#how dare you! (chinese animation series)

[amphitriteswife]

Hello ppl! Just to keep it afloat i once again started to have a tag game!

So, your favorite anime, manhwa, games ect. Characters Anyone tbh!!

I have way too much-

Tagging: @mizz-sea-nymph @nicasdreamer @tinyy-tea-cup @rorlokiswifey @bimmismalice @vilereign @monstertreden @rukia-writes @undeadfly @kinaoryi @amoexii

@das-jaim3 @sethmp3 @jonquilclegane @yrinyes @twinklemylittlestar @justvir @cherry-froese @imperfectbloodmoon @alonelyidiotwholovescats @zendersenders @etoilesbonbon @queen-shiba @anticapitalistclown @radioactivesweet @togetherhearted @foxnikki @julihehe

@izanami462 @gnomeykins-xx @chrispywhispy @aresarmyblog @miha-chi @snowmantita @riseofamoonycake @kinchan-palace @asheervasilissa @cosmicmeliii @jamesleecult @julihehe @swallowtail-lotus @daughteroftyche08

+everyone else! Sorry if i forgot someone!

[the-untamed-mind-pdf]

Queer rep in Indian media

I want to talk about queer representation here. I will start with my introduction to queer media. My first introduction to queer people in India would be the newspaper coverages of Pride marches in big cities. When section 377 was decriminalised in 2018, I had never given thoughts to my sexuality. Being an avid book reader, sometimes books with queer characters would accidently reach my hand. I say accidently because my primary source of books before Covid was my school library. Not a great place to find queer books. I had never liked Bollywood movies because of their blatant sexism, and my love for Bollywood songs  was fading. So when I found myself questioning my sexuality, I had to specifically look up queer media on youtube and chrome. That was in 2020.

In the summer of 2023, I discovered the gold mine/hell-hole of BL webtoons. I don’t remember my first BL webtoon. Was it Hearstopper? Its creator Alice Oseman will say it’s not BL (more on that later). What I do remember is binging on BL webtoons day and night for many days, until I started feeling guilty of consuming mostly BL in the name of queer stories, and that too mostly the ones written by women. So I actively searched for GL webtoons, and found them, but sadly not as many as BLs. And to top it, they storyline in many of them weren’t great either. GLs were lacking a lot in both quantity and quality as compared to BLs. But I didn’t break my resolve and started watching anime for the first time. I watched Bloom Into You, a GL, and Yuri on Ice, a BL. Then I started watching Heaven Official’s Blessing (TGCF), and god knows I still haven’t recovered from it. I read the whole book series in 4 days, and wanted to read more MXTX novels but put off reading them because I knew I would be gone for if her other works were half as interesting as TGCF. A year later I finally gave in and read Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (MDZS). And then I started watching The Untamed. The boon and bane of my existence right now.

My exams were also going on, which meant added stress. But there were nights I cried myself to sleep after watching youtube shorts of The Untamed. There were so many questions I asked myself while watching those 10-15 second videos. How come the Chinese have censorship, but they get to make and see such a great series with queer characters and the actors are also famous ones? In case anybody mistakes it for jealousy, I want to clarify that what I felt was anger and frustration. Why don’t we have such a series in India? Why don’t we have mainstream actors playing queer characters? Why don’t we have a good queer series or movie? So much heterosexual and sexist garbage gets passed by the Indian film censorship board but no one dares to make what is actually needed. I know there are some movies produced in recent times which don’t depict queer people as a joke, but why are there only a handful of them?

In India we have so many mythological tales relating to queerness, we have queer Gods and Goddesses, we have trans Deities, we have ancient temples dedicated to love depicting non heterosexual relationships, we have queer characters in our great epics Mahabharata and Ramayana. But very few poeople are ready to talk about it.

I hope this changes one day, and one day soon.

I had wanted to talk about many other things but they will have to wait for another day I guess.

P.S. I feel this piece was over a lot of places. I will learn to structure it better if there is a next time.

[scrunkore]

Scrunkore Media "Thread" 2023: Part 2

welcome back to the scrunko core

14) Ib (Switch, 2023)

One of the real classics of RPG Maker horror games, upgraded for the modern age in just a few little ways that manage to keep the experience feeling as it should. Ib has a perfectly bizarre and creepy atmosphere, making really good use out of its excellent concept of being trapped in a living art gallery, with decent enough puzzles to keep you engaged throughout. I'm a big fan of its vibes and its exploration of loneliness and art in general, and it has a really strong trio of characters and various different endings that I found myself liking a lot. Now's as good a time as any to check this game out. [4.5★]

15) Everything Everywhere All At Once (Movie, 2022)

Kind of a critical darling as well as an audience favourite around when it came out, and yeah, I agree with everyone else - this movie is fantastic. Really good and creative direction in an absolutely wild ride through parallel universes, family and generational trauma that I'm told can hit really hard for the Chinese-American demographic and others like it but can be enjoyed by just about anyone. It uses its ideas pretty much perfectly, and it has a whole multiverse of them to play with; I was fully engaged throughout the whole experience. It deserved those awards. [5★]

16) Fire Punch (Manga, 2016-2018)

Tatsuki Fujimoto's earlier manga series, wrapping up just before his biggest claim to fame began, really can feel like Chainsaw Man's fucked up older brother - and it kind of is, really. It does touch on some of the same things, but the world is even harsher and the suffering even greater, and the overall mood can seem a lot more nihilistic, but there is hope in there still. It's also a harder read than Chainsaw Man, but it stands alone as a rough tale of struggling through an apocalyptic world, and it gets bonus points from me for its heartbreaking trans character I don't want to spoil. I'm not sure how much I'd recommend it, with the particular kinds of misery involved feeling gratuitous at times, but I am glad I read it. [4★]

17) Super Lesbian Animal RPG (PC, 2022)

The title kind of says it all here, this is a superb RPG about anthro animal girls in lesbian relationships, and it does an excellent job at delivering exactly that with a lot more besides. The whole cast is likeable, even the asshole characters, and the story is a mix of really good fun and powerful emotional beats, naturally being queer as hell to boot. I really appreciate the gameplay too, it's by default a fairly easy game until pretty late, but it's quite well-balanced and goes out of its way to ensure you'll never even think about grinding (levels cap at 30, even), plus a lot of the fights are just really fun. Excellent visuals and incredible soundtrack too, just a perfectly well-rounded super lesbian animal RPG that I have no real complaints with at all. [5★]

18) Tembo the Badass Elephant (PC, 2015)

A little controversial back when it released for daring to be a Game Freak game not on either of the Nintendo consoles in circulation at the time, this game is... well, it's fine. Just a decent enough 2D action platformer that feels like if you modded Wario into a Sonic game with how you can speed through levels smashing up everything in your way, but the level design and even the odd boss fight reminds me of some of the worst parts of Sonic games at times, so I'm not super fond of it. It does have plenty of charm though, with a fun cartoony artstyle and some 3D setpieces that do make one wonder why it wasn't on 3DS. Controlling a badass action hero elephant saving as many people as possible is a neat idea, too. [3★]

19) Picross 3D (DS, 2009)

There have been many different takes on Picross over the years, under many different names as well, but almost nobody has done it quite like HAL did with Picross 3D. It feels like a whole different breed of puzzle, and it is indeed nothing like regular 2D Picross - the transformation into cube-based puzzles makes things far more advanced, often more difficult, and a lot more rewarding. There's not much more to this game other than the massive amount of puzzles to solve and the option to create your own, but it doesn't really need anything else. Some puzzles are extremely hard, but that's alright, and the game is the perfect fit for the DS hardware. [4★]

20) Picross 3D Round 2 (3DS, 2015)

I technically played this a bit later, but I think it makes sense to put this next to the first game. HAL managed to do it again, innovating further on the 3D Picross concept with different shapes that you can turn blocks into - a simple change, but one that goes surprisingly far towards making the game more enjoyable. It's a lot comfier with its presentation too, and there's even some surprisingly great music in there. Not much more to it than that, but it's still filled to the brim with a huge amount of puzzles, including bonus special Amiibo unlocks (there is a homebrew program to bypass this), and that's all I can ask of it once again. I'd hope for a third round, but I don't know that I'd like it as much without stylus controls... [4.5★]

21) The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog (PC, 2023)

Sonic coming out of nowhere on April Fool's with a shockingly high-effort "joke" project was unexpected, but that blue hedgehog does have a way of blindsiding you. The game is a small but lovingly made point-and-click revolving around a murder mystery party with a few fun twists happening towards the end, and it's pretty funny for the most part, so that's the "joke" part down. On top of that, it has a really solid grasp of the characters and how to write them, seemingly on par with the IDW comics, which is more than we've seen from most of the games until fairly recently. It's something of a breath of fresh air, with plenty of fanservice, and my only real complaint is the "THINK!" segments being kind of... not very good. But as a whole, this game is really nice, and I hope they do more creative projects like this in the future. They even got the "self-insert" protagonist right, because they're such a weird and silly one. They should murder Sonic more often! [4★]

22-23) Escaped Chasm/Dweller's Empty Path (PC, 2019/2020)

I'd like to group these together, because they're kind of part of the same interesting project from Temmie Chang (yes, the Undertale Temmie). Both very short RPG Maker games with zero combat and a focus on exploring all the dialogue and plot you can get out of them. Both games have their dark elements, but Escaped Chasm definitely has the most - it's got some upsetting bits, and the ending is rather bittersweet, but I did enjoy the short tale of the lonely girl. It kind of serves as a prequel to Dweller's Empty Path, though you won't know it until you see a certain part. Speaking of which, that game is pretty nice, mostly just being a walking simulator that you can end at any time by going to bed, but there is quite a bit of dialogue for you to see that fleshes out the world and characters, with hints at what might be to come in the future. Both games adopt a Game Boy style pixel art look with minimal colour palettes and I kind of like that about them, and the developer managed to rope in Toby Fox and Camellia for musical contributions, which is awesome. Overall, the games feel like they're setting up something rather interesting, also being rather interesting in themselves, and I hope Temmie is able to do more with this in the future. [3.5★]

24) OFF (PC, 2008)

Another certified RPG Maker classic that has somehow never been re-released in any form, unless you count the official English translation from 2011, and it's certainly an odd one. The vibes are deeply unsettling throughout, the morality of the protagonist is dubious at best, and it has all kinds of strange setpieces showcasing the utterly bizarre lore of its equally bizarre world. It's kind of hard to tell what it's even really about, but it contains themes relating to religion, illness, capitalism and more besides. There are even multiple endings, including a random joke one serving as a "reward" for beating a strange and lengthy secret boss, and honestly I think the game is more of a weird French art piece than anything else. The puzzles and battle system do kind of suck in several areas, so it's all about the feeling of the game in the end, and it certainly made me feel... something. I don't think anyone completely understands this game, but I do like what it tries to do, and I respect it. [3.5★]

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[piduai]

I totally agree with you , I tend to remember the bad more than the good . I guess for self care it's better to just watch the arcs you loved . I watched the episode 153 or 157 something ( I don't remember the exact number but it's about Kagura not wanting to sleep ) more than ten times because I liked it. I think it's the best way to view an anime like this.

After all not much is to be  expected from an author like this.

The aliens versus us is just a way to portray the pre opening era . CLEARLY . No reach. If he could write "THOSE FOREIGNERS " he would. Very weird it's giving Isayama with Snk , the world population vs us the people of ( I don't remember honestly 🥴). It's like a nostalgic / xenophobic stand but not outspoken.

I just wish we got more contents of characters like Asaemon and nobume + mutsu these three really could introduce  interesting drama with their profession and personalities. I will never NEVER get over it 😩👹. You know what ? I wish gunatama was a female only cast ( I DARE TO SAY IT👹👹👹)

Also I don't like Emosugi , Kamui is so  cringe , he's what to expect from a teenage boy. He's so predictable, a violent  emotional red hair emo .

But  Takasugi Dramasuke ?!  I just can't . His rage is valid but he never gave anything . A plate of pasta without salt . The hype about him is what all his character is . I never understood it. He doesn't look cool and I think his feet smell NGL.

He's the example of a delayed frontal lobe growth. Soratchi just used limited appearance to tune the citizens on. I don't know how they fell for it . When the whole truth was finally exposed i was disappointed 🧍🏻‍♀️.

I don't know how to explain it and why . He's just so cliché i thought ginballma would be more original but it's not when you look back when it's about serious topic.

i don't have arcs i particularly hate, tbh i watched it in 2013 for the first time and a lot of the cultural & linguistic jokes flew over my head, as well as a lot of references. so now i rediscover a lot of stuff on my rewatch, which is fun. but ig if you have stuff you really hate it's just better to skip altogether, i mean who cares. i only started rewatching it bc i need something to play in the bg while i eat/do my nails/clean around the house etc and short series end too fast while i don't feel like committing to a long series i haven't watched yet

yeah i do wonder, i didn't notice it the first time at all but now it feels very sus. it's also funny that earth = japan it seems, the word japan is never uttered actually but the existence of other nations is never brought up either. and amanto = foreigners, with kagura and the rest of the yato being alien chinese while catherine being alien something vaguely southeast asian. with the rest being animals. i don't think it's that deep just something that made me raise an eyebrow

asaemon is a one arc character and mutsu was shown for a bit towards the end, but nobume was snubbed lol. but again everyone else who isn't g*ntoki was also snubbed. with nobume it's a shame that her shoyo disciple side was never explored while some whomstie (oboro) got an entire thing around it. zura was also sidelined when it comes to this. nobume didn't really do much after sabuchan died from what i recall which is a shame. but also the cast is HUGE so with sorachi's limited formulaic writing abilities it's understandable lol

people always praise the character writing in gintama and i always disagreed with that because 98% of the cast is the same thing from different angles, or rather it seems that he can't write anything else. default character in this series is kind of a rude jerk who is actually super duper kind and niceys deep down and when it matters, and if push comes to shove they'll give you a helping hand no questions asked. most of them have their own quirks (kagura is an abrasive glutton, tae is arrogant, mean and backstabbing, nobume is aloof and apathetic, kyuubei and tsukuyo are overly-serious and awkward and so on and so forth) but the mold is the same. which is like, fine for shounen standards, and a lot of them are very likeable, but let's be real no giocondas are being painted here

i liked kamui until it was revealed that he actually fr fr is obsessed with his mom and sister and this whole time he was just lonely and misunderstood and lashing out. boring. he was fun as a power-hungry #psycho little shit but obviously we can't have any divergences from the mold in this house. as for takasugi he's always been one of my favorites so i can't say much here lol to each their own

[mejomonster]

Making a list of some dramas:

CURRENTLY WATCHING:

Meet You At The Blossom***

4 Minutes

Snowfall***

Unknown the Series

Dead Boy Detectives**

Granada Holmes

Bodies?

Bridgerton?

We Are??

23.5 Degrees

The Spirealm

The Sign

The Expanse

Dark Shadows 1966???

Leverage???

Cherry Magic thai?

Bodies?

Invisible??

Dare Me??

When i have time???

Mysterious Lotus Casebook

Be My Favorite

Stay with Me

Oh No! Here Comes Trouble

The Eclipse

About Youth

Love Lost Forever

Pluto

Shows when I get some time rip ;-;:

Young Blood (season 1 and 2)

I feel you linger in the air

The sign

Pit babe (?????)

Love Senior

Young Royals (I heard it's good)

Your Nave Engraved Herein

Red White and Royal Blue (when it comes out)

Three Body Problem (I need to finish!)

Seven Days

Kei X Yaku

Kamen Rider Build

Laws of Attraction

To Sir With Love

Junkyouju Takatsuki Akira no Suisatsu

Ouroboros

Three Body

The Bad Kids

The Longest Night

你好,安怡 (Humans cdrama adaptation)

Miu404

Look I have no time okay ;-; and when Only Friends and Dangerous Romance dramas come out I'm gonna be swept up by them immediately lol

Shows I wanna watch/rewatch soon:

Hikaru No Go/Qi Hun (all on youtube rn!)

Close your eyes before it's dark

Heroes (when I have time)

An Ancient Love Song

Butterflied Lover

Legend of Yunze

Couple of Mirrors

How to Get Away With Murder (fire Island reminded Me how much I love the actors work)

Orphan Black (I miss it and wanna rewatch and finish)

Guardian (am currently rewatching slowly o3o)

Vice Versa

Mama Gogo

Kinnporsche

Old Fashioned Cupcake

Monster (anime)

Ranma 1/2 (rewatch)

Death Note (rewatch... and then the jdrama...)

Sherlock Untold (jdrama)

The Great (???)

Interview with the Vampire amc (GREAT)

Misfits (rewatching)

The sandman

Checkmate (aaaaa)

The Eclipse (GREAT)

Akira

Lost Track of time

A familiar stranger

Devilman

Berserk

Love Between Fairy and Devil (LOVE)

Update, current historical ish dramas I'm giving a shot:

The Rise of The Phoenixes (Chen Kun and Nini are <3)

Story of Yanxi Palace

The Rebel Princess

The Legend of Zhenhuan (at some point, I feel jade palace lock heart or story of yanxi palace will tempt me into checking this one out)

Special notes:

THE DEFECTIVE EP 1 is out!

Another priest donghua is out!! Lie Huo Jiao Chou

Couple of mirrors on ep 2

Currently watching: Humans ep 11

Sot3k ep 26

Guardian ep 6

Love and Redemption ep 28

The Devil Judge

Not me the series - excellent I'm in love

F4 boys over flowers - surprisingly loving it so far and a much more suspenseful story than I expected now I want to watch the Japanese drama

Bad and crazy - Lee dong wook back in an action !!

My beautiful man jdrama

Our flag means death loved it! Highly rec!!

Gentleman jack - stopped watching. It's nice as a period romance, but I just do not like a landlord and my favorite character is Mary who is not gonna be the favored character any time soon

What we do in the shadows - loved it, rec if you liked the movie or just like chill vampire comedies

Plus and Minus - new taiwan bl that looks good

49 days with a merman - Taiwan drama

I'm your heart - chinese uncensored bl, cute

thai dramas:

3 Will Be Free (so good!! Rewatching and finishing did I mention enough how much I love this show?)

Lovely Writer (it had a strong beginning but then I dropped it, I wonder if it stayed good?)

A Fish Upon The Sky (like Lovely Writer above it felt like meaningfully heavy stuff/themes at first pretending at Fluff, also a lot like Theory of Love one of my all time faves... but I was waiting for more eps to come out)

Bad buddy - watched it. Recommend if you want a romantic comedy Romeo and Romeo with some depth and heart. Even though it's not my usual genre, I love Ohm and Nanons acting, love P'Aofs direction choices, and it really resonated with me as a first love from high school arc. It's definitely a feel good show with some serious heart in points.

