#because just the juxtaposition and playing of events is so

[gemkun]

nobody touch me rn

[hariboz]

PROMISE ME…!

“when you don’t tell your boyfriend you’re sick and still perform!”

pairing: idol!bf!ricky x gn!idol!reader

genre: fluff, tiny angst (?)

warning: mention of headaches, blurry vision, nausea and similar symptoms, softie bf!ricky, that’s it i think?

notes: ty to nonnie for requesting this!! i got a little carried away but i got into a pretty good flow writing it so i hope you enjoy 🥹🫶🏻 also!! this is my first time writing idol!reader so i hope it feels somewhat realistic…? as realistic as it can be i guess 😵‍💫

word count: 1.8k (😵‍💫 how and why…)

five, six, seven, eight.

five, six, seven, eight.

five, six, seven—

“y/n, are you okay?” the voice of your leader rips you out of your trance, your tired eyes meeting in the mirror. you nod and put on a bright, although fake smile in hopes of being reassuring, though you’re not sure you were being all too convincing — either way, none of your members pry, because they understand. they understand the need to push through, especially now with all these end of the year award shows happening; you simply can’t afford to be sick, to fall behind and to be absent from such huge events. so, you decide to push through the dizziness, nausea and pain. you’ll take some medication later, it’ll be fine. (at least that’s what you’re telling yourself when you catch yourself stumbling from the dizziness when you get ready to practice your solo entrance.) even though there is a silent understanding between you and your members, there still is one person you know you won’t be able to convince, no matter how hard you’ll try — your boyfriend and professional overthinker in regards to your well-being, ricky.

it’s quite cute, the juxtaposition of his public image and the way he tends to worry. did you eat? does your throat hurt from vocal practice? did you trip during dance practice again? (a question that’s especially annoying considering you told him about tripping once, roughly six months ago. he refuses to let it go.) he sends you teas and throat sprays to make sure your voice is taken care of, secretly checks the soles of your shoes to make sure they aren’t getting slippery, somehow manages to pack you little snacks you can munch on when you haven’t eaten anything before practice again. he’s very rarely stern, much too soft-spoken and gentle towards you to speak to you in a more serious manner when he’s worried, so he shows his care and love through these things — which makes you feel all the more guilty when you straight up have to lie to him when he asks if practice is going fine, if you’re feeling well, and letting you know how excited he (along with gyuvin, he mentions) is to see you perform in person up close.

you try your hardest to get better before the performance, you really do. well, as much as you can between hours and hours of practice and barely any sleep, at least. all your efforts seem to be in vain, though, because the day of the performance seems to be the worst day yet — if you had a choice, you would bury yourself under every blanket available and not leave your bed for at least a week, that’s how awful you feel when you and your members are picked up from your dorm during the wee hours of the morning.

unfortunately, the little perfectionistic gremlin that lives at the back of your mind refuses to let all these weeks of practice go to waste, so you muster up a brave smile through your shaking pupils and tell your worrying members that you have everything under control — you’ll smash this performance just like all the other ones, even if you have to do it while being a little dizzy. it’s no big deal, you’re a professional after all.

your stylists is making some last minute adjustments to your outfits when a gentle knock sounds through the room, a very familiar blonde head of hair popping in. you rush over to ricky, his arms snaking around you immediately. “hey, handsome,” you mutter as you observe his face, a small grin playing on his lips. “you’re not looking to bad yourself, hm?” his voice is smooth as he brushes some of your hair out of your face, careful to not interfere with your hairstylist’s hard work. you’re thrown off your balance a little when another dizziness spell hits you out of nowhere, the look on ricky’s face immediately morphing into one of concern, “are you okay?”

you muster up a smile and just nod, eyes blinking rapidly to dispel the black dots bouncing around in your vision, “yeah, i’m just a little nervous,” you reach up to adjust his collar to avoid meeting his worried eyes, “i’m fine. just freaking out a little, that’s all.” you can tell ricky doesn’t entirely believe you, but he trusts that you would come to him if there was something wrong — so he reluctantly lets the subject go. he steals a quick kiss to your lips, whispering a “good luck, i love you.” before he turns to leave to make any last preparations for his own performance.

your first wave of regret overcomes you when you stand ready beneath the stage, you and your members getting into position to perform the intro to your performance. your head feels like it’s about to split and your hands are shaky, but it’s too late to turn back now — as queen sunmi once said, the show must go on.

your second wave of regret comes when you’re actually on stage, all the lights, the music, the screams and your in-ear monitor feeling less like the dream you’ve worked so hard to achieve and more like your own personal hell. your group having your own amazing entrance with one of the stage elevators excited you at first; unfortunately, right now you’re preoccupied with managing your expressions to make sure you won’t let any irritation or discomfort slip.

your third and final wave of regret comes when you stand in the middle of the stage in this massive venue, tens of thousands of eyes on you as you start to perform your solo part of the song — your head is pounding and you can barely hear your own voice through your in-ears anymore, your steps are shaky and imprecise, your vision is blurry. you manage to push through, somehow, but it’s clear in the way your chest is heaving once the lights go out that you’re not well.

the atmosphere is very much tense in the part of the audience where your fellow idols sit, all of them having to cover their very obvious concern with faux excitement — you pulled it off well enough, but it’s clear to every single one of them that you’re sick and that you probably should not have performed. ricky especially has to keep his expressions in check, because the mix of worry and concern but also frustration and maybe a little anger is raging heavily inside him right now.

the worry and concern are obvious, the last thing he wants to see is you being sick, much less performing in that state. the frustration is bubbling inside him because he knows that you know better, that even the chance of you hurting yourself even worse by performing while sick is enough reason to sit out one performance. the anger is entirely directed at your staff and maybe some of your members, your leader at least — they must’ve seen that you were unwell, no? and they still let you on stage? is that not what managers and leaders are for, to take matters into their own hands and to know what’s best for their members? it all comes to a head when your members join the other idols in the audience while you’re nowhere in sight.

ricky is getting restless, his hands sprawling against his dress pants, occasionally pinching the fabric to keep his mind occupied. gyuvin and matthew both gave him little reassuring pats on his back but neither did much to comfort him, his mind entirely preoccupied with worrying about you and counting down the minutes to when he will finally be able to check up on you backstage.

it’s about an hour later when the award show is finally over, and for once ricky is the first one to rush backstage, a little ahead of all of his members. he swerves past staff and security and doesn’t even bother knocking on your group’s dressing room, ripping the door open to find your shocked but still very exhausted eyes staring up at him in surprise, “ricky?”

he’s in front of you in the blink of an eye, squatting down to meet you eye-to-eye, his hands gently cradling your face, “are you okay? for real, this time?” his brows are furrowed and you feel a little bad for thinking that he looks pretty handsome all serious like this. you nod sheepishly, apology ready to spill from your lips when he squishes your cheeks together to silence you, “shhh, you listen to me. never do that again, okay? do you know how scary that was, watching you perform like that? what if something had happened, you know you could’ve—,” he stumbles over his words a little, clearly worked up, “i don’t know, fallen off stage or something. you could’ve fainted! or you could’ve broken something or— i don’t know, just, promise me, don’t do that again.” ricky’s once so stern voice turns soft towards the end again, never really able to keep up his serious tone for long, especially towards you.

“‘m sorry, just didn’t want to let anyone down,” you mumble, leaning into his touch. his cold hands on your face feel incredibly nice, a stark contrast to your feverish face. he sighs and one of his hands comes up to brush your hair away from your face, his hand stroking your head softly, “i know, but still. don’t do stuff like that, okay? talk to someone when you’re not feeling well. your managers, your members, me — there’s so many people you can go to, okay? anyone, as long as you tell someone,” you nod along to him, and maybe it’s the guilt of making him worry so much or the fact that you’re overwhelmed from the amount of affection coming from him while you’re still a little delirious, but you feel like you need to lighten the atmosphere with a little joke.

“even gyuvin?” the gentle expression on his face falls almost immediately, replaced by a very unimpressed stare. you break out into quiet giggles, muttering a “sorry” before pressing a kiss to his cheek. ricky grumbles a little before getting back up, running his hand through your hair gently one last time. “i have to go back now but i’m ordering you some soup to your dorm later. you’re on bedrest for the next few days, you hear me?” he tries to sound stern again and puts on his best serious face, but his façade is broken when you smile up at him so tiredly, the exhaustion clear on your face.

“thank you, i love you,” you call after him when he turns to leave, ricky sending you a flying kiss before leaving the room, “love you too.”

(your fourth wave of regret came when you realised ricky formed an alliance with your members, all of them exchanging “y/n intel” to make sure all of them can keep an eye on you while you’re recovering.)

[bandgie]

All For You | Armageddon Event

Request: Charity | Seo Changbin & Lee Yongbok (SKZ) by anon song!

warnings! MDNI18+, fem!reader, pussy eating, mxm themes, 3some, double penetration (brief) boobs/nipple play, hair pulling (m!), brief handjob, cum eating (brief)

1.9k words

Dinner is still hot. The smell of cooked meat and kimchi infiltrates your nose. It should make your stomach growl and your mouth salivate. Yet, the reason for your hunger and drooling is not because of dinner at all. It’s the two men, your two lovers, that draw such reactions from you.

It’s quite a juxtaposition to see blonde hair and black hair side-by-side. The tops of their head move concurrently between your legs. You can feel how their tongue mingle and mix while suckling on your clit. Their lips smack and kiss over every inch of your cunt. It makes you arch off the couch just slightly.

