that he believed in his disgusting vitality and craftiness.

When they both fall to the ground, Dazai forces Chuuya to rest in his lap because he didn't want to have to protect him from this situation since the fog is still up and Chuuya himself is all worn out and wouldn't be able to fight. But heres the thing, both Chuuya and Dazai's abilities can't be seperated by the fog. I mean Dazai's ability is nulification so it basically cancels out, and Chuuya hosts a literal god inside him so it isn't really an ability if you know what I mean.

So in reality, Dazai just wanted Chuuya to rest. Dazai could've literally just left Chuuya in the fog if he was only using him for his goals, but he was genuienly appreciating Chuuya's trust in him. The way Dazai's hand is resting on Chuuya's hair is a nice gesture too, he is greatful for him and he is moved that someone trusts him, it is shown throughout the Fifthteen and SB light novel that no one trusted Dazai and how most were afraid to even approach him. And in the ADA, everyone is somewhat warry around him (excluding Atsushi ofc). But Chuuya literally puts his life on the line trusting that Dazai will always be there to save him. He trusts him greatly and Dazai knows that, and I think its pretty clear to us that he would never want to break that trust.

The fact that Chuuya trusts Dazai even after he left the Port Mafia without an explanation or goodbye shows us how strong their bond is. Chuuya most likely trusts Dazai because deep down he knows that he isn't using Chuuya's ability out of his own selifshness, a part of him is aware that Dazai uses corruption as a last resort but he just doesn't want to admit it, and I feel like he also trusts him subconciously because of how gentle Dazai is after Chuuya uses corruption.

I really hope we get to see more of these "corruption moments" because in all honesty, these moments are the ones that bring out the most vulenrability for both characters. The moment corruption is used, we see the inmeasurable amount of trust and care these two have for each other that they won't show in other situations. During these times it always shines a very open and bittersweet light on their bond and I love it so much.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 324: Is There a Force Field Around Him??

Previously on BnHA: Flashback!Rat Principal was all “please tell Midoriya that I spent a concerningly small amount of money upgrading U.A. into a wacky physics-defying funtime grid so as to make the final battle much more confusing for everyone.” Present Day!Mic (or Present!Mic, if you will) and Jeanist were all “if only somebody could deescalate this dangerously unhinged mob, we’ve tried nothing and we’re all out of ideas.” Ochako was all “LISTEN UP PEOPLE.” The mob was all, “god??” Ochako was all, “NO, IT’S ME, OCHAKO. I’M REALLY HIGH UP ON THIS BUILDING AND THE VISIBILITY IS LOW DUE TO THE RAIN, SO I CAN SEE HOW YOU MIGHT MAKE THAT MISTAKE. ANYWAYS, DEKU WAS OUT THERE RISKING HIS LIFE FOR YOU CLOWNS EVEN THOUGH HE’S JUST A KID, SO I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IF YOU COULD ALL REMEMBER HOW TO BE DECENT HUMAN BEINGS, THANKS.” Let’s see if her Big Scolding Energy has any impact.

Today on BnHA: Horikoshi is all “so I have this speech planned out, and it’s really good, but it also only really needs about 6 to 8 pages, but I’m gonna see if I can stretch it out to 17 pages so I can kill time before we get to the next volume cliffhanger two weeks from now.” Anyway but it really is a good speech though. There are feels, and tears, and more talk about how Deku is so in need of a shower that just looking at him requires a tetanus booster, and more feels, and more tears, and bonus ship drama, and an iconic callback to the very first chapter which reframes the entire series in a new context in a totally epic and moving way, and it’s all very good. Except that Horikoshi is determined to never let anyone actually give this kid a hug. Who hurt you, dude.

omg we are opening on a callback to chapter 212, a.k.a. the chapter with by far the cutest flashback that doesn’t involve any baby Todorokis

baby Ochako is lethally cute. she could literally murder someone with her cuteness. I just want to scoop her up and play airplane with her until she accidentally activates her quirk while we’re spinning around and we both helicopter up into the air never to be seen again

“a child’s insistence” huh well that’s all well and good, but I sure hope this doesn’t mean we’re going to drag out the whole “sternly lecture the obnoxious citizens” plot for another whole chapter. no offense but I think we’re good

so page 2 is just continuing the whole happy/worried faces monologue, which of course is very important to Ochako’s character as it provides the context for why “who protects the heroes” ended up becoming her thing. and this is making me think we actually are in for a whole second chapter of this sob. when will my boy finally get to rest