Girl From Nowhere (looks scary and well acted!!)

Manner of Death (this and 3wbf are probably my biggest ‘really want to watch’ shows on here but I want full focus and see they require more attention then half-fluff romance ;-; Manner of Death looks like Exactly My Kinda Thing)

The revenge

The player

F4 thailand

Never too late

The eclipse

Moonlight chicken

Midnight hotel

Dirty laundry

Kinnporsche

Cupids last wish

Meow Ears Up

War with y

cdramas:

Upcoming I'm curious for: agarwood like crumbs (cheng yi), meet me in your sound (qi ye and princess from gmp), the wind blows from longxi (BAI YU and Chen kun!! Super excited for period drama bai yu)

Heroes

The lotus casebook (cheng yi Joseph zeng)

Immortal Samsara

The Bad Kids (all on youtube rn)

Hikaru no go/qi hun (rewatch... I miss it)

The Rebel (!!!!!)

Shi xiao yi lang - zhu yilong

Bordertown Prodigal - zhu yilong

Reset (modern sci fi!!)

Killer and Healer

Empress Ki

Marvelous Women (I need to look into reviews first)

Legend of Yunqian

Legend of Yunze, and it's special

Master Wait a Moment

Dear Diary (teen fiction come to life!)

My Girlfriends Boyfriend (wu xie tlt2 2 comedy)

The Bond (intense, bai yu leads)

My Roommates a Detective (need to finish)

Ice Fantasy (which I'm loving), and Ice Fantasy Destiny (sequel)

Fall in love (guy from Goodbye My princess)

Our times (I'm on ep 4, bromance with wu xie and li cus actors??)

Crime crackdown

Ice fantasy (ma tianyu!!!) - UPDATE I'm mid watching this and it's not perfect, but I kind of love it and it's specific way of doing stuff I love. And I prefer it eons over Eternal Love. So many plot setups in this that are my personal favorites, combined with a slightly original take on immortals/realms etc.

Ultimate Note: TLT3 (I have like 10 eps left its my usual ‘can’t get myself to finish anything I like a ton’ lol)

The Lost Tomb 2 part 2

The Lost Tomb Reboot (see above - but positive is its on youtube now so its easier for me to watch and finish)

Killer and Healer (see above - I’m 1/3 through this baby, was waiting for it to finish airing and well IT IS NOW)

Granting You a Dreamlike Life (trash reasons, I just love Zhu Yilong and wanna see the hot mess tbh)

Fairyland Lovers (UPDATE: ep 26, I started this as another ‘practice’ show like gyadl, turns out I actually LOVE this thing with my only critique being I’d have picked much hotter clothes for Bai Yu to wear. This is very much Guardian/Rattan kind of story, I like it a LOT better than Goblin, its mini arcs keep making me cry, its ‘alien’ premise has a much more ‘metaphor for Love and Redemption style heavenly realm/demons’ which while it makes the sci fi kind of ‘handwave’ does make the whole story feel VERY much modern setting fantasy, like Shadowhunters or Buffy which I love, with the flavor of characters with pasts to the kind of degree LaR tended to have with some many centuries/millenia old players and potentially reincarnation involved which is interesting to see executed in a modern-fantasy cdrama. In short I didn’t expect to love this but I am binging now it so).

Rattan (I love Si Teng, I love both the leads, its mutants/aliens on earth, its very Guardian-esque but with better budget/photography, its clearly my kinda thing I just need time)

Love Me If You Dare (author who wrote the book was recced, and I want to see Wallace Huo act, and I love Sandra Ma)

Journey Across the Night (maybe* - its got Wu Xie from tlt3, I’ve seen it recced as a ‘bromance’ surprisingly, its short?)

Listening Snow Tower

Princess Agents

Princess Silver (Luo Yunxi)

Anti Fraud League (this has no subs so watching practice, but also its actually a bromance a la Killer and Healer vibes, and Xiao Yuliang is in it, its crime solving with some action/matrix vibes and I do appreciate that)

Goodbye My Princess (I miss it, I was halfway through it last time ;-; )

The Wolf (I just... miss them tbh...)

SCI (I hear its kinda a fun hot mess and that is my kinda thing)

Winter Begonia (some... day.... someday... probably not soon - i just realized now this is both historical and lovers from different backgrounds which i’m craving rn, but i remember how sad i was for the wife so...)

Nirvana in Fire (same as above, its just... when can my brain focus on a serious plot that long)

The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty (same as above... it sure is long, can I focus that much...)

Forward Forever (looks gay to the extent maybe hikaru no go was? looks my aesthetic? i’m guessing i will love or hate it)

Mystic Nine (SHOULD be on the list, we will SEE lol)

Secret of the Three Kingdoms (UPDATE: ep 18 and I love this show)

Demon Girl (i’m re-adding this to the list because like Fairyland Lovers, it looks very much ‘my niche preferred story setup’ and as such i’m either going to love it or feel its a fun ‘easy practice’ show)

Three Kingdoms (daddy looking lead >o>, also 95 episodes dang?)

Empresses in the Palace/The Legend of Zhen Huan (been on my to watch forever...)

Novolands Tribes and Empires (more grizzled male lead, maybe like GMP in terms of setting feel?

Novoland Eagle Flag (concubine’s son/princess, maybe more realistic setting feel?)

Jade Palace Lock Heart (update: ep 22, not crack at all tbh?? Its got comedy, political intrigue, terror, suspense, romance, genuinely great characterization and arcs throughout, it is Great - and while its mostly more grounded in its storytelling sometimes it does some wacky stuff or dream sequences which is a fun way to break the tension/seriousness/groundedness for a little while)

The Scarlet Heart (now i want to compare this to jplh, but also hella confused because its like... the same time period and time traveller too... was jplh a rip off at first?? lol)

Legend of Fragrance (honestly just the fact it might be lovers from different backgrounds, and has 3 actors i adore??? 3???!!)

Wu Xin The Monster Killer (immortal/human, lovers from different bgs, totally my kind of thing, Elvis... need I say more?)

The Myth (time traveler)

Sound of the Desert (nomad girl and prince)

The Eternal Love (Update: ep 10, trying it out, getting a Go Princess Go and Romance of Tiger and Rose vibe so far, so its a silly time)

Legend of the Condor Heroes

Love in Between

Siege in Fog (starcrossed lovers)

Love is Science (update: on the newest episode and its fairly good, i like the subplots but not the main plot much though i appreciate the main lead is divorced because i rarely see that)

the imperial coroner

New Face (my dude from monarch industry!!)

Song of Youth

Lost in 1949* (fu shous actress wan qian with chen kun!!)

Romance of a twin flower (peng xiao ran, novel adaptation)

The Long Night

humans (Update: look idk if this will be everyone’s thing but Ma Tianyi leads it along with a full on superb cast, its so fucking good to me ToT ma tianyi in modern sci fi, constant whump, my fave tropes in sci fi of androids who feel and have shit going on, kick ass women who terrify and are beloved, well Written Sci Fi??? In my Cdrama??? Its less common than it should be but god it finally EXISTS here - and as always, I recommend Bureau of Transformer for those who want excellently written Sci Fi with a Twilight Zone vibe that’s short and sweet and absolutely beloved by me. My point is - please give me more genuine sci fi cdramas T-T)

You are my Glory (diliraba and Yang Yang)

Couple of Mirrors (ITS GREAT)

The Longest Day in Chang’an (hot man)

DETECTIVE SAMOYEDS (like x files)

Novoland pearl eclipse (recced)

Monarch Industry/The Rebel Princess (recced!)

The Killer is Also Romantic

Her Royal Highness

My Sassy Princess (crystal yuan)

Who Rules the World (yang yang)

Story of Yanxi Palace (recced!)

Unforgettable Love (wei zheming qi ye from word of honor)

Under the skin - tan jianci, started and love it so far.

kdramas:

The Guest (when will I have time to finish!!!??? Exactly my kinda thing!!)

Psychopath Diary (same as above: when will I have the time to finish I have 4 eps left ;-; )

Hotel Del Luna (recced to me, I trust y’all when u tell me this will be my kinda thing, also its got supernatural stuff which I’m into - watching now, very much my kind of thing!)

Its Ok to Not Be Ok (looks? like my kind of thing?)

Crash Landing On You (UPDATE: FINISHED, ok I GET why this scriptwriter is so loved? I am absolutely craving love stories about people from very different backgrounds, Especially if its also got historical or realism elements, and I love how this show really establishes settings as distinct and their own, as part of a character’s background, and the plot itself so far is so good???)

You Who Came From The Stars (probably the only ‘fluff’ romance on here, because it was recced so I wanna give it a chance, and aliens is a plus)

Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding (so was it good? who’s seen it???)

To My Star (heard good things, but also heard its a romantic comedy and idk how much fluff i can handle)

Color Rush (hard to find to watch? cool concept)

My Country the new age

Beyond Evil (update: finished this and it was AMAZING I’m still processing)

Mr Sunshine (just added to my list because its historical and a tale of people from different backgrounds falling in love which is what I’m craving rn)

The Sweet Blood (on youtube now, vampires, we’ll see? maybe??)

Chicago Typewriter (past lifes and present?! Yes sign me up)

Arthdal chronicles (it’s on Netflix, a few seasons? The meaningless art’s vids on YouTube are 100% why I want to see it, also it’s historical fantasy!!)

Mr Queen (scared about the ending but... but...IT HAS MY BOY FROM CRASH LANDING ON YOU)

Sell your haunted house (recced)

The Crowned Clown (recced, my boy from beyond evil) - started and don't know if I'll finish. The acting was good but the plot is very traditional in a way.

Scholar that walks the night (hot vampire??)

Chimera

The kings affection - stopped watching, acting was great but plot was not doing anything special.

Tomorrow - LOVE it so far.

Some upcoming bl historical...

Semantic Error

jdramas:

Kieta Hatsukoi (I just started and already recommend it!)

Death Note Musical (a play not a show but I need to witness this as a death note fan)

Death Note drama (UPDATE: ep 3. It is... like watching an au...)

Nier: Automata Stage Play (there’s actually a few, and i love nier automata ;-; )

Life as a Girl (recced)

Cherry Magic (I need. to finish this)

A Man Who Defies the World of BL (UPDATE: so this was amazing, was pure joy to watch, the lead really was great at carrying the feel, short and just fun)

Ossan’s Love (recced)

Alice in Borderlands (my dude is in it!!)

Rinsho Hanzai Gakusha Himura Hideo no Suiri (UPDATE: ep 2, this is pretty good so far? also it has a very distinct aesthetic it really reminds me of like... almost an 80s-90s Detective show with some noir vibes)

Miss Sherlock (1 i forgot this was a thing!!!)

Pornographer, Mood Indigo (i believe these two are connected? i’ve heard good things about them)

Rurouni Kenshin (2012), Kyoto Inferno (2014), The Legend Ends (2014), The Final, The Beginning.

Junkyouju Takatsuki Akira no Suisatsu (recced, vaguely reminds me of Guardian so it's definitely a to watch!!)

Mini Movie Rec List:

Happy together wong kar-wai

East Palace, West Palace 1996

The Lover 1992

The Bride With White Hair (i feel like i’ve been recced this before)

A Chinese Ghost Story

A frozen flower

The Night Beyond the Tricordered Window

On Drakon

[translations-by-aiimee]

Mistakenly Saving the Villain - Chapter 1

Original Title: 论救错反派的下场

Genres: Drama, Romance, Xianxia, Yaoi

TW for this chapter: Mentions of suicide

I wanted to provide some ~variety~ so I'm doing another novel. I'll give a warning that the first few chapters are kind of intense and I'll keep the TWs updated as they come and put a TL;DR at the end if there's anything too graphic.

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter 1 - The Beauty in Red

Song Qingshi is dead.

After his death, he came to in a strange space, and in the space, there was a sphere randomly flashing red.

The sphere said that he is a book-transmigrating system from a high-dimensional world. There was a xiania novel called "The Exceptional Furnace", which was about to be plagued by readers' resentment due to the tragic fate of the protagonist, causing problems in that world. It needed to find someone who is familiar with the tropes of these novels and someone with the power to change and repair the body and mind of the protagonist, and fulfill the readers' wishes - change the fate of the protagonist, dote on him, and let him live the happiest and most fulfilling life □□ □□□□□

The information in the system came intermittently, and in the □□ there were incomprehensible, alien-like characters.

Song Qingshi suffered from Lou Gehrig's Disease during his lifetime and devoted himself to studying medicine to try and save himself. He was a medical student who studied and experimented frantically every day and never wasted time reading novels.

In terms of emotions, he is even more obtuse. Although he is very handsome and has an attractive and obedient personality, due to his physical problems, even the school bully treated him like a precious thing. With all the excessive loving care and sympathy, not only did he never have a crush, but he also suffered from a slight fear of talking to strangers.

This was the worst soul for this task.

Song Qingshi didn't know how he was picked up by the system. He had read Marxist philosophy novels in vain. But from his messy information and analysis from the system's explanation, as long as he accepts the task, the system will send him to the virtual book world, give him a healthy body, and he will come back to life.

After Song Qingshi realized this, he was ecstatic. A healthy body is was his biggest desire. Not to mention the fact that the system only asked that he take care of someone. Even if the system had asked him to swim through seas of fire, he would have accepted still.

Because of this, he ignored his conscience, structured his response, and lied for the first time in his life: "I have read tens of thousands of books that I have memorized. I have extensive medical and nursing knowledge, have taken a psychology course as an elective, and I could solve all the physical and mental sufferings of the protagonist. And love. . . I have lots of experience with love, I know how to communicate, absolutely, I. . . can definitely accomplish these tasks!"

If there was any blood that could exist in a soul, he would definitely be flushed.

The system didn't notice his lies. It registered the identity of the task performer, and sent a series of garbled commands, mixed with all kinds of chaotic and disorderly information into Song Qingshi's mind, sending waves of discomfort through his soul.

Suddenly, the system let out a sharp alarm and the data transmission was cut off. Song Qingshi's vision went black, and his soul drifted away towards a bright white light. . .

. . .

When Song Qingshi woke up, he found himself lying in the woods, surrounded by the faint fragrance of various herbs. He squinted his eyes and looked towards the dazzling blue sky. There was a gorgeous golden luan bird dragging its long tail feathers, letting out a loud caw as it flew past, with countless immortal birds following it.

Was this the world from the novel?

It seemed too real. . .

A soft breeze blew across the forest, shaking off the dew on the trees. The dew fell onto his pale fingertips, bringing a slightly cool feeling. Then, all the memories of the original body flooded into his mind like a tidal wave, trying to merge with his own soul - this body was also called Song Qingshi, the master of the Medicine King's Valley, and the most talented medical immortal and pharmaceutical expert in the immortal world. His medical skills could heal the dead and revive bones, and the spirit pills he cultivates were considered treasures by every cultivator.

However, the original body's temperament was extremely troubling. He rarely left Medicine King's Valley at all, never made friends, and had no interest in matters other than medicine and alchemy. When a patient sought him out, he only looks at their temperament and never asked their identity. When he was in a good mood, he treated mortal beggars. When he was in a bad mood, regardless of the identity of the visitor, he would turn them into flower fertilizer for his garden. He often used living people to test medicines. Cruel, but because of his Nascent Soul cultivation base and various skills with poisons, the immortal sects didn't dare provoke him easily, only secretly calling him troubling behind his back.

Cultivators in the immortal world had long life spans, and the knowledge and memory of this original body had for its hundreds of years of cultivation had not arrived yet. Various data fragments of the system rushed in frantically, with countless garbled codes, tearing the original body's memory into a mess, leaving Song Qingshi at a loss. It took a long time before he managed to figure out his current situation.

This was Golden Phoenix Mountain Manor, the most luxurious place in the immortal world, where there are rare and exotic animals and countless immortals and beautiful concubines.

The owner, Jin FeiRen, was also a great Nascent cultivator. He was a true romantic, an excessive spender, and had friends from both the immortal and demonic cultivation world. He was a well-known figure.

The original body had always been cold, obsessed with his work, and never touched either men and women. Today's arrival was accidental. The Manor Lord Jin wanted to give him Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng to exchange a batch of medicinal pills for him. The original body had recently been lacking Snow Ginseng to make his medicines, so he agreed to the deal.

Since Snow Ginseng grows in the secret realm of the snow mountains of the Jin family. If you wanted to get the ones with the best medicinal properties, you needed to pick them at night and preserve it with a special refining method. Therefore, the original body came here to pick it personally, and Song Qingshi somehow ended up here.

Then, Song Qingshi was sent here by the system. . .

Where was the protagonist? What does he look like?

Song Qingshi wanted to ask the system to ask for more information, but the system seemed to disappear. The materials it sent not only contained no plot points from the novel, but also very little character information. There were garbled characters everywhere, even though the protagonist hadn't been introduced yet. Song Qingshi got dizzy going through all this information before he found some descriptions in the copywriting introduction: the best physique, unmatched beauty shou X□□□□□ gong, procured by trickery, sadomasochistic, □□, □□, □□ There were only three texts that could be read clearly: Banquet of Bea□□□.

. . .

If this were someone who often read these types of novels, they would immediately recognize that this situation was problematic.

Song Qingshi, however, didn't recognize any of this as problematic. He believed that this was a test given by the system to assess his reasoning skills and ability to do things. Song Qingshi was very accustomed to being assessed like this. Usually, when he and his teacher started developing a new drug, he often didn't have any prior results in his hand. It required some experimentation and to experience many errors and difficulties in order to reach the final result. Most of the time, that result was not what they were hoping for.

Many pharmaceutical companies invest billions or even tens of billions in drug research. Scholars have spent decades trying, right until their hair turned grey, only to fail during their clinical trials.

Therefore, every drug researcher is a strong man who has experienced many battles, repeated defeats and never-ending setbacks.

These questions from Teacher System were not difficult!

Scholar-Tryant Song expressed no fear! He will definitely find the correct answer and live up to the teacher's expectations of him!

Song Qingshi thought about the information he was given, determined the goal of the protagonist, and then quickly understood the key points of the novel: the protagonist will appear at the Banquet of Beauties, it will be a male, homosexual, unmatched beauty, superb body; a pitiful character with a tragic fate. He needs to save the protagonist, give him the greatest care, heal his physical and mental health, and then help him find happiness and joy!

During Song Qingshi's time, respect for sexual orientation was written into the law, and same-sex couples could get married.