“Mmm, just like that.” You intertwine your fingers in their hair. The men hum, vibrating your clit almost like a toy. You let a whimper, bucking your hips from the sensation before their hands grip each hip, putting you back down on the couch.

Felix’s lower half is soaked. You can see how it glistens when he pulls away, letting Changbin take your pussy whole in his mouth. “Just lay still for us.” His deep voice sends shivers throughout your body. “We’ll get you there. There’s no rush.”

You don’t argue with him, nodding obediently. 

Now with more access to you, Changbin doesn’t hold back in sucking you between his lips. He takes your clit into his mouth eagerly, bobbing his head just the slightest while his tongue laps over you.

You can feel how their hold strengthens on your ass as if you might try and grind into the air again, but you manage to keep yourself planted onto the cushions while Changbin pulls on your bundle of nerves.

Instead, you twitch. Your thighs tremble and you tug much harder on Changbin’s hair. 

He lets out a yelp. The pull caused him to pop off your cunt with a wet sound. His unfocused eyes finally settle on you and you babble to apologies. “I-I’m sorry. Did I hurt you? I’m sorry, Binnie. It just felt so good and-”

He smiles, his wet chin shining proudly. “It’s okay, bubba. It didn’t hurt, I promise. You can pull as much as you like if it makes you feel better.” 

Felix giggles, runnung his hand through Changbin’s curly hair and looking at him fondly. 

“You’re so cool, hyung.”

Now Changbin blushes, his lips turning downward into his signature shy smile. “Come help your cool hyung eat this pretty pussy, Yongbok.” Felix chuckles again, adjusting his knees until he’s beside Changbin. You watch his pink tongue push through his lips, but just before he gets a lick in, his warm eyes lock with yours.

“Do you want both of us to taste you, baby?” Felix's small fingers kneed your inner thigh. “Is this what you want?”

You’ll take anything they give you and more. Changbin’s plush lips already feel so good on you, his tongue swiping down to collect your arousal and smear it on your clit. It would be hard to get him to share, you think. Changbin likes eating diligently and eagerly licking his plate clean. He’d make some room for Felix if you asked, but you’re quite content with one mouth on your cunt.

Even then, you don’t want to deter Felix from what he wants to do either. “What do you want, Lixie?”

The groan Changbin lets out in your folds matches Felix’s. “Nuh-uh, don’t do that. Tonight’s about you. Not me or Changbin. It’s okay to tell us what you want.”

Tonight has been all about you. The now-cold dinner is your favorite. The homemade brownies in the oven are for you. Since you woke up, your boyfriends have been more doting than ever. Just because, they told you when you asked why.

Just because.

You feel like you don’t deserve them in the slightest, but as Felix patiently waits for your answer while kissing up and down your thigh, you feel like you belong.

The shirt is already ridden up just below the curve of your breasts, but you pull up the material even more to expose your bare chest. You move your hands to grope the flesh of your tits, pushing them together and pinching your nipples between your fingers.

“C-can you kiss me here?” Despite them seeing you naked countless times, you can’t help the stuttering. And despite those amount of times, Felix’s eyes still widen and Changbin sucks a little harder at the sight of your boobs.

Felix is next to you in a flash. His hips press against your own while he curls his legs on the couch. One hand holds your breast and the other wraps behind your back to bring you closer. 

“Of course, baby.” Felix leans his head and brushes his lips against your bud. “I can kiss you anywhere.”

You hum appreciatively, placing your hands down into their hair. Felix is always tender with you, opting to press chaste kisses to your breasts. He focuses everywhere but your hardened nipple. The warmth of his mouth makes you buck into Changbin’s who happily widens his jaw. 

Felix sucks just above the curve of your breast, turning the skin a pretty pink before it will inevitably darken to a purple hue. The way his tongue laps over your skin has you mewling. A soft sound that makes Felix suck a little harder.

Then he kisses down, down until he finally catches your bud between his lips. With circular movements of his head, Felix runs it over his soft lips. It feels so good, so gentle that you feel yourself gush in Changbin’s mouth.

Your strong lover greedily moans. The wet sound of your cunt and mouth mingling is almost as loud as your whimpers. Felix gets the cue to take your nipple in his mouth, opening his jaw to try and fit your breast in his mouth. 

And when he sucks in correspondence with Changbin, your eyes roll back. Your hips can’t stay planted on the couch anymore that your orgasm builds. Changbin’s head moves with you, keeping his mouth stuck where he belongs.

“F-fuck!” You pull on Felix’s long hair. “Making me feel so good.”

You can feel how Felix smiles against your skin. Hear how Changbin whines affectionately.

Pulling on Felix’s hair suddenly doesn’t feel like enough. You trail your hand lower until you catch his erection underneath his sweats.

“Mmm. So hard.” You palm him, feeling how his tongue swirling on your nipple stutters from your ministrations. He releases your bud and places a kiss on the hickey forming.

“You don’t have to do that.” Felix uses a hand to gently push yours away. “We want to focus on you.”

“But-but you’re so hard. You’re both so hard.” Even if you can’t see Changbin’s lower half, you know he’s humping the bottom of the couch from how his body jolts and shudders. “I want to.”

This catches their attention. Even Changbin, who could mostly likely cum from your taste alone, raises an eyebrow and hesitantly pulls from your cunt. “Want to what?

Rather than telling them, you show them. Your shaky fingers leave their hair and go between your legs.

Looping your arms underneath your thighs, you spread your folds indecently. Slick and spit oozes from your cunt and Changbin licks his lips like he’s about to get another taste for himself, but your whining stops him.

“Inside. I wanna feel you inside.” Your hips buck from the thought of them filling you up. “I wanna cum with you deep in here.”

Changbin’s already nodding, standing up to chuck his shorts down, but Felix smoothes a hand down, rubbing over your cunt.

“You’re not just saying that because you feel bad, right?”

“No!” Gosh, you feel like you could cum just from Felix’s little palm over you. “I want to feel you. I need to feel you. Just fuck me.”

His adam’s apple bobs and he nods. He shrugs his joggers off too, putting them in a pile with Changbin’s who’s already stroking himself.

“Who do you want first, baby?” Changbin huffs. “Tell me.”

Shit. You don't want to choose. “Both! I don’t care how. Just please fuck me already.”

It’s quick how they move you. Changbin has the strength to be under you, holding your thighs apart with his cock just under your ass. It throbs being so close to your entrance, waiting for Felix to place one knee on the couch in front of you and bend just slightly so his tip aligns with you.

They’ve done this before, but not often, and most definitely not in the living room. Still, they couldn’t say no to your desperation. That aroused look in your eyes only intensifies as Changbin uses a hand to grip the base of his cock and find your opening.

“Shiiit.” You moan when his head sinks in. Changbin’s girth spreads you in the first intrusion and Felix has a front-row seat as to how your pussy caves for him.

Changbin breathes in your neck, pressing deeper until his chubby cock fits snug. Your walls pulse around him, cream leaking onto his balls. Felix’s eyes lock on the white substance, reaching a hand down to collect the slick.

You watch with hazy eyes and an open mouth as Felix shoves his fingers between your lips. You happily taste the substance, moaning at the musky flavor of yourself and Changbin. Felix presses his digits deep much like Changbin’s cock, pressing against your tongue to feel your tongue swirl around him.

“Fuck, baby.” Felix moans. “You’re so fucking hot.”

A string of saliva connects you to him even as Felix pulls his fingers away. You grin at him seductively.

“And tight.” Changbin groans in the shell of your ear. “Get in here, Yongbok. She’s waiting.”

It feels like you could finish from just pure excitement. Changbin doesn’t need to thrust. You could cockwarm him while Felix watches. Their presence is enough to feel undeniable pleasure.

That exhilaration multiples when Felix strokes himself. He nods to Changbin’s words, mouth moving to agree, but you can’t hear. So much blood is rushing to your head that you feel faint. Your heartbeat pulses in your ear and all you can hear is its increased rhythm as Felix’s tip touches your clit.

He drags it down, meeting Changbin’s few inches that stick out. He gives you a look. One of caution, trust, and love. 

“Please.”

He sinks in. Your lovers don’t have much length, but their cocks have enough girth to make up for it and more. It feels like you’re being clawed with pleasure, searing your insides with heat. Changbin moans in your ear when Felix presses deeper. Your cunt seeps with more arousal, accommodating the unbelievable stretch.

Changbin widens your thighs to add more room, to let Felix keep going in so his pelvis is flush against your cli-

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The sound of the alarm rings throughout the house. Felix jumps and Changbin holds you tighter as if the sound is threatening. It takes you a second to register that the beeping is coming from the kitchen. 

“What the fu-”

“Ughhh, fuck. The brownies.” Felix grumbles. His grip on your thighs adjusts like he’s about to pull out. You feel his inches slowly slip about before you reach your arms forward and bring him close.

“No! Just leave them.”

“Leave them in the oven?”

“Yongbok.” Changbin’s strangled voice breaks through. “I’m balls deep. You were about to be balls deep. The brownies can wait. They need to cool down anyway.”

Felix’s flushed face turns confused. “How can they cool down in the oven if-”

“Felix!” “Yongbok-ah!”

“Sorry.”

[mikuni14]

4 Minutes - Ep 6

Boy, but I loved this episode ✨💖🤩 Happy my favorite theory almost came true, yay!

Everything was great, the realism of what was happening, the behavior of the characters, the aesthetics and visuals, the disintegration of what exists, like families, frienships, lifes, but also relationships that didn't even have a chance to be created and are already falling apart. The breakdown and the heartbreak, the regret for what was lost and for what could have been.

