#genuinely its just really depressing imo

[youreaclownnow]

Okay so something dawned on me tonight. I've really been pondering ep 49 and now that I've calmed down from my initial state of being very upset (because I got triggered by it lmfao) I've come to realize. It's literally just pretty wrapping paper on what's really a tragic ending. It's literally like any other gundam in the sense of, at its core, it's a story about the trauma we face and cycles of violence. I feel like I was lied to by the Fandom and went into it expecting a truly happy or at bare minimum HOPEFUL ending. Boy was I wrong. I didn't pinpoint why the first time and assumed it was just the me not liking rain. But this time I've come to realize exactly why it gets me feeling the way it does. The fact that the last shot is an announcement for the 14th gundam fight is really like... something. It's so blatant that it went right over my head. Everyone has suffered SO MUCH all for the cycle to repeat once more. I hate watching the episode but I can't deny, it ultimately IS fitting.

[rederiss]

Before I get started, I love our whimsy when it comes to Jerejean (especially Jeremy). CLEARLY when Im the prime one making BAMBI memes of him. But I lowkey just want to have a realistic discussion of the kind of character that Jeremy is because realistic discussion are equally as valuable as whimsy imo. (And its also good to have so we aren’t getting too far away from canon)

I genuinely don’t think Jeremy is as… expressive (for lack of better word) as we make him out to be. He is in the sense that he’s very good at emoting empathy for others. We see that when Jeremy hugs Jean and says “Im sorry for what they put you through” to him. We see it when Lucas calls Jeremy to talk about Grayson coming home, he showed empathy very very well. However, when it comes to himself, that boy does not emote well at all. He sheds that side of himself so much that he doesn’t allow others to see just how depressed or wounded he is because he was supposed to be already healed from what happened to him. He disguises himself so much, and the only times we see him crack, we don’t see a flood. We only see a leak.

When he does have to face his own feelings about his own situation, he either dissociates (like when Bryson showed up), goes to smoke (like at the banquet), or has sex (too many examples). That’s the main ways he really allows himself to leak, and he’s not even… emoting himself well. He goes RIGHT back to a smile (albeit, not a large one) and that’s all he does. Hell, even when Lucas offended him, you know what he did? He looked at him with a tight smile and said “When I’m what?” Jeremy Knox is not that soft despite him believing that he is a “soft spine failure.” Jeremy knows how to push back. Hell, I’ll say he knows how to bite back even. He just chooses not to do these things because of his masks. If he backslide there, who knows where else he could backslide. The funny “Maybe Laila isn’t as good with her tongue” line shows that he’s quick witted and pushing back, but he immediately retracts himself because… that was most likely what his old self was like.

DO NOT get me wrong, he is still Bambi! This isn’t me disproving that he isn’t Bambi. Two things can still be true. I really think that the closer he gets with Jean, the more he opens up, the more he will express for himself. But for now, he only expresses for others. (But like, let’s be real here. I don’t see a difference between Bambi and Jeremy looks wise. They are one and the same. Also I will DEF still be making Bambi memes. Just wanted to have a realistic discussion about this as well!!)

[dangermousie]

Hello please I love your blog. Please can you recommend me to shows that feel period especially when it come to women. I mean period wife like the prisoner of beauty. I know you love war but please something more domestic

Thank you!!!

I will not be recommending war-centric dramas (or politics-centric, like The Advisors Alliance or Qin Dynasty) but those usually have more period appropriate depictions of women because they are not the focus/target audience; a lot of female centric dramas are targeted to a female audience and, understandably, a lot of it does not want to watch period appropriate behavior but women in battle, women triumphing and girlbossing, proclaiming feminism and monogamy. Don't get me wrong, I am team feminism and monogamy and female triumphs in RL, but it usually is out of place in a period narrative or, if it's not, looks quite different than the modern counterparts.

OK, harem dramas are your best bet, it's hard to be too modern in a harem: The Empress of China, the Story of Yanxi Palace, Zhen Huan, Legend of Ruyi, Empresses in the Palace (if you want an older drama) all center on the harem - the women in them can be terrifying and smart (Empress of China follows Wu Zetian, for example) but by definition of the genre, they do not have modern attitudes. I am not the world's biggest fan of this genre as I find it too depressing for my tastes but even I adored Yanxi, the one genuinely imo happy ending drama of them all in this list.

The Story of Minglan is both my favorite cdrama ever, and has a period appropriate heroine at the center - Minglan is smart and wants a good marriage, but she thinks of it in period appropriate terms: she wants respect and domestic power, not love (though she gets it all), and never contemplates running away and joining the army or being the sole wife (though she ends up as one) etc.

The Sword and the Brocade - it can get a little ahistorical in terms of FL thinking a divorce would be easier than it actually would be, but it's mostly really good in the arranged marriage to love set up, where it's a story of two awkward kind strangers and how they navigate marriage, including his harem or restriction on women's activities (she opens a sewing workshop for refugee women and even then almost creates a scandal!)

If you want old and don't mind early Republican era, Four Women Conflict. Also Nothing Gold Can Stay, where it's about a merchant woman but feels period appropriate (instead of too many dramas where the woman is doing so well just because hot men help her as she proclaims her independence.)

I am not the world's biggest fan of A Dream of Splendor, and it does sanitize brothel workers (no way no how would the heroine be a virgin) but a lot of the attitudes about class and marriage (or lack of marriage) are on point.

Under the Moonlight - in the running for my fave cdrama this year, this is a lowkey mystery/slice of life and FL is a former courtesan (who escaped and was freed before she was sold to her first client) and its look at women in general is very realistic (but also men, and class divisions, and superstition etc.)

The Virtuous Queen of Han - a sort of AU of Wei Zifu's life, this is half romance half harem drama, and I found it quite period appropriate. In general, older dramas are better for this, imo.