He once found a novel lost by a rotten girl classmate, titled "His Evil Majesty's Spoiled Husband". On the cover was a handsome and domineering man in a period costume holding a beautiful woman with long hair with a super flat chest. He didn't understand it, and returned the book. When he asked curiously, his classmates told him what Danmei was, and told him that the beauty on the cover was actually male. The beautiful male was the "shou", and the domineering one was the "gong". So Song Qingshi is confident that he would easily distinguish between the gong and the shou in the novel. He would never mistake the gong as the protagonist.

He had thought it through and the direction of problem-solving has been determined. All that was left was to wait for the Banquet of Beauties to start the exam.

Song Qingshi's spiritual sea gradually became clear. The soul and body were merged and became flexible. He sat up with his hands cautiously, took off his shoes, raised his feet, and tried to stretch the toes that had been stiff for many years. The white and round toes curled happily. Song Qingshi stood up shakily, briefly walking forward a few steps with hands and feet before finally remembered the walking posture of a normal person, and his movements gradually changed from jerky to steady. . .

Under his feet was soft green grass and moist soil.

Outside the forest was a calm river. Song Qingshi stepped into the water and took a handful of cold river water to wash his face, confirming that he was not in a dream.

Tears fell out of extreme joy, and the big tears fell onto his palms. His hands couldn't stop no matter how much he tried. The river calmed down from the slight disturbance, and the reflection of the boy's figure appeared.

Song Qingshi was surprised to find that the body given to him by the system was very similar to his high school appearance; he was not very tall and significantly thinner. He wore a Daoist cultivator outfit made of many layers of snow-coloured cloud brocade, wrapped tightly around his body. At first glance, all the layers of clothing gave the illusion of a frail man.

His thin hair was simply tied up with some loose hair dangling freely. His appearance may be related to immortal cultivation. He is a bit more refined than his original body, with a cold, pale complexion and clear eyes. Because he often blocks out the world and focuses on his study, he feels a bit dull and extremely gullible, leading many unlucky ghosts to think that the original was harmless and would become the fertilizer or poison tester.

. . .

After Song Qingshi vented his emotions and saw the red-rimmed eyes in the reflection, he was a little embarrassed. He hurriedly lowered his head and fetched water, trying to wash away the tears on his face, but behind him came the sound of fine bells and ridicule.

"It's useless to commit suicide. It will only cause you needless pain. If you are still not reconciled, you can try and sink slowly to see if you can succeed."

Surprised, Song Qingshi turned around and saw the most beautiful thing he'd seen in his life.

There were trees full of peach blossoms, and under the tree was a beautiful young boy in red. Who knows how long he was watching Song Qingshi stupidly crying. The young man's appearance was blooming, like a scroll of rich colours and ink, painted with all the romantic colours of the world. The warm jade-like skin, the most beautiful thing about him were the dark golden phoenix eyes under the crow-feather-like eyelashes. He resembled a noble and dignified phoenix in the sky, but there was an extremely gorgeous red tear-shared mole under the corner of his left eye, desecrating his nobleness. The dignity of his appearance was crushed, and the phoenix rejoined the mortal world, turning into a creature stained with flattery and seductiveness which made people feel unbearable tempted.

His long hair was untied and hung casually around his waist. The ends of his hair were slightly curled, his feet were bare, and he was only wearing a red dress made of shark silk. The shark silk was as smooth as water, clinging to his body, covering all the desirables underneath.

Song Qingshi did not think anything blasphemous, but because he was caught crying, his social anxiety became more intense. After a long pause of building courage, he stumbled and said: "I, I just..."

His hesitation became reluctant approval in the eyes of the beauty in red.

There are dangerous monsters and birds everywhere in the immortal world. Cultivators were equipped with spiritual auras and keen senses, and can easily detect the wind and grass around them. Even the minor cultivators in the time they were establishing their cultivation base would not miss the sound of mortal footsteps with bells, let alone the Nascent Soul cultivators. If they release their spiritual thoughts, the smallest creatures on the mountain would not escape their attention. Except for Song Qingshi, a newly-born soul who had just arrived in this world, and was still very unused to spiritual power and these world conditions. . .

The beauty in red had completely misunderstood, thinking that Song Qingshi was also a mortal. There was only one use for such a beautiful mortal in Golden Phoenix Manor. He clarified: "A new slave?"

Song Qingshi looked up in amazement. He wanted to ask questions, but his eyes fell on the beauty of the red dress. There seemed to be some strange bruises on his neck as if it had been bitten by a mosquito, but it seemed that it might be something else. He took a few more secretive glances, trying to determine what they were.

The beauty in red noticed his curious glances and his heart grew upset. With growing malicious intent, a very gentle smile appeared on his face, and he said in a sincerely blessed tone: "Don't stare, you will have them soon, too."

Song Qingshi was very sheltered before transmigrating. He had never encountered malice and did not understand the mystery behind these words. Although he thought this blessing was a bit strange, he still answered politely: "Thank you."

The beauty in red choked hearing this answer. He was stunned for a moment. He looked at Song Qingshi up and down like a fool, and found that the person in front of him was clean and his skin was free of any injuries. He had never experienced the ravages of hell in his eyes. He was pure.

This discovery made him feel pity for the heart that had been tempered by suffering. He retracted his sharp malice and said softly, "After tonight, you will know that death is a luxury." He turned slightly to his side, looking at the river's flow. He warned, "When I first came here, I tried to commit suicide many times, but it was useless. We are slaves who are branded with the Acacia Seal. Our spirits belong to our master. So long as the master doesn't allow it, we cannot die, even by our own hands. . .

The beauty in red was silent for a long time. He slowly stretched out his hand and stroked Song Qing's hair that was soft as the fur of a small animal.

Song Qingshi saw several red rope marks on his pale wrists. He realized that this was pain that the beauty wouldn't want to be questioned about, so he pushed down his curiosity.

The fingertips of the red-dressed beauty slipped from his hair to Song Qingshi's delicate face, watching his innocent expression. He held his hand there for a moment before putting it down, conflicted. He didn't want to say any more. Since he didn't know those nightmarish experiences, it was useless to say anything more. Being able to preserve this kind of innocence, it was one more moment of happiness for him. Finally, he sighed, "You look good, but unfortunately the more your looks improve as you grow, the longer it will be until you're freed. . ."

Song Qingshi was puzzled: "What do you mean by 'freed'?"

"You'll know soon." The beauty in red's expression suddenly relaxed. He glanced around carefully, then stretched out his index finger and tapped his lips lightly. With a voice so light that he could barely hear it, he said ambiguously, "Tonight I will be freed. . ."

The beauty in red turned around with a smile and, with a crisp ring of the bells, turned to leave. His steps were a bit unstable, and each step was strenuous, like a mermaid walking on the tip of a knife in pain.

A pair of exquisite gold shackles were exposed on the beauty's ankles under the red clothes. Each of the shackles was decorated with an exquisite bell. The middle was connected by a slender golden chain. When walking, the bell shook slightly and made a clear and sweet sound, just like a tethered bird.

The golden chain dragged across the grass, and a few drops of blood dropped onto the green leaves.

Song Qingshi mustered up the courage to overcome his social anxiety, and shouted to the beauty who was about to leave: "Are you. . .injured? I, I know medical skills. . . Do you need me to treat you?"

The beauty in red turned back, looked at him for a few seconds, and he couldn't help but smile. This time the smile finally reached his eyes, like a ray of golden sunlight breaking through the clouds, dazzlingly beautiful. He shook his head towards Song Qingshi, and gave himself a sincere blessing: "I hope you have better luck tonight."

He turned his head, and the sunlight in his eyes disappeared in a flash, as if it had never existed, only the dark clouds that would not retreat.

Having endured these nightmares for years, he has long learned not to remember the kindness of others, and not to care about being offered charity from others.

He walked alone in this prison without stopping, step after step, wearing those painful shackles.

[moldy-mold]

August Blog My life is out of my hands.

I’m embarrassed at how often I tell people “depends on the schedule” when I’m trying to make plans. When I can eat, when I can spend time with friends. I can’t even go to the grocery store or do laundry when I want to. My life is determined every Sunday when my bosses send out the schedules for the upcoming week. However, if I wanted to, I can make it all finally stop...

“It didn’t feel daring, it just felt like the right thing to do for myself. I feel the best when I am in control of my life.”

I was talking to someone who just quit their job and this is what they said. That really resonated with me.

After a year of failure, I am going to leave my design degree behind me to pursue something else entirely. I kept holding on because I didn’t want to “waste” what I learned in college. I may be a creative person, but I don’t need a creative job. I hate doing portfolio and I always have because the projects I actually loved were never “useful” enough to be put on display. Maybe that’s why I keep failing to get a job (that isn’t min wage). Maybe a design job is no longer applicable to the Moldy that exists at this very moment.

I don’t know if I’ll succeed where I’m headed, but I think it’s time I try. I remember being so optimistic at the beginning of the year! Now I’m just exhausted. There’s only so much I can take. T_T

-

Daily Routine August 2021 ver. My days are split between 4 routines. I no longer have a concept of weekdays or weekends because work days are scattered and change every week. Hours change too, but this is an average.

cafe days 10:00 am: wake up, read webtoons, skincare, brush teeth 11:00 am: yoga, water plants, make breakfast 12:00 pm: check email/social media 1:00pm: zestiria/drawing, freelance/commission 3:00 pm: make lunch, get ready for work 4:00 pm: work 10:00 pm: get home, shower 10:30 pm: eat dinner, watch chinese drama 11:00 pm: get ready for bed 11:30 pm: read webtoons/zestiria 2:00 am: sleep

office days 7:30 am: wake up, skincare, brush teeth 8:00 am: eat breakfast, check email/social media 9:00 am: work 3:00 pm: get home, eat lunch, water plants 4:00 pm: work out 5:00 pm: shower 6:00 pm: zestiria/drawing 8:00 pm: eat dinner 9:00 pm: get ready for bed 10:00 pm: zestiria/read webtoons 11:00 pm: watch anime with friends 1:00 am: sleep

rest days 11:00 am: wake up, read webtoons, skincare, brush teeth 12:00 pm: yoga, water plants, make breakfast, check email/social media 1:00 pm: walk in the park, think about my life and my choices 3:00 pm: stretching, shower, eat lunch 4:00 pm: zestiria/drawing/clean apartment 8:00 pm: eat dinner 9:00 pm: get ready for bed 10:00 pm: journal/read webtoons/zestiria 2:00 am: sleep

game days (once a week) 10:30: wake up, read webtoons, skincare, brush teeth 11:00 am: yoga, water plants, make breakfast 12:00 pm: go out and grab boba tea of choice 1:00 pm: tales of xillia 2 lunch and snacking all happen at some point during game hours 8:00 pm: shower 8:30 pm: eat dinner, watch a movie 11:00 pm: get ready for bed 11:30 pm: read webtoons/journal 2:00 am: sleep

-

Gaming My roommate and I started Tales of Xillia 2, my final Tales game. I find it to be a rather unusual Tales game because it doesn’t feel like I’m on a journey with a story unfolding. It’s more like I’m going through a chain of related side quests put together into a game. I like Ludger though, very relatable lol.

Now that I’ve finished Xenoblade, my new solo game is Zestiria NG+. With Berseria’s lore still fresh in my mind, I was curious about the connections between the two games. I’ll have to say that it is very satisfying to reverse-find the references made in Bersy. This time around, my best performing character is Mikleo. Human character of choice is Rose - I played Sorey the first time. You know, this game is pretty short for a Tales game imo. Like, once you do the trials, it’s not that much more until the game ends, especially if you’re not doing all the side content. I am doing them though since I am interested in the lore for research.

-

Finished Watching...

Demonslayer: Mugen Train ◆◆◇ How could they do that to me?

Tales of the Abyss Anime ◆◆◆ I felt like I watched a speed-run but they did a pretty good job.

Mystic Pop-Up Bar (kdrama) ◆◇◇ It was alright.

Perfect Blue ◆◆◆ Not for the faint of heart. I was definitely triggered by some scenes, but I really liked its execution and themes.

Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness ◆◇◇ Pros: it was very Resident Evil. Cons: it was very Resident Evil.

Masters of the Universe: Revelations ◆◆◇ I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I am a fan of Skeletor now lol.

-

Projects I’m working on a Tales comic series (again) but it’s more Webtoons format instead of 4koma like I usually do. It will probably look best on Tumblr thanks to how vertical it is but I’ll have to settle for whatever it turns out to be for other platforms. I won’t reveal too much - it is my personal take on what happens to Rokurou post-game. Although I’ve been struggling to find time/energy, I hope I finish this one too.

Happy that people read Undercover! and liked it. It’s definitely... niche. So I didn’t expect it to do well. But hey, I can say I finished something for once.

-

As usual, thanks for being here.

[alwaysfeelingsaintlike]

Driving Me Mad [G.W] - Part 6

Series Description: You and George come up with a plan to pretend to date each other. But what happens when you actually start to catch feelings...

Pairing: George Weasley x Gryffindor fem!reader 

Word Count: 3.7k

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

taglist: @obsssedwithjustaboutanything, @fadesbrina, @sweetlyblushedbouquet, @streetfighterrichie, @thatguppienamedbae, @wolfiepirate

Description: It’s time for the first task and you find yourself surprised once again by the tricks up George’s sleeve.

                                                           X

The weeks went by and word quickly spread that George and you were officially an item. Much to your delight, Fleur and Roger quickly faded into the background of the social scene to the point where you weren’t entirely sure if they were still seeing each other. The only noteworthy pairing who came close to your status was Hermione Granger who had managed to catch the eye of the one and only Viktor Krum. 

You had to commend George on his stellar performance. While playing the girlfriend wasn’t a challenge for you, George was completely convincing as a boyfriend. He had a knack for sneaking up behind you and kissing you on the cheek or grabbing your waist, creating a genuine element of surprise for all to see. At first, George would join you in eating with your crowd but you started to drift ever so slightly to spending more time simply with each other for meals. Even when you were alone, it felt as if you were a couple. You would sit on the couch and laugh about nothing for hours and hours. You’d stay up late and talk about life as you rested your head in his lap and he would play with your hair as you drifted off to sleep. It got to the point where you had to remind yourself that you were not actually dating George and this was all a ploy. 

The only person who appeared strictly opposed to this pseudo coupling was Fred. Despite your best efforts, he still suspected you were using George for something. And he was right about that; but he didn’t know the other half of it. So many times you considered telling Fred or instructing George to tell him about the arrangement, but you didn’t think it would help anything. Fred’s opinion would likely remain the same and he would probably just chew out George for keeping secrets from him. Instead, Fred kept his distance from you, and it pained you terribly. You knew that this was affecting their relationship and you only hoped that everything between them would clear up as soon as your deal was over. 

Your plan didn’t have a set timeline, but you knew your arrangement would end with a very public breakup. You would run off and “cry yourself to sleep” while George would mope around the common room in the hopes of accepting some sympathy from Angelina Johnson. You figured by that point that Roger would be sick of pampering Fleur and would consider reconnecting with newly single you. However, gaining Roger’s attention didn’t seem to be a priority to you anymore. You just wanted to help George find his happy ending. 

“Hey you, ready to go?” George interrupted your thoughts and you found him bundled up in a matching hat and scarf set, surely knitted by his mother. You were dressed in a similar manner, preparing for the brisk air about to reach your cheeks. It was a day full of excitement as the first task of the tournament was about to occur. You convinced George that you should sit with Fred and Lee for the task and he reluctantly obliged. You knew things between them had been tense and you wanted them to spend some more time together whenever possible. You walked down to the arena designed specifically for the task. George had hinted that the first task involved dragons in some way, since his brother Charlie had helped to deliver the beasts. You were ushered into the crowd where you saw Fred and Lee sitting with two seats open that they seemed to have saved for you. 

You made your way through the crowd and walked through all of your peers to reach your seats. George took the space next to Fred and squeezed your hand through the mittens you were wearing. You sat down as you waited for the event to begin. The scene in front of you was a rocky terrain with giant boulders and miniature cliffs arranged in an uneven and jagged manner. In the middle of the arena was a golden egg that appeared to be the size of an ostrich egg. You were about to inquire whether George knew anything else about the task when you heard the bellowing voice of Albus Dumbledore amplify through the arena.

‘The first task of this tournament requires our champions to retrieve a golden egg that is being protected by a dangerous creature. This task is designed to test each champion’s daring and bravery, as well as their ability to think on their feet and utilize the magical knowledge and skills they have learned. At the sound of the cannon-“ Dumbledore was interrupted by the blasting of a cannon, which seemed poorly timed and must have been an accident. Yet Cedric Diggory made his way into the arena as he was up first. You cheered for your friend as he sauntered into the unknown terrain and you elbowed George to join you. You knew he was pulling for Harry to win the whole thing, but Cedric was one of your own too. Cedric looked confident, yet very alert, almost as if he was looking for something to come at him. Seemingly out of nowhere, a blue dragon landed on top of the egg that had been sitting in the middle of the arena. The crowd gasped in surprise and shock as they realized what the champions were being asked to do. George whispered in my ear, “That’s the Swedish Short-Snout. Charlie told me all about them over the summer break.” You nodded at his comment but you were unable to peel your eyes from the scene in front of you.

Cedric took a few steps closer to the Short-Snout as the dragon zeroed in on him as a new target. Steam came out of the dragon’s nostrils as he prepared to barbecue its newest intruder. Cedric was quicker though. He cast a spell and one of the boulders lying near the entrance was transformed into a dog, what looked like a German Shepherd. The crowd cheered as the dragon now chose to focus solely on the animal running circles around him in a taunting way. The shepherd made its way toward the edge of the arena and the dragon slowly followed, planning its attack. With each step the dragon made away from the golden treasure, Cedric ran a few steps closer. Just as Cedric was about a foot away from taking the egg, the dragon lost interest in playing games with the dog and headed back toward the egg he was guarding. Cedric froze as the Short-Snout grew angry at his intrusion and flames shot from the dragon’s mouth. You squeezed George’s arm, unsure of what was about to happen to your friend while also feeling slightly amazed at the power of the dragon. You could feel the heat from the stands which meant Cedric must have been close to frying. The flames hadn’t quite reached him as he lunged toward the egg, covering his face with his arm. Once the egg was in his possession, the dragon vanished and Cedric celebrated by holding up his treasure and key to the next task. The crowd went wild with applause, even though Cedric just barely made it out alive. His face was almost entirely black with dirt and soot and it appeared he sustained some sort of burn on his face. Regardless, he had defeated the dragon.

Fleur was next to take on her dragon which she did with utter finesse and minimal difficulty. She enchanted her green dragon to sleep and scurried over to collect the egg. The only mishap occurred as the dragon was snoring and exhaled the slightest bit of fire which ignited Fleur’s light blue skirt. She quickly put out the flames with her wand and continued towards the golden egg. 