I like that everything that happens has consequences, which as we all know, doesn't always happen in movies and series. And here everything has its consequences, including omissions - because the series clearly shows that although Great is not technically a bad person, his sins of cowardice and failure to act, of not helping the victims, also have to be paid for. (How very DFF of them lol 😍)

I absolutely love Great in this episode, showing him as a lonely young man drifting listlessly and lifelessly through his life, resenting and loathing his family, subconsciously sensing that in addition to the lack of care and affection for him in this family, their obsession with money, something really bad is also happening. A very telling sign about the current state of his mind, soul, mental health is his reaction - or rather - his lack of reaction to the bad events happening in his life, his wallowing in hedonism. And the first real, human connection which he felt with Tyme, with someone who is being torn by some deep inner emotions, who in his revenge, anger, despair, but also those few moments with him when he forgets that he should hate Great - is so SINCERE, which somehow speaks to him, as if he's the first real and raw in his feelings and honest person in his life. And also hot, that helps a lot, I guess? lol

How amazing is the juxtaposition of Great in reality with that of his own visions. It shows that what Great regrets most is the lack of ACTION, the lack of decision-making. The real Great just lets things happen around him, he doesn't think about what's happening before his eyes, he doesn't think about the consequences, not even about how he drives. The real Great isn't a bad person, but he never learned, no one taught him to be responsible for himself and for others, his parents only thought that with money alone they would solve everything and fulfill everything in their and their children's lives. In his visions he "plays" with the ideal of himself as he would like to be: strong, decisive, taking action, being decent and kind, getting the man he wants on his own 😊 The real Great lets Tyme go every time, while in his visions he always chases him.

The series perfectly shows the star-crossed lovers trope in an absolutely amazing way. Great and Tyme are clearly fascinated by each other, they are compatible with each other and in another reality, without all this burden resting on their shoulders, without the soul crushing baggage their parents gave them, they could be a perfect couple madly in love.

Of course we support Tonkla in his revenge, you are doing amazing sweetie! 💯 Go ahead and use Win and Korn as much as you like 😏 (I just hope Title suffered an even worse fate, I mean, he was the second victim in the field by the lighthouse? I don't know if I missed something, it was him right?)

Poor Mio and his back 😧 (This is also a good time to remind everyone how much I love him and miss him. In case anyone didn't know that already 🥺)

I liked the whole episode, but my heart skipped a beat for a second having serious The Untamed flashbacks here:

🥺💖

[snapscube]

Hi penny! Saw that you finished playing infinite wealth (hooray!) and i’m interested to know what you think of kiryu from this game? Considering iirc you haven’t played the kiryu saga. And obviously you can’t say too much because of spoilers but i’m curious anyway 🫣

oh he is so,, so fucking GOOD!!!!!!!! i love how diametrically opposed him and ichi are in terms of vibes, like they come from two completely different sides of the same coin which makes it all the more satisfying seeing them work off of each other more closely. it was so incredibly interesting having come in off of Y7 almost exclusively and just feeling the years upon years of history dripping off of kiryu, and i always intended to do so but now i have basically no choice but to spend the time in between this game and the inevitable 9th one catching up with kiryu's side of things. i skimmed through a lot of the more heavily referential side content in order to keep myself SOMEWHAT fresh for that, which ended up working out nicely as i managed to get just enough context to enjoy the story of 8 while still having no real idea of the depths of nuance and individual events that go down prior to 7. either way, it's so funny looking back at my initial reaction to the announcement of infinite wealth at RGG summit and how i was so confused as to why they would do a dual protag thing after already passing the torch, cause i basically feel the exact opposite now LOL. i see why they did things this way for infinite wealth specifically, though i do hope to see a continued focus on building ichi into just as deep and human a character as kiryu over time. i love ichiban to death and i love how much his character basically spits in the face of all cynicism almost to a fault, i wouldn't change that for the world it's such a key part of his character and it's necessary i think in order for him to be a protagonist that is unique enough to stand alone the more he hopefully takes the spotlight, but the idea of seeing him continue to be tested and prodded in the ways that kiryu seems to have been really excites me, so i think having the juxtaposition of the two characters in full display was really valuable in that regard.

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Every week I will post various reviews I've written so far in 2024. You can check out my Goodreads for more up-to-date reviews HERE.

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts?

___

258. Collide by Bal Khabra--⭐️⭐️

"She was literal sunshine." A sentence that made me guffaw because no, she was very much not literal sunshine. Summer was a bitch and the way everyone bent to her will and still lusted after her made me wonder if I should be reading books like WHY MEN LOVE BITCHES.

This was disappointing, to say the least. That cover is everything and I love the rep on said cover. Even though it was like reading ICEBREAKER again (a book that I actually love and have read twice), this was not at all what I was expecting. Why is it such a trend for these mean FMC to just belittle and completely undermine others' emotions for the sake of their "stubborn" personalities? Ugh.

I was going to add more to this pre-review notes I had made for this when I first finished this book, but I don't even want to LOL. This book made me so mad. Sigh.

___

259. Wed to the Barbarian by Keira Andrews--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Did I pull an all-nighter with this book? Yes.

I have decided, Keira Andrews is a favourite author. Her covers may be...not the best, but man, can she tell me a compelling story. WED TO THE BARBARIAN follows two characters who couldn't be any more different from each other. But something about the way the viewed each other and under-estimated each other made my heart melt for them and made me so excited for the moment their connection clicked into place.

Andrews, in her true writing style, has created a story full of heart with a strong message of never judging a book by its cover. Everyone knows what happens when you assume and these two characters (especially the bigger of the two) really fall into that trap of thinking they know what the other is like and how their internal and external strengths can be measured.

I loved watching them slowly fall for each other and enjoyed seeing their bond strengthen over time, until we reach that cliffhanger full of despair.

There was so much on offer in this book and I never thought I'd be devouring a historical fantasy romance (?) so voraciously. I couldn't put this down once I fell into that perfect moment in the book that demanded it be read.

I loved the family dynamics and how dedicated both characters were to them, even if sometimes they were a little misguided. But I also liked how logical Andrews's writing was when it came to certain situations, climaxes, and communication.

Also, not going to lie, those last few chapters were intense. I wish we had more books like this duology from Andrews. I'm excited for all of the books I've yet to read by her.

___

260. The Barbarian's Vow by Keira Andrews--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Devoured because book one left me on a cliffhanger and these two deserve their happy ending!

I can't say too much because it will spoil the hell out of this book. Just know that the angst, the yearning, and the dedication one character has for the other was palpable.

Also, loved, loved how certain things weren't dramatized for the sake of adding drama to the story. So many times authors add unnecessary miscommunications and other jealousy-inducing plot lines to make the story longer, but our queen, Keira Andrews doesn't do this.

And finally, please, I LOVED the adventure-style of this book. It was like one of those "how much can we physically challenge your relationship?" games that a couple might play to truly see how much they care about each other. The juxtaposition of the events in this one and the ones in the first book was *chef's kiss*.

Need more stories like this one!

___

261. The Wrong Bride by Catharina Maura--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Listen, this was like those funny and horribly acted romance stories we see in ads, BUT it was addicting and I couldn't stop reading it. Brought back memories of the over-the-top romances from the early 2010s, but like in the best and cheesiest way possible.

If you're going to sit down to read this one, make sure you have some popcorn on hand. I was so thoroughly entertained while reading this. It made me think of afternoons spent with my mom when I was a kid, having to be quiet because her telenovela was on. The over-the-top situations, the circumstances, and the denial of feelings that the characters showcased throughout the book made for some real entertainment.

And then we had the "villain". Man, she was like the perfect gaslighting telenovela villain. When she was in the middle of her assholery in trying to win back the MMC, this was me:

I'm also a bit of a sucker for an arranged marriage between two reluctant people. I love watching them fall in love and essentially prove everyone else wrong. Plus, for the love of all that is romantically glorious, this FMC needed a freaking win. She was so self-less, to the point of self-destruction, that I really wanted her to show up her horrible sister and mother. The father was the only one who was worth anything in her family.

Anyway, I have book two now and I shall read it soon. I hope it's as dramatic LOL.

___

262. All That's Left in the World by Erik J. Brown--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Re-read July 2024

So, funny story: I actually craved a re-read of this one AFTER reading the sequel (which was incredible as well) and I'm so happy I gave into the craving. I had halfway forgotten how much I enjoyed this book the first time around. I DEFINITELY see myself re-reading this one again in the future.

ALL THAT'S LEFT IN THE WORLD is one of those books that is so honest in its grief and journey to finding yourself that it will leave you feeling just a bit raw by the end. The side characters are great and the way these two characters grow and show the darker aspects of what it means to survive was so well done.

Will forever be one of my favourite Post-Apocalyptic YA reads!

Also, their love is just so sweet and pure, even if it slowly builds as the story progresses.

___

263. Faker by Gordon Korman--⭐️⭐️⭐️

The MC's younger sister is something else.

I jumped into FAKER with no idea what I was getting myself into (like I usually do) and in some (positive) ways, this was a good choice because I know that if I had read the synopsis for this, I would have felt more hesitant to pick it up. I've read a few of Korman's newer books and while I've enjoyed them for the most part, there are definitely some I've liked more than others.

I think with FAKER, it was definitely one of those stories that straddled the line for me. On one hand, I enjoyed reading about this kid who grew to understand the morality question of what his father was doing, and finding his own identity where before he was just a shadow idolizing a criminal father. But on the other hand, it was all just...a bit too on the nose? Like, what are the chances that this one new town has a teacher who teaches students about morals and the question of what is wrong and what is right? AND to have the MC have such a sudden shift? Was he not taught these lessons earlier in private schools?