ETA: Riverside Code at Qingming Festival - it centers around a middle class middle aged couple being drawn into murder and conspiracy, and it is genuinely a lovely look at a part of society dramas usually leave alone; the wife's portrayal is great.

I am sure there is more, and I am gonna throw this open, but that's all that came to the top of my head atm.

[jeremysvoices]

okay, tangent about broadway time. this is just rambling, but others are free to toss their opinion in. or ignore me. this is just late night fueled and about 6 years late. (even though when I first heard it when it came out, I still disliked the things I dislike now.)

specifically, i need to talk about loser, geek, whatever (and by extension pitiful children). i need to clarify right now that personally, i loved the potential of the song. it had such genuine potential, and more of an insight into jeremy's mental state in the musical itself (debatable truly if we NEED this, but for the 2019 musical era. yeah i understand). but, within the first couple seconds, it drops the ball. it tries to copy some of the end of original upgrade, which is the transition into the song itself. but. it's not going to hit the same because the instrumentals and vocals are nothing like what they need to be. maybe i'm just too much of a will roland hater, but the song is way too upbeat for a song that's supposed to be declaring what he's declaring. (seriously bandwidth does not mean what they think it means) the whole mood itself just feels so... misplaced? why does he need to sing "wooaah uh huh! uh huh!" like what??

and then you get the to line "the problem has always been me!" that was great. it was genuinely great. but christ out of the whole entire song, and only enjoying that one part is?? questionable?? imo if the song had to be kept, start near the second half. they had a whole story shoved into this song and i will never understand why. AND EVEN THEN WAS IT REALLY EVEN SUNG, HE SPEAKS LIKE HALF THE FUCKING LYRICS—

honestly. they were trying too hard to recreate a michael in the bathroom moment for jeremy. wayyyy too hard. and i am well aware people wanted this, actually, and there being a lot of talk of how cutting michael off seemed so out of place and how this song helped people etc. totally valid, but at the same time, we see jeremys mental state and build up just fine without out. with michael, we literally do not. which is why when michael in the bathroom comes around and takes a swing, IT HITS. this was just dragging out a tense and spur of the moment decision to get another song.

but okay great! (debatably) depressing song. amazing. all for those. SO WHY DID WE CHANGE THE LYRICS FOR PITIFUL CHILDREN, HUH? I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING GUT WRENCHING. WHERES THE "YOU WERE ALWAYS QUITE THE LOSER, JEREMY" ??

WHY IS THIS FOCUSED ON CHRISTINE?? WHY IS THERE DIALOGUE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT THAT. LIKE. THROWS THE WHOLE SONG OFF. (YES I KNOW THATS THE ORIGINAL DIALOGUE, BUT HELL ITS DIALOGUE FOR A REASON NOT—)

JASON TAM WHY ARE YOU SAYING "SQUIPSQUIPSQUIP" WE KNOW WHAT YOU ARE???

I have minor issues with Broadway Pitiful Children.

anyways, yeah. and then well, we can all agree jeremy in broadway is just a completely different character from like. any other media. he gets treated as a baby too much. but. that's discourse for another day.

[sentientsky]

So Everything Everywhere All at Once huh

[through a mouthful of my own blood] yeagh. i'm actually so normal about this movie [i trip and fall and a bunch of scenes fall out of my pockets]

additional thoughts and infodump below the cut lol!

No, but genuinely, this film is so fucking incredible!

And I'm glad to see we're on the same page, 'cause I every time I watch this movie, I also spend the last 15-20 mins weeping uncontrollably lol

There are so many facets of it that make me feel as though my heart is clawing its way out of my chest: The enduring message of hope and resilience and compassion—that nothing matters on a cosmic scale, and that things are going to knock the air out of our lungs and leave us reeling with pain. But we create meaning. We are not alone and we are not fundamentally unloveable or worthless or wrong. And we are deserving of care and for people to try to understand and SEE us.

It also (imo) deals with depression and suicidality in such an evocative and important way. Jobu's apathy and exhaustion is so relatable. And the scene where Evelyn reaches into the bagel to pull her daughter back from the precipice of self-destruction? Instant tears. Sobbing uncontrollably.

I also really love the way it subverts the notion of masculinity as something that is emotionally closed-off and dismissive. Waymond is a hero by virtue of his compassion and gentleness (Pop Culture Detective has a really good video on the topic here)

And of course, the mommy issues. A woman traveling through all of time and space—ripping a hole in the side of the universe—just to get her mother to see and accept her? To have someone understand her? Painfully relatable. Send help.

I could go on, but it's pretty late here and my brain is starting to power down (also I don't want to clog up my mutuals' dashes lol). SORRY anyway thank u for this ask, i LOVED it ajskjfskdgds

[jyndor2]

For what it's worth, I consider myself a mostly casual RO (and rebelcaptain) enjoyer and S2 was very disappointing even to me. I understand why this wasn't the case for more devoted fans, obviously, but I'll admit I was okay with some 'controversial' choices made in S1 as long as they served the themes and characters in the long run. But this season didn't really deliver imo, especially for Cassian, and while I didn't come in with a strong attachment to him like many of you, he really got done dirty...especially for the guy whose name is on the sign, you know. I liked that the show didn't require a lot of SW knowledge to appreciate, but I also would've never checked it out if it hadn't been advertised as a RO prequel. You'd think respect for a story and its elements would be a major requirement if you're boasting about transitioning seamlessly into it. I'm really sorry you all got let down this bad and that people are brushing it off. It happened to other stuff I'm less casual about, so...I get it.

Hi anon, thank you friend! Yeah, this is something that happens in lots of franchises and media, it's happened so many times with SW lol. Like Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors being the original Cassian and Jyn/Kanan and Hera. Like Legends in general.