Viktor trudged out onto the pitch and bravely faced the Chinese Fireball that was ahead of him. He circled around the dragon, deciding what to do next, as he dodged the occasional flames. George nudged you and you turned to look at his grinning face.

“This is pretty awesome isn’t it?” he said to you.

“Yeah, I mean completely frightening and borderline unethical but very entertaining.” He put an arm around you and brought your head to his shoulder where you stayed until something exciting happened. Viktor had his wand raised and conducted a very forceful spell which seriously impaired the Fireball. It was difficult to determine what exactly he had done, but it seemed to be working. The dragon was wincing in pain and Krum took the opportunity to trudge toward the golden egg. 

“What’s he done?” you asked George, hoping he understood what had happened.

“I think he’s blinded it…” George replied. You nodded and almost immediately George’s suspicion was confirmed as the dragon was stumbling around, disoriented. The beast became agitated and he let out an angry, fiery breath while lashing his tail about, striking Krum to the ground. You gasped and unconsciously grabbed George’s hand with nervousness. He turned to you with a smirk on his face and you casually recovered saying, “Sorry.” He chuckled and shook his head, gripping your hand tighter.

Krum was thrown a few feet across the pitch and appeared to be in pain, however he found his strength again as the dragon blindly trekked around the arena. Krum was determined to collect the egg and once he did so, he let out a masculine grunt and held the egg up, to which all the Durmstrangs began chanting “Krum! Krum! Krum! Krum!...”

“Three down, one to go. How do you think Harry’ll do?” George asked you.

“I mean these three made it look kind of easy. But I don’t know if Harry has that sort of knowledge or confidence even. We’ll see if he can pull it off.” 

A few moments later Harry emerged into the arena, seeming a little shaken and nervous, much like the other champions. His dragon must have been released but was still hidden behind some boulders. This dragon was smart. Harry looked confused, shrugged and started walking toward the egg, under the impression he might just be able to grab it.   

He was wrong. The dragon leaped from behind a boulder and flames and steam were erupting from its nostrils. Harry jumped back and was completely startled. His only move was to hide behind a boulder, which didn’t seem like a long-term solution. The dragon, which Fred mentioned was a Hungarian Horntail, was slowly burning the rock Harry was hiding behind and the outcome seemed pretty bleak. You grabbed George’s arm and nuzzled your head into his shoulder as a reflex, not wanting to see the fiery event occurring in front of your eyes. You suddenly realized you were doing all of this stuff without even trying to act coupley. It was just happening. Perhaps you were overthinking things or you wanted to hide your feelings but as George looked down at you to make sure you were okay, you gave him a wink and a soft smile to assure him this was just for show. Even if maybe it wasn’t.

At that moment, Harry cast the Accio charm and his broomstick appeared just in time. Harry hopped on and flew a circle around the Horntail. Everyone started cheering at this sudden turn of events, including you and George. You  soon realized that Harry didn’t quite seem to have a plan and was simply just escaping the dragon at this moment. Harry’s sudden ability to fly seemed to disturb the dragon and it was fighting the chains holding it toward the ground. Seconds later the Horntail ripped the chains from the ground and this chase suddenly became much more real. Harry recognized the dragon was no longer being held down and flew up over the section where all the teachers were seated and out of the arena towards the castle. The dragon followed suit, taking out the teachers section on its way.

“Well done dragon!” Fred and George shouted in unison, high fiving each other. It was a rare moment with these two as of late and it made you smile. Harry flew towards the castle and all the excitement was gone as there wasn’t much to see. The crowd was hushed and whispering about what might be going on off the pitch. 

“Now what?” you whispered to George. It was a very high tension moment and not being able to see anything was stressful and also a little dull. People around you were speculating the outcome of the event, whispering theories and extremes.

“He’ll make it through this, I think. Harry may be young but he’s got good instincts. And a lot of luck.” 

“Very true.”

You made small talk as the crowd started to lose focus on Harry’s current absence. You spotted Hermione a few rows ahead of you beginning to panic as Ron tried to calm her down, assuring her things were probably fine. 

“What’s that?” you heard Dean Thomas say, as he pointed to something appearing in the sky. The clouded, grey sky became a bit brighter as some royal blue sparks appeared in the middle of the arena. The sparks took the form of a quill and began to write a message in calligraphy.

Y/N –

 Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the Yule Ball?

                                                                          George

You felt the blush creeping up your cheeks as everyone turned to look at you, awaiting your answer.

“So, what do you say?” he asked you.

You tried to hide the surprised smile that was spreading across your face. “I would love to,” you replied.

George wrapped his arms around your waist and surprised you with a kiss. You put your arms around his neck in response and you heard the people around you start to cheer and clap. You pulled away and gave George a hug. He really had a way of making you feel special. You knew he was different, but you didn’t expect anything like this. You weren’t even sure you were going to the ball together. You thought he might want to ask Angelina, but apparently not. Maybe this was real.

As you were hugging, George whispered in your ear, “Had to put on a show right?” Of course, this was all for show. Had to make people jealous of you. You assumed it also was a ploy to impress Angelina with his thoughtfulness and romanticism. You were fooling yourself by thinking you actually had something special.

The attention was shifted off of you and back to the arena as Harry slowly flew into sight. The arena erupted into cheers, particularly the Hogwarts section. Harry flew down and scooped up the golden egg, holding it high above his head as if he had just caught the Golden Snitch. The buzz in the arena was wild. Barty Crouch came out to give the rankings based on time it took to defeat each dragon but no one was really listening. Everyone was just happy they had all succeeded and made it through alive.  While the task itself was exciting, you knew there would be some sort of celebration in the Gryffindor common room that would be equally as fun.

                                                           X

The common room was alive with excitement. Gryffindors of all ages were gathered around to celebrate Harry’s victory. He was currently being hoisted up in the air as everyone cheered him on. You and George laid back a little and let the younger Gryffindors grovel over the famous Harry Potter. Harry was enjoying the glory and he suddenly quieted everyone down. He was holding the golden egg in his hand and everyone was waiting to hear his next word.

He casually lifted up the egg and said, “Who wants me to open it?” Everyone erupted in cheers and Harry played dumb and egged the crowd on. Finally he twisted the top of the egg and the sides fell open. You weren’t sure what to expect, but you were taken by surprise when a high pitched shrieking sound filled the room. You covered your ears and turned toward George instinctually. He put his arm around your shoulder and held your head to his chest. Harry struggled to close the egg but once he did everyone sighed a breath of relief. That event seemed to disperse the crowd a little bit and encouraged more socialization. Of course Harry was surrounded by a crowd of friends and admirers. You and George took a seat on the couch away from much of the excitement.

“You have a dress for the ball yet?” he asked.

“I don’t actually. To be honest I kind of forgot about it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I was so excited for the ball when I was with Roger, but when he ended things I sort of avoided thinking about it. I didn’t know if we’d still be doing this by that point.”

“I thought about that, but this just seemed like the right thing to do. I figured we might still be acting a couple and since people are starting to solidify dates I didn’t want either of us to be dateless.”

“Good thinking there Weasley,” you remarked. You realized you were actually looking forward to going to the ball with George.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something,” he started. He looked…hesitant, and it made you nervous. 

“Yeah, sure,” just as you replied, Fred and Lee came in with some butterbeers. Fred looked over towards you, seeking George’s company. You saw George’s eyes light up and you knew he was dying to join them. “Go ahead, we can talk later.”

“Meet me in the stairwell in 20?” he suggested. You nodded and assured him you would be there. You couldn’t help but feel butterflies in your stomach. Maybe things were really happening for you. You were trying not to live in a fantasy world and be more realistic about things but everything seemed to be falling into place. You caught George’s eye for a moment as he was chatting with Fred and Angelina, but he soon redirected his attention to the conversation ahead of him. You decided to head to your room and freshen up, looking for a way to waste 20 minutes.

                                                            X

You were making some small talk with Hermione when you glanced up at the clock and realized it was just about time to sneak away. You made a quick exit and scurried away to the spiral staircase within Gryffindor tower. You would be a few minutes early but you were okay with that. You crept quietly down the stairs when you realized there were people here already. You froze unsure of whether you should continue or not, but your curiosity got the best of you. If this was a new couple, you wanted to be the first to know. You cast a charm that kept all your movements hushed as you climbed quickly down the stairs, anxious to see who was…snogging it seemed. 

You could tell you were getting closer to the two lovebirds so you slowed down to ensure you didn’t interrupt them. You spied around the corner and found a familiar red head facing away from you. Your heart dropped. It was George. And pinned against the wall was Angelina Johnson. His hand was cupping her cheek, exactly like he had done with you before, and Angelina was softly moaning and giggling. She pulled away for a moment and whispered to him.

“I have to say, I’m surprised. I did not expect this at all. Especially with everything that’s been going on with you lately. But I’ve been waiting for this to happen for years. I always thought we would end up together and here we are. And now you can ease the tension with your brother.”

You put your hand to your mouth to keep quiet. Even with the charm you cast, you were worried you might make a sound anyway. George didn’t even respond, he just returned his lips to hers and resumed the macking. You retreated, seeing all you needed to see. You tried to hold back the tears that were welling in your eyes. You felt like an idiot. George probably wanted to break off your arrangement because he had won the attention of Angelina. You were dumb enough to think he wanted to become a couple for real. Your heart dropped into your stomach and you felt nauseous. This feeling was all new to you. Even your breakup with Roger didn’t make you feel like this. You panicked with where to go, since you knew the common room was full of people and you certainly didn’t want to be seen like this. On impulse you ran down the hall and made your way toward the Room of Requirement. It was the only place you could think of where you could truly be by yourself.

                                                            X

“Y/N, I missed you last night. What happened?” George found you at breakfast. You were there pretty early and were eating by yourself, still not ready for company. 

“Hey,” was all you offered him. 

“You okay?”

“Oh yeah. I’m fine.”

“So about last night.”

“Don’t worry about it, honestly. We created this easy out clause for a reason and I don’t want you to feel guilty about cutting things off.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I know about you and Angelina and I’m really happy for you guys. I always thought you would make a cute couple. Oh and you’re off the hook for the Yule Ball too.”

“Y/N, I-“ 

“George, don’t pity me. I’m fine on my own. I don’t need you to fake this relationship anymore okay? We weren’t even a believable couple. In what world would I move on from Roger Davies and start dating you,” you snapped. As soon as the words were out of your mouth, you regretted saying them. Truthfully, you were hurt and you were taking that pain out on George. He gave you a look of disgust before storming off. You watched him go and tried to call after him but it was too late. You dropped your head to the table in defeat. You had ruined another relationship and this one was with someone you genuinely cared about. 

[cyanogastra]

Fuckbuddies Aren't Supposed to Share Fond Looks and Give Chaste Kisses

Read on: AO3

Atsushi suddenly pulls away from his mouth, sitting up on his haunches and pulling Akutagawa further into his lap. He’s biting his lip, looking as if he’s contemplating something.

“Can we…can we go further today?” Atsushi asks tentatively, shy violet-yellow eyes gazing into his grey ones. Akutagawa’s (barely there) eyebrows hike up to his forehead, absorbing the jinko’s question.

Or: Fuckbuddies-with-obvious-growing-feelings Shin Soukoku go all the way for the first time. Featuring compliment-starved Akutagawa.

Beginning note:

This work is the second installment for my ongoing series. Check out the prequel to this one, “Did you know male cats have spines on their dicks?”. It’s not a super must, but if you want to you can go ahead and read that first.

Just a precautionary trigger warning for people with weight issues. Akutagawa’s canon height and weight puts him at BMI 16 (underweight), so he is beyond “just slim”. That’s like…Lisa Manoban thin, except he doesn’t have her muscles.

—

Akutagawa wonders how they ended up this way.

Three hours ago they were on a joint mission, blood running high on adrenaline as they crack down on a bunch of armed men while simultaneously dealing with a strong ability user.

Two hours ago they arrived in his apartment, bringing the jinko into his home for the third time now. They ordered some takeout from a random Chinese restaurant, flipped some random channels, and had a random argument about something related to big cats when the TV landed on Animal Planet. 

They bickered some more, Akutagawa progressively getting more annoyed which led him to tackle the jinko on the couch–

Which led to them currently grinding against each other. The leather underneath them squeaks in complaint as Akutagawa grinds his hips downward on the jinko’s crotch. Atsushi moans softly, wrapping his hands tighter around the other man’s hipbones and pulls him further to him, his own hips rising to meet the other’s clothed erection. Akutagawa grinds on him harder, wanting to elicit more moans out of the jinko’s mouth. 

He supposes it was natural, considering the recent nature of their relationship. They haven’t exactly been “purely work partners” for a while now, since it wasn’t really professional to make-out, grind, and give handjobs to your partner. Not to mention they are technically from rival organizations.

Akutagawa feels his arms strain from under his weight, having sustained the position for a few minutes. Inwardly, he curses his weak body for being unable to hold himself up for prolonged periods of time. His elbows start to bend in exhaustion on either side of the jinko’s head.

Atsushi notices his struggle from below him. He leans up to press a kiss on Akutagawa’s mouth before wrapping his arms around his back and turning them over swiftly. Akutagawa breathes out a small sigh of relief as his back hits the couch. Atsushi leans down for another kiss, their tongues dancing at a relaxed pace, neither of them feeling a need to hurry. They have lots of time on their hands, inside the safety of his apartment, and especially since his sister was away on a week-long mission.

He hikes his thighs up, feet rising to tangle themselves around the back of the jinko’s knees. Atsushi pulls away from him briefly, hands leaving their place under Akutagawa’s back and places them on the back of his thighs, pushing them up so the dark-haired man could wrap his legs around his lower back.

Akutagawa’s cheeks flush from the position. Atsushi returns to him, his face also flashing crimson from how intimate it felt (even though they were still fully clothed). He pushes the odd feeling away, hands going back to Akutagawa’s hips and resuming their grinding.

They kiss some more, Atsushi leaving more kisses on Akutagawa’s neck and collarbone while the dark haired man lets out soft sighs of pleasure. The desire to move on to the next stage grows stronger, wearing Akutagawa’s patience thin. He kisses back harder, hoping that the jinko gets his point.

Atsushi suddenly pulls away from his mouth, sitting up on his haunches and pulling Akutagawa further into his lap. He’s biting his lip, looking as if he’s contemplating something. 

“What is it, jinko?” Akutagawa huffs in annoyance. Atsushi blinks at him, an unsure curl on his lips. His teeth fidgets with his bottom lip before continuing. 

“Can we…can we go further today?” He asks tentatively, shy violet-yellow eyes gazing into his grey ones. Akutagawa’s (barely there) eyebrows hike up to his forehead, absorbing the jinko’s question.

Akutagawa blinks back slowly at the jinko. “What do you mean?”, he says, knowing fully well what the other is trying to ask of him. He wants to hear it anyway, his excitement growing at the thought of their relationship reaching a new height.

“I mean l-like…” Atsushi stutters before licking his lips. “Like going all the way.”

Akutagawa opens his mouth and thinks of a few responses, “God fucking finally”, “I thought you would never ask”, or “Well what the hell are you waiting for?”, he decides against all of them.

Because he will never admit it to the jinko, but he had been waiting for 4 months and two weeks, and hearing that question is making his heart beat ecstatically. 

Instead he wraps his legs tighter around the jinko’s waist. Atsushi exhales nervously, waiting for his response.

“Do what you want.”  He says airily, trying to sound nonchalant. Atsushi beams in excitement, biting his lower lip as he reaches between them to pop Akutagawa’s trousers open. He eagerly slides the slacks down Akutagawa’s thighs, the other man moving one of his leg underneath Atsushi to help him pull it off easily. Akutagawa even goes further and pulls his briefs down, eyes locking on the way the jinko’s mouth hang dumbly as he stares at the cloth sliding off his slim legs. He settles back on his previous position, his frilled blouse barely covering his nether regions and leaving very little to the jinko’s imagination. He silently dares the other to continue. 

Atsushi snaps himself back with great effort, his mouth suddenly feeling dry. Well…that was hot.  He reaches forward to push the coat off Akutagawa’s shoulders, but stops to look into the other’s eyes for permission. Akutagawa hesitates for a few seconds before complying, pulling his arms out of the sleeves and hanging the coat on the couch’s armrest. Even in times like this, he feels wary to part with Rashoumon.

Atsushi gazes at him understandingly. Akutagawa huffs, yanking at the jinko’s tie, Atsushi yelping as he’s pulled forward. He gets the hint instantly, pulling quickly on the tie around his neck. He unbuttons his shirt, Akutagawa’s hands assisting him to make him undress faster. The other man beats him to the last button, and Akutagawa yanks it out of the hole almost angrily.

He pushes the shirt down the jinko’s shoulders along with the suspenders, eager to run his hands down the pale chest. Atsushi is some ways away from muscular, but he’s lean, toned, and healthy. He feels a twinge of jealousy at the stark difference of their bodies as he runs his hands appreciatively down the jinko’s chest. He almost feels afraid to show his own, his self-consciousness about his frail body starting to rear its nasty head. His hand reaches the jinko’s navel and he notices burn scars by his hip. He runs wary fingers over them, bringing his gaze back up to see the jinko’s conflicted expression. Immediately he knows there’s a story behind them, but he figures there’s another time to hear it.

Atsushi chooses that moment to reach forward to tug the first button of his blouse open, quickly trying to dispel the memories that threatened to resurface. Unbeknownst to him, the other man was battling with his own turmoil. Akutagawa helps him, pulling his cravat loose and off his neck, fingers trembling the tiniest bit as he wrestles with unfamiliar nervousness for his body. Atushi finishes the last button, only for Akutagawa to immediately wrap his arms down his torso, obscuring Atsushi’s view and turning his head to the side.

“Akutagawa, hey. What’s wrong?” Atsushi says above him, a pleading tone on his voice. He rests his hands on Akutagawa’s elbows, gently coaxing them to uncross. “I want to see you too.” He says one more time, leaning forward to press a chaste kiss on the corner of Akutagawa’s mouth.

Reluctantly, Akutagawa moves his arms away from his body, opting instead to rest his hands on the jinko’s forearms. Atsushi gazes tenderly at him, one hand running softly over the length of his torso, starting from his protruding collarbones all the way to his navel. Akutagawa breathes through his nose, trembling slightly as he watches the other’s reaction. Atsushi leans down, pressing soft kisses on his chest.

“Pretty.” He says, one word to describe the sight before him, because even with such a frail body Akutagawa is gorgeous and he has no reason to hide from his gaze. Akutagawa’s skin colors pink from the comment, eyes darting shyly to the side, but Atsushi gently cradles his jaw back to face him. He leans down to press a hungry kiss on the other’s mouth, wanting to let the other know that he truly wants him. Akutagawa responds just as hungrily, tongues interlocking fervently.

