#but videos are my best format alas

[vio1315]

Oh right 

I keep meaning to do a life update

Because long time followers remember when I posted a lot of personal struggles on here and I like never follow up on that stuff

And have since stopped posting personal stories as often whoops

Honestly I don’t remember everything I left as a loose thread that could be ‘is she okay’ so basically:

>Yes I am okay

>Most the stuff I was having trouble with happened like 5+ years ago now

>I am still pretty shut in, but I have a good job and I do go out once a week technically

>Much more mentally stable, I don’t really get the sort of empty feelings I used to anymore

>Every day I am unsure if I am like 🤖 to other people, or if I live normally. But I have unworked a lot of the emotional repression stuff I was doing subconsciously, and have gained a capacity for the ‘feeling of love’ (since love isn’t really a feeling, but you know the feeling I mean). Idk if I never experienced it before, but if I did it was Extremely rare compared to now. I certainly had devotion, but idk

It’s like ‘oh my prayers were answered on this topic again :0 ‘

I think I am pretty content generally, but I still don’t have happy feelings or fun feelings that often on my own, but this is super normal for me and doesn’t bother me the way the ‘void feelings’ did. It just vibing

>I did get a few extra sensory issues, probably from being shut in, but nothing that makes it any harder to go out. I should go out more still, but not many ideas of where to go for now

>I lost touch with the rest of my rl friends more or less (ﾟ⊿ﾟ) I went through a big thing of making myself not burn bridges and then like 4 months later they stopped contacting me anyways. I haven’t really felt any issue about it so have been leaving it be, but I guess I’ll crack that case back open if it ever starts to feel like a big thing that needs to be done

>My family is doing pretty well : ) 

>Story stuuffffff. I went through about a year of work to make my to do list better, so now I can focus on writing, sort of. And hopefully I can finish my script for TTF in good time now after the Big Delay of relaying the foundation and needing to get life in order. It will take a Long time because I insist on doing all 10 arcs before starting to draw it, so like... I still am mostly gonna be quiet on the topic for awhile

>Life plans? Nope, never. I still live very in the present, so I will just continue my job till I get fired probably and try my best to keep using my free time well. Or start

>Nobody wonders about this but I swear to you, vitamins/supplements make me sick every time I take them. Like literally sick. Like with germs and things. How????? How???? They had nothing in common between the three diff supplements, but each time I started I would get sick for like 2 weeks or a month ??? But I will keep trying to see if this is actually happening because ??? How ????

>Oh yeah, I am trying to get my health better and actually gained much weight 🥳 maybe someday exercise too, but I wanna tighten daily schedule first

>I am looking at some other mental disorders where I think ‘do I have that???’ But just for the sake of communication. I still don’t really need medication to manage the strange stuff. Coping mechanisms generally work pretty good for me, and learning to weed out bad ones and so on. I haven’t felt ANXIOUS in a bit now, and idk maybe not as often. I know I was like a year or two ago, but it goes down every year overall.

Lots of things that used to make me anxious just don’t so much anymore

That’s everything I can really think of right now

Life is basically good overall for me. 

Health is good for me, though I still need to work on actually doing things to be good to my body.

Socializing is pretty good in the forms I do it, but I still need to go out more to prevent my brain from getting weird about ‘sounds and feelings I can’t control’ and all

Fam : ) 

Everything is chill actually. I basically vent here less now just because I have more opportunity to vent directly to people when there’s a need to wjdnejd but I don’t think anything major comes up that often

But also my emotional memory is really low hwjdnwjd like I know for a fact a year or two ago there was a month where I was super unwell and stressed, but legit idk what that felt like, I just know it happened

So maybe the frequency Could be similar, but I wouldn’t know it 🤔 but certainly less major events happen, and that’s good with me

Just an update cuz I realize it’s easy to vent and all, but when things resolve, it’s less interesting to talk about, so you leave people hanging unintentionally, since posting directly on here barely feels like talking to anyone anyways, super easy to let that go

I am not a private person honestly, so hope this doesn’t seem weird to anyone widjsjdn

[toytulini]

me, stupidly and weirdly resistant to listening to audio books vs reading a physical book for no real reason: man i wish there was a way to like, read a book while i crochet like i do with tv shows and movies and podcasts

[danieyells]

@2flowerz NOW I CAN POST THEM LOL HERE'S ED TO START WITH

PERVY OLD VAMPIRE IS AN ABSOLUTE GOOBER. . .he's also very very tired. But he has a very nice reaper taking care of him and a friendly dog that wants him to go outside more, so he has people who love and care for him even though he's. . .a little troublesome haha.

also I changed the format from previous posts and added the specific times and seasons and such for each dialogue! this should help lessen some confusion about how to get them.

Hello: (the first time the game is opened after that character is set as home screen NPC. Only happens once per day, unless the character is switched out and back.)

"Ah, there you are. I've a favor to ask of you— come to my room and I'll explain."

You've Got Mail: (whenever there's something in the inbox, usually Arena rewards)

"Oh? It appears we have some letters. Alas, my eyesight is not what it used to be. Read them out to me, would you?"

well maybe if you didn't stare at your tablet all day. . . .

Default: (requires no affinity, has no time constraints)

"I have much to learn about the human world... Rui is teaching me a lot, but I cannot seem to divorce myself of careless blunders."

y'know, it's good he's trying to learn anyway. 400 years old is never too late.

"What did I do before Darkwick? I eked out a humble existence in Eastern Europe. Hm? The most powerful vampire? No, those are just rumors. "

didn't you confirm it yourself in the main story though--also if he was living in eastern europe for the past 400-ish years i wonder if he saw lyca when he was young, even if in passing? then again eastern europe isn't exactly small.

"I was taken by a sudden whim to travel abroad. I had heard good things about Japan so I came over to play, but alas, I was captured."

so he went to japan just to have a nice time for a while but the Institute decided to keep him trapped in Darkwick. . .and then they didn't listen to any warnings or concerns he had. . .no wonder he doesn't give a shit what's going on around here, why would he? They abducted him while he was on vacation--and for what?

"I have no interest in harming humans. After all, they die so quickly. They should enjoy their short lives while they can."

"(cough cough) Oh, it's you... I'm feeling worse than usual today. I don't suppose you could carry me to bed?"

Affinity 1: (between 5am and 11am)

"(yawn) Good morning... What time is it? ...Still that early? Wake me up again at midday, would you?"

honestly Ed? Mood.

Affinity 2: (between 11am and 4pm)

"If this is about a mission, I can't help you, I'm afraid. I leave such day-to-day duties to Rui, so I suggest you ask him instead."

Affinity 3: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"I'm more or less confined to this house most days, for various reasons. I'm on my best behavior. But I'll do what I can to support you from the sidelines."

y'know, he's offering to help a little even at Affinity 3 and that counts for something in my book.

Affinity 4: (between 8pm and 5am)

"My favorite channel should be posting a new video at any moment... Sorry, but could we continue this tomorrow?"

you have not yet reached the stage of friendliness where you're more important than a youtube video lmao

Affinity 5: (between 8pm and 5am)

"I don't suppose you know where Rui is? How troubling... My YouTube video has stopped playing..."

well at this hour i'd check either the bar or his room???

Affinity 6: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Oh, it hurts... I cannot seem to shake this ache in the place Rui touched me earlier... I think I'll rest a while."

so it seems like either his limbs pop off/part of him breaks open when Rui touches him, or he suffers a great deal of pain for an extended period of time, maybe his body actively fighting extremely rapid necrosis? Rui did say that he basically insta-kills anyone who isn't super strong, so Ed being in excruciating pain instead of dying or losing a limb now and then makes sense.

Affinity 7: (between 11am and 4pm)

"I can't survive much sunlight. Without my parasol, I can barely go outside... (sigh) It really is quite punishing..."

Affinity 8: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Sounds like Lyca's having fun, from all that yapping. I think it's good for him to develop some temporary bonds with humans at this time in his life."

Affinity 9: (between 8pm and 5am)

"I felt the urge to go stargazing, so I went to a hill nearby, but Towa was there already and he chased me away."

TOWA STOP BEING MEAN HE actually he probably would have bothered you and if he smells like a corpse to you that would have been annoying even if he didn't talk to you BUT STILL DON'T BE MEAN.

Affinity 10: (between 10pm and midnight)

"You ought to be getting ready for bed. Me? Oh, I'll turn in soon... Just one more YouTube video."

Affinity 11: (between 5am and 11am)

"Are you going for a walk? Take care not to spend too long in the garden. Humans are rather susceptible to the miasma there."

WE NEVER DID LEARN ABOUT THE MIASMA. WHAT'S UP WITH THE MIASMA WHY'S THE AIR IN OBSCUARY FUNKY.

Affinity 12: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Do you realize that human society is controlled by a shady cabal of elites? There are many videos about it on YouTube."

I AM ONCE AGAIN ASKING FOR HIS LAPTOP TO BE TAKEN AWAY OR TIME ON IT RESTRICTED. . .HE'S INTO CONSPIRACY THEORY YOUTUBERS HE'S GONE TOO FAR DOWN THE RABBITHOLE

Affinity 13: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"The ghouls are rioting again? Ah ha ha ha, they certainly are full of energy. If you'll excuse me, I was in the middle of a YouTube video."

he simply does NOT GIVE A FUCK lmao the ghouls could be dying out there and he'd probably shrug it off. Maybe keep an eye on things with his sixth sense or have some bats watch. Maybe that's part of why so many ghouls dislike him? he doesn't have any concerns for their plights and problems?

Affinity 14: (between 5am and 11am)

"How strange... I can't find my other sock. I could have sworn I put it here... Have you seen it?"

Affinity 15: (between 5am and 11am)

"Lyca made a mess again? Ah ha ha ha. Try not to judge him too harshly—he's not human, after all."

i think even for non-humans there's some cleanliness to be strived for. . .even pigs are pretty clean animals from what I hear. . . .

Affinity 16: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Rui? Is my lunch ready yet? ...Oh, it's you. You wouldn't happen to be feeling heartsore, would you?"

he's asking if you're sad because he feeds off of tears more than blood. . . . .he wanted to see if you'd cry for him. . . . . . .wait how does Rui usually go about doing this!? Does he cry every day for him???

Affinity 17: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Rui has his tavern work at this hour. He made sure I had everything I needed before he left, though."

ed's all cozy in bed with a nice bottle of tears and his fully charged tablet, all the dirty laundry's off his floor and everything--and now you're here! everything is perfect.

Affinity 18: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Has night fallen already? Do keep in mind that my vitality returns at this hour. You really should be more careful."

i'm kinda getting Taiga vibes here where as his affinity goes up he kind of clearly wants to eat you more, except where Taiga kinda tried to keep away from doing it until Affinity 24 where he snaps and ties you down and starts hurting you, Ed just starts warning you 'you're in danger being around me right now' lol. When he tells you to be careful he makes the sadist face, so he is telling you to be careful around him specifically. . . .

Affinity 19: (between 10pm and midnight)

"You can't sleep? Come, close your eyes. I'll hold you in my arms until you surrender yourself to the land of slumber."

isn't Ed's skin cold. . .I feel like it may be hard to sleep like that for most people lol then again maybe he'd be perfect for temperature regulation?