I think part of why this is has hit me harder than I expected is twofold:

1. I genuinely believed that the show was going to honor Rogue One and at least try not to contradict some very important parts of Cassian's character arc in the film, which it did.

2. Rogue One came out when I was in a very different place in my life. I was slowly getting out of a very dark depression that I had been in since late 2010. I was connecting with people for the first time in years at a retail job that brutalized my body, and then one of those people was someone who I sort of caught feelings for and they fell for another friend of mine and got married. It was shitty, it was painful and frankly I didn't always know how to deal with people. But also, at the same time Donald Trump had just won the election, my relationship with my parents was about as bad as it had ever been, and literally on my way to the film I totaled my first car.

I didn't go into Rogue One with expectations that I would fall for these characters, it was just another SW movie that I was excited for. And it legitimately broke my heart but also gave me such hope for a brighter future.

One of the things I love the most about the film is that it is about healing, finding your people and not being alone in the darkness. And in the years since, I have done a LOT of work on myself, found my people, found work that I love and have grown to understand the world in a much sharper way than I did back then. I'm not as angry as I used to be, and I am not as lonely.

I loved S1 even if I was aggravated with some of the character retcons because it was WELL DONE. I personally do not think s2 will age very well, but it is what it is.

But the past year and a half has been so fucking painful, and then before that covid and everything else, and I just feel tired. I thought about not watching the season at all because of BDS but I've been finding ~other~ means allegedly. I probably just should have not but I love Cassian, he means so much to me, and I couldn't not watch.

It hurts to see something that has helped me heal so much be misunderstood in such a profound way.

Tbh I am probably done with Star Wars beyond this. But I will always love Rogue One, what I understand it to be, and the Rebelcaptain fandom will always be here.

[getmesomebagelz]

TRIBE NINE (w: spoilers ahead)

genuinely tweaking with this game

(if danganronpa and zenless zone zero had a child who happens to play baseball.)

- artstyle

the artstyle is RIGHT THERE , i love the depressed nagitoe looking baby boy

- gameplay

- that card looks like Nagito but idk if its just another character looking like him and that card has GYRO on (basically when you move your phone, the card moves with it and shining its holo effect).

- about the gacha, YES the game has gacha, BUT BUT BUT it's not really "required" imo, I'm passing some levels just as much with the mc and his sidekick with a healer I got in the initial pull to introduce your 3rd character. It's basically just trying to get better characters if you wanted the best lineup which I don't even have any idea what exactly. (or you want the hot characters 👀)

- the baseball part

so basically in the game, they have this thing called XB. idk much about it except when I finally played it and I kid you not, i did not expect baseball at all. It's pretty much the cross analysis gameplay of Danganronpa. The enemy says something and you need to find the appropriate response to it so you can hit their ball 😭 I didn't even get it at first but I'll try to clear it up once I get that part again.

^^ just a reference sorta kinda felt like that but you only had different options but one dialogue to smack on

- why its giving zzz and danganronpa

(ill add more to this))

*inhales* THE BLOOD! THE BLOOD IS FUCKING PURPLE PINKISH IDK ITS FUCKING NEON OK

and yes, its a mix of 2d and 3d aspects which kinda gives you a headache (i got one since its kinda giving me motion sickness + overstim a lil bit)

i rest my case.

[cypressaloute]

i really enjoy the beginning chapters of sekaiichi hatsukoi for its humor and characters and intro but i think the chapter of takano’s birthday (ch8) is when it truly picks up and becomes so heartfelt.

the whole time the reader is taking all of this in from onodera’s perspective which is highly skewed and self-deprecating. we’re left to wonder along with onodera if he is just being dragged around and played with again. but this chapter opens a side of takano i feel was initially guarded beforehand.

along with onodera’s pov, we’ve also gotten flashbacks of their hs days where his faulty memory seems like saga was a horny teenager who rushed into sex and also didn’t share his emotions with him cause he was using him.

this further accentuates his constant self-deprecation of how he’s wondering if he’s getting toyed with. not only that, but yokozawa keeps repeatedly telling onodera that takano is his and that they’re dating. he continually sees how close takano and yokozawa are, going drinking together, hanging at their apartments, and getting birthday presents for each other. one of the most striking words from yokozawa imo is “showing up now you may have his attention, but don’t be full of yourself.” in the car ride, onodera laments how yokozawa would know how to talk to and make takano happy instead. the only real hint of takano possibly being serious is yokozawa mentioning that takano fell into a depressive state in college due to finding out onodera had a fiancée.

even then takano doesn’t seem trustworthy himself. he said that he’d make onodera say he loves him again, but what does that mean? throughout this whole time he’s an antagonistic boss with some soft moments. in private he says he loves onodera and never could forget about him, but his actions remain forceful and ambiguous which reinforces onodera’s trust issues and fears.

takano, despite his words and what we find out later on, is heavily guarded at this point and keeps his love mostly to himself/ talking to yokozawa in fear of getting hurt again. ofc there’s still parts shown of his insecurity like his jealousy at the library.

but his birthday shifts the perspective. at the party he is accused of being a player (again) but stands firm that he’s loyal. on his birthday instead of spending the day with yokozawa he drives with onodera. he smiles at onodera, saying he wanted to see the beautiful lights and snow only with him. they play in the snow, and when onodera confronts him about his relationship with yokozawa instead of flat out denying anything he admits and confesses they had a fling way back when, but he had drawn a line a long time ago. and after that, he confesses to onodera that he had fantasies of how they would spend christmas with each other back in hs. he dismisses it as a childish fantasy, probably smth he used as a way to heal his pain after the breakup, but when onodera reciprocates he realizes that wasn’t childish at all and it was real. something that onodera fantasized about himself because his love for saga was genuine and real.

then the series opens him up little by little and ugh i love all the scenes where it’s from his perspective and thoughts.

tldr; this birthday chapter is the first time i think takano slightly opens up about actually being serious with onodera and isn’t just playing with him for nostalgia-sake.