They pull apart with a gasp, but Atsushi’s teeth immediately latches on Akutagawa’s throat.  He notes how slender the other is as he runs his hand down the other man’s sides, his thumbs nearly touching. He moves his mouth lower, lips catching on the other man’s nipple and gives the nub a hard lick, prompting a high pitched moan from the other. His clothed erection bumps Akutagawa’s bare cock, eliciting a sudden pained hiss from him. He whispers a quick ‘sorry’ to the other’s ear.

“Jinko…bedroom.” Akutagawa breathes out shakily, pushing at the other’s chest.

Somehow, Atsushi feels himself go harder at the implication. He swallows, nodding once before placing one hand below his knees and the other below his back. He lifts him easily, his tiger strength unchallenged by the other man’s light body. He remembers to take the coat with him, following his gut instinct that Akutagawa would prefer to have his ability nearby. Silently, Akutagawa approves of the action. He reaches up and cradles the jinko’s cheek to give him a chaste kiss. He doesn’t notice how the other falters in his step, heart soaring with something he has yet to recognize.

They reach his bed, the jinko dropping him gently on the mattress. Atsushi tosses the coat on the nearby desk before returning to him, bracing his arms on either side of Akutagawa’s head to gaze at him tenderly. He notes the way the other man looks softer and more unguarded than usual, eyes losing their almost permanent glint.

“What?” Akutagawa says, so softly that Atsushi almost doesn’t hear him. He shakes his head with a fond smile. “It’s nothing.”

Akutagawa rolls his eyes in mock annoyance, reaching over to his bedside drawer to retrieve a bottle of lube. Atsushi frowns at the unfamiliar object when Akutagawa hands it to him, though he has an idea about what it was for.

“Ummm…is this…?” He asks unsurely, turning the bottle around his hands. Akutagawa chuckles at his uncertainty.

Across him, Akutagawa is amused to know that the jinko has no experience at this level, even though it was unsurprising. He feels an odd sense of relief deep in his chest, the realization that he is the jinko’s first doing something to the beat of his heart.

Atsushi is unaware of the reason why Akutagawa had such a reaction, but all he could think of was: Akutagawa just laughed. Akutagawa just laughed. Akutagawa just laughed and it sounds so beauti-

“It’s to make things easier.” Akutagawa supplies for him, raising himself up to a sitting position before pulling the jinko to him. “Here, I’ll show you.” He takes the bottle from the jinko’s hands. He shifts, spreading his legs open, Atsushi’s mouth falling wide as he stares at his opening. He places trembling hands on both of the other man’s knees, pressing down ever so gently.

Akutagawa takes one of his hands without a word and uncaps the bottle open, pouring a sizeable quantity over the jinko’s fingers. Atsushi tilts his head curiously at the texture. He guides the jinko’s hand lower, closer to his opening, and Atsushi’s cheeks fire up as the pad of his finger grazes sensitive skin at his entrance. The other man looks at him expectantly, and he swallows, starting to nudge his middle finger in as slow as he could. The lube does it work, helping him slide in easily.

I’m fingering Akutagawa. Wow. I can’t believe it. This is my first time ever-

His thoughts screech to a halt as he sees the other man’s uncomfortable expression. Akutagawa must have noticed a change in his face, pulling harder at his wrist and guiding him to move his finger back and forth. Atsushi gets it quickly, sliding his finger in and out more firmly and at a steady pace. He continues doing it a couple more times, noting how Akutagawa relaxes around him, small puffs of breath coming out of his nose.

The other man opens his eyes, his hand on the jinko’s wrist shifting. “You can put in another one now.” Atsushi nods at him shakily, pulling back and adding another finger in. He must have pushed in way too quickly, because Akutagawa clenches around his fingers, a sudden grunt of pain coming out of his mouth.

“I’m sorry!” Atsushi blurts immediately, pulling his fingers back, but Akutagawa keeps them inside by grabbing his wrist with both hands.

“W-wait no. Just…” Akutagawa breathes out, almost pleadingly. Atsushi’s chest clenches at the way the other man blinks with strain. “Do it slowly.”

“Y-yes, I got it.” Atsushi replies hastily, gulping a nervous breath. He does that exactly, sliding his fingers back inside slowly. Akutagawa lies back down, biting his lip and closing his eyes. Atsushi pulls him closer to his lap, raising the other’s hips so he could access him better.

Atsushi notes how it takes longer for Akutagawa to relax this time, fingers squelching as he thrust them at a slow pace. A minute or two later he feels Akutagawa completely relax around him, having fully adjusted. Atsushi hesitates for a moment before pushing his fingers back in firmer strokes, pace quickening a notch but not enough to be fast.

“O-ohh…” A low drawn out moan rips out from Akutagawa before he could stop it, writhing as his hands claw at his bedsheet. Atsushi wonders if he could draw out louder moans from the other man. He does it a few more times, prompting similar sounds from the other.

“M-more, jinko.” Akutagawa tells him, reaching an arm out again to guide Atsushi’s wrist. “Right here, curl your fingers and–”

Atsushi does as he’s told, and was unprepared to witness the sight before him. Akutagawa throws his head back suddenly, teeth gritting and eyes pinching closed. Atsushi worries for a moment if he has hurt him again, only to be completely floored by the pleasured moan that comes out of the man’s mouth.

He pulls his fingers out and drives them back in, quick and sure, rubbing on the same spot that had Akutagawa moaning the way he did. He’s delighted at the louder moan that escapes the other’s mouth, his own hard cock twitching in his pants at the sound. Akutagawa bites his lip, trying to stifle his moans as the jinko continues thrusting his fingers into him.

An idea pops into Atsushi’s mind, feeling a surge of confidence. He slows down for a second, nudging a third finger into the other man. Akutagawa raises his head, wondering why he stopped only to crash his head back down. His back arches, throat releasing broken high-pitched moan as he realizes what the other had just done. Atsushi resumes his pace, intense violet-yellow eyes trained on him, watching his every reaction and burning it into his memory.

In his pleasure-filled mind Akutagawa notes how much better it felt to have the jinko finger him compared to himself. He lets out another loud moan before biting his lip again, already tender from how much he had bitten it to stifle his noises. He opens his eyes, words catching at the tip of his tongue to ask the jinko to stop, or he’s going to come like this.

Instead he sees the jinko’s still clothed erection, eliciting an irritated reaction from him. The sight snaps him out of his pleasure, grabbing suddenly at the other’s wrist.

“J-jinko, stop for a moment.” He says breathlessly. Atsushi complies, pulling his fingers out reluctantly, wiping the perspiration on his forehead with his arm, wondering why Akutagawa asked him to stop. He’s keenly aware of the slick coating his fingers.

He lets out a shocked groan as Akutagawa suddenly yanks at his clothed hips, one hand immediately cupping his bulge. “Why the hell are you still wearing clothes?” The other man says annoyedly, shaky fingers working on unbuckling his belt and yanking it off. Atsushi tries to help him, but Akutagawa was already and unbuttoning his pants and pulling his fly open, fingers darting into the hem of his boxers. Atsushi doubles over in sudden relief as the other man wastes no time to envelope him in his fist. A keen escapes his throat, one hand resting over the one Akutagawa has wrapped on his cock. The other man thumbs at his slit, already oozing with pre-cum. He strokes him slow and steady, the slick from his cock providing some ease. Atsushi groans lowly, eyes rolling back before closing tightly as he thrusts back shallowly in Akutagawa’s hand, desperate for release.

“You thought you could make me come so early?” Akutagawa challenges, pressing his thumb harder on the slit and playing around with the sensitive head, before stroking him at a faster pace.

“A-ah!” Atsushi moans loudly, hips stuttering from the pleasure. He fumbles his hand on Akutagawa’s fist, trying to pull him off, knowing that if he let the other man have his way then he’s going to come right then and there. Akutagawa strokes him quickly several more times before he finally succeeds in pushing the other man hands away from his cock. The man in front of him was smirking triumphantly.

He watches as Akutagawa lies back down, one hand trailing between his spread thighs. His mouth goes dry as the other man nudges his opening with two fingers, gaze locked on him with want.

“Come on, jinko.”

Atsushi’s mind must have short-circuited, because he doesn’t remember pulling his pants and underwear down his legs. He crawls towards the other, pushing his thighs further apart as he settles between them. Akutagawa hastily uncaps the lube once more, pouring an adequate amount on his hand and slathering it up and down on the jinko’s cock with his grip. Atsushi hisses from the contact and continues to shift forward the moment the other was done.

He lines his cock at the other man’s opening and pushes slowly, hands tight on Akutagawa’s hips. It takes a monumental effort to try not to sheath himself fast. He raises his head up to check at the other man’s expression.

Even with his gentle entry, pain still blossoms on Akutagawa’s face. Guilt surges through his heart, a litany of apologies already at his tongue. Akutagawa quickly notices the worried strain on the jinko’s face. He puts a hand over one of the jinko’s, squeezing him as a reassurance. “It’s alri-ight.” His voice breaks at the end.

Atsushi slides slowly, inch by inch until he finally bottoms out, closing his eyes momentarily as he sighs at the tight heat around him. Akutagawa also lets out a sigh before taking a deep breath, trying to will the pain to go away.

“Does it hurt?"Atsushi says nervously, mentally slapping himself for asking such an obvious question. "We can stop if it’s too much–”

“N-no! No. Don’t. I don’t want to.” Akutagawa hastily blurts out, holding tighter on the jinko’s hand by his hip. He closes his eyes in concentration. He did not wait a long time just for them to stop now. “Just…just give me a moment.”

Atsushi breathes out a breathy 'okay’, brows furrowed as he struggles to keep himself from thrusting. Akutagawa breathes in and out, adjusting himself to the feeling of the jinko’s cock in him. Atsushi slides a hand up his navel, thinking of a way to distract the other from the pain. The pad of his thumb stops at the nub on the other’s chest and toys with them. Akutagawa whimpers and opens his eyes, swatting at the hands half-heartedly. The jinko ignores him, continuing to toy with his nipple, pinching them between his fingers.

“You l-little…” He stammers as a keen escapes his throat, glaring at the jinko’s playful little smile as he weakly fends off the jinko’s hands. Atsushi’s other hand joins on his other nipple, doing the same action. Akutagawa blushes heatedly, the experience of his nipples being toyed with making him feel embarrassed.

The stimulation proves to be helpful, the pain dulling away as he steadily got used to the intrusion. He rolls his hips experimentally. Atsushi’s hand do stop from their teasing, hands going back to his waist, thumbs running circles on his hipbones. Akutagawa rolls his hips a few more times before finally only a dull ache remains.

He gives (or tries to) the jinko a challenging look. “W-what are you waiting for?” He says, mentally preparing himself.

Atsushi nods in assent, jaw tightening in determination as he pulls out slowly and slams back in one thrust. Akutagawa throws his head back with a moan, which Atsushi takes as a good sign. He repeats the action, setting a steady pace. He watches raptly at the blissed out face of Akutagawa who was currently letting out mewls, a loud moan escaping on occasion. Atsushi pants sofly, pleasure shooting up his spine each time he thrusts.

“A-ah…you feel so good.” He tells him in between pants, the feeling of Akutagawa’s tight heat around him the only thing on his brain. Below him, Akutagawa’s breath hitches, biting his lip mid-moan. Something dangerously desperate blooms in Akutagawa’s mind from the jinko’s words.

“You’re so tight around me…it feels really good–ha”. Atsushi says again, letting the other man truly know how he felt but then he swears Akutagawa clenches around him. He leans forward a little, searching the other man’s expression and notices the way the man bit his lip shyly, face turned away.

No fair. Atsushi thinks to himself. He wants the other looking at him, wants him letting out those loud moans for him and only him to hear. He adjusts his hold, placing both hands under Akutagawa’s lower back for better leverage, and he fucks–truly fucks the other man as he thrusts harder in quick succession. Akutagawa’s mouth falls open at the change, back arching up from the bed and hands rushing to grip the bed sheet below him. A series of loud broken moans tumble out from his lips.

“Akutagawa–ha…do you know how p-pretty you are?” Atsushi says in between breathy moans, heart soaring with delight as Akutagawa keens with a sob. One of the other man’s hands leaves its clawed grasp on his bedsheet, nails raking scratches down Atsushi’s forearm instead. He doesn’t mind them the slightest bit, in fact he enjoys the slight pain. He revels in the discovery that Akutagawa likes being praised.

He continues the pace of his thrusts, beads of sweat pouring out of his head, hips never faltering as he drove himself in. He lets out a few more praises for the other man, whispering words such as, “So good and tight”, “I can do this again and again."  The other’s cheeks flush permanently pink from hearing his words, teeth catching at his bottom lip often to smother his pitched moans.

Akutagawa’s cock leaks on his stomach and Atsushi feels a little bad for not stimulating him there. He rakes his gaze upwards, admiring how Akutagawa has shed all of his composure for him, eyes watering with pleasured tears. Atsushi reaches for the hand on his arm and presses a kiss to the back of it–once, twice,  before holding the palm close for a few moments.

"S-so beautiful…ha…pulling me in and driving me crazy.” He breathes out over Akutagawa’s knuckles, watching as the other man’s lips tremble, looking embarrassed and pleased at the same time. He guides the man’s hand to his own erection. Akutagawa gets the message, wrapping his hand around his cock.

Atsushi slows down to shift their position, one hand returning under Akutagawa’s hip and pulling him more securely on his lap. He seeks Akutagawa’s free hand with the other, locking their fingers together and pressing their on the bed. He braces himself on his haunches and then–

His thrusts change completely, driving his cock into Akutagawa hard and fast, hips never faltering from his bruising pace. Akutagawa yelps, legs locking behind the jinko’s waist as his toes curl from the intense pleasure. Atsushi shifts his thrusts, angling them lower, searching for that one spot that made Akutagawa see stars earlier. The other man very nearly screams when he finds it, voice hoarse as he throws his head back and arches at an angle that Atsushi’s sure that was uncomfortable. Akutagawa’s teeth clack as he tries to stifle the loud sobs that escape his mouth and fails.

Between them, Akutagawa’s hand falters from the quick strokes he was giving himself, his climax so incredibly close already. Atsushi instinctually knows that he’s close, and he’s leans forward and whispers. “G-go ahead and come for me”.

Akutagawa nods shakily. He strokes himself a few more times, and he’s coming, a heavenly moan tearing out of his throat, and he’s screaming–

“Atsushi!” He yells out, right as his cum paints his chest in a white streak, ass clenching hard around Atsushi in the same moment that the jinko groans loudly.

The sound of his name spilling out from the other’s lips triggers something in Atsushi’s brain. He loses himself a couple of thrusts later, a long drawn out grown spilling from his lips, back bowing forward in immense pleasure while his vision goes white. His hips stutter as he blows his load inside the other man.

Below him, Akutagawa stiffens despite his high, feeling the warm fluid enter him. He tries to tell the jinko to pull out, but all he could manage was a weak glare. They both catch their breath, Akutagawa lying flat on his bed, chest heaving up and down while the jinko bows his head forward panting. Atsushi pulls out when he feels himself go soft, shoulders hunching in exhaustion as he lays beside the other.

It takes them a few minutes before their labored breaths slow down into satisfied sighs. Atsushi moves closer to the other man, pushing at his back to settle behind him. He wraps an arm around the other, pressing a chaste kiss by his nape. Akutagawa hums, feeling content, clutching the other’s arm closer.

“You said my name.” He hears the other breathe out in between soft sighs. “You said my name…” He says one more time, as if he’s yet to truly believe it. Akutagawa blushes a bright red, only realizing what he had done.

��Jinko…” He says, as if to correct himself, but he knows the other already feels like he has won. Atsushi shifts closer, listening intently.

“Y-yeah?”

“Pull out next time.”

Atsushi flushes behind him, a cheeky laugh escaping his mouth. “I’ll remember that.” Akutagawa could feel his smile at his nape, feeling ticklish as Atsushi pressed another kiss.

The jinko can’t see it, but his lips curl into a soft smile.

 —

Ending note:

GENTLE TOP ATSUSHI! GENTLE TOP ATSUSHI! GENTLE TOP ATSUSHI! Huge shoutout to my new friend, @guyfierimpreg who shared my top Atsushi brain cell. This wise person once said: “Akutagawa will pop a lung trying to top and mid-sex trips to the ER aren’t exactly sexy.” Period. Also, this work was inspired by her and @musicprincess655’ fics.

LMAO hopefully I did a good job for you guys, because this is the first time I’ve written serious smut xD As in, dick in the hole smut. This definitely won’t be the last.

These chaste kisses and fond looks man. That’s not some fuck buddy level shit. They’re IN LOVE. But ofc they don’t know that, because they’re both dumb af. Just to clarify tho, I don’t think Aku is very experienced. It’s just that I think it makes more sense for him to have more experience than the jinko because well, he’s older, and Atsushi was a caged tiger (almost literally) for most of his life.

Also guys. Irl sex usually involves more lube. Not that I would know that by experience, because I don’t partake in gay sex. Just so you know…trying to make sure I don’t give bad sex advice to you virgins. And please use condoms.

[burnsopale]

Pictured: three tired boys breaking into pieces.

I was gonna wait until we actually reached lake Baikal, but I’m impatient, so let’s start the final part of my little series about these three disasters.

In the last post I talked about how Kai, Rai and Johnny are similar. Now I want to talk about how their similar fates will mean something different for each of them.

To recap, all three boys are highly sensitive and emotional, but too proud to dare be vulnerable, and so they hide behind more aggressive behaviour; Kai is antisocial, Johnny is sarcastic and cruel, and Rai is ANGRY. All three spend canon dealing with a big change in their lives (his name is Takao), but they are locked in their self-denial, so they resist the change furiously until they exhaust themselves and reach a crisis point where their armour is shattered and they stand revealed as who they truly are.

Or at least, Rai and Kai get that, Johnny almost gets there, but the arc ends before he can really reach it. He would have, though. Remember, Ralf, arguably the main antagonist of the arc, accepts the existence of the power of friendship before he even steps up to battle Takao. Johnny on the other hand never says out loud that he’s on board with the new regime. So for the images above, I could have chosen Johnny’s flinch after Ralf lost, where he’s got the same pinched expression and bared teeth as the other two, but in his case, it’s his moment of quiet distress in the garden that gives us the clearest glimpse behind the armour.

So they are similar, but the beauty of Bakuten Shoot Beyblade is the level of detail these characters get at their best. All three boys are facing an authority that demand they submit, but giving in will mean something different for each boy.

(Oh no, Judin’s getting horny again.)

(She’s not sorry, though.)