Affinity 20: (between 5am and 11am)

"Ah, thank you for coming so early. I slept even worse than usual last night... The cleaning can wait. Let me rest my head on your lap, would you?"

'the cleaning can wait' huh. . .is this another Jin situation where he's started to expect you to clean up his room all the time lmao I MEAN RUI ONLY CLEANS IT ONCE A MONTH SO A LITTLE SUPPLEMENTARY CLEANING WOULDN'T HURT. . . .

Affinity 21: (between 11am and 4pm)

"How are you finding Obscuary? Anomalies live quite differently to humans, so you're adapting to it remarkably well... Perhaps you're predisposed?"

'hey i know you're probably scared about becoming an anomaly that will harm your loved ones and all but you may already be showing signs so you should just stop worrying and join us!' also do they really live so differently. . .so far the main difference is cleanliness lmao

Affinity 22: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"My, where did the time go? Talking to you is just so relaxing. Why? Perhaps it's because I know I could feast upon you at any moment."

in Japanese he says something like "The sense of security of being able to strike at any moment"--he's saying he could bite you and you're so comfortable with him you wouldn't even put up a fight before he could do it. He's making his 'sadist' face, but I think he means it in a 'you're relaxed around me, and it makes me feel comfortable to' way. . . .or not. He could just mean that he appreciates you as easy prey 8D

Affinity 23: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Really. You became embroiled in another petty human dispute? How absurd you humans are. Come here."

he feels so bad for you and always getting involved in some shit. . .you know you wouldn't have to do any of this if you abandoned your humanity and just became an anomaly?

Affinity 24: (between 10pm and midnight)

"So, you've come sneaking into my room in the middle of the night? You really are a wicked girl. What were you hoping for? Go on, say it."

Do you want him to feed off of you? Or do you want him to feast upon you? Or were you just that starved for his company? I feel like he's willing to put aside his tablet for you at this point, especially if you're coming into his window late at night for a little tryst.

Affinity 25(max): (no time constraints)

"Being with you brings up old, old memories... Perhaps it's because you remind me a little of her."

well he is hundreds of years old, so of course he had lovers in the past. . .I wonder if she was also mortal, and if he refuses to see humans and anomalies as compatible because of heartbreak. Or maybe he doesn't get heartbroken like some humans do, and it's just nostalgia. But for someone who struggles to remember things sometimes to have old memories stirred up, I think that's a good thing. He must feel quite old at this point, but having someone around who reminds him of being even a little younger must be nice, even if he doesn't think it will last. . .then again maybe that's part of why he seems like he encourages you to become an anomaly in his character stories. Because he'll get to have you around for longer.

Spring: (March-May) (between 5am and 11am)

"The plants in our garden become rather lively in the spring. See? There's a little cannibalism going on over there."

(between 11am and 4pm)

"My favorite channels have been updating more frequently than usual of late. I suppose humans really do experience spring fever."

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"(yawn) I look more tired than usual? Must be the spring weather... Goodnight."

(between 8pm and 5am)

"Cherry blossoms are fascinating organisms. Born carrying the stench of death and falling all too soon... Just like humans, really."

i don't think most humans smell like death(unless we're referencing the poem about sakura trees having corpses beneath them to make the petals pink again) but go off i guess--also it makes it seem like he wishes humans lived longer? funny thing for a guy who thinks humans aren't compatible to say.

Summer: (June-August) (between 5am and 11am)

"Obscuary is lovely in summer. It's so dark and cool, with a lovely miasma breeze. I've no desire to step outside its confines."

honestly living in eternal night during the summer doesn't sound bad aside from all the bugs. but the tentacle plant in the garden probably keeps most of them away, so. . .obscuary in summer sounds lovely.

(between 11am and 4pm)

"How the sun mocks me... Vampires across the nation are advised to avoid going outdoors unless absolutely necessary."

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"It was so hot this morning that Rui was walking around after his shower in just a towel. A sight for sore eyes, I must say."

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH HE IS BISEXUAL. in Japanese he says that Rui was walking around soaking wet and that he's incredibly handsome but doesn't mention the towel--so Rui may have been wet and bare naked walking around Obscuary. . . .

(between 8pm and 5am)

"My air-conditioner? I believe I have it set to 64 degrees. Hm? You're cold? Humans truly are such fragile creatures."

that is almost 18 degrees celcius for the non-americans! it's not that cold imo but it's definitely a little chillier than most people like their personal space.

Autumn: (September-November) (between 5am and 11am)

"Humans take extra delight in their meals during the harvest season, do they? Interesting. Perhaps I'll follow suit."

lap up your tears nice and slow and sensual--

(between 11am and 4pm)

"The stamina and physical strength of a vampire is dozens of times that of a human. We don't need to work ou— (cough) (wheeze)"

YOU GOOD BUDDY YOU STARTED COUGHING WITHOUT EVEN MOVING i mean i get it i have asthma but still--

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Ah, the curtain of night closes. Now that the days are becoming shorter, my physical and mental health have much improved."

does that mean you don't need help getting dressed for a while--

(between 8pm and 5am)

"How beautiful the moon looks tonight. Its light is such a comfort to us non-humans. You look rather lovely bathed in it too."

Winter: (December-February) (between 5am and 11am)

"(sigh) Even in the dead of winter, Lyca is so full of energy in the mornings... Just try to imagine waking to him barking in your ear."

that explains why you lock him out of your room lmaoooo

(between 11am and 4pm)

"What do you think of my dressing gown? Rui made it for me. It's surprisingly warm."

MOM RUI STRIKES AGAIN MAKING HIS BOY COZY CLOTHES FOR THE WINTER

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"(cough cough) I only took a few steps outside, yet I felt as though my heart froze over... It's best not to leave one's room on days like this."

(between 8pm and 5am)

"They say that on cold nights like this, humans long for the warmth of another. Well? Shall I provide it for you?"

DO YOU POSSESS THE WARMTH OF ANOTHER SIR I RECALL YOUR SKIN BEING DESCRIBED AS COLD

His birthday: (November 10th)

"Having you celebrate my birthday makes all these long years of life worth it. How old am I? A gentleman doesn't tell."

given your estimate was 'idk 400 i stopped counting around 300' i think it's less you won't tell and more you can't tell lmaoooo

Your birthday:

"It's your birthday, is it? I'll have to give you a present. What do you want? Go on, tell me."

New Years: (January 1st)

"Happy New Year. I heard it's a tradition in this country to impart small monetary gifts. Here, for you."

OTOSHIDAMA GET!!!!

Valentine's Day: (February 14th)

"My, is this for me? I'm touched. I don't usually partake of human food, but I suppose I'll make an exception."

it's about the symbolism! it's the principle of the thing, even if the chocolate tastes bland to your vampire taste buds!

White Day: (March 14th)

"It seems that today those who received chocolates on Valentine's Day are supposed to return the favor. What a conscientious country this is..."

yeah but what'd you get them tho--

April Fool's Day: (April 1st)

"Oh, I'm burning up... I'm not long for this world... Won't you grant me one last request? ...No need to make that face. I'm joking, of course."

Halloween: (October 31st)

"Trick or treat. I'm a real vampire, you know. Give me your blood, or I'll play a trick on you."

probably the only time he's directly stated wanting to drink your blood lol

Christmas: (December 25th)

"Merry Christmas. Rather amusing for a vampire to celebrate a holy day, don't you think? Let's fill tonight with magic and wonder."

Idle: (about 20 seconds without interacting with the game) (below 13 affinity)

"I'm going to lie down a while. If you need something, ask Rui."

(13 affinity and above)

"Hello? Oh good, there you are. It would be troublesome for me if you were to disappear. Let me know next time you decide to wander off."

WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'D BE TROUBLESOME. I guess it's because you clean up after him and help him and stuff. . .and at higher affinities maybe he feeds off of your tears and/or blood. . . .

Absent: (logging in for the first time in 2 or more days?)

"Well, hello there. It's been a while. Come over here—I've been looking forward to your return."

OUR SLOPPY LIL VAMPIRE BOY. Flirts, drinks tears, minds his own business, and is on his best behavior despite that he was abducted by Darkwick. They should be thankful he's not angrier, considering he's apparently strong enough to LEVEL A BUILDING ON HIS OWN. As his affinity goes up he seems to be more comfortable around you, although that comes with the concern that he expresses less human thoughts more openly. . .which isn't a bad thing, imo. He should be allowed to be an anomaly. He's not harming or preying on you, just saying he could and that he's dangerous. But he also just seems to like physical affection and flirting and having you do chores for him so he can be lazy. . . .

I love him lol he's stinky

[subdee]

B and E for the ask game?

Pretending I answered this two days ago... Aha.

B:  What was the first fandom you read fic in?  Which was the first you wrote fic for?

First fandom: It was Ranma 1/2! In second grade we got a PC for the first time, a few years later we got a dial-up internet connection. The only people on the internet at that time - as far as I knew anyway - were adult nerds and college students. The college students had the fast college internet, so their pages were unusable because they all had huge fancy anime JPEG headers that took 10 minutes to load.

I starting reading fanfiction because plaintext loaded quicker, and my favorite page on the entire internet was someone's boring HTML page that was literally nothing but a manually-updated list of links to every Ranma/Akane fanfiction that existed on the internet in English.

I was probably in 6th or 7th grade. I'd never read the comics, which were expensive as they were still being sold in the western comics format, where you charged a lot of $$$ for a small number of (flipped) pages. The tankobans came out a year or two later. I'm probably mixing all this up. I saw some of the anime, eventually, renting tapes from a going out of business video rental store near my high school boyfriend's house.

Uhh where was I. Yeah, to this day I've never seen or read all of Ranma 1/2, but I read literally every English language Ranma/Akane fanfic that existed on the internet circa 1995. I liked the ones where Akane was in love with girl Ranma, and Ranma didn't care that they were dating a lesbian, the best.

First fandom I wrote in: Naruto! I was still in high school, or maybe just starting college? I started some ambitious WIP, specofically to make friends with a group of livejournalers whose blogs I'd been lurking for several years (I succeeded in this btw, just not with the Naruto fic - with Death Note mainly). Since I didn't have any real plan for the fic, I didn't make it very far before I gave up.

There's another one I wrote, close to around that time, that I wish I could orphan or at least delete from my ff.net account, but alas I can't as the email I used to sign up for ff.net no longer exists. It was a fic about Sasuke and Hinata in an arranged marriage, there's a rape in it, I wrote it as a proof of concept for how horrible that pairing would be, but it got positive feedback from Sasuke fans invested in how I was going to redeem him. Yeah, lesson learned, never write an anti-fic.

E: What character do you identify with most?  Is there a certain fic of yours that captures these qualities particularly well?

Hmmmmmm. Usually I'd say, Yukino Arizawa from His and Her circumstances? She is insanely competitive and ambitious but hides it so she can get more adulation from her high school fanbase. I'm not exactly like this but I admire it, and it's closer to my mental image of myself than the majority of female characters. "They think I'm sweet, but I want to beat them all into the ground with the best test scores, best grades, AND be the best athlete! Haha!"