[irlkomaedanagito]

ghdsfkjghdsf is that a common thing?

I don't really get how he'd be misdiagnosed anyway; it would need brain scans, especially since it's so rare at his age, and if anything it would have been misdiagnosed as other conditions for a while. Only going off cry-stars here- I have no expertise myself- but she's said that can happen and there was a recent case in Japan where a young guy's dementia was mistaken for depression for ages.

If we doubt Komaeda's FTD it can only be via doubting his honesty imo (but I still think he's telling the truth). I also love seeing analyses of him through the lenses of other disorders as comorbid instead of alternative diagnoses- especially autism, but I've seen interesting takes wrt OCD and BPD too- but canonically I feel like bvFTD, extreme post-traumatic stress and political radicalisation adequately explain his issues.

TO BE FAIR it probably isnt As common as i think it is, i just saw one reddit post thst explicitly claimed the FTD was a misdiagnosis and that it totally makes way more sense for komaeda to have autism and bpd, and a surprisung number of people... agreed? for some reason??

which i need to state for the record a) i am autistic myself and b) have absolutely zero problems with headcanons, even if they arent ones i ascribe to personally

what i DO have a problem with is people erasing canon neurodivergencies and/or erasing traits CENTRAL to a character in order to square-peg-round-hole the headcanon THEY have as the most correct one

"nagito has ftd and was autistic before that?" cool! neat! seeing how those two disorders being comorbid with each other could be really interesting!

"nagito does NOT have ftd, the devs were wrong, they actually wrote an autistic character and didnt realize it" stop talking.

this is very like, misanthropic i guess but after SO MUCH SHIT ive seen it just speaks to an unwillingness to empathize with or relate to anyone that isnt exactly like you. and you cant just headcanon real people around you with Misdiagnosed Autistic (most.... times....) so this pops up in fiction

like. i am autistic! i also have two (2) personality disorders, and neither is bpd. this has led to a non negligible amount of autistic people completely stereotyping my other disorders as evil in order to prop themselves up ("i thought i was a narcissist/sociopath, which wouldve been awful, but really i was just autistic! phew!!" with implicit, sometimes EXPLICIT value judgements being made)

i have had a friend i had in real life, to my face, say he didn't believe i had either personality disorder and really i was secretly just autistic

...if we had been better friends, maybe he would've known me well enough to know that that's almost... comically untrue. lol

so in my opinion there do exist a certain minority of autistic people who see autism as the only neurodivergency that Matters, or at least the one that matters the most. and the only way they can feel any sympathy for anyone else is if they are also autistic

and i know this is a minority! and i just see it a lot because i am an autist in fandom and a lot of other autistic people are also in fandom! AND that this is a mindset prone to ANY minority- most people think their Problem is the Worst Problem, it just... happens. however i am just as irrational and prone to biases as anyone else and ive chosen this as my completely irrelevant hill to die on

that one reddit post made me so goddamn mad bc of All This PLUS its double insulting when someone says "i have a special interest in psychology!" as a way to say theyre extremely knowledgable, and doing genuine analysis with the lens of "i am looking at the text and trying to make an objective diagnosis" and then STILL DO THIS!!! because they have this veneer of "im just a guy asking questions" before diving right into a weirdly consspiratory subset of "everyones an idiot about mental health except for ME"

...which tbf i dont think that about myself. i am very good at writing a wide variety of mental illness due to a combination of research and life experience BUT i could really only tell you like. actual non-surface level FACTS about aspd and to a lesser extent, npd. because thats what i chose to focus on. there are far and away lots more people that know more about me about other things, and im fine wit that

i am however also aware of this extremely hyperspecific social phenominon. and thus it is my burden to bear. my mountainous molehill.

also r/danganronpa just fucking sucks like in general. every time i see a kokichi opinion there i get a little closer to pulling the trigger. i think the real moral here is reddit is garbage and should not be used for anything other than product reviews

(also fwiw i agree w ur personal take at the end, with a lil bit of ocd tendencies that like, started off manageable and nowhere near diagnostic level badness, since things he might do to manage his cycle and even the constant thinking about it are very much reminiscent of obsessions and compulsions. but ftd in of itself can cause ocd symptoms so after that it got... worse. thats my personal take on it ^^)

[vanrougenui]

Uikas feelings for saki have always been 100% romantic, and the reveal of them being related doesn’t change that or the fact that she’s very obviously a lesbian? I’m not sure how that would be considered to be queerbaiting. Also the presence of incest in this story is obviously not to cater to people who are into that stuff, but to show how depraved Uikas love is. She herself knows that it’s wrong and sinful; that’s supposed to be the point! She refers to herself as the devil in multiple songs and is very upset that she feels the way that she does. Also having a mentally ill character do/allude to something problematic doesn’t automatically demonize them or their mental illness.

There can be problematic elements in stories without that meaning that the writers are getting off to it or supporting it. A lot of stories do that, it’s uncomfortable at times but it’s okay be feel uncomfortable. (Obviously don’t continue to watch something that’s genuinely making it harder for you to cope/function, however!) and of course some people will be into stuff like that; that’s just how the world works. That doesn’t mean that problematic topics shouldn’t be explored in fiction at all. I don’t think it’s handling in ave mujica is the best (a reveal like this should have been revealed earlier in the season imo), but the season also isn’t over yet. Maybe we’ll get more info or insight into Uikas feelings as a whole.