OH MY GOD SUDDENLY THESE PEOPLE HAVE EYES IMAGINE THAT

HORIKOSHI: [reaches for a box of tissues while tearfully penning an homage to his beloved Spider-Man 2, specifically the train scene where the crowd sees Peter without his mask and they suddenly realize just how young he is]

HORIKOSHI’S HOMAGE SCENE: “COME TO THINK OF IT, I GUESS IT WAS KIND OF MEAN FOR US TO PICK ON THIS TEN YEAR OLD KID WHO WEIGHS 75 POUNDS AND LOOKS LIKE HE LOST A FIGHT WITH SATAN’S MOLDY OLD BASEMENT”

lol at this one guy who can feel the mood of the crowd shifting and is all “WAIT, NO, I WANTED TO KEEP BEING AN ASSHOLE DAMMIT”

as many pointed out last week, this man is wearing an All Might shirt. that’s some fantastic irony there

-- SDKFJWIGKS

“LITTLE GIRL, I HOPE YOU’RE NOT SUGGESTING THAT WE SHOULD ALL BE WALKING AROUND DRESSED LIKE A SOVIET-ERA BUS STOP.” heh. last week I said I was ashamed of BnHA being my favorite manga. that was a lie, actually

(ETA: in the original Japanese Ochako’s next two lines are basically “the only ones covered in mud will be us heroes!” followed by “please give us some time to get rid of the mud”, with that second line basically being the single funniest thing I’ve ever read rdslkjl. Ochako thank you so much for supporting my running gags. “YEAH WE KNOW HE’S DIRTY. WE ARE GONNA TRY AND CLEAN HIM UP, BUT IT MAY TAKE A WHILE, I’M JUST SAYING. I MEAN LOOK AT HIM. HE LOOKS LIKE AN ASBESTOS COSPLAY.”)

doesn’t the megaphone kind of look ever so slightly like an axe that she’s wielding maniacally here

easy there Lizzie Borden

also that’s a really bold claim to make there. and not one she necessarily should have to make, either. but as we all know, there’s nothing that shounen manga likes more than having its heroes bravely hoist heavy burdens of responsibility like good self-sacrificing citizens

p.s. lowkey loving how Kacchan is positioned here standing slightly behind Deku. not presuming to stand in front of him all overprotectively (because he would hate if anyone ever did that to him), and kind of being unobtrusive and letting others take center stage -- but still being close enough to Deku that he can catch him if he stumbles or passes out again

(ETA: or maybe not lmao.

DEKU: [falls to his knees]

KACCHAN: [glancing up from his phone a few minutes later] “someone just sent me the stupidest meme about milk crates -- oh. uh. you good...?”

really, son. “the burdens you can’t carry, we’ll carry them for you. ...later, I mean. right now it’s late, and we’re all cold and wet.”)

also lowkey loving this OchaTsu moment here

I was going back and binging Ochako chapters this past week for reasons, and I gotta say it really stuck out to me just how often these two are paired with each other. they do everything together. it’s a really sweet friendship that often goes unappreciated but it’s very cute

meanwhile, not to be outdone by the OchaTsu, Iida is staring at Ochako with open admiration talking about how she’s fighting too. it’s been so long since we’ve had any IidaRaka you guys. I was starving and I didn’t even know it

oh my lord IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING

THE LIGHT IS BACK. he finally looks like him again. what a cathartic fucking moment omg

ffklkdw

“I KNOW YOU ARE ALL SCARED, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS, WE DEFINITELY CANNOT GUARANTEE YOUR SAFETY AND WE ARE ALL SCARED TOO!” good pep talk there kiddo

BUT, jokes aside, truth be told this is the exact right approach to take imo, and something that’s long overdue. I’ve said this before, but this new generation of heroes is shaping up to be much more transparent than the All Might generation. they’re basically abandoning the almighty, untouchable Superman “heroes as gods” concept in favor of the more nuanced “heroes as people” concept instead. and that’s a good thing. seeing their heroes as humans, with human limitations and weaknesses and flaws, will hopefully not only lead to more scrutiny and accountability, but also more awareness of how hard some of them are working and how much they’re sacrificing. that’s something All Might never quite grasped back at the start of the series -- that the weak, vulnerable, injured him could be just as inspiring as the mighty, invincible him -- perhaps even more so. there’s a power in seeing otherwise ordinary people show extraordinary bravery and compassion. it inspires others to try and do the same