In general I'm not really trying to write characters who are like me when I write, though. It's like, write my essay about the canon, pretend it's fiction and not an essay; or join a fandom event to make friends and write an AU I can put some of my personal experiences in to make it more interesting. Fanfic as a social thing, more than a way to explore myself.

I'll plug the way I wrote Ging (HxH) in "Pariging Coffee Shop AU" though (though you just said you don't read AUs and especially not coffee shop AUs). I like the way he's a mystery in that and then... Revealed to be SOMEWHAT interesting but in a way that only appeals to like, the niche of the niche. (Academic genius only popular among sociology grad students, etc.) Hah.

Here's the fic:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32737069

Thanks for the ask <333

[crehador]

top 5 hypmic songs that arent by bb/mtc nor including any of their members

THIS FEELS LIKE A VERY TARGETED ATTACK but ok... hm... i have to think about this for a while

1) stella

gotta start with stella, it is truly one of the tracks of all time. there is nothing i don't love about it. the sound of it, the lyrics, the story. the lyric video is so pretty and every live performance of it has been so good. stella triangle formation forever

2) femme fatale

AN ABSOLUTE BANGER i love our women who have done nothing wrong ever uwu the newer chuuoku tracks are really good as well but femme fatale being the first holds a special spot in my heart. and i'm so thrilled reol worked on it because it means we got to have her as a guest star at one of the lives and she was!! amazing!!!

3) enishi

godddddd enishi. where do i even start with enishi. there is just a POWER to the vocals of this track that i am absolutely obsessed with. it's tough to choose a favorite track on cross a line because i love them all so much but enishi is honestly up there. the first time i heard it i was like the cat discovering the red part is the good part of the watermelon. O_O eyes activate

(prior to enishi release this spot would have belonged to osaka dreamin' night, also such a fun bop that i am eternally grateful to for introducing me to creepy nuts)

4) I CANNOT POSSIBLY CHOOSE A BAT SONG. ALL OF THEM.

listen! listen!! literally every bat group song has been a hit they do not miss. bad ass temple funky sounds. kaigen. rip. awesome fucking party <- this has a different title in translation but i cannot ever remember it and always end up calling it something like this lol (it is apparently "hella awesome banquet" i had to look this up)

i guess. I GUESS. if i had to pick one. kaigen and rip would be slightly above the others because the live version of them are just so electric. the performances of the others have been really good as well! but kaigen and rip are special. and between the two of them... um... this is Difficult

i'm going with kaigen. but really. they are all amazing. hayama (kuko cv) just has the best stage energy ever

5) ok... so i'm giving it to rivals... BUT

man eliminating all members of bb/mtc truly cuts out so many tracks lol they are all over the place. off the block party album i would probably say my favorite (excluding the ichisama solos) is get busy (but alas jiro is in that) followed by shiro to kuro (but alas jyuto is in that)

SO fifth place goes to third place off the album.. rivals! it really is just such a fun song like you can't go wrong with a track where a line of the lyrics is literally "🥺🥺🥺🥺"

ON THE OTHER HAND I AM REALLY PARTIAL TO ONCE UPON A TIME IN SHIBUYA OR YOYOYOYO AS WE LIKE TO CALL IT and also torima get on the floor... and kizuato... and shibuya ghost night... and pink love... you guys know i was once an fp stan right lol

tl;dr IT'S TOO HARD I LITERALLY LOVE THEM ALL

[curestardust]

Dust Watched: Aggressive Retsuko Season 05

Genres: Comedy, Social Commentary // 10 episodes //  S01 (x) | S02 (x) | S03 (x) | S04 (x)

Seeing as this is the alleged (I don’t trust anything Netflix says) last season of Aggretsuko, I thought a normal essay format would be better to express my frustrations with the run of this show.

If you asked me what I thought of Aggretsuko in the beginning I would’ve said without reservation that it’s one of the best anime out there. Unfortunately, with each season, it was beginning to be more and more difficult to recommend this show and this final season was the worst kind of icing on the cake.

Season 5 has some incredibly great moments sandwiched inbetween incredibly dull and non-sensical moments that ruin the flow and make the ultimately great message of this season get lost among everything going on.

I guess it speaks to how much I cared for Haida and Retsuko’s relationship that I didn’t even bat an eye to the fact that they’re dating from the very beggining of this season despite the last season ending on an (another) will-they-won’t-they moment. I never thought the two of them had much chemistry but the show was pushing them so hard that it was pretty much a given that they would end up together.

Haida having suffered a basically complete character assassination in Season 4, turning him from a wet tissue paper to an *annoying* wet tissue paper, almost made me give up on S05 from the second it began as we start out with Haida having taken over as the protagonist. This only lasts a few episodes but these few episodes surprisingly turned out to be the best this season had to offer. Alas, this plot thread still isn’t carried by Haida, but a new character.

Haida, who is now unemployed, spends his days playing a gacha MMO (the horror) where he hangs out with another player called Shikabane. We’re shown one scene of him being sucked into spending a shitton of money on some gacha pulls, which plays a lot less importance than it could have, and on top of that he is getting kicked out of his apartment as his family who’ve been letting him live there for free found a tenant.

This puts us into one of the best short arcs from the whole anime. Haida decides to live in an internet café where he actually ends up meeting Shikabane in person. She is a 21 year old girl, who actually does “live” in a net café. She has no house, nor has any interest in subjecting herself to the fake facade people need to put on in a “normal” 9-5, instead living off of occasional freelance work and sleeping in a net café. But.. is that really what she thinks? Put a pin in that.

From here-on I’ll speedrun the rest of the season with SPOILERS upcoming.

Haida gets himself a gruelling physical job that pays like shit, suffers a bit, Retsuko and gang find out about it, he moves in with her, there’s like 1 episode focusing on how their relationship isn’t sunshine and rainbows, while we get some scenes of how Haida struggles with getting hired (put a pin in that n.2).

The second actual arc is bonkers and starts way too late into the season for it to have a satisfactory conclusion. Haida and Retsuko meet Haida’s family, we find out his dad is a politician and his other son, Jiro, will be running in the election for their Ward instead of him. Meanwhile, Retsuko’s former idol group are hamfisted into the story for no other reason than to force the other half of the plot to happen. A politician from the “Rage Party” saw Retsuko’s death voice videos and thought that she could represent today’s society’s Rage and win a seat for the declining party. Thus a few episodes are spent on FORCING Retsuko to take part in the running against Jiro, we get some minimal social commentary on what this Rage is (put a pin in that n.3). 

Then, I kid you not, we get literally 5 seconds of some papers flashing that Retsuko and Haida are getting married (????), the vote (Retsuko lost), Shikabane apparently being convinced to “get her life together” from a single karaoke session, Haida getting a job (we don’t even know where or what!).... and. That’s it. The final scene is a looping back to the beginning of the whole anime. Retsuko being smooshed in the train while on her way to her normal office job.

Yeah, so, this season was messy enough as is but as a final season, it was even worse. The pacing was catastrophic, it was too slow where it should’nt have been and too fast where things happened we actually would’ve cared about (the marriage??? hello???). 

But really, my main disappointment comes from those few moments where the show shines like it used to.

Aggretsuko might be a comedy but it’s just as much a social commentary. Now, the names of generations and how they are seperated differs from country to country but for the ease of things I’ll just use the western categorization.

Retsuko’s original premise is what life is like for “millenials” starting out at their first traditional jobs. How the previous generation still rules how things should be done, the power structure, the fake facade, the overtime. While not exactly translating to the west, it’s an incredibly relatable setting for the generation who was in the same shoes as Retsuko and the show itself explores all of it quite well in the first 2 seasons.

The following seasons became more bonkers, focusing less and less on the office or realistic scenarios and more on the comedy from outside sources. It was easy to kind of forget just how grounded the show used to be.

That’s where Shikabane comes in. Shikabane represents the new generation who just hit adulthood, or as we know them, Gen Z. I’m a late millenial myself, but I definitely saw a lot of how I think but especially how my younger sisters think about the world as it is now.

There is no planning for retirement, planning on buying a house or a car, settling down to have the perfect family while working a traditional job.A lot of young adults have lost hope and the drive to make a future for themselves because they cannot see how it would be possible in today’s climate. Surviving one day to the next, with no particular goal in sight, because it seems impossible. Working a 9-5, putting on a fake smile, abandoning your own personality and *hating* every second of it just to make enough to live paycheck to payckeck is something a lot of them refuse to do. But at the same time, the world is still run by the same people it was 50 years ago. Times have changed so much but they themselves refuse to change. Society is afraid of change. So what else is there to do but... give up?

That is the story you can see told through Shikabane. And in the final episode there’s a metaphorical “torch pass” between her and Retsuko. “My life isn’t what people need to see now. It’s yours.”

And despite how many problems I had with this season, despite how I wish it ended seasons ago, I’m glad Shikabane exists today because she reminded me of what I loved about this show in the beginning. 

I wish I could bid farewell to this show in a better way but hey, it is what it is. And for every Shikabane out there; keep fighting.

My Rating: 4/10

[o-kenki]

I decided to also share some of the one i know/use! : )

drawing/art programs: CLIP STUDIO PAINT: I use a version i got years ago, that's not relying on the subscription service, it's good as it is, it goes on sale very often (I got the studio paint full (ex?) suite, single purchase for around 60€, it was years ago) it comes with an access to an asset shop/market with a lot of brushes and other materials and a good chuck of it is FREE.

PaintToolSai (1 and 2) are around 35€/$, it's one time purchase and you can use one licence for BOTH versions. It's a more "simple" program that's more adapted to drawing/illustration than photo manipulation or design.

My Paint is fun and free, perfect for doodling around and simple to use.

Krita, i did not personally use, but many of my friends do, some for professional works, and it's free.

OpenCanvas started more like SAI, used to be free, but is now around 60€/$, i personally only used it in it's simpler/free form, around 2012, it seems to be quite similar to photshop. I'll let you investigate.

I see a lot of people saying gimp is awful, i personally don't use it for other than making simple gifs and it works fine, i never used it as a drawing program, just simple photo manipulation and image "formatting"(?). I guess it depends on the use you have of it and the "complexity" of the work you do with it. It's more on the "heavier" side for me and my laptop, so it's up to you to try it or not! it's free!

fire alpaca is free, i barely used it a few years ago and it was nice! A lot of my friend who used it back then still use it. It seems pretty light and well adapted for illustration/art.

for video editing: ShotCut is free and quite complete for simple to advanced video editing. It's on the more simple side, but has a lot of resources

Pinnacle studio is maybe more advanced, but is to be paid for, depending on the level of video editing you need, might be a good pick. It has trials version if you want to know before investing.

none of them can compare or will ever replace windows movie maker 6 and 7, but alas...

others:

to make zines and some graphics/printable, Scribus is free and do the job, I do most of my zine, pdf or to be printed with it. I find it easier to use than indesign and the results are the same. For more advanced designing, I don't know, but most printing work or page design can be done it in ok!

photofiltre if you need something lightspeedy for simple photo editing (size, colours correction, basic effects, making awful memes for your friends, ...) juste par plaisir de plug ma go sûre.