In Korman's defence, we DO see the cracks starting to form near the beginning, but it definitely does start to make me think about how quickly kids change, especially because they're such impressionable little sponges (the MC's kid sister being the biggest example. She was downright terrifying.)

FAKER felt both incredibly younger than the age group it's geared towards, and older than the age group because of just how much of a criminal the dad is. I know this book might be one of those cautionary tales of trust, perspective, and the bonds of family, but the dad's crime and how he went about them were a little too genius LOL.

Anyway, I'm sure kids will gobble this up. And I really enjoyed that side-plot about saving the earth, even if the one character could have used a slight dose of empathy herself.

___

264. The Threat by K.A. Applegate--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Excuse me, that cliffhanger?

This instalment in the series was WILD and dark. So dark. I actually really enjoyed this one because we get to see the other side of what could have happened to the Animorphs if they had had a different start to their story, or if they didn't have the same morals that they live by.

I've already read the next book, so the cliffhanger pain has been dealt with, but I must say it was so well-done. This whole plot line of David is so refreshing for this series and exactly what it needed. It further brings the characters togethers and challenges them in way they never thought they would encounter.

Great, great instalment.

___

265. Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Surprised by how much I enjoyed this one!

I'm not going to lie, I totally put a hold for this audiobook at the library by accident. I had initially never intended to read this book and...I think that would have been such a mistake.

I love stories like this one where the love interest is someone the MC would have NEVER thought would be her HEA. The love interest is underestimated and misjudged by literally everyone in his life. Even though I knew immediately who he was from the moment we meet him, I couldn't help but still love the reaction and the communication that happened after the truth was revealed. I also LOVED how she helps prove his family wrong in their perception of him. But it's still bittersweet to watch the adoration that a family has for their son, even if that adoration is a little misguided.

The MC finding herself again after FINALLY starting the divorce from her absent husband (there in body, missing in spirit and fucks to give) was so empowering. I think other single moms in similar situations would benefit from reading this one. Not so much because of the romance, but because some people love to underestimate women, especially moms, and what they will do when they finally find their voices again. I loved the scenes where she was a total badass towards her ex, but also her moments of vulnerability because being human is experiencing the duality of strength, but also weakness.

The grief in this book was like an extra character riding in the passenger seat of the MC's car, that's how powerful it was. But in that grief, the MC finds the truths she ran from about how her life changed and the things that happened that led her there. It's proof that even in death, our mistakes can't be erased but CAN be learned from.

SUMMER ROMANCE is definitely one of those books that some could read as just a heartfelt small town romance novel, but I know this will hit some readers way harder than others. Monaghan's novel has heart and I felt it in every page of the book.

Now, excuse me while I put the rest of her books on hold at my libraries.

___

266. Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian--⭐️⭐️⭐️

RED RABBIT was something else. I'll admit that it took me a WHILE to get into this one. I almost DNF'ed it a few times, and extended my library loan of the audiobook a few times before finally giving in. It had its fun moments, but it also had a lot of confusing moments.

There were SO MANY CHARACTERS. And the timelines are weaved together to make a very confusing spider-web. I think I know why it was done and in retrospect, it makes sense, but while I was reading, I had a lot of "OHHH OKAY" moments when something clicked or finally made sense.

At certain points I thought I knew where the story was going, but then something would happen and it would throw me off all over again.

I don't know how scary RED RABBIT was supposed to be. Sure, there were some gross moments and others that had that taste of fear in each word, but scary scary?

One thing I didn't expect and was pleasantly surprised was the audiobook having the voice actor actually sing some of the songs featured in the book. They were beautifully sung and so incredibly unexpected--totally pulled me into the story even more and made me excited to see what would come next in the story.

I did want to shed a tear near the end and when everything was being resolved, including the reveal of some of the secrets that haunted the book. So, while the beginning took me a while, I was hooked by the end.

I think this would be great for a reader who loves a little western adventure in their stories, with a side of ghosts, witches, and ghouls.

___

Happy reading!

[qquicksllver]

when we were young fest was so much fun!!! I'll post a read more if you wanna read about me yapping about my day (I went sunday the 20th:) )

took the monorail and honestly best decision we made all weekend ngl it was so smooth and easy. I started bright and early with neck deep at 11:45, i'm still salty as fuck about this because why were they so early 😭😭😭 they were a cant miss band though so had to move my ass. they started their set before we got to the stage so had to run/walk while screaming along to serpents. played the entire album except they had to cut haunt you but honestly fine with that, it's my least fav on lnotgy so whatever, ben barlow saying free palestine I know that's right my king.

anyway next was state champs!!! my mf band!!!!!! the finer mf things!!!!!! I couldn't pit for them unfortunately as I have been dealing with back pain (I don't know what it is) and i have beef with them which I will bitch to them about the next time I see them because they cut my absolute favorite song from the finer things, mind bottled! how could they do this to me!!!! yes we got everybody but you with ben but at what cost? I wanna hear mind bottled for once in my life!!!! they also cut over the line in favor of secrets but I didn't even notice because I was too mad about mind bottled. why would they do me like that. They way my jaw dropped lmfaoooooooo champs I'm coming for yalls asses be aware

Then we went to the main stages for cobra starship and simple plan. sat in the grass and listened to cobra starship, I wanted to hear snakes on a plane!!!! wish william beckett was there smh. simple plan was simple plan lol my bf wanted to hear welcome to my life so we stayed until then and then left. THEN THEY PLAYED WHERE I BELONG, BUT BROUGHT OUT DEREK FROM STATE CHAMPS! when I tell u I stopped dead in my tracks and turned tf around, thats the only simple plan song I fuck heavy with and it was the biblically accurate version. Derek discanio you will always be my king and i made sure everyone around me knew that lmfao

Break time in the grass hehe with some giant pizza.. preparing for the longest 5 hours of my mf life.

pierce the veil time because collide with the sky is a masterpiece. the crowd was god awful at this point it was so fucking annoying and I was in the back but whatever I got to hear one hundred sleepless nights live and biblically accurate king for a day so who gaf about the shit crowd. The girls around me during king for a day were great we needed more of that energy earlier during their set because I unfortunately couldn't give much energy due to my back it hurt so had and so did me feet and it was only the beginning lmfao

Jimmy eat world was good but man them songs were so boring if you don't know them which I don't 😭😭😭😭 how many slow songs does one album need like damn pick it up a little. I respect them though they sounded great just not what I was in the mood for when my feet were dying lmfao

a day to remember always kicks ass its unfortunate they are the way they are. I was already at the fest they do not get my money directly anymore before any of you come at me I haven't voluntarily listened to them in awhile. the juxtaposition going from ptv to Jimmy eat world to adtr 😭😭😭 then to fucking fall out boy was so funny

speaking of mf fall out boy I love them so much 😭😭 I used up all my energy for the first half of their set I was dead for the second half. I finally got to hear chicago is so two years ago live by them and not just a cover and they played mf thriller!!!!!!!!! One of my favs from ioh I was so fucking happy I didn't expect it. I was carrying the crowd in my section cause no one knew the words to anything but the basics lmfao and the 8 ball being cupids chokehold!!!! The way I screamed when Travie Mccoy came out, TAKE A LOOK AT MY GIRLFRIEND. SHES THE ONLY ONE I GOT 📣📣📣📣📣📣📣 insane honestly I love fob so fucking much 😭😭😭

and then the main event, the main reason I flew all the way to vegas, my chemical romance playing the black parade 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 I WISH it was three cheers but the black parade made more sense and it means they had to play the sharpest lives. they were so fucking good and they looked so good 😭😭😭 I hope they continue to play more shows because I need to see them again, genuinely no band will ever hit for me like mcr does. They've been my favorite band since 2010 and I was so grateful for the opportunity to see them perform tbp in full. the sharpest lives fixed me and disenchanted made me cry like a little bitch. I wish I was closer but I was not fighting thru that crowd I simply did not have the energy. I wish I had more energy for their set but my legs, feet, back were so sore and I could barely move lmfao. Also the crowd around me sucked as usual I hate festival crowds they are all so lame and boring like learn the fucking words please 😭😭

anyway I had a great time, it was so worth all the money that we spent, I have some minor complaints about the fest but nothing too crazy

[authoralexharvey]

INTERVIEW WITH A WRITEBLR — @daisywords

Who You Are:

Daisy || She/her

I'm a fantasy enjoyer about to graduate from university with a degree in editing. In addition to writing, I like to draw/paint and play the piano. Also interested in linguistics and bookbinding

What You Write:

What genres do you write in? What age ranges do you write for?

Fantasy and Sci-Fi. Young and New Adult, Adult.

What genre would you write in for the rest of your life, if you could? What about that genre appeals to you?

I love specfic in general, fantasy in particular (but the line between fantasy and scifi is blurrier than one might think). I particularly like the potential of alternate worlds to set up situations and character dynamics that simply couldn't exist in a historical or contemporary novel

What genre/s will you not write unless you HAVE to? What about that genre turns you off?

I don't read or write smut/erotica but other than that everything else is potentially on the table. I couldn't see myself doing straight historical fiction, either, honestly, just because I probably wouldn't be able to resist adding some specfic elements and/or unanchoring it from time (Fantasy is freedom to me, whereas historical accuracy is something extra to adhere to.)

Who is your target audience? Do you think anyone outside of that would get anything out of your works?