SSDLHK AIZAWA SIGHTING AAHHHHHH

so he was still back at the hospital this whole time?? smdh at this disrespect. that feeling when your sexy self-insert character’s powers of rationality are too strong, and so you have to nerf him so that he doesn’t ruin your Deku Angst arc twice over by (1) immediately talking some sense into Deku and making him come home Right This Instant Young Man, and (2) not allowing him to leave U.A. in the first fucking place. excuse me, you want to do WHAT now, Midoriya?? that’s it, go to your room

also living for Katsuki and Hawks’s soft expressions. Shouto’s too, although his is tinier and harder to see. and Jeanist’s 12-foot-long neck. imagine Jeanist’s head with Mic’s hair. maybe Jeanist had a mohawk back in the day and that’s why U.A.’s doors are so big now

speaking of soft faces, Enji’s is also excellent

what could this random close-up possibly imply?? hell if I know. but Horikoshi truly fears no discourse and that’s what I love about him

OMGGGG

“smh my child is so dumb.” poor Ochadad. your child is cute af count your blessings

SDOFFHSMH

I’m telling you guys. lethally, catastrophically cute

this speech is still ongoing lol. Horikoshi you’re doing so good but I think we get the point now my dude. you gotta learn how to transition out of these things

UNEXPECTED TOGA WHAT

“there we go” Horikoshi says, crossing off the last line on his list of Ochako ships. “that’s all of ‘em”

poor Ochako is just repeating the same “LET HIM REST, PLEASE, WITH EVERYONE’S COOPERATION, IF YOU DON’T MIND, WE APPRECIATE IT” talking points over and over again hoping someone will throw her a bone and acknowledge her already. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP HER

literally they’re all just staring up at her silently omg. work with me people!!

now she’s saying it for the 56th time but more dramatically all of a sudden

they got so dramatic that for a minute I thought she had suddenly leaped off the building or something

look, not to rush you or anything Horikoshi, but I’m starting to get the feeling that this is yet another one of those “the volume is ending soon so I need to either hurry things up or slow things down in order to make sure we end it on my perfect cliffhanger ending” chapters where you go to ridiculous lengths to drag things out much to the exasperation of your week-to-week readers

(ETA: ftr, volume 31 ended on chapter 306, and I’m predicting that vol. 32 will end with chapter 316 (a.k.a. “you’re next!” [explodes]). I’m guessing vol. 33 will follow suit and likely end on chapter 326, so keep your eyes peeled for a big cliffhanger in two weeks’ time. Deku’s dad?? All Might in peril?? U.A. traitor at long fucking last?? we shall see.)

is Deku straight up falling in love with Ochako right on the spot lol what is happening

I know I just said that I enjoy when Horikoshi gives zero fucks about discourse, but shipping discourse is a whole different beast lol. I hope he’s prepared

(ETA: and for the record, I have no interest in shipping discourse either, as always. and I think this scene can be interpreted as platonic, tbh, with the context being that Ochako was literally introduced as someone who was willing to help him so casually without a second thought, and now here she is saving him again.

I don’t think it really fully hit Deku until this moment how much he needed saving. like I said in another meta somewhere, selflessness is basically just selfishness on behalf of others. and Deku is selfless to a fault, but that’s okay, and it doesn’t mean he needs to change -- he just needs friends who are willing to be be selfish on his behalf in turn. and I think the full emotion of what it means to have friends like that just hit him at last. everything his friends have done for him, how much he needed it and didn’t even realize, and how grateful he is. anyways what a terrible day for rain.)

-- son of a --

is he apologizing?? or pleading?? please tell me that’s not the case, because what the actual fuck. Deku you beautiful precious radiant selfless child, this is the exact opposite of how this should be. all these motherfuckers should be on their knees apologizing to you

DEKU WHY

I DIDN’T ASK FOR THIS FREAKING BOMBARDMENT OF EMOTIONS GODDAMIT. OUT HERE ARMED WITH YOUR FREAKING TREBUCHET OF FEELS TO LAUNCH AT ME UNPROVOKED. WHAT’S WITH THAT

FREAKING CHRIST. THIS BOY IS CRYING HIS EYES OUT AND HORIKOSHI IS JUST ZOOMING IN WITH THE CAMERA, LIKE CAN WE JUST CUT HIM A BREAK ALREADY. ENOUGH OF THIS. HE’S SO YOUNG AND HE TRIES SO HARD AND I JUST NEED HIM TO FEEL SAFE, HORIKOSHI PLEASE CAN YOU JUST GIVE ME THAT ALREADY WHAT IS THE FREAKING HOLD UP!!

GIGANTIC FOX LADY!!!

GIGANTIC FOX LADY PLEASE BE MY HUGGER BY PROXY!! SERIOUSLY GIRL IF YOU JUST HOLD YOUR UMBRELLA OVER HIM OR SOMETHING AND DON’T GO THE EXTRA MILE I’M ABOUT TO LODGE AN OFFICIAL COMPLAINT. THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS NOW

!!!!