If you know more about any of those and/or if you know something "bad" about them, feel free to tell me. I'm not a huge digital art maker, so my knowledge is very basic.

take care, share what you know and teach nicely around you! if you know/think something is bad, it's good to say, but even better if you can suggest a replacement! : )

love you all, stay safe, stay curious! (just wanted to add that i personally never used adobe except at school years ago (not saying that in a "aha! i'm better than you! èwé" way, just to clarify that i don't know how they work very well, so i can't say if the alternative is as good 100%), i didn't look into the 'new adobe controversy contract' all that much (i don't care), i just want to recommand other programs to those that may be looking for some, i'm not judging anyone, i'm not saying those are the 'only good/best ones', just wanting to share some favourites that i know of for those who would like to look somewhere else, as i saw people in the replies/reblogs, asking for alternatives. it's not out of malice, some like photofiltre were added almost as a joke, it's just for sharing/caring and fun, i am just wanting to help! have a nice day everyone! : p)

Adobe is going to spy on your projects. This is insane.

[ornyange]

strikerverse thoughts…

i think that the reason why the strikerverse is hard to pin down for me is because it has so much potential. i can do anything with it because it’s my creation. wild… i have so so many ideas forever

there’s a whole World that these characters are in + while it has a setting, there’s not a collective plot because all of the characters are doing something different

in terms of games (and tone), it’d be similar to titles like evil dead, resident evil, back 4 blood, and other shooters. with games specifically, i’m not actually a huge fan of combat, so the story/stories would focus more on the characters and how they react to their situation. i don’t know if the strikerverse would (in my head) Be a game?? it could be, and i think a video game is the best format to explore the many, many characters, but i don’t know

in addition to a 3d game, a visual novel is something to consider, but whatever medium i decide on, it’s unlikely to become a Real Thing to watch/read/view so it doesn’t technically matter

i think, ideally, i’d want to be able to flesh out the stories in their own space. i don’t want to put ronnie and lily in the same storyline as roachie and maggie because they have different things going on. i think some characters could pass by each other or team up or whatever, but not all of them

i like what detroit: become human did with the converging storylines, but that wouldn’t work for the characters who i don’t want meeting other characters in the universe. they’d just be… there. and entirely separate from the Big Story. similarly, the quarry and i think resident evil 2 (one of two resident evil games i’ve seen) have pov switches/pov separation, but the stories eventually converge, too. it’s certainly not a bad thing, just not what i’m looking for in the strikerverse. detroit: become human and the quarry have multiple endings, which is a very cool concept to potentially apply to the strikerverse, but also. dear lord. so much story.

also, as i mentioned in the screenshot, the only solid plot point is Survive. that looks different for boom and vulture, roachie and maggie (mutual cannibalism!!), ronnie and lily, etc. this is the most brainstorming i’ve done for the strikerverse since it was created, and i didn’t create Any of my ocs with plot in mind, but especially not these ocs considering that the strikerverse didn’t even exist when i created most of them……

it’s a little unfortunate that my main interests at the moment aren’t the inspirations i’d look to for the strikerverse, but alas. the fixations will do as they please. at least i have a collection of inspirations in my brain <3

[copperbadge]

Predictions for 2022

In flagrant defiance of Tumblr social code and with malice aforethought, I decided this weekend to do a Tarot reading to see what 2022 would hold for us. Last year I did one for myself and people wanted to know if it could predict the year, but it wasn’t very good at it, perhaps because I hadn’t really done it with all of existence in mind. 

ANYWAY this time I gave 2022 its very own reading of The Four Royal Advisors, the 78-card spread I designed a few years back. Here are my predictions.

The word for 2022 is “Justice” -- balance, the righting of wrongs, restoration, and of course the legal system. The theme that dominated the year’s reading was the revelation of mysteries and uncovering of secrets, through legal or political processes. 

At some point in the spring there will be a major political shift; a politician dying or a very significant one retiring, some political player leaving the game. This will lead to surprise revelations and the uncovering of a Watergate-scale scandal, but not necessarily a political one. A whistleblower will reveal something huge, potentially a financial scandal like Enron or Madoff. The story will unfold over most of the summer until it escalates to actual legal action (arrests, a trial, etc) in the early fall. 

In the fall, there will also be some kind of big tech event, some new innovation or significant advancement (possibly also something like the breakup of a tech giant or death of one of the Big Tech Guys -- my guess is Larry Ellison). This could also be the functional social end of the pandemic. 

During all of this, the economy absolutely bottoms out for a few terrifying days or weeks in July, then rebounds rapidly and erratically. The rebound will kick off the real “Roaring Twenties” of the century: a time of excess, extravagance, and celebration, all to hide how terrifying everything is. There’s a duality in the cards warning that this is not going to lead anywhere good, but also strongly urging flexibility to cope, and suggesting that going with the flow is the best plan. 

SPECIFIC PREDICTIONS:

There will be a new meme or viral story involving teachers or education

The MeToo movement will cause a massive scandal in the military

Everyone’s going to have just A Lot Of Feelings (yeah thanks Tarot this one seems like a safe bet)

The big new hit fandom of the year will be a dark gothic fantasy or historical drama of some kind, not a movie, possibly a video game; may involve werewolves or anthropomorphic animals. Potentially a reboot or new season of something. 

There will be a massive fandom scandal to do with religion or blasphemy (possibly the big new hit fandom will get targeted by the evangelicals!)

A hot new format for fanfic (ala “5 things” fics) will become super fashionable when a fic using the format goes viral

 Let’s check back in somewhere around April, if the internet and society as we know it still exists then. Otherwise, I guess I’ll be pulling my shift as border patrol for the Glorious Republic of United Chicago, keeping out invaders from the Post-American Midwestern Political Association LLC. 

[putschki1969]

Kalafina Media Appearances

Note: It's been 84 years. I’m finally continuing my “Kalafina-hub” project. In the past I have gathered all sorts of HQ Kalafina content on my personal Google Drive to make everything easily accessible to fans. Recently I have switched to a second account with a huge 2TB plan which allows me to add even more stuff. Below you can find links to my old masterposts〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

I started with Kalafina’s complete works in MP3 and FLAC format. After all, what’s more significant than their music?

My next big category was dedicated to Kalafina’s official live releases (including live audio MP3s).

In my third masterpost I provided links for the bonus content available on Kalafina’s CD releases (including all PVs as well as various documentaries and additional live videos).

In my fourth post I shared all the official footage of Kalafina’s appearances at grand-scale anisong events (i.e. ANIMAX MUSIX, Animelo, LisAni).

For my fifth post I prepared all the Yuki Kajiura/FictionJunction lives (including live audio MP3s).

For this post, I’ve tried compiling video footage of all of Kalafina’s media appearances on TV, radio and various streaming services.

These videos are for PERSONAL USE ONLY! Do not share them or upload them to other sites. Thank you!

THE ENTIRE FOLDER

»»———— Download me ————««

There are way too many videos to put them in this post so here’s what you need to know.

➔ The videos are listed in chronological order ❈ I’ve tried my very best to find the correct date for each and every media appearance but some of these videos are so old that I wasn’t able to trace them back

➔ The compilation is by no means exhaustive ❈ I wish I could say this was a complete collection but alas, there is a lot of content missing. I didn’t become a fan until 2010/2011 so I probably don’t have some of the super old stuff. I also didn’t always have the necessary resources/means so throughout the years I kept missing out on certain videos, simply because I couldn’t access/download them

➔ Some of these videos have abysmal quality ❈ I always took what I could get, not questioning the quality. I’m sure there are HQ versions out there for some of these appearances but right now, I have no way of getting my hands on them.

➔ This collection is a work in progress ❈ If I come across “new” old videos, I will be sure to add them to this folder. The same applies to better versions of already existing videos. If you notice anything obvious missing in my collection or if any of you happen to have HQ versions of some of the super crappy videos, please don’t hesitate to share them with me. I’d be very grateful!

➔ The content is not categorised ❈ I was having a hard time putting these videos together in certain sub-folders so for the most part I just kept them as they were in one big folder. Let me know if you have any issue accessing a certain folder!

➔ All of my old links to any of these videos no longer work ❈ As mentioned above, I’ve invested in a brand new Google Drive account with a much bigger storage plan and am currently moving everything over there. Some content still remains in my old account but most of it has already been deleted to free up storage space. This entire data migration and a recent anon request have actually motivated me to finally get my shit together and sort through all my random Kalafina videos which were scattered across different hard drives.

➔ No summaries/subtitles will be made available for any of the vids ❈  I have neither the skills nor the time to provide summaries or subs for all of these videos so please, don’t even ask. However, I have posted quite a lot of summaries in the past so if you go through my archive and browse through my posts (use the video date for reference), you might be able to find something.

[yuttikkele]

sorry I’ve had to wait until I have enough time to respond to this post lol

also sorry I keep bringing mcyt comparisons in I know you don’t get the references, my brain just won’t stop talking about them ;0;

i can handle a lil bit of angst if it means viewing someone’s hard work and care of OCs so if you wish to show them off I am all for it :D and also, I like both fan and original original characters, I don’t really separate them I sorta just see them as the same thing

sorry i don’t know anything about vampire knight BUT it is good to know you have a purpose for all that suffering

and ah, an over-analyzer, i see. we need people like you because i barely overanalyze. Those are two very cool story ideas :00 alas I do not have a solution for you on that whole genre thing either. And yeah the relating to a character you like negatively makes sense! It’s like an anti-projection. Or, just negative projection probably I don’t think there’s anything anti about it I just wanted to use the word anti.

ye the whole soulmates just to be soulmates thing makes sense. there’s a time and place for unfleshedout stories, and actual thought out ones!!

as for homestuck, if you ever want to read it, do NOT read it on the official site, reading the unofficial collections (which you do have to download) is way better (I didn’t do that but also I didn’t know because I refused to look at the fandom until I was finished reading). yeah it does span across a couple different mediums, mostly it’s just comic but there are some videos and games, so if that’s not for you, it’s not for you. BUT homestuck is really more about the experience of reading rather than the actual story (I know I mentioned the moral of the story but that is simply just a different thing from the story) since i don’t think you’d get the story no matter how it’s formatted. even if it was purely “chronological.” It has some pretty epic worldbuilding that is barely explained tho, but it’s mostly comedy. Anyways yeah, mostly an experience.

And SMPs are just like watching any gaming content dw. skephalo is referring to the friendship of Skeppy and Badboyhalo! They met when Skeppy was trying to troll Bad for a video, and they have been best friends ever since! which to me sounds like a real “platonic soulmates” thing which is why I mentioned them lol.

ye I knew Dave Strider (the one in red and wearing sunglasses with the older brother) the most out of all the characters before reading (COUGH COUGH it’s because of TommyInnit)

also you can’t just mention and epic namlessshipping comic and not give the link :00

Maybe I haven’t seen many ACTUAL best friends to lovers stories where they actually end up together in the end, because when I think of friends to lovers, the third guy is usually never an issue. Yeah it’s probably because i’m thinking about ships I have, and let me tell you, not a ONE of those ships is canon soooooo. i Will instead tell you what my mind goes to when i think of friends to lovers. right, so it’s these two people, and they like each other, but they don’t know that they like each other, and they put each other over their “actual” love interest all the time, and people think they’re dating, but they’re like “whaaaaat nooooo” and when they find out that their feelings aren’t just admiration THEN we go into the weird pining stuff.