You mean other than myself?? Ok but actually it's pretty broadly just people who like fantasy. I have one wip that's technically YA just based on the age of the characters, but it could definitely be enjoyed by adults. My other wip is adult/NA but could also definitely be enjoyed by teenagers.

What kind of themes do you tend to focus on? What kinds of tropes? What about them appeals to you?

hmmm….something about the juxtaposition of violence and tenderness? Guilt/responsibility and free will/predestination a la the Chosen One trope. Memory loss trope (so juicy)

What themes or tropes can you not stand? What about them turn you off?

I personally am not a fan of immortal love interests. sorry everyone.

What are you currently working on? How long have you been working on it?

My current main wip is called Deep and Dark, Beautiful and Bright. I started it in November 2020. I also have a back burner project called Fear Me, which has been ship-of-Theseus-ing since I was like 10 lol. And I'm working on two short stories that are being more trouble than they're worth

How long have you been writing? What do you think first drew you to it?

I've been making up stories since I knew what stories were. Mostly started out playing elaborate pretend games with my sister. In second grade my best friend suggested we "write a book" together since our teacher would give out blank spiral-bound paper packets. (I think she was mostly interested in my illustration abilities tbh) Anyway we created a series centered around a character named Natalie (who was basically a ripoff of Ramona/Junie B. Jones.) But anyway I think around then is when I actually became interested in writing books as an outlet for making up stories. I didn't actually do a ton of writing as a kid, but I always collected story ideas and had a ton of ocs that I would draw in my secret sketchbook.

Where do you get your inspiration from? Is that how you got your inspiration for your current project? If not, where did the inspiration come from?

Honestly I get inspiration from everywhere. My brain is a very productive idea factory (but not a productive draft finisher, sadly). Other media (for example taking one specific concept or plot point form a move and running in the opposite direction with it), dreams, songs, historical events, offhand comments from friends, etc. Sometimes justt out of nowhere I swear.

Have you published anything? Do you want to?

Not yet and yes eventually

What part of the publishing process most appeals to you? What part least appeals to you?

I want my projects to have a final form and I want other people to read them. I don't want anyone I know irl (or anyone else for that matter) to psychoanalyze me about them. I'm not looking forward to anything to do with marketing, writing to market, tight deadlines, adhering to standardized formats/lengths, etc. but so it goes…

What part of the writing process most appeals to you? What part is least appealing?

I love coming up with ideas and characters and scenes. I love rambling in my notes doc. I love drafting in the rare moments when I actually do it. I really struggle with getting all the pieces of my plot to fit together. I like editing (I'm literally an editor). I cannot do project management to save my life.

Do you have a writing process? Do you have an ideal setup? Do you write in pure chaos? Talk about your process a bit.

Right now what's working fro me is to have three distinct documents. One goes strictly in order. Another is to put all of the scenes I want to write that don't fit into that order yet. The third one is for me to yell about it all (notes). When I'm lucky, scenes form the chaos doc (scene bank) eventually find their way into the order doc.

Your Thoughts on Writeblr:

How long have you been a writeblr? What inspired you to join the community?

I joined tumblr predominantly for the writeblr community in 2018 (don't remember the specifics but I remember seeing writing posts on pinterest and was like hm well might as well go directly to the source)

Shout out some of your favorite writeblrs. How did you find them and what made you want to follow them?

in no particular order and not an exclusive list: @aohendo @mecharose @scarvenartist @woodhousejay @baroquesse @tracle0 @klywrites @garthcelyn @incandescent-creativity @zmwrites @ashen-crest @ambiguouspuzuma @ettawritesnstudies @megarywrites @magic-is-something-we-create @pinespittinink @isherwoodj just a few of the many excellent people here

What is your favorite part about writeblr?

I just love the community aspect of interacting with other writers, or even just seeing what everyone's working on and how it's going. Even if someone's wip isn't my exact cup of tea I still like seeing posts about their work and people encouraging each other.

What do you think writeblr could improve on? How do you think we can go about doing so?

A lot of people say that interaction is dead etc. but I don't really think that's true. I think focusing less on reblogs and more on comments/asks as a form of interaction would strengthen the feeling of community. Not everyone is obligated to reblog everything and comments and asks can be more personal anyway. I like knowing other people are seeing what I put out there, and I especially love getting comments on my work, but that doesn't mean I need everyone to share it. I'd rather have 5 followers that interact with me than 1000 who don't. Quality over quantity, you know?

How do you contribute to the writeblr community? Do you think you could be doing more?

Of course everyone could always be doing more. I like to read other's snippets when I'm in the headspace for it, but sometimes I'm just here to mindlessly scroll and that's okay too. If I read something and I think it's cool or interesting or well-written or anything I try to either leave a reply or reblog with something in the tags. If I can't think of anything to say just quoting a line that I liked will suffice (I like when people do that to me). I do want to try sending more asks to people—I try to always send one when I see someone's reblogged an ask game, but I think everyone would appreciate some out-of-the-blue asks as well :)

What kinds of posts do you most like to interact with?

All kinds but I am most likely to interact with shorter posts about peoples' process or something about their characters. @klywrites will post about tiny interactions between her characters and I literally love them just from seeing tiny scenes on my dash every so often. I really like to read longer snippets and short stories too (there's some amazing writers here y'all) but I'm more likely to scroll past those if I can't spare the focus. Also I love seeing art! even from people who don't consider themselves artists like aww you drew your little guy and I love them now

What kind of posts do you most like to make?

idk I end up just vagueposting about my process most of the time. I love to infodump about my characters/worldbuilding but I don't do it too often. I also like to post about writing things in general, but I don't consider myself an expert or anything so I'm not putting out a ton of advice—just what works for me

[therealturbovicki]

I haven’t really seen anyone talk about this yet so there’s a possibility I could be the only one but I hate Chevreuse and how they wrote her

Even if I ignore the fact that she’s a cop and most cop-like characters piss me off anyways, within the context of the region she’s apart of, she’s just plain boring. As it stands we already have a good handful of characters in the game, a lot of them from Fontaine already, with the exact same motivations and high held personal morals; the law is there for a reason, if people enact revenge and take what they think is just and right All The Time, then there would be chaos and unfair violence everywhere. And from a real life ethical lens it WOULD be really chaotic if anyone, anywhere at anytime could take their views of justice into their own hands.

but that’s the thing!! kind of like how it is In the real world, Fontaine is not a wholly just and fair nation (e.g. the Entirety of the Fortress of Meropide, the trafficking and various other crimes that constantly happen within the nobility of Fontaine and the fact that it has yet to be thoroughly investigated/solved and continues to happen, the extreme economic and social juxtaposition between the court of Fontaine and its underground Fleuve Cendre area and Poisson) And it really sucks that the game fails to admit that or acknowledge it because then you have characters who they Want you to believe are doing the right thing and fighting for the right causes, but it winds up feeling meaningless when what they’re fighting for is the law of Fontaine.

Chevreuse would’ve been an Infinitely more interesting and compelling character if her passion for justice wasn’t rooted in upholding the law and order of the nation, but rather what justice means for individuals. How the injustice and discrimination happening in that nation breeds people’s want for revenge and justice outside of the law.

And yeah I get that they wanted another character who fights against evil and is unwavering in her beliefs of what’s right in the very conventional and legal way, but I find it really funny that Chevreuse herself says what makes the argument for her character being boring In the same event quest; when asked about possibly changing the ending and meaning of the Two Musketeers, she says she wants to keep the ending the way that it is because fiction exists in a realm separate from that of reality, where things like the morals of what’s just and unjust can be explored. and like!! that’s it’s!!! I’m literally sitting here playing a Fictional game that has the opportunity to showcase just how fascinating it can be to talk about those kind of things in a fantasy setting where your main player character has literally Killed mostly innocent human people before because they betrayed someone they cared about deeply. but whatever. WHATEVER!!!

[yesloulou]

ALEXIS, I just reblogged your ask about how checo has been flopping since ausgp and your whole point of the narrative remind me of something I’ve been trying to put into words for so long and I think I’ve finally GOT IT:

As much as racing bros don’t want to admit it, F1 isn’t just about racing. It’s theatre and spectacle like literally ALL FORMS of entertainment is. And there always has to be a story. Look at how a large section of F1 fans have termed this season as “boring”. Even during the merc domination years, there was a clear story: Lewis going after record after record (“how high can he climb” type narrative) and he had the nico rivalry to bolster his title reigns. Seb also had a very clear narrative for his return to the title scene.

Max, as much as I love him, doesn’t really have a “story” per say and checo is NOT anywhere close to providing him with one. But who has a better story this season than Daniel Ricciardo? The whole Icarus falling, prodigal son returning, tireless underdog storyline is ALL RIGHT THERE. And that’s why he’s been generating the most headlines all season, even before he got into the AT seat.

While we’re on the subject, who has a better story WITH MAX expect Daniel Ricciardo? His favorite teammate, the only one to beat him in equal machinery, the one who’s clawed his way back to the top after so much struggle while Max has had so much success? Just imagine how much more Max’s third title would mean if it came down to him and Danny in that last race, than him and Checo…who he’s already dominated all season 🙄 It’s actually a disservice to Max more than anything that he doesn’t have a real “battle” like he did with Lewis and Charles the last two years.

But they have Danny there as their ace they can pull out and suddenly EVERYONE is invested in seeing them go at it, even if its only one more time. In short, this is my essay that I’ll be second to RB headquarters as to why they need to switch Danny over in Vegas 👼

What you said!!!

(Btw saying max's season doesn't have a story is not a dig at all imo. He has no story because him and the new reg rb cars have been unchallenged. It really just speaks for how good he is as a driver and rb has been as a team.)