I’m not trying to be rude or argumentative, and I really hope that I’m not coming across in those ways! I’m just trying to understand why people can’t process that reveal. I’ve seen so many people demonize bandori as a whole because of this and I really don’t get it. And this is coming from someone who is not a proshipper and is repulsed by incest.

thank you for not being rude really! the reason i put so much emphasis on uika's and sakiko's relationship like that was because there were people who argued with me that uisaki wasnt meant to be romantic, which is very much wrong and i have covered that topic multiple times already i will not get into it again. however the reason i say that it is implied is because no one in anime outright said that it romantic. uika's love/obsession can be interpreted differently but its no denying that it might be implied as a romantic however its not canon. implied but not canon. this is why it can be considered as queerbaiting. they pushed the romantic narrative and later nuked it with incest. it is impossible for me to see their relationship as romantic now because of them being related. they suggested the romance (even if it was one sided) but now if they do depict it will ultimately be even weirder than it already is!

as much as i didnt want to say this, this is bandori we speak off. while already being problematic in many ways its hard to view this sort of topic in a franchise like this, as serious. this is a game that did start out as something dark (betadori) but they ultimately did stray away from it giving us what bandori is today, about girls forming bands and making meaningful connections with each other. i am not saying that the issues they have discussed are not serious, even before avemygo bandori had great characters with complex personalities and backgrounds with good character development. heck i was so elated that in they depicted depression, suicidal behaviour, personality/identity disorders and mental health issues so well with avemygo, a lot media stuggle to do it without attaching harming stereotypes to them and dont treat the topic delicately the way it should be. they treated these topics very well, with care most importantly and this is why i got so upset with uikas character and this abrupt plot twist. how they brought it to us contradicted everything they have been doing so far. with the pacing and everything and how out of nowhere it was, it really made me mad because uika is a very interesting character. especially when you keep in mind her stuggles and how she views herself and her identity that she took away from her sister to pursue real uikas dream to be noticed by sakiko and get closer to her. uika was so well written and could have been, if they didnt frame her around sakiko this much by making them related. this is why many people like me stuggle to understand this decision in the plot and the way they executed it. incest is inherently wrong in many ways. this is why everyone is so upset. to me they made a complex character seem worse because of the said incest. its incestuous and problematic in this light especially for a series of this sort. even if there are people who didnt view uisaki's relationship as romantic have to admit that whatever they have going on now is incestuous. maybe if they framed it in a better way and didnt just shove this right into people's faces right at the end of the anime i would have had a different opinion (but this is inherentlyincest what type of other opinion should i have apart from it being negative). i am not saying that problematic problems and topics such as incest should not be explored in media, infact the opposite, but when they are adding it at the end without any initial build up it seems bad and halfbaked. when they add a problematic topic to the story they should be educational to the audience and explain why its bad and so far i didnt see that happen yet with bandori's case, this is why so many people are so distraught and troubled (but as i have said before in my pervious posts there are two episodes left and seeing how they treat the pacing as a roller coaster ride i honestly wont be surpised if they do something crazy again)

but yeah they made this most likely for people to play the game for the focus events. for us to find out more, but this is also a problem. most people will not play the events and read them and form outdated opinions because they only watched the anime so i dont know what else to say on this matter (i saw this happen with mygo actually people just didnt/dont read ingame dialogue or event stories that come after the main story which like so.....)

[w0mped]

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently, and this feels like the proper place to say:

Outside of art style and soundtrack, there’s no reason to watch Evangelion.

It wants to be so many things and fails at every single one.

Do you want a post apocalyptic show that delves into the major ramifications of 2 previous events and a possible third??? Evangelion’s not that. Half the time it forgets that the first or second impact even happened!!! They’re in a new version of Tokyo and so much is done to make everyone forget that their world has *RED OCEANS* and *MILLIONS OF CASUALTIES*. The apocalypse is ignored. I understand that some of that is themeing, yknow what do governments and people in power hide from us, but dude at some point it gets jarring when they have a whole episode about the red oceans and then they’re never seen again. The show doesn’t even tell you its lore. Subtext and context are definitely interesting ways to deliver information. Natural world building rocks, but there’s a difference between that and what Evangelion is. Evangelion has so many conversations that just kinda loop in on themselves and don’t help explain anything. I had to look at the wiki to understand anything that’s going on.

Do you want a cool mecha anime where they fight stuff and win the day? Evangelion’s not that. We get crumbs. Absolute morsels. Tiny bits and pieces of genuinely amazing fights. Again this isn’t an art rant the arts awesome The limitations on the Eva’s usage gives a reason behind it, but there’s a severe lack of mecha in this mecha anime. I understand that mecha anime do this where the mechs are a metaphor and all that. There’s merit to sneaking people into a drama by having cool explosions and robots, but the writing can’t carry the show. When they do fight, it’s ok…definitely not worth all the talking and philosophical bs. Philosophy is fine but it needs to be actually demonstrated. And will they explain the mechs at all? Not unless you mean WE PUT YOUR MOMS SOULS IN THE MECHS????? AND THATS WHY YOU CAN PILOT THEM???? I am willing to suspend my disbelief and engage with he story but that’s insane.

Do you want a character driven drama dealing with depression, anxiety and self improvement through hardship? Evangelion’s not that. 90% of the characters have no depth, and the ones that do aren’t that complicated. Shinji’s the most compelling and his journeys probably the best in the show….but Asuka and Rei are nothing… Asuka is the must stubbornly written character. I understand that the point is to show her immaturity and differences from Shinji, but that should not come at the expense of character depth. The fact that her and Shinji go through the same experiences and she doesn’t develop at all is frustrating. Rei, on the other hand, does nothing. She makes no active choices and is in a hospital bed more than she’s in the plot. So what if she’s a CLONE OF SHINJIS MOM?????? if she has no impact of the plot. If she died in the first episode, nothing would have changed. Kaowru is his own bag of worms but at least there’s a consistency. Misato, Kaji, and Ritsuko have their moments and actually offer a unique parallel to our current trio if you fully ignore Rei and Ritsuko but whatever. Will this ever be explored? A little? There’s some backstory about them but it’s extremely shallow imo. Kaji gets a decent amount of depth bc he talks about the plot with Shinji. He makes an effort to be a character. Penpen has more distinct character traits than the majority of the cast and that’s WILD.