Rai’s case is fascinating because he is an alpha who, more than the other two, is forced to submit. He resists until he breaks, and then Rei overwhelms him with massive power. It’s a benevolent destruction, meant to tear down Rai’s walls and show him a better path, but it’s also a horrible humiliation. Don’t forget that Rai has to deliberately control his temper before he can congratulate Rei.

Remember also that it was Rai’s ambition to be chief, and for a little while that was his future, and now, while he will not have to live with being an imposter chief, the chief who was not chosen, he will have to live with having been the Almost Usurper. Rei and Rai will both be “the redeemed boy” of the tribe, except Rei is pure and blameless, while Rai is blackened and tainted by what he did.

Yes, this is all terribly dramatic, but that’s kinda the point; Rai is dramatic. Rai, Johnny and Kai are so proud that every little embarrassment is excruciating, and this embarrassment was not little.

So it is my belief that for Rai, submission to Rei will never be easy. First of all because his submission was forced; he is part of the clan, Rei is Byakko’s chosen chief of the clan, Rai has no choice but to submit; he tried to resist once and Rei showed him his place. Secondly, Rai is himself an alpha, used to being the dominating personality in all his relationships except with Rei.

And yeah okay we’re getting dangerously close to AlphaOmega fanfic territory here, but they’re friggin cat-people, so the terminology works, and anyway, not every character in this story is dominant or submissive. Max, for instance, can be either or neither. I’ve used him before as the example of a boy who accepts himself completely, emotions, weaknesses and all, and that makes him strong and adaptable, able to withstand for instance the realisation that his mom is a terrible mother. He can blend in with any group of people and do just fine; after all, his element is water.

I obviously have no idea how Rai deals with Rei returning in G-Rev, but looking strictly at season 1, I see a Rai who will always struggle to take orders from Rei, though he will do it for the sake of duty, and because he knows his reluctance comes from his own pride and shame, not from any fault of Rei’s, and really that just adds to his pain. Even leading the Chinese blading team is something Rai will know he is only doing until Rei decides to join them. Then he will have to step down.

ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO, ANYBODY ELSE FEELING A CREEPING DREAD? *sweats* Well buckle up cause it’s about to get hornier.

Next is Johnny. The funny thing is that where Rai is an alpha forced to submit, Johnny only thinks he’s an alpha, and submission actually comes very natural to him. Once he met Ralf anyway. AND YES I SHIP THEM PUT DOWN THE PITCHFORKS. I like to think I ship them because they have this dynamic, and not that I give them this dynamic because I ship them.

Part of Johnny’s problem is that he’s a soft boy who thinks he needs to be a swaggering macho male. He keeps tripping himself up because his natural instinct is to curl up in the safety of Ralf’s authority, which means he’s always doing what Ralf tells him to in the hope that senpai will notice him and give him the affirmation he needs. Remember my argument that Johnny bases his self-worth on his wealth, status and blading skills, all of which Takao is teaching him means nothing, leaving him with precious little; he is in desperate need of someone to tell him he is good enough even without these things. His loud complaining is both a front he puts up, his armour, and the way he expresses his fear of where this train is hurtling. Highly sensitive people are not good at accepting change, and Takao introduces change about as gently as a hurricane.

Unfortunately, the one who Johnny is looking to for affirmation is a guy who has no interpersonal skills whatsoever, and Johnny can’t really look elsewhere because of a little thing that Saint-Exupéry talks about in The Little Prince, when the Prince meets a fox who asks the boy to tame him:

“"I am looking for friends. What does that mean--'tame'?"

"It is an act too often neglected," said the fox. "It means to establish ties."

"'To establish ties'?"

"Just that," said the fox. "To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world..."

...

But if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music, out of my burrow.”

By giving Johnny his first major defeat, Ralf has tamed him, and, as Saint-Exupery goes on to say: “You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.”

Unfortunately, as before mentioned, Ralf is UTTERLY OBLIVIOUS to this thing having happened. He’s a stork what can I say. At best he has an instinctual sense of Johnny, Giancarlo and Olivier being “his people” now, which for instance allows him to casually dismiss Johnny’s very reasonable request TO BE ALLOWED TO GO HOME.

Ralf is the type who rules with complete authority. He’s a stone wall as far as negotiations go. Not that he can’t change his mind or see the sense in an argument (Again, he accepts the power of friendship when he sees it in action), but only if he is Wrong. This is like the one thing that keeps him from being a straight up villain. In all other ways he is unbendable, which also leaves Johnny’s attempts at asserting dominance hilariously ineffective.

For Johnny, his final submission to Ralf would mean he had reached self-acceptance, and it would give him safety and comfort, and I think Ralf, once he learns how to act like a human being, will grow into his role as Johnny’s Captain.

Though I admit that this, more than with Kai and Rai, is my own interpretation of Johnny’s character, since we don’t get his full arc. And he is not like this at all in the manga, but that’s a separate canon.

Again, if you think this is all very ... well, horny of me, I’m not saying all relationship work this way. Again, Kai defeating Max in battle did not mean Max is now tamed, because Max does not work that way. If he ever allows himself to be tamed, it will be his choice.

Takao, and shounen anime protagonists in general, tend to tame everyone they meet, and some people take it in stride, while others become their devoted followers or obsessed rivals.

Kai was very much tamed by Takao, but since he doesn’t respect Takao or think much of his abilities as a blader, Kai is able to shrug their bond off at first.

At first.

But I’ll come back to Kai if we ever get through episode 45.

[simply-zhouye]

Entering the rivers and lakes for the first time, brutal heart丨Interview with Zhou Ye

Zhou Ye’s first full length interview with Sohu’s 骨朵星番 Gu Duo Xing Fan is out! She talks about her character Gu Xiang in-depth, working with her costars Gong Jun plus how she’s handling netizens feedback about her acting. [Rough translation] Spoilers ahead for her character’s history & future ~

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/fQphUwOd9ATrIV8QXXv6DQ  #山河令 #wordofhonor

"Savage Sniper Little Witch", Zhou Ye replaced with this as her Weibo signature when "Shanhe Ling" was broadcasted.

This is Gu Xiang’s character in the play. She and "Please call me Philanthropist Wen" Wen Kexing, "Chief Editor 裸辞 事业 " Zhou Zishu, and "Optimism Researcher" Cao Weining and other actors collectively entertained and opened a happy atmosphere. Overflowing the screen.

However, the little witch Gu Xiang is a somewhat tragic character. Her destiny and feelings affect the hearts of the audience, so that when netizens find clues from the screenwriter that Gu Xiang and Cao Weining may be happy ending for the CP pair, celebrating in advance, it can be seen how attractive this girl in purple clothes and holding a long whip is, and she likes it to the point that "the audience has already begun to feel unhappy before saying goodbye."

This is not unexpected. Quite a few actors in the world leave some mark in the audience’s brains and hearts when they “pass”, deep or shallow. Those spiritual marks are often called “impressions”, and Zhou Ye’s especially, the scratches she left on people are deeper.

This may be due to the characteristics of her character, clear loves and hates, or complex and multi-faceted, or from her pure and awe-inspiring face under the lens, which is unforgettable, but it is certain that people have seen it in Zhou Ye. Something, what is that thing?

 When we don’t know how to explain the “goodness” of an actor, we often add the word talent to it, but Zhou Ye doesn’t think she belongs to this type of actor. She said, “I think I’m a little bit of an acquired taste.”

01 First entry into the arena

This is Zhou Ye's first time filming a costume drama.

Some people say that there are "walls" between ancient costume dramas and modern dramas, and the moment Zhou Ye decided to take over the role in "Shanhe Ling" was the beginning of Zhou Ye's breaking of the wall. 

"When I read the script, I thought it was a very good story. It told a series of stories from the rivers and lakes at the time, including the fact that I actually liked the role of Gu Xiang. She was eccentric, dare to love and hate, and had her own shining point."

Zhou Ye's love for "Shanhe Ling" is beyond words. A few hours before the show went live, she wrote a small essay on Weibo to interpret the Gu Xiang in her eyes. In an interview with Gu Duo, Zhou Ye missed that unforgettable environment. "It’s actually very happy to be on the shooting scene. Gong Jun sings in the dressing room every day , and everyone often chats together."

More under cut. Spoilers ahead.

However, playing Gu Xiang is not without pressure. For the first time in ancient costumes, Zhou Ye didn't know what kind of state the costumes should be, and she didn't know if she could play this role well.

"She has a miserable life experience. She had no parents since she was a child, and was later taken in by Wen Kexing. Although A-Xiang is from Guigu (Ghost Valley), she is not bad in the full sense. She has some things from Guigu, but she is very naive. For example, she has rescued two people, the first time was to rescue two girls from the hands of the jealous ghost, the second time was to save the singing girl when she met Cao Weining in a tavern.

When Gu Xiang saved people for the first time, Wen Kexing mentioned that the dog she raised when she was a child was stewed and eaten, and she cried for three full months, as a reminder: If saving people is irresponsible to the end, It's better to give it a pass.

"Gu Xiang agreed, because she is particularly eager to have companions and sisters. The multi-faceted character of Gu Xiang is very attractive to me."

In the play, Gu Xiang followed Wen Kexing from Guigu to the "world". She felt that the people she met after leaving Guigu were stupid, but she also said that "Wen Kexing next to Zhou Zishu feels is like a person." However, the "different paths between people and ghosts" laid the tragic tone for the master and servant to walk through the world, just like the implied meaning of the names of Wen Kexing and Gu Xiang, "the hometown of mourning for the guest."

In Zhou Ye's eyes, Gu Xiang and Wen Kexing have a feeling of being dependent on each other. 

"Wen Kexing is like her brother and her father, because Gu Xiang was saved by Wen Kexing since childhood, so her broken mouth and her violent temper were actually learned from Wen Kexing. The guest line said, "Gu Xiang is the only living thing around him."

When Zhou Ye talked about the relationship between Gu Xiang and Wen Kexing, she seemed to have re-entered the role, and everything was vividly visible.

02 "The people I play are not very like me"

"Have you seen the eyes of wild animals?" When the policeman played by Yin Fang uttered this line to Wei Lai, a bullying girl played by Zhou Ye, in "Better Days", Wei Lai's eyes were pure and chilling.

That was the first time Zhou Ye entered the public eye. With her outstanding performance in this film, Zhou Ye was nominated for the 33rd Chinese Film Golden Rooster Award for Best Supporting Actress, and also received a lot of support from netizens. "Sister Wei in society, there are not many people who are ruthless", "This damn bad woman is so sweet" , there is no lack of pampering in the words.

Actors who have portrayed villains often have an annoyance, that is, if they act well, the audience will hate the actor if they are too deep into the play, and it will be difficult to transform in a short time. But for the newcomer Zhou Ye, the audience is uncharacteristically "double standard". They are afraid of Wei Lai, but like Zhou Ye.

As a newcomer actor who has just entered the industry, Zhou Ye admitted that when facing the camera, she was actually a bit "fearful". Whether it was when the director shouted at the beginning or when working with seniors, she would be a little nervous, but she couldn't take this fear away. Show it. 

"Because Wei Lai herself is an aura and relatively calm person, so of course the Wei Lai you look like will not show your fearful side in front of your eyes."

"Then are you a calm person?"

"I am more in line with the stubbornness of the Taurus. I am more stubborn. Calmness still depends on the situation. I am not particularly calm." Zhou Ye paused for a while and continued, "It seems that my role is not very close to myself. Wei Lai is very close to me unlike Gu Xiang. She is a little girl who has lived in a particularly bad environment since she was a child. Lin Huajun of "Our Southwest Associated University" is a schoolmaster, but she is a talented girl from Peking University, and Tang Susu in "Ah Cradle" in fact, is not too different from Gu Xiang’s character."

The reporter tried to get Zhou Ye to summarize herself in four words. She only thought of two words- "stubborn and delicious", and then she added herself in the eyes of the staff, "They said I was hardworking and well-behaved." It's too early for a girl who is new to campus to analyze herself. It is far from the time to analyze and summarize. Everything has just begun.

Last week, she just graduated from the Beijing Film Academy. She spent six yuan to get the graduation certificate photo and happily shared the joy of "saving money" with netizens. 

"At that time, it was a rather unexpected result to be admitted to the film school. Later, when I was in school, I found acting was more and more interesting, and then I embarked on this road. I didn't really have a long experience as an actor. I started an internship when I was almost a senior. I took the stage slowly, and didn't make many films."

03 The life she loves and understands

Regarding "professionalism", Zhou Ye expressed that he is a person who "takes one step at a time and sees another step."

Although she is not the main protagonist in the broadcast of "Youth in the Young / Better Days" and "Shanhe Ling / Word of Honor", she feels that "the protagonist and the supporting role are no different, they are all a role, and each role will have its own shining point. With her own story, I will definitely play a supporting role in the future. If I have to have any small goals, it is to play every role well.” Zhou Ye seriously emphasized the matter of “playing every role well”.

"Then what do you think is the standard for acting well?"

 "Then it depends on the reactions of the seniors who filmed with me, the feedback from the director, and the feedback from the audience."

When "Shanhe Ling" first aired, some viewers responded that they were not comfortable with the "not cold" Zhou Ye played by Gu Xiang, but now they love this role more and more. 

"I pay attention to the audience's evaluation and criticism. I think their feedback is reasonable and I will accept it with a humility. As for Wei Lai and Gu Xiang, in fact, each character must be different. I will try a variety of roles and let everyone see a different me ."

This year Zhou Ye is only 23 years old. When answering the question, the tone was a bit childish, but the words spoken were surprisingly peaceful, with a natural sense of transparency. 

She said, "I don't mind the comparison. I think everyone has their own choice. I can't interfere with other people's ideas, so I don't mind what they say. Everyone has the right to express their preferences."

As for the audience who likes her, Zhou Ye said: “Thank you very much to them for liking me so much. I want to make a good film and reward them with more good film and television works. I can’t let them down. In fact, some of the films I’ve filmed have not been broadcast yet. I especially want to see how I am in a different state in different scenes."

During the epidemic, Zhou was not very anxious. She read books at home, played with slimes, and chatted with her mother. 

"Because all the work at that time was pushed back, it was actually quite good, and I could rest at home for a period of time." Zhou Ye entered busy work after the rest.

"The pace of work is actually good now, because you have to adapt if you don't adapt. You are a worker, of course you have to adapt to your job ."

The wish of "Playing Workers" Zhou Ye this year is to take a driver's license, and like all southerners, Chongqing Girls, Zhou Ye also has an obsession-"skiing". 

“I didn’t go skiing when I was in college in Beijing. Now I graduated, and I’m filming in other places every day, skiing is even more impossible. In my impression, I haven’t skied before, but my mother told me that when I was very young, I didn’t go skiing. I went to the Fairy Mountain in Chongqing once and glided there once, but I don’t remember."

"If you were say a few words to your future self, what do you want to say?"

"Filming every day, staying up all night every day, you have to protect your body, and then protect your hair." 

However, Zhou Ye told Gu Duo that he has not yet begun to pay attention to health preservation.

"Because young and capricious."

[codedredalert]

Your “the Heart pirates are learning German” series is so precious! Ich mag’s viel!

Just out of curiosity: what languages do you speak and how did you learn? Are you native in English and Chinese and learning German for the lolz or is there something else you speak as well?

The Uboot-conversation was just perfect, by the way.

Danke! A lot of credit goes to @creepysora for making the Uboot conversation actually comprehensible haha

How many languages I have depends on what level of proficiency the language skills need to be at to count it. My language education and learning “disability” lowkey gave me identity/language learning confidence issues, so it’s very hard for me to straight up say “Yeah I speak X”. ((All the German-speaking people being so supportive with the German homework AU wildlife preserve AU has been life-changing, thank you!!))

English is my native language, so I just acquired it, though it was also taught in school/therapy . My Mandarin Chinese is alright but not great, I learned it in school mostly via brute force memorisation/repetition, normal exams and homework, and some of the language teaching being in the target language. I don’t recommend the method bc it makes for a miserable experience, but it worked. These are the two that I actually dare to say I know because I can understand, read, write, and speak these. 

I guess I somewhat understand some very very basic Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew, and vernacular Malay (look at all those qualifiers lol). My family sometimes spoke these at home/ I hear them around, so these are acquired naturally. Zero idea about the writing/reading these. The moment you ask me to say something all my knowledge will instantly disappear, so just assume I don’t know them haha. 

Basic Japanese comprehension, reading, writing, speaking is a mix of: Chinese gives me a discount on understanding kanji, memorising the hiragana and katakana, one touristy crash course set of classes, a couple of self-teaching textbooks, and many many many years of being into the animes, manga, and cosplay.

And now basic German! yay! I’m learning through self-study, media, and the amazing Acid, who is a native speaker and also literally a Master in Linguistics. 

I’m learning German because, unfortunately, I’m a Law stan and my love language is bullying fictional characters. 

Anyway Acid says I’m learning quite fast? I’m surprised too, it’s been uhhh maybe half a year? A year at most. I feel like what works for me is a lil different from conventional advice, but I’m happy to finally find something that works. I can go more into that if ppl want but separately, this is probably already way longer than intended haha

[savagetrickster]

i promise you | 01

anime | character: bnha | todoroki shouto x quirkless reader

word count: 1,011

themes/warnings: (heavy) angst, fluff, bullying(!), this bnha au was made to be a bit more dystopic than the canon hence dark topics, brief mentions of human-trafficking, self-esteem issues, implied child abuse

a/n: a shuffle to “i promise you” by selena gomez on my phone on a bus ride inspired this fic. actually these ideas were already formed in my head way before i joined tumblr , but with this song inspiring me, i knew i had to get it out.

i’m really emotional about this one. this series will generally be in a solemn tone. mostly reflecting my thoughts about shouto’s circumstances, but might have kinda made it a bit more sad than it actually is.

*the dividers with words are extracted from i promise you lyrics that inspired the respective parts. they are placed selectively so not all parts will have them. I put them ‘cause i find that they resonates with the part.

— part one

From the beginning of time, nature has always favored the strong while the weak are built to struggle.

The predator gifted with more speed and power is more likely to get the prey.

The ones with greater resistance to diseases are more likely to outlive the rest.

The more attractive has the greater likelihood to dominate the gene pool. 

This inevitable, cruel works of how the world spares no creatures, including mankind.

Rich over the poor.

The educated over the uneducated.

The able over the disabled.

Beautiful over the ugly.

—

The first special ability was discovered in the Chinese city of Qingqing and the emergence of more across the globe earned these various powers an official name known as ‘Quirks’.

This manifestation gave rise to a new age of war, where humanity reared its ugly head once more. It was no longer about the tanks or guns owned, it was all about Quirks. Quirks were assets, a new form of resources...a new surge of power. 