I really enjoy looking at the juxtaposition of how F1 exists because of the athletic spirit of pushing human performance to the extreme but at the same time is a media/entertainment event at its core. Especially in the context of Daniel's career, since he is a bit of an outlier in terms of career trajectory vs marketability (and is therefore more telling of how F1 functions as an ecosystem).

It's really no secret that F1 doesn't thrive under single team dominance. The more competitive the field is, the more interest there will be for the races and ultimately for the sport (source: domenicali himself). People's interest then translates directly into F1's livelihood bc F1 as an organization profits primarily through selling broadcasting rights and ad opportunities. Now that RBR has built themselves a gap even bigger than F1 had expected (source also domenicali) with no signs of slowing down or as you pointed out, alternative marketing angles/entry points like the lewis/nico situation, this season has begun to bore, which will hurt F1 financially, if not already.

On the other hand, it's against sportsmanship for F1 to do anything that can be considered manipulation to change this reality (it was explicitly stated that F1 "cannot intervene" RB's dominance). Domenicali's best bet (and what F1 has been doing so far) is to exercise budget caps in hopes of a convergence over time and a shortening of RB's cycle of dominance, with 'hope' being the keyword since there are way too many factors for anybody to really predict how this RB era will ultimately play out. While the hoping and waiting continue, F1 is in need of other ways to keep their seasons interesting. And you're absolutely right about this being where Daniel's marketability (existing and potential) comes into play. On top of the fact that people are simply massively interested in him in or out of a car, front or back at the field**, he also has the potential ability to make the championship itself interesting again, something Ferarri, Merc, Checo (and Domenicali himself for the time being) have all failed to do. As marketing-minded as F1's management is (remember when Domenicali literally flew to nyc for red bull's 2023 car launch with horner but then decided last minute to not attend in order to give Ford the full spotlight?), I wouldn't be surprised at all if they welcome Daniel's comeback as much as his fans, or maybe even more so due to its financial implications.

This is ofc not to say F1 can or will do anything about it (just like on principle they can't intervene RB's dominance). But if you think about it, at this point, everyone -- fans, media, sponsors, suppliers (the amount of ford/daniel content we've seen so far), Red Bull as a team, F1 as an organization, even (or like, especially) Max himself -- all want to see and benefit from Daniel coming back on top (except for maybe Checo but at the rate he's been going lately i actually don't know anymore lol). This is a momentum whose importance should not be underestimated. This is exactly why, even though Daniel's stock was at an all time low after mclaren, he was given opportunities and tool sets to rebuild and reestablish himself in this otherwise extremely exclusive, brutal in nature sport. Red Bull (and Mercedes at one point) does not do this out of charity or nostalgia. They're simply an acting agent for this momentum.

Anyways, this is why I think Daniel's F1 career is far from over. People who are quick to conclude "without a wdc ricciardo can't just come and go like alonso" fail to recognize that even not racing, Daniel generates more public interest than the majority of the grid**, an interest that ultimately ties back to this sport, which puts him in a very unique position.

** According to google, Daniel created thee biggest headline F1 has had in the past 3 months, with his overall google search volume ranking 3rd amongst all drivers despite not actively racing.

[xxmothangelxx]

Just finished Farewell Fireworks!

And I liked it! Admittedly I'm biased because design wise these are some of my favorite espers, but I really did enjoy it!

I'm a bit surprised they went with the "espers are somewhat of an oppressed minority" approach, though it's been implied to be something that happens behind closed doors (see, the esper black market from Brewster's event and the treatment of espers in Nether Gaol) it's rarely brought to the forefront. I like how they did it though, perhaps I'm just used to the Esper Union making their workers lowkey celebrities that I forget that average espers don't have it as easy.

I liked the conflict between Yu Ran and Yu Xu, the idea that the former chooses to be more docile and accepting of mistreatment as to keep a career and the other is more critical of it is an interesting juxtaposition to explore. You see this a lot among minority groups – see, the pick me and the feminist dichotomy. I sort of wish they delved into it a little bit more, but the event wasn't necessarily about that so we move.

Su Jue stole the show for me and she was absolutely justified in everything she did, and I would not have been upset had she actually killed Li Tiangang herself. I'm sorry, but based on the sprite used she was a teen/young woman when she was incarcerated and abused. Again, the way Dislyte consistently highlights that inmate abuse is a prevalent thing in their universe is so fascinating because few do that, and the few that do try and downplay it and make it seem like deserved retribution. I won't say Su Jue didn't deserve to be arrested, but she sure as hell didn't deserved to be cut, sliced, burned, force fed medicine and perved on by old creepy guards. #SuJueDidNothingWrong #RestInPissLiTiangang

I have mixed feelings towards Qin Shui. On one hand his plan to frame espers and crack down on them was inexcusable, but I can't help but empathize with his plight, I mean, Li Tiangang is an abusive, cruel man and so I struggle to truly hold anything against the guy who finally snuffed him out lmao. Though, I don't really know Ren Xian, is he from one of the other events I missed? If so oof, if not then I really hope he shows up, Qin Shui seemed genuinely afraid of him and now I'm hella curious.

TLDR: It was a really good event and I loved every character involved! Except Li Tiangang, he's playing double dutch with Epstein in hell as we speak.

[babybluebanshee]

Things I've Had To Deal With As A City Librarian: I'm Just So Tired

Haven't done one of these in a while, and things have just been...they've been a time, let me tell you.

*We caught a guy hiding in one of the bathroom stalls after closing. We check the bathrooms to clean up any messes for the next day, and Julie knocked on the men's room door. No one answered, so she went in and checked the stalls. Didn't see any feet so she starts opening the doors. She gets to the handicap stall, and she tries to open it. It's locked. She mutters something about having to unlock it, and suddenly a voice from inside calls out, "Hey, I'm still in here." Julie nearly shrieks. The guy claims that his fly was stuck, but given the fact he didn't say anything when Julie came in and we couldn't see his feet under the stall door means he was probably crouched on the toilet, hoping we'd think the bathroom was empty and he could spend the night in the library.

*My coworker Allie did a cute little display in the kids area where you can write a letter to Curious George. She even made cardboard mailbox for it and put out a bunch of books and movies for people to check out. The amount of vandalism this thing has seen is unreal. One night a kid poked holes in the mailbox with a colored pencil. I was doing a walkthrough after a particularly rowdy family was in the kids area, only to discover that they have thrown everything on the display into the mailbox - the books, the movies, the postcards, the coloring materials, even one of the book stands. We spent about ten minutes fishing everything out.

*Speaking of displays, I did the Black History Month one this year. I worked on it for three months, and to be honest, I was very proud of it. It took up two tables, full of historical events and famous figures of black history. Needless to say, since black history is so damn expansive and my space was limited, a lot of people ended up getting left off (especially local people I'd never learned about). The amount of times people told me I left out a person they personally believed should be on it drove me to distraction. Two separate people told me I missed Kamala Harris (which I'll be kicking myself forever about). One woman asked me why I didn't redo the whole display to add one local figure she thought needed to be included. One woman asked me why she herself was not included one the poet's wall, because she was a published author. No, she was not kidding. I guess I should be thrilled that people were actually interacting with it, but at least a few people telling me I did a good job would have been fucking nice.

*To branch off from the black history month display - the city has an anti-discrimination policy when it comes to people reserving rooms for events. The only thing we explicitly do not allow is social events like parties and anyone attempting to sell something; everything else is fair game. This means we get a lot of obnoxious groups whose views we really, really do not agree with - homeschoolers, churches, conservative clubs, and, my personal favorite, the Sons of the Confederacy. Or as Rachel and I like to call them, The Sons of a Bunch of Loser Piss Babies. They had a meeting there during February, and Rachel was working that day. One of them, in his stupid little gray hat, was standing talking to someone...right next to my black history month display. Rachel told me she wanted to take a picture because the juxtaposition was...stark, to say the least. We're really not that surprised Failfuck McStank didn't notice the irony.

*We've had a guy coming in with his guitar and just...hanging out in the study rooms to play. We can't really do anything about it unless he's too loud or someone actively complains, but we're all kind of puzzled about the library being his first choice of places for a jam session.

*There's a pair of teenage girls that have been coming in for about four months now and their punk vibe is immaculate. The first time I ever saw them, one of them had a giant bleach blond mohawk, a leather jacket with studs, hot pink and black striped stockings, and the most badass combat boots I've ever seen. Her friend had a bleach blond buzzcut, a black jean jacket covered in patches, teal leggings, and red converse that were falling apart. Sherri stumbled on them chilling in the kids area, and noticed the buzzcut one was bent over something. She got closer and realized the kid was knitting a scarf. Mohawk comes in more often, and always has a thick book with her, just lounging in the chairs and quietly reading for a few hours. They're my second favorite patrons and hope they never change.

*A woman was interested in attended my classic book club meeting back in June. We were reading Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, so I gave her a copy. She didn't attend the meeting. She returned the book a few days later and said it was "gross". While she was there, she also picked up her inter library loan of a "romance" novel about a woman falling in love with her abusive stepbrother. I'm all for people reading whatever the fuck they want, but I also feel like if you're gonna read stepsibling porn, you don't get to call lesbian comics gross.

*Two women came in with a little boy who was absolutely bouncing off the walls. They did absolutely nothing to control him - one of them was busy talking to someone on her phone (on speaker till someone complained), the other was perusing the shelves - and the kid was just kind of running around being a nuisance. I was walking back from helping someone in the computer lab and saw the kid taking off his shirt. I told him he had to keep his shirt on, and that's when one of the women finally turned to me and said, "He wants to put his Spider-Man costume on." And I'm like, "Lady, that's great, but you're in a public space, not your living room. Have him change in the bathroom." Luckily they didn't hang around long after that, but fucking hell, the entitlement.