Do you want a show with an ending????? Evangelion’s NOT THAT. Both the End of Evangelion movie AND the original series ending and notoriously confusing. The ending of the original series was meant to evoke a sense of overcoming your fears and connecting with others. Is this demonstrated well?? No. They do a bunch of trippy stuff and have an actually really wholesome sequence where everyone is in a different more classic school anime, but forget that they have to…yknow…conclude the show in a satisfying manner. The last 2 episodes feel entirely separate from the main show. I know about the production problems but that doesn’t make up for this There’s no through line. The writers were just like “uh oh yeah this needs to end. Now it ends now it’s over done good bye” and tried do cram all the philosophy into the final 2 episodes. On the other hand…the movie is made out of spite. The entire end of Evangelion film is made to tell the audience to go fuck themselves. I’m not reading into anything that’s the creators words. It’s a kill fest that is just there for the sake of being sad. There’s no plot and no explanation of anything occurring in any way. Just “look everyone turn to orange Fanta or get shot :3”.

If you want a show with depth that cares about its viewers, watch Code Geas or Madoka Magica. Genuinely masterful in their execution and theming.

Edit: this came off as super harsh yall, my b. New to tumbr so I don’t know the etiquette. Evangelion has value in what it’s trying to portray but there are parts I felt dropped the ball. I’m glad people like it, it’s just not for me :)

[assiraphales]

HELLO HI let me start this off by saying i love your posts so so much they are so silly

Anyways since opla season 2 has been confirmed, what are some things you REALLY want to see? Im genuinely curious

so i'm assuming they will start off with loguetown and end with alabasta. i'm hoping that since the first season was so successful netflix will order a FEW more episodes (ideally ten or more) but I have to stay realistic so I know every detail won't translate to screen

a lot of the anime loguetown arc was filler (zoro mopping the marine's floors, luffy running around lost and drinking milk at a bar, sanji entering a random cooking competition) and I know there's a few things they're unlikely to skip (zoro aquiring kitetsu & hopefully throwing the sword in the air to see if it'll chop his arm off, luffy on the executioner's platform, smoker) but i really they have time for

-nami n usopp bonding. especially the moment where usopp faced off against daddy the parent bc not only was nami there supporting him/willing to fight for him, but it also was a glimpse into his complicated relationship with his father. daddy the parent quit his job so he could spend more time with his daughter, while yasopp completely abandoned usopp. it was also so cute when they were fangirling over sanji together -i'm so excited to see inaki laughing with his head in the stocks seconds away from death I just know he's going to devour that scene -there probably won't be time but it would be funny if we see luffy n zoro on their lunch date with a combined zero dollars in their pocket and buggy ends up covering their bill without knowing who they were -i'm can't wait to see who they cast as smoker!!!! their casting has been honestly great so far so i'm looking forward to the reveal

laboon the giant whale. LABOON THE GIANT WHALE !!! I know in the grand scheme (at least from a standalone season perspective) he's not that important to the plot. but by god !!!! give us the depressed whale that luffy gives the will to live back to!!!! practical effects are very important to the one piece team I think they can figure it out

whiskey peak is going to be controversial but I hope luffy n zoro's fight goes EXACTLY like it does in the anime & manga (aka they're so in sync that they're punches are meeting in the middle and they're yelling in unison & five minutes later they're laughing about the prospect of meeting a warlord). this arc also requires the writers to let zoro have his funny guy routine because him hecking the agents is so good

while I don't know if we'll see zoro fighting a triceratops and saying "oh so u do three sword style too" we NEED to see him do his stupid pose in the wax. season ruined if not. (jk but its very high on my list)

chopper my wittle cutie. I know we'll see him no matter what but I'm banking on a puppet. i'm pretty sure its already confirmed that they're using practical effects for him, but I heard maybe prosthetics which could be a hit or a miss

nami and vivi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! karu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm truly on the edge of my seat to see how they'll handle zoro n sanji's rivalry considering they've made the decision to base it around their relationship with luffy. the girls WILL be fighting

similarly excited to see live action sanji fawning over not only nami but also his little meow meow luffy (fantastic change from the anime imo)

crocodile better be the greasiest motherfucker I hope he's absolutely vile. i can't wait to see him wearing a FUR lined coat in a desert

I also know they're going to go off with pell's character design

ACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[crow-of-paradise]

I finished The Way of Kings and IIII'm feelin' it!!! Yo girl is going THRU it!!!

This book is great for the saps. The Sentimentals. Dare I say cheese-lovers. Moved easily to tears by acts of goodness and humanity. (<- all me) Maybe bc it is so lacking in our real lives - and this from someone fortunate enough to have some amazing people in their life, I still think we can all want to be better for ourselves and others, because it's the right and good thing to do. In the end, it's the heart of the book, imo, that stays with me the most. Kaladin, Dalinar, Bridge Four, struggling to do the right thing, keep hope alive in the face of despair like a small sputtering candle in the dark (or highstorm, as it were). When I finished and was gathering my thoughts, there's a lovely quote by Mr. Rogers that immediately came to mind:

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”

And this book has plenty of both (the scary and the helpers). It’s a very hopeful story at its core, despite realizing some people felt put off by the “depression simulator” (as the first review, of all things, I watched called him!!) that is Kaladin during most of the book, lol. But hey! I'm into that shit! I was deeply moved by his struggles and how he kept finding reasons to care, despite himself, like a wild instinct he’s unable to control. He’s gotta be one of my favorite fictional characters of all time, THE LOVE I HAVE FOR THIS MAN IS INSANE. So I'm hoping that the story continues with its main philosophy and theme centering hope prevailing in the end. I'm locked in, so I guess we'll see soon enough lol.