The greed of humans eventually led to the eruption of wars. Power-hungry countries were determined to swallow each other. The quieter countries which simply wanted to mind their own business, forced to take up an aggressive stance for the sake of protecting their land.

The constant battles to claim or protect waged on for three years. The long, tiring struggle eventually came to a standstill when a peace treaty came into the picture.

The peace treaty though established for peace as named, a tangible tension lingered; the same one responsible for placing nations on the edge during the long three years. Nobody dared to put their guards down.

A new era rose, where Quirks were essential assets - a significant element that made a nation strong.

Dominated by Quirks, a social stigma between the one with quirks, sometimes referred to as the ‘Quirked’ and those without became an inevitable aspect in societies.

The ones without, the quirkless - the formal ‘normal’ before Quirks existed - were the abnormals, the weak ones, the liabilities, the disabled...a defect, a waste of space and resources.

The massive manifestation of Quirks tilted the scale so much, the quirkless became a rarity.

The crooked nail standing out. 

The black sheep that made people curl their lips in condescend. 

A sore eye.

The one placed on the lowest in the social hierarchy; no longer the poor, the uneducated, or the scampering ones in the dark alleys.

No society wanted more to add to the miserable numbers.

The advancement in healthcare catered to a society of the ‘new’ normal included the development of the medical science for early detection of quirklessness as early as six weeks in the womb. 

Handing out huge monetary incentives to parents who heed the governments’encouragements to abort became common practice across the globe.

In this era of superpowers, this practice was seen as ethical for a world that was eager to shed off its former self - to cast away the remains of the old age like afterthoughts. What was once the definition of an average human was now a redundancy. 

The possession of a quirk was the new definition of an average human.

From the beginning of time, nature has always favored the strong while the weak are built to struggle.

The predator gifted with more speed and power is more likely to get the prey.

The ones with greater resistance to diseases are more likely to outlive the rest.

The more attractive has the greater likelihood to dominate the gene pool. 

This inevitable, cruel works of how the world spares no creatures, including mankind.

Rich over the poor.

The educated over the uneducated.

The abled over the disabled.

Beautiful over the ugly.

.

.

.

However.

Ever since the dawn of the new era, everything else stood above one.

….The Quirkless.

The first time she met his eyes was from the back of a van. Hers were urgent, frantic, and clinging onto his shocked ones with desperation for help. 

The strength in her ten-year-old body struggling against them was no match. 

Her voice screaming for help, for his help was also no match for the hand clamped over her mouth. 

He was her only hope then, being the only person there to witness two grown men wrestling her thrashing resistance against being placed into the back of their loud, purring van.

She didn't know who they were, but she knew what they were about to do. And what they were able to do was what killed her father and took her mother away four years ago.

The human trafficking business fed on the quirkless like them and this was not something new in this superpowered world they live in. 

The fact that the authorities would brush over cases reported to them like they were merely afterthoughts was what helped these dirty businesses thrive. 

Japan had their own cases; they were a little to none - but it didn’t mean people do not go disappearing off the streets.

The quirkless ones were only a head or two among the millions afterall. 

Too insignificant to be noticed, even for the greedy media. This was perhaps why it was unheard of.    

News about these under-the-table dealings in the black market was treated as fabrications on the social media, ignored and laughed at before being skimmed past. 

...That was why she had to cling onto her freedom threatening to slip from her grasp. 

Knowing once the doors of the van close behind her, she would be written off as a missing person if her absence was fortunate enough to be noticed. 

She was as good as dead, shoved into the dark to drown.

No one knew. 

On a quiet  little road at ten on a cold, moonless night, no one was here to care about what was going to happen to her.

Except for him, which her abductors were oblivious to, with their tall, broad backs to him.

Just a boy her age. Seemingly too young and lacking the strength in his muscles to do anything.

…But with an incredible power over ice that had overwhelmed them and saved her on that fateful day.

|  Next (in progress)

[woozisnoots]

modernized pucca*!hoshi au aka hoshi is a delivery boy being clingy

° pairing: hoshi x reader ° word count: 1.1k ° genre: fluff ° warnings: foul language, mild violence ° a/n: terms with a * are explained below

masterlist!

it’s five in the morning when your alarm woke you up

and first you think what,, the fuck? why??

you did nothing to deserve this

but then you realize it’s monday fUNday

then you’re like,,, fuck i gotta gO

you live alone in small apartment downtown since you moved out of your parent’s place a couple years back

bUT just a couple of months ago your parents crashed their car into a tree

… yeah you don’t know how that happened either

nor do you think you wanna know?

so like now they don’t have a car

your lil siblings are afraid of any public transportation

and their house might as well be on a remote island bc anywhere else is too far for them to just walk

so being the a n g e l that you are, you offer to drive their parents to work in the morning AND your siblings to and from school

in exchange for money of course

bc that’s about an hour to drive to their place and you need GAS

also bc like you’re a national winning karate champ and you need new equipment

bobs* + safe guards + weapons = 5-6 digits worth of mula,, no big deal

so you drive to their place, take your parents to work, and drop off the kiddos to school, thanking the gods above that you got their just in time

you hang at your parent’s place until you have to pick up your siblings later

there’s like 8 hours to kill before you gotta pick ‘em up so you decide to train

some of your old equipment was left at your parent’s place so you decide to use those

you also greatly appreciate the fact that you left a katana in the hands of a nine year old child :)

fastforward, it’s been a couple of hours,, water is leaving your body via sweat (gross) and you’re incredibly famished

you don’t wanna use up gas so you call up a delivery from a chinese restaurant that your parents recommended

do you all see where this is going :)

you take your training outside and start working footwork and punch combinations

“you should try front punch, back punch, back fist!! that one’s always a classic!”

startled, you look over your shoulder and spot your eyes on a,,, uhhm quite,, cute boy standing just over on the other side of the fence

if it weren’t for his tiger printed cardigan

“are you the delivery boy?”

“yes ma’am :)”

“alright how much do i owe you?”

“for you? nothing but i would like to kiss you on the cheek tho” ;)

...excuse you what :)

you laugh it off and just give him a 20 and respond with “keep the change” as you take your food and started heading inside

before you could place one foot passed the door you heard him yell, “i guess i’ll see you later!!”

confused, creeped out, and slightly dare you say,, excited? to see him again?? whatever the heck he meant?

then that feeling started to dwindle once you realized that this boy has just been coming by the house to give you food

every

thirty

minutes

for the past

three

hours.

doESNT HE HAVE AN ACTUAL JOB

for the entire week, that was the routine

you wouldn’t even call for food,, he was just already there

and now you have mountains of food in the kitchen fOR NO REASON

friday came and it was time for you to pick up the kids from school and as you start to leave you see,, him coming towards the house

getting in your car as fast as you can, you yell, “I’M LEAVING PLEASE JUST LEAVE THE FOOD ON THE DOORSTEP AND NEVER. COME. BACK. maybe wait a month. THANKS.”

and off you went

,,,but there he stayed

and to makes things more incredibly weird, you’re siblings seemed to know him?? like they did this (secret) handshake and gave him hugs?

so you ask one of them how they knew this hamster looking, tiger obsessed freak?

apparently he’s always the one that delivers to their house, known to be really nice and give extra food, sometimes even invites him to play inside if it’s his last delivery

“so do you guys normally order this much food or does he just have a soft spot for you guys?”

“what the hell no!! even on our regular days, he doesn’t give this much extra food. and we’re his favorite”

well you be damned

you decide to leave it be and head back outside to clean up the equipment

out of NOWHERE,,, once again

this boi transports himself in front of you to ask for you guys to spar

,,,ahahaha what? “you’re shitting me? why would i want to do that?”

“bc i like you :)”

“…”

“if i get you to the ground, i get to kiss on the cheek. deal?”

this crazy ass motherf***** “yeah no. i don’t want to be responsible for any injuries that you might acquire after this encounter”

“bet :)”

tired of his bullshit, you dropped the boxing gloves to the floor and drove a straight front punch to catch him off guard

to your surprise, he was able to move to the outside at the 10:30*

and now he’s directly behind in which you delivered a back elbow

but ya still didn’t hit ‘em

and he’s not striking back

frustrated, you started throwing random strikes to different targets that were opened

hook punch to the kidney

uppercut the jaw

back fist to the temple

roundhouse kick to the IT band,,, THE IT BAND FFS

he dodged them all and you were getting tired

annoyance fills your body as you unintentionally throw a haymaker* aiming for the side of his head

and jUST LIKE THAT you knew the fight was already over

bc bitch you just gave him the opportunity to move in, stop your punch, and wrap your arm around

just the position for him to take you down

(insert ‘take you down’ by chris brown)

and he in fact,,, did (ya loser) with a sweep of a leg

“the names soonyoung by the way. lots of people call me hoshi tho. but you,,, can call me tiger” ;) cRIngE

before you got the chance to get up and potentially smack the cute smile plastered on his face

you see his figure bend down and plants a small kiss on your cheek

and you didn’t need the faint sound of your siblings giggling in the background to know that you face had turned bright red

pucca: a Canadian-South Korean animated tv series revolving around pucca, a girl who is in love with a ninja named garu

bobs: a punching dummy shaped like a human being (they’re all named bob... all of them)

10:30 angle: imagine looking ahead and you move forward to the 45 degree to your left :) it’s confusing i know 

haymaker: like an exaggerated hook punch,,, like the ones that high school teenagers throw in movies  

[translations-by-aiimee]

Dig a Grave to Dig Out a Ghost - Chapter 34

Original Title: 挖坟挖出鬼

Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 34

The early morning sunlight shone diagonally into the room, casting a bright yellow glare onto the back of his eyelids. Lin Yan ripped off the blanket. He rolled out of bed in a daze, but his legs gave out and he fell. He sat on the bedside, taking deep breaths.

His whole body hurt like it had been run over by a cart. Every muscle was screaming. Lin Yan shook his head in an attempt to get rid of the hangover dizziness, tugging at the blanket that had half-fallen down. The place where Xiao Yu had slept was already empty, and a shallow depression in the bed reminded him of the absurdity of last night's drinking.

Lin Yan roughly tapped his temple. For the first time, he wanted to wipe away his drunken memory but the more he tried to forget, the more sober he became. Even the ghost's watching gaze was still present in his mind. His velvety black eyes looked lost while he whispered his name and slammed into him. It was like his body was still pressed against him, their hearts intertwining as one.

He slept with someone he has to spend 24 hours a day with. How is this going to end?

Idiot, Lin Yan cursed. He put on a long T-shirt meant for playing basketball and walked towards the wall. When he heard Xiao Yu calling him, Lin Yan didn't even have the courage to turn around and answer him. He stumbled into the bathroom with his head down and locked the door behind him.

The person looking back at him in the mirror had red eyes, swollen cheeks, and a series of blue and purple hickeys that stretched from the bottom of his neck to his collarbone. Lin Yan tugged the collar of his T-shirt down. When he saw the miserable state of his chest, he hastily turned his head. He turned on the shower to wash his body. The water rained onto his face. Everything he did, and didn't, want to see blurred. The sensitive parts of his body were stimulated by the hot water, causing the corner of Lin Yan's mouth to twitch in discomfort. Still gritting his teeth, he roughly scrubbed his body.

He couldn't wait for this layer of skin to eventually flake off.

Lin Yan dried his hair and wiped a hand across the foggy mirror. It still showed a beautiful and clean face. The stand-up collar T-shirt just covered the marks on the neck. Lin Yan propped himself up on the sink and smiled miserably at the man in the mirror.

Compared to love, carnal desire is much simpler. A meal, a bottle of wine, and anything can happen. You don’t even need to take off your clothes. Do the deed, forget about it, take a shower and continue on like nothing happened. Who needs to bring up the unpleasantness of last night anyway?

He can't succumb to a paranoid ghost. The street was full of decent people. Who knows what animal opened its thighs last night, and which corner it will live in the next night?

The tinkling sound of cups and plates came from the kitchen and passed through the messy living room. The moment the sliding door opened, Lin Yan was stunned by the sight in front of him, and he didn't move for a long time.

The light golden sunlight fell on the ground. The suave gentleman with messy sideburns and a pair of slender eyebrows carefully rinsed a frozen fish under the tap. Lin Yan bought it a few days ago and threw it in the freezer and forgot to take it out. It was freezer burnt. The fish's eyes were covered with a layer of frost, its mouth wide open, and the head that peeked out from his hands was a bit dull. The saucepan was placed on the burner, and the water was almost at a boil. Several pieces of ginger and green onions were diced into various-sized pieces on the chopping board. He had forgotten to peel the ginger, the clueless blockhead.

Hearing the movement at the door, Xiao Yu turned his head. A smile was hidden in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth were softly curved upwards: "You're awake. You're not going to sleep some more?"

". . . I'm too nauseous to sleep." Lin Yan's face burned. Avoiding his eyes, he walked over to turn off the tap. "What are you doing with this thing? Are you hungry?"

It took everything in him to pretend to stay calm: "I thought you didn't need to eat."

"I wanted to make breakfast for you." Xiao Yu pointed to the fish in the sink. "It's too frozen."

"You need to defrost it in the microwave, so it won't be melted in one day." Lin Yan glanced at the scattered green onion and ginger on the chopping board. "Besides, no one makes fish this early in the morning. It's too heavy."

Xiao Yu stood still in front of the sink, awkwardly holding the fish's tail: ". . . This is all I know how to make."

Lin Yan took out a frying pan and moved the saucepan off the burner: "I can't eat this stuff with an upset stomach. Don't worry about it. I'll just cook something myself to eat."

"What do you want to eat? Let me try." Xiao Yu said as he went to look through the refrigerator. He had just opened it slightly before Lin Yan shut it, his voice unconsciously raised: "I said don't worry about it. Don't act like this is your house. Look at what my living room already looks like. Who knows what might happen to the kitchen later on. Young Master Xiao has probably never had to lift a finger in his life. I don't need your help."

When he spoke, he unconsciously put more emphasis on the 'my', deliberately excluding him, leaving no room for argument.

A one-night stand or something seemed too far-fetched for him, but he couldn't have sex and expect to now be fully devoted to each other. The person opposite him was stunned. His eyes, full of expectation, darkened. He was a bit at a loss holding the fish, as if he had done something wrong, and didn't know what to do.

Lin Yan didn't dare to look at him. He struggled to take out the eggs and milk from the refrigerator. He poured the oil into the frying pan and cracked open the eggs with two clicks. Once he turned around, Xiao Yu was still standing in the same spot, the frozen fish turning his fingers red. He wasn't going to leave or stay. He lowered his eyes and glanced back at him occasionally as if he was afraid of getting in trouble.

Lin Yan didn't say anything. He took out a spatula and flipped the fried egg over. The pain in his back was still terrible. Every step he took was torturous. The ghost noticed his unnatural stance. After standing behind him for a while, he hesitantly put down the fish. He wrapped himself around him in an attempt at a comforting hug. He put his chin on Lin Yan's shoulder. He felt like a mass of cold air like he had forgotten to close the refrigerator door.

"Does it hurt a lot?" Xiao Yu's tone was softer than ever before. "I'll be gentler next time."

Lin Yan took a deep breath. Xiao Yu's touch brought back the memories of last night. He had fully submitted himself to the ghost. The uncontrollable debauchery and the sense of shame of being exposed on the spot made him antsy. He interrupted him, expressionless: "There won't be a next time. I was drunk last night. Let's pretend it never happened. What's done is done, okay?"

The person behind him trembled, and the arms around him loosened.

Lin Yan couldn't bear it and concealed it by fiddling with the fried egg in the pan: "You can't help with this. Find me some nausea medicine. It's in the bedroom drawer."

Xiao Yu pondered for a moment, then asked him in a low voice: "What does the nausea medicine . . . look like?"

"You don't know anything." Lin Yan sighed. He put the spatula down. He turned around, suppressing the evil fire in his heart: "Please leave. I'm in a bad mood. I don't have time to say something nice to make you happy."

Xiao Yu was silent and slowly let go of him. He raised a pair of dark eyes to stare at Lin Yan. Something he couldn't understand floated in his eyes, like sadness. He gave him a once-over from head to toe. He turned his head and gently saying: "Lin Yan, don't play with me."

When he turned around, the ghost had already disappeared. Lin Yan slowly put the fried egg on the plate. He pressed through the pain in his stomach and began to eat. The touch of the embrace seemed to linger on his body. He subconsciously shook his shoulders, his face wooden.

Don't play with me? Lin Yan recalled the ghost's words with a look in his eyes. This proud young man had rushed out of the unknown and forcibly occupied his home, his bed, his space, his time and his . . . his thigh muscles twitched. Lin Yan slowly rubbed his hands along his thighs. Finally, he put down his chopsticks and buried his face in the palms of his hands and rubbed hard, unconsciously turning his eyes red. In the end, who was playing with who?

Meat is most delicious with the blood. The more debaucherous the lust, the more enjoyable it'll be. Sex could be dirty, but love couldn't. Love was the purest thing, there was no room for filth. The ridiculous night was over. The unpredictable ghost could be forgotten, but the gentle side of the ghost forced him to remember some feelings that had nothing to do with lust. The softest corner of his heart was gently tugged. Lin took a bit of his egg, his throat choked up with inexplicable sorrow and grief.

Maybe he was disgusted with himself for losing himself last night, but what difference does it make? Lin Yan silently thought. Some things can't be taken back.

After washing the dishes, he called Professor Folder's secretary to confirm the meeting time. The secretary gave him the address of the institute, and, after finalizing the meeting, Lin Yan cleaned up the kitchen. A small pile of chopped green onions and ginger was still on the chopping board. The knifework was clumsy, but he had been serious about it. Lin Yan used a knife to brush them off the board. Just as he was about to throw them away, he suddenly hesitated. He found a small bowl and put it in the refrigerator freezer.

That guy should have found a place to get angry. Lin Yan sighed, limped and held the wall to walk outside. One thing after another left him completely exhausted. He knew it was wrong to take it out on him, but he just couldn't find the energy to comfort the stubborn ghost. It was almost time for his appointment. Lin Yan packed his pen and notebook into his sports bag. When he walked into the living room, he was shocked. Xiao Yu was picking up things on the floor with his back facing him. When he heard Lin Yan come in, he turned around, holding several girl's trinkets, hair clips, dolls, leather coin purses, and a few photos that could barely be seen.

"These can still be used. Take them." Xiao Yu hung his head cautiously: "I can't compensate you for the rest. I don't have the money you use, and you took everything I had."

The sunlight came in from the half-opened curtains. The ghost stood helplessly in the wind-swept living room, bowing his head as a peace offering, lowering his stature and waiting to be forgiven.