Or like, there just doesn’t have to be a love triangle at all. Or really any conflict. Just the friends realizing they more than friends.

but for the love triangle “one is obviously not an option” thing, yeah man I HATE that. Like what do you think? I’m being fooled by this? I’ll have you know, I’m not enjoying it either like you would watching the protag fight a fight they’re obviously gonna win. I am getting second hand embarrassment. And I just have the perfect example because I’m rewatching it right now and I KNOW it’s gonna happen soon and I am dreading it (and I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this yet also sorry if you don’t know svtfoe) and it is starco (star x Marco). They made Star date Tom and like, woah dude I’m TOTALLY gonna believe Star’s gonna stay with her EX BOYFRIEND as endgame. And then they’re actually a good pair??? But you still KNOW it’s not gonna happen. Like yeah guys this will TOTALLY develop these characters as people more and it WONT make us seem like we’re ripping up a PERFECTLY GOOD relationship at all!! And Tom and Marco actually have chemistry going on and we KNOW star and Marco like each other and I’m pretty sure everyone in the fandom would’ve rathered the endgame be them all dating each other. On another note, Bro starco could be SO much better than it is, but it was just handled so poorly. It’s still a Good ship it’s just.. missed potential. Also I genuinely don’t think Star would be as jealous as she is I KNOW she’s not my character, but I FEEL it.

the one time I’ll let the love triangle short term dating thing go is with miraculous because 1. it was only like one episode where they were dating other people, so it’s bearable. 2. Kagami was just sorta like “let’s date” and Adrien was just like “ok might as well try!” since who he was pining for had rejected him oh so many times. 3. Marinette was just trying to have a successful love life, and she saw adrien wasn’t working, and that Luka took an interest in her so “ok might as well try!” And they both saw that didn’t work almost immediately. It was more of a test thing for both of them instead of an “IM MOVING ON” obvious lie.

and yeah, I say if a polycule can solve a love triangle: it’s not a good love triangle. It’s one of those fake flimsy ones. Unless, ofc, bringing out the cheesy rule, you want it to be cheesy.

the only ship I know of a successful best friends to rivals/enemies to lovers is catradora, and sadly I have not been able to watch all of spop yet. But it sounds like I would really REALLY like that ship. Especially since there’s a catgirl involved.

also yes i agree rivals does not equal enemies, but just to be clear, I put the two together because I like both of those tropes lol. And above in the castradora statement, i don’t know if they count as rivals or enemies really… like when you’re on opposing sides, but you’re not the main villain? Idk. I feel like they’re more rivals.

and honestly I guess I’ve SUBCONSCIOUSLY thought about the bully ≠ rival thing, but like not consciously of my own accord so now I AM thinking about it. Like marinette and Chloe. obviously Chloe bullies marinette, but marinette stands her ground and sorta rivals her in that way? But marinette wasn’t like that pre-miraculous so.. like would that rivalry even still count if it’s based off a bullied childhood? Yk what I’m also gonna bring up the forbidden bnha and bakudeku because they have the same thing goin on. Deku was obviously bullied by Bakugou, but once Deku stands up for himself they’re.. rivals?? Maybe?? I think that’s how it works, idk Imma see your opinion on it 😭😭

Blue does bully red, but I think we can assume red can hold his own seeing as he did a number on Blue. And also it’s not much of a bully thing since they were childhood friends then suddenly blue was like “I’m gonna be mean to you now” which really just sounds like blue has a crush. I gotta clarify that I’m NOT saying all kids that are mean to other people have crushes because I HATE when people say that, but, yk sometimes when kids get crushes they ARE mean; it happens.

that former friend of yours sounds.. very confusing XD hopefully now she knows how to make a more fulfilling ship happen??

It's weird to me people would count both game reguri and manga reguri as the same ship but not palletshipping. I would argue game and manga reguri are as different from each other as either are to palletshipping because the characters' personalities and backstories are totally different. Hell, manga reguri doesn't even have the childhood friends plot point shared between game reguri and palletshipping, so the dynamic's completely different. I feel like they're all different ships but counterparts to each other.

i thought that the fandom had already come to a consensus, and i was just unaware, but i see now that i have struck up a whole Discussion.

Btw anon I agree with you completely! Like I said in the og post, I thought palletshipping would fall under reguri since it’s another counterpart of the ship. Originalshipping and namelessshipping ARE just as different as they are from palletshipping, you’re right!

alas, what i am trying to figure out is if a majority of people classify palletshipping as reguri or not…

[delicrieux]

☆ﾐ 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚊𝚢 “𝚘𝚑”

PART 10: BIG DICK IS BACK IN TOWN

y/n is back in brooklyn for the holidays. thinking that a stream will make her feel less homesick for cali, she starts working on her famously titled hentai.free.srv. what was supposed to be a relaxing stream turns into a special delivery about two hours in.

─── corpse husband x reader ─── soc. media + written fiction! ─── word count: 2.2k ─── ❥ req: Here's one... You know those apps for delivery like Domino's or whatnot... What if reader is streaming Among Us with Corpse, and reader mentions they're hungry and Corpse offers to order them food, and readers like no no it's fine... Then there's delivery at the door (Corpse ordered beforehand) 

author’s note: fucky format is also back in town baby!!! also if you find any mistakes - no u didnt <3 thank u everyone for enjoying this story sm i literally cant believe how feral yall going strawberry cow was a nuclear explosion im still recovering tbh. got an ask a while ago and decided to incorporate it into myso. happy holidays everyone! myso will continue on monday!

ultimate masterlist.  ҉  myso masterlist   ҉   previous.  ҉   next.

✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼

✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼

Indeed, being soft on any social media platform was the biggest disgrace and needed to be eliminated post haste. Moreover, it was a slippery slope - once you start flooding your timeline with cute imagery and heart emojis, what will stop you from posting inspirational Facebook quotes? Disgusting. If Rae were here, she would chide you (not you thinking about her as if she’s dead or something). For once in your life, you feel like you deserve it. 

Alas, you hope this little chaos you’ve caused is enough to throw everyone off. The stans, especially. You know the hashtags, you’ve seen ARMY scourging for info online with the same fervor and ruthlessness 1 Direction fans hacked airport security cameras just to spy on the boys. If you had any dirty secrets online, they are out to the public now - thankfully, besides the Harry Styles stan account (with edits and all), you have nothing. Though, now that you think about it, exposed nudes would have been better than your Punk!Harry edit receiving almost a million views. God, your life’s a fucking mess.

Your fans aren’t the only ones out for info - you, too, are trying to decipher Rae’s message. Code: Barbecue Sauce. The two of you had come up with it roughly two years ago, around the same time when you promised that if you didn’t find significant others by the time you’re 40, you’ll just marry each other. It was one of the many rules found in your friendship codex. Barbecue Sauce signifies information - an exchange of information. And depending on how it ends or begins (”So I’m sitting there” alludes to Rae, “On my titties” alludes to you), secret data on that person is given away, usually free of charge. 

But why? And to whom did Rae give away what? You had pestered her mercilessly and even sent some voice messages where you were crying. You were only crying because of a video of a grandpa smiling you saw on TikTok, but you are a snake, and so you put those tears to good use. If streaming doesn’t work out, you’ll just become an actress. Hollywood would love you. Your PR firm sure as fuck wouldn’t, though.

Rae was having none of it. She said you’ll figure it out eventually. Told you to channel your superior puzzle skills. You were quick to remind her that you can barely count to ten without having an aneurysm. Oddly serious, she admitted that she worries for you sometimes. Why only sometimes?! you demanded. She merely sighed. uttering under her breath something that sounded closely to “Boke.”

You leave her for barely a week and she’s already neck deep in the gay volleyball anime, hoodie and cardboard cutout and everything. Your life is falling apart.

But Brooklyn is nice. It had snowed when you stepped off of the plane. Thousands of snowflakes sprinkling into your hair, dotting your cheeks and nose. You missed this sight back in Cali. You missed your parents, too. 

Home cooked meals, old sweaters, your old room and about 40GB worth of old high school pictures on your computer. You went through them all one night. Some were stomach churning, cringe inducing nightmares. You were especially fond of those. Texted some of your friends that were still in Brooklyn, met up, decided to bake. Bad idea, Rae was the resident chef back in Cali. Besides laughing till your stomach hurt, and almost burning down your kitchen, nothing all that significant happened. Somewhere down the line, at about 3 am, half-way through a cheesy rom-com you had the overwhelming urge to text Corpse.

That’s where the problems really started. God, you missed California, missed being in the same timezone with a guy you hadn’t even met yet, how embarrassing is that?! You missed skating around and taking pictures of the beach in the setting sun, sending it to him, silently wishing he was with you to admire the view. 

You really want to call him. And to hang out with him. But for some reason, the thought of that springs up immediate anxiety and you shy away from asking. Him sending you cute good morning texts doesn’t help, either. Maybe it’s better he doesn’t know that you’re a blushing, stuttering mess each time you read “baby”. 

Late evening. Your stream is already set up, people are slowly trickling in and you greet them with a grin and a soft “Hello! Hi hi!”. You did your best to make your room a perfectly chaotic backdrop - led lights, an embarrassing amount of anime merch and plushies. You always try to balance out your weeb side by dressing hot as fuck for your streams - today’s inspiration just so happens to be egirls. Mostly because you watched one too many egirl make-up tutorials on TikTok, and also because you’ve been listening to Corpse’s song all day.

Yeah, no, who are you kidding, you dressed up this way because you were hoping Corpse was watching your stream. You didn’t forget your cat headphones, either. You know he likes them. You want to make him suffer. Perhaps then, finally, he will ask you out, so you wouldn’t have to.

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“I feel like,” You start when you put away your phone, staring idly at the chat, “I feel like I need a new name for you guys. Calling you guys after two years of streaming is just... weird, no? I also don’t respect men so I don’t want to call you guys. Like, so many creator’s have, like, a name for their fans. Uhm, Cody Ko has the chodesters, Kurtis Conner has, uh, folks? Kurtis Town? Citizens! Markiplier has mommy issues--” You can’t help snorting, “So, I’ve been, like, thinking - I know, shocking! - so I was thinking I’m gonna name you cockroaches. Because you’re grimy little shits impossible to kill. And also then I can use the legendary Minaj meme ROACHES!”

Your stream enthusiastically echoes ROACHES, making the chat swim. Yes, if anyone would enjoy such a name, it would be your audience. You’re as equally proud as you are disturbed.

“Well, anyway.” Leaning back into your chair, you throw your arms out with a bright grin, “Big dick is back in town, baby! If you noticed the backdrops different, it’s cuz I’m in Brooklyn now. Don’t ask me when I will return to Always Sunny, I don’t plan that far ahead.”

While Minecraft boots up, you decide to answer a few questions.

r u dating sykkuno?