Also I fucking love beginnings. Some people loathe them - they’re too slow, there’s not enough happening, there’s too much to learn. When it’s done WELL, I eat that shit up, and TWOK does it sooooo well. When I first started reading it, I was constantly praising its accessibility, how easy it was to understand and visualize and keep up, as someone who does NOT read a lot (particularly not a brick like this). That is a constant throughout the rest of the book! I personally really meshed well with Sanderson’s writing style, and that was besides his amazing skill with a large and compelling cast of characters, all of whom have their own subtle arcs and development which were satisfying to read and I value most in the media I enjoy.

I found out about Sanderson in the most random way! I was RPing in Final Fantasy XIV lol (2022/23 was... a time) and I really wanted to work on my combat writing skills. I think I looked up recommendations for this and Brandon Sanderson’s name came up more than once (and yes, this book is a war epic, and the battles are long and brutal, and so captivating to read), along with The Way of Kings being the most recommended, so I filed away his name and the book in the back of my mind. I would see his work out in the wild and pick it up, balk at the size, but it wasn’t until earlier this year when I bought the mass market paperback that I actually decided to try it out - read a few pages, then bought the larger trade paperback bc I am Old and my eyes suck, also there are gorgeous illustrations to appreciate. I just wasn’t vibing with any of my attempted reads at the time (ACOTAR, Emily Wilde tho I do wanna try this one again, among others). I think I was craving something Epic, and I was fresh off season 2 of House of the Dragon and the latest FFXIV expansion and I wanted a book to take to Iceland with me (this massive tome did indeed travel with me lmao, and I didn't get far what with the long exhausting days of that trip, but I did manage a few pages and even more scuffs and dings along the way). So yes, this did largely scratch that itch and then some! I’ve said it 100 times but I’m not a good reader - it’s so hard for me to maintain the focus required for it long enough, though I do try. To me it’s nothing short of a GENUINE ACCOMPLISHMENT that I not only conquered this monster but did it relatively quickly during a stressful time of the year, and LOVED it. Books as a storytelling medium is such a large untapped well for me, so I mourn not being able to devour them like other bookworms do because I know there are some gems out there (audiobooks are worse for my focus to grasp onto funnily enough lol).

In light of that, this book really just feels like a small miracle that happened to me. It means a lot and I’m so grateful. (told you I was a sap!!!) And I'm so sad Words of Radiance is still being shipped to me. But I have another lovely book I'm reading (The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields) for book club with my bestie (shoutout to @bisummers I'M STARTING MY PAGES TOMORROW) so I will be occupied until then... and hopefully it gets here soon. :)

[keikakudom]

What if your Alastor genuinely started to feel love for Vox? Like what would he do? If he realized he was in love with Vox? Would he attempt to Atticwife Vox? Or chain him?

***WARNING: this answer does go into heavy/dark themes.

Woooh, okay so I had to search what "Atticwife" meant, but this question literally sat with me for two days when it was first sent in. I even consulted my bestie(not into fandom) about it.

From my understanding, I think it means "when the partner/significant other forcibly keeps the other against locked away their will bc they're mentally not well/insane(?)".

Initially, here are a few reasons why I think that wouldn't happen/I don't see it working for RR!AU:

I think of Alastor liking the free little things that Vox does as entertainment. He likes to see what Vox does with Hell as playground. Free-roaming gerbil style.

Maybe he would try to cage him once for the heck of it, but I genuinely think(despite all the fanon interpretations and how canon Vox is all leading into that he's insecure and pathetic) that Vox and Alastor are equally matched and Alastor would not have a feasible way of keeping him there for one. I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL. I swear in canon that they are setting up Vox to be underestimated. Like, yes radio waves/radio has power over TV signals--but literally face it, nobody WANTS radio. Only TV does. Even if TV disappears, the masses are not going to go back to radio. Radio has its purpose but in the modern age and from what it looks like in HH too(since TV/Vox is so popular) radio as a ruling media is already over, it's relegated to a supporting role now because TV is just so convenient and straight up better with so many more uses.

And I dont think Vox's way of thinking is "wrong" or that he's far gone, since he's never been actively suicidal. I only made him mention that line in the fic because Alastor was so blindsided by HIS way of thinking that Vox needed to voice his side for Alastor to think of Vox's perspective for once(also in the fic I made Alastor SHOW that he cared) aka, in the end they both communicated in the way that the other prefers (show vs tell). RR!AU Vox is characterized as only to have maybe, PASSIVE suicide ideation. Its like, he wont ever think about dying unless his mind is empty--so putting him in an isolated/empty place would make it worse/allow his depressive thoughts to fester because he's not busying his mind.

So if you want to go with a fluffy route, if Alastor really romantically fell in love with Vox, I want to say he'd tone down the blatant stalking and go for a traditional and appealing courting way(probably asked Rosie for advice) that finally respects Vox's current feelings...would Vox reciprocate? Eh, too little too late, maybe.

That said, I'm fascinated by this scenario so I'm going to entertain it as a what-if , LOL. It's going to get very toxic and strange, even more-so from hereon out:

Let's say we take what Vox said in the fic for verbatim(wants to stay on DND forever, chasing after death), and that Alastor planned for this ahead of time.

First, it would be an environmental shock to Vox because he's so used to constantly being around people, and just DOING stuff...there's some symbolism here about how great white sharks have trouble being kept in zoos/being kept in captivity.

A lot of people would look for him. Hell politics would go haywire. I think Vox would busy himself in his thoughts about how to deal with his own absence too, all concerned for the power vacancy and things that are piling up, if he couldn't find an immediate way to escape. It's really hard to think of Vox ever doing "nothing" IMO.