Lin Yan couldn't say a word. He stood there for a long time, and when he opened his mouth, his voice became mute: "What are you doing this early in the morning? Are you trying to make me feel bad?" He found a garbage bag to put them in, harshly tying the bag. "I don't even want them anymore."

He dragged Xiao Yu into the bedroom and opened the paper bags that were piled up in the corner. The clothes he bought in Shenjiayuan last time were hung in the closet. He had even kept the auspicious mortuary clothes, carefully ironed out and hung on clothing hangers. The full cabinet was stuffed with two people's things, almost giving a sense of 'home'.

"Satisfied? Come over and I'll help you comb your hair." Lin Yan tugged Xiao Yu's sleeve: "I made an appointment to ask about you at the research institute today. We're going to be late."

All the words in the world couldn’t compare to the warmth of "we". Lin Yan held Xiao Yu's long, silky hair. The two figures were reflected in the mirror. White fabric draped over the top. The pearwood dresser was decorated with gold inlay. The pearly surface was like the white of a flower. A screen behind them covered in peony flowers and birds was complex and magnificent; a dazzling sight

Lin Yan satisfactorily rolled a bun with a bone hairpin. The bangs on his forehead fell down. His features were as sharp as a knife, with sharp eyebrows and starry eyes. He couldn't help but squeeze his face jokingly: "Young Master looks really handsome. How are you going to pay for your manservant?" He muttered: "Without money, you have to sleep with me at night. What a shame."

As he spoke, he put his hand on Xiao Yu's shoulder. Cold fingers moved up to caress the back of his hand, carefully tracing the bones in his fingers, like dealing with a treasure made of jade.

"I know all that. I just can't bear to let you go." Xiao Yu spoke very lightly.

"What?" Lin Yan didn't hear him clearly.

"Nothing." Xiao Yu said softly.

-------------

The research institute where the professor worked was built inside a large complex. It took a long time to find the side road from the main road. The low bungalows were shaded by the century-old trees. There were round tables and wicker chairs on the open balcony of the building, and occasionally they could see gray-haired foreigners sitting together drinking tea.

After greeting the entrance guard, Lin Yan drove his car into the back parking lot with ease and stopped in front of a modest gray bungalow. The 90s-style office didn't have a separate door, two steps leading into the dark and dreary building. Standing in the yard was a middle-aged man in work clothes, holding a small piece of paper to double-check if it matched Lin Yan's car license plate. When he saw that everything matched, he smiled honestly and greeted Lin Yan and opened the door very courteously.

"Lin, welcome. My name is Chen." The middle-aged man shook enthusiastically shook Lin Yan's hand. "The professor has arranged everything."

"Brother Chen." Lin Yan said respectfully.

"Come, come. It's bright outside. Come inside and see. Two days ago, I was on a business trip. Hey, comrade, you know, we have to travel every day in this line of work. We started going through the files as soon as we got back. Come in and find out if we have what you need."

The middle-aged man said as he took Lin Yan into the building. He was actually very young when he looked at him up close. He had a rugged look because he worked in areas with harsh UV rays. His eyes were plain and his skin was tanned and blistered. A mouthful of white teeth was revealed when he spoke. This comrade reminded Lin Yan of the old leader with a ceramic vase in front of him in the "Reform and Opening*" poster. The person in front of him's appearance suddenly started to warp in his mind. His shirt was tucked in his black pants and a Zhongshan suit was draped over him. He was gesticulating towards the door. A pair of large hands with prominent knuckles and bones was a common characteristic of the working people.

*(T/N: "Reform and Opening" policy is the Chinese economic reforms that went into place after Mao Zedong's death in China and pursued by Deng Xiaoping)

[syncogon]

[QZGS meta] what’s in an OP? dawning glory (pt 3)

(part 1) (part 2) 

This is the third and last post in my little series analyzing the opening theme of The King’s Avatar Season 2! Honestly, this whole thing became way longer than I was expecting. I guess this is what happens when all my immense amount of love for this series, accumulated over years of no-donghua-updates, overlaps with my immense amount of love for anime openings. 

Watched the first and second episodes yesterday, and they really sparked a lot of joy. :D I missed Blue River so much :D

Yesterday, they released the OST for Season 2, which includes the TV cut and full versions of the OP and ED, as well as two insert songs, and the instrumental versions of all of the above. I’ve yet to find anywhere that lets me download the audio files (hoping they’ll be reuploaded to youtube or bilibili soon), but in the meantime you can listen here. They’re really good songs!  https: //www. kuwo. cn/album_detail/15792659

Anyway, let’s finish up this OP analysis!

Now here, we reach the true climax as we enter the chorus section. This next segment is definitely the highest-energy part of the entire opening. It’s a montage of Happy’s characters showing off their moves, timed to the music; there’s not too much deeper meaning, but damn if it doesn’t look fantastic. The animation flows from one character and scene to the next so smoothly, so beautifully, it’s just incredibly hype to see. This is what you get when you specifically choreograph/animate sequences for the opening instead of just reusing shots from the main show! (Parts of some of these shots appeared in episode 1, but I do honestly think that it’s more likely that the show reused shots from the opening than the other way around, just because of how perfectly the OP fits together. I also don’t think it’s super noticeable in-show; I’ve just been watching this obsessively.)

In particular I love the line that kicks this all off: “just put on your battle armor and step onto the road to the unknown.” Specifically, though, the rhythm of the lyric is, “jiu pi shang zhan jia ta shang wei zhi qian fang,” with emphasizing accents on the -ang sounds. This isn’t how you would divide the phrase naturally, but because the (syncopated!!) melody accents these notes/syllables, the rhyming effect really stands out and it feels as clever and satisfying as a rap lyric. Moreover, the emphasis times juuust right with the attacks of Soft Mist, Steamed Bun Invasion, and Windward Formation, a perfect example of how music and visuals mutually reinforce each other for maximum cool effect. 

It’s generally easier to rhyme in Chinese than English, because of a smaller phonetic vocabulary. From the chorus onward, the key rhyme is on the “-ang” sound (think “ahng” or “ong”, not “aang” like the Avatar), which is a good choice - powerful, reverberant. The asymmetry of the syllable’s use in this section - the song’s lines are all different lengths at this part, so you’re kept on your toes as to when the pattern will reappear - helps add to the engaging excitement of the song. This is also the syllable used for most of the rhymes in the second half of the first OP. 

jiu pi shang zhan jia ta shang wei zhi qian fang

hui qi shou zhong wo jin de na shu guang

you ni men zai lu shang__

shi li liang

I really love One Inch Ash’s design. Concealed Light had a big redesign for this season, and honestly I like it as well. And notice here that he’s holding a book - exactly how we left Luo Ji when we saw him last! 

“Waving the light clenched tightly in our hand” - that is to say, brandishing our light as our weapon, no matter what form it may take - a sword, a book, our hope and determination. 

On a purely musical note (ha), right at this point, specifically the measure beginning with “那束光,” you can hear a three-note “ooo” harmony line in the background, and wow it’s so subtle but I love it so much! A similar three-note line actually appears earlier too (during the “crossing the frozen finish line,” right as the music is building up), also to great effect.  

We follow Concealed Light’s gaze upward to the building to see Deception running along the wall, from which he does a flip and slashes downward with twin blades. I love that transition a lot, but my favorite transition of this entire sequence has to be the following one:

Yes! Deception’s cross slash resolves perfectly into the cross held by Little Cold Hands. It’s so fast and so natural you don’t even notice it, and that’s the absolute beauty of it. The first time I saw this, I was in awe - the animators really brought their A-game to this, far better than I ever would have dared hope for this series.

And Little Cold Hands is so pretty! When we got our first art of her official design, the comments were filled with people simping for her, and honestly, valid. I’m surprised her hair is purple instead of pink, but that’s just a minor thing. 

There’s something especially powerful about how she raises her cross in time with the lyric “having you all here [with me] on this road,” and then the cross flashing brilliantly with “it’s power.” More than any other role, the healer is a team player. And this theme of team togetherness is particularly important for An Wenyi, who is deeply moved by the team’s perhaps illogical faith in him. Remember that analogy Ye Xiu tells him, of the straw tied to the deluxe mitten crab? 

An aside: listening to this, I always thought the line should be 有你们在身旁 instead of 有你们在路上, because it still fits the rhyme, because my past experience has somewhat conditioned me to expect that phrase, and because the full message of “having you by my side is power” just makes me wanna tear up like what a good line! So it felt like a missed opportunity that they didn’t use that. But as it turns out, the final iteration of this chorus in the full version of the OP does, in fact, use “by my side”! And I think making this tiny tweak to the lyric the final time you here it just makes it that much stronger :’)

I’m also just a big fan of the “it’s power” melodic flourish in general, since it comes as a surprise. You kind of expect the melody to end with the previous phrase, but the extra notes here add a really nice emphatic beat to finish off the line. 

So to recap the transitions: we see Soft Mist falling from the sky and get a close up of her face as she stabs her spear; this takes us to a closeup of Steamed Bun’s face facing roughly the same direction before we zoom out to his torso and he slashes from lower left of the screen to upper right; following the motion of that slash we see Windward Formation’s torso rotate in that direction as the camera zooms out farther; we follow the rays of his attack to see One Inch Ash drawing his sword; we zoom in on the flashing blade and zoom out on Concealed Light’s glowing book; we follow his gaze upward to see Deception running along the building behind him; Deception leaps and slashes and the slash becomes Little Cold Hands’ cross, which raises up and triggers an explosion. It’s just so dynamic and smooth even without taking place in one continuous setting, and it just really, really gets you hyped. 

Also, starting from Happy’s team picture at the start of the chorus, which is during the day, it feels like Soft Mist and Steamed Bun’s moves are at late afternoon, Windward Formation and One Inch Ash take us to nighttime, and then you can see the first rays of morning in Concealed Light and Deception’s segments. This continuity also definitely helps with the feeling of natural flow through these scenes. 

Anyway, this entire action segment is just so beautiful, I could watch it on loop. But we still have the final segment of this OP to analyze, so let’s keep going.

After the action sequences of the climax, we settle down a bit now as we approach the end. Here we see the Excellent Era team picture, in the same style as the team pics we saw earlier, but presented separately. It makes sense, as the role they play in the story is different from the roles of all the other teams. 

Sun Xiang, Liu Hao, and Cui Li are at the bottom. Because we’re panning up, these three are the first we see. At first glance, the way they’re positioned is fairly consistent with the team pics we’ve seen already: Captain Sun Xiang at center-right, the largest figure; vice-captain Liu Hao, manager Cui Li in the background. 

Sun Xiang’s position and expression is really the only one that fits the healthy pattern of the teams we’ve seen already - looking toward the camera, a confident (though arrogant) smile. He might be misguided, but there’s hope for him yet. Notice how Liu Hao isn’t even looking at the camera, which as we’ve seen before is somewhat of an indication of how unified and focused the team is toward its goal; instead, Liu Hao is doing his own thing, determined to prioritize his own desires over what’s best for the team. And manager Cui Li is in this image too, despite not even being a player. His sinister presence reflects the unhealthy interference of the business side in the gaming side. Excellent Era’s downfall comes about because of its prioritization of profit over victory.

As we pan up, Excellent Era’s logo comes into view. It’s larger than any of the other team logos we’ve seen so far, spanning around three-quarters of the screen whereas the others looked to span no more than half. Excellent Era’s legacy is a weighty one, to date the only team to have ever won three championships, and consecutively to boot. 

It’s this immense, shining logo that seems to be casting Tao Xuan on the left into shadow. He cuts a large figure, reflecting the deep impact his actions have had upon the main plot of this story, even though he’s only now appearing for the first time in the donghua.

However, he’s also turned away from the camera, such that we can barely even see his closed eye. Because of that, it’s difficult to read his expression, but the impression given by this pose is not one of vindictive pride, but one of shame, as though he can’t quite bear to face what he’s done. On some level, no matter how he might try to rationalize it as necessary, Tao Xuan knows that his profit-driven betrayal of Ye Xiu was a pretty awful thing to do. It might be this amount of guilt that leads him to offer Ye Xiu a wish granted, a tribute to their years of friendship and partnership before their ties are severed completely.

In the end, Tao Xuan’s greed leaves him with nothing really to show for it. What had he gained? What had he lost? Those realizations are still a ways off in the story, but I like how this OP is already hinting at the depth of his character. Tao Xuan isn’t some glasses-flashing, evil-laughing, one-dimensional antagonist; he is in fact very realistic for the setting. We can condemn his actions and priorities, but at the same time we can understand how he ended up here.

As for Su Mucheng, her eyes are closed as well. She’s brightly illuminated, but pointedly turned away from all of the others in Excellent Era; she knows the direction of her future, and that it no longer lies with Excellent Era. Her loyalty was always to Ye Xiu, and as soon as he was banished, her relationship to the team was professional and nothing more. 

“This light hidden in my heart is burning” - there are many ways to read this lyric and what exactly the light referenced here is, but because the line is paired with this image, I naturally think about Su Mucheng’s situation. Despite her pretty-vase, sweet-girl appearance, she holds a deep, profound anger at everything that happened regarding Excellent Era. It’s a testament to her immense strength of character that she lasted the remaining one and a half years of her contract in this hostile environment. 

Yet even as she resolves to cut ties, there’s a sadness in her expression. She was here from the very beginning as well, when Excellent Era was no more than an internet cafe, and it pains her immensely that the powerhouse, championship team that they and her brother had built from the ground up would ultimately meet this tragic end.

It’s interesting to note that both of the “redeemable” characters here (namely Su Mucheng and Sun Xiang) are on the right, more brightly-lit side of the screen, so there’s a nice little dividing line you can draw there. Sun Xiang’s eyes are still looking toward the left, though, revealing how his character development still has yet to play out.

From there we cut to Ye Xiu holding Lord Grim’s account card. He’s standing back on top of the roof from the beginning of the OP, now in full daylight.

As mentioned… the animators really went ham on the bangs animation.

Ye Xiu turns away from the railing, the camera cuts to an image of Happy’s logo on a flag waving in the wind, and then we zoom out to see the current members of Team Happy gathered together in uniform, standing proud in the light of day. Left to right, Steamed Bun, Tang Rou, Luo Ji, Ye Xiu, An Wenyi, Wei Chen, Chen Guo. Presumably, this will be Happy’s lineup by the end of the season. 

Up until now, we’ve only seen the real players separate from each other - they’ve all been in different places, never even in the same frame together. (This, of course, also contrasts the pro team pics that we have, which show everyone together.) Halfway through the OP, we got the group shot of them meeting in game with their characters. And now, they’ve finally met up in the real world as well. 

One thing I like about this final pose is how it compares to the final pose of the OVA OP. It’s the same kind of power-pose vibe, but there we only had Ye Xiu, Chen Guo, and Tang Rou. Look at how we’ve grown since then! They’re well on their way to being a proper pro team! 

And that’s a wrap! With this final image of Team Happy gathered together, we’re ready to enter the episode proper. 

So let’s talk about the OP as a whole. Generally, an OP serves a couple of main roles: a) tells you a bit about what the show is about, b) gives you an overall feeling / mood for the show, c) gets you hyped and ready to watch the upcoming episode.

How well does this opening achieve those goals? Pretty well, as we’ve seen. Past OPs did a pretty good job of setting the mood, but they honestly just put some pretty visuals on the screen, only vaguely aligned to the music, and called it a day. This OP, however, has a cohesive storyline to tell, framed around Team Happy’s coming together (following the tagline of this season). Even in such a short span of time, it manages to convey so much information about its story and characters, both overt and implicit (as I hope this series of posts has managed to convince you). Paired with the music, which has its own deeper meanings encoded in the lyrics, the OP becomes incredibly effective and memorable as it makes its statement.

I mentioned an “interest curve” earlier (interest in the sense of interesting, not the money); this is part of the standard formula for anime opening songs, in my experience. I’m a little too lazy to draw a graph myself, so take a look at this image:

(source: https: //www. researchgate. net/figure/Example-of-an-interest-curve-for-a-successful-entertainment-experience_fig1_333917625 )

Although not all of the relative heights and segment lengths are accurate in this specific case, hopefully the general shape of the interest curve is enough to demonstrate my point. You’ve got the A-B peak at the opening instrumental segment, the C-D peak/arc over verse 1, the D-E-F peak/arc over verse 2, then the sharp F-G-H peak over the chorus before dropping off for a smooth landing right into the episode. This general pattern is effective at holding the viewer’s focus and managing their excitement over the course of this one and a half minutes. 

Visually, the OP is just such a treat for the eyes. I’ve already talked about many of the little details I love - lighting, character designs, animations, transitions, etc. - but all in all the new animation studio is doing a really good job here. An OP is how you hook people, and I’d definitely feel comfortable using this to try and bait people into watching this show. 

One comment I want to add is about the incorporation of the credits, which we didn’t see until the episode premiere. I don’t think there’s anything too exciting to say (and I also don’t have access to any images right now since the OP was only shown in episode 2), but the fonts and styling were a nice choice - it gave a gaming vibe, but if I recall it still used a serif font, so it didn’t feel overly modern - and the text positioning generally complements instead of distracting. I also liked how they showed the lyrics! I didn’t really expect them to include them onscreen, or if they did, I thought they would just be plain subs like they were in this video. But in the actual OP that plays at the beginning of the episode, they’re as much a part of the art as the credits!

If I had to make any criticism, my biggest complaint about the OP is, I think, the singers. I think having two different singers trade off can work nicely, but in this case, the switches are jarring because their voices are so different. The first singer has a lower, gravely voice, while the second singer’s voice sounds much brighter and more nasally. Furthermore, the first switch doesn’t come until we’re fully halfway through the song, which means that by that point we’re already used to this first singer. It’s also strange that they’d switch back to the first voice at the climax of the song, when I think the second voice would suit the high-energy segment much better. Switching from second to first right at this point feels like we’re actually taking a step down in energy, which is the opposite of what should be happening here. 

Still, my main problem isn’t with the voice switching but with the voices themselves, and I think the voices are something I could get used to. The third switch, going from the first voice back to the second voice during the shot of Excellent Era, is much less jarring than the others - I actually like how it feels like the solo is passing naturally from one person to the next, emphasizing the ideals of this not being a single-player game and all that. For that transition in particular, I think (because of the added “it’s power” flourish) it happens too quickly for one person to sing it comfortably, so having another person pick up the line works best. And I do like how the voices sound when they overlay together for the final lines of the song. 

So, overall? Overall, this OP is really damn good. It’s everything I could have asked for and more. After such a long wait, the OP, at least, does not disappoint, and I’m extremely excited to see what the series has in store for us. 

If you’ve read to this point, thank you! I like this series a lot, as you can probably see, and I’m treating it as my glory :)