You want to smack your head into the keyboard, but as it is, you can’t exactly afford a new one, so you refrain, “No, Sykkuno and I are not dating, we are just good friends. Uhm, I’m not sure how much I’ll have to repeat this, but, we really aren’t, so if the roaches could chill - Oh my God, that sounds so stupid, I love it - uh, yeah, if the roaches could chill that’d be great.”

the roaches lmao sounds like we’re a sports team

“Oh shit, yeah it does, uh-- maybe I can make like, jerseys or something. That’d be cool, I think.”

how disappointed are your parents with the way your life turned out?

“My parents are actually not disappointed at all!” You say with a cute little smile, “Uhm, they’re both really proud, actually. They’re glad I found something I love doing and made a job outta it. Dad finds my Youtube videos endearing. Yes, they watch pretty much all of my videos, unless I explicitly tell them not to. And yeah, with all the fucks and thirsting for anime characters. Uhm, it was very embarrassing at first, but I mean, after a while, shame just...doesn’t exist anymore, I guess? Funny thing about my parents, actually, when they watch my videos-” You eye catches a comment, “Oh! No, they only watch my Youtube videos. They don’t know how to use Twitter, thank God. Uhm, anyway-- when they hear a name they don’t know, like, I dunno, Dabi, or something, they google--” You’re grinning by now, eyes crinkling, giggling softly, “--who that is, and buy me like, merch and stuff. It’s really cute. 

can i be adopted by ur parents plz

will you and corpse ever collab?!

You were about to answer, though the man of the hour himself decides to do it for you.

Corpse_Husband: yes.

Okay, not to say your heart skipped a beat, but it totally did. With a pleased smile, you nod, like one of those bobble head toys sold at the dollar store. The motion is oddly reminiscent of Sykkuno’s own nod. Perhaps you had picked it up from him. The chat seems to notice.

pack it up, sykkuno

More questions pile about this mysterious collab you and Corpse are planning. Yeah, you’d like to hear more about it, too, since he single highhandedly decided one was happening right now. Corpse remains silent. Fine, keep your secrets. 

“Okay, guys, oh, I mean, roaches, Oh my God--” You’re covering your mouth, giggling, “-calling all roaches, calling all roaches, calm down. Everyone grab a snack and a blanket I’m turning up the music volume so we can all chill. Entering chill zone. Entering chill zone. Roaches, prepare.”

we are prepared

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An hour or so passes and you grow hungry. It shows with the amount of cakes you had baked in your server. Currently, you find yourself throwing eggs at the wall of one of the renovated houses, your face scrunched in concentration and slight frustration. 24 of the 50 eggs have been wasted. “What’s a girl gotta do to get some chicks around here?” you had uttered under your breath, until, finally, a screech - the egg finally spawns a mob. Your mouth falls open, “Aww, look!” You approach it, so small, walking in zigzags beside you, “It’s a baby chicken! Die, bitch.” The baby chicken is no more as you swing your bedazzled (you have mods) diamond sword. You’re cackling by the time the dust settles.

y/n is a child murderer

“Roaches,” You address your fan-base, spurring another fit of laughter - you can’t get over the name, “I think I’m like, forgetting that eating in Minecraft won’t actually make less hungry in real life.”

take a break and go eat queen <3

“Fuck no, we starve and die like men. Now I actually really need another chicken.”

Another twenty minutes trickle by and you’re trying to lure back a panda from the jungle when there’s a knock on your bedroom’s door. Whipping your head to the side, you slide down your headphones. At the same time, your mom pokes her head through the ajar door, “MOM!” You scream, “Get OUT of my room I’m playing Minecraft!” But your yell has no actual bite to it, as you don’t manage to hide your smile. Your mom laughs, doing some sort of sign language and motioning for you to follow her with her head. That or it’s some sort of performative dance. 

“I’m live right now,” You tell her, pointing at your screen. She knows this already, though, “do you want to say hi?” 

The roaches spam the chat with friendly hellos. You mom, quite impatient now, waves you over. 

“Sorry, roaches, mom needs something. Be back in a bit!”

Stopping the stream, you rush out of your seat and pleased she slinks into the hallway. “What’s this about?”

“Your pizza came.”

“My what now?” You echo, confused.

“Domino’s. You ordered pizza?”

“What? No? I was busy with the stream, I never--”

Thankfully, you had managed to grab your phone from your room before you exited. You almost choke on spit once you read the messages.

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You decide that it’ll be impossible to stream after experiencing what you had just experienced. You tweet out a quick apology to the roaches (God, that fucking name) and say that you had a breakdown but you’re okay. That is as a close to the truth as you managed to muster. It’s a sad sight, chewing and crying; your mom winced when she saw your state - disheveled hair and rundown eyeliner and everything. “D’aww,” She had muttered, caressing the top of your head, “don’t cry my little raccoon.”

If anyone was ever to ask you where did your chaotic nature come from, you’d answer with my mom. To make yourself feel better, you took a selfie - duck face and peace sign and the horrible 2000′s angle. Sent it to Rae. 

looking hot, her message read. 

thanks, was all you replied with.

You couldn’t just leave things as they were. Once you calmed down, you wanted to text Corpse, but how would you follow up the ungodly caps lock and screeching? Impossible. An idea sprung to mind, one that was brave. Taking the first step.

Instead of sending a text, you sent a voice memo.

“Thank you for the pizza, it was delicious.”

You voice still sounded a bit raspy. His reply was instant. Your heart skipped a beat. He sent a voice memo back.

“Glad you liked it, baby.”

He was going to be the death of you.

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tags (in italics is those i couldn’t tag! make sure all’s ok w your settings!) : @littlebabysandboxburritos - @fairywriter-oracle - @tsukishimawh0re - @ofstarsanddreams - @bbecc-a - @annshit - @leahh19 - @letsloveimagines - @bellomi-clarke - @wineandionysus - @guiltydols - @onephootinfrontoftheother - @liamakorn - @thirstyfangirl - @lilysdaydreams - @pan-ini - @mxqicshxp - @tanchosanke - @yoshinorecommends - @flightsandfantasy - @liljennyx3 - @slashersdream - @unknown-and-invisible - @sinister-sleep - @fivedicksinatrenchcoat - @mercury–moon - @peterparkerspjsuit - @unstableye - @simonsbluee - @shinyshimaagain - @ppopty - @siriuslystupid - @crapimahuman - @ofthedewthesunlight - @mythicalamphitrite - @artsyally - @corpsesimpp - @corpsewhitetee - @corpse-husbandsimp - @hyp-oh-critical - @roses-and-grasses - @rhyrhy462 - @sparklylandflaplawyer - @charbkgo - @airwaveee - @creativedogs - @kaitlyn2907 - @loxbbg - @afuckingunicornn - @fleurmoon - @yeolliedokai - @truly-dionysus - @multi-fandom-central707

more tags are in the comments bcs tumblr only allows me to tag 50 people max ����

[peterlorrefanpage]

Peter Lorre Television Show List

Did you know Peter Lorre filmed a TV pilot with Vincent Price? Here’s 1958′s Collector's Item: The Left Fist of David (3 parts on YouTube). 

This collection is by no means exhaustive. It’s also not easy to find recordings, but I’ve linked to what I can find in the list below. 

1950s

March 31, 1952: Taste, Lux Video Theater (Dramatic Anthology); CBS 

Sept 16, 1952: The Tortured Hand, Suspense (Dramatic Anthology); CBS

Dec 22, 1953: The Vanishing Point, The U.S. Steel Hour (Dramatic Anthology) 

Sept 24, 1954: The Pipe, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (Dramatic Anthology); CBS

Oct 27, 1954: The Disneyland Story, The Wonderful World of Disney. (timestamp 2:13). Or just go to this very brief behind-the-scenes shot for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. 

Dec 29, 1954: I've Got a Secret (comedy game show w/ Garry Moore.) 

Oct 21, 1954: Casino Royale, Climax! - Peter Lorre plays Le Chiffre. This is the first screen adaptation of a James Bond novel!

Jan 5, 1955: Arsenic and Old Lace, Best of Broadway (Anthology); CBS 

Jan 18, 1955. “Honeymooners Spoof,” The Red Skelton Hour. Peter Lorre is amazing throughout the entire show.

April 4, 1955: Reunion in Vienna, Producer's Showcase (Anthology); NBC

May 2, 1955: The Sure Cure, Eddie Cantor Comedy Theater (Comedy-Variety); ABC

Sept 3, 1955: Young Couples Only, Studio 57 s2e1

Nov 17, 1955: A Promise to Murder, Climax!; CBS

Nov 29, 1955. “The Phantom of the Ballet,” The Red Skelton Hour. 

Dec 10, 1955: The Blue Landscape, The Star and the Story (3 parts on YouTube) Rhinegold Theater; NBC

Jan 18, 1956: No. 5 Checked Out, Screen Directors Playhouse (Anthology); NBC

Jan 29, 1956: The Finishers, Studio 57 (Dramatic Anthology)

Feb 9, 1956: Fifth Wheel, Climax!; CBS

July 26, 1956: The Man Who Lost his Head, Climax!; CBS

Oct 18, 1956: Sizeman and Son, Playhouse 90; CBS

Dec 26, 1956: Operation Cicero, “Five Fingers,” 20th Century Fox Hour (Dramatic Anthology); CBS. (With Ricardo Montalban.)

March 5, 1957. “Clem Strikes Oil,” The Red Skelton Show. Peter’s walk-on role. 

March 14, 1957: The Last Tycoon, Playhouse 90 [archive.org] or on YouTube; CBS

June 20, 1957: A Taste for Crime, Climax!; CBS

June 27, 1957: The Fabulous Irishman, Playhouse 90. Here’s Peter.

Nov 14, 1957: The Jet Propelled Couch, Playhouse 90; CBS

Dec 8, 1957: The Diplomatic Corpse, Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Suspense Anthology); CBS

1958: Collector's Item: The Left Fist of David (3 parts on YouTube). TV pilot with Vincent Price.

May 12, 1959, “Rapid Growth," The Red Skelton Show.

Nov 17, 1959. “Appleby the Weatherman,” The Red Skelton Show. Tiny clip!

Dec 19, 1959: Thin Ice, Five Fingers (Spy Drama); NBC

1960s

Feb 14, 1960: What's My Line? Peter Lorre as Mystery Guest, plugging The Scent of Mystery.

Feb 17, 1960: I’ve Got a Secret (comedy game show w/Garry Moore). Peter is plugging The Scent of Mystery.

Feb 24, 1960: The Cruel Day, Playhouse 90; CBS

March 13, 1960: Man from the South, Alfred Hitchcock Presents; CBS. (With Steve McQueen.)

March 16, 1960: The Alexander Portlass Story, Wagon Train (Western); NBC

May 24, 1960: “Clem and the Beanstalk,” The Red Skelton Show. Alas, just a blooper clip is out there and without Peter in it.