*A woman came in to fax a police report to her lawyer, and Sherri and I ended up being privy to the sordid tale of having her car stolen. She was out with a guy she met on Tinder, and they went to a bar in the next town over. They were getting ready to leave, but she wanted to have a cigarette, so they were standing by her car in the parking lot. Suddenly, three police cars come shooting up, right next to them. Turns out the dude she's with has a warrant out for his arrest. He panics, grabs her keys out of her hand, jumps in the car, and fucking peels away. He ended up crashing it into a ditch less than ten miles away, totaling it. She doesn't even know what warrant was for.

*It's very funny whenever I call anyone for reserve reminders or things like that, because people are so used to getting calls from robots and scammers that they're immensely suspicious any time they answer their phone. And it makes the absolute 180 they do into delighted toddlers, excited to get their books, that much funnier. The scenario usually goes like this:

Me: Hi, is this [insert name]?

Patron: *clearly doing the suspicious Fry face* Yeeeees...

Me: This is Blue, at the library! I was just calling to let you know you have a book on reserve ready for pick up!

Patron: *brightening instantly* OMG thank you! Oh, I'm so glad you called! You've made my day, you guys are wonderful!

Never fails to make me chuckle.

*The assistant librarian is in charge of a lot of the teen programs we do, and by far the most popular are her teen book boxes - the kids fill out a form of stuff they enjoy, and she puts together a box of three books, plus crafts and snacks, for them. On average, she does about twenty of them a month. However - because we are located in the heart of Conservative Brainrot Land, where a not insignificant portion of the population thinks if they're a good little conservative who hates what Fox News tells them to, Tucker Carlson will come give them the hug their dad never did - this has also given us great insight into the minds of ultra controlling parents who would encase their kids in wax if that could keep them from learning things they don't want them to. One particularly baffling example started with a mom asking that no "social justice" be included in the box. The next one asked for "no gender identity". This time? No inclusion. Like...I get why she put that. Because inclusivity = woke = liberal = the devil. But like...do these people hear themselves? Do they know what words mean? Also, I told the AL that she should just give the kid an empty box. She did not follow my advice.

*On the flip side of the crazy, controlling parent thing, y'all remember this family from a while ago? The one where the aunt came in and said Pretty Little Liars had opened a satanic portal that drove her niece to a mental hospital? Well, I'm happy to report that I think the mother of that girl might have had a face turn. The same kid just recently returned several books from the Anita Blake series (which are pretty mature as far as sexuality goes), and she's been in talks with the AL to volunteer for us, informing her that she doesn't know her schedule just yet because her mother is letting her start public school. I like to think the mom looked at that whole situation, took a long, hard look at herself in the mirror, and thought, "Ya know what? I don't think I want to be like this anymore. I think this is a problem." And ya know what? Good for her, and good for that girl. I hope it does them both a world of good.

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 17/04/2024

Super Wonderful World

Season 2 Featured on: The Voice's Highest Quality Video Game Rips

Ripped by Marrow

(Curious about the abnormal audio embed? Read more here)

It's kind of ridiculous that I've taken this long to actually write something about Marrow that isn't so directly tied to his passing, isn't it? Like, yes, Telling Fish Tales is an absolutely beautiful rip, it is still likely my favorite of all of Marrow's output, don't get me wrong...but there was more to the guy than just his death, you know? The tributes have all been beautiful, to be sure, I love 8​-​bit Fish With Dreams in particular, but I want to discuss Marrow's own rips more as well as those. Because while I might not have known Marrow, and can't claim to know anything about him as a person, I know he was just a genuinely good, sincere, funny ripper, and Super Wonderful World is just a damn fun rip.

I've been wanting to cover something from Super Mario Sunshine on here for a very long time - it has almost as much of a notable presence on the channel as its older brother on the Nintendo 64, particularly in the early days. Super Mario 64's Slider theme is unbeatable, of course, WA-HOO DISCO and its brethren can't be toppled, but there's a case to be made that Super Mario Sunshine's iconic acapella-driven Secret Course theme is a more fun listen in terms of rips. There's just something inherently funny about remixing voice samples, even in an acapella context - there's tons of rips of Secret Course in particular because of this, that all play with those deews and doos to great effect.

Super Wonderful World is no exception to that, and the joke of it is made apparent just a few seconds into your listen, arranging Louis Armstrong's lovely What a Wonderful World with those aforementioned acapella sounds, yet...for some reason, it is still likely the one Secret Course rip that has stuck with me the longest. I'm not even sure if its due to any one reason I can pinpoint other than just "Marrow Magic": maybe its my attachment to What a Wonderful World from hearing it at a young age in the original Madagascar, or maybe its the sheer juxtaposition of such a silly sound being used to play such genuine beautiful jazz...OR maybe its the fucking hilarious visuals on the video that you need to be scrolling up to look at now that I've pointed it out. Spaghet. No matter what it is, it clicks - though I think that second point in particular is where the trick lies. Sort of like A Mambo Moment, a lot like My Dr. Eggman Can't Be This Evil!, the contrast in tone between the two tunes is the kind of thing that you'd only get from SiIvaGunner, or at least the only place where you'd get it done in such a genuine, high-quality way. This isn't just some midiswap, this has every bit and piece from What a Wonderful World, every part of its backing and every additional instrument playing throughout, recreated with such finesse - all to push a bit that, as the rip visuals emphasize, is mostly just meant to be funny.

There's an effort made in Super Wonderful World to make the bit not just funny, but very pleasant and listenable as well, is what I'm getting at. The SiIvaGunner ethos, distilled so perfectly in just one simple rip, distilled into a rip that for me has stayed endlessly replayable since its release, striking that perfect balance of novel and pleasant. And sure, there's a part of me that still wishes to dig further, to know lots more about Marrow than I do, to investigate and snoop about and maybe even find out what the Spaghet image is even about...but its also, in some way, just as pleasant to listen to his tunes in bliss, enjoying his work for what it is, not hung up on wishing I'd known more.

I wasn't Marrow's friend, but what he left behind still means a lot to me. And so, continue to celebrate it I shall - more than a long-gone name to be mentioned in SiIvaGunner event recaps, Marrow was downright fantastic at what he did - and I hope we'll all continue to remember and cherish that about him.

[wordswithkittywitch]

I'm of three minds. Well, four if you count, "You're thinking about this way more than it needs, just do it."

One, the mind I'm always of, is "Removing Zombie by the Cranberries from it's original context really waters down it's message and it's history as one of the most effective protest songs ever written. It always pisses me off when other people do this, so I shouldn't do it myself."

The new mind is, "Yes, however, if taken simply as a statement about the lasting effects of war, it's an excellent song to go on this character mix because it addresses both Marmaduke's continuation of fighting a war that's long over by hunting recreationally as a protest about how that war ended, and Angeline's emotional shutdown to deal with her own PTSD from the war, making her an emotional zombie in that she moves but doesn't think, and him a zombie in reference to the original song in that he's still fighting a war which is over and most of both sides are already dead."

The third mind is, "They're hunting zombies. He's not dealing with his PTSD by shooting zombies for fun. You might know it's a deeper take than that but that's all anyone will think in the unlikely event of someone listening to this mix. You'd love to think it plays on the juxtaposition of zombies (metaphorical) hunting zombies (literal) but people tend to ignore everything else when literal zombies are involved. Look at how watered down the message of the Night of the Living Dead got in the sequels."

The fourth mind is, "No one else is ever going to listen to this long, highly character-specific playlist for a book you're still writing. Put it on, listen to it in the second mindset, and ignore the first and third mindsets because those are based on your annoyance with other people's interpretation of the song and no one else's interpretation matters if you're just doing this for yourself."

[grayintogreen]

So with all this TNEOL criticism coming back around and some absolutely heinously Bad Faith takes that the only people who took issue with it are people mad about hcs, I'm going to take some time out of my writing to propose how simple the Actual Plot would be to fix and why hiring someone who has only watched half of the series they're writing for and never even seen the character they're supposed to be writing, forcing them to watch everything at 1.5x speed and turning enjoying a canon into a necessary research assignment (and it SHOWS) is a bad idea.

While I do have ideas on how to improve the plot that range from having Aldreda and Brevyn combined into one person (giving Lucien dead little sister angst and a "no good deed goes unpunished" angle to his arc) to Brevyn being a rival/idol that he kills at some point (and not a love interest) to hammer home Lucien's "kill your idol" mindset, I'm going to be kind and just script doctor the plot as written, fixing the glaring continuity errors and Lucien's lack of agency in his own story.

THE FORMAT. Presumably the story as pitched was "Lucien backstory leading into his version of canon events," which... fine. I think some of the fault lies on that pitch, because it's way too much to shove into a 300-page book, but maybe only Sarah J Maas can drop six hundred pages and it hit the bestseller list on impact. Whatever. There's a simple solution to this that also fixes the extremely egregious error of omitting the VERY PLOT IMPORTANT EVENT of Lucien having spent considerable time in the Astral Sea.