A KOUTA IS GOOD TOO!!! oh my god if Kouta hugs him I will seriously 100% straight up cry. go on and test me

FOR THE LOVE OF --

is this man expressly forbidden from drawing hugs in his contract or something. DO YOU DO IT JUST TO SPITE ME?? this is tyranny, sir

AND I KNOW, THIS PAGE ACTUALLY CHALLENGED THE VERY PREMISE OF THE SERIES ITSELF, AND HERE I AM COMPLAINING ABOUT HUGS, OR THE LACK THEREOF. “this is the story of how we all became the greatest heroes.” and just like that, he waves a polite middle finger at all of the Strongest Greatest Chosen One shounen protags of old, in favor of something much less conventional, much more interesting, and much more suited to Deku’s character. because if that one sentence doesn’t just sum up Deku to a T. he gladly relinquishes his Greatest Hero status in favor of acknowledging the hero in everyone. what a class act. that’s my protagonist

I love this kid so fucking much I swear. only just PLEASE. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. GIVE HIM HIS HUG

[iblamethenubbins]

I've been trying to understand what is going on in Ukraine since last Thursday, like most of us, I believe . But the more I read about it the more I realize how complex the situation is.

I have been inclined to side with Ukraine as a country against Russia the invasor from the start, and of course I still do. However, there is a dark side to Ukranian nationalism that I hadn't known until now.

I can't claim to know a huge lot about it, only what I have gathered reading old newspaper articles and Wikipedia pages about the Euromaiden revolution in 2014 and the consequent war in the Donbass region. It's all information I should already have, but somehow it had completely bypassed me. So as I'm trying to wrap my thought around this, I'll try to summarise what I've gathered so far:

Ever since the end of the USSR, Ukraine has never truly been a united country. Its eastern part wished the Soviet Union never ended and kept on speaking Russian, while western Ukraine tried to get into the European Union from the start. When in 2014 a pro-Russian president was elected, Ukranian nationalists rebelled and ousted him, replacing him with the pro-EU candidate. Some people claimed this was a US-backed"coup" but I didn't find any credible sources to back this up. Anyway, this revolution took the name of Euromaiden, and it was quite violent. Ukranian nationalists didn't just fight against government forces, but also against pro-Russian people. Ukrainians fighting Ukrainians. The most horryfying event I've read about is what's reported on the Italian wikipedia as the Odessa massacre. The English page is quite different, so I don't know what I should believe, but it's undeniable that a lot of anti-Euromaiden were killed, either by Ukrainian nationalists and / or by neo nazi groups. I've read of people lynched when they tried to escape, and of women raped and tortured.

Moreover, during this time, a lot of the symbols of the Soviet era got removed (understandably), replaced by dubious national icons, including a statue of "national hero" Stepan Bandera, a ultranationalist, pro-nazi war criminal who swore allegiance to Hitler. In 2009 Ukraine even issued a stamp commemorating his birth.

Following the Euromaiden, a group of eastern pro-Russian territories known as Donbass declared their independence. I've also read some people claiming rebellion was fabricated by the Russian government but again, I haven't found any credible sources to back this claim either. Anyway, they held their unofficial referendum, which established that the vast majority was in favour of declaring independence, so I'm inclined to believe the rebellion was real.

This started a civil war in 2014 because the Ukrainian government didn't recognise their independence and tried to reinstate order in the region. This was has never ended, despite numerous efforts to do so. Both sides have committed terrible atrocities, as in all wars. Kiev has been bombing Donbass, causing immense suffering to civilians too, while anti-Kiev separatists have also been killing and kidnapping Ukrainian nationalist supporters, including journalists and international observers.

I've also read how there was a "foreign legion" of European (Italian, Spanish, French, British, Serbian, Polish...) supporters who joined either side to fight in the war: Neo nazis and other far right representatives in support of Kiev while people on the far-left showed up in support of the Donbass separatists.

Now, I find it hard to see a reason why Kiev shouldn't have recognised the independece of Donbass, whether it was backed by Russia or not. They don't want to be part of Ukraine so why should they be forced to?

All of this makes me come to the conclusion that:

1) Maybe, if Ukraine had recognised Donbass its independence, Putin wouldn't have had any excuse to invade now.

2) Kiev's army has been at war with Donbass for years now for reasons I find hard to justify and have been doing their fair amount of killing civilians, so knowing this I don't feel 100% comfortable supporting them right now.