Oct 11, 1960: The Incident of the Slavemaster, Rawhide (Western); CBS

Jan 21, 1961: The Baron Loved His Wife, Best of the Post; ABC

Jan 14, 1961: The Human Touch, Checkmate (Detective Drama); CBS

Oct 11, 1961: First Test, Mrs. G Goes To College (Sitcom); CBS

Dec 6, 1961: The Trouble with Crayton, Mrs. G Goes To College; CBS

Oct 26, 1962: “Lizards Leg and Owlets Wing,” Route 66 (Adventure); CBS

Jan 22, 1963: The Jack Benny Show with Peter Lorre and Joannie Sommers; CBS

March 24, 1963: Diamond Fever, The Du Pont Show of the Week; NBC

Sept 20, 1963: “5: Part I,” 77 Sunset Strip (first of new format); ABC

Oct 24, 1963: “The End of the World, Baby,” Kraft Suspense Theater; NBC

See also: 

Peter Lorre Movie Timeline

Peter Lorre Radio Show List

[strangevoyages]

New science fiction thriller novel: WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE by Lena Nguyen

Hi everyone! I’m thrilled to announce that you can now order a copy of my debut science fiction thriller novel, WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE, in hardcover, paperback, e-book, or audiobook format, available wherever books are sold! 

WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE follows a WOC protagonist, misanthropic psychologist Dr. Grace Park, as she’s placed on the planetary survey ship, the Deucalion. The Deucalion is headed to an icy and unexplored planet, Eos, situated beyond the reaches of human-occupied space. The crew of the ship are all specialists of their fields and are meant to evaluate Eos for colonization purposes; Park is meant to evaluate the twelve other crewmembers’ performance and cohesion. But fractures appear long before the ship even reaches the mysterious planet: political alliances, obscured intentions, corporate surveillance, love triangles, and fraught relationships threaten to split the crew apart, and Park’s friendship with the ship’s unusual androids only comes closer to turning everyone she knows against her. 

When the ship finally arrives on Eos, a radiation storm cuts off any means of communication or escape... and that’s when things really begin to fall apart.  Park’s patients are falling prey to waking nightmares of helpless, tongueless insanity. The androids are behaving strangely, rejecting orders and babbling about imaginary gods. Inexplicable video tapes are being uncovered. There are no windows aboard the ship. Paranoia is closing in, and soon Park is forced to confront the fact that nothing—neither her crew, nor their mission, nor the mysterious Eos itself—is as it seems.

Inspired by the likes of Alien, I, Robot, Dead Space, Event Horizon, and Ex Machina, WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE is a story about connection, consciousness, and what it means to be human. It was a finalist for the Compton Crook Award, winner of the Philip Freund Prize, and an Amazon Editors’ Pick (Best Science Fiction and Fantasy). You can read more about the book on my website or at any of the links below! And if you enjoy my writing in WHABH, be sure to also check out my indie interactive fiction game over at @shepherds-of-haven​! 

Thank you as always for your support! ⭐️🚀🤖

Links:

Penguin Random House

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Indiebound

Bookshop.org

Hudson Booksellers

Powell’s

Audible

Other Links:

Author Website

Twitter

Facebook

Praise for WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE:

“We Have Always Been Here is an extraordinary, multifarious debut: a white-knuckle adventure, a wrenching love story, a confounding intellectual puzzle, and a masterful inquiry into the nature of consciousness. Lena Nguyen has done with her first book something that takes most writers decades. It’s all in here, and it’s all fantastic.” —J. Robert Lennon, author of Subdivision “Nguyen’s debut seamlessly blends the nail-biting pace of a thriller with the detailed set pieces of science fiction, perfect for fans of either genre.” —ALA Booklist (starred) “Nguyen’s is full of precise lines and icy sharpness, creating a world that is simultaneously oppressively expansive and uncommonly claustrophobic.” —Bookpage (starred) “Nguyen’s debut is claustrophobic and dark, full of twisting ship corridors and unreliable characters…. A promising, atmospheric debut.” —Kirkus Reviews “Nguyen immerses readers in a chilling landscape while effortlessly softening the more sinister moments with wistful, dreamlike flashbacks. This impressive sci-fi thriller marks Nguyen as a writer to watch.” —Publishers Weekly “An exciting debut that delves into themes of corporate conscription, the definition of humanity, and the complexity of relationships. This science fiction thriller will keep readers guessing and wondering past the final page.” —Library Journal “There’s a real palpable tension and delirium infused into Nguyen’s writing that enhances what could have been a straightforward thriller into something much deeper, sharper, and stranger.” —The Speculative Shelf

[legends-live-in-memories]

I Have Too Many Opinions. ep. 1

lmao. i got encouragement to post my opinions on fandom things and now i want to make a miniseries doing just that. so here i am. doing just that.

im putting it under the cut cuz this was 4 whole pages including the disclaimer. yes i put a disclaimer and i explain why.

Anyways, here is the first piece in what inevitably will become fandom info dump, this time on thomas astruc’s writing on miraculous ladybug. but only some of my opinions cuz we would be here all day otherwise.

So… a disclaimer before I begin… 

I do not hate Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir (yes i'm using their government name). I am quite a fan of the show actually despite its faults. I am also older than the intended audience but was obviously younger when the show first aired which is how my interest was piqued (the fact that its been 6 years and only 3 seasons says more about the show than me being a fan for that amount of time but also i never want to rush content creators cuz they're doing their best) and due to my age, there will be inherent bias in my approach of what i'm about to say as there is in EVERY opinion. The fact that it is an opinion should imply the presence of bias but most people tend to lack the critical thinking skills required to draw that conclusion ANYWAYS…

If I did hate the show I would not have this blog nor would I be even writing this because i tend to not give more than 2 seconds of thought to things i actively dislike (some of yall should give this a try) and i'm allowed to like things that are designed for an audience that i was originally a part of but grew out of. (I don't suddenly stop liking things because I'm older despite what many younger fans seem to believe about older audiences. I also don't need to be ‘allowed’ to do anything cuz i wasn't asking for permission anyways.)

This will not be character bashing, astruc bashing nor fandom bashing cuz, again, that would imply i hate any of those elements and if i did, i would not dedicate brainpower to them. Analyses and criticisms of media are fun and engaging and required if you wish to produce good enjoyable content. Now most of this should be already assumed and self-explanatory but people on the internet like to play morality roulette roll dice on purity culture and I rather have documentation that I am in fact not bullying fictional 14 year olds or a grown man. But alas, people get trigger happy whenever someone has less than 1000000% positive opinions on something they like and will throw out words they can't define (gaslight, baiting, toxic, problematic, gatekeep etc) in an attempt to defend their blind devotion, 

which is not needed, if you like something you never have to defend it, even if i don't like it. If you respond to anything I post saying you disagree with me, I will not argue with you. I won't debate back and forth and try to convince you that the things you like are wrong. Unless you are being absolutely tone deaf to what i'm saying, you wont get a negative reaction from me. So don't try to fish for a fight. Please. I got metaphorical hands for days and I'm mean, you don't want me hurting your feelings on the internet. Do yourself the favour. Difference of opinion is how we get diversification in media and is inherently a good thing. Now that that's out of the way, please don't ever let me have to say that again. I beg.

Now onto the fun stuff

I didn't know what I wanted as a first topic so my trusty internet friend @moonlitceleste suggested astruc’s writing… 

AND BOI do i got some opinions on ole tommy boi. Again I don't hate the dude. In fact, he has worked on a few shows that had defined my childhood, including but not limited to W.I.T.C.H. (all eps available on youtube for those interested, 2 seasons, general fun time all around).

So I don't think he’s scum of the earth but I do think his approach to writing mlb specifically has more misses than hits.

The first big miss is that he has no idea how to write 14 year old girls. At all. Almost every girl he has ever written feels like some terrible archetype built entirely for marketability and childish projection and pubescent self-insert (kind of). He has never been a 14 year old girl. I have. In fact when the show first aired, I WAS around the (assumed) age of the mlb characters. The behaviour he passes off as quirky or awkward or just the character’s genuine personality tend to perpetuate harmful stereotypes of teen girls found in the media and are never actually addressed as harmful. they just get swept under the rug. Marinette’s exuberant collage of teen heart throb model boi Adrien Agreste and her very painful almost fan worship she has of him (which flip flops like a paper sandal in the rain) being portrayed as a cute school girl crush uwu, Chloe being the y7 Regina George, Alya being the token best friend of colour with her ‘sassy’ personality (i want y'all to imagine me eyerolling so hard i bust a vessel in my eye), Kagami being the very damaging Perfect Asian Child stereotype. And before y'all get on your dusty soap box and defend going on about “BUT IT'S FOR CHILDREN”,,,, know this.

 i don’t give a solid fuck. 

Not one. 

Children arent stupid. Children are always going to remember the richy bitchy blonde who bullies the art kid, and the big kid, and the shy kid, and the non white kids, and was only nice to her equally rich white friend who she probably had a crush on or was only ever civil to her equally white lapdog. They're going to remember the half asian girl who was never allowed to actually be asian or the only black girl who existed solely as a soundboard for enabling bad habits or chastising the main character for the same habits she enables in the first place (boi aint THAT a topic for later). Like do i really need to explain that alya chastising marinette for taking max’s spot in gamer just to play with adrien rings absolutely hollow when she actively encourages her to sabotage the contest she’s in just so Kagami doesn't win?? Like I don't have to explain that right?? Again kids arent stupid and its quite something that Mari gets chastised for proving herself the best video game player regardless of her intentions just cuz it comes at the expense of max’s feelings/ego but is actively encouraged to sabotage not only kagami but herself by extension cuz kagami is ‘competition.’ Adrien is not a trophy to be won. And no I don't expect 14 yrs old to be perfect and to always make good decisions but these decisions are never addressed as being bad decisions. they get swept under the rug cuz those decisions were necessary for the ‘plot’ but astruc can barely keep characterization consistent and his characters suffer for it and it's the same children you preach are watching it that suffer as well. Cuz guess what? I KNOW 14 yr olds aren't like that cuz i've been there done that (this is the last time i'm saying that i promise) so I know astruc is just metaphorically throwing darts to figure out who says and does what without consideration for pre established personalities to drive the stalemate plot along. The same kids you say are watching this don't know that that's not how preteens work and will absorb and internalize those dynamics like baking soda and vinegar. Cata-fucking-strophically. 

And I haven't even gotten to the boys yet. Which honestly doesn't require much explanation anyways cuz they suffer the same fate as the girls. Tired archetypes with nothing to give them life. Nino falls into Adrien’s person of colour token best friend who dates the female lead’s person of colour token best friend so they can have cute double dates uwu. Except the plot goes nowhere and we have no inclination of romantic development beyond moments that only act to actively convince me to anti ship the lovesquare (i don't want to do that so i self indulge in fanon that actually cares about the characters and plot. may i interest you in True Sight on AO3?). Max is the residential nerd but it doesn't matter (cuz he and everyone are dumbed down for the sake of ‘plot’), kim is the sports jock (which interestingly subverts the asian comedic relief stereotype but only barely) and luka is cute older guy ™ that wears black nail polish and is in a band. The point of all this is to say there is no depth in the characters. It's especially blatantly obvious with the characters astruc doesn't like (chloe). Again, it being a show for kids is not an excuse to be absolved of putting effort into the characters you make.

This is one of the biggest misses astruc has. I haven't even gone into all the nuances of this particular miss. And i havent gone into how that works against him in the plot either. Mostly because the plot itself hasn't gone anywhere and partially because I wanted to go into the plot (or lack thereof) separately as its own miss. 

AND BOI is it a miss. 