Start with the shattering. Have Lucien's backstory come out in alternating chapters of significant events in his life as a framing device as he pieces himself together in Cognouza. This highlights the author's strength and what she was clearly hired for and enjoyed writing- the eldritch horror- while still showing us how Lucien came to be here. You can introduce the Somnovem and play with the cosmic horror elements and weird formatting stuff that people actually came here to see, because, let's be real, no one who is reading this is not a fan of the show and if you want to be weird, why not start weird? This also fixes another glaring issue I had which was the Somnovem and Lucien bickering throughout the back half. They believed Lucien was loyal the whole time and the only reason the bickering was added was to give some excuse for why he betrayed them- an excuse that wasn't necessary because CANON ALREADY GAVE ONE. You just SKIPPED IT. The juxtaposition of Lucien discovering the Somnovem in flashbacks vs him growing to resent them as we rapidly ascend into present day would be insane, plus it provides a parallel to Molly. Both start out empty at the beginning of the two year gap, but Lucien is desperate to regain his memories and sense of self.

THE BACKSTORY. I think if you have to keep the very Caleb-expy and borderline Widomauk-pandering backstory with the burning of the cart with Mom, Dad, and Sock Brother in it, you need to change one thing to make it make sense- that the parents and Elric weren't tieflings. That's it. It makes Elric being the favorite make sense, it establishes the Tavelles frequently have been making dodgy deals with hellish entities (Azraharai is supposed to be a night hag presumably but she's, uh, hot, which is weird for a hag) and that Lucien and Aldreda are proof of that transgression and therefore their mistreatment has some background to it.

Lucien's decision to join the Orders needs to have been HIS decision. My suggestion is have him refuse to leave Brevyn alone until she brings him and Cree with her, establishing two things; that Lucien wants to be like Brevyn and that Brevyn has a soft spot for Lucien's tenacity and refusal to back down which will give SOME credence to why they're so In Love later.

The Azrahari debacle needs to have been framed as Lucien deciding to go kill her while NOT on contract and the conflict is Lucien begging Cree to help him go off book and murder someone they weren't hired to because WHY are the Claret Orders sleeping on this woman? I also think removing the contracts entirely and focusing on the Orders being religious and hypervigilant would go a long way to avoid the Witcher allegations, while also pointing out a hypocrisy- they're focused primarily on the Marrow Valley and not the Quannah Breach, and the whole reason Lucien joined was also partially so he could hunt down Azrahari. This shows that Lucien has no respect for Authority and also starts proving that he can convince people to break off and do things on their own. Having this be the mission that all the Tombtakers (save Brevyn- I'll get there) go on together (maybe Cree insists they get more help) that establishes their bond would make the fight more dynamic and remove the weird "lol vengeance is hollow" feelings from a situation that really didn't need that message, while also tying two plots together.

From here, we can establish that Lucien going off-book and doing his own thing is something he does frequently. Having the Tombtakers all go to the mission in Rexxentrum together is another way to give us a fun Tombtakers group scene, because what the book needed was more establishment of their bond to run parallel to the Nein and make everything that happens later more poignant. From here, everything with Vess and Aldreda can continue as planned, but THEN Brevyn shows up to bring them back to the Orders. Lucien, since he had planned to run off and leave the Tombtakers high and dry anyway with Aldreda (this establishes how quickly he discards his friends), is fully committed to just leaving the Orders and the Tombtakers agree. Brevyn decides she wants to follow. THIS is what sparks their romance- maybe Brevyn has always been attracted to him and he's always idolized her and this leads to some emotional reveals. I think, ultimately, the romance has to be shown to be extremely unhealthy with Lucien seeing Brevyn as someone so glorious (repeating the motif of her being "the favorite" that the book didn't do anything with) that if she chooses him, then he must be special and Brevyn... just liking him. I think Brevyn could stand to be less girlbossy, because Lucien is supposed to be the girlboss of this novel. An OC in this situation does not need to overshadow the actual protagonist which was my main problem with her. I didn't pay $20 for Ensign Oakbender to be The Best At Life and the Reason Lucien Does Everything Right Down To Wearing Open Shirts and Liking Butterflies.

So from here, we can establish the Tombtakers getting a reputation worthy enough that Vess would want to hire them for mercenary work. The Tombtakers are RARELY EVER shown to be fucking competent at any point in the book (seriously how are the tribes holding down a group of blood mages- that should have been the moment Lucien terrified the entire town into respecting him), which is ridiculous because they are in canon, barring Lucien's failed survival checks, which were as much a fault of the group as a whole. It's just funny to blame him.

I think the best way to deal with the Brevyn Death Scene is for Lucien to find the book, read a little of it in private, have his first dream of the Somnovem and excitedly run to tell his gf who is just "um that's sketch" and you can do this one of two ways: the first being that she just thinks that's sketch (and even if you can't call it that, you CAN have her use Grim Psychometry on it because someone should have) and the second being the more pragmatic approach which is that if Lucien takes something that DeRogna has explicitly said she wants (all magical items), he's putting the group at risk of not being paid. Lucien reacting badly to Brevyn not yes manning him (and possibly abandoning him the way Aldreda did- REMEMBER HE HATES BEING ABANDONED) gives credence to his tight response to Caduceus's plea for perspective. It also makes him worry that because she's Perfect Brevyn, she'll turn the other Tombtakers against him. This results in a conflict and you can go two ways with this too- either Lucien kills her on accident and lies about it or their fight starts the clusterfuck that leads to her getting mashed to paste. (I like the latter because if Lucien chooses to save the book and leaves Brevyn to die, it parallels what happens with Cree.) Either way, Brevyn's death is ruled as an accident and Vess and the Tombtakers part on sour, but not as ridiculous as they do in the book, terms. Lucien reads the book. Insanity ensues.

THE SECOND ACT. So as stated in my first point, the first act would end with Lucien being brought back as he remembers the most recent events of his life and having made the decision to subjugate the Somnovem. This part of the story is generally considered to be better than the first half so mainly what needs to be fixed are the glaring contradictions to canon events, the Tombtakers' incomptence, the Somnovem's presence, and the way Brevyn hangs over the narrative- using her more as a symbol for how much Lucien sacrifices to get what he wants would be best. Personally, I think Head!Molly needs to bring up Aldreda as his "humanizing" factor with Brevyn being solely used as a reminder of what is going to happen to all of his friends. This allows Aldreda to still haunt the narrative since she was FORGOTTEN ABOUT.

As for Molly... Look, I have a mixed bag of emotions on some of Head!Molly's shit and I'm not going to deconstruct that here. I do think his arguments need to be less "why don't you like my friends they could be your friends" though, especially since if you're going to do a Tombtakers story, you need to commit to the fact that the Nein were absolutely shitty to them for no reason from THEIR PERSPECTIVE. If you can't commit to the villain-centered morality in regards to the heroes' actions in a narrative about villains, you don't need to be writing this story. Molly's arguments look stupid when viewed from Lucien's side of things and yet he's framed as being perfectly reasonable.

Beyond that, I think not declawing the Tombtakers and allowing them to be considerably competent threats instead of half-starved, freezing idiots and focusing more on Lucien's Eldritch Madness, as opposed to just general madness would go a long way.

And there you have it! The most generous, kind script doctor for the book I can give. That is all it would have taken to make a book that was very different from what I expected, but wouldn't have utterly pissed me off and, in fact, would have been looked back on fondly as a flawed but otherwise fun story.

[9s-suggestion-ver1-1a]

OOC Post:

LOONG wall of text and POSSIBLE spoilers for the NieR Automata anime Cour 1&2

Some thoughts on the anime from me :3

"Watching" the Automata anime has been an interesting experience. I've heard a lot of negativity towards it and was unsure why, but I did recently see a whole thing about the production *nightmare* that it's been through, and that the animation is actually pretty bad because of time crunch.

This came as a surprise to me because I've actually been "watching it" in my pocket at work on Bluetooth. I kinda figured since anime isn't really my style anymore and I'm here solely for the characters that it wouldn't matter LOL... (I much prefer their models over their 2D designs)

I could kind of tell it looked like shit in episode 1, just from what I had seen when I started, but I brushed that off as me being negative about everything. I also was a little charmed by the shitty CGI?? It reminded me of a 2010 anime. The juxtaposition of 2B being practically rotoscoped over the game animation on top of the really off looking CGI enemies and vehicles? Total 2010s look.

I already intended to rewatch it all since it's deliciously short compared to a lot of shows, soooooo... I guess I will see how I feel about it! The story and writing has been, in my *personal opinion*, really really interesting. Seeing the game play out in a totally new order, sometimes entirely different locations for events or characters present...

In a sense, it has felt like fanfiction. That sounds like an insult, but I mean it like it feels like everything the fans were yearning and aching for. I.e. 2B and 9S simply getting to talk more, to eachother and to resistance members we barely see in game.

It occasionally takes a minute to be funny and let you decompress after all the depressing shit. Jackass just being Jackass and getting much more screentime feels like a special gift to the fans since she was instantly so beloved. The fact the "fanservice" in this show is just getting to see the characters in a comedic light says volumes about how sad it all is. And btw; if you loved Automata then this show is VERY fucking funny sometimes. A machine child tries to light A2 on fire with a kitchen lighter to help her stop being sick, and the dub actresses delivery of the line "Hey, hey just what do you think you're doing. Don't you dare." in like real fear makes me laugh so hard.

I saw it talked about as a product of the production struggles, but the way the show often slows down for an entire episode to let the characters breathe and interact with the world is so important to me. Getting to see 2B and 9S *actually* spending time together. Even after route C begins we get some excellent A2 interactions with the machines and other characters.

I just can't get enough of how the characters talk to eachother, how they spun some of the most empty dialouge-box reading scenes into something more, and how they keep finding ways to blindside and torture me with *actually* shocking alternate events.