(Even if he sits and watches TV all day, he goes all giggly and dramatic. A big reason why I push this in RR!AU. I find it so interesting to have a character/personality so animated also having deep nihilistic thoughts. He would not curl up and spend days not doing anything, more like 'OK NEXT NOW WHAT'.)

Then let's say Alastor introduces daily stimulation with Vox. In order for him not to do anything drastic. Playing chess with him, asking open-ended questions...Vox starts to crave those singular interactions everyday so badly. Because it's his only fix to do something.

In any case, it would turn into a very unhealthy and co-dependent, Stockholm syndrome-y relationship. Subsequently, 'Atticwife'....

This was a very wild question to answer, but thank you for sending it! It was pretty fun to imagine a possibility where this played out.

[earmoldsandepilogues]

Because I've Never Met a Man More TS-Coded than Clark Kent

I'm deep in a first-time watch of Smallville and a bit obsessed rn. I make playlists for all my shows/ships and I realized that somehow too many TS songs fit. Definitely more to come with this playlist series (?...who knows what this actually is). It definitely started as a joke but this man is somehow both Debut and TTPD. *disclaimer*: I just finished 8x14 "Requiem" (genuinely and completely destroyed me) and have been remaining generally spoiler-free lol This Love: literally the whole back half of this song, especially the chorus for this back and forth dance Clark and Lana seem to do. They never fall out of love with each other but they’re together a remarkably short amount of time for my liking. And even less of that time are they genuinely happy which is just the most depressing. You Are In Love: Do I even have to explain this one? I am obsessed with the idea of Clark and Lana being up late one night circa S7 and coffee at midnight and slow dancing in the kitchen (not to mention the lyric from All Too Well) Suburban Legends: This just feels Smallville High coded. The first stanza/verse (what is that actually called?) actually gives big Lana vibes tho? The whole song feels like it’s trading off between their POVs. But the one that really gets me is “and you kiss me in a way that’s gonna screw me up forever”. They start so innocent and pure and sweet and it…does not end up that way. I also have a feeling your first love does sort of screw you up forever? Just a little bit. Also the lines at the end “I broke my own heart ‘cause you were too polite to do it” with Clark being a biggest dumbest alien….. The Other Side of the Door: Also in this vein of being a big dumb alien….*don’t even get me started*

Midnight Rain: Lana’s much more Reputation/Midnights than Clark, imo, but I always associated Lana with the sunshine part and Clark with midnight rain. I don’t think its a super strong parallel but it’s on there lol Dear Reader: feels overall-Smallville-coded. “If it feels like a trap, you’re already in one”. Clark would probably resonate with this one. People look up to him and he knows it and with his abilities, feels the weight of the world to save every possible person he can.

Everything Has Changed: Clark to Lana early days to an overarching theme. Could also apply to after she finds out his secret with the first two verses and the chorus.

Superman: Also, sort of self-explanatory and also not a perfect parallel but I have to have all the Superman titled songs on here lol

Mine: This is more of an aspirational, almost AU vibe but I just so badly want them to have their happily ever after and its never gonna happen *sob*. Mary’s Song: See above lol. Same vibes here.

Tim McGraw: I sort of wished this is how it went. I think Clark could’ve written a letter and things might’ve gone smoother. But alas.

A Place in This World: Vibes for them being in high school. Such a huge part of the show is finding how and where you fit in, especially when you’re not a typical kid dealing with the typical insecurities of high school and beyond.

So High School: Another that’s not a perfect match but feels more them if the show would’ve been remade/first aired now. It felt as tho it needed to be on here.

The Prophecy: Clark feels so tied to this “prophecy” of being the last son of Krypton and the traveler and all the other labels that get assigned to him. Also…Jor-el. And for a good part of it, Clark’s just trying to find a way to fulfill such a prophecy and not destroy his life or hurt those he loves, all the while being 15-20ish and hiding this massive secret.

[wavetapper]

So what's Severance about? Give us the pitch

i am extremely bad at explaining things but

Okay so the show is a sort of dark comedy/scifi/thriller about an office where the workers have to undergo a medical procedure called Severance, which splits their memories in half- essentially creating a version of them who is always out of work (an 'Outie') and a version of them who is always at the office (an 'Innie'). The company they work for (that also provides the procedures) is sinister and weird and there's a lot of bizarre mysteries surrounding the office and the work they do, and a lot of the show is spent slowly uncovering that.

Reasons I liked it as much as I did are like

It explores grief and depression in a really compelling way, and it actually presents pretty interesting reasons as to why someone would want to be severed beyond just "work sucks"

The characters are all fantastic and their relationships with each other are fun to watch develop as Things Happen to them (Irving in particular has a really sweet arc with one of the other characters... i wont say who because it was fun to go in blind and watch it develop but severanceheads know who im talking about)

It does really fun things with its premise, like its not just a "wouldnt this be fucked up" sort of set dressing- they really go into it and that makes me grin. There's a minor character in some of the later episodes which is just horrible to think about because of something that's revealed about her aughghh

It's weird! It's really weird! The way it's shot and coloured is really quite stark and surreal, its a visually fascinating show. It does a great job at making things appear just slightly Off even when they're supposedly fine

Despite some pretty intense things happening, it's a genuinely funny and honestly at times quite a sweet show

It's like 9 episodes atm with a second season on the way in january so it's not a huge commitment if you wanna get into it. It is a bit of a slow burn at first, but I was really hooked by the mystery and characters so that wasn't an issue for me- episode 3 is where it starts ramping up imo

It does contain flashing lights as well as a few other things worth putting in a content warning- i wont put them here in case you want to go in blind, but if youre worried about potentially sensitive material then its worth looking up

also the creator cited the stanley parable as a direct influence and 1) thats one of my favourite games of ever and 2) you can absolutely tell when you watch it

t;ldr i like watching adam scott look like someone just shot his dog off camera for 9 episodes straight. also hellyyyy <3