SO home boy astruc wanted to reap the benefits of a serial show with ‘engaging’ plot without putting in any of the work to make a linear storyline and relying on the episodic format for, again, marketability. You can't have the best of both worlds, you are not Avatar: The Last Airbender. Which btw has a lot less episodes and a desired end goal that didn't involve top dollar. Legend of Korra did but that's not the point and it had its failings with that too. I challenge you, tell me how many episodes actually contribute towards a plot point or introduce new thematic elements to the show? Can you name them? I can and I'm going to include the plot points that moved the story in some direction if only temporarily. Yes only temporarily for some of these and i will explain later. (if you're in the server you already saw this list *wink*)

25/26. Origins- self explanatory, the beginning of the story, 

24. Volpina- introduction of the grimoire and Master Fu (kind of) and no, Lila is not a plot point,

28. The Collector- proper introduction of Master Fu,

37. Sapotis- introduction of Rena Rouge,

41. Syren- introduction of new aquatic power ups,

44. Anansi- introduction of Carapace,

47. Frozer- introduction of new ice power ups,

48/49. Style Queen- introduction of Queen Bee,

51/52. Heroes’ Day- introduction of Mayura and mass akumatization,

66. Startrain- introduction of Pegasus,

67. Kwami Buster- Marinette wears multiple miraculouses,

68. Feast- backstory as to how the miraculouses were lost,

69. Ikari Gozen- introduction of Ryuko,

70. Timetagger- introduction of Bunnyx,

71. Party Crasher- introduction of Roi Singe and Viperion,

73. Chat Blanc- alternate timeline that essentially means nothing but got a reaction out of fans anyways (myself included)

 77/78. Love Eater/Battle of Miraculous- Marinette becomes guardian and other heroes lose their miraculous,

New York Special- other heroes exist and there is an American miraculous box,

That's 21 episodes. 21 out of a heaping 78 plus 2 specials. Everything else was just your typical akuma of the day episode and everything that happened outside that had no lasting consequences on the plot thanks to the miraculous status quo. Was it entertaining to watch Lila stir the plot of the class dynamic? Hell yeah. Too bad it meant nothing by the end of the episode cuz we were struck with miraculous status quo. She literally doesn't appear again until Heroes Day. that is from episodes 25 all the way to 51, she means nothing and yet she is treated with the severity of a b-villain/rival thing. She means nothing by the end of Volpina if I'm being honest. She is only relevant for 20 mins of episode time she’s in then it's back to magic status quo that undoes any shift in dynamics and relationships. It's like Spongebob who can't get his driver’s license. The worst part is I actually like Lila and I wish the story treated her with the seriousness we as an audience are expected to treat her with. Despite being painfully inconsequential by the end of each of the 3?? 4?? episodes she’s in, it's entertaining to watch a character create drama just because. 

Too bad it means nothing.

Astruc is constantly building up suspense to something ‘important’ only for it to not deliver and fans are constantly having the rug pulled out from under us. Oblivio teased us with a reveal only that gets undone cuz memory akuma. Chat Blanc teased us with romantic development but that gets undone cuz time travel bullshit. Feast introduced more miraculous lore and the history of the guardians but that means nothing by the next episode or ever (i'm not including any reference to the season 4 trailer cuz i've been around the block a few times and im familiar with this lil dancy dance). Heroes Day teased us with a possible future team of heroes but that gets undone in Battle of Miraculous cuz ????? why?? (here's why; astruc was having a jolly ole time letting us know how irredeemable Chloe is at the expense of shooting his own stagnant plot in the foot. Again, discussion for later.)

Too bad anything that slightly swerves off course from the akuma of the day gets undone or ignored. Too bad nothing has any lasting consequence. I mean, if anything did, the episodes would have had a consistent order and release schedule so im not scrambling to watch the leaked ep in Portuguese or something while the french dub is two episodes behind while the english version hasnt even been dubbed. I really wonder how he plans to conclude the show when he’s so afraid to step out of the corner he painted himself in.

Again, not going into nuances. If you want you can ask for more specifics (i doubt anyone would) but this is really just a slightly detailed general overview of my opinions on astruc’s writing. 

I was going to include another miss in his approach to this show but imma save that for another time. 

How’s that for a ‘first’ post?

[ihatetaxes99]

Well, hello all once again. Considering that the last time I discussed BNHA, it was in an overwhelmingly negative context, I've decided it would be a good plan to actually talk about an aspect of the series that makes me really happy and one that I constantly eagerly await new content for. And yes, it's none other than the good old League of Villains. 

So, since I have nothing better to do, I've decided to discuss each and every Leaguer in order of my favourite to least favourite (although I at the very least appreciate all of them.) Keep in mind that the rejected Vanguard Action Squad members who were either written out of the story during the Training Camp arc or shortly afterwards will not appear on my list (Although Muscular and Moonfish and hopefully Mustard do seem to be making a return), nor will I discuss the additional members that came with the formation for the PLF, because although I really like Re-Destro in particular, none of them really give me enough to work with and I'd be writing like two sentences for someone like Geten, which would just be a slap in the face to people who do care about his character. Also, Doctor Garaki and All for One also won't appear. Basically just the core members who have been present with the League from the Training Camp up until the War will be featured.

Anyway, I've wasted enough time, let us proceed without any further ado.

Tenko Shimura [Tomura Shigaraki] - Yes, it really shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone to see good old Shig ranked at the very top of my list. Yes, as I have said before, Tomura tends to flip between being my favourite and second favourite overall character, but the reason I have listed him as the best League member is simply put, his development. My God, it is absolutely sublime. I legitimately adore it. When we first saw Tomura emerge from the underbelly of society during the USJ arc, he was a pampered, whimpering brat, a manchild who threw tantrums after he lost and essentially threatened to kill everyone, ranging from random children to his butler. I mean, can that even be compared to the same person who took command of an army, broke past his potential and meticulously pulled apart every threat he's stared down? Here's some food for thought, Shigaraki has never lost to another villain. He emerged the clear victor when facing Chisaki and the Meta Liberation Army and in the long term, proved to usurp Stain's legacy and make it his own. The growth is just amazing and Shigaraki is genuinely a more interesting character to follow than our door mat of a protagonist. I have very rarely seen an antagonist start out as exceptionally weak, essentially being a comedy villain of the week, and slowly growing in power, intellect and ferocity. Just a fantastic character overall.

Atsuhiro Sako [Mister Compress] - Alrighty, now we get down to the interesting stuff! Mister Compress is, without a doubt, my favourite Boku No Hero Academia character, he holds the top spot more consistently than Shig does. But why is that? After all, Sako had done essentially nothing from the Training Camp up until his reveal. Well, you see, I am of the belief that a character need not be particularly deep as long as they have an engrossing personality. And Mister has that in spades. I am a huge fan of characters who know how to articulate themselves well, so of course Atsuhiro's constant metaphors and showman persona appealed to me instantly. But not just that, his design (and no, I'm not just talking about how hot we now know him to be) is just brilliant. The top hat, the masks that change to reflect his general emotion at the time, his bolo tie, he has a fucking badass prosthetic for Christ's sake. And remember, as the great Joseph Joestar proved, prosthetic hands in fiction are kickass. I just love him, even as a character who never contributed all that much overall, and I certainly hope for his return in some capacity following the shocking twist of him actually doing something during the war.

Jin Bubaigawara [Twice] - Rest in peace my friend, rest in peace indeed. But really, what can be said about good old Jin? Well, he was fantastic, easily one of the best in the League. A truly sympathetic figure within the group, someone who we the audience could truly feel sad for. Out of everybody, Twice likely went through the worst of the trauma and at the end of the day, he just wanted to fit in somewhere, anywhere. He wanted friendships. And friendships he found in Mister and Toga, and to a lesser extent, Dabi, and a boss he truly respected could be found in Shigaraki. I was, as many others were, completely torn by Jin's death. This was the first major death of the war, and as we soon found out, unfortunately one of the only few overall (sorry, I know I promised to be positive, the war arc just really went to shit after chapter 294, which by the way was so far the last really good chapter to me.) Alas, the death made sense; Twice's arc was complete, he had overcome his fears and finally found a place of belonging. If any villain were to die, it made sense that he was the one. Truly a legendary character, one of the greats.

Himiko Toga - Ah, yes, the blood-soaked minx that has proven herself a constant thorn in the side of UA, whether they know it or not. Her whereabouts are currently unknown (maybe she's doing something involving Mister? Please, Hori?), but from what she has featured in, I have certainly loved her every appearance. Initially a typical psychotic "yandere UwU" girl, she's certainly evolved over time. Her proactive nature was revealed during the License Exam arc, In the Overhaul arc, we saw her care for others, during the MLA skirmish, we saw her backstory and motives made a little clearer and finally, during the war, she was pushed to her breaking point, in a rare example of a character from Oceaniz' War arc video who actually belonged in the tier he assigned them to. Yes, Ms. Toga has been one of those characters who has been given so much screen time due to her popularity that it has definitely benefited her in the long run, at the expense of characters like Mister and Spinner. She's not my favourite Leaguer, but still a brilliant character in her own right.

Shuichi Iguchi [Spinner] - Well, nearing the end of the list, we approach the first character that I am leaning more towards just liking as opposed to really liking. Spinner for the longest time, did fuck all. Actually, he's still basically done fuck all. Mostly a self-admitted aimless Stain fanboy who provides running commentary. But, remember what I said about a good personality making up for a weak presence? Well, Iguchi is not quite as strong as Sako in that regard, but the little lizard boy has certainly grown on me. We've seen him grow into the moral centre of the League, being the only other member aside from Mister Compress to presumably have a body count of zero, and as I mentioned above, has even admitted to himself and Shigaraki that he's a hollow fanatic of Stain, that he leapt on the bandwagon because he thought it would give him purpose in his meandering life. And ultimately, it did, as Shuichi has evolved to becoming one of the most positive members of the team. I mean, for God's sake, he even pleads with All for One to rescue Compress and Toga before they fled the battlefield, that alone skyrocketed my respect for him as a character. 

Touya Todoroki [Dabi] - Well… Here we are… The only League of Villains member that I would generally say I dislike. And that's not to say I don't see the merits to him, I'm just not huge on it. Dabi is the League's edgy boi, he dresses up in a way that only a blind person would approve of, is too cool for anybody else and is essentially a big bundle of daddy issues. Now, the recently-released Chapter 301 absolutely tanked my respect for him as a character, with him being portrayed as an awkward, foul-tempered brat, but I never have held him in the highest regard. The whole bad boy shtick just isn't my thing, Dabi is a shining example of the opposite of my belief about a character; I really dislike his personality, but he contributes enough to the overall plot that I wouldn't quite consider him a bad character. I don't know, he's a weird one, and not one I've ever been fond of. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. I mean, when even pre-Overhaul arc Shigaraki calls you out on being a rude piece of shit, you know there's a problem somewhere.

Well, those are my collected thoughts on the members of the League of Villains. Maybe I'll do another one of these sometime, talking about the Vanguard members, maybe combined in a double feature with All for One and Garaki. Another time, perhaps. Another time…

Moral of the story, the villains are the best BNHA characters, fight